White to move. Is this a win or draw? How should white proceed?
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White to move. Is this a win or draw? How should white proceed?
It was very difficult for me to solve it.
1. Kb4 Kc7
2. Ka5 Kb7
3. Kb5 Kc7
4. Ka6 Kd8
5. Kb7 Kd7
6. Kb6 Ke8
7. Kc7 Ke7
8. Kc6 Kf8
9. Kxd6 Kf7
10. Kc7 Ke7
11. d6+ Ke6
12. d7 Kd5
13. d8=Q+
If you imagine the WK at d6 instead of the pawn then that’s a win with either side to move. So why is a similar position with everything moved a rank down so the WK is on the 5th rank a draw with White to move?
After 1. Ke5 Ke7 2. d5 Kd7 3. d6 the BK can simply drop back to d8 and White can’t take the opposition because the stupid pawn is in the way so 3. … Kd8 4. Ke6 Ke8 5. d7+ Kd8 6. Kd6. Normally taking the opposition is a good thing but in this case not so much.
Oh, taking the opposition still matters, the difference is that white has a useful pawn move to take it back in the first case. However, as you point out, when the men are translated down a rank with white to move, white can’t regain that opposition when it is needed except to move the pawn to the 7th rank with a check, but this puts the pawn in danger meaning the white king cannot both protect the pawn and avoid stalemating black.
I thought about commenting on this problem last night because it followed a situation in the previous problem where black could draw in some lines by waiting for white to put his king in front of his pawn while the pawn was on the 4th rank and then take the opposition on the 7th rank, whereas in this problem black couldn’t wait similarly because the white pawn was already on the 5th rank- as you point out, that position is a win for white regardless of who is to move.