The most famous combination ever?
The most famous combination ever?
Is this the most famous or reprinted combination of all time?
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Possibly not as I've not seen it beforestevencarr wrote:
Is this the most famous or reprinted combination of all time?
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Strictly speaking that is a position not a combination. Perhaps if you included the moves like this:stevencarr wrote: Is this the most famous or reprinted combination of all time?
Hatch End A Captain (Hillingdon League)
Controller (Hillingdon League)
Controller (Hillingdon League)
Re: The most famous combination ever?
Gosh, I see it in almost every combination book.LawrenceCooper wrote:Possibly not as I've not seen it beforestevencarr wrote:
Is this the most famous or reprinted combination of all time?
It is a Blackburne game.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
The theme of a rook and bishop teaming up to deliver mate on h8 is quite common in combination books, it is just a case of how you get them To that position that makes the puzzle.
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Hi Steve,
"The most famous combination ever?"
I'd say no.
Famous would mean you simply say Blackburne's Queen and Rook sac mate
and players would instantly know what you were talking about.
(Most well read players would think of his Black v the Jerome Gambit.)
Morphy's wrap up at the Opera is I suspect the most famous.
I reckon a large percentage of club players could play out the game and the final Queen sac combo.
"I see it in almost every combination book."
You will find the Morphy game & final combo has been published
in more books than Peter D. Williams has had hot dinners. (and apparently he hates salads.)
I had a quick scan through four well known books.
It's not in 'Play Chess and Combinations' by Levy nor does it make an appearance
in 'Chess Combinations as a Fine Art' by KURT RICHTER (not Golz & Keres).
It does however pop up in 'The Art of Checkmate' by Renaud & Kahn. (but not considered
good enough to be included in Chernev's 'Combinations, the Heart of Chess.')
It's in the Chapter 10: of 'The Art of Checkmate' as 'Mate No.9'.
(flip the board and it's mate No.6...gedditt?.....an upside down No.9!)
Obviously halfway through the book they were stuck for a name.
They could not call it Blackburne's Mate as he gets his name added
to the three piece mate. (that appeared in the Jerome Gambit.)
Renaud & Kahn give the 'famous' position in question and the full game
in 'The Art of Checkmate' It's Blackburne v Scwartz, Berlin 1881.
Also...
As a position to use in a book on tactical puzzles it is rather ugly
and almost gives you the solution.
White is check. He has to get out of check.
If confronted with this position in a book of snazzy Carlos Fandango combo's
you would look at QxN first knowing it worked.
"The most famous combination ever?"
I'd say no.
Famous would mean you simply say Blackburne's Queen and Rook sac mate
and players would instantly know what you were talking about.
(Most well read players would think of his Black v the Jerome Gambit.)
Morphy's wrap up at the Opera is I suspect the most famous.
I reckon a large percentage of club players could play out the game and the final Queen sac combo.
"I see it in almost every combination book."
You will find the Morphy game & final combo has been published
in more books than Peter D. Williams has had hot dinners. (and apparently he hates salads.)
I had a quick scan through four well known books.
It's not in 'Play Chess and Combinations' by Levy nor does it make an appearance
in 'Chess Combinations as a Fine Art' by KURT RICHTER (not Golz & Keres).
It does however pop up in 'The Art of Checkmate' by Renaud & Kahn. (but not considered
good enough to be included in Chernev's 'Combinations, the Heart of Chess.')
It's in the Chapter 10: of 'The Art of Checkmate' as 'Mate No.9'.
(flip the board and it's mate No.6...gedditt?.....an upside down No.9!)
Obviously halfway through the book they were stuck for a name.
They could not call it Blackburne's Mate as he gets his name added
to the three piece mate. (that appeared in the Jerome Gambit.)
Renaud & Kahn give the 'famous' position in question and the full game
in 'The Art of Checkmate' It's Blackburne v Scwartz, Berlin 1881.
Also...
As a position to use in a book on tactical puzzles it is rather ugly
and almost gives you the solution.
White is check. He has to get out of check.
If confronted with this position in a book of snazzy Carlos Fandango combo's
you would look at QxN first knowing it worked.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Well if we are just talking about Blackburne, I would say the combination Zukertort sprang *against* him at London 1883 has to be considerably more "famous"??
But the overall winner, shurely, is Morphy v Duke and Count 1858?
But the overall winner, shurely, is Morphy v Duke and Count 1858?
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Since it happened in 1851, and thus has a head start, I would have thought 'The Immortal Game' is the most famous. I saw a ballet in Siberia that started out 1 e4 e5 2 f4 and knew what the whole game was going to be.
Thus 'Best Combination' is more interesting - but that is just a matter of opinion.
Thus 'Best Combination' is more interesting - but that is just a matter of opinion.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Surely Morphy and the Count? I can't think of a serious competitor. I've never seen the OP's combination either.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Hi Stewart,
Yes 'The Immortal Game' is a famous contender though in my experience
club players often mix up Anderssen's opponents with that game and 'The Evergreen.'
"Was it Kieseritzky or Dufrense?"
Few I doubt could reconstuct either position.
I just tried, total failure on 'The Immmortal.' (it's not a game I am actually fond of.)
But got the full pattern on 'The Evergreen.'
Neither are common mating patterns whereas the final Morphy mate appears time and time again.
We shall let The Mammoth Book of Chess decide.
In that book 'The Immortal Game' combo is given twice.
Morphy at the Opera is given 8 (eight) times.
...and yet...in The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games
the Morphy game does not appear. (Both of the Anderssen games do.)
It's a draw!
We could (and would) argue forever as to the best ever combination.
