Aron Nimzowitsch -

Master of Planning

Raymond Keene

B. T. Batsford Ltd, London

First edition 1974 by G. Bell and Sons, Ltd.
First Batsford edition 1991
New algebraic edition 1999
B. T. Batsford 1974, 1999

ISBN071348438 l

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available from the British Library.

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A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

General Manager: Nigel Davies
Advisor!>': Mark Dvoretsky, Raymond Keene OBE,
Daniel King, Jon Speelman, Chris Ward
Contents

Explanation of Symbols 4
Tournament and Match Record, 1904-1934 5
Aron Nimzowitsch - Master of Planning 7

l Why write about Nimzowitsch? 9

2 'How I became a Grandmaster' 13
3 A Discussion with Bent Larsen 29
4 The Influence of Nimzowit<>ch on Modem Opening Play 4I
5 The Duality of Nimzowitsch 79
6 First Steps: Selected Games 1904-1906 84
7 Established Master: Selected Games 1907-1914 90
8 Disaster and Recovery: Selected Games 1920-1924 108
9 World Championship Candidate: Selected Games 1925-1928 126
l0 The Crown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931 174
11 The Final Years: Selected Games 1932-1935 234

Epilogue 252
Index of Openings 253
Index of Players 255
Explanation of Symbols

+ check
II
brilliant move
I
good move
I?
interesting move
?I dubious move

? bad move

??
blunder
+- White is winning
+ White has a clear advantage
+ White has a slight advantage
equal position
-
+ Black has a slight advantage
+ Black has a clear advantage
-+ Black is winning
Tournament and Match Record,
1904-1934

Tournaments

Date Tournament Placing + - -

1904 Coburg - Haupttumier A 6 9 3 4
1905 Vienna (Double Round) 6 3 10 5
1905 Bat 111en - B Group 15-16 3 6 8
1906 Munich (Double Round) 1 7 3 0
1907 Ostend - Master Toum. 3-4 14 10 4
1907 Carlsbad 4-5 8 9 3
1910 Hamburg 3 8 5 3
1911 San Sebastian 5-7 3 9 2
1911 Carlsbad 5-6 11 9 5
1912 San Sebastian (Double Round) 2-3 8 8 3
1912 Vilna (Double Round) 4 6 9 3
1913 St. Petersburg - Russian Ch. 1-2 12 3 2
1914 St. Petersburg - GM Toum. 8 1 6 3
1919-20 Gothenburg 12 1 7 5
1920 Stockholm (Double Round) 2 11 2 1
1923 Copenhagen (Double Round) 1 6 4 0
1923 Carlsbad 6-7 8 4 5
1924 Copenhagen 1 9 1 0
1925 Baden-Baden 9 7 8 5
1925
1925
Breslau
Marienbad
-1-2
')
6
8
3
6
2
1
1926 Semmering 4-5 9 5 3
1926 Dresden 1 8 1 0
1926 Hanover 1 6 1 0
1927 New York (Quadruple Round) 3 6 9 5
1927
1927
Berlin
Copenhagen
2-4
2-3
5 -3 12/5
')

1
2

1927 Kecskemet 2-3 8 7 1

1927 Bad Niendorf 1-2 4 3 0
1927 London - Imperial Ch. Club
(Double Round) 1 7 3 0
1927 London - Int. Toum. 1-2 7 2 -
')
6 To111nament and Match Record

1928 Berlin - Schachgesellschaft 1 8 4 I

1928 Bad Kissingen 5 3 6 2
1928 Berlin - Tageblatt (Double Round) 2 4 6 2
1928 Copenhagen 1 4/5
1929 Carlsbad 1 10 10 I
1930 San Remo 2 8 5 2
1930 Liittich - (Liege) 3-5 3 6 2
1930 Frankfurt am Main 1 9 1 1
1931 Winterthur 1 7 I 0
1931 Bled - Veldes (Double Round) 3 8 12 6
1933 Copenhagen 1 5 I 1
1934 Stockholm (Double Round) 2 6 2 2
1934 Zurich 6-7 6 6 3
1934 Copenhagen (Swiss) I 6 1/2/8

Matches

Date Opponent Venue + - -

1905 Spielmann Munich 4 5 4
1908 Spielmann Munich 1 1 4
1911 Leonhardt Hamburg 0 I 4
1913 Alekhine St. Petersburg
Play-off 1 0 1
1920 Bogoljubow Stockholm l 0 3
1922/23 Brinckmann Kiel 4 0 0
1931 Double round matches vs. leading
Swiss players Bern 8 3 2*
1934
1934
Stahlberg
Stoltz
Gothenburg
Stockholm
2
2
-3
")
4
1

Nimzowitsch was never as comfortable in match play as he was in tourna-

ments and lost more matches than he won. Probably his greatest match
success was his tie with Alekhine, but this match was of minimal duration.

* Bern 1931: Double-round matches against seven leading Swiss masters:

Nimzowitsch 0 1/2 Naegeli I 1/2
Nimzowitsch 0 I H. Johner I 0
Nimzowitsch 1/2 I Voellmy 1/2 0
Nimzowitsch 1/2 1 Zimme1111ann 1/2 0
Nimzowitsch 1 I Grob 0 0
Nimzowitsch I 1 Gygli 0 0
Nimzowitsch I 1 Michel 0 0
I 0 1/2 3 1/2

Throughout this book I have included the full crosstables of Nimzowitch 's
most important tournaments.
Aron Nimzowitsch - Master of Planning
Introduction
Aron Nimzowitsch was the great
chess thinker as well as aspirant for
the world championship in the late
1920s and early 1930s. His influ-
ence on subsequent generations of
players has been eno1111ous and his
espousal of his own defence, the
Nimzo-Indian, l d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3
lLic3 i.b4, helped it to become,
perhaps, the most popular and ef-
fective weapon against 1 d4.
Study of Nimzowitsch' s games
will be of immense benefit to the
chess student who wishes to follow
a thematic strategic line. By doing
so, it is possible to prepare such
plans for one's own chessboard
battles and then carry them out,
secure in the knowledge that the
intellectual spadework has been
done well in advance by a master
of the art.
Games which are particularly
valuable in this sense are the the-
matic dark-square domination
against Maroczy from Bled 1931,
the superlative demonstration of
good knight against bad bishop
against Henneberger at Winterthur
1931, the strangulation against
Tartakower in Nimzowitsch 's
greatest tournament triumph at
Carlsbad 1929, and the ruthles..<;
exploitation of doubled pawns
against the two times world cham-
pionship challenger Bogoljubow
from that same tournament. An
absolute masterpiece of planning
was his game against Levenfish. It
has inspired many subsequent gen-
erations of masters and grandmas-
ters.
Nimzowitsch-Levenfish
Carlsbad 191 1
French Defence
With two bishops for two knights,
and a central pawn majority, Black
probably felt confident in the out-
come of this game. But Nimzow-
itsch proves that the opposing cen-
tre is a liability because the squares
in front of it are weak, inviting in-
vasion by blockading knights. The
bishops, locked behind the pawns,
are never given a chance. Not
strictly true! Nimzowitsch inad-
vertently allows the bishops to es-
cape, but then proceeds to domi-
nate them with his knights on an
open board.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS cS 4 c3 lLic6 S
lLif3 f6!? 6 i.bS Naturally prepar-
ing to exchange bishops for
knights. 6 ... i.d7 7 0-0 ..b6
8 Aron Nimz<Jwit.slh Ma.ster of Planning
7 ... tt'ixe5 8 tt'ixe5 i.xb5 9 'it'h5+
<l;e7 10 'ii'f7+ ~d6 11 dxc5+ 'it>xe5
12 l:tel+ <i;;f5 13 'it'h5+ g5 14 g4
mate - Nimzowitsch. S i.xc6 bxc6
9 exf6 tt'ixf6? 9 ... gxf6! 10 tt'ie5
i.d6 11 dxc5 i.xc5 12 i.g5 'ii'dS
13 i.xf6! And the other one.
13...'ii'xf6 14 'ii'h5+
A common device in Nimzow-
itsch's games. The idea is to
weaken Black's kingside. 14g6 15
'ii'e2 l:tdS 16 tt'id2 0-0 17 l:tael
:res lS <i;;hl i.d6 19 f4 c5 20 c4
20 'ii'a6! 20 i.fS 21 cxd5 i.cS
Black gives up a pawn to smash the
blockade and bring his prelates to
life. 22 tt'ie4 'ii'g7 23 dxe6 23 d6!?
23 ..i.xe6 24 'ii'a6 <i;;hS 25 l:tdl
i.gS 26 b3 ttd4 27 l:txd4 cxd4 2S
'ii'a5 l:tcS 29 l:tdl l:tc2 30 h3 'ii'b7
31 l:txd4 i.c5 With serious threats,
e.g. 32 l:ta4 i.b6 33 'iiel i.d5, or
33 'ii'a6 'tlf xa6 34 l:.xa6 and, once
again, 34 ... i.d5 and Black pene-
trates to White's g2-square.
32 'ii'dS! The taming of the
bishops. If now 32 ... i.xd4 33
'iixd4 'iig7! 34 tt'id6 and there is no
answer to 35 liJe8 accompanied by
a lethal discovered check. Can a
'system' really teach you to spot
variations like this one? 32 ... i.e7
33 'ii'd7 What follows now is a
rout. 33 .. 'ii'a6 34 l:td3 i.f8 35
tt'if7+ i.xf7 36 'ii'xf7 l:.cS 37 l:.d7
1-0
1 Why Write About Nimzowitsch?
Aron Isaewitsch Nimzowitsch (7
November 1886 - 16 March 1935)
was one of the world's leading
Grandmasters for a period extend-
ing over a quarter of a century, and
for some of that time he was the
obvious challenger for the world
championship. Nimzowitsch, how-
ever, belongs to that select group of
players (which includes Rubinstein,
Keres and Reshevsky) who were
not granted the opportunity, for
various reasons, to play a match for
the world title at the time when
they had reached the peak of their
fo1111.
Aside from his practical
achievements Nimzowitsch was a
great and profound ches..<> thinker,
second only to Steinitz, and his
works - Die Blockade, My Sy.'>tem
and Ches::; Praxi.'> - established his
reputation as one of the father fig-
ures of modem chess.
Yet Nimzowitsch has not re-
ceived the recognition in the Eng-
lish-speaking world that he de-
serves. Some masters have run
their own publicity campaigns with
great skill, but Nimzowitsch 's
works were uncompromising and
suffered from the disadvantage that
they did not cover the most suc-
cessful phases of his career. We all
know a few famous Nimzowitsch
games, such as the blockade
against P. Johner, or the Zugzwang
game versus Samisch, and these
particular games are reprinted
again and again to the detriment of
other equally spectacular master-
pieces. It seems to me a waste that
these identical games should be
printed ad infinitum whenever
someone has to write something
about Nimzowitsch, when so much
superb unknown material does ex-
1st.
As an indication of the extent, or
otherwise, of our knowledge of
Nimzowitsch I would like to en-
quire whether we even understand
how to spell his name. I have seen
Nimzowitsch, Niemzowitsch,
Nimzovitch, and Nimzovich. The
English translation of Praxis has
settled for a compromise and uses
versions (ii) and (iv)! I have
adopted version (i) because that is
the way Nimzowitsch wrote his
own name after the Great War.
Before then he used version (ii) so I
imagine that is also valid. All other
versions are quite simply incorrect.
At the age of thirteen I came
across My System and, without
really understanding it very much, I
played through all the complete
J() Why Write about Nimzowit.1ch?
games and was overwhelmed in a
way which I hope will affect some
of the readers when they see Nim-
zowitsch 's masterpieces from this
volume.
Here are two of the games from
My System which impressed me
when I first studied the book. The
following is a consultation game
played simultaneously with three
others.
Brodd, Paulsson and Mandel-
Nimzowitsch
Uppsala 1921
Nimzowitsch Defence
To avoid confusion I should
point out that this game appears in
some German language books {and
in the one-volume translation from
German into English of Pachman 's
work on the middlegame !] as
'Beratende - Nimzowitsch '. There
is no contradiction involved, for
'Beratende' is the German word
meaning 'consultation partners'.
1 e4 tllc6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 f6 4 ilb5
ilf5 5 tllf3 'iii'd7 6 c4 ilxbl!! A
brilliant conception which enables
him to fight successfully for control
of the vital d5 square. 7 l:txbl
0-0-0 8 cxd5 On 8 c5 Nimzowitsch
planned ...g5 followed by ... ilg7.
8 'iii'xd5 9 ilxc6 'iii'xc6 10 0-0 e6
11 ile3 tlle7 12 'iii'e2 tlld5 13 l:tfcl
'iii'd7 14 l:tc4 ~b8 15 'iii'd2 l:tc8 16
tllel ile7 17 tlld3 l:thd8 18 'iii'c2 f5
19 :tel g5 With the centre secure
Nimzowitsch undertakes a power-
ful wing diversion. 20 tllc5 ilxc5
21 l:txc5 l:tg8 22 'iii'e2 h5 23 ild2
Not 23 'iii'xh5 g4. 23 h4 24 a4 g4
25 a5 a6 26 b4 c6 27 l:tb 1 'iii'f7 28
l:tb3 f4
29 'iii'e4 f3 30 J:r.cl fxg2 31 'it>xg2
J:r.cf8 32 l:tfl g3! 33 hxg3 hxg3 34
f4 Of course, 34 J:r.xg3 lixg3+ 35
'it>xg3 would be horrible for White.
34 . tlle7 35 ilel lllf5 36 l:thl l:.g4
37 ilxg3 'iii'g6 38 'iii'el tllxg3 39
l:.xg3 l:.fxf4 40 l:thh3 l:txd4 41
'iii'f2 l:txg3+ 42 lixg3 'iii'e4+ 43
~h2 'iii'xe5 44 ~g2 'iii'd5+ White
resigns. Compare the finish of the
game with that of Diez del Corral-
Petrosian on page 106.
Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein
Dresden 1926
English Opening
A Y.'arded the prize for the best-
played game
1 c4 c5 2 tllf3 lllf6 3 tllc3 d5 4
cxd5 lllxd5 5 e4 tllb4 6 ilc4 e6 7
0-0 tll8c6 8 d3 tlld4 9 tl.lxd4 cxd4
10 tlle2 a6 11 tllg3 ild6 12 f4 0-0
13 'i!i'f3 ~h8 14 ild2 f5 15 l:.ael
tllc6 16 l:te2 'iii'c7 17 exf5 exf5 18
lllh 1 !! A wonderful idea. White has
in mind the manoeuvre lllh l-f2-h3-
g5, in conjunction with 'iii'h5, as a
method of assaulting the position of
Black's king. When I first read My
System I was so impres..<>ed by this

game that I deliberately created
situations in my next few games
where the move lL:lg3-h I was pos-
sible, in the belief that this mystical
retreat would somehow result in a
miraculous increase of energy in
my position, irrespective of what-
ever else may have been happening
on the board at the time.
18. ~d7 19 lLlf2 l:tae8 20 l:tfel
l:txe2 21 l:txe2 lLld8 22 lLlh3 ~c6
23 h5 g6 24 h4 ~g7 25 n
Another brilliant idea. The threat to
the d-pawn forces Black to with-
draw either his queen or his king's
bishop from the defence of his
kingside. 25 ~c5 26 b4 ~b6 27
h4 Back again and with redou-
bled strength. 27 ...l:teS Or 27 ... l:tf6
28 lL:lg5 h6 29 lLlh7+- 28 l:te5! lLlf7
If 28 ... l:txe5 29 fxe5 xe5 30
~6+ or 28 ... h6 29 g4 hxg4 30 f5
xe5 31 f6+ xf6 32 xh6 mate.
These beautiful variations are just
an indication of what Nimzowitsch
saw. 29 ~xf7 xf7 30 lLlg5 gs
31 l:txeS ~xe8 32 et! A decisive
change of front. 32 . ~c6 33 e7+
'it>h8 34 b5!! Who would expect
the death-blow to come from this
quarter? If Black plays 34 .. axb5 he
is mated as follows: 35 lL:le6 h5 36
Whv Write about NimzrJwit~ch? I I
f6+ 'lt>h7 37 ttlg5+ 'lt>h6 38 ii.b4!
In view of this, Rubinstein elects to
surrender a piece but that too is
obviously without hope.
~0 ~fil
~~ ~ ~// ,,,
:......__J
34..g7 35 xg7+ 'lt>xg7 36
bxc6 For the record the final moves
were: 36 ... bxc6 37 lL:lf3 c5 38 lt:Je5
~c7 39 lL:lc4 'iPf7 40 g3 ~d8 41
~a5 ~e7 42 ~c7 ~e6 43 lt:Jb6 h6
44 h4 g5 45 h5 g4 46 ~e5 1-0
I would like to stress here that
my book is in no way intended as a
replacement for Nimzowitsch 's
Chess Praxis and My System, in
fact it should be read in conjunc-
tion with these two volumes from
the great man's own hand. Of
course it has not been possible to
avoid touching on the same ground
as Nimzowitsch covers himself, but
where this has occurred (as is the
case with his famous victories
against P. Johner, Dresden 1926, or
against Siimisch, Copenhagen
1923) I have adopted a completely
different standpoint from that taken
by Nimzowitsch himself.
Nimzowitsch's own books stop
at 1928. This is unfortunate, since
the period of his greatest successes,
when he had claim to be the crown
12 Whv Write about Nimzowit.~ch?
prince of the chess world (owing
fealty only to the then champion,
Alekhine) set in at the close of his
creative literary career. Although
he did continue to write for maga-
zines he ceased to update his major
works. In this sense, then, I hope
that my book will come to be re-
garded as a continuation of his
Chess Praxis covering the years
1928-1934. For this period I have
made liberal use of Nimzowitsch's
own notes which would otherwise
have languished forgotten in the
pages of now defunct magazines or
chess columns, which are only ac-
cessible to bibliophiles. Indeed,
most of these later games have
never appeared in English.
To repeat - I strongly recom-
mend that this book should be read
in conjunction with My System and
Chess Praxis for, in many cases, I
have felt it superfluous to requote
at length his ideas which appear in
these excellent volumes. The Eng-
lish translation of My System is, by
and large, very good and makes a
brave effort to capture the spirit of
Nimzowitsch 's original Get 111an,
but, unfortunately, the same cannot
be said of the translation of Chess
Praxis which I find a poor, maimed
torso of Nimzowitsch 's original. If
you have no alternative read the
translation by all means, but if you
possess the merest smattering of
Ge11nan I urge you to read the
original. It is well worth the effort.
In this book the translations from
My System and Chess Praxis are
largely my own. Note that 'Chess
Praxis' is the title used in the Eng-
lish edition of Die Praxis Meines
Systems which should actually be
rendered as 'My System in Prac-
tice' or possibly 'My System in
Operation'.
Apart from the translations of
Nimzowitsch's own works the only
other English language publication
to have appeared concerning Nim-
zowitsch was a book by Reinfeld
which came out in the late 1940s.
That was almost thirty years ago
and I think the time for a reap-
praisal is ripe. To be honest I feel
that Reinfeld also skated round
some of the deeper issues involved
in Nimzowitsch 's play by concen-
trating in his collection on the
master's more obviously attractive
exploits. There does exist a work
published at roughly the same time
as Reinfeld's effort which does
considerably more justice to Nim-
zowitsch. This is by B. Nielsen, but
it is written in Danish.
2 'How I became a Grandmaster'
(Extracts from a brief and contro-
versial autobiography published by
Nimzowitsch in 1929 as a Russian
booklet.)
An argument on a topic of prac-
tical importance: which age in life
is the most suited to a first ac-
quaintance with the principles of
chess?
I was eight years old when I first
became acquainted with chess. Yet
in spite of the fact that I made im-
mediate progress and appar-
ently(!?) continued in the same
stride later on, I now boldly main-
tain that my chess development
would have proceeded more har-
moniously, and moreover more
painlessly, if I had learned the
game not in childhood but in ado-
lescence. The reader will soon as-
certain that my development up
until 1906 (I was born in 1886 in
Riga) was extremely one-sided: a
strong combinative ability at the
expense of positional play. This
could have been avoided without
any drawbacks, merely by waiting
a little and teaching me to play
chess at a more mature age.
At this point I should like to dis-
cuss with the reader a question
which lacks neither general interest
nor a special interest for the teacher
of chess. How about elucidating the
attitude which underlies the sup-
posedly rational demand that a
child should, if possible, never
waste a minute of his time but cram
himself with endless studies? If this
demand stems solely from a feeling
of solicitude towards the child, then
why is Latin (for example) still
taught in Western schools, and why
does a course of study in bourgeois
Europe (e.g. in the venerable Fac-
ulty of Law!) consist almost en-
tirely of ballast, useful to no one,
which is ruthlessly brushed aside
the minute examinations are over?
And why - to tum again from the
law student to the child at elemen-
tary school - why are all boring
and tedious things, such as the
learning of any sort of 'principles'
and 'elements', considered highly
propitious for a child, when an
adult would show revulsion if ex-
pected to concern himself with
such uninteresting matters?
May we describe a feature of
domestic life which will help us,
perhaps, to find our bearings in the
matter at issue? In central Europe,
in petty-bourgeois circles, there is a
widespread view that women
J4 'How 1 became a G1andma.1ter
should never on any account sit
with their a1111s folded, and there-
fore they sew or embroider, etc.,
even when out visiting. The case is
a clear one: such a view is an obvi-
ous manifestation of the master-
and-slave attitude to woman, which
has still not fully died out. After all,
in the Middle Ages woman was
essentially a slave. Isn't our attitude
to children based on a similar feel-
ing? At all events, it is time to re-
nounce the notion that a child
ought to work unceasingly, and that
it is to him that any boring and te-
dious occupations are especially
suited!
If the process of studying
'principles' is a boring one, then in
no case (particularly where chess
and music are concerned) should
one impose these principles on a
child; wait until he is older. But if
you do nevertheless require a child
to master them, then do your ut-
most to make them interesting,
lively and attractive! The feeling of
grey monotony ought, for a child,
to be an unfamiliar feeling!
The process of studying the first
principles is based on imagination,
but at the same time calls for logic;
hence the ideal age for a beginner
must be considered adolescence,
and by no means childhood!
I begin to play combinatively,
but increasingly I lose all vital
contact with chess realities, i.e.
with the demands of positional
play. - On how one ought to study
first principles
My first acquaintance with the
principles of chess took place under
the sign of solemnity. In our family
chess was regarded with great re-
spect, for our father, himself an
ardent devotee of the game, more
than once held forth to us on its
astonishing beauties. I would often
ask him to show me what it was all
about, but Father always refused,
saying that 'it's too soon for a lad
like you to be thinking about
chess'. In the end he consented,
however, and this hallowed occa-
sion was arranged for my name-
day when I was eight. Yet I re-
member being a little disappointed,
since the moves of rook, bishop,
knight, etc., seemed to me devoid
of all combinative interest. I ought
to mention that even before be-
coming acquainted with chess I had
a strong penchant for combination
as such, since all the efforts of my
teachers, and of my father first and
foremost, had been specifically
aimed at fostering in me a gift for
association and a love for that
world of scholastic argument and
intricate sophistries which is so
well known to anyone who has
ever been concerned to study the
Talmud.
Nevertheless, my disappoint-
ment soon gave way to a feeling of
keen curiosity. About three weeks
after my first lesson, Father showed
me some combinations, including a
smothered mate:
(see following diagram)
1 l2Je5-t7+ ~h8-g8 2 l2Jt7-h6+
'iir>g8-h8 3 'ii'c4-g8+ l:.a8xg8 4
l2Jh6-t7 mate, and three months
after that, as a reward for progress
at school, he demonstrated to me
Anderssen' s 'Immortal Game'; I
not only understood it, but at once

fell passionately in love with it.
Playing frequent games with
Father, I quickly took a combina-
tive path, but for a long time my
stock of strategic concepts re-
mained extremely meagre. By way
of characterising Father's peda-
gogic method, I ventured to remark
on the following not uninteresting
detail. Now and then Father would
explain to me that a central pawn-
couple (e.g. on e4 and d4) must
only be advanced to the fifth rank
with caution. And I am, of course,
quite convinced that Father, being a
player of master strength, perfectly
understood the danger of a purely
positional character - of an over-
hasty advance: often, of course, it
pet tnits an enduring restraint
(blockade) of the reckless pawns
(e.g. white pawns on e4 and d5; a
black knight blockades on e5). It
would seem that such an argument,
of a purely positional character,
could not fail to prove useful; yet
despite this, Father supported the
rule he had stated chiefly by ab-
stract considerations: the position
of the pawns on e4 and d4 is more
rich in possibilities, i.e. one may
play either e4-e5 or d4-d5, accord-
'flow I belame a Grandma~ter 15
1ng to circumstances.
Thus it was that I became more
and more estranged from the inexo-
rable realities of chess and began to
lose myself in the clouds; and I
grew more and more receptive to
the idea that it's really no use
racking your brains thinking how
to create a good position, since the
possibility of combinations which
the opponent doesn't expect arises
equally in bad positions and good
ones! Such was the spurious point
of vantage I had finally arrived at ...
Before proceeding to criticise
the method of instruction I have
characterised above, I shall insert a
few facts from the early part of my
chess career.
l) The first of my games to ap-
pear in print was played when I
was eight and a half. It was pub-
lished in the Rigaer Tageblatt and
testifies clearly enough to the pres-
ence of a remarkable gift for com-
bination.
2) Nevertheless, throughout the
period 1894-1902, I generally had
occasion to play only rarely, and
exclusively with first category
players - of course, I received
odds.
3) Notwithstanding the fearfully
anti-positional nature of my style, I
gradually reached the point where
my father had to limit the odds he
gave me to a knight. This occurred
in 1902. In the same year I went
abroad. This commences a new
period of my chess career.
Before proceeding with the nar-
rative, let us do some summing up.
The reader has no doubt managed
to grasp that errors were commit-
ted, on the part of the teacher, in
the early period of my development
16 'How I became a Grandma.1ter'
- otherwise my style of play (in
1902) would not have been so un-
even. What did these errors consist
in?
Let's begin at the beginning, i.e.
by criticising my very first lesson. I
was 'shown the moves'. Was that
the proper thing? 'Well of course it
was,' my esteemed reader will say.
'You can't dispense with that.' But
the whole point is that in this case
the reader is mistaken: the method
referred to is fundamentally false.
You cannot take a boy who is
completely new to the game and
immediately confound him by
demonstrating that the rook moves
so and the bishop thus, and the
pawn crawls forward at such a ri-
diculous snail's pace; that the
knight hops crazily all over the
place, and the queen can go any-
where it pleases; that the rook
moves and captures in straight
lines, but the pawn moves straight
forward and takes diagonally, etc.
The only thing to result from all
these demonstrations will be an
impression of dreariness: info1111a-
tion of this kind which the novice
takes in is purely formal, without a
trace of vitality or substantiality,
and hence its multifariousness can
only accentuate the feeling of
dreariness ... No, it is not thus, but
quite otherwise, that one must
teach the first principles. A bit less
formal ballast and a bit more sub-
stance - that is the basic principle!
But let us show concretely how we
consider that the first two or three
lessons should be conducted.
First lesson: Familiarisation with
the board. Understanding of the
dividing line between White and
Black - and of the central point of
the board.
Rook. Understanding about
ranks and files. Exercises and
problems ...
The reader will, I hope, have
grasped our basic idea: from the
very start we are playing, fighting,
battling. and have no intention of
giving precedence to any fo1111al
data. And we are inclined to ascribe
a decisive significance to the initial
impression fo1111ed by the pupil
after his first lesson. One has to
gain his interest, he must feel
straightaway that this is a game in
which iictory is both possible and
gratifying!
With the study of the queen
(second lesson) it is not a bad thing
to introduce the concept of the
fork, i.e. the simultaneous attack on
two enemy pieces, which has, inci-
dentally, been partially touched on
in the first le..'iSon. And here again,
use practical examples and combi-
nations ...
The third lesson is devoted to a
study of the pawn. The pawn at-
tacks an enemy piece. The pawn
protects its own piece (a series of
examples). The pawn protects
(creates) a strongpoint ...
If the strongpoint method of
thinking can be acquired with
comparatively little trouble, the
problem of the knight presents a
considerable obstacle to the novice.
And to us this seems natural; to
some extent, a healthy instinct
protests against the fo1111 of motion
peculiar to a knight. Of course,
much can be achieved by sensibly
chosen examples, and the knight,
that wily offspring of the human
fancy, will finally come to seem
familiar and intelligible. But the

teacher must beware of excessively
complex examples, for all
Rosselsprii.nge' merely emphasise
the 'distressing' circumstance that
the knight is, by nature, an
'imaginary' piece, i.e. it has, so to
speak, n<) bond.<> with Ii ving reality.
Exercises like the following are
desirable: White: lllg2: Black: ~d6
(White moves exclusively) - how
can the knight capture the bishop?
quickly and effectively if only they
On the Delights and Torments
of Combination
The principal error that was com-
mitted in my case was not, ot
course, the fact that the first lesson.'>
fell short of what we now consider
ourselves entitled to expect of an
ideal chess pedagogue. For, as I
was endowed with a considerable
store of active imagination, the
'fo1111alistic' spirit ot the first les-
sons was quite incapable of extin-
guishing in me an intense love of
chess. Considerably worse was
another circumstance: Father had,
apparently, no wish to face up to
the fact that I clearly evinced a
hypertrophy of combinative think-
ing. A hypertrophy of this sort can-
not be left out of account; measures
must be taken to combat it. Quite
naturally, these measures should
bear the character of influence
through positional idea.<>. But in
what should such influence con-
sist? If one feeds a beginner with
various considerations of a posi-
tional character, the result achieved
will be this: the novice's frail or-
ganism will prove unequal to as-
similating this wisdom. He will,
perhaps, remember isolated rules,
but his positional sensitivity will
'ffo-... I belame <l Gr<zndma~ter 17
not be improved by this at all - and
yet it is the possession of such sen-
sitivity that constitutes the main
criterion, and decisive symptom, in
the process of curing an 'over-
combinative' player.
There is a way C)Ut of this situa-
tion, as fc)])ows. Let us recall that
certain mineral salts, which are
hard for the human organism to
assimilate, can be assimilated
are introduced into the organism in
the fo1111 of a chemical compound,
combining them with other
(organic) substances. Now that's
just how we too should proceed; let
us try to produce, as it were, a
chemical compound of dry posi-
tional sagacity with a vigorous and
perspicuous exposition of the
elements'. On these elements I
have written nearly a whole book;
it is to them that I devote the first
(and, partly, the second) section
(M)' S_vstem was originally pub-
lished in five instalments - RDK)
of my work My System (the third
section is devoted to positional play
in its chemically pure form). With-
out in any way intending to adver-
tise my work, I submit that in this
context I am nevertheles..<> entitled
to recc)mmend it; the chess trage-
dies I experienced in my youth give
me the right to do so. I should like
to show the combinative player the
way to cure himself positionally,
and no one, surely, will blame me
for that. Ah, those tragedies! Those
inter 111inable combinative on-
slaughts, inevitably foundering on
the dry positional sense of a sober,
and sometimes poorly gifted, op-
ponent!
But let us return to the
18 'll<Jtt' I beca111e a G1andma.1ter'
'elements'. By this ter 1r1 we mear1
the file, the seventh rank, the
passed pawn, the discovered check,
the pin, the pawn chain. etc. In the
first section of My System I set
them out in detail and fo1111ulate a
whole series of laws for their pur-
posive use. The essence of this
method of instruction consists, as I
see it, in the very fact that in a way
that is entirely unnoticed by the
student the laws amount to a nota-
ble store of positional wisdom. Let
us illustrate this by an example.
The positional rule that the en-
tire struggle, in its essence,
amounts to a struggle between two
forces, namely the pawns' tendency
to advance (lust to expand) on the
one hand and the tendency to
blockade the pawns on the other -
this rule, or this way of fo1111ulating
it at least, is difficult for a beginner
to grasp. It's a different matter it'
the same rule is served with a sauce
which shows the two tendencies,
not as existing in their own right,
but as though they were merely an
interesting feature of one of the
elements (the passed pawn).
Viewed in this light, our rule will
appear quite comprehensible, and
its appropriation cannot fail to de-
velop the beginner's 'flair for
blockade' and with it his positional
sense. (Subsequently, of course, the
rule can and must be elaborated.)
This simple law of ours about
blockading passed pawns may be
stated thus: one must endeavour to
blockade the opponent's passed
pawn. It is in this sense that a study
of the elements, in the first section
of My System, can be useful tcJ a
'combinationalist'.
If the beginner does not belong
to the combir1ative type, then, be-
fore anything else, he must learn to
combine. To all novices of this
kind we recommend a study cJf P.
Romanovsky's book The Middle-
game.
The period J902-1906 -- Anxiety
about the 'elements - I di.~CO\'er...
not America, no, but m)' 'born en-
emy' - The first seriou.~ encounter
with him, and the 'pronouncement'
he made on that occa.~ion
In the t'irst year of my stay
abroad l played chess assiduous! y,
to the extreme displeasure ot my
father, who had demanded uncon-
ditionally that I should pass an ad-
ditional examination and enter a
university. At the beginning of
1903 I moved from Konigsberg to
Berlin, where, among other things,
I made the acquaintance - and later
became the friend - of O.S. Bern-
stein and B.M. Blumenfeld. With
Blumenfeld I played scores of
games, and alscJ with the master
von Scheve and the American D.G.
Baird. Considerably surpassing me
in strength, they would often nev-
ertheless stumble into bad posi-
tions, for at times I found combi-
nations which no one else would
even have thought of. All the same,
I lost the vast majority of games,
because without possibilitie.~ for
combination I was completely at
sea. I had no positional directives at
all; never, for example, did it enter
my head to weaken the opponent's
black (or white) squares prior to
occupying them, or to arrest the
enemy breakthrough at its origins,
etc. I went all out to attack, rushed
forward with my pawns and set
combinative traps. I used tc) per-
ceive such traps with uncommon
rapidity and execute them with
confidence, easily and boldly cal-
culating five or six moves ahead, or
more. I recall, for example, that in
a game played between Bardeleben
and the student Nisniewitsch it
scarcely took me half a minute to
work out a striking combination
something like the following:
; ~ ;~
;~ ; %A '//////.
Black to move. The win is
achieved thus: l ... l:fl + 2 ~xfl
tllg3+ 3 'it>e I 'ii'e3+ 4 ~d I 'ii'e2+ 5
'it>cl 'ii'el+ 6 ~c2 'ii'xe4+ 7 ~cl
tlle2+ and 8 ... 'ii'xb 1.
In 1904 I took part in a tourna-
ment for the first time (Haupt-
turnier in Coburg) and gained sixth
prize. Inspired by this success, I
travelled to Nuremberg to 'play a
few games with Tarrasch'.
Pe11nit me at this point to re-
count a little episode of chess psy-
chology which was destined to play
an immense role in the history of
my development. In one game I
had been playing, a position had
arisen characterised by a pawn
chain. Let us suppose that these
moves were played: I e4 e6 2 d4
d5 3 t!Jc3 tllf6 4 .ig5 .ie7 5 e5
tllfd7 6 .ixe7 'ilf xe7. In this posi-
tion (approximately) I was pained
b)' the thought that I cc)uld play 7
4lf3 or I could play 7 f4 , and that
this dilemma, in its essence an ago-
nising one, could c)n)y be fully re-
sc)lved by someone.\ discovery of
the la""' or principle.> for the ex-
ploitation of the pa"l'.'11 chain as
~;ulh. In other words, in a purely
intuitive sense. the thought dawr1ed
on me that there exist strategic ele-
ment.> and that they were, SC) to
speak, seeking their ideologue and
'lawgiver'.
That I myself cc)u\d e1nerge as
such an ideologue - this thought
did not even enter my head; and at
the time, generally speaking, this
episode did not seem to me at all
meaningful or deserving ot atten-
tion. But in 1904, when my recol-
lection of this slight and quite in-
nocuous story had had time to
evaporate completely. the follow-
ing thing happened to me. While
analysing a game of mine played
during Coburg 1904, together with
a certain master (whose name will
be disclosed later), I happened to
convince myself that my rook ma-
noeuvres from the d-file to the h-
file and back were not at all neces-
sitated by the strategic donnees. On
the extreme right flank the position
was this: White l:th l, L\g5; Black
.l:!.h8, L\g6. 'You should have play-
ed l:!.h l -h6,' the master proclaimed
in portentous tones. 'Why?' I
asked, still not giving in, 'I mean,
the move I played in the game,
.l:!.h 1-d l, wasn't bad.' This modest
assertion of mine drew forth the
following reply, in a tone which
permitted no argument: 'No, you
had to play .::.h6, becau.>e that's the
20 'H<Jiv I became a Gr(111dma.1te1'
thing to do in cases like this!' I
distinctly recall how, upon these
words, which produced a tremen-
dous effect on me, there arose in
me the memory of the above-
mentioned episode with another
element, the pawn chain; and how,
at that moment, I made a definitive
resolve: 'There are laws and rules
for the utilisation of both the pawn
chain and the file, and somehow or
other I must find them!'
A curious quirk is that the mas-
ter who - quite by chance and in-
voluntarily, to be sure - gave the
decisive jolt (impulse) to my
eventual revolutionising of chess
strategy and the overthrow of the
pseudo-classical style, was none
other than Tarrasch himself, i.e. the
very leader of that trend which was
fated to disappear from the scene
on account of my discoveries; in
other words, with his own weighty
utterance Tarrasch actually dug his
own grave!
If at that time I was already
aware that Tarrasch was my an-
tagonist, I still had no inkling that
he was my 'born enemy'. But our
relations were soon destined to
become strained. This is how it
happened. Two months or so after
the 'l:th6' incident, Tarrasch
granted me the honour of playing a
serious game with him. My open-
ing play, as usual, was most bi-
zarre, partly because, at that time,
as explained above, I was generally
ill-versed in 'positional play', but
partly because I was already con-
sciously avoiding well-worn paths,
and, in particular, regarded the
dogmas of the then dominant
school not without a certain scepti-
cism. A lot of spectators gathered
(although the game had an informal
character), for, knowing the rich-
ness of my combinative imagina-
tion and mistakenly equating this
with playing strength, they ex-
pected, if not an equal contest - for
Tarrasch was then at the height of
his fame - then, at any rate, a game
ful I of absorbing interest.
After the tenth move. Tarrasch,
folding his arms across his chest,
suddenly made the following pro-
nouncement: 'Neier in my life
have I had such a won game after
ten moves as I have now!' The
game, incidentally, ended in a
draw. But for a Jong time I could
not forgive Tarrasch for the 'insult'
he inflicted on me in front of all
those onlookers.
Soon afterwards this game was
published, to the great annoyance
of Tarrasch, who considered that in
publishing it I was virtually com-
mitting a crime. As it happens, the
game was not published by me at
all, but by someone else, a certain
von Parisch, and this against my
wish. But the fact remains that we
became enemies and remained so
until 1907. Later I shall relate the
curious, and for Tarrasch entirely
characteristic, episode of our rec-
onciliation. For the present I de-
clare that, had it not been for a
feeling of animosity towards Tar-
rasch, I should never have learned
to play chess properly. To play
better than Tarrasch - that was the
fo1111ula of all my yearnings in the
period 1904-1906. To all my read-
ers I can give the pleasant advice,
'If you wish to achieve results,
select a born enemy and attempt to
'chastise' him by toppling him
from his pedestal.'

I believe it is necessary, how-
ever, to add the following: if my
feeling of enmity towards Tarrasch
was aroused by personal motives,
it was not sustained by them (for,
from 1904 onward<>, we never had
any further quarrels), but by that
profound antagonism of an ideo-
logical nature ot which I was so
acutely aware right from the very
beginning of our acquaintanceship.
Tarrasch, to me, always meant me-
diocrity; it is true that he was a
very strong player, but all his
views, his sympathies and antipa-
thies, and above all his inability tc)
conceive any new idea - all this
clearly attested to the full medioc-
rity of his cast of mind. I myself,
who paid homage to genius, could
in no way be reconciled to the fact
that mediocrity should stand as the
leader of the dominant school! This
fact, for me, was a veritable out-
rage! (I would stress that the views
expressed here are entirely Nim-
zowitsch 'sown - RDK)
The Barmen fia.<;co in August
1905 as the final and decisiie
stimulus: at last I settle down to
work! (1906)
At the beginning of 1905 I took
part in the Vienna tournament (1st
- Schlechter, 2nd - H. Wolf; I fin-
ished sixth out of ten competitors,
ahead of Albin, Neumann and oth-
ers). My play created an impres-
sion. The same is true of the match
with Spielmann which followed
(+4 -4=5), and I began to imagine,
in all seriousness, that I was on the
point of obtaining the master title.
In this, however, I failed to reckon
with the fact that during my stay
'Hott: I hel:ame a Grandma.1ter' 21
abrc)ad my nerves had become
wrecked. The endless wandering
between chess coffee-houses, the
irregular mode of life and the com-
plete absence of definite work - all
this, taken together, had a highly
detrimental effect C)n my nervous
system - and I began to play im-
petuously (in a reckless attacking
style, as in the very early days of
my youth) and badly.
In August 1905 I played in the
Barmen combined tournament and
... came to grief (+ 3 -8=6 ). At the
time I thought this collapse was a
terrible disaster for me, yet today I
am convinced that it provided
'salvation from an almost hopeless
situation'. Without this 'saving
grace' bestowed by providence, my
state of affairs would have proved
catastrophic.
Embittered by the mocking atti-
tude to myself which I encountered
from the critics in the Barmen
tournament book, I decided to give
up the chess coffee-house life, cure
my nerves, and afterwards sit down
to some fundamental work on
chess.
I sat down to work in the first
halt of 1906, in Zurich, where I had
enrolled myself as a student (the
fact is that I was able to present,
not only my technical high school
certificate - which by itself would
have been insufficient - but also a
favourable reference from one of
the teachers at the school, affirming
my supposedly remarkable aptitude
for mathematics). After two or
three months of diligent work I had
made enormous progress (in chess
not mathematics). Let us examine:
l) The psychological factors in
this achievement.
22 'fl<>"'' I became a Grandma.1te1
2) The plan of study.
I consider that the factors which
alleviated my task were - apart
from the supply of combinative
talent I possessed - my bitterness
due to the Bat 111en reversal, my
strong dislike f()r Tarrasch, and that
deep-seated 'anxiety about the
elements' described in the forego-
ing chapter.
A superficial analysis of the
games played at Bar111en was suffi-
cient to show me that a principal
weakness was my bad handling of
the openings (1 knew of no defence
to 1 d2-d4). A deeper scrutiny of
the games convinced me, in addi-
tion, that I had completely failed to
master the art of consolidating my
position. This is revealed, e.g. by
my game with Forgacs, in which I
pressed forward on the flank in a
wholly anti-positional fashion.
By that time the tournament
book of Nuremberg 1906, had ap-
peared, with commentaries by Tar-
rasch. I gave the book to a book-
binder, asking him to insert a clean
white sheet in between every two
pages of the text. I then began in-
vestigating a number of games,
predominantly those of Salwe, Du-
ras and Forgacs; and also M.I.
Chigorin's games with Black. The
results I arrived at I immediately
wrote down on the inserted pages.
Each time I would 'play' on one
side or the other, either with White
or with Black; first I would try to
find the best move, then I would
look up the move played in the
game. In this manner the game
would last six hours or so, at the
least. I studied consolidation on the
following lines. In one of Sal we 's
games there arose a characteristic
position with an isolated queen's
pawn: White lilf3, Ad4; Black
lLld7, ~e6 (and lots of other pieces
on each side). It turned out that
White has no cause for hurrying to
occupy the point e5 with the
knight; within a few moves the
black knight embarked on a jour-
ney, seeking to settle on d5, and
thus the point e5, \Vithout any effort
on White's part, was still left in his
hands. This state of affairs was at
once registered on the blank page;
the main thing was not the purely
technical content of the manoeuvre,
but, so to speak, it<> psychological
peculiarities: 'Often squares are
weakened automatically!', 'Don't
hurry', etc. At the same time, with
a sort ot' anxious interest, I gave ear
to the slightest 'stirrings' of the
open file, the seventh rank, and
passed pawns. It was then, in fact,
that I discovered the concept of the
'outpost on an open file' (see My
S)stem, section I). But I derived the
greatest pleasure of all from prov-
ing the fallaciousness, and quite
often the general superficiality, of
Tarrasch's views and comments. I
learned a great deal from this.
It is curious that I refrained alto-
gether from working through any
master games played in the attack-
ing style, e.g. by Spielmann, Mar-
shall or Leonhardt. Nor did the
games of Tarrasch seem to me at
all useful for the improvement of
my style.
The final result of my zealous
efforts was the following:
I) I had worked out a detailed
plan of defence against 1 d2-d4,
namely: l ... lL:it'6 and 2 ... d7-d6
(following in Chigorin 's footsteps).
2) I had acquired the knack of

playing a slow, waiting game. And
I was already at a loss to under-
stand how I had been capable of
making sacrifices without precise
calculation (as I had done, alas, at
Bar 111en ! ).
3) A further important achieve-
ment was the fact that, owing to an
intensive scrutiny of certain games,
I had begun to understand the strat-
egy of blocked positions; in par-
ticular, I had mastered the princi-
ples ot the pawn chain, and to some
extent those of centralisation.
Let us now forget that my own
case is being discus.<>ed, and imag-
ine, i11 my place, any combinative
player whose talent has not yet
come to maturity. Can we recom-
mend to him the same plan of self-
improvement that I adopted in
1906'?
In order to understand this ques-
tion, we must take account of the
following. In 1906 the position of a
chess student was far more difficult
than it is in the heyday of chess
education in which we are now
living. At that time, in 1906, one
had to discover the positional prin-
ciples for oneself, whereas today I
venture to assert that - owing, in a
significant measure, to my discov-
eries (in my works, My System and
Chess Praxi.<>) - the principles have
already been discovered. Not only
are the 'elements' set forth for the
student's inspection, but the con-
cepts of centralisation, blockade,
prophylaxis, etc., are clearly for-
mulated and substantiated.
And yet the method I adopted in
1906 can even now be recom-
mended without hesitation. Let us
visualise a young combinative
player slowly playing through a
'H(Jtt' I hecame a Grandn1a.\te1' 23
game by Capablanca, move by
move. A position arises, let us say,
in which our combinationalist is
'burning with curiosity' to know
which of the available attacking
continuations was given prefer-
ence; he looks, and discovers that
Capa played what seems like a
completely passive move. The
combinationalist is astounded, per-
haps even distressed; but on closer
analysis he convinces himself of
the concealed .<>trength of this
move. Such is the sen.<>ation created
by a purely manoeuvring move
(instead of the expected attacking
move).
This is a 'sensation' ('shock') to
which I am inclined to ascribe an
enormous significance from a
pedagogical point of view. Try as
you will to preach him centralisa-
tion, the combinative player will
keep making thrusts on the flank;
whilst in all probability the
'sensation method' (this is what we
shall call it henceforth}, which we
have just demonstrated, can influ-
ence his style of play in a decisive
manner. And therefore, in addition
to a study of My System, we pro-
pose this sensation method to the
combinationalist, as a very reliable
antidote to the superficiality of his
own combinative style.
Moreover, the art ot consolida-
tion is directly dependent on the
state ot <)ne' s nerves and the
steadiness of one's character. Ca-
pablanca must be acknowledged as
the best consolidator of all time (he
has carried the art of prophylactic
manoeuvring to unprecedented
heights). But Capa is a sportsman,
a man without nerves, a man with
an utterly placid psyche. Hence our
24 'Hov.: I became a Grandma.\te1
advice: combinative player, take
part in sport, take frequent walks in
the fresh air, do deep breathing
exercises, endeavour to be tranquil,
do gymnastics by Muller's system,
etc. [sic!].
For we are convinced that the
late Schlechter was right in main-
taining that every combinative
player can become a ma.5ter of the
first category if things are ar-
ranged properly. This is all the
more true in our own day
(Schlechter voiced this opinion as
early as 1905, in spite of the fact
that chess teaching was then
sleeping sweetly in it.<> cradle), for
obviously we are now living in the
golden age of chess teaching.
Combinative talent plus a textbook
plus a proper management of af-
fairs (evenness of temper!) must
surely add up to a master's playing
strength.
On the other hand, people who
play few combinations may de-
velop their combinative ability. It is
also possible, incidentally, to do
without combinations. John, for
example, who possessed no imagi-
nation at all, still became a very
strong master.
My results have their effect: I
become a master. On my truce with
Tarra.sch ( 1907), and what fol-
lowed after that 'truce' ( 1907-
1914)
My very next perfo1 rrrance - in
Munich, November 1906 - bore the
mark of a major success. In the
double-round tournament contain-
ing the masters Spielmann, E. Cohn
and Przepiorka (the other partici-
pants were Elyashov and Kiirsch-
ner ), I won first prize with 8 1/2
point<; out of I 0, two whole points
ahead of the second prize winner.
My play was not only distinguished
by solidity, as in my game against
Cohn, it also shone with a wealth
of ideas. I remember, e.g., the start
of my game with Elyashov (l had
Black): I e4 e5 2 ll:lf3 4'lc6 3 ..ltb5
4ld4 4 4lxd4 exd4 5 f4? I now de-
vised the following manoeuvre
over the board: 5... 'ilih4+ 6 g3 'ike7
7 0-0 'ikc5! There followed: 8 ..ltd3
h5 9 c.t>g2 d5 with a very promising
game (I won quite quickly).
At the beginning of 1907 I took
part in the master tournament at
Ostend. Tarrasch was playing in
the premier tournament. We came
together each day in a cafe, yet in
spite of all my effort.s he absolutely
refused to notice me, i.e. he simply
ignored the fact of my existence.
Meanwhile, I was continuing on
my victorious way: in the first two
weeks I scored 7 1/2 point.<> out of 9.
Then, suddenly, a miracle oc-
curred: Tarrasch saw the light! On
that day I had beaten W. Cohn. I
went into the cafe; Tarrasch was
there already. I had hardly set foot
inside, when Tarrasch came rush-
ing up to me, beaming with delight
and holding his arms out. 'At long
last I've come across you! How
pleased I am with your success!
Aren't you going to show me some
of your games? How pleased I am
with your success!!' The apotheo-
sis of opportunism! Trampling the
weak in the dirt and pandering to
the strong! At that moment I per-
ceived, with particular clarity, the
total mediocrity of Tarrasch 's na-
ture.
M.v search for nev.- path.'>, adum-

brated at Bar r1ren and Coburg, was,
as it were, grounded on a more
solid base with the improvement of
my playing technique. If the open-
ing experiments which I tried out at
Bar r11en (e.g. I c4 c5 2 ttlc3 g6 3
e3 i..g7 4 lllf3 lllf6 5 d4 cxd4 6
exd4 0-0 7 i..e2 lllc6 8 d5 lllb8,
followed by the occupation of the
c5 square - Caro v. Nimzowitsch)
suffered disaster at that time, ()Wing
to my lack of corresponding tech-
nique, there was no question of this
in the following years.
In 1907 I started to play, with
the white pieces, l tt:lf3 d5 2 d3,
and if 2 ... lllc6, then 3 d4, leaving
Black's knight awkwardly placed,
obstructing the advance ... c7-c5. In
1910, in bold defiance of Tarrasch,
I began to give an obvious prefer-
ence to cramped positions, e.g. the
Hanham variation, etc.
The challenge was taken up, and
from that moment on Tarrasch be-
gan disparaging me in the press, in
the most ruthless fashion. The ta-
vourite epithets he levelled at me
were hajJlich, bizarr, etc. All that
now appears ridiculous to me, but
how it made my blood boil at the
time!
In 1912 I narrowly missed win-
ning the grandmaster tournament at
San Sebastian (the fact is that ow-
ing to nerves I lost a crucial game
against Rubinstein and had to be
content with sharing second and
third prizes with Spielmann). Tar-
rasch did not fail to chuckle gloat-
ingly: 'It would have been a scan-
dal if such anti-aesthetic play had
gained the victor's crown!'
I continued to under r11ine Tar-
rasch 's 'strong'(?) position: the
variation I e4 c5 2 lllf3 Ci:Jf6! and
'Ho'tl' I h'C'ame a (irandma.1te1' 25
then the attempt at resuscitating the
old variation I e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 -
all this slowly but surely weakened
the position of the Nuremberg
champion. In bringing back the
variation with 3 e5 I set myself the
task of a 'reductio ad absurdum' of
the old conception of the centre. In
1912 I published my games with
Salwe (191 l) and Tarrasch (1912),
by which I attempted to show that
the old conception of the centre,
upheld by Tarrasch, was outdated.
In 1913 I discovered a method
ot play which since then has at-
tained so much popularity: 1 d4
lllf6 2 c4 e6 3 Ci:Jc3 i..b4 without
... d7-d5; or 1 d4 lllf6 2 c4 e6 3 Ci:Jf3
b6, also without a subsequent ... d7-
d5, and with this the position of
Tarrasch as a generally acknowl-
edged teacher of chess under-
standing was conclusively de-
stroyed.
On the triumph of my ideas, and
my succes!>es a.~ a grandmaster,
1923-1929. Some concluding ad-
vice
After the end of the war the cor-
rectness of my revolutionary views
on chess became generally recog-
nised. Variations which had
seemed so strange and whimsical
when these ideas were invented
gradually acquired rights of citi-
zenship.
Conversely, Tarrasch's theory
(on the arithmetical centre, tast
development, etc.) began to pro-
voke nothing but a smile.
Parallel with this I achieved even
greater successes in practice, which
secured me the title of grandmaster.
I consider my greatest success to
26 'flow I became a Grandma.5ter'
have been, not the first prizes at
Marienbad 1925, London 1927,
and Berlin 1928 (in the last two
cases I finished above Bogol-
jubow), but the first prize at Dres-
den 1926, where I scored 8 1/2 out of
9 and came no Les.~ than 1 112 points
ahead of Alekhine! And, in my
opinion, it was at Dresden that I
played my best games.
There is little else to say, and we
could proceed to the games section
with a clear conscience; yet I
should like to say a few more
words about the 'elements' (i.e.
about the time when I was finally
working them out).
Having felt 'anxiety' about them
as early as 1902, I was still for a
long time unable to surmount the
eno1111ous difficulties which con-
fronted me. Isolated portions, e.g.
the idea of the outpost, and also the
new understanding ot the pawn
chain, were conceived by me in the
period 1911-1913.
But in as much as any new sys-
tem demands detailed elaboration
as well as intuition, the definitive
creation of my system must be
dated in the period 1917-1923. The
fact is that the author of the prov-
erb discendo discimus is right ('By
teaching, we ourselves learn'). That
is what happened to me. From
1917 onwards I started giving chess
lessons, which I conducted in strict
accordance with a policy I had pre-
viously chosen, namely the teach-
ing of the elements. In this fashion
I assembled a mass of necessary
details on the file, the seventh rank,
the passed pawn, etc. After this, I
was able in 1925 to proceed with a
clear conscience to the presentation
of the collected material in the
book My System ...
In parting I should like to give a
few more pieces of advice.
Take a thoughtful attitude to-
wards chess. Understand that a
thorough acquaintance with one
element is more effective in im-
proving your positional sense than
a superficial acquaintance with all
the elements. The treatment of an
element is full of 'positional
value' ...
Try to memorise as few varia-
tions as possible! Positional sense
ought tc) liberate you from en-
slavement to 'variations'. And
therefore: endeavour to develop in
yourself this positional sense! ...
Even more important is analysis!
Analyse an opening you are inter-
ested in with t'riends (whose
strength slightly exceeds yours).
But your analytical work should on
no account be confined to the
openings; you should also analyse a
variety of typical positions.
Thus we recommend:
1) Playing through a limited
number of games thoroughly;
2) A thorough study of the ele-
ments (using the book My System);
3) A thorough acquaintance with
a modest number of typical situa-
tions by means of comprehensive
analysis.
To sum up: a serious approach to
the matter is indispensable!
Here, at the beginning of 1929,
ends Nimzowitsch 's own account
of his career.
I would like to add a few points
to this narrative and also bring it to
the close C)f Nimzowitsch 's life.
The upheavals C)f the Great War,
the Russian Revolution and the

subsequent civil war in Russia in-
terrupted Nimzowitsch 's successful
chess career in no uncertain fash-
ion. For six years after 1914 Nim-
zowit..<>ch played no serious chess
and at some time in 1920 (earlier
perhaps) he fled from his home
town of Riga to Scandinavia. Pre-
cisely why he took flight we do not
know, but we do know that Bol-
shevik and irregular Ge1111an ar-
mies were at large, and at war with
Latvia in its struggle for independ-
ence, at this time and this fact may
not have been unconnected with
Nimzowitsch's sudden departure.
Shattered by his experiences
(whatever they may have been) in
his war-tom country Nim-
zowitsch 's return to international
chess at Gothenburg in 1920 was a
disaster, but he gradually recovered
and began to play himself back into
for 111.
In 1922 Nimzowitsch settled in
Denmark and stayed there for the
remainder of his life, living in one
small rented room in Copenhagen.
One has the impression that Nim-
zowitsch 's lifestyle in Riga had not
been un-affluent, but it seems that
all this changed after his exile.
During the years 1925-1929 he
worked his way towards his ulti-
mate goal - the world champion-
ship. His own narrative closes just
prior to his greatest triumph: the
first prize at Carlsbad 1929, ahead
of Capablanca, Spielmann, Rubin-
stein, Vidmar, Euwe and Bogol-
jubow. His result at San Remo the
following year contir 111ed his posi-
tion as 'Crown Prince of the chess
world', and Alekhine himself ex-
pressed the opinion that Nim-
zowitsch was his worthiest oppo-
'How I be. a me <l Grandm<1ste1' 2 7
nent. but the n1atch never came
about. It is unlikely that Nim-
zowitsch would have been able to
unseat Alekhine, but his claims
were certainly superior to those of
the ()fficial challenger, Bogol-
jub()W, who twice met the world
champion in abortive matches in
1929 and 1934.
From 1929 onward<> Nim-
zowitsch made the fine scores of
4/5 versus Bogoljubow, 1112/2 ver-
sus Euwe, who did unseat Alekhine
shortly after Nimzowitsch died,
2 112/3 versus Flohr, who was gener-
ally regarded as Alekhine 's most
likely challenger apart from Euwe,
and also plus scores against Lasker,
Vidmar and Spielmann.
Nimzowitsch 's results at the
great tournaments of San Remo and
Bled were excellent and (apart
from a comparative failure at Liege
where he tied third) these successes
were backed up by a number of
first prizes in smaller tournaments
(Frankfurt. Winterthur, Copenha-
gen) in which the general standard
of his play was outstanding. He
was less successful in matches
against Stoltz and Stahlberg, the
rising Scandinavian stars, but Nim-
zowitsch was never a particularly
accomplished match player, an
observation which reintorces the
feeling that he would not have suc-
ceeded in a challenge match versus
Alekhine. Indeed, Nimzowitsch
suffered repeated defeats at the
hands of Alekhine in the years
1930-1934, although previously
their results against each other had
been reasonably balanced (+5 -3
=9 to Alekhine).
After 1931 Nimzowitsch took no
part in major tournaments for three
28 'How I became a Grandma.5ter
years - possibly as a result of in-
creasing ill health. His emergence
in 1934 at Ziirich was not worthy
of his fo1111er achievements, al-
though he did win an 'immortal'
knight ending versus Lasker, and it
was clear from this tournament that
Nimzowitsch could no longer be
regarded as an automatic candidate
for the world title. He did win a
Nordic tournament in Copenhagen
later in 1934, but a few months
after that he was dead. 'Nim-
zowitsch's death at the beginning
of 1935 was a severe and unex-
pected blow to the che.."5 world'
(Stahlberg).
Bj0m Nielsen, Nimzowitsch 's
Danish biographer, wrote: 'Shortly
before Christmas 1934, Nim-
zowitsch had to be admitted to the
Bispebjerg Hospital where he lay
hopelessly ill for three months. At
the beginning of March 1935, he
was moved to Hareskov Sanato-
rium and here he succumbed to a
lung infection (pneumonia). On 16
March 1935, the Grandmaster, only
forty-eight years old, breathed his
last.'
3 A Discussion with Bent Larsen
At various stages throughout this
book I allude to connections be-
tween Nimzowitsch and Larsen. As
we all know Larsen was Denmark's
most successful player and his
chess-fo1111ative years occurred
some time after Nimzowitsch 's
death in 1935, the year in which
Larsen was born, when the great
Master's influence amongst Danish
players was considerable.
Larsen was not only Denmark's
leading player, but one of the most
successful tournament players of
our era - as Nimzowitsch was of
his - and many of Nimzowitsch 's
aggressive ideas are to be observed
in Larsen's approach to tournament
chess. Larsen, like Nimzowitsch, is
an uncompromising fighter over
the board and often controversial
and outspoken in his published
comments.
In this interview, conducted ex-
clusively for this volume, Larsen
gives his views on Nimzowitsch's
influence over the succeeding gen-
erations of Grandmasters.
Question: What do you regard as
Nimzowitsch 's main contributions
to the advance of chess theory?
Larsen: Well, in my opinion his
original contributions were not as
great as most people think because
so much in Nimzowitsch can be
found already in Steinitz, but he
did emphasise certain things that
Steinitz neglected, things that were
very much against Tarrasch and so
on. The funny thing is that Nim-
zowitsch 's most famous book is
called My System, and it's not a
system. It's part of a system. It is
not a whole system. Nimzowitsch 's
writings meant very much for the
development of certain important
ideas, but it's hard for us to see
now if these ideas would have de-
veloped independently of Nim-
zowitsch in other writers; but it
does look as if he passed on some
ideas to, for instance, a player like
Petrosian. For example: the block-
ading knight. This is one of the
parts of his 'system' which comes
across very strongly. Donner once
told me that Euwe lost a game - I
think it was Amsterdam 1950,
against Pilnik - and afterwards
Eu we didn't understand the mis-
takes he had made; and to Donner,
to me, to Pilnik, to a lot of people it
was obvious that Euwe had allowed
his opponent a strong position
where he had this blockading
knight, and it seemed as if Euwe
didn't understand this, which was
30 A Discu.1.~ion with Bent f,ar.~en
really strange.
Other Dutch players have also
told me that Euwe never under-
stood Nimzowitsch. But to me
Nimzowitsch is something I ab-
sorbed very early in my chess de-
velopment, which is why I have
some difficulty in isolating his spe-
cific achievements, because when
you take some of Nimzowil<>ch 's
ideas I simply say: 'Yes, ot'
course!'
I didn't learn so much from My
System because I only started to
read it when I was seventeen. By
that time I had already got most of
Nimzowil<>ch in a more easy, more
popular way, you could say, be-
cause we have in Danish a very
good book - in memory of Nim-
zowitsch - written by Bj0rn Niel-
sen and there most of the games are
given with Nimzowitsch 's own
comment<>. A lot of these things I
learnt when I was about fourteen
years old: but this story of Don-
ner's about Eu we 's game with Pil-
nik has made me think maybe these
things we find in Nimzowitsch
were not so obvious earlier on.
Que.'ition: Would you associate
any ideas with Nimzowitsch rather
than with any other writer or
player?
Larsen: Yes. Play on squares of
a certain colour. This is very often
something like a blockading
knight, or a knight against a bad
bishop, but it can mean different
things: it can be opposite-coloured
bishops, for instance. The way he
sees these weaknesses developing
on squares of one colour. That, to
me, is one of the most typical
things in Nimzowitsch; and it is the
one thing I would mention as very
significant.
What I don't understand at all in
My System is why he talks so much
about this 'seventh rank absolute'
because it normally arises in the
endgame. It's very nice, of course,
but others have seen that too and I
don't know why he stressed it so
much and made it a part of his
system - which, as I say, is not a
system. But this play on weak-
nesses of one colour - that is to me
very typical Nimzowitsch.
In this respect one game that
made a very strong impression on
me when I was about fourteen is
the ending von Gottschall-Nim-
zowitsch with rooks and opposite-
coloured bishops. There are other
such endings and I could have
learnt the same things just as well
from a game of Spielmann 's with
Alekhine, but I did learn it from the
Gottschall-Nimzowitsch game.
Question: Do you think that
Nimzowitsch affected many of the
modern Grandmasters?
Larsen: I think he affected Por-
tisch when Portisch was very
young. It is hard to see now, but
when Portisch was young he had
many of Nimzowitsch 's ideas.
Korchnoi too, but above all Petro-
sian, and maybe also Bronstein; but
it is difficult to see these things
when we come to the Soviet mas-
ters, since very few of them have
really studied Nimzowitsch. Petro-
sian has, because his teacher wa.<>
Ebralidze, the great admirer of
Nimzowil<>ch; and Bronstein has,
but most of the others have proba-
bly not studied Nimzowitsch very
much. I don't know what Nim-
zowitsch literature exists in Russia.
Not too much, and his influence

comes only in an indirect way. I
don't think the other Russians have
studied him. They know Alekhine
well, much better than they know
Nimzowitsch. And other Grand-
masters ... I don't think Fischer has
studied Nimzowitsch in detail; Ca-
pablanca perhaps in his case.
Question: To what extent has
your own style been influenced by
Nimzowitsch?
Larsen: The main influence
stems from my study of his games
when I was fourteen. Part of these
things also come from other Danish
players who knew Nimzowitsch
personally in Denmark. So it is
rather difficult for me to pinpoint
his precise influence because part
of it came through some ot the
other Danish players.
When I was fourteen or fifteen
we had very little chess literature in
Denmark. We did have, for in-
stance, Euwe's opening theory and
later Euwe's middlegame books
and so on. But at a certain time in
my development I found out that
they were very bad for an advanced
player, and Nimzowitsch became
then for me more or less the author
of the only book that could help me
to get away from these Euwe
books, which, I admit, are very
good for the ordinary club player.
But once you've reached a certain
strength you get the impres..<;ion that
everything that Euwe writes is a lie.
There is something that I often
say and Nimzowitsch says it him-
self: 'Everything is Nimzowitsch-
My System, every move is Nim-
zowitsch-My System because it is
either centralisation or decentrali-
sation. He sometimes made jokes
with this and thereupon others said
A Di.1l11.5.1ion with Bent Lar.5en 31
that he first played his games and
didn't think of his system, but then
afterwards because he had written
this book or these books he had to
fit the games into his system.
There is this in Nimzowitsch that
he is very flexible, although people
SC)metimes tell stories about his
opposition to Tarrasch as if he were
very narrow-minded. But he is very
flexible, and his system, which is
not a system, is full of the5e con-
tradictions and paradoxes. And this
is one of the nicest examples: he
sometimes has these things about
decentralisation in such a way that
you don't really understand what's
going on. A man who always
preaches centralisation - and here
he suddenly writes about the
'instructive decentralisation'. Nim-
zowit<;ch, when you study him,
doesn't try to tell you that it's all
very easy, and that was very good
for me at that period of my chess
development.
Nimzowitsch was also very
much of a fighter; he was a player
who was not afraid of difficult po-
sitions. In Denmark he certainly
had a very strong influence in his
time and although he was very
much a foreigner he became ac-
cepted in a way. He was a very
strange man, but people more or
less liked him, also because he had
a certain humour. In Denmark there
are all these stories about Nim-
zowitsch and a lot of people tell
about his persecution complex -
how he wa.<; sure that the waiter in
the Industrieverein wanted to poi-
son him, and so on.
But exactly how he influenced
my style it is difficult to say pre-
cisely.
32 A Discu.s.sion with Bent Lar.sen
Four points in this conversation
with Bent Larsen particularly
caught my attention. They were as
follows:
1) The fo1111ative influences af-
fecting Nimzowitsch 's theories
2) His trouble with Tarrasch,
3) The question 'Is it a system?'
and
4) The positional themes of
Nimzowitsch 's writing and play. I
decided to have a closer look at
them.
1) Influences Affecting
Nimzowitsch
('As a chess thinker Nimzowitsch
is comparable with Steinitz. If
Steinitz was the father of modem
chess Nimzowitsch was the for-
mulator of many of the so-called
hypet 111odem conceptions.' - Dr.
Euwe)
The influence of Steinitz on
Nimzowitsch 's ideas is apparent
even in such surlace details as
opening variations. For example,
look at the first few moves of
Steinitz-Showalter, Vienna 1898: 1
e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5(!) c5 4 dxc5
tllc6 5 tllf3 .i.xc5 6 .i.d3 tllge7 7
0-0 tllg6 8 .:tel and White later
won by means of an alternating
attack in the centre and against
Black's kingside.
However, in this volume I am
more concerned with the influence
exerted by Nimzowitsch than with
the influences which shaped his
own style and ideas in his fo1111a-
tive years, so here I shall only
touch briefly on the subject. How
does Nimzowitsch himself ap-
proach the question? In My System
he wrote: 'First came Steinitz; but
what he had to say was so unfa-
miliar. and he himself was so tow-
ering a figure, that his 'modem
principles' could not immediately
become popular. There followed
Tarrasch who took hold of
Steinitz's ideas and served them up
diluted to the public taste. Steinitz
was deep and great but deepest and
greatest in his conception of the
centre.'
Admiration indeed, and what
Nimzowil<>ch must have had in
mind were games such as Lasker-
Steinitz, game 7, World Champion-
ship match, New York 1894: 1 e4
e5 2 tt::lf3 tt::lc6 3 .tbs d6 4 d4 .i.d7
5 tt::lc3 tt::lge7 6 .i.e3 tt::lg6 7 'ifd2
.i.e7 8 0-0-0 a6 9 .i.e2 exd4
Steinitz cedes White an arithmeti-
cal advantage in the centre, but not
a genuine one. Move.<> like this
were the spiritual ancestors of Nim-
zowil<>ch 's treatment of the Han-
ham defence and of later (modem)
developments in similar vein 10
tllxd4 tllxd4 11 'if xd4 ~f6 12
'ifd2 .i.c6 13 tlld5 0-0 14 g4 l:.e8
with a highly satisfactory position
for Black.
Another example is the follow-
ing, in which Steinitz operates pre-
cisely according to Nimzowitsch's
theory of over-protection - four
years before Nimzowitsch was
born!
Steinitz-Weiss
Vienna 1882
French Defence
I e4 e6 2 e5 c5 3 f4 d5 4 exd6
~xd6 5 g3 ~d7 6 tt::lf3 ~c6 7 ~g2
tllf6 8 0-0 tllbd7 9 d3 0-0 10
tt::lbd2 tllb6 11 'ife2 'ifc7 12 b3
~e7 13 ~b2 aS 14 a4 tllbdS 15
tllc4 tllb4 16 l:tael tt::lfd5

