Black to move and win. How should black proceed?
Kosteniuk, Alexandra – Pogonina, Natalija (0-1)
European Chess Club Cup 2014 Women
Round 1
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa57. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Rc1 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba3 10. Rc2 b6 11. Be2 Ba612. O-O Bxe2 13. Qxe2 O-O 14. e4 Rfe8 15. Rd1 Rac8 16. e5 Nf817. c4 h6 18. Be3 Ng6 19. h4 Qa4 20. h5 Ne7 21. Nh4 c522. d5 exd5 23. cxd5 Nxd5 24. Rc4 Qc6 25. Bxh6 Qxh626. Rxd5 Qe6 27. Qd1 Bb2 28. Re4 Bd4 29. Rd6 Qxa230. Rdxd4 cxd4 31. Nf5 Qe6 32. Qg4 g6 33. Rf4 Rc1+ 34. Kh2 Rc735. Qg5 Qxe5 36. hxg6 fxg6 37. Qxg6+ Kh8 38. g3 Rh7+39. Nh6 Qe7 40. Rh4 …
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
40. Rh4, Rf8
41. White now is under attack and behind of material pieces.
40…Rf8 seems obvious – it defends f7 (white threatened Nf7+ with devastating consequences).
White has lots of ideas here, but nothing deems promising.
41. f4 Qf6 seems to lead nowhere for white.
41. Nf5 R:h4+ seems to lead to a quick win for black.
41. Rg4 Qf7 defends g8 (thanks to the pin of the Nh6)
41. Kg2 allows …Q:h4 followed by Rg7 leaving black with an easily won ending.
41. Kh3 Qf6 essentially forces a Q exchange, after which white has nothing.
I’m sure there are other attacking ideas for white, but it seems like the threat of 41…Qf6 makes it very difficult for white to keep on with her attack.
If black could just liquidate the heavy material, she would have a winning ending. This eventually led me to Rf8 which threatens Qf6 and Rxf2. I am certain this wins, but I keep feeling I am missing a stronger line here somewhere. In any case, the lines I find kill the knight in many cases- something I couldn’t immediately see without getting deeper into the line:
1. ……Rf8
2. f4
I will look at the 2nd move options for white in a moment. Continuing:
2. ……Qf6
The white queen can’t leave the knight. I really don’t see any counterplay for white now- black has everything sufficiently defended. If I were white I would just move the queen to h5 to prevent black from immediately exchanging the queens:
3. Qh5 d3
With the queen off the h7/b1 diagonal, black just push this pawn without worry. Continuing:
4. Kg2 d2
Further tying white’s hands. I don’t see how the knight is saved now.
At move 3 in the line above, playing Qg5 (not self-pinning the knight) is no better:
3. Qg5 d3
Black can exchange the queens and win comfortably, but white is totally paralyzed. I can’t think of a single thing white can do successfully here:
4. Kg2 d2 and the knight is still lost just to stop the d-pawn.
At move 2, white can move the knight immediately, but this doesn’t help:
1. ……Rf8
2. Nf5 Rh4 (liquidating material)
3. Nh4! Rf2
4. Kh3!
At least this line gives black something to think about- the move I would like to play here is Qe2 threatening Rh2#. The worry is that this might give white counterplay on the naked king, but I don’t think that is an issue with the rook covering the f-file and the queen covering the e-file. In addition, black can prepare blocks at e6 with check to force the queens off the board:
4. ……Qe2
5. Qh6 Kg8
6. Qg6 Kf8
7. Qd6 Kf7
8. Qd7
If Qd5, Qe6+ forces the queens off the board. Continuing”
8. ……Qe7! (threatens Qe6 or Qd7)
And the queens will be forced off the board.
Like I wrote, 1. …Rf8 surely wins, but have I missed a more forcing line? I don’t know- probably.
All I could see was …Rf8 also (guards against 41. Nf7+). But I couldn’t help feeling there has to be something more.
– Craigaroo