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Janos Balogh vs Paul Keres
corr (1937) (correspondence)
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation (E21)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-17-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheAlchemist: Beautiful combination by Balogh against one of the top players in the world. Another one for <Ron>
Apr-17-05  aragorn69: White to play on move 26 would make a nice Sunday puzzle, <chessgames.com>
Apr-17-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Ron: The game has been added, thank you to TheAlchemist.
Sep-10-14  ColeTrane: puzzle material no doubt.
Sep-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: "Look out Balogh!"
Jan-13-15  ljfyffe: 15...Qc7 is better. If 30...Rxe7 31Bxf6+.
Jul-29-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: The game was published in <Chess Review>, May 1937, p. 115, with a couple of little nuggets of information.

First, CR states the game was played over 1936-1937.

Second, CR gives the countries of the players (Balogh: Hungary; Keres: Estonia). That information usually indicates the game was part of a team match (in this case, by correspondence), which could have been between the two countries or part of a larger competition. Does anyone have information about such an event?

Jan-21-23  Brenin: With all White's pieces, except the B lurking on a3, ideally placed for attack, the move 24 f6 seemed clear. Black could not afford to allow White's e and f pawns to rampage forwards, so giving up the exchange with 24 ... Rxe5 was his least worst option. After that, White's pieces combined beautifully, despite Keres's best efforts at defence.
Jan-21-23  mel gibson: No - I didn't get this one today.

Stockfish 15 says:

24. f6

(24. f6 (f5-f6 ♖e8xe5 ♘f3xe5 ♘d5xf6 ♕h5xh6 d6xe5 ♕h6-g5 ♕d8-d4+ ♔g1-g2 ♕d4-d5+ ♔g2-h3 ♕d5-d7+ ♕g5-f5 ♕d7xf5+ ♖f1xf5 e5-e4 ♗a3-b2 ♔g8-f7 ♖e1xe4 ♖a8-d8 ♖e4-e2 c5-c4 ♖f5-e5 ♖d8-d7 ♔h3-g2 h7-h5 ♖e2-f2 ♖d7-d3 ♗b2-c1 a7-a6 ♖e5xh5 ♖d3-d1 ♗c1-b2 ♖d1-d3 ♖h5-e5 b6-b5 ♗b2-c1 ♔f7-g8 ♖e5-e6 a6-a5 ♖e6-c6 ♘f6-d5 ♖c6-c5 ♘d5-c3 ♖c5-c8+ ♔g8-h7 ♖c8-c7 ♘c3-d5 ♖c7-c5 ♘d5-c3 ♖f2-c2 ♖d3-d5 ♖c5xd5 ♘c3xd5 ♔g2-f3 ♘d5-b4) +7.21/44 245)

score for White +7.21 depth 44.

Jan-21-23  jrredfield: I labored over 24 f6 vs. 24 e6. I knew that the winning approach was a move by one of those pawns. Of course, I picked the wrong one (e6). Actually, e6 still give White an advantage of one or two pawns, but 24 f6 or 24 Bc1 are clearly better choices. Either puts considerable pressure on the upper right putting the Black K in the hot seat.
Jan-21-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: I saw 24.f6 Rxe5 25.Nxe5 Nxf6 but missed 26.Qxh6. Instead of that I was considering 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Nd7 Qf7 28.Nf6+ gxf6 (28...Qxf6? 29.Qd5+ and 30.Qxa8 +-) 29.Qxh6, which gives white some advantage with an extra piece against three Pawns but it is far less effective and convincing.
Jan-21-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Didn't see White's 26th, which seems like a requirement to claim full credit. Saw 26.Qh3, which looked good enough (and might be), but nowhere near as effective and spectacular.
Jan-21-23  mel gibson: <Jan-21-23 jrredfield: I labored over 24 f6 vs. 24 e6. I knew that the winning approach was a move by one of those pawns. Of course, I picked the wrong one (e6).>

Me too.
I chose 24. e6 as it blocked the e file
and created a passed pawn.
That was out of intuition but checking with SF it wasn't as strong as the chosen move.

Jan-21-23  Refused: 24.f6 is natural. And this looks kinda bust. Black can't play 24...g6 as that leave the knight hanging on h6. This looks kinda bust already tbh. I have no idea what to play as black.

Time to check and see.

Ah, ok. Black went 24...Rxe5 the finish is very pretty I must say. 24.Nxe5 Nxf6 25.Qxh6!! gxh6 26.Nc6!! (the two key moves in white's assault). No points for me on this one.

Jan-21-23  mel gibson: OK - so I tested out 24. e6 with Stockfish 15.
It's still a good move but at a score of -3.04 for Black it's not as strong as the chosen move giving +7.21 for White.

24. e6

(24. .. Qf6 (♕d8-f6 g3-g4 ♕f6-c3 ♗a3-c1 ♘d5-f6 ♕h5-h3 ♘h6xg4 ♕h3-g2 ♖a8-d8 ♔g1-h1 ♕c3-d3 ♘f3-g5 ♕d3-d5 ♘g5-f7 ♕d5xg2+ ♔h1xg2 ♘f6-d5 ♖f1-g1 ♔g8-f8 ♗c1-g5 ♖d8-a8 ♘f7xd6 ♖e8-e7 ♗g5xe7+ ♔f8xe7 ♘d6-c4 b6-b5 ♔g2-f3 ♘g4xh2+ ♔f3-f2 g7-g6 ♘c4-e5 ♖a8-f8 ♔f2-g2 ♖f8xf5 ♔g2xh2 ♔e7xe6 ♘e5xg6+ ♔e6-d6 ♘g6-h4 ♖f5-h5 ♔h2-g3 c5-c4 ♖g1-f1 ♖h5-g5+ ♔g3-f2 ♘d5-c3 ♘h4-f3 ♖g5-d5 a2-a3 a7-a5 ♖f1-h1 b5-b4 a3xb4 a5xb4 ♖h1-h4 ♔d6-c5 ♖e1-e8 b4-b3 ♖e8-c8+ ♔c5-d6) -3.04/49 1548)

score for Black -3.04 depth 49.

Jan-21-23  agb2002: White has a bishop for a knight and a pawn.

Black threatens to recover control of f6 with dxe5.

The pawn on g7 protects the knight on h6. This suggests 24.f6:

A) 24... dxe5 25.fxg7 Kxg7 26.Nxe5 followed by Bb2 looks winning.

B) 24... Rxe5 25.Nxe5 Nxf6 26.Qe2 dxe5 27.Qxe5 looks very good for White [R+B vs 2n+2p].

C) 24... Qd7 25.e6, with the triple threat exd7, f7+ and Qxd5, wins decisive material.

D) 24... Rf8 25.fxg7 Kxg7 26.Bb2 as in A.

Jan-21-23  agb2002: The queen sac 26.Qxh6 crossed my mind but I didn't pay any attention to this possibility.
Jan-21-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: 24 f6 was the first move to catch my eye which I chose basically on gut feeling, and without being able to find an effective follow up sequence. And I completely missed 26 Qxh6, the best I could see was Rxf6.
Jan-21-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: I cod judge brew its loquacious vue f6 fluff axiom jah its a fog pug blink I f6 ball;
Jan-21-23  Chessius the Messius: Easy, I just knew it was a Queen sac. In a game I would just blow it lol

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