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Carl Schlechter vs Georg Salwe
"Georg Gouged" (game of the day Mar-01-2015)
St. Petersburg (1909), St. Petersburg RUE, rd 16, Mar-08
Spanish Game: Closed Variations (C84)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-25-04  Pterodactylus: This game won the beauty prize of this tournament. However Lasker later found out that 22... Nxe4! refutes the combination and should win for Black.
Apr-25-04  Bitzovich: what about 28. Rxe7 and 29. Nf5+? Shouldn't it win quicker for white??
Apr-25-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: <Bitzovich> I believe that Schlechter's move was stronger; after <28.Rxe7> he only has a B and 2P for a R and I cannot see a clear win.

<28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Nf5+> Kf8 (29...Kg8?? 30.Qxh6) 30.Qxh6+ Ke8 31.Nxe7 Qxe7 32.Qh8+ Qf8 33.Qxf6

Apr-25-04  Calli: In the game, 29...Kf8? also looks like an error because it allows Qh6 with check. 29...Kg8 is unclear. Then 30.Re6 looks drawish

29...Kg8 30.Re6 fxe6 31.Qxh6 exf5 33.Qxg6+ Kf8 etc

Apr-25-04  chessfected: Chessical, after 31...Kxe7 White will not get the f6 pawn. He has an outside h-pawn and black's f-pawns are doubled; but once black activates the rook he should be okay.
Apr-26-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: <Calli> Probably Salwe did not like losing his h pawn in this line: <29...Kg8> 30.Nxh6+ Kg7 31.Nf5+ Kg8 32.Qe2 Rxe3 33.Qxe3. It is very natural to shy away from immediate material loss, and especially from the shield around the king, although your line is probably a better defence.

<chessfected> 28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Nf5+ Kf8 30.Qxh6+ Ke8 31.Nxe7 Kxe7 is interesting. I was worried about a combination of Bf5 and Qe3+, perhaps too worried. Anyway, it shows that 28.Rxe7 was insufficient.

Apr-26-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: White could have played also 27.Qd3 f5 (what else?) 28.Nxf5+ Nxf5 (28...Kf8 loses immediately for 29.Qe3 threatening Qxh6+) 29.Rxe8 Ra1+ 30.Bb1 Qd7 31.Re1 with decisive advantage.
Apr-26-04  Calli: <Honza> True. At the end of that line, however, the bishop is still pinned at b1. Black has time for 31.Re1 c4 32.Qc2 Kf8 (or 32.Qd2 Ne7 33.Qd4+ Kf8) etc, saving the knight. White , of course, still should win, but my guess is that Schlechter saw this and moved 27.h3 for some "Luft".
Jun-18-06  GeauxCool: Schlechter was a pacific positional player but could produce dashing sacrifices. He was the one rival of Lasker's who came closest to dethroning him - Fine.

He was also known as a problem composer in his time. Here is one reproduced in Fine's book, one of Schlecter's prettiest themes, says Fine.

~White to Play and Mate in Three~


click for larger view

Jun-20-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Pawn and Two: This game won the 1st prize for brilliancy at the 1909 St. Petersburg tournament.

However, Schlechter's combination beginning with 22.dxe5 contained a serious miscalculation.

In Lasker's book, "The International Chess Congress, St. Petersburg, 1909", he states: <An elegant sacrifice, which is advantageous for White whether accepted or refused. If Black plays 22...dxe5, then follows 23.Rfa1 Rxa6 24.Rxa6 Bc8 25.Qd6, or 24...Rd8 25.Qc1 and White will maintain the possession of the important QR file.>

At the end of the game, Lasker stated, <This game was awarded first prize for brilliancy by the committee.>

Many years later, in his book, "Lasker's Manual of Chess", Lasker stated, after Black's 21st move, <In this position, at St. Petersburg, 1909, Schlechter made a combination that was awarded the brilliancy prize. But the combination is not correct.

Schlechter played 22.dxe5. To be sure, if as actually occurred in the game, 22...Rxa6; 23.exf6 disarranges the whole King's side. But if the Black Knight gets desperado and commits suicide in a fashion becoming a warrior with 22...Nxe4, what then? Black would have won.>

At move 25, Tarrasch recommended 25...Ng6 26.Qxh6 Rfa8 27.Bxg6 fxg6 28.Qxg6+ Qg7 leaving White two pawns for the exchange. This seems to give Black a position that may be defensible. However, in this line, if Schlechter would play 27.Re3, White appears to be winning.

At move 29, Black could have tried 29...Kg8, but this would lose quickly to 30.Nxh6+ Kg7 31.Nxf7!.

Mar-01-15  morfishine: Relentless attack by Schlechter despite Black's inaccuracies
Mar-01-15  morfishine: Georg in a Jungle
Mar-01-15  Andrijadj: Bg4 anyone?
Mar-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: Oops, it looks like both black and the analysists were fooled by this one.
May-10-15  Kuirhi: I think that Schlechter first calculated the sacrifice after 21...Bc8. Bc8 a logical move for black, simply trying to kick the white R out. And after 21..Bc8, 22 dxe5! is actually sound. Now 22..Nxe4 , then white simply replies Bex4, and after 23...Rxa6, white continues 24 exd6 forking Q and N, winning material. But after Ra8, as played in the game, this trick doesn't work anymore: 22 dxe5 Nxe4 23 Bxe4 Rxa6 24 exd6 then black now has 24..Rxd6! The R on the 6th rank in this variation, when exd6 is played. It's this subtle difference what makes the combination sound after 21...Bc8, the move Schlechter expected, and not sound after 21...Ra8. So quite a pity Salwe didn't go for Bc8, then Schlechter would really have deserved the brilliancy prize.

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