Jon Speelman: Pushing the limits of greed and analysis

by Jonathan Speelman
9/1/2024 – One of the most popular ideas for my columns here has been to look at great attacking games. Various names have been mentioned, and I'm starting today with a fine example by the Soviet grandmaster Leonid Stein (pictured), one of the greatest attacking players of the mid-20th century. I've also continued with the theme of exploring the limits of analysis, with a game from the Sinquefield Cup between D. Gukesh and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. | Photo: Dutch National Archive

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Baffling details

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

When I've canvassed here about possible future columns, one of the most popular ideas has been great attacking games. Various names have been mentioned, and I'm starting today with a fine example by the Soviet grandmaster Leonid Stein (1934-73), one of the greatest attacking players of the mid-20th century.

I was recently asked by somebody to look at some of Stein's games and turned on my shelf to Ray Keene's book Leonid Stein - Master of Attack. Published in 1976, this is an old English descriptive notation and, like Keene's other early books such as Flank Openings and Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal, fascinating.

As I flicked through I found a fairly well-known game in which Viktor Korchnoi, as was his wont, pilfered one of Stein's pawns. It ruined his pawn structure but took an appreciable amount of time and led to a violent attack and ultimately a very satisfying king hunt.

I'll return to more of Stein's games in future columns: does anybody have favourite(s) - maybe Stein v. Smyslov from Moscow 1972? But I wanted to continue with the theme, which we've had on and off recently, of the limits of analysis with a game from the Sinquefield Cup last week, which many readers will already have seen, but if you haven't is extraordinary.

Gukesh v. Vachier-Lagrave

Short of time, Gukesh very naturally exchanged on g4 here before pushing the a-pawn. However, our lords and masters beep frantically and tell us that 42.hxg4 was a mistake, which turns a win into a draw.

If you haven't seen this position before, then you might wonder why on Earth it would be to White's advantage to keep the h-pawns on the board. In my weekly column in The Observer (in the UK) I also invited people to speculate or rather guess what the last move of the main line might be if the h-pawns were on.

This is a really difficult position, and it would be cruel to cajole anybody but a really strong player to attempt it. But if you fancy a challenge, you might try to work through the variation to the splendid conclusion. I think that a good grandmaster could do so in 10 minutes, but of course Gukesh had only a couple of minutes at most.

Dommaraju Gukesh

Gukesh playing white against MVL in round 6 of the Sinquefield Cup | Photo: Lennart Ootes

I'm finishing with two more examples of analysis with a sting in the tail. I have given the first here before, but not I think the second.

Kotkov v. Dvoretsky

Dvoretsky played 54...Rb5 and the question is: What happens if White exchanges? There's a pretty forced line in which Black wins White's knight but then has to stop White's passed pawns. Can you work your way through to the crucial move that does so?

Rook ending

In this rook ending, White is obviously in serious trouble but will have excellent drawing chances, if he can eliminate the queenside. 1.Rb1 would be much too passive, so he needs to make luft for his king before activating the rook (or he could play 1.Rd8+ first and then sort the back rank out). What should he do about the back rank?

I think that this position appeared in a recent book or article, but I have forgotten the details. Please tell me and I'll make an acknowledgement

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Back on October 6th.

