[Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.13"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B47"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,80,19,17,47,41,46,41,39,38,51,20,107,46,39,31,11,11,22,22,28,29,70,42,55,25,34,7,10,1,19,-26,-2,2,-15,-13,-6,-8,-17,-14,-8,-8,-15,-22,-32,-32,-42,-27,-31,-19,-13,-27,-34,-15,-19,-30,-26,-30,-30,-28,-2,-20,4,0,7,12,0,1,0,0,11,14,23,15,14,9,9,13,14,0,0,-15,-4]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Ncb5 {A rare line that has had great results in recent years.} Qb8 7. Bd3 a6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Nd4 c5 (9... Nf6) (9... e5) 10. Nf3 {That's the knight from b1, in case you've lost track.} Ne7 $146 (10... Bb7 $142) 11. O-O (11. b3 $142 $14 {/?}) (11. h4 $142 $14 {is also a good move, planning to "welcome" Black's knight if and when it goes to g6.}) 11... Bb7 (11... Ng6 $142) 12. c3 $6 {This setup is far less dangerous. Now Black is okay.} (12. b3 $142 $14 {/?}) 12... Ng6 13. Rb1 Be7 $11 14. b4 O-O 15. a4 Qc7 16. Re1 d5 17. bxc5 (17. e5) (17. h4 $5 Nf4 $11 (17... Nxh4 $6 18. Nxh4 Bxh4 $6 (18... dxe4 $14) 19. exd5 $16 exd5 $4 20. Qh5 $18)) 17... dxe4 $1 18. Rxb7 $1 (18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Rxe4 Qxc5 $15) 18... Qxb7 19. Bxe4 Qc7 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 21. Be3 Bxc5 $11 {Black has no problems here, and the game steadily proceeds to a draw.} 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Qd3 Qc6 24. Re4 Rc8 25. h3 h6 26. a5 Qd5 27. Qxa6 Ra8 28. Qc4 Qxa5 29. Re1 Qd5 $1 {The exclam is not for the move's strength - it's no better than probably a dozen other moves. Rather, it's for making it possible to exchange the queenside pawns, to make the draw even more secure and obvious.} 30. Qxd5 exd5 31. g3 Rc8 32. Re3 Kf8 33. Kg2 Ne7 34. Nd4 Nc6 35. Nf5 Rd8 36. Rd3 h5 37. Ne3 d4 {Finally.} 38. cxd4 Rxd4 39. Rxd4 Nxd4 {Now all that's left is to tidy up the pawns and make the time control, when draw offers are permitted by the rules.} 40. h4 g6 {Done, done, and done. While the game lost its interest fairly quickly, the line Pragg chose still looks dangerous for Black; the key for White (at least against 10...Ne7) is to play a quick b3.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.13"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C55"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,76,19,17,26,19,25,24,10,24,15,26,35,7,18,28,41,1,31,1,24,12,11,0,16,10,2,2,-9,-9,-9,-20,-26,-15,-11,-11,-49,-57,-64,-74,-69,-82,-62,-70,-65,-55,-72,-54,-54,-54,-18,-51,-32,-30,-52,-44,-48,-62,-69,-184,-210,-432,-445,-486,-559,-587,-938,-938,-1271,-739,-211,-211,-109,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 a6 {A rare move in general, especially at the GM level, and it's a first for super-GM chess. While Black often plays ...a6 in Giuoco lines, it looks extremely early here.