John Jestico (Essex) v Jon Hunt

[Event "Southend Easter Chess Congress U1600"] [Site "Southend Adult Community College"] [Date "2024.03.30"] [Round "4"] [White "John Jestico"] [Black "Jon Hunt"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1438"] [BlackElo "1490"] [EventDate "2024.03.30"] [ECO "A22"] {I come to the Southend Easter Congress (it's my second year - of many, I hope) just to get games as closely fought as this one. I hope it entertains our website readers half as much as it entertained the players!} 1.c4 {I had forgotten that John plays the English until shortly before the game. Last time we played (Round 1 of last year's congress) he went wrong in his own opening. No such luck this year...} 1...Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 {I was careful to give John the same defence I offered last year, hoping he would play the same line with 3.g3.} 3.e3 ( {Last year's game continued} 3.g3 Nc6 4.a3 d5 $1 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nxd5 $2 Qxd5 $17 {and you might wonder how Black didn't win from here.} ) 3...Nc6 4.d3 d5 $1 5.d4 $2 dxc4 ( 5...exd4 $1 6.exd4 dxc4 7.Bxc4 Qxd4 8.Qe2+ Be7 9.Nf3 Qc5 $15 {gives Black a slim edge out of the first skirmishes.} ) 6.d5 $1 Nb4 7.Bxc4 c6 ( {Here's a line for next year against John:} 7...Bf5 $1 8.Qa4+ c6 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.Nf3 Bc2 $1 11.b3 Nd7 12.O-O Nb6 13.Qa5 Nxc4 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8 15.bxc4 f6 $17 ) 8.Qb3 $2 cxd5 ( 8...b5 $1 9.d6 Bxd6 10.Bxf7+ Kf8 $1 {is nothing at all to fear for Black:} 11.Nf3 Nd3+ 12.Kf1 Nc5 13.Qc2 Kxf7 $19 ) 9.Nxd5 Nc2+ $2 ( {I thought} 9...Nbxd5 10.e4 {was disaster, but by no means:} 10...Nf4 $1 {Black is a piece up, and losing only a pawn on f7. Do the math!} 11.Bxf4 exf4 12.Bxf7+ Ke7 $1 13.Ne2 Qb6 $17 ) 10.Qxc2 Nxd5 11.Qb3 $1 {Ah, I hadn't thought of that.} 11...Be6 12.a3 $6 {John appears a bit too scared of the other knight trying the same trip to c2.} 12...Qb6 $1 {A good practical get-out from this messy opening.} 13.Qxb6 axb6 $1 $10 {I rightly allow doubled pawns on the b-file, and not the e-file. White has nothing useful out of his early attack.} ( 13...Nxb6 $6 14.Bxe6 fxe6 $14 {isn't a lot worse, but it's worse.} ) 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.Nf3 f6 16.Bd2 Kf7 $1 {Black makes sure his king is safe before entering into any further complications.} 17.O-O g5 18.Rfc1 Bd6 19.e4 Ne7 $6 ( 19...Nc7 20.Be2 Rhc8 $10 ) 20.Rd1 $6 ( {I had expected to see} 20.Be3 $1 {at once.} 20...Nc8 21.Rc3 Rd8 22.Rac1 Na7 23.Be2 b5 $14 {all looks very difficult for Black.} ) 20...Bb3 $1 21.Rdc1 Be6 $6 {Inviting a repetition, but risky if John finds Be3 now.} 22.Rc3 {Phew!} 22...Rac8 23.Rac1 Rxc3 24.Rxc3 Rc8 25.b4 g4 $5 26.Rxc8 ( {I suspected John wouldn't be happy to send the knight to the rim:} 26.Nh4 $1 h5 27.f3 Rxc3 28.Bxc3 gxf3 29.gxf3 f5 30.Nxf5 Nxf5 31.exf5 Bxf5 $14 {Any edge here is White's, but it looks drawish.} ) 26...Nxc8 27.Ne1 $6 Na7 28.Be2 Nc6 29.Be3 Bc7 $14 {I was unhappy to have to defend the pawn so passively, but it still looked like a drawn position to me, and the engine still agrees. With this move, I made my one draw offer of the game. John rightly saw plenty more play left in the position, and an opponent slipping behind on the clock, and turned it down flat.} 30.Bb5 Na7 31.Ba4 $6 b5 $1 32.Bd1 Nc8 $1 33.f3 h5 34.Nd3 b6 $6 {The pawn becomes the e3-bishop's new target.} ( {Black should allow Nc5:} 34...Nd6 $1 {clearing the c8-square} 35.Nc5 Bc8 $10 ) 35.Nf2 gxf3 36.Bxf3 Kg6 {Forced, and it felt as if I was only just clinging on to the game.