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Mark Taimanov vs Gregory Kaidanov
"Battle of Agincourt" (game of the day Feb-17-2013)
GMA-JAT Open (1988), Belgrade YUG, rd 3, Dec-06
English Opening: Agincourt Defense. Wimpy System (A13)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: Not with <A. Bang> but a Wimpy...
Feb-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: That's Andreas Bang, of course.

And John Cooper Clarke: "This is the way the world ends, not with a Bang but a Wimpy..."

Feb-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: Speaking of the Toilet Variation, is it true that the Barry Attack is rhyming slang (via 'Barry White') for 'Shyte'?
Sep-23-22  jrredfield: I saw the first three or four plies right away but didn't see the best continuation after that for a while.

16 ... Rxh2 17 Bf6 Qxf6 18 fxg4 Qh6 19 Qf3 f6 20 Rf2 Bxg3 21 Qxg3 Rh1+ and White is in serious jeopardy.

If 16 ... Rxh2 17 Kxh2 then 17 ... Qh4+ 18 Kg1 Qxg3+ 19 Kh1 Qh2+# (mate in 3)

Sep-23-22  Brenin: 16 ... Rxh2 is fairly obvious, since 17 Kxh2 Qh4+ leads to a quick mate. If 17 fxg4 then 17 ... Rxe3 looks better than 17 ... Bxg3 18 Qf3, and 18 Kxh2 again loses immediately to 18 ... Qh4+. Now 18 Rf3 allows 18 ... Ree2, and 18 Nf3 allows 18 ... Rxb2. Instead 18 Bf6 is a desperate but ingenious response, but Black can ignore the threat to his Q since 18 ... Rh3 19 Bxd8 Rexg3+ 20 Kf3 Rh2+ 21 Ke1 Re3+ 22 Qe2 Rexe2+ 23 Kd1 Rxd2+ Kc1 leaves Black 3P up with a totally dominating position.
Sep-23-22  mayankk06: 16... Rxh2 jumps right at you since it wrecks the pawn structure around White King while also being untouchable due to 17 Kxh2 Qh4+ threat with the g3 pawn pinned by d6 Bishop. So mate will follow soon in this line.

The only plausible alternative Black has is 18 fxg4 - grab some material while you can. Now White has two choices - Rxe3 or Bxg3. Both seem strong, Rxe3 more so due to the threat of double Rooks on the second rank. And 18... Kxh2 is still unavailable.

White can try to wiggle around a bit more but one can't imagine surviving this attack with all major Black pieces pointed at its King.

Sep-23-22  Cheapo by the Dozen: Yep. First move is easy to find because the rook is poisoned. Second move is fairly easy to find because, besides cutting the material deficit to a pretty low level, it cuts off the White king's obvious escape path, brings another heavy piece into the attack, and specifically threatens to empower the h2 rook.

After that the calculations get tougher.

Sep-23-22  sfm: In this game Taimanov could not hang in there anymore. He was 80.
But he lived 10 years more, and got quite a bit out of life, a concert pianist on the side. Probably he would have preferred that, over being another Fischer. Taimanov was never the absolute best, but he beat 6 world champions. "Taimanov married four times. He remarried late in life, and became the father of twins at the age of 78. Fifty-seven years separate his oldest child and his twins." Damn!
Sep-23-22  mel gibson: It took me about 20 seconds to see the first ply.

Stockfish 15 says:

16... Rxh2

(16. .. Rxh2 (♖h4xh2 f3xg4 ♖e8xe3 ♖f1-f3
♖e3-e2 ♕d1xe2 ♖h2xe2 ♖f3-f2 ♖e2-e6 ♘d2-f1 ♕d8-g5 ♗b2-c1 ♕g5xg4 ♗c1-f4 ♗d6xf4 ♖f2xf4 ♕g4-e2 ♖f4-f2 ♕e2xd3 ♖a1-c1 h7-h5 ♖f2-d2 ♕d3-f5 ♖d2-f2 ♕f5-h3 ♖f2-f4 ♖e6-e2 ♖f4-f2 ♖e2-e5 ♖f2-f4 f7-f6 ♖c1-d1 ♖e5-e2 ♖f4-f2 ♖e2-e6 ♖f2-f4 ♖e6-e5 ♖f4-h4 ♕h3-e6 ♖h4-f4 ♔g8-f7 ♖d1-c1 g7-g5 ♖f4-f2 ♔f7-g6 ♖c1-c2 ♖e5-e1 ♖f2-f3 ♖e1-e2 ♖f3xf6+ ♔g6xf6 ♖c2xe2 ♕e6xe2 a2-a3 ♕e2-e1) +9.73/44 591)

score for Black +9.73 depth 44.

Sep-23-22  Granny O Doul: @sfm: Granted, the age difference favored Kaidanov, but Taimanov was not quite as old as that-- in 1988 he turned 62. I gather that you read Dec-06 to mean 2006, but nope.
Sep-23-22  mayankk06: Is 18 Bf6 a trap? In the sense that does the obvious 18... gxf6 19 Kxh2 f5 (to reopen the Qh4+ threat) still not win ?
Sep-23-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Tired Tim....I have this recollection of some British players hatching this indifferent system in a Wimpy burger bar....>

It was thus attributed in a BCM article ca 1978.

