Annotated Chess Game 14607470

!? Usually, 11 Be3 or 11 c4 is played.

!? In this position, three times, 11...h6 has been played. Black was afraid of the answer 12 a5. However, in the game Tsikunov - Legemaat, ICCF 2017, Black achieved a draw.

!? As White has not yet played c3-c4, this nonstandard option was open.

Usual prophylactic preparation of the move f7-f5, avoiding possible Nf3-g5-e6.

! It is the beginning of a strong plan.

! I have read that Fischer first used such a plan of a blockade in such positions.

+/= Black has problems on the queenside.

! Black's initial tactical plan 16...c6 is ruined after calm 17 Nc3! the analysis shows.

A standard evacuation of the king in such positions.

Black hopes to gain some counterplay on the kingside. This manoeuvre is standard in such positions.

! A standard move in such positions. Black aims to play Bh6 to exchange one's passive bishop. Black also creates the threat of f5xg4 f3xg4 Nf6-g4 (and Qd8-h4) in some cases.

As the plan of Ng4 is deterred, Black's queen does not need to stay on d8. White is ready now to play 22 Nc6, and Black evacuates one's queen with this prophylactic move.

Not 24 Nxe7?? exf3! 25 Nc6 f2+ 26 Kxf2 Nxd5+ 27 Kg1 Nxc3. However, 24 Nxe4!? Nexd5 25 Ng5+ Kh8 26 f4 was a tactical option.

! The point is that White's knight N/c6 alone does not do anything scary on the square c6. It even hinders White's attack on the c-line. With the text move, Black blocks the pawn P/b5.

! Now or it is already too late. A standard manoeuvre in such positions. Black wants to get rid of one's passive bishop and of White's bishop that can attack Black's queenside.

A clever manouevre.

White threatens to attack Black's pawn P/c7 both with the knight and from the c-line.

White's direct attack on the c-line can be defended with Qe7, Ne8, and, if needed, Na8. Therefore, White cleverly tries to combine the pressure on the f-line with the attack on the queenside.

! From square f2, White's queen both attacks on the f-line and targets Black's knight N/b6.

?! 31...Qe7 was safer. With the text move, Black aims to exchange some pieces. After the exchange of dark-squared bishops, Black had the idea-fix that the knight N/b6 is in safe from now on. Unfortunately, White's queen Q/f2 also can do the job.

! I have to confess that I did not see this move. The following exchanges are forced.

! The open a-line is Black's only possibility. White is a pawn up, and it is a passed pawn. However, only a pair of queens and a pair of knights are on the board, while some of White's pawns are weak.

I did not understand the point of this move, but the chess engines are endorsing it.

Black's idea was Qa8-a4xb5. Also, in some cases, Nc4-d2xe4, or to get close to White's king.

!? Again, White cleverly combines the threats on the kingside with the passed pawn on the queenside. However, from now on, White's king is pretty open to checks, giving Black some additional drawing chances.

?! The chess engine says that better was 36...Qa1=. After the text move, in some variations, White can use the open h-line.

?! The chess engine says that 37...Qa5! 38 g5 Qe1+= was better.

! Now, Black is in serious trouble. White not only has an extra pawn - a passed pawn P/b5 on the queenside -, but White also threatens to intrude on Black's kingside with the move 39 Qf6+. The problem is that White threatens to take the pawn P/g6 with a check. After that, White's queen can return to h5 so that the knight N/d1 is defended again. Black's position is critical.

! A prophylactic move! Now, White's queen has to defend the knight N/d1, which, in turn, is pinned. If White plays with the king, then Black has won a tempo. Of course, not 38...Qc1?? 39 Qf6+ Kh7 40 Qf7+ Kh8 41 Qf8+ Kh7 42 Qh6+ Kg8 43 Qxg6+ Kf8 44 Qh5 Ne3 45 Qf3+ Kg8 46 Qxe3 Qxd1+ 47 Kf2, and White is two pawns up in the queens endgame. 38...Kg8 is Black's only hope.

Together with this move, White sent me a message that I was using the computer. Probably, he kept in mind the chess engine. In that message, my opponent called me insultingly a "looser". On his profile, that player from the US uses the phrase "Canadian idiots". I did not answer the message and blocked my opponent.

White has difficulties in simultaneously defending the pawn P/g5 and the knight N/d1. In other cases like 40 Qg4, White's pawn P/e4 is also weak, while White's king is vulnerable to checks. Therefore, I hoped that Black had good drawing chances. I had the following plan: after 40 Nf2 Qxg5 41 Qg4 Qxg4 42 Nxg4, Black's king quickly moves to the queenside and takes the pawn P/b5. After that, perhaps Black succeeds to sacrifice one's knight against two pawns to achieve a theoretical draw K + N vs K + 2P.

With this move, White offered a draw that was accepted. Note that White's last move gives away the extra pawn that is also a passed pawn. If White makes such a move and offers a draw, it is a piece of solid evidence that White is sure that Black can make a draw, whatever move White makes. However, how can White know for sure that the game ends with the draw in such a complicated position? The only explanation I see is that White, who accused Black of using the chess engine in the previous move, was itself using a chess engine. Anyway, now I hesitate to play chess on Red Hot Pawn. On the Forum, I have been labelled as "racist" and "far-right" without any reason, and two of my stronger opponents who failed to win me, have sent me insulting and accusing messages.