Carlos Torre - Morris A. Schapiro

<In this game, I just will show analysis of the charming endgame that resulted after move 23> 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bxc4 c5 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Qe2 cxd4 10.Rfd1 e5 11.exd4 exd4 12.h3 h6 13.Be3 Bc5 14.Nb5 Qe7 15.Nbxd4 Bd7 16.Rac1 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Qxe2 18.Bxe2 Bxd4 19.Nxd4 Rac8 20.Bf3 b6 21.Bb7 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 Rd8 23.b3 Be6! 24.Nxe6 fxe6 <How can we evaluate this position? First of all, white has a more solid pawn structure than black, and white has rook+bishop, that its, better than rook+knight in open positions. But the interesting fact, is that black offered both advantages intentionally. And it's because black has good posibilities on this ending because their central pawn, gives the knight a good central square> 25.Bc8 <White's strategy now is to force the central pawn to advance, so the bishop will have absolute freedom along the board; by the other way, black will try by any way to keep the pawn on e6, to avoid seizing the d5 square to the opponent> 25...Re8! <Not 25...Kf7? 26.Rc7+; 25...Rd6 26.Rc7> 26.Rc6 <Now 26.Rc7 doesn't works because of 26...Kf8 and 27...Re7> 26...Kf7 27.Ba6 <Better was 27.Kf1. Now black has the chance to centralize their knight strongly> 27...Nd5 28.Bc4? <White tries to exchange the powerful knight, but this is not the correct moment to do it, because after playing 28...Nb4 black forces the exchange of the rooks, that will give black the advantage. Correct was 28.a3> 28...Nb4 29.Rc7+ Re7 30.Rxe7+ Kxe7 31.a4 Nc6 <white's already lost. Now the threat is 32...Na5 forcing the exchange of the pieces with advantage for black, because their king is closer to the center than white's> 32.Kf1 Na5 33.Ke2 Nxc4 34.bxc4 Kd6 <No it's all a matter of accurate tecnique> 35.Kd3 Kc5 36.Kc3 e5! <The only winning move. Other moves allow white the draw. For example: 36...g5 37.g3! e5 38.Kd3! Kb4 39.Ke4 a5 40.Kxe5 Kxa4 41.f4 gxf4 42.gxf4 Kb3 43.f5 a4, with a draw> 37.f3 a6 38.g3 <Or 38.g4 g5. Black manages their reserved tempos with great precision> 38...a5 <A mistake would have been 38...g5? 39.h4 gxh4 40.gxh4 h5 41.Kd3 Kb4 42.Ke4 => 39.h4 h5 40.g4 e4!! <The thunderbolt! The rest need no comments>