Horsham Club Championship 2011-12: Kington – Mansson Finished

   [Event "Horsham Club Championship"]  [Site "Horsham"]  [Date "2011.10.4"]  [White "Kington, Paul"]  [Black "Mansson, James"]  [Result "1/2-1/2"]  [Eco "D97"]   1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 Nc6   {This is one of a number of moves as Black's disposal. Other popular possibilities are  7...Na6, 7...a6 and 7...Bg4.}   8.d5   {?! This is not critical.}   Na5 9.Qd3 c6 {=} 10.dxc6   {White cannot exploit the lack of retreat squares for the knight on a5, since after  10.b4? Nxe4! 11.Nxe4 Bxa1 12.bxa5 cxd5 White clearly has lots of problems.}   Nxc6 11.Be3 Qa5   {This attempt to keep the queens on doesn't work in view of White's reply.  Instead, Black has a couple of promising alternatives:  (a) 11...Nb4 12.Qxd8 (12.Qe2 Qa5 is bad for White.) Rxd8 13.Rc1 Ng4 14.Bg5 Be6 15.Bxe7 Nxa2 16.Nxa2 Rd7 17.Ba3 Bxa2 and Black's lead in development keeps up the pressure on White;  (b) 11...Ng4 12.Qxd8 (12.Bc5 Qa5 13.Ba3 b5 and the threat of ...b4 is decisive; 12.Bf4 Qb6 is bad for White) Rxd8 13.Bf4 Be6 sees Black maintain the initiative.}   12.Qb5 {! =} Qxb5 13.Bxb5 Nb4 14.O-O-O   {?! This is dubious as the king is exposed. 14.Rc1= is the better option.}   Be6 {=/+} 15.Kb1 a6 16.Be2 Ng4 17.Nd4   {White has to allow the capture on e3: 17.Bd4 Bxd4 18.Rxd4 Nc6 19.Rd2 Nxf2 favours Black.}   Nxe3 18.fxe3 Bc8   {18...Bd7 was the obvious alternative, but I rejected that because of  19.Nf5. However, after 19...Bxf5 20.exf5 gxf5 21.Rd7 Black seems to be doing well after  Rab8 because of 22.Rxe7 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Nd5}   19.a3 Nc6 20.Nd5 e6 21.Nb6   {21.Nxc6 bxc6 22.Ne7+ Kh8 23.Nxc8 (23.Nxc6? Bb7 -/+) Rfxc8  leads to a position where the weaknesses in both camps probably balance out.}   Rb8   {White now has a bind to compensate for his weak pawn structure. However, he now  goes wrong by trying to force a draw based on opposite coloured bishops,  which in fact puts him back on the defensive.}   22.Nxc8   {?! White should just keep this knight on b6, and pose the question:  how is Black going to unravel his position.}   Rbxc8 {=/+} 23.Nxc6 Rxc6 24.Rc1 Rb6 25.Rc2   {?! This leads to the loss of a pawn and continued pressure on White.  25.b4 looks bad, but ...a5 can safely be met by b5, when the advantage of the  opposite-coloured bishops is apparent. Also, Black will find it hard to penetrate the White position,  unlike in the game.}   Rb3 26.Bf3 Be5 27.h3 b6 28.Ka2 Rxe3 29.Rd1 Rb8 30.Rc6 Kg7 31.Rd7  Kf6 32.a4   {?! This allows Black to prise open the queenside and attack b2.}   a5 33.Rd1 b5 34.axb5 Rxb5 35.Rd2 Reb3 36.Rcc2 a4 37.Be2 Rb7 38.Bc4 R3b6   {Black has White in a vice, but an immediate breakthrough is not apparent. Black  would like to play ...a3. Then capturing with the king is obviously suicidal,  while bxa3 allows ...Rb1. However, when now White moves his bishop to d3, he prevent this.