The Critical Bradley Beach Game

 

    The previous post featured Alekhine’s Brilliancy Prize win over Herman Steiner at Bradley Beach, 1929, but this game against Lajos Steiner was the critical one. Curiously, Alekhine’s book of his best games does not identify which Steiner the Brilliancy Prize game was played against. 

    This game (which does not appear in the book) is his 9th round win over Lajos Steiner. Going into the round Alekhine had a half point lead over Steiner so the game was crucial. 

    Alekhine succeeded in trapping Steiner’s B and as one observer noted, that while Steiner was a strong player, the game shows that when playing the World Champion even the slightest mistake is fatal. 

    Chessmetrics estimates Striner’s highest ever rating to have been 2654 in 1938, placing him #12 in the world. In 1929, his estimated rating was around 2550 while Alekhine was ranked #1 at about 2800. 

 

[Event "Bradley Beach"] [Site ""] [Date "1929.06.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Lajos Steiner"] [Black "Alexander Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C13"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1929.06.03"] {C13: French: Classical} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5 {Black can play 8...Nxc5 or 8...Bxb2; either move is good.} Nxc5 10. Bb5+ Ke7 {This looks a bit odd, but it is perfectly safe as is 10...Bd7} (10... Nd7 {is a bit better for white after} 11. Nxf6+ Qxf6 12. Qd6 Qe7 13. Qf4 O-O 14. O-O-O {Technically this position is equal, but black is cramped and so it requires careful defense on his part. Xu,X (2587)-Nagare Kaivalya Sandip (2217) Titled Tue chess.com INT 2023}) 11. Qxd8+ (11. Nxf6 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 {This position is completely equal after 12...gxf6. Actually, black should also be able to get away with 12...Kxf6 because white has no effective way of taking advantage of the K's position.}) 11... Rxd8 12. Nxf6 Kxf6 {As in the note, the K is perfectly safe here. This position was known to Alekhhine...he had reached it in a game a few years earlier.} 13. Ke2 {This lools reasonable, but ot is just a bit inferior to Alekhine's 13/Rdq which resulted in simplifying exchamges.} (13. Rd1 Bd7 14. Bxd7 Rxd7 15. Rxd7 Nxd7 16. Ke2 {and the game was soon drawn. Alekhine,A-Aurbach,A Bern 1925}) 13... e5 14. Rhd1 Be6 {Black's advantage (pressure on the Q-side Ps) is ever so slight, but watch how Alekhine manages to use it.} 15. Ke3 (15. Rxd8 Rxd8 {does't solve white's problem. The pressure remains and black occupies the d-file.}) 15... a6 16. Be2 Na4 17. Nd2 {A wily move.} Ke7 $1 {Alekhine doesn't take the bait.} (17... Nxb2 18. Rdb1 Na4 19. Rxb7 {and black's advantage has disappeared.}) 18. Nf3 f6 {Things are getting difficult for white} (18... Nxb2 {is still wrong. After} 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Nxe5 Rc8 21. Kd2 Kd6 22. Nd3 {Black's pieces are more active. but with careful play white should be able to hold his position.}) 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 {This is the critical position! Now the threat ...Nxb2 is very real so white should simply play 19.b3. Instead, he embarks on a plan the ends up with him getting his B trapped.} 20. Bd3 $2 Nxb2 21. Bxh7 Nc4+ 22. Ke2 f5 {Cutting off the B and effectively ending the game.} 23. Rd1 {Trading Rs is the same thing as resigning. It;s a forlorn hope, but 23.Rb1 hoping for some play was worth trying/} Rxd1 {Black is clearly winning.} 24. Kxd1 {[%mdl 4096]} Kf6 {Dodges Ng5} 25. Nh4 g5 26. Nf3 Nd6 27. a3 Bd5 28. c4 {Here 28.Resigns made more sense.} Nxc4 29. Nd2 Nxd2 30. Kxd2 g4 31. h3 gxh3 32. gxh3 Be6 33. h4 Kg7 {White resigned. Steiner's play was not at all bad, but kudos to Alekhine for his nearly flawless play!} 0-1