Dec-15-13
 | | An Englishman: Good Evening: I don't believe that I can claim full credit for this, even though I saw the first five moves of the main line. For one thing, the position after the first five looked like a highly speculative sacrifice, however promising; Ivanovic probably knew it was a win, even if he couldn't see all variations. Second, there exist so many side variations I could not count them all; for example what happens after 16.Qh5,Ke6? Finally, it is impossible that in a real game I would have taken a chance on this. So what's my score for this week? 6.25/7? 6.5? |
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| Dec-15-13 | | M.Hassan: "Insane"
White to play 14.?- equal
At first, I was doubtful to capture the f7 pawn with bishop or the Knight. Then I saw that Black can capture the Bishop on b3 and elminate possibility of a discovered check
<14.Nxf7 Nxb3 15.cxb3 Rxf7 and no gain for White> 14.Bxf7+ Rxf7
15.Nxf7 Kxf7
16.Qh5+ Kg8
17.Rxf6
<if...Bxf6 18.Bxc5>
17........gxf6
18.Qg6+ Kh8
19.Qxh6+ Kg8
White has his Queen and Bishop for attack and this is not enough force to get a mating result. The game may continue for many more moves and could possibly end up in a draw. |
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Dec-15-13
 | | agb2002: The material is identical.
Black threatens 14... hxg5, 14... Nxb3 and 14... Bg4. There are several candidates, 14.Nxf7, 14.Bxf7+, 14.Bxc5, 14.Rxf6, 14.h4. In the case of 14.Bxf7+ Rxf7 (14... Kh8 15.Bg6 hxg5 16.Rxf6 g4 (to prevent 17.Qh5+ and mate imminent) 17.Rxf8+ Bxf8 18.Qf2 + -) 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 (else the knight will capture another pawn) 16.Qh5+: A) 16... Ke6 17.Qg6 with the threat 18.Qxg7 and if 17... Bf8 then 18.Bxh6. B) 16... Kf8 17.Qg6 with the threat 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Rxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qxf6+ Ke8 (20... Qf7 21.Qd6+ Qe7 22.Rf1+) 21.Rf1 and White seems to have enough compensation for the bishop. C) 16... Kg8 17.Qg6 similar to B.
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The others doesn't seem to achieve much.
For example, 14.Rxf6 Bxf6 15.Bxc5 Bxg5 16.Bxf8 Kxf8 just trades pieces. Or 14.Bxc5 hxg5 15.Be3 g4.
I don't have time for more today. |
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Dec-15-13
| | agb2002: The text 17.Rxf6 looks stronger than 17.Qg6 because after 17.Qg6 Ne6 18.Bxh6 Bd7 Black seems to hold. |
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| Dec-15-13 | | morfishine: The number of candidates is proportionate to the number of pieces and the complexity of the position. But just as quickly as candidates sprout, they wilt in the morning breeze. Thought exciting, both 14.Rxf6 & 14.Bxc5 fail to 14...hxg5; Also exciting is 14.Nxf7, but this comes up short due to 14...Nxb3 This leaves <14.Bxf7+> the most direct, forcing move: After <14...Rxf7 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 16.Qh5+ Kg8> White hurls the kitchen sink with <17.Rxf6> but I could not find a forced win after <17...Bxf6> and I persisted for quite awhile before giving up (though I was convinced that 14.Bxf7+ was the first move) *****
PM: For example: 18.Qe8+ Kh7 19.Bxc5 Bb7 or 18.Bxc5 Be6 19.Rf1 Qf7 or 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Qg6+ Qg7 20.Qe8+ Kh7 21.Qxc6 Nb7; I just couldn't see why 17...gxf6 is forced; I guess I will find out later ***** |
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| Dec-15-13 | | goodevans: If I had this position OTB then I'd play <14...Rxf7 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 16.Qh5+> pretty much by instinct then worry afterwards whether to also sac the exchange. The first three moves are as far as I really looked but l'll be generous to myself and give myself the credit because (a) white has put the black K in peril without yet any real material sacrifice; and (b) there are clearly other good ways to continue the attack without the exchange sac <e.g. 17.Qg6>. |
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| Dec-15-13 | | mike1: morfishine is right< 17....Bxf6 is the strongest defence and with only a pawn up it will take a long game and very good technical skills to convert it against the black bishop pair. |
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Dec-15-13
 | | Penguincw: What happens if 14...Kh8? |
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| Dec-15-13 | | ekanth: Yes,why no
t 25.....Ng5,looks like white is lost...or am i missing something simple? |
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| Dec-15-13 | | dark.horse: Usually exchanging a N+B for a R+P is not good in the middle game, but this position is one of the exceptions. Black's Q-side pieces are shut out of play making this a workable exchange. I saw that 17.Rxf6 was possible but then the analysis tree got too bushy. White could play up to this point in assurance of a draw at least since he saw he had a perpetual if he wanted it, so White didn't need to see to the end of the game when he went in for 14.Bxf7+. |
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Dec-15-13
 | | penarol: <ekanth> I thought the same as you but then I noticed that 25...Ng5 is followed by 26. Rxf6+ Bxf6 27 Qxc7 with winning advantage |
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| Dec-15-13 | | ThumbTack: A fascinating game. Lots of possibilities to explore. I decided to take a different tack. What could Black have played for his 12th and 13th that would have allowed him to win the game? I came up with 12..a5 followed by 13..a4, White's moves remaining the same. Assuming White undertakes the asme attack with the same Black response, we get almost exactly the same position as in the game with one big difference: now Black has advanced and linked queenside pawns! After White's attack fizzles out, which looks to me as inevitable with proper defense, Black has two bishops and those pawns to win the end game. |
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| Dec-15-13 | | abuzic: <22.Qe8+ Kg7 23.Rf3 Bb7?> this allowed the winning sequence 24.Bxh6+ etc..; instead 23...Qd8 24.Rg3+ Ng5 25.Qxd8 Bxd8 26.h4 Kg6, and black is OK. 22.g4 is worth considering: |
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| Dec-15-13 | | Patriot: Material is even. Black threatens 14...hxg5.
14.Nxf7 seems very interesting here because of the open f-file. Usually, trading two pieces for a rook and a pawn is a bad idea especially when giving up the bishop pair. It's also because a knight or bishop is worth slightly more than 3 pawns. 14...Rxf7 15.Bxf7+ Kxf7 16.Qh5+ Kg8 17.Qg6 Kh8 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Qxh6+ Kg8 20.Qg6+ Kf8 just doesn't seem right. 14...Rxf7 15.Bxf7+ Kxf7 16.Qh5+ Kg8 17.Qg6 Kh8 18.Rf3 Ne6 shores up the defense I think. I'm not convinced about any of this.
14...Rxf7 15.Bxf7+ Kxf7 16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Qh5+ Ke6 is not convincing. I've spent too much time looking at this, plus other variations. |
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| Dec-15-13 | | Patriot: <morf> Nice job on this! I failed to even consider 14.Nxf7 Nxb3. Then I didn't seriously think about 17.Rxf6, removing the guard on c5, apparently thinking too much material had already been expended which simply isn't true. But this also shows how time can be wasted whenever simple moves like 14...Nxb3 is overlooked from the beginning. |
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| Dec-15-13 | | M.Hassan: <Penguincw: What happens if 14...Kh8?> To my understanding it can go like this:
14...........Kh8
15.Bxc5 Bxc5
16.Ne6 Bxe6
17.Bxe6
White has gained a pawn. What do you think? |
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Kibitzing
sac: 17.Rxf6