Vasily Smyslov vs Pia Cramling (1996) London Bridge Is Cramling Down

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Vasily Smyslov vs Pia Cramling
"London Bridge Is Cramling Down" (game of the day Nov-25-2009)
Women-Veterans (1996), London ENG, rd 7, Aug-22
King's Indian Attack: Smyslov Variation (A05) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Nov-25-09		jussu: English is not my mothertongue - could a bridge be "crumbling down"?

Nov-25-09		alterego: I think they should just lay off the puns and show the games.

Nov-25-09		playground player: Fascinating piece of history: London Bridge didn't fall down--it was pulled. The origin of the song recalls a viking attack on London in the early 11th century, led by Olaf Haraldsson, whose men destroyed the bridge. He is now revered as St. Olaf, patron saint of Norway.

Nov-25-09		Chessmensch: There was a succession of London Bridges over two millenia. In the late 60's the penultimate one was bought and rebuilt in Arizona where it is the second largest tourist attraction in the state (first, of course, is the Grand Canyon). See the detailed article in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London...

Nov-25-09		Gypsy: <Why is this GOTD - just for the sake of a silly pun? > The trap that Smyslov set is moderately famous. At least, I saw it once in book of puzzles by Leonard William Barden.

Nov-25-09		RandomVisitor: White missed the promising continuation 34.Nxb7! Nf4 35.Ba1 Nxg2 36.Kxg2 Bxe5 37.Bxe5 Qxe5 38.Qf3 Ne6 39.Qxc6 Nd4 40.Qd5 Qxd5+ 41.cxd5 where black is in deep trouble.

Nov-25-09		FSR: <Gypsy> It's a cheap trap, not what you expect to see in a GM game. 92...Nf4?? 93.Bb2# would have at least been amusing. Until 92...Ba7??, Polgar had been risking no more than a draw. She would have been fine after, e.g., 92...Kf6. She could even have played 92...Nxc5 and offered a draw. Two bishops versus one knight is a theoretical win. Two bishops versus one bishop in any normal position (like this one) is a trivial draw.

Nov-25-09		FSR: <RandomVisitor> I don't understand your analysis. After 34.Nxb7, wouldn't Black play 34...Bxe5? And after your move 34.Nxb7 Nf4, wouldn't White take the knight: 35.gxf4 Qxf4+ 36.Kg1 Qc1+ 37.Bf1?

Nov-25-09		RandomVisitor: <FSR>After 34.Nxb7 Nf4 35.gxf4 Qxf4+ 36.Kg1 Qc1+ 37.Bf1 Qg5+ is perpetual check, while 36.Kh1 Qc1+ 37.Kh2 Bh6 is winning for black. After 34.Nxb7 Bxe5 35.Bxe5 Qxe5 36.Na5 c5 (36...Nd4 37.Nxc6 ) 37.Nc6 Nd4 38.Nxd4 black has some big problems.

Nov-25-09		beatgiant: <RandomVisitor> Smyslov probably chose 34. Qb2 to protect f2. What did you find after 34. Nxb7 Qxf2?

Nov-25-09		RandomVisitor: <beatgiant>After 34.Nxb7 Qxf2: 1: Vasily Smyslov - Pia Cramling, 07, Foxtrot, London ENG 1996 click for larger view Analysis by Rybka 3 : <20-ply> <1. ± (0.99): 35.Qb2> Qxb2 36.Bxb2 Na6 37.Bc3 Nb8 38.Na5 c5 39.b5 Nd7 40.Nc6 Kf8 41.Bd5 Ke8 42.Kg2 Nc7 43.Bf3 Ne6 44.Kf2 Nb6 45.Be2 Nd8 46.Nxd8 Kxd8 47.Ke3 Kc7 48.Ke4 Nd7 2. ± (0.83): 35.Qd1 h5 36.h4 g5 37.Qf3 Qc2 38.hxg5 Nxg5 39.Qe3 Nge6 40.Na5 c5 41.Nc6 cxb4 42.Nxe7+ Kf8 43.Bxb4 Qxc4 44.Ba3 Qa6 45.Nf5+ Kg8 46.Bd6 Ne8 47.Bb4 Qa1

