KEG: Post II
11. Bh7+!
Black is busted.
11... Kh8
12. bxN
Even better than the alternative winning line: 12. Qf5 Ne2+ (if 12...g6 13. Qh3!) 13. Kh1 Bc8 (best, though insufficient) 14. Qh5. 12... g6
Best, though also losing is 12...Bc8 13. h3 (13. h4 also wins) Nc6 (13...g6 14. Qd2!) 14. Bd3. After 12...g6, the position was:
 click for larger view"The following exchanges leave Black with a lost position. He can do nothing against the four passed pawns." (Tournament Book) 13. Bxg6
As <Mateo> pointed out on this site back in 2016, Pillsbury could also have won with 13. Qd2 KxB (13...Rg8 14. BxR allows Black to resist a little longer, but is obviously hopeless in the long run since now Black, among other problems, loses the exchange rather than winning a piece). 13... fxB
13...Bc8 or 13...Bg7 are nominally "better," but again quite hopeless in terms of saving the game. 14. Qxg6
 click for larger viewWhite has three pawns (and four PASSED pawns) for the sacrificed Bishop. Black can resist for a while, but the result is not in doubt. 14... Qe8
Truly hopeless, but the "superior" 14...Bc8 or 14...Qc8 were not going to change the outcome. 15. Qh6+ Kg8
16. Ng5
 click for larger view16... BxN
Obviously forced.
17. QxB+ Kf7
If 17...Kh7 18. Qh4+ Kg8 (or 18...Kg6) 19. f4 and the White pawns destroy Black. 18. f4!
 click for larger view18... Ke6
This should have led to immediate defeat, but 18...Qe7 or 18...Qd8 provided no realistic hope. 19. f5+
This wins, but the immediate killer was 19. Qg7! The text allowed Wolf to extend the game, though the sequel could not have been any fun for Wolf. 19... Kd7
20. Qg7+ Kc8
20...Kc6 was no real improvement. If 20...Qe7, then--as <wwall> pointed out on this site back in 2005--21. e6+ terminates resistance. After 20...Kc8, the position was:
 click for larger viewWhether because of time pressure (a move 30 time control) or otherwise, from here Pillsbury--though never giving Wolf any true chance to survive--did not, as I will discuss in my next post, find the fastest way to conclude the game. This allowed Wolf to hang around for another 15-16 moves, but the four passed pawns remained a problem for which Black had no answer. The pathetic Black Queen-side "development" is either tragic or comic depending on one's perspective. |