8L2C)pJJJJ IH(ȱH:=IH[H`@HcH  $ +   I/H`JLNGȄBȄF aK  haaFF  mJm# KKJ UJ )J ۈ) ;J3ȱJFȱJGJKaȄM  aaNNJFLGJL L? &PRODOS `DaElH$?EGvѶK+`L HHLy XP LM ŠϠĠӠS)*+,+`F)) (*=GJFjJJA QE'+ '== `@ STSP8QSS8 m P o R(8RLnSOS BOOT 1.1 SOS.KERNEL SOS KRNLI/O ERRORFILE 'SOS.KERNEL' NOT FOUND%INVALID KERNEL FILE: xةw,@  ȱlmi8#)!) >dLԡm#i㰼m#iЕOLԡȱfg hi !dLԡ憦  Ljmkm l y`2 Lԡ8(Je稽)ʈ@LGAMES9' @CLASSIC.GAMES 5 q YOUR.GAMES9:9:FINDER.DATA>9;9;,TEMPLATE.PIC;! ! ?4CLASSIC.GAMESu' 5 ' n'%CG001 9 9 %CG002 9 9 %CG0039 9 %CG0049 9 %CG005_9 9 %CG006q q %CG007!9 9 %CG008$9 9 %CG010'9 9 %CG009*k9 9 %CG011- 9 9 %CG0121'9 9 GAMELa Bourdonnais McDonnell#"$%!$"# Lduscb"e4S2rBEgqtr2Rvfs0F'T@av!W0UG0F&dEC%w3q"6UD7vVS&tD4B2d%S"REEC!E#S&TWcr2qCC0UF'v@666PQ"F0Gcc0766EUS33vRpDV&&tttttbRLa Bourdonnais-McDonnell, 21st Match Game 1834 The McDonnell-La Bourdonnais enc ounters were in a real sense the beginning of modern chess -- a series of formally arranged games, all of which were preserved and published. This is one of many wild attacking games, in which both sides play for mate. The final position is quite amusing. HIgnoring the center; a modern player would surely have answered 6...d6. Correctly striking back in the center, though in 1834 Black's plan was probably limited to opening a file near the White King. #^More logical seems 18.Rdf1 followed by Rhg1; as the game goes, the Rhg1 never does very much. 2fWith this Exchange sacrifice Black takes control of the dark squares and obtains a strong initiative. 7sWhite must lose material, for 28.Qxd3 Nxe4 29.Nxe4? Bxe4 wins the White Queen, and 29.Rgg1 Nf2 is not much better. ?HThreatening mate with 33.Rh7+, but Black's attack is still very strong. C>The final blunder; after 34.Nb1 White retains drawing chances GAME McDonnellLa Bourdonnais#"$%!$"# Kdvc2UCurs6BtD"u3bQqc%B!epdb"@52Dr'vUsCb"4BTRSBrD2tuTD2U"CCC4""B%6d3%%Qv033sCB!bcD2"Ur5B@'D"UbTweuSRDBtrc2sTRssdMcDonnell-La Bourdonnais, 62nd Match Game 1834 In a sense, the McDonnell-La Bourdo nnais encounters marked the beginning of modern chess -- a set match of serious games between recognized champions, in which all the games were recorded and published. This was the Frenchman's most famous win of the match (really a series of six matches, won by La Bourdonnais +45, =13, -27), in which we have the unusual spectacle of a mass of pawns overcoming a Queen. lA positional error, strengthening Black's central pawns, but such niceties were little known in the 1830's. (sNot 20...Bxc5? 21.Nxc5 Qxc5 22.Bxh7+. Instead, Black offers an Exchange sacrifice to get his central pawns moving. 1HNot 25.dxc6?, as 25...Qe3+ 26.Kh1 fxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Rf2+ will lead to mate. 6(Threatening 28...Qe1+ 29.Qf1 Qxd1 f1Q+. =)In turn threatening 32.Qxf8+ and 33.d8Q. GAME Anderssen Kieseritzky#"$%!$"# -de4utBvGc%U'Gw"f7g6G&s%r6qR%Eau2D5U#D4EEBGu11%U'S7G65"v1F%G&76UE%R23a#pdv4 %%Anderssen-Kieseritsky, London 1851 One of Anderssen's masterpieces, known as the "Immortal Game." Black neglects his development, and Anderssen offers both Rooks to show that two active pieces are worth a dozen sleeping at home. 6Now threatening to trap the Black Queen with 15.Bxf4. #A brilliant move, the main point of which is to divert the Black Queen from the a1-h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play 18...Bxd6? 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22.Qf8++. &)And not 19...Qxg1 20.Nxg7+ Kd8 21.Bc7++. (wMore resistance could have been offered by 20...Ba6, but White should still win after 21.Nc7+ Kd8 22.Nxa6 Bb6 23.Qxa8. GAME AnderssenDufresne#"$%!$"# /dvua2bAc4tCsD%urQ10qc&B5D4p7t"@S5PD4U"B2AAR0CCvSQ%4&tP11@!cD5S7%%%sU53Anderssen-Dufresne, Berlin 1853 White sacrifices a piece to open the central files against the uncastled Black King, and despite his seemingly adequate development and counterattacking chances Black comes out a tempo short in one of the finest combinations on record, justly known as the "Evergreen Game." fThe Evans Gambit, in which White sacrifices a flank pawn for rapid development and a powerful center. Black in turn gives up a pawn to complete his development, but White's control of the center makes it difficult for Black to coordinate his forces. !A temporary piece sacrifice to exploit the exposed position of the Black King. But this is not without dander, as Black now obtains an open g-file for counterplay. %EOffering a second piece, and far stronger than the defensive 19.Be4. (rBlack cannot excape with 20...Kd8, in view of 21.Rxd7+! Kc8 22.Rd8+ Kxd8 [or 22...Rxd8 23.gxf3] 23.Be2+, winning. GAMEPaulsenMorphy#"$%!$"# 9dvqutU41B%RdDba2`1sp@Sf$vuWwfvUufv! Ws`&ceD4U"R%12v4""B1dDDDU$RSA!@@@` UU&wWsfvUufvWweuuudp'CTPaulsen - Morphy, New York 1857 Paul Morphy competed in only one tournament in his short career, the 1st American Chess Congress in 1857. In the final round of this knock-out event, he defeated German master Louis Paulsen by a score of +5=2-1. In this game he demonstrates both his better grasp of positional play -- Black's controls of the center files makes a marked contrast to White's flailing on the flanks -- and his combinative ability, as he finishes the game with a startling and brilliant Queen sacrifice. bRather than permit the "fork trick" 6...Nxe5 7.d4, Black sacrifices a Pawn for rapid development. The seemingly more logical 9.Bb3 fails to 9...Bg4 10.Qe1 [or 10.Ne2 Rxe4 winning the pinned Knight] 10...b4, and if 11.Na4 Rxe4 traps the White Queen. |If White were able to follow up with d2-d4, this would be a good move, but he can't. He should reconcile himself to 12.d3. Threatens mate with 17...Qxf1+. White's reply defends against this sacrifice, but allows another, which, however, Paulsen can hardly be blamed for missing. Relatively best was 17.Qd1 #Morphy took twelve minutes to decide on 17...Qxf3, an unsually long time for him. Paulsen, a notoriously slow player, thought for over an hour before capturing the Queen. 'Black threatened 20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3++, and 20.Rg1 fails to 20...Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1 Re1+. The key line, which Paulsen probably missed at move 17, is 20.Qd3 [hoping to return the Queen with 20...Qxg6] 20...f5!, and White is helpless. GAMEMorphyAllies#"$%!$"# !dvcCFs#uUqrR"Btsw1%QsD4U#CF4UU4B%QR"61111rs$SMorphy-Allies, Paris 1858 The story goes that the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard invited Morphy to the opera one night, and then asked him to play a game of chess, which the courteous Morphy could hardly refuse. They then seated him with his back to the opera. Morphy, who wanted to watch the show, demolished them in record time. qA defense recommended by Philidor, but it is playable only if Black intends to retain a pawn on e5 at all costs. TThe pin was not a true defense of the e5 pawn, for if 4...dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Nxe5. White's 7th move attacked both f7 and b7; now Black would answer 8.Qxb7 with 8...Qb4+, saving the Ra8. Morphy wants more than an extra pawn in an endgame... pNow the Black Kingside is hopelessly tied up, and White needs only to bring his last piece (the Rh1) into play. Defending the Rd7 again by breaking the pin on the Nf6. Now White would win eventually by trading Queens and recapturing his piece on d7, but he has a better idea... GAMEG.A. MacDonnellBoden#"$%!$"# 8dvua2tgcqr"RAd#B31UDbTe%s4vuTpS&7tbVdD4U"B2A!v#W%SR'TAd"V31D""4SS!!E37%&TgtSsbWds7@G.A. MacDonnell-Boden, London 1861 Once dubbed the "Koh-i-Noor" of chess, this game is quite typical of the period -- a slashing attack app "ears out of nowhere, for defensive technique was little understood even by the best players. The winner should not be confused with La Bourdonnais' opponent, Alexander McDonnell. ,PThe black Queen's foraging expedition has left Black far behind in development. 0Black clears the back rank with gain of tempo in order to answer the threat of Ng3-h5 with Rd8-g8. On other moves, say 24...Bb7, White's point is 25.Rxd5 cxd5 26.Nh5 Rg8 27.Ng6+ Kh7 28.Nxf6++. GAMEMatchegoFalkbeer#"$%!$"# 2de4vg6Uq4c%utc`GRe3B5S6B73B1# @1$"%D4EEU6GF4%R#BC7dGc6S"Pe3C35#DB33%B$1 @11110"3#NMatchego-Falkbeer, London 1869 In playing over these games, it is best not to ask too many questions about the defenders play -- the gap in strength between #%master and amateur was often enormous -- but relax and enjoy the tragicomic plight of the White King, as he is driven across the board and mated with his pieces still at home. White's set up (known as the Kiesseritsky Gambit) is acceptable -- he can recover either the g5 or f5 pawn -- but he should now play 6.d4, to answer 6...d6 with 7.Nd3. }15.Nxa8 is no worse than the game, but it runs into something like 15...d5 16.exd5 Bf5+ 17. Kd2 f3+ 18.Ke1 f2+ 19.Kf1 Ng3++. GAME Zukertort Blackburne#"$%!$"# BbdvutcqarR%1UeDs3d#BpTD%Ut4E%S35&C$cuAa4DB$T%U!dv3C#RQa1D##c%UccBB3StD4E&T5%%5DDD&b34A2D4Zukertort-Blackburne, London 1883 A striking combination by Zukertort, perhaps the last of the "old school" m&(asters -- after his defeat by Steinitz in 1886, it became clear that Steinitz's positional theories had brought a new aspect to the game. 6Now it seems that White must lose a piece, but the active White Rooks, the exposed position of the Black King, and the strong Bishop on b2 provide the basis for an "overloading" combination. 8On 28...Qxb4 29.Bxe5+ Kxh7 30.Rf7+ Black will soon be mated. A typical variation is 30...Kg6 31.Rf6+ Kh5 32.Rh3+ Kg5 33.Rg3+ Kh5 34.Rf5+ Kh6 35.Bf4+ Kh7 36.Rh5++. GAME RosenthalSteinitz#"$%!$"# Cdqvc4Urute"B#DRbs0S3bCUBeu4F$E&p Ust3VaR3Ts5bD4R"U&CCCTB#vE0S33333RbBBBe2U!4$U t%F7e56sV333s53QBrdubV`Rosenthal-Steinitz, Vienna 1873 Steinitz began the era of scientific play, as his games and writings demon)+strated that games were won or lost for objective reasons. Here he provides a (then startling) example of the proper use of two Bishops against a Bishop and Knight. "zBlack deprives the Knight of support squares in the center, and the Be3 "bites on granite." Black has a clear advantage. 5?White can't defend the f5 pawn with 27.Qh3 because of 27...g4. GAME Blackburne Lipschutz#"$%!$"# HcbqvrdpB$ut%6su2S5Ufdgu!R1d%4V#dFvsfaB`@r06E5VC3B$R%U!6Tr33SvDE2d5sBDD4%Fu#Wf1dAVdEE65w0vV@QQQQ@&'77%#rBlackburne-Lipschutz, New York 1889 White allows his opponent to obtain two passed pawns on,./ the Queenside in exchange for posting a Rook on the seventh rank. The game was adjourned at move 31, and not only Lipschutz, but the spectators -- including Steinitz -- were certain that Black must win. The combination initiated by White's 32nd move brought a rude awakening. Black has completed his development without without difficulty (White should have tried to exploit the weakened c6 square with some combination of Qa4, Bb5 and Ne5), and he now begins to take the initiative, occupying his outpost on e4. &Black has a space advantage and chances to create a passed pawn on the Queenside, so White must try to stir something up on the g-file. AnAmazingly, White now has a winning attack. If 33...Kh8 34.Rh7+ Kg8 35.g7 Rg5 36.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 37.Ne6+ and wins. GAMELaskerBauer#"$%!$"# BevdaruqtRdUasV%Sd47u$U"WF'pE%4Fu&%E3U$T%Qa!SRvd2V444"d 777FU4W'''%uF4$&%%%%Lasker-Bauer, Amsterdam 1889 An early example of the double Bishop sacrifice, the "chess mill" theme, and the023 skill of the then-young Emanuel Lasker, who only five years later would challenge Steinitz for the World Championship. The flank development of his Queen Bishop fits in well with White's central formation, but Black's play is rather obliging -- he ought to have tried either for an early e6-e5, or ...c7-c5 followed by ...d5-d4. A bolt from a rather stormy sky. The key factors of the combination are a) the possibility of quickly bringing a Rook into the attack (19.Rf3), and b) the presence of undefended Black pieces, giving the White Queen the chance for a double attack (22.Qd7). +If it were not for this sting at the end of the combination, Black would have quite enough material for his Queen. Now White has a decisive material and positional advantage. 6Not 27...Bxe5 28.Qe6 r%CG0136G9 9 %CG014:9 9 %CG015?s9 9 %CG016E19 9 %CG017J9 9 %CG018O 9 9 %CG019S}9 9 %CG020VV 9 9 %CG021\9 9 %CG022_9 9 %CG023e| 9 9 %CG024kt9 9 %CG025o9 9 GAMEChigorinPollock#"$%!$"# Jdvua2bAtc4R2q"r60s@C$R`ETBdUeA2C&c3sGV$pvD%5"E#F4D4U"B2AAR2v#CCC!R06%EB@B$3d@T&!!AVC2EcB$Gs$$F&5s2w"44##4%%Chigorin-Pollock, New York 1889 Though he demonstrated many ideas well ahead of his t578ime, Chigorin was best known in his own era as a fierce attacker. Here he makes good use of one of his favorite weapons, the Evans Gambit. At the time a poular defense in this "Normal Position" of the Evans, but later it was realized that, while eliminating the Bc4 was desirable in principle, Black in his undeveloped state could not afford the time lost. 4Black has eliminated the intrusive Knight at e6, but the pawn that replaces it is at least as annoying. He should have played 23...Nf8. ?With all the Black pieces tied down -- the Knight must shield the g7 pawn, and the Queen and Rook are tied to the defense of the d6 pawn -- White opens lines to the Black King with this pawn advance. @{No better is 32...dxe5 -- 33.Rd8 (threatening e8Q+) Nxe7 34.Qxg7+ Ke6 35.Nxe7, and there is no good defense to f4-f5 mate. GAMESteinitzvon Bardeleben#"$%!$"# 2dvubc4R2qD%trAB$R6"us3pC"UCd$tD4U"B2R%CCCAR333v$63333t%dr"33C$F&6~Steinitz-von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895 Steinitz was definitely past his best in 1895, but as he himself said, "I may be an old lion, but I can still bite som9;<=eone's hand off if he puts it in my mouth." The choleric von Bardeleben left the room after move 25 and permitted his time to expire, whereupon Steinitz demonstrated to the onlookers a brilliant 10-move mating combination.  A rare alternative to 7...Nxe4 8.O-O, when Black may choose between 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 d5 [9...Bxc3 10.Qb3 has been known to be very good for White since the time of Greco] and the speculative Moller Attack, 8...Bxc3 9.d5, now thought to lead to a draw with best play. Black still hopes to connect his Rooks by castling, but he will be unable to shake off the pressure on the central files. A slightly better try was 13...Kxe7 14.Re1+ Kf8. Allowing a powerful pawn sacrifice. Better was 16...Kf7, and if 17.Qxe7+ Qxe7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 19.Rxc7+, the ending is by no means clear, though White will have enough pawns for the Exchange. !A fine move -- the d5 square, which Black has been using for his pieces, will be occupied by a Black pawn, the d4 square is made accessible to White, and the c-file will be opened. +Of course the Rook cannot be captured by the Queen (22...Qxe7 23.Rxc8+) and 22...Kxe7 leads to 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Qb4+ Kc7 25.Ne6+ Kb8 26.Qf4+. But after Black's next move, every White piece is en prise, and mate is threatened on c1... .No better is 24...Kf8 25.Nxh7+ 2For as Steinitz at once demonstrated, White wins after 25...Kg8 with 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Qh4+ Kxg7 Qh7+ Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ Kd8 33.Qf8+ Qe8 34.Nf7+ Kd7 35.Qd6++. GAME PillsburyTarrasch#"$%!$"# gcbqrvpdB$utu2SU!esR%6q3U4EtuVdF#r1R"eEdBa@g F0f@`Fg3e6rPFfGv"u3V5G7v%E'#RC3B$R%6UrT!33Sv2tBq 41EUdDDDV%F5uE#GR3e"uAd@FerRQ"W0g@FQQ6PFQf%%QQ'V'w3v5G7E666#7b>@ABCPillsbury-Tarrasch, Hastings 1895 The phenomenon of Harry Nelson Pillsbury is a remarkable one. In 1895 he travelled to Europe to compete in his first international tournament -- and he won, ahead of such luminariea as Lasker, Tarrasch and Tchigorin. Though a frequent and successful tournament participant over the next few years, he never succeeded in obtaining the match for the worls championship he sought, and his long illness and early death in 1906 deprived the world of one of its greatest players. Among his other contributions to the game, Pillsbury demonstrated the worth of the Queen's Gambit in an era when anything other than 1.e4 e5 was often dubbed "Irregular." At the time it was thought that Black's Queenside pawn majority should give him the advantage -- given time, he will advance his b and c pawns and create a passed pawn on the c-file. But Pillsbury shows that White's active pieces are of greater import. $~White does not object to exchanging a few pieces, for the Black Bb7 cannot easily participate in the defense of the Kingside. .EWhite has steadily strengthened his position while Black temporized. 8It seems that Black's strategy has succeeded, for he must now obtain a passed pawn on the Queenside. But all the White pieces are poised for an attack on the Black King. :"Not 29...Qxa2? 30.Nxf6! and wins. <_And now if 30...Qxa2 31.Nf4 Bf7 32.Ng6+ Bxg6 33.fxg6 h6 34.Nxh6 gxh6 35.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.Rf5 wins. SThreatening Rg8++. X/Forced, as 44...Kf8 45.Qg8+ picks off the Rb3. YeA quiet but deadly move -- Black is helpless against the threat to close the mating net with 46.Rg1. GAME PillsburyLasker#"$%!$"# 9cbqvr2sCtdrB$U6G"TeE5R$a0u!qswB71pR5aBC3B$R%U26CC"Gr0Tq'33C%%7CC$E5R$PP!11pcBsR5BaP$PRPillsbury-Lasker, St. Petersburg 1896 Lasker scores a brilliant combinative victory over arch-rival Pillsbury. The players castle on opDFGHposite wings, but White loses time with his prematurely developed Queen -- time which Black uses to make a truly profound Rook sacrifice. `Better is 7.Bxf6, which Pillsbury played with success against Lasker at Cambridge Springs 1905. {Aiming at a Kingside attack with f2-f4 and g2-g4, but the Queen would be better posted for defensive purposes at f4 or g3. #Better than 18.bxc3 Qxc3 19.fxe6 Qb4+ 20.Kc2 [or 20.Ka1 Rc8 21.Qg4 Rc2] 20...Rc8+ 21.Kd3 Qxd4+ 22.Ke2 Rc2+ 23.Kf3 Rf2+ 24.Kg3 Qe3+ 25.Qf3 Be5+ 26.Kg4 h5+ and wins. %Also insufficient are I) 19.bxa3 Qb6+ 20.Ka1 Bxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Qxd4+ 22.Kb1 fxe6 23.Be2 Qe4+ 24.Ka1 Rf2 25.Re1 Qd4+ 26. Kb1 Qd2 and wins; II) 19.e7 Re8 20.bxa3 Qb6+ 21.Kc2 Rc8+ 22. Kd2 Bxd4 23.e8Q+ Rxe8 24.Bd3 Qa5+ 25.Kc1 Rc8+ 26.Bc2 Rxc2+ 27.Kxc2 Qc3+. )VForced, as 21.Kc2 loses to 21...Rc7+ 22.Kd2 Qxd4+ 23.Ke1 Qc3+ 24.Rd2 Re7+ 25.Be2 Bg5. 7pA bit more tenacious was 28.Kb1, but Black is still winning after 28...Bxd4 29.Qf5+ g6 30.Qf7+ Bg7 31.Qxb7 Ra4. 9CFor White will be mated after 29.Ka4 b5+ 30.Kxb5 Qc4+ 31.Ka5 Bb8+. GAMETarraschMarco#"$%!