In calculating material advantages, you've frequently mentioned (if I remember right) that isolated pawns or doubled pawns are worth zero points. I understand the principle of what you're saying, but this is a game that seems to defy that logic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but under your point-calculation system, after 26 b4, white has a full three-point advantage in material... And yet Shirov's tripled e-pawns end up marching to victory.

If and when a pawn becomes passed, it counts as an additional 1/2 pt. A connected pawn that is passed counts as 1 1/2. An iso or dbl. pawn that is passed counts as 1/2.

There seems to be some basis for this, I know that CHO'D Alexander in his book urges the student to count a pair of connected pawns as a minor piece (i.e. 3 pts.)

OKay so 1/2 for passers. Maybe that is too much or too little, but in any event, they seem to be some fraction of a pt. And as they get closer to the 8th rank, that fraction (whatever it is worth) must be getting larger.

So we would know that, if say my pawn keeps getting closer to 8th rank, and nothing else is happening, I must be gaining material if only in some future way. So the other guy says "hey if he is gaining material, maybe I should be attacking" or something. At least if we say that the fraction is getting bigger, we might understand what strategy to pursue.

Okay so after blacks 25th, I would say white has 5 connected, black has 2, and no passers. White is ahead in material, +3.

I did not say the person who is ahead in material will win every game. Chess would be very boring if that was the case, someone drops a pawn he loses. No, the theory tells me HOW to play the game when I am ahead in material or behind.

If my opponent made the first blunder, and I follow the theory rigidly, then presumably this will show me the way to victory.

Lots of times, I am ahead in material, but there has been no blunder. Well all theory can do is tell me how to keep the game alive, so I dont lose. I dont want to blunder a drawn game and that's all theory can do.

Okay so what happens here. After 7 moves, White is ahead in material and has the move. Perhaps ihs game is won. He should look to make exchanges.

So what does he do? He gives check w/ the Q. That does not exactly produce any exchanges instead the Q moves twice and then his N gets pushed to the edge.

Are there any exchanges to be made on move 8? I dont think so, white should just mirror what black does as much as possible. May as well 00 now and exploit positional advantage that black does not appear to be able to castle in good way.

Okay does white start to exchange? Yes he does on his 20th move he's able to trade minor pieces and some pawns. Good. okay, then what? 24 Ba5 why there? 24 Be3 at least there is possibility of exchange. Plus he's mirroring the black B, the best way to exchange is to try to mirror these guys.

MOre exchanges on 25th move. Good! Maybe white can win. 26 b4 doesnt have anything to do w/ exchanges, in fact it hems in the B, a positional problem, hard to get rid of these if there are no exchanges and no attacking.

Look at the two B after move 26 one has mobility one does not. This is what makes chess fun, one side has material one side has soem positional problem, now what?

Okay 28 Rd2. why not 28 Ne3? here we try to exchange and also if we block all those pawns, maybe we can hem in Shirovs B like our B.

YOu know who was like that? Euwe. To see him beat Alekhine, he makes it look so easy. Then the next day, he comes back to the table and plays some crazy move that no one else would ever dream of playing.