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Boris
Spassky (2745) - David Bronstein (2675)
[C36]
28th Soviet Championship, (Round # 16)
Leningrad, U.S.S.R; 1959. / (1960?)
[A.J. Goldsby I]
***
The
ratings are a VERY conservative estimate, especially in lieu of what the
ratings were (are) in the year, 2001. (Spassky and Bronstein
were both easily in the Top ten when this game was played.)
Jeff
Sonas gives the following ratings
for these two players:
GM Boris Spassky (2685), and also
the # 6 player in the world;
GM David Bronstein (2645), and
also the # 13 player in the world.
***
ALL ANALYSIS quoted herein is assumed to be my own ...
UNLESS if course, I quote (blame!) someone else.
You
definitely will need a chess set to play over this game.
( There are NO diagrams. )
Click
HERE
to go to a page with this game on a js re-play
board.
(See
the bottom of this page for escape links, or click the "Back" button on your web browser.)
Click HERE to see my explanation of the symbols that I use.
The 8th Greatest Chess Game Ever?
In my mind, one of the most amazing games of chess ever played. (It is also one of the more famous games of the modern era.)
In an era when players only knew how to play 'correctly,' Spassky - perhaps caught up in the infectious style of Mikhail Tal - plays the 'incorrect' King's Gambit. (At this time, this opening was considered by opening theory to be almost completely unsound.)
Spassky's handler was reportedly to have joked to a friend, upon learning what opening his protégé was playing, that he was going to pack. When asked why he was going to pack (as if for a move); he responded; "If Spassky loses this game, I am sure they will ship us both to both to Siberia!"
All kidding and jokes aside, this is a marvelous game. (R.J. Fischer, upon seeing this game, immediately wanted to classify it as one of the "Ten Greatest" of all time!)
Spassky,
in order to save ONE (1) tempo, sacrifices an entire Rook!!!
This was probably
unprecedented at the time, especially in the exact manner that Spassky did it.
This was a pivotal game in the Championship. And it continued a run by Spassky where Bronstein never seemed to be able to get a good game against Boris Spassky.
This game was immediately hailed in newspaper columns around the world as one of the most brilliant games ever played.
This
game is also one of the very few accorded the honor of being played in a movie.
It was featured at the very start of the now classic
James Bond movie,
... ... ...
"From Russia, With Love."
(Kronstein - McAdams).
(Albeit, two pawns were removed in a key shot.)
"The
two leading experts on the King's Gambit dispute the opening
on the Leningrader's home grounds. The result is perhaps the most
brilliant King's Gambit since the first decades of the century."
- IM Andy Soltis (In his book, "The Best Chess Games of
Boris Spassky."
Copyright © 1973, A. Soltis. David McKay, publishers.).
"This
is a fantastic game. Spassky defeats Bronstein in typically Morphy style, though
Bronstein is a much tougher opponent than were the victims of Morphy's many
brilliancies." - Irving Chernev.
(From the book, "The Golden Dozen," by I Chernev.)
My
annotations of this game are based primarily on the excellent book,
"The
100 Best," by GM Andy Soltis.
***
{
Opening survey included. I do not consider this a comprehensive opening
examination.
But I wanted to do two things here:
# 1.) Give a relatively decent look at a few of the more commonly
played variations, in order to give the average player at least a basic
understanding of a few of the ideas and lines that are played the most often.
# 2.) Perhaps after looking at this survey, a player could decide
what variation of this VERY complex opening interests him the most. He or she
could then purchase a book on that line for further study and examination on
their own. }
1.
e4 e5; (David, are you sure that is your move?)
"What the devil prompted me to reply to 1.e4, with 1.e5??"
"The fact that Spassky, like Spielmann
in the last century, very much likes to play the
King's Gambit had momentarily escaped me." - David Bronstein, 'The Blue Bird.'
In the book, << 200 Open Games. >> Page # 26 of the Dover Edition.
(Pub. 1991)
2.
f4!?, {Diagram?}
The King's Gambit.
This
was a very daring decision, as Bronstein is perhaps one of the top opening
theoreticians of his day, especially for the King's Gambit. (Maybe Spassky
deserves
an exclam for brashness and some very shrewd psychology.)
[ More usual - especially at the Master level - is: 2.Nf3 Nc6; etc. ].
2...exf4;
(Maybe - '!')
The King's Gambit Accepted.
This
is probably the best course for Black.
(Opening theory still considers this the
sharpest and the best move here.)
[ Black can also play: 2...Bc5; which is the King's Gambit Declined.
A normal, 'book' line now runs: 3.Nf3, Probably the best move here.
(3.fxe5?? Qh4+; {Now almost funny is:
Now if 4.Ke2???, then 4...Qxe4; mate.} 4.g3 Qxe4+; 5.Qe2
Qxh1; "-/+").
3...d6; 4.c3!?, White prepares to expand in the center, and blunt Black's Bishop.
( MCO - 14 gives the continuation: 4.Nc3
Nf6; 5.Bc4 Nc6; (6. a3!?) 6.d3 Bg4;
(6...a6!?)
7.Na4 Bb6; 8.Nxb6 axb6; 9.c3 0-0; 10.0-0, "+/="
(Maybe - "=")
White is just slightly better. (According to MCO.).
[ See MCO-14; pg.'s 16-17,
col. # 31, and notes # (a.) thru (e.). ]. )
4...Nf6; 5.d4!?, (Maybe
- '!') Maybe the best move here.
(White tries to block Black's KB out of the
game.).
( MCO gives: 5.fxe5!? dxe5; 6.d4 exd4; 7.cxd4
Bb4+; 8.Bd2 Qe7; 9.Bd3 Nxe4;
The end of the column. 10.Bxe4
Qxe4+; 11.Kf2 Bxd2; 12.Nbxd2,
This is: IM Sophia Polgar -
GM Glenn Flear; Brussels, 1987.
