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Willem Schelfhout vs Geza Maroczy
Amsterdam (1920), Amsterdam NED, rd 4, May-28
King's Gambit: Declined. Classical Variation (C30)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-02-07  Themofro: Nothing to it. The doubled and weak pawns around the king, the open a-file they all scream for the rook sacrifice. A nice puzzle regardless and a good game by Maroczy.
Jan-02-07  dzechiel: Saw this one instantly. Too easy for a Tuesday puzzle. Maybe too easy for a Monday puzzle. :)
Jan-02-07  Operation Mindcrime: Woo hoo! Got this in a few seconds.

Sort of cheated, though, because this position was just crying for a sacrifice at a1 (it occurs more commonly at h1 or h8, when it's usually followed by a ♕ check on the h-file). The idea is to get the queen into the attack with tempo, after which ♗xb3 literally drives in the last nail.

Great game by Maroczy, though I think his opponent was a bit obliging....

Jan-02-07  Bob726: Too easy, got it in less than a second
Jan-02-07  ColoradoHamster: I thought this was good for a Tuesday. Rook sac to gain a tempo, Queen check, then bring the Bishop. Nice.

<ax2kool: yay! i got this one....BTW has Kings Gambit worked for anyone except for Morphy?>

Judit Polgar used to play the King's Gambit, with some success.

Jan-02-07  gamer945094: <Chris1Clark>, what about 24.Qxb3 in your line?
Jan-02-07  FLCLlove: <ax2kool: yay! i got this one....BTW has Kings Gambit worked for anyone except for Morphy?>

Chigorin played well with King's Gambit and played it often. Steinitz was rather successful as well.

Jan-02-07  dassy: I cant see the win for Black if at 21. Qc1
Jan-02-07  melv: Spasky also played the kings gambit.
Jan-02-07  FLCLlove: Though Spassky rarely lost with the King's Gambit, he drew almost as often as he won with it.

What are you seeing to stop the mate with Qc1 that's any different.

Jan-02-07  Stellar King: got it!! the diamino's mate!!!!
Jan-02-07  YouRang: <dassy: I cant see the win for Black if at 21. Qc1>

True, but after playing around with that line for a while, it still looks bad for black:

<21...Qa7!> making threats along the a-file while still guarding against Nxd4

<22. Nd2> White's only way to guard against Bxb3 (23. Kc2? Bxb3! 24. Kxb3? Qa4#). However, at d2, the knight no longer guards e5, and it blocks its rook from guarding Pe3. This allows...

<22...Ne5> (threatening Pe3) <23. Kc2> (guard Pe3 with king) <23...Qc5+>

<24. Nc4> (blocking check)


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Black's pieces are terrible and he has isolated & doubled b-file pawns, while black's pieces have great mobility and good advanced pawns. Black will soon get the f-file rook in play with ...f5.

Jan-02-07  FLCLlove: I know I'm rusty so please tell me if I'm missing something.

21.Qc1
21...Ra1+ Following along the same lines as the original game. 22.Kxa1 This move is forced.
22...Qa5+
23.Kb1 Again, no way to block and nowhere to go; forced move. 23.Bxb3
Only way to survive following this is to sac the Queen at c2.

Better are 21.Qd1 or 21.Qc2.

Jan-02-07  YouRang: <FLCLlove> After 21. Qc1 Ra1+ 22. Kxa1 Qa5+ 23. Kb1 Bxb3, White has 23...Qxc6, and there's no mate because the king can escape to d2 (which was blocked by the queen in the 21. Rc1 line).
Jan-02-07  FLCLlove: Okay thanks.
Jan-02-07  Fisheremon: <mikrobi: for Fisheremon :
11 Ne2 ?!, Nf3 ! i think.>
not Fisheremon, but Tacticstudent. I just proposed a save on 17th move for White.
Jan-02-07  EXIDE: I came up with 21 ..., Bxb3 as winning as white has no reply to black Queen moving to a5 and checking on a1 next move.
Jan-02-07  malthrope: <EXIDE: I came up with 21 ..., Bxb3 as winning... [...]>

One slight problem with 21... Bxb3 due to 22. Rxc5! ;-) - Mal

Jan-03-07  EXIDE: <malthrope> thanks! My error. Just for info. I recently became a premium memember and am enjoying the opening explorer. Improved my game. Not today I guess.
Jan-03-07  WBP: Fischer played the King's gambit three times as white and won all theree games, once as black, and lost (against Spassky). Spassky lost only once with the opening in, as I recall, 32 games in which he employed it, and he won at least 14 of those games. The King's gambit is, despite the rather negative response it gets among many chessplayer, still a potent, surprising, and very rich and rewarding opening for the player or the white pieces.
Jan-03-07  mikrobi: For Fisheremon: sorry...
Jan-03-07  malthrope: <EXIDE: <malthrope> thanks! My error. [...]>

Well, the initiative here is everything! (forcing lines). Although, luv the chess combinations where the 'quiet killer move' is the coup de grâce! ;-) - Mal

Jan-03-07  mikrobi: Bronstein played the King's gambit too. He gave and interview before his death and said that after e4, e5 the best move is f4... You can read it at chesspro.ru unfortunetly in russian... But Fischer learnt russian language to understand russian chess analyzes :)
Jan-03-07  euripides: What's unfortunate about Russian ?
Mar-03-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  WTHarvey: Black mates in 5.


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