Queen Sacrifice by van Steenis

    This is a game from the tournament mentioned in the previous post of October 28th about de Groot. It features a marvelios Queen sacrifice by van Steenis in his game against Koomen. 

    Hendrik van Steenis (1908-1976, 56 yrats old) was a Dutch politician and administrator. From 1951 to 1965 he was a member of the central committee of FIDE. Willem Kppmen (1909-1989, 60 years old) was married to the Dutch lady champions Fenny Heemskerk.

 

 

 

 

[Event "Hoogovens, Beverwijk"] [Site "Beverwijk NED"] [Date "1946.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Hendrik van Steenis"] [Black "Willem Koomen"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1946.01.05"] {C58: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 {This remains the most common move in the Two Knights.} (5... b5 {was played in the famous Yakov Estrin-Hans Berliner ICCF 1965} 6. Bf1 Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 10. f3 e4 11. cxd4 Bd6 {White is better, but black went on to win.}) 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. Bd3 Be7 10. b3 {Excellent! In the game Rossolimo,N-Bogoljubow,E Dortmund 1951 white played 10.Nc3 which is OK, but the text move is the engine's forst choice, but of course in 1946 there was no such thing.} O-O 11. Ba3 {This is hardly bad, but 11.Bb2 seems more logical.} Bxa3 12. Nxa3 {White's N os out of play here.} h6 13. h4 { Aggressive play by van Steenis. Black could take the N, but if he does both sides must walk a tightrope!} Re8 (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 Nd5 {runs into} 15. Rh8+ Kxh8 16. Qh5+ Kg8 17. Qh7#) ({Black should try} 13... Nd5 $17 {White must now prevent ...f5.} 14. Bh7+ Kh8) (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 Ng4 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5+ Kg8 17. Qxg4 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 {White has a winning position.}) (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 e4 {This is the correct defense. White's best continuations is...} 15. gxf6 exf3 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Bg6+ {with a draw.}) 14. Ne4 Nxe4 {Keeping the Ns on and plauing 14...Nd5 was a bit better.} 15. Bxe4 (15. Qxe4 {was positionally better, but white is playing for the attack.} f5 16. Qb4 Be6 17. O-O Rad8 18. Rfe1 e4 19. Bf1 {White is supposed to be better, probably owing to his better P-formtion.}) 15... Be6 {This gives white's attack more impetus.} (15... f5 {This active move keeps the chances about equal after} 16. Bxf5 e4 17. Bxe4 Qe5 {Now white should castle on either side (it makes little difference) and after black take the B the chances would be about even.}) 16. b4 Nb7 17. b5 Na5 18. g4 {After having diverted black's attention to the Q-side white switches back to the K-side/ On his next move black would have done better with 18...Bd5, offering an exchange of Bs to eliminate an attacker. } Rab8 19. g5 hxg5 (19... cxb5 {was safer/} 20. gxh6 f5 {This counter equalizes.} 21. Bxf5 Bxf5 22. Qxf5 b4 {and black can defend his K plus he is in a position to counter white's Q-side advances.}) 20. hxg5 Kf8 {This move, preparing to flee, gives white just enough time to build up his attack. He needed to keep white busy by countering on the Q-side. In any case, black is in a difficult position.} (20... cxb5 {was called for.} 21. O-O-O {Getting his other R into play.} Red8 22. Rh7 Qd6 23. Nb1 Kf8 24. g6 Nc4 (24... f6 25. Rdh1 Bg8 26. Qh3 Bxh7 27. gxh7 {with a likely win.} Ke7) 25. gxf7 Qb4 26. Qb3 Qxb3 27. axb3 Nd6 28. Bg6 {White is clearly better.}) 21. Ke2 {Connecting his Rs/} cxb5 {White to play and win...there's only one move that does it!} 22. Qf6 { If the Q is taken then white's P on f6 cuts off the Ks escape route.} (22. Rh7 {Doubling Rs on the h-file looks like a sure-fire way to win, but black can save himslef.} Red8 23. Rah1 Qd7 {Attacking the d-Pawn and threatening ...Bg4} 24. Qe3 Qd4 25. Qxd4 exd4 {The attack is broken.}) 22... Bg4+ {There was nothing any better.} 23. f3 gxf6 24. gxf6 Kg8 {The K is trapped.} 25. Rag1 Qd7 {This position is not as clear as the engine evaluation of 3.5 Ps in white's favor would lead you to believe.} 26. Bh7+ {[%mdl 128] White has strong attack, but there is no knockout blow.} (26. Rxg4+ {This demonstrates the correctness of white's Q sacrifice.} Qxg4 {Forced to avoid mate.} 27. fxg4 Nc4 28. Nxc4 bxc4 {White is down the exchange, but he has sufficient compensation in the form of play on the K-side that he should be able to force the win.} 29. Rh7 Red8 30. Rg7+ Kf8 31. g5 Rb1 32. Bh7 Ke8 33. Bg8 Rd4 34. Bxf7+ Kd8 35. Rg8+ Kd7 36. Bxc4 {and now it's clear that white is winning.}) 26... Kf8 27. Rxg4 { Black is forced to return the Q to avoid mate.} Qxg4 28. fxg4 Rb6 29. g5 { [%mdl 1024]} a6 30. Be4 Kg8 31. Rh7 b4 32. Rg7+ Kf8 33. Bh7 {Black resigned. It's mate in 2.} 1-0

Happy Belated Birthday to Adrianus de Groot

    Adriaan de Groot (October 26, 1914 – August i4, 2006, 91 years old) was a psychology professro and a strong amateur player. He represented the Netherlands in three Olympiads (1936, 1937 and 1939). 

    He is most famous for his book Thought and Choice in Chess. The book, published in 1965, was a translation of his 1946 dissertation Het denken van de schaker (The thinking of the chess player), which examined how chessplayers think. 

    He conducted experiments in the 1940s and later in the 1960s which involve players from amateurs to Grandmasters. He investigate the cognitive requirements and the thought processes involved in selecting a move. The participants were asked to select a move and voice their thoughts as they decided on their move. 

    What de Groot found was that much of what is important in choosing a move occurs during the first few seconds after seeing the position.

 

Four stages in the task of choosing the next move were noted. 

    1) The orientation phase in which the subject assessed the situation and determined a very general idea of what to do. 

    2) The exploration phase where the subject looked at some branches of the game tree. 

    3) The investigation phase' where the subject chose a probable best move. 

    4) The proof phase where the subject confirmed to himself that the results were valid. 

 

    He agreed with Alfred Binet that visual memory and visual perception are important attributes and that problem-solving ability is of paramount importance. Memory is particularly important in that there are no new’ moves in chess, so those from personal experience (or from the experience of others) can be committed to memory. 

    Does playing over games and solving tactical problems in order to gain pattern recognition an important part of improving? The question is discussed in THIS Chessable article. 

    After Max Euwe became World Champion, the steelworkers at Hoogovens started a chess club which held their first event in 1938. After the War, activity was resumed in 1945, and this attempt had some minor problems when English players P.S. Milner-Barry declined for professional reasons and William Winter could not get a visa. And, Swiss master m and Henri Grob ran into travel difficulties. 

    As a result organizers were left with Gosta Stoltz from Sweden, whose plane arrived only hours before play began, and Belgian champion Albrec O'Kelly as the only foreign players. 

 

 

    De Groots opponent in this game was Albrec O’Kelly de Galway (1911-1980). He spoke French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, and Russian fluently, and some Italian. As an author, O’Kelly wrote many books and article, in various languages. 

    \ As a youth, he took lessons from the legendary Akiba Rubinstein, who was institutionalized in Belgium. O'Kelly won the Belgian championships thirteen times between 1937 and 1959. 

