Did I blow a drawn game?

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Date: 26 May 2005 01:48:42
From: Adrian MacNair
Subject: Did I blow a drawn game?

My opponent suggested I had blown a sure draw but he was unable to give me a
convincing argument how I could have saved it. Please take the time to tell
me if white is lost or drawn.

[Event "Birthday Bash Tournament"]
[Site "www.brainking.com"]
[Date "2005.04.09"]
[Round "?"]
[White "MacNair, Adrian"]
[Black "chessmec (796-121-604)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C44"]
[WhiteElo "1736"]
[BlackElo "2229"]
[PlyCount "104"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5
8.exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Re1 Qd6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qf3 Qxf3 14.
gxf3 Rb8 15. a3 Bd4 16. Rab1 Rxb2 17. Rxb2 Bxc3 18. Reb1 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Re8
20. Rb8 Kf8 21. h4 c5 22. Bb5 Bd7 23. Rb7 Bxb5 24. Rxb5 Rc8 25. Rb7 a6 26.
Rd7 d4 27. Kf1 Rb8 28. Rc7 Rb5 29. Ke2 Ra5 30. a4 h6 31. f4 Ke8 32. f5 Rxa4
33. Rxc5 Kd7 34. f6 g6 35. Re5 Kd6 36. Re7 Ra2 37. Kd2 a5 38. Rxf7 Ke6 39.
Re7+ Kxf6 40. Re4 Ra4 41. Kd3 Rb4 42. Rxd4 Rxd4+ 43. Kxd4 a4 44. c4 a3 45.
Kc3 g5 46. hxg5+ Kxg5 47. c5 Kf6 48. c6 Ke7 49. Kb3 Kd6 50. f4 Kxc6 51. Kxa3
h5 52. f5 Kd5 0-1

Date: 26 May 2005 16:48:30
From: Antonio Torrecillas
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

En/na Adrian MacNair ha escrit:
> My opponent suggested I had blown a sure draw but he was unable to give me a
> convincing argument how I could have saved it. Please take the time to tell
> me if white is lost or drawn.
>
> [Event "Birthday Bash Tournament"]
> [Site "www.brainking.com"]
> [Date "2005.04.09"]
> [Round "?"]
> [White "MacNair, Adrian"]
> [Black "chessmec (796-121-604)"]
> [Result "0-1"]
> [ECO "C44"]
> [WhiteElo "1736"]
> [BlackElo "2229"]
> [PlyCount "104"]
>
> 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5
> 8.exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Re1 Qd6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qf3 Qxf3 14.
> gxf3 Rb8 15. a3 Bd4 16. Rab1 Rxb2 17. Rxb2 Bxc3 18. Reb1 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Re8
> 20. Rb8 Kf8 21. h4 c5 22. Bb5 Bd7 23. Rb7 Bxb5 24. Rxb5 Rc8 25. Rb7 a6 26.
> Rd7 d4 27. Kf1 Rb8 28. Rc7 Rb5 29. Ke2 Ra5 30. a4 h6 31. f4 Ke8 32. f5 Rxa4
> 33. Rxc5 Kd7 34. f6 g6 35. Re5 Kd6 36. Re7 Ra2 37. Kd2 a5 38. Rxf7 Ke6 39.
> Re7+ Kxf6 40. Re4 Ra4 41. Kd3 Rb4 42. Rxd4 Rxd4+ 43. Kxd4 a4 44. c4 a3 45.
> Kc3 g5 46. hxg5+ Kxg5 47. c5 Kf6 48. c6 Ke7 49. Kb3 Kd6 50. f4 Kxc6 51. Kxa3
> h5 52. f5 Kd5 0-1

Hello Adrian,

I seems you obtained a lost ending in the opening.
(I do not like 12.Bxf6 (giving the pair of bishops) nor 13.Qf3 ruining
white pawn structure).

But it seems too that you obtained good draw chances arriving to a rook
ending with your rook very active.