} 5. O-O ({It might seem as if} 5. Ng5 {would be appreciably stronger than in the usual 4.Ng5 version, as the inclusion of d3 and ...a6 seems wholly in White's favor. It's not, though, because after} d5 6. exd5 Na5 $11 {White's standard resource of Bb5+ is impossible here.}) 5... h6 {It's like watching a beginner play, but we know that Gukesh is one of the world's best players. I'm not sure what this finesse is supposed to do (except perhaps get Vidit to spend a ton of time trying to figure out what these finesses mean; if so, it succeeded in that aim), but it doesn't seem to hurt Black, either.} (5... Bc5) 6. a4 (6. c3) 6... Bc5 7. Be3 (7. c3) 7... d6 $146 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. c3 $146 Re8 10. b4 $146 Bxe3 11. fxe3 Be6 12. b5 $6 $146 {Yes, there really have been four "novelties", which only means that it's a move that has never been played before (at least as far as I can tell from my databases); it does *not* mean that the resulting position has never been played before. This is the last one, and it's a slight mistake, weakening the c5 and a5 squares.} Nb8 (12... Bxc4 $142 13. Nxc4 Nb8) 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 $11 14. Qc2 (14. c4 $142) 14... Nbd7 15. d4 {The problem with this move is that White will have to spend the rest of the game worrying about the possibility of ...exd4 followed by Black winning White's e4-pawn. This can be prevented by playing dxe5 or (more likely) d5, but then the c5 square is the problem - see the comment to 12.b5.} (15. c4 $142) 15... Qe8 $5 (15... Re8) 16. Rae1 $6 (16. d5 $142 Re7 17. c4 Qb8 18. Nb3 b6 19. h3 Re8 $11 {/?}) 16... axb5 17. axb5 Ra5 $15 {White has serious problems: e4 is weak and the a-file is all too available to Black's heavy pieces.} 18. c4 Qa8 19. h3 Re8 (19... b6 $142) (19... Ra2 $142) 20. Kh2 (20. c5 $142 $1 Rxb5 21. cxd6 cxd6 22. Nh4 $15) 20... b6 $1 $17 {Now c4-c5 is off the table, leaving White without his most plausible source of counterplay.} 21. Rf2 Ra2 22. Qd3 $6 (22. Qb1) 22... Ra3 $6 (22... Qa3 $142 $19) 23. Qb1 Qa4 $17 {/-+} 24. Nh4 {The knight will look nice on f5, but it's too much of a lone ranger to achieve anything if Black stays alert.} Ra8 $19 25. Nf5 Kf8 $1 26. Ref1 {At least hinting at or bluffing ideas like Nxh6 followed by Rxf6.} Ra1 (26... Ra2 $142 $19) 27. Qd3 (27. Qxa1 $142 Qxa1 28. Rxa1 Rxa1 29. g4 $17 {/-+ isn't much for White, but it's better than the game.}) 27... Qb4 $1 28. Rxa1 Rxa1 29. c5 $5 {(?) Too late, but it's worth trying.} bxc5 30. Nc4 $2 {Another mistake, but it's the point of White's last move.} Qe1 $1 {Black will finish the game with a direct attack.} 31. Re2 $2 (31. b6 $142) 31... Qg1+ 32. Kg3 Nh5+ 33. Kh4 Ndf6 {Threatening ...g5#!} 34. Nxh6 Qh2 $1 {Now threatening ...Qg3#.} 35. Nf5 Rf1 $1 {Removing the guard: Black wants to take on f5 and then play ...Qg3#.} 36. g4 Rxf5 $1 {Anyway! Of course, this very nice move was prepared by Gukesh a while ago, probably on move 31 or 32 at the latest. In fact, there's no chance that Vidit didn't see it coming by this point, either; he's showing his sportsmanship by letting his countryman demonstrate his idea.