White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for white? How should white proceed?
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White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for white? How should white proceed?
The White King is within the square of all black pawns, and can stay in. Looks like a win.
eg:
1. Kc2 g5 2. Kd2 g4 3. Ke2 g3 4. Kf3 wins
1. Kc2 c5 2. Kd2 e4 3. dxe4 g5 4. Ke2 and one of White’s pawns will queen before black’s say, … g4 5. e5 g3 6. e6 g2 7. Kf2 c4 8. e7 c3 9. e8Q etc.
I have to think more about this than I have time for right now, but I don’t think it is quite this simple. Sure, the white king is within reach of all three black pawns, but black might throw a wrench into things by advancing g5-g4, c5, and then d4 . The threat being the creation of passed pawns on the c and g files, and white’s king won’t be able to stop both pawns on the wings, and I don’t think the passed e-pawn white would gain is quick enough. For example, using part of your first line:
1. Kc2 g5
2. Kd2 g4
3. Ke2 c5!
Better, I think than 3. …g3. Now white has to be concerned about 4. …e4 followed by 5. ….c4 etc., and he can’t run up and take the e- pawn either, since the g-pawn is a problem. I am not at all sure what to do here for white to win this. This problem seems familiar to me in some way, but I don’t find it in my notes.
With pawns on c5, g5 and white’s pawn on e4 (after exd4), White will queen first. So, Black should make White waste a move beyond what was done in my second line above before pushing e4
1. Kc2 c5 2. Kd2 g5 3. Ke2 g4 4. Kf2/e3 c4
so, White plays e3 instead of e2. Even then,
1. Kc2 c5 2. Kd2 g5 3. Ke3 g4 4. Ke4 g3 5. Kf3 e4+ 6. dxe4 c4 and Black queens first.
7. e5 c3 8. e6 c2 9. e7 c1Q 10. e8Q
What now? If the queens are exchanged, white picks off the g pawn, and black is now restricted to playing Ka8/b7. White marches his King to d7, triangulating so BK is at b7 at that point, then plays a8Q Kxa8 Kc7 Kc6 Kb8 b7 and wins.
Also, if Black wastes a move, there’s always the threat of a8Q
So, does Black have anything better than 10 … Qf1+ 11 Kxg3 Qg1+ 12. Kf3 Qf1+ etc. with a draw?
*”then plays a8Q Kxa8 Kc6 Kb8 b7 and wins.”
Also, I would note that white can’t play 1. d4 either, since black would get connected passers on the c and d files, and the g-pawn would be decisive. Right now, I am actually leaning towards the idea this is a draw, or white’s plan is very non-obvious.
And that sentence above should have been ” wrench into things by advancing g5-g4, c5, and then e4″.
Before I go to bed, here is my proposed line to consider:
1. Kc2 g5
2. Kd2 g4
3. Ke3 c5!
4. Ke4 g3!
5. Kf3 e4!
6. de4!? c4!
And black queens on the half move before white. The question is this- is that enough for white to win? This is a question that is hard to answer in the middle of the night.
Please see my response to your reply to my initial comment.
As far as I can see it is a draw (almost). This is why:
1. Kc3 (Interestingly, all variations above start with 1. Kc2, while every experienced
player would automatically start with 1. Kc3, since one can also go Kd2 next but keeps
also going up; there are countless engame studies demonstrating that usefulness of
moving in 2 directions at once. It is not just a practical or philosophical observation
since it is also key for some lines here. For instance, 1… c5 considered in some variations
is suicidal: 1. Kc3 c5?? 2. Kc4 g5 3. Kxc5 g4 4. Kd6 g3 5. a8Q+ Kxa8 6. Kc7 checkmates in 3)
So the main line to try to win is to promote pawns a and b:
1. Kc3 g5 2. Kc4 g4 3. Kc5 g3 4. Kd6 g2 5. a8Q+ Kxa8 6. Kc7 g1Q 7. b7+ Ka7 8. b8Q+ Ka6
We have a Q endgame that should be drawn. Unfortunately, there is no checkmate Qb6
since Qg1 defends. White can win both Black pawns and get into a drawish Q endgame:
9. Qa8+ Kb5 10. Qxc6+ Kb4 11. Qc4+ (11. Qe4+ Qd4 or 11. Qd6+ Qc5+ 12. Kd7 Qxd6+
13. Kxd6 Kc3 =) 11…. Ka5 (or Ka3) 12. Qc3+ and Qxe5. Such a Q endgame with a central
pawn is usually considered as 50/50 for win/draw. Every player tries it from time to time.
More or less successfully.
One thought that came to my mind was to block the g1-a7 diagonal with a pawn on d4 or c5.
