Jul-30-11
 | | Domdaniel: Great Rook ending. Right to the end, Black finds variations on the stalemate theme, but Houska found a safe route through. |
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| Jul-30-11 | | pawn to QB4: yes, I found it very instructive to watch it in real time. She spent ages before playing 68.Rxf7, for instance. I'd have played it instantly, and then played something stupid like 69.Kf3? (spotting that 69.Kg3 is met by ...Rxg4! but not that Kf3 falls into ...Rf4+!) Hard to believe that R+3 v R turns out to be so difficult. |
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Jul-30-11
| | Domdaniel: But did she miss a mate in one? There's a very strange sequence of moves around move 50: 50.Kh6? isn't a fatal blunder, but it allows 50...Rg1 51.Rxa2 Rxg4, when White would have trouble winning. Instead, 50.Kf6! would add a mate threat to the mix, winning quickly. As would 50.f5, preserving the pawn shield. 50.h6 is also good. But Black doesn't play ...Rg1. He plays the incredible 50...Kg8?? And Jovanka, instead of 51.Ra8#, plays 51.Kg5.
And then everything returns to normal, and the rest of the game is fascinating - and high quality. I missed a few moves on the live transmission, only got back around move 57, so I don't know if the serial blunders were actually played - it seems unlikely, even in dire time trouble - or if the computers somehow got some of the moves wrong. The trouble with that is I can't see an alternative sequence that makes sense and reaches the later game position. So here's my theory: Both in desperate time trouble. Jovanka has a hallucination, thinks Kh6 wins, but as she plays it sees that other moves were better. Black had been expecting 50.h6 (another good move), and was poised to meet it with the necessary ...Kg8. He saw *something* go to h6, lashed out with ...Kg8, and Houska immediately rectified her 'mistake' Kh6 by moving the King back to g5. Somehow sanity then prevailed.
Well, it's a theory. But I'd love to hear from anyone who saw the game in real life. |
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Jul-31-11
| | Domdaniel: 53.f6+ isn't great either -- it means the white king is later exposed to checks along the rank. 54.h6+ is much stronger, without any such drawbacks. It looks like bad time trouble -- but I thought the time control was move 60, and they didn't seem to be blitzing moves when I came back at move 57. But the clock times on the official site were frequently way out, and even swapped places a few times. Maybe the software has a delay built in. Live report needed. Tournament star misses mate in one shock? Or not? Anyway, "Go, Jovanka!" A win's a win, and there were some lovely touches at the end, with stalemate traps at every turn. |
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| Jul-31-11 | | DrMAL: <Domdaniel> Thanx for pointing me to this game earlier. Yes, 50...Kg8?? invited a mate in 1 with 51.Ra8# wow! 51.Kg5 was still winning (since 51...Kg7 was practically forced), it just took a (lot) longer. Don't know the clocks and time trouble but it seems you are probably right about that too. Going backward white was way ahead (basically winning) for many moves beforehand, since the a-pawn did not really pose any threat. As white's pawns marched this win was drawing nearer. After 49...Kf8 50.Kf6 was clearly best and with 50.Kh6 black would probably have been able to draw with 50...Rg1 (white must take the a-pawn then black takes the g-pawn). |
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| Aug-01-11 | | jahhaj: i'm not going to lose to a girl!!! |
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Aug-01-11
 | | scormus: <Dom ... Well, it's a theory. But I'd love to hear from anyone who saw the game in real life> It's as good a theory as any. When I do POTD I make some awful gaffes, sometimes even post them. I try to hold several connected sequences in my mind and I get them tangled up like a double knot in my shoelaces. Then I trip over them and fall on my face (like Jack Bodell used to). And like you explained. Yeah, I think thats how it could've been. |
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| Aug-01-11 | | David2009: The critical position is:
click for larger view
The score sheet says the game continued 50 Kh6 Kg8 51 Kg5 which makes no sense, as <Domdaniel> has pointed out. Suppose that in reality 50.Kf6 was played and the score was simply mis-recorded. Then 50...Kg8 is perfectly sensible as is 51.Kg5 seeing that 51.Ra8+ Kh7 52.Kxf7? can be met by 52..Rf1! to reach 
click for larger view
with a draw in prospect. |
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Aug-01-11
| | scormus: <David> why do you suggest such a simple, credible explanation when Dom and I went to all that trouble to provide a complicated, incredible one ;) sine the recorded game score includes two huge blunders in an otherwise fine game, I really hope youre right. |
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Aug-01-11
| | Domdaniel: Sometimes wrong moves appear on live broadcasts. Watching Adams beat Williams today, around move 59, I saw a Bishop land on e4, then shift to f3, then adjust itself back to e4, all on the same turn. Williams resigned a few moves later. I still like the complicated, blunder-strewn solution here, though. It's more human. |
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| Aug-01-11 | | pulsar: <I saw a Bishop land on e4, then shift to f3, then adjust itself back to e4, all on the same turn. Williams resigned a few moves later.> If that happened to me, I'd resign too. :D |
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Kibitzing
