Attacking on the h-file

    The formation with Rook on h1 and Pawn on h4 is an important one to be familiar with. If an opponent’s Pawn captures a piece and the h-file is opened up for the Rook a battery can be formed by placing another Rook or the Queen on the file. Sometimes, too, an attacking piece can be placed on the square covered by the Pawn, creating threats which induce or force the opponent to take it. 

    There are a couple of other ways of exploiting the formation of the Rook and Pawn. One is to simply advance the Pawn and the other involves switching the Rook on to another file using a Rook lift. The following game is a classic example of the first method. 

    The winner was Vladimir Vukoviv (1898-1975), a Yugoslav IM (title awarded in 1951) ans an International Arbiter (1952). He was also a chess writer and journalist who is best known as the author of The Art of Attack in Chess published in "965)and The Chess Sacrifice published in1968. As is often the case today, engines have rendered some of his analysis erroneous both books are worth reading. 

    His opponent was Arpad Vajda (1896-1962), a Hungarian IM (1950) who was Hungarian Champion in 1928. He served as police chief in Budapest and passed away in that city. 

 

 

    The game was played in the Debrecen, Hungary tournament in 1925. It was was probably Hans Kmoch’s (1874-1974) greatest success. Originally an Austrian-Dutch IM, IA and chess journalist and author, he eventually ended up in New York City and for many years his annotations appeared in Chess Review magazine

 

[Event "Debrecen"] [Site ""] [Date "1925.08.12"] [Round "?"] [White "Vladimir Vukovic"] [Black "Arpad Vajda"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D64"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1925.??.??"] {D64: Queen's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Rc1 c6 8. a3 a6 9. Qc2 dxc4 {Black should delay this until after white has developed his B with Bd3. Usual is 9...Re8} 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Ba2 {White plays the B here because of the potential of setting up a B+Q battery after Bb1} c5 12. Rd1 (12. O-O Bb7 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15. Bb1 {Black should now block the diagonal with 15...Nce5. Instead he plays what looks like a more natural move..} g6 {Very bad!} 16. b4 Nce4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Qb2 {This is what black overlooked.} Bxb1 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qxf6 Bf5 21. Ne5 {Threatening a fork on e7.} Ra7 22. Nd7 Qd8 23. Qxd8 Rxd8 24. Nf6+ {There is a nice finish...} Kg7 25. Nh5+ gxh5 26. Rxd8 {1-0 Bitkinin,L (2128)-Yaksin,O (2322) Kazan 2008}) 12... c4 {A small, but important, point is that this is not a very good move because it removes the pressure on white's center. As will be seen in a few moves, this gives him no counterplay and white has a free hand on the K-side. Hitting hte N with 12...b4 was better.} 13. Bb1 {Black should not touch anything on the K-side and play 13...Bb7 with approximate equality. Instead he fatally weakens his K-side.} h6 {How should white handle this attack on his B?} (13... g6 {While this does not lose outright it gives white excellent attacking prospects after} 14. h4 Bb7 15. h5 Nxh5 {This loses outright.. 15...Ng4 offers better prospects of defending himself.} 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Rxh5 gxh5 18. Qxh7#) 14. h4 {This is not a real sacrifice because if black takes the B after 15.hxg5 white regains the piece because if the threat of Qh7#. After white regains the piece with gxf6 he would have excellent attacking chances on the h-file.} Re8 (14... hxg5 15. hxg5 g6 16. Ne5 {Stronger than the immediate recapture.} (16. gxf6 Bxf6 17. Qe4 Rb8 18. Qf4 {Threatening Qh6} Bg7 19. Ng5 Qf6 20. Qh4 Rd8 {Black has managed to organize a defense, dut white's advantage is still a decisive one.}) 16... Nxe5 17. dxe5 Nd7 18. Qe4 Bxg5 19. Qxa8 Kg7 20. f4 Be7 21. Qf3 Rh8 22. Kf2 {White is winning/}) 15. Ne5 Bb7 {Black is wise to consistently refuse offered N. He hopes that eventually tjr B will retreat. However, in any case he has a poor position.} 16. Rh3 {This is a maneuver designed to bring the Rs into the game as quickly; it's characteristic formation with a R on hl and P on h4.} Nf8 {Black lacks a good defense. Now it's white to play and win.} (16... hxg5 17. hxg5 {Nate is threatened (Qg7#) so the N is lost and after} Nf8 18. gxf6 Bxf6 19. Rh8+ Kxh8 20. Nxf7+) 17. Bxh6 {[%mdl 512] This piece offer cannot be accepted either.} Nh5 (17... gxh6 18. Rg3+ Ng6 19. Nxf7 {Another offer that nust be refused. Even so black is dead lsot no matter what he plays.} Kxf7 20. Qxg6+ Kf8 21. Qg7#) 18. Qe2 g6 19. g4 Ng7 20. h5 {Ripping apart black's K-side.} Bf6 {Black gives up a second pawn, but he can do nothing to save his position.} 21. hxg6 Bxe5 22. gxf7+ Kxf7 23. dxe5 Qa5 {All that remains is for white to mop up.} 24. e4 (24. Bxg7 {is even more ruthless.} Kxg7 25. g5 Rad8 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Qh5 {mate is looming after h6.}) 24... Re7 25. Bg5 Rd7 26. Qf3+ Kg8 27. Bf6 {Black must now prevent Rxd7.} b4 28. axb4 Qxb4 29. Rxd7 Nxd7 30. Qe3 Qf8 31. Qg5 Nc5 32. Qg6 Ra7 33. Rh7 Bc6 34. Qh6 {Black resigned.} (34. Qh6 Nd3+ 35. Bxd3 cxd3 36. Rh8+ Kf7 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Qh8+ Kf7 39. Qxg7+ Ke8 40. Qg8+ Kd7 41. Qd8#) 1-0

Sometimes It’s Wrong to Resign

    The other day I was playing over some of my old OTB games from 1976 and in one tournament one of my wins came when my opponent overstepped the time limit in an ending where I had a R+B+2Ps vs. R+B+P, but my extra P was a useless a-Pawn and the Bs were opposite color. It was a dead draw. 

    Another win came when my opponent resigning in a position that was also drawn! How lucky can you get? 

    FM Dennis Monokroussos said there may be nothing worse than resigning in a winning position and Tim Krabbe once discovered 35 examples where it happened.

    Monokroussos also added that resigning in a drawn position, as my opponent did in this game, doesn't feel very good either. He wisely added that it isn't always obvious that the position ought to be drawn, so vigilance is needed to the very end.

    At Dos Hermanas in 1999 Peter Svidler took a draw against Anand when he had a forced win. And, in his match against Deep Blue in 1997 Kasparov first resigned a game he could have drawn, then later in a tournament took a draw against Joel Lautier in a position that he could have won. At least my opponent in the following game was not alone. 

[Event "Cincinnati"] [Site "?"] [Date "1976.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C12"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IND"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] {C12: French: Classical System: McCutcheon Variation} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} e6 {When this game was played Botvinnik's 100 Selected Games was ny constant companion and so I was happy to see this because as black I usually played the French myself.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 {The Classical Variation. White's main options are 4.e5 and 4.Bg5} 4. Bg5 {The threat is 5.e5, attacking the pinned N. Black has a number of ways to meet this threat.} Bb4 {The McCutcheon Variation in which black sharpens the play very early and indicates his wish to win. Black ignores white’s threat and prefers to threaten white’s center himself. This interesting and sharp strategy gave Viktor Korchnoi a number of fine victories.} 5. e5 h6 6. exf6 {The main line used to be 6.Bd2, but nowadays 6.Be3 is preferred. The text doesn’t work out very well in practice.} hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. Qh5 {A better move would have been 8.h4} Qf6 9. Nf3 {There was no time to retreat. After this black is better.} (9. Qh7 {keeps things equal.} Rxg7 10. Qh8+ Bf8 11. h4 g4 12. h5) 9... Qxg7 10. h4 g4 (10... gxh4 11. Qxh4 Bd7 12. O-O-O Nc6 {and black gas only equality.}) 11. Ne5 Nd7 12. Nxd7 {12.Bd3 was worth a try.} Bxd7 13. O-O-O Bxc3 $146 {After this any advantage black may have had has disappeared. He would have done better to attack my Q with 13...Rh8} (13... Rh8 14. Qe5 Qxe5 15. dxe5 Bc5 {ow white’s e-and f-Pawns are hard to defend.}) 14. bxc3 Rh8 15. Qe5 Qxe5 16. dxe5 c5 {Against Rd4} 17. Be2 Rg8 18. f3 g3 {He should have played 18...gxf3. Black was hoping to keep by B limited and at the same time attack the h-Pawn.} 19. f4 Ke7 20. Rh3 {The idea is to play both Rs to the third rank and attack the g-Pawn before advancing my h-Pawn.} Rg7 21. Rd3 {This allows black the opportunity to get the advantage which he does immediately. Advancing the h-Pawn would have been more effective.} Bb5 {Eliminating his bad B.} 22. Rd2 Bxe2 23. Rxe2 {[%mdl 4096]} Rg4 24. Re3 Rxf4 25. Rexg3 {I thought I was winning here, but the engines give black a small advantage. Apparently the discombobulated g-and h-Pawns aren’t going anywhere and all my other Ps are weak as kittens.} Rh8 26. h5 {[%mdl 32]} Rf5 {There goes a P.} 27. h6 Rxe5 28. Rg7 Re1+ {After this black’s advantage ceases to exist.} (28... Kf6 {keeps the upper hand.} 29. Rg4 Rg5 30. Rf3+ Rf5 31. Rh3 Ke7 {Of course black does not want to repeat moves.} 32. a4 Rf1+ {Black has some winning chances because of white's weak Ps. Practically speaking though double R endings are difficult. In Shootouts white scored +0 -2 =3}) 29. Kb2 {This keeps black's R from attacking the a-Pawm, but 29.Kd2 was equallyplayable.} Rf1 30. h7 {[%mdl 32768] Now after a couple of minutes thought black, seeing no way to stop 31.Rg8, resigned. Somehow he missed the obvious 30...Kf8. Ot's interesting that a tactical analysis using Stockfish gives white a Weighted Error valie of ).25 (precise and black 0.31!} (30. h7 Kf8 31. Rhg3 (31. Rgg3 {Black can mobilize his Ps to create winning chances.}) 31... Ke7 {And there is no way for either side to make progress.}) 1-0

