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Vladimir Vukovic's mistake: Euwe vs Najdorf (1953)

Vladimir Vukovic's mistake: Euwe vs Najdorf (1953)

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vandervelde

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https://postimg.org/image/h5p6tsozr/
I am training myself.
I was analyzing the famous game Euwe vs. Najdorf from Zurich 1953 also by comparing three different comments:

Vladimir Vukovic's from "Chess Sacrifice" (Zagreb 1970)
and Bronstein's and Najdorf's comments from their respective books on that tournament.

I found that Vukovic made at least one mistake and that Bronstein was fooling around!

Euwe vs. Najdorf



After White's 9th move there is a position:




1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 c5 6. d5 e5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. d6 Nc6 10. e3 b6 11. Bd5 Kh8

if 11. ...Qxd6 12. Bxf7+

12. Ne4 Qd8 13. h4 f5 14. Ng5 Bb7

Vukovic thinks this move deserves "!" because 15. Nf7+ is bad due 15...Rxf7 16.Bxf7 Nb4 17. Bd5 Bxd5 18. cxd5 e4!

15. g4 e4
Vukovic gives this move "?" and suggests 15...Qf6 16. gxf5 gxf5 17. Qh5 Nd8.

But what if White plays 16. Nf7+? After 16...Rxf7 White has move-in-between 17. g5! and capture Rook on f7!!

This is Vukovic's first mistake.

16. Ne2 Bxb2 17. Nf4



Here Vukovic makes another mistake.
He says that Black mustn't take Rook:
17. ...B:a1? 18. Qxa1 Qf6 19. Nxg6 Kg7 20. Qxf6 Rxf6 21. Nf4 hxg5 23. hxg5 and he says "now Black must return the exchange with 22...Rg6 due 22...Rff8 loses after 23. Rh6 threatening checkmate 24. Nh5."

I was looking that position myself for 15 minutes, and I couldn't figure it, then I moved pieces and saw that after 22...Rg6 White does not get exchange back but remains with a piece less!


18. Qxa1 is a bad move.

In this position, after 17. Nf4:

https://postimg.org/image/9ofzekzgn/


Najdorf gives better move than 18. Qxa1?:
18. Nxg6+ Kg7 19. Nxf8 Bc3+ 20. Kf1 and nice variation:
20...Kxf8 21. gxf5 gxf5 22. Qh5 Qf6 23. hxg5 Qxf5 24. Rh4 Be5 25, Rf4!!

Bronstein mentions only 18. gxf5 - instead of 18. Nxg6+ - and I think it's rubbish.

Ok, Najdorf had better assistant - Bolbochan (Bronstein had Veinstein).

17....Qf6 18. gxf5 Bxa1 19. Nxg6+ Kg7 20. Nxe4

Here Najdorf is quiet whilst Bronstein says 20. Nf4 wuth threat 21. Nh5+ is stronger.
Both moves ara good but are good for draw, not more...

20.... Bc3+ 21. Kf1 Qxf5 22. Nf4 Kh8 23. Nxc3



And here Vukovic says "White is winning", and Bronstein and Najdorf that Black could.have saved his arr.s. but with differente moves!

Najdorf played 23...Rae8

Najdorf says it was better 23...Na5
and Bronstein says better was 23...Nd8.

But what about 23...Ba6?!

Whole game--->




Well, I am happy that I could find mistake in Vukovic's analysis (and I had this book since 1977!)--->>>
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