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Wolfram Bialas vs Wolfgang Uhlmann
GER-ch U20 (1951), Leipzig DDR
French Defense: Tarrasch. Closed Variation (C05)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 37 times; par: 23 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
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Sep-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: This game reminds me of another <superb> French Defence, Reshevsky vs Vaganian, 1976.

The French Defence is the same as the French horn: when it is played well it is a wonder to behold. When it is played badly you just want to puke your guts up.

Sep-21-18  malt: Got 17...B:h2+
(18.K:h2 Ng4+ 19.Kg3 R:f2 20.Qc1 Qd6+ 21.Nf4 R:f1 22.Q:f1 g5 )

18.Kh1 Bc7 19.Qd2
18.Kh1 Ng4 19.Qd2 Bc7 20.Qg5 g6 21.Bd4 Qd6 22.Qh4

Sep-21-18  Autoreparaturwerkbau: <Sep-21-18; agb2002; Black has five pieces to attack the white king, starting with 17... Bxh2+: A) 18.Kxh2 Ng4+
A.3) 19.Kg3 Rxf2
A.3.d) 20.Qc1 Qc7+ 21.Nf4 Rxf1 22.Qxf1 Qxc3 seems <to win two pawns at least.>>

The above line A.3.d) is actually a main line according to silicon brain, so it should be thoroughly researched. Your line finishes after 22...Qxc3 here:


click for larger view

with your remark that black is up 2 healthy pawns. But is he really?

Firstly, black loses d5 immediatelly after 23.Nxd5 Qe5+:


click for larger view

Now white can safely play 24.Qf4 since black cannot afford to grab a rook (black has weak back-rank and white could deliver mate-in-2 with knight and queen). After 24...Qxf4+ 25. Nxf4 Nf6 26. Rh1 white has achieved this position


click for larger view

Only 1 pawn behind but active king, active pieces. Silicon values it at -0,23 (36 ply). So, once again, today's puzzle was a <semi-spoiler>.

Sep-21-18  malt: In my line
(18.K:h2 Ng4+ 19.Kg3 R:f2 20.Qc1 Qd6+ 21.Nf4 R:f1 22.Q:f1 g5 )

White can play 23.B:h7+ K:h7
(23...Kf8 24.Bd4 Ke8 25.Re1+ Kd8 26.Bc5 Q:f4+ 27.Q:f4 )

(23...Kf7 24.Bd2 or 24.Re1 )

24...K:h7 25.Qd3+ Kg8 26.Q:d5+ looking =

Sep-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  pittpanther: Nice game. I have played the French for 30 years and Uhlmann is one of my favorite players due to his loyalty to the French!
Sep-21-18  Walter Glattke: 19.Kg3 Qh6 threatens Qh2#.20.Rh1 Qd6+ 21.f4 threatens Bxh7+ 21.-Bf5. Little advantage for black only.
Sep-21-18  Walter Glattke: Or even white wins after 21.f4.
Sep-21-18  whiteshark: 10 years later ... :)
Sep-21-18  mel gibson: I saw the Bishop move but didn't see any result.

Stockfish 9 is calling a draw:

17. Bc3 Bxh2+
(17. .. Bxh2+ (♗e5xh2+
♔g1xh2 ♘f6-g4+ ♔h2-g3 ♖f8xf2 ♗d3xh7+ ♔g8xh7 ♕d1-d4 ♕b6xd4 ♘e2xd4 ♖f2xf1 ♖a1xf1 ♗c8-d7 ♖f1-f7 ♘g4-e5 ♖f7-e7 ♖a8-e8 ♖e7xe8 ♗d7xe8 ♘d4-f5 ♘e5-c4 ♘f5xg7 ♗e8-c6 ♘g7-f5 ♘c4xa3 ♗c3-d4 ♘a3-c2 ♗d4-c3 ♔h7-g6 ♔g3-f4 ♔g6-f7 g2-g4 b7-b6 ♔f4-e5 ♗c6-d7 ♔e5xd5 ♔f7-g6 ♔d5-d6 ♗d7xf5 g4xf5+ ♔g6xf5 ♔d6-c7 ♔f5-e6 ♔c7-b7 ♔e6-d5 ♔b7xa7 ♔d5-c4 ♔a7xb6 ♔c4xc3 ♔b6-c7) +0.08/34 47)

score = 0.08 depth 34

Sep-21-18  agb2002: <Autoreparaturwerkbau:
...
Only 1 pawn behind but active king, active pieces. Silicon values it at -0,23 (36 ply). So, once again, today's puzzle was a <semi-spoiler>.>

Thanks for the constructive comment. Yes, I had the impression that I was stopping the calculation too soon but didn't have time for more.

Sep-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: ***

An inspirational game.

I'm glad I never saw till I was already set in my own pig-headed ways as a chess player unless I might have ended up as a French Player (actually, when I did play a French, approx. 12-14 times, I won more than I lost.).

In the opening post Uhlmann mentions the East German Junior Championship in Leipzig in 1951 which he won by 1½ pts.

He lost only one game Uhlmann vs H Schroeder, 1951 and this one too may have been 'a little gem in my collection.' if Schroeder had played....


click for larger view

19...gxh6.

