Saturday, July 30, 2022

GAME OF THE WEEK by Alan Lasser

 They advertise that MVL is going to be playing in a Bridgeport tournament next month.  His recent battle of the two knights against the two bishops was played at the “rapid" time limit, game/25 with ten second increments, we can’t expect players to find the best endgame moves under those circumstances.  I don’t have the latest endgame table base, but the critical positions look like a draws.  Let’s start after 30.Bd1, the White king is on g2, the bishops are on b2 and d1 and pawns are on a2, a3, f2, g3, and h2.  Black, on the move, has the king on g7, horses on e7 and c6  and pawns on a7, b7, f6, g6, and h7. 
 
GM Maxime Vachier-LaGarde(2760)-GM Jorden Van Foreest(2678)
7/23/22
GCT Zagreb 2022
 1.c4 e6 
2.g3 d5 
41.h3 Nc5 42.Bd1 b6 43.Ba3 Kf7 44.Bf3 Ne7 45.a5 Ke6 46.axb6 axb6 47.Kd4 Kd6 48.Kc4 Ng6 49.Kb5 Kc7 50.Bc1 Ne6 51.Be3 Nexf4 52.Bxb6+ Kb8 53.Bd1 Nxh3 54.Bc2 Ng5 55.Bxf5 Ne7 56.Bg4 Nd5 57.Bd4 Kb7 58.a4 Ne6 59.Be5 Ndc7+ 60.Kc4 Kb6 61.Bg3 Ka6 62.Be2 Kb7 63.Bd3 h6 64.Bf1 Ka6 65.Be2 Kb7 66.Bf3+ Ka6 67.Kb4 Nd4 68.Be4 Nde6 69.Bg2 Kb6 70.a5+ Ka6 71.Bf2 h5 72.Bf1+ Kb7 73.Kc4 Ka6 74.Be1 Ka7 75.Bg3 Ka6 Stockfish has it as +.62 but it looks like a critical position to be analyzed. White to move; king on c4, bishops on f1 and g3, pawn on a5. Black king on a6, horses on c7 and e6, and a pawn on h5. The black pawn prevents a stalemate defense, but if the dark square bishop should be exchanged sometime then it is a wrong rook pawn for the bishop draw. I let Stockfish loose on this. 76.Kb4+ Kb7 77.Bg2+ Ka7 78.Bf2+ Ka6 79.Be3 h4 80.Ka4 Nf8 81.Bf1+ Kb7 82.Bh3 Nfe6 83.Bg2+ Kc8 84.Kb3 Nd8 85.Kb4 Nb7 86.Bh3+ Kb8 87.Bg1 Nd5+ 88.Kb5 Nc7+ 89.Ka4 Nd6 90.Bf2 Kb7 91.Bg2+ Kb8 92.Bxh4 A pawn has finally been captured to reach the next important position. If this can't be won, then the game has probably been a draw most of the time since move 31. The White king is on a4, the bishops are on g2 and h4, and the last pawn on the board is on a5. Black to move has the king on b8 and the horses on c7 and d6. 92...Kc8 93.Bh3+ Kb7 94.Bf1 Kc8 95.Kb4 Kd7 96.Bh3+ Kc6 97.Bg2+ Kd7 98.Bf2 Na6+ 99.Kb3 Nb5 100.Bf1 Kc6 101.Bg1 Nac7 102.Ka4 Kd7 103.Bg2 Nd6 104.Kb3 Kc8 105.Bh3+ Kb7 106.Bh2 Kc6 107.Bg2+ Kd7 108.Kc3 Ndb5+ 109.Kc4 Nd6+ 110.Kd4 Ne6+ 111.Kc3 Nc7 112.Bh3+ Kc6 113.Kb3 Nd5 114.Bg2 Nb5 115.Bg1 Stockfish still evaluates this apparent draw as +0.65