17 lLife5 ..td6 18 'ii'f2 ..te8 19 g4
l:.d8 20 g5 ..te7 21 ll:ig4 ll:ic6 22
'iih4 ll:id4 23 ..te4 f5 24 gxf6 ll:ixf6
25 lLixf6+ ..txf6 26 'ii'xh7+ 'l;f7 27
..tg2 l:.g8 28 ll:ie5+ 'l;f8 29 l:.f2 b5
30 axb5 ..txb5 31 ..th3 l:.e8 32
l:.e4 ..tc6 33 l:.xd4 cxd4 34 ..ta3+
..te7 35 ..txe6 1-0
I am indebted to R.N. Coles'
Dynamic Chess for drawing my
attention to this game and it is dif-
ficult to better his explanatory
comments: 'Nimzowitsch realised
that Tarrasch had simplified and
diluted the original Steinitzian
practice, and that some ot the old
master's deeper conceptions had
been omitted altogether. He found
that Steinitz had conceived the idea
of a strong central square which he
had controlled but not necessarily
occupied continuously. Steinitz's
view, as Nimzowitsch understood
it, was that when a strong square
had been established, like e5 for
White in the Weiss game, it be-
came a nerve-centre for the radia-
tion of attacks and threats, and
therefore all pieces were developed
so a..<> to be brought into relation
with the strong square. When a
A Di.1c11s.1i<J11 1iith Bent /,arsen 33
large number of pieces were devel-
oped so that they all defended the
strong square, that square was, as
Nimzowitsch put it, 'over-
protected'. He affirmed that from
the over-protected square all these
pieces could quickly exert their
maximum influence.'
Related to the Weiss game was
Steinitz' handling of the defence in
his encounter with Lasker (White)
from Hastings 1895. This time
Steinitz strong-pointed the e5
square without first emptying it of
his e-pawn: 1 e4 e5 2 ll:if3 ll:ic6 3
.tbs a6 4 ..ta4 d6 5 0-0 ll:ige7 6 c3
..td7 7 d4 ll:ig6 8 l:.el ..te7 9 ll:ibd2
0-0 10 ll:in 'ii'e8 11 ..tc2 'l;h8 12
tlJg3 ..tg4 13 d5 tLlb8 14 h3 ..tc8
15 tlJf5 .ltd8 16 g4 tt:Je7 17 tlJg3
tlJg8 18 'l;g2 tbd7. Intellectually
this game makes a profound im-
pressic)n but practically Steinitz'
play was too provocative. Lasker
won the game by means of direct
attack.
Certainly Nimzowitsch exam-
ined the games of Steinitz and
quarried out from the raw material
of the great man's practical exploits
a coherent theory which had appli-
cations in many different direc-
tions, but it would be a foolish
over-simplification to regard Nim-
zowitsch 's teachings as an updated,
pseudo-carbon copy of Steinitz. At
the start of the 20th century the
situation facing the aspiring chess
enthusiast, anxious to increase his
chess wisdom, was roughly as fol-
lows: there were three great chess
pedagogues from whom one might
seek enlightenment. (Lasker the
then world champion was regarded
as the practical player par excel-
lence and only much later on was it
34 A Discu.~sion with Bent Lar.1en
realised that his games also con-
tained the basis for a psychological
theory of chess. To his credit Nim-
zowitsch was one of those who
recognised this fact.) The three
teachers I have in mind were
Steinitz, Tarrasch and Chigorin.
There is no doubt that Nimzowitsch
utterly rejected the doctrine..'> of
Tarrasch and that he went back to
the original Steinitzian source in
his quest for knowledge but, to an
extent which has hitherto been
overlooked, Nimzowitsch also
scanned the games of Chigorin in
his search for chess truth. What
Nimzowitsch produced from his
investigations into the past was
undeniably and indelibly his own,
but it was to Steinitz and Chigorin
that Nimzowitsch turned for his
initial guidance.
I close this section with one of
Chigorin 's classic games. Whether
Nimzowitsch had studied precisely
this one, or just games of the same
style by the great Russian master, is
not strictly relevant. What is of
relevance is the way in which
Chigorin dominates and blockades
the entire white position (with its
bishop pair) by exploiting to the
full the resources of his knights. In
this game we can see the rudimen-
tary stirrings of a theory of block-
ade and restraint, which was later
fo1111ulated by Nimzowitsch him-
self.
Lasker-Chigorin
Hastings 1895
Queen's Gambit -
Chigorin 's Defence
1 d4 d5 2 ll:lf3 .tg4 3 c4 .txf3 4
gxf3 ll:lc6 5 ll:lc3 e6 6 e3 .tb4 7
cxd5 'ii'xd5 8 .td2 .txc3 9 bxc3
ll:lge7 10 l:tgl 'ii'h5 11 'ii'b3 ll:ld8
12 'ii'b5+ 'ii'xb5 13 .txb5+ c6 14
.td3 ll:lg6 15 f4 0-0 16 'it>e2 l:tc8
17 l:tg3 Much stronger would have
been 17 f5 breaking open the posi-
tion for the bishops. After the text
Chigorin succeeds in implementing
the blockade. One of Nim-
zowitsch's achievement<; was to
elaborate an openings repertoire
that successfully brought about
blockade situations as a logical
consequence of the initial move..o;;:
l 7 c5 18 l1agl c4 19 .tc2 f5 20
.tel :tf7 21 .ta3 l:tc6 22 .tc5 l:ta6
23 a4 ll:lc6 24 l:tbl l:td7 25 l:tggl
ll:lge7 26 l:tb2 ll:ld5 27 'it>d2 l:ta5
28 l:tgbl b6 29 .ta3 g6 30 l:tb5
:ta6 31 .tel l2Jd8 32 l:tal ll:lf7 33
l:tbbl ll:ld6
It would have been more accu-
rate to play ... g7-g5 at once. 34 f3
ll:lf7 35 l:ta3 g5 36 'if.?e2 gxf4 37 e4!
ll:lf6 38 .txf4 ll:lh5 39 .te3 f4 40
.tf2 l:ta5 41 :tgl+ 'it>f8 42 l:taal It
looks as if White can lift the block-
ade with 42 e5 but in that case
Chigorin had planned: 42 ... b5 43
.txh7 ll:lxe5 44 l:tg8+ ~f7 45 dxe5
b4! 46 cxb4 l:txe5+ 47 'i!;fl ll:lf6-+
42 e5 43 l:tabl ll:lg7 44 l:tb4 l:tc7
 A Disc1J.~sion with Bent f,arsen 35

45 ~bl tt:le6 46 l:.dl tt:led8 47
.:d2 He had to try 4 7 dxe5; after
the text Black can win. 47 .. tt:lc6 48
.:h5 .:xa4 49 dxe5 tt:lfxe5 50 ~h4
.:g7 51 <itf2 l:.g6 52 .:dd5 l:.al 53
~d8 tt:ld3+ 54 ~xd3 cxd3 55
.:xd3
cal players meant that their clashes
over the board were needle sharp.
Many of their encounters are well
known (perhaps too well known) .
The very first game they ever
played together 'under serious con-
ditions is to be found in the games
section. I have chosen this game
alone to appear with detailed notes
precisely because it is virtually
unknown. Nimzowitsch 's cele-
brated victory with 3 e5 in the
French Defence can be located in
the theoretical survey. Meanwhile
here is a complete record of the
score between Nimzowit..<>ch and
Tarrasch:

location and date N's result

Nuremberg 1904 l/2

55...:agl ! 56 .:rs+ <ite8 57 Hamburg 1910 I
~g5 .:6xg5 0-1 Had h played 57 San Sebastian 1911 0
.:xf4 Black would have delivered San Sebastian 1912 1112/2
mate by means of 57 ... l:.6g2+ 58 St. Petersburg 1914 0
~e3 l:te 1 mate. Gothenburg 1920 l/2
Carlsbad 1923 1
2) The Trouble with Tarrasch Baden-Baden 1925 l/2
(' ... very much against Tarrasch Breslau 1925 1
and so on ... ') Semmering 1926 l/2
Nimzowitsch s feud with Tar- Bad Kissingen 1928 I
rasch is notorious and has been
mentioned elsewhere in this vol- [+5 =5 -2: 71/2-4 1/2]
ume in Nimzowitsch's own word<>.
From Nimzowitsch's comments we To redress the balance to a great
can see that, prior to 1914, opposi- chess teacher, here is a brilliant win
tion to the great Dr. Siegbert Tar- by Tarrasch.
rasch, the leading Ge1111an master
(apart from Lasker). the 'world Nimzowitsch-Tarrasch
tournament champion (a title Tar- St. Petersburg 1914
rasch gained at Ostend 1907) and Queen's Gambit -
challenger to I .asker's individual Tarrasch Defence
title, provided the spur to Nim-
zowitsch 's own remarkable prog- I d4 d5 2 tt:lf3 c5 3 c4 e6 4 e3 tt:lf6
ress. The animosity between these 5 ~d3 tt:lc6 6 0-0 ~d6 7 b3 0-0 8
two outstanding writers and practi- ~b2 b6 9 tt:lbd2 ~b7 IO l:.cl e7
36 A Disc11.s.sion with Bent lar.1en
11 cxd5 11 'ii'e2!? l 1...exd5 12
tiJh4 g6 13 tiJhf3 :tad8 14 dxc5
bxc5 15 i..b5 tLle4 16 i..xc6 i..xc6
17 'ii'c2 t2Jxd2 18 t2Jxd2 'The
guardian of the king's field leaves
his post for a moment, assuming
wrongly that 19 'ii'c3 is a major
threat' - Tartakower. If 18 'ii' xd2
d4 19 exd4 i..xf3 20 gxf3 'it'h4
18...d4! 19 exd4 19 l:t.fel!
19 i..xh2+ 20 'it>xh2 'ii'h4+ 21
<t>gl i..xg2! 22 f3 22 'it>xg2 'ii'g4+
23 'iii>h2 l:t.d5-+ 22 . .Ufe8 23 t2Je4
'ii'hl+ 24 'it>f2 i..xfl 25 d5 25 l:t.xfl
'ii'h2+ or 25 4Jf6+ 'it>f8 26 tLlxe8
'ii'g2+ 25 f5 26 'ii'c3 'ii'g2+ 27
~e3 .Uxe4+ 28 fxe4 f4+
28 ... 'ii'g3+! 29 'it>xf4 .:rs+ 30 'it>e5
'ii'h2+ 31 ~e6 .Ue8+ 32 'it>d7 ~b5
Mate 0-1
3) 'Is it a System ... ?'
(... or a set of highly relevant
aper~us of a positional and tactical
nature fo1111ulated by a gifted chess
master?)
This is a question, I must admit,
about which I cannot reach a fit 111
conclusion. At first I accepted
Nimzowitsch 's teachings at their
face value as a system. Then I was
stricken with doubt: now I incline,
once again, to the view that a
'system of sort.<> does exist, bodied
forth in a fashion undertaken by no
other chess master or writer. It is,
however, shot through with para-
doxes. For example: one cif Nim-
zowitsch 's main strengths over the
board was his ability as a fighter
and an acute tactician, yet the ap-
peal to a 'System' (= higher order
of principles) does a lot to under-
play the element of struggle. My
Sy.stem could equally aptly be titled
'My Struggle', - Both over the
board and in conflict with Dr. Tar-
rasch - but does not a system deny
struggle? All too often one is
tempted to write of an impressive
Nimzowitsch victory: 'all accord-
ing to system', but this sentence
sweeps the element of uncertainty,
of struggle, right under the carpet,
and, by an annotational sleight of
hand, consigns to oblivion all those
games in which Nimzowitsch fol-
lowed his own tl1eories as best he
could, and finished up by suffering
annihilation. Precisely to avoid this
deception and to avoid giving the
impression that Nimzowitsch 's
opponent<> were cyphers or punch-
bags against whom he demon-
strated the superiority of his theo-
ries I have included a number of
games in this collection which
Nimzowitsch did not win. A
rounded picture of a chessmaster
can only be provided by his wins,
draws and losses.
So, perhaps Larsen is right; per-
haps the writings of Nimzowitsch
are brilliant insights into the es-
sence of chess, but still only part of
a system. But a system can also be
something more humble, yet still of
immense value: an 'explanatory
hypothesis, and who can deny that

Nimzowitsch 's writings have
brought enlightenment to countless
devotees of chess?
Ultimately, I suspect, this is a
question about which the reader
should for 111 his own judgement by
study of the original text.
4) Positional Themes
1) The blockading knight
2) Play on squares of a certain
colour.
It is a rather artificial exercise to
isolate such themes from Nim-
zowitsch 's play as a whole: in fact
it is even artificial to isolate them
from each other. The blockading
knight can be equally ge11nane to a
prophylactic manoeuvre as it can
be to play on squares of one colour.
The point of adumbrating these
themes in isolation, far from sug-
gesting that they can operate in a
vacuum in Nimzowitsch 's games,
is to draw the reader's attention to
them in order to enhance his appre-
ciation when they reappear in uni-
son, and possibly obscured by
variations. Indeed, all of them will
recur frequently in this collection
of Nimzowitsch's games, and it is
good to establish common ground
and an acceptable te1111inology in
advance of the later, more detailed
discussion.
1) The Blockading Knight
Ideally the rounded chess master
should not harbour an idiosyncratic
affection for one or other of the
two minor pieces. However, Nim-
zowitsch did, and it is quite obvi-
ous from his games that he had a
penchant for closed positions
where he could exploit to the ut-
most the blockading potential of
A Di.\'l'11s.,ion '>'.'ith Bent l.ar.\en 3 7
the knight. In his pamphlet Die
Blockade Nimzowitsch gives away
his preference for the knight by
postulating the following fantasy
position in which two knights
dominate rook, bishop and two
pawns.
It is certainly hard to envisage
winning plans for Black in his su-
per-blockaded state. However, in
My System, which was published
after Die Blockade, Nimzowitsch
allowed his fantasies an even freer
rein. The identical position occurs
there too but with the addition of a
White pawn on h5, and now:
'White has winning chances!' You
will see from the examples which
follow that Nimzowitsch was also
capable of constructing fantastic
blockading possibilities for his
knights over the board.
Mattison-Nimzowitsch
Carlsbad 1929
Nimzo-lndian Defence
1 d4 lt:if6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:ic3 .llb4 4
lt:if3 .llxc3+ 5 bxc3 d6 6 c2 e7
7 .lla3 cS 8 g3 b6 9 .llg2 .llb7 10
0-0 0-0 11 lt:ih4 .llxg2 12 'it1xg2?
b7+! 13 'it1gl a6 14 b3 lllc6
38 A Di~cu~.~ion with Bent lar~en
15 l:.fdl tl:Ja5 16 '*b5 '*xb5 17
exb5 tl:Je4 18 .tel a6 19 bxa6
l:.xa6 20 dxe5 bxe5 21 tl:Jg2 tl:Jd5
22 l::.d3 l:.fa8
Black's blockading knights,
fi1111ly established on light squares,
create an impression both of power
and of pictorial beauty. The same
could also be said of the next ex-
ample. 23 e4 tl:Je5 0-1
Mannheimer-Nimzowitseh
Frankfurt 1930
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 tl:Je3 ..tb4 4 exd5
exd5 5 tl:Jf3 White handles the
opening in stereotyped fashion and
soon contracts an incurable light-
square weakness, with Black's
knights masquerading as physi-
cians. 5 ... tl:Je7 6 ..td3 tl:Jbe6 7 h3
..tf5 8 ..txf5 tl:Jxf5 9 0-0 ..txe3 10
bxe3 0-0 11 '*d3 tl:Jd6 12 tl:JgS g6
13 ..tf4 r6 14 ..td2? It was es-
sential to remove one of Black's
knights. 14.. h6 15 tl:Jt3 '1t>h7 16
tl:Jh2 '*h8 Not just a case of Nim-
zowitsch's sense of humour gain-
ing the upper hand. White threat-
'*
ened ltlg4 and if 16 ... g7 17 tl:Jg4
h5 18 ..th6+-. 17 '*e3 '*g7 Now
this move is safe. 18 n tl:Je4 19
.tel f5 20 ._d3 tl:JaS 21 f4 ._d7 22
tl:Jt3 '*e6 23 tl:JeS '*e6 24 l:.bl b6
25 'it>h2 tl:Je4 26 ..te3 g5 27 g3 .::.r6
28 l:.bel l:.g8 29 .tel b5 30 tl:Jt3
g4 31 hxg4 l:l.xg4 32 tl:Jgl l:l.fg6 33
.::.n gs 34 lL'ie2 h5
35 'it>g2 h4 36 l:l.hl l:h6 37 l:.h3
'*g6 38 ..te3 '*a6 White is helpless
against Black's plan of annexing
the a-pawn. 39 ..tf2 '*xa2 40 .tel
a5 The finish is not lacking in hu-
morous touches. 41 'it>fl '*b 1 42
tl:Jgl a4 43 'it>e2 a3 44 l:.fl a2 0-1
Observe that Black's 38th move
threatened ... tl:Jb2 'checkmating'
White's queen.
For a discussion of Nimzo-
witsch 's slightly strained relations
with the bishop pair I suggest you
consult the notes to Nimzowitsch-
Kmoch.
2) Play on Squares of a Certain
Colour
('The way he sees the..<>e weak-
nesses developing on squares of
one colour - that is one of the most
typical things in Nimzowitsch. ')
There follow three examples
t'rom Nimzc)witsch 's tournament

career of a winning campaign car-
ried out exclusively on squares of
one colour (two dark and one
light).
In each case the unit<> involved
are major pieces and opposite bish-
ops, since the question of the ex-
ploitation of a colour complex in-
volving a knight has been covered
in the previous section.
Nimzowitsch-0.Bernstein
Vilna 1912
White s winning chances reside
in:
1) the unfortunate position of the
black king - note that the white
king does not intervene at all until a
late stage of the ending - and
2) White's dark-square grip, es-
pecially the possibility of ~f8 at-
tacking Black's g7-pawn. Once
Black loses his g7-pawn White will
have little difficulty in creating a
passed h-pawn. From the diagram
the game continued: 32 h4 a5 33
g4 b5 In the interest<> of exchang-
ing the queenside pawns. 34 h5
gxh5 35 gxh5 a4 36 bxa4 ~xa2 37
a5 l:ta7 38 ~f8 ~bl 39 l:tfl ~d3
40 l:tdl ~f5 41 ~b4 l:ta8 42 l:.d6+
~c7 43 a6 l1h8 White was threat-
A !Jislus.~ion ttith Bent f,a1:1e11 39
ening 44 ~a5+ 'it>b8 45 l:td8+ 'it>a7
46 ~b6+, a variation which high-
lights how important it is to have
threats against the enemy king if
one is seeking to win an <)pposite
bishop plus rook position. 44 ~c5
~g4 45 h6 gxh6 46 gxh6 'it>b8 47
'it>f2 Hitherto White has dominated
the entire black army with his rook
and bishop but now his king also
enters the battle with decisive ef-
fect. 47 ... ~fS S<) powerful are the
dark squares that Black's bishop
hardly seems to count at all. 48
'it>f3 b4 49 ~e3 'it>a8 50 l1b6 l1f8
51 l:txb4 f6 52 ~c5! l:tc8 Or
52 ... l1f7 53 l1b7!+-. 53 exf6 l1xc5
54 f7 l:tc8 55 l:tb7 ~d3 56 l:te7
~b5 57 'it>f4 l:th8 58 h7 ~a4 59
c.t>e5 The king penetrates via the
dark squares. 59 ... ~bS 60 'it>f6 e5
61 'it>g7 1-0
von Gottschall-Nimzowitsch
Hanover 1926
A dead draw!? By no means.
There is still a great deal in the
position and the game is only just
beginning' (Nimzowitsch).
21 l:.c5 l1xc5 22 dxc5 ~c6 23 f3
f6 24 'it>f2 'it>f7 25 l1d4 a5 26 g3?
He should have done something for
40 A Di.~cu.v.\ion v.ith Bent La1.~en
his light squares, e.g. 26 b3 ..td5 27
l:i.d3 followed by h2-h3 and he can
resist successfully. 26 .. a4 27 f4 h5
28 h3 l:i.h8 29 l:i.dl 'it>g6 30 l:i.d4
'it>f5 31 ..td2 l:i.f8 32 ..te 1 e5 33
fxe5 fxe5 34 l:i.h4 g5 35 :tb4 'it>e6+
36 'iife2 e4 37 ..tf2 l:i.f3 38 l:i.b6
'it>e5 39 l:i. b4 <tidS
40 h4 A Zugzwang position had
been achieved in which White had
to give ground somewhere. The
text cedes Black more light-
squared territory on the kingside
(which is soon invaded by Black's
king) but 40 l:i.b6 shed a pawn after
40 ... h4 41 gxh4 gxh4 42 ..txh4
~xc5 and ... l:i.xh3. There was even
a way for White to lose a piece by
40 l:i.d4+ ~xc5 41 l:i.xe4+? l:i.xf2+.
40 .. gxh4 41 gxh4 l:i.h3 42 l:i.d4+
<ties 43 l:i.d8 ..tdS 'The win is not
too difficult now; in spite of an-
noying checks the black army, now
welded into a homogeneous whole,
creeps ever nearer' (Nimzowitsch).
44 :es+ ..te6 45 :ds <tif4 46
l:i.f8+ ..trs 47 l:.f7 lih2 48 J:.e7
..tg4+ 49 ~el ~f3 50 l:i.f7+ ~g2
51 <tid2 <tifl 52 <t>e3 ..tf3 53 ..tg3
.:t.xb2 54 ..lid6 l:i.b3+ 55 ~d4 <tif2
56 .C.g7 e3 57 ..lig3+ ~fl 58 l:i.f7 e2
59 lle7 ..tc6 0-1
1"imzowitsch-Menchik
Carlsbad 1929
f"rench Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 'it'g4
cxd4 5 lLif3 lLic6 6 ..lid3 'it'a5+ 7
lLibd2 lLige7 Nimzowitsch recom-
mended instead the move 7 ... 'it'c7.
8 0-0 lLig6 9 l:.el ..te7 10 h4 ..tf8
An unhappy sort of move. Black
has treated this difficult variation
with a certain lack of finesse. For
superior methods I suggest the
reader consult the relevant section
of the theoretical survey. 11 h5
l2Jge7 12 lLib3 'it'c7 13 lLibxd4
lLixd4 14 lLixd4 ..lid7 15 ..tg5 The
dark squares loom up. 15... g6 16
l:i.acl lLif5 17 ..lif6 J:.g8 18 ..txf5
exf5 19 'it'e2 'it'b6 20 c3 ..tcS 21 b4
..txd4 22 cxd4 ..te6 23 l:i.c5 Black
is now held in a powerful dark-
square vice. 23 .. <tid7 24 'it'f3
'it'xb4 25 l:txd5+ ~e8 26 l:i.c 1
..lixd5 27 'it'xd5 'it'b6 28 'it'f3 gxh5
29 'it'a3 'it'e6 30 l:i.c7 1-0 The last
link in the dark-square attack.
4 The Influence of Nimzowitsch
on Modern Opening Play
Nimzowitsch '.<; contributions to
openings theory were of such im-
portance that it is difficult to think
of anyone who had a comparable
influence in our time (Harry Gol-
ombek).
Introduction
There are many ways of categoris-
ing great chess masters, and one
legitimate method is to divide them
up according to whether or not they
were restricted to their achieve-
ments in practical play (really
Lasker and Capablanca belong to
this class since they left behind
them no coherent corpus of ad-
vanced theoretical writings). Tar-
rasch and Nimzowitsch belong to
the other type which is composed
of masters whose impact and suc-
ces.<; can also be judged by the du-
rability of their theoretical utter-
ances. When evaluating Nimzo-
witsch, then, we cannot ignore the
question of the extent to which he
has, in his games and writings, in-
fluenced that highly important as-
pect of modem chess: the theory of
openings.
General Points
There are three general ways in
which Nimzowitsch has influenced
modem opening theory:
1) Nimzowitsch was the first
master to lay immense stress on the
creation of doubled pawn com-
plexes, and this theme runs through
many of the opening variations
which we associate with his name.
Indeed, doubled pawn play is an
essential part of the general theory
of pr<)phylaxis (or restraint), which
fonns the very basis of positional
play, according to Nimzowitsch in
My System: ... in what do I see the
idea of true position play? The an-
swer is short and to the point - in
prophylaxis.' We illustrate general
point (I) with a game by Tigran
Petrosian which, in my opinion,
betrays clear indications of the
Nimzowitschian influence apropos
doubled pawns.
Petrosian-A.Nielsen
Nimzowitsch Memorial,
Copenhagen 1960
Dutch Defence
1 d4 f5 2 ..ltg5 g6 3 tlld2 ..ltg7 4 c3
tllf6 5 e3 d6 6 ll:Jgf3 tllc6 7 'ii'b3
h6 8 ..ltxf6 ..ltxf6 9 e4 eS 10 ..ltbS
'it>f8 11 ..ltxc6 bxc6 12 dxeS dxeS
13 'ii'a4 'ii'd6 14 tllb3 - heading for
the blockading square c5. 14 ... ..ltd7
15 l:tdl 'ii'e7 16 tllc5! ..lte8 The
42 The Jnjluence of Nimzowit.1ch on M<Jde1n O[Jening f>/a.1
way in which Black's bishops are
never given a chance is highly
reminiscent of Nimzowitsch.
17 b4 ~g7 18 0-0 l:tf8 19 'it'a6
fxe4 20 lbd2 e3 21 tt:Jde4! exf2+
22 l:txf2 ~g5 23 l:.xf8 ~xf8 24
tbxg5 hxg5 25 'it'b7 1-0 White
wins the rook.
2) Nimzowitsch frequently em-
ployed black defences when play-
ing the white pieces, and therefore
with an extra tempo. Playing an
opening with 'colours reversed' is
now the stock-in-trade of many
modern masters. Nimzowitsch fre-
quently opened with I e3, some-
times transposing into the Nim-
zowitsch Defence ( 1 e4 tLic6) with
colours reversed. His real special-
ity, however, was to play the
Queen's Indian reversed (com-
mencing with I lLif3 and 2 b3, or I
b3 immediately).
3) It should be noted that the
aim of the black defences we asso-
ciate with Nimzowitsch was not so
much to equalise as to counter-
attack and unbalance, either by
provoking the foe (his special
variation of the Sicilian with
2 ... lbf6), inflicting weaknesses on
the enemy (3 ... ~b4 in the French
and the Nimzo-Indian Det.ence) or
by inviting weaknesses, or even
cramp, in his own structure in order
to obtain compensating advantages
( 1 e4 lLic6, and 4 ... lLif6 in the Caro-
Kann). The notion of the early
black counter-attack, rather than
concentration on equalisatic)n, is
now fit 111ly embedded in modern
chess thinking.
Specific Opening Variations
1) Philidor's Defence:
Hanham Variation
1 e4 e5 2 tt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 tt:Jf6 4 tt:Jc3
tt:Jbd7
This was very popular with
Nimzowitsch but is hardly played
at all nowadays. However, perhaps
we can observe Nimzowitsch's
influence in the related lines ot the
King's Indian Defence, popularised
by Bronstein, where Black plays
... e5xd4 and then operates in the
half-open e-file against White's e-
pawn. A very good example too
occurs in some related lines of the
Pirc/Modem complex; for example
Gipslis-Hort, Havana 1971, opened
with 1 e4 d6 2 d4 g6 3 tt:Jf3 lLif6 4
 The /11fluence of.Nimzowitsc:h r>n Mode1n Opening Pia.\' 43
lllbd2 .1'..g7 5 .11...e2 0-0 6 0-0 lllc6 7
l:tel l:te8 8 c3 e5 9 dxe5 ll:ixe5 10
lllxe5 l:txe5! 11 .11...f3 'it'e8 12 c4
l:te6 13 'it'c2 .1'..d7 14 lt:Jfl .11...a4 15
'it'd3 .11...c6 16 ll:ig3 'it'e7
and White's entire war effort
had to be devoted to the defence of
his e-pawn which Black 'merely'
restrained.
Teichmann-Nimzowit<>ch, Carls-
bad 1911, is a case of the strategy
of restraint in this line advocated
by Nimzowitsch: 1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jf3 d6
3 d4 lt:Jf6 4 ll:ic3 lt:Jbd7 5 .lic4 .11...e7
6 0-0 0-0 7 'it'e2 c6 8 a4 'it'c7 9
.1'..b3 a6 IO h3 exd4 Il lt:Jxd4 l:te8
Commencing restraint opera-
tions against the white e-pawn. 12
.1'..f4 .lif8 13 f3 lt:Jc5 14 .11...a2 lt:Je6!
15 .1'..xe6 .1'..xe6 16 'it'd2 Ir.ad8 17
l:i.fel .11...c8 18 lladl lt:Jd7! 19 lt:Jf5
lt:Je5 20 tlld4 f6 21 'it>hl 'it'f7 22
'it'f2 'it'g6 23 b3 Cilf7 24 cJi>h2 l:te7
25 lt:Jde2 f5! 26 lt:Jg3 fxe4? Pre-
cipitate. Nimzowitsch gives instead
26 ... l:tde8 27 exf5 .lixf5 28 lllxf5
'it'xf5 29 .lig3 l:txel 30 l:txel l:txel
31 'iixel 'it'xc2. 27 lt:Jcxe4 d5 28
lt:Jc5 l:tde8 29 tt.'ld3 l:txel 30 l:.xel
l:txel 31 'it'xel 'it'e6 32 'it'xe6
.11...xe6 33 .lie3, 'Black should now
have contented himself with a
draw; he wished to get more and
lost the game ... ' (Nimzowitsch).
The continuation of this game can
be found in M.v Sy.~tem (game 2).
2) Nimzowitsch Defence
Nimzowitsch's own defence to I
e4: 1... lt:Jc6. This line really has
gone right out of fashion (not that it
ever reached the height<>). On the
rare occasions when it is brought
out of the closet players tend to
continue, after 2 d4, with 2... e5
rather than 2... d5 which is the 'echt
Nimzowitsch' method, as in te Kol-
ste-Nimzowit'>ch, Baden-Baden
1925: 2.. d5 3 e5 f6!? 4 f4 .11...f5 5
ll:ie2 e6 6 lt:Jg3 fxe5 7 fxe5 'it'd7!?
8 lt:Jxf5 exf5 9 .1'..b5 a6 10 .lie2 g6
11 0-0 .1'..h6! 12 .lixh6 lt:Jxh6 13
'it'd2 'it'g7? l 3 ... tllf7! 14 lllc3 ll:ie7
15 .11...f3 l:td8 16 lt:Je2 16 tt.la4!
16 .. g5 17 c4 0-0 18 'it'b4 c6 19 g3
f4! 20 gxf4 g4 21 .1'..g2 lt:Jhf5 22
'it'b3 dxc4 23 'it'xc4+ 'it>h8 24 'it'c3
hS 25 l:tadl h4 26 l:i.d3 lt:Jd5 27
'it'd2 l:i.g8 28 .11...xd5 cxd5 29 cJi>hl
g3 30 hxg3 hxg3 31 'it>g2 lt:Jh4+ 32
'it>gl l:.df8 33 lt:Jxg3 'it'xg3+ 34
l:.xg3 l:i.xg3+ 35 'it>h2 l:.g7 36 'it'd3
36 f5! l:th7 37 'it>g3 ll:ixf5+ 38 l:txf5
l:txf5 39 'it'a5! l:tg7+ 40 'it>h4=
44 The lnfluen<:e of Nimzowif.\'l'l1 on Modern Opening
Nimzowitsch. 36 Ilfg8 37 :tf3
tZ:lxf3+ 38 ifxf3 l:th7+ 0-1 Inter-
esting, if not completely correct.
Larsen has played the system on
a few occasions. Jimenez Zerguera-
Larsen, Havana Olympiad 1966,
continued 2 d5 3 tZ:lc3! dxe4 4 d5
tZ:lb8 5 .i.c4 tZ:lf6 6 .i.g5 h6 7 .i.f4
a6 8 a4? e6 9 dxe6 .i.xe6 10 .i.xe6
fxe6 11 if xd8+ '>Pxd8 12 0-0-0+
cJi>c8 13 f3 exf3 14 tZ:lxf3 .i.c5 and
Larsen went on to win the ending.
Larsen played the same line against
Keres at Stockholm the following
year, which varied with 5 .i.f4 tZ:lf6
6 .i.c4 a6?! Keres suggested 6 ... g6
7 ife2! b5 8 .i.b3 c5 9 dxc6 tZ:lxc6
10 l:tdl ifa5 11 .i.d2 tZ:ld4 12
tZ:lxe4 if d8 13 ife3 with advantage
to White - better development and
no weaknesses.
Nimzowitsch, when playing this
line, frequently obtained positions
typical of the French. An example
is Kmoch-Nimzowitsch, Bad Nien-
dorf 1927: 2 tZ:lc3 e6 3 d4 .i.b4!? 4
tZ:lge2 d5 5 e5 h5 6 tZ:lf4 g6 7 .i.e3
.i.xc3+? ! 8 bxc3 tZ:la5 9 .i.d3 tZ:le7
10 tZ:lh3 c5 11 .i.g5 c4 12 .i.e2
tZ:lac6 13 .i.f6 l:tg8 14 0-0 ifa5 15
if d2 ll:lr5 16 l:tfdl c.t>d7 t 7 tZ:lg5
l:tf8 18 h3 <l;c7 19 g4
1~1a_1
and, despite White's winning
position, Nimzowitsch later suc-
ceeded in turning the tables and
broke through with his queenside
pawn advance to win (ct'. Chess
Praxis, game 50). The real signifi-
cance of this is that in Chess Praxis
Nimzowitsch mentions, in the notes
to his 7th move, the possibility C)f
... .i.f8, which is even now regarded
a..<> a rather advanced idea.
Another example ot this
'French' treatment is Dr. Vajda-
Nimzowitsch, Kecskemet 1927: 1
e4 tZ:lc6 2 d4 d5 3 tZ:lc3 e6 4 e5
tZ:lge7 5 lLlf3 b6 6 tZ:le2 .i.a6 7 c3
Boleslavsky recommends 7 g3!
followed by .i.h3, 0-0 and l:te I
7 .. ifd7 8 tZ:lg3 .i.xft 9 lLixfl h5 10
.i.g5 tZ:la5 11 ife2 a6 12 tZ:le3 ifb5
13 b4 ifxe2+ 14 <tixe2 tZ:lac6 15
tZ:lel tZ:lg6 16 ltJd3 .i.e7 17 fl..xe7
lLlcxe7 18 f4 tZ:lh4 19 g3 ltJhf5 20
tZ:lxf5 tZ:lxf5 21 cJi>f3 a5 22 a3 cJi>d7
23 h3 23 .l:thb 1! 23 ...axb4 and
Black is better.
Or Brinckmann-Nimzowit..-;ch,
Bad Niendorf 1927, which varied
from the above with 7 tZ:lg3 .i.xfl 8
cJi>xft h5 9 fl..g5 ifc8 10 ifd3 tZ:lg6
11 c3 h4 12 tZ:le2 fl..e7 13 h3 fl..xg5
14 tZ:lxg5 ltJce7 15 <tigl f6 16 tZ:lf3
 lne !n_fl11enc<' <>/.Nimzowit.1c:h on Modern Opening Pla.i 45
'ii'd7 17 'it>h2 c5 and oncl~ again
Black was better.
3) French Defence (as Black)
Nimzowil<>ch 's influence with his
... lLlc6 defence can be seen in the
Anders..<>on/Petrosian method of
playing the French. An example,
seemingly played by Nimzowitsch
himself, is Olafsson-Petrosian,
Bled 1961, which went 1 e4 e6 2
d4 dS 3 lLlc3 ~b4 4 eS 'ii'd7 S 'ii'g4
rs 6 'ii'g3 b6 7 h4 ~b7 8 ~d3 lLlc6
9 lLlge2 0-0-0 10 ~d2 lLlh6 11 a3
~e7 12 ~bS? rldg8 13 'ii'd3 lLlf7
14 0-0-0 'it>b8 15 lLlf4 'ii'c8 16
lLlce2 lLlcd8
17 'ii'b3? Better 17 c3 c5 18
'itr>bl. 17.. c6 18 ~d3 cS! 19 dxc5
~xcS 20 lLlh3 lLlxeS 21 ~f4 lLldf7
22 ~bS 'itr>a8 23 lLld4 lLlg6! With
the awkward threat of 24 ... e5. 24
'ii'a4 ~xd4 25 ~d7 'ii'f8 26 l:txd4
eS 27 l:tb4 exf4 28 l:txb6 lLlfeS 29
l:txb7 'it>xb7 30 hS 'ii'd6 31 hxg6
'ii'xd7 32 'ii'xf4 lLlxg6 0-1 Nim-
zowitsch would have approved, in
particular, of Petrosian 's delayed
... c5, and also of the effect that this
move then had on White's position.
The reader might also like to com-
pare this more recent case, proving
that even world champions are not
immune to this strategy.
Kasparov-lvanchuk
Horgen 1995
French Defence
I e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 lLlc3 ~b4 4 eS
b6 S a3 ~f8 Black has chosen an
anti-intuitive system in which he
not only postpones the develop-
ment of his pieces, but also retreats
to the back rank the only piece he
has so far developed. This is the
kind of defence calculated to en-
rage the classically minded Kas-
parov. The virtues of Black's sys-
tem are its solidity and the potential
nlobility of his queenside pawn
mas..<>. 6 tLlf3 lLle7 7 h4 h6 8 hS
Played to cramp Black's kingside,
but Black, following the Nimzow-
itsch example, has not yet com-
mitted himself to castling on either
flank. 8 ... a5 9 .ltbS+ c6 10 ~a4
An artificial decision. In the further
C()Urse of play this bishop becomes
a target for Black's advancing
pawns thus involving White in a
serious Jos..<> of time and space. It
seems more sensible to play 10
~d3 with the plan of llle2 and c3.
After I 0 ~d3 White can meet
1O... c5 with 11 lf:lb5 lLlec6 12 dxc5
bxc5 13 c4, exploiting his lead in
development. Black's best after 10
~d3 is doubtles..<> 10... ~a6 when
White could try 11 ~f4 .ltxd3 12
cxd3 sacrificing pawn structure for
dynamic chances in the c-file.
10. lLld7 11 lLle2 bS 12 ~b3 cS 13
c3 lLlc6 14 0-0 'ii'c7 In spite of his
lack of development, Black's posi-
tion is rich in resources. He clearly,
for example, possesses the initia-
tive on the queen's flank. Kas-
46 The !n_fluence <?f Nimz<Jwit.~ch on Mode1n Opening Pla_l'
parov's next move is a further
waste of time. His plan should be
to attack Black's position by util-
ising the White f-pawn as a batter-
ing ram. To that end White's most
promising course is 15 tllh2 fol-
lowed immediately by f4 and f5
when White's knights, after due
preparation with .lte3, can then
gallop directly to aggressive
squares such as f4 and g4. 15 :tel
c4 16 .ltc2 tllb6 17 .Jtf4 .lte7 18
.ltg3 l:.b8 19 tllh2 At last, but the
force of the f4-advance has been
weakened by White's displacement
of his queen's rook. 19.. 'it'd8 A
mysterious defensive move. The
only justification I can see for it is
that Black wishes to remove his
queen from the potential long te1111
range of White's dark-squared
bishop. 20 tllg4 b4 21 axb4 axb4
22 cxb4 White could still eliminate
all risk by playing 22 b3 at once
when 22 ... bxc3 23 tllxc3 .ltb4 can
be met by 24 l:te3. 22 .. tllxb4 23
.ltbl .Jtd7
The critical moment. White now
mistimes his effort to eliminate his
one queenside weakness, the b-
pawn. By playing instead 24 'it'd2
he would maintain the balance of
the position. In particular, Black
could not then complete his mobili-
sation with 24 ... 0-0 on account of
possible sacrifices against the h6-
pawn introduced with 25 .ltf4.
Note, however, that White cannot
sacrifice at once with 25 tllxh6+
gxh6 26 'it'xh6 on account of
26 ... tlld3. 24 b3 l:.a8 25 .l:xa8
'it'xa8 26 bxc4 tllxc4 Black's
knights have seized dominating
posts. 27 lLlcl .lta4 White's pieces
are in a terrible tangle and it sud-
denly transpires that he cannot de-
fend his pawn on d4. 28 'it'e2 'it'a7
29 lLle3 'it'xd4 30 lLlxc4 dxc4 31
'it'fl A counsel of despair. 31 . 0-0
0-1 At long last Black completes
his mobilisation. This is one of the
later instances of castling in a
grandmaster game and with
Black's king now in safety, Kas-
parov decided to resign. White is
only a pawn down, but the advance
of Black's passed c-pawn will in-
evitably cost White a piece .
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 lLlc3 .Jtb4 Al-
though referred to in English-
speaking countries as the Winawer
variation, this is known on the con-
tinent as Nimzowitsch's variation.
His main contribution was to dem-
onstrate in many games that the
once feared 4 exd5 is by no means
a refutation of 3 ... .ltb4. A signal
example of this was Yates-Nim-
zowitsch, Semmering 1926: 4 exd5
exd5 5 .Jtd3 lLle7 6 lLle2 0-0 7 0-0
.ltg4 8 f3 White later suffers from
the weakness at e3 8 .. .lth5 9 lLlf4
.Jtg6 10 lLlce2 .ltd6 11 'it'el c5 12
dxc5 .ltxc5+ 13 'iii>hl lllbc6 14
.ltd2 l:.e8 I5 lllxg6 hxg6 16 f4 lt:Jf5
17 c3 d4 18 c4 'it'b6 19 l:.f3 .Jtb4
Conquering e3 20 a3 .ltxd2 21
 The Influence o_f Nimzowitsch on Modern Opening Pla.v 47
xd2 aS 22 tt:lgl l:.e3 23 l:.dl
l:.ae8 24 f2 b3 25 l:.d2 tt:ld6 26
c5 tt:lc4 27 .txc4 xc4 28 l:.c2
ds 29 l:.cl e4
and Black is clearly superior.
Another example of the way in
which Nimzowitsch reduced the
fearsome reputation of the ex-
change Winawer is Marshall-Nim-
zowitsch, New York 1927: S tt:lf3
tt:le7 6 .td3 tt:lbc6 7 h3 .te6 8 0-0
d7 9 .tf4 .txc3 10 bxc3 f6 11
l:.bl g5 12 .tg3 0-0-0 13 e2
l:.de8 14 l:.fel tt:lf5 15 .txf5 .txf5
16 bs tt:ld8 17 cs b6 18 aJ
~b7 19 'ii'b3 lllc6 20 llld2 lllaS 21
b2 l:.xel+ 22 l:.xel l:.e8 23 l:.xe8
xe824 bl
24 ... 'it'c8 24 .. .'i'e2 is also good
25 dl e6 26 lllb3 lllc4 27 llld2
llla3 28 lllfl lllxc2 29 hs .td3
30 dl e4 31 tt:ld2 e2 32
'ii'xe2 .txe2 33 f4 llla3 34 fxg5
fxgS 35 ~f2 .th5 36 .teS g4 37
hxg4 .txg4 38 'it'e3 .trs and Black
eventually won.
Finally Spielmann-Nimzowitsch,
Copenhagen 1923: 5 .td3 lllc6 6
llle2 lllge7 7 0-0 .trs 8 lllg3 .tg6
9 lllce2 d7 10 f4 f5! 11 a3 .td6
12 b3 lllg8 13 .tb2 lllce7 14 c4 c6
15 c2 lllf6=
Once Nimzowitsch had suc-
ceeded in demonstrating that Wi-
nawer' s old line was viable against
the exchange line, this whole
variation became considerably
more popular and quite respectable.
It is interesting to note that, once
again, this is a variation where the
stress centres on a doubled pawn
complex. The variation has been
bequeathed in modem chess to R.
Byrne, Botvinnik, Uhlmann, Petro-
sian, Korchnoi, Vaganian, Short
and Anand.
The theory of the 'Anders-
son/Petrosian' line, which seems to
have been born in Nimzowitsch"s
treatment of his own defence
48 The Influence (Jf Nimzott-itsch (Jn M(Jdern ()peni11g Pla_v
(above), was further elaborated in
his game against Thomas from
Carlsbad 1929: l e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3
llic3 ..tb4 4 eS b6! S g4 g6 6
..tgS ..te7 7 ..td2 ..ta6 8 ..txa6
llixa6 9 e2 llib4 Nimzowitsch, in
the tournament book, suggested
that the retreat 9 ... llib8 would be
more dynamic. 10 bs+ d7 11
xd7+ ~xd7 12 0-0-0 hS 13 tlif3
13... llic6 Heading for c4. 14
llie2 as lS a4 llia7 16 ~bl tlih6
17 h3 bS 18 axbS llixbS 19 c4!
dxc4 20 .:tel llifS 21 l:txc4 a4 22
'Ot>a2 l:ta6 23 llig5 ..txgS 24 ..txgS
llie7 2S l:tb4 c6 26 ..txe7 ~xe7 27
llic3 l:td8! 28 llie2 llic7 29 l:.b7
l:td7 30 .:tel llid5 31 l:txd7+ ~xd7
32 llic3! ~e7! Not 32 ... llif4 33 g3
llixh3? 34 llie4 and Black's knight
is trapped. 33 llixd5+ cxdS 34 ~a3
<t>d7 35 l:tc3 l:ta8 1/2-I/2.
Compare with this game played
by Ulf Andersson: Spassky-Ander-
sson, Dortmund 1973 - as above
up to 5 ... ..tf8 6 tlif3 d7 7 h4 hS 8
r4 ..ta6 9 ..txa6 llixa6 10 e3 c5
1 I e2 llic7 12 ..tgS llie7 13
..txe7 ..txe7 14 d2 and now
14c4 is=.
Nimzowitsch had a fondness for
playing ... c5-c4, blocking the
queenside, for example L. Steiner-
Nimzowitsch, Berlin 1928, opened
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 llic3 ..tb4 4 eS
c5 'This challenge, as will soon be
seen, is not meant seriously and the
pawn presently passes by in peace'
- Nimzowitsch. S ..td2 llie7 6 a3
..txc3 7 bxc3 c4? 8 h4 hS 9 .lte2
llifS 10 g3 g6 11 .ltgS as 12
d2 'The white queen bishop's
diagonal has a crippling effect and
Black's counter-blockade by the
knight at f5 soon proves untenable'
- Nimzowitsch. 12 ... llic6 13 .ltf6
l:tg8 14 llih3 'it>d7 15 lligS llih6 16
f3 ~c7 17 g4 l:te8 18 ..tg7 llig8
and Black is repulsed all along the
line. After 19 gxhS gxh5 20 f4
Black's position can no longer be
held.
A happier example was Becker-
Nimzowitsch, Breslau 1925: 1 e4
e6 2 d4 dS 3 llic3 llic6 4 tlif3 ..tb4
5 eS ..txc3+ 6 bxc3 lliaS 7 a4 llie7
8 ..td3 b6 9 llid2! cS 10 g4 c4 I 1
..te2 11 'ii'xg7 lig8 and ... cxd3.
11 ... llifS 12 llif3 h6 13 h3 'it>d7
14 g4 llie7 IS llid2 es 16 f4 <l;c7
17 ..ta3 ..td7 18 .f3 hS!
19 llixc4! llixc4 20 ..txc4 hxg4
21 g2 llif5 22 ..td3 .ltxa4!! 'A
lunch under dangerous conditions!'
 The Influence of Nimz1Jwit.\ch <>n M1>dern Opening Pla.i' 49
- Nimzowitsch. 23 ilxf5 exf5 24
'ii'xd5 ilc6 25 'ii'd6+ 'it>c8 26 d5
l:th6 27 e6 ilxd5! 27 ... l:xe6+ was
also possible. 28 'ii'xd5 'ii'xe6+ 29
'ii'xe6+ l:txe6+ 'White now has a
piece for two pawns, but his own
pawns are weak' - Nimzowitsch.
Black won after a variety of ad-
ventures.
A number of post-war masters
also shared a fondness for ... c5-c4,
among them being Petrosian,
Korchnoi, Bronstein and Botvinnik.
An example is Ostojic-Botvinnik,
Wijk aan Zee 1969: I e4 e6 2 d4
d5 3 tt:Jd2 lLif6 4 e5 lLifd7 5 f4 c5 6
c3 lLic6 7 tt:Jdf3 c4! 8 g4 b5 9 tt:Je2
lLib6 10 ilh3 h5! Black has already
equalised, and he went on to win.
Nimzowitsch 's swan song witl1
ilie 3 ... ilb4 variation was his win
against I .asker from ilie tournament
in Zurich 1934.
Before concluding this discus-
sion of Nimzowitsch's handling of
ilie French Defence from the Black
side we must mention his original
treatment ot' ilie Oriliodox variation
- which has points in common with
his own defence and his interpreta-
tion of the Winawer.
Samisch-Nimzowitsch
Berlin (Schachgesellschat't) 1928
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 lLic3 lLif6 4 ilg5
ile7 5 e5 lLig8!? This unusual
move, or rather ilie strategic con-
ception underlying Nimzowitsch 's
interpretation of this move, con-
tains in itself the quintessential
Nirnzowitschian paradox: provoca-
tion and prevention, under one
roof, as it were. White will natu-
rally wish to administer sharp pun-
ishment for ilie 'insult' involved in
returning the knight to its initial
square, e.g. Levy-Heidenfeld, Dub-
lin 1968: 5 ... tt:Jg8 6 ile3 b6 7 g4?!.
But such violence may later react
to White's disadvantage, especially
if he continues in like vein. As to
prophylaxis: with White's pawn
chain established on dark squares
and with White in possession of a
'territorial plus' on the kingside
Black must over-protect the king-
side light squares (f5/g4/g6) to
forestall a kingside pawn avalanche
by White along ilie lines of
(eventually) f2-f4/g2-g4 and f4-f5.
Bizarre though it may appear
5 ... lLig8 achieves far more in ilie
direction of the said over-
protection (since the knight can
redeploy via e7 or h6 to f5) than
does 5 ... lLifd7. The disadvantage,
of course, is the 'anti-development'
of a piece, but so long as Black
avoids a premature ... c7-c5 the po-
sition will remain closed and virtu-
ally impervious to breakthrough;
and, after all, is d7 such a marvel-
lous square for the Black king's
knight? 6 ile3 b6
7 'ii'g4?! In a detailed discussion
of the whole 5 ... ttlg8 variation
(Che~~man Quarterly, 1970) the
50 The Influence oj'Nimzowit.1ch on Mode111 ()pening ! 1 /u_i'
Irish International John Moles rec-
ommended 7 h4! giving as a rea-
sonable continuation: 7 ... h5 8 ~e2
g6 9 tLlf3 ~a6 10 'it'd2 ~xe2 11
lLlxe2 tfJc6 followed by ... 'it'd7 and
... 0-0-0. Perhaps White is slightly
better, although Black's set-up is
extremely tough. 7 .. g6 8 h4 h5 9
'it'g3?! (9 'it'h3!?) 9 ~a6 10 lLlt3
~xfl 11 'iii'xfl 'it'd7 12 a3 tt:Jc6 13
l:.dl lLia5 14 lLlg5 lLlh6 15 ~cl
0-0-0 16 .d3 'iii'b8 17 J:.h3 l:.df8
18 <t>gl tt:'if5 19 lLle2 d8
20 g3 c5 21 dxc5 bxc5 22 'iitg2
b6 Black's plan is to attack
White's e-pawn until f2-f4 be-
comes necessary and then to elimi-
nate White's advanced knight
( ... ~xg5) at a moment when White
cannot recapture with his bishop.
(Nimzowitsch) 23 f4?! Playing it at
once saves Black a lot of trouble.
23 .. ~xg5 24 hxg5 l:.c8 25 l:.h2
J:.hdS 26 'iii'h3 d4 21 n J:.d5 28
b3 c4 29 b4 lLlc6 30 c3 d3 31 lLlgl
d2!! Introducing a deep and beauti-
ful combination, one of the most
impressive I have ever seen. 32
l:.hxd2 After 32 ~xd2 l:.cd8 the
pin is overpowering. 32 l:tdxd2 is
also unplayable since the knight
hangs. 32 . J:.xd2 33 ~xd2 l:d8
Threatening ... l:td3xg3. 34 e2 On
34 ~cl Nimzowitsch planned
34 ... l:i.xdl 35 'it'xdl 'it'f2 36 lLle2
'ittc8! 37 'it'a4 f3-+. It' 37 a4
tilce7 followed by ... tt:ld5 and
... 0ie3 and White is paralysed. A
wonderful variation. 34 .. l:td3 35
tt:in ds 36 :r1 'it'd5 37 l:tf2 h4!
The climax of the combination.
White loses his queen. Observe the
remarkable paralysis that has seized
White's pieces after the inspired
pawn sacrifice on move 32. 38
gxh4 tt:lcd4 39 cxd4 tt:lxd4 40
xd3 cxd3 41 tt:lxd4 xd4 42
'ittg3 e4?? With 42 ... 'it'a l ! Nim-
zowitsch could have crowned his
outstanding combination. White
cannot prevent the loss of the a-
pawn and a black victory is as-
sured. After the text Siimisch suc-
ceeds in protecting his a-pawn and,
unbelievably, Black's advantage is
insufficient to win. After further
serious errors by White Nim-
zowitsch did eventually win from
this drawn position on move 88.
4) French Defence (as White):
Advance Variation
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5. Yet another
of Nimzowitsch 's brain children,
but it is not very popular now,
though there are occasional surges
of interest in the Milner-Barry
Gambit line. After 3 . c5 Nim-
zowitsch frequently played 4 g4
which, however, is now right out of
t'ashion and rarely employed. An
example of Nimzowitsch 's han-
dling of the line is Nimzowitsch-
Szekely, Kecskemet 1927: 4 .cxd4
5 tt:lt3 lLlc6 (the modem discovery
is 5 ... f5 6 'it'g3 tt:le7 7 ~d3 tt:lec6 8
0-0 lt.Jd7 9 a3 ttlc5 10 b4 tt:le4 11
'it'f4 h6, Gumprich-Platz, Berlin
 1950, but why not simply 7
tllxd4'?) 6 .:ia.d3 tl:Jge7 7 0-0 tl:Jg6 S
l:.el 'jje7 9 'jjg3 .:ia.e5 10 h4 'it>f8
11 h5 tl:Jge7 12 h6 g6 13 a3 a5 14
.:ia.g5 tl:JgS 15 tl:Jbd2
15. f6?! 16 tl:Jb3! b6 J 7 exf6
'jjxg3 lS fxg3 .:ia.d6 19 .:ia.b5 tl:Ja7
20 tl:Jfxd4 ct>n 21 e4 e5 22 exd5
exd4 23 .:ia.eS+ c.t>f8 24 n .:ia.f5 25
tl:Jxd4 .:ia.e5 26 .C.ad 1 tLl b5 2 7
fxgS'jj+ .C.xgS 2S .:ia.xb5 'it>n 29 d6
1-0
Nimzowitsch-Haakansson, Kris-
tianstad 1922, was a signal success
for this system. It varied from the
Szekely game with 6 ... f5 7 'jjg3
tLlge7 S 0-0 tl:Jg6 9 h4 'jje7 10 :et
10 ... .11ld7 10 ... .11lc5 was essential.
11 a3 0-0-0 12 b4 a6 12 ... 'i!ib8
wo11ld have been rather better. 13
h5 tl:Jge7 14 .11ld2 h6 15 a4 g5 16
b5 f4 17 'jjg4 tl:JbS lS e3 :es 19
exd4 'it>dS 20 .:tel 'jjb6 21 a5 'jja7
22 b6 'jjaS 23 :e7 l?lf5 24 tl:Je3!
.11le7 25 l?lxd5 tl:Jxd4 26 tl:Jxd4
exd5 27 'jjxd7+ 1-0.
A remarkable case of asphyxia-
til)n !
Nimzowitsch alsl) played 4 tl:Jf3
quite freq11ently. 4 ... exd4 is the
most logical reply; Nimzowitsch-
von Freymann, All-Russian Cham-
pionship, St. Petersburg 1913-14,
continued 5 'jjxd4 tl:Je6 6 'jjf4 'jje7
7 .:ia.b5 tllge7 S 0-0 l2Jg6 9 'jjg3
.:ia.d7 10 l:.el 0-0-0 11 .11lxe6 bxe6
12 .11lg5 :es 13 e4 f6?! 14 .11lf4!
.:ia.b4 15 tt:Je3 l:thf8 16 exd5 fxe5
16 ... exd5 17 li'ixd5 ! 17 dxe6 .:ia.xe6
IS .:ia.xe5 tl:JxeS 19 tl:JxeS .Illes 20
l:te2 .11lb7 21 tt:Jb5 'jjb6 22 .:tel
'jjxb5 23 l:tee2 c.t>bS 24 l:.xe5 l:teS
25 tl:Jd3+ 1-0
It would seem that von Frey-
mann had nllt learnt a great deal
from their meeting in the All-
Russian Championship, Vilna
1912: 5 l2Jxd4 Instead ot 5 'jjxd4.
5 .. lLie6 6 l2Jxe6 bxe6 7 .:ia.d3 'jje7
52 The Influence rJ( Nimzowit.1ch rJn Modern Opening Pla.i

8 ..tf4 gS? 9 ..tg3 ..tg7 10 e2 '*b6 10 tllb3 l?Jg6 11 ..tg3 ..te7 12

l?Je7 11 0-0 hS 12 h3 tors 13 ..th2 h4 '*b4 13 a4 a6 14 hS tllh4 1S
g4?! l?Jxh4 ..txh4 16 c3 e7 17 .lth2 rs
18 exf6 gxf6 19 ti!d4 eS 20 ..trs
with a strong attack, duly converted

into a win.

N imzowitsch-Leonhardt
San Sebastian 1912

4 ...b6 S ..td3 cxd4 6 0-0 4:Jc6 7

a3 l?Jge7 8 b4 l?Jg6 9 l:te 1 J..e7 10
..tb2 aS Better 1O... a6. 11 bS a4 12
0:.bd2 Threat 13 bxc6 llt'xb2 14
l:.bl t'o\lowed by cxb7. 12 ... l2Ja7
13 ..txd4 ..tcS

Nimzowit<>ch will be only too

pleased to take control of f4. 14
.Uel ~f8 IS l?Jc3 '*e7 16 ..txfS
exfS 17 '*e3 .Uh6 18 0:.e2 cS 19
l?Jf4 d4 20 '*d3 '*d7 21 '*c4 '*c6
22 hxg4 ..ta6 23 ds '*xdS 24
0:.xdS ..tc4 Black has not been able
to capture the pawn because of e5-
e6! 2S l?Jf6 hxg4 26 ..tf4 .Ug6 27
l?Jd7+ ~e7 28 0:.xcS .Uc8 29 b4
..th6 30 .Uadl ..txf4 31 .Uxd4 .Uh6
32 l:txc4 .Uch8 33 ~fl l:thl+ 34
~el .:txel+ 3S ~xel ..txeS 36
l?Jd3 ..td6 37 a4 aS 38 bS l:hl+ 39 14 J..xcS! '*xcS 15 c4 dxc4 16
~e2 .Uh2 40 l?Jf4 ..txf4 41 l:txf4 l2Je4 '*dS 17 l2Jd6+ ~e7 18 l2Jxc4
.Uxg2 42 c4 .Ugl 43 .UxfS 'itie6 44 cs 19 J..xg6 hxg6 20 '*d6+
.UdS l:tbl 4S .Ud8 ~e7 46 .:ta8 .Ub4 '*xd6 21 exd6+ 1-0
47 cS .Uxa4 48 b6 l:tb4 49 c6 l:txb6
SO c7 1-0 Nimzowit..<>ch played what is
Two other interesting games in now known as the Milner-Barry
this line, in which Nimzowitsch 's Gambit rather infrequently, but he
opponent..<> answered 4 tllf3 with had one particular success which
moves other than 4 ... cxd4, are: must have given him very great
pleasure:
Nimzowitsch-Spielmann
San Sebastian 1912 Nimzowitsch-Tarrasch
San Sebastian 1912
4 ... l?Jc6 S dxcS ..txcS 6 ..td3 tllge7
7 ..tf4 '*b6 8 0-0 '*xb2 9 tllbd2 4 c3 tllc6 S tllf3 '*b6 6 ..td3 cxd4
 7ne ln_(luenl'<' (J( Nimz<1~it.1cl1 <Jn Mod<'rn 011<'t1i11g Pla.17 .53
7 cxd4 .1ld7 8 ile2 Not the pure
Milner-Barry, which should not be
bad for Black after 8 0-0 lllxd4 9
lllxd4 'iii' xd4 10 lllc3 a6 ! and it is
not clear that White has enough
compensation for the pawn. It may
also be possible for Black tcJ play
10... 'iii' xe5; in a more recent game
(Netanya 1971) Westerinen scored
a fine success with this over Bis-
guier: 11 Itel 'ili'b8 12 lilxd5 .1ld6
13 'ili'h5 (13 'iig4! is stronger)
13 ... 'it>f8 14 lllc3 lllf6 15 'ili'h4 .1'.c6
16 Jlg5 .1le5-+. 8 . lllge7 9 b3 lllf5
10 .1lb2 .1lb4+ 11 'it>n
Black's next maintains pressure
on the d-pawn, but Nimzowitsch
shows that Black should have
played 11 ... 0-0! 12 g4 (12 Jld3f6
13 Lf5 exf5) 12 ... 4ih6 13 l:tgl f6
14 exf6 .1%xf6! 15 g5 l:txf3! 16
ilxf3 (or 16 gxh6 'D..fl> 16 ... lllf5 17
l:tg4 .1le8 18 'ili'e2 tflcxd4 19 l:txd4!
lllxd4 20 'iie5 .1'.b5+ 21 'it>g2 lllf5
22 ilxd5 (if 22 lllc3 Lc3 23
Lc3 d4) 22 ... exd5 23 'ili'xf5 l:tf8
24 'iixd5+ l:tt7! 25 'iid4 ilc5 and
White must resign l 1. .1le7 12 g3
a5? 13 a4 'D..c8 14 .1lb5 lllb4 15
lllc3! L. Paulsen-Tarrasch, Nurem-
berg 1888, had gone 15 .1'.xd7+?
~xd7 16 lllc3 lllc6 17 lllb5 li'Ja7
18 Ci'ixa7? 'ili'xa7 19 'ili'd3 'ili'a6!, and
Tarrasch won a fine ending after
the exchange of queens. 15... llla6
In Dreihundert Schachpartien, the
second edition published in 1909,
Tarrasch gives 15 ... .1'.xb5+ 16
lllxb5 li'Jc2 with the threat of
... 4le3+; this Nimzowitsch shows
to be harmless: 17 l:tc 1 llle3+ 18
fxe3 ltJxe3+ 19 'it>e2 lllxdl 20
:xc8+ 'it>d7 21 l:txh8 4lxb2 22 l:tc l
and wins. 16 'it>g2 lllc7 17 .1le2
.1'.b4 18 llla2 llla6 19 .1ld3 llle7 20
.tr.cl lllc6 21 lllxb4 lllaxb4 22 ilbl
h6 23 g4 llle7 24 'D..xc8+ .1lxc8 25
lllel :rs 26 llld3 f6 27 lllxb4
'iixb4 28 exf6 'D..xf6 29 ilcl lllc6
30 g5 hxg5 31 .1lxg5 .:.rs 32 ile3
'iie7 33 'iig4 'iif6 34 rLgl l:th8 35
'it>hl l:th4 36 'iig3 l:txd4 'Despair!
37 Jlg5 was threatened as also 37
'ili'xg7' - Nimzowitsch. 37 ilxd4
lllxd4 38 'iixg7 'iif3+ 39 'iig2
'iixg2+ 40 :txg2 lllxb3 41 h4 1-0
After his game with Tarrasch,
Nimzowit..<>ch decided that 6 .i(.d3
was too risky, and in subsequent
games (before he discovered 4
'ili'g4) he developed the king's
bishop on a more modest square,
e2, although this cut out the possi-
bility of reaching the position from
his Salwe game. Here is one exam-
ple: Nimzowitsch-Spielmann,
Stockholm 1920: 6 .1le2 cxd4 7
cxd4 lllh6 8 lllc3 lllf5 9 llla4
'iia5+ 10 .1'.d2! IO Wfl? was
played by Nimzowitsch just prior
to this tournament in the third game
of his match with Bogoljubow.
There followed: 1o... 'ili'd8 11 a3
ile7 12 b4 0-0 13 l:tgl f6 14 g4
lllfxd4 15 lllxd4 lllxd4 16 'iii' xd4
fxe5 17 'ili'd2 b6 18 g5 d4! 19 .1lc4
b5 ! 20 .1'.xb5 'ili'd5 21 'iie2 e4 22
54 The ln/lzlence <>f.Nimzo"'it.\'l'h <1n M<>dern ()pening
.i.c4 d3 23 'ii'a2 'ii'd4 24 :g4 d2 25
'ii'xd2 'it'xc4+ 26 'ii'e2 'iib3 27 t2lc5
.ltxc5 28 bxc5 .lta6 0-1. 1o... .ltb4
11 .i.c3
l l ... .ltd7 A subtle idea of Hiib-
ner's is l l ... a6! as in Kupreichik-
Hiibner, Sombor 1970: 12 g4 t2lfe7
13 'iib3 h5 14 gxh5 l::txh5 15 a3
.ltxc3+ 16 bxc3 l:tb8 17 t7Jb6 .ltd7
18 h4 l!Jd8 19 l:tgl .i.b5 20 a4
.i.xe2 21 'lt>xe2 tt::lc8 22 tt::lxc8
l:txc8 23 '1t>d3 .l:tf5 and Black went
on to win. 12 a3 .ltxc3+ 13 tllxc3
h5 14 0-0 .:tc8 15 'it'd2 'ii'd8 16 h3
tlla5 17 .Uadl 'it'b6 18 .Ufel tllc4
19 .ltxc4 .l:xc4 20 tlle2 .lta4 21
l:c 1 .ltb3 22 l:xc4 .ltxc4 23 tllg3
tlle7 24 h4 tllg6 25 tllfl .i.xfl 26
l:txfl liJe7 27 :tel 0-0 28 b4 liJf5
29 .Uc5 'it'a6 30 'it'c3 with a grip on
the c-file which sufficed t'or vic-
tory.
5) Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ltJc3 dxe4 4
ltJxe4. This was another favourite
of Nimzowitsch 's, but he did not
like the generally quiet situations
generated by the classical 4 ... .ltf5,
preferring the tense struggles that
resulted from 4 .. ltJf6 and after 5
ltJxf6+ the recapture with the e-
fJ{a_\'
pawn. Asztalos-NimzowiL<>ch, Bled
1931. went 5 ... exf6 6 c3 .i.d6 7
.i.d3 0-0 8 'ii'c2 h6 9 ltJe2 'it'c7 10
i.e3 t2.id7 11 'it'd2?! Better 11
0-0-0 lle8 12 g4 ! 11 ... .:teS 12
liJg3? i.f4! and Nimzowitsch was
beginning tC) get on top.
Nimzowitsch, on occasion, play-
ed the alternative fifth move re-
capture 5 ... gxf6. His game against
Leonhardt at Carlsbad 1911, must
have been one ()f the first games
with this idea. Lasker-Nim-
zowil<>ch. St. Petersburg 1914,
continued 6 .i.e2 Nowadays 6 c3
.i.f5 7 .i.c4 or 7 tile2 would more
likely be played. 6 ... .i.f5 7 .i.f3
'it'a5+ 8 c3 h5!? Intending to pre-
vent White castling kingside. 9
i.xh5 ltJd7 IO .i.g4 .i.xg4 11
'it'xg4 0-0-0 12 ltJe2 e6 13 .i.f4
'it'b5 14 0-0-0 ltJb6 15 ltJg3? 15 b3
would leave White with a safe
though difficult game - Lasker.
15 ...'ilr'dS 16 'lt>bl 'ilr'xg2 17 l:dgl
'ilr'xf2 18 ltJe4 'ilr'h4 19 'i!r'f3 liJc4 20
'lt>al f5 21 tllg5 .ltd6 22 .Itel :td7
23 :tg2 .i.c7 24 :thgl lt)d6 25 'ilr'e2
tlle4 26 "1Jf3 'i!r'h3
26 ... 'ii'h5 is probably better. 27
a3 a6 28 .i.e3 l:thd8 29 ~a2 .l:th8
30 ~a 1 .l:thd8 31 ~a2 .:te8 32 l:tg8
 Tl1e Jnfluenle of Nimzo"H-it.\lh on Modern Opening Pla.i' 55

l::txg8 33 .:r.xg8+ .:l.d8 34 l:.g7 l:f.d7 13 r4 ll:Jbd7 14 rs ll:Jxe5 lS

35 l::tg8+ l::td8 36 .:r.g7 .::.rs Again 'ii'xeS 'ii'b8 16 ll:Jxr6+ gxr6 17
36 ... 'ith5, threat 37 ... ~xh2. 37 c4 'ii'xb8+ l::txb8 18 ~r4 l::td8 19
ll:Jf6 Better 37 ... ~d8. 38 ~gs ll:Jh5 0-0-0 ~d6 20 l::thfl ~e7 21 l::tde 1
39 l::txti l::txti 40 'ii'xe6+ l::td7 41 b5 22 ~e2 ~h7 and the game was
ll:JeS 1/2- 1/2 Nimzowitsch should drawn in 38 moves. Porreca-
certainly have won this game. Bronstein, Belgrade 1954: 1 e4 c6
Nimzowitsch also pioneered the 2 d4 d5 3 ll:Jc3 dxe4 4 ll:Jxe4 ~rs 5
method with 4 ... ll:Jd7 as in his ll:Jg3 ~g6 6 h4 h6 7 ll:Jh3 ~h7 8
game with Kostic (White), Bled ~c4 ll:Jr6 9 ll:Jr4 lLibd7 10 0-0 'ii'c7
1931: S ll:Jf3 We now consider as 11 l::tel ~g8
the main lines either 5 ~c4 or 5 Soviet commentators of the
ll:Jg5. S... ll:Jgr6 6 ll:Jg3 e6 7 ~d3 cS 1950s were very fond of drawing
8 dxcS lLixcS 9 ~bS+ ~d7 10 attention to Bronstein' s original
~xd7+ 'ii'xd7 11 'ii'xd7+ ll:Jcxd7 and dynamic deployment of his
12 c4 ~b4+=. Anatoly Karpov in queen's bishop on g8, but they
particular has upheld the honour of gave no credit to Nimzowitsch for
this variation in contemporary prior invention. Ignorance or

practice. propaganda?
Although he did not favour
4 ... ~f5, Nimzowitsch actually in-
vented one of the more extraordi-
nary ideas in this variation one,
moreover, that is usually credited
to David Bronstein over a quarter
of a century later. Treybal-Nim-
zowitsch, Semmering 1926: 1 e4 c6
2 ll:Jf3 dS 3 ll:Jc3 dxe4 4 ll:Jxe4 ~g4
S ~c4 e6 6 h3 ~hS 7 ll:Jg3 ~g6 8
h4 h6 9 ll:JeS ~h7 10 'ii'e2 'ii'c8 11
d4 lLif6 12 lLihS ~g8 Nimzow-
itsch' s star defensive move.

12 ll:Jd3 e6 13 ~r4 ~d6 14

~xd6 'ii'xd6 15 ll:Jrs 'ii'rs 16 'ii'f3
0-0-0 17 ll:Jg3 ~h7 18 a4 ~xd3 19
~xd3 'ii'd6 20 aS a6 21 .tta3 gS
and Black won in 42 moves.

