Sep-19-09
 | | Chessical: Gunsberg does not obtain a minimal advantage in the opening (pressure against the <h> Pawn), but Mason has adequate counter-play after castling on the Q-side. Gunsberg attempts a Q-side attack, but it lacks the means to break through and achieves nothing. In particular the manoeuvre <R(h)b1> Rb4 Rb1 Rb4 is a rather depressing episode. He should have concentrated on the K-side and taken the <h> pawn. Gunsberg seems to have believed that Mason had no avenues for counter-play, and unwisely allows his opponent to manoeuvre a Rook to <g3>, at which point any illusions that he had the luxury of a better game must have promptly been dispelled. 
click for larger viewGunsberg's position collapses as the Black Rook and Knight invade his position. For example, if <48. Rxh4?> Rxe1! with Nxf3+ to follow if necessary. Mason could also have won imemdiately if he had played <49..Rf2+!> 50. Ke3 Re2+ winning the hapless Knight. The Knight and pawn ending is lost for Gunsberg, but Mason tires. <61...Nd5?!> allows his opponent to prolong resistance when simply pushing the passed <b> pawn would have been decisive. <68. f5!> would have drawn; <68...exf5> 69. e6 Nf4+ 70. Kc4 Nxe6 71. Nb3 f4 72. Nd4 |
|
Jun-27-23
 | | KEG: Not a memorable or especially well-played game. Gunsberg was on the fringe of the potential prize-winners. After losing this 15th Round game, Gunsberg rallied briefly, defeating 18th place Eisenberg, losing a replay of his 14th round replay to Wolf; scoring a major upset by defeating Maroczy (and coming close to depriving him of first place), but then got taken apart by Schlechter and Tchigorin and ending up in 10th place (out of 20). Mason, who--as always managed to defeat Janowski and Gunsberg in this game, had a generally miserable tournament and finished 13th. Much of this game is painful to play over, but the Knight and Pawn ending proved fascinating. <Chessical> in his comments on this game on this site identified the key final moments: i.e., Mason blundering away a win with 62...Nd5? and then Gunsberg blundering in return with 68. Ke4?, allowing Mason to finish neatly. 1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Bg5 Bb4
The MacCutcheon Variation which was tried several times at Monte Carlo 1902. 5. e5 h6
6. Bh4
6. Bd2, which was later highly touted by Gligoric in his book on the French Defense and has been the most frequently played line for White, is no major improvement on the text. Best for White and perhaps yielding a small plus for White is the simple 6. exN. 6... g5
7. Bg3 Ne4
8. Nge2
click for larger view8... Nc6
This is not quite as bad as it first appears, but Black has much better chances with 8...h5 or 8...f5. 8...c5, as played earlier in this tournament by Reggio against Pillsbury, feels right, but Reggio had no inkling on how to follow up and got smashed in that game. 9. a3 BxN+
Hard to fathom, This trade does not aid Black's cause. Better were 9...Ba5 or even 9...NxN. The text left:
click for larger view10. bxB?
Clearly better was 10. NxN. After the text, White's Queen-side becomes an ugliness that later proves fatal. 10... Qe7
Mason could have been fine with 10...Ne7 or 10...f6 or 10...b6. 11. f3?
Inexplicable. Gunsberg would have enjoyed some edge with 11. h4. After the text, he got in trouble. 11... NxB
12. NxN h5!
Now Gunsberg face potential trouble on both wings: 
click for larger view13. Be2 Bd7
14. f4?!
Gunsberg's position would not a thing of beauty after the superior 14. Nf1 or 14. 0-0 or 14. Qd2, but now Mason had a chance to seize control, the position now being (after 14. f4?!): 
click for larger viewAs I will discuss in my next post on this game, Mason flubbed his opportunity here, and the game soon reduced to what appeared to be an inevitable draw. |
|
Jun-28-23
| | KEG: Post II
14... g4?
Very weak. 14...gxf4 was much better.
15. h3 gxh3
Again missing the best line (15...0-0-0 here).
16. Rxh3
Of course not 16. Nxh5?? hxg2
16... h4
17. Nh5
click for larger view17... 0-0-0
"With not a moment to spare." (Tournament Book) 18. Nf6
This Knight would be a thorn in Mason's side for much of the next portion of the game, even as Gunsberg let much of his other edges lapse. 18... Na5
19. Qb1 c5!
click for larger viewA difficult position that neither side handled very well. 20. Qb2
Gunsberg had many better options, most notably 20. a4. 20... Bc6
20...Nc4 was stronger, since if then 21. BxN dxB 22. Qc1 Bc6 is much better for Black. 21. Bb5
Yet again, 21. a4 was far superior.
21... Nc4
22. Qb3
click for larger view22... BxB?
Needlessly easing White's problems. Black, despite all his foibles, would emerge with the somewhat better chances with 22...Qc7. 23. QxB a6
This loses a pawn, but--as the Tournament Book correctly noted--only temporarily. After all, White gets tripled isolated pawns on the c-file, at least one of which must soon fall. 24. Qxc5+ QxQ
25. cxQ
click for larger viewAn unbalanced ending in which Gunsberg's horrific Q-side pawns are approximately balanced by his well-placed and hard to remove Knight on f6. 25... Kc7
Headed for c6 to gobble up the White c5 pawn.
