White to move. Is this a win for White or Black? How should White proceed?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Another essential endgame
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White to move. Is this a win for White or Black? How should White proceed?
Win for white.
1. f4 e6
2. g5
White king will now reach either f5 or f6 after this and will be able to capture one of the black pawns and win
sorry – previous post I meant 1. f4 e5 (not e6)
1.Kf4 Ke6 (…Kg6 2.Ke5)
2.Kg5 Ke7 (…Kd6 3.Kf6)
3.Kf5 Kd6 (…Kd6 4.Kf6; …Kd7 4.Kf6 Ke8 5.Ke5)
4.Kf6 etc.
I dont know. Im sure sons of fritz will tell me.
I don’t know who first described the endgame technique called “opposition,” but it’s the first thing I look for in these situations. Since White can grab the opposition immediately, with a pawn move or two to spare, I would conclude that White can win this. Playing it out confirms this, I think. Here’s a sequence:
1. Kf4 Ke6 (Black has to mind both d5 and e7 pawns. White has only to go for e7 while threatening d5.)
2. Kg5 Ke7
3. Kf5 Ke8
4. Kf6 Kf8 (Now White’s free pawn takes away Black’s opposition.)
5. f4 Ke8
6. Kg7 Ke7
7. f5 f6
8. Kg6 Ke8
9. Kxf6 Kf8
10. Ke6 Ke8
11. f6 Kf8
12. f7 etc.
I don’t think every bit of chess knowledge or ingenuity needs Fritz. This isn’t really that difficult, is it? “And 3X4 equals what?” “Wait a minute, let me fire up my calculator.”
For the life of me I can’t imagine even considering any move other than 1. Kf4 in this position. At speed chess I’d just make the move. In a tournament with time left I might take a few minutes to analyze it out to the end, which should be perfectly doable. If and only if it became concretely and analytically true that 1. Kf4 draws would I even consider anything else, and even then I might just accept that if Kf4 draws then it must be a draw.