}   39.Rf2+ Ke7 40.Bd3 Kf8   {I now rejected the immediate breakthrough with a3, as Black cannot play ...Rb1,  however it seems that Black has other possibilities, which I overlooked:  40...a3! 41.bxa3 (41.Kxa3 Ra7+ forces mate.) Rb3. Although White has prevented Bb1,  the text move looks strong. (41...Rb1? is countered with 42.Rxf7+ Kxf7 43.Rf2+ Ke7  44.Bxb1, which is fine for White.) 42.Ba6 R7b6 43.a4 Bd6 44.Bb5  Ra3+ 45.Kb1 Rxa4 46.Rb2 Rxe4 47.Bd3 Re1+ 48.Kc2 Rxb2+ 49.Kxb2 Rg1  and Black's winning chances look excellent.}   41.Bc4 Ke7 42.Bd3 Bd4   {Here we reach the time control, so White sealed a move. I analysed this position before resuming and  found a win against three of White's defences, but unfortunately for me, I overlooked a  forth possibility for White!}   43.Rfd2   {43.Rfe2 should be met by 43...Kf6 followed by ...Ke5, with similar play to 42 Rfd2.  43...a3 doesn't work with the bishop on d4 rather than e5, because after  44.bxa3 Rb3 45.Ba6 R7b6 46.a4 Black cannot play ...Bc5.}   Kf6   {43...Be5 44.Rf2 is a draw by threefold repetition.}   44.Ba6 Rd7 45.Rc4   {45.Be2 Ke5 46.Bf3 (46.Bd3 Bxb2 47.Rxb2 Rbd6 48.Rb5+ Kf4 wins.)  Rdb7 47.Re2 a3 48.bxa3 (48.Kxa3 Ra7#) Rb1 wins.}   Rxa6 46.Rdxd4 Rxd4 47.Rxd4 Ke5 48.Rd7   {This is the move that I failed to look at in my adjournment analysis! This was  especially embarrassing, as it represents what is in a sense White's most obvious approach  in a rook and pawn endgame. Instead, 48.Rc4 h5 49.Rb4 Kf4 50.Rc4 e5 51.Ka3 Kg3 52.Rc2 f5 53.exf5  gxf5 54.Re2 e4 55.Kb4 Rf6 56.Kxa4 Kf4 wins for Black.}   f5   {? Here I missed the best move: 48...f6! allows Black to preserve his extra pawn. 49.Rxh7 Kxe4  is then clearly very strong for Black.}   49.exf5 gxf5   {49...exf5 50.Rxh7 was no better.}   50.Rxh7 Kf4 51.Rg7 Rd6 52.g4 Rd3 53.gxf5 exf5 54.Ra7 Rd4   {(a) 54...Rxh3 55.Rxa4+ Kg3 56.Ra3+ Kg2 57.Rxh3 Kxh3 58.b4 f4 59.b5 f3 60.b6 f2 61.b7 f1Q 62.b8Q  is obviously a draw; (b) 54...Ke3! 55.Re7+ (55.Rxa4? f4 seems to be fatal for White,  as the f-pawn is too strong.) Kf3 56.h4 Kg4 was a better try, as the Black rook is less well placed.}   55.h4 Kg4 56.Rh7 f4 57.h5 f3 58.Rf7   {White offered a draw, which Black decided to accept as he couldn't see a way to win.  (a) 58...Kxh5 59.Rxf3 clearly poses White no problems;  (b) 58...Rf4 59.Rxf4+ Kxf4 60.h6 f2 61.h7 f1Q 62.h8Q is equal;  (c) 58...Rd5 59.h6 Rh5 60.h7 Kg3 61.Rg7+ Kh2 62.Rf7 Kg2 63.Rg7+  Kf1 64.Rf7 f2 looks like a draw, as Black cannot both evade the checks and support the f-pawn.  The Black rook has to watch the White h-pawn, and so cannot be used to shield the king from  the opposing rook.}   1/2-1/2