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Nigel Short vs Alexander Beliavsky
"Short Circuit" (game of the day Jan-08-2005)
Linares (1992), Linares ESP, rd 2, Feb-24
Four Knights Game: Spanish. Rubinstein Variation (C48)  ·  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
FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Nov-28-06  technical draw: <acirce> The difference between this blunder and Kramnik's is that this one passed virtually unnoticed. Kramniks's blunder was seen live by a million chess eyes.
Nov-28-06  percyblakeney: It was also played in a Linares where Short finished last of 14 participants. A huge blunder anyway, of course, even if the time situation probably was much worse for Short. In blitz this is a recent terrible blunder, only with a couple of seconds left on the clock though:

Carlsen vs M Gagunashvili, 2006

Nov-28-06  acirce: Yeah, the time situation should be factored in in one sense, I agree but the move itself in worse in this case.

Another relatively recent example from a rapid game is of course Adams vs Leko, 2005

As far as classical games go I couldn't find this one in this base:

[Event "Skopje"]
[Site "Skopje"]
[Date "1976.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Nicevski, Risto"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2395"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1976.03.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[Source "ChessBase"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 c6 6. exd6 Qxd6 7. O-O Bg7 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Re1 Nd7 10. Bb3 b5 11. a4 Bb7 12. Ne4 Qc7 13. Bg5 e6 14. Qd2 a6 15. Bh6 f6 16. Nc3 Rae8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Re2 N7b6 19. Rae1 Bc8 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Ra1 Nf4 23. Re3 Rd8 24. Ne2 c5 25. Rea3 Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 Rf7 27. c3 b4 28. Ra5 cxd4 29. cxd4 Bb7 30. h3 Bxf3 31. Qxf3 Rxd4 32. Qa8 Rfd7 33. g3 Qc2 34. Ra7 b3 35. Rxd7+ Rxd7 36. Qa3 Kf7 37. Re1 g5 38. Qa4 Rd1 39. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 40. Kg2 Qd5+ 41. Kg1 h5 42. g4 hxg4 43. hxg4 f5 44. gxf5 exf5 45. Qa7+ Kg6 46. Qa6+ Kh5 47. Qe2+ Kh4 48. Qe3 f4 49. Qc3 Kg4 50. Kh2 Qd1 51. Qh3# 1-0


click for larger view

Jul-13-07  stanleys: More tragedies:

B Avrukh vs G Timoshchenko, 2001

This one should be in the database soon :

[Event "Rome"]
[Site "Rome"]
[Date "1984.02.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Rivas Pastor,Manuel"]
[Black "Mednis,Edmar John"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Eco "D12"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Bd3 Bg6 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.b3 Bd6 9.Bb2 Ne4 10.Ne2 Qb8 11.g3 Nef6 12.Nf4 Bxd3 13.Nxd3 Be7 14.a4 0-0 15.Ba3 Bxa3 16.Rxa3 dxc4 17.bxc4 c5 18.a5 Qc7 19.Qa4 Rfd8 20.Rd1 Rac8 21.Rb3 b6 22.Nfe5 Nxe5 23.Nxe5 h6 24.axb6 axb6 25.Qb5 Rd6 26.Rbd3 Nd7 27.Nxd7 Qxd7 28.Qb1 cxd4 29.Rxd4 Rxd4 30.Rxd4 Qc6 31.Qd3 g6 32.e4 e5 33.Rd8+ Rxd8 34.Qxd8+ Kg7 35.Qd5 Qc7 36.Kf1 f6 37.Ke2 h5 38.Ke3 Qa7 39.h4 Qa3+ 40.Ke2 Qa2+ 41.Kf1 Qb1+ 42.Kg2 Qc2 43.Qd7+ Kf8 44.Qc8+ Kf7 45.Qd7+ Kf8 46.Qe6 Qxe4+ 47.Kh2 Kg7 48.Qe7+ Kg8 49.Qxf6 Kh7 50.Qf7+ Kh8 51.Qf6+ Kh7 52.Qxb6 Qxc4 53.Qb7+ Kg8 54.Qb8+ Kh7 55.Qxe5 Qc6 56.Qe7+ Kg8 57.Qe3 Kg7 58.Kg1 Qc4 59.Kg2 Qd5+ 60.Qf3 Qe6 61.Qa8 Qc4 62.Qb7+ Kg8 63.Qb8+ Kh7 64.Qa7+ Kg8 65.Qb7 Qd3 66.Qc8+ Kg7 67.Qe6 Qd1 68.Qc4 Kf8 69.Qc3 Kg8 70.Qf3 Qd7 71.Qe4 Kh7 72.Kf3 Qd1+ 73.Kg2 Kg7 74.Qb7+ Kg8 75.Qe4 Kg7 76.Qf3 Qc2 77.Qb7+ Kg8 78.Qb8+ Kh7 79.Qa7+ Kg8 80.Kf3 Qd3+ 81.Qe3 Qf5+ 82.Kg2 Qd5+ 83.f3 Qd6 84.g4 hxg4 85.fxg4 Kg7 86.g5 Qd5+ 87.Kf2 Qf7+ 88.Kg3 Qc7+ 89.Kf3 Qf7+ 90.Kg2 Qb7+ 91.Kf2 Qf7+ 92.Ke1 Qc4 93.Qe7+ Kg8 94.Qe8+ Kg7 95.Qd7+ Kg8 96.Qe8+ Kg7 97.Qe5+ Kg8 98.Qg3 Qc1+ 99.Kf2 Qd2+ 100.Kg1 Qd1+ 101.Kh2 Qe2+ 102.Kh3 Qf1+ 103.Kg4 Qf5+ 0-1

