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Vasily Smyslov vs David Bronstein
Amsterdam Candidates (1956), Amsterdam NED, rd 16, Apr-25
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. King's Knight Variation (A15)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-06-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Excellent game from Smyslov.
Jul-05-13  zydeco: Bronstein plays to mess up the game and Smyslov to straighten it out.

6....Nf6 and 10...Qa5 are attempts to complicate -- but white ends up better out of the opening because of the undeveloped light-squared bishop and the weak c-pawn.

17....c4 is a really cool move that solves most of black's problems (he had to worry about Ne5 and Bf1 driving back the queen). It's a very Bronstein move -- he's like a point guard who's at his best playing through heavy traffic.

15.e4 is a strong move, 20.e5 retains the initiative and 24.Ng5 is a nice simplification.

Smyslov comments that 31...Bd2 is black's first real mistake: he should have played 31....Rc1+ and had a perfectly defensible endgame.

Five positional pawn sacrifices in this game....before the capture of the b6 pawn finishes it. This game essentially decided the 1956 candidates tournament.

Oct-26-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: What a beautiful game! Thanks to <zydeco> for drawing my attention to it. One Shredder line: At move 40, instead of 40.Rb7 (which seems to be good enough) the computer finds 40.Re3! Rc1+ 41.Kg2 d4 42.Re4 Rd6 43.Rb7 Kd8 44.Bg4! and because of the mate threat with Rb8+ and Rc8# Black has nothing better than to give up the exchange with 44....Rc8.

I think the 1956 Candidates gets neglected a little because of Bronstein's marvelous book about the 1953 tournament and Tal's and Fischer's arrival at the 1959 tournament. It would be nice if Resignation Trap's fine collection could be turned into an official cg tournament page.

Oct-26-13  pawn to QB4: <Thanks to <zydeco> for drawing my attention to it. > ...and I thank you both in my turn. This is only a flight of fancy, but the game reminds me of Carlsen: what kind of an advantage does Smyslov need in the late middle game, to turn it into a rout? If I got some of the earlier positions I'd be thinking that the win, if any, was by slow grind, and here instead we have such wonderful tactics, all of them at the service of strategy. And funnily enough, having thought that earlier, I see this game ended up so similar to the final act of Carlsen vs Kamsky, 2005, which I have just played through by pure coincidence.
Aug-04-19  King.Arthur.Brazil: After 57...♔d4 58.♖g4+ ♔d5 59.♖g5+ ♔d4 60.♖cxc5 d2 61.♖gd5+ ♔e4 62.♖xd2 It is the same sequence for 57...♔d5 less one tempo. The similar way 57...♔b4 58.♖g4+ ♔b3 59.♖xc5 d2 60.♖d4 and captures the ♙ in d2.
Aug-05-19  ewan14: 1956 Candidates is fairly well known for Petrosian's missed opportunities , including the infamous loss to Bronstein
Aug-05-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <keypusher>'s wish came true.

Classic Smyslov, making something out of nothing. Capablanca has often (and rightly) been cited as a stylistic antecedent of Fischer, but surely the future grandmaster learnt much from the victor in this game as well.

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