The Immortal Game (31 page)

16….c6

17. d5 This is the key move to the next stage of the attack: all of the White pieces are pointing at the Black King, but to deliver the killer blow, the Knight needs to join in the fun. The idea is that the Knight has to get to the e6 square (which White is controlling) and the only way to do this is by enabling the Knight to use d4. This Pawn move is known as a clearance sacrifice. Black, of course, captures the Pawn.

17….c6×d5 If White’s Pawn had been allowed to stay on d5, that would have added further dangerous threats.

18. Nd4 This Knight is heading for e6, where it will command many key dark squares in the heart of Black’s position and make it very difficult for Black to coordinate his pieces.

18…. Kf7 At long last, Black unpins the e7 Knight.

19. Ne6 It is hard for Black, even with his extra Pawn, to make any headway in this game because the White pieces have so much control over the board.

19…. Rhc8 Black sensibly tries for exchanges.

After 20. Qg4

20. Qg4 A marvelous move: having got his Knight onto e6, Steinitz is now homing in on the squares it attacks with other pieces, in this case the g7 Pawn.

20….g6

21. Ng5+ This is another very fine move, and the only one which maintains the White advantage. Black is in check and an attack is discovered on his Queen. This means that he must play 21…. Ke8 to avoidinstant defeat.

21…. Ke8

22. R×e7+ Steinitz has created a fantastic position in which all of White’s pieces are under attack and they will remain so for several moves, but none can be taken.

22…. Kf8

23. Rf7+ White continues to walk the tightrope. Black has only one sensible reply:

23…. Kg8

24. Rg7+ White’s Rook still cannot be captured because White then captures the Queen with check. Black cannot go to f8 either, because 25 N×h7+ would then force him to capture the Rook with his King (25….Ke8 would be met with 26 Q×d7 mate) and all Black’spieces would be taken.

24…. Kh8

25. R×h7+ Having got so far, this move seems pretty obvious. The Rook cannot be captured for all of the reasons given before, so let’s steal a Black Pawn. More importantly, it opens another route to the Black King.

25…. Kg8 Von Bardeleben now realized what was in store for him, effectively mate in ten moves. Rather than suffer this indignity or resign, he simply left the playing hall and did not come back. This left Steinitz to demonstrate to spectators how the game would be finished:

26. Rg7+ Kh8

27. Qh4+ K×g7

28. Qh7+ Kf8

29. Qh8+ Ke7

30. Qg7+ Ke8

31. Qg8+ Ke7

32. Qf7+ Kd8

33. Qf8+ And now we see why the White Rook needed to stay on the c-file.

33…. Qe8

34. Nf 7+ Kd7

35. Qd6 mate. Even though von Bardeleben was unsporting and deprived Steinitz of the pleasure of playing this game through to the end, Steinitz was awarded the tournament’s Brilliancy Prize anyway.

(Adapted from the Peter Walker Chess Coaching Pages, online at
http://coaching.chesspod.com/coaching/games/steinitz1.htm
.)

4. Rubinstein’s “Polish Brilliancy”

One of the undisputed greatest chess games of all time, this tour de force of Akiba Rubinstein displays both his artistry and combinatorial genius. “There is nothing like seeing this game for the first time—or the second, third, or tenth time!” wrote Irving Chernev in
The Golden Dozen.

G
ERSH
R
OTLEWI VS
. A
KIBA
R
UBINSTEIN
D
ECEMBER
1907
L
ODZ
, P
OLAND

1. d4 d5

2. Nf3 This one move accomplishes three very important things: (1) most importantly, it controls the center; (2) it develops a piece; and (3) it prepares the possibility of Kingside castling by White.

2….e6 A good and natural move. Black guards the center, prepares Kingside castling, and also is ready to play the Pawn break—c5, attacking the center.

3. e3 c5

4. c4 Nc6

5. Nc3 Nf6

6. d×c5 Today we know that this move is premature. White goes for the immediate isolation of Black’s Queen Pawn. The best move, according to modern theory, is 6. a3! a6. (See W. Korn and N. de Firmian,
Modern Chess Openings,
14th ed., for more details on this “Tarrasch Defense” opening.)

6….B×c5 Material balance.

7. a3 a6 This gives Black’s Bishop on c5 a “hidey-hole” on a7, prepares b7-b5, and blunts the worst effects of a possible b2-b4-b5 advance by White. Additionally this is an excellent waiting move. Rubinstein’s handling of this opening is nearly flawless.

8. b4 Bd6 A good aggressive move, and a nice gambit of a Pawn (which White cannot immediately accept).

9. Bb2 White fianchettos his Queen’s Bishop, as will Black.

9…. O-O Very nice. Black continues his development, and offers a gambit (which White should not take).

10. Qd2 This move is not well thought out. The Queen will soon be a target in the open Q-file. She may have been better off on c2.

10…. Qe7 Black develops and offers a gambit at the same time.

11. Bd3 White develops—he possibly does not wish to exchange Pawns and change the Pawn structure, opening lines for Black. But White loses at least two tempi with this move, especially in combination with his previous inaccuracies.

11….d×c4

12. B×c4 b5 Black gains space and prepares to fianchetto his Queen’s Bishop. This is nice, as he gains a move, and forces White to retreat the cleric at c4.

