todayinchess

Here is the solution to the Gulko-Schneider endgame posted here 11/22/08:

The game continued 1. Ke3 Kc4 2. Ke4 f6 (if 2…Kxb5 3. Kd5 Ka4 4. Ke5 Kb4 5. Kd6 Kc4 6. d5 b5 7. Kc6 b4 8. d6 b3 9. d7 b2 10. d8(Q) b1(Q) 11. Qd5+ Kc3 12. Qa5+! Qb4 13. Qxb4+ Kxb4 14. Kd6 +-) 3. Kf5 Kxd4 4. Kxf6 Kc5 5. Kg5 Kxb5 6. Kxh5 Kc4 7. Kxg4 b5 8. h4 b4 9. h5 b3 10. h6 b2 11. h7 b1(Q) 12. h8(Q) Qe4+ 13. f4 Qg6+ 14. Kh4 Kd3 15. g4 Ke4 16. Kg3 Qb6 17. Qe5+ Kd3 18. f5 Qg1+ 19. Kh4 (1-0)

According to the search engine Fritz, 1. Kc3 also wins as follows: 1…Ke4 2. Kc4 f5 3. Kc3 f4 4. Kc4 f3 5. Kc3 Kd5 6. Kd3 Ke6 7. Ke4 Kd6 8. d5 Kc5 9. Ke5 Kxb5 10. d6 Kc6 11. Ke6 b5 12. d7 Kc7 13. Ke7 b4 14. d8(Q)+ Kb7 15. Kd7 b3 and White mates in 2 moves.

1. f3? Gives Black a draw after: 1…gxf3 2. Ke3 f2 3. Kxf2 Kxd4 4. Kf3 Kc5 5. h4 f5 6. Kf4 Kb5 7. Kg5 Kc4 8. Kg5 Kc4 9. Kxh5 b5 10. Kg5 b4 11. h6 b2 12. h7 b1(Q) 13. h8(Q) Qd3 14. Qe5 Kb3 15. Qxf5 Qxg3+ (1/2-1/2)

This endgame is worth spending some time studying. I will give a free chess book to anyone who finds an improvement for Black.