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Ilia Odesskij vs Petr Skacelik
"2001: A Space Odesskij" (game of the day Feb-02-2011)
Czech Open (2001), Pardubice CZE, rd 3, Jul-22
Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation (A01)  ·  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 11 (minimum 30s/ply)better is 2...Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 Bd6 6.O-O Nc6 7.d4 = -0.07 (34 ply)better is 3.h3 Bh5 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Nf6 6.c4 Be7 7.Be2 O-O 8.O-O = +0.44 (26 ply)= -0.11 (36 ply)better is 4.e3 Bh5 5.d4 e6 6.Be2 c6 7.O-O Ngf6 8.Nbd2 Bd6 ⩲ +0.59 (38 ply)better is 4...e5 5.h3 Bxf3 6.exf3 Ngf6 7.Bg2 Bc5 8.O-O O-O = -0.11 (39 ply) ⩲ +0.56 (38 ply)better is 8.h3 Bh5 9.d4 Ne4 10.Nbd2 O-O 11.Ne1 Bg6 12.Nd3 Nxd2 = +0.32 (36 ply)= -0.35 (36 ply)better is 9.h3 Bh5 10.a4 Ne4 11.Ne1 h6 12.Nd3 Bg6 13.Nd2 Nxd2 = +0.26 (38 ply)better is 9...h6 10.Ne5 Bf5 11.Nd3 a5 12.a4 Qb6 13.Re1 Rfe8 14.Rc1 = -0.37 (38 ply)better is 10.a3 h6 11.Ne1 Bf5 12.Nd3 Qc7 13.Rc1 Rfd8 14.Re1 Qb6 = +0.38 (37 ply)= -0.15 (39 ply) after 10...Bf5 11.Nh4 Re8 12.Nxf5 exf5 13.Rc1 Ne4 14.Nf3 Bd6 17...Bf5 18.h3 Bg6 19.e4 dxe4 20.Nxe4 Nf8 21.Rcd1 Qc7 = +0.13 (37 ply) 18.h3 Bh5 19.g4 Bg6 20.Rf1 d4 21.Ne4 a4 22.Qf3 Bxe4 ⩲ +0.92 (36 ply) 18...d4 19.h3 Bh5 20.g4 Bg6 21.Nf3 h6 22.Nxd4 c5 23.bxc5 = 0.00 (41 ply) ⩲ +1.35 (40 ply)better is 21.Bc3 Qc7 22.Qb2 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Ra8 24.Rf1 Nf8 25.Ra1 ± +1.52 (39 ply) 21...f6 22.Rcd1 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Qc7 24.Kg2 f5 25.Bf3 Nf8 ⩲ +0.90 (39 ply) ± +2.37 (41 ply) 22...f6 23.Rcd1 Bxe4 24.Bxe4 f5 25.Bg2 Qc7 26.Ra1 g6 ± +1.89 (43 ply) 23.Nf2 h6 24.Ra1 Rd7 25.Ra6 Ra7 26.Rea1 Rxa6 27.bxa6 Rc7 +- +2.69 (41 ply)better is 23...Bg6 24.Bf3 Bxe4 25.Bxe4 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 f5 27.Bc6 Qc7 ⩲ +1.37 (43 ply) ± +1.99 (31 ply)better is 27...f5 28.Bc6 Ng6 29.Ra6 Bf8 30.Kg2 Ne7 31.Bf3 g6 32.Bc1 ± +1.61 (32 ply) 28.Kf1 Qc7 29.h4 f5 30.Bc6 g6 31.Bc3 Rc8 32.Qa4 Bd8 ± +2.21 (50 ply) ⩲ +1.28 (42 ply) 31.Ra7 Bd8 32.Ba1 h5 33.Kf1 h4 34.Ke2 Rb3 35.Ra8 hxg3 ± +2.11 (42 ply) 31...g5 32.Ra6 Bd8 33.Kf2 gxf4 34.Ke2 Re3+ 35.Kd2 Bg5 ⩲ +0.80 (44 ply)+- +3.38 (42 ply) after 32.Ra6 Bd8 33.Ra8 g5 34.Bf2 Rd1+ 35.Kg2 Kg7 36.Ra7+ Kg8 33...g5 34.Bf2 Rd1+ 35.Kg2 Kg7 36.Ra7+ Kg8 37.Be3 gxf4 +- +2.82 (40 ply)+- +8.01 (36 ply) after 34.Kf1 g5 35.Bf2 Rd1+ 36.Ke2 Rc1 37.Rxd8 gxf4 38.Rb8 +- mate-in-15 after 51...Kf8 52.Bg6 Ne3 53.e6 Nf1+ 54.Kf3 Rh2 55.Rf7+53...Ke8 54.h7 Nf1+ 55.Kf3 Rh2 56.h8=R+ Rxh8 57.Rh7+ Kf8 +- mate-in-181-0

