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Veselin Topalov vs Vasyl Ivanchuk
"Over the Top" (game of the day Jul-14-2016)
Linares (1999), Linares ESP, rd 13, Mar-09
Zukertort Opening: Sicilian Invitation (A04)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 45 times; par: 29 [what's this?]

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sac: 18...Nxe2 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-24-16  Saniyat24: Wow, what a game...what formation they reach after just 14-15 moves! A very memorable match between two attacking players....and what a move is Ivanchuk's 18...Ne2...simply fantastic!
Sep-08-18  goldfarbdj: When I was first looking at this, I hallucinated the existence of a black bishop on f6, which makes the puzzle Monday-level: 18 ... Nf3+, and if the king makes its only legal move to f1, Bh3 is mate; but taking the knight allows Bxc3+ winning the queen. Then I realized that the bishop on e6 could not take on c3.
Sep-08-18  Walter Glattke: 26.fxe4 Bg4+ 27.Kf2 Qxh2+ 28.Ke3 Qg3# or 28.Kf1 Rf8+!? better 28.-Bh3# 25.Bf4 possibly better than 25.Re1.
Sep-08-18  agb2002: I remember this one.
Sep-08-18  stacase: 18...Nxe2 is one of those "Give your opponent lots of choices - all bad" kind of a move.

When I was a kid I learned that Knights are expendable.

Sep-08-18  Walter Glattke: Whie escapes from mating with 18.-Nxe2 19.Bd2 Qe5 (Jim/stockfish) by 20.Bg2 Nxc3+ 21.Kf1 Bc4+ 22.Kg1 Ne2+ 23.Kf1 Nxg3++ 24.Kg1 Qxb2 25.hxg3, but hopeless of course.
Sep-08-18  WorstPlayerEver: <Jimfromprovidence>

Bad tactics:

18...Nxe2 19. Bd2 Qe5 20. Qc2 f5 21. Bg5 fxe4 22. Bxd8 Qc5


click for larger view

Sep-08-18  malt: Me thinks, me has seen this one before,

18...N:e2 19.K:e2 (19.Q:e2 Q:c3+ )...Rfe8
(19.Bd2 Qh5/Qe5 )

Sep-08-18  saturn2: 18...Nxe2 19. Kxe2 Qh5+ 20. f3 f5 21. Bd3 Rfe8 22. Be3 Bd5 23. Rhf1 Qxh2+ 24. Rf2 Qxg3 25. c4 f4 26. cxd5 Rxe3+ 27. Kf1 Qh3+ 28. Kg1 Rxd5

Till move 21 I calculated this in my head before lurking and playing it out on the board. I took 19..Qh5 because rook and queen are targeting d1. So white has to interpose with either 20 f3 or 20 Bf3

Sep-08-18  malt: Also 19.K:e2 Qh5+ 20.f3

(20.Bf3 Rfe8 21.Be3

<21.B:h5 Bg4+ 22.Kf1 Bh3+ 23.Kg1 Re1# >

23...Bc4+ 22.Ke1 Q:f3 23.Rg1 R:e3+ 24.fe3 Q:e3+ )

(20.Bf3 Bc4+ wins

20...f5

Sep-08-18  cormier: Notes by Stockfish 8 <(pantzer2)5... Bb4: 5...Qb6 was played in Karjakin vs Grischuk, 2014 (0-1)> 6. Nc3 Qa5 7. Ndb5 d5 <better is 7...Nf6 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Nxc3 d5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Bd2 O-O = +0.16 (34 ply)> 8. a3? <8.Bf4 e5 9.Bd2 d4 10.Nd5 Bxd2+ 11.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 12.Kxd2 + / = +0.75 (31 ply)> 8... Bc3 = -0.20 (34 ply)
Sep-08-18  cormier: 5...Qb6:B. 6.Nb5:B, ...Ne5:B. 7.Bf4:B, ...a6:B.


click for larger view

Analysis by Houdini 4
8.Bxe5 axb5 9.cxb5 Qxb5 10.Bc3 Qc6 11.f3 h5 12.Nd2 h4 13.g4 b5 14.e4 Ne7 15.Nb3 Qb6 16.Qd4 Qb8 17.Qe5 Qxe5 18.Bxe5 Nc6 19.Bf4 b4 20.Bd3 g6 21.Kf2 Bg7 22.Rhb1 Ne5 23.Bb5 = (-0.19) Depth: 25 dpa

Sep-08-18  BxChess: <agb2002><once>: Re Indicating whether castling is possible. If the FEN was given beneath the puzzle, then both the castling and en passant status could be deduced by the aspirant solver.
Sep-09-18  agb2002: <BxChess: <agb2002><once>: Re Indicating whether castling is possible. If the FEN was given beneath the puzzle, then both the castling and en passant status could be deduced by the aspirant solver.>

This is a good idea. For example, Bill Harvey gives the FEN (wtharvey.com) although I suspect that he overlooks the castling details in the FEN codes.

Nov-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  al wazir: I got the first move. It was obvious. Nothing after that was.

But in order to play 18...Nxe2, black had to see that he would get at least a draw. That meant seeing that after the second sac, 26...Rxe4, there was a mating line: 26...Bg4+ 27. Ke2 Qxh2+ 28. Ke3 (28. Kf1 Bh3#) Qg3#.

Ten moves deep.

Nov-24-19  Cheapo by the Dozen: I saw the first and third move, in that it became apparent White must be prevented first from castling and then from escaping to the king side in any other way. I didn't see the importance of the ... Re8 Zwischenzug. As you might imagine, my analysis tailed off from there.
Nov-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: 5/5 for this week with two already known (this one plus Vidmar-Euwe). This game looks even more impressive the second time around because even after the sacrifice Black had lots of alternatives at each move which superficially looked good but might not have proven as good as the moves played.

Unless, of course, the silicon monsters disagree with me.

Nov-24-19  agb2002: Level 4: 30.?
Smyslov vs Botvinnik, 1957


click for larger view

Nov-24-19  Walter Glattke: 18.-Nxe2 19.Qb4 Qxb4 21.cxd4 Nc3 22.Bxb7 Bh3 23.Bb2 draw, Botwinnik-Smyslov try 30.b7 Kf7 31.Kd3 looks nice.
Nov-24-19  The Kings Domain: Tough puzzle and a stellar game by Ivanchuk.
Nov-24-19  thegoodanarchist: < stacase: ...
When I was a kid I learned that Knights are expendable.>

When I studied Tal, I learned everything but the king was expendable.

Nov-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: As brilliant as 18 Nxe2 is, I think Ivanchuk not only saw the combinations and follow-ups, I think he saw it earlier. The whole combination starts turns earlier and is breath-taking1
Nov-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Knightf7mate: <TheFocus>: I understand that <My 60 Memorable Games> is coming out with a new translation by <chrisowen>.

I read the post above in the RJF page, way back in 2016.

So, how about it? Does anyone know if <chrisowen> completed the translation?

: D

Nov-24-19  saturn2: <patzer2 Stronger is 10. Nd6+!>

I found this comment after going over the game and wondering why white did not spoil black's casteling - even at the cost of a tempo.

Apr-03-20  fisayo123: Spectacular combinations from Chucky.
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