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27. Rxc3 Ng5
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The Knight starts an epic journey to d3. If it gets there safely, black will have the better game. So white must play 28 Kh1! avoiding 28.....Nf3? due to the decisive 29. Qa2! threatening both a) the maneuver 30.Ra3 and 31. Rb7 or (if the black rook leaves b8,) 31 Rb8 ; and b) 30 Qd5. Black has no way to defend the position. E.g. 29 .....Qd7 30. Ra3 Rb7 31 Ra8 Kg7 32 Qb2 Rf6 33 Be3 threatening 34 Rf8 Kxf8 35 Qxf6 Kg8 Ra1 and winning.
or 29....Ne5. 30 Qd5 Rd8 31 Ra3 Nc4 32 Ra7 winning (32....Kg2 33. d7)
In face of all that, after 28 Kh1! black would play 28....Rd7, with an unclear game. |
 
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28. Ra3
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A mistake, see comment to black's 27th move. Now the Knight will reach a very strong position, and give black the upper hand. |
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28... Nf3+ 29. Kh1 Ne5 30. Ra7
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Also possible was 30 Qa2 Nc4 31. Ra6 Rd7 with slight advantage for black. |
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30... Rxa7 31. Bxa7 Rb7
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The b pawn still has to be defended, and that shows the strength of the white´s 23th move (Qe2).
Now other moves for black would be bad. E.g. 31.....Rd8? 32 Bb6 or 31..... Rc8? 32 Rd5.
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32. Qa2+
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It is not clear to me if this move is bad. Detoxer also is not so sure about it, and told me that considers maybe Qe3 better. But nothing is so clear since the black position is already slightly better, and the game’s move kept white with drawing chances.
Detoxer takes 32 Qe3 into consideration, but black could have followed 32....Qc6 33 Bc5 Rd7! and now if 34 Qd4 e3 , with clear advantage for black.
Maybe 32 Ra1 Qc6 33. Bc5 Nc4 was better, but black still has slight advantage.
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32... Qf7 33. Qa1
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Only move, but strong. Any exchange of queens here (on f7 or a2) is hopeless for white. |
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33... Nd3
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Obviously, to exchange the Knight for the Bishop would be a BLUNDER. It is the lack of ability of the bishop to help the d6 pawn to advance that makes that pawn weak. If the small pieces disappear from the board, all of the sudden the pawn gets renewed strength, and that combined with the exposed black king’s position would leave white with the better game.
Besides that, black must be VERY CAREFUL, because the weakness on the dark squares, specially the a1-h8 diagonal, combined with the weakness of the 8 line, can generate mating possibilities for white.
E.g. 33.....Nc4 34 Bc5 Qe8 (to defend the 8 line) 35 Qd4 Rd7, but now 36 Qd5 (threatening Ra1) Qf7 (only move) and now white is clearly better, and can play either 37 Qa8 or 37 Qc6.
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34. Bc5 Rb8
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Necessary, to defend the 8 file. |
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35. Qd4
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Otherwise, 35.....Qd5 with clear advantage. |
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35... Qc4 36. Qf6
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White can not take on c4, because it leads to a lost ending, as in the game. But 36.Qe3 was a very interesting option, with the plan to play for draw, and very strong chances of getting it, for with the rook on d7 (defending f2) and the queen on e3 defending c5, it is not easy to see a breakthrough for black. |
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36... Qf7
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Here there is a very subtle detail. Black could have played 36.....Qd5, and after the forced 37.Kg1 (otherwise black wins immediately ) 37....Qf7. But that would have been a mistake, because it would have strengthened white’s position. The present position of the white King on h1, and the debility of the f2 pawn can be exploited not only by the Queen, but also by the Knight. So it was very important to leave the W. King there, as will be seen in the game on white’s 40th move. |
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37. Qd4
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Again, white can not exchange queens, for the ending is strongly favorable to black. |
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37... Ra8
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After an almost lost position on move 21, black could be tempted to go for the draw with 37.....Qc4. We are lucky when we can see the changes in the balance of the game, for it is so easy to stay with some strong situation (as whites advantage on move 21) frozen in the mind. (Especially in real time, on the board, games). But now it is black who has the upper hand.
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38. h3 Qc4
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This gives white a drawing possibility, but I could not find anything better. The position is a lot trickier than it looks at first glance. E.g. 38...Qb3 is dangerous. 39 Kh2! and now black has no way to continue with the initiative:
39.....Dxd1?? looses to 40 Qd5
39.....Ra2?? looses to 40 d7
39.....Rf1?? looses to 40 d7
so black would have to play 39....Qc4, with a worsened position (for the white king is better at h2.
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39. Qxc4+
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I didn't understand why my strong opponent took the queen, entering a clear lost ending. After 39. Qf6 the position is still extremely complex:
If black tries to force the win with 39....Qb3???, he looses to 40 Rxd3! followed by Bd4 and mate.
If 39....Qd5?? 40 Bd4 threatening mate and winning.,
The only possible try would be the risky and cloudy move 39....Nxc5 40 bxc5 Qb3 with a complex position.
With the game's move, white is clearly lost.
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39... bxc4 40. Rd2 Ra1+ 41. Kh2 Ne1 42. h4 Nf3+ 43. Kh3 Nxd2 44. b5 c3 45. d7 Ra8 46. b6 c2 47. Ba3 Nb3 48. b7 Rd8 49. h5 c1=Q 50. Bxc1 Nxc1 51. hxg6
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I congratulate my opponent, Detoxer, for a very fine game. The most interesting I have played in GameKnot so far. I was first lucky to escape a miserable defeat on the early middle game, then still luckier to win, but will take more care on such symmetric positions on the future. |
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