| Feb-06-12 | | backrank: Such a great game and no kibitzing?
It's been awarded a 1st brilliancy prize!
After 20. Rd1, White threatens Rxd7, so after 21. Ne4!, the knight is untouchable, and f6 cannot be defended any longer. In the final position, Black resigns due to 23. ... Rg8 24. Qxh7+! Rxh7 25. Rxg8#! |
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| Aug-07-12 | | LoveThatJoker: "21. ?" White to play and win, would make for an excellent Friday/Saturday puzzle. LTJ
PS. According to Stockfish, White's advantage is too great after 21. Ne4 Qc6 (Black's best try to stay in the game) Analysis Diagram - Position after 21...Qc6
click for larger view22. Nxf6 Qc2 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qh6 Rg8 25. e4 Qc1+ 26. Qxc1 <+7.15/28> |
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| Aug-07-12 | | PeterThePatzer: I must be missing something. After 21. Ne4, why doesn't Black play f5? |
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| Aug-07-12 | | LoveThatJoker: <PeterThePatzer> Good question! To answer it, I did not resort to Stockfish and came up with the solution myself. 21. Ne4 f5
Analysis Diagram - Position after 21...f5
click for larger view22. Nf6! 
Analysis Diagram - Position after 22. Nf6!
click for larger viewLTJ |
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| Aug-07-12 | | erad1288: <PeterThePatzer> 22. Nf6 ends black's resistance. (22.Nf6 Nxf6 (...22 fxg4 23. Qxh7#) 23.Qxf6#) There is simply nothing black can do to prevent checkmate. |
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| Aug-07-12 | | backrank: The square (not the pawn!) f6 can't be defended after 21 Ne4 (although it seems to be defended by the Nd7); this can't be changed by advancing the pawn (even if it attacks the Rg4 - it's just too late). The line given by LTJ (or better: by Stockfish) above is more interesting: at a first superficial glance it looks good defending h7 by Qc2 and at the same time gaining a tempo (??) by attacking the Rd1. But the rook becomes a desperado, thus removing the dangerous Bd5 (and by this, avoiding a BACK RANK MATE by the black queen), and the defending queen is cut off by 25. e4, so that Black can resign. Very convincing. However, i find the game continuation still prettiest, making a good Tuesday/Wednesday puzzle after 22 ... Rg7: 
click for larger view23 Qh6 Rg8 (forced! mate on g7 is threatened and after Rxg4 there comes 23 Qxh7#) 24 Qxh7+!! Rxh7 25 Rxg8# 
click for larger viewHave I ever mentioned that I love mating patterns? ;) It's a pity that this finish hasn't been played out in the game - but Troianescu was too strong a player himself not to see it immediately after 23 Qh6. |
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| Aug-18-12 | | PeterThePatzer: LTJ, erad1288, and backrank, thank you all. |
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| Mar-28-15 | | ToTheDeath: Great attack. |
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Jun-13-23
 | | FSR: Is this pun some soccer/futbol reference? I don't get it. |
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Jun-13-23
 | | Honza Cervenka: 18...f5 would have been a better defense. |
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| Jun-13-23 | | Brenin: <FSR>: I'm equally baffled. "El Clásico" refers to football matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, historically Spain's two leading clubs, with Spanish-Catalan tensions adding spice to the rivalry. What this has to do with today's GOTD is beyond me, unless the pun is on "Barcza" and "Barcelona". |
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Jun-13-23
| | FSR: Rather than 14...Bd4?, it was better to develop a new piece with 14...Nbd7! 15. Kxg2 h6!, though Black is still in difficulties after 16. Nxh6+! gxh6 17. Qxh6 Ng4 18. Bxe7 Nxh6 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 20. Rac1 Nb6 21.Ne4 +0.7 Stockfish. |
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| Jun-13-23 | | goodevans: <"21. ?" White to play and win, would make for an excellent Friday/Saturday puzzle.> Agreed. Likewise, <20...? Black to play> would also make for a decent Friday-ish puzzle. 
click for larger viewAlthough there are always moans and groans from those who didn't realise the puzzle was to save the game rather than win it. |
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Jun-13-23
| | Honza Cervenka: 16.Nh6+! Kh8 [16...gxh6 17.Bxh6 Kh8 18.Rxd4 Nbd7 19.Rad1 Bd5 20.Bg5 Ne8 21.Nxd5 f6 (21...exd5 22.Rxd5 is apparently hopeless, as Nd7 cannot move for 23.Bf6+ with a quick mate) 22.Nf4 fxg5 23.Ng6+ Kg8 24.Qxg5 Ndf6 25.Nxf8+ Kxf8 26.Rf4 Qg7 27.Qe5 Qe7 28.Rc1 with decisive attack.] 17.Rxd4 Nbd7 18.Rf4 Nd5 19.Nxf7+ Kg8 20.Nd8 Rfxd8 21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Bxd8 Ne5 23.Qh5 Ng6 24.Rd4 Rxd8 25.e4 Qb6 26.Rad1 +- was more precise continuation of white's attack. |
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Jun-13-23
| | Honza Cervenka: Instead of 13...Bxg2 black should have played rather 13...Nxg4 14.Qxe7 Bxe7 15.Bxb7 Ra7 16.Bg2 h6 with just a minimal plus on white's side thanks to Bishop pair. That is why 13.Bg5 Bxg2 14.Ng4 would have been more precise order of moves. |
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Jun-13-23
| | Honza Cervenka: 20...Bh3 21.Qxh3 Rg8 was a bit more stubborn defence. |
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Jun-13-23
 | | Teyss: <FSR> <Brenin> Barça is FC Barcelona's nickname and is roughly pronounced "Barza". Why does the pun apply to this game and not to the other 1,047 Gedeon Barcza played? Because Octavio Ronaldo was one of the great-great grandfathers of Cristiano, former Real player. Also Messi, former Barça player, has an Octavio amongst his friends. Last, the game is unreal. As the pun. |
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| Jun-13-23 | | Delboy: I submitted this pun so long ago I have forgotten if there were some deeper twists to it, but I certainly was not referring to Ronaldo's ancestor or Messi's friend (interesting to know though that there is a very remote "Octavio" link). I am often completely baffled by some puns that come up that are however instantly clear to Americans. Conversely, the short form "Barza" for FC Barcelona is immediately clear to a vast number of people in Europe and Latin America, and almost as many also know about the Clasico derby with Real Madrid. So this encounter is a 'clasico' game by 'Barza', but not against Real. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 13.Ng4