[Event "Hoogovens, Beverwijk"] [Site ""] [Date "1946.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Adrian de Groot"] [Black "Alberic O'Kelly"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1946.01.05"] {Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 {The B is much more active on c5 than on e7, however, white can gain time by playing c3 and d4 focing black to lose time by moving the B again to a less active position. Statistically the move does not do well.} 5. Nxe5 {Although not played very often this is probably white's best reply. 5.c3 and 5.d3 are more frequently seen.} Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Bd3 d5 {This is black's best move.} 9. Qf3 Qh4 {The threat if …Bg4 is unpleasant.} 10. g3 {Better was 10.Bxe4 and whichever way black recaptures the position would be equal.} Ng5 (10... Bg4 { was better. AFter} 11. Qf4 g5 12. gxh4 gxf4 13. Bxf4 Rg8 {black has a good position.}) 11. Qd1 Nh3+ {O'Kelly has overestimated the strength of his attack. Or, perhaos it was a case of a stronger player takig liberties against a weaker one.} (11... Bxf2+ 12. Rxf2 (12. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 13. Ke1 Qxg3+ {and black is winning.}) 12... Nh3+ 13. Kg2 Nxf2 14. gxh4 Nxd1 15. Be2 Nxb2 16. Bxb2 { is unclear.}) (11... Qh6 {Best.} 12. h4 Nh3+ 13. Kg2 g5 {and white must play carefully.}) 12. Kg2 {Already white has a substantial advantage.} Qe7 13. f4 { Going for the kill.} h5 14. Nc3 {A lapse...white does not have time for this and must press on with his attack/} (14. f5 Ng5 15. Nc3 {Now this is OK because black can't develop his B to g4 nor can he try ...g5}) 14... g5 { Just a bit better would have been 14...Bg4} 15. f5 (15. fxg5 Nxg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. Nxd5 {Black has to try 17...h4 when white is only slightly better, but he must not play} cxd5 18. Bb5+ Kf8 19. Qxd5 {with a decisive attack.} Qe7 20. Rxf7+ Qxf7 21. Rf1 Qxf1+ 22. Bxf1 Be7 23. Bc4 Ke8 (23... Rh7) 24. Bd3 { Threatening Bg6+} Rh6 25. Qg8+ Kd7 26. Bb5+ Kc7 27. Qg7 Re6 28. Bc4) 15... g4 { de Groot's slight lapse last move has allowed O'Kelly to get decent play anf now de Groot has to be careful as his K is exposed.} 16. Qe2 Bd7 {It's logical to develop the B, but it allows his opponent to go back on the attack.} (16... f6 {opening the position keeps the attack and defense balanced. For example...} 17. Bf4 b5 18. Rae1 Nxf4+ 19. Rxf4 {and things are unclear after either 19... Kd8 or 19...fxe5}) 17. Na4 {Nice! After black's last move white's B finds a purpose on c3...with things at a standstill on the K-side de Groot turns his attention to the other side.} (17. e6 fxe6 18. f6 Qf7 19. Qe5 Bb6 {White's position lacks any real punch.}) 17... Bb6 18. b4 {Setting a trap.} (18. e6 { is a different story from last move.} fxe6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. Qe5 {and the Q-side Ps have become targets.}) 18... O-O-O {Avoiding the trap.} (18... Qxb4 19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. e6 {White is winning.} fxe6 21. fxe6 Bc8 22. Qe5 Rg8 23. Bg6+ ) (18... c5 $1 $14 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. bxc5 Bc6) 19. Nxb6+ {de Groot now conducts an attack on black's K.} axb6 20. a4 (20. e6 {would have been much harder to meet.} fxe6 21. Qe5 Rde8 (21... Rhf8 22. f6 {Switching the action back to the K-side. This demonstrates the great strength of white's position.} Qxb4 23. Bh6 Rf7 24. Qxh5 {The R is a goner.}) 22. f6 Qxb4 23. Rb1 Qa5 (23... Qxb1 {This gets the Q trapped.} 24. Bb2 Qxa2 25. Ra1) 24. f7 Ref8 25. Qd6 Qc5 26. Ba3 Qxd6 27. Bxd6 Ng5 28. Be5 {wins a R.}) 20... Rhe8 21. a5 bxa5 22. Bb2 { Another imprecise move.} (22. Rxa5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Rxe5 24. Bb2 Ree8 25. Bf6 { picks up the exchange.}) 22... d4 {To copy and paste the note from white's last move...Another imprecise move. The move has a point however!} (22... Qxb4 {and things get wild after} 23. Rfb1 c5 24. e6 d4 25. Bc1 Bc6+ 26. Kf1 Bf3 { with head whirling complications.}) 23. Rxa5 {After this things are back on track.} (23. Bxd4 {Falls for the trap black's last move set.} c5 24. Be4 (24. Bxc5 Bc6+ 25. Be4 Qxe5 26. Rfe1 Qxf5 {and white gets mated.} 27. Qf2 Rd2 28. Bxc6 Rxf2+ 29. Kh1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Rf1+ 31. Rxf1 Qxf1+ 32. Bg1 Qxg1#) 24... Ng5 25. Bd5 Bxf5 26. Bxc5 Qxe5 27. Qxe5 Rxe5 28. c4 axb4 29. Bxb4 Rdxd5 30. cxd5 Be4+ 31. Kf2 Nh3+ 32. Ke1 Bg2+ 33. Kd2 Bxf1 34. Rxf1 Rxd5+ {Black is better.}) 23... Qxb4 {There was really no better defense.} 24. Ra8+ {The rest is a mop up.} Kc7 25. Ba3 c5 26. Bxb4 Rxa8 27. e6 Bc6+ 28. Be4 cxb4 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Qe5+ {Black resigned. An incredibly complicated game that was for the most part well played by de Groot.} (30. Qe5+ Kb7 31. Rb1 Ra4 (31... Rab8 32. Rxb4+ Ka6 33. Ra4+ Kb7 34. Qxd4 Rbd8 35. Qb4+ Kc8 36. Ra8+ Kc7 37. Ra7+ Kc8 38. Qb7#) 32. Qxd4 {and Qd7+ will be a killer.}) 1-0

A Queen Sacrifice… a Brilliancy or Just Routine?

    Wilhelm Steinitz (May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a Bohemian-Austrian,and later American player whose theoretical teachings revolutionized chess and were the foundations modern chess. 

    From 1886 to 1894, he was the first World Champion as well as a highly influential writer and theoretician. Some regarded him as the man who destroyed brilliancy tactical chess. 

    Steinitz himself played some really brilliant games. Early in his career he was a disciple of attacking chess with its careless, flashy, but frequently unsound attacks. 

    Eventually he came to the conclusion that patient defense with the idea of refuting unsound attacks. He demonstrated that you could not just toss away Pawns, or even pieces for a helter-skelter attack. 

    The time of the following game was played at the beginning of the Age of Steinitz. Engines may not think black’s attack was especially brilliant and at move 19 they glibly proclaim 19...dxe3 is the best move, but in the days of old it was considered a brilliancy. It’s not clear in what event this game was played, only that it was in Dresden in 1880. 

    White was Carl Friedrich Schmid (1840-1897). Born in Mitau, Russian Empire which is today Jelgava, Latvia. William Wayte (1829-1898) is better known, but not well remembered. 

    Wayte was born in Calne, England and passed away in London. He was a Church of England cleric and a British master. He was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in English chess in the late 1800s. 

    Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2573 om 18078, and his best ever world rank to have been #9. It’s a little surprising, but Janes Mason was #1 at 2703. 

`In 1850, he became a Craven Scholar. John Craven, 1st Baron Craven of Ryton (1610-1648) was noted for benevolence and his will contained numerous charitable bequests. The most significant was the bequest of his manor of Cancerne, Sussex, for the endowment of four poor scholars, two at Oxford and two at Cambridge. The Craven scholarships still exist. In 1862, he rook the position of Select Preacher at the University of Cambridge. In 1876, Wayte became a professor of Greek at University College on London and while there he edited several Greek works. 

    As mentioned, Wayte was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in early Victorian Era English chess. Others included George MacDonnell, John Owen, Charles Ranken, Edmund Thorold and Arthur Skipworth. 

    Wayte played with success in a number of tournaments in Britain between 1861 and 1893. He also wrote for the British Chess Magazine.

 

Going Way, Way Back…to 1834

    If you lived in England in 1834, William IV was the King. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, six farm laborers, were sentenced to be transported to a penal colony for forming a trade union. HMS Tartarus, the Royal Navy's first steam-powered man-of-war, a paddle gun vessel, was launched. 

    In July of that year the Hanging-in-Chains Abolition Act went into effect’ it did just that...it abolished the practice of hanging in chains upon a gibbet after execution. 

    Hanging in chains, also known as gibbeting, was a common law punishment in England where the body of an executed criminal was displayed in chains after death. The practice was intended to deter others from committing similar crimes, and was often used for murderers, robbers, traitors, highwaymen, and pirates.

    The Murder Act of 1752 made gibbeting a legal punishment for murderers. The gibbets were often placed near public highways or waterways, such as crossroads and the body could remain on display for days, weeks, months, years, or even decades! Needless to say, some found the sight and smell disgusting. 

    In August slavery was abolished in most of the British Empire and the Poor Law Amendment Act states the able-bodied could not receive assistance unless they enter a workhouse/ It also declared that poor-law authorities should no longer attempt to identify the fathers of illegitimate children to recover support from them. 

    In the chess world the first match of any importance pitting La Bourdonnais against McDonnell was played. Bourdonnais won +16 -5 =4. In all he won a series of 6 matches against McDonnell. 

    The Frenchman Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais (1797-1840), considered the world’s strongest player, and the Irishman Alexander McDonnell (1798-1835), considered Great Britain’s strongest player,played their matches in London. There was no time limit, no seconds and very little stakes. With no time limit McDonnell sometimes took over an hour and a half to make a move. 

    Alexander McDonnell held the post of Secretary of the West India Committee of Merchants. In the 1830s he was the best player in England. He died September 14, 1835 of Bright's disease in London at the age of 37. 

     Bright's disease is described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine and was frequently accompanied by high blood pressure and heart disease. 

    There's no proven way to prevent it, but adopting a healthy lifestyle can help. Also, treating the underlying cause, such as infection, eating less protein and salt, cortisone and diuretic use, reducing blood pressure and kidney dialysis can help. Finally, if possible, a kidney transplant. 

    Bourdonnais was born on the French Island La Reunion in 1797 and died on December 13, 1840 in London. He learned chess in 1814 and took lessons from Deschapelles. 

    He came from a noble family and heir to an old estate, but lost his fortune in a building speculation and turned to chess to earn his living. 

    In November, 1840, he was diagnosed with dropsy which refers to swelling under the skin and is generally known today as edema. It’s a condition in which the area under the skin fills with fluid. The swelling varies in severity, but it is uncomfortable and can be extremely painful. 

