I've not yet watched the ‘Queen Gambit’ but I have been swamped by the adverts for it.
My first thought was I’m sure I have seen the girl who plays Beth Harmon before.
She’s the girl who played the Martian woman in Mars Attacks!
Thanks to this covid thing and all it’s mutations I’ve been stuck indoors.
I’ve been re-reading and playing over games from all the books I have.
The routine is simple. One game per book and then pick another book and
my rules are I must play over a game won by the loser in the previous book.
I’ve chosen this game to share with you because of the introduction. It was played in the
round following Fischer’s win v Najdorf (Game 40 in Fischer’s 60 Memorable Games)
M. Najdorf - L. Portisch, Varna Olympiad 1962
Najdorf admits he blundered away a central pawn (10...Nxd4) and then goes onto
to explain his thinking. He could not understand how such a move could be possible.
He had done nothing wrong regarding opening principles. So either his opponent is
a genius or an idiot. Najdorf then reasons that a genius is born once every 100 years
but an idiot is born everyday. So there must be something wrong with Black’s move.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 {Accepting the IQP is standard in this type of position. White gets good play.} 6... cxd4 7. exd4 Bb4 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Bd3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nxd4 {The move Najdorf missed. He dug in at the board and came up with...} 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Bb5+ {White gets an uncastled King for the pawn. Positional justification.} 12... Ke7 {12...Kf8 maybe better. Carlsen has had White here, his opponent played 12...Kf8.} 13. O-O Qxc3 14. Qe2 {Of course if 14...Qxa1 15. Bg5+ wins the Black Queen.} 14... Bd6 15. Bb2 Qa5 16. Rfd1 {Ignoring the g7 pawn. The text threatens Rxd6 and Qe5+} 16... Rd8 17. Qh5 {Keeping the pressure on. White is now looking at Qg5+ and mate in a few moves.} 17... f6 18. Qxh7 Kf7 {Now a couple of Bishops going backward moves.} 19. Be2 {With Bh5+ coming.} 19... Qg5 {Holds the g7 pawn ready to answer 20.Bh5+ Ke7 and Black is hanging on.} 20. Bc1 {The Queen is kicked off covering the g7 pawn. 20...Qg6 21.Bh5.} 20... Bxh2+ {Hoping to distract White but everything losses.} 21. Kxh2 Qe5+ 22. f4 {22...Qxe2 23.Rxd8 and White is strolling to a win. Black resigned.}
So that now means I have to find a book with Portisch win in it. Good fun this.
alan holman - 17ray RHP 2016
Black should have played 17...Kg8 but 17...Qxa1 18. Ba3+ won the errant Queen.
Ironknee - Last Stand RHP 2014
Black can take the e4 Bishop (good) or the a1 Rook (bad) 34...Qxa1? was played.
Arrakis - benilea RHP 2007
This one is funny. White can win with 14. Bh6 and the threat of Qf8 is hard to meet.
Instead White played 14.Ba3+ White missed that the b5 Knight is pinned. 14...Qxa3.
This next one is the complete game. A joy to play over.
CHESSBALLERS - Danibonilha RHP 2011
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Nf6 {Playable but a bit risky. 3...Be7 first avoids the hit on f7.} 4. Ng5 d5 {The only reply worth considering.} 5. Bb3 {5.exd5 Bd6 and Black has to get their pawn back.} 5... h6 6. Nxf7 {We admire the spirit but the follow up not so much. 6. Nf3 was OK.} 6... Kxf7 7. Nc3 c6 8. O-O Be6 9. Re1 {The Rook should stay on f1 to back up f2-f4. White needs to create complications.} 9... Qd6 10. f4 {This now threatens nothing.} 10... Bg4 11. Ne2 Nxe4 12. Rf1 {With the Queen winning threat of fxe5+ but White's attack is a few tempo down.} 12... Qc5+ 13. d4 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Qxd4+ 15. Be3 {Black can now play 15...Qxe3+ 16.Qxe3 Bc5 and coast home.} 15... Qxb2 16. fxe5+ Ke7 17. Bc1 {A Trap! Will Black take the a1 Rook.} 17... Qxa1 {He took. Now 18.Ba3+ and White is back in the game.} 18. Bg5+ {The wrong square to give check on. Black gets a Rook and Knight for the Queen.} 18... hxg5 19. Rxa1 g6 {With ideas on the e5 pawn. White should now open up some lines with 20.c4.} 20. Qe3 Bg7 21. Qd4 {Holds the pawn and thinking of Qb4+ and Qxb7.} 21... Nd7 22. Qb4+ Ndc5 23. c4 Bxe5 {Hitting the Rook and the h2 pawn. White is a few moves from resigning.} 24. Rd1 Raf8 {Cutting off the King's flight squares. OK but Bxh2+ was better.} 25. cxd5 {25.h3 had to be played.} 25... Bxh2+ 26. Kh1 Ng3 {Not resigning, it’s Checkmate.}
The thread accompanying this blog is
Thread 188182
I have decided to leave the comments off as I have no way other than keep coming
back here to see if any have been made. Any corrections etc just use the above link.
