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Efim Geller vs Vasily Smyslov
"G Force" (game of the day Jan-03-2012)
Geller - Smyslov Candidates Quarterfinal (1965), Moscow URS, rd 5, Apr-24
Gruenfeld Defense: Exchange. Spassky Variation (D87)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-08-12  parisattack: This game, with excellent annotations, is featured in McDonald's The Giants of Power Play section on Geller.

McDonald defines Power Play as the confluence of three elements - preparation, psychology, dynamism - then goes on to detail with ten finer points of discussion.

Mar-11-12  Eduardo Bermudez: Spassky referred to this game in summing up Geller: "When Geller was on song, he could crush anyone. And I always admired this thoughtfulness of his-not only the excellently played opening-this goes without saying, but the thoughtfulness of his play after it, the planning. He was a grandmaster of very high class, and he would play one or two games a year which would determine the direction that chess took in this or that opening. Such a game, for example, was his win against Smyslov in the Grunfeld Defence in the 1965 match, where he several times sacrificed his queen."
Aug-30-12  harish22: Yep !!. The depth of Kg1 is stunning. If the k was on h1 then, after Qg4, Qf6 wins due to the back rank threat. This implies that Geller saw the entire combinations and complications while playing 24. Rcf1 or even as early as 21. Qf4
Sep-17-12  Conrad93: 27.Kg1 was played in order that black would create his own doom. In effect, white forced black into zugzwang.

Any move black made after that point was bound to be bad.

Mar-12-13  vikram2791: In the end how does White win?
Mar-12-13  Catfriend: <vikram2791: In the end how does White win?> Well, it depends on what Black does of course. 31..Qxg4 gets him mated 32. Rf8+ Rxf8 33. Rxf8+ Kg7 34. h8=Q#

White threatens 32. Qxg7+ Kxg7 33. Rf7+ Kh6 34. Rf8.

If Black defends by 31..Bd5, then 32. Qxg7+ Kxg7 33. Rf8 Rxf8 34. Rxf8 Kxf8 35. h8=Q+ wins.

Feb-06-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <dyedzer: Efim Geller at his prime !!>

Mmm!
Prime. A big red rosette pinned to the seat of his trousers saying GUARANTEED 100% PRIME SOVIET CHESSPLAYER!

I prefer to say, <at his best>.

Apr-05-14  Nezhmetdinov: I can't remember seeing this game before, it is magic!
Nov-05-14  tranquilsimplicity: This is magic indeed!#
Jan-08-15  Whitehat1963: Mindboggling final combination after 23...Rde7
Oct-18-15  maseras: 13.Kh1 b6?!
(13...Na5! 14.Bd3 f5)
Feb-20-16  thegoodanarchist: Because Black's knight is useless on the a-file, White can freely sac a piece and still have the forces necessary to prosecute an attack.
Mar-06-17  clement41: OMG what a mind-boggling Grünfeld! Splendid!
Aug-02-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Geller beat a lot of World Champions.

But so did a lot of players!

The difference is that there is always one game where Geller knocked that Champion right out of the ring! Not just some shilly-shallying positional win....

... A TOTAL <DOWN GOES FRAZIER DOWN GOES FRAZIER> ANNIHILATION!!

Like this one.

Aug-02-17  Petrosianic: Geller beat 8 world champions. Not many people can say that, no matter what the quality of the games. I think the record is 9 (Keres and Korchnoi beat 9, and there are some world champions who would have gotten 9 if not for the fact that they couldn't beat themselves, and so had one less opportunity).
May-23-18  Whitehat1963: Great and extraordinarily complex finish with many possibilities on both sides of the board!
Dec-16-18  Ulhumbrus: According to the general rule a central attack prevails over a king side attack, and one remark on the part of Golombek suggests that it does so every time.

However this time after the central capture 24...Rxe4 it is the king side attack 25 fxg6!! which prevails instead.

One example of what this suggests is that in order to give the rule its rightful value and place one has to know the reasons why the central attack prevails over the king side attack, where it does.

One example of an answer is that if the central attack prevails it does so barely by a tempo.

