Chess Wholegame
64 Great Chess Games 18
This clash of chess styles occurred in a tournament organized during the challenging years of World War II, marking the 50th anniversary of the first Hungarian correspondence chess event (refer to Game 5). Another game was played with reversed colors, which ended in a draw.
2098 1890
64 Great Chess Games 11
Ragozin’s game against Schmid is well known, where the German player weakened his position by choosing an inferior opening variation. However, I prefer a game from Ragozin's early career that demonstrates he had a solid track record in correspondence chess (CC) and the talent to win the championship on his own.
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64 Great Chess Games 8
I discovered this game in the remarkable book titled "Historie Korespondencniho Sachu 1870-1999" which was edited by Jan Kalendovsky and Rudolf Sevecek and pertains to the history of CC in Czechoslovakia. This game is typical of CC during the final decade before World War I. At that time, most European postal events were arranged by periodicals and genuine experts were seldom engaged. The opening move is not of a superior quality, yet an intriguing middlegame emerges.
8934 2865
64 Great Chess Games 7
The first major North American postal tournament was a two-stage event, beginning in 1894, organized by Walter Penn Shipley and others for the Continental Correspondence Chess Association. Seventy players from the USA and Canada competed in five sections, with the section leaders playing off for the championship. The final winner was C.W. Phillips from Chicago. This game is the most fascinating one I've seen from the event; Nimzowitsch would have loved to annotate it. It was rediscovered by US chess historian John S. Hilbert, who republished it on The Campbell Report website, including contemporary notes by Emil Kemeny (marked as EK), a Hungarian emigrant to the USA. I find these notes to be generally accurate regarding the game's overall structure, but Kemeny's attempts at analyzing variations were often flawed.
9803 3450
64 Great Chess Games 4
Thematic events, in which players agree to play a particular opening, have long been a popular aspect of correspondence chess. In this case, Chigorin challenged Steinitz to defend his published views on two controversial variations; in each instance, the Russian gambited a pawn. Steinitz played Black in an Evans Gambit and White in the present game, where the world champion followed a recommendation from his 1889 book The Modern Chess Instructor.As an experienced correspondence player in Russian events and a meticulous analyst of complex positions, Chigorin was well-suited for this contest against his great rival, ultimately winning 2-0. The match took place from October 13, 1890, to April 28, 1891, and generated tremendous worldwide interest. It was unusual for a correspondence chess event as it was played by professionals for money, with the winner receiving US$750.Both games were annotated by Steinitz in serial form during the match. His optimistic comments seem ironic in light of his eventual crushing defeat. Throughout the match, relying solely on Steinitz's commentary offers a misleading perspective on the events. For a Russian viewpoint, I studied the detailed analysis of the games in Shakhmatny Bulletin 2/1958 (edited by Romanov).
9065 6791
64 Great Chess Games 1
This was a pivotal game in the 15th World Championship Final, where van Oosterom was also in contention for a top spot. At the time, he had never defeated Timmerman, a psychological factor that may have offset his advantage in color.The world champion remarked: "Van Oosterom is always a formidable opponent, but I was fortunate that the opening turned out in my favor. However, finding the path to victory was still very challenging. As we will see, luck played a minimal role."For the analysis, I have referenced my own comments when the game was first published by ICCF, GM Hans Rees' annotations for his Dutch Treat column on Chess Café, and Timmerman’s own insights for Chess Mail magazine.
1239 4570
The Art of Chess Analysis-Dutch Defence
In this game, which essentially served as a practice match, the encounter between Portisch and Smyslov provided us with some intriguing moments, notably in this instance. Smyslov opted for the Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defence in a highly unconventional manner. Portisch, recognized for his methodical opening strategies and somewhat rigid approach to the middlegame, appeared to be caught off guard. Instead of pursuing a modest positional edge, he ventured into complications, wherein Smyslov appeared to possess a superior evaluation.
10250 13523
Queen vs Three Minor Pieces 2
In this game, the balance between a queen and three minor pieces emerged due to an aggressive opening sequence. Black faces a challenge with numerous pawns crowding the board, hindering the development of their minor pieces. White has the opportunity to push pawns forward, restricting Black's knights from finding good squares and allowing White to enhance their position on the queenside.
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Rook vs Two Minor Pieces 1
In most instances throughout the game, two minor pieces hold greater value compared to a single rook. This holds particularly true in the middlegame, where two minor pieces often outweigh a rook and a pawn. However, as the game progresses into the endgame, their value tends to equalize. Among the various combinations of minor pieces, the two bishops typically carry the most weight in almost any scenario.A crucial distinction between the middlegame and endgame lies in the attacking potential offered by the two minor pieces, which is significant mainly when queens are still in play. Additionally, as the game advances, the opening of files tends to bolster the effectiveness of rooks.
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The Art of Chess Analysis-Dutch Defence
In this game, which essentially served as a practice match, the encounter between Portisch and Smyslov provided us with some intriguing moments, notably in this instance. Smyslov opted for the Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defence in a highly unconventional manner. Portisch, recognized for his methodical opening strategies and somewhat rigid approach to the middlegame, appeared to be caught off guard. Instead of pursuing a modest positional edge, he ventured into complications, wherein Smyslov appeared to possess a superior evaluation.
10250 13520