Collector's Corner...On A Timeless Classic

[trontreez]

Akiba all the way! Best player ever to never be World Champion!

What I most like about him is his peculiarities later in life. They say he would leave through the window when house guests would overstay their welcome. Quite unusual indeed.

[Cyberchess]

I probably could if he wrote about it in his Great Predecessor series? LOL

Great volumes of chess regards

He did..
i just looked it up..the old fashioned way...no computers..no internet ..the actual book
Volume 1 page 188
Kasparov describes Black's Rxc3 as"one of the best combinations ever made"

No Ebook's Ever Regards
Steve

I would have had to look it up as well. I never read e-books. Hurt my eyes.

Regarding desert island books. Since I love chess game collection books. Three books I would definitely take with me if I had to be on an Island with only 3 books and chess board only.

500 Master Games of Chess
The Golden Treasury of Chess
Lesser Known Chess Masterpieces 1906-1915

I love these 3 books each game being brilliant.

ps... the Golden Treasury of Chess also has that game #160

Best regards

I own the first 2 and love them immensely.
Another desert island candidate might be the anecdotal “The Fireside Book of Chess”.

http://www.amazon.com/Fireside-Book-Che ... 0671212214

Great Reads Regards,
John

[Cyberchess]

One classic masterpiece calls for another.

Black to move…

[fen]5rk1/pp4pp/4p3/2R3Q1/3n4/2q4r/P1P2PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 1 [/fen]

Pennies From Heaven Regards,
John

[Steve B]

Well i am no Russian School boy but even i know this one...

Marshsall placed his Q into a nest of White Pawns with...
..Qg3!!!

legend has it that the spectators watching the game showered the board with gold pieces after the move

it must have been a very rich crowd watching
imagine having chess sets with gold pieces?

Just Kibitzing Regards
Steve

[spacious_mind]

Best player ever to never be World Champion!

Well I never... I thought it was Geller!

[Cyberchess]

Well i am no Russian School boy but even i know this one...

Marshsall placed his Q into a nest of White Pawns with...
..Qg3!!!

legend has it that the spectators watching the game showered the board with gold pieces after the move

it must have been a very rich crowd watching
imagine having chess sets with gold pieces?

Just Kibitzing Regards
Steve

Bravo!!!

It’s interesting that Marshall’s wife asserted that no such gold (pieces/coins) were showered upon the board, though the crowd must have been amazed since the black queen is subject to capture by no fewer than 3 pieces.

If I only had a nickel for every time I thought I had a great game going and a computer struck me with a similar “lightning bolt” move.

Brilliancy Prize Regards,
John

[Steve B]

I set up the Fidelity EAG 2100 and locked and loaded the Tarrasch Defense Module
One of the modules features is it has a selection of 40 GM Games featuring the Tarrasch Defense
Game B1 features a well known masterpiece...

In this position with Blacks Queen under attack ...Black plays
[fen]2rr2k1/1b3ppp/pb2p3/1p2P3/1P2BPnq/P1N3P1/1B2Q2P/R4R1K w - - 0 22[/fen]
..Rxc3!!
forcing whites resignation 3 moves later
a beautiful move earning its place in chess history

i was curious to see what the EAG 2100 would play
would it play the same magnificent move that Akiba played ..a move we are still marveling at more then 100 Years later??
would it enter chess history hand in hand with Rubenstein?
i gathered up all of my gold pieces and doubloons ..all set to shower the board if it played Rxc3

i set it to 3 Min/Avg and let it think...
it plays ..Bxe4+..rating the position in its favor+1.14
rather then shower the board with Gold...

I Went To The Bathroom Regards
Steve

[Cyberchess]

i was curious to see what the EAG 2100 would play
would it play the same magnificent move that Akiba played ..a move we are still marveling at more then 100 Years later??
would it enter chess history hand in hand with Rubenstein?
i gathered up all of my gold pieces and doubloons ..all set to shower the board if it played Rxc3

i set it to 3 Min/Avg and let it think...
it plays ..Bxe4+..rating the position in its favor+1.14
rather then shower the board with Gold...

I Went To The Bathroom Regards
Steve

Dan & Kathe in Tears Regards,
John

[Steve B]

Not yet ready to write out the EAG 2100 from earning its place in Chess History
i decided to give it a second chance
i reset the position and changed the level to "Analysis"
the computer does not have a traditional "Infinite" level...where it would ponder for an unlimited time until the owner makes it move
instead it has an "Analysis"level where it will ponder until it completes a 30 ply search and then move..

i wanted to see if it would eventually find ..Rxc3

the story so far....
after 5 Hrs and in the middle of a 8 ply search it still wants to play ..Bxe4+.. scoring it +.98

i am cheer-leading for it to find the move

Fan Wave Regards
Steve

[Monsieur Plastique]

Well i am no Russian School boy but even i know this one...

