In a recent game, I reached the diagrammed position. Black resigned, for which I was grateful. My question is, can white win by force, or with best play, will black draw? It would be easy to advance the passed pawn one more rank, but beyond that ... ?

With best play by both sides, I think white should win.

But to make sure, try running the game through chess.com's analysis engine.

yup

Yeah definitely white. Spiffe has it the way I would play it.

I took a ten year vacation from chess, and it shows. I'm rustier than a '61 Chevy! I think I saw everything BUT that. Fortunately, my opponent gave me more credit than I currently deserve, and resigned (even after I hung a knight in an approaching endgame in which I was up a piece).

Thanks guys. I would have missed that.

So, apparently things aren't quite so easy as Spiffe's line.

---

Interesting endgame. Not quite on the level of a study, but tricky.

what about Ra1 Kh4?

Excellent!

In view of the recent posts, I'd like to be able to take credit for the original question holding out the possibility of a draw ... but I can't. As rusty as I am, I didn't see that, either. That would have earned the half-point!

So, that seems to cover the 1... Ra1 2. Rb6+ line, and we come back to the original question. Is there a forced win for white, or will all lines draw with best play?

---

That one, I think I can answer.

1. ... Ra1 2. Kh4 Ra2 3. Rb6+ Kg7 4. a6?? Rxh2#

or:

1. ... Ra1 2. Kh4 Ra2 3. Rb6+ Kg7 4. Kh3 (or h3) Rxa5

It should be won. Even this pawn endgame is won:

Probably something like 1.. Ra1 2.Kh3 would work. After that, the above stalemate is gone.

---

The King is already on h3.

etc - white always has tempi, and eventually the black h pawn will also fall

I see what you are saying. The K and P vs. K (without the other pawns) should draw, but white can take a tempo when needed by moving the other pawn. So can black, though, until the rook pawns come into contact. Can you extend the line a little further? Can white force through the f pawn? If white must abandon the f pawn to avoid stalemate, and go after the black h pawn, could black still draw by keeping the white king from getting to the critical g7 square?

The problem with extending it a little further is that there are so many different lines.

I think if black plays ...h5 first, then white can play h4 and win the h-pawn without giving up his f pawn (which would always be a draw). If instead black doesn't move his h-pawn and white plays h3 at the moment when an extra tempo wins, and black replies h5, then white can still play h4 and win.

Say in this position:

I see, now. Thank you very much! That was very instructive.