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Judit Polgar vs Gadir Guseinov
European Championship (2011), Aix-les-Bains FRA, rd 8, Mar-30
Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon. Maroczy Bind Gurgenidze Variation (B36)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-30-11  rogermorin: I played this end game twice....just great understanding from judith
Mar-30-11  Atking: I enjoyed it too.
Mar-30-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: very nice. Some fancy Bishop moves give Judit the "Bishop opposition", if that is a proper chess term.

I thought that this would lead to a break through on the king side, where white would swap Bishops at the right time, and have the King opposition. But, suddenly you see that white will get two passed pawns, on oppostite sides of the board.

Mar-30-11  wanabe2000: A great, instructive endgame game from Judit Polgar. I didn't know how she would win, but when she entered the bishop ending with 21.Rc1 I thought she knew how. "Judit Knows Her Endgames" See: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
Mar-30-11  beenthere240: I'm amazed to see these two games back to back. In future collections no one will know how she followed a slam bam throw pieces at you game with a positional endgame masterpiece. I hope she wins the whole shebang.
Mar-30-11  twinlark: It looks dead drawn when the last rooks were exchanged, as it's almost completely symmetrical.

Yet she finds a way and it's hard to see where young Guseinov errs.

Great endgame by Polgàr.

Mar-30-11  midi900: !! great game
Mar-31-11  beenthere240: I think that 36...a5 may have created a target on b5 that Polgar was able to exploit. Continued pressure on the b5 pawn limited the scope of the black bishop and opened the way for the eventual f5! push that pulls black's position in two -- give up the bishop or let the g pawn through.
Mar-31-11  beenthere240: I was wondering if 62...Be8 would have been better, but I think white just exchanges bishops, pushes the f pawn and penetrates with her king along the f file.
Mar-31-11  goldenbear: Oh, this is why I'm not a Grandmaster. I forgot.
Mar-31-11  twinlark: <beenthere240>

This game would have been dead drawn after the exchange of rooks except that Guseinov made a critical mistake when he played 35...Kf7, instead of 35...b4, which would have affixed his queen side pawns to the dark squares, out of range of Whtie's LSB. Polgar was quick to pounce with 36.a3 and thereafter Black's pawns became targets for her bishop.

This doesn't detract from Polgar's amazing endgame technique here, one for the text books. Someone has to make a mistake to lose and Black's 35th seems to be his fatal error.

Apr-01-11  timothee3331: <Twinlark> I am really not so sure about your proposed 35....b4.

36.Kc4 a5 then White has a very simple plan Bd3- Kd4 - Ba6 -Kc4 -Bb5 how is Black going to handle this ?

Apr-01-11  twinlark: I'll check it in more detail, but I don't see how White can penetrate any further. With the White King on c4, the White Bishop on b5, Black can keep the bishop on the a6-c8 diagonal and shuttle his king around the f7-f8-g7 area.

For the White king to penetrate, the bishop has to vacate b5, and Black simply plays Ba6+ and drives the White king back to d4.

I'm wondering with this set up whether Black might even try a break out with ...e6.

Apr-02-11  twinlark: <timothee3331>

I took another look at it and I'll stand by what I posted earlier. If 35...b4 36. Kd4 a5 37. Bd3 Bc8 (say) 38. Bb5 Kf7 39. Kc4:


click for larger view

White's king can't get through to attack a5, and Black has 39...e5! and White's still got zip (40. dxe6 + Kxe6=).

Apr-02-11  pulsar: Interesting analysis, I also thought that 35...Kf7 was a mistake but I'm not so sure if Black could have saved the game. Polgar systematically fixed Black's pawns on the White squares starting with 34.g5 and later 41.b4. I thought 35...a5 was playable but didn't look deeper...

On your suggested line 35...b4, instead of 36.Kd4, 36.Kc4 is more direct, forcing 36...a5. Then White can continue with 37.Bd3 with similar play as you gave above. But here Black can't play 37...e5 because 38.dxe6 Bxe6 losses all the queenside pawns. Meanwhile, 37...Kf7 38.Kd4 e5 39.dxe6 Bxe6 40.Bb5 and maybe there's a win somewhere for White in this position.

All the same, a good game, and great for endgame study. :)

Apr-03-11  twinlark:

<Meanwhile, 37...Kf7 38.Kd4 e5 39.dxe6 Bxe6 40.Bb5 and maybe there's a win somewhere for White in this position.>

Doesn't look like it to me, but it depends on whether White can force a favourable exchange of bishops to a won KP ending. In any case, 38...e5 isn't necessary as Black can just shuffle his King around in the back corner and keep his bishop ready to prevent the White King accessing b5.

<a good game, and great for endgame study.> Absolutely, and I must admit to having spent far too many hours poring over it. Just marvellous.

Apr-03-11  notyetagm: Game Collection: Judit Polgar's Best Games
Oct-02-12  timothee3331: White has to play a3, creating a weakness on b4 or if pawn takes, on a5.

Sorry if I took so long, i wasn't on chessgames anymore :)

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