Looking over your post, I am curious about some of the candidates you chose: (C) and (E).

For example, after C) 30.Ke1 it's true that 30...Rc1 is mate, but even if that were not the case 30.Ke1 doesn't make an attempt to regain material and is basically non-forcing. Black could even play 30...Rc2 and be ahead. E) 30.Kg2 just gives up material for nothing it seems.

Variation D) seems like a good critical candidate since it attempts to equalize, which I did not consider.

The sub-variations below A.1) didn't seem necessary. But I noticed other kibitzers looked further at 33.f3 g4 so maybe I stopped analyzing too early? I evaluated the position as winning on 32...Ke5 and looked at 33.Kd2 Ke4 but didn't put that on my post. I thought it had to be winning because black's king is where the action is (the white pawns aren't going anywhere), and the outside passed pawn on a7 will easily determine the game.

Maybe you can help straighten out my own analysis.

Indeed, checking it out I found that <30.Nxc4 Bxc4> was safe, because white will have to give the rook back. If white tries to save the rook with 31.Rb1? then 31...d2+! 32.Kg2 Be2 and white will have to sac R for Q and lose.

So, white needs <31.Ke1> to unpin his king and stop ...d2, and then <31...Bxb3 32.axb3 Ke5> (preparing for ...Ke4 to guard the d-pawn) <33.f3> (to prevent that, thus threatening Kd2 & Kxd3) <33...g4!> (white has no time for Kd2) <34.hxg4 fxg4>

Black still has no time for Kd2 (35.Kd2? gxf3 36.Kxd3 Kf5! 37.e4+ Kg4 38.e5 Kxg3 39.e6 f2 40.e7 31.f2=Q+ )

But Black's other tries (35.fxg4 or 35.f4+) appear to leave white in a zugzwang after 35...Ke4 36.Kd2 a5!. White is about out of moves, while black has a couple more tempos to waste with his b-pawn. White will then need to surrender the e-pawn and with it the game.

<29 ... Rxc4
30 Nxc4 Bxc4 (30 Rxc3 Rc1+ 31 Ke2 Rc3 winning)
31 Ke1 Bxb3 (31 Rb1 d2+ 32 Kg7 Be2 winning)
32 axb3 Ke5
33 f3 f4! (f3 must be played to stop the black king from taking white's kingside pawns)

Now there are three ways for white to defend this...

1) Keep a pawn majority on g and h, but lose control of the centre

34 exf4 gxf4
35 g4 a5
36 h4 b5
37 Kd2 Kd4
38 g5 hxg5
39 hxg5 Ke5
40 g6 Kf6
41 g7 Kxg7
42 Kxd3 Kg6 winning as the white king cannot defend against Pf4 promoting and stopping one of Pa5 and Pb5 promoting>

Try 38 h5 in your above continuation; I'll think you will find that white is now winning.

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I would evaluate this as a win for Black. Outside passed pawn and all that; eventually, White's king will have to deal with a Black passed pawn on the queenside, allowing Black's king to invade decisively on the kingside. If White tries the f3 blockade again, Black will force an entryway with ...g4 (possibly prepared by ...h5). White might be able to force a passed pawn in the center, but that will not essentially change the course of the game.

If I had been playing Black, I would have been willing to steer for this ending, even without calculating all the resulting variations. The plan is a simple and common one, and I would be confident about dealing with any details as they arose.

It doesn't work as good. 29...Rxc4 30.Nxc4 d2 31.Ke2 Bxc4+ 32.Kxe2 Bxb3 33.bxb3

I assumed the game is continued in one of the following lines

Line A
29.........Bxc4
30.Nxc4 Rxc4
31.Rxb7 Rc1+
32.Kg2 d2
33.Rd7 d1=Q
34.Rxd1 Rxd1
White is down by a Rook and I "assume"
0-1

What's the reason? Well what do you think of when you see a blockade of a past pawn lifted as in Capablanca vs B H Villegas, 1914 Distraction right? But what distracts better than the Force? Thus a Jedi tactic.

Few know the Jedi tactic well. Even fewer love using it to push a pawn attack forward. Even fewer than that call it the Jedi tactic.:)

The Jedi tactic is used for pawn rollers, the Nf5 sac in the Velimroc Sicilian, Nxd5 exd5, e6 in the French and many, many, many more.

The final tactic is the zugzwang, which is of course famous in Samisch vs Nimzowitsch, 1923 but is used in many other positions like

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Which is the a simplified version of this, can you see why?

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and the second the end game.

From here I think white is going to soon be in zugzwang, and will then have to play a move which loses immediately.