Sep-23-22  sfm: <Granny O Doul: @sfm: Granted, the age difference favored Kaidanov, but Taimanov was not quite as old as that-- in 1988 he turned 62. ...> Ooops, thank you! So, still 28 years left for him, and 16 years before becoming a father again.
Sep-23-22  murkia: <sfm> Taimanov " ...a man of rare talents! He knew how to tickle the ovaries." An hilarious comment by HeMateMe from 2016.
Sep-23-22  saturn2: Funny coincidence to have just read King Henry V.
Sep-23-22  goodevans: <Cheapo by the Dozen: [...] Second move is fairly easy to find because, besides cutting the material deficit to a pretty low level, it cuts off the White king's obvious escape path, brings another heavy piece into the attack, and specifically threatens to empower the h2 rook.>

It also prevents Qf3, which would put a bit of a spanner in the works, e.g. 17...Bxg3 18.Qf3 Qh4 19.Qxf7+ and mate next move. Quite the multifaceted move.

<mayankk06: Is 18 Bf6 a trap? In the sense that does the obvious 18... gxf6 19 Kxh2 f5 (to reopen the Qh4+ threat) still not win ?>

18.Bf6 isn't a trap. It's White's best chance of survival. Black is threatening 18...Rxg3+ 19.Kxh2 Qh4# and if White prevents this with 18.Rf3 (as in the game but without playing Bf6 first) then 18...Ree2 brings down the house.

After your suggested 18...gxf6 19.Kxh2 f5, White can play 20.Rf3 (again, as in the game). This is really complicated and it's not clear whether Black is still winning at all.

Sep-23-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: U vociferous a brick Rxh2 abled it leeway abridge axled it was lug axiom jab affable v i pan bud fox brasher its Rxh2 edict :)
Sep-23-22  Chessius the Messius: 22. Nf3 Qc7 23. Qf1 Qf4 24. Ng1 Bf2 25. Qg2 Rg3 26. Qh2 Bxg1 27. Rxg1 Qf3+ 28. Rg2 Rh3
Sep-23-22  Brenin: <goodeans: After your suggested [18 Bf6] 18...gxf6 19.Kxh2 f5, White can play 20.Rf3 (again, as in the game). This is really complicated and it's not clear whether Black is still winning at all.>

I think Black does better with 19 ... Rxg3, e.g. 20 Rf5 (to prevent f5 and thus keep Black's Q out of the K-side) Qa5, or c4 followed by Qb6, to bring the Q into the attack via the Q-side.

Sep-23-22  alshatranji: The first move is easy to find, but you have to figure out what to do next. After the seemingly natural 17...Bxg3, 18.Qf3 seems to put an end to the attack. Because of this, I almost decided in favor of Bf5, with the idea of gxh4, Bxh2+. Then I saw Rxe3, and it solved al the problems. (According to Stockfish, 16...Bf5 only maintains a slight advantage, but after the correct defense 17.Rf2.)
Sep-23-22  Hercdon: Lots of complexity to address, good Friday puzzle
Sep-23-22  agb2002: This game rang a bell.

It is mentioned in Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gre...), Youtube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CME2F...) and surely a number of other places.

Sep-23-22  Cibator: <Tired Tim: Oh yes, I've read that book by Nimzowitch - "My Cistern" or something>

.... but of course he had some help in writing it from Walter John.

Sep-24-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: If I'd been playing Black I would have wet my pants after 18.Bf6. Luckily Kaidanov had a more constructive reaction.
Sep-25-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: Wonderful game -- some engine lines after 10.Bxc6


click for larger view

<lost in space: <abaduba>: 10. Bxc6 Bg4 11. f3 Rc8 12. Bxd5 Nxd5 13. fxg4 Qh4. No forced line, but the idea is clear: Black gets initiative for one pawn>

Here SF thinks it's all even after 11.Bxf6! Qxf6 12.Qxg4 Qxa1 and now any of Ke2, Qd1, or Qf5 get the triple zero eval.

After 10....Rb8, 11.Bxf6 seems to be the only way to avoid a sizeable disadvantage: 11....Qxf6 12.Nc3 Be5 13.Bxd5 (13.Nxd5 Qd6) Bxc3 14.bc Qxc3+ Kf1 and Black has compensation for the pawn.

10....Rb8 11.0-0 loses immediately to ...Bxh2+ (Black can also play ...Rb6 first). If 12.Kxh2 Black can of course regain the piece with ...Qd6+, but 12....Ng4+ is much stronger: 13.Kg1 (13.Qxg4 is as good as it gets for White; 13.Kg3 Rb6!) 13....Qh4 14.Re1? (now it's a forced mate) Qxf2+ 15.Kh1 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Qh2+ 17.Kf1 Ba6+ 18.Bb5 Bxb5+ 19.d3 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Qxg2#.

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