$"# DdvU4%cuDtgbUq e6sE$ra"C1Rf%WE0vpdE@`$F'GbU%5SD4U%4#UDCS%vW$B"6 RE'Ub5E1Q23Ad0FGV@wtE%$QQ!6666g66%&&Tarrasch-Marco, Vienna 1898 Siegbert Tarrasch was the great explicator of Steinitz's theories, but the IKLMdogmatic certainty with which he expounded them in the end provoked the Hypermodern reaction of the 1920's. Tarrasch ignored those aspects of Steinitz uncongenial to his style (e.g. defense of cramped positions), but in the exploitation of a space advantage and the use of active pieces he had few peers. The usual move is 6...d5, maintaining the Knight at e4. Black's choice leads to a solid but rather cramped position, not a happy choice against Tarrasch. A player with a space advantage should avoid exchanges [contrariwise, a player with a cramped position should seek to free himself by exchanging pieces], and so White prevents the exchange of the Bc8. There would be little point in capturing the Be6, as White will soon play f4-f5 and g2-g4, leaving the Bishop with hardly any moves. eInstead, 14...d5 15.c5 b6 16.b4 a5 17.Na4 leads to a different but not a much better pawn structure. 'White has the iniative, and so his pawn advances support an attack, while Black's pawn on h6 only invites the opening of a file by a later g4-g5. ,yAt last Black succeeds in opening a line for counterattack, but his pieces lack sufficient mobility to support the Rook. 3The decisive breakthrough. The Knught cannot be captured safely, e.g. I) 26...Bxe6 27.fxe6 g6 28.exf7+ Rxf7 29.Bxg6 Re7 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Re1, with a huge advantage to White. <HOr 30...Bxg5 31.f6 g6 32.Bxg6 fxg6 33.Qxg6 and Black must lose a piece. GAME PillsburyMarco#"$%!$"# ,cbqrdvuB$Uet2Ss!UE15WA4u pb%C3B$R%6TU!S334E2vBb U1W&5A&&GR%0u &&aPillsbury-Marco, Paris 1900 Harry Nelson Pillsbury's record is perhaps less well known than it should be; his illness and premature death in 1906 deprived the world of the matNPQch against Lasker he had long sought. Here he scores another fine victory with the Queens Gambit, as Marco thinks to improve on the Pillsbury-Tarrasch game from Hastings 1895. {The same faulty strategy adopted by Tarrasch. The strength of White's Kingside attack was not properly understood in 1900. -Threatening 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.Bf5 and 17.Bxf6. BNot 16...bxc3? 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Rxf6 fxg6 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20. Rxg6++. ,\For Black will soon be mated after 22...Bxf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Qh8+ Kf7 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Qxd7. GAMEMarshallBurn#"$%!$"# "cbqrdvuB$6gG7s%SbUwC3B$R%6TU!S33%%G&7&&b&&&6%Marshall-Burn, Paris 1900 In his autobiography, Marshall, perhaps tongue in cheek, attributes his victory in this game to the fact that it didn't last long enough for Burn to light his pipe... bWhite RTnow threatens the well known sacrifice 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Ng5+, and if 12... Bxg5 13. hxg5+ "for if 17...Kxh8 18.Qh7++. GAMELaskerNapier#"$%!$"# Fdqvc2UrgfF%WeC#D"dC3s5GT&u4BRpatFwDuVqRQ7fUVEd`R2D2R"U&CCCT#W%F6GE4d33CC35R727BEDaqRuF777Vf70QWVU Ed5RP@T~Lasker-Napier, Cambridge Springs 1904 It is not often that a player will name one of his losses aUWXYZs the best game he ever played, but such was the case with William Napier's celebrated game against Emanuel Lasker. In many ways this game is archetypical of Lasker's play; it rarely mattered to him whether he stood better or worse, but only whether the tension could be maintained. LThe usual plans for White in this "Dragon" variation are Be2 followed by Kingside castling and a central advance with f2-f4, or f2-f3 followed by O-O-O and a pawn attack on the Kingside with h2-h4-h5. Instead White chooses to advance his Kingside pawns before securing his King, and Black correctly responds by opening the center. Logical, but safer was the preparatory 12...Bg4. The text leads to unfathomable complications, which at first glance -- and even second and third -- seem to favor Black. bA strong intermediate move; after 15.Nxd5 exd4 Black recovers all of his material with advantage. "It is remarkable how long the Black Knight remains untouched at c3. Now neither 18.Nxc8 nor 18.bxc3 exf4 19.Bd4 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Re8 are satisfactory for White. #WWith the sudden threat of 19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Nxg6+ Kg8 21.Bc4+ Nd5 22.Bxd5+ Rxd5 23.Ne7+. &Preventing the threat described above. White still does not wish to take the Nc3, for after 20.bxc3 Bf8 21.Bb5 Rxe7 22.Bxe7 Bxe7 Black would have more than enough for the Exchange. *]A very fine conception, which might well have succeeded against a lesser player than Lasker. 0Despite his extra Rook, White's position is none too happy -- Black threatens Rxe8, Nxc5, Nd2+ and Ng3+. But now Lasker returns all the material to retake the initiative, and soon proves that the Black King is less safe than the White. =The once exposed White King becomes a strong attacking piece, and the Black f4 pawn cannot be held, as 31...Be5 is met by 32.Ng6+. F5For there is no good defense to the threat of g5-g6. GAME SchlecterMarco#"$%!$"# @cbqrdvpBau `t%6USs4S1A1r7q'%uW!R3"qU2C3B$R%6TUr 21A"S0Pv7447BS%BB1""q&'!W6qU5""3E"YSchlechter-Marco, Monte Carlo 1904 The post-Steinitz era was thought by many to be a time of dull play in compariso[]n to the previous century, culminating in Capablanca's prediction of a "draw death." But the greatest masters of the period were still able to rise above the uniformity of style and produce such sprightly games as the following. 7The second sacrifice cannot be accepted -- 28...exd5 29.Rb6+ Kc7 30.Qxd5 and Black will be mated, e.g. 30...Rhb8 31.Qd6+ Kc8 32.Rc6+ Kb7 33.Qc7++. GAMERotlewi Rubenstein#"$%!$"# 3cvdbqC`a2rsu3SBct"U#e4TDv%SfVdcRC3U$T2B"R%22P A#acSBB1Sdv444ED4!wFDGVRGccDfWzRotlewi-Rubinstein, Lodz 1907 In contrast to his great rival, Lasker, Akiba Rubinstein was a player of calmness and simplicity; at his best, his victories^`abc seem as inevitable as the tide. Here he demonstrates the value of time -- in symmetrical position, White's first loss of tempo permits Black equality; the second invites a brilliant, devastating -- and logical -- attack. Not exactly a mistake, but by making this capture before Black's Bf8 has moved, White risks a loss of tempo if he later plays, say, Bf1-d3 and is answered by d5xc4. Another inaccuracy; it is clear that Black will soon open the d-file and place a Rook on d8, so that the White Queen will have to move again. Time to take stock. The pieces of both sides are posted symmetrically, but Black has the useful extra move ...Rf8-d8, and it is still his move. rubenstein begins by exchanging off one of the Kingside defenders. #}White's undeveloped position can't stand this; he had to try Rfd1, though Black still stands better with his active Bishops. )zBlack is well on top after 21.Qxg4 Rxd3, and 21.Ne4 runs into 21...Rxd3 22.Qxd3 Bxe4 23.Qxe4 Qh4 24.h3 Qg3 25.hxg4 Qh4++. +Also insufficient was 22.h3 Rxc3, e.g. 23.Qxg4 Rxh3+ 24.Qxh3 Qxh3+ 25.gxh3 Bxe4+ 26.Kh2 Rd2+ 27.Kg3 Rg2+ followed by mate, or 23.Bxc3 Bxe4 24.Qxg4 Qxg4 25.hxg4 Rd3, and White must lose the Bishop on c3 in view of the threat of ...Rh3++. ,^A wonderful combination, which includes the motifs of "overloading" and "removing the guard." -Other moves are no better: 23.Bxc3 Bxe4+ 24.Qxe4 Qxh2++, or 23.Bxb7 Rxg3 24.Rf3 (Black threatened ...Nxh2 and ...Rh3) Rxf3 25.Bxf3 Nf2+ 26.Kg1 Ne4+ 27.Kf1 Nd2+ 28.Kg2 Nxf3 29.Qxf3 Rd2+ and wins. .The final point. Hopeless now are a) 24.Qxg4 Bxe4+ 25.Rf3 Rxf3, b) 24.Bxc3 Rxe2 threatening both ...Rxh2++ and Bxe4++; and c) 24.Bxb7 Rxe2 25.Bg2 Rh3!. 3For White must soon be mated. GAME Capablanca Bernstein#"$%!$"# Fdvutq1c4Uru6%GsapS6R4C$dfe2C0d`sbVtaU45$T7%E&R6TGD4U"1%vR#""CCC6t'GSQ6s4T$d052CFU$d`Vbra7d4E12R%%&756TGV6Capablanca-Bernstein, San Sebastian 1911 The young Capablanca was admitted to this event, intendedfghid to be limited to those who had taken at least two third prizes in international tournaments, only at the insistence of Frank Marshall, who Capa had beaten in a match two years before. The Cuban won the event convincingly, losing only one game to Rubinstein. Ossip Bernstein had been one of the most vocal opponents of Capablanca's admission to the tournament, and by chance they met in the first round. Black has adopted the Steinitz Defense to the Ruy Lopez, in which he obtans a cramped but solid position. The doubled Black c-pawn deprives White of the use of the d5 square, and Black may hope for counterplay on the b-file. On the whole, White stands slightly better. sIn a cramped position, it is generally a good idea to exchange a few pieces to obtain greater freedom of movement. In the days when this defense was popular, it was more common for Black to regroup with ...Rfe8, Nh7-f8-g6, eyeing the e5 square. $The threat against the a2-pawn proves not to be a real one, for after 18...Qxa2 19.Qc3 (threatening to trap the Queen with 20.Ra1) Qa6, White would obtain a strong attack with something like 20.Nf4 f6 21.Qg3 g5 22.Ng6 Rf7 23.Nxh6+ Kg7 24.Nxf7 Kxg6 25.Nxd6 cxd6 26.Rxd6 Rb7 27.e5. &To meet the threat of 20.Nxc6 Bxc6 21.Ne7+ and 22.Nxc6. The a2 pawn still cannot be captured in view of 19...Qxa2 20.Ra1 Qb7 21.Reb1. ,Seeing no direct threat, Black thinks that it is time to capture the a-pawn, but 22...Qb6 would have minimized White's advantage. .KThe only chance of defense was 23...f6, to defend the g7 pawn with ...Rf7. 2Other moves are no better. Two variations given by Capablanca are 25...g5 26.e5 f6 27.Qd3, and 25...g6 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.e5 gxh5 28.gxh5, and there is no answer to the threat of Re1-e2-g2+. 8Losing quickly. Capablanca expected 28...Nxg7, though White is still winning after 29.Nf6+ Kg6 30.Nxd7 f6 31.e5 Kf7 32.Nxf6 Re7 33.Ne4. GAME CapablancaMolina#"$%!$"# 8cbqrdvB%63u"tCSUsF&V'G&TD$p2SWuEt6%geC3B$R%6T"U33S2v226&F5V'G&%D&55sSWEVtddVV6%ECapablanca-Molina, Buenos Aires 1911 A famous example of the Bishop sacrifice at h7. The usual feature of this game is that the sacrifice jlmdoes not lead directly to mate, but rather to a sustained initiative from which Black is unable to recover. In principle this is the correct reaction, challenging White's central pawn, but Black cannot afford to open lines when behind in development. Capablanca had no equal in demonstrating the advantage in such "simple" positions. The only move -- 13...Kh6 14.Nxf7+ wins the Queen (the Rf8 is overloaded), and 13...Kg8 14.Qh5 is a winning attack, e.g. 14.Re8 15. Qxf7+ Kh8 16.Rad1 and Rd1-d4-h4. Again best. Capablanca points out that 14... e5 would lose to 15.Ne6+ Kf6 16.f4 e4 17.Qg5+ Kd7 19.Rfd1+ Nd3 20.Nxe4 Kc6 21.Rxd3 Qxd3 22. Rc1+ Kb6 23.Qc7+, followed by mate in five moves. .A blunder, but other moves are little better -- 23.Be6 24.Rxe6+ Nxe6 25.Nd5++, or 23...Bd7 24.Nd5+ Nxd5 25.Nh7+ Kf7 26.Qxc7 Nxc7 27.Rxd7+ Kg8 28.Nxf8, with a winning endgame. GAME Edward LaskerThomas#"$%!$"# #cvqr6d5RuUs7D4'g6fESUwftC5U$R%6%%DDD!S47%'F6GEVUdfgvcPEdward Lasker-Thomas, London 1912 The noted chess author Edward Lasker should not be confused with his distant cousin Emanuel. The young German player visited a London chess club in 1912 and was invitenpqd to play a game with the club champion Sir George Thomas. The result was a brilliancy which has graced the anthologies ever since. White meets Black's Dutch Defense with an attempt to open the game with e2-e4. The most logical response to the placement of the White Knight on c3 is d7-d5, adopting a "Stonewall" formation, but this is not to everyone's taste. So that if 11.Nxf6+ gxf6, the Queen defends the h7 pawn. With four pieces attacking the Black King and only the Nf6 defending, it seems that there should be a combination, and indeed there is. BOr 12...Kh8 13.Ng6++. From now on, all Black's moves are forced. 4%CG026t9 9 %CG027z 9 9 %CG0289! 9! %CG029?9! 9! %CG030-9! 9! %CG03109! 9! %CG0329! 9! %CG0339! 9! %CG0349! 9! %CG035u9! 9! %CG0369" 9" %CG037:&:&%CG0389" 9" GAMELewitzkyMarshall#"$%!$"# /cdqvD$utrCUCdFs26p#cAa2s"d3%7'4RC$D3R2U"33d%v62$C2$$F#WcA%%s2dRRR3C74'6W2VLewitzky-Marshall, Breslau 1912 Though he was not quite the equal of Lasker or Capablanca, Frank Marshall was for many years one of the top half-dozen players in the suvwxworld, and a formidable tournament competitor. His aggressive attitude, combinational flair and imagination produced an amazing number of brilliant games like this one. It is said that after the startling conclusion, the spectators showered the board with gold coins. A double-edged system which Marshall long played with success, for he had no aversion to accepting a positional weakness for tactical chances. A dubious idea; Black obtains strong central pawns and open f-file, and White will never have time to exploit the potentially weak e6 pawn. PNow Black obtains a clear advantage. The defensive 14.a3 was certainly better. hWhite had to meet the threats of both ...Nf6-e5 and ...d5-d4, but now Black's Rooks become very active. !Embarking on what he believes to be an exchanging combination, but Marshall has seen further. Better was 17.a3 Bxc3 18.Qxc3 Qxc3 19.bxc3, though Black now stands clearly better in the endgame. 'rWhite had seen this far -- on 20.Qe5? Nf3+! 21.gxf3 Rg6+ wins, but now if 20...g6 21.Qe5 is playable. However ... )fPerhaps White had planned 21.Rc5, overlooking 21... Rxf2! (22.Rxf2 Qe1+, or 22.g3 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Rxf1+). +MOn 22.Qg4, 22...Nf3+, discovering on the undefended Re5 would win routinely. -yNot 23.gxh3? Nf3+. Now White hopes for something like 23...Qb4 24.Rc7 g6 25.Qe5, but Black finishes the game elegantly. 0Queen is en prise three ways but cannot be captured -- 24.fxg3 Ne2+ 25.Kh1 Rxf1++, 24.hxg3 Ne2++, or 24.Qxg3 Ne2+ 25.Kh1 Nxg3+ 26.Kg1 Nxf1 with an extra piece. GAMELasker Capablanca#"$%!$"# Tdvu1c4sUqteCErEQCpu!ea`vfc g0PeUS&EG'VUsD#R!$2WwpDD4U"1 ""CCCCC#RvEQ%5!E##C$se1cAPeF'S0GAAUE&V6U!66WVw44D32p2Lasker-Capablanca, St. Petersburg 1914 At the end of thy{|}~e first half of this double-round tournament, Capablanca stood a point and a half ahead of his nearest rivals Lasker and Tarrasch. When he met Lasker again in the seventh of the ten final rounds, even a draw would virtually assure the Cuban of first place. But Lasker, the great chess psychologist, adopted an opening in which Black may indeed try for the advantage, but cannot readily obtain a draw. The result was a great victory over a great opponent. A surprising choice in a "must-win" situation, for the Exchange Variation is generally considered to allow Black equality. But the equality is of a dynamic nature, as Black must use his two Bishops to counterbalance White's Kingside pawn majority, and the sort play in which Capablance excelled -- gradual simplification to a technical endgame -- will not do, for each exchange of pieces brings White closer to a won King-and-pawn ending. A move that could be made only by an inexperienced player -- or a very strong one. White accepts a permanently backward e-pawn and weakens the e5 square, but he cramps the Black position and will obtain the e6 square for a Knight and the h2-b8 diagonal for his Bishop. Again a surprise decision, undoubling Black's pawns. White has calculated that the Knight he will post at e6 will prevent Black from coordinating his pieces, and the White Rooks will threaten to penetrate on both sides of the board. *In hindsight, Black should play here 21...Rxe6 22.fxe6+ Kxe6, with a pawn for the Exchange and a solid position. But it is not easy to make such a decision in a seemingly tenable position. 13Preparing to open a line for his Rooks with g4-g5. <On 30...gxh4 31.Rh3 White recovers the pawn with advantage, but now he must avoid 31.Rxd6 Nc4 32.Rd1 Ne5+ 33.Ke2 gxh4, and Black stands well with his centrally posted Knight. EA fine move, capping White's strategic play with a tactical blow. Now the e5 square will be occupied by a Black pawn, and White will use e4 as a pivot point for his Knight. J:An not 37...Re7 38.Nxb7 Rxb7 39.Nd6+, picking off a Rook. TuWhite threatens mate with (among others) 43.Nb7+ followed by 44.Rxc8++, and after 42...Nb6 43.Rb8 Black is helpless. GAME NimzovichTarrasch#"$%!$"# @cvbdutarqpB$UGC!S%1sDU3T#vg"ecGvfCbweU5TEf4$uC3U2B$T%S"v#Qa!cr33G&U221D""bccCCggGvfUDweu35RfTDDEE4g$1Nimzovich-Tarrasch, St. Petersburg 1914 Tarrasch was the great explicator of Steinitz's theories, though he provoked the "Hypermodern" reaction through his dogmatism and rejection of those aspects of the game uncongenial to his own style. In the use of a space advantage and active pieces he had few peers, and here he gives another example of the double-bishop sacrifice, as in Lasker-Bauer. ++If 22.Kxg2 Qg4+ 23.Kh2 Rd5 and 24...Rh5++. 1The White Queen is lost on 25.Rxf1 Qh2+, and 25.Nf6+ Kf8 26.Nxe8 Qg2+ 27.Ke3 Rxe8+ 28.Kf4 g5+ 29.Kf5 Qxc2+ 30.Rxc2 Bd3+ leaves Black with an extra Rook. GAME SpielmannFlamberg#"$%!$"# dqeE%vsDcFdfGrCtR"s4u$TD4R%E34DUFd2CUUGVCT4r"333$BD2Spielmann-Flamberg, Mannhiem 1914 Rudolph Spielmann was in many ways a man out of his proper time. Dubbed "the last knight of the King's Gambit," he sought a return to the swashbuckling style of Morphy and Anderssen. 8No better is 13...Qe4 14.Bb5+ Nc6 15.Bxc5 Qxf3 16.Re1+. GAME CapablancaMarshall#"$%!$"# Fdvu1tu@bD%U"t34g%scFtW#vgdGuVreUdwSGWuQCea2` @0pAq#1A!3D4U"1 @%vt1QR333444%t#WFUGCedFFguVewdecGWSubeUv3222A#@01A RRA!RTCapablanca-Marshall, New York 1918 Marshall launches a fierce counterattack by means of a subtle opening novelty (now known as the Marshall Gambit), but Capa's chess instinct enables him to thread his way through the pitfalls. ?Marshall's innovation, sacrificing a pawn for a strong attack. 8`Or 28...Be3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3 30.Nd2 Qxa1 31.Qxe3, and White should win with his material advantage. GAME RubinsteinVidmar#"$%!$"# 1cbC%rvqsAap4F3Ud"R%cPtTbdDUcVu$d'G5C%B44FE"UAR3RRPr%%%c#CTCCDb0dEE5aUcVDG$d'777&Rubinstein-Vidmar, Berlin 1918 During the second and third decades of the century, dissatisfaction grew with the correct but colorless play of the post-Steinitz era, in which masters scored against opponents who had not assimilated the "new" principles of positional play but generally drew with one another. One of the attempts to enliven Black's play was the Budapest Gambit, a sharp pawn sacrifice upset of the mighty Rubinstein. In this way White can keep the pawn, but he must play very accurately. Alternatives are the agressive 4.e4 Nxe5 5.f4, and 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Be2, returning the pawn for a slight positional advantage, which most players nowadays prefer. gAlso good is 6.Nbd2, but White must avoid the trap 6...Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.axb4? [8.e3 is correct] Nd3++. IIf 10.e6 dxe6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qxg4, Black recovers the piece with 12...e5. Surprisingly, this turns out to be a fatal error. White must prevent the entry of the Knight into e4 with 13.f3, when Black's compensation for the pawn is unclear. >Not much better was 16.Kd1, in view of 16...Bf5 17.Bd3 Nxf2+. )~Had White repeated moves with 21.Kf3, Black would have resorted to the winning line 21...h5 22.h3 h4, closing the mating net. GAMEAlekhineSterk#"$%!