[Event "Pro Chess League 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.02.14"] [Round "1"] [White "Yu, Jennifer"] [Black "Liang, Awonder"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2303"] [BlackElo "2643"] [Annotator "Lang,JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D37"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/r4rOm8dU/XLGXmNVE"] [Orientation "white"] { Endgame woes } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. e3 Be7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O h6 10. Bh4 Ne4 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Rae1 a5 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 Nf6 16. f3 Bf5 17. fxe4 Bxe4 18. Ndxe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxe4 20. Qb3 Re7 21. Rf3 a4 22. Qc4 Qe6 23. Qxe6 Rxe6 24. Kf2 Ra5 25. e4 Rb5 26. Re2 Kf8 27. Rd3 Ke7 28. Kf3 Kd6 29. Rc2 Re8 30. g4 f6 31. Ke3 h5 32. h3 Rh8 33. Kf4 hxg4 34. hxg4 Rh1 35. e5+ Ke6 36. exf6 Kxf6 37. Rf3 Rb4 38. Ke4+ Kg6 39. Rd3 Kg5 40. Ke5 Rb1 41. Rdd2 { The position is equal, but White's path to the draw is not obvious. Clearly, the g-pawn is in danger. And if it drops, Black has won an outside passed pawn. How should she continue? } 41... Rg1 42. Rg2? (42. a3 { The first point is that, right now, the d-rook is protecting White's second weak pawn, meaning that if it leaves its post, the king is now tied to the d-pawn. The second point is that White's king does not gain much from approaching a passed g-pawn. Rather, its goal is to make up for the rooks' relative lack of activity by probing the queenside. With this evaluation in mind, the path is clear: } 42... Rb3 (42... Re1+ 43. Kd6 Rb3 44. Rc4 Re4 45. Rxa4 Kxg4 46. Rg2+ Kf3 47. Rxg7 Rxb2) 43. Rc4 Rxg4 44. Rxa4 Kh4 45. Kd6 Kg3 46. Rc4 Kf3 47. Rc5 g5 48. Kc7 Kf4 49. d5 Ke3 50. Rh2 cxd5 51. Rh3+ Kd4 52. Rxd5+ Kxd5 53. Rxb3 Rg2 54. Kxb7) (42. Kd6?! Rxg4 43. Kc7 Kf4 44. d5 cxd5 45. Rxd5 g5 $17) (42. d5 cxd5 43. Kxd5 Rgxg4 44. Kc5 (44. Rc7? g6 45. Rf7 Rb5+ 46. Kd6 Kh4 47. Rh7+ Kg3 $17)) 42... Re1+ 43. Kd6 Rxd4+ { White has neither saved her g-pawn nor successfully attacking Black's queenside. } 44. Kc7 Re7+! 45. Kb6 Rxg4 $19 46. Rxg4+ Kxg4 47. Rc4+ Kh3 48. Rxa4 g5 49. Ra3+ Kh2 50. Ra4 Rg7 { 0-1 Black wins. } 0-1