Game of the week February 22, 2026 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment A rare Fischer game not in ChessBase’s MegaBase. [Event "Log Cabin 50/50 1957"] [White "Jimmy Sherwin"] [Black "Bobby Fischer"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "E87"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "81"] [GameId "2276384714621146"] [EventDate "1957.??.??"] [SourceTitle "StarBase 2.88"] [Source "Pickard & Son"] [SourceDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceQuality "2"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. f3 d6 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 (8. g4 Nf4 9. h4 f5 10. gxf5 gxf5 11. Qd2 fxe4 12. Nxe4 (12. fxe4 $6 Bg4 $15) 12... Nd7 13. O-O-O $14 {Slavin-Darevsky, LSS email, 2023}) 8... f5 9. exf5 (9. O-O-O $1 $16) 9... gxf5 10. O-O-O a6 (10... Na6 11. Bg5 $16) 11. Bd3 Nd7 $6 (11... b5 12. cxb5 axb5 13. Bxb5 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Nge2 $16) 12. Nge2 (12. Bxf5 $1 Rxf5 13. g4 Ndf6 (13... Rf7 $6 14. gxh5 Qh4 15. h6 Bf6 16. Nge2 $18) 14. gxf5 Bxf5 15. Nge2 $16) 12... Nc5 13. Bc2 b5 14. Ng3 (14. Bg5 $1 Qe8 15. b4 Nd7 16. c5 dxc5 17. d6 Ndf6 18. bxc5 cxd6 19. Qxd6 $14) 14... Nf4 15. Nge2 $2 (15. Rhg1 bxc4 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Nh5 (17. Qxf4 $6 Be5 $15) 17... Be5 $11) 15... b4 16. Na4 Nxe2+ 17. Qxe2 Nxa4 18. Bxa4 Bd7 19. Bc2 (19. Bxd7 Qxd7 $17 {is a small improvement for White}) 19... a5 20. c5 $2 (20. Qd2 Qh4 $17) 20... a4 21. c6 (21. a3 bxa3 22. bxa3 dxc5 23. Bxc5 Qf6 $1 $19) 21... b3 $2 (21... Bc8 22. b3 axb3 23. Bxb3 Ba6 $19) 22. axb3 $2 (22. cxd7 bxc2 23. Rd2 Qxd7 24. Rxc2 a3 25. b3 Qf7 $15) 22... axb3 23. Bxb3 $6 (23. cxd7 $142 bxc2 24. Kxc2 Qxd7 25. Ra1 c5 $19) 23... Qb8 $6 (23... Be8 $19) 24. Qc4 Be8 (24... Bc8 $142 $17) 25. h4 $6 (25. Kd2 f4 26. Bf2 e4 27. fxe4 f3 $17) 25... f4 26. Bf2 Bg6 $2 (26... e4 27. fxe4 Bh5 $19) 27. h5 Bf5 28. h6 Bf6 29. Kd2 $2 (29. Bc2 e4 30. Bd4 Ra1+ 31. Kd2 e3+ 32. Kc3 Rxd1 33. Rxd1 Bxc2 34. Kxc2 Qe8 $11) 29... Ra5 30. Ra1 (30. Rhe1 $5 Qb5 $19 {might be a little better}) 30... Rb5 31. Ba7 Rxb3 $1 32. Bxb8 Rxb2+ 33. Kc1 (33. Ke1 Rfxb8 $19 {is better but probably not enough to make any real difference}) 33... Rfxb8 34. Rd1 (34. Ra8 Rb1+ 35. Kd2 Rxa8 36. Rxb1 Bxb1 $19) 34... Bh4 $2 (34... Kf7 $19 {Given the time control, it's reasonable to suspect that one or both of the players might have been in time trouble by this point}) 35. Ra2 (35. Rd3 Bf2 $1 $19 (35... Bxd3 $2 36. Qxd3 $11)) 35... R2b4 $2 (35... R8b4 $19) 36. Qa6 R8b5 $2 (36... e4 37. fxe4 Rxe4 38. Qb7 $1 $11) 37. Kd2 Rxd5+ $2 (37... Kf7 38. Qa7 Bd8 39. Ke1 $16) 38. Ke2 $2 (38. Kc3 Rxd1 39. Kxb4 $18) 38... Rxd1 $2 {The final mistake} (38... Re4+ $1 39. fxe4 Bg4+ 40. Kf1 Rxd1#) 39. Kxd1 Rd4+ 40. Ke2 Bd3+ 41. Qxd3 (41. Qxd3 Rxd3 42. Kxd3 Kf7 43. Ra7 Bd8 44. Ra8 $18) 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: 3