Bisguier Suffers Shingles – Slaughtered by Szabo

    The 1955 Buenos Aires tournament, held at the Argentina Chess Club, was another in a string of successes for the twenty-two year old Borislav Ivkov. All he needed was a draw in the last round to clinch first which he duly obtained. 

    Fellow Yugoslav Svetozar Gligoric came a close second while third place finisher Herman Pilnik of Argentina was in remarkably good form. He started by defeating U.S. Champion Arthur Bisguier in the first round and stayed near or at the top all the way. 

    A youthful Oscar Panno, age 20, must have been disappointed, though he did make a plus score. Panno had won the World Junior Championship in 1953, finishing ahead of such future strong GMs as Borislav Ivkov, Bent Larsen and Fridrik Olafsson. He also won the championship of Argentina in 1953. 

 

 

    Bisguier’s showing was disappointing, but he had come down with a case of shingles. The rash itched horribly and made it impossible for him to sleep at night. His first round loss was indicative of what was to come. In the first half of the tournament he didn't win a single game, but he did pull up from a three point deficit to finish with a respectable score by defeating Gligorich in round 8, Sanguinetti in round 11, Reinhardt in round 13 and Donner in round 14. 

    Szabo's defeat of Bisguier was an instructive game. Bisguier repeated the passive defense that he had played earlier against Trifunovic. In that game, true to his style, Trifunovic also played passively resukting in a quick draw. Bisguier repeated the same line against Szabo who was not as peaceably inclined as Trifunovic had been. The result was a quick, smashing attack that sent Bisguier down in just a few more moves. 

[Event "Buenos Aires"] [Site ""] [Date "1955.05.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Laszlo Szabo"] [Black "Arthur Bisguier"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1955.04.18"] {D46: Semi-Slav} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 {When black plays this without developing his B it’s the Semi-Slav. Black is threatening to capture the white pawn on c4, and hold it with b7-b5, but white can avoid this in many ways.} 5. e3 Nbd7 {Both 5...Bd6 and 5...Be7 are seldom seen, as masters realized early on that at e7, the B was passively placed and does nothing to further one of black’s aims, the freeing move ...e5.} 6. Bd3 Bd6 {The main variation of the Semi-Slav is the Meran Variation, 6... dxc4.} 7. e4 {Seldom seen, this aggressive move has given white good results in practice.} dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 {Here, as on the previous moves, both sides have had many alternatives.)} Nf6 10. Bc2 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 {This position has been reached many times and the outcomes have not been very favorable for black; his position is simply too passive.} O-O {At first glance it may not look like it, but this position is very much in white’s favor because he is superior in the center and his B has excellent prospects. On the other had, black’s B has almost no immediate prospects.} 13. Ne5 {Szabo will castle Q-side and launch a K-side P-storm.} (13. O-O {was played in Petar Trifunovic-Arthur Bisguier Buenos Aires, 1955} Qc7 14. Qe3 b6 15. Qe5 Qb8 16. Ng5 Ba6 17. b3 c5 {with a quick draw.}) 13... Qc7 $16 14. O-O-O c5 15. Qe3 b6 {This is too passive. Black must play vigorously wuth 15...b5 although white would still habe the better prospects.} 16. dxc5 bxc5 {Now that the situation in the enter has been clarifies Szabo launches what quickly becomes an irresistible attack on Bisguier's K.} 17. g4 {[%mdl 32] Practically ending the game.} Rb8 18. Rhg1 Qb6 19. b3 Rb7 (19... g6 {prevents white's next move, but white maintains a winning position.} 20. h4 Qc7 21. g5 Nh5 22. Rd2 Re8 23. Rgd1 {White will play f4 and black is at a loss for any reasonable continuation.}) 20. g5 Ne8 21. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 512] Bisguier, an excellent tactician, must have been ill because otherwise there is no way he could have missed this conclusion!} Kxh7 22. Qh3+ Kg8 23. Rg4 {Mate is looming so black resigned.} (23. Rg4 Qa5 24. Rh4 Qa3+ 25. Kb1 Rxb3+ 26. axb3 Qxb3+ 27. Qxb3 Bb7 28. Qh3 Be4+ 29. Kc1 Bh7 30. Rxh7 g6 31. Rh8+ Kg7 32. Qh6#) 1-0

My Engine vs. His Engine

    On 12-23 I posted that I had entered a correspondence match against an OTB and Correspondence IM in order to test the Berserk engine. Fortunately, my opponent was prompt in his replies and used the site’s feature that allows you to play “if/then” moves. 

    This feature allows you to anticipate an opponent’s move so that if he plays the expected move you can automatically reply with your next move. This speeds up the game dramatically especially in the case when engines are involved. He only ceased the “if/then” sequence when we reached a position where I had more than one good option. 

    I wanted to play openings offering tactical possibilities, but also wanted to avoid risky variations. Consequently, I played the King’s Gambit and not the Urusov Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4).

    In both games I let the engine analyze until it reached 30-40 plies and again at the end of my opponent’s sequence of “if/then” moves the analysis was rechecked, but there was usually no change. 

    The King’s Gambit (I was white) fizzled out to an uneventful 27 move draw which when analyzed with Stockfish gave both sides a Weighted Error Value of nearly 0.00 (flawless). This indicates that Bersek and Stockfish were almost always in agreement on the best moves. 

    As black I though about answering 1.d4 with the Budapest Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5), but in my experience black struggles to get back the P and white seems to end up with the better game. Still, I did not want to play a prosaic Queen’s Gambit, so chose the Symmetrical Defense (1.d5 d5 2.c4 c5). Oddly, it turned out to be a bit more involved that the King’s Gambit. 

    With Berserl by move 20 my opponent (white) was starting to register a slight advantage of 1/4 to 1/3 of a Pawn and my feeling was that we were nearing an ending and Berserk was starting to lose control so it was time to switch to Stockfish which gave a different evaluation...of nearly 0.00. 

    This game was also drawn in 27 moves. Conclusion: For the average user Stockfish is still the best choice. 

 

CCLR ratings 

 

CEGT ratings

 

 

[Event "Correspondence Match"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Int'l Master"] [Black "Tartajubow"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Berserk/Stockfish"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.12.20"] {D06: Queen's Gambit: Symmetrical Defense} 1. d4 d5 {The King's Indian offers active play with tactical opportunities, but I am not that well versed in its intricacies. One correspondence GM stated that objectively the KID has some serious problems in correspondence play. His advise was not to blindly trust engines in the opening. And, although the KID might be good OTB, in some lines white seems to do better and so it’s best to avoid the KID in correspondence play.} 2. c4 c5 {First described way back in 1604, this is sometimes called the Austrian Defense. It’s an uncommon variation that poses a purest test of Queen's Gambit. The question is whether black can equalize by simply copying White's moves. Generally it’s believed white should gain the advantage and the best black can do is draw.} 3. cxd5 {The most usual move is 3.Nf3, but other moves are playable and often lead to transpositions.} Nf6 {More popular is 3...Qxd5, vut there is lottle difference (either statistically or in evaluation) between the two moves.} 4. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} cxd4 5. Qxd4 Qxd5 {Black cannot very well avoide the exchange of Qs.} (5... Nxd5 6. e4 Nc7 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Nc3 {with a slight advantage.}) 6. Nc3 {[%mdl 32]} Qxd4 7. Nxd4 a6 {Necessary to prevent the annoying Ndb5 attacking c7} (7... Bd7 8. Ndb5 Na6 9. e4 {Black's position is rather awkward.}) 8. g3 {This is the main line and the B on the long diagonal is well placed.} e5 9. Nb3 Nc6 10. Bg2 a5 (10... Be6 11. O-O {Black has tried several moves here, but best is} O-O-O 12. Be3 Nd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Rac1 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Rd5 {with equality. Gligoric,S-Padevsky,N Moscow 1956}) (10... Nb4) 11. Na4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Be6 13. Nac5 (13. Nb6 {doesn't accomplish anything.} Ra6 14. Bxc6+ bxc6 15. Na4 Bxb3 16. axb3 Ke7 {with complete equality.}) 13... Bxb3 14. Nxb3 Ke7 {With the endgame approaching keepng the K in the center is the best decision.} 15. O-O {[%mdl 32]} Bxd2 16. Nxd2 Rhd8 17. Nc4 e4 18. Rfc1 Rab8 {Anticipating ...b5 to gain space on the Q-side.} 19. Kf1 Rd5 {A rather kebgthy analysis of 19...b5 convinced me that it did not accomplish anything.} 20. Ne3 {In the saved analysis this move was not anticipated by Berserk. At this point Berserk was starting to show that white was getting a very slight advantage and Stockfish agreed. Consequently, I felt it was a good idea to switch engines and use Stockfish which gives white 1/4 of a P advantage.} Re5 21. Rc4 Kf8 {Making room for the other R at e8.} 22. Rd1 Rbe8 23. a4 Ne7 24. b4 Nf5 25. Nxf5 Rxf5 26. Rcd4 g6 27. Rc1 {Wite's draw offer was accepted. Weighted Error Value: White=0.01 (flawless) /Black=0.01 (flawless)} (27. Rc1 axb4 28. Rxb4 Re7 29. Rcb1 Ra5 30. Rxb7 Rxb7 31. Rxb7 Rxa4 {is a draw.}) 1/2-1/2

