Knight v Bishop (part 56)

Black has just captured on b6 in Spanton (1923) - Jiri Navratil (2056), Olomouc Open (Czechia) 2016. Who stands better, and by how much?

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White has the more-mobile pawn-majority, and a bishop to go with it. White also has more space on the kingside, but the kingside white pawns on dark squares are vulnerable. The analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon the position is dead-equal.

32.Bf3 Kd6 33.Kd2 Nd5 34.Bxd5

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34...Kxd5

The engines at first prefer 34...exd5!?, but quickly come to regard both moves as maintaining equality.

35.Kd3 e5

Also equal is 35...b5, eg 36.b3 e5 37.fxe5 Kxe5 38.c4 bxc4+ 39.bxc4 f5 40.gxf5 gxf5 41.h5 f4 42.c5 Kd5 43.c6 Kxc6 44.Ke4 etc.

36.c4+ Kd6 37.fxe5+ Kxe5 38.b4

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38...f6?

I expected 38...f5, which draws in a similar way to the previous note. The engines reckon any king retreat also draws.

39.Ke3 Ke6

It is too late for ...f5, eg 39...f5 40.gxf5 gxf5 41.h5 f4+ 42.Kf3 Kd4 43.Kxf4 Kxc4 44.Kg5 Kxb4 45.Kg6 Ka3 46.Kxg7 b5 47.h6 b4 48.h7 b3 49.h8=Q b2 50.Qh7 Ka2 51.Qc2 Ka1 52.Qa4+ Kb1 53.Kf6 etc.

40.Kf4 Kd6 41.h5 f5

Or 41...gxh5 42.gxh5 Ke6 43.c5 bxc5 44.bxc5 Kd5 45.Kf5 Kxc5 46.Kg6 etc.

42.hxg6 fxg4 43.Kxg4 Ke5 44.c5 bxc5 45.bxc5 1-0