Kind of forced, since e4 would be disastrous for white.

come on black you can do it!

White's plan came out to have been too time-requiring, anyway, and black did have some countergame in spite of all the "waiting moves". It looks like white somehow missed the right attacking path.

And, longterm positionally, white gets rid of his worst piece. The LSB wants to target the pawn on c6 eventually.

?? That knight on e5 was not harming anyone. Instead with Bxe5 white gives up most of the center!! I could easily draw this after 25...Rxe5! Best was 25. Nb3! following the plan.

I just see the W's dsb as his BEST piece, and a pity to exchange it, but I can see the power of e4 by black (exd4? Nc5+).

But here the threat of Na5 finally becomes possible. And this also prevents d4.

Yes 26...re7 is sadly most likely the final nail in the coffin. The drawing line is 26...Ra7 27. Nd4 g6

Why going back? g5!, heading for g4. The Ra8 can move: white will win a3 at the cost of an exchange, and after Ra-e8 black is solid. If the WN reaches a5, Ba8! closes in the B forever, but makes of white's conquer of the Qside a costly enterprise.

Yes, indeed. The plan had always been to go to Na5, which is why the rook moved earlier, but then I decided d6 was a nicer square. I missed Black's g6 defense which keeps the knight out, and the knight can go back to a5, but is a move late to be as effective.

Not only does it keep the knight out it also entombs the LSB on d3!

Maybe a good moment to play Kd2, preparing the defence of the e column. Anyway, Na5 would have been the move, since black would have lost a6 after the exchange, with a lethal break in. Black just can't prevent it... unless for Ba8 - the reason for the Re7 movement was a loss of tempo - which is impossible now.

omg on the edge of my seat here. I am not surprized that black missed 27...g6 though.

Overlooking the WN's march to come. A pity: black was putting up a strong resistance (when attacked on a flank, counterattack in the center: this is a very useful principle!), but didn't dare to go on with it, and missed the chance. Now it will be all downside...

true but ...re6 is better positional chess.

No hope for black to double his R anymore...

White can throw in Bf5, but it doesn't do much anyway (Nf6).

Yes, the black knight ends up on a worse square, trying to evict the white knight. I saw no reason to break the pressure until forced.

what about 30. e4!!

Black needs Ra7 urgently, but he will still be unable to put a R on e8...

Black minimyzed the loss, and has still a playable game, after all!

Knowing he can't really take, I take advantage to play this before Nf6, getting rid of my weakness of the backward e3 pawn, and making it a potential passed pawn. The downside is I give Black a passed d-pawn, but I didn't think that was threatening, because he is in no position to advance it.