Rothman Slips Against Reshevsky

    In 1946, from September 1-4, the US team suffered a sever (4.5-15.5) beating by the Soviet team in a radio match. Shortly afterwards players assembled in New York City for the US Championship. 

    This one was a little different in that only eight of the 19 players in the finals were from New York and, as might be expected, it was another duel between Reshevsky and Kashdan for first. One surprise was the fourth place finish of Jacob Levin of Philadelphia who was playing in only his second US championship. 

 

    In the following game the truly unknown Aaron Rothman (1935-1961, dates uncertain) of the Bronx, New York was in a difficult position when either he outright blundered or valiantly tried to hornswoggle Reshevsky with an exchange sacrifice that failed. According to chess historian Edward Winter, Rothman claimed to know the entire opening manual Modern Chess Openings by heart. 

[Event "US Champ, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1946.10.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Aaron Rothman"] [Black "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D82"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "1946.??.??"] {D82: Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {At the time Reshevsky like this defense because of its fighting qualities.} 4. Bf4 {Though seldom played since its heyday in the 1930s, this is a good, safe continuation especially if white wants to avoid the complexities of the Exchange Variation (4.cxd5). With 4.Bf4 white hopes to take the initiative on the Q-side with a smaller P- center.} Bg7 5. Qa4+ {Usual, bit not relly better, is 5.e3} (5. e3 O-O {Offering the Gruenfeld Gambit. Otherwise he can play 5...c5} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Bxc7 {with equal chances.}) 5... Bd7 6. Qb3 {The point...the b-Pawn is threatened. Should black waste time defending it and if not, should white risk taking it?} Nc6 (6... Bc6 7. e4 e6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bg5 dxe4 10. d5 O-O 11. dxc6 Nxc6 {White has what should be a decisive advantage, but in Karpov,A (2651)-Svidler,P (2738) Moscow 2008 white manages to lose in 36 moves.}) 7. cxd5 {The solid 7.e3 was better.} (7. Qxb7 {is just too risky.} Rb8 8. Qxc7 Qxc7 9. Bxc7 Rxb2 10. O-O-O Rb7 11. Bg3 O-O {Black is better. De Waal,M (2280)-Westerweele,M Vlissingen 1996}) 7... Nxd4 8. Qd1 {A sad retreat, but the only good one.} Nb5 9. Nxb5 Bxb5 {White's opening looks like it has been a disaster. He is weak on the a1–h8 diagonal, his d-Pawn is threatened and he has the almost impossible task of developing jis K-side. Yet somehow he manages to survive.} 10. e4 {Very good! Or, rather, it's the nest he has!} Bxf1 11. Kxf1 O-O 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. Rd1 c6 14. d6 exd6 15. Bxd6 Re8 {[%mdl 2048]} 16. e5 Nd5 {In spite of everything white has survived with minimal damage in that there is no immediate forced win available to Rershevsky who immediately deals with white's apparently well placed B supported by the P on e5.} 17. Nf3 f6 18. exf6 {This turns out to be a real slip.} (18. Re1 {was a much better defense.} fxe5 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rxe5 Rxe5 21. Nxe5 {Incredibly white has survived with no damage!}) 18... Bxf6 19. Bc5 {White's center has disappeared, but he still has a problem with getting his K out of the center and to safety.} Qa5 20. Qc4 (20. a3 {defending the a-Pawn is met by} Qb5+ 21. Kg1 Re2 22. Rd2 Rce8 23. Rxe2 Rxe2 24. Qc1 Rxb2 {and there's no way to meet ...Rb1}) (20. Rd2 {was his best try. After} b6 21. Bd4 Bxd4 22. Rxd4 Qb5+ 23. Kg1 Re2 24. Rd2 Rce8 {Black has an active position and white still faces difficulty getting his R into play.}) 20... Bxb2 {Clearly black has the better position, but with 21.Bd4 or 21.g3 white could hope to play on. Instead he miscalculates a tactical sequence and loses quickly. Or, did Rothman see the refutation and he was just trying to trick Reshevsky?} 21. Rxd5 cxd5 22. Qxd5+ {Reshevsky's next move gets a ! or two because it is the only one that keeps the win alive.} Kh8 {White resigned. There is no effective followup to this move.} (22... Kh8 23. Bd4+ Bxd4 24. Qxd4+ Kg8 {White is the exchange down and black dominates the position.}) (22... Kg7 {results in a different outcome.} 23. Bf8+ {This gets tricky!} Kf6 24. Qxa5 Rc1+ 25. Ne1 Bc3 26. Bg7+ Kxg7 27. Qc7+ Kg8 28. g4 Rexe1+ 29. Kg2 Rxh1 30. Qd8+ Kg7 31. Qd7+ Kh6 32. Qe7 {is a draw}) (22... Kg7 23. Qxb7+ {This, too, is pretty tricky!} Kh6 24. Be3+ Rxe3 25. Qxc8 Qb5+ 26. Kg1 Rd3 27. Qc2 {Here, too, a draw is likely.}) 0-1

Going Berserk

    I gave up correspondence play a couple years back because it got boring playing 99% draws, but the other day I read a rather lengthy article by a strong correspondence player in which he recommended using four engines. 

    Actually he recommended three engine, the first one is not a real engine...it’s your brain, but your brain had[s to be coupled with the right chess software. In my case, the “brain” engine is a really weak one that probably wouldn’t contribute much. 

    As for the real engines, they have different playing styles and their programming affects the types of positions in which they will achieve the best results. His preference was to use Dragon by Komodo, Berserk and for endings he uses Stockfish. 

    Berserk may not be well known. It can be downloaded (free) HERE. On the CCLR 40/15 rating list Berserk ranks behind Stockfish 20230613 64-bit 4CPU, Torch v3 64-bit 4CPU, Dragon by Komodo 3.3 64-bit 4CP and Obsidian 14.0 64-bit 4CPU. 

    Note that Stockfish is a developmental version and they are all running on 4 CPUs. Obsidian is unfamiliar to me, but it is described as playing a strategically sound style. It prefers strategy over aggressive tactics, focuses on good piece placement and controlling key squares and is particularly adept at navigating complex positions. On the CCLR list it seems to hold its own against Stockfish and Dragon by Komodo. 

    The highly aggressive Berserk often seeking out complex tactical opportunities and prioritizing attacking play over positional consideration. This supposedly makes it the most human-like. 

    It has a penchant for finding surprising and creative moves and is not afraid to take risks. It often finding deep tactics that other engines miss. In the opening Berserk can generate original and unexpected moves. 

    Really highly rated CC players use powerful dedicated computers, but most us have off the shelf laptops and that alone puts us out of the running for a high correspondence rating! Of course, you can rent computer time online, but that’s going to the extreme. 

    I wanted to compare the Weighted Error Value that the Fritz program assigns after completing a tactical analysis, so I let it analyze (at 15 seconds per move) a 17 move online game I played. The WEV’s were only a smidgen higher for Berserk compared to Stockfish, so there’s not much difference in using the two for general analysis. 

    All this piqued my interest and so I decided to play a two game correspondence match. My opponent is an International Master rated 2300+ FIDE who is also an ICCF Correspondence Master. The goal is to test Berserk and my plan is to play openings that are highly tactical. Let’s see what happens!

A Queen Sacrifice Based on Intuition

    The great attacking genius Mikhail Tal once told another player, "You calculate variations excellently, but you really must work on your intuition.” 

    What’s intuition? It’s the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. Viswanathan Anand explained it when he said, "Intuition is the first move I think of." 

    For chess players intuition comes from the knowledge of chess and experience. In simple or familiar positions we often play automatically, but when things get complicated we have to calculate variations. 

