TL Chess match II - Page 37

just want to float a possible Kg1 soon since we do have the danger of a potential Nxf3.

b5 is fine as well.

What do you guys think of 25. b5 cxb5 26. Nxd5 exd5 27. Rxd5 seems to provide more activity

It seems that white will want to play b5 anyway, and may lose tempo if played later.

25. Nxd5 deserves serious consideration, but 25. Rd4 first may well be better - it's hard to see how Black improves his position.

If Black plays 25...cxd5, 26.b5 Nd7 27.c6 Nb6 28.Ra1 (not Rd4 e5, speeding up Black's play) e5 29.a4, and the best I saw for Black is 29...a5!?, inviting 30. bxa6 e.p. Rxc6 31. Rb2 Ra8 32.Bb5 (else ...Nc4 or even ...Nxa4) 32...Rc5, where the White pawns aren't easy to remove, but also don't look like they're going anywhere.

But White doesn't have to comply, because Black's blockade is breakable. After 29...a5, 30.Rc2 e4 31. c7 Rc8 32. Rac1 Nxa4 33.Rc6, and after Bd1, Black's toast because b6-b7 is unstoppable. 32...Nd7 is no improvement, because after 33.Rxf6 Kxf6 34.Rc6+ Ke7 White doesn't even have to play 35.b6 Nxb6 36.Rxb6 Rxc7 but has the devastating 35.fxe4 dxe4 (if 35...Ne5 36.Rc1 Nc4 (else 37.b6), 37.exd5 Nb6 38.Bg4 1-0) 36.Bg4, and Black just can't move.

Better is 25.Nxd5 exd5, but it doesn't slow White down too much. 26.Rd4 g5 (what else? the f6 Rook will have to move eventually) 27. a4 Nd7 28.Rc1 Re6 29.Bf1 Rc8 30.b5! cxb5 31.axb5 Rxc5 32.Rxc5 Nxc5 33.Rxd5 Re1 34.Kg1 Ne6 35. Rd7+ Kf6 36.Rxa7 h5 37.Kf2 Rb1 38.Rd7 Ke5 39.Bc4! Rb4 (else the Knight is banished) 40.Rd5+ Kf6 41.Bd3 Rb2+ 42.Kf1. Now 42...Ng7 is the only way to stop 43.Rf5+, and it seems like White should win the ending, though perhaps not without difficulty.

Still a bit too early for the b5 push. We should get our king to g1 and get the pawn to a4 before we try for the break. Based on the position of pawns, we (white) are ahead.

Ack no Ba6. Oh well.

25. Nxd5 is bad. 25. ... exd5 26. b5 Nc4 and white seems to have gained nothing except for ruining the chances for his queenside pawn play.

25. b5 cxb5

Black has to take otherwise a4 and white is good. So White has two options, Bxb5 and Nxb5.

26. Nxb5

Black has to protect the pawn. Nc6 allows Nd6 comfortably, and black can't challenge it with Nf7. So theres a5 and Rf7.

26. ... a5
27. Rc1 Rf7
28. Nd6 Rc7
29. Bb5 and white seems to have black on the defensive.

26. ... Rf7 and white can't really do much. Rfb7 is coming next, and a4 as a defense looks pretty weak. Nb5 allows black to get his rooks active with tempo.

26. Bxb5 and black's bishop has to move else he loses a pawn. Bc4 and Bc6 lose pawns after caputres followed by Rd7+. So either Bb7 or Ba8. 26. ... Bb7. White has to worry about Nxf3 tactics.

27. Re2 to stop Nf3, because now white can play c6 and be up material. But white really doesn't get anywhere after this line either.

Conclusion, b5 is not so good for white.


25. a3 and 25. Rd4 are passive. If we play these then it makes no sense to play b5 in the near future. There is really no way that we can improve our position to prepare b5. So if a3 or Rd4, we should abandon the b5 plan. 25. a3 Rff8, stopping b5 and preparing to play g5 (so black won't be forced to take on e4 after Ne4). 26. Rd4 g5 27. Ne4 g4 is a big ouch for white. Bad.

25. Rd4 g5

White is in bad shape. To the suggestion of a4 followed by b5, 25. a4 h6 26. b5 Rff8, black doesn't have to (and won't) take the pawn. And white doesn't want to take on c6 either. So an improving move like 27. Rb1 Rfd8 and black does fine. White is going nowhere.

Unless other analysis comes up I'm pretty convinced we have a draw here, or at least, an equal game.

Hmm looking back at it now Ba6 probably also would fail to Rb8. I guess maybe this was an equal game after all. Somehow black's position always looked inferior to me at first glance, but his passive defense is actually quite resilient.

I'll agree that after 25.Nxd5 exd5, 26.b5 is wildly premature (White plays 26.Rd4; b5 comes later), but that doesn't make 25.Nxd5 bad. Moreover, your "refutation" in 26...Nc4 still lets White draw comfortably after 27.Bxc4 dxc4 28.Rd7+ K-moves (28...Rf7? 29.bxc6) 29.Rxa7 Rxb5 (after 29...cxb5, White doubles on the 7th, and we're not talking about drawing anymore) 30.h3 Rf7 31.Ra3 Rxc5 32.Rc3 Ra7 33.Rd4 =

Agreed, I've been saying this since move 22. Unless there is a big blunder on either side, I don't see much happening. White has a slightly stronger position but black can defend quite comfortably.

I really wanted this game to be epic but apparently it's going to draw I believe that black has played a very strong defense the entire game so how about we force him to go on the offense?

If things stay static, we will have to resort to moving the rooks over to the e file to bear down on exposed backwards E pawn. Part of that plan will be moving bishop to f1 or a6 and exchanging the knight for the d5 bishop. It's a slow developing plan though because we have a lot of weaknesses to shore up first.

Looks drawish but there are chances for play. If black defends with accuracy, I think we have to give it up to him.

No real reason to hurry here.