Game of the week April 2, 2023 by Robert Huntington [Site "Marshall Chess Club Championship"] [Date "1969"] [White "Andrew Soltis"] [Black "Asa Hoffmann"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [Annotator "ATH"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1969.??.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "StarBase 2.88"] [Source "Pickard & Son"] [SourceDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceQuality "2"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bg5 c5 (4... Nf6 {, transposing into normal Pirc lines, is better}) 5. dxc5 Qa5 (5... Bxc3+ $1 6. bxc3 Qa5 7. Ne2 Nc6 $11 { Morales-Moujan, ICCF email 2019}) 6. Qd2 Qxc5 (6... Bxc3 $1 7. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 8. bxc3 dxc5 9. a4 $14 {Motylev-Inarkiev, Tomsk 2004}) 7. Nd5 Be6 ({The threat is } 7... Z0 8. Be3 Qc6 9. Bb5) 8. Be3 (8. c4 $5) 8... Qc8 9. Bd4 (9. c4 $1 $14 { Teuton-Herbert, Montreal 1989}) 9... Bxd4 $2 (9... Nf6 10. Bxf6 exf6 11. O-O-O $14) 10. Qxd4 f6 11. O-O-O ({Three years later Soltis chose} 11. Qd2 {That game also resulted in a quick win for White (but 11. O-O-O is better):} Nc6 ( 11... Bxd5 12. exd5 $16) 12. Nf3 (12. O-O-O $16) 12... h5 (12... Bf7 $5) 13. O-O-O (13. Be2 $16) 13... Kf7 $6 (13... Bf7 14. Nh4 $16) 14. Bc4 (14. Nh4 $1 $16) 14... Nh6 (14... Na5 $1 15. Be2 $16) 15. Bb3 (15. Nh4 $1) 15... Qd8 $6 ( 15... Kg7 16. Nh4 $16) 16. Nh4 g5 17. Nf5 (17. Nf3 {is somewhat stronger}) 17... Bxd5 $2 (17... Nxf5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Nb6+ Kg7 20. Nxa8 $16) 18. Qxd5+ Kg6 19. h4 (19. g4 $1) 19... Qd7 $2 (19... g4 20. f3 $18 {would prolong the game without changing the result}) 20. Nxh6 ({Again,} 20. g4 $1 $18 {is a bone-crusher}) 20... Kxh6 ({Throwing in} 20... e6 {would also prolong the game, also needlessly.}) 21. hxg5+ fxg5 22. Rxh5+ $1 {1-0, Soltis-Botterill, Graz 1972}) 11... Nc6 (11... Nd7 12. Ne2 $16 {is a small improvement for Black}) 12. Qd2 (12. Qc3 $5 $16) 12... h5 (12... Qd8 13. Kb1 $16) 13. Ne2 (13. f4 $5 $16) 13... Nh6 $6 (13... Qd7 14. f4 $16) 14. h3 (14. Nec3 $1 $16) 14... Kf8 $6 ( 14... h4 15. Nec3 $16) 15. g4 g5 (15... hxg4 16. Nef4 $18 {is a slower way for Black to lose}) 16. f4 (16. gxh5 {is a quicker way for White to win}) 16... Nf7 17. fxg5 Nxg5 (17... fxg5 18. gxh5 $18 {puts up slightly more resistance}) 18. Nef4 ({Again,} 18. gxh5 {is the quick method}) 18... Ne5 ({Bkack is so far gone that Stockfish prefers dumping the exchange with} 18... hxg4 19. Ng6+) 19. gxh5 Bf7 (19... Kf7 {is a meaningless improvement}) 20. h4 (20. Nxe7 $1) 20... Nh7 $2 {The final blunder} (20... Nxe4 21. Qg2 $1) 21. Rg1 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts Views: 22