    It happens that some times our calculations don’t go very deep and we make a decision based on other factors. The strong English GM John Nunn said of a game he played that aside from checking a few minor things he had calculated almost nothing the entire game. 

    When the following game was played the Queen sacrifice instigated at move 11was known, but whenever it was first played in pre-engine days its soundness had to be based on intuition. When this game was played in 1999 engines had reached the level where even GMs had a hard time beating them. Still, at that time the soundness of white’s Queen sacrifice was open to question. 

    The little known GM (title award in 1978) Adrian Mikhalchishin (born in 1954) was born in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, around 43 miles from the border with Poland. 

    His opponent was GM (title awarded in 1999) Dusko Pavasovic (born in 1976). He was born in Split, Croatia, but he plays for Slovenia and was the Slovenian champion in 1999, 2006 and 2007. He is also an FIDE Trainer. The game was played in the 1999 Nova Gorica (Slovenia) Open. It was won by GM Zdenko Kozul a half point ahead of seven others, including Pavasovic. In spite of winning this fantastic game Mikhalchishin only scored 4 points and finished in 50th place.

 

[Event "Nova Gorica"] [Site "Nova Gorica"] [Date "1999.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Adrian Mikhalchishin"] [Black "Dusko Pavasovic"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2518"] [BlackElo "2539"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1999.??.??"] {D45: Semi-Slav: e3} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. e4 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Qxe4 e5 10. dxe5 O-O {This is a well known position and white has now tried developing both Bs to different squares, but his next move surrendering the Q is the most popular.} 11. exd6 {Even though white does not quite get full material compensation for the Q there are other factors to be considered so the position is considered to be one that offers equal chances to both side.} Re8 12. Qxe8+ Qxe8+ 13. Be3 {For the Q white has a R+B+P which is very neary enough compensation materially, but he has problems with his development and K safety. Engines evalaute the position as equal, but practically speaking GMs differ. Some think the position is good for black while other maintain that the P on d6 is a valuable weapon and white should have a good game.} b5 {Thus move is a novelty, but mot an especially good one. even though white's K might come under attack.} (13... Ne5 {is black's black's best move and it was Stockfish's top choice after about 20 minutes of analysis.} 14. O-O-O Nxf3 15. gxf3 Bd7 16. Bd3 Qe5 17. Rhg1 g6 {is equal as was played in Mikhalchishin,A (2490)-Flear,G (2320) Mexico 1980}) 14. O-O-O {This is quite risky as it plays into black's hands by exposing his K to attack. A safe course was 14.Be2 and then castling K-side.} Nf6 15. Bd4 {The idea behind this move is to eliminate the black pieces that are blockading the d-Pawn. Nevertheless, it might have been a better idea to support the d-Pawn with 15.c5. And now black might have better played 15...c5 himself to prevent white from protecting the d-Pawn.} Be6 16. Bxf6 {According to plan, but 16.c5 was still a good option.} gxf6 {Oddly, the doubled Ps are not a serious weakness here because white his more important things to tend to.} 17. c5 {Finally. The protected passed P is a bone in black's throat. Still, Black has a Q vs, R+N+P, so the chances remain about equal/} b4 {Black finally makes a bad move!} (17... Bxa2 18. Bd3 a5 19. Rhe1 Qd7 20. Nd4 {Technically the position is even, but practically speaking you have to like white's centralized pieces and extra space. Still, it's interesting that Shootouts lead to some interesting play, but white only managed to score +0 -1 =4!}) 18. Kb1 {Now that his K os safe and the P is protected white can claim a bit pf an advantage.} Qd8 (18... Bf5+ {was better because after} 19. Ka1 Qe4 20. Ba6 {Threatening Bb7} Bd7 21. Rhe1 Qf5 22. Rc1 {Black has sufficient defensive resources.} Kf8) 19. Nd4 {Of course he wants to eliminated the B...see the next note.} Bd5 20. Rc1 {This somewhat odd looking move is actually quite brilliant..it prepared the exchange of Bs. Black's B is hindering the advance of the d-Pawm. Refer to the note back on move 15!} Qa5 21. Nb3 Qd8 {Black has no really satisfactory move.} (21... Bxb3 22. axb3 Kf8 23. Bd3 h5 24. Rhe1 Re8 25. Be4 Qa6 26. Rc4 {and white is winning; black cannot defend everything.}) 22. Bc4 Be4+ {Naturally black wants to keep his B.} 23. Ka1 Qd7 24. f3 {White is clearly winning.} Bf5 25. Nd4 Re8 (25... Bg6 {keeps the B, but it's way out of place on h6. After} 26. Rce1 Qd8 27. Re7 {The P on d6, the attack on f7 and the control of the e-file assure white of the win.}) 26. Rhe1 (26. Nxf5 Qxf5 27. Rhd1 {would also be a win for white.}) 26... Re5 27. Rxe5 fxe5 28. Nxf5 Qxf5 29. Rd1 Qd7 {Holding up the d-Pawn. or so ot seems.} 30. Bb5 {[%mdl 512] This problem like move made black resign.} (30. Bb5 Kf8 (30... cxb5 31. c6 Qxc6 32. d7 {and the P queens.}) 31. Bxc6 Qd8 32. Bb5 {clearing the way for the c-Pawn.} Qa5 33. c6 Qxb5 34. d7) 1-0

Weak Squares

`In 1925, Aron Nimzovich’s My System was published in Germany. The English edition (translated by Philip Hereford and published by G. Bell and Sons, Ltd.) wasn’t published until 1929. In it he expounded his theories of prophylaxis, blockade and much more, while providing ground-breaking insights in Pawn structures. 

    Nimzovich’s followup companion book, Chess Praxis, was originally published in German in 1929. It was an exposition of his theories filled with 109 of his well annotated games. At some point World Champion (1963-1968) Tigran Petrosion got a copy of the book and it had a great influence on his development. 

    Needless to say, to some extent the material is outdated and, as might be expected, engines have punched holes in some of the analysis, but unless you are a Grand master many of his explanations are enlightening. 

    As a player Nimzovich is not highly esteemed today, but at the height of his career in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s Chessmetrics ranks him in the top five in the world. 

    The following game was an example of weak squares of the same color. Mieses seems to have a satisfactory position attacking in the center and, but Nimzovicj’s counterattack on the weakened light squares on the Q-side lead to victory. The game was played at Hanover in 1926 in celebration of the local club’s fifty year anniversary. Eight players were invited, including two very strong foreigners, Nimzovich and Rubinstein. 

 

