Mikhail Chigorin vs Isidor Gunsberg (1890)

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Mikhail Chigorin vs Isidor Gunsberg
Chigorin - Gunsberg (1890), Havana CUB, rd 9, Jan-15
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Goering Attack (C51) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Apr-23-06		percyblakeney: Chigorin missed <22. Rc1+ Kb5 23. Qb3+ Ka6 24. Rc5 Bxc5 25. Qa4+ Kb6 26. Rb1+ Bb4 27. Qxb4 Kc6 28. Qb5#> <23. ... Ka5> doesn't help either: <24. Qa3+ Kb5 25. Rb1+ Kc6 26. Qa4+ Kd5 27. Qb3+ Kc5 28. Rbc1+ Kd4 29. Qd1#>

Oct-18-07		RookFile: Evidently this game was played during a time when the draw by threefold repetition was not in effect.

Dec-12-11		Kinan: What the..? It should be the game of the day some time.

Dec-12-11		psmith: <percyblakeney> Even better was 21. Rac1!! which mates in 4. (Found by Fritz, not me.)

Oct-06-16		offramp: <psmith: <percyblakeney> Even better was 21. Rac1!! which mates in 4. (Found by Fritz, not me.)> Yes! And here is an oddity! White has just played 21.Qd1+ click for larger view Black responded with 21...Kc5. White should now have played 22.Rc1+ There would have followed 22... Kb5 23. Qb3+ Ka5 24. Qa3+ Kb5 25. Rb1+ Kc6 26. Qa4+ Kd5 27. Qb3+ Kc5 28. Rbc1+ Kd4 29. Qd1# which is this position: click for larger view Do you see the difference? I believe that is called an oscillating triangulation.

Mar-15-20		MarcBernstein: What a crazy game. I ran through it using stockfish 11, letting it run, usually well past 30 ply. I quit analyzing when Chigorin missed 21. Rac1 with a forced mate in 4. It is notable that the unsound looking 11. Bxf7! is quite sound and leads to a draw with correct play. The annotation here is incorrect in assigning a "?" to 11. Bxf7. 11. Nd5 is also good. Check it out yourself.

Aug-05-24		andrea volponi: la migliore difesa é 12...Re8! -Bxe7 Rxe7 -Ng5+ Kg8 -Qh5 h6 -Qg6 hxg5 -Nf6+ kf8 -Nh7+Kg8 patta.

Aug-07-24		keypusher: The site SF annotations for the game are completely crazy, as <MarcBernstein> noted. 11.Bxf7+, 13.Bxe7, 14.Ng5+, and 15.Nf4+ all get question marks, even though they're all good moves and White has a completely won position at the end of the sequence. After 12....Re8 it should wind up even, as <andrea_volponi> pointed out. But after 12....Nac6 White was a little better, and after 14....Kg6 Black was dead lost. As <offramp> showed, 21.Qd1+ is just a slightly longer mate than 21.Rac1! would have been, but after 22.Qc2+ the engine suddenly shows 0.00. After multiple repetitions, Chigorin finally decides to win the queen (31.Rad1+?), but Gunsberg obviously gets way too much for it. Chigorin was a great player, but...never give up hope when you're playing him. If this position was presented as a puzzle: click for larger view First of all, it wouldn't be a very good puzzle, because Rac1, Qd1+, Qf3, Re3 and probably several other moves all win. I bet a lot of us would find 21.Rac1, because it's such a great puzzle move and the king is so comically helpless. But there is still a little bit you have to see: 21....Kd5 (which Black should have played on move 20) and then quickest is 22.Qf7+ Be6 23.Qf3+ Kd4 24.Qd1#. Not completely obvious. And then there's also 21....Bf5, when 21.Qh4+ forces a quick mate but 21.Qd1+ is a little tricky: 21....Bd3 22.Re3 Kd5 and now White has to find 23.Qb3+. When you're playing a high-stakes game, as opposed to solving a puzzle on your phone, it's harder to pass up a check. And 21.Qd1+ is also completely winning, but the mate is longer and trickier, and it takes just one more mistake to lose it. And anyway, who would believe that this position (after 22.Qc2+ Kd5) isn't completely won for White? click for larger view But once the king gets to e6 he can survive, and Black has a huge material advantage: after 23.Rad1+? Ke6 24.Qc4+ even 24....Qd5 is playable, though of course 24....Nd5 is a lot stronger. Going back to the opening, White doesn't have to go all in at move 11. Just 11.Bd3 0-0 and any of d4-d5, h2-h3 or Nc3-d5 should lead to an interesting game. See also W Pollock vs Chigorin, 1895.

Aug-07-24		Honza Cervenka: <keypusher> <The site SF annotations for the game are completely crazy, as <MarcBernstein> noted. 11.Bxf7+, 13.Bxe7, 14.Ng5+, and 15.Nf4+ all get question marks, even though they're all good moves and White has a completely won position at the end of the sequence.> Well, at least 11.Bxf7+ objectively deserves a question mark, as 11...Kxf7 12.Nd5 Re8! 13.Bxe7 Rxe7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Qh5 g6!! (this is much better than 15...h6? 16.Qg6 =) /diagram/ with decisive advantage of black. click for larger view

Aug-07-24		keypusher: <Well, at least 11.Bxf7+ objectively deserves a question mark, as 11...Kxf7 12.Nd5 Re8! 13.Bxe7 Rxe7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Qh5 g6!! (this is much better than 15...h6? 16.Qg6 =) /diagram/ with decisive advantage of black.> 16.Nf6+ Kg7 17.Qxh7+ Kxf6 18.e5+ still seems to lead to a draw (SF, obviously).

Aug-07-24		Honza Cervenka: <16.Nf6+ Kg7 17.Qxh7+ Kxf6 18.e5+ still seems to lead to a draw> It is unbelievable but true. It did not cross my mind that white can just drop both Knights and still be able to force at least perpetual after 16.Nf6+ Kg7 17.Qxh7+ Kxf6 18.e5+ Kxg5 19.f4+ Kf5 20.Qh3+ Ke4 21.Qf3+ Kf5 22.Qh3+, as 21...Kxd4 leads to loss after 22.Rac1. Fantastic line.

Aug-07-24		keypusher: One other point: in the line after 22.Rc1+ Kb5 23.Qb3+ Ka6! click for larger view The <only> winning move for White is 24.Rc5!!. No wonder Chigorin didn't play 22.Rc1+.

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