that the King has nowhere to go. Actually my thought train went: Mhh - even if the King could move a step, he’d have to stay on the base row. All pawns are stuck, so any move that does not force a check is still an option, as long as it doesn’t immobilize black, forcing a draw. I had looked at Qb1 before and discarded it as “does not gain anything”, but by the second time I looked I had realized that the king actually can’t move at all and therefore black can be forced to open the path for the rook :)
Had to check comments to know it’s possible, then understood it surprisingly fast thanks to lack of options ;)
I need to open my mind a little more. I never saw that first move as an option.
I did the moment I realized
that the King has nowhere to go. Actually my thought train went: Mhh - even if the King could move a step, he’d have to stay on the base row. All pawns are stuck, so any move that does not force a check is still an option, as long as it doesn’t immobilize black, forcing a draw. I had looked at Qb1 before and discarded it as “does not gain anything”, but by the second time I looked I had realized that the king actually can’t move at all and therefore black can be forced to open the path for the rook :)