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.

[Event "Practice game. New York"] [Site "Manhattan CC, New York, NY USA"] [Date "1915.05.28"] [Round "?"] [White "James F. Smyth"] [Black "Hermann Helms"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A80"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "1915.??.??"] 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. Nf3 {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.} Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 b6 5. e3 Bb7 6. Bd3 Bd6 (6... Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. a3 Ne4 9. Qc2 Nxc3 10. Qxc3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 {with equal chances. Johansson,V (2218)-Gara,A (2372) Gothenburg 2005} ) 7. a3 (7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Ne4 9. Rf1 Rf6 {An interesting idea.} 10. Ne2 Rh6 { with a promising position. Strathoff,M (1852)-Siedentopf,D (2016) Burg Stargard 2002}) (7. Qc2 Nc6 8. a3 Ne7 9. b4 c5 10. Bb2 {is equal. Hayes, P-Boyle,B (1936) Dublin 2009}) 7... a5 {Hindering b4 by white.} 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc2 Nc6 10. e4 {This move opening up the center backfires on white.} (10. Nb5 { keeps the balance and white will need to find a way to keep himself in the game.} Be7 {and this obvious retreat is not it! After} 11. d5 {white has the initiative.} exd5 12. cxd5 Na7 (12... Nxd5 {loses to} 13. Bc4) 13. Nxa7 Rxa7 14. Bxf5 {and white is better.}) (10. Nb5 Qe8 {This represents black's best chance.} 11. Nxd6 (11. Bd2 Nxd4 12. exd4 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Qg6+ 14. Kh1 Qh5 15. Nxd6 Qxf3+ 16. Kg1 {Black has a draw by repeatung moves.}) (11. Bd2 Qh5 { Black can try this if he does not want a draw.} 12. Nxd6 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. Nxe4 (11. Bxe4 {This blunts the force of black's light squared B} Nxe4 12. Qxe4 {Black has the possibility of whipping up an attack after 12...Qe8, but white's defensive resources should prove adequate.} (12. Nxe4 {This might look more natural, but black is winning after} Rxf3 13. gxf3 Nxd4 14. Qd3 Qh4 15. f4 Qg4+ 16. Kh1 (16. Qg3 Ne2+) 16... Nf3 {wins})) 11... Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Nxd4 {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... Rxf3 {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. Bxf3 (13. gxf3 Nxd4 14. Qd3 Qh4 15. f4 Qg4+ 16. Kh1 Bxe4+ 17. Qxe4 Nf3 18. Qxa8+ Kf7 19. Be3 Qh3 20. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 21. Kg1 g5 22. Rfd1 gxf4 23. Bd4 h5 {with a winning attack. Just a sample line...} 24. b3 h4 25. Kf1 h3 26. Rd2 e5 27. Bb2 e4 28. Bd4 e3 29. Ke1 Be7 30. b4 Bh4 31. Raa2 axb4 32. Rab2 b3 33. c5 d5 34. cxb6 cxb6 35. a4 Ke6 36. a5 bxa5 37. Bc5 a4 38. Bd4 a3 39. Bxe3 fxe3 40. Ra2 bxa2 41. Rxa2 Bxf2+ 42. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 43. Kd1 Qd2# {The length and complexity of this analysis by Stockfish should convince anyone that condemning annotators of old would be unfair!}) 13... Nxd4 14. Bxb7 Nxc2 15. Bxa8 Nxa1 {and wins}) 13. Bxh7+ {The Daily Eagle article says that white (the article mistakenly says black) "errs twice nibbling at Ps which had better been left alone."} (13. Nxd4 {Secures the advantage for white.} Bxh2+ 14. Kxh2 Qh4+ 15. Kg1 Bxe4 16. Qd1 {and black does not have sufficient compensation for the piece he down.}) 13... Kh8 14. Nxd4 Qh4 {Black is better, but that's not to say he is winning...yet.} 15. g3 (15. f4 {offered a stouter defense. After} Qxh7 16. Qxh7+ Kxh7 17. Be3 Ba6 18. b3 (18. Rac1 e5 19. fxe5 Rxf1+ 20. Kxf1 Bxe5 21. h3 c5 22. Nb5 Rf8+ 23. Ke2 d5 {Black is winning.}) 18... a4 19. b4 Bxc4 {Black's advantage should prove decisive.}) 15... Qxd4 16. Bd3 Rf3 17. Be3 Qe5 {A weak move that allows white the opportunity to fully equalize.} (17... Qg4 {leaves white with no good defensive resources.} 18. Rfd1 Raf8 19. Bf1 Rxe3 20. fxe3 Qf3 21. Bg2 Qxe3+ 22. Kh1 Rf2 23. Qd3 Rxg2 24. Qxe3 Rxg3+ {wins}) 18. Rae1 Raf8 {The chances from this position are completely equal!} 19. Bxb6 { "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. Bf4 {Holds everything and white is right back in the game after the Q goes away to c5 or d4} Qc5 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 {and there is just no way for black to force a win.}) 19... Qh5 {Another weak move that misses the win.} (19... Qg5 {...and wins.} 20. Be4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 cxb6 22. Rh4+ Kg8 23. Qh7+ Kf7 24. Rd4 Ke7 25. Rfd1 {Black's quickest win is to return the extra piece.} Rxf2 26. Rxd6 Rf1+ 27. Kg2 (27. Rxf1 Qe3+ 28. Kg2 Qe2+ 29. Kh3 Qxf1+ 30. Kh4 Qxc4+ 31. g4 Kxd6) 27... R8f2+ 28. Kh3 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Rxb2 { Black has a won ending.}) 20. Be3 {This allows a mate in 4.} (20. Be4 {is a whole other story!} Bxe4 21. Rxe4 cxb6 {White is a piece down, but he has the following riposte...} 22. Rh4 Qxh4 23. gxh4 Bc5 24. Kh1 Rxf2 25. Rxf2 Rxf2 { White is slightly better, but who knows what the outcome would be?}) 20... Qh3 21. Be4 R8f5 {"The winning move", says the newspaper note.} (21... Bxg3 { This also mates in 6.} 22. hxg3 R8f5 23. Bxb7 (23. Bxf5 Rxg3+ 24. fxg3 Qxg3+ 25. Qg2 Qxg2#) 23... Rh5 24. Qh7+ Rxh7 25. Bh6 Rxh6 {mate next move.}) 22. Bxf5 Qg2+ 23. Kxg2 Rxg3# {An exciting game!} 0-1