But, sometimes imperfection can be fascinating.
Former World Champion Mikhail Tal's games were often full of tactics and intuitive sacrifices and he once said, "There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones, and mine."
Engines will show many incorrect sacrifices and sometimes even a clear, if not decisive advantage, for his opponent.
No matter if they were correct or not, Tal's games were played on his territory and his tactical play earned him the nickname "The magician of Riga".
Tal made many quotes concerning sacrifices. Two for example:
* "You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one."
* "Of course, errors are not good for a chess game, but errors are
unavoidable and in any case, a game without errors, or as they say
'flawless game' is colorless."
In that vein, the following imperfect, but captivating game, was played in the 1933 Marshall Chess Club Championship which was won by Reuben Fine.
Psychologist, university professor, chess book author and from the mid-1930s until his retirement from chess in 1951, Reuben Fine (October 11, 1914 – March 26, 1993) was one of the strongest players in the world.
Fine was a player with a universal style who won games in a variety of ways. "My chief objective," Fine once wrote, "was always precision, wherever that would take me."
Tartakower wrote that, like Capablanca, Fine "could make something out of nothing" That's pretty high praise for a player who remains pretty much unknown today.
Besides his opening knowledge, accurate positional play and endgame knowledge, Fine could also play grandiose and risky tactical chess as seen in the following game against the 1932 New York state champion and Natioanl Master Nathan (Nate) Grossman.
The Marshall women's champion in 1933 was Marjorie Luce (aka Mrs. William Seaman) who mopped up the competition with a perfect 11-0 score.
[Event "Marshall CC Chp, New York"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1933.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reuben Fine"]
[Black "Nathan Grossman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D50"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1933.??.??"]
{Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5
Bb4 5. e3 {This was a relatively new move at the time. Fine played it to avoid
prepared analysis.} (5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 Bd7 7. Qb3 {followed by Rc1 intending
to put pressure on the c-file was the usual line in 1933.}) 5... c6 {Fine did
not care for this move, preferring instead a more energetic approach by 5...
Nbd7 followed by ...c5 or even 5...c5 at once.} 6. Qb3 Bxc3+ (6... Qa5 7. Bxf6
gxf6 8. Rc1 Nd7 9. cxd5 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Rxc3 cxd5 {White has a slight
advantage. Botsari, A (2309)-Krasser,M (2180) Batumi 1999}) 7. bxc3 Nbd7 8.
cxd5 {Played In order to avoid the exchange of Qs said Fine. In any case, it's
probably the best move.} (8. Nf3 h6 9. Bf4 Qb6 10. Bd3 Qxb3 11. axb3 O-O 12. c5
{White is better. Berezka,A (2184)-Ugolkov, A Alushta 2008}) (8. Bd3 dxc4 9.
Bxc4 Nb6 10. Bd3 Qd5 {was the line given by Fine and he believed that an
exchange of Qs was inevitable which is something he wanted to avoid. Actually
white seems to be doing quite well after} 11. Nf3 Ne4 12. Bxe4 Qxe4 13. O-O)
8... cxd5 {In his notes Fine gives us a little lesson here when he wrote:
Generally it is wise to capture with the c-Pawn when the open c-file can be
seized or challenged quickly, or when white may make a P-brake with b5. Here
the prospect of occupying the c-file, if not remote, is at least not
threatening, and white's P-formation is such that a break by b5 is not
possible. Therefore, 8...exd5 freeing the B seems preferable.} 9. Bd3 O-O {
[%cal Bh8f8,Bf8c8,Bc8c4][%mdl 32]} 10. Ne2 {White is preparing the advance of
his e-Pawn.} Qa5 (10... b6 {was preferred by Fine.} 11. O-O Bb7 12. f3 e5 {
But here white stand well.}) (10... h6 11. Bh4 e5 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. dxe5 Ng4
14. Nf4 Nxe5 {would also leave white slightly better.}) 11. f3 {Now, for
better or for worse, black had to try 11...e5} b6 (11... e5 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13.
dxe5 Nd7 14. f4 Nc5 {but here, too, white is better.}) 12. O-O {This routine
move allows black to equalize.} (12. Qb5 Qxb5 13. Bxb5 a6 14. Bd3 h6 15. Bxf6
Nxf6 16. a4 Bd7 17. Kd2 {and positionally white stands slightly better.}) 12...
Ba6 13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 {This position is completely equal now that black
has gotten play on the c-file and white's c-Pawn is under pressure.} Rfc8 15.
