MY round-six game in the Benidorm (Meliá) U2000 reached an instructive rook-and-pawn ending.
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| I have just played 26...h6 against Casimiro Ballina Amandi (1748) |
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Black is a (protected passed) pawn up, but has a passive rook. Both players have a pawn-majority on a flank. Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon the position is equal, but their evaluation depends on White finding the right plan.
The game saw 27.b4?, after which Black is winning (Stockfish15) or at least has the upper hand (Komodo13.02).
The move may look natural in that White is trying to activate his pawn-majority to give counterplay, but Black can easily stop that.
However the main problem with the move is it allows the black rook to be activated by ...Rb7, either immediately or in the near future.
One line given by the engines runs 27...Rb7 28.Kc3 Kf6 29.a4 a6 30.Rg4 g5, followed by activating the kingside pawn-majority.
If CBA had asked himself what was the main imbalance favouring White over Black, he would surely have concluded it is the relative activity of the rooks.
Therefore a move that unnecessarily lets the black rook be activated must be a mistake, which makes 27.Rb4 or possibly 27.Ra4 the move to play.
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