I don't know what i was thinking when i wrote my last post

Rb2 is indeed a slick move, Fladimir what do you think?

How is that, how they can trade a rook? I thought it is beauty of this position - they can't exchange anything.

EDIT: OK, moving 32...Rb2 if there is no other discussion.

32...Rb2

. . . . . . . .
p . r . . p k .
P . p . p . p .
. . P p P . P .
. . q . b Q . P
. . P . . . . .
. r . . . B . .
R . R . . . K . *

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Do whatever you want, I'm not interested in trying to defend that position (even if I didn't think it hopeless and I had the time, which I don't really). You know I disagree with the evaluation of the position, and hence the strategy. There's no sense in discussing moves if you cannot agree on those issues.

Oh, just a few more things,

Must be, in your words, my `weird way of thinking about chess'.

Oh, that's where you're wrong. Very wrong. Did it occur to you that I may have actually looked at the position before objecting to a certain cause of action?
Now tell me, if I propose a move and someone else proposes a move, then shouldn't there be discussion on why one of the two is better than the other one?

Oh, thanks for that. I won't reply to that, but I will remember you said that.

Where did anyone listen to me when I said (and explained) why advancing pawns is a bad idea, why we don't want a black rook on b2 and why we didn't want to exchange queens?

Who says I'm always right? I certainly didn't.

Well, I apologise for wording my criticism a bit harshly, but it would have helped if I at least had had the idea anyone was actually listening to what I was saying.

Hi everyone! I'm back from 2 weeks vacations. It's good the thread is still alive!

We have only one move now: 33...Kh7. Yes, the rook is doomed after 34.Qd8, but they can't do that because we then checkmate after 34...Qe2.

If we move our king to g8 or h8, they will move 34.Qd8 with check. It will not save them probably, but better not risk anyway. (Although I think we'll checkmate anyway after 33...Kg8 34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Qxc7 Qe2).

Evert, I more or less share your `weird way of thinking about chess', so I understand your being upset about your team decisions. I still think team chess can work if there is discussion and peaceful and respectful atmosphere in a team. Though it then may take years to complete the game, if all members have to be convinced before making a move. May be we can try something different next time.

The only thing I disagree with you is about trading queens in current position (for about last 10 moves). You said a few times you like to avoid queen exchange, but I think it would be good for white. So I tried to avoid that exchange myself. Queen is our main attacking piece, without both queens white may hope to create some fortress structure. With queens we have too many attacking possibilities, which I think white queen does not compensate. I'm saying now because I think now white can't force queen exchange already.

Yeah, this is not very likely to happen.

Yay!

OK, if there are no suggestions, shall we play 33...Kh7? We don't have any reasonable alternatives anyway.

33...Kh7

. . . . . . . .
p . r . . p . k
P . p . p Q p .
. . P p P . P .
. . q . b . . P
. . P . . . . .
. r . . . B . .
R . R . . . K . *

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Oh, it's quite possible that neither black nor white want to exchange queens, for different reasons.
Anyway, why I didn't like the queen exchange in a nutshell:
1) Black's queen is very annoying for white and certainly `better' than white's. In that sense, it makes sense to exchange the two (as one might exchange a bad bishop againt a good bishop). But:
2) White's pawn structure resembles a piece of Swiss cheese, the bishop is trapped behind its own pawns and has not much of a future to look forward to and white's rooks cannot become active because black controls the b-file and black's bishop cannot be budged from its place. In other words, white's queen is the only piece that white can hope to make active. For that reason, I wanted to keep the queen and try to find another way of chasing off black's queen (using the rooks). That may very well not have worked, but at least it's a consistent plan, and one I'd rather try than the end game that results after queen exchange: black has a clear plus there and no obvious weaknesses that white can exploit. All black has to do is sit on his advantage and push forward patiently until white finally cannot defend the position anymore. It may take tens of moves if white is on his guard and defends well, but it won't help if black does not make a serious mistake.
In other words, in that end game white has to work hard and be on his guard at all times while black can be a bit more sloppy as long as he doesn't make any big mistakes. It's not the sort of game I like to play (being white, I love it when I'm black) and it didn't seem like a good idea at the time.

Bringing the second rook on the second row will be all but easy but i agree it's the only reasonable choice; again i agree that the rook can't move until it's the only one defending that pawn.
I vote for kg8

As this thread gets older it's reproduction rate dies down
White team where art thou?

Good! Black team, let's carry on with our plan? (35...Rc8)

One alternative may be to put our rook to d2, then d3. It looks like great place for our rook, but I'm not sure I am not missing something there. It is more tactical, may be they can force some exchange there, which we better avoud now.

OK, here we go!

35...Rc8

. . r . . . k .
p . . . . p . .
P . p . p . p .
. . P p P . P .
. . q . b . Q P
. . P . . . . .
. r . . . B . .
R . R . . . K . *

FMC, "Chess for Allegroites" is down?

Update your sig.... there is no allegro.cc/go/ anymore.

Bump! White to move.