Help understanding the last 5 moves

At the end of Nakamura's game (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1326707) there are a series of rook moves that baffled me. It's a part of the game I really don't understand yet. I'd love to see someone tackle annotating the last five moves. It would be a big service to those of us still learning the basics.

Originally posted by ariostel
At the end of Nakamura's game (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1326707) there are a series of rook moves that baffled me. It's a part of the game I really don't understand yet. I'd love to see someone tackle annotating the last five moves. It would be a big service to those of us still learning the basics.

Ok, this should be reasonably easy to explain.


first we need to realise 2 things, the first thing is that white has the advantage (a pawn up), the second thing we must realise is that the only way white can win is to promote that pawn.

so, the idea is obvoius, White must try to promote that pawn.

Look at the following position:-




If it is white to move, the game is a draw.
If it is black to move, white wins the game.


QED:- (if you have fritz this should be nice and easy to read)

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "New game"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/4k3/4P3/4K3/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]

1. Kd5 Ke8 {Ke8 is the only drawing move, All other moves lose because white
gains "the opisition" (see variations)} (1... Kd8 2. Kd6 Ke8 3. e7 Kf7 4. Kd7 {
e8=Q and so on....}) (1... Kf6 2. Kd6 Kg7 3. e7 Kf7 4. Kd7) (1... Kf8 2. Kd6
Ke8 3. e7 Kf7 4. Kd7) 2. Kd6 Kd8 {
the only drawing move...White can't make any progress.} 3. Ke5 (3. e7+ $2 Ke8
4. Ke6 {Stalemate.}) 3... Ke7 4. Kd5 {And we are back to the starting position.
} 1/2-1/2





What you have to notice is that the only way to win K+P endgames like this, is by putting the defending king in Zugzwang


now that (hopefully) you understand that, we can go back to looking at Nakamura's game.

again, some sort of Pgn viewer will be helpful.


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "New game"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/5k2/8/p5PK/P7/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "13"]

{Okay, as the prevoius "game" hopefully pointed out, the way for white to win
is to "GAIN THE OPISITION"} 1. Kh5 {
why did Nakamura play this? ...well, see the variations.} (1. Kh3 {
This move draws....} Kg5 2. Kg3 Kg6 3. Kf4 Kf6 4. g5+ Kg6 5. Kg4 Kg7 6. Kf5 Kf7
7. g6+ Kg7 8. Kg5 Kg8 9. Kf6 {
and we've reached an almost identical position as in the first "game".} Kf8 10.
Ke6 Kg7 {what if white sacrifices the g-pawn? ....well....} 11. Kd5 Kxg6 12.
Kc4 Kf5 13. Kb4 Ke5 14. Kxa4 {
Black can draw this, but only if he can get infront of the pawn....} Kd6 15.
Kb5 Kc7 {Black is aiming for a8, and the white King cant stop him (which is
why its drawn)} 16. a4 Kb7 17. a5 Ka8 18. a6 Kb8 19. Kb6 Ka8 20. a7 {stalemate.
}) (1. g5+ Kg6 2. Kg4 Kg7 3. Kf5 Kf7 4. g6+ Kg7 {
And we have transposed to the first varaition [Kh3] (move 7)}) (1. Kg3 Kg5 2.
Kf3 Kg6 3. Kf4 Kf6 {just see the other variations....}) 1... Kg7 (1... Kf7 2.
Kh6 Kf8 (2... Kg8 3. g5 Kf7 (3... Kh8 {In the postion black does not have the
opisition, because white just moves the pawn.} 4. g6 Kg8 5. g7 Kf7 6. Kh7) 4.
Kh7) 3. g5 Kg8 4. Kg6 {winning the opisition....} Kh8 5. Kf7 Kh7 6. g6+ Kh8 7.
g7+ Kh7 8. g8=Q+ Kh6 9. Qg6🙄 2. Kg5 {Winning the opisition....} Kh7 3. Kf6 Kh6
{In the postion black does not have the opisition, because white just moves
the pawn.} 4. g5+ Kh7 5. Kf7 Kh8 6. Kg6 {Sergey Karjakin resigns....} (6. g6 {
stalemate.}) 6... Kg8 7. Kh6 {transposition....see other variations.} 1/2-1/2

ignore

Originally posted by Shinidoki
Look at the following position:-

[fen]8/4k3/4P3/4K3/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1[/fen]


If it is white to move, the game is a draw.
If it is black to move, white wins the game.

To the OP. Rook endings are standard theory. Do you have a diagram or pgn of the game? Is that Carlsen or Nakamura who was on the Chessbase website who got a standard ending wrong?

Originally posted by lioness
What? Regardless of who is on the move, this is a draw.

Originally posted by cmsMaster
Yeah, that's a draw...

Originally posted by cmsMaster
Yeah, that's a draw...

Originally posted by Sam The Sham
Indeed. I'm stunned that the poster who claimed it was a win depending on whose move it was is almost rated 1800 here. It's an elementary draw that any novice should be aware of.

double-post, ignore.