Hermann Helms’ Extraordinary Game

     In looking through my 1943 edition of The Golden Treasury of Chess by I.A. Horowitz I came across the following game which Horowitz described as, “A most extraordinary game in that the final moves were wholly unexpected. A preachment on foraging.” 

     The game, according to the book, was played in New York on May 23, 1915, but the event was not given. While trying to discover the details of the game, I ran across an interesting article on the game by chess historian Edward Winter and I refer you to his article HERE.

ChessBase

James F. Smyth–Hermann Helms0–1A80Practice game. New YorkManhattan CC, New York, NY USA28.05.1915Stockfish 15.1

1.d4 f5 Black stakes out a claim to e5 and hopes to develop a K-side attack. The Dutch has never received widespread acceptance, but it has appealed to attackers like Morphy, Alekhine, Najrorf, Bronstein, Larsen and, surprisingly, Botvinnik. 2.f3 In the past the usual move was 2.c4, but today it's 2.g3, a move unlikely to have occurred to a player in 1915. f6 3.c4 e6 4.c3 b6 5.e3 b7 6.d3 d6 6...e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 e4 9.c2 xc3 10.xc3 xf3 11.gxf3 with equal chances. Johansson,V (2218)-Gara,A (2372) Gothenburg 2005 7.a3 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 e4 9.f1 f6 An interesting idea. 10.e2 h6 with a promising position. Strathoff,M (1852)-Siedentopf,D (2016) Burg Stargard 2002 7.c2 c6 8.a3 e7 9.b4 c5 10.b2 is equal. Hayes, P-Boyle,B (1936) Dublin 2009 7...a5 Hindering b4 by white. 8.0-0 0-0 9.c2 c6 10.e4 This move opening up the center backfires on white. 10.b5 keeps the balance and white will need to find a way to keep himself in the game. e7 and this obvious retreat is not it! After 11.d5 white has the initiative. exd5 12.cxd5 a7 12...xd5 loses to 13.c4 13.xa7 xa7 14.xf5 and white is better. 10.b5 e8 This represents black's best chance. 11.xd6 11.d2 xd4 12.exd4 xf3 13.gxf3 g6+ 14.h1 h5 15.xd6 xf3+ 16.g1 Black has a draw by repeatung moves. 11.d2 h5 Black can try this if he does not want a draw. 12.xd6 cxd6 13.d5 Now both 13...exd5 and 13...Ne5 are playable options. 11...cxd6 12.b3 d5 White is slightly better. 10...fxe4 White is oblivious to any danger or he would now play 11.Bxe4 after which the chances would be about equal. 11.xe4 11.xe4 This blunts the force of black's light squared B xe4 12.xe4 Black has the possibility of whipping up an attack after 12...Qe8, but white's defensive resources should prove adequate. 12.xe4 This might look more natural, but black is winning after xf3 13.gxf3 xd4 14.d3 h4 15.f4 g4+ 16.h1 16.g3 e2+ 16...f3 wins 11...xe4 12.xe4 xd4 The notes to the game in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle states that while black hardly have seen the future mate, it is good based on general principles because black has the open file and two Bs aimed at the K plus all of his pieces are ready for a strike. The comment is typical of annotations in the pre-engine days when the notes were more oftenb than not based on the game's outcome. Any engine will tell you that with correct play this is not a good move and white can now gain the advantage. 12...xf3 Surprise! This is the only winning move, but it's no wonder it can easily escape the attention of an annotator who does not have access to an engine. Even an old clunker engine like Fritz 5.32 spots 12... Rxf3 instantly. 13.xf3 13.gxf3 xd4 14.d3 h4 15.f4 g4+ 16.h1 xe4+ 17.xe4 f3 18.xa8+ f7 19.e3 h3 20.xf3 xf3+ 21.g1 g5 22.fd1 gxf4 23.d4 h5 with a winning attack. Just a sample line... 24.b3 h4 25.f1 h3 26.d2 e5 27.b2 e4 28.d4 e3 29.e1 e7 30.b4 h4 31.aa2 axb4 32.ab2 b3 33.c5 d5 34.cxb6 cxb6 35.a4 e6 36.a5 bxa5 37.c5 a4 38.d4 a3 39.xe3 fxe3 40.a2 bxa2 41.xa2 xf2+ 42.xf2 xf2+ 43.d1 d2# The length and complexity of this analysis by Stockfish should convince anyone that condemning annotators of old would be unfair! 13...xd4 14.xb7 xc2 15.xa8 xa1 and wins 13.xh7+ The Daily Eagle article says that white (the article mistakenly says black) "errs twice nibbling at Ps which had better been left alone." 13.xd4 Secures the advantage for white. xh2+ 14.xh2 h4+ 15.g1 xe4 16.d1 and black does not have sufficient compensation for the piece he down. 13...h8 14.xd4 h4 Black is better, but that's not to say he is winning...yet. 15.g3 15.f4 offered a stouter defense. After xh7 16.xh7+ xh7 17.e3 a6 18.b3 18.ac1 e5 19.fxe5 xf1+ 20.xf1 xe5 21.h3 c5 22.b5 f8+ 23.e2 d5 Black is winning. 18...a4 19.b4 xc4 Black's advantage should prove decisive. 15...xd4 16.d3 f3 17.e3 e5 A weak move that allows white the opportunity to fully equalize. 17...g4 leaves white with no good defensive resources. 18.fd1 af8 19.f1 xe3 20.fxe3 f3 21.g2 xe3+ 22.h1 f2 23.d3 xg2 24.xe3 xg3+ wins 18.ae1 af8 The chances from this position are completely equal! 19.xb6 "The lure of a P again gets in its deadly work. In such a ticklish position as this it is unwise to concede to the enemy the gain of a tempo." says the article. That's true! 19.f4 Holds everything and white is right back in the game after the Q goes away to c5 or d4 c5 20.xd6 xd6 and there is just no way for black to force a win. 19...h5 Another weak move that misses the win. 19...g5 ...and wins. 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 cxb6 22.h4+ g8 23.h7+ f7 24.d4 e7 25.fd1 Black's quickest win is to return the extra piece. xf2 26.xd6 f1+ 27.g2 27.xf1 e3+ 28.g2 e2+ 29.h3 xf1+ 30.h4 xc4+ 31.g4 xd6 27...8f2+ 28.h3 xd1 29.xd1 xb2 Black has a won ending. 20.e3 This allows a mate in 4. 20.e4 is a whole other story! xe4 21.xe4 cxb6 White is a piece down, but he has the following riposte... 22.h4 xh4 23.gxh4 c5 24.h1 xf2 25.xf2 xf2 White is slightly better, but who knows what the outcome would be? 20...h3 21.e4 8f5 "The winning move", says the newspaper note. 21...xg3 This also mates in 6. 22.hxg3 8f5 23.xb7 23.xf5 xg3+ 24.fxg3 xg3+ 25.g2 xg2# 23...h5 24.h7+ xh7 25.h6 xh6 mate next move. 22.xf5 g2+ 23.xg2 xg3# An exciting game! 0–1

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