    It is a symptom of a number of diseases. It is likely that some of those whose cause of death was recorded as dropsy were actually killed by the condition that caused the swelling, rather than the swelling itself. Today it’s treated with a diuretic, blood thinners and reducing salt intake. 

    The poor fellow also had a scrotal hernia, a bulge or lump that can appear in the groin or scrotum. They are caused by a weakness in the abdominal wall that allows part of the intestine or fat to protrude into the scrotum. Large or painful ones can be repaired surgically. He died at the age of 43 and was buried next to McDonnell.

 

[Event "4th Casual Matcj, London"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1834.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander McDonnell"] [Black "Louis De La Bourdonnais"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C20"] [Annotator "Dragon by Komodo"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "1834.04.04"] {C23: Bishop's Opening} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 {There is very little theory on this ancient opening.} Bc5 3. c3 Qe7 (3... Qh4 {Rather pointless.} 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Nf3 Qh5 {and Pavlicek,P (2036)-Matejovsky,O (2085) Ricany 2009 agreed to a draw in a few more moves.}) 4. Nf3 (4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a5 6. Ba3 Nf6 7. d3 d6 8. Nf3 {equals. Nehlert,P-Jendryssek,J Kehl 1989}) 4... d6 5. O-O Bb6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Na3 Bg4 8. Nc2 Nbd7 9. Qd3 d5 {This P sacrifice is of doubtful soundness, but it leads to interesting play. Both 9...exd4 or 9...O-O were solid replies.} 10. exd5 {There is little reason to allow his B to be exchanges by capturing 10. Bxd5} e4 11. Qd2 {Now black should probably play 11...O-O. Instead...} exf3 12. Re1 {White has a decisive advantage. However, as is sometimes the case, that does not mean he is going to win!} Ne4 13. Qf4 f5 14. gxf3 g5 {Forceful play typical of Bourdonnais, but white still has a decisive advantage, theoretically at least.} 15. Qe3 {Not bad, but both players have missed a clever, winning tactic at white's disposal. That's theoretically speaking. Practically white's move is reasonable.} (15. Qxg4 fxg4 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. fxe4 {White has a B+2Ps vs a R, but his positional superiority that engines consider decisive. White scored 5-0 in Shootous, but given the length (40-50 additional moves) and complexity of the game white's win is not a foregone conclusion.}) 15... Ne5 16. Bb5+ (16. fxg4 {has better winning chances.} Nxc4 17. Qe2 Qf7 18. Qxc4 {with the better gane.}) 16... c6 17. fxg4 {All of white's advantage has evaporated.} (17. Be2 cxd5 18. fxg4 f4 19. Qh3 O-O-O 20. f3 {with only a slight advantage.}) 17... Nxg4 (17... cxb5 {would have been a howler...} 18. gxf5 Nd6 19. Qh3 O-O-O 20. dxe5 Nc4 21. f6+ Qd7 22. Qxd7+ Rxd7 23. b3 Na5 24. e6 Rxd5 25. e7 Re8 26. f7) 18. Qe2 {It's quite natural to move the attacked Q.} (18. dxc6 {is a clever try though.} Nxe3 19. cxb7+ Kf7 20. bxa8=Q Rxa8 21. Nxe3 {with an interesting material imbalance. Shootouts resulted in 5 draws.}) 18... cxb5 19. f3 Ngf6 20. fxe4 Nxe4 21. Qxb5+ Qd7 22. Qxd7+ Kxd7 23. c4 {The exchange of Qs has increased the tension because the play with the passed Ps promises plenty of excitement. Technically black is a smidgen better; his pieces are actively placed.} Rae8 24. c5 Bd8 25. d6 f4 { [%mdl 1056]} 26. b4 Rhf8 27. Rf1 h5 (27... f3 {was even stronger.} 28. Ne3 g4 29. Nc4 Bf6 30. Be3 Nc3 31. Kh1 Re4 32. Rfe1 Rfe8 33. Bf2 Bxd4 {Black is winning.}) 28. Na3 {[%mdl 8192] Heading for e5, but keeping the N where it is and playing more directly with 28.b5 was a better plan.} Bf6 29. Bb2 g4 { With his Ps rilling black now has a decisive advantage for real. But, the blunders aren't over!} 30. Nc4 f3 31. Ne5+ {This only worsens white's position because it allows the removal of black's B which facilitates the advance of black's Ps/. More logical, but still insufficient, would have been b5 with a bit of counterplay.} Bxe5 32. dxe5 h4 {[%mdl 32]} 33. Rad1 f2+ 34. Kh1 h3 35. Rd3 Rg8 {This loses almost all of the advantage and puts the win in doubt.} ( 35... Rf4 {Potentially threatening the b-Pawn. White is completely ties up and black will slowly penetrate his defenses.} 36. Bc1 Rf7 37. Bb2 Rf5 38. a3 Ref8 {White has a bad B and he has no constructive moves.} 39. e6+ (39. Rdd1 Rf3 40. Rd4 (40. Rc1 Nd2) 40... g3 41. hxg3 Nxg3+ {wins}) 39... Kxe6 40. Re3 Kd5 41. Bg7 R8f7 42. Rd3+ Kc6 43. Bd4 Rd5 {Black is clearly winning.}) 36. b5 { Obviously McDonnell is hoping to use his Ps to create some play, in doing so he missed a chance to nearly equalize.} (36. Re3 g3 (36... Ng5 37. Re2 Rgf8 38. Rexf2 Rxf2 39. Rxf2 Nf3 {Black has his work cut out in order to score the point.}) 37. hxg3 Nxg3+ {The reason for jis 36th move.} 38. Rxg3 Rxg3 39. Rxf2 Reg8 40. Rf7+ Kc6 41. Rf1 {and white has a fighting chance.}) 36... g3 37. hxg3 {Unlike the position after 36.Re3 in the previous note it makes a huge difference that the N is not attacked.} Rxg3 38. Rd4 (38. c6+ {falls short...} bxc6 39. bxc6+ Kxc6 40. d7 Rd8 41. Rc1+ Kb7 42. Rdd1 Rg2 43. Rd3 Ng3+ 44. Rxg3 Rxg3 45. Rf1 Rxd7 46. Bc1 Rg1+ 47. Rxg1 fxg1=Q+ 48. Kxg1 Rd1+) 38... Reg8 { This is a major blunder throwing away the game, or should have!} (38... h2 { wraps it up.} 39. e6+ {delays the inevitable.} (39. Rxe4 Rg1+ {mates in 2})) 39. e6+ {The winning move.} Kd8 {[%mdl 8192] Where the K retreats doesn't matter; black loses.} 40. Rdd1 {White has totally mis judged this position.} ( 40. Rxe4 {was the only winning move.} Rg1+ 41. Kh2 Rxf1 42. Bf6+ Kc8 43. d7+ Kc7 44. Rf4 Rd1 45. Rxf2 Re1 46. Rd2 Rxe6 47. d8=Q+ Rxd8 48. Bxd8+ {with a won ending.}) 40... h2 {To quate a famous Englishman, "The rest is silence."} 41. e7+ Kd7 42. c6+ bxc6 43. bxc6+ Kxc6 44. e8=Q+ Rxe8 {[%mdl 32]} 45. Kxh2 Re6 46. Rc1+ Kb5 47. a4+ Kb4 48. Bc3+ Rxc3 49. Rxc3 Kxc3 50. d7 Rd6 51. Kg2 Rxd7 52. Rc1+ Kd3 53. Kf1 Ke3 {White resigned. It's mate in 7. A far from perfent game, yet an exciting one.} (53... Ke3 54. Ra1 Nd2+ 55. Kg2 f1=Q+ 56. Rxf1 Nxf1 57. a5 Rg7+ 58. Kh3 Kf4 59. a6 Rg1 60. Kh4 Rh1#) 0-1

