Planinc Loses Queen, Wins Game

Albin Planinc

    The names in this game probably won’t be familiar to today’s players, but they were very active in the 1960s and 1970s. Dragoljub Minic (1935-2005) of Yugoslavia was an IM who was made an Honorary Grandmaster in 1991. Minic was found dead by friends in his Novi Sad apartment on April 9, 2005, after failing to respond to phone and intercom calls for several days. Doctors determined that he died of a heart attack approximately four days earlier, on his 69th birthday. 

    Albin Planinc (1944 -2008) was a Slovenian GM who was a venturesome, romantic player that was committed to taking great risks to win. Known for extremely imaginative play, he was capable of spectacular results and often played brilliant attacking games, but his play was always too erratic to enable him to make it to the very top levels. 

     He was awarded the GM title in 1972, then became a chess trainer when the strain of playing tournament chess was contributing to his poor mental health. Planinc continued to suffer from severe depression for decades, spending the last years of his life at a mental institution in Ljubljana. In 1993, he changed his last name to Planinec. 

    The opening is the Archangelsk Variation which is one of the more aggressive, fighting variations against the Ruy Lopez. The variation was developed in the early sixties by players from the north Russian town of Archangelsk and was intensively analyzed by players from Lvov. The game features bold, imaginative play and explodes when Planinc is practically forced to surrender his Queen, but manages to create threats using his far advanced d-Pawn and when Minic soon went wrong it allowed Planinc a spectacular win. 

 

[Event "Rovinj/Zagreb"] [Site ""] [Date "1975.05.14"] [Round "?"] [White "Dragoljub Minic"] [Black "Albin Planinc"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C78"] [Annotator "Stockfush 17.1"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "1975.04.29"] {C78: Ruy Lopez: Archangelsk Variation} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 {Black defines the position of this B early on in order to exert pressure against the opponent's center, in particular the squar4 e4. White must decide whether he protects this Pawn solidly with 7.d3 or goes for the unfathomable complications after 7.c3 Nxe4.} 7. d4 {This little explored option appears to offer equal chances.} Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. e5 Ne4 10. c3 (10. Qxd4 {is a form of the Noah’s Ark Trap that loses a piece.} c5 11. Qd1 c4) 10... d3 11. Qf3 (11. Qxd3 Nc5 12. Qg3 Nxb3 13. axb3 Qe7 14. Na3 Qe6 15. b4 O-O-O {Black has an active position. Luke Brezmes,C (2079) -Khaidorov,V (2281) Tarragona ESP 2013}) 11... Qe7 12. Nd2 {[%mdl 32]} O-O-O { This move results in black obtaining a very shaky position.} (12... Qxe5 { is too risky.} 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. Re1 f5 (14... Bxf3 {loses a piece.} 15. Rxe5+ Kd8 16. gxf3) 15. Bf4 {followed by Qg3 with a good game.}) (12... Nc5 {keeps the e-file closed and results in equal chances.} 13. Bd5 Bxd5 14. Qxd5 Rd8 15. Re1 Qe6) 13. Nxe4 Qxe5 14. Re1 f5 15. Qg3 {The only move that maintains the advantage. White stands very well here, but as sometimes happens he is unable to press home his advantage and even slips into an inferior position.} Qe8 { This is his best move even though it loses the Q.} (15... Qxg3 16. Nxg3 g6 17. Bg5 c5 18. Bxd8 Kxd8 {White has a clear advantage.}) 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Rxe8 Rhxe8 {White has a Q vs. a R+2Ps, a clear material advantage, but b;ack has some compensation the the form of active piece play.} 18. Bf4 {This is a mistake because it allows black to gain enough play that the chances can be considered equal. 18.f4 was suggested by Minic after the game and he was correct that it maintains the advantage.} (18. f4 Re2 19. Bd1 Bc5+ 20. Kf1 Bxg2+ 21. Qxg2 Rxg2 22. Kxg2 {White has a small material advantage, B vs. 2Ps.} ) 18... d2 19. Rf1 {A poor move.} ({White should try} 19. Kf1 {Bkack must now find thl only move that keeps him in the game ans that is} Re4 20. Bxd6 Rde8 { Threateng mate.} 21. f3 Re1+ 22. Rxe1 dxe1=Q+ 23. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 24. Kxe1 cxd6 { Black has fully equalized.}) 19... Re1 {[%mdl 128]} 20. Bxd6 Rde8 {Threatening mate.} 21. f3 Bd5 {Brilliant. The B on d6 isn’t posing a threat right now so Planinc ignores it and targets the B on b3 which is holding up his passed P on d2.} 22. Qf4 {[%mdl 8192] After this white is subjected to an onslaught by black;s pieces to which there is no defense.} (22. Bf4 {offers some hope.} Bc4 23. h4 Rxf1+ 24. Kh2 Bxb3 25. Bxd2 Bxa2 {White has a Q vs. 2Rs+4Ps. It's a material imbalance that should favor the Rs, but pectically the position would be difficult to play.}) 22... Bc4 23. h4 Rxf1+ 24. Kh2 Re2 {Planinc correctly continues to ignore the B on d6 and presses on with his attack.} 25. Bxc7 Rff2 {Care must be taken to the end.} (25... Bxb3 {is wrong.} 26. Bb6 Rh1+ 27. Kg3 d6 28. Qxd6 f4+ 29. Kxf4 Rxh4+ 30. Kg3 Re7 31. Qxe7 Rc4 {Black has avoided getting mated, but the cost was too high...he has a lost position.}) 26. Qd6 Rxg2+ {Black is clearly winning.} 27. Kh3 Rh2+ {[%mdl 512]} 28. Kg3 (28. Qxh2 Rxh2+ 29. Kxh2 Bxb3 {and the P queens.}) 28... Reg2+ 29. Kf4 Rxh4+ 30. Kxf5 Rh6 {White resigned.} (30... Rh6 31. Qe7 Rf6+ 32. Qxf6 gxf6 33. Bf4 Bxb3 34. Bxd2 Rxd2) 0-1