Sep-21-18  cormier:


click for larger view

Analysis by Houdini 4

17...Bxh2+ 18.Kxh2 Ng4+ 19.Kg3 Rxf2 20.Qc1 Qc7+ 21.Nf4 Rxf1 22.Bxf1 g5 23.Bb2 Qd6 24.Qd2 Be6 25.Be2 gxf4+ 26.Qxf4 Qxf4+ 27.Kxf4 Rf8+ 28.Kg3 Nf2 29.Bf3 Ne4+ 30.Bxe4 dxe4 31.Rc1 Rd8 32.Kf4 Rd2 33.Bc3 Rxg2 34.Bd4 a6 35.Ke5 Bd7 36.Rc7 Rg5+ 37.Kxe4 Bc6+ 38.Kf4 Rd5 39.Bb2 Rd7 40.Rxd7 Bxd7 41.Kg5 Kf7 42.Kh6 Bf5 43.Bd4 Ke6 = (-0.19) Depth: 24 dpa

Sep-21-18  drollere: another way to look at it: i came on the position without looking who had the move, but when i saw a bishop trained on h2, and an open rank for the Q after Ng4+, i knew the move had to be black's.

survey says: when in doubt, hit the h pawn.

Sep-21-18  messachess: Yep. Difficult.
Sep-23-18  patzer2: As others have noted, with best play the solution to last Friday's Sep 21, 2018 puzzle (17...?) does not lead to anything more than a level position.

In the game after 17...Bxh2+! 18. Kxh2+ Ng4+ 19. Kg3 Rxf2!, White went wrong with 20. Bd2? potentially allowing 20...h5! -+ (-3.92 @ 31 ply, Stockfish 9).

Instead, White could have kept it level with 20. Bxh7+ = (0.00 @ 34 ply, Stockfish 9) or 20. Qc1 = (-0.07 @ 33 ply, Stockfish 9).

Jun-11-22  Brenin: As was pointed out nearly four years ago, after Black's classic B sac 17 ... Bxh2+ 18 Kxh2 (otherwise a P is lost) Ng4+ 19 Kg3 (otherwise 19 ... Qh6) Rxf2 (better than 19 ... Qh6 20 Rh1), White can escape the attack with 20 Bxh7+ Kxh7 21 Qd4, threatening mate on g7 and forcing 21 ... Qxd4 22 Nxd4, with a survivable position.
Jun-11-22  jrredfield: Stockfish agrees with the text move 17 ... Bxh2+ but as others have pointed out, Stockfish scores it as a draw. With 18 Kxh2 Ng4+, it still is scored as a draw. I'm analyzing where White went off the rails since his game certainly wasn't lost at this point.
Jun-11-22  CaliWest: I got it up through Rxf2, but only cuz I knew it was a puzzle. OTB I doubt i would've played Bxh2+
Jun-11-22  mel gibson: I analysed this again with Stockfish 15.

17. Bc3 Bxh2+

(17. .. Bxh2+ (♗e5xh2+ ♔g1xh2 ♘f6-g4+ ♔h2-g3 ♖f8xf2 ♗d3xh7+ ♔g8xh7 ♕d1-d4 ♕b6xd4 ♘e2xd4 ♖f2xf1 ♖a1xf1 ♘g4-f6 ♔g3-f4 ♗c8-d7 ♔f4-e5 ♖a8-f8 ♖f1-c1 ♗d7-g4 a3-a4 ♖f8-f7 b4-b5 ♘f6-d7+ ♔e5-d6 ♘d7-b6 a4-a5 ♖f7-d7+ ♔d6-e5 ♖d7-e7+ ♔e5-d6) 0.00/49 69)

score = a draw.

Where Black went wrong was not taking the pawn
Bd3xh7+

That starts a fightback which swaps Queens.

20 Bd2 was an error.
It should have been
20 Bd3xh7+

Jun-11-22  agb2002: Level 2: 21.?
Steinitz vs F Deacon, 1863


click for larger view

Jun-11-22  parch: Went for 17...B:h2+ 18.K:h2 Ng4+ 19.Kg1

(19.Kg3 R:f2+ 20.Qc1 Qc7+ 21.Nf4 R:f1 22.B:f1 g5 picking up 2 pawns)

19...Qh6 20.Be5 N:e5 21.f4 Ng4 22.Rf3 Qb6+
23.Kf1 [23.Kh1 Rf6 ] 23...Nh2+ 24.Ke1 N:f3+ 25.gf3 Re8 with a winning position.

Jun-11-22  stacase: 17...Bxh2+ pops the White King out of his hidey hole like squeezing a ripe pimple. The rest is not so easy.
Jun-11-22  Brenin: <Jredfield: I'm analyzing where White went off the rails since his game certainly wasn't lost at this point.> I think you'll find that 20 Bd2 was White's big mistake: instead, 20 Bxh7+ Kxh7 21 Qd4 or 20 Qc1 Qc7+ 21 Nf4 would have kept him alive with good drawing chances.
Jun-11-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Patty-cake buns out I Bxh2+ affect pet hate draw at best doh be yemoan craggier o u Bxh2+ ebb;
Jul-27-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Nothing Compares 2 U.
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