Pal Benko vs Tigran Petrosian (1952) A Whiter Shade of Pal

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Pal Benko vs Tigran Petrosian
"A Whiter Shade of Pal" (game of the day Mar-22-2021)
Budapest (1952), Budapest HUN, rd 11, Mar-22
Zukertort Opening: Symmetrical Variation (A04) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 · Later Kibitzing>
Aug-27-19		Honza Cervenka: One of finest Benko's games. Immediate 37.Nc4 would have been more precise, as 37.Qb7 allowed black to consolidate defense by 37...Qd8.

Mar-22-21		areknames: Racist pun. Reported!

Mar-22-21		areknames: Seriously though, fine game and pun, well done <HMM>.

Mar-22-21		An Englishman: Good Evening: Well, well, well. Someone besides me remembers Procol Harum, although had to check Wikipedia for the correct spelling.

Mar-22-21		belgradegambit: Duplicate pun Benko vs Suttles, 1964 But nice game.

Mar-22-21		carpovius: One of the finest boring game.

Mar-22-21		Brenin: Not many cartwheels 'cross the floor in this game.

Mar-22-21		perfidious: But were there any strategically timed kicks 'neath the table?

Mar-22-21		goodevans: <belgradegambit: Duplicate pun Benko vs Suttles, 1964...> Strange that such a lame and unimaginative pun should get more than one outing. The Suttles game was very nice though.

Mar-22-21		Brenin: The game does include a light fandango, namely the dance across the floor by White's Queen's knight, while his K-side brother, having tiptoed out to e5 and been elbowed by a Black pawn on f6, retreats to the safety of f3 and stays put. If you play through the game quickly, the contrast is quite amusing.

Mar-22-21		HeMateMe: Just for us 60s guys!

Mar-22-21		GlennOliver: Winning this endgame (without assistance) is by no means trivial, it requires very precise play Unless one were an endgame master like Pal Benko, of course, who probably would have found it trivial.

Mar-22-21		Nullifidian: <HeMateMe: Just for us 60s guys!> Or for us 1990s kids, because Annie Lennox released a cover of it on her 1995 album Medusa. I remember the music video being constantly played on VH-1.

Mar-22-21		Ironmanth: Love this vintage Benko game; masterful white encroachment - much to adsorb. Good comments all the way 'round, too! Y'all stay safe out there today.

Mar-22-21		AylerKupp: <Nulifidian> I'm a 60s guy and a big fan of Annie Lennox but I didn't know that she sang a version of it released in 1995 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N3...). The original, of course, was by Procol Harum and released in 1967 in their eponymous first album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TQ...). And while I was searching for Lennox's version I found a live performance by Procol Harum in Denmark in 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St6.... If you look carefully at the opening sequence you can see a glimpse of user <Sokrates> in the audience on the lawn. ;-)

Mar-22-21		Check It Out: I could still draw this ending as white.

Mar-22-21		keypusher: <Check It Out: I could still draw this ending as white.> Pfft, amateur. I could lose it. But I tried to work it out, and then checked myself with SF. It does seem pretty easy as these things go. 62....Bxa5 63.Kb5 Bc7 64.a5 Bxa5 (It doesn't help to put this off in hope of luring the White king further away: if 64.....Kd5, then 65.a6 Bb8 66.Kb6 Bd6 67.Nh4! Bc5+ 68.Kc7! Ke4 69.Kd7 Ke3 70.Ke6 Kf2 71.Nxg6 Kg2 72.h4! followed by Kxf5 and queening at least one pawn) 65.Kxa5 click for larger view Now Black's only hope is to invade the kingside before the White king can get back. But if 65....Kd5 then again 66.Nh4! Ke4 67.Nxg6 Kf3 68.Kb5 Kg2 69.h4! Kxg3 70.Kc5 and it couldn't be any easier.

Mar-22-21		Breunor: I always liked that song, but there were fanatics saying it was the greatest song of all time or of the era. I liked it but I guess with such high expectations I was disappointed. Anyway, computer seems to think black was ok after white missed 37 Nc4 as Honza mentioned. Black slipped with 39 Qb4, it prefers Qd8 followed by the bishop becoming active. Goes from 0 to 1.43.

