In the Burgess, Nunn & Emms book "The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games", 18.f4 is annotated as '!!' But I don't see an obvious alternative for white. The imprisonment concept is clearly implied and instigated by 17.h4!! - genuinely an excellently excellent move - whereas white had instead the materialistic alternative pxb on move 17. But I see no real alternative on move 18, that would justify the double exclamation marks.
1.f4 isn't it, entombing the h8 rook?
ReplyDeleteAnybody recall the wall poster in the music shop in Wayne's World? "No Stairway To Heaven".
ReplyDeleteNow that'd be a good pub quiz question.
ReplyDeleteThat's right Tom
ReplyDeletef4 is the move White is about to play - it (and a whole bunch of moves more) had all been prepared in advance by Polu
In the Burgess, Nunn & Emms book "The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games", 18.f4 is annotated as '!!' But I don't see an obvious alternative for white. The imprisonment concept is clearly implied and instigated by 17.h4!! - genuinely an excellently excellent move - whereas white had instead the materialistic alternative pxb on move 17. But I see no real alternative on move 18, that would justify the double exclamation marks.
ReplyDeleteOr am I missing something?
Perhaps B&N were just copying Polu's own annotations. He gave himself a "!!" for both 17. h4 and 18. f4.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he thought the whole concept was worth 4 !s
I usually award my moves a few *#@*s.
ReplyDelete