$"# :cvbqdR#s1u3S"CtTrb2BCu%SdDRpr26d4B qSV5EC3U%B$RT#1b"RSBB222v!D6dCSRrDDDD2d0q B@%42V&@Su5Eb'Alekhine-Sterk, Budapest 1921 Alekhine considered this game very characteristic of his style -- maneuvers on the Queenside divert the Black pieces, setting the stage for a surprising mating attack with threats on both sides of the board. "The main variation Alekhine analyzed was 17...Nc5 18.Rxc3 Bxe4 19.Bxf6 Bxd3 20. qe3 gxf6 21.b4 Bg6 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.Rxc5, with good chances for the Pawn. -bNow if 23...h5 24.Rg4 Qxe2 25.Rxg7+ Kh8 26. Ng5, and there is no defense to 26.Rh7+ and 27.Rh8++. /`The main idea is 24...Qxc4 25.Qg5 Kfb 26.Qxg7+ Ke8 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Ne5+ Kc7 29.Qf7+ and 30.Nxc4. GAMEAlekhineYates#"$%!$"# Lcbvqrdpsu3S%R6DB"tc0Qbr1uUeA`vge2 r12VG fu"4EC%B$U3R6Tr"bSBB3D5c133v0Q@22222Ar 4UQP'eGV12 "E7uV %%4Alekhine-Yates, London 1922 An extreme example of the "weak square complex" -- Alekhine so thoroughly dominates the dark squares that in the end even his King can march across the board to complete the mating net. @Black's 9th and 10th moves constitute the so-called "Capablanca freeing maneuver," with which Black hopes to exchange a few pieces and gain time to develop his "problem Bishop" at c8. Black's last move leads to trouble, for he thus weakens the squares d6/e5/f6 in which the dark-squared Bishops will soon be exchanged. Trying to secure a square for the Bc8, but the open file which results will fall to White's control, and and c5 joins the list of weak dark squares. &With the exchange of Queens, Black's chance for counterplay has vanished, and it will soon become clear that he cannot offer Queenside pawns would soon fall in an endgame. *RNow on 21...Rec8 22.Rxc8+ Rxc8 23.Rxc8+ Bxc8 24.Nc6 threatens both Ne7+ and Nxb4. 5aWhite prepares to double Rooks on the 7th rank, with the incidental threat of 28.Nd7 and 29.Nc5. I?A piece sacrifice which prepares the final mating combination. LThe Rook can neither retreat nor be defended, as occupation of f8 by either Rook would allow mate in two, and after the impending Kxf6 mate cannot be long postponed. GAME BogolyubovAlekhine#"$%!$"# kcbfurAqvtsQ$da`g%UeFU4u6#c"Ps"f7c3QW@ueAp10ARsbcSfrBVtwDF1CGT%ed35gDcUvdeueT#C5B%V$fAccc"Uv#QR4T0QP7GF6U%EDs'W3u@"cAwfBB@ec1sS0ARberutgB111FUUU5d37DDDD##%%cdddeuueT$D3Bogolyubov-Alekhine, Hastings 1922 A remarkable game, in which Black gradually takes control of the whole board. A recurring combinative theme is the strength of an advanced passed pawn, which may create mating threats or sneak through to its Queening square. @A better piece formation for White is 6. Qxd2 followed by 7.Nc3 lBlack obtains parity in the center by means of a tactical trick -- 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Nxe5? Nxe5 13.Qxe5 Qxd2. The e5 pawn still cannot be taken -- 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qxe5 Ng4 wins the Queen. 14.b4 is also bad, as 14...e4 forces 15.Ne1, breaking the connection of the two Rooks and allowing 15...axb4 16.axb4 Rxal 17.Qxal Nxb4. #ZBetter was 16.d5. Now Black consolidates his advantage in the center and on the Kingside. (Black would like to exchange his d5 pawn for the White one on c4, obtaining the fine square d5 for his Knight, and he prepares...a5-a4 22.b4 dxc4. White prevents this, but at the cost of a different concession. .The main threat of this move can be seen in the game. The other defenses, about equally bad, are 24.cxd5 (giving Black the Queenside). White prefers to sacrifice a pawn. ;On 30.Qa1 Rxa5 31.Qxa5 Qa8 32.Qxa8 Rxa8 the Black Rook, Bishop and Knight will escort the b-pawn in, while the White Bh1 is quite out of play. Instead White plays an exchanging combination, but his opponent has seen further. >FSurprisingly, Black gets a new Queen, for the pawn cannot be stopped. DThreatening 35...Nf3++. P~Now White is reduced to pawn moves, for if 41.Rh3 Ng4 42.Nxg4 Qg2++, or 41.Nh3 Ng4! 42. Rxe2 fxe2, and the pawn will promote. ^,Forcing an easily won King and pawn ending. GAMEMaroczy Tartakover#"$%!$"# Gcbq`duvt%saru%fSp6R5U'v%gtec%bdVw#aVcFeRv$ut7sVfGCFv5C$B5R%PTS3U"vDb#Qa%t'V%u6sFDDcggew%dVq7ceGvVReeVftuu4vFVVt5e64UuVMaroczy-Tartakover, Teplitz-Schonau 1922 A marvelous intuitive sacrifice. When offering the Rook at move 17, Tartakover's judgement told him that White would have no way to secure his King or obtain a counterattack, so that Black would be able to bring up the reserves at leisure. The "Stonewall" system of the Dutch Defense. Black hopes to use his strongly posted Knight at e4 to support an attack on the White King. ROpens the file for Black, but 16.Nd2 Nxf2 17.Kxf2 Rxh2+ 18.Bg2 Bxg3+ is crushing. 1White must return some of the material, for if 25.Rg2 Rf8 26.Qe2 Rf3 27.Bc3 Bd6 28.Be1 g3 29.Nd2 Qg4, followed by Nh5-g7-f5, Black has a winning attack. =.White cannot survive 31.Rd2 exd4 32.exd4 Bf3. GAME RubinsteinHromadka#"$%!$"# :devqucgFs"UE#t`wRd2bC@!rsu%T3VfEUev2!W#D4E2U#R%B"SFWUUCV44s"@u'dCCR!0TbU3vEeVW#!2#eee2Rubinstein-Hromadka, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1923 Rubinstein's lucid play demonstrates the postional basis of the King's Gambit, as his diversionary threats on the open f-file prove a prelude to the decisive combinative blow against the Black King on the other flank. tBlack may decline the King's Gambit in this manner, for 3.fxe5? loses horribly to 3...Qh4+ 4.g3 Qxe4+ and 5...Qxh1. This old variation has the effect of preventing White from castling, but more in accordance with the position was challenging White's powerful Bishop with 6...Be6. Capturing the Rook with 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 yields White an overwhelming attack, e.g. 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Qxg7 Rf8 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Rf1 etc. Black hopes to sucure his King on the Queenside, but White will combine action on the f-file and the g1-a7 diagonal via the "pivot point" f2. %|With his last move, Black threatened to exploit the pin on the d-file with ...Nxe4; this was not on before because of Qg4+. '=Preparing 21.Qf2, when he would threaten both Bxa7 and Bxh6. (A clever move, enabling the Knight to reach the "outpost" square f4. The tactical point is 21.exd5? cxd5 22.Ba2 e4 23.Bf4 exf3 24.Bxc7 Rc8, and with the threat of ...Qe2+ Black has a strong attack. -Clearing the f-file. Black had not feared this move, for he thought that his reply would lead to the exchange of the important Bg1, breaking the attack, but Rubinstein has seen farther. 1A startling move. White threatens 26.Qxb7++, and the Queen cannot be taken in view of 25...axb6 26.axb6+ Ba7 27.Rxa7+ Kb8 28.Rfxb7+ Kc8 29.Ba6, with unavoidable mate. 3The point of the combination; the Black Queen has few flight squares, and after 26...Qc7 27.Qxc7 Rcx7 28.Rxc7 Bxc7 29.Bxg8 White picks off the undefended Rook on g8. :TThe final finesse wins a full piece, while 29.Bxg8 Bxd6 would win only an Exchange. GAMEGrunfeldAlekhine#"$%!$"# Ecbvqrdps`6u3SB"r2U`tbGcb4q%D!s$C4QuBR4reUSTdCBC%B$U3R6Tr"b P'GSBB1`2sCC!qvc4%%b&dBDr4QDCs4`SUCDEEBBsuCGrunfeld-Alekhine, Carlsbad 1923 Another superb Alekhine combination, as he outplays opening expert Grunfeld in the middlegame. =Black wins on 31.exd4 Bxd4+ 32.Kf1 Nf4 33.Qxe4 Qc4+ 34.Ke1 Nxg2+ 35.Kd2 Be3+. White hopes to escape with the text move, as Black has two pieces "en prise". GAMESaemisch Nimzovich#"$%!$"# 3cbvfuqtUB"rp!s4gv%EQ1R"ud5s7g61rC%B$U!VfRv34"33E r1Q"""Gg7c5sAq1v#DD7e6w5TSt'ASaemisch-Nimzovich, Copenhagen 1923 "Zugzwang" refers to a situation in which a player would be all right if he could "pass," but any move he makes will lead to disaster. This game is known as the "Immortal Zugzwang Game" - as soon as his Pawn moves run out in the final position, White will have to fall on his sword. 32"The most remarkable winning move on record"- White cannot play 26.Rd1 or Rc1 because of 26...Re2 trapping the Queen, or 26.Bf1 R5f3 with the same effect. 26.g4 is also out (26... R5f3 27.Bxf3 Rh2++), so after a few irrelevant pawn moves he will have to give up the Nb1 without weakening the Black attack. r%CG0399" 9" %CG0409" 9" %CG0419" 9" %CG0429" 9" %CG0439# 9# %CG044W9# 9# %CG0459# 9# %CG0469# 9# %CG047:.:.%CG0489# 9# %CG0499# 9# %CG050R9$ 9$ %CG051k98 98 GAMEReti Bogolyubov#"$%!$"# 2vbfutarcq%c3UeDf4d$B#s4DUa4ubpC7U3B$V%f#vQaC"cDDD45UUUD42bC574C5555Cu]Reti-Bogolyubov, New York 1924 Emanuel Lasker won this great tournament, a point and a half ahead of Capablanca, who in turn finished two and a half points ahead of Alekhine. But Richard Reti had the distinction of defeating Capablanca -- his first loss in nine years -- and he won the first brilliancy prize for his game against Efim Bogolyubov. Against White's flexible "Reti System," Black adopts a set-up aiming for e6-e5, but he fails to find a good development for his Bc8. His position suffers from a certain rigidty, for if he is unable to effect the advance of the e-pawn, his pieces will not be well posted. Hoping to exchange some pieces, but this does not solve the problem of the Bc8. The alternative 9...e5 leads after 10.cxd5 cxdd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.Nc5 Re8 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Qd4 to a position in which the isolated d-pawn will prove a static weakness. Better than the more obvious 13.exf3; White keeps the f-file open for his Rook, and will use the e-pawn to open more lines (e2-e4). Now White plans to use his space advantage to bring all his pieces to attack the Black King before Black can coordinate his undeveloped Queenside. Eliminating the weak e6 pawn, but the opening of additional lines permits White to launch a decisive attack. However, the alternative 15...fxe4 16.Bxe4 g6 17.Qd3 was not very attractive either. &JThe tactical trick 19...Re7 20.Bxd4 Bxf5 fails to 21.Qxf5 Rxd4 22.Qxf8++. .1And not 23...Qe7 24.Bf7+ Kh8 25.Bd5! Qf6 26.Qc8. 2qMate will soon be forced -- 25...Rxe8 26.Qxf8+, 25...Be7 26.Qf8+, or 25...h6 26.Qxf8+ Kh7 27.Bg6+ Kxg6 28.Qf5++. GAMERetiAlekhine#"$%!$"# Qfv4UcDsurAqbB SActusQFfWUFfWUap7`GgA @C"B312Rv%rDwFBegFWTc4gFWTfbV4UDC3SSS%fAcccB 3AB3Q"vsFc2WUFfWUFw7A rG@VV111TU11RdgDBef$bFW4gUdFWTgbUCReti-Alekhine, Baden-Baden 1925 Reti was one of the leaders of the "Hypermodern" movement, a group of masters who rebelled against the dogmatism of Tarrasch (who claimed that the center must be occupied by pawns) and demonstrated the power of counterattack against an immobile center. Here Reti obtains a fine strategic position from his opening experiment, but is ensnared by Alekhine in a whirlwind of combinations. Now White has pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal and the c-file; the Knight on d4 aims at c6, where they intersect, and the Nb3 can move to c5, attacking b7. Black must play very energetically to maintain the balance. !White correctly declines the pawn sacrifice, for Black wins in 17.Bxh3 Qxh3 18.Nxb7 Ng4 19.Nf3 Nde3 20.fxe3 Nxe3 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 [not 21...Kxf7 22.Ng5+ and 23.Nxh3] 22.Nh4 Rf8, and if 23.Qb3 Rf1+ mates. 'Naturally White does not want to agree to a draw, or change his powerful Bishop. But the position of the B on h1 allows Black a hidden combinational idea at move 26. 1Safer was 25.e4 Nb6 26.Qb3, but White did not wish to block the diagonal of his bishop, and Black's threat is far from obvious. 5The Rook cannot be taken because of 27.fxe3 Qxg3+ 28.Bg2 Nxe3, and Black threatened 27...Rxg3+ with the same idea. But a better defense was 27.Bf3 Bxf3 28.gxf3 cxb5 29.Nxb5 Qa5, though Black is still somewhat better; 30.Rxd5? fails to 30...Re1+ 31.Rxe1 Qxe1+ and 32...Ra1. =An amazing position -- with so many pieces of both color "en prise" it seems difficult to say even who has the advantage. But with his next move, Alekhine embarks on a 12-move combination that ends in the capture of the stranded Knight on b7. ?'Not 32.fx3? Nxd2 winning the Exchange. Q2For if 41.Re3 Nxf3+ 42.Rxf3 Bd5, winning a piece. GAME P. Johner Nimzovich#"$%!$"# QcbqduvtAaUc$e4Sg"srv5`fu5dcCQucp'ft6Ts`5d QwWDGT7vGgu5vC%B$RATS2U"vRR#c!Q4EDdWt7c5g@5V0v'ur3cf6u`5wsEEQ dGTbWD555dGfVvWTGuZP. Johner-Nimzovich, Dresden 1926 Nimzovich's maneuvers puzzled his contemporaries, and this game is a case in point (Qd7-f5-h7). The justification lies in the importance of the Black pawn on e4, which cramps the White position. It must be "overprotected," and any pieces engaged in such activity find themselves well-posted for later attack. =Or 31.Bd2 Rg6 32.Be1 Ng4+ 33.hxg4 hxg4+ 34.Kg2 Bxc4 35.Qxc4 e3, and the threat of 36...Qh3++ forces 36.Nxe3 Nxe3+, winning the Queen. GAME Capablanca Spielmann#"$%!$"# 4cvbqrB$sAadu2StuU@%c3`$@3b10 t1pD5TC3U$BR%6A33@RRT2SBbv t$c10DDD@316D 1!Wqqq5UEECapablanca-Spielmann, New York 1927 New York 1927 was Capablanca's greatest triumph, and may have contributed to overconfidence in his subsequent match with Alekhine -- he won this quadruple round-robin by 2 1/2 points, ahead of Alekhine, Nimzovich, Spielmann, Vidmar and Marshall. He also received the first brilliancy prize for his victory over Spielmann, as he elegantly refutes Black's tactical defense at move 17. The Manhattan Variation, in which Black accepts a certain loosening of his position in order to obtain more active play than in other lines of the Queen's Gambit. More consistent was 7...c5 8.e3 O-O, when the capture of the pawn on c5 would lead only to the weakening of White's pawn structure, for the pawn cannot long be held... Black plans to advance his Queenside pawns in hopes of obtaining a passed pawn on the flank. White will try to advance his e-pawn but has in reserve an attack on the Queenside, where his Queen is already actively posted. SNot at once 13...b5, in view of 14.Qa5 Bb7 15.Qc7, threatening both Qxb7 and Bxf6. "The direct defense of the b-pawn with 17...Rb8 leaves Black in a terrible mess after 18.Reb1 Qd5 19.Bf4 Rb6 20.axb5 Rxb5 21.Rxb5 axb5 22.Rb1. With the text move, Black hopes to gain time by attacking the Bg5 to secure his position with 18...Bb7, but Capablanca is ready... $sMore or less forced, as 18...Bb7 19.bxa6 Qxa5 20.Rxa5 Rxa6 21.Rxa6 Bxa6 22.Bxe4 just leaves White two pawns ahead. &One of White's points is that 19...Ra7 loses to 20.b6! Qxa5 21.bxa7, for after 21...Qxa1 22.Rxa1 Nb6 23.Rb1 Black is helpless. (aAfter an exchange of Queens, Black would soon have to surrender a piece for the advanced a-pawn. 4qBlack resigns in the face of such variations as 26...Rxf4 27.Rxb6 Rf8 28.Rb8, or 27...Rxf3 28.a8Q+ Rf8 29.Qxc4+. GAME CapablancaAlekhine#"$%!$"# Acbqrdvp`63uBtCUa2Gs%dRr!uDRUPC%r@ g$t4UaqBC3B$R%6TUr P'GBB1dv222CAV!Q3UBDBBrR3333@%Uat11W4qDCCsTsCapablanca-Alekhine, 21st Match Game, Buenos Aires 1927 When Alexander Alekhine challenged Capablanca for the World Championship, few observers gave him a serious chance to win. Capablanca had dominated some of the best players in the world at the New York 1927 tournament, and he rarely lost six games in a year, let alone in a single match. But Alekhine, of whom his contemporaries said "Chess was the breath of life to him," had subjected both Capablanca's games and his own to careful study, and he set out to surpass the Cuban in those aspects of the game in which he was strongest, maneuvering in simplified positions. This period saw the elaboration of many subtleties in the Queen's Gambit. First of all, Blacks 7th move hopes to save a tempo by by meeting 8.Bd3 with 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 and 10...c5 (the c-pawn has moved only once). The game reaches a similar position with the extra move a2-a3 for White, which makes no particulardifference one way or the other. The right answer, adopted by Capablanca in three later games, is 8.cxd5, trying to reach an open position in which...a7-a6 will prove a loss of time. |White gains no advantage with 12.b4 a5! 13. Qb3 axb4 14.axb4 g5 15.Bg3 Nd5, and the b4 pawn is at least as weak as that c7. "Now Black's positional threat is 18...Nxc3 19.Rxc3 Bd5 20.Qb2 Rxc3 21.Qxc3 Qa8 followed by Rc8, controlling all the open lines. White's next move prevents this, but at the cost of weakening the c4 square. 4 In order to advance the e6 pawn without obstructing the Bishop. Alkehine analyzed two main variations: I) 27.Rd1 bxa4 28.Qxa4 Nb6 Ne4 33.Be7 f6 34.Rb1 Kf7 35.Kf1 Bc3, winning a pawn; II) 27.Rb1 Na3! 28.Qxb2 Nxb1 29.Qxb1 Qb3 [making use of the pawn will soon promote] B\neither 33.fxe3 Bxe3+ nor 33.Qxe3 Bxe3 34.Rxd5 Bxf2+ offer any hope. GAMEFlohrLustig#"$%!$"# Hdvu1sb@g"QctC2rU0qfe4uE%tpTD#c'UDF#Gbd&D6GevD4U"1 @%dR1Q#W0b2Cv3BTtcF&EEEeUu%'44DG#%%6&&&&DG%%6%2g4Flohr-Lustig, Prague 1928 In the 1930's, Salo Flohr was the most sucessful tournament player after Alekhine, and in 1938 negotiations were under way for a world championship match. The events of the next few years -- the collapse of Czechoslovakia, where he was virtually a national hero, and the suspension of the international chess for nearly a decade -- relegated him, like Rubinstein a generation before, to the realm of might-have-beens. Here he systematically demolishes the Black King's position, sacrificing a piece for each pawn, and slaughters the denuded monarch. This game was included by Hans Kmoch in his classic "Pawn Power in Chess" to illustrate the "sweeper-sealer" -- White's 23rd move simultaneously frees a square for his pieces and denies one to Black by forcing him to occupy it with a pawn. !An important decision -- White gives up the e5-square, but opens lines for his pieces at a time when Black is cramped and cannot readily post a Knight there. -ZAt the cost of a pawn, White opens the b1-h7 diagonal for his Bishop, obtains the e4 square for his Knight, deprives Black of the e4 square and open e-file, and makes a passed pawn. If Black now plays 23...fxe5, then after 24.Ng5 Nb7 25.Nde4 Rxf2 26.Qxf2 White has a winning attack on the f-file -- 26...Rf8? 27.Qxf8+! Bxf8 28.Nf6+ Kh8 29.Nf7++. 0GAlso poor is 24...f5, e.g. 25.d6 Bxd6 26.Nxd6 Qxd6 27.Rd1 Qe7 28.Nxe5. 4wNo better is 26...f5 27.Nxg6! hxg6 28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.Rxf5 gxf5 30.Qg2+ Kh7 31.Rxf5, and if 31...Rg8 32.Rh5+ Nh6 33.Nf6+. 6!Not 27...Rxf6 28.Qxe5 Qd8 29.g5. @`There is no defense, despite Black's huge material advan- tage -- 32...Rh8 33.gxf6+ Kg8 34.f7+. D#Or 34...Kf7 35.Rxf6+ Ke7 36.Re6++. GAMEAlekhine Nimzovich#"$%!$"# <dcqDrRAsbev`a2R 1@#0uturpcbrT1!@1gD$C3RA42c1ccR!E U@"AAA#50 1v'rbrTRbr@11@GAlekhine-Nimzovich, San Remo 1930 In the years following his match with Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine dominated the international chess scene. He was not satisfied with winning a tournament by a small margin, but played every game with a fierce will to win. San Remo 1930 was one of his greatest triumphs, as he won by a margin of 3 1/2 points, and would not agree to draws even in the final rounds. Here his artful use of pins reduces Nimzovich, who finished second, to virtual zugzwang in only 30 seconds. Black tries to solve the problems of his "bad" Bishop at once, but better was 8...Nf5, preventing Nd6+ and exerting pressure on the d4 pawn. After this stategic error Black's game becomes critical. The immediate danger lay on the Queenside, and after 14...a5 15.Bb5 axb4 16.O-O White's initiative would be far less than in the game. NThe alternative 15...bxa5 16.b5 and 17.Rxa5 is obviously very good for White. "7Not 17...Qe7 18.Bb5 Nxb4? 