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Dardo Sergio Botto vs Larry Christiansen
"Botto Mechanic" (game of the day May-14-2018)
Pan-American Youth Championship (1975), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 3, Apr-08
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer. Modern Variation (B61)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Diocletian: Help please with software here. I see there's been a change, and to see the solution board for the puzzles I need to install the plugin Java Runtime. Clicking on install downloads for a while and then says FAILED and offers the option "manual install". Clicking on this downloads xpiinstall.exe and clicking on this program then just freezes and does nothing. I have a blank solution board to the puzzles and to all games too. I hope someone has some simple solution, thanks.
Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: <OBIT the real puzzle> Absolutely!
Mar-14-10  Shah Mat: @ sfm: who says it's about the best move? according to whom? by what standard is a move deemed best? black won this game with a great combination.

chess is a game of the mind. if a move has psychological value, if it has appeal, if it is a sacrifice, if it is part of a beautiful combination, if it is not what a patzer with Rybka tells you it should be, is it not the best move if it's winning?

what an absurd statement regarding a game as bloody and ruthless as chess.

Mar-14-10  rapidcitychess: This is insane!? What about the simple
18...Bxe3??
Mar-14-10  jmi: <rapidcitychess: This is insane!? What about the simple 18...Bxe3??>

*hint* Your Queen is looking a little unprotected on f3.

Mar-14-10  patzer2: <Obit...it seems clear that Christiansen assessed this position incorrectly during the game.> Indeed! Not only was the winning 14...Qf3! missed in the game, but this move was also missed by several GM analysts when Informant included <14...Rxg2+!>!? as the solution to number 1663 in their "Encyclopedia of Chess Middleames" (1980).

P.S.: Though to be fair, the saving 19. Bxf7+! = is difficult to find without the help of strong Chess programs which were not available in 1980.

Mar-14-10  patzer2: <Diocletian> Try the <help> button at the top of the page, and then when you get to the help FAQ list go to item number 24:

<24. Help! I can't see the games!>

Mar-14-10  ajg507: Diocletian, same problem here. Fixed it by going to java website and updating from there.
Mar-14-10  patzer2: For today's Sunday puzzle, 18...Qxe6! sacs the Queen for a mating attack, relying on some key discovered checks if Black takes the Queen, and a bit of clever attack and defense (e.g. as in the game) if he doesn't.

The most interesting aspect of today's game and kibitzing, IMO, is the discussion of 14...Rxg2!? and the saving 19. Bxf7+!= -- which Christiansen missed in the game and Informant missed in the publication of their popular 1980 book of Middlegame tactics.

Instead of 14...Rxg2!?, Black wins clearly with 14...Qf3! 15. Ne3 Bh6 16. Bb5+ Kd8 17. g3 Bh6 18. Qd1 (almost identical to today's Sunday puzzle position)


click for larger view

18...Qxe3! 19. Qh5 Bg4 20. Qxf7 Qg5 .

Mar-14-10  gofer: Insane? This took a couple of minutes... ...so I must have missed something!

18 ... Qxe3

Threatening 19 ... Qg5+ 20 Kh1 Qg2#

19 fxe3 Bxe3+
20 Rf2 (Kh1 Bg2#) Rxf2 threatening 21 ... Rf1#
21 Kh1 Bg2+
22 Kg1 Rd2#

19 Qh5 Qf3
20 Qxf7+ Kd7
21 Qg8 Rxc4
22 Qg3 Qxg3
23 hxg3 Bxf1
24 Kxf1 Rc1+ winning

There must be a really good defense, but I can't see it white can attack f7 but it seems pretty pointless.. ...time to check...

Mar-14-10  rapidcitychess: <jmi> That is why I am only 1500. Of course If I was Christainsen, I would be looking at it longer. I only looked at the tactics.I should look at the threats in the puzzle. Still, I do not feel to smart.
Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: An imaginative sacrifice!
Mar-14-10  King.Arthur.Brazil: Hello friends. I find the same answer shown by REMOLINO. When looking the game, I was right, but Qd5 surprised me. Then I guess I would make a mistake with Qf4??, when Qf3 (returning) is best! Sometimes we want to be different, when simplicity is all!
Mar-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  OBIT: <patzer2>It's amusing that the Informant book, published in 1980, gives 14...Rxg2 as the answer when the dubious nature of this move was discovered soon after the game was played. Christiansen himself said 14...Qf3 is correct when he annotated the game in the August, 1975 Chess Life. So, all this was known, along with the 19. Bxf7+ response, well before the Informant book was published - evidently, nobody consulted Larry C on the merits of his combination.

