chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Edwin Ziegler Adams vs Carlos Torre Repetto
"Take my wife. Please!" (game of the day Apr-01-2015)
New Orleans (1920) (probably analysis), New Orleans, LA USA
Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation (C41)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Given 70 times; par: 31 [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 1 more E Z Adams/Torre game
PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: You can step through the moves by clicking the < and > buttons, but it's much easier to simply use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE.  [CLICK HERE]

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 7 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: 15...Rc8 was a mistake, which got black into troubles. Black should have played 15...h6 16.Bh4 Qd7 17.Rae1 Bd8 or 15...Qd7 with 16...h6 after 16.Rae1. Instead of 17...Bxf6, which allows beautiful finish based on weak back rank, it was better to retake the piece with Pawn 17...gxf6, of course, with bad and maybe lost position anyway.
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Btw, after 17...gxf6(!) Torre's suggestion 18.Rxe7 with idea 18...Rxe7 19.Rxe7 Qxe7 20.Qg4+ and 21.Qxc8 would be a mistake for 18...Qxe7! and the Queen cannot be taken for back rank mate to white (17...gxf6 18.Rxe7? Qxe7 19.Rxe7?? Rc1+ etc. But simple 18.g3 leaves black with bad Bishop and shattered Pawns in ending.
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: < Romantichess: 20. ... De7
21. Qxc8 Rxc8
22. Rxe7 Bxe7
23. Rxe7 >

After 20...Qe7 white can play 21.Rxe7 Bxe7 (what else?) 22.Rxe7 with back rank mates tactics still at work.

<Also 22. ... Bd4 sacrifice seems a posible option.>

Instead of 23.Nxd4, which is good enough for win, white can play also 23.b3 to prolong weak back rank grilling of black.

Apr-01-15  kevin86: I read that this is a contrived game between teacher and pupil. A good one for April Fool.

White's queen is sacrificed six times; the last MUST be accepted!

Apr-01-15  thegoodanarchist: Let's not forget the pun. It is a famous "one liner" by the master of one liners, Henny Youngman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henny_...

Also, the culminating combination does appear in the "Encyclopedia of Chess Middlegames", also known as the black book.

However it is not listed in the index under Carlos Torre, nor even under Repetto. Since it has been some time since I studied from the black book, it will take me time to find it.

Apr-01-15  ADDADZ: I have ever seen.
Apr-01-15  ADDADZ: After a long time A reporter asked Torre for the best game all time he replied this game he loved chess
Apr-01-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: whatever, the pun is worthy of the day
Jun-21-16  johnkr: I'm in the "made-up game" camp. One thing that arouses suspicion is the turkey move 14...a5?. Either a6 or the much more logical 14...h6! avoid the forcing moves that follow; Fritz assesses as "=" (and a lot of folks might prefer Black's position after 14... h6 15 Bxf6 Bxf6). Even so, this is a good lesson for everyone -- about bank-rank weakness!
Mar-13-17  Duracell: Edward Winter is also in the "made-up game" camp.
And I've a question here: should this game be removed of this database? Because, if we look at the pgn submission guidelines, there is the point 9:

9. No games of which the authenticity is questionable.

And the authenticity of this game IS questionable!
Mar-13-17  morfishine: This game is a fake, a complete fabrication, a construction, if you will

With that said, it is instructive from the "back rank weakness" point of view

*****

Mar-13-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Hi All,

Beautiful game.

"9. No games of which the authenticity is questionable."

Evidence is pointing towards it was played but the Queen sacs were analysis. So keep it in. The Queen Sacs are analysis.

The Mystery.

From Edward Winter's site:

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

'The Life and Games of Carlos Torre' by G. Velasco.

"...the game in fact was never played; rather the whole idea had occurred to Torre after analysing a skittles game."

If you read just the first part of the Edward Winter link you will see a photo-copy of the game with notes by Torre himself. (rare to find a loser submitting a game, not unheard of, but very rare.)

Note C after 15...Rc8.


click for larger view

"...White will now <demonstrate> in a manner that is masterly as is it pleasing. The coming moves are a <study>."

A demonstration...A study...? (Winter too query's the <study> thinking it is a clue. I've gone a bit further.

Now the note D after 17...Bxf6

"After 17...gxf6 18.Rxe7 But of course aside from this the game could not be held."