} 37. exf5 (37. Rxh2 g5# {is an attractive and unusual mating pattern.}) 37... Qg3+ 38. Kg5 Nh7+ (38... Nh7+ 39. Kxh5 Qxh3# {is another nice, unusual mating pattern. An excellent game by Gukesh, who is now once again tied for first with Nepomniachtchi.}) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.13"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2803"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,69,19,17,25,24,28,7,7,-49,-22,-63,-25,-35,3,-44,-18,-84,6,-26,-8,-26,-4,-24,-18,-4,10,-28,0,-8,18,3,11,8,36,-2,-5,1,22,14,12,14,22,-7,-8,-3,-1,-10,-1,-44,23,-42,-42,-120,4,-101,28,-8,45,24,21,35,108,93,92,68,223,192,480,495,494,497]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 ({It's more usual to start with} 5... b5 6. Bb3 {and only now play} Bc5 {, as Caruana has done many times over the years - this is one of his pet variations.}) 6. O-O d6 $5 (6... b5 7. Bb3 d6) 7. c3 O-O ({Now} 7... b5 {can be met by} 8. Bc2 {, which is arguably better for White than the otherwise identical position would be with the bishop on b3.}) 8. Re1 (8. h3) 8... Ne7 {Almost a novelty.} (8... h6) (8... b5) (8... Ba7) 9. Nbd2 $146 (9. Bc2 $146 {?}) 9... Ng6 10. Nf1 d5 $146 11. exd5 Nxd5 (11... Qxd5 {is also playable.}) 12. Bb3 ({There's no free pawn, as} 12. Nxe5 {is met by} Bxf2+ (12... Nxe5 13. d4 $1 $14) 13. Kxf2 Nxe5 14. Kg1 (14. Rxe5 $4 Qf6+ $19) 14... Ng6 $11) 12... c6 13. d4 (13. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Nxe5 15. Kg1 $11 {/?}) 13... exd4 14. Nxd4 $11 Nf6 ({The odd-looking} 14... Be6 {is a good move, as taking on e6 gives Black pressure against f2.} 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Nxe3 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Bxe6+ Kh8 19. fxe3 (19. Nxe3 Rd2 20. b4 Bb6 21. Nd1 h5 $44) 19... Ne5 $44) 15. h3 (15. Ng3) (15. Bg5) 15... Bxd4 16. cxd4 Nd5 $11 {Black's blockading knight on d5 compensates for the bishop pair.} 17. Bc2 Be6 18. Ng3 Ndf4 {Aggressive but dangerous. Black hopes to put a different piece on d5 to pressure g2.} (18... Qb6 {was a good option, pressuring b2 and d4 while connecting the rooks.} 19. Ne4 Bf5 20. Bb3 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Nf6 22. Re1 Rad8 23. Be3 Rfe8 $11 {is a possible line, with continued equality despite White's two "extra" bishops.}) 19. Re4 Nd5 20. a3 {A point out of first, Nakamura isn't going to offer a repetition with 20.Re1.} (20. Bd2 {was another useful way to avoid repeating.}) 20... Re8 (20... Qb6 $11 {is still a good idea, intending ...Rad8.}) 21. Bd2 Nf6 $6 {Not so bad, but it invites fresh troubles. It was better (and simpler) to leave the beautiful blockader in place.} (21... Qb6) 22. Bg5 $1 h6 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. Qd2 Qg5 (24... Bd5 {looks attractive, and it's not bad, but it also helps White make progress with his attacking ambitions after} 25. Rg4 Be6 26. Nh5 Qd8 27. Rg3 {. Now Black is much worse unless he plays} Qh4 $1 28. Bxg6 fxg6 29. Nf4 Rad8 $11 {. White can safely grab on g6, but Black has enough compensation and will most likely regain the pawn thanks to his pressure against d4.