Game of the week January 25, 2026 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "Continental Open 1998"] [Site "Los Angeles, CA"] [Round "4"] [White "Alexander Shabalov"] [Black "Aleksander Wojtkiewicz"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "GotW"] [ECO "B90"] [BlackElo "2585"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "69"] [GameId "2270307513377879"] [EventDate "1998.07.??"] [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 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Rg1 $5 e5 (6... b5 $5) 7. Nb3 Be6 8. g4 d5 9. g5 ({Stockfish prefers} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Qxd5 Bxd5 12. Be3 Nc6 $11) 9... Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Be3 (12. Bg2 $5) 12... Nd7 (12... h6 $1 13. h4 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nd7 $11) 13. O-O-O $6 (13. Bg2 h6 $11) 13... Kc7 (13... h6 $1 14. g6 f5 $15) 14. Bg2 (14. Nd2 $1 Bf5 $11) 14... h6 15. gxh6 (15. h4 $1 Bf5 $11) 15... g6 16. Bxe4 Bxh6 (16... Re8 $1) 17. Rg3 Bxe3+ (17... Nf6 18. Bxh6 Nxe4 (18... Rxh6 19. Rc3+ Kb8 20. Bh1 Rxh2 21. Nc5 $44) 19. Bg7 Nxg3 20. Bxe5+ Kb6 21. Rd6+ Kb5 $11) 18. Rxe3 Rac8 (18... Rxh2 $2 19. Rc3+ Kb8 20. Na5 Ra7 21. Bd5 $16) 19. Bd5 Bxd5 (19... Bf5 $5 20. Bxf7 Rxh2 21. Rc3+ Kd8 22. Nc5 Rxc5 23. Rxc5 Ke7 $11) 20. Rxd5 Nb6 21. Rdxe5 Rxh2 22. Na5 (22. Re7+ Kd6 23. Na5 (23. Rxf7 $2 Rh1+ 24. Kd2 Nc4+ $19) 23... Nd5 24. Nxb7+ Kc6 25. Na5+ $11) 22... Rxf2 23. Re7+ Nd7 24. Rd3 Rd8 (24... Rxc2+ $1 25. Kd1 (25. Kxc2 $2 Kd8+ $19) 25... Rc1+ 26. Kd2 (26. Ke2 Rd8 27. Kd2 $11) 26... Rc2+ $11) 25. b4 (25. Nc4 Rf1+ $11) 25... g5 (25... Rf4 26. Rc3+ Kb8 27. Rd3 Kc7 $11) 26. Nc4 Rf6 $4 {loses a piece} (26... g4 $11) 27. Ne5 Re6 28. Rexd7+ Rxd7 29. Rxd7+ Kc8 30. Rd5 f6 31. Nd3 (31. Ng4 Re1+ 32. Kd2 Re4 33. Nxf6 Rxb4 34. Rxg5 Ra4 35. Rg7 Rxa2 36. Ne4 {is better (at least for the computer)}) 31... Kc7 32. Kd2 b6 33. a4 Rd6 $2 {equivalent to resignation} ({After} 33... Kc6 {, White will grind out a win with his extra piece.}) 34. Rxd6 Kxd6 35. c4 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: 6
Game of the week January 18, 2026 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Site "Framingham 1988"] [White "Robert Seltzer"] [Black "John Curdo"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "C87"] [WhiteElo "2076"] [BlackElo "2480"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "73"] [GameId "2267772565267373"] [EventDate "1988.11.