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An instructive ending. Most times, you would not want to let black reconnect pawns, or un-double them, but here it is the right move to do so:
1. Bf5! ef5 (gf5 is below)
2. Kf4!
White is the one with waiting moves in reserve if the black king takes the opposition with Kf6- white will just play 3.h4 and then penetrate through g5 and undermine the f5-e4 pawns with h5: [2. …Kf6 3.h4 Kf7 4.Kg5 Kg7 5.h5 gh5 6.Kf5+-]. As it stands, black can’t prevent this plan in any way- white will play 3.Kg5 on any other black king move followed by h4 and h5.
So, back at move 1, black can try the alternate capture, gf5 leaving the doubled e-pawns. This does change things a bit since 2.Kf4 is no longer as potent since h4-h5 can no longer undermine vulnerable black pawns. As black, this is the way I would play the defense since it does lure white to make a mistake, but white has an alternate winning plan that takes advantage of the passed h-pawn:
1. Bf5 gf5
2. Kd4!
Here, 2.Kf4 is a likely draw since white doesn’t have a way to prevent black from checking him with a pawn and liquidating to drawn ending: [2.Kf4? Kf6! 3.h4 e5! 4.Ke3 Kg6 5.g4 (if white tries Kd2-Kc3, black attacks with Kh5-Kg4) 5. …fg4! 6.Ke4 Kh5 7.Ke5 Kh4! 8.Kf4 Kh3 and neither king can win the opposing pawn without dropping his own]. Continuing from move 2 above:
2. …..Kg6
I can’t think of any defense that can hold this. If the black king tries to protect the backwards e-pawn, white will just force him away with a timely h4-h5-h6 etc.: [2. …Kf6 3.h4! e5 4.Kd5! f4 5.gf4 ef4 6.Ke4+-]. Continuing:
3. Ke5 Kf7
4. h4 Ke7
5. h5 Kf7
6. h6 Kg6 (Ke7 7.h7+-)
7. Ke6!
The last trap defused. A careless 7.h7 will only draw: [7.h7? Kh7 8.Ke6 Kg6 and my Nalimov tablebase tells me this is drawn]. Continuing:
7. …..Kh6
8. Kf5 wins easily.
I’d play 1.Bxf5. If 1…exf5 then 2.Kf4, expecting 2…Kf6, then play 3.h4.
Hard to believe no one has tried to crack this endgame, so I’ll give it a try. 1. Bxf5. No matter which pawn black recaptures with he will lose a pawn and white should be able to march his to promotion.
e.g. 1…exf5 2. g4 etc.
Bxf5 han
Very difficult endgame.
1. Bxf5 gxf5
( 1…. exf5
2. Kf4 Kf6
3. h4! +- )
2. Kd4!! is the trick
2…….. Kf6
3. h4! e5+
4. Kd5 and black is in zugzwang
1-0
To the anonymous commentator that suggested the line:
1. Bf5 ef5
2. g4
I looked at this yesterday, and I am pretty sure that black draws with 2. …Kf6:
2. …..Kf6!(an only move, I think)
3. gf5 Kf5!(gf5 4.Kf4!+-)
And, to be sure, I just consulted a Nalimov tablebase which confirms this final position as drawn.