Annotated chess game

Seizes the open file, and drives Black back a little. In compensation for the d-pawn's isolation, White has the more active game, and has the initiative. Objectively, I reckon the game could probably be abandoned as a draw at this point. Of course, I didn't want a draw. But Black has to be patient, endure the cosh for the moment, and await his chance. The next move is practically forced.

do you mean offering up the d-pawn as bait to go for a mating attack? e.g 19...Rd8? 20. Re2! Rxd4 21.Re2e8+ Rd8xe8 22.Rxe8#

Good plan...

I don't really like this... In this position both White Rooks are OK, and the King is close to the action (while Black's is away). This should be emphasized. So I would immediately play 20.Kc2 here, and depending on Black's further play I would try to create advantage on the queenside. The point is that if you imagine that all Rooks are exchanged, the pawn ending will primarily depend on the location of Kings. Kingside counterplay is not possible right now (symmetry). Worst case scenario, this will be a draw. If Black tries 20...Rfd8; 21.Kc3, c5; 22.Red1 then White King will be the key factor in the endgame (at least in the short term). Edit: White even noted this in her comment on move 14: "With the queens off the board I think my king is better placed nearer the centre than on the kingside." -- She "recognizes" that the King is good close to the centre but does nothing to actually use this in the game.

I agree with marinvukusic. Another different possibility/plan more straightforward than 20. Re3 was 20. Rde2

It's that or 20...Rd8 21.Re4 Kf8 (or, again, a pawn move). White's latent back rank threats are preventing Black's winning the d-pawn.

Patience. This is indeed a passive position for the rook, but it's only temporary... It is something of a temporising move, at that. I haven't hit on a plan just yet - not easy, because my opponent is setting the pace, but I didn't want to compromise my Q-side structure until I was surer about what I wanted to do. I'm in no danger of losing (I thought), but nor is my opponent. I wanted that to change in my favour. The rook move at least creates no weaknesses.

Kf7 is a position shifting move that takes a lot of wind out of whites sails.

I wonder if the materialistic 22.....Rad8 had not been better

Now, this might seem inconsistent: why not ...Rh8!? The fact is, my king's presence on the K-side means that weaknesses created by pawn advances can be protected by the king. I was also beginning to entertain notions of some kind of attack on this side of the board.

I don't think the plan Joanne has in mind is as bad as she thinks... She could, I guess, have also played a temporising move like Re3, but the text move in no way compromises White's game.

When we compare this position to my comment at move 20, we can see that Black improved his King greatly. Suddenly White has to be careful. I think that Black King should be cut off from the centre/queenside at all time, so White has to play Re3 ASAP and then Kc3 to reinforce the d4 weakling. When Black plays c5 (if ever) White needs to play Red3 and exchange - with equality.

27. f3 was a weak move. 27. Re2...doubling the rooks on the open file was much stronger and could have prevented the trade of the rook. White needs both rooks on the board to maintain any slight advantage over Black. The forced trade was an excellent move on Black's part.

ionadowman is pretty close, but IMHO this line is the best continuation: 29.Re2, Re7; 30.Re7, Ke7; 31.Kd3!, Kd6; 32. Ke4 (on c4 the King is vulnerable and too far away from the kingside) with undisputed control of d5. If Black tries 32...c5? then simple 33.dc5, Kc5; 34.h4 and game over. If 29...Kf7 then 30.Kd3 is a draw.

**{01-Oct-07)**Three moves earlier, I had half-expected 26.Rf3 g5 27.g3 Kg6 28.gxf3 Rf8, opening up the game considerably. At this point in the game, I did expect 29.Re3ch, but I hadn't really made up my mind whether or not to invite exchanges. 29...Re7 30.Rxe7ch Kxe7 31.Kc3 Ke6 32.Kc4 Kd6 33.b4 and Black seems to have no breakthrough available. More than likely I would have kept the rooks on with 29...Kf7. **{03-Oct-07}** marinvukusic is quite right. After 29.Re2 Re7? 30.Rxe7 Kxe7 31.Kd3! Kd6! 32.Ke4 Black must play .32...Ke6, with the opposition. Even then, White's h2-h4 remains a dangerous latent threat. So my reluctance to exchange rooks seems justified.

