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Judit Polgar vs Lev Gutman
"Headbanger" (game of the day Feb-16-2025)
Ohra Masters' Trophy (1987), Brussels BEL, rd 3, Dec-??
Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen. Classical Variation General (B83)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 12 times; par: 40 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Oct-01-05  gomickeylol: It takes good JUDITial powers to make that kind of move. Sorry, had to drop that pun somewhere :)
Oct-02-05  DutchDunce: Har. :P
Sep-15-08  Cactus: A better pun would be simply "Gutted". :)
Aug-04-13  rogl: This is Judit's first gm-scalp according to Wiki. In a recent appearance on a Swedish talk show she claims that the first gm she beat(not naming him) was so upset so that he banged his head against a wall. I guess it safe to say he really was Gutted.
May-04-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Nicht Gut!
May-04-15  john barleycorn: Mann-o-Mann, Gutman !
May-05-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: After 27...Qb6+ 28.Kh1 Ke8 with next 29...Kd7 black consolidates the position and with two minor pieces for Rook and Pawn he has clear advantage.
May-05-22  goodevans: <29...Qb6+ 30.Kh1 Qf2> is also clearly good for Black but <30.Kf1 Qe3 31.Re1 Qd2 32.g3> is very complicated.


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Against <32...Nd5 33.Bh7> SF gives <33...Bc5> as a win for Black. Got to be brave to play that though!

May-05-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  sleepyirv: <Gut Punch>
May-05-22  ragtag: <rogl: the GM was so upset so that he banged his head against a wall.> I have heard from a reliable source that 35 years later he still behaves like that in defeats, only that he insults his opposite in Russian in the worst way. <Gutter Lev>
Nov-17-22  Messiah: Yesterday I talked with Judit and she confirmed that it was definitely Gutman who banged his head, but not against a wall, against the frame of a door instead, after this game, while walking towards an elevator.
Nov-17-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: Was the door frame O.K.?
Nov-17-22  Messiah: <fredthebear: Was the door frame O.K.?>

We can only hope. 🙏🙏🙏

Nov-17-22  stone free or die: <Messiah: <fredthebear: Was the door frame O.K.?> We can only hope. 🙏🙏🙏>

The door was wide open for this <CG> humor - but it seems a bit unfair to Gutman, even if true.

But is it?

Judit can be heard here (~17:50) actually discussing it herself.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w...

(BBC "The Conversation" - Polgar and Hou from 2018-07-02)

Remember she's just 11 yo, and got the story second-hand (hearsay evidence). And the way she told it the GM was banging his head against an elevator door.

But she recalls these details about the game,

<"It was a very complicated game, er ..., it was very tactical, very complex, it was more than 40 moves, it took more than four hours ...">

So the story is a bit foggy, understandable since so long ago.

And it changed quite a bit too, if <Messiah> is to be believed.

Nov-18-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: Always. Honest people get suspended for complaining about sock puppets because sock puppets have corrupt friends.
Nov-18-22  stone free or die: At it again <fred>?

Guess you don't have much else to contribute...

Nov-18-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  moronovich: Some people can´t help but embearass themselves.

Next is running to Peterepete.

Feb-16-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: If I lost to an 11 year-old, I would also bang my head against a wall or door frame or anything. If I knew how famous she would become, I would ask her to put a kind note on the scoresheet and frame it.

According to SF the last chance for Black to keep it level was 32...Qh7 forcing the Queen trade. After 33.Qxh7 Bxh7 34.c3 c5 (else loses the d8 B) 35.cxd4 cxd4, Black is an exchange down but has the Bishop pair and three connected Pawns of which two passed (=0.0 at 52 ply).


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Feb-16-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Imagine having the talent to see such an attack so far in advance.
Feb-16-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  igiene: The Stockfish"s note to 3. d4 is very disturbing to me. What hell means " 3. c3 is better"??
Feb-16-25  Damenlaeuferbauer: The fact, that Lev Gutman banged his head against a wall, a door frame or an elevator (several versions), explains all his games after 1987!
Feb-16-25  goodevans: <igiene> It’s not the first time that SF’s pronouncements on the opening have been found wanting. It doesn’t help that the evaluation was made by an old version of SF but the main thing is that, unless someone’s made a blunder in the opening, we’re not interested in what SF has to say about their choice of variation. Worse than that, we find it obtrusive, distracting, ridiculous and downright irritating.

I, <FSR> and others have all commented to that effect on many occasions but it seems we’re stuck with them. Apparently there’s nothing that any human can do to stop these declarations on the opening from cluttering what might otherwise be helpful engine annotations. If there was then obviously someone would have done it by now.

Feb-16-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Check It Out: Exciting and slashing play as to be expected by Judit Polgar. I get the pun now; I can imagine Gutman, dazed by the crushing game, walking into a wall.

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