Sunday
Jan042015
Lose Like a Grandmaster - In 10 Moves?!
Sunday, January 4, 2015 at 11:19PM
This certainly doesn't happen every day:
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 e6 6.a3 Be7 7.g3 Qb6 8.Nb3 Ne5 9.e4? Nfg4 10.c5 Qxb3 and White resigned in the game Qun Ma-Danny Raznikov, Groningen 2014.
What's especially odd about the game is that even the pedestrian 10...Bxc5 is very good for Black. So what happened to White in the game? If anyone knows the back story of the game, please pass it along! Meanwhile, you can replay the game here (as well as above), but with my brief analytical comments.
HT: Marc Beishon
tagged miniatures
Reader Comments (3)
I consulted some Dutch sources
http://www.schaakstadgroningen.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=205&Itemid=317
and they mention nothing special. The next round Qun Ma ruined a promising attacking position, so I assume he just had two terrible days.
Meanwhile there's a Chinese GM now at 7.5/8 at Hastings - Zhao Jun. He's only dropped a draw with Mark Hebden.
Danish GM Sune Berg Hansen offered an explanation in his Danish newspaper chess column: Qun Ma simply lost without a think because he thought that he was following theory. I don't remember the exact details, but e4 was a normal move if white had not played the dubious move 6.a3 (I think the point was that white should play 6.e3). Then after 9.e4, Nfg4 is no good due to 10.Qe2. The extra tempo a3 is a catastrophe for white.