} 37.h4 Nd6 38.Be2 Bc4 $5 {Oh, for a passed pawn to drive play!} 39.Bd1 {No such luck...yet.} 39...f5 $5 {I'm not going down without a fight.} 40.exf5+ Nxf5 $1 {Black has his passed pawn at last, and with a tempo hit.} 41.Bc2 $1 {Hang on, you mean it was a good move to walk into this pin?} 41...Be2 $2 {Wrong way.} ( {But the pin was no problem if I just played this elegant deflection:} 41...Bb3 42.Bb1 Ba2 43.Be4 Bd5 $10 ) 42.Bg5 $1 {Now I'm in trouble.} 42...Bc4 43.Ne4 $4 {John touched the knight to play this move, then put it back down and had another think. He might wish he had then played it to d1 instead, but in fact he went through with his original choice, despite the fact that it cuts the awkward pin I'm in.} 43...Nd4 $1 44.Bd1 $10 {It's a wonder I'm still in this game, especially with my clock running on fumes and the increment, but somehow I am.} ( 44.Bb1 $1 $18 ) 44...Nf5 $6 {An odd attempt at a repetition - but I sensed I should be glad of a draw after the game I'd had.} 45.g3 $6 {I was sure John needed to keep this square clear for the knight. I was right about that.} ( 45.Kf2 $1 Ng7 46.Ng3 $14 ) 45...Bd3 $1 46.Nf2 e4 $2 {Finally! My passed pawn starts rolling. Unfortunately, the engine is not mesmerised by it as my opponent was.} 47.Kg2 $2 ( 47.Bxh5+ $1 Kxh5 48.g4+ {Ouch. This assures White of a draw.} 48...Kg6 49.gxf5+ Kxf5 50.Nxd3 exd3 51.Kf2 Ke4 52.Ke1 Be5 $10 ) 47...Bxg3 $1 $17 {It has only taken me 47 moves to get the engine to swing in my favour. Beware the long-range bishop!} 48.Nh3 $2 Bxh4 49.Bd2 {John still has his tactical wits about him and eyes a fork on f4.} 49...Ng7 $2 {The trouble is I'm now under five minutes on the clock, so I need to start making moves within the 30 second increment to stay alive. I picked this as something solid that couldn't lose on the spot. It doesn't, and Black is still much better.} ( {It turns out John's fork doesn't work!} 49...e3 50.Nf4+ Kg5 51.Nxd3 exd2 52.Kf3 Be1 53.Ke2 Ng3+ 54.Kf3 h4 55.Nf4 Kf5 56.Bc2+ Kf6 $1 57.Bd1 Nf5 58.Nh3 Ke5 59.Ke2 Kd4 $19 ) 50.Nf4+ Kf5 51.Nxd3 $1 {A good decision under pressure - John keeps the bishop pair, which proves his salvation in the ending.} 51...exd3 52.Be3 Ke4 $2 ( {I assumed} 52...Bd8 53.Bd4 {won the h-pawn, but no:} 53...Ne6 $1 54.Be3 Ke4 55.Bc1 Bg5 $1 56.Bxg5 Nxg5 57.Bxh5 Ke3 58.Bd1 d2 59.Kf1 Ne4 60.Bc2 Nc3 $19 ) 53.Bxb6 {This is a surprisingly difficult position for Black to play. He has the extra pawn, and two passed pawns, but White still has that valuable bishop pair.} 53...Bf6 54.Kf2 h4 $2 ( {I need to get in the first check and smash the bishop pair:} 54...Bd4+ $1 55.Bxd4 Kxd4 $19 ) 55.Bf3+ $1 $10 {John is alert to the fact that the black king is an easy target, and already I've lost any advantage I had in this ending.} 55...Kf4 56.Be3+ Ke5 57.Bd2 $2 Kd4 $1 58.Bc6 Kc4 59.Kf3 Bb2 $6 ( {This doesn't work, but I'm not sure there's a win here anyway for Black, despite all the progress he's made:} 59...Ne6 60.Ke4 Ng5+ 61.Kf5 Be7 62.a4 bxa4 63.Bxa4 Nf3 64.Bf4 h3 $1 65.Bd1 Nh4+ 66.Kg4 Ng2 67.Bf3 Nxf4 68.Kxf4 Bd6+ 69.Ke3 {and now HIARCS reckons either taking on b4 or pushing the h-pawn leads to a drawn ending.} ) 60.Ke4 $1 {And the next move only proves my maxim that in an ending you need to know whether you ought to be playing for the win or the draw.} 60...Bxa3 $4 ( 60...Kb3 61.Bxb5 Bxa3 62.Kxd3 Bxb4 63.Bxb4 Kxb4 64.Bd7 $10 ) 61.Bd5# {A shock finish, but a well deserved win for John, who was rarely worse in this entertaining Saturday night thriller.} 1-0

