| Jan-04-08 | | paladin at large: Beautiful play by Chigorin as he gains the advantage with moves 20-27, capped by a delicate queen ending. |
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| Oct-07-17 | | goodevans: White's f-pawn gives himself up to save his brother on h3. Nice! <44...f4+ 45.Kxf4 Qxh3> doesn't work because <46.Qf5+> forces the exchange of Qs after which black is hopelessly lost. |
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| Oct-07-17 | | Ironmanth: Good grinding win by Chigorin. Wondering how much Magnus has studied these middlegame to endgame ideas in his essaying the Giuoco Pianissimo. |
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Oct-07-17
 | | keypusher: <Ironmanth: Good grinding win by Chigorin. Wondering how much Magnus has studied these middlegame to endgame ideas in his essaying the Giuoco Pianissimo.> To the extent he's not just playing against engines, I suspect he's looking at better models than this. He never plays Old Stodge (Nc3) like Chigorin does here. As he did so often, Pillsbury got himself into trouble by playing overaggressively to gain the initiative. Not many Magnus opponents will do him that favor. Even so, if Pillsbury had interpolated 25....Qe1+ he could have gotten a tenable ending: 26.Kh2 Rxa7 27.Qb8+ Kf7 28.Qxa7+ Kg6 29.Kg3 h5 30.Qb8 h4+ 31.Kxh4 Qe4+! 32.Kg3 Qxc2 and White is going to have a hell of a time getting anywhere. 39.Qe8 could have transformed a win into a loss. 39....Qg6+ 40.Qxg6 Kxg6 and the pawn ending is hopeless for White even though he is a pawn up! The black king either penetrates at e3 or goes to g3, followed by the advance of the h-pawn and its exchange for the g-pawn. Black then wins the f-pawn and marches his g-pawn up the board. White can't do anything with his q-side majority. After Pillsbury missed this, Chigorin's 43.f4-f5 followed by the king march was very fine. In the final position Black has nothing better than ....Qf4+, allowing Chigorin to exchange queens with Qf6+. |
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| Oct-07-17 | | TheBish: <keypusher: 39.Qe8 could have transformed a win into a loss. 39....Qg6+ 40.Qxg6 Kxg6 and the pawn ending is hopeless for White even though he is a pawn up! The black king either penetrates at e3 or goes to g3, followed by the advance of the h-pawn and its exchange for the g-pawn. Black then wins the f-pawn and marches his g-pawn up the board. White can't do anything with his q-side majority.> Do you have a specific variation to support this? I'm checking it on the analysis board, and it seems that Black is drawing at best. I don't see how Black wins the f-pawn. |
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Oct-07-17
 | | FSR: <keypusher> Good catch. White is remarkably helpless in that ending. |
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| Oct-07-17 | | morfishine: Yet another nonsensical, illogical, irrational, senseless, absurd, silly, inane, harebrained, ridiculous, ludicrous and otherwise, preposterous game title But thats the norm around here
***** |
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| Oct-07-17 | | RookFile: I don't know. Pillsbury finished 2nd in the tournament. Give him another half a point and it's a different story. I guess this loss to Chigorin really hurt. |
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Oct-07-17
 | | Pawn and Two: <keypusher> 39...Qg6+!, what a great move. Even a pawn up, White is unable to adequately defend, or to generate sufficient counter play. I let my Houdini program review 39....Qg6+! to a depth of 34 ply, and it showed Black to be winning in all lines: 41.Ke2 Kf5 42.Ke3 Kg5 43.c3 g6 44.Ke2 Kf4; or 41.Ke3 Kg5 42.Ke2 Kf4 43.Kf2 g6; are just two of many similar continuations, all winning for Black. Houdini indicates that at move 39, White did not have any winning moves. Here are Houdini's top two choices for White at move 39: (.15) (31 ply) 39.c3 Qg6+ 40.Ke3 Qg5+ 41.Kf2 Qg3+ 42.Kf1 Qf4 43.Qe1 Kg8; and (.12) (31 ply) 39.Ke3 Qh6+ 40.Kf2 Qc1 41.c3 bxc3 42.Qd3+ Kg8 43.Qxc3 Qf4 44.Qe3 Qg3+. At move 25, Houdini indicates Black's two top continuations are: 25....Qe1+ 26.Kh2 Rxa7 27.Qb8+ Kf7 28.Qxa7+ Kg6; (.39) (30 ply) 29.Qd7 Qxf2 30.Qxc6 Qf6 31.Qxf6+ Kxf6; and 25....Rxa7 26.Qb8+ Kf7 27.Qxa7+ Kg6; (.46) (29 ply) 28.Kf1 h5 29.Qc7 Kh7 30.Qf4 Qg6 31.Qd2 h4. Both of these lines appear to give Black good drawing chances. White had an advantage in this game for many moves, but I did not find any winning continuations for White prior to Black's 39th move. One improvement found by Houdini was at move 23, where 23.Nf3 a5, was evaluated to be slightly stronger for White than 23.Nxe6, as played in the game. |
