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Vladas Mikenas vs Sergey F Lebedev
"He's Mikenas Crazy" (game of the day Nov-07-2010)
4th Ch Georgia (1941), Tbilisi, GEO URS
Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation (D50)  ·  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)8.Nf3 was played in Keres vs Suetin, 1952 (1-0)better is 12...b6 13.O-O Bb7 14.Qe2 c5 15.Rfd1 Nf6 16.dxc5 Qc8 = 0.00 (21 ply) ⩲ +0.75 (22 ply)better is 14...b5 15.c4 bxc4 16.Bxc4 Bb7 17.d5 exd5 18.Bxd5 Ra7 = +0.25 (24 ply) ⩲ +1.00 (23 ply)better is 15...Bd7 16.Qf3 cxd4 17.exd4 b5 18.Bf4 Nd5 19.Bd2 f5 ⩲ +0.76 (22 ply) ⩲ +1.42 (24 ply) 18...Nd7 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Qc2 g6 21.f4 Nxe5 22.fxe5 Bd7 ⩲ +0.88 (26 ply) ± +2.28 (26 ply) 19...Nd7 20.Bc2 Nxe5 21.Bxe5 f5 22.Ba4 Qf7 23.c6 Bf6 ± +1.51 (24 ply)better is 20.Qd3 Bd7 21.Ng4 Ne4 22.Nxh6+ Kh7 23.Nxf7 Qxf7 24.Qxe4+ +- +4.42 (24 ply) ± +2.24 (24 ply) after 20...Nd5 21.Qh5 f5 22.Qxh6 Qe7 23.Bf2 Qg7 24.Qxg5 Qxg5 22.Qxc1 Nh5 23.fxg5 Qb5 24.Ng4 Nxg3+ 25.hxg3 hxg5 26.c4 +- +5.90 (26 ply) ± +1.73 (29 ply) 23...Qb5 24.Ng4 Bxf6 25.Nxf6+ Kh8 26.Bf4 b6 27.a4 Qc4 +- +2.56 (29 ply)+- mate-in-10+- mate-in-9 after 24...Rh8 25.Rxf7+ Qxf7 26.Nxf7 Kf8 27.Nxh8 e5 28.Qh71-0

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

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Given 22 times; par: 30 [what's this?]

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

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-07-20  Lambda: I like this puzzle. Discovering that there's still enough material to mate after giving the knight and the bishop is so unexpected.
Apr-07-20  saturn2: Last week there was a puzzle where only the clearance Nd7 worked and not Ng4. This week it is the other way.
Apr-07-20  zb2cr: Missed this one.
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  takchess: Good comments today. I am witn FSR.
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  Caissalove: 23. Rxf6 is worth the price of admission alone!
Apr-07-20  trnbg: After 26.Ng4+ hxg4, White can also win with 27.hxg5+, e.g. 27...Kxg5 28.Bf4+! Kxf4 29.Qd2+ Kg3 30.Kg1!, and the white Queen mates on f2 (or on h2, after 30...Kh4 31.Qh6 Kg3)
Apr-07-20  faulty: Caissalove> You may bet the bottom dollar that the admission to the hall was free of charge or something symbolic, like a couple of kopecks
Apr-07-20  20MovesAhead: wot day of the week is it ???
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: I know you know bonafide-
Apr-07-20  Walter Glattke: trnbg: 26.Ng4+ hxg4 27.hxg5+ Kxg5 (others mate next) 28.Bf4+ Kf6 29.Bg5+ Kxg5 or 29.Be5+ Kg5 should win, but later mate.
Apr-07-20  thegoodanarchist: The pun is based on the song "Jungle Love" by Steve Miller Band

