Knight v Bishop (part 23)

White has just captured on d1 in Simon Spivack (188) - Spanton (151), Middlesex League Division 3 1990. Who stands better, and by how much? 

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Black's queenside pawns are shattered, but the king is more centralised than White's. Stockfish12 gives White a slight edge, while Komodo11.01 reckons the position is dead-equal.

32...Kd4 33.Kd2 Bf7 34.Ne2+ Kc5!?

Keeping the king in the centre with 34...Ke5 may be slightly better.

35.Ng3 Bd5?!

The engines prefer 35...Bg6 or 35...Kd4!? One point about the latter is that 36.Nf5+ Ke5 37.Nxg7?! runs into 37...f5 38.Kc3 Kf6, winning the knight. Even this is not entirely clear as 39.Kb4!? Kxg7 40.c3 Kf6 41.Ka5 confuses the issue, but is probably winning for Black.

36.f3

The engines slightly prefer 36.Nh5!? Bxg2 37.Nxg7.

36...g6 37.Ke3 Kd6 38.Nf1 Ke5 39.g3 f5?
I offered a draw, but the text gives Black strong winning chances. The problem with the move is that after ...

40.f4+ Kd6 41.Kd4

... Black cannot save the c4 pawn. So much better than my 39th move is 39...g5 or 39...h5. For example, after the latter, 40.f4+ can be met by 40...Kf5, when Black's play against the white kingside stops White going after the c4 pawn.

41...Be4

Or 41...c5+ 42.Kc3 and 43.Ne3.

42.Ne3 h6 43.Nxc4+ Ke6 44.c3 g5 45.Kc5 gxf4 46.gxf4

I sealed (remember those days?) ...

46...Kd7

... but resigned without resuming.