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Sultan Khan vs Vera Menchik
"Insultin' Khan" (game of the day May-22-2005)
Hastings (1931/32), Hastings ENG, rd 6, Jan-02
Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation (D35)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-11-05  Abaduba: A game between two people who weren't supposed to be any good at chess- Menchik because she was a woman and Sultan Khan because he wasn't white. so much for "supposed to"!
Feb-11-05  Shams: <Honza> your line baffles me. Why not 43.Rxc1 (?)
Feb-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: <Shams>
Look again, it would go 41. Kb1 Rdc8 42. Ra1 Rc1+ 43. Rxc1 dxc1(Q)+ 44. Ka1 Ra8#.
Feb-11-05  Albertan: Why 17.b3? After 17.b3 she could have played 17...Bd5 ie. 18.f3 Bc7 19.Bd3 h6 20.Kb1 Qf6 21.Bc1 Bg3 22.h5 Ne6 23.Bb2 Nf4
Feb-11-05  Shams: <beatgiant> I was smoking crack on this one...just ignored that black doubled rooks on the c-file. sigh.
May-22-05  ughaibu: Where's PaulLovric's mother when you need her.
May-22-05  BlazingArrow56: Honza was first by over two years. :-(
May-22-05  Alekhinelover: This is Vera's only victory over Khan,according to the database.But it's a good one.
May-22-05  Saph: Yeah, she really took it to him in this game..
May-22-05  ajile: 30.RG4 G6 31.H5 gives White some counterplay with good attacking possibilities.
May-22-05  BabsonTask: It is one of the great examples of natural justice that Becker, who suggested that any man losing to Menchik would join the "Menchik Club", became its first member. I like to imagine Vera having a glass of champagne sent to his table the evening after their game, just to say "Welcome"...
May-22-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: In all likelihood Becker did nothing of the kind. The origin of the Menchik club is just another chess legend.
May-22-05  kevin86: White discovers that 41 ♔c1 ♖d8 is a quick trip to the undertaker.
May-22-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: <ajile>
What's the followup after 30. Rg4 g6 31. h5 Nxb5? Or even 30. Rg4 Nxb5 31. Rxg7+ Kf8?
Jun-06-05  patzer2: Black's 34...a3! is an instructive winning deflection. Note that 35. bxa3?? Ra8 would be immediately decisive for Black.

Black's technique in securing an early opening plus and slowly increasing her advantage against a top tactician for a final decisive position is instructive.

Black's deflection 17...b3! seems to initiate the decisive attack. Perhaps <Honza Cervenka>'s suggestion of 17. b3!? would have held the position for White.

Mar-17-06  Whitehat1963: Is this game Menchik's greatest accomplishment or Khan's worst game?
Apr-23-06  CapablancaFan: <Whitehat1963> <Is this game Menchik's greatest accomplishment or Khan's worst game?> Funny thing is, had Vera been a man, I don't think you would have made this statement. Khan has wins over Capablanca, Euwe, Colle and Tartakower just to name a few. So to score a point against him is quite notable, especially in an era where very few women played chess. Maybe Vera was just better that day. Hard concept to grasp isn't it?
Feb-16-11  James Bowman: Nice game, steadfast and methodical, never does she seem not to be doing what she intends to be doing, a woman with a plan.
Sep-27-12  LoveThatJoker: Tremendous game from WC Menchik!

LTJ

Dec-05-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <Whitehat1963: Is this game Menchik's greatest accomplishment or Khan's worst game?>

Neither. Menchik beat even greater players, e.g. Euwe vs Menchik, 1930; Menchik vs Euwe, 1931; Reshevsky vs Menchik, 1935.

Sultan Khan lost some much worse games, e.g. E Gilfer vs Sultan Khan, 1930.

Apr-11-21  BarakSaltz: 4. cxd5 looks sufficiently sound for it to seem odd that the current game is often indicated, per free online databases, to have introduced it as a novelty.

Would anybody have a citation of an older game where the move was played?

Apr-11-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: <BarakSaltz>
I didn't find anything with the same order of moves, but we have at least 3 earlier games reach the same position after Black's 4th move by transposition:

L Weinbrenner vs A Von Rothschild, 1874

C Trimborn vs Duras, 1905

J Schulz Sr vs K Sterk, 1924

Jul-24-23  generror: <BarakSaltz & beatgiant> Yes, sounds weird that it took so long for this straightforward variation to be played. But then, we have to remember that it took those old-timers several centuries to have the cheek NOT to accept the Queen's Gambit: McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834

Of course, people may (and probably) have played all this before without it being recorded.

Jul-24-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: <generror> There are more examples if one considers transpositions later on. For example, the position after move 5 at least occurred in the famous Marshall vs Alekhine, 1924.
Oct-17-24  BarakSaltz: The following earlier game has 4. cxd5: M Wilden vs E Sapira, 1922
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