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Viktor Korchnoi vs Anatoly Karpov
Karpov - Korchnoi Candidates Final (1974), Moscow URS, rd 1, Sep-16
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. Queens Indian Formation (A17)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Nov-24-15  Petrosianic: Spassky is the only one he might possibly have played. But who knows?
Nov-24-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: The Spassky autobiography--one of the great missing books, that will probably never be written.
Mar-10-17  mikepom: 17. Nb5!! wins. ..a6 18. Nxc7, Kxc7 19. Bf4+, Kc8 20. Bh3
Mar-10-17  WorstPlayerEver: Nice find! Chapeau for joakim.
Mar-10-17  Howard: Can't believe, to be honest, that 17.Nb5!! wins.
Mar-10-17  WorstPlayerEver: Don't wanna be rude but it seems after mikepom's 20. Bh3 line, Black's pieces stand at all the wrong positions. Especially the King and the Queen.
Mar-10-17  ChessHigherCat: <mikepom: 17. Nb5!! wins. ..a6 18. Nxc7, Kxc7 19. Bf4+, Kc8 20. Bh3>

In your line, the reason why black can't play 17. ...fxg5 is 18. Qe5 threatening mate on c7 + the rook on h8, right? But what if black plays 17...Nd7 protecting e5, so now the bishop is en prise.

Mar-11-17  WorstPlayerEver: 17...Nd7 18. Bf4
Mar-11-17  ChessHigherCat: <WorstPlayerEver: 17...Nd7 18. Bf4> The question is whether black can get away with e5 19. Bh3 Bc6? which admittedly looks very shaky but the bishop on f4 is still en prise. What does fishstick say?
Mar-11-17  RandomVisitor: 17.Nb5 Nd7 18.Bf4 e5 19.Bh3 Bc6


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

+11.88/25 20.Nxa7+ Kb7 21.Nxc6 Bd6 22.Bg2 e4 23.Bxd6 f5 24.Bf4 Ngf6 25.Nfd4 Qh5 26.Ne7 Qxe2 27.Nxe2 Nc5 28.b4 Ne6 29.Nxf5 Nxf4 30.Nxf4 Ra8 31.Kb2 Re8 32.Ne3 h6 33.Kb3 Ka7 34.h3 Kb8 35.a3 Kb7 36.a4 Ra8 37.Ne6 h5 38.Nf4

+11.48/25 20.Nfd4 Ba8 21.Nc2 f5 22.Bxf5 Ngf6 23.Bxe5 Bc5 24.Nxc7 Bf3 25.Nxe8 Bxe2 26.Nxf6 Bxd1 27.Nxd7 Bxc2 28.Kxc2 Re8 29.Nxc5+ Kd8 30.Ne6+ Ke7 31.Nc7 Rg8 32.Bxh7 Rg5 33.f4 Rh5 34.Be4 Rxh2+ 35.Kd3 Rf2 36.Bd5 Rf1 37.g4 Ra1 38.a3 Rf1 39.g5 Rg1 40.Ke4 Rg3 41.Kf5 a5

+7.02/25 20.Nxe5 fxe5 21.Nxa7+ Kb7 22.Nxc6 Ngf6 23.Nxb4 exf4 24.Qxe8 Rxe8 25.Bxd7 Nxd7 26.Rxd7 fxg3 27.hxg3 Re4 28.b3 Re2 29.f4 h5 30.Nd5 Kc6 31.Rxc7+ Kd6 32.a4 Rg2 33.Rg7 h4 34.Ne3 Rg1+ 35.Kc2 hxg3 36.Kc3 Ke6 37.Rg6+ Kf7 38.Rxb6 Re1 39.Kd3 Ra1 40.Ke2 Rg1

Mar-11-17  RandomVisitor: Clearly black has major problems after 17.Nb5! as suggested earlier by <mikepom>


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

<+2.30/39 17...a6 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 19.Bf4+ Kc8 20.Bh3> Nh6 21.Nd4 Be4 22.Nxe6 f5 23.Nxc5 Bxc5 24.Re1 Kb7 25.f3 Bc6 26.Qxe8 Rxe8 27.Rxe8 Bxe8 28.Bxh6 Bd7 29.Bf1 Bg1 30.h3 Bc6 31.Bd3 Bf2 32.Bxf5 Bxg3 33.f4 Bg2 34.Kd2 b5 35.cxb5 axb5 36.Ke3 Kb6 37.Bxh7 Bxh3 38.Be4 Kc7 39.Kf3 Be1 40.f5 Kd7 41.Bf4 Ke7 42.Bg5+ Kd6 43.f6 Be6 44.Bf4+ Kc5 45.Bg6 Bxa2

