Skype coaching session, 09 December 2018. 

The game discussed (59 moves) is given below with annotations and without annotations. 

Re-structuring of the sessions now offers the option for guests to bring their own games for group discussion. 
Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at: 

http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm
 
Paul Benson. 

*  *  * 

Annotated Game. 

White: K. Lahno, 2556. 
Black: W. Ju, 2568. 
Event: Womens World Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2018. 
Result: 1-0 in 59 moves. 
Opening: Zukertort Opening, Symmetrical Variation, A04. 

1. Nf3 Nf6 
2. g3 d5 
3. Bg2 c5 
4. O-O Nc6 

| So far in football terms it is, "A Game Of Two Halves". 
The tension can still be postponed by white with such moves as, 5. b3, 5. c3, or, 5. d3. || 

5. d4 

| Aha, some serious central commitment, right? 
Why is white now taking the game into standard Queen's Pawn territory having set out with a King's Fianchetto? 
It is all part of, "The Dance Of The Repertoires!" 
If you open up with, 1. d4, there are some very sharp systems available for black such as the Benko, the Benoni, the Tarrasch, and a few more if you dig deep enough. 
By getting on with the kingside fianchetto these systems are sidestepped, meaning the amount of homework needed to play a Queen's Pawn system is reduced. || 

5. ... e6 

| Black declines offering white 5. ... cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. c4, which is a Gruenfeld reversed with an extra tempo for white. || 

6. c4 

| And now white really cranks up the central tension, perhaps we should be expecting a tactical slugfest after all, right? || 

6. ... dxc4 

| "No Slugfest!", says black, and initiates a variation which can lead to central-tension clearance combined with a queen trade depending on how white is feeling. || 

7. dxc5 

| It appears white has no interest in tactics today and pushes for a queenless middlegame. 
Instead, anyone wishing for a fist-fight there is, 7. Qa4, 7. Ne5, 7. Na3, to be studied. || 

7. ... Qxd1 
8. Rxd1 Bxc5 

| White is presently a pawn down, but since attempting to cement it permanently with, pawn b5, will give white much fun up the h1 - a8 diagonal, it is not surprising hardly anyone tries to keep this gambit pawn. 
White to play and set about getting the pawn back. || 

9. Nfd2 

| Far more popular here is, 9. Nbd2, when black usually gives the pawn back with, 9. ... c3 10. bxc3. 
The game move is a sideline which has been receiving support lately, decisive games are uncommon, many draws with seemingly very little winning prospects for black. || 

9. ... Na5 

| Taking up the gauntlet. 
White is going to be forced to make an effort to regain the pawn. || 

10. Na3 

| Putting the question to black, either permit white to capture with, 11. Naxc4, or prevent white from immediately regaining the pawn with, 10. ... Bxa3. || 

10. ... Bxa3 

| Databases report everyone captures here, white has the bishop pair, black has the better pawn structure, such a middlegame imbalance gives both players opportunities to test the other. || 

11. bxa3 O-O 

| Examples here are limited, other choices of roughly equal popularity are, 11. ... Bd7, and, 11. ... Nd5, with, 11. ... c3, being tried once. || 

12. Ne4 

| A doubler. 
Firstly, the c1 bishop is now free to develop on the c1 - h6 diagonal if desired. 
Secondly, the d1 rook is unleashed to claim the fully open d-file. || 

12. ... e5 

| A theoritical novelty, but not exactly a new idea, just played out of order. 
As the database examples keep diminishing we reach a crossroads. 
All 3 other games here showed, 12. ... Nxe4 13. Bxe4 e5 14. Bb2. || 

13. Bd2 

| And now white introduces a new idea all together. 
Perhaps during the preparation for the match white was expecting black to play, 12. ... Nxe4 13. Bxe4 e5, when this new idea would become a theoretical novelty. || 

13. ... Nxe4 

| Instead, 13. ... Nc6 14. Nd6, picks off the black c4 pawn leaving white with the bishop pair in an open position, black will find little joy such a game. || 

14. Bxe4 

| White leaves the awkwardly-placed a5 black knight alone, it must expend another tempo to find safety on c6, and there is no guarantee it will be secure there. || 

