May-25-20
 | | KEG: Going into this 11th round encounter, Alapin had every reason to be optimistic. He was the only undefeated player remaining in the field, and although he nominally stood in fourth place he had two earlier draws to replay and--other than his replay against Tchigorin--had a relatively easy remaining draw. Indeed, had Alapin won all the rest of his games, he (if all the other results remained unchanged) would have finished first at Monte Carlo 1901. Certainly, Alapin had every reason to be confident in this game. He had defeated Marco in all three of their previous games, including two wins at Vienna 1898. In addition,Marco was having a wretched tournament and might not offer tough resistance now that any hopes for a prize or a high finish were out of the question for him. The beginning of the game could only have fueled any optimism Alapin may have had. The day before, Winawer had sprung his counter-gambit against Marshall and scored his first victory of the tournament, especially when Marshall self-destructed in the opening. Marco decided to try the same gambit against Alapin. But Alapin may have seen the Marshall-Winawer game, and adopted a much better line and soon was a pawn to the good with an almost certainly won game. But then everything went downhill for Alapin. Careless play tossed away his winning chances, and then Alapin lost a piece in a complicated position after 24. Ra2?. Once a piece to the good, Marco played carefully and gave Alapin no chances to recover. His closing technique was not always the fastest way to finish off the game, but it was logical, relentless, and effective. In large part as a result of this game, Alapin ended up in 5th place. Had he won this game, he would have been tied for 2nd. 1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6
3. Nc3 e5?!
The Winawer counter-gambit:
click for larger view4. dxe5!
"!"--(Tournament Book)
Much better than Marshall's 4. cxd5.
4... d4
5. Ne4
5. Nb1 is playable, but the text is best.
5... Qa5+
6. Nd2
Although later played by such luminaries as Karpov, Timman, Larsen, and Seirawan (twice), this looks inferior to 6. Bd2. And if White was planning 6. Nd2, he could just as well have played 5.Nb1. After 6. Nd2, the position was:
click for larger view6... Bf5
Beginning here Marco started to flounder, and was soon lost. If one wants to play a gambit, aggression is obviously required. Here, 6. c5, or maybe 6...Nd7 first, was called for. The Tournament Book correctly noted that 6...Qxe5 was not good, but it's analysis of this pawn grab was flawed. White would replay 7. Ngf3, not 7. a3 (after which Black would have the better chances with 7...c5! --especially on the Tournament Book's suggested 8. Nb3 [8. Ndf3 is better]. 7. Ngf3 c5
8. Qb3
The Tournament Book suggested 8. g3 [Stockfish agrees], claiming the Black pawn [in b7] was "immune." Two points in reply. First, there is nothing wrong with the text (though 8. g3 was also fine). Second, as will be seen, White can--though he should not--take the b7 pawn. The position was now:
click for larger view |
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May-25-20
| | KEG: Post II
8... Nd7
Marco seems to have been playing by rote after his dismal earlier performance at this tournament. 8...Nc6 was much better. 9. g3
Contrary to the Tournament Book's suggestion, 9. Qxb7 would not have been fatal, e.g., 9. Qxb7 Rb8 10. b4! (perhaps overlooked by the authors of the Tournament Book) Qa4 [White would be better after 10...Qxb4 11. QxQ RxQ 12. Nbd3] 12. Qc7 Ne7 13. g4! Bxg4
14. Rg1 with about equal chances.
The text, however, is clearly best and gives White close to a winning position: 
click for larger view9... Be4?
Very bad. Black might have been able to hang on with 9...Ne7 or 9...0-0-0 or 9...Rd8. But after the text, Marco should have been busted: 
click for larger view10. Bg2?
With 10. Bh3!, White would have a strategically won game, not to mention a pawn in hand. If then 10...Nxe5? 11. Kf1! is crushing. But after the text, Marco was--or should have been--back in the game: 
click for larger view10... Bc6?
Missing the not so difficult to find 10...Nxe5. Now, Marco was simply down a pawn in a poor position. The game seemed over. 11. 0-0 Ne7
12. e3
"!"--(Tournament Book)'
click for larger view12... dxe3?
Did Marco forget he was playing a Gambit opening? Come what may, he had to try 12...0-0-0. 13. Qxe3
Simpler than the wild 13. e6?!
13... Nf5?
Again, he should have castled Queen-side.
14. Qf4
Needlessly asking for trouble (though not truly spoiling anything). Simpler were 14. Qe1 or 14. Qe2 or 14. Qd3 14... g6
click for larger viewThings still looked fine for Alapin. But from here he seemed to lose the thread of the game, and slid step-by-step from a winning position to a lost one in just a few moves. |
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May-25-20
| | KEG: Post III
15. Ne4
Looking to be able to respond 16. Nd6+ to 15...Bh6. Perhaps 15. Ng5 was even stronger. 15... 0-0-0
Marco could have tried to exploit the unfortunate position of the White Queen on f4 with 15...Bh6. The text, however, removing the Black King from immediate jeopardy, was also a reasonable choice. The position was now:
click for larger view16. Neg5?
