Tuesday, January 26, 2021

A Lesson On Pawn Chains By Maroczy

     The German's had tournaments called the Hauptturnier and the winner was awarded the Master title. At Barmen in 1905 there were so many players vying for the title that they played two separate tournaments. 
     The A Group was held August 12-September 1, 1905 and Group B started two days later. In the A group Marcozy got off to a slow start and only had an even score after eight rounds which put him two points behind leaders Bernstein and Schlechter. The leaders' play started to slip a bit, but they were still holding on to the lead after 13 rounds. 
     Then disaster struck when Bernstein lost to Berger and Schlechter to Chigorin. That meant that going into the last round Maroczy and Janowski were a half-point ahead of Marshall and Schlechter. 
     In the last round Schlechter lost Janowski and so Maroczy had to defeat a tailender named von Gottschall to tie for first. It took him 96 moves, but he finally won an ending in which he had two Ps against von Gottschall's lone B. Thus, Maroczy, by scoring 6.5 in his last 7 games managed to tie for first. 
     The B Group: This group was a three-way race among Cohn, Swiderski and Forgacs. According to Frank Marshall, Swiderski was an excellent violinist and ate raw meat. He lost his last two games while Forgacs won his last two and finished first. 
 

     In the following game Maroczy defeated Hugo Suchting (1874-1916), a German farmer and strong natural player who played in many tournaments from 1894 to 1911. 
     Geza Maroczy (March 1870 – May 1951) was one of the leading players in the world in his time. Between 1902 and 1908, he took part in thirteen tournaments and won five first prizes and five second prizes. In 1906 he agreed to terms for a World Championship match with Lasker, but political problems in Cuba, where the match was to be played, caused the arrangements to be canceled. 
     After 1908, Maroczy retired from international chess to devote more time to his profession, working as an auditor at the Center of Trade Unions and Social Insurance. When the Communists came briefly to power he was a chief auditor at Educational Ministry. After the Communist government was overthrown he couldn't get a job. He made a brief return to chess after World War I. 
     His style, though sound, was very defensive and his proficiency in Queen endings was legendary. Capablanca held Maroczy in high esteem calling him "very gentlemanly and correct" and "a kindly figure." It was Maroczy who helped Vera Menchik reach the top of women's chess. On the Chessmetrics rating list, in 1905 Maroczy's rating is given as 2820 making him number 1 in the world. Up until the mid-1930s Marocy was ranked within the top 10-15 best players in the world. 
     In this game Maroczy shows how to play against a Pawn chain and it's interesting to compare it to the famous Capablanca vs. Treybal game that was played at Carlsbad 24 years later.