[Event "Hannover"] [Site ""] [Date "1926.08.15"] [Round "?"] [White "Aron Nimzovich"] [Black "Jacques Mieses"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1926.08.09"] {A28: English Opening: Four Knights Variation} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 {Nimzovich called this his special Dresden Variation. Today it has come to be known as the Nimzovich Variation. It's characterized by this early center P advance and the development of the Ns by both sides. It often leads to closed positions and a more strategic and less tactical game. Both players aim to control the center with Ps and Ns. The P-structure can vary greatly which leads to different middlegame plans. One of the main ideas for white is to expand on the Q-side, while black often looks for counterplay on the K-side or in the center.} Bb4 5. d3 d6 6. g3 Bc5 7. Bg2 {Nimzovich thought the preventative 7.h3 was also worth considering. However, that move seem to have been rarely tried in this position. In any case it does not lead to more than equality.} Ng4 {Normal moves here are 7...Nd4 and 7...Bg4. The "threat" of capturing on f2 is innocuous.} 8. O-O f5 {Typical risky play by Miese. Castling was a safe option. Nomzovicj comments that this position is hard to evaluate: Black appears strong on the dark squares (f2 and d4), but white seems to be in a position to initiate some counterplay based on the light squares. Engines prefer white by about a P and a half.} (8... Nxf2 {This is rarely a good idea.} 9. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 10. Kxf2 O-O {When discussing this type of situation (B+N vs. R+P_ GM Arthuir Bisguier once commented that he belueved that against a weaker opponent he could win with either side. Of course, that's usually the case, but here engines give white a consoderable advantage.}) 9. Nd5 {This results in equality. According to Nimzovich two other moves worth considering were 9.exf5 and 9.Bg5 which is preferred by Stockfish and keeps the advantage in white's favor.} h6 {This is highly questionable because as Nimzovich points out it damages his dark square as it is a loss of time and it also helps white with his light squared plans: Again, castling seems almost obvious.} 10. exf5 Bxf5 {Already the engines are declaring a decisive advantage for white! Great! The N is headed for g6.} 11. Nh4 Be6 12. Ng6 Rg8 13. h3 {Nimzovich wrote that now that he has control of all the light squares, hr now sets about driving his opponent off the dark. ones. However, this move loses most all of his advantage!} (13. Be3 {For reasons only known to Stockfish this move is rated much higher as black cannot capture the B.} Bxe3 14. fxe3 Nxe3 15. Nxe3 Qg5 16. Bxc6+ bxc6 17. Qf3 {is winning for white.}) 13... Nf6 14. Be3 {[%mdl 2048] Preparing for b4, because if he had played it straight away the reply 14...Nd4 would have been possible. At this point white's advantage consists of a strong initiative.} Bxd5 {This is the wrong capture. Nimzovich wrote that it seems 14...Bf7 was necessary. He commented that while black is defending against the individual threats he is not achieving anything by way of clearing up the situation on the light squares. All this seems somewhat esoteric, but it IS a bad move.} (14... Bf7 {and apparently Nimzovich overlooked} 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxc5 {Black has three captures (16...cad5, 16...Bxd5 and 16...Nxd5), but white retains a clear advantage after each one. Just ti guve inr variation...} Nxd5 17. cxd5 dxc5 18. Re1 Qe7 19. d4 cxd4 20. Qxd4 O-O-O 21. Rxe5 Qf6 22. Rae1 {with what should be a decisive advantage,}) (14... Bxe3 {This move (not mentioned by Nimzovice, perhaps deliberately) very nearly equalizes.} 15. fxe3 Bxd5 16. cxd5 Ne7 {and white cannot claim ant really significant advantae; in Shootouts white scored +1 -0 =4}) 15. cxd5 Nd4 16. f4 Qd7 17. b4 Bb6 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Nxe5 Qe7 20. Nc4 {Black is of course lost, but Mieses' inventiveness in looking for a way to save the game is commendable.} Kd8 {Q-side castling is out of the question.} (20... O-O-O 21. Nxb6+ axb6 22. Bxd4 Nxd5 23. Qb3 Qd6 {White is clearly winning.} 24. Rae1) 21. a4 {This is not as bad as Nimzovich seemed to think when he stated (cirrectly) that there is a win with 21.Re1 or even the fancier 21.d6} (21. d6 cxd6 22. Re1 Qc7 23. Nxb6 Qxb6 {with a clear win.} 24. Qd2) 21... Re8 22. Kh2 Ne2 23. d6 {White let himself be hoodwinked. Simply 23.Qxe2 would have won quite easily. (Nimzovich)} (23. Qxe2 Bxe3 24. Qb2 Qd7 25. Rfe1 Bg5 26. Ne5 Qe7 27. d4 {To the untrained eye it may look like black os OK, but Nimzovich and the engines realize "white is clearly winning."}) 23... cxd6 24. Re1 {This is also a poor move! Capturing on b6 with either piece is better, but there is an even better continuation.} (24. Rf3 Nc3 25. Qb3 Ncd5 26. Nxb6 Nxb6 27. Bd4 Qe6 28. Qxe6 Rxe6 29. a5 Nbd7 30. a6 {and threats along the a8-h1 diagonal prove decisive. A hard line to spot!}) (24. Qxe2 {is simplest.} Bxe3 25. Qf3 {pinning the B. If} d5 26. Rfe1 d4 27. b5 Rb8 28. b6 axb6 29. Rab1 {White has broken through.}) 24... Bxe3 25. Rxe2 Bg1+ 26. Qxg1 Qxe2 {Unfortunately for black, white's "loss of the exchange has force the game away from the normal course of development, but it made no difference to the essential element of the situation - namely the attacking possibilities on the (ligjt) squares." Nimzovich} 27. Nxd6 Re7 28. a5 (28. Qd4 {leads to a quick knocjout.} Rd7 29. Nxb7+ Ke8 (29... Kc8 30. Rc1+ Kb8 31. Qf4+ {mates}) 30. Qc4 Qxd3 31. Qc6) 28... Rd7 29. Re1 Qd2 30. Nc4 Qxb4 31. a6 {[%mdl 32] The attack is not over and this is the breakthrough.} Rc8 32. Rb1 {It's not over 'til it's over. - baseball player Yogi Berra} (32. axb7 Rxb7 33. Bxb7 Qxb7 34. Qd4+ Qd7 35. Qe5 Rc7 {And black is still fghting...for all practical purposes it might even be said he has equalized!}) 32... Qa4 33. axb7 {Nimzovich now proves he can win a won game.} Rb8 34. Qc5 Rc7 35. Qd4+ Nd7 36. Qxg7 Rc5 37. Qh8+ Kc7 38. Qxh6 Qc2 39. Qd6+ Kd8 40. Rf1 Ke8 41. Rf8+ {[%mdl 512] Brilliant! It's mate in 9, so Mieses resigned.} (41. Rf8+ {OK, so the prosaic 31.Qe5+ mates 3 moves sooner...this is prettier.} Nxf8 42. Qxb8+ Kf7 43. Qf4+ Kg7 44. b8=Q Qxg2+ 45. Kxg2 Ne6 46. Qfd6 Rc8 47. Qxc8 Nf4+ 48. gxf4 a6 49. Qcf8+ Kh7 50. Qdh6#) 1-0

A Maze of Complications

    When it comes to World War II one rarely thinks of Cuba, but the country became involved in 1939 because of its geographical location at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Havana's role as the principal trading port in the West Indies and Cuba's natural resources made it an important participant in the American Theater. 

    Consequently, Cuba was one of the greatest beneficiaries of the United States' Lend-Lease program. Still, Cuba did not declare war on the Axis powers until December 1941, making it one of the first Latin American countries to enter the war. Cuba lost six merchant ships during the war and the Cuban Navy was credited with sinking one German submarine. 

    Before Cuba got fully involved in the war, there was a tournament held in Havana toward the end of January in 1940 that aroused great interest, but only in Cuba. The only major chess magazine in the U.S. in those days was Chess Review and despite the fact that Isaac Kashdan who was one of the country’s top players (along with Samuel Reshevsky and Reuben Fine) won the tournament it received scant mention and only a few games survive. 

    The event was held in one of the mo st beautiful buildings in Havana, the Centro Asturiano. During the evening tourists watched the games. The players we re entertained by various government offices and they were taken on outings by the city’s notable citizens. 

    In the following game Kashdan defeats a player known only as “Paz” in a game that at one point had a maze of tactical possibility that never happened. I was unable to locate any information on Señor Paz, but his play in this game was quite impressive ans he made a good account of himself and nearly succeeded in holding the formidable Isaac Kashdan to a draw.

 

