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Aleksandr Shimanov vs Richard Rapport
World Junior Championship (2012), Athens GRE, rd 10, Aug-11
Slav Defense: Quiet Variation. Schallopp Defense (D12)  ·  0-1

8
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1
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h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
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sac: 19...Rxh3 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-12-12  luzhin: After 27.Qf3 g4 is deadly. Starting with 9...Ne4 Black's knight play is inspired.
Aug-12-12  BUNA: What a game! Shimanov must have been simply paralyzed. Why would he concentrate his forces in the center and never play e4?

There are many games where I'd wish the loser would comment on. This one is definitely one of them.

Aug-12-12  Shams: <luzhin> <Starting with 9...Ne4 Black's knight play is inspired.>

Why is the knight so strong on f5? I would first look to take advantage of White's light squares after he castled short, but instead Rapport glues it to a light square where it's restricted by White's pawns. Did he play this way to freeze White's pawns? In preparation for a sack he knew would be inevitable?

Aug-24-12  zealouspawn: f5 is often a strong square to have a knight... and even if it never sacrifices itself its something that white has to always consider.
Oct-09-12  fgh: Would 25. ... be a decent "puzzle of the day"?
May-03-19  Walter Glattke: 22.-Nf6, what I found, breaks the defense, e.g. 23.cxd5 Ng4 24.dxe6 Rh2 25.exf7? too slow: 25.-Rxg2+ 26.Kxg2 Q2+ 27.Kf3 Nf2 28.f8Q+ Bxf8 29.Rd2 g4+ 30.Kf4 Bd6+ 31.Kxf5 Qh7+ 32.Kg5 Qh6+ 33.Kf5 Qf6# / 25.Qf3 Rxf2 26.Qxf2 Nxf2 27.Kxf2 Nxg3 (exf7? Rh1!) 28.Nxg3 Qxg3+ 29.Ke2/e4 Qg2+ 29.Kd3 Qxb2 1 piece for black. Others than 24.dxe6 later by me and others.
May-03-19  Walter Glattke: 26.-"Qh2+"
May-03-19  boringplayer: 27.Qf3 Rh2, with..Qh3 coming. If 28) Qe3, then 28) ..Rh1+; 29)Kg2 Qh3+; 30)Kf3 Rf1+; 31) Rf1 Qf1+ ; 32) Kg4 f5#.
May-03-19  stst: 22.......Nh4 to harass the Q
23.gxN QxP,
then White is in lurch... nothing good to continue
May-03-19  malt: Ne2 prevents 22...N:g3, reinforcements
are required, hence 22...Nf6
May-03-19  Greek73: What happens if ...22 Nf5xe3? Isn’t white losing the queen if recaptures the pawn?
May-03-19  Walter Glattke: boringplayer: 32)Kg4 f5 33)Kh5 27)Qf3 g4
28)Qxe3(Qxf7) 28)-Rh1+ 29)Kg2 Qh3/Qh2#
28)Qf5+ Nxf5 last longer
May-03-19  Greek73: Sorry for my previous post just realised what’s gonna happen -)
May-03-19  vonKrolock: 22...♕h5!? and if 23. g4, then ♕h4 24. gxf5 ♖h2!! 25. ♕f3 g4! etc
May-03-19  Lambda: Odd sort of puzzle, just playing by far the most obvious move on the board. Try to involve in the attack the only piece which isn't currently participating.
May-03-19  amateur05: Is this a puzzle?
May-03-19  saturn2: An epigone of Tal would go for 22...Nh4 23. gxh4 (Qxh3 Nf3) Qxh4
May-03-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: I think it is a 'backward' puzzle. I think 75% or more of the puzzles I get 'correct' are because I'm told 'this is a puzzle find a win'. Maybe 90%!

Here it was backwards. I kept looking at Nxe3 and Nxg3 and couldn't get them to work. I'm pretty certain I would play Nf6 if I weren't told it was a puzzle.

May-03-19  Andrew Chapman: Anti-puzzle - but no complaints, because it keeps us on our toes.
May-03-19  Cheapo by the Dozen: I'm glad I "quit" on the puzzle early because ... Nf6 (with the plan of ... Ne4 and with the incidental benefit of discouraging or punishing e4) looked so good.
May-03-19  technical win: < 22. ... Nf6 > brings the last piece into the action.
May-03-19  mel gibson: I wasn't sure -

Stockfish 10 is agreeing with the first few moves:

22... Nf6

(22. .. Nf6 (♘d7-f6 c4xd5 c6xd5 e3-e4 ♘f6xe4
♖d1-d3 g5-g4 ♗b2-c1 g7-g5 a3-a4 ♔c8-b8 b3-b4 ♕h6-h7 ♖e1-f1 ♗d6xb4 ♖f1-d1 ♗b4-d6 ♗c1-a3 ♗d6-c7 ♗a3-b4 ♘e4xf2 ♔g1xf2 ♖h3-h2 ♖d3-c3 ♕h7-h3 ♖d1-g1 ♖h2xg2+ ♖g1xg2 ♕h3-h8 ♔f2-f1 ♕h8-h1+ ♔f1-f2 ♕h1-d1 ♖g2-g1 ♕d1xa4 ♖c3xc7 ♔b8xc7 ♗b4-d2 ♘f5xd4 ♘e2xd4 ♕a4xd4+ ♗d2-e3 ♕d4-e5 ♖g1-d1 ♕e5-e4 ♖d1-c1+ ♔c7-d7) +8.18/35 141)

score for Black +8.18 depth 35

May-03-19  agb2002: Black has a knight and a pawn for a rook.

The knight on d7 should be incorporated into the attack. This leads to consider 22... Nf6, threatening Ng4 and Ngxe3:

A) 23.g4 Rh2 24.Qf3 Nh4 wins decisive material.

B) 23.cxd5 cxd5 keeps the attack.

C) 23.f3 Nxe3 wins.

D) 23.Kf1 Rh2 24.Qf3 (24.Qg1 Rh1 wins) 24... g4 traps the queen.

E) 23.Nc3 (to protect f2 with Rd2) 23... Ng4 24.Rd2 Qh3 and the threat Nh4, taking advantage of the undefended queen, looks winning.

May-03-19  SpamIAm: >saturn2>, methinks that Tal wouldn't play 22...Nh4? because then 23.Qxh3 Nf3+ 24.Kg2 seems to leave white in fine shape.

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