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Evgeny Najer vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
"Shak in Awe" (game of the day Dec-03-2008)
World Cup (2005) (armageddon), Khanty-Mansiysk RUS, rd 2, Dec-02
Alekhine Defense: Modern. Larsen Variation Miles Line (B04)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-03-08  Travis Bickle: R vs Q but 2 past pawns = over!
Dec-03-08  imsobamboozled: That. Was. Sick.
Dec-03-08  hellopolgar: this is a very good game, surprised that no one has commented in 3 years!

notice how the winner is rated almost 100 points lower too!

Dec-03-08  think: Monday/Tuesday puzzle at move 37?
Dec-03-08  jovack: awesome, what a strong game for white.

i have a feeling shak underestimated his opponent

Dec-03-08  whiteshark: Black played pretty passive until it was too late. Very instructive attacking built-up.
Dec-03-08  arsen387: very beautiful attack. I liked 27.e6+ followed with 28.Qh5 threatening 29.Qh6#, very unusual mating pattern.
Dec-03-08  NewLine: White hit one strong move after another, like his brain was on fire, leaving no chance to black's stubborn defense...

Highly entertaining game! Keep it up CG!

Dec-03-08  hedgeh0g: Shak and bake!
Dec-03-08  Eisenheim: Move 30 starts the entertaining mayhem
Dec-03-08  luzhin: When White's pawns get to d6 and e7, then you know that the Alekhine Defence strategy of destroying White's pawn center has not been a great success!
Dec-03-08  desiobu: Domination.
Dec-03-08  YetAnotherAmateur: This demonstrates quite clearly that black can get into serious trouble if he's that passive (unless you're Tigran Petrosian).

A suspect move in my view is 20 ... Nf8, because it looks to me like g6 would have at least given black a fighting chance.

Dec-03-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  playground player: The pawn is mightier than the sword...
Dec-03-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Bobsterman3000: I always consider the Alekhine a no-risk opening for white if black decides to play passive and not fight for space beyond his own ranks.

However, I don't see any glaring mistakes until 20. Nf8 so I can't speculate on any improvements that black could have made prior to that...

Dec-03-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: If black plays 24...hxg6 instead of 24...f5, I can't discover any way that white makes progress.


click for larger view

If 25 Bxg6, then 25...fxe5. It's dificult to see white gaining anything more than a draw by perpetual check at this point. (e.g. after 26 Bxf7+).


click for larger view

Dec-03-08  sallom89: very well played.
Dec-03-08  Ezzy: [Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty Mansyisk RUS"]
[Date "2005.12.02"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Evgeny Najer"]
[Black "Shakhriyar Mamedyarov"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2674"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2005.11.27"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6 6. Be2 Nd7 7. Nf3 e6 < This has a bad record, but Shak believes in it. He played it again at this years Amber blindfold against Anand , and got a draw. perhaps he should always play this variation blindfold :-) 7...g6 is more usual.> 8. O-O Qc7 9. Re1 Be7 10. c4 N5f6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bd3 Rd8 13. Qe2 Nf8 14. Bg5 Ng6 <Aiming for f4> 15. g3 b6 16. h4 Bb7 17. Rad1 Re8 18. Ne5 < 19 h5 20 h6> Nxe5? 19. dxe5 Nd7 20. Qe4 <(20. Bxh7+! Kxh7 (20... Kf8 21. Bf4 The 22 Qh5 threat is winning.) 21. Qd3+ Kg8 22. Qxd7 Rac8 23. Qxc7 Rxc7 24. Bxe7 Rcxe7 25. Ne4 With a big advantage)> 20... Nf8 <A sense of 'deja vu' here. I wrote a post 2 days ago on the Nigel Short page, Mamedyarov threatened mate in 2 against Nigel( in the chess Olympiad,) and he put is knight on f8 to stop it. Now a game where Mamedyarov plays Nf8 to stop mate in 2. Again I say, was it ent Larsen who said ' a knight on f8 and it's never mate'. I'm starting to believe it's true.> 21. Qg4 Rad8 22. Bf6 Ng6 23. h5 gxf6 24. hxg6 f5? <(24... hxg6 25. Bxg6 (Threatens mate in 5 starting with 26 Be4+ Kf8 27 Qh5) fxe5? (25... Rxd1 This seems to be the only move that saves black 26. Rxd1 Qxe5 27. Rd7 Qg5 28. Qxg5 fxg5 29. Rxb7 fxg6 and black survives) 26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. Kg2 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Bf6 29. Rh1 (Threat is mate in 2) Bg7 30. c5! (The only way to win. White has to block ...c5 so white can play Ne4 and the game is over with threats of Ng5 etc.) Qe7 31. Ne4 bxc5 32. Ng5 Rd8 33. Nxf7+ Qxf7 34. Bf5+ Kg8 35. Bxe6 etc)> 25. gxf7+ Kxf7 26. Bxf5 <Threat 27 Bxe6+ Kf8 28 Qg8 mate> exf5 27. e6+ Kf6 28. Qh5 <Threat 29 Qh6 mate> Kg7 29. Qf7+ <Also (29. Rd7 Rxd7 30. Qf7+ Kh6 31. exd7 Qxd7 32. Kg2)> 29... Kh8 30. Rd7 Qc8 31. Rxe7 Rxe7 32. Qxe7 c5 33. Qf6+ Kg8 34. Nd5 <also crushing is (34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. e7 Re8 36. Nb5)> 34... Bxd5 35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. cxd5 Rf8 37. Qxf8+ Qxf8 38. e7 Qe8 39. d6 1-0

Mating threats galore!! It seems black has only one escape - 24...hxg6 25 Bxg6 Rxd1! but the position was extremely complex, and to find your way out of the mess, was not at all easy.

Great attack by Najer!!

Dec-03-08  taroak: JimFromProvidence,
After Bxg6 fxe5 I think White has a simple after Be4+ then Kg2 moving the rook to h1 afterwards.

Dec-03-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: <taroak: JimFromProvidence,
After Bxg6 fxe5 I think White has a simple after Be4+ then Kg2 moving the rook to h1 afterwards.>

<taroak> I believe <Ezzy> successfully refuted my line with his line below:

24…hxg6 25. hxg6 f5? 25 Bxg6 fxe5 <26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. Kg2 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Bf6 29. Rh1 (Threat is mate in 2) Bg7 30. c5!>

(I did not anticipate 26 Bh7+. It appears much more difficult if 27…Bf6 follows instead of 27...Rxd1 in his line, but it is still losing).

Dec-03-08  t3hPolak: Wow. This was wild.
Mar-05-09  WhiteRook48: Shak in awe as a rook and 2 pawns topple a queen
Apr-29-11  hedgeh0g: Surely the point of Alekhine's defense is to get an unbalanced position with counterplay against an advanced centre, not to simply accept some inferior Caro-Kann-like structure, hoping to achieve a draw.
Sep-12-12  MATTYMONKEES: 30. Rd7

Just awesome

Jun-29-21  TheBish: I think the most amazing thing about this game was that it was an Armageddon game, that is, a blitz game tiebreaker where White gets an extra minute but Black has draw odds (usually 5 minutes to 4, but at times 6 to 5).

Suffice to say, White used his extra minute well!

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