Even with his Queen poorly situated, Alapin was a pawn to the good with what was almost certainly still a winning position. The text, however, was the first step down a sloppy path by Alapin that led him from victory to defeat. "Better would have been 16. Bd2...Even if he should have to give up eventually the e-pawn, he would still remain with the preferable position." (Tournament Book) 16. Bd2 was indeed much better, as was 16. Bh3. If he wanted to put a Knight on g5, he should played 16. Bfe5. After this initial misstep, the previously deflated and listless Marco was suddenly back in the game. 16... Bh3
17. Qg4
"With 17. Bd2!...White would have increased his advantage." (Tournament Book). True. 17. Bd2 was definitely the best way to try to maintain his still undoubted advantage. 17... BxN
18. BxB
Alapin had little choice here. If 18. QxB BxN 19. BxB Nxe5 his extra pawn--and any advantage he had enjoyed--would have been gone. Even worse would have been 18. NxB? which would have lost to 18...BxB 19. KxB Nxe5 20. Qh3 (there is nothing better) h6 21. Nf3 NxN 22. KxN Qa4 23. Kg2 (Not 23. b3?? Qc6+ 24. Ke2 Rhe8+ 25. Be3 Qe6) Qxc4. After 18. BxB, the position was:
click for larger view18... h5?
I like Marco's aggressive attitude here, but the text was nonetheless a mistake that should probably have cost him the game. Marco would still have had chances--and more than a bit of compensation for the lost pawn--with 18...Rde8. 19. Qf4 Rde8.
One move too late. The position was now:
click for larger view20. a3?
"?"--(Tournament Book)
"Plausible, the intention being a counter-attack, beginning with b4. But he had probably nothing better than to play for a draw in giving up the e-pawn now,bu 20. Bd2." (Tournament Book). Huh? Why on Earth should Alapin have been aiming for a draw when he had a likely win with either 20. Bh3 or 20. Rad1? 20. Qd2?, the move recommended by the Tournament Book, would have led to little for White after 20...QxQ 21. BxQ BxN 22. BxB Nxe5 with a likely draw. Schlechter's comment on 20. a3 here was also mysterious: "Pointless. Better was 20. Bf6." I don't get it. 20. a3 may have been inferior, but it was hardly "pointless. And 20. Bf6 is even less promising than 20. a3: e.g., 20. Bf6 NxB 21. exN Re4 22. Qd2 QxQ 23. NxQ Re6 24. BxN RxB 25. Ne4 Nd6 26. Ng5 Nxc4 with at most a tiny advantage for White. After 20. a3?, the position was:
click for larger viewAlapin was still up a pawn and still had winning chances (even if no longer a won game); but the exciting climax of the game was about to be reached. |
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May-25-20
| | KEG: Post IV
20... Re6
"!"--(Tournament Book)
"A subtle move, the depth of which Alapin overlooked." (Tournament Book) Subtle, yes. Misunderstood by Alapin, the sequel again suggests yes. But best play? I doubt it. 20...Qc7 was best. After the text, Alapin might have been back in business, the (now very complicated) position now being: 
click for larger view21. b4
"Had White seen the danger, he had still various ways of meeting it, but with an eventual draw at the utmost." (Tournament Book) I don't begin to understand where the Tournament Book was coming from on this. The fact that Alapin eventually lost doesn't mean he shouldn't have played for a win here. The text (21. b4) doesn't look all that bad to me. Perhaps stronger was 21. Bh3 or 21. Rfd1. But, even with the text, Alapin still was a pawn up and had every reason to continue to press for a win: 21... Qc7
click for larger view22. b5?!
But here Alapin overplayed his hand. With 22. Rfd1 or 22. bxc5, he would still have been very much on top with chances to press Marco hard for a win. But after the text, the game was slipping away from him. 22... BxB
The position now with White to recapture was:
click for larger view23. BxB?
Now Alapin would have to fight for a draw. By contrast, after 23. QxB he still would have enjoyed some--albeit small--advantage. 23... Nd4!
"!"--(Tournament Book)
click for larger view"Black has a won game whatever White replies to this powerful move." (Tournament Book) A won game? Hardly. Maybe some small edge, but this position was not a win for Black assuming Alapin kept his head. Indeed, the Tournament Book's claim that Alapin's NEXT move was "the decisive error" contradicts the mistaken claim that White was lost at this point. With 24. Kg2, White's f3 Bishop would be protected, and he should be able to hold the game after 24. Kg2 Rxe5. But here, as I will discuss in my next post on this game, Alapin collapsed and was hopelessly lost. |
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May-25-20
| | KEG: Post V
24. Ra2?
"?"--(Tournament Book)
"The decisive error leading to loss of a piece." (Tournament Book) I have repeatedly criticized the commentary by the Tournament Book on this game. But here, it's remarks were spot on. 24... f6
"!"