As White, against the Caro-

Kann, Nimzowitsch had a sneaking
admiration for his French move: 3
eS. He played it in a game against
Giese (cf. My Sy,<>tem), and in the
following game where he suffered
a calamitous reversal.
56 The Influence o.f Nimzowit~ch <>n Modern Opening l'la_1
Nimzowitsch-Capablanca
New York 1927
1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 eS .;.rs 4 .;.d3
.;.xd3 S 'ir'xd3 e6 6 tL:lc3 'ir'b6 7
tL:lge2 cS A possibility favoured by
Nimzowitsch as Black in such po-
sitions, e.g. his game versus Duras
from San Sebastian 1912, was
7 ...'ir'a6. Capablanca had borrowed
that idea to beat Atkins at London
1922. S dxcS .;.xcS 9 0-0 tLle7 10
tL:la4 'ir'c6 11 tL:ixcS 'ir'xcS 12 _;_e3
'ir'c7 13 r4 tLlfS It is rather amusing
to compare this with the Vajda-
Nimzowitsch game in section 2. 14
c3 tL:lc6 IS lhdl g6 16 g4? Creat-
ing a pet 111anent weakness. Better is
16 .;.f2. 16..tt.Jxe3 17 'ir'xe3 hS lS
gS 0-0 19 tt.Jd4 'ir'b6 20 .:ri .:res
21 a3 .l:c7 22 .l:d3 tLla5 23 .l:e2
.l:eS 24 ~g2 tLlc6 25 l:ted2 liecS
26 l:.e2 ltJe7 27 l:.ed2 l:.c4! 2S 'ir'h3
'l;g7 29 l:tf2 a5 30 l:te2 tLlf5! 31
tL:lxf5+ gxr5 32 'ir'f3 <it>g6 33 .l:ed2
l:te4 34 .l:d4 l:tc4 3S 'ir'f2 'ir'b5 36
~g3 .l:cxd4 37 cxd4 'ir'c4 3S 'i!r>g2
bS 39 ~gl b4 40 axb4 axb4 41
<it>g2 'ir'cl 42 <it>g3 'ir'hl 43 l:td3
l:tel 44 l:tf3 .l:dl 4S b3 .l:cl!
Zugzwang. 46 .l:e3 l:tfl 0-1 One
might suppose from this game that
1
Capablanca had carefully read My
System and then used all the theo-
ries contained therein against their
inventor!
Did Nimzowitsch 's patronage of
3 e5 influence Tal's adoption of it?
He certainly interpreted it in a
completely different way from
Nimzowitsch, e.g. Tal-Pachman,
Bled 1961, which went on 3... .;.f5
4 h4 h6 5 g4 _;_d7 6 h5 with a quite
different set-up to that employed
by Nimzowitsch.
Interestingly, 3 e5 ha." now be-
come one of the great areas of ex-
ploration in the Caro-Kann. Games
by Nigel Short have shown that
White need not advance his king-
side pawns in berserk fashion and
can play in a similar way to Nim-
zowitsch-Capablanca but without
trading off the light-squared bish-
ops. Witness Short-Seirawan, Ma-
nila Interzonal 1990: 1 e4 c6 2 d4
dS 3 eS .;.rs 4 c3 e6 S .;.e2 c5 6
tL:if3 tLlc6 7 0-0 h6 S _;_e3 cxd4 9
cxd4 tL:lge7 10 tLlc3 tL:lcS 11 l:tcl
a6 12 tL:ia4 tL:lb6 13 tL:lcS .;.xcS 14
lixcS 0-0 IS 'ir'b3 tL:ld7 16 l:tc3
'ir'b6 17 l:fc 1 'ir'xb3 lS l:.xb3 l:tfb8
19 tLld2 'i!r>f8 20 h4 'it>e8
 The lnflztenle <J( Nimzov.it.1ch <Jn Modern Opening Pia}' 57
21 g4 i.h7 22 hS lt:Jd8 23 l:i.bc3
tZ:lb6 24 tZ:lb3 lt:Ja4 2S l:tc7 lbxb2
26 lt:JcS bS 27 gS lt:Jc4 28 gxh6
gxh6 29 lt:Jd7 lt:Jxe3 30 fxe3 i.fS
31 'it>f2 l:tb7 32 lt:Jf6+ 'it>f8 33 l:tgl
1-0
Later in life Nimzowit<>ch took
to playing what we now call the
Panov-Botvinnik Attack: 3 exdS
cxdS 4 c4. Botvinnik is another
player whose openings are influ-
enced by Nimzowitsch, who played
this line before anyone had heard
of Panov or Botvinnik! Nim-
zowitsch-Alekhine, Bled 1931,
went: 4 ..lt:Jf6 S lt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 6 lt:Jf3
i.g4 7 cxdS lt:JxdS 8 i.bS as 9
'*b3! i.xf3 10 gxf3 tZ:lxc3 11
i.xc6+? It was Alekhine, against
Winter at London 1932, who im-
proved on this with 11 bxc3 e6 12
d5! 11 ... bxc6 12 '*b7? lt:JdS+ 13
i.d2 '*b6! 14 '*xa8+ 'ot>d7
lS 0-0 If 15 a4 lt:Jc7 16 a5 xb2
17 '*xa7 '*xal+ 1S.. lt:Jc7 16 i.aS
lbxa8 17 i.xb6 lt:Jxb6 18 l:.fcl e6
19 l:.c2 i.e7 20 l:i.acl i.gS 21 l:i.dl
l:.b8 22 :cs lt:JdS 23 :as l:b7 24
l:d3 i.d8 2S l:.b3 l:.xb3 26 l:.xa7+
lUc7 27 axb3 i.f6 28 l:t.b7 If 28
na4 tZlb5! 28 i.xd4 29 l:tb8
i.xb2 30 h3 rs 31 'it>n lt:Jds 32
'it>g2 i.eS 33 l:ta8 lt:Jf4+ 34 'it>h2
lbd3+ 3S 'i!tgl lt:Jel 36 l:.a7+ i.c7
0-1
6) Sicilian Defence
Nimzowitsch 's contribution to the
theory of the Sicilian falls into
three distinct compartments:
1) 1 e4 cS 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 i.bS
This line was strongly recom-
mended in Chess Praxis where
Nimzowitsch writes of 'the triumph
of the bizarre and ugly move'
(Siegeszug being translated as
'triumph', but it actually means
triumph in the sense of a Roman
triumph - perhaps 'victory march'
is a better translation). An amusing
example of the victory march in
progres..<> is Nimzowitsch-Gilg,
Kecskemet 1927, which went 1 e4
cS 2 tZlf3 lt:Jc6 3 i.bS Note that this
move seems to plan the exchange
of bishop for knight at great speed.
3 ... '*c7 Modem theory centres
around 3 ... g6, which gives Black
about equal chances. 4 c3 a6 S
i.a4 A change of heart? S... lbf6 6
'*e2 eS 7 0-0 i.e7 8 d4 cxd4 Bet-
ter 8 ... d6. Now Black is in a bad
way. 9 cxd4 lt:Jxd4 10 lt:Jxd4 exd4
11 eS d3 Or l l ... lt:Jd5 12 e6 fxe6
13 xe6 lt:Jb6 14 i.g5 '*d8 15
i.xe7 lt:Jxa4 16 ~3 '*xe7 17
'*xa4. 12 '*e3 tZ:ldS 13 '*g3 g6 14
i.b3 lt:Jb4 lS i.xf7+ 'it>d8 16 i.h6
lbc2 17 lt:Jc3
(see following diagram)
17 .. lt:Jd4 If 17 ... lt:Jxa 1 then 18
4:ld5 '*c6 19 i.e3 d6 20 i.b6+
'.t>d7 21 e6 mate. 18 '*xd3 '*xeS
19 l:i.fel r6 20 l:xe7 1-0
20... '0t>xe7 21 tZld5+ or 20...xe7
21 xd4.
58 The Influence of Nimzowit.\l'h <>n Modern Opening Pla_1'
2) 1 e4 cS 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 d4 cxd4
4 lt:Jxd4 dS!?
This was played for the first time
by Nimzowitsch against Rubinstein
at Carlsbad 1923. That game con-
tinued with 5 exd5. Modern theory
has also elaborated:
2a) S .tbs dxe4 6 lt:Jxc6 '*xdl+
7 ~xdl a6 8 ..ta4! 8 lt:Jd4+? axb5
9 lLixb5 ..tg4+ 10 'it>el l:td8
(10... 0-0-0.') 11 lt:Jlc3 e5!+ von
Holzhausen-Nimzowitsch, Dresden
1926. 8 . ..td7 9 lt:Jc3 ..txc6 10
..txc6+ bxc6 11 lt:Jxe4 eS 12 'it>e2!
fS 13 lt:Jd2~.
2b) S lt:Jc3 dxe4 6 lt:Jxc6 '*xdl+
7 ~xdl bxc6 8 lt:Jxe4.
2c) S lt:Jxc6 bxc6 6 exdS '*xdS 7
lt:Jd2! lt:Jf6 8 .tel e6 9 0-0 ..te7 10
..tf3 '*d6 11 '*e2 0-0 12 lt:Jb3 and
this represents White's best line.
3) 1 e4 cS 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6!?
The Nimzowitsch variation. This
was the spiritual forerunner of
Alekhine 's Defence, and therefore
of crucial importance to one entire
stream of development in modem
chess.
Nimzowitsch first played this
line against Spielmann at San Se-
bastian 1911, and it is worth quot-
ing Nimzowitsch 's comments on
the opening:
'This set Spielmann thinking.
After some minutes I raised my
eyes from the board and saw that
my dear old C<)mpanion in a1111s
was quite disconcerted. He looked
at the knight, now confidently, now
suspiciously, and after much hesi-
tation gave up the possible chase
started by 3 e5 and played the more
circumspect 3 lt:Jc3. Next year I
tried 2 ... lt:Jf6 on Schlechter, and in
the Book of the Congress we find
the following note to this move by
Tarrasch: 'Not good, since the
knight is at once driven away, but
Herr Nimzowitsch goes his own
way in the openings, one, however,
which cannot be recommended to
the public.
'Ridicule can do much, for in-
stance embitter the existence of
young talents; but one thing is not
given to it, to put a stop pe1111a-
nently to the incursion of new and
powerful ideas.' (It is worth noting
that 1911 was the year that Di-
aghilev produced Petrushka and
two years before Thomas Mann's
Tod in Venedig, set in 1911, was
published; and two years before
Stravinsky's revolutionary 'Rite of
Spring' l written in 1911-1912] wa..<>
put on in Paris - and the initial op-
position to that was immense! -
RDK)
This remarkable game went on:
3 lt:Jc3 dS 4 exdS lt:JxdS S ..tc4 e6 6
0-0 ..te7 7 d4 lLixc3 8 bxc3 0-0 9
lLieS '*c7 10 ..td3 lt:Jc6 11 ..tf4
..td6 12 l:tel cxd4! 13 cxd4 lt:Jb4
14 ..tg3 lt:Jxd3 15 '*xd3 b6 16 c4
..ta6 17 l:tacl It.ac8 18 '*b3! f6 19
'*a4? 19 c5 ..txe5 20 dxe5=
19. fxeS 20 dxeS ..ta3! 21 '*xa3
..txc4 22 l:te4 '*d7 23 h3 ..idS 24
 lne lnfluence of Nim::.<J1iit.1cl1 <J11 MrJd'1n 01Jc11ing Plu.1' 59
:te2 'ikb7 25 r4 'ikf7 26 .:.ec2 .:.xc2
27 l:txc2 'ikg6 28 'ikc3 28 .llc3 h5
29 h4 .llxf4.
28 . .txa2! 29 .th4 .td5 30
.te7 l:te8 31 .td6 'ike4 32 'ikc7 h6
33 l:tf2 'ikel+ 34 :trl 'ike3+ 35 .l:.f2
a5 36 .te7 'ikel+ 37 .:.r1 'ike3+ 38
l:tf2 'iii>h8 39 .td8 'ikel+ 40 .l:.rl
'ike3+ 41 It.fl 'ikel+ 42 .:.rt 'ikg3
43 l:tf2 l:tf8 44 'ikxb6 l:.xr4 45 .te7
a4 'a passed pawn, plus a mating
attack, a wicked affair' - Nim-
zowitsch. 46 'it>rl? 'ikxg2+ 0-1
Nimzowitsch used to answer 3
e5 tlld5 4 tllc3 with 4 . tllxc3, t"or
example the game Michell-Nim-
zowitsch, Marienbad 1925 contin-
ued: 5 dxc3 b6 'A conception of
hyper-modem boldness' - Nim-
zowitsch. 5 ... e6 does not have a
very high reputation, though: 6
j_f4 tf:ic6 7 .tc4 'ikc7 8 0-0 b6 9
lle 1 h6 (even worse is 9...f5 10
lllh4 g6? 11 C/Jxf5 ! tllas 12 .tds
.tb7 13 tlld6+ Ld6 14 exd6 'ikc8
15 .th6 l:tgB 16 'ikf3 Ld5 17
'ikxd5 tllc6 18 l:tadl tlld8 19 'ikg5
lllc6 20 'ik/6 g5 21 l:.e5 1-0 which
wa..<; an unmitigated disaster for
Black in Gurgenidze-Lein, USSR
Championship, Tbilisi 1967) 10
tf:ict2 d5 11 exd6 .txd6 12 .txd6
'i'xd6 13 1Lb5 0-0 14 ttlc4 'tli"xdl
15 :axd 1 li\e 7 16 '11e5+, th is is
modem theory on the line. 6 .td3
Very dangerc)US tor Black here is
the sacrifice 6 e6 intending to fol-
low up with 7 tbe5. 6... .tb7 7 .tr4
'ikc7 8 .tg3 e6 9 0-0 .te7 10 ll:ld2
h5 11 h3 g5 12 .te4 12 tllc4!
12 .. tllc6 13 l:tel 0-0-0 14 ll:lc4 b5
15 tlld6+ Arriving too late.
15 ... .txd6 16 exd6 'ikb6 17 .tf3 g4
18 hxg4 hxg4 19 .txg4 rs 20 .tf3
l:th7 21 'it>rl e5 22 .txc6 'ikxc6 23
f3 e4 24 rxe4 l:tg8 25 .tf2 rxe4 26
'ikd2 e3 27 'ikxe3 'ikxg2+ 28 'it>e2
l:tf7 29 'it>dl 'it>b8 30 :tgl l:txf2! 31
l:txg2 ~fxg2 32 b3 .l:g 1+ and
Black won easily.
A further parallel between Lar-
sen and Nimzowitsch is evident in
the game Larsen-Spassky from the
USSR vs. Rest of the World match,
Belgrade 1970, which went: 1 b3
e5 2 .tb2 tllc6 3 c4 tllr6 4 tllf3 e4
5 tlld4 .tc5 6 tllxc6 dxc6 Obtain-
ing the same position as above, but
with cc)lours reversed - another
Nimzowitsch theme - this type of
position would not appeal to many
players! 7 e3 .tf5 8 'ikc2 'ike7 9
.te2 0-0-0 10 f4 li:Jg4 11 g3 h5! 12
h3 h4 13 hxg4 hxg3 14 .llgl
6() The lnfl1tence of NimZ(J\t'it.vch on Modern 0p'ning l'la.1
,,
% Black now has a magnificent at-
14 l:xhl IS l:xxhl g2! 16 :n
'it'h4+ 17 ~di gxrl'it'+ 0-1
Nimzowitsch never played the
pawn sacrifice line, the modern, but
unsound, method of handling the
variation: 3 eS llldS 4 lllc3 e6 5
lllxd5 exd5 6 d4 lllc6 7 dxc5 ~xc5
8 'it'xd5 'iib6
9 ~c4 ~xf2+ I 0 'it>e2 0-0 11
l:tfl ~c5 12 '7\g5 ll:ld4+ 13 'it>d 1
llle6 14 llle4! (the bone-crusher)
14 ... d6 15 exd6 l:td8 (15 ... Ld6??
16 0.xd6 :dB 17 ~/4! CiJx/4 18
'it'xf7+ ~h8 19 'it'g8+ 1-0. Un-
zicker-Sarapu, Siegen Olympiad
1970) 16 'it'h5! ~xd6 17 ~d3! f5
18 l:txf5 tlJf8 19 l:tfl 'ii'd4 20 ~d2
~b4 21 ~xb4 'it'xb4 22 a3 'ii'e7 23
'it>d2 wins, Planinc-D()brev, Varna
1970.
The nearest Nimzowitsch ever
came to this was Yates-Nim-
zowitsch, Carlsbad 1929: S llle4
Rejecting the invitation to play 5
tt:Jxd5. S.. rs 6 lllc3 lllxc3 7 dxc3
~e7 8 ~r4 'it'b6 9 b3 'it'c7 10 ~d3
b6 II 'it'e2 c4! 12 bxc4 12 ~xc4?
b5 12 .. ~c6 13 0-0 ~b7 14 l:.rel
0-0-0 IS l:tad I ~cS! 16 llld2 gS!
tacking position but lost after blun-
ders.
Yates-Nimzowitsch
London 1927
Sicilian Defence
3 eS llldS 4 ~c4 lllb6 S ~e2 lllc6
6 c3 dS 7 d4 cxd4 8 cxd4 ~rs 9
0-0 e6 10 tlJc3 ~e7 11 tlJel Better
11 ~e3 0-0 12 l:tc 1 t'o\lowing by
establishing a knight outpost on c5.
I l .. tt:Jd7 12 ~g4! ~g6 13 r4
tt:Jxd4 14 ttJxdS! tt:Jc6! l 4 ... ~c5 15
b4. IS lllxe7 'it'b6+ 16 'it>h I tt:Jxe7
17 'it'a4?! 17 'ii'e2 with the idea of
~e3 is better. 17 .. hS 18 ~h3 ~rs
19 'it'a3 'it'bS 20 ~gl tlJb6 21 'it'f3
t2Jbd5 22 b3 'it'b6+ 23 llf2 l:c8 24
~d2 l:.h6 2S l:.dl ~xh3 26 'it'xh3
tt:Jrs 21 ifd3 .ttg6 28 tt:Jn l:.g4 29
 lne !n_fl11ence <J{ Nimz<J\1'it.1lh <Jn M<Jd'rn Op('ning />fa.\' 61
h3 J:g3 30 a4 lL'ih4 31 c,t>ft J:l.c6 32
a5 'ii'd8 33 'it>gl lL'if5 34 '.t>h2 a6
35ii'bl 'ii'e7
36 lL'id4 Loses. Better 36 J:l.c I .
36 .ii'h4 37 ..Itel lL'ixf4 38 J:xf4
l:xh3+ 39 gxh3 ii'xf4+ 40 '.t>g2
tbe3+ 0-1.
Note the independent existence
of two black at 111y corps in the
above game and compare with
Stahlberg-Nimzowitsch (page 237).
To 36 ... ii'h4 Nimzowitsch wrote:
'As the detachments which have
been cut off cannot get back to the
anny, the a1111y comes to them.
1) Queen's Gambit Declined -
Tarrasch Defence, Swedish
Variation
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tbc3 c5 4 cxd5
exd5 5 lL'it3 lL'ic6 6 g3 c4. The main
line of this variation was worked
out, for White, by Nimzowitsch in
his game against Stoltz, at Stock-
holm 1934: 7 ..llg2 ..llb4 8 0-0
lLige7 9 e4 dxe4 9 ... 0-0 is regarded
by modem theory as the main line
continuation, but it also is good for
White: 10 exd5 lt:lxd5 11 ..llg5!
1'..e7 12 lLixd5 1'..xg5 (12 ... 'ii'xd5?
13 lLieS!) 13 llJxg5 'ii'xg5 14 4le3!
with a strong initiative for White.
10 lL'ixe4 ..llf5? ! Or I 0 ... 0-0 11
"ii'c2! ii'd5 (l l ... lL'ixd4? 12 fi'u:d4
ii'xd4 13 ile3 and 14 'ii'xc4) 12
.lte3 '1Jg6 13 lLih4 ii'b5 14 '1lxg6
hxg6 15 a3 .lte7 16 d5 '1la5 17 d6
.ltd8 18 '1lc3+ Reshevsky-Stahl-
berg, Zurich 1953. 11 ll.Je5! ii'xd4
12 ii'xd4 lL'ixd4 13 a3 .ltxe4 14
.ltxe4 .ltc5 15 .ltxb7 J:b8 16 .lta6
lL'ie2+ 17 '.t>g2 ..lld4 18 lL'ixf7!
,/
,
,..,.
,
/
% ~ "' ~
...,-.;;
~
~~
,~
...,-1 t
. ?:r
~ ifu
ifil
=/ -~ ~
~~~ ifil
. /~~ .- i~
.% / z
~ ~ - ;;
18 ... lLixcl 18 ... c,t>xt7 19 .ltxc4+.
19 lL'ixh8 lL'ib3 20 J:adl g6 21 llJti
'.t>xf7 22 ..llxc4+ '.t>f8 23 .ltxb3
.ltxb2 24 :d3 ..llxa3 25 :f3+ '.t>g7
26 .l:.al ..llc5 27 J:l.f7+ c,t>h6 28 l:ta5
.ltb6 Cutting off the rook, but if
28 ... .ltd6 29 .lte6. 29 J:l.a4 lL'if5 30
..lle6 lL'id4 31 .ltd7 1-0
Nimzowit<>ch himself played the
Swedish(farrasch as Black in his
match with Stoltz, which shows
that he was not so dogmatic as
people sometimes like to paint him.
8) Queen's Gambit Declined -
Exchange Variation
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lllc3 lllf6 4 ..llg5
lL'ibd7 5 cxd5 exd5 6 e3 c6 7 ..lld3
is the modem move-order. This
line was enthusiastically taken up
by Nimzowitsch (as White) in the
late 1920s, at approximately the
62 The Influence of Nim:z<Ji1.it.~[h <>n M<>(f'rn (Jpeni11g Pla.1
same time as Alekhine was adopt-
ing a similar variation in his 1927
title match versus Capab\anca (e.g.
game 32). It is hard to tell which
came first. Here is an early Nim-
zowitsch example:
Nimzowitsch-Romih
London 1927
Queen 's Gambit Declined
7 ... ii..d6 8 'iic2 h6 9 ii..h4 'iiaS IO
0-0-0 ii..b4 11 tl:lge2 ii..e7 12 ~b I
tl:lf8 13 h3 ii..e6 14 f3 a6 IS a3
ii..d7 16 ii..xf6! ii..xf6 17 e4 tl:le6 18
es ii..e7 19 f4 tl:lc7 20 rs tl:lbS 21
:thfl 'iib6 22 ii..xbS axbS 23 tl:lf4
b4
24 tl:lcxdS cxdS 2S tLlxdS! 'iiaS
26 tl:lc7+ 'lt>d8 27 tL:lxa8 'iixa8 28
dS 'iic8 29 'iie4 .:es 30 .l:.cl 'iib8
31 e6 ii..bS 32 'iid4 b6 33 d6 ii..f6
34 e7+ '1t>d7 3S 'iidS ii..xfl 36 'iic6
mate 1-0
Another case was: Nimzowitsch-
Spielmann, Bad Kissingen 1928,
which went 7 .. ii..e7 8 tlJge2 0-0 9
'iic2 .l:.e8 10 0-0-0! For IO 0-0 see
the Botvinnik game which follows.
10. t2Je4 I O... tLlf8 is better, and
Taimanov now gives 11 h3 'iia5 12
~b I .i.e6 13 f4 ~ac8 with about
eqtial chances. 11 ii..xe4! dxe4 12
h4! ~xgS 13 hxgS 'iixgS 14 tl:lxe4
'iig6 IS f3 tl:lf8 16 tl:lf4 'iirs 17
l:hS! 'iid7 18 dS
If 18 l:tdh I 'iid8, not l 8 ... h6? 19
l:txh6! 18 ... cxdS? l 8 ... f5 would
have limited White to a good end-
ing: 19 dxc6 'iixc6 20 'iixc6 bxc6
21 tLld6 .:xe3 22 tl:lxf5 .i.xf5 23
l:txf5. but ... 19 tlJxdS 'iic6 20
'iixc6 bxc6 21 tl:ldf6+ gxf6 22
tlJxf6+ 'lt>h8 23 tL:lxe8 ii..g4 24
tl:lc7! .l:.c8 2S l:.gS ii..e6 26 tl:lxe6
tL:lxe6 27 .l:.a5 1-0. So impressed
was Spielmann that he adopted the
idea himself. Spielmann-Thomas,
Carlsbad 1929: 12 ... rs 13 'iib3+
'lt>h8 14 tl:lf4 t2Jf6 lS hS tl:ldS 16
ii..xe7 tL:lxe7 17 tllg6+ tl:lxg6 18
hxg6 ii..e6 19 .l:.xh7+ 'lt>g8 20 dS
cxdS 21 tlJxdS l:tc8+ 22 'it>bl 'iigS
23 :tdhl 'iixg6 24 l:.h8+ 1-0
Botvinnik also later took up this
method, but against Keres in the
1952 USSR Championship he
played 10 0-0 tl:lf8 11 llabl which
is ncJt such a satisfactory method;
even scJ he scored a memorable
success: l I .. ..ltd6 12 'it>hl tl:lg6 13
f3! ii..e7 14 .l:.bel The attack in the
centre and on the kingside, as dem-
 The lnfl11ence <Jf Nimzov.:it~lh <Jn Modern Opening l'la.i' 63
onstrated by Nimzowitsch, is
stronger than the queenside ad-
vance that Botvinnik had planned
when making his 11th move.
14.llld7 15 1'..xe7 l:.xe7 16 lllg3
tllf6 17 Wf2 1'..e6 18 lllf5 1'..xf5 19
1'..xf5 Wb6 20 e4 dxe4 21 fxe4
l:.d8 22 e5 llld5 23 llle4 lllf8 24
llld6 Wc7 25 1'..e4 llle6 26 Wh4 g6
27 11...xdS cxd5 28 .:tel Wd7 29
l:.c3 l:.f8
30 lllf5! Winning at least the ex-
change. 30 . J:tfe8 31 lllh6+ 'it>f8 32
Wf6 lllg7 33 l:.cf3 :tc8 34 lllxf7
l:.e6 35 Wgs ll:Jrs 36 lllh6 Wg7 37
g4 1-0
9) Modern Benoni -
Nimzowitsch 's Method
Nimzowitsch-Marshall
New York 1927
Modern Benoni
1 d4 lllf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 lllc3
exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 tllf3 g6 7 llld2
Nimzowitsch rejected the more
forthright 7 e4 on account of:
'7 ...1'..g7 8 1'..d3 0-0 9 0-0 a6 I 0 a4
l:.e8 11 h3 b6 followed by ... l:.a7-
e7. Even 10 ... 1'..g4 and ... 1'..xf3
would have been playable.' The
two procedures mentioned by Nim-
zowitsch here have become abso-
lutely main line methods for Black
in the handling of the Modem
Benoni in contemporary tourna-
ment chess. 7 ... lllbd7 8 lllc4 lllb6
9 e4 1'..g7 10 llle3! It is interesting
t() compare the third Spassky-
Fischer match game, Reykjavik
1972, which went 8 e4 ilg7 9 ii.e2
(9 lllc4 would have transposed to
Nimzowitsch's method) 9 ... 0-0 10
0-0 .l:te8 11 'i'c2 tflh5 12 ilxh5
gxh5 13 lllc4 ltle5 14 lt:\e3 Wh4+
and Spassky's variation on Nim-
zowitsch 's idea had failed. This
line has since been strengthened in
Gligoric-Kavalek, Skopje 1972,
which went 11 a4 llle5 12 Wc2
ttlh5 13 1'..xh5 gxh5 14 ttJd I Wh4
15 t2ie3 ttlg4 16 t2ixg4 hxg4 17
t2ic4+. 10 ... 0-0 11 1'..d3 lllh5!?
l l ... l:te8?! 12 0-0 c4 13 1'..c2 1'..d7
14 ild2! l:tc8 15 'it>hl l:.c5 16 f3
t2ic8 17 a4 a6 18 t2ie2! lile7 19
ilb4 l:tc8 20 ilc3 ! 'it>h8 21 'i'd2
t2ieg8 22 ii.d4 b5 23 axb5 1'..xb5 24
Wc3
'
%
~
24 ... li:Jh5 25 1'..xg7+ tb.xg7 26
tb.d4 Wb6 27 l:.a2 Wc5 28 l:.fal h5
29 1'..dl ?! 'it>h7 30 .l:ta5! tt'lh6 31
1'..a4 l:b8 32 0..ec2! l:tb7 33 tb.b4
64 The Influence of Nimzowit.5ch <Jn M<Jdern Opening
'iic7 34 tt:lxa6 .ltxa6 35 .ltxe8
tt:lxe8 36 l:txa6 1-0. Keene-
Pritchett, British Championship,
Brighton 1972, a game which was
directly inspired by the Nim-
zowitschian approach. 12 0-0 .lte5
13 a4 tllf4 14 a5 and White has
emerged from the opening with a
clear advantage
10) Queen's Indian Defence
1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 b6. This
was Nimzowitsch's own idea. He
also claimed responsibility for I d4
tt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tllf3 .Jtb4+, though
this was effectively stolen by Bo-
goljubow, which didn't do him
much good in the end as it is now
known as the Bogo-Indian! Of the
individual variations of the
Queen's Indian Nimzowitsch is
specifically responsible for three:
1) 4 g3 ..ta6
Nimzowitsch explains this idea
as follows: '3 ... b6 aimed at cen-
tralisation by ... il.b7; in order to
weaken the effect of this move
White played 4 g3, intending .Jtg2,
but at the same time left his c-pawn
uncovered. This was the signal for
the second player to start an attack
against the white c-pawn. Griin-
feld-Nimzowitsch, Breslau 1925,
continued: 5 'iia4 c6 6 il.g2 b5 7
cxb5 cxb5 8 'iidl .ltb7 and Black,
having eliminated White's c-pawn,
has at least an equal game.' (9 0-0
.Jte7 10 tt:lbd2 0-0 11 tt:lb3 and now
11 ... .Jtc6! to hinder a2-a4.)
Another example was Pirc-Nim-
zowitsch, Bled 1931: 5 tt:lbd2 .Jtb4
6 'iic2 .Jib7 7 .Jtg2 .Jte4 8 'iidl
.Jtxd2+ 9 .Jtxd2 d6 10 0-0 tt:lbd7
11 .Jtc3 'iie7 12 l:tel 0-0 13 .Jth3
.Jif5!=. The reader should also con-
sult Nimzowitsch's game against
f>/a_1'
Sultan Khan, page 20 I.
Interestingly, the move 4 ... .lta6
is now virtually the main line for
Black having completely sup-
planted 4 ... .Jtb7. It has been en-
dorsed at the highest levels and
played for example by both Kas-
parov and Karpov. For example,
Huzman-Kasparov, Simultaneous
Display by Kasparov against entire
Israeli team, Tel Aviv 1998: 1 d4
tt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 b6 4 g3 il.a6 5
b3 d5 6 il.g2 dxc4 7 tt:le5 il.b4+ 8
~fl .Jtd6 9 tt:lxc4 tlld5 I 0 e4 tt:le7
11 il.b2 tt:lbc6 12 tt:lbd2 e5 13 d5
ti:ld4 14 tt:lf3 c5 15 'it>gl ~xc4 16
bxc4 0-0
0 / ?; 0
~/////.
i~ ~ i)
~~ ~~
~.~ i~.~
and Black went on to win.
2) 4 g3 .Jtb7 5 il.g2 il.e7 6 0-0
0-0 7 tllc3 d5
It is strange that Nimzowitsch
should introduce this rather classi-
cal set-up. For a Nimzowitsch
game with this line see his famous
win versus Siimisch, page 80.
Nowadays this line is sometimes
employed by Larsen.
3) 1 d4 tllf6 2 tt:lf3 b6
This, the Marienbad variation,
was introduced by Nimzowitsch
against Rubinstein at Marienbad
1925.
 The !n(l11enl<' 1J/.1Vim::.1J'.lit.11h <Jn M1J1iern Opening Pla.1 65
11) Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 d4 ll:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 ll:lc3 .ltb4.
Nimzowit<>ch 's most famous strate-
gic invention, although it had been
played previously (by accident!?)
in 1883! Englisch-Blackburne,
London 1883: 1 d4 e6 2 c4 ll:lf6 3
ll:lc3 .Jib4 4 .Jid2 0-0 S ll:lf3 b6 6
e3 .Jib7 7 .Jie2 7 .Jid3 would be
played today. 7 .. dS 8 0-0 ll:lbd7 9
ll:lxdS ll:lxdS 10 cxdS .Jid6 11 dxe6
fxe6 and, thanks to some most in-
genious play, Blackburne went on
to draw the game.
The specific variation 1 d4 ll:lf6
2 c4 e6 3 ll:lc3 .Jib4 was introduced
into tournament practice by Nim-
zowitsch, as Black, against
Janowsky at St. Petersburg 1914: 4
e3 b6 S .Jid3 Nowadays 5 ll:le2 is
very popular, to avoid the doubled
pawns. S .. .Jib7 6 ll:lf3 .Jixc3+ 7
bxc3 d6 8 'ii'c2 ll:lbd7 9 e4 eS 10
o-o o-o 11 .Jigs h6 12 .Jid2 .tr.es 13
l:.ael ll:lh7 14 h3 ll:lhf8 IS tl:lh2
ll:le6 16 .Jie3 cS 17 dS tl:lf4
with a draw on move 85. But in
his invention of the 'ideal Queen's
Gambit', where Black forgoes alto-
gether the occupation of the centre
by his pawns (My System), is it
possible that Nimzowitsch was
influenced hy some of Tartak-
ower's games from Carlsbad 1911,
such as the following'! Salwe-
Tartakower: 1 d4 e6 2 c4 fS 3 ll:lc3
tl:lf6 4 e3 .Jib4 S .Jid3 .lixc3+ 6
bxc3 cS 7 ll:le2 d6 8 0-0 eS 9 .lta3
b6 10 bl g6 11 f3 0-0 12 .Itel
ll:lc6 13 .Jid2 .lta6 14 e4 f4 IS a4
ll:laS 16 'ii'a2 :Ic8 17 .l:i.acl 'i!th8 18
~hi gS 19 g4 hS 20 h3 'i!tg7 21
.i:.ri .:hs+ co-1, 36).
A Dutch Defence, admittedly,
but the manner of play against the
doubled c-pawns and the whole
concept of blockade evinced by
this game is ominous. Clearly there
was some cross-fertilisation be-
tween the livelier minds of the pre-
1914 chess world. The new ideas
were not the sole intellectual prop-
erty of Nimzowitsch!
The imposing strategic ideas
with which Nimzowitsch stamped
his own invention were the abso-
lute importance C)f the doubled
pawn complex, which frequently
arises, and the necessity for general
restraint of the white positic)n.
These themes are both in evidence
in P.Johner-Nimzowitsch, Dresden
1926: 4 e3 0-0 S .lid3 cS 6 ll:lf3
ll:lc6 7 0-0 .Jixc3 The ancestor of
66 The Influence o.f Nimzowit:;ch on Modern Opening Pla_v
the Hubner variation which is dis-
cussed next. 8 bxc3 d6 9 lbd2! If
9 ... e5 10 d5 lLla5 then 11 lbb3 'will
bring the aggressive black knight
back to reason'. 9 . b6 10 lbb3? 10
f4 was better, the text move could
have been delayed. 10... eS 11 f4 e4
Now White is faced with the prob-
lem of what to do about the restric-
tion of his kingside. 12 ~e2 d7
Another restrictive manoeuvre gets
under way ... 13 h3 lbe7 14 et
hS? 1s ~d2 rs 16 <bh2 h7 ...
and the strange destination is
reached - White's kingside pawns
aren't going anywhere. 17 a4 lLlfS
18 g3 aS 19 l:tgl lbh6 20 ~fl ~d7
21 ~cl l:ac8 22 dS <bh8 23 lbd2
l:tg8 24 ~g2 gS 25 lLlfl l:g7 26
l:.a2 ttJrs 27 ~hl l:tcg8 28 d1
gxf4 29 exf4 ~c8 30 b3 ~a6
31 l:te2 31 ~d2 l:tg6 32 ~el
lbg4+ 33 hxg4 hxg4+ 34 ~g2
~xc4 35 'iixc4 e3 would have been
pretty - the mate at h3 can only be
parried by 36 lbxe3 and then the
queen is lost. 31 .. lt:Jh4 32 l:te3 Or
32 lt:Jd2 ~c8 33 lt:Jxe4 'iif5 34 lbf2
'ii'xh3+ 35 lt:Jxh3 lbg4 mate.
32 . ~cS 33 'ii'c2 ~xh3 34 ~xe4
~f5 35 ~xfS lt:JxfS 36 l:te2 h4 37
l:tgg2 hxg3+ 38 <bgl 'ii'h3 39 lbe3
lt:Jh4 40 <bfl l:te8 0-1 'One of the
best blockading games that I have
ever played. In an interview
granted to C.H.O'D. Alexander
after Hastings 1972-73, Larsen
remarked that Johner-Nimzowitsch
was probably the game by another
Master which had exerted the
deepest influence on his own style.
This game represents one of
Nimzowitsch 's ideas that has really
made the big time. There follow
three examples of the way in which
this line has made the grade:
Najdorf-Hiibner
Wijk aan Zee 1971
Nimzo-Indian Defence
4 e3 cS 5 ~d3 lt:Jc6 6 lbf3 ~xc3+
The same procedure - exchanging
without provocation - as in the
Johner game. 7 bxc3 d6 8 e4 8 0-0
e5 9 'ii'c2 'ii'e7 10 lbd2 0-0 11
dxc5!? dxc5 12 ttle4 g6 13 lLlxf6+
'ii'xf6, Taimanov-Hiibner, and 8
tt::ld2 e5 9 d5 tt::le7 10 0-0 0-0 11
'ii'c2 g6 12 f4 exf4 13 exf4? ~f5,
Addison-Hubner, both games from
Palma de Mallorca 1970, are also
very Nimzowitschian in their con-
cept. 8 e5 9 d5 tt::le7
 Thl' lnf/1,ence o.f Nimz<Jwir~ch <>n Modern Opening Pla.i 67
The central blockade
achieved. 10 g3 h6?! (10 ... ttlg6!?)
11 tl'ih4 g5 12 tl'ig2 as 13 b3?
13 .i.d2 would be much better.
13... .i.h3 14 0-0 0-0-0 15 l:rbl c7
16 f3 c;t>bS 17 l:rfl l:rhgS lS lbe3
.i.cS 19 'it>fl? ! 19 lLlf5 ! ? could be
tried. 19... l:rdf8 20 'it>e 1 tl'ieS Black
can manoeuvre at will - White has
no relevant pawn breaks at his dis-
posal. 21 ll'if5 lLlxf5 22 exf5 f6 23
g4 l:thS 24 .i.e3 h5 25 .i.fl :tf7 26
h3 d7 27 'it>d2 ll'ic7 2S a4? l:.e7
29 l:rel tl'iaS 30 a5 ds 31
l:rhh7 32 l:.bl b6 33 .i.d3 l:.b7
a3
Black won on move 52.
Olafsson-Andersson
Reykjavik 1972
Nimzo-lndian Defence
4 e3 c5 5 .i.d3 tl'ic6 6 tl'if3 .i.xc3+
7 bxc3 d6 S ll'id2 e5 9 0-0 0-0 10
lLlb3 e4 Another way of setting up
a blockade. 11 .i.c2 e7 12 f3 l:.eS
13 'it>hl h6 14 ll'id2 exf3 15 gxf3
cxd4! The blockade has been lifted,
but White's position will be riddled
with weaknesses as a penance. 16
cxd4? xe3 17 lLle4 xd4 IS
'ii'xd4 lbxd4 19 lLlxf6+ gxf6 20
l:.gl+ 'it>f8 21 .i.xh6+ 'it>e7 22 .i.e4
is .i.e6 23 l:.abl :.abS 24 J.xb7
J.xc4 25 J.e3 lbb5 26 .l1.a6 lLla3!
27 l:.xbS l:.xbS 2S .i.xa7 l:.aS 29
J.xc4 lbxc4 30 .i.d4 'it>e6 31 l:i.g2
'it>f5 32 l:.e2 lbe5 33 'it>g2 d5 34
.tfl l:gS+ 35 .l1.g3 d4
and Black won a long ending
thanks to his passed d-pawn and
more centralised position.
The Hiibner/Nimzowitsch finally
reached the summit on 20 July
1972:
Spassky-Fischer
World Championship (5),
Reykjavik 1972
Nimzo-Jndian Defence
4 tl'if3 c5 5 e3 lbc6 6 J.d3 J.xc3+
7 bxc3 d6 S e4 e5 9 d5 lLle7 10
lbh4 h6 11 f4!? lbg6! 12 lLlxg6
fxg6 13 fxe5 Better to maintain the
tension with 13 0-0 0-0 14 f5 !.
Black's trump card in this line is
the rigid pawn formation, which
doesn't suit White's bishop pair.
13 ... dxe5 14 .i.e3 b6 15 0-0 0-0 16
a4 a5 17 l:.bl .i.d7 lS :tb2 l:tbS 19
l:.bfl e7 20 .tc2 g5 21 .i.d2 es
22 .tel g6 23 d3 tl'ih5 24
l:txf8+ lixf8 25 :xrs+ 'it>xf8 26
68 The lnjl11ence of Nim::<J1iit.1ch on M<Jdi'1n ()fJl'ni11g f>/a.1
il.d 1 4.Jf4
Nimzowit<>ch would have loved
this: restraint, blockade, doubled
pawn complexes and an outpost on
an open file. 27 ii'c2?? il.xa4! 0-1
In the above line a favourite
move of the Dutch Grandmaster
Donner is 11 f3, but this should not
terrify Black, e.g. Donner-Portisch,
Skopje 1972: ll ii'a5! 12 ii'c2 g5
13 4.Jf5 4.Jxf5 14 exf5 il.d7 15 h4
g4 16 fxg4 4.Jxg4 17 il.e2 .l:.g8 18
il.xg4 .:r.xg4 19 il.xh6
19...il.xf5! 20 ii'xf5 ii'xc3+ 21
'it>f2 ii'b2+ 22 ~e3 l:xg2 0-1
One of the most popular con-
tinuations in Nimzowitsch 's day
was 4 ~c2, an example c)f which is
Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch, Bad
Kissingen I 928: 4 .. ..ltxc3+ S<)me-
times Nimzowitsch took his ideas
to extreme lengths. It is all very
well to exchange, with<)Ut prov<)Ca-
tion, when the knight can only be
recaptured by the b-pawn, but
when it's protected by a piece ... ! 5
ii'xc3! lL:ie4 6 ii'c2 d5 7 e3 c5 8
dxc5 4.Jc6? 8 ... 'i'a5+ followed by
... 'i'xc5 W<)uld be better. 9 lLJf3 0-0
10 il.d2! ii'e7 11 .:r.ct! ~xc5 12
cxd5 'ilfxc2 12 ... 'i'xd5? 13 ..ltc4
'i'f5 14 ..ltd3. 13 :txc2 exd5 14
..ltb5! il.d7 15 ..ltxc6! bxc6
15 ... ~xc6 16 lL:id4+. 16 lL:ie5 ..ltf5
17 lLJxc6 :res 18 :rel a5 19 f3
lLld6 20 ..ltxa5 20 lL:ixa5 was cor-
rect.
20 ... d4? Nimzowitsch misses the
chance of 20 ... tt'lc4 21 il.b4 lllxb2!
22 lL:ie7+ Wh8 23 lLlxf5 lLld3+ 24
c.il>e2 lL:ixb4. 21 ..ltb4! l:xe3+ 22
~f2 l:xa2 23 ..ltxd6 l:xb2+ 24
'it>g3 il.d7 25 lLJxd4 h5 26 l:hel !
g5 27 h3 27 l:txe3'?'? h4 mate would
have been a mistake. 27 .l:d3 28
l:cdl l:c3 29 l:te7 ..lta4 30 l:al
h4+ 3 I 'it>g4 l:tc4 32 il.e5 1-0
The fondness for ... .1Lxc3 even
when this does not d<)Uble the
 T/11' Jnfl11l'n<.:c <1f.Nim::.<111it.,cl1 <Jn Mr1de1n ()pe11ing P/<1.1 69
white pawns is a rather idiosyn-
cratic characteristic shared witl1
Nimzowitsch by l,arsen. It has cost
them both a lot of points. There
follow some more such disasters:
Bogoljubow-Nimzowitsch
Breslau 1925
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 ..ltb4 4
lt:Jf3 b6 5 'ii'c2 ..ltb7 6 a3 ..ltxc3+ 7
'ikxc3 d6 8 ..ltg5 0.bd7 9 e3 0.e4
10 ..ltxd8 lt:Jxc3 11 ..lth4 lt:Je4 12
0.d2 0.xd2 13 ~xd2 c5 14 f3 a5
15 b3 f6 16 ..ltd3 ~e7 17 ..ltg3 h6
18 h4 Ithc8 19 a4 :h8 20 h5 :.ag8
21 ~c3 lt:Jf8 22 lladl e5 23 dxe5
dxe5 24 l:.d2 g5 25 hxg6 lLixg6 26
..ltxg6 l:.xg6 27 llhdl
27 ... ..ltc8 27 ... .i:.xf3! would re-
tain some hope of salvation. 28
..lth4 l1f8 29 g3 e4 30 fxe4 ..ltg4 31
l:.fl ~e6 32 l:.d5 l:.e8 33 l1f2 ..lth3
34 e5 f5 35 e4 :rs 36 .::rd6+ ~f7
37 l:.fd2 fxe4 38 Itf2+ 1-0
Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch
Berlin 1928
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 d4 lLif6 2 c4 e6 3 t2:Jc3 ..ltb4 4
'ikc2 d6 5 e3 c5 6 ..ltd3 lLic6 7
!l.Jge2 eS 8 d5 ..ltxc3+ 9 'ii'xc3 lLie7
10 'ikc2 0-0 11 0-0 lLig6 12 tl:lg3
:.es 13 f3 ..ltd7 14 ..ltd2 a6 15 h3
b5 16 b3 'ikb6 17 ~h2 a5 18 :tabl
18... b4? 18 ... l:.eb8! with the inten-
tion of ... 'ii'd8 and ... a4. 19 f4 exf4
20 exf4 tl'if8 21 ~cl 'ikd8 22 'ikf2
a4 23 ..ltb2 lLig6 24 :bdt axb3 25
axb3 lla7 26 :del l:.xel 27 llxel
tl'if8 28 ..ltxf6! 'ikxf6 29 tl'ie4 'ikh6
30 f5 l:ta3 31 l:tb 1 .::ra6 32 g4 f6 33
~g3 .tc8 34 :e I ..ltb7 35 'ike2
lLid7 36 tl'ixd6! l:.xd6 37 'ike8+
l2Jf8 38 :e7 g6 39 'ikf7+ ~h8 40
l:.e8 :d8 41 'ikxf6+ ~g8 42 'ike6+
~g7 43 f6+ 1-0
Both Nimzowitsch and Larsen
seem to underestimate the bishop
pair in the hands of the opponent,
althc)ugh Larsen denies this charge
in his book C)f. selected games.
L'hlmann-Larsen
Hastings 1972-73
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 c4 lt:Jf6 2 lLic3 e6 3 lt:Jf3 .tb4 4
'ikc2 0-0 5 a3 ..ltxc3 6 'ikxc3 d6 7
d4 b6 8 g3 ..ltb7 9 ..ltg2 lLibd7 10
0-0 'ike7 11 b3 e5 12 d5! a5 13
ti.:lh4 tt:Jc5 14 ..ltb2 l:tfe8 15 'ikc2!
70 The Jnjluenc'l' <if ll/im-:::owit.1ch on Modern Opening Pla_i

bS!? Active counterplay is needed. 0-0 Reaching the same position as

Uhlmann-Larsen. 11 b4 tl:ie4 12
'Wc2 rs 13 tl:igS llldr6 14 tl:ixe4
~P. -~ ~, >' ~~- ~~ Better 14 f3. 14.. ..ixe4 lS ..ixe4
;f~;
...i '/ /; ;f~~
...i lllxe4 16 f3 tllr6 17 ..ib2 l:tfi 18
;p , l:tacl Correct instead was 18 I:t.f2.
18... l:taf8 19 Wd3 hS
:;: ; , . ~0

~ ~ 0
~ ;:
//-if/. ~~ ;,,; . ;:;::;; z / /'//.
:
~~, ~.
~
"'"'w . '/. - : / /

16 tLirS! 'Wf8 17 r4! bxc4 18

rxeS! dxeS 19 bxc4 tl:icd7 20 .tel!
tl:ib6 21 ..ie3 tl:ig4 22 ..ixb6 cxb6
23 'We4 'Wes+ 24 ~hi h6 2S h3!
tl:if2+ 26 l:txf2 'Wxf2 27 .:tr1 'Wes
28 'Wg4! Wf8 28 ... g6 fails against
29 tl:ixh6+ ~h7 30 'Wg5! 29 'WhS! 20 e4? Walking straight into an
r6 30'Wg6.l:te7 ambush. Why on earth did Black
mass his artillery on the f-file if not
to prevent White's e2-e4 - ?
20 ... rxe4 21 rxe4 tl:ig4 22 h3 lllf2
23 'We2 tl:ixh3+ 24 'iii>hl 'WgS 2S
l:txfi l:txf7 26 'Wg2 tl:if2+ 27 'it'gl
'We30-1
In connection with the 'modern'
variation, 4 e3 0-0 S tl:if3 dS 6 ..id3
cS 7 0-0, it is very interesting to
compare Reti-Nimzowitsch, Berlin
1928 (see below), with Geller-
Petrosian, Amsterdam 1956, which
continued 7 . tl:ic6 8 a3 ..ixc3 9
bxc3 'Wc7 10 'Wc2 tl:iaS 11 cxdS c4
31 ..ie4! 'We8 32 tl:ixh6+ ~f8 33 12 ..ie2 exdS 13 tl:id2 ..ig4 14
.:txr6+ 1-0 ..ixg4 tl:ixg4 lS g3 rs 16 l:tbl
tl:ic6? Correct was 16 ... b6 17 :tel
An interesting pendant to the l:tae8 with the threat l 8 ... f4, or 17
above game is Przepiorka-Nim- a4 :tae8 18 ..ia3 .l:tf6 19 :tfe I 'ikt7
zowitsch, Kecskemet 1927: 1 d4 20 tl:ifl :tfe6 with a perfect block-
tl:ir6 2 tl:if3 e6 3 c4 b6 4 tl:ic3 ..ib7 ade of White's expansion possibili-
S 'Wc2 ..ib4 6 a3 ..ixc3+ 7 'Wxc3 ties in the centre. 17 a4 Wd7 18
d6 8 g3 tiJbd7 9 ..ig2 'We7 IO 0-0 ..ia3 .i:treS 19 .:tret b6 20 l:te2 'We6
 The Influence of Nimzov.:it.\ch <Jn Modern Opening Pia)' 71
21 l:tbel ir'h6 22 ll:lfl ir'h5 23 f3!
tlJf6 24 t2Jd2 l:te6 25 e4
~ %~
~]ti..;?
; )~;, ;~,,,,
;.; ~~ ~w
~,~ " , ~,,
%
.,,.
~
,
White has overcome the block-
ade and goes on to win.
Here is the prototype game:
Reti-Nimzowitsch
Berlin (Tageblatt) 1928
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 d4 tllf6 2 c4 e6 3 tlJc3 .Jlb4 4
ir'c2 d5 5 e3 c5 6 tllf3 tllc6 7 a3
.Jlxc3+ 8 bxc3 b6 9 .Jld3 0-0 10
cxd5 exd5 11 0-0 c4! 12 .Jle2
.Jlg4! 13 :tel .JlhS 14 tlJd2 .Jlg6
Even stronger than 14 ... .Jlxe2. 15
ir'dl bS 16 f3 a5?!
Prophylaxis was called for here,
rather than provocation, therefore
16 ... l:te8. Now White Ii fl<> the
blockade by means of a pawn sacri-
fice to gain scope for his bishc)ps.
17 e4! dxe4 18 LDxe4 18 fxe4?
LDxd4! 18... .Jlxe4 19 fxe4 LDxe4 20
ir'c2 f5 lbreatening ... ll:lxd4 again .
21 .Jlf3 ir'f6 22 l:tbl b4 23 cxb4?
23 axb4! axb4 24 .Jlxe4 fxe4 25
.lle3! would keep White above
water. 23 ...ir'xd4+ 24 .Jle3 ir'd3 25
ir'xd3 cxd3 26 b5 lLie5 Nim-
zowitsch has the knight pair, so he
is content. 27 .Jlxe4 Well, he did
have the knight pair. 27 .. fxe4 28
.Jld4 tlJc4 29 :xe4 lLixa3 30 l:te7!
l:tf4! 31 .Jle5! Not 31 l:txg7+ <;!;>f8
32 l:tfl l:txfl + 33 <;!;>xfl d2 34 <;t>e2
dl 'it'+ 35 '.itxdl l:td8 winning.
31 . tlJxbl 32 .Jlxf4 :td8 33 b6 The
best chance. If 33 :tel then 33 ... d2
34 l:tdl a4 35 b6 a3 36 b7 a2 37
.Iles l:tb8! 38 .Jlxb8 al'* and wins,
since White's bishop cannot retreat
in view of ... 'it'a7xb7 - Nim-
zowitsch. 33 . d2 34 .Jlxd2 LDxd2
35 b7 :rs
Threatens mate and therefore
gives him a vital tempo. Without
this tempo White would have ex-
cellent drawing chances by means
of l:c7-c8. 36 h3 lLic4 37 Ite6 a4
72 The ln_fluence of.Nin1z1J..,..'if.vLh on Mr><i'rn (Jpi'ning
38 l:ta6 t2le5 39 l:txa4 :.bs 40 l:tb4
<J;f7 41 <J;h2 <J;e7 42 l:h4 h6 43
:b4 t2lf7 44 l:tg4 g5 45 l:te4+ <J;f6
46 .:tb4 t2ld6 47 h4 l:txb7 48
hxg5+ hxg5 49 :ta4 .::.b3 50 g3
l2lf5 51 g4 l2lh4 52 l:ta5 llc3 53
l:ta8 <J;e5 54 l:tf8 ~e4 55 :tf7 :td3
56 .i:r.rs t2lg6 57 :rs .i:tds 0-1
12) Flank Openings
Nimzowitsch made a number of
important contributions to the the-
ory of these openings. I b3 is dealt
with separately, here we deal with
the English and the Reti. In Che.~s
Praxis Nimzowit<;ch has something
to say which could well serve as a
motto for Larsen's preoccupation
with his rooks' pawns - which
Nimzowitsch shared, especially
moves of the h-pawn early in the
game. (For similar play with the a-
pawn see his games as Black from
the 1934 match versus Stahlberg.)
He wrote: 'To glance at the wings
with the centre in mind is the deep-
est sense of positional play.'
1) English Opening: 1 c4
Nimzowitsch often used the
English, sometimes with g2-g3,
and sometimes with e2-e3, hoping
to transpose into a reversed Sicilian
- see, for example, Nimzowitsch-
Spielmann, Carlsbad 1929. It is
interesting to note here a comment
that Larsen makes in his book of
his games: 'I became a devotee of
the Najdorf Variation ... in 1951.
Afterwards I began to play open-
ings like 1 c4 e5 2 d3 tl:Jf6 3 a3!?
hoping for 3 ... d5 4 cxd5 tllxd5 5
l2lf3 liJc6 6 e4 the dear variation
with a tempo extra.' Nimzowitsch-
No1111an-Hansen, 1923, opened
with I c4 e5 2 a3 t2lf6 3 t2lc3 d5 4
f>/11_\'
cxdS 4..)xdS.
Nimzowitsch 's main contribu-
tic)n to the English was the Dresden
blockade t'ormation with pawns on
c4, d3 and e4, C)r, for Black, c5. d6
and e5. He was very proud ot this
idea which ]{)Oked weakening but
was not (a rudimentary form ot this
blockade system is to be t'ound in
some games by Staunton, but we
do not know it' Nimzowitsch was
aware of Staunton 's games).
Nimzowitsch himself' says of
this idea: 'As early as 1924 I had
tried, after the moves 1 f4 c5 2 e4
tllc6 3 d3 g6, the move 4 c4, whose
mc)tif I visualised as a blockade
spanning half the board, and ... I
made the following note: 'Since
this move is nc)t inspired by the
hope of preventing, or even of
making ... d7-d5 more dit'ficult, a
special explanation is needed.
Black wishes to build up the con-
figuration l'Se6, Ad5. This done, he
will consider the extension of his
attacking t'ormation on the queen's
wing, i.e. by ... t2ld4 when opportu-
nity offers, in order, after l2lxd4
cxd4, to bring pressure on the c-t'ile
on c2. The text move is made to
t'orestall this possible extension of
play on the queen's wing. The hole
at d4 does not seem to be a serious
matter.' ... To this problem I was
ever seeking tc) bring out new sides,
and so it came that, as Black in
Dresden 1926, after the moves 1 e4
c5 2 tl:Jf3 tllc6 3 tllc3 I ventured
the ffi{)Ve 3 ... e5, which at that time
caused a huge sensation.' In con-
nection with this the reader might
also like to refer tc) Nimzowit<;ch-
Rubinstein, Dresden 1926, which
(by demonstrating that the back-
ward white d-pawn is not weak)
 lne Jnfluenl'e o_f'Nimz<Jwit.~lh
was one of the factors which
helped to give birth to the Bole-
slavsky Sicilian (I e4 c5 2 tlJf3
t2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:lxd4 ll:lf6 5 t2Jc3
d6 6 .lte2 e5).
The influence ot' Nimzowitsch 's
extensive writings concerning the
Dresden blockade can perhaps be
traced in the Botvinnik systems of
the English. Some examples of this
influence are:
Botvinnik-Geller, USSR Team
Championship, Moscow 1966,
which opened with 1 c4 g6 2 g3
.ltg7 3 .ltg2 e5 4 t2Jc3 d6 5 d3 t2Je7
6 e4 0-0 7 t2Jge2 t2Jbc6 8 0-0 .lte6
9 t2Jd5 Botvinnik-Petrosian (from
the same event) varied with 8 ... f5 9
tlJd5. Keene-Kagan, Skopje 1972,
went 1 t2Jf3 c5 2 g3 g6 3 .ltg2 .ltg7
4 0-0 e5 5 c4 t2Je7 6 lllc3 lllbc6 7
d3 0-0 8 :tbl d6 9 a3 a5! 10 .ltd2
h6?! and it was later errors on
Black's part, not his pawn forma-
tion, which led to his downfall.
An example of Nimzowitsch's
treatment is Nimzowitsch-Samisch,
Dresden 1926: 1 c4 e5 2 lllc3 lllf6
3 t2Jf3 t2Jc6 4 e4 .ltb4 5 d3 d6 6 g3
6 . .ltg4 Nimzowit.<;ch-Mieses,
Hanover 1926, varied with 6 ... .1'.c5
7 .1g2 tlJg4 8 0-0 t'5 9 tlJd5 h6? 10
<Jn Modern Opening l'la_i 73
exf5 .ltxf5 11 lllh4 .lte6 12 ltlg6
.:.gs 13 h3 l1if6 14 .lte3 Jixd5 15
cxd5 tlJd4 16 f4 'ii'd7 17 b4 .ltb6
18 fxe5 dxe5 19 t2Jxe5 'ike7 20
lllc4 with a clearly won position. 7
.lte2 With Nimzowit.<;ch the move
g2-g3 did not neces..<;arily promise a
fianchettoed king's bishop. 7 .. h6 8
.lte3 .ltxc3+ 9 bxc3 ii'd7 10 'ii'c2
0-0 11 ii'd2 lllh7 12 h3! .ltxh3 13
lllgl .ltg4 14 f3 .lte6 15 d4 exd4
16 cxd4 d5 17 cxd5 .ltxd5 18 exd5
'ii'xd5 19 l:tdl :res 20 'it>f2 lllf6 21
l:th4 llle7 22 .ltd3 lllrs 23 .ltxf5
'ii'xf5 24 ~g2 .:t.e7 25 .ltf2 Itae8 26
.:t.f4 ii'g6 27 d5 .:.es 28 l:td4 l:td8
29 'ii'a5 lllh5 30 'ii'xc7 l:tde8 31 d6
1-0 There also exists a little known
Alekhine game on similar lines, but
Alekhine did not give it much pub-
licity - in fact he did not even pub-
lish it in his collections of best
games. Alekhine-Tarrasch, Vienna
1922: 1 c4 e5 2 ltlc3 4lc6 3 g3 g6 4
.tg2 .ltg7 5 d3 tlJge7 6 f4 d6 7
tlJf3 0-0 8 0-0 h6 9 e4 f5 10 tlJd5
( 1-0, 57).
2) English Opening: 1 c4 e5 2
t2Jc3 t2Jc6 3 t2Jf3 tlJf6 4 e4 .ltc5 5
t2Jxe5
This sequence was invented by
74 The Influence of Nimzoivit.~ch on Modern Opening Pla.v
Nimzowitsch, and made its appear-
ance in the game Nimzowitsch-
Yates, Dresden 1926. See also the
game Nimzowitsch-Reti, Berlin
1928. This line has also had its fair
share of success in more recent
times, for example Botvinnik-
Keres, USSR Team Championship,
Moscow 1966: 4 g3 ~cs S lLixeS
~xf2+ 6 ~xf2 lLixeS 7 e4 Trans-
posing into the Nimzowitsch
scheme. 7 ... cS 8 d3 d6 9 h3 hS 10
~e2 lLih7 11 c;i;>g2 h4 12 g4 lLigS
13 ~e3 ~d7 14 1fd2 lLie6 IS b4
b6 16 l:Iabl ~c6 17 l:Ihfl ~b7 18
'ittgl lLic6 19 lLidS lLicd4 20 ~dl
f6 21 'itth2 Preparing g4-g5.
21 ... ~c6 22 a4 aS?! 23 bxaS bxaS
24 1ff2 l:Ia7 2S gS 0-0 26 g6 fS?
26 ... ~e8 27 1fg2 f5 was more
stubborn.
27 l:Ib8! 1-0 The queen is de-
flected from the defence of the h-
pawn.
3) Reti's Opening: l lLif3
Nimzowitsch made two serious
contributions to this line; one was
at Dresden 1926 (again! - this tour-
nament was one of Nimzowitsch's
creative peaks), when he played
1... c5 !, a line that is now very
popular, and followed it up with
... d6 and ... e5 all according to plan;
the other significant C()ntribution
was in his game (as Black) against
Kashdan at Bled 1931: 1. d5 2 c4
dxc4 3 lLia3 cS 4 g3 lLic6 S lLixc4
f6 6 ~g2 eS This set-up has been
widely regarded as a Botvinnik
invention. 7 d3 ~e6 8 0-0 lLige7 9
lLifd2 lLid5 10 lLie4 ~e7 11 lLie3
1fd7 with a reversed 'Maroczy
Bind'.
Concerning the 'Bind' fo1111ation
from White's side Nimzowitsch
also had something to say: Nim-
zowitsch-Capablanca, Carlsbad
1929: 1 c4 lLif6 2 lLic3 cS 3 lLJf3
lLic6 4 d4 cxd4 S lLixd4 g6 6 e4
~g7 7 lLic2 0-0 8 ~e2 d6 9 0-0
lLid7 10 ~e3 lLic5 ll lLid4 ~d7 12
1fd2 l:Ic8 13 l:Iadl l:Ie8 14 ~bl
1faS lS f3 15 f4!? 1S... lLie6! 16
lLib3 1fb4 17 1fc2 lLiaS 18 lLixaS
1fxaS 19 l:IdS lLicS 20 ~d2 1fc7
21 ~el lLie6 22 b3 lLid4 23 1fd2
lLixe2 24 1fxe2 a6 25 a4 bS 26
axbS ~xc3 27 ~xc3 axbS 28 1fd2
bxc4 291fh6 f6
30 l:IgS! 1/2- 1/2. 30 ... cxb3 31
.:xg6+ hxg6 32 1fxg6+ ~h8 33
1fh6+=, not 32 ... ~f8? 33 ~d2!
Portisch-Gheorghiu, Teesside
 The Influence o_f.Nimzowit.1lh rJn MrJdern Opening Pla.v 75

1972, varied from this with: pure Nimzowitsch, is Fischer-

ll ... lLixd4?! 12 ~xd4 ~e6 13 Mecking, Palma de Mallorca 1970:
~xg7 'it>xg7 14 d4+ f6 15 l:tadl? 1 b3 d5 2 ~b2 cS 3 lLif3 lLic6 4 e3
Better was 15 b4! 15... a5= lLif6 5 ~bS 1'.d7 6 0-0 e6 7 d3
(although White eventually won ~e7 8 ~xc6 ~xc6 9 lLieS l:c8 10
the game). 7 lLic2 in the 'Bind' lLid2 0-0 11 f4 lLid7 12 g4! lLixeS
fo1111ation became a great favourite 13 1'.xeS ~f6 14 :tf3 e7 Only
with Portisch. now does the game leave the rails
of 1927 theory! For 14 ... ~xe5,
13) 1 b3 - Nimzowitsch Attack which Alekhine regarded as best,
This was all the rage in the 1970s see Nimzowitsch-Spielmann be-
as a result of Larsen's successes low. lS .:tafl a5 16 l:t.g3 1'.xe5 17
with it. Larsen's games with this fxe5 f5 18 exf6 :txf6
line were often very close to the
Nimzowitsch originals, for exam-
ple Larsen-Wade, Teesside 1972,
will bear comparison with any of
Nimzowitsch's efforts: 1 b3 dS 2
~b2 cS 3 e3 lLif6 4 ~bS+ ~d7 S
~xd7+ lLibxd7 6 lLif3 e6 7 c4 ~e7
8 0-0 0-0 9 e2 a6 10 lLic3 as
11 cxdS exd5 12 d4 l:.ac8 13 dxc5
lLixcS 14 lLid4! lLie6 15 lLifS! ~a3
16 l:tacl l:.c7

.-~~~~~---;"; /,t:I'
/. %,.,
z ~ ~p 19 xg7+! xg7 20 l:t.xf6
xg3 21 hxg3 l:.e8 22 g4 a4 23
t2if3 axb3 24 axb3 'it>g7 2S gS eS
26 l2ih4 ~d7 27 .:td6 ~e6 28 'iii>f2
'it>f7 29 l:tb6 l:te7 30 e4 dxe4 31
dxe4 c4 32 b4 ~g4 33 'it>e3 l::.d7
~ - ;J& 34 g6+ 'iii>f8 35 gxh7 l:t.xh7 36
~ -~~ ;.
~ - i.fil
~/~ .
~.!]
'/~
l2ig6+ 'it>e8 37 lLixeS ~c8 38 l2lxc4
z %
/;:
"1i'd8 39 l2ld6 :tg7 40 'it>f2 'it>c7 41
? ~
l2ixc8 'it>xc8 42 l:td6 1-0

17 lLia4! ~xb2 18 xb2 bS 19 Nimzowitsch-Spielmann

lLicS! b6 20 b4 lLixcS 21 l:.xcS
l:.xcS 22 bxcS e6 23 lLid4 es
24 a3 lLig4 2S lLif3 c7 26 l:tcl
aS 27 d3 b4 28 c6 lLif6 29 lLid4
hS 30 rs cs 31 c7 a4 32 xc8
l:.xc8 33 lLifS 1-0
Another game, which really is
New York 1927
l b3 d5 2 ~b2 cS 3 t2if3 l2lc6 4 e3
l2lf6 S ~b5 ~d7 6 0-0 e6 7 d3
~e7 8 ~xc6 ~xc6 9 ltJeS l:c8 10
lLid2 0-0 11 f4 l2ld7 12 'it'g4! 'This
'brutal' move and, in fact, the
76 The Injl1Jence of Nim::.owit.1lh <Jn M<>dern ()p'ning Pla.1
whole plan of throwing the heavy
pieces into the assault on the king-
side occurred only because the
variation 12 ... f5? 13 'ilr'xg7+! ~xg7
14 lllxc6+ .i.f6 15 lllxd8 j(_xb2 16
lllxe6+ seemed to mitigate the
'brutality' to a significant extent'
(Nimzowit<>ch). 12 ... lllxeS 13
.i.xeS 13 fxe5? ! .i.g5 ! - Alekhine
in the tournament book. 13 .i.f6
14 l:tf3 .i.xeS lS fxeS *c7
15 ... 'ilr'a5 16 l:tg3 and 17 ttlf3. 16
'j/bS h6 16 ... f5? 17 exf6 llxf6 18
l:txf6gxf619'ilr'g4+; 16 ... .i.e8! 17
l:th3 h6 18 lllf3 f5. 17 :.art g6
17 ... .i.e818l:g3f519'ilr'xh6'ilr'xe5
20 4! 'ilr'f6 21 ttlf3+ - dark-
square control! 18 'j/xh6 *xeS 19
l:tf6
---
19 ,'j/hS The only defence
against l:lf3-h3. 20 'jjxhS gxhS 21
ti:Jf3 l:tc7 22 l:th6 f6 23 lllh4 .i.e8
24 l:thxf6 l:txf6 2S l:txf6 l:te7 26
cbf2 <l;g7 27 l:tf4 .i.d7 28 ~e2? 28
~el! cuts out the possibility of
... .i.g4+. 28 eS! 29 l:tf5 l:.e8 N(lW
l:xh5 is impossible, so Black's
resistance can continue. 30 l:.f2 e4
311:tf4 l:teS 32 <l;d2 bS 33 g3 .i.h3
34 d4 cxd4 3S exd4 l:tgS 36 c3 aS
37 l:tf2 a4 38 ~e3 a3 39 1:tc2 ~fl
40 l:tcl .li.d3 41 tl:Jg2 :rs 42 lllf4
cj;f7 43 .:.dl ~e7? 44 l2lxd3 exd3
4S b4 ct;d6 46 ct;xd3 Ii.fl 47 l:td2
.:.f3+ 48 ct;c2 ct;e6 49 .l:l.e2+ ct;d6
so ~b3 l:td3 51 .:.es h4 52 gxh4
l:th3 53 l:th5 ct;c6 54 l:th6+ ct;b7 55
hS 1-0 Black could still have held
up the winning process for some
time with 43 ... j__c2 44 ,:g I h4,
~
although White should triumph
eventually after 45 g4.
Nimzowitsch often prefaced the
move b2-b3 with 1 tt:lf3. A player
who shares this tendency is Ulf
Anders.<>on, e.g. Anders..'>on-Tatai.
Palma de Mallorca 1971: 1 ti:Jf3 dS
2 b3 cS 3 e3 tl:Jc6 4 ~bS! Obtain-
ing a Nimzo-Indian with colours
reversed as in the previous exam-
ple. 4 ... ~d7 5 0-0 e6 6 ~b2 lllge7
7 c4 a6 8 .ltxc6 .ltxc6 9 tl:JeS 'j/c7
10 d3 1:td8 11 'j/e2 f6 12 tt:lxc6
tt:lxc6 13 cxd5 .l:txdS 14 tt:lc3 l:td8
15 tt:le4 'j/f7 16 l:tacl ti:Jb4 17 .i.a3
rs 18 tl:Jg5 'j/f6 19 ~xb4 cxb4 20
f4 h6 21 tt:lf3 .i.d6
~-~~__,.~ /'. ~
% %'' %
;_fi ~ ;~
22 e4 fxe4 23 dxe4 .i.xf4 24 eS
'j/fS 2S l:tc7 0-0 26 g3 g4 27 .l:c4
bS 28 l:te4 l:tdS 29 ~bl :txeS 30
tl:Jxe5 1-0
A Nimzowitsch example, effec-
tively a reversed Dutch Defence, is
 l"h !11t711e11<' <J{.Nin1:<Jv..it.1lh <Jn Modl:'rn ()11enin.~ f>/<1.1 77
Nimzowitsch-Buerger, L<)nd<)n
1927: I b3 t2Jf6 2 ..lilb2 e6 3 f4 dS 4
t2Jf3 ..11le7 5 e3 t2Jbd7 6 ..lild3 l2Je4 7
l2Je5 0-0 8 0-0 l2Jxe5 9 ..11lxe4 llld7
JO ..lilf3 ..lilf6 11 t2Jc3 cS 12 el b6
13 g4 ..11la6 14 d3
14 d4? ! Better I 4 ... .l:i.c8 with an
eventual ... c5-c4 in mind. 15 llle4
.l:.c8 16 l2Jxf6+ tt:Jxf6 17 e4 e5 18
rs h6 19 g3 J:e8 20 h4 tl:lh7 21
..11.:.cl f6 22 I:.f2 l:.c7 23 .::.g2 'ife7
24 ..,h3 I:.c6 25 ..lild2 .l:i.d8 26 ~h l
.:tdd6 27 a4 ..11lc8 28 .l:tagl a6 29
:l.h2 ~h8 30 g5 fxg5 31 hxg5 b5
32 axb5 axb5 33 jfh4 c4 34 gxh6
xh4 35 hxg7+ 1-0
Conclusion
Harry Golombek once wrote of
'Romantic players' (and he classed
Nimzowit<>ch as a 'Romantic') that
they were 'innovators, not so much
of variations, but of ideas'.
I certainly think this is true of
Nimzowitsch 's influence <)n mod-
ern chess theory, where so many of
the original strategic ideas stem
from Nimzowitsch himself while,
in an alarmingly large nurnber of
cases, the actual variations we still
employ were elaborated by the
arch-realist Alekhine.
Take, for example, 2 ... li1f6 in the
Sicilian. This is virtually unt<)uched
now, but without the intellectual
ancestry provided by this variation
Alekhine 's Det'ence (which is now
extremely popular) might never
have come into being.
Or the so-called Panov-Botvin-
nik attack in the Caro-Kann. Nim-
zowit<>ch used this against Alekhine
at Bled 1931, and then Alekhine
himself became its most enthusias-
tic practitioner. Why on earth we
call it the Panov-Botvinnik I shall
never understand!
In the English Opening Nim-
zowit<>ch was the most eloquent
propagandist for the systems with
white pawns on c4 and e4, yet the
actual variations now in mode stem
more from Alekhine 's gan1e versus
Tarrasch (q. v .) .
In the Nimzowitsch (Nimzo-
lndian) Defence itself we can now
see Nimzowitsch's ideas at work
both in the 'modem system' and
the Hubner variation but perhaps
the only variation, as such, to sur-
vive intact into modern tournament
practice from the 1920s came from
the game I. Rabinovich-Alekhine,
Moscow 1920: J d4 tt:Jf6 2 tl:lf3 b6
3 c4 e6 Observe the rapidity with
which Alekhine had assimilated the
new ideas. 4 tt:Jc3 ..11lb7 5 e3 ..11lb4 6
c2 lLie4 7 ..lild3 rs 8 0-0 ..11lxc3 9
bxc3 0-0 10 tt:ld2 ..,h4! 11 f3
l2Jxd2 12 ..11.:.xd2 tt:Jc6 and this pre-
cise sequence, which was dimly
sired in Nimzowit<>ch 's games from
St. Petersburg 1914, has actually
been employed in contemporary
practice by Larsen, Fischer and
B<Jtvinnik.
A further example, c)<)Ser to our
own time, has been the inventi<)n of
78 The Influence o_( Nim::.<)>1:it.1ch on Modrn Opening P!t1_1:

the so-called English Defence. I and Black went on to win.

started to use this in the 1970s, and Another recent example of this
it has also been popular with Tony strategy in action is the game Ivan-
Miles, Jon Speelman, Nigel Short chuk-Sadler from the blind-
and Matthew Sadler. Although fold/rapidplay tournament in Mon-
Nimzowitsch did not actually em- aco 1998 which went: 1 c4 b6 2 d4
ploy it himself, the enduring strate- e6 3 l!Jc3 .tb7 4 e4 .tb4 5 'ili'c2
gic themes of this new defence are 'ili'h4 6 d5 .txc3+ 7 bxc3 lLif6 8
pure Nimzowitsch: fianchettoed .td3 l!Ja6 9 lLif3 'ili'g4 10 0-0 l!Jc5
black queen's bishop, doubled 11 h3 'ili'g6 12 lLie5 'ili'h5 13 f4
white pawns on the c-file and the l!Jxd3 14 'ili'xd3 d6 15 l!Jf3 0-0-0
attempt to dismantle White's cen- 16 ~e3 l:the8 17 l:tae 1 .ta6
tre. Here is a recent example dem-
onstrating Black's chances, Gel-
fand-Short, Novgorod 1997: 1 d4
e6 2 c4 b6 3 e4 .tb7 4 .td3 l!Jc6 5
l!Je2 l!Jb4 6 l!Jbc3 lLixd3+ 7 'ili'xd3
d6 8 0-0 l!Je7 9 d5 'ili'd7 10 f4 g6
11 l!Jd4 0-0-0 12 b4 .tg7 13 b5
.txd4+ 14 'ili'xd4 f5 15 l:te 1 l:the8
16 .tb2 fxe4 17 lLixe4 lLig8

Here Ivanchuk blundered with

18 lLid4 ?? and after l 8 ... exd5 19
exd5 'ili'xd5 Black went on to win
easily. However, Black already has
a large advantage in the diagram
position, as the white centre, and
his light squares in particular, are
very weak.
5 The Duality of Nimzowitsch
Du bist dir nur des einen Triebs
bewuj3t;
0 lerne nie den andern kennen!
Zwei See/en wohnen, ach! in
meiner Brust,
Die eine will sich ion der andern
trennen;
Goethe: Faust Part 1
(By this one passion you are quite
possessed -
You'd best admit no other to a
share.
Two souls, alas, are housed within
my breast,
And each will wrestle for the mas-
tery there.)
All chessmasters (and not just
masters) have personal styles and
highly individual methods of ap-
proaching identical problems. Of
course, in certain situations, all
strong players will do identical
things (e.g. 'White to play and win'
will usually elicit the same re-
sponse from any good player) but it
is those cases where the element of
choice crops up that concern us
here. Style, and examination of the
questions arising from it, can afford
a fascinating point of departure for
a discussion of the play of the great
masters. Even one's choice of
opening can go a long way to de-
te1111ining the nature of a style.
All this may sound rather vague
and naturally, when dealing with
such terms, there is a great danger
of descending into meaningless
generalisations. However, if we
bear in mind the possible presence
of such dangers, I feel that we are
now in a position to discuss what I
believe to lie at the very heart of
Nimzowitsch 's chess style, and this
is the duality already mentioned. In
Nimzowitsch's games we observe a
strange tension between the desire
to restrain the opponent's possi-
bilities (prevention or prophylaxis)
and the urge to provoke the oppo-
nent into a sharp and bitter strug-
gle: by doing something outra-
geous, or apparently unplayable, or
by running grave risks of a posi-
tional, or tactical, variety. In other
words, with Nimzowitsch, we see a
powerful awareness of the presence
of the opponent as someone who
must be restrained or provoked
rather than the preoccupation with
one's own positive plans which one
associates with other great masters,
such as Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Tai
Fischer and Kasparov. I associate
the direct, positive action of an
Alekhine, or a Fischer, with a ho-
8() 7ne D11alin <J(ll/i111zo}vit.1cl1
mogeneous, ha1111onious unity ot
chess style as opposed to the dual-
ism and indirection which pervades
Nimzowitsch. (Elsewhere I have
equated these two Nimzowit.;;chian
poles in post-war chess with
Korchnoi - the Apostle of Heroic
defence - and Petrosian - the High
Priest of prophylaxis.)
These twin poles C)f Nitn-
zowitsch 's style can be exemplified
here in concrete fashion by tWC)
miniature games (although there
are further examples throughout
this volume); in one Nimzowitsch
(according to his own published
theories) concentrates on the abso-
lute minimisation of his opponent's
possibilities. This is the so-called
'Immortal Zugzwang Game'. I
prefer to see it as an example of
total paralysis of the opposition; the
ultimate expression of prophylaxis,
where the opponent's possibilities
are reduced to that degree above
zero required to avoid stalemate.
The C)ther game, equally well
known, is an example of a deliber-
ately pursued maximisation of the
opponent's possibilities; in this
case for material gain, but exam-
ples will recur in this book where
this maximisation occurs for other
than material reasons.
There is an objection to my the-
ory which you might voice,
namely: that Nimzowitsch 's wi11 is
against a good master player
(Siimisch), while his Joss is to the
mighty world champion (Alek-
hine). In answer to this I would
point out that Nimzowitsch did not
always defeat Samisch in their
games, and when he did it was
rarely in such drastic fashic)n. This
game is merely an extreme exam-
pie of a particular trend in Nim-
zowitsch 's play. I.ikewise with the
Alekhine game, which is also a
case taken to its absolute. Nim-
zowit<>ch beat Alekhine on several
occasions and, not infrequently, a
high degree C)f provocation was
involved in his victc)ry.
Samisch-Nim1:owitsch
Cc)penhagen 1923
Queen '::;Indian Defence
l d4 lLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 l2.Jf3 b6 4 g3
..ltb7 5 ..ltg2 ..lte7 6 l2.Jc3 0-0 7 0-0
d5 8 lLleS c6 9 cxd5 9 e4! is much
strc)nger; e.g. 9 ... dxc4 10 4:'ixc4
..ita6 11 b3 b5 12 l2.Je3 b4 13 4:'ie2
..ltxe2 14 'iixe2 'iixd4 15 ..itb2 with
excellent compensation. 9 ...cxdS
10 ..ltf4 a6! 11 l:cl b5 12 'iib3
tl.Jc6 13 tl.Jxc6 ..ltxc6 14 h3 'iid7 15
~h2 l2.Jh5 16 ..ltd2 f5 17 'iidl b4
18 tLlbl ..ltb5 19 .:.gl ..ltd6 20 e4
fxe4! Sacrificing a piece to para-
lyse the entire white positic)n. 21
'iixh5 :txf2 22 'i'g5 llaf8 23 'it>hl
l:8f5 24 'iie3 ..ltd3 25 l:tcel h6! 0-1
As can readily be seen White has
ncJ moves let't at all that do not lead
to disaster. A most remarkable fin-
isl1. Nimzciwitsch was tci write ot

this game: 'May my dear colleague
Samisch not take it amiss that I
seize every opportunity to publish
this game, which is known in
Denmark as the Immortal Zug-
zwang Game. I have no choice, for,
in its sacrificial spirit, which yet
denies the attack in any conven-
tional sense, this game is just as
characteristic for our own time as
the Immortal Sacrificial Game was
for the age of Anderssen. Nowa-
days we sacrifice for the sake of
prophylaxis, or in order to intro-
duce a blockade, or to decrease the
dynamic potential of the opposing
forces, not, however, in the inter-
ests of a brutal act of vi<)lence.
Brutality is out of date!'
Alekhine-Nimzowitsch
Bled 1931
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 4.:lc3 .ltb4 4
lLige2 dxe4 An interesting Russian
idea is 4 ... lLie7 5 a3 .lta5 6 b4 .ltb6
7 e5 a5! with good counterplay. 5
a3 .ltxc3+ (5 ... .lte7 is more cir-
cumspect. 6 lLixc3 rs
Heroic defence but m<)St perilous
in this case. Nimzowitsch decides
Thi' D11alitt 1Jj.Nin1zowit.1ch 81
1
to cling at all C<)Sts to his extra ma-
terial. 6 ... 4lc6 is much 'better'. 7 f3
A game Sir George Thomas-Nim-
zowitsch, Marienbad 1925, went: 7
.ltf4 tt:Jf6 8 f3 0-0 9 fxe4 lLixe4 10
4lxe4 fxe4 11 'tid2 ttld7 12 .lte2
c5 and Black maintained his extra
material into the endgame and this
eventually brought him victory, in
spite of White's bishops and the
precarious nature of Black's booty.
7 ... exf3 8 lixf3 'tixd4 Absolutely
consistent with the heroic defence
syndrome. 9 'tig3 lLif6 10 'tixg7
lie5+? 10 ... :.gs! ll.lixc7 4lc6 -
Alekhine - and Black can fight on.
11 .lte2 :gs 12 lih6 .:tg6 13 lih4
.ltd7 14 .ltg5 .ltc6 15 0-0-0 .ltxg2
16 l:.he 1 .lte4 17 .lth5 lLixh5 18
l:.d8+ ~f7 19 lixh5
'Nimzowitsch quite rightly re-
signed here, as there are no more
decent moves for Black - even
l 9 ... <J;;g7 would lose the queen
after 20 tt'ixe4 fxe4 21 .lth6+ ! This
