Sep-02-04
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| Gypsy: While R+B vs R is a theoretical draw, the results in this database show +57 =93 -0. (I removed three =dupplicates from the tally, but did not search for dupplicates throughly.) This game, <Duras-Balla, Piestany 1912>, is the grandfather of the wins. The list of those that failed to hold the draw reads like who is who of chess: Reti, Bronstein, Olafsson, Andersson, J. Polgar, Short (2x), Hort (won one earlier!), Almasi, Ljubojevich, Van Wely, ... A question arises: Why is it so hard to hold the draw? My conjecture is that the mate here often has a long incubation period -- one wrong step with the rook and some six or eight moves later one has to surender before the mate (or R for B exchange); with no chance at all to save self in-between. In Vallejo Pons vs N Miezis, 2001, the key error comes on move 78, surrender on move 84. In this game I do not even know yet when the last error by Balla occured. (It may be a good excercise-left-to-the-reader.) I just point out that even the seemingly better <93...Rd3> (so that the rook can transfer 94.Re1 Kd8(!) 95.Rg1 Re3) also fails to hold the game after <94.Ra1! Kf8 95.Rf1>. |
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Feb-28-06
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| ajk68: <81...Re2> arrives at the Cochrane position, a known draw. |
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Secrets of Opening Surprises
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