Annotated chess game

I like 32... d3 here; the pawn is a price worth paying to simplify the position. White must exchange queens, since all other lines lose material in view of the bank rank threat, e.g. 33. Qe3 dxc2 and 34. Qxc3 is not possible.

Interesting idea by nuntar (I glanced at 32...d3, too). The basic idea is 32...d3 33.Rxc3 Rxe4 34.Rcxd3 Rxa4 and a straightforward win now that the Queens have gone. The beauty of the idea lies in the fact that the pawn is itself taboo: 33.Qxd3 Qxd3; and 33.Rxd3 Rb1+!

Yes, thanks for reminding us.

Incidentally, good as 33...Bf5 is, even better was the double attack by 33...d3! For example: 33...d3! 34.Rc4 Rxc4 35.Qxc4 Qxc4 35.Rxc4 d2! and the pawn can't be stopped.

There's no need to constantly remind us!!! We know Black goes on to lose. Since it has no link to the piece win mentioned here, it can be omitted  .

Better is 36... Rc8 to seize both open files. If 37. Ra2 then the a-pawn will soon fall anyway, and of course White cannot exchange rooks.

36...Ra8 rooks belong behind passed pawns! 37. any Ra1 or Take The Rook 38. any a4 or TTR 39. any a3 or TTR 40. any a2 or TTR 41. any Rb1 or TTR 42. any a1=Q or TTR & wins.

The suspense seems to be getting to some spectators...   By the way, after White's next move (37.Rc7) I would have played 37...d3 38.Rd7 Rd4, winning at once.

Instead of 38..Nb6, good was 38...d3! 39.Rxd5 Rd4! with an easy win.

Ambitious! You mean the a-pawn, then? But 40...d3 was still good.

Contrary to habit, we have to assume "worst play" for Black!

The way things are shaping, that 'luft' for the Black King is becoming worryingly like a good idea...

Woah, woah, woah, your question marks are making my computer screen go bonkers!

Better might be 42...Rf7 then 43...Ra7 queening the pawn or winning the rook.

Well, *anything* (apart from the other disasters 42... Nd6 or 42... Na7) is better than this. But yes, ruachessnut's line looks like the fastest win in the position to me too.

My question is: what did you have against the d-pawn? There he was, poor thing, bouncing up and down at his desk at the front of the class, hand stretched ceilingward as high as it could go, yelling "Me, me, me!" and he just got flatly ignored. Awww.   After 42...d3 it was unstoppable: [A] 43.Kf3 Rd4; [B] 43.Kf1 Rc1+ 44.Kg2 d2; [C] 44.Ra5 d2 45.Rd5 Rd4.

Well, what can I say? Congratulations for having the courage to publish this annotation. You have my sympathy. Oh, and congratulations for almost winning too.

" The saddest words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ' It might have been. ' The sweetest words I know by heck are simply these, ' Enclosed find CHECK.'

Ordinarily I probably wouldn't have seen this out to the finish, but its entertainment value was worth the price of admission.   Oh, by the way - you might want to shorten that string of question marks earlier...

This shows the value of not resigning as soon as you go material down! Many a slip etc... don't worry: you join good company in making this blunder. Most of us have whole books full of them!