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Boris Gelfand vs Alexander Graf
"The Pin is Mightier" (game of the day May-03-2012)
European Team Championship (2003), Plovdiv BUL, rd 3, Oct-13
Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation (D37)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
May-03-12  xthred: Fireworks!
May-03-12  LoveThatJoker: Amazing game by GM Gelfand!

If 25...Bxb6 26. axb6 and White is in prime position to win.

LTJ

May-03-12  reduxe: Now that's what I call chess!
May-03-12  sevenseaman: Rollicking game but the pun is vague. "The Pin is Mightier" than what?
May-03-12  Raern: The pin is mightier than (putting the rook to) the sword. The game is good, the pun is great.
May-03-12  basileios: "The pen is mightier than the sword."

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

May-03-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Lovely game.
May-03-12  ossipossi: pin pun pen!
May-03-12  kevin86: White gives up queen,regains her,then wins ahead the exchange.

Yawn!

May-03-12  goldenbear: This game reminded me of another great "pin" game... Korchnoi vs Svidler, 1997
May-03-12  ZeejDonnelly: Beautiful performance by Gelfand. A primer for the upcoming WCC, I hope.
May-03-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: Wow! Very nicely done. The game continuation most likely and also the simplest is 40...Kg5 41 Qxd5 Bxd5 42 b4.


click for larger view

Black's king cannot help stop the b pawn, so black has to give up his last piece to halt the pawn's advance.

May-03-12  thalekkallan: gelfand will defeat anand.
gelfand anandine tholppikkyum
May-03-12  TimothyLucasJaeger: A fine display; its hard to pinpoint any single mistake by black. Rather, white took every opportunity and turned it into advantage. Is <7 ... Nb6> refuted by this game?
Jan-23-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: Black has to be careful with this move order: ie. 5..Be7? 6 Nb5. 6..a6 had been played in two obscure games in the early 20th century but practically speaking was a novelty; 6..Nb6 is most often played. Gelfand was critical of 7..Nb6?!; 7..c5 8 Bxc4 was an alternative leading to a Queens Gambit Accepted type formation.

Gelfand after 10 exf:
"It may seem that Black is doing fine because he has got the bishop pair and has damaged White's pawn structure and avoided weaknesses in his own camp. However, it has been known since several classical games (Alekhine-Rubinstein, Carlsbad 1923, and Rubinstein-Canal, Rogaska Slatina 1929) that such positions favour White. This game only confirms this verdict."

10..Bd6 as played in a 1923 Alekhine blindfold game seems more active than Graf's 10..Be7. 13..g6 was suggested as an improvement. Gelfand realized when he started the combination at move 14 that he would have a choice to make at move 20 as to whether to play for an attack or settle for a material advantage; he chose the attack but 20 Bxf7+..Qxf7 21 Qxb7..Rd8 22 Qxa6 would also have been strong for White. 21..Kf8 was forced as 21..Bd6 22 Rb6..Bb5 23 Rxd6..Bxd6 24 Qxb5! would have been immediately decisive.

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