And the puzzle was difficult

Apr-07-20  20MovesAhead: A Beautiful Combination is a Joy to Behold
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  Diocletian: Reminds me somewhat of Letelier-Fischer, but it ain't 'easy.'
Apr-07-20  King.Arthur.Brazil: I'm sure I read an "easy" before... (lgs). However, like many other times, I went on the simply and long run 26. hxg5+ I found checkmate in whole cases, highlighting: a.26...♔xg5 27. ♘f3+ ♔f6 28. ♗h4+ ♔g7 29. ♕h7#, b.26...♔e7 27. ♘g6+ fxg6 28. ♗d6+ ♔d7 29. ♗c5+ ♔c6 30. ♕d6+ ♔b5 31. ♗d3+ ♔a4 32. ♕d4+ ♔a5 33. ♕b4#, c. same as b. 28. ... ♔c7 29.♕d6#, and d. same as b. 28. ... ♔f7 29.♕g6#. Maybe, many saw this too.
Apr-07-20  Cheapo by the Dozen: I stopped after finding the longer mate with 27 hxg5+. So this felt Wednesdayish to me.
Apr-07-20  Nasruddin Hodja: Hmm. What I want to know is if 20. f4 was (a) a deep sacrifice of the exchange plus pawn in order to open up the f file and attack the weakened king-side dark squares, or (b) a case of "Oh f*** I left e3 undefended!" (all my winning sacrifices are of the latter type). Did Mikenas write anything about move 20?
Apr-07-20  Once: Now that is doubly annoying. First, that I knew the game and didn't remember it. And second that I couldn't solve it when I thought I didn't know it.

I'd echo what other folks have said about this not feeling very Tuesdayish.

Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Never saw this game till now; for sure it is hardly a Tuesday puzzle, but is a splendid conception by Mikenas.
Apr-07-20  TheaN: <Once: <...> I'd echo what other folks have said about this not feeling very Tuesdayish.>

If even you are saying it Once I start to doubt my own reasoning for thinking the opposite.

I mean it's not a traditional mate in three per se, fair enough. It's not Q+ Q+ with Q#. But lets face it, not even Monday puzzles are that: if it involves a (queen) sac it usually follows two moves more (rarely are they mate in twos). In a sense this puzzle is not that different from a usual Monday!

What makes it more difficult is the <apparent> space of the Black king. He can go to the center, back to where he came from and to the king side on either move of the combination, so we might be thrown off by the fact that "it could never be that many variations". In total it's just five so...

I'm sticking to my opinion: I think it's fine. For once, because Monday last week was complete bollocks :>

Apr-07-20  Once: <TheaN> I think the thing that threw me was a double minor piece sacrifice when we're already rookless. And all to accomplish a mate in the middle (ish) of the board with only bishop and queen.

And all that while I'm telling myself that it's only a choosday so I must be overthinking this.

Of course it's obvious when you spot it. And when you already know it even if you don't remember it.

I blame these unusual circumstances. It's hard for the imagination to soar on wings of air when we're all under house arrest.

Apr-07-20  faulty: Nasruddin> I cannot remember if I read it in his interview or he told me in person, but Mikenas claimed that he could not see everything at move 20, but he had, of course, the general idea and already saw the mate before making move 23. He was a brave guy. There could be two great books: Mikenas' best wins and Mikenas' best losses (Capa, Bronstein... as the best ones). His style was good for both :) hope this helps
Apr-07-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: <TheaN .... sincerely doubt he did>

Oh, you're shattering my illusions!
You're probably right though. I guess you mean something like ..... "Play this sac, it wins .... no, I can't see all the variations either .... so how do I know it wins? Of course it wins, these positions always do"

Apr-07-20  schachfuchs: Maybe 25.? would make up a Saturday or Sunday puzzle?

1) mate-in-7 25.Nxf7 Qxf7 26.Be5 Rh8 27.Rxf7+ Kxf7 28.Qg6+ Ke7 29.Qg7+ Kd8 30.Bc7+ Ke8 31.Bg6# or

2) mate-in-8 25.h4 Bf4 26.Bxf4 Rh8 27.Qg3+ Kf8 28.Ng6+ Kg8 29.Nxh8+ Kf8 30.Bd6+ Qe7 31.Rxf7+ Ke8 32.Rxe7+ Kd8 33.Qg8#

Apr-08-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  gawain: I worked and worked on this one and just did not see it. I kept thinking that Black's king would escape via e7. Unexpectedly tough puzzle.
Apr-21-22  whiteshark: Daniel ♔ has annotated this game here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gH... (~14mins)

highly recommended link: https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com/ of Douglas Griffin

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