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Larry Christiansen vs Nick DeFirmian
Ch USA 1985  ·  Indian Game: Anti-Nimzo-indian (E10)  ·  1-0


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sac: 20.Rxe6+ PGN: download | view Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  JohnBoy: There was a tremendous swindle pulled by Christiansen against Dif in the 1977-ish American Open in (I believe) Santa Monica CA. Dif had completely outplayed Larry. He let his guard down and allowed a tempo move queening a pawn. Something like that. I hope someone here has access to the game and can give better details.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  sallom89: <think><jmi> Thanks, thats something new to add and understand.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  YouRang: I don't blame white for playing 26.Qxd4, but 26.e3 is cuter.

26.e6 Rd8
27.Qc7 Rf8
28.e7!


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Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  playground player: Did anybody get all 56 moves of this puzzle? Be honest, now.
Jun-21-08   jmhobrien: I don't think anyone was expected to get the entire game...just up to and including the annotation at move 24.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Once: <playground player> <jmhobrien> I don't think that we need to get all the moves in order to consider it solved. It should be enough to find a sequence of moves that wins - even if it was not the sequence actually played.

In the starting position, either Rxe6 or Qf2 win, if properly followed up.

Jun-21-08   MaczynskiPratten: My thinking on 19 Qf2 was that it threatens Qh4+ and if Black plays Qxe5 White has 20 Rd7+ Bxd7 (if Ke8 Rd5+, if Kf8 Rxf7+) 21 Qxf7+ Kd6 22 Qxd7+ Kc5 23 Rc1+ which seems even more forcing than 20 Rxe6 - so maybe the move order does matter, 19 Qf2 gives this extra option.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: White could have won a rook with 26 e6!, threatening Qd7+ with mate the following move.


click for larger view

Black must play 26…Rd8 to avoid mate. White now plays 27 Qc7, threatening Qf7# next move. Black is forced to play 27…Rf8 to avoid mate. White now applies the clincher with 28 e7!, forking both rooks and threatening exd8Q#.


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Black now must play 28…Rf1+ to avoid mate, losing a rook.

Jun-21-08   Jim Bartle: Excellent, JFP.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  JG27Pyth: Gack! Too hard. (Toga II thinks Rxe6 is second best at +1.66.) Qf2 is very elegant but *sigh* I'm a long way from finding that move -- even in a puzzle, let alone OTB.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  YouRang: <Jim Bartle: Excellent, JFP.>

Oh, sure. It's excellent when <JFP> says it! :-p

Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: <YouRang> I overlooked your post. I apologize. Maybe that typo you had <26.e3 is cuter> made me pass it by.
Jun-21-08   Jim Bartle: Sorry about that, Yourang.

It's like a routine from Get Smart, where Max would make a suggestion, 99 would repeat it, and the Chief would say, "Good thinking, 99."

Jun-21-08   SufferingBruin: ChessMaster found the annotated line and win very quickly.

I did not. :)

I was looking at Rxf7+, saw nothing; I knew I had to act fast but I did not see Qf2.

Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  YouRang: In case there's any doubt, I hope y'all know my last post was in jest. :-)
Jun-21-08   Jim Bartle: Yes, but when the person "jesting" is seven feet tall...
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Marmot PFL: 19.Qf2! is a quiet move, and often those are the hardest to see. Surprisingly, black has no defense to Rxe6+ with mate or decisive material gain. Also as well as white played that part of the attack, 26.e6! (instead of Qxd3) would have saved him from having to play 77 moves to win.
Jun-21-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiteshark: <Jesspatrick> I think that <19.Qh5! Qxe3+ 20.Kh1 Raf8 21.Bc4!! > is already resignable.


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Jun-21-08   vanytchouck: the point that help me to see all the good moves (for me, it's very seldom)is the fact that the e5 pawn prevent the black king from escaping from the 7th rank. At the very first sight i was thinking about Rxe6, but there it failed because of Kxe5 wich is possible.

At last, i think the line 24. Qxg7 Re8 25. Qxh7 and then winning the "d" pawn is better because of the linked pawns "g" and "h" too strong to be stopped (you can later even trade a rook against the queen).

Jun-21-08   Lutwidge: D'oh. I thought it was Qh5, with similar ideas, but overlooked how useful Qxe3+ is in reply. However, it could still wind up in an arguably winning position for W:

19. Qh5?! Qxe3+!
20. Kh1 Raf8 (h7 must remain defended, otherwise Rxe6+ fxe6 Qh4+ g5 Qxh7+) 21. Rfd1! Rfd8 (to meet Rd7+)
22. Qh4+ f6
23. Rxe6+! Kxe6
24. Qg4+! Kxe5 (other moves lead to a quick mate)
25. Bd7! Rxd7 (otherwise Qe6+ or Qf5++)
26. Qxd7 Qc5

And white is probably still winning due to Black's exposed King. For instance:

27. Qxg7 Rc8
28. Rf1 Rc6 Qxh7

And Black's game hangs by a thread.

Jun-21-08   Lutwidge: Oh, Jesspatrick more or less already mentioned all this. And, yeah, 21. Bc4 wins rather convincingly for White there.
Jun-21-08   Granny O Doul: This was one quiz where the key move is easier to find if you think of it as just a position rather than as a quiz.

Though the opening is listed as an "anti-Nimzo", it was actually more of an anti-Benoni.

Jun-22-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: For the Saturday June 21, 2008 puzzle, White offers up his Bishop as a decoy sacrifice with the surprising 19. Qf2!!

See <YouRanq> and <Jimfromprovidence>'s post on the neat double attack follow-up with 26. e6!

Jan-05-09   WhiteRook48: ....Rg4?? why not Ra3+?
Jan-05-09   Granny O Doul: <WhiteRook48> If 76... Ra3+ 77 Kc2, and either ...Rc3+ 78 Qc3! or ...Ra2+ 79 Kb1 and Q takes the rook if it checks again.
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