[Event "Havana International"] [Site "Havana CUB"] [Date "1940.01.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Isaac Kashdan"] [Black "Paz"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C14"] [Annotator "Stickfish 17/Dragon by Komodo"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "1940.??.??"] [Source "British Chess Ma"] {C14: French: Classical System} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Qd2 a6 8. f4 c5 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. g3 {White usually plays 10.dxc5, but the slower text has actually yielded better results.} b5 11. Ne2 {Usual is the immediate 11.Bg7} Nb6 12. b3 Bb7 (12... b4 13. Rc1 c4 {with complete equality.}) 13. Bh3 {A P offer which black refuses although he could have safely accepted it.} g6 (13... Nxd4 14. Nexd4 cxd4 15. Qxd4 Nd7 16. O-O Nc5 {White has no continuations that offer more than equality. As for black's extra P, due to the blocked nature of the position and his cramped pieces he has little chance of putting the P to good use. Five Shootouts were uneventful draws.}) 14. O-O Rc8 {The game Is taking a normal course fir the French. White Is planning a K-side attack while black counters on the Q-side. However, black might have considered capturing twice on d4 which would have simplified the position a bit.} 15. Rf2 {A real GM move, This plans to defend the c-Pawn and, at the same time, prepares to double Rs on the f-file.} Nd7 16. Re1 {Evidently this is designed to prevent ...f6} cxd4 {The correct continuation.} (16... f6 17. dxc5 fxe5 18. Nxe5 Nxc5 19. Nxc6 Bxc6 20. Bxe6 Nxe6 21. Nd4 Bd7 22. f5 {and white is winning.}) 17. Nfxd4 ({This is interesting, but not better than the text.} 17. f5 gxf5 18. Bxf5 {Black should now play ...h5-h4 with interesting play, but he must not play} exf5 19. Nfxd4 Ndxe5 20. Nxc6 Rxc6 21. Nd4 f6 22. Nxf5 Qc7 23. Qh6 {with a winning attack. A likely continuation might be} Rg8 24. Nd4 Rd6 25. Rxf6 Rxf6 26. Qxf6 Rg7 27. Rxe5+ Re7 28. Ne6 Qd6 29. Qf8+ Kd7 30. Qd8+ Kc6 31. Nd4+ Kc5 32. b4+ {etc.}) 17... Nc5 {A well-played move that keeps things equal. White must now prevent ...Ne4.} 18. Bg2 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Ne4 {An interesting position. In Chess Review magazine an unidentified annotator called this a positional error because black's Ps are all on the same color as his N which means it is very limited in scope. He added that in addition after the exchange black's P on e4 is very weak and will probably be lost in any resulting ending. Stockfish, however, finds no fault with wither 19...Ne4 or 19...O-O and evaluates the position at dead even. In its evaluation Dragon by Komodo aggres with Stockfish.} 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. b4 {An important restraining move. It also opens up the possibility of Nb4-c5 should the need arise.} Rd8 22. c3 Qc7 23. Qe3 h5 24. h4 O-O {Here or at some point black could also consider repositioning his B with ...Bd5-c4} 25. Kh2 Kg7 26. Ref1 (26. f5 {is tempting, but it doesn't seem to lead to anything either. After} Qxe5 27. Ref1 Bd5 28. f6+ Kh7 29. Nf3 Qc7 30. Ng5+ Kg8 31. Nxe4 Kh7 {White has to take the draw with 32.Ng5+}) 26... Rc8 {[%mdl 8192] With this logical looking move attacking the c-Pawn black finally has slipped up.} (26... Rg8 {renders 27.f5 innocuous.} 27. f5 exf5 28. Qg5 Kf8 29. Qh6+ Ke7 30. e6 Ke8 31. exf7+ Qxf7 32. Nxf5 gxf5 33. Rxf5 Qg6 34. Qxg6+ Rxg6 35. Rf8+ Ke7 36. R8f7+ Ke6 37. Rxb7 {and the double R ending will most likely be drawn.}) 27. f5 {Now this is a knockout punch as it leads to a winning attack.} Bd5 {With this and his next move black avoids some violent white threats, but the ensuing exchanges allow white to obtain a fairly easy ending.} (27... Qxc3 {is no better.} 28. Qxc3 Rxc3 29. fxe6 Rc7 30. exf7 Bd5 31. e6 {and white is winning.}) 28. Qg5 {Wham!! The addition of the Q to the attack is fatal. Black is mow faced with a maze of choices, but none of them help him save the game.} Qd8 {Faced with a maze of choices, Paz chooses the best try. It's not sufficient to save the game, but it's still the best move available.} (28... Qxc3 {This is just as bad as before.} 29. fxg6 fxg6 30. Qe7+ Kh6 31. Rxf8 {[%emt 0:00:07] mates in} Qd2+ 32. R1f2 Qe3 33. R2f7 {Black can only avoid mate by tossing material.}) (28... Qxe5 {is met by} 29. f6+ Kh7 30. Qxe5) (28... exf5 {[%emt 0:00:16] Stockfish spots a mate in} 29. Nxf5+ Kg8 30. Qf6 Qxe5 31. Qxe5 f6 32. Qxd5+ Kh8 33. Qd7 Rg8 34. Nd6 Rg7 35. Qxc8+ Rg8 36. Qd7 Rg7 37. Qd8+ Kh7 38. Nxe4 g5 39. Nxf6+ Kg6 40. Qh8 Ra7 41. Qxh5+ Kg7 42. Qh7+ Kf8 43. Nh5+ Ke8 44. Rf8#) (28... e3 {This is also a good try as there is no forced win and it leads to complications. For example...} 29. Qxe3 Rce8 30. Qg5 exf5 31. Nxf5+ Kg8 32. Rd1 Ba8 33. Nh6+ Kh7 34. Rd6 Rxe5 (34... Re6 35. Rxe6 fxe6 36. Rxf8) 35. Qxe5 Qb7 {Threatening mate on h1} 36. Rd1 Kxh6 37. Qf4+ Kh7 {White is the exchange up and theoretically at least should win.}) 29. fxe6 {Kashdan misses a stronger, but hard to see, line.} (29. Qe3 {is more deadly.} Qc7 30. Qg5 Qd8 {and white has a nice finish.} 31. Nxe6+ Bxe6 32. fxe6 Qxg5 33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Rxf7+ Kg8 35. hxg5 Rxc3 36. Rf6 Rc7 37. Kg2 {White picks off the e-Pawn and wins the ending.}) 29... Qxg5 30. hxg5 {White now has only a modest advantage, but Kashdan was one of the best endgame players in the world and so practically speaking black us facing a difficult task trying to hold the game.} (30. Rxf7+ {is not nearly as god as the text!} Rxf7 31. Rxf7+ Kg8 32. hxg5 Bxe6 33. Rf6 Bg4 34. Rxg6+ Kh7 35. Rc6 Re8 36. e6 e3 37. Kg2 e2 {It's doubtful that white can win. In Shootouts white scored +1 -0 =4}) 30... fxe6 {Missing his last chance to try and save the game.} (30... Rc7 {keeps white's advantage at a minimum after} 31. Kg1 e3 32. Rxf7+ Rcxf7 33. exf7 Rxf7 34. Re1 {White needs to keep the R on if he wants to have any chance at winning.} Rf2 35. Rxe3 Rg2+ (35... Rxa2 {at once would lead to an eventual loss.} 36. e6 Kf8 {Black has problems in that his R is out of play.} 37. Ne2 Ke7 38. Nf4 Bc4 39. Nxg6+) 36. Kf1 Rxa2) 31. Rxf8 Rxf8 32. Rxf8 Kxf8 {[%mdl 4096] Kashdan now gets to strut his stuff in the ending.} 33. a3 e3 34. Kg1 Ke7 35. Nc2 e2 36. Kf2 Bc4 37. Ne3 {Played to bring the K to a strong square.} (37. Nd4 {was sufficient to win though as it wins the e-Pawn.} Kd7 38. Nxe2 Kc6 39. Nf4 Ba2 40. Ke3 {followed by Kd4 keeping the black K out and then a K-side P falls..}) 37... Bd3 38. Ng2 Bc4 39. Nf4 Kd7 40. Nxg6 Ke8 41. Nf4 {[%csl Be2,Bh5]} Kf7 42. Nxh5 Kg6 43. Nf4+ Kxg5 44. Nxe2 Kf5 45. Ke3 Kxe5 46. Nf4 Kf5 47. Nd3 {Black resigned. The threat is Nc5 winning the a-Pawn. Paz put up a good fight, but Kashdan's play was just a bit more precise.} (47. Nd3 Bxd3 48. Kxd3 Kg4 49. Ke4 Kxg3 50. Ke5 Kf3 51. Kxe6 Ke3 52. Kd5 Kd3 53. Kc6 Kxc3 54. Kb6 Kb3 55. Kxa6 Kc4 56. Ka5 {and the b-Pawn falls,}) 1-0

A Paul Keres Correspondence Brilliancy

    The legendary Estonian Paul Keres (1916-1975, 59 years old) was one of the strongest players never to win the World Championship. He was universally admired for his clear-cut style of play and chivalrous personality. Born in Narva, Estonia his family moved back to Parnu roght after WW I. 

    He was very active in correspondence play during his youth and the following brilliancy prize game is an example of his correspondence play in which he defeated a prominent correspondence player of the era. The game was played in an international correspondence tournament. 

    Fred Reinfeld claimed that this game is the earliest known game in which Keres carries out an attack in the grand manner that he was known for. Reinfeild added that, "One can only marvel at the poise and sophistication of the youthful victor.” You can view a post card sent by von Feilitzsch HERE.

[Event "Int'l Correspondence Tmt"] [Site ""] [Date "1932.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "M. von Feilitzsch"] [Black "Paul Keres"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C22"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1932.??.??"] {C22: Center Game} 1. e4 e5 2. d4 {This antiquated opening was mostly abandoned by 1900 because it gives white no advabtage. In the 1980s strong tactical players like Alexander Shabalov and later Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams, Judit Polgár and Alexander Morozevich revived it, but it never caught on.} exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 {This is the nearly universal reply; white loses a tempo.} 4. Qe3 {This, the Paulsen Attack, is undoubtedly the best place for the Q.} Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O Re8 8. Bc4 {Usual is 7.Qg3, but the move played is an attempt to obtain a speculative attack at the cost of a Pawn.} d6 {[%mdl 32] Keres suggested 8...Na5 and ...d5} (8... Bxc3 9. Bxc3 Nxe4 10. Qf4 {with equal chances as in Winawer-Steinitz, Nuremberg, 1890., but Keres prefers to take the offensive}) (8... Na5 {was a suggestion of Keresm but after} 9. Be2 d5 {Also suggested by Keres.} 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. Qd3 Qf6 12. Qxd5 {the chances are equal.}) 9. f3 {Instead of this defensive move white should probably have developed with 9.Nf3} Na5 (9... Ne5 {wa superior.} 10. Bb3 a5 11. a4 c6 12. Nge2 b5 {and black is developing a dangerous initiative.}) 10. Bd3 (10. Bb3 Nxb3+ 11. axb3 a5 12. Qf2 Bd7 13. Nge2 a4 14. bxa4 Bxa4 15. Nb1 {Black is better. Romero Holmes,A (2490)-Karpov,A (2725) Madrid 1992}) 10... d5 {Freeing himself.} 11. Qg5 h6 (11... d4 {White should now play 12.Nd5 with equal chances and not} 12. Nce2 h6 13. Qg3 Bxd2+ 14. Rxd2 c5 15. c3 Nc6 16. Bb5 Qa5 17. Bxc6 bxc6 {and black has a decisive advantage. Rudd,J (2288)-Rayner,F (2166) Hastings ENG 2013}) 12. Qh4 d4 13. Nce2 {Too passive. 13.Nd5 was better.} Bxd2+ 14. Rxd2 c5 {White is not only sadly lagging in his development, but he is also facing aP- storm against jis K.} 15. c4 {This only makes matters worse as it weakens his dark squares, but ot's hard to suggest anything that could really be considered better.} Be6 16. b3 {It's futile to try and avoid this weakening move.} b5 {The attack begins in earnest. Black is winning.} 17. Nf4 {Making way to develop the other N.} bxc4 18. Nxe6 Rxe6 19. bxc4 Rb8 20. Ne2 Qb6 {Black's P advances gave resulted in the opening of the b-file which he now proceeds to exploit.} 21. Kd1 Qb4 22. Qg3 Nd7 {There is more to this unassuming move than meets the eye. It defends the R and in doing so freeing the Q-and at the same time makes room for his other R along the third rank. But it also prepares some spectacular play/} 23. Rc2 Qa3 24. f4 {There is nothing better, but Keres refutes it in spectacular fashion.} Rg6 25. Qf3 {Watch this...} Rxg2 {[%mdl 512] This R cannot be taken.} 26. e5 {A last hope. This keeps the R under attack and threatens to win black's Q with Bh7+} (26. Qxg2 Qxd3+ 27. Rd2 Rb1+ 28. Nc1 Qa3 29. Rc2 d3 {wins.}) 26... Rb1+ {A nice finale.} 27. Rc1 Nxc4 {[%mdl 512]} 28. Rxb1 Ne3+ 29. Qxe3 dxe3 30. Bc4 Qa4+ 31. Bb3 Qe4 32. Rb2 {Keres is not done with impressive moves!} Rxe2 {White resigned.} (32... Rxe2 33. Kxe2 (33. Rxe2 Qb1#) 33... Qxh1 34. Kxe3 Qc1+) 0-1