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Oct-08-17
| | Pawn and Two: Pillsbury and Chigorin met in the 18th round of the 1902 Monte Carlo tournament. There were only three rounds remaining after this round. After 17 rounds, the race for the top places was extremely close: Pillsbury - 11 3/4 - (Rd 17 - Pillsbury beat Tarrasch) Maroczy - 11 1/4 - (Rd 17 - Gunsberg beat Maroczy) Janowski - 11 - (Rd 17 - Janowski beat Scheve)
Teichmann - 10 1/4 - (Rd 17 - Teichmann beat Chigorin) In round 18, Maroczy took the lead:
Maroczy - 12 1/4 (Albin lost to Maroczy)
Pillsbury - 12 (Pillsbury drew his 1st game with Chigorin, but lost the 2nd game) Janowski - 12 (Marco lost to Janowski)
Teichmann - 11 1/4 (Teichmann beat Mieses)
In round 19, Maroczy increased his lead:
Maroczy - 13 - (Maroczy drew his 1st game with Mieses and won the 2nd game) Pillsbury - 12 1/4 - (Pillsbury drew his 1st game with Marco and lost the 2nd game) Teichmann - 12 1/4 - (Reggio lost to Teichmann)
Janowski - 12 - (Mason beat Janowski)
In round 20, Maroczy maintained his lead.
Maroczy - 14 - (Popiel lost to Maroczy)
Pillsbury - 13 1/4 - (Mortimer lost to Pillsbury) Teichmann - 13 1/4 - (Teichmann beat Tarrasch)
Janowski - 13 - (Janowski beat Marshall)
In round 21, Maroczy closed out the tournament, by playing two draws with Tarrasch. Maroczy - 14 1/2 - (Maroczy and Tarrasch drew both games) Pillsbury - 14 1/4 - (Pillsbury beat Marshall)
Janowski - 14 - (Teichmann lost to Janowski)
Teichmann - 13 1/4 - (Teichmann lost to Janowski) |
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Oct-09-17
 | | Breunor: Why 41 ... h3? This seems to drop a key pawn. It doesn't seem like black gets anything for it. |
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Oct-09-17
| | keypusher: <Breunor: Why 41 ... h3? This seems to drop a key pawn. It doesn't seem like black gets anything for it.> There is a link to click for computer annotations of the game <Notes by Stockfish 8 v270317 (minimum 60s/ply)>, and 41....h3 is indeed an error, one of several by both men around this point. I think the idea of 41.f4 (which Stockfish also doesn't like) is Qg5, either exchanging queens or winning the h-pawn. Pillsbury presumably didn't see a good response and decided to pitch the pawn in the hopes of counterplay after ...Qd7. Unfortunately for him, Chigorin found the strong 43.f5 in response, after which the ending was quite hopeless for Black. Going back to my earlier kibitz, 39.Qe8 did not turn a win into a loss, because as <P&2> pointed out, there is no win for White there. So it looks like Pillsbury's 25....Rxa7 was an adequate defense; it wasn't necessary to throw in 25....Qe1+ as I thought. Tough ending. |
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| Oct-09-17 | | kevin86: It all comes down to pawns. |
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Oct-07-24
 | | KEG: It was now crunch time at Monte Carlo 1902. Maroczy was in first place with 12.75 points and Pillsbury was nominally in second with 12.5 points. But Pillsbury had two games to replay, each potentially worth half a point under the strange rules in effect at this tournament, while Maroczy had only one replay. As a result, if Pillsbury won both his replays and then won in the final two rounds (Rounds 20 and 21), he would win the tournament---the best result of his career since Hastings 1895. But alas for Pillsbury, this was not to be. He lost BOTH his replays while Maroczy won his replay. Thus, when the dust had settled, Maroczy was 0.75 points ahead of Pillsbury. As matters worked out, this was sufficient for Maroczy to take first place 0.25 points ahead of