Nov-25-09		Check It Out: That was an intense game. I bet they were exhausted afterwards. King's Indian Attack, Smyslov variation; I wonder if 3.b4 is the defining move? White's e5 pawn was a thorn in black's center for a long time. Black's queen shuffling from 21-26 was odd, 6 moves in a row, one square at a time, only to end up where she started. Black must certainly have felt good going into the endgame a pawn up against the master Smyslov, only to realize horrible shock after 92...Ba7 93.Bb2+ that a piece and the game is lost. I'm a bit surprised Cramling didn't make Smyslov pull off the two bishop's mate by playing 101...Bxc5 - after all, they'd gone that far, why not all the way? It may have been considered rude, however. There were a lot of moves I didn't understand in this game; a lot of the piece shuffling was mysterious to me. Educational game.

Nov-25-09		WhiteRook48: 91...Ke5??

Nov-25-09		Jimfromprovidence: When all is said and done, what makes this game interesting is that even though 92...Ba7? loses a piece, there is a consensus that black can still draw with 96...Kg3. click for larger view It looks like 96...Kf3 draws as well. 97 Bxc6+ Kf2 below, lets black control e1. click for larger view

Nov-25-09		waustad: Here we have two faves having it out. I've always loved Smyslov's games and Cramling was the ultimate chess babe when I was younger. How often do we see somebody losing because of trying to win a drawn game?

Nov-25-09		waustad: <check it out>Maybe the B+N, but the 2B is trivial and it is Vassily Smyslov! We're not talking about a 1600 in a weekend Swiss.

Nov-25-09		Richard Taylor: It looks to me as though Cramling could have drawn easily earlier but maybe she was trying to win. Smyslov is a favourite player of mine. I feel he was at his best a better player than Fischer or Botvinnik and many others. Even Kasparov.

Nov-25-09		Richard Taylor: Common sense should have guided both to take a draw after move 60 or something. Unless big money was at stake...

Nov-25-09		AnalyzeThis: I'm sure that Smyslov would have taken the draw, a pawn dawn, if Cramling offered one.

Nov-25-09		waustad: She could have forced the draw.

Nov-25-09		beatgiant: <RandomVisitor> After 34. Nxb7 Qxf2 35. Qb2, of course Black won't trade queens with 35...Qxb2? but will try for kingside counterplay such as 35...Qf5 (on 35...Qe3 36. Qd2 looks like it stops the counterplay). For example, 34. Nxb7 Qxf2 35. Qb2 Qf5 36. Bxc6 h5 37. h4 g5 38. hxg5 h4, busting up the kingside. I've looked at a few lines, but haven't found a way for White to consolidate to a clear win. Of course, Rybka 3 can probably do a better job analyzing this....

Nov-26-09		beatgiant: <Jimfromprovidence> 96...Kf3 transposes to the line I gave above after 97. Be1 Kg2 98. Bh4 Kf1 99. Bh3+ Kg1 100. Bg3, when White corners Black's king but apparently can't make further progress.

Dec-06-09		SugarDom: sigh.... Why do i always have to explain my puns? crumbling is another word for falling... It's a double pun actually coz the game was played in London...

May-07-11		meppi: 92. Nxc5? dont this make a draw in all variations? (1 bishop + K vs 2 bishops +K?) but then again who am i to critique the games of chess elders i enjoy this game immensely if you were to show me the position at move 77 and say white is to win, i would not believe you, but there was very good traps here to snatch away the win like a secret thief

Jun-15-19		joddon: after move 75...Symslovs Bishops seem trapped off to the side of the board....a spectacular fight from him to change to power of his pieces in the end to win!!!!!!!!!!! he was a great World Champion indeed....only such players know how to convert losing positions into winning ones in no time....gg!

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