| DrGridlock: Keres provides comments on this game in, “The Complete Games of Paul Keres.” His opening choice is, as others have pointed out, psychological. “Eliskases is well-known as a good positional player who prefers quiet positions in which strategy dominates over tactics. Therefore in this game I played from the very beginning for great tactical complications.” He further describes his opening choice at the Semmering Grandmaster Tournament, where Keres drew three games and won one in the first four. “So far my play was far from satisfactory and I became convinced that my chances would be very slim if I continued to play in the same style. My opponents were superior to me in quiet positional play, and therefore I decided to strive for much more complications. In the very next game, against Eliskases, I chose the notorious gambit against the Sicilian – b4.” One historically analyzed point in the game is Black’s decision at move 19 to accept or not White’s offer of a pawn sacrifice. 
click for larger viewKeres wrote, “This position became a repeated and controversial subject for analytical discussion amongst a number of commentators. First of all, Euwe claimed that White obtained a decisive attack after 21 … Nc5. It was also pointed out that 21 … Qf6 … or Rd8 would not rescue black from a loss. Then Riumin discovered that Black had a better defense in 21 … Kh8!, and that in this way he could obtain an advantage. “ Analysis by Komodo suggests that Riumin is correct – 21 … Kh8 is black’s best defense in the pawn grabbing line – but that there is not much difference between accepting the pawn offer with 19 … Qxd4 (.05) or declining with 19 … Nb6 (-.014) Analysis by Komodo32 3 32bit (depth = 27):
1. = (-0.14): 19...Nb6 20.Rb1 Qxd4 21.Bxh6 Rd8 22.Qc1 Nd5 23.Bg5 Nc3 24.Bxd8 Qxd8 25.Qe3 Qxh4 26.Qe8+ Bf8 27.Rxb4 Nd5 28.Bc4 Bf5 29.Qxa8 Nxb4 30.Qxb7 Qf6 31.Qxa7 Kg7 32.Rd1 Nd3 33.Bxd3 Bxd3 34.Qe3 Bc2 35.Rc1 2. = (0.05): 19...Nb8 20.Be3 Nc6 21.Bc2 Qb5 22.Rc1 Rd8 23.Bb3 Nxd4 24.Bxf7+ Kxf7 25.Bxd4 Rxd4 26.Rc7+ Bd7 27.Qb3+ Rd5 28.Nf5 Re8 29.Nd6+ Kg6 30.Nxe8 Bxe8 31.h3 Bc6 32.Qe3 gxh3 33.Qe6+ Kh7 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Qe7+ 3. = (0.05): 19...Nf6 20.Re5 Qd6 21.Qe2 Nd5 22.Qe4 Nf6 23.Qe2
4. = (0.05): 19...Qxd4 20.Nf5 Qxa1 21.Qxg4 Kh8 22.Nxh6 Qc3 23.Nxf7+ Kg8 24.Nh6+ Kh8 25.Nf7+ In Riumin’s line, Riumin gives 22 Nxg7 as white’s best move. Keres conceds that, “Black retains some winning chances in the endgame.” Keres continues, “However, turning once again to Riumin’s analysis, we find in it some debatable points. Thus, for example, the very first move provides some well grounded doubts, since instead of 22 Nxg7 serious consideration should be given to Nxh6.” Komodo agrees with Keres on this point. 
click for larger viewAnalysis by Komodo32 3 32bit (depth = 21):
1. = (-0.05): 22.Nxh6 Qc3 23.Nxf7+ Kg8 24.Nh6+ Kh8 25.Nf7+ 2. ³ (-0.59): 22.Rd1 Qe5 23.Qh4 Qf6 24.Qh5 Qg6 25.Nxg7 Nf6 26.Qh4 Rd8 27.Ne8 Rxd3 28.Rxd3 Nxe8 29.Rg3 Qd6 30.h3 Bf5 31.Bf4 Qe6 32.Bxh6 Bh7 33.Qd4+ f6 34.Qxb4 Qf7 35.Re3 a5 36.Qc5 Rd8 37.Qxa5 Rd1+ 3. µ (-0.89): 22.Bd2 Qf6 23.Nxh6 Bxh6 24.Qh5 Qd6 25.Bxh6 Qxd3 26.Bxf8+ Qh7 27.Bh6 Nf6 28.Qh4 Qg6 29.Bd2+ Kg8 30.Bxb4 Bd7 31.Bc3 Re8 32.Rxe8+ Bxe8 33.h3 Nh7 34.Qd8 f6 35.f3 b6 36.h4 Qf7 37.Qc8 Nf8 4. µ (-1.32): 22.Qh4 Qf6 23.Qh5 Qg6 24.Nxg7 Nf6 25.Bxg6 Nxh5 26.Nxh5 fxg6 27.Bxh6 Rf7 28.Nf4 Bf5 29.h3 Kh7 30.Bg5 a5 31.g4 Bd7 32.Nd5 Bc6 33.Ne7 Raf8 34.f4 Re8 35.Kf2 Bd7 36.Kg3 Bc6 5. µ (-1.36): 22.Rf1 Qe5 23.Bf4 Qf6 24.Qh5 Qg6 25.Nxg7 Nf6 26.Bxg6 Nxh5 27.Bxh5 Kxg7 28.Bd6 Be6 29.Bxb4 Rfd8 30.Bc3+ Kh7 31.Bf3 Bd5 32.Bg4 Bxa2 33.Bf6 Rd6 34.Be5 Rd5 35.f4 a5 36.Rc1 b5 37.Bf3 6.  (-1.65): 22.Nxg7 Qc3 23.Nf5 Qxe1+ 24.Bf1 Rg8 25.Bb2+ Kh7 26.Qh5 Rg6 27.Nxh6 Rxg2+ 28.Kxg2 Qe4+ 29.Kg3 Qg6+ 30.Qxg6+ Kxg6 31.Ng8 f6 32.Bg2 a5 33.f4 Kg7 34.Bd5 Ra6 35.Ne7 Nb6 36.Be4 Be6 37.Bd4 Bxa2 | 
Kibitzing
sac: 24.Rxg4