was, I believe, the shortest defeat in
his career' (Alekhine).
From this game we can see just
how double-edged an attribute the
second 'passion' could be.
Granted, then, the existence of
82 The Duality of Nimzowitsch
this Nimzowitschian duality, what,
we might ask, is its effect? Well, I
see its major effect as an influence
exerted over Nimzowitsch's mode
of combination, which is highly
individualistic, and, at times, al-
most mystical. I tend to regard
many of Nimzowitsch 's combina-
tions a..c; 'ambushes' rather than as
the organic exploitation of conven-
tional resources - be it in never so
brilliant a manner - which we nor-
mally te1111 a 'combination'.
Of course the word 'ambush'
really means nothing more than an
elaborate trap, in common par-
lance, but in this context I am at-
tempting to imbue it with the sig-
nificance of a novel technical te1111
extending beyond its no1111al asso-
ciations. In other words, what Nim-
zowitsch, in many cases, would
describe as a 'combination', I
would describe as an 'ambush', and
I would not mean 'trap!'
I think that it is only possible to
get at the precise meaning of this
te1111 by reference to concrete ex-
amples, and I would draw your
special attention to two games by
Nimzowitsch from this collection
in which he defeats the great mas-
ters, Rubinstein (Marienbad 1925)
and Alekhine (Semmering 1926)
by means of the 'ambush'. One
could alternatively describe the
'ambush' as a defensive or preven-
tive combination, in that Nim-
zowitsch, in both cases, organises a
deep refutation of a course of ac-
tion which the opponent is under
no compulsion to adopt. The com-
bination only works by virtue of
the opponent's activity, yet, at the
same time, notably in the Rubin-
stein game, Nimzowitsch takes
measures to deter his opponent
from adopting any other course to
the fatal one actually chosen.
Before moving on to the main
body of games I invite you to ex-
amine the following game plus two
highly pertinent notes from Nim-
zowitsch himself. Remember that
Schlechter had for 111ed a very defi-
nite plan for victory which con-
sisted of these three stages: (i)
opening of the h-file; (ii) estab-
lishment of a pawn chain
d5/e4/f3/g4 to clamp down on any
black counterplay, and (iii) an
overwhelming assault on the h-file
against Black's helpless kingside,
In view of this the climax of
Nimzowitsch 's preventive combi-
nation (32 ... lih8) is all the more
remarkable.
Schlechter-Nimzowitsch
Carlsbad 1907
Ruy Lopez
1 e4 es 2 lllf3 lllc6 3 .libs a6 4
..li.a4 lllf6 S lllc3 ~b4 6 llld5 ~e7
7 0-0 0-0 8 J:tel d6 9 lllxf6+ ~xf6
10 c3 h6 11 h3 llle7 12 d4 lllg6 13
~e3 ~h7 14 'it'd2 ~e6 lS ~c2
'it'e7 16 dS ~d7 17 'iii>h2 lllh8 18
lllgl gS 19 g3 lllg6 20 'it'dl ~g7
21 'it'f3 as 22 llle2 ..li.bS 23 a4
~d7 24 J:thl
(see following diagram)
Nimzowitsch wrote at this point:
'With this move White plans to
break through eventually with h3-
h4, e.g. 24 ... b6 25 h4 gxh4 26 gxh4
lllxh4 2 7 'it'h5 f5 28 'it>g 1 etc. But
Black discovers a move, which not
only has a high preventive value,
but which also has the attribute of
 Th' /)uc1/it\' of Nim::::owit.1ch 83

driving the opponent into quick by no means detracts from its pu-

action. rity in a prophylactic sense. It il-
lustrates a very definite f<)rm of
prophylaxis in which part of the
plan is to precipitate the opponent
into action.' Had Black played
29 ... .td7 then 30 g4 and 'it'xh3
would have decided the game in
White's favour (murderous attack
on h-file).

24 ...'il'eS! With the threat of

25 ... 'il'c8 26 'lt>g2 g4 27 hxg4
.txg4, trapping White's queen. 25
h4 'il'c8 26 .td3 To defend the
knight on e2 against the threat of
... .tg4, but now White's queen is
driven from its aggressive post.
26... .tg4 27 'il'g2 gxh4 28 f3 h3 29
il'fl f5! 30 fxg4 fxe4 31 'il'xh3 With this remarkable example of
exd3 32 .txh6 l:th8! 0-1 an ambush the way is opened for
an examination of Nimzowit.<>ch 's
Nimzowitsch again: 'The fact creative achievements extending
that the preventive move 24 ... 'il'e8 over a tournament career of thirty
contains a threat at the same time years.
6 First Steps:
Selected Games 1904-1906

Many of the games that follow are discussed by Nimzowitsch in his aut<)-
biography.

Munich 1906

I 2 3 4 5 6
1 Nimzowitsch -- 1/2 l 1I 1/2 I 1/2 l l1 8 1/2
2 Spielmann 1/20 01 01 11 1I 6 1/2
3 E.Cohn 00 10 -- 01 10 11 5
4 Przepiorka 1/20 10 IO -- 01/2 II 5
5 Elyashov 1/20
00 01 11/2 1I 5
6 Kurschner 00 00 00 00 00 0

Nimzowitsch-Hilse
Coburg 1904
Vienna Game

1 e4 es 2 lllc3 lllc6 3 ~c4 ~cs 4

d3 d6 S f4 Nimzowitsch rapidly
abandoned such rustic openings as
this. They never appear in his later
years. s ... lllf6 6 rs h6 7 g4 llla5 8
'Wf3 lllxc4 9 dxc4 c6 10 ~d2 a6
11 0-0-0 b5 12 lllge2 ~b7 13 h4
We7 14 g5 llld7 15 lllg3 f6 16 ~e3
bxc4 17 'ii'h5+ ~d8 18 ~xc5
lllxc5 19 We2 ~e8 20 gxf6 gxf6
21 Wxc4 a5 22 We2 ~d7 23 l:.h2 29 l:txd6! ~xd6 29 ... .l:txg3 30
l:.ag8 24 'ii'e3 ~c7 25 l:hd2 l:d8 Wxc5 .l:txg2 31 lllb5+ ~c8 32
26 lllh5 'Wti 27 lllg3 h5 28 l:tg2 I:txc6+ i..xc6 33 t!Jd6++-
l:.dg8? Allowing a brilliant sacri- Schlechter. 30 l:td2+ ~c7 31 Wxc5
fice. 28 ... l:thg8 W<)Uld have been ~b8 (3 l ... l:txg3 32 lllb5+) 32
safe enough. 'ii'd6+ ~a8 33 lllge2 .l:td8 34 Wes
 f'ir.~t
l:txd2 35 xaS+ <t>b8 36 ~xd2
d7+ 37 <t>c I l:d8 38 b4 c7 39
cs l:tg8 40 a4 d8 41 bS cxb5
42 xb5 <t>a8 43 cs :.g7
(43 ... l:tg4!) 44 <t>b2 <t>b8 4S lLicl
l:tc7 46 b5 <t>c8 47 lLib3 d7 48
e2 n 49 lLib5 l:.d7 50 lLic5
50 ... l:td8 51 lLie6 l:td7 52 c4+
<t>b8 53 lLicS l:te7 53 ... 'tWxc4 54
ll'ixd7+ ~a8/<t>c8 55 lLib6++- S4
xn l:txf7 SS lLid6 l:tg7 56 lLicxb7
l:tg4 57 lLic5 l:txh4 58 lLid3 l:tg4 59
lLie8 l:xe4 60 lLixf6 l:xa4 61 lLixh5
e4 61 ... l:tg4 62 ltJxe5 l:t.g5 63 ltJg7!
l:t.xg7 64 f6 l:t.b7+ 65 <t>cl+-. 62 f6
l:ta5 63 f7 :rs 64 lLie5 e3 65 lLig3
1-0
Nimzowitsch 's inspired handling
of his queen plus knight(s) in this
game from his very first tourna-
ment is a portent of his more ma-
ture efforts in the same genre, e.g.
versus Spielmann, Stockholm 1920
(Nimzowitsch: Black), versus Wen-
del and versus Bogoljubow, San
Remo 1930.
The next game is the very first
encounter between Nimzowitsch
and Tarrasch. The annotatic)ns to
this game are by Nimzowitsch,
translated from Russian.
S'teps: !ielected Games J 9()4-J 9()6 85
Tarrasch-!'llimzowitsch
Nuremberg 1904
Queen 's Gambit -
Chigorin 's Defence
'An hi!>;toric struggle'
1 d4 d5
2 c4 lLic6
3 lLif3 .ltg4
4 e3 e6
s lLic3 .ltxf3
Quite possibly a bad move, but
bearing in mind what follows -
what a beautiful challenge! 'I
couldn't care less about the theory
of lost tempi!' that is what this
move says.
Black does not fear to spare
White the move h2-h3 since he
wants to know whether White will
recapture on f3 with queen or
pawn.
6 xf3
After the recapture with the
pawn White's centre would forfeit
much of its expansion potential.
6 .. lLice7
So the pursuit of the 'primitive'
(i.e. mate) appealed to my eight-
een-year-old point of view. In fact
Black achieves a good position by
novel means and what arose from
my revolutionary logic was the
transposition from one opening
variation to another. (Chigorin to
Stonewall. - RDK)
7 ..1d3 c6
s o-o rs
9 .ltd2 lLif6
By playing 9 ... 'tWd7 followed by
... lLih6, ... lLig6 and ... .ltd6 Black
C<)uld, in my opinion, have
achieved a satisfactory Stonewall
set-up. After the text Black is faced
with a sea of troubles.
86 f"ir.~t Step.~: Selected Games 19()4-1906

10 cxd5! cxd5 18 .-lf8!

Here I adhered too closely to my A quiet move with the double
blockading principles. Now I threat of ... .-lh6 and ... :th6.
would play 10... exd5 with the idea: 19 lllf4 l:th6
11 .-lxf5 lLlxf5 12 'ii'xf5 .-ld6 and 20 'ii'g3 .-ld6
so on. Black would continue by 21 'ii'f2 :.gs
developing his queen and queen's 22 g3 .-lxf4
rook on the e-file which would 23 exf4 lllh5
place severe obstacles in the path 24 'ii'e3 e5!
of White's conversion of his extra 25 fxe5 f4
pawn. It was at this point that Tar- 26 'ii'd2 lllxd4
rasch made use of his own
'stratagem'.
11 .:.acl g5
In the style of youth!
12 'ii'g3 <j;f7
13 f3 lLlc6
14 'ii'xg5 .-le7
15 lLle2 'ii'b6
16 .-lc3 l:tag8

Black has succeeded in working
up some attack and it is not easy
for White to capitalise on his extra
pawn, partly because the presence
of the black queen on b6 makes it
more difficult for White to play e3-
e4. It is worth considering whether
White's position is as good as Tar-
rasch thought it was at move 10.
17 'ii'h4 .l:.g6
18 'ii'h3?
He should have played 18 4if4.
27 'it>g2!
White must not fall for 27 .-lg6+
in view of 27 ... 'ii'xg6! 28 'ii'xd4
fxg3 29 'ii'xd5+ 'it>e8! 30 'ii'b5+
'ii'c6. In his tum Black should
avoid (27 .-lg6+) 27 ... l:hxg6 28
~xd4 lllxg3 29 hxg3 llxg3+ 30
'it>fl l:tg2+ 31 ~el l:txd2 32 .-lxb6
l:tgg2 33 l:.fl axb6 34 .l:t.c7+ and
White wins.
27 .. lllxg3!?
A mistake typical of my play at
that time. I had in mind a deep
combination but, all the same, I
failed to appreciate that my own
king was vulnerable. The most ac-
curate continuation was 27 ... fxg3
which secures the win without dif-
ficulty, e.g. 27 ... fxg3 28 h3 'ii'e6
(threatening to sacrifice the queen
on h3) 29 l:thl 'ii'xe5 30 'ii'xh6
 Fir.1t Step.5: Selected Games 1904-1906 87

lbf4+ 31 'it>fl g2+ and mates. Already Black could force a

28 'i'xf4+ lbgf5+ draw with 40 ... lbe2+.
29 'itt>hl l:txh2+!? 41 'i'xh7+ 'i'g7+?
Black should not have decen-
tralised his superbly placed queen
in this fashion. He could have
played 41 ... 'it>f8 and if 42 'it>f2 then
42 ... lbf5. After the text White ex-
ploits the weakness of the dark
squares, but in those days I gave no
thought to such refinements.
42 'i'xg7+ 'it>xg7
Here my opponent declined my
offer of a draw, and the game pro-
duced an ending which was diffi-
cult in any case but especially so
for a youth.
The point. Unfortunately this 43 'iPf2 'itt>f6
combination is not sound. 44 ~e3 lbe6
30 'it>xh2 44 ... lbc6! was better.
If 30 'i'xh2 then Black obtains 45 f4
perpetual check with 30 ... lbg3+. He should have played 45 ..ih3.
30 . 'i'g6 45 ... lbd8!
31 'i'g4 46 ..ig2 'it>e6
Tarrasch overlooks the resource 47 'it>d4 lbc6+
31 e6+ 'itt>xe6 32 ..ixf5+ lbxf5 33 48 'it>c5 lbe7
l::tfel+ 'it>d7 34 'i'g4 and wins, 49 ..ih3+ 'iii>f6
thanks to the pin on the knight. 50 ..id7 lbg6
31 . 'i'h6+ 51 rs lbe5
32 'i'h3 'i'f4+ 52 ..ib5 'itt>xf5
33 'iPhl lbg3+ 53 'it>xd5 lbf7
34 'it>h2 lbgf5+ 54 ..id7+ 'it>f6
35 <bhl lbg3+ 55 ..ic8 lbe5!
36 'it>g2 lbxfl + Intending the counter-
37 'it>xfl 'i'xcl+ manoeu vre 56 ... lbd3 and if in reply
38 .tel 57 b3 then 57 ... lbb4+.
(Black has won the exchange as 56 b4 lbd3
a result of his remarkable combi- Even in its dying moments the
nation but White retains many game is still of dramatic interest.
threats against the exposed black Black can now force a draw:
king. Therefore Nimzowitsch re- 57 a3 b6 58 ..ia6 lbe 1 59 a4 lbc2
turns the exchange to keep the ini- 60 bS 'it>e7 61 'ot>c6 'it>d8 62 'itt>b7
tiative in his own hands. - RDK) lbd4 63 'it>xa7 'it>c7 64 ..ib7 lbb3
38 . l::tgl+! 65 ..if3 lZJcS 66 a5 bxaS 67 b6+
39 'it>xgl 'i'xel+ 'it>d6 68 ..idl 'it>c6 69 ..ia4+ 'ot>d6
40 ..ifl 'i'xe5 70 ..ie8 'ot>d5 71 'it>a8 a4 1/1- 1/1
88 Fir.vt -~tep.'i: Selected Games /9(14-1906
H. Wolf-Nimzowitsch
Vienna 1905
Ruy Lopez.
Schliemann Defence
l e4 e5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 ~b5 f5!? 4
d3 lbf6 5 'ii'e2 ~c5 6 lbc3 liJd4 7
lbxd4 ~xd4 8 ~c4 f4 9 g3 f3 10
'ii'xf3 d5 11 exd5 11 lbxd5 !
11 ...0-0 12 'ii'e2 ~g4 13 f3
13... lbe4!! 14 fxg4 14 dxe4
~xf3 15 'ii'fl looks like an im-
provement. 14... lbxc3 15 bxc3
~xc3+ 16 ~d2 ~xal 17 c3 b5 18
~b3 a5? 19 d6+ ~h8 20 ~d5
.l:ta6? 20 ... .l:b8 21 g5 'ii'xd6 22
~e4 'ii'c5 23 .:n l:i.xfl+ 24 'ii'xfl
~xc3 25 'ii'f5 g6 26 'ii'c8+ ~g7 27
'ii'xa6 ~xd2+ 28 'it>xd2 'ii'f2+ 29
~c3 'ii'd4+ 30 <t>c2 'ii'c5+ I/2-I/2.
Nimzowitsch-Albin
Vienna 1905
Alekhine 's Defence (?)
(Alekhine was thirteen years old at
the time)
1 e4 lLif6 2 e5 lbg8? ! A misinter-
pretation, although the move has
also been played by Petrosian; he
lost as well! 3 d4 d5 4 ~d3 e6 5
lbe2 lbc6 6 c3 lbge7 7 ~g5 'ii'd7 8
lLid2 lbg6 9 0-0 ~e7 10 f4 'ii'd8 11
lbf3 h6 12 ~xe7 lbcxe7 13 'ii'd2
c6 14 lbg3 h5
15 f5! Black's development has
been much too eccentric and ineffi-
cient to cope with this break-
through. 15... exf5 16 lbg5 f4 17
l:.xf4! lbxf4 18 'ii'xf4 ~e6 19 .:tn
'ii'b6 l 9 ... 'i'c7 20 lDxf7 l:!.f8 21
tt:ld6+ ~d7 22 'ii'xf8 .l:xf8 23 .l:xf8
'i'b6 24 .1Ib8+- Nimzowitsch. 20
lLif5 ltJxf5 21 ~xf5 'ii'c7 21 ... 0-0-0
22 tt:lxf7! 22 ~xe6 fxe6 23 tLixe6
'ii'e7 24 'ii'f5 ~d7 25 tiJf8+ '3i;c7 26
lbg6 'ii'e8 27 lbxh8 'ii'xh8 28 'ii'e6
'3i;b6 29 'ii'e7 'ii'h6 30 'ii'c5+ '3;;a6
31 b4 b5 Or 31 ... b6 32 b5+ cxb5
33 'i'a3+ c.t>b7 34 .1If7+ 'it>c6 35 h3!
h4! 36 '3i;h I!+- Nimzowil<>ch. 32 h3
h4 33 '3i;hl 'ii'e6 34 Itf7 'ii'h6 35 a4
'ii'e6 36 a5 'ii'e8 37 .l:txa7+ l:xa7
38 'ii'b6 mate 1-0
Nimzowitsch-Spielmann
Match,
Munich 1905
Scotch Game
1 e4 e5 2 ll::lf3 ll::lc6 3 d4 exd4 4
lbxd4 lLif6 5 lbc3 ~b4 6 lbxc6
bxc6 7 ~d3 d5 8 exd5 cxd5 9 0-0
0-0 JO ~g5 c6 11 ll::le2 ~d6 12
 1:i1.1t .)tep.1:
tt:Jd4 .;.d7 13 'ii'f3 .;.es 14 t?Jrs !
'Wc7 lS l:tael .1:.ae8 16 c3 .;.xrs 17
'Wxf5 g6 18 'it'f3 tt'JhS 19 .;_h6
tt:Jg7 20 'iti>hl rs 21 l:.e2 l:.f7 22
l:.fel l:tfe7 23 .;.gs l:.e6 24 c4 'ii'd6
2S cxd5 cxd5
Nimzowit.<>ch now exploits his
bishops to harry Black's rook.<> and
to batter Black's d-pawn. 26 .;.bs
l:tb8 27 .;_a4 .;.xb2 A clever win of
a pawn, but it doesn't help him at
all; Black's pawns are weak and, in
addition, his king is exposed. 28
.;.b3 l:.bS! 29 l:.dl .;.r6 30 .;.r4
'ii'a6 31 l:txe6 tt'Jxe6 32 .;.xdS 'ii'b6
33 .;_h6 'iti>h8 34 .;.xe6 Clearing a
path for the queen invasion which
follows. 34 . 'ii'xe6 3S 'ii'a8+ 'ii'g8
36 'ii'xa7 l:tb8 37 h3 l:.a8 38 'ii'b6
.;.es 39 f4 .;.g7 40 .;.xg7+ <;t>xg7
41 l:td7+ <tih6 42 'ii'f6 1-0 An at-
tractive game.
Spielmann-!'i'imzowitsch
Munich 1906
King '.'i Gambit
l e4 eS 2 f4 dS 3 exdS c6!? 4 'it'f3
.~'e/ected Game.1 19()4-19()6 89
4 tt'Jc3!? 4 ... exf4 S dxc6 lDxc6 6
.;.hs tt'Jf6 7 d4 .;.d7 8 tt'Je2 'ii'b6 9
Wd3 .;.d6 10 c4 0-0
11 .;_xc6 11 c5 'it'a5+ 12 .;.d2
tt'Jb4 11 ... .;.xc6 12 c5 .;.xc5 13
dxc5 'ii'xc5 14 .;.xr4 l:.fe8 15
ttJ bc3 .;_xg2 16 0-0-0 .;.xh 1 17
l:txhl l:tad8 18 'ilfc2 tt'JdS 19 .;.d2
tt:Jb4 20 ~dl lDd3+ 21 <;t>bl tt'Jf2
0-1
A pleasant enough game but in
comparison with the heavyweight
struggles the..<>e two were to have in
the years of their grandmasterhood
it looks like a blitz or quickplay
encounter. Their only reversion to
such habits of childhood was their
encounter from Semmering 1926
(q.v.).
According to my calculations
Nimzowitsch and Spielmann play-
ed a total of fifty games against
each other in the course of their
tournament and match careers, of
which 19 were drawn, while Nim-
zowitsch won 18 and Spielmann
13.
7 Established Master:
Selected Games 1907-1914

San Sebastian, 19 February - 20 March, 1912

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 Rubinstein ** 1/2 l 01 1/2 l 1/2 1/2 11/2 01 11 1/2 1/2 1/2 l l/2 12 1/1
2 Nimzowitsch 1/20 ** 01 11/2 0 1/2 11 11 1/2 l/2 1/2 1/2 11 l/2 12
3 Spielmann 10 10 ** 10 1 1/2 1/21 l/2 l/2 l/2 l l/2 l/2 l l/2 1 12
4 Tarrasch 1/20 0 1/2 01 ** 11 01 1/20 1/2 1/2 11 11 1 11 1/1
S Perlis 1/2 l/2 l l/2 01/2 ()() ** 11/2 1/21 l/2 1/2 l/2 l/2 l 1/2 l/2 10
6 Marshall 01/2 ()() 1/20 10 0112 ** 1/2 l 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 11 l 9 112
7 Duras 10 ()() 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 1/20 1/20 ** 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 01 l/2 8 1/1
8 Schlechter ()() 1/2 1/2 1/20 112 112 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 l/2 1/2 ** 1/2 l/2 J l/2 1/2 8
9 Teichmann 1/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 ()() l/2 l/2 1/2 l/2 l/20 l/2 l/2 ** 1/2 1/2 1/2 8
10 Leonhardt 1/20 ()() 0112 ()() 01/2 ()() 10 01/2 1/2 1/2 ** 1 s
11 Forgacs 1/2 1/2 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 1/2 1/2 0 ** 3
St. Petersburg, All-Russian Championship, 1913-14

123456789012345678
1 Alekhine * 1 1 0 I l 1/2 0 l l l l l l l l 0 l 13 1/2
2 Nimzowitsch 0 * 1/2 1/2 1 1 0 1 l 1 1/2 l l l 1 l 1 1 13 1/2
3 Flamberg 0 1/2 * l 1/20 l l l 1/2 l 1 1 1/2 l 1 I l 13
4 Lovtzsky l 1/20 * 1/20 0 1 l 1 1/2 1/21 l 1 1/21 1/2 11
S Levenfish 0 0 1/2 1/2 * 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 l 101/1
6 Znosko-Borowsky 0 0 1 1 0 * 1/2 l 0 1/2 1/2 1 0 1/2 l 1 l 1 10
7 Smorodsky 1/2 l 0 l 1 1/2 * 1/20 1/20 I 1 0 1/2 l 1 1/2 10
8 Bogoljubow I 0 0 0 1 0 112 * 1/2 1/2 l 0 1 1 1/2 1/2 1 1 9 1/2
9 Evenson 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1/2 * 0 1/2 I 1 1 0 1 1 1 9
10 Alapin 0 0 1/2 0 I 1/2 l/2 1/2 l * 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 I 1 1 8 1/1
11 Salwe 0 1/20 1/20 1/210 1/21*0 11 1/2101 8 1/2
12 Freymann 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0 I 0 1 l * 0 1/2 I 0 1 l 7
13 Levitsky 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 1/20 1 * 1 1 1 0 I 6 1/1
14 Taubenhaus 0 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1 0 0 1/2 0 l/2 0 * 0 1 1 1 6
15 Lebedev 0 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 1/2 l 1/2 1/20 0 l * 0 1 0 s
16 Evtifeyev 0 0 0 1/20 0 0 1/20 0 0 I 0 0 1 * 1 112 4 1/1
17 Gregory I 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 * 0 3 1/1
18 Elyashov 0 0 0 1120 0 1/20 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 1/2 I * 3 1/1
 E.1tab/ished Ma~tc'r: Selected Game~ 19()7-1914 91

St. Petersburg 1914

Preliminary

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 Capablanca * 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 1/2 I I 1 1 8
2 Lasker 1/2 * 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 1 1/2 1 I l 6 1/2
3 Tarrasch 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 1/2 I 1/2 1 1 0 1 6 1/2
4 Alekhine 0 1/2 1/2 * 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 6
5 Marshall 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 * I 1/2 1/2 1 I 1/2 6
6 Bernstein 0 I 0 1/2 0 * 1/2 :;2 1/2 1 I 5
7 Rubinstein 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 1/2 I 1 5
8 Nimzowitsch 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 * 0 1/2 1 4
9 Blackburne 0 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 1 * 0 I 3 1/2
10 Janowski 0 0 1 1/2 0 0 0 1/2 1 * 1/2 3 1/2
11 Gunsberg 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0 0 1/2 * 1

Final

1 2 3 4 5
1 Lasker 6 1/2 ** 1/21 11 I l/2 II 13 1/2
2 Capablanca 8 1/20 ** I /2 \ 10 11 13
3 Alekhine 6 00 '!20 ** II J l/2 10
4 Tarrasch 6 1/2 Ol/2 01 ()() ** 01/2 8 1/2
S Marshall 6 00 00 Ql/2 I l/2 ** 8

Simzowitsch-Salwe for building up the centre, since

Carlsbad 191 1
French Defence
('From first move to last this
game is highly instructive; moreo-
ver, 1 regard it as the first game to
be played in the spirit of the ne"'
philosophy of the centre, which I
originated.' - Nimzowitsch.)
This encounter between Nim-
zowitsch and Salwe (and Nim-
zowitsch 's tract attendant upon this
game - 'The surrender of the cen-
tre, a prejudice', 1913) exerted a
major influence on the whole atti-
tude towards central control. After
his game with Salwe Nimzowitsch
wrote: 'True, pawns are best fitted
they are the most stable; on the
other hand pieces stationed in the
centre can very well take the place
of pawns. Moreover, the centre can
often be effectively held at long
range by bishops and rooks, so that
the actual occupation of the centre
by a pawn or pawns does not nec-
essarily mean its control.'
This, and similar statements by
Nimzowitsch, provided the initial
strategic foundation for such
popular contemporary defences as
the Pirc or Alekhine where Black's
pieces challenge a white pawn
centre.
The Salwe game is a fine illus-
tration of the struggle between
piece control and pawn occupation
92 Establi.~hed Ma.1ter: Selected Ciame.Y /9()7-1914
of the centre. Furthecrnore, I think
you will agree, we will come to
notice several characteristics in
common between Nimzowitsch 's
handling of the French Defence
with 3 e5 and his later treatment of
the 'Nimzowitsch Attack', with
regard to the dark squares in gen-
eral and e5 in particular. Up to the
beginning of the 1920s 3 e5 in the
French was, perhaps, Nim-
zowitsch 's most trusted weapon,
and he scored many victories with
it. From 1923 onwards, however,
the examples become increasingly
isolated and its paramount place in
Nimzowitsch's repertoire was
taken over by tLlf3 and b2-b3 sys-
tems. The parallels are there in-
deed.
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 e5
Creating the t'amous pawn-chain
which earns such a profound dis-
cussion in Chapter IX of My Sys-
tem.
3 ... c5
4 c3
4 'ii'g4!? was Nimzowitsch's last
word on this in the 1920s.
4 ... tt:Jc6
5 tt:Jf3 'ii'b6
6 ~d3
More circumspect is 6 ~e2.
6 ... ~d7?!
This plausible move, planning
... l:tc8 and only then ... cxd4, has
virtually disappeared from master
praxis as a result of this very game.
However, it is not entirely extinct.
No1111al now is 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 and
only then 7 ... ~d7, threatening
... tLlxd4. In this case Nimzc)witsch
would probably have sacrificed a
move with 8 ~e2 rather than a
pawn with 8 0-0.
7 dxc5
This very good move which
'surrenders' his pawn centre, but
only in return for the possibility of
control by pieces, certainly struck
the leading players of the time as
odd, but we should not overlook
that (with few exceptions) they
were impressed by the fact of Nim-
zowitsch 's success with his plan.
The highly orthodox Dr. Vidmar
wrote of this move in the official
tournament book C)f Carlsbad 1911 :
After 6 ... i.d7 the following. os-
tensibly unsound, continuation (7
dxc5 etc.) is possible, which, how-
ever, gives White a good game.'
And Vidmar was full of praise
for Nimzowitsch's conduct of the
remainder of the game.
We can see from this that the
degree of opposition from the
'establishment' of the chess world
which Nimzowitsch had to face in
his early career has been somewhat
exaggerated. In his Hypermodern
Chess, Reinfeld writes: 'It should
be borne in mind that Nim-
zowitsch 's play here was so revo-
lutionary that it earned him little
 E.~tahli.1hed
more than contempt. Few critics
were able to appreciate the fine
points of this game. For this move
(7 dxc5), one of the deepest ever
played, Nimzowitsch was roundly
damned by the chess world.' Un-
fortunately, the facts contradict this
pleasantly romantic view.
That opposition which he did
have to su1111ount from certain iso-
lated but implacable quarters was
probably grounded as much in per-
sonal animosity and incompatibility
as in disagreement over theories of
chess.
7 .1'.xc5
8 .1'.xf6+ l2Jxf6 17 'ii'g7+ (Nim-
Hort-Anders.<;on, Reykjavik
1972, went: 8 'ii'e2 a5! (which
Salwe should have played on move
8) 9 ltlbd2 a4 10 b4 axb3 11 l2Jxb3
.1'.a3 12 0-0 lbge 7 13 .lit.d2 4:lg6 14
lbbd4 .1'.e7 15 l:fe l +.
8 ... f6? !
9 b4!
Serving a dual-purpose:
1) The b-pawn is protected with
tempo, therefore White's queen's
bishop can travel to f4 to over-
protect the vital blockade square
e5
' ader' (l2Jf3) has failed to attain its
2) Black's king's bishop is
Ma.1te1: .)'e/ected Gaine.5 1907-1914 93
driven away from the support
blockade square d4. By move 18
(see next diagram) White has a
firm grip on both of these key
squares and Black's hanging cen-
tral pawn majority is absolutely
crippled and immobile. ('First re-
strain, then blockade and finally
destroy', was the relevant Nim-
zowitsch aphorism.)
9 ... .1'.e7
10 .1'.f4 fxe5
11 l2Jxe5 l2Jxe5
12 .1'.xe5 l2Jf6
Or 12 ... .1'.t.6 13 'ii'h5+ g6 14
.1'.xg6+ hxg6 15 'ii'xg6+ ~e7 16
zowitsch).
13 l2Jd2 0-0
14 l2Jf3 .1'.d6
Here is one variation, again
stemming from Nimzowitsch,
which shows just how weak
Black's centre really is: 14 ... .1'.b5
15 .lid4 'ii'a6 16 .1'.xb5 'ii'xb5 17
ltlg5 'ii'c6 18 lle 1+-. Black could
also seek to lift the blockade with
14 ... lllg4 but after 15 .1'.g3 (I 5 .1'.d4
'ii'c7 threatening ... 'Cuf3!) 15 ... .1'.f6
(I 5... .1'.d6? I 6 Ji..xh 7+ ! ci;xh 7 I 7
llJg5+) 16 h3 l2Jh6 17 .1'.e5 l2Jf7 18
.ltxf6 gxf6 19 c4 ! White is still in
control, in view of Black's weak-
ened king position, e.g. 19 ... d4? 20
l2Jxd4 !, 19 ... dxc4 20 .1'.xc4 and
Black's bishop hangs, or l 9 ... 'ii'xb4
20 cxd5 exd5 21 I:!.b 1 with a dan-
gerous attack.
15 'ii'e2!
A question of move order: why
not first 15 .lld4 - ?
In My System and its epigoni
there is stated: not 15 .ltd4? 'ii'c7
16 'ii'e2 l2Jg4! 17 h3 e5 and Black
frees himself. The 'reserve block-
94 E.'ltabli.,hed Ma.\ter: Selected Game.> / 9()7-1914

objective (e5). But is this really so? sen by Salwe is desperate, involv-
During the course of a discussion ing, as it does, the surrender of the
on 3 e5 in the French Defence the bishop pair in an open position.
two-times British champion George
Botterill demonstrated the follow-
ing concealed possibility to me: 15
..td4!? 'ii'c7 16 'ii'e2 tt:lg4 as above,
and now 17 ..txh7+!? 'i!th8 18
tt:le5! (also good for White is
I8 ... lilxe5 19 'ii'h5 .:j6 20 ..tg6+
~g8 21 'ii'h7+ 'l;f8 22 'ii'h8+ <l;e7
23 'ii'xg7+ :p 24 Lf7 lilxf7 25
..tj6+) 19 ii'xg4 ..txd4 20 ii'hs l:t.f6
21 ..tg6+ 'it>g8 22 cxd4 and won
easily, Botterill-Deighton, Bradford
1965.
Of course, Black must accept the
sacrifice, when he should emerge 18 ..txe5
on top, although the variations are A horrible move to have to
not simple: 17 ... 'i!txh7! 18 tt:lg5+ make.
'it>g6! 19 'ii'xg4 l:t.f4 20 ii'h3 'it>xg5 19 ..txe5 'ii'c6
21 ..txg7 (2/ ..te3 meets with a 20 ..td4 ..td7
similar defence) 21 ... 'i!tg6! and if 21 'ii'c2 l:f7
22 ii'h6+ 'l;f7 23 ii'h7 then 22 :e3
23 ... 'it>e8 seems adequate. Bringing up reinforcements to
None of this is mentioned by assault Black's king s fortress.
Nimzowitsch, or, for that matter, 22 b6
by anybody else who has annotated 23 .:g3 'l;h8
his Salwe game. As Botterill put it 24 ..txh7!
to me - this analysis doesn't ex- Winning a pawn and shattering
actly upset everything written the position of the enemy king. The
about Nimzowitsch-Salwe. If any- bishop is immune to capture, e.g:
thing it shows how much greater 24 ... tt:lxh7 25 'ii'g6 ~g8 26 ..txg7
precision and depth of calculation tt:lf8 27 ii'h6 tt:lh7 28 l..f6+. Ob-
is required for deciding between 15 serve the r()le played in this note by
..td4!? and 15 'ii'e2!. How much of White's queen's bishop, and com-
that do you think Nimzowitsch pare with Nimzowitsch-Wolf (page
saw? How much did he need to 116).
see? 24 e5
15 l:.ac8 A typical burst of counterplay
16 ..td4 'ii'c7 after material loss but it is of a
17 tt:le5 ..te8 purely temporary nature.
18 liael! 25 .ltg6 l:.e7
Total strangulation! White's 26 .:et 'ii'd6
blockade creates a most aesthetic 27 ~e3 d4
impression. The remedy now cho- 28 ~g5 l:txc3
 E:stabli~hed Ma~ter: Selected Game.1 1907-1914 95

29 l:.xc3 dxc3 moves 25 and 26.

30 *'xc3
With the superior position and 1 d4 tZ'if6
an extra pawn. Already something of a sensa-
30 ... 'it'g8 tion indicating a particularly ag-
31 a3 ~rs gressive attitude. Of course, this
32 ~h4 ~es move is no1111al now but at San
33 ~rs .d4 Sebastian it was only employed
34 *'xd4 exd4 twice in the twenty games com-
35 .:txe7 'it'xe7 mencing 1 d4.
36 ~d3 ~d6 2 c4 d6
37 ~xf6 gxf6 In his notes to this decisive en-
38 'it'fl ~c6 counter from the Berliner Lokalan-
39 h4 1-0 zeiger Dr. Tarrasch wrote: 'Nim-
zowitsch has a pronounced liking
Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch for ugly opening moves; it is fortu-
Last round, San Sebastian 1912 nate that he is thoroughly refuted
Old Indian Defence here by Rubinstein, whose play is
always in good taste, for it would
They have sown the wind, and have been an absolute scandal if
they shall reap the whirlwind. such unaesthetic play had been
Hosea 8.7 crowned with the first prize!
Of course, Nimzowitsch was by
At the commencement of the fi- no means overjoyed to see these
nal round of this great tournament remarks in print and promptly
Nimzowitsch led the field with 12 challenged Tarrasch to a theoretical
points ahead of Rubinstein with duel (i.e. match) for stakes with the
11 1/2, but these two still had to opening from his game versus Ru-
meet. In view of this circumstance binstein. Needless to say, the good
one might have expected a re- doctor tacitly declined Nimzo-
strained approach from Nim- witsch 's offer.
zowitsch, attempting to keep the Nimzowitsch had his revenge
draw in hand - in fact one could be many years later when he wrote in
excused for expecting anything but his Chess Praxis: 'Our feeling for
what actually occurred. Nim- what is aesthetic in chess must be
zowitsch went straight for the anchored in thought, that is the
throat of his mighty adversary; point. He who is dazzled by out-
obviously he was not content to ward appearances can easily come
coast home, as a greater realist to regard as 'ugly' moves which
would have done. And Rubinstein are by no means so. After all, the
was only too happy to add to the beauty of chess lies in the thought
conflagration. Eventually it was that goes into it.
Nimzowitsch who succumbed to 3 tZ'if3 tZ'ibd7
the spirits which he personally had 4 tZ'ic3 e5
conjured, but the tension scarred 5 e4 ~e7
both players, as can be seen from The text is rather passive since
96 t~1tabli.1hed Ma.1te1: .~e/ected Game.'i 19()7-1914

Black's position has little potential of this retreat is to increase the

for aggressive (and sound) expan- pressure against Black's e-pawn.
sion. Modem theory prefers 5 ... g6 13 ... ..th3
with transposition to a King's In- 14 :re 1 l2Jf4
dian Defence. Naturally the knight is immune
6 ..te2 0-0 in view of ... 'tifg6+.
7 0-0 l:te8 15 dxe5
8 'it'c2 ..tf8 Inaugurating a counter-combina-
9 b3 c6 tiC)n.
10 ..tb2 l2Jh5?! 15 dxe5
16 l2Jxe5 l:l.xe5
17 ..tfl ?!
Not best; White can decide mat-
ters here by simple chess: 17 ..txe5
lbxe2+ 18 lifxe2 lifxe5 19 l:td8 and
Black is paralysed.
17 . l2Jd7
18 'it'd2
The climax ot Rubinstein's
grand conception. Black is threat-
ened with the loss of his entire
anny, but Nimzowitsch discovers
some concealed resources.
18 ... ..txfl
In later years Nimzowitsch was 19 l:xfl l2Jh3+
to react in a highly scathing manner 20 'it>g2 ltJgS
against this pseudo-aggressive de- 21 f4 'it'g6!
centralisation. In the heat of battle, Not 2 l ... l2Jxe4 22 'it'xd7 and

however, it must have terrified the wins.
opponent. The objectively best 22 fxgS
course, it should be added, is to 22 fxe5? 'it'xe4+ would be ruin-
exchange on d4 and then follow up ous for White.
with ... l2Jc5 and ... a7-a5, restraining 22 l:txe4
White's e-pawn, as in the Hanham The best chance. There are some
version of Philidor's Defence fa- neat alternative lines of play given
voured by Nimzowitsch. Given by Nimzowitsch: 22 ... l:te7 23 ..ta3
accurate play by White the bluff c5 24 lbc3 with great positional
attack introduced by the text should advantage to White, or 23 ... lifxe4+
probably lose. 24 'i!f g l l:te 7 25 l:l.fe l, or
11 g3 l2Jb8 22 ... 'it'xe4+ 23 'it>h3 l:te7 24 l:tdel

A truly remarkable method of w1nn1ng a piece.
bringing the queen's bishop into 23 'it'xd7 l:te2+
play. 24 l:tf2 'it'e4+
12 l:tadl 'it'f6 25 'it>gl ..tcS?
13 lb bl Nimzowitsch overlooks that
Si duo faciunt idem ... The point White can deliver checkmate by
means of 26 'ii'xt7+ ~h8 27 'ii'xg7
mate. Apparently bc)th players were
involved in a hectic time scramble
and the excitement was becoming
too much for them. With this gro-
tesque blunder Nimzowitsch fails
to seize an excellent drawing
chance suggested by Mieses in the
tournament book, tc) wit: 25 ... .l:xt2
26 ~xf2 'ifc2+ 27 if d2 ..tc5+ 28
'iti>g2 'ii'e4+ 29 'it>h3 iff5+. Now 30
'it>h4 would be perilous for White
in view of the exposed position of
his king (e.g. 30 ... h6 and the mo-
lestation of the white monarch
continues) while I do not see how
the alternatives avoid perpetual
check. Thus Nimzowitsch could
have secured his very first tourna-
ment victory in a Grandmaster
event. As it was he had to wait an-
other ten years or so before he
gained first prize in a tournament
of similar calibre to San Sebastian.
Of course, this was due in no small
measure to the intervention of the
Great War, which was inimical to
many activities, including the or-
ganisation of international chess
tournaments.
26 .li.d4?
Rubinstein misses it too! This
wins indeed. but there was a
qt1ickcr method available. The rest
is in the nature of an anti-climax.
26 ... .li.xd4
27 'ilr'xd4 .:el+
The game ended: 28 :r1 l:l.xfl +
29 ~xfl 'ilr'hl+ 30 ~f2 'ilr'xh2+ 31
~f3 f6 32 'ilr'd2 'ilr'h3 33 'ilr'd7 rs 34
lLic3 'ilr'hS+ 35 ~g2 'ii'xgS 36
'ilr'e6+ ~h8 37 lLie2 'ilr'hS 38 l:td7
:te8 39 lLif4 :.xe6 40 lLixh5
The tournament book stops here
with the comment that Black re-
signed after a few more unimpor-
tant moves; so 1-0 and first prize to
Rubinstein. Another triumph for
chess in it<> struggle with the mind.
In the tournament book of San
Sebastian Mieses (who was a great
admirer C)f Dr. Tarrasch) summed
up the various achievements of the
players and he had this to say of
Nimzowitsch: A. Nimzowitsch 's
main strength does not lie in the
realm of strategy but in original,
often bizarre, yet always pro-
foundly conceived manoeuvres
which are difficult to refute in
practical play. He is a sly tactician
whose combinations sometimes
contain a mischievous element. It is
questionable, though, whether he
will ever succeed in ridding himself
of a certain nervousness which,
especially in San Sebastian, made
itself apparent again and again in
most disturbing fashion, and from
which he had to suffer less himself
than did his opponents, the tourna-
ment cc)ntroller and the spectators.'
Levenfish-Nimzowitsch
Vilna 1912
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6
98 E.~tablished Ma.~ter: Selected Game.1 I 907-19 I 4
2 c4
A very old move which has be-
come popular of late. White's idea
is to discourage 2 ... d5. Here is what
could happen if Black were stub-
bornly to proceed with his opening
strategy: 2 ... d5 3 cxd5 cxd5 4 exd5
tt:Jf6 5 tt:Jc3 tt:Jxd5 6 i..c4 tt:Jb6 7
i..b3 tt:Jc6 8 tLlf3 g6 9 a4 a5 I 0 d4
i..g7 11 i..e3 tt:Jb4 12 d5 and Black
has lost ground in the centre
(Markland-Bhend, Skopje 1972).
Black would have done better to
play 7 ... g6 with good chances of
maintaining himself.
2 ... e6
Intending at all costs to establish
a central foothold.
3 tt:Jf3
One testimony to the venerable
antiquity of 2 c4 is the twentieth
game of the Staunton-St. Amant
match, Paris 1843, which continued
(1 c4 e6 2 e4 e6): 3 d4 d5 4 exd5 (4
cxd5 exd5 5 e5 i..j5 6 tLle2 is rec-
ommended by Petrosian!) 4 ... exd5
5 tt:Jc3 tt:Jf6 6 tt:Jf3 i..e7 7 i..d3 0-0
8 0-0 i..g4 9 i..e3 tt:Jbd7.
3 ... d5
4 exd5 exd5
5 cxd5 cxd5
6 i..b5+
The modem treatment of this
position, which guarantees White a
slight initiative, is: 6 tLlc3 lLif6 7
i..b5+ tt:Jc6 8 0-0 i..e7 9 tLle5 i..d7
10 d4 0-0 11 i..g5 as in game 1 of
the Hiibner-Petrosian Candidates'
match, Seville 1971. The early de-
velopment of White's queen's
knight to c3 (putting immediate
pressure on Black's d-pawn) would
prevent the elastic development of
his kingside forces chosen here by
Nimzowitsch ( ... i..d6 and ... tt:Jge7).
6 .. tt:Jc6
7 0-0?!
It was still not too late for 7
tLlc3, which would probably have
transposed into the previous note.
7 ... ..11'd6!
Very good. Now that this move
is possible Black can develop his
king's knight on e7 and repulse any
pinning attempt by White's queen's
bishop (i..g5) with ... t7-f6.
8 d4
The symmetrical pawn-structure
that has arisen does not mean that
Nimzowitsch was playing for a
draw. We have only to examine
N imzowitsch' s numerous victories
as Black in the Exchange Varia-
tions of the French Defence to ap-
preciate this fact. There is even a
chapter in Chess Praxis on the
'asymmetrical handling of symmet-
rical variations'.
8 ... tt:Jge7
9 i..g5 f6
10 i..h4 0-0
11 tt:Jbd2
A move with a slightly defensive
orientation which proves that
something must have already gone
wrong for White. After the natural
11 tt:Jc3 White feared 11 ... i..g4
with pressure against d4. while the
 E.~tablished Ma.~ter: Selected Game.\ 1907-1914 99

preventive measure 11 h3 would the hostile position, strike one as

allow l l ... lt:Jf5!+ and White's humorous?' (Nimzowitsch).
queen's bishop runs out of squares. 18 tt'lfl g5
11 ... ~g4 With White's a1111y driven liter-
12 ~xc6?! ally into one cramped comer of the
A very strange move which is board and with black pieces domi-
based on the pursuit of a tactical nating the centre Nimzowitsch now
chimaera. After 12 ... bxc6 13 l:tcl proceeds to launch a vigorous at-
White has play against Black's tack against White's king, which
backward c-pawn, whilst the re- has hitherto avoided injury.
capture ... 19 ~g3 f5
12 lt:Jxc6 20 ~e5 l:tf7
allows ... 21 a6 f4
13 'jt'b3
... forking two pawns.
13 . ~b4
An adequate defence, for the
moment.
14 lt:Je5
Here it is! The point of White's
manoeuvre commencing 12 ~xc6.
Black is threatened on all sides and
the plausible 14 ... ~xd2 15 lt:Jxg4
g5 16 ~g3 f5 fails to 17 'jt'xb7
cs (17... lLia5? 18 lLih6+ <Ji;h8 19
~e5+) 18 ~e5! (planning 19 ttlh6
mate) 18 ... lt:Jxe5 19 'jt'xc8 and 20
lt:Jxe5, with an extra pawn. Having Announcing the horrible threat
seen through this pretty trap Nim- of 22 ... f3 and if 23 g3 '1lxe5-+. If
zowitsch resolves to sacrifice his b- White halts the advance of Black's
pawn in the interests of disorgan- f-pawn with 22 f3 then 22 ... l:tc2
ising the hostile base. (threatening 23 ... tt'lxe5) is decisive,
14 ... lt:Jxe5 e.g. 23 'jt'a3 lt:Jxe5 24 fxe5 ~6+
15 'jt'xb4 lt:Jd3! 25 <Ji;h I f2-+.
16 'jt'xb7 In a way it is a great shame that
Events have now passed out of Levenfish avoided this. The situa-
White's control. He can no longer tion after 22 f3 l:tc2 is picturesque.
act, only react. 22 l::.el
16 ... ~e2 Sacrificing the exchange fails to
17 l:ttbl bring relief, but the attempt is quite
'Saving the exchange, but at the comprehensible.
cost of a very serious dislocation of 22 . lt:Jxel
his position' (Tartakower). 23 xe2
17 ... J:tc8 He hopes for 23 ... lt:Jc2 24 l:tdl
'Does not this centralisation, car- with a pawn for the exchange and
ried through right into the heart of counterplay to come in the shape of
/0() E.~tabli.~hed Ma.\ter: Selected Games 1907-1914

'ii'e2-h5, but now Nimzowitsch it is strange that Alekhine, given

discovers a blow quite in keeping his intention to employ an ex-
with his ruthless and powerful con- change variation at all, did not re-
duct of the game up to this point. sort to exd5 on move 3.
23 ... l2Jxg2! 5 lLif3 b6
An unpleasant surprise for 6 ~b5+ c6
White. Black maintains his extra 7 ~d3 ~e7
material and, in addition, wrenches 8 0-0 lLid7
the attack back into his own grasp. 9 lbxd5 cxd5
24 l2Jd2 l2Jh4 I0 'ii'e2 0-0
25 l2Jf3 l2Jg6 11 ~f4 ~b7
26 'it>hl g4 12 c3 ~f6
A couple of hammer strokes 13 l:.fel 'ii'e7
finish White off.
27 l2Jd2 'ii'd7
28 l:gl l:c2
29 h3 g3
0-1
Which caused White to abdicate
on the spot. Levenfish had had
enough of the battering. I find this
one of Nimzowitsch 's most impres-

s1ve games.

Alekhine-Nimzowitsch
St. Petersburg 1914
French Defence
White has built up an excellent
Second game of the play-off for position and he could now have
the Championship of all the Rus- increased his advantage by occu-

s1as pying the outpost square e5, for
example: 14 llle5 lLixe5 15 ..lixe5
1 e4 e6 ..lixe5 16 'ii'xe5 and White will
2 d4 d5 follow up with f2-f4. The move he
3 l2Jc3 l2Jf6 actually chooses seems illogical, in
4 exd5 that White effects the exchange of
This rather tame course was his powerful king's bishop for
probably dictated by the score in Black's rather feeble queen's
the match so far, which was 1-0 to bishop.
Alekhine. A draw in the second 14 ~a6?! ~xa6
game would have clinched the tie- 15 'ii'xa6 lLib8
break in Alekhine's favour. 16 'ii'b5 'ii'b7
4 ... l2Jxd5 17 .:te3 lLic6
Provocative, but in view of the White still retains a plus on the
score Nimzowitsch had to avoid kingside in view ()f his possibility
clear and simple positions. In a way of concentrating superior force in
 E.~tabli.1hed Ma.1ter: Selected Game.1 1907-1914 101

that sector. In order to create 24 lL:ie5 lL:ixe5

counterplay one would have ex- 25 l:.xe5 l:.e7
pected Nimzowitsch to set in mo- 26 g3 r6
tion a minority attack by means of 27 e3 lld8
... b7-b5 ... a7-a5 etc., but instead he 28 <it>g2 lied7
undertakes nothing in any positive 29 l:.hl
sense. He seems content to adopt a
purely defensive attitude and to
Jure his opponent into ostensibly
powerful but potentially weakening
aggressive gestures. Since Alekhine
only needed a draw from this game
Nimzowitsch's policy of provoca-
tion represented a subtle psycho-
logical ploy. Had Nimzowitc;ch, on
the other hand, made an immediate
attempt to exploit what positive
resources his position did contain,
then Alekhine would have been
forewarned and would have been
able to adopt a neutralising policy 29
before it became too late. As it was, The beginning of a strategic king
Alekhine thought he had all the march. Nimzowitc;ch realises that
time in the world at his disposal his kingside will soon be unfit for
and, when the counter-attack did royal habitation and his monarch
finally set in, his defensive reserves flees to political asylum on the op-
were seriously depleted. posite wing. One can only specu-
At the time, of course, Nim- late concerning the extent to which
zowitsch had no idea that he was Alekhine felt himself provoked by
'foredoomed' to win. His provoca- the sight of his opponent's king
tion strategy could equally have wandering around in the centre of
ended in total disaster and a crush- the board.
ing 2-0 victory for his rival in the 30 l:.h4 c.t>e8
play-off match! 31 .h6 ri;e7
18 .d3 g6 32 l:.f4
19 j_h6 j_g7 Naturally White cannot capture
20 j_xg7 <it>xg7 the h-pawn since he would shed his
21 :tael c7 queen to ... l:th8. Nevertheless
22 h4 White's position still makes an
The Grande A1111ee sets off for imposing impression on the unbi-
Moscow (Nimzowitc;ch 's king). ased observer.
Alekhine has tired of the simplifi- 32 h8
cation involved in his 4th and 14th By no means the first, or the last,
moves. time that Nimzowitsch was to play
22 liae8 such a move. The point is to pre-
23 h5 r4 vent the invasion of his position by
102 f..stabli.>hed Ma.>ter: Selected Game.1 1907-1914

the white queen. agonal outpost at g7 by occupying

33 l:tel .l:.d7 it with his queen but the idea is
34 l:hl double-edged in the extreme and it
Threatening hxg6 and thus in- might have been preferable to open
ducing Black's outlandish re- the h-file. After the phase of
sponse. provocation from Nimzowitsch
34 ..g8! there now follows some prophy-
3S 'it>d6 laxis (to draw the sting from g7)
before he embarks on the counter-
attack. Black already possesses the
initiative (believe it or not) as a
result of White's indiscretions with
both his rook's pawns.
;~ . ''~ 43 ...
~////>'/,

44 es
;~ ~ 4S l:tf6
46 l:thl
~ ~ ~ ~ Preparing for g7 and if Black
4T> ~~ ~~ _,_., exchanges queens White's rook
will already exert unpleasant pres-
sure against Black's h-pawn.
46 ds
Who would believe that Alek- 47 .:tf4 l:tc4!
hine could lose such a position? It The first sign of genuine activity
looks as if Black is fighting for his from Black that we have so far
very survival rather than hoping for witnessed in this game. Quite un-

victory. expectedly White is thrown on to
36 es+ ~c6 the defensive, for if 48 _.g7 fS! 49
37 a4? es l:xa4 50 xe6 l:.e7 51 f6
Just the sort of vain attacking ct? and Black controls all the
gesture for which Nimzowitsch open files.
must have been praying. White 48 .::t.al
later comes to regret this rash ad- The beginning of the retreat
vance which does not increase his from Moscow.
attacking prospects one whit. 48 .:i.c6
37 . '1t>b7 49 l:tf6
The completion of a remarkable If now 49 g7 Black has 49 ... f5
journey, and under enemy fire, SO es gs Sl l:thl l:.e7 followed,
from g8 to b7. once again, by ... l:tc4.
38 l:tal 49 hs
39 l:tf6 In a pure rook and pawn ending
40 :n White would experience great dif-
41 e2 ficulty in defending his queenside
e342 against a much belated minority
43 h6?! attack.
White wants to exploit the di- SO e3 .:i.e7
 E.stablished Ma.ster: Selected Games 1907-1914 103

Creating the threat of ... e6-e5 at tered position from the board. As a
some later date. point of accuracy Black is not lured
51
52
n
g4?
es into a premature conversion of his
positional plus into material spoils
This further weakening advance by means of 61 ... l:txc3? when
must be incorrect. Is it possible that White would obtain some play with
Alekhine had completely mis- 62 xc3 xbl 63 'jic8.
judged the position and was suf- 62 .:e3
fering from the delusion that he 62 dxe5 is impossible in view of
was still forcing matters? the weakness of the g5-pawn, e.g.
52 ... .d7 62 ... l:txe5 63 l:tg3 l:tf5 64 'iifl d4
Masterly inactivity from Nim- 65 cxd4 l:tc2-+. The rapid conver-
zowitsch. Perhaps Alekhine will gence in this line of all Black's
wreck his own position entirely and major pieces at the f2 point is quite
thus obviate the necessity for Black startling.
to intervene in the proceedings at 62 e4
all. A decisive gain of terrain. As so
53 .:et .:c7 often when a counter-attack does
54 b3 materialise after a prolonged period
Also unpalatable is 54 .:a 1 l:tc 1 of defence the erstwhile aggressors
55 dl. After the move of the text seem totally enervated and unable
White's pawn fo1111ation begins to to co-ordinate any sort of resis-
look like a sponge. tance.
54 . ct;a7 63 dt
55 g5 The retreat continues.
This only makes things worse. 63 ... rs
On g5 the pawn is even more ex-
posed to attack than it was on g4.
55 ... .d6!
Planning the decisive infiltration
which will pin down White's forces
to defence of the porous queen s

wing.
56 .d3 .a3
.b4
57 c2
58 .:ct .d6
59 .d3 a3
60 .:.bl
In answer to 60 'iic2 at this point
Nimzowitsch would have played
60 ... .:c6 followed by ... l:tec7. Threatening to smother White
60 ... a2 with ... f5-f4, so the capture en pas-
61 .:n e5! sant is forced when Black can util-
Announcing a glorious counter- ise the f-file for his own dark de-

attack which swiftly gathers mo- signs.
mentum and sweeps White's shat- 64 gxf6
I ()4 E'.1tah/i.1hetl Mt1.1te1: sel'l'l'd Gan1'.1 / 9(J7-l 9 I 4

65 :at ~b2 across large sectic)nS ot the board

66 :ht 'ii'a3 when you are in no position to im-
67 c4 .l:.xf6 pede its progress C)r otherwise mo-
68 cxd5 l:cf7 lest it .
69 l:te2 d6 2) As a pre-emptive detence
70 ~c2 ~xd5 mechanism: the king vacates a
71 'it>fl e3 threatened wing and seeks more
The Beresina, and on this occa- hospitable climes.
sion there are no survivors. 3) As a portent of aggressive
72 l:txe3 'ii'h I+ action on the vacated wing itself. In
73 <t>e2 l:txf2+ this game Nimzowitsch envisaged
74 <t>d3 'Wd5 an eventual advance ot his kingside
75 'ii'c8 l:.d7 pawns and the presence of his own
0-1 king would obvic)usly have handi-
The carnage is dreadful: 76 :e4 capped the advance .
.:.f3+ 77 'itd2 -..g5+ 78 Wc2 Nimzowitsch once wrote: 'lch
'ii'g2+. 1iebe die Konigspromenaden',
This protracted war of attrition which meant that he liked to take
against a future world champion is his kings for walk.<>. There follow
one of Nimzowitsch 's most typical some examples of this liking from
and most imposing achievement<>. Nimzowitsch 's career. In each of
them the motives are mc)re specific
The strategic king march in the tha11 in the all-embracing Alekhine
middlegame example given abc1ve.
The preceding game provides an
excellent illustration of a theme E.Cohn-1'/imzowitsch
that appears frequently in :-.lim- Carlsbad 1911
zowitsch 's play: the king march.
That is not to say that f'iimzc)witsch
exercised a monopoly over this
strategic device, but I would claim
that it characterises Nimzowit<>ch 's
games more than those of other
masters of his day, precisely be-
cause the qualities we associate
with such marches are prophylaxis.
provocation and psychological
warfare of a rather indirect and
tortuous variety.
Let us examine the motives for
the king march in the Alekhine
game: The game continued: 69 l:i.f2 <t>f7
I) Mind-blowing provocation. It 70 <t>h2 rj;e7 71 .:te2 'ii'c I 72 'ii'f2
can be most disconcerting to see 'it>d7 73 l:tel 'ii'c6 74 rj;g2 l:g4 75
your opponent's king (his most l:.fl 'ii'c7 76 'ii'f3 'it>c8 77 'ii'f2 'itib8
vulnerable piece) wandering at will 78 '1t>h3 rj;37 79 l:gl 'ii'd7 80 rj;h2
 f;.1t(1hlished Ma.1ter: Sel'l'ted G(11nc>.1 /C)(J7-JCJ/4 /(J.'i
d6 81 'it>h3 c6 82 l:te 1 e6 83
'it>h2 e4 84 'iii>h3 e6 85 ~h2
e7 86 'it>h3 e4 87 :tgl e6 88
~h2 l:.e4 89 J:cl White cracks at
last. Nimzowitsch 's strange play
appears to have disturbed his op-
ponent's psychological balance and
Cohn collapses abruptly. 89 ... l:txe3
90 r4 l:te2+ and Black won with-
out difficulty. Nimzowit<>ch: 'It
may be that the Logos of the win
does not stand out with the desir-
able clarity but one thing is certain:
the difficulties with which the de-
fender had to contend were such
that that the question of conceding
a draw (advocated by the tourna-
ment book) simply could not arise.
Dr. Euwe also had something to
say about this game in his monu-
mental work on the middlegame:
'Nimzowitsch was the only chess
master who ever carried out a sys-
tematic investigation into the sub-
ject of manoeuvring. The ideas of
Nimzowitsch are so fundamental
that he must be considered the
greatest pioneer of all in this do-
main - but . .. can the method..<; he
employs here really be classified as
manoeuvring or is he merely
marking time?'
Nimzowitsch felt an undeniable
attraction for such 'manoeuvring'
procedures ('lavieren' or 'tacking'
in his original Ge1111an) whereas
Capablanca, a more lucid player all
round than Nimzowitsch, manoeu-
vred only when absolutely neces-
sary, according to Dr. Euwe.
C.Nilsson-Nimzowitsch
Eskilstuna 1921
(as part of a simultaneous di.~pla_v
given by Nimzowitsch oier thirt)'-
four boards)
19... ~d7! 20 l:gl '.t>c8 21 ll:lcl b6
22 b4 a5 23 c3 axb4 24 cxb4 .l:la8
25 ~b2 ~b7 26 ll:la2 g5 The king
stroll has energised Black's whole
position. Not only does he possess
stro11g threat<; against White's king
(Black's 25th move threatened
... l:txa3!), but he is also in a posi-
tion to seize the initiative on the
opposite wing. 27 fxg5 .txg5 28
g4 hxg3 29 l:xg3 .txe3 30 l:xe3
'ii'h4 31 'ii'c3 ll:la7 32 l:tc 1 'ii'f2+ 33
'it>b3 ll:lb5 34 'ii'c6+ '.t>b8 35 'ii'xb5
'ii'xe3+ 0-1
~ imzowitsch-Asztalos
Bled 1931
English Opening
1 c4 ll:lf6 2 ll:lc3 c5 3 g3 ll:lc6 4
.ltg2 e6 5 ll:lh3 .te7 6 d3 d6 7 0-0
0-0 8 ll:lf4 a6 9 b3 c7 10 e3 l:rb8
11 a4 b6 12 d4 ll:lb4 13 .lta3 .ltb7
14 d5 e5 15 ll:ld3 Removing
Black's only aggressively posted
piece. The dominating t'actor in the
game from now on is White's mas-
sive control of space in a situation
where Black has precious few pos-
sibilities of organising any sort of
disruptive thrust. (We all know that
a cramped position of itself is not
106 E.<ttabli.<thed Ma.<tter: Selected Game.1 1907-1914
necessarily an evil.) 15... tl:Jxd3 16
xd3 l:tbeS 17 l:tael tl:Jd7 IS e4
..llf6 19 ..Itel l:te7 20 ..lid2 l:tfeS 21
l:tal To induce the petrification of
the queenside whereafter White can
tum his undivided attention to
Black's king. 21 .aS 22 l:tael ds
23 h4 tl:Jf8 24 f3 ..lla6 25 ..llh3
l:ta7 26 ~g2 ..lle7 27 l:thl l:taS 2S
tl:Jdl l:ta7 29 tl:Je3 l:taS 30 l:tegl
l:ta7 31 'itfl The king setc; off.
Really this is to be seen as a pro-
phylactic measure against a possi-
ble Black counter-attack on the
kingside after White has opened
lines in that sector. 31 .. bS 32
'itiel .lids 33 ~dl ..lle7 34 'it>e2
c7 35 ..lle3 l:teaS 36 e2 ds 37
f4 f6 3S ..lle6+!
3S ... lLixe6 39 dxe6 ..llb7 40 d3
es 41 f5 ..lle6 42 g4 'it>hS 43 l:tg3
l:tbS 44 l:thgl l:tab7 45 ..lid2
Minimisation of Black's possibili-
ties. In the case of 45 ... b5 (which is
desperate anyway), White would
play 46 cxb5 ..llxb5 47 axb5 l:txb5
48 tl:Jc4 and the aggressive rook on
g3 also serves to defend White's b-
pawn. 45 l:tdS 46 tl:Jdl l:tbbS 47
tl:Je3 l:tdeS 4S e2 l:tb7 49 g5 l:tdS
50 g6 ..lif8 There is no salvation in
the blocking move 50 ... h6 since
White would sacrifice a piece with
51 ..llxh6 gxh6 52 g7+ 'it>g8 53 l:tg6
followed by ~5 and the barri-
cades fall. 51 gxh7 'itixh7 52 .:i.g6
1-0
I have already drawn attention to
the influence exerted c)ver Petro-
sian by N imzowitsch s writings
(via Petrosian's trainer Ebralidze)
and since I am also concerned in
this volume to analyse the effects
of Nimzowitsch 's teachings on
subsequent generations, it does not
see out of place to quote an exam-
ple of a strategic king march by
Petrosian in a manner that con-
fo1111s entirely to the Nimzowitsch-
ian precedents.
Diez del Corral-Petrosian
Palma de Mallorca 1969
22 .. ~fS Fleeing the menaced
wing. 23 gs lites 24 l:tael ~d7
25 h5 gxh5 26 l:txh5 l:tgS 27 l:th7
lites 2S h4 g6 29 l:thS l:txhS 30
xhS+ 'itib7 31 rs a3
es 33 a4 l:tdS 34
I:.eS 32 d6
e7 35
e3 l:teS 36 ..lid2 g5! As so often
the corollary to the vacation of a
wing is an advance in that very
area. The king march is not only an
 t:.\tabli~hed Ma.~ter:
escape along the lines of a scorched
earth policy (the invading anny
crashes through but then finds that
there is nothing worthwhile left to
attack), but also the prelude to an
increase energy over the whole
board.
37 Wc2 f4! 38 gxf4 gxf4 39
i.xf4 l:r.g8+ 40 i.g3 lt:Jxd4 41 'it'c3
lt:Je2 42 'ii'c6+ 'it>b8 43 l:r.el lt:Jf4+
44 ~fl lt:Jxd3 45 l:r.bl Wf7 46
'ii'd6+ <t>b7 47 ~e2 l:r.c8! 48 a5
l:r.c2+ 49 <t>fl lt:Jxf2 White now
sacrificed his rook futilely on b6
and resigned on move 55.
Before we leave the subject of
the king march I think a distinction
should be drawn between the stra-
tegic variety, with which we have
Selected Game.~ 19()7-1914 107
here been concerned, and the tacti-
cal variety which we associate with
Steinitz ('The king is a strong
piece', etc.) and which tends to
occur at an earlier stage of the
game. Here is one example which I
hope will clear up any confusion:
Steinitz-L.Paulsen
Baden-Baden 1870
1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 3 f4 exf4 4
d4!? 'ifh4+ 5 'it>e2 d6 6 lt:Jf3 i.g4 7
i.xf4 0-0-0 8 'lt>e3
Lending protection to his central
pawns!? 8 ... 'ii'h5 9 i.e2 Wa5 10 a3
i.xf3 11 <itxf3 'ifh5+ 12 r.!i>e3.
Steinitz went on to win this game
on move 36.
8 Disaster and Recovery:
Selected Games 1920-1924

Stockholm, October - November 1920

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
l Bogoljubow ** 11/2 10 11 11 11 11 1I 12 1/1
2 Nimzowitsch 01/2 ** 11 11 11 11 11 1
/2 l 12
3 Olson 01 00 ** OI/2 0 1/2 II II 11 8
4 Spielmann 00 00 11/2 ** 10 10 01 11 6 1/1
5 Wendel 00 00 l l/2 01 ** 01 JO [ I/2 6
6 Jacobsen 00 00 00 01 10 ** 11/2 11 5 1/1
7 Nyholm 00 00 00 10 Ol Ql/2 ** 11/2 4
8 Svanberg 00 1/20
00 00 0 1/2 00 0 1/2 ** 11/1
Copenhagen, 3-14 March, 1923

1 2 3 4 5 6
l Nimzowitsch ** 11 1/2 1 l/21/2 II l/2 I 8
2 Samisch 00 ** 1/2 l I l/2 1/2 l Jl/2 6
3 Tartakower 1/20 1/20 ** 11/2 I 1/2 ll 6
4 Spielmann 1/2 l/2 01/2 Ql/2 ** 1/2 l 11 5 1/1
5 Jacobsen 00 1/20 Ql/2 1/2Q ** I 1/2 3
6 Moller 1/20 01/2 00 00 01/2 ** l l/1

Copenhagen, Nordic Championship 1924

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 Nimzowitsch * 1 1 1 1 1 1 '!2 1 I 1 9112
2 P.Johner 0 * 1/2 l 1/2 I 1 I I I 1 8
3 Nilsson 0 l/2 * 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 6 1/2
4 Krause 0 0 0 * l/2 0 1 0 l l 1 4 112
5 Kinch 0 1/2 0 l/2 * 1 0 l/2 0 1 1 4 111
6 Olson 0 0 0 I 0 * 'lz l/2 l '/2 l 4 112
7 Lovenborg 0 0 0 0 1 1/2 * I 0 1 1 4 112
8 Berndtsson l/2 0 1 I 1/2 1/2 0 * 0 l/2 l/2 4 112
9 Brinckmann 0 0 0 0 I 0 I 1 * 0 I 4
10 Kier 0 0 1 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 I * 1/2 3 1/2
11 Giersing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 * I
 Di.\'a.~ter and Rec'rJven: .')elected (lame~ 1920-1924 109
The Great War, the Russian
Revolution and their
Aftermath
The worst result of Nimzowitsch's
mature chess career came at Goth-
enburg 1920. One game, however,
relieved the general gloom and that
was his brilliancy against Marco.
Ironically the opening was Nim-
zowitsch 's beloved Philidor, but
this time he had changed sides.
Nimzowitsch-Marco
Gothenburg 1920
Philidor 's Defence
1 e4 e5 2 tllf3 d6 3 d4 tlld7 4 ..ltc4
c6 5 a4 ..lte7 6 tllc3 tllgf6 7 0-0 h6
8 b3 c7 9 ..ltb2 tllf8 He had no
choice but to abandon his plan
(which consisted of ... g5 and
... tllg6) and play 9 ... 0-0. After the
text Nimzowitsch unleashes a com-
binative hurricane of unusual vio-
lence. 10 dxe5 dxe5
11 tllxe5! ! xe5 12 tlldS The
point. Black cannot capture on b2
in view of tllc7 mate. 12 .. -.d6 Or
12 ... 'ii'b8 13 tllxe7 <Ji;xe7 14 ..lta3+
~e8 15 ..ltd6 checkmating Black's
queen. Variations in which Nim-
zowitsch mates the opposing queen
abound in his games, t'or example
versus Mieses at Bad Kissingen
1928, or in the opening of his game
versus Bogoljubow, San Remo
1930, or versus Mannheimer,
Frankfurt 1930. 13 ..lta3 cxd5 This
