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Lev Psakhis vs Jonathan Speelman
Hastings (1987/88), Hastings ENG, rd 11, Jan-10
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Gunsberg Defense (D21)  ·  0-1

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White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-13-05  Shams: starting on the 20th move speelman reels off 8 extremely cheeky knight moves to finally win the exchange. Psakhis must have been exasperated indeed.
Dec-04-06  ProSemi: instead of 23. b3?!, 23. Ra1 Nb3 24. R:a2 Rd1 25. Re4+ Kf7 26. f4 leaves White with a big advantage.

Otherwise, this was a really brilliant game by Speelman. Those Knights really danced!

The Knight looked like it was committing hari-kari with 21. ... Na2! but the back rank threats and the difficulty of actually getting at the Knight by White gave Black great practical compensation.

Dec-05-06  ikipemiko: <ProSemi> In your line , instead of 23..Nb3, I think 23.. b5 is better , because black gives two knights for a rook but takes control of the 1st horizontal
Dec-05-06  ProSemi: After 23. Ra1, ... b5 walks into a different intermezzo check: 24. R:c5 Nb3 25. Rc7+ followed by R:a2 leaving White a piece up
Dec-07-06  ProSemi: 22. B:c6 looks like a good practical alternative to the text - ... N:c1 23. Ba4 Rd1 24. B:d1 R:d1 is unclear. Who is pinning who ?
Jan-04-08  Alphastar: After 23. Ra1 Nb3 24. Rxa2 Rd1 25 Re4+! Kf7 26 f4, black plays 26. ..Rb1 threatening 27. ..Nc1.

Now white plays 27. Re3 when white wins after 27. ..Nc1 28. Be4, but after 27. ..a4! black can keep the balance:

28. Kf2?! Rdd1 29. Bc3 Nc1 and the rook is lost, black is better.

28. Be4 Nd2+ 29. Kf2 Nxe4+ 30. Rxe4 b5:


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White is a piece up, but how is he ever going to free his rook from a2? In fact, this position is drawn, because white cannot make any progress. black will play ..c4 and exchange a pair of rooks at some point, while keeping his remaining rook on white's 1st rank.

Apr-24-09  returnoftheking: This game is a duplicate of
Psakhis vs Speelman, 1987

Hastings tournament is around new year so I am not sure what date is correct; maybe even both!

Apr-24-09  returnoftheking: What about exchanging as many pawns as possible on the kingside after your scenario. Then cover the remaining k side pawns with bishop (and vice versa if needed) and march the king to c2. After ..c4 this should be possible even when the rooks are not exchanged btw.

p.s.
Timman also considers it a probable draw

May-13-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: This line was a speciality of Seirawan, in which Black gets free play and an advantage in space, but concedes two bishops vs two knights. If White manages to untangle, he should have the better chances in the long term.
Nov-03-23  Steinkul: You need a lot of humor to play after a3 - Na2

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