Michael Micklethwaite (Margate) v Robert Starley

[Event "Sandwich v Margate (Steele Cup)"] [Site "St Clement's Hall"] [Date "2024.03.12"] [Round "?.1"] [White "Micklethwaite, Michael"] [Black "Starley, Robert"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1675"] [BlackElo "2210"] [EventDate "2024.03.12"] [ECO "C89"] [PlyCount "120"] [BlackTeam "Sandwich II"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventType "team"] [WhiteTeam "Margate III"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] {It's nice to see Robert get into trouble every once in a while...and even nicer to see him get out of it again to score us the full point just when we need it for a 2-2 draw against Margate! Like all the greatest works of art, it's unfinished, so you'll just have to use your imagination as to how he got there from the final position...} 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5 9.d4 $5 ( 9.exd5 {is more usual:} 9...Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 {This appears to be a well known position in this Ruy Lopez line, with fairly even chances to judge from results at high level.} ) 9...dxe4 $5 10.Nxe5 Bb7 $6 {Here Robert perhaps goes wrong, since this move, though frequently played, has resulted in many a win for White.} ( {He might have preferred} 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Qxd1 12.Bxd1 $1 Nd5 13.Rxe4 {where Black could argue that White is behind in development for the extra pawn.} ) 11.Bf4 $146 {We are totally out of book now.} ( 11.Nd2 {is the continuation with which White appears to have caused trouble in this line.} ) 11...Na5 12.Bc2 Qd5 $6 ( {Better is} 12...c5 $1 {threatening to open the d-file (I see this a lot in my Scandinavian lines), e.g.} 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Nd2 {(unless White wants to exchange queens, of course)} 14...Nd5 15.Nxe4 Bxf2+ $1 16.Nxf2 Nxf4 17.Be4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Ne6 $10 ) 13.Qe2 b4 $6 {Leaving the c-pawn at home is looking like a very odd decision now.} 14.Nd2 $1 e3 $2 {This sets up a "cheapo".} 15.fxe3 ( 15.Qxe3 $4 Qxg2# ) ( 15.Bxe3 $4 Qxg2# ) 15...Nh5 $4 {Robert is still fishing for mate on g2. However, he has reckoned without Mick's next move.} 16.Bxh7+ $1 {Greek Gift sacrifice!} ( {And not, of course} 16.Qxh5 $4 Qxg2# ) 16...Kxh7 17.Qxh5+ Kg8 18.Qf3 $2 {Luckily for Robert, Mick doesn't find the best way to sort out the cheapo.} ( 18.e4 $1 {is game over.} 18...Qd8 19.Re3 Bc8 20.g4 f6 21.Ng6 $18 {and it's goodnight from him.} ) 18...Qb5 19.Qg3 Rfe8 $6 20.Bh6 ( 20.c4 $1 {is a tricky little exercise in decoying:} 20...Qb6 21.Nxf7 $5 Kxf7 22.Bxc7 Qh6 23.Bxa5 $18 ) 20...Bf8 21.c4 $1 Qb6 22.Bf4 Qe6 23.b3 Rac8 $2 24.d5 $1 {This shuts Black's light-squared bishop out of play.} 24...Qf5 25.e4 $1 Bc5+ 26.Kh1 Qh5 27.Ndf3 Bd6 28.Nd3 Bxf4 $5 {I'm sure it's White who should want to exchange off the pieces here, not Black! (White is two pawns up.)} 29.Qxf4 c5 30.Nfe5 Red8 31.Re3 f6 $2 32.Ng4 ( 32.Rh3 $1 {Whither is the queen to fly?} 32...Qe8 $4 ( 32...Qe2 $4 33.Qh4 {ditto.} ) 33.Qh4 {and mate swiftly ensues.} ) 32...Rf8 ( {The engine requires} 32...Qg5 {but what's the use after an exchange of queens?} 33.Qxg5 fxg5 34.Nge5 $18 ) 33.Rg3 Kf7 $2 {My HIARCS engine scores this position at +26.85 to White. We're going to have to nickname Robert "The Human Houdini" after this game...