exchange gives Black three pieces
for queen and pawn, but Marco's
position is so disorganised that he
has no hope ot' offering effective
resistance. The alternative was
worse, though: 13 ... c5 14 e5 'ii'xe5
15 l:tel 4le4 16 l:txe4 xe4 17
tllc7 mate (Nimzowitsch). 14
..ltxd6 dxc4 15 ..ltxe7 rt;xe7 16 e5
tll6d7 17 ..d6+ <Ji;d8 18 f4 aS 19
rs l:l.a6 20 ds rt;e7 21 xc4 l:l.c6
22 ds h5 23 xa5 J:hh6 24
l:tael b6 25 d2 ~d8 26 ds
l:txc2 27 e6 fxe6 28 fxe6 tllxe6 29
l:.xe6 .tb7 30 l:tf8+ 0-1
Spielmann-Nimzowitsch
Stockholm 1920
Nimzowitsch Defence
1 e4 tt:Jc6
Nimzowitsch 's own patent de-
fence to I e4. It has some points in
common with Alekhine's Defence
( 1 e4 tllf6) but it poses a le..<>S im-
mediate challenge to White's cen-
tre.
2 d4
2 tllf3 allows 2 ... e5! which is, in
a way, a moral defeat for both
players!
2 d5!
The pure, Nimzowitschian inter-
pretation of this defence which
no1111ally leads to intricate pawn-
chain play. On the rare occasions
when this defence is employed in
contemporary chess 2 ... e5 tends to
be preferred.
3 e5
11 (} Di.~a~ter and Recoven': :;;elected Game~ 1920-1924
One might have expected the
more fluid 3 tLic3!? from Spiel-
mann.
3 iLf5
An even more provocative
method of handling this provoca-
tive defence is 3 ... f6!?
4 tt:Je2?!
Better is 4 tt:Jf3!? The plan cho-
sen by White diverts too many
pieces from the protection of his
centre (d4) and could have boo-
meranged seriously had Black
found the correct continuation on
move 7. ' 11
4 e6
5 tt:Jg3 iLg6
6 h4 h5
7 iLe2 iLe7?!
Inviting remarkable complica-
tions. Instead of this flank defence
to White's pressure against his h-
pawn it was possible to obtain a
fine position by means of a central
counter-attack, as suggested later
by Nimzowitsch: thus 7 ... tLlb4! 8
tLia3 c5 9 c3 tt:Jc6 and White's
centre is in danger of collapse, e.g.
10 tLixh5 iLxh5 11 iLxh5 cxd4 12
cxd4 iLb4+ 13 ~fl iLxa3 14 bxa3
g6 15 iLe2 l:txh4 16 l:txh4 'iWxh4
threatening mate and the d-pawn.
Nimzowitsch 's ideas in the
opening phase of this game were to
reappear in slightly amended fot 111
in some games by Soviet Grand-
masters forty years further on: for
example, Spassky-Bronstein, USSR
Championship 1961, opened as
follows: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 iLf5
4 h4 h5 5 tLle2 e6 6 tt:Jg3 iLg6 Tal-
Botvinnik, 14th game, World
Championship match, Moscow
1961, varied with: 6 ... g6 7 tLixf5
gxf5 8 c4 c5!. The reply to 8 iLe2
would also have been 8 ... c5! 9 c3
cxd4 l 0 cxd4 tLic6 11 iLxh5 'iWb6
with a good game for Black. 7 tt:Jd2
c5 8 dxc5 iLxc5 9 tllb3 'iWb6 10
tllxc5 'iWxc5 11 c3 lllc6 12 iLe3
'Wa5 13 iLe2 tt:Jge7 14 0-0 tllxe5
15 iLxh5 iLxh5 16 lllxh5 0-0-0
with an eventual draw. Surely there
are parallels here in the particular
attitude to the centre adopted by
Black in answer to White's thrust
with the h-pawn.
8 iLxhS iLxhS
9 lllxhS g6
10 tllf4 l:txh4
l:txh4 iLxh4
12 'iWd3
A trap of a lower order. If Black
should play the heedless l 2 ... iLg5?
(intending ... iLxf4, leaving himself
with the knight pair against White's
knight plus bad bishop) then 13
tLixe6! fxe6 14 'iWxg6+ would lead
to total ruin for him.
12 .. lllge7!!
An ambush!? Surely Black must
now lose material?
13 g3 lllf5
I 3 ... iLg5 would lose to the old
trap 14 lllxe6, so the text is forced.
The remarkable move, then, was
Black's 12th which prepared this
combination. White could decline
 f,~tabli~hed Ma~ter:
Black's 'passive' sacrifice with 14
c3, allowing ... .i.g5 at last, but why
should he?
Is it obvious that Black obtains
anything concrete for his sacrifice?
14 gxh4 lt:lfxd4
So far the compensation
amounts to one pawn, but more is
to come, since the foundations of
White's pawn centre have been
destroyed. The threats at the mo-
ment (positively crude in compari-
son with the enchanting variations
based on the power of his central-
ised knight pair which Nim-
zowitsch soon conjures up) are
1) 15 ... lt:lb4 16 'ii'xd4 lt:lxc2+
and
2) 15 ... lt:lxe5 16 'ii'xe5 lt:lf3+.
15 lt:Ja3 'ii'xh4
Rejecting the possibility of en-
tering an endgame where he would
possess three pawns for a piece:
15 ... lt:lxe5 16 'ii'h3 lt:ldf3+ 17 ~fl
'ii'xh4. In this case it would cer-
tainly be Black who would be justi-
fied in playing for a win. However,
Nimzowitsch had observed a
variation of truly shattering beauty
and he could not resist the tempta-
tion to play for its actualisation on
the board.
16 'ii'h3 'ii'g5?!
It was still possible to steer for
an ending which promised every
chance of victory ( 16 ... 'ii' xh3 17
lt:lxh3 lt:lxe5 18 .i.f4 lt:lef3+ and
19 ... e5). With the text (which is
actually a trap of very high order
operating within the general
framework of the ambush inaugu-
rated by his 12th move) Nim-
zowitsch subordinates his desire for
the accumulation of points to his
desire for the creation of beauty.
16 ... 'ii'g5?! is a move stamped
Selected Game.\ 1907-1914 111
clearly with the Romantic spirit in
contradistinction to the Realistic
16 ... 'ii'xh3.
17 .i.e3?
A plausible move which, how-
ever, loses spectacularly. The line
conceived by Nimzowitsch ran as
follows: 17 'ii'h8+ 'iii>d7 18 'ii'xa8
(this part of the combination is
reminiscent of the Anderssen-
Kieseritsky 'Immortal Game')
18 ... 'it'gl+ 19 Wd2 'ii'xf2+ 20 Wc3
lllb3 ! and wins. That there exists a
dual solution in 20 ... lt:lf3 (as was
pointed out after the game) was
experienced by Nimzowitsch as a
source of aesthetic regret.
After 20 ... lt:lb3 (see analysis dia-
gram)
Nimzowitsch 's own notes stop
and my reconstruction of his win-
ning process is as follows:
a) 21 axb3 'ii'd4 mate;
b) 21 cxb3 'it'd4+ 22 'it>c2 lt:lb4+
23 ~bl 'ii'e4+;
c) 21 lt:Jd3 'it'd4+ 22 ~xb3 lt:la5
mate;
d) 21 lllb5 'ii'el + 22 ~d3 lt:lc5
mate, or 22 .i.d2 'ii'xd2+ 23 ~xb3
'ii'b4 mate;
e) 21 'lt>xb3 'ii'b6+ 22 lt:lb5 (22
'ii>c3 'ii'd4+ 23 'lt>b3 ltJa5 mate)
I I 2 Dis<1.1ter an<i RecrJve11 : ,l;Jef('l'ted (/ame.1 IC) ](J- IC) 24

22 ... 'ilt'xb5+ 23 Wc3 'it'c4+ 24 ~d2 allows a superb display of pyro-

'ilt'xf4+; technics to break out which must
e 1) 25 'itid3 'it'e4+ 26 ~d2 tLlxe5 have thrilled the spectators.
(26 ... ltld4 27 ~c3 .'ZJxc2 28 l:th I 17 ... 'ikgl+
tLlel is also winning) 27 'it'xa7 18 ~fl
4:Jf3+ 28 ~c3 'ilt'c4 mate; if in this Or 18 '1t>d2 'ilt' xa 1 19 'ilt'h8+ 'it'd?
line 27 ~c3 d4+ 28 ~b3 'ilt'd5+ 29 20 'ilt'xa8 'ilt'xh2! win11ing.
~a3 (29 ~a4 b5+, or 29 c4 dxc3+ 18 .. t2if3+
30 ~xc3 'ikd3+ 31 ~b4 tLlc6+ 32 19 ~e2 4Jfd4+
~c5 b6 mate, or 32 ~a4 b5 mate) 20 c.t>d2 ~Jf3+
2 9 ... tLlc4+ 30 'itib4 a5+ 31 'it'a4 21 ~e2 tt:lcd4+
b5+; No draw.
e2) 25 ~el 'ilt'e4+ 26 ~f2 4::ld4 22 ~d3?
27 1'.h6 'ilt'f3+ 28 'itig 1 4::le2+ 29 The losing error. It was essential
~h2 'ikf2+ and mate next move (30 to eliminate one of the knights with
~h 1 tLlg3 mate); 22 ilxd4. Admittedly the con-
e3) 25 ~e2 'ilt'e4+ 26 j(_e3 d4 tinuation 22 ... 4lxd4+ 23 Wd3 'ilt'g5!
with more than enough for the ex- 24 Wxd4 'ilixf4+ 25 Wd3 c5 is un-
change. Also possible is 26 ... liJd4+ pleasant for White, but it was
27 ~fl (everything else gets obligatory to continue thus if White
mated) 27 ... 'ilt'hl+ 28 j(_gi 'ilt'h3+ wanted to resist.
29 ~el tLlxc2.,- and White's posi- 22 ... 'ikg5
tion is hopeless. 23 'ikh3 'ikxe5
But there is a tlaw in this con- 24 :n 0-0-0
ception, and that is why a Realist
would have contented himself with
16 ... 'ilt'xh3, preferring to retain the
possibility of 16 ... 'ilt' g5 for his an-
notations. The flaw goes like this:
17 tLld3 ! 'ilt'g l + 18 ~d2 tLlxe5? 19
tLlxe5 'ilt'xf2+ with inadequate
compensation, or l 8 ... ..t>d7? 19
tLlc5+ ~e7 20 'ilt'h4+ ~e8 21
'ilt'h8+ ~e7 22 'ilt't"6+ and 23 c3.
This refutation was given by Nim-
zowitsch in his notes, but we ha vc
no indication as to when he spotted
the strength of I 7 tLld3 ! - bet.cJre or
after he played 16 ... 'ir'g5'?!. In my Now that Black has completed
opinion Black should play quietly his development White is com-
with 17 ... 0-0-0! when his prospects pletely helpless.
are still not bad. He is ahead in 25 b3 b5
development with two pawns for a 26 tLlxbS it'e4+
piece and with White somewhat 27 ~c3 'ikxc2+
tied up. 28 c.t>b4 c5+
The 17th move chosen by White 0-1
 E.1tab/ished Ma.1ter: Selected Games / 9(J7-l 9J4 113
I must confess that the above
game by Nimzowitsch exercises a
deep fascination for me and I have
almost certainly played it over
more times than any other game by
Nimzowitsch. The ramifications of
the combination commencing on
his 12th move have the artificiality
and contrivance of a composed
problem, and the rare beauty which
is sometimes captured by a prob-
lem, yet this game is also possessed
of a further dimension - it is a
struggle, which a problem most
emphatically is not. Nimzowitsch 's
thoughts here were not just an in-
tellectual exercise, they were an
integral part of a conflict with the
mind of another man.
Wendel-Nimzowitsch
Stockholm 1921
Nimzowitsch Defence
1 e4 lLlc6
2 d4 dS
3 tLlc3
One of the sharpest methods of
combating Nimzowitsch 's special
defence. With this move White
offers a pawn sacrifice in order to
destroy Black's strong point on d5.
In this case Nimzowitsch accepts
the challenge.
3 dxe4
The alternative is the stolid re-
fusal to give ground, 3 ... e6. Later
in the 1920s Nimzowitsch gained
many victories with this move, one
of which is sutnciently amusing to
merit reproduction here: Mieses-
Nimzowitsch, Bad Kissingen 1928:
3 e6 4 exdS 4 e5 ! 4 . exdS S ~e3 0-0-0 14 .1'.e3 ..llb4+ 15 'it>f2 g5 16
..trs 6 .1'.d3 tLlge7 7 tLlge2 tLlb4 8
..txrs lLlxf5 9 .1'.f4 gS 10 ~d2 .1'.e7
11 Wcl f6 12 tLldl lLlc6 13 c3 tLlh4
14 tLle3 Wd7 IS Wc2 rs 16 f4
0-0-0 17 0-0-0 Uhf8 18 l:tdfl .ttde8
19 fxgS ..llxgS 20 lLlf4 tLle7 21
~bl ..llxf4 22 Uxf4 tLleg6 23 Uf2
f4 24 lLldl g4 2S .tel lLlfS 26
.tthfl tLld6 27 h3 gs 28 Ue2 Ue4
29 Uef2 l:tfe8 30 Wd3 lLlfS 31 l:tgl
tLlg3 32 ..td2 Wrs 33 a3 e6 34
~al Wc6 3S Wf3 hS 36 'it>a2 bs
Completing the encirclement. 37
~al lLlh4 checkmate
but to White's queen rather than
his king!
The methodical restriction and
minimisation of White's opportu-
nities, eventually leading to a
helpless paralysis on the part of the
opposing army, stamps the above
as a close relative to the 'Immortal
Zugzwang Game' versus Siimisch.
4 dS tLleS
I once reached the position after
4 ... tLle5 and my opponent (White)
replied 5 lLlxe4 ?! . The continuation
was somewhat eccentric: 5 ... tLlf6 6
tLlxf6+ exf6 7 f4 tLlg6 8 .1'.b5+
..lld7 9 We2+ .1'.e7 10 h4 a6 11
1'.xd7+ Wxd7 12 h5 lllf8 13 c4
a3 I:.e8 17 Wd3 gxf4 18 .1'.xf4
..tc5+ 19 'iitg3 l:tg8+ 20 'iith2 Wg4.
In the game Black later blundered
114 Disa!iter and Recover;': Selected Game.s 1920-1924
and lost but this position is by no
means bad for him.
5 i.f4! lLlg6
6 i.g3 a6?!
Black naturally has to prevent
lLlb5 and the obvious way to
achieve this is 6 ... f5 (note that
6... e5 fails to 7 dxe6 Le6 8 lLlb5.')
but Nimzowitsch then feared 7 h4
f4 8 h5 (Boleslavsky gives 8 i.h2.')
8 ... fxg3 9 hxg6 gxf2+ 10 ~xf2
which looks anything but clear to
me. However, in view of Bole-
slavsky's improvement on move 8
for White the entire sequence with
7 ... f4 seems suspect.
But that is not the end of this
question. During the British Cham-
pionship Congress, 1972, I ob-
served a game played between two
boys in the Under-16 Tournament
which bears testimony to the at-
traction which some of Nim-
zowitsch 's virtually unanalysed,
tactically complex ideas can exert
over young players. The junior
game (those involved were M.
Goldschmidt and C. Crouch) which
I noticed reached the position after
7 h4 and then Black played
7 ... e5!?. The game continued: 8 h5
(if 8 dxe6 I presume that Black
must reply 8 ... 'W'xdl + 9 l:txdl i.b4
when he will shed his c-pawn in
return for White's e-pawn) 8 ... f4
(we have, in effect, reached Nim-
zowitsch 's line above but with
8 ... e5 substituted for 8 ... fxg3. The
point of Crouch 's move-order is
that he avoids Boleslavsky's 8
i.h2) 9 hxg6 fxg3 10 l:txh7? gxf2+
11 ~xf'2 l:txh7 12 i.b5+ (if 12
gxh7 'W'h4+ and Black must win in
short order) 12 ... c6 13 dxc6 i.c5+
14 ~fl 'W'f6+ 15 lLlf3 l:thl+ 16
~e2 exf3+ 17 gxf3 l:th2+ and
White resigned. Does this resusci-
tate 6 ... f5 - ? White's play can ob-
viously be improved at move I 0,
e.g. 10 fxg3 or 10 lLlxe4. Probably
the latter of these moves is the
more convincing and therein may
lie the answer to Black's ingenious
innovation.
7 f3?!
Much stronger is Boleslavsky's
7 i.c4! tllf6 8 'W'e2 i.f5 9 0-0-0+-.
White's choice in the game per rnits
Nimzowitsch to return his extra
pawn for a lasting initiative.
7 f5!
8 fxe4 f4
9 i.f2 e5
10 tllf3
Not 10 dxe6? ~xe6 which
would give Black a splendid devel-
opment and leave White with a
weak e-pawn.
10 i.d6
'A move dictated by the law of
the blockade (passed and semi-
pas.sed pawns must be blockaded)'
(Nimzowitsch). Nimzowitsch re-
garded this position as approxi-
mately level and considered that
White's next few moves should
have been i.d3, 0-0 and lLle2, fol-
lowed by the activation of his left
 E.1tablished Ma.1te1: Selected Games 1907-1914 11 _5

wing majority (c2-c4-c5). As it is, 23 bxc3

White fails to spot this plan and 24 bxc3 iig3
indulges, instead, in a series of 25 iic2 .:tg8
highly artificial manoeuvres. Nim- 26 lllc4 ~d7
zowit.<>eh exploits the respite to 27 lllxd6+ cxd6
restrain White's queenside advance 28 ~f3
for good and Wendel then find.<;
that he has no counterplay any-
where.
11 h4? b5
The first step in the restraint of
c2-c4, etc. ~~ ~~ ift
12 h5 tllf8 ~ft~
13 ~h4 iid7
14 ~e2 b4
15 lllbl lllf6 ;~ ' ;

Threatening White's e- and h-

pawns. White has but one method
of avoiding material loss.
16 ~xf6
Unpleasant but forced. After this In control of all the open lines
exchange Black's centre is and all the dark squares and with
strengthened and he is given the White's units strewn at random
open g-file as a free gift in which to around the perimeters of the battle-
operate against White's weak g- field Black has an obviously win-
pawn. On top of this the absence of ning position. The positional way
White's queen's bishop leaves him to victory, pointed out by Nim-
woefully exposed on the dark zowitsch, was 28 ... 'i!td8, e.g. 29
squares. From now on White is 4Jf5 ~xf5 30 exf5 (threatening
reduced to meeting Black's threats .l:th3) 30 ... l:te8 31 .l:th3 iig8! and
and can fo1111 no positive schemes White's position is an uncoordi-
of his own. nated shambles.
16 .. gxf6 But, as so often, Nimzowitsch
17 lllbd2 iig7 espies a combination which leads
18 'itin tlld7 even more rapidly to the desired
19 h6 iig3 goal. And, as we might expect, this
20 l:th3 iig8 combination is laced with problem
21 lllh4 lllc5 moves. It almost looks like a con-
22 l:thl l:tb8 structed situation rather than a
23 c3?! game continuation. Black to play
A weird reaction to Black's last and win; it is certainly worthwhile
move, which was obviously con- trying to find Nimzowitsch 's beau-
ceived as a prophylactic measure tiful win yourself before inspecting
against 23 c3. Black now seizes the the remainder of the game.
b-file in addition to his other treas- 28 ... ~b5+
ures. 29 c4 ~xc4+
116 Di.va.<;te1 and Recover: ,)elected Game~ I 92()-1914

30 'ii'xc4 .:bl hopelessly lost. Black's material

31 .Jte2 l:.g4 investment amounts to a mere ex-
32 'ii'c I change and he will soon annex
32 l:th3 lc)oks like an adequate some more of White's pawns.
defence, but then comes the bril- 39 ~gl 'ii'g3+
liant stroke 32 ... l:txh4, e.g. 33 l:txg3 40 ~h I 'ii'h3+
l:th 1+ 34 ~f2 fxg3+ 35 Wxg3 41 ~gl ltJxe4
.ti.xal. 'Black wins the a2-pawn and 42 'ii'c6+
then decides the game in his t'avour Taking a circuitous route to the
by a direct attack with the rook.<>. defence of the white king.
Do not overlook that passed black 42 ... ~f7
a-pawn lurking in the background' 43 'ii'c7+ '>t>g6
(Nimzowitsch). 44 'ii'g7+ ~hS
32 .ti.xh4 4S 'ii'g2 'ii'e3+
33 l:.xh4 .:xe2! 46 ~h2 ltjf2
34 ~xe2 'ii'xg2+ 47 l:.fl
Or 47 l:tgl 'ii'e2 and White has
no check.<> (Nimzowitsch).
47 .. ltJg4+
48 ~hi e4
49 l:.gl rs
White is so tied up that the only
danger Black has to avoid is an
accidental stalemate.
SO a4 '>t>xh6
SI as ~gs
S2 l:bl f3
S3 'ii'b2 f2
0-1

As in his game versus Spielma11n Nimzowitsch-H. Wolf

from Stockholm 1920, Nim- Carlsbad 1923
zowitsch hanies the whole white Nimzoitsch Attack
ar 111y with his queen and knight.
Meanwhile, the white king's rook I ltJf3
will not run away. In our own eclectic age (as re-
3S ~d I 'ii'fl + garci<> chess ideas) sucl1 an initial
36 '>t>d2 move hardly requires any explana-
Or 36 Wc2 'ii'd3+ 37 Wb2 lLia4 tion, but in 1923 I lLif3, when
with a 'problem mate' (Nimzo- adopted by a respectable master
witsch). player, was still something quite
36 'ii'd3+ out of the ordinary, although it very
37 ~el 'ii'g3+ rapidly became commonplace.
38 '>t>fl 'ii'xh4 1923 was a key year for the general
With the shelter of his king practical adoption of those theo-
completely swept away White is retical ideas (known as hypermod-
 t:.1tabli.1hed Mast<'r: .~'e/1'l'f'd (ia1n1'.1 I 9() 7- I 9 I 4 I I 7
em) which had challenged the he-
gemony of the classical - The ter 111
used by Nimzowitsch was 'pseudo-
classical' - theories elaborated by
(inter alios) Dr. Tarrasch.
The areas of dispute between the
so-called classical and hype1111od-
em masters were manifold and
complex but this game does illus-
trate one of the points at conten-
tion: by and large classical dogma
held that control of the centre de-
rived from occupation by pawns. In
many cases this is obviously a cor-
rect view; but the hyper 111odems
(Reti, Nimzowitsch, Breyer, Griin-
feld, Tartakower and sometimes
Alekhine) enriched the concept of
central control by stating that it
could equally well derive from
observation by pieces, and the par-
ticular opening systems newly de-
signed to test this belief (Reti 's
Opening, 1 g3, the English Open-
ing and the Nimzowitsch Attack)
were rooted in the empirical dem-
onstration of successful central
control by pieces alone provided by
Nimzowitsch's famous victory ver-
sus Salwe from Carlsbad 1911
which actually commenced with a
more orthodox debut. That this
revolutionary game was played in
1911 is of significance and, apro-
pos the struggle between the classi-
cists and the hype1111odems, I
would like to suggest here that the
real battle took place, not hand to
hand in the 1920s, but at long
range. The classical broadsides
emanating from Dr. Tarrasch, etc.,
were fired before the First World
War at a time when the great clas-
sical masters monopolised the most
highly-respected organs C)f the
chess press and before they had
properly grasped that there was a
genuine alternative to their own
teachings.
By the mid- l 920s, however, the
real theoretical battle was already
more than half won by the hyper-
modems and nobody (apart from
some isolated and feeble rearguard
actions by, e.g., Rubinstein or
Teichmann, who referred to Reti 's
Opening as the 'stupid double hole
variation') questioned the validity
of the hyper 111odem concept<; as a
worthwhile contribution to our un-
derstanding of chess. What could
be more 'hypermodem' than Alek-
hine 's Defence? Yet Tarrasch him-
self played it on at least two occa-
sions and Rubinstein also used it,
while Capablanca became a devo-
tee of the English and Reti systems
after his loss to Reti in 1924. Tar-
rasch even played Reti 's Opening,
as in his game (as White) versus
Alekhine from Semmering 1926: 1
tflf3(!) d5 2 c4 d4 3 b4 c5 4 ..111..b2
g6 5 e3 ilg7 6 bxc5 e5 7 exd4
exd4 8 d3 tl:Ja6 9 tl:Jbd2 ttlxc5 10
lllb3 t!Je6 11 g3 tl:Je7 12 ilg2 0-0
13 0-0 tl:Jc6. In fact there was no
real resistance. As soon as the hy-
per rnodem ideas were introduced
and seen to work they won rapid
general acceptance. The polemic
campaign conducted by the victori-
ous hyper 111odems, themselves now
in control of the chess media, was
directed against a mc)nster that had,
in fact. only been rampant before
the First War. Che.~s Praxi.<; was
published in 1928 and contains a
chapter titled: 'The triumph (or
victory march) of the ugly and bi-
zarre moves'. This is a sarcastic
reference to something Tarrasch
wrote in 1911 about Nimzowit<;ch 's
118 Di.~aste1 and Recover.': !:,'efelted
game with Capablanca from San
Sebastian which commenced (Nim-
zowitsch: White) 1 e4 e6 2 d3,
whereupon the good Doctor wrote:
'Nimzowitsch is one of the most
talented of the youngest generation
of masters and he is possessed of a
pronounced personal style. Only,
he does have a penchant for pecu-
liar, bizarre, indeed ugly moves in
the opening, with which he does
certainly succeed now and again
[as for example versus Teichmann],
but which here bring about his de-
feat in the face of quite simple
methods of counterplay from the
opponent.' (My System, game 40.)
Note how the words 'ugly' and
'bizarre' still hurt after an interval
of seventeen years. Nimzowitsch,
now in a position of strength apro-
pos the media, seems to be exacting
his revenge.
He specifically denies this in
Chess Praxis: 'But we do not wish
to 'square accounts', the fo1111alistic
school of pseudo-classicism is dead
and you cannot beat a dead man. If
in the following pages we record a
few value judgements from that
time the object is not to 'square
accounts' but is purely one of tech-
nical interest.'
But is this really so? Elsewhere I
quote at length from Nimzo-
witsch 's booklet: 'How I became a
Grandmaster' (1929) and there
Nimzowitsch, in his treatment ot
Tarrasch, certainly looks as if he
wishes to 'square accounts' with an
enemy whose position had previ-
ously been too well entrenched to
suffer much damage in the Dogma
Wars.
In My System Nimzowitsch ad-
mits that the foe had been defeated
Game~ 192()-/924
for some time - the following con-
cerns a game he played in 1911:
'The old dogmas, such as the ossi-
fied teaching on the centre, the
worship of the open game, and in
general the whole formalistic con-
ception of the game, who bothers
himself today about these? The
new ideas, however, those sup-
posed byways not to be recom-
mended to the public, these are
become today highways, on which
great and small move freely in the
consciousness of absolute security.'
The security was so great, in
fact, that virtually no attention was
devoted in the 1920s to the overtly
'classical' responses (I mean, of
course, the Four Pawns Attack and
the Exchange variation) to those
typically hypermodem defences:
the Alekhine and the Griinfeld.
1 ... d5
2 b3 tllf6
3 1'.b2 c5
4 e3
The first example in this book of
the Nimzowitsch Attack, which is
characterised by the fianchetto of
the queen's bishop, but not neces-
sari Iy of the king's bishop. In the
further course of play White in-
tends to conduct a dark-square
campaign along the al-h8 diagonal
employing the square e5 as a strong
point in the attack. This play
against a central square (e5) is one
feature that distinguishes the Nim-
zowitsch Attack from Reti's
Opening, where White fianchettoes
both bishops and then operates
specifically against the black pawn
centre, as in one of Reti's inaugural
games with this system, also from
Carlsbad 1923: (Black: Rubinstein)
1 lllf3 d5 2 g3 lllf6 3 1'.g2 g6 4 c4
 E.stabli~hed
d4 5 d3 .1'..g7 6 b4 and Black's
pawn wedge in the centre was un-
der 111ined from the flanks. The
Carlsbad tournament took place
from late April to mid-May 1923,
and Reti had actually played his
first international game with his
new system a few weeks earlier at
Margate (4 April 1923) versus
Griinfeld. But Nimzowitsch had got
there first! At Copenhagen (3-14
March 1923) Nimzowitsch opened
as follows against Spielmann: 1
tl'if3 tt:\f6 2 b3 d5 3 .1'..b2 e6 4 g3
.1'..d6 5 .1'..g2 tl'ibd7 6 c4 c6 7 0-0
0-0 and the game ended in a draw
after 34 moves. Even in 1910 Nim-
zowitsch was experimenting with
double fianchetto systems that were
reminiscent of Staunton' s games
sixty years previously, e.g. Ham-
burg 1910, as White versus
Schlechter: 1 c4 e5 2 g3 ll:if6 3
.1'..g2 .1'..e7 4 ll:ic3 0-0 5 tl'if3 ll:ic6 6
0-0 d6 7 b3 .l:te8 8 .1'..b2 .1'..d7 9 d4
exd4 10 tl'ixd4 .1'..f8 11 e3.
4 ... tl'ic6? !
Dubious. White can masquerade
as Black quite happily in the
opening, but when Black pretends
to be White he is inviting difficul-
ties. Black should have avoided the
Ma.ster: Selected Game.s 1907-1914 119
coming pin with a more circum-
spect course such as 4 ... e6.
S i..bS .1'..d7
6 0-0 e6
7 d3
Much stronger than 7 d4 which
would run counter to White's
whole strategy by blocking the
diagonal of the queen's bishop.
7 .1'..e7
8 ll:ibd2 0-0
9 i..xc6
A typically Nimzowitschian vol-
untary exchange of bishop for
knight. Here it serves to emphasise
White's control of the e5 square -
with his pieces!
9 ... .1'..xc6
10 ll:ieS tl'id7
11 ll:idf3
One would have expected the
automatic infliction of a doubled-
pawn complex ( 11 ll:ixc6) from the
later Nimzowitsch, but in this rela-
tively early game he was more
concerned with maintaining his
grip on e5.
11 .l:tc8
12 ll:ixeS
Enhancing White's hold over e5,
but after the challenge 12 ... f6 13
ll:ixc6 .l:txc6 both 14 c4 and 14 e4
leave White with the better game.
13 ll:ixeS .1'..e8
An artificial move animated by a
desire (which only persists for a
further nine moves) to preserve his
bishop pair.
14 W'g4
With the horrible threat of 15
ll:ic6, breaking down in drastic
fashion Black's entire lines of re-
sistance along the al-h8 diagonal.
Black is now obliged to renounce
any plans he may have harboured
of dispossessing White's knight of
120 Disaster and Recoverv: Selected

(lame.~ 1920-1924

its advanced station on e5. The 19 'it>h2

alternative to the course chosen In anticipation of his 21st move.
(which abandons the square for- 19 ... .:c7
ever) was 14 ... ~f6 15 f4, but this 20 :i.f2 ~e8
too looks unpromising for Black. 21 :i.gl! dxc4
14 ... f5 Given that Black ought to un-
At least this has the merit of dertake some positive action this is
driving White's queen from its not a bad idea, although it cedes
menacing position. White a central pawn majority.
However, after ...
22 bxc4!

15 'We2 ~f6
16 c4
A good move which serves the ... establishing the above-
dual purpose of restraining any mentioned majority, it was impera-
advance of Black's queenside tive to play 22 ... b5! with some
pawns (e.g. by ... b7-b5 and ... c5- counter-chances. So far Nim-
c4) and of putting pressure on zowitsch has provided us with an
Black's centre. exemplary taming of the hostile
16 ... 'We7 bishop pair, but now Black spoils
17 f4 the demonstration by surrendering
Conquering the e5 square per- one of his bishops quite gratui-
manently. tously. Perhaps he was pinning his
17 ~f7? faith in the drawing potential of
Hereabouts Black wastes valu- opposite-coloured bishop situa-
able time. Now, or on move 22, it tions, but all he succeeds in doing
was essential to organise counter- is ceding his opponent lifelong
play by means of ... b7-b5! hegemony over the dark squares -
18 h3 a free gift of thirty-two squares.
This innocent looking pawn The prelate which now arrives at e5
move is in fact the prelude to a radiates power in all directions and
vicious onslaught against the black is worth at least a rook.
king. 22 ... ~xe5?
18 l:tfd8 The decisive error .
 E.1tablished Ma~ter: Selected Gan1es 1907-1914 121

23 ~xeS .l:tcd7 34 'it'g2 h6

24 g4 rxg4 3S l:i.g3 ~h7
Or 24 ... .l:txd3 25 gxf5 with victo- 36 dS!
rious threats against the g7-square. The long awaited penetration
Note that this variation is a logical, into enemy territory.
if exaggerated, continuation ot the 36 .l:tf7
dark-square campaign introduced 37 d6
by White's second move.
2S 'it'xg4 ~g6

.--~ ~,,,,.--~, /..,---....., ~~

9:: ~ 'I

~ ' ; &fi
~//////, ~r.;fi-~ ~~~~w
/ ~ w ,,;'&'~

With a neat threat exemplifying

my note to move 26: 38 .ll.xg7+
26 d4 .l:txg7 39 'it'xg7+ 'it'xg7 40 ~xg7
Eliminating the last weakness in ~xg7 41 d7. ln order to forestall
the white camp (pawn d3) and an- this Black is obliged to inflict on
nouncing the triumphal advance of himself a further weakening of his
the central pawn majority. The dark squares.
reader might care to compare the 37 g6
winning process in this game (dark- 38 cS 'it'c8
square assault against g7 coupled 39 l:c3
with diversionary advance of cen- White's control of space has
tral pawns) with that of the game reached alarming proportions. He
Spielmann-Nimzowitsch, San Se- now intends a breakthrough based
bastian 1911, (light-square assault on c5-c6 which Black must pre-
against g2 in conjunction with di- vent, even at the price of more
versionary advance of passed a- wounds in his position.
pawn). 39 .. 'it'c6
26 cxd4 Bitter necessity. The newly cre-
27 exd4 ~rs ated c-pawn is born into a world of
28 'it'hS ~g6 tears and misery.
29 'it'e2 l:i.f8 40 'it'xc6 bxc6
30 l:i.gS .ti.rs 41 h4
31 l:i.rg2 l:i.xgS Black cannot seize the open file:
32 l:i.xgS 'it'f8 41 ... .ll.b7 42 .ll.b3! and if Black ex-
33 'it'g4 ~rs changes on b3 the d-pawn pro-
122 Disaster and Recovery: Selected Game~ 1920-1924

motes at the double. lowing extract from a rather old-

41 'iirg8 fashioned opening, Dubois-Stci-
42 l:tb3 nitz, London 1862: 1 e4 e5 2 tllf3
The ending is easily won. lbc6 3 11.c4 11.c5 4 0-0? ! lLif6 5 d3
Black's half of the opposite d6 6 11.g5?! h6! 7 11.h4 g5 8 11.g3
bishop's 'drawing mechanism' h5 9 h4 11.g4 with a virulent attack
(11.f5) is locked out of play and against White's king, since 10 hxg5
quite useless. allows 10 ... h4 11 11.h2 lbh7+.
42 l:td7 In this game Nimzowitsch rein-
43 l:tb8+ ~f7 terprets this particular Steinitzian
44 l:tc8 11.e4 concept in the light of contempo-
45 <t>g3 h5 rary opening theory.
46 ~fl 11.d5 1 e4 c6
47 <t>e3 11.g2 2 d4 d5
48 <t>d4 11.f3 3 exd5 cxd5
49 11.h8 e5+ 4 c3 lbc6
If Black 'passes' White has an 5 11.f4?! 11.f5!
atbactive winning method in At that time an innovation. In
49 ... 11.d5 50 ~e5 11.f3 51 11.g7! fact, Nimzowitsch 's fifth move is
<t>xg7 52 l:tc7 or 5 l ... 11.d5 52 11.h6 so strong that no one plays 5 11.f4
and then 53 l:tf8. A triumph for the any more. The point is that White
dark squares. now has no good square for his
50 <t>xe5 11.dS king's bishop since .lid3 allows the
51 ~f6 11.f3 exchange of light-squared bishops.
52 11.g5 <t>g7 Such an exchange would react to
53 rs 11.g4 Black's advantage in view of the
Or 53 ... gxf5 54 nc7! pawn structure - White's centre
54 f6+ <t>h7 pawns are fixed on dark squares
55 l:txc6 1-0 impeding his bishop; Black's are
In this game Nimzowitsch ap- on light squares. Thus White's light
pears as a wizard with supernatural squares in the centre could become
influence over the dark squares weak, inviting Black to seize the
which obey his every whim and potential outposts on c4 or e4.
fancy. I find it quite amazing that Now we are wiser and we play 5
he should not have chosen this fine 11.d3, as in the game Fischer-
game to include in his own pub- Petrosian, World versus USSR
lished collection. match, Belgrade 1970: 5 ... lLif6 6
11.f4 (only now) 6 ... 11.g4 7 ~3
Spielmann-Nimzowitsch lba5 8 'ii'a4+ .lid7 9 'ii'c2 e6 10
Carlsbad 1923 lbf3 ~6 11 a4! l:l.c8 12 lbbd2
Caro-Kann Defence lbc6 13 ~l! lLih5 14 11.e3 h6 15
tlle5 a demonstration of the con-
In his games and writings tinued vitality of the Exchange
Steinitz taught that, with the centre Caro-Kann, although Petrosian 's
closed, it was possible to launch an response was rather feeble.
attack on the wings, as in the fol- 6 ll'if3 e6
 E.1tahli.1hed Ma.1ter: Selel'ted (;t1me.1 1907-1914 123

7 'ii'b3 'ii'd7 Threat: 13 ... g4.

8 lllbd2 f6 13 lllel
Very good. Black protects the e5 A truly ghastly move to have to
square and prepares the advance of make.
his kingside pawns. That this ad- 13 g4
vance occurs with the speed and 14 'ii'dl it.xd2
force of a mechanised 'Blitzkrieg' Wins a pawn.
stems from Black's unassailable 15 xd2 gxh3
central position, and White's next 16 llld3 b6
move. 17 .:tfel h4
9 it.el? 18 it.h2 'lt>ti!
Nimzowitsch recommended Here Black avoids a trap:
central activity with 9 c4! which 18 ... 0-0-0? l 9 lllc5! and 20 it.a6+.
would have deterred Black from 19 g4 hxg3
the ambitious course he now 20 it.xg3 h2+
adopts. That way lay equality. 21 'it>g2 it.e4+
9 ... g5 Nimzowitsch was later to rec-
10 it.g3 h5 ommend 2 l ... e5 ! 22 dxe5 it.e4+ 23
11 h3 lllge7 f3 l:.ag8 as stronger. The move
12 0-0? played, however, seems quite suffi-
Castling into the attack is an er- cient.
ror reminiscent of Dubois' in the 22 it.f3
Steinitz game (4 0-0?!). 12 c4! More tenacious is 22 f3.
would have succeeded in restricting 22 ... lllf5
Black's advantage to one of the 23 it.xe4 dxe4
purely positional variety, e.g. 24 lllf4
12 ... dxc4 13 it.xc4 llld5 'with a Or 24 l:txe4 'i'd5!
fortified central knight?' (Nim- 24 .. e5
zowitsch). After the text, on the 25 llle2 lllh4+
other hand, White is crushed by the 26 it.xh4 g4+
simplest of means. and mates, e.g. 27 ll'lg3 'i'f3+ 28
12 .. it.h6 '.t>h3 l:txh4+ 29 'it>xh4 .l:!.h8+.
A powerful game by our hero,
but we must remember that the
poor wreck of a master conducting
the white pieces did not represent
the real Spielmann. Carlsbad 1923,
was, for Spielmann, the disastrous
equivalent of Gothenburg 1920, in
Nimzowitsch's career. For a mag-
nificent clash between these two
great players, then both at the peak
of their powers, I recommend their
game from Carlsbad 1929.
124 Di.1a.~ter and R1'cr1ve0: -~'elelted G(1me.1 1920-1924

Nimzowitsch-Tartakower 6 f4
Carlsbad 1923 The first step towards the crea-
Nimzowitsch Attack tion of an outpost at e5 (tt:'ibl-a3-
c4-e5) which cannot be driven
1 tl::if3 f5 away by ... d7-d6 in view of the
2 b3 b6 weakness of the e-pawn on the
3 ~b2 ~b7 open file. With his 6th mc)ve White
4 g3 ~xf3?! also prepares to unleash his Icing's
An interesting and original idea. bishop along the hl-a8 diagonal,
It looks stupid to surrender the and this is the harbinger of the
powerful queen's bishop in this light-square counter-attack men-
fashion, but the move does have a tioned in the previous note.
sound positional basis in that: 6 .. tl::if6
l) The mobility of White's cen- 7 ~g2 c6
tral pawns decreases after the re- 8 0-0 ~e7
capture with his e-pawn, and 9 'ii'e2 0-0
2) Black hopes to shut White's 10 tl::ia3 a5
bishop pair out of the game by es- There is no other way of devel-
tablishing a vast blockade of light- oping the queen's knight in as
squared pawns. much as 10... b5 fails to 11 tl::ixb5.
However, in this case the plan 11 tl::ic4 a4
fails, partly because Black never 12 ~d4 b5
succeeds in overcoming the weak- 13 tlie5
ening of his pawn chain created hy
his first move ( l ... f5) and partly
because White's development is
efficient enough to pet 111it him a
counter-attack on the very light
squares Black hoped to control. So
4 ... ~xf3 gets no applause, but that
does not mean that the whole idea
must be abandoned. Many players
since 1923 have felt the attraction
of such apparently anti-positional
moves as ... ~xf3, and it is only by
constant experimentation with
these ostensibly outlandish possi-
bilities that the genuinely workable Both sides have achieved pretty
methods can be elaborated, e.g. much what they wanted: Black has
Larsen-M. Colon, San Juan 1969: 1 manufactured his light-square
b3 b6 2 ~b2 ~b7 3 f4 f5 4 e3 tl::if6 blockade while White has estab-
5 ~xf6 exf6 6 tl::if3 ~e7 7 tl::ic3 g6 lished an outpost at e5 (Nim-
8 h3 ~b4 9 tl::ib5 a6 10 tl::ibd4 tl::ic6 zowitsch insisted in his own notes
11 tl::ixc6 ~xc6 12 ~d3 'ii'e7 13 that this was an outpost on the al-
'ii'e2 a5 14 g4;l::. h8 diagonal rather than an outpost
5 exf3 e6 on the e-file). However, Black's
 t:.1tahlished Ma.1t'1: Sel'l'fe(/ (;<1me.1 J9() 7-1914 12.'i
next move seems wrong, since it
only serves to encourage phase two
of White's strategy - the light-
square counter-attack.
13 ... 4Jd5?!
13 ... t2Ja6 is more sensible, when
Nimzowitsch intended 14 .:t.fe 1,
confidently increasing the pressure,
rather than 14 ll\xc6, obtaining
several pawns for a piece.
14 c4 bxc4
15 bxc4 lL:ib4
'In the understandable desire to
take advantage of the knight's short
sojourn in a central position (d5),
according to the motto - 'via the
centre into enemy land'. The
scheme, however, proves disas-
trous. But with passive play
( 15 ... lL:ic7) an ultimate break-
through by d2-d4-d5 would have
been decisive' (Nimzowitsch).
16 .ltc3 a3
If 16 ... lL:i8a6 17 a3 traps a
knight. The text precludes this un-
pleasant possibility.
17 d4 lLi8a6
18 l:.abl l:.b8
19 c5!
Tactical circumstances some-
times require that strategic plans
should be modified. White aban-
dons his light-square campaign
(which consisted in playing d4-d5)
and even gives away an attractive
central light square (d5) because he
has seen that he can win Black's
knight by severing it<> lines of
communication!
19 . .ltf6
20 l:.b3 .ltxe5
21 fxe5
White's knight had to be elimi-
nated for otherwise Black's queen
could not have come to the aid of
her far-flung knight.
21 'iVa5
Black's pieces are drawn to the
place of their ruin as if by the
cha1111 of a powerful lodestone, but
Black had no alternative to the text
if he wished to save his a-pawn.
22 :tfbl
The frontal pin.
22 .:t.b7
23 '*d2
The diagonal pin.
23 :fb8
24 .ltfl
It is surprising that Black has
any moves at all, but Tartakower
finds a sly way to play on.
24 .. '*c7!
25 .txb4
The most clear-cut. White ends
up with two rooks, a bishop and
some attack for the queen.
25 ...lL:ixb4 26 nxb4 '*a5 27 .:txb7
'*xd2 28 l:.xb8+ 'it>t7 29 .tc4
'*xd4 30 .ltb3 '*xc5 31 .:t.b7 '*xe5
32 nxd7+ 'iii>f6 33 l:tbdl c5 34
l:t7d6 '*c3 35 l:txe6+ ~g5 36 ne3
'*b4 37 l:cl f4 38 l:l.e5+ ~h6 39
l:l.exc5 and White delivered mate
after 39 ... fxg3 40 hxg3 g6 41 .:t.Ic4
'*el+ 42 'it>g2 g5 43 l:l.c6+ 'it>g7 44
:.c7+ 'it>f6 45 l:l.4c6+ 'it>f5 46 nn+
~g4 47 f3+ ~h5 48 .:xh7 mate
9 World Championship Candidate:
Selected Games 1925-1928

Marienbad, 21 May - 8 June, 1925

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 I 2 3 4 5 6
1 Rubinstein * 0 I/2 l/2 I/2 I 1 l/1 I 0 I 1 I 1 I I 11
2 Nimzowit.-;ch I * 0 l/2 1 l/2 I/2 I l/2 I 1 I/2 1 1 1 I/2 11
3 Marshall l/2 1 * l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 I I l/2 l/2 1 l/2 l/2 I 10
4 Torre l/2 l/2 l/2 * 1 l/2 0 1 1 1 l/2 1 l/2 l/2 I/2 1 10
5 Reti l/2 0 l/2 0 * 0 I 0 I/2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 1/2
6 Tartakower 0 l/2 I/2 1/1 1
* 0 1 1 l/2 l/2 I/2 1/2 1 1 1 9 1/2
7 Spielmann 0 l/2 1 0 1
l/2 * 0 l/2 I/2 l/2 0 1 I 1 I 8 1/2
8 Griinfeld l/2 0 1/2 0 1 0 1 * I l/2 l/2 I/2 l/1 l/2 l/2 1 8
9 Yates 0 1/2 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 0 * I l/2 1 l/2 l/2 1 1 7
10 Opocensky 1 0 0 0 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 * l/2 0 l/2 l 1 1 6 1/2
11 Thomas 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 * 0 1 1/2 1 0 6
12 Przepiorka 0 l/2 I/2 0 0 l/2 1 l/2 0 1 1 * 1 0 0 0 6
13 Janowski 0 0 0 l/2 0 1/2 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 0 * I 1 I 5 1/2
14 Samisch 0 0 I/2 l/2 0 0 0 l/2 1/2 0 l/2 I 0 * 1 1 5 1/2
15 Michell 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0 1 0 0 * I 3 112
16 Haida 0 I/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 1 0 0 0 * 2 112

Breslau, 19 July - 1 August, 1925

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JO 11 12
1 Bogoljubow * I l/2 0 I 1 1 l 1 1 1 1 9 1/2
2 Nimzowitsch 0 * l/2 l/2 l/2 0 I I 1 1 I 1 7 1/2
3 Rubinstein I/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 I l/2 1 0 l/2 1 I 7
4 Wagner I l/2 l/2 * 1 l/2 0 0 I l/2 I I 7
S Griinfeld 0 l/2 l/2 0 * l/2 l/2 l/2 I l/2 1 I 6
6 Reti 0 1 0 l/2 l/2 * 1 0 1 I/2 l/2 I 6
7 Becker 0 0 l/2 I l/2 0 * l/2 1 I I l/2 6
8 Samisch 0 0 0 1 1/2 I l/2 * 0 l/2 l/2 1 s
9 von Gottschall 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 I * 1 0 I 4
10 Tarrasch 0 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 l/2 0 * 0 I 3 1/2
11 Bliimich 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 I I * 0 3
12 Moritz 0 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 0 0 0 1 * l l/2
 World Champion.ship Candidate: .'>elected Game!> 1925-1928 127

Semmering, 7-29 March, 1926

123456789012345678
1 Spielmann * 1/2 1 1 1 0 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1 13
2 Alekhine 1/2 * 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 0 1 1 1 1 12 1/2
3 Vidmar 0 1 * 1 1 1/2 0 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1 l/2 1 l/2 1/2 12
4 Nimzowitsch 0 1 0 * 1/2 I 1/2 1 0 1 1/2 1 1 I 1/2 1/2 1 I 11 1/2
5 Tartakower 0 0 0 1/2 * 1/2 1 0 I 1 1 1 1/2 I I I 1 1 11 1/2
6 Rubinstein I 0 1/2 0 1/2 * 1/2 1 I 0 1/2 0 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 I 10
7 Tarrasch 1/2 0 I 1/2 0 1/2 * 1 0 0 0 I 1/2 I I I I 1 10
8 Reti 1/2 0 0 0 1 0 0 * 1 1 1 0 1/2 1 I 1/2 1 1 9 1/2
9 Griinfeld 0 0 1/2 I 0 0 1 0 * 0 1/2 1/2 l 1 I I 1/2 l 9
10 Janowski 0 l/20 0 0 I 1 0 1 * 1/20 1/20 1 I 1 1 8 1/2
11 Treybal 0 0 0 1/20 1/2 l 0 1/2 1/2* I 1 1 0 1 1/2 1/2 8
12 Vajda 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 1 0 1 1/2 I 0 * 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 7 1/2
13 Yates 0 0 0 0 1/20 1/2 1/20 1/20 1* 1/2 1/21 1 1 7
14 Gilg 1/2 1 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 0 1 0 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 0 1/2 1 6
15 Kmoch 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 * 1 1/2 I 6
16 Davidson 1/20 0 1/20 1/20 1/20 0 0 1/20 1 0 * 1 1 5 1/2
17 Michell 1/20 1/20 0 0 0 0 1/20 1/2 1/20 1/2 1/20 * 1 4 1/2
18 Rosselli 0 0 l/20 0 0 0 0 0 0 1/20 0 0 0 0 0 * 1

DRESDEN, 4-14 April, 1926

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JO
1 Nimzowitsch * 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 8 1/2
2 Alekhine l/2 * I I l/2 l/2 1 1/2 1 1 7
3 Rubinstein 0 0 * 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1/2
4 Tartakower 0 0 1/2 * 1/2 1 l/2 l/2 1 1 5
5 von Holzhausen 0 l/2 0 1/2 * 0 1 1 0 1 4
6 P.Johner 0 1/2 0 0 1 * 1 0 0 1 3 1/2
7 Samisch 0 0 0 l/2 0 0 * 1 1/2 1 3
8 Yates 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 1 0 * 1 0 3
9 Bliimich 0 0 0 0 1 1 1/2 0 * 0 2 1/2
10 L. Steiner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 * 2

HANOVER 1926

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Nimzowitsch * l/2 1 1 I I 1 1 6 1/2
2 Rubinstein 1/2 * 1 1 l/2 1 1 1 6
3 von Holzhausen 0 0 * 1 1/2 1 1 l/2 4
4 Mieses 0 0 0 * l/2 1 1 l/2 3
5 Samisch 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 * 0 1 l/2 3
6 Antze 0 0 0 0 1 * l/2 1 2 1/2
7 von Gottschall 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 * 1 J l/2
8 Duhm 0 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 0 * } l/2
128 World C'hampion~hip Candidate: ~'elected Game.Y !92.5-192R

New York, Tournament, 19 February - 25 March, 1927

I 2 3 4 5 6
I Capablanca **** 11/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/21 1/2 1/2 1/21 1/2 1/2 1/21 1/2 11 1/2 l 14
2 Alekhine 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 **** 1/201 1/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 \ l/2 l/2 I 1/21 1/2\ 11 1/2
3 Nimzowitsch 0 1/20 1/2 1/210 1/2 **** 100 1/2 11 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/21 10 1/2
4 Vidmar 1/2 1/20 1/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 l J l/2 **** 1/2 !/2 1/2 1/2 1/201 1/2 10
5 Spielmann l/2!/201/2 0 1/2 1/20 ()()l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 **** l/2 l/2) l/2 8
6 Marshall 00 1/20 1/20 1/20 0 1/2 1/20 1/210 1/2 1/2 1/20 1/2 **** 6

LONDON, 18-30 July, 1927

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JO 11 12
1 Nimzowitsch * 1 0 l/2 1 l/2 0 1 I I 1 1 8
2 Tartakower 0 * l/2 1/2 1 I 1 1/2 l/2 I 1 1 8
3 Marshall 1 l/2 * 1/2 l/2 1/2 l/2 I I I l/2 1/2 7 1/2
4 Vidmar 1/2 1/2 1/2 * I 0 0 I I l/2 I 1 7
5 Bogoljubow 0 0 1/2 0 * 1 1 l/2 1/2 1 1 1 6 1/2
6 Reti l/2 0 1/2 I 0 * I 1/2 I 0 l/2 l/2 5 1/2
7 Winter I 0 1/2 I 0 0 * l/2 I I 1/2 0 5 1/2
8 Colle 0 l/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 l/2 * 1/2 0 I 1 4 1/2
9 Buerger 0 l/2 0 0 l/2 0 0 l/2 * 1 0 I 3 1/2
10 Thomas 0 0 0 l/2 0 l 0 I 0 * 1 0 3 1/2
11 Yates 0 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 l 0 * I 3 1/2
12 Fairhurst 0 0 l/2 0 0 l/2 l 0 0 I 0 * 3

BAD NIENDORF 1927

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
l Nimzowitsch * 1/2 l/2 1 1/2 I I I 5 1/2
2 Tartakower l/2 * l/2 l 1/2 1 1 l 5 112
3 Colle l/2 l/2 * l/2 I/2 1/2 l/2 l 4
4 Ahues 0 0 1/2 * 1/2 l/2 1 l 3 112
5 Kostic 1/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 * 0 l 1/2 3 1/2
6 Brinckmann 0 0 1/2 l/2 I * 0 l 3
7 Kmoch 0 0 l/2 0 0 l * 1/2 2
8 Steiner 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 l/2 * 1

LONDON, Imperial Chess Club, 10-24 October, 1927

I 2 3 4 5 6
I Nimzowitsch ** } l/2 } l/2 11 1/2 l 1I 8 1/2
2 Yates 1/20 ** I/2 l/2 10 II II 6 1/2
3 Winter 0 1/2 I/2 1/2 ** 10 11 01 5112
4 Buerger 00 01 01 ** 11/2 II 5 1/2
5 Goldstein 1/20 00 00 OI/2 ** } l/2 2 1/2
6 Morrison 00 00 10 00 01/2 ** 11/2
 World ('hampionship Candidate: S'elected Game.1 1925-1928 129

Berlin, Berliner Schachgesellschaft, February 1928

I 3 4
2 5 6 7 8 9 0 I 2 3 4
1 Nimzowitsch * I/2 l/2 l/2 1 1 1/2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 10
2 Bogoljubow l/2 * l/2 I 1 1 I 0 1 l/2 l/2 l/2 1 I 9 1/2
3 Tartakower l/2 I/2 * 1 1 l/2
1 0 I/2 I/2 1 l/2 I/2 l/2 8
4 P.Johner 1/2 0 0 * '/2 1/2 1
1/2
1 1 1 1 l/2 0 7 1/2
5 Helling 0 0 0 l/2 * I 0 1 l/2 1 1 0 1 1 7
6 Brinckmann 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 * 1 l/2 l/2 l/2 1 I l/2 l/2 6 1/2
7 Re ti '/2 0 0 1/2 1 0 * 0 l/2 1 1/2 1 1 l/2 6 1/2
8 L. Steiner 1 1 1 0 0 I/2 I * I/2 I/2 0 0 l/2 l/2 6 1/2
9 Ahues 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 1 l/2 1 6
10 Siimisch 0 l/2 1/2 0 0 l/2 0 l/2 I/2 * I/2 1 I 1 6
11 Leonhardt 0 I/2 0 0 0 0 l/2 1 l/2 l/2 * 0 1 '/2 4 1/2
12 Schlage 0 l/2 l/2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 * 0 l/2 4 1/2
13 Stoltz 0 0 I/2 1/2 0 l/2 0 1/2 1/2 0 0 1 * 1 4 1/2
14 Koch 0 0 '!2 1 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 0 I/2 I/2 0 * 4

BERLIN, 'Tageblatt' Tournament, 11-25 October, 1928

I 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Capablanca ** 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l/2 l/2 l l/2 11 11 8 1/2
2 Nimzowitsch l/2l/2 ** 1/20 1/2 1/2 01 11 l l/2 7
3 Spielmann l/2 l/2 1/21 ** 1/20 11 1/20 l/2l/2 6 1/2
4 Tartakower 1/2 1/2 l/2 l/2 1/2 l ** 00 1/20 l l/2 5 1/2
5 Rubinstein OI/2 10 00 11 ** 01 01/2 5
6 Reti 00 00 1/2 l 1/2 l 10 ** l/2 l/2 5
7 Marshall 00 OI/2 I/2 l/2 OI/2 11/2 /2 1/2
1
** 4 1/2

Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch 4 .ltg2 .ltb7

Marienbad 1925 5 dxc5
Queen's Indian Defence This capture away from the cen-
tre has been criticised, but possibly
1 d4 lllf6 unfairly, since it does, at least,
2 lllf3 b6 grant White some influence over
3 g3 c5 the centre in the shape of d5. Any-
The Marienbad variation, em- way, the alternatives are hardly
ployed for the first time in this enticing, e.g. 5 0-0 cxd4 6 lllxd4
game. Black takes advantage of .ltxg2 7 'it>xg2 g6 8 c4 .ltg7 9 tllc3
White's omission of c2-c4 to strike 1i'c8 10 b3 1i'b7+ and Black will
at the centre in a manner not nor- play I l ... d5 with complete equal-
mally available in the Queen's In- ity.
dian. If White were to react with 4 5 ... bxc5
d5 there would follow 4 ... .ltb7 5 c4 6 c4 g6
b5 unde1111ining White's central A most powerful deployment of

pos1t1on. the king's bishop which is not usu-
130 World Championship Candidate: Selected Game.~ 1925-1928
ally open to Black in this defence.
7 b3 !JL.g7
8 iL.b2 0-0
9 0-0 lllc6
Black's strategy revolves around
the advance ... a7-a5-a4, exploiting
the slight exposure of White's b-
pawn on the open b-file. The
method chosen by Nimzowitsch to
achieve this advance is typically
complex. In a game Monticelli-
Capablanca, played four years later
at Barcelona, the great Cuban
brought about the desired thrust in
his own characteristically lucid
fashion, in other words: poles apart
from the manner devised by Nim-
zowitsch: 9 ... d6 10 lllc3 llle4 11
'W'cl lllxc3 12 !1L.xc3 !1L.xc3 13
'W'xc3 a5 14 l:tfdl llld7 15 'W'e3
'it>g7 16 h3 tiJf6 17 g4?! h6 18 lllel
'W'c7 19 llld3 !1L.xg2 20 ~xg2 a4 21
lllf4 llfb8 and Black was well on
top.
In the Ge1111an edition of My
System Nimzowitsch provided a
long explanatory note to his choice:
9 ... lllc6 which, incidentally, grants
us an insight into the mechanism of
the ambush.
Strangely, this note failed to ap-
pear in its entirety in the English
translation, so I will take this op-
portunity to rectify the omission.
'A no1111al move which, how-
ever, has a deeper meaning: one
would rather have expected 9 ... d6
followed by ... a7-a5, ... lllb8-d7-b6
and ... a5-a4. However desirable it
may be to dispose of the isolated a-
pawn in this fashion it is still by no
means advisable to announce this
desire in too direct a fashion. Pre-
cisely in this, in my opinion, re-
sides the chief fallacy of the
pseudo-classical brand of strategy;
I mean that the representatives of
this school went to great pains to
carry out, let us say, a certain ad-
vance without bearing in mind:
l) That there is a thing known as
the metamorphosis of advantages,
that one advantage can be ex-
changed for another;
2) That in many cases the oppo-
nent will voluntarily renounce a
vital point of his own accord with-
out our exerting any force in the
matter at all.
'In our present case White will
naturally develop his queen's
knight on c3 to hold up ... a5-a4, but
will the knight occupy this square
for eternity? Of course not, since it
is striving it..<>elf to reach the square
d5, and if it were to go there the
possibility of ... a5-a4 would fall
into our lap like a ripe fruit. In any
case the knight is better placed at
c6 than at b6 for White is clearly
planning the configuration lllc3,
'W'c2, ~e4. Black therefore relies on
the counter-configuration tt:Jc6,
.!\d6, l!ie5, and ... lllc6-d4 thus shel-
tering his d-pawn behind the
knight .
10 lllc3 a5
11 'Wd2 d6
 World Champion.\hip Candidate: Selelted Game.s 192."i-1928 131
12 tLlel?
White wants to occupy the d5
square with a piece at all cost
(lLlel-c2-e3-d5), but this 'mano-
euvre consumes too much time,
and it is from this point that
White's difficulties commence. He
had to jump into d5 at once: 12
lLld5 ! tLlxd5 13 ilxg7 ~xg7 14
cxd5 with chances for both sides.
White has prospects of advancing
his central pawns and of creating
play along the al-h8 diagonal;
Black has counter-chances on the
queenside.
12 .. .d7
13 tLlc2 tLlb4!
14 tLle3 ilxg2
15 ~xg2?
This dogmatic refusal to reroute
his knight away from the d5 square
is probably the decisive error. Cer-
tainly White is quite lost after a
further eight moves, 15 tLlxg2 was
necessary for now White's king
wanders into the firing line.
15 . .b7+!
Acutely embarrassing for White.
If he replies 16 ~gl then 16 ... tLle4
17 lLlxe4 xe4 and White can no
longer hold up ... a5-a4 without
inflicting a serious wound on his
own position on the b-file (e.g. by
18 a4). The course actually chosen
by White permits Black to intro-
duce an annoying pin.
16 f3 ~h6
Nimzowitsch ironically de-
scribes this pin as 'ha11nless' but
his king's bishop ultimately wins
the game for him by picking off an
enemy knight.
17 tLlcdl
A cumbersome move, but how
else is White to break the force of
the pin? Black was threatening, for
example, to cause havoc with
... J:l:fd8 and ... d5-d4. The text aban-
dons of iL'ielf the protection of a4,
but it contains the serious counter-
threat ~xf6 and xd6, and if
Black were to move his king's
knight then c3 would come into
consideration for White.
17 ... a4
Seizing the opportunity to play
this thematic blow while he can.
Positionally it wreck.'> White's
queenside and White cannot as yet
play 18 ~xf6 exf6 19 xd6 in
view of 19 ... axb3 and the a2-pawn
is pinned.
18 bxa4 ~fe8!!
A brilliant combinative move
132 World C'hampi<Jn.~hip Candidate: Se/ected (lame.\ 192.'i-1928

and the key to the ambush.

l 8 ... l:lxa4? really would allow 19
~xf6 etc., and to retreat the king's
knight (in the interests of prevent-
ing ~xf6) would release all the
tension. With the text Black posi-
tively invites his opponent to play
~xf6, but if White does not agree
he stands positionally much worse.
Nimzowitsch wrote of this preven-
tive combination: 'This purely de-
fensive move (against the aforesaid
threat ~xf6 etc.) is the more sur-
prising, since, after the energetic
thrust at move 17, which had been Threatening 23 ... tt.Jd3+.
so eagerly awaited for so long, 23 <t>g2
anything but a defensive move was Meekly placing his head on the
to be expected. This amalgamation block. The only way to test Black's
of attack and defence stamps the idea was as follows, and only in
combination as a truly original this way do we see revealed the
one. ' full, profound beauty of Nim-
19 .txf6 zowitsch 's conception: 23 l:tb3 !
Walking straight into the am- l:le6 24 'ilt'f4 'ilt'e7 (threat ... ttlc2) 25
bush. Rubinstein does not believe <;t>g2 l:e8 26 a3! tt.Jc2! 27 tt.Jd5!
in the viability of Black's queer- l:xe2+ 28 'it>h l l:xh2+! ! 29 <;t>xh2
looking moves. 'i'e2+ and Black wins. If 27 lf:lxc2
19 . exf6 Black could resort to more simple
20 <t>fl methods with 27 ... l:xe2+ and
Threatening 21 f4, frustrating all 28 ... l:rxc2 threatening 29 ... 'ii'e2.
Black's plans. After the text move White loses
20 ... fS!! a piece and Black has but a few
The point, which White pre- technical problems to overcome
sumably overlooked when he so before gaining the full point.
avidly doubled Black's f-pawns on 23 . 1'.xe3
move 19. Black now has two 24 lLlxe3 l:l.xe3
threats against which White is 25 'ilt'xcS l:rxe2+
helpless: 26 l:tfl l:l.xfl+
a) 21 ... f4 22 gxf4 ~xf4 with a 27 'ii'xfl l:txa4
horrendous pin and 27 .. ."ike7 would also have won
b) ... ~h6-g7-d4 with equally without too many difficulties but
disastrous effect. the method chosen by Nimzowitsch

21 'ilt'xd6 1s more precise.
Releasing one pin and gaining a 28 a3
pawn. If 28 'i'b2 then simply 28 ... 'i'c8.
21 ~g7 28 ... l:l.xa3
22 l:tbl ~d4 29 'ilt'e2 lla8
 World Champion.1hip Candidate: Selected Game.1 1925-1928 133

30 c5 'it'a6 zowitsch 's handling of the opening.

31 'it'xa6 lLixa6 When Alekhine does actually at-
32 l:.al lLic7 tempt to free his position on the
33 l:.xa8+ lLixa8 kingside with ... t7-f6 it turns out to
Nimzowitsch stops here in My be an error.
System with the comment that 11 g4 f6?!
Black won. The concluding moves 12 exf6 gxf6
were: 34 <t>f2 <t>f8 35 <t>e3 ri;;e7 36 If 12 ... .txf6 13 lLig3 e5 14 f5
<t>d4 <t>e6 37 f4 f6 38 <t>c4 lLic7 0-1 with obvious advantage to White,
who has a mobile kingside pawn
Nimzowitsch-Alekhine majority and the superb e4 square
Semmering 1926 for his knight. So Black has little
Alekhine 's Defence choice but to loosen his king's de-
fences by recapturing with the
I would urge the reader to play pawn.
through this game from the Black 13 lLig3 ltJdS
side on at least one occasion. 14 'it'e2 !Ji...d6
15 lLih4
1 e4 lLif6 Threatening a complete block-
2 lLic3 ade of the black position with
Indirection already. Nim- 1lxd5 and lLif5.
zowitsch avoid<; the natural and 15 .. lLice7
good 2 e5. 16 !Ji...d2
2 d5 Instead of this Nimzowitsch later
3 e5 lLifd7 recommended the sharp 16 lLih5
4 f4 e6 4Jg6 17 !Ji...x.d5 followed by 18 ttlf5.
5 lLif3 16 .. 'it'c7
In the book of the tournament 17 'it'f2 c4!
Nimzowitsch drew attention to the 18 dxc4 lLie3!
weird possibility 5 'it'g4 lLic6 6 lLif3
lLib4 7 'itidl which he helpfully
assessed as unclear.
s cS
6 g3 lLic6
7 !Ji...g2 !Ji...e7
8 0-0 0-0
9 d3 lLib6
10 lLie2 d4
A complicated move, quite in
Alekhine's style. He plans to men-
ace the e3 square with a knight.
Alternatively, Black could have
obtained a free game with no
weaknes..<;es by means of I O... f6 11 Bringing the white attack to a
exf6 !Ji...xf6 12 c3 e5, which is standstill at the, very temporary,
hardly an advertisement for Nim- cost of a pawn.
134 World C'hampion.,hip Candidate: Selected Game.\ 1925-1928

19 j_xe3 In the interests C)f containing

Of course White cannot tolerate Black's passed pawn White is
the continued presence of the hos- obliged to indulge in some un-
tile knight in his camp. pleasant contortions. Black could
19 .. dxe3 have tried ... e3-e2!? on the previ-
20 .f3
The pawn is immune on account
ous move.
27 exf5

of ... j_c5. It is clear that White will 28 gxf5 j_e5
eventually surround the advanced 29 l:te 1 .td7
black e-pawn and swallow it, but Heading for a post on the c6-h I
even then Black will obtain tre- diagonal, along which White is
mendous compensation in the notably exposed, with no pawn
shape of bishop diagonals towards cover and a variety of poorly pro-
White's king. Incidentally, it is tected pieces which can be pinned
better to preserve the f-pawn with to his king. Alekhine now proceeds
the text move than to cover c4 with to gather momentum for the final
20 e2, allowing 20 ... j_xf4. combinative assault against
20 .. xc4 White's 'weakened position' and I
21 tt:le4 j_c7 strongly suspect that almost any
22 b3 .d4 other master but Nimzowitsch
