What would happen with 34. Bc3 ? I saw it during the game but thought it didn't work, but now I think it wins a pawn, (34. ... e5), what am I missing that I saw during the game?

First. Congratulations on playing such a nice game!

It seems your overall strategy works and fits you and especially with this opponent. Dread seems to be more willing to simplify even this seems to me as by the move 21.Bd2 you are better.

What I like best about whites position is his pawn island on a2-b2. What I like best about your position is one extra pawn, that the two of whites pawns are unprotected and that you have MOVE.

There is one open file and one half open file. It seems pawn structure is good for with diagonals for both bishops to run about.

I don't like 21...Kf8? It gives white chances to do something with the time - either just develop his position or create threats - and as in the game take the open file. I would like to find something more forcing here or something that at least something that appears more forcing. Kf8 uses one half move to move king even you don't know if you need the king specifically there or maybe possible later on other 4 squares next to it.

21...Bd6! The more I look at it the more I like it. It threatens h2-pawn, threatens to go on e5 where it threatens two pawns. Overall it seems good adjustment for the position. It seems all the whites best reactions are some how commitments against which black seems to have resources.

22.g3 Rc8! (Takes the open file.)

Here's white's may simplify things furthermore and looking at your game maybe this is what Dread would have taken.

23. Rc1 Rxc1 (I would have been happy to simplify.) 24. Bxc1 e5 26.Be3 a6 (Saving the pawn.) 25. Kd3 Kf7 (Here the move for king from Kg8 is Kf7. Of course black didn't know that many moves back but he didn't know otherwise...) 29.Bb6 f5 30.gxf5 gxf5 31. h3 e4 32.Ke3 Bh2 33. Bd8 Ke6 34.b3 Bg1 35.Ke2 d4 36.fxe4 fxe4 (Pictoresque two pawns on the middle.)



37.Bg5 Bh2 38.Bd8 Bf4 39.Kf2 d3 40.h4 Kd5 41.h5 Bd2 42.Bb6 Bb4 43.Be3 Bc5 (Black is willing to exchange the bishops on this position.) 44.Bxc5 Kxc5 45.Ke3 Kb4 46.Kd2 (White cannot take as then black can advance his pawn on d2.) 47.Kd1 e3 48.Ke1 Kc3 49.Kd1 e2 50.Ke1 Kc2 51.b4 d2 52.Kxe2 d1Q -



Even computer suggests this was blacks best defense I myself would have liked maybe to complicate matters and I wouldn't have liked to simplify if possible.

For instance:

23.Be3 a6 (Saving the pawn.) 24.Rd1 f6 (Keeping the pawn chain whole.) 25.Ke2 Kf7 (Once again.) 26.a3 g5 27.b4 Rc4 28.Rd2 h5 29.Rd3 Rc2 30.Bd2 Rb2 31.Ke3 h4 32.f4 gxf4 33.gxf4 Rc2 -/



Other whites take against 21...Bd6! could have been:

22.h3 Rc8 (Here there is again time for the open file.) 23.Rc1 Rxc1 24.Bxc1 e5 (It is pretty much the same but now white has committed and specified his pawn chain early on.) 25.g4 f5 26.gxf5 Kf7 27.Bg5 Be7 28.h4 Bxg5 29.hxg5 30.h5! 30.gxh6 gxh6 (Black has one passed pawn. There's not enough resources for white to shut the flow now.) 31.b4 32.Kf6 33.a4 Kxf5 33.b5 Ke6 (Here black has enough time to prevent white a and b pawn to promote themselves to task force.) 34.a5 Kd6 35.Ke2 h5 (Driving white king into many directions.) 36.b6 axb6 37.a6 Kc6 (Again black has just enough time to take a-pawn.) 38.f4 exf4 39.Kf3 (So is there still enough time for white king to take them all?) b5! (No.) 42.a7 Kb7

And third way for white to go 22.Kf2 Rc8. Here white doesn't have no other choice than to exchange. For instance 23.Ke2?! Bxh2! Gives black h-pawn.

24.b4 (Looks strong, but behold.) Rc2 25.Kd3 (Looks, yea yea.) Rb2 26.a4 Be5 (Prepares for discovered attack like ...Rxd2 ...Bxa1 and black would suddenly be a bishop better.) 27.Rc1 Rxd2 28.Kxd2 Bf4 29.Kd1 Bxc1 30.Kxc1 Kf8! (Now black king needs to hurry to those pawns.) 31.b5 Ke7 32.a5 Kd6 33.g4 e5 34.Kc2 d4 35.Kd3 Kc5 36.b6 axb6 37.a6 Kc6 38. f4 exf4 39.Kxd4 f3 40.a7 Kb7



There were the lines I worked on today. Hopefully verbalising endgame helps me on my own endgames also. Lot of interesting lines here, so I thank you for sharing the game!

Lauri stole my thunder, mostly. White's Rook was so active in the endgame; it caused a lot of problems. 21. Rb8 W-moves 22. Bd6 was my first consideration. The Bishop on d6 prevents White's Rook from penetrating on c7. But taking the c-file straight out might be the better route.

to the author of the webpage:

I have two friends that are in a different country. i'd like to start a blog on blogspot, that has three chess games going. me vs. guy 1, me vs. guy 2 and guy 1 vs. guy 2. how do i get an embedded chess board that can be used to track these games, some what like the one you have on your page? or at least just the pictures of one that can be changed around by us three players? any help would be appreciated. thank you. my email is gigliott2000 at yahoo dot com. i will bookmark your site, it looks great. thanks

I wanted to say thank you for your earlier review of the Shredder engine. It convinced me to buy the program and I am loving it!!! I had some problems with Fritz and was waffling on which one to buy. Thanks for the good advice!

DreadPirateJosh--say, I never got that invite to your other blog.