| Jul-25-07 | | percyblakeney: It's always fun with games where the players don't follow the engines, even if it's unusual with so many big deviations as in Grischuk-Radjabov, and on at least one occasion the players were more right. Europe Echecs comments something like this on the highly fascinating game: <...Radjabov gains activity on the black squares, but misses the Russian's counterplay with 37. e5! The game takes an insane turn, Radjabov returns the blow with 43. ... g4! Two blunders follow, one from each player, with 53. ... Rg5? and 55. Qxf4?, whereby the Russian misses a simple win> http://www.europe-echecs.com/articl... |
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| Jul-25-07 | | percyblakeney: Black's play from the 43rd move is very nice and secures a draw with best play. Radjabov almost blitzed out the following sequence, but then played 53. ... Rg5 (instead of Rh8) much too quickly without being in time trouble. Grischuk missed the immediately winning 55. Rxf4 and it eventually ended with a draw after all, maybe a fair result after one blunder each. |
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| Jul-25-07 | | Eyal: Even after missing 55.Rxf4, Grischuk could still have won if it wasn't for his second blunder, 58.Qf5+?. The right way for White to exchange queens is by 58.Qe4! Qxe4 59.Bxe4; here the bishop is not on a vulnerable square and Black doesn't get the crucial tempo to win the f3 pawn. |
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| Jul-25-07 | | percyblakeney: <Even after missing 55.Rxf4, Grischuk could still have won if it wasn't for his second blunder, 58.Qf5+?. The right way for White to exchange queens is by 58.Qe4! Qxe4 59.Bxe4> It's definitely better, but not certain it is winning though, after 59. ... Rd8 60. Bd3 Ra8 and picking up the a-pawn: 
click for larger view |
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| Jul-25-07 | | Eyal: Yeah, on second thoughts Black would probably be able to draw this. So the right way for White might be instead 58.Be4, and if Black exchanges queens by 58...Qa2+ 59.Qg2 Qxg2+ 60.Kxg2 (or 58...Qd6+ 59.Qg3 Qxg3+ 60.Kxg3) then Rd8 can be answered by Kf2 (again a crucial gain of tempo), and the bishop at e4 doesn't have to relinquish control of a8. |
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| Jul-27-07 | | Whitehat1963: I must truly be a chess idiot, because the final position looks completely winnable to me. Can black really force a stalemate? |
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| Jul-27-07 | | tarlan13: As the bishop doesn't control h8 square it is a draw. |
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| Jul-27-07 | | percyblakeney: <Despite that flaw [55. Qxf4], the game contained a steady flow of sensational ideas and earned the rare "a wonderful game!" honor from Kasparov> http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt... |
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| Jul-28-07 | | skif: Can black play 51 ..Rh8 with attack on h3? It looks like much better for black than it was played in the game ? |
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| Jul-29-07 | | Eyal: <skif: Can black play 51 ..Rh8 with attack on h3? It looks like much better for black than it was played in the game> No, it actually loses to 52.Qf5 Rh5 (otherwise White plays g6 - and if 52...Qh5, then 53.Qe5+ Kf8 54.Bf5) 53.d6! cxd6 54.Ba2, and next the advance of White's queenside pawns will decide the game. |
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Aug-10-07
 | | Mateo: <Eyal: the right way for White might be instead 58.Be4, and if Black exchanges queens by 58...Qa2+ 59.Qg2 Qxg2+ 60.Kxg2 (or 58...Qd6+ 59.Qg3 Qxg3+ 60.Kxg3) then Rd8 can be answered by Kf2 (again a crucial gain of tempo), and the bishop at e4 doesn't have to relinquish control of a8.> It could be added that 59...Qxa4 60.Bd5+ Ke7 (60...Kf6 61.f4! Ke7 (only move because of the threat of mate on "g5") 62.Qg7+ wins) 61.Qg7+ wins for White. |
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Aug-10-07
| | Mateo: <Eyal: <skif: Can black play 51 ..Rh8 with attack on h3? It looks like much better for black than it was played in the game> No, it actually loses to 52.Qf5> Yes, but <skif> idea is interesting. What about 51...Re3 first, to deviate the White Queen? If 52.Qd1, then 52...Rh8 with counterplay. |
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| Feb-27-08 | | positionalgenius: Titanic fight- one of the best games of 2007 |
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