Zugzwangovich has kibitzed 463 times to chessgames   [more...]

Nov-27-22 V Dydyshko vs Kasparov, 1978   Zugzwangovich: I asked this once before but got no response so will try again. Can anybody offer me an explanation as to, first, why Kasparov sacked the ox and second, then refused to win it back at least three times (on moves 26, 27, and 33)? Looks to me like this material deficit was ...      Oct-28-22 V Byvshev vs Tal, 1956   Zugzwangovich: Finally, the dawn! After 44. Kc1 Re1+ 45. Kb2 Nc3 Black has a perpetual starting with Rb1+ but if White had played 43. Ra7 he could now put paid to the perp with 46. Rxa6.      Sep-20-22 Karpov vs F Olafsson, 1971    Zugzwangovich: Why was a draw agreed here? It looks to me like Black must play 20...Bc5+, and then 21. Rxc5 is the only move that saves both the King and Queen. Then after 21...bc I guess a Queen trade will follow because of the hanging e2 Bishop. But now White has two pieces for a Rook, and      Sep-20-22 W De Winter Gallegos vs Spassky, 1968   Zugzwangovich: I don't know whether White had any move to stop 24...Bxc4, but perhaps 25. Qa3 would have been preferable to 25. Bxc4, since the latter allows Spassky to win not just one, but TWO exchanges!      Sep-07-22 Shabalov vs K Georgiev, 1998    Zugzwangovich: <Muttley101> Thank you! If I had counted the material up correctly, I might have remembered what one commentator wrote about Fischer's 1956 win over Donald Byrne in the so-called 'Game of the Century': "The game is now over. With a rook and two bishops for the queen, and      Aug-09-22 Janosevic vs Fischer, 1967    Zugzwangovich: After Fischer resigns, Mednis notes "The QNP will cost Black the rook." This seems slightly cryptic to me. Since White can't play 69...Rb2, I surmise he meant a line like 69...Re3+ 70. Kxf2 Rb3 71. b8=Q etc.      Jul-26-22 Tal vs Smyslov, 1977    Zugzwangovich: This incomprehensible-to-me note was given by David Levy on pg. 143 of the March 1978 Chess Life and Review: "On 13...Bc5+ Tal intended 14 Be3, and not 14 Kh1 Kh8 15. Nc3 because of 15...Nf2+ 16. Rxf2 Bxf2 17. Bg5 f6 18. ef gf 19. Bh6 Rg8, when Black has a material advantage ...      Jun-20-22 Vaganian vs Tal, 1988   Zugzwangovich: Of this game Walter Browne wrote (in Blitz Chess, Vol. 1 Issue 2) "Most people spectating at the World Chess Festival thought that Vaganian resigned, but Tal in Shakmati Riga informs us that a draw was proposed and accepted! The discrepancy is over Black's 62nd move. The ...      Jun-20-22 H Kummerow vs Tal, 1991    Zugzwangovich: Hmmm...No comments on this exciting tussle yet? Looks to me like Kummerow tried to out-Tal Tal and came damn close to succeeding.      May-22-22 Tal vs Polugaevsky, 1980   Zugzwangovich: According to my check, this is the one game in Tal's recorded career where he went into the Szen variation with 5. Nb5. In the other 35 games where he encountered the position after Black's 4th he played 5. Nc3.

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