John L Watson vs Zakhar Fayvinov (1993) The Game is Afoot!

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John L Watson vs Zakhar Fayvinov
"The Game is Afoot!" (game of the day Feb-17-2023)
Philadelphia International (1993), Philadelphia, PA USA, rd 3, Jun-26
Benko Gambit: Accepted. Dlugy Variation (A57) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 30 times; par: 37 [what's this?]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 3 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
May-08-08		znprdx: ok so the really ironic point is that if Black had played ...23.d5xc4 24. Qd7+ K x[N]f8 25.Bxc5+ wins the Queen. OUCH! Once again however I rejected the obvious because I didn't look deep enough...this is another very pretty theme! It is amazing that W@hite has all the time in the world to play f5

Feb-17-23		Check It Out: Nice combo starting with 24.Qg6+. I dont get the pun.

Feb-17-23		catlover: The pun has to do with the Arthur Conan Doyle's novels in which detective Sherlock Holmes, when he was closing in on a suspect, would say to his sidekick, Dr. Watson, "The game is afoot!"

Feb-17-23		RadioBoy: I was playing in a local tournament in Columbus, Ohio some 45 odd years ago, and John Watson was playing Charlie Kannal in the last round for the title. For some unknown reason they both refused to write down their moves and were double forfeited. I remember him mentioning something about his folks house being so full of his trophies that there was nowhere to move around.

Feb-17-23		FSR: Cool game. Dunno if it was elementary for Dear Watson.

Feb-17-23		goodevans: What an extraordinary game. After 8 moves both sides have thrown pawns forward and neither has a single piece developed. After 18 moves Black's K-side pieces are all still in their starting blocks (okay, Black's N ventured out on the very first move only to be shoved back from where it came 6 moves later). 24.Qg6+! was a terrific shot. Only a Thursday puzzle back in 2008 but how many of us would have thought of it in a game situation?

Feb-17-23		Fusilli: <goodevans> <24.Qg6+! was a terrific shot. Only a Thursday puzzle back in 2008> True, great shot, especially since 24.Qxe3 is a perfectly fine move that keeps white's large advantage. I played Fayvinov at the World Open some 20 years ago. I remember he played pretty fast. And now and then he would reach inside his jacket's pocket and get out a... flask!

Feb-17-23		HeMateMe: I like this line for white that doesn't involve black playing g6 and finchettoing a bishop on g7.

Feb-17-23		Fusilli: 16...Ra5 looks like a mistake. White has a comfortable positional advantage at that point, and it seems clear that black desperately needs development.

Feb-18-23		perfidious: Fayvinov played in the International, but not the World Open, easily verified by a review of his tournament appearances.

Feb-18-23		Fusilli: <perf> Was your comment for me? If it was, you are right. I played Fayvinov at the Liberty Bell Open, not the World Open: Z Fayvinov vs M Sana, 2003. I got the Philly tournaments mixed up.

Feb-18-23		perfidious: <Fusilli>, not at all; the header originally attributed this game to that year's World Open; I corrected the error and added the date on which this game was played.

Feb-12-24		mel gibson: That's too easy - LOL.

Feb-12-24		takebackok: No think Monday, rook check and mate.

Feb-12-24		Breunor: Easy Monday!

Feb-12-24		catlover: It's an especially easy Monday puzzle to make up for the especially difficult Sunday puzzle.

Feb-12-24		saturn2: Rf8 drags the king into mate.

Feb-12-24		King.Arthur.Brazil: 27. Rf8+ Kxf8 28. Qf7#. Mondays, yeah! :-)

Feb-12-24		Damenlaeuferbauer: After long thinking, the American IM John L. Watson, a great connaisseur of the French and English opening, finally found the mate in 2 moves with the nice rook sacrifice 27.Rf8+!,Kxf8 28.Qf7#. I played the Volga Benko Gambit from 1984 until 1994 with the black pieces and have to concede, that Maxim Dlugy's variation with 5.f3 and 6.e4 is very dangerous for black.

Feb-12-24		TheaN: I always argue humans can't solve 'instantly', as we need to process information given, but here I'd argue in favor of it. Check queen and rook checks, <27.Rf8+ Kxf8 28.Qf7#> in less than two seconds at least. Would there be such a thing as actual chess reflexes... doubt it.

Feb-12-24		MissScarlett: I didn't get this. I thought the solution was <27.Rf8+ Kxf8 28.e7+ Kxe7 29.Qxb6> winning the Queen, but also losing her after <29...Rxb6>.

Feb-12-24		chrisowen: I'm auk foot its hummer bad Rf8+ its aoc jack ignite buff its z bath its boo its to its aeh its oh its bag q bug da Rf8+ duh

Feb-12-24		whiteshark: easy-peasy

Feb-12-24		thegoodanarchist: White's rook says to Black's king: "Fayvinov, come here. I want you."

Feb-12-24		jffun1958: wR and wQ are en pris, but W has a 2-mate. 27. Rf8+ Kxf8 28. Qf7# This one is especially easy, even for a Monday.

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