14. ... Nc6 
15. Bc3 

| A doubler. 
Firstly, there is now a tactic available to white to regain a pawn somewhere depending on how black replies. 
Secondly, the white d1 rook now has play up the d-file. || 

15. ... Be6 

| Instead, 15. ... f6 16. Bd5+ Kh8 17. Bxc4, white is comfortable having the bishop pair in an open centre / queenside, not decisive but enough to make black take care to complete development without letting white increase the pressure. || 

16. Bxc6 

| A quadrupler. 
Firstly, the defender of the black e5 pawn is eliminated, white is regaining material. 
Secondly, black has doubled c-pawns, under different circumstances the advanced c4 pawn might one day become a strong passed pawn, but here with white having an unchallengeable dark square bishop this is rather unlikely - The black pawns on the c-file are therefore isolated. 
Thirdly, elimination of the black c6 knight prevents black from shuffling with, Nd4, and, Nb5, after consolidation of the e5 pawn with completion of development takes place. 
Fourthly, the middlegame is essentially over, we have an opposite colour bishop endgame, whoever is attacking can be thought of as being a piece up, and it is the white c3 bishop who has all the attacking prospects. || 

16. ... bxc6 
17. Bxe5 Rfd8 
18. Bc3 

| The scene is set for a fascinating, "Battle Of Bishops". 
But since the bishops are opposite colour, just how can they battle each other? 
They cannot. 
It is a question of how much influence each bishop can bring to bear on the game as they support the remaining friendly forces. 
So sit back and carefully observe how each bishop takes full advantage of being unchallengeable by the other. 
There's got to be so much travelling around the board to take full advantage of their mutual unchallengeable status, right? 

And to start the process off, why did the white bishop voluntarily retreat to the less active c3 square? 
Simple, it is most likely there will soon be an exchange of rooks on either d1 or d8, after which there will be 2 fully open files for potential rook invasion. 
But a single rook cannot sit on both open files, each rook will have complete control of a file and it will be up to the opposing side to prevent an unfriendly 7th or 8th rank invasion. 
The white c3 bishop backwardly guards both b2 and d2, a white rook placed somewhere on a1 - h1 prevents a black rook invasion onto the white back rank. 
Careful examination of the black position means black cannot set up a similar defence, the e6 bishop is not guarding the equivalent squares of both d7 and b7. 
This means the b7 square must be covered by the black rook. 
So, if it seems there must be a mutual defensive piece-placement imposed on both players, how can either side make progress? || 

18. ... f6 

| A doubler. 
Firstly, the power of the white c3 bishop up the a1 - h8 diagonal is blocked off, but beware, this strategy is double-edged. 
Secondly, the black king can use the f7 square to advance toward the d-file for defensive purposes if need be. || 

19. f3 Kf7 
20. Kf2 Rxd1 
21. Rxd1 

| Simplifications make positions simple, right? 
If defeat-avoidance is the mutual strategy here then the job is almost complete. 
All that is needed now is a trade of the remaining rooks and the opposite bishop endgame is easily drawn. 
The only question in the air is are both players comfortable with a draw? 
If not, who is thinking in terms of trying for a probing squeeze? || 

21. ... Rb8 

| So each rook has a fully open file but no sensible invasion square. 
Furthermore, one should ask if an invasion is as desirable as one might think? 
Imagine the white rook no longer on d1, having advanced up the d-file in some way, just what opportunities might black have? 
Perhaps, Rb1, then, Rc1, followed by, pawn c3, when white must take action to prevent promotion. 
Of course white might be making progress in the black position, there may be greater gains to be made up there than black will gain in the white position. 
But all this must be carefully calculated before making the commitment of giving up a defensive back rank rook for an aggressive invading location, once the black rook is permitted to invade into the white position it will be virtually impossible to remove it. || 

22. g4 

| White must make use of the kingside pawn majority, it might not be possible to create a passed pawn, but it might be possible to create a black target somewhere, though this should not be decisive with careful defence. || 

