[Event "USCF/WS/23W10 (USA)"] [Site "ICCF"] [Date "2023.03.30"] [White "Hoback, Benjamin"] [Black "Farrar, Kenneth"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Irons,Robert"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B50"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/1JR2l3d0/06QHbLRP"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 { I must admit, this continuation is new to me. } 4... dxe5 5. Nxe5 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Qc7 8. Re1?! (8. d4! { It is easier to make something out of the three-versus-two pawn majority in the ending than the four-versus-three majority White is stuck with without this move. }) 8... Bd6 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. h3 Nd4 11. Bf1 O-O 12. Ne4?! (12. d3 Bd7 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. dxe4 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 b5 { I like White's chances here better than after the text. }) 12... Nxe4 13. Rxe4 e5 14. d3 Bf5?! (14... Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 f5 16. Re1 Bd7 $17 { Black has all the play here. }) 15. Re1 h6 16. c3 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Bh7 18. b3 Rad8 19. Bb2 Kh8 20. Rad1 Qb8?! (20... Rd7 21. c4 f6 { gives Black more than the text. }) 21. a4 b5 22. Qc6 bxa4 23. Qxa4 Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 { And just like that we have an ending. This is where things start getting interesting! } 25. d4! exd4 26. cxd4 Bc2 27. Rc1 Bxb3 28. dxc5 Bf4 29. Ra1 Ba4?! (29... b4 30. Re4 Bd2 31. Bc4 Bc2) 30. Re7?! (30. g3 Bd2 31. Re2 Ba5 32. c6! $16) 30... Rde8? (30... Rd2 31. Ba3 Bg5 32. Rb7 Rc8) 31. Rb7 Rb8 32. c6 Rxb7 33. cxb7 Bb8?! 34. Rc1 Rg8 35. g3 Kh7 36. Rc8 b4 37. Bc1 Bd7 38. Rxg8 Kxg8 39. Bf4 Bc6 40. Bxb8 Bxb7 41. Bc4 Bc8 42. Kg2 Bb7+ 43. f3 h5 44. h4 g6 45. Bd6 Bc6 46. Bxb4 Kg7 47. Bc3+ Kf8 48. Bf6 Ke8 49. Kf2 Kf8 50. Ke3 Kg8 51. Kf4 Kf8 52. g4 hxg4 53. fxg4 Ba4 54. Bd3 Kg8 55. Kg5 Kh7 56. h5 (56. Be5 Kg8 57. Kf6 Bb3 58. h5 { is better. }) 56... Be8 57. Be4 (57. Bc4) 57... Bb5 58. hxg6+ (58. Be7 Kg7 59. h6+ Kh7 60. Bd5 { wins the f-pawn, and the g-pawn can't hold out much longer. }) 58... fxg6 59. Bxg6+ Kg8 60. Kh6 (60. Bd4 Be2 61. Bh5 Kh7 62. Kf6 Bf3 63. Bg6+ Kg8 64. Bf7+ Kh7 65. g5 Be4 66. g6+ Bxg6 67. Bxg6+ Kg8 68. Bb2 Kf8 69. Ba3+ Kg8 70. Bf5 Kh8 71. Kg6 Kg8 72. Be6+ Kh8 73. Bb2#) 60... Bc4 61. g5 Bd5 62. Bh7+ Kf7 63. Bc3 Kf8 64. g6 Ke8 65. g7 Ke7 66. g8=Q Bxg8 67. Bxg8 { Yes, boys and girls, even in correspondence chess it pays to know the two-bishop checkmate! } 67... Kd6 68. Kg6 Ke7 69. Bb4+ Kd7 70. Bd5 Kc7 71. Bc5 Kd7 72. Kf7 Kd8 73. Ke6 Kc7 74. Ke7 Kc8 75. Kd6 Kb8 76. Bb6 Kc8 77. Ba7 Kd8 78. Bb7 Ke8 79. Ke6 Kd8 80. Bb6+ Ke8 81. Bc6+ Kf8 82. Kf6 Kg8 83. Kg6 Kf8 84. Bc5+ Kg8 85. Bd5+ Kh8 86. Bd4# { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0