Mikhail Yudovich, Sr.

    The obscure Soviet Master, writer and journalist Mikhail Yudovich (1911-1987) was born in Roslavl in central Russia and is known mostly as co-author with Kotov of the book The Soviet School of Chess. 

    In 1930, he tied for 5–9th in the Moscow Championship and in 1931, he took 4th in the same event, and shared 3rd in the USSR Championship in Moscow (Botvinnik won). He was the Soviet Correspondence Champion in 1966. 

    Yudovich was awarded the titles of International Master in 1950, International Correspondence Master in 1961, and International Correspondence Grandmaster in 1973. His son, Yudivuch, Jr. (1932-1992) was also a strong player. And that;s about ll that is known of him. Chessnetrics estimates his highest ever world rank to have been #46 in 1937 with a rating of 2580. 

    The following game was played in 1937 in a small tournament held in Moscow as a sort of tuneup for some of the Soviet players for upcoming tournaments in Margate, England, Kemeri, Latvia and the International Team Tournament. 

    Reuben Fine was visiting Russia and besides the Moscow event participated in another small tournaments in Leningrad which he also won. 

    During his brief stay in Russia his time was occupied principally with chess, but he wrote that he also had many deep impressions of life in Russia. One thing he commented on was the “thirst for knowledge”; for example, studies of mathematics, languages and engineering. Aside from that, what caught his attention was people’s enthusiasm for work and for life itself. He saw it as a sign of a new, rising culture. 

    One wonders if Fine was aware that in 1937, Russia was in the midst of the Great Purge, a period of political repression that took place from 1936 to 1938. It was a way for Joseph Stalin to consolidate his power and eliminate his political opponents. Some of the events that took place included the arrest of worker responsible for what was considered a harmful population growth. 

    Then there were the Moscow trials that saw many party, government and economic activists branded as enemies. In the Polish Operation the NKVD arrested people of Polish background, including peasants, railway workers, industrial laborers and engineers. 

    Fine wrote that one of the signs of this new culture was particularly apparent in the field of chess. Chess books were being sold in the tens of thousands and every chess player considered it necessary to read all the books on chess that they could get. 

    He also observed that practically everyone in the county was interested in chess and spectators at tournaments displayed extraordinary interest and applause was a common occurrence. 

    Fine was impressed with the Soviet masters who, he said, confirmed his observations that they all apply themselves diligently and persistently. They were not only familiar with all the Soviet chess literature, but also with the foreign. 

    Fine was invited to play in these two tournaments to test the young, inexperienced Soviet players. The head of Soviet chess Nikolai Krylenko was very angry with the their play. When he asked, "Can't somebody beat Fine?",  Yudovich announced that he would. When asked how he expected to do it, Yudovich showed Krylenko an obscure game that Fine had won and future GM  Ragozin had found a mistake in Fine's play that refuted the line.

    Fine gave the following game he lost to Yudovich as an example. Yudovich “bluntly refuted” one of Fine’s favorite variations. Fine also found it interesting that practically all the Soviet masters favored energetic attacking play and did not fear a loss. 

 

Tactical Blows by Kotov

    Today’s game is another instructive win by Alexander Kotov. This time the victum was the English IM Harry Golombek (1911-1995, 83 years old). Born in London, he warded the IM title at its inception in 1950 and an Emeritus GM title in 1985. Golombek was British Champion in 1947, 1949 and 1955. He was an accomplished author with biographies on Capablanca and Reti as well as other lesser known chess books. 

 

 

 

 

 

    In this game Kotov again demonstrates his tactical prowess. We all enjoy tactics and this game shows how sometimes in a very deeply calculated variation a surprise tactic is lurking. And, sometimes they are found only by accident. In this game Kotov used a tactical blows to solve a comp1icated strategical problem.

 

[Event "Venice ITA"] [Site "Venice ITA"] [Date "1950.10.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Alexander Kotov"] [Black "Harry Golombek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E24"] [Annotator "Stockfosh 17"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {E24: Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 {This sharp move, the Saemisch Variation, has fallen into disuse in favor of the Rubinstein Variation (4,e3) or the Capablanca Variation (4.Qb2). Originally 4. a3 was a direct attempt to refute the Nimzo0Indian. White accepts doubled Ps to get the two Bs.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 {Black has several possibilities; the most common is to blockade the c-Pawns with 5....c5 and then proceed to attack them with ...b6, ...Ba6, ... Nc6-a5 and ...Rc8. As compensation, white gets a strong P-center.} d6 {This seldom played move has not proven very successful.} 6. f3 (6. e4 {This is an interesting move suggested by Stockfish which has been played only rarely. In the few example I foind black always played 6...e6, bit theengine line looks intriguing.} Nxe4 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qxg7 Qf6 9. Qxf6 Nxf6 10. Bd3 {with equal chances.}) 6... e5 {Golombek choose a system that aims to restrict the advance of white;s Ps. White's goal is now to break thorough while black will try to consolidate his position.} (6... c5 {is an alternative. } 7. e4 Nc6 8. Be3 b6 9. Bd3 {and black can play either 9...Na5 or 9...e5 with equal chances.}) 7. e4 Nc6 8. Be3 (8. Bg5 Qe7 9. Ne2 Bd7 10. Ng3 h6 {with equality. Bosiocic,M (2562)-Postny,E (2662) 13. EICC Plovdiv BUL 2012}) 8... b6 9. Bd3 O-O (9... Na5 10. Qe2 c5 11. g4 Qe7 12. h4 Ba6 13. d5 O-O-O {equals. Malinovsky,P (1971)-Rocha,S (2316) World Senior 50+ 2022 Assisi ITA}) 10. Ne2 Ba6 (10... Na5 11. Ng3 c5 12. d5 a6 13. Qe2 Qc7 {White has the more active position. Dimitrov,R (2437)-Emiroglu,C (2260) 52. World Juniors Kocaeli TUR 2013}) 11. Ng3 {This makes room for the Q on e2 in the event black plays ... Na5 with a double attack on the P on c4. In failing to play 11...Na5 Golobek's position begins to deteriorate.} Qd7 {The Q is badly placed here as it allows white to carry out a P maneuver which secures him a positional advantage.} 12. Nf5 {Even better was 12.O-O and 13.f4} Ne8 {This move is too pssive. On order to stay in the game b;ack needs to play energetically.} (12... Kh8 {A high class waiting move.} 13. Bg5 (13. f4 {would be a mistake because after} exf4 14. Bxf4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Rae8 16. O-O (16. Qf3 Qxf5) 16... Rxe4 {Black is much better/}) 13... Nh5 14. d5 Na5 {with equal chances.}) (12... Nh5) 13. f4 f6 ( 13... exf4 {This is ineffective with the N on e8 and not f6.} 14. Bxf4 Ne7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. O-O {with an active position.}) (13... Ne7 {Challenging the N on e5 is his best try. After} 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. O-O {Black has two moves that give him some active play: 15...f5 and 15...c5?!}) 14. d5 {White has to play vigorously or else black will generate counterplay on the Q-side. Consequently, Kotov decides to block the center which sets a clever tactical trap.} Na5 { Attacking the c-Pawn is routine and quite logical, but Golombek has not noticed the lurking dangers. Although white still has the better of it, challenging the N on e5 with 14...Ne7 was better.} 15. c5 {[%mdl 544] Kotov makes an astute observation stating that "tactics are the service of strategy. " With this move white turns the weak c4 square into a strong styrategic outpost. that practically decides the outcome. Whi te's strong P-formation separates so that they are unable to offer any coordinated resistance.} Bxd3 16. c6 {Driving a serious wedge in black's position.} Qd8 17. Qxd3 {Notice how poorly placed all of black's pieces are.} g6 18. Nh6+ Kg7 19. f5 {Beginning the final assault against which black is destitute of any real defensive resources.} g5 {WIth the pitiful hope yjay his opponent will allow the K-side to be locked up.} 20. h4 (20. Ng4 h5 21. Nf2 Nb3 {and black can offer some resistance.}) 20... Nb3 {Of course the N cannot be taken.} (20... Kxh6 21. hxg5+ Kg7 22. g6 Rh8 23. Qe2 {White adds his Q to the fray.} Kg8 24. Qg4 Ng7 25. Rh6 {Intending to double on the h-file.} Qe7 26. Qh4 {wins.}) 21. Rb1 Nc5 22. Bxc5 dxc5 {Black is completely helpless.} 23. Qg3 Kh8 (23... g4 {is just a fraction better.} 24. Nxg4 Qe7 25. Nf2+ Kh8 26. Qe3 Rg8 {with a very faint hope that he can use the g-file to beat back the attack.} 27. g4 {...but it's not likely; black's pieces are just too limited in scope.}) 24. hxg5 fxg5 25. Ng4 Nf6 26. Qxe5 Qd6 {Leading to mate is 26 ... Qe8 27 Nxf6 Qxe5 28 Rxh7. Now, however, the exchange of queens and knights is forced, after which the rook ending is won without difficulty for White thanks to the menacing c6 pawn.} ( 26... Qe8 {hoping to trade Qs is met by} 27. Nxf6 {which eventually leads to mate. Black cannot play} Qxe5 28. Rxh7#) 27. Qxd6 {[%mdl 64]} cxd6 28. Nxf6 Rxf6 {[%mdl 4096] Golombek has successfully beaten off the attack and reached a double R ending whicj are often difficult for the superior side to win. but here white plays with gfreat finesse and opens files for his Rs while black's are powerless.} 29. Kd2 Re8 30. Kd3 Kg7 31. a4 {Kotov begins a very clever winning maneuver.} Rf7 32. a5 {[%mdl 512]} bxa5 33. g4 Rfe7 34. Rhe1 Kf6 { One might expect white to attempt some sort of a R invasion on the a- or h-file, nut he has a tactical trick up his sleeve that results in two connected passed Ps on d5 and c6 which are decisive.} 35. e5+ {[%mdl 512] Decisive. Golombek's play was actually quite good, but Kotov's was even better! } (35. e5+ {A sample line might be} dxe5 36. Ke4 {Black has no useful move.} Rd8 37. Rh1 Rf7 38. d6 {There was no way to prevent this.} a4 39. c7 Rc8 40. Rh6+ Kg7 41. Rb8 Kxh6 42. Rxc8 a3 43. Rg8 a2 44. c8=Q a1=Q 45. Qe6+ Rf6 46. Qxf6#) 1-0

