"You think you can outsmart me — well, I'll outoutsmart you!"

Introduction

This problem, one of the most famous endgame studies of all time, was not the result of deliberate composition but rather an accidental product of a misremembered game of chess. Its twisted history was first laid bare in a 1940 article in a Dutch chess problem magazine. For the full story, see Tim Krabbé's account.

The Problem

G. E. Barbier and F. Saavedra, 1895

White to move and win.

(Solution appears below.)

The Solution

Outro

For more on the wonderland of chess problem compositions, visit ChessProblem.net.