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Nimzovich v Capablanca

Nimzovich v Capablanca

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rc

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Hi, in his book, the search for chess perfection, Purdy gives this game as an example of planning. in evaluating the position he notes that Capa is a pawn down a must seek 'compensation', for his material. In considering the weaknesses of white, he gives these as the a and b pawns. Can someone please explain why these are weaknesses, as they are not isolated, nor doubled, nor immobile etc etc- kind regards in advance, Robbie.

R

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I can only guess Purdy defines pawns on semi-open files as weak as they can be attacked down the file. That would explain both positions you've posted with 'weak' pawns.

Mahout

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All I can think of is the weakness is simply because they are still at home on the natural side for white to attack... sort of undeveloped. Good question!

FL

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One can't help thinking that it's a case of retrograde analysis - play through the game to find out how the winning side won, then backtrack and claim that the seeds of his doom were sown at a very early stage.

i

Sydney

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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Hi, in his book, the search for chess perfection, Purdy gives this game as an example of planning. in evaluating the position he notes that Capa is a pawn down a must seek 'compensation', for his material. In considering the weaknesses of white, he gives these as the a and b pawns. Can someone please explain why these are weaknesses, as they are no ...[text shortened]... in advance, Robbie.

[fen]2r1r1k1/2pq1pbp/2pp1np1/8/4P3/2NQ4/PPP2PPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 1[/fen]
I think this was a pretty average example of planning.
IMO Black wins because of white's passivity not his good planning. Capa already took the initiative for his pawn and , white can't afford moves like 14. Qa6

I think Fat Lady is spot on. Retrograde analysis of a game that probably isn't the archetype of the concept Purdy was trying to describe. If I had to defend him though, the combination of the fianchettoed bishop and the open files gives black a strong attack .. the definition of a (tactical) weakness "something that can be easily attacked"

greenpawn34

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Fat Lady has it spot on.
Very shody work by Purdy here - normally he is good and does not
give (peek at result analysis).

In another game the a & b pawns are passed, protected outside pawns.

I think Purdy's set of books are good but a tad over -rated.

Just look at the trouble Robbie is having with them,

Why print all the Volumes (money making scam) - two volumes cutting
out all the crap and they would have been brilliant.

Why did they add in the games of Purdy's son...and why have the
opening section of one book placed inside another - scamming the
chess punters again by reprinting a lot of stuff that should never have been reprinted.

If Capa had lost that game he would have been ridiculed for the pawn sacs.
Instead it was a Benko theme played before Benko was born.

rc

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
Fat Lady has it spot on.
Very shody work by Purdy here - normally he is good and does not
give (peek at result analysis).

In another game the a & b pawns are passed, protected outside pawns.

I think Purdy's set of books are good but a tad over -rated.

Just look at the trouble Robbie is having with them,

Why print all the Volumes (money mak been ridiculed for the pawn sacs.
Instead it was a Benko theme played before Benko was born.
oh greenpawn dude, the voice of sanity, tell me truly my friend, these pawns are not weaknesses, but strengths, are they not, two outside passed pawns, yes they may become targets, but they are protected, are they not? and not with just anything, but a whole rook and more! please also help with the pawn chain question, i cannot read on in a book not understanding what went before, its lake crazy, like ummmm, Romanov becoming the president of Lithuania and channeling all that doe (whats left of it) into Hearts football club, think of it in those terms and one can see the horror, the insanity!

greenpawn34

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Hi Robbie.

it's not all rules of thumb and first glances.

One has to go deeper and remember what is being written about
actualy took place between two humans.
A 30 second impulsive thought by one player 50 years ago can fills
pages of analysis today.

I recall Tal talking about a piece of analysis that he saw in a printed
game showing these fantastic variations.
Tal said he never saw none of those lines - he played the move
because it looked interesting.

The game is a nice piece of judgement by Capa also messing about
with Nimzo assessment of the position.
"Am I winning? - Is this a draw? - am I losing?"