Browsing An Old Reinfeld Potboiler - Again

    A couple of years ago I did a post about browsing an old Reinfeld potboiler and today’s game is another one taken from the book that you will enjoy. The finish makes a good tactical puzzle; it features a Q sacrifice, an underpromotion and a back rank mate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Event "Unknown"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anonymous"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B85"] [Annotator "Fred Reinfeld,Stockfish"] [PlyCount "47"] {B85: Sicilian Scheveningen} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 {Reinfeld comments that white has a well-centralized N and black cannot imitate it. Note also that white controls the important center square d5.On these two grounds it seems likely that white will dominate the center and will therefore enjoy superior mobility, he says.} Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e6 {Black has set up the Scheveningen Variation in which he [laces his e-Pawn on e6 where it guards d5 rather than play the space-gaining ...e5. The e-Pawn also prepares ...Be7 followed by ...O-O. White can often launch an attack by advancing his K-side Ps.6.Rg1.} 7. Be3 Be7 8. O-O O-O {Reinfeld asks, "How has the situation developed as regards mobility?" He explains: both qhite Bs have free diagonals while both of black' are hemmed in. His claim that "The outlook for black's game is very unpromising." does not ring true. Statistically black wins his share of games. White's job is to figure out how utilize his mobility. Advancing his K-side Ps is the usual answer.} 9. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Qc7 {This move is frequently played, but it does not give good results. A-side counterplay beginning with 9...a5 produces better results. 9///Bd7 is also a possibility/} 10. g4 {[%mdl 32] This rare move is rather rash, but not at all bad.} (10. Kh1 a6 11. a4 Re8 12. Bf3 {is the Main Line which has been played countless times with about equal chances.}) 10... a6 {After white's last move this is a bit too slow...more aggressive play is called for.} (10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 { This is also playable if white takes with the Q,} 12. Be3 exf4 13. Bxf4 Qc5+ { with equal chances.}) 11. g5 {It's pretty clear that black i going to be on the defensive and that he is going to have to be careful.} Ne8 {Much too passive! In Castrillon Gomez,M (2169)-Culma,R (2036) Ortega COL, 2014, black tried 11...Nxd4 but both players misplayed the subsequent moves. A better idea is 11...Nd7 and ...e5} 12. f5 Qd8 {Black has played 12...Bd7 and 12...Ne5 here. The idea of the text is to put pressure on white's advancing Ps. Whatever he does he is facing a strong attack.} 13. h4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 {Black's passive opening play has resulted in white getting a very promising position.} e5 { A very poor move. True, it drives away the Q, but at the cost of permanently losing d5. As Reinfeld observes, this vital center square now becomes a hole completely in white's control and black weak on the light squares.} (14... Rb8 {striving for play on the Q-side is the best chance.} 15. Rf2 b5 16. Rd1 Rb7 17. Bd3 Rc7 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Rdf1 Rxf2 20. Rxf2 Bb7 {White is better, but black is far from lost.}) 15. Qd2 Nc7 16. Bb6 {Nd5 would now be deadly.} Qd7 17. Rf2 Bd8 18. Raf1 {White menaces a decisive breakthrough with 19..f6 g6 20. h5} f6 {Black stops the threatened advance of white's f-Pawn, but his just further weakens his K-side and white breaks through in a different way. Unfortunately for black there wasn't anything that was really better because at this point white is winning.} 19. Bc4+ Kh8 20. g6 h6 21. Bf7 Qc6 22. Bxc7 { White could also win with 22.Be3, but it's a bit more complicated and the text is good enough.} Bxc7 23. Rg2 {White threatens Qxh6+! and mate.} d5 {After this it's white to nate in 4} (23... Rxf7 24. gxf7 Bd7 25. Rg6 Bb6+ 26. Kh1 { it's a mate in 6.} Bxf5 27. Rxf5 Kh7 28. Qg2 Qc7 29. Rxg7+ Kh8 30. Rg8+ Rxg8 31. fxg8=Q#) 24. Qxh6+ {[%mdl 576] Black resigned. A puzzle-like finish! Here's Fritz 19s breakdown: Mistakes: White=0 Black=7 Inaccurate: White=3 Black=0 OK moves: White=4 Black=3 Best moves: White=0 Black=1 Brilliant: White=1 Black=0} (24. Qxh6+ gxh6 25. g7+ Kh7 26. gxf8=N+ Kh8 27. Rg8#) 1-0

Bert Brice-Nash, Early Kansas Champion

    Bertram Brice-Nash, Sr. was born on January 15,1893, in New Braunfels, a small city near San Antonio, Texas. He got married around 1919. He moved around, living in various cities in Kansas. He died at the age of 68 on March 19, 1961, in Joplin, Missouri and was buried in Hutchinson, Kansas. 

    In 1945 he was living in Medora, Kansas, a very small town just north of Topeka and he had an unbroken string of victories in Chess Review’s postal tournaments, including their Golden Knight event. 

    Back in the 1960s and 1970s I played in many of those great Golden Knight tournaments. It was billed as the U.S. Postal Championship. I qualified for the third and final round several times and completes my schedule which earned me the emblem of the Golden Knight, a sterling silver, gold-plated and enameled lapel button. More importantly, I got to play a number of well-known players including one (over the board) US Championship competitor. 

    Brice-Nash learned to play chess when he was still a small boy, from his father. He turned to it seriously later, in the 1930s, played in several Kansas tournaments. He was the Kansas State Champion in 1949, 1953, 1955 and 1958. He was a businessman engaged in the grocery and oil business. 

    The following game by Brice-Nash was selected as Chess Review’s Game of the Month in the September, 1945, issue and features the plucky Budapest Gambit. It requires imaginative and aggressive play and Brice-Nash demonstrated both. What made this game interesting to analyze was the problem addressed in the previous post, Engine Evaluations. Using several different engines resulted different results. So...what’s the real verdict? The answer is beyond this old Duffer's skill level.

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "?"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "G.L. Morrison"] [Black "Bert Brice-Nash"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A52"] [Annotator "Various engines"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "1945.??.??"] {A52: Budapest Gambit} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 {The Budapest Gambit made its debut in 1896, but it received little attention until 1918 when Milan Vidmar used it to defeat Akiba Rubinstein. In the 1920s the gambit was popular, but today it's rarely played and with good reason. Statistically white scores more than twice as many wins as black. I once gave it a try and my results confirmed those stats! French IM Nicolas Giffard is of the opinion that black gets a good P-structure and possibilities of attack on the K-side. His problems generally come from white's pressure on the d-file and black's lack of space. Israeli GM oris Avrukh called it almost respectable and doubts there is a refutation.} 3. dxe5 {There is no good reason not to accept the P.} Ng4 { The Fajarowicz Variation (3...Ne5) is rightfully considered dubious. It's best met by 4.a3! which avoids the annoying ...Bb4+ and prepares Qc2 to undermine black's N.} 4. e4 {White can also defend the P with 4.Nf3 or 4.Bf4. The text is the Alekhine Variation which gives white a spatial advantage and a strong P-center.} Nxe5 5. f4 Nec6 6. Nf3 Bc5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. a3 (8. f5 d6 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bf4 Re8 11. Qd5+ Kh8 12. O-O-O {Bacrot,E (2594)-Shirov,A (2751) Sarajevo 2000. White has a space advantage and black is somewhat cramped. In the game white was unable to overcome the rating difference and eventuallu lost.}) 8... a5 { Guards against b4} 9. Bd3 {White has also tried 9.Be3, 9.h3 and 9.Qd3 here.} d6 {The position is about equal according to the engines, but is it? Komodo 10 Human, Stockfish 17, lc0 v0.220, Fritz 19 and Fritz 14 evaluate this position as about equal. Komodo Dragon gives white a slight advantage while Deep Fritz 14 prefer black by half a P!! I would give white the edge because he has 1) a lead in development, 2) more space and 3) black has no pieces defending his K.} 10. Qe2 Bg4 {An interesting position! The tactical analysis with Fritz using Stockfish 17 says this threatens ...Nd4.} 11. Be3 {The same analysis makes the comment that this prevents ,,,Nd4.} Nd4 {But this is the engine recommended move. So much for Fritz' comments! In any case, Spielmann played this move against Yates at Carlsbad in 1923 which was the game the players were following.} 12. Qf2 (12. Bxd4 {is not quite satisfactory. After} Bxd4 13. Nb5 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bf6 {White does not have enough for the P. His best move is} 16. c5 d5 (16... dxc5 {is not a good idea because after} 17. e5 Be7 18. Rd1 Qc8 19. O-O c6 20. Nc3 Qe6 21. Qe2 {Preparing a R-lift R-f3 and white has reached an excellent position.}) 17. e5 Be7 {Black is slightly better.}) 12... Nb3 {Brice-Nash thought he had found an improvement over what Spielmann played. This move gains time by the attack on the R. Which move is better? Mostly it depends on the engine you are using and how long you allow it to give it to analyze.} (12... Bxf3 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Qxd4 Nc6 15. Qf2 Bh5 {White has a solid position and eventually scored the point. Yates-Spielmann Carlsbad 1923}) 13. Rd1 Nc6 14. Bc2 {White would have dome better by playing 14.O-O first because he is going to get into trouble as a result of leaving his K in the center.} Bxf3 15. gxf3 (15. Qxf3 Ncd4 16. Bxd4 Nxd4 17. Qd3 c6 {Black is slightly better. Note that} 18. e5 {is not a threat at all because after} Qh4+ 19. g3 Qh5 {White is in serious trouble.} 20. Kd2 ( 20. exd6 Nf3+ 21. Ke2 Ne5+) 20... dxe5 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 15... Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Qh4+ $1 17. Ke2 Nc5 18. Rdg1 {White's plan is directed at the K-side. After 18.Nd5 what should black play? 18...Rac8 (Stockfish) or 18... Rab8 (Komodo Dragon)?} (18. Nd5 Rab8 {An interesting idea.} 19. Nxc7 Ne6 20. Nd5 (20. Nxe6 fxe6 {attacking the f-Pawn with equal chances.}) 20... b5 21. f5 bxc4 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. Nc3 Rxb2 24. Rd2 Ne5 {Attacking f3} 25. Rf1 Qxh2+ 26. Kd1 Qh3 27. Rdf2 {An interesting position with unbalances material. White has a B vs. 3 Ps, but black's position is preferable. Shootouts were not really conclusive. White scored +0 -1 =4}) 18... Ne6 19. f5 Ned4+ (19... Nf4+ { leads to some iteresting complications.} 20. Kd1 Ne5 21. Nd5 Nh3 22. Rg3 c6 23. f4 Ng4 24. Nf6+ gxf6 25. Ke2 (25. Rxh3 Nxe3+) 25... Kh8 26. Rxh3 Nxe3 27. Rxh4 Nxc4 {with equal chances.}) 20. Kd1 Nxc2 21. Kxc2 Ne5 {So far white's play has been commendable, but his next move defending the c-Pawn is too passive.} 22. b3 (22. f4 {What a really swell move!} Ng4 (22... Nxc4 {is met by} 23. Qd4 { and the N is lost.}) 23. Qe2 Nf6 24. Qf3 {followed by Rf3 and white has a clear advantage because black's K is in danger on the g- and h-files/}) 22... c6 {This keeps the N out of d5, but he has missed a good counterattacking move. At the moment there is nothing to ve don on the K-side so he can look for opportunities elsewhere.} (22... a4 {Taking advantage of white's last move and undermining the c-Pawn.} 23. b4 Nxc4 24. Qd4 Ne5 {and black retains a slight advantage.}) 23. Rg3 (23. f4 {is stronger.} Ng4 24. Qg3 (24. Qd4 Qf2+ 25. Kd3 Qxd4+ 26. Kxd4 Nf2) 24... Qxg3 25. Rxg3 Nf6 26. e5 {White is slightly better.}) 23... a4 {[%mdl 32] Back on track. White is seeking his fortune on the K-side, black on the Q-side.} 24. Rhg1 {This looks quite reasonable, but it's the losing move. Black now breaks through on the Q-side.} (24. Nxa4 Nxc4 25. Qd4 g6 26. Qxc4 b5 27. Qd4 bxa4 28. b4 c5 29. Qd5 {jeeos things equal.} (29. Qxd6 { is a bad mistake.} Rfd8 30. Qc7 Qf6 {Switching the Q to the other side is decisive.} 31. b5 Qd4 {White cannot save the game.})) 24... axb3+ (24... Qxh2+ {might be tempting, but it throws away the advantage.} 25. R3g2 axb3+ 26. Kxb3 {White gas a simultaneous attack on the Q abd g7, but there is a way out for black!} Rxa3+ 27. Kc2 (27. Kxa3 Qxg2 28. Rxg2 Nxc4+ {would be winning for black.}) 27... Qh5 28. Rxg7+ Kh8 {and neither side has a way of gaining any advantage.}) 25. Kb1 {He cannot take the P} (25. Kxb3 Rxa3+ 26. Kb2 b5 27. Rxg7+ Kh8 {White's best shot is} 28. Rg8+ Rxg8 29. Rxg8+ Kxg8 30. Qg1+ Kf8 31. Kxa3 Nxc4+ {but the ending is lost.}) 25... g6 26. Qd4 Rxa3 27. Qxd6 Nxc4 28. Qd4 Qxh2 29. R3g2 Rfa8 {[%mdl 512]} 30. Qxc4 (30. Rxh2 Ra1#) 30... Ra1+ { [%mdl 128]} 31. Kb2 R8a2+ (31... R1a2+ {[%mdl 512]} 32. Nxa2 Rxa2+ 33. Kxb3 { also wins.} Rxg2) 32. Nxa2 Rxa2+ 33. Kxb3 Rxg2 {[%mdl 4096] The ending is a routine win for black.} 34. Rd1 Qe5 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Rd4 (36. Rd7 {attacking f7 loses quickly.} Qb2+ 37. Ka4 b5+) 36... c5 37. Rd7 Qb2+ 38. Ka4 b5+ 39. Qxb5 Qa2# {A fascinating game.} 0-1

