Positional play leads to endgame advantage.

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PrawnEatsPrawn

The only times I  play 1. d4 is when there's a Albin Counter Gambit tournament in session, my usual fare being 1. e4 and the riskier gambits. I surprised myself by playing simply and in positional style, for once. The key point in the game (it seems to me) is the transition from middle-game to a good endgame. The resulting Rook and pawn endgame illustrates the benefits of "active Rook" versus "passive Rook". No fireworks this time but I hope you enjoy the game anyway, my "Best win" so far:

 

 

PrawnEatsPrawn

"17. b3 does look solid enough, but 17. c5 followed by Ne4-d6 did seem to be on the cards and looked quite appetizing."

 

Yeah, that's the line the site analysis tool found. I decided it was too risky before I had a good look at it. Embarassed

zankfrappa

30. Re8 lead to black's demise.  He got a center pawn but white got a passed
pawn and soon a second connected one.

PrawnEatsPrawn
zankfrappa wrote:

30. Re8 lead to black's demise.  He got a center pawn but white got a passed
pawn and soon a second connected one.


To my way of thinking it's been on the slide for a while. What would you suggest as Black's 30th move?

WaterAlch

You did an amazing job at analyzing/annotating it! Nice Game!

PepeSilvia

23... Nc8?? would have lost even more quickly to 24. Rd8

PrawnEatsPrawn
PepeSilvia wrote:

23... Nc8?? would have lost even more quickly to 24. Rd8


Ha! ha! too true, shall correct now. Thanks.

zankfrappa

Instead of 30. Re8 I would suggest h6(not h5 as h6 gives black one more waiting move).

Black really has little chance but he just can't allow passed pawns with so few
pieces left.

PrawnEatsPrawn

"Instead of 30. Re8 I would suggest h6(not h5 as h6 gives black one more waiting move)."

 

 

The move 30. .... Re8 wasn't a bad move because Black had no good moves. When my Rook landed on d7 the game was already practically over. I can continue to improve my position whilst Black has to sit and suffer... I have the position "dominated". Do you see this now?

zankfrappa

I agree.  My logic was play h6 and hope for an error as black was almost in zugzwang.

I see no way for black to defeat two connected pawns so I considered h6 the lesser
of two evils but I didn't analyze it. 

PrawnEatsPrawn

Yeah it's particularly horrible for Black after Rd7 and the fact that I have use of the c7 square for my Rook means that Black's King can never chase the Rook off the 7th rank (his King-side pawns start to fall). Black has a King shackled to the defence of his King-side pawns and a Rook tied to the defence of his Queen-side, meanwhile White improves his position. At some point something has to give and I guess my opponent "went for it" before I'd had too many moves to improve my lot.

JG27Pyth
zankfrappa wrote:

I agree.  My logic was play h6 and hope for an error as black was almost in zugzwang.

I see no way for black to defeat two connected pawns so I considered h6 the lesser
of two evils but I didn't analyze it. 


-- the typical mistake, I believe, in a position like this is clinging to the raft with a passive waiting move like h6. If there is a correct move it's to activate the rook even if it costs a pawn.  Black is losing, but if he's to have any chance at all it's with an active rook.

But Prawn gets it right when he says: ...When my Rook landed on d7 the game was already practically over. I can continue to improve my position whilst Black has to sit and suffer... 

The instinct at least, to activate the rook at the cost of a pawn, is correct. But here,  Re8 doesn't work... It doesn't generate enough counterplay. And I don't see else Black can try to do...

It's an instructive postion IMO... at move 30 I think it's easy to see Black is worse, but I think a lot of improving players miss that he's dead lost... but unless I'm missing some important resource, I think Black is indeed dead lost there.

zankfrappa

I still don't believe h6 is a mistake any more than Re8.  That rook is not really active against two passed pawns.  Either way loses for black.

Steelfury

post more im learning lots from you and your excellent explanations

ps my biggest win was against you (you must have fell asleep!)