Looking for quality, #2.

Originally - when I wrote the first article in this series - I was mainly trying to highlight the lunacy of simply playing bullet (chess) just like a monkey - furiously turning the handle on the organ grinder's box ... destroying any art, sport, or mathematical precision that is inherent in our beloved pasttime. 

However, in embarking on this journey, I made several discoveries. I give a few of these thoughts here, just below. 

• I re-discovered analysis ... for its own sake. (The joy, the beauty, the search for truth.) 
• I stumbled across something much bigger than I originally thought. Just as an iceberg only shows just a small part of its true form {above the water}; this topic (for me) is apparently hiding many ideas and applications ... all lurking just below the surface of the ocean. 
• Many times, when looking at GM games, I often have found branches in the analysis that are full of surprises, stunning lines, etc. (I never thought I would find these qualities in one of my own games!) 
• As a master, I thought I really understood chess. (Maybe I do and maybe I don't.) Most of the time, I can glance at a position and I thought that I understood most of the ideas that it held. However, when I began polishing this lump of coal, I discovered facets of shocking beauty! 

Below - is a diagram of the key position - in the line with the Exchange Sacrifice. 

Two of the most historic games - in this opening, the Grunfeld Defense - were played ... ... ... 
 between none other than GM Boris Spassky and GM Robert J. ("Bobby") Fischer!! 

1. Click here to see one of the very first games ... ever, in this opening!!! (Black won!) 
   (GM Alexander A. Alekhine - GM Ernst Gruenfeld; International Masters 
    Tournament; Vienna/Austria/1922.) 
2. Maybe the very first game - involving the Exchange sacrifice - that was played between strong players, see the contest: GM David Bronstein - GM Issac Boleslavsky; Candidates; 1950. 
   (You can also replay this game in the comments section below.) 
3. Click here to see the first game between two of the biggest chess stars ever! 
   (GM Boris Spassky - GM Robert J. Fischer; 2nd Piatgorsky Cup / USA / 1966.)  
4. Click here to see the second epic game in the series between two titans of chess: 
   (Boris Spassky - Bobby Fischer; Siegen Olympiad; Men's Final 'A'/USA vs. USSR/1970.) 
5. Click here to see one of the first games to use the move, 16.Rb1 in the main line:   
   GM Jan Hein Donner - GM Hans Ree; 7th Match Game / Amsterdam, NED; 1971.  
   [Reading a little of both player's bio's (on-line) I discovered that the above match was a play-off! Apparently, both players tied for first in their annual tournament, and this match decided who would be crowned as winner!]  
6. Click here to see another famous game in a branch of this whole system:  
   GM A. Karpov - GM G. Kasparov; 1987 World Ch. Match; Rnd. #11; Seville/ESP/1987.   
   (Karpov and Kasparov played FIVE matches for the World's Championship!!!!!!!!!!!!)  
7. Click here to see a very famous draw ... it was a MONSTER of a struggle and it is mentioned/quoted in several of my books on the Grunfeld. (In the line with: 13...Be6; 14.Rc1.) 
   Reference the contest: GM Vladimir Kramnik (2790) - GM Alexei Shirov (2730); 
   WCC Candidates Match, Game #5 / Cazorla, ESP; 1998. 
8. One of the more recent decisive games (in this system) would have to be: 
   GM M. Krasenkow (2652) - GM V. Neverov (2542);
   11th (men's) Individual European Championships; Rijeka, CRO / 2010. 
   (I remember that several opening surveys ... like the one in "New In Chess," ...
    considered this an important game for the theory of this whole line.)

So, join me, as we both peel back the layers of this game and see what hidden treasures we find. 

The analysis of this game revealed so many things ... all pleasant surprises. Perhaps the most amazing things were the simple positions ... that held so many variegated, shrouded mysteries! 

Click here to see the actual game that I played that lead to all of these wonderful discoveries.  

I also ran the on-line analysis of this game ... it was quite shocking! (I thought that I had played an excellent game, almost error free! The computer disagreed, showing a CAPS score of around 77%. It also revealed that I had made at least one inaccurate move, several mistakes and even revealed four giant missed opportunities ... that the computer analysis unfairly labels as a "blunder.") 

For further reference: 

1. My analysis of the "Game of The Century" contains much analysis of this particular opening system, i.e. the Grunfeld Defense. 
2. My analysis of a tournament game that I played - as Black in the Grunfeld. 
    (Many good links!) (Please check out my web page.) 
3. My "You-Tube" video of the above game. 
4. My games ... ... ... on the "Chess Games" server. (Check it out! My game on that server - with NM Jerry Wheeler - was once published in GM Raymond Keene's column in a London newspaper! (It is also a Grunfeld Defense, although its not the Exchange Variation. There are also several other examples of the Grunfeld Defense, as well.) 
5. My website ... ... ... for my old "Game of The Month" feature. (Top notch, in-depth analysis of games!! There is a special emphasis on the openings, my web pages here have won a number of awards, CJA, USCF, The Johnson Award, etc.) 

If you think I did a good job, please email me. (lifemasteraj@yahoo.com)
 ---> Or leave a few words ... in the "comments box" ... at the bottom of this page. 

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I wanted to reach two main groups of players with this blog:  

1. The beginner ---> to the average player (and perhaps slightly above). This is why I annotated the game so deeply and hunted so diligently for so many good, high quality links! I wanted the blog to be a real and a valuable tool for any player wanting to learn the Grunfeld ... especially this particular branch of this opening. (Strong center + the exchange sacrifice.) 
2. The die-hard theory fan. Again - I have gone the extra mile to make sure that the opening analysis here is CURRENT, checked with the strongest engines and also is what is topical at this moment. I have also tried to use my extensive experience in this line. (For 25-to-30 years, I ONLY played the Grunfeld Defense as Black; I also used to have just about every book in English on the Grunfeld.) Thus, I have gone out of my way to provide background games to study, many of the games mentioned had a huge influence on the growth, popularity and the development of these variations. (So study as many of them that you can!)