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16. Kh1 Be7
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[??] A terrible move, as the GK engine observes. Up until now, White has been fighting hard to make good on her gambited material, but after this slip by Black, she has a big edge. Instead, 16...d6 17.Bg6ch Kd8 18.Rb3 Qc1! would have forced the Queens off, reducing thereby White's attacking resources. |
 
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17. Bg6+
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[!?] Fine, but White had as good an alternative in 17.Qxg4! Considering the complexities of this game, it is surprising how often there is more than one good move available in a given position. That sort of thing can actually make the attacker's task much harder. It's none too comfortable for the defender, neither! |
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17... Kd8 18. Rf7
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Now was a good moment to mobilize her last reserve, the b1-rook, who is feeling a little left out of the fun right now. After 18.Rb3! the Black Queen would have been trapped! The game might then have continued 18.Rb3! Qxb3 19.axb3 d6! -(not 19...Bxf6?? 20.Bxf6 with a 2-bishop mate!)- 20.Rxd6ch cxd6 21.Bxh8 ... Although material would then be roughly level (Q for R and N), White's superior mobility - Black Q-side as yet unmoved - would probably have been decisive. |
1 comment
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18... Rg8
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At last getting out from under the attack from the bishop at e5. The game is still +/- at this point. |
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19. Qf1
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'Hoping' for 19...Rxg6 20.Rf8ch Bxf8 21.Qxf8#. That's too simple a threat for Black to overlook, of course. But see how White exploits that threat to improve her attacking resources and gain time. |
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19... d6
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[??] In avoiding the Scylla of ...Rxg6?? Black, in his hurry to undertake the long postponed mobilization of his right wing, falls into the clutches of the text move Charybdis. However, the situation is already pretty dire, as after 19...Nc6 20.Bf6 d5 21.Rb3 (or 21.Re1) looks horrible for Black, e.g.: 21.Rb3 Qe6 22.Bxe7ch Nxe7 23.Rf8ch Rxf8 - White's close assault is incurring heavy casualties, but it's in a good cause - 24.Qxf8ch Kd7 25.Be8ch Kd6 26.Qf4ch Qe5 27.Qxe5#. |
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20. Re1
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[?!] Laudably introducing her last reserves. However, with two pieces 'en prise', White could have thrown in a third, with decisive results: 20.Rxe7!! and now [a] 20...Kxe7 21.Qf7ch! Kd8 22.Bf6ch and mate next. That is easy to see, but what if... [b] 20...Bd7, then? Answer: 21.Bf6! ... -(a battery unmasked whilst setting up another!) 21... Qxe7 -(there is no way to save the king and Queen both!) 22.Bxe7ch Kxe7 23.Qf7ch etc. |
1 comment
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20... Qxe1
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This is of course what White had in mind with her previous move. Black had no sensible alternative: 20...Qc3 21.Rxe7. This rook move becomes something of a key motif of the play hereabouts! |
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21. Qxe1 dxe5
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At this point, Black might well have been thinking that he had reasonable drawing chances, as, to balance his underused Q-side, White is running out of troops. However... |
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22. Qxe5
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[?] The obvious move, but suddenly Black can seriously entertain hopes of a draw. Yet a more tactically minded player of the White pieces would certainly have seen at once the possibility of, and given serious consideration to, 22.Rxe7. I did say it was something of central motif of the game hereabouts, didn't I? After 22.Rxe7!! we have [a] 22...Kxe7 23.Qxe5ch Be6 24.Bf5 ... winning a piece at least; [b] 22...Rxg6 23.Qxe5 Bd7 24.Rh7. |
2 comments
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22... Nc6 23. Qd5+ Bd6
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[!] Not 23...Bd7? 24.Bf5!, or (worse) 23....Ke8?? 24.Rf8ch!! Kxf8 25.Qf7#. |
1 comment
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24. h5
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Really too slow. It was probably difficult after such an already eventful game to appreciate that White still had attacking resources available. After 24.Rd7ch! Kxd7 -(Not ...Bxd7; Qxg8ch winning the other rook as well) 25.Qxg8 Ne7 26.Qe8ch Ke6 27.c4! |
1 comment
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24... Re8
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[!] Black is back! The threat (...Re1#) throws White back. |
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25. Rf1
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Only move! |
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25... Ne7 26. Qf7
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White threatens mate-in-one in her turn. But Black has consolidated, and enjoys a slight material edge: Rook, Bishop and Knight for the Queen. From here on, White is fighting to save the game. Such a turnaround! |
1 comment
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26... Bd7
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[?!] Better was ...Nxg6, to reduce still further White's attacking potential. The passed pawn White would have obtained would not have been dangerous, as events will reveal. |
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27. Qh7
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Going after black's K-side - and it looks like a plausible way to go. White is still trying to extract the full point out of this game, but it is getting to be high time to shelve such ambitions and look to saving the draw. It seems possible to achieve that much at this point, after 27.Qf6 Rg8 28.Bh7 Re8 29.Bg6 Rg8 and a repetition. Maybe Jo had this in mind with this move, but... |
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27... Nxg6
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... Black has this exchange, which would not have been available after 27.Qf6. |
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28. hxg6
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Now White can pin her hopes upon promotion. The problem is that the Queening square is well covered (or soon will be) and White lacks the resources to diversify her attack. |
1 comment
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28... c6
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At last preparing to connect the rooks and complete his development. |
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(2352)