Hannibal Arasan

[chrisw]

Hannibal looks good here, nites strong, if BxNe4 after Nc4 then no bishop pair and white strong on lite squares. Did I miss something? should be a white win

[d]3q1rk1/pr4b1/1p1p2pp/B1pPpb2/P3N3/N2P1P2/1PP4P/R2Q2RK b - - 0 22

[chrisw]

Hannibal error? Surely after Kh7 Qe2 and challenge on the f-file

[jdart]

Hannibal lost. I haven't done a full analysis, but stockfish thinks White should not have played Qe3 here:

[d]3q4/p5bk/3p1rp1/p1pPp2p/P1N1Pr2/3P4/1PP3RP/4Q1RK w - - 0 29

Evals start going down from there. There might have been other errors.

--Jon

[chrisw]

Hannibal lost. I haven't done a full analysis, but stockfish thinks White should not have played Qe3 here:

[d]3q4/p5bk/3p1rp1/p1pPp2p/P1N1Pr2/3P4/1PP3RP/4Q1RK w - - 0 29

Evals start going down from there. There might have been other errors.

--Jon

It was tempting, I suppose, for Hannibal to double on the g-pawn, but the cost was the f-file, and probably the game. White wants to trade everything off here and then win with the nite against the bishop. Instead f-file problems and the rearward black rook f6 doubles as defender d6 and supporting the f-file battery. Black is penetrating and white can't do much about it. So, the challenge on the f-file was important, trade Rooks and play QN vs QB or N vs B, the former being a little problematical because white K exposed to checks and perhaps draw. But this position is horrible for white, black can even pawn storm on kside. Initiative.

[MikeGL]

Hannibal lost. I haven't done a full analysis, but stockfish thinks White should not have played Qe3 here:

[d]3q4/p5bk/3p1rp1/p1pPp2p/P1N1Pr2/3P4/1PP3RP/4Q1RK w - - 0 29

Evals start going down from there. There might have been other errors.

--Jon

Yes my SF9 agrees too. Qe3 just loses a tempo as shown in the actual game. Directly capturing a5 with either Nxa5 or Qxa5 was preferred by SF9. What happened in the actual game is strange, white gave up a defendable a4 pawn (it can be protected with b3), but a5 of black cannot be saved and can be captured anytime without rush. So b3 first to defend a4, then grab blacks a5.