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William Lombardy vs Lev Polugaevsky
"Lombardy Trophy" (game of the day Oct-15-2017)
Reykjavik (1978), Reykjavik ISL, rd 10, Feb-15
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. Nimzo-English Opening (A17)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-15-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: black's position fell apart like a house of playing cards. Pretty sharp stuff.
Oct-15-17  Ironmanth: Sneaky and ingenious! Thanks for this game! RIP Fr. Bill
Oct-15-17  thegoodanarchist: I am wondering if 34...Rc8 lets Black fight on, but not wondering enough to actually analyze it :)

<ColeTrane: this should be GOTD on super bowl sunday and be called "Lombardy's Trophy">

Half your wish came true!

Oct-15-17  RookFile: I guess this pun has been used before. I actually think the Reshevsky win represents Lombardy at the zenith of his powers:

Reshevsky vs Lombardy, 1958

Oct-15-17  ColeTrane: yeeee
Oct-16-17  kevin86: Vince would have been proud.
Oct-16-17  savagerules: I think seeing Leonid Stein's and at times Lombardy's active play with the English convinced Fischer in the early 70's to give it a try as he did in his match against Spassky. This is an impressive win seeing how Lombardy played sporadically and here he takes down a top five player.
Jul-20-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: As so often, even in mid-late week POTDs, the opening move is not difficult to find, but the key is understanding that Black is tied down and needs only one small push.

Lombardy gave his great opponent that push with 32.Nxe4 fxe4 33.Bxe4. Polugaevsky could have chosen 33....Ne5, but this fails after 34.Bd5+, with Rxe5 to follow. This leaves 33....Ne7, with 34.Ra8 tying down Black's forces still more, while preparing the killing blow Bg6.

Jul-20-23  Granny O Doul: Lombardy said that one thing he did feel he had taught Fischer is that you can play anything.
Jul-20-23  raymondhow: After the first two moves, I chose 34.b5 which the engine seems to like just as well.
Jul-20-23  King.Arthur.Brazil: My option is: 32. Nxe4 fxe4 33. Bxe4! Man, you forked two ♖ and 1 ♘ from once. Black probably will play: 33... Rcc7, so 34. Bxg6 Re7 35. Rxe7 Qxe7 (or even 35... Rxe) 36. Ra8 and this pin is winner.
Jul-20-23  stacase: Got the first move in a few seconds. The rest? Not so much (-:
Jul-20-23  King.Arthur.Brazil: After: 35...Nxg6 36. Rexe8 Rf7 37. Rxf8+ Rxf8 38. Rxf8+ Kxf8 39. Qd4... I really didn't think about 33... Ne7, nevertheless, I doubt that I would find 35.Bg6! right now, because I'm tired this time.
Jul-20-23  jrredfield: My thought was 32 Nxe4. The black pawn had to go, opening up the White bishop diagonal to attack the pinned rook and the e-file. I see this line as viable: 32 ... Rc8 33 h5 Nf4 34 Nf6+ Nxf6 35 Bxb7 Rb8 36 Qd4, as far as I got. Even after all this, I don't see White as all that far ahead, while certainly in a position I would feel pretty good with OTB, nevertheless any slip-ups by White and Black could still rally and have a feeble chance.
Jul-20-23  jrredfield: Black blundered with 31 ... Rxc6?. After 31 ... Rb8, Black, while not in great shape, at least is still in the game.
Jul-20-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  takebackok: Like others, most of the moves pretty easy. I'm trying to find something other than taking the knight on 32...fxe4 because blacks game goes south in a hurry. So far haven't found anything better.
Jul-20-23  Mayankk: I saw the idea of 32 Nxe4 fxe4 33 Bxe4, forking the Black Rook and Knight, in a jiffy.

Being terribly proud of myself, having solved the Thu POTD so quickly, I didn't spend time on Black's best defense and thought the game may continue 33 ... Rcc7 ( 33 ... Rxc4 34 Bd5+ is worse) 34 Bxg6 where White is up by a pawn and Black is tied up terribly.

However Black has the 33 ... Ne7 resource. After 34 Bxc6 Nxc6, White has R+P versus 2N and it is likely Black which will press on further. White therefore needs to resist 34 Bxc6 and find 34 Ra8 instead. Difficult.

