Annotated chess game

I tend to agree, though I am by no means an endgame expert.

Black is certainly paring the ending down to its bare essentials...

43.Kg3 seems to me playable, inducing the f-pawn forward ahead of the Black King, e.g. 43.Kg3 f4ch 44.Kg2 Kg4 (say) 45.Rb7.

I would have considered Kf3, preventing any black's advance.

I prefer the K move as well, closing off some of the e-file squares on White's side of the board, and placing the King in front of the pawn.

Black can only move his rook, right now: any King move loses a pawn or invites a check; the f-pawn is pinned; the a-pawn immobilized. What useful move remains to the Black rook?

Possibly it would be an easier draw were White's a-pawn not there! Yes, this end game: is a 'book' draw, whoever has the move. White's plan in that case is to mark time with his rook (Ra8...Ra7...Ra8 etc) whilst inducing the advance of Black's pawn to Rank 3, whereat White can check from a distance (very important, that 'checking distance!), along the rank or file as circumstances indicate.

I'd look at 55.Rf7ch first, but can the BK get around in front of the pawn by ...Kg3 (55.Rf7ch Kg3 56,Rg7ch Kf2 57.Rg4, and then what?

Intuitively, Rf7+ came to mind but I did not play it out.

Yes, it seems that white can harass the BK unless he moves to f7, blocking his own pawn, and so on.

Here's a likely continuation from 55.Rf7ch! 55...Kg3 56.Rg7ch Kf2 57.Rxa7! Kf1 58.Kc4! f2 59.Kb5 (any of the 3 squares available on the b-file is OK) 59...Ke1 60.Rf7 f1=Qch 61.Rxf1 Kxf1 and although White is a rook for pawn down, this is a well known drawing motif in rook end games (the idea has cropped up in some of my games). White will have to give up his rook to prevent the pawn's promotion.

great game!! excellent annotations.

Agreed! Good game and a very interesting endgame, thanks for sharing.

Well many thanks to you both too!

A pity for the final blunder. If only the white pawn could advance some squares... Very nice.

Interesting and educational end game. Black took rather the long route to the win, I thought, and was lucky that White mistimed - that's all it was - the capture of the a-pawn.!