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| Nov-14-14 | | cro777: <morfishine> GM Alex Baburin, who is an endgame expert, has just published his assessment of the position after 34.g3: "Black had to defend with 34...Qd2 35.Qxf3 Qxc2 36.Kg2 Kh8, although after 37.Qc6 White is close to winning anyway - the difference in the activity of the rooks and the kings' safety is too great." (Chess Today, Nr. 313) |
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| Nov-15-14 | | morfishine: <cro777> Thanks for the update! |
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| Nov-15-14 | | erniecohen: <cro777> I agree that 35. ♕xf3 is a much more promising winning try than 35. ♕c4+, and it "looks" perhaps winning. But things get slippery, and I still don't see the win here. Keep in mind that if Black cal eliminate the White a-pawn, a draw is in sight. After 35. ♕xc2 36. ♔g2 ♔h8 37. ♕c6 ♖g8, how is White to make progress? 1) 38. ♖a7 ♕c3
39. ♕b5 ♕b4 40. ♖xa5 ♕e4+ 41. ♔h2 c4
39. ♕d5 h6 40. ♖c7 ♕d4 41. ♕xd4 cxd4 42. ♖d7 ♖b8 43. ♖xd4 ♖b4 2) 38. ♕b5 ♕xf5 39. ♕xa5 h6 40. ♖c7 ♖c8
Feel free to suggest improvements, but these are looking like draws. |
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| Nov-15-14 | | Ke2: vishy is pulling one of these http://en.chessbase.com/portals/4/f... |
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| Nov-15-14 | | cro777: <erniecohen: I still don't see the win here> According to experts, this endgame is "almost winning". I have analyzed the following line:
34...Qd2 35.Qxf3 Qxc2 36.Kg2 Kh8 37.Qc6 Rg8 38.Rb7 Qc3 39.Rb5 c4 40.Qd5 h6 41.Rxa5 Qb4 42.Rc5 Qxa4 43.Rxc4 Qb3
click for larger viewIn this type of ending (the battle between major pieces), the main factors are the pawn structure, the king's safety and the superior activity and coordination of major pieces. White is clearly better, but I cannot see a straightforward win as well. The problem is how to transform these advantages into a material gain or an attack on the king. |
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Nov-15-14
 | | perfidious: <erniecohen> is always right--how dare anyone argue with him? |
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| Nov-15-14 | | kevin86: The seventh row threats are crushing! |
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| Nov-15-14 | | erniecohen: <cro777> In your line, instead of 43...♕b3, 43...♕a8 forces an exchange of Queens, leaving a book draw. (That said, I would answer 38. ♖b7 with 38...♕xf5.) Nevertheless, in analysis I've been assuming that a position like the one in your diagram is also drawn, with Black's pawns connected and all pawns on the same side. Do any endgame experts dispute this? I believe that White's winning chances depend on preserving his a-pawn. <perfidious> As always, I welcome improvements/refutations; I want only to get to the truth of the position. (I offered a few pages back to play 34...♕d2 with draw odds in a postal, so you can make some money if you think I'm wrong.) |
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| Nov-15-14 | | erniecohen: <cro777> In your line, instead of 43...♕b3, 43...♕a8 forces an exchange of Queens, leaving a book draw. (That said, I would answer 38. ♖b7 with 38...♕xf5.) Nevertheless, in analysis I've been assuming that a position like the one in your diagram is also drawn, with Black's pawns connected and all pawns on the same side. Do any endgame experts dispute this? I believe that White's winning chances depend on preserving his a-pawn. <perfidious> As always, I welcome improvements/refutations; I want only to get to the truth of the position. (I offered a few pages back to play 34...♕d2 with draw odds in a postal, so you can make some money if you think I'm wrong.) |
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| Nov-15-14 | | cro777: <erniecohen: In analysis I've been assuming that a position like the one in your diagram is also drawn, with Black's pawns connected and all pawns on the same side. Do any endgame experts dispute this?> According to GM Amador Rodriguez, "with less than 10 minutes for the remaining 6 moves, 35.Qxf3 is the natural choice in reply to 34...Qd2, removing the disturbing pawn on f3 and thus allowing the white king to breathe freely. However, the problem is that Black also captures on c2 and White can hardly hope for a win if all queenside pawns disappear, leaving only a 4:3 kingside pawn majority." That is exactly the problem I have detected. Therefore, I agree with your remarks. http://www.amadorgm.com/anandcarlse... |