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "CH, Jan-Feb 1989"] [SourceDate "2015.04.20"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.04.20"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 $6 (5... Nf6) 6. h3 Bh5 ({Stockfish prefers} 6... Bd7 {slightly}) 7. d3 (7. c3 {is more accurate}) 7... Nf6 (7... b5 $1 8. Bb3 Nd4 $11) 8. c3 Be7 9. Re1 O-O 10. Nbd2 Nd7 (10... h6 $1 11. Nf1 $14) 11. Nf1 ({Stockfish prefers} 11. Bc2) 11... Nc5 12. Bc2 d5 (12... Ne6 $1 13. g4 Bg6 $11) 13. Ng3 (13. exd5 $1 Qxd5 14. Ne3 $14) 13... Bg6 (13... Bxf3 $1 14. Qxf3 d4 $11) 14. Nxe5 $6 (14. Nf5 $14) 14... Nxe5 15. d4 dxe4 16. dxe5 Nd3 17. Rxe4 $2 (17. Bxd3 exd3 18. Bd2 c5 $15) 17... Bxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe5 19. Qh5 Ng6 20. Bg5 $2 (20. Be3 Qe8 $19) 20... f6 $2 (20... Qd5 $19) 21. Be3 b6 22. Ng3 Qe8 $2 (22... Bc5 $1 $11) 23. Nf5 Rd8 (23... Rf7 $5 24. Re1 $18) 24. Re1 Rd7 $2 (24... Rf7 {puts up more, if futile, resistance}) 25. Nh4 f5 26. Bb3+ (26. Bg5 {is quicker}) 26... Kh8 27. Bg5 Rf6 $2 (27... b5 {is better but it doesn't matter}) 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Nxf5 (29. Be6 {is irrelevantly stronger}) 29... Qf8 30. Bc2 Bc5 $2 (30... Rd5) 31. b4 (31. Nh4 {ends the game immediately}) 31... Rd2 (31... Bxf2+ 32. Kxf2 Rd2+ 33. Kf1 Rxc2 34. Nh4 $18) 32. bxc5 ({Again} 32. Nh4) 32... Ne5 (32... Rxc2 33. Nh4 $18) 33. Nd4 $18 {Further comment is unnecessary} Qe7 34. Qh6 bxc5 35. Qxd2 cxd4 36. cxd4 Qd6 37. Qh6 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: 6
Game of the week December 28, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "Birmingham 1976"] [White "Eugene Meyer"] [Black "Michael Stean"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D91"] [Annotator "ATH"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] [SourceTitle "StarBase 2.88"] [Source "Pickard & Son"] [SourceDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceQuality "2"] 1. Nf3 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg5 dxc4 (5... Ne4 {is the main line }) 6. e3 (6. e4 $5) 6... Be6 7. Ne5 $6 (7. e4) 7... Nd5 8. Nxc4 c5 9. Ne4 $6 ( 9. Nb5 f6 10. e4 fxg5 11. exd5 Bd7 $17 {Piesik-Gazik, Skopje 2019}) 9... cxd4 10. Qa4+ $6 (10. exd4 O-O 11. Nc5 Qc8 $17) 10... Nd7 (10... Bd7 $1 11. Ncd6+ Kf8 12. Qa3 Bc6 13. Bc4 (13. Nc4 h6 14. Bh4 a5 15. Rc1 Nb4 $19) 13... f5 $19) 11. Ned6+ $2 (11. exd4 O-O $17) 11... Kf8 12. Nxb7 (12. e4 $5) 12... Qc7 13. Nba5 dxe3 (13... h6 $1 {is even stronger}) 14. fxe3 (14. Bxe3 {puts up stiffer resistance, e.g.} Nxe3 15. fxe3 Nb6 $19) 14... h6 15. Bh4 Bxb2 16. Rb1 $2 (16. Nxb2 $4 Qc3+ $19) (16. Rd1 Nc5 17. Qc2 Bc3+ 18. Kf2 Bxa5 $19) 16... Nc5 17. Qc6 $6 ({White is deader than Doug Jones's senatorial career. Still, I have to note that} 17. Qd1 {is better}) 17... Bc3+ 18. Kf2 Bxa5 19. Nxa5 Qxa5 20. Qxa8+ (20. Qb5 {is irrelevantly better}) 20... Kg7 21. Qc6 Qxa2+ (21... a6 {is irrelevantly stronger}) 22. Be2 $2 (22. Kg1 Qxb1 23. Qxc5 Rc8 24. Qb5 Qxb5 25. Bxb5 {allows White to survive into a hopeless ending}) 22... Ne4+ 23. Kf3 Nd2+ (23... Bg4+ $1 {and mate in 15 according to Stockfish}) 24. Kg3 Nxb1 25. Bc4 Qd2 0-1 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: 4
