White to move. Can White win this endgame?
8/pk6/8/P7/K7/8/1P6/8 w – – 0 1
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1.kb5 and 2.ka6. then coordinate the advance of the b-pawn (one or two squares) so that it comes to b6 when the black king is on a8 (black king has to shuffle between a8 and b8 iot ptotect a7 pawn)
My guess is the the key to the position will be to put the pawn on b6 when the black king is on a8 instead of b8.
1. Kb5 Kb8
2. Ka6 Ka8
3. b4 Kb8
4. b5 Ka8
5. b6
or
1. Kb5 Ka8 (or c8 or c7)
2. Ka6 Kb8
3. b3 Ka8
4. b4 Kb8
5. b5 Ka8
6. b6
Yes because the pawn is in b2 there is a choice:
1.Kb5 Kb8 2.Ka6 Ka8 3.b4
with black King in b8 we play b3
Kb8 4.b5 Ka8 5.b6 axb6 6.axb6 Kb8 7.b7 wins
The rule is to play the pawn to a square of oposite color of the oponent King.
I remember once i saw a master teaching, or at least challenging a young boy about this final. At the time i didn’t know what the plan should be, and even now finding the solution takes me some time. The white king should place in front of the ‘a’ pawn, the b pawn must be kept in the starting row, and pushed after in order to lose a tempo if needed. So from this position i would play
1. Kb5
the move
1 .. a6+ makes things easier for white, hence white king will reach a6 at the following move (with best play by Black).
Of course. The only wrinkle is whether White plays b3 or b4 at the right time. White wins with 1.Kb5 Kc7 (1…a6+? 2.Kc5 Kc7 3.b4 Kb7 4.Kd6 will leave W 2 pawns up after she wins the h-pawn) 2.Ka6 Kb8 3.b3! Ka8 4.b4 Kb8 5.b5 Ka8 6.b6 (At move 3, W had to count to make sure that he would be playing the move now, while he has the opposition; if B’s king were on b8 now, the game would be drawn) axb6 7.axb6 Kb8 8.b7 Kc7 9.Kxa7 etc.
It’s perhaps interesting to note that
1.Kb5 is the *only* winning move. Everything else leads to a draw.
I forget to say that if g pawn is in g3, in the inicial position, it´s a draw because black King has a choice (a8 or b8)
I think Capablanca was the first one to show this ending.
The solution is as follows
1.Kb5 a6+ (otherwise Ka5 follow) 2.Kc5 Ka7 3.b3 Kb7
4.Kd6 Kb8 5.Kc6 Ka7 6.Kc7 Ka8
7.Kb6 capturing the a6 Pawn
and winning easily.