Moishe Lowcki vs Savielly Tartakower (1937) Staircase to Heaven

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Moishe Lowcki vs Savielly Tartakower
"Staircase to Heaven" (game of the day Jul-23-2010)
Polish Championship (1937), Jurata POL, rd 10, May-??
Philidor Defense: General (C41) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 19 times; par: 54 [what's this?]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 4 OF 4 · Later Kibitzing>
Dec-07-06		Fisheremon: <Phony Benoni: <Fisheremon> 45.Kd2 does look a bit better for White than the game, since 45...Rxf3 can be answered by 46.Qd8+ Rf8 47.Qxd6. However, I don't think that 46.Kd2 is so effective; with the Black queen on c5, the d6 pawn is protected.> Let's have a look at the main line with 46. Kd2: 46...Rxf3 47. Kc2 Qc6 48. Kc1 Qb6 49. Qh6 Qe3+ 50. Qxe3 Rxe3 51. Rxd6 Rxe4 and a further analysis shows that the rooks ending is drawn.

Dec-07-06		Phony Benoni: <Fisheremon> <46. Kd2 Rxf3 47. Kc2 Qc6 48. Kc1 Qb6 49. Qh6 Qe3+ 50. Qxe3 Rxe3 51. Rxd6 Rxe4 and a further analysis shows that the rooks ending is drawn.> OK. I think Black could have played better in there (47...Rf2+ for instance), but let's look at the resulting position. click for larger view Maybe this is a draw; I haven't analyzed it closely. But my judgment is that White is going to have to work very hard to get one; he's a pawn down and I don't see any particular compensation for it. In particular, the rook on g2 is very passively posted. Still, it is better than the game continuation, though.

Dec-07-06		Fisheremon: <Phony Benoni> In the worse variation 46. Kd2 Rxf3 47. Kc2, 47...Rf2+ quite interesting, but I also analysed as 48. Rd2 Rf4 49. Qh3 Qc4+ 50. b3 Qxe4+ 51. Kb2 Rh4 52. Qe6+ Kh7 53. Qxd6 Rh1 54. Ka3 Qf4 55. Qe6 e4 56. Rde2 Rh4 57. Kb2 here are three plans 57...b5, 57...a5 or try to attack by the first horizontal. In each case White has enough resources to gain a draw. Moreover I don't see Black's advantage at all in the variation 45. Kd2.

Mar-04-07		gauer: Another similar 1919 puzzle that comes to mind is one the could be entitled Heaven's Ladder (white on move, checkmating in twelve): click for larger view source: Positional Chess Handbook, ch. 20, two diagonals.

Mar-04-07		gauer: Another example of the staircase is: Deep Fritz vs Deep Junior, 2001

Jan-02-09		WhiteRook48: what a Tartakower game. oh and WHAT STAIRCASE?

Jul-23-10		ILoveFruits: i can play... stairway to... heaven on my... guitar that... i bought for... my friend for... his birthday but... ended up keeping... it myself... :(

Jul-23-10		frenchfan: why didn't white just swap the knights immediately when he got the chance with 28.Nxg5?

Jul-23-10		Phony Benoni: <frenchfan> Probably because he thought the way he played would be much better, leaving him a pawn ahead. It was very difficult to foresee Tartakower's combination at that point. I wonder if Tartakower even did.

Jul-23-10		SuperPatzer77: What a lovely game by Tartakower!! Awesome tactics!! SuperPatzer77

Jul-23-10		kevin86: The queen does a francy soft shoe routine-alternating checks with desperado moves. The final was fine-as in the Godfather,this offer can't be refused. Or it's the tiger or the tiger.

Jul-23-10		Bixel: That is some great queen play.

Jul-23-10		screwdriver: The double attack by the queen attacking the rook and queen combined with black's rook threatening mate proves fatal. Seems like the double attack either by the queen alone or combined with another piece is often how games are won.

Jul-23-10		rapidcitychess: It's stairWAY to heaven. Anyway, it's a nice game, but "Stairway to Destruction" is more appropriate.

Jul-23-10		chrisowen: Cool one eight track queen demo <ILoveFruits>. Do you fingerpick it fifth and seventh bar?

Jul-23-10		tivrfoa: this was really awesome. I never saw anything like that.

Jul-23-10		SuperPatzer77: <chrisowen: Cool one eight track queen demo <ILoveFruits>. Do you fingerpick it fifth and seventh bar?> I assume that ILoveFruits's favorite song would be Stairway to Heaven - this song played by the hard rock group called Led Zeppelin. LOL SuperPatzer77

Jul-23-10		ajk68: This has to be one of the most creative series of maneuvers ever.

Jul-23-10		ajk68: It would appear Tartakower only saw the plan at move 32... Otherwise, wouldn't he have played 31...Qc5+ directly? This would seem to shorten the procedure by 2 moves.

Jul-25-10		chrisowen: Tools of those passing <SuperPatzer77> it explain idiosyncrasies <ILoveFruits> pitted generally? Hoping for teenage kicks 5 6 7 8 tease me tease me gane your rythmn stick.

Dec-14-11		sicilianhugefun: Good game for learning.. very instructive

Dec-09-12		GrahamClayton: It is curious that while neither rook moves, it is their position on the board that makes the "staircase" tactic a winning tactic.

Aug-03-19		gambitfan: Une Philidor gagnante par Tartakower

Jan-27-24		perfidious: The puzzle by <syracrophy> on the first page of kibitzing is a neat and instructive example of this technique: M Lowcki vs Tartakower, 1937

Oct-13-24		Mathematicar: The contrast between the beauty of the tactics in the ending and the ugliness of the opening is so intense that it is clear to me why Tartakower wears glasses!

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