White to move. Is this a win for White or is it a draw?
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1. Kd4 Kc6
2. Ke5 Kd7
3. d4 Kd8
4. Kxe6 Ke8
5. e5 Kd8
6. Kf7 Kd7
7. d5 Kd8
8. e6 1-0
Isn’t this a simple win?
Most moves below are pretty much forced or have no better alternatives.
1. Kd4 Kc6/Kc7
2. Ke5 Kd7
3. d4 Kd8
4. Kxe6 Ke8
5. d5 Kd8
6. Kf7 Kd7
7. e5 Kd8
8. e6 Kc7/c8
9. Kxe7 1-0
1. Kd4 wins all the marbles. One convincing variation is 1. .. Kc6 2. Ke5 Kd7 3. d4 Kd8 4. Kxe6 Ke8 5. e5 Kd8 6. Kf7 Kd7 7. e6+ Kd6 (7. .. Kd8 8. d5) 8. d5 {It’s nice to have this extra pawn in hand, avoiding a well-known Zugzwang position.} Kxd5 9. Kxe7
1. ♔d4 ♚c6
2. ♔e5 ♚d7
3. d4 ♚any
4. ♔xe6.
It seems pretty obvious to run the K to e5. Black has two ideas; defend his pawns as long as possible or try to take both white pawns.
1. Kd4 Kc6 2. Ke5 Kd7 3. d4 Ke8 4. K:e6 and the pawns fall.
1. Kd4 Kc6 2. Ke5 Kc5 3. K:e6 Kd4 4. e5 and the e-pawn can’t be stopped.
There are only 3 moves I would consider here- d4, e5, and Kd4. I would discard the first two within a minute or two of thinking:
1. d4? Kc6
I am pretty sure there are multiple draws for black here, but this move looks the clearest to me. Continuing:
2. d5
Nothing really winning for white here. If white plays 2.e5, then his backwards d-pawn must always be implicitly guarded, and white can’t put the king on d5, ever- the kings will just look at each other across the 5th rank. Continuing:
2. …..ed5
Black can play the king basically anywhere, too, but this is simplest defense, in my opinion. Continuing:
3. ed5 Kd6
Again, lots of draws available, this is just the simplest in my opinion. Continuing:
4. Kd4!
Or lose. Continuing:
4. …..e6 with a clear draw.
Or, at move 1:
1. e5? Kc6
The only clearly losing move I see here is 1. …Ka5- the rest are either unclear to me, or clearly drawn. Continuing:
2. d4
What else with the black king in opposition? Continuing:
2. …..Kb6
3. d5
Again, what else? If the white king tries an end around via Kd3, black plays 3. …Kc6 and 4. …Kd5. Continuing:
3. …..ed5
I think black draws with either Kb7 or Kc7, too; definitely loses with Ka6 and Ka5, and probably loses with Ka7, though I am less certain on that one without a bit more work than I want to put in here. Continuing:
4. Kd5!
Every other move should lose here for white. Continuing:
4. …..Kc7!
As with white on the previous move, I am 99% sure that black will lose with any other move but the one listed. Continuing:
5. e6
Bascically, it is this or Ke6: [5.Ke6 Kd8! 6.Kf7 Kd7! 7.Kf8 (7.e6?? Kd6!-+) 7. …Ke6!=]. Continuing:
5. …..Kd8 (only Kc8 loses)
6. Ke5
If 6.Kc6, then black plays Kc8. Continuing:
6. …..Kc7 (all moves draw)
7. Kf5 Kd6
Black draws with Kb7, Kc6, and Kb6, too, loses with all other moves but the listed Kd6. Continuing:
8. Kf4!
The only move for white that holds. He loses the pawn, but the ending is actually a fairly well known draw:
8. …..Ke6
9. Ke4! and white will have to play careful, technically correct moves the rest of the way, but this position is a drawn.
I will cover 1. Kd4 in my next comment.
In my previous comment, I highlighted how black draws against moves like 1.d4 and 1.e5. Now I will cover 1.Kd4, the most promising looking of the white first moves:
1. Kd4
Obviously, white is going to threaten the black e-pawns with Ke5. Black has a choice go for the white d-pawn, or protect the e-pawns. Continuing:
1. …..Kc6
As I mentioned above, the real alternative was to attack the white pawns, but this is going to be one move too late: [1. …Kb5 2.Ke5! Kb4 (or 2. …Kc5 3.Ke6 Kd4 4.Ke7 Kd3 5.e5+-) 3.Ke5! Kc3 4.Ke7 Kd3 5.e5! wins easily]. Continuing:
2. Ke5! Kd7 (what else?)
3. d4! Kc7 (nothing better)
4. Ke6 Kd8
5. Kf7 Kd7
6. e5 Kd8
7. e6 and the last black pawn falls.