TWO PUZZLES IN ONE ♚ Amazing Chess Study ♖ Leonid Kubbel ♕ Improve Your Chess
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- #Chess #ChessPuzzles #LogicPuzzles #ChessforCharity #helenkellerinternational #Puzzles #Logic #retrograde
In this video, I show an amazing study composed by Leonid Kubbel. There are two puzzles. First, you have to figure out how this position is possible on and what led to getting the king in the corner. Once you are able to figure that out, the next part is trying to work out how to win this position. Be sure to subscribe for more chess content!
FEN - 7k/6p1/6P1/8/8/8/B7/KN6 w - - 0 1
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I came up with a different reason to why the positon was legal. white played g6+ with the king on h7 and blacks king ran to the corner leaving it white to move
I did that too
Lol g6 checkmate
I missed that. It seems hard to see moves that would be absurd in over-the-board play.
[Edited to add] Though on second thoughts it's not absurd - it's a good drawing attempt!
@@rogerkearns8094 yes, if the king had taken the pawn, a king and a pawn vs a knight and bishop is hard to defend
I thought about hxg6+, but the idea is the same, it is possible that black's king was on h7, then after white's pawn arrives on g6, black plays Kh8
The first move was pretty easy, as all other opening moves result in an immediate stalemate.
That is correct! I guess the part after that is where the real fun begins. 🙂
Yeh, if I was playing this, maybe I won this game because I found moves like the "Knight sacrifice". I really enjoy this puzzle!! 😍
@@ChessforCharityAnyone can win against an opponent that helps but if the black king just focuses on keeping next to the white pawn there's nothing white can do. White may force him away for one move but whenever white achieves this, white is not in position to take the black pawn. So without blacks co-operation, white can never WIN this game. (or at least that's my opinion). The ultimate outcome is a stalemate.
Wow, I usually don't comment your videos, I just watch them and enjoy, but I gotta admire the fact that in one of your latest videos, someone commented that you should put the authors of the problems on the side, and you actually did it !
You're an amazing content creator, and you are humble enough to give credits where it should be that's awesome !
Greetings from France my friend, keep up the good work 👌🇨🇵
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that feedback! I am always happy to improve my work.
🙂
I saw all other knight moves except Nh7, wow and as you point out the move I immediately see why that move is important, amazing puzzle
Glad you enjoyed it! There are so many cool moves in this puzzle. Thanks for watching! 😀
4:40 Good to learn how to defend blocked pawns as a knight vs king
Black can also try a strategy of keeping the king in the corner and shuffling g8-h8. If they do, white, after getting the knight in range to switch strategies in case Black makes a late king run, simply marches the king to e6 or e7. Then with the black king on h8 -- white can just move to the other of e6 and e7 -- white plays Nf6! Black's only legal move is to take the knight. White actually now has two ways to win: Kxf6 Kg8 g7 Kh6 Kf7 and queen, or the tricky Kf7 right away, forcing ...f5 g7+ Kh7 g8=Q.
These videos are highly instructive....I didn't think I could learn so much from so "simple" a position. Great job.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Excelent
solved half of the puzzle
3:54 got lost in the move Kc3 thinking the black king is going to advance at the knight then at some point I'd need to get the kniight to e7 or f4 to guard the pawn and maybe sack the knight to get opposition or something.
Nice Mate in 25 (the line you analyzed here)
I wish I was able to calculate that without moving any pieces. Haha Thanks for watching!
You need to cover the lines where black king tries to state a fortress (g8-h8-g8-h8). It's also a win but It's part of the problem
Yep! You are right. That is something I realized after making the video. I will try to be more comprehensive in the future. Thank you for watching!
What is interesting tho, while Knight still at f7, it was a mate in 10 he‘d missed. Moving that Knight to h8 is a win still, yes, but in about 28 moves.
This Position is also possible like if black king was on h7 and white played g6+
That is correct. Thanks for pointing that out!
That's freaking awesome!
Glad you enjoyed it!
great video!!
The answer for first question is "legal", because second puzzle exist only of it is legal, and we already know there are 2 puzzles.
You have been watching those logic mathematics videos haven't you?
Yeah, that is one way to think about it. In some way, I am asking whether it is artificially composed (i.e., not coming from a real game) or whether it is possible to get to this position from a 'normal' game. I may have to rephrase in the future. Thank for pointing that out!
