A Brilliancy Prize Also Ran

    The previous post featured a Brilliancy Prize game from the 1940 Metropolitan Chess League in New York. Today's game features the other game that was considered, but didn’t make it. Like the preceding game, this one is not really a brilliancy, but white’s attack is a very powerful one. 

[Event "Met Leafue Match, New York City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1940.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "S. Schwartz (Bronx CC)"] [Black "S. Loewy (Astoria CC)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D05"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1940.??.??"] {D05: Colle System} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Nbd7 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 c5 8. c3 {Nowadays GM John Nunn and others regard the Colle as slow and innocuous, but solid. It's main advantage for amateurs is that is that it keeps the opening simple.} c4 {Black's plan is simplt...expand on the Q-side. Normal is 8...b6} 9. Bc2 b5 10. e4 {[%mdl 32] This is white's main strategy in the Colle and black has allowed him to carry it out unhindered. Even so, white cannot demonstrate any special advantage.} Bb7 {But this is wrong because it allow white to gain valuable soace and institute a dangerous K-side attack.} ( 10... dxe4 {and black has nothing to worry about.} 11. Nxe4 Bb7 {with a solid position.}) 11. e5 {Already black is in serious trouble.} Ne8 (11... Ne4 { is no better.} 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Nd2 f5 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Nxe4 {with a clearly superior position.}) 12. Nf1 {Repositioning the N so it cam participate in the attack.} g6 {Black wants to make room for his N to reach f5 and hopefully gum up white's J-side attack, but instead all this move does id weaken his K's position. His nest chance wa sto try and expand on the Q-side with 12...a5} 13. Bh6 Ng7 14. Ne3 Re8 15. Ng4 Nf8 16. Qd2 Nf5 17. Qf4 a5 {This comes far too late to be of any help as black's weak dark squares on the K-side are already fatal.} 18. h4 Nxh4 {Opening up the h-file certainly does not help his cause, but there was really nothing that would save the game.} 19. Nxh4 Bxh4 20. Nf6+ (20. Re3 {was even stronger. For example...} Nd7 21. Rh3 Be7 22. Bg7 Bh4 (22... f5 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Nxf6+) 23. Rxh4 Qxh4 24. Nf6+ Nxf6 25. Qxh4) 20... Bxf6 21. exf6 Nd7 (21... e5 {was his best try.} 22. dxe5 Ne6 23. Qg3 d4 24. cxd4 Qxd4 25. Rab1 Rad8 26. Be3 Qd5 27. Rbd1 Qc6 28. f4 {it's clear that white is better, but there is no forced win. In fact, in Shootouts white scored 5-0, but the win at 15 plies, for example, tool over 100 moves, so in practice black would have some chances of saving the game.}) 22. Bg7 Rc8 (22... e5 {loses to} 23. dxe5 Nxe5 24. Rxe5 Rxe5 25. Qxe5) 23. g4 b4 (23... Rc6 24. Re3 e5 25. dxe5 Rxe5 26. Rh3 {The threat of Qh6 cannot be met.}) 24. Re3 { A winning Rook lift.} Bc6 25. Rh3 {[%mdl 32] There is no way to meet the coming Rxh7} e5 {This wouldn't work before and it won't work now; white mates in 3} (25... Qxf6 {This holes out for 7 more moves.} 26. Bxf6 h5 27. gxh5 Rc7 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. Rh8+ Kf7 30. Bh4+ Kg7 31. Qh6+ Kf7 32. Qxg6#) 26. Rxh7 { [%mdl 512] It;s mate in 2} Nxf6 27. Rh8+ {Black resigned. It's mate next move, A pleasing attack by chwartz.} 1-0