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Edmond MacDonald vs Amos Burn
"Crash and Burn" (game of the day Oct-22-06)
Offhand game 1910  ·  Philidor Defense: Lion Variation (C41)  ·  0-1


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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Feb-16-05   morphy234: whoa, that's an insane move.
Jun-11-06   Daodejing: Indeed Qg4 is a grat move. But I can not see, how Black can win.

I see a win for white, maybe a draw, but I think white should win after

33. ... Qg4
34. Rxg4 Nf3
35. Kg3! Nxd2
36. Rxg5 Kh6
37 Kg4 Nxb3
38. Kf5 winning for white

DDJ

Jun-11-06   borisbadenoff: Nobody said it's winning for black
As in <morphynoman2> post <"About his incredible 33...Qg4, Burn has said that it "seems to show that there is luck in chess,">

It was just luck that white didn't see the right move and why it's needed.

Jun-12-06   Daodejing: "About his incredible 33...Qg4, Burn has said that it "seems to show that there is luck in chess," because 33!.Be4 was winning.(instead of 33. Bh5

Everbody says after 33. ... Qg4!! Black is winning.

But I don't see a win for Black. I think White is winning.

Jun-12-06   RookFile: So, I don't get it. 33.... Qg4 34. Rxg4 Nf3+ 35. Kg3 Nxd2 36. Rxg5 Kh6 37. Kg4 Nxb3 38. Kf5 Nxa5

Black is up a pawn. What does white have?

Jun-12-06   Daodejing: Hi RookFile

If 38. ... Nxa5
then 39. Kf6! and White mates Black in a few moves!

DDJ

Jun-12-06   RookFile: Very interesting Daodejing, I think you're right.... RookFile
Jun-12-06   Daodejing: Even if Black plays 36. ... Kf6 (maybe more active and the black King is not seperated from his Pawns because of the white Rook), White will get very active with his King and his Rook. The black Rook on c7 is a very bad Rook and the white Pawn on d5 is dominating.

White Bishop get open diagonals and always can back to e2, to defend the important pawn on c4.

Jun-12-06   fgh: Dear god!!!!!!
Jun-13-06   Daodejing: Two possible continuations after

36. ... Kf6
37. Kg4

A)

37. ... Nxb3
38. Rg6+ Ke7
39. Kg5 Nxa5
40. Rg7+ Kd8
41. Rg8+ Ke7
42. Re8+ Kd7
43. Kf6

and Black is two Pawns up, but helpless, cause of the bad rook and the advancing h pawn.

B)

37.... Rg7
38. Rxg7 Kxg7
39. Kf5 Nxb3
40. Ke6 Nxa5
41. Be2

and the same without the rooks. White is two pawns up, but will lose his central pawns due to the active white king and the protected c pawn.

Jun-13-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Pawn and Two: After 33...Qg4 34.Rxg4 Nf3+ 35.Kg3 Nxd2 36.Rxg5, Fritz 9 at (22 ply), gives an evaluation of (-.89).

Fritz then gives the continuation, 36...Kf8 37.Rf5+ Kg8 38.Bd1 Rg7+ 39.Kh4 Rg6 40.Rg5+ Rxg5 41.Kxg5 Ne4+. More work is needed to determine the final result after 36...Kf8.

Jun-13-06   Daodejing: Thanks for your analysis Pawn and Two:

Your variation solves the problem of the bad black rook. But if most likely the rooks will be traded, White is up one pawn and now it is an endgame with Knight against Bishop, with pawns on both wings and a passed h pawn for white.

I think white should win, if he plays accurately.

DDJ

Sep-30-06   Daodejing: I think there is no way for Black to win the game.

With the pawns on both wings the white bishop should win the game for white.

33. ... Qg4 imho should not be highlighted with *!!*

Oct-22-06   sfm: Yeah, it's all said already! -,Qg4!! What a move! This time Burn probably got his pipe fired up! ;-)
Oct-22-06   PolishPentium: Surely White wins with 34 QxB+ (!).
Black must retake, or lose the Q outright, so after 34...QxQ White's 35th move 35 RxQ+ leaves White in a very good situation. After the Black King moves (interposing the N would lose it outright), 36 Kg3 leads to the very probable loss of the N anyway (all its potential escape squares being menaced by White pieces).