Game of the week October 26, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "New York 1939"] [White "Herbert Seidman"] [Black "Anthony Santasiere"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 $5 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 (4. d4 $5) 4... Nxc3 ({The main line goes} 4... e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd5 d6 (8... Qb6 9. Bc4 Bxf2+ 10. Ke2 O-O 11. Rf1 Bc5 12. Ng5 Nd4+ 13. Kd1 Ne6 14. Ne4 $14) 9. Bd3 Qa5+ (9... Nb4 $1) 10. Kf1 Be6 11. Qe4 Qb6 $11) 5. dxc3 b6 $2 (5... d5 6. exd6 exd6 7. Bc4 Be7 8. Bf4 O-O 9. Qe2 $16) 6. Bc4 $2 (6. e6 $1 dxe6 (6... fxe6 7. Ne5 $18) 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Ne5 Ke8 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Bf4 a6 12. Bc6 $18 {Rellstab-Schoenmann, Hamburg 1932}) 6... e6 7. Bf4 Qc7 ({The immediate} 7... Bb7 {is a bit better}) 8. O-O Bb7 (8... Nc6 9. Re1 h6 10. Nd2 $14) 9. Qe2 (9. Re1 $1 h6 10. Nd2 Nc6 11. Ne4 Nxe5 12. Qh5 d6 13. Bxe6 g6 14. Qh3 $14) 9... a6 $6 (9... h6 $11) 10. a4 (10. Rfd1 b5 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. c4 $14 {is stronger}) 10... Nc6 11. Rad1 (11. Bg3 Ne7 12. Bd3 Qc6 13. Rfd1 Nf5 14. Bxf5 exf5 15. Qd3 $14 {maintains some edge}) 11... Be7 $6 (11... Na5 $1 12. Bd3 f5 $11) 12. Rd2 (12. Rfe1 $14 {is better}) 12... O-O $6 (12... Na5 13. Rfd1 $14) 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Ng5 h6 $2 {Missing the coming combination} (14... Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Nxe5 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 17. Bxa6 $16 {is a lot better than what happens in the game}) 15. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 16. Rxd7 $1 Qxd7 (16... Rxd7 17. Bxe6+ Kxe6 (17... Kf8 18. Rxd7 $18) 18. Qc4+ Kf5 19. Qf7+ Bf6 20. Rxd7 $18) 17. Rxd7 Rxd7 18. Qh5+ g6 $2 {Black chooses a quick death} (18... Kf8 19. Bxe6 $18) 19. Bxe6+ Kxe6 20. Qxg6+ Bf6 21. Qxf6+ Kd5 22. Qf5 Re7 $2 ({After} 22... Kc4 {it will take White 17 moves to checkmate Black}) 23. e6+ Ne5 24. Qxe5+ Kc6 25. Qd6# 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: 4
Game of the week October 12, 2025 by Robert Huntington | 2 Comments [Event "2006 Massachusetts Open"] [Site "Marlborough, MA"] [White "Josef Friedman"] [Black "Alexander Ivanov"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2217"] [BlackElo "2664"] [PlyCount "42"] [GameId "2206970145468805"] [EventDate "2006.05.