Annotated chess game: Tournament Game, Hastings 1947

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ANNOTATED GAME

Tournament Game, Hastings 1947
Van Steenis vs. Wechsler
Annotated by: last_archimedean

(1564)
Chess opening: French (C15), Winawer (Nimzovich) variation

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Even masters make decisive blunders -- but not often do they make them on the 6th move!

1. e4	Standard fare.



1... e6	The French defense.



2. d4	The Classical response.



2... d5	The usual reply.



3. Nc3	Book.



3... Bb4	An aggressive variant.



4. exd5	Normally, a simplifying variation.
	1 comment charleshiggie (2222) on 09-Feb-11: 4. exd5 "A move which renounces all claims of maintaining the initiative" according to Svetozar Gligoric, Wolfgang Uhlmann, Mikhail Botvinnin and Anatoly Karpov in "The French Defence" 1975.


4... Qxd5	4... PxP is normal and good. This move is abnormal and bad.
	1 comment charleshiggie (2222) on 09-Feb-11: On the Gameknot World database there are 1881 games with exd5, with white winning 35%, black 28%. There are 131 with Qxd5, white wins 51% and black wins 20%. It gives exd5 a rating of 2314 and Qxd5 a rating of 2273. The main problem in playing the black side of the French Defence is the development of the Bc8. Given a chance to free it with exd5 it seems silly not to do so.


5. Qg4	Difficult to meet.



5... Ne7	Sacrificing a Pawn to try and squirm loose.
	1 comment charleshiggie (2222) on 09-Feb-11: Probably best. In the 2 games on the database with this variation, black wins one and draws one. Other moves score far worse.


6. Qxg7	Forceful.
	1 comment charleshiggie (2222) on 09-Feb-11: Consistent!


6... Qe4+	A horrible blunder that immediately costs Black the game.
	1 comment charleshiggie (2222) on 09-Feb-11: The game on the database continued with Rg8 8. Qe5 Nbc6 9. Qxd5 Nxd5 10. Bd2 Nxd4 11. Nxd5 Bxd2+ 12. Kxd2 exd5 with equality, although black eventually won.


7. Kd1	Black resigns. He must now lose a Rook.