1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Ng5+ Kg8 8. Ne6 Qe8 9. Nxc7 Qg6 10. Nxa8 Qxg2 11. Rf1 exd4 12. Qxd4 Ne5 13. f4

'White has to do something against the threatened ... Nf3+, but now, combining attack with defence, he appears to do very well. Should Black try to play ... Nf3+ nevertheless, and to combine it with Iljin-Genewsky's sacrificing idea (see article on openings), he would find it wanting, thus: 13... Nf3+ 14. Rxf3 Qxf3 15. Qc4+ d5 16. Qxc8+ Kf7 17. Qxb7. This leaves White a good piece and pawn up and Black for the moment unable to bring another piece into the attack.

Should Black choose 13... Bh3, then White, by 14. Qf2, would force removal of queens , give back the exchange, but remain with a very promising end-game. However, Black has another possibility, which swings the game in his favour.'

13... Nfg4 14. Qd5+

'He finds the one and only defence against the threatened ... Bh4+ and ... Qxf1+ followed by mate. The point is that Black cannot play 14... Kf8 on account of 15. fxe5+, hence must retreat his knight to f7, so that the white Queen can go to c4 and cover the Rook.'

14... Nf7 15. Qc4 Bh4+ 16. Kd1 Be6

The white Queen must still protect the Rook. Now 17. Qb5, though crudely threatening mate, would be bad, as Black would simply answer 17... Bd7 and later on White could not attack the biship with f5 when it is imperative to shut him out of g4.'

17. Qe2 Nf2+ 18. Rxf2

White is forced to give back the exchange, but not for the reason first imagined. It was thought that after 18. Kd2 Bg4 19. Q moves any spicy discovered check would end the game in no time, but this is not so, as White more specifically goes 19. Qb5 threatening mate on the move and now has the time for one crucial tempo to leave any piece en prise provided it cannot be taken with check. E.g. (a) 19... Nxe4+ 20. Ke3 Bf2+ 21. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kxe4, or (b) 19... Nd1+ 20. Ne2, followed by Rxd1, or (c) 19... Nd3+ 20. Ke3. Black would, however, play the conservative 19... g6, keeping all his threats and leaving White without defence.'

18... Bxf2 19. f5 Qg1+ 20. Kd2

'Here the "experts" in the audience saw a beautiful mating combination going 20... Bc4 21. Qxc4 Qe1+ 22. Kd3 Ne5 mate, overlooking that Black's last move is illegal, but Wolpert went one better.'

20... Ne5 21. Nd1

'Although attacking two black pieces, this is immediately fatal. The only chance of temporary survival lies in 21. fxe6. It is true that Black can then win Queen and Rook, but if he chooses 21... Be3+ 22. Qxe3 Nc4+ 23. Kd3 Nxe3 24. Bxe3, White will have drawing possibilities, as his e-Pawn is bound to cost the black Rook. Correct is the other simplification: 21... Be1+ 22. Qxe1 Nf3+ 23. Ke2 Nxe1 24. Be3 (24. Bf4 Qg4+) 24... Qxh2+ 25. Kxe1 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qxa1. The difference lies in the fact that in the course of the combination Black has taken the h-pawn and that his own h-pawn supported by the Queen, will clinch the issue. It makes no difference to the outcome, if White decided to refrain from 25. Kxe1 and to preserve the Rook.'.

21... Be1+ 22. Qxe1 Qd4+

0-1

Annotator(s): Kurt Dreyer, tournament book (pp. 7 and 8) (given above); Wolfgang Heidenfeld, in Modern Chess Miniatures, Leonard Barden and Wolfgang Heidenfeld (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul 1960), pp. 30-31 (game 33).

Reference(s): Johannesburg 1955, David McAlister, IRLchess, July 9, 2020.

Event information: Tournament report.