Geza Maroczy - Hugo Suchting

Result: 1-0

Site: Barmen

Date: 1905.08.15

Queen's Gambit Declined

[...] 1.d4 Notes by Nimzowitsch 1...d5 2.c4 e6 Compare this game to Capa's games againt Treybal.
2...c6 3.♘f3 e6 4.♗g5 ♗e7 5.♗xe7 ♕xe7 6.♘bd2 f5 7.e3 ♘d7 8.♗d3 ♘h6 9.O-O O-O 10.♕c2 g6 11.♖ab1 ♘f6 12.♘e5 ♘f7 13.f4 ♗d7 14.♘df3 ♖fd8 15.b4 ♗e8 16.♖fc1 a6 17.♕f2 ♘xe5 18.♘xe5 ♘d7 19.♘f3 ♖dc8 20.c5 ♘f6 21.a4 ♘g4 22.♕e1 ♘h6 23.h3 ♘f7 24.g4 ♗d7 25.♖c2 ♔h8 26.♖g2 ♖g8 27.g5 ♕d8 28.h4 ♔g7 29.h5 ♖h8 30.♖h2 ♕c7 31.♕c3 ♕d8 32.♔f2 ♕c7 33.♖bh1 ♖ag8 34.♕a1 ♖b8 35.♕a3 ♖bg8 36.b5 axb5 37.h6+ ♔f8 38.axb5 ♔e7 39.b6 ♕b8 40.♖a1 ♖c8 41.♕b4 ♖hd8 42.♖a7 ♔f8 43.♖h1 ♗e8 44.♖ha1 ♔g8 45.♖1a4 ♔f8 46.♕a3 ♔g8 47.♔g3 ♗d7 48.♔h4 ♔h8 49.♕a1 ♔g8 50.♔g3 ♔f8 51.♔g2 ♗e8 52.♘d2 ♗d7 53.♘b3 ♖e8 54.♘a5 ♘d8 55.♗a6 bxa6 56.♖xd7 ♖e7 57.♖xd8+ ♖xd8 58.♘xc6 1-0 Jose Capablanca-Karel Treybal/Carlsbad 1929
3.♘c3 ♘f6 4.♗g5 ♗e7 5.e3 ♘bd7 6.♘f3 O-O 7.♕c2 c6 8.a3 ♘h5 This odd move leaves the N misplaced. Normal are 8...Re8 or 8...h6. 9.h4
9.♗xe7 ♕xe7 10.♗d3 ♘hf6 11.O-O dxc4 12.♗xc4 e5 13.♗a2 exd4 14.exd4 is nearly equal, but the attacking chances are all white's. Volzhin,A (2485)-Gasparian,T (2250)/ Erevan open 1996
9...f5
9...♗xg5 10.hxg5 g6 11.g4 ♘g7 12.O-O-O White has excellent attacking chances.
9...f6 is also unsatisfactory as after 10.♗d3 Black is forced to play 10...f5 11.♗xe7 ♕xe7 12.cxd5 and white is better.
10.♗e2 ♘df6 11.♘e5 ♗d7 12.♕d1 This is hardly bad, but he seems to have missed an excellent chance with 12.Qb3
12.♕b3 ♖b8 (12...♕c7 loses a piece. 13.♗xh5) 13.♗xh5 ♘xh5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.♘xd5 and white stands very well.
12...♗e8 13.c5 ♕c7 14.b4 a5 15.g3 Before taking further action on the Q-side Maroczy spends a move to prevent the potential freeing move ...f4. 15...axb4 It's hard to see how opening the a-file is going to be bad for black, but that's what happens.
15...h6 is his best chance. 16.♗xf6 ♘xf6 and white's advantage is minimal.
16.axb4 ♖xa1 17.♕xa1 ♘e4
17...h6 is still a reasonable try. 18.♗xh5 ♗xh5 19.♗f4 ♕c8 (19...♘e4 20.♘xe4 fxe4 21.g4 ♗e8 22.♘g6) 20.O-O ♘e4 with equality.
18.g4 A real GM move. White is operating on both sides of the board. 18...♘xc3 19.♕xc3 ♘f6
19...fxg4 This looks wrong, but it was worth considering. 20.♗xg4 ♗f6 21.♗xe6+ ♔h8 22.b5 and black can likely survive. In fact, in Shootouts with Stockfish from this position white scored +1 -0 =6.
20.♗f4 This threatens Ng6 and thus gains time for g5. 20...♕c8 Moving the Q off the Bs diagonal makes perfect sense, but it turns out to be the wrong move!
20...♘e4 21.♕b2 (21.♘g6 fails to 21...♘xc3 22.♗xc7 ♗xg6) 21...fxg4 22.♗xg4 ♕d8 23.h5 ♗h4 and black is holding on by a thread/
21.g5 ♘d7 22.♘d3 Another clever GM move. The exchange of his N would make it more difficult to breakthrough and so Maroczy saves it for later action. 22...♗f7 23.♔d2 ♗d8 24.♖a1 As Nimzovich observed, only now does play begin in the real theater. The idea is the attack on the base (i.e. the P at c6) by b5.
24.h5 sustaining the K-side attack was possible, but it leads nowhere and so white would still end up conducting operations on the Q-side. 24...♗c7 25.h6 ♗xf4 (25...g6 26.♗xc7 ♕xc7 27.♖a1 ♕b8 28.f4 favors white.) 26.♘xf4 ♕d8 27.♖g1 ♕e7 and the K-side demonstration is at an end.
24...♗c7 25.♖a7 ♖e8 26.♗xc7 ♕xc7 27.f4 This stops all attempts to break through by . ..e5. 27...♖b8 28.b5 At last! 28...♕c8 There isn't anything better. (28...cxb5 29.♘b4 ♖c8 30.c6 ♘b8 31.♖xb7 and wins.) 29.b6 According to Nimzovich it's with this move that white transfers the attack to the new base, the P at b7. Play against the base P at c6 would have been pursued by 29 Nb4 followed by, say, Qa3-a4; but the transference of the attack to black's b7 is still stronger, and above all safer. Suechting is now helpless.
29.♘b4 ♖a8 30.♖xa8 (30.b6 ♖b8) 30...♕xa8 31.bxc6 bxc6 shows Nimzovich's point as here black has reasonable defensive chances.
29.bxc6 This move not mentioned by Nimzovich transfers the attack to c6 in an even stronger manner than 29.Nb4 29...bxc6 30.♘b4 ♘f8 31.♗a6 ♕e8 32.♖c7 winning.
29...♗e8 30.♘c1 Heading for a5 to step up the attack on the b-Pawn. 30...♘f8 31.♘b3 e5 The only way of saving the b-Pawn, otherwise there would have come 32 Na5 33 Nxb7 and if 33... Rxb7 34 Ba6. 32.dxe5 ♘e6 33.♗d3 g6 34.h5 With black tied down to the defense of his b-Pawn Maroczy switches back to the K-side. 34...♗f7 35.♘a5 Threatening Nxb7 35...♘d8
35...♔g7 A pass to illustrate the threat. 36.♘xb7 ♖xb7 37.♗a6
36.e6 As Nimzovich put it, this sacrificial advance of the unblockaded passed P allows the pieces to the rear come to life. 36...♕xe6 37.h6 d4 38.♕xd4 ♕a2+ 39.♔e1 ♘e6 40.♕e5 ♖e8 41.♘xb7 ♕b3 42.♗e2
42.♘d6 packed an even greater punch. 42...♖f8 43.♘e8 ♖xe8 44.♕f6 ♕b4+ 45.♔f1 ♖f8 46.♖e7 ♕d2 47.♖xe6 ♕xd3+ 48.♔e1 ♕b1+ 49.♔f2 ♕c2+ 50.♔g3 and with the white K reaching safety black can't avoid mate.
42...♕b1+ 43.♔f2 ♕h1
43...♕e4 doesn't do any good 44.♕xe4 fxe4 45.♗c4 ♘d8 46.♘d6 ♗xc4 47.♘xe8
44.♘d6 ♕h4+ 45.♔g2 ♘xf4+ 46.♕xf4 ♗d5+ 47.♗f3 ♗xf3+ 48.♔xf3 Black resigned.
48.♔xf3 ♕h1+ 49.♔f2 ♕d5 50.♘c4 ♕xc5 51.♕c7 ♖e7 52.♕xe7 ♕xe7 53.♖xe7 ♔f8 54.♖c7 f4 55.b7 fxe3+ 56.♘xe3 c5 57.b8=♕#
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