23 c3 b6 would have succumbed to the on-
24 'it>hl tt:ld5? slaught which Alekhine unleashes.
30 l:txe3
Material consolation, at least,
but this also opens the b6-g I di-
agonal for Black's pieces.
30 .. j_c6
31 l:tael tlld5
With the benefit of hindsight we
can say that 3 l ... l:tad8 would have
been better, but with the text Alek-
hine is preparing what must have
seemed to him at the time a devas-
tating combinational blow.
32 l:td3
Black now had to play a con-
25 f5 solidating move, such as 32 ... llg8,
Missing a good opportunity in abandoning thoughts of immediate
25 g5! e.g. 25 ... f5 26 'jjb5! fxe4 27 victory. What he plays in the game
j_xe4 l:tf7 28 g6 and White wins looks like the kiss of death for
by direct attack, In view of this White, but Nimzowitsch 's play
Black would have done better with over the last few moves has been
the developing move 24 ... j_d7. expressly designed to parry this
25 . tt:lf4 most attractive of courses chosen
26 l:tfd 1 '1t>h8 by his opponent.
27 j_fl 32 ... tllxc3
 World Champion!:;hip C'andidate: Selelted Game~ 1925-1928 I 35

35 J:th3+ 'i!tg7
Or 35 ... l:th7 36 l:txh7+ 'it>xh7 37
'ii'xg6+ 'it>h8 38 'ii'h6+ 'it>g8 39
i.c4+ i.d5 40 l:tgl++-.
36 i.c4
Another quiet move, this time to
break the pin. If Black replies with
36 ... g5 there would follow the
beautiful variation: 3 7 l:th 7+ !
'it'xh7 38 'ii'h5+ <J;g7 39 'ii'xf7+
Wh8 40 'ii'h5+ 'it>g7 41 'ii'g6+ and
mates.
36 .lld5
37 fxg6 lt:Jxe4
Is this the end? If now 33 l:txc3 38 gxf7+ 'i!tf8
(which Alekhine surely expected)
there would follow 33 ... .llxc3 34
'ii'xc3 'ii't'2 and White can resign.
But White has a 'truly startling
counter-combination at his dis-
posal' (Nimzowitsch).
33 lt:Jg6+!!
Black falls victim to a grand
ambush. It looks almost as if this
combination had no 'right' to be in
the position at all, especially con-
sidering White's next amazing
move.
33 .. hxg6
34 'ii'g4! ! 39 l:txe4
A piece to the bad, and with a Quite sufficient, but a more fit-
large section of his army tied up by ting conclusion would have been
an embarrassing pin, White can still 39 'ii'g8+ 'i;e7 40 f8'ii'+ l:txf8 41
afford to play a quiet move and l:th7+ 'it>e8 42 'ii'xd5.
win. 34 fxg6 gets nowhere after 39 ... .llxe4+
34 ... r.t>g7 35 'ii'h3 l:th8. 40 'ii'xe4
34 .. l:tt7? Ironically White has recon-
White threatens mate with 35 quered the very central light
l:th3+ and Alekhine fails to adjust squares along which he seemed so
to the altered situation. Nim- threatened just a few moves back.
zowitsch suggested as a superior Black loses now because his own
defence: 34 ... J:tg8, e.g. 35 fxg6 king can find no shelter against
q;g7 36 l:td7+ .llxd7 37 'ii'xd7+ White's light-square attack!
~xg6 38 .lld3 '.th6 39 'ii'h3+ ~g7 40 .. 'it>e7
40 l:tgl+ 'ii'xgl+ and White's win 41 f8'ii'+
is a long way off. A queen sacrifice'?
136 World Champion.~hip Candidate: Selected Game.\ 192_5-1928

41 .. l:xf8 JO ... tt'ld7. Rubinstein, on the other

42 'ilt'd5 'ilt'd6 hand, is by no means inclined to
Losing a piece, but 42 .. .'ti'c6 part so lightly with the bishop pair.
(hoping for some sympathy from The position after 10 tt'le5 can be
the light-square diagonal which interpreted by White in two essen-
was once his dearest friend) would tially different ways:
be worse after 43 l:h7+ We8 44
.ltb5.
The game concluded: 43 'ilt'xb7+
~d8 44 l:td3 .ltd4 45 'ilt'e4 l:l.e8 46
l:txd4 1-0
Rarely can the mature Alekhine
have suffered such a crushing de-
feat!

Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein
Semmering 1926
Nimzowitsch Attack

1 tt'lf3 d5
2 b3 c5 l) The tt'le5 can be exchanged at
Such a move can hardly be cas- the first opportunity for a black
tigated as an error, but it does minor piece in order to de-obstruct
nothing to hinder White's intention the action of the queen's bishop
of playing .ltfl-b5xttlc6 which along the a l-h8 diagonal. White
enhances his control of the square will then exploit the mobility of his
e5. 2 ... tt'lf6 would have been more central pawns by mas.<>ing his
elastic. pieces in the centre and playing e3-
3 .ltb2 e4. This was the course favoured
Theory states that this move is by Nimzowitsch in his games from
doubtful after 3 ... f6, but in that Semmering 1926.
case, surely, White can continue: 4 2) White can play for a direct
e3 e5 5 .ltb5+ tt'lc6 6 0-0 .ltd6 7 c4 attack on Black's king by main-
with good chances. taining a piece on e5 and following
3 ... tt'lc6?! up with moves like 'ii'dl-g4-h5 and
3 ... tt'lf6 would have been less :.fl-f3-g3-h3. This was the method
demanding. subsequently favoured by Nimzo-
4 e3 tt'lf6 witsch and by no less than Bobby
5 .ltb5 .ltd7 Fischer!
6 0-0 e6 10 ~e8
7 d3 .lte7 Nimzowitsch (White) against
8 tt'lbd2 0-0 Rosselli del Turco, also from
9 .ltxc6 .ltxc6 Semmering, diverged from the
10 tt'le5 above with: 10 ... l:c8 11 f4 tt'le8 12
We have seen all this before, cf. e4 dxe4 13 dxe4 lt:lf6 14 1i'e2 'ilt'c7
page 116. Wolf here played 15 l:adl ll.fd8 16 a4 b6 17 f5 exf5
 World Champion.~hip Candidate: Selected Games 1925-1928 137
18 exf5 il.f8 19 tbg4 tbxg4 20
Wxg4 'it>h8 21 f6:!:: and 1-0 in 57.
11 f4 ltJd7
By transposition (the game actu-
ally commenced l b3) Nim-
zowitsch-Samisch, Carlsbad 1929,
continued: ll ... Wc7 12 .ti.f3 tbd7
13 l:tg3 g6 (13 ... f6? 14 Wg4!) 14
Wg4 il.f6 15 ttldf3 il.g7 16 .ti.h3 f5
17 'li'h4 tbf6 18 tllg5 h5 19 tLlxe6
We7 20 tLlxg7! Wxg7 21 .ti.g3 tbg4
22 Wg5 tLlxe5 23 iLxe5 'li'h7 24 c4
iLf7 25 Wxf5 dxc4 26 bxc4 .ti.fe8
27 We4 .l:tad8 28 d4 cxd4 29 exd4
~f8 30 Wxb7 .ti.e7 31'ii'b41-0.
12 tbxd7
Nimzowitsch 's analysis of the
alternative 12 Wg4!? deserves a
mention: 12 ... tLlxeS 13 fxe5 Wa5
14 .ti.f2 (preparing tLld2-fl-g3-h5)
14 ... 'ii'b4 15 e4 iLc6 16 a3 Wa5 17
exd5 il.xd5 ( 17... exd5 18 e6 /6 19
tbf3 threatening tL\h4-f5) 18 tllfl
Wc7 (18 ... bS 19 a4.') 19 tlle3 b5
('the typical counter-chance: ... c5-
c4 must be realised, even at the
cost of a pawn' - Nimzowitsch; cf.
also Black's 29th move break-
through in the text of Nimzowitsch-
Rubinstein itself) 20 tbxd5 exd5 21
e6 f6 22 .l:l:afl 'it>h8 23 .l:tf3 intend-
ing 24 .l:th3+-.
12 Wxd7
13 e4 f6
A muffling device to oppose the
activity of White's queen's bishop.
Furthe1111ore, with his queen's
bishop on f7 (covering the c4
square) Black is building up fire-
power for the eventual advance
... c5-c4.
14 Wf3 iLf7
15 a4
Hoping to clamp down on ... b7-
b5 ... c5-c4, etc. However, as Nim-
zowit.<>ch states, there is, in the long
run, no adequate preventative rem-
edy against this advance, unless he
wants to follow up with the highly
negative piece of prophylaxis: :i.a2
and .ti.fa l: but this would effec-
tively eradicate White's chances on
the kingside and in the centre.
15 .. b6
Not 15 ... a6? 16 a5!
16 l:tael
Also possible, according to Nim-
zowitsch, was 16 g4 followed by
h2-h4 and g4-g5. He actually
adopted a similar procedure (as
Black) against Vidmar the follow-
ing year in the New York Tourna-
ment: I d4 ltJf6 2 tbf3 e6 3 c4
ilb4+ 4 iLd2 We7 5 tllc3 0-0 6 e3
d6 7 iLe2 b6 8 0-0 il.b7 9 Wc2
tLlbd7 10 l1adl iLxc3 11 iLxc3
ttle4 12 iLc l f5 13 'ii'b3 c5 J4 lt:Jd2
tllxd2 15 .ti.xd2 e5 16 dxe5 dxe5 17
f3 g5! and 0-J in 29.
16 . a6
Announcing his imminent inten-
tion of playing ... b6-b5.
17 rs dxe4?!
Alternatives that came into con-
sideration were 17 ... .ti.t'e8!? and
l 7 ... d4!? Not, however, 17 ... exfS?
18 exd5 ! (threat 19 c4) 18 ... iLxd5
19 .ti.xe7!+-.
138 World Champion.5hip Candidate: :O,'e/ected Game.5 1925-1928
18 'it'xe4 e5
19 :te3?!
Hurling his rook into the fray
along the third rank, but this move
is probably not best. White has
created a beautiful strongpoint on
e4 but he now fails to utilise this
advantage in the proper manner. It
was necessary to establish a knight
on this square, rather than the vul-
nerable queen, hence the correct
course was: 19 ~4 b5 20 tt:le4 c4
21 bxc4 bxc4 22 l:tf3 (threatening
23 l:th3) 22 ... h6 23 J:tg3 with a
dangerous attack against the
cramped quarters of the black king.
During the game Nimzowitsch was
possibly seduced by the tactical
possibility which actually occurred,
and his conduct of the attack over
the next few moves proceeds in
cavalier fashion, with little regard
for the defence of his extreme left
wing.
19 .. b5
20 l:tg3
Threat: 21 'it'g4 g6 22 fxg6 win-
n1ng a piece.
20 'iii>h8!
21
Once again White should have
played to establish his knight on
the wonderful e4 square: 21 'it'g4
g6 22 tt:le4 with a promising attack.
The text throws this possibility
overboard pe1111anently.
21 . bxa4?
Overhasty. Rubinstein clearly
expected an automatic recapture on
a4, leaving White with shattered
pawns; he must have overlooked
the following beautiful stroke.
21 ... .id6 was imperative.
22 tt:lxe5! 'it'e8
The only move. If 22 ... fxe5
White delivers mate with a pretty
queen sacrifice: 23 'it'xe5 .tf6 24
'it'xf6 gxf6 25 .ixf6 mate.
23 'it'g4 Itg8
Cramped quarters indeed.
24 tt:lxti+?
Probably played very quickly in
the knowledge that the subsequent
capture of Black's front a-pawn
must win. However, with the text
Nimzowitsch misses a neat win
pointed out by K. Emmerich in
Kagan' s magazine: 24 tt:lg6+ !
.ixg6 25 fxg6 h6 26 Ith3 'it'f8 27
'it'g5! a3 28 .ixf6! (Emmerich gave
a much slower win commencing 28
.ial. 28 .ixf6 was found by Alfred
Christensen and published in the
Danish magazine in 1937 - ac-
cording to B. Nielsen's work on
Nimzowitsch in Danish) 28 ... .ixf6
29 Itxf6 a2 30 l:.xf8 al'it'+ 31
It.fl+- and Black cannot ward off
the rook sacrifice on h6. Oddly
enough, Nimzowitsch even re-
mained oblivious to this possibility
in his published notes to the game
in Chess Praxis and elsewhere.
Chess blindness?!
With such a concentration of
force directly facing Black's king,
it is only to be expected that a
combinative solution exists.
 World Champion.~hip Candidate: Selected Game.1 1925-1928 139

24 'it'xfi slight improvement. The bishop

25 'it'xa4 'it'd5 check weakens the defences <)f the
26 'it'g4 i.d8 f6 pawn.
27 'it'g6 h6 33 'it>fl l:txel+
28 l:tel 'it'd7 34 i.xel 'ii'a4
29 l:te6 Black has obtained decided
An impractical decision. After counter-attacking chances to make
29 .l:te4 ('mit absoluter Brettbe- up for the loss of two pawns.
he11schung' - Nimzowitsch) Ru- White's task is complicated by the
binstein might have taken the hint fact that his major pieces cannot
and resigned. The text plans a bril- return easily to the defence of his
liant finish, but Nimzowitsch was queenside, therefore he 'defends'
so upset by Black's next surprise by throwing them into a final as-
move that he panicked and gave up sault against Black's king.
the idea. 35 l:th3! l:.f8
29 c4! If 35 ... .l:.e8 White can break
Black's attack and gain five pawns
for the exchange by means of 36
l:txh6+ gxh6 37 'ii'xh6+ ~g8 38
'it'g6+ 'it>h8 39 'ii'xf6+ and 40
'it'xb6.
36 i.c3 i.d8
Black feels a pressing need to
reprotect his f-pawn, but by this
stage his only chance lay in
counter-attack. Nimzowitsch gave:
36 ... 'ii'xc2 37 l:txh6+ gxh6 38
'ii'xh6+ 'it>g8 39 'it'g6+ 'it>h8 40
i.xf6+ l:txf6 41 'ii'xf6+ ~g8 42
'it'xb6 'ii'xd3+ and White still has to
Rubinstein finds a very good un- overcome various technical diffi-
settling try. Actually, as Nim- culties.
zowitsch later pointed out, White 37 i.d2 'it'xc2
can now force the win with 30 38 i.xh6! 'ii'bl+
l:txf6 i.xf6 31 i.xf6 gxf6 32 39 'it>e2 'it'c2+
'ii'xh6+ 'it'h7 33 'ii'xf6+ .l:tg7 34 40 'it>e3
llg6 cxb3 35 cxb3 'it>g8 36 :th6 White absolutely refuses to dis-
l:tf7 37 'it'g5+ l:tg7 38 'ii'f4 (or 38 cover check. In fact 40 i.d2+
'ii'h5)+- but, in time trouble, White might spoil everything after
abandons the whole project. 40 ... 'it>g8 41 l:.h7 l:tf7 threatening
30 bxc4? l:tb8 ... l:te7+.
31 i.c3 l:tbl+ 40 .. i.b6+
32 l:tel Or 40 ... 'it'cl+ 41 'iii>e4 'ii'el+ 42
Home again. l:te3 'it'h4+ 43 ~d5 gxh6 44
32 . i.b6+? l:th3!+-.
32 ... llxe I+ 33 i.xe 1 'ii'a4 wa<> a 41 'lii>e4 'it'e2+
140 World C'hampion.~hip C'andidate: Selected
42 l:te3 1-0
A highly amusing final position.
Not a very accurate game, but
full of ideas and brilliant touches.
The brilliancy manque and subse-
quent see-saw struggle are typical
of Nimzowitsch, as we shall ob-
serve more closely from the pre-
amble to his game versus Bogol-
jubow from San Remo 1930.
Spielmann-Nimzowitsch
Semmering 1926
Greco Counter-Gambit
We witness here an impressive
example of Nimzowitsch's uncom-
promising approach to tournament
chess and also of his courage. It
took courage indeed, to adopt the
hazardous Greco against so dan-
gerous an adept of the sacrificial,
open game as Spielmann, espe-
cially when first prize in the tour-
nament depended on the result.
1 e4 es
2 tt:Jf3 f5!?
3 tt:Jxe5
Of late 3 ~c4 has grown in
popularity, but this book is no
C!ame~ 1925-1928
place for an exhaustive analysis of
the modern refinements of such
confused and confusing tactical
lines. Suffice it to mention that the
text is a sensible method of main-
taining a small plus for White.
3 ... .-r6
3 ... tllc6?! is sometimes played
here, inviting 4 ~5+ g6 5 l2Jxg6
lLif6 when the situation is far from
clear. Stronger, however, is the
simple 4 lLixc6! and Black will
have no compensation for his
pawn.
4 d4 d6
5 tt:Jc4 fxe4
6 tt:Jc3
As one might expect, Spielmann
opts for a developing move rather
than the hyper-subtle 6 lLie3, which
was Nimzowitsch 's own recom-
mendation in this position, intro-
duced in his brilliancy versus
Behting, played at Riga in 1919,
which continued: 6 llle3 (the
'blockading knight.' Nimzowitsch
wrote of this move: 'Even if all the
rest of the world play here 6 tt:Jc3, I
yet hold my move 6 lLie3 to be
more correct, and this for reasons
based on the 'system'.') 6 ... c6 (or
6 ... lLic6 7 d5 lLie5 8 lDc3 'ii'g6 9
'ii'd4 ltJf6 I 0 tt:Jb5) 7 ~c4 d5 8
~b3 i.e6 9 c4 'ii'f7 10 'ii'e2 lDf6 11
0-0 i.b4 12 ~d2 ~xd2 13 li'ixd2
0-0 14 f4 dxc4 15 lDdxc4 'ii'e7 16
f5 ~d5 17 lDxd5 cxd5 18 l2Je3
'ii'd7 19 l2Jxd5! l2Jxd5 20 'ii'xe4
Itd8 21 f6! gxf6 (21 ... l2Jc6 22 f7+
'it>f8 23 'ii'xh7) 22 Itf5 'it>h8 23
I:.xd5 I:.e8 24 llxd7 .l:.xe4 25 I:.d8+
'it>g7 26 I:.g8+ 'it>h6 27 1:1.fl 1-0. We
can only speculate concerning the
line Nimzowitsch would have
adopted had Spielmann chosen to
play 6 lLle3 against its inventor.
 World Champion.~hip C'andidate: Selected Game.1 1925-1928 141

6 'jt'g6 White has no choice.

15 .. tllxd5
16 'jt'xd5 exf3
17 gxf3

7 dS?!
White decides to surround
Black's e-pawn, but, as a result,
Black streaks past him in the matter 17 l:tac8?
of mobilisation. 7 f3 is more dy- One slip and the whole of

nam1c. Black's good work is spoiled. The
7 tllf6 text, threatening, as it does,
8 i.e3 i.e7 l 8 ... tl'ib4 looks most fearsome, but
9 'jt'd4 0-0 it grants White a vital tempo which
10 tlld2 he turns to account by launching a
Perhaps White had anticipated a counter-offensive on the g-file.
black defence of the e-pawn by Two superior possibilities, sug-
10 ... i.f5, when 11 h3 h5 12 0-0-0 gested by Tartakower, are:
followed by i.e2 and g2-g4 would a) The ala1111ing: l 7 ...xc2+ 18
leave White on top. Instead, Nim- 'it>xc2 lbb4+ 19 'iitb l tllxd5 with a
zowitsch willingly sacrifices the good position for Black, and
pawn in the interests of seizing the b)The cunning: 17... tllb4 18

~3 a5! with the threat of ... a5-a4.

1n1t1at1ve.
10 c5! 18 i.d3
11 dxc6 tllxc6 A sure way to lose was 18 fxg4?
12 'jt'c4+ ~h8 tllb4 19 'it'e4 l:txc2+ 20 ~bl l:txd2
13 0-0-0 with evil intentions against both
White cannot capture the e-pawn members of the white Royal Fam-
as yet in view of the defence ... d6- ii y.
d5. 18 i.f5
13 . i.g4 19 l:txf5
14 f3 d5! 20
The feeble 14 ... exf3 15 gxf3 The defence just holds, since
i.f5 would react in White's favour White can co-ordinate his forces
after 16 lig l. with continual gains of tempo.
IS tllxd5 Here White pins Black's knight,
142 World Champion.~hip Candidate: Selelted Game.\ 1925-1928

while the white queen's flight on of strategic principles. Whatever

the following turn obliges the re- the explanation, Nimzowitsch
treat of her sable counterpart. never again grappled with Spiel-
20 ... b5 mann on the latter's home ground
21 'ii'g4 'ii'f7 (i.e. gambit territory). In their sub-
22 l:t.hgl tLlb4 sequent clashes Nimzowitsch pre-
23 c3 tlJxa2+ ferred to involve Spielmann in
24 'it>bl b4 protracted wars of attrition stem-
ming from closed openings.
Dynamic Chess by R.N. Coles is
a book I much admire and which I
can recommend to any student of
the development of ideas in chess.
But I have one complaint: in my
opinion the author has not been
entirely fair in his assessment of
Nimzowitsch. For example: 'Nim-
zowitsch worked out a complete
theory of what he te1111ed the
'Blockade', the essence of which
was that preventative measures
could and should be taken against
The concentration of hostile hostile expansion, in other words,
force in the vicinity of White's hostile dynamic possibilities, be-
king suggests that Black will arrive fore one's own attack was
first, but with his next move White launched.
heralds his own attack, and this 'The idea of reducing one's op-
packs the greater punch. ponent's dynamism rather than
25 ~d4 ~g5 increasing one's own was much
26 c4 b3 more negative than Breyer's view
27 tlJe4 'ii'g6 of the matter, and it possibly ex-
28 'ii'xg5! l:t.xg5 plains why Nimzowitsch never
29 l:t.xg5 'ii'f7 quite reached the heights of success
30 tlJd6 'ii'xf3 attained by more dynamic players.'
31 ~xg7+ 'it>g8 But in this judgement Coles
32 ~e5+ 'it>f8 overlooked the duality which we
33 :tf5+ 1-0 have already touched on that exists
at the heart of Nimzowitsch 's atti-
Nimzowit<>ch 's decision in this tude to the art of chess. Not only do
game to abandon the style of we find in Nimzowitsch the ele-
gradually unfolding aggression we ments of prophylaxis, prevention
no1111ally associate with his post- and paralysis, but also provocation
war strategic fo1111ulations repre- to a high degree, the maximisation
sents a throwback to his youth, of the opponent's possibilities plus
when his tactical flair predomi- deliberately assumed postures of
nated over any nascent awareness 'heroic defence' and invitations
 World Championship C'andidate: Selected Game!> 1925-1928 143
issued to the adversary to engage in
bitter, obscure and dubious battle,
such as the brevity between Alek-
hine (White) and Nimzowitsch
from Vilna 1912: 1 d4 lLif6 2 l2Jf3
d6 3 ~gS ~rs 4 ~xf6 exf6 s
lLibd2 lLid7 6 e4 ~g4 7 ~el ~e7 8
lLih4 ~xe2 9 xe2 0-0 10 liJfS
'it>h8 11 .g4 l:lg8 12 0-0-0 ~f8 13
lLic4 es 14 l:ld3 g6 15 l:lg3 e6
16 dS es 17 l2Jce3 lLieS 18 h4
gxfS 19 l:lh3 h6 20 xr6+ 'it>h7 21
f4 l2Jg6 22 lLixf5 xe4 23 xn+
'it>h8 24 .f6+ 'it>h7 1/2-l/2.
Or the following game between
the same opponents in which the
struggle reached such intensity that
it did not come to a halt with Alek-
hine 's resignation - which obvi-
ously ter 111inated the game as such
- but continued in the combatants'
own notes - (Nimzowitsch in
Chess Praxis and Alekhine in the
tournament book of New York
1927).
Nimzowitsch-Alekhine
New York 1927
Nimzowitsch Attack
Notes marked (N) are by Nim-
zowitsch, those marked (A) by
Alekhine. Author's intervention is
denoted by (RDK).
1 l2Jf3 lLif6
2 b3 d6
3 g3
So, the purest hypermodernerei.
In this game it would certainly
have brought White no laurels if
his opponent had not overestimated
his position and imagined that such
a set-up could be refuted by virtu-
ally any means. (A)
3 ... es
4 c4
'Bizarre!' He does not fear
4 ... e4. Anybody else would have
chosen 4 d3. (N)
4 .. e4
This dark-square-weakening
move sows the seeds of all his fu-
ture difficulties. (N)
This move is justified, since
White is as good as forced to play
his knight to the edge of the board.
After 5 l2Jd4 d5 6 cxd5 'ii'xd5 7 e3
es his position would inspire
anything but confidence. (A)
s lLih4! (N)
So g2 was not destined for the
bishop, thirsting for a fianchetto,
but as a haven for the 'bizarre
knight. (N)
5 d5
Leads to a not entirely unexcep-
tionable excursion by the queen,
but by this stage there was hardly
anything better. (N)
Quieter, and likewise good, was
5 ... ~e7. The immediate clearance
in the centre is, however, more
consequent. (A)
6 cxdS xdS
Correct was 6 ... lLixd5 whereby,
with the simplest of means, the
unsound nature of the opposing
144 World Champion.,hip C.:andidate: .)elected c;ame.\ 1925-1928

dispositions would have been ex- White a vital development tempo,

posed. If then 7 'ii'c2 j(_e7 ! 8 'ii' xe4 is a clear proof that the capture
0-0 with unpleasant threats, e.g. 9 with the queen on move 6 had
j(_b2 l:te8 IO j(_g2 tt:lb4! followed more dark than bright sides. (A)
by ... j(_fg. In that case the ... 9 .ib2 j(_g4
'double-hole' opening would once 10 j(_e2 j(_xe2
again have been reduced ad absur- 11 tt:lxe2 ll:lbd7
dum. (A) 12 l:tcl b6
7 tt:lc3 'ii'c6 ! (N) Thereafter Black is at a disad-
If 7 .. .'ii'e5 then 8 f4 is unpleas- vantage and has to struggle for
ant. The text has the advantage at equality. Black should have played
least ot forcing the following 12 ... tZ'ic5 13 0-0 'ii'd7 14 .ixf6 gxf6
weakening of the opponent's light leading to a position with recipro-
squares. (A) cal strong and weak points. The
8 e3 outcome of such a position could
Pet 111anently renouncing the hardly be predicted. (A)
possibility of a fianchetto. (N)
After 8 tZ'ig2 I had intended -2'.
,,.,, /'.
~
~
%
8 ... e3!, e.g. 9 fxe3 j(_h3 10 l:tgl
tZ'ig4. (A)
8 a6
~i ifit

More consistent would have
been 8 ... j(_g4 continuing 9 'it'xg4!
tt:lxg4 1O j(_b5 tt:'lf6 11 .ib2 a6 12
j(_xc6+ tZ'ixc6 13 tt:le2 tt:lg4 14 f3
exf3 15 tZ'ixf3 0-0-o+. This varia- ;jp ;jp
tion provides an insight into f -~ ~
~I&,,,. ,.~fu
~-
~.ft
,~ -~'I
Black's defensive resources: he
:; ~ ~
evidently does have some counter-
play on the light squares, and if he
plays his none too numerous 13 0-0
trumps correctly, he has the chance Here Nimzowitsch recommends
of neutralising White's pressure on a very obscure attacking line: 13
the dark squares. The continuation c2 ll:lc5 14 0-0 tZ'id3 15 j(_xf6
selected by Alekhine makes the 'tli'xf6 (or 15 ... gxf6) 16 tt:lf4, but he
task of defence more onerous with- does not bother to analyse the
out, as yet, rendering it hopeless. complications. Presumably the idea
(N) is to meet 15 ... ll:lxcl with 16
It would not have been at all ad- 'ii'xe4+ and 16 ... ll:lxc I with 17 ltld5
visable to pe1111it the exchange of ll:le2+ 18 'it>h 1 followed by ll:lxc7.
queens (8 ... j(_g4 9 'ii'xg4 etc.) in (RDK)
view of the exposed situation of 13 .id6
Black's central pawn and the pos- 14 f3
sibility of invasion by White's Also 14 d3 comes into consid-
knight via f5. But the preventive eration. The sharp text move leads
move of the text, which grants to complications of an unfathom-
 World Championship C'andidate: .S'elelted Games 1925-1928 145

able nature from which Black fi- 'ilfc2. (A)

nally emerges with sufficient posi- 17 l:c3 0-0-0
tional equivalent for his sacrificed 18 'ii'bl! (A)
material. (A) Nc)W Black is forced to invest
14 i.eS!(?)(N) more in the business. (A)
18 . lbxe4! (A)

~~ ~~ t

~~ ~fu
r: , ,~~. ~ /~
~ ~ ~~ ;,~~z: ~// '/~~Jl.:
'./. %
~ ~~-~

The introductory move to the

interesting sacrificial combination
which follows. Unsatisfactory in
any case was 14 ... exf3 15 llxf3
lbe5 16 i.xe5 i.xe5 17 d4 i.d6 18
tbc3 and 19 e4. (A)
Exceptionally interesting! He
wishes at all costs to occupy light-
squared terrain (d3). But what does
the Logos of the game say to this?
Well, he adopts a sceptical attitude
to the whole affair. Wherefore
should the light squares suddenly
develop the capacity to eclipse the
dark squares? After Black's lapse
on the 8th move his dark-square
weakness had become chronic.
White has made no mistake (for 13
0-0 was certainly no error); it fol-
lows that Black's violent, if ingen-
ious, attempt must needs be in
some way unsound. (N)
15 i.xeS lbxe5
16 fxe4 tt:Jd3
A necessary consequence of his
14th move. 16... t;)xe4 was obvi-
ously insufficient on account of 17
No coup d'etat without a sacri-
fice. (N)
There was another combination
available to Black, but White
would have been able to refute it
by returning the material for a win-
ning attack: I 8 ... lbc5 19 d3 4.'ia4 20
bxa4 'it'xe3+ 21 ~hl ! llfxe2 22
llfc I l:td7 23 'it'b6 llle8 24 llb I
tt:ld6 25 'it'a7+-. (A)
19 l:.xd3 tt:lxd2
20 l:.xd8+ l:.xd8
21 'ii'f5+ 'it>b8
22 l:i.el
22 llc l also came into consid-
eration. (N)
Up to now White has been
playing forced moves, but now he
has a choice once again and it's by
no means clear that he selects the
best move. If doubt could indeed
be cast on Black's positional sacri-
fice, now was the time to do it by
22 llc I llf xe3+ 23 'it'f2, but even in
that case Black would not be en-
tirely without chances after
146 World Champion.1hip Candidate: Selected Game.1 1925-1928

23 .. .'ii'e7! 24tt:\f51i'e5 etc. (A) threatening White's a-pawn with

22 . 1i'xe3+ 24 ... 1i'c2; e.g.
23 1i'f2 1i'd3 a) 25 l:t.e2 1i'xa2 26 'i.t>g2 g5 27
24 tt:\f4 1i'c3 tt:\f3 gxf4 28 tt:\xd2 "ii'a5! and the
queen arrives at d5 with tempo
' /,
when it will no longer be difficult
' I. ~ %
for Black to force a favourable
~ 0 ~ ~ ending.
b) 25 tt:\f3 tt:\xf3+ 26 1i'xf3
1fxa2 once again with full compen-
sation for the sacrificed piece. (A)
25 l:t.e3!
Black has overlooked the force
4l> ' ; ;jfd of this fine defensive move and
' . . . ;.ft now comes in angustis. (A)
25 .. 'ifcl+
~ ~,
There follows.a bitter struggle.
White wins, but only after many
Black could have gained good hours of the most stubborn contest.
drawing chances with 24 ...1i'c2. (N)
What would that prove? That the 26 'i!tg2 1i'c6+
coup d'etat was sound? Or that 27 t;:\(3 g5
dark squares and light squares can 28 l2Jd3 lL:ixf3
assume power at will? No, nothing 29 1i'xf3 1i'c2+
of the kind. For, in the first place, 30 tt:Jf2 rs
the draw after 24 ... 1i'c2 is by no 31 l:t.e2 'ifc5
means assured, and secondly it 32 llld3 1i'd4
remains to be demonstrated that 33 llle5 f4! (A)
White could not have improved on Over the last few moves Black
his play at some point, perhaps at has done everything possible. The
move 22; thirdly there are, unfortu- following pawn exchange obvi-
nately, many positions in which a ously signifies an increase in his
clearly demonstrable superiority prospects of a draw. (A)
does not suffice to win the game. 34 lllc4 fxg3(?) (A)
Victory by baring should still Black had to preface this with
count! (N) 34 ... l:t.f8 (threat 35 ... g4), or
'Baring' is an antiquated rule 34 ... l:!.g8, for every exchange of
that a player can win by taking all pieces is obviously to White's ad-
of his opponent's pieces and leav- vantage. (A)
ing him with a bare king. Thus king 35 l:td2 1i'h8
and knight versus king would be 36 l:txd8+ 1i'xd8
winning. (RDK) 37 hxg3 1i'd4
Only after this inaccurate move In the long run Black cannot
does White come to effective avoid the queen exchange. If
counterplay. Black could have ob- Black's queen leaves the d-file (and
tained a fully viable game by Black doesn't have many moves at
 World Champion.1hip ('andidate: S'ell'Cfe<i (;am(:~ 1925-1928 147

his disposal), then White can pro- Or 49 ... c3 50 t/Jf2 and 51 tt::ld3.
voke new weaknesses with tl:Jc4- (N)
a5. (A) SO gS b2
38 'ii'f8+ rtla7 SI tt::ld2 'it>cS
39 'ii'f2 'ii'xf2+ S2 g6 h2
40 'it>xf2 h5 S3 rtlg2 rtid4
40 ... b5 offered the last chance. S4 g7 'it>d3
But this was move 40 ... (A). S5 g8'it' 'it>xd2
41 'it>e3 S6 'ii'a2 rtlc2
57 'ii'c4+ 1-0
A great fighting game. (N)

',/ ;p Nimzowitsch 's conduct of this

game is to be regarded less as an
example of positional hypermod-
emism than as a display of heroic
defence in action. But such an indi-
, 4!>',,,, rect method of conducting the
~. / ~~ struggle (d la Korchnoi nl)Wadays,
perhaps) is not to everyone's taste.
As Nimzowitsch himself was to
write of the contemporary general
attitude to such apparently discor-
The sealed move. (N) dant games:
41 c5 'People still shy away in fear
The main variation is 41 ... b5 42 from a mark of attack in their own
tl:Jd2 h4 43 g4 h3 44 ~f3 c5 45 camp and a decidedly fo1111alistic
llle4 c4 46 b4 ~b6 4 7 'it>g3 ~c6 48 conception of 'defence' still seems
4lxg5 c3 49 lllf3+-. (N) to be the order of the day. The
On 41 ... b5 White would have timid concern for pin-headed
won as follows: 42 tt'ld2 h4 43 g4 'correctness' of moves and the
c5 44 tt::le4 h3 45 ~f3 c4 46 bxc4 anxious avoidance of untrodden
bxc4 47 ~g3 ~b6 48 ~xh3 ~a5 paths and particularly the fear of
49 'it>g3 ~b4 50 'it>f3 Wa3 51 We3 the 'colossal' (of anything on the
'it>xa2 52 Wd4 Wb3 53 ltlc5+ etc. grand scale) - how vividly does all
(A) this recall the long-dead pseudo-
42 a4 b5 classical epoch!'
43 axb5 axb5 And even today do such games
44 tt::ld2 'lt>b6 gain the publicity they deserve?
45 tt::le4 h4
46 g4 h3 Nimzowitsc h- Marshall
47 'it>f3 b4 New York 1927
A last ingenious flicker of life Modern Benoni
before darkness sets in. (N)
48 lllxg5 c4 This ,'tame wa.s- aaarded the 3rd
49 llle4 cxb3 Schonheitspreis at Nea York be-
148 Wo1ld Champion.sl1ip C'andidate: Selected Games 192.5-1928
hind I st: Capablanca-Spielmann
and 2nd: A/ekhine-Marshall.
1 c4 l2Jf6
2 d4 e6
3 l2Jf3 c5
'Marshall permitted himself a
few extravagances in the openings
at New York; an unfortunate affair
in a top-class tournament' (!)(Nim-
zowitsch).
The Modem Benoni, introduced
with this move, is now considered
quite respectable and has often
been employed by (for example)
Fischer, Tai and Kasparov. White
gains a central preponderance,
more or less by force, but Black
disposes over dynamic counter-
chances in the shape of his queen-
side pawn majority and the power-
ful diagonal of his king's bishop
(a l-h8), plus the pressure he can
exert on the half-open e-file against
White's centre.
4 d5
The only testing reply. 4 g3 is
exposed as very feeble after
4 ... cxd4 S l2Jxd4 .1l..b4+ 6 .1f..d2
.1f..e7!
4 d6
Norr11al now would be 4 ... exdS S
cxdS d6. The move of the text was
favoured by Marshall, although
only as a method of transposition.
At this point we might have ex-
pected from Marshall the violent
Blumenfeld Gambit, which had
recently been revived in a game by
Spielmann (White: Kmoch, Sem-
mering 1926): 4 ... b5 5 .1f..gS exd5 6
cxd5 h6 7 .Jlxf6 (Spielmann him-
self recommended 7 ~4 d6 8 e4
a6 9 a4 b4 I 0 l2Jbd2) 7 .. .'ifxf6 8
'ifc2 d6 9 e4 a6 10 a4 b4 11 l2Jbd2
(now we prefer 11 l2Jjd2! Ji.e7 12
l2Jc4 l2Jd7 13 l2Jbd2+) 11 ... .1f..g4 12
.1f..e2 l2Jd7 13 0-0 .1f..c7 14 ~hl
Ji.xf3 lS ii.xf3 tiles 16 Ji.e2 g5 17
g3 h5-+.
5 l2Jc3 exd5
6 cxd5 g6
Reaching the conventional Mod-
em Benoni position. It says a lot
for Marshall that he was prepared
to champion this defence at New
York in spite of the criticism lev-
elled at him by all the pundits.
7 l2Jd2
Heading for the impressive
blockading square c4. In an earlier
round Capablanca had played
against Marshall 7 g3 when there
ensued: 7 ... Ji.g7 8 ii.g2 0-0 9 0-0
l:te8 10 l2Jd2 l2Jbd7 11 h3 l2Jb6 12
a4 Ji.d7 13 as l2Jc8 14 l2Jc4 'ii'c7 15
e4 b5 and Black had a satisfactory
position.
7 l2Jbd7
For many years theory was to
regard this move as an error, pre-
ferring 7 ... Ji.g7, e.g. 8 l2Jc4 0-0 9
Ji.f4 (or 9 .1l..g5 'ii'd7!), 9 ... l2Je8
when Black drums up counterplay
either with the ultra-sharp ... .1f..xc3
and ... b7-b5 or the steady ... b7-b6
... .1f..a6 and ... ii.xc4, reducing the
pressure against d6.
 World Championship C'andidate: Selected (/ame.Y 1925-1928 149
However, this opinion had to be
revised when Fischer, following in
the footsteps of his illustrious com-
patriot Marshall, chose 7 ... ll:Jbd7
against Spassky in their famous
1972 World Championship match.
8 ll:Jc4
A more cunning way of playing
to reach the position which actually
arises after move I 0 of this game is
8 e4 i...g7 9 i...d3 (9 lLlc4? 'iie7!)
9 ... 0-0 10 ll:Jc4 ll:Jb6 (10 ... 'iie7 11
i.../4.') 11 ll:Je3 and White has a
good position.
8 ll:Jb6
9 e4 i...g7?
A slip. Perhaps Marshall simply
failed to consider White's next
move. Black should seek relief by
means of 9 ... ll:Jxc4! 10 i...xc4 i...g7
11 0-0 0-0 12 i...f4 a6 13 a4 ttlh5=,
Gligoric-Trifunovic, Yugoslav
Championship, Sombor 1957.
10 ll:Je3!
A fine strategic retreat. White
plans a2-a4-a5 and then renewed
equine occupation of c4 with pres-
sure against Black's position in
general (and his d-pawn in par-
ticular) which it would be impossi-
ble to neutralise. Black could not
reply to a2-a4 with ... a7-a5 since
this would give away all the queen-
side light squares, especially b5.
10 0-0
11 i...d3 ll:Jh5!?
The plan inaugurated by the text
has come in for a lot of unwar-
ranted criticism. Marshall's idea is
not just to deliver mate on h2 but to
create all dark-square ccJunterplay
for his minor pieces. The real mis-
take comes on move 16. I should
point out something else that
speaks strongly for the American
Grandmaster's choice of 11th
move: there is a dearth of potential
alternatives!
12 0-0 i...e5
13 a4 ll:Jf4
14 a5 ll:Jd7
15 ll:Jc4
White must surrender his useful
king's bishop but in return he
hopes to eliminate his black oppo-
site number, which is the bulwark
of the dark-squared defences of
Black's king. 15 i...c2 is less satis-
factory: 15 ... 'iih4 16 g3 'iih3 17
gxf4 i...xf4 18 ll:Jg4 ll:Je5! with
complications not unfavourable to
Black.
15 ll:Jxd3
16 f5?
This unde1111ining of the white
centre looks very promising, but
Nimzowitsch demonstrates conclu-
sively that it is too loosening. Black
absolutely had to preserve his
king's bishop and this was possi-
ble: 16... i...d4! when the tactical
point 17 ttlxd6? tlle5! comes to
Black's rescue. 17 ... l1Je5 ! is also
the reply to 17 i...t4 or to 17 i...e3.
Note, however, that the attempt to
withdraw Black's useful king's
bishop to the less exposed g7
square fails badly: 16 ... i...g7? 17
/ 5() World C'hampion.1hip Candidate: S'e/ected Game.1 192.5-1928
~f4 lbe5 18 4::\xe5 dxe5 19 .te3
with unanswerable pressure against
Black's c-pawn.
After 16 ... ~d4 White has many
ways of preserving his advantage
(for example 17 ~f4 tt'le5 18 ~xe5
dxe5 19 tt'lb5) but it would be an
advantage of by no means decisive
proportions. After the text, on the
other hand, Nimzowitsch creates a
winning combination of a rare art-
1stry.
17 exf5 nxrs
18 f4
Taking away e5 from Black's
knight so that Black is now forced
to part with his king's bishop. In
compensation Black obtains
counter-chances against White's d-
pawn, but that eventuality had been
foreseen by Nimzowitsch.
In the English translation of My
System we read the note: 'The prel-
ude to a complicated attacking op-
eration which was the more unex-
pected since 18 tt'ie4 gave a good
game without any effort. But for
once I wanted to go in for a combi-
nation.'
The final sentence, however,
distorts Nimzowitsch 's meaning.
The original Get 111an ran: Aber ich
wollte nun einmal kombinieren.
This should be translated as: 'The
point is, 1 wanted to play a combi-
nation', or 'The fact is, I wanted to
combine.' Since the combination
lies at the very basis of Nim-
zowitsch 's attitude to chess this is
what we would expect and the offi-
cial translation of My System be-
trays a misunderstanding of the
Nimzowitschian spirit at this point.
He was always playing combina-
tions, although his combinative
ideas were of a mysterious and
rarefied nature which, perhaps, we
do not always associate with the
no1111al run of combinations: his
combinations were almost ascetic
in comparison with the more robust
and sensual variety we associate
with Alekhine. There is not even
the excuse that the 'for once' is
intended as an ironic aside because
nun einmal simply has nothing to
do with 'once'. It is a stock phrase
which implies: 'this is a fact, isn't
. ?
It .
18 .td4+
An obligatory move. Black must
force the queen's bishop to block
the e3 square. If instead 18 ... .txc3?
then 19 bxc3 ! tt'if6 20 tt'ie3 l:.h5 21
c4 followed by 22 ~b2+-. Rela-
tively better is 20 ... c4 but Black's
c-pawn becomes very weak in that
case.
19 .te3 ~xc3
19 ... ~xe3+ 20 tt'ixe3 is obvi-
ously hopeless for Black.
20 'Wxc3
Less good now is 20 bxc3 tf\f6
since White does not have 21 tt'ie3
at his disposal.
20 .. tt'if6
Or 20 ... :txd5 21 'Wb3 Wg7 22
.td2 intending 23 .tc3+ empha-
 World Champion.~hip Candidate: Selected Game.~ 1925-1928 1.51
sising the absence of Black's king's
bishop. If 2 l ... tt:lf6 then 22 f5 goes
back into the game continuation.
21 'ii'b3
In my early contact with My
System I found the combination
played by Nimzowitsch in this
game particularly difficult to grasp,
possibly because of its nature rather
than as a result of the complexity of
its variations. In my early youth I
was accustomed to seeing combi-
nations where the attacker forced
material on to the defender and
then crushed him by direct attack,
and not to situations where the at-
tacker invited his opponent to ac-
cept material. (The Capablanca-
Spielmann and Alekhine-Marshall
games which are discussed later are
of the first and more usual combi-
native variety.)
In this position White's d-pawn
is en prise in a number of different
ways and if it is captured White
will obtain some compensation in
te1 ins of diagonal pins against
Black's king. But what if it is not
captured? What if Black just de-
clines the invitation? Surely there is
no compulsion to take White's d-
pawn, the more so since Black is
well entrenched on the light
squares and White has no immedi-
ate threats. If anything, the bishop
on e3 seems to get in the way of
White's attack.
Yet there is a compulsion to ac-
cept because Black is, most
strangely, devoid of positive alter-
natives. A possible continuation,
given that Black has decided never
to remove the d-pawn, could be:
21 ... 'il'c7 22 .l:i.ael ..td7 23 ..td2
(the energising retreat!), 23 ... .l:i.e8
24 .llxe8+ ~xe8 25 ..tc3 tt:le4 26
l:te I and Black's situation is pre-
carious.
Just as Rubinstein was at Ma-
rienbad 1925, so Marshall is here
invited to undertake a positive
course to which, it transpires, he
has no productive alternative, and
which apparently is not all that
unpromising, but which Nim-
zowitsch 's subsequent subtle play
reveals as ruinous.
Nimzowitsch 's 21 'ii'b3 in this
game is in the same class as his
18 ... l:t.fe8 versus Rubinstein (cf.
page 129). 21 'ii'b3 both prevents
2 I ... tt:lxd5 or 2 l ... l:txd5 while vir-
tually ordering Black to play one of
the moves, just as 18 ... .l:i.fe8 pre-
vented 19 ..txf6 whilst leaving Ru-
binstein with no good alternatives.
I do not always agree with Fred
Reinfeld, but sometimes he does
say something constructive. His
note to l 8 ... llfe8 in the Rubinstein
game reads like this: 'One of the
very finest moves ever played by
Nimzowitsch. It establishes a kind
of Zugzwang over the whole board
.. .' Well, this note, as you can see,
could equally be applied to 21 'ii'b3
in Nimzowitsch's game versus
Marshall.
152 World Championship Candidate: ,)e/ected Game.\ 1925-1928
21 ... lixd5
If 2 l ... tt::lxd5 Nimzowitsch gave
22 l:tae 1! threatening ..td2 and the
doubling of rooks on the e-file.
22 ... ..te6 would fail to 23 ..txc5! It
is remarkable to see just how help-
less Black is after 22 l:tael. He can
hardly move a single piece.
22 f5!
The dark squares come to life.
22 ... gxf5
22 ... ..txf5 23 ..tg5 lld3 24 'ii'xb7
is highly unpleasant for Black who
cannot evict White's
(24 ... l:tb8) in view of 25 ..txf6!+-.
23 ..tg5
Nimzowitsch: 'This move con-
tains an original point which the
prize judges probably failed to ap-
preciate, otherwise they would
have awarded this game the 1st
Schonheitspreis (beauty
rather than the 3rd. If 23 ... ..te6 then
24 'ii'xb7 l:tc8 25 liael ! and the
bishop must give up the protection
of one of the two rooks when 26
..txf6 wins the one that has been
abandoned.' Black is now so tied
up by the pins that he decides to
sacrifice the exchange. Actually
there was little else he could do.
23 lid4
24 tt::lb6+ c4
25 'ii'c3 axb6
26 'ii'xd4 'iitg7
27 l:tael bxa5
Black has adequate material
compensation for the exchange, but
there is a small matter of mobility
differential to be overcome.
28 l:te8
Nimzowitsch again, this time
even more bitterly: 'Rather crude
but easily comprehensible .... This
sort of thing is what the prize
judges usually esteem most highly,
while they grope with eyes fit 111ly
closed past the more original
points.
queen
28 'ii'xe8
29 'iitg8
30 1-0
prize) And the interesting postscript to
this is that Alekhine (who won the
second beauty prize) also believed
(and wrote) that he should have
won the first prize - cf. Alekhine's
concluding comment to his game
versus Marshall in the New York
tournament book: 'This game was
declared by the umpire (Mr. C.
Mayer) to be the most beautiful of
the tournament, but it nevertheless
received only the 2nd special prize
because the 'quality' of the Capa-
blanca-Spielmann game was sup-
posed to be of a higher level.'
Capablanca, of course, said
nothing.
Well, readers may now judge for
themselves, since I now append the
bare scores of the other two games.
Each one is typical in its way: Nim-
zowitsch 's mystical pawn sacrifice
above, Capablanca 's sacrifice of a
piece to crown a positional attack
and Alekhine 's sacrifice of a piece
 World Champion.5hip Candidate: .'>elected Game.\ 1925-1928 153
to deliver mate. Don't be misled in
your own judgements by the fact
that Capablanca and Alekhine both
sacrificed a piece while Nim-
zowitsch only gave up pawns. At
this level of chess a deficit of 2
pawns would lose just as surely as
a deficit of a piece if the combina-
tion turned out to be unsound.
Don't forget also to take into ac-
count the quality of the losers' re-
sistance as well as the victors'
ideas.
Capablanca-Spielmann
Queen's Gambit Declined.
A warded 1st prize
1 d4 d5 2 lllf3 e6 3 c4 llld7 4 lllc3
lllgf6 5 ~g5 ~b4 6 cxd5 exd5 7
'ili'a4 ~xc3+ 8 bxc3 0-0 9 e3 c5 10
~d3 c4 11 ~c2 'ili'e7 12 0-0 a6 13
l:tfel 'ili'e6 14 llld2 b5 15 'ili'a5 llle4
16 lllxe4 dxe4 17 a4 'ilt'd5 18
axb5! 'ili'xg5 19 ~xe4 l:tb8 20
bxa6 l:tb5 21 'ili'c7 lllb6 22 a7 ~h3
23 l:tebl l:txbl+ 24 l:txbl f5 25
~f3 f4 26 exf4 1-0
Alekhine-Marshall
Dory's Defence
Awarded 2nd prize
1 d4 lllf6 2 c4 e6 3 lllf3 llle4?! 4
lllfd2 ~b4 5 'ili'c2 d5 6 ll:Jc3 f5 7
llldxe4 fxe4 8 ~f4 0-0 9 e3 c6 10
~e2 ll:Jd7 11 a3 ~e7 12 0-0 ~g5
13 f3 ~xf4 14 exf4 l:txf4 15 fxe4
l:txfl+ 16 l:txfl e5 17 'ili'd2 c5 18
dxe5 d4 19 'ili'f4! dxc3 20 'ili'f7+
~h8 21 bxc3! 'ili'g8 22 'ili'e7 h6 23
~h5 a5 24 e6 g6 25 exd7 ~xd7 26
:n 1-0
In the following game Nim-
zowitsch turns to a baroque open-
ing variation which lead.<> him, first,
into difficulties and subsequently
into an objectively losing position.
So, Nimzowitsch 'ought' to have
lost, but let us not forget that Nim-
zowitsch was not playing with his
eyes closed - the attack was just as
arduous to conduct as was the de-
fence. There was a good deal of
provocation in Nimzowitsch 's han-
dling of this game.
Spielmann-Nimzowitsch
New York 1927
Nimzowitsch Defence
1 e4 ll:Jc6
2 lllf3 e6
'The odd..<>-giving style. Black
could, of course, play 2 ... e5 in per-
fect safety, but he prefers to create
difficulties, both for himself and
his opponent, with the obscure
move of the text.
(Nimzowitsch 's quotation from
My System continues: ... to use Dr.
Lasker's expres..<>ion. Lasker means
by this that one chooses a variation
which one considers inferior, with
the idea of setting the opponent a
difficult problem. - RDK)
3 d4 d5
4 e5
Transposing to a version of the
French Defence where Black will
experience problems in under 111in-
ing White's centre by means of
... c7-c5.
4 b6
'Since Black cannot make any
progress without ... c7-c5 I would
try here 4 ... li:Ja5!? and only after 5
c3 would I continue with 5 ... b6
(Alekhine).
5 c3 tLice7!?
154 World C'hampion~hip Candidate: Selected
The start of a rather artificial
manoeuvre designed to seize con-
trol of the f5 square. Black seems
to have abandoned all respect for
the hallowed cliches concerning
development.
6 ..li.d3 a5
Hoping to exchange his light-
squared bishop, but White fore-
stalls this.
7 'ii'e2 llif5
8 h4 h5
9 llig5 g6?
'Black's position could, perhaps,
have withstood the eccentricities
committed so far, since they did not
create any irreparable weaknesses
in his own camp. However, this
frightful weakening of f6 - given
the absence of any stable and ef-
fective strong-points for his own
pieces - transfo1111s his situation
into a hopeless one' (Alekhine).
Nimzowitsch later recommended
9 ...llige7 as a superior alternative,
e.g. 10 llid2 c5, and 11 llifl is im-
possible since the d-pawn hangs.
10 llid2 llige7
And not 10 ... llixh4? 11 ..li.b5+,
but 10 ... c5 looks stronger.
11 llifl
Protecting g3 and thus preparing
to force the withdrawal of Black's
knight by means of f2-f3 and g2-
g4. If Nimzowitsch's plan was to
restrain White's kingside pawns it
has clearly been a failure.
11 c5
12 f3 c4
Or 12 ... cxd4 13 g4! hxg4 14
fxg4 llixh4 15 'ii'f2 winning out-
right. The advance of the text is
characteristic of Nimzowitsch in
that he renounces the attack against
the frontal area of the white pawn-
chain, preferring to transfer his
Game.~ 1925-1928
onslaught to the base (c3 and b2). ,
Furth et 111ore the struggle in this
game has clearly been sub-divided
into two theatres of war by the very
nature of the pawn-chain. 12 ... c4
ensures that Black will retain a
valuable spatial advantage on the
queenside if White fails to burst
through on the opposite wing.
White must have realised that his
advantage (and he does have the
advantage) was by no means of a
pet 1nanent nature, in view of
Black's queenside prospects, but
depended entirely on an accurate
exploitation of a powerful, but
temporary, initiative in one sector
of the board. Such situations are
fraught with tension for the players
and certainly create an atmosphere
conducive to the perpetration of
creative blunders.
13 ..li.c2 b5
14 g4 llig7
A fianchetto of his queen's
knight on his g7-square!
15 llig3 llic6
And that is the king's knight.
Black has played six move..<> out of
fifteen with his knights and not yet
touched any of his other pieces.
16 'ii'g2 ..li.e7
 World Champi<Jn.,hip C'a11didate: Selected Game., 1925-19211 155
On l 6 ... l:ta7 Alekhine gives: 17
gxh5 tt::lxh5 18 lt:lxh5 l:xh5 19
tt::lxf7 l:txf7 20 i.xg6 l:txh4 21
.ltxf7+ 'itxf7 22 l:tg l +-. This varia-
tion is typical of the myriad attrac-
tive possibilities that must have
been clamouring for Spielmann 's
attention at this stage of the game.
17 gxhS gxhS
l 7 ... tt::lxh5 is positionally correct
but tactically faulty: 18 t/Jxh5
llxh5 19 tt::lxf7 and Black can re-
sign.
18 llgl
'From here on, indeed, several
roads lead to Rome, and it is really
bad luck for Spielmann that he fell
upon virtually the only sequence
which, instead of taking him to the
Eternal City, led him directly into
Hell' (Alekhine). 18 tt::lh7 would
have been very strong, with the
threat of 19 tt::lf6+ i.xf6 20 exf6
'ii'xf6 21 .ltg5 neatly trapping
Black's queen. If in reply
l 8 ... .ltxh4 then 19 l:.xh4! 'ii'xh4 20
.ltg5 is still decisive. But Spiel-
mann wants to win with a grand
combination.
18 na7
19 tt::lxti!?
And here it is. The text should,
in fact, win, but the correct follow-
up is not easy to find. Alekhine
gives the preparatory 19 'it>e2 !
which maintains the option of sac-
rificing on f7, while eliminating
any counterplay (e.g. check..<> on
h4).
19 ~xfi
20 t/JxhS?
The provocation - not to men-
tion the exhausting practical cal-
culation of the variations of the
seductive post-sacrifice alternatives
has disturbed Spielmann' s
judgement. Alekhine mentions four
plausible alternatives which White
had to analyse:
a) 20 .ltg6+,
b) 20 t/Je4,
c) 20 4lf5, and
d) 20 tt::le2. The strongest move,
e.g. 20 ... i.xh4+ 21 ~dl ~g8 22
4'lf4 l:.f7 23 tt::lg6 i.e7 24 lLlxh8
~xl18 25 'ii'g6! and wins.
20 ... .ltxh4+
21 ~e2 t/JxhS
22 i.g6+ ~e7
23 .ltxhS ~d7!
Spielmann had overlooked this,
expecting only 23 ... nxh5 24 'ii'g7+
~e8 25 'ii'g6+ which is most un-
pleasant for Black. After the text it
is Black whc) is winning, although
he still has to survive a whirlwind
invasion of his position. Quite a
triumph for heroic defence, al-
though one must sympathise with
poor Spielmann, who had the win
within his grasp but a few moves
previously.
24 'ii'g7+ .lte7
25 i.ti
Threatening 26 .ltxe6+ ~xe6 27
'ii'g4+ ~f7 28 'ii'g6+ 'iitf8 29 .lth6+
and mate, but this is parried easily
enough by the resumption of the
156 World Champion.5hip ('andidate: .)efelted Game.5 1925-1928

black king's march to the hinter- Avoiding the trap 39 ... l:r.gl+ 40
land. <t;fl l:r.xal 41 1'.d8+! ll:lxd8 42
25 l:th2+ 'ii'xd8+ when White secures per-
26 <t;c7 petual check.
27 l:.xb2 40 1'.d8+ ll:lxd8
The base of White's pawn-chain 41 'ii'b8+ ll:lb7
falls in a highly unexpected man- 0-1
ner. In this case 41 'ii'xd8+ 'it>b7! is
28 'ii'h7 quite hopeless. Black threatens
29 l:tg8 mate and the rook, while the l:tg7
30 'ii'h8 defends the black king from
checks.

Those notes to this game men-

tioned as stemming from Alekhine
I have translated from his tourna-
ment book, in Ge1111an, of New
York 1927.

Nimzowitsch-Kmoch
Kecskemet 1927
Bird's Opening

1 f4
Nimzowitsch experimented with
31 1'.g6 l:tg2 this opening move at Kecskemet in
32 'ii'hl several games but it never became
Once White is compelled to re- a great favourite with him. On
treat the end is in sight. those occasions when he did resort
32 . l:txg6 to l f4 it was no1111ally in conjunc-
Over the next few moves Black tion with the fianchetto of the
cashes in his material plus in return queen's bishop. Amongst contem-
for a decisive initiative. porary Grandmasters Larsen is the
33 l:txg6 b4 only notable supporter of l f4.
34 l:tg7 'ii'c6 1 ... d5
35 'ii'h8 'ii'a4+ Probably the most sensible reply
36 'it>el ll:lc6! which prevents the fo1111ation of a
37 'ii'xc8 1'.h4+ white centre with 2 e4 and prepares
38 1'.g3 to transpose into a Dutch Defence
Or 38 l:tg3 'ii'c2 with annihilat- with reversed colours. We will
ing effect. never know, unfortunately, what
38 l:txg7 Nimzowitsch had in mind against
39 1'.xh4 the From Gambit 1... e5 ! ? 2 fxe5
Re-establishing material equal- d6.
ity. 2 ll:lf3
39 'ii'c2! 3 e3
 World Champion.5hip Candidate: Selected Game.s 1925-1928 157

It seems to me an inflexible pro- influence of Nimzowitsch 's origi-

cedure to give up the queen's nal strategy in this game can be
bishop at so early a stage of the traced in Planinc-Hartoch, Wijk
game. I would have preferred here aan Zee 1973: 1 b3 d5 2 .li.b2 .li.g4
3 ... g6, e.g. 4 .li.e2 .li.g7 5 0-0 0-0 3 h3 iLh5 4 4:\f3 li:Jd7 5 e3 c6 6 d3
when Black retains the option of iLxf3 7 ir'xf3 tl:lgf6 8 g4 e5 9 g5
fianchettoing his queen's bishop or tl:lg8 10 h4 iLb4+ 11 'it>e2! li.'Je7 12
of playing it to g4 under more fa- iLh3+.
vourable circumstances, i.e. in a 7
situation where White can no Consistent at least.
longer recapture on f3 with his 8 gS iLxc3
queen and no longer has the pos..<>i- 9 bxc3 tl:le4
bility of 0-0-0 at his disposal. 10 d3 tl:ld6
Kmoch conducts the whole Or l O... tl:lxc3 11 iLb2 regaining
opening as if bishops were anath- the pawn with much the better
ema to him, and exchanges his game.
bishops for enemy knights at every 11 c4 c6
available opportunity. Perhaps he Strategically correct in that
was aware of Nimzowitsch's pred- Black seeks to blot White's bishops
ilection for the knight, the more out of the game.
complex of the two minor pieces, 12 e4?
and therefore decided as a matter of White wants to open up the po-
policy to 'saddle' him with the sition for his bishops at all costs,
bishop pair. therefore he does not object to the
4 h3 iLxf3 resulting isolation of his c-pawns.
5 ir'xf3 tl:lbd7 However, the text is oversharp and
6 tl:lc3 e6 White should have contented him-
7 g4! self with 12 iLe2, intending e3-e4
This space-gaining idea was not at a later date.
a new one for Nimzowitsch and it 12 dxe4
is worthwhile to quote here the 13 dxe4 fS?
analogous opening of Nimzo-
witsch 's game with Griinfeld (who
commanded the Black pieces) from
Marienbad 1925: 1 e3 tl:lf6 2 f4 d5
3 tl:lf3 .li.g4 4 b3 tl:lbd7 5 iLb2 e6 6
c4 iLe7 7 h3 .li.xf3 8 ir'xf3 0-0 9
g4! tl:le4 IO g5 c6 11 d3 ir'a5+ 12
~e2 tl:ld6 13 .li.c3 "ir'b6 14 h4 tl:lf5
15 iLh3 d4 16 iLxf5 dxc3 17
iLxh 7+ ( 17 .li.h3 !? c2 18 tl:ld2 iLa3
is also a reasonable sacrificial pos-
sibility) 17 ... ~xh7 18 tl:lxc3 ir'a5
19 tl:le4 with two good pawns for a
piece. After many vicissitudes
Nimzowitsch won on move 45. The The point of this move is to
158 W<>rld Champion.vhip C'andidate: .')<'lected (;ame.v / 92_5-1928

bring his queen to the f5 square Black is already quite lost and
with pressure against White's f- Nimzowitsch despatches him with
pawn, but it turns out that White's a few swift strokes. Now that
f-pawn is by no means essential to Black's central pawns have been
the economy of his war effort and swept away (partly Black's own
can therefore be abandoned. The doing - 13 ... f5?) there remains no
disastrous side-effect of ... t7-f5 is barricade to hinder the deadly
to create a horrible weakness at e6, mechanism of the bishop pair on
upon which Nimzowitsch is quick the open board.
to seize. 13 ... '11i'c7, keeping the po- After 21 ~xe6 White is bound
sition closed and protecting the d6- to pick up one of Black's two
knight, was relatively better, al- sickly kingside pawns and then the
though White still stand..<> well after advance of the majority (the white
14 .ltb2. Best of all, though, was g and h-pawns) will cost Black
13 ... tt:lc5! threatening White's e- material.
pawn and in addition 14 ... lflxc4 21 ... 0ic7
and 15 ... '11i'd4. This would have 22 ~h3 l:txc4
exposed the defects of 12 e4. And not 22 ... l:txh4? 23 .ltxd7+
14 exf5 '11i'a5+ picking up the stray rook.
15 .i.d2 'iii'xf5 23 .ltxg7 0id5
16 0-0-0 0-0-0 24 h5 'i;c7
17 .tc3 To unpin, not that it benefits him
The bishops go to work. This at all.
move embodies a dual threat 25 g6! hxg6
against Black's d6-knight and his 26 .ltxd7 gxh5
g-pawn, so the reply is virtually Sheer desperation. Black could
forced. just as well resign here. If he re-
17 tt:le8 captures on d7 (26 ... l:txd7 or
18 h4! :rs 26 ... 'it>xd7), then 27 h6! is decisive.
19 .lth3 '11i'xf4+ 27 .lte6 h4
20 '11i'xf4 l:txf4 28 ~e5+ 'i;b6
29 ~d4+ 'i;b5
' /, 30 l:txh4 c5
' , % %
31 .ltf2
~ iD Black now allows himself a final
jest before capitulation:
31 ... l:txc2+
32 'i;xc2 0ie3+
~xe3!
~s i~ 33 1-0

We do not normally think of

Nimzowil<>ch as a great artist with
the bishop pair. Usually, and there
are examples passim in this vol-
ume, we can see Nimzowitsch at
21 .ltxe6 the head of a cavalry charge di-
 World C'hampion.ship Candidate: Selected Game.s 1925-1928 159
rected against the hostile clergy. In
My System he does indeed pay lip-
service to the convention of the
bishop pair (why does nobody ever
talk about the knight pair?) yet the
doubts are there: 'The two bishops
are, in the hands of a skilful fighter,
a terrible weapon, yet I confess that
for a moment I dallied with the
blasphemous thought of omitting
them from any detailed examina-
tion in my book. And from a fur-
ther comment he let.<> slip it's clear
which side Nimzowitsch is really
on: 'Nevertheless, the reader has
naturally the right to expect that I
should enlighten him, as far as I
can, on the dangers in which a pair
of enemy bishops may involve
him.' 'Enemy bishops'! 'We' over-
protect, 'we' restrain, 'we block-
ade and 'we' even defend heroi-
cally (i.e. 'we' provoke the enemy)
but it is the enemy who has the
bishop pair in his oily grasp. And,
sure enough, the two classic exam-
ples of bishops beating knights
chosen by Nimzowitsch to illustrate
the 'two bishops theme are famous
wins by the archdemon of pseudo-
classicism himself - Dr. Tarrasch.
Nimzowitsch must have experi-
enced a profound sympathy for
Kmoch after the conclusion of their
game above.
Nimzowitsch-Morrison
Imperial Chess Club, London 1927
Nimzowitsch Attack (transposing to
King's Indian Defence)
1 b3 g6
After Nimzowitsch's numerous
successes between 1923 and 1927
against opponents who reacted
dogmatically to 1 b3 (or 1 tt:lf3 and
2 b3) with l ... d5 and 2 ... c5 the de-
fence (viewed as an abstract entity)
began to realise that it was proba-
bly more advisable to play ... d6
rather than ... d5. This way Black
could exert some kind of counter-
grip on the e5 square and blunt the
power of White's queen's bishop in
general. As a result of this new
strategic insight novel methods
were evolved for Black to escape
from the stereotyped attempts to
impose a white structure on a black
position which we saw coming to
grief in Nimzowitsch's games ver-
sus Wolf, Rosselli del Turco, Ru-
binstein (Semmering 1926) and
Spielmann (New York 1927).
At the great London Interna-
tional Tournament, just preceding
the double-round event in which
the present game was played,
Winter (as Black) surprised Nim-
zowit.<>ch with ( 1 b3) 1... e5 2 i.b2
f6!? when there followed: 3 e4 (3
c4! ?) 3 ... i.c5 (3 ... c6 4 f4 exf4 5
