Nine Players Make Casual Chess Night on 112315

Winter is chess time!!

A nice mix of casual chess, lessons and chess discussion. A nice night of friendly banter and chess on the first snowy Monday of the new chess season.

We welcome a new member to LCCC tonight......Steve P. Steve mentioned he has been away from chess for a while. Well, he has found the right home at LCCC.

Next week is league play. The schedule is posted on the previous post. Be sure to stop by to watch some great league action - or play some of the LCCC regulars who are not in the league. Either way, its a great night of chess.

Now a treat for my readers - another game by Boris Spassky. Here is plays White against the East German Champion - Lothar Zinn in the Student Olympiade in 1961. Notes by Anthony Soltis.... way before computers. [Notes by Igor3000 and your humble scribe]

1. d4          d5
2. c4          c6
3. Nf3        e6
4. g3          dxc
5. Bg2       b5
6. O-O       Bb7
7. b3!        .........
A fine positional sacrifice which offers Spassky strong pressure against the now exposed b5 pawn and backward c-pawn. [Well, Igor3000 puts that last move as no big deal as the advantage is the same as the start of the game for White (.3).

7. .....           cxb
8. Qxb3       Nf6
9. Nc3         Be7
10. Ne5        a3!
11. Be3?!     O-O
12. Ne4       Nd5
13. Rfc1      a5
14. Bd2       Qb6
15. Qb2!      ......
Very deep. With Black's pieces asleep on the Queen flank, White aims at Nc5. Black will eventually be forced to capture with his Bishop - allowing dxc5. This grants White strong play on the Queen file, an outpost on d6 and chances on the long diagonal he now occupies.
[All that may be true, but it is still an even game if Black stays strong and correctly counters these potential advantages. (Even)]

15. .....         Rc8?!
16. Nc6        Ra7?
Simpler was 16. ....Bxc5.
[Igor3000 gives 16. ....Na6 or Qc7 as only slightly worse. The last two moves in tandem give White his first real edge. This is a great example of how slow and steady pressure on someone forces mistakes (+.5).]

17. e4        Nf6
18. Be3!     .......
Threatens d5 (with a discovered threat to the Queen to follow) and it vacates the Queen file.
[Igor3000 says 18. Nc4 is better (1.4) than the text "good" move (.6).

18. ......       Bxc5
19. dxc       Qc7
20. Rd1       Ne8
That Spassky wins this game is not remarkable, as Black is playing without three pieces. Now White aims at Black's two weak points - e6 and f7 [.9].

21. Bh3 [?!]     ......
[Igor3000 says 21. Rd6 is better because of 21. ...Nxd6 22. cxd, Qxd6 23. Bxa7 (1)]

21. ......         Qe7
22. Rd6!       .......
[22. Rd2 is just as effective, just not as flashy.]

22. ......        Ba6?
[(.9) Igor3000 says 22. ......Rc7 is much better at (1.4). But Black is crumbling under Spassky's constant pressure.]

23. Rad1       Rb7?
[(2.9)] Black needed 23. ....Qf6 to pin the knight to the unguarded Queen at b2.

White to move after Black's 23. .....Rb7?

24. Nxf7!       ........
Once you realize that f7 is the key target, the preparation for and completion of this sacrifice is almost routine. On 24. .....Nxd6, 25. Nxd6, Rd8 26. Qe5 threatening Qxe6 and Bg5 is a winning line. [(3.7) But this is better than the line chooses [+7].

24. ......           Kxf7
25. Bxe6+      Qxe6
26. Rxe6        Kxe6
27. Qb3+       Ke7
28. Qg8!        ..........
Given some time (maybe 10 moves) Black's material might mean something in this game. But the entrance of the White Queen and another sacrifice gives Black no chance. The current threat is Bg5+.
[Igor3000 doesn't believe Black has any chance as White is up (+9). Watch how methodically Spassky brings home the point - giving Zinn no shot to get any counter-play.]

28. ......         h6
29. Rd6!       Nxd6
30. cxd+       Kd7
31. Qxg7+     Kxd6
32. Qxh6+     Kd7
33. Qg7+      Kd6
34. Qf6+      Kc7
35. Qe5+      Kd7
36. Qf5+      Kc7
37. Bf4+       Kb3
A quick mate would follow with 37. ...Kd8 38. Qf8+, Kd7 39. Qf7++

38. Qxc8      Ka7
39. e5           Resigns