          |
[ A.J. GoldsbyI ]
***
Position
check: White - King on c3, Rook on d5, Pawns on a2, b2, c4, e4, f3, ge,
&h2;
Black - King on e6, Rook on d8, Pawns on a6, b7, c5, d6, f6, g6, &
h7.
Black to play.
I
originally annotated this game on a friend's computer, nearly 15 years
ago.
I COMPLETELY REDID this game for my new end-game school!
BLACK to play, and make his 23rd move.
[ The computer(s) ... after analyzing
more than thirty (30) minutes, give
the evaluation of, White is slightly
better here. ("+/=") ].
EXCERPT - from the book,
"Chess Highlights Of The 20th Century"
by FM Graham Burgess.
(Pg. # 62.).
"Clearly, Black cannot be better here. However, Rubinstein is able to exploit
a number of innocent-looking
inaccuracies by his opponent, ...
and
win the game."
- FM G. Burgess.
23...f5!?;
Black immediately strives to break White's stranglehold on the d5-square.
[
23...b5; 24.g4,
"+/=" ] .
24. exf5+,
Probably the best, breaking up
Black's Pawn structure.
[
" 24.Kd3
fxe4+; 25.Kxe4
Rb8; followed by ...b7-b5; would
give Black counterplay."
- FM G. Burgess. ].
24...gxf5; 25.
Rd2!?,
This might be a little passive.
(Burgess gives this move no
mark at all.)
[
Burgess gives the line:
25.g4!?
fxg4; 26.fxg4
Rf8; 27.Rh5,
"=" and then
comments -
... "and White should survive."
(FM G. Burgess.); 25.g3!?,
"+/=" ].
25...b5; (Maybe - '!')
Black plays very energetically.
26. b3!?, (Maybe - '?!')
Burgess gives this move no
appellation at all.
But he does give the comment:
"This passive reply lets Black's
initiative grow. 26.b4, is likely - to
liquidate
the Queen-side Pawns." - FM G. Burgess.
[
26.b4!?, (Maybe - '?!') 26...Rc8;
"=" (Maybe - "=/+") Black may have
play on the c-file. Or White could play: 26.g3!?,
"=" ].
26...h5; (Maybe - '!')
"Black wants to target the g2-pawn." - FM G. Burgess.
27. g3!?,
Burgess gives no comment on
this move, (or mark after the move);
but
it looks slightly passive.
(To me.)
[
27.Re2+
Kf6; 28.a4,
"=" Maybe a little, tiny bit better
for White? ("+/=") ] .
27...f4!;
Nice.
"Rubinstein keeps giving his opponent awkward decisions."
- FM G. Burgess.
(Black
could have tried 27...d5!?; but after: 28. cxd5+, Rxd5;
29. Rxd5!, Best.
{Interesting is 29. Re2+!?
"="} 29...Kxd5; and now
... 30. h3! And Black
would have found it VERY difficult to generate any REAL winning
chances
in this position!!) {This line is not re-playable on the
j-s-board.}
28. Re2+,
This might be a bit premature.
[
Burgess gives the line:
28.g4
hxg4; 29.fxg4
Rh8; and then comments -
... "keeps the pawns immobile,
while the Black f-pawn will be
free
to advance." (- FM G. Burgess.); 28.Rd3!?,
"=" ].
28...Kf5;
Natural as a baby's smile!
29. Re4
fxg3; 30.
hxg3
Rg8;
Now Black has a target to attack.
(While White is playing defense.).
31. Rf4+,
This might be forced.
[
If 31.g4+
hxg4; 32.Rxg4,
(Or 32.fxg4+??
Kxe4; "-/+")
32...Rh8;
"=/+"
... "leaves White with some
problems to solve."
- FM G. Burgess.
If
32...b4+; 33.Kd3
Rxg4; 34.fxg4+
Kf4; 35.g5
Kxg5; 36.Ke4
Kf6;
37.Kd5
Ke7; 38.Kc6
Ke6; 39.Kb6,
"=" ... "is a draw."
- FM G. Burgess.
Or 32...Rxg4?; 33.fxg4+
Kxg4; 34.cxb5
axb5; 35.a4,
"+/-"
... "and White wins."
- FM G. Burgess. ].
31...Ke6;
This might be forced, also.
[
The continuation: 31...Ke5;
('?!') 32.Re4+
Kf5; 33.Rf4+,
is making
no progress at all for Black. ].
32. Re4+,
Is this forced?
Burgess seems to think so.
" 32.g4, is met by 32...h4. " - FM G. Burgess.
32...Kd7; 33.
g4
Rf8!; 34.
Re3
h4!; 35.
a4
bxa4;
36. bxa4
Re8!?; (Maybe - '!')
Burgess provides no comment,
or gives any mark to this move
at all.
But this move is great as it forces an exchange into a winning
King-and-Pawn
end-game.
[ Black could also try: 36...Rf4!? ].
37. Kd2?,
Not good.
"37.Rd3, is a better try." - FM G. Burgess.
[
Apparently Mattison spent all
his time trying to calculate the
following ending:
37.Rd3[]
h3; 38.f4
h2;
39.Rd1,
( Or 39.Rh3?!
Re3+!; 40.Rxe3
h1Q; and Black
should probably win.
("-/+") )
39...Re3+; 40.Kd2
Re4;
41.Kc3, Best?
(41.Rf1?
Rxf4!; "-/+")
41...Rxf4; 42.Rh1
Rf3+!;
43.Kd2,
(If 43.Kb2
Rh3;
44.g5
Ke6; 45.g6
Kf6; "-/+" )
43...Ra3!;
"-/+" (See the diagram just below.)
... only to realize he was completely lost! ].
37...Rxe3; 38.
Kxe3
d5!; Wheee!
White's King cannot catch two
passers on the opposite sides
of the board,
and therefore ... WHITE RESIGNS. (0 - 1)
A very illuminating example.
(Mattison was probably at least
modern IM strength and played
in MANY
international events of
that era!).
If a MASTER could be outplayed
from such a position ...
(Then don't YOU need to study it thoroughly?)
[
If you still need proof -
that Black can win ...
38...d5!; 39.cxd5
h3;
40.Kf2,
( 40.g5
h2; 41.g6
h1Q; 42.g7
Qg2; "-/+" )
40...c4; 41.g5
h2!;
42.Kg2
c3; 43.f4,
There is little here that is
good for White.
(Or 43.g6
c2; 44.g7
h1Q+!; 45.Kxh1
c1Q+; 46.Kh2
Qg5; "-/+" and Black
catches the little
bugger.) 43...c2;
44.Kxh2
c1Q; "-/+"
when all that is
required is
a little technique, and Black
should win. ]
0 - 1
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I; (c) 1999, (c) 2000, (c) 2001, & (c) 2002.
This
is the complete version of this game as it exists on my hard drive in my endgame
database,
I have NOT shortened it for publication! If you would like a copy of this
endgame
- in the ChessBase format -
to study on your own computer, please drop
me a line.
If
you enjoyed this position, and would like to study ANOTHER
Rook-and-Pawn endgame, ("The LUCENA Position");
click HERE.
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© A.J. Goldsby, 1994 - 2004. © A.J. Goldsby, 2005.
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2005. All rights reserved.
