Annotated chess game

Nice diagonal but I am fearing I will never get to take advantage of it.

I'm not surprised that the machine prefers something else. This must lose the piece.

Think of it as if you could take Kings - then the first King lost loses. So after 39.Rfg5 Rxb2ch and 40.Kxb2 still walks into a check even though the checking piece is pinned. So it is illegal. But Black probably might as well take on b2 anyhow...

Yes hope springs eternal with my Bishop still bearing down on B2.

Black is totally lost, as the bishop will die.

Instead of this, 40...Rb7? 41.h6 wins the bishop.

I was thinking R v R+Pawns are very tricky endings and although 2 pawns down I thought a draw still vaguely possible.

I reckon this was Black's best chance, slender though it was.

After this move, I think I might have tried 44...Ra3, with the idea of getting it behind the g-pawn. If 45.Re3, then 45...Ra1. The worry is, though that by placing the rook on the e-file, White cuts the Black King off from the Q-side. For that reason, Black's King move is intelligible.

At some point early in this sequence. move 47 for instance, Black ought I think to have played ...Ra1, threatening to bring the rook behind the c-pawn. If the WK tries to clear his rear, than comes...Ra5 to halt the pawn's advance. The Lucena position is not possible with the rook on the third rank, so White would probably have to sacrifice the g-pawn to make it good. And there you have the germ of White's plan. He'll try and create a situation whereby, by sacrificing one pawn, he will obtain a winning R and P vs R endgame. The situation is very favourable for him with the g-pawn to be sacrificed.

Sinking fast now!

The rook is just too unfavourably placed. From behind the passed pawn - c1 - Black could at least resist.

Probably Black should play 52...Rb1 right now and see what White remembers of the 'bridge' technique. The game would probably have gone something like this: 52...Rb1 53.Kc7 Rc1 54.c6 Rc2 55.Kd7 Rd2ch 56.Kc8 Rc2 57.c7 Rd2 58.Re5! (either of Re6 and Re7 would also win, but this is best) 58...Kxg3 59.Kb7 Rb2ch 60.Kc6 Rc2ch 61.Rc5 ... "The Bridge": the c-pawn marches safely to promotion, and White wins. ++++ Playing through the game to the end, I noticed that White effected the cover by a timely Rd3. Looking back through the line I've given, it would have been equally effective at any point from move 53 through to move 58. But do remember the Re5 technique, which is intended to cover the King and advanced pawn both, not just the King.

Sunk now!

Black's whole defence has not been helped by the WR and g-pawn constellation, which can not be broken by the Black King except by going around the back via h3...g2 etc.

Good game thanks Todd. I'm climbing fast though now 1640 and 50 games on the go. Down material in 8 and up material in 15 so hopefully will hit 1700 sooner rather than later.

Excellent game, entertaining and engaging. Black was right to go in for a Rook versus Rook and 2 endgame, but it turned out his pieces - especially his king - were too unfavourably placed to offer effective resistance. It has to be borne in mind, though, that in most rook endings, the rook belongs behind the passed pawn, whether friendly or enemy.