"Pretty, winning a piece and the game." (Tournament Book) 
click for larger view25. Bd5?
Alapin was lost anyway, but this lemon managed to make things work. The two "best" moves for White were 25. exf6 and 25. Bxf6. He would still lose a piece, but could perhaps summon up resistance for a while: (A) 25. exf6 QxQ 26. BxQ (even worse would be 26. Bxb7+ KxB 27. BxQ Ne2+ 28. Kh1 NxB 29. gxN Rxf6 leaving White a piece down and with a wrecked King-side pawn formation) 26...NxB+ 27. Kg2 Ne1+ 28. Kg1 Rhe8. B) 25. Bxf6 NxB 26. Bg2 Qxe5.
After 25. Bd5?, things should have gotten even uglier for Alapin: 25... fxB
26. Qxg5 Qxe5
26...Rxg5 was even better.
click for larger view27. Qd2?
Another awful move by Alapin. The only chances to offer any real resistance lay in 27. f4 or 27. QxQ After the text, Alapin should have been annihilated immediately, 27... Re7
27...h4! would have been brutal. But, in over-the-board play, it is understandable that Marco wanted to keep things simple. 28. f4?
Allowing Marco to finish him off easily. Alapin, assuming he wanted to play on [and since the game was only half-way over at this point, it is obvious that Alapin wanted to play on to the bitter end] should have tried 28. h4?! But now, the win for Black was easy:
click for larger view28... Qe3+
28...Qf5 looks powerful, but with the move 30 time control approaching and being a piece to the good, Marco made the entirely reasonable choice to reduce to a winning endgame. 29. QxQ RxQ
click for larger viewThe outcome of the game was no longer in doubt, and Alapin might have considered resigning here (or perhaps after Marco made the move 30-time control following his next move). For whatever reason, Alapin played this out for another 25 moves. Marco, despite his poor showing thus far at Monte Carlo 1901, was exactly the wrong sort of opponent to try to bamboozle in this kind of ending. Marco played the balance of the game like the experienced pro he was, choosing the simple (rather than the fastest) line at every turn and relentlessly trading off pieces until even a beginner could have finished off the game. I will cover the balance of the game in a subsequent post or posts, but not in the depth in which I have discussed the interesting play to this point. |
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May-27-20
| | KEG: Post VI
30. Kg2
Walking into further trouble, but desperation measures were in order now for Alapin. 30. Rg2 or 30. Bf7 may have been better tries 30... Rf8
30...Nf6 or 30....h4 were faster, but Marco was in no hurry. 31. a4 Nf6
32. Bf3 NxB
32...Rc3 or 32...Rfe8 were more direct, but Marco--a piece ahead--was satisfied to trade down. 33. RxN RxR
Once again, there were more brutal ways to finish off Alapin (e.g., 33...Rfe8 or 33...Re4), but Marco just wanted to trade down to an elementary win. 34. KxR
click for larger viewNot the prettiest winning method by any shakes, but Black's extra Knight must eventually prevail here. 34... Rd8
35. Ra3
Trying to set up a blockade. But 35.f5 might have made things a tad more challenging for Marco (but only a bit more so). 35... Rd4
36. Re3 Kd7
Cutting off means of entrance into his camp by Alapin's Rook. The rest was simple. 37. Re5 Rxc4
38. Rg5 Rxa4
39. Rxg6
If Alapin wanted to play on, he might as well have tried 39, Rxc5. 39... Ke6
click for larger viewWhite has little to play for.
40. Rg7 Ra3+
41. Kg2 b6
42. Kh3
Putting his King in jeopardy, but Alapin had to try something wild if he wanted to continue. 42... Ra2
43. Kh4
No gut no glory.
43... Rxh2+
44. Kg5
Never say die.
click for larger view44... Ne4+
45. Kg6 Nxg3
46. Rxa7 Rb2
46...h4 or 46...Rg2 were simpler and faster.
47. Ra3 h4
48. Re3+ Kd5
49. f5 Nxf5
Marco didn't need to give up his Knight (49...h3 or 49...Rg2 were faster), but the text had the virtue of demonstrating just how hopeless Alapin's position was. 50. KxN Rxb5
Good enough, though 50...c4 was fastest.
After 50...Rxb5, the position was:
click for larger viewFor whatever reason, Alapin chose to struggle on: 51. Rd3+ Kc6
52. Ke6 Rb4
53. Rd6+ Kb5
54. Kd7 Rd4
click for larger viewWith his last piece about to be gone, even Alapin could not find a reason to play on any further. 0-1 |
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Kibitzing
sac: 49...Nxf5