The white knight is momentarily defenseless and lacks mobility. The white castle has a number of weaknesses and the white pieces don't look well placed for an efficient defense. These details suggest 26... Re3 27.Ne2 (27.Rf3 Rxf3 28.gxf3 Qxg3 - + [B+N+P vs R]) 27... Qc6:

A) 28.Nd4 Rh3+ 29.Kg1 Rh4 30.Rf4 Rxf4 31.Qxf4 Qd5 32.Rd1 e5 wins the knight - + [B+N+P vs R].

B) 28.Kh2 Ng4+ 29.Kg1 (29.Kh1 Rh3#) 29... Rxe2+ wins.

C) 28.Kg1 Rxe2+ wins.

D) 28.Rf3 Rxf3 29.gxf3 Qxf3+ 30.Kh2 Ng4#.

I visualized the combination to the game's end, but did not see all the way through to mate after 26...Re4 27. Nxe4 Nxe4 28. Qe1 (diagram below)

click for larger view

I think both 26...Re3 & 26...Be3 win

<26...Re3> 27.Ne2 Qe5 28.Rae1 Bd6 29.g3 Qe4+ 30.Kh2 Qh4+ 31.Kg2 Rxe2+ 32.Qxe2 Qxg3+ 33.Kh1 Qh3+ 34.Kg1 Bc5+ 35.Rf2 Ng4

click for larger view

<26...Be3> 27.Qe1 Qc4 28.Ne2 Bd2 29.Qxd2 Rxe2 30.Qd1 Qh4+ 31.Kg1 Ng4

click for larger view

*****
Yikes, another powerful rook move <26...Re4> escaped me :(

<26 ... Re3>

Even though this stops the bishop's tight control a7-g1 diagonal. It threatens Nf3 with Qxg3. The knight cannot be defended as it is attacked twice and is currently undefended.

27 Qf2 Rxg3

27 Rf3 Rxf3

The knight cannot move; 4 of its 6 available squares are blocked by its own pieces and the other are a disaster...

27 Ne4 Rxe4

27 Ne2 Ne4!
28 Qe1/Qd2/Qc2/Qb2 Rxe2!

The rook is immune due to the <windmill of death>!

So white only has one real alternative; lose the knight and go on the attack. The rook moves look ugly...

27 Rad1 Qxg3

27 Rae1 Qxg3
28 Rxe3 Bxe3
28 Qe1 Nxh5!

<27 fxe6 Qxg3>
<28 exf7+ Kxf7>

click for larger view

White is now desperate, he must defend against 29 Qh4+ Kg1 30 Rh3+ any move 31 Rh1#. The only defensive response; 29 Qf2 Qxf2+ 30 Rxf2 Ke6 leaves Black's three pieces and mobile king easily outplaying the two white rooks in the end game. So instead white must continue the attack or die. There is only one check available.

<29 Rxf6+ Kxf6!>

click for larger view

Unfortunately for white he has traded into a position where all the checks are on dark squares and black controls ALL the dark squares.

Game over!

~~~

I took me forever to see all the way to the bishop pin in this very elegant finish.

click for larger view

cast down a line up ride a lion in jail a h1 king feed rook arm e4 gas tom e4 horse a bin e4 fold after glide bind queasy i owe e4 you a debt of gratitude chewing have um ball rally f6 comes down to haunt queen and king as windmill a horse condiment it knight in g3 as have aha hersuite evermore in state a herd wich f6 lazer flight ash e4 an g3 encircle op knight at f1 key king left to his own demise a bob in feeble a d2 jerk around two rooks versus c7 queen arm f4 and angle bishop eats c5 up ground good check off in b2 ar gig a bite in bade duty ramble give spark f6 light at all sorts of trouble to chuck ash f4 enter glides c7 a robe undone for won victor quench a wire cuffed aim dead delve in cad each too ever focus at got giving in fly flght arm hand a hoofed lane heads as huffles an dig free horse i a gog shuffles around action in jam effect ash f4 arms alive no more c5 bus a do aim bold as boot ie to one hood a king stuck dosh on up e4 a line at hollered in do honour oh odd ball a e2 dish up alive i would think as park a b2 in under out of line of fire sat in cad amongst a line casts an fronts eg i ment quarter back throws c7 up link it now in effect aim bold an curious again line

every i dutiful crum ash f4 angles son slid among the hubris too duos arrow a good query back in bet a hood wink alive no more too i e2 queen as ghost ship over time a b2 land culpa in a d2 b2 ooh at read the script light in level oh drome 25.Qd2 a oomph at,

Black to play (26...?) "Difficult", Black is down the Exchange for a pawn.

It's obvious that the ideal scenario for Black would be to get a rook or queen to h4 to deliver checkmate. But if 26...Ne4 27. Qf4! (not 27. Nxe4? Rxe4 28. Rf3 Rh4+ 29. Rh3 Qg3!) 27...Nxg3+ 28. Qxg3 Re4!? 29. Qh3! (not 29. Qxc7?? Rh4#) and Black's attack fizzles out. This would be a case of right square, wrong piece. Instead, Black should give away another Exchange!

26...♖e4! 27. ♘xe4

Forced, as it was the only way to stop 27...Rh4# since 27. Rf2 Rh4+ 28. Kg1 Qxg3 loses miserably.

27...♘xe4 28. ♕f4

Or 28. Qe1 Ng3+ 29. Kh2 Nxf1+ 30. Kh3 (30. Kh1 Qh2#) 30...Qh2+ 31. Kg4 Qxg2+ 32. Kf4 (32. Kh4 Be7+ and mates) Bd6+ 33. Qe5 Qg3+ 34. Ke4 Qe3#.

click for larger view

But now 16...a5! disrupts the queenside for white, because the rook on a1 is unsupported. White's best option seems to be 17.b5, but black has comfortable game after 17...c5. It becomes clear that white had to castle in move 15. Black's 16...a5 is a master move. A lesser player would automatically castle, but black doesn't waste the opportunity to strike.

I opened my first MySpace website. Everyone flocked to cinemas to see <Shrek 2>. I bought my first Nintendo DS ( I still use it).

And User: An Englishman began work on his Pun of the Day, in association with User: squares (who has now retired).

Those two crazy punketeers will go down in history, like Gilbert & Sullivan, or Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin, or Lea & Perrin.