Yeah I understand. When you think anything wins you just play whatever you feel like. I was saying Kc8 looked most natural, but it's also natural to figure a pin like that just won't change anything.

Rather recently I dominated a 1900, who usually loses to me not only because he doesn't have a good strategy, but he always tries to make tactics, and in doing so he often miscalculates a fancy moves, plays it, and loses a piece. Well this happened the last time I played him, and eventually it became just his rook vs my extra bishop and pawn! I had won this very convincingly before, by leading with my king. But I thought there was nothing wrong with pushing the pawn without the king for a while because the rook and bishop covered everything so well. This was true, but the problem was once my pawn got to his 2nd rank I realized I had allowed him to create a fortress, when if I move my king too close he'll have unbeatable stalemate tricks. He didn't play the right move at one point though in time presure and I did manage to break down the fortress because of it, but damn, I was so close to drawing that position!!

I of course knew about possible stalemate tricks, but I assumed they were very avoidable, but in this case it may have saved him the game! In fact I'm not really sure even after I horribly misplayed it that the position was drawn (he said it was), because I always had the option of sacing the pawn. In a rook and bishop vs rook, is it a win if he's pushed down to the back rank? Might be. I lost a bad game down rook vs rook and bishop and thought getting into this position saved me, but in that game I was completely reduced to the back rank and computers said he wins easily.

@Elubas Yes, there are many points that I could have played better. The point of the post is that you should realize when you should be on your toes. If you're up a queen and rook, you just have to avoid mate. It's not so important to make your candidate moves, evaluate them, calculate the position, etc. I was treating this similarly to one of those, not realizing just _how_ important the pawn was to my position, and also not realizing that it was possible to put myself into such a tangled position.

Well if you think about it, all you have to do is lose the pawn and maybe the draw isn't so impossible after all. Did you have to allow the pin on your king? That seemed to cause some practical problems. Why not just 7 Kc8 and d7-d8?

Wow that was sooo complicated 

Well I know that there are a million ways to actually win the position. What I didn't know, during the game, was that apparently there is a drawing position. You know, how when you're up a gob of material, you sort of figure "as long as I don't actually hang anything I'll win"? Well, apparently the answer in this case is no.

Uh, I agree with rabio, 8. Kd7 wins easily.

e.g. 8. Kd7 Bg3 9. Ra6 Kc5 10. Ke6 1-0.

thisguyheisaguy: white is moving the other way, you have the game backwards.

7. d6xe5 ... why spare the bishop?  makes no sense not to take it

White was winning! Too bad it ended up in a draw!

Ow

cool

This would have worked.

7 Kb7  Black moves, 8 d7 Black moves, 9 d8=Q

I think you are right that b8 at move 3 wins because you can guard the king with the rook (Rf8+, Rc8) and after Kxe4, you have space to march the pawn down to d8 forcing the rook to take it and lose to your rook before the king can recover.

I think the easiest way to win after Ra6, if white moved again, would be to check and take the bishop, then queen the pawn.

Ra5+ Ke6 Rxe5+ Kxe5 d7 and queen next move.

Owch, that would be such a frustrating draw.

     Was this from an actual game or is it a composed puzzle?  Also, what would
have been white's plan after Ra6, to check the black king I presume?