Mar-11-17  ChessHigherCat: <Random Visitor> Wow, that answers that, thanks!
Mar-11-17  Howard: So, in other words, it appears that in the very first game, Korchnoi missed a possible win?
Mar-11-17  ChessHigherCat: <Howard: So, in other words, it appears that in the very first game, Korchnoi missed a possible win?> How could he possibly have seen it without our expert advice? Seriously, I knew his second during this match, Yacov Murey, and got to know him quite well in Paris. The first time I saw him blitz in the Jardin du Luxembourg he wasn't at all well dressed and looked like he hadn't shaved for a few days, but you could see right away from his style of play that he was a GM, a totally different species. For one thing, he never just defended against a threat, he either neutralized the attack and took the initiative at the same time or else he launched his own attack elsewhere. Another thing is that in 5-minute chess, lots of patzers lose because they forget their king is in check, but Jacov had this sense of his king hardwired into his body so he could no more forget about a check than he could overlook an attack on a (particularly sensitive) part of his body. Also, patzers tend to lose themselves staring at a certain small portion of the board but he seemed to calculate according to the overall configuration of the whole board all the time.
Mar-11-17  Petrosianic: Seen what? An eval? He'd need a time machine for that. Nobody's shown a win here, and the fact that Korchnoi had an advantage in Game 1 isn't exactly news.
Mar-11-17  ChessHigherCat: <Petrosianic: Seen what? An eval? He'd need a time machine for that. Nobody's shown a win here, and the fact that Korchnoi had an advantage in Game 1 isn't exactly news.>

I was referring (ironically) to Howard's claim that Korchnoi had missed a possible win.

Mar-11-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Retireborn: 17.Nb5 is an interesting discovery. My (rather ancient) notes give 17.Nd5 as an alternative way of generating attacking chances. Not sure now who suggested that (Robert Byrne?) but it is slightly surprising that no human annotator looked at the other knight move.
Mar-11-17  RandomVisitor: Deeper look, after 17.Nb5


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

+2.22/41 17...Ne7 18.Bxf6 Rf8 19.a3 Qg6 20.Nfd4 Bxg2 21.Bxe7 Nb3+ 22.Nxb3 Bxe7 23.f4 Qe4 24.Nxa7+ Kb7 25.Qxe4+ Bxe4 26.Nb5 Bf6 27.Rd7 e5 28.Rxc7+ Kb8 29.Nd2 Bg6 30.Nf3 exf4 31.gxf4 Be4 32.Ne5 Bxe5 33.fxe5 Re8 34.Nd6 Rxe5 35.Rc8+ Ka7 36.Re8 Rxe8 37.Nxe8 Bg6 38.Nf6 Kb7 39.Kd2 Kc6 40.a4 Kb7 41.b3 Ka6 42.Kc3 Bf5 43.Kb4 h6 44.h4 Bc2 45.Kc3 Bd1 46.Ng8 h5 47.Ne7 Bf3 48.Kb4

Mar-11-17  RandomVisitor: After 17.Nb5, a6 and Ne7 do not work, neither do:


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

+2.84/27 17...Na6 18.Bf4 Bc5 19.a3 e5 20.Bh3+ Kb8 21.Nxe5 fxe5 22.Qxe5 Nh6 23.Nxc7 Nxc7 24.Qxc7+ Ka8 25.Bxh6 Bxf2 26.Rd7 Qc8 27.Bf5 Bg1 28.h3 Bh2 29.Bf4 Qxc7 30.Bxc7 h5 31.b4 a6 32.Re7 Rf8 33.Bg6 Rf1+ 34.Kd2 Rf2+ 35.Kd3 Ka7 36.Bf4 Ra2 37.Be4 Rxa3+ 38.Kd2 Ra2+ 39.Kc3

