Equidistance - Ciron

CSS/Pal Freestyle Final (45+5) round 3

photo by H.Frietz

 

 

Comments by IM I. Radziewicz

This is probably the most complicated sacrifice of that tournament.

WHITE TO PLAY

33. B:h6! f5 White could have play: 33...e5!? 34.Ne5! [34.Qf4?! b:c3 35.b:c3 Qd6 36.Ne5 N:e5 37.d:e5 Qd8 38.Ne2 g:h6 39.Q:h6 Bf8 40.Qf4 Rb8 with better position for black] 34...N:e5 [34...Qd8? 35.N:d7 Q:d7 36.Bf4 +-] 35.d:e5 Bc5 [35...Q:e3!? 36.B:e3 b:c3 37.b:c3 R:c3 38.Ne2with slightly better endgame foe white] 36.Qf4 (36.Qg5!?­) 36...g:h6 37.Ne4 cool :-) [37.Q:h6?! Bf8 38.Qg5+ Kh8 39.Ne2 Qd8 40.Qg3 Bh6 41.Nd4 Qe7 with better position for black]

BLACK TO MOVE

37...Rf8 Possible was also:

a) 37...d:e4!? 38.Rg3+ Kf7 (38...Kh8 39.Q:h6 B:f2+ 40.Kh1 B:g3 41.Qf6+ Kg8 42.Qg5 +=) 39.Q:h6 Re7 40.Rg7+ Ke8 41.R:e7+ B:e7 (41...K:e7 42.Q:h7+ Ke8 43.Qg8+ Kd7 44.Qf7+ Kc6 45.Q:e6+ Kc7 46.Q:f5÷) 42.Q:h7 

BLACK TO MOVE

and now:

·    42…b:c3 43.Rd1! (43.b:c3? R:c3 44.Qg8+  44...Kd7 45.h6 e3 46.Rd1+ Kc7 47.Qe8 e:f2+ 48.Kh2 f1N+ 49.R:f1 Qb4 –+ ;

·    42...e3!? 43.Rd1 e:f2+ 44.Kf1 Qb5+ 45.K:f2 Q:e5 46.Qg8+ Bf8 47.Qg6+ Ke7 48.Qg5 +=;

·      42...Rd8 43.Qg6+ Kd7 44.h6 b:c3 45.b:c3 Kc8 46.h7

b)   37...Bf8 38.Nd6÷; 37...Re7!? 38.N:c5 38...Q:c5 39.Q:h6 f4 40.R:f4 Bf5 41.R:b4 (41.Re3 Rg7 42.R:f5 e:f5 43.Qe6+ Kh8 44.h6 Ra7 45.Qf6+ Kh7 46.Q:f5+ Kh8 47.e6 Qd6 48.Qf6+ Kh7 49.Rg3 Rg8 50.Qf5+ Kh8 51.R:g8+ K:g8 52.f4 Kh8 53.Qf6+ Kh7 54.f5)

c)   37...f:e4? 38.Rg3+ Kh8 39.Qf6#; ]

 

Back to the game: 38.N:c5 38...Q:c5 39.c:b4 Qe7

WHITE TO PLAY

40.Q:h6?! [40.Ra1! Ra8 41.R:a8 R:a8 42.Q:h6 d4 (42...Kh8 43.b5 d4 44.Kf1 Rd8 45.Ke2 f4 46.R:f4 d3+ 47.Kd2+-) 43.Qf4 Rd8 44.Rd3 Kh8 45.R:d4 R:d4 46.Q:d4 +-] 40...f4! 41.R:f4 R:f4 42.Q:f4 Rc4 Black is slightly better. Only slightly because it is hard to win with so little pawn… 43.Qh6 R:b4 44.Ra1 Rb8 45.Ra3 46.Rg3+ Kh8

WHITE TO PLAY

47.Rg4 [47.Rg6!? R:b2 48.Rf6 Rb1+ 49.Kh2 Rb8 50.Qf4 d3 51.Rf7 Rb4 52.Rf8+ Bg8 53.Qh6+ Qh7 54.Qf6+ Qg7 55.Rd8 Rb3 56.Q:e6] 47...d3 [47...Rd8!? 48.Rg6 d3 49.R:e6 Qg7 50.Qd2 Qg4 51.Rd6 Rg8 (51...R:d6 52.e:d6 Qd4 53.Qh6=) 52.g3 Q:h5 53.Qf4 Qf5 54.Q:f5 B:f5 55.b4 Rf8 56.g4=]

WHITE TO PLAY

48.b4? [48.Rd4! Rd8! (48...R:b2 49.R:d3= Rb1+ 50.Kh2 Qh4+ 51.Rh3 Q:f2 52.Rf3 Qh4+ 53.Rh3 Qe7 54.Rf3 Rb8 55.Kh3 Re8 56.Qf6+ Q:f6 57.R:f6 Be4 58.g4 Bd5 59.g5= Kg7 60.h6+ Kh7 61.Kg4) 49.Rd6 Kg8 (49...R:d6 50.e:d6 Q:d6 51.Qf6+ Kg8 52.h6 Qd7 53.Qg5+ Kf8 54.Qf6+=) 50.R:e6 Qg7 51.Qd2 with slightly better position for black] 48...Rd8 –+ 49.Qd2 Qf7 50.h6 Rg8 51.Rg5 Equidistance offers a draw 51...Rg6 –+ 52.b5 Qd7 53.R:g6 B:g6 54.b6 Kh7 55.Kh2 Qd8 56.b7 Qb6 57.g4 Q:b7 58.Kg3 Qb5 59.f4 Be4 60.g5 Kg6 61.Qa2 Qb6 62.Qf2 Qb4 63.h7 K:h7 64.f5 B:f5 65.Qh2+ Kg8 66.Qh5 Qe1+ 67.Kf4 Qe4+ 68.Kg3 Q:e5+ Equidistance resigns 0–1