Is this a tie?

How can I move a pawn to the endline?



Obviously my opponent made a blunder there/

It is I think

We've all had to learn about the trap on Black's 50th (I vividly recall my lesson). :)

And yep, it's pretty dead (provided he doesn't fall into that).

Really harsh of stockfish to label Black's 49th move (Ke7) a blunder. The winning idea it allows is really pretty and subtle (a pawn sacrifice f5! followed by a second pawn sacrifice e6! if Blacks takes back with the e-pawn or a slow King march to collect the h5 pawn if Black takes with the g-pawn). Also the way this idea doesn't work if Black does a couple of checks first of all as Black can first drive the white King to the queen-side and then cut it off with the rook from getting to the h5 pawn without losing the e5 pawn to check on the way).

Kd7, on the other hand, is a genuine classic blunder :)

Looking at this some more - it seems the original depth 20 stockfish evaluation is wrong, and the position is a win for white irrespective of Black's 49th move even if Black does play Ra2+.

This is really beautiful - white has to

1. Fiddle the king along towards the rook along the 1st and 2nd rank until he gets closer enough to force black to stop checking and play Ke7. Now Black can only move his rook otherwise he loses to the simple tactic.
2. Come back with the king along the 1st and 2nd ranks. If Black keeps on checking he runs to h3, otherwise f2 or g2 is fine. Either way he ends up his king on f2/g2/h3, with Black's rook not on the 2nd rank, and White to move.
3. Then White hits the break f5!. If Black takes with the e pawn then e6! forces a simple win.
4. If Black takes gxf5, then White can manoeuvre his king out from h3 and work round to take the pawn on h5, and the promote the h pawn.

This shows how subtle rook endgames are, a very instructive position!

Without heavy evaluation I know this endgame is either:

1) White has a forced win

2) White has winning chances, but if black defends like a supercomputer or strong player may make a draw with a fortress.

After several minutes of evaluation, I believe it is the 2nd.

The method used in the game was not a forced win, and there are other ways black can lose the position as well. If the black rook ever leaves the a-file (without a check) then white can trade it's rook for a queen, or go for a rook up endgame both are easy wins.

To defend I think black must simply move the rook up and down the a file until the white king goes over to approach and aid in promotion in which case the black rook goes down to a1 or a2 and checks the white king from behind. The black king is in a good position to assist in keeping the white king from going over to munch the f7 pawn if it just sits where it is forever.

Black has a fortress with correct play.

@lurarose - that's the point of my posts on this position. It looks like Black has a fortress but White can actually break it down by playing f5 at the right time.

Sending the white king over to support the a7 pawn looks like the 'natural' strategy but doesn't win because Black can keep on checking.

@piscatorox I don't think that same trick works if black plays g6 followed by kg7 when it's available. especially after the white pawn makes it to the 7th. Then I think it's a fortress, but ya with the king on e7 shelter is lacking.