Vintage Reshevsky

     The other day I posted one of Reshevsky’s brilliancy prize games, but that game was what GM Alex Yermolinsky would have called “crushing a tomato can.” In the following game we see Reshevsky exhibiting all the characteristics that were discussed in that post against one of the all time great players in the history of chess, Paul Keres. 
     We see Reshevsky’s superb tactical ability save him from a prepared variation. His position was riddled with weaknesses but his superhuman skill at finding counterplay not only neutralized Keres’ advantage, but actually allowed Reshevsky to reach a won ending. The game was vintage Reshevsky. 
     It was played in round 18 of the 1948 World Championship which was played to determine the new World Champion following the death of the previous champion Alexander Alekhine in 1946. 
     On April 22nd play for lap four began in Moscow at the House of Unions and spacious the Hall of Columns was jam packed every round. Botvinnik was the hero od Soviet chess and when the fourth lap started he was on the brink of success. The only way he could be caught was if he totally collapsed and that was unlikely to happen. When this game was played an overflow crowd of some 800 rabid spectators had to be shunted off into another room where a Soviet master described the play.

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[Event "World Championship Tournament"]
[Site "the Hague.Moscow"]
[Date "1948.4.27"]
[Round "18"]
[White "Paul Keres"]
[Black "Samuel Reshevsky"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
{Open Ruy Lopez: Keres Variation} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5.
O-O Nxe4 {In the Open Variation black tries to make use of the time white will
take to regain the P to gain a foothold in the center.} 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8.
dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 {The first time this move was played was in this tournament.
Today it still does at least as good as the more popular 9.c3, 9.Nbd2 or
9.Be3} 9... Nc5 {Time has shown 9...Be7 to be black's best move here.} 10.
Rd1 {At this point, in a later game (round 22) against Smyslov, Reshevsky
played 10...b5 with the idea of restraining white's Q-side, but all he got was
a tenable position, The move has long since been abandoned. As for
10...Nxb3, it's seen on rare occasions today, but it doesn't do well for
black. In fact, it was later that Smayslov practically refuted it.} 10...
Nxb3 11. axb3 {What's coming is going to be unusual. Alekhine once observed
that the open ing of the a-file in the Ruy Lopez is always favorable for
white. But not in this game, which is unusual because Reshevsky is going to
castle Q-side!} 11... Qc8 {This position was reached in Lokvenc-Euwe, Venice
1948 and in that game Euwe had no troubles and a draw was soon agreed to.
However, in a later game in this tournament Smyslov-Euwe continued 12.c4! and
Euwe could not equalize. The move 12.Bg5 looks attractive though because it
forces black's pieces into disarray.} 12. Bg5 {As mentioned, better was 12.c4!
as in Smyslov-Euwe.} 12... h6 13. Bh4 Bc5 {This turns out poorly. 13...g5 and
14...Be7 looks better.} 14. Nc3 g5 {This is pretty much forced if black wants
any compensation for the loss of his d-Pawn. He can save the d-Pawn with
14...Nb4, but then 15.Nxb5} 15. Bg3 Qb7 16. Nxd5 {At the time this game was
played it was felt that Reshevsky had just lost a P in the opening and that he
had scant compensation for it. However, both Stockfish and Komodo evaluate
this position as equal so it would appear that Reshevsky's judgment of the
position was right after all.} 16... O-O-O { Give this move at least one "!"
because it is is only good move. Any other, let's say 16...Rd8 is met by
17.Nf6+ Kf8 18.Qe4 and then the advance of the h-Pawn and black is on the
ropes.} 17. Nf6 {This is a very odd situation! The N looks to be on a very
nice advanced outpost, but it actually accomplishes little. Engines call this
position equal, but perhaps 17.Nc3 would have been more flexible.} 17... g4
18. Ne1 {Keres wants to defend his c-Pawn against the incusion of black's N.}
18... Nd4 {Now trading Qs with 19.Qe4 would lead to an unfavorable ending
despite his extra P. White also has to be careful...he does not want to place
his Q on a square where it could be subjected to a hidden attack by one of
black's pieces.} 19. Qf1 {Having to puit his Q in such a passive position
seems to indicate that the wind is starting to blow in Reshevsky's favor, but
it's hard to pinpoint where Keres could have improved his play.} 19... h5 20.
Bf4 h4 21. Be3 h3 {Reshevsky has managed to make a potentially serious breach
in the Ks defenses.} 22. Rd2 hxg2 23. Qxg2 Nf3+ 24. Nxf3 Bxe3 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8
26. Ne1 Bd4 27. Nd3 Bf5 28. Re1 a5 29. Ne4 Kb8 30. b4 a4 {This position is so
even that for the last seveal moves both sides have had several options at
each turn that result in no more than equality. But here is where Keres makes
a fatal mistake. When annotating this game in Chess Review, I.A. Horowitz
suggested white's best plan was to play 31.Kf1 and wait and see how black will
break through. However, after 31,Kf1 Qc6! white reaches a theoretically lost
ending, but that's based on engine analysis. In practical play black would
have his work cut out for him. So, perhaps in the end, Horowitz' suggestion
wasn't so bad. But, after 31.Nec5 as recommended by the engines, white loses
a P or two and so the game would be lost also.} 31. c3 {Two question marks fro
Stockfish and now black has a clear win.} 31... Bxe4 32. Rxe4 Bxc3 33. Re3
Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Rxd3 {Very nice...he ends up with too many Ps for white to
handle.} 35. Rxd3 Bxb2 36. Rd5 c6 37. Rd8+ Kc7 38. Ra8 Kb7 39. Rf8 Bxe5 40.
Rxf7+ Kc8 {Chessgames.com has this game ending 40...Kb6 41.f4 and white
resigned. Although 40...Kb6 is considerably stronger that 40...Kc8, it is the
latter move that was published in the July 1948 issue of Chess Review. White
is lost after either move. According to Chess Review the game was adjourned
here and Keres resigned without resuming.} 0-1