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Bent Larsen vs Viktor Korchnoi
Palma de Mallorca (1968), Palma ESP, rd 14, Dec-10
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense. Main Line (D42)  ·  0-1

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 10...b6 11.Bb2 Bb7 12.Qe2 Na5 13.Ne5 g6 14.c4 cxd4 = -0.17 (26 ply)= +0.48 (24 ply) after 11.Qc2 h6 12.Rd1 Bd7 13.a4 cxd4 14.exd4 Rc8 15.Qe2 Ne7 better is 16...Bg7 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.e4 Qc7 19.g3 Rfd8 20.Bf4 Qc6 = -0.16 (23 ply)better is 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.e4 Qc7 19.Bg5 Bxg5 20.Nxg5 Bc4 21.Qg4 h5 ⩲ +0.52 (25 ply)= 0.00 (22 ply) after 17...Bb7 18.h5 Rfa8 19.h6 Rd8 20.Bd3 Ba6 21.Bxa6 Rxa6 better is 18.Bd3 Bxd3 19.Qxd3 Nb3 20.e4 Nxc1 21.Rexc1 Rc8 22.e5 = +0.33 (26 ply)better is 18...Rc8 19.Ra1 Bg7 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Bd3 Bxd3 22.Qxd3 Nb3 = -0.22 (23 ply)better is 19.Bd3 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Nc6 21.Qb5 Rb7 22.h6 Rbb8 23.Bd2 Qc8 = +0.37 (23 ply)= -0.25 (23 ply) after 19...Be7 20.Qf3 Nc4 21.Qh3 Nxd2 22.Bxd2 Bc4 23.Ra1 b5 24.Bd3 Bxd3 25.Rxd3 Qb8 26.Rd1 Rad7 27.g3 b4 28.cxb4 = +0.08 (25 ply) ∓ -1.73 (23 ply) 27...Qa3 28.Qg5 f6 29.Qg4 Rxd2 30.Qxe6+ Kh7 31.Kh2 Bc4 ∓ -2.24 (24 ply) 28.Rf1 Rc8 29.d5 Bb3 30.Be1 Qd8 31.Bxb5 Qxd5 32.Be2 Qe5 ⩱ -1.12 (23 ply) 28...Bb3 29.Rb1 Rxd2 30.Rxb3 cxd4 31.exd4 Rxf2 32.Qd1 ∓ -2.35 (25 ply) ⩱ -0.85 (25 ply) 30.Qg3 Bf5 31.cxd4 Rxd2 32.Qe5 R8xd4 33.Qxb5 Qxb5 ⩱ -0.87 (24 ply)-+ -5.87 (26 ply)-+ mate-in-10 after 34.Re3 Qxe3+ 35.Kh1 Rd4 36.Qb8+ Kg7 37.Rf1 Rh4+0-1

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
Nov-26-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: 30.Qg5 was a blunder in a bad position. 30.Qh4 would have been better although black with a Pawn up should have won the game too. Good game of Korchnoi.
Feb-19-09  mcgee: Worthy of a brilliancy prize in this tournament or any other QED but a rather atypical Korchnoi achievement. The defence and attack seem to owe more to logical warfare than psychological warfare
May-28-14  Strelets: Maybe Korchnoi's play in this game does reflect psychological factors. Why not switch it up and play positionally against a player as creative and willing to take risks as Larsen? 35...Be4! is a combinative idea that I'm going to shamelessly steal and look for in my own games.
May-28-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: In his annotations to Larsen vs Korchnoi, 1973 in the tournament book, Korchnoi discusses how he might have played instead of the move he chose at one juncture, depending upon his opponent.
Mar-05-15  zydeco: Nice smooth win by Korchnoi.

It seems like Larsen's whole plan (12.Be4, push the a-pawn, then push the h-pawn) is a misfire. Korchnoi takes the initiative very quickly. Probably Larsen should have played something like 12.Nd2 and tried to expand with his central pawns. I like 16....Ra7, a quiet, counter-intuitive-looking move, that frees the knight from its pin and continues to protect the bishop: if 16....Rab8 17.Qa4.

26.Qg4 is a mistake allowing black's combination.

Mar-15-15  zydeco: Korchnoi points to lots of mistakes in this game.

He thinks 9.Re1 is better than 9.a3.

9....Nxc3 is an overanxious attempt to punish white for 9.a3.

Korchnoi says that 11.Rb1 is superficial, and Larsen was best off playing in the center with, say, 11.Bb2, 12.Bc2, and 13.e4.

More proof that I'm not a grandmaster: I thought 16....Ra7 was a nice subtlety. Korchnoi says that it was a weak move, which he recognized as weak, and played "only to give Larsen the uncomfortable feeling that he'd made a mistake." 16....Rab8 was better.

Larsen thought that 17.h4 was 'the initial cause of his defeat.'

21....Nb7 was better, to transfer the knight to d6.

Korchnoi says 24.Bd2 was the critical mistake. White had to play 24.Bd3.

26.e4 was white's best chance.

Dec-03-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  wwall: This game did win the brilliancy prize at Palma de Mallorca.

Larsen thought 17.h4 was perhaps his losing move, but it seems OK after 17...Na5 18.h5 Rd8 19.h6, then 20.Ra1.

Korchnoi says 24.Bd2 with the critical mistake, but it looks like it was 30.Qg5? allowing 30...Bxf2+! Perhaps best is 30.Qh4 Bg7 (not 30...Bxc3?? 31.Bxc3 Qxc3 32.Qxd8+) 31.Bf4 Bxc3 32.Re5 and perhaps White can hold.

Dec-24-18  eyalbd: Korchnoi annotations here:

https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com...

Jun-21-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  WTHarvey: Black mates in 3.


click for larger view

37. ... ?

Aug-25-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Nice game. Korchnoi won the tournament a point ahead of Larsen and Spassky, so one could say that this game decided the tournament.

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