The story behind the game
An early queen trade leaves a long positional struggle. Ding challenges the centre, later opens the kingside and uses rook activity to change the pawn balance on both flanks. The final a-pawn advance needs the king nearby. Study the sequence of targets rather than assuming an extra pawn wins a rook ending automatically.
Take these ideas to your next game
- A central pawn break can improve the king’s route.
- An open file lets a rook change targets.
- A capture with check can buy time in a pawn race.
- Support a distant passer with both rook and king.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
e4 challenges the centre while White’s king can support the exchanges. Black checks with the knight before capturing on e4. The two knights are then exchanged on that square and White’s king recaptures. Follow the resulting king activity in the rook ending rather than evaluating the pawn exchange by structure alone.
f5 changes the central pawns and opens further rook activity. Black captures with the e-pawn, checking White’s king. White’s rook recaptures with check, after which the h-pawn advances with another check. Count the forcing tempi and the remaining pawn targets on both wings.
Rxh7+ takes a pawn while forcing the king to respond. Black’s king moves and White returns the rook to the b-file. Further pawn captures change the queenside structure. Trace which pawns remain after each capture instead of treating the check as a complete winning plan by itself.
a6 advances the outside passer with king support. Black checks on the b-file and later places the rook on the a-file. White must change the king’s route while keeping the pawn supported. Compare the checking distances and promotion control in the saved lines before pushing again.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 32: Change the centre before the rook ending
Which pawn advance attacks Black’s pawn on f5? In the game: e4. e4 challenges the centre while White’s king can support the exchanges. Black checks with the knight before capturing on e4. The two knights are then exchanged on that square and White’s king recaptures. Follow the resulting king activity in the rook ending rather than evaluating the pawn exchange by structure alone.
Engine-supported alternatives
Ke2 Nc5 Kf3 Nd3 Ke2 Nxb2 Rxb2 Rxc3 Rxb6 Rc2+ Kd3 Rxa2 · -0.01 · depth 23
e4 Nc5+ · -0.03 · depth 23
Kd2 Nc5 Ne2 Ne4+ Ke1 Nd6 Rb3 b5 Nd4 Rc1+ Ke2 Rb1 · -0.03 · depth 22
Move 46: Open a new rook target
Which f-pawn advance challenges the pawn on e6? In the game: f5. f5 changes the central pawns and opens further rook activity. Black captures with the e-pawn, checking White’s king. White’s rook recaptures with check, after which the h-pawn advances with another check. Count the forcing tempi and the remaining pawn targets on both wings.
Engine-supported alternatives
f5 Ke7 Kd3 Rd6+ Ke3 Rc6 Ke4 Rd6 fxe6 Rxe6+ Kf5 Rf6+ · +0.03 · depth 26
Kd4 Rd6+ Ke4 Rc6 · +0.00 · depth 25
Kd3 Rd6+ Kc4 Rc6+ · +0.00 · depth 25
Move 56: Capture with a useful check
Which rook capture removes the pawn on h7 with check? In the game: Rxh7+. Rxh7+ takes a pawn while forcing the king to respond. Black’s king moves and White returns the rook to the b-file. Further pawn captures change the queenside structure. Trace which pawns remain after each capture instead of treating the check as a complete winning plan by itself.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rxh7+ Kg5 Kxb6 Rb4+ Kxa5 Rxb3 Rf7 Kg6 Rf2 Rg3 Ka6 Kh7 · +4.39 · depth 23
Ka6 h6 Rxb6 Rf5 Rb5 Kg4 Rxa5 Rxa5+ Kxa5 h5 b4 h4 · +0.20 · depth 23
Rxb6 Rf5+ Ka6 Kg5 b4 axb4 Rxb4 h5 a5 h4 Rxh4 Kxh4 · +0.07 · depth 23
Move 65: Support the distant passer
Which pawn advance reaches a6 beside the supporting king? In the game: a6. a6 advances the outside passer with king support. Black checks on the b-file and later places the rook on the a-file. White must change the king’s route while keeping the pawn supported. Compare the checking distances and promotion control in the saved lines before pushing again.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rc5+ Kd4 a6 Rb8+ Kc7 Ra8 Rc6 Rxa6 Rxa6 Kd5 Kb6 Kc4 · +4.80 · depth 20
a6 Rb8+ Kc7 Rb3 Rf6 Ra3 Kb7 Rb3+ Rb6 Re3 a7 Re7+ · +4.61 · depth 19
Kb7 Rh8 a6 Rh7+ Kb6 Kd4 Rd6+ Ke5 Rg6 Ke4 Re6+ Kd4 · +4.43 · depth 19
Every piece has a part to play.
An early queen trade leaves a long positional struggle. Ding challenges the centre, later opens the kingside and uses rook activity to change the pawn balance on both flanks. The final a-pawn advance needs the king nearby. Study the sequence of targets rather than assuming an extra pawn wins a rook ending automatically.
Look a little deeper
Play on the board or type your move. Strong engine-supported alternatives receive credit.
Future moves stay hidden until you continue.
Try a different path.
Select a key moment to explore legal continuations supported by saved Stockfish analysis.
Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–26. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
Download complete engine evidence