Uly - 64x

[64x]

Thank you for your patience... life got too busy all of the sudden. I am taking a big chance with my next move.

59..Ra2

[Uly]

Nice plan! It actually looks so forced and drawish that I'm going to overrule the engines and go with this:

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Bg5
Nc6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O b5 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Qe3 Rc8 11. Kb1
Nd7 12. Nd5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Bg7 15. h4 Bxd5 16. exd5
Qb6 17. Qe2 Nc5 18. Re1 Rc7 19. Qe3 g4 20. f3 O-O 21. Bf4
Qa5 22. Qd2 b4 23. Bc4 Na4 24. Bb3 Bxb2 25. Bxh6 Bf6
26. Qf4 Rfc8 27. Qxg4+ Kh7 28. Qh5 Nc3+ 29. Kc1 Bg7
30. Bd2+ Kg8 31. Bxc3 Bxc3 32. Re2 Kf8 33. Kd1 Qa3 34. Re4
Qb2 35. Qh6+ Bg7 36. Qc1 Qf6 37. Ke1 a5 38. Kf2 Rc3 39. Qd2
Bh6 40. Qe2 Bf4 41. g3 Be5 42. Kg2 Qg6 43. Rh3 f5 44. Rc4
R8xc4 45. Bxc4 a4 46. Bd3 Qf7 47. h5 Qxd5 48. h6 b3
49. axb3 a3 50. Bc4 Qd4 51. Rh5 e6 52. h7 Re3 53. Qf2 Rc3
54. Qxd4 Bxd4 55. h8=R+ Bxh8 56. Rxh8+ Kg7 57. Ra8 Rxc2+
58. Kh3 d5 59. Bb5 Ra2 60. g4

[ernest]

Nice plan! It actually looks so forced and drawish that I'm going to overrule the engines and go with this:

Brave decision!...
Not so sure it was "so forced and drawish"...

[Uly]

Against 60.f4 all black's replies were obvious and they led to a position Bishop Vs. Pawn (black with 3 pawns vs. white with 2 pawns), but with black's passed pawns it was requiring too much shuffling, and no obvious progress after looking very deep (Black could play something else here or there), 60.g4 actually looked better in the progress side despite the much lower score.

Let's just hope I don't regret the deviation from mainline.

[ernest]

Let's just hope I don't regret the deviation from mainline.

Well maybe when the game is over we can have a look at the "recommended" moves (60.f4 or b4).

I got the following quick and dirty shootout (not what I would call a thorough analysis... ),
using Houdini 1.03a w32 2_CPU :

[Event "Shootout (Houdini13aw322_CPU, 120'/40+6"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "New game"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "R7/6k1/4p3/1B1p1p2/8/pP3PPK/r7/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "43"]

1. b4 {1.40/26 318} Kf6 {1.47/26 189} 2. Ra6 {1.49/27 152} Ke7 {1.54/28 162} 3.
f4 {1.54/31 137} Rb2 {1.54/31 222} 4. Ra7+ {1.62/32 348} Kf6 {1.62/33 1074} 5.
Be8 {1.81/30 629 (Rxa3)} e5 {1.81/29 158} 6. Rxa3 {1.81/28 2} Rxb4 {1.84/28 124
} 7. Ra4 {1.84/27 1} Rb6 {1.91/29 370} 8. Ra5 {1.93/30 278} Rd6 {2.43/27 891}
9. Ra7 {2.64/25 130} Rd8 {2.76/25 161} 10. Ra6+ {2.76/24 0} Kg7 {3.26/27 745}
11. Bh5 {3.26/25 0} exf4 {3.73/25 117} 12. gxf4 {3.73/24 0} d4 {3.97/28 188}
13. Rg6+ {3.97/27 0} Kf8 {4.13/32 493} 14. Rf6+ {4.13/32 1327} Kg7 {4.41/26 91
(Ke7)} 15. Rf7+ {4.53/30 247} Kh6 {4.68/25 89} 16. Rxf5 {4.68/24 0} d3 {4.73/
26 86} 17. Rg5 {4.73/26 0} d2 {4.82/27 199} 18. Bd1 {4.82/27 0} Rb8 {5.06/28
296 (Rd4)} 19. Rd5 {5.06/26 0} Rb7 {5.50/23 118 (Rb1)} 20. Rxd2 {6.83/27 255}
Rb6 {6.08/25 0} 21. Kg4 {7.44/24 95} Kg7 {7.49/24 55} 22. Bf3 {7.49/23 0} 1-0

[64x]

I am afraid I will be slower with my replies. Work is crazy busy and leaving me with no time to analyze or play much at all. Hope that is ok with you. Will do my best to reply within a reasonable amount of time.

