6 
[Event "Fritz, 19Ply / 19Ply"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.04.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Stockfish 6"]
[Black "Houdini 1.5a w32"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[PlyCount "292"]
[FEN ""]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Be3 Nge7 7. c4 Nxd4  8.
Bxd4 Nc6 9. Be3 b6 10. O-O Bc5 11. Re1 d6 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Qd2 Bb7 14. Red1 Qc7
15. b3 h6 16. Be2 Rab8 17. a3 Na5 18. Rab1 Bxa3 19. Bxh6 gxh6 20. Qxh6 f5 21.
Rd3 f4 22. b4 Nc6 23. Bg4 Nd8 24. Ne2 e5 25. f3 Qh7 26. Qxh7+ Kxh7 27. Rxa3 Nc6
28. Bd7 a5 29. Bxc6 Bxc6 30. Rd3 Rfd8 31. bxa5 bxa5 32. Rxb8 Rxb8 33. Rxd6 Be8
34. Nc3 a4 35. Ra6 Rc8 36. Nd5 Kg7 37. Ra7+ Kf8 38. g3 fxg3 39. h4 Rxc4 40. Kg2
Rc6 41. Ne3 Bh5 42. Rxa4 Rc3 43. Ng4 Bxg4 44. fxg4 Rc2+ 45. Kxg3 Rc3+ 46. Kf2
Rc2+ 47. Kf1 Rc1+ 48. Ke2 Rc2+ 49. Kd3 Rg2 50. g5 Rg4 51. Ra8+ Kg7 52. Ra7+ Kg8
53. Ra5 Rxh4 54. Rxe5 Kf7 55. Rf5+ Kg6 56. Rf8 Rh1 57. Kd4 Rd1+ 58. Ke5 Re1 59.
Kd5 Ra1 60. Rg8+ Kf7 61. Rc8 Kg6 62. Ke5 Re1 63. Rg8+ Kf7 64. Ra8 Kg6 65. Ra7
Rb1 66. Ra2 Re1 67. Ra8 Rb1 68. Ra7 Re1 69. Rc7 Re2 70. Rc1 Ra2 71. Rb1 Rg2 72.
Ra1 Rb2 73. Kd6 Rb6+ 74. Kc5 Rb8 75. Rg1 Rd8 76. Kc6 Re8 77. Kd5 Rd8+ 78. Ke5
Re8+ 79. Kd4 Rd8+ 80. Ke3 Rb8 81. Rg2 Rd8 82. Rg3 Re8 83. Rg4 Rc8 84. Kd4 Rd8+
85. Kc5 Re8 86. Kd6 Rd8+ 87. Ke7 Rd4 88. Ke6 Rb4 89. Ke5 Rb5+ 90. Kf4 Rb1 91.
Rg2 Rf1+ 92. Ke5 Rb1 93. Rc2 Ra1 94. Rb2 Re1 95. Ra2 Rb1 96. Ra3 Rg1 97. Ke6
Kxg5 98. Ra5+ Kg6 99. Ra2 Kg7 100. e5 Re1 101. Rf2 Ra1 102. Rd2 Re1 103. Rg2+
Kf8 104. Rb2 Ra1 105. Rb6 Ra2 106. Rb8+ Kg7 107. Rd8 Re2 108. Rd7+ Kf8 109.
Rf7+ Ke8 110. Rh7 Kf8 111. Rh8+ Kg7 112. Rh3 Rb2 113. Rc3 Re2 114. Rf3 Ra2 115.
Rd3 Re2 116. Rd8 Re1 117. Rd7+ Kf8 118. Rf7+ Ke8 119. Rb7 Kf8 120. Rb8+ Kg7
121. Rb2 Kf8 122. Rc2 Re3 123. Rc8+ Kg7 124. Rc1 Kf8 125. Rf1+ Ke8 126. Rh1 Kf8
127. Rh8+ Kg7 128. Ra8 Re1 129. Ra7+ Kf8 130. Ra3 Rb1 131. Ra8+ Kg7 132. Rc8
Re1 133. Rc4 Kf8 134. Rc7 Re3 135. Rc2 Re1 136. Rc4 Kg7 137. Rf4 Ra1 138. Rd4
Re1 139. Rd6 Re2 140. Rd1 Kf8 141. Rf1+ Ke8 142. Ra1 Kd8 143. Rg1 Re4 144. Rg8+
Kc7 145. Re8 Rh4 146. Rf8 Kc6 1/2-1/2

This fascinating game was played today between Stockfish and Houdini. White (Stockfish) could not realize his two-pawn-advantage. After 54. Te5, the position is theoretically draw and it kept being draw until the last move 146... Kc6 which allows a winning position, but the 50-move-rule ensures the draw because it takes some more moves to move the pawn.

Could white have won, and if so, how?

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3
  • To anybody who attempts to answer the question, you'll need a 6-men tablebase for the endgame to come up with a convincing conclusion. Anything else will just be an educational guess. I don't have it installed so I won't answer.
    – ABCD
    Apr 16, 2015 at 4:19
  • Rook endgame was always a draw (you can check here), so White could not seek victory in that part of the game. As for the middlegame, it seems to me that Black was slightly better all the time... White played very accurately and saved a draw.
    – AlwaysLearningNewStuff
    Apr 18, 2015 at 11:32
  • I already mentioned that the endgame R+2P vs R was a draw here until the end, with the exception 146... Kc6. Please only analyze until move 54.
    – Peter
    Apr 22, 2015 at 21:07

3 Answers 3

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3

If you ask only about the R+2p vs R endgame then no, it was drawn. In serious engine tournaments the stronger engines usually have access to 6-men tablebases, so they play these endgames perfectly.

If you ask about the whole rook endgame, then 45.Kh3 looks like a good winning attempt, as black has no easy way to transpose to the game, e.g. 45...g2 46.Ra1 Rc3+ 47.Kxg2 Rc2+ 48.Kg1 and there is no counterplay which was possible in the game.

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2

After the move 43... Rc2, White should have played 44. Kh3 instead of 44. Kxg3, and played the below sequence.

[FEN "5k2/8/8/4p3/R3P1PP/6p1/2r3K1/8 w - - 0 1"]

1. Kh3 g2 2. Ra1 Re2 3. Rg1 Rxe4 4. h5 Re3+ 5.     Kxg2

There is a mate in 39 moves afterward according to the Lomonosov tablebases.

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0
1

If you take Nalimov's endgame tables (from Knowledge4IT) and put the position after 54.Rxe5, when the material is down to 6 pieces, you can see that it is a draw, and you can check for the different variations. If it was White to play, then Rf5 would have been the only winning move, and the table gives a win in 45.

One would need to check with the new 7-pieces tables to check for an earlier win.

Hope this helps.

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