Chess Commentary Episode 20 -- A Land Called Honah Lee

[padperson]

you don't play Pxg6 (still strong) in that line at the end you were considering. You play Rxg6+ winning the house. The h pawn can't recapture due to Queen h8 mate and the f pawn is pinned by your bishop on b3. Mate is coming up.

And brrdmans idea seems fine. Because after 20. g5 Nh5 there's 21. Nf5! or even RxN followed by Nf5 and white is fine. The g pawn will advance. It's black who will have to settle for the perpetual.

I could be wrong, but this is classic Dragon territory. Nice play!

[sagacious00004]

21. Rxh5 does not work because the g-file is not open. 20. g5 Nh5 21. Rxh5 gxh5 22. Nf5 Bxf5 23. exf5 Qxc3 whats the follow up? My bishop is hanging he is coming into a1, I do not have any open files...it is just too slow

The whole point of Nf5 is to open up the g-file, if we do it after 20. g5 then we have an attack that is too slow after Qxc3.

[padperson]

you're wrong. g6 at the end, as I already said.

Black has a perpetual, shuttling the queen between a1 and c3. simple stuff. Or black can play Nf3+ and white plays Ke2 with probably other kinds of perpetual check that black really needs to take because white is threatening mate.

[sagacious00004]

I don't know where the debate is coming from. if he plays 24. g6 just 24...hxg6 25. fxg6 Qa1+ 26. Kd2 Nxf3+ 27. Ke2 Qg7 1-0 black is up an exchange and like 4 pawns...

[padperson]

White is totally winning in that line you gave. 28. gxf7+ Kf8 29. QxQ KxQ 30. KxN and white has a mighty passed pawn and is up a piece.

Maybe you forgot that the black knight is en prise after it moves to f3?

[sagacious00004]

i kept seeing a rook on f8 ;( hard to look at it without looking at the position again i think you're right but its still equal there...

[jrobichess]

"luckily he fell for the mate in one" - classic. =)

[brrrdman85]

Instead of Nf5, why not simply g5 attacking the defending knight? If he ignores it and goes straight for an attack with his queen it looks like he will run out of forcing moves and have to deal with your mate threats.

[sagacious00004]

If I play g5 he does not ignore it instead he plays Nh5 defending my attack. If I sac my rook I have gained nothing but a slower attack because I'll have to take extra time reopening the h-file.

[brrrdman85]

Ahh, I missed Nh5. Thanks.

What if after g5, Nh5 you continue the pawn storm with f4? Still too slow?

[sagacious00004]

It starts to get pretty murky at that point...let me see: 20. g5 Nh5 21. f5 Qxc3 seems to be pretty decisive 22. Kb1 [22. fxe5 (22.f5) Qa1+ 23. Kd2 Qxd4+ it is all over] 22...Nc4 23. Bxc4 he has his own mate threats now 23...Rxc4 now I am stuck because my attack is too slow and I now have to respond to his threats which are immediate and deadly, and I seriously doubt anyone can hold white's position here.