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Henry Edward Bird vs Berthold Englisch
"Oh, Henry!" (game of the day Jul-13-05)
London (1883)  ·  Italian Game: Bird's Attack (C53)  ·  1/2-1/2
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-20-04  Knight13: <tpstar> I never know of stalemate. It never happend to me before.
May-16-05  lopium: Ahahah! Funny end of game!
Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Admit it--if you were shown this position and asked to guess who played Black, wouldn't you guess Marshall?
Jul-13-05  weary willy: Just know that if I'd had this position, I'd have protected the knight with 39 Kh3
Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Having just seen the game of the day's title I'm reminded of the song 'There's A Hole In My Bucket'.

C'mon <tpstar>, all together now "Dear Liza, dear Liza...."

Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: <I'd have protected the knight with 39 Kh3> 39.Kh3?? Rh5#

Jul-13-05  martinshortsays: <chessgames.com> This is one of my favorite titles for a game I can remember.
Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: Suppose black had played 41...Re1+ 42. Kf2 Rhh1, threatening Rhf1#. If 43. g4 or Kf3, then 43...Rf1+ wins the knight. If 43. Ra8+ Kg7 44. Ne8+, or if 43. Rh7+ Rxh7 44. Kxe1, then white has a knight and doubled pawns against a rook, and I don't know what happens. Maybe Englisch didn't either.
Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: In this game, the "Oh Henry!" Bird missed was the stalemate trap his opponent played with the brilliant defensive move 39. Rh5+!

After 39. Rxe8, Bird was hoping for 39...Rxe8?? 40. Nxf6 when White threatens a decisive double attack (mate or win a Rook). However, he overlooked the key in-between move 39. Rh5+! and the subsequent stalemate.

Jul-13-05  Knight13: Hey. My favorite player BIRD!

Bird's got weak pawn structure, man. I don't understand 14. b5?!. Why did he sacrifice a pawn for?

Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: Bird missed a win by not playing 32. Qh5! A move-by-move analysis, playing it out with Fritz 8 @ 14 to 15 depth, follows:

32. Qh5! Qe3 33. Qxg4+ Qg5 34. Qe6+! Kh8 35. Qe7! Ng7 36. Rxf6 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 Rxf6! 38. Qxf6! Qxf6 39. Rxf6 h5 40. Rf8+ Kh7 41. Rf7 Kg8 42. Re7 Rf1 (42... Kf8 43. Ng6+ Kg8 44. g4 hxg4 45. Kg3 Rg1 46. Nf4 Kf8 47. Rb7 Re1 48. Rb4 Ne8 49. Kxg4 Ke7 50. e5 Kd7 51. e6+ Ke7 52. Rb7+ Kd6 53. Kf5 Rf1 54. Rd7+ Kc5 55. e7 Re1 56. Ne6+ Kc6 57. Rd8 Ng7+ 58. Nxg7 Rxe7 59. Ne6 Rf7+ 60. Ke5 Rf2 61. g4 Re2+ 62. Kf6 ) 43. Nf3 Kf8 44. Rb7 Ne6 45. Rb8+ Kf7 46. Rb5 Kg6 47. Nh4+ Kf6 48. Rxh5 Nd4 49. Kh3 Nc2 50. g4 Re1 51. Rf5+ Kg7 (51... Ke6 52. Nf3 Re2 53. Kg3 Kd6 54. Kf4 Rxg2 55. g5 ) 52. Re5 Re3+ 53. Kh2 Kf6 54. Rf5+ Ke6 55. Rf4 Ke5 56. Ng6+ Kd4 57. e5+ Kc5 58. Rf3 Kd5 59. Rxe3 Nxe3 60. Kg3 Ke6 61. Kf3 Nd1 62. Kf4 Nc3 63. Nf8+ Ke7 64. Nh7 Ne2+ 65. Ke4 Ke6 66. Ng5+ Ke7 67. Nf3 Ng3+ 68. Ke3 Ke6 69. Kf4 Ne2+ 70. Kg5 Kf7 71. Kh6 Nf4 72. g5 Nxg2 73. g6+ Kg8 74. e6 Ne3 75. Nd4 Nd5 76. Nf5 Kf8 77. g7+ Kg8 78. e7 Nxe7 79. Nxe7+ Kf7 80. g8=Q+ .


Jul-13-05  Kelvieto: i saw this game once in a puzzle form
Jul-13-05  Gowe: Interesting Kelvieto, interesting. Very interesting.
Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <Kelvieto> Actually they used it here back in 8/04 as Black to Play and Draw. Otherwise it's one of the most famous swindles ever.

<Benzol> Oh go on, you and your newfangled music! ;>D

Jul-13-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: Footnote to my earlier post: After 41...Re1+ 42. Kf2 Rhh1 43. Rh7+ Rxh7 44. Kxe1, black has 44...Rg7. If 45. Kf2 then 45...Rf7 wins the knight; if 45. g4 then 45...Rg6, or if 45. Nh5 then 45...Rg5, or if 45. Ne4 then 45...Rg4, in each case winning the pawn. After 43. Ra8+ Kg7 44. Ne8+ I think black also wins a pawn, but I can't demonstrate it.
Feb-07-06  Knight13: <Knight13: <tpstar> I never know of stalemate. It never happend to me before.> I think I did know about stalemate at that time. :/
Aug-04-06  TheSlid: Is this a made up game? The finale seems contrived to my limited understanding.
Dec-24-08  WhiteRook48: why would Bird continue after 43...Rh1+?
Jan-03-09  WhiteRook48: what a double rook sacrifice, and on the same square too!
May-30-09  WhiteRook48: <Admit it- if you were asked to guess who played Black in this position, wouldn't you guess Marshall?> I would've guessed Anderssen, but he was dead when this game was played
Jul-27-09  WhiteRook48: 42 Kf2?!?! might win
Nov-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  dotsamoht: How Bird was deprived of his worm... a famous game...
Nov-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sastre: <WhiteRook48: 42 Kf2?!?! might win> 42.Kf2 Rf8 wins for Black.
Nov-20-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  gauer: Although some speculated about full point chances for both sides, that Greek K Theseus didn't quite get to escape the superior mobility of those Minotaur Rs this time. After 44 Qf6 in A Romero Holmes vs B Kantsler, 2002 1/2, white almost escaped to another 'secret' corner corridor, but is given a Minotaur Q - in addition to both Rs - at the price of a stalemate.
Jul-28-11  IRONCASTLEVINAY: Bird continues after R h1 because he wants to show some sportsmanship.
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