[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2008.01.26"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Yanvarev, Poghosyan "]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/2R2p2/5kp1/7p/1P5P/6P1/5P1K/1r6 w - - 0 42"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2008.01.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[WhiteTeam "for ChessPub "]

42. Rb7 Ke6 43. b5 Rb2 44. Kg2 Rb3 45. Kf1 Rb2 46. Ke1 f6 47. Kf1 Kf5 48. b6
Ke6 49. f3 {I. After 49.f3 Yanvarev comments that the black rook is obliged to
go to the 3. rank and that the white king gets in that way more space. This is
in fact not necessary since Black can maintain the cut off until the moment
when White plays b7. Black could continue its straightforward plan with} ({
Yanvarev notes in ChessPro that after} 49. Rb8 {Black would play in the same
manner as in the game -} Kf7 50. Ke1 g5 $1 51. hxg5 fxg5 52. b7 Kg7 53. f4 h4)
{Ivanchuk played} 49... Rb1+ {which seems to be from a practical point of view
the best option.} ({VP} 49... g5 50. hxg5 fxg5 51. Rb8 (51. Rh7 h4 (51... Kf5
52. Rh6 h4 $11) 52. gxh4 gxh4 53. Rxh4 Kf5 $11) 51... Kf7 (51... h4 $2 52. b7
$18) (51... Kd7 $2 52. b7 Kc6 53. Rg8 Rb1+ 54. Kf2 Rb2+ 55. Ke3 Kxb7 56. Rxg5
Rh2 57. Rg7+ Kc6 58. Rh7 Rh3 59. Kf2 Rh2+ 60. Kg1 Ra2 61. Rxh5 $18) (51... Rb1+
52. Kf2 Rb2+ 53. Ke3 Kf7 54. f4 h4 55. gxh4 gxh4 (55... g4 $11) 56. b7 h3 57.
Rh8 h2 58. Rxh2 Rb3+ 59. Ke4 Kg7 $11) 52. b7 Kg7 53. f4 h4 54. Kg1 h3 55. f5 ({
After} 55. fxg5 {the draw is evident:} Kh7 56. Kh1 Kg7 57. g6 h2 58. g4 Rb6 59.
Kxh2 Rb1 60. Kg3 Rb3+ 61. Kf4 Rb4+ 62. Ke5 Rb5+ 63. Kd6 Rb1 $11) 55... g4 56.
f6+ Kf7 57. Rh8 Rb1+ 58. Kf2 $11 {We have transposed to the line of Yanvarev 
(II. B) after 57.Kf2 Rb2+ 58.Kg1 Rb1+ 59.Kh2 g4 60.f6+ Kf7 61.Rh8 Rb2+ 62.Kg1
Rb1+ 63.Kf2.}) 50. Kf2 Rb3 51. Ke2 g5 $1 52. hxg5 (52. Rb8 gxh4 53. b7 (53.
gxh4 Kf5) 53... Kf5 54. g4+ hxg4 55. fxg4+ Kf4 56. g5 f5 57. g6 Re3+ $1 58. Kf2
Re7) 52... fxg5 53. Rb8 Kf7 ({Yanvarev points rightly out that the
recommendations of Shipov -} 53... h4 54. b7 Kd7 {and A. Korotylyev - 53...Kd7
- are dubious:} 55. g4 $1 Kc7 56. Rg8 Rb2+ 57. Kf1 Kxb7 58. Rxg5 h3 59. Kg1
Rg2+ 60. Kh1 Kc6 (60... Rf2 61. Rc5 $1 Rxf3 62. Kh2 Kb6 63. Rc1) 61. Rh5 Rg3
62. Kh2 Rxf3 63. Rxh3 Rf2+ 64. Kg3 Rf8 65. g5 Kd7 66. Kg4 Ke8 (66... Ke6 67.
Rh7 $1) (66... Ke7 67. Rh7+ $1 Rf7 68. g6) 67. g6) 54. b7 Kg7 55. f4 (55. Kf2
Rb2+ 56. Kg1 Rb1+ 57. Kg2 Rb2+ 58. Kh3 Rb3 $1) 55... h4 $1 56. f5 h3 57. f6+ {
Aronian played here 57.f6+. According to Yanvarev 57.Kf2 would pose more
practical problems for Black, although the position is drawn. But in his line
Black has the improvement 57...Rb1, which leads to the analogous position
which occurred in the game.} (57. Kf2 {Yanvarev considers only 57...Rb2+ but
57...Rb1 draws much easier since Black is not obliged to push its pawn to g4.
Black`s king has in that case the g4-square available for attacking the white
pawn.} Rb2+ ({VP} 57... Rb1 58. f6+ Kf7 59. Rh8 h2 60. Rxh2 Kxf6 61. Rh7 Kf5 ({
There are other ways to draw, but this is the simplest.} 61... g4 $6 $11 {
maintains the draw, but introduces some unnecessary difficulties.} 62. Ke3 Ke5
63. Kd3 Kd5 64. Kc3 Kc5 65. Rg7 Kd5 $11 {transposes to the analysis of
Yanvarev in the next line.}) 62. Rc7 (62. Kf3 Rb3+ 63. Ke2 Kg4 64. Re7 Rb2+)
62... Kg4 63. Rc4+ Kh3 64. Rc7 Rb2+ 65. Kf3 Rb3+ {This line practically does
not defer from the actual game.}) 58. Kg1 Rb1+ 59. Kh2 g4 60. f6+ Kf7 61. Rh8
Rb2+ 62. Kg1 Rb1+ 63. Kf2 {We saw this position in the line I after 58.Kf2.} h2
64. Rxh2 Kxf6 65. Rh7 {Black must defend carefully in order to hold the game.}
Rb3 66. Ke2 Ke5 67. Kd2 {Black`s goal is not attacking the g3-pawn but
shouldering the White king aside.     To save the game Black should not allow
advancing of the White king to c4.} Kd4 $1 ({Now} 67... Ke4 $2 {loses to} 68.
Kc2 Rb6 69. Rd7 $1 Ke5 ({åñëè} 69... Kf3 {òî} 70. Rd3+) 70. Kd3 Ke6 71. Rh7 Kd5
{otherwise White plays Kc4} 72. Rh5+ {and White wins (Yanvarev).}) 68. Rg7 Kd5
69. Kc2 Rb4 $1 ({Not} 69... Rb6 $2 70. Rg5+ $1) 70. Kc3 Rb1 {only move} 71. Rf7
Ke6 72. Rh7 Kd5 73. Rg7 Kc5 $1 {73...Kc5 is the only move. Black should not
allow the White king to reach the c4-square otherwise Black is lost.} (73...
Ke5 $2 74. Kc4 Kd6 75. Rg6+ $1 Ke5 ({òàê è} 75... Kc7 76. Rxg4 Kxb7 77. Kd5)
76. Rg5+ Kd6 77. Rb5)) 57... Kf7 58. Rh8 h2 59. Rxh2 Kxf6 60. Rh7 Kf5 61. Kd2
Kg4 62. Rd7 Kh3 1/2-1/2