Pillsbury/ The replay of Pillsbury's 18th round draw against Tchigorin was the first of the two body blows Pillsbury was to face. This game was nick and tuck until move 39 when Tchigorin erred--allowing the very sort of combination he usually ate for breakfast--and then Pillsbury (incredibly) missed this and converted in one move a clear win to a nearly certain defeat. This was a long and grueling tournament so we probably should not be too hard on Pillsbury. It does seem pretty clear, however, that if Pillsbury had played with his usual precision on move 39 he would have won the came and very likely the tournament. Anyway, the play's the thing:
1. e4 e5
Given the importance of this game, Pillsbury might have considered 1...e6. This was not his style at all, but Tchigorin throughout his career stubbornly played the zany 2. Qe2. In any case, Pillsbury chose not to avail himself of this possibility. 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4
A move Tchigorin knew well. He was always dangerous on the White side of the Giuoco Piano, sometimes played the Evans Gambit. 3... Bc5
Pillsbury appeared willing to enter Tchigorin's opening lair. 4. Nc3
For once playing a solid variation against his formidable opponent. 4... Nf6
5. d3 d6
click for larger viewA nice symmetrical opening. Tchigorin might have played 6. Bg5 or 6. Na4. But no opening was ever "standard' with Tchigorin. 6. Be3?!
Tchigorin preferred Knights to Bishops, but this move--which allows Black to trade Bishops and mess up White's pawns--seems to be going too far. 6... Bb6
Pillsbury decided not to call Tchigorin's bluff and instead played the equalizing text. 7. Qd2 Na5
As played by Steinitz in Game 17 of his World Championship match against Lasker. Steinitz actually won this game, but he was hopelessly behind in the match by that point and Lasker won the title two games later. 8. Bb5+
8. Bb3 looks simpler, but there was nothing seriously wrong with the text, which left the position as: 
click for larger view8... c6
Not 8...Bd7 9...BxB+ NxB 10. 0-0-0 with advantage to White. 9. Ba4 BxB
10. QxB b5
11. Bb3 0-0
12. 0-0
click for larger viewSo far, a fairly placid game. But stay tuned! |
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Oct-07-24
| | KEG: Post II
12... NxB
Pillsbury, unlike Tchigorin, preferred Bishops to Knights, so this move was predictable. Meanwhile Tchigorin must have been tickled pink. After all, he still had both his Knoghts. 13. axN Ng4
14. Qe2
click for larger view14... f5?!
As <keypusher> has already noted here, Pillsbury did not play for a draw in this game and was willing to take chances. He might better have sought tactics on the Queen-side with 14...a5 or 14...b4. The text, however, was very much in Pillsbury's style. He was famous and feared for his King-side assaults. Here, however, he was facing another tactical wizard. 15. h3!
An important preliminary move prior to his planned break in the center on his next turn. 15... Nf6
15...Nh6, which would not have blocked the f-file, would have been more in keeping with his last move, but Pillsbury apparently did not relish putting a Knight on the rim. 16. d4!
The best way to counter Tchigorin's plan:
click for larger view16... fxe4
Not 16...exd4? 17. Nxd4 after which, as noted in the Tournament Book, Black cannot defend both the c6 and the f5 pawns. But the text is also no picnic for Black (though much better than 16...exd4), who might have tried the more solid 16...Re8. Pillsbury undoubtedly knew all this but was seeking complications (which he certainly got). 17. Nxe4 NxN
17...exd4 was probably more accurate. But Pillsbury was likely looking forward to his aggressive 18th move. 18. QxN d5
click for larger viewSo now Pillsbury had the sort of double-edged position in which he always excelled. The only problem is that Tchigorin also excelled in such struggles. And here he had the better chances. 19. Qxe5
Tchigorin clearly knew what was coming, but was not to be put off. Otherwise he would have played the sounder 19. Qe3. There was, of course, nothing wrong with the text...for a player who wasn't afraid of Pillsbury. 19... Bxh3!
click for larger view20. Ng5?!
