ironman

Maybe he resigned because he wanted to see how many threads would be spawned about his loss

Regardless of how strong his opponent was, IronMan31 should have kept fighting!

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7
A dubious choice for psychological and technical reasons. I used to play Ne7 at this point but I choose this conservative line because of my love for old classical games played by Botvinnik and Petrosian. Games like Reshewsky-Botvinnik, World Championship 1948, Diez del Corral-Petrosian, Palma de Mallorca 1969 or Hort-Petrosian, Kapfenberg 1970 were in my mind. But I missed three very important points:
1) Theory is changing very quickly today and new weapons against this line were found
2) Black's position doesn't suit well to my style. I prefer attack or counter attack rather than defence
3) A basic rule: never play a line you don't know very well in an important match against a very strong opponent.
Never be sentimental (in chess)!
7. Qg4 f5?
Last chance to play my favourite 7...Ne7!
8. Qg3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. Ne2
I clearly underestimated this modern line. White doesn't waste time playing the classical 10.Bd2. 10.Ne2 scored very well in practice and - more important - doesn't allow dynamic counterplay.
10... O-O 11. c3 Nbc6
The old 11... Ng6 played in Schmid-Teschner, Duesseldorf 1951 deserves attention like 11...b6 (Dolmatov) but they seem both insufficient to equalize
12. Nf4
12. h4 is the alternative. My opponent's play is very instructive: he simply develops his forces and then he exploits his superior piece co-ordination
12... Na5 13.Be2!
A simple plan, still stronger than the usual 13. Rb1 who scored well in practice, as you can see in the folliwing games:
a) 13... Nc4 14. h4 Bd7 15. Rh3 Rf7 16. Be2 Qc6 17. Bh5 Rff8 18. Qg5 Be8 19. Qxe7 Bxh5 20. Nxh5 and black resigned in Doggers-Westerman, Utrecht 2000
b) 13...Bd7 14. h4 Rac8 15. Rh3 Rf7 16. Be2 a6 17. Bh5 g6 18. Be2 Rg7 19. h5 Qc6 20. h6 Rf7 21. Bh5 Kh8 22. Bxg6 hxg6 23. Nxg6+ Kh7 24. Nxe7 Rxe7 25. Qg5 and white won in Vion-Briquet, Checy 2002.
White has no hurry to attack because it's very difficult for black to find counterplay, as it's easy to see also in these games.
13... Bd7 14. O-O Nc4
Probably a waste of time, but it's difficult to find something better. Black's knight has nothing to do in this "pretty" square.
15. a4 Rac8 16. Rd1
Black is simply waiting and white's rook is arriving on the king's side
16...b6 17. Rd3 Qd8 18. Qh4 Nc6
Black is already lost. After 18... Ng6 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Bg5 Qe8 21. Bf6! white wins. If now 21...gxf6 22. Rh3
19. Qh3 Ne7 20. Rg3 Rf7 21.Nh5!
A great final stroke. If now:
a) 21... Ng6 22. Rxg6 hxg6 23. Nf4
b) 21...Kh8 22.Bg5 (threatening Nxg7) 22...Qe8 (If 22... Qf8 23. Nxg7!) 23. Nf4! threatening Bh5.
So black resigned. No reason to continue against a so strong opponent who played an excellent game!

Originally posted by IronMan31
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7
A dubious choice for psychological and technical reasons. I used to play Ne7 at this point but I choose this conservative line because of my love for old classical games played by Botvinnik and Petrosian. Games like Reshewsky-Botvinnik, World Championship 1948, Diez del Corral-Petrosian, Palma ...[text shortened]... black resigned. No reason to continue against a so strong opponent who played an excellent game!

Originally posted by JimmyBilly
It was someone who didn't even get to play 20 games here, Hungton or similar, unless they re-registered ?

I recently lost my 16th game....did i get a thread asking about it ? Did I hell ?!!

😀

Originally posted by IronMan31
2) Never be sentimental (in chess)!

