Black to move. White is GM Nakamura and Black is GM Sulskis. What is your assessment? Is this a win for White, Black or draw? In the actual game, Black lost.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Critical endgame lesson
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good showing by part time chess player naka. 7/9
g6 …
Mate threat.
… Nd5
Bf4 Nf6
Black should try to push his pawn and control with knight e8.
1. Kd6! Bc5+
2. Kxe6 Bxb4
3. Kf5 (with idea g5) Bd2
4. Kg4 Bf4
5. b4! and using b pawn to change all pawns on king-side
Nakamura’s performance is better described as “not bad” rather than “good”. None of his opponents were higher rated and only two were within 90 points and five were of his opponents were over 170 points lower. He lost to someone over 200 points lower, and his rating will increase by less than 2 points–performance about where you’d expect.
Have you heard Nigel ?
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1077079
I watched the game live. I gave up and thought a draw. But good old Nakamura kept playing and got the win with some risk. Nice play by Nakamura.
Unfortunately Irina Krush lost today. They were saying that a draw would have given her a men’s GM norm. she played a kind of super wild opening for black. No one was too thrilled from the opening and sure enough she lost.
I think that if your performance rating equals your actual rating and you are rated above 2600, then it is a good, solid performance.
It is a great performance when your performance rating is much higher and a poor performance when it is much lower.
Remember, playing people 100-200 points below you is not a guaranteed win. ELO takes this into account.
”1. Kd6! Bc5+
2. Kxe6 Bxb4
3. Kf5 (with idea g5) Bd2
4. Kg4 Bf4
5. b4! and using b pawn to change all pawns on king-side”
In this line, white s winning…
After …b4, white have to bring back his king to g6. And when black plays b3, Bc1 is forced, b2 Bxb2 Kxg3 and Bf6 protects the h pawn, and eventually queening it cuz h8 is the same color of the bishop.
Black played
69…..Nd5
70 Bf4 b4
71 Kd8 Nf6
72 e7
and black resigns.
Susan you are sharp today. Kd6 is better and should hold the draw. for example
69…….Kd6
70 e7 Kxe7
71 Bc5+
this wins the knight but draws. I can only guess that black thought losing the knight lost.
But let me add that black was very short on time at this point and everyone watching knew the mistakes would happen. Nakamura had plenty of time.
The move he made Nd5 seemed reasonable at the time. It attacked the bishop and the square in front of the pawn. It looked like a good move at the time.
In fact I dont think anyone noticed that Kd6 was better. But the game was going faster now and everyone was excited on the internet. Of course we were all yelling for Nakamura to win. So if black made a bad move that was just fine with all of us. LOL.
test
i’m confused…
… Nd5
Bf4?
… Nxf4
gxf4 Kd6
Surely this is a win for black
nekthen, you’re right, but White plays e7 instead of gxf4 and wins.
Kd4 Bd2
Kxe6 Bxb4
nows its king pawn versus dark bishop. black king just uses e6-a2 diagonal for his king to promote his piece. the b pawn for black is on light square which makes for easy promotion of his piece.
wolverine
Kd6 Bd2
Kxe6 Bxb4
nows its king pawn versus dark bishop. black king just uses e6-a2 diagonal for his king to promote his piece. the b pawn for black is on light square which makes for easy promotion of his piece. been drinking to many beers. i made a mistyping.
wolverine
[quote]”1. Kd6! Bc5+
2. Kxe6 Bxb4
3. Kf5 (with idea g5) Bd2
4. Kg4 Bf4
5. b4! and using b pawn to change all pawns on king-side”
In this line, white s winning…
After …b4, white have to bring back his king to g6. And when black plays b3, Bc1 is forced, b2 Bxb2 Kxg3 and Bf6 protects the h pawn, and eventually queening it cuz h8 is the same color of the bishop.[/quote]
no, it isn’t white winning: for example:
1. … Kd6!
2. Bc5+ Kxe6
3. Bxb4 Kf5 (with idea g5)
4. Bd2 Kg4
5. Bf4 b4!
6. Kd7 b3
7. Bc1 (it’ better Be5, but black has g5 drawing) Kxg3! and I’m not sure if white can hold this position.
I think it’s a draw
Kd6 Bf4
Kxe6 Be5
Nd3
now im protecting the critical b2 square with my knight. this knight also protects e5 which doesnt allow dark bishop to cover both b2 and his g3 pawn. now i just move the b pawn down the board. white chooses which piece to cover either b pawn or his own g3. if he chooses to go after b pawn i use king to take his g3 and h4 pawn and promote my h pawn. the king will be used in either case.
wolverine
There are posts that suggest some people have missed a few of the subtelties.
The biggest threat to black is the e-Pawn. Ultimately, the threat of it promoting will cost black his N.
1. … Nd5 seems good, but loses to 2. Bf4! (which guards d6, allowing the e pawn to charge through at first opportunity.) E.g.
2. … b4
3. Kd8 b3 (3. … Nf6 just changes the square on which black must sacrifice the N)
4. Be5! (Not yet 4. e7? Nxe7! 5. Kxe7?? b2 -+)
4. … Kc5 (Black’s N actually gets in his way)
5. e7 Nxe7
6. Kxe7 (Black has been forced to give up his N, and the white K is close enough to the K-side to keep one pawn for promotion)
So if Nd5 loses, what idea can black use to improve and get a draw? (The main line has already been posted – here’s the explanation…)
Black sacrifices his N early, rushes his K to the K-side and gets rid of both white’s flank Pawns. Note, black can use the b Pawn to draw the Bishop away and win one of the Pawns – the other has to be swapped. (Hence the g5 idea)
The plan is simple but moves on both sides need to be precise:
1. … Kd6!
2. Bc5+! (The best move! Other suggestions were: A) 2. e7+? Kxe7 3.Bc5+, which is similar to the main line, but just loses tempo. B) 2. Bd2?? – after 2. … Nd5, black can hold onto the N and should actually win! C) 2. Bf4+?? doesn’t even fight for the N)
So…
2. … Kxe6! (not Kxc5?? which loses to 3. e7)
3. Bxb4 Kf5 (threatening g5 – once one pair of Pawns is swapped, black can easily win white’s last Pawn)
4. Bd2! (best, the white B needs to guard both g3 and g5 squares at the same time. So the B must head for f4)
4. … Kg4!
5. Bf4 b4! (Now the black Pawn runs to draw the B away from f4)
6. Kd7 b3
7. Bf5 g5! (NB! g5 must come before the b-Pawn is sacrificed, otherwise white can get the B to the d8-h4 diagonal and permanently neutralise g5, thereby holding onto one Pawn for promotion)
8. hg Kxg5
9. Ke6 Kg4
10. Kf6 b2
11. Bxb2 Kxg3 =
Craig
if 1.Kd6 e7! is better then the immediate … Bc5
2.Ke7 Bc5+ Blacks King is too far away for counterplay against the pawns.
1. Nd5 Bf4
2. b4!!
If 2. … Bc1
3. Kd6 wins easily.