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Ruslan Ponomariov vs Nikolay A Legky
Efim Geller Memorial (2005) (rapid), Odessa UKR, rd 9, Jul-03
French Defense: Normal Variation (C10)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jul-03-05  notyetagm: My goodness, after 8 ... c6 White is 4 tempi ahead in development and he has not made any sacrifices!
Jul-03-05  notyetagm: Wow, did Black really play 21 ... ♔h7??, just hanging his f8-rook to the White queen?
Jul-04-05  cade: What a massive blunder!
Jul-04-05  sharkbenjamin: Wow! What a mistake.
Jul-04-05  JohnBoy: The problem is that black is already in deep trouble and was probably banking on ...Kh7 to stop/slow white's h6 and h5 pawn shoves. Black's strategy is seriously flawed.
Jul-04-05  OneArmedScissor: Obviously black was intending to attack the pawn on h5 with his king. But forgot to move his rook to safety first!

I've done this before in a tournament once. I had an intuitive feeling about the position on the board; that something was there, but i couldn't quite see it yet. So I sat on the move for around 45 minutes. I had calculated that I was going to have to sacrafice a knight and a rook. After doing so, my opponent would either have to give up his queen or be mated. I calculated all the ends and outs and figured out it was going to work. I was so excited by this, that I hastefully moved my queen without even paying attention to the square it was going to move to. I moved the queen, and wrote down the move "Qe4". When I looked up, I saw that I had moved my queen to e5 instead! Where blacks d6 pawn was waiting to happily take it. I resigned before the guy would even take the piece. After the game, I showed the guy the line I had found. After I showed him, he was like "wow! that's awesome! luckily you moved your queen to the wrong square!"

Jul-04-05  Marius: <OneArmedScissor>
you must have been very angry against you. Perhaps have you drunk a lot to forget
Jul-04-05  Paul123: Unless I've missed something this is a clear example of what happens when you play an opening that you are un-prepared in. (and against someone as strong as Ponomariov???)

What's wrong with the establish classical defense of the French? Is there a line that is bad for black that my "non-up to date self" doesn't know about?

If there isn't....then what's up with Blacks choice?

Jul-04-05  flamboyant: 3.h6 is just the beginning of the end.. wasting a tempo for nothing
Jul-04-05  Paul123: Exactly flamboyant !
Jul-04-05  notyetagm: 3 ... h6!? against 3 ♘c3/♘d2 was the subject of the Secrets of Opening Surprises (SOS) column from the 2004/1 New In Chess magazine. This line was created by the French (as in Paris) IM Bricard and is played by GM Eingorn.
Jul-05-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: Legky lives up to his name.

See also N Legky vs Y Drozdovskij, same tournament.

Jul-05-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: "legky" = "light" (opposite of "heavy")
Jul-06-05  Paul123: Opening surprise Legky ay notyetagm?

As a French player and one who plays the classical var: I don't like the looks of h6 I give it !? I also didn't like putting a Knight on b4. In general all I thought the line did was help white develope. Just like you said, 4 tempi and all black had to show for it was exchanging whites good bishop/ while yet again, developing another piece!

Not cool!

Apr-12-08  whiteshark: Better <20...Rfe8 21.h6 Qe7 22.Bd6 a5 23.Qc5 Qd8>


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