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Paul Keres vs Tigran Petrosian
"Catch a Tigran by the Tail" (game of the day Oct-06-2006)
Zuerich Candidates (1953), Zuerich SUI, rd 16, Sep-27
Indian Game: West Indian Defense (E61)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-24-04  Hidden Skillz: was Rxf4 petrosians best option after Be4??
Sep-24-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: 52...h6 53.Qe6 Rf6 54.Qe8+ Rf8 55.Qe5 Rf6 (55...Qxe5 56.Rxh6+ Kg7 57.Rg6+ Kf7 58.fxe5 ) 56.Rd1 Rf8 57.Rd6 is not much better.
Apr-09-06  refutor: positionally, what's wrong with 5.Bf4 v. other moves?
Apr-27-06  PaulKeres: sorry can't help you, i personally find 5. Bf4 quite tricky to handle as black and perfectly sound for white
Oct-06-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  xenophon: you have to admit;that was one hell of a tournament
Oct-06-06  Microbe: Very elegant game.
Oct-06-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: <PaulKeres: sorry can't help you, i personally find 5. Bf4 quite tricky to handle as black and perfectly sound for white> In his famous book of this tournament, Bronstein wrote of 5. Bf4: "A peaceful system, especially annoying to those players who essay the King's Indian in search of double-edged combinative play." It is rather ironic than in this game, it was Keres who chose such a move against the young Tigran Petrosian.
Oct-06-06  alayo: <Peligroso Patzer:......"It is rather ironic than in this game, it was Keres who chose such a move against the young Tigran Petrosian."> The most effective way to play younger players is to adopt peaceful moves in the beginning, deferring the struggle till later when their patience runs out.
Oct-06-06  kevin86: It looks like white's attack paid off after all :)
Apr-07-07  Eatman: As Bronstein notes, the most fascinating thing about this game is how Keres foresaw attacking possibilities on h-file while pretending to play slow positional chess on queenside and center.
Feb-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  cwcarlson: It's equal after 39...Qf6, but 37.Be4 Rg7 38.Rg4 wins.
Aug-04-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: Keres had already won a game with 5 Bf4 against Petrosian in the 1949 USSR Championship; in that game Petrosian had played 5..Nh5. 7..0-0 was new; 7..Qa5 had been played previously. The position after 10 d5 favored White as the bishop on b7 and the knight on d7 were poorly placed and Black had little counterplay. Black apparently underestimated White's kingside attacking chances, otherwise he would have tried 26..f6. 46..Re8 would have been a more solid defense. Bronstein had mentioned Boleslavsky's suggestion of 48..Rf7 as Black's best defense but Bezgodov felt that this was also not sufficient: 49 Rd1..Qf6 50 Qc8+..Rf8 51 Qc7..Rf7 52 Rd8+..Kg7 Qc8..Rf8 54 Rxf8..Qxf8 55 Qc7+..Qf7 56 Qxb6..Qe7 57 Qxa5..c4 58 Qb6.

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