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Garry Kasparov vs Lev Polugaevsky
46th USSR Championship (1978), Tbilisi GEO, rd 4, Dec-??
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation (B43)  ·  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)better is 7.a3 = +0.24 (28 ply)= -0.32 (23 ply) after 7...Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Bg5 e5 10.O-O h6 11.Be3 Nf6 better is 12.a4 Nf6 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8+ Bxa8 15.Nxb5 cxb5 = +0.22 (24 ply)= -0.33 (23 ply) after 12...Nf6 13.Rxe6+ Be7 14.Ne4 Nxh5 15.Qxh5 O-O 16.Bf4 Qd8 14.Re4 Rd8 15.Qe2 c5 16.Bf4 Qb6 17.Bf3 Bxe4 18.Nxe4 Kf8 = +0.08 (23 ply) 14...gxh5 15.Bg5 c5 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Rd8 18.Qf3 Kf8 ⩱ -1.50 (24 ply)= +0.45 (27 ply)better is 33...Nc8 34.R8d7+ Kc6 35.Rxf7 Bg5 36.Rd1 c4 37.Re1 Rd6 = +0.10 (27 ply) ⩲ +0.70 (25 ply)better is 38...Nd8 39.Rf5 Ne6 40.Kh3 Kc6 41.Rf7 Nc7 42.g4 Nd5 = +0.50 (31 ply) ⩲ +1.03 (26 ply)better is 39...Rd6 40.Re4 a5 41.g4 a4 42.a3 Nd8 43.Rf5 Kc6 44.Re8 ⩲ +0.56 (26 ply) ⩲ +1.13 (27 ply)better is 45.Re4 Bxc3 46.f5 Rc6 47.Re6 Nb7 48.Rxc6+ Kxc6 49.Rh7 ⩲ +1.43 (30 ply) 45...Kc6 46.Rb1 Rg3+ 47.Kh2 Re3 48.Ra7 Bg3+ 49.Kg1 Nb3 ⩲ +0.82 (26 ply)+- +6.93 (29 ply); 46...Kc6 47.Rxa5 Rg3+ 48.Kh2 Rxc3 49.Rxa6+ Kc7 50.Rg6 +- +6.97 (28 ply)1-0

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

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Given 51 times; par: 63 [what's this?]

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

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Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-15-05  chessnewbie: why not 14. ....gxh5?
Sep-15-05  RookFile: I think Kasparov overextended himself, and black should win. 14...gxh5 is fine, nothing wrong with it. But what Polugaevsky did wasn't bad, he just needs to play
16....Bxf3 17. Bxc7 Bxh5 18. Bxd8 Kxd8. Black's pieces are a little tangled up (otherwise, you'd say he is simply winning), but I think the problems are managable, and black can hope for victory.
Feb-21-06  HamasHamas: This is just a bad game.
Jan-07-07  myschkin: In the end first the knight and after that the black rook will fall due to two "x-ray" attacks. Nice finish indeed.
Jan-03-11  grin44: 14. ..., gxh5 would be a terrible mistake, ending in total destruction of black's kingside. Anyway, in the end Polugayevsky makes horrible move 45. ..., Kc5. If 45. ..., Kc6, then there is quite interesting game ahead.
Jan-03-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sastre: 14...gxh5 is a good move. Black is fine after <15.Qd4 f6 16.Bf4 c5 17.Qe3 Qc6>.
Feb-13-11  th3doctor: 45. ...Kc5 is just a huge blunder. if 45. ...Kc6 black will continue to fight for a much longer time.
Apr-07-11  wordfunph: according to Jan Timman's book The Art of Chess Analysis..

"...Polugaevsky went wrong only in the endgame, after refusing a draw offer."

Dec-04-13  david9000: If 18. Qg7 Qg6 19. Rxe7+ Nxe7 20. Qxh8+ Kd7 21. Rd1+ then Bd5- (which I hadn't seen- too busy
thinking about bad king moves and checkmate..)
Jan-26-14  GREYSTRIPE: After the Sicilian: Kan opening, Kasparov dominated the Center-Holds. The illuminescence of the Rooks-Knights made for Center-Squares-Chess. There is something worth a keeps when there, among the lilies, is a polish and a satisfaction-of-chess from the aroma of victory-well-earned in the seems. There are, in the historicals of pirates and princesses, an ample bounty of the finer things, and a deep-chess-game-Tournament is one of the most tawdry. Garry Kasparov here has manifested his genius as Grandmaster of Note.
Dec-10-16  Dave12: 16..Bxf6 is not good enough. 17.Bxc7 Bxh5 18.Bxd8 Kxd8 Rd1+ is a very bad position for black, despite material advantage
Jul-31-19  fisayo123: Kasparov was only 15 at the time and Polugaevsky was in the top 10 of the world.
Nov-22-22  Ninas Husband: A wonderful victory for the 15 year old prodigy. I wonder whatever happened to him? :)

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