White to play. Is it a win, draw, or loss for White?
Source: ChessToday.net
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White to play. Is it a win, draw, or loss for White?
Source: ChessToday.net
Very nice endgame! Looks completly lost in the first place, but I think it is a draw with correct play.
1.Kg3 (1.d4? loses after Kf2! and white is in zugzwang)
1…Ke2 (or Kd2, makes no difference)
2.d4! Kd3 (or Ke3)
3.Kg4 Kxd4
4.Kxg5 c5
5.h4 c4
and pawns run…
black will queen with check, but after Kg6 the endgame is a known draw, because black cannot occupy the h8-square with the queen thanks to his own King on d4! who is blocking the a1-h8 diagonal and exactly one square too far away to guarantee a win for white.( That’s why move 2 d4 was necessary).
And if black plays c5 before Ke2 to prevent white from playing d4?
Yancey Ward
You are right Yancey, I just missed direct c5 completly.
But after c5 white King is in time to protect his pawns.
1.Kg3 c5
2.Kf3 Kd2
3.Ke4 is draw too
and if, after Ke4, black plays Ke2?
Yancey
if …ke2, then d4=
oooh, eventually Qf4+ then Qd2+ skewers the Qd8. I get it.
“White to play. Is it a win, draw, or loss for White?”
A loss for white would be a strange study. Even I could compose such a study.
1.Kg3 c5
2.Kf3 Kd2
3.Ke4 Ke2
4.Kd5 draws by one tempo
To the anonymous commenter,
Yes, d4 loses in that line, but Bill Brock is correct- Kd5 will draw, in my opinion. Black can either take the queen’s pawn and race over to take the rook’s pawn, but then white takes the bishop’s pawn and reaches the knight’s pawn just in time; or black can race over and take the rook’s pawn immediately and queen his knight’s pawn, but white takes at c5 and queens a move ahead.
It has always fascinated me just how complicated king and pawn endgames can be- there are so many subtle ways to lose, win, or draw them.
Yancey
first poster has it right. Only the line given draws for White. If white failed to play d4 black will queen with check and play qc3-h8 and win.
-Justin Daniel