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ANNOTATED GAME
Walking a tightrope
yatsyshin (2099) vs. nyctalop (2065)
Annotated by: nyctalop (2166)
Chess opening: Gruenfeld (D87), exchange, Seville variation
yatsyshin (2099) vs. nyctalop (2065)
Annotated by: nyctalop (2166)
Chess opening: Gruenfeld (D87), exchange, Seville variation
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44. Bd4 |
The drawback is that White can activate his Bishop. | ||||||||
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44... b3 |
Passed pawns must be pushed. I must act quick and generate enough threats before White weaves a matting net around my King. | ||||||||
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45. Ra8+ |
The forceful 45. h4, trying to squeeze the mate in, fails after 45...Rxd4! (eliminating White's best piece, which was both attacking and defending at the same time) 46. Nxd4 b2 47. Rb7 gxh4 and there are too many runaway pawns for White to catch. The move played gives White time to bring the King closer to the connected pawns on the Q-side. | ||||||||
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45... Kf7 46. Kd3 |
The Knight is threatened. Where do you think it should go? | ||||||||
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46... Na3 |
A good place where Knight is safe and is eyeing the queening square of the b-pawn. 46...Ne5+ forces White to draw after 47. Ke4 Rxd4+ 48. Kd4 b2 and White must draw with the Knight checks because Rb8 fails to Nc6+. It's very interesting that the Black King cannot come to d7 because after Rd8+, he's forced to take the forking c6 square and that gives White enough time to win the b-pawn and the game. 46...Nd6 fails to 47. Rh8 and White has enough time to capture the Bh6 and stop the pawns from advancing too far. | ||||||||
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47. Rb8 |
Put your Rook behind the most advanced pawn. That isn't an empty statement and it's the best way to play against connected pawns with a Rook. | ||||||||
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47... a4 |
What else? | ||||||||
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48. Ke4 |
The King comes into the fray. | ||||||||
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48... Rd7 |
The Rook must stay on the d-file. Trying to play 48...Rb5 is thwarted by 49. Rh8! and mate is looming. | ||||||||
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49. h4 |
The last try for a win. Trying to play slowly with something like 49. Bb2 can only lead to a disaster after 49...Nc4 50. Rh8 Nxb2 51. Rxh6 Rd6! 52. Nxg5+ Ke8 53. Ne6 Kd7 (53...Rxe6 only leads to a draw after 54. dxe6 Kf8 55. Rh8+ Kg7 56. Ra8 a3 57. Rxa3 Nc4 58. Ra8 b2 59. Rb8 b1Q 60. Rxb1 Nd2+ 61. Kf5 Nxb1 62. g5 Nc3 63. h4 Nb5 64. h5 and White holds his ground) 54. Rh8 Rxe6! (now this works) 55. fxe6+ Kxe6 56. Rh6+ Kf7 57. Rh7+ Kg6 58. Rxe7 a3 and the Black pawns triumph. | ||||||||
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49... Rxd4+ |
The only move. This was the main reason why the Rook had to stay on the d-file. 49...gxh4 loses to 50. Bh8! followed by g5 and White's attack is very strong even with the reduced material on the board. | ||||||||
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50. Kxd4 |
Taking with the Knight is worse because after 50...gxh4 51. Nxb3 h3! 52. Kf3 Nc2 53. g5! (worse is 53. Nc5 Ne1+ 54. Kg3 h2 55. Kxh2 Be5+ 56. Kh3 Bxb8 57. Nxa4 and it's a simple matter of technique to win this) Bxg5 54. Nc5 a3 ( 54...h2 is met by 55. Rh8, the point behind 53. g5!, the h-file is cleared with tempo) 55. Ra8 and the only one in danger of losing this is White. | ||||||||
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50... gxh4 |
Another passed pawn is born. | ||||||||
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51. g5 |
If that pawn ever gets to g6 with tempo, the Black King is doomed. | ||||||||
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51... Bg7+ |
Try to play tricky intermediate moves like 51...Nc2+ is not recommended. After 52. Ke4 Bg7 53. g6+ (remember what I said a move earlier?) Kf6 54. Nxg7 Kxg7 55. Re8! and White will deliver a Queen first, despite all the passed Black pawns. | ||||||||
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52. Kc5 |
The King has to come forward or else my King can escape and the pawns will win. For example after 52. Kd3 h3 53. Nd8+ Ke8 54. Ne6+ Kd7 55. Rd8+ Kc6 56. f6 ( trying to close the diagonal and catch the Q-side pawns with the King) exf6 57. Kc3 fxg5+! 58. Nxg7 Nb5+ 59. Kb2 Nd6 and there are too many pawns for White to keep tabs on all of them. | ||||||||
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52... h3 |
A slight inaccuracy that leaves me a bit worse but not without hope. 52...Nc2 was the better move, making room for the pawns to march in tandem. An interesting try is 53. g6+ Kf6 54. Nxg7 Kxg7 55. Re8! b2 56. Rxe7+ Kf6 (56...Kf8 loses outright to 57. f6 with mate to follow) 57. Rf7+ Ke5 58. Rb2 Nd4 59. Rxb2 Nxf5 60. Rf2 a3 61. Kb4 a2 61. Rxa2 Kf6 62. Ra6+ Kg7 63. Kc5 h3 and the pawnless ending is a dead draw. A very dangerous attempt is 53. Nd8+ Kg8 54. g6 Be5 55. Ra8 Kg7 56. Ne6+ Kh6 57. Rxa4 Kh5 58. g7 Bxg7 59. Nxg7+ Kg5 60. Ne6+ Kxf5 61. Nd4 Nxd4 62. Rxd4 with a draw also. The Rook can hold the pawns but it's not enough to capture them all. | ||||||||
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53. Nd8+ Kg8 |
The only move. Ke8 doesn't work now because there is no escape through d7 anymore. | ||||||||
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54. Ne6+ Kf7 55. Nd8+ |
Repeating the position, not a problem in CC, but in OTB it can have a psychological effect on your opponent, who might just crack under pressure and deviate with a worse move. | ||||||||
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55... Kg8 56. g6 |
Threatening mate with Ne6. | ||||||||
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