Alexander Alekhine vs John Drewitt (1923) Almost Drewitt

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Alexander Alekhine vs John Drewitt
"Almost Drewitt" (game of the day Jan-22-2010)
BCF Major Open (1923), Fratton ENG, rd 10, Aug-23
Zukertort Opening: Santasiere's Folly (A06) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 73 times; par: 39 [what's this?]

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

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 3 OF 4 · Later Kibitzing>
Oct-11-07		mikejaqua: From the end position, how does white proceed if black moves 23 ... f5 ?

Oct-11-07		MostlyAverageJoe: <mikejaqua> Be5, threatening Rh8 in the next move.

Oct-11-07		patzer2: Alekhine plays a demolition of pawn structure combination, beginning with 20. Bxh6+!!, for today's puzzle solution. See <Random Visitor>'s first post here for Rybka's 20-ply analysis of the best follow-up moves. I personally selected the 22. Qh5 follow-up, because I simply couldn't visualize the complicated winning lines after 22. Bxg7 f6!? Apparently Alekhine also had trouble with the analysis to the followup to 22. Bxg7 (after 22...f6) as pointed out in <micartouse>'s post.

Oct-11-07		whiteshark: Once I played a ♗♗ sacrify in a corr game. Still an uplifting and vivid memory.

Oct-11-07		pawnofdoom: I sort of got this one. I found 20. ♗xh7+ ♔xh7 but the next few moves in my variation were faulty. I went for the all out attack and thought up 21. ♖h3+ ♔g8 (21. ... ♔g8 22. ♕g5+) 22. ♕h5 (Δ ♕h8#) f5 23. ♕h8+ ♔f7 24. ♕xg7+ ♔e8 25. ♕g8+ ♔d7 (25. ... ♕f8 26. ♕xe6+ ♕e7 27. ♖h8#) 26. ♖h7 winning a queen for compensation. But then I saw the move 22. ... f6! instead of f5 which I believe stops everything. Any ideas?

Oct-11-07		Veroth: I completely do not get 20 ... Kxh7, and would be shocked to see it played on the board. e8 and d7 are calling for the black king. 20 Bxh7 is certainly white's best move, and Bxg7 is an obvious possible followup, but I hardly expect black to walk into it with Kxh7.

Oct-11-07		mikejaqua: <MostlyAverageJoe> Thanks.

Oct-11-07		Shams: <Veroth> 20. ♗xh7 ♔f8 21. ♗xg7 ♔e8 22. ♕a1 (Δ♗f6)

Oct-11-07		zb2cr: Hi <MostlyAVerageJoe>, Thanks for the analysis. I stand corrected. I was looking at the position in a very quick and superficial fashion, I admit, since I was at work.

Oct-11-07		ConstantImprovement: It should start with Bh7:+, but Ba3: could also be possible. Let us see ... 20. Bh7:+ I. 20. ... Kh7: 21. Rh3:+ 1. 21. ... Kg6 22. Qh5# 2. 21. ... Kg8 a. 22. Qh5 a1. 22. ... g6 23. Qh8# a2. 22. ... Kf8 23. Qh8# a3. 22. ... f5 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. Qg7:+ Ke8 25. Rh8+ Kd7 26. Rd8:+ Kd8: (Kc7 Qf7:+) 27. Bf6, winning the queen a4. 22. ... f6 23. Ba3: Qa3 24. Qh8+ Kf7 25. Qd8: Qc1+ (the last try) 26. Ne1 Bb5 27. Rf3, winning clearly after g3, Kg2, Rf2 and checks by the queen to collect at least one of the pawns a and b b. 22. Bg7: (the two-bishop sacrifice) b1. 22. ... Kg7: 23. Qg4+ b11. 23. ... Kf6 24. Qg5# b12. 23. ... Kf8 24. Rh8# b2. 22. ... f6 23. Qh5! (Bh6 is strong, too) b21. 23. ... Qg7: 24. Rg3 Qg3: 25. g3:, and white will win after Nf3, Nh4 and attack on g6 b22. 23. ... Kg7: 24. Rg3+ Kf8 25. Qh8+ Kf7 26. Rg7# II. 20. ... Kh8 21. Bg7:+ 1. 21. ... Kh7: 22. Rh3+ a. 22. ... Kg8 23. Qg4 f5 24. Rh8+ Kf7 25. Qh5+ Kg7: 26. Qh6+ Kf7 and now 27. Rh7+ and 28. Re7:, winning with the h-pawn b. 22. ... Kg6 23. Qg4# c. 22. ... Kg7: 23. Kf6 Qg5# (23. Kf8 Rh8#) 2. 21. ... Kg7: 22. Qg4+ a. 22. ... Kh8 23. Bg8+ Qh4 24. Rh4# b. 22. ... Kg6 23. Qg5# c. 22. ... Kf8 23. Qg8# III. 20. ... Kf8 21. Bg7:+ 1. 21. ... Ke8, and being two more pawns up, white will win easily 2. 21. ... Kg7: 22. Qg4+, transposing to II.2 Result: The best line for both sides seems to be 20. Bh7:+ Kh7: 21. Rh3+ Kg8 22. Qh5 f6 23. Ba3: Qa3: 24. Qh8+ Kf7 25. Qd8: Qc1+ 26. Ne1 Bb5 27. Rf3, winning.

