When I awoke this morning, foremost on my mind were memories of a game when my lower rated opponent offered a draw in an equal position with plenty of play. It happens almost every day in online chess. One in particular took me some time to find in my history. It is notable because a position was reached that I use in training my students. Needless to say, I know how to win it. My opponent could have avoided this technically lost position with better endgame play.
Internet Opponent -- Stripes,J [C00]
Live Chess Chess.com, 05.03.2025
White to move
42.Ke3 Kd6 43.Nb4 Nd5+ 44.Nxd5 Kxd5 45.Kd3
Now a pawn ending that is equal, but offers plenty of chances to err. Perhaps it was at this point that my opponent offered a draw.
45...b5 46.b3 g5 47.h3
Stockfish slightly favors 47.g4, but both moves maintain equality.
47...h5
White to move
48.Kc3
Should one doubt the difficulty of playing this ending correctly, I might note that Komodo 13 sees 48.Ke3 as just as good, while Stockfish 16 sees Kc3 as the only move that holds equality.
48...f5 49.Kd3
After 49.b4 h4 50.gxh4 gxh4, there is only one move that holds, but it is not difficult to find 51.Kd3
49...Kc5
White to move
50.g4??
This move loses. White had five other choices that are equal.
50...fxg4-+ 51.fxg4
51.hxg4 h4
51...hxg4 52.hxg4 Kd5 53.Ke3 Ke5 54.a4 bxa4
54...b4 is a shorter distance to mate
55.bxa4
Black to move
55...a5
The only winning move is easy to find because the position is nearly identical to one reached in Example 27 in Capablanca, Chess Fundamentals (1921), which I have studied carefully. Capablanca's position, which is not original with him,, is a standard training position that I use to teach and test students on understanding opposition and outflanking.
56.Ke2
56.Kd3 is more stubborn 56...Kf4 57.Kc4 Kxg4 58.Kb5 Kf4 59.Kxa5 g4 60.Kb5 g3 61.a5 g2 62.a6 g1Q and Black's queen controls the next square for White's pawn.
56...Ke4
56...Kf4 is more accurate
57.Kd2 Kd4 58.Ke2 Ke4 59.Kd2 Kf4 60.Kc3 Kxg4 61.Kd2 Kf4
White to move
White can resign, but played on until the clock ran out.
62.Ke2 Ke4 63.Kf2 Kd4 64.Ke2 Kc4 65.Kf3 Kb4 66.Kg4 Kxa4 67.Kxg5 Kb3 Black won on time 0-1