Bh4 b5 16. e4 {[%cal Be3e4,Be4e5][%mdl 32]} Rc4 {Here, and for the next few
moves black plays too passively.} (16... b4 {According to Fine this move to
open the c-file is the proper plan.} 17. e5 Ne8 18. f4 bxc3 19. f5 {and white
has the initiative.}) (16... Qb6 {This looks to be black's best because after}
17. Bxf6 dxe4 18. fxe4 Nxf6 {white can claim no advantage.}) 17. e5 Ne8 {
[%cal Od7e5]} 18. f4 {Now f5 is a strong threat.} g6 {Which black prevents,
but the proper way to do it was with 18...f5!} 19. g4 {[%cal Bg2g4,Bg4f5][%mdl
32] Renewing the threat and now there is no good way for black to prevent it.}
Qb6 20. Kh1 {Just a safety precaution getting the K off the Q's diagonal, but
he is over finessing and should have played 20.f5 at once.} Ng7 {Still trying
to prevent the advance of the f-Pawn.} (20... f5 {This takes advantage of
white's failure to play the immediate 20.f5} 21. exf6 Nexf6 22. f5 Ne4 23. fxg6
hxg6 24. Qe3 Kg7 {and black's K is safe and there is no effective way for
white to get at it.}) 21. f5 exf5 22. gxf5 {[%cal Oe5e6]} Nxe5 (22... Nxf5 {
leads to an immediate catastrophe.} 23. Rxf5 gxf5 24. Rg1+ Kf8 25. Qxf5 Qh6 26.
Qxd7 Qxh4 27. Qd6+ Qe7 28. Qh6+ Ke8 29. Rg8+) 23. Qh3 (23. dxe5 {allows black
to equalize after} Rxh4 24. fxg6 Qxg6 25. Qxd5 Qe4+ 26. Qxe4 Rxe4) 23... Nc6 {
[%mdl 8192] Fine mistakenly claimed this is forced, but it is not.
Nevertheless, this move leads to an instant loss.} (23... Nxf5 {loses to} 24.
Rxf5 gxf5 25. dxe5 Rg4 26. Nd4 Qg6 27. Qf3 {Here the best tactical sequence is}
Rxh4 28. Nxf5 {Threatening a fork on e7} (28. Rg1 Rg4 {and black is winning.})
28... Qh5 29. Qg3+ Rg4 30. Qxg4+ Qxg4 31. Nh6+ {with a won ending.}) (23... Qc6
{Puts up a stiff defense.} 24. dxe5 d4+ 25. Qf3 Qxf3+ 26. Rxf3 dxc3 27. Bf6
Rac8 28. e6 c2 29. Bxg7 Kxg7 30. f6+ Kf8 31. e7+ Ke8 32. Rc1 {White is better,
but there is no forced win and the prospective ending looks arduous. In
Shootouts white only scored +1 -0 =4}) 24. Bf6 Nh5 25. fxg6 hxg6 26. Nf4 Nxf6 {
Fine now pulls off an amazing finish.} 27. Nxg6 {[%csl Gg6][%cal Rh3h8][%mdl
512]} Kg7 {Everything loses!} (27... Nh7 28. Rxf7 Kxf7 29. Qd7+ Kxg6 30. Rg1+
Ng5 31. Qe6+ Kh5 32. Qg4+ Kg6 33. Qxg5+ Kf7 34. Qf5+ {mates in 4}) (27... fxg6
28. Qe6+ Kh7 29. Qf7+ Kh6 30. Rxf6 Ne5 31. dxe5 {etc.}) 28. Rg1 {[%mdl 128] Oh,
no! This not only misses the win, it allows black to completely equalize!} (28.
Rxf6 {is the only winning move.} Kxf6 29. Rf1+ Kg7 30. Qf5 fxg6 31. Qf6+ Kh7
32. Rf3 {and black is completely busted.}) 28... fxg6 {Now Fine finds the only
moves to avoid a lost position.} 29. Rxg6+ Kxg6 30. Qe6 {An extraordinary
position. Black is a R and two Ns ahead, but has nothing more than a difficult
draw. Time pressure accounts for the blunder on black's next move.} Nxd4 {
[%mdl 8192] Blundering into a mate in 5.} (30... Ne5 {Only this move saves the
game. Now white has only one move that avoids defeat.} 31. Rg1+ Kh6 32. Qxe5 {
Once again the only move that does not lose.} (32. Qh3+ {loses to} Nh5 33. Qe3+
Kh7 34. Qxe5 Qh6 35. Qf5+ Kh8 36. Rg6 Qc1+ 37. Rg1 Ng3+ 38. hxg3 Qh6+ 39. Kg2
Rf8 {and wins}) 32... Rg8 33. Qf4+ Kh7 34. Qh4+ Nh5 35. Qxh5+ Qh6 36. Qf7+ Rg7
37. Qf5+ Rg6 38. Rg3 {and black has to take the draw...} Qc1+ 39. Kg2 Qd2+ 40.
Kf1 (40. Kh3 {loses to} Qh6+ 41. Kg2 Rxc3 {A R that might be easily forgotten
about since it has played no part in the K-side action.}) 40... Qd1+ {etc.})
31. Rg1+ Kh6 32. Qe3+ Kh7 33. Qe7+ Kh6 34. Qg7+ {Facing mate next move,
Grossman resigned.} 1-0
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