May-07-11
 | | Chessical: Dynamic and inventive play by Chigorin creates a complex middlegame in which he outplays Gunbsberg. Gunsberg has a correct plan of defence but fails to play the precise sequence of moves allowing his opponent to sacrifice with devastating effect. Chigorin obtains no advantage in the opening from his patented set up. He then creates complications by pushing his <e> and <f> pawns which Gunsberg mishandles. <25...g5?>. 
click for larger view <25... Rxd1> 26. Rxd1 g5 (<26...fxe6?> loses after 27. Qg6+ Kg8 28. Nh5)
27. Nd5 f4 28. Nxe7 fxg3 29. Nxc8 Bxc8 30. Rd6 Nd4 31. Nxd4 cxd4 32. exf7 gxh2+ 33. Kxh2 Rxf7 34. Rxd4 Rf2 = If <28...hxg5?>, then 29. Nxg5+ Kh8 30. Qe5+ Kg8 31. Nxe6 Rf7 32. Rxd8+ and wins Gunsberg's whole defence from move 29 misfires as he failed to see Chigorin's N sacrifice. He had to take the B and try to hang on as there was no immediate knock-out blow. <32.Ng5!> artfully wins Backs' Q. |
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Jan-20-22
 | | KEG: Tchigorin and Gunsberg were long-time rivals. In 1890, they drew a 23-game match (nine wins each plus five draws). Going into this game, they had played 28 times with each player having won 11 with 6 draws). But this was the first time they contested a French Defense with Tchigorin's favorite (but doubtful) 2. Qe2. Since he regularly got lousy position from this line, why did Tchigorin continued to play this opening variation. This game supplies a likely answer. Tchigorin must have known that he did not theoretically good positions from 2. Qe2. But what he DID get were complicated positions that he often understood better than his opponents. This is what happened here. By move 20, Tchigorin had achieved a complicated position that probably was not theoretically favorable for White but was one he UNDERSTOOD better than Gunsberg, who thereafter fell apart, after which Tchigoriing tore Gunsberg's position apart with neat tactical strokes. 1. e4 e6
2. Qe2?!
Here we go again.
2... Nc6
Best is the more usual 2...c5. The text, however, was frequenly played and is hardly a mistake. 3. f4
Overplaying his hand. The simple 3. Nf3 was best. After 3. f4, the position was:
click for larger viewAlready a nearly novel position. No wonder it was hard to play against Tchigorin. 3... Nge7
It is hard to explain Gunsberg's reluctance to play the simple 3...d5 immediately. 4. Nf3 d5
click for larger view5. d5?!
Still playing for complications and disdaining the more normal looking 5. d4 or 5. d3. 5... d4!
click for larger view6. Qf2
If White spends two of his first seven moves to bring his Queen to f2, the opening has not gone well for him/her. 6... Nb4?!
Gunsberg was understandably anxious to play c5, but this can't be right. But settling on the best plan is not easy for Black when confronted by Tchigorin's exotic play. Perhaps 6...Qd5 or 6...b6 even 6...Ng6 should b considered. 7. Na3
Either this or 7. d3 had to be played. But this need suggests that White's play was flawed, difficult as it is for Black to find an effective counter. The unusual opening positions was now:
click for larger view7... c5
In his zeal to play c5, Gunsberg ignored the almost certainly better 7...Nec6. The Tournament Book raises question about the prospects for Black after 7...d3 8. c3, but Black's game if now 8..Nbd5 9. Qd4 Nf5 10. Qxd3 BxN 11. bxB Bd7, while definitely playable, is nothing to cherish. 8. c3 Nbc6
9. Bb5
click for larger viewWhile hardly Fischer random chess, this position casts both sides on their own resources. All in all, Tchigorin, who enjoys whatever edge exists at this point, was probably not displeased. |
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Jan-21-22
| | KEG: Post II
9... a6!
Why do I give this seemingly poor move an "!" ? After all, 9...Nd5 (and probably 9...Bd7) were surely better. But against Tchigorin, who preferred Knights to Bishops, the text led to: 10. BxN+ ?