Now 12...Qd5; Best, according to
DeFirmian. 13.Re1+ Be6; "=" is equal,
according to GM Nick DeFirmian.
[ See
MCO - 14; pg.'s 16-17, col. # 33, and note # (l.). ].
Maybe 14.Re5!?, "+/=" -
{A.J.G.} )
5...exd4; 6.cxd4 Bb4+; 7.Bd2 Bxd2+; 8.Nbxd2 0-0; 9.Bd3
Bg4!?; 10.0-0 Nc6;
with good play for both sides. (Computer-assisted,
analysis
line.) {A.J.G.}
Now White should probably play: 11.Qb3!,
"+/=" (Maybe just equal, or "=")
This
is my own analysis, and ... - in my opinion - represents a very large
improvement over MANY books in this position!! - LIFE-Master
A.J. Goldsby I
***
Black could
also try: 2...d5; "The Falkbeer Counter-Gambit."
3.exd5,
The most
commonly played line here. ( For 3.Nf3!? , col. # 30.).
3...e4;
(3...c6!?)
4.d3 Nf6; 5.dxe4!?, The computer book says this
line is best.
( White could also play: 5.Nc3 Bb4; 6.Bd2 e3;
7.Bxe3 0-0; 8.Bd2 Bxc3;
9.bxc3 Nxd5; 10.c4 Re8+;
The end of the column. 11.Be2 Nf6; 12.Nf3,
"+/="
and White is just
slightly better. - GM N. DeFirmian in MCO.
Razhdestvensky - Estrin; Moscow,
1943.
[ See MCO-14; pg.'s 14-15, col. # 27, and note # (m.). ].
Or 5.Nd2!? exd3; 6.Bxd3 Nxd5; 7.Qf3!? Nc6; 8.a3 Bc5;
9.Ne2 0-0;
10.Nb3
Be7; "= " The end of the column.
The position is
now equal, according to MCO.
[ See MCO-14; pg.'s 14-15, col. # 25, and notes #
(a.) thru (d.). ].
Maybe 11.Bd2!?,
"+/=" {A.J.G.} )
5...Nxe4; 6.Nf3 Bc5; 7.Qe2 Bf5; 8.Nc3 Qe7; 9.Be3 Bxe3; 10.Qxe3 Nxc3;
The end of the
column. 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7; 12.bxc3 Be4!?;
(Maybe - '!')
( The continuation:
12...Bxc2!?; 13.Kd2 Ba4!?; 14.Re1+, "~" (Maybe -
"+/=")
leads to very wild and unclear play. ).
13.Ng5 Bxd5;
14.0-0-0 Rd8; 15.c4, "+/=" (Unclear or equal?)
... and according to DeFirmian, White
is just a little better.
Gravel - O. Rodriguez;
Spain, 1992.
[ See MCO-14;
pg.'s 14-15, col. # 26, and note # (j.). ]. ].
3.
Nf3, (Nearly - '!')
This is actually the line, "The King's [Knight] Gambit."
White
does FOUR very good things with just this one move:
# 1.) Controls the center;
# 2.) Develops a piece;
# 3.) Helps to prepare for a K-side castles;
# 4.) Stops ...Qh4+; by Black.
But this is NOT the ONLY move here.
[ White can also play the line referred to as the, "King's [Bishop]
Gambit," with: 3.Bc4!?,
which was a favorite of
Tchigorin and
Steinitz.
It was also used a few times by Bobby Fischer, once in a U.S.
Championship game.
If you are interested in this VERY complex line, I suggest you
get a book on this opening, (Or MCO); and investigate
further
on your own. ].
3...d5!?;
(Maybe - '!')
This is VERY energetic and was pioneered, I believe, by GM M. Botvinnik.
(See
his 1952 Soviet Championship game vs. ... GM David Bronstein!!).
Black
returns a pawn in order to challenge White's dominance in the center and
also be
able to develop as quickly as possible. He also maintains the f4-pawn,
which
serves as a major impediment to White's attacking schemes on the King's-side.
"3...d5!?;
is the best and most reliable method for dealing with the King's
Gambit
Accepted Variations." (From a Chess Digest/ Ken Smith pamphlet on
this opening.).
"The best practical defence." - Irving Chernev.
[ The
more normal 'BOOK' line here - in this position - is: 3...g5!;
The "Kieseritzsky
Variation."
Chernev calls this move 'old-fashioned,' but modern theory
(2002) still considers
it the very best.
(White can also play the Philidor,
the Hanstein lines, or ... the
really wild ....... "Muzio Gambit.")
4.h4! g4; 5.Ne5! Nf6!; 6.d4! d6; 7.Nd3 Nxe4;
8.Bxf4, "~" with a wildly unbalanced
position. Play could continue: 8...Qe7; 9.Be2 Nc6!?; 10.c3 Bf5; 11.d5
Nb8!?;
The end of the column. 12.Na3 Nd7;
13.Nb5, "<=>" (Maybe - "=")
The chances are about even. - GM N. DeFirmian in MCO.
Wortel - Jenni; Slovakia, 1996.
[ See MCO - 14; pg.'s 6-7, col. # 01, and note # (e.). ].
( I
might like Black's chances in this position, although White has a very
strong
initiative. {A.J.G.} );
Black can also play, "The Fischer
Variation," with: 3...d6; {Analysis Diagram.}
but this can transpose to
other lines or can assume it's own, unique character. ].
4.
exd5, (Almost forced.)
The correct move ... and the most consistent one.
It is also
the best (or even the only try) that might enable White to achieve an
advantage
in this position.
[ 4.e5?! g5; "=/+" ].
4...Bd6!?;
(Maybe - '!')
An older
system of the King's Gambit that is - 'nonetheless' - perfectly sound. Black
returns a pawn in order to challenge White in the center and activate his
pieces.
(Could I christen this, "The Botvinnik/Bronstein
Variation?")
