Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/29/06 at 07:03:08:


Well, I'm pretty sure I don't want to exchange rooks on c8, which is why I was looking at 24 ... Rc4.  I don't think Willempie wants to trade off both rooks, but he does want to take one pair off, and if he wants to do that, then I want to undouble my pawns.  What becomes interesting, then, is that White can break through on the kingside, but only if he lets Black do the same on the queenside.  But I think I want to play 24 ... Rc4, not 24 ... Kd7.  I want to make the exchange of rooks more favorable.

Quote:


MNb: Yes, I think so.  And 28 ... Kc7 29 Kb4 Kb6 30 Rc1 Ra8 neutralizes White's play here.  The best I've seen (and like Smyslov_Fan, this is just pushing wood rather than necessarily best play) is 31 a4 bxa4 32 bxa4 Rb8 33 f5 Kc7+, which I think I can hold...

Ostap,

My variation was meant to be illustrative, not best play.  If Black does nothing he gets crushed.  I don't think ...Ra4 will save him in the long run, but it may be his best bet (opening the a-file with b5-b4).  

I think Black will have to either retreat the king to the 8th rank or get mauled.  In either case, Black may give up even the q-side to White.  If it goes down to a single rook ending, it may well be too late for Black.

I also think that Black's king has to stay in the square of the h-pawn or else g5 will win.  White has just too many threats for Black to successfully defend.

I hope for HgMan's sake I'm wrong, but Willempie's play is looking pretty convincing now.  (at 1:45am local time).

Willempie, 

Remind me if we ever face each other that you know your endgames!  Great job so far!

I think the easiest way to face down 24.Rc1 is Kd7!

If White trades down, then you can bring the Rook to c4.  White will then have to prove he has some way to push his king pawns with a rook behind it because otherwise Black will completely neutralize the k-side and win in the center! (Wow, who'd a thunk that ten moves ago?)

White also can try 24...Rc4 25.Kd3 Kd7 26.b3 Rc6 27.Rxc6 bxc6 28.a4 bxa4 29.bxa4 but with c5 Black finally creates counterplay.
So I suppose 25.b3 Rc6 26.Rxc6 bxc6 27.Kc3 Kd7 28.Kb4 is better.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Be3 Qc7 6.h4 h6 7.g4 Bd7 8.h5 e6 9.f4 c5 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Nc6 12.Qb6 Qxb6 13.Bxb6 Bb4 14.0-0-0 Nge7 15.Ne2 Ba5 16.Bxa5 Nxa5 17.Ned4 Rc8 18.Bd3 Nec6 19.c3 Nxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6 21.Kd2 Nxd4 22.cxd4 Bb5 23.Bxb5 axb5 24.Rc1

I didnt see anything better than my original plan and as I still have a problem with my connection at home I thought that it was fair not to leave you waiting for over a week.

HgMan wrote on 07/27/06 at 23:18:25:

If I am wrong about the endgame I think that the exchange of the bishops was the problem. At that point I had the most doubts. Plus of course a novelty invented by me cant be bad

Assuming Willempie accepts the conditional moves we now have:
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Be3 Qc7 6.h4 h6 7.g4 Bd7 8.h5 e6 9.f4 c5 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Nc6 12.Qb6 Qxb6 13.Bxb6 Bb4 14.0-0-0 Nge7 15.Ne2 Ba5 16.Bxa5 Nxa5 17.Ned4 Rc8 18.Bd3 Nec6 19.c3 Nxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6 21.Kd2 Nxd4 22.cxd4 Bb5 23.Bxb5 axb5


It would be interesting to see the doubled b-pawn ending.  My impression was that Black could hold such an ending, but Willempie seemed to have a different opinion, iirc.