}) 25. Re3 (25. Qc3 $14) 25... Nf4 {After something like 20 minutes, leaving himself with just 13 minutes or so for the last 15 moves of the time control. It's possible that this time (mis-) management wound up costing him the game.} ({The obvious} 25... Rad8 {was a sensible alternative.}) 26. h4 $1 {This strong move undermines the coordination of Black's pieces.} Qd5 $6 (26... Qd8 $1 $11 {was best, when the knight can still retreat to d5 (though g6 is a good option in some cases).}) 27. Re4 $1 (27. Be4 $143 Qd8 $1) (27. Ne4 $143 Qd8 $1) 27... Ng6 (27... Nxg2 $1 {This may be best, but a player needs a lot of time on the clock to be sure it works.} 28. Qc3 $1 (28. Kxg2 $4 f5 $19) 28... Bh3 $8 29. Kh2 $1 Nf4 $8 30. Rg1 (30. Rxf4 $4 Qg2#) 30... Rxe4 31. Nxe4 $1 (31. Bxe4 $4 Qd8 $19 {The queen's coming to h4, and it's game over.}) 31... Qf5 $8 32. d5 {Threatening Qxg7#.} Bg2 $8 33. dxc6 bxc6 34. Rxg2 Nxg2 35. Kxg2 Qg4+ $8 $11) 28. Rae1 $14 Nf8 $6 (28... Qd7 {was best, getting the queen to a more secure square while freeing d5 for pieces that can more effectively use it.}) 29. Re5 $16 Qd8 $2 (29... Qd7 {is better, keeping the rooks connected and b7 protected.}) 30. h5 $2 (30. Qf4 $18) 30... Bd7 $2 (30... Nd7 $1 31. Qd3 $1 Nf8 $1 $16) 31. Rxe8 $1 Bxe8 32. Nf5 $18 Qf6 33. Qb4 $1 {Threatening to take on b7...but not only the pawn on b7.} b5 $4 (33... Bd7 $142 34. Qxb7 Bxf5 35. Qxa8 $1 (35. Bxf5 Rd8 36. Be4 {should also win in the long run.}) 35... Bxc2 36. Re8 Qd6 37. Rc8 Bf5 38. Qb8 $1 Qxb8 $8 (38... Qe7 $2 39. Re8 $18 {is gg.}) 39. Rxb8 $18 {Despite the nominal material equality, White is winning this ending.}) 34. Ne7+ Kh8 35. Nd5 $1 {Oops. The threat of 36.Nxf6 is only the second-most important threat facing Black; #1 is 36.Qxf8#. As there's no way to prevent both threats from being executed, Caruana resigned.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.13"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Abasov, Nijat"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C01"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2632"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "125"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,125,19,28,28,28,54,27,29,32,34,15,0,0,31,-8,35,17,17,40,35,22,22,22,34,16,27,39,43,35,47,17,17,33,33,18,20,15,54,-1,41,12,21,13,41,11,7,11,104,60,60,45,189,1,9,21,21,23,42,22,40,38,47,54,44,44,56,25,17,8,13,35,33,21,21,15,18,27,41,32,43,11,35,22,22,-2,5,9,0,12,13,45,53,48,52,51,83,78,96,55,109,97,109,99,93,59,135,53,44,57,60,60,73,77,72,89,99,99,102,102,102,102,99,99,85,74,85,107]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 {A relatively toothless line, but one that keeps enough long-term potential for the stronger player to grind his opponent down.} Nf6 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 c5 {This is a position that often arises via an Exchange French move order, but two moves faster: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 c5.