22. ... c5 

| A difficult move to annotate. 
Surely back on c6, a light square, this pawn could be protected much easier? 
Now it is on c5 it must be potentially vulnerable to a combined attack from the white dark square bishop and rook? 
Yes, but if they gang up on the black c5 pawn they will have given up their defensive duties which permit the skulking black b8 rook to invade up the b-file. 
So what has, pawn c5, gained for black? 
While not of immediate value, perhaps limiting the long term scope of the white c3 bishop, in particular action on the g1 - a7 diagonal attacking the black a7 pawn needed to be cancelled out. 
There is also now no obvious means for the white king to access the queenside, black has been preventing white plans rather than making her own. 
Lesson: If you cannot do anything positive yourself, then reduce options for your opponent. || 

23. h4 

| The probing on the kingside continues, nothing can happen by force, white can only make small positional gains requiring black to defend carefully. 
But be warned, players under pressure are prone to make mistakes. || 

23. ... h6 
24. a4 

| Hang on there, wasn't white supposed to be playing on the kingside? 
Yes, but before matters clarify over there white claims a little queenside space, this pawn can safely settle on a5 without any harm, and depending on how matters proceed, an advanced a-pawn might prove useful for white later on, so get it advanced in advance. || 

24. ... Ke7 
25. a5 Rb7 

| Black has achieved the best defence available, there is nothing positive to do now except sit there waiting for white to commit. || 

26. Rg1 

| The only dynamic break on the kingside needs rook support, there should be nothing dramatic available, white is only seeking to create a weakness over there and then consider if it is possible to probe once the kingside smoke has cleared. || 

26. ... Rd7 

| Grand Rabbit wonders if the chess club in the novel, "Animal Farm", believed in the phrase: 
"All fully open files are equal, but some are more equal than others." 
Please, is there any difference in black owning the newly-claimed d-file rather than the just-deserted b-file? 
And if there is a difference, is black making gains or losses here? 
Grand Rabbit is slightly worried about this sideways shuffle, the fully open files are not equal at all. 
If the difference is not obvious to you then do not worry, all will be explained in time. 
Instead, 26. ... Kf7, seems a satisfactory way to waste a move without significantly altering the position. || 

27. g5 hxg5 
28. hxg5 Kf7 

| Clearly black avoids, 28. ... fxg5 when, 29. Rxg5, and white will pick up either the under-defended black g7 pawn or the loose c5 pawn. || 

29. gxf6 gxf6 

| The isolated black f6 pawn will now be in need of permanent defending if it remains where it is. 
If it however chooses to escape the, Gorgon-glare, of the white c3 bishop by advancing, pawn f5, then the e5 square would then be available for a potential white king incursion. || 

30. Rh1 Kg7 

| Black can prevent any white rook incursions up the h-file and so white tries a little probing elsewhere. || 

31. Rb1 Kf7 
32. Rb5 

| And there is the proof, some fully open files are more equal than others. 
White could not invade up the d-file with, Rd5, because of the black e6 bishop controlling the d5 square, implying had black kept the rook on the b-file then white would not enjoy the increased pressure about to land on black. || 

32. ... Rc7 

| A sad concession. 
Seeking activity with, 32. ... Rd1 33. Rxc5 Rc1 34. Bb4 c3 35. a3 c2, fails as, 36. Bd2 Ra1 37. Rxc2 Rxa3 38. Rc7+ Kg6 39. Rxa7 Ra2 40. Bc3 Bc4 41. Re7, black will struggle to hold this. || 

33. Rb8 

| With this 8th rank invasion black loses an important defensive / attacking option. 
The black rook previously on d7 kept a guard on the a7 pawn while keeping ideas of an invasion up the d-file if the opportunity arose. 
Fine, but on d7 it also blocks the e6 bishop control of the c8 square, if it stands still on d7 then white has, Rc8, winning the black c5 pawn. 
It seems white has made good use of the b-file, previously owned by black, and black has made no use of the d-file, previously owned by white. || 

33. ... Re7 

| uncovering a defence of the c8 square from the e6 bishop. 
Grand Rabbit however wonders if, 33. ... Bc8, might hold the queenside, if necessary the potentially vulnerable a-pawn could then move to a6 and all on the queenside seems safe. 
Clearly blocking with, 33. ... Rc8 34. Rb7+, and black will lose the a7 pawn is not going to happen. || 

