CHESS: Keep an eye on it

By Eric Morrow

July 21, 2008 08:12 pm

— In football, when an opposing team needs a big play, the safeties will keep an eye on the opponent’s wide receivers to make sure they don’t break free. In basketball, the point guard will keep an eye out for an opposing player trying sneak away down court for a fast break.
With this hint in mind how should white play this position? What two ideas allow white to secure the draw? Please try to find the answer before reading the solution.
In chess notation, the board is a grid: the vertical columns are numbered “1” through “8;” the horizontal rows, “a” through “h.” Each square on the board is identified by a specific letter and number. For example, if white pawn at c4 were to move to c5, the notation would be c5 (pawn moves are described by identifying the square occupied by the pawn after it moves, k=king, etc.)
In this week’s position black’s pawns at e4 and f5 are connected, passed pawns racing toward the promotion rank. The black pawn at e4 already has a step on the white king.
White therefore must move its king to d4, so as to keep an eye on the e4 and f4 pawns and thwart their advance.
Since black cannot move a pawn without losing it, black must move its king to one of three squares: b6, c6 or d6. Black, too, must prevent the advance of white’s a4 and c4 pawns. Like black’s e4 and f5 pawns, white’s a4 and c4 pawns are also passed pawns, although they are not connected.
How white manages its two passed pawns so that black, too, has to keep an eye on two passed pawns is the second idea at play in this week’s position. If black moves its king to b6, white moves its king to e3. If black then becomes aggressive and moves its king to c5, attacking the c4 pawn, white advances its a4 pawn to a5.
Black dare not win the c4 pawn, or else the white’s a5 pawn cannot be caught as it races toward its promotion square at a8. If the black king had moved to a5, the white c4 pawn would have moved to c5 with the same idea. It is important to note if white’s pawns move to either a5 or c5, the black king cannot occupy b6.
If the black king responds to kd4 with kc6 or kd6, white employs the same idea and moves its a4 pawn to a5. Now black has to keep a vigilant eye on white’s passed pawns.

From here, the game is a draw. Neither side can make any progress, as the kings keep an eye out for trouble.
Just as in sports one has to keep an eye out for a fast break or a hail Mary, so, too, in chess one has to keep an eye out for a runaway pawn.

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