19.Rb1, trapping the Knight. *Black cannot simplify with 21...Nd8 22.Rac1 Rxc2 23.Rxc2 Rc8 24.Rxc8 Nxc8 25.Qc3!, followed by 26.Qc7, and the Queenside pawns cannot be defended. 0A desperate attempt to hold his position together on the c-file -- Black will bring his King to d8 to give traditional support to the Rc7. 5Threatening to win a piece with 28.b5. Black must surrender the b6 pawn to gain time to bring his King to the defense, but he will soon find himself with no good move. <For after a few irrelevant pawn moves, Black will have to make a move, say ...Qe8, which removes a defender of c7, and b4-b5 will win at once. GAME StahlbergAlekhine#"$%!$"# ?cbqsCv%rDQ`Aca2duDbt"SuP5@ERT0U$p5RedS7`vEC%B$RAQ22"UDc2b5PRRADT!SRRvds@E0TT5R#!!t4CT`UES7u6e'wUlStahlberg-Alekhine, Hamburg 1930 A brilliancy prize game, in which White's seemingly well-founded maneuvers on the Queenside are refuted by the opening of a file near the White King. For the serious student, it is notable that Black's combination centers on the apparently impregnable f3 pawn, at the intersection of the forces on the f-file and a8-h1 diagonal. The Nimzo-Indian Defense, popularized by Aron Nimzovich, seeks to exert indirect pressure on the light squares d5 and e4, and preserves the option of doubling White's c-pawn. The formation adopted by White avoids the latter danger, but permits Black an advantage in development. AControlling e4, and preparing [after ...O-O] to open the f-file. Preserving the dark squared Bishop with 13.Bb2 would lose additional time; one variation given by Alekhine is 13...Bb7 14.Bd3 Qe7 15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.Qxe4 Nxb4! 17.Qxb7 Nd3+, with advantage to Black. #Losing too much time, as it turns out that White will be unable to do much with the open a-file. Better was 18.Qe5 f4 19.Qc7 Bxf3 20.Bxf3 fxe3 21.fxe3 Nf5, with an unclear position. The attack Black now launches is very instructive. *gA defensive measure against the coming entry of the White Rook at a7 -- now he defends with ...Rd8-d7. .Securing the d4 square for the Black Knight; Black correctly concludes that White will never have time to exploit the weakened light squares. <tSimple, but very strong. Black now threatens 31...Rxf3 32.Qxg5 Rxf2, winning a Rook because of the mate threat, and if 31.Qd2 Black reaches a won King and pawn ending with 31...Bxf3 32.Nxf3 Nxf3+ 33.Rxf3 Rxf3 34.Qxg5 Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 hxg5 37.Ke2 Kf7 38.Kf3 Ke6 39.Ke4 b5!, and the connected passed pawns will win easily.White's next move fails to defend against the threat. GAME Lilienthal Capablanca#"$%!$"# 4cbq`Aaer6d u3s@BvtS"UE$CB4D%dbpt2utC%B$RAPRR!U36'G DBBB@B"Sdv0bBE544D%bCDt2DDtDFLilienthal-Capablanca, Hastings 1934-35 A rare tactical oversight by Capablanca. There is a (perhaps apocryphal) story that Lilienthal played Capa in a simultaneous exhibition as a boy. When he asked the great master for his autograph, Capablanca refused, and Lilienthal vowed to beat him one day with a Queen sacrifice... The Saemisch variation of the Nimzo-Indian; White spends a tempo to force Black to exchange Bishop for Knight, and hopes to launch a quick attack with his two Bishops and central pawn mass. The usual plan against the Saemisch is to fix the doubled pawn with...d6 and ...c7-c5, then to lay siege to it with Bishop and Knights. Instead, Black adopts a plan based on exchange of one Bishop and control of the light squares [c6, d5, c4]. &A blunder. Black had originally intended to play 19...Qc5+ 20.Nd4 Nxe5 21.Bxf6 gxf6, when his strong central Knight would compensate for the pawn weakness. Instead, he decides to exchange Queens at once, and indeed had written 20.Qxe4 Nxe4 on his scoresheet. However... +Clearing the e-file for a deadly check with gain of time. Now if 22...Qd2 23.Rfel+ Ne5 24.Rxe5+ Kd7 25.Rd5+ Ke8 26.Re1+ will leave White with an extra piece. 4Resignation is not premature; in addtion to his material disadvantage, Black is hopelessly tied up after 26...Kf8 27.Be7+ Kg8 28.Bf6 Rh7 27.Nc6. GAME GlucksbergNajdorf#"$%!$"# ,cbqvdutRU#v%efwgd7f$CEFU4E5TU&EC5B%R$U3T"S#vd6gwFEV7fvvgU44444E&UEEFF447(Glucksberg-Najdorf, Warsaw 1935 Polish-Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf has had a long and remarkable career. Never lacking in self-confidence, he declared in 1947 that he would soon become world champion. Though his natural ability was perhaps the equal of that of any player in the world, he lacked the discipline and persistence required in the age of Botvinnik to reach the highest level. In this game, sometimes called the "Polish Immortal," Black strips bare the enemy King, finally sacrificing four pieces to drive it into mating net. xHoping to gain time by the attack on the e6 pawn to play 10.f4, blocking the dangerous Bd6. Black reacts energetically. uOr 10.Kxh2 Ng4+, recovering the piece with advantage. Now rather than retreat the Bishop Black continues his attack. The decisive breakthrough -- now the Bc8 joins the attack. Without this move it would not be so clear that Black has enough for the piece. GAME Alatortsev Capablanca#"$%!$"# /cbqrdB%6v3autU4d`2RUsugS"Pb#eC%B$R36T33URR!dv24"""U@CC&""SqW Pb#eVdIAlatortsev-Capablanca, Moscow 1935 At their best, Capablanca's games are models of clarity and precision. His instinct for proper placement of his pieces is most clearly demonstrated in his mastery of the endgame, but in the middlegame as well, he proves in this game the maxim that combinations flow from a superior position. sBlack obtains a harmonious development of his pieces, for White has made no effort to obtain an opening advantage. A useful positional move; with only Queens and Rooks on the board, back-rank matethreats will be a factor, and with the dark-squared Bishops off the board the weakening of f6 and h6 is of little importance. (White has exchanged off a number of pieces, and at first glance it seems that the position is even. But Black occupies the c-file and the a8-h1 diagonal, and he can quickly create a passed pawn with his two-to-one majority on the Queenside. +GAllows a neat combination, but no better is 22.Qb3 R8c3 23.Qxb6? Rc1+. -!If 23.Kxf2 Rc2+ 24.Ke1 [or 24.Kg3 Qxg2+ 25. Kh4 h6!, and there is no defense to ...Qg5++ or ...g5+ 27.Kh5 Qxh3++, for 26.Qg3 loses to 26...g5+ 27.Kg4 h5+] 24...Qxg2 25.Qb8+ Kg7 26.Qe5+ Kf8 27.Qd6+ Ke8 28.Qb8+ Ke7 29.Qa7+ Kf6, and Black having escaped the checks, White will soon be mated. /yWhite must prevent ...R8c2 by 24.Rc1 Rxc1+ 25.Rxc1, when 25...Qe4 is crushing -- 26.Rc3 Ra2, winning the a-pawn as well. GAMEEuweAlekhine#"$%!$"# ^cbfrAuqv%tsUDcvC4$fbe4S"AbT%5#RDd6V%D4cuCp&U$Q6T%Ev$54e$!"t%#C$B5VAcf%RUDv!b4RRff3#S4w"QEDA2bT%5R#D%c6DEEC4$U&vvv%6T$4445t'e$c"1%$6#DNEuwe-Alekhine, 26th Match Game 1935 The "Pearl of Zandvoort" was undoubtedly the most striking game of the 1935 world championship match, in which Max Euwe unexpectedly took the title from Alekhine. When White sacrifices a piece for three central pawns, Black must play for counterattack, but his own King proves to be too exposed. White correctly refuses the Exchange sacrifice, for after 11.Bxb7 Nxe2+ 12. Kg2 Nxd4 13.Qd3 Nbc6 Black has more than enough compensation. @There is nothing better, since 32...h6 loses to 33.Nf7+ Kh7 34.Qd3+ Rg6 35.Ne5 Nxe5 36.fxe5 Qg7 37.d6, and the pawns cannot be stopped. GAMEFine Grunfeld#"$%!$"# hcvbq3drD2stRA46"@Ds%urwA%Gg`B1PVC0s4Af#%eQU$CquS74"$s6`0C@uDtq$b%U5S6DG4C3U%B$RBDA624C@"rD%%GAAA%C0%Bq7sVWP1QAAA4fAA%###eS7usC4"$`ss6EEC%u0q@UDt$$$b4S5c6DG4WEFine-Grunfeld, Amsterdam 1936 Reuben Fine was one of the strongest players in the world in the 1930's; his best result was undoubtedly his tie for the first with Paul Keres in the great AVRO tournament of 1938, in a field of the eight best players in the world. Unfortunately, he gave up serious play after World War II to pursue a career in psychoanalysis. Here he defeats opening theoretician Ernst Grunfeld at his own game, refuting a system then considered favorable for Black. dThe Vienna variation, thought at the time to be a strong answer to White's "inaccurate" move order. Previous analysis ended at this point, claiming, a win for Black as White must lose his Queen (13.Qa3 Nd3++), but Fine's next move proves this to be incorrect. Better was 12...Rc8, when Black has three pawns for the piece and the position is far from clear. JNow White wins a third piece for the Queen and maintains a strong attack. WThe Black King is stuck in the center, for 16...Kg7 17.Bf6+ Kg6 18.Nfe5+ wins at once. 7qThe initial move of the new combination that will leave White with a decisive material advantage in the endgame. E1Avoiding the trap 35.Ka2? Rc5!, winning a piece. NNow White must be a bit careful, as the Black King is actively posted and the connected passed pawns could become dangerous. But White is still winning. RNot 41...Ke5? 42.Nf3+ )%CG05298 98 %CG053m98 98 %CG054B98 98 %CG055A 98 98 %CG056u98 98 %CG057 98 98 %CG058 W99 99 %CG05999 99 %CG060B99 99 %CG061599 99 %CG06299 99 %CG063 99 99 %CG064%99 99 GAMEKeresEuwe#"$%!$"# ?dcDv2sCutEu`"qcP USAb"QVCSr3TCa5tp5g71Gc&DWE6D$C342UCC"E5Sv&VtPc0Q @AC1"BCC2S11GuTCcSQED5t7W6#WEEEVD7Keres-Euwe, Zandvoort 1936 Max Euwe held the World Championship for only a year -- his good sportsmanship in granting his rival so early a rematch was widely admired at the time -- and he has always been overshadowed by the towering figures of Alekhine and Botvinnik. But at his peak he was a very strong player indeed, and his best games are models of logic and precision. Here he thoroughly outplays Paul Keres, whose nervous attempt to break open the position is calmly refuted. White's loss of a tempo is not so important in such a closed postion, but the defense of the e5 pawn will cause him some headaches. More usual is 4.c3. gHoping to bring the Knight to e4 via d7 and c5. White tries to prevent this by posting a Knight on b3. !cHoping to center, but this doesn't work out. Correct was the quiet 17.c3, with about even chances. 'QThe combination 20.Nxe6? loses two pieces for a Rook after 20...Bxc4 21.Qg3 Qb6. )XThe problem with 17.c4 is now apparent -- 21.Qg3 is answered by 21...Qxc4 22.Nc7 Bxf2+. /On 24.Bxa5 Black could sacrifice the Exchange -- 24...d2 25.Red1 Nxe5 26. Bxd8 Rxd8 27.h3 f4, and Black's attack can hardly be resisted. 2^Now Black combines threats against the White King with a flanking action against the e5-pawn. GAME Botvinnik Tartakover#"$%!$"# <vbcfutqdgrpCUe6VE#B"RcB3&us#7$r'%s&6U%B#CV4fvR"DWTr'3c6EEE44233"B&#$%%7&5'`s6$%E#Botvinnik-Tartakover, Nottingham 1936 Future World Champion Botvinnik wins a brilliancy prize game against the imaginative but erratic Tartakover. The attack beginning at move 20 is notable for the manner in which White closes the mating net with a series of "quiet" (non-checking) moves. /Taking away the flight square e7 from the Black King, with the threat of 25.Qxh6 and 26.Bg5++. The Knight is immune, as 24...Bxf5 25.exf5 both attacks the Ng6 and discovers an attack on the Qc6. GAMEKeresHromadka#"$%!$"# HcbCqfud`vt$Bg@e4V0F%fv7pCdu!aDs&@`!WG7U7d Rt'C%B23&R#VfD @d$v33W04EF1!!67UCf@RR5tQ!5tt5`dGQ7'7&&&0sd3NKeres-Hromadka, Prague 1937 Hromadka pioneered the system of defense now known as the Modern Benoni, though it did not achieve real respectability until Tal took it up twenty years later. Here Keres demonstrates the danger of exchanging the Bg7 -- even if Black wins material in the process, his King position is not easy to defend. By transposition, we have arrived at a position from the Modern Benoni Defense. White will strive for f2-f4 and e4-e5 in conjunction with a Kingside attack; Black seeks tactical counterchances against b2 and e4. DProves a loss time; he should play 13...b5 14. axb6ep Rxb6 at once. He apparently intended 14...Nc4 15.Qa4 b5, but after 16.axb6ep Nxb6 17.Qc2, White would have two extra moves in comparison with the position that could have arisen from the last note. $Black had counted on this, as 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20. Na5 Qb4 21.Bxh5 gxh5, despite Black's pawn weaknesses, gives him strong counterplay against the e4-pawn. But Whites subtle reply refutes the idea. 'jBlack has been forced to block the Bishop's only retreat, and now White forces its exchange for a Knight. .lWhite prepares to take control of the a1-h8 diagonal, but Black can make a few threats against the b3 pawn. 4Both players conclude that Black cannot spare the time to capture the b3 pawn, for White's threat of h3-h4-h5-h6 is very dangerous. E~A simpler way to win was 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Qe7 Qxe7 37.Rxe7, winning a piece. But in Black's time trouble, White plays for mate. FA tougher defense was 36...Nb5, but White is still winning after 36.Rg7+ Kh8 37.Bb2 Nd4 38.Bxd4 cxd4 39.Rxg6, and the d6 pawn will fall as well (39...Bc8 40.Rxd6 Qxd6 41.Qe8+ mates). GAME Botvinnik Capablanca#"$%!$"# Rcbqd`AaB$uvtSrPs2S pd"e0TD%bU4Eut5e@EaV&46$PvrebVSGD7dfDGC%B$RAT3PRR233Sd!v a@SBbt"V0UQD@4e&E5%%5tt$$$E4PP776%rebVSGD7dGDFt7Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO 1938 The AVRO tournament of 1938, sponsored by a Dutch radio network, was a double-round affair among eight of the stongest players in the world. It was widely considered a tournament to choose the next challenger for the world championship, though it is not clear that Alekhine would have agreed, and in any case the European war soon made the question moot. The young masters Fine and Keres tied for first, well ahead of the "old guard" Alekhine and Capablanca. The most memorable game of the event was Botvinnik's victory over Capablanca, The "iron logician" systematically advances in the center, inviting his opponent to capture an irrelevant flank pawn, and he caps his play with a brilliant "diverting" sacrifice at move. Nowadays Black postpones thus committing himself in this game center, for the sort of position Capablanca raches in this game is not considered satisfactory for Black. }It is clear that White will strive to achieve e3-e4 (perhaps preceded by f2-f3), while Black will seek to prevent this and obtain counterplay on the Queenside. Black will soon have to choose between...c5xd4, which will give him an open c-file for counterplay but leave him with a somewhat weak d-pawn, and c5-c4, as played in the game, but allows White a free hand in the center. ABetter was 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 Rfc8, with good play on the c-file. Preparing to win the White a-pawn with ...Nc6-a5-b3 and...Qxa4, but the Black pieces will be rather far from the center and Kingside. 2The main alternative was 25...Rf8, when Botvinnik analyzes 26.Qf4 Qd7 27.Re6 Na5 28.Ba3 Rf7 29.Qg5 with considerable advantage to White. 4Even worse is 26...Kf7 27.Rxf6+ Kxf6 28.fxg6+ Kxg6 29.Qf5+ Kg7 30.Nh5+ Kh6 31.h4 Rg8 32.g4 Qc6 33.Ba3 and White should win quickly. <6No better was 30...Qe8 31.Qc7+ Kg8 32.Be7 Ng4 33.Qd7. >XWhite also wins on 31...Kh6 32.Nxf6 Qc1+ 33.Kf2 Qd2+ 34.Kg3 Qxc3+ 35.Kh4 Qxd4+ 36.Ng4+. CNot 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.e7, when Black would make a draw with 35...Qc1+ 36.Kf2 Qd2+ 37.Kg3 Qxc3+ 38.Kh4 Qxd4+ 39.Kxh5 Qe5+. But now the d4-pawn is defended, and the White King can escape from the checks with care. GAMEPleci Endzelins#"$%!$"# *dcq3RvCsrtusU%D614e&%gGD$C3RDDU2226%r144#& dDE1%&G7Pleci-Endzelins, Buenos Aires 1939 A lesser-known masterpiece from the last pre-war Olympiad. With a flurry of sacrifices, White demonstrates that an advantage in development remains of decisive importance even after the exchange of Queens. Instead, 11...fxg5 loses at once to 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13.Re8++, while 11...Nxe4 12.Ne5+ Ke7 13. Re8+ Kd6 14.Nf7+ Kc5 15.Nxh8 Kxb5 16.Rxf8 leaves White with a material advantage, and he retains his dominating Rook on the 8th rank. LThe Knight still cannot be captured, for if 13...Bxd6 14.Be8+ Kf8 15.Bg6++. GAMEKeres Botvinnik#"$%!$"# -cbqsB$r6tAbG2RCdur5sT%qS@"1CpbC%B$RAb3336'G2rRR6VCC"@5TSqSS5DDps11CSbqAKeres-Botvinnik, USSR Absolute Championship 1941 This event, a quadruple round-robin of the six best Soviet players, was held only once, and Botvinnik's triumph, 2 1/2 poin ts ahead of Keres, would surely have established him as a prime challenger for the world championship had the war not suspended international chess activity. Here he scores a lightning victory over Keres, who puts too much faith in the result of an earlier game. This position had occurred in a previous game Mikenas-Botvinnik, which White eventually won. It was perhaps naive of Keres to think that the "iron logician" would repeat the variation without having studied it throughly. Now Black occupies the c-file and the h7-b1 diagonal, and the White Kingside pieces remain at home. The game will be over long before Black need worry about his isolated pawn on d5. jThreatening...Nb4+. White's next move is forced, since 15.Kd2 loses the Queen to 15... Bxd3 16.Kxd3 Ne5+. $~Black does not win material with 18... Nc5 (forking the Queen and Rook) because of 19. Re3+, but now this threat must be met. .'cannot survive a discovery by the Ne4. GAME Reshevsky Vasconcellos#"$%!$"# 4dcDCvutrquE!R$pa4$V"UGA%q2s746'tD$C3422U2Sv"ER t!Va33qP$%GA4%S76&&'&dReshevsky-Vasconcellos, Boston 1944 By no means a typical game by Reshevsky, a player noted for dour maneuvering and resourceful defense. The explanat ion: Reshevsky had clinched first place in the U.S. Open with a round to spare, and was determined to have fun in his last game. When Black wastes time capturing the worthless b2 pawn, White sacrifices a Knight to rip open the center and checkmates the defenseless Black King. Hoping to win the e5 pawn. Safer was 8...Be7 followed by 9...O-O, but not 8...O-O? 9.Bxh7+! Kxh7 10.Ng5+ with a winning attack. [Black cannot win a pawn with 9...Ndxe5? 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 because of 11.Qh5! [11...Bd6 12.Nb5]. CPointless;he should play 10...Nb6 followed by ...Bd7 and ...O-O-O. Consistent, but fatal. NWhite also has a strong attack after 14...fxe6 15.Ng5 Nf8 16.Qf3 Nd8 17.Qxd5. It is logical to eliminate the Bd3, but surrendering control of the e5 square quickly proves fatal. A better try was 16...Be7. "Black avoids 17...Kg8 because of the variation 18.Bxf6 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 Qxd3 20.Nxd3 Bxf2+ 21.Kxf2 gxf6 22.Re7 with a winning ending, but the text leads to a far worse debacle. $JForced -- if 18...gxf6 19.Qh5! fxe5 20.Rxe5 Bd7 21.Qf3+ Kg7 22.Rg5+, etc. (The third sacrifice cannot be accepted -- 20...Bxb7 21.Qg4+ Kf6 22.Qf3+ Ke7 23.Qf7+ Kd6 24.Qd7++. Also insufficient is 20...Kh6 21.Nf7+ Kg7 22.Nxh8+ Kxh8 23.Re8+ Bf8 24.Qa1+ Nb2 25.Qxb2+! Qxb2 26.Rxf8++. *GOr 21...Bxb7 22.Qf7+ Kh6 23.Ng4+ Kg5 24.Qg7+ Kf5 25.Nh6+ Kf4 26.Qg3++. GAMEDenker Botvinnik#"$%!