liJh3 'ii'e7 6 tt:lc3 d5 7 4'lxf4 d4 8
tt:Jce2 'ii'xe4 9 i.xd4+ Larsen-
Martinez, San Juan 1969) 4 i.c4
Ciie7 5 'ii'h5+ g6 6 'ii'f3 tt:Jbc6 7
tt:le2 l:tf8 8 g4 f5 ! 9 gxf5 d5 10
exd5 l:txf5 11 'ii'e4 lLib4 12 lLibc3
i.xf2+ 13 'IPdl c6 14 dxc6 bxc6 15
i.a3 tt:Jed5 and Black eventually
won.
A further example of new meth-
ods (this time going disastrously
wrong) can be seen in Nim-
zowitsch 's encounter with the
Swiss Master Dr. H. Joss from
Zurich 1934. This game was, in
fact, the last one to be won by Nim-
zowitsch in a great international
tournament, so it is of some histori-
cal, as well as intrinsic, interest:
White: Nimzowitsch - Black: Joss:
160 World Champion.ship Candidate: Selelted Game~ 1925-1928

l tlif3 tlif6 2 b3 b6 3 g3 ~b7 4 interpretation introduced by the

~b2 d6 5 ~g2 tlibd7 6 0-0 g6 7 c4 Argentine Grandmaster Oscar
~g7 8 tlic3 tlie4 9 c2 lllxc3 10 Panno in the middle 1950s.
~xc3 ~xc3 11 xc3 0-0 12 llfe l 7 dS tlib8?
tlif6 (Alekhine suggested 12 ... e6
and 13 .....f6 to contest the dark
squares) 13 d4 e6 14 b4 e7
(14 ... llle4! and 15 ... f5) 15 a4 llfc8
16 a5 a6 17 llecl llld7 18 e3
(hovering like a vulture over the
dark squares around the enemy
king) l 8 ... bxa5 19 J::.xa5 c5 20
bxc5 dxc5 21 d5 lle8 22 llb I :tab8
23 dxe6 fxe6 24 llle5 ~xg2 25
llxb8 tlixb8 26 ~xg2 ~7+ 27 f3
llc8 28 tlig4 c6 29 es h5 30
tlif6+ ~t7 31 tlie4 tlid7 32 tlid6+
<li;e7 33 tlixc8+ xc8 34 _.g7+
~d6 35 xg6 tlie5 36 ~l 1-0. Excessively negative. Here
An elegant victory. 7 ... tlia5 was possible, e.g. 8 ~c3 c5
2 ~b2 tlif6 9 d2 b6 and White dare not dou-
3 g3 ~g7 ble Black's a-pawns since the sur-
4 ~g2 d6 render of his queen's bishop would
s d4 imbue Black's king's bishop with
Nimzowitsch is not going to al- superhuman strength along the a 1-
low ... e7-e5 without a struggle. On h8 diagonal.
5 ... e5 he intended 6 dxe5 tlig4 7 8 tlic3 tlibd7
tlic3 tlixe5 8 _.d2, a method which 9 tlif3 aS
later found favour with Olafsson 10 tlia4
and Smyslov. An eccentric method of pre-
s ... 0-0 venting the blockading move
6 c4 tlic6 ... tlid7-c5 and one which looks
When the history of the King's rather strange to modern eyes.
Indian Defence eventually comes However, the move is well moti-
to be written we will discover the vated since the simple 10 0-0 could
full significance of the contribution land White in difficulties after
to its development made by the JO ... tlic5, with the threat of 1 J ... a4
British masters of the 1920s. The 12 b4 a3! and 13 ... tlice4. In other
text, apparently a very modern words: JO tlia4 is a decentralisation
idea, was employed repeatedly by, of the instructive variety.
for example, Yates. However, in 10 ... eS
reply to the displacement d4-d5 In order to break the diagonal of
these early pioneers invariably pre- White's queen's bishop, but Nim-
ferred to retreat the queen's knight zowitsch will have none of that.
to its original square (b8) rather 11 dxe6 fxe6
than advance it to a5, which is the 12 0-0 e7
 World Champi<Jn.1hip c;a11didat': ,'i'lected G<1n1e.1 192_'i-/928 161
13 tt:lel
The knight takes a trip to d5.
13 ... e5
Renewing the diagonal obstruc-
tion but weakening the light
squares d5 and e4. However, this
move will be necessary in the long
run if Black is going to devel<)p his
queenside pieces.
14 tt:lc2 'it>h8
15 e4 tt:lh5
Making way for the other knight
so that Black can develop his
queen's bishop. Note how White's
isolated knight on a4 impedes the
whole process of enemy queenside
mobilisation by forbidding the
squares b6 and c5 to Black's
queen's knight.
16 tt:le3 tt:ldf6
17 tt:ldS tt:lxd5
18 exd5
Also attractive was 18 cxd5 with
subsequent pressure on the c-file
against c7. The capture of the text
announces a more ambitious plan
involving a direct attack against
Black's king. The key to this attack
is the erosion of Black's e-pawn,
after which White's dark-squared
bishop will develop ferocious ac-
tivity on the long diagonal.
18 ..ltd7
19 tt:lc3 tt:lf6
More active was l 9 ... a4 20 bxa4
l!a5, although Nimzowil<>ch still
adjudged the position after 21 tt:lb5
nfa8 22 'iiib3 as slightly in White's
favour.
20 a4
C<)nfident of his prospect<> in the
centre and on the kingside, Nim-
zowitsch seals up the queen's wing.
Nevertheless, he does retain the
useful b5 square for his knight with
this move, so operations on the left
flank cannot be entirely ruled out
cif White's battle campaign.
20 .. ..ltg4?
At this point it was essential to
bring up the reserves (20 ... nae8) in
order to lend increased support to
1) The black e-pawn and
2) The sensitive hinterland
(square e6). Omission of this pre-
caution accounts for much of
Black's coming woe.
21 f3 ..ltd7
22 d2 b6
If 22 ... .l:tae8 23 l/Jb5! forcing the
unpleasant 23 ... Jtxb5.
23 :tael
Piling up on thee-pawn.
23 . d8
Now after 23 ... :tae8 24 f4 Black
could not avoid the threatened ex-
change t'4xe5 when he would
eventually be saddled with a weak
isolated pawn on the open e-file.
With the text he is able to answer
f2-f4 with ... e5xf4, thus precluding
the infliction of structural weak-
nesses on his pawn fo1111ation.
However, 23 ... 'ir'd8 involves the
undesirable side-effect of shutting
his queenside pieces out of the
game for a further four moves.
24 f4
162 World Championship Candidate: .~elected Game.~ 1925-1928

The diagonal is re-opened by square e6 and the ilf5.

force. 26 ... .d7
24 exf4 Or 26 ... ilh6 27 g4 i.xg4 28
25 l:r.xf4 l:.xf6! i.xd2 29 l:.xf8 double mate.
27 lL'id4 Ilae8
At last, but now White creates an
irreparable weakness on f5. If here
;p ~ ~ 27 ... ii.h6 there would follow 28
/;.-d
:r~~
/fl"'~
;~~
:~'.
/~
lL'ie6 .:tf7 29 g4!.
28 lL'ixfS gxf5
~- '~ /~ z ~
If Black first exchanges rooks
White wins by force: 28 ... l:txe l +
29 xel gxf5 30 e6! xe6 31
dxe6 lL'ih5 32 e7 J:l.e8 33 l:txf5
~ ~ ~ -~ ;;ru ii.xb2 34 l:tf8+.
29 l:r.en !
~ ~ ~ -~ White stubbornly refuses to ac-
knowledge that ... ii.h6 is a threat.
In contrast with Black's scat- 29 .. ii.h6
tered units White's concentration Why not? He will certainly lose
of central force is superb. White's anyway with 'normal' moves, since
position is one of those that create the f-pawn can hardly be defended
an impression of optical beauty just for any length of time.
as much as intellectual beauty. In- 30 ii.h3
deed, 'the beauty of a move lies in 31 ii.d4
the thought behind it!' (Nim- To stop 3 l ...e3+.
zowitsch). But Nimzowitsch was 31
by no means insensitive to the pos- 32 xr4
sibilities of optical beauty on the 33 d2 c5?
chess board.
2s ... ii.rs
25 ... ilf5 has two points:
1) It seeks to block the fatal f-
file and
2) It makes way for the queen to
go to d7 so that the sadly neglected
queen's rook can enter the lists at
e8. But not 25 ... ilh6? 26 lL'ie4+-.
This opportunity crops up on four
separate occasions and the fourth
time round Black can no longer
resist the temptation to snap at the
exchange.
26 lL'ibS This results in the decentralisa-
A good move. The knight cen- tion of Black's queen followed by
tralises at d4 whence it menaces the instant loss of the game. The only
 World Champion~hip Candidate: Selected Game.\ 1925-1928 163
chance was the appeasement offer
33 ... .l:!.e5 to dam the fatal dark-
square diagonal. But even in that
case White wins easily after 34
..txe5 and the annexation of the f-
pawn.
34 xc6
35
Decisive. With Black's queen on
e4 this could have been prevented.
35 .. d5
36 ..txf5
Threatening 37 xh7 mate.
36 .. l:.f7
37 ..txh7
Demolition.
37 .. l:.xh7
38 ..txf6+ 1-0
And the irony of the situation is
that White dealt the final blow with
the very piece which Black's whole
strategy was designed to neutralise:
the queen's bishop operating on the
al-h8 diagonal.
Bogoljubow-Nimzowitsch
Bad Kissingen 1928
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 lllf6
2 e6
3 ..tb4
4 ..txc3+?!
Premature, to say the least, but
Nimzowitsch played this three
times at Kissingen!
5 bxc3?!
Such nonchalance. Why, then,
did he play 4 c2 - ? The natural
move is, of course, 5 xc3, as
played by Tartakower and Rubin-
stein in their games against Nim-
zowitsch. After the text Black's
fourth move is justified.
5 ... d6
6 lllf3
It would have been more appro-
priate to play 6 e4, 7 ..td3, and then
follow up with llle2 and f2-f4.
6 ,,, e7
It is interesting to compare the
opening of this game with that of
the clash between the same players
from Carlsbad the following year.
In their later game Nimzowitsch
omitted the move .. .'ike7 and de-
veloped his queen's knight on c6
rather than d7. This later method
certainly represented a significant
improvement over his treatment of
the position in their present en-
counter.
7 g3 b6
8 ..tg2 ..tb7
9 0-0 lllbd7
10 a4
A good move which provokes
the defensive reaction ... a7-a5 from
Black, thus hindering the intended
... c7-c5 (in view of the weakness of
Black's b-pawn) which would have
been a useful link in the blockade
of White's doubled pawns. In the
tournament book Tartakower rec-
ommend..<> 10 lllel, but why should
White voluntarily renounce his
bishop pair? Interestingly enough,
Nimzowitsch had been involved in
164 W<Jr/d Champion.vhip Candidate: Selelted Game.v 1925-1928

a similar sequence against Colle at means ot the manoeuvre: tt:lfl-e3-

London the previous year ( 1927), d5, but before carrying out this
but in that game Nimzowitsch had threat he masses his heavy pieces in
been White! ( l d4 lllf6 2 4'lf3 e6 3 the centre. The next phase of the
c4 b6 4 g3 i.b7 5 i.g2 i.b4+ 6 game, played powerfully. easily
lt:Jc3?! 0-0 7 0-0 i.xc3 8 bxc3 d6 9 and on broad lines by White, illus-
a4 a5 10 i.a3 lt:Jbd7 11 lt:Jd2 i.xg2 trates just how dangerous a player
12 'lt>xg2 e5 13 e4 .l:.e8 14 f3 lt:Jf8 Bogoljubow could be. Let us not
15 l:tf2 and 1-0, 78, although Black forget that Bogc)]jubow won the
spumed several draws.) first prize at Kis..<>ingen, a whole
It seems that Nimzowitsch 's in- point ahead of Capablanca.
terest in doubled-pawn complexes 15 .. :.ae8
was both scientific and partisan in As a counter to White's central
that he was prepared to experiment designs Black plans an advance on
with them as well as against them. the kingside.
10 ... i.e4 16 :el '1t>h8
Criticised by Tartakower who 17 tLin i.c8
gives 10 ... 0-0 '!' 11 a5 l:!.fc8 fol- 18 i.g2 i.b7
lowed by ... c7-c5. But how should Not so much a tacit offer of a
Black meet 12 d5 ! ? with the threat draw as a recognition that he will
of 13 a6 - ? If 12 ... exd5 13 a6 i.c6 have to answer the invasion lt:Je3-
14 lt:Jd4 is highly unpleasant for d5 with ... i.xd5.
Black. His best reply is the block- 19 lt:Je3 lt:Jh5
ading 12 ... lt:Jc5 with good chances. 20 .l:.a2! g6
11 b3 a5
12 i.h3
Planning to chase away Black's
bishop with consequent gains in
time and space. The knight must be
'unpinned' before this is possible.
12 . 0-0
Surely 12 ... i.xf3 comes into
consideration here. Nimzowitsch
suggested 12 ... i.f5= ( 13 i.g2 i.e4
etc.) or 13 i.xf5? exf5 14 ~5 0-0
15 l:i.el e4 16 lt:Jd2 c2!+.
13 lt:Jd2 i.b7
14 f3 e5
15 e4 21 l:tae2 rs
All according to plan. White's 22 lt:Jd5 i.xd5
centre is now a great force, the 23 exd5
more so since Black has been un- Opening up an intense bom-
able to organise any pressure bardment (hitherto concealed by
against the doubled pawns. White's White's e-pawn) against e5.
long-te1111 strategic threat is to im- 23 ... g5?!
prove the placing of his knight by Provoking a sharp struggle. At
 World C'hampion.1hip Candid<1te: .')e/ccted Game.~ 1925-1928 16.5
this point Tartakower proposed the
positional pawn sacrifice 23 ... f4! '?
(to gain control of the f-file and
some dark squares), e.g. 24 g4
tt'lhf6 25 .lilxf4 tt'lh5! (25 ... 0.xg4 26
.\1lg3) 26 .1ld2 tllf4 27 .1Lxf4 l:txf4
followed by ... 'iff7 and ... l:tef8.
24 'ii'bS f4
25 .lilh3 tt'ldf6
26 gxf4 tt'lxf4
27 .lilxf4 gxf4
28 dxeS
Stronger 28 .lile6! to prevent
Black's next move. After the text
Nimzowitsch succeeds in conjuring
up adequate counterplay.
28 ... l:.g8+!
29 'i!thl
The tactics commence. 29 '.t>f2
lilxd5! and ... 'ifh4+, or 29 '.t>fl
dxe5 30 .lile6 'ifg7 ! 31 .lilxg8 :xg8
32 l:If2 e4! 33 fxe4 f3 winning.
29 dxeS
30 .lile6
To give up his rooks for queen
and pawn would be a disastrous
idea. After 30 l:.xe5? 'if xe5 31
l:.xe5 l:Ixe5 the h 1 square becomes
a sarcophagus for White's king in
view of the possibility of ... l:lel.
30 .. l:IgS
31 cS
! !' from Tartakower. The point
of this move is to shut Black's
queen out of play (there were un-
pleasant possibilities of invasion by
means of ... 'ifa3 in the air), while
simultaneously shattering Black's
queenside pawns. It seems that the
text must lead to the capture both
of Black's e-pawn and his a-pawn.
If White seeks to distrain upon
Black's e-pawn at once with 31
Axe5 l:Ixe5 32 l:Ixe5 then 32 ... 'ifa3!
guarantees Black ample recourse.
31 ... bxcS
32 c4
Once again White avoids 32
l:Ixe5 on account of 32 ... l:Ixe5 33
l:Ixe5 lt'ixd5!. Now d5 is adequately
protected and White has also
opened up the long dark diagonal,
thus permitting 'ifb2, increasing the
pressure against Black's e-pawn.
On top of all this Black still has
problems with his a-pawn, though
probably that was the very least of
his worries. In spite of the mount-
ing threaL'> NimzowiL'ich succeed.'>
in saving himself' by virtue of a
series of problem moves, which
indicate in no uncertain fashion his
acute facility for exploiting con-
cealed tactical resources.
The diagram position might be
set a..<; a problem or study, with the
caption: Black to play and draw.
32 ... c6!!
A move which truly deserves the
twin exclamation marks. If now 33
'ifxc6 there would follow: 33 ... e4!
(expanding pawns) 34 fxe4 l:le5
and Black's threat of ... f4-f3 com-
bined with the offside position of
White's queen grant him a vehe-
ment attack, e.g. 35 'ifb5 f3 36 l:f2
(or 36 :tc2 0.xe4 37 'ikb2 'ikg7 38
Ilg I tt'lg3+! 39 hxg3 l:t.h5+ 40 l:.h2
166 World Champion.<ship Candidate: S'e/ected Game:, 1925-1928

ikxb2-+) 36 ... 0ixe4 37 l:txf3 0if2+, 38 l:tg5!

or 35 .i.f5 f3 36 d6 (36 l:te3 j2 and Other moves lose: 38 l:f5 c3 39
37... l:txj5) 36 ... ikg7 37 d7 fxe2 38 l:txf4 c2 40 l:tc4 0ixd5!-+.
dxe8ik+ l:txe8 39 l:txe2 l:tg8 40 38 ... c3
ikxc5 0ixe4! (threatening ... ital+) 39 l:tgl l:td8
41 ike3 0ic3 42 l:td2 lt'b7+ and 40 l:tcl 0ixd5
wins. lf 42 l:tb2 tiJdl wins. 41 .i.xdS l:txdS
33 ikb2 42 l:txc3 l:td4
A retreat, but powerful none-the- 43 'i!,7g2 'i!,7g7
less. However, Black's previous 44 'i!,7 h3 l:.xa4
move now enables him to under- 45 'i!,7g4 l/2-l/2
mine the supports of White's d- Black's extra pawn is symbolic.
pawn in such a way as to create a It is of no use for winning purposes
variety of neat pinning motifs on since White's pieces are well
the e-file. placed and Black's rook is tied to
33 cxd5 the defence of his own scattered a
34 cxdS ikd6 and f-pawns.
35 l:txe5 l:txe5 A superb duel between two out-
standing fighters.

This game took place in round

three of the tournament. In the
same round Capablanca and Rubin-
stein played a routine draw and, as
his concluding comment to this
game in the tournament book, Tar-
takower wrote: 'After this game
Capablanca spoke once again of the
encroaching draw-death (Remistod)
in chess.'

Capablanca-Nimzowitsch
36 ikxe5 Bad Kissingen 1928
In reply to 36 l:txe5 Nim- (penultimate round)
zowitsch had prepared a most Nimzo-lndian Defence
beautiful variation: 36 ... l:tb8 37
ikc3 l:tb3! 38 ikxb3 (or 38 ikel 1 d4 0if6
when the pursuit continues with 2 c4 e6
38... l:tbl) 38 ... ikxe5 and Black, 3 0ic3 .i.b4
with centralised queen and knight 4 ikc.2 d5(!)
against queen and bishop holds Unlucky Capablanca. In his
some positional advantage. other games from Kissingen Nim-
36 ikxeS zowitsch handicapped himself at
37 l:txeS c4 this stage with the eccentric
And not 37 ... 0ixd5? 38 l:txd5 4 ... ..ixc3+ ?! .
l:txe6 39 l:txc5. 5 i..gS?!
 World Championship Candidate: Selected Game.~ 1925-1928 167

A dubious gambit. Modem genious, but somewhat artificial.

practice favours either 5 a3, which 11 0-0 l:td7
leads to immense complications 12 ct 0-0
after 5 ... .li.xc3+ 6 'if xc3 ltJe4, or 5 13 h6 ~xc3
cxd5 as in the first game of the It is unfortunate that Black has
1963 Petrosian-Botvinnik World to surrender his wonderful bishop,
Championship match, which con- but White's queen's knight is much
tinued: 5 ... exd5 6 .li.g5 h6 7 .li.xf6 too dangerous a piece to be re-
'iWxf6 8 a3 .li.xc3+ 9 'iWxc3 c6 10 e3 prieved. If, for example, Black
0-0 11 lLle2 l:te8 ! 12 ltJg3 g6 13 f3 should play the unsuspecting
h5 with a fine game for Black. 13 ... 'it>h8 (intending ... l:.g8 and
5 dxc4! ... .li.f8-g7 with full consolidation),
A bold and successful stroke Capablanca planned the beautiful
which has put 5 .li.g5 out of opera- variation: 14 ltJe4 ~e7 15 lLlfg5!
tion, as far as opening theory is fxg5 16 ltJf6 .li.xf6 17 .li.e4 and 18
concerned. Nimzowitsch recog- xh7 mate.
nises that White cannot regain his 14 bxc3 'it>h8
pawn and must, therefore, continue 15 ltJd2
in gambit style, which was not, Envisaging a change of front the
perhaps, quite in accordance with knight heads for the left flank,
Capablanca 's more serene tastes. where it is soon joined by further
6 tt:Jf3 b5 detachments of the white army.15
7 a4 c6 e4, with e4-e5 in the air, was also
8 .li.xf6 gxf6 possible.
Planning to parry 9 axb5 cxb5 15 f5
10 'ife4 with 10 ... 'ii'd5, but Alek-
hine demonstrated that the appar-
ently disastrous 8 ... 'iWxf6 is also
feasible: 8 ... 'ii'xf6 9 axb5 cxb5 10
'ii'e4 'ii'g6! 11 'ii'xa8 'iWc2 and
Black has a powerful attack, e.g. 12
xb8 0-0 13 tt:Jd2 xb2 14 l:tbl
xc3 15 l:txb4 cl mate, or 14
xa7 .li.xc3 15 l:tdl e5 threatening
... .li.f5-c2. Black could also take a
draw with 15 ... .li.xd2+ 16 l:txd2
cl+ and 17 ...c3+, if he so de-
, ,
sired. This suggestion is a remark-
able illustration of the resources
concealed on the chessboard. To prevent ltJd2-e4.
9 g3 a6 16 l:tfbl?
10 .li.g2 l:ta7? ! The aforementioned switch of
It would have been more effec- front. However, if White does have
tive to employ the simple defence: any compensation for his pawn it
10 ... .li.b7 11 0-0 ltJd7 followed by surely lies on the kingside and in
... l:tb8. The move of the text is in- the centre, but emphatically not on
168 WrJrltl Champion.-hip C't1ndid<1te: ,)'1'C'f'd (]r1m'S 1925-192!1'
the queenside, where Black holds
the superiority. The illogicality of
White's 16th move struck Alekhine
who recommended the dynamic
blow 16 e4! as an improvement,
giving 16 ... fxe4 17 tllxe4 f6 18
tllc5 l:t.g7 19 l:t.fe 1 'with sufficient
positional compensation for the
gambit pawn.' ln the tournament
book Tartakower also considered
16 e4 but dismissed it as follows:
l 6 ... e5 '!' 17 exf5 l:t.d6 18 'ilrb5
exd4 19 tlle4 dxc3 20 t/.Jg5 h6 21
tllxf7+ l:r.xf7 22 .. xt7 1t.d7 'and
Black's strong pawn-mass should
provide adequate compensation for
the exchange'. But this we do fl()t
believe. After 22 ... 1t.d7 all ot'
White's pieces are in active play,
while Black's knight has no moves
at all. In addition, Black's king is
open to the winds. as can be seen
from: 23 axb5 cxb5 (23 ... axb5
pet 111its the intervention ot White's
queen's rook) 24 l:t.fel t/.Jc6 25
1t.d5 l:.f6 26 l:t.e8+ 'i'xe8 27 'i'xf6+
'iti>h7 28 'i'xc3 threatening 29 .:.e I
and 30 f6 or 29 :.xa6. White must
wtn.
In view of this Black would have
been obliged to rely on Alekhine 's
line above in reply to 16 e4! lead-
ing to a struggle with mutual chan-
ces.
16 e5
17 tllf3?
It is noteworthy that Capablanca
absolutely refuses to plunge into
the beckoning complications until
it is, objectively speaking, much
too late to do him any good. Only
when his position is beyond go<>d
and evil does he c<>ndescend to
involve himself in a hand-to-l1and
fight. The required course here was
17 t/.Jxc4! exd4 18 cxd4 l:xd4 19
tlle5 .l:!:d6 20 'ilff4 unclear. another
line which stems from Alekhine.
17 l:t.d6
18 ..e3
Now, in reply to 18 'ilr'h5, the
exchange sacrit'ice mentioned in
the note to White's 16th move be-
comes more plausible: 18 ... exd4!
19 'Lig5 h6 20 'Lixf7+ l:xf7 21
'i'xf7 dxc3 and, in contrast to the
similar position analysed previ-
ously, Black holds the advantage.
White has no passed f-pawn, no
control of the e-file and no method
c>f challenging Black's grip on the
only open line (d-file).
18 ... e4
19 tlld2 tt:ld7
20 g4
With ... t/.Jf6-d5 in the oft'ing it is
clear that White is faced with a
calamity of no mean proporti<>n,
unless he can cont.use the issue.
White has psychology <>n his side
in that Nimzowitsch, for the very
first time in his chess career, has
obtained a clearly decisive position
against Capablanca. We can, there-
t'ore. sympathise with Black's
nervous plight, which presumably
became more acute as Capablanca,
i11 clear contravention of his previ-
 World C'hampirJn.1hip ('a11didate: Selelted Gt1me.1 1925-1928 169

ous policy, started to seek compli- 'iixd6 .::txd6 29 e4 fxe4 30 fxe4

cations. .:.f3-+.
20 ... lf6 28 lt>f2 'iif6
21 gxf5 ~xf5?! 29 axb5(!)
Strong, but not murderous. 'White captures precisely at that
Alekhine gave 21 ... tlldS! 22 'ilfh3 mc)ment when Black has no time to
(22 'iixe4 tllxc3-+ or 22 'iig3 .:gs) examine both possibilities of re-
22 ... tllf4 23 'iie3 'iig5 24 'ilfxe4 capture' (Alekhine) .
.i.xf5 and it is all over. Just imag- 29 ... cxb5?
ine, by playing 2 l ... tlld5 Nim- The wrong one, which gratui-
zowitsch could virtually have tously grants White a gigantic
forced Capablanca 's resignation in pas..<>ed d-pawn.
another three moves or so, thus 30 l:.d 1 lt>g8?
winning a miniature game (twenty- Reaching the time-control. Sim-
five moves or less) against the Cu- pler was 30 ... 'iid6! which should
ban genius, and with Black! still win. (Time-control at Kissin-
22 'iif4 ~d7 gen: thirty moves in two hours.)
23 ~xe4 31 d5 'iixc3?
Or 23 tllxe4 ~xe4 24 ~xe4 The final blunder. 3 l ... 'iid6 was
l:r.g8+ winning easily. essential, and Black still has win-
23 ... tllxe4 ning chances. As we know, the
24 tllxe4 :tg6+ blockade of all passed and semi-
25 tt:lg3 passed pawns is an integral part of
There is no choice but to give up the System, but in the smoke of
the exchange. If 25 ~h l 'iid5 26 f3 battle system can be driven com-
l:r.e8-+. pletely from one's mind by more
25 ~xbl urgent and irrational considera-
26 l:.xbl f5 tions. After the text Capablanca
27 f3 exploits his resources in brilliant
fashion to achieve salvation.
32 d6 'iif6
33 d7 c3
34 tllxf5!
'The dance on a volcano!' (Tar-
takower).
34 c2
35 l:.d6 'iid8
A blockade less illustrious by far
than that mentioned in the note to
move 31. If 35 ... 'iixd6 36 tllxd6
.::txf4 37 d8'ii+ l:!.f8 38 'iic7 J:!.xd6
39 'i'xc2 with a probable draw,
according to Tartakower. On the
27 'iig7? whole I think Black did well to
In time trouble Nimzowitsch avoid this variation.
falters. Better was 27 ... 'ilfd6 28 36 'iie5!
170 World Champion.1hip Candidate: S'elelted Game.1 192.5-1928
Threatening 37 .l:txg6+ and 38
'ilfg7 mate.
36 ... l:txfS
Or 36 ... l:tg2+ 37 'itixg2 1fg5+ 38
~f2 cl'ilf 39 'ilfd5+=.
37 l:txg6+! hxg6
38 'ilfe8+ l:tf8
39 1fxg6+ 1/2- 1/2
Drawn by perpetual check.
A game in which Nimzowitsch 's
nerves got the better of his talent.
Surely the annihilating blow
21 ... lLid5! would never have es-
caped his attention in a blitz game
or a simultaneous display, but, over
the board, against the invincible
Capablanca ...
A strange game this, in the way
that it splits up into two clearly
defined phases. In the first phase
(up to move 21) the deep ideas and
combative spirit all emanate from
Nimzowitsch, and Capablanca 's
moves hardly seem to have any
effect on the game at all. From
moves 22-39 this situation is re-
versed entirely and it is Capablanca
who produces brilliant variations
and fights a sparkling rearguard
action, while Nimzowitsch scarcely
bothers to intervene in the pro-
ceedings.
I wonder how Capablanca felt
about the Remistod im Schach after
this hair-raising experience?
N imzowitsc h-Rubinstein
Berliner Tageblatt Tournament,
Berlin 1928
Nimzowitsch Attack.
(Notes by Nimzo'tl.'itsch, trans-
latedfrom Danish)
1 tLlf3
Certainly the most solid move,
whereas moves such as 1 e4 and 1
d4 are both 'committal' and
'compromising'. And, moreover, it
was my intention to play as solidly
as possible. To play solidly means:
I. Not to give yourself the slightest
vulnerable point (Blottelse). II. Not
to allow the opponent to encroach
upon one's position. In particular
the first programme is immensely
hard to carry out; it requires not
only great watchfulness, but also
exact knowledge of the character
and nature of a vulnerable point.
Thus it is not enough to avoid visi-
ble weaknesses, such as unde-
fended (i.e. not defended by any
pawn) pawns or ordinary breaches
in the position with forces dis-
persed and open lines for the en-
emy.
No, one also has to strive against
the primary dangers, which can
cause the creation of a vulnerable
point.
Now follow the course of the
game, and you will see what is
meant by this.
1 dS
2 b3 ~rs
Positionally the most correct
 World Championship Candidate: Selected Game.\ 1925-1928 171
method of development consists of
the following strategic advance:
2 ... c5! 3 i.b2 tbf6 4 e3 e6! (not
4... tbc6 because of 5 i.b5 with
unpleasantness for Black) 5 llle5
tiJbd7 6 i.b5 i.d6 7 tbxd7 i.xd7 8
i.xd7+ 'Wxd7 9 i.xf6 gxf6 and
Black has a solid position with a
mobile pawn-mass.
3 i.b2 e6
4 g3 h6
In order to avoid the exchange
of the bishop after tbf3-h4 etc.
5 i.g2 tbd7
6 0-0 tbgf6
7 d3
There is the plan of e2-e4 (after
the necessary preparations).
7 i.e7
8 e3
Obviously the natural prepara-
tion for e2-e4 consisted in the
moves 8 ll'ibd2 and 9 l:l.el. But this
preparation would have led to a
vulnerable point in White's posi-
tion, for a reason which appears
from the note to White's 11th
move. Besides, it shall here be re-
marked, White must reckon with
the advance ... a7-a5 (after the con-
solidating move ... c7-c6). Such
attacks on the oute11nost flank are
extremely efficacious, but of course
only on the condition that the at-
tacker's central position is ironclad.
But there can hardly be imagined a
stronger central position than that
which arises after ... c7-c6. Thus
White must continuously be ready
to neutralise the advance ... a7-a5.
8 ... 0-0
9 'We2 c6
10 ~hl!
White waits to develop the
knight, because in some variations
he counts on its development to c3.
E.g. now in case 10 ... a5 comes,
then 11 a4, and if l l ... b5, then 12
axb5 cxb5 and now 13 tbc3 !.
10 . a5
11 a4!
'So it is made clear'! Let us now
consider, that instead of e2-e3 and
'i'e2 the moves tbbd2 and l:!.el had
been made. In this case Black could
now have played l l ... i.b4 and
White would not have had anything
better than 12 c3. But that would
have meant a weakening of the
whole anatomy of the pawn-
fo1111ation. Now, on the other hand,
l l ... i.b4 would be ineffectual.
11 ... tbc5
12 tbd4 i.h7
13 f4
The white pawn-fo1111ation
makes a very reliable impression.
Think, on the other hand, how
weak it would have been, if White
had been tempted into c2-c4, e.g.
on the 7th move. It is often just as
important to know which pawn
move one should forgo, as to find
out which pawn should go forward.
13 .. tiJfd7
14 tiJd2
After White has given the knight
the sum total of the opportunities
172 World Champi<>nship Candidcite: .)e/ected Gum es 192 .'i-1928

that it could be given (he held the preferable. Also on other moves
choice between lDd2 and lDc3 open (instead of 17 ... 11..f6) White retains
between moves 6-8), he can now a good game - e.g. 17 ... SiLxe4+ 18
with a good conscience let the 'ii'xe4 lLic5 19 'ii'e3 11..f6 20 11..a3
horse make a decision. W'd6 21 4'if3.
14 . c7! It therefore looks as if 17 11..xe4
Not l 4 ... e5, e.g. 15 fxe5 lLixe5 could very well have been played.
16 4'if5 SiLxf5 17 llxf5 qig6 18 17 .. e5!
l:t.afl and White has good chances. A good move. But White is well
15 e4 prepared; no wonder, since his po-
sition is, as stated, very compact.
18 lbf3!
Not 18 tllf5? because of
18 ... ~xf5 19 exf5 il..f6 with a solid
strongpoint in the centre at e5.
18 .. exf4
19 gxf4 :res
20 e5
White's 'compactness' depends
now on how the square f5 fares: if
Black is in a position to make f5
into a blockadin,r; base (Blokering.'i-
basis), from there to get control of
the neighbouring white squares,
The advance is carried out, then the 'compactness is about to
without it being possible to see a go amiss. But if White should be
shadow of weakness in White's able to wrest t'5 from the enemy's
position. Now, by the way, the hands, then the compactness stays
meaning of I 0 Wh I! becomes unaffected. White has in the mean-
clear: the diagonal b6-gl was time rightly seen that the latter is
'safeguarded'. the case.
15 dxe4 20 lLic5
Otherwise comes e4-e5 with en- 21 lLid4 lLie6
croachment. The fight for f5 begins!
16 lbxe4 lDxe4 22 :adl lLixd4
17 dxe4 23 11..xd4 SiLf5
White passes over 17 iLxe4 to 24 SiLe4 SiLxe4+
avoid the continuation l 7 ... SiLf6 If 24 ... 'W'c8 then 25 W'd3!.
with certain unpleasantnesses in the 25 xe4 :ad8
diagonal f6-b2. But this watchful- 26 e6
ness was not strictly necessary, e.g. Very good was 26 l:t.g 1, e.g.
18 SiLxh7+ 'it>xh7 19 SiLa3 l:i.fe8 26 ... c5 27 il..c3 l:xdl 28 llxdl lld8
(bad is 19... c5 because of 20 e4+ 29 l:td5! (centralisatit)n) 29 ...1Ixd5
q;gS 21 lbb5 c6 22 ::.ael) 20 30 'W'xcl5 '#d8 31 '#xd8+ SiLxd8 32
l1ael SiLxd4 21 e4+ Wg8 22 Wg2. Or 26 ... 11..f8 27 .:tdfl W'd7?
xd4 .l:tad8 and White's position is 28 11..b6 W'd5 29 '#xd5 .I:Ixd5 30
 W<1rld Clzampionship candidat11: .)11/ec/11(/ c;ame.1 1925-1928 173
Adi with clear advantage for
White. The move chosen in the
game has great advantages, but also
certain small fault.;;.
26 i.f8
27 i.e5
Although this bishop move leads
to a beautiful finish I am no longer
convinced of its excellence: with
the best defence Black could actu-
ally have avoided the 'finish'. The
objective, both chess-strategical
and chess-psychological, analysis
of the move shows that the motives
for the move not only consisted in
combinative and positional (= cen-
tralisation) considerations, but were
also dictated by a certain master-
pattem (= habit), namely by the
wish to 'fill the vacuum' which
arose after the pawn's 'departure.
(This manoeuvre I call 'filling in'
[Plombering] in my book My Sy.~
tem.)
But was the 'filling in' here nec-
essary, or could f4-f5!? not have
been played instead?
Let us look at that: 27 f5 c5 28
.ltc3! fxe6 29 fxe6 b6 and now
follows 30 Ade I - the pawn at e6
looks to be both capable of survival
and dangerous. The diagnosis is
therefore 'good for White'.
27 ... 'i'c8?
Hitherto Rubinstein has de-
fended his game in an entirely
capital manner, but now he com-
mits a mistake which enables a
quick decision. The correct move
was 27 ... 'i'e7, e.g. 28 Axd8! 'i'xd8
(bad is 28... ~dB because of 29 f5
fxe6 30 /6 'i'fl 31 :Ig I etc.) 29
exf7+ 'it>xf7 30 c4 and White's
advantage (centralisation) is only
slight. Now, on the other hand,
follows an elegant catastrophe!
28 f5! fxe6
29 f6 l:.xdl
30 ti+ ~h8
31 l:txdl l:.d8
32 'i'g6!! 1-0
After 32 ... :Ixd I+ 33 'it>g2 l:td2+
34 Wh3 the threat of mate on h6
cannot be parried.
Author's Note: This is the first of
seven games translated exclusively
for this volume from Nimzo-
witsch 's original Danish by George
Botterill and Birgitte Vibeke Egan
Transo. It is worthwhile recording
here some comments on Nim-
zowitsch 's originals made to me by
the translating team: 'Reflection on
Nimzowitsch 's theories convinces
us that one of their principal func-
tions is to provide an apparatus by
means of which each game can be
turned int() a drama - more than
that, into a morality play - in which
Nimzowitsch becomes a very spe-
cial character: an almost invincible
crusader, an embodiment of all
sapient virtues. In ()ther word..;;,
ann()tating a game is an 'egotrip'
for Nimzowitsch.'
10 The Crown Prince:
Selected Games 1929-31

Carlsbad 1929

1234567890123456789012
1 Nimzowitsch * 1/2 l 1/2 1/2 l 1 I 1/2 1/2 I 1/2 1/2 l 1/2 1 0 I 1/2 l 1/2 l 15
2 Capablanca l/2* 0 1/2 I 1/2 1/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 I I 1 1/2 l 0 1 1 1 1 1/2 l 14 1/2
3 Spielmann 0 I * 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 0 1/2 l 1 1/2 l I 1/2 l 1 1 1 1 14 1/2
4 Rubinstein l/2 1/2 l * 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 I 1 1 l/2 1/2 1/2 l 1h 1/2 I 1/2 0 1/2 l 13 1/2
5 Becker 1/20 1/2 1/2 * 1 1 1 0 0 l 1/2 l/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 1/2 I 1 1/20 12
6 Euwe 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 * 0 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 I 1/2 1/2 l 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 l 1 12
7 Vidmar 0 1/2 1/2 1/20 1 * 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 1/2 l 0 1/2 1/20 1 1 1 1 12
8 Bogoljubow 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 l/2 l/2 l 0 0 l I I 0 1/2 l 1 1 11 1/2
9 Griinfeld 1/2 1/20 0 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 1/20 1 1/2 1/20 1 1/2 l 1/2 I 1/2 11
10 Canal 1/2 1/2 l 0 1 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 * 1 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/20 1 0 1/2 l 1 10 1/2
11 Mattison 0 0 1/20 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/20 * l 1 1 0 1 1 1 1/20 1/2 l 10 1/2
12 Colle l/20 0 1/2 1/20 0 0 1 I 0 * 1 1/2 l 1/2 l 0 1/20 I 1 10
13 Maroczy l/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 0 1 0 0 * 1/2 0 0 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 I 10
14 Tartakower 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/20 I 1/2 1/20 1/2 1/2 * 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 l 10
15 Treybal 1/20 0 0 1120 l 0 1/2 1/21 0 1 1/2* 1/2 1/20 1 l 1/21 10
16 Samisch 0 1 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/20 1 1/20 l/2 I 1/2 1/2 * 1/20 1/2 1/2 l 0 9112
17 Yates 1 0 1/2 1/20 1/2 1/20 0 I 0 0 0 1/2 1/2 1/2 * 1 1/2 1/2 l 1 9112
18 P. Johner 0 0 0 0 1/20 1 I 1/20 0 1 l/2 1/2 l 1 0 * 1/20 1/2 l 9
19 Marshall 1/20 0 1/20 1/20 1/20 I 1/2 1/20 1/20 1/2 1/2 1/2* 1 I 1 9
20 Gilg 0 0 0 1 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 I 1 0 1/2 0 1/2 1/2 l 0 * 1/2 1/2 8
21 Thomas 1/2 1/20 1/2 1/20 0 0 0 0 1/20 1/2 1/2 1/20 0 1/20 1/2 * 1 6
22 Menchik 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1/20 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1/20 * 3
 The Crown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931 175

San Remo, 15 January - 4 February, 1930

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 I 2 3 4 5 6
1 Alekhine * I I l/2 I I l/2 I I I I 1 1 I 1 1 14
2 Nimzowitsch 0 * 0 1 l/2 I l/2 l/2 1/2 l/2 I I I I I 1 10 1/2
3 Rubinstein 0 I * 0 1 l/2 0 1 1/2 I l 0 l 1 I 1 10
4 Bogoljubow I/2 0 1 * I/2 0 1 l/2 1 1 0 1 1 0 I 1 9 1/2
5 Yates 0 l/2 0 l/2 * l/2 I 1 1/2
0 0 I l l I I 9
6 Ahues 0 0 1/2 I l/2 * 1 1/2 1 0 0 l/2 1 1 1/2 1 8 1/2
7 Spielmann l/2 l/2 1 0 0 0 * l/2 l/2 l/2 1 1 l/2 I I 0 8
8 Vidmar 0 l/2 0 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 I I l/2 1 l/2 1 8
9 Maroczy 0 l/2 0 l/2
1/2 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 1 1 1 7 1/2
10 Tartakower 0 1/2 0 0 1 1 l/2 l/2 l/2 * 0 0 l l/2 1 1 71/2
11 Colle 0 0 0 I I 1 0 0 l/2 1 * 0
6 1/2 l/2 I 0 l/2
12 Kmoch 0 0 I 0 0 l/2 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 I 1 6 1/2
1 1 *
13 Araiza 0 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 1 4 1/2
14 Monticelli 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 0 112 0 1 l/2 * l/2 l/2 4
15Grau 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 0 I 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 3 1/2
16 Romih 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 1/2 0 0 l/2 l/2 * 2 1/2

Frankfurt Am Main, 8-18 September, 1930

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 Nimzowitsch * 1/2 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 I I l 9 1/2
2 Kashdan l/2 * l/2 l/2 1 1 l/2 1 I I I I 9
3 Ahues 0 l/2 * l/2 I l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 I I I 7
4 List 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 l/2 I l/2 I I I l/2 7
5 Colle 0 0 0 l/2 * I 0 I I I I I 6 1/2
6 Przepiorka 1 0 l/2 l/2 0 * I l/2 0 l/2 1 I 6
7 Pirc 0 l/2 l/2 0 l 0 * 1/2 l/2 l/2 1 I 5 1/2
8 Siimisch 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 * l/2 I I l/2 5
9 Mieses 0 0 l/2 0 0 1 1/2 1/2 * 0 I l/2 4
10 G. Thomas 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 1 * 0 I 3
11 Mannheimer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 * l 2
12 Orbach 0 0 0 l/2 0 0 0 l/2 l/2 0 0 * l 1/2

Winterthur, 12-18 April, 1931

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Nimzowitsch * 1/2 1 l 1 1 1 1 1 7 1/2
2 H. Johner l/2 * l/2 l/2 1 I 0 I l 5 1/2
3 Joss 0 l/2 * l/2 l/2 l/2 l/2 1 l/2 4
4 Naegeli 0 l/2 l/2 * 0 0 1 1 1 4
5 Zimmermann 0 0 l/2 1 * 1 0 I l/2 4
6 Henneberger 0 0 l/2 I 0 * 1 0 1 3 1/2
7 GrigorietT 0 I l/2 0 1 0 * l/2 0 3
8 Voellmy 0 0 0 0 0 1 l/2 * 1 2 1/2
9 Gygli 0 0 l/2 0 I/2 0 1 0 * 2
176 The Cro}<.n P1inl:e: Se/ecfl'tl Ganze.1 19:!9-193 I

Bled (Veldes), 23 August - 20 September, 1931

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IO II I2 13 I4
1 Alekhine ** I 112 I I 1 112 112 111 I I I 112 I 112 1111 112 111 I I 11 112'li I I 20 112
2 Bogoljubow O'li ** 'liO 11 11 I 'Ii 0 111 10 ()J O'li 00 11 1/2! 11 15
3 'imzowitsch 00 'Iii ** 11 00 0 112 'l2 112 11i'li'li 112 11il 1112 1112 11 0 1/2 14
4 Flohr 0 112 00 00 ** 1112 112 112 1121 J() 1112 1121 I I 'liJ 1/21 112 112 13 1/2
5 Kasbdan 'li'liOO I I 0 112 ** 1 112 1li 11200 I 111 'li'li l(J I I 112'li'l1 112 13 112
6 Stoltz 00 0 1/2 1 112 112 11i0 112 ** 'Iii 11 112 11i 112I 'Iii 0() 01 I 'Ii 13 1/2
0 112 I '12 112 11i 11iJ 'l2 112'liO ** 112 1/21 l 1/IJ 1/i 1/2 111l 1/21 112 1/2 13 1/2
7 Vidmar
8 Tartakower 0 112 01 112 1/iOl 11 ()() 112 1/1** 'llJ 'l2'l2'l2 112l I 112 112 112 112 13
0'12 10 112 1110 112 0 112 112 112()() 1121 ** 112 112 112 11101 1 112 11 12 112
9 Kostic
10 Spielmann 112 1111 112 'liO 'liJ 'l2 111 11i0 'Iii 'l1 112'l2'l2** 0 112 00 I 'Ii 11 12 1/2
11 Maroczy 00 11 0 11i ()() 01 'Ii) 'l2 1li 111 112'l2'lil 'l1 ** 112! 'li'li'l1'l2 12
12 Colle 00 00 0'12 'Iii 00 11 'Ii) 00 10 I I 'liJ ** '/iJ 11 10 112
13 Asztalos 'li'li'/iJ 00 'llJ 'li'l2IO 'liJ 'li 11i0'12 O'li 112 1121 'Ii** 0 112 9 1/2
14 Pirc 00 00 1 112 '12 112'li'/2() 112 'l2'l2 'l2'l200 ()() 112 111()() 1112 ** 8 1/2

Bogoljubow-Nimzowitsch position White is, at least, obliged

Carlsbad 1929 to recapture on c3 with a pawn.
Nimzo-lndian Defence From this pciint on the play against
White's doubled pawns forms the
The following game contains leitnzotif of Black's whole strategy.
very few 'variations, and when the 5 bxc3 b6
possibility of a variation does crop 6 g3?!
up, on move 23, Nimzowitsch
resolutely ignores it. The impres-
sive quality ot' this game, therefore,
stems not from its beautit'ul, hidden
possibilities and alternatives but in
Nimzowitsch's adherence to a clear
line of strategic thought which he
pursues with ruthless logic to the
very close. In a sense there is nc1
'struggle' at all. Nirnzowitsch
raises his wand, pronciunces the
words of power and Bogoljubow's
position promptly collapses.

I d4 tl:if6 A mc>re dynamic possibility re-

2 c4 e6 sicies in 6 ~g5, intending c2, e2-
3 tt:Jc3 ~b4 e3 and .1t.d3. With the fianchettci
4 tt:Jf3 ~xc3+ Bc>gciljubow plans a repetition of
Considerably mc1re acceptable their Kissi11gen experience but
here than in the analogous position Ni1nzowitsch is ready with an im-
from their Kissingen game. In this provement.
 7ne C101~n P1ince: Sl'lected Gczme~ I 929-193 I I 77

6 .ib7 some regrouping stratagem:
7 .ig2 0-0 .ih3/.ifl followed by lLld2 and e3-
8 0-0 l:te8' !!' e4.
(Nimzowitsch) 10 ... .ie4
'Black operates here, and in the 11 'ii'b3 l2Jc6
following play, with prophylaxis 12 .ifl e5
and centralisation, according to his Tempting was 12 ... l2Ja5 13 'ii'a4
System. The mysterious rook move .ic6, but after 14 'ii'b4 White's
helps to forestall the possibility of position is not yet 'organically dis-
l2Jd2 and e2-e4, thus: 9 tild2 .ixg2 eased' (Nimzowitsch).
10 'lt>xg2 e5 ! 11 e4 exd4 and 13 dxe5
12 ... l2Jxe4 follows' (Nimzowitsch). 13 d5 lLla5 is also unattractive in
9 :et d6 view of the fact that White has
10 'ii'c2?! been obliged to surrender control
Here Nimzowit<>ch suggested 10 of the c5 square ( 14 'ii'a4 ttld7).
l2Jd2 ! .ixg2 11 'lt>xg2 e5 12 e4 13 ... lLlxe5
lLlc6 13 .ib2 !, when Black has no 14 l2Jxe5 l:.xe5
clear-cut method of attacking 15 .if4 :es
White's pawn front. Nevertheless, 16 f3 .ib7
this position, with White's queen's 17 l:tadl
bishop reduced to a miserably de- Threatening 18 c5.
fensive role, would certainly not be 17 ... l2Jd7
to everyone's taste. We can see that
it did not appeal tc) Bogoljubow.
With the text Bogoljubow still
hopes for a transposition to their
Kissingen game, where Black's
queen's bishop was lured to the e4
square and then driven off with loss
of time and space by means of the
manoeuvre: .ih3, lLld2, f2-f3 and
e2-e4. However, in this case there
is an important difference: Black
still retains the option here of de-
veloping his queen's knight on c6,
covering a5. This invalidates the
method of gaining the initiative on 'Now the picture is quite differ-
the queenside (a2-a4-a5) chosen by ent: in spite of the stout central
Bogoljubow in the fo1111er game. pawn and the bishop pair White's
Furthe1111ore, the knight on c6 ex- position suffers from a profound,
erts more influence on the centre inner decay. The doubled pawn is
(especially against White's d- isolated and, after the inevitable e2-
pawn) than did its fellow on d7 in e4, a rolling-up action will eventu-
the Kissingen encounter. Thus a ally take place on the e-file ( ... f7-
timely ... e6-e5 thrust by Black will f5). On top of this White doesn't
cut straight across White's cumber- have a shred of counterplay any-
178 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.~ 1929-1931

where' (Nimzowitsch). tered pawns on the f-file.

18 e4 'ilff6 30 i.d3 tt::lxf4
19 i.g2 tde5 31 xr4 'ilfxf4
20 l:.d2 l:l.e7 32 gxf4 l:l.f8
21 l:tedl i.c6 'Here many roads lead to home,
Consolidation directed against and all these different roads, thank.<>
the possibility of c4-c5. to the presence of the numerous
22 l:.f2 l:.ae8 doubled pawns, are a real pleasure
23 i.fl h6 to tread, e.g. 32 ... l:te3 (instead of
The 'variation' looms up: 32 ... l:tf8) 33 ~g2 l:txf3 34 l:txf3
23 ... tdxf3+ 24 l:txf3 g5, but Black :.e3 35 l::dfl l:txd3 and wins'
has no need to embark on such (Nimzowitsch).
brigandage. Instead of this Nim- 33 rs i.d7
zowitsch adheres resolutely to his 34 :.dd2 i.xf5
strategy. He now plans to triple on 35 .Ufe2 l:txe2
the e-file in preparation for the 36 i.xe2 .Ue8
rolling-up move: ... f7-f5, which 37 ~f2 l:e5
will annihilate White's last central 38 l:d5
bastion (the pawn on e4). By now it was possible to cease
24 i.e2 ~h8 resistance.
25 'ilt'a3 'ilfe6 38... g5 39 .Uxe5 dxe5 40 cS bxc5
41 i.a6 e4 42 a4 ~g7 43 a5 exf3
44 ~xf3 ~f6 45 ~e3 'it>e5 46 i.c4
1l.g4 47 i.a6 h5 48 i.c4 h4 49
i.a6 i.dl 50 i.b7 g4 0-1

This game was distinguished

with a prize 'for the best played
game' (500 crowns). The above
game was played on 2 August
1929. On 6 September of the same
year Bogoljubow sat down to play
the first game of his world title
match with Alekhine.

Preparations complete. Vidmar-Nimzowitsch

26 'ilfcl f5 Carlsbad 1929
Not 26 ... tdxc4?? 27 i.xc4 'ilfxc4 Torre Attack
28 i.xh6!=.
27 exf5 This game marked the start of
28 'ilt'd2 Nimzowitsch 's finishing burst of
29 'ilt'd4 3 1/2/4 which brought him up past
Loses at once. 29 i.xe5 was Spielmann and Capablanca to take
loathsome, but essential. first prize at Carlsbad. (Nim-
29 ... tdg6! zowitsch often played much better
Inflicting a second set of shat- chess towards the close of long
 The C'rown P1in<'i': .)'c/ected (]<1me.1 192CJ-/93 l 179

tournaments than at the beginning.) 10 h6

It presents an example of Nim- 11 .id2 'iic7
zowitsch carrying out a strategic 12 lLig3 lLif4
prevention manoeuvre which ap- 13 .llxf4
pears in the eyes of the self-made Ceding Black the advantage of
victim as a tactical trap rather than the two bishops. Undevelc)pment
as a strategically valuable prophy- by 13 .llfl would have been most
lactic device. distasteful.
13 .txf4
1 d4 lLif6 14 'it'd 1 g6
2 ltJf3 e6
3 .llg5?!
An innocuous idea.
3 ... c5
4 e3 'it'b6!
5 'ii'cl
Already White is losing his grip
on the initiative, which should be
his birthright in the opening.
5 ... lLic6
6 c3 d5
7 .lld3 .lld6
8 lLibd2 cxd4
Prophylaxis directed against the
possibility of White's playing To hem in White's knight'>. The
d4xc5 followed either by e3-e4 or text prevents 4.Jg3-h5.
b2-b4/a2-a3 and c3-c4. At this 15 0-0 h5
point Vidmar has the following 16 :et 0-0
amusing note: 'Actually I have It was possible to save a move
never quite been able to understand on the game by playing 16 ... 'it>f8
Nimzowitsch's play, but he was intending l 7 ... 'it>g7 but Nim-
similarly disposed towards mine. zowitsch wanted to avoid the pos-
The consequence of this was that, sibility of c3-c4 from White while
on practically every occasion when his own king was still stranded in

we met 1n tournament games, we. the centre.
so to say, played straight past each 17 'ii'e2 <t;g7
other and the finishes of our games White's C)nly (but adequate)
were often very odd indeed.' compensation for Black's powerful
(Adapted from Goldene Schach- bishops resides in his ability to
zeiten.) occupy the outpost square e5 with a
9 exd4 lLihS knight, which would restore a
Occupation of f4 will secure measure of dark-square control to
Black the bishop pair. him. Hence the correct course was
10 lLifl 18 lile5 ! lilxe5 19 dxe5 l:th8 20
This lends temporary cover to ll:lfl .td7 ! 21 ll:Jd2 .::t.af8 22 lLif3 f6
f4. C)r 21 g3 .tg5 22 ll:ld2 l:taf8 23 tilf3
180 The Crown P1ince: SelcL'leci Game.1 1929-1931

il...e7 24 tt:\d4 il...c5 (Nimzowitsch)

with chances for all concerned.
23
24
.f3
'it>hl
:gs
hxg3
18 .l:.adl? .:.h8! 2S rxg3 il...d6
Preventing 19 ttle5 and thereby 26 l:.d2 il...d7
draining all dynamic potential from Vidmar had escaped from lost
the white position. If now 19 lLie5? positions against Nimzowitsch on
tL:ixe5 20 dxe5 h4 21 tLlfl .:th5 and several previous C)Ccasions, so he
wins the e-pawn. This actually plays on hopefully.
happens, but out of phase. 21 .i:.n rs
19 tL:ifl h4 28 e3 l:tg4
20 tLleS? 29 e2 :.hs
30 'it>gl il...c6
Stronger. according to Nim-
zowit<>ch, was 30 ... d4! 31 cxd4
~c6 32 lLie3 l:txg3+ 33 ~fl l:.gh3
and Black wins.
31 lLie3
White's queen would never es-
cape alive if she captt1red the black
e-pawn.
31 ... l:tgS
32 tLlg2 r4!?
The initial move of a grandiose
conception which, t1owever, was
not strictly necessary. 32 ... e5
Making a 'trap' out of a strategi- would have won easily and prosai-
cally motivated prophylactic ma- cally as would 32 ... il...c5, since 33
noeuvre. This is a ghastly blunder lLif4 fails to 33 ... 'ilfxf4 when White
for a master of Vidmar's class. We suffers from an embarrassment of

should remark, however, that his pins.
position was already seriously 33 gxf4 il...xf4
compromised in view of his inabil- 34 'it>rt l:txh2
ity to create counterplay.
20 ... tL:ixeS
3S
36
.f3
il...e4
d4
:rs??
21 dxeS :thS one has to admit the originality
'Never before has a proud king's of the combination commencing
pawn been done to death in such 36 ... .l:.f5: the way in which all the
ignominious fashion!' (Nimzo- white pieces must step forwards
witsch). 'In my view the move and bow their heads to the general
18 ... l:i.h8 was a subtly conceived exchange conceived by the leader
and skilfully laid trap into which I of the black forces has an almost
fell, quite unwittingly' (Vidmar). humorous effect' (Nimzowitsch).
22 g3 .:.xeS The combination is indeed origi-
White loses a vital pawn for nal and complex: unfortunately,
which there is no tangible compen- Nimzowitsch, bound up in his deep
sation. reflections, tc)tally <)verlc)oked a
 T/1e Croivn Prince': Sele'cted Game'.1 I 929-193 I IR I

rapid method of execution. namely: games versus Spielmann and Bo-

36 ... llh 1+ 37 'lt>e2 ~xe4 38 'ilr'xf4
'ili'c4+ 39 'lt>dl 'ilr'd3+ 40 'ili'd2
'ili'xd2+ and 4 l ... .l:rxg2 with an extra
piece.
'When this alternative solution
was demonstrated to me after the
game I regretted not so much the
fact that I had overlooked it, as the
fact that it was there at all, since
thereby the otherwise flawless
combination commencing 36 ... llf5
is shown to contain a Schonheit.1fe-
hler' (Nimzowit<;ch).
goljubow) refused to resign in ab-
solutely hopeless endings and
fought to the bitter end. Vidmar is
no exceptic)n. We all know about
the diversionary role ()f the pawn in
king and pawn endings, so I shall
refrain from further comment. 46
'it>g3 'it>e6 47 'it>xg4 'it>xe5 48 'it>g5
'it>e4 49 'it>xg6 'it>d3 50 ~rs ~c2 51
b4 b5 52 'it>e5 'it>c3 53 ~d5 'it>xb4
54 'it>c6 a5 55 ~b6 a4 56 'it>a6 a3
57 ~b6 ~c4 58 'it>a5 b4 59 'it>a4
'it>c3 0-1

~imzowitsch-Spielmann
Carlsbad 1929
En.rtli.~h Openin.rt

With three rounds to go Spiel-

mann led Nimzowitsch by one
point, so Nimzowitsch was obliged
to exert himself tc) the utmost to
gain the full point. Their clash al-
most certainly decided the destina-
tion of the first prize.

1 e3 e5
37 'ii'g4 2 c4 tl:lf6
Or 37 ~xc6 ~g3!. 3 tl:lf3 e4?!
37 .. l:rhl+ More reliable would be 3 ... d6
38 ~e2 l:xel+ followed by ... tl:lbd7 and the fi-
39 ~xel ~g3 anchetto of the king's bishop.
40 ~xf5 'ii'e5+! 4 tl:ld4 tl:lc6
41 ~fl exf5 5 tl:lb5!?
42 cxd4 Here 5 '1:lxc6 dxc6 6 d4 is well
Or 42 'ili'e2 ~b5 43 c4 'ili'xe2+ playable but perhaps too simple an
44 .l:rxe2 ~xc4! re-pinning the re- approach for this occasion - White
cently unpinned rook (Nimzo- had to create problems. It is easy to
witsch). see that the game has transposed
42 . ~xf2 into a Nimzowitsch Sicilian with
43 ~xf2 fxg4 reversed colours (White has the
44 dxe5 ~xg2 extra move e2-e3). At the tourna-
45 ~xg2 ~f7 ment in Berlin the previous year
For some reason Nimzowitsch's the game Spielmann-Tartakower
opponents at Carlsbad (see also had commenced: 1 e4 c5 2 4lf3
182 ltze cr<Jwn Prinl'': 5)t>felteci (]ame.1 I 929-193 I
4'if6 3 e5 t2Jd5 4 tt:lc3 4lb4?! 5
t2le4? and Black won. Very strong
would have been the sacrifice of a
pawn by means of 5 a3 tt:l4c6 6 b4!
cxb4 7 axb4 lZ'ixb4 8 Sila3+.
5 . d5
In the present case 5 ... a6 6 lZ'i5c3
b5? would fail to 7 cxb5 axb5 8
~xb5 !. But Black could have
played 6 ... ~c5 7 d4 exd3 8 ~xd3
d6.
6 cxd5 t2lxd5
7 t2llc3 t2lf6
A retreat quite lacking in energy.
Nimzowitsch suggested that
7 ... tbxc3! 8 t2lxc3 f5 would have
been more appropriate - (9 ~c4?
t2le5!).
8 'ifa4 ~f5
9 t2ld4!
This and the subsequent four
moves by White fo1111 a manoeuvre
designed to shatter Black's pawn
structure. However, since Black
obtains definite counterplay on the
light squares (d3 for example) and
against White's d-pawn (backward
on an open file) we may assume
that Spielmann invited the position
after move 13, assessing it as ade-
quate for him.
9 ~d7 p<)ssibilities leading to a slight
I0 t2lxc6 .Jtxc6
11 ~b5!
Now l l ... ~xb5?12 'ifxb5+
would shed a pawr1 for nil compen-
sat1on.
11 'ifd7
12 ~xc6 ~xc6
Black must acquiesce in the ex-
change of queens since his e-pawn
hangs.
13 'ifxc6+ bxc6
White has a pronounced theo-
retical plus in the shape (or rather
mis-shape) of Black's pawns, but,
in compensation, Black has open
lines, a certain control of space,
and free play for his pieces. In
other words: Black has a 'temp-
orary' initiative while White holds
the 'strategic' initiative firmly in
his grasp. That Spielmann should
lose from this position is less an
indictment of his choice of open-
ing, or of his attitude to the transi-
tion between opening and end-
game, than an indication that he
committed an error of judgement in
his subsequent handling of the sim-
plified position itself.
14 b3 0-0-0
15 ~b2 ~b4
16 a3 ~xc3
17 ~xc3 .:i.d3
'fhe effect of Black's last ma-
noeuvre (15 ... ~b4 etc.) has been to
cause a slight weakening of
White's queenside pawns (b3 is
now unprotected). With the text
Black seizes his light-square birth-
right and prepares to intensify the
pressure both laterally (against
White's b-pawn) and frontally
(against White's d-pawn).
In the t<)umament book Nim-
zowitsch mentions the following
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game~ 1929-1931 183

white advantage: 17 ... .:thg8 (t() 20 i..d4 l:txb3 21 i..xa7 'it>b7 22

protect his g-pawn in preparation i..d4 and White's centralised
for ... tLld5) 18 i..d4! c.t>b7 19 0-0 bishop is superior to Black's
tLld5 20 f3 exf3 21 :.xf3, or 19 knight. If Black delays ... tLld5
l:tc 1 tLld5 20 l:tc4 f5 21 c.t>e2 g6 22 White could station his bishop on
.:the 1 :.d6 also+. d4, play b3-b4 and follow-up with
l 7 ... l:td3 was a pre-emptive l:tcl.
move. Black clearly wanted to pre- Such a configuration would still
serve his pressure against d2, offer plenty of scope for advanta-
which would not be possible if geous manoeuvring from White's
White were allowed to play i..c3- side. Even after his actual 18th
d4, obstructing the d-file. move it is not yet clear that Black is
lost.
19 f3 tLld5
20 i..xg7 l:txd2
21 i..d4 f5
22 fxe4 fxe4
23 i..xa7
The long-ranging bishop is ide-
ally suited to its task of annexing
the widely separated sensitive
points in the black camp (a7/g7).
23 . l:.d3
24 b4 tLlxe3
25 i..xe3
The knight has become too pow-
18 0-0 .:t.hd8? erful on the sixth for its continued
A mechanical developing move existence to be tolerated.
which does not fit the situation at 25 l:.xe3
all. Here Nimzowitsch recom- 26 l:.fel l:.b3?!
mended 18 ... l:tg8! ('Such discreet This looks highly attractive since
use of rook energy is not at all it enables Black to mass his rooks
usual in gambit-play, but it's ab- on the 7th rank at the cost of a
solutely indispensable if you want mere pawn. Hereafter, however,
to win first prizes in toumamenL<>' - Nimzowitsch provides us with a
Nimzowitsch), e.g. 18 ... l:tg8! 19 f3 superlative display of technique, in
lLld5 20 fxe4 tLlxc3 21 dxc3 l:.f8 !. that he not only neutralises the
Nimzowitsch's note stops here powerful threats of his opponent
without offering any evaluation of but also evaluates his own slim
the position at all. The implication advantage.
is that White stands well, but can 26 ... l:tdd3 27 c.t>f2 :xel 28 l:txel
this really be believed? I do not see l:.xa3 might have been a better
that White has any chances to win chance of holding the game, al-
at all after 21 ... l:tf8 !. I suggest that though after 29 l:.xe4 Black's h-
White could do better to retain his pawn is very weak.
bishop, e.g. (18 ... l:tg8) 19 l:ta2 tLld5 27 l:.xe4 l:.d2
184 The Crown Prince: Selected Garn'.\. 1929-193 I

28 l:te7 h5 With Black's rooks doubled on

29 .l:.ti! the 7th and with a vicious black
'A finesse: White (by the threat pas..<;ed pawn already in his territory
of 30 l:tf2) forces Black's next I find it miraculous that White can
move which deprives him of the win in this position, yet the miracle
possibility of frontal attack against does indeed come to pass.
White's g-pawn by means of ... l:tg3 35 .. l:ta2
(after ... h5-h4 answered by h2-h3)' Why not 35 ... c3 - ? White
(Nimzowitsch). would then force the win with 36
29 ... l:tbb2 l:t.c4 J:l.c 1-r 37 'it>h2 c2 38 llgc5
30 .l:.g7 'it>b7 with mechanical stoppage of the
31 h3 l:tdc2 advanced pawn and the certain win
32 l:tg5 ot Black's pawn c7. Less clear,
Taking the fifth rank and men- however, is the voracious: 38 l:txh5
acing Black's h-pawn in the long l:tal 39 l:thc5 l:taa2! with the threat
tel Ill. of ... c I'if and ... l:txg2+ and the
32 ~b6 exposed position of White's king
33 .:n c5 still gives him some problems to
Obviously Black wants to create solve. From this we can see how
a passed pawn, but this move also useful it was to bring up the white
parries White's threat of h2-h4, queen's rook to the fourth rank,
l:tfl-f5-c5 and l:tg6. which manoeuvre resulted in a
34 l:tf4! drastic increase of its lateral effi-

To maintain his b-pawn, inas- c1ency.
much as 34 bxc5+ l:txc5 35 l:txc5 36 l:tf6+
~xc5 36 l:t.f5+ ~d4 37 l:txh5 c5, Now planning to defend his g-
followed by a rush of the black pawn with this rook while leaving
passed pawn, would make a win the king's rook free to operate on
out of the question for White. the fifth rank against Black's
34 .. c4 weaknesses (h5 and c7). The king's
35 h4 rook will also be left as a sentinel
on c5 t() discourage over-ambition
on the part of Black's front c-pawn.
36 ... ~b7
37 .l:.b5+
Black's king is driven back.
37 .. ~c8
If 37 ... 'it>a7 38 l:ta5+ followed by
;fil % ~ ;~ 39 l:tg6 and eventually .l::txh5.
38 .:tg6 .l:.d2
Or 38 ... l:txa3 when White simply
captures on h5 and then returns
with his r()Ok to the vital observa-
,
tion post on c5.
39 l:tc5
Fixing a weakness on h5. Sealing Black's fate. The passed
 The C'rown Prinle: S''le<:ted (lame~ 1929-1931 18.5

