| Mar-28-04 |
| Benjamin Lau: A textbook Nimzo Rubinstein attack and another demonstration of the power of the IQP in the right hands. I have always considered ...cxd4 somewhat suspect for black in the Nimzo. IMO, destroying one of white's center pawns in this case is not worth freeing up white's dark bishop, especially since black usually ends up playing ...d5 (losing his own central pawn for white's side c pawn) anyway. About this game, it looks like there is something fishy about the end, why did Yusupov repeat his moves? Was he testing Ivanchuk's willingness to draw under perpetual check? Time trouble? |
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| Mar-28-04 |
| Jim Bartle: No, according to Inside Chess he was gaining time on the clock as he tried to work out variations after the obvious sacrifice Bxe6. He was definitely not waiting to see if Ivanchuk would go for a perpetual check--he obviously would! This was the final (8th) game of the quarterfinals match and Ivanchuk was ahead by a point, so Yusupov had to go for a win. This was probably the reason Yusupov brought out his rook into the center of the board so early. The first playoff game the next day was the famous game where Yusupov sacrificed half his pieces as black to mate, a game which I think readers voted the best game of the first 64 issues of the Informant (1964-95). |
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| Mar-28-04 |
| Benjamin Lau: Jim Bartle, thanks, I thought it might have been also a possibility that he was just trying to gain time on the clock by repeating moves but I thought the perpetual also seemed likely if Ivanchuk did not think the sacrifices were sound. I am sort of annoyed at the redundant ending because it ruins the aesthetic effect of the rook sacrifice. :( Yes, I've seen the other game before which you mentioned. My favorite Yusupov game though is probably this one Taimanov vs Yusupov, 1982, it's too bad it isn't very famous. It might be my favorite hedgehog game, I'm not too sure. |
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| May-19-04 |
| get Reti: Should've played 32. Qh6+ |
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| Dec-03-04 |
| Whitehat1963: Interesting game, instructive puzzle-like ending in a game that features the opening of the day. |
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| Dec-03-04 |
| aw1988: <get Reti> after 32. Qh6+ Kg8 (32...Kf7?? 33. Qg6#) the game is a dead draw via 33. Bxe6+! Qxe6 34. Qg6+ Kh8 35. Qh6+ Kg8 etc. (note 35...Nh7?? 36. Qxe6) |
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Jan-12-08
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| aazqua: Interesting game. Not a particularly "speculative" attack as white can see that very quickly he will have at least a draw. Nothing wrong with repeating moves - this is a common tactic with time controls to get close to the next control in case you need more time to figure things out. |
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May-18-08
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| computer chess guy: It's a nice game, but Yusupov had "help" from his opponent: 22. ..  f6?. Shredder suggests ..  b4, .. xg5, ..d6 are alternatives that equalize, although deeper analysis may show something different. |
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| Nov-06-08 |
| Andrijadj: Anyway,this Ivanchuk-Yusupow match was a great event...Quality of the games is astounding... |
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Dec-02-08
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| arsen387: great game. For me the most beautiful part of the game was the triumphal advance of the g pawn in the end. After N moves 39.Qd7! is killing. |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| nasar: what happens after 35....Ng8 36 Qd7+ Kf8 38. Bb4+ Be7 |
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Dec-02-08
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| arsen387: <nasar: what happens after 35....Ng8 36 Qd7+ Kf8 38. Bb4+ Be7> I guess you mean 38...Ng8 39.Qd7+ Kf8 but now Bb4+ isn't a good move. Good move is 40.g6!, which threatens 41.g7# The only reasonable defense to 40.g6 is 40..Be7 (any N move allows Bh6+ and loses quickly) but now seems like 41.b3 (to divert the B from crucial diagonal) is winning. 
click for larger view
If now Ba6 then Qe6 with mate in couple moves. if Nf6, then Bh6+ Kg8 Qc6 is also winning because of the same mate threat |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| nuwanda: after 38...Ng8 39. d5 looks very strong... |
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Dec-02-08
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| arsen387: I just saw that my analisys is a little flawed. 41.d5! is right instead of 41.b3? as now 41..Nf6 is met with 42.Qe6! with undefendable double threat Qf7# and Bh6#, while in b3 line 41..Nf6 followed with 42..Bd5 holds. |
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Dec-02-08
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| whiteshark: Artur gives a fine display. |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| Bobwhoosta: These are the type of games I seek to play everytime I hit the board. Sac, sac, attack, attack, and whether sound or not I learn a little more about how to attack. Of course, I draw very little, and either win or lose because I'm always fighting for the win. If I was to improve my game by changing one category, it would be "don't fight when there is no fight!!". But this was good. Anyone know where black went wrong? I saw ...22. Nf6? was mentioned by <computer chess guy>. |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| Samagonka: The Rook sac on the h-file looks like a loss at first glance but it is actually the beginning of havoc for black's exposed and eventually defenceless king. |
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Dec-02-08
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| Chessmensch: The game Jim Bartle refers to in his 2004 post (above) is this one. It is a former GOTD. Ivanchuk vs Yusupov, 1991 |
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Dec-02-08
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| swordfish: I'm a big fan of Yusupov, both his games and the book he wrote with Dvoretsky. However, it's remarkable to me how Ivanchuk was playing near the top level back in 1991 and remains near the top today. Other than Anand, of course, the cast of characters seems to have changed completely. |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| MarbleSkull: I think Benjamin Lau was right about cxd4 being bad for black here, if you look later on in the game it created a very stressful situation for Black's knights in 12-13. The pawn on e6 is very weakly covering, as taking gives the white rook an open e file. But yeah, had he not done cxd4 earlier, I don't think Ivanchuck would've had to do 13.Nce7, he could have instead used the move to shore up his kingside somehow. What a great game. |
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| Dec-02-08 |
| soberknight: Great game. |
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Dec-02-08
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| Jimfromprovidence: Black should have tried ...h5 one move earlier, at 18...h5. Now, if white continues as in the text with 19 Qh3, then 19...Qc6. Now, if the line again follows the text with 20 Rxh5 gxh5 21 Bh7+ Kg7, this is the position.
click for larger view
White cannot play 22 Qxh5 because 22…Nf4 thwarts it.
click for larger view White cannot play 23…Ne6+ because of 23…Qxe6. White’s g pawn is also triple-attacked. White’s queen, which is en prise, is forced to move to g4 in order to avoid mate or capture. |
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sac: 20.Rxh5
