Annotated chess game

This is an utter disaster for Black: 30...h6 was a horrible move that did absolutely nothing for Black's game except to wreck it completely. White is now winning!

Making it worse: 31...Kf8 was essential. White now has a mate in 2.

White had the chance to completely turn the tables! 32. Qf6+ Ke8 33. Qxh8+ and picks up the queen next move; or 32... Kd7 33. Ne5+ Kc8 34. Qxh8+ Kb7 35. Qxb8+ Kxb8 36. gxh6! and Black's only remaining piece, the c3 rook, has no route back to stop the runaway pawn.

Maybe not Michael because instead of 32...Ke8 or 32...Kd7, black can play 32...Kc8 to prevent all of that, but then white can play 33.Qe6+, and 33...Kd8 he can keep checking. And, white can keeping move back and forth. What that means is that, at the very least, with best play even if black didn't lose material white could pull a swindle with a draw by repetition since he could force the same position to repeat 3 times. However, one thing is for sure which is that with this move, white has no more chance of getting a swindle. In other words, he's completely busted now.

White should have won in just two moves: 32.Rd1ch Rd3 33.Rxd3#.

(!) Black is winning again.

Mate in 2, try to find it.

Agreed. The White King is on the run and should be hunted down like a dog.

33... Qa3+ 34. Kb5 Rc5#

Also good, in case you didn't see you were to miss it was 33...Qxf3, and if he takes with 44.Kxc3 (which appears to win something more), you recapture the R with 44...Qxh1. Having said that, Michael is spot on and is what I would've told you, as 33...Qa3+ was the caper, and I would've seen it very quickly.

The King should be the primary focus. Black has enough resources immediately to hand to finish the King off quickly - just keep checking (actually there is only one safe check, here, but it will do). Black can not afford to give White any slack - any at all. 33...Rxe3 loses. White can pick up the h8-rook AND force the queens off, leaving him a piece ahead, with a winning game.

White also seems to have allowed his attention to stray into irrelevancies. 34.Qf6ch Kd7 35.Rd1ch! Kc8 36.Qxh8ch Kb7 37.Qxa8ch ... White wins.

I'm not going to be superpicky since it happens less often then a draw by rep. But, you want to be aware that if checks like this happens for 50 move, and we don't have a capture, then the opponent can declare a draw by 50 move rule. I once thought it was and tried to do this with Carl in a lost position. But, I didn't count accurately, and it was, I think 20-30 moves. And, shortly after that time, he made a capture and I was shortly lost. For sure, that won't happen here, but it is something to be weary of. I wasn't going to get into details since when I first became familiar with something that was extremely difficult to learn, which Michael pointed out, B+N endgame checkmate I failed the test by allowing a draw by rep. The other's, however, failed the test, some by stalemate, by most of them were the 50 move rule since there weren't going to be captures. But, they also couldn't mate in 50 moves.

The 50-move rule states that if there are no pawn moves or captures for 50 FULL moves, either side may claim a draw. (The point is that pawn moves and captures are irreversible; if one is required to play a pawn move or capture every 50 turns, eventually these moves will run out and the game must terminate.) The very first game of chess I played, against my teacher when I was in Reception (U.K. equivalent of Kindergarten), ended in a K+R v K endgame that was drawn because we both misunderstood the rule to mean 50 half-moves.

The 50-move rule doesn't come into question here. The rule is 50 moves by both players, with no pawn moves or captures in that time. Here there is bound to be pawn moves or captures if neither side finds the quick win.

One of the tricks to rounding up and herding the king, is you do not give any freedom more than he has already. That is why this check isn't a good one. White could play 36.Nd4, here, and may well survive.

36.Nd4 was essential.

Good one!

This is also what I would've done since mate isn't far off either.

This game has already shown how time and timing can be of the essence. Here 37...Qb4ch or 37...Qb6ch forced mate in a couple more moves. The latter is simplest: 37...Qb6ch 38.Kd5 Qe6ch 39.Kc5 Qc4#. The d6 and b6 squares are covered by the c-pawn.

Don't worry about the pawn, ignore it. You have something better then that.

Joe's right. White really is busted, and, apart from a couple of slip-ups, has been for a long time. His best was actually 38.Rd1ch but even that is no longer good enough to save the game in the long run.

Having said, while it's hard to see, best was 38...R8e6, as now the K is pinned. And, being that it can't move, no matter what white does next, unless he gives up the Q, 39...Qc6# is mate. It can only be delayed a move longer with either 39.Qe7+ or 39.Qd7+, but after 39...Kxe7 or 39...Kxd7, black would then have 40...Qc6#, at once.

The trouble with 38... R8e6 is the nuisance check 39. Qf8+. Best is 38... Qb6+ 39. Kd5 Qb5#.

Of course, nuntar is right: 38...Qb6ch was best. Note that it constricts White more than ...Qa7ch does. Black need not worry about stalemate possibilities: White has too much stuff on the board for that to happen. So Black can go about straitjacketing the White King.

For the same reason as before, 39...R8e6! was best.

Nope: this pawn check will do fine! There are other moves as good, but none better. 39...R8e6(??) is not one of them, as 40.Ne5!!, threatening Qd7# with a side order of K+Q fork (latent threat: Nc6ch) saves the game for White! To summarise: 39...R8e6? 40.Ne5! R6xe5 (just about a forced sacrifice) 41.fxe5 Qd4ch 42.Ke6 Qc3ch 43.Kf5 Rf4ch 44.Kg5 Rf7 ... and Black's game is probably just active enough to hold the draw.

But, this, however, is also what I would've played, as mate isn't far off, assuming that you spot the mate that becomes available.

NOW 40...R8e6ch and mate next move ( 41.Kd5 Qa5#; 41.Kb5 Qb6#.