34. Rh8 

| The white probing continues - Ask a question and await the answer. || 

34. ... Kg6 

| Grand Master confuses Grand Rabbit. 
Perhaps, 34. ... Kg6, is designed to prevent, 35. Rh5, but this is answered by, 35. ... Rc7, and white must think again. 
So instead, 34. ... Kg7, would force white to decide whether to seek play on the h-file or keep probing along the 8th rank. 
Are we about to witness a chess rarity - A Grand Master in the process of making a mistake more often seen at the club level of play? 
White to play and find a couple of shufflers to put more pressure on black, and who knows... || 

35. Rf8 

| Black has 3 weaknesses to defend, pawns on f6, c5, a7. 
The white probing strategy sets black a problem of finding defensive formations which keep all of them either protected or capable of being protected when the probing shifts to a different target. || 

35. ... Rf7 

| Instead, 35. ... Bf7 36. Rc8, and the black c5 pawn falls. || 

36. Rg8+ 

| More probing - How will black answer the question? 
There are 5 answers available to black, this should steal some time on the clock, or possibly if black is short of time then force an immediate knee-jerk response, with possibilities of a poor decision being made. || 

36. ... Kh7 

| A variety of responses run: 
(A). If, 36. ... Kh6, white can continue as in game. 
(B). Or if, 36. ... Kh5, white can continue as in game. 
(C). Or if, 36. ... Kf5 37. Rg4, sets up a mate threat so, 37. ... Bd5, might occur but, 38. e4+ Bxe4 39. Rxe4, white has won a piece with the c4 pawn to fall next move, white is winning but black can avoid this. 
(D). Or if, 36. ... Kf5 37. Rg4 Bc8, vacates e6 for a flight square but, 38. Rxc4 Rc7 39. Re4, white plans, Re8, followed by advancing the kingside pawns assisted by the king, and black will still have problems defending the f6 pawn. 
(E). Or if, 36. ... Rg7, keeping an important defensive touch from the g6 king on the f6 pawn, 37. Rd8 Bd7, white must think again of how to manoeuvre the probing rook onto the c-file. 

The game move of, 36. ... Kh7, has reduced the defensive support to the f6 pawn, this forces the black rook to remain on f7 while the king languishes on the h-file. || 

37. Rd8 Kg6 

| Instead, 37. ... Bd7 38. Bxf6 Rxf6 39. Rxd7+ Kg6 40. Rd2, and white has a means of stopping the black c4 pawn but black cannot prevent the white kingside pawns from trundling up the board. 
Or if, 37. ... Rd7 38. Rc8 Rd5 39. Rc7+, and if black moves the king the a7 pawn falls, or if, Rd7, blocks the check, the c5 pawn falls. || 

38. Rd6 Re7 
39. Rc6 Kf7 
40. Rxc5 Rd7 

| White has somehow snaffled a vital pawn while black is still left drifting without a plan other than trying to hold the position. 
Perhaps now that the centre is less congested each bishop might have options of moving around the board, after all, they have both been patiently sitting still since move 18. || 

41. Rc6 f5 

| A serious commitment to be filed under: "Win something, lose something." 
On f5 the pawn is no longer a target for the white c3 bishop. 
On f5 the pawn is no longer preventing the white king wandering up the board, seeking access to the queenside. || 

42. Ke3 Re7 
43. Kf4 Rd7 
44. Rc5 

| The white king wishes to land on e5 without being pushed back by, Rd5+. || 

44. ... Rd8 

| Keeping control of the d-file prevents the white king from entering the queenside. 
White is to play and find a plan which involves all active units combining to force the win of another vital pawn. || 

45. Rb5 

| A very important shuffle. 
White wishes to land on the 7th rank, but the immediate, 45. Rc7+ Rd7, leaves the white rook having to retreat back down the c-file. 
Note exchanging rooks with, 45. Rc7+ Rd7 46. Rxd7+ Bxd7, and pushing the king queenside gets nowhere, black simply plays, pawn a6, and shuffles with, Bc8, should the white king play, Kb6. || 