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "CH, July-Sept 2006"] [SourceDate "2020.07.11"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.11"] 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 (4. Bc4 $14 {is Stockfish's preference}) 4... Qb6 (4... Nf6 5. Qd2 d5 6. e5 Ng4 7. Bf4 $14) 5. a3 (5. Rb1 Nf6 6. Be2 $14) 5... d6 (5... Nf6 6. Be2 $14 {Zvjaginsev-Bologan, Mainz rapid 2010}) 6. Bc4 (6. Nf3 $14) 6... e6 $6 (6... Nf6 7. f3 d5 $1 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Bxd5 Qxb2 10. Nge2 Qb6 $11) 7. Nge2 (7. f3 $5 $16) 7... d5 (7... Nf6 $5 8. f3 $16) 8. Bb3 Nf6 (8... h5 $5) 9. Ng3 (9. Qd2 $1 $16) 9... h5 (9... O-O 10. e5 Nfd7 11. h4 $16) 10. e5 $6 (10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. f3 $14) 10... Ng4 11. O-O (11. Qd2 Nxe3 12. fxe3 Nd7 $11) 11... Nd7 $6 (11... c5 $1 12. dxc5 Qd8 13. Bd4 Nc6 $11) 12. Bg5 c5 (12... Bh6 $1 13. Na4 Qa5 14. Bc1 $1 $14) 13. h3 cxd4 14. Nxd5 $2 (14. Na4 $1 Qa6 15. hxg4 h4 16. Ne4 (16. Ne2 b5 17. Qxd4 Bxe5 18. Qb4 Bd6 19. Qc3 Be5 20. Qe3 bxa4 21. Bxd5 $1 $14) 16... dxe4 17. Qxd4 Bxe5 18. Qxe4 $14) 14... exd5 15. hxg4 h4 (15... hxg4 $5 16. Re1 O-O 17. Qxg4 Nxe5 18. Qf4 f6 19. Bxd5+ Be6 20. Bxe6+ Qxe6 21. Bh6 g5 22. Qf5 Qxf5 23. Nxf5 Bxh6 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 $11) 16. Ne2 $6 (16. e6 $1 hxg3 17. exd7+ Bxd7 $11) 16... Nxe5 17. Nf4 Bxg4 18. Qe1 $6 (18. f3 Be6 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. f4 f6 21. fxe5 fxg5 22. Ba4+ Kd8 $17) 18... h3 $1 19. Nxh3 $2 (19. f3 Be6 20. Ba4+ Kf8 21. g3 d3+ $19) 19... Rxh3 $2 (19... Bxh3 $1 $19) 20. gxh3 $6 Qe6 $6 (20... Bxh3 21. Bxd5 Bxf1 22. Qxf1 Rc8 $17) 21. Bxd5 $4 (21. f3 Bxh3 22. Qb4 Nxf3+ $1 23. Rxf3 Qg4+ 24. Kf2 Qg2+ 25. Ke1 Qg1+ $11) 21... Qxd5 0-1 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: 18
Game of the week August 3, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "Soviet Junior Championship"] [Site "Pinska 1989"] [Round "?"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Rublevsky, Sergei"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "B23"] [PlyCount "109"] [GameId "2125412143345160"] [EventDate "1989"] [EventCountry "EST"] [SourceTitle "LF14_08"] [SourceDate "2014.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.08.06"] [SourceQuality "2"] 1. e4 c5 2. f4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Bb5 Nd4 6. O-O Nxb5 7. Nxb5 Nf6 (7... a6 $5) 8. Nc3 (8. e5 Nd5 9. d4 Nc7 10. Nc3 cxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. f5 $1 $14 {Crawley-Ravisekhar, BCF-ch 1986}) 8... d6 9. d3 O-O (9... b6 10. Qe1 Bb7 11. Bd2 Qd7 $11 {Westerberg-Smith, Malmo rapid 2021}) 10. Qe1 e6 (10... Ne8 $11) 11. Kh1 (11. Qh4 Nd7 $11) 11... b6 12. Qh4 Nd7 13. Qg3 (13. Qh3 $5) 13... f5 14. Bd2 Nf6 (14... Bb7 15. Rae1 Qc7 $11) 15. e5 Nh5 (15... dxe5 16. Nxe5 a6 17. Rae1 Qc7 $11) 16. Qf2 Bb7 17. Rae1 Bxf3 (17... a6 