$"# 3cbqvr3dD6U'G4ut`1R"s!D2deCqv"rwE6#C3B$R"U%6BD14'G6666%d!v@AD2qVCB"USr2w#EggGGGEBDenker-Botvinnik, USA-USSR Radio Match 1945 The U.S.had dominated international team competition in the 1930's and this postwar match was expected to be one-sided. So it proved, but in the other direction, as the Soviet team won 15-1/2 to 4-1/2. This was the first-board encounter between the U.S. and Soviet champions. XA novelty in 1945, this is now known as the Botvinnik System, or the Anti-Meran Gambit. +Also insufficient is 22.Bf4, e.g. 22... Rxh2+ 23.Kxh2 Rh8+ 24.Nh5 Rxh5+ 25.Kg3 e5 26.Be3 e4+ 27.f4 Qxf6 28.Kf2 Qxf4+, and wins. GAMEGellerE. Kogan#"$%!$"# Ddvc2su1qrtpugUsS1UAg6$C7'T%"57'G$tRT"RavD2U#CCC"1""R%6$vstW1gS0UA%RF7'4TF'57%G$Ta"R!qg"/Geller-E. Kogan, Odessa 1946 Even at the beginning of his career, it was evident that Efim Geller was a player of great potential. He correctly assesses the myriad tactical possibilities as Black and White attack on opposite wings, and drives the Black King across the board with a relentless attack. qWhite surrenders the two Bishops to obtain a slight advantage in development. Nowadays 6...bxc6 is more popular. #Three White pieces are en prise, but none can be taken -- 18...gxf6 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qxf6, 18...gxh6 19.Nxh6+ Kh7 20.Rxf7+, or 18...hxg4 19.Rg6 e5 20.Rxg7+ Kh8 21.Qd1 and Black will not last long. 64There is nothing better -- 27...Qc7 28.Qxg4+ mates. GAMEZita Bronstein#"$%!$"# =bqvcfutard4Usup0a@`%gqFtevWT2cegRED#Cp!AfB4R%U#CV&fvQa"DCC!c2t0q@pQQFWppeTWgeUDEFw5DD#C4A`W'LZita-Bronstein, Prague-Moscow 1946 The long-term impact of the post-war Soviet masters lies in their exploration of unbalanced positions -- how much piece activity is worth a structural weakness? This period saw a renaissance of the King's Indian Defense, in which Black accepts a space disadvantage for tactical counter-chances. $_Now Black wins back the pinned Knight on d4 after 19.Kxf2 Nxb3, and 19.Qxf2 Nd3 is even worse. GAMESteiner Botvinnik#"$%!$"# 9cbfurAvqtcspUE%C5V6cvb`auRrE5sGdFTC$B5V%fAcU3R"vEb7tc6444EEEUwrPAv5sEFcGTUUGu6Steiner-Botvinnik, Groningen 1946 Another example of the Stonewall Variation of the Dutch Defense, long a favorite of Botvinnik's. It is notable how quickly White is reduced to complete passivity after adopting an inferior plan at moves 11 and 12. This intermezzo makes little difference -- the Bd2 will soon have to move again to f4 or g5 -- but it does avoid the systems in which White develops it on b2 or a3. White hopes to open the center with a quick f2-f3 and e2-e4, but this positionally desirable plan cannot be carried out successfully. White's strategy should be to stabilize the Kingside and play on the Queenside, with Rb1 and b2-b4-b5. WPreventing f2-f4, securing the f5 square for the Knight, and preparing to open a file. -Not 23.Qxf4 Ng3+ /mHe might as well take the pawn, as there is no way to shake off the pressure -- 24.Bf1? loses to 24...Qxf3+! 2mExchanging off White's best defensive piece. 26.Nxh4 is out, as there is no defense to mate after 26...Rxh4. 5(Or 27.Bxf3 Qxh2+! followed by ...Rh4++. 9QFor after a move of the Queen Black will play 29...Bf4, and mate is unavoidable. GAMEKeresTaimanov#"$%!$"# Jbvqdarcu3Qt2TsupS#C$B"sErR%Cd#UgDa6'5rvs#3fG4gB%U$R3TQa!CSBB2vCC"dsr#qE333C#sDDDDD'6#G5%%%r#sg34V7$7fKeres-Taimanov, USSR Championship 1951 In a critical last-round game, Keres selects a!"#n old-fashioned opening setup in which judgement and experience are more important than preparation, and he converts his space advantage into a slashing attack on the poorly defended Black King. White's move order was chosen in order to avoid the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian Defenses, in which Taimanov was a great expert. Black chooses to give his opponent the so-called "hanging pawns" on c4 and d4, which may become weak in the endgame -- but which may also advance powerfully in the middlegame. Avoiding a little trap -- 12...Nxd4? 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Nd5! Qc5 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Qg4+ Kh8 17.Qh4, and to avoid mate Black must play 17...f5, losing a piece. 'White exchanges several defenders of the Black King. White's space advantage and control of the center allow his other forces to join the battle quickly, while Black cannot say the same. ,sA slightly better defense was 22...g6, but White would still have a strong attack after 23.Qd4 f6 24.h4 Nd7 25.h5. .cNot 23....g6? 24.Nxf7 Kxf7 Qe6++. Now White disdains the win of the h7 pawn, seeking bigger game. 6After 27...Kxf7, White would obtain a winning ending with 28.Qd7+ Kg8 29.Qxd6 Rc1 30.Qb8+ Bc8 31.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 32.Kh2 Qxb1 33.Qxc8+ Kf7 34.d6, and the pawn cannot bestopped. GAMEKeresSmyslov#"$%!$"# 9bqvdarc2Tutpu"S%`DrAU"t4R37Bsra%'C6RueCd%B%R$U2TQa!CCC3S"vrtAuDPRR"444%7&WBRrC'r6%FbdCEssCKeres-Smyslov, Zurich 1953 This was a game of great sporting importance: Keres desperately needed a win to retain any hope of overhauli$&'(ng the tournament leader Smyslov. White finds an aggressive and original means of bringing both Rooks into the attack, but Black's careful defense and central counterattack carry the day. Smyslov went on to win the tournament, and the right to challenge Botvinnik for the world championship in 1954. The strategic point of the next few moves will be whether or not Black plays ...d5xc4. This would open a diagonal for his Bb7 and give him pressure against the d4 pawn, but would allow White a mobile pawn center c4/d4. Black postpones the decision. TPreparing the transfer of the Rook to the Kingside. Obviously bad was 15.Bxc3? Na2. !FNow both White Rooks are active, and Black must play with great care. &Smyslov thought a long time on this move, the more so as there is no forced mate to be seen, but in the end chose the positionally based counterattack in the center. His judgement was correct, for though a forced win is not evident, White would have a strong attack after 19...gxh5 20.Qxh5 Re8 21.a4!, threatening to cut off the Black King's escape with Ba3, e.g. 21...Qd6 22.c5 bxc5 23.Qh6 Bg7 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 25.dxc5. 'Keres persists in playing for a win. He could still make a draw with 20.Qg4 c3 21.Bxc3 Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Qxd4 23.Qxd4 Bxd4 24.Rc7 gxh5 25.Rxb7. )Obviously bad for White are 21.Bxc3? Rxc3 22.Rxc3 Kxh7 and 21.Bc1 Qxd4. Keres finds a way to keep the attack going a bit longer. *6But not 21...cxb2? 22.Qh6 Qxd4 23.Rh8+ Bxh8 24.Qh7++. i%CG065+\99 99 %CG0660 9: 9: %CG06779: 9: %CG068;9: 9: %CG070@9: 9: %CG071D89: 9: %CG072I9: 9: %CG073M9; 9; %CG074P9; 9; %CG075U9; 9; %CG076Yg 9; 9; %CG077_9; 9; %CG078e:.:.GAMEByrneFischer#"$%!$"# Rvbqcrs3QdpBE!2@a%6uDtF2$uRvduCvduPARg@vsw!UBteWUgvDu2t3sVrdq`U%B&RCE3QBB"Ds!2F6@PRRD!BR2u$!BvduCvduRv!A@!sW`gettt3UD1G74v2uVtAsQrdqRrbByrne-Fischer, New York 1956 Known as "the game of the centur*,-.y" until that title was usurped by a later Fischer briliancy, this game saw the 13-year-old Bobby Fischer defeat one of the strongest American players with a startling Queen sacrifice that many players would not even have considered. It was already clear that Fischer was far ahead of his contemporaries, and he would soon overtake even the resilient Reschevsky. Transposing into the Grunfeld Defense, in which Black permits White to forma a large pawn center in hopes of counterattacking against it. `Neglecting his Kingside development will soon bring White into difficulties; better was 11.Be2. The first surprise. Now 12.Nxa4 Nxe4 13.Qb4 (or 13.Qxe7 Qxe7 14.Bxe7 Rfe8) Nxg5 14.Nxg5 Bxd1 15.Kxd1 Bxd4 would be winning for Black. \Instead, 15.Bxf8 Bxf8 gives Black too much for the Exchange, e.g. 16.Qc1 Nxc3 17.Qxc3? Bb4. "RWhat is striking about this combination is that it is comprised of several seemingly unrelated variations, all of which work perfectly. In addition to the text, there is 18.Bxe6 Qb5+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Ng3+ 21.Kg1 Qf1+ 22.Rxf1 Ne2++, and 18.Qxc3 Qxc5 19.dxc5 Bxc3 20.Bxe6 Rxe6 with an extra pawn in the endgame (21.Rd7 Rae8 22.g3 R6e7). )<Black wins at once on 21.Rd3 axb6 22.Qc3 Nxf3 (Qxc4 Re1++). 0oObtaining a decisive material advantage, since after 25.Qd6 Nxd1 26.Qxd1 Rxa2 there is no defense to 27...Ra1. GAMETolushTaimanov#"$%!$"# Xdvc2Uqrst"ce6CfG0u#D%S3gt1R"s$vdrVF'460C3ECeAb@`B2S$ qDwS5sg72cwSPD2U"CCC%R#6$crCCE'G0vF"tS34DDDG1VAd333sCBq2e067$$&@$C5S2QQQQ PcS`Tg%%7wS2PPsssTolush-Taimanov, Riga 1958 Alexander Tolush/12345 was one of those players who, though not quite of top rank, produced an amazing number of brilliant and original games in his career. In this game, the players attack on opposite wings, and it seems that Black's attack is quite as strong as White's. But Tolush nonchalantly sacrifices the Exchange to eliminate Black's best attacking piece, and threads his way through a maze of complications to take that point. White's system is known as the Richter-Rauzer Attack. He prepares to eliminate Black's important defensive Nf6, and his plan usually entails castling Queenside and advancing his Kingside pawns. bPreparing g2-g4-g5 to open lines against the King; he is also ready to answer 12...e5 with 13.f5. White does not win a piece with 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5, as Black plays not 14...Qxe5 15.Bxf6 but 14...Bc5 15.Bf2 Bxf2 16.Qxf2 Qxe5. But now this is a real threat. (White's attack seems to have bogged down [he cannot yet open a file with 21.g5 because of 21...h5], but his next move gives the game a new aspect. ,Too passive -- he should try to regain the initiative with 22...Bc5 23.Qxd5 Be3+ 24.Kb1 Rad8 25.Qxe4 Rd2 26.Nc1 Rc8, and the position remains unclear; 27.c3? is answered by 27...Rxb2+!. 5fA strong move -- White lures away the f7 pawn to permit g5-g6, closing the net around the Black King. 8The last chance was 28...Bxd4 29.Bxd4 e3, and after 30.Re1 [30.Bxe3 Qe4 eliminates the dangerous pawn at g6] 30...a4 31.Rxe3 the outcome remains in doubt. :-On 29...Bxf2 30.Qxh5 the King has no escape. >uDesperately trying to complicate matters. On 31...Qxc2+ 32.Qxc2 dxc2+ 33.Kxc2 Rd5 34.Bd4 White should win routinely. ?Simpler was 32.cxd3 Qxd3+ 33.Qxd3 Rxd3 34.Re1. Tolush continues to play for the attack, and sets off another round of fierce complications. EDBut not 35.Qxh5?, when 35...Qd3+ 36.Ka2 Rxa3+! even wins for Black! IkStill not 37.Qxh5? since after 37...Rxa3+ 38.Kxa3 Qd6+ the White King will be unable to escape the checks. JAnd now 37...Rb8 fails to 38.f6! gxf6 39.Nc6 Qxb3+ 40.Qxb3 Rxb3 41.Ne7+ [of course not 41.Kxb3? d1Q+] Kh8 42.g7+ Kxg7 43.Nf5+ and 44.Nxe3, with a winning ending. Now White goes over to the attack again. GAME Polugaevsky Nezhmetdinov#"$%!$"# Ccbqd4sCaru%vdFtec5V&R6fEgGUSvWe$B"uwET'`3b4C#D"B1AC%B#R4DCC"c&QaSFdGV4v5U'sEd63FVVVWE$begT33AwEgUC@2""SSB33310"Polugaevsky-Nezhmetdinov, Sochi 1958 Black drives the White King into a mating net in the center of the bo689ard with an amazing intuitive Queen sacrifice. The game is far more impressive than similar examples from the 19th century, for White's defense is by no means weak. kWhite trades time for space, and Black must play energetically to prevent his opponent from consolidating. fNow White must take drastic measures to meet the threat of 17...g3 18,h3 Bxh3, with a winning attack. %tNow White has calculated that he can survive 19...Nf3+ 20.Kf2 Qh2+ 21.Ke3, with the powerful counter-threat 22.Rh1. 'Of course not 20.fxe5? Be3+. /6It seems that Black has overextended himself, but ... 1The alternatives are clearly bad -- 25.Nxf4 Nxc2+, 25.gxf4 Bxf4+ 26.Nxf4 Nxc2+, and 25.Bxe5 Rf3+ 26.Kd4 Qf2+. But has Black really enough for his Queen? 5<He must meet the threat of 27...b5 followed by 28...Nec6++. 9Now the threat was 29...c5++. @DThe entry of the last piece into the attack is imediately decisive. GAMEHolmovKeres#"$%!$"# :dvuD%1tugFqc2U"C"rs'RpU3Qs"t4`&6@F0D2U"1%4F""v&tW'R!CCC2"''U3sQ"!!44@63F0W!!cHolmov-Keres, Tbilisi 1959 When Black adopts a provocative defense that leaves his pieces scattered, White essays a long-term piece s:<=>acrifice to confine the Black King to the central files. The game is particularly impressive because of several variations in which White had to judge that his initiative would persist even after the exchange of Queens. zIf Black can consolidate and complete his development he will stand well with his two Bishops, so White must act at once. Black discovers that he cannot exchange Queens -- 12...Qxd1 13.Rxd1 Bb7 14.Nb5! Bxc6 15.Nc7+ Kf8 16.Nxa8, and he cannot recapture because of the mate threat at d8. There were many defenses to consider. The obvious 13...Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Kxe7 works poorly after 15.Bg5+! Ke6 16.Rd6+ Kf5 17.f4; the threat is 18.Bxh6 and 19.Rf6++, and 17...Ng8 allows 18.g4++, while 17...Be6 runs into 18.Ne2 Ke4 19.Ng3+ Ke3 20.Re1++. There remains only 17...Bxe5, surrendering material after 18.Rd5 f6 19.Bxh6. Slightly better than the game was 13...Qxe7, but Black is still in trouble after 14. Nd5 Qd8 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 [or 15....Ke7 16.Bg5] 16.exf6+. Other moves also have their drawbacks -- 16...Ke8 17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.exf6+ and 19.Qxa8, or 16...Kf8 17.e6 Qb7 18.e7+ Ke8 19.Qf6! Qxd5 20.Qxg7 Qd4 21.Re5. $SThere is no no escape -- 18...Kc8 is answered by 19.Nxb6+ and 18...Ke8 by 19.Nf6+. GAMETalSmyslov#"$%!$"# 4dcqvS3c4srtDu60#C1G%56 c7`r'sU4%cRD"S3c4UCDDCC%6r#0B1c 5GB67'7`R%pcp4$"DT!CTal-Smyslov, Bled 1959 Throughout the 1950's it seemed that the duel between Botvinnik and Smyslov would continue until the years took their toll on th?ABe older player. But then Tal arrived on the scene, and his imagination, daring and calculating ability brought him to the World Championship in 1960. In this game from the 1959 Candidates' Tournament he downs Smyslov with a sustained initiative and a flurry of combinations. Despite the seeming loss of time, White in this variation of the Caro-Kann forces open the center before Black has completed his development. Black is in serious trouble -- after 15...g6 16.Bc3 White has many threats, starting with 17.Qh6 gxf5 18.Rxd7 Bxd7 19.Ng5, with unavoidable mate. &&Not 19...Rxf7 20.Rxd8+ Ng8 21.Rxg8++. (XEven worse is 20...Qxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxf7 22.Nxf7+ Kg8 23.Nxd8, and White is a piece ahead. GAMESpassky Bronstein#"$%!$"# .de4vDqcutRb3rEB#SsTD#dpS5Ub%ED4EEU33#RCSv'D3BTTT2bSd#uu55E%4Q44DSpassky-Bronstein, Leningrad 1960 In one sense, the most famous game of all -- the final position appeared on the demonstration board in the film "From Russia With Love.CEFG" Both Spassky and Bronstein are imaginative players and afficionados of the King's Gambit. When Black thinks to gain time by attacking a Rook, White ignores it and launches a sparkling attack. In Russian this game is know as the "Bluebird," but this doesn't translate too well. LWorse is 12...Bf4 13.g3 Bg5 14.Nfxg5 hxg5 15.Qh5 with a very strong attack. Black probably expected 15.Rf2 Nf8, leading to a complicated position with chances for both sides. However, it is only after Black's next move that White is winning. RThe only defense was 15...exf1Q+ 16.Rxf1 Bxd6. After 17.Qh7+ Kf8 18.cxd6 cxd6 19.Qh8+ Ke7 20.Qxg7 Rg8 21.Re1+ Ne5 22.Qxh6 Qb6 23.Kh1 Be6 24.dxe5 d5 25.Qf6+ Kd7 the Black King reaches safety with a likely draw, for White has a pawn and some initiative for the Exchange. It is not surprising that Bronstein looks for a less risky defense. "yA slightly better defense was 17...Qd5, though White is still on top after 18.Bb3 Qxf7 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qc4+ Kg6 21.Qg8. .FFor on 23...g6 24.Rxf8 is crushing, or 23...Kh8 24.Rxf8+ and 25.Ng6+. GAME PetrosianUnzicker#"$%!$"# ncvrbsdq6B"ut`1R%` rSb uEr"pS!UBbcbfvg'rutsr1bde1V7dGq7%F#GQce"QA`E#QC%U$63B"bTR'E33S v1@A`r0Q Sr###"br!1Bcccb"&VuG7btsrqdr1EdFFF7%`&&GecQg%2QQ#5!`HJKVPetrosian-Unzicker, Hamburg 1960 With his quiet, positional style, Petrosian failed to excite the chess public as did the charismatic Tal, but at his best few could match his depth of conception. Here he paralyzes the Black position by controlling the only open file, then sets off on a long King march to prepare the decisive breakthrough. <Now White sets out on a remarkable plan -- he will transfer his King to b1, advance his Kingside pawns to open another file, and launch a direct attack on the Black King. Black cannot answer in kind, for the White Rooks on the c-file make that part of the board quite unsafe for him. h>Or 52...Ra7 53.f5 Qxf5 54.Rxd8+ Bxd8 55.Qb8, winning a piece. GAMEGufeldKavalek#"$%!$"# Fdvubc5U2CD6sD3Tt1UGda$r7%Fq3Wwsd4P5Qf6A!p$qEA2R5uDcTtD4U"12R5CD6!3TDGU%%%"es"d$777Q3P$F5WcfffudccDEA62222q5AUCCCEeTteeGufeld-Kavalek, Marianske Lazne 1962 A sharp opening leads to a remarkable setting, with a BishopLN and swarm of pawns overcoming two Rooks. +hBlack is winning -- 22.Nc4 (22.Ke2 f1Q+ wins back the piece) Rg1+ 23.Ke2 Rag8 24.Nxb6 Rxh1 25.Rxh1 Rg1. GAMER. ByrneFischer#"$%!$"# +cbfuB"qdvtarsC"u4cSv%eFbTv3d fC%B&V"f333RTd"v!Q Pc444sSbeeFvTcffCCuoR. Byrne-Fischer, U.S. Championship 1963-64 Yet another "game of the century" by Fischer, who scored an unprecedented 11-0 in the 1963-64 U.S. Championship. Here he defeats RobeOQRSrt Byrne with a combination of such profundity that at the very moment at which White resigned, both masters commenting on the game for the spectators believed that he had a won position. fWhite aims for a quiet, symmetrical position in which Fischer's tactical genius will have less scope. rBlack tries to enliven the position by accepting a potentially weak pawn on d5 in exchange for active piece play. Later analysis showed 14.Rad1 would have been better; the position remains complex after 14... Qc8 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.Bxd5 Rd8 17.f4 Rxd5 18.Qxd5 Bb7. At first sight an unprofitable transaction, for White will obtain two minor pieces for a Rook and pawn. But Fischer has looked further ahead... $RMuch better than...Nxd1. Now White becomes very vulnerable on the light squares. )Alternatives are no better --21.Kg1 Bxd4+ 22.Qxd4 Re1+ 23.Kf2 Qxd4+ 24.Rxd4 Rxa1, or 21.Kf2 Qd7 22.Rac1 Qh3 23.Nf3 Bh6 24.Qd3 Be3+ 25.Qxe3 Rxe3 26.Kxe3 Re8+ 27.Kf2 Qf5 and wins. +""A bitter disappointment," said Fischer, and a shock to the onlookers. White resigned in view of 22.Qf2 (he must meet the threat of 22...Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Bxd4+) 22...Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Re1+ 24.Rxe1 Bxd4 with mate to follow, and no better is 22.Ndb5 Qh3+ 23.Kg1 Bh6! and the threat of ...Be3+ decides. GAMEBakulin Bronstein#"$%!