Sep-28-10
 | | perfidious: In an interview after this event, Larsen declared that for Rogoff not to grab the pawn at b2 was 'stupid' after playing ....Qb6. Hard to diasgree with his assessment, as I don't see anything concrete for White, though he has an advantage in development after 10....Qxb2 11.0-0. This variation went into the shades as the result of this game and was replaced by the odd-looking 7....Be6, intending ....g6 and ....Bg7, which I played several times in the 1980s. |
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| Apr-01-11 | | drnooo: the position before the rook sac would make a good puzzle for tuesday easy but interesting |
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Jun-25-11
 | | FSR: <perfidious> Yes, 7...Be6 is strong like bull. I once beat some 1900 in about 19 moves with it. I only played the Caro-Kann a few times, but never lost with it. Drew two masters and an expert, beat the rest. I am firmly of the belief that Black should play 1...c something against 1.e4. Usually I play two squares, but one is good too - and definitely more solid. |
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Jun-25-11
| | perfidious: <FSR> You don't like pushing the e-pawn after 1.e4? One square or two was always good for me, too. In 1975-78, the Najdorf Sicilian was almost all I played, but I took a lesson with Edmar Mednis just before going on an overseas trip with my team in fall 1977, who advised it would be better to try something else. Nine months on, Gligoric featured a Caro-Kann in his Game of the Month and I decided to have a go. |
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Jun-25-11
| | FSR: <perfidious> Of course that's playable too. I used to play 1...e5 in my youth and got thrashed a lot, since I was weak (big surprise). When I got better I didn't like it because (a) I remembered getting thrashed all those times and (b) I thought it wasn't unbalancing enough, for example if White plays the Four Knights. I never got into playing the French because I (a) didn't like shutting in my QB and (b) was afraid White would play the Exchange Variation. |
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Jun-26-11
| | perfidious: <FSR> Speaking of phobias after a traumatic experience in an opening: During my days of regularly playing 1.e4 (1972-75), I had a nasty go against the Winawer Poisoned Pawn. The guy absolutely exploded the centre and left my king position in tatters. Never again, I saith!
For all that, never started playing the French till '84, using my typical seat-of-the-pants method. Having an eidetic memory was useful (for that, at least). As to the 4Ns, I generally played the Rubinstein, as in one of my ~40 games with John Curdo, he played the deadly dull line with an early Bxc6 exchange. So much for the Metger Unpin or any other interesting deviation. In a late game with John, here's the first time I played the Rubinstein: though it didn't go so well for me, nice game. J Curdo vs A Shaw, 1996 |
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May-21-12
 | | GrahamClayton: Allowing the a-pawn to advance seems an error - should Rogoff have played 19...a5 instead? |
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| May-21-12 | | SimonWebbsTiger: Larsen already considered white winning after 16. b4 (Informator 25/209) |
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| Aug-03-12 | | backrank: A good Tuesday puzzle after 22 ... Kxb7:
click for larger view23 Rxa7+!!
I. Kc8 24 Ba6#
II. Kb6 24 Ra6+ Kb7 25 Qxc6#
III. Kxa7 24 Qxc6 hxg3 (the only move to prevent immediate mate is Qa5) 25 Ra1+ Kb8 26 Ra8# This game seems to have been a very easy one for Larsen. |
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| Jun-22-17 | | Howard: This game took place in the final round, and it enabled Larsen to clinch clear first, in his first appearance at Lone Pine. |
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| Oct-27-18 | | Granny O Doul: As I recall, Larsen said something like "I offered a pawn where, if he doesn't take it, then his last move was stupid." |
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Kibitzing