} 34.Rf1 ( 34.Nxf6 $1 {finishes things fast, since} 34...gxf6 {is effectively forced, and now} 35.Qd6 {is a deadly infiltration.} ) 34...Ke7 35.Qe3 $2 Kd6 36.Qf3 Ba8 {This is another move HIARCS hates, but Black has to be practical. The bishop is entombed, but the knight is still breathing...just.} 37.Ne3 $6 ( 37.Qf4+ $1 {and HIARCS can see its way to mate.} ) 37...Qxf3 $1 {Black is only too glad to keep exchanging into that two-pawns-down ending and trying his luck with a 500+ points rating lead!} 38.Rfxf3 g5 39.e5+ fxe5 40.Rxf8 Rxf8 41.Rxg5 e4 $5 {HIARCS would put a piece on b7 now, but there's no doubt that human players understand the hypnotic effect of a passed pawn on the move...} 42.Rg6+ Kc7 43.Nxc5 Rf2 $2 {Yes, you read the notation right. Rook on the seventh is bad for Black in this position.} 44.Nxa6+ ( {Here's why:} 44.d6+ $1 Kb8 ( 44...Kd8 $4 45.Rg8+ Rf8 46.Rxf8# ) ( 44...Kc8 $4 45.Rg8+ Rf8 46.Rxf8# ) 45.d7 Rd2 46.Rg8+ Ka7 47.d8=Q Rxd8 48.Rxd8 $18 ) 44...Kc8 45.Nxb4 Re2 46.Nf1 e3 {The rook isn't even the right side of the passed pawn! HIARCS is unimpressed and rates White about +12.} 47.h4 $2 {Mick falls under the baleful influence of Robert's hypnotic pawn.} ( 47.Kg1 $1 ) 47...Re1 $1 48.Kg1 e2 $1 {You might like to consider how you would evaluate the position now that Black's passed pawn has made it to the seventh rank. HIARCS has knocked about 9 points off its rating of two moves ago.} 49.Rf6 Nb7 ( 49...Rd1 50.Nc2 Rc1 51.h5 $1 {Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear!} 51...Rxc2 52.Re6 exf1=Q+ 53.Kxf1 {and Black is still losing, so once again I can't prefer HIARCS' suggestion over what Robert is playing.} ) 50.h5 {The ear moves a step closer to pursedom.} 50...Rc1 ( {HIARCS' line} 50...Rd1 51.Nc2 Rc1 52.h6 {still doesn't seem any better to me.} ) 51.Nd3 $1 Nc5 $5 {By now I had finished my own game and was glued to this one. I was as hypnotised as Mick by the tactics surrounding the defence of e1, and I certainly didn't see that White can ignore everything Black is threatening!} 52.Rf8+ ( 52.h6 $3 {It's so hard to force yourself to analyse lines where you let your opponent queen first!} 52...Nxd3 53.h7 $1 e1=Q 54.h8=Q+ Kd7 55.Rf7+ Kd6 56.Qf8+ Ke5 57.Re7+ Kd4 58.Rxe1 Rxe1 59.Qxa8 $18 ) 52...Kc7 53.Nxc5 $4 {The engine swings to -1. Advantage Black!} 53...e1=Q 54.Ne6+ Kd6 55.Rf3 Bxd5 $2 $10 {0.0 (HIARCS). This sac is rather cavalier, and probably underestimates the power of the queen - funny, considering how much heavy lifting she was left to do on her own in the game!} ( 55...Qh4 $1 56.Rh3 Qe7 57.Kf2 Rc2+ 58.Kg1 Qf7 59.Rf3 Qxh5 60.Ne3 Rxa2 $17 {Black has queen for knight and four pawns, and this is probably winning for Black now.} ) 56.cxd5 Kxd5 $4 ( 56...Rc3 57.Rf2 Kxd5 {is fine.} ) 57.Nf4+ $1 {The knight heads for the fork Robert has missed.} 57...Ke4 58.h6 $2 ( {Mick misses the win one last time:} 58.Nd3 $1 Qd2 59.Nxc1 Qxc1 $18 ) 58...Qh4 59.Nd3 Qxh6 60.Nxc1 Qxc1 {A tantalising place for the notation to stop. The position is almost certainly a theoretical draw, with HIARCS scoring it at +0.3 to White (nothing more than his opening advantage). It's perhaps no surprise then that from here the stronger player managed to overpower his opponent into conceding a queen-versus-rook ending which Robert was eventually able to convert.} 0-1

