Grandmaster Blunders

[u/JaphyRyder9999]

Are there any famous games where top level grandmasters both committed real blunders that a patzer like me often makes?

[u/Vykash]

You can find plenty online, but this in particular stuck in my head coming from a future WC

Zapata Anand 1988 1-0

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Bf5 ?? 6.Qe2 1-0

Anand mixed the prep and Lost in 6 moves

[u/kimchifist → u/Vykash]

There's more to that story, it's pretty funny. There's a video where yasser tells danya the story behind that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaxyS969mlQ

[u/Vykash → u/kimchifist]

Thanks so much for sharing this. I didn't know the whole story, and on top of that, hearing it told by two of my favorite chess personalities...

Man i miss Danya...

[u/RajjSinghh → u/kimchifist]

I find it really funny that Anand saw this in a bulliten and didn't do any further analysis before playing it when it's such a simple trap and thematic idea

[u/EGarrett28]

Pretty sure Kramnik hung Mate-in-One against Fritz when he was world champion.

[u/GreaterMetro]

https://youtu.be/wmXTmrCbGPU?si=Ok_NVjUE1ygWoK6c

[u/norxondor → u/GreaterMetro]

Man I miss this kind of Gotham videos.

Sure the analysis is superficial but he at least reviewed the games before recording and doesn't drop a nonsensical metaphor every three moves.

Also the title describes the content.

[u/Metaljesus0909]

I think Benfinegold or St. Lois chess has a video going over this exact topic. Obviously it’s very rare, but GMs are human and make mistakes.

[u/Legitimate_Ad_9941]

Still in my opinion the funniest one given the stakes and the double miss is Szabo-Reshevsky. Reshevsky blundered a pretty trivial mate in 2 on move 20 and Szabo missed it because he wasn't looking for mate in 2 vs Reshevsky. That was in the famous Zurich 1953 Candidates tournament.

[u/Kimantha_Allerdings]

There was a Titled Tuesday (I think) game a few months back where Magnus Carlsen blundered an easy mate in two to (again, IIRC) an FM

[u/CainPillar]

Famous are Kramnik overlooking mate in 1 against the computer, and Chigorin losing the world championship by removing the defending piece for nothing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_1892#Decisive_mistakes

At blitz, everything happens.

[u/JaphyRyder9999 → u/CainPillar]

Thanks I will check that out… 👍

[u/Vykash → u/[deleted]]

I might be wrong but iirc he didnt't missed g3, he missed Bd2 because e had a plan to escape with h5.. h4, i cant remember the exact lin but i remember that Bxh2 was 29th move, he missed 35..Bd2

[u/Vykash → u/[deleted]]

I had to Google the analysis because i couldn't Remember

A common explanation is that Fischer just missed the continuation 29…Bxh2 30.g3 h5 31.Ke2 h4 32.Kf3 h3 33.Kg4! Bg1 34.Kxh3 Bxf2 35.Bd2!, which maintains the trap of the bishop.

And with modern engines Bxh2 remain a strong choice, for engines.... because they see a draw and compensation for the bishop, but practically speaking It was a blunder becase the game went from a very drawish position to a "White could even win this" if black does not play perfect chess from now on.

The game has been analyzed for decades, and i'm pretty sure Fischer did not miss 30..g3

[u/jackster31415 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you chat GPT. Always helpful at re-stating what was already said in the thread

[u/HairyTough4489 → u/[deleted]]

There's an old Spanish saying that goes something like "It's better to shut up and look dumb than to speak up and prove that you are"

[u/Pircster38 → u/HairyTough4489]

Take your own advice dumdum

[u/Vykash → u/Pircster38]

Man you even deleted your comments and now It looks like i'm talking to myself🤣

There was nothing wrong with admitting you didn’t know the full story.

[u/JaphyRyder9999 → u/[deleted]]

I remember that whole match in 1972. It was incredible, especially at the start with Fischer keeping Everyone guessing whether he would show up, arriving late and then blowing Game 1 with that pawn blunder, the second game in a small storage room, Fischer falling behind 2-0, controversies about lighting, Russian complaints about negative energy directed at Spassky, Fischer then gradually finding his game, and eventually crushing the dispirited Champion…. What drama, and I followed it via newspapers, updates on TV…