26. a4 Kc6
27. Rb1 Na5
28. Ke2 Kxc5
click for larger viewMaterial equality has been restored, but the ending remains difficult with chances for both sides. |
|
Jun-29-23
| | KEG: Post III
29. Rbh1
Seems logical, ganging up on the Black pawn on h4. But somehow Gunsberg now lost the thread of the game. 29... Nc6
29...Kc4 would have allowed Black to balance White's King-side threats with Queen-side ones of his own. 30. Kd3 Ne7
Practically forced and leaving:
click for larger view31. Rb1?
After 31. Rxh4 RxR 32. RxR Ng6 chances would be about equal. But having set up this scenario, and with the move-30 time control now in the rear-view mirror, Gunsberg seemed to lose his mind. This would have been fatal had Mason not responded with his own lemons. This stage of the game is painful to play over. 31... b6
32. Rb4?
Just terrible, and handing Mason the sort of chances he usually feasted upon in the endgame: 
click for larger view32... Nc6?
Huh? Why not simply just 32...Nf5!
33. Rb1 Ne7
click for larger view34. Rhh1?
This should have cost Gunsberg the game. 34...Nf5 for Black would have been very strong, but Mason again fumbled his opportunities with: 34... Kc6?
35. Ke2 or 35. Ke3 would likely have held the game for White. But Mason played: 35. Rb4?
Mason now had a likely win with 35...a5, but he erred yet again with: 35... Nf5?
But now it was Gunsberg's turn to play something wretched: 36. Rh2?
A long way to resurrect his idea to gang up on the Black h4 pawn. Better and probably sufficient to save the game was 36. Rbb1. The text allowed Mason to hold a winning edge for a long time. 36... Rh6!
This left:
click for larger view37. Ke2 was probably Gunsberg's only real chance, but he faltered again with: 37. Rb1?
And now, finally, Mason siezed control with:
37... Rg6!
click for larger view |
|
| Jun-29-23 | | Caissanist: Will it ever be possible to fix the differing scores in the standings list and crosstable? What is the reason for that? |
|
Jul-01-23
| | KEG: <Caussanist>The standings list for Monte Carlo 1902 is confusing because draws were counted at 1/4 point for each player and then re-played to divide up the remaining half point. In this case, the only good overview of the tournament appears in the cross-table. |
|
Jul-01-23
| | KEG: Post IV
38. Rf1?
Gunsberg was probably lost anyway, but he had to try to blunt what was coming with 38. Kd2. 38... Rg3+
This was sufficient to crush White, but far superior was 38...Rc8. 39. Rf3
Pretty much forced. 39. Kd2 Ne3 would have been even worse for White. 39... RxR+
Having played 38...Rg3+, this seems indicated, though 39...Rg7 was another good way to play for a win, in that case keeping all of the Rooks on the board. 40. gxR
click for larger viewThis was almost certainly a theoretical win for Black (Mason). But the win was far from simple and Mason repeatedly missed the strongest lines, making his task much more difficult (though equally weak play by Gunsberg kept giving him renewed chances. 40... Rh8?
40...a5 or 40...b5, seeking a Queens-side passed pawn, was surely better. 41. Ng4
Tempting, but 41. c4 was best. The text left the position as: 
click for larger view41... b5
Another weak effort. 41...b5 or 41...Rc8 or even 41...Rg8 were better. But now Gunsberg came to the rescue for Mason: 42. axb5?
He had to play 42. a5. Now the game seemed over for White: 
click for larger view42... axb5?
Huh? I cannot understand why Mason didn't jump at the chance to obtain a passed a-pawn with 42...Kxb5 43. Nf2 Ra8
This was almost certainly Gunsberg's plan in playing 42...axb5. But now White can offer tenacious resistance. 44. Kd2 Ra1
click for larger viewQuite a tough position for White to try to defend. 45. Nd3
The best try.
45... Rf1
45...Rg1 was almost certainly stronger.
click for larger viewNow that the move-45 time control had been reached, one might predict that play by both sides would tighten up. But that's not at all what happened. White's wretched pawn structure might have been feasted on by Black. But neither side appears to have evaluated the respective strengths and weaknesses of the opposing forces, and what followed was not worthy of these two veteran players, even accounting for whatever exhaustion they were suffering in this long difficult game. |
|
Jul-01-23
| | KEG: Post V
46. Ne1?
Unbelievably lame. Just about anything else would have been better (e.g., 46. Ke2; 46. Nf2, etc.). Mason could now have pressed his Queen-side edge, but instead went in for unnecessary complications: 46... d4?!
Among other things, the text helped Gunsberg repair his shattered pawn structure. 
click for larger view47. cxd4 Nxd4
"Threatening 48...RxN, etc." (Tournament Book) 
click for larger view48. Rh3?
Obviously 48. Rxh4?? RxN would lose instantly. But 48. c3 might have allowed White to offer stiffer resistance. 48... Kd5?
Giving Gunsberg renewed chances. The crusher was 48...Nf5. 49. c3?
