Chess.com 2023, 2nd round, S01E11 - the Fools' day
1st of April
The day starts with a timeout from saveliy. Here’s how the table looks like now:
It’s weird that’s with 19.5/20 I’m unlikely to make it to the next level. The engine approves of my play in the timed out game, but in reality, I didn’t have to do much there:
Out of the two remaining games, I want to move faster in the ifan game. In the faint chance it won’t end up in a draw, I’ll have better clarity on the strategy in the main game.
A few points:
- I must not move the pawn on d6.
- If I manage to get the black king to d2, and pawn to e3, it’s a win.
- The white king must not get to d3.
After a bit of calculation, it still looks like draws everywhere, just in a bit more creative way than the yesterday, when h and e pawns were still in action.
The only remaining question is whether to play Kf3 or Ke3. I think Kf3 gives me slightly more options, and white slightly less, so I’ll go with that.
Only 4 hours left on the main game, so I have to make a choice there. Kf4 is what I _want_ to play, but if there are lines that lead directly to a draw, I’d rather protract things with Kd2.
Bd5 is the critical move here. If black does not play that, I’ll go c4, and start a slow siege.
Bxd5, Rxd5 is a draw at best.
This was an imprecise statement. The engine gives this a +0.60, continuing the line a couple of moves:
I missed a fine chance here.
Kf3 after Bxd5 is a bit more interesting, but still looks like a draw:
Kf3 is actually the worse option. Black also has Rc8 as a response.
So, I shouldn’t take on d5. What alternatives are there? c4 is the more interesting option. The only reasonable response for black is Bxf3, since Be6 takes me into where I wanted to be, plus a tempo.
This looks like my best chance. There might be options to put a slow squeeze, or zugzwangs in the rook or pawn ending.
In the ifan game, we ended up here after a few moves. I feel a tad optimistic; if anyone can lose here, it’s white. (Though draw is still the expected result). The ideal scenario is to get the black king to d1 and the pawn to e2.
The problem is that once white gets the king to d3 and the rook to the e-file, it’s a dead draw. I also need to be careful about Rxe3, which can trigger a winning pawn endgame for white.
In the pruett game, black just played a5, which is a totally unexpected move:
Can’t I win a pawn here? b5 does not work.
Ra8 has different variations, but I feel good about it too:
There's several holes in these lines, specifically 29...Rd8 refutes white's sacrifice.
Rd8 is the most dangerous move.
This is (surprisingly) very close to the top engine line.
Actually, b6 might be even more dangerous:
I ended up playing Ra4, but to be completely thorough I should have evaluated a few alternatives for white. Not sure black had to play a5, but he succeeded in taking me sideways from the c4 plan hatched the other day.
Continued here: https://www.chess.com/blog/romank66/chess-com-2023-2nd-round-s01e12-all-things-must-pass