White to move. Is this a win or draw for white? How should white proceed?
4r3/8/k7/8/3P4/3K4/8/7R w – – 0 1
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1, Rb1! cutting off the BK first. Then plan advance of pawn supported by WK. Rd8.(to stop pawn advance)
2. Kc4. Rc8+ (else 3. c5)
3. Kd5. Rd8+(else 4. Kd6)
4. Kc6!. Rc8+ (if 4. ….Rxd4. 5. Ra1+. Ra4. 6. Rxa4#) or ( if. 4…..Ka7/5. 5. d5 and same plan continues till d pawn queens)
5. Kd7!. Rc2. (to attack from behind)
6. d5. Rd2.
7. d6 and pawn is protected by WK. Rd3
8. Kc7. Rc3+
9. Kd8!. Rd3
10. d7. Rd2
11. Rb4!. (if. 11….Ka5. 12. Rb7! wins. Ka6. 13. Kc8! Rc2+. 14. Rc7! and pawn will queen.). Rd1. marking time.
12. Kc7!. Rc1+
13. Kd6. Rd1+
14. Kc6!. threatens mate. Rc1+
15. Kd5!. Rd1+.
16. Rd4! and wins as pawn will queen.
Yes, I would play 1.Rb1 without much thought, though one might ask if it is enough to cut the black king off with 1.Rc1, too? And if the answer is no, explain why?
Good question, Yancey.
With the d pawn to be queened, the WK would ultimately have to exit from behind the pawn at d7 from either the c file or the e file. e file does not make sense as BR can keep harassing the WK with checks This leaves the c file. If the BK is allowed into b file (obviously it will head as near the queening pawn as possible) say b7 or b8 then the WK cannot exit into the c file at c7/c8 from d8. Only then can the WK cover the WK from checks.
Secondly and most importantly, BK confined in a file offers opportunity for checkmate with Ra1 when the WK is on c6. This threat of mate leaves Black with no time to capture the d pawn. e.g., see move 4 and 5 above which i shown for convenience below.
1, Rb1! cutting off the BK first. Then plan advance of pawn supported by WK. Rd8.(to stop pawn advance)
2. Kc4. Rc8+ (else 3. c5)
3. Kd5. Rd8+(else 4. Kd6)
4. Kc6!. if 4. ….Rxd4. 5. Ra1+. Ra4. 6. Rxa4#
Finally, it is better to keep the BK as far away from d pawn and file as possible to make it easier for White.
Finally, it make
One can add, that the main defensive strategy for Black is to put K in front of the pawn, so if
K is closer, it is easier to get there. Eg 1. Rc1 Kb7 2. e5 Rc8! and K gets to d7 (3. Rxc8 Kxc8 4. Ke4 Kd7 =)
and then R down to 1 or 2 rank and permanent checking from behind, usually enough to draw.
I think the point to keep in mind with my question about 1. Rc1, and KV covers most of it, is this- when the white king comes out to e6 and e7, with the pawn on d6/d7, black can transfer the rook to h8 to harass with checks from the h-file at any time. White can, of course, try to foil this by using his own rook as a shield on the f-file, but then the black king can reach c5, c6, or c7 as needed attacking the pawn directly, and preparing to just put the king in front of it.
1. Rc1? Kb5
Any king move to the b-file should draw.
2. d5 Rh8
There is no reason to wait for the white king and pawn to advance, but no danger in it yet, either. Here, white can’t advance the pawn now, it would be two squares away from the king, so black would just attack it and win it since white’s rook requires two moves just put a guard on it. In this position, white can either plan to shield the king on the e-file with 3.Rf1, or move the king over to c4 and b4, and plan to shield the king on the b-file with the rook. In the latter case, however, white cuts the cover of the c-file by the rook, and black’s king gets over to the pawn, and the game will be a fairly easy draw after that. So…….
3. Rf1 Kc5 (just don’t go back to the a-file!)
4. Rf5
If 4.Ke4, black just checks from e8 and wins the pawn almost instantly.
4. …………Kd6 and white can only draw.