$"# Adcq3RDrsvd5utu7VGfb"C$p%ae5Tvs4eAd#VDc&dwTuSTv2D"C3RDD%%%T5c$dV&dv7sGuWVB234r5A#UEewtD2222sETdSSvvdTT5$weBakulin-Bronstein, Kiev 1964 A good game by Bronstein, who cleverly creates and then exploits weak squares near TVWthe enemy King. Black caps his positional play with a "diverting" sacrifice at move 27, the prelude to a decisive Rook sacrifice. A sharp and double-edged form of the Caro-Kann Defense. Black allows his Kingside pawns to be doubled, but obtains an open file and active play for his light-squared Bishop. Now the light squares about the White King are weakened, and Black will place a Rook on the g-file and prepare a sacrificial breakthrough on g3. $Capturing the b-pawn would be inconsistent with Black's prior play, for White would develop a strong attack after 18...cxb4 19.c5. Black will combine a blockade of the White central pawns with an attack on the weakened White Kingside. -LWhite cannot survive 23.fxe4 Bxe4+ 24.Kg1 fxg3 25.Bxg3 Bxg3 26.Nxg3+ Rxg3+. 8Black first diverts the White Queen from the blockade of the e3-pawn, and then transforms the pawn's advance into a powerful discovered check. A&For 33.Rg1 Qxg1+ 34.Kxg1 e1Q is mate. GAME BronsteinLarsen#"$%!$"# =cbqdurCv6$DU%Et7gFRpaqducREtvseFD%vu65W&$C%B&RD#d623$U'E33c7VFvVVddaqE!tRDt$ee$Fv%W6ug5$777WBronstein-Larsen, Amsterdam 1964 In the 1960's the Soviet chess hegemony was threatened first by Bobby Fischer and then by DXZ[\]anish Grandmaster Bent Larsen. Fischer's disputes with organizers over playing conditions kept him out of world championship competition for a decade, but Larsen produced a series of tournament victories unmatched since Alekhine, including a tie for first with Spassky, Smyslov, and Tal in the 1964 Interzonal. In this game, Bronstein adopts a very aggressive continuation against the King's Indian Defense, but Larsen combines defense and counterattack to take the point. ZWhite has a space advantage, but Black has opened the long diagonal for his Bishop at g7. KMost experts prefer 9.Bd2, for reasons that will be seen in the next note. pNaturally White would prefer to castle, but then 11...Ne4 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 would gain a tempo by attacking the Bf4. fNot 12.Be3 Rxe3! 13.fxe3 Qh4+ 14.g3 Nxg3 15.Nf3 Qh3, and Black has more than enough for the Exchange. "Now Black threatens to trap the Rook with ... Nb6 and ...Qc8. Rather than retreat it, White tries to use its active position on the 7th rank for attack. (Now Black has a large material advantage, but his King is poorly defended, and White threatens to break through with a Knight sacrifice at e6 or g6. *Luring the King to f2 so that Black will have a saving check on the f-file in some variations. Hopeless is 21...fxe6 22.Qg4 Re7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 24.Nf6, and if 24...Rxb7 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qg7++. 1dThis is quickly refuted by a counterattack. The position remains unclear after 25.dxe6; one amusing variation (not forced) is 25...Qf8 26.e7 Rf1+ 27.Kh2 Qf5 28.Qxf5 Rxf5 29.Rxa7!, and Black must accede to a draw by 29...Rb8 30.Rb7 Ra8 31.Rxb6 Re5 32.Nf6+ Kf7 33.e8Q+ Raxe8 34.Nxe8 Rxe8 35.Rxd6 Re4, since the Black Rook has no safe square on the 8th rank. 3aThe apparently dangerous 26.Nxf6+ Qxf6 27.Qxh6 fails to 27...Qd4+ 29.Kh2 Qh8, pinning the Queen. =-apparently dangerous 26.Nxf6+ Qxf6 27.Qxh6 \ GAMEGellerSmyslov#"$%!$"# >cbqB%d3auvtrpevE"B$DsduTcV2Sr5E"weD&'6C%B&R333DRRB2dv"TrE$w!50S55cV"e'EDBbuD&%6v%FFGeller-Smyslov, 5th Match Game, USSR 1965 The "hypermodern" masters of the 1920's and 30's showed that a large pawn cente^`abcr was not necessarily a source of strength, but could become an object of counterattack. But the new discoveries rarely refute older experience -- apples didn't stop falling because of Einstein. Here Geller shows the strength of the classical pawn center, as he trades it for a winning Kingside attack. The Exchange Variation, the most serious test of the Grunfeld Defense. White plans to use his large pawn center to spearhead an attack; Black hopes to undermine the center with ...c7-c5 (increasing the scope of the Bg7) and possibly ...f7-f5 (trying to gain control of the d5 square). cThe Knight would be more agressively posted on f3, but it would be subject to a pin via ...Bc8-g4. Nowadays considered a bit too passive. More active alter- natives are 12...Na5 13.Bd3 f5 and 12...Bg4 13.f5 Na5 14. Bd3 cxd4 15.cxd4 Qb6. #GPreventing the exchange of important light-squared Bishop with ...Be4. (1White threatened 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.f6+ and 23.Qh6. ,-Not 22...Rxe4? 23.Bxe4 Qxe4 24.Qb8+, mating. /lAgain offering the Knight at e4, and threatening 25.fxg6 hxg6 [25...fxg6 26.Qf8+ mates] 26.Nd6 Rd8 27.Nxf7. 1LNow if 25...Rxf4 26.gxh7 mate! Or 25...Qxg7+ Qxf7 27.Rxf7 Re1 28.Bxh7 mate. 3HOnce again, 26...fxg5 27.Rf8+ leads to mate, and White threatens 27.g7. 6White threatened 28.Rxf6 Bxf6 29.Qxf6 hxg6 30.Qxg6+ Kh8 31.Bg5 R4e6 32.Bf6+ Rxf6 33.Rxf6 and wins -- the point of 27.Kg1, as ...Re1 is no longer mate. If now 27...Rg4, then 28.gxh7+ Kf7 29.Rxf6+ Bxf6 30.Qxf6++. >'For if 31...Qxg4 32.Rf8+ Kg7 33.h8Q++. GAMER. ByrneEvans#"$%!$"# Hdvc2Uqres!paD#E%uqPt6c0C$RAD4vQ4gCu4ctEVWuBS5VFD'g%D2U#CCC%R 6$E!caqP444BAQ0v%%'455DccCw4VFW4EtuVFFFVS5&&&D16%g4$R. Byrne-Evans, U.S. Championship 1966 During the 1960's Larry Evans was one of the strongedfghst U.S. players after Fischer, known as a "pawn-grabber" for his -- well justified -- faith in his defensive abilities. Robert Byrne lures him into a prepared line of the "Poisoned Pawn Variation," a risky but resilient defense in which Black snatches a pawn at the cost of his development. The result is one of the most brilliant games of the decade. Despite thirty years of tournament practice, it is not yet clear which side stands better in this position, or even what White's next move should be. Alternatives to the game are 10.f5, 10.Be2 and 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Ne4. ?The text seems logical, but 12...Qa5 is now considered better. vLosing. The only try is 15...Nxf5 16.exf6 Rd8, preparing to retreat the Queen or Bishop to f8 for defensive purposes. !VIt is essential to prevent f6-f5, which would allow the Black Queen to retreat to g7. #The third sacrifice clears the third rank for the Rook. Now if 18...fxe4 19.Rh3, or 18...Qxe4 19.Rg3+ Qg4 20.Rxg4+ fxg4 21.Bd3 wins [21...Rd8 22.Bxh7+ Kf8 23.Bg6+ Kg8 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Qxf7++]. *YAlso unsatisfactory are 21...Ng6 22.Rh3 and 21...Qg4 22. Qxf6 Ng6 23.Rxg4 fxg4 24.Bxf7+. 1Not 25.Nxg3? Nxh6. )%CG079k 9; 9; %CG080q9; 9; %CG081v99%CG082|0:.:.%CG083J99%CG08499%CG08599%CG08699%CG087/ 99%CG088Y99%CG089 99%CG090 99%CG091o99GAMELarsen Petrosian#"$%!$"# <dvc2Urbq%s"FCsutpRe$Ed 5cDe"s2u4G%'$UFE36D2U"CCC&TB%RFFCs$c#dvs"3E5 F2&&e44G33$U%'&EE&$61V2Larsen-Petrosian, Santa Monica 1966 Larsen's "Evergreen Game" -- he thoroughly outplays the World Champion, and caps his attackjlmno with a fine Queen sacrifice. Though Larsen finished third in this Second Piatigorsky Cup (behind Spassky and Fischer), he scored 2-0 against Petrosian and 1-1 against Fischer. @White's formation, with pawns on e4 and c4, is known as the "Maroczy Bind." The White pawns restrain Black's natural freeing maneuvers...b7-b5 and ...d7-d5, and White will prepare an attack based on occupation of d5 by a Knight. Black in turn will try for active piece play, utilizing his Bishop on the long diagonal. This proves to be a loss of time. Black should play 14...Nc5 15.f3 a5, when, for example, 16.Bd4?! Bxd4+ 17.Qxd4 e5 18.Qd2 Ne6 and Nd4 is fine for Black. White surrenders the e5 square in a position in which Black cannot readily occupy it with a Knight. In return, he obtains a quick attack on the f-file. $]Also after 18...fxg6 White has good attacking chances, e.g. 19.Bxc5 dxc5 20.Be6+ Kh8 21.Rf7. &TNow White does not care for 20.Bxc5 dxc5 21.Nf6+ Bxf6 22.Rxd8 Raxd8, when Black's better pawn structure and control of the h8-a1 diagonal are adequate compensation for his small material disadvantage, and after 20.Qh4 Bxd5 21.Rxd5 e6 is fine for Black. But the latter variation suggests an idea, which White sets up with a pawn sacrifice. ,This allows White's attack to proceed unhindered, but Black was not yet ready to give up material with 22...e6 23.Qxd8 Rexd8 24.Rxe5 (the point)dxe5 25. Bxc5, though this would have been his best chance. .After this Black's game cannot be saved. A better practical chance was to complicate matters with 23...f5, though White still has a strong attack after 24.Rh3 Kf7 255.Bxf5 gxf5 26.Qh5+ Kf6 27.g4. 2sComes to about the same thing as the immediate ...fxg6; Black avoids 25...Nc7 26.Qxg7+! followed by mate in three. 6jNo better is 27...Kh7 28.Rh4+ Bh6 Rf5 30.Rxf5 gxf5 31.Bf7 e5 32.Rh3, and there is no defense to 33.Bf8++. <3For one threat among many is 31.Rh3+ Kg8 32.Rf6++. GAMENikolicFischer#"$%!$"# ?bqfudvtcp4agd`B#Arqv@5W7u6fFg'TEcws&1R5s'B&RV4f#T%dv"CqDA5W7E@231c6ag'0FFFwUUUvEE5''''c6"5sWT&Nikolic-Fischer, Vinkovici 1968 Another great game by Fischer, as he adroitly stymies White's Queenside play and sacriprstfices a piece to keep White's King in a box. If Black is satisfied with the resulting positions, the King's Indian Defense can be played against almost any opening by White other than 1.e4. Here White adopts a rather slow set-up, giving Black a free hand in the center. zClosing the center, after which Black's attack proves much faster than White's. Somewhat better was the immediate 14.b5. !`A stange-looking move, aimed at the threat 17... Nf3+ 18.Bxf3 exf3, opening the f5-b1 diagonal. %Now Fischer thought a long time. Both 19...h4 and 19...Nf3+ are fairly good moves, but Fischer wanted something more forcing. 'The sacrifice cannot well be declined; Fischer gives the variation 20.Qb3 Nf3+ 21.Bxf3 Bxf3 22. bxc6 bxc6 23.Qb7 Qf5 24.Qxc6 Bxf4 25.gxf4 Ng4+ 26.Kg3 h4+ 27.Kxh4 Kg7 28.Qxd5 Rh8+ 29.Kg3 Rxh3+ 30.Kxh3 Ne5+ and White will soon be mated. )A good defense is not to be found. Another variation given by Fischer is 21.Bh1 Nf3+ 22.Kg2 Bxf4 23.exf4 Qf5 24.Rg1 Qh5 25.Kf1 Qh2 26.Bxf3 exf3 27.Be3 (the threat was ...Qh3+) Rxe3 28.fxe3 Qxb2 and wins. 7bAnother nice finish was 28.a6 Qxf5 29.axb7 Rh8 30.bxc3 Kg7 31.b8Q Rh1+ 32.Kxh1 Qh3+ 33.Kg1 Qg2++. ?*There is no longer any defense to ...Rh8. GAME PolugaevskyTal#"$%!$"# JcbvqB%d3a2RrAsutpu"BC$D0cBSUgG&6'E45sBc'"ta$bd5%GC%B$U3R233DRRCCAcccB"v!st0S334BEa6&GB7'5$%%%c"a'5$$$b"dG5&7yPolugaevsky-Tal, USSR Championship 1970 The Bishop sacrifice on h7/h2 is a rare birduwxyz these days, and rarer still in top- level competition, but here we see former world champion Mikhail Tal falling victim to a refined version. The game demonstrates the "transformation of advantages," as White trades space and material for time, advancing his central pawns with a sacrifice to obtain a winning attack. It also shows the level of preparation required of Grandmasters -- Polugaevsky had examined the position arising at move 25 (!) in his pre-tournament analysis. 7It had been assumed for many years that Black could equalize in this variation, since he could exchange several pieces. But Polugaevsky and Spassky analyzed it in preparation for Spassky's 1969 match with Petrosian, and discovered that things were not so simple if White found the right squares for his Rooks. Neither Rook is placed on an open file, but both support the advance of the central pawns at the right moment. White's plan may involve creation of a passed d-pawn, or a cramping advance of the e4-pawn in anticipation of a Kingside attack. !At the cost of a pawn, White has activated his Bishop and deadened Black's. The Black minor pieces are a long way from Kingside ... (Forced; 20...Kh6? 21.Ne6+ is obviously out, and 20...Kg8 runs into something like 21.e6 fxe6 22.Qh4 Re8 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qh8+ Ke7 25.Qxg7+ Kd6 26.Nf7+, or 22...Rf5 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qh8+ Ke7 25.Qxg7+ Kd6 26.Rxe6+ Kc5 27.Qxb2 Rxg5 28.Qc3+ and mate soon. )tThe point of the combination; White threatens 22.h5+ Kxh5 23.g4+ Kg6 24.Qf5+ Kh6 25.Qh7+ Kxg5 26.Qh5+ Kf4 27.Qf5++. 2nNow on 25...Qe7 26.h6! is crushing: 26...Nxd1 27.h7++, 26...gxh6 27.Qg6++, or 26...Rxf7 27.exf7+ Qxf7 28.h7+. 6DThe Knight cannot be saved, for on 27...Nz4 comes 28.Nd6 Rc7 29.e7. GAMELarsenSpassky#"$%!$"# #arbv4UCdsue%fg7WGwvVwtfQ4a"B%UDC2""T5bdEFV7WGFVvwwfuGsuLarsen-Spassky, USSR-Rest of the World Match, 1970 This 10-board match was won by the USSR team by the narrowest of margins, 20 1/2-19 1/2. Bobby Fischer began his drive toward the World Championship b{}~y defeating Tigran Petrosian 3-1 on board two, while Larsen faced Spassky on board one. Spassky's results as champion were certainly less impressive than as challenger, but here he meets Larsen's opening extravagance with classical development, and scores a quick knock-out. 8On 14.Rxh8 Rxh8 15.gxf5 Rh1+ 16.Bf1 g2 Queens the pawn. IThe passed pawn is so strong that Black sacrifices a Rook for one tempo. TOr 16.Rg1 Qh4+ 17.Kd1 Qh1 18.Qc3 Qxg1+ 19.Kc2 Qf2 20.gxf5 Qxe2 21.Na3 Bb4 and wins. #1For if 17.Bxf1 Bxg4+ 18.Kc1 Qe1+ wins the Queen. GAME PetrosianGligoric#"$%!$"# CbvcqdutC"a%U7`d&Df5VCs6U4ruEcgtFw5UWvGD4wRCTapft4PB&UC%RD#d4v"3A7cE@5U655VCEUUFwEa5tUDGW4TWUFwgf7cCtDaV4PwuVVDMPetrosian-Gligoric, Rovinj-Zagreb 1970 It is when both sides play to win that the most exciting chess is produced. In this game, Gligoric offers a consistent and sound piece sacrifice, which ought, however, only to have maintained the balance. Petrosian's attempt to hold on to everything results in his Queen being exiled to h1. White tries to accelerate his Queenside play [he plans to play c5 and c5xd6, followed by play against d6 and c7]. The drawback of this move is that the weakening of the long diagonal permits the Black Nf6 to take a more active role than usual. The only consistent follow-up. On 14...Ng6 15.Nde4, White's pieces dominate the Kingside and his pawns are ready to advance on the other wing. XSafer was 16.Nxf3 exf4 17.Bb2 g4 18.Kh1, returning the piece with approximate equality. !Petrosian believes the sacrifice to be unsound, and is unwilling to permit Black to recover his material with 17.Qd3 Bf5 18.Nde4 exf4 19.f3 [but not 19.Bd2? f3, followed by 20.Rxf3 Bxc3 21.Qxc3 Bxe4 22.Rxf4 Qg5+ 23.Qg3 Qxg3+, with a likely draw. *The Queen at h1 has no scope, and serves only to obstruct the White King. Now 22.hxg4 Qxg4+ 23.Kf1 Bxc3 is crushing -- 24.Nxc3? Bd3+. 4All the Black pieces are attacking. Now a move of the Rook allows 27...Rxf2+, and 27.Rae1 fails to 27...Bh3+ 28.Rxh3 Qg4+ 29.Rg3 Rxf2++. 7_Black has a winning attack -- 28.Kh1 Rxe3 29.fxe3 Bf3+ 30.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 31.Kxh2 Be5+ 32.Kg1 Qg4+. GAMESteinLengyel#"$%!$"# &bfuvtcsuqad"D$rR%BC3fbaB%V$f3UvCb"s!RQD233a33332UU254vStein-Lengyel, Moscow 1971 GM Leonid Stein was a strong and imaginative player, particularly noted for his skill in attack. His unexpected death in 1973 at the age of 39 deprived the world of many fine games and a possible world championship contender. Here he demonstrates the power of the two Bishops, and the tactical dangers lurking in an apparently simple position. White's opening, known as the Catalan System, is not particularly sharp, but the pressure exerted by the White Bishop on g3 can easily result in Black's drifting into a very passive position. The attempt by Black to obtain greater activity with 9...Ba6 leads to trouble -- 10.Ne5, and if 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 [not 11...Ng4? 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Qa5, winning a piece] 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.e4, and the White Bishop becomes very strong. Black would prefer to play 13...dxc4, leaving White with a weak pawn on c4, but the reply would be 14.d5! cxb3 15.axb3, and the threat of 16.d6, winning the Bishop allows White to recover the a7 pawn with advantage. Unpleasant, but unavoidable. 16...Qxc5 fails to 17.Qxc5 Rxc5 18.Ba3 Bxf3 19.Rxd7, and 16...Qb7 17.Ng5 is even worse [17...Bxg5 18.Rxd5]. "The alternatives are awful -- 17...Bxc5 18.Bg4, threatening 19.b4 Bd6 20.Qxc7 Bxc7 21.Rxd7, or 17...Qxc5 18.Qe2 Nf6 19.Rac1 Qb4 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.Rd4 and the Queen cannot maintain the defense of the Be7 [21...Qc5 22.Rc4]. #With powerful threats against the Black Kingside --Bd5 followed by Qg5 (to force ...g6) and then Qd4. But Black overlooks the "minor" threat... &uThe Black Queen has no squares, and after 19...Bd6 20.Bxd6 Rxd6 21.Rxd6, Black connot recapture because of 22.Qxc8+. GAMEFischerSpassky#"$%!$"# Rbvcqrd6B%GR$ps@uC!t1UCT3eDdPa E$urWg4V`ueB45USDB$U3C%R6T'G!3333r$@2P1 22vdC$$DCE4BWQ0555uVG$4@eUSD%%%%BEFischer-Spassky, Match 1972 Once the "sideshow" events had been put aside and he settled down to play chess, Fischer clearly demonstrated his superiority in his World Championship match with Boris Spassky. Many observers suggested that Fischer's limited opening repertoire would prove his undoing (he had rarely begun with any move but 1.e4), but in the 6th game he showed an equal mastery of Queenside play. 'With his play against the "hanging pawns" (c5 and d5) White has pushed the Black pieces into passive positions, and now he opens the center for direct attack. GAME Bronstein Ljubojevic#"$%!$"# RdD%cb3e#ECq$B2vsFfuwrBAC23tvRprDE"d%1`!T2C$7G43#%$6&5 UD%43C#B!E4423$R33BUFCUUABv&6Q2Ev#d2Dr"22%G1T77QQ3C$36%6$$$0F 4555F'&EBronstein-Ljubojevic, Petropolis 1973 One of the most exciting games of the "interregnum" between Fischer's retirement and the rise of Karpov. The meeting of two courageous tacticians produces a fierce battle in which both Kings are under attack. %^A little too imaginative; 19.O-O-O would have given White the advantage with less risk, e.g. +ZBy means of an Exchange sarifice, White succeeds in posting a Knight at the "hole" on f6. 2oThe White King is not as exposed as it seems -- 25...Qd3+ 26.Kf2 h5 27.Nxh5 gxh5 28.Bf6+ Kg8 29.Qg5+ and wins. GAME N. WeinsteinDeFotis#"$%!$"# ^dvc2Uqres6tuUwEC6s0R3G%VE'dur$7c3Bgf%`uduTS$fRuSuPSW D2U#CCC%R 6$EU'GrdVu660$$%V333%%%V6E667c43!TBuW%V&PdufS$RuASuS@W 1,N. Weinstein-DeFotis, Chicago 1973 The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian has long been one of Black's most popular defenses, for it leads to double-edged positions in which Black can play for a win as well as White. Fischer and Browne, among others, demonstrated the resources of the Black set-up. But the White players were not idle, and inevitably Black began to take too many liberties. Here White scores a crushing win against Black's overrefinement (11...Rb8 and 12...Rg8) sacrificing Queen and Rook for an attack that leads to a winning endgame. Black would like to play 11...b5, beginning his Queenside play, but after 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 (not 12...Bxf6 13.Bxb5! axb5 14.Ndxb5 and 15.Nxd6+) 13.e5 Bb7 14.Qg3 White is on top. KNot wanting to "castle into it," black prepares counterplay with ...g7-g5. wThreatening 15...hxg5, and apparently preventing 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.gxf6 Rxg3 17.Bh5+, as the Queen covers the h5 square. Anyway! "White has too many threats after 17...exd5 18.Bh5+ Kd8 19.fxe7+ Kc7 20.e8Q (Bd8+, hxg3, Nxd5+). Relatively best was 17...Bxf6 18.Rxa5 Bxh4 [18...Rg6 19.bh5] 19.hxg3 Bg5+ 20.Kb1 Ne5, and Black's strong Knight will give White some technical problems in exploiting his material advantage. 