18. a4 Rb8 $11) 18. Qxf3 d5 (18... dxe5 19. fxe5 Qd7 $11) 19. Nb5 (19. d4 Qd7 (19... cxd4 $2 20. Nb5 $14) 20. dxc5 bxc5 $11) 19... Bh8 $6 (19... Qd7 20. Nd6 Nf6 $1 21. b3 (21. exf6 Bxf6 22. Nxf5 exf5 $11) 21... Ne8 $11) 20. Nd6 (20. Re2 $1 Ng7 21. c4 $14) 20... Ng7 $6 (20... Nf6 21. b4 $1 $14) 21. c4 dxc4 22. dxc4 Ne8 23. Bc3 Nxd6 24. Rd1 Ne4 $2 (24... Qe8 25. exd6 Bxc3 26. Qxc3 Rd8 27. Qe5 $14) 25. Rxd8 Rfxd8 26. Kg1 $1 Rd7 (26... Bg7 {is slightly better, according to Stockfish, but not enough to matter}) 27. Rd1 Rad8 ({ditto with} 27... Re7) 28. Rxd7 Rxd7 29. Kf1 (29. Be1 {is stronger but it doesn't really matter. Black doesn't have enough for the queen.}) 29... Bg7 30. Ke2 (30. Be1 {See the last note}) 30... Bf8 31. Be1 {From here on, I will point out whatever Stockfish regards as an improvement but will only comment or analyze if it would have mattered.} Be7 (31... Bh6) 32. Qa3 (32. g4) 32... Kf7 33. Qa4 (33. g4) 33... Rc7 34. Qb5 (34. g4 $1 {is more than a pawn (or is it point?) stronger so this probably prolongs the game}) 34... h6 $2 {is more than a point (or pawn) weaker so this probably shortens the game. For the rest of the game, I will simply use an ! or ? to indicate when the move played is that much worse than Stockfish's recommendation. In no case, does it change the outcome.} (34... g5) 35. a4 (35. g4) 35... Bd8 (35... g5) 36. a5 (36. g4) 36... Re7 37. b4 (37. g4) 37... g5 38. g3 (38. g4 $1) 38... g4 39. Qc6 (39. Kf1 $1) 39... Bc7 (39... Rc7) 40. bxc5 (40. Qa8 $1) 40... bxc5 (40... bxa5) 41. Qa8 h5 42. Qxa7 (42. Kf1 $1) 42... Bxe5 43. Qb6 (43. Qa8) 43... Bc7 44. Qc6 (44. Qb2) 44... e5 $2 (44... h4) 45. fxe5 (45. a6 $1) 45... Bxe5 46. Kf1 h4 (46... Kg7) 47. gxh4 Bxh2 48. h5 Bd6 49. a6 g3 (49... Be5) 50. Qb6 f4 (50... Re8) 51. a7 f3 (51... Rxa7 $1) 52. a8=Q g2+ 53. Kg1 Nf6 (53... Re6) 54. Bf2 (54. Qxf3) 54... Bf4 (54... Re6) 55. Qxf3 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: 8
Game of the week June 22, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "Nor'Easter op"] [Site "Watertown, MA"] [Date "1992.04.05"] [White "Patrick Wolff"] [Black "Charles Hertan"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2475"] [PlyCount "85"] [GameId "2178554133533577"] [EventDate "1992.04.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "CH May-June 1992"] [SourceDate "2009.07.13"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.07.13"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. h3 d5 {This is actually a position from the Exchange Variation of the French Defense (according to ChessBase's classification system--I suspect it's reached more often via the Petroff move order)} 8. O-O O-O 9. c3 (9. Re1 $1 Nc6 10. c3 Re8 11. Bf4 $14 {Stockfish}) 9... c5 (9... Re8 $1 $11 {Stockfish}) 10. Bf4 (10. Nbd2 $1 $14 {Stockfish}) 10... Nc6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Nbd2 Be6 (12... Nh5 13. Bh2 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 $11 {Stockfish}) 13. Nb3 (13. Qc2 $5) 13... Bb6 14. Re1 Qd7 $6 (14... h6 15. Nbd4 $14) 15. Ne5 (15. a4 $1 $14) 15... Qc8 16. Bg5 $6 (16. Nxc6 $1 bxc6 17. Nd4 $14) 16... Nxe5 (16... Ne4 $1 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Nxc6 (18. Rxe4 $2 f6 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 20. Rxe6 Bxf2+ $1 21. Kxf2 fxg5+ 22. Kg1 Qxe6 $19) 18... Qxc6 $11) 17. Rxe5 Nd7 $2 (17... Ne4 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Be3 (19. Rxe4 $2 Bxb3 20. axb3 Qf5 $19) 19... Bxe3 20. fxe3 $11) 18. Re1 (18. Qh5 $1 g6 19. Qh6 Re8 20. Re2 $16) 18... Nc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 (19... Qxc5 20. Qf3 $14 {is somewhat better for Black}) 20. Qh5 (20. Bc2 Bf5 21. Bb3 $16) 20... Bf5 21. Rad1 (21. Qf3 $1 $14 {is a bit better}) 21... Bxd3 22. Rxd3 Qf5 23. Rf3 Qg6 24. Qxg6 fxg6 25. Re5 (25. Rd1 $1 $14) 25... Rxf3 (25... Rae8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Rxd5 Re1+ 28. Kh2 Bxf2 29. Rd8+ Re8 30. Rxe8+ Kxe8 31. g4 $16) 26. gxf3 h6 (26... Kf8) 27. Rxd5 Bxf2+ (27... b6 28. Be3 $18 {is an insufficient improvement for Black}) 28. Kxf2 hxg5 29. c4 (29. a4 $1 $18 {is somewhat more accurate}) 29... Rc8 30. b3 Rc7 (30... b6 {puts up slightly more resistance}) 31. Rxg5 (31. c5 $5) 31... Kf7 32. f4 (32. Rd5 $5) 32... b6 (32... Kf6 $5) 33. Ke3 Rc8 34. Kd4 (34. Rd5 $1 $18 {is quicker}) 34... Rh8 (34... Rc6 $5) 35. Rg3 Rd8+ 36. Ke5 Rd2 $6 (36... a5) 37. a3 Re2+ (37... a5 $5) 38. Kd5 $2 {Throws away the lion's share of White's winning edge.} (38. Kd6 $18 {is the quick method, e.g.,} Re7 39. b4 $18 {etc.}) 38... Kf6 $2 (38... Re6 {and White may still be winning but it's game and there's hope for salvation.}) 39. b4 Rd2+ (39... Ke7 {is a tiny and irrelevant improvement}) 40. Kc6 Rd4 41. c5 bxc5 42. bxc5 Rxf4 43. Kb7 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: 5
Game of the week June 8, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "New England Open 1997"] [White "Igor Foygel"] [Black "Steven Winer"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "D80"] [WhiteElo "2484"] [BlackElo "2233"] [PlyCount "85"] [GameId "2176423564303167"] [EventDate "1997.08.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "Chess Horizons?"