Annotated chess game: Somewhere behind the horizon

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ANNOTATED GAME

Somewhere behind the horizon
N.N. vs. klausjunge
Annotated by: klausjunge (2188)
Chess opening: Caro-Kann (B12), advance, Short variation

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This correspondence game was decided by one of my hardest won endgames ever, so I focus on this endgame.

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5

The Short variation of the Caro-Kann Defence. Blacks position is usually cramped but it has absolutely no weaknesses if you treat it right.

6. Be3 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ne7 8. c4 Nbc6 9. Qa4 a6

This is the state-of-the-art treatment of this branch. The great protagonist of this variation, Anatoly Karpov, lost a theoretically important game versus Boris Gelfand in their 1995 FIDE World Chess Championchip Candidates Match after 9. … dxc4 and gave up the Caro-Kann for the rest of this match. But since then the black knights strengthened their stonghold. :-)

10. Na3

A rare move also prefered by engines. 10. Nc3 ... is more common.

10... Qa5+ 11. Qxa5 Nxa5 12. O-O dxc4 13. Nxc4 Nxc4 14. Bxc4 Be4 15. Rac1 Bd5 16. Bg5

I hadn't seen this move before, but in my opinion it's a strong move because black has to work hard to develop and even to castle. 16. ... Nc6? 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 ...

16... Rc8 17. Bxd5 Rxc1 18. Bxb7

Engines also consider my opponents choice to exchange his rook for a bishop and two pawns obviously aiming to push forward the passed pawns while most human players might have prefered 18. Txc1 ...

18... Rxf1+ 19. Kxf1 Kd7

Maybe better 19. ... h6. But I thought that opening the 8th rank for the rook would accelerate the rooks development.

20. Bxa6 Nd5 21. Bb5+ Kc7 22. a4 Be7

Offering the bishops exchange aiming on releasing white's pressure.

23. Bc1 Kb6

The black king is infighting trying to stop the passed pawns.

24. b3 Nc3

Aiming on exchanging the bishop b5 to destroy white's strong bishop pair.

25. Bc4 Rd8 26. a5+ Kb7 27. Bd2 Ne4 28. a6+ Kb6 29. Be3 Bc5 30. a7 Kb7

Of course not 30. ... Kxa7 because of 31. Sc6 ... +. Black has solved all problems. There is no danger that the passed pawn could be promoted.

31. Nb5

That defends the passed pawn. -White must have planned this move when he moved 28. a6+ ... .

31... Bxe3

But destroying my opponents strong bishop pair improved my prospects.

32. fxe3 Nd2+ 33. Ke2 Nxc4 34. bxc4 Ka8 35. g3

So what to do for black to counter white's initative? The only chance I saw was to push forward my kings flank pawns.

35... h5 36. e4 g5 37. h3 Rd7

A kind of wait-and-see-move. I didn't like 37. ... h4 because I thought this would give white the opportunity to block the kings flank.

38. h4

I thought that 38. ... gxh4 39. gxh4 Rd8 would have been too slow and I didn't see how to advance at the kings flank. So I decided to push the g-pawn forward and to try to break through with the rook on the d-file.

38... g4 39. Ke3 Rd1 40. Kf4 Rd3

40. ... Rc1 is met by 41. Kg5 ... So Black has no time to lose.

41. c5

Obviously dreaming of promoting one of the passed pawns. But black's king and rook are strong enough to defend this threat. In the end this attempt loses a pawn for white.

41... Rb3 42. Nd6 Kxa7

White has lost a pawn. Black's pawn f7 is defended tactically.

43. Kg5 Rxg3 44. Kxh5 Rg1 45. Kg5 g3 46. Kg4 g2

There is no real chance for black to promote his passed pawn. So this manoeuvre is just an attempt looking if black treats this episode fine.

47. Kh3 Kb8 48. Kh2 Rh1+ 49. Kxg2 Rxh4 50. Kf2

So what has black to do next? Attacking white's pawn c5!

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