45. ... Rd7 
46. a6 

| Phase 2 of winning another black pawn is complete, now the white b5 rook can safely land on the 7thrank and sit tight. || 

46. ... Kg6 
47. Ke5 

| Phase 3 of the plan is completed, the white king can now offer support to a well-timed, Bd4, ganging up on the black a7 pawn. || 

47. ... Re7 

| Black acknowledges the white queenside plan is going to win the a7 pawn and sets about grabbing the white e-pawn, is white worried about this? 
Had black kept the rook on the d-file, white would have played, Rb7, with, Bd4, protected by the e5 king, then finally, Bxa7, with all sorts of quick wins of material to follow. || 

48. Rb7 

| Phase 4 complete, the black a7 pawn is living on borrowed time. || 

48. ... Re8 

| Clearly black avoids, 48. ... Rxb7 49. axb7, when the newly-passed b-pawn will promote next move. 
Instead, 48. ... Bd7+ 49. Kd6 Re3 50. Bd4, and black has both e3 rook and d7 bishop hanging, white would be winning a piece. || 

49. Rxa7 Bf7+ 
50. Kd4 

| As the white king crosses into the queenside an important change of circumstances has occurred. 
Previously it was black seeking a rook trade into an opposite bishop endgame, but now a rook trade strongly favours white, but why? 
It is all about the position of the kings. 
The white king is now close enough to force through the passed a-pawn, the black bishop alone is not up to the task of preventing this. 
Such are the benefits of a distant passed pawn combined with an active king. || 

It might have been tempting to become carried away with all the recent advances and continue to claim territory with, 50. Kd6. 
The white king can do much more on d4 than on d6, the advanced location offers no defensive support to the d4 bishop, the black rook might start getting some good play with, Rc2, and, pawn c3. 
This is probably still good for white, but why create problems for oneself, the white king on d4 is keeping everything under control. 
Lesson: "Beware Of The Adrenalin!", especially when big gains have finally been achieved after some hard play. || 

50. ... Rxe2 

| So the black rook has finally landed on the 7th rank, but the white a6 pawn is very advanced and the black g6 king and f7 bishop cannot both get across in time to construct a defence. || 

51. a4 

| This is not materialism for the sake of it. 
If black is allowed, Rxa2, then the black rook has immediate influence up the a-file. 
However the backward white a-pawn, on the a5 square if need be, can shield the advanced a6 pawn from the attention of a potential black rook on a2. 
And besides, from a psychological viewpoint, isn't it good for white to have an extra a-pawn anyway? 
Finally, if white let the a2 pawn go, it is possible black might arrange giving up the bishop for the advanced white a-pawn, should still be winning for white but would need some care, why make work for oneself? || 

51. ... Re6 

| Rooks, whether playing as attackers or defenders, are best placed behind an advancing passed pawn. 
As a2 for the black rook is now out of the question then it must be on the a6 square to make promotion as difficult as possible. || 

52. Kc5 

| Now the black rook is taking up a defensive role the white king can join in with trying to organise a material-winning a-pawn promotion. || 

52. ... Be8 

| Designed to prevent the white king arriving on the b5 square. 
White must now find another way to keep the a6 pawn safe while the a7 rook moves away to permit the advance, pawn a7. || 

53. Rg7+ 

| The white rook vacates a7 with a check, superior play or perhaps just good luck? - You decide. || 

53. ... Kh6 

| The position is very difficult for black, Fritz and friends along with fellow Grand Masters might be giving white a massive plus here, so maybe black just played this move without much thought. 
"Annotator's Hindsight", suggests, 53. ... Kh5, would have made white work harder, but maybe all that would have done is increase the suffering-time spent at the board trying to resist the inevitable. || 

54. a7 Ra6 

| White to play has a tactical means to force the black rook away from the favourable defensive location behind the passed a-pawn. 
Clue: There is an unfortunate piece alignment in the black camp just waiting to be exploited. || 

55. Re7 

| It might appear as if white is just attacking the black e8 bishop for the sake of it, not so. 
The white rook on e7 now has an opportunity available not possible on g7, the game is close to being concluded. 
It is all to do with the black king sitting on the 3rd rank. 
Back on move 53 black had the opportunity to place the king on h5, which would have ruled out the game continuation, but this does not mean black has missed a draw. 
No, white would still be winning, but a little more work would be required. 

