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Salomon Flohr vs Mikhail Botvinnik
"In The Botvinnik of Time" (game of the day Apr-09-2005)
Botvinnik - Flohr (1933), Moscow / Leningrad RUS, rd 10, Dec-15
Dutch Defense: Classical. Stonewall Variation (A95)  ·  0-1

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)6.Nh3 was played in Pinter vs B Vigh, 1989 (1-0)better is 7...Ne4 8.Qb3 O-O 9.h4 Nd7 10.Bf4 h6 11.cxd5 exd5 = +0.42 (21 ply) ⩲ +0.96 (21 ply) after 8.e3 dxc4 9.Ne5 c5 10.Nxc4 cxd4 11.exd4 Nc6 12.Be3 Nd5 better is 9...Ne4 10.Rc1 Nd7 11.e3 Nxc3 12.Rxc3 b6 13.Ne1 Qf7 ⩲ +0.52 (19 ply)better is 10.e3 b6 11.Ne2 Ba6 12.Nf4 Bd6 13.Rc1 Ne4 14.h4 Ndf6 ⩲ +1.02 (21 ply)better is 10...Ne4 11.Qc2 Nd6 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Ne4 14.e3 b5 = +0.36 (19 ply) ⩲ +0.89 (20 ply) after 11.h4 dxc4 12.Qxc4 Nb6 13.Qd3 Bd7 14.e3 Be8 15.Rac1 Rd8 12.e3 Bd6 13.Ne2 a5 14.Nf4 Qe8 15.Qxf5 Ne4 16.Qe6+ Qxe6 ⩲ +0.88 (20 ply)= -0.25 (20 ply) 13.e3 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 Nf6 15.Rae1 Ne4 16.Qc1 Bd7 17.Ne2 g5 = +0.16 (21 ply) ⩱ -0.87 (23 ply) 15.e4 Nb6 16.g4 dxe4 17.Nxe4 Qg6 18.Rfe1 Nd5 19.Rac1 b6 ⩱ -0.51 (21 ply) ⩱ -1.32 (23 ply)better is 16.g4 Qh4 17.h3 Nf6 18.e4 fxe3 19.Rxe3 Bg3 20.Re2 Nxg4 ⩱ -0.95 (21 ply)better is 16...fxg3 17.Nxg3 Qh4 18.e4 Bxg3 19.hxg3 Qxg3 20.e5 Rf4 ∓ -1.70 (22 ply)better is 17.g4 Qh6 18.e3 fxe3 19.Qxe3 Qh4 20.Red1 Qd8 21.Be1 Bf4 ⩱ -1.00 (24 ply) ∓ -1.51 (26 ply)better is 19.e4 Bxg3 20.hxg3 Qxg3 21.exd5 Nf6 22.Re2 Nxd5 23.Be1 ⩱ -1.46 (26 ply) ∓ -2.06 (21 ply) 20...Nh5 21.Qd2 Qg5 22.f4 Qg4 23.Qe1 g5 24.h3 Qf5 25.Ng3 ∓ -2.02 (20 ply) ⩱ -1.01 (25 ply)better is 21...Qh6 22.Bg3 Nh5 23.Bxd6 Qxd6 24.Qd2 Re8 25.Qe1 Qh6 ⩱ -1.50 (23 ply) ⩱ -0.97 (21 ply) 24...Qh6 25.Bf3 Re8 26.Nf1 Bh3 27.Nd2 g5 28.Kh1 g4 29.Rg1 ∓ -1.60 (22 ply) 25.Rf1 h4 26.Bf3 Qh3 27.Bg2 Qe6 28.Nh1 Qg4 29.Nf2 Qh5 ⩱ -0.78 (25 ply) 25...Re8 26.Bf3 Qh3 27.Qf1 Rxe3 28.Qxh3 Bxh3 29.Nxh5 Ne4 ∓ -1.87 (27 ply) 26.h3 Qe6 27.Nf1 Re7 28.Re1 Qf7 29.Nd2 Rae8 30.Nf3 Ne4 ⩱ -1.05 (24 ply)-+ -4.63 (24 ply)31.Ke2 Bf5 32.Ke1 Rf6 33.Qf1 Rh6 34.h4 Rxh4 35.Qg2 Rh3 -+ -5.97 (23 ply)0-1

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

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-07-03  brazos: What does crafty say about this position?
May-07-03  crafty: 31. ♔f3 ♗xh3 32. ♖g1 ♖e8 33. ♕c2 g5   (eval -4.91; depth 14 ply; 250M nodes)
May-08-03  Calli: Interesting is 26.h3! Qxg3 27.Rf3 trapping the queen
May-27-03  actual: 27 Rf3 Qh5
May-27-03  Calli: actual: It is impossible, Queen can't move from g3 to h5. If you meant h4, there is a pawn at h4 in this variation.
May-28-03  drukenknight: Nice call by Calli. The way Flohr plays it, he loses the B but this way it looks like material has now been restored to equal.
May-28-03  actual: <Calli> my bad...
Jun-09-03  Sarimanok: 10 best games of Botvinnik please. :)
Jan-31-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Sarimanok: 10 best games of Botvinnik please. :)> I don't think this should be in that group. Flohr took a 2-0 lead in this match. Bronstein says that "Flohr - who used to lose one game a year - suddenly lost two games in a week. Why? Because Grigory Abramovich Goldberg, Botvinnik's second for the match, had shown Flohr where to buy an extremely cheap fur coat!" - Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Apr-09-05  iron maiden: One of the best-played Dutch games I've gone over in some time.
Apr-09-05  Boomie: Calli's 26. h3 line is an improvement but black has a big advantage anyway. One Fritz line is:

