In today’s incredible game Lipschutz goes all out against Blackburne's Q-siden and Blackburne ignores it and playes for mate on the K-side. As might be expected, it’s the player who is attacking on the Q-side who is in the greatest danger because a breakthrough on the K-side is likely to be immediately decisive. That doesn’t mean that Q-side attacks can’t be successful, but in the following game black’s Q-side attack just falls short.
This game is reminiscent of the game Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO, 1938, in which Capablanca had a 3 to 1 P majority on the Q-side, but Botvinnik executed a crushing double sacrifice which laid Capablanca’s King bare. HERE
[Event "American Chess Congress, New York"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1889.04.05"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Joseph Blackburne"]
[Black "Samuel Lipschutz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D55"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1889.03.25"]
{D55: Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 {At the time this games was
played the Queen's Gambit Declined enjoyed tremendous popularity that lasted
into the 1920s when it was gradually replaced. mostly by the Indian defenses.}
3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 b6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 Bb7 7. Rc1 Nbd7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 O-O
10. O-O {All this is pretty much usual. Now instead of the usual 10...c5,
Lipschütz plays a move in an attempt to launch an attack.} Ne4 {While this
move opens up the game, it has not been especially successful. Note that the N
cannot be taken with impunity.} 11. Bf4 (11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Rxc7
Bc8 14. Bb5 Qd8 {White must give up the exchange in order to save the N.})
11... c5 12. Qe2 f5 {The usual move is 12...Nxc3. This creates a weakness on
e6.} (12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 c4 14. Bc2 b5 {with equal chances. Arun Prasad,S
(2492)-Mikhalevski,V (2592) Montreal 2008}) 13. Rfd1 c4 {A good move! with ni
chances of conducting a successful K-sude attack Lipschutz turns his attention
to the Q-side.} (13... g5 {was a suggestion by Blackburne as a good attacking
move, but it was not a good idea at all.} 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Qc4+ Kh8 16. Be5+
Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Qe8 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Nd7 Qf7 20. Qxf7 Rxf7 21. Nxc5 bxc5 22. Nb5
{There is no attack and white has a positional superiority that should be
sufficient to win.}) 14. Bxe4 fxe4 15. Ne5 Nf6 16. g4 {An attacking player,
Blackburne has no interest in dealing with any threats on the Q-side and
playing 16.b3} Qe8 17. Qf1 {The purpose of this retrograde Q move is to bring
theQ into an attacking position on the g-file, but more expedient would have
been 17.b3} Bd6 18. h3 Rd8 {Over preparing. The immediate `8...b5 was better.}
19. Qg2 {To reoeat, 19.b3 was more appropriate.} b5 {[%mdl 32]} 20. Ne2 {
Intending to att the N to the attack.} b4 {Things are shaping up. The outcome
depends in who get there,as Frank Marshall once put it, the fastest with the
mostest.} 21. Ng3 {Theoretically black is better here as white's glut of
pieces on the K-side do not coordinate very well.} Nd7 22. Nxd7 Rxd7 {[%mdl 32]
} 23. Ne2 Bxf4 24. Nxf4 Rdf7 {Black has eliminated a couple of white's
attacking pieces plus he has pressure in the f-file. This, coupled with his
advantage on the Q-side gives him every reason to be optimistic.} 25. g5 Rf5 {
A wise defensive move, the idea is to neet the advance of white's g-Pawn wiht .
..h6 threatening ...Rg5} 26. Kh1 a5 27. Rg1 Bc8 28. Qg3 {Blackburne thought
this was a clever move, stating, "The beginning of a combination. Tempting
black to attack the weak Pawns on the Queen's side."} Qa4 {To quote Blackburne,
"He yields to the temptation." In annotating this game W.H. Cozens observed
that white's Q-side is going to collapse, but the text move has the
disadvantage in that "a powerful defender has left the K side." The reality is
that in this position black stands considerably better. In Shootouts from this
position black scored +4 -0 =1, so there is no reason to criticize this move.}
29. b3 cxb3 {It is this move that loses the advantage even though black gets
two connected passed Ps! He needed to play 29...Qb5} (29... Qb5 30. bxc4 dxc4
31. h4 b3 32. axb3 cxb3 {Having the Q behind the Ps makes all the difference
as the Ps are free to advance unhindered by theor own Q.}) 30. axb3 Qxb3 {
You would think that the two united P passed Ps would lead to a quick win.
However, here with the Q in front of the Ps, Blackburne has time to add
another assets to his position...his R immediately penetrate to the 7th rank.}
31. Rc7 {With a R established on the 7th rank he has successfully added
another piece to his attack. Suddenly it is black who must play alert
defensively to maintain equailty.} a4 {[%mdl 8192] Lipschutz is oblivious to
the danger! At this point the game was adjourned at white had to seal his move.
Before play was resumed, Lipschutz was asked how his game stood. Jis reply was,
"He has a little bit of an attack. But, my two passed Pawns must win." That's
not really a surprising view because no less a player than Steinitz agreed.
Engines make the observation that white has a mate in 9!} (31... Rxf4 {This
surprising move is the only one that keeps the chances equal.} 32. g6 (32. exf4
Qxg3 {wipes out all white's attacking chances.}) 32... h6 33. exf4 {Again, the
attack is gone and the chances are equal.}) 32. g6 {White mates.} h6 {
Lipschutz played this instantly, still unaware of the true situation be;oeving
that with his K-side now firmly closed nothing could stop jis Ps.} 33. Rxg7+ {
[%mdl 512] This move came as a shock to Lipschutz and the spectators,
including Steinitz.} Kxg7 {Here there is only one move that avoids loss, nut
it leads to mate.} (33... Kh8 34. Qh4 Kxg7 35. Qe7+ R5f7 36. Nh5+ Kh8 37. g7+
Kh7 38. Nf6+ Rxf6 39. gxf8=Q+) 34. Nh5+ {[%mdl 512]} Rxh5 35. Qc7+ Kf6 36. Qd6+
{Black resigned, It's mate in 3} (36. Qd6+ Kg7 37. Qe7+ Rf7 38. Qxf7+ Kh8 39.
Qh7#) 1-0
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