Pecise Attacking Play With the Saemisch

    Flavio de Carvalho Jr. (916-1990) who was theBrazilian chess champion in 1952 is no to be confused with the famous 20th-century Brazilian architect and modernist artist with the same name. From the end to 1940s to the early 1960s the chess playing Carvalho was one of the leading Brazilian players. He participated in many Brazilian championships. 

    In 1960 he represented Brazil in World Championship South America Zonal and he participated in several major international tournaments which took place in South America. In 1955-1956 he together with Marcio Elisio Freitas published the chess magazine Xadrez (Chess Chessmetrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2424 in 1956. 

     His opponent in the following game was Washington De Oliveira (1916-1976), the champion of Rio de Janeiro in 1944, 1946, 1949, 1955, 1960, 1968 and 1969. He served as Vice president of the Brazil Chess Federation, and as its president in 1976. He was also the chief organizer of the 1973 Petropolis Interzonal. The game is a good example of precision play byCarvalho using the Saemisch Attack against the King’s Indian. 

 

[Event "Brazilian Championship, Porto Alegre"] [Site "Porto Alegre BRA"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Flavio de Carvalho Jr"] [Black "Washingt Oliveira"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E81"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {E81: King's Indian: Saemisch Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 {The Saemisch was developed in the 1920s. It often leads to very sharp play with the players castling on opposite wings and attacking each other's Kings. Black has a variety of Pawn breaks, such as ...e5, ...c5, and after preparation ...b5.} O-O 6. Be3 h6 {All this does is create a target. After 6...h6 black does not get the slightest hint of counterplay. Better choices were 6...e5, 6...c5 or 6...Nc6} 7. Qd2 Kh7 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. g4 Ng8 {White is already poised to begin his attack and this move is just too slow because black has no time to waste.} (9... c5 10. Ng3 cxd4 11. Bxd4 Ne5 12. Be2 Bd7 {Here, too, white's position is the more promising. Pasero,P-Gnecco,H Argentina 1936}) 10. Ng3 e5 (10... a5 {was tried in another Pasero,P-Gnecco,H Argentina 1936 game and white also had the advantage.} 11. h4 e6 12. f4 b6 13. f5 Bb7 14. Bg2 c5 15. d5 {White went on to win.}) 11. d5 b6 {A better plan was 11...a5 and 12...Nc5.} 12. h4 a5 13. Bd3 Nc5 14. Bc2 Bd7 15. O-O-O a4 {Just a glance at the position should make it obvious that the only real attacking chances belong to white.} 16. Rdg1 Qe8 17. Rh2 Qe7 18. Qe2 Rfb8 19. Nf5 Qe8 {Black seems to be sitting on his hands waiting for the end, but taking the N would not have been much better.} (19... gxf5 20. exf5 f6 21. Rhg2 Be8 22. Qd2 Qf8 23. g5 {White's attack should prove decisive. Black can hardly afford to take the P;} hxg5 (23... fxg5 24. f6+) 24. hxg5 fxg5 (24... a3 25. Rh2+) 25. f6+ Bg6 26. Rxg5 Nxf6 27. Rxg6 e4 28. Qh2+ Kg8 29. Qh6 {wins}) 20. Nxg7 Kxg7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4 Qe7 23. Be3 Rf8 24. Bd4+ {White is clearly winning.} Kh7 25. g5 h5 {This allows a brilliant finish, but there was no way to save the game.} 26. Qxh5+ $3 {[%mdl 512]} gxh5 27. e5+ $1 {[%mdl 32]} Kh8 28. exd6+ Qf6 29. gxf6 (29. Bxf6+ {also wins, but it is not quite as effective.} Nxf6 30. gxf6 Bg4 31. dxc7 Rfe8 32. d6 {and white will wrap it up with Rd2.}) 29... Bg4 30. dxc7 Nd7 {Black plays on out of inertia,} 31. Bxa4 Nh6 32. Bc6 Rac8 33. Bxd7 Bxd7 34. Bxb6 Ng4 35. Re2 Nxf6 36. Bd4 {Black resigned...something he could have done severa; moves back.} 1-0