Draw (4 + 5)

Marcin Banaszek,     Rochade Europa 2006    The study was first published in the "Problem-Forum" (2003). The author presents a reduced version here, with six pieces and four moves less. The prize was too high for a difficult theme: heavy position and initial phase of game too brutal. New position is light and elegant, it invites to see through the solution, a solver should be satisfied. The key of solution is already a big surprise: 1.La1!! starts the "Kling Combination", named after the German componist Josef Kling (1811-1876), the idea of which is to achieve a stalemate through a blocking of an own officer, whereby the officer does a critical move. (White will meet the bitter end after natural play: 1.Bf6? a3 2.Ne3 Bf4 3.Kc2 Ka4! 4.Nd1 b3+ 5.Kd3 b2 6.Nxb2+ axb2 7.Bxb2 Kb3 8.Ba1 Bd6! and Black wins) 1...Bf4+ (1...a3 2.Kc2 Ka4 3.Nd4=) 2.Kb2! (block of bishop; wrong is 2.Kd1? b3 3.Nd4 Bd6! 4.Kd2 Kb4 5.Kd3 a3 6.Bc3+ Ka4 7.Nxb3 Kxb3 8.Ba1 Bb4 9.Bd4 a1Q 10.Bxa1 a2 11.Bd4 Ba3 and Black wins) 2...b3 3.Nd4! (but not 3.Kc3? Be5+ 4.Nd4 Bxd4+ 5.Kxd4 Kb4-+ and black pawns are quicker) 3...Be5 (3...Bd6 4.Nxb3+ axb3 5.Kxb3=) 4.Kc1! (4.Kc3? Bxd4+ 5.Kxd4 Kb4 6.c5 a3-+) 4...Bf4+ (4...Bd6 5.Bc3+ Kb6 6.Kb2=) 5.Kb2! (5.Kd1? loses again after Bd6! 6.Kd2 (6.Nc6+ Kb6 7.Ne5 a3!-+) 6...Kb4 7.Kd3 a3-+) 5...Kb4 (5...Be5 6.Kc1= repeat position) 6.Nc6+ Kc5 7.Na5! Kb4 (7...Be5+ 8.Ka3 Bxa1 9.Nxb3+ axb3 10.Kxb3=) 8.Nc6+ Kxc4 (8...Kc5 9.Na5= repeat position) 9.Na5+ Kb4 10.Nxb3! (10.Nc6+? Kb5! 11.Nd4+ Kc4-+) 10...axb3 stalemate.