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Emmanuel Schiffers vs Mikhail Chigorin
"The Damiano Effect" (game of the day Jun-22-2017)
Chigorin - Schiffers Sixth Match (1897), St Petersburg RUE, rd 13, May-??
King Pawn Game: Damiano Defense. Damiano Gambit Chigorin Gambit (C20)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-11-03  ughaibu: Here's another Schiffers-Chigorin game, famous for Chigorin missing a beautiful winning combination. The opening is normally called Damiano's Gambit.
Jan-12-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Yes, he missed 22...Rh1+!! 23.Nxh1 Bh2+! 24.Kxh2 Rh8+ 25.Kg3 Nf5+ 26.Kf(g)4 Rh4#.
Jan-12-03  mdorothy: I saw this as a puzzle after Qxa7 before, and I thought on it for a while, but never got it quite right.. so I can completely understand him missing it.
Jun-14-03  Jonber: What a peculiar game. First Chigorin blunders with Qg6, then he finds the brilliant equaliser Nf3+, only to miss the forced mate. It’s as sign of weakness on Schiffers part that he lets Chigorin back into the game so easily though.
Aug-22-03  patzer2: The following web site contains a complete analysis of this game, along with a draw by an amateur in simul against Fischer using this opening, Damiano's gambit: http://www.chesscafe.com/mcgrew/mcg...
Feb-13-04  InspiredByMorphy: What a game! Not only does Chigorin achieve a draw using the Damiano, but does it after losing his queen in the opening! Black had 9.Qe6 or e7. The outcome of this game doesent totally surprise me though, as I have always thought Chigorin was genius.
Feb-13-04  Catfriend: Yet pity he didn't find the absolutely stunning combination to win this mad game.
Feb-13-04  capanegra: And he missed it twice! After 23.♗e3 he still could have played ♖h1+!!
Feb-14-04  Catfriend: Thanks! That's something I didn't notice before!
Feb-16-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  sisyphus: Of course, White still should have won. 31. ♔e3 ♖h3+ 32. ♔d4 ♖d2+ 33. ♕d3 and White is still ahead.
Apr-28-04  Calli: "No one knows how many liters of vodka the combatants had consumed before coming to the board..." Tim MrGrew in the Chess Cafe article.

I'll post a new link because it has been moved to a PDF. http://www.chesscafe.com/text/mcgre...

<sisyphus> 30.Kf4 Rh4+ 31.Ke3 Rh3+ 32.Kd4 Rd2+ 33.Kc5 Rxc2+ is drawn.

Apr-28-04  Calli: OOPS Actually <sisyphus> is correct 30.Kf4 Rh4+ 31.Ke3 Rh3+ 32.Kd4 Rd2+ 33.Qd3! and white should win
Aug-26-04  BadTemper: How in the hell did Schiffers accept a draw? What a wimp.
Aug-26-04  acirce: Urgh.... Chigorin is well-known enough and Schiffers is #18 on the Chessmetrics list of 1897. Imagine Dreev-Kramnik playing such a stupid game.
Sep-11-04  Knight13: 9...Qg6 is blunder.
Nov-17-04  DanielBryant: What the heck is Chigorin doing playing Damiano's Defense?
Nov-17-04  Whitehat1963: A wild game that features the opening of the day.
May-04-05  schnarre: <DanielBryant> Good question! I doesn't seem to fit his style.
Nov-02-05  knightsillver: the opening
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 f6??
is the easiest way to win

Jan-13-06  schnarre: <knightsillver> Missing some text?!
Mar-05-06  patzer2: The move 22...Rxh1+! is a decoy tactic Chigorin failed to play for a mate-in-six, as pointed out by <Honza Cervenka>.

The combination with 22...Rxh1!+ is listed as the solution to number 1170 in Chess Informant's 1980 "Encyclopedia of Chess Middlegames," and is categoriezed there as a decoy (spelled "dicoying" in this multi-language reference book).

Black's first two moves are decoys in the combination <22...Rxh1+! 23. Nxh1 Bh2+! 24. Kxh2 Rh8+ 25. Kg3 Nf5+ 26. Kg4 Rh4#>.

P.S. Black also missed this same mate by not playing 23...Rxh1+!

Feb-23-07  beenthere240: Or is 9...Qg6 a deep deep sac? Black sure gets a lot of play for his queen vs B + N. Psychologically whte has to feel like he has a win. Chigorin certainly had all the fun in the game!
Jul-05-09  sileps: I found the forced mating combination after around 10 minutes with my board. It's an absolutely priceless combination, it's a pity it wasn't played. This is one of the best examples of how a puzzle-state of mind can outplay the best. I'm 100% positive that chigorin is a much better player than I am, but because he was unaware that there existed a mating combination he didn't bother to look for an alternative to his actual move!
Jul-05-09  sfm: 14.Ne4 looks like a mistake. 14.Bf4 seems to be the way.
Aug-28-09  melianis: Bet Chigorin didn't like this game.
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