Chess Cornwall - George v Bartlett (County Shield 2013/14)

The opposite coloured bishops assist white's plan of imprisoning the black king with Bh6 (and e6 in response to ...f6) Taking advantage of the black rook's inability to leave the back rank, he will bring up his king to support the advance of the b-pawn. In executing this plan he must be careful not to lose the e-pawn and he must remember that, if the bishop is on the a8-h1 diagonal, Ra8 is not mate.

22...Ra8

22...Rd5 23.Bh6 Rc8 24.Ra7 Rb5 25.Re2+-

23.Bh6 Rxa1 24.Rxa1 Ra8 25.Rc1 Rc8 26.Rd1 Bc6 27.h4 f6 28.e6 Bb5 29.b3

To prevent 29...Bc4

29...Re8 30.Rd4 Ba6 31.Rb4 Bd3 32.f4

This does not put the win at risk and is not an error. However, although it shouldn't have made a difference, in some of the later play I wished I'd played 32.f3

32...Bf5 33.Rb6 Be4 34.Kf2 f5 35.g3 Rd8 36.b4 Rd2+ 37.Ke1 Rd8 38.Ke2 Rc8 39.b5 Rd8 40.Ke1 Rc8 41.Ra6 Rc1+

41...Bd5 42.Bg5 Rc7 43.b6 Rb7 44.Bh6 Rb8 45.Ra5 Bc6 (45...Bxe6 46.b7+/-) 46.Ra7 Rxb6 47.Rc7 Be8 48.Rxe7 Ba4 49.Kd2+-

42.Kd2 Rc2+ 43.Kd1

Afterwards Robin Kneebone and Colin Sellwood pointed out the line 43.Ke3 Rb2 44.Ra7 Rxb5 45.Rxe7 This is not objectively better as the move played wins. It is superior from a practical point of view, though, because it reduces the scope for errors that throw away the win, a very important consideration at our level! It is also an example of converting one type of advantage into one rhat is different but clearer, the type of practical play that Fischer was noted for.

43...Rc8 44.Ra7 Re8 45.Kd2?

This throws away the win. Black's threat is to attack the e-pawn with ...Bd5, so white needs to play 45.Rd7 Bb1 "threatening" 46...Ba2, renewing the attack on the e-pawn. 46.b6 Ba2 47.b7 Rb8 (47...Bxe6 48.Rxe7!+-) 48.Rxe7 Bd5 49.Rg7+ Kh8 50.e7 Re8 (A 50...Ba2 51.e8Q+ Rxe8 52.Rc7 Be6 53.Rc6 Bd7 54.Ra6 Kg8 55.Ra8+- B 50...Bxb7 51.e8Q+ Rxe8 52.Rxb7+-) 51.Kc2 Be6 (51...Bxb7 52.Rf7+-) 52.Kc3+- White's king is now free to support the b-pawn.

45...Bd5 46.Kc3

46.Ra6 Rb8

46...Bxe6 47.Kb4 Kf7 48.b6

Or 48.Bg5! Bd5 49.Kc5 Be4 50.Rc7 Ke6 51.b6+-

48...Bd5 49.Kc5 Be4 50.b7

Robin Kneebone correctly points out that 50.Bg5 h6 (50...Rc8+ 51.Kb4 Re8 52.Rc7 Ke6 53.Kc5+-) 51.Bxh6 Rc8+ 52.Rc7 Rxc7+ 53.bxc7 Bb7 54.Kb6 Bc8 55.Ka7 Ke6 56.Kb8 Kd7 57.Bg5 e6 is also a draw.

50...Ke6?

50...Rd8 51.Kb6 (51.Bg5 Rd5+ 52.Kb6 Rd6+=) 51...Rd6+ 52.Kc7 (52.Ka5 Rd5+=) 52...Rc6+=

51.Kb6+- Rd8 52.Bg7

52.Kc7? Rd7+ 53.Kc8 Bxb7+ 54.Rxb7 Rxb7 55.Kxb7 takes a shorter route to the final position in the game.