@RUSapache that doesn't follow. There can be puzzles that start in custom positions that cannot be reached via valid moves in a standard game. The puzzles would still have a point on their own, regardless of whether the position was legal or not.
Wow. Saw until the knight "sac" but I couldn't find a continuation. Beautiful puzzle.
There are several ways to get to that initial position . . . as long as Black plays Kh8 after hxg6 (whatever may be captured).
Yes, that is true. Good point! You have a strong retrograde intuition!
Awesome puzzle. Subbed
Thank you for your support! 🙂
In first puzzle to make the position legal the pawn could be on g5 and black king on h7 then you play g6 check and kh8
yea but at that point the king should have really taken the pawn
I think you should also have shown the case where black tries to hold it by staying on g8 and h8
That is a good point. I think that would be a little easier to win, but I should have certainly shown it. Thank you for watching!
@@ChessforCharity there is no way to force the king out of the corner so it's stalemate. A well known stalemate in fact. Black can only lose if she's dumb enough to leave the corner
Love your puzzles
I appreciate it!
What if last moves were g6 Kh8?
Kb2 : Stalemate
Bf7 : Stalemate
Kc3 : Stalemate
What if black king just sticked to g8&h8 squares after taking the bishop? How can white win? How can he kick the black king outside of that little fortress?
If black never goes to d7 or d8, then the knight stays on d4 and creates a "fortress" that way. White just moves the king until either white makes it to the pawn, or black goes to d7/8, and then white creates its real fortress.
You could say that black can't really stop white from stopping black to take the pawn, while also trying to take the pawn.
I did not figure that out. Great idea!!
It is a tough one! Thank you for watching! 🙂
"Is it legal?" Yes.
You could've pushed the pawn up checking the king, and the king didn't take the pawn and instead went up to threaten stalemate.
Oh, I didn't even consider a knight.
But my idea works, too.
Tx. 👍🏽
Thank you!
5:01 doesn't Black have a resource here?
Black doesn't HAVE to go after the white pawn. All he has to do is keep the white king from approaching. And it appears to me, that he might be able to do that.
For instance by staying on the squares f4, e4, e5.
And if ever qhite tries to attack the black pawn (via Ne6 for instance), Black always is in time to play Kf5, forcing the Knight away.
It is impossible for the black king to protect against the white king 100% of the time. For example, lets say the king stays on e4. I will play Kc3, Kc4, Kc5, Kd6. If you play Ke5 trying to cut me off, I can always play Kc6, and you are forced to move your king away, allowing my own king to progress.
If you do that, the knight will grab the black pawn eventually. Then the knight can defend the pawn and its an easy promote. Nh7 Nf6 (if black pawn takes them white promote), Ne8
6:30 i'm kinda tempted to sac a knight tbh, could go to e8 if it doesn't get captured and you can simply push, black king can't do much
I am always tempted to sac pieces, so I *totally* understand.
What happens if the Black King just stays on g8 and h8?
Hi there, cool problem. You have ignored Black's attempt at passive defence with 2 ... Kh8, 3 ... Kg8, 4 ... Kh8 etc. It would be instructive for viewers to see how White wins in this case. Thanks for the great content.
That's not much of a challenge, if you see that happening, white can just get the king to f5 or e7, then bring the knight over, and either capture the pawn (with intent to promote) or threaten mate directly. :-)
@@irrelevant_noob your answer lacks the necessary detail. There is a specific tactic you have failed to specify. Keep trying!
@@ga3680 oh, okay... That's a nice mini-puzzle in itself, nice suggestion.
@@ga3680 I have the answer. 1.Bg8!! Kxg8 2.Nc3 Kh8 3.Kb2 Kg8 4.Kc3 Kh8 5.Kd4 Kg8 6.Ke5 Kh8 7.Ke6 Kg8 8.Nd5 Kh8 9.Ne3 Kg8 10.Nf5 Kh8 11.Nh6!! gxh6 12.Kf6 Kg8 13.g7 Kh7 14.Kf7 Kh6 15.g8=Q Kh5 16.Qg3 Kh4 17.Qg4 Kh6 18.Qg6#. 1-0
Although I haven't taken care of every variation, if black's king was on h8 and white's king is on f5, then white can move his knight to f6, forcing black to take the knight, then after the king takes, it's a winning position for white.
