Jun-08-04
 | | Gypsy: Move 5...Bf5?: lack of concentration; the game is objectively lost for Black.
Move 20: White is a clear rook and a better development up; Bb4 Nc3 Rad1 d5 should have led to an easy win.
Move 26: White let most of his advantage evaporate; Dr. Tarrash would approve especially of Black's knight.
Move 43: Duras now plays for a win. A series of four "tactical little puprises" destroys White position. They come after 44.Bd2, 48.Ra1, 50.Kd3? (this is the main stroke), and 53.Kf1. Take this as a prompt for those who like tactical puzzles. My next post will talk about these tactics, so do not look there too soon if you want the puzzles. (I am trying this approach as an experiment.) |
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Jun-08-04
| | Gypsy: Ok, here are the advertised comments on Duras tactics:
(1) 43...f3! 44.gxf3 h3--a positional pawn break. For his f-paws, Black gets cripling promotion threats.
(2) 48.Ra1 Rb2--White hopes to get activate his rook(s) on the back ranks
of Black position. But it costs White an important pawn as 49.Rcb1 fails to 49...Nc3+.
(3) 50.Kd3 was calculated with the 50...Rxb5 51.Ke4 and the threat of Bf4 in mind. It is a tactical error however, Black is after a bigger fish than the pawn: 50.Kd3? Rxd2! 51.Kxd2 Bf4+ and White has to abandon his rook because 52.Kd1 Bxc1 53.Kxc1 h2 lets the h-pawn (remember the guy?) run.
(4) 53...Bd2!--a resolute finish. If white releases the pin of the knight, say 54.Ra2 Bc3, then the b5 and d4 pawns simply fall; if not, then 54...Ba5 jails the rook. |
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| Jun-08-04 | | zb2cr: <Gypsy>, Your comment <Move 20: White is a clear rook and a better development up...> is incorrect; White's only up the exchange. Also, in view of what happens to White, isn't 45 Kf1 superior to gxf3? I don't see anything horrible happening right away with 45 ...Ra1+; 46 Rc1 or 45 ...fxg2+; 46 Kxg2, h3+. |
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Jun-08-04
| | Gypsy: Erratum, <Move 20:...White's up the exchange and beter position...> Thank you for noticing it <zb2cr>. <Also, in view of what happens to White, isn't 45 Kf1 superior to gxf3? I don't see anything horrible happening right away with 45 ...Ra1+; 46 Rc1 or 45 ...fxg2+; 46 Kxg2, h3+> In the case of 45.Kf1, things shall not go much better for White; Black has even more opportunity to tighten down the screws. White king is sitting unplesantly tight on the back row and no longer controls the d3 and f3 squares; the scope of the Black rook would extend all the way to h3; and the scope of the Black bishop would be enhanced by the additional opportunities of joint operations with the rook. As anotators sometimes say, Black would have the plesant choice between (i) 45...Ra1 46.Rc1 Ra4; (ii) 45...fxg2+ 46.Kxg2 h3+ 47.Kg1 Rd3 (or 47.Kh1 Rf3) (iii) 45...Bd6 or (iv) 45...Rd3 46.Rc1 (White has a dearth of moves after 45...Bd6 or 45...Rd3) 46...Bf6 with Bxd4 and other threats in the air. Variation (iv) would probably be my choice. I think that even after 44...f3 45.gxf3 Leonhardt was still hoping to win the game. |
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| Jun-09-04 | | zb2cr: <Gypsy>,
Your analysis looks convincing, especially your comment that P.S. Leonhardt hadn't realized the depth of trouble he was in. He cherished the hope of victory instead of reconciling himself to a hard defensive fight. |
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| Aug-14-04 | | patzer2: White's 50. Kd3?? (correct is 50. Ke3) is a tactical error, allowing Black to set up an immediate winning pin with 50...Rxd2+! |
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Aug-15-04
| | Gypsy: <White's 50. Kd3?? (correct is 50. Ke3) is a tactical error, ...> Leonhardt was clearly disoriented: While 50.Kd3? looses for tactical reasons, White postion after 50.Ke3 h2 is plain ugly -- White piecess are disorganized and Pb5 can not be saved. I see the previous 49.Rb7+? as being a serious error. After 49.Rcb1!, White should win without much of a risk. |
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| Aug-15-04 | | patzer2: Gypsy, I agree the blunder you pointed out was a significant strategic error, as it threw away White's last best winning chance. So, I have no argument with your analysis of the previous move. However, having missed his last best chance of winning, White must now play for the draw -- and the blunder 50. Kd3?? gives him zero chances. I concur 50 Ke3 h2 is ugly on the surface, but with the right plan I think White still has good chances to swindle a draw, especially against less than perfect play. If White can eliminate or hold the passed pawn on the h-file, he would have drawing chances, even if he has to sac the Bishop for the other passer. With the King on e3, the possibility f4 cutting off the Bishop and putting one or both rooks on the h-file passer is a related idea. White may have to sac the Bishop for the passed c-file pawn, but if he can get the h-file passer for no more than an even exchange I think he just might pull it off (especially against less than perfect play). |
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Aug-15-04
| | Gypsy: No disagreement here either <p2>. I was just trying to discern all the underlying reasons for White collapse. More often than not, bad tactical predicament comes on the tail of superficial strategic concepts. And this game, it turns out, is no exception. By the way, check out Duras vs J Kvicala, 1902 for your destruction collections. |
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Kibitzing
sac: 50...Rxd2+
icon.