Mar-22-21		Brenin: J. S. Bach should get a mention: I believe he contributed something to the song, though I don't suppose he got any royalties.

Mar-22-21		RandomVisitor: <Honza Cervenka> pointed out in 2019 that 37.Nc4 was more precise. More precise also is 35.Qa7, and it seems Rc7 now cannot be prevented (35...Nc6? 36.Rxc6!) click for larger view Stockfish_21031920_x64_modern: 44/60 14:46 +3.09 35...Bf8 36.Rc7 Re8 37.Rd7 Qb8 38.Rxh7 Qxa7 39.Rxa7 Re7 40.Ra8 Rc7 41.Nc4 Kg7 42.Rb8 Nd5 43.Nfd2 Rd7 44.Kf2 Be7 45.Nxb6 Nxb6 44/63 14:46 +3.12 35...Re8 36.Rc7 Bf8 37.Rd7 Qb8 38.Rxh7 Qxa7 39.Rxa7 Re7 40.Ra8 Rc7 41.Nc4 Kg7 42.Rb8 Nd5 43.Nfd2 Rd7 44.Kf3 Be7 45.Nxb6 Nxb6 44/78 14:46 +4.63 35...Qf8 36.Rc7 Rc8 37.Rd7 Kh8 38.Qxb6 Qe8 39.Qb7 Rb8 40.Qc7 Na6 41.Qa7 Ra8 42.Re7 Qd8 43.Qd7 Qxd7 44.Rxd7 Kg8 45.Nd2 f5

Mar-22-21		areknames: <J. S. Bach should get a mention: I believe he contributed something to the song, though I don't suppose he got any royalties.> This is indeed true. Those who are interested can also read about the lawsuit that Mattew Fisher, the band's former organist filed in the High Court against Brooker claiming co-authorship of the song. Fisher - now where I have heard that name before? - eventually got some recognition in terms of royalties.

Mar-22-21		RandomVisitor: After 37.Nc4 white wins a pawn but after 37...Qc6 faces a difficult ending: click for larger view Stockfish_21031920_x64_modern: <42/60 10:20 +2.11 37...Qc6 38.Qxc6 Nxc6 39.Nxb6> h6 40.Nc4 g5 41.fxg5 hxg5 42.g4 Be7 43.Kf2 Bd8 44.Ke3 Nb4 45.Ke4 Kf7 46.Ne3 Bb6 47.Nd2 Na2 41/58 10:20 +3.23 37...Qd5 38.Nxb6 Qc6 39.Qxc6 Nxc6 40.Nd7 Be7 41.Kf2 Nb4 42.Ke2 Kf7 43.Nc5 Bd8 44.Kd2 h6 45.Kc3 g5 46.Nb7 Bc7 47.fxg5 hxg5 41/68 10:20 +4.13 37...Qe7 38.Nxb6 Kf7 39.Nd7 Qd6 40.Qxf8+ Qxf8 41.Nxf8 Kxf8 42.Nd2 Nc6 43.Nc4 h6 44.Kf2 g5 45.Ke3 gxf4+ 46.Kxf4 Kg7 47.Ke3 Kg6

Mar-22-21		RandomVisitor: 38...Qd8 is drawing... click for larger view Stockfish_21031920_x64_modern: 69/20 2:48:04 -0.00 39.Kf1 Be7 40.Qc6 Kf7 41.Ke2 Bb4 42.Qb7+ Be7 43.Kf2 Ke8 44.Ne3 Qc7 45.Qa8+ Kf7 46.Nxd5 Qc2+ 47.Kf1 Qd3+ 48.Kf2 69/20 2:48:04 -0.00 39.Nfd2 Be7 40.Kf3 Kf8 41.Ke2 Kf7 42.Ne4 Ke8 43.Kf2 Nb4 44.Qxb6 Qd5 45.Nc3 Qh1 46.Qxe6 Qxh2+ 47.Kf3 Qh1+ 48.Kf2 69/5 2:48:04 -0.00 39.Kf2 Bb4 40.Kg2 Bf8

Mar-25-21		carpovius: Wow! I'm impressed that an increasing number of kibitzers talk about this boring game. Probably it is because of so rare case when an American wins a Soviet))

Mar-25-21		perfidious: <crapovius>, Benko had not yet left Hungary when this game was played.

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