(a) 33. Kd2 Ke4 34. b4 h5 35. b5 a6. 36. Kc3 a5.

Now either the a pawn or d pawn will queen.

(b) 33. f3. g4 34. h4 gxf3 35. Kf2 Ke4 36. h5 b5 37. b4 a6 and we have the zugzwang.

Other white moves bring about a similar fate.

(a1) 36. Kd2? hg 37. hg Kd4 38. g5 Ke5 39. Kxd3 Kf5 40. Kd4 Kxg5 41. b4 Kh4 wins. If White goes after the queenside pawns, Black queens first.

(a2) 36. Kd2? hg 37. fg Kd4 38. g5 f3 39. g6 (39. Ke1 Ke5 and White is in zugzwang as soon as he runs out of pawn moves) f2 40. g7 f1=Q 41. g8=Q Qe2+ 42. Kc1 Qc2#

(b) 36. h4? hg 37. fg f3 is similar to the zugzwang in line a2: the White king must give way as soon as the pawn moves run out.

(c) 36. g5?! h4 is hairy, but I think Black ekes out the victory. For example, after 37. Kd2 Kf5 38. Kxd3 Kxg5 39. b4 Kf5 40. Kd4 a6 41. Kc5 Ke5 42. Kb6 Kd4 43. Kxb7 Ke3 44. Kxa6 Kxf3 45. b5 Kg2 46. b6 f3 47. b7 f2 48. b8=Q f1=Q+ and Black wins by forcing the exchange of queens and then promoting his last pawn.

Now I’m restating that if 34…f4?! instead of the text 34…g4! is played, it is a drawn position.

However, 33….f4 does win in the following continuation where you noted : “29...Rxc4 30. Nxc4 Bxc4 31. Ke1 Bxb3 32. axb3 Ke5 33. f3 f4 34. ef gf 35. g4, I think 35...h5 is the best try..."

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The key is to play 35… h5 before either a5 or b5. I think this line wins without exception. You indicated that 36 gxh5 is a saving move for white, but I do not believe that this is true, because now 36…a5 is ripe to play.

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Was 33...a5 a blunder (instead 33...g4!) and does 34 g4 (instead of 34 Kd2) draw for White? If 33...a5 34 g4 fxg4 35 hxg4 and if Black overpresses he loses. Black draws by keeping his Pawns on a5 and b5.

In my first post Ftacnik vs A Aleksandrov, 2008 I wrote <the Pawn ending is easily won>: RUBBISH!

Position after <33...a5 34.g4>

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I think Black wins this with <34...f4>. White can get a protected passed e-pawn witn <35.e4> and keep Black's king pinned down somewhat, but after <35...Kd4> it can keep the e-pawn under observation while preserving the d-pawn. When Black gets another passer after ...b5 and ...a4, White's king will not be able to stop both pawns.

Another possibility is <36.Kd2 b5 37.e5 Kxe5 38.Kxd3 a4 39.bxa4 bxa4 40.Kc4 a3 41.Kb3 Kd4>, and the rest is easy.

(-3.20):29.c4.(depth 29). Much better,

Analysis by Rybka 4 x64: depth 23.

1. = (-0.23): 29.Ke1 Bb5 30.c4 Bxc4 31.Nxc4[] Rxc4 32.Rxd3 Rc1+ 33.Kd2 Rb1 34.Rd6+ Ke5 35.Rxh6 Rb2+ 36.Ke1 Rxa2 37.Rg6 Ke4 38.Rxg5 b5 39.Rg7 b4 40.Rb7 a5 41.g4 fxg4 42.hxg4 Kd3 43.Kf1 Rc2 44.g5

White plunges further into the mire:-

(-6.56):30.Nxc4. Better,

1. (-3.20): 30.Rb1 Rc2[] 31.Ke1 Rxa2 32.f3 b6 33.Rc1 Bb5 34.f4 Rb2 35.Rc7 a5 36.Rb7 Bc6 37.Rh7 Kg6 38.Rh8 a4 39.Rd8 Be4 40.Rd6+ Kg7 41.Rd7+ Kf8 42.Ra7 b5 43.Kd1 gxf4 44.gxf4 Rc2 45.h4

2. (-3.57): 30.f3 Rc1+ 31.Kf2[] Rh1 32.Rb2 Rh2+ 33.Ke1 Re2+ 34.Kd1 Rxe3 35.g4 Re2 36.a3 Rh2 37.Ke1 Rxh3 38.Kf2 Ke5 39.Nf1 fxg4 40.fxg4 Kd4 41.Rb1 h5 42.gxh5