chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

Chessgames premium membership fee will increase to $39 per year effective June 15, 2023. Enroll Now!

Boris Alterman vs Deep Fritz (Computer)
"The Alterman Wall" (game of the day Mar-28-2008)
KC Human-Machine (2000), KasparovChess INT, rd 9, Nov-15
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation (A03)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Given 4 times; par: 193 [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 396 more games of B Alterman
PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: You can get computer analysis by clicking the "ENGINE" button below the game.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE.  [CLICK HERE]

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-28-09  WhiteRook48: did Alterman have the pawn wall in mind from the beginning?
Jan-29-09  WhiteRook48: how frustrating for Deep Fritz!
Jan-31-09  WhiteRook48: I don't want to set a record, but why 39...Bxb6? it just seems pointless
Feb-04-09  WhiteRook48: this was one of the only games in which a human won
Mar-29-10  gauer: A wall of 6 ♙s on the 4th rank occurs as early as Cochrane vs Mohishunder, 1855.
Oct-01-10  eightbyeight: Whiterook48's wall of short postings is longer than this wall.
Feb-16-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: 11.Kxe2 is beautiful. It stops the Bishop escaping via c2, and leads to the win of a key central pawn. The computer may have calculated that White's loss of castling rights was adequate compensation, but the King turns out to be safe.

Alterman then plays to snuff out counterplay. As ...f5 is impossible due to Nxe6, he simply leaves the Bishop on e4 until he has to take it, getting in useful prophylactic moves such as b4.

Later we see the same idea repeated: clamp down, create a weakness, extract a concession ... but don't actually cash it in until you've choked the counterplay. Exquis.

Nimzo put it better: Restrain, Blockade, Destroy.

Jan-08-12  King Death: The position after 26.e4 must be unique. The hypermoderns would have approved.
Jan-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: I thought of S Mariotti vs Gligoric, 1969, but Mariotti only attacked with six pawns in that game. I once saw a game between Bernard Parham and Allen Kornfeld where Kornfeld advanced all his pawns to the fourth rank by move 15 or so. His pawns looked pretty imposing, but he lost.
Jan-08-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: < Jan-24-09 WhiteRook48: 26. e4!! is a sign of great superiority >

I agree. Sometimes when I play chess, my opponent likes to built a wall on their 3rd rank. I sometimes do so on my 4th rank. I always break through though (they make blunders).

Jul-06-12  KnightPusher: Hah, I love it. He punked that computer. Still, he might've been sweating after his wall was broken up, after all if he'd gone to all this beautiful trouble and lost it would be a reverse-punking.
Jun-30-13  hudapri: Always very interesting to see where the Achilles heel is. That way of winning the pawn is somehow beyond the machine (although this is from 2000). Great game, and great formation on move 26. Go humans!
Aug-06-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Here is another wall that I have just come across - A Martin- BO Donahue, Blackpool 1978, after 14. h3:


click for larger view

http://streathambrixtonchess.blogsp...

Jan-22-14  davide2013: It is very interesting to listen GM Alterman commenting this game, because he gives a clear explanation of his ideas behind most moves, and they are based on sound positional principles. It is also great to see how GM Alterman navigates through the middlegame using timeless principles of avoiding the opponent to have counterplay, How he weakens Black's position, and traps the enemy pieces.
Mar-18-14  Cemoblanca: 26.e4!! Wowzy! Wonderful game on both flanks.
Mar-18-14  Cemoblanca: I liked also the moves 38.Qc4!/39.Nd2! & 41.Qe2! Anticipated 38...Bd8/39...Bxb6/40...Nxb6 & without the ladys on the board it was certainly easier for White to win this 1. I really enjoyed the whole concept of White. A strategical masterpiece.
Aug-23-14  Mudphudder: I think this is a good game example of how computers can be weaker than humans in evaluations of closed positions.
Aug-23-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: The top computers of today would crush the Fritz of 2000. Still a great game.
Nov-11-14  engineerX: Strange decision by Alterman to exchange Black's Queen which was trapped on h5 on move 41. Though of course he was already a piece up.
Nov-30-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: Around move 20, I think White starts to see the possibility of having all 8 pawns abreast on the 4th rank. This isn't a plan in any real sense - nobody sets out from the start to do such a thing. But when the possibility comes in sight, it becomes an aesthetic option as much as a practical one.

Very occasionally, imaginative players like Tal allow aesthetic possibilities to trump pragmatic choices.

Here, Fritz suggests 20.a4 -- but 20.Nd2!, clearing a path for the e-pawn, is the aesthetic choice.

Nov-30-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: Black's 25...Nb6 seems designed to encourage White to push the 8th pawn. If Black was human, I'd assume this was a psychological ploy -- "Go on, you can't resist having all 8 pawns abreast, can you?".

But Black is an engine. And they don't 'think' like that -- uh, do they?

Feb-02-19  Albanius: 26 e4 threatening f5 was played to exploit the position of the B Q, already intended by W's 23rd move according to Alterman's notes. http://www.balterman.freeservers.co...

He says he didn't even notice the wall at the time.

Feb-02-19  scholes: After white 35 move almost all black pieces were trapped. And since black knight was trapped on open file, it was going to fall soon after white piled queen and rook on a file.
Sep-12-22  Saniyat24: I heard that pawn-pushing moves used to mess up the engines back then...!
Jan-29-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Korora: <1. f4 is an interesting way to open> I suppose you could call it... fowl play.
Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 4)
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

Featured in the Following Game Collections[what is this?]
The "Alterman Wall"
from Picturesque Positions by Benjamin Lau
Cornwallis' favorite games
by Cornwallis
The Alterman Wall
from Bad Star's favorite games by Bad Star
eight pawns on fourth rank at move 26
from spraggets gems/unique themes II (51-100) by kevin86
JSYantiss' favorite games
by JSYantiss
The great wall of pawns
from Random Stuff by GoodKnight
Bird Opening
by tyson6587
the Alterman Wall
from The Art of Sacrifice and Weirdness by tldr3
Bird beats Fritz
from Bird, Polish, & misc. by admeyer
Eight pawns on the fourth rank
from Bizarre games by iron maiden
every pawn is special
from Dillinger's favorite games by Dillinger
Biological vs artificial intelligence...
from Caïssa's dream world by nikolaas
The Stoned Bird
from Bird Opening Changing the Pecking Order by shr0pshire
8 peones en la 4a fila
from Kvasir's favorite games by Kvasir
The famed "Alterman Wall" game
from Calchexas' Famous Games by Calchexas
2000
from Computer - GM games 1963-2002 by biglo
Check out the 26th move.
from Game of the day. and/or puzzle of the day. by athyn
The Alterman Wall
from An Advantage in Space by dac1990
The Wall - GotD on my birthday
from Discoalex's favorite games by Discoalex
look at move 26
from artemis' favorite games by artemis
plus 92 more collections (not shown)

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2023, Chessgames Services LLC