tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post7727759133675108017..comments2023-12-28T02:11:22.501+00:00Comments on The Streatham & Brixton Chess Blog: A typical game for the variationTom Chivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850710685193416732noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-85783539779783933582013-02-15T22:28:55.305+00:002013-02-15T22:28:55.305+00:00I could believe that Ray's archive of material...<i>I could believe that Ray's archive of material pre-dates computers.</i><br /><br />I'd be amazed if it didn't.<br /><br /><i>Could it be that the game and notes were wrongly classified when first stored?</i><br /><br />Quite likely, but it's not likely that it was classified as an a6 Slav. Or that anybody, ever, thought it was one. (At least, not until Ray's Chessville piece.)ejhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-55684186406731834462013-02-15T19:56:34.354+00:002013-02-15T19:56:34.354+00:00The match containing the Cebalo game is reported i...The match containing the Cebalo game is reported in Ray's report in a 1967 BCM. The opening is referred to as a Schlecter Grunfeld. <br /><br />I could believe that Ray's archive of material pre-dates computers. Could it be that the game and notes were wrongly classified when first stored? Still a pawn on a6 isn't the same as one on a7. <br /><br />RdCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-57580513682163761852013-02-15T17:48:46.000+00:002013-02-15T17:48:46.000+00:00Indeed, a discussion that you can read in the piec...Indeed, a discussion that you can read in the piece on which we are commenting....ejhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-13723070990781033672013-02-15T16:57:20.022+00:002013-02-15T16:57:20.022+00:00The games for the 1929 British appear not to have ...The games for the 1929 British appear not to have made it to the databases. Only NIC has the Michell-Sultan Khan game. Fairhurst utilised the variation, as he played it at the 1958 and 1966 Olympiads as well.<br /><br />NIC have an online database at <br />http://www.newinchess.com/NICBase/<br />This has all three Fairhurst games from the Olympiads.<br /><br />I agree about the game identification. It would be possible to search for a position with the pawn either on a6 or a7, but slightly complex. If you look at the comments on chessgames.com, the discrepancy had already been noticed.<br /><br />http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1369741<br /><br />RdCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-26898757393750760962013-02-15T16:12:15.848+00:002013-02-15T16:12:15.848+00:00Ah, I see. Now isn't that interesting. In Bolo...Ah, I see. Now isn't that interesting. In Bologan's book on the variation he cites an article by Olthof in New In Chess Yearbook 81 (2007) which suggests it was first played in Michell - Sultan Khan, British Championship 1929. I wonder if Olthof gives the Fairhurst game?<br /><br />(Either way, though, it's intrinsically unlikely that anybody, selecting a game to illustrate the a6 Slav, would <i>not notice</i> whether or not that game included the move a6.)ejhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-77560955257362377222013-02-15T14:33:42.663+00:002013-02-15T14:33:42.663+00:00Re Uhlmann-Fairhurst, The game is from 1964 rather...Re Uhlmann-Fairhurst, The game is from 1964 rather than 1958. <br /><br />chessgames.com doesn't have it.<br /><br />http://www.olimpbase.org/1964/1964sco.html for the Scotland matches of 1964<br /><br />Given the back story of the previous 1958 game, 4 .. a6 may have been a novelty designed to not follow the previous game.<br /><br />RdC<br /><br />RdCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-43371553299412357322013-02-15T13:07:20.856+00:002013-02-15T13:07:20.856+00:00Incidentally, Chessgames have Uhlmann-Fairhurst de...Incidentally, Chessgames have <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1368012" rel="nofollow">Uhlmann-Fairhurst</a> deriving from a 4...g6 move order and the a7 pawn never moving (it's captured on move 22). Is that not right?ejhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-60901268763284647582013-02-15T13:03:02.322+00:002013-02-15T13:03:02.322+00:00It's more than possible that Ray was familiar ...<i> It's more than possible that Ray was familiar with the middle game he was heading for and didn't think a6 was particularly useful in that exact position</i><br /><br />No, it's less than possible, given that (as I point out in the piece) he says<br /><br />"the key move is....4...a6"<br /><br />and is discussing the ...a6 Slav.<br /><br />Whatever explanations and excuses there may be, the idea that he thought ...a6 irrelevant is a total non-starter. If he'd wanted to say "imagine this game, but with ...a6 played" he could have done so.ejhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-28942632770569037832013-02-15T11:21:35.736+00:002013-02-15T11:21:35.736+00:00Nothing sums up the Penguin more than this patheti...Nothing sums up the Penguin more than this pathetic example...Jon Hnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37675897.post-46983914623458064302013-02-15T09:33:13.440+00:002013-02-15T09:33:13.440+00:00The 1967 game started as one of the Nf6, g6, Bg7, ...The 1967 game started as one of the Nf6, g6, Bg7, d6, c6 systems, which as we know, Ray popularised in the UK. White made no particular attempt to blow it away, so Black played d5 to transpose into a Slav with loss of tempo. It's more than possible that Ray was familiar with the middle game he was heading for and didn't think a6 was particularly useful in that exact position, so the loss of time was unimportant. There had been a game Uhlmann-Fairhurst from the 1964 Olympiad which had reached the version of the position with a6. That even used a 4 .. a6 move order.<br /><br />It's an interesting practical idea, being able to transpose from a Modern or Kings Indian into a Schlecter or Chebanenko Slav, even a tempo down. Studying the Slav isn't something that players who play g6 and Bg7 normally bother much with.<br /><br />RdCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com