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Viktor Korchnoi vs Aivars Gipslis
9th Soviet Team Cup (1976), Tbilisi URS, rd 3, Apr-??
English Opening: King's English. Four Knights Variation General (A28)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 31 times; par: 73 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-17-07  azi: A very nice game by Korchnoi. From a 'humble' opening (almost a reverse hedgehog for a move or two) he steadily improved his pieces' positions. I liked especially how he used his Queen to exploit the dark square diagonals from move 34 to the end of the game. The final infiltration and assault on the Black king is instructive too. Easy to see why Korchnoi was a repeated challenger for the world's best. And still a force to be reckoned with.
Jan-08-13  maxi: Very bad, Viktor. After the obvious 22...♗e6 you're toast.
Sep-28-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: I just played it on Guess the Move:

WE ARE NOW FOLLOWING
Korchnoi vs Gipslis, 1976.
YOU ARE PLAYING THE ROLE OF KORCHNOI.
Your score: 97 (par = 72)

I had trouble managing the transition from opening from middle game. After 12...f5:


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... I started to go uh-oh. I went by principle and tried to get the queenside going with 13.Rb1, but it is an inferior choice to Korchnoi's 13.Nc4. But then comes 13...f4 and it's again, uh-oh:


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I think black wants to play Qg5, and it does look worrisome. I figured the bishop would need to go to f3 (and playing Bf3 now is Stockfish's first quick choice). I chose the inferior 13.a4 to secure the knight first, but Viktor surprised me with 13.Nxd6 which, when you think about it, is a principled defense move. Then it's not hard to see the exf4, Bf3, Be4 plan.

But then, after 18...R4f7:


click for larger view

Korchnoi, being Korchnoi, played 19.Bxb7? (I chose the good choice 19.Rc1--patting my own back.) Greedy and calculating as usual, Viktor the Terrible, with his "show me" swagger. But he calculated wrong! As <maxi> posted nearly a decade ago, a few moves later he'd be toast after 22...Be6.

Once he survives the assault, Korchnoi gifts us a master class in defense, regrouping, and maximizing the power of his resources.

I look at Korchnoi's games to try to improve my defense skills. Sometimes I only learn to be reckless though!

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