13. Bd3 Pointing at the Black King and trying to block the d-file.

13…. Rd8

14. Qe2 Bb7

15. O-O Ne5 Favorably breaking the symmetry.

16. N×e5 B×e5

17. f4 White tries to block the key b8–h2 diagonal. (He also gains some space.)

17…. Bc7

18. e4 This opens up the game at a time when only Black can profit from an open game.

18…. Rac8 To the casual observer, the position seems approximately equal. But this is deceiving, as both of White’s Rooks have yet to move. Irving Chernev writes: “Rubinstein brings up the reserves. This sort of move always reminds me of Blackburne’s advice, ‘Never commence your final attack until your QR is in play.’”

19. e5 White thinks he is closing attacking avenues, but he is actually opening lines. Grandmaster Andy Soltis writes: “This makes the game a textbook case of what happens when a player pushes his Pawns too far and opens diagonals leading to his King. Better was 19. Rac1.”

19…. Bb6+ Getting on a new diagonal with a gain of time.

20. Kh1 Ng4! At first glance, this appears to be a blunder. (Black will soon have practically all of his pieces under attack.) In fact, though, this move is the grand beginning of one of the most beautiful and titanic combinations ever played.

21. Be4 White tries blocking the long diagonal. A reasonable move, considering the situation. It seems to be the best, under the circumstances.

21…. Qh4

22. g3 Now it seems Black has run out of moves. But the following refutation of White’s position is one of the most beautiful in all of chess.

22….R×c3!! A truly wonderful Queen sacrifice.

23. g×h4 White takes the Queen. But there is little choice at this point.

23….Rd2!! This is one of the most beautiful and surprising moves in all of chess literature. The idea is to deflect the Queen away from the defense of the Bishop on e4. Note that four of the five Black pieces are hanging.

24. Q×d2 B×e4+

After 23….Rd2

25. Qg2 Rh3! Another thunderbolt. There is no reply to such a move. White resigns.

(Adapted from an annotation of A. J. Goldsby, which relied on references to Irving Chernev’s
The Golden Dozen: The 12 Greatest Chess Players of All Time
[Oxford University Press, 1976]; Reuben Fine’s
The World’s Great Chess Games
[Dover/D. McKay Books, 1976]; Burgess, Nunn, and Emms’s
The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games
[Carroll & Graf Books, 1998]; and Andy Soltis’s
The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century
[McFarland Books, 2000]. Online at
http://www.geocities.com/lifemasteraj/rotle-rubin_1.htm
.)

5. One of Kasparov’s Finest

Garry Kasparov, considered by many to be the best player in the history of chess, has produced many a game that has stunned and exhilarated serious players. Occasionally one game stands out above the rest. This contest, from his longtime rivalry with former world champion Anatoli Karpov, is one such game. It is considered by many to be one of the most brilliant games ever played.

A
NATOLI
K
ARPOV VS
. G
ARRY
K
ASPAROV
L
INARES
, S
PAIN
, 1993

1. d4 Nf6

2. c4 g6

3. Nc3 Bg7

4. e4 d6

5. f3 O-O

6. Be3 e5

7. Nge2 c6

8. Qd2 Nbd7

9. Rd1 Karpov prefers to castle on the Kingside. Kasparov will now devote all his energy, and a fair amount of material, to making sure he never does.

9….a6

10. d×e5 N×e5 In his pregame preparations, Karpov likely dismissed this response because of the inevitable loss of the d6 Pawn. Kasparov’s intuition tells him that his active pieces combined with White’s lack of development give him a strong initiative. Besides, 10….d×e5 11.c5! would allow White to clamp down on the Queenside, which is not the kind of positional confrontation one wants to start with Karpov.

After 10…. Nxe5

11. b3 b5 The seeds of a long-term combination are taking root. In reality, Black’s tenth move pushed him upon this path. Trying to play solidly with 11…. Ne8? now succeeds only in sabotaging Black’s game.

12. c×b5 Karpov goes for it. While I admire his courage, I question his judgment. The text opens the a-file to Black’s benefit, ensuring him excellent piece play for his lost d6 Pawn. The worst thing that can ever happen to Black is a four-versus-three Pawn ending.

12….a×b5

13. Q×d6 Nfd7 The crucial point in Black’s scheme. Exchanging Queens promises nothing, while 13…. Qe8? leaves Black’s pieces cloistered. The sacrificial 13…. Qa5?? 14. Q×e5 Nd5 15. Q×g7+ K×g7 16. e×d5 is a disaster for Black. With the text, Kasparov envisions…Qd8-a5 (where the Queen belongs) to be followed by…b5-b4 and…Bc8-a6. Black’s threats would quickly pile up. Karpov, therefore, feels the need to regain control of events by making a move that undermines the fundamental nature of his position: his solid Pawn formation.

14. f4 b4 A brilliant move that is timed beautifully. The plausible 14….Ng4 15. Bd4 falls in line with White’s plans to neutralize Black’s active pieces.

15. Nb1 Poor Karpov is being hounded into a corner. Dazzling tactics abound.

15…. Ng4

16. Bd4 B×d4

17. Q×d4 R×a2 Now the game is over. If 18. Q×b4? Ne3 with the twin threats…N×d1 and…Nc2+ is killing. On top of everything else, Black’s pieces have picked up more mobility, while White’s are rooted to their original squares.