} (7... Bd6 {is the main line, when White introduces a little disharmony into Black's position with} 8. Qe2+) 8. O-O c4 9. Be2 ({I expected the more common} 9. Re1+ Be7 10. Bf1 {, but Nepo's way is a reasonably well-traveled alternative.}) 9... Nc6 (9... Bd6) 10. b3 {Black cannot maintain the grip on c4 with 10...b5 because the a8-rook is undefended (11.a4 a6? 12.axb5 axb5?? 13.Rxa8 and 1-0).} cxb3 11. axb3 Bd6 $11 12. c4 O-O {White's queenside pawns are more active in the center, but Black has full equality all the same.} 13. Nc3 h6 $11 (13... Bb4 $11 {is a nice alternative.}) 14. cxd5 (14. h3) (14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. cxd5 Nb4 16. Bc4 Bg4 $44) 14... Nb4 15. Ne5 $146 (15. Bc4 a6 16. Ne5 Bf5 $11 17. Qf3 Bh7 18. Bf4 Rc8 19. Rac1 Re8 20. Rfd1 Nc2 21. Ne2 Nb4 22. Nc3 Nc2 23. Ne2 Nb4 24. Nc3 {½-½ McShane,L (2674)-Lupulescu,C (2660) Douglas Manx Liberty 2021 (9)}) 15... Nbxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bc4 Be6 18. Qf3 {Given the players' time usage, it's a sure bet that they were both out of prep. Nevertheless, they're following in the footsteps of three prior games.} Bb4 (18... Be7 19. Bb2 a6 20. Qe4 Rb8 21. Qf3 Re8 22. Rfe1 Rf8 23. Re2 Rc8 24. h3 Rc7 25. Rf1 Bg5 26. Ree1 b5 27. Bd3 Nf4 28. Be4 f5 29. Bc6 Nd5 30. g3 Qd6 31. Ba3 b4 32. Bxd5 Bxd5 33. Bxb4 Qe6 34. Qh5 Rb8 35. Nc4 Qc6 36. Ne5 Qf6 37. Nd7 Rxd7 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. Rxb8 Qxd4 40. Qe8 Bf7 41. Bc3 Bxe8 42. Bxd4 Bf7 43. Be5 a5 44. Rb5 Bd8 45. Bc3 f4 46. Bxa5 Bxa5 47. Rxa5 Bxb3 48. gxf4 Rf7 49. Re1 Rxf4 50. Ra7 Bf7 51. Ree7 Kg6 52. Kg2 Bd5+ 53. Kf1 Rf7 54. Rxf7 Bxf7 55. Ra6+ Kg5 56. h4+ Kxh4 57. Ra7 Bg6 58. Rxg7 Kg5 59. Ke2 h5 60. Kf3 h4 61. Rg8 Kf5 62. Kg2 Bf7 63. Rf8 Kg6 64. Kh3 {1-0 Anurag,M (2490)-Saravana,K (2304) IND-ch 57th Majitar 2019 (11)}) 19. Qg3 $146 {Quite possibly the best move.} (19. Bb2 a6 20. Rfd1 b5 21. Bd3 Qd6 22. h3 Rac8 23. Bf5 Bc3 24. Bxc3 Rxc3 25. Rd3 Rfc8 26. Bxe6 Qxe6 27. Rxc3 Nxc3 28. Kh2 f6 29. Nd3 Qb6 30. Nc5 Qd6+ 31. Qg3 Qxg3+ 32. fxg3 Ne2 33. Rxa6 Nxd4 34. b4 Re8 35. Rd6 Nc2 36. Rd2 Nxb4 37. Rb2 Nc6 38. Rxb5 Re5 39. g4 Kh7 40. Kg3 Rd5 41. Kh2 Ne5 42. Ra5 Nc6 43. Rb5 Kg6 44. Kg3 Ne5 45. Ra5 Nc4 46. Rb5 h5 47. gxh5+ Kxh5 48. h4 Kh6 49. Kh3 Re5 50. g4 Kg6 51. h5+ Kh7 52. Kh4 Rd5 53. Kh3 Rg5 54. Kg3 Ne3 55. Kf4 Nxg4 56. Rb7 Rxc5 57. Kxg4 Kh6 58. Rb8 Rg5+ 59. Kf4 Kxh5 60. Rh8+ Kg6 61. Ra8 Rb5 62. Ra7 Rb4+ 63. Kg3 Kh6 64. Rf7 Ra4 65. Kf3 Kg6 66. Rb7 f5 67. Rc7 Kf6 68. Rc6+ Kg5 69. Rc3 g6 70. Rb3 Ra5 71. Rc3 Kh5 72. Rc8 Ra3+ 73. Kf4 Ra4+ 74. Kf3 Kg5 75. Rc3 Rh4 76. Rc6 Rh3+ 77. Kg2 Ra3 78. Rb6 f4 79. Rb5+ Kg4 80. Rb2 g5 81. Rc2 Kh4 82. Rc8 Kg4 83. Rc2 Rg3+ 84. Kh2 Rh3+ 85. Kg2 f3+ 86. Kg1 Rh8 87. Rc4+ Kg3 88. Rc2 Rb8 89. Rg2+ Kf4 90. Ra2 g4 91. Ra4+ Kg3 92. Ra1 Rb2 93. Rc1 Rh2 94. Rc3 Re2 95. Rc1 f2+ 96. Kf1 Re1+ 97. Rxe1 fxe1=Q+ 98. Kxe1 Kh2 99. Ke2 g3 100. Ke3 g2 101. Ke4 g1=Q 102. Ke5 Kg3 103. Ke4 Qc5 104. Kd3 Kf3 105. Kd2 Qc4 106. Kd1 Qa2 107. Kc1 