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. b4 $5 O-O ({Stockfish suggests} 5... Be6 {which isn't in the database}) 6. Nf3 b6 (6... c6 7. Bb2 Be6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. a3 a5 $11) 7. Qb3 (7. Ba3 $1 e6 $11 {Tornai-Liptay, Hungary 2013}) 7... c5 8. cxd5 cxb4 (8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bb7 10. Bc4 a6 11. Bb2 b5 12. Be2 Nxd5 13. Bf3 Nxc3 14. Bxb7 Ra7 15. Bxc3 Rxb7 16. O-O Rc7 $11 {Drasko-Jansa, Sarajevo 1981}) 9. Qxb4 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bc4 Qd8 12. O-O (12. Ba3 $5) 12... Nc6 13. Qa3 (13. Qd2 $5) 13... Bb7 (13... Bg4 $11) 14. Bd2 Rc8 (14... Qd7 $5 $11) (14... e6 $5 $11) 15. Rac1 e6 16. Rfd1 a6 $2 (16... Qe7 $11) 17. Bxa6 Ra8 $6 (17... Qd7 18. Bb5 $16) 18. Qxf8+ $1 Bxf8 19. Bxb7 Na5 (19... Ne7 20. Bxa8 $18 {is a small improvement for Black}) 20. Bxa8 Qxa8 21. Bxa5 (21. Rc2 $18) 21... bxa5 22. Ne5 (22. h3 $5) 22... Bd6 23. Nc6 (23. Nc4 $1 $18 {is even stronger}) 23... Qa6 (23... a4 {is another small improvement}) 24. d5 e5 $2 (24... exd5 25. Rxd5 $18 {is a larger improvement}) 25. a4 Kg7 (25... g5 $5) 26. Rb1 Qc4 $6 (26... g5) 27. Nxa5 Qxa4 (27... Qe2 {might prolong the game without changing the result}) 28. Nb7 Qd7 $2 (28... Be7 {is a futile improvement}) 29. Nxd6 Qxd6 30. Rbc1 h5 $2 (30... g5 {but it doesn't matter in the least}) 31. Rc6 Qd7 32. d6 (32. h3 {is irrelevantly stronger}) 32... h4 ({Black's position is so frelled that Stockfish thinks} 32... Qxc6 33. d7 $18 {is Black's best}) 33. h3 g5 34. Rc7 Qa4 35. Rcc1 (35. Rd2 {is even quicker}) 35... Qd7 36. Rc4 Kg6 37. Kh2 (37. Rc7 {lowers the boom immediately. Nothing matters from here on out.}) 37... f5 38. e4 f4 39. f3 g4 40. hxg4 h3 41. gxh3 Qd8 42. Rc2 Qh4 43. Rg2 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: 10
Game of the week May 4, 2025May 4, 2025 by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment [Event "New York 1976"] [Round "?"] [White "Ken Regan"] [Black "Michael Wilder"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ATH"] [ECO "B22"] [PlyCount "45"] [GameId "2153560704653061"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "StarBase 2.88"] [Source "Pickard & Son"] [SourceDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.01.15"] [SourceQuality "2"] 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 (5. Nf3 $5) 5... e6 (5... d6 $5) 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Nc3 Nxc3 (7... d6 $11) 8. bxc3 d6 (8... Qc7 $11) 9. Bd3 (9. exd6 Bxd6 10. Bd3 $14) 9... dxe5 10. dxe5 Qa5 11. O-O Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. Re1 Qa5 $6 (13... Qc7 14. Bb5+ Bd7 15. Bf4 Qc8 $11) 14. Rb1 a6 15. Qg4 g6 $2 (15... h5 16. Qc4 $14 {Pisk-Smistik, Ostrava op 2002}) 16. Qd4 Rg8 17. Be4 (17. Bc2 $5 Qc5 18. Qh4 $16) 17... Bc5 18. Qd3 (18. Qf6 $1 Qc7 19. Rd1 $18) 18... Qc7 19. Rd1 $6 (19. Qf3 Rb8 20. Bg5 $16) 19... f5 20. Bf3 Rg7 $2 (20... Ra7 21. Qd2 b6 $11) 21. Bf4 Qxf4 $2 (21... Qe7 22. Qd2 Rg8 23. Bg5 $18 {prolongs the game without changing the result}) 22. Qd8+ Kf7 23. Rxb7+ $1 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: 7