CHESS
Desert air
Raymond Keene
SOME YEARS ago I prepared a series for Thames Television in which I chose what I considered to be the 12 best games of chess ever played. The process of choosing the best games was an agonising one, with many brilliant performances by top players having to be discarded en route. I tried to choose games which were not only brilliant in themselves but also represented some kind of turning-point in the history of chess — the crowning of a new champion, for example, or the promulgation of a new strategic mindset.
My selection finally hit upon the follow- ing: Anderssen–Kieseritslcy, London, 1851; Paulsen–Morphy, New York 1857; Zuker- tort–Blackburne, London, 1883; Steinitz- Chigorin, World Championship, Havana, 1892; Pillsbury–Lasker, St Petersburg, 1895/96; Bernstein–Capablanca, Moscow, 1914; Bogolyubov–Alekhine, Hastings, 1922; Samisch–Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen, 1923; Botvinnik–Capablanca, Rotterdam, 1938; Larsen–Spasslcy, Belgrade, 1970; Fischer- Spassky, World Championship, Game 6, Reykjavik, 1972, and Karpov–Kasparov, World Championship, Game 24, Moscow, 1985.
One of the games which caused me great pain to exclude was Spielmann's win against Rubinstein from San Sebastian, 1912. I was sorry to see that the authors of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Games of Chess also omitted it from their final selection, even though they had 100 slots rather than just 12. The Austrian grandmaster Rudolf Spielmann not only played numerous brilliant sacrifices but also wrote beautifully about the idea of sac- rifice. 'The beauty of a game of chess is usually appraised according to the sacri- fices it contains. The magic of the sacrifice grips us and its glowing power is irre- sistible. Enthusiasm for sacrifice lies in man's nature.'
Here now is how Spielmann translated his words into deeds.
Rubinstein–Spielmann: San Sebastian 1912; Dutch Defence.
1 d4 e6 2 c4 f5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Bd2 N16 5 g3 0-0 6 Bg2 d6 7 a3 Bxc3 8 Bxc3 Nbd7 9 Qc2 c5 10 dxc5 Nxc5 The opening has given White the advan- tage of the bishop pair and more mobile queen- side pawns. In compensation Black's knights have a firm grip over e4, as a possible springboard to invasion of the white camp. 11 NB Nce4 12 0-0 Bd7 13 Rfdl Rc8 14 13,d'6 In this position White's preferred move would be 14 Nd2, to challenge Black's outpost on e4. In that case, though, Black could unleash a decisive combination by means of 14 ... Nxf2 15 Kxf2 Ng4+ 16 Kel Qb6. Indeed, Black's development has been so rapid and efficient that White now feels constrained to part with the bishop pair. All that remains of a possible White edge is Black's backward pawn on d6, but over the coming moves Spielmann expertly masks its weakness. 14 ...Qxf6 15 Qb3 Rc7 16 Nel Nc5 17 Qb4 f4 Black's kingside attack now starts in earnest. 18 Nd3 If 18 Rxd6 fxg3 grants Black a terrible attack in the f-file. 18
fxg3 19 fxg3 Nxd3 20 Rxd3 QC+ 21 KM Bc6 22 e4 Apart from threatening mate at fl Spielmann's move sets the trap 22 Bxc6 Qxe2 and Black wins. 22 ... Rcf7 23 Rel If 23 Qxd6 Qe2 or 23 Rxd6 Bxe4 24 Bxe4 Qe2 or finally 23 Ftfl Qxfl + with a black win in each case. 23 ... a5 24 Qc3 Qc5 25 b4 (Diagram) With this move White must have felt, at long last, that he had restored the balance and neutralised Black's ini- tiative. The black 'queen is apparently driven away from its commanding post and the further threat of b5 by White will also press Black's bish- op into a defensive situation. However, White is in for a terrible shock. 25 ...Bxe4!! A fantastic move. If 26 bxc5 Rfl+ 27 Rxfl Rxf1+ check- mate. Alternatively, if 26 Bxe4 Ftfl + 27 Rxfl Rxfl + 28 Kg2 Rgl + 29 Kf3 Qh5+ 30 Ke3 Qxh2 with a murderous attack. Doubtless stunned by the sudden turn of events, though, Rubinstein misses the most tenacious, indeed problem-like defence which consists of 26 Rf3!!. After this Black has nothing better than 26 ... Qc6 27 b5 Rxf3 28 Qxf3!! Bxf3 29 bxc6 Bxc6 30 Bxc6 bxc6 31 Rxe6 Rf6. In this case, Black is a pawn ahead in the endgame and should win, though White's resistance is by no means at an end. As played in the game, although a rook ahead, White is over- whelmed by a further sequence of tactics, exploiting the exposed nature of his king. 26 Rse4 Rfl+ 27 13xf1 Rxt1+ 28 Kg2 Qf2+ 29 Kh3 Rhl 30 RE3 Qxh2+ 31 Kg4 Qh5+ 32 Kf4 Qh6+ 33 ICg4 g5 The key move to Black's offensive. The threat of 34 ... Qh5 checkmate now obliges White to jettison material, after which White's wandering king spells his doom. If White seeks to deflect Black from his purpose with 34 Rf8+ then 34 ... Kxf8 35 Qh8+ Kf7 36 leaves White bereft of further checks. 34 Rxe6 Qxe6+ 35 R15 h6 Faster is 35 Qe4+ 36 Kxg5 h6+ 37 Kf6 Re! 38 Kg6 Qg4+, though this does nothing to detract from the brilliance of the game. 36 Qd3 Kg7 37 KB Rfl+ 38 Qxfl Qxf5 + 39 Kg2 QM+ 40 KM axb4 41 axb4 Kf6 42 K12 h5 White resigns.
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