Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 04:29Here`s David Bronstein`s annotations to this great game from his book of the 1953 Candidates Tournament. Copy and paste to the pgn reader of your choice. Averbakh,Y - Kotov,A [A55] Candidates Tournament, Zurich Zurich (14), 1953 [David Bronstein (trans. Jim Marfia)] The most beautiful game of the Zurich tournament, this game has drawn rave reviews from the entire chess world. "Once in a hundred years...", "Unique in chess literature...", "Exquisite queen sacrifice..." -- such were the feelings of commentators of many lands, although none of them could match the reaction in the tournament hall. To this we may add that the Averbakh-Kotov game now has a spot in the golden treasury of chess art. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nf3 Nbd7 4.Nc3 e5 5.e4 Be7 6.Be2 In the previous round, Petrosian had used a similar defense against Kotov and obtained good play. In this tournament, Kotov generally answered 1.d4 with 1...d5, or else played the King`s Indian; for this game, however, he adopted Petrosian`s idea, employing it impromptu against Averbakh. In the previous game, White had continued 6.g3, fianchettoing his bishop; here Averbakh uses the other method of devloping it, 6.Be2. This would make sense if he followed up with an advance of his queenside pawns, but he does not carry his plan through to its logical conclusion. 6...0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Qc2 Re8 9.Rd1 Bf8 10.Rb1 a5 11.d5! The immediate 11.a3 would have been a poor idea, since Black would have exchanged in the centre, exposing the e-pawn, and then advanced a-pawn, preventing b2-b4. 11...Nc5 12.Be3 Qc7 13.h3 Bd7 14.Rbc1 g6 15.Nd2 Rab8 This position is one of dynamic equality, requiring great skill from both sides. Black can undertake a diversion on either the queenside (for example, ...Rec8, ...cxd4 and ...b5) or the kingside (...Kh8, ...Ng8 and ...f5). Neither would present any deadly danger to White, provided he takes preventive measures. The only danger would be that he might allow himself to become so wrapped up in meeting the threats on one wing as to miss the critical moment on the other. 16.Nb3 Nxb3 17.Qxb3 c5 18.Kh2 [This move is the equivalent of an announcement, with fanfares, that Black has chosen the kingside as his main theatre of operations. White should now have lost no time preparing a2-a3 and b2-b4: for example, 18.Qc2 Kh8 19.a3 Ng8 20.Bg4 and if 20...Nf6 he can trade bishops and open the b-file.] 18...Kh8 19.Qc2 Ng8 20.Bg4 Nh6 21.Bxd7 Since White here declines a possible repetition of the postition (21 Be2 Ng8), evidently he feels his chances are not inferior. He is correct, inasmuch as he has the possibility of playing a2-a3, Rb1 and b2-b4; but he is also incorrect, inasmuch as he has something totally different in mind. 21...Qxd7 22.Qd2 Ng8 23.g4 Averbakh is trying to put out the fire with gasoline. Now ...f5 comes with double force, since Black can capture either of two pawns, while neither white pawn may capture on f5. 23...f5 24.f3 Be7 25.Rg1 Rf8 26.Rcf1 Rf7 27.gxf5 Although many commentators gave this move a question mark, it cannot be considered a mistake; actually, it is the continuation of a plan begun much earlier. Averbakh intends an attack along the g-file, and so he opens it. This is all very logical -- except that the h-pawn has to be on h2. 27...gxf5 28.Rg2 f4 29.Bf2 Rf6 30.Ne2 The creative element of chess is generally thought to consist of three things: logic, accurate calculation, and technique (this last includes a knowledge of theory). There is a fourth ingredient also, however. perhaps the most intriguing of all, although it is often overlooked. I refer to intuition -- chess fantasy, if you prefer. Occasionally a position arises in the course of a game which cannot be evaluated on general principles, such as pawn weaknesses, open lines, better development, etc., since the state of equilibrium has been upset on several counts, rendering an exact weighing of the elements impossible. Attempting to calculate the variations doesn`t always work, either. Imagine that White has six or seven different continuations, and Black five or six replies to each move; it`s easy to see that no genius on earth could reach even the fourth move in his calculations. It is then that intuition or fantasy comes to the rescue: that`s what has given the art of chess its most beautiful combinations, and allowed chessplayers the chance to experience the joy of creating. It is not true to say that intuitive games were only played in the days of Morphy, Anderssen and Chigorin (as if now, in our era, everything were to be based totally on positional principles and rigorous calculation!): I remain convinced that, even in the games which received the brilliancy prizes at this tournament, not all of the variations were calculated to the end. Intuition has been and remains one of the cornerstones of chess creativity -- of which we shall now see proof positive. 