One move too late. 49. Nd3 offered the only plausible defense. After the text, the game looked over for White: 
click for larger viewBlack now has a fairly simple win via 49...Rf2+ 50. Ke3 Re2+ 51. Kd3 RxN 52. cxN b4. But Mason erred yet again with: 49... Nf5?
Now Gunsberg have very real chances of holding with 50. Nc2. But instead he played: 50. Rh2?
This should have been the end of the road for Gunsberg: 50... Kc4!
click for larger view51. Re2
51. Ke2 or 51. Nc2 were marginally better, but White was dead here anyway. 51... Ng3
51...Rg1 was simpler. But the text also left little hope for White. 52. Rh2 Rh1
52...h3 also wins. But the Knight and Pawn ending the text forced likewise left White little to play for: 53. RxR NxR
click for larger viewWho could have predicted that 18 further moves would be played, and that Mason would nearly flub the win. |
|
Jul-01-23
| | KEG: Post VI
54. Ng2 h3
The end seemed near.
55. Ne3+ Kb3
click for larger view56. Nf1
56. f5 would not have saved the day for Gunsberg: 56...Ng3 57. Ng4 (or 57. fxe6 fxe6 58. Ng4 Nf1+ 59. Ke2 h2 60. Nf2 [obviously forced] Ng3+ 61. Kd3 h1(Q) 62. NxQ NxN with an extra piece and an easy win) 57...Nf1+ 58. Ke3 h2 59. fxe6 fxe6 60. Nf2 Ng3+ etc. 56... Nf2
56...Kb2 was perhaps simpler.
57. Ke2
Forced, and leaving:
click for larger view57... h2
This wins, as would 57...Ne4. But the fastest quickest win was the cute 57...Nd1! 58. KxN Kxc3 and White has no defense: e.g., 59. Nh2 (nothing else is better) b4 60. Kc1 Kd3! 61. Kb2 Ke3 and the lone fighting Black King carries the day. Mason's line, however, avoided the need to calculate the above line over the board. 58. Nxh2 Nh3
click for larger viewGunsberg was now temporarily a pawn to the good. But this was scant solace since his entire position was en prise. 59. Kd2 Nxf4
60. Ng4
60. Nf1 might have offered marginally stronger resistance, but the game was a lost cause for White here. 60... Nd5!
The killer...or so it seemed:
click for larger view61. Nh6
As good a try as any, but objectively hopeless nonetheless. 61... Nxc3
62. Nxf7
click for larger viewMason now had the game in hand with 62...b4! [e.g., 63. Nd6 Ka2 64. Kd3 b3 65. Nc4 b2 66. Nd2 Nd5 67. Ke4 Nd5 67. Ke4 Ne7 68. Ke3 Ng6 69. f4 Nh4 70. Kf2 Nf5 71. Kf3 Ka1 72. Kg4 Ne3+ (72...Nd4 also wins) 73. Kf3 Nf1!! 74. NxN b1(Q)]. But here Mason threw away the win [<Chessical> suggests that Mason may have been exhausted) and only ultimately prevailed only as a result of a later fatal blunder by Gunsberg. I will discuss this fascinating (but not all that well-played) finale in my next post on this game. |
|
Jul-01-23
| | KEG: Post VII
62... Nd5?
"?!"--<Chessical> "...Mason tires...allows his opponent to prolong resistance when simply pushing the passed b-pawn would have been decisive." (<Chessical>) All true, except that after the text Black can no longer win against best play, the position now being: 
click for larger view63. Ng5
63. Nd8 also holds for White.
63... Nc7
64. Kd3
64. f4 and 64. Ne4 are also sufficient to draw for White. The position after 64. Kd3 was:
click for larger view64... Ka3
This is given as the move played on this site and in the Tournament Book. An alternate source gives the remaining moves as: 64...b4 65. Ne4 Ka2 66. f4 Nd5 67. Kd2 [the losing move if this version of the game is correct White could hold here with 67. f5! exf5 68. Nd2 Nc7 69. Kc4 Ka3 70. Nb3 f4 71. Nd4 Ka4 72. e6 f3 73. Nxf3 Nxe6 74. Ne4 and draws] 67...b3 and wins After the best-reported move of 64...Ka3, the position now was: 
click for larger view65. Ne4 b4
66. Nd2 b3
67. f4 Nd5
click for larger view68. Ke4?
"68. f5! would have drawn...68...exf5 69. e6 [69. Kd4 looks even simpler--KEG] Nf4+ [or if 69...b2 70. Kd4 Nc7 71. Nc4+ Kb3 72. Nxb2! KxN 73. e7 f4 74. Ke4 draws--KEG] 70. Kc4 Nxe6 71. Nxb3 f4 72. Nd4." (<Chessical>) After 68. Ke4?, Black wins with a cute zugzwang: 68... Ne7!
69. Kd4
69. Kf3 or 69. Nc4+ would have offered marginally stronger (but ultimately futile) resistance. 69... b2
click for larger view70. Kc3 Ka2!
click for larger view71. Kc2 Nf5
click for larger viewZugzwang
0-1 |
|
|
|
|
Kibitzing
icon.