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Charles Fisher vs Robert Smith
Fisher - Smith (1873), Sydney AUS, rd 2, Sep-??
Owen Defense: Matovinsky Gambit (B00)  ·  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 6s/ply) 1...c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Be2 = +0.08 (35 ply) ⩲ +1.01 (33 ply) 3...e6 4.Ne2 c5 5.c3 Nf6 6.Nd2 d6 7.Ng3 Be7 8.O-O = +0.31 (31 ply)+- +3.34 (36 ply) 8.Nh3 Bxh1 9.Ng5 Bd5 10.hxg8=R+ Bxg8 11.Qf3+ Bf6 +- +5.03 (36 ply) ± +1.51 (32 ply) 10.Ne2 Qe8 11.Ng3 Rxh2 12.Be3 Nc6 13.Nd2 Bd5 14.O-O-O ⩲ +1.06 (30 ply) 10...Qe8 11.Bg6 Qf8 12.Bg5 Nc6 13.c3 Bd5 14.Nd2 e5 = +0.13 (35 ply) 11.Nc3 Bf7 12.Nge2 Nc6 13.a3 Bh5 14.Qg3 Qf8 15.Be4 e6 ± +2.21 (28 ply) ⩲ +1.00 (34 ply) 13.Nc3 Nc6 14.d5 Bxd5 15.Nxd5 e6 16.Ne3 Qh4 17.Be2 Rh8 ⩲ +1.17 (33 ply) ⩱ -1.45 (32 ply) 14...Rh7 15.Nc3 c6 16.Nge2 Kh8 17.Nf4 Bf7 18.Nh3 Bf6 ⩱ -1.26 (32 ply) 15.Be3 Nc6 16.Ne2 Bh3 17.Qg3 e5 18.Nbc3 e4 19.Bg2 Bxg2 = 0.00 (30 ply) ⩱ -0.85 (32 ply) 17.c4 Na6 18.cxd5 Bxd5 19.Bf4 Qd7 20.Be5 Rh7 21.Nf4 Nb4 = -0.39 (32 ply)better is 17...Nd7 18.Bd2 Bf7 19.O-O-O e5 20.Nfh3 e4 21.Bg4 Nf6 ∓ -2.00 (30 ply) 18.Bd2 Nd7 19.O-O-O e5 20.Nfh3 e4 21.Bg4 Nf6 22.Be2 Kf8 ⩱ -1.49 (29 ply)-+ -2.51 (34 ply) 19.Be3 Qxg2 20.Bxg2 Nd7 21.Nf3 Kf8 22.a4 Bg6 23.a5 b5 ∓ -1.97 (31 ply) 19...Bxd4 20.Nf4 Qg7 21.c4 e6 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Nxd5 cxd5 -+ -3.12 (34 ply) 20.Nh3 Kf8 21.Kf1 Nd7 22.Re1 Rg8 23.Bg4 Bxg5 24.Bxd7 Bd2 ∓ -1.72 (26 ply)-+ -2.89 (28 ply) 23.Ne2 Nf8 24.c4 Rh2 25.Rg1 Ng6 26.cxd5 cxd5 27.Kd2 Kh7 ∓ -2.40 (33 ply)-+ -3.40 (38 ply) 24...Be8 25.c3 a5 26.Nc2 Rd8 27.Ne3 Bh5 28.Re1 Kf7 29.Kd2 -+ -3.40 (37 ply) ∓ -1.76 (35 ply)better is 25...a5 26.b4 Ne6 27.bxa5 bxa5 28.Nxa5 Ng5 29.Bf5 Rh2 ∓ -1.93 (34 ply) ⩱ -1.42 (38 ply) 27...Bf7 28.Nb5 Ng6 29.Bg4 Nf4 30.Nd6 Rd8 31.Nb7 Rb8 ∓ -1.72 (34 ply) 28.Nc8 Ng6 29.Nxb6 Nf4 30.Bf5 Rh6 31.Nc8 Rd8 32.Kd2 Kf8 ⩱ -0.55 (33 ply)better is 28...Bf7 29.Nd6 Rd8 30.Nc8 Be6 31.Bxe6+ Nxe6 32.Nxb6 ⩱ -1.45 (33 ply) ⩱ -0.87 (28 ply) after 29.Nc3 Re1+ 30.Kd2 Rxf1 31.Bxf1 Bf7 32.Bg2 Rd8 33.Nge2 30...Ng6 31.Rb1 Kf7 32.Bf5 Nh4 33.Bd3 Rg8 34.Be2 Rg5 ⩱ -1.12 (33 ply)= 0.00 (40 ply)better is 43...Kh6 44.Ke3 Kg5 45.Nc7 Rc8 46.Nce6+ Bxe6 47.Nxe6+ = 0.00 (32 ply)better is 44.Kc3 Rb1 45.Ne3 Rc1+ 46.Kb2 Rh1 47.d5 Kf8 48.c5 Ke7 ⩲ +0.62 (26 ply) 44...Bxd5 45.Nxd5 Kf7 46.Ne3 Ke7 47.c5 Kd7 48.d5 Rb4 = 0.00 (40 ply)+- +2.60 (36 ply) 45...Kg7 46.d5 Be8 47.c5 Kf7 48.Kc3 Rb1 49.c6 Bxc6 ± +2.17 (33 ply)+- +3.24 (37 ply) 46...Kg6 47.d5 Kg7 48.Kc3 Kf8 49.c5 Ke7 50.Kd4 Rh8 51.c6 +- +3.09 (33 ply)+- +5.56 (31 ply)51...Rh8 52.c5 Rh3 53.Kd4 Rxe3 54.Kxe3 Bxd5 55.Kd4 Ke6 +- +9.05 (30 ply)1-0

