Seirawan - Timman, Hilversum, 1990
21 Jun '10 02:32Seirawan - Timman, Hilversum, 1990
A good game this one. 27 moves featuring pins and things,
a problem setting pawn move, a clumsy pawn move, a crafty pawn move,
a possible King Hunt, tricks and traps and a cute wrap up.
I’ll give the full game at the end, to get there I’ll just give some snap shots.
To hopefully make it enjoyable for all I’ll show some basic tactical ideas
by dipping my toe into just some of the ideas the positons hide.
You stronger guys can fish about in other deeper pools but stand by just in case
some lad posts something I have not made clear or they cannot understand.
It will soon become very apparent why I like this game.
The game starts here with White to play.
9.d5!
Giving the opponent problems to solve to right away.
Possibly the result of home analysis but according to Seirawan’s notes
Timman had played a Black TN to get here (6…Nc6) so perhaps not.
A TN (Theoretical Novelty) is tagged to a move first played in an actual game.
But that does not mean it has not sat on some GM’s board some time in the past,
examined as a potential TN and undermined.
However let us give Yasser the benefit of the doubt and put this one down
to an over the board shot.
The Desperado pawn steal does not work 9…Bxb2+ 10.Qxb2 Na4 12.e4
analysis.
And everyone is looking at the pinned Knight.
The pinned Knight is looking at the e-pawn coming to e5.
I’ll hang around here for a while.
Standard analysis shows h6, Bh4 and g5 ideas fail to Nxg5 and Bxg5.
analysis
Stopping the pawn and getting the Queens off (a good way to break a Queen pin) also fails.
11…e5? 12.Qxe5+ Qe7 13.Qxe7+ Kxe7 14.e5.
analysis
and now 14…h6 is no good because 15.exf6 is with a check.
(this idea was seen action in one of my games on here. Game 7141640 )
Q. So that’s why you like this game, it give you an excuse to show
one of your games.
A. No. That is just a wee side line. But go and watch the sneaky
way I trap that Rook on a2. 🙂
Let’s get back to the main game see what did happen.
White played 9.d5!
and Black played 9…exd5?!
This is a mistake. Though at the board a very plausible move. .
This error of judgement by Timman becomes clear in a few moves.
Timman himself gives analysis starting with 9..Be5 that comes to
an roughly equal position. But then we would not have had this game.
(and witnessed the tricky part he played in it too)
A few moves later this happened. White has just played 13.e3
If you are looking at 14.Rxd7 and wondering if it works.
Yes it does. One line runs: 14.Rxd7 Kxd7 15.Nxe5+ Qxe5 16.Qxf7+ Kc8 17.Bb5.
analysis
How is this suddenly happening?
9….exd5 gave White the chance to rid himself of the c-pawn.
Put the c4 and e6 pawns back on the board.
The f1 Bishop does not look so good now and the f7 pawn
is masked by the e6 pawn.
Black had to let the d-pawn take on c6 instead of 9...exd5.
Of course all seen in hindsight. But this one slip allowing the
f1 Bishop into the game is the root cause of Black's misery.
So back to here, Black to move and we can see the threat.
Now the fun starts.
Note both 13…0-0 and 13….0-0-0 lose a piece. .
13….0-0 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Bxf6 and the d7 Bishop falls.
13…0-0-0 14 Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Ba6+ Kb8 16.Bf4 wins a Queen.
So Black protects the d7 Bishop preparing 0-0. 13…Rd8.
See it? Recognise it?
14.Rxd7 Rxd7 15.Bb5
….wait a minute that looks like….
Yes…it’s Morphy at the Opera. (now you know why I like this game).
Back on move 14 if Black had played 14…Kd7 Yasser himself gives
a possible King hunt in his notes to this game.
Back to the game.
So we jump on. Black does manage to get castled and Black to play here.
Now everyone is looking at the pinned Bishop on d6.
18…c4!
An instructive pawn toss by Timman in a hope to confuse White.
The ability to create counter play in bad positions is a skill that
all players must acquire. It’s either that or go down with a whimper.
The next two diagrams show what effect this pawn move could have had.
This appears…
And if the ‘obvious ‘ 20.Qd2 then 20…c3 causes mayhem.
21.bxc3 Bxa6+ and Black is actually winning.
A few moves later and this position pops up with White to play,
the c-pawn has by now been taken,
Well that is easy. The pattern just leaps out at you. Everyone can see it.
Qxd6, Qxd6, Rxd6, Rxd6 and Nf7+ 1-0.
No. Spotting these things can sometimes lose you games.
Check all Checks especially at every step of a combination.
24.Qxd6 Qc8+ OOPS!
Yasser spots the trick and sees the win. 24.Ne6! Qc8+ 25.Kb1 Rd7.
White to play.
A nice cap to this game. 26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6.
