Wasn't looking at 25.Rf5 anyway, but the idea is clear. Black's light squared bishop is playing a big defensive role, as previous kibitzers have noted, and it makes sense to eliminate or neutralize it (25...exf5). I was thinking of 25.Nd6, with that same idea, but it wasn't working.

Looks like Black has to take the rook, as else 26.Rxg7+ is a killer. And the knight has to come off too, or 28.Nxf5 will be very strong.

I got the feeling this was one of those positions where everything was hanging by a thread, and it was just a matter of cutting it off in the right place. That turned out to be f5.

Down a piece, I don't think white is striving for material equality. No, the enemy king can be the only target for white's play.

One might be tempted to play 24 Rh3 and wait for black's resignation, but, of course, black would instead play 24...Bxg2+ 25 Kg1 Bxh3 leaving white down a rook and with no way to muster an attack.

It does seem that white's move will have to be forcing and decisive. For this reason, I like

25 Rxg7+

Black has no choice but to play

25...Kxg7

OK, I have been looking and looking at this position, and while the rook sacrifice is forcing, it's also not very good. The problem is that black can retreat his light squared bishop to g6 and cut off all white initiative. Plus, that darned dark squared bishop of black's is too well placed.

Gosh, I have a lot of candidate moves, but I'm not getting anything from them. At least I should show what I'm thinking about. There are...

- 25 Rxg7+ (my original thought, still not completely gone) - 25 Nd6
- 25 Qg4
- 25 Qh6
- 25 Bxc5
- 25 Nf3
- 25 Nf5
- 25 Rf5
- 25 Rf4
- 25 R1f3

Boy, it all comes down to being able to deal with 25...Bg6. That's the move that keeps gumming up my plans.

Finally! I'm making some progress! Let's go back to our original idea...

25 Rxg7+ Kxg7 26 Bd2 Bg6

Black would like to play something like 26...Rh8, but in this case that would allow 27 Qxf7#. No, I think black needs to hunker down. Unfortunately for black, all of his pieces are on the wrong side of the board to really aid in the king's defence.

Black could try 26...Bxg2+ 27 Kg1 Bxf1, threatening 28...Qg2#. And this does look good for black. Is this another blind alley for white?

Nuts. I give up. I just can't seem to make this work. Time to check and see what I have been overlooking.

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So, white was content with a draw. This did cross my mind, but it really seemed like white's position had more potential. <sigh>, this year is getting off to a bad start for me.

I saw that after 26 Nxf5 white threatens both 27 Nxe7# and Rxg7#, so this forces 26...exf5. The really difficult part was finding 27 Nd6!?, below.

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But when you look at it, what white is doing is re-establishing the same threat he had with 26 Nxf5 (except the knight threat comes from d6, not d4).

So black has to take with the bishop, with 27...Bxd6.

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Level material, White has a promising attack, and Black's passed a Pawn can't advance for the moment. How best to finish Black off?

I looked long and hard at 25 Rf6 (threatening mate with Rxg7+ etc) but 25...Bg6 defends everything: if 26 Rxg6 fxg6 and Black threatens Rf1#). 26. Nxe6 fails to Nxe6. Preparing the combination by removing the defender of e6 with 25 Bxc5 first doesn't work: 25...Rxc5 26 Rf6? Bxf6! and the Pe5 is pinned; or 26 Nc7 Rxc7 (simplest) 27 Nxe6 fxe6 again threatening Rf1#. Perhaps White has nothing better than the modest 25 Nf3 keeping material level and threatening Rh3. This is what I would play OTB. Time to check:
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<Phony Benoni: Couldn't see anything promising. Of course, it would have helped if I had actually counted pieces and discovered that White should be looking for a draw.>

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<PB> says it all! I thought material was level. An inglorious end to quite a good week.

Happy New Year to everyone.

<25.Rf6> is very strong. It blocks the f pawn and the rook is taboo. <25...Bxf6 26.ef g6 27.Qh6> with mate.

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