He develops quickly and prepares to castle K-side. He also tries to
maintain
the f4-pawn as a thorn in White's side.
[ Black could also play:
4...Nf6!?; which is also perfectly playable.
5.Bb5+, This is
maybe the
sharpest line here.
( White could also try one of several different alternatives at this
point.
5.Bc4!?,
(Col. # 13.); or 5.Nc3, (Col. # 14.); or 5.c4.
(Column # 15.)
[ See MCO-14; pg. # 10,
columns # 13 - 15. ] )
5...c6; 6.dxc6 bxc6; This is interesting, but it is not clear what is best here.
(Maybe best is:
6...Nxc6!?; 7.d4 Bd6; 8.Qe2+!? Be6; 9.Ng5!, "~"
(Maybe "+/=")
For more info on this wild line, see MCO-14; page # 10, and
column # 14.)
7.Bc4 Nd5; 8.0-0 Bd6; 9.Nc3!, "+/="
- IM A. Soltis. We could simply stop here,
and conclude White has a slight - but solid edge.
(
9.d4!?); 9...Be6;
10.Ne4! Be7; 11.Bb3! 0-0; 12.d4 Nd7; 13.Qe2 g5;
14.c4 N5b6; 15.h4 h6;
16.Nfxg5!!,
( I would probably try: 16.hxg5 hxg5; 17.c5!?, "~"
{A.J.G.} ).
16...hxg5; 17.Bxf4!,
"--->" B. Spassky - Zacharov;
1/2
Finals,
28th USSR Championship, 1960.
[ See the book, "The Best Chess
Games of
Boris Spassky,"
by IM A. Soltis. Game # 23, pg. # 89. ]
].
5.
Nc3, {Diagram?}
This is perfectly good and natural, White develops a piece and
controls the center.
[ I might have been tempted to try: 5.c4!?, with an interesting game. - {A.J.G.} ;
Variation # 1.) The main line here is probably:
5.d4! Ne7!?; This is best, I think.
Black prepares a quick King-side castling.
( Or 5...Nf6!?; 6.c4 Bg4; 7.Bd3 0-0;
8.0-0 b6; 9.Qc2 c5;
10.b4!, "+/-" White
is clearly much better, according to MCO.
-
GM N. DeFirmian. [ See also MCO-14,
pg.'s 10-11, column # 16, and notes
(o.) through (r.).
Mainly note (p.). ]. (10.Ne5!?,
"+/=" - {A.J.G.})
).
6.c4 Ng6; 7.Bd3,
Maybe the most
logical move here.
(MCO-14 calls this an excellent alternative.)
(
MCO
gives the continuation: 7.Be2 0-0; 8.0-0 b6!?; 9.Nc3 c6;
10.dxc6 Nxc6;
The end of the column. 11.Nb5 Be7!?; 12.d5, "+/="
"White has a small advantage." - GM Nick DeFirmian. (In MCO.)
GM Joe
Gallagher - Ballard; Paris, 1990.
[ See MCO-14; pg.'s 10-11, col. # 16, and
note # (r.). ]. )
7...0-0; 8.0-0, "White has
comp." (Maybe - "+/="), with
good play for both sides.
(Analysis line.) {A.J.G.}
For more info on this
line, see the game: M. Hebden - Johansen;
London, 1982.
[ See also MCO-14, pg.'s
10-11, column # 16, and notes (o.) through (r.). ].
( 8.a3!?; or 8.Nc3!?, - {A.J.G.}
)
That game proceeded: 8...c5!?;
This could be
viewed as potentially risky. 9.b4!?,
Almost too wild. (But VERY sharp!)
(Perhaps
indicated was the move: 9.Nc3 , with good play.
Or 9.dxc5
Bxc5+; 10.Kh1, "~")
9...b6; Maybe too passive a response.
( Maybe
Black had to play: 9...cxb4; 10.c5 Be7; 11.Qb3, "~"
-
{A.J.G.} )
10.bxc5 bxc5; 11.Nc3 Bg4;
12.Ne4, "+/=" (Maybe -
"+/")
"White held an edge." - GM N. DeFirmian in MCO.
(An
almost crazy line. I am NOT vouching for any of this! - {A.J.G.}).
GM M.
Hebden - Johansen; London, 1982.
[ See MCO-14, pg.'s 10-11, column # 16, and
notes (o.) through (r.);
- Mainly note # (q.) here. ].
***
Or Variation # 2.) 5.Bb5+ c6; 6.dxc6 Nxc6; 7.d4
Nge7; "=" (Equal.)
Hans Ree - GM Nigel Short;
Wijk aan Zee,
1986.
[ See also MCO-14, pg.'s 10-11, column # 16, and notes (o.) through
(r.).
- Mainly note (o.) here, Part (A.). ]
].
5...Ne7!?;
(Interesting.)
"Black's handling of the gambit is a little
unusual: Instead of trying to capture the
enemy d5-pawn, as Black usually does
in the more normal 3...d5; variation, he first
prepares to protect his own
f4-pawn; (with ... Ng6.). The f4-Pawn is now destined to
play a very remarkable
role in this game." - GM A. Soltis.
I also should point out this was the sharpest way ('book') to play this line at that time.
(Chernev says the
players were probably out of book at this point. Most Americans
were unaware
that Bronstein had analyzed this position well past move ten in an
article in a
Russian magazine just a few months prior to this game. {A.J.G.})
[ Another try
for Black is: 5...Qe7+!?; 6.Be2 c6; "<=>"
{Counterplay}
with a complicated position.
].
6.
d4
0-0; (Simple chess.)
To me, this is safest and the most consistent with
opening principles - the kind that
I teach to all my students. ("Protect your King
and castle early!")
[ Another line that is popular, according to modern
theory, is: 6...Nd7!?; 7.Bd3 Nb6;
8.0-0 Nbxd5;
( Or 8...0-0; 9.Ng5!,
"+/=")
9.Nxd5 Nxd5; 10.c4 Nb4; 11.Re1+ Kf8;
This seems nearly forced.