Uly, took a quick look at your move and think you are correct with your assessment. Not sure if draw offer makes sense anymore so I am taking it back.

Marking this as the move to revisit if things go bad for me. 60..Kf6

[Uly]

No problem 64x! Take as much time as you need. I think Kf6 was best, though I think you've been playing the best moves for a long while, which, if I manage to win, would make me think that the game was lost much earlier (and I'd probably would have lost it as black), only time will tell.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Bg5 Nc6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O b5 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Qe3 Rc8 11. Kb1 Nd7 12. Nd5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Bg7 15. h4 Bxd5 16. exd5 Qb6 17. Qe2 Nc5 18. Re1 Rc7 19. Qe3 g4 20. f3 O-O 21. Bf4 Qa5 22. Qd2 b4 23. Bc4 Na4 24. Bb3 Bxb2 25. Bxh6 Bf6 26. Qf4 Rfc8 27. Qxg4+ Kh7 28. Qh5 Nc3+ 29. Kc1 Bg7 30. Bd2+ Kg8 31. Bxc3 Bxc3 32. Re2 Kf8 33. Kd1 Qa3 34. Re4 Qb2 35. Qh6+ Bg7 36. Qc1 Qf6 37. Ke1 a5 38. Kf2 Rc3 39. Qd2 Bh6 40. Qe2 Bf4 41. g3 Be5 42. Kg2 Qg6 43. Rh3 f5 44. Rc4 R8xc4 45. Bxc4 a4 46. Bd3 Qf7 47. h5 Qxd5 48. h6 b3 49. axb3 a3 50. Bc4 Qd4 51. Rh5 e6 52. h7 Re3 53. Qf2 Rc3 54. Qxd4 Bxd4 55. h8=R+ Bxh8 56. Rxh8+ Kg7 57. Ra8 Rxc2+ 58. Kh3 d5 59. Bb5 Ra2 60. g4 Kf6 61. Kg3

[64x]

Ra1

[Uly]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Bg5
Nc6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O b5 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Qe3 Rc8 11. Kb1
Nd7 12. Nd5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Bg7 15. h4 Bxd5 16. exd5
Qb6 17. Qe2 Nc5 18. Re1 Rc7 19. Qe3 g4 20. f3 O-O 21. Bf4
Qa5 22. Qd2 b4 23. Bc4 Na4 24. Bb3 Bxb2 25. Bxh6 Bf6
26. Qf4 Rfc8 27. Qxg4+ Kh7 28. Qh5 Nc3+ 29. Kc1 Bg7
30. Bd2+ Kg8 31. Bxc3 Bxc3 32. Re2 Kf8 33. Kd1 Qa3 34. Re4
Qb2 35. Qh6+ Bg7 36. Qc1 Qf6 37. Ke1 a5 38. Kf2 Rc3 39. Qd2
Bh6 40. Qe2 Bf4 41. g3 Be5 42. Kg2 Qg6 43. Rh3 f5 44. Rc4
R8xc4 45. Bxc4 a4 46. Bd3 Qf7 47. h5 Qxd5 48. h6 b3
49. axb3 a3 50. Bc4 Qd4 51. Rh5 e6 52. h7 Re3 53. Qf2 Rc3
54. Qxd4 Bxd4 55. h8=R+ Bxh8 56. Rxh8+ Kg7 57. Ra8 Rxc2+
58. Kh3 d5 59. Bb5 Ra2 60. g4 Kf6 61. Kg3 Ra1 62. Ra6

[64x]

a2