Jan-30-25 | | TheaN: The first move is kind of obvious, <28.Ng5+>. We want to involve the rook, if it works, this is the only way. 28....fxg5 29.Rh3#, 28....Qxg5 29.Rh3+ Qh6 30.Rxh6+ +- and 28....Kh6 at least 29.Rh3+ Kxg5 30.Rh5+ +-, but there might be more. So, <28....Rxg5>. The long forcing line is a bit of a bait I think: 29.Rh3+?! Kg7 (Rh5 30.Rxh5+ +-) 30.Qh8+ Kf7 (Kg6 31.Qh7#) 31.Rh7+ Kg6 32.Rh6+ Kf5 (Kf7 33.Rxf6+ Ke7 34.Qf8+ Kd7 35.Rf7+ Kc6 36.Qc8+ with 37.Qc7#) 33.Qxf6+ Ke4:
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You would expect this to go wrong somewhere but no: it's a draw after 34.Qxe6+!? Qxe6 35.Rxe6+ Re5 36.Rxa6= and under pressure of promoting the king side pawns White will be able to take b4 and draw, but Rh4+ or Qf3+ are fruitless. Instead, White will have to keep the king on the king side with <29.Qf7+! Kh6> else Rh3+ +- <30.Qxf6+ Kh7> else Rh3+ +-, word of note is 30....Kh5 31.Rh3+ Kg4 32.f3+ +-. So far we've only shuffled around but White did pick up f6 for free and that is key. I messed up and thought 31.Rh3+? now is possible, but the White queen is on f6, not f7, so 31....Rh5 32.Qf7+ Kh6= is just a draw. Instead <31.Qf7+!>:
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It's interesting how in the final position, after White shuffled back and forth on the f-file for three moves, White is winning because the sixth rank is open. <31....Kh6> else still Rh3+, that didn't change <32.Rxe6+ Qxe6 33.Qxe6+ Rg6 34.Qe2 +-> the endgame is hopeless for Black due to the march of pawns on the king side. As <Allderdice83> I messed up in the end, bit sloppy to play 31.Rh3+ considering exactly that position, with the queen on f6, it's not a win: I saw that early on, went down the long forced line, got back and messed up. Typical over-analyzing, OTB I would have played 31.Qf6+. Close, no cigar. |