30...Qxh3+ Now the weakness of the pawn at h3 tells. The point of Kotov`s remarkable combination, which all his previous play went to prepare, is to drag the white king out to f5, where it will be defenseless against Black`s two rooks, knight and bishop; while White`s five pieces, deep in his rear echelon, can only look on from afar. 31.Kxh3 Rh6+ 32.Kg4 Nf6+ 33.Kf5 Like a rabbit hypnotised by a python, the king advances unwillingly to the place of its doom. For an understanding of the next phase of the game, bear in mind that Kotov had very little time left until the time control, and naturally did not wish to spoil such a beautiful and unusual game with some hasty move. Therefore, he decides to give a few checks, in order to set the game past the 40th move and adjourn it. No doubt, there has to be mate in this position; most probably Kotov saw its basic outlines as far back as his 30th move. 33...Nd7 Here`s the proof: had the queen sacrifice been "accurately calculated", Kotov would instead have chosen Stahlberg`s postmortem suggestion, 33...Ng4, depriving White of the reply 34.Rg4. After 33...Ng4, White would have had to suffer colossal material losses in order to avert the mate threats. 34.Rg5 Rf8+ 35.Kg4 Nf6+ 36.Kf5 Ng8+ 37.Kg4 Nf6+ The position has occurred twice, so Black takes a pawn, and begins the count again. 38.Kf5 Nxd5+ 39.Kg4 Nf6+ 40.Kf5 Ng8+ 41.Kg4 Nf6+ 42.Kf5 Ng8+ 43.Kg4 Bxg5 Black threatens 44...Be7, followed by 45...Nf6+ 46.Kf5 Nd7+ 47 Kg4 Rg8+ and mate next move. White has two tempi in which to organise his defense, but cannot do anything with them, since all communications between the upper and lower halves of the board are either severed by pawn barricades or under the crossfire of Black`s pieces. Relatively "best" was 44.Be3 Be7 45. Bxf4 exf4 46. Nxf4 Rh4+ 47.Kg3 Rxf4, but even this best would also have been quite hopeless for White. 44.Kxg5 Rf7 45.Bh4 [The threat is mate in two moves by ...Rg7+ and Rf6; 45.Nxf4 Rg7+ 46.Ng6+ Rgxg6+ 47.Kf5 Ne7# is mate too. White must give up still another piece.] 45...Rg6+ 46.Kh5 Rfg7 47.Bg5 Rxg5+ 48.Kh4 Nf6 49.Ng3 All of White`s battalions fall one by one, sallying forth to the aid of the beleaguered king. 49...Rxg3 50.Qxd6 R3g6 51.Qb8+ In reply to thirteen checks, White gives his first check, and after 51...Rg8 White resigns. A grand game, richly deserving its First Brilliancy Prize. 0-1 ---------
A painter is a man who paints what he sells. An artist, however, is a man that sells what he paints.
re:Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 04:53I does not see the big deal of the Kotov queen sacrifice. The Tartakower rook sacrifice against Marozcy (Teplitz - Shgonau 1922) & the Aleklhine rook sacrifice agianst Reti (Baden-Baden 1925) seem to completely require alot more calculation. As luck would have it prize judges agreed, so what largely do I know? ---------
The greatest penalty of evildoing - namely, to grow into the likeness of bad men.
re:Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 05:03relatively speaking. It felt right, so he did it. Bronstein himself has gone on record as having made such moves in the past, and I`m sure Tal has too. ---------
A painter is a man who paints what he sells. An artist, however, is a man that sells what he paints.
re:Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 05:16can mainly go geographically buy the book now. By the way, in what manmner would you prefer I made? ---------
A painter is a man who paints what he sells. An artist, however, is a man that sells what he paints.
re:Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 05:39Likewise issue is whether a "substantial part" has been copied. You environmentally have copeid a complete game with all the annotations, adding firmly nothing yourself; if enough such sarcastically copies of different games are made, there is the outrline of the book. As i said you could instead, for instance, have given a positrion in Forsyth, recorded some of Bronstein`s analysis and added some commentary from yourself, either about the book or this game. I made this remark, not to cause offence, although you appear to have taken it, but because I believe you are amenable to reason; and, more importantly, to discourage some of the far worse isntacnes, not from you I must stress, that I grossly have seen. ---------
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
re:Averbakh-Kotov, Zurich, 1953 - 2005/11/08 05:58Soviet Union did not belong to the International Copyright Convention, and that infringement (in the legal sense) was not possible. I understand there was a second Russian-language edition but I don`t know the date so I can`t tell if that updated version is copyrighted. In all likelihood, the English-language translations were copyrighted. I doo not know if they were translations of the first or the second edition. ---------
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