White to move. Is this a win or draw? How should white proceed?
Daily Chess Improvement: Must Know K & P endgame!
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White to move. Is this a win or draw? How should white proceed?
1. Kc2 Ke6
2. Kd3 Ke5
3. Ke3 Kd6
4. Kd4 Ke7
5. Kc5 Kd7
6. Kb6 Kd6
7. c5+ Kd7
8. Kb7 Ke6
9. c6 Ke5
10. c7 Kd4
11. c8=Q
There is stronger defence for black after the fourth move
1. Kc2 Ke6
2. Kd3 Ke5
3. Ke3 Kd6
4. Kd4 Kc6
5. c5 Kd7
6. Kd5 Kc7
7. c6 Kc8
8. Kc5 Kc7
9. Kb5 Kc8
10. Kxa5 Kc7
11.Kb5 Kd8
12. Kb6 Ke7
13. Kb7 Kd6
14. c7 Kc5
15. c8=Q
It is always worthwhile to study the wrong moves, too. It helps reinforce why 1.Kc2 is required:
1. Kb2? Ke5! (the only draw)
2. Kc3 Ke4!
And now white can’t hold the pawn if he plays 3.Kb3 since 3. …Kd4 will win the pawn. And if white tries 3.Kc2 or 3.Kb2, black attacks with 3. ….Kd4 and after 4.Kb3, black retreats back to e5 to get ready for 5.Kc3 Ke4 to repeat the position. In other words, white must, as a first step, take away the e4 square from the black king, otherwise he can make no progress. Alena is correct, 1.Kc2 is the only way forward.
Yes, Black’s access denial attempt with 1. Kc2 Ke5! hoping for 2. Kc3? ( taking the diagonal opposition without calculation ) Ke4 reaching Yancey’s drawn position is the only vaguely plausible drawing chance for Black here.
Alena’s 1. … Ke6 move was better than my 1. … Kc6 move.
1. Kc2 Kc6 2. Kc3?! Kc5 and from my perspective ( on a good day about 500 rating points below Yancey ) this looks a lot like White has thrown the win away but
3. Kd3 Kb4 ( if the BK retreats the WK can slowly support the advance of the c pawn to c6 from behind and then triangulate to capture the a5 pawn without losing the c pawn )
4. Kd4 Kxa4
5. Kc3 Ka3 ( White can also win with 5. c5 Kb3 6. c6 a4 7. c7 a3 8. c8=Q a2 9. Qh8 )
6. c5 a4 7. c6 Ka2 8. c7 a3 9. c8=Q Kb1
10. Qb7+ Ka1 ( 10. … Kc1 11. Qh1# )
11. Kc2 a2 ( 11. … Ka2 12. Qb1# )
12. Qb2#/Qh1#
So as Yancey sort of said this position is really all about getting the WK to d4 without losing the c pawn.