Losing in the Opening

    The earliest known work on theory was by the Spaniard Luis Ramirez de Lucena, published around 1497. It included, among other things, analysis of eleven openings. Although he did not use the names they are known by today, the analysis included the Giuoco Piano, Ruy Lopez, Petrov's Defense, Bishop's Opening, Damiano's Defense and the Scandinavian Defense. 

    Appearing at about the same time was the Gottingen Manuscript which includes openings now known as Damiano's Defence, Philidor's Defense, the Giuoco Piano, Petrov's Defense, the Bishop's Opening, the Ruy Lopez, the Ponziani Opening, the Queen's Gambit Accepted, a form of the London System, Bird's Opening and the English. 

    The first author to attempt a comprehensive survey of the openings was Aaron Alexandre in 1837. The Russian player CarlJaenisch produced the first openings analysis on modern openings in 1842. 

    In 1843, Paul von Bilguer published the German Handbuch des Schachspiels, which which went through several editions, the last being published in 1916 It was one of the most important opening references for years. 

     In 1911, R. C. Griffith and J. H. White published the first edition of Modern Chess Openings. It was the standard reference for decades and sometime annotated games included the location in MCO where the line could be found. MCO-11 was the opening book I grew up with!

    In 1943, Reuben Fine published Ideas Behind the Chess Openings which sought to explain the principles underlying the openings. In 1948, he published Practical Chess Openings, a competitor to MCO.

    In 1964, I.A. Horowitz published Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, which in addition to opening analysis includes a large number of illustrative games. Neither Fine’s nor Horowitz’ opening books succeeded in taking the place of MCO.

    A major advance in opening theory came in the days of Nimzovich and the Hypermoderns who claimed control of the center from the flanks, rather than its occupation, was effective.

    Alekhine et al also contributed to opening theory. Their idea idea was that it was necessary to take into account a11 the features of the position and look at all its characteristics. Only then was it possible to select the best move. As a result, sometimes it was possible to establish a winning position right in the opening and that is exactly what Kotov accomplished in the following game. The game lasted 33 moves, but white was lost at move 8! 

    Alexander Kotov was born in Tula. He was a Soviet Champions and two time participant in the Candidate tournaments. A prolific author, he is probably best remembered for his book Think Like A Grand master. 

     His opponent, Bukhuti Gurgenidze (1933-2008, 74 yeas old) was awarded the IM title in 1968 and the GM title in 1970. He won the Georgian Championship twelve times between 1955 and 1973. This game was played in 1954 in the Semi-Finals of the USSR Championship which was won by Vladimir Antoshin ahead of Kotov. Gurgenidze finished tenth (out of 16)

.

[Event "Semi-Finals USSR Chp, Yerevan"] [Site "Yerevan URS"] [Date "1954.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Bukhuti Gurgenidze"] [Black "Alexander Kotov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B23"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1954.??.??"] {B23: Closed Sicilian} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 {In this, the the Closed Variation, white doesn’t open the center with an early d2-d4. Instead, he often fianchettos the light B and plans to slowly build up on the K-side.} Nc6 3. Nge2 {The setup white adopts in this game has not neem very successful and the N pn e2 is not especially well placed.} Nf6 4. g3 {This move, also, is not very highly recommended because, as Kotov explained, the white squares οn the K-side are weakened ίη that brief moment when the B is still onm f1. Kotov's mext coi[le pf moves demonstrate the concept quite clearly!} d5 {Kotov, realizing he has no time to lose, acts with great energy. If he doesn't act immediately then in a couple of moves white will placed his B on g2 and castle when his position would be solid.} 5. exd5 Nd4 {By threatening ...Nf3 black exploits the momentary weakness of the white squares.} 6. Bg2 (6. Nxd4 { is not satisfactory because of...} cxd4 7. Nb5 {to which Kotov intended to answer with 7...Qb3, but has better with...} e5 {White has no really satisfactory reply.} 8. dxe6 Bxe6 9. Bg2 Bc4 {The N is trapped because if} 10. a4 Qe7+ 11. Be4 Qxe4+ 12. Qe2 Qxe2#) 6... Bg4 7. d3 {A natural move, but is is also where white starts to go wrong. In this case it's a simple one move delay in castling.} (7. h3 Bf3 8. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 9. Kf1 {has been seen in a few games and while theoretically the position is equal white has not done especially well indicating that practically speaking black has good chances.}) (7. O-O { is, as might be expected, his best continuation.} Bf3 (7... Nxd5 8. f3 Bf5 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 {Here, too, black appears to have something of an advantage, but it's probably not enough that he can demonstrate a clear superiority.}) 8. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 9. Kg2 Nd4 {White's kight squares on the K-side are weakened and the d-Pawn is a goner, but b;ack, who is lagging in development, probablt cannot untilize those factors.}) 7... Nxd5 8. Bxd5 { [%mdl 8192] This loses! Gurgenidze did not realize how effective the Q will be on d5.} (8. Qd2 {was necessary, but black has the edge after} Nf3+ 9. Bxf3 Bxf3 10. Rg1 e6) 8... Qxd5 {Simple and decisive.} 9. f3 {It was probably here that Gurgenidze realized he can't take the Q.} (9. Nxd5 {leads to mate.} Nf3+ 10. Kf1 Bh3#) 9... Qxf3 {The game is already decided, but white can hardly resign after only 9 moves; it would just be too embarrassing.} 10. Rf1 Qg2 11. Be3 Nf3+ {Things can't get much worse for white.} 12. Rxf3 Qxf3 13. Bxc5 {White has a N+P vs. a R, but worse than the material deficit is his miserable position.} h5 {Planning to rip white's K-side to shreds.} 14. Kd2 g6 15. Be3 h4 16. Qg1 hxg3 17. hxg3 Bh3 {Mission accomplished. The next step is an invasion on the K-side.} 18. Nb5 Rc8 19. Re1 a6 20. Nbd4 Qg2 21. Qxg2 Bxg2 22. Nf4 Bh1 23. Bg1 Bg7 24. c4 Rd8 25. Nc2 e5 26. d4 Kf8 27. Ne2 {White cannot claim to have even one well placed piece.} exd4 28. Ncxd4 Bf3 29. Ke3 Bg4 30. Kf4 Bxe2 31. Nxe2 Rd2 {Not only are white's three pieces useless his K is exposed.} 32. Nc3 Rh5 33. Nd5 Bd4 {White resigned. His opening lead to a catastrophic debacle in a nearly flawlessly played game by Kotov!} 0-1