I still think this is probably OK. Another idea, though, is 30.Kd3, which is what I had anticipated. Black's tenure of the e-file is highly conditional, and 30.Kd3 threatens at once 31.Re2. I might have responded something like 30...Kd7 31.Re2 Rxe2 32.Kxe2 Kd6 33.Kd3 a5 ...

at this point i think kd3 followed by re2 is better

What about 30. d5 cxd5 31. Rxd5 Re2 32. Rd2 with a position close to a draw

The alternate capture 33.Rxd5 was worth a look. 33...Re2 34.Rd7ch Kg6 35.Rxb7 Rxg2 36.Rxa7 Rxb2 (or variations thereof). Either way, it's game on.

Good pawn trade by White. The King is in the center. That's where it should stay. White still has a reasonable chance at a draw...at this point.

white still had good drawing chances if the king stays centered. i don't think a4 helped white.

During the game I was hoping White would play 34.b3, and started to feel maybe things were shifting my way, after that. But the alternative is 34.Rd4, which at first sight might not seem much of an improvement: 34.Rd4 Ra2 35.Rb4 b6 36 Kc6 a5 37 Rb5 Rxa4 38.Kxb6 Ra2 39.Rxa4 Ra2 40.Rxa5 Rxb2ch followed by ...Rxg2 etc: or at move 37.Rxb6 Rxa4 38.Kb5 Ra2 39.Ra6 Rxb2ch 40.Kxa5 Ra2ch (or ...Rxg2) 41.Kb5 Rxa6 42.Kxa6 Ke6 with a winning pawn ending for Black.... But White doesn't have to be so complaisant. After 35...b6, 36.Ke5 leaves Black having to rethink...

This game shows how mastering the endgame is important. Black simply out played White in the endgame. The ultimate losing move was 38. g4. Instead White should have exchanged the pawn, isolating Black's pawns. The exchange would have allowed a possible draw. In fact after 38. gxf4 gxf4, there is a line of probable draw--although White must be very careful and must know exactly what she is doing.

I think the position at White's 37th move needs a closer look. During the game I was not at all sorry to see 37.g3 played, expecting 37...Rxh2 38.gxf4 gxf4 then to guide home the h-pawn (but see below). ***But how about carrying through White's plan at once 37.Kc7!? (37...Rxg2 38.Kxb7 Rxh2 39.Kxa7). Black has a range of ideas to choose from (39...h5; 39...g4; 39...Re2 40...Re3; 39...Ra2; 39...Rb2 or even 39...Rh3. A couple of sample lines: [A] 39...Rh3 40.b4 g4 41.Rd8 gxf3 (...g3!?) 42.Rd2 Ke5 and maybe Black still has an edge; or [B] 39...h5 (looks slow, but ought to be considered) 40.b4 g4 41.Rd1!? g3 and suddenly Black is looking pretty good! During the game, I really did think 37.Kc7 represented White's best chance (I had intended 39...Rh3 as a neat looking reply, but it seems now that the simple and deceptively slow-looking 37...h5 was the caper!*** I agree with lighttotheright in his assessment of 38.g4? as being inferior to 38.gxf4. Whether or not White could have drawn, the latter option would have improved her chances. The game might have continued: 38.gxf4 gxf4 39.Kc7 (pursuing the attack) Re2 40.Rd4!? Kg5 41.Kxb7 Re3 42.Kxa7 Rxb3 (at least temporarily locking the WK in front of his own RP) 43.a5 Rxf3 etc. Black has an advantage, but there's still play in the position.*** I tend to think that White played the ending sufficiently well until quite late at least to preserve real drawing chances. However, once my rook gained access to the 2nd (7th) rank, the game had reached the dynamic imbalance I was looking for. This seems to point up 34.b3 as the likely cause of White's defeat. A move later, White could have tried 35.Kc4 Rc1ch 36.Kb4 h5 37.Rd7 Rc2 38.Rxb7 Rxg2 39.Rxa7 But after 39...g4! 40.Ra6ch!? Kg5 41.Ra5ch Kh4 42.Fxg4 hxg4 43.Rf5 f3 and Black seems to be well on the way to the win.