'UWhite has emerged from the complications with an extra pawn and the better position. /JWhite would win more easily with 24.Rf7 Kc7 25.Rg7, winning another pawn. 4White's threat to make a passed pawn on the Kingside will force Black's King to remain in that sector of the board. White need only penetrate with his King on the Queenside or create another passed pawn. ZwIf Black remains passive, White will play 46.a5 b5 47.c4, eventually creating passed pawns on both sides of the board. ^pThe White King has broken through -- if the Bd7 moves, then 48.Be8+ followed by 49.Kb5 and 50.Kxb6 wins easily. GAMEBrowne Zuckerman#"$%!$"# [cbqvrdu3St`2TBUQ!b3u6pRP#43dAU3a"s@'%4W3q%d07tRC4%6$&fEu tA'g6F&C3B$RU%6TSBB2v @CC!Q4"b3qAt&'P#dW3U0R34RR@d636%&7RuC4E%&$%'VAt0$a6GF&W5Browne-Zuckerman, New York 1973 Perhaps the most successful American player of the post-Fischer era, Walter Browne from 1974 to 1983 won or tied for first in the U.S. Championship no less than six times. Here he shows the advantages of the "isolated Queen's pawn" (open e-file, open diagonals for the Bishops, outpost square on e5), in a game described at the time as an "orgy of sacrifices." ,Black has been outplayed -- the result of all this maneuvering has been to transfer the White Rook from a1 to h3, where it participates in the attack. 6;The only move, as 27...Kxf7 loses to 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29.Qe4. 8The Rook cannot be taken either -- 28...Kxh7 29.Qh5+ (the g6 pawn is pinned), and other moves are no better; one variation is 28... Ne7 29.Bxg6 Nxg6 30.Qh5 Nf4 31.Rh8+ Kg7 32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. Ne5 Re7 34.Ng4++. ::Or 29...Bb5 30.Qe5 Rd5 31.Qxf6 Bxf6 32.Nh6+ Kf8 33.Rf7++. GAMEKarpovSpassky#"$%!$"# Fdvc2UquterC`"dQu$CE#sg%UFuepRvbAcqGcdBcu TsD2U$CCC%R#dvE"TQ0@AU"C&e4""44uWF7BGcuqgR dcU%c$s2Karpov-Spassky, 9th Match Game, USSR 1974 Who would be Fischer's first challenger? Most pundits chose Spassky, for though his record as Champion had not been too impressive, but his dominant play in the mid-sixties had not been forgotten. But in the second round of the Candidates' Matches he faced the youthful Anatoly Karpov, who advanced to the finals with remarkably mature play. Here he gives a textbook example of exploiting a small positional advantage on the White side of the Sicilian Defense. Black has adopted the "Scheveningen" formation, a flexible defense. Black's pawns on e6 and d6 prevent White from occupying the central squares with his pieces, and Black can prepare counterplay with...b5, ...d5 or ...e5. Nevertheless, White should obtain small advantage. One of White's ideas is to advance e4-e5, gaining space and driving back the Black pieces. So Black prepares e6-e5, first preventing the entry of the Nd4 at f5. "&It seems that Black stands well; the isolated pawn on c6 controls the important d5 square, the Nb4 is actively posted, and White's Bf3 does little. But the text allows Karpov to activate his pieces with a series of accurate moves. A better set-up for Black was 17...Nd7 18.Rd1 Qc7 19.Qc4 Rab8. &AForced, as White threatens 20.Rd2 Rd8 21.Rad1, winning material. /A paradoxical move, but a very strong one. White threatens to trap the Nb4 with 25.Rxd8 26.c3, and thus tranfers his Knight to the active square f3 with gain of time. 5]Another surprising move; White avoids the exchange of Rooks and threatens 28.g3 Bf6 29.Ref2. @RNot 32...Rxd8? 33.Nxe5 Qc7 [33...fxe5 34.Rf7+] 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.Qxe7 Qxe7 36.Nxg6+. FBlack resigns, for after 35...Rxd8 36.Be7 White will obtain a decisive material ad- vantage -- 36...Rg8 37.Qxf6+ Kh7 [37...Kh6 38.Bf8+ Rxf8 (or 38...Kh7 39.Ng5++) 39.Qxf8 g5 40.Nxg5+ Kg6 41.Qf5+ Kg7 42.Qh7+. GAMEPortischGligoric#"$%!$"# DcbqderCu"Bv%tD&svTcp4U5S%bDrd7ug61RE47d5C%U&"C%B&RD#UT43"S33d7v555c%w6brDDDDDD4GuuEU5W1%Ad7%%C&"555Portisch-Gligoric, Milan 1975 The format of the Milan 1975 tournament was an unusual one -- a round-robin among 12 of the world's top players, followed by playoff matches among the top four finishers. Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch won the preliminary leg, but he lost the final match to Karpov 3-1/2 - 2-1/2. In his game against Svetozar Gligoric, Portisch caps his strategic play with a series of finely calculated "interference" combinations. A well-known position from the Saemisch Variation of the King's Indian Defense. Black has begun his counterattack, but White's pieces are harmoniously posted, aiming at both sides of the board. In earlier games, White had proceeded with his Queenside play (Rfc1, Nb5) and allowed Black's ...f5-f4, ...g6-g5-g4. The text gives the Bd3 a bit more air, and preserves the option of playing on the Kingside instead. Black's position looks rather good, with his strong central pawns, but it is difficult for him to do anything active; ...f5-f4 would surrender the e4 square and the b1-h7 diagonal, while ...e5-e4, which he eventually plays will entail a pawn sacrifice. "If Black remains passive, White can return to his first plan with 18.Qb1 and 19.Nb5, so Black decides to sacrifice a pawn to activate his Bishops. ?The beginning of the final combination. Now 32...Bxh7 loses to 33.Nd8! (interference!), and if 33...Rxd8 34.Qxd8+ Bg8 35.Qh4+ Bh7 36.Rf8++. B7Now Black has freed the g7 square for his King, but... DAnother interference! Now 34...Bxh7 35.Qf6 is mate, as is 34...Bc8 35.Qf6+ Kxh7 36.Qg6+ Kh8 37.Qg8, and 34...Bb1 35.Qf6+ Kxh7 36.Qf7+ Kh6 37.Ng8+ wins the Queen. GAMEGellerKarpov#"$%!$"# TdcqDvrut RAp!darbBPc0EAQ1sr0q@SU"EG&u6&C@s2"fEr@"$`4$D$C3RA4U!c vdr1E7QPq0B"2Ar@S0@@@6"EG$$&&&@s&E44Er"V@"`$6#c$Geller-Karpov, USSR Championship 1976 Garry Karpov once suggested that Grandmasters could be divided into "maximalists" and "minimalists" -- those who try to find the best move in every position, and those who economize their time and effort to achieve the best tournament standing. Efim Geller belongs to the first group. One of the top Soviet GMs since the early fifties, he has produced many, many fine games, and here he outplays the World Champion, concluding with a spectacular Queen sacrifice. A provocative defensive system -- Black quietly prepares to exchange his "bad" Bishop, and dares White to exploit his laggard development in this closed position. SWhite threatens to open a file on the Queenside, which Black temporarily prevents. White refutes 14...bxc4 15.bxc4 dxc4 with 16.d5! exd5 17.e6, opening lines against the Black King after, say, 17...fxe6 18.Re1. %White has won a pawn, but the a2 pawn is weak and White's Bishop would have little scope in an endgame. So White prepares an Exchange sacrifice to keep the initiative. (iNearly forced, as Black gets into trouble on the Queenside after 20...Qa6 21.Rb3 Ne7 21.Rgb1 Nd7 22.Ra3. *&Not 21...Bxb8? 22.Qxc6+ Kf8 23.Qc8++. 0^White threatened to win back the Exchange with a two-pawn profit with 25.Nhg6+ fxg6 26.Nxg6+. 2Capturing on e6 with the Queen leads to about the same thing as the game, and other moves do not defend against White's threat to win the Queen with 26.Nfg6+. 4IOr 26...Kf7 27.Nxh8+ Kf8 28.N5g6+, and Black must play 28...Qxg6 anyway. BBlack pawn has won back a pawn, but the passed White c-pawn and the active White Rook leave him with no real hope of saving the game. i%CG09299%CG09399%CG094d:.:.%CG095 99%CG09699%CG09799%CG098N99%CG09999%CG100:/:/%CG101o 9595%CG1029595%CG1039595%CG1041 9595GAME Ljubojevic Andersson#"$%!$"# Ddvc2UqutrestD#E"Tps%R#S4E"dDCSuEV"42W$GR'bD2U$CCC"Rd v%TE#tV4444E#sSDR"CS214"E%GWC!$$$D6'W&BLjubojevic-Andersson, Wijk aan Zee 1976 When two players of contrasting styles meet, the result is a battle of ideas which can only enrich the game. Ljubojevic is one of the most dangerous attacking players of the modern era, while Ulf Andersson is one of the most difficult players to defeat. With a sharp pawn sacrifice, White places many practical problems before his opponent, and with the clock ticking, Andersson is unable to find the hidden path to the draw. lWhite will combine threats against the pinned Knight with the transfer of pieces for an attack on the King. '+Of course not 20.Bxb8 Nxe2+ and 21...Nxg3. <Correct was 30...Qxa2. Then 31.Qxa8 is bad -- 31. ..g5 32.Rh3 Qb1+ 33.Kf2 Qf1+ 34.Kg3 Qf4++, or 32.Rg4 Nd6 33.Qf3 Qb1+ 34.Kf2 Qf1+ 35.Kg3 Nf5+ 36.Kh3 Kf7 and 37...Rh8+. So White must play [30...Qxa2] 31.Qh7+ Kf7 32. Qh5+, with a draw by repetition. GAMEKorchnoi Polugaevsky#"$%!$"# Vbqvcdu3SBt1RDTsru"C%T$g4WbprF'c67SCD%sS5#Da2UF%5'&4C$'DvqgeS%B%R$U3C"TSBB1SvAD%%Db'Ts22FC4WCF2c0r226667&'%BS45SD#F%5QCCC&&&'$D%qgVSUBKorchnoi-Polugaevsky, 7th Match Game 1977 Karpov's first challenger for the World Championship was Victor Korchnoi. Though playing under many handicaps -- after his defection to the West in 1976, Soviet Grandmasters boycotted tournaments in which he competed, and it is difficult for any master to stay in top form without top-flight competition -- he came to the Candidates' Matches armed with many new ideas and a fierce will to win, and scored decisive victories over Tigran Petrosian, Lev Polugaevsky and Boris Spassky. ;A "diverting" sacrifice -- on 30...Bxd6 31.Ng5 wins, as Black no longer has 31...Qxf2+, and 30...Bxf3 removes one of the guards from g6, allowing 31.Rxg6+ (the f7 pawn is pinned). GAMESpasskyKorchnoi#"$%!$"# QdcqD`Aas2FveCr3Td"SeC1wGut3UDcueUVWVcfWD'VfGFUVcFfWD$C3RA42PRRFCd"ESRTCeCCC!G1Duu3UuceUeecVDWVWFV'fGUV6cFRfWeFDSpassky-Korchnoi, 2nd Match Game, Belgrade 1977 The Winawer Variation of the French Defense leads to sharp, unbalanced positions requiring both strategic judgement and precise calculation. Long a favorite of Botvinnik, it is also very well suited to Korchnoi's counterattacking style. In this game from his final Candidates' Match with Boris Spassky, Black sacrifices a pawn for the initiative, and the White King is unable to find a safe haven on either side of the board. White plays to win a pawn on the Kingside, but black gains time and obtains an open file in compensation. A quieter plan is 7.a4, trying to work on the dark squares with Ba3. qBlack again offers a pawn to open a central file, for the White King will not be too comfortable on either wing. %After this White is in some trouble. He could make a draw with 19.Qa8+ Kd7 20.O-O-O+ Nd5 21.Rxd5+ exd5 22.Qxd5+ Kc8 23.Qa8+, as attempts by Black to vary would allow White to simplify into a better ending. 3pAlso very uncomfortable is s26.Kf1 Qc5. Despite the exchange of several pieces, the White King remains unsafe. RMis no good defense to 41...Qsf4+ 42.Kh5 Rxh2++, as 41.Qg3 fails to 41...Rg2. GAME ChristiansenSeirawan#"$%!$"# TvdcqutC"rspud0`g6"'DtT!c0UBS6%CPsBDru&GC'G%'R%p6s2c&5'4$%4fU&DC#R%dv"36"cst0u@PW!'33T0SBr26PC'DDDBC!GpS6''G%'%D&sFc3'54$%4#EV#Christiansen-Seirawan, Berkeley 1978 In the round-robins which predominate at the international level, every player may expect a reasonable prize, but in American "Swiss" tournaments (a large number of players compete over a weekend, with equal scores being paired in each round), a last- round game may mean the difference between a substantial prize and a long walk home. In this game, Seirawan outplays his opponent strategically, but Christiansen launches a clever counterattack which leads to a King-hunt and a very long discovered check. Not a very strong system for White; though he obtains a temporary space advantage, the Black position is without weaknesses, and Black will will obtain counterplay by attacking the advanced pawn with...c6 or e6. Misassessing the position -- he ought to play 12.a4. Now Black gets too much space on the Queenside, and combines threats against b2 and c2 with a flanking action against the d5 pawn. )White is being pushed back, and certainly doesn't want to go over to passive defense with 21.Qa1. He decides to sacrifice a pawn to gain time to transfer his pieces to the Kingside. 2Better was 25...b5, preparing for the creation of a passed pawn on the a-file, but mainly keeping the option of bringing the Nc4 back to the defense of the King via e5. 4Black cannot play 26...g5, for White has a winning attack with 27.Rxh6! Kxh6 28.Rh4+ Kg6 29.Bd3+ Bf5 30.Qd1 gxh4 31.Qg4+ Kh6 32.Qxf5. 6GIt was essential to bring another piece to the Kingside with 27...Bf5. 9vBlack must have assumed that this combination would not work with the White Queen so far away. Well, he was mistaken. <_The second Rook cannot be taken, for if 30... gxh4 31.Qc1+ Kh5 32.Qd1+ Kh6 33.Qd2+ soon mates. >1And on 31...Kf8 32.Qd1, followed by 33.Qh5 wins. DOr 34...Ke5 35.b4+! Kxd5 36.bxc5 dxc5 37.Nxg5 c4 38.Be4+ Kc5 39.Rh5 f5 40.Bxf5 Bxf5 41.Ne4+ Kd5 42.Rxf5+ Kxe4 43.g4 followed by mate. FOWhite also mates after 35...Kxh7 36.Qh5+ Kg7 37.Qxg5+ Kf8 38.Qh6+ Kg8 39.Nf6+. K_Short of time, White misses several quicker wins, such as 38.Nxd6+ Ke5 39.Nxf7+ Kd4 40. Qe3++. GAMEAdorjanRibli#"$%!$"# ,dvc2UqrCseftgG!uF%s6T&'%7cD2U#CCC%R T4Q$cUFr!G7BBB6v&'%'%f3Adorjan-Ribli, 4th Match Game, Budapest 1979 Hungarian GM Andras Adorjan shows a fine tactical flair in prosecuting his attack against the denuded Black King. The use of an advanced passed pawn to support mating threats is not new, of course, but Adorjan adorns it with several witty and original points. CWhite prepares to castle Queenside and advance his Kingside pawns. Black might consider keeping his King in the center, but the advance g5/h5/g6 will still open some lines around his King, and he needs both Rooks if he is to obtain counterplay on the Queenside. Logical is the central counterattack 13...d5, but it fails to 14.Bxb6 Qxb6 15.g5 d4 16.Na4 Qc6 17.gxf6 gxf6 18.Nac5 [diverting the Bishop from the defense of f6] Bxc5 19.Rg1+ Kh8 20.Qh6 and wins. "Bringing another piece to defend the Kingside with 17...Nf6 runs into 18.Bh6! Ne8 [or 18...gxh6 19.Qxh6, and Black has the choice of being mated on g7, h7, or h8] 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 [19...Nxg7 20.Qh6] 20.h6+ Kg8 21.g7. )A by no means obvious continuation of the attack. White had to see that 21.Rxg7+ Kxg7 22.Qg5+ Kf8 23.h6 didn't work because of 23...Qd8, and the Queen returns in time to stop the passed h-pawn. *Alternatives are I) 21...Bh8 22.Rg7+! Bxg7 23.hxg7+ Kxg7 24.Qg5+ Kf8 25.Rh8++ and 21...Bf8 22.Qg5 f6 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.h7 followed by mate on g7 or g8. ,NFor there is no defense to the threat of 23.Qg7+! Bxg7 24.hxg7+ Kg8 25.Rh8++. GAMEKasparovButnoris#"$%!$"# Rcbvqdut`ArBap2US%ce6EDt2C5uT3Vr&s R4%G$4'u#SUB'$#vsecVC%B$UAcT!Sv3Pcc33A2rCC4 Dt6E&42V 5#E7DGR'uU5%#4E##SB'E$#&secVtWKasparov-Butnoris, USSR 1979 An early example of the future World Champion's promise. Many players, even very strong ones, would have rejected the White position after move 19, but Kasparov looks just a little further. Black's strategy involves control of the e4 square and the use of his long-range Bishop. White will try to advance his central pawns and activate his two Bishops. Better was 15...Nd6 16.Qe2, with a slight advantage to White. The text initiates a combination which leaves White with doubled pawns and a bad Bishop, but strands the Black Knight on a6. &NWhite has a clear advantage. If 19...exf5 20.Qxd5 Rad8 21.Qb7 wins material. .`Not 23...f6? 24.exf6 gxf6 25.Rc3 Rg7 26.Rg3 Qh6 27. Rxg7+ Kxg7 28.Bxf6+! Rxf6 29.Ne8+ and wins. 4BOtherwise, the f7 pawn is lost. But now White has a combination. @5On 32...Qxd3 33.Rxd3 Ne6 34.Rd8, White wins a piece. FNLaunching a desperate counterattack, for he cannot avoid the loss of a piece. GAMEKasparov Marjanovic#"$%!$"# .cbvfutC$UB%G3qdD"rufR%D5"6%s7aC%B$U!Vfv33G"335R3D%33E tWDa6"%C7&Gp&hKasparov-Marjanovic, Malta 1980 The Pomar Gambit (7.d5) has been around for forty years, but it received little attention until the late 70's. It is not surprising that Kasparov would take an interest in an opening which yields an unclear initiative for a pawn, and here he makes his pieces dance very nicely, embarrassing both the Black Queen and the King. Thus Black wins a pawn, buth the activity of his "Indian" Bishop at b7 is curtailed, and the seemingly off-sided Knight at h4 can quickly return to action via f5. oAfter 15...Nc5 16.Bd6 Re8 17.Rxe8+ Nxe8 18.Bxc5 bxc5 19.Nxd5 White's advantage would be less than in the game. Black had to answer the threat of 17.Nh6+, and after 16...Qc6 17.Rc1 Nc5 18.Be5 Rfe8 19.Nd4 the Queen is unexpectedly trapped. "VBetter was 17...Ne6, but after 18.Nxf6 gxf6 19.Bd6 White still has a clear advantage. $MNow 18...Ne6 no longer works, in view of 19.Nd6 Bxa1 20.Ndxf7+ Rxf7 21.Bxe6. .<For Black will be mated after 23...Kg7 24.Nf5+ gxf5 25.Qh6. GAMEAlburtPeters#"$%!$"# QcbfC$Bqvutr%RUD`AVpaduD4 c`$dtRQ0f2P7@B1RsET3Q5gu5"&r%!DC%B$V2333#R&UfvEDDDcAPEEa`D t145$Q0dRT%0"7uB@E1R!br3Q!!DW5f65566""Alburt-Peters, U.S. Championship 1981 In this brilliancy prize game from the 1981 U.S. Championship, Black's sharp Exchange sacrifice produces a complex position with the struggle ranging all across the board, a typical example of Modern Benoni at its best.  White has adopted the "Fianchetto Variation" against the Benoni, developing his Bishop at g2. He hopes thus to safeguard his King and gradually advance his center pawns (e2-e4, f2-f4, e4-e5). Black hastens to obtain counterplay with his Rook on the half-open e-file. \A finesse, luring the a-pawn to a dark square so that it will be \{en prise\} after...Bxb2.  It seems that Black has good compensation for his small investment -- a pawn for the Exchange, a three-to-one pawn majority on the Queenside, and a powerful dark-squared Bishop. But now White advances his center pawns, and the position becomes very sharp and unclear. -After 23.Nxc5 dxc5 24.d6, Black seizes the advantage by returning some material: 24... Re8 25.dxc7 Qxc7, with two good pawns for the Exchange. 4A curious reversal: White has maintained the material balance and will now get the upper hand on the Queenside, but Black will launch a decisive attack against the weakened White King position. 7Mor 28.Rb3 Nxf4 29.Rxb5 Nxg2 30.Kxg2 Be4+ 31. f3 Qg4+, with a winning attack. ?White sould set a trap with 32.Qe1 Bb2? 33. Rb3 c1Q 34.Qxc1 Bxc1 35.b7, getting a new queen, but Black would play instead 32...Nxd5! 33.Rb3 Qxc6 34.b7 c1Q 35.b8Q+ Kg7, winning easily. ErOr: I) 35.Qf4 c1Q 36.Qxc1 Qg4+; II) 35. Bg2 Bxg2 36.Kxg2 Qg4+ 37.Kf1 Qd1+; III) 35.f3 Bxc6 Rb8+ Kg7 37.Qxc2 Qa7+. GvSlightly better was 36.Rb3, but after 36... Qg5+ 37.Qxg5 Bxg5 38.Rc3 c1Q 39.Rxc1 Bxc1 White emerges two pawns behind. GAMESeirawanKarpov#"$%!