This looks dreadful. 10. Nc4! was strong (if 10...axB?? 11. Nd6+ followed by 12. Nxf7), and even 10. Be2 was better than the text. But this kind of exchange was bread and butter to Tchigorin. 10... NxB
click for larger viewBy any objective standard with which I am familiar, White is now worse (whereas he would have been better placed after 10. Nc4). But Tchigorin had his two Knights, and was most likely happy with the situation. 11. Nc2
11. 0-0 or even 11. b3 looks better than this, but, as always, Tchigorin had his own ideas. And it is easy for me to say all this since I am typing merrily away on my computer and not sitting across the board from Tchigorin. 11... Be7
Gunsberg seems to have been intimidated and played passively rather than trying to go after Tchigorin with 11...d3 or 11...b5. Even 11...b6 looks superior to the text, but Gunsberg now seems happy just to have survived the opening. The position was now:
click for larger view12. b3
Contrary to the analysis by the Tournament Book, 12. cxd4 was surely better. If then 12...cxd4 White could play 13. d3 with an approximately equal game. Of course if White continued 13. Ncxd4, he would get crushed--as the Tournament Book pointed out--by 12...Bc5. 12... dxc3
"?"--(Tournament Book).
I see nothing terribly wrong with the text. The Tournament Book is correct that 12...d3 is a good alternative (as was 12...0-0), but Black is entirely OK after the text as well. 13. dxc3 0-0
Perhaps even better was 13...Qd3! (14. Qd2 Qg6 [or 14...QxQ+ 15. BxQ] 15. 0-0 0-0 and Black is probably better. 14. 0-0
click for larger view14... Qd3
The Tournament Book was probably correct that the multi-purpose 14...Qc7 was stronger, but the text was certainly also OK. 15. Bb2 b6
Playable, but 15...Qf5 or 15...Qe4 or 15...b5 were likely somewhat better. 16. Rad1
16. Ne3 immediately looks like a better way for White to untangle his forces. 16... Qg6
16...Qf5 or 16...Qe4 were perhaps more accurate. 17. Ne3 a5
In his zeal to play Ba6, Gunsberg created a hole on b5. It was probably best just to continue with 17...b5 (or maybe 17...Rb8) The position was now:
click for larger view18. Rfe1
A needless reshuffling. 18. Nd2 (eyeing c4) was a better way to try to punish Gunsberg for his somewhat rash 17...a5. 18... Ba6
Having said "A," Gunsberg should have said "B" and played 18...a4 with about equal chances. 19. Bc1?
An over-refinement. 19. f5 immediately, or maybe 19. c4, would have given Tchigorin the sort of attacking prospects he loved (and that he soon got in this game thanks to Gunsberg's upcoming weak play). 19... Rad8
19...Bd3 was a good alternative.
After 19...Rad8, the position was:
click for larger viewFor all the ups and downs of the game to this point, Gunsberg had achieved a decent (even if not superior) position. But this sort of position with complex attacking potentials was much more to Tchigorin's liking. It is remarkable how quickly from here Tchigorin managed to outplay Gunsberg and blow him off the board. |
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Jan-21-22
 | | perfidious: <KEG>, ever see 2....Be7 in response to Chigorin's idea, as played in L Day vs I Kourkounakis, 1980, a game annotated by the winner many years ago in <Chess Canada>? In the 1980s, I tried it at least once. |
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Jan-21-22
| | KEG: <perfidious>2...Be7 was apparently the brainchild of Tarrasch, who played it six times in his match against Tchigorin. It was later played by Alapin, including in his game against Tchigorin at Monte Carlo 1901. While 2...c5 is probably best, your move is also good, and the fact that Tarrasch played it repeatedly against Tchigorin speaks volumes about its merits. I should probably have mentioned the possibility of 2...Be7 in my annotations here, so thank you for mentioning this important alternate line. |
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Jan-22-22
| | KEG: Post III
20. f5
"!"--(Tournament Book)
click for larger viewWhile 20. f5 is strong and arguably best, 20. Nd2 also has its points. What is most important, however, is that even after the text Black still has excellent play and the game--viewed objectively from afar--was still developing and very much in doubt. But Gunsberg was sitting opposite Tchigorin, one of the greatest attacking geniuses in the history of chess. His forthcoming play suggests he was terrified. 20... exf5
20...Qh5 was also sufficient--theoretically--for approximate equality. 21. Nd5
click for larger viewWhatever its actual merits, White's position looks formidable, and Gunsberg soon panicked. 21... Qe6
22. c4
click for larger view22... h6
22...Bb7 or 22...Bc8 or maybe 22...a4 were likely better, but the game was still far from lost for Gunsberg at this point. 23. Qg3 Kh7
Black had to play this or 23...Qg6 because of the potential Bxh6 otherwise. 24. Nf4
Here Tchigorin missed the stronger 24. Bb2, giving Gunsberg chances. 24... Qc8
24...RxR was simplest and best for Black here.
