Author: Amir Ban
Date: 18:14:14 04/25/02
This event was a series of problems and mishaps. To start with, KC forgot to update the game file when the game started, so the viewers were seeing the game transmitted as Smirin (white) vs. Hiarcs (black) for the first 15 moves. It took the KC staff some time to figure out how they can correct this without restarting the game. There followed a string of communication problem, with KC's communications (probably ISP) having a bad evening. The setup at KasparovChess is that although the GM and the computer are in adjacent rooms, they communicate over the Internet. The viewers do not see the actual game board but a different board which is automatically fed from the game board, again over an Internet connection. Smirin and Deep Junior were each disconnected three times during the game, and the viewer board was lagging behind the game board and several times got stuck and stopped accepting game updates. In the final position, Shay decided to call it a day when for over ten minutes he could not get the system to register Smirin's 66... Kg8, while the GM's clock seemingly ran out. Towards the end, Junior itself was getting the hiccups. At move 64, instead of playing the winning Bc5, it started dancing around the position. My guess was that it was looking at 64. Bc5 g6 65. hxg6 Kg7 66. e7 Kxg6 67. e8=Q+ Bxe8 68. Kxe8 Kg5 and evaluating it as less than +3 at a distance (though this is an easy win up close), hence the fudging. However, in setting up the position on my computer Junior does fail high on Bc5 and plays it, after less than a minute, so I can't say that I understand this. Anyway, in the final position Junior can still win with Be3-Bc5, and I guess it would. In the end position Shay (as KC operator) could not get the game to resume, and decided to end it. Smirin offered to resign, but Shay did not accept as Junior did not demonstrate a win, and instead offered a draw. This was not accepted by Smirin, who felt he did not deserve it, and the "compromise" was to void the game and play a new one. I think this is a good sportsmanship and compensation for the viewers who suffered through this. I think this game is remarkable in showing how a 2700 player can be smothered in a game he believes he can't possibly lose, without making any outright blunder except waking up when it's too late. It's funny to note that in another thread here posters complain about the boring dead draw in a position which is already won for white. Amir [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2002.04.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Deep Junior"] [Black "Smirin, Ilya"] [Result "*"] [ECO "C56"] [BlackElo "2702"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2002.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qh5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bg5 Bd6 11. c4 O-O 12. c5 Be5 13. Nxe5 Qxd1 14. Raxd1 Nxe5 15. Rxd4 Nc6 16. Ra4 Rfe8 17. Bf4 Bd5 18. Re3 b5 19. cxb6 cxb6 20. Nc3 Be6 21. Nb5 Bd7 22. h4 Rxe3 23. Bxe3 Na5 24. Rb4 Nc6 25. Re4 Re8 26. Rxe8+ Bxe8 27. f3 f6 28. Kf2 Bd7 29. g4 Kf7 30. Kg3 Be6 31. b3 Ke7 32. Bc1 Kf7 33. Nd6+ Kg8 34. Bd2 Kf8 35. Bc3 Ke7 36. Nb5 Kd7 37. h5 Ke7 38. Kf4 h6 39. Bb2 Kf7 40. Nd6+ Kg8 41. Bc3 Kf8 42. Ke4 Ke7 43. Nf5+ Kf7 44. Bd2 Kf8 45. Bf4 Kf7 46. Bd6 Kg8 47. f4 Kf7 48. Ba3 Kg8 49. Ne3 Kh8 50. f5 Bf7 51. Bd6 a5 52. Nd5 b5 53. Nc7 a4 54. Ne6 axb3 55. axb3 Kg8 56. b4 Kh8 57. Kd5 Nd8 58. Bf4 Kg8 59. Kd6 Nxe6 60. fxe6 Be8 61. Ke7 Bc6 62. Kd8 Kf8 63. Be3 Kg8 64. Kc7 Be8 65. Bc1 Kf8 66. Kd6
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