( GM
A. Shirov recommends, instead: 11...Be6?!;
12.Bf5! 0-0; ("=") Shirov claims this position is equal.
[ See also MCO-14, pages
10 - 11, column #
16, and notes (o.) through (r.). - Mainly note (o.) here, Part (B.). ].
But a
brief check of any good chess program will reveal that: 13.Bxe6 fxe6;
14.c5
Be7; 15.Qb3!, "+/="
(Maybe "+/") and White is MUCH better
in this position.
- LM A.J. Goldsby I )
12.Be4 f5!?; 13.Bb1, "+/="
("="), but I don't much believe
in it. {A.J.G.} (I much prefer White in
this position!)
[From an ECO/Informant {format} book.] ].
7.
Bd3 Nd7; (Maybe - '!?')
This was the way they were
playing this line at that time.
[ Someone has had to have tried: 7...Bb4!?;
at
some point. After the further
moves: 8.Bxf4 Nxd5; 9.Bd2 Re8+; 10.Kf2 Nf6;
11.Re1 Be7; "=" the position
is nearly equal. - {A.J.G.} ].
8.
0-0 h6!?; (Maybe - '?!/?')
I only give this move an appellation of "Exclam-Question
mark," as it
does NOT lose by force. (Many consider it an error.)
{The
computer evaluations consider this position anywhere from equal to just
slightly
superior for White. Certainly this data does NOT support branding
this move as a
blatant error.}.
Black may have had better moves here, that
much is true. But
nothing so drastically
better as to merit giving this move such a harsh grading.
(In my opinion.)
'?' - GM A. Soltis. '?' - FM Graham Burgess.
"Black was concerned about Ng5 or
Qh5, but this move wastes too much time."
- GM A. Soltis.
[ Black could
also play: 8...Ng6; 9.Ne4 Nf6; 10.Nxd6
Qxd6; 11.c4 Bg4!; ("=")
- GM A. Soltis. (& GM B.
Spassky) 12.Qb3, "+/=" {A.J.G.};
Or Black could try: 8...Nf6!?; 9.Ng5!, I think this
might be the best move here.
( 9.Ne5 Nexd5; 10.Nxd5 Nxd5; 11.Qh5, - Spassky
& Bronstein.
( Or 11.Bxf4 Nxf4; 12.Rxf4 Qg5!?; "="
- FM G.
Burgess.)
11...g6;
(11...Nf6!?) 12.Qh6 Qf6; "=" - Spassky.
) 9...h6;
10.Nge4! "~"
(Maybe - "+/=") - Line by Soltis. ].
White's next move strongly activates his
game. His opponent said of Ne4,
that, "It was a totally unexpected
move." - GM David Bronstein.
(In a Soviet chess magazine.)
9. Ne4!,
(Maybe - '!!')
An unexpected turn. White sacrifices a pawn to
activate his pieces.
He also plans c4-c5, severely cramping Black.
This move
also represents a major departure from the accepted method of handling
these
types of positions. (At least, according to the opening theory of that time.).
'!' - GM A. Soltis. '!' - Irving Chernev. '!' - FM G. Burgess.
[ Or White could try - 9.Ne2!?; "~" {Unclear.}
Or White could try: 9.Ne5!?, (Maybe dubious?)
Several of my students have suggested this move, but
it is an absolute dead end.
9...Nxe5; 10.dxe5
Bxe5; 11.Bxf4 Bd4+; 12.Kh1 Bxc3; 13.bxc3 Nxd5; "=/+"
- LM A.J. Goldsby I ].
9...Nxd5; (Black
must make a crucial decision here.)
Probably the best move here. (Maybe
even forced.)
[ According to Chernev: 9...g5!?; 10.c4!?,
(Maybe - '!') is very
good for White.
10...f5; 11.Nxd6,
"+/" However, when analyzing this
position with a strong
computer, I discovered 9...g5; is a mistake.
(White can
respond with
11.Nfxg5!!, with a winning attack for White. Apparently Chernev
missed this.) ].
10.
c4 Ne3; (Box?)
"The ONLY good move here." - GM A. Soltis.
"It is logical to make White give up his dark-squared
Bishop for this Knight;
otherwise White has a solid positional advantage." - FM Graham Burgess.
(From the book, "[The Mammoth Book Of] The World's
Greatest Chess Games,"
by GM John Nunn, GM John Emms, and FM G. Burgess.)
[ Or Black could try: 10...Nb4!?;
11.Bb1!, "+/=" White is just a little bit better
here.
But probably not: 10...N5f6?;
11.Nxd6 cxd6;
12.Bxf4, "+/=" ("+/")
White is a lot better here. {A.J.G.}
].
11.
Bxe3 fxe3; 12. c5!,
"It
is important to drive this Bishop back." - GM A. Soltis.
"An
excellent move." - GM David Bronstein.
( Writing for the Russian magazine,
called, "64." ).
(Soltis does NOT give this move an exclam. But from
my tests on dozens of players
over the years, to find this move ... AND the idea
behind it! ... is NOT easy to do!
The attacking scheme here is NOT readily apparent,
at least to the average player.)
'!' - GM David Bronstein '!' - GM S. Flohr. '!' - I. Kan.
[ The computers mostly pick: 12.Re1, "=" with equal play. ].
12...Be7;
(Box.)
"The Bishop must retreat." - Irving Chernev.
[ 12...Bf4?!; (Maybe - '?') 13.g3 Bg5;
14.Nfxg5!, The sharpest and best.
( Or White could play: 14.h4!?
White is probably still a little better. )
14...hxg5;
15.Qh5, "--->" (Really "+/-")
"White has a winning attack." - I. Chernev.
].
13.
Bc2!,
A nice move. The Bishop retreats so that White can set up a very dangerous
battery on the b1-h7 diagonal.
(Soltis DOES give this move an exclam.)
