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Monday, June 12, 2023

Everybodu Loves a Pawn Storm


     An experienced player is most likely to castle into a stronghold that he hopes will keep his King safe. And, when attacking the enemy’s stronghold it’s not usual that the breakthrough will be achieved by the use of pieces alone. More often than not you need a battering ram of Pawns like Lambert uses in the following game. 
    His opponent was the little known Stojan Puc (April 9, 1921 – January 29, 2004, 82 years old) of Yugoslavia. Chessmetrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2606 in 1951 which placed him at number 50 in the world. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and an Honorary GM title in 1984. 
     The winner, Hans Lambert (March 19, 1928 – April 5, 2020, 92 years old), played for Austria in the 1950 and 1952 Olympiads. In the 1950 Olympiad, playing reserve board and won the individual silver medal, scoring +6 =4 -2. He played in tournaments until the early 1980s. 

A game that I liked (Fritz 17)

[Event "Olympiad Dubrovnik"] [Site ""] [Date "1950.08.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Hans Lambert"] [Black "Stojan Puc"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B93"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {Sicilian} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 a6 9. f4 {[%mdl 32] White almost always plays 9.a4 here to stifle black's Q-side coumterplay. It takes great optimism to play 9.f4 because there is little hope of overrunning black's K-side position because the fianchetto makes for a very strong fortress.} Qc7 {Much more often seen are either 9...Nc6 or 9...Nbd7} 10. g4 {This is really going all out for the kill. White is taking a big risk in stripping his K of its defenses. The defensive looking 10.Bf3 is safer, but it's also pretty slow} (10. Nd5 { is the approved move.} Nxd5 11. exd5 Nd7 12. c4 Nf6 13. Rc1 e6 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. b4 {White stands well. Kindermann,S (2500)-Miles,A (2585) Bath 1983 0-1 (77)}) 10... e6 {This is a reasonable looking move, but it allows white to gain the upper hand. Black should develop his Q-side.} (10... e5 11. Nb3 Be6 { [%mdl 8192] The losing move!!} (11... exf4 {equalizes.} 12. Bxf4 Qb6+ 13. Kh1 Re8) 12. f5 Bc4 13. g5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Nh5 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. f6 Bh8 17. Ne7+ { Black resigned. Kerecki,L (2174)-Vulin,M (2092) Belgrade 2008}) (10... Nc6 { This is the most solid move and the game is completely even after} 11. f5 d5 12. exd5 Qe5 13. Bf2 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 {in Klundt,K (2398)-Colovic,A (2414) Mogliano Veneto 2000 black erred with 14...Nxd5 (correct was 14...Qxd5), but white did not follow up correctly and the result was a quick draw.}) 11. g5 Nfd7 12. f5 {The attack begins and already white's position is the more promising.} Ne5 {In notes to this game from an old source the annotator commented that as a result of white's risky attack the N cannot be dislodged from this very useful square and it is easy to see how white's attack might end in disaster. This is very often the problem with old annotation from book in pre-engine days...they are often, as here, totally wrong. Stockfish disdains 12...Ne5 and evaluates this position as 2.5 Ps in white's favor.} ( 12... exf5 $16 13. exf5 Re8 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. f6 Bf8 {Black's position is not enviable, but at least white has no quick way to open up lines against the K.}) 13. f6 Bh8 {It would have been more helpful for black to have a N on d7 and to have been able to retreat his B to f8 as in the last note where at least it would not have been totally hemmed in as here. Stiil, in this position even though white is clearly better there is no way to force his way through to victory.} 14. Qe1 h6 {This is suicide.} (14... b5 {is at least a gesture at a counterattack.} 15. Qh4 Bb7 (15... b4 16. Nd1 Bb7 17. c3 {Opening the c-file favors white.}) 16. Nf3 Nbd7 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 {White is better, but it's not clear exactly how he can make progress.}) 15. Qh4 (15. gxh6 {only makes black's defense easier.} Kh7 {White is better, but there is no easy way to dig out black's K.}) 15... h5 {After this white has no possible P moves that can-open the K side so he must sacrifice a piece. which he could have done immediately.} 16. Rad1 b5 {As good a move as any; black no longer has a satisfactory defense.} 17. Bxh5 {[%mdl 512] Notice that black has not moved any of his Q-side pieces. Black is lost here, but a subsequent analysis shows, the position is still quite complicated. That means there is room for wrror by either side!} b4 (17... gxh5 18. Qxh5 Re8 19. Rf4 {Headed for h4} Ng6 { Stopping it.} 20. Rf3 {Headed for h3 which cannot be stopped.} Nd7 {The development of the Q-side pieces comes too late to be of any good.} 21. Rh3 Ndf8 22. Nce2 {Black has managed to hunker down on the K-side, so white must bring up the reserves.} Qc5 23. Rf1 {White has a looming crusher!} Bd7 24. Nc6 {This is it.} Qc4 (24... Qxc6 25. Nf4 {There is a mate in 9} Qxe4 26. Nxg6 Bxf6 27. Rxf6 {and mate can only be delayed.}) 25. Ne7+ Rxe7 26. fxe7 {The N can't move so...} Qxe4 27. exf8=R+ {Why not a R instead of a Q?} Kxf8 28. Nf4 Ke7 { Running away, but he won't get far!} (28... Nxf4 29. Qxh8+ Ke7 30. Qf6+ Ke8 31. Rh8#) 29. Nxg6+ Qxg6 30. Qxg6 fxg6 31. Rh7+ Kd8 32. Rxh8+ Be8 33. Rf7 {and there is a mate in 5.} Rb8 34. Ba7 Rc8 35. Bb6+ Rc7 36. Rxc7 b4 37. Rch7+ Kc8 38. Rxe8#) 18. Nce2 gxh5 (18... Nbd7 {puts up a greater fight. After 10 minutes Stockfish arrives at the following continuation...} 19. Rf4 a5 20. Bf3 Qd8 21. Bg2 Ra7 22. Rdf1 Rb7 23. Qh3 Nxf6 24. gxf6 Re8 25. Rh4 Qxf6 26. Rxf6 Bxf6 27. Bg5 Bg7 28. Rh7 f6 29. Bd2 Rbe7 30. Nf4 Bd7 31. Rxg7+ Rxg7 32. Qb3 g5 33. Nfxe6 Bxe6 34. Nxe6 a4 35. Qd5 Kh7 36. Qd4 Rxe6 37. Bxb4 {and white is winning.}) 19. Qxh5 Nbc6 {White has a mate in 17 moves after this, but it's too later for black to do anything that would even remotrly give him a chance at saving the game.} (19... Ng6 {is no better.} 20. Rf3 {and it's mate in 9} e5 21. Nf5 Bxf5 22. exf5 Qc4 23. Nd4 Nf4 24. Rxf4 Qf1+ 25. Kxf1 Bg7 26. fxg7 Kxg7 27. Rh4 Rc8 28. Qh6+ Kg8 29. Qh8#) 20. Rf4 {White needs to get the R behind the Q.} Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Ng6 22. Rf3 e5 23. Nf5 Bxf5 24. exf5 Nf4 25. Bxf4 exf4 26. Rh3 {Mission accomplished...the R is behind the Q} Qc5+ 27. Kf1 Qc4+ 28. Rdd3 {Black resigned. A very strong attack by Lambert!} 1-0

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