52...Rd6+ 53.Kb5 Rd5+ 54.Kb4

54.Kb6 Rd6+ 55.Kc5 Rd8 (55...Rc6+ 56.Kd4 Rb6 57.Ra6+-) 56.Be5+- is more straightforward.

54...Rd1 55.Ka5??

55.Bb2! Rd8 (55...Rb1 56.Ka3) 56.Kb5 Rb8 57.Kb6 Rd8 58.Be5+-

55...Ra1+??

55...Rb1! 56.Ra6+ (56.Ka6 Bd3+ 57.Ka5 Be4 repeats moves.) 56...Kf7 57.Rb6 Rxb6 58.Kxb6 Bxb7=

56.Kb6??

This would have three ?s if ChessBase allowed it. As Botvinnik wrote in the notes to one of his World Championship games against Smyslov, "Truly the two players were worthy of each other on this occasion". I can't see anything wrong with 56 Bxa1. I had a few minutes left and Simon's flag was horizontal, so I can't even plead time trouble in migation, not that there would have been any valid excuse for missing this.

56...Rxa7

56...Rb1+=

57.Kxa7 Bxb7 58.Kxb7

1-0 (time)

I believe Simon was unlucky here. By the time we got to move 61 in the following analysis of the final position, I would have been down to less than two minutes. I can't be confident that I wouldn't have played 61.Ke7 rather than the correct 61.Bh6. 61.Ke7 was the move I suggested afterwards.

58...Kd5 Forced

A 58...Kd7 59.Be5+-
B 58...Kd6 59.Kc8 Ke6

59...Kd5 60.Kd7 transposes to the main line a tempo ahead. 60...Ke4 61.Kxe7 Kf3 62.Bh6 Kxg3 63.Bg5+- h6

60.Kc7 Kf7

60...Kd5 61.Kd7+-

61.Be5+- as above, transposes to the main line a tempo ahead. C 58...Kf7 59.Be5+- D 58...h5 59.Kc6+-)

59.Kc7 Ke4 60.Kd7 Kf3 61.Bh6

(61.Kxe7? Kxg3 62.Bh6 Kxh4 63.Kf6 Kg4 64.Kg7 g5! 65.fxg5

65.Bxg5 h5 66.Kf6 h4 67.Bxh4 Kxf4=

65...f4 66.Kxh7 f3 67.g6 f2 68.g7 f1Q 69.g8Q+= In the absence of special features, of which there are none here, this pawnless ending of Q+B v Q is a draw.)

61...Kxg3 62.Bg5 h6

(62...e5 63.fxe5 f4 64.Bxf4++-)

63.Bxh6

(The apparent brilliancy 63.Kxe7?? hxg5 64.h5!! 64...gxh5 (64...gxf4 65.hxg6 f3 66.g7 f2 67.g8Q+ Kh2=) is an imaginative way of throwing away the win. 65.fxg5 h4 66.g6 h3 67.g7 h2 68.g8Q+ Kf2 69.Qh7 Kg2 70.Qg6+ Kf2 71.Qh5 (71.Qh6 Kg2 72.Qg5+ Kf2 73.Qh4+ Kg2=) 71...Kg2

incredibly the position is drawn. White's winning plan consists of approaching the black king with checks along the g-file. The king cannot go to h1 because, with the f-pawn still on the board, Qg3 is not stalemate and therefore black is mated with Qf2 and Qf1. After a check on g3, black must either play ...Kh1, losing as discussed above, or ...Kf1, losing the h-pawn. However, in order to reach g3, white must be able to check on g4. This is prevented by the pawn on f5. White cannot capture this pawn because this would produce the drawn ending of Q v RP on the 7th rank. White can therefore make no further progress. This is confirmed by the Lomonosov 5-piece tablebase.)

63...Kxh4

(63...e5 64.fxe5 Kxh4

64...f4 65.Bxf4++-

65.e6 g5 66.Bxg5+ Kxg5 67.e7 f4 68.e8Q f3 69.Qe1+-

Black is one move short of the draw.

64.Kxe7+-