Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A Rococo Finale by Devos

    
In 1948, in the small town (population less than 25,000) of Baarn, located about 22 miles southeast of Amsterdam, Paul Bevos and Baruch H. Wood met. Devos won the Brilliancy Prize in a game in which the final position was described as being positively bizarre or fantastic. 
    The final position was also described as “rococo” which was a new word to me. It has three meanings: 1) an 18th century style of architecture 2) an 18th century musical style and 3) excessively ornate or intricate. 
    In any case, in regards to the final position, tale you pick of descriptions: bizarre, fantastic or rococo. They all seem to fit! 
 

    Paul Devos (1911-1981) was seven times Belgian champion in 1933, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945 and 1948. 
    Baruch H. Wood (1909-1989) was an English player, editor and author. Between 1938 and 1957, Wood was the champion of Warwickshire eight times. In 1948, he tied for second place at the British Championship and he won the British correspondence championship in 1944–45. In 1935, Wood founded the magazine CHESS, which became one of the two leading chess magazines in Great Britain. He also held various administrative position in various British chess organizations.

  A game that I liked (Fritz 17)

[Event "Baarn"] [Site "?"] [Date "1948.04.21"] [Round "?"] [White "Baruch H. Wood"] [Black "Paul Devos"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E37"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "1948.??.??"] {E37: Nimzo-Indian: Classical} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 {This line in the Noa Variation usually gives rise to complicated positions requiring subtle play. At the time it was thought the P sacrifice was not sound.} 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nf3 Bf5 { Black can regain the P with 10...Qa5+, but the text is more aggressive} (10... Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxc5 12. Qxc5 Nxc5 {with a benign position.}) 11. b4 O-O 12. Bb2 d4 {Devos continues his aggressive play.} (12... Re8 {is solid.} 13. Rd1 b6 14. e3 bxc5 15. Bb5 Qb6 {with equal play. Ivanchuk,V (2717)-Topalov,V (2718) Monte Carlo 2001}) 13. Qc4 Re8 14. Nxd4 {[%mdl 8192] This turns out to be the losing move. White is under too much pressure ti be be able to afford taking the second P.} (14. Rd1 {is the correct move, but even here white cannot afford a misstep!} Bg4 15. Bxd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 Qe7 17. Qe3 {The Q had to go to b2. Or, even e5 then is black exchanges on e5 white has a P-fork with e3} Rad8 18. Nd2 {Instantly fatal. The N had to go to d4.} Qd7 19. Qb3 Nxd2 20. Qc2 Bxe2 { White resigned; he is losing lots of material. Brown,M (2121)-Bodek,M (2191) Crossville USA 2011} 21. Rxd2 Bxf1+ 22. Kd1 Qg4+ 23. f3 Qxg2 24. Rxd8 Rxd8+ 25. Kc1 Qxh1 {etc.}) 14... Qf6 {Black has a decisive advantage.} 15. Ra2 {The worst of the evils facing white is apparent after this move, the idea of which is to defend the B and free the N to move. However, it really doesn't matter because white's position is lost whatever he plays.} Be6 16. Nxe6 Qxf2+ (16... Qxe6 {Was this what white was expecting?} 17. Qxe6 Rxe6 18. f3 Nf6 19. e4 { and it's white who is winning.}) 17. Kd1 Rxe6 18. Bc3 {Unmasking his R.} Rd8+ 19. Kc2 {On the surface it looks like white might be able to defend himself, but the engines demonstrates a forced mate in 10/} Qe3 {A "slip" that leaves black only a little more than a R+P advantage according to the engine.} (19... Nxc3 20. Ra1 Re3 21. Rc1 Nb5 22. Ra1 Qf6 23. Kb1 Nc3+ 24. Kc1 Na4 25. Ra2 Rc3+ 26. Rc2 Rxc4 27. Kb1 Rxc2 28. Kxc2 Qb2#) 20. h4 {White tries to free himself from black's merciless grip, but it's fr too late' Black now generates a crushing attack.} Rd2+ {[%mdl 512] A brilliant sacrifice.} 21. Bxd2 Qxd2+ 22. Kb3 Nd4+ {Black mates...in 16 moves.} 23. Ka4 {This shortens the agony...it's mate in 2} (23. Qxd4 Qxd4 24. Rh3 Qd1+ 25. Rc2 Qb1+ 26. Rb2 Nd2+ 27. Kc3 Qc1+ 28. Rc2 Nb1+ 29. Kb3 Qxa3+ 30. Kc4 Re4+ 31. Kd5 Qxb4 32. Rd3 Na3 33. Rb2 Qc4+ 34. Kd6 Qe6+ 35. Kc7 Qc6+ 36. Kb8 Re8+ 37. Rd8 Rxd8+ 38. Kxa7 Qa6#) 23... Qd1+ {After this it's now mate in 3} (23... Nc3+ 24. Qxc3 Ra6#) 24. Ka5 Ra6+ (24... Qa4+ 25. Kxa4 Nc3+ 26. Qxc3 (26. Ka5 Nc6#) 26... Ra6#) 25. Qxa6 {It's still mate in 3} Qa4+ {[%mdl 512]} 26. Kxa4 Nc3+ 27. Ka5 Nb3# {Rococo does seem the best description of the finale.} 0-1

No comments:

Post a Comment