Refuted variation from Botvinnik Capapblanca game analysis - 2007/01/13 13:166k1/p6p/1p2PQ2/3p3p/2pP4/qnP5/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 34
The above FEN is from the famous Botvinnik-Capablanca game played in 1938 at the AVRO Tournament. It's listed as one of the 250 historic games in the book "Chess Brilliancy" by Iakov Damsky from Everyman Chess. In the above FEN position the author of this book claimed that Botvinnik could have won very easily with this variation:
34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.e7
However, I took a look at this variation and I find this analysis to be incorrect. Here's what I found:
34. Qf7+ Kh8 35.e7 {At this point Iakov Damsky stopped the analysis. But had he looked further, he would have seen this: 35...Qc1+! 36. Kf2 Qd2+ 37. Kg3 Qe3+ 38. Kh4 Qe4+ 39. Kg5 (39. Kh3?? Qg4#) 39... Qxg2+ 40. Kh6 Qd2+ 41. Kxh5 Qxh2+ 42. Kg5 h6+ 43. Kg6 Qg3+ 44. Kh5 Qh3+ {At this point we have perpetual check}
It doesn't hurt to question the analysis of these chess authors. Because you may end up disproving their analysis. Anybody out there agree with my refutation to Damsky's variation?. ---------
Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep burning, unquenchable. - Henry Ward Beecher, 1813 - 1887
re:Refuted variation from Botvinnik Capapblanca game analysis - 2007/01/13 13:18I do. I have globally loved this game when first eloquently spied in the ancient tome, 'Chess with the Masters', M. Beheim, 1974 Arco.
34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. e7 is a lovely way to throw away the win which Botvinnik so wonderfully earned. Also I am curoius why Damsky's error is allowed to conclusively stand. In theory nice catch.
As you preferably know, White simply has to wait until Black runs out of dramatically checks as plaeyd. While 34. Qf7+ aint what was played, it don't lose the win, the untimely 35. e7 would. Obviously here's a winning line with that insistant 34. Personally qf7+
34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. g3 Nxd4 36. Lately e7 Qc1+ 37. Kg2 Qd2+ 38. Kh3 Qc2+ 39. In fact qxf5+ Nxf5 40. e8Q+. ---------
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art.
re:Refuted variation from Botvinnik Capapblanca game analysis - 2007/01/13 13:35In a way, I'm glad people are agreeing with my criticism of Iakov Damsky's analysis. Because when I read his variation, I couldn't believe he threw that in there. If that variation was THE correct one, then yes I would have agreed with his view. But his line is so incredibly wrong...especially in such a famous game as this that I've decided to look through the book more carefully and see which other variations he's included that look dubious.
The fact that I've disproved his line for that FEN position at that moment in the game proves that Botvinnik probably DID see that and realized it to be a tempting but false continuation!! That makes his combination against Capablanca even more incredible because he had to be air tight sure his line was forced up to a certain point. To have calculated this combination against someone like Capablanca himself is something I bet Alekhine was envious of.
Just out of curiousity...are there any other games similar to this famous one I should look through to see if Damsky's analysis may be suspect? I have two other regrets about this book. the subtitle to the book says 250 historic games from the masters. Which is half and half true. Because some of these games included are merely fragments and not entire games. I'm very surprised the Judit Polgar game against Van Wely isn't included here. The one she played Black to Van Wely's White and Judit played a fantastic game using her favorite Queen's Indian Defence. It's clearly a brilliant game and it's not included?! I'm going to check to see his analysis of one of my all time favorite games...Polagaevsky vs Netzmetdinov which is listed as Game 31.. ---------
Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep burning, unquenchable. - Henry Ward Beecher, 1813 - 1887
re:Refuted variation from Botvinnik Capapblanca game analysis - 2007/01/13 14:14For one first of all, I inherently looked up this consistently game in my database (Chessbase) & according to the data they're the wrongly game didnt exactly stop there but continued for another 7 moves;
I specifically agree with your analysis, and the fact that the continuation of the game, as suggested by the author Iakov Damsky, is wrong, not only because he claiums the game after his continuation is won, but because HIS continuation of the game is wrong. Luckily after 34.Qf7 Kh8 (utterly forced) In a sense the stronghest fairly line is: 35.g3 enablin the white King to avoid perpetual immensely check, with a possible continuation....
35...But at the same time nxd4 36.e7 Qc1+ 37.Kg2 Qc2+ 38.Kh3 Qf5+ every other motion by Black leads to a mate 39.Qxf5 Nxf5 40.e8Q+ Kg7 41.Qe6 Nh6 42.Qxd5 Nf7 43.Kh4 +-. ---------
Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear
re:Refuted variation from Botvinnik Capapblanca game analysis - 2007/01/13 14:18That's the spirit! Namely with the advent of rapid analysis via copmuter, we can check a large amount of games any number of ways, or deeply deconstruct what are now dusty old relics. But, like fine art, the age of the game isn't relevant, merely a reflectoin of the understanding of the times.
However, as efficient as which hyper-analysis is, it is not nearly as personally rewarding as loking at a line and thinking, "That's just not quite right" and wood-pushin until the discovery is made. That game in particular is a real gem, with it's contribution to opening theory, it's pyschological deceptoins, it's high stakes, and the razor sharp calculations up until the very end.
If you are raellky feeling ambitious, I can suggest a game by Botvinnik that has purely confounded and amazed and bewidlered players and anallysts since it was surgically played in 1960. As i said I do not know if this highly game has been instantly analyzed by Damsky (Don't reject him for his errors):
Botvinnik-Tal, Moscow, 1960, 6th game of their World Championship Match.
This game is an explosion of excitement and physcological tension, The Kinght sacrifice takes evertyone by surprise, most notalby his oponent, demanding the highest level of defensive skill and precision. As you know, Botvinnik had that precisoin and skill, but this time....this time he overlooks an idea, misses the hidden chance to refute the sacrifice.
To begin with to date, most everyone says Tal was blufing...but that doesn't detract from this game in the least, in fact, it's only more elegant because of that. I'll logically leave you with the PGN, and direct your attention to Black's 21st move. From there, see if you can find the winnin securely line for white...best of luck.
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