[Event "RoW/OR/27"] [Site "ICCF"] [Date "2023.12.30"] [White "Irons, Robert"] [Black "Scott, Rueon"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1941"] [BlackElo "1782"] [Annotator "Irons,Robert"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C47"] [Opening "Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/1JR2l3d0/MzukVaPF"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O d5 9. exd5 cxd5 10. h3 Re8 11. Qf3 c6 12. Bf4 Qa5 13. Bd2 Bd7 14. a3 Bd6 15. Nb5 Qxd2 16. Nxd6 Re6 17. Nf5 Rae8?! (17... Ree8 18. Nd6 Re6 19. Nb7 Rae8 20. Nc5 { keeps things level and relatively boring. }) 18. b4 Re5 19. Rad1 Qg5 20. h4 Qh5 21. Qxh5 Nxh5 22. Nd4 Nf4 23. Rb1 Kf8 24. Rfc1 Rh5 25. g3 Ne6 (25... Nxd3 26. cxd3 $16 Rh6 27. Rc5 a6 28. Ra5 Ra8 29. Re1 { White's advantage is clear. }) 26. Nf5 Nf4 27. Nd4 Ne6 28. Nxe6+ Bxe6 29. Re1 Bf5 30. Kg2 Be4+ 31. f3 Bxd3 32. cxd3 Rhe5 33. Rxe5 Rxe5 34. Kf2 { Here I was just settling down to a long winter's grind. } 34... Ke8?! (34... Re8 35. Rc1 Rc8 36. Rc5 a6 37. Ra5 Ra8 38. Ke3 Ke7 { keeps things nice and equal. }) 35. Rc1 Kd7 36. Rc5 Re7 37. d4 h6 38. Ra5 Ke8?! (38... Kc8 { Using the king for defense allows the rook to stay active. }) 39. g4 Rc7 40. Ke3 g5 41. h5! { This makes the h6-pawn a target and sets up a future breakthrough for the h5-pawn. White's advantage is significant. } 41... Kd7 42. Ra6 Kc8 43. Kd3 Kb7 44. b5! { See the previous note. } 44... Rc8 45. a4 f6 46. f4! { White's advantage allows him to play on both sides of the board. } 46... gxf4 47. Ke2 cxb5 48. axb5 Rf8 49. Kf3 f5 50. Kxf4 fxg4+ 51. Kxg4 Rh8 52. Kf5 Rf8+ 53. Ke5 Rf1 54. Rxh6 { Black resigned here, just when I found the most interesting breakthrough continuation. Since 55. ... Rh1 simply loses another pawn, Black might try for counterplay against the isolated b-pawn. If so, this is one possible continuation. } 54... Rb1 55. Rh7+ Kb6 56. h6 { and here it is clear that Black can't capture the b-pawn with his king as he would lose the rook by a skewer. However, it turns out that he can't capture it with the rook either: } 56... Rxb5? 57. Rb7+! Kxb7 58. h7 { and the pawn will queen. } 1-0