Did Tchigorin perhaps think that Pillsbury would play 20...Bf5 and run into 21. Ne6 winning--as per the Tournament Book--either the exchange of the c6 pawn. Pillsbury might even have survived that (and Stockfish curiously thinks that 20...Bf5 is best for Black here!). But Pillsbury wasn't keen on going in for that and so played the more cautious: 20... Re8
21. Qf4
click for larger viewThe battle lines had now clearly been drawn. But soon enough most of the pieces would be traded off and the game would reduce to a fascinating Queens endgame, |
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Oct-10-24
| | KEG: Post III
21... Be6
"!"--(Tournament Book)
"White threatened 22. Qf7+ Kh8 23. Qh5 attacking the Queen [i.e., via a Knight fork] and threatening mate." (Tournament Book) All true. But the text creates other problems for White as we will see. Best by far for Black here is 21...Rf8. 22. Rfe1
"!"--(Tournament Book)
This is indeed, as noted by the Tournament Book, than 22. Rae1 after which Black can respond 22...Rf8 (but not, as the Tournament Book goes on) 22...Qd7? which gets crushed after 23. RxB! RxR 24. Qf5! The text left the position as:
click for larger view22... Qd7
"!"--(Tournament Book)
Practically forced. If instead, as pointed out by the Tournament Book, 22...Rf8 Black gets into serious trouble via 23. NxB RxQ 24. NxQ RxN 25. Rxa7 after which Black will have his hands full to try to hold the double-Rook endgame. 23. NxB?
"!"
"Black will lose a pawn and, with it, the game." (Tournament Book) This, as we shall see, was superficial analysis. Best, as per <Pawn and Two> was 23. Nf3. But though Houdini reportedly calls this "slightly better" than the text, it is the only way for White to retain a significant edge. 23... RxN
24. RxR QxR
click for larger view25. RxR
Cute, but not necessarily leading to the win the Tournament Book seemingly now thought was inevitable for White. But now the game and its variations became truly fascinating: 
click for larger view25... RxR
The Tournament Book correctly stated that 25...Rf8 would not have been an improvement. In this line, the Tournament Book gives the following continuation: 26. Qg3 g6 27. Qc7 after which White is indeed not only much better but probably winning. But 26...g6? here was a bad mistake, and Black might well hold the game (albeit with some difficulty) via 26...Qh6 or 26...Qf6. The move that could truly have been problematic for Black after 25...Rf8 was 26. Qe5 (or maybe 26. Qg5). The key line here for Black, as pointed out on this site by <keypusher> was the intermediate move 25...Qe8+. Then, as per the line given by <keypusher> play might have continued 26. Kj2 RxR 27. Qb8+ [the idea for White] Kf7 28. QxR+ Kg6 [pretty much forced] but now instead of 29. Kg3 as given by <keypusher> White could retain some edge via 29. Qd7 or 29. Qc5. After 29. Kg3, Black could have been fine with 29...Qd1! Instead, <keypusher> gives the inferior 29...h5 which still probably holds after 30. Qb8 [30. Qc7 is probably no better] h4+ [30...Qe2 is also good] 31. Kxh4 Qe4+ 32. Kg3 after which it is difficult to see how either side could make progress. After the text, play continued:
26. Qb8+ Kf7
27. QxR+ Kg6
click for larger viewContrary to what the Tournament Book suggests, this is far from a clear win for White, and with Tchigorin and Pillsbury at the board anyone could have predicted there was a tough struggle still to come, as certainly proved to be the case. |
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Oct-11-24
| | KEG: Post IV
Queen endings are almost always difficult. The great power of the Queen means that there myriads of possibilities to calculate. So difficult that--in the position at hand--the better player might win from either side. Tchigorin had a extra pawn, but that was hardly any sort of decisive factor here. 28. Kf1 h6
The Black King needs air, but the choice between 28...h6 and 28...h5 is a close one. 29. Qc7 Kh7
A relatively safe hide-out for the King while his Queen undertook more aggressive attempts. 30. Qf4 Qg6
31. Qd2
A prudent double-edged retreat, combining defense with a sparkling idea of a Queen-side advance of the White King: 
click for larger view31... Qh5
Pillsbury, needless to say, had no intention of acting like a potted plant and instead formulated an attacking notion of his own. 31...Qe4 was another idea for Black. 32. f3
Perhaps Tchigorin would have been better advised to cut off the Black Queen with 32. Kg1. Now, both sides put their plans to work: 32... Qh1+
33. Kf2 Qh4+
34. Ke2
This may or may not have been the bext idea. But, in any case, Tchigorin's King was now off to the races: 
click for larger view34... Qg3
35. Kd3 h5
35...b4 was surely better. The White Queen would not have dared to try to pick off the b-pawn. 36. Kc3 Qd6
The simplest way to prevent 37. Kb4.
