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Mikhail Botvinnik vs Miguel Najdorf
Amsterdam Olympiad Final-A (1954), Amsterdam NED, rd 7, Sep-19
English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation (A39)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply) 9...e5 10.d5 Nb4 11.Ne1 e4 12.Bb2 Re8 13.Qd2 Qb6 14.Ne2 = +0.10 (20 ply) ⩲ +0.88 (22 ply)better is 11...Nb4 12.Ra1 Nxc3 13.Bxc3 Bd3 14.Re1 Be4 15.Nh4 Bxg2 = +0.16 (24 ply) ⩲ +0.79 (22 ply) 16...f6 17.f4 Nf7 18.e4 Kg7 19.Qf3 a6 20.a3 e6 21.h4 exd5 = +0.30 (25 ply) ⩲ +1.32 (25 ply) 20.Re3 Re8 21.h3 Qd7 22.g4 Nh6 23.Rg3 fxe4 24.Re3 Qg7 ± +1.65 (22 ply) ⩲ +0.83 (23 ply)better is 23...Nh6 24.R3e2 a6 25.a5 Rf8 26.Qc3 Ng4 27.Qc4 Kh8 ⩲ +0.84 (23 ply) ⩲ +1.43 (23 ply) 28...Qc1 29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Ne8+ Kg8 31.Qe3 Qxe3 32.Rxe3 Ne5 ⩲ +1.09 (28 ply)+- +2.69 (21 ply) 32...c4 33.bxc4 Rxc4 34.Re8 Nh6 35.Re7+ Kf8 36.Rxa7 Nf5 ± +2.26 (26 ply)+- +3.50 (26 ply) 37...c4 38.b4 bxa4 39.Rxa4 Rc8 40.Ra2 c3 41.Rc2 Nh6 +- +3.50 (29 ply)+- +6.45 (28 ply)41...Nd8 42.Rxd6 Nf7 43.Rb6 c4 44.Ne4 Nh8 45.Ke3 Kg8 +- +7.66 (25 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
May-21-06  aw1988: b6? spells disaster for Black after g4 according to some of my old analysis. Nh6! is correct.
Jul-19-10  binno: b6 seems to me not a disaster. I look to 36...b5. I think that the more intuitive 36... a5 is better.
Nov-26-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Botvinnik mentions in his annotations that both he and Najdorf overlooked 31.Ne8+, followed by 32.Nxd6, but that had he noticed this possibility, he'd have probably rejected it as he believed that after 32....Nxd6 33.Re8+ Rxe8 34.Qxd1 Re4, his win would be more difficult than in the actual game.
Feb-13-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: The positional squeeze starts after 14...Nd8. Najdorf never manages to give that knight a future again. Another Botvinnik masterpiece.
Feb-14-12  drukenknight: 38...Rb3+ seems a more natural move for this stage.
Feb-14-12  brankat: <English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation>

H.Mecking was born in 1952, and in '54 already had a variation named after him? Talking about Precocious :-)

Feb-10-14  Nerwal: Botvinnik's choice of 31. ♖e3 shows his high-class judgement; black cannot do anything of his queenside majority in this endgame. Still it may not be stronger and easier than 31. ♘e8+ ♔g8 32. ♘xd6 ♘xd6 33. ♖e8+ ♖xe8 34. ♕xd1 ♖e4 after 35. ♕d3 (Δ ♕a6 and countering ♖xf4 by ♕g3). A direct attack on the king with 31. h4 Δ h5 also comes into consideration and seems quite awkward for black to meet. In addition, Ken Neats (and computer) pointed out that his annotation "30... h6 is bad (...) because of 31. ♖e7!" missed the crushing blow 31. gxh6+ (again this tactical pattern). It would seem that in this highly favourable position Botvinnik considered any kind of tactical solution as unwelcomed complications (and the discovered attack on the queen probably as nothing more than a cheap trick).
Feb-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <brankat: <English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation>

H.Mecking was born in 1952, and in '54 already had a variation named after him? Talking about Precocious :-)>

To think Tal and Fischer are known as geniuses.....

May-15-18  Toribio3: Botvinnik is a human being gifted with enormous talent who can think even beyond the depth of the blue sea.

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