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Boris Spassky vs Leonid Stein
USSR Championship playoff (1964), Moscow URS, rd 1, Jan-08
Gruenfeld Defense: Exchange. Simagin's Improved Variation (D86)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 10 times; par: 46 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-24-06  azaris: Spassky is almost lost by move 15. If 16.Qg3 then 16...Rfc8 17.Qh4 Rxc1+ 18.Rxc1 Qb4+ 19.Kf1 Bb5 (GK).
Apr-13-08  lost in space: I disagree with azaris. I can not see an advantage for black up to move 22/23. If White is not looking for a win he simply can play 16. La3 Da5 17. Dd2 Dxd2 18. Kd2 with a very slight advantage for White.
Jun-22-08  M.D. Wilson: Stein was a fantastic player. It's a shame he died so young. He has many great wins over supreme opposition; that says something about his talent for the game.
Jun-22-08  RookFile: He did have plus scores over guys like Tal and Spassky, and Keres, and even scores against the likes of Petrosian, Smyslov, Reshevsky and Botvinnik. The only guy who seems to have really had his number was Geller, but Geller tended to do this to a lot of people.
Jun-23-08  M.D. Wilson: Yes, I believe Geller was the most dangerous player in the world during the 1960s. He could beat anyone, but, as we know, it takes more than this to become world champion.
Feb-10-10  talisman: this win give the great leonid stein the ussr championship.
Sep-03-13  ColdSong: That game was the first playoff of the 1964 USSR championship, probably then played in rapid, which could explain why Spassky lost this way.
Sep-03-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <ColdSong>: Why would you believe there were such events as rapid playoffs in those days?
Sep-03-13  Howard: Personally, I suspect it was not a rapid game. The first, say, 2 or 4 games would probably have been at regular time controls. If that didn't settle things, then perhaps they would have played rapid games to break the tie.
Sep-03-13  ughaibu: Of course they didn't play rapids!
Sep-03-13  ewan14: Geller could not achieve a positive score against Larsen in the 60s
Sep-03-13  Everett: < ewan14: Geller could not achieve a positive score against Larsen in the 60s>

Perhaps Larsen should have thrown some games to Geller in order to become WC caliber.

Feb-28-18  zydeco: Spassky falls apart right out of the opening in a high-stakes game. Probably the maneuver with Ra5 is too loosening. It felt like Stein barely had to do any thinking in this game.
Feb-28-18  Granny O Doul: ...exf4 on move 25 looks quite strong. If White plays 26. Qh3, with the threat on h8, there comes ...f3+ and if 27. Qxf3 then ...Qb5+, with ...Rd3 coming.
Mar-01-18  SChesshevsky: Interesting that Spassky makes the effort to open the h-file but ends up paying for it.
Jul-29-18  ewan14: Spassy going all or nothing in this play off 3 man tournament
Jul-29-18  ewan14: Larsen could beat anyone on his day
Aug-25-18  edubueno: En la jugada 16 podría haberse producido: +0.02 (22 ply) 16.Bg5 Rfe8 17.Qg3 e5 18.Qh4 exd4 19.Qh7+ Kf8 20.Bh6 Bxh6 21.Qxh6+ Ke7 22.Qg5+ Qf6 23.Qc5+ Qd6 24.Qxd4 Qxd4 25.Nxd4 Kf6 26.f3 a6 27.Ke2 Rac8 28.g4 Rh8 29.Kd3 Ke7 30.Rxh8 Rxh8 31.Rc1
Aug-25-18  edubueno: En la jugada 22 ya no hay cómo defenderse.

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