click for larger view

Analysis by Fritz 11:

1.Rd1+ Ke2 2.Rc5 Rh6+ 3.Ke5 Kxd1 4.a6 Qxb4 5.Rd5+ Ke2 6.Kf5 Rh5+ 7.Ke6 Qb6+ 8.Rd6 Rh6+ 9.Kf5 Rxd6 10.Ke4 Qd4+ 11.Kf5 Rf6+ (-#28) Depth: 17/36 00:01:31 165mN

hard to figure out sides of the colors, seriously!!!

However 10..Qxf3 returns the compliment as it loses time with the black Queen and the recapture 11 gxf3 also strengthens White's centre.

This suggests looking for alternatives to 10..Qxf3.

One is 11...Bd7 12 Bc3 Qh6. Another is 9...a6 instead of 9...a5 in order to avoid making the a pawn a target for White's QB and QN. On 10 a5 Ba7 11 Bd2 Bd7 12 Bc3 Qh6 13 Bd3 Ne7 does White really stand better?

14...c5?! seems dubious if not actually a mistake. Instead of 14...c5?!, 14..f5! may gain equality at least. The move 14...c5 makes it easier for White to play e5 because then ...d5 leaves the c5 pawn undefended.

20 Nd2 allows Black's d pawn to advance. 20 e4 keeps it back.

Instead of 25 e4, 25 Rg4-d4 attacks the backward d pawn. Otherwise why did White play 24 Rg4? The counter-attack 25..Re8 allows the fork 26 Nc7. The move 25 e4 allows Black to get rid of his backward pawn.

27 Rxe4?! leaves White with a broken King side. On 27 fxe4 the e pawn is isolated but it may become a weapon. After 27 fxe4 one threat is Rd7 and Nd6

28 f4 blocks the square for a Rook.
28 Rf4 attacks both f7 and c4, and the Nb5 keeps both Black Rooks out of the seventh rank. On 28 Rf4 Nd5 does not help Black because 29 Rxd5 Rxd5 30 Nc7 wins the c4 pawn as well as the exchange back.

Instead of 31 Rc7, 31 Rxd5 Rxd5 32 Rd4! takes the initiative eg 32...Nb6 33 Rd6 pinning the N. Perhaps it is at this point that Anand lets the advantage slip.

The moves 31...Na2+ 32 Kb1 Nb4 mean that Black has not equalized yet and Aronian does not mind a draw. However Anand wants more. However perhaps it is already too late to play for a win. Anand does try to win, and loses.

After 34...Rg5! White is already in some trouble because Aronian is threatening to start an attack on White's h pawn, win it and advance his h pawn. This threat is in fact going to win him the game.

After 36 Nf3 White may still get a draw while after 36 Ne2 it may be too late. This may be the point at which Anand goes too far trying to win.

I don't like the move Nxc6 because there are two good objective reasons to avoid it: White moves his KN a third time to exchange it for a Black QN moves once ( making a loss of two tempi) and draws the b7 pawn on to c6, supporting Black's centre. This is a triple concession to avoid, although in some positions White can't help it.

Black's pawn structure is not broken after the recapture 6...bxc6 because owing to the presence of Black's d pawn the doubled c pawns are not isolated in addition to the a pawn. If the d pawn were removed and the doubled c pawns were isolated in addition to the a pawn, the structure would be broken. Just one isolated pawn doesn't by itself make a broken pawn structure.

I don't find attractive at present the lines of the Scotch at present where White plays Nxc6, however there are variations where White does not play Nxc6. I have in mind the Goring gambit and the Haxo gambit. Black won in the game J Penrose vs Smyslov, 1958 although the game may warrant further examination.

Suppose White tries the passive looking 41 Rg1. One variation is 41...h3 42 Rh1 h2 43 a5 Rf5 44 Ra4 g5 45 a6 g4 46 a7 g3 47 a8/Q g2 48 Qxg2+ Rxg2 49 Kb2 Kg6 50 Ra8 Rf2 51 Rg8+ Kh7 52 Rg3 ( to defend the White King on b3 against checks on the third rank on b3 so that the white King can support c4) Rh5 53 b4 Rxf4 54 Kb3 Rf2 55 c4 Rh6 56 b5 and Black seems in trouble instead of White.