'!' - GM A. Soltis. '!' - GM John Nunn. '!' - Irving Chernev. '!' - FM G. Burgess.
"Adopting a theme (Q to d3-h7 mate) most often found in problems or
the Queen's Gambit Declined." (Q.G.D.) - GM Andrew
Soltis.
[ 13.Qe2!? "+/=" ].
13...Re8;
(Possibly -
'!?')
Probably the best move here.
Bronstein vacates the f8-square so that he
can put the Knight on that square
for K-side defence. (No more threats of Qh7#.)
[ 13...Nf6?!; 14.Nxf6+!?, This may not be the most accurate.
(14.Qd3!,
(Maybe - '!') - FM Graham Burgess.
One of the most respected writers of all
time recommended that Black
try to defend with: 14...Nxe4!?;
(14...Re8!)
15.Qxe4 g6;
16.Qxe3 Kg7!?; - Irving Chernev. 17.Rad1, "+/=" (!) {Probably best.}
- LM A.J. Goldsby I ).
14...Bxf6; 15.Qd3 g6!?; 16.Qxe3,
"+/=" this now gives, ...
"White the better prospects." - FM G. Burgess.
].
14. Qd3, ("Hammer Time!"
- Rapper 'M.C. Hammer.')
The battery has been erected, (along the b1-h7 diagonal); and careless
play by Black can now lead to a quick mate.
[ 14.b4!? ].
14...e2;
('!?' ... Maybe - '!')
Black wishes to distract White from
his attack. Indeed, this pawn is not
recoverable, so it would seem very logical
to sacrifice it for a tempo.
"One of the members of the older generation
of Soviet Masters, Ilya Kan,
remarked that Akiba Rubinstein or Jose Capablanca
would have played
15. Rf2, here without much deliberation." - GM Andy
Soltis.
"Black is buying time with his useless KP but ends up purchasing
a Rook
at great cost." - IM A. Soltis.
(From Soltis's book on Spassky,
printed before Soltis became a GM.)
"Bronstein hopes to gain time by
luring the Queen into the capturing the King's
Pawn, but the Queen, (unlike
Atalanta, who stopped to pick up the golden apples
in the race against her
suitor); resists the temptation to pick up the insolent pawn."
- Irving Chernev. ( From the fantastic book, "The
Golden Dozen."
{The Twelve
Greatest Chess Players of All Time}
Plus selected, annotated games.
Copyright
1976; - I. Chernev, & Oxford University Press. )
[ Most Masters would be very
uncomfortable with: 14...Nf6!?; 15.Nxf6+ Bxf6;
16.Qh7+!?, The sharpest move.
(16.Rae1 g6; 17.Rxe3, "=")
16...Kf8;
17.Rae1,
"~" when the proximity of
the White Queen to my King would
have made me very nervous.
Or 14...Nf8;
15.Ne5!, (15.Qxe3!?,
"+/=" Or 15.Bb3!?, "~")
15...Be6;
(If 15...f6!?; 16.Ng5!! hxg5; 17.Qh7+!! Nxh7; 18.Bb3+ Qd5[]; 19.Bxd5+ Be6;
20.Bxe6+, and mate next move!!!).
16.Rae1!,
{"With an initiative."} "+/="
- GM A. Soltis. ].
***
"Spassky's next move is
move is both memorable and spectacular."
- FM Graham Burgess.
[ From his
very good book, "Chess Highlights of The
20th Century."
(c) 1999,
Gambit Pub. ].
15.
Nd6!!, (Maybe - '!!!/!!!!')
(!!?!?!)
('!?' - Garry Kasparov)
One of the single most
amazing and brilliant moves ever played on a chess board.
This is definitely one of the
prettiest, (if not the very best ever); moves ever played
in a Soviet Championship(s).
(< The crowd was stunned. Electricity began to grow in this
position, >
according to one Soviet newspaper.)
I always thought myself a
pretty fair chess-player. But I remember looking at this
game in the early
1970's. I just stared at the position for over an hour. Seemingly
an infinite
number of lines poured through my head, yet I found it impossible to
'divine'
the win. This game, along with a couple of Tal games and a couple of
Fischer
games taught me there was much more to chess than just a mere, ......
"crunching
the numbers." (Calculation.)
"This move, threatening Qh7+ and mates,
has been criticized on the grounds that
15. Rf2 would have given White a fine
game whereas the text leads, with correct
play, to an unclear position. This may
be accurate - but somewhat unfair. Chess is
not always a game of the objectively
best moves but of pragmatic choices. Black,
who is soon short of time, begins to
swim in the complications he would have never
had to worry about after a move
like 15. Rf2." - GM Andrew Soltis.
(Beautiful prose; and very well put!!)
I
will only add to this that in chess you must sometime listen to your inner
voices.
Chess is not only competition, but also art. Things like creativity,
imagination,
and intuition should also count for something. Here Spassky gives
his 'emotive
being' the ability to express itself fully! - LM A.J. Goldsby I
<< One of the
deepest sacrifices this side of the "Evergreen Game." >>
- IM A. Soltis. (From his book of Spassky's games, published before
{1973} Soltis got
the GM title.)
GM R.
Fine, writing for the American magazine, 'Chess Life
& Review,' called
this move, ... "Perhaps one of THE most shocking
chess moves ever played!!"
"One move by Spassky - a really fantastic
move - lights up the whole position.
'Fantastic' is a strong word, but how else
can one describe Spassky's inspired
15th move? Instead of removing an impudent
pawn that that attacks his Rook,
Spassky blithely permits this pawn to capture
his Rook with check! ***
Truly, it is just one move ... in a million!" -
Irving Chernev.
( From his book, "The Golden Dozen."
)
'!!' - GM A. Soltis. '!!' - Irving Chernev.
