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Vladimir Alatortsev vs Ratmir Kholmov
USSR Championship (1948), Moscow URS, rd 7, Nov-21
Queen Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation (D02)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-06-09  Maynard5: Not just another hard-fought draw! This is one of the more bizarre games in the entire database. Alatortsev's choice of an opening line can only be described as eccentric, if not reckless, and Kholmov gets an excellent game from it. From about moves 16-32, White is hanging on by the skin of his teeth. Somehow, the defense holds, and the position eventually simplifies to an endgame where neither side can make any progress. White's bishop must block the black pawn on the h-file, while Black's knight must guard the pawn on f4, and Black's king cannot abandon the defense of the c6 square.
Dec-12-12  Chessdreamer: Analysis of Vladas Mikenas that made it into the Soviet film Grossmejster (1972).

Pos. after White's 31st move


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1..Qg1!! 2.Kxh4 f6!! 3.Kg3 g5 4.f4 g4 5.Rc3! Nf8!! 6.Qf2 h4+ 7.Kxh4 Ng6+ 8.Kh5 Qh1+ 9.Rh3 gxh3 10.gxh3 Kh7! 11.h4 Qg1! 12.Qxg1 Nxf4#. [Mihail Marin, New In Chess 1/2012]

Dec-13-12  nelech: Great ! And thank you very much Chessdreamer
Mar-29-19  sukalov: Absolutely incredible game, the engine understads the strength of the rook sacrifice Qg1, found by Tal and Korchnoi for that film, after such a long thinking. All those lines and thoughts of choosing between sharp and calm continuation shown in that film... The game, that literally helps to understand the whole sense and beauty of chess
Mar-29-19  whiteshark: [Additional finding]


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Black to move

1) -7.00 (35 ply) <31...Qg1 32.Kxh4 f6 33.Kg3 g5 34.f4 g4 35.Rc3 Nf8 36.Qf2 h4+ 37.Kxh4 Ng6+ 38.Kh5 Qh1+> 39.Qh4 Nxh4 40.Bxh4 Qxf1 41.Bxf6 Qxg2 42.Kg5 Kf7 43.Re3 g3 44.Re7+ Kf8 45.Kxf5 Qh3+ 46.Ke5 g2 47.Rg7 Qe3+ 48.Kd6 Qxf4+ 49.Ke6 Qe3+ 50.Kxd5 g1=Q 51.Rxg1 Qxg1 52.Ke6 Qf2 53.a4 Qxb2 54.d5 Qf2 55.Be7+ Kg7 56.Kd7 Qf5+ 57.Kd6 Qf4+ 58.Ke6 Qxa4 59.Ke5

There's a second winning move in the position (move repetition):

2) -6.96 (35 ply) <31...Rg4+ 32.Kh2 Rh4+> 33.Kg3 Qg1 34.Kxh4 f6 35.Kg3 g5 36.f4 g4 37.Rc3 Nf8 38.Qf2 h4+ 39.Kxh4 Ng6+ 40.Kh5 Qh1+ 41.Qh4 Nxh4 42.Bxh4 Qxf1 43.Bxf6 Qxg2 44.Kg5 Kf7 45.Re3 g3 46.Re7+ Kf8 47.Kxf5 Qh3+ 48.Ke5 g2 49.Rg7 Qe3+ 50.Kd6 Qxf4+ 51.Kd7 Qxf6 52.Rxg2 Qxd4 53.c6 bxc6 54.Kxc6 Qc4+ 55.Kb6 Qxa2 56.Rh2 Qc4 57.Rh8+ Kg7 58.Rb8 Kf7 59.Ka7 Qe2 60.b3

3) -0.08 (35 ply) 31...Qxd2 32.Bxd2 Rxd4 33.Be3 Ra4 34.a3 d4 35.Bd2 h4+ 36.Kxh4 Bc2 37.Kg3 d3 38.Re1 Kf8 39.b3 Bxb3 40.Bxd3 Rd4 41.Re3 Bc4 42.Bxc4 Rxc4 43.Rb3 Nxc5 44.Rb6 f6 45.Bb4 Kf7 46.Bxc5 Rxc5 47.Rxb7+ Kg6 48.Rb6 Ra5 49.Rb3 Kf5 50.Kf2 Ra4 51.g3 Ra5 52.Ke2 Rb5 53.Rxb5+ axb5 54.Kd3 Kg6 55.Ke2

6.0 minute analysis by Stockfish 9 v010218

= = =

<nelech: Great ! And thank you very much <Chessdreamer>> Ja, in der Tat! - Yes, indeed!

Feb-16-22  LoveThatJoker: GOTD: Grossmejster

LTJ

PS. I was exposed to this game via Mihail Marin's Master Method on iChess.

Feb-16-22  LoveThatJoker: PPS. This is GOTD in my books thanks to Mikenas' amazing analysis (which withstands both the engine's test and the test of time).

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