Is This Endgame Drawn?

So this is a club game that arises from the Russian Game. It's been forever, like 8 years, since I've played the variation in which both e-pawns are traded off. I was holding my breath a little on the 17th turn, where I saw that if White played 17. f3 he could win my pinned e-pawn. Luckily, for me, he didn't see the tactical shot, and we moved quickly to a pawn endgame. I felt I had a slight advantage, with a more aggressively positioned King and a passed e-pawn. However, my opponent wasn't worried in the least, stating that the position is likely drawn after the Rook exchange, as Black's Queenside pawn "majority" is held in check due to White's Kingside majority.

So Chess.com experts, if played properly, who wins this endgame after the Rooks are exchanged? Is there a way to avoid this exchange, as I didn't want to just cede free control of the open f-file?

I think black is winning; black has more space and the e-pawn is very strong. I would have continued.

looks like a draw to me

the final position at move 35 is a total draw imo, black must play c4 to lock it up and then both sides just shuffle their kings about, there is no break for either. White could just play 36 g4 and that's that. At a cursory glance I didn't see that you were better keeping the rooks on, either way I think white had the easier game and you did well to draw.

edit I hadn't followed it right through, you were steeped (very lucky) I think. After 34 ..c5?? he should have played 35 dxc5 and then you have to go after the c pawn with your king.  This allows h4 and white creates another passed pawn on the a file.  You can't stop both.

Looks drawn at first glance.  I don't think White's "threat" of h4 is the likely continuation, though -- that's dangerous for White.  The real threat is g4+, driving the White king back and preventing him from ever crossing the 4th rank.

The safe continuation for Black is c4, after which g4+ produces a clear draw.  The only way for Black to even try for a win is playing g4?! himself, but after hxg4+ Kxg4 dxc5 I think White has all the play.  Even if that turns out ok, Black's g4 can be followed by h4, and White again has an easy draw.

I really really really don't understand the line you're talking about with 19.f3.

The final position looks dead drawn though. Black has no way of making progress, as if he doesn't immediately lock the Q-side he'll lose to dxc5, which is winning for white. After locking the Q-side, white can lock the K-side with g4 and a draw. Similarly white can't really make progress because of the passed e-pawn.

White has a winning endgame with 35. dxc5!

But 35. Ke3?? draws the game.

After the 28th move, it looks like Black is winning. As a general principle, protected passed pawns win pawn endgames, and this one apperars to be no exception. White's king will forever be passive, while Black's king can eat all of White's pawns.

MM78

I had a feeling 34. ... c5 might have been a blunder, but I was trying to press for winning chances, perhaps too recklessly. Luckily, my opponent didn't punish my greedy play. My opponent requested a draw after the Rook exchange, that if played properly of course, the game would end drawn. I sort of agreed with him, but I was so enraptured by my passed e-pawn, I just had to keep playing for a little while more.

Are you saying that White had an easier game most of the way, and that I was good to draw the endgame? I think as the endgame approached, White traded off all the pieces because he was afraid of Black's Knight in the endgame and Black's control of the open f-file. Also, in the endgame, with the passed e-pawn and aggressive King, Black was the aggressor in the endgame. Although, the position, though asymmetrical, was still balanced.

Agreed - black blundered with 34... c5??

I also agree that black should have the only winning chances after 28. Kxf1.

Here's a possible plan.

28... g5 -- this fixes white's kingside pawns, since g4 is just bad and h4 will only be good if black's king is outside the square (way over on the b file), otherwise h4 will needlessly let black in.

The problem is that while black is better, he doesn't have a lot of infiltration squares. So white will leave the h3/g3 pawns as they are while not letting black create too much of a weakness on the queenside. I think it should be an easy task for white to draw, since white weaknesses on the b or a file aren't important (because then h4 queens that pawn. So white must avoid weaknesses to the c and d pawns. And the central pawn structure as it stands is ok. Even if black plays Kd6 to support c5, then plays cxd4, he can't ever attack the d4 pawn because he can't get to the b file.

hicetnunc and Spiffe

Thanks for helping confirm that the position is pretty much drawn. I guess I was just trying to find some winning chances with a passed-pawn and advanced King, but there was nothing that could be done.

WanderingWinder,

My apologies. I meant to say 17. f3! was the move that would win Black's pinned e-pawn. I played 15. ... Qb4+ thinking that White's b-pawn, and subsequently his Rook, was vulnerable to attack. But that was all halted with 16. c3 doh! I am a totally n00b!

I really kicked myself for not realizing that if White blocks the check with his c-pawn, White's Queen is then guarding the b-pawn, while my c-pawn is hanging and e-pawn is pinned =/

NM ozzie_c_cobblepot

Thanks for your analysis. I will remember not to play 34. ... c5? in the future. And thank you for confirming my intuition that Black should be the only one with winning chances in this pawn endgame, played perfectly of course. My opponent also recognized that White has solid drawing chances after the pieces are traded away. Being a tactical player, I prefer piece endgames, but my opponent claims he does horribly with Rook and pawn endgames.

One final question I have is, how would you approximate the play of Black? I feel I am a firm USCF Class A player on the verge of crossing over into Expert territory, in the possibly near future of a few weeks to a couple of months of hard work. I feel I'm not out of the Class-levels yet, but I'm getting there! Any advice for someone aspiring to be an Expert and later a Master?

Brandon, what I was trying to say was that I thought white had slightly the easier game from the Rf1 point, I didn't spend the time to look at the earlier play, I don't think quickly enough to give written opinion after a quick glance, don't like to embarrass myself:-)  but that neither side had winning chances that could be forced, in other words I would say that whichever side tried to force a win would lose.  Ozzie obviously feels black is slightly better and he is probably more likely to be right but essentially I think he confirms that as long as neither side lose patience and try the wrong pawn break nothing much is going to happen. Neither king has an entry mode into the other sides position.

In reality though people do lose patience and make the fatal mistake of "trying to do something".

MM78

Thanks for your input on the matter. It is really helpful for my game analysis to know that many strong players feel that the position is drawn after 27. Rf1.

Ultimately, I guess it just comes down to personal preference as to who has the easier game. Obviously, my opponent thinks like you in that he felt he had a very easy game after 27. Rf1, otherwise he wouldn't have played it. I was almost kind of shocked when he did, thinking that trading Rooks might have been a blunder for him. But after we exchanged Rooks, he offered a draw, and explained, like you did, that neither side really has winning chances.

I, of course, fall into Ozzie's camp, who thinks Black has the "better" position, but yeah, it's just personal preference.