"Don't play with your mind....." - Keres - Euwe vs Raonic - Federer!

"Men and women were out in the woods
To celebrate spring
To celebrate the festival of flowers
The moonlight was smiling down on an empty city...

 A lone traveller
Was on the road,
....in the moonlight,
With the birds singing overhead,
He walked on....
Alone...."
                                                              - Tagore

"Don't think of what you have to do, don't consider how to carry it out! The shot will only go smoothly when it take the archer himself by surprise!" said Eugen Herrigel in his great book..."Zen in the art of archery"

Some of the strokes by Roger Federer must have taken him by surprise.....when the master is in such flow state as he is in....now.....and most of his strokes takes us.....the lesser mortals....by great surprise!

And so does a move like.....



......Nb8!! in the above position!

This passing shot.....came after.....


1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5; 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 cd4; 5.Qd4 Nc6; 6.Qf4 f5; 7.Bd3 Nge7; 8.OO Ng6; 9.Qg3 Be7; 10.Re1 OO; 11.a3.....

.....and it did take poor Paul Keres by great surprise too!

But Raonic is no Keres.....in any wild imagination.....the Estonian's art is truly great and mesmerising like Roger's.....but he too can have an off day like Roger has had....on times!  And that is the nature of sport....!

I am dealing with Keres - Euwe, Zandvoort, 1936......and Raonic - Federer, Wimbledon, 2017!



11.......Nb8!! 

The forehand cross court that won the first break in the first set!

A move - which cannot be arrived at through thinking.....and perhaps....it would have surprised the great Euwe too.....the gentleman who learnt the subtle art of attack and sharpened his teeth to tear....by facing Alekhine twice in a span of three years in quest of World title!

Will you believe me, if this Knight is heading towards....e4!  Perhaps you would! But if I tell you that it is heading for "c6".....the same square from where it left....!?

12.Nbd2 a5! 13.Nb3 Na6; 14.a4!?

Aimed against 14....a4 followed by 15.....Nc5 and Ne4

14.....Nb4!!

Forgive me for indulgence....! This was like the second serve ace...which stormed past before you could wink your eyes....through that slender middle line......Second Serve Ace!

15.Nfd4 Bd7; 16.Bb5 Nc6!

I do not have a parallel for this.....except to say......First set Federer......!!

17.c4 Nd4; 18.Nd4 Bc5! 19.Qd3?!

Possibly, if Keres knew what beholds him.....he would have pulled back the Knight.....almost a double fault!

“The right art," cried the Master, "is purposeless, aimless! The more obstinately you try to learn how to shoot the arrow for the sake of hitting the goal, the less you will succeed in the one and the further the other will recede. What stands in your way is that you have a much too wilful will. You think that what you do not do yourself does not happen." - Eugen Herrigel


19.....Bb5! 20.Nb5

What is the poor fellow doing on b5......when he was needed on this part of the board....where his majesty will start feeling uneasy shortly!

It is like Raonic......unsuspectingly going towards the net .....only to find the ball whiz past him like a bullet....down the line!

20......Qh4!

There she goes.....and you don't dub her pursuit of enemy king as infidelity....!!

21.Qf1

An unfortunate square for the Queen. One needs to be insane to push g-pawn. Possibly, the Bishop may have landed on e3....but then there are too many things hanging in thin air for White.....and to understand the mind of the one who is sitting on White side of the board....you need to sit there....be on the side of the court where Raonic found himself.....you will not know what is hitting you....and from where!

21......Rad8! 22.Be3 

Why now!? Perhaps.....in the hope of someone who is two sets and three match points down....and dreaming....what if....!!

22.......d4; 23.Bd2 d3; 24.b3 f4! 

He just paves way for his Rook to enter the fray!  And ofcourse not letting White to bring his pieces out in defence!

25.Re4 Rf5; 26.Rae1 

The doctors are arriving a trifle late.....like the Indian cinema police.....who are allowed to arrive at the scene when everything has happened!

26......Rh5!


27.h3 Rg5!

Magical simplicity in execution! Every time Euwe's pieces moved they pronounce verdict.....!

28.Nd6 Qh3; 29.Bf4 Nf4; 30.Rf4 Qg3! 

.....no she is not just attacking the Rook!

31.Rfe4 Rh5!!!




Game...Set....Match....Roger!!

"The hand that stretches the bow must open like a Child's hand opens" - Eugen Herrigel

Believe me.....it did open like Child's hand....every move of Euwe.....after that most unassuming 11.....Nb8!! and every stroke of Federer after that......!

Hope you enjoyed!

Comments

  1. Niranjan13 July 2017 at 10:37

    This is easily one of the best chess articles I have read!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Srikanth Govind13 July 2017 at 14:19

      Thanks a lot Niranjan! Just was inspired by the games!

      Delete
  2. Ravi31 July 2017 at 22:22

    Fantastic Article and Nice comparison with Fedex. Really loved it.

    ReplyDelete

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