For a little theoritical exercise, please place the white rook back on g7, and push the black king up to the h5 square. 
So, how does white go about converting with the black king on his 4th rank? 

It would be now up to white to shuffle the pieces while avoiding losing a few vital resources. 
It should all begin with, 55. a5, having an extra a-pawn makes life easier, the black rook is denied options of retreating backwards down the a-file should this a-pawn be eliminated. 
The black bishop now has a dilemma, it must perform 2 tasks, this makes it vulnerable to overloading. 
Task 1: Prevent the white king advancing, Kb5, pushing the black rook sideways allowing the white a7 pawn to promote. 
Task 2: Backwardly guarding the a8 square. 

The white re-grouping involves the white king protecting the a5 pawn, the bishop then shuffles to b6 to protect both a-pawns, then the g7 rook is free to push the black c8 bishop around such that the white king can hit the black a6 rook with, Kb5, and should the f3 pawn become targeted, push, pawn f4, all quite easy, right? 
A possible defence for black is to send the bishop up the board, advance, pawn c3,forcing the white king to capture it, and place the bishop on the f1 - a6 diagonal, preventing white, Kb5. 
Another idea of which white must be aware is having the f-pawn targeted by an approaching black king, if white commits everything to the queenside then black might get some play if the f5 pawn can become passed. 
Lots of skittles in the air, right? 

So, with that white rook back on g7 and the black king sitting out of danger on h5, how should white continue? 
A few sample lines showing the above ideas in action run: 
(A). If, 55. a5 Kh4 56. Kxc4 Ba4 57. Kb4 Be8 58. Bd4 Kh3 59. Bb6 Bc6 
60. f4 Kh4 61. Rc7 Be8 62. Rc8 Bd7 63. a8=Q Rxa8 64. Rxa8, white is a rook up and the a5 pawn is ready to roll. 
(B). Or if, 55. a5 Kh4 56. Kxc4 Ba4 57. Kb4 Bd1 58. f4 Be2 59. Bd4 Bf1 
60. Bb6 Be2 61. Rc7 Kg3 62. Rc4 Bxc4 63. Kxc4 Kxf4 64. Kb5 Rxa7 
65. Bxa7 Ke5 66. Kc6, white will next play, Bb6,and the black king cannot prevent promotion of the white a5 pawn. 
(C). Or if, 55. a5 Kh4 56. Kxc4 Ba4 57. Kb4 Bd1 58. f4 Be2 59. Bd4 Bf1 
60. Bb6 Be2 61. Rc7 Kg3 62. Rc4 Bf1 63. Kb5 Be2 64. Kxa6 Bxc4+ 
65. Kb7 Bd5+ 66. Kb8 Kxf4 67. a8=Q Bxa8 68. Kxa8 Ke5 69. Kb7, white will next play, Bb6,and the black king cannot prevent promotion of the white a5 pawn. || 

55. ... Rc6+ 

| The black rook is attempting to hold a defence by re-locating onto the black first rank. 
There were some tactical tries for black, a few sample lines could have run: 
(A). If, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Bb3 58. Qd5 Rg6 59. Qxf5, the passed white f-pawn should comfortably roll to f8, note that, 59. ... Rg5 60. Bd2, wins the argument of who is pinning who. 
(B). Or if, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Be8 58. Qd5 Rc6+ 59. Kb4, black has too many loose units to protect, if, 59. ... Kg6 60. Qg8+, wins the black e8 bishop. 
(C). Or if, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Bc2 58. Qh8+ Kg6 59. Qg8+, picks up the loose black e6 rook. 
(D). Or if, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Bc2 58. Qh8+ Kg5 59. Bd2+ Kg6 
60. Qg8+ Kf6 61. Bg5+ Ke5 62. Qb8+ Rd6 63. Qxd6+ mate. 
(E). Or if, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Bc2 58. Qh8+ Kg5 59. Bd2+ f4 
60. Qh3 Bf5 61. Qg3+, white wins the black f4 pawn, the black king will be vulnerable on the dark squares. 
(F). Or if, 55. ... Bxa4 56. Re6+ Rxe6 57. a8=Q Bd7 58. Qh8+ Kg5 / Kg6 59. Qg7+, wins the loose black d7 bishop. 