Here are the games I quoted
Reshevsky - Botvinnik
World Championship Den Haag/Moscow, 1948
1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 Ba6 13. Nf4 Qd7 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Qd3 Nb8 16. h4 Nbc6 17. Rh3 Rac8 18. Rg3 Kh8 19. h5 Rf7 20. h6 g6 21. Rc1 Rff8 22. Ne2 Nb8 23. Kf1 Rc4 24. Kg1 Nbc6 25. Bg5 Ng8 26. Re1 Qf7 27. c3 Na5 28. Nf4 Rc6 29. Bf6+ Nxf6 30. exf6 Nc4 31. Qb1 Qxf6 32. a4 g5 33. Nd3 f4 34.Rh3 g4 35. Rh1 Rc7 36. Qd1 Qg6 37. Rh4 f3 38. g3 Rcf7 39. Nf4 Rxf4 40. gxf4 Rxf4 41. Qb1 Rf5 42. Qd3 g3 43. Qf1 gxf2+ 44. Kxf2 Rg5 45. Qh3 Rg2+ 46. Kxf3
Nd2+ 47. Ke3 Rg3+ 0-1

Diez del Corral - Petrosian
Palma de Mallorca 1969
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 Rf7 13. O-O Ba6 14. h4 Bxd3 15.cxd3 Nbc6 16. Be3 Qd7 17. Nf4 Ng6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Qf4 Qe8 20. g3 Rc7 21. Kg2 Qf7 22. Rh1 Kf8 23. Qg5 Ke8 24. Rac1 Kd7 25. h5 gxh5 26. Rxh5 Rg8 27. Rh7 Kc8 28. Qh4 Qg6 29. Rh8 Rxh8 30. Qxh8+ Kb7 31. Qf8 Rc8 32. Qd6 Qe8 33. a4 Rd8 34.Qa3 Qe7 35. Qc3 Rc8 36. Bd2 g5 37. Qc2 f4 38. gxf4 gxf4 39. Bxf4 Rg8+ 40. Bg3 Nxd4 41. Qc3 Ne2 42. Qc6+ Kb8 43. Re1 Nf4+ 44. Kf1 Nxd3 45. Rb1 Qf7 46. Qd6+ Kb7 47. Ke2 Rc8 48. a5 Rc2+ 49. Kf1 Nxf2 50. Rxb6+ axb6 51. Qxb6+ Kc8 52. Qa6+ Kb8 53. Qb6+ Qb7 54. Qd6+ Qc7 0-1

Hort - Petrosian
Kapfemberg 1970
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 Ba6 13. Nf4 Qd7 14. Bb4 Rf7 15.h4 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Nbc6 17. Rh3 Rc8 18. Rg3 Nd8 19. h5 Rc4 20. h6 Nec6 21. Nh5 g6 22. Nf6+ Rxf6 23. exf6 Nf7 24. Qd2 Rxd4 25. Rd3 Rh4 26. Rh3 Rg4 27. Kf1 Nd6 28. Re1 Kf7 29. Bc3 Ne4 30. Qd3 Nc5 31. Qd1 Rc4 32. Bb2 b5 33. Qe2 Qd6 34. Kg1 Ne4 35. Rd3 Qc5 36. Rc1 e5 37. Qe3 d4 38. Qe2 Nxf6 39. Rdd1 Nd5 40. Qd2 e4 41. Qg5 Nc7 42. Rd2 Ne6 43. Qh4 a5 44. Rcd1 Rxc2 45. Rxc2 Qxc2 46. Rc1 Qxb2 47. Rxc6 d3 48. Ra6 Qd4 0-1

Ah, I understand now. Nostalgia for classic. Chasing the ghost of beauty... So tragic and yet so... human. Alas, we are pawns in the games of Fate...
And yet the colossi of the past capture our imagination and make us slaves to blind devotion to tradition of mistakes but mistakes so common that they define the course of our thought and the spread of our being.
Thank you for these games and though they belong to the past their path will surely illuminate the future.

Very good analysis, Ironman. 7.....f5 is passive and gives white a clear plan to act on the kingside. Leaving the bishop on c1 and the rook on a1 makes it more difficult for black to decide where to place his knight. It also gives white the possibility to move the rook from h1-f1-d1-d3-g3 where it leads the attack. After 14....Nc4 and 15.a4! black is lost. 14....Rac8 gives more activity for black on the queenside.

Thanks, Akizy

Congratulations to both of you.
Two great players in a great battle without doubt.
I enjoyed very much to watch these 2 games, and please you guys feel free to rematch soon 😉 so we all keep learning how to play great chess.
Thank you both.

Duhian