The flamboyant Argentine Grandmaster has been described as a poet of the chessboard.
His heyday was from the early 1940s to early 1950s and Chessmetrice estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2797 in 1948 (Botvinnik was first at 2829) and between July 1946 and June of 1949 he ranked #2 in the world on 33 different months!
How do you pick one of his best games? Chessgames.com lists 1,794 of them of which there are 861 wins to choose from. The following game was chosen at random and as Hans Kmoch wrote tactics “blossom in his games like buds in a fertile garden.”
His opponent was Julio Bolbochan (1920-1996)/ He was born in Buenos Aires and was Argentine Champion in 1946 and 1948. He was awarded the IM and was awarded the an Honorary GM title in 1977.
[Event "Buenos Aires/La Plata"]
[Site "La Plata ARG"]
[Date "1948.05.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Miguel Najdorf"]
[Black "Julio Bolbochan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E26"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 18"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
{E26: Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. a3
Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Bd3 b6 {Black's idea was to transpose into a
Botvinnik-Reshevsky game (won by Reshevsky) that had been played in the
recently complete World Championship match-tournament, but Najdorf declines
the invitation..} 8. Nf3 (8. Ne2 O-O 9. e4 Ne8 10. Be3 d6 11. O-O Na5 12. Ng3
Ba6 13. Qe2 Qd7 14. f4 f5 {with equal chances. Botvinnik,M-Reshevsky,S Haag/
Moscow 1948}) 8... O-O {This move is frequently plated and is hardly bad, but
8...d6 in order to answer 9.e4 with ...e5 is a bit better.} 9. e4 {The threat
is 10,e5 establishing a winning position.} e5 $146 {This aimed at active
counterplay, but the change in P=structure favors white.} (9... d5 {This is
the correct reply which maintains about equal chances.} 10. e5 Ne4 11. Qc2 {
Now either 11...cxd4 or 11...Ba6 equalize.} f5 12. exf6 Qxf6 13. O-O cxd4 14.
cxd4 Bb7 {White's position is superior. Otero,D (2400)-Hernandez,H (2446)
Santa Clara 2005}) 10. Nxe5 {More effective than closing the position with 10.
d5} cxd4 11. cxd4 (11. Nxc6 {is less effective because after} dxc6 12. e5 Re8 {
the position is about equal.} 13. cxd4 c5) 11... Nxd4 12. Bb2 Ne6 13. O-O d6 {
Threatening to eliminate one of white's Bs fails.} (13... Nf4 14. Ng4 Nxg4 (
14... Nxd3 15. Nxf6+ {wins for white.}) 15. Qxg4 Ng6 16. f4 {and white stands
very well.}) (13... Bb7 {Preventing white's next move was a far better defense.
} 14. Re1 Re8 15. Ng4 Nxg4 16. Qxg4 Qg5 {with full equality.}) 14. Nc6 {
[%mdl 2048] Black has missed a couple of opportunities to stay about equal and
after this his game is very difficult. 14.Nb6 preserves the two Bs and at the
same time assures him of an active postion.} Qc7 15. Nb4 {Well played. Black
faces the threat of The threat is16.Bxf6 and 17.Nd5} a5 (15... Qe7 {was his
only good defense.} 16. Re1 Nc5 17. Bc2 Bb7 {White is better, but black can
still put up a manly defense.}) 16. Bxf6 {This begins a series of tactics that
wins a P. Ut's a clever plan, but, as will be seen, in the long run black will
be able to equalize.} (16. Nd5 {This positional approach is technically the
best, but that was not Najdorf's style.} Nxd5 17. cxd5 Nf4 18. Re1 {There is
no reason to try and keep the now "bad" B.} Nxd3 19. Qxd3 f6 20. Rac1 {White
stands very well.}) 16... axb4 {Clearly he couldn't take the B.} (16... gxf6
17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Qh5 Kg7 19. e5 {White has a winning attack.}) 17. axb4 {
This attacks the R on a8.} Ba6 {Here is where black really gets into trouble.
While this move threatens both 17...gxf6 and 17...Bxc4 and presents white wuth
the problem of how can he keep the extra P it allows white a powerful reply.} (
17... Rxa1 {would at least keep black in the game.} 18. Bxa1 Nf4 19. Re1 Nxd3
20. Qxd3 Be6 {Black recovers his P and there is no reason he shoulf lose.}) 18.
e5 {Excellent! The B is immune.} Bxc4 {Threatens to win with ...Rxa1.} (18...
gxf6 19. Qg4+ Ng5 (19... Kh8 20. Qf5 Ng5 21. Qxf6+ {leads to mate.}) 20. exf6
Kh8 21. Qxg5 Rg8 22. Qh6 {wins}) 19. exd6 Qc6 20. Rc1 b5 21. Be5 {Alert play.}
(21. Be7 {At first glance this looks stringer, but it loses!} Nf4 {White has
no satisfactory reply to the mate threat!} 22. Qg4 (22. f3 Nxd3 23. Qd2 Rfd8
24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Rcd1 Qxd6 {Black is winning/}) (22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Qg4 Qe4
24. Kh1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 f5 26. Qg3 Rf7 {Black is winning/}) 22... Nxd3 23. Rc2
Rfd8 24. Rd1 Rxd6 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 {Black is winning/}) 21... Qd5 22. Bxc4 Qxe5
23. Re1 Qb2 24. Rb1 Qf6 25. Bxe6 {He cannot win a second P.} (25. Bxb5 Nd4 26.
Bc4 Rad8 27. b5 Rxd6) 25... fxe6 26. Qe2 e5 27. Rbd1 Rad8 28. Qxe5 Qxf2+ 29.
Kh1 Qf4 {intending ...Qxe5.} 30. Qc5 Rf5 {Bolbochan os putting up a good fight
keeping his opponent busy, but his position is lost and Najdorf methodically
presses home the win.} 31. Qc7 Rff8 32. Qc5 Rf5 33. Qc6 Qc4 34. Re8+ Rf8 35.
Rxd8 Rxd8 (35... Qxc6 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. d7 {wins}) 36. Qb6 Rf8 (36... Rd7 {
blocking the P is no better.} 37. Qe3 Kf8 38. h3 {A safety precaution.} Qf7 (
38... Qxb4 39. Rf1+ {mates}) 39. Qe2 Qe8 40. Qxb5 {wins}) 37. d7 Rf1+ {Crafty
play on Bolbochan's part! Unfortunately for him Najdorf has a problem-like
refutation.} 38. Qg1 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned. The P will Queen.} 1-0
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