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Boris Spassky vs Theodor Ghitescu
"Silly Ghit" (game of the day Feb-13-2007)
Hoogovens (1967), Beverwijk NED, rd 8, Jan-20
Benoni Defense: Czech Benoni Defense (A56)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-13-07  Themofro: Sweet game, really like the exchange sacrifices to open the game up to decisive effect.
Feb-13-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  fm avari viraf: This is one of Spassky's best games. A real pyrotechnics sacking the double exchange sacrifice, a rare beauty!
Feb-13-07  Timothy Glenn Forney: 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37. Qxg5+ Kf8 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Qf7+ Kh8 40. Qxe8+ 1-0
Feb-13-07  Andrew Chapman: I like 36..Kg8 37.Nf6+ Kf8 38.Nd7+ Ke7 39.Qf6+ Kd6 40.Qe5+ Ke7 41.d6+ Kd8 42.Bxb7 and 43.Qf6 or g5, if I am not missing something.
Feb-13-07  Andrew Chapman: Maybe I am missing 42..Rh7 which seems to half hold. Is there a nice win with 37.Nf6+?
Feb-13-07  MJW 72: 36.Qe5+ Kg8 37.Qxg5+ Kf8(Kh8 38.Qf6+ Kg8)38.Qf6+ Kg8 39. Qf7+ Kh8 40.Qxe1+ Kg7 41.Qf7+ Kh8 42.Qf8#
Feb-13-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: Good game by Boris! I especially enjoyed how his BAD bishop became better as the game progressed. The exchange sac opened the game like a can opener.
Feb-13-07  Brown: Not the way to play the system for black, IMHO. Delaying castling and placing the Nb8 eventually on g6 is more flexible, a key characteristic of the best black defenses.
Feb-13-07  Bare Beginner: I don't understand Blk's 30th move. Why not Qa5 immediately? maybe followed by b5 attack? I guess I am missing a mating attack on the Kside. Can someone enlighten me please.
Feb-13-07  Timothy Glenn Forney: <Bare Beginner> the move is to defend the black King,the move I don't understand why white didn't move 31.Ne5 which seems better to me.
Feb-13-07  Timothy Glenn Forney: 30...Qxh4 is a much better move it attacks and defends at the same time.IMHO
Feb-13-07  Bare Beginner: I agree, ...Qxh4 seems strong. Or what about...Qc7
Feb-13-07  psmith: <Bare Beginner>: 30... Qa5 31. Qf4! threatening Qf8+ gives White a potent attack. Black can only defend by moving his B from e8 thereby undefending the g-pawn.

<Timothy Glenn Forley>: 30... Qxh4 31. Qxc5 again threatens Qf8+. Black has various defenses but White's seems to get good chances (based on examining a few variations).

This is all based on looking at the position with Fritz 5.32 (the free version).

Feb-14-07  Bare Beginner: thanks psmith, I thought there was an immediate devastating attack. the quiet move by the queen which ensues the devastating attack is obvious now.
Sep-20-10  Eduardo Bermudez: One can understand better this game after read that Gligoric said about this spectacular chessgame in his "game of the month" !
Sep-20-10  parisattack: <Eduardo Bermudez: One can understand better this game after read that Gligoric said about this spectacular chessgame in his "game of the month" !>

That was a great column, Gligo's Game of the Month. Many of them put in a book by Gligo - Selected Chess Masterpieces.

This game was Spassky in his prime, as a power player. I think by the time he actually won the WC the big spark of desire to win was already going out... but from 1964-1969 he played some fabulous chess!

Jan-28-12  wordfunph: Romanian Ghitescu's fave Benoni busted!
Apr-10-15  A.T PhoneHome: This is a brilliant display by Spassky! Looking at this game after move 17, those Bishops look so bad..

But Spassky solved his problems with deep sacrificial play, 22.Rxg4 allows Spassky to open up the play and eventually win the game.

Amazing stuff!

Jan-17-17  Eduardo Bermudez: One could understand better this game after read that Gligoric said about this wonderful chess game in his column "game of the month"
Dec-08-17  Eduardo Bermudez: When Spassky was, without doubt, the strongest chess player in the world and its surroundings !
May-10-19  SaitamaSeason2: Black had many alternatives after move 26, but analysis fails to reveal any satisfactory defence.

Because in that move the position is very delicately balanced as the two centre pawns provide adequate compensation for the two exchanges, <e.g. 26...♗d7 27. e6 ♗xe6 28. ♘e5 ♗f5 29. ♘xg6+ ♔h7 30. ♘xf8+ ♕xf8 31. ♘e4> 1-0

Jun-20-20  carpovius: imo the biggest Black's error is to let Spassky have his favorite pawn configuration at move 7))
Jun-20-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Wow! Terrific stuff from the future world champion. Surely black has better defensive moves in this line? Spassky opened up black's position like a can of peaches.
May-25-22  rwbean: I remember this was one of the "Battle Chess" copy protection games. There were 20 games and it would ask for a move from a certain game. One of them was this one.

I seem to remember reverse engineering the PC code and printing out all the games :-)

Playing over it now, I get the impression it wasn't so much that Spassky won, but Ghitescu lost. The opening sucked! Black never got the chance to break out.

May-26-22  Petrosianic: <rwbean: I remember this was one of the "Battle Chess" copy protection games.>

Which version? Copy protection was so strict in those days that different platforms had different copy protection. I remember playing the Apple ][ version of Starfleet 1 on an emulator, and the copy protection was totally different than the PC version.

At least the CD-Rom version of Battle Chess doesn't make you enter moves.

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