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| Nov-16-14 | | cro777: After 34...Qd2 (instead of 34...h5), GM Rodriguez also pointed out that White has the following three options, leading to three different types of endgame:
click for larger view35.Qxf3 Qxc2 36.Kg2 or 36.Ra7,
35.Qc4+ Kh8 36.Qxc5 and
35.Qe6+ Kh8 36.Qe3
Whatever way White choose, in order to create winning chances, considerable time and effort would've been required in a long endgame. In the former case ("the most logical solution"), after 35.Kxf3 Qxc2 Rodriguez considers two alternatives: 36.Kg2 and 36.Ra7. 36.Kg2 Kh8 37.Qc6 Rg8 (37...Qb3? 38.Re3 Qb8 39.Rc3) 38.Ra7 Qc3 39.Qd5 (39. Qc7 Qd4 40. Rxa5 Qe4+ 41. Kh2 c4 42. Rc5 Qc2 43. Qf4 Qa4 44. Rc4) 39... h6 40. Rc7 Qb4 41. Rc5 Qa4 42. Ra5 Qc2 h6 40. Rc7 Qb4 41. Rxc5 Qxa4 42. Ra5 Qc2 36.Ra7 Qd2 37.Kg2 According to Rodriguez, this alternative might be better. |
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| Nov-16-14 | | erniecohen: <cro777> Yes, 36 ♖a7 ♕d2 38. ♔g2 looked promising. However, instead of 36...♕d2, Black has 36...♖e8 37. ♖xa5 h6 38. ♖a7 ♖e8 39. ♖xa5 h6 40. ♔g2 c4 41. ♕g4 c3 42. ♖c5 ♕e4+ with a draw. Or 38. ♔h3 c4 39. ♖a7 ♕e4 40. ♕xe4 ♖xe4. Or 39. ♕c6 ♖d8 40. ♔g2 ♔h7 41. ♖c6 ♖d2. Or 41. ♖a7 ♕xf5. Etc. |
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| Nov-17-14 | | tranquilsimplicity: <Keypusher> Indeed. I fully appreciate that tactical and aggressive are not synonymous. Fischer was very aggressive but highly technical, generally using tactics to finish games off, but usually grinding opponents positionally and ruthlessly. However, when we use the term tactical, there is an implicit acknowledgment that this kind of style is most usually aggressive eg. Tal, Kasparov, Bronstein, Spielmann, Geller, Morozevich, Shirov etc, the list goes on. Correction on an earlier post; Carlsen lost 4 times to Caruana this year (2014) where Caruana wins 3 games through aggression and tactical motifs. And a quiet Reti Opening as White through a tactic. Naiditsch beat Carlsen with a Nimzo-Indian in a game where the former seizes and maintains the initiative. Teimour beat Carlsen in a KID which I felt was rather tactical and interesting (but you feel that that game wasn't tactical - ok, we agree to disagree). Saric then beat Carlsen in a highly aggressive tactical game. You have asserted that Carlsen's last 4 games in 2013 were long endgames. Well..I found only 2 long endgames that is Carlsen v Wanghao, a quiet game I must admit where Carlsen is positionally 'bested'; however bear in mind that Wanghao playing Black was the aggressor in that game by seizing the initiative with 24...e4. Then in the other long endgame against Ivanchuk in the Sicilian, Carlsen is again positionally 'bested' by the aggressive Ivanchuk who declines a draw by repetition. And in the 4th game that I looked into Morozevich unleashes the highly tactical Levenfish variation against Carlsen's Dragon and with pseudo-sacrifices as 21.Nd5! and 29.Rxf7, Carlsen loses on time; but Black's position is in tatters! The Blitz game (Philidor Defence) against Karjakin as White is perhaps the only one where Carlsen's opponent adopts quiet, solid play and prevails. Therefore my conclusion remains undented; to beat Carlsen who is the best player on the planet, who is perfectly well rounded, one's best bet is not to sit back and play quietly as Carlsen's greatest strength lies exactly in this type of game, but to play aggressively and hope for the best.# |
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| Nov-18-14 | | cro777: <erniecohen> It seems that Anand's chances to hold the draw with 34...Qd2 (instead of 34...h5) were considerable. White's best choice is 35.Qxf3, to get rid of the annoying f-pawn, but Black also captures on c2.
click for larger viewWhat might be White's plan in this position? I had a brief discussion with GM Alexander Baburin. This is his suggestion: "Maybe White has a way of keeping the a-pawn, maybe he can afford to trade off pawns on the queenside but then advance his pawn to g5 to open up the black king." |
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| Nov-19-14 | | cro777: "Maybe White has a way of keeping the a-pawn."
