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Chao Li vs Xiangzhi Bu
"Tangled Up in Bu" (game of the day Jul-26-2017)
Chinese Championship (2009), Xinghua Jiangsu CHN, rd 7, Jun-02
Russian Game: Nimzowitsch Attack (C42)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-14-10  Atking: <luzhin: Even assuming Li didn't know that game, 18.Qxe7 was an astonishing blunder, especially as after 18.b3 White would be fine.> Do you mean equal? 18.b3 Qc6 No ghost 19.QxBe7? Rhe8.
Apr-10-10  feitang: Pun for this game: "Reti Legacy"
Jul-26-17  iking: 20. .. Qd1 - surely this sac jolted Li to the bones.
Jul-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Today's pun is based on the humorous Bob Dylan song called <Tangled Up In Blue>. The song tells the story of a woman he bumps into coming out of a chlamydia clinic. They go to a cinema intending to watch Death Wish 3
"...But we watched Troll 2,
Tangled up in blue."
Jul-26-17  Once: Fascinating game. The crunch point comes after black has played 17...Bxd5 getting to this position:


click for larger view

Black is offering up the Be7 in return for a juicy queen check on a2.

Should white accept the offered bishop? It would mean having his king chased to the d file, but if he can weather the storm he could end up ahead by a bishop. So white will have had to calculate 18. Qxe7 Qxa2+ 19. Kc1 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 and we get to here:


click for larger view

We know that black wins with the 19th century style 20...Qxd1+, but white would probably have been working through all the ways that black has to give a discovered check. He has to convince himself that this line is playable before he plays 18...Qxe7.

Fritzie confirms that 20...Qxd1+ is the only move for black which gives him an advantage. If black hadn't spotted this move, all of his discovered checks would have been defused by white blocking with Bd3.

So that's actually some pretty complicated calculating that white had to do ... and then the bombshell that black had seen further.

And both players had to do all that back on move 17 or 18. White calculated pretty well to play the line that he did. Black calculated just that little bit better.

The ironic thing is that a club player would probably have avoided 18. Qxe7 on principle, without any of this calculation!

Jul-26-17  takchess: @offramp ,in a Rolling Stone Magazine interview Dylan was quoted the movie was actually the Smurfs (thus the blue) but had to change the words to Troll 2 in order to rhyme.
Jul-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <parmetd: reminds me of Aron Nimzowitsch game in 1910 against Ryckhoff Nimzowitsch vs NN, 1910.>

This also reminded me of a Nimzowitsch game, but it was this one: Nimzowitsch vs Alapin, 1914

Jul-26-17  RandomVisitor: After 17...Bxd5


click for larger view

Stockfish_17061704_x64_modern: <4 hours computer time>

<+1.24/49 18.b3 Qc6 19.Bd3> Bf6 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qxc5+ Kb8 22.f3 Qd6 23.Qxd6+ Rxd6 24.Kb2 Kc7 25.Rde1 Rgd8 26.Re7+ R6d7 27.Re3 Bc6 28.Rhe1 Rd5 29.a3 Kb6 30.Re7 R8d7 31.Rxd7 Rxd7 32.Kc3 Bd5 33.Bf5 Rd8 34.Re7 Kc6 35.h5 a5 36.a4 Kd6 37.Re1 b6 38.Re3 Rf8 39.Kd4 Bc6 40.Bd3 Rd8 41.Be4 Ke6+ 42.Kc4 Bd7 43.Bc6+ Kf6 44.Bxd7 Rxd7 45.Kb5 Rd2 46.Kxb6

+0.80/48 18.a3 Qc6 19.Bd3 Bd6 20.Bb5 Ba2+ 21.Kxa2 Qxb5 22.Be5 Bxe5 23.Qxe5 Qc4+ 24.Kb1 f6 25.Qe7 Qg4 26.Qxc5+ Kb8 27.Rxd8+ Rxd8 28.g3 Qe2 29.Qf5 b6 30.b3 Rd2 31.f3 Rd4 32.Kb2 Kc7 33.h5 Qe3 34.Ka2 Qc3 35.Rh4 Rxh4 36.gxh4 Kd6 37.a4 Qc5 38.Qg6 Qc3 39.Qe4 Qe5 40.Qd3+ Ke7 41.Qc4 Qc5 42.Qxc5+ bxc5 43.Kb2 Ke6 44.Kc3 Ke5 45.Kc4 Kf4 46.Kxc5 Kxf3

Jul-26-17  dumbgai: If Stockfish's evaluation of +1.24 for 18. b3 is accurate, that means Qxe7?? is an astonishing blunder. Not only does it turn an advantageous position for white into a forced loss, but the line is very obvious and forcing. The only explanation is that Li Chao could not find 20...Qxd1+.
Jul-27-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: A familiar pattern executed in an unusual way.
Apr-23-24  mel gibson: Fairly easy.