I know it might be a dull and stupid question, but why wouldn’t you just move the white knight instead of the bishop to force black king to move into checkmate? New to chess so not sure why it was made more complex than necessary unless the point was to show how to deal with weird situations.
You didn't consider if the black king only blocks the white king instead of chasing the knight.
Why Kf8 rather than Kh8? You have a fortress. Stay in the fortress.
There absolutely is no fortress, as after the white king gets close enough, his knight will maneuver to f7, forcing the king to vacate h8. There is a problem with this system however, and that is that the knight and king alone cannot stop black's king from accessing g8, and white's king or knight therefore will never be able to approach black's pawn. To get around this, simply maneuver the knight via b1 to c3, d5, e3, f5, and finally h6. In that position white's king will be on e6 and with the black king on h8: Nh6!! will force black's g pawn to capture the knight, as black's king has no legal moves. After gxh6 Kf6 Kg8 g7 Kh7 Kf7, and white's pawn will queen, and win the game!
Here is the line in full that I calculated: 1.Bg8!! Kxg8 2.Nc3 Kh8 3.Kb2 Kg8 4.Kc3 Kh8 5.Kd4 Kg8 6.Ke5 Kh8 7.Ke6 Kg8 8.Nd5 Kh8 9.Ne3 Kg8 10.Nf5 Kh8 11.Nh6!! gxh6 12.Kf6 Kg8 13.g7 Kh7 14.Kf7 Kh6 15.g8=Q Kh5 16.Qg3 Kh4 17.Qg4 Kh6 18.Qg6#. 1-0
Because white's king is coming to your house and you need to destroy his pawn first.
Brilliant
Thanks for watching!
Working retrograde, with the king on H7 and whites pawn on G5s, white would pay G6 check and black KH8
Black also could have just let white win
Haha, that is an option as well! Thank you for watching!
One note - the started position is impossible. Definitely the previous move of black was Kg8-h8, but the white bishop on a2 does not have a previous move :)
In the video, I show the last move for white. Is there something wrong with that solution? Thank you for watching!
@@ChessforCharity Nothing wrong with the solution. The problem is this position just impossible because the white bishop was not able to make a check on the move before. All available fields for it on a2-f7 diagonal, so the black king is already under check on his field g8. So not allowed move for white bishop on the move before. I guess you understand me. It is artificial position which could not be happen according to chess rules.
I see m6 if you leave the bishop and just move knight
If I leave the bishop on a2, it will be stalemate, but I like the way you are thinking!
The question is what if black doesn't follow the knight around but instead focuses on not letting the white king approach, remaining on squares like f6, f5, g5. It is a bit silly to expect that black would just follow the pattern when it's already clear after a few moves what the result of that will be, but can he keep the white king away from the pawns?
knight take Black's pawn and promote
I like!
I appreciate that!
5:52 What if black king not go away of the white pawn, to prevent any step close of the white king?
You need to be more specific. White always have a way to the black pawn, because there are many squares the black king can't go to because of check.
It is all about finding ways to gain gaini tempo.
I went for g6+ in order to get the king in the corner.
That works as well! Thanks for watching!
6:00 hey the pawn cam Just eat the knight
All of a sudden you forgot which way the black pawn is going. It certainly isn't to the left...
Bg8 avoids stalemate, the knight has to defend the pawn, the king can capture the knight then the pawn, I think black wins.
Nope. White wins easily.
@@hypercubemaster2729 I had to watch the video to see how.
very nice study.
Thank you! Glad to see you back in the comments. 🙂
you can get mate in one if you move bishup to f 7
Well, that is a mate: just stalemate...
It's a draw stay at h8 and g8
In position Ke7, Nd5, g6 vs Kh8, g7 White can play Nf6! gf Kf7 f5 g7+ Kh7 g8Q+ Kh6 Qg6#
Not quite, but I should have showed the line. I will keep that in mind for future videos. Thanks for watching!
@@DerMig590 W: Ke7, Nf6, g6, B:Kh8, g7. In this position Black are forced to capture.
