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Garry Kasparov vs Alexey Shirov
"Take my Book, Take my Rook" (game of the day Jan-23-2024)
Credit Suisse Masters (1994), Horgen SUI, rd 9, Sep-13
Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan. Sveshnikov Variation Chelyabinsk Variation (B33)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 43 times; par: 48 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-11-14  capafischer1: Shirov has played 5 or 6 games in bundesliga this year and I can not find the games here. He is top 30 in the world again with a 2720 live rating at the ripe age og 41.
Mar-11-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: Shirov has been one of my favorite players since he was a junior.

I saw one of his games in a magazine, and I knew he was both talented and also an excellent tactician. (And I was hooked.)

Mar-15-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: http://www.ajschess.com/lifemastera...

My new web page on this game ...

Mar-15-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: A note of explanation ... I was working on my game collection ...

Game Collection: "The 100 Best Games," (of the 20th Century). ... a few weeks ago. I entered this game ...
(GM Garry Kasparov vs. GM Alexei Shirov, Horgen / 1994.)

It was so fascinating that I went over it (here) 2-3 times. Then - I pulled it up in ChessBase - and looked at it some more. Anyway, this was how I got re-interested in this great game. I finally got off my duff and did my web page on this game. (I started on this project several times in the past, but never finished it.)

The link for my web page is in my previous post.

Mar-15-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <offramp> Really!?!? Sometimes your behavior is excellent, other times, it borders on the worst possible kind of stuff...

Do you have a split personality? Are you bi-polar?

Apr-05-14  tranquilsimplicity: It often strikes me that those whose behavioural traits are unwholesome with such shortcomings as one-upmanship, self promotion and labelling others often harbour the defects they accuse others of possessing.#
Apr-05-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Sally Simpson> In honour of that droll tale: Jethro Tull, 'Cheap Day Return'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQz...

The verse which has always killed me is 'She made your tea, asked for your autograph--what a laugh'.

Sep-25-14  birthtimes: 23...Bh6 subjected this bishop to the status of a relative non-existent worker, as Lasker would say. 23...Bd8 looks like a better place to do some useful work as it covers the b6 square. Rudolf Spielmann also mentions this principle--as well as the importance of a created passed pawn in an exchange sacrifice--in his never-quoted classic, "The Art of Sacrifice in Chess", in his chapter entitled, "The Exchange Sacrifice." Do yourself a favor and obtain a copy.
May-20-15  SpiritedReposte: I think Life Master such and such is a dangerous person. I shudder to think of how he interacts with people.

I can't even focus on the game with his 1000 postings about his web page, how great he is, how bad he has it, and how dumb everyone else is. <tranquilsimplicity> hit the nail on the head there lol.

Nov-13-16  victor antoni: terrible tactica de kasparov.. es un genio. es demasiado guerrero para este tiempo.. que terrible sangre fria la de kasparov!!..
Mar-08-17  clement41: If I were to sum this game up in one sentence: LIGHT SQUARE STRATEGY!
Jul-26-19  Alibaba2007: Rd8 28. Ne7+ Kh8 29. Qxf7 Qa8 30. Bb5
Jun-22-21  Gaito:


click for larger view

WHITE TO MOVE

Kasparov played 38.Ne3 which was sufficient to win, but an even stronger alternative would have been 38.Nxd6! Qxd6 39.Ra7+ Ke6 40.Ra6.

Aug-02-23  CapablancaDisciple: Kasparov completely outclassed Shirov in this game
Jan-23-24  thegoodanarchist: Am I the only one curious about the supposed book?
Jan-23-24  thegoodanarchist: <Sally Simpson: Hi AJ.
A carbonn copy?>

I am willing to wager that, in the last 10 years, <SS> has learned how to spell "carbon".

Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Can't recall another Exchange sacrifice where the point consisted of restricting a single Knight; can't blame Black for shunning 23...Bd8 which would have left the horse with zero moves. White doesn't touch the b4 pawn until 29.b5--which also partially restricts the Knight.

And let us not forget that Black was a Super-GM who tied for 2nd in this event.

Jan-23-24  goodevans: <Am I the only one curious about the supposed book?>

I was but after trying without success to understand the previous two puns I've decided not to waste my energy on them any longer.

... but at least it's a good game.

Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Some people commit a drive-by punning and then disappear.
User: kasparvez created today's confection 11 years ago, and then faded into the mists of time.
She is doubtless on a Bermudan beach, drinking Buckfast Tonic Wine (on ice), looking at <chessgames.com> on her iPad, astonished to see her name on the home page!
Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: Every 11 years people gather on chessgames and wonder what this pun means.

User: kasparvez marks the passages of time, like the cicadas…

Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: User: kasparvez contacted me from Bermuda to provide the link explaining the pun: <Jim Bartle: If you're drunk in a cab with Shirov, make sure he doesn't leave his laptop behind. He did that once, with the entire first draft of "Fire on Board" lost with the computer.> Kasparov vs Shirov, 1994 (kibitz #43)

No clue if this anecdote is true, couldn't find anything. For memo "Fire on Board" was published one year after this tournament, but he could have been preparing it then.

User: kasparvez also had a message for all CG users: "Thinking about you on the beach drinking my cocktail while you freeze up North, you <losers> (crossed out) <patzers> (crossed out) <clueless pun guessers> (crossed out) dear friends."

Excellent analysis of the game by Nunn:
Kasparov vs Shirov, 1994 (kibitz #10)
Kasparov vs Shirov, 1994 (kibitz #11)

Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: PS: FWIW I launched a one-hour SF analysis after 18.b4, it gives +0.1 at 46 ply so the exchange sac was indeed speculative. analysis of move 18...?

But as Nunn says there's strategic considerations, as well as psychological: at that time Kasparov's score vs Shirov was already +3 -0 =3 (excluding a simul). For memo it would become +15 -0 =13 overall. Fire on Alexey.

Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: Wonder if Kasparov used Fritz 3 to check this variation back in 1994. That was the period where Kasparov was still better than Fritz, but just barely. Kasparov vs Fritz, 1994
Jan-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Would this be a Fire on Board reference?
Jul-09-25  andrea volponi: 27...Ra8! - N7b6 Qa3 - Nxa8 ⩲ .
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