How Not To Cope...

... Against Higher Rated Players, Even With A Material Advantage.

In the following game, I make an excellent start against a player rated almost 200 points above me, who makes a mistake. I then proceed to not only throw away all my advantage and make the game even, but then make even MORE mistakes and end up losing! This is how the game turned out, annotations are my own. I would appreciate any input.

Why not 30. Rf1? I can't see anything he can do to prevent losing the exchange.

Another move I wasn't sure about is 52. Bd6, blocking the pawn. Maybe a different square was better? I don't know for sure, though. It seems like after that you had to do a lot of manuevering to get your pawns around your Bishop and King.

I think you were lost after all the manuevering, but 57. Kb7 may be a chance. If your opponent pushes his pawn and you push your c-pawn, he can't take the d-pawn or it's a draw due to your pawn being a Bishop pawn. If he doesn't take it, he still has to do something to stop the pawn, and when you push your d-pawn to support the c-pawn he can't take it or you'll be back at that K+BP vs K+Q endgame.

Never mind, that's wrong. I just looked at a tablebase (these things really come in handy) and it says in that position every move but Kd6 or Kb5 draws. Apparently you played the position fine until move 62, where Kb7 was necessary. The point is that Qf7 c7 draws (our Bishop pawn again).

On move 18 you got greedy and reaped a difficult harvest.

Interesting game.

We all make mistakes in better positions. Happens:) We all learn from it the value of staying concentrated and mentally present until the very end of the game.

One mistake that has gone unnoticed in your comments is:

12.b4 - you say that you expected fxe4 and that after you take back, the pawn duo would give you attacking chances. NICE general consideration, and I can't fault it. Trouble is, specific considerations outweigh general ones, and in this position black SHOULD 12...fxe4 and you can't 13.dxe4? becasue of 13...d3 forking rook (which would not even be an exchange...it's not defended, and you won't even get the g7 bishop in the mix, so you won't have even partial compensation) and bishop on e2.

That strange "dance" around e4 continues for a few moves:

Instead he plays the weird reverse developing move of 12...Na7 and I believe you should just close his bishop with 13.e5. The position is very complicated and interesting. I cann't say who's better even after some analysis (or even determine if it's equal). A better player may be able to answer that.

13.Bb2 allows 13...fxe4! again, and once again, 14.dxe4? d3 and the b2 bishop is misplaced:) exchaning the g7 bishop is not even close to sufficient compensation for the whole piece white would lose.

14.exf5! GOOD. Nice. take advantage of his mistakes. Good timing.

Even after he won your bishop back AND one of the pawn, white is crushing black easily. You haven't made any REAL change to the position.

22.Nh4! GOOD once again. Setting on the attack. Trouble is, you thought you were going after the pawn...:(

24.Nxf5 STILL leaves a winning position of course, but with so many pieces in the attack, why not 24.Bc1:)

With Bf4 and other rook to the f file soon. black is crushed.

On move 32, you say: "I can stay two pawns up, but that may not be enough" hmm in that position, more than enough. Should be winning. But it does require some technique now.

38. Kf2 is much better. pin doesn't matter because it can't be exploited, the pinned pawn is protected, and it's temporary. Playing without a king at this stage severely limits your chances though.

To be fair, I think it's still winning easily.

After a few minor errors it gets complicated again, and another big mistake is 46.Kxd4. It allows black too much. 46.Kd5 just gives you a better position.

You compare the two results, the one after kd5 and the one after Kxd4 Bf2+. If you didn't see how you can be worse in the latter, than you should be close to winning in the former...:)

But even after this, you're not worse I believe. just close to equal. don't think you're better too. hmm it seems like your passers are dangerous but...you will have to give a piece soon, and it's a lot.

I think playing 48. gxh5+ then 49. Kxc5 may have given you better chances, as it removes his pawn from the equation, and with a bishop and three pawns against a rook, you're almost guaranteed at least a draw as KB against KR is a draw.

Continuing, I believe 50.d5 was the only move to be played. one slow move in such a position equals resignation.

Trying to analyze it gives something like: 50.d5 Rxc2+ 51.Kb6 Rc4 52.Be3 and now dince 52...Rxg4 53.d6 looks can only be drawn or won for white, black will probably go 52...Kf6 53.Bf2 (notice how many forcing moves. Typical of endgames with weak pawns. if it's forcing, it's easy to calculate.

53...Rxg4 54.d6 and I can't see any way for black to may progress. should be drawn. At the very least black has a lot to think about.

50.c4 gives him a chance for a forced win, and an easy one at that (just take the g2 pawn). The sad truth is, there isn't an easier way in these endgames than to calculate as far as you can.

After 51...Rxg4, I have to disagree with your opinion. Black is winning.