Just enjoy the game - Purdy's notes usually carry you along.

Re: the Pawn chain. Don't think it's a mis-print - pawn chains usually
mean all the connected pawns. Maybe he means the link in the
pawn chain that be easily attacked. (perhaps the publishers - see below)
tampered with a note here and there to save space. I do not know
not having seen the original note.

I would not let it spoil your enjoyment of the game. Put it down
to a 'Purdyism' (see below).

I like Purdya as a wrtier - clear, crcisp, precise and usually fair.
If the winner plays a gamble and it comes off - he said so.

Not too happy with what they have done with his
Fine Art of Chess Annotation series Vols 1 to III.

Vol I is brilliant though very short. Vol II is also good
Vol III is dire except for the Purdy articles which they could have
and should have put in Vol I.
(if you want an opening index you have buy Vol III?)😕

Vol III also has been padded out with 20 pages of 'Purdyisms'
These are notes from games. You do not get the game or the
position. Just the note to a certain move in an unknown game.

But Vol I makes up the naffness (a new word word) of Vol III.
I get the feeling a let's 'suck-a-buck' idea was mooted by the publishers.

AThousandYoung
1st Dan TKD Kukkiwon

tinyurl.com/2te6yzdu

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They're on open files and defended by undeveloped Bishop and Rook, which cannot move until those Pawns are better defended. Because those two pieces are undeveloped, the Rooks cannot connect, and neither piece controls much territory. I suppose the Bishop has one good diagonal.

If the bP is advanced to protect it, Black's fianchetto'd Bishop on g7 skewers the undefended Knight and Rook after his Knight takes the eP, incidentally adding another attacker to the now pinned Knight.

MR

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
[Not too happy with what they have done with his
Fine Art of Chess Annotation series Vols 1 to III.

Vol I is brilliant though very short. Vol II is also good
Vol III is dire except for the Purdy articles which they could have
and should have put in Vol I.
(if you want an opening index you have buy Vol III?)😕

Vol III also has been padded o ...[text shortened]... d word) of Vol III.
I get the feeling a let's 'suck-a-buck' idea was mooted by the publishers.
There's also a Vol IV. I wonder what it's like? (A rhetorical question, not really expecting an answer.)

http://www.classicalgames.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=001975&Category_Code=

AThousandYoung
1st Dan TKD Kukkiwon

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Why 40...d5 instead of ...Rxa7?

greenpawn34

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Originally posted by Mad Rook
There's also a Vol IV. I wonder what it's like? (A rhetorical question, not really expecting an answer.)

http://www.classicalgames.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=001975&Category_Code=
Hey it might be brilliant.

I don't know, I picked up Vols I - III and How Purdy won the
Correspondednce World Title
all for £5.00 at a congress.

As I said Vols I & II very good. III has 70 Purdy senior OTB games
and 30 Purdy junior games.
So the 4th volume will have all the games by the Purdy grand children.

MR

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hey it might be brilliant.

I don't know, I picked up Vols I - III and [b]How Purdy won the
Correspondednce World Title
all for £5.00 at a congress.

As I said Vols I & II very good. III has 70 Purdy senior OTB games
and 30 Purdy junior games.
So the 4th volume will have all the games by the Purdy grand children.[/b]
It says 100 high level games, so maybe Purdy's grandchildren played the games at the top of a skyscraper. 😀

i

Sydney

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Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Why 40...d5 instead of ...Rxa7?
It prevents Ne4. The pawn is gone anyway.

greenpawn34

e4

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In Vol III it states that soon to be published is Vol 5.

This will be the games of friends and minor relations played at Purdy's house. 😉

Vol 6 will be games played by anybody called Purdy.
Vol 7 Games Purdy did not annotate but thought about it.
Vol 8 The opening index to Vol 5, 6 & 7
Vol 9 the best of Vols 1 to 8.

(this thread is going to pulled by the lawyers of 'Thinkers Press'😉

Vol 10 The Court Case: Thinkers Press v Green Pawn & Mad Rook.

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