Jackson Showalter vs John Logan (1890) Logan's Run

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Jackson Showalter vs John Logan
"Logan's Run" (game of the day May-15-2008)
corr (1890) (correspondence)
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Goering Attack (C51) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 · Later Kibitzing>
May-15-08		xrt999: <NewLine: Looks like a forced mate from beginning to end> looks like another strong player crushing a weak player showcased as "game of the day". How can a game where black refuses to take a free pawn on move 7 be worthy of game of the day?

May-15-08		jovack: Wow.. everyone is so pretentious. Just enjoy the game for what it is and stop pretending to be some super expert player that enjoys long boring games that end up as a draw. Honestly, people are so annoying with their "Dear me, my monocle fell in my drink after viewing this awful awful game". It's game of the day because it's entertaining, good job CG.com

May-15-08		keypusher: <xrt 999> <How can a game where black refuses to take a free pawn on move 7 be worthy of game of the day?> A free pawn? 7....dxc3 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. Qd5+ Kf8 10. Qxc5+ d6 11. Qxc3 has been known to be bad for Black since our ancestors descended from the trees.

May-16-08		PaulLovric: i guessno one remembers it

Dec-05-08		WhiteRook48: epaulette mate. King: Rooks, get out of the way! Rooks: We can't!

Dec-23-08		WhiteRook48: and all of the white pawns from b-file to f-file have been ripped off and are lying cold on the board...I mean off

Jan-19-09		WhiteRook48: What kind of name is Logan?

Feb-05-09		WhiteRook48: semi-smothered mate

Jul-05-21		MissScarlett: C.N. 4450 <The full game-score was given in C.N. 2694 (see page 199 of A Chess Omnibus), from page 382 of La Strat?gie, 15 December 1890.> The game appears in the <<Galveston Daily News> of October 19th 1890, p.10. Earlier sightings welcomed. No good candidate yet for <Professor J. E. Logan> of Louisville, KY.

Jan-24-22		Whitehat1963: Wild finish, with both sides pulling out all the stops!

Jan-24-22		jnpope: This game brings me back to the 90s when I was doing my Showalter research at the JGW Collection. The earliest verifiable source I have is the St. Louis <Republic>, 1890.10.12, p3, (which cites the Kansas City <Journal>). The score given in the <Republic> ends at 23...Re8 and states that White announced mate in seven, so being a correspondence game it was probably never played out and should be corrected here. For Professor "J. E. Logan" try searching for Professor J. Lewis Logan, of Lexington. Another game played between Professor Logan and Showalter can be found in the Louisville <Courier-Journal>, 1891.09.13.

Oct-15-22		Brenin: I got White's first two moves, 22 Qe6+ Kf8 (Kd8 23 Nxb6+ leads to a quick mate) 23 Bxf6 (much stronger than 23 Nxf6 gxf6, as the N is needed later), but I was nowhere near convincing myself that there was a forced win. White was in serious trouble until Black's error 21 ... Qc5, when Qg4 would have killed any compensation White had for his massive material deficit.

Oct-15-22		al wazir: There are three obvious candidates Nxf6+, Qe6+, and Bxf6. I went for 22. Nxf6+, which doesn't work. Showalter chose 22. Qe6+, which does. What about 22. Bxf6 ? Black can't play 22....gxf6 because of 23. Nxf6+ Ke7 24. Rd7+ Qe7 (24...Kf8 25. Nh7+ Ke8 26. Qf7#) 25. Nxg8+ Kxg8 26. Rxe7, with mate to follow). But after 22...Qxf2+ 23. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 gxf6 25. Nxf6+ Kf8 26. Nxg8 Kxg8, 27. Rd7 it looks as if white will have to work hard for a draw even if he picks up black's isolated ♙s.

