White to move. Here are 2 very similar endgames. Which one is a win for White and which is a draw?
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If white is to move, white can take the opposition on board 1, and if it is black to move, white can reach the opposition after any black move. Therefore, board 1 should be a win while board 2 should be a draw.
Cheers
Bernd from Germany
#1 is a win (Kg4 and Kf5). #2 is a draw (no way to get in front of the pawn).
Well, the battle white must fight is for one square among d5, e5 or f5, two squares ahead the pawn. Or he can fight for the e4, d4, f4 squares but with the opposition.
In the position #1 withe can occupy one of those squares, in the position #2 he cannot do it.
Position #1 is won:
1. Kg4 K* 2. Kf5 +-
Position #2 is draw. The best white can do is to occupy the d4,e4 or f4 square, but black has the opposition and white cannot win. In the position #2 white could have won if the pawn would be in e2, because he can gain control of two squares ahead the pawn.
Let me see, board 1 wins for sure and board two looks like a draw, also for sure. So that must be the solution.
Number 1 is a win because White can get in front of the pawn, then lose a move to gain the opposition. Number 2 is a draw because Black can go from side to side with his King and then take the opposition when White moves forward.
I’m old and my visualization ability decreases with the number of pieces on the board. (As I mentioned earlier in another thread) – my method to solve problems like the given is: I start to count moves….
Here in short:
My pawn needs to reach e8 – he has 5 moves to go in both sceneries.
To help my pawn to promote, my king needs to occupy f7 or d7.
Example 1: My king needs 4 moves to reach f7
Example 2: My king needs 5 moves to reach f7
The difference is half a point OTB … (sometimes endgame is all about geometry – and the chess board has a “strange” geometry, hasn’t it?)
greetings