Marshsall placed his Q into a nest of White Pawns with...
..Qg3!!!

Did you know that the hobby level Novag machines (Star Opal, Carnelian II, 2Robot) can all solve that Marshall Queen sac position - and quite quickly too!

[Monsieur Plastique]

It’s interesting that Marshall’s wife asserted that no such gold (pieces/coins) were showered upon the board, though the crowd must have been amazed since the black queen is subject to capture by no fewer than 3 pieces.

It probably went down something along the lines of an avid spectator saying to Marshall:

"Well old chap, I say, that is a very curious move...are you sure you haven't lost your marbles?"

then, after Marshall actually explained it...

"Oh I see, quite brilliant Sir! I am but a pauper but here, take my weekly cigar allowance with my total admiration...you deserve it!". Upon which he carefully placed a newly-minted 1912 Liberty Head nickel on the table. The lighting made it glisten with a golden tint. The other spectators, being society men, would not be out-done by a man-in-rags, so they each put two Liberty Head nickels on the board.

And that was that. Somehow three men placing 25 cents worth of currency on the chess board evolved into a shower of golden coins raining from the rafters in a an epic of near biblical proportions.

Of course, it is also possible that Marshall's wife seconded the bag full of gold whilst everyone else was distracted by the brilliancy and did not tell anyone about it...

[Steve B]

Of course, it is also possible that Marshall's wife seconded the bag full of gold whilst everyone else was distracted by the brilliancy and did not tell anyone about it...

actually thats what i think
she scooped up those gold coins quicker then a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust...and then lied about it until the day she died
all in an effort to ....

Avoid Income Taxes Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

Not yet ready to write out the EAG 2100 from earning its place in Chess History
i decided to give it a second chance
i reset the position and changed the level to "Analysis"
the computer does not have a traditional "Infinite" level...where it would ponder for an unlimited time until the owner makes it move
instead it has an "Analysis"level where it will ponder until it completes a 30 ply search and then move..

i wanted to see if it would eventually find ..Rxc3

the story so far....
after 5 Hrs and in the middle of a 8 ply search it still wants to play ..Bxe4+.. scoring it +.98

i am cheer-leading for it to find the move

Fan Wave Regards
Steve

EAG 2100 plays Rxc3 after 6 hrs and 54 minutes!
search depth 9/01

Making Chess History Regards
Steve

[Cyberchess]

Well i am no Russian School boy but even i know this one...

Marshsall placed his Q into a nest of White Pawns with...
..Qg3!!!

Did you know that the hobby level Novag machines (Star Opal, Carnelian II, 2Robot) can all solve that Marshall Queen sac position - and quite quickly too!

I wasn’t aware of this, but am not terribly surprised being that it wasn’t a true Mikhail Tal style sacrifice. Or, put another way, it leads to the concrete gain of material – an aspect of the game where machines excel.

Back in the late ‘90s I found myself up late finishing a slow game I had started the previous night with my Novag Diamond. It’s a good thing for me that the Novag unit doesn’t take bets, because I had a blistering twofold attack going, and would have wagered the house on this particular game. Then, just as I was expecting to deliver the mating sequence, it makes this “ugly” move – wedging its rook precariously amid its pawns. After sitting there dumbfounded for several minutes, it occurred to me that both venues of my attack had been sneakily stalled by this absurd appearing move. If that weren’t bad enough, my forces that were committed to my twofold attack were now unable to regroup in time to thwart the inevitable Novag counterattack.

Being that it was already way past my bedtime and I had to rise early and hopefully make more insightful decisions during the day, I opted to save the game in the Diamond’s CMOS memory with the idea of scribing it at a more convenient time for show and tell at the chess club. I awoke the next day feeling out of it, had a rough day, and by the time I went to retrieve this jaw-dropping game, the game data had already been corrupted by static buildup.

Here’s a more recent example of the long term strategic sacrifices top chess engines are now capable of:

http://worldchess.com/2015/10/29/comput ... -the-best/

It Ain’t Over Till it’s Over Regards,
John

[Steve B]

Well i am no Russian School boy but even i know this one...

Marshsall placed his Q into a nest of White Pawns with...
..Qg3!!!

Did you know that the hobby level Novag machines (Star Opal, Carnelian II, 2Robot) can all solve that Marshall Queen sac position - and quite quickly too!

But can they find Rubenstein's ...Rxc3
i think not..

I'll just assume that if you dont reply to this question that you did try the position on the Novag's and they couldn't find the move

Have A Nice Day Regards
Steve