What about the most famous move?
I have three off the top of my head as contenders, so famous and I don't even have to name the move.
Marshall's gold coin game.
Fischer's beginners blunder in the '72 match.
What Miles did v Karpov.
Yes 'The Immortal Game' is a famous contender though in my experience
club players often mix up Anderssen's opponents with that game and 'The Evergreen.'
"Was it Kieseritzky or Dufrense?"
Few I doubt could reconstuct either position.
I just tried, total failure on 'The Immmortal.' (it's not a game I am actually fond of.)
But got the full pattern on 'The Evergreen.'
Neither are common mating patterns whereas the final Morphy mate appears time and time again.
We shall let The Mammoth Book of Chess decide.
In that book 'The Immortal Game' combo is given twice.
Morphy at the Opera is given 8 (eight) times.
...and yet...in The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games
the Morphy game does not appear. (Both of the Anderssen games do.)
It's a draw!
We could (and would) argue forever as to the best ever combination.
What about the most famous move?
I have three off the top of my head as contenders, so famous and I don't even have to name the move.
Marshall's gold coin game.
Fischer's beginners blunder in the '72 match.
What Miles did v Karpov.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Kapsarov's knight move in Polgar-Kasparov, Linares 1994.Geoff Chandler wrote: What about the most famous move?
Marshall's gold coin game.
Fischer's beginners blunder in the '72 match.
What Miles did v Karpov.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Of course we are all being silly.
Scholar's mate isn't a combination. But
The two move SMOTHERED MATE combination must be the most famous. I remember I was speaking to a journalist about looking ahead. 7 year old Luke McShane came in my office. I asked him to turn around and set up the position with mate in 4 for him. The instant he turned back around, he gave the moves 1 Nf7+ Kg8 2 Nh6+ Kh8 3 Qg8+ Rxg8 4 Nf7 mate.
You all know exactly what position I am referring to. It is the most famous, but it is so hackneyed, from our viewpoint, that it isn't at all interesting.
Scholar's mate isn't a combination. But
The two move SMOTHERED MATE combination must be the most famous. I remember I was speaking to a journalist about looking ahead. 7 year old Luke McShane came in my office. I asked him to turn around and set up the position with mate in 4 for him. The instant he turned back around, he gave the moves 1 Nf7+ Kg8 2 Nh6+ Kh8 3 Qg8+ Rxg8 4 Nf7 mate.
You all know exactly what position I am referring to. It is the most famous, but it is so hackneyed, from our viewpoint, that it isn't at all interesting.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Hi Stewart.
Yes. Most/all players spot that one right away.
It must be the most easily recognised pattern in chess.
Though I have seen games where player has happily have taken the perpetual
Nf7+ and Nh6+ not seeing the Qg8+ sac.
This miss, even taking the age into consideration is incredible.
The game was not a beginners hack, White's play is OK and shows she knows the game.
N. Radosevic - C. Nolot, Gilrs U10 Euro Ch.Girls Herceg Novi 2006.
Here the wee lass played 30.Qg8+ but after 30...Rxg8 she played 31.NxR instead of Nf7 mate and lost.
And this has happened a few times.
I recall a thread on here when one lad did something similiar.
D. Walker - A Gillen, Brit Ch. Plymouth 1992
White played 21.Qg8+ and resigned after 21...Nxg8.(!)
Yes. Most/all players spot that one right away.
It must be the most easily recognised pattern in chess.
Though I have seen games where player has happily have taken the perpetual
Nf7+ and Nh6+ not seeing the Qg8+ sac.
This miss, even taking the age into consideration is incredible.
The game was not a beginners hack, White's play is OK and shows she knows the game.
N. Radosevic - C. Nolot, Gilrs U10 Euro Ch.Girls Herceg Novi 2006.
Here the wee lass played 30.Qg8+ but after 30...Rxg8 she played 31.NxR instead of Nf7 mate and lost.
And this has happened a few times.
I recall a thread on here when one lad did something similiar.
D. Walker - A Gillen, Brit Ch. Plymouth 1992
White played 21.Qg8+ and resigned after 21...Nxg8.(!)
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
To my mind, Steinitz v Von Bardeleben is still the most beautiful combination ever, if not the most famous. Botvinnik v Capa is pretty famous.
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Re: The most famous combination ever?
Hi Stephen.
These are good choices, 99% of the lads on here will know right away
which games you are talking about so they both qualify as being famous.
I read somwhere that the Steinitz - Von Bardeleben game once came out
top in a Russian magazine readers poll of what was the best ever game.
At this point I always add that Von Bardeleben did not leave the board in a huff.
He left because the 1895 spectators cheered and clapped at the end of every game.
They would have raised the roof at the end of this one.
Von Bardeleben left out of curtesy for his fellow players and as mild protest
against the organisers who ignored the players plea for them to control the crowd.
Botvinnik honestly admits he saw the perpetual v Capa before embarking on his combo.
So with at least the draw in his back pocket off he went.
These are good choices, 99% of the lads on here will know right away
which games you are talking about so they both qualify as being famous.
I read somwhere that the Steinitz - Von Bardeleben game once came out
top in a Russian magazine readers poll of what was the best ever game.
At this point I always add that Von Bardeleben did not leave the board in a huff.
He left because the 1895 spectators cheered and clapped at the end of every game.
They would have raised the roof at the end of this one.
Von Bardeleben left out of curtesy for his fellow players and as mild protest
against the organisers who ignored the players plea for them to control the crowd.
Botvinnik honestly admits he saw the perpetual v Capa before embarking on his combo.
So with at least the draw in his back pocket off he went.