This suggests the paradox that the passive looking manoeuvre 41 Rg1 followed by Rh1 might have won while the more aggressive 41 f5 led to a loss. Can one provide any reasons for this?

Perhaps one reason is that the White Rook is not entirely passive on h1. It threatens to win the h pawn and so ties at least one Black Rook to its defence, while the White has two connected passed pawns on the Queen side.

Perhaps however a more important reason is that a White Rook on h1 also blockades Black's passed pawn and makes Black lose several tempi to try to dislodge it, if Black can.

Perhaps this is an endgame lesson in the value of the blockade: a blockading piece compels the opponent to lose more time than the blockader concedes. The only difference in time between a White Rook placed passively on h1 and a White Rook placed centrally on e4 is two tempi, for that is all the time which it takes for a Rook on h1 to reach e4. Black however has to lose much more than two tempi in order to attempt to dislodge the White Rook from h1.

Therefore White gains time over Black by offering a sacrifice of these two tempi and placing his Rook on h1.

The position is incredibly complex at move 41.

I tried your variation but deviated with 44…Rg2.

One continuation is 44…Rg2 45 Kb2 Rc5 46 Ka3 Rcxc2 47 Kb4 Rg1 48 Ra1 Rxa1 49 Rxa1 Ra2 50 Rh1 Kf6 51 a6 Kf5 52 a7 Rxa7 53 Rxh2 Kxf4.

click for larger view

It looks better for black with those connected pawns.

One continuation is 44…Rg2 45 Kb2 Rc5 46 Ka3 Rcxc2 47 Kb4 Rg1 48 Ra1 Rxa1 49 Rxa1 Ra2 50 Rh1 Kf6 51 a6 Kf5 52 a7 Rxa7 53 Rxh2 Kxf4.>

After 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 43 a5 Rf5 an alternative for White at move 44 is 44 a6 instead of 44 Ra4. On 44...Ra5 45 Ra4 Rxa4 46 bxa4 Re4 47 Rxh2 Rxa5 48 Kb2 Rxa6. This may draw. Can White do better?

After 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 an alternative for White at move 43 is 43 Kb2. This is more flexible than a5, if White has to play it. On 43..Rf4 44 Rb5 Rxf4 45 a5 Rg4 46 a6 Rg1 47 Rxh2 Rxh2 48 a7 Rh8 49 Rb8 the a pawn queens. Notice that Black has had to spend no less than 4 moves with his other Rook to dislodge White's R on h1.

Can Black do better?

On 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 43 Kb2 Rc5 44 Rc4 Rxc4 45 bxc4 Kf6 46 a5 Kf5 47 a6 Kxf5 48 a7 Re8 49 Rxh2 Ra8 50 Rf2+ wins suddenly the f pawn by a skewer and on 50...Kg3 51 Rxf7 heeps the pawn as well. This suggests that accidents may affect the result although it can be said that there are no accidents, and that there are reasons for every one of them.

Black can do better because after on 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 43 Kb2 Rc5 44 Rc4 Rxc4 45 bxc4 Kf6 46 a5 Kf5 47 a6 he can attack the a pawn at once by 47...Re6. On 48 Rf2 Rxa6 White is however a pawn ahead.

They say “41. f5? The decisive mistake. 41. Rg1 h3 42. Rh1 h2 43. Rc4 is probably still a draw”.

http://www.chessvibes.com/coverstor...

I also think the line beginning with 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 is white’s best chance to equalize.

On 43 Kb2 g5 44 fg Rf2 45 a5 Rg2 46 a6 Rg1 does not arrive with check so White has 47 Rxh2! Rxh2 48 a7 Rh8 49 Rb8 and it is White who arrives first instead of Black.

This suggests that on 41 Rg1 h3 42 Rh1 h2 the move 43 Kb2 does something useful for White with the tempo spent on it: it prevents the move ...Rg1 from being check, whereas 43 Rc4 gains nothing for the tempo spent on it if Black does not try mainly to attack c2, but does something else.