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Vasily Smyslov vs Herman van Riemsdijk
"I, Claudius" (game of the day Aug-21-2021)
Manila Interzonal (1990), Manila PHI, rd 5, Jul-04
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation. Bernstein Defense (E59)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: A great win, especially as it was achieved against a noted endgame specialist.
Jan-08-12  King Death: <Benzol> Yes, well played.

This is something I never played much but aren't 11.Ba2 or 11.h3 the usual moves instead? Sure Black plays ...e5 anyhow but I don't understand the idea of 11.Nd2, even though I remember Bent Larsen saying that if Smyslov recommended or tried an idea it was probably worth something.

Jan-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: <King Death> I'm not up much on the theory but maybe Smyslov's idea was to try and get in e4 at some stage.

14.dxc5 is a move I don't like as it leads to weakened pawns on e3 and c3. Smyslov might have been trying to avoid getting a bad bishop and therefore went in for the pawn exchange on c5.

Aug-21-21  belgradegambit: Submitted this about 8 years ago. Instructive BOC ending which is always tricky to win.
Aug-21-21  Brenin: : Well-chosen title. In AD 41 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the last surviving male in the imperial family, was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. Despite having very little political experience he proved to be a successful ruler, at least in comparison with his predecessor Caligula and his successor Nero. (For details, read the novel by Robert Graves.) Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, despite playing Black against a greatly more eminent and talented opponent, also found unexpected success in this game.
Aug-21-21  faulty: This was a result that could have been expected. Smyslov had a tournament which - if called disastrous - would probably still be an understatement. One of the all-time worst performances (across the entire tournament) by former or future champions of the world. Little wonder - he was 69 at the time (although at 67 he was still a very tough player)
Aug-21-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: <Brenin> Thanks, the pun makes sense now.

Feels like Smyslov was pushing for a win: he had White, he had a bad start in the first four rounds (-3 +1) and his opponent was "just" an IM (cf. crosstable). In the end his threats did not materialise notably around the f6 then g7 Pawn which Riemsdijk despisingly ignored for 26 moves, building pressure in the centre instead.

After the dust settled, we had Bishops of opposite colours which generally leads to a draw, but not here with 2 extra Pawns, connected and passed.

Aug-21-21  Brenin: There is a surprising second echo in the names: Germanicus (a name awarded to his father in recognition of his military campaigns in Germania = Germany) and Herman (meaning army-man), although the etymologies (Celtic and Germanic) are totally different.
Aug-22-21  Marcelo Bruno: When he won this game, the Brazilian newspaper "Folha de S. Paulo" mentioned it was a remarkable feat by Herman (Herbert de Carvalho wrote the text).

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