Oct-15-22		mel gibson: There are quite a few winning moves. I picked the weakest of the 3 best moves that I later found: 22. Nxf6 Stockfish 15 follows the text and says: 22. Qe6+ (22. Qe6+ (♕f5-e6+ ♔e8-f8 ♗h4xf6 g7xf6 ♕e6xf6+ ♔f8-e8 ♕f6xe5+ ♔e8-d7 ♘d5xb6+ ♔d7-c6 ♕e5-e6+ ♕c5-d6 ♖d1xd6+ c7xd6 ♘b6xa8 ♖g8xa8 ♕e6-c4+ ♔c6-b6 h2-h4 ♖a8-e8 g2-g4 h5xg4 h4-h5 g4-g3 f2xg3 ♖e8-e1+ ♔g1-g2 ♖e1-e7 h5-h6 a7-a6 g3-g4 ♖e7-c7 ♕c4-d3 ♔b6-a7 h6-h7 ♖c7xh7 ♕d3xh7 ♔a7-b8 g4-g5 b7-b6 ♕h7-h8+ ♔b8-a7 ♕h8-d4 ♔a7-b8 ♕d4xd6+ ♔b8-b7) +19.95/33 1005) score for White +19.95 depth 33. If I force Stockfish 15 to play 22. Nxf6: 22. Nxf6 (22. Nxf6+ gxf6 (g7xf6 ♕f5-e6+ ♕c5-e7 ♕e6xg8+ ♕e7-f8 ♕g8-e6+ ♕f8-e7 ♕e6-f5 ♗b6-d4 ♗h4xf6 ♕e7-d7 ♕f5xh5+ ♕d7-f7 ♕h5-h4 ♕f7-g6 ♕h4-h8+ ♔e8-d7 ♕h8xa8 ♕g6xf6 ♕a8xb7 ♕f6xf2+ ♔g1-h1 ♔d7-d6 ♕b7-a6+ ♔d6-d5 ♕a6xa7 ♕f2-c2 ♕a7-b7+ c7-c6 ♕b7-f7+ ♔d5-d6 ♕f7-f8+ ♔d6-d5 ♕f8-f3+ ♔d5-d6 ♖d1-f1 ♕c2-c4 ♕f3-f8+ ♔d6-d5 ♕f8-f5 ♔d5-d6 h2-h4 ♕c4-e2 ♕f5-f3 ♕e2-c2 h4-h5 e5-e4 ♕f3-f8+ ♔d6-e6 ♕f8-f5+ ♔e6-d6 ♖f1-e1 ♗d4-e3 ♔h1-h2 ♕c2-d2 ♖e1-f1 ♕d2-d4 a2-a4 ♕d4-d3 a4-a5) -6.03/39 269) score for Black -6.03 depth 39. This one was a strong move that Stockfish 15 proved: 22. Qg6+ (22. Qg6+ Kf8 (♔e8-f8 ♘d5xf6 g7xf6 ♕g6xf6+ ♔f8-e8 ♕f6-e6+ ♔e8-f8 ♕e6-f5+ ♔f8-e8 ♕f5xh5+ ♔e8-f8 ♕h5-f3+ ♔f8-e8 ♕f3xb7 ♔e8-f7 ♕b7-f3+ ♔f7-g6 ♕f3-f6+ ♔g6-h5 h2-h3 ♕c5-c4 ♕f6xe5+ ♔h5xh4 g2-g3+ ♖g8xg3+ ♕e5xg3+ ♔h4-h5 ♕g3-f3+ ♔h5-g6 ♕f3xa8 ♕c4-e6 ♕a8-g2+ ♔g6-h6 ♕g2-f3 ♗b6-c5 ♖d1-d5 ♗c5-e7 ♕f3-h5+ ♔h6-g7 ♖d5-d4 ♗e7-f6 ♖d4-g4+ ♔g7-f8 ♕h5-c5+ ♕e6-d6 ♕c5xd6+ c7xd6 h3-h4 ♔f8-f7 h4-h5 ♔f7-e6 h5-h6 ♔e6-f5 ♖g4-g8 ♔f5-e4 ♔g1-f1 ♔e4-d3 ♖g8-f8 ♗f6-b2 h6-h7 a7-a5 f2-f4 ♗b2-g7 ♖f8-d8 ♔d3-e4 ♔f1-e2 d6-d5 ♖d8-g8 ♗g7-f6 ♖g8-e8+ ♔e4-f5) -10.46/38 241) score for Black -10.46 depth 38.

Oct-15-22		FM David H. Levin: I wanted to play 22.Qe6+ Kf8 23.Bxf6, but I abandoned this after noticing 23...Re8 but not the reply 24.Ne7. So, instead I went with 22.Qe6+ Kf8 23.Nxf6 gxf6 24.Qxf6+ Ke8 25.Qe6+ Kf8 26.Qf5+ (To control the d7-square. Now, 26...Kg7 would lead to mate after 27.Rd7+.) 26...Ke8 27.Re1 (Threatening 28.Rxe5+, which would nearly restore material equality while retaining an attack. Thanks to White's 26th move, Black's king cannot flee via d7.) 27...Rxg2+ (Intending 28.Kxg2 Qc6+ followed by 29...Bd4, although I now realize that this would lose to 30.Qg8+.) 28.Kh1, click for larger view and there seemed to be no satisfactory defense.

Oct-15-22		FM David H. Levin: In my previous post, scratch "although I now realize that this would lose to 30.Qg8+". I have no idea how that got in there.