Engine Evaluations

    When analyzing games for this Blog it is not uncommon to run into engine evaluations that I simply do not understand. In many cases running a Shootout (the engine plays blitz games against itself) will help confirm the evaluation. However, and this is an important however, some of those games can last 80, 90 or 100 or more moves! For a game between humans this is meaningless. Stockfih, and a lot of other engines for that matter, are so good that most humans do not know why their evaluations are what they are. But, are they always correct? 

    One comment I read seems about right: “...stop worrying whether (an engine) likes a position or not (because) it is far more important to have a position you are comfortable with rather than one where you have no clue how (to play).” 

    This problem is addressed by Kostya Kavutskiy, an IM from the United States with a 2300+ rating, in the following informative video. Just for fun you might like to set up the position he shows at 4:20 in the video just to see how you equipment performs. On my laptop after 20 minutes Stockfish 17 running on three cores gives the best move as 1.Bxb5 with a 5.49 score. When I played 1.Bxh7+ (which was not in its top 3 choices) it evaluated the move at 5.33 almost immediately. 

Chess in 1865

    The year was 1865,a pivotal year in American history. With the end of the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination and the beginning of Reconstruction, politics were forever changed. 

    Chess was a fairly popular pastime in the 1860s. In April the Richmond (Virginia) chess club, which was once visited by Paul Morphy as well as several confederate Generals, burned down. 

    Speaking of Morphy, the Richmond Dispatch reported that he was living in Illinois and was busying himself collecting claims in the Federal and State courts.

    An article in the February 9, 1865, Brooklyn Eagle reported that. “Paul Morphu, when the rebellion broke out, joined the Confederate army at New Orleans, but subsequently retired and went to Paris, has lately changed his mind m and having taken the oath of allegiance, has commenced business in a town in Southern Illinois as Government Claim Agent. He has almost given up chess.” 

    Judge Alexander B. Meek (1814-1866, 51 years old), a noted plater and president of the1st American Chess Congress that was held in 1857, died on October 30th in Columbus, Mississippi. 

    Abraham Lincoln was a chess enthusiast who had a reputation as a defensive player unless aggressive play seemed justified. One of his chess sets is on display in the Smithsonian. 

    In spite of the tumult of the year people were still playing chess. The predominant playing style from the late 18th century to the 1880s was Romantic chess that emphasized quick, tactical maneuvers over long-term strategic planning. 

    One of the most interesting players in 1865 had to be Captain George Mackenzie (187-1891), a 1992 inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.

    Mackenzie was born in North Kessock, Scotland. In 1861, he resigned his army commission in the British King's Royal Rifle Corps to become a professional chessplayer. 

    In 1863, he emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the Union Army. After 15 weeks as a Private, he earned the rank of Captain and was placed in charge of a Black regiment. During the Civil War the Union Army had many regiments made up of Black soldiers known as the United States Colored Troops. Many of these soldiers served in the infantry and artillery, but racial practices often resulted in their being assigned to non-combat roles such cooking, laborers and teamsters. 

    Mackenzie later deserted and was separates from the Union Army. However, in 1864, he rejoined the Army and fought with distinction in three battles. Nevertheless, he was arrested on the previous desertion charges and imprisoned. He was released in May, 1865 and moved to New York where he resumed chess competition. 

    In 1865, a leading player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named Gustave Reichhelm (1839-1905) defeated Mackenzie, who at the time was the strongest player in the country by a score of +4 -1 =1 in informal games. In years to come though Reichhelm was decisively beaten by Mackenzie in two formal matches.

    Reichhelm, who in his early years was a piano tuner, was a chess editor, analyst, problem composer and player. He was chess editor of three Philadelphia newdpapers and was the Games Editor of Brentano's Chess Monthly (1881-1882). From 1895 to 1905, he was Secretary of the Franklin Chess Club in Philadelphia.

    For many years, he was chess champion of Philadelphia. In 1886, he took 2nd place in the world championship problem solving tournament.

 

[Event "Philadelphia Chess Club, Casual game"] [Site "Philadelphia,PA USA"] [Date "1864.09.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Gustave Reichhelm"] [Black "George H. Mackenzie"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C51"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1864.??.??"] {[%evp 16,59,30,-9,-4,-57,-51,-87,14,-13,-13,-28,114,116,143,140,134,101,247, 260,250,269,490,338,320,329,320,287,273,264,291,123,132,116,100,112,485,492, 492,479,712,714,800,781,895,877] C51: Evans Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 {By playing the Evans Gambit is white offers a Pawn to divert the B on c5. At the time it was fairly new having first been played om the game Evans–McDonnell, London 1827 and analysis piblished in 1832.} Bxb4 { Accepting the gambit allows white to play c3 and d4 gaoining space in the center and, at the same tine, it opens the diagonals to play Ba3 or Qb3 putting pressure on f7 as wells as hoping to prevent black from castling. Statistically black gets slightly better results by decling the gambit with 4.. .Bb6} 5. c3 Bc5 {Nowadays 5...Na5 is much more common, byt there is little difference in the results.} 6. O-O d6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Bb2 (9. Qb3 { is met by} Na5 {when} 10. Bxf7+ Kf8 {forces white to play} 11. Bxg8 Nxb3 12. Bxb3 {and the two Ns are not enough compensation for the Q.}) 9... Nf6 { Reichhelm believed that 9...Nge7 was better, but the text is actually preferable.} 10. Qc2 {According to Reichhelm this move is, “One of the best forms of attack in the Evans Gambit, bit the move has long disappeared in favor of 10.d5, 10.Nbd2 and some have tried the questionable 10.e5. As for the text, it appears to be satisfactory, but offers white no particular advantage.} O-O 11. e5 {The othe roption was 11.d5. In either case black has at least equality.} (11. d5 Na5 12. Bd3 Bg4 13. Nbd2) 11... Ne8 {Instead of this timid retreat black would have done better with 10...Nh5} (11... Nh5 12. exd6 cxd6 13. d5 Na5 14. Bd3 {Black's two Ns on the edge of the board look suspect, but white is unable to take advantage of it. After} Bg4 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Qg5+ 18. Kh1 Nc4 19. Qxc4 Qxf5 {it's black who has the advantage.}) 12. Nbd2 {[%mdl 1056]} d5 13. Bd3 h6 {13...g6 was safer.} 14. Ba3 {[%mdl 2048] Threatens to win with Bh7+.} Ne7 (14... a6 {A pass to demonstrate white's threat.} 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bxf8 g6 17. Bxg6 fxg6 18. Qxg6 {White is winning.}) 15. Nb3 {An important move to keep up the pressure.} c6 16. Nh4 Nc7 (16... g5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Ng7 (19... Nxf5 20. Qxf5 Rg8 21. Qxf7) 20. Bd3 {White stands well.}) 17. f4 {[%mdl 32] The start of a winning attack.} Ne6 18. Qf2 Qc7 {After this black is left with a lost position. His best chance was 18...f6 although white still has a dangerous attack.} 19. f5 {This is not as dangerous as it looks and it actually gives black good chances of defnding himself.} (19. Bd6 {Plying this first makles a huge difference!} Qd8 20. f5 { The difference between this position and the game continuation is that black cannot capture ...Qxe5} Ng5 21. f6 {and white is winning.}) 19... Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Qxe5 21. Nhf3 Qf6 22. Rae1 Re8 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 $16 24. Rxe7 Qxe7 25. Re1 { All of white's pieces are in play and actively placed, but even so, black can probably survive with careful defense.} Qf6 {[%mdl 8192] ,,,but not after this blunder! Defending the back rank with 25...Qd8 was a must.} 26. Re8+ {White is clearly winning after this.} Kh7 27. Bc2 Bd8 {Played to drive the R away by ... Bd7} 28. Ne5 {[%mdl 32] Closing in on the K.} Bc7 29. Ng6 {[%mdl 512]} Bxf5 30. Nf8+ {Black resigned. the R on a8 is lost.} 1-0