26. h3 ♕e6 27. ♘f1 ♖e8 28. ♖c1 ♕f5 29. ♕xf5 ♗xf5 30. b4 ♖fe7 31. b5 cxb5 32. ♖c5 b6 33. ♖xb5 ♗d3 34. ♖bb2 ♗xf1 35. ♔xf1 ♖xe3 1.36

Apr-09-05  kevin86: White is a goner;he has but a pawn and queen for a rook,knight,and bishop. He is very passive as well-a good time to strike his colors.
Apr-09-05  Calli: <Boomie> 31.b5? looks suicidal in that line. 31.Rc3 is a sound defensive move. Black is better, I agree, but not clearly winning.
Apr-09-05  aw1988: Would you believe Qe8 is a novelty here?! Goes to show you the Dutch was only just being invented.
Apr-09-05  Boomie: <calli> Yep. 31. ♖c3 seems to do the trick. White has a nice minority attack on the q-side. I can't find any winning lines for black.

31. ♖c3 ♔f7 32. ♖b2 a6 33. a4 ♗e4 34. b5 ♗xg2 35. ♔xg2 (35. ♖xg2? ♘e4 36. ♖a3 cxb5 37. axb5 axb5 38. ♖b3 ♖c8 39. ♖xb5 ♖c1 40. ♖xd5 ♘g3 41. ♖xg3 hxg3 42. ♔g2 ♖b1 43. ♖f5+ ♔g8 44. ♖c5 b5 45. ♖c8+ ♔f7 46. ♖b8 b4) 35... ♘e4 36. ♖c1 cxb5 37. axb5 g5 38. bxa6 bxa6 39. ♖a2 gxf4 40. exf4 ♖g8+ 41. ♔h2 ♘g3 42. ♘xg3 ♖xg3 43. ♖c5 ♖ee3 44. ♖xd5 ♖xh3+ 45. ♔g1 ♖eg3+ 46. ♖g2

Apr-10-05  patzer2: Black's deflection 25...h4! threatens a nasty pin and sets up the Queen sacrifice 26...hxg3!, trading the Black Queen for three pieces and a pawn. The threat of the Knight Fork after 31. Kg2 Bxh3+ 32. Kxh3?? Nf2+ gives Black a winning advantage.
Apr-11-05  drukenknight: "Yep. 31. c3 seems to do the trick"

You know, if you said what line you are talking about here, it would help.

Apr-11-05  Runemaster: <drukenknight> The line given in Boomie's post on 9th April, beginning 26.h3.
Apr-11-05  drukenknight: okay then so it backs up Calli's idea on move 26; good to see after 2 years his suggestion appears to still hold up...
Apr-13-05  Boomie: Here's a cool line in Calli's 26. h3 line. I was wondering if the queen sac would lead anywhere for black. It seems to arrive at equality but everyone loves a good queen sac. 26. h3 hxg3 27. hxg4 gxf2+ 28. ♔f1 ♘xg4 29. ♗f3 ♗f5 30. ♕c3 ♘f6 31. ♔xf2 ♖e8 32. ♕a5 a6 33. ♖g1 ♖fe7 34. ♕b4 g6 35. a4 ♖xe3 36. ♖g2 ♖8e7 37. a5 ♔f7 38. ♖g5 ♖d3
Mar-12-08  Tactic101: I don't like the moves cxd5 and f3. They just weaken the e-pawn, making it backward. Perhaps white should have tried a double stonewall with f4. It's not so prone to an easy attack by f4, as seen in the game. g5 is the only good break black would have at his disposal and that is with a fair amount of preparation and risk, considering he's breaking his kingside to attack white.

Fritz says that Nh5 is even better than h5. I don't know why, but it seems that they have the same goal in mind: get rid of the g3 knight. Once this defender is rid off, then the kingside crumbles.

It didn't help white that he had many pawn islands throughout the game.

A great game by Botvinnik!

Sep-03-11  karnak64: When Botvinnik sacs his queen that's a pretty good clue to give up, isn't it?
Jun-29-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <offramp: <Sarimanok: 10 best games of Botvinnik please. :)> I don't think this should be in that group. Flohr took a 2-0 lead in this match. Bronstein says that "Flohr - who used to lose one game a year - suddenly lost two games in a week. Why? Because Grigory Abramovich Goldberg, Botvinnik's second for the match, had shown Flohr where to buy an extremely cheap fur coat!" - Sorcerer's Apprentice>

A libel from Bronstein (against Botvinnik <and> Flohr) about a match that took place when he was nine? I'm shocked.

Apr-11-17  Toribio3: During his prime, Botvinnik is a very dangerous tactical player!
Oct-28-18  1d410: Taking down a fianchetto 101!
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