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

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35434 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Oct-22-14  optimal play: This is the second game in the match between Charles Marshall Fisher and Robert Smith played 1873 in Sydney.

6...Bg7 was a novelty by Smith.

<KWRegan> tried this against Lombardy in the 1974 US Open Lombardy vs K Regan, 1974

8.hxg8=Q+ Compare 8.Nf3

10...Bd5

<The key move of a defence recently invented by Mr. Smith. The "Fianchetto" like the majority of close openings, has never been thoroughly analysed by chess authors, who at this point give White a winning game. [...]>*

11.h5

<This strikes us as being premature. We prefer B to K Kt 5>**

12...Rxh5

<A fine move, quite characteristic of Mr. Smith's brilliant style>*

13.Be4

<Probably his best play. Had he taken the proffered rook, many beautiful and complicated variations would have resulted; the following seems the most likely one to occur:- 13. Q takes R ; B to Q 4 ; 14. Q takes P ; Kt to B 3 ; 15. Q to R 4 ; R to R 8 ; 16. K to B sq ; P to K 3 ; followed by Q to R 5 , and Black has a winning attack.>*

compare 13.Qxa8 played in the following game almost 100 years later...

Anatoly Shmit vs Alvis Vitolinsh 1/2-1/2 USSR 1969 (B00) ... 13. Qxa8 Bd5 14. Qxa7 Nc6 15. Qa4 Rh1 16. Kf1 Nxd4 17. Bc4 e6 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. Bf4 Qh4 20. Qa8+ Kh7 21. Qxd5 Qh3+ 22. Qg2 Rxg1+ 23. Kxg1 Ne2+ 24. Kf1 Qxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Nxf4+ 26. Kf3 Bxb2 27. Kxf4 Bxa1 28. c3 Bb2 29. Ke3 Bc1+ 1/2-1/2

19...Bf6

<A feeble move which isolates a pawn. Being the "exchange" ahead, Mr. Smith seems too anxious to reduce the number of pieces; he could now have improved his position by playing K to B sq>*

<Black being superior in force, wisely compels exchanges>**

Further to the contradicting comments from the two newspaper chess columnists about move 19, Houdini prefers Bxd4

21...exf6

<Black remains with the advantage of the exchange, and without any inferiority of position>**

24...Re8 ?

<Surely the valuable Q B P was worth defending by playing B to K sq>*

<B to K sq, defending the P, followed by P to R 4, appears to us the correct method of pursuing the game>**

Houdini agrees that 24...Be8 is the best move.

29...Rd8

<B to K 7 would have been more to the point>*

<B to K 7 would have speedily determined the game in Black's favour>**

Despite the agreement of both newspapers chess writers about move 29, Houdini prefers Ng6

38...Kg7

<An obvious oversight; he should of course have played K to his 2>*

<He should have been satisfied with a draw, and played K to K 2. The move made loses a Pawn>**

42...bxc4

<Black's game is in a bad way; he should now take Kt with B, and then bring up the K to face the terrible pawns>*

43.bxc4

<White's pawns are now very formidable>**

51.Ne5 !

The finish:- 51...Rc8 52.Kd4 Rd8 53.Kc5 a4 54.d6 etc

After two games, Fisher and Smith each have one win.

The winner of the match to be the first player to seven wins (draws not counting).

*Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW) issue Saturday 4 October 1873 page 21

**The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic.) issue Saturday 4 October 1873 page 12

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