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Gosta Stoltz vs Alexander Kotov
Stockholm Interzonal (1952), Stockholm SWE, rd 2, Sep-16
King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation. Classical Fianchetto (E67)  ·  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...exd4 11.Nxd4 Nc5 12.e4 Qe7 13.f3 Nfd7 14.h3 Ne5 = 0.00 (26 ply) 11.Ng5 Nb6 12.Ngxe4 Nxe4 13.Bxe4 d5 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Bf3 ⩲ +0.66 (25 ply) ⩱ -0.53 (20 ply)better is 16.Nxc8 e3 17.fxe3 Rxc8 18.Qxb7 Bh6 19.Nf1 Rb6 20.Qxa7 = 0.00 (27 ply) ⩱ -0.57 (23 ply)better is 20...Ne6 21.Ne3 Qd8 22.Rab1 f5 23.Bb2 a5 24.a4 Qd6 25.f3 ⩱ -0.77 (21 ply)better is 21.Ne3 Bh6 22.Rdc1 Rxc1+ 23.Rxc1 Bc6 24.Bd6 Qd8 25.Bf4 = -0.10 (23 ply)better is 21...Rxc1 22.Bxc1 a5 23.Ne3 Bc6 24.Bb2 a4 25.Nc2 Qd8 ⩱ -0.67 (22 ply)better is 22.Ne3 Ra6 23.Bb4 Bc6 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.d5 Rd8 26.Qe1 Rxa2 = -0.12 (24 ply) ⩱ -0.77 (23 ply) after 22...bxc6 23.e3 a5 24.h4 Qd8 25.Rc1 g5 26.hxg5 Nxg5 better is 23.Ne3 f5 24.Nc2 Qd7 25.Bb2 a5 26.f3 Qe7 27.Ne3 a4 = -0.29 (23 ply) ⩱ -0.86 (26 ply) after 23...a5 24.Rc1 Bd7 25.h4 b5 26.Nh2 h5 27.Bb2 Qb8 28.a3 b4 better is 25.f4 exf3 26.Bxf3 Qf7 27.Qd1 g4 28.Bg2 Qg6 29.Be7 Re8 = -0.28 (21 ply) ⩱ -0.88 (26 ply)better is 26.f4 exf3 27.Bxf3 g4 28.Bg2 Ng5 29.Bc5 a6 30.a4 Qe6 ⩱ -0.55 (24 ply) ⩱ -1.30 (22 ply)better is 27.Nd2 f3 28.Bf1 h5 29.Qc1 Qe8 30.Bd6 a6 31.a4 Nd8 32.Qa3 ⩱ -1.01 (23 ply) 27...f3 28.Nd2 g4 29.Bf1 Re8 30.Qc1 Ng5 31.Nb1 a6 32.Bb4 ∓ -1.59 (22 ply)better is 28.Bxe6+ Bxe6 29.Rc7 Bh3 30.Bc5 f3 31.a4 b6 32.Be7 h6 ⩱ -0.64 (24 ply) ⩱ -1.34 (24 ply) after 28...f3 29.Nd2 g4 30.Bf1 Re8 31.Bb4 a6 32.Qc1 h5 33.Qa3 better is 31...fxe3 32.Nxe3 Qe4 33.Qxf3 Qxf3+ 34.Rxf3 Ng5 35.Bxd7 ∓ -1.55 (25 ply) 32.Nd2 Qxe3 33.Rxf3 Qxd4 34.Rf1 Qd3 35.Nf3 Qxd1 36.Rxd1 ⩱ -0.99 (26 ply)-+ -2.97 (27 ply) 36...Kh7 37.Ng3 Qxe6 38.Qxf3 Qg4 39.Qf7+ Kh8 40.Qxh5+ -+ -4.30 (28 ply) ⩱ -1.22 (28 ply)better is 38...d4 39.Bh3 Rg8 40.Qf2 Qf4 41.Nd2 Qe3 42.Qxe3 dxe3 ⩱ -1.32 (26 ply) ∓ -1.90 (31 ply) 40...Qe2 41.Qd4 Rg2 42.Bf5+ Kg8 43.Qxd5+ Kg7 44.Qd4+ Kf7 -+ -2.51 (29 ply) 41.Qc2+ Kh8 42.Qc3+ d4 43.Qc5 h4 44.Qh5+ Kg7 45.Qd5 f2 = -0.47 (27 ply)-+ mate-in-843.Qxf2 Qxf2 44.Ng3 h4 45.Bxd5 h3 46.Be4+ Kh8 47.Bxb7 -+ mate-in-60-1