Jul-20-23  mel gibson: I saw the first few moves in under 10 seconds.

Stockfish 16 says:

32. Nxe4

(32. Nxe4 (Nd2xe4 Rc6-c8 Ne4-f6+ Qf8xf6 Qb2xf6 Ne8xf6 Bg2xb7 Rc8xc4 Ra1-d1 Rc4xb4 Rd1xd6 Rb4-b5 Kg1-g2 Rb5-c5 Rd6xb6 f5-f4 Bb7-e4 Ng6-f8 Be4-b1 f4xg3 ) +4.08/43 239)

score for White +4.08 depth 43.

Jul-20-23  agb2002: White has a bishop for a knight and a pawn.

The black rooks and the knight on g6 are defenseless. This suggests 32.Nxe4:

A) 32... fxe4 33.Bxe4

A.1) 33... Ne5 34.Bd5+ Kh8 35.Rxe5 dxe5 36.Bxc6 Re7 (36... Rb8 37.Qxe5 + - [B+2P vs n]) 37.Ra8, with an extra pawn, looks very good for White.

A.2) 33... Ne7 34.Ra8 (threatens 35.Bxc6 Nxc6 36.Rexe8; 34.Bxc6 Nxc6 35.Ra8 Re7) 34... Rcc7 (34... Rc8 35.Rxc8 Nxc8 36.Bxb7 wins an exchange) 35.Bxb7 Rxb7 36.Qa2, with the double threat c5+ and Qa4, must be winning.

A.3) 33... Rcc7 34.Bxg6 Nf6 35.Qd4 wins a pawn with the better position.

B) 32... Rxc4 33.Nf6+ Nxf6 34.Bxb7 wins an exchange.

C) 32... Rcc7 33.Nc3 recovers the pawn with a considerable improvement of the position.

Jul-20-23  AlicesKnight: Found the Nxe4, Bxe4 and Ra8 components leading to the pin on Black's first rank, but not quite the exact sequence. I wonder when Lombardy saw the possibility - at/after move 30? - perhaps at 28? It is the ability of top players to see the 'figure in the marble' that fascinates me.
Jul-20-23  Brenin: Black unwisely won a P with 30 ... Bxc6 31 dxc6 Rxc6, leaving him weak on the light squares, and with both Rs on the long diagonal, vulnerable to the B on g2. After 32 Nxe4 Black's best response is to decline the sacrificed N, accept material equality, and get his Rs onto safe squares as fast as possible, with moves like Re7 and Rc8, protecting the weak e-file and back rank. White gets a better position after 33 Nc3 and 34 Nd5, but Black is still in the game.
Jul-20-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Yank its q ou peg faith view its Nxe4 its acrid mid its arrived its odd its aba its auld fib its aba its auld its a cuff muff its Nxe4 dug
Jul-20-23  saturn2: Only half point cause I was too hasty.
.32 Nxe4 fxe4 33.Bxe4 Ne5 <my 34.f4?! is answered by Nf6> whilst 34.Bd5 wins The possibility of Ra8 later on I saw.
Jul-21-23  Refused: With the rooks so neatly lined up along the h1-a8 diagonal 32.Nxe4 is the first move that come to mind

32.Nxe4 fxe4 33.Bxe4 Ne7 that covers all the loose black pieces temporarily alas 34.Ra8!! is lights out. That unfortunate knight on e7 is now tasked with three things. Keep the e-file blocked, guard c6 and guard g6.

Relatively best is probably something like 34...Qf7 but here white has the choice of the trivial 35.Bxc6 Nxc6 36.Rexe8+ Kh7 37.Qc2+ g6 which is just horrible for black. Even giving up the two rooks for the black queen should be easily winning. Or white can try to find something better a long the line of Qb1/c2

Turning down the sac isn'T great either

32...Re7 33.Nc3 Rxe1+ 34.Rxe1 takes some bite out of white's attacking propspects, but that did cost the vital central pawn and white's Bishop has all the squares it could dream of. It's just plain horrible to play for black.

Jul-21-23  eblunt: What I find interesting about this is that the white queen plays no part in this. The other 3 white major pieces rip apart a 5 piece black defence with having to bother to get the white queen out of bed.
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