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

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35435 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-02-11  Knight13: <Perhaps 23...c5 is a mistake, turning the other bishop into an innocent bystander as well. Black keeps scrapping, even picking up a piece, but White's passed pawns grab too much space in the end.> If Black doesn't play 21...c5, then White would ram him with 22. c5 himself and turn the d6 square into Louis IX. One of the reasons White played 21. Qc3 was to enable the possibily of moving the c-pawn forward. Black doesn't want to play ...Bxe4, either, unless he really wants all of his pieces to get stuck behind the fourth rank. Not to mention the pawn on c6 would be locked into a permanent target practice for White's light-squared bishop.
Feb-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <Knight13> So perhaps Black was simply out of good choices by that point.
Feb-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: One of the best puns CG has unleashed upon an unwitting world in quite some time.
Feb-02-11  Morten: Great pun!
Feb-02-11  Once: Agreed. And one that cries out for a sequel. I wonder if Odesskij played a good game in 2010? Unfortunately, CG.com only has games up to 2001, when he appears to have disappared off the face of the earth.

Hey, I wonder...

Feb-02-11  Garech: <Knight13> - Could you please explain Louis IX reference? I'm very curious!

<An Englishman> - Do you always open with "Good Evening" - even when it's the morning? Cos I'm in Ireland and it's 0830 am here!

I'm glad to see this game today, having voted for it yesterday in the pun voting booth. Admittedly it was more for the pun itself and less for the play, but I did think the game was interesting too.

Despite the 150 Elo points difference, black manages to keep things just about equal for past the 20 move mark.

Odesskij's creative 15.Ne5!? - accepting doubled pawns for dynamic compensation, and subsequent opening the d file, proves to be a crucial juncture.

Ten moves later white has a comfortable space space advantage and is about to win the bishop pair:


click for larger view

Black has a fairly passive position, and his control of the e file is less relevant than white's control of the a file - the rook activity along which will later decide the game.

Ten moves after the above diagram is this position:


click for larger view

and now white is enjoying a comfortable advantage. By move 40 there is no way for black to avoid the loss of a pawn. If, instead of Nf7 black had played 40...Kf7 next would have come simply 41.Bc8+ and if ...Be7 then 42.Rb7.

44.g5! deserves some punctuation for it's foresight, giving up a piece ultimately for four pawns and resulting in a completely winning endgame.

An interesting struggle anyway, something of an Odyssey one could say. The most decisive and instructive element was white's rook activity, and also the power of his light-squared bishop (the winning of which occured directly as a result of Skacelik's unusual opening choice, as pointed out by <Phony Benoni> above).

All in all a good show.