League Competitions, March - June 2024

[Updated 12th March] League Secretary and Club President Kit Blundell has announced the dates and venues of four league competitions in March-June 2024. These are as follows:

Wednesday 20th March - Individual Buzzer
Location: Margate Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
To express interest in participating in this individual event, please contact John Clarke at jlclarke9@yahoo.co.uk.

Friday 19th April - Individual Quickplay
Location: Sandwich Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
To register interest in this fast-paced event, reach out to Kit Blundell at friendlyfox44@gmail.com

Tuesday 4th June - Team Buzzer
Location: Bridge Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
For team events, it is highly recommended that teams register in advance. Please send your team's player names to Kit Blundell at friendlyfox44@gmail.com.

Tuesday 25th June - Jamboree
Location: Bridge Chess Club
Time: 7:30 PM
Gather your team and join us for this thrilling team event! Clubs, please ensure your Club's Jamboree Team Captain contacts Graeme directly at graemeboxall@talktalk.net

It's a Sandwich Double!

The juniors of Sandwich and Folkestone renewed their acquaintance over the board in a ‘B’ team match on Saturday 9th March, a warmer and sunnier day than our previous chilly December meeting. Both sides retained two players from the earlier fixture, with Sandwich this time fielding two girls in our team. Once again the time control was 10|5 and the contest a six-round all-play-all in which each player took on all six members of the opposing team.

Sandwich once again took an early lead, and by the end of Round 4 we had built it up to ten points, leading 17–7. However, faced with an uphill challenge to keep in the running until the final round, Folkestone seized their chance with the white pieces in Round 5, winning it by a comprehensive scoreline of 5½–½. Needing another 5½ points to tie the match, and all 6 to win, Folkestone pressed hard with the black pieces in the final round but ultimately came up short, with the final scoreline 21½–14½ to Sandwich.

The players before the start of the match

The two top performances of the day came from Sandwich players, with Laurence top scorer overall on 4½ points, and the Sandwich captain Conor second on 4 out of 6. Newcomer Alfie scored an impressive 3½ points, showing perseverance and no little talent in the endgame, and tying with our highest-rated player Aayush. May and Aine both scored a very creditable 3 out of 6, with Aine surviving the most incredible time pressure in Round 2 to play out a winning ending on top board.

For Folkestone, Henry emphatically hit his stride in the last two rounds, while brothers Marcus and Tristan proved consistent scorers for their team; all three finished on 3 points. Siah impressed again, defending valiantly against Aine in that Round 2 game, to finish on 2½ points. Newcomer Aarav’s aggressive approach with the white pieces netted him a couple of remarkably quick mates, some red faces in the Sandwich team, and 2 points. And finally Alex was unlucky not to score more with his thoughtful play, succumbing a couple of times to checkmates he just didn’t see coming.

We’re already looking forward to next season, with a larger-scale match in the planning stages (maybe 12 boards, maybe more!) and hopefully fixtures against some other club or school sides. Click here to view the full match results on the ECF League Management System.

