The full game cane be seen at N2 but here I want to look at the final stage.
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| White to play and draw |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Black is a pawn up and there are rival passed pawns on opposite sides of the board, which favours the side with the long-range bishop. But White's passer is further advanced and White should be able to draw, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
55.Kxd6?
White had to play 55.Ke4 or possibly 55.Kc6?!
The engines are most sure of 55.Ke4, eg 55...h5 56.Nd5 (only move) Bb4 57.Nf6+ (57.Nxb4?? cxb4 58.a5 h4 59.a6 h3 60.a7 h2 61.a8=Q h1=Q+ etc) Kg5 58.Nxh5! Kxh5 59.Kd5 Kg5 60.Kxd6 Kf6 61.a5 etc.
The move 55.Kc6?! also seems to draw although Komodo13.02 for quite some time reckons it loses, and the lines are much trickier for White to play. After 55...h5 56.Nd5 Bb4 57.Nf6+ White draws as in the previous line. Black can try 56...h4!? but 57.Nxc3 (only move) h3 58.Nd5 h2 59.a5 (White's last two moves could be played in reverse order) h1=Q 60.a6 (only move) seems to give White a fortress - at least the engines are sure it does. Instead of immediately pushing the h pawn, the engines suggest 55...Kf5, but White still seems OK, eg 56.Nd5 Bd2 57.Kb5 h5 58.a5 Bxa5+ (only move) 59.Kxa5 h4 60.Ne3+ (only move) Ke4 61.Nf1 (only move) d5 62.Kb5 d4 63.Kxc5 d3 64.Kb4 h3 65.c5 h2 66.c6 h1=Q 67.Ng3+ Kd5 68.Nxh1 d2 69.c7 d1=Q 70.c8=Q Qb1+ etc (but not 70...Qxh1?? 71.Qb7+).
The main problem with the text is the white king can no longer help to intercept the h pawn.
The game continued:
55...h5 56.Nd5 h4!
Offering the bishop seems the only way to win, but it wins relatively easily.
57.Ne3+
Or 57.Nxc3 h3 58.Ne4 h2 59.a5 Kf3 60.Ng5+ Ke3 etc.
57...Kf3 58.Nf1 Kg2 59.Ne3+ Kf3 60.Nf1 h3 62.Kxc5 Kf2 63.Nh2 Be5!? 64.Ng4+ Kg3 65.Ne3
There is no fortress after 65.Nxe5 h2.
65...Bf4 66.Nf5+ Kg4 0-1
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