A caveat to all the above: i am a true chess duffer, and it is entirely possible i've made a huge mistake somewhere in the analysis. I'm particularly suspicious because no else has suggested that 34 QxB move; all my original suggestions to date in regards to other games have turned out to be flawed. However, this time i'm reasonably confident. Thus, would someone be willing to point out my flaws or confirm that i am correct? Thanks...

Oct-22-06   PolishPentium: Ooops, perhaps i posted too soon. Not surprising. After my proposed 35 RxQ+, 35...Kh3 leaves White in a bit of a bad way. Sigh. Guess it was too good to be true to expect a duffer to have insights into a position others have analyzed ad infinitum. It really sucks to be "I"...
Oct-22-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: 33...Qg4!!! a most unusual move. It is the strangest combination of interference and forking that I've ever seen. It looks like a total typo or blunder until I realize it is so good. So much for Burn being a defensive specialist!
Oct-23-06   psmith: It appears that 33...Qg4 does not win for Black and may well still lose. Nonetheless it is a brilliant move and well-deserving of its two exclams. Without this move Black has no chances at all. With this move Black is back in the game (and the psychological effect of this move must have been extremely powerful).
Oct-23-06   Suzuki50: <Daodejing><Pawn and Two> It's a kind of boomerang-combination. White began nicely but missed on the way (26. Rxg8+??). Instead it should be continued as 26. Bd4!!
Oct-23-06   syracrophy: 33...Qg4!! <34.Bxg4 Bxd2 ; 34.hxg4 Nf3+ 35.Kh3 Nd2 ; 34.Qxg5+ Qxg5 35.Rxg5+ Kh6 and white must lose his bishop>

A great example of a Novotny interference! Also see the games: Eliskases vs F Hoelzl, 1931 and Tarrasch vs Allies, 1914, for more examples of a Novotny interference. Here comes a chess puzzle with the Novotny interference theme:


click for larger view

MATE IN THREE

Feb-27-07   Daodejing: 33. ... Qg4 !?

34. Rxg4 Nf3
35. Kg3! Nxd2
36. Rxg5 Kf8
37.Rf5+ Kg8
38.Bd1 Rg7+
39.Kh4 Rg6
40.Rg5+ Rxg5
41.Kxg5

winning for white

Feb-28-07   Fisheremon: <Daodejing><Pawn and Two> How about 36...Kh8 ?
Apr-18-09   Salaskan: White is actually still winning after 35.Kg2 instead of 35.Kg3??: white will either move his king up the board and threaten to mate the black king or eat the weak d6 pawn and queen the d pawn, winning (35...Nxd2 36. Rxg5+ Kh7 37. Kg4 Nxb3 38. Kf5 Rg7 (38...Nxa5?? 39. Kf6 followed by Bf7 and Rh5#) 39.Rxg7+ Kxg7 40.Ke6 Nxa5 41. Kxd6 and white's d pawn will queen).

In the game continuation, white still has good drawing chances after 41.h6! Kg6 42.Rxf7 Kxf7 43. f4 exf4 44. Kf3 when white will either keep the black king from moving away because of the threat of the h pawn queening, or when black captures the h pawn, march up with the king and eat the d pawn (45.Kxf4 Kxh6 46. Kf5 Nb3 47. Bd3 Nd4+ 48. Kf6 b6 49. Ke7 Kg5 50. Kxd6 = )

Still, 33...Qg4 was an astonishing move that probably had a huge psychological impact on white, so it's understandable that black managed to win.

Apr-18-09   Salaskan: By the way, according to Fritz, the losing move was probably 42.h6?, giving up the g6 square and allowing black to tie white's rook to the defence of the h pawn. 41.Rg5? was a mistake as well, because it was in white's best interests to force a rook trade in the position.
Apr-18-09   Lutwidge: Whoa.
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