[ White could try: 15.Qxe2!?, "+/="
Or 15.Rf2!?, "+/=" Now not 15...b6!?;
(Better is: 15...f5[];)
16.Nd6!!, ("+/-")
with play much as in the game ...
but with one very
important difference. (White does not lose a Rook!)
].
15...Nf8?!;
(Too passive.)
Perhaps the first really inaccurate move in this very grand
game. {A.J.G.}
This Knight retreat is actually a very logical and a very reasonable
defensive idea.
(It fails, but not by much. And it may lose ... BUT! ... it
takes some very brilliant play
by White to prove the win!!).
'?' - GM A. Soltis '?' - GM J. Nunn. '?' - FM G. Burgess.
Many players have heavily criticized this move, calling it the losing move.
While Black may nearly be lost after
this move, it is still not so bad ...
- in my own humble opinion - as to rate full
question mark.
I also think that a lesser player may not have won this game.
(Master practice is full of examples of such games - - one side may have a won
game, but could not quite find the 'knock- out' blow to put his opponent away.)
Here Spassky shows he is up to the task and has brought his whole game,
...
and the finishing touch.
I should point out to that
most of the critics of this
move never played a game
that belongs in the "Best Over-All One Hundred
Games of Chess." !!
Chernev did NOT give this move a mark of any kind. To me, this is very revealing.
... "The fact that Bronstein had only 20
minutes left to play his next 26 moves,
I am sure was not helpful to his frame
of mind." - Irving Chernev.
[ Black has a huge array of seemingly reasonable alternatives, the
choices here
boggle the mind and confuse even a Master!
Variation # 15B1.) The best defense is:
15...Bxd6!; 16.Qh7+ Kf8;
17.cxd6 exf1Q+;
18.Rxf1 cxd6!; Absolutely the best move in this
position.
Any other move here falls short of allowing Black
to put up a reasonable defence.
Black could also play:
a.)
Definitely NOT 18...c6??; 19.Qh8#.
b.)
Another line that LOOKS good but falls short is: 18...Nf6?!; 19.Qh8+ Ng8;
20.Ne5 f6;
21.Bh7
Be6; 22.d7!, (A nice move. Maybe - '!!' GM Soltis likes
this move
so much, he awards it two exclams!) 22...Re7; 23.Bxg8 Bxg8;
24.Rxf6+! gxf6;
25.Qxf6+ Rf7; 26.Ng6#.
19.Qh8+ Ke7;
20.Re1+ Ne5; Now this is forced.
(20...Kf6??; 21.Rxe8, "+/-")
21.Qxg7 Rg8; 22.Qxh6 Qb6!;
23.Kh1 Be6; 24.dxe5 d5[]; 25.Qf6+,
"/\" (Unclear?)
with a position where White's attack may (will) continue.
This is obviously the best
continuation for Black. But I should
point out this line was not worked out until WELL
AFTER the game ... and only then by
a TEAM if GM's!! For Bronstein to discover this
line over-the-board would have been a super-human
effort ... and nothing short of
miraculous. To find this line over-the-board ...
when he was also already short of
time - well, let us just say that this was just
being very unrealistic!!
( Just as good - {and
perhaps better}, is the move: 25.Ba4!?, (- GM A. Soltis.) );
Variation # 15B2.) Completely unacceptable is:
15...cxd6??; Just plain silly.
16.Qh7+ Kf8; 17.Qh8#.
Variation # 15B3.) A very plausible variation, but one that loses brilliantly is:
15...exf1Q+!?; 16.Rxf1 Nf6!?;
This is a fairly reasonable-looking move here.
It loses in a very pretty and exceptional manner, but
it takes ultra-brilliant play
by White to prove the point.
( The move 16...Bxd6!;
transposes
back to the best line of defence.
{See variation # 15B1.} )
17.Nxf7!,
(Maybe - '!!') " ---> " White has a strong
attack now, in this position.
17...Kxf7;
This looks to be pretty much forced.
Black could also try:
a).
17...Bf5; 18.Qxf5 Qd7;
(18...Kxf7?; 19.Bb3+ Kf8; 20.Qg6, "+/-")
19.Qg6,
"+/" (Maybe
"+/-")
b).
17...Qd5; 18.Nxh6+! Kh8;
(18...gxh6?; 19.Qg6+! Kh8; 20.Qxh6+ Kg8;
21.Bb3, "+/-") 19.Ng5! Ne4;
20.Nhf7+ Kg8; 21.Bb3!, ("+/-")
White is winning easily.
18.Ne5+
Kg8; [] Again forced. And it looks like Black is getting away.
( Many of my
students - over the years - has said that Black was, ...
"completely safe"
in this position. (!!!) )
( If 18...Kf8?!; 19.Bb3! c6; Ugly, but there is not much Black can do here ...
other than to play give-away!
(If 19...Be6; 20.Bxe6 Bxc5; 21.Ng6#.
Or 19...g6; 20.Qxg6, "+/-" Or 19...g5; 20.Qh7, "+/-")
20.Ng6#. )
Now White wins brilliantly.
19.Qh7+!! Nxh7; This is forced.
(19...Kf8??; 20.Qh8#)
20.Bb3+
Qd5;
21.Bxd5+ Be6; 22.Bxe6+ Kh8;
23.Ng6#. An ultra-brilliant, spectacular mate.
Variation # 15B4.) 15...Nf6!?;
16.Nxf7! exf1Q+; 17.Rxf1 Kxf7;
18.Ne5+ Kf8;
Forced. (18...Kg8; 19.Qh7+!!,
etc.)
19.Bb3, ("+/-") with a
winning attack. {White
threatens Ng6#.} (These lines are nothing more than
a "mirror echo" of
many of the line analyzed earlier. So I will not analyze them
in great detail.)
].
16.
Nxf7!, (Probably - '!!')
A very nice move. White cracks
open Black's King-position like an egg for breakfast.
"I am sure Spassky
did not consider such a move as 16. Nxe8 for more than
two seconds." -
Irving Chernev.