25. e6!
click for larger view25... g5?
Tchigorin's aggression finally caused Gunsberg to crack, and what followed after this blunder was little more than target practice for Tchigorin. The Tournament Book (after correctly pointing out that 25...fxe6 would get crushed by 26. Qg6+), stated that "other moves also produced nothing." This was earlier refuted by <Chessical> on this site, who pointed out that Black should simply play 25...RxR, after which Black can survive (e.g., 26. RxR Bf6 27. Rd6 a4). After the text, things just went from bad to worse for Gunsberg: 26. Nd5
click for larger view26... fxe6?
If Gunsberg wanted to play on, his only even small chance to offer resistance lay in the sacrific 26...RxN. After the text, the roof truly fell in on poor Gunsberg. 27. NxB NxN
27...RxR 28. NxQ RxR+ 29. NxR RxN 30. Nf3, leaving White with Queen for Rook and two pawns, was also hopeless. After 27...NxN, the position was:
click for larger view |
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Jan-22-22
| | KEG: Post IV
28. Bxg5
"!"--(Tournament Book)
The text does indeed win--as do several other moves--and it is flashy, but best of all was 28. Nxg5+ (e.g., hxN 29. Qxg5 RxR (29...Ng8 30. Bb2 is not much better) 31. QxN+ Kg6 32. RxR followed by 33. Rd7). After 28. Bxg5, the position was:
click for larger view28... RxR
<Chessical> has shown how Black gets demolished after 28...hxB. I have nothing to add to his analysis. 29. RxR
click for larger view29... Ng8
As the Tournament Book points out, 29...hxB also loses after 30. Nxg5+ , though Black might hang on just a bit further with 30...Kh6 instead of the Tournament Book's 30...Kh8? 31. 31. Qe5+ winning the house (31...Kg8 32. Nxe6 Rf7 33. Rd3! Ng3 34. Rg3. But in fairness, White also wins after 30...K6 31. Qh4+ Kg7 32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. h4 b5 34. Rd6 bxc4 35. Rxe6+ QxR 36. Qh6+ Ng6 37. NxQ KxN 38. QxN+ and White with Queen for Rook and out of play Bishop should win without difficulty. 30. Bh4
"Threatening Ne5 followed by Rd7+." (Tournament Book). But much stronger and faster than the text was 30. Ne5. But, yet again in fairness, this was the final move before the time-control, and not even Tchigorin could be expected to see everything over the board. His choice also wins, just not as quickly. After 30. Bh4, the position was:
click for larger view30... Rf7?
Gunsberg's best chance to present practical problems for Tchigorin lay in 30...f4! After the text, Black loses his Queen and the game was over, though Gunsberg played on for a while. 31. Rd8!
Ouch.
31... Rg7
There was nothing better. The position was now: 
click for larger view32. Ng5+
"Artfully winning the Queen." (<Chessical>) 32... hxN
Even worse would have been 32...RxN 33. BxR Qb7 34. Qd6 hxB 35. Rd7+ QxR 36. QxQ+ after which Black's remaining forces (Bishop and Knight) cannot prevent White's lone Queen from wiping out his pawns. 33. RxQ BxR
34. Bxg5
click for larger viewThe game was now obviously over.
I will cover the balance of Tchigorin's destruction of the Black army in my next and final post on this game. |
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Jan-22-22
| | KEG: Post V
34... Bb7
This only speeds the end. 34...a4 or 34...e5 might have enabled Gunsberg to prolong his suffering. 35. h4
A mild inaccuracy by Tchigorin. 35. Qh4+ is faster. 35... Nf6
36. Qe5
click for larger view36... Ne4
36...Nd2 is the only way to prolong the game, but it would not have changed the outcocme. 37. Qxe6 NxB
Nothing else is much better.
38. Qxf5+ Kh6
39. Qf6+
click for larger view39... Kh7
40. hxN Be4
The fastest way to lose. But the "better" 40...Bc8 41. Qh6+ Kg8 42. Qxb6 Bf5 43. Qxa5 followed by 44. Qxc5 would not have been any fun for Black either. 41. Qh6+
click for larger view1-0
After 41...Kg8 42. Qe6+ pick up the Bishop. |
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Kibitzing
