Kotov – Bondarevsky Leningrad 1936

     I have occasionally seen the position after White’s 23rd move presented as a tactics puzzle, but rarely has the complete game been given. That’s a shame because it's an interesting game. Bondarevsky conducts a beautiful attack even though the game was full of errors by Kotov. It should be remembered that at the time this game was played neither of these players had yet achieved GM status.
     All of the references that I checked maintained that Kotov missed holding the draw by not playing 23.Kf1 but it appears that Houdini 2 found a way for Black to keep the attack going by 24…Qxd4+. After playing around with the position for about an hour, it seems that even after 23.Kf1 that Black is still winning. If anyone finds a way that White can save the game, please post it.