Game Corner: Ebb and Flow – part two

Everyone at the Club was discussing this game position.

Well sometimes a post goes viral! This post has hits quadruple of any other post – and growing! Why? Like the guy on Seinfeld at the city dump who is not accepting Kramer’s muffin stumps said – “That’s what I want to know about it.”

 Chess is such a beautiful game. As a self confessed wood pusher, I don’t have the chops to analyze anything but simple positions. This diagram is not. So, with the help of the software – Fritz 13 – I let the program sort out the ‘best’ moves.

In that Ebb and Flow game, Black blundered at move 20. But analysis showed an interesting range of possibilities at Black’s move 19.

Black to play move 19

It is the pivotal point of the game. The four best 19^th move for Black can take him from an advantage (-1.8 pawns positionally) to a disadvantange (+2.3 disadvantage).

Here are the four lines. Of course, as you review each line, you may see different sub-lines. If readers want analysis on a sub-line, simply post a request. Something like: “in Line 2, instead of the move #X, what happens if he makes move Y?

 Line #1 (Black advantage -1.8 pawns)

19. ….    Nxh3

20.  Kf1   Qf4

21.  d5    Qxc4+

22.  Bd3   Qxd5

23.  gxh3   Qxf3

24.  Qxf3   Bxf3

25.  Bxh8   Rxh8

26.  Be4    Bh5

Line #2 (Actually played in game - White advantage +.4)

19.    ….   Bxf3

20.    Qxf3   g4

21.    Qe3   Rhg8

22.    d5   Qh4

23.     g3   Qxh3

24.    Be4   exd5

25.    Bh1   Ng6

26.    Bf6   Rc8

 

Line #3 (White advantage +1.0)

19.  …    Bb4

20.  Bxb4   Nxh3

21.  gxh3   Bxf3

22.  Be7    Bxd1

23.  Bxf6   Bxc2

24.  Rac1   Bf5

25.  Bxh8   Rxh8

26.  Kg2   Rd8

Line #4 (White advantage +2.3)

19.  …    g4

20.  d5   Qe7

21.  hxg4   Rhg8

22.  g3    Bd7

23.  Ne5   Bxe5

24.  Bxe5   Nh3+

25.  Kg2   f6

26.  Bc3    e5

 

Still a lot of game to play no matter which line is played! This is why chess is the greatest game in the world! Here is a position analyzed by a computer program rated at close to 2900 – and the four best moves find no quick decision.

Have fun with it, but learn from it. Go thru all the lines and try to see what squares the computer is taking, covering or is worried about.