Sally Simpson: ***
Amazing amount of players have played 9.Qd2 here.  click for larger viewAnd dropping the e-pawn to 9...Nxe4 opening up the triple hit on the d4 Knight. My small database of 5 million games (which is nowhere near as large as some) has 272 Whites stepping on this landmine with 186 Black wins (30+ White Wins). I have it first seen in 1960, Here the first showing is Geller as Black in 1962. Thus nullifying the second comment about it must be a inspired a computer. Comments like that are a sad reflection on the current state of things. If it's a good move and the punters computer agrees then it must be a computer move found in prep. If it is still a good move but not their computers top choice then it's a trap and winner was lucky or the score of the game must be wrong! I'm not kidding that is what was claimed here in one of the most famous games Karpov ever played. The 24.Nb1 game. Karpov vs Spassky, 1974 (kibitz #115)  click for larger viewSpassky played 22...Qe7 and Karpov did not play 23.Bc4 but 23.Rf1. To be fair the same poster did realise later maybe it was OK. However the fact Spassky offered the exchange and Karpov declined it should have alerted the poster that maybe their machine is just a machine. *** |