After 1.Ra7+ I instinctively prefer 1…. kd6. Moving K to 8th rank is suicidal and 1… Kf6 to be nearer white’s passed pawn is not appealing. i have not analyzed any thing.
I don’t think it matters if black plays Kf6-e6-d6- he has time to set up for the draw, but it isn’t an easy draw to secure. I haven’t really done much analysis either, though, but I do know that black doesn’t have to save the queen-side pawns necessarily as long as he wins the h-pawn and keeps the rooks on the board. After allowing the king to reach the sixth rank, I don’t see how white makes progress without giving up the h-pawn.
White cannot win with
1. Ra7+. Kd6.
2. Rh7. WR cannot protect h pawn from rank and file simultaneously. This is the only option.
2……..Ke6.
3. Rh8. Kf7!! Preventing check from 8th rank.
4. h7 (what else). Kg7 and W cannot force exchange of R . He also loses the h pawn.
In this variation black K has no business to go to g7 but should aim at a7 and b7 when white R at h8 would be at fix. e.g.
1.Ra7+ Kd6
2.Rh7 Kc6
3.Rh8 Kb7
4.h7 Ka7
1 h7 Kf7 [ … Rxh7 2 Ra7+]
2 Ra8 Kg7 [ … Rxh7 3 Ra7+ leads to a similar position]
3 h8Q+ Rxh8
4 Rxh8 Kxh8
5 Kc3, followed by cleaning up black’s pawns, and white’s pawns win.
1.h7 and black cannot prevent the exchange of the rooks on either h8 or h7 followed by the loss of both queenside pawns, and the game thereafter.
A more interesting question, though, is can white still win by playing 1.Ra7 followed by 2.h7?
And, to be clear- can white force a win after 1.Ra7 and 2.h7?
Misleading. There is no next move that will win.
After 1.Ra7+ I instinctively prefer 1…. kd6. Moving K to 8th rank is suicidal and 1… Kf6 to be nearer white’s passed pawn is not appealing. i have not analyzed any thing.
I don’t think it matters if black plays Kf6-e6-d6- he has time to set up for the draw, but it isn’t an easy draw to secure. I haven’t really done much analysis either, though, but I do know that black doesn’t have to save the queen-side pawns necessarily as long as he wins the h-pawn and keeps the rooks on the board. After allowing the king to reach the sixth rank, I don’t see how white makes progress without giving up the h-pawn.
White cannot win with
1. Ra7+. Kd6.
2. Rh7. WR cannot protect h pawn from rank and file simultaneously. This is the only option.
2……..Ke6.
3. Rh8. Kf7!! Preventing check from 8th rank.
4. h7 (what else). Kg7 and W cannot force exchange of R . He also loses the h pawn.
The question Yancey posed was not that of 2.Rh7 but of h7. 2.Rh7 is obviously is a bad move.
after
Ra7 Kd6
h7 Kc5
black’s king is well placed and white king is cut off.
white surely can’t win this
Ra7 Kd6
Rh7 Ke6
Rh8 Kf7
h7 Kg7
Rb8 Kh7
Rb5 wins.
In this variation black K has no business to go to g7 but should aim at a7 and b7 when white R at h8 would be at fix. e.g.
1.Ra7+ Kd6
2.Rh7 Kc6
3.Rh8 Kb7
4.h7 Ka7