PawnSac: 7. ..Nc6
Safer is ..Nb6.
8. ..Bf5 is an ambitious line. See
Roman Ovetchkin vs Igor Kurnosov
Russian Team Championships (2012)
<Igor plays this line regularly>
12. ..c6?
This makes more sense after white has played e4, but now...
<ray keene: i think whites 13 b4 refutes blacks line ( one which had been recommended in hartstons book on the grunfeld) >
19.a4! a5
20.b5
Now black is lost
It is puzzling why Hartston recommends this line. Maybe he was thinking white could not play b4 due to the opening of the long diagonal for the Bg7 (attack on Ra1). Who is to say.
23.Bg5!
to induce f6, blunting the a1-h8 diagonal
25.Ne3
The beginning of the final phase. SIMPLIFY
(reduce the board/exchange pieces to an elementary won ending.)
< newzild: I can't see why this is game of the day. The straightforward 13. b4 wins a pawn and from there it's pretty much just a technical exercise. >
Many games give the appearance of simplicity. In some of the most brilliant games in history, the winner makes the win look easy, almost inevitable. But that can often be very misleading. A sharp technical refutation requires accurate follow-up, and there are often several points where the winner could have mishandled the continuation. Someone once said "The most difficult thing is winning a won game". So let's not discredit a game because it doesn't have a deep and profound sacrifice or crushing move as in some Fischer or Tal games. This game may not have won a brilliancy prize, but there is good technique and positional correctness which does have instructive value. It must also be remembered that by and large, the vast marjority of all chess games are won without brilliancies, just good positional play and technique.
Another point..
It's not so easy to find a good GOTD, 365 days of the year! There are just not that many profound games. So good solid examples like this are adequate and have value. And in the big picture, i appreciate seeing a game that has a clear technical refutation in a very popular opening line. A regular diet of theoretical opening lessons is VERY beneficial.
Thanks Ray! A well played game!
Kibitzing
