Jan-09-08
 | | patzer2: White's 13. 0-0-0!? has got to be one of the most amusing exchange sacrifices I have ever seen. One would think that with the prospect of the Queen and Rook being pinned by the Bishop that queenside castling is the last thing White should consider. Well surprise, surprise surprise as Gomer Pyle used to say! White gives up the exchange, but gets more than ample compensation with two pawns and a piece for the Rook, plus the fact that Black winds up with all four pawns isolated, versus six strong pawns on the White side. It's also instructive just how quickly White manages to convert this advantage to a win. It is indeed an instructive and entertaining game. |
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Jan-09-08
| | patzer2: How could a move like 13...Bg4? that looks and feels so right be so wrong. It pins the Queen, wins the exchange and appears to gain tempo. However, it actually wrecks the Black pawn structure and gives White a fairly easy Queenless win with a game-long initiative, despite being the exchange down. Instead, 13...Nxe4 seems to offer the best defense. Playing it out move-by-move with Fritz 8, I came up with 13...
Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Re8 15. Qd3 a5 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qc3 Bf8 18. Qxc6 a4 19. Rhe1
Rxe1 20. Rxe1 axb3 21. axb3 Qd8 22. Re4 Rb8 23. Rg4 Kh8 24. h3 Qe7 25. Re4 Qg5+
26. Kb1 Qxg2 27. Qxc7 Qh1+ 28. Ka2 Ra8+ 29. Ra4 Kg8 30. Rxa8 Qxa8+ 31. Kb1 Qh1+
32. Bc1 Qxh3 33. Be3 $14) 14. Nxc6 Bxf3 15. Nxe7+ Kh8 16. Nxc8 Bxd1 17. Nxf6
Rfxc8 18. Rxd1 gxf6 19. Bxf6+ Kg8 20. Rd3 Re8 21. Rg3+ Kf8 22. Rg7 Re1+ 23. Kb2
Rc8 24. Rxh7 Ke8 25. g4 c5 26. g5 Rf1 27. h4 Rxf2 28. h5 Rh2 29. h6 Rc6 30.
Rh8+ Kd7 31. h7 Rxf6 32. gxf6 Rh3 33. Rg8 Rxh7 34. Rg7 Rh5 35. Rxf7+ Ke6 36.
Rxa7 Kxf6 37. Rd7 Ke6 38. Rd2 Rh3 39. c4 Rh5 40. a4 Rg5 41. Ka3 Rg1 42. Rd5 = (0.22 @ 15 depth). |
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Jan-09-08
 | | Bobsterman3000: Thanks for the commentary <patzer2> |
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Jan-09-08
 | | Gilmoy: The Rd3-g3-g7 theme to grab the h-pawn with queening threats on h is like Carlsen's Re4-g4-g7 in Carlsen vs Aronian, 2007. After 11..dxe4, Black's pawns are already wrecked. Perhaps he thought 11..O-O 12.e5 Ne8 was too passive? |
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Jan-09-08
| | patzer2: <Bobsterman3000> You're welcome. |
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Jan-09-08
| | THE pawn: Why 23...Rc8?! instead of just a5? It seems to lose tempo in an already lost battle. Anyway, this is really a fascinating positionnal sacrifice. |
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Jan-09-08
| | patzer2: After 23...a5, 24. Rxh7  mates or wins the Rook with the back rank skewer to follow. The purpose of 23...Rc8 was to allow the King to protect the Rook on d7 after white's coming Rxh7 and threatened Rh8+. |
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| Jan-10-08 | | khursh: <patzer2: Instead, 13...Nxe4 seems to offer the best defense.> I wonder how attack and defense are defined in chess. So O-O-O is an attacking move? The real attacker is white knight on d4 but it needs to unguard the c6 pawn. So O-O-O was a temptation move to allow further attacks. Castling is usually defined as a defensive move or prophylaxis, however it may change its role. I remember Kasparov castled ones with the purpose of its rook to attack in one game. |
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| Jan-10-08 | | Atking: White opening concept (5.Ne2~13.0-0-0) is very interesting. 16...NxNe4? 17.gxN Nxf2 18.Rhg1 f6 19.Rd7. As Patzer2 noted 13...NxNe4 was the last time to keep the balance. Still White is a bit better. Maybe Black went wrong when the concession of open line for the Bb2 was made 6...exd?!. The gambit line 6...0-0!? or the solid 6...Nd7 could be my choice. |
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| Jan-10-08 | | hovik2003: Beside 13.0-0-0! which sets up the vicious trap for black to play 13...Bg4?, I liked more quiet and solid move on 33.Rg8! which blows up to the wind all the hopes of equality black summoned after 31...Rxf6! giving the exchange back. |
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| Jan-10-08 | | Riverbeast: Minasian loves playing this funky stuff...I remember once someone referred to him as an 'advanced coffeehouse player'...VERY advanced, it seems Actually, his style reminds me of Bent Larsen |
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Jan-10-08
| | THE pawn: I love when I make stupid comments only to realise it a day late. |
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Jan-15-08
 | | whiteshark: As best defence <20...h5> should be analysed. Idea is playing Kh7-g6. Here the king is well placed against white's pawn majority on the kingside.
click for larger view |
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sac: 14.Nxc6
and 
buttons, but it's much easier to simply use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.