Chess Fundamentals Part 30

9. Q - Q 2 P - K R 3 10. B - K R 4

An error of judgment. White wants to keep the Knight pinned, but it was more important to prevent Black from Castling immediately. B - K B 4 would have done this.

10. ........ O - O 11. O - O - O

Bold play, but again faulty judgment, unless he intended to play to win or lose, throwing safety to the winds. The Black Bishop at Kt 2 becomes a very powerful attacking piece. The strategical disposition of the Black pieces is now far superior to White's, therefore it will be Black who will take the offensive.

11. ........ R - K 1 12. K R - K 1

{233}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

White wanted to keep his Q R on the open file, and consequently brings over his other Rook to the centre to defend his K P, which Black threatened to win by P - K Kt 4, followed by Kt P.

12. ........ P - Kt 4 !

Now that the K R is in the centre, Black can safely advance, since, in order to attack on the King's side, White would have to shift his Rooks, which he cannot do so long as Black keeps up the pressure in the centre.

13. B - Kt 3 Kt - K R 4

Uncovering the Bishop, which now acts along the long diagonal, and at the same time preventing P - K 5, which would be answered by Kt B; P Kt, Kt P; etc., winning a p.a.w.n.

14. Kt - Q 5 P - R 3

Black drives the Bishop away so as to _unpin_ his pieces and be able to manoeuvre freely. {234}

15. B - Q 3 B - K 3

Preparing the onslaught. Black's pieces begin to bear against the King's position.

16. P - B 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

With the last move White not only blocks the action of Black's K B, but he also aims at placing his Bishop at Q Kt 1 and his Queen at Q B 2, and then advancing his K P, to check at K R 7.

16. ........ P - B 4 !

Initiating an attack to which there is no reply, and which has for its ultimate object either the winning of the White Q B or cutting it off from the game. (Compare this game with the Winter-Capablanca game at Hastings.)

17. P - K R 4 P - B 5

The Bishop is now out of action. White naturally counter attacks violently against the seemingly {235} exposed position of the Black King, and, with very good judgment, even offers the Bishop.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

18. P P ! P P !

Taking the Bishop would be dangerous, if not actually bad, while the text move accomplishes Black's object, which is to put the Bishop out of action.

19. R - R 1 B - B 2 20. K - Kt 1

This move unquestionably loses time. Since he would have to retire his Bishop to R 2 sooner or later, he might have done it immediately. It is doubtful, however, if at this stage of the game it would be possible for White to save the game.

20. ........ Kt - K 4 21. Kt Kt R Kt

It was difficult to decide which way to retake. I {236} took with the Rook in order to have it prepared for a possible attack against the King.

22. B - R 2 Kt - B 3

Now that the White Bishop has been driven back, Black wants to get rid of White's strongly posted Knight at Q 5, which blocks the attack of the Bishop at B 2. It may be said that the Knight at Q 5 is the key to White's defence.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

23. P - Kt 3

White strives not only to have play for his Bishop, but also he wants to break up Black's p.a.w.ns in order to counter-attack. The alternative would have been 23 Kt Kt ch, Q Kt; and Black would be threatening R - R 4, and also Q - K 3. The student should notice that Black's drawback in all this is the fact that he is playing minus the services of his Q R. It is this fact that makes it possible for White to hold out longer. {237}

23. ........ Kt P 24. B Kt R B 25. P P P - B 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

26. Kt - K 3

Kt - Kt 4 was the alternative, but in any event White could not resist the attack. I leave it to the reader to work this out for himself, as the variations are so numerous that they would take up too much s.p.a.ce.

26. ........ Q - R 4 27. P - B 4 Q Q 28. R Q P P 29. Kt - Kt 4 B - Kt 3

This forces the King to the corner, where he will be in a mating net.

30. K - R 1 Q R - K 1

Now at last the Q R enters into the game and soon the battle is over.

31. P - R 3

If R P, R - K 8 ch; R - Q 1, R (K 1) - K 7. {238}

31. ........ R - K 8 ch 32. R R R R ch 33. K - R 2 B - B 2 34. K - Kt 3 P - Q 4

the quickest way to finish the game.

35. B P P P ch 36. K - Kt 4 P - B 6 37. P P R - K 5 ch 38. P - B 4 R P ch 39. K - R 5 R B 40. R - Q 8 ch K - R 2 41. R - Q 7 B - K 3 Resigns.

A very lively game.