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Dimitrios Mastrovasilis vs Christopher Lutz
"Greatness Thrust a Pawn" (game of the day May-11-2005)
GRE-GER m (1999), Corfu, rd 2, Oct-12
Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation. English Attack (B80)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-11-05  themindset: interestingly, from move 25 to 28 fritz is screaming for white to play Rxe6+
May-11-05  soberknight: Incredible.
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Excellent pun upon Malvolio's long speech in Twelth Night.
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  cu8sfan: <iron maiden> <Power to the Pawns!> Check out Black's continuation if White had played 33...♔d2!

<chessgames.com>, desperately looking for a pun turned to the great poet and screamed <A pun, a pun, a kingdom for a pun!>. And the poet, a little hard of hearing after all those years only heard <A pawn, a pawn, a kingdom for a pawn>. And that's what he gave us. (-:

May-11-05  Boomie: White's position looks hopeless after 22...b3. His last chance to make a game of it seems to be:

22. ♗xd5 ♗xd5 23. ♗e7+ ♔g8 24. ♘xg7 ♔xg7 25. f5 ♘e4 (25... ♕c7 26. ♕g5+ ♔h7 27. ♕h4+ ♔g8 28. ♘c3) 26. f6+ ♔g6 27. ♕h2 ♘xf6 28. ♕f4 (28. ♕e5 ♘d7 29. ♕g5+ ♔h7 30. ♖e3 ♗g2) 28... ♘h7 29. ♖f1 f6

May-11-05  halcyonteam: a pawn makes a difference
May-11-05  cade: Whites problems seem to stem from getting his Knight trapped on b1.
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: The pun derives from (one side of it so to speak) -one of Bill's (W Skakespeare's) plays in which he says "Some men are born to greatness, some men..(something), and some men have greatness thrust upon them " I think its Henry the 4th or 5th and it refers ironically to Faustaff ... but I dont connect -did..oh I see above, it refers to 12th Night -yes I recall it but can't remember it all -is it that one where he has the opportunity to save his sister (by givng his own life) but then goes into a revery about the horrors of being dead " cribbed,cabbined, confined" ?... Cant completely blame him.. (after all he was given Hobson's choice - "You can have any horse as long as its the one by the entrance..." Bill W. seemed to be horrified by physical death (as as in Hamlet's speech when the fear is actually that of surviving death in some manner "perchance to dream" - I dont think he believed (or wanted to believe) in an after life...look at his speech in Macbeth "Its a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" and Faulkner's book "The Sound and the Fury" is in fact (partly) told by an idiot...
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: This ia typical Najdorf and I dont think at any stage you could say either side's position looked hopless -it is always a fighting opening for both sides... double edged ...I bet a thousand super computers couldnt work it all out...
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  cu8sfan: Twelfth Night, speech by Malvolio: <...In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them...>
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor chess player
That struts and frets his hour a pawn the stage.
And then is heard no more: it is a move
Played by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

May-11-05  kevin86: While white is thrusting queen and rook into the attack-the lonely,little black pawn is waiting to make the final step-and the PAWN decides it!

BTW,White's knight returned to b1 on move twelve-and remained there for the rest of the game!

May-11-05  Shams: <cade> <Whites problems seem to stem from getting his Knight trapped on b1.>

agreed. the knight should go to e2, from which it has the excellent defensive square c1 (after Kb1) or, in the rare case time permits it in this line, g3.

May-11-05  JSYantiss: Sneaky, that was bad.... ;)

Isn't that from Macbeth(or something else by Shakespeare?)