After that move, I can't see any further mistake he made. You were losing from that point on, I believe.

Very nice game. Even when materially ahead, don't miss the chance for a good dynamic crush at 0 risk(such as Bc1 instead of Nxf5), an of course, endgames = lots of analysis. can't decide on general principles only.

I wonder if 22.Kh1 is worth a look.  Looks like it might be cleaner than Nh4. 

Normally, I'd aggree, but as I've said, an easy dynamic crush (with my suggested Bc1 instead of Nxf5 later) makes NH4 much much better.

Kh1 instead of Nh4 would allow black an exchange of queens (with Qg4) and reach a similar "winning but requiring accuracy" endgame that occured in the game. So, Nh4 is probably much better if you spot Bc1. If not... hmm, I have to agree, without the attack, Kh1 would be cleaner, so it's what to play if you don't notice the attack.

LoL, i believe you started losing the moment you played 1-f4

I don't know about "much much better" or "allows black an exchange of queens".  Seems to me, once those queens come off it's going to give a position that's easier to win and requires less accuracy than a kingside attack.  Maybe I'm just lazy.  In those positions I rarely even think about the enemy king, I'm just in mopping up mode.  It seems safer to me with both requiring technique, and both being winning ideas, to just accumulate static advantages rather than building up a dynamic advantage that you could throw away with a careless move.  Perhaps Nh4 is technically better, but I thought Kh1 was interesting and kinda neat. 

Unlucky Nytik you ran in to someone who played a great endgame.

I think most would have preferred to play whites side.

52 Bd6 seemed strange stalling the pawn advance and permitting the exchange was this the only play available.  

You tried to activate the bishop as would be expected, maybe the slower idea of Bc1 was better than 28 a4 especially if payed 24 through 26.

18 Ba6 as you said Bf3 was far better.

Overall a good game, it must have been frustrating to loose.

Thank You

John Boy

"After 51...Rxg4, I have to disagree with your opinion. Black is winning.

After that move, I can't see any further mistake he made. You were losing from that point on, I believe."

No, that's wrong. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be so sure of my opinion considering you're 2100, but I know because of this site: http://www.k4it.de/index.php?topic=egtb&lang=en which has all endgames with six pieces (counting Kings) or less. Both sides played perfectly from the point when the endgame simplified to six pieces until move 62. On move 62, White played Kc7 (which loses) whereas Kb7 draws due to Qf7 c7 leaving White with a Bishop pawn on the seventh vs. Queen and a draw.

"After 51...Rxg4, I have to disagree with your opinion. Black is winning

thanks for this SirDavid I only glanced through the game earlier, 52 Bd6 seems a suprising move as you remarked in your first post, I was asking Nytik if there was anything better possible.

I think I shall analyse for a day or two and re post.

BTW, Queen vs. two connected passed pawns is always a win for the queen. I learned that yesterday when I had the queen :)

if after 47. ... Bxc5 you had played 48. gxh5+  then white should win this endgame easily. The two connected passers with the King in front will be too difficult to stop and you simply play g3 and protect that pawn with your bishop and black will be forced to give up the rook for one of those pawns. Even if he manages both of them, the g pawn will decide the game.

Simply not true, as has already been said the position below is a draw.  Queen vs one pawn isnt even a win for the queen all the time.

Wow, a lot of response! Thanks guys! A special thanks to Grolich!

Now, for some comments... I had missed the intermezzo 48. gxh5+. That move would have at least secured a draw, even if I played awfully!

I was aware of the bishop-pawn on the 7th vs queen = draw rule (due to stalemates when I play Ka8! at some point, I can't be bothered to spell it all out) but was not aware that Kb7 would give me such a position.

Grolich, about Nh4... I MAY have been going for the attack when I played the game. It was over a week ago, and I don't keep notes. I just typed what I thought I was doing when I made the game earlier today. However, if I HAD been going for the attack, I may have seen Bc1, although my mind usually blocks these moves as anti-prophylactic.

 Returning after a day of analysis, well about ten minutes really. Nothing to add thats not been said before so I shall try to sneak away & apologies to Nytik for posting after your summing up. I thought there must have been a better bishop move than 52 Bd6 however the others I've checked eg Bh2 whilst I would suggest offer better practical chances against best play, regrettably for me at least its a no. Two or more posts correctly pointed out whites easily winning line on move 48 the gh5 inter' move. Its a classic endgame study I felt sure after this that whites two passed pawns should prevail but it wasnt to be. Given what moves preceded I think blacks engame play was of a great standard and Nytik was extremely unlucky to loose.

That's ok, 87654321, me summing up is not the be-all and end-all of my threads!  Thanks for your comments.

Amazingly SirDavid is right - 62. Kb7 is a draw