Stockfish 16 says mate in 14:

20. .. Qxd1+

(20. .. Qxd1+ (1. ... Qxd1+ 2.Ke3 Rge8 3.f3 Rxe7+ 4.Kf2 Bc6 5.Rg1 Rd2+ 6.Bxd2 Qxd2+ 7.Kg3 Qe1+ 8.Kh3 Bd7+ 9.g4 Re3 10.Rg2 Rxf3+ 11.Kh2 Rxf1 12.Kh3 Rh1+ 13.Rh2 Qe3+ 14.Kg2 Bc6+) +M14/76 125)

Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: A standard mating pattern, yes, but starting the combination from the a1 square makes this extraordinary.
Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  nickhernandez1: 20...Bd5xg2+ 21. Kd2-e2 Qa1xd1+ 22.Ke2-e3 Rg8-e8 23.Qe7xe8 Rd8xe8+ 24.Ke3-f4 Qd11-f3#

It felt better to me to put the king in + from the beginning, but it appeared that none of the engines were agreeing.

I also was surprised that Li did not simply capture the black queen on 21. Unless a king cannot attack a piece that has it in check, but I have not heard that rule.

Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: <nickhernandez1: .... not heard that rule> It's known in the military as "The Last Detail"
Apr-23-24  saturn2: Immediate discovered checks like 20....Bf3 dont work because of 21.Bd3. But 20...Qxd1 drags the king into a double check and he has to move. Then the Qe7 gets pinned.
Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: Standard pattern if the WK accepts the Q sac, a bit trickier if White declines with 21.Ke3: I was wondering if there was mate then, it appears there isn't and Black simply wins the WQ with ...Rd8 (doesn't matter which R).
Apr-23-24  TheaN: <20....Qxd1+ 21.Ke3 (Kxd1 Bf3+ with 22....Rd1#) Rge8 -+> is absolutely savage especially if White accepts the sac. Typical RB double check with mate.
Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: I but x huge its q its whip fay its Qxd1+ its aec o c abridge its lag cog buck with dub doh its axiom juggle its eec Qxd1+ fab.
Apr-23-24  TheaN: <nickhernandez1: 20...Bd5xg2+ (...) It felt better to me to put the king in + from the beginning, but it appeared that none of the engines were agreeing.>

No, the engines indeed don't agree because because 21.Bd3! blocks the check and surprisingly Black's in trouble: the queen's attacked, the d-file is pretty shut and Black's a piece down.

<I also was surprised that Li did not simply capture the black queen on 21. Unless a king cannot attack a piece that has it in check, but I have not heard that rule.>

White resigned. It's pretty common to resign after the opponent plays a move that decides, which this does as accepting the queen leads to mate and not accepting it, well, isn't that much better.

Apr-23-24  thegoodanarchist: <offramp: Today's pun is based on the humorous Bob Dylan song called <<<Tangled Up In Blue>.>>>

How often will this song get used?

Deep Blue vs Kasparov, 1997

Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: <luzhin: Even assuming Li didn't know that game, 18.Qxe7 was an astonishing blunder, especially as after 18.b3 White would be fine.>

exactly. Black can flush out the white king. That's like someone throwing you a left hook and you lean into it! lol

Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: < Teyss: ..a bit trickier if White declines with 21.Ke3: I was wondering if there was mate >

Stockfish sees a mate in 13..

56/27 5:11:46 3,804,591k 203k -M13
21.Ke3 Rge8 22.f3 Rxe7+ 23.Kf2 Qxc2+ 24.Kg3 f5 25.Bd2 Qxd2 26.Bd3 Qxd3 27.Rc1 Qe2 28.Rxc5+ Kb8 29.Rxd5 Rxd5 30.b3 Qe1+ 31.Kh3 Qf2 32.Kh2 Qxh4+ 33.Kg1 Re1+

Apr-23-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  gawain: I solved this very quickly--only after I realized that it is Black to move.
Apr-24-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  nickhernandez1: @TheaN I appreciate the explanation. As for the resignation, I am still not great at spotting the inevitable.
Apr-24-24  thegoodanarchist: Another pun could be "Chao Arrivederci"
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