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1.e4       c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 Qc7 9.Qe1 0-0 10.Qg3
10...Qb6!? A serious provocation, but Victor Lvovich really loved his pawns! 11.Be3 Qxb2 12.Bf2 Qb4 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Ne8 14...Nfd7 15.Nd5! exd5 16.Nf5 g6 17.a3! 15.Bd3 I glanced at Nf5, but of course it's utter nonsense 15.Nf5? exf5 16.Nd5 Qa3 15.Rab1 Qa5 15.Nb3 is the engines preference, when Black can choose between Qa3 and 15...Bd8 16.a3 16.Bc5? Bb6 16...Qe7 And here I'd probably play Ne4 since I'd be very loth to take the exchange and the cost of allowing the line exchanging queens - though engines are reasonably happy about 17.Bc5 17.Ne4 17...Qh4 18.Qxh4 Bxh4 19.Nd4 Nd7 20.Bxf8 Nxf8 21.Ne4 Nd7 22.Nf3 Bd8 16.Bd3 15...Qa5 15...Nd7 16.Ne4 Qa5 17.Nf3 leads to the same position. 16.Ne4 Nd7 17.Nf3 g6!? Keeping the position but again pushing his luck. Certainly not 17...Nc5?? 18.Nxc5 Bxc5 when the Greek gift wins on the spot: 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Qh4+ Kg8 21.Ng5 17...f5 18.exf6 Ndxf6 19.Bd4 is reasonable. Black has kept the pawn, but at the cost of weakening his pawn structure. 18.Bd4 Ng7 19.Nf6+?! 19.Qh3! Maintain the attack. 19...Bxf6 20.exf6 Nh5 21.Qh4
21...Qd8?! Instead engines give an extremely delicate defensive sequence: 21...e5! 22.Qg5 Qa4! 22...exd4 23.Qxa5 (which I have to admit I initially missed, since I was only looking at the kingside!) 23.Qh6 Ndxf6 24.Ng5 23.Bxe5 Nxe5 24.Nxe5 Qd4+ 25.Kh1 Bf5! 26.Rxf5? is the move you want to play but simply doesn't work 26.Rad1 h6 27.Qxh6 Bxd3 26...h6! 26...Qxa1+ 27.Rf1 Qd4 28.g4 leads to a draw. 27.Qxh6 Qxa1+ 28.Rf1 Qxe5 22.Rae1?! Missing a fairly clean kill 22.g4! Nhxf6 23.Ng5! 23.Qh6 e5 24.Nxe5 Nxe5 25.Bxe5 is also good, but this wins. 23...h5 23...e5 24.Rxf6 The engine likes Be3, but this is definitely what I'd calculate in a game. 24.Be3 h5 25.Bc4 24...Nxf6 25.Bxe5 Qb6+ 26.Kg2 Qc6+ 27.Be4 Qxe4+ 28.Nxe4 Nxe4± 24.gxh5 Nxh5
and here the very standard but still pretty 25.Qxh5! gxh5 26.Bh7#
22...Ndxf6 23.Ng5 e5 24.Bxe5 h6 25.Bxf6 I'm a bit surprised by this - I suppose it does win. I would very much have wanted to take with the rook. 25.Rxf6 hxg5 25...Nxf6 26.Qxh6 26.Qxg5+- Nxf6 27.Bxf6 Qb6+ 28.Kh1 Bf5 And here I spent some time wondering what to do before the penny dropped - simply Qh4 wins instantly. 28...Qf2 29.Rf1 29.Qh4 29.Rf1 Rfe8 30.Bxf5 Qf2 31.Qc1 25...hxg5 26.Qxg5 Nxf6 27.Rxf6 Qd4+ 28.Kh1 Qg4 29.Qh6 Bf5 If 29...Qh5 30.Rxg6+! fxg6 31.Bc4+ Be6 32.Bxe6+ Rf7 33.Qxh5 33.Qf4 33...gxh5 34.Rf1 Raf8 35.g4 And since the pawn ending is winning, White wins trivially. 30.h3 Qd4 30...Qg3 31.Re3 30...Qb4 31.Re5 Bxd3 32.cxd3 Qb1+ 33.Kh2 Qxd3 34.Rg5 Rac8 35.Rg4 Rc3 36.Rgxg6+ Qxg6 37.Rxg6+ fxg6 38.Qxg6+ Kh8 39.Qh5+ Kg8 40.Qg6+ Kh8 41.Qb6 Rc6 42.Qxb7 31.Rxf5 gxf5
32.Re3! Qg7 33.Qh4 Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Rfe8 35.Rg3+ Kf8 36.Qh6+ Ke7 37.Re3+ Kd7 38.Bxf5+ Kc7 39.Qf4+ Kc6 40.Qc4+ Kd6 40...Kb6 41.Rb3+ Ka7 42.Qc5+ Kb8 43.Qd6+ Ka7 44.Qb6+ Kb8 45.Qxb7# 41.Qb4+ Kd5 42.Rd3+ Ke5 43.Qd6+ Kxf5 44.Rf3+ Kg5 44...Ke4 45.Qd3+ Ke5 46.Rf5+ Ke6 47.Qd5+ Ke7 48.Rxf7# 45.Qf4+ Kh5 46.g4+ Kg6 47.Qxf7+
and Korchnoi resigned. A lovely king hunt. 47.Qxf7+ Kh6 47...Kg5 48.Qh5# 48.Qh5+ Kg7 49.Rf7+ Kg8 50.Qh7#
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Stein,L-Kortschnoj,V-1–01964B84Moscow Zonal10
Gukesh,D2766Vachier Lagrave,M2721½–½2024B9011th Sinquefield Cup6
Kotkov-Dvoretsky-0–11972Moscow ch
Rook ending--2024

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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.

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