Tuesday 29 March 2022

Pulling the pin

 Finding the right time to resign after it has all gone wrong is a fine art. I usually play on for a little longer than I should, hoping that something might turn up. On the other hand, some players (especially strong ones) will throw in the towel early especially when playing even stronger opponents. Jan Hein Donner went this way after misplaying the opening against Smyslov back in 1965. The assessment of the position isn't that terrible (White ends up a pawn ahead), but Donner may not have have wished to spend the rest of the day defending a position that would eventually be lost.


Smyslov,Vassily - Donner,Jan Hein [E06]
Capablanca Memorial Havana (9), 1965


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