Alexei, the Other Alekhine

    Alexei Alexandrovich Alekhine (1888-1939) was Alexander’s older brother and a strong amateur player. He served as the Secretary of the Ukrainian Chess Federation and the editor of the first Soviet chess annual, published in 1927. 

    His father was a wealthy landowner, a Marshal of the Nobility and a member of the State Duma and his mother was an heiress to an industrial fortune. Both he brothers were taught chess by their mother. According to Alexander (the World Champion) for a long time the three played a lot of chess together on a regular basis. 

    Alexei was good enough that he was able to draw with Harry Nelson Pillsbury when the American gave a simultaneous blindfold display in Moscow in 1902.

    After the October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, took place in Russia on October 24–25 in 1917, he had a number of successes in local tournaments. He was considered a First Category player which, I believe, is in the 2000-2199 Elo range. 

    In an article written by Hans Kmoch entitled “Alexander Alekhine” he stated that Alexei, whom he had met in Moscow during the 1925 tournament, was murdered shortly afterwards in connection with a love affair, according to newspaper reports outside Russia. That was wrong. He died in Kharkov in August of 1939. 

    In the following game he defeats Andreas Duhm (1883-1975, 92 yers old). He was born in Gottingen, Germany. He was Swiss champion in 1900, 1901 (jointly with his brother Hans Duhm) and 1913. He passed away in Heidelberg in 1975.

 

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "Correspondence"] [Date "1909.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexei Alekhine"] [Black "Andreas Duhm"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1909.??.??"] {D00: Stonewall} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. Nd2 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 { The Stonewall Attack was briefly popular. Between the 1880s and the 1920s it was used by players with an attacking style, but wjen black discovered equalizing lines the opening fell into disuse. At least it’s flexible and can be reached by several different move orders.} cxd4 7. exd4 {Capturing with the c-Pawn is equal while with his next move white is forced to defend the f-Pawn with either 8.g3 or 8.Nh3, beither of which offer gim a very promising game.} Bd6 8. Nh3 (8. g3 Bd7 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. Ngf3 {with equal chances. Aleksandrova,A (1687)-Volodarsky,M (1400) Ashdod ISR 2022}) 8... O-O (8... g6 9. O-O Bd7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Nf3 {The chances are about equal. Zilahi,G (2059) -Ferenczi,J (2015) Budapest 2006}) (8... Ne7 {rather passive, but not really bad.} 9. Qe2 O-O 10. O-O Ng6 11. Nf3 h6 12. Ne5 {Black doesn't want to allow Nxg6 so he should retreat 13...Ne7} Bxe5 13. fxe5 Nh7 {Better was 13...Ne4. After the text black loses quickly.} 14. Qh5 Qe8 15. Bxh6 f5 16. exf6 Rxf6 17. Nf4 Nhf8 18. Nxg6 {1-0 Tasic,Z (2236)-Radovanovic,Z (2074) Belgrade 2005}) ( 8... Qc7 {This is OK.} 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 Ne8 11. Nf3 Be7 12. Bd2 Nd6 13. Rae1 a5 14. a4 b6 15. Ne5 Nb8 {This loses. 15...f5 keeps the chances about evem.} 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. fxg5 g6 18. Ng4 Nd7 19. Bf4 Qc6 20. Be5 Nc4 21. Nh6# {1-0 Appel,H-Schmithuesen,B Bern 1991}) 9. O-O {[%mdl 32]} Bd7 10. Qe2 a6 11. Nf3 b5 12. Ne5 g6 {This vreatres a weakness on the dark squares arounf his K. 12... Ne7 was better.} 13. Ng5 Qe7 14. Rf3 Be8 15. Rh3 {This R-lift is a common tactic in these types of positions. White gradually builds up his attack and black's defensive task becomes more difficult with each move.} Kg7 16. Bd2 Nd8 17. Rf1 {[%mdl 32]} Rh8 18. f5 exf5 {Black's position looks solid enough, but.. .} 19. Bxf5 gxf5 {[%mdl 8192] Black is much too obliging, but other moves would (theoretically) not really have helped.} (19... h6 20. Qf2 Ra7 (20... gxf5 21. Qxf5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Ng8 23. Rg3 {ends ir...} hxg5 24. Bxg5 Qe6 25. Bh6+ Kxh6 26. Qg5+ Kh7 27. Qg7#) 21. Re1 {even with two pieces under attack white has a decisive advantage. Neither piece can be taken.} Qf8 (21... hxg5 22. Rxh8 Kxh8 23. Bxg5 gxf5 24. Qh4+ Kg8 25. Bxf6 {wins}) (21... gxf5 22. Rg3 Ng4 23. Qxf5 Bd7 24. Ne6+ Bxe6 25. Rxg4+ Kf8 26. Ng6+ Ke8 27. Nxe7 Bxf5 28. Nxf5+ Kd7 29. Rh4 h5 30. Bf4 Bf8 (30... Bxf4 31. Re7+) 31. Be5 Rh7 32. g4 {White will win the ending wothout much trouble.}) 22. Ngf3 Nc6 23. Qh4 Ng8 24. Rf1 Qe7 25. Qg3 {Black's position lools solid, but Stockfish give white a decisive advantage. That's the theoretical evaluation and after giving Stockfish a long look reaching to move 48 it still dud not reach a position that was obviously decisive. So, from the human perspective things are not at all that clear.}) 20. Rg3 Kf8 21. Rxf5 h6 22. Qe3 {A nifty finish! White threatens Nh7+ and mate. } Qc7 23. Rxf6 (23. Nh7+ {and black likely survives.} Rxh7 24. Rxf6 Bxe5 25. dxe5 {and while white is better, there is no clear win in sight.}) 23... Ke7 { There is nowhere to run.} 24. Rf5 f6 25. Ng4+ {Black resigned. A very well played game by Alekhine.} (25. Ng4+ Kd7 26. Nxf6+ Kc8 27. Nxd5 Qc6 28. Ne4 Bd7 29. Nxd6+ Qxd6 30. Rg6 Be6 (30... Qxg6 31. Ne7+) 31. Qe4 Bxf5 32. Qxf5+ Ne6 33. Rxe6 Rf8 34. Rf6+ Kb8 35. Bf4 Kb7 36. Qh7+ Rf7 37. Qxf7+ Kc8 38. Qe8+ Kb7 39. Rf7+ Qc7 40. Rxc7#) 1-0

Paul Lipke, One of the World’s Best Players

    It’s surprising that German master Paul Lipke (June 30, 1870 - March 8,1955, 84 years old) isn’t better known, Chess metrics estimates his highest ecer rating tp have been 2725 in October of 1894, ranking him at #5 in the world behind Lasker, Tarrasch, Chigorin and Steinitz. Most likely this is due to his short career which the site shows only spans from 1893 to 1900. 

    Lamentably for the chess world, Lipke retired early from competitive chess, though he continued his involvement in the game at the club level. In 1898, alongside Johann Berger, he was editor of the Deutsche Schachzeitung where he was in charge of the games section. He was also involved in early editions of the Deutsche Schachblatter. 

    A lawyer who worked in several German cities, Lipke was describe as being a good looking man of pleasing, gentlemanly manners who stood about 6 feet, 4 inches tall. At the board he was described as being rather impulsive and in moments of excitement he impulsively moved “in a hasty and jerky manner; but that only on occasions of momentary forgetfulness.” 

    Lipke was born at Erfurt, Saxony (a state in eastern Germany). At a young age Lipke lost his father, a Professor of Philosophy at the Erfurt Gymnasium, his indulgent mother allowed free scope to his predilections for music, the theater, science, philosophy and the art of self-defense. 

