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Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Botvinnik
Botvinnik - Smyslov World Championship Match (1957), Moscow URS, rd 16, Apr-11
Spanish Game: Closed Variations. Chigorin Defense (C98)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-20-08  Knight13: <18.Ne3> f6 <19.Nd5> Qf7 <20.Nb6> Rb8 <21.Nxc8> and the journey ends miserably.
Mar-20-08  RookFile: Yeah, other than obtain the two bishops and remove a defender of the d5 outpost square, the super GM's maneuver didn't accomplish a thing.
Mar-20-08  Knight13: I know, the d5 outpost was never even used and white's two bishops didn't make a difference in this game.
Apr-05-11  Salaskan: Actually this was a great game by Smyslov. 13.dxc5 with the simple Nd5 plan was called 'inoffensive' by Botvinnik according to Marin, but he got into trouble in game 10 of this match when he came under pressure after ...Be6 (preventing Nd5) with a4 and Ng5/h4. Botvinnik deviated in this game with 14...Bd6?! intending to regroup in such a way that he could eventually trade off the Nd5 but Smyslov simply grabbed the bishop-pair before black could play Rb8, which wasn't miserable at all <Knight13>, I like the way he starts probing the kingside after that; black can't really do anything in fear of the position opening up, and indeed the light-squared bishop becomes active later. Too bad Smyslov couldn't win in the end.
Sep-15-13  zydeco: Tricky, trappy play around move 40.

40.Bc6 allows 40....Qd3 which seems to give black an initiative. 41.Kh2 sets the trap 41....Qxc3? 42.Bxg5! 42.Bb7 sets the trap 42....Qxc3? 43.Qc6 and black's position collapses. After 42....e4 black can meet 43.Qxe4 with 43....Qxc3 44.Qc6 Qe5.

Jun-28-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: As the others said, there's something like a paradox in this game.

White has already played Ng1-d2-f1-e3-d5.


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He now plays 20.Nb6 & 20.Nxc8.
The unmoved bishop has gone. It seems like a waste of tempi... but it isn't. It seems to be more or less the right thing to do.

Jun-28-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Playing strictly on general principles in chess can only take one so far; Black's light-squared bishop, though it never moved, might well have had a useful say in the proceedings if it had been allowed to live.

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