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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)

    Hans LambertStojan Puc1–0B93Olympiad Dubrovnik30.08.1950Stockfish 15.1
    Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.c3 g6 6.e2 g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e3 a6 9.f4 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. c7 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.d5 is the approved move. xd5 11.exd5 d7 12.c4 f6 13.c1 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.b3 e6 The losing move!! 11...exf4 equalizes. 12.xf4 b6+ 13.h1 e8 12.f5 c4 13.g5 xe2 14.xe2 h5 15.d5 d8 16.f6 h8 17.e7+ Black resigned. Kerecki,L (2174)-Vulin,M (2092) Belgrade 2008 10...c6 This is the most solid move and the game is completely even after 11.f5 d5 12.exd5 e5 13.f2 xd5 14.xd5 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 fd7 12.f5 The attack begins and already white's position is the more promising. e5 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± 13.exf5 e8 14.d5 d8 15.f6 f8 Black's position is not enviable, but at least white has no quick way to open up lines against the K. 13.f6 h8 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.e1 h6 This is suicide. 14...b5 is at least a gesture at a counterattack. 15.h4 b7 15...b4 16.d1 b7 17.c3 Opening the c-file favors white. 16.f3 bd7 17.xe5 xe5 White is better, but it's not clear exactly how he can make progress. 15.h4 15.gxh6 only makes black's defense easier. h7 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.ad1 b5 As good a move as any; black no longer has a satisfactory defense. 17.xh5 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.xh5 e8 19.f4 Headed for h4 g6 Stopping it. 20.f3 Headed for h3 which cannot be stopped. d7 The development of the Q-side pieces comes too late to be of any good. 21.h3 df8 22.ce2 Black has managed to hunker down on the K-side, so white must bring up the reserves. c5 23.f1 White has a looming crusher! d7 24.c6 This is it. c4 24...xc6 25.f4 There is a mate in 9 xe4 26.xg6 xf6 27.xf6 and mate can only be delayed. 25.e7+ xe7 26.fxe7 The N can't move so... xe4 27.exf8+ Why not a R instead of a Q? xf8 28.f4 e7 Running away, but he won't get far! 28...xf4 29.xh8+ e7 30.f6+ e8 31.h8# 29.xg6+ xg6 30.xg6 fxg6 31.h7+ d8 32.xh8+ e8 33.f7 and there is a mate in 5. b8 34.a7 c8 35.b6+ c7 36.xc7 b4 37.ch7+ c8 38.xe8# 18.ce2 gxh5 18...bd7 puts up a greater fight. After 10 minutes Stockfish arrives at the following continuation... 19.f4 a5 20.f3 d8 21.g2 a7 22.df1 b7 23.h3 xf6 24.gxf6 e8 25.h4 xf6 26.xf6 xf6 27.g5 g7 28.h7 f6 29.d2 be7 30.f4 d7 31.xg7+ xg7 32.b3 g5 33.fxe6 xe6 34.xe6 a4 35.d5 h7 36.d4 xe6 37.xb4 and white is winning. 19.xh5 bc6 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...g6 is no better. 20.f3 and it's mate in 9 e5 21.f5 xf5 22.exf5 c4 23.d4 f4 24.xf4 f1+ 25.xf1 g7 26.fxg7 xg7 27.h4 c8 28.h6+ g8 29.h8# 20.f4 White needs to get the R behind the Q. xd4 21.xd4 g6 22.f3 e5 23.f5 xf5 24.exf5 f4 25.xf4 exf4 26.h3 Mission accomplished...the R is behind the Q c5+ 27.f1 c4+ 28.dd3 Black resigned. A very strong attack by Lambert! 1–0

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