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Lubomir Ftacnik vs Ognjen Cvitan
"Can I Buy a Vowel?" (game of the day Apr-07-2012)
Bundesliga (1997/98), GER, rd 2
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation. Modern System (E97)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 44 times; par: 29 [what's this?]

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sac: 23...Bxg2+ PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-14-10  freakclub: When will this game be chosen as GOTD?
Sep-14-10  whiteshark: For the puzzle: Position after <23.bxc7>:


click for larger view

Jul-14-11  qqdos: Just take look at Gelfand vs Nakamura, 2010 World Team ch. (0-1) 33m. which follows this game for 20 moves. That WK on h1 is hopelessly vulnerable!
Apr-07-12  sevenseaman: I never seen this kind of mate before. An elegant and a rare finishing pattern. This man must love his horses; what confidence they would deliver!

An impish pun to boot. Contributor can be proud.

Apr-07-12  JoergWalter: <sevenseaman> see there is some spectacular chess played in the german bundesliga. this game was named as an equivalent to "goal of the month" in soccer.
Apr-07-12  andachamp: im shock! it was truly inspiring to play chess again... that is the proof that chess is the game of geniuses!!!
Apr-07-12  Hevelius: Brilliant, brilliant... flamboyant I'd say! The combined Knights' lethality in such cramped positions proves extremely rewarding once again. Then, what to say about the Queen sacrifice and the final Pawn Mate? Glittering chess, indeed! By the way, the title (since it can't be properly called a pun, methinks) is hilarious!
Apr-07-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Really nice mate in the corner threatened.
Apr-07-12  TheTamale: Awesome ending, especially how White escapes the ignominy of being checkmated by a lone pawn by resigning.
Apr-07-12  SuperPatzer77: Awesome combination by Ognjen Cvitan!!

Yeah, 23...♗xg2+!!, 24. ♔xg2 ♕h3+!!!, 25. ♔xh3 (25. ♔h1 g2#) ♘g5+, 26. ♔g2 ♘h4+, 27. ♔h1 g2#!! - Just the Black g-pawn mates the White king - BIG OUCH!!!

Bravo, Ognjen Cvitan!!

SuperPatzer77

Apr-07-12  kevin86: Mate will follow in the corner by pawn. Nice finish:queen sac and mate with two knights and pawn
Apr-07-12  Limpin Kt: Aghh!! That should have hurt real bad! Inspiring chess!
Apr-07-12  SuperPatzer77: <TheTamale: Awesome ending, especially how White escapes the ignominy of being checkmated by a lone pawn by resigning. >

<TheTamale> I completely agree with you. If I were Ftacnik with white, I'd raise the white flag just before being mated by a humble and lone Black g-pawn.

Thus, I haven't seen the brilliant game like that before -- "A Lone Pawn Mates the Enemy King"

Awfully awesome!!

SuperPatzer77

Apr-07-12  Llawdogg: Wow! "His eyes widened and his skin color changed!" Not exactly a poker face. But a great finish.
Apr-07-12  Chessmensch: I almost skipped today's game because I was busy with other things. I'm glad I didn't. Interestingly, Deep Fritz 12 finds the queen sacrifice ending in one second and Deep Rybka 4 finds it in well under a second.
Apr-07-12  SpoiltVictorianChild: What happens if 23. gxh3? Yes he's up an exchange because Rf2 is forced, but then?
Apr-08-12  avidfan:


click for larger view

23.hxg3 fxg3 24.Be3 Bxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Qh2# is one possible consequence.

24.f4 seems best since if 24...Bxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Nxf4+ 26.Kf3 Ng5+ 27.Ke3 and the king survives.

Apr-08-12  avidfan:


click for larger view

Here if the B/g1 is absent allowing 27.Kg1 then Nh3+ 28.Kh1 g2#

Also 27.Kh1 g2+ 28.g1 Nh3#

Apr-25-12  avidfan: The king is still caught in a mating net if after 23.hxg3 fxg3

24.Be3 (24.Bh2 Be6 25.any Qxh2#) Be6+(dis) 25.Kg1 Qh2#

Jul-29-14  Xeroxx: Very cute.
Aug-21-14  SpiritedReposte: 23. ...Bxg2+! and 24. ...Qh3+!! pulls the white king unwillingly out of his castle to get trampled by those knights and pawn.
Sep-04-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Video analysis of this game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beE....
Jan-12-18  morphyesque: The final black queen sac. reminded me of Maczynski vs Pratten Portsmouth 1948 with the galloping black knights delivering the the coup de grace to the white king
Mar-05-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: The sad thing is that 22...Bh3 is unsound. White should grab it with 23.gxh3!, meeting 23...Qxh3 with 24.Rf2! gxf2 25.Bxf2. The longer you let Stockfish run, the more it loves White's position. At depth 52, Stockfish 15.1 assesses 23.gxh3 as +3.28.

I was shocked, though, to see that Stockfish took a while to see Black's threat. It spent 30 seconds or so blithely recommending that White capture on c7 with either pawn.

Mar-05-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <FSR>, this points up how much Black's attack loses its punch in these lines of the Classical once the light-squared bishop has gone, as well as how dangerous White's queenside breakthrough can be if his king survives. It was telling that even Ftacnik, a great expert on the White side of this variation, was unable to come up the best defence at the board.
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