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Ilia Smirin vs Alexander Beliavsky
"Smir Tactics" (game of the day Nov-20-2017)
USSR Championship (1989), Odessa URS, rd 14, Oct-??
Spanish Game: Morphy Defense. Breyer Defense Zaitsev Hybrid (C95)  ·  0-1

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 24 times; par: 36 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-05-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: <johnlsponge> I found 13 ... Nd6 and also thought of Nf6 or h6... I couldn't calculate all of them of course but I felt Black was winning...trouble was I spent a lot of time on 28 ... Nd3 and 28 .... Nf3+ and while doing so I had set my small portable board up with the W Queen on b8! So I was looking at 28 ..Nf3+ 29 gxf3 Rxf2 30 Rxe1+ Bf1 31 Rxf1+ and so on (when after 28 ..Ne3 29 Rxd8+ Kh7 the N was pinned (which it actually isn't in reality!)and I was obsessed with that line for some reason) ... but I also thought of 28 ..Qxg2+ but no dice...so all these lines and ideas distracted from the main idea of 28 Rxf2 then I saw Nd6 as essential to the attack..and possibly Bf6.

Some interesting analysis you gave.

I usually avoid the "insane" problems - when I came on here a few years ago I did solve some of them - one by Keres and one by Tal etc but I used to spend too much time on them - I would analyse completely in my "head"! I don't have a computer - I do have Chessmaster but I have never set it up to solve much - occasionally I use it (use it more lately) ... For that (chess practice) the "easier" problems" are probably of more practical use but these are good from time to time - certainly a great combo by Beliavsky - a great game by both!

Useful to see the themes as much as analysing specific variations...

Dec-22-08  notyetagm: A *brilliant* game by Beliavsky.

38 ... ♘c4-e3 0-1


click for larger view

Dec-25-10  Llawdogg: Wow! Fantastic rook sacrifice. This is what chess is all about. Beliavsky gets it!
Dec-30-10  falso contacto: good bye blue sky.
Jan-31-11  belgradegambit: Possible GOTD title: Knights in White Smirin
Jul-11-12  Moszkowski012273: 28. Rxe5 wins this game for white. Why has nobody mentioned this?????
Jul-11-12  Shams: <Moszkowski012273> Are you sure your move wins?
Jul-11-12  shivasuri4: <Moskowski012273>, I don't think it does. Note that 28. Rxe5 loses to 28... Bxe5. The fork 29.Ng6+ is pointless as mate is threatened on g2 and the f4 (now g6) knight is the sole defender.
Jul-11-12  Moszkowski012273: No, there are TWO checks coming with the knights, the second one being a DISCOVERED..(or else the queen falls)
Jul-11-12  shivasuri4: <Moskowski012273>, you are right. However, the position appears roughly dynamically equal after 28. Rxe5 Bxe5 29. Ng6+ Kg7 30. Nh5+ Kh7 31. Nxe5+ Qe4. The black rook on the second rank compensates for black being a pawn down.
Jul-11-12  Chessdreamer: Black's 26th move seems to be Kg8, not Kh8 as given here. [Beliavsky, Chess Informant 48/484]
Jul-11-12  shivasuri4: <Chessdreamer>, I suspect Chess Informant is correct. That solves the riddle, doesn't it, <Moszkowski012273>? 28. Rxe5 would not be a good move if 26... Kg8 was played.
Jul-11-12  Moszkowski012273: Yes, 26...Kg8 makes all the difference in the world.
Nov-24-12  Eduardo Bermudez: Harmony in the movements of the black pieces !
Apr-26-16  ToTheDeath: Fantastic attack.
Sep-08-17  malt: 28.Qf5 looks a better try for White
Brilliant game
Nov-20-17  andrewjsacks: Thank you, CG.
Nov-20-17  thegoodanarchist: Today at cg.com it is "Players whose names start with 'Sm' Day"

So Ilya Smirin gets GOTD, and Sergey Smagin got puzzle of the day here, move 31.? (White to play and win)

S Smagin vs J Banas, 1987

Of course, Snack o' the Day today is S'mores

Nov-20-17  thegoodanarchist: Now I see that Smirin lost! So my hypothesis goes out the window.
Nov-20-17  kevin86: "We don't meed no stinking rooks!"
Nov-20-17  cunctatorg: You can understand how great the game of chess is if you reflect on the fact that such a strongest, shining and terrible Grand Master as Alexander Beliavsky isn't among the greatest chessplayers of his era, namely Karpov, Korchnoi, Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik and Ivanchuk!!...

But Alexander Beliavsky was a chess dreadnought, even a chess Leviathan!!...

Anyways...

Nov-20-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: More Beliavsky please!! He is great and he is such a fighter!
Sep-19-18  Saniyat24: What a brilliant sacrifice....Smirin's position ends up in tatters...!
Mar-25-23  Gaito: A textbook example showing how a premature attack on the wing (18.h4?) is best met by a counter thrust in the center (18...d5!).

In the Closed Ruy Lopez, if White wishes to undertake a successful attack on the King's flank, he must first make sure that the center is closed and/or controlled, and also make sure that Black has no counterplay on the queen's wing. Then White would have a free hand with his K-side attack, like in the following classic example: Fischer vs Gligoric, 1970

Mar-26-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: It's good to have the informative Gaito back!

With the pun "Smir Tactics" it would certainly seem that our resident cyberbully and trolls would be all over this one.

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