Pzepiorka Pounds Patay

  

     In January, 1927, Efim Bogoljubow (1889-1952) was banned from the USSR because he “exhibited the typically bourgeois vice of putting his pocket book above has principles.” 

     The bourgeoisie is a class of business owners and merchants which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a middle class between peasantry and aristocracy. 

     Chess historian Bill Wall tells us that Bogoljubow was excommunicated by the chess section of the All-Union Soviet of Physical Culture when it declared he was no longer chess champion. Additionally, he was no longer a member of the Soviet chess organization. 

     The reason for their action was because Bogoljubow had expressed the desire to give up his Soviet citizenship in order to be able to attend the tournament in Merano in which today’s game was played. He was unable to participate because the Italian authorities refused to recognize his Soviet passport. 

     Bogoljubov had written to the Soviet chess organization declaring that in view of the difficulties of traveling around Europe with a Soviet passport, he was thinking of assuming the citizenship of another country. 

     Edgard Colle of Ghent, Belgium, who had been participating in international events for several years with more or less success, carried off first prize in the Merano, Italy tournament that concluded just before Christmas in 1927.

     Colle was tied with Przepiorka for first place after the semi-final round, but in the last round Przepiorka lost a Rook and Pawn ending to Gruenfeld while Colle drew with the Italian, Sacconi. 

 

     Horowitz and Reinfeld devoted a whole chapter to the following game in their book How To Think Ahead In Chess as an example of how to exploit inferior play. Przepiorka exposed his opponent’s King out with a series of sacrifice. 

     The is something of a mystery because the ending is in question. The game appeared in the January 13, 1927 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the ending was given with black playing 24...Kf7 and resigning after 25.Qh7+ because of mate next move. The January 1927 edition of Weinzer Schachzeitung gives the ending as played here. 

 

[Event "Merano"] [Site "Meran ITA"] [Date "1926.12.11"] [Round "?"] [White "David Przepiorka"] [Black "Gyula Patay"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B06"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1926.??.??"] {B06: Modern Defense} 1. d4 g6 2. e4 {In the Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defense) black allows white to occupy the center with Ps on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine them. It's a closely related to the Pirc Defense, the primary difference being that in the Modern, black delays developing the N to f6 attacking the P on e4. This gives white the option of blunting the B on with c2-c3. There are numerous transpositional possibilities between the two.} d6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Bd3 e6 {This is questionable. Horowitz and Reinfeld thought black should play 4...e5 but the far more popular move is 4... Nf6} (4... e5 5. c3 Nd7 6. O-O Ngf6 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Nbd2 Re8 9. Re1 b6 10. a4 a5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qc2 h6 13. Bh4 Bb7 14. Rad1 Qe7 15. Bb5 {Draw agreed. Tiviakov,S (2610)-Maghsoodloo,P (2666) Bandar e Anzali 2019}) 5. O-O Ne7 (5... b6 6. c3 Bb7 7. Re1 Nd7 8. Nbd2 Ne7 9. Nf1 h6 10. Be3 O-O {White stands well. Harika,D (2517)-Sviridov,V (2561) chess.com INT 2022 1-0}) 6. Be3 {There are several modern games in which white played 6.Nc3, but the text is also good.} ( 6. c3 Nd7 7. Nbd2 b6 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nf1 Bb7 10. Ng3 h6 11. Bd2 c5 12. Qc1 Kh7 13. h4 Nc6 14. Ne2 Nf6 15. b4 cxd4 16. cxd4 e5 17. d5 Ne7 18. Ng3 Bc8 19. a4 Nh5 20. Nxh5 gxh5 {Anton,T (2350)-Piorun,K (2499) Chotowa POL 2010 0-1 (42)}) 6... O-O $14 7. Qd2 Re8 {This is pretty elementary strategy where black is playing to avoid the trade of his dark squared B.} (7... Nbc6 {Developing a piece was probably his best try. White's intended Bh6 would be harmless.} 8. Nc3 (8. Bh6 e5 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 {The chances are equal. Even though the dark squared B has been exchanged white’s prospects of launching a strong K-side attack are slim.}) 8... e5 9. Bc4 exd4 10. Nxd4 Ne5 {is equal.}) 8. Bh6 Bh8 9. Nc3 $16 Nbc6 10. Ne2 d5 {This is the wrong P as Horowitz and Reinfeld correcty pointed out.} (10... e5 {was black's best chance.} 11. d5 Nb4 12. Ng5 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 f6 {with reasonable expectations of defending himself.}) 11. e5 {White already has established a significant advantage which only grows almost with each move.} Nf5 12. Bf4 f6 13. c3 g5 {Black probably assumed that after the B retreats he will trade off his N for it, but he gets a rude shock instead.} 14. Nxg5 {[%mdl 512] Taking with the B which was also playable, but this is even better.} fxg5 (14... fxe5 {is not very attractive either, but at least it avoids the disaster that follows.} 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. g4 Nd6 18. f4 Bf6 19. Bxh7+ {and white is winning.}) 15. Bxg5 Qd7 16. g4 {[%mdl 32]} h6 ( 16... Nd6 {is a better defense.} 17. exd6 e5 18. dxc7 Qxc7 19. h3 exd4 20. Rae1 dxc3 21. Nxc3 {bit here, too, white would be winning.}) 17. gxf5 ({isn't quite so efficient.} 17. Bxh6 Nxh6 18. Qxh6 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 {However, even here white has a winning attack.}) 17... hxg5 18. f6 {White is ready to break through with a decisive attack} Kf7 {There was nothing he could play that would save him, but Przepiorka now unleashes a brilliant finish.} 19. Bg6+ Kxg6 20. Qd3+ {White has a mate in 10!} Kh6 21. Qh3+ Kg6 22. Nf4+ {[%mdl 512]} gxf4 23. Kh1 Bxf6 24. Rg1+ Bg5 {This was the finish according to the German magazine Weinzer Schachzeitung,} (24... Kf7 {was played according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.} 25. Qh7+ {Black resigned.}) 25. Rxg5+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxg5 (25... Kf7 26. Qh7+) (25... Kf7 {[%eval 32764,245] [%wdl 1000,0,0] [%emt 0:00: 00]}) 26. Rg1# {Przepiorka's play was flawless.} *