| Dec-04-04 | | Backward Development: of interest:
on the exchange variation:
"White usually enters the Exchange Variation of the Orthodox Queen's Gambit with the intention of playing a minority attack, in which he stations his rooks on the b and c files and then advances his b-pawn and trades it off on c6 to create a backward black pawn. A number of master games have demonstrated that this is too direct a plan to pose any great danger to black, who may, in his turn, expand upon his control of the efile to carry an active piece game to the kingside, establishing approximate equality.
For this game, Kotov is not after a draw: he has other reasons altogether for trading off the center pawns. In the tradition of the old masterse, he intends castilng long, followed by a kingside pawn storm-an idea he conceals quite well for the first dozen moves."
on Stahlberg's defense:
"Stahlberg is the only grandmaster of our day who retains the Orthodox Defense as part of his repetoire, and he plays it like a virtuoso. This system, with ...g6 and the knight transfer to e6 prior to castling, in his invention. Neither Kotov, in the present game, nor the author, in the tournament's second half, nor even the World Champion, Botvinnik himself, in the Budapest tournament of 1952, could find any weak spot in the Swedish grandmaster's favorite defese."
after white's 21st move:
"The game has gone into an ending which favors White a bit, and requires accurate play from Black. White would have done better to play 21. Rb1 anwering 21...Rd7 with 22. Rb2; then after the f-file opened, he could obtain counterpressure on the b-pawn, saving his a4 until after black's ...b6."
after white's 36th move
"White's game is lost: he has nothing to match Black's passed pawn. However, he would have some practical chances of a draw in the following variation:
36.ab ab
37.Ra1 h3
38.Rh1 Rh7
39.Rh2;
pawns are equal for the moment, and White's rook is unapproachable; to play for the win, there fore, black's king must go for the g-pawn, which time white could use to attack the b and c-pawns:
39...kf5
40.kb4 kxg5
41.c5 and if 41...bc+, White gets his draw; but on 41...b5 he is one tempo short." |
Kibitzing
