| Apr-10-10 | | Bobsterman3000: wow, nice continuous pressure on both flanks from Kamsky. |
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| Apr-13-10 | | melianis: yes, Kamsky sacrifices the exchange on 14th, then gets technical over b6/c6, and finally reduces the ending to a winning zugzwang. hard to find out where Langer went wrong. |
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| Apr-14-10 | | ounos: It seems to me that 48. ...Ne5 offers some chances. This is a possible continuation: 49. Rxc8 Kxc8 50. Kb6 Kb8 51. a7+ Ka8
click for larger view |
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| Nov-27-10 | | elohah: This is really a modern classic by Kamsky, who shows a lot of class here. Since the tactical play is rather complicated, it really does need good annotation as well. Meaning we're all trusting my 2:30 a.m. Jug analysis (hey, it's better than 4:30 a.m.!) Notes...
12...h6?!
13 Bxa6! Qxa6 14 Qxf7+ Kd8 15 Nd5 with three Black candidates: (1) 15...Nxd5? 16 Qxd5! reaches positions where White has several pawns for the piece, but Black's game looks pretty chronic. (2) 15...hxg5? 16 Qc7+ Ke8 17 Qxc6+ Bd7 18 Nc7+ Ke7 19 Qxd7+ wins. (3) 15...Rb7! 16 Bxb6+ Rxb6 17 Qc7+ Ke8 18 Nxb6 Bd7 , or 18 Nxf6+? gxf6 19 Qf7+ Kd8 20 Qxf6+ Ke8 reaches positions that don't seem clearly winning for White [indeed a clear plus for Black in the second position after 20...Ke8] Yet White can improve on move 14 (after 13...Qxa6) with 14 Nxf7 Rh7 (14...Na5 15 Qa2) 15 Nb5!, also threatening Nc7+. After 15...Kd7 16 Rd1, Black is in dire straits. |
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| Nov-27-10 | | elohah: 13... looks like a good move that finally threatens ...h6. But... 14 !
14... 14...Qd7 15 b4 Nc6 16 Bc4 is a mess, and Black is worse. 16...? Better is 16...Bd7 Qxf7+ Kd8 with Black still in the game. 17 Why not 17 Bxb6! Qxb6 18 Qxf7+ Kd8 19 Ne6+ Kc8 20 Nxf8! Certainly 20...Nxe4? is out, after 21 Qf5+ Kd8 22 Ne6+ Ke7 23 Nxg7!, when Black is still reamed. 19...Not too suprisingly, Black doesn't want to open the lines with 19...de here. The instinct is correct, since 20 Rd8+!! seems to win:
20...Rxd8 21 Bxb6! Qd7 (Not to b7) 22 Bxd8 Kxd8 23 Nxf7+ Kc7 24 Nxh8.
Another mess, where again, we would have to give White the nod. 21 This threatens f6 and g5, but 21...Rg8 22 Qxf6 Be7 23 Qc3 Rc8 24 Rhf1 Kf8 25 Qc4 Rg7 26 Rf5 Qd8 might start to coordinate. Black's game would still be difficult to play, especially in time pressure.
Of course 22 Qxf6 is not forced, and both 22 Rhf1 and 22 Rd4! are still strong. |
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| Nov-27-10 | | elohah: 22...? White isn't actually threatening Rxf6 here; better is 22...Rc8. 23...? Last chance for ...Rc8!
28 Tightening the screws. If Black goes back with 28...Rh6, 29 h4! wins. 33! The queenside pawns should be dangerous here.
38...It's hard to evaluate whether the B ending after 38...Nxb4 39 cxb4 Rxe4 40 Rxe4 Bxe4+ 41 Kb2 is lost or not, but it's Blacks only chance for it. 39 Not 39 Bd5? Nxb4! drawing.
44 ! Kamsky's play is just a marvel of precision thru-out this game. |
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| Nov-28-10 | | elohah: Did I miss another Tiger mate in here somewhere?
Yes, certainly 20...Nxe4?? IS out, since 21 Qd7 is MATE! (rather than 21 Qf5+) More pertinently, it looks as if Gata really should have played the sharper 17 Bxb6!, rather than 17 0-0-0. Since I'm now reduced to saying that opening the lines with 19...de is wrong just on PRINCIPLE. I no longer have actual analysis to back that up, since my suggestion of 20 Rd8+? is refuted by 20...Rxd8 21 Bxb6 Rd4! winning for Black. Switching the move order?
That doesn't work either: 20 Bxb6? Rxb6 21 Rd8+ Kxd8! (don't worry; I missed this about 3 times as well - the lesson is to keep your mind flexible enuf that you don't fixate on your tactical combos) with Black getting too much wood again - actually, White has just dumped his QB for a couple of pawns, when he was already down a piece. So...17 0-0-0 - Gata's only slip in this game. |
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sac: 14.Nb5