   Together with one of his brothers, he learned to play chess in 1887, and soon became enthused, joined the local chess club and quickly improved mostly due to hus association with a well known problem composer by the name of Rudolf L'hermet. During that time he also played correspondence chess.

    In the following game Lipke takes out Janowski with ease at the great tournament at Vienna 1898. 

 

[Event "Vienna"] [Site "Vienna AUH"] [Date "1898.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul Lipke"] [Black "David Janowski"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C67"] [Annotator "Komodo 14 Human"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1898.??.??"] {C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {While not nearly as popular as 3...a6 the Berlin Defense has long had a reputation for being solid and drawish. At the tie of this game the defense was popular because it was a favorite of Emanuel Lasker and others.} 4. O-O {By far the most popular. A much slower alternative is 4.d3} Nxe4 {The main alternative is 4...Bc5} 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nc3 Nxe5 9. Rxe5 f5 {This is risky because it weakens his K-side ever so slightly.} (9... c6 10. Qf3 g6 11. b3 Ne8 12. Bb2 d5 {is completely equal. Reinderman,D (2542)-Timman,J (2649) Wijk aan Zee 1999}) 10. Nd5 Bf6 11. Re1 (11. Nxf6+ {is equally good.} Qxf6 12. f4 Ne4 13. Qe1 {Correct was 13.Bxe4 with equal chances.} d6 14. Ra5 Bd7 15. Ra3 Rae8 16. Bc4+ Kh8 17. Re3 {Foerster,S (2070)-Oberhofer,A (2293) Bad Wiessee GER 2012. In spite of all the time white has lost with the T the chances are wqual.}) 11... b6 12. Be2 $146 (12. c3 Bb7 13. Qb3 Kh8 14. Bf1 Ne4 15. d4 { equals. Cordovil,J (2220)-Damaso,R (2430) Loures 1998}) 12... c6 {The logical followup of 12...Bb7 was better. Janowski now embarks on a plan that only results in weakening the position of his K.} 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. d4 {[%mdl 2048] } f4 15. Bd3 Nf7 {Janowski evidently intended to transfer the N to a more active location, bnu it getys stuck here for a long time. There is no real chance of a successful K-side attack so the positional 15...a5 intending ... Ba3 os a credible alterbative.} 16. Re4 g5 17. h4 h6 18. hxg5 hxg5 {It's obvious that black's K-side has suddenly been rather badly compromised, but how can white take advantage of it?} 19. Qh5 {Like this!} Rd8 {Black's best chance is to exchange Qs, but that was not Janowski's style.} (19... Qh6 20. Qxh6 Nxh6 21. Re5 Nf7 22. Re7 {As soon as white develops his B on c1 and doubles Rs on the e-file black will find himself with a very difficult position to defend.}) 20. Bxf4 {[%mdl 512] A little tactical fireworks are in order.} gxf4 {Of course black didn't have to take the B and could have played, say, 20...d5, but that would npt have neen any better. Besides, in the days when this game was played sacrifices were rourinely accepted.} 21. Rae1 { White wants to mate with Re8+.} Qh6 {Finally realizig that the exchange of Qs offers some hope, but now it's too late...white has better.} 22. Qg4+ (22. Re8+ {would be way wrong!} Rxe8 23. Rxe8+ Kg7 {and black has equalized as there is no effective continuation at white's disposal.}) 22... Qg5 23. Qf3 {Now once white captures the f0Pawn black has no defense.} d5 24. Rxf4 Nh6 (24... Bh3 { is met tactically. However, even though the ending would be hopeless it was black's best chance to play on.} 25. Bh7+ Kxh7 26. Rxf7+ Kg8 27. Qxh3 Kxf7 28. Qh7+ Qg7 (28... Kf8 29. Re5 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 Qf4+ 31. Kh3 Re8 32. Rf5+ Qxf5+ 33. Qxf5+ {Here, too, white two passed Ps will enable the Q to overpower the two Rs.}) 29. Re7+ Kxe7 30. Qxg7+ Ke6 31. Qh6+ Kd7 32. Qh7+ Kd6 33. f4 c5 34. Qh6+ Kc7 35. dxc5 bxc5 36. f5 {White is winning.}) 25. Re5 Qg7 26. Qh5 Bf5 27. Bxf5 {White threatens Be6+ and mate.} Rf8 {Resigning was a better alternative.} 28. Rg4 {A nice little tactical trick.} Nxg4 29. Be6+ Rf7 30. Rg5 Kf8 31. Rxg7 Rxg7 32. Qh8+ {Facing a heavy material loss, black resigned.} 1-0

ChessOK Aquarium 2024

 

    In a recent post I mentioned that I have Aquarium 2020 on my laptop and received an e-mail from a reader asking about the Aquarium program. The newest version is Aquarium 2024 which sells for the very reasonable price of about $50.

    There is a brief review of Aquarium 2022 in Youtube HERE which gives a goo idea of the main features of the progrm. The reviewer mentions that there had not been any real improvement to the new program that he was reviewing. I suspect the same holds true for the 2024 edition! 

    Aquarium 2024 is an analysis program featuring their Interactive Deep Analysis (IdeA). There’s a good video on Youtube that explains what IdeA is HERE. It’s ten years old, but probably nothing has changed. 

    The one thing that I like about Aquarium is the graphics...I really like their board. In fact, with a little copying I was able to save the white and black squares and using the User Design option in Fritz 17 I was able to duplicate the Aquarium board. Unfortunately, that option is not available on Fritz 19. 

 

 

    The bottom line...in my opinion Aquarium is an excellent program and for $50 you can’t go wrong if you want an analysis (and publishing) program. My preference is for Fritz, but that’s because I am a long, long time user...since about 2009 when I found the CD at the long defunct Office Max for $20 which was half what it was selling for by mail order.

Curt Brasket, Legendary Minnesota Master

    Today it’s overcast, cold and dripping rain again; at least it’s sunny in Duluth, Minnesota. I have never been to Minnesota, but I am sure I would not want to live there. 

    For example, up in Duluth, a port city on western Lake Superior, the winters are long, snowy and very cold. They normally see temperatures remaining at or below freezing on 100 days which is the second-most of any city in the contiguous US behind International Falls in Minnesota. They have snow cover from late November to early April and winter storms can bring a foot or more of snow to the city; the average annual snowfall is about 7.5 feet. 

    Minneapolis in east central Minnesota isn’t any better. The city lies near the northern edge of Tornado Alley and the region experiences tornadoes almost annually. Then there are derechos which are not tornadoes, bu have winds as strong. Snow averages 9-10 feet a year and during the winter months temperatures average below freezing. 

    Minnesota was home to the legendary Curt Brasket (December 7, 1932 – January 24, 2014), a former US Junior Chess Champion and a sixteen-time (!) state champion. He held the title of FIDE Master. In 2013 he was awarded the Outstanding Career Achievement Award by the USCF. 

    Brasket was born in Tracy, Minnesota, the sixth of eight children. He became interested in chess at age 13 after finding a book on the game when he was looking for a book on checkers. He attended the University of Minnesota and Saint John's University, graduating with degrees in French and mathematics. 

    Upon graduation, Brasket enlisted in the Army and was sent to Japan for a two-year tour. After his discharge he started a career as computer programmer for Unisys. Brasket got married in 1963 and moved to Bloomington, Minnesota. He had three daughters. 

    In 1952. the 20-year old Brasket won the US Junior Championship held in Omaha, Nebraska. During the 1970s he competed in a number of the Lone Pine tournaments and scored wins over the likes of Walter Browne, Arnold Denker and Larry Evans. His peak FIDE rating was 2375 in January 1978 and in 1983 he was awarded the FIDE Master title. Between 1991 and his final tournament in 2011, Brasket competed in 583 tournaments. 

     In the late 70's he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. After three years in a Veteran’s Administration facility Brasket died in his sleep at the age of 81. He was described by Sean Nagle, the incumbent Minnesota State Champion at the time of his death, as "a truly towering figure in Minnesota chess"

.