Black could have tried a completely different plan: 
(G). If, 55. ... Rxa4 56. Rxe8 Rxa7 57. Kxc4, after which white must make sure not to lose the f-pawn and while the game could drag out for quite some moves, this would be winning for white. || 

56. Kb4 Rc8 
57. Rb7 

| Intending, 58. Rb8, blocking the black rook control of the a8 promotion square. || 

57. ... Ra8 
58. Rb8 Bc6 

| Protecting the a8 rook and also hitting the white f3 pawn. 
Unfortunately that presence of the king on h6 is about to haunt black. || 

59. Rb6 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| Black can only choose between: 
(A). If, 59. ... Rc8 60. Rxc6+ Rxc6 61. a8=Q, and if the white queen and bishop cannot force a mate there is always the a4 pawn to promote. 
(B). Or if, 59. ... Rxa7 60. Rxc6+, white is a bishop up with an a-pawn ready to run. 

In closing, what do we make of the performance of the opposite bishop pair in this endgame? 
Each bishop moved only 4 times in the entire game, perhaps they felt they were performing their best according to the demands of the position by remaining static while other units went mobile. 
If chess games came with footbalesque post-mortem honours such as, "Piece Of The Game", some might think the white queen's rook should take the award for the lively performance between moves 21 - 59. 
Grand Rabbit is however impressed with the quiet manner in which the white dark square bishop calmly ruled enough dark squares from c3, leaving all the running around to others. 
Anyone with the powers to do so can fly to almost all 4 corners of the board. 
It however takes great skill to do something by doing nothing. || 

*  *  * 

## Unannotated Game. 

White: K. Lahno, 2556. 
Black: W. Ju, 2568. 
Event: Womens World Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2018. 
Result: 1-0 in 59 moves. 
Opening: Zukertort Opening, Symmetrical Variation, A04. 

1. Nf3 Nf6 
2. g3 d5 
3. Bg2 c5 
4. O-O Nc6 
5. d4 e6 
6. c4 dxc4 
7. dxc5 Qxd1 
8. Rxd1 Bxc5 
9. Nfd2 Na5 
10. Na3 Bxa3 
11. bxa3 O-O 
12. Ne4 e5 
13. Bd2 Nxe4 
14. Bxe4 Nc6 
15. Bc3 Be6 
16. Bxc6 bxc6 
17. Bxe5 Rfd8 
18. Bc3 f6 
19. f3 Kf7 
20. Kf2 Rxd1 
21. Rxd1 Rb8 
22. g4 c5 
23. h4 h6 
24. a4 Ke7 
25. a5 Rb7 
26. Rg1 Rd7 
27. g5 hxg5 
28. hxg5 Kf7 
29. gxf6 gxf6 
30. Rh1 Kg7 
31. Rb1 Kf7 
32. Rb5 Rc7 
33. Rb8 Re7 
34. Rh8 Kg6 
35. Rf8 Rf7 
36. Rg8+ Kh7 
37. Rd8 Kg6 
38. Rd6 Re7 
39. Rc6 Kf7 
40. Rxc5 Rd7 
41. Rc6 f5 
42. Ke3 Re7 
43. Kf4 Rd7 
44. Rc5 Rd8 
45. Rb5 Rd7 
46. a6 Kg6 
47. Ke5 Re7 
48. Rb7 Re8 
49. Rxa7 Bf7+ 
50. Kd4 Rxe2 
51. a4 Re6 
52. Kc5 Be8 
53. Rg7+ Kh6 
54. a7 Ra6 
55. Re7 Rc6+ 
56. Kb4 Rc8 
57. Rb7 Ra8 
58. Rb8 Bc6 
59. Rb6 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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