Great puzzle but in the video you didn't explain how to win if black tries to camp out on h8. That could happen in a real game and most people are not going to be able to calculate the line where you force black out of the corner
You are right. That was a defense I should have covered. Thank you for watching!
Sac the rooook, I mean bishop..
It is possible by cooperating black queen checkwhite king and got eaten by bishop
I said yes based on white capturing a piece that had just been moved by black to b1.
the last move had to have been black’s. but ya there’s a million possible ways. w my solution i thought of the pawn on g6 originally being on f5, with one of black’s pieces on g6,a white knight on h8, and blacks king on h7. White captures onto g6, checks blacks king, and black captures onto h8 out of check. My solution was unnecessarily complex for sure (white doesn’t even need a piece on h8) but yea my point is there’s a million permutations that could’ve happened
I really hate that a stalemate is a draw. Yes, it makes for interesting puzzles and adds another layer of strategy. But my mind would always tell me that black had already lost when they cannot make a legal move.
Yeah, it is an interesting rule. There are a lot of ways to think about it. Thanks for watching. 🙂
Black King: Oh, no! Anywhere I go is check!
White King: But you have to move! It's the rule of the game!
Black King: But I'm royal, so I'm not legally allowed to make a move!
White King: So I win then?
Black King: But I'm not even in check! How about we just call it a draw?
White King: Sure.
And that's why stalemate is a draw.
@@danielyuan9862 Sounds like King Arthur vs the Black Knight with his arms and legs chopped off.
Is this position legal ? Yes, for sure. The black king comes from h7 and the white pawn have given check by playing g5-g6+ !
Precisely! Thank you for watching!
Due to the nature of question 2 and the length of the video, yes, it’s a legal position. No, I have absolutely no idea how, wait yes I do, enemy unit killed with bishop move to there
I suppose I was asking more about whether this position came from a real game or if it was just created artificially. Thanks for watching!
In the beginning, was White stupid enough to not give a checkmate with knight at h6 instead of allowing the knight to be cut off by the king at h8? Sorry if it all looks too contrived to me.
Yeah, it is meant to be more of an exercise than a puzzle from a real game. It is a pretty cool one though! Thank you for watching!
5:58 can't black just go to f4 and take opposition to block out white's king?
just run the king up to d7 and black must allow ke7 and kf7
0:20 I strongly believe that this position is illegal
It's not.
You should really make an april fools video in the form:
Is this position possible, and if so, how does white win?
Now please enjoy calming music and moves that have nothing to do with winning, so that the scroll bar does not spoil the surprise for future viewers.
why couldn’t you move the knight and then guard the pawn with Bb1? then run your king up w the knight to shoulder black’s king, take the black pawn and then promote. tbf i didnt try this out by hand but I can’t really see why that wouldn’t be possible. maybe it’s covered in the video? like im just thinking of it from a pigeonhole problem pov, the knight and bishop and king should be able to cover all 3 the squares the white pawn needs to promote and black doesn’t have a piece to sack on one of the covered squares to stop the promotion. you really only need to cover two squares at a time (the square the pawn is on and the one above) to ensure the pawns survival / and the black pawns capture without sacking so to me it seems like u have more than enough material. especially since The king could be used to defend the knight
If you move the knight turn one it's stalemate.
Since when has there ever been a chess emoji?
I am not sure, but I love it! ♟
1. no because the white horse
2. the black king can simply eat the bishop
Edit: i watched the video and huh?!
"Because the white horse" is the vaguest explaination I've ever seen, although funny enough, the reason why the answer is _yes_ IS because of the white horse.
Or sa g7 then kg5 win g pawn endgame
If yes hadn't been the first answer this would have been a rather dull video.
Haha, I agree with that. 🤣
this is too simple
Glad you were able to figure it out!
How to solve question 1:
The position is legal because otherwise you wouldn't get to talk about question 2, which means less content so you wouldn't upload this.
Lol
Haha, that is one way to think about it. I think I meant whether it came from a 'normal' game of chess or whether it was composed. Thank you for watching!
What
im alpha zero solved
Nice!
Lol, you don't have to be Alpha Zero to solve it. When positions are as limited in piece count as this, an advanced player can see all the moves in their head, even if the continuation were 100 moves long. It's especially doable because there are elements of repetion in the lines.
Bg8
Yep, then the real fun starts. 😅 thanks for watching!