hikaru vs Tunartank

White chose 52.e5, pushing the e‑pawn one square forward. The move does not capture the hanging black pawn on g5, nor does it create any immediate threats. After the push the e‑pawn sits on e5, completely undefended, while the square e4 becomes empty. Black still has a pawn on g5 and a knight on a7, and White's king remains on f6. The only concrete change is that White now has an isolated pawn on e5 that does not influence the position.

The engine recommends 52.Kxg5. By playing Kxg5 White immediately wins a pawn, eliminates Black's only active pawn, and activates the king in a pawn‑ending. After the capture the white king stands on g5, eyeing the h7 pawn and supporting the passed g‑ and h‑pawns. Material advantage rises from equality to +1, and Black’s only remaining pieces (king c7 and knight a7) are far from the action. In contrast, 52.e5 wastes a tempo, leaves the g5 pawn untouched, and creates an undefended pawn that Black could later target. The engine’s line also preserves the bishop on e8’s diagonal and keeps White’s king centrally placed, whereas the pawn push does nothing to improve piece coordination.

Capture hanging material and activate your king in pawn endings: When the opponent leaves a pawn unprotected, the highest‑scoring move is often a direct capture. Winning material and improving king activity outweigh speculative pawn pushes.