$"# >vbqcr6pB%R$GfrsR@2T$u5UbCftbuQC"`s3 S5U%B$R3C6'Gr!3333VR @2T$ CQ5fbCQQUbvasC"@3S55&$"Seirawan-Karpov, London 1982 A rare slip by Karpov in the opening allows Seirawan to win a piece, and he exploits his advantage precisely and energetically. This was the first tournament victory by an American over a reigning world champion since Dake defeated Alekhine at Pasadena 1932. Preventing ...Qb4+ and preparing to double Queen and Rook on the c-file. Black's reply virtually commits him to a piece sacrifice, but it turns out that he will have considerable compensation, and Seirawan will have to play well to demonstrate its unsoundness. White threatened 14.Re3, and Black is clearly worse after 13...Bb7 14.e3 Qe4 15.Bxa6 Qxf3 16.O-O Bxa6 17.Qxa6 Rec8 18.Rfc1. Black prefers to speculate. White can beat off the attack after 16...Rac8 17.Nxd4 Qc5 18.Qd3 Qa5+ 19.Rc3 Qxa2 20.Bg2 Qxb2 21.Rxc8+ Rxc8 22.O-O, and the two pawns are insufficient compensation for the piece. #~Returning some material to break the attack. Not 18.Ra3? Qb4+ 19.Nd2 Rac8, with the winning threat of 20...Bd3 21.Qxd3 Rc1+. 5WGoing over to the attack. Now if 27...Rxa7 28.Qd3 and there is no defense to 29.Rd8+. :LAlso losing is 29...g6 30.Qd4 Rb1+ 31.Kg2 f6 32.Qxf6 Rg7 33.Qf8 g5 34.Be4+. >iFor Black loses more material on 31...Rb1+ 32.Kg2 h5 33.Be4, or 31...h5 32.Qg8+ Kh6 33.Qh8+ and 34.Qxb2. GAMEKorchnoiKasparov#"$%!$"# IcbfuCqvt$B`UgcB%dve@ P5fs1r!EP7udVgaBtDpb4ec5`fC%B&Vf23#RU$v33 @cWB4P7Dg5E1111DDd!Pca44BVtDfb4eee`5S'%UWKorchnoi-Kasparov, Lucerne Olympiad 1982 A Titanic struggle. Karpov chose not to play in the match in which he would have to face his bitter enemy Korchnoi, and so the first- board encounter was between the former challenger and the next one. Kasparov chose a sharp and risky piece sacrifice to stir up threats against the White King, and even Korchnoi's great defensive skills prove insufficient. A position of the Modern Benoni has been reached by transposition from the King's Indian Defense. White now adopts a strategy aimed at preventing ...b7-b5; he hopes to stifle Black's counterplay and gradually assume the initiative in the center. 8A refinement. Earlier, the immediate 15...f5 had been tried, but it was eventually dis- covered the White could get the advantage with 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.g4 Bxg4 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.gxh5 Rf8 20.h6 Bh8 21.Ne4 Ng4 22.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.Nxd6 Be5 24.Ne4, and the three pieces and passed d-pawn will prove stronger than the Queen. "On a retreat of the Ne5 Black's position would collapse at once -- after 18.exf5 he cannot recapture without losing a piece, and without the cooperation of the Ne5 Black would have no real attacking chances. &Now on 20.fxe5 Bxe5 Black has a very dangerous attack e.g. 21.Bf4 Nxf4 22.gxf4 Bxf4+ 23.Kg1 Bd7! with a clear advantage; if the Nb5 moves, 24...Bd4+ will be crushing. Korchnoi's move is stronger, but the position remains unclear. (~Now on 21.Nxd6 Rb6 22.fxe5 Bxe5 23.Nc4 Bxg3+ 24.Kg1 Rbf6 Black brings another piece into the attack with the decisive effect. -The critical point of the game. Two better defense, which have been extensively analyzed without a clear conclusion, are 23. Qg2 Qd8 24.Bd2, and 23.Kg2!? Nf7 24.Qd3 /SNot 24.Rfb1? Nf3+, but both 24.Ra2 and 24.Nc2 avoid the rapid debacle of the game. :Allowing White to continue resistance by sacrificing his Queen. Immediately decisive was 29...Nxd2!, e.g. 30.Nxd7 Nf3+ 31.Qe2 Nh4+ 32.Kg1 Qxc3 33.Qe6+ Kh8 34.Nxf8 Qg3+ 35.Kf1 Qg2+ 36.Ke1 Kf3+ 37.Kd1 Qd2++. @Material is approximately equal, but Black's Queen and Knight cooperate better than White's scattered army. 33.Nb6 runs into 33...Qf2+ 34.Kh1 Qf3+ 35.Kh2 Nf4 36.Bxf4 Qxf4+ 37.Kg2 Qg5+, followed by acheck picking up the Nc3. GAMEHankenBELLE#"$%!$"# Hbfuv3t`q"sU3cBb2r!uaT4q2E%PAb2G0rf$!7p"1S'r@TB#%4dB$V%f3UBv @"P0b3G2CSS!Taq4E2rAb2T75""""!5'r1$$$"!0'B%#42#DWHanken-BELLE, Pasadena 1983 Man versus machine, as a human master faces the world computer champion at the 1983 U.S. Open. Hanken exploits the computer's primary weakness, a lack of positional judgement -- it will grab material if it cannot see a refutation within its look-ahead tree, while a human player would see trouble on the horizon. Better is 6.Qc2; the attempt to hold the pawn with 6...Qd5 would allow White too great an advantage in the development after 7.Nc3. ,Definitely deciding to make a gambit of it. pAvoiding the trap 11...Be7 12.b4 Qxb4 13.Bd2 Qc5 14.Rfc1, and the Queen cannot maintain the defense of the Na5, aMuch too greedy. 12...Qb3 maintains a sound extra pawn without opening any more lines for White. sEven stronger than 16.Bd2. From now on White combines mate threats with threats against the stranded Knight on a5. &nOn 19...exf5 20.Nxf5 recovers the piece with a continuing attack, as 20...Nc6 loses to 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22.Qe4+. ,9Or 22...Rb7 23.Rd1 with a crushing attack on the d-file. 2LOr 25...axb5 26.Rxc8+ Bd8 27.Qxb5 with a powerful passed a-pawn and a bind. 5At this point White inquired rather testily why the computer would not resign. He was informed that the program resigned only when five pawns behind, and here it evaluated its combined material and positional disadvantage as 4.89 pawns ... GAMESmyslovRibli#"$%!$"# RcvbqB%dut`2TsuSRb"BDs@S!dU3r&V4f75C1t'3%#apgtA$D3U#E%RC%U$B3R233T"SvPCC%b's!BdDS@t111V&4'47UU5%'3a$$##33a!A%tGD#R444E4$BSmyslov-Ribli, 5th Match Game, London 1983 The old lion proves that he can still bite, as Vassily Smyslov, World Champion in 1957, crushingly defeats favored Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Ribli. Smyslov won the quarter-final Candidates' Match 6 1/2-4 1/2, avoiding modern theoretical variations and relying on classical positions in which his greater experience gave him the edge. A typical "isolated Queen pawn" position -- White has more space and greater freedom of movement, while Black will try to manuever against the potentially weak d4 pawn. Experience has shown that the chances are dynamically equal. jThe combination 13...Nxd4? 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Na4 Qc7 16. Rxd4 b5 fails to 17.Bxh6! gxh6 18.Rg4+ Kh8 19.Qd2. Black assumes that the penetration of the White Queen to h7 will not be dangerous, but he's mistaken. 16...Ng6 would prevent the attack which arises in the game, and 16...Bb5 would at any rate gain a tempo over the game continuation. +A fine move, permitting the other White pieces to assist the Queen in the attack. 22...gxh6? is obviously impossible (23.Qxf7++), and both 22...Rxd4 23.Nxg6+ 24. Nh5 gxh6 25.Nxf6 and 22...Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Nxe5 24.Qxg7+ Ke8 25.dxe5 are as bad as the game (25...Ng6 26.Qg8+ Ke7 27.Bg5+). .In view of variations like 23...Rxd4 24.Nxf6 gxh6 25. Qxh6++ and 23...N5g6 24.Bxg7+ Bxg7 25.Qxg7+ Ke8 26.Nf6++, the Knight sells its life as dearly as possible, doubling the White pawns. 3The thematic line -opening advance of the islolated pawn. Now on 26...gxf6, White wins with the variation 27.dxe6 Qg5+ 28.Kh1 fxe6 29.Rg1 Qf4 30.Rg7 Qxf3+ 31.Kg1 Rd1+ 32.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33.Kg2 Qd5+ 34.f3 Qd2+ 35.Kh3, escaping the checks. 74A sacrifical combination that wins the Black Queen. :Or 29...Kd6 30.Ne4+. GAME BeliavskyNunn#"$%!$"# 7cbqdersCg%TDf5FRcvUD4tEedU7ucbBsGfwTd5C%B&RD#UTc234W7e555FU7D'bEdeeUsGS5rc&&fBeTdBUvbsSBeliavsky-Nunn, Wijk aan Zee 1985 Despite the vast amount of theory that has accumulated on the King's Indian Defense over the last 40 years, it is still possible for a creative player to produce an original game. John Nunn is one of the new generation of GMs who have made England one of the world's leading chess powers (silver medal in the 1986 Olympiad, behind the Soviet Union), while Beliavsky is one of the top Soviet players after Kasparov and Karpov. The popular Saemisch Variation -- White securely defends his e4 pawn, and is ready in some lines to advance his Kingside pawns (g2-g4, h2-h4-h5xh6), in conjunction with Queenside castling. A logical plan, increasing the activity of the Bg7. The alternative is something like 7...e5 8.d5 Nh5 followed by ...f7-f5, but this is the sort of thing the Saemisch is designed to meet. 9It is usually incorrect to move the same piece twice in the opening, but Black's move discourages Nge2 (...Nxc4), Nh3 (...Bxh3 and ...Nxf3+), and f4 (...Neg4, exchanging the important Be3). The right reply is paradoxical 9.Bg5, threatening 10.f4, as played in Timman-Nunn in a later round of the same tournament. The most reasonable alternative is 10.Qf2, but White would have tactical problems based on the juxtaposition of his King and Queen on the same diagonal, e.g. 10...e6 11.f4 Bf6 12.g3 Nxg3. ?Offering a piece sacrifice to get at the uncastled White King. Of course not 13.Nxf3? Nxf3+, forking King and Queen. No better is 13.O-O-O Rf7 14.gxh5 Qf8, skewering the two bishops, e.g. 15.Ne4 Bh6 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Rxf1. Possible is 13.Be2 Rxf2 14.Kxf2, but after 14...Qf8+ Black has more than enough for the Exchange. FA good defensive move, which should enable White to hold the balance. )The critical point of the game. White tries to hold all his material, but fails to set up a solid defense. Correct was 15.Qe2, attacking the Rook in earnest, and after 15...Nd3+ 16.Qxd3 Rxd3 17.Bxd3 Qf4 18.Rd1, it seems the White can hold the position, though the Black pieces remain very active. Taking the Rook now leads to an inferior endgame -- 16. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 17.Kd1 Bf5 18.Bg3 Qe3 19.Bf2 Qxe4 Bxe4 21.Bg2 Rf8, and though White has apparent material advantage, the active Black Bishops cooperate far better than the clumsy White Rooks. %DThe only way to save the Knight, in view of the threat of ...Qe1++. &Threatening 20...Ne1, and if 21.Nxe1 Bxc2+ 22.Nxc2 Qg5 and wins. Relatively best now is 20.Nc3, but Black is still on top after 20...Nd2!, e.g. 21.B3 Nxf1 22.Rxf1 Qh5+ 23.Ke1 Qxh3 24.Rd1 Qg3+ 25.Rf2 Be3. (JThreatening now the "staircase" maneuver 21...Qe4 22.Rg1 Qe3 23.Rh1 Qf3+. 4BThreatening to confiscate the Bf3 as well with...Nd4 and ...Bxd3. %CG105 9595%CG1069595%CG1079696%CG108g9696%CG109 9696%CG110 9696MAKEGAME=v&, 99+FINDER.DATAOp 9)9:GAMEKarpovKasparov#"$%!$"# Udvc2Uqutev`rdsCfF%cUpTs"Srwu6WT!%V7F&E%eFcATs!#Q DvwbD2U#CCC%R d$vEw@"TUcQ!F6efs&rSAWTvs5%%V!T7F%G66FcTTb!# Q$aB4wffC/Karpov-Kasparov, 24th Match Game 1985 Once more a game in which the sporting factors outweighed the chessic ones. After 23 games, Kasparov led by a score of 12-11, but a 12-12 tie would allow Karpov to retain the World Championship, and he had White in the last game. Kasparov remained true to himself, eschewing passive defense and once more adopting the double-edge Sicilian Defense. Karpov obtains an attack sufficient for a draw, but his attempts to obtain more lead only to a slashing counterattack and a decisive victory for the challenger from Baku. Black adopts the solid and flexible Scheveningen System. His pawns on e6 and d6 deny White the use of the central squares d5/e5/f5, and he can prepare counterplay with ...b5, ...d5 or ...e5 as events dictate. White must choose between two fundamentally different plans: the piece atack, with something like Qd2-f2-g3 and f4-f5, and the pawn storm, as adopted in the game. The drawback of the latter plan is that the White King may become exposed if the first player later loses the initiative. 'KFreeing the third rank so that the Rd1 may be transferred to the Kingside. (xKasparov later recommended instead 20...Nc5 21.Nxc5 bxc5 22.Rd3 Nd4 23.Rh3 Qe7, with a satisfactory position for Black. -wA preparatory move typical of Karpov, but according to Kasparov the immediate 23.f5 would be more dangerous for Black. 0A strange-looking idea, but Black thus defends his second rank (especially f7) and discourages f4-f5, for the opening of the e-file may be to his advantage. 2Suddenly taking the initiative at the cost of a pawn sacrifice. If 26.Qd2 e5! 27.exf5 gxf5, the doubled Rooks on the e-file no longer look so silly. =xObjectively best was to repeat moves with 31.Rg3 Nh5, but this would be equivalent to resigning the World Championship. FYNow it is clear that the Rh4 is quite out of play, and the White position is very loose. GA losing blunder in a difficult position. The game remains unclear after 36.Qxb8 Rxb8 37.Bh3, when best play seems to be 37...Re7 38.Rxd6 Rxb3 39.Rd8+ Kf7 40.Rxa8 Rxb2, when Black has sufficient compensation for the pawn. JcEven better, according to Kasparov, was 37...Nb4 38.Qa5 Qxd6, for if 39.e5 Qd3 40.Bxb7 Qe3+ mates. GAMERibliKouatly#"$%!$"# Bvbfutqc2sCua%RrpU6DEf6$6$WGg#G%'3sQ&P$f6#7U%B2V!fv&RCCC"Es#QDDpP66GW$6$f%'$G376BB7a43#757Ribli-Kouatly, Lucerne 1985 The romantic gambits of the 19th century are rarely seen nowadays, but any opening can lead to exciting play in the hands of an imaginative player. Here Hungarian GM Zoltan Ribli uses a quiet "Fianchetto" opening as the springboard for a Kingside attack with several witty points. A faulty combination, as the pin on the Nc3 proves to be an illusion. Somewhat better was 11...O-O, though White still has the advantage after 12.Qh4 followed by Bh6 and Ng5. #pThe attack on the Rc8 means little; the real threat is 19.Qh7+ Kf8 20.Ne6+ fxe6 21.Bxe6, with unavoidable mate. $Other moves are also inadequate -- 18...e5 19.Rxd6 Qe7 20.Qh7+ Kf8 21.Rf6 Nd8 22.Rxf7+ Nxf7 23.Ne6++, or 18...e6 19.Rxd6 Qe7 20.Qh7+ Kf8 21.Rd7! &>Or 19...fxe6 20.Bxe6 Ne5 21.Qh7 Nf7 22.Bb2!, closing the net. ,_The remainder of the game consists of White's technical realization of his material advantage. B{Looks a little early, but after 33...Rc7 34.Be4, Black can hardly meet the dual threats of 35.Ba3 and 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Ba3+. GAMEYusupov Nogueiras#"$%!$"# (cbqvrB$duUt#C%s!p@46RaSC"%C3B$R"U%633T#S4!v44F@arC%%%%111$a1GYusupov-Nogueiras, Montpellier 1985 Even in a quiet Queen's Gambit, opening inaccuracies may meet with a drastic refutation. It is true that in closed positions maneuvering may be more important than rapid development -- but you must be certain that the position will remain closed. jBlack avoids the sharp Anti-Meran Gambit (5...dxc4 6.e4) and transposes into the Queen's Gambit declined. ~Or 9...Ng6 10.f4 O-O 11.O-O, with a good attacking formation for White, as Pillsbury demonstrated at the turn of the century. Black does not care for 10...Qxb2 11.Rc1 Bxe5 12.dxe5 N6d7 13.f4, but if he doesn't plan to take the b2 pawn his 9th move makes little sense. White is only slightly better after 12.Bf4 Ng6 13.Bxg6 hxg6 14.h3 Nh6. Now White has threatens 13.Nxd5, and 12...Bd7 runs into 13.e6 Bxe6 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Qxg4, with two Bishops and a development advantage. With a plethora of threats -- 15.Nxd5 Qxd4 16.Nc7++ and 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Nd6++ chief among them, while 14...Qb6 fails to 15.e6 Bxe6 16.Qxg7. -No better was 16...Nxf6 17.Qxf6 Rg8 18.Nxd5. "&Since 17...Qxd4 18.Nd6 is still mate. GAMERohdeB. Kogan#"$%!$"# @dvu1btcqucC&uFf"vt6TGvEsrpDU@3f$eG43eDT5D4U"1 @#RvC&ctuF3GTUUw6vEfffrrGT5v5E3$T7Te3DDT6W%yRohde-B. Kogan, U.S. Championship 1986 A brilliancy prize game by one of the best young American players. White's control of the center prevents the Black pieces from gathering to exploit the weakened position of the White King, and White makes use of the inevitable concomitant of the doubled pawns -- an open file -- to prepare a sacrificial attack against the Black King. Rather out of place; though Black will succeed in weakening the White King position, his Queenside pieces will be too far away to assist in the attack. 4Not 12.dxc3 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Qc8 with too many threats. iNow if 13...Qc8 14.Qe2 Qh3 15.Bd1 White's King position is secure, and he can continue with Kh1 and Rg1. *5For 21...Qxa4 fails to 22.Qh6 Qd7 23.f6 g6 24.Rxg6+. ,Now on 22...Qxf4 White would sacrifice a piece -- 23.Qxf4 exf4 24.Be8! Re7 25.f6 Rxe8 26.Rxg7+ Kf8 27.Rxh7, and there is no defense to 28.Rgg7 and 29.Rh8++. 5Better was 27.Bg8, e.g. 27...Rxg8 28.Rxg8+ Kh7 29.R1g7+ Kh6 30.Rg6+ Kh7 31.f6 Nf5 32.f7, with the winning threat of 33.f8N++. The test gives Black some chances to survive. 8CBetter was 28...c6 and it is not yet certain that Black must lose. @AFor if 32...Rxf6 33.Rg8+ Kh7 34.Be4+ Rf5 35.R8g5 wins the house. GAMEShort Ljubojevic#"$%!$"# @dvc2Uqrst6eur1Rgfd"TwF'E%CVD&cE7GV7s"6SED2U#CCC%R"6$c r'TE1SqAdWFVCC"t6667&47E6GV7g6cfEVDDDSShort-Ljubojevic, Netherlands 1988 Though his results have been uneven, young British GM Nigel Short is considered  by many the West's best hope to regain the world championship. After a tiny inaccuracy, he is able to sacrifice two pieces to smoke out the Black King and drive it all the way to h2 before administering the coup de grace. $WBetter was 18...Rfd8 -- it turns out that the e8 square will be needed for the Knight. +Now if the King retreats to the back rank, 23.g6 will rip open the position with decisive threats, e.g. 22...Kf8 23.g6 Bd8 24.gxf7 Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Nf6 26.Qh6, or 22...Kg8 23.g6 24.gxf7+ Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Kg6 26.h4 Bh6 27.Qg2+ Kxh5 28.Be2+. So Black decides to take his King for a walk. 61On 27...Rg8 28.Qg4+ Kh2 29.Re2+ Bg2 30.Be4 wins. GAMESeirawanTal#"$%!$"# Dcbqsrdu6vt2T`AdaPRG$b#u"B$r1 S4p1%e"u3sBV!aSdRtCC%B$RAb6#TS'G2d!vCCPRRA @1"V4a3r$33uB1Cs"C7U@BBpSe1dRtS"Seirawan-Tal, Brussels 1988 In the early 80's Seirawan was closely associated with Tal's nemesis Viktor  Korchnoi. In this game, he chooses a solid opening well-calculated to put the aggressive Tal off his game, and improves his record against the former world champion to 4-0. Black wants to open the c-file for counterplay -- 10...Bb7 11.d5 Ne5 12.e4 is very good for White -- but his opponent soon takes the initiative on the Queenside. SA better idea was 14...a5, intending to open the a-file for the exchange of Rooks. "More logical seems 17...d5, removing the pawns from the dark squares, but then comes 18.c5, with a powerful pawn mass on the Queenside -- 18...bxc5 19.dxc5 e5 20.Rfe1 e4 21.Bf1, and there is no reasonable defense to the threat of Nb5-d4, trapping the Queen. $_Doesn't work out, but Black is short of options; 18...Bxb5 19.axb5 Qc7 20.c5 is awful for him. &EAgain, 19...e4 20.Be2 Bxb5 21.axb5 Qe6 22.c5 is very good for White. ,Threatening mate. Black's next move is consistent, but Seirawan's careful defense shows that it amounts to an Exchange sacrifice. 4Saving the Exchange with 26...Bb7 27.Rd2 Rc8 permits White to dominate the board with28.Nb5 and 29.Nd6, so Black tries to complicate matters. D/For White must win another piece with 35.Ne7+. 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