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Jozsef Szen vs Adolf Anderssen
"Tis The Szen" (game of the day Dec-23-2004)
London (1851), London ENG, rd 2, Jun-??
Sicilian Defense: Paulsen. Szen Variation (B44)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply) 12.exd5 Na5 13.Qc3 Qxd5 14.Nd2 Be7 15.Bb6 Bd8 16.Nc4 = +0.31 (27 ply) ∓ -2.43 (25 ply) 13...Rb8 14.Bb6 Qxb6 15.Qxb6 Rxb6 16.exd5 Bc5 17.c3 -+ -2.92 (25 ply)better is 14.Bb6 Rb8 15.Bxd8 Rxb7 16.f3 Nc5 17.Bg5 Be7 18.Bxe7 ⩱ -0.53 (26 ply) ⩱ -1.10 (28 ply)better is 15...Qc8 16.Be2 Nxc3 17.Bg4 Nc6 18.Bxc8 Nxa7 19.Bxa6 ⩱ -1.21 (27 ply)= -0.49 (27 ply) 16...Be7 17.cxd4 Nc6 18.Qxa6 Bb4+ 19.Kf1 Rb6 20.Bxf7+ ⩱ -0.85 (26 ply)= +0.44 (27 ply) 17...dxe3 18.O-O exf2+ 19.Rxf2 Be7 20.Rd1 O-O 21.Re2 = +0.08 (28 ply) ⩲ +1.50 (28 ply) 19.a3 exf2+ 20.Ke2 Be7 21.Rhd1 Qc8 22.Rac1 Qb7 23.Qxb7 ⩲ +1.42 (28 ply) 19...Bxb4 20.Nxe3 O-O 21.Rfd1 Qe7 22.Qxe7 Bxe7 23.b3 Bc5 = +0.12 (25 ply) 20.Nxe5 exf1=Q+ 21.Rxf1 Be7 22.Nc6 Qd6 23.Nxb8 O-O +- +3.38 (27 ply) ⩲ +0.79 (28 ply) 21...O-O 22.Nxe5 Qd6 23.a3 Bc5 24.Qd7 Rbe8 25.Qxd6 Bxd6 ⩲ +0.75 (30 ply)+- +4.80 (26 ply)31...Qxd5 32.Rxd5 Kxd5 33.Rc1 Bd6 34.g5 Rbe8 35.Qh6 Rd8 +- +8.42 (27 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-23-04  aw1988: A complicated game, with a terrible pun.
Dec-23-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  cu8sfan: <with a terrible pun> True, but it must be awfully hard to find a Xmas related pun every day all through December. They're doing a good job, I think.
Dec-23-04  dac1990: Tommorrow, I'll bet, will have "The Night Before Christmas" or something relevant.
Dec-23-04  clendenon: Maybe the knight before Christmas.
Dec-23-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: White really kept his cool throughout the game - he must be a Szen Master.
Dec-23-04  fred lennox: Of course one value to 0-0 is to strengthen the f2(7), the weakest sq. which remains vulnerable to black as it snarles his pieces. His rooks remain passive. He tried to activate the queens rook in Anderssen-like fashion but failed.
Dec-23-04  platonov: What Szen means in english? In hungarian, it means 'Coal'
Dec-23-04  Castle In The Sky: Tis the Szen to be Jolie?
Dec-23-04  InspiredByMorphy: Szens greetings everyone.
Dec-23-04  EnglishOpeningc4: This game is horrible!!! How is this the game of the day? It just proves that giving away material is worse than giving up tempo.
Dec-23-04  GreenDayGuy: This game wasn't that bad. There was some really nice play and tactical manuevers.
Dec-23-04  EnglishOpeningc4: Anderssen was just sacrificing for the heck of it
Dec-23-04  Skylark: I have to agree. A lot of the pawns lost were just thrown away by Anderssen, without much justification. However, what with previous GOTD's, this one is brilliant in comparison. :(
Dec-23-04  patzer2: Szen's 16. Bc4! is a very good defensive move to parry Anderssen's dangerous initiative and force simplifications favoring White.
Dec-23-04  patzer2: The pun based on the lyric "tis the season to be jolly" from "Deck the Halls" is OK. Perhaps it can serve as a reminder to enjoy the season with family and friends.

According to http://www.bellaonline.com/articles..., "Deck the Halls is based on an old Welsh tune, known back in the 1700s. Mozart was known to enjoy playing the song. The words were added in America in the 1800s."

Dec-23-04  kevin86: This is not the best game,it is OK,but not better-too bad the games have to conform with puns,instead of fitting the pun to a good game.

Did anyone head of the man who applied for a truck driver's job at a playing card company? So he could haul the decks!!

Jul-18-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: It is quite interesting to see such a modern line in such an old game. In modern times 8...Nf6 is more usual and it is played very often even at the top level of modern chess (for example, see Leko vs Svidler, 2004 ) but 8...Be6 is playable too if you can trust to Bent Larsen: Carlos Lopez vs Larsen, 2000

Anderssen's aggressive plan with early d5 (which is in general correct idea and desirable objective in all lines of Sicilian with early e5) was too ambitious here and it was calmly and precisely refuted by Szen. I would not call this game bad at all!

Jul-27-09  Knight13: 19...Be7 and then castle, goddang it! Wide open game with the king in the center wth Anderssen!
Apr-02-24  smocho: Szen missed 20. Nxe5!! After 20. ... exf1=Q+ 21. Rxf1, the dual threats of 22. Qxf7# and 22. Nc6! can't be simultaneously dealt with.

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