Oct-15-22		jrredfield: <mel gibson: There are quite a few winning moves. I picked the weakest of the 3 best moves that I later found: 22. Nxf6> Same thing with me. As several have said, there are several strong moves, all of which with accurate play by White would have given Black fits. Here are the four best according to Komodo Dragon (depth 41): +13.20 22.♕e6+ ♔f8 23.♗xf6 gxf6 24.♕xf6+ ♔e8 25.♕xe5+ ♔d7 26.♘xb6+ +8.24 22.♕g6+ ♔f8 23.♘xf6 gxf6 24.♕xf6+ ♔e8 25.♕e6+ ♔f8 26.♕f5+ +4.77 22.♘xf6+ gxf6 23.♕e6+ ♕e7 24.♕xg8+ ♕f8 25.♕e6+ ♕e7 26.♕f5 ♗d4 27.♗xf6 ♕d7 28.♕xh5+ +3.07 22.g4 ♕c6 23.♗xf6 gxf6 24.♘xf6+ ♔f7 25.♖d7+ ♕xd7 26.♘xd7+ ♔e7 27.♘f6 hxg4 28.♕xe5+ As Brenin said, Black seriously erred with 21 ... Qc5, missing the far superior 21 ... Qg4. The difference in the evaluations for these two moves is huge: Black +7.88: 21 ... ♕g4 22.♕xg4 hxg4 23.♖e1 ♖d8 24.♘xb6 axb6 Black -8.04: 21 ... ♕c5 22.♕e6+ ♔f8 23.♗xf6 gxf6 24.♕xf6+ ♔e8 25.♕xe5+ Black had several better moves than Qc5. Even 21 ... Kf8 would have kept Black in the lead.

Oct-15-22		Granny O Doul: Either 27...Bf2 was an engine's suggestion, or postage was very inexpensive in 1890.

Oct-15-22		agb2002: White has a knight for a rook and three pawns. The position of the black king suggests 22.Qe6+ Kf8 (22... Kd8 23.Nxb6+ and mate in two) 23.Bxf6: A) 23... gxf6 24.Qxf6+ Ke8 25.Qxe5+ A.1) 25... Kd7 26.Nxb6+ Kc6 27.Qe6+ Kb5 28.Rb1+ Ka5 (28... Ka6 29.Nxa8+ and 30.Qxg8 wins decisive material) 29.Qe1+ Ka6 30.Qe2+ Ka5 31.Qd2+ Ka6 32.Qd3+ Ka5 33.Nc4+ Ka6 34.Nd6+ b5 (34... Ka5 35.Nxb7+ Ka4 36.Qb3#) 35.Nxb5 Rad8 (35... Rb8 36.Nxc7+ Ka5 37.Qa6#) 36.Nd6+ Ka5 37.Nb7+ Ka4 38.Qb3#. A.2) 25... Kd8 26.Nxb6+ Qd6 27.Rxd6+ cxd6 28.Qxd6+ Ke8 29.Nxa8 wins decisive material. A.3) 25... Kf7(8) 26.Qf6+ Ke8 27.Re1+ Kd7 (27... Qe3 28.Rxe3+ Bxe3 29.Qe7#) 28.Qe6+ Kd8 29.Qxg8+ Kd7 30.Qe6+ Kd8 31.Qe8#. B) 23... Qxf2+ 24.Kh1 B.1) 24... gxf6 25.Qe7#. B.2) 24... Re8 25.Be7+ Rxe7 28.Qxe7#. B.3) 24... Rh8 25.Be7+ Ke8 26.Bc5+ Kd8 27.Qe7+ Kc8 28.Bxf2 wins (28... Bxf2 29.Qxc7#).

Oct-15-22		saturn2: 22 Qe6 or Qg6 and black cannot play the resacrifice... Qxf2+ followed by Qxf5 anymore.Otherwise this would be a defence resource since black is up in material in the puzzle positoon.

Oct-15-22		chrisowen: Languid joe it supply Qe6+ axiom jah its o c baffle its ze gab blagged its ie arrived it odd ace it oh its Qe6+ dud;

Oct-15-22		Whitehat1963: Wow! What a wild finish!

Oct-15-22		TheaN: Ah, no! I should have had this but sloppy again. I saw the game line up to move 23, but I missed the #7 24.Ne7! Instead, there I played 24.Bxg7+? but this just gives too much material after 24....Rxg7 25.Qf6+ Kg8 -+... not sure what I saw here but this doesn't work.

Oct-15-22		chrisowen: Baggins to qe6 no?

Oct-15-22		Breunor: I had intuition for the first two moves, but didn’t see the combinations. Too many possible responses. Wonderful combination!

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