We know we have been giving people quite a rough time here, with our problems and studies that were fairly difficult to solve. Today we give you four positions that are all within the reach of casual chess enthusiasts, using just a chessboard and pieces to analyse (experts can solve them using a long blank stare at the diagrams). Anyone who switches on a chess program for assistance is never going to know the great feeling of discovering creative ideas all by oneself. All four puzzles have one thing in common: the goal is to find a draw for the white pieces.

Jenö Bán, Taktik der Endspiele 1954

White to play and draw

Here for starters is a position that might wake memories. Didn't we have a big lecture this Christmas on the concept of the wrong bishop (i.e. one that does not control the promotion square of the a- or h-pawn)? Indeed the above position would be trivially drawn if White did not have the pawn on g2. Without it he would play 1.Kg2 and then move his king back and forth between g2 and h1. Black can only stop that by stalemating the king.

So the white pawn on g2 is the problem. The question is how to get rid of it and secure the draw. The solution of this instructional position is somewhat surprising.

Henri Rinck, 1.hm Boedapest 1911

White to play and draw

This is an elegant little study which illustrates a number of typical motifs – forced moves, zugzwang, stalemate, the works. And all this in just three moves!

F. Lazard, La Stratégie 1902

White to play and draw

This is vaguely similar to the previous study, but includes an allumwandlung (promotion to all four different pieces). We discovered a tiny flaw in the solution.

C. De Feijter, Tijdschrift v.d. KNSB 1941

White to play and draw

The problem that White faces is that Black seems to be safely able to prevent the promotion of the two g-pawns. 1.g7 Re8 2.Bh7 looks promising, since Black must give the rook for a pawn. Unfortunately we soon discover that he has 1...Re1+ (instead of 1...Re8). After that a white king move is deadly due to the mate threat on a1, e.g. 2.Ka2?? Be5 (threatening 3...Ra1#) 3.Bb1 Bxg7 4.g6 Rd1 5.Be4 Ra1#.

Of course we can try the following line: 1.g7 Re1+ 2.Bd1!?, seeing that after 2...Rxd1+ 3.Kc2 the black bishop prevents the rook from protecting the promotion square g8. White gets to queen and in fact win. But once again there is the more mundane 2...Re8, after which Black can move the rook to g8 and capture the g-pawn.

So what to do? Well how about finding a way of capturing the black rook? Looks quite impossible, but (this is a big hint) only if you understand "capture" in the normal sense.