Just imagine, though... all this was discovered without silicon assistance, as computers sucked back then! I'll bet some folks here are shocked by just how much the players managed to figure out on their own, with a pocket chess set as their only analytic tool.

Mar-14-10  patzer2: <OBIT> Thanks for the background information on Christainsen's accurate post-game analysis.

I guess Informant's pocket set wasn't working so well when they analyzed this game, and checking the game winner's annotations in Chess Life was apparently not high on their checklist of things to do before publishing the flawed 14...Rxg2!? solution.

Mar-17-10  Rama: Here's an example:

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 Bb4
6. Bg5?! Qa5
7. Nb5 Bxc3+
8. bxc3 Nxe4
9. Qd4 ...

Wild and crazy, these are risky moves. White (me) won it by move 20. From then on I quit trying to play by the book. This was fun! (game score from memory, played 1985)

Sep-21-11  tacticalmonster: 14 Rxg2+ 15 Kxg2 Bh3+ 16 Kg1 Qf3 17 Ne3 Bh6 18 Qd1 Qxe3! 19 fxe3 Bxe3+ 20 Rf2 Rxf2 21 Bb5+ Kf8 22 Kh1 Bg2+ 23 Kg1 Rd2#
Jun-27-12  backyard pawn: Domo arigato, Mr. D Botto.
May-14-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: I don't get the pun. Surely it's not an allusion to Botto Mechanical Corporation? http://www.bottomechanical.com/
May-14-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <FSR: I don't get the pun.>

It is an absolutely dire mangling of "auto mechanic".

May-14-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: I've got a better one: "Rigid Dardo".
May-14-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp:


click for larger view

Black played the jobbernowling
14...Rxg2. After
15.Kxg2...


click for larger view

...Black could have played
15...Qh3+.


click for larger view

This reminds of that old classic Bird vs Morphy, 1858, where Morphy played


click for larger view

17...Rxf2?
18.Bxf2 Qa3.


click for larger view

The queen goes right across the board.

In Morphy's case the manoeuvre, though very pretty, turned a won position into a drawn one.

May-14-18  takchess: If you found another Botto game for tomorrow, the 70s classic rock pun would be Master Re Botto.....
May-14-18  cormier:


click for larger view

Analysis by Houdini 4: d 26 dpa done

1. = (-0.13): 11.a3 Bg7 12.0-0 Rg8 13.Qb4 b6 14.Bd3 Qc5 15.Ba6 Rd8 16.g3 Kf8 17.Bb5 Be6 18.Bd3 a5 19.Qb5 Qxb5 20.Nxb5 Bh3 21.Rfb1 Bh6 22.Nd4 Rc8 23.Re1 Bd7

2. = (-0.22): 11.0-0 Qc5 12.Qxc5 Rxc5 13.Bd3 Rg8 14.Rfe1 Bg7 15.Rad1 h5 16.Nd5 h4 17.Ne3 e6 18.Bf1 Ke7 19.Nc4 Bh6 20.Rxd6 Bf4 21.Rd4 b5 22.Ne3 Be5 23.Rb4 a5 24.Rb3 a4

3. = (-0.23): 11.g3 Qc5 12.0-0-0 Bg7 13.Qxc5 Rxc5 14.Rd5 Rxd5 15.Nxd5 e6 16.Nc3 Ke7 17.Kd2 a6 18.Rd1 Rc8 19.a3 b5 20.Bd3 Bc6 21.Ke3 h5 22.Be2 Bb7 23.Bxh5 f5 24.exf5 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Rxc3+ 26.Rd3 Rc5 27.Bd1

May-14-18  cormier:


click for larger view

Analysis by Houdini 4: d 25 dpa done

1. = (-0.24): 11...Rg8 <12.Qd3> Qc5 13.Rad1 a6 14.Rfe1 Rg6 15.g3 Bh6 16.a4 Be6 17.Qd4 Kf8 18.Qxc5 Rxc5 19.Kg2 Rg8 20.Rd4 Bd7 21.Red1 f5 22.Rd5 Rxd5 23.exd5 Kg7 24.a5 Kf6 25.h4 Bg7 26.Re1 Kg6

2. = (-0.15): 11...Qc5 12.Rad1 Bg7 13.Qd5 Qxd5 14.Rxd5 a6 15.Re1 Bh6 16.g3 Rg8 17.Rb1 Rg5 18.Bd3 Bc6 19.Rxg5 fxg5 20.Nd5 e6 21.Nb6 Rc7 22.Rd1 Ke7 23.c3 g4 24.Bc2 Bg7 25.Kg2 f5 26.f3 gxf3+ 27.Kxf3 Be5

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