Some critical moments are:

- 42.Rxd4? seems a lost pawn ending, ... maybe 42.Rf4 Ke5 43.Rf8 shold
be played because the rook is very active, Kf5-g4 was avoided and black
has some problems coordinating his pieces.

- 33.f6!? (a move before) need to be considered, the idea is to break
black pawns (if black plays ...gxf6) or not to allow black king escaping
from the first line (if the black asnwer is ...g6).

- 26.Rb6 is interesting too, if black does not find any concrete, the
pawn will be recovered.

More analysis is needed, but I think it would be grateful and
instructional.

yours,
Antonio

Date: 31 May 2005 00:46:52
From: Adrian MacNair
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

Hello Antonio, thanks for taking the time to look at my game.

"Antonio Torrecillas" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I seems you obtained a lost ending in the opening.
> (I do not like 12.Bxf6 (giving the pair of bishops) nor 13.Qf3 ruining
> white pawn structure).

I think that 12.Bxf6 was a typically bad amateur response to a "phantom"
threat of Ng4 or Bxf2+.

> But it seems too that you obtained good draw chances arriving to a rook
> ending with your rook very active.
>
> Some critical moments are:
>
> - 42.Rxd4? seems a lost pawn ending

I considered Rf4+ only I must admit for very little time. I felt black had a
strong passed pawn and my King would be able to hold it with the exchange.

> - 33.f6!? (a move before) need to be considered, the idea is to break
> black pawns (if black plays ...gxf6) or not to allow black king escaping
> from the first line (if the black asnwer is ...g6).

I think this move is perhaps best now. White is greedy to capture the
material back.

> - 26.Rb6 is interesting too, if black does not find any concrete, the
> pawn will be recovered.

26.Rb6 Re8 27.Rxa6 and black walks into the enemy camp with a very active
Rook.

I am afraid my endgame is not very strong. Let me see what else:

35.h5 trying to break the pawn structure is easily met with 35...Ke6 when
the black king is too strong.

39 is also a very important move when Ra7 keeps the pawn in check but it
relegated to passivity.

Date: 01 Jun 2005 00:33:05
From: Antonio Torrecillas
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

Hello again Adrian,

En/na Adrian MacNair ha escrit:
> Hello Antonio, thanks for taking the time to look at my game.
>>- 42.Rxd4? seems a lost pawn ending
>
> I considered Rf4+ only I must admit for very little time. I felt black had a
> strong passed pawn and my King would be able to hold it with the exchange.

A pawn ending is seldom easy to evaluate. In that case I think it's -+.
But I'm not so sure about the rook ending after 42.Rf4 ...

>>- 26.Rb6 is interesting too, if black does not find any concrete, the
>>pawn will be recovered.
>
> 26.Rb6 Re8 27.Rxa6 and black walks into the enemy camp with a very active
> Rook.

I think black should avoid ...Re1 or ...Re2 with 26.Rb6 Re8 27.Kf1 ...
and now white has some activity after 27...Re6 28.Rb8 Ke7 29.Rb7
followed by some Rd7 or Rc7. White rook is more active than black.

AT

Date: 31 May 2005 05:58:30
From: Ron
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

In article <[email protected] >,
"Adrian MacNair" <[email protected] > wrote:

> > - 42.Rxd4? seems a lost pawn ending
>
> I considered Rf4+ only I must admit for very little time. I felt black had a
> strong passed pawn and my King would be able to hold it with the exchange.

This is one of those things you'll learn with experience - an outside
passed pawn is much more valuable than a central one, and, when
defending, you really want to keep a pair of rooks on the board.

Your opponent's exploitation of the outside passer is fairly typical.
He ends up trading it for your central one, but in the process your king
is so badly misplaced that he's able to swoop back in and secure victory.

Date: 30 May 2005 23:04:47
From: Antonio Torrecillas
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

Hello group,

I find strange not to have more messages in this thread trying to
discover if any of the three critical moments I wrote about, can solve
white problems in the ending. ... or about other moments I missed!

