3 pawns facing each other

Hi,  Can any direct me to a video or explanation of

Chris.

First you should decide if this is really the position you want to learn. Your position is a draw with either side to play. If all the pawns are shifted one file to the left, White to play wins, Black to play draws. If all the pawns are shifted one rank higher, White to play wins, Black to play wins. If all the pawns are shifted one file left and one rank higher, White to play wins, Black to play draws.

I suggest you learn the technique for a case where White wins. Then you should be able to figure out the others.

I don't have a quick link to a video or article about similar positions so can't provide one of those.

However, the basic idea is to create a passed pawn that will promote before the opposing side can promote. That is achieved by pushing the center pawn first.  Assuming it is white to move, c5 has to be answered by taking the pawn.

Black has two options, bx or dx. If black takes with the b-pawn, bxc5, then white pushes the opposite side pawn, so d5. If there is a pawn race, white promotes first, with check and can prevent black from queening.

If black captures instead, cxd5 then white's c-pawn can advance unopposed, The situation is the same on the other side. The only caveat is that the traditional position is normally one file to the left. You have to be certain that black's king can not protect the queening square before the promotion.

In this particular position, that is not true and black can prevent the pawn from queening.

And by trying to apply the technique in Martin_Stahl's first diagram, White turns a draw into a loss.

19min into this video, also has a lot of the other important King and pawn endgames

Yeah, I was trying to demonstrate why the method doesn't work in that exact position. I was typing up my post and adding the diagrams when you posted. Probably should have reloaded first to see if anyone had posted before me

thanks all.