Annotated chess game

No real risk is involved with this move, but at a more crucial moment, he might have got in the way of the bishop. I think I would have chosen ...Rf7 or ...Bf8, not that it matters a whole lot..

All of which might have indicated that Black had a real chance to grab the initiative hereabouts. But it's safety first for Black, and rightly.

Possibly White was hoping to be allowed to exchange on g5, with this interesting possibility: (supposing it were White to play in the diagram position) 51.hxg5 fxg5 52.Bxe5!? dxe5 53.Re6 with potentially a formidable pawn phalanx to combat Black's extra bishop. I haven't looked into the soundness if this idea, but it certainly would have upped the ante!

The entrenchments about g5 are as impenetrable as ever; White's ingress is still confined to two narrow paths (c- and h- files), with no good means of widening them.

With 2 rooks, White can threaten along two separate lines. That just isn't possible with a single rook - not in this type of game.

What a chore, eh?   Possibly White was hoping Black would go after the g-pawn by 56...h5? 57.Rxc7 Rxg4+ 58.Kf3 Rxc7 59.Rxc7, but then how is Black to save the Q-side pawns?

PC analysis gives this as a mistake... but who cares?

It does seem to be a mistake, because after 58... fxg5 Black's passed pawn duo might create winning chances!

seems to be the only way to open up the position @ nuntar; I see your point, and with that logic I would have played fxe5... but I wonder how the h-pawn could be used after Rh2...

An attempt to dynamite the bastion at g5 that in my view offers more chances for Black than for White. Jo might well have fancied the idea of going for the win, here, but stuck to her game plan. Having the 'bird in the hand', she was going to keep it!

And one can hardly blame her for keeping the 'bird in the hand' after watching the bird fly away 50 previous times.

not to mention you have a passer on the h-file - maybe that could be of use later on?

White would have no support for his passer, since his e-pawns are blockaded. 58... fxg5 is much better.

The pawn capture does look attractive, and apparently the f-pawn can be blockaded easily enough by ...Kg8 and ...Bf6. But how about 58...fxg5 59.Rh2 Bf6 60.Rh6 and then he brings the other rook around to h2. Black's h-pawn is left weak, and there's interesting possibilities along the 6th rank. On second thoughts, Jo appears to have made the right decision.

The ideal attack for white seems to be to double rooks on h, one of them in h6, and the bishop on h4. This will require the collaboration of the queenside rook to defend properly (two threats on f6, two on h7. Black can defend without using the other rook, but the g7 rook would have to leave the g column, and maybe this could be good for white). But it takes tempoes, and so black has its own to bring in the a7 rook. Just be careful because, being in the 7º rank, black's rook can have some troubles to go to the kingside. I, as black, would be more confortable with the a7 rook on d7.

...so, white could plan to get to the same position but with the h1 rook on h5...

Let's try it: 65.Be1 Kg8 66.R1h5 Ra8 67.Bh5 and if Black didn't have ...Rf8 available, 67...Rf7 seems to contain both threats.

After 67...c5 68.dxc5 seems to offer White just the kind of imbalance to the game he has been striving for. But I do think 67...Ra5 might have been worth a look, immobilising the a-pawn, and threatening to win it by 68...b5. If, now 68.Be1 b5 69.Bxb4 Rxa4 with a position that seems to promise much for Black. However, after 70.Rxa4 bxa4 71.Rh1, Black can not hold the a-pawn. If Black were then to resume hedgehog mode: 71...Bd8 72.Ra1 Rd7, say, then after 73.Rxa4, White might be able to bring his K right around to c6, with B on a5 and R on a7 ready to storm the d7-square. Could Black effect anything on the other flank in the meantime? Possibly, but White will have obtained some very welcome counterplay! The move played looks a little odd, but it certainly doesn't give much away.

Hmm, if Be1 then what about b2 attacking the rook on a1? The best white could do would be to allow a trade off of b pawn for a pawn by playing Rb1 and Freddy would end up two clear pawns to the bad and my rook would be controlling the a column. BxR allows PxR/Q and then the h1 rook must remove Glenda. In the meantime I will play PxB ending a piece up. Hope this makes sense.

Well... with Be1 the rook has to go back, or... Rc5, Bb4, Rc2, followed by Rg-g2... could it work? Reply to jstevens: It makes sense, of course! Thank you, I didn't realize it! As I said, I'm still very amateur...  )

a rook on the seventh rank is scary, but the rook's only target is defended well enough

Yes, that empty pocket on Black's Q-side can become filled with rook, but White needs one of the other pieces to effect anything useful. Neither King nor bishop has the slightest chance of breaking into Black's position, even if Black maintains only a casual degree of alertness. Black's position amounts to a 'fortress'.