+3.59/27 17...a5 18.Bf4 Na6 19.Bh3 Kb8 20.Bxe6 Ne7 21.Rd7 Bc5 22.Nxc7 Nxc7 23.Bxc7+ Ka7 24.Rd8 Ng6 25.Rxe8 Rxe8 26.Nd4 Bxd4 27.Qd2 Bc5 28.Bd5 Ne5 29.Bxb7 Kxb7 30.Bd8 Rf8 31.Qd5+ Ka7 32.f4 Nxc4 33.Bxf6 Rxf6 34.Qxc4 Rh6 35.Qe2 Kb7 36.Qc2 Ka6 37.a3 Rc6 38.Kb1

+3.65/27 17...Kb8 18.Bf4 Na6 19.a3 Bc5 20.b4 Ne7 21.bxc5 Ng6 22.Be3 e5 23.cxb6 axb6 24.Ne1 Bxg2 25.Nxg2 Qc6 26.f3 e4 27.f4 Ne7 28.Kb1 Rc8 29.Rd2 f5 30.Bd4 Nc5 31.Bxc5 Qxc5 32.Rd7 Nc6 33.Ne3 Na7 34.Ka2 Nxb5 35.cxb5 h6

+3.69/27 17...fxg5 18.Qe5 Na6 19.Qxh8 Kb8 20.Qe5 Bc5 21.Ne1 Bxg2 22.Nxg2 Nh6 23.Qxg5 Nf7 24.Qh5 Nb4 25.Kb1 Nc6 26.f4 h6 27.Ne1 a6 28.Nc3 Qg8 29.Rd7 Nd6 30.Qxh6 Nxc4 31.Qh7 Qc8 32.Nc2 e5 33.f5 Nd4 34.f6 Nd2+ 35.Kc1 N2f3 36.Nxd4 exd4 37.Ne4 Ne5 38.Rd5

Mar-11-17  Everett: My computer does not see the win after <17.Nb5 a6 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 19.Bf4 Kc8 20.Bh3 Be4>
Mar-11-17  RandomVisitor: <Everett>I have:


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

<+2.25/40 17...a6 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 19.Bf4+ Kc8 20.Bh3 Be4 21.Nd4> Nh6 22.Nxe6 f5 23.Nxc5 Bxc5 24.Re1 Kb7 25.f3 Bc6 26.Qxe8 Rxe8 27.Rxe8 Bxe8 28.Bxh6 Bg6 29.Bf1 Kc6 30.Kd2 Bb4+ 31.Kc2 b5 32.cxb5+ axb5 33.Bd3 Bc5 34.a3 Bg1 35.h3 Bd4 36.Bd2 Bf2 37.Bf4 Bd4 38.b3 Bc5 39.a4 bxa4 40.bxa4 Kb6 41.Bd2 Bf2 42.a5+ Kb7 43.Bf4 Bh5 44.g4 fxg4 45.hxg4 Bg6 46.Kc3 Bxd3 47.Kxd3 Be1

Mar-12-17  RandomVisitor: After <17.Nb5 a6 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 19.Bf4 Kc8 20.Bh3 Be4>


click for larger view

Komodo-10.1-64bit:

+2.37/44 21.Nd4 Nh6 22.Nxe6 f5 23.Nxc5 Bxc5 24.Re1 Bc6 25.Qxe8+ Bxe8 26.Bxh6 Bxf2 27.Rf1 Bc5 28.Bxf5+ Bd7 29.Bd3 Re8 30.Kc2 Re6 31.Bd2 h5 32.a3 Bd6 33.Bb4 a5 34.Bxd6 Rxd6 35.Kc3 Bg4 36.Be4 Kc7 37.Bd5 Be6 38.Bg2 Bg4 39.Be4 Rd1 40.Rxd1 Bxd1 41.h3 Kd6 42.Kd4 Be2 43.Bd5 Bd1 44.b4 axb4 45.axb4 Be2 46.Be4 Bd1 47.c5+ bxc5+ 48.bxc5+ Kd7 49.Ke5 Bb3

Mar-12-17  Everett: Yeah, <randomvisitor> that line does not work.... thank you
Mar-25-20  dannygjk: 17.Nb5 was a known line decades ago but I forgot who found it.
Mar-25-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <CHC.....The first time I saw (Murey) blitz in the Jardin du Luxembourg he wasn't at all well dressed and looked like he hadn't shaved for a few days, but you could see right away from his style of play that he was a GM, a totally different species....>

The physical description is bang on and was about the way Murey looked those times I saw him in a few tournaments across the years, then the one time we met at the board, he took me 2-0 in the blitz event at the 1997 Quebec Open.

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