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
Jun-23-03  sarayu: This isn't as elegant, but doesn't it also work? 42....rxg2; 43. kxg2 Qg4ch; 44. kh1 Qg1#
Jun-23-03  chispito: Funny how fewer pieces doesn't always mean it's easier to see the combination. Cool.
Jun-23-03  Bears092: sarayu - 44. Kxf2
Jun-23-03  sarayu: of course. thanks bears092.
Jun-23-03  Jonber: <Sarayu> Hi, are you the same Sarayu I had the pleasure of playing against a few weeks back? If you are, I’ve got a games post-mortem for you, but I seem to have lost your e-mail adress [he admits shamefully :-)] and was unsure how to get hold of you.
Jun-23-03  Rama: What am I missing? 43. Qxb7+ Rg7, 44. Qxg7+ and 45. Bxf3 ...
Jun-23-03  Jonber: 43.Qxb7+ Kh8 44.Qxd5 [44.Bxf3 Rg1#] 44...Qxd5 45.Ng3 f1Q+ 46.Nxf1 Qxg2#
Jun-23-03  patzer2: <Rama/Jonber> Good exchange of information in showing the proper response to the spite check 43 Qxb7+. 43...Rg7?? loses as shown in Rama's analysis. 43...Kh8! wins as shown in Jonber's analysis. Note that in Jonber's analysis of 43 Qxb7+ above, if 45 Bxd5 then 45...Rg1# follows.
Jun-23-03  patzer2: The main theme of this combination is the attack on the "overworked piece" (bishop on g2). The overworked white bishop cannot capture and remove the mating threat of 43...Qxg2#, while at the same time protecting the back rank mating threat of 43...Rg1# -- at least not without getting into a losing combination such as Jonber gives above.
Jun-23-03  patzer2: Kotov's execution of black's strategy in the King's Indian is classic and extremely well played. I think the real winning combination starts with 32...Nxf4! (if not sooner), when Kotov saw that black's queen, rook and two passed pawns wins easily against white's queen bishop and knight. King's Indian players would do well to study Kotov's strategy and tactics here.
Jun-23-03  sarayu: Hi Jonber. Yes, I'm the one you thoroughly trounced, and would love to see the postmortem. This is extremely kind of you. e-mail is sarayu108@earthlink.net.
Jun-23-03  patzer2: 41 Ng3 may offer more resistance than 41 Qxa7, but still appears to lead to a lost game for white. For example, 41 Ng3 h4 42. Nf5 Rf8 43. Qxa7 Rf7 44. Ne3 d4 45. Nf1 Qe5 46. Kg1 f7+ 47. Kh1 Rg7! wins for black (chesslab.com analysis up to 46. Kg1).
Sep-07-07  Maynard5: It is not clear that Black's somewhat speculative sacrifice of the exchange leads to a win. While the actual move 41. Qxa7? obviously loses, and 41. Ng3 is no better, as in the previous comment, 41. Nd2 appears to hold. For instance, after 41. ... Rf8 42. Bf1, all of Black's pawns are blockaded, while White maintains control over the crucial squares g2 and e2, without which Black cannot penetrate.
Sep-04-08  myschkin: . . .


click for larger view

In obriger Stellung begannen die weißen Überlegungen mit der Erkenntnis, dass zwei Möglichkeiten im Vordergrund standen:

1.Ng3 und 1.Qe3.

"Nach 1.Ng3", so überlegte Weiss, "wird mein Gegner 1...h4 antworten (2.Nh5 Qg5), und meine Position ist nicht gut." Also versuchte es Weiss mit 1.Qe3. Aber nun dachte er wieder, dass dann nach 1...Qxe3 2.Nxe3 d4 die schwarzen Bauern sehr gefährlich werden würden. Was tun? Nochmals begann Weiss die Folgen von 1.Ng3 zu prüfen - sie missfielen ihm nach wie vor. Dann wieder versuchte er sich in Gedanken mit 1.Qe3 zu befreunden, und so schwankte er zwischen diesen beiden Polen mehrere Male unetschlossen hin und her. Plötzlich blickte er auf seine Uhr: 40 Minuten waren vergangen, die Zeitkontrolle rückte nahe. Da hatte er eine neue Idee: 1.Qxa7 und war sehr glücklich, denn dieser Zug schien dank seiner Aktivität (b7 hängt mit Schach!) der beste zu sein, und ohne viel Überlegen führte Weiss ihn aus. Aber es folgte 1...f2! 2.Bg2 (das Schach auf b7 wäre nach Rg7 nur ein Luftstoss!) 2...Df3!! und Weiss musste die Waffen strecken (wenn jetzt 3.Qxb7#, so Kh8).

Weiss machte zwei Denkfehler: zunächst zog er Qxa7 zu hastig, ohne die Ressourcen des Gegners zu studieren. Sodann aber (und dagegen verstossen viele Spieler) missachtete er gründlich den Grundsatz, jede Variation nur einmal zu durchdenken und nicht immer wieder die gleichen Überlegungen anzustellen.

(siehe Kotovs Ausführungen über den Denkprozess im Schach)

Dec-12-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: An excellent example of the increased power of a passed pawn as it gets closer to promoting.
May-15-20  SeanAzarin: 41 QxRP??? cost Stoltz the game.

41 N-Q2 R-KB1 42 B-K6 P-Q5 43 B-Q5 appears to win the dangerous Black KBP. Or at least neutralize it.

Jul-28-21  superstoned: On page 25 of V. Henkin's excellent book "1000 Checkmate Combinations" he quotes this game but the diagram wrongly includes a White rook on b1 haha!,,,completely changes the evaluation.
Jul-23-22  cehertan: 41.Nd2 Rf8 does not solve whites problems though. He has no play and black can probably grind him down. Hard to resist the active try against a stronger foe, knowing that otherwise hours of torture ensue.

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