Thus in this case if Black has lost a single important tempo somewhere White may win instead of Black.

One example of a move which loses a tempo is the move 19...Rad8 if after 20 Bh6 Black cannot follow it by 20...cxd4.

Feb-24-19  Albanius: Geller didn't just beat world champions, he had plus scores against Fischer (+5=3=2), Botvinnik (+4-1=7), Petrosian (+5-3=32), and Smyslov (+11-8=37), and equal scores against Euwe (+1-1) and Tal (+6-6=23). The only champions with plus scores against Geller were Spassky(+6-10=22) Karpov (1-2=5) Kasparov (0-1=3) and Anand (0-1=1), the latter three after Geller's prime. Total +39-36.
Jan-03-21  Gaito: Instead of 23.Bc2, worthy of consideration was also 23.Re2! (see diagram), with the threat of 24.Nf6+, taking advantage of the fact that the Re8 is unprotected.


click for larger view

A likely continuation would be 23...Rde7 24.Bb1 Qd7 25.Rce1 Bc6 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.Nd6! Rxe2 28.Rxe2 Bg7 29.Rxe8+ (see diagram)


click for larger view

Black could not escape being checkmated in a few moves more.

Jan-03-21  Gaito: Smyslov played the opening very well. After 17...Re8 the position was about equal, maybe just a very tiny advantage in White's favor; then Geller played the move 18.Ng3, and the following position was reached:


click for larger view

Smyslov played the seemingly logical 18...Qc6?, but as it turned out, that was the losing move: his one and only mistake in the whole game. After Geller's reply 19.Rf2! (protecting his threatened g2 pawn), there is no saving clause for Black. With the aid of powerful computer engines we find out that Smyslov ought to have played 18...cxd4! 19.Bxd4 (or else 19.cxd4 Qd6=) Nc4! with an equal game, probably a draw. After Smyslov's mistake 18...Qc6?, Geller played an almost perfect game, and never gave the former world champion a chance to recover.

Jun-29-24  King.Arthur.Brazil: In the case of: 24. fxg6 (fxg6?? 25. Qf8+ Rxf8 26. Rxf8# or 24... Rxe4 25. gxf7#). 25. Rcf1 Qe6 26. Nd6 Rb8 27. Nxf7 Bg7 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Ne5... and B cannot avoid to lose the g6♙ leaving W with 2 extra ♙and continue the attack. I'm suspected today, since I must have seen this game before.
Jun-29-24  King.Arthur.Brazil: Geller espetacular move -among- 28. Rxf6!, 29. gxh7! is 27. Rg1! because if didn't do it, 31. Qxg4 could be answered by Qxf6 32. Rxf6 Re1+ 33. Rf1 Rxf1#.
Jun-29-24  mel gibson: I wasn't sure.

Stockfish 16.1 chooses a different ply:

24. fxg6

(24. fxg6 (1.fxg6 hxg6 2.Rcf1 Qxe4 3.Bxe4 Bxe4 4.Re2 f6 5.Qg3 Kf7 6.h4 Nb7 7.Rfe1 b5 8.h5 gxh5 9.Qh4 Bxg2+ 10.Kg1 Bf3 11.Rxe7+ Rxe7 12.Rxe7+ Kxe7 13.Qf4 Nd6 14.Qxf3 Bg7 ) +5.78/44 187)

score for White +5.78 depth 44.

Jun-29-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: I flunk its q jazzy its Rcf1 finish gab its off its coffin abe its leeway its dub its chi de its aec its occult Rcf1 bah;
Jun-29-24  FM David H. Levin: <harish22: Yep !!. The depth of Kg1 is stunning. If the k was on h1 then, after Qg4, Qf6 wins due to the back rank threat.>

<King.Arthur.Brazil: Geller espetacular move -among- 28. Rxf6!, 29. gxh7! is 27. Rg1! because if didn't do it, 31. Qxg4 could be answered by Qxf6 32. Rxf6 Re1+ 33. Rf1 Rxf1#.>

If White's king were on h1 in the final position, I believe that 31...Qxf6 would still fail, owing to 32.Qg8+! Rxg8 33.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 34.Rxf6.

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