Not much of a choice for Black. Lose the Queen or get back rank mated. 1-0
Here is the full game.
A good game this one. 27 moves featuring pins and things,
a problem setting pawn move, a clumsy pawn move, a crafty pawn move,
a possible King Hunt, tricks and traps and a cute wrap up.
I’ll give the full game at the end, to get there I’ll just give some snap shots.
To hopefully make it enjoyable for all I’ll show some basic tactical ideas
by dipping my toe into just some of the ideas the positons hide.
You stronger guys can fish about in other deeper pools but stand by just in case
some lad posts something I have not made clear or they cannot understand.
It will soon become very apparent why I like this game.
The game starts here with White to play.
9.d5!
Giving the opponent problems to solve to right away.
Possibly the result of home analysis but according to Seirawan’s notes
Timman had played a Black TN to get here (6…Nc6) so perhaps not.
A TN (Theoretical Novelty) is tagged to a move first played in an actual game.
But that does not mean it has not sat on some GM’s board some time in the past,
examined as a potential TN and undermined.
However let us give Yasser the benefit of the doubt and put this one down
to an over the board shot.
The Desperado pawn steal does not work 9…Bxb2+ 10.Qxb2 Na4 12.e4
analysis.
And everyone is looking at the pinned Knight.
The pinned Knight is looking at the e-pawn coming to e5.
I’ll hang around here for a while.
Standard analysis shows h6, Bh4 and g5 ideas fail to Nxg5 and Bxg5.
analysis
Stopping the pawn and getting the Queens off (a good way to break a Queen pin) also fails.
11…e5? 12.Qxe5+ Qe7 13.Qxe7+ Kxe7 14.e5.
analysis
and now 14…h6 is no good because 15.exf6 is with a check.
(this idea was seen action in one of my games on here. Game 7141640 )
Q. So that’s why you like this game, it give you an excuse to show
one of your games.
A. No. That is just a wee side line. But go and watch the sneaky
way I trap that Rook on a2. 🙂
Let’s get back to the main game see what did happen.
White played 9.d5!
and Black played 9…exd5?!
This is a mistake. Though at the board a very plausible move. .
This error of judgement by Timman becomes clear in a few moves.
Timman himself gives analysis starting with 9..Be5 that comes to
an roughly equal position. But then we would not have had this game.
(and witnessed the tricky part he played in it too)
A few moves later this happened. White has just played 13.e3
If you are looking at 14.Rxd7 and wondering if it works.
Yes it does. One line runs: 14.Rxd7 Kxd7 15.Nxe5+ Qxe5 16.Qxf7+ Kc8 17.Bb5.
analysis
How is this suddenly happening?
9….exd5 gave White the chance to rid himself of the c-pawn.
Put the c4 and e6 pawns back on the board.
The f1 Bishop does not look so good now and the f7 pawn
is masked by the e6 pawn.
Black had to let the d-pawn take on c6 instead of 9...exd5.
Of course all seen in hindsight. But this one slip allowing the
f1 Bishop into the game is the root cause of Black's misery.
So back to here, Black to move and we can see the threat.
Now the fun starts.
Note both 13…0-0 and 13….0-0-0 lose a piece. .
13….0-0 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Bxf6 and the d7 Bishop falls.
13…0-0-0 14 Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Ba6+ Kb8 16.Bf4 wins a Queen.
So Black protects the d7 Bishop preparing 0-0. 13…Rd8.
See it? Recognise it?
14.Rxd7 Rxd7 15.Bb5
….wait a minute that looks like….
Yes…it’s Morphy at the Opera. (now you know why I like this game).
Back on move 14 if Black had played 14…Kd7 Yasser himself gives
a possible King hunt in his notes to this game.
Back to the game.
So we jump on. Black does manage to get castled and Black to play here.
Now everyone is looking at the pinned Bishop on d6.
18…c4!
An instructive pawn toss by Timman in a hope to confuse White.
The ability to create counter play in bad positions is a skill that
all players must acquire. It’s either that or go down with a whimper.
The next two diagrams show what effect this pawn move could have had.
This appears…
And if the ‘obvious ‘ 20.Qd2 then 20…c3 causes mayhem.
21.bxc3 Bxa6+ and Black is actually winning.
A few moves later and this position pops up with White to play,
the c-pawn has by now been taken,
Well that is easy. The pattern just leaps out at you. Everyone can see it.
Qxd6, Qxd6, Rxd6, Rxd6 and Nf7+ 1-0.
No. Spotting these things can sometimes lose you games.
Check all Checks especially at every step of a combination.
24.Qxd6 Qc8+ OOPS!
Yasser spots the trick and sees the win. 24.Ne6! Qc8+ 25.Kb1 Rd7.
White to play.
A nice cap to this game. 26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6.
Not much of a choice for Black. Lose the Queen or get back rank mated. 1-0
Here is the full game.
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