-Garech

Feb-02-11  Pantagruel: Too bad Odesskij wasn't playing Hal Turaev.
Feb-02-11  Arcturus: Perhaps it didn't matter but black didn't want 40) . . . Rxc4 ?
Feb-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sastre: If 40...Rxc4 then 41.Bxe6 Rc3+ 42.Be3 with 43.Bxf5 to come.
Feb-02-11  Wyatt Gwyon: Props for the pun.
Feb-02-11  Julian713: Fantastic pun!!
Feb-02-11  ddaniell: if you'll pardon the pun
Feb-02-11  zealouspawn: This is truly an epic pun. One of the best I've seen
Feb-02-11  Chessmensch: The game was evidently won by a Homer, 1-0.
Feb-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  NM JRousselle: Phony, the idea of Bg4 is not a bad one... if followed up correctly. A better set up for Black might have been: pawns on c6, d5 and e6. Nf6,Nd7,Qe7,Bd6. This gives Black a lot of guns on the e5 pawn push, plus it either allows Ba3, exchanging pieces & relieving the cramp a bit, or tying down a White rook to a1 if White avoids the exchange by playing a3.
Feb-02-11  redorc19: Brilliant pun!!!
Feb-02-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: Fabulous pun!

Hmmm, something about this game gives me a feeling of .... what might have been

Feb-02-11  WhiteRook48: nice demonstration of the powerful pawns
Feb-02-11  takchess: Why not- 2001 Skace(lik) Odesskij ?

8)

Feb-03-11  kevin86: Looks like the pawn is marching home.
Feb-04-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  eternaloptimist: I thought that I would point out some of the key moves in this game & do some analysis. If I missed anything important, I'd appreciate it if someone would point it out. I'm trying to improve my analytical skills (I can still improve even though I've played for ~32 years.) Key Moves: ---------- 15)Ne5 - This is the first aggressive & first really key move IMO. This is where Odesskij starts getting the initiative & the advantage IMO. I haven't analyzed this on an engine yet to c what the advantage is @ this point though. The purposes r to: 1.exchange w/ the Nd7 2.get a pawn on e5 to increase his control of the center & increase his control of space in the center 3.dislodge the Nf6->d7 18)e4 to exchange w/ Skacelik's d-pawn to: 1.create a central post for the N on e4 2.entice Skacelik to play 25)...Bxe4 - creating a central post for white's light-squared B on e4 & threatening 27)Ra8. -- 27)Qc2 w/ a Q & B battery on the b1-h7 diagonal enticing 28)...f5 weakening the e6 pawn which is captured by the light-squared B later in the game -- 29)Bc6 persuading black to exchange Qs which further weakens the e6 pawn & helps white achieve his goal of creating a favorable endgame -- 37)h4->38)h5 - He figured that the h-pawn was his best chance to get a potential Q & decided to get it closer to the queening square. -- 42)g4!->44)g5 to dislodge the N off of the h6 square thus making the f7 square weaker & further clearing the path for the Kside pawn storm -- 45)Rf7+ forcing the K to move away from the Kside so the R can capture the Kside pawns on the 7th rank. Further notes: -------------- 2...Bg4?! b/c the B didn't do much on the Kside. Also the light-squares were weak on black's Kside later in the game which shows that that B belonged on the Qside. For example, 29)Bc6 led to a Q trade, controlled d7 (preventing the black R from controlling its 2nd rank & led to 41) Bxe6. If Skacelik would have had his light-squared B on b7, this wouldn't have happened. He didn't oppose Odesskij's control of the long central h1-a8 diagonal.
Feb-04-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  eternaloptimist: Btw, this is one of the best puns of all time on cg...a wacky pun for a wacky day like groundhog day!
Feb-04-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  eternaloptimist: Correction: ...Also the light-squares were weak on black's Qside (not Kside) later in the game which shows that that B belonged on the Qside...
May-04-11  Billy Vaughan: <Why not- 2001 Skace(lik) Odesskij ? >

This was my pun. I thought about "2001: a Skace Odesskij", but I wanted the pun to be more obviously about the space advantage Odesskij has and gets throughout the game.

Jan-05-12  Billy Vaughan: A fun continuation if 38. ... Nf8?? is 39. g4 fxg4+ 40. Kxg4 h6 41. Bh4+ g5 42. hxg6# for mate with en passant!
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