'!' - GM A. Soltis. '!' - Irving Chernev. '!' - FM G. Burgess.
Really
this is an incredible move. Very, very, very brilliant. How many players
would
play this move ... WITH A ROOK ALREADY HANGING??? {A.J.G.}
[ 16.Nxe8? exf1Q+; 17.Rxf1 Qxe8; "-/+" ].
16...exf1Q+;
Black accepts the
Rook now, maybe out of pure desperation.
[ The Knight on f7 is taboo. 16...Kxf7?; 17.Ne5+ Kg8;
This looks forced.
(
Or 17...Ke6?!; 18.d5+! Qxd5;
19.Qf5#). 18.Qh7+!! Nxh7; 19.Bb3+ Qd5;
20.Bxd5+ Be6; 21.Bxe6+ Kh8;
22.Ng6#. ].
17.
Rxf1
Bf5;
"Black must now throw material in the path of his
opponent or face mate."
- GM A. Soltis.
[ Variation # 17B1.) 17...Kxf7?!;
18.Ne5+! Kg8?!; Not really the best move,
But I allow Black to play it here, because
the finish is so pretty.
(18...Ke6; 19.Qc4+ Qd5;
20.Bf5+ Kf6; 21.Bxc8+
Kg5; 22.Qxd5, "+/-")
19.Qh7+!! Nxh7; 20.Bb3+ Qd5;
( 20...Kh8?;
21.Ng6# ) 21.Bxd5+ Be6;
22.Bxe6+ Kh8;
23.Ng6#. A really cute mate.
Variation # 17B2.) 17...c6??;
18.Nxd8, "+/-"
White wins easily.
(Black has lost his Queen.)
Variation # 17B3.) 17...Qd5; 18.Bb3 Qxb3[];
This is 100% forced,
according to many computers.
(MANY writers don't even consider this
move!!)
Black could also play:
a.)
18...Qh5?!; 19.Nxh6+ Kh8; 20.Nf7+ Kg8; 21.N7g5+ Kh8; 22.Bf7, ("+/-")
White will regain a whole Rook, and maintain a two-pawn advantage ...
and a powerful attack!
b.)
Or 18...Qc6?; 19.Nxh6+! Kh8; 20.Nf7+ Kg8; 21.Nd8+, ("+/-");
Black has lost his Queen.
c.)
Or 18...Qxf7; Black almost gets enough material for his Queen in
this line. 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7; 20.Qc4+
Kg6; (Not 20...Be6?; 21.
Ng5+!, etc.)
21.Qg8!, - A. Soltis. Now play could proceed: 21...Bf6; 22.Nh4+! Bxh4;
23.Qf7+ Kh7; 24.Qxe8,
... "and White wins." - FM G.
Burgess.
I.e., 24...Ng6; 25.Rf7 c6; 26.g3, ("+/-") with a fairly
easy win on material.
19.Qxb3
Be6; 20.Nxh6+ gxh6; 21.Qxb7, "+/" (Maybe
- "+/-")
and White wins. - LM
A.J.
Goldsby I.
Variation # 17B4.) 17...Qd7?;
18.N3e5!, White has a winning
attack.
18...Qd5; (Box.)
There are no good squares for the Black Queen.
19.Bb3, (Best)
("+/-") Now Black's Queen is trapped or won. ].
18.
Qxf5
Qd7;
"By returning a Bishop, Black has gained a little time to
defend."
- FM G. Burgess.
(The "Mammoth" Book.).
19.
Qf4!, {Very good.}
A nice move, maintaining the pressure.
[ 19.Qd3!? ("+/=") ].
19...Bf6;
"This game deserves a better finish than 20. Nxh6+." - GM A.
Soltis.
20. N3e5!,
White is massing his pieces for the final attack.
An excellent move, and one awarded an exclam by many annotators.
'!' - GM Andy Soltis.
[ 20.N7e5!?, "+/" ].
20...Qe7;
This may be forced.
[ 20...Bxe5; 21.Nxe5 Rxe5; (Box.) Forced to avoid mate.
( Or 21...Qe7!?;
(Now, maybe
22.Qe4!?, threatening Rxf8+. - Soltis.)
22. Bb3! Kh8; 23. Qe4!, "+/-" Black is helpless. White threatens
RxN/f8+,
and then simply Ng6+, winning.
22.dxe5, ("+/-") ... "and White has to comfort himself with an
endgame win."
- GM A. Soltis. ].
21.
Bb3!, (Maybe even - '!!')
White prepares a devastating discovered check. (This is not at all
an obvious
move, and sometimes the last move that is seriously considered by my
students
and people that I show this game to.)
[ Almost equally as good was:
21.Nxh6+!?, (Maybe - '!') 21...gxh6;
22.Qxf6, "+/-"
which is the
continuation many (most) of my students want
to play, at this point.
( Or 22.Qxh6!!, "+/-" )
].
21...Bxe5;
Not very good looking, but there
wasn't much else Black could do.
[ Var. # 21B1.)
Maybe worse for Black was:
21...Ne6;
22.Nxh6+! gxh6; 23.Qxf6 Qxf6;
24.Rxf6 Kg7; 25.Rg6+! Kh7; 26.Bxe6! Rf8;
27.Bd5, "+/-"
White has an overwhelming advantage.
Var. # 21B2.) Or 21...Kh7?!;
22.Qf5+ g6; (Box)
( 22...Kg8?; 23.Nxh6+
Kh8; 24.Nef7+, ("+/-") Black has got to give up his Q.)
23.Qxf6,
"+/-" ... "forces an ending with a huge material advantage for
White."
- FM G. Burgess. ].
22.
Nxe5+ Kh7;
Is Black escaping?
(Hardly!)
[ 22...Kh8; 23.Qe4! g6; This looks forced.
a). 23...c6?;
24.Rxf8+!, etc.
b).
Or 23...g5?!; 24.Rf7, "+/-" and White wins.
( Not 24.Rxf8+?? Qxf8; "~" )
24.Qd5!, This is the strongest move here, in this position.
(
White can also win with: 24.Rxf8+ Qxf8; The best here.
( 24...Rxf8?; 25.Nxg6+,
("+/-") wins easily for White.
Or 24...Kg7; (Box.) 25.Qxg6+! Kxf8; 26.Qxh6+ Qg7; 27.Nd7+
Ke7;
28.Qxg7+, ("+/-")
wins easily for White. )
25.Nxg6+ Kg7; 26.Ne5 Rxe5; Sadly, this looks forced.
( If 26...Kh8; 27.c6! b6; 28.Bc2!,
"--->" ("+/=");
Or 26...c6?; 27.Qg6+
Kh8; 28.Nf7+ Qxf7; 29.Bxf7, "+/-" )
27.Qxe5+ Qf6; 28.Qxc7+ Kh8;
29.Qe5, "+/" (Maybe "+/-")
White is much better, and
should prevail in an ending. )
24...Qg7;
(24...c6??; 25.Qg8#)
25.Rf7 c6; 26.Qd6 Rac8;
27.Rxg7, "+/-" And
... of course, White will win easily.
*****
Black can also try:
(>/=) 22...Ne6;
23.Ng6!, Qg5!?; 24.Qe4!, "+/-"
{Diag?}
when White wins easily. (Threats of Bxe6+, followed
by a
discovered check by the Knight ... Black will lose a lot
of
material trying to prevent this.)
Added Dec. 05, 2004. ].
23. Qe4+, (Almost - '!') Black Resigns, 1-0.
[ White wins after: 23.Qe4+ Kh8;
Forced? (23...g6;
24.Rxf8! Rxf8;
(24...Qxf8; 25.Qxg6+ Kh8; 26.Nf7+
Qxf7;
27.Bxf7, "+/-"
Not only does White have a material plus, he
will
also mate Black.)
25.Qxg6+ Kh8; 26.Qxh6+ Qh7; 27.Ng6#)
24.Rxf8+!
Rxf8; (24...Qxf8; makes no difference.)
25.Ng6+,
25...Kh7;
26.Nxf8+!, (dbl chk) A nice move, leaving Black virtually
no options.
(The
move, 26.Nxe7+!?, also wins ... and without too
much trouble.)
26...Kh8; 27.Qh7# ]
*****
Simply one of the most incredible, - one of the most
beautiful, ... and one
of the most amazing games of chess ever played.
(And
perhaps the shortest game Bronstein ever lost!!!)
In my opinion, Spassky
showed more creativity and imagination in this one game,
than most players have
shown in their entire lives.
GM Ludek Pachman - analyzing this game for a
German magazine - immediately
hailed this game as, "One of the [new] modern
chess masterpieces."
GM Andy Soltis - in his book,
"The
100
Best" - highly praises this game and ranks
this game as # 32 out of his
'Top 100.' Great marks for any chess game!
This game was picked as one of the
very best chess games of the 1960's in a poll
of the readers of the Soviet
magazine, "Shakmatny Bulletin."
FM Graham Burgess rates this as one
of the 3 best games for the calendar year,
1960. (See his book, "Chess
Highlights of The 20th Century.").
IM
B. Cafferty, (in his book on Spassky), called this game one of the finest
he had ever had the pleasure to review or to
analyze.
I
believe it was Al Horowitz, writing for 'Chess Review,' that
said this had to
be one of the most brilliant games of the last 50 years.
*************************************************************
BIBLIOGRAPHY
-
"The 100 Best," by GM Andrew Soltis.
(The 100 Best Games of The 20th Century, Ranked.) -
"Chess Highlights of The 20th Century," by FM Graham Burgess.
-
[The Mammoth Book Of] "The World's Greatest Chess Games."
by GM (& Dr.) John Nunn, GM John Emms, and FM Graham Burgess. -
The book, "The Best Chess Games of Boris Spassky." by IM Andy Soltis.
(Copyright © 1973, A. Soltis. David McKay, publishers.). -
"The 100 Best Chess Games of Boris Spassky," by IM Bernard Cafferty.
-
The book, "The Golden Dozen," by Irving Chernev.
(The Twelve Greatest Players Who Ever Lived.)
{Plus selected, annotated games.} -
I did not have the following book when I first annotated this game, in fact -
it had not even come out yet. But it does contain some interesting analysis.
"My Great Predecessors, Part III." By GM Garry Kasparov and also
Dimitry Plisetsky. Copyright (c) 2004, published by 'Everyman Chess.'
ISBN: # 1-85744-371-3. Game # 52, page # 203.
(December 06, 2004: I recently purchased this book, but I have not had
a chance to thoroughly review the notes to this game. As soon as I can find
the time, I will. If I find anything major, I will post it here ... of course!)
(All HTML Code initially) Generated with ChessBase 8.0
|
|
I
started this game in May of 2000. I worked on it - intermittently - for quite a
while,
and then laid it aside. (I actually repeated this process several times.)
I finally finished the annotating process probably in early 2002.
It then took nearly another 4-7 weeks (or more) of work to get this web page ready ...
for publication on my web-site. SO ... Enjoy!
This
game, in ChessBase
format; is probably one of the best annotation jobs anyone has ever done
on this particular game. It also contains a fairly decent survey of the
opening. If you would like a copy
of this game to study on your computer, I hope you would contact
me.
Click
HERE to return to the page you left.
(The "Best All - Time Games" page.)
Click HERE to go to (return)
to my home page. (Main Page.)
***
If
you enjoyed this page, you might enjoy my page dedicated to ...
"The Best Short Games Of Chess." (Click HERE.)
This game was (first) posted on my web-site on March 06th, 2002.
Page last checked/updated: Sunday, May 17, 2009. Last edit or save on: 05/17/2009 22:41 .
*******
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 1995-2008.
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2009. All rights reserved.
