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Yifan Hou vs Levon Aronian
Tata Steel Masters (2015), Wijk aan Zee NED, rd 8, Jan-18
Italian Game: Classical Variation. Greco Gambit Traditional Line (C54)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-18-15  Severin: This game makes both of these cellar dwellers look bad. Aronian blundered his way to a loss and Hou blundered away her win.
Jan-18-15  ManicSquirrel: Sorry, I've just woken up so maybe I'm a bit out of it still, but where are the win/loss blunders you mention?
Jan-18-15  Severin: Sorry. I would have been more specific, but I'm at work. I forget where Aronian blundered, but Hou made a mistake at move 42; Rd6+ was correct. After that, the game was drawable.
Jan-18-15  ManicSquirrel: Ok, yes maybe 43 Rd6 was stronger but it certainly wasn't a blunder.

In general I think the term 'blunder' gets thrown around too often. It is one I would probably reserve for moves that were simple oversights of otherwise obvious moves and ones that fundamentally altered the evaluation of the position.

Overall this seems like a fairly solid game and nothing either Aronian or--even more so--Hou need be ashamed of.

Jan-19-15  Ulhumbrus: After 18 Kf2 Black has one permanent advantage, namely, the superior minor piece in the form of his QB.

White will have to try to avoid the danger of entering an inferior endgame with a knight against a bishop for the rest of the game.

Instead of 18...Nd8, 18...b6 prepares to develop the QB by ...Bd7

Instead of 20...a5, 20...b6 prepares to advance the c pawn. Why does Aronian keep his c pawn back? One conceivable explanation is that technical moves from the point of view of the endgame will sometimes appear antipositional from the point of view of the middlegame as in one of Smyslov's games, eg the game Browne vs Smyslov, 1982

Jan-25-15  beenthere240: I thought the opening was entertaining and that Hou played very well. Carps that she isn't as "good" as J. Polgar are inane, IMO.
Feb-24-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: The venerable Giouco 🎹.

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