Apr-08-25
 | | FSR: The Benko Gambit is one of many openings that are inferior but not losing with best play. But lines with ...e6 (what Benko called the Volga Gambit) à la
the Blumenfeld Gambit are better than the usual lines with ...g6. Most openings good enough to have a name don't lose. Exceptions include the Latvian Gambit, Damiano's Defense, the Bongcloud, and possibly Grob's Attack, the Englund Gambit, the Czech Benoni (that one surprises me; the engines HATE it), and the Traxler Counter-Attack in the Two Knights. |
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Apr-08-25
| | FSR: After 38.f4 gxf4 39.gxf4 we would have reached this position:
click for larger viewThe Syzygy endgame tablebases recognize this position, with Black to move, as a draw. https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=6n1... I would have instantly claimed it, as ICCF rules permit. But if Black must move, what should he play? To my shock, the <only> drawing moves are 39...Ne7! and 39...Kf6!, in each case taking control of f5. Every other move, such as the extremely natural 39...Nf6?, loses! Back to the game. Now consider this position, which could have arisen had we played 39.Ke4 Ke6 40.f4 gxf4 41.gxf4: 
click for larger viewAgain it is a tablebase draw. But this time Black <must> play 41...Nf6+!, driving the king back. Based on the previous position, one might think that 41...Ne7, controlling f5, and perhaps 41...Kf6 are reasonable moves. They lose! Chess is hard! |
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| Apr-09-25 | | Muttley101: <FSR> This TBE position turned up on my Facebook feed a few days ago, without any details on the game, only the question "what move must black play to draw?". So, before you made your post here. Good to have a reference to the game it most likely came from. |
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Apr-09-25
| | FSR: <Muttley101> I posted it on Facebook in three groups. So you must have seen one of my posts, or someone copying it. Evidently the latter, since you didn't see my name. |
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Apr-09-25
| | FSR: I should have posted the Syzygy link for the second position, the one where 41...Nf6+! is the only drawing move. Here it is: https://syzygy-tables.info/?fen=6n1... |
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| Apr-10-25 | | Muttley101: <FSR: <Muttley101> I posted it on Facebook in three groups. So you must have seen one of my posts, or someone copying it. Evidently the latter, since you didn't see my name.> It wasn't one of your posts. So yes, I figured it might have been taken without attribution, which annoys me- why not do this? - so I was a bit peeved that I didn't have a game source- as I said, thanks. TBEs are fascinating, just a single one yields a great deal of food for thought. |
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