Jul-15-07  stanleys: I forgot to put a diagramm to the last game :


click for larger view

/

Rivas is not satisfied with a draw and he plays 103.Kg4??

Jul-14-08  myschkin: "Actually during this game I created my first chess problem, a helpmate in two, with a unique solution. Really, my first ever chess problem. I played 57.Nd5 (only move leading to mate in two!) 57…f6+ 58.Ke6?? Bc8 mate.

People ask how could you do that. Well, you can do that when you’ve been playing, in that case, for almost six hours. My flag was rising, I had a few moves to make, the endgame was winning for me, and I just had to make a decision on what to do. It wasn’t totally clear to me, so I pushed my king up to e6. Unfortunately that allowed mate in one. I know it is funny – I can hear you laughing about it, and I’m sure your visitors will enjoy it. But these things can happen after six hours, when you are simply tired, physically tired. Then suddenly your heart rate goes up again, because you have to make a decision, you are pressed for time. It is in moments like this that blunders come." (Nigel Short)

May-24-09  ROADDOG: 58. Ke8 - ouch!
Jun-13-09  WhiteRook48: 58 Ke6???
Aug-05-09  walker: Nice game!
Oct-23-10  Tigranny: It was a great game, but Short blew it. It was drawish before he blundered, allowing Beliavsky to win.
Oct-23-10  Jim Bartle: Short was so psychologically destroyed by this game that two months later he could only defeat Karpov in the Candidates semis by a meager 5-3.
Nov-18-10  Tigranny: I forgot to add, I think this is my favorite blunder.
Dec-04-10  Tigranny: I take my last comment back. My favorite blunder was the Chandler-Polgar game.
Apr-04-11  puzzlepatzer: Nigel comments on his blunder here at 2:00. He calls it a "self composed selfmate in two" that he found:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97YS...
Aug-21-11  Tigranny: Why not 58.Nxf6?
Dec-19-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Ouch. A last move blunder.
Sep-02-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Dionysius1: <Tigranny> Maybe Short wanted to protect the g2 pawn.
Jan-27-13  sfm: A very beautiful clean mate.
("clean"=each square that the white king could move to is covered by only one piece).
Jan-27-13  achieve: Incredible mate it is, with King, Bishop and Knight all on the rim, mating a King like that is quite "the world turned upside down."
Nov-22-13  Andrijadj: Magnus Carlsen meets Paris Hilton=this game :)
May-18-16  posoo: SMASH SMASH niglus shoat!

mate in ONE.

dats less than two lololol. and BARULY more than ZERO.

Dats how we DO! you can be CERTAIN dat da spirit of TONEY MEALS caused dis bloondor!!!

Sep-27-18  Saniyat24: Watch your steps, King...!
Sep-10-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: A very weird blunder, particularly given that Nxf6 was completely winning.
Sep-10-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Korora: <FSR> Since even world champions play like NN occasionally...
Sep-10-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <Korora> I see from <myschkin>'s comment that Short has explained it:

<People ask how could you do that. Well, you can do that when you’ve been playing, in that case, for almost six hours. My flag was rising, I had a few moves to make, the endgame was winning for me, and I just had to make a decision on what to do. It wasn’t totally clear to me, so I pushed my king up to e6. Unfortunately that allowed mate in one.>

Makes sense. Common wisdom is that, especially in a winning position, you shouldn't make a committal decision (such at Nxf6) in time pressure. It's best to "sit on" the position and decide how to win it once one is out of time pressure. Short understandably wasn't expecting to get mated with so few pieces on the board.

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