A game/position that engines can't handle?

[Tony Hedlund]

[Event "Rochade 5171"]
[Site "Sevastopol"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hedlund, Tony"]
[Black "Weisskohl, Jerry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2496"]
[Annotator "Tony Hedlund"]
[PlyCount "157"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 {Berlinerdefence} 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 {Black's bishop pair compensate for the doublepawn.} 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 {Black have problem with his king, thats why white should keep his rooks.} 9... Ke8 ({Kramnik played} 9... Bd7 {against Kasparov in game 1 and 3 in there WC-match 2000.} 10. b3 h6 11. Bb2 Kc8 {Kasparov tried} 12. h3 (12. Rad1 b6 13. Ne2 c5 14. c4 Bc6 15. Nf4 Kb7 16. Nd5?! Ne7! {in game 3.}) 12... b6 13. Rad1 Ne7 14. Ne2 Ng6! {in game 1.})(9... h6 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. h3 a5 12. Bf4 Be6 13. g4 Ne7 14. Nd4 Nd5 15. Nce2 Bc5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 {was played in game nine. All ended in draws.}) 10. h3 Be7 11. Rd1 Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. Ne2 h5 14. Be3 Be7 15. Rd2 h4 16. Rad1 Rh5 17. a3 (17. f4 Be6 18. Nd4 Bc5 19. Bf2 {draw, Anand-Krasenkow, Wijk aan Zee 2003.})17... Rxe5 18. Bf4 Rd5 19. Rxd5 cxd5 20. Bxc7 Be6 21. Bf4 Rc8 ({
Playable are also} 21... g5 22. Be3 a6 23. Nd4 Rc8 24. c3 Kd7 25. Kf1) 22. c3 a5 23. Be3 (23. a4 g5 24. Be3 Kd7 25. Rd3 f6 26. f4 Bf7 27. Kf2) 23... g5 24. Nd4 Kd7 25. f4 gxf4 26. Bxf4 Rc4 27. Be3 a4 28. Kf2 Bd8 29. Rh1!{The idea is of course to get a passed pawn.} (29. Nf3 Re4 30. Bg5 Bb6+ 31. Kf1 d4 32. Nxd4 Bc4+ 33. Kg1 Re2 34. Rd2 Rxd2 35. Bxd2 {gives nothing.}) 29. Bc7 30. Bg5 Bg3+ 31. Ke3 Rc8 32. Bf4 Bxf4+ 33. Kxf4 Rg8 34. Kf3 Kd6 35. Rd1 (35. Kf2 Kc5 36. Rd1 Kc4 37. Rd2 Rh8 38. Ke1 Rh5 39. Rf2 Re5+ 40. Kd2 Rg5 41. Nf3) 35... Bd7 36. Rd2 Re8 37. Re2 Rh8 38. Ke3 Rh5 39. Rf2 Re5+ 40. Kd2 Be6 41.
Nf3 Re4 42. Ng5 Re5 43. Nxf7+ Bxf7 44. Rxf7 Rg5 45. Rf4 Rxg2+ 46. Kc1 Rh2 47. Rxh4 b5

[fen]8/8/3k4/1p1p4/p6R/P1P4P/1P5r/2K5 w - b6 0 48[/fen]

{In the endgame it's not so important to count variations, it's more of see patterns and where the pieces should be.
Here the plan is quite straightforward, put the king on a2, the rook on h8 and the pawn at h7. The game is actually over, it's mate in +60 }
48. Kb1 Rh1+ 49. Ka2 Rh2 50. Rh6+ Kc7 51. h4 Rh1 52. h5 Kb7 53. Rh8 Kc6 54. h6 Rh2 55. h7

[fen]7R/7P/2k5/1p1p4/p7/P1P5/KP5r/8 w - - 0 55[/fen]

{Black have to keep his king on a7 or b7, and the rook on the h-file. So it's time to get me some pawns. And there nothing black can do abou it.}
55... Kb7 56. Kb1 Ka7 57. Kc1 Kb7 58. Kd1 Ka7 59. Ke1 Kb7 60. Kf1 Ka7 61. Kg1 Rh4 62. Kg2 Rh5 63. Kg3 Rh6 64. Kg4 Kb7 65. Kg5 Rh2 66. Kg6 Rg2+ 67. Kf5 Rh2 68. Ke5

[fen]7R/1k5P/8/1p1pK3/p7/P1P5/1P5r/8 w - - 0 68[/fen]

{Here gave black up} 68... Rh4 69. Kxd5 Rh5+ 70. Kd6 Rh1 71. Kc5 Rh5+ 72. Kb4 Ka7 73. Rc8 Rxh7 74. Ka5 Rh5 75. Rc7+ Ka8 (75... Kb8 76. Rc6 b4+ 77. Kxb4 Rh2 78. Ka5 (78. Kxa4?? Rxb2 {is a draw.}) 78... Rxb2 79. Rb6+ +-) 76. Kb6 Rh8 77. Rc6 Re8 78. Rc5 b4 79. axb4 and white wins 1-0

[fen]k3r3/8/1K6/2R5/pP6/2P5/1P6/8 w - - 0 79[/fen]

[Tony Hedlund]

My point is, are there any engines that can find the plan in the position after 47 moves?

[Harvey Williamson]

My point is, are there any engines that can find the plan in the position after 47 moves?

Hiarcs does pretty well here - it takes about 30 seconds to find 58.Kd1!

[Dark Horse]

and it finds 48.Kb1 in 11 on my Mac

[JEB_Tucson]

Seems DF 11 starts with your plan then strays to increase it's eval. Watching the single-PVs build up to depth 34, earlier lines did advance the White pawn to h7, but, due to score and the fact that it can't see 60+ moves, it strays and go with a better scoring line. Now, how this line would playout in 60+moves is unknown. I will look at a no split, DPA to see if it fairs any better.

Analysis by Deep Fritz 11:

48.Kb1 Rh1+ 49.Ka2 Rd1 50.Rh8 Rh1 51.h4 Ke5 52.Re8+ Kd6 53.Rb8 Rxh4 54.Rxb5 Rh7 55.Rb4 Ra7 56.Rg4 Kc5 57.Kb1 Kc6 58.Kc2 Kd6 59.Rf4 Kc5 60.Kd3 Rb7 61.Kc2
+/= (0.52) Depth: 34/50 00:31:16 4047mN, tb=1191629

(Tucson, Tucson, Arizona 18.03.2009)