Paul Carfrae (Broadstairs) v Harry Sharples

[Event "Sandwich v Broadstairs (Millar Cup)"] [Site "St Clement's Hall"] [Date "2024.03.05"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul Carfrae"] [Black "Harry Sharples"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1747"] [BlackElo "1777"] [EventDate "2024.03.05"] [ECO "D00"] [PlyCount "110"] {Here is another excellent win from our 5-2 victory at Broadstairs, all three of which were with the black pieces! This one came on Board 3 courtesy of Harry. He survives some dangerous early kingside manoeuvres from Paul and proves the value of controlling and exploiting open files with your rooks. Once White's backward e-pawn is exposed to the full strength of Black's attack, there is no coming back.} 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Bf5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 $1 {When Black plays symmetrically against the London System like this, it's difficult for White to find a plan.} 5.c4 c6 ( {The main move here is} 5...Bxb1 $1 6.Rxb1 {and now} 6...Bb4+ 7.Ke2 Bd6 {and White has lost castling rights for nothing.} ) 6.c5 $146 Nbd7 ( 6...Na6 $6 7.Qa4 $1 ) 7.Qb3 Qc8 ( {A viable alternative for Black is} 7...b6 $1 8.Ba6 $1 Be7 9.Bb7 $5 bxc5 10.Bxa8 Qxa8 11.O-O O-O $44 {where Black has sufficient compensation for the exchange.} ) 8.Nbd2 Nh5 $1 {Black means to remove the powerful dark-squared bishop in order to regain access to the c7- and b8-squares.} 9.g3 $6 ( {Harry feared} 9.Bd6 $5 Bxd6 10.cxd6 {which does seem unclear.} ) 9...f6 $2 10.Nh4 ( 10.Bd6 $1 Bxd6 11.cxd6 Qb8 12.h3 {and Black has trapped his own knight with the f7-f6 pawn push.} ) 10...g5 11.Nxf5 exf5 12.Be2 Ng7 $10 13.Bd6 Bxd6 14.cxd6 Nb6 $1 15.h4 g4 16.h5 h6 17.f3 $6 Qd7 ( {I can't see much wrong with} 17...gxf3 $1 18.Bxf3 Qe6 19.Rc1 Qxd6 $17 ) 18.Qb4 $6 O-O-O $1 $17 19.fxg4 fxg4 20.a4 $1 {If there's one trump in White's position, it's that he knows which side he should be attacking on. Black is better, but he must be wondering where, if at all, White intends to castle now.} 20...Qxd6 ( {It's the perfect time to play the important} 20...Kb8 $1 ) 21.Qxd6 Rxd6 22.a5 $1 Nd7 23.Bxg4 f5 24.Be2 Re6 $1 {Black prepares to pile up on the White's weak e-pawn.} 25.Kf2 Rhe8 26.Ra3 Nf6 27.b4 Ng4+ 28.Bxg4 fxg4 29.Rc3 a6 30.Rh2 Rf6+ 31.Ke2 $2 ( {While it's tempting to treat the king as an attacking piece, this is not yet an ending, and the king is safer in the corner:} 31.Kg1 $1 Rf5 $1 32.Rh4 Rg5 33.Nf1 ) 31...Nf5 $1 32.Nf1 $2 ( 32.Kd1 $1 {Run away!} ) 32...Nxd4+ 33.Kd3 {Now the white king has no choice but to try and hold on in the centre.} 33...Nf3 34.Rh1 $19 Ref8 35.Rc1 Ne5+ 36.Kd4 Nf3+ 37.Kd3 {Black is momentarily jammed. Of course White wants this repetition.} 37...Re8 38.Nh2 Nxh2 $1 39.Rxh2 Rf3 40.Re1 Re4 $1 {Now Black threatens captures on both g3 and b4.} 41.Rb1 Rfxe3+ ( {Two rooks on the sixth looks even more inviting and might have brought about a swift finish:} 41...Rexe3+ $1 42.Kd4 $4 Kc7 $1 43.Rc2 Kd6 44.Rxc6+ bxc6 45.b5 Re4# ( 45...Rd3# ) ( 45...c5# ) ) 42.Kd2 Rxg3 43.Rf1 Rxb4 44.Rf8+ Kd7 45.Rhf2 $2 Rb2+ $1 46.Ke1 Rxf2 47.Kxf2 Ra3 $6 ( {Quick win no. 2:} 47...Rf3+ $1 48.Rxf3 gxf3 49.Kxf3 c5 $1 {The pawn ending is completely winning.} ) 48.Rf7+ Ke6 49.Rxb7 Rxa5 50.Kg3 Ra4 $6 ( {And no. 3:} 50...d4 $1 {Passed pawns should be pushed!} 51.Kxg4 d3 $1 $19 {The black king is well placed to prevent the white rook from getting behind this pawn.} ) 51.Rg7 c5 $1 {Finally the passed pawns start to motor.} 52.Rg6+ Kf5 53.Rxh6 Kg5 54.Rh8 Ra3+ 55.Kg2 Rh3 $19 {Harry's notation runs out, but Black's win is clear enough.} 0-1