Mar-05-20
 | | Fusilli: Giardelli was known to take risks and being resourceful, and he shows both traits here against our dear <vonKrolock>. White had the best game, hands down, by move 24. Taking on e7 seems to relieve pressure. But then White got seemingly overconfident, and got caught unprepared for the psychologically disruptive 30...Nhxg4. 
click for larger viewThe computer says 31.Qc4 with approximate equality. White may have not seen any kill, so he took the knight. But the strength of the sac is not an immediate kill, but the poor coordination of White's pieces. Most notably, the queen cannot come back to defend effectively. The rest of the game shows black calmly improving his pieces while creating threats (he even has time to push the h-pawn) and White scrambling to defend and coordinate. Instructive game. |
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| Mar-08-20 | | vonKrolock: Dear <Fusilli>! Thanks for the comment and analysis. When the game finished, I met the local kibitzers outside the playing room (the 'aquarium' in the CXC). One of them was Mauro de Athayde, a very strong player and analyst, he said immediately: "How could You not at least draw this game after 31.Qc4!". So exactly Your point... ...but another critical moment came yet a few moves later: After 34.Rc4 
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We both were then short of time, but he had at least a pair of minutes, while the arrow in my clock was already "up", as we used to say, meaning that I had seconds left before the fortieth move... A this point I was expecting the check at h1, Qf1 and Qf3, then Qe2 etc. But Giardelli's move 34...Rd8 
click for larger view surprised me. He's threatening Qh1 check Qf1 Rd1 check!! So I reacted with 35.Rc1. That was in fact a blunder. The alternative 35.e4! was correct, and then the position would be quite defensible. "No pasa nada" as You say... (And even possibly won for White with the extra Bishop and soon b4 falls and the h5 Pawn is not enough compensation for Black.) Yes, Giardelli was very resourceful, his ability to attack with a piece down and turn the game to a whole point for him is remarkable: 35...Ne4!! etc (as the Master of Go would say: 'Your adversary's good spot is also YOUR good spot...' |
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Mar-08-20
| | Fusilli: Yep, the fulcrum of a psychologically instructive game is the existence of strong moves that would unravel the whole thing, but the player on the defensive is psychologically unable to see them :) I have plenty of experience with that myself! Not only being short on time was a big handicap for you, but I imagine the turnaround of the tables (your position was so superior 10-15 moves earlier) must have been hard to cope with. After the correct 35.e4:
click for larger view...I suspect Giardelli would have gone for 35...Qe6. Your rook can't move or the b3 falls, and your two minor pieces are immobilized. It looks like the black queen wants to go to h3 (threatening the b3), which looks scary (especially in the psychological situation described). The instinctive response is 36.Qf3, isn't it? (It has the benefit of freeing the rook.) But then 36...g5 (another blitz move) is annoying--and scary. I'm sure you could have objectively saved it, even win it, but the "human factor" odds were against you :( It reminds me of something Panno, with his cheeky sense of humor, used to say: "And in this position both players are worse." BTW, Giardelli was probably the most beloved player of his generation in Argentina. Friends with everyone, such a nice guy. Did you get to hang out with him at all? |
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| Mar-09-20 | | vonKrolock: You grasps very well the essence of this little psychological drama... Well, then 36.e4 Qe6! 37.Qf3! looks right, then I would have just three moves to reach the time control, and enough short moves with the King, Queen or Rook take b4. I see he could still try to charm out an attack combining the activity of his well placed Rook with an advance g5-g4(as You pointed out), or even h5-h4-h3, and eventually activate also his Knight. But nothing as scary as the actual sequence after that disastrous switchback move of my Rook. And I could also slowly improve the placement of my own pieces, Ra4-a7, or a2, a1 if necessary etc Giardelli was hired in the early 80s by the appliances manufacturer Refripar (today Electrolux), to represent the Company in various Chess events, and he lived here part time during those Years. No, I was already mostly away from the Chess life here... but yes, he was very kind, amiable. I'm sure he left good friends and a very positive image here. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 30...Nhxg4
