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21. Rfc1
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Rather optimistically hoping to find a way of bludgeoning a way throgh this c-file... |
 
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21... Bh6
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Striking at the f-pawn, and just about forcing White's reply. Possibly Black hoped to achieve something of interest on the weakened light squares around White's King, maybe it was merely to render White's K-side pawns a little less mobile. |
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22. g3 Qb7
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So there's nothing doing on the K-side. After 22...Qf5 23.Kg2 with 24.h3 to come, or 22...Qh3 23.Kh1 also in preparation for a pawn advance once the Queen had been driven off. |
2 comments
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23. Qc4
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The backward b-pawn had now 3 Black pieces attacking it, and just the two defenders. This Q-manoeuvre would have been better played a move earlier, as Black could now, it seems, have got away with snatching the b-pawn: 23...Nxb4! 24.Rab1 Nd5 25.Rxb5 Qxb5 26.Qxb5 cxb5 27.Rc8+ Kg7 28.Rb8 and White can't quite recover the pawn. Instead of this move 23.Rcb1 might have been tried, but I didn't have much confidence in it: 23...c5! |
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23... Bf8
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A surprising decision, possibly intended to bolster the centre, or maybe looking towards eliminating the b-pawn in circumstances more favorable to Black. But with the release of the pin at f4, I started to get interested in the likely consequences of the pawn's advance to f5... After 23...Nxb4 White would probably have been ready to settle for a draw. |
1 comment
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24. f5
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(!) Entertaining notions of attack on the other wing. As earlier foreshadowed, for much of the remainder of the game - until the ending was reached - I kept looking for attack on one wing, being stymied, and switching my attention to the other. It is possible that Black felt like a tennis player being given the runaround, but a lot of it was pretty 'ad hoc' on my part, probing for a weakness. |
1 comment
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24... gxf5 25. exd6
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Played to isolate the f-pawn. Less attractive was 25.Qd3 e6. |
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25... exd6 26. Rce1
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Also playable here was 26.Qd3, a move that certainly formed part of my plan. But I was entertaining hopes of penetrating to the 8th rank, here. |
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26... Ra8 27. Qd3
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Kissing goodbye to the b-pawn. To compensate myself with the f-pawn, I had to give up Bishop for Knight, but you know what thay say about omelettes. Black's Kingside looked just a little vulnerable to attack right about now. |
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27... Nxb4
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Alternatively Black could have retained hold over the f5-Pawn by 27...Qd7 |
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28. Bxb4 Rxb4 29. Qxf5
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Threatening 29.Ng5 or 29.Qg5ch. |
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29... h6
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If instead 29...Rb5 then 30.Qg4ch Kh8 31.a6! Rxa6 32.Rxa6 Qxa6 33.Re8 with a strong attack. |
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30. Re4
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Hoping to switch to the g-file. At this point I felt that White's advantage had largely gone, and so was trying to mix things up a bit. White seems to have the initiative, for the moment. |
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30... Bg7 31. Rae1
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That poor little a-pawn looks all lonely away over on the abandoned Q-side. The purpose of this move was more to cover the White King from checks from a rook landing at b1, but the doubling of rooks had its uses, too. |
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31... Rb1
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(!) Putting a crimp in White's attack. Off come a pair of rooks. But White uses the moment to switch back to Q-side. For the moment there's nothing doing on the King's flank. |
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32. Re4e8+
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(!) |
1 comment
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32... Rxe8 33. Rxb1 Qa8
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(!?) Why here? With 33...Qa7, Black would have prevented White's next, whilst still attacking a5. But then would have come 34.Rb6 d5 35.Rxc6 Qxa5 36.Kg2!? Rd8 37.Qg4 Qa2+ (say) 38.Kh3 Kf8 39.Nh4! Qd2 40.Nf5 Qg5 41.Qxg5 hxg5 42.Kg4 with a pretty good game for White. |
1 comment
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34. Qd7
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Indirectly defending the a-pawn and attacking Black's hanging pawn couple. |
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34... c5
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(!?) There seems to be no real objection to 34...Rd8 ((35.Qc7 Rc8) instead. Maybe Black was looking to complicate, seeking out winning chances of his own. |
1 comment
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35. Rb7 Rf8 36. Qb5
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White looks for all the world to have been entirely committed to the Q-side all along. With the advanced outside passed pawn and the rook on the seventh, White looks very well placed, but Black's pawn couple has something to say to the matter, and although very defensively placed, Black isn't leaving many weaknesses to exploit. |
1 comment
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