Ke3 108. Kd1 Qd2# {0-1 Darpan,I (2112)-Balint,V (2271) Budapest FS10 IM 2021 (2)}) (19. h3 Re8 20. Rd1 a6 21. Qg3 Kh8 22. f4 f6 23. Ng6+ Kh7 24. Nh4 Bf7 25. Bd3+ Kh8 26. Nf5 Rg8 27. Bd2 Qd7 28. Bxb4 Nxb4 29. Bb1 Rad8 30. Kh2 Nd5 31. Ra2 Rde8 32. Ra5 Re2 33. Bd3 Re6 {½-½ Giroux,M (2142)-St Pierre,B (2264) CAN/C72/S ICCF email 2016}) 19... Kh8 20. Ra2 $1 {Avoiding a possible fork from ...Bc3 and looking to swing the rook into the center. Black's position is objectively equal, but precarious.} a5 21. Re2 Qb6 (21... b5 $5 22. Bxb5 $2 Nc3 $17 {/-+}) 22. Re4 {Anything less than the best move here - which requires seeing far more than a single move ahead - and White is already enjoying a clear advantage.} Nc3 $1 23. Re3 Bxc4 $1 24. Nxc4 Qxd4 {This looks nuts at first sight, but Black has calculated everything properly.} 25. Bb2 $1 {Threatening 26.Rxc3, winning.} b5 $1 {The only move.} 26. Rxc3 (26. Bxc3 Bxc3 27. Rxc3 bxc4 28. Rxc4 Qb2 $11) 26... bxc4 (26... Bxc3 $4 27. Bxc3 Qd5 28. Qxg7#) 27. Rc2 c3 $1 28. Rxc3 {The same trick again.} Bd6 $1 (28... Rg8 {was a decent alternative.} 29. Rc2 Qe4 $11) 29. Qf3 Be5 30. Rc2 Qf4 {Black has escaped. The coming endgame is almost certainly drawn, but because it's easier for White to target Black's a-pawn, stuck as it is on a dark square, than it is to Black to hassle White's b-pawn, Nepo can still try to make something happen.} 31. Qxf4 Bxf4 32. Rc4 Bd6 33. Rd1 Rfd8 34. Kf1 Kg8 35. Bc3 Be7 36. Rxd8+ Bxd8 37. Ke2 Kf8 38. Kd3 Bb6 39. f3 Rd8+ 40. Kc2 f6 (40... Rd5 {was a good, less committal alternative, looking to meet} 41. Rc8+ {with} Ke7 42. Bxg7 Rg5 43. Bxh6 Rxg2+ $11) 41. Rc6 Rb8 42. Kb2 Ke7 43. Ka3 Kd7 44. Rc4 Re8 $1 {In rook endings, even impure ones like this, the defender's rook is almost always best deployed in search of counterplay rather than passive defense.} 45. Rg4 g5 $1 46. Bxf6 Re2 {It may look as if White is a pawn up in an otherwise innocuous position, but White must show a little care. Black to move will play ...Bc5+ followed by ...Kc6, threatening ...Ra2#. To avoid this White swaps off the queenside pawns, but with all the pawns on one side Black's drawing chances are terrific.} 47. b4 (47. h4 $5 Bc5+ 48. Ka4 Kc6 {Threatening 49...Ra2#. White's reply is forced.} 49. b4 $8 axb4 50. hxg5 h5 51. Rg3 (51. Rh4 Rxg2 52. Rxh5 Bd6 $11) 51... Bd6 52. Rh3 Rxg2 $11) 47... axb4+ 48. Kxb4 Be3 49. h4 gxh4 50. Bxh4 Bc1 51. Kc4 Ke6 52. Rg7 Re5 53. Kd3 Bg5 54. Bf2 (54. Bxg5 hxg5 $11 {is a routine draw, as White lacks a passer.}) 54... Rd5+ 55. Ke2 Rd2+ 56. Ke1 Ra2 57. g3 Ra1+ 58. Ke2 Ra2+ 59. Kf1 Ra1+ 60. Kg2 Ra2 61. Kf1 Ra1+ 62. Kg2 Ra2 63. Kf1 (63. f4 Bf6 {Threatening both the rook and ...Bd4.} 64. Rh7 (64. Rg6 Kf5 65. Rxh6 Bd4 $11) (64. Ra7 $6 Rxf2+ $1 {and White is luckily still drawing as Black's bishop doesn't control the h-pawn's queening square.} 65. Kxf2 Bd4+ 66. Kg2 Bxa7 67. f5+ Kxf5 68. g4+ Kxg4 69. Kh1 $11) 64... Bd4 65. Kf3 Rxf2+ $1 $11 (65... Bxf2 $4 66. Rxh6+ Kf7 67. Rh2 $18)) (63. Ra7 Rxa7 64. Bxa7 h5 $11) 1/2-1/2