I personally find this one more interesting (and intructional) than some
of another threads about a concrete video lesson but it seems I'm
completely wrong. :-(

AT

En/na Antonio Torrecillas ha escrit:

> En/na Adrian MacNair ha escrit:
>
>> My opponent suggested I had blown a sure draw but he was unable to
>> give me a convincing argument how I could have saved it.
>> Please take the time to tell me if white is lost or drawn.
>>
>> [Event "Birthday Bash Tournament"]
>> [Site "www.brainking.com"]
>> [Date "2005.04.09"]
>> [Round "?"]
>> [White "MacNair, Adrian"]
>> [Black "chessmec (796-121-604)"]
>> [Result "0-1"]
>> [ECO "C44"]
>> [WhiteElo "1736"]
>> [BlackElo "2229"]
>> [PlyCount "104"]
>>
>> 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. Nxc6 bxc6
>> 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Re1 Qd6 12. Bxf6
>> Qxf6 13. Qf3 Qxf3 14.gxf3 Rb8 15. a3 Bd4 16. Rab1 Rxb2 17. Rxb2 Bxc3
>> 18. Reb1 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Re8 20. Rb8 Kf8 21. h4 c5 22. Bb5 Bd7
>> 23. Rb7 Bxb5 24. Rxb5 Rc8 25. Rb7 a6 26.Rd7 d4 27. Kf1 Rb8 28. Rc7
>> Rb5 29. Ke2 Ra5 30. a4 h6 31. f4 Ke8 32. f5 Rxa4 33. Rxc5 Kd7
>> 34. f6 g6 35. Re5 Kd6 36. Re7 Ra2 37. Kd2 a5 38. Rxf7 Ke6 39.Re7+
>> Kxf6 40. Re4 Ra4 41. Kd3 Rb4 42. Rxd4 Rxd4+ 43. Kxd4 a4 44. c4 a3
>> 45.Kc3 g5 46. hxg5+ Kxg5 47. c5 Kf6 48. c6 Ke7 49. Kb3 Kd6
>> 50. f4 Kxc6 51. Kxa3 h5 52. f5 Kd5 0-1
>
> Hello Adrian,
>
> I seems you obtained a lost ending in the opening.
> (I do not like 12.Bxf6 (giving the pair of bishops) nor 13.Qf3 ruining
> white pawn structure).
>
> But it seems too that you obtained good draw chances arriving to a rook
> ending with your rook very active.
>
> Some critical moments are:
>
> - 42.Rxd4? seems a lost pawn ending, ... maybe 42.Rf4 Ke5 43.Rf8 shold
> be played because the rook is very active, Kf5-g4 was avoided and black
> has some problems coordinating his pieces.
>
> - 33.f6!? (a move before) need to be considered, the idea is to break
> black pawns (if black plays ...gxf6) or not to allow black king escaping
> from the first line (if the black asnwer is ...g6).
>
> - 26.Rb6 is interesting too, if black does not find any concrete, the
> pawn will be recovered.
>
> More analysis is needed, but I think it would be grateful and
> instructional.
>
> yours,
> Antonio

Date: 26 May 2005 05:53:54
From: Mark Houlsby
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

FWIW I agree with you that you were lost for a long time, probably for
the last thirty moves or more.

Date: 26 May 2005 05:47:45
From: Mark Houlsby
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

Actually, when chess is eventually solved, it may turn out that 1.e4??
was the losing blunder, and that the only sound first move is 1.Na3.

It's *unlikely*, I'll grant you... ;-)

Date: 26 May 2005 10:14:19
From: Lee Harris
Subject: Re: Did I blow a drawn game?

"Adrian MacNair" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My opponent suggested I had blown a sure draw but he was unable to give me
a
> convincing argument how I could have saved it. Please take the time to
tell
> me if white is lost or drawn.

don't you need to tell us the point the draw was there?I mean, after 1.e4
you're looking good to me :-)