Chess.com 2024, 2nd round, E11 - At the edge of the abyss
5th of April 2024
Couple more moves happened in the Tautzies white game – where he went Rc8 which is yet again a leftfield move:
Not so leftfield, as it puts up the spectre of e5. Immediate e5 or f5 were slightly better, but Rc8 is a decent move too.
Rf1 seems like the main option here – to go after the f6 pawn. Will check it out later in the day.
Fast-forward to "later in the day", quick check shows that Rf1 does not work because of e5, hence the next candidate is Rc1.
Long story short, Rc1 looks good:
This was a decent calculation, with Rc1 being one of the top choices. The eval is still at +0.4, as despite of all the complicated dancing around, there were no major changes in the structure.
If we were playing in the 80s, this is the point where one of us would have had to seal the envelope as we arrived at the 40th move and breathe a sign of relief. This is definitely one of the most complicated games I ever played.
Closer look at the black Fabio game shows that I again underestimated things; the march of the h-pawn is more venomous than it looked like two days ago. I might have to fight for a draw there:
The main problem is that white can go all the way to h7 before I manage to put the knight there and solidify the kingside, so my comment after 22. Nf3 was wishful thinking. Not sure why I didn’t notice that before.
Indeed, sloppy calculation was the cause. I did not realize before that the pawn on h7 can’t be taken. At least I kept the composure here, despite being fairly sure that my tournament is done.
In the black Tautzies game, he went Qc3 rather than a6 which I’ve been calculating to death yesterday.
He’s inviting me to play d4, with the likely idea of blocking on d3. I see all kinds of interesting ideas, though am probably missing something again. Either way, it’s a let off compared to all the double-edged complications I was staring at in the a6 lines:
This is not a mistake, but it gives me certain chances. I suspect white wanted to keep things safe, and navigate to draws in both games.
d4 is both the natural and the correct choice. The engine suggests a few improvements in the Qc7 line, but overall the ideas above are decent. I’m doing better in games with a clear plan and minimal tactical craziness.
17-45: Tautzies went Kg6 in the white game:
The top line again. The move is not that hard to find, since white was threatening Nxe6+, and moving the rook back to d8 is a tempo loss.
I was planning Kf3 here, which creates interesting threats of my rooks piling up on the g-file. The best move from his side is e5 in my opinion:
After a very long set of calculations, I can’t find a good antidote to the e5, Nd6 setup followed by f5. Extremely frustrating.
Stockfish agrees with the overall decision, if not with the lines. The eval is almost at zero now due to black’s masterful defense.
At least in the black game, I seem to have a way forward, as he adopted a defensive stance with Qd3:
Finally, my opponent is giving me a chance. Qc7 was the right move, which is what I was expecting and calculating. I guess in his desire to push for a draw, he went too passive.
Nd7 seems like the obvious move here, I just need to check out Rc6.
Looks like Nd7 is my only option, but even here, draw is as likely as a win. This chap is putting some massive resistance in both games…
The eval is now -0.7, so yes, a draw is as likely as a win, but the latter is now a distinct possibility. In the Rc6 line, I missed a fine move – Qb8, which would have won the game instantly due to the threat of Ne5. Either way, Nd7 was the natural and the correct choice.
6th of April 2024
Tautzies got his two points from Vedant, as expected:
So did Fabio. Also, Tautzies played e5 in my white game, as expected. I think a win is firmly out of my grasp now:
I have 4 moves here:
- d5, which I analyzed to death yesterday
- Rg2+, which was also analyzed to death
- Ke3 and dxe5, which I didn’t even consider as they looked bad. I’ll try those out just in case there is some needle hiding in a haystack
Nd7 is also an interesting option, but it fails to Rxc1 and Rh1.
dxe5 doesn’t work well because of Nxe5.
Ke3, as expected, also doesn’t work.
Found an interesting idea with doubling rooks on the g-file, which is negated by Nh8! I’m sure my opponent will find it.
Back to the labyrinths of d5. At this point, I’m almost concerned of losing…
In the end I decide to go for the combination of Rg2+ and d5. Don’t see a win there, but there’s a guaranteed draw, and the odd chance my opponent may go wrong.
That was the right practical decision, as unlike other options it required black to find a few moves.
17-25: After a bit of a hike and lunch near Morgan Hill, I’m back to the game. No surprises in the last move:
I’m very tempted to play Rcg1, as he’d have to find Nh8 to stay alive. However, if he _does_ find it, that might be lights out for me. After a while, I also see Ng5, so Rcg1 is definitely off the books:
So, d5 is my only option to keep the game alive, but I doubt it will go on for much longer…
And again, the right practical choice, though the eval stays at a tiny plus.
Now, to the black game, where things look a bit more promising:
I did not write down my thoughts on this game as last few black’s moves were no-brainers, but my opponent gave me a chance here by allowing the bishop to be exchanged, and the d-pawn to get to this point. The eval is now -2.5, which is more than I could’ve hoped for.
I need a plan. White can hold the blockade on d2 as much as he wants, so I either will need to exchange queens in a favourable situation, or somehow win the a5 pawn as well. This requires tying both the queen and the rook to d2, and having the white pawn at a6, so that my d3 pawn will remain protected if and when I take it. So, something like Qd4-Qc3-c6+? Let’s try it on the board:
Obviously, white doesn’t have to obey. For starters, can he avoid pushing the pawn to a6? The queen has to protect d2 and attack d3, so it cannot move. He can play a waiting move, such as Kh2.
What if I exchange queens on e3, get the pawn on f5, and then get the king into the action? That leads to a draw:
Looks like my best bet is to go to a queen ending with extra pawn:
That sample line shows that I’ve got a chance. At this point it goes without saying, but I’m sure he sees something I don’t.
The lines are mostly correct. I missed some Qd5+ followed by Qb5 options, but overall, the main ideas are captured. This kind of position plays to my strengths.
The black Fabio game looks very ominous:
I’m staring at an endgame pawn down. In fact, that might even be a good outcome. In the worst case, there might be a loss – which is a repeat of the loss to a 1700 player last year.
The position is dead lost, so the worst case is also the realistic case.
In the white game, things are also very murky:
This is the last game to deviate from a predecessor (3 weeks after the tournament kicked off). I looked at Nc4 before, and earmarked Na4 as the refutation, but did not calculate a lot. Time to do so…
What options does black have? bxa4 just loses a pawn, so presumably Qc6 and Qb7. Back from afar, I was looking at Qc6 as the leading candidate, as it prepares for pressure on the a8-h1 diagonal and does not leave a tempo for white after the inevitable Nc5. However, I now see that white has a very tempting option with Ne5. Let’s explore that.
At this point, the eval is -0.6, so black has more than equalized. While I found the right moves, my thinking of black’s options is flawed. Bxa4 is not losing a pawn, and keeps the eval at -0.6, since the bishop can be activated with Be4.
Ne5 does not work because of Qe4. So, Na4 is still the idea, though the lines there are double-edged.
Fabio speeds things up, and makes a move in the black game. It feels like a reprieve, as he went Nxg5 rather than Rxh7.
Indeed, this is where white started going off-track. The eval is still +2, but if he played Rh1, the game would have been as good as over.
I’ll check this out tomorrow, but I think this gives me Rg7 with a chance to defend.
Continued here: https://www.chess.com/blog/romank66/chess-com-2024-2nd-round-e12-turning-the-ship-around