Annotated chess game

... but loses the d-pawn... This is a very rare type of 'end' game, where one side has all four minor pieces remaining, with just the one pawn to keep them company.

Black ought to have taken the d-pawn, attacking the rook, gaining time for ...Nb6 and bringing all pieces into play. Those centre pawns, if allowed too much law, are apt to become very dangerous.

Unfortunately, 40...Be3 is ruled out on account of 41.Rxf1!! Kxf1 42.Bxe3 leaving White with two extra pawns for nothing. Black's game has become very difficult in the last three or four moves.

Probably 42...Na3 wasn't so good, as after 43.Rb2, White threatened 44.Bd6 or 44.Be3, neither of which would have done Black much good. Fortunately for Black, the Rook has gone a square too far...

I agree. Actually I was thinking more in terms of 44.Kc3 Nxb3 45.Kxb3 Nb5 46.Ka4 Nc3ch 47.Kxa5 Nxa2 with more than likely a draw result.

Now that's just sad - possibly a change in reality after a fatiguing game. After 45.axb3 Nb5 46.e5 there would be everything still to play for.

What just happened??

Well - no it doesn't, as the g5-Knight still requires protection. I prefer 48.e5, bringing the pawns level, and making them doubly dangerous, as level pawns are very hard to blockade effectively.

(!) With a gain of time.

In my view, White would have done best to reinforce where she was strongest: in the centre. So: 50.Kc4, and if Black checks (...Be2ch or ...Na3ch), play 51.Kc5 and get set to push the centre pawns some more. The Knight on g5 is doing sterling work, helped by the bishop, to keep Black's dark-square bishop out of the play. Fascinating end game.

A very strong move indeed, at several levels. If the knight plays to b1, there it remains, dominated by the bishop and King, without a sensible move. At the same time this bishop controls the crucial d6 and e7 squares, which means that after 52...Nb1 53.e6! Black will be in very serious trouble.

White must have a winning game, here. If the dark square bishops were removed from the board, the pawns would easily cope with the remaining bishop, so unfavorably placed is the Black King.

Wrong pawn, I think. Much better is 54.e6, with the idea of following up with 55.e7. Black would just about have to play 54...Bh5 to give himself time to stop the onrush, but then...: 54.e6 Bh5 55.d6! Be8 56.d7! Bg6ch 57.Kc4 Bf5 58.Kd5 and White should win comfortably from here: 58...Ke3 59.Kd6 Kd4 60.a5! ... (also winning is 60.e7 Bxe7ch 61.Kxe7 Bxd7 62.Kxd7 Kc4 63.Kc6!! Kb3 64.a5! and Black can't reel in the a-pawn). So unfavorably paced was the Black King that he couldn't even hope for drawing chances from the 'Rook-Pawn and Wrong Bishop' endgame motif.

That protection was vital to White's winning chances. But I think White's serious winning chances disappeared with 54.d6? Having said that, we're looking at some arcane end game stuff here. Such a mistake is not to be wondered at.