GM Csaba Balogh suggested: "Black had some chances to survive after 34...Qd2 35.Qxf3 Qxc2 36.Kg2 Kh8 37.Qc6 h6 38.Ra7 Qxf5 39.Rxa5
click for larger viewWhite retains the advantage, but it is going to be difficult to convert into a full point." (Chess Evolution, Issue 142) |
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| Nov-23-14 | | erniecohen: <cro777> The problem with GM Balogh's line is 37...h6, which saves a tempo in some lines but which fails because of 38. Ra7 Qc3 39. Qc7. The drawing move is 37...Rg8 - see the posting with "How is White to make progress?" in the middle, about 13 postings back from here. |
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| Nov-23-14 | | cro777: <erniecohen: How is White to make progress?> Black had chances to survive after 34...Qd2 35.Qxf3 Qxc2 and "after 35. Qxc2 36. Kg2 Kh8 37. Qc6 Rg8, how is White to make progress?"
click for larger viewThis is <erniecohen>'s analysis: 1) 38. Ra7 Qc3 39. Qb5 Qb4 40. Rxa5 Qe4+ 41. Kh2 c4 39. Qd5 h6 40. Rc7 Qd4 41. Qxd4 cxd4 42. Rd7 Rb8 43. Rxd4 Rb4 2) 38. Qb5 Qxf5 39. Qxa5 h6 40. Rc7 Rc8
37...h6 38.Ra7 and 37...Rg8 38.Ra7 has been mentioned by experts. |
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| Nov-27-14 | | Ulhumbrus: After 13 d4 White has an advantage in space and if other things are equal, according to Fine the attack is the way to make use of an advantage in space. However other things are not equal: Black may be able to make his c pawn count. Svidler suggested that if Black had played ...c5 at one point this would have created difficulties for White's attack. It may be worth looking up Svidler's commentary. |
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| Nov-27-14 | | cro777: With 12.Nxb6 cxb6 Carlsen chose to exchange the 2nd pair of light pieces and undouble the c pawns to take control of the center. After 13.d4 Svidler assessed Anand's position as very solid.
click for larger viewPetr Svidler:"At this point, Black’s position seemed very solid – and after the possible 13…c5, challenging the White center straight away, I feel Black would have solved his opening problems." Svidler's suggestion 13...c5 has been thoroughly analyzed by GM Pavel Maletin. According to his analysis, after 13...c5 14.d5! (White's only chance to fight for the advantage) Nf8 15.Ra3 Ng6 it is difficult to assess the resulting position.
click for larger view16.Nd2 Rf8 17.Nc4 f5 18.exf5 Rxf5 19.Rb3 Ba6! 20.Qg4! Bxc4 21.Qxc4 Rb8 22.Bd2. Maletin's analysis (in Russian) can be found at
http://ruchess.ru/news/report/povod... |
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| Dec-01-14 | | Ulhumbrus: 14 Ra3?! attempts to attack although White can hardly claim superiority despite having more space. Lasker's advice when an opponent tries to do that is to <disregard it entirely, develop your reserves and begin a swift counter-attack> This suggests that Black is advised to disregard the attack entirely, to develop his reserves and to begin a swift counter-attack. This suggests that Black should disregard entirely the threats of Nh4 or of Rg3, try to develop his queen's bishop and queen's rook and start a quick counter-attack. One way to do this is by 14...Bb7 15 Nh4 Rad8 16 Rg3 d5. Another way is by 14...Ba6 15 Nh4 Rad8 16 Rg3 d5. |
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| Jan-19-15 | | jrofrano: This game was the third best game of 2014: http://lifezugzwang.com/10-games-fr... |
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Jan-24-15
 | | Phony Benoni: Selected as the 9th best game of 2014 by a vote of <chessgames> members. |
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| Jan-24-15 | | Doniez: Today is a kind of Carlsen day at CG, game of the day and Saturday puzzle. I prefer the puzzle today |
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| Jan-24-15 | | Mating Net: A tremendous pun for the GOTD, an early candidate for pun of the year. Congrats to whomever submitted this gem. A terrific blend of chess & history. |
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| Jan-24-15 | | NBAFan: Impressive positional play by Magnus Carlsen. |
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