Author: Miguel A. Ballicora
Date: 09:35:41 01/04/01
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On January 04, 2001 at 01:05:33, Ricardo Gibert wrote: >On January 03, 2001 at 23:02:26, Robin Smith wrote: >>This position is not such an "easy" draw as you seem to imply. In fact I am not >>at all certain it IS a draw. After 1...Kxe5 2.Bd2 Kf5 3.Kf2 Kg4!, black 3. ... Kg4! is a very good move. At first sight I thought it is a draw even after 3... Kg4! but after a few of minutes I convinced myself that white is lost. White should avoid both pawns on 6th. To do this, it should control g3 with both the B and K. At the same time, it should threat f4 to tie the BK so it cannot go to h4 to support g3. That is the natural defense in all these endgames. However, the only square to build this defense is Bh2. The problem is that since there is only one square to satisfy this requirement means that white will fall in zugswang. for instance, in this position [D] 8/8/8/6k1/4bpp1/8/5K1B/8 b Black plays Bd5 and White cannot retreat the Bishop. Note that the same position shifted one column to the left t is a draw. With different bishop colors is also a draw because white can set up the defense. That's why I thought about a draw at the beginning. Very tricky! [D] 8/8/8/6k1/3b1pp1/8/4B1K1/8 b white can play forever Be2-Bd1 >>prevents your Kg3 move and thus has good winning chances since both pawns can >>then easily be brought to the fifth rank (the f4 & g4 squares). If white >>instead tries 3.Bc3 Kf4 4.Bc6 to blockade the f-pawn, black plays 4...g4, 5...g3 >>and then 6...Kf5, chasing away the bishop to allow the f-pawn to then advance. That does not seem to be correct, because white play Bh4 forcing Kg4 and again Bf6. However, black can leave white zugswang placing the pawn on g3, Bc4, Kf3. If white plays Kh1 Black plays Kf2 and Kf1 and wins. >>Thus after 2.Bd2 black can force both pawns to the 5th rank, and although >>opposite colored bishops with 5th rank pawns on the f & g files is sometimes a >>draw and sometimes not, it is never all that "easy". Possibly 2.Kf2 is better >>than 2.Bd2, but in any case, even if the position should eventually prove to be After 2.Kf2 Kf4! wins with the same idea. White is lost after 1. ... Kxe5 Miguel >>drawn, not taking the pawn clearly gives white a *much* easier game, and not >>playing 1...Kxe5 is highly peculiar. >> >>Robin Smith > >Yes! My look at the position was too superficial. Your Kxe5-f5-g4 is >troublesome.
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