| Feb-09-06 | | Resignation Trap: The Helsinki Olympiad of 1952 featured the debut of the USSR Team, and the winners of the gold medal were not in doubt. But Argentina and Yugoslavia were both in running for the silver medal. According to Gligoric: "Najdorf 'the king of South-American chess' tried to defeat me with White on top board, but I put up a stubborn defense. When, in the decisive phase of the game I was thinking about my reply, I was unexpectedly subjected to a cheerful conversation in Spanish between Najdorf and somebody else, right behind my back. Nevertheless, I managed to find a good move and Najdorf, as if in a trance, sat down, played his move offering me a pawn and then at once slapped his forehead as if realising he had just made a 'blunder'. I naively fell into the trap and, being in time pressure, grabbed the pawn [39...Nxe4??] after which Najdorf grabbed - a whole piece. Even the conservative Paul Keres , who watched the whole scenario, couldn't stop himself from laughing, and perhaps I would have seen the funny side, too - since the bubbly Najdorf's childish pranks were in a way cute - if it hadn't been me who had just been defeated!". |
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| Feb-09-06 | | who: I don't understand why Gligoric thinks 38...d3 was such a good move. |
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| Jan-10-12 | | wordfunph: <Resignation Trap> one more time.. "He was disappointed with my move because it didn't give him the chance to win. Then he made a tricky move which offered me a pawn, and at the same time he clapped his hand to
his head as if repenting of what he had done. I was very naïve and, in time trouble, I took the pawn. Immediately he captured a piece and so I lost the game. I was a little bit annoyed with that comedy. Najdorf is like a child --- he thinks he is cunning, but I was rather offended by
that trick."
- GM Svetozar Gligoric |
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| Apr-24-17 | | Granny O Doul: I'm a bit confused, too. If 39. Nd3, capturing a pawn two moves away from promoting, looks like a blunder, what instead would be a normal safe move? |
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| Apr-24-17 | | ChessHigherCat: <Granny O Doul: I'm a bit confused, too. If 39. Nd3, capturing a pawn two moves away from promoting, looks like a blunder, what instead would be a normal safe move?>
At that point, any self-respecting chessplayer would have adopted Najdorf's tactics, shouting "What the hell is that?" and pointing towards the door, while discreetly pocketing the pawn on d3. Either that or play Nb3. |
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| Apr-24-17 | | RookFile: I think what Gligorich is saying is Najdorf baited him into play ...Nxe4 with black. After all, after 40. fxe4 Qxe4+ black recovers his piece. Instead, Najdorf played 40. Qe3, winning the game on the spot. |
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Apr-24-17
 | | keypusher: <RookFile: I think what Gligorich is saying is Najdorf baited him into play ...Nxe4 with black. After all, after 40. fxe4 Qxe4+ black recovers his piece. Instead, Najdorf played 40. Qe3, winning the game on the spot.> Yes, surely that's right. But equally surely, 38....d3 is a bad move that loses a pawn for nothing, right? And if White didn't have 39.Nxd3, he'd be in big trouble, right? I think that's what Granny was getting at. In any case, Gligoric's comment is hard to understand, at least if Black's 38th move is bad and White's 39th move is forced. |
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| Apr-24-17 | | ChessHigherCat: <Keypusher:
In any case, Gligoric's comment is hard to understand, at least if Black's 38th move is bad and White's 39th move is forced.>Why isn't 39 Nb3 possible? Nc4 40. Qf2? |
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| Apr-24-17 | | ChessHigherCat: Or better 39. Nb3 Nc4 40. Qb8+ ... 41 Qf4 to keep the black Q from getting to the diagonal first, although black can force a trade with Qg5 and it will probably be necessary to trade the N for the pawn anyway. |
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| Apr-24-17 | | ChessHigherCat: <keypusher> Is this more pinko liberal propaganda? (whoops, wrong forum :-) |
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Apr-25-17
| | keypusher: <chesshighercat> I got curious and showed the position to Shredder. 38....d3 39.Nb3 Qf6 is hopeless for White (40.Nd2 b5! with the idea of ...Nc4 eventually). The engine also confirmed that 38....d3 was a mistake; Black was better after 38....Qc7. |
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| Apr-25-17 | | ChessHigherCat: <keypusher> Ok, thanks! I guess this is one of those rare cases where the commy liberal line Qf6 is more powerful than the all-American Nc4 defense. Somebody must have fluoridated the water. Just kidding, what a curse those mindless political buzzwords are! |
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Kibitzing
