White to move. Is this a win or draw?
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I think it’s a win. Ke6 Kf8 Kd7 Kg8 Ke7 Kh8 g5 hxg5 Kf7 g4 h6 gxh6 (g3 hxg7++) g7+ and queens
i changed my mind. after g5 I think black can hold by Kg8…
gxh6 gxh6 Kf6 Kf8 and I don’t see what White has
It’s probably a draw. Black just shuttles his king back and forth between g8,h8. If white plays g5 and trades on h6, there is still now way to make progress: The same position, with the pawns on g4, g7 removed, and the black king on g8 or h8 still seems to be a draw, since white cannot access the h6 pawn. One would need to find a way to force black to take on g5 while his king is on h8, but I don’t see it.
Anonymous’s variation #2:
after 4. g5 if
4…Kg8
then 5. Ke8!
If 5…Kh8, then 6 Kf8 and now black is forced to capture. The rest is an easy win for White.
Rgds M.
I’m really weak with endgames (oops…), but I think this has to be a win for white. He can force an exchange of Black’s h-pawn for White’s rear g-pawn, and I think White has to be able to win the resulting 2-1 pawn formation.
M:
what if after
4. g5 Kg8
5. Ke8 hxg5
how does white win?
Its a dead draw. Lets take a look:
Ke6 Kh8(if Kf8 Kd7 Kg8 Ke8 Kh8)
Ke7 Kg8
Ke8 Kh8
g5 Kg8!(hxg5 Kf8 or Ke7 g4 h6+-)
gxh6 gxh6
Ke7 Kg7
Ke6 and white cannot make any progress
white wins – It is a position of Zugzwang:
1.ke6 kf8
2.Kd7 Kg8
3.Ke8 Kh8
4.g5 Kg8
5.Ke8! Kh8
6.Kf4 (zugzwang) hxg5
7.h6! and it’s over
mate in one if …g8
8.hxg++
mate in two if … gxh7
8.g7+ kh7
9.gQ ++
F.
F.
5.Ke8?? hxg5! and black wins
seems a draw
dead draw, no win for white
if you force the exchange of black’s h pawn for white back g pawn it transposes pretty much into a position we already had fun with this week:
http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2007/01/king-and-pawn-endgame.html
That was a win for white and so is this one.
F.
5. Ke8!, the king is already on e8 in your line, so this doesn’t work.
It seems like a draw because the Black K can’t be forced out of the corner without risking stalemate.
“zugzwang”
How the white king moves from Ke8 to Ke8 to Kf4 is a variation of chess you will have to teach us.
it is a draw! black has two ways of drawing. There is nothing white can do abut it.
-Samir