Oct-11-07		fm avari viraf: The theme here is to sac both the Bishops but which one goes first. Naturally, 20.Bxh7+ Kxh7 [ if Black declines then 21.Bxg7+ wins ] 21.Rh3+ Kg8 22.Bxg7 Here, Black resigned since after ...Kxg7 mate is inevitable but if Black declines & plays 22...f6 then White has a choice of playing 23.Bxf6 or 23.Qh5. Though, Black will have some play but in the long run will lose the war!

Oct-11-07		Calli: As <RandomVisitor> says, Black should play 19...Bxb2. After 19...Bxc6, the game goes pretty much the way Alekhine drewitt up. (Well, somebody had to do it.)

Oct-11-07		schnarre: <Shams> Saw that too, eh!?

Oct-11-07		LivBlockade: I did expect 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7; 21. Rh3+ Kg8; 22. Bxg7 and thought the followup would be 22...f6; 23. Rg3. Now if 23...Qxg7; 24. Rxg7+ Kxg7; 25. Qa1+ wins the black bishop on a3, leaving white up a queen for a rook and pawn. What else can Black do at move 23? White threatens Bxf6+ as well as Qh5. That's where I stopped. ----------- So add me to the hallucination club today. Of course, with the pawn on f6, 25. Qa1 is not check, so in that variation (23...Qxg7), material is about even.

Aug-23-09		futonchild: He got cute, then he got creamed

Aug-23-09		Nikita Smirnov: A typical double bishop sacrafice. Also called a Lasker (because he was first to make such a double bishop sacrafice). Great game. That is how chess shall be with many tactics.

Aug-23-09		WhiteRook48: after 22 Bxg7 f6 ( or f5) 23 Qh5 Kxg7 the best white has is perpetual check (23...Qxg7?? falls to 24 Rg3, winning the queen)

Aug-23-09		Peligroso Patzer: <WhiteRook48: after 22 Bxg7 f6 ( or f5) 23 Qh5 Kxg7 the best white has is perpetual check (23...Qxg7?? falls to 24 Rg3, winning the queen)> It would, of course have been hopeless for Black to take the Bishop (22. ... Kxg7 23. Qg4+ and MATE IN TWO), but I agree with <WhiteRook48> that he should have tried 22. ... f6. After this move, White must play 23. Bh6 (rather than 23. Qh5) with this winning continuation: 23.Bh6 Qh7 24.Qh5 Bf8 25.Qg4+ Kf7 26.Bxf8 . Alekhine very likely would have found this, but resignation at move 22 was premature. Note, however, that 22. ... f5 (an alternative suggestion in the post by <WhiteRook48> would allow 23. Be5 with an easy win, and therefore is a much weaker defensive try than 22. ... f6.

Aug-23-09		Peligroso Patzer: <WhiteRook48: after 22 Bxg7 f6 ( or f5) 23 Qh5 Kxg7 the best white has is perpetual check (23...Qxg7?? falls to 24 Rg3, winning the queen)> Actually, after 22. ... f6 23. Qh5?, it would be a blunder for Black to play 23...Kxg7? since 24.Rg3+ forces mate. On the other hand, although if Black plays 23. ... Qxg7! (again, in the line after 22. ... f6 23. Qh5?), then 24.Rg3 does win the Black Queen, he gets Rook, Bishop and pawn for it, and the position after the further 24. ... Qxg3 25.hxg3 is at least OK for Black. As noted above, however, if 22. ... f6, then 23. Bh6! is winning for White.

Aug-25-09		kevin86: The pun was incorrect-Mr.Drewitt was lost when he sat at the chesstable.

Sep-02-09		arsen387: the funniest pun ever!

Jan-22-10		Phony Benoni: Same game and pun used on 8/23/09.

Jan-22-10		al wazir: 22. Qh5 f6 (what else is there?) 23. Bxa3 Qxa3 24. Qh8+ Kf7 25. Qxd8 also wins (as has already been pointed out). The pun is a falsehood. Black never came close to a draw.

Jan-22-10		Jimfromprovidence: <RandomVisitor> says white missed 19 Bxh7+, winning, so what does white do do after 18...g6? Grind it out? click for larger view

Jan-22-10		kevin86: Not close to a draw. White committed surgery on the king side.

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