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Bent Larsen vs Henrique Mecking
Palma de Mallorca (1969), Palma ESP, rd 1, Nov-22
Hungarian Opening: Symmetrical Variation (A00)  ·  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)3...e5 was played in M Christoph vs B Jansson, 1973 (0-1)better is 5...d5 6.O-O e6 7.e4 d4 8.Ne2 Nge7 9.c3 O-O 10.cxd4 = -0.34 (21 ply)better is 6.e4 d5 7.exd5 exd5 8.O-O Nge7 9.Bf4 h6 10.h4 O-O = +0.20 (24 ply)= -0.47 (22 ply)better is 8.Bd2 b6 9.e4 d4 10.Ne2 O-O 11.b4 a6 12.c3 dxc3 13.Bxc3 = +0.05 (24 ply) 8...Nd4 9.e4 Nxf3+ 10.Bxf3 d4 11.Na4 b6 12.c4 dxc3 ⩱ -0.52 (20 ply)better is 9.e4 b6 10.exd5 exd5 11.Re1 Bg4 12.h3 Be6 13.Ne2 a5 = +0.28 (22 ply)better is 9...a5 10.Na4 b6 11.c4 Rb8 12.Re1 e5 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.e4 = -0.34 (19 ply)better is 10.e4 b5 11.exd5 exd5 12.Re1 Re8 13.b4 c4 14.dxc4 dxc4 = +0.34 (23 ply)= -0.27 (21 ply)better is 13.bxa5 b4 14.Na2 dxe4 15.dxe4 Qxa5 16.Nc1 Ba6 17.Nb3 = 0.00 (23 ply) ⩱ -0.59 (21 ply)better is 15.Ne4 Ned5 16.Nfg5 Bf5 17.c4 bxc4 18.dxc4 Nf6 19.Re1 = -0.08 (21 ply) ⩱ -0.80 (20 ply) 16.Nxd5 Nexd5 17.Ne4 Rc8 18.Rb3 Re8 19.c3 a4 20.Rb1 f5 = +0.04 (22 ply) ⩱ -1.04 (21 ply) 19...h6 20.Nf3 g5 21.h4 g4 22.Nfg1 Nbc6 23.Qc1 Kh7 24.Nf4 ⩱ -0.96 (22 ply)= +0.02 (21 ply) after 20.Nf3 Re8 21.Re1 Qd7 22.h4 Nd5 23.c4 bxc4 24.Rxb8 Rxb8 22.Nf4 Re8 23.Re1 Rxe1 24.Qxe1 Nxc2 25.Qe6 Qf6 26.Qd7 = +0.02 (24 ply) ⩱ -0.77 (24 ply)better is 25...Qd7 26.Ra1 Ra8 27.Nf4 Qc6+ 28.Kg1 Qxc2 29.d4 Qxd1 ⩱ -0.76 (23 ply)better is 26.Rc1 Rfc8 27.c4 bxc4 28.Rxc4 Qd5+ 29.Kh2 Qxd3 30.Rd4 = -0.08 (23 ply) ⩱ -0.73 (22 ply) 27.c4 bxc4 28.Rxb8 Rxb8 29.dxc4 Qxc4 30.Qd2 Re8 31.Nd4 ⩱ -0.51 (25 ply)-+ -2.67 (24 ply) 30.d4 Qd6 31.c4 b4 32.Qe2 Rb7 33.d5 Rxh4 34.Qe5 Qc5 -+ -2.58 (22 ply) 30...Re8 31.c4 Qc6+ 32.Qe4 Rexe4 33.dxe4 Rg4+ 34.Kh3 Qe6 -+ -8.80 (22 ply) 31.Kg1 Rbf8 32.c4 Qd4 33.cxb5 R8f7 34.Rc2 Rg4+ 35.Kf1 ∓ -1.68 (25 ply)-+ -3.22 (26 ply) after 31...Re8 32.Qf2 Rxe1 33.Qxe1 Qxf3+ 34.Kh2 b4 35.c3 bxc3 41.Kh3 h5 42.Re1 Qd6 43.Re8+ Kg7 44.Rg2 Rxg2 45.Kxg2 -+ -65.13 (24 ply)0-1

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
Mar-12-06  Al Notation: What a game...player of the day outplayed one of the best modern hypermodern GMs at his own game! Notable was 13...Nxb4, playing his own game more than responding to Larsen. Mecking makes his forced exchanges more threatening to Larsen (24...Qxd4 and 29...Rxd4). In 36...Rxg4 we see that two major pieces can dance on the head of a pin!
Dec-25-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  wwall: Instead of 27.Re1, perhaps 27.h5 gxh5 28.Qb1 and 29.c4.

After 29...Rxf4, Black threatens 30...Qxf2+. But instead of 30.Qe2??, perhaps 30.Re3, then 31.Qe2.

Instead of 30....Qd5+, made in time pressure, best is 30...Re8! since 31.Qxe8 fails to 31.Qxf2+ and 31.Qd2 fails to 31...Qd5+ 32.Re4 (32.Kh2 Rxh4) Rfxe4 33.dxe4 Qxd2.

Instead of 31.f3, Mecking said that 31.Kg1 would have caused Black more problems. After 31.Kg1, perhaps 31...Rbf8 32.c4 bxc4 33.dxc4 Rxc4 34.Rd2 or 34.Rd1.

37.Kh1 is the losing move. Better may be 37.Kf1 Rg4 38.Re4 Rxf3 39.Rxf3 Rxf3+ 40.Ke1

Dec-25-09  parisattack: This White setup is actually Duncan Suttles patent; quite a few examples in the Chess on the Edge series.

Larsen occasionally lost the thread of things (I am thinking esp of the Larsen-Spassky 1970 Nimzo-Larsen Arrack game) - a risk one takes for pushing the window. But by doing so he rehabilitated a lot of openings and variations -and, of course, collected quite a few scalps (I am thinking esp of Larsen-Geller 1960 King's Indian Attack).

Jul-19-19  seneca16: It seems to me that white wastes time playing on the queenside where he is weaker. He should play in the center and on the kingside. After the center pawn exchange white has no play anywhere.

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