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Mikhail Botvinnik vs Miguel Najdorf
Amsterdam Olympiad Final-A (1954), Amsterdam NED, rd 7, Sep-19
English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation (A39)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
May-21-06  aw1988: b6? spells disaster for Black after g4 according to some of my old analysis. Nh6! is correct.
Jul-19-10  binno: b6 seems to me not a disaster. I look to 36...b5. I think that the more intuitive 36... a5 is better.
Nov-26-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Botvinnik mentions in his annotations that both he and Najdorf overlooked 31.Ne8+, followed by 32.Nxd6, but that had he noticed this possibility, he'd have probably rejected it as he believed that after 32....Nxd6 33.Re8+ Rxe8 34.Qxd1 Re4, his win would be more difficult than in the actual game.
Feb-13-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: The positional squeeze starts after 14...Nd8. Najdorf never manages to give that knight a future again. Another Botvinnik masterpiece.
Feb-14-12  drukenknight: 38...Rb3+ seems a more natural move for this stage.
Feb-14-12  brankat: <English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation>

H.Mecking was born in 1952, and in '54 already had a variation named after him? Talking about Precocious :-)

Feb-10-14  Nerwal: Botvinnik's choice of 31. ♖e3 shows his high-class judgement; black cannot do anything of his queenside majority in this endgame. Still it may not be stronger and easier than 31. ♘e8+ ♔g8 32. ♘xd6 ♘xd6 33. ♖e8+ ♖xe8 34. ♕xd1 ♖e4 after 35. ♕d3 (Δ ♕a6 and countering ♖xf4 by ♕g3). A direct attack on the king with 31. h4 Δ h5 also comes into consideration and seems quite awkward for black to meet. In addition, Ken Neats (and computer) pointed out that his annotation "30... h6 is bad (...) because of 31. ♖e7!" missed the crushing blow 31. gxh6+ (again this tactical pattern). It would seem that in this highly favourable position Botvinnik considered any kind of tactical solution as unwelcomed complications (and the discovered attack on the queen probably as nothing more than a cheap trick).
Feb-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <brankat: <English Opening: Symmetrical. Mecking Variation>

H.Mecking was born in 1952, and in '54 already had a variation named after him? Talking about Precocious :-)>

To think Tal and Fischer are known as geniuses.....

May-15-18  Toribio3: Botvinnik is a human being gifted with enormous talent who can think even beyond the depth of the blue sea.

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