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Jan Hein Donner vs Lajos Portisch
"Never Donned on Me" (game of the day Apr-17-2018)
Hoogovens (1968), Wijk aan Zee NED, rd 1, Jan-10
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Huebner Variation (E41)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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sac: 11.Bxh7+ PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-26-04  patzer2: Portisch's early 11. Bxh2+!! looks like an opening trap in this Nimzo-Indian attack.

The game is listed as number 1613 in the Encyclopedia of Middle Games (Demolition of Pawn Structure: Sacrifice on h2).

Declining the Bishop sacrifice loses for Black after 11...Kh8 12. Ng5! g6 13. Qg4! .

Forced was 13...Qxg5 because the alternative is mate-in-five after 13...Re8 14. Qxf7+ Kh8 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Qh7+ Kf8 17. Qh8 Ke7 18. Qxg7#

Oct-30-04  aw1988: patzer2: Donner's early 11. Bxh7+!!.
Oct-31-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: I wonder if this game provoked Hubner into analyzing 5...Nc6; 6.Nf3,Bxc3+ and making it his own. Certainly, by 1970 he was scalping some of the best players in the world.
Jan-10-09  sfm: As we know now Black is in grave danger after 8.e4. But what is the best response then? 8.-,h6 , 8.-,g6 or 8.-,e6 ? Surely LP knew it was over after 9.e5. But there´s hardly a defense.
Feb-16-12  waustad: Lifetime Donner didn't do that well against Portisch, but this time he got him.
Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Amazing to see the Mt Rushmore-like Portisch totally lost in just 11 moves. The bishop is moved from d3 to b1, then it springs straight back out again. Very clever!
Apr-17-18  catlover: I'm not very well versed on the Nimzo-Indian Defence, but it sure looks like on move 7 Portisch should have played something that prevented 9. e5 since that drove the Knight away from f6 and opened up the possibility of Bxh7.

Not sure what to suggest, though.

Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: 6...d5 (with thousands of games in the database) is the main line of the 4...d5 NID for a lot of reasons. This game shows one of them.
Apr-17-18  ChessHigherCat: <the Mt Rushmore-like Portisch>

I've heard of two-faced people, but four-faced?

Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: If black retreats the ♗, after 15...Ba5 16. bxc3 Bxc3+ 17. Ke2 Bxa1 18. Rxa1, he has ♖+♘+♙+♙ for his ♕.

But white lifts the ♖ and attacks along the h-file. For example, 18...Bd5 19. Rc1 Nc6 20. Rc3 Nd4+ 21. Kf1 Nf5 22. Rh6 Nh3 23. Bxh6 gxh6 24. Qxh6.

Apr-17-18  AlicesKnight: Why not 15 .... Ba5?
Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <AlicesKnight: Why not 15 .... Ba5?>

The rejoinder 16.Bd2 is winning for White.

Apr-17-18  ChessHigherCat: <AlicesKnight: Why not 15 .... Ba5?>

16. Bd2 (AKA bishop detour or Bd2'er)

Apr-17-18  mike1: no, Stockfish actually gives white after 15...Ba5 only a slight advantage: +0.45 (34 ply) 15...Ba5 16.Bd2 Nd5 17.Bxa5 Nf4 18.Qg5 Nd3+ 19.Kd2 Nxf2 20.Rhe1 Nc6 21.Bc3 Nd4 22.Qh4 Nb3+ 23.Ke2 Nxa1 24.Kxf2 Nc2 25.Rf1 Bd5 26.Qe7 Nd4 27.Qxc5 f6 28.Ke3 fxe5 29.Rxf8+ Rxf8 30.Bxd4 exd4+ 31.Kxd4 Rb8 32.Kc3 Rb7 33.Kc2 Kf7 34.Kc1 Ke8 35.Qd6 Bxg2 36.Qg3 Be4 37.Qxg7 Bd3 38.Kd2 Rb3 Main point is Nf4 which is not possible with the bishop on c1-h6
Apr-17-18  ChessHigherCat: <mike1> Why "no"? It's still an advantage. Do you have a better move than 16. Bd2?
Apr-17-18  gars: Portisch losing to Donner? I am surprised, astonished, amazed, perplexed, dumbfounded, you name it!
Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <ChessHigherCat: <mike1> Why "no"? It's still an advantage. Do you have a better move than 16. Bd2?>

He's probably responding to <The rejoinder 16.Bd2 is winning for White.>

Usually the million dollar question in positions like this is whether Black can play 12....Kg6. The answer, after 13.h4, appears to be no.

Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: The computer annotations to this game are worth looking at.
Apr-17-18  JohnBoy: <CHC> - I believe <mike1> is merely objecting to <perf>’s “16.Bd2 is winning”.

Better... certainly. Winning... not quite.

Apr-17-18  mike1: Yes, Bd2 is not winning.Nothing more, nothing less. White is slightly better
Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <offramp: Amazing to see the Mt Rushmore-like Portisch totally lost in just 11 moves.>

<JohnBoy: <CHC> - I believe <mike1> is merely objecting to <perf>’s “16.Bd2 is winning”. Better... certainly. Winning... not quite.>

Having read the comments, and seen the computer annotations that keypusher mentioned, it looks like I was premature in writing off Portisch's chances.

SF, in the annotations, gives 11.Bxh7+ as ⩲ +1.12.

Its next comment is 15...Ne4?, it prefers 15...Ba5 16.Bd2 etc which it says is = +0.45.

So somewhere Donner lost 60% of a pawn, but SF doesn't know where.

Apr-17-18  WorstPlayerEver: Whoa 8...exd5 seems playable.
Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: I stand by my post, based on my assessment on looking at the diagram; makes no difference to me what a nearly fifty-ply variation ginned up by a poster using software says. I would far rather think for myself, same as the old days.
Apr-17-18  sneaky pete: A really oldfashioned master might play 15.bxc3 Bxc3+ 16.Ke2 Bxa1 17.Rxa1 ..


click for larger view

threatening 18.Bf6 ..

Does black have a sufficient defence here?

Apr-17-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <sneaky pete> Foregoing an engine, this old-fashioned patzer would play 17....Be4 and I think the king will survive.
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