May-11-05  Stefan Lukke: Now have you ever come accross a player on the ICC who's handle is "Pawns Candle"? I think that is a great Chessical play on words, maybe whoever that is writes these puns.
May-11-05  Ezzy: After spending some time on this game, I think I will stick to my Petrov defence!! Incredible complications!! Here is my effort to sort this out? - 19..Nc5 <Kasparov played 19...Qa5 against Anand at Linares 1999 Check out this crazy game> - Anand vs Kasparov, 1999 20.f4 Bg7 21.Nf5 Kf8 22.Nxg7 b3 23.Qd4? <[23.Nxe6+ Nxe6? <(23...fxe6 24.Bxd5 Bxd5 25.Qc3 Nd3+ 26.Qxd3 Rxc2+ 27.Qxc2 <(27.Kd1 Bf3+ 28.Re2 Qg1#)> 27...bxc2 28.Nd2 Qf2 29.Re5 Bxa2 30.Kxc2 And another unbalanced wild position)> 24.axb3 Nxg5 25.fxg5 Re8 26.Rxe8+ Kxe8 And white has 3 extra pawns and a safe king]> 23...Nd3+ <[23...e5 Is even stronger 24.fxe5 <(24.Rxe5 Nd3+ 25.Qxd3 Qg1+ 26.Kd2 <If 26 Qd1 Rxc2 Mate!> 26...bxc2 winning;> 24.Qc4 bxa2 25.Qxa2 Nd3+ 26.Kd1 Qf2 winning)> 24...bxa2 ]> 24.Qxd3 This position is so double edged that if black doesn't act now, he will have a big material deficit and lose 24...Qf2 25.Nxe6+ fxe6? <Giving white lots of counterplay [25...Kg8 26.Re2 Qf1+ 27.Qd1 Qxd1+ 28.Kxd1 bxa2 29.Kc1 fxe6 30.Rxe6 a1Q–+ 31.Be4 Qa4 In this wild position black must be winning]> 26.Bh6+ Ke7 27.Qh7+ Kd6 28.Bf8+ <[28.Rxe6+ Kxe6 29.Bxd5+ Bxd5 30.Qf5+ Kd6 31.Qe5+ Kc6 32.cxb3 Qg1+ 33.Kc2 Bf3 34.Nc3 Qh2+ 35.Kc1 Qxh6 and I think black is better]> 28...Rxf8 29.Qe4 bxa2 30.Qxe6+ Kc7 31.Bxd5 Qxf4+ 32.Re3 Qf1+ 33.Re1 If <33 Kd2 axb1=N Mate!! Nice - as cuBsfan indicated> 33...Qf4+ 34.Re3 Bxd5 35.Qe7+ Kb8 0–1 This is just a tiny piece of a massive minefield!!!!
May-11-05  iron maiden: <Check out Black's continuation if White had played 33...d2!> I think this is the first grandmaster game to contain the tactical possibility of mate by underpromotion. BTW <cu8sfan>, I already had it in the collection, but thanks anyway.
May-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  cu8sfan: <iron maiden> <I already had it in the collection> O yes, I've noticed that, I just wanted to point out this very nice tactic.
May-11-05  Gambit Master: <Ezzy> i too enjoy the petrov defence, very good for killing whites initiative wouldn't you say?
May-11-05  Ezzy: <Gambit Master> Yeah. I also find that most people are not prepared for it, so they play 3 Nc3. I am then prepared with my four knights, and I feel that I have won the opening psychology battle. Doesn't mean I always win though! :-)
May-11-05  jediknightness: hmmm, almost thought it was going to go
into a perpetual check for a moment there. Atleast, thats what White was hoping for.
May-11-05  patzer2: <Ezzy> Appreciate the depth of your analysis and the time you spent on it. It is indeed a highly complicated and double edged position after 19...Nc5!? I think Kasparov's 19...Qa5 may be an improvement for Black, since in the game continuation White initially held the advantage and the initiative and could have maintained it with 22. Bxd5!

Playing it out against Fritz 8, Black seems to hold the draw after 22. Bxd5!, with White holding the few winning chances in the position:

22. Bxd5! Bxd5 (22... exd5? 23. Be7+ Kg8 24. Bxc5 Qxc5 25. Ne7+ Kf8 26. Nxc8 Bxc8 27. Qe2 Bd7 28. Qxa6 Bxg4 29. Nd2 ) 23. Be7+ Kg8 (23... Ke8 24. Qxd5 exd5 25. Bxc5+ ) 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 (24... Ne4 25. Qe2 Kxg7 26. Nd2 b3 27. axb3 Nxd2 28. Qe5+ Kg8 29. Kxd2 f6 30. Bxf6 $18) 25. Qd4+ Kg8 26. Nd2 b3 27. axb3 Nxb3+ 28. Nxb3 Qxb3 29. Bc5 Qg3 30. Rd1 Qg2 31. b4 a5 32. bxa5 Be4 33. Rd2 Qf1+ 34. Kb2 Qxf4 35. Bd6 Qg5 36. Be5 Bh7 37. Qf4 Qxf4 38. Bxf4 Ra8 39. Bc7 Be4 40. Kc3 Kg7 41. Kd4 f5 42.gxf5 exf5 43. Kc5 Ra7 44. Bb6 Ra8 45. c4 Rc8+ 46. Kb5 Bc6+ 47. Ka6 Ra8+ 48. Ba7 f4 49. Kb6 Be4 50. Rd4 Re8 51. a6 Kg6 52. Rd6+ Kf5 53. Kb5 Ke5 54. Bc5 Rb8+ 55. Rb6 Ra8 56. Rb7 Re8 57. Re7+ Rxe7 58. Bxe7 f3 59. Bc5 Ke6 60. Be3 Kd7 61. Kb6 Bd3 62. a7 Be4 63. Bf2 Bc6 64. Bc5 Be4 65. Bg1 Bc6 66. Bc5 Be4 67. Bd4 Ba8 68. c5 Bc6 69. Bg1 Bd5 70. Bf2 Be4 71. Bh4 Bc6 72. Bg3 =

May-11-05  patzer2: Although Black wins the point with the clearance and double attack combination 23...Nd3+! 24. Qxd3 Qf2!, he could have won even more decisively with the Queening combination 23... e5! 24. Rxe5 (24. fxe5 bxa2 ) 24...Nd3+ 25. Qxd3 Qg1+ 26. Kd2 bxc2 27. Ne6+ Kg8 .
Dec-17-08  jeeky1996: All Hail The Brave King!!!

Black's king is so exposed that any coordinated attack will wipe him out.

However, the threat of a1=Q hangs in the air, stopping the attack immediately!!!

Good game anyway.

Dec-23-19  SpiritedReposte: What is even going on here
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