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Levon Aronian vs Valerij Popov
"Levon a Whim" (game of the day Jul-03-2011)
Aeroflot Open (2005), Moscow RUS, rd 4, Feb-18
Slav Defense: General (D10)  ·  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) 9.Bd3 O-O 10.O-O Ng4 11.Nxg4 Bxg4 12.h3 Bd7 13.f4 Bf5 = +0.02 (22 ply) ⩱ -1.19 (22 ply) after 9...a4 10.Qb4 cxb5 11.Bxb5+ Kf8 12.O-O h5 13.Bxa4 Qc7 11...h5 12.f3 Ne8 13.a4 Nc7 14.f4 Bf5 15.Bd2 Qc8 16.Rac1 ⩱ -1.14 (20 ply)= -0.33 (22 ply) 13.Bxa6 Nxa6 14.Nc6 Qc7 15.Qb6 Ke8 16.Qb5 Kf8 17.Qb6 = 0.00 (26 ply) ⩱ -0.95 (24 ply) 15...Qc8 16.e4 Nc6 17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.e5 Ne8 19.Bxc6 Qxc6 ⩱ -0.56 (22 ply)= +0.23 (20 ply) 18.Rfc1 Be6 19.Qa3 Kg8 20.b4 Ne8 21.Nd3 Bf5 22.bxa5 e6 = +0.22 (20 ply) ⩱ -0.71 (18 ply) after 18...Qa7 19.Be3 Na6 20.Rac1 Nc7 21.Rc5 Be6 22.Qc2 Bh6 20.Rfe1 Na6 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Nd7+ Nxd7 23.Qxd5 Nf6 24.Qc4 = 0.00 (21 ply) ⩱ -0.96 (23 ply) 24...h4 25.h3 Rh5 26.Rfc1 Ne4 27.Rxd5 Nxd5 28.Qxd5 Bxe5 ⩱ -1.21 (23 ply) 25.Nd7+ Nxd7 26.cxd7 Bf6 27.Qc3 Nxb5 28.axb5 Bxb5 29.Qb3 ⩲ +1.42 (26 ply)= 0.00 (20 ply)1-0

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

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Given 48 times; par: 36 [what's this?]

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

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find similar games 1 more Aronian/V Popov game
sac: 9.Nxb5 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jul-03-11  DrMAL: 9.Nxb5 is more suitable for blitz or much lower level. 22...gxf5 thematically opens the g-file anyway why would Popov avoid this? Aronian blunders back with 23.Rc5 and Popov blunders again with 23...Ba6 (second chance for gxf5), lousy game!
Jul-03-11  WhiteRook48: those are wonderful tactics by Aronian.
Jul-03-11  DarthStapler: What happens after 30...Kf8?
Jul-03-11  abuzic: <25...Nxe4?> 25...gxf5 may prevent what actually happened in the game. So <25. Kh1> 25. fxg6 keeps white attack.
Jul-03-11  DarthStapler: Nevermind, I figured it out
Jul-04-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <Jul-03-11
sackman: Amazing relentless attacking game, 19th century with a modern flavour. All of Aronian's moves seem sensible to me but only with hindsight .... I wonder how black felt during this game.>

Maybe this is not what Black actually thought during the game, but maybe just me sort of thinking out loud:

"WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING HERE???"

"Cripes! I have run into a buzz zaw!"

"Bleeping, beeping, bleep!!! &%%#$$** Is this all prepared analysis?"

"Hey REF!!!! I want my opponent checked for PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS!!!"

Jul-05-11  kevin86: White will mate very soonest...
Sep-04-11  notyetagm: Game Collection: Aronian's Best Games

Anand said that Aronian plays 1 d4 like a 1 e4 player.

Case in point.

Feb-02-12  kiiuglik: anything wrong with 10...Bd7 instead of 10...Kf8?
Feb-02-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <kiiuglik> After <10...Bd7>:


click for larger view

White has 11.Nxd7 Nbxd7 (or 11...Nfxd7) 12.c6, when moving the ♘d7 allows 13.c7+.

Jul-08-12  Everett: Aronian is the light-side of Petrosian, or simpy a modern-day Bronstein; his feel for long-term positional sacs of a piece for two pawns, or exchange sac for pawn(s) is absolutely unreal.
Jul-09-12  rilkefan: On 20...dxe4 21.d5 is about as good - 21...Bxd5 22.Bxb6 Bxb3 23.c7.

21.Rc5 is per stockfish just a blunder refuted by ...gxf5. And 25.Kh1 is just equal after ...gxf5.

Jul-10-12  Everett: <rilkefan> <21.Rc5..> This wasn't played in the game. Did you mean 23.Rc5?
Jul-11-12  rilkefan: Oops, yes, thanks.
Jul-26-12  kunjankp: this is why we love this game!!sheer class!
Sep-18-12  Rob Morrison: As an indication of how completely flummoxed black was, he moved his queen's bishop eight times--to a6, to b7, to c8, to e6, then back to c8, to a6, to c8, and then back to e6.
Nov-23-12  fisayo123: rape on the board.
Jun-15-13  hedgeh0g: No matter how many showers Black took after this game, he still felt dirty and violated.
Dec-21-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  MJCB: rilkefan: On 20...dxe4 21.d5 is about as good - 21...Bxd5 22.Bxb6 Bxb3 23.c7. MJBC: On 20 dxe4, insn't Ktxg6+ working?
Feb-05-14  luzhin: Following my comment in 2009, asking why Aronian didn't play 23.fxg6, I have now seen an interview with Aronian in which he states that on move 22. Black played gxf5 and that "this game appeared in many databases with a serious error". Please take note, Chessgames.com!
Feb-21-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: Blimey, I didn't know Aronian played like this ....
Jul-29-14  backrank: <luzhin: Following my comment in 2009, asking why Aronian didn't play 23.fxg6, I have now seen an interview with Aronian in which he states that on move 22. Black played gxf5 and that "this game appeared in many databases with a serious error". Please take note, Chessgames.com!>

This is the site with the interview you probably refer to:

http://www.crestbook.com/node/1514

(read the lines before the 5th diagram!).

The link on that page leads to the correct game score (with tons of analysis, unfortunately I can't translate the text):

http://online.crestbook.com/vasa/20...

Jul-30-14  backrank: I have submitted a correction note; now we have to wait if there is any response to it (to my experience, usually there is none).
Sep-22-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: After 37...Qxc6 38.Be6 also works; it's a must for White to prevent the Black queen from interposing between check from the White queen.
Jan-04-21  damafe: I tried to play this game a lot of times, but my opponents didn't want :(

I analyzed it in my blog: https://www.chess.com/blog/damafe/m...

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