[Event "Lone Pine"] [Site "Lone Pine, CA USA"] [Date "1976.03.12"] [Round "6"] [White "Curt Brasket"] [Black "Dr. Anthony Saidy"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E80"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] {E80: King's Indian: Saemisch} 1. c4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3 { The Sämisch is has been played by almost all the greats of the past (Botvinnik,Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Karpov and Kasparov.And, Bobby Fischer eventually came to avoid it. White intemds to use the P on f3 to support the advance of his K-side Ps in hopes of obtaining strong attack.} c6 {In practice this little played side line is neither better nor worse than the far more popular 5...O-O or the less often played 5...e5....} 6. Be3 a6 {This, the Byrne Variation, is a flexible approach that was developed by GM Robert Byrne. Black plays ...c6 and ...a6 in order to prepare . ..b5 while delaying a direct counterstrike in the center.} 7. c5 {An interesting idea aimed at countering .. .b5} Nbd7 (7... b5 {is playable.} 8. cxb6 Qxb6 9. Qd2 O-O {and Hauchard,A (2500)-Gurevich,M (2610) Belfort 1998 resukted in a long, boring draw.}) 8. Nh3 {It's somewhat surprising that this move is Stockfish's second choice (8.cxd6 is first)/} (8. Bd3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Be2 d5 11. Bd4 {is about even. Dlugy,M (2550) -Browne,W (2515) National op blitz 1993}) (8. Rc1 O-O 9. Nh3 dxc5 10. dxc5 Qc7 11. Nf2 Ne5 12. Be2 {with equal chances. Spassov,L (2419)-Dimov,K (2167) Plovdiv BUL 2010}) 8... b5 9. cxb6 Nxb6 10. Nf2 Be6 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Qb8 13. b3 {Preventing ...Nc4} {Black's Q-side play is underway while white has yet to start anything on the K-side.} a5 14. Rb1 Rc8 {The more direct 14... a4 was preferable. The tinmy delay in conducting his Q-side play that 14...Rc8 and 15...c5 take gives white just enough time to launch his K-side attack.} 15. g4 {It wasn't too late to try ...a4} c5 16. d5 {Brasket has seized the initiative and he bever lets up.} Bd7 17. Qd2 Qc7 18. f4 (18. Bh6 {might have been played by a lot of players in which case many players would avoid the exchange of Bs and play} Bh8 {The problem here us that white has no really effective way of continuing his attack.}) 18... a4 {Finally! The move is still sufficient to keep black in the game.} 19. g5 Ne8 20. Ng4 axb3 21. axb3 Bxg4 22. Bxg4 Rcb8 23. f5 {Technically the position is quite even, but a K-side attack is always more dangerous than a Q-side one, so there is lurking danger for black.} Nd7 24. fxg6 hxg6 {And here it is; this is the wrong recapture. Brasket meets this with a real surprise.} (24... fxg6 {looks too dangerous, but after} 25. Be6+ Kh8 26. h4 Be5 27. Rf7 Ng7 28. Rxe7 {White's position looks overwhelming, but black can save himself with...} Qa5 29. Bxd7 Bxc3 30. Qe2 Rf8 {White's extra P, R on the 7rh and two Bs aren't enough yo give hjime the advantage. That's theoretical based on the engine's evaluation, but in practice not many players would like to have black's position.}) (24... fxg6 25. Rf7 {This does not work here!} Ne5 {forking the R and B.} 26. Be6 Nxf7 27. Rf1 Be5 28. Bxf7+ Kh8 29. Qg2 Rxb3 30. Qh3 Rxc3 31. Bxg6 Nf6 32. gxf6 exf6 { Black is winnign.}) 25. Rxf7 Kxf7 (25... Ne5 26. Be6 Nxf7 27. Rf1 Be5 28. Qg2 Rxb3 29. Bxf7+ Kg7 30. Qh3 {ends the gane.}) 26. Be6+ Kf8 27. Rf1+ (27. Qg2 { was even more potent.} Ne5 28. Qh3 Ra3 29. Qh7 Nf7 30. Rf1 {wins.}) 27... Bf6 { There is no longer any defense.} 28. Qg2 Ng7 29. gxf6 Ne5 30. fxg7+ Kxg7 31. Qg5 Rh8 {Brasket finishes the game with a very pretty move.} 32. Qxe5+ { [%mdl 512] Black resigned} (32. Qxe5+ dxe5 33. Rf7+ Kg8 34. Rxe7+ Kf8 35. Rxc7 {There is a matein 9/} Ra1+ 36. Kg2 Ra5 37. d6 Ra6 38. Nd5 Ra2+ 39. Kg3 Rf2 40. d7 Rh3+ 41. Kxh3 Rf3+ 42. Kg2 Kg7 43. d8=Q+ Rf7 44. Rxf7#) 1-0

Tal’s Killer Instinct

    Mikhail Tal was born in Riga, Latvia in 1936 and became the youngest world chess champion in 1960 at the age of 23 and died in Moscow in 1992 at the age of 55. 

    Known as the Magician from Riga he had a highly imaginative and explosive style that led to complicated positions in which even the best players of the day went astray. His attacks were often rife with sacrifices (sometimes unsound!) and often resulted in some amazing games. 

    His opponent in the following instructive game was Anatoli Bannik (1921-2013, 91 years old) who was born in Kiev. A five-time Ukrainian champion, he qualified for the Soviet Chess Championship final seven times. Tal won the event with a score of 12.5-5.5. In this game Tal's sacrifice was a bit unusual...it was perfectly sound!

[Event "USSR Champ Semi-Finals, Riga"] [Site "Riga URS"] [Date "1955.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anatolij Bannik"] [Black "Mikhail Tal"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E65"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "1955.11.??"] {E65: King's Indian: Fianchetto} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 {Ar the time this game was played Tal already had a reputation as a fierce attacker, so it appears that Bannik is going to play the opening on a conservative manner.} g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. g3 {While not often seen, this move is statistically on a par with 5.e4} d6 6. Bg2 {One annotator was of the opinion that 6.e4 is better because it gives white a broad Pawn center. Although the text move has been very rarely played the statistics do not support the claim. With either move white's winning percentage renains almost identical, but after 6.e4 black's winning percentage more than doubles and he wins more games than white.} c5 { This move is not part of the main line theory (either 6...Nc6 or 6...Nbd7), but Purdy gave it a ! and it’s Stockfish’s top choice. The idea behind it is to open the a1-h8 diagonal by playing ...cxd4. Of course if white advances his d-Pawn the diagonal still becomes open.} 7. O-O {Equally popular is 7.d5} Nc6 {It’s interesting that this is by far the most popular move, but 7.d5 preventing the N from developing on c6 from where it has an effect on the center seems like a reasonale alternative.} 8. h3 {This is probably not a very good idea because it ever so slighly loosens the position of white’s K without good reason as neither ...Bg4 or ...Ng4 are immediate threats. Additionally, the P on h3 will come under attack. Either 8.dxc5 or 8.d5 were good alternatives.} cxd4 {A good move that opens the long diagonal and opens up the game. Black wants an open game because it will make it easier for him to take advantage of the small weakness white has created on the K-side.} 9. Nxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Be6 {The c4-Pawn is a target.} 11. Qh4 {A good move as the Q was somewhat exposed on d4 and in any case there is no better square. 11. Bg5 was a reasonable alternative.} Rc8 12. b3 {He has to play this to defend the P because 12.Nd5 fails.} (12. Nd5 b5 {Undermining the N.} 13. Bg5 (13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Bg5 Rxc4 {us even better for black.}) 13... Rxc4 {Black has the superior position}) 12... Nh5 {Tal’s plan is to play ...Bf6, attacking the Q which isn’t particularly dangerous to white. On any case, the position is equal.} (12... Rc5 13. Bf3 Nh5 14. Bd2 Bf6 15. Qe4 Bxh3 {Black has picked up a P, but white has sufficient compensation. Karlsson,L (2495)-Hellers,F (2490) Malmo 1987}) 13. Bd2 Qd7 14. Rac1 Bf6 15. Bg5 {Purdy unnecessarily questioned tnns move and recommended 15.Qe4, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Babbik’s move.} (15. Qe4 Bxh3 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 17. Qxb7 Bd4 18. e3 Rb8 19. Qe4 { is completely equal. Palmason,G-Book,E Munich 1958}) 15... Bxg5 16. Qxg5 Bxh3 17. Bxh3 Qxh3 18. Qxe7 {[%mdl 8192] The position remains dead equal after 18. Nd5, but this move results in a lost position because it leaves g3 weak.} (18. Nd5 {and white has nothing about which to worry.} Rce8 19. Rfd1 {is completely equal.}) 18... Nxg3 {[%mdl 512] ...and wins. The move might be a bit surprising because black has no minor pieces to join in the attack, so haw is he going to win with only a Q and two Rs? One R actually because one of them has to guard f7.} 19. fxg3 Qxg3+ 20. Kh1 Rce8 {[%mdl 32]} 21. Qxb7 {aiming for Qg2 which is more important than pickong up the P.} Re5 22. Qg2 Rh5+ 23. Kg1 Qe3+ 24. Qf2 Qh6 {White has no way to meet the threat of ...Rh1+} 25. Qxa7 { This allows a mate in 11...not that ot matters.} (25. Qf6 Rg5+ 26. Kf2 Rf5+) ( 25. Qf3 Rh3 26. Qg4 f5 27. Qf4 Rh1+ 28. Kg2 Qxf4 29. Rxf4 Rxc1 {wins}) 25... Qg5+ {Missing the mate, but Tal still has everything under control.} (25... Rh1+ 26. Kg2 Rh2+ 27. Kf3 Re8 28. Qg1 Qh5+ 29. Qg4 Rh3+ 30. Kf2 Qxg4 31. Rg1 Rh2+ 32. Kf1 Qf4+ 33. Ke1 Qxc1+ 34. Nd1 Rhxe2+ 35. Kf1 Qxd1#) 26. Kf2 Rh2+ 27. Ke1 Qxc1+ 28. Nd1 Qc2 29. Qe7 Qxa2 {Threatens to win with ...Qa5+.} 30. Rf2 Qa5+ {...anyway.} 31. Kf1 Rh1+ {White resigned.} (31... Rh1+ 32. Kg2 Qh5 33. Qe3 Qh2+ 34. Kf3 Qh3+ 35. Ke4 Re8+ 36. Kd5 Rxd1+ 37. Qd3 Qe6+ 38. Kc6 Qc8+ 39. Kb6 Qc5+ 40. Kb7 Re7+ 41. Kb8 Qc7+ 42. Ka8 Qc8#) 0-1