Some are reading this as Torre's mistake in analysis. Let's look at it if Black had played 17...gxf6.


click for larger view

18.Rxe7 Rxe7 19.Rxe7 Qxe7 20.Qg4+ spears the c8 Rook.

But

18.Rxe7 Qxe7!. White cannot take back on e7 because of Rc1+ mating.

Torre does not give any further analysis after 18.Rxe7 and his note:

"But of course aside from this the game could not be held."

Can be read as the only way Black can win or save the game is if White plays 18.Rxe7.

The main theory runs is that Adams lost the skittle game, Torre showed him how it could have been won.

It's not impossible to think that 17...gxf6 was played and Adams played 18.Rxe7 and Black played 18...Qxe7 and went onto to win.

Torre then showed Adams, or more likely discovered later, the win if he had played 17...Bxf6.

Would Torre have played 17...gxf6. Well he was a tricky player, this was skittles game and he liked to set traps v weaker players. 17...gxf6 does invite the blunder 18.Rxe7.

Is the blunder 18.Rxe7 a plausible blunder? Yes I've seen similar blunders in the same set up. And the blunder with the wrong analysis has gone into print from another author.

Chernev in "The Bright Side of Chess" gives the full faulty line. If 17...gxf6 18.Rxe7 Rxe7 19.Rxe7 Qxe7 20. Qg4+ winning the c8 Rook.

No mention of the 18...Qxe7 resource so Chernev fell for it....as well?

Mar-13-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <Duracell> This provision is taken to mean, "No <new> games of which the authenticity is questionable." People have tried to submit famous miniatures of the past as their own brilliancy.

If this classic game was removed, someone would wonder where it was and submit it again. Then someone else would ask for it to be removed, etc. I believe "probably analysis" up top covers it.

Game Collection: The dirty dozen

Mar-14-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Hi tpstar,

I'm with you, let us leave it in.

It is reading like it was a thank you from a great player to a player who he owed a great deal to. Torre as the loser published it.

I'm sure we can all go along with that and it's instructional value, including the 17...gxf6 variation and the trap which tripped up Chernev is priceless.

Jul-31-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  jinkinson: This may be my favorite pun in the history of this site.
Aug-06-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  sakredkow: That queen is such a floozy.
Jul-04-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Whatever the facts of this games's origins, Adams was certainly proud of it. Here is a letter to the Eidtor from <Chess Review>, May 1943, p. 146:

<"Sirs:

"Allow e to thank you for the very complimentary remarks in CHESS REVIEW (January 1943) on my game with my little Mexican friend Carlos Torre.

"Three of my sons are now in service of their Country and I would like to have you send each of them a copy of your January issue, so that they can show the game to their friends and say "That's my Pop."

E. Z Adams
New Orleans, LA>

The game referred to iis the one on this page, and appears onp. 20.

Jul-22-22  Messiah: Insane game.
Dec-19-22  EvanTheTerrible: Funny concept that was almost surely not actually played.
Jan-09-23  generror: Like some others, I really don't care if this was actually played or not, it's just such an absolutely insane and hilarious game. There's not many games that make me laugh every time I play them through, but this is one of them.
Jun-22-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: As Edward Winter documented, Adams was a very weak player. https://www.chesshistory.com/winter... There's no way he actually played this game.
Oct-09-24  Nosnibor: According to Bondarevsky in his book "Combinations in the Middle Game" this game was played in New Orleans 1921.
Oct-09-24  areknames: I have admired and known about this game forever. I never knew or thought that it is a fake, as it indeed appears to be.
Oct-09-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Unlike the encounter Alekhine vs O Tenner, 1911, long known to be something other than a game actually played, I recall seeing this accepted as a game until at least the late 1980s.
May-21-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: "In 1953, a British Chess Magazine reader, Edgard Tchélébi from Beirut, wrote in, pointing out that 17. ... gxf6 18. Rxe7? Qxe7! gives Black the edge because 19. Rxe7 Rc1+ is fatal. White has little more than 18. Qd3 Bf8 19. Nd4 with a small edge."

Peter J. Tamburro, Jr, "Learn Chess from the Greats", p. 175

Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 7)
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 7 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: ANALYSIS. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

<This page contains Editor Notes. Click here to read them.>

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC