Neither the gambiteers of the classic period of chess nor the stodge merchants of the turn of the century were in the mood for openings that involved giving up the Queen for an assortment of wood. Thus the “image” of the Queen became unduly inflated. Modern opening theory has cleared away the adoration of the Queen as though she were a Madonna; and experimental lines such as the King's Indian variation used by Bronstein against Spassky at Amsterdam 1956 came to be investigated. Played in the Irish Championship at Dublin 1968. the following game shows a similar positional sacrifice previously experimented with by Larsen.

1. Nf3 e6 2. g3 f5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. c4 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Nc3 d6 7. d4 Qe8 8. Re1

The currently fashionable line in the Dutch has now been reached.

8... Qg6 9. e4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11. Rxe4 Nc6

Now Black cannot capture the R because of 11... Qxe4? 12. Nh4, when 12... Qxh4 13. gxh4 Bxh4 does not give Black enough. But with his next move he gains square d4 for the Queen and White can therefore not maintain the offer.

12. Re1?

This move has been virtually refuted by the combination that follows. Much stronger—among other lines such as 12. Re2—is 12. Qe2, with the continuation 12... Bf6 13. Bd2! e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bc3, with which John Moles beat me in the Irish Championship 1969. It is then extremely difficult for Black to meet White's combined play on the e-file and the long white diagonal.

12... Nb4! 13. Bd2

An interesting novelty; in the students' world championship Rejkjavik 1957 and in the game Nejkirch - Larsen, Portoroz 1958, 13. a3 was played with the same follow-up. Reilly's move gives up another pawn so as to get play for his pieces at the end of the following deal:

13... Nc2 14. Nh4 Bxh4 15. Be4 Nxe1! 16. Bxg6 Nf3+ 17. Kg2 hxg6 18. gxh4 Nxh4+ 19. Kg1 Nf3+ 20. Kg2

Here Mednis - Martin at Reykjavik repeated moves (except that the pawn was on a3 and the B on c1—as also in the Lrsen game). Larsen, with his N on f5—Nejkirch having played the K to g3 instead of g1 at moves 19—realised the great potential of the black position and played 20... b6, winning after a long fight in 72 moves. The white pieces never got any real play at all. In the text position I was aware of the fact that in taking the pawn I would allow the white pieces dangerous plau which, however, I believed could be contained, after which the important extra pawn would guarantee victory.

20... Nxd4! 21. Ba5 c5 22. Bc7 Nf5

Safeguarding the d-pawn, since 23. Bxd6 is punished by 23... Rd8.

23. Qa4 e5! 24. Rd1 Rf6! 25. Qe8+ Kh7 26. Rd3

White has developed all his units with strong threats, but these have achieved nothing, and Black is now ready to hit back.

26... Nd4 27. Re3!

To stop Black developing his B with tempo. Thus if it were Black's move, he could have played 27... Bf5 28. Qxa8 Bxd3 29. Qxa7 Rf4! 30. Bxd6 Rg4+ 31. Kh3 Rg1 and White is powerless against ... Bf1+ and ... Nf5 mate. Black's difficulty is that he cannot develop the B Larsen's way, by (27. Re3) 27... b6, because of 28. Kf1, when 28... Bb7 or 28... Ba6 would allow 29. Rh3#. The mutual threats on h3 are a feature of the following passages.

27... Nf3!

now Black threatens 28... Bh3+ or, if White captures twice on his f3, ... Bg4+. If White answers 28. Kh1 Nh4! with early mating threats, while the white counter-threat on h3 is gone for good. And if White relinquishes the 8th rank by 28. Qe7, there would follow 28... Bg4 $1 29. Bxd6 Nh4+ followed by 30... Nf5. This leaves only the text move.

[RR 27... g5! intending 28. Kg1 g4, cutting out Rh3, is much better.]

28. Kg3

[RR White is in fact no worse after 28. Kh1! , when Heidenfeld's suggested 28... Nh4 leads nowhere after 29. Kg1, e.g. 29... Rf4 30. b3 (or 30. Qe7 Rd4 31. f4!?=) 30... Rd4 31. h3.

If (28. Kh1) 28... Nd2 29. Kg1 Nxc4? allows 30. Re4, and after the forced 30... Rf4 31. Rxf4 exf4 White is much better or winning.

After 28. Kh1 Nd4 29. Qd8, it is too late for 29... g5? 30. Bxd6, so Black has nothing better than a repetition with 29... Nc6 30. Qe8 Nd4, etc.]

28... Nd4 29. Kg2 Nf3 30. Kg3 Nd2!

Decisive—White can only play the hapless King all the time.

31. Kg2

[RR 31. Qe7! was a much better prospect. After 31... Nf1+ 32. Kg2 Nxe3+ 33. fxe3, Black's central pawns will fall, under conditions where the white king is more secure than in the game, e.g. 33... Bf5 34. Bxd6 Be4+ 35. Kg1 Kg8 36. Bxe5 Rf7 37. Qxc5.]

31... Nxc4 32. Rg3

[RR Of course 32. Re4?? here can be met by 32... Bh3+.]

32... Nd2 33. Qe7 Ne4 34. f3!

34. Rf3 Bf5! is obviously hopeless. The text is designed to clean up all Black's centre pawns in return for the exchange, but unfortunately after the great bloodletting the black pieces are all trained on the naked white king.

[ RR 34. Re3! puts up more resistance, e.g. 34... Bf5 35. f3 Nd2 36. Bxd6.]

34... Nxg3 35. hxg3 Be6 36. Bxd6 Bd5 37. Bxe5 Rf7 38. Qxc5 Bxf3+ 39. Kh2 Re8 40. Qc3 Bc6

Resigns. For if—so as to stop the mate threatening with ... Rf1 and ... Rh1—White plays 41. g4 Rf2+ 42. Kg1 Rg2+ 43. Kf1 Rf8+ 44. Ke1 Rf3 45. Qc5 Rh3 and wins.

Or if 41. Bf4 Re2+ 42. Kg1 Rd7 43. Qb3 Bb5! and wins (44. Kf1 Rxb2+).

Or if 41. Kg1 Rfe7 42. Bf4 Re1+ and mate next move.

0-1

Annotator(s): Wolfgang Heidenfeld (see Source).

Source(s): Rudolf Marić, Informator 6/232; Wolfgang Heidenfeld, Lacking the Master Touch (South African Chessplayer, 1970), game 49, pp. 108-110 (pp. 108-09, p. 110).

Event information: Tournament report.

Download pgn.