the windmill
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based on the real game
Dang no one comments on my posts
Mar 28, 2014
0
#4
This game was played in Moscow. Lasker came in 2nd behind Bogoljubow and Torre-Repetto came in 5th- 6th with Tartakower. It a quite famous game and always worth looking at.
Gotta love the good ol' windmill motive, unfortunately I have only like once been able to have it in one of my games.
My question is why not 7. Rxa7?
I understand maybe not wanting to open the file up for the rook to attack your own pawn, but even in that worst case, you got a pawn for a pawn and so traded down a little extra with your material advantage, always a great plus, and really here, I wouldn't be too upset if black distracted theirself a little while I was closing in on the king with both rooks, the knight, and the pesky bishop.
Horrible piece icons.
Mar 28, 2014
0
#9
Yeah, the board is hard for me look at. I just grab the pgn and paste it in winboard.
ex0du5 wrote:
My question is why not 7. Rxa7?
I understand maybe not wanting to open the file up for the rook to attack your own pawn, but even in that worst case, you got a pawn for a pawn and so traded down a little extra with your material advantage, always a great plus, and really here, I wouldn't be too upset if black distracted theirself a little while I was closing in on the king with both rooks, the knight, and the pesky bishop.
Rxa7 means black's going to ...Rxa2 later, so it's only a trade. And you've activated black's Rook. That helps him more than trading a measly pair of pawns helps you. In fact, when you're up material, the general rule is to trade pieces, not pawns.
BigDoggProblem wrote:
ex0du5 wrote:
My question is why not 7. Rxa7?
I understand maybe not wanting to open the file up for the rook to attack your own pawn, but even in that worst case, you got a pawn for a pawn and so traded down a little extra with your material advantage, always a great plus, and really here, I wouldn't be too upset if black distracted theirself a little while I was closing in on the king with both rooks, the knight, and the pesky bishop.
Rxa7 means black's going to ...Rxa2 later, so it's only a trade. And you've activated black's Rook. That helps him more than trading a measly pair of pawns helps you. In fact, when you're up material, the general rule is to trade pieces, not pawns.
But if I were white here, I'd love it if black wasted a tempo to get that rook off the back rank and away from protecting his king. I don't see it as activating anything. There is a rook, a bishop, and a knight all bearing down on the black king, and he wants to waste tempi? By taking that "a" pawn, blacks b pawn is now completely passed and can be used to further waste blacks tempi on that side of the board while the assasins move in.
I'm only arguing this for pedagogical reasons. If a better move is possible, it would be good to show that to students so they don't learn to immitate subpar behavior. Clearly the game is already a win. I just think not taking the "a" pawn is inaccurate.
ex0du5 wrote:
BigDoggProblem wrote:
ex0du5 wrote:
My question is why not 7. Rxa7?
I understand maybe not wanting to open the file up for the rook to attack your own pawn, but even in that worst case, you got a pawn for a pawn and so traded down a little extra with your material advantage, always a great plus, and really here, I wouldn't be too upset if black distracted theirself a little while I was closing in on the king with both rooks, the knight, and the pesky bishop.
Rxa7 means black's going to ...Rxa2 later, so it's only a trade. And you've activated black's Rook. That helps him more than trading a measly pair of pawns helps you. In fact, when you're up material, the general rule is to trade pieces, not pawns.
But if I were white here, I'd love it if black wasted a tempo to get that rook off the back rank and away from protecting his king. I don't see it as activating anything. There is a rook, a bishop, and a knight all bearing down on the black king, and he wants to waste tempi? By taking that "a" pawn, blacks b pawn is now completely passed and can be used to further waste blacks tempi on that side of the board while the assasins move in.
I'm only arguing this for pedagogical reasons. If a better move is possible, it would be good to show that to students so they don't learn to immitate subpar behavior. Clearly the game is already a win. I just think not taking the "a" pawn is inaccurate.
It's true that black has to get his piece back before ...Rxa2, thus giving white time for a move like Ra5, which saves the a2 pawn. But I'd never reproach a student for not taking the a7 pawn, especially if he told me that he didn't want bRa8 to get more active, or that he wanted to win the a-pawn later in the endgame. That's a better way for humans to play - not allowing a hint of counterplay; maintaining an iron grip on the position.