37. Qe2
37. Qg5+ or 37. Qd3+ would have made Black's task more onerous. The text left: 
click for larger view37... b4!
38. Kd3 h4!
We have now arrived at what proved to be the climax of this game: 
click for larger view39. Qe8??
A dreadful blunder that might have cost Tchigorin the game on the spot: 
click for larger viewBlack to move and win |
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Oct-11-24
| | KEG: Post V
39... g6??
As <Pawn and Two> and <keypusher> have demonstrated (and as was overlooked not only by the players--if the score is to be believed--and by the Tournament Book), Black has an easy win here with 39...Qg6+ after which Black, despite being a pawn down, has a simple win in the resulting King and Pawn ending. After the almost unbelievable (from Pillsbury) text, Black is now probably busted. His 39th move transformed a win into a draw. 40. Qe5!
Very nice, and probably the only win here for White. 40... Qd8
click for larger view41. f4
An inaccuracy. White wins fairly easily with 41. Ke3 or 41. Ke2. 41... h3?
As <keypusher> and others have noted, this was an "error." It is not entirely clear that Black could save the game even after 41. f4. The text, however, was a flawed attempt at counter-play by giving up the h-pawn to win either the White g or f pawns. Pillsbury still had a fighting chance with 41...Qd7 or 41...Qd8 42. gxh3
click for larger view42... Qd7?
Now Black is dead. Perhaps the approaching move-45 time control was to blame. To have any realistic chance, Pillsbury here had to try 42...Qh4. After this final mistake, Tchigorin gave Pillsbury no further chances at all. 43. f5!
"White's f-pawn gives itself up to save his brother on he." (<goodevans>) 43... gxf5
44. Ke3
click for larger view44... Kg6
As <goodevans> has shown, 44...f4 45. Kxf4 Qxh3 loses instantly to 46. Qf5+! The best try here for Black (albeit not much of chance) lay in 44...Qd8. The balance of the game was pretty much a mop-up exercise for Tchigorin: 45. Kf4!
Now the Black f-pawn cannot advance.
45... Qf7
46. h4!
A killer.
click for larger view46... Qa7
A desperate effort at counter-play that Tchgorin brushed off with ease. 47. Qxf5+ Kh6
48. Qf6+ Kh7
49. h5
Ouch!
click for larger view |
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Oct-12-24
| | KEG: Post VI
Pillsbury refused to concede, but by this point Tchigorin was not going to let him off the hook. 49... Qc7+
50. Qe5 Qd8
51. Qf5+ Kh8
52. Kg4
Methodical play by Tchigorin in a clearly winning position: 
click for larger view52... Qg8+
53. Qg6 Qc8+
54. Qg5
Step-by-accurate step.
54... Qh3?!
This only eased Tchigorin's task, but the game was lost for Black anyway: 
click for larger view55. Kf6
Slightly faster was 55. Qe8+ Kg7 56. Qe7+ Kg8 58. Kh6 leaving Black in a fatal mating net. The text, however, was plenty good enough. 55... Qh4+
Now the game ends abruptly, but the alternatives would only have delayed the end by a few moves. 56. Kf7
click for larger viewAnd here Pillsbury resigned since if 56...Qf2+ or 56...Qf4+ White forces the trade of Queens with 57. Qf6+ |
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Oct-12-24
 | | offramp: I'm always very happy to see an annotated game by <KEG>. Many thanks. |
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Oct-12-24
| | KEG: <offramp> High praise from so fine an analyst. |
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