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ANNOTATED GAME
Horatius at the Bridge: a R+P vs B+N game.
karelploeger (1997) vs. ionadowman (2034)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2334)
Chess opening: English opening (A20)
karelploeger (1997) vs. ionadowman (2034)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2334)
Chess opening: English opening (A20)
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35... Kc6 36. Kf2 |
Unpinning the knight. Now the King has to interrupt his march as the rook manouevres to keep White bottled up. | |||||||
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36... Ra3 |
A knight move to b2 was much less inconvenient to Black than the alternative, to c3. So the latter had to be stopped. | |||||||
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37. Ke1 |
If instead 37.Nb2, then 37...Ra2 38.Nd1 Rc2 39.Ke1 Kb6 40.Nf2 h5! very like the game continuation rather later on, but with the Black King still uncommitted on the Q-side. | |||||||
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37... Kb6 38. Kd2 |
The White King pokes his nose out to check the weather... | |||||||
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38... Ra2+ 39. Ke1 |
... Still raining... White has to protect his bishop. | |||||||
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39... Rc2 |
Deprives the White knight of both b2 and c3. | |||||||
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40. Nf2 |
(!) | |||||||
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40... h5 |
(!) Now is the time! White was threatening a mass jail break, thus: 40...Ka5? 41.Bxg4!! fxg4 42.Nxg4! Kb4 43.Ne5 and White's counterplay might well be good enough to save the game. | |||||||
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41. Kd1 |
Now the piece sac on g4 is much less likely to yield drawing chances... | |||||||
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41... Ra2 |
... And White remains just as imprisoned as ever, much like General Butler's army at Bermuda Hundred - in a "bottle strongly corked", or the army of Lars Porsena, surging back and forth on the brink of the Tiber. | |||||||
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42. Ke1 Ka5 43. Kf1 Kb4 |
As Black's King closes in, it looks all up for White, but now he turns at bay once more, and shows his teeth. | |||||||
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44. Nd3+ |
(!) Bold and beautiful - this represents White's best chance to free up his game! Was he just waiting, all this while, just to spring this surprise? But it came as no real surprise to Black, as something like this was always on the cards if White couldn't break out by other means. Nor are White's's chances as dismal as might first appear, as events were to show. | |||||||
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44... exd3 45. Bxd3 Rd2 |
Admittedly, this might have been too committal by Black. 45...Ra6, adopting a defensive stance until the situation could be stabilised (46.Bxf5 Kxc4), might have been a better policy. But the move retains the edge for Black all the same. | |||||||
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46. Bxf5 Kxc4 47. Bg6 b5 |
The bishop, free from constraint and running amok on the K-side is a cause for concern. But once Black's Q-side pawns get up some momentum, it must be all up for White, surely? | |||||||
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48. e4 Kd4 49. e5 Ke3 |
(!) Looks risky, but the threat of mate reins in White's e-pawn: If now 50.e6? Kf3 51.Ke1 Re2+ etc. The King dare not retreat to g1: 51.Kg1? Kxg3 52.Kf1 Kf3 53.Kg1?? Re1+ 54.Kh2 g3+ 55.Kh3 Rh1#. | |||||||
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50. Bxh5 |
(!) Nor did this interesting line help White: 50.e6 Kf3 51.Be4+(?!!) Kxe4! 52.e7 (how is the pawn to be stopped? Simple.) 52...Kf3 53.e8=Q Rd1+ 54.Qe1 Rxe1+ 55.Kxe1 Ke4 and wins. Black will shove his Q-side pawns as far forward as he can until the White King stops them, and then bring his own King across, confident that he can queen first and stop the White f-pawn betimes. | |||||||
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50... Kf3 |
The sheer low cunning of White's aggressive defence would have been seen had Black prematurely tried for promotion: [a] 50...c4? 51.e6 c3 (for 51...Kf3, see the [b] line) 52.e7 Rd1+ 53.Kg2 Rd2+ and a repetition; or [b] 50...b4? 51.e6 Kf3 52.Bxg4+ Kxg4 53.e7 Kf3 54.e8=Q Rd1+ 55.Qe1 Rxe1+ 56.Kxe1 Kg4 and it might well be White who has the winning chances! E.g. 57.Kd2 c4 58.Kc2 b3+ 59.Kc3 Kf4 60.h5! So close has White come to saving the game. | |||||||
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51. Ke1 Rd7 |
(!?) I admit to worrying about this move after I played it. It seemed counter-intuitive to induce the e-pawn forward in the circumstances. 51...Ra2 followed by ...Ra6 or ...Ra7 might have been better, but this move suffices, as it turns out. | |||||||
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52. e6 Rd3 |
Preventing 53.e7. The plan 52...Re7 53.Bf7 proved, on reflection, to be not so enticing. | |||||||
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53. f5 c4 |
Having waited patiently for so long to advance, The Q-side pawns resume their tentative steps towards their goal. White has just about exhausted his resources... | |||||||
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