chess question - draw possible?

Factual Questions
1

In a futile endeavor to learn chess (I’m hopeless, so far), I’ve checked out an old book called The Chess-Players Handbook by Howard Staunton. Near the beginning of the book Staunton presents a position and says: “In this instance [… White] is enabled to draw the game. Endeavour to discover how this is accomplished […]”.

For the life of me, however, I can’t figure out how this is accomplished. A draw doesn’t seem to me at all inevitable from the possible actions of black or white.

The position is here, generated with Armageddon Chess: http://locker.uky.edu/~jhcunn2/images/draw.jpg/ It’s black’s turn. Any help?

2

Surely, surely you mean that it’s white’s turn! Then white draws by 1. Rf8+ Rxf8 2. Ng6+ hxg6 (if Kg8, white draws by perpetual check) 3. hxg6 Qxh2 (if Kg8, 4. Qh7++) and white is stalemated.

A rather elegant problem, actually.

3

Erp. You’re right - it is white’s turn. A condition was that white start the process with Rf8+, and I meant to show the position from that point.

And you’re also right about everything else. Thank you. The assignment was to get into a position of perpetual check, and it looks like you’ve done more than that quite admirably. I only wish I’d been able to do it by myself.