Annotated chess game: Buried Treasure

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ANNOTATED GAME

Buried Treasure
thejoxter (1424) vs. mark1973 (1619)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo

(2332)
Chess opening: QGD Slav (D15), 4.Nc3

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23. Rxc1 Rd8

(?!) Better was to grab the a2-pawn (23...Bxa2) whilst the grabbing was good.

2 comments

24. Rd1

(?) 24.Nxe6 was indicated, if only to save the a-pawn. To very the good question 'What about 24.Nxe6 Qd1ch 25.Rxd1 Rxd1 and mates?', White has this answer: 25.Qe1! Qxe1ch 26.Rxe1 fxe6 27.b3. The slightly better pawn structure would then give White a marginal edge.

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24... Bxd4

Again, ...Bxa2 was indicated.

2 comments

25. Bxd4

If White were interested in forcing off the major pieces, he could have played 25.Rxd4. Not so good would have been 25.Qxd4 as after all the heavy pieces come off, White drops his a-pawn. Mind you, that would leave Black with a tough job extracting the win, with the bishops 'of opposite colours' - i.e. the respective bishops operating on opposite colour squares.

1 comment

25... Qc6 26. a3 Qc2 27. Qe1 Bb3

Turnus at the ships! Black throws in an attack and forces White onto the defensive. But there just isn't the weight to make it good.

1 comment

28. Rd2

Also likely was 28.Rc1, but this move is fine. In the next few moves Aeneas (White) steps out of his entrenchments and forces the annexation of a sizeable chunk of the centre. With just three pieces remaining, many commentators would call this an endgame. No: this is too 'middle-game-ish' to be called an endgame just yet.

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28... Qf5 29. h3

(?) If White thought weakening the K-side pawns was necessary, maybe 29.f3 would have been the better choice, to restrict the enemy bishop, and to give his own bishop more scope. White does indeed play f3 shortly after this, which further calls this move into question.

29... Ba4

At first sight, ...Bd5 suggests itself, but Black obviously wants the bishop firmly anchored at c6.

30. Qc1 Bc6 31. Qc3

White is not standing still to be hit: he takes a smack of his own at the g7-square. The battle is starting to get interesting, g2, and g7 being the primary targets of Black and White respectively.

31... Qg6

Defends g7 and attacks g2 - combining attack and defence.

32. f3

Cuts the Black bishop off from the attack. See how White has also combined attack and defence. From c3 the Queen supports the bishop's strike at g7, at the same time prevents the enemy bishop taking the pawn at f3.

1 comment

32... Qe6

Trying a different tack.

33. Rd3

I like this move. Defensively motivated (to protect e1) there is an aggressive point to the move as well.

1 comment

33... Bb5

Drives the Rook where White wants it to go. But had Black anything better at this point?

34. Re3 Qc4

Another Queen exchange offered by Black. White doesn't want to know. An alternative method of offering an exchange would have been 34...Rc8. If White had chosen to accept (35.Rxe6 Rxc3 36.Bxc3 fxe6) the bishop ending would most likely have been drawn.

35. Re4

(?) At last White makes a serious mistake that might well have cost him the game. The Rook protects the bishop, and the threat is 36.Bxg7, but Black has a strong response to this. Instead, White could simply have snatched the g7-pawn and made off with the booty: 35.Bxg7!

35... Qf1+

Probably Black had this in mind all along if White refused to exchange. But with 35...f5! Black would have won material (36.Rh4 g5! 37.Rxh6 Qxd4).

36. Kh2 Bc6

(?) Black would have maintained a level pegging by playing 37...Qd3 or ...Qc4, offereing Queen exchanges again. Now White gains the upper hand.

37. Re1

(?!) In this way White gains an edge. But he had two better winning alternatives. One is a quite a bit better; the other much, much better! The 'Quite a bit better' line runs 37.Bxg7!? Bxe4!? (A rook sac withal! But it gets better!) 38.Bxh6 ... and Black will have to shed cartloads of material to avert checkmate; or 37...Qd3! 38.Rg4 Qxc3 39.Bxc3ch Kf8 40.Bxg7ch and picks up a second pawn to improve his chances in the opposite-bishop ending. What about the 'Much, much better' line then? At once 37.Rg4! and Black is busted: 37.Rg4 g6 38.Bh8 Kf8 39.Qc5ch Ke8 [39...Kg8 40.Qe5 Kf8 41.Bg7ch Kg8 42.Bxh6 with a forced mate] 40.Bf6 Rd7 41.Qe5ch Kf8 42.Qb8ch etc.

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37... Qb5

(plus/equals)

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