|
« TAP TO LOG IN
|
ANNOTATED GAME
To Hide A King: Complications in the Reti
bwaa (1724) vs. acrai (1726)
Annotated by: bwaa
(1886)
Chess opening: Reti opening (A09)
bwaa (1724) vs. acrai (1726)
Annotated by: bwaa
(1886)
Chess opening: Reti opening (A09)
 Interactive |
• |  Show all comments |
• | All annotated games | • | View chessboard as: |
| |||||
|
24... Qd8 25. Qxd5 g2+ |
??! The intention here is plain: Black's Rook has precious few places to go where it will be of use, since the Bf4 is hanging and if it falls, so does the pawn chain. So Black sacrifices one of his passers to draw the WK into the open and give the Rook someplace to go with tempo. | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
|
26. Kxg2 Re2+ 27. Kh1 |
Certainly not inviting a trade with 27.Rf2 or marching into the open with 27.Kf3, as straying from h1 too far would tie the White Rooks down to defense. As the endgame approaches, White cannot afford to have passive pieces--the Ra1 is problematic enough! | ||||
| | |||||
|
27... Qxh8 |
This is a nice tactical maneuver--it seems as though Black has kept a Knight and Bishop for the Rook, since 28.Rxf4?? Qxa1+ gives Black an easy forced mate. White must continue to play carefully, but despite all the Black pieces on the kingside and no White pawns to deflect them, there's still no obvious way for Black to force his way in! | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
|
28. Rad1 |
But the right move for White is easy to find. This Rook was the problem, and was also his least active piece, languishing in the corner all game. Now Black has no satisfactory way to defend both the Knight and the Bishop, and must lose one. | ||||
| | |||||
|
28... Qe8 |
This is the best play, I think. Black defends the Knight and looks threateningly at e1, which might tempt White to play 29.Qxd7? Qxd7 30.Rxd7 Kxd7 31.Rxf5 where material is even but Black effectively has an extra piece, since White's King is utterly trapped. Instead, 29.Rxf4 Re1+ 30.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 31.Kxh2 is perfectly safe for White, and he should win with a Rook and pawn against a Knight. | ||||
| | |||||
|
29. Rxf4 Re5 |
! Black finds a nice alternative to 29...Re1+. This wins him back a pawn, narrowing the gap between the two armies, although White's twin Rooks should still prove decisive. | ||||
| | |||||
|
30. Qf3 |
There were many places for the Queen to go, but this seems like the best. After 30...Rxc5 (not 30...Nxc5?? 31.Rf8 winning the BQ) 31.Kxh2 Rc2+ 32.Kg3 Rxa2 Black must be very careful not to get trapped by the heavy White pieces. For example, 33.Rc4+ lays a nasty trap; if Black tries to stay out of the center with 33...Kb8? 34.Rxd7! picks up the Knight for free (if 34...Qxd7?? 35.Qf8+! and mate in one). | ||||
| | |||||
|
30... Rxc5 31. Kxh2 Rh5+ |
Planning 32...Qg6+ to avoid the Rf8 threat and hopefully keep White in check as long as possible. | ||||
| 2 comments | |||||
|
32. Kg2 Qg6+ 33. Rg4 Qc2+ 34. Kg3 |
?? Oh, White makes a horrible mistake that brings a disappointing end to this exciting game. Correct was 34.Kg1, where Black no longer has any checking threats (34...Qh2+ 35.Kf1 seems a bit fruitless, though Black can force a Queen trade if he likes (not that he should)) and now it's White's turn to bring on the hurt. Note that the immediate 34.Kf1?? loses a Rook to 34...Rf5! 35.Rf4 Rxf4! 36.Qxf4 Qxd1+. | ||||
| | |||||
|
34... Qh2# |
That's all she wrote! I hope this game proved entertaining and/or instructional to at least a few of you. Many thanks to acrai for the exciting game! Comments on the analysis or the game itself are always welcome. Thanks for reading! | ||||
| 5 comments | |||||
| |||||