1. Kc3 g5 2. Kc4 g4 3. d4!? (hoping for 3… exd4 4. Kc5 g3 5. Kd6 g2 6. a8Q+ Kxa8 7. Kc7 g1Q 8. b7+ Ka7
9. b8Q+ Ka6 10. Qb6 checkmate! similarly, 4…. d3 5. Kd6 d2 6. a8Q+ Kc7 mating)
Unfortunately, capturing is not compulsory in chess :-))) so Black ignores 3. d4 and after 3… g3 wins :-(((
The lines proposed above are apparently deadly drawn. 1. Kc3(c2) g5 2. Kd2 g4 3. Ke3 g3 4. Kf3 e4+
5. Kxg3 exd3 6. Kf3 c5 7. Ke3 and both Kings are stuck with a pair of pawns. Dead draw. 3… c5 adds some
spice but does not change the result: 1. Kc3 g5 2. Kd2 g4 3. Ke3 c5 4. Ke4 g3 5. Kf3 e4+ 6. Kxg3 exd3 7. Kf3
draw again.
There are numerous sidelines attempting some zwischenzugs d3-d4 for White or e5-e4 for Black but they
are not effective, as I can see.
So the final verdict is: To try the first line with a tedious Q endgame with a pawn up in the end.
Did I miss something important?
One sideline is particularly tasty to be noted:
1. Kc3 g5 2. d4!? hoping for the line already mentioned: 2… exd4 3. Kc4! g4 5. Kc5 g3 6. Kd6 g2 7. a8Q+
winning with Qb6 checkmate in the end. But Black has more responses:
1. Kc3 g5 2. d4 exd4+ 3. Kc4 d3 4. Kxd3 g4 5. Ke4! (again, getting closer to g pawn and a-b pawns at once)
Now if 5…. g3 White manages to take both Black pawns: 6. Kf3 c5 7. Kxg3 c4 8. Kf4 c3 9. Ke3 winning.
and if 5…. c5 the diagonal is again blocked by c5 pawn so 6. Kc4! g4 7. Kd5! g3 8. Kd6 g2 9. a8Q+ with
the same mate on b6.
1. Kc3 g5 2. d4 e4? is losing with lots of subtleties (the diagonal is blocked by the White pawn this time!)
3. Kc4 g4 (3…. e3 allows eating both pawns again: 4. Kd3 g4 5. Kxe3 wins) 4. Kc5 g3 5. Kd6, etc. with mate
1. Kc3 g5 2. d4 g4! is drawing: 3. dxe5 g3 4. e6 g2 5. e7 g1Q 6. e8Q (6. a8Q+ Kxa8 7. e8Q+ Kb7 =)
and after 6… Qc1+ Black gets easily perpetual check, because White K cannot cross e file, eg.
7. Kd4 Qd2+ 8. Kc5 Qd5+ and Black moves Q on d file with perpetual checks Qd4+, Qd3+ etc. =
What a rich position! So much fun to discover those beauties!
1.d4 g5 2.dxe5 clearly wins.
1.d4 exd4 2.Kb3 g5 3.Kc4 g4 4.Kc5 g3 5.Kd6 g2 6.a8=Q+ Kxa8 7.Kc7 g1=Q 8.b7+ Ka7 9.b8=Q+ wins
1.d4 e4 2.Kc3 g5 3.Kc4 g4 4.Kc5 g3 5.Kd6 g2 and now it is white P blocking the diagonal.
Wow! This is an order of moves I was looking for but could not find! In my “one sideline” above
1. Kc3 (or any other K move) is a waste of time when two pawns race to promote. Brilliant motif!
I hope some readers might consider my lenghty analyses helpful and instructive despite their
blindness! :-)))
How about after 2.Kb3 2.c5!!! White has nowhere to go and after black cab start moving the G pawn!
1.d4 exd4 2.Kb3 c5 3.Kc4 g5 4.Kxc5
I think this is right. When I thought about 1.d4 last night, it just seemed too slow to me for the king to march to d6 and sacrifice the a-pawn. I completely overlooked that white gains a tempo with b7, and add to that I thought d1Q would occur with check. I usually do simple move counts to prove/disprove these types of ideas. Sigh.
1.d4 exd4 2.Kb3 g5 3.Kc4 g4 4.Kc5 g3 5.Kd6 g2 6.a8=Q+ Kxa8 7.Kc7 g1=Q 8.b7+ Ka7 9.b8=Q+ wins
Ah! The d4 pawn blocks the g1 – a7 diagonal and leads to a mate on b6. Delectable!
1.d4 exd4 2.Kb3 d3 3.Kc3 g5 4.Kxd3 g4 5.Ke4 c5 6.Kd5 +-