No white k-side attack has materialized to hinder black's plans, and now the q-side pawn mass is in motion. Stockfish rates black's position at +4.12.

This is a big risk; I figured that 2 connected passers with rooks behind them would be worth the knight. I also figured that if the white queen took the knight, it might even get trapped behind the lines. However, if I had this to play over again, I'd play ... Ra6 defending the knight.

With queens off the board, black is safe from any k-side attack. Surely, a q-side pawn advance will prove decisive now.

! A fine move. The dark-squared bishop, which had no future on the k-side, it is brought over to the q-side, where it plays an important role holding back the black q-side pawn majority. It also prevents the black rook from taking the d6-pawn on account of Ba3 skewering the rook against the king.

There is no time for ...Ra6 to support the advance of the a-pawn, as white would immediately reply Ba3 and leave it there, halting the pawns' advance indefinitely. So, a pawn must be sacrificed to gain entry for a black rook on the b-file. 30... Ke8, which looks tempting, fails to Bxd5!

Black hopes to turn the c-pawn into a winner, but he is now effectively a bishop in minus and Stockfish rates white better now at +5.73.

With both white bishops and the rook now on the q-side, black's hopes of promoting a pawn are very dim.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Black sacs more material to gain back two connected passers.

This scotches any hope of black advancing the q-side pawns. So black is now simply a rook in minus. His last hope is to keep the position closed to prevent the rook from entering the black camp.

Black must eliminate the d6 pawn in order to free his king to move.