c-pawn is immobilised and the rear A magnificent ending <)f a rare

c-pawn is singled out as a victim. type (the sustained double rook
39 ... .:tac2 variety) which bears comparison
40 Il.g7 'i!tb8 with Nimzowitsch's 'immortal'
41 Il.cxc7 Il.xg2+ against Lasker from Zurich 1934.
42 l:txg2 lic 1+ Nimzowitsch 's victory in the above
43 'i!tf2 'i!txc7 game was all the more praisewor-
44 Il.g5 c3 thy in that Spielmann was then at
45 Il.xh5 lihl the height of his powers. In the
46 lic5+ 'i!tb6 very next round the Austrian
47 'it>g3 Ir.cl Grandmaster defeated Capablanca
48 'i!tf2 Il.h l (for the second time in two years!),
thus assuring himself of a share in
second prize.

Nirnzowitsch-Tartakower
Carlsbad 1929
King's Indian Defence

i% ift The 2 lst and last round of

Carlsbad 1929 saw Nimzowitsch
~ ;p and Spielmann leading with 14

~~ ~~~ /~
points followed by Capablanca on
13 1/2. The final pairings were: Ca-
pablanca-Mar6czy, won by White
with great ease; Mattison-
49 'i!te3 Spielmann, which ended in a draw,
And not 49 lixc3 lixh4 50 We3 and Nimzowitsch as above. In or-
'i!tb5 51 '1t>d3 'i!ta4=. der to emerge sole victor Nim-
49 .. Il.h3+ zowitsch had to defeat Tartakower,
Or 49 ... lixh4 50 'it>d3 lih3+ 51 who had lost but two games in the
'it>c2 followed by .l:l'.xc3 and Wb3. previous twenty rounds.
50 ~d4 c2
51 Il.xc2 Il.xh4+ l d4 tt:lf6
52 'i!tc3 'i!t b5 2 c4 g6
and White won: 53 'i!tb3 lih3+ 3 f3!?
54 Il.c3 Il.h5 55 a4+ 'i!tb6 56 Il.g3 An unusual move played spe-
"'h7 57 Itg7+ 'it>b6 58 Il.g6+ 'it>b7 cifically to avoid the Griinfeld De-
59 a5 'i!ta7 60 'i!ta4 'it>b7 61 t:g7+ fence (3 tt:lc3 d5), but 3 ... d5 is still
'i!tb8 62 a6 'i!ta8 63 b5 'itib8 64 Ite7 playable, e.g. 3 ... d5 4 cxd5 tt:lxd5 5
Ir.gs 65 h6 Il.g8 66 'l!tbs Ir.gs+ 67 e4 tt:lb6 6 tt:lc3 j_g7 7 j_e3 0-0 8
'i!tc6 Il.g6+ 68 'i!tc5 .:tg8 69 'it>d6 'i'd2 e5 9 d5 c6 10 h4 h5, Kram-
Il.d8+ 70 'it>e6 1-0. If Black plays nik-Shirov, Cazorle 1998.
70 ... 'i!ta8 71 'i!tt7 followed by 72 Curiously, 3 f3!? is now known
Il.e8 is lethal - or 70 ... 'i!tc8 71 a7 or as 'Alekhine's anti-Griinfeld'
70 ... lif8 71 'i!td7 and 72 lie8+. method, since Alekhine adopted the
186 The Crown Prince: Selected Game~
move in his first title match versus
Bogoljubow, which took place in
1929, after Carlsbad.
3 .. .tg7
Instead of seeking counterplay
on Griinfeld lines as discussed
above, Tartakower adheres strictly
to a classical King's Indian set-up
with ... d7-d6 and ... e7-e5.
4 e4 d6
5 tt:Jc3 0-0
6 .te3
Transposing into what is now
known as the Samisch Variation
which often witnesses long castling
by White intending a kingside
pawn sto1111.
6 tt:Jbd7
A rather passive move which
allows an interesting reply for
White. Nowadays attention centres
on more lively lines such as 6 ... e5 7
d5 c6 or 7 ... l2Jh5. Even 6 ... tt:Jc6
(which had been played as early as
1927 at the London International
Tournament by Yates against Vid-
mar) has turned out to be playable.
7 tt:Jh3!?
Intending to play this piece
around to d3 to challenge the pos-
sible enemy establishment of an
knight on the blockading square c5.
1929-193 I
This is quite a bright idea on Nim-
zowitsch 's part but on move 17 he
abandons the plan in favour of an
even more effective deployment of
the knight's energies.
However, there is a slight defect
to 7 lUh3 (see note to move 9) and
the conventional 7 lt:Jge2 was an
objectively stronger choice.
7 ... e5
8 d5 a5
Safeguarding the square c5.
Over the next few moves Black
becomes obsessed with the fortifi-
cation of this square and overlooks
a useful tactical possibility that
might have freed his game.
9 tt:Jf2 b6?
9 ... tt:Jh5! was recommended by
Nimzowitsch.
10 d2 tt:Jc5?!
Once again Nimzowitsch sug-
gested 10... lt:Jh5!, e.g. 11 g4? tt:Jf4!
12 .txf4 exf4 13 *'xf4 tt:Je5 with
tremendous compensation for the
pawn in te1111s of dark-square con-
trol and active piece play. After
l O... tt:Jh5 I feel White's best course
would be 11 tt:Jd3 f5 12 0-0-0 re-
moving his king from the danger
zone with the utmost speed. The
unimaginative text allows Nim-
zowitsch to create just the kind of
position he must have been longing
for in this crucial last round, I mean
a blockade position where White
alone has winning chances (in view
of Black's lack of pawn-breaks)
and Black has no active counter-
play at all.
11 ~g5!
The first link in a chain of
moves designed to restrain ... f7-f5
for ever. This pinning motif (in
slightly different circumstances)
has become one of the most popu-
 7ne C'r<Jtt'n Prince: Selected Ga1ne.\" 1929-193 I 187

Jar modem methods of combating change of queens and light-squared

the King's Indian Defence. bishops, thus granting White an
11 .. ild7? excellent ending: 16 'tih6 il.g7 17
After this third error White ob- 'ii' xh5 h6 18 g5 f5 19 gxf6 .l:t.xf6 20
tains a winning grip on the posi- ~h3! ile8 21 ~xc8 ~xh5 22
tion. It was better to unpin l::txh5 .::txc8 23 ~e2. Nimzo-
(ll ... 'ttd7). witsch 's continuation is more am-
bitious. He is not satisfied with a
, minute positional advantage, but
intends to reduce the entire black
~~ i ~ f army to a state of paralysis.
;....,i
f~~
~;....,i
f~~
,
/
. 16 . ~g7

ti]. ,~ .ft'~~, r 1 17 lLlhl

The change of plan. The knight

heads for h5 or f5. Compare also
Nimzowito;;ch-Rubinstein, Dresden
1926 - 18 lLlh 1; and Schlechter-
4?- ;~i
9- f~~
;~ - /; /
;,~
f..:lli Nimzowitsch, Carlsbad 1907 -
I 7 ... tt:Jh8; or Mannheimer-Nimzo-
wito;;ch, f'rankfurt 1930 - 16 ... 'tih8.
All instructive decentralisations of
12 g4 'tics the t'irst water!
13 h4 'it>h8
14 h5 gxh5 --m~-,, /.,____
15 ilxf6?!
~ ~ .,
White wants to keep the h-file ~~ t~ f i
open so 15 gxh5 would naturally be
a mistake. However, it was possible
?,.fi ?,.fi
to do this and retain the useful ~ ~ft;,~
dark-squared bishop by means of
15 0-0-0! lLlg8 (15 ... hxg4? 16 L/6
L/6 17 'tth6+-) 16 .l:t.xh5 f6 17
ile3.
15 ilxf6
16 .l:t.xh5
Leaving Black with an exposed
h-pawn and gaping wounds on f5 17 f6
and h5 which both constitute in- 18 'tih2 h6
viting blockade squares for White's 19 lLlg3 'it>h7
knights. It is out of the question 20 ~e2 l:tg8
that Black will ever be able to force 21 'it>f2
through ... f7-f5, so the absence of And not queenside castling
White's queen's bishop is not so since White also plans an eventual
important. Lasker pointed out an- advance on the queen's wing by
other possibility for White which means of a2-a3 and b2-b4. In order
would have led by force to the ex- to achieve victc)ry White has to
188 The C'rov,,n Prinle: S'elected (lame.\ 1929-19.? 1

combine simultaneous attacks on ception also awaits him on the

both wings; the black kingside queenside.
alone would not present a sufficient 34 b3 'it>d8
object of attack' (Nimzowitsch). 35 a3 Ir.as
21 .. l:l.h8 36 'ii'c 1
22 l:.h4
Making way for the knight,
which is the most efficacious
blockading piece.
22 ... 'ii'e8
23 l:gl ~f8
24 'it>g2 tl:lb7
25 tl:Jh5 'ii'g6
26 f4 tl:Jd8
27 ~f3 tl:Jf7
Hoping to play ... e5xf4 at a fa-
vourable opportunity, followed by
the establishment of the knigt1t at
e5 or g5.
28 tl:Je2 36 ~f8?
Heading for the other blockad- Loses at once.
ing square - f5. 'By continuing a non-committal
28 ... j_e7 defence with some move like
29 'it>h l 'lt>g8 36 ... l:tc8, Black could force White
30 tl:Jeg3 'it>f8 either to try to develop an alterna-
31 tt:Jrs l:gs tive attack elsewhere or admit that
Unfortunately 31 ... exf4 is im- he cannot break through. Instead,
possible: 32 tl:Jxf4 'ii'g5 33 tl:le6+ in an effort to continue the flight of
~xe6 34 dxe6 <1.le5 35 l:xh6 and his king to the queenside which

wins. began on the 29th move, he blun-
32 ii'd2! ders away the exchange. If it did
Opinions differ as to this posi- nothing else, the blockade theory
tion: 'As so often happens when strongly applied otten made the
the principles of the blockade are task of the defence so wearying
applied, White has succeeded in that accuracy failed' (Coles).
reducing Black's dynamic chances A blunder in a positionally lost
to nil, but at the same time has not situation' (Nimzowitsch).
greatly increased his own' (R.N. The real effect of Tartakc)wer's
Coles, Dynamic Ches~;). blunder on move 36 was to dimin-
'A fine regrouping in accor- ish Nimzowitsch 's blockading and
dance with White's strategy of ex- manoeuvring achievement (which
tending his operations to the other is a model of how such advantages
flank' (Nimzowitsch). in terrain should be exploited) in
32 ... l:c8 the eyes of subsequent observers.
33 :.h2 'it>e8 Nimzowitsch was robbed of the
The king flees, but a warm re- possibility of winning properly
 The Cr<JWn Prince: ,)elected (]anzes I 929-19 3 I I 89
over the board (or of proving that
he could force the win at all) pre-
cisely because his preliminary psy-
chological tactics were so success-
ful.
Let us take a locJk at this position
to sec if Black could hold out:
a) 36 ... l:c8 37 b4 axb4 38 axb4
l:ta8 39 c5 dxc5 40 0ixe7 ~xe7 41
bxc5 bxc5 42 'ii'xc5+ 'Dd6 43
'ii'xc7 l:i.gc8 44 'ii'b6 and it seems to
me that Black's compensation for
his pawn is inadequate.
b) 36 ... '*1i7 (suggested by Tar-
takower, who wanted to follow up
with ... 'ii'h8 and ... 1'.f8) 37 b4 axb4
38 axb4 '*1i8 39 c5 1'.f8 40 cxb6
cxb6 41 l:i.c2 :Ic8 42 Itxc8+ 1'.xc8
43 ir'c6 winning easily. (39 ... dxc5
would lead to positions similar to
those arising from note 'a'.)
The way in which the control of
terrain plus superior mobility
translate themselves into a mating
attack in this variation lends con-
crete testimony to the accuracy of
Nimzowitsch 's strategical vision.
The game concluded: 37 'Dh4!
ir'h7 38 0ixf6 ir'h8 39 0ixg8 ir'xg8
40 g5 exf4 41 gxh6 ir'h7 42 ir'xf4
1'.xh6 43 ir'f6+ ~c8 44 'Df5 1'.xf5
45 exf5 <;f.?b7 46 ir'g6 .l:l.h8 47
ir'xh7 .l:l.xh7 48 l:tg6 'it>c8 49 f6
.l:l.h8 50 1'.g4+ <;f.?d8 51 1'.e6 <;f.?e8
52 1'.xf7+ <;f.?xf7 53 l:i.hxh6 1-0
Thus did Nimzowitsch achieve
the greatest tournament success of
his chess career.
The path to victory infested
with thorns
(Literally: 'Der Gewinn einer
Tumierpartie als schmerzvolle An-
gelegenheit.' [This article by Nim-
zowitsch appeared in Kagan' s
magazine for June 1930, as an in-
troduction tcJ Nimzowit.<>ch 's games
from San Remo.] - RDK)
'With the exception of Alekhine,
who seems to win his games with
remarkable ease, victory in a tour-
nament game is, and will remain, a
really rather painful at.fair. If you
have to face a somewhat weaker
opponent you commence your
day's work by voluntarily accept-
ing a quite cramped and difficult
position. Let us not forget that the
truly modem master has no fear ot'
phantoms, especially those from
the time of Tarrasch. In the Tar-
rasch time they all considered such
cramped positions to be unplay-
able, but now we are a lot less
strait-laced in our judgement.<>. But
back to the mechanics of winning
games!
'After you have consolidated
your position diligently for one or
two hours you fail, with amazing
regularity, to grasp the correct
moment for a sharp advance. It is
naturally a difficult matter for the
player bent on consolidation to
behold the possibility of aggressive
action on his part without some
misgivings, since we are all well
aware that any advance must create
weaknes..<;es in our own camp. Not
to worry; after a few moves we
make good the omission, in as far
as that is at all possible. Naturally
the advance no longer pack.<; the
punch it would have done had we
carried it out at the correct moment,
but at this point the opponent
comes to our aid. The opponent is
also human and the enemy initia-
tive has disturbed his psychological
equanimity. So he comes to our
rescue and we obtain a clearly won
19() The Cr(JW11 Prince: S<'lectcd G<1mes 1929-1931
position. However, we do not dare
to believe in our success and creep
around our opponent, as if we were
beating the proverbial bush, instead
of summoning up the courage to
slit his throat on the spot. And then
the opponent's strength revives, he
gathers his forces, consolidates his
mutilated position and finally
marches off to counter-attack. But
the counter-attack goes wrong and
- at long last - we can notch up the
full point.
'Many games at San Remo took
such a course and I openly admit
that I too was involved in games
which lurched back and forth ...
And yet I still love this thorny path
to victory; it is as genuine as the
life-struggle itself, while the safe
and easy method of winning. so
highly prized in the time of Tar-
rasch, lacks any point of contact
with external reality.
'Only in the imagination of the
averagely talented critic (vulgo
annotator) does that game exist in
which a small openings mistake is
exploited by the opponent and con-
ducted to victory with merciles.."
consistency. How on earth could
this critic be in a position to dis-
cover the more or less concealed
resources which are available in the
position? (I mean equalising varia-
tions or lines which grant counter-
play .) The critic sees nothing and
discovers nothing and brims over
with enthusiasm for the har 111oni-
ous, flowing win just as many a
schoolmaster, with rounded shoul-
ders and a pot belly, raves with
admiration about Julius Caesar. In
reality, however, every game con-
sists of at least two or three distinct
waves! It would be odd indeed if
anything else were the case, for
chess is much too stable for its bal-
ance to be disturbed by one little
error in the opening. Consider the
following 'Truth: After 1 e4 e6 2
d4 d5 the move 3 e5 must be re-
garded as the decisive error'
(Tarrasch). Such things now belong
in the realm of fairy stories.
'However, there is one special
case in which a player can be de-
stroyed 'at a strc)ke' and this occurs
when you are able to succeed in
ruining your opponent psychologi-
cally. Dr. Alekhine achieved his
victories at San Remo with such
ease precisely because he suc-
ceeded in forcing his opponents
into positions that did not suit them
psychologically. But apart from
this the struggle of tournament play
is a difficult and protracted busi-
ness.
'In its fascination and its rich va-
riety it is a mirror of the life-
struggle it"elf but, to a similar de-
gree, it is exhausting and full of
pain.'
Elsewhere Nimzowitsch once
wrote: 'How is it to be explained
that something inside me revolts
against the playing of obvious
moves? Perhaps we may perceive
the underlying reason in the fact
that I derive satisfaction from
seeking to reveal the concealed
meaning of a position by means of
manoeuvring play and therefore I
do not wish to see this satisfaction
curtailed by a banal, more or less
fortuitous decision. Naturally, this
phenomenon is played out beneath
the threshold of consciousness. The
waking consciousness will, of
course, in each individual case,
give preference to the more rapid
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.\ 1929-1931 191
means of deciding the game.'
Bogoljubow-Nimzowitsch
San Remo 1930
Nimzo-Jndian Defence
1 d4 tllf6
2 c4 e6
3 tllc3 ~b4
4 'ii'b3
This response became popular
after Spielmann 's victories with it
at Carlsbad 1929, and was em-
ployed frequently in the early
1930s. The broad defensive lines
elaborated against 4 'iiib3 in Nim-
zowitsch 's own games have
scarcely been altered up to our own
day.
4 c5
5 dxc5 tllc6
6 tllf3 tlle4
7 ~d2 tllxc5
Nimzowitsch seems to have
been on very friendly ter 111s with
Emanuel Lasker and he mentions in
his own notes that 7 ... tllxc5 was
analysed by the two of them during
the course of a visit paid by Nim-
zowitsch to the ex-world champion
in Berlin just after the for 111er's
victory at Carlsbad 1929.
Nimzowitsch also made an im-
portant contribution to the theory
of the alternative 7 ... li:Jxd2, which
may in fact be the superior choice
at this stage: 7 ... tllxd2 8 tllxd2 and
now
a) 8 ... 0-0 9 0-0-0 11t'a5 10 a3
~xc5 11 e3 f5 12 ~e2 a6 13 tllf3
b5! 14 cxb5 axb5 15 'ii'xb5 1it'a7
with a powerful attack for the sacri-
ficed pawn, according to Nim-
zowitsch; or
b) 8 ... ~xc5 9 e3 b6 10 0-0-0
~b7 11 tllde4 ~e7 12 tlld6+ ~xd6
13 l:.xd61it'e7 14 'ii'dl l:.d8 15 ~e2
0-0 16 ~f3 li:Ja5! 17 ~xb7 tllxb7
18 l:.d4 d6 19 'it>b l 11t'c7= Euwe-
Nimzowitsch, Zurich 1934.
A more recent example of this
line as interpreted by a Soviet
Grandmaster was the brilliant short
game Barczay-Tal played at
Miskolc 1963. Tai varied from
Nimzowitsch with 9 ... 0-0 when
there followed: 10 ~e2 b6 11 0-0
~b7 12 tllde4 llb8! (12 ... ~e7 13
lladJ) 13 l:.adl f5 14 tllxc5 (14
tlld6 ~a8) 14... bxc5 15 'ii'a3 'ii'e7
16 tllb5 f4 17 tlld6 ~a8 18 ~f3
fxe3 19 fxe3 tlle5 ! 20 ~xa8 l:.xfl +
21 ~xfl l:txa8 22 'otig l l:.f8 23
'ii' xc5 1it'g5 24 tlle4 1it'g4 25 lt'if2
l:txf2! 26 ~xf2 'ii'f5+! 27 ~e2
'ii'h5+ 28 g4 'ii'xh2+ 29 'itifl 'ii'h l +
30 ~f2 tllxg4+ 31 ~g3 1it'xd l 32
1it'c8+ ~t7 0-1.
8 'ii'c2 f5!
In his own notes to his win
against Bogoljubow Nimzowitsch
suggested the alternative proce-
dure: 8 ... 0-0 combined with ... a7-
a5, but this plan was virtually re-
futed in two games of Nim-
zowitsch's 1934 match versus
Stahlberg: (Nimzowitsch Black in
both cases) game 3: 8 ... 0-0 9 a3
192 The Crown Prince: .'ielec:ted Game.1 1929-J 93 I
i..xc3 10 i..xc3 a5 (10 ... f5!) 11 g3
'ike7 12 i..g2 e5 13 0-0 a4 14 ttld2
d6 15 b4 axb3 16 tl:ixb3 i..e6 17
l:tfc 1+- ( 1-0, 64 ); and game 5: (as
in game 3 up to 11 g3) l l ... a4 12
i..g2 b6 13 0-0 i..b7 14 J:!.adl tl:ia5
15 i..b4 i..e4 16 'ikc3 tl:iab3 17
tl:id4 i..xg2 18 ~xg2 .l:te8 19 4Jxb3
tl:ixb3 20 J:td6 'ikc7 21 l:tfdl l:ted8
22 'ikf3! l:tab8 23 'ikg4 f6 24 i..c3
~h8 25 'ikh4 e5? (25 ... ~g8!) 26
l:txf6! gxf6 27 'ikxf6+ ~g8 28 .l:!.d6
.ti.f8 29 'ikxe5 l:txf2+ 30 ~g 1 ~fl
31 J:tf6+ 1-0.
This drastic defeat was probably
responsible for Nimzowitsch 's
collapse in the subsequent games of
the match.
9 e3?!
Insufficiently to the point. Nim-
zowitsch 's notes recommend 9 a3
i..xc3 I 0 i..xc3 0-0 11 b4 tl:ie4 12
e3 b6 13 i..d3 lt:Jxc3 14 'ikxc3 i..b7,
and this was tried out by Alekhine
(Black) against Stahlberg the fol-
lowing year at Hamburg (1931),
resulting in a crushing win for the
World Champion: 15 0-0 tl:ie7 16
i..e2 'ike8 17 l:tfdl J:td8 18 a4? f4!
19 a5 fxe3 20 'ikxe3 tl:if5 21 'ikc3
d6 22 axb6 axb6 23 tl:iel e5 24 .l:!.a7
tl:id4 25 'ike3 .ti.d7 26 .l:ta2 .l:tdfl 27
f3 .l:tf4 28 i..d3 'ikh5 29 .ii.fl 'ikg5
30 .ti.f2 h6 31 ~h I .ti.xf3 ! 0-1.
Thus do we see a typical case of
Alekhine employing in practice,
and with great success, one of Nim-
zowitsch 's theoretical suggestions.
The fallacy in all this is the as-
sumption that White does not have
time to preserve his valuable
queen's bishop; but he does. Much
better is 12 i..b2!, e.g. 12 ... d6 13
g3! e5 14 i..g2 'ike7 15 0-0 i..e6 16
.l:tfdl .ti.ac8. Certainly this position
holds out more prospects for White
than does the line suggested by
Nimzowitsch.
9 0-0
10 i..e2 b6
11 0-0-0
White was scared to castle king-
side in view of the threatening po-
sition of Black's queen's bishop on
b7 (this is one reason why White
W()Uld have done better to play 9 a3
and then fianchetto the king's
bishop in defence of the king). That
this was no idle fear can be seen
from Stahlberg-Alekhine above.
With his 11th move Bogoljubow
doubtless hoped to put pressure on
Black's backward d-pawn, but the
position of his king now becomes
extremely insecure.
11 ... a5
Threatening all sorts of horrors,
especially the artificial isolation of
White's c-pawn, which actually
comes about in the game. Bogol-
jubow's natural reply makes one
suspect that he had overlooked the
hidden point of Nimzowitsch 's last
move.
12 a3 a4!!
Not a deep idea, but a brilliant
and original conception none the
less. If now 13 axb4 tl:ixb4 14 'ikbl
 The Cr<)Wn Prince: Selected Game.\' 1929-1931 193

lLlb3 and White is mated in broad 20 ... it.xe6-+, or 20 ... l:txdl + 21

daylight. The positional effect of Wxdl .ixe6 22 'it>b I .::tc8 23 'ir'd6
... a5-a4 (since Bogoljubow is obvi- ~h8 24 it.d5 lLlcb3 25 'it>a2 it.g8! !
ously not going to fall for the mate) 26 it.xg8 l:tcl 27 .ixb3 axb3 mate
is to cut off White's c-pawn from (Nimzowitsch). Note the rare mate
the remainder of his at 111y. by a pawn.
13 lLlb5 it.xd2+ 18 ... Wc7?!
14 tbxd2 tba5 19 it.xa8 it.xc4
15 it.f3 d5! 20 it.d5 it.xd5
16 cxdS it.a6 21 l:i.xd5 Wc6
White's position look..<> critical, 22 e7 Wxd5
e.g. 17 lLlc3 it.d3-+, or 17 lLld4 23 exf8l:r.(!)+
l:tc8 18 tbc6 .:txc6 19 dxc6 it.d3 20 Observe Bogoljubow's sense of
lLlbl lbab3+ and White loses his humour which has gone unsung in
queen with check. With an ingenu- most sources where 23 exf8W+ is
ity born of desperation Bogoljubow given. Nimzowitsch, who ought to
finds a way to play on. know, tells us that Bogoljubow did
17 tbc4! it.xb5 under-promote.
18 dxe6 23 ... 'it>xf8
24 l:r.dl Wes
Black's advantage of two
knights (plus some attack) for rook
and pawn is indubitable, but the
said advantage can only he con-
verted into a win with great diffi-
culty. In the following play Nim-
zowitsch operatt".s according to his
own principles of centralisation.
25 h3 h5
26 g4?!
Planning to clear a line for his
queen to reach h7, but the resultant
loosening of White's pawns only
With two pawns for his piece helps Black. Nimzowitsch recom-
and with two of Black's major mended counter-centralisation by
pieces under attack White retains means of 26 'it>b 1 and 27 l:i.d4.
some 'swindling' chances, as the 26 ... hxg4
game continuation reveals. But at 27 hxg4 lbab3+
precisely this point Nimzowitsch 28 ~bl fxg4
misses a brilliant forced win in- 29 l:r.gl
volving the sacrifice of his queen, Bogoljubow had probably in-
which would have spared him tended to play 29 Wh7 but then
much of his subsequent labour. The noticed 29 ... We4+ 30 Wxe4 lLlxe4,
missed win goes like this: e.g. 31 l:tg 1 tbxt1 32 l:tg2 tt:ld2+ 33
18 ... it.xc4! 19 l:txd8 .:taxd8 20 .::tdl 'it>c2 lLlde4 34 b3 b5 with paralysis.
(20 e7 tbab3+ and 21 ... it.d3) White's somewhat disjointed play
194 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931
at this stage could be explained by
the proximity of the time control at
move 30.
29 'iid5
30 l:tdl
If 30 l:txg4? 'iih 1+-+.
30 .. 'iie4
31 l:tgl tl::id2+
32 ~cl 'iid5!
'The persistent exploitation of
the central squares e5, d5 and e4 is
quite in accordance with the pre-
cepts of the system' (Nim-
zowitsch).
33 'iih7
Nimzowitsch: 'I had expected 33
b4 and analysed an elegant win
against this move during the mid-
day adjournment pause, to wit: 33
b4 tl::icb3+ 34 ~b2 tl::ic4+ 35 ~a2
tl::id4! 36 'iixa4 b5! 37 'iia7 tl::ia5+
38 ~al tl::idb3+ 39 ~bl 'iid3+ 40
~b2 tl::ic4+ 41 'Ot>a2 'iic2 mate.
'The knights rendered good
service in this variation by driving
the white king indoors while chas-
ing the queen far away from home.
But I could have spared myself all
this effort if only I had chosen the
immediately decisive line com-
mencing 18 ... ~xc4!. In that case
the game would have been over
long before and I would have been
able to enjoy my lunch in peace. As
it was I had to renounce the said
lunch in magnanimous fashion in
order to analyse my adjourned
game.
'Just how difficult my games in
this tournament were (<)r rather -
how well I understood the task of
complicating wins that stood
openly there, inviting me to play
them) can be seen quite clearly
from the fact that in the course of
the tournament I was obliged to
sacrifice between six to eight
lunches.
'In most of my games from San
Remo I had tremendous positions
(at the very least) by move 20, but
then came the moment for con-
verting the advantage into the full
point and the win, but a hand's
grasp away, began to recede into
the distance.
'The end result is that the thorn-
infested path to victory (die
schmerzvolle Art der Gewinn-
fahrung) becomes even more thor-
ny as a result of the renunciation of
lunch and if a master already en-
thuses about this thorn-infested
path (as I have done) then the said
renunciation of his lunch will only
be regarded as a thoroughly wel-
come intensification of the pleasure
( Genuj3) he derives from the whole
process; and such is the case here
33 .. tl::ide4
34 'ilt'h8+ rbf7
35 rbbl
Or 35 l:td l tl::ib3+ 36 rbc2 'iic4+
37 rbbl tl::ied2+ (full mark.<> for
dressage) 38 J:i.xd2 'iic I+ and mate
on al.
35 'iid3+
 The Crown Prince: Selected c;ame.~ 1929-1931 195

0-1 9 d5
36 ~a2 tt:Jc3+ 37 bxc3 'ifc2+ 38 Nimzowitsch 's forgc)tten idea
~al tt:Jb3 mate. for conducting this opening was
revived by Portisch (as Black) in
I would like to suggest that the his game with Ulf Andersson from
reader compare this queen plus Palma de Mallorca 1971. In this
knight attack from Nimzowitsch's later game White preferred 9 ~e3
mature years with his more Sturm which led to his advantage after
und Drang effort in similar vein 9 ... d5!? 10 l:tcl dxc4 11 nxc4 c6
against Spielmann (Stockholm 12l:tc1.
1920). Kmoch's 9th move leads to po-
If you compare the mate in the sitions characteristic of the King's
Bogoljubow game with the mate Indian Defence.
given at the end of note (e2) to 9 ... e5!
White's 17th move in the Spiel- 10 ~e3 rs
mann game I think you will be 11 tt:Jel ~xg2
pleasantly surprised by the mirror 12 tt:Jxg2 d6
image coincidence, for in the ear-
lier game a mate occurred with
White's king on hi and his queen
on a8 while Black's mating force
was 'iff2 and llJg3. In this case
White's mated monarch is on al,
his queen on h8 and Black's victo-
rious army: 'ifc2 and tt:Jb3.
A further example of the theme:
'the thorn-infested path to victory'.

Kmoch-Nimzowitsch
San Remo 1930
Opening? (Embarrassed silence on
the part of the author. I don 't kno}I,' An interesting position. Black's
whether to call it a Queen 's Indian no1111al strategy would be to storm
or King 's Indian.) forwards on the kingside with his
mobile pawns, but the fact that
1 tt:Jf3 tt:Jf6 White's e-pawn is on e2 rather than
2 c4 b6 e4 makes it more difficult for Black
3 g3 g6 to fix on a target. White's no1111al
4 ~g2 ~g7 plan would be to launch a queen-
5 0-0 side advance with b2-b4, c4-c5
Or 5 tt:Je5 c6 followed by ... 'ifc7 etc., breaking into Black's camp at
and ... d7-d6. the sensitive point c7. However, the
5 0-0 absence of White's e-pawn from e4
6 tt:Jc3 ~b7 also exerts an influence over
7 d4 tt:Je4 White's plan of campaign in that
8 tt:Jxe4 ~xe4 (after c4-c5) his d-pawn will be
196 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.51929-1931
deprived of much of its support.
In such strategically complex
positions Nimzowitsch excelled.
Now many of his original ideas
have been absorbed into master
technique or incorporated into
'opening theory'.
13 ..d2 tl:id7
14 f3
A useful consolidating move di-
rected against the mobility of
Black's e and f-pawns.
14 aS
IS l::tabl tl:icS
Provocation. Also possible was
the more solipsistic procedure
15 ... l::tt7, 16.....f8 followed by
... h7-h6 and ... g6-g5. But Nim-
zowitsch prefers to encourage ac-
tivity from his opponent since he
correctly perceives that this very
activity will ultimately be White's
undoing.
16 b3 l::tt7!
And prophylaxis! Observe the
way in which Nimzowitsch guards
the c7 point before it is attacked.
17 a3 ..f8
18 l::tfcl hS
A device for gaining space on
the kingside which is now regula-
tion in the King's Indian Defence.
Given time Black will also play
... g6-g5 with an awesome array of
pawns.
19 b4 axb4
20 axb4 tl:id7
If now 21 l:ta 1, to seize the a-
file, then 2 l ... e4 22 i.d4 exf3 23
exf3 lfJe5 with manifold threats.
White chooses another means of
aggression.
21 cS
This temporary sacrifice of a
pawn looks most promising since it
exposes a number of weaknesses in
the black position. However, with
this move White is walking straight
into a combinative ambush - it
could be said that he started out on
the ambush trail when he was lured
into a queenside advance (with gain
of tempo) by 15 ... tl:ic5, but what
other choice did White have? Black
holds the initiative on the king's
wing so the only alternative to
queenside activity would be pas-
sive defence. Attractive though its
execution might appear, Nim-
zowitsch had prepared so effi-
ciently for the possibility of a white
queenside advance that the whole
plan of carrying it through could be
classed as a collective error.
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.s 1929-1931 197
21 dxc5
22 bxc5 lbxc5
23 .it.xc5 bxc5
White has had to weaken his
dark squares in order to shatter
Black's pawns.
24 l:tb5
'White seems to be in the ascen-
dant but Black has not been mark-
ing time. In fact he has been en-
gaged in the accumulation of at-
tacking energy (a-file, h6-d2 di-
agonal, mobile pawn-mass, etc.,
... ), and now emerges with a series
of noxious blows which had com-
pletely escaped White's attention.
We might add, by the way, that
without Black's co-operation (the
partly superfluous and partly pro-
vocatory l5 ...lbc5) White would
scarcely ever have been able to
arrange his breakthrough with c4-
c5' (Nimzowitsch).
24 . .it.h6
25 f4 exf4
26 gxf4?
26 lbxf4! c4 27 'ti'd4 'ti'a3 28
Wxc4 .it.xf4 29 gxf4 and White has
drawing chances in spite of the
exposed position of the king. Pre-
sumably White retained his knight
as a comfort for his king, but the
knight dies anyway, and the white
f-pawn expires in sympathy, thus
leaving the king virtually devoid of
support for his dotage.
26 ... c4!
The ambush is sprung and
events now develop by force. This
counter-sacrifice has the effect of
galvanising Black's entire army
which had hitherto slumbered
peacefully within the confines of
the back two ranks.
27 l:txc4 l:tal+
28 l:tcl lWa3
29 l:tbbl
After 29 l:txal 'ti'xal+ Black's
advantage is manifest: more secure
king; bishop for knight in an open
position and better pawns (two
pawn islands to three).
29 ... l:ta2
30 l:tc2
Or 30 Wel lWe7 31 e3 g5! 32
l:tal (32 fxg5 lWxg5 33 lWg3 l:tg7-
+) 32 ... l:txa l 33 Itxa 1 gxf4 34 exf4
lWc5+ followed by 35 ... Wxd5 with
a good extra pawn (Nimzowitsch).
30 . l:txc2
31 lWxc2 .it.xf4
The final point of the combina-
tion. Black wins a pawn and bares
the white king. It was also possible
198 The Cro"-n Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931

to play 31 ... ~f8, retaining the 44 'ii'e5 f4+

bishop for attacking purposes, 45 'iii>f2 'ii'xe5
when White could hardly resist 46 l::txe5 'it>g6
successfully, so disorganised are Can Black win this position?
his lines of defence (backward e- The disappointment of not having
pawn, straying d-pawn, exposed f- won already, plus the fact that this
pawn and unsheltered king). position is a dead draw (after 47
32 ll:ixf4 'ii'e3+ h3), might have caused many mas-
33 <t>g2 'ii'xf4 ters to abandon the struggle and sue
An extra pawn plus the more se- for peace, but there is one possibil-
cure position should amount to a ity left.
verdict of winning, but ... 47 'it>f3?
34 l:tb8+ 'iii>h7 Jeopardising his game once

35 'ii'c3 J:g7 again.
36 l:te8 h4
37 'ii'f3 'ii'd4?
37 ... 'ii'xf3+ followed by
38 ... l:td7 and 39 ... 'iii>h6 would have
won. Now the win slips away.

47 . g4+!
The final shot in Black's arsenal.
48 'it>g2
48 'iii>xg4 f3-+.
48 .. l::tf8
38 e4! 49 l:te7
Nimzowitsch admitted quite The last chance was 49 l:te6+
frankly in his own notes that he had ~g5 50 l:te5+ and 51 l:te7 with
forgotten that this move was legal! some hope left. The text loses.
White's counter-attack against 49 . f3+
Black's f- and h-pawns forces Nim- 50 'iii>f2 J:h8
zowitsch to start all over again. 51 '>t>gl l:ta8
38 .. 'ii'a4 52 J:xc7 J:al+
39 J:e6 l:tti 53 'iii>f2 J:a2+
40 'it>h3 'ii'c2 54 '>t>gl J:g2+
41 'ii'f4 'ii'c3+ 55 'iii>h l l::td2
42 'iii>xh4 'ii'g7 56 'it>gl l:tdl +
43 'it>g3 g5 57 <iif12 l::th 1
 The Crown P1ince: Se/ected Game.1 1929-1931 199
58 d6
Or 58 ~g3 l:tg l + 59 ~ l:tg2+-+.
58 . l:txh2+
And Black's passed pawns are
the more powerful.
59 <be3 l:te2+
To cut off White's king.
60 'iii>d3 l:te 1
61 l:tc2
Black wins also after 61 d7 f2 62
d8 fl+ 63 ~c2 l:tc l + 64 'it>b2
l:tbl+ 65 ~a2 l:tal+ 66 'iitb2 ~l+
67 ~c3 cl+ 68 'iitb3 l:ta3+ 69
~b4 ~2+ 70 ~c4 l:tc3+.
61 ... 'iiff7
0-1
After 62 l:tf2 'iite6 White is com-
pletely helpless. An eventful en-
counter.
Nimzowitsch-Romih
San Remo 1930
English Opening
(Notes to this game are by Nim-
zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish)
1 c4 e5
2 lllc3 c5
3 g3 d6
4 ~g2
A bishop that knows what it
wants, such a bishop you can find
in the dear old openings, e.g. in the
variation l e4 e5 2 tt:Jf3 tt:Jc6 3
~c4, for here the bishop stands and
menaces the king. Already in the
Ruy Lopez the threat seems to ob-
trude a little less sharply, as here
the whole purpose is to counteract
the establishment of the enemy
centre. In the modern openings the
situation is far worse, for there the
bishops are entirely passive: they
do not threaten anything, and they
Want nothing, save to gaze out into
the distance .... But when the game
is played to an end, then one sees
with astonishment that the bishop
has accomplished a great deal, both
prophylactically and directly; and
especially one wonders at how rich
and changing such a modern
bishop's destiny can be! Then the
bishop of the old days can quietly
go and lay itself to rest, it can no
more compete with the modern
bishops, than the old school (Tarr-
asch) can compete with the modern
style of play.
4 tt:Jc6
5 d3 f5
6 a3
lsn 't the bishop modern, then?!
It 'toils not itself', but lets the oth-
ers work for it. Now b2-b4 will
come, e.g. 7 b4 cxb4 8 axb4 tZ:lxb4
9 a4+ tt'ic6 10 iuc6+ and the
bishop's co-operation secures the
outcome.
6 ... ~d7
7 b4 l:tb8
In case of 7 ... cxb4 8 axb4 tt'ixb4
9 ~xb7 the a-pawn becomes weak.
8 b5 tZ:la5
Now one can see that the knight
is as good as taken prisoner, and
who has brought this about? The
200 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931

bishop on g2 has. castling and therewith the connec-

9 .tdS tion of the enemy rooks has be-
Many will wonder at this all too come very difficult. That old-
direct advance, and so I did myself fashioned search for direct contact
during the actual encounter. I knew with the enemy king is in this posi-
quite well that a slow under 111ining tion blended with a hypermodern
of the hostile central position flirtation with the outermost enemy
(through, e.g., 9 f4 and 10 tt.'Jt.3) queen's wing, namely with the
would have been both the indicated squares c6 and b7. The direction of
and stylish course. But I thought the attack against the last-named
that such a way of proceeding squares comes to bear the prime
would take too much time, and that role later on (see the 22nd move by
my opponent was not 'worth all the White).
bother'. The reader will probably 13 ... g6
excuse this frank explanation, but 13 ... f4 at once came into consid-
one cannot silence the psychologi- eration.
cal motives of the struggle, it one 14 .i:r. b 1
wants to draw a trustworthy picture To look after the imprisoned
of some game or other. knight.
9 .. tt.'Jf6 14
10 .tgs .te7 To be preferred was the ma-
11 .txf6 .txf6 noeuvre ... ~e8-f8-g7, in order to
12 J:r.c 1 connect the rooks.
Another plan consisted in the 15 h4 f4
development 12 e3, 13 tt.'Jge2 and 16 tt.'Jge2 .tg7
14 f4. 17 hS gxhS!?
12 'ii'e7 More correct was l 7 ... g5 - as
13 e4 Black has a piece less in play (the
tZ:ia5 hardly count<>), he should
close the game up, rather than open
it out.
18 gxf4
But not 18 l:txh5 .tg4! 19 l:txh7
'ii'f6 with counterplay for Black.
18 ... exf4
19 f3!! h4
20 ~d2 h3
On h3 he feels himself secure,
because the bishop provides suffi-
cient defence from d7. Now, how-
ever, follows a surprise.
21 'it'a4 b6
Blocking the retreat for the 22 .tc6!
bishop, which now becomes Faithful to the old tradition: it is
'zugtot', i.e. immobilised. Yet his indeed the recollections of child-
position is good enough, for now hood which finally dete1111ine one's
 The Cr(Jwn Prince: S'e/ected Game.1 1929-1931 201

development, and not some other, pleted, all is clear for occupation.
short-lived episode (such as the
stay on d5)! Now the white pieces,
especially the two diagonal men,
stand in as modem a guise as can
be wished; one could almost be
tempted to say that each on its own
was misplaced, if their co-
ordination did not make of them
such an awe-inspiring unity.

26 .ltd4
27 l:txh3 'ii'f2
28 l:t3h2
A last farewell to those at home
before the great journey into the
enemy's land begins.
28 ... 'ii'f3
29 l:txh7 'ii'f2
Black's 29th move is ridiculous
22 'it'h4 but he loses anyway, e.g. 29 ... l:td8
I had expected 22 ... .ltxc6 23 30 tllc7 mate; or 29 ... .ltxc6 30
bxc6 .ltxc3+ 24 tllxc3 'ii'c7 where- bxc6 with the horrible threat of 31
upon a queen sacrifice was pre- c7. Finally, 29 ... l:tf7 30 ..txd7+
pared, namely 25 l:txh3 'it'xc6 26 l:txd7 31 tllxd4! followed by 32
'ii'xa5! with a winning attack tllf6+ - RDK.
(26 ... bxa5 27 l:txb8+ ~ 28 30 l:te7+ 'it>d8
l:txh7+ 'it>g6! 29 l:tbb7 l:tg8 30 tlld5 31 l:txd7+ 'it>c8
'iti>g5 31 l:tbf7 threatening 32 tlle7 32 tlle7 mate 1-0
plus 33 l:tf5 mate.
23 l:th2 'it'h5 Sultan Khan-Nimzowitsch
24 l:tgl Liege 1930
24 l:tbhl would also have led to Queen's Indian Defence

a Will.
24 .lth8 1 d4 tllf6
On 24 ... .ltxc3+ 25 tllxc3 'ii'xf3 2 c4 e6
would have come 26 tlld5 (the 3 tllf3 b6
knights assume the bishop's leg- 4 g3 .lta6
acy!) and 27 l:tg7 with destruction. A considerably more dynamic
25 llghl 'it'xf3 and 'problem-setting' move than
26 tlld5 the no1111al 4 ... .ltb7. Nimzowitsch's
The preparations are now com- innovation was subsequently bor-
202 71te C'rown Prince: Selected Game.~ 1929-1931
rowed by Alekhine and it was to
become the main line, a popular
favourite with, for example, both
Kasparov and Karpov.
5 b3
A very natural protection of the
c-pawn which, in addition, prepares
the fianchetto of White's queen's
bishop. Against 5 'ir'a4, Bronstein
has suggested the following active
procedure: 5 ... c6 6 lllc3 b5!? 7
cxb5 cxb5 8 lllxb5 'ir'b6 9 lllc3
.ltb4 10 .ltg2 0-0 11 0-0 .ltxc3 12
bxc3 .ltxe2, or 9 e3 .ltb7 10 .lte2
.ltc6!+. A dangerous line for Black
is the pawn sacrifice: 5 lllbd2 c5?!
6 e4! cxd4 7 e5 lllg8 8 .ltg2 lllc6 9
0-0 .ltb4 10 'ir'a4 'ir'c8 11 a3 .lte7
12 b4 .ltb7 13 c5! with a powerful
attack (Gufeld-Gipslis, 37th Soviet
Championship, Moscow 1969).
Once again it was Bronstein who
demonstrated that Black can also
maintain himself satisfactorily in
this line if he avoids 5 ... c5?!. So,
5 ... .ltb4 6 'ir'c2 .ltb7! 7 .ltg2 a5 8
0-0 d5 9 llle5 0-0 l 0 cxd5 exd5 11
llldf3 llle4 12 .lte3 l:le8 13 nae l c6
14 l:tfdl .ltf8 15 llld3 f6 and Black
has emerged from the opening with
a very comfortable position
(Portisch-Bronstein, Las Palmas
1972).
5 .ltb4+
The initial move of a counter-
attack on the dark squares which
fo1111s the strategic leitmotif of
Nimzowitsch 's play until the very
end of the game. Later on more
direct and forceful methods were
devised for Black, although it is
hard to say if they represented any
improvement on the Nim-
zowitschian scheme. Here is one
example of the line handled by
Smyslov (White: Uhlmann) from
the Alekhine memorial tournament,
Moscow 1956: 5 ... d5 6 .ltg2 .ltb4+
7 lllfd2? (7 .ltd2! when Smyslov
intended 7 ... .lte7) 7 ... c5 ! 8 dxc5
.ltxc5 9 .ltb2 0-0 l 0 0-0 lllc6 11
lllc3 lic8 12 cxd5? exd5 13 llla4
llld4! 14 lllc3 ( 14 l:te l lllc2 !)
14 ... 'ir'e7 15 l:tel lllc2! 16 l:tfl
lllxa 1 17 'ir'xa 1 l:.fd8 18 ..lif3 .lta3
0-1.
6 .ltd2 .ltxd2+
6 ... .lte7 followed by 7... d5
would transpose into Smyslov's
idea above. Nimzowitsch 's plan is
to exchange the dark-squared bish-
ops and then establish his central
pawns on the same dark squares,
thus hemming the scope of White's
remaining bishop.
7 lllbxd2
It is more aggressive to recap-
ture with the queen.
7 . .ltb7
8 .ltg2 c5
Nimzowitsch 's patent, striking at
White's pawn centre and preparing
to mount a general dark square
attack.
9 dxc5
9 0-0 cxd4 10 lllxd4 ..lixg2 11
""xg2 would give Black no prob-
lems at all. Black could consider
 The Crown Prince: S'e/ected (]ame.1 1929-1931 2(JJ

playing 1 l ... Wc8 and ... Wb7. How- a4. If White tries to block the posi-
ever, aiming for equality, as above, tion with 16 a4 there would follow
probably represented White's most J6 ... lbd4 with possibilities of
realistic course by this stage. steering for the eventual rolling-up:
9 .. bxc5 . .. f7-f5.
10 0-0 0-0 16 lbd2
11 l:tel Nimzowitsch was full of praise
Still angling for e2-e4. for the subtle defensive manoeuvre
11 . 'it'e7 introduced by this move.
Continuing his complex dark- 16 ... lbd4
square strategy, Black will counter 11 lbn
e2-e4 by playing ... e6-e5, followed
by ... lbc6-d4.
12 l:tcl
White probably expected Black
to play ... d7-d5 in the near future
and therefore organised potential
pressure against the hanging pawns
which would come into being after
l 2 ... d5 13 cxd5 exd5.
12 . e5!
Threatening ... e5-e4-e3 with to-
tal disruption. White's hand is
forced.
13 e4 lbc6
14 lb bl Also heading for d5.
Heading for the d5 square. How- 17 . .tc6
ever, there is a qualitative differ- To lend support to ... a5-a4 when
ence in the respective equine occu- the time is ripe.
pations of d5 and d4. White's lbc3- 18 lbe3 'it'b7
d5 can be met by ... .txd5. Black's 19 'it'd3 a4
... lbc6-d4 can be met by lbxd4 20 bxa4
only. After these exchanges Black In the long run White cannot
will possess a dark-square central maintain his b-pawn at b3. It is
pawn-wedge plus a knight, while better to submit to the creation of
White will own a light-square cen- lesser weaknesses at a2 and c4.
tral pawn-wedge plus a light- 20 . ..txa4
squared bishop. In other words, the 21 l:tbl 'it'a7
position, even at this stage, is 22 l:tb2 .tc6
tending towards an ending where 23 l:tebl 'it'c7
Black will have the superior minor Threatening 24 ... l:ta3.

piece. 24 lbb5 'it'd7
14 d6 25 lbdl lbe8
15 lbc3 a5 26 lbdc3 g6
White's b-pawn represents an With the ideas: ... '1le8-g7-e6 and
attractive target for the thrust ... a5- ... f7-f5.
204 The Crown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931

27 ll'ixd4 cxd4
28 ll'id5 'ii'a7
29 g4
A rather crude method of pre-
venting ... f7-f5, which further
weakens White's dark squares.
Black was better in any case but
this move does help him. After the
text Black decides that the time has
come to liquidate White's knight
(cf. note to 14 tllbl).
29 . .li(.xd5
30 exd5
After the other recapture (30
cxd5) Black would possess a clear, 34 tlld7!
static advantage. The capture cho- But the dark squares come to
sen by White leads to a sharpening Black's rescue. If now 35 l:.xd6
of the struggle in that White now ll'ic5 36 'W'e2 e4! (36 ... :.Xd6? 37
obtains potentially mobile pawns (c 'ii'xe5+ and 38 g5 as before) 37
and d) to compensate for Black's l:xd8 l:.xd8 and W11ite 's passed
central majority. pawns are heavily blockaded (by a
30 .. lt:'if6 dark-squared army corps) while
31 h3 both of Black's aspire to the pro-
And not 31 g5? lt:'ih5 and ... ll'ih5- verbial Field Marshal's baton. 38
f4. .li(.xe4? would lose at once to
31 ... '3;;g7 38 ... l:.e8.
A typical safety precaution. The 35 l:6b5 exf4?
king is more comfortable on g7. Time-trouble! Black could win
32 .l:.b6 at once by means of 35 ... ttlc5! 36
Threatening violence to Black's 'ii'bl ll'ia4 followed by 37 ... ll'ic3, or
d-pawn. If Black does not react 36 'ii'e2 e4. After this slip Black
accurately White may even gain the retains a positional plus, but he can
upper hand. no longer count on rapid victory.
32 l:.fd8 36 l:.d2 ll:le5
33 .l:. lb2 h6! 37 'ii'xd4 'ii'xd4+
Very important. It was impossi- 38 l:xd4 f3?!
ble to play instead 33 ... llld7 on More accurate was 38 ... l:.xa2 39
account of 34 l:txd6 lllc5 35 'ii'e2 l:.xf4 l:tc2 threatening ... l:ta8-a2.
l:.xd6 36 'ii'xe5+ l:f6 37 g5!. Hence 39 .11(.fl l:a4
the significance of Black's 33rd Nimzowitsch did not want to
move. grant counterplay after 39 ... l:txa2
34 f4 40 c5.
'The crisis of the game' (Nim- 40 .l:.d2 ll:ld7
zowitsch). 41 rt;n .l:.a3
It seems as if White must now 42 l:.b3 .l:.da8
seize the initiative. 43 .l:.xf3 ll:lc5
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game~ 1929-1931 205

Black has even lost a pawn but 55 :td8 l:tal

he still retains the advantage in 56 l:tg8
view of his dark-square grip and Or 56 d6 'it>g3 57 l:t.g8+ tllg5! 58
the paralysing effect exerted by his hxg5 f2+.
rook along the 3rd rank. 56 tllg3
44 Itxa3 l:txa3 57 'it>h2 tllxn+
45 'it>g2 f5 58 'it>h3 tlle3
59 l:.f8+ tllf5
60 l:txf5+ ~xf5
0-1

Colle-Nimzowitsch
Frankfurt 1930
Queen's Gambit - Baltic Defence

A game that would have fitted

ideally into the scheme of My Sys-
tem had it not been played three
years after Nimzowitsch 's final
version of his book. Both sides
undertake wing diversions, but
Creating a dangerous passed White's results only in a glorious
pawn. A further factor in favour of triumph over a harmless pawn
Black is the mobility of his king in while Black's (closely supported
comparison with the limited free- by a powerful centralisation) en-
dom of movement enjoyed by his ables his massed columns to smash
white counterpart. down the h-file and deliver mate.
46 gxf5 gxf5
47 'it>gl 1 d4 tllf6
47 .lte2!. The move played is, if 2 tllf3 d5
anything, counter-productive. 3 e3 .ltf5
47 .. ~f6 4 c4 e6
48 l:tb2 f4 After 1920 it was rare for Nim-
49 l:te2 'it>f5 zowitsch to adopt anything but his
50 l:te8 f3 own defence to 1 d4 but before the
White's bishop has no moves Great War he frequently resorted to
and mating threats loom up. such defensive systems as he em-
51 l:th8 'it>g5 ploys here. One typical example
52 l:td8 l:txa2 was his game with Vidmar (White)
53 l:txd6 from Coburg 1904: I d4 d5 2 tZlf3
Lifting the blockade and thereby .ltg4 3 e3 e6 4 c4 .ltxf3 5 gxf3 c6 6
forcing Black into immediate ac- 'iib3 'iib6 7 'ii'c2 .lte7 8 lllc3 ilf6
tion. As it is, the action Black does (a complicated method of fianch-
take is of a decisive nature. ettoing the bishop) 9 l:t.gl tlle7 10
53 tlle4 f4 tlld7 1 I c5 'ti'c7 12 ~d2 h6 13
54 h4+ 'it>f4 h4 h5 (both 12 ... h6 and 13 ... h5
206 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.~ 1929-1931
received '! ! ' from Schlechter. So
much for the myth of the misunder-
stood genius. We can see from this
that the people who counted - like
Schlechter - were capable of ap-
preciating Nimzowit<>ch 's ideas
even in his very first tournament
appearance) 14 ..td3 g6 15 :thl
tbf5 16 ..txf5 exf5 17 ~e2 lLlf8 18
~f3 l2Je6 19 'il'a4 0-0 with an ob-
vious advantage to Black. But
Nimzowitsch promptly Jost the
game by sacrificing unsoundly.
5 'il'b3?!
Pointless, as the reply shows.
5 ... l2Jc6!
6 c5
6 'il'xb7? lbb4!. The text, how-
ever, releases all the pressures from
Black's centre. It was probably
better to play 6 cxd5 and follow
with 7 .tbs.
6 'il'c8
7 .tbs l2Jd7
With a threefold objective:
1) Black threatens to free him-
self with ... l2Jd8 and ... c7-c6 fol-
lowed eventually by ... e6-e5;
2) Black parries the immediate
threat of lLlf3-e5 and
3) Prepares long-term over-
protection of the important e5
square.
8 iL.xc6
Forestalling 'l' but now White
loses control of the light squares.
8 . bxc6
9 0-0 g6!
To bring his king's bishop into
contact with e5. Nimzowitsch had
obviously learnt a lot from his
game (as White) versus Torre, Ma-
rienbad 1925, where the young
Mexican had played the Jess accu-
rate 9 ... ..te7 with an eventual draw.
10 l2Jbd2 iL.g7
11 l2Jh4
White plans lLlxf5 to lessen the
force of ... e6-e5 (or to prevent the
move altogether), but after the re-
capture ... exf5 Black will be mor~
than compensated by his increased
influence over e4 and his pressure
on thee-file in general.
11 ... tr'a6!
A typical method of augmenting
light-square control which appears
in several of Nimzowitsch 's games.
Note that Nimzowitsch avoids the
automatic response 11 ... 0-0 since
he recognises that his king may be
needed in the centre.
12 l2Jxf5 exf5
With several positional trumps:
the e-file, the square e4 and the
eventual disruptive threat ... f5-f4.
13 c3 l2Jf6
14 l2Jb3
14 f3 would deny Black the use
of e4 but would also leave White
with a sick e-pawn. The text com-
mences a long-drawn-out manoeu-
vre to molest Black's split queen-
side pawns.
It is interesting to examine this
position for a while. If a computer
were given the task of assessing the
respective chances it might con-
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931 2()7

elude that White stood better. After White's diversion begins.

all, Black suffers from no less than 19 .. h5
two sets of doubled pawns and one And so does Black's. White
isolated pawn, while White's should now have put up some to-
pawns are all perfectly healthy. Yet ken resistance by means C)f 20 h4.
the secret of Black's advantage lies Instead of taking this elementary
in the fact that his 'weaknesses' are precaution (although its ultimate
inaccessible. In fact his kingside efficacy is rather doubtful) White
pawns are highly mobile, as we rushes to his perdition with the
shall soon see. White's 'healthy' dete1111ination of a Gadarene hog.
pawns, on the other hand, simply 20 l:.a3 h4
have no scope for expansion. A 21 tt:lb3 hxg3
human player would also take in at 22 hxg3 J:th8
a glance Black's impressive light- 23 l:txa7
square control, but how does one An extreme example of a de-
solve the problem of explaining centralised diversion. Had Colle
such intangibles to a machine pos- forgotten that it is also pos..<>ible to
sessed of 'artificial intelligence' but give mate without the presence of
not of intuition? queens on the board?
Personally speaking, I must con- 23 . l:th3
fess, I hope the problem is never 24 tt:ld2 l:tbh8
solved! 25 tt:\fl g5

14 tt:le4 Threatening the slow but de-

15 as '*xa5 struct1ve: ... g5-g4, ... tt:\g5-f3 and
16 tt:lxa5 'it>d7! ... l:thl-gl.
The '!' is for the foresight in- 26 f3 l:thl+
volved rather than for the excel- 27 'li>g2 tt:lxg3!

lence of the move itself, which IS Dies irae, dies ilia
actually a forced one. So/vet saeclum infavilla.
17 l:tdl l:the8 28 'i!txg3 l:txfl
18 g3 l:tab8 29 a4
19 l:td3 Optimistically setting forth on
208 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931

the path thatleads to apotheosis. 9 i.e2 0-0

29 ... f4+! 10 0-0 cs
30 exf4 l:gl+ Something had to be done about
31 'iii'f2 i.xd4+ the annoying knight.
32 'it'e2 l:h2+ 11 tt:Jf3 tt:Jb6?
0-1
Utter desolation. White's queen-
side pieces hardly moved.

Nimzowitsch-Ahues
Frankfurt 1930
Nimzowitsch Attack

1 tt:Jf3 dS
2 b3 e6
3 i.b2 lLlf6
4 e3 lLlbd7 '
%
~
5 c4 c6 '

6 tt:Jc3 i.d6
7 c2
Black has chosen an unpreten-
tious defensive system which
would blossom into something
quite promising if ever he were to
play ... e6-e5. White's opening
strategy revolves around the re-
straint of this advance, which re-
straint could have been achieved
quite simply by 7 d4, but Nim-
zowitsch insists on adopting a more
complex prophylactic method. If
now 7 ... e5 8 cxd5 cxd5 9 lLlb5 i.b8
10 i.a3+-.
7 probably l l ... b6 followed by
8 tt:Jd4
A strange move intending to
parry ... e6-e5 with lLld4-f5 ! . Nim-
zowitsch is not at all concerned that
his knight should be chased away
by ... c6-c5 since the advance of
Black's c-pawn to c5 would result
in a weakening of the support of
the black d-pawn which, in tum,
would dilute the force of Black's
eventual ... e6-e5.
8 ... a6
Protecting his d-pawn with a
piece in preparation for the long-
awaited ... e6-e5, but on b6 this
knight is seriously out of play. If
instead l l ...dxc4 12 bxc4 and then
I 2 ... e5, White replies 13 e4! with a
powerful grip on the d5 square, for
which Black has no corresponding
compensation. Now we can see the
effects of White's subtle 8 lLld4, in
that the vulnerability of the d5
square is already causing Black
some problems.
The most sensible course is
... .tb7. Perhaps Black rejected this
in view of 12 cxd5 followed by 13
d4, when it is impossible to avoid
hanging pawns on c5 and d5 - or
an isolated queen's pawn (IQP) if
Black prefers.
Still, the positions arising from
l l ... b6 would have offered chances
to both sides. After the text White
seizes the initiative and maintains it
relentles..<>l y until the end of the
game.
 The Crown Prince: S'e/ected
12 e4!
This central blow can be re-
garded as the positional refutation
of the decentralising l l ... tt:'ib6?
Ideally Black would now like to
play 12 ... d4 but this fails to 13 e5
dxc3 14 ilxc3! ilxe5 15 tbxe5.
12 ... tbxe4
13 tbxe4 dxe4
14 xe4 e5
Very optimistic. Black plans
15 ... f5 with a fine game, but if
Black's idea were correct it would
mean that his decentralisation was
good while White's centralisation
was weak. Nimzowitsch could
never accept such a conclusion so
he naturally seeks for an outright
concrete refutation of Black's vio-
lent schemes.
To be fair to Ahues it should be
mentioned that there is a dearth of
reasonable alternatives at this point
since it is difficult to develop his
queenside pieces without a tortuous
preliminary move such as 14 ... l:tb8
(to be followed by ... ild7).
15 tbxe5!
In order to defeat Black's idea
White must offer the sacrifice of a
piece. But not the other way: 15
ilxe5? ilxe5 16 xe5 'ii'xe5 17
tbxe5 l:te8 18 f4 f6-+.
15 l:te8
Reinforcing the pressure against
the pinned knight. There are two
other ways of playing to win mate-
rial:
a) 15 ... ilxe5 16 'ii'xe5 'ii'xe5 17
ilxe5 l:te8 18 ilc7 ! l:txe2 19 ilxb6
l:txd2 20 ilxc5 and White has win-
ning chances in spite of the oppo-
site-coloured bishops (Nim-
zowitsch).
b) 15 ... f6 16 ild3 fxe5
(16 ... LeS 1J'jj'xh7+ 'i;fl 18 :ael
Game~ 1929-1931 2()9
and /9 f4) 17 'ii'xh7+ 'i;f7 18
'ii'g6+ ( 18 f4 is also not bad)
18 ... 'i;g8 19 f4 when there are
many ways to win, e.g. l 9 ... exf4 20
'ii'h7+ wf7 21 ilg6+ ~e6 22
'ii'h3+, or l 9 ... l:tf6 20 'ii'h7+ ~f7
21 fxe5 ilxe5 22 'ii'h5+.
16 f4 f6
17 ilh5
If now 17 ild3 g6 is an adequate
defence. It's fascinating to see that
as Black defends himself against
one threat (ild3) he automatically
exposes himself to a blow from a
quite different quarter (ilh5).
17 .. l:tf8
'!' from Nimzowitsch. Ahues'
resourceful defence obliges Nim-
zowitsch to reveal the full extent of
his calculations. Less testing were:
a) 17 ... l:td8 18 ilf7 + 'it>h8 19
tbg6+ hxg6 20 'ii'xg6 ilg4 21 .l:i.ael
followed by l:te3-h3+ and 'ii'h5
mate.
b) 17 ... g6 18 ilxg6 hxg6 19
'ii'xg6+ 'i;f8 20 tbg4 ilxg4 21
ilxf6+-
c) 17 ... fxe5 would not be much
different from the game continua-
tion.
18 d3!
Black threatened l 8... g6 and
2 I 0 The ('rown Prince: Selected Game:,. I 929-19 3 I

19 ... ~f5. 21 :.n "ikd8

White can go astray here with Or 21 ... "ike7 22 l:tf7 ikxf7 23
the plausible 18 l:tael?, e.g. ~xf7+ 'it>xf7 24 d4! (threatening
l 8 ... g6! 19 ~xg6 hxg6 20 lt:Jxg6 d4xc5 and d4-d5) 24 ... cxd4 25 c5
1i'xe4 21 .l:txe4 ~f5! (Nim- lf:Jd7 26 e6+.
zowitsch). 22 ~f7+ 'it>h8
18 fxe5? 23 e6 ~xe6
At last he accepts, but in my If 23 ... "ike7 24 ~xg7+ ~xg7 25
opinion this was still premature. "ikg4+ ~h6 26 rLf5.
The point of Nimzowitsch 's previ- 24 ~xe6 ikg5
ous move was to answer l 8 ... g6 25 l:.f7 1-0
with 19 ~xg6 hxg6 20 lf:lxg6 (20 I cannot help noticing a similar-
1i'xg6+ "ikg7 is nothing special for ity in combinational motif between
White) 20 ... ikxe4 21 dxe4 .l:tt7 22 this game and one won by Petro-
.l:tadl when he has a powerful cen- sian some twenty years later. Here
tral/kingside pawn-roller and supe- is the crucial position from the
rior mobilisation in exchange for a game I have in mind:
piece. However, after 22 ... ~c7
White has no forced win available Petrosian-Pachman
and I believe that Black's position Stockholm lnterzonal 1952.
is capable of immense resistance.
The text, on the other hand, grants
Black an actual material superiority
(rather than the parity represented
by bishop for three pawns), but
since his extra piece can hardly
move it was not a course to be rec-
ommended.
19 fxe5 ~c7

17 ~c7 Or l 7 ... fxe5 18 fxe5 ~c7

19 lf:lf6+ c.ti>h8 20 lf:lxe8 ikxe8 21
e6+-. 18 lt:Jg3 fxe5 19 tl:if5 "ikf6 20
dxe5 h5 20 ... "ikf8 21 "ikg6 'it.ih8 22
l:.d3 "ikg8 23 l:.h3 l:te6 24 tl:ixh6!
l:txg6 25 tl:if7 mate. 21 ikxh5 ikf7
22 ikg4 l:.e6 23 l:.f3 l:.g6 24 "ikxg6
ikxg6 25 tl:ie7+ 'it.if7 26 tl:ixg6
c.ti>xg6 27 g4 tl:ia6 28 .l:td7 .l:td8 29
Or l 9 ... g6 20 rLxf8+ and 21 f5+ 'it.ig5 30 l:.xg7+ c.ti>h4 31 e6
~xg6 followed by mate. ~b6+ 32 c.ti>fl l:.dl+ 33 'it>e2 l:.d5
20 .l:txf8+ ikxf8 34 f6 l:.e5+ 35 'iii>fl tl:ics 36 :.rs
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931 211
1-0 Analysis based on that by Ko-
tov and Yudovich in the Soviet
School of Chess.
Do you think I am justified in
noting any similarities? Perhaps the
parallel would have been more
marked if Ahues had opted for the
toughest defence on move 18
(18 ... g6!).
Sir G. Thomas-Nimzowitsch
Frankfurt 1930
Caro-Kann Defence
(Notes to this game are by Nim-
zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish)
1 e4 c6
2 tl.\c3
After the usual continuation 2 d4
d5 3 tl.\c3 dxe4 4 tl.\xe4 Black can
play 4 ...1'.f5. The intention behind
2 tl.\c3 is, as one will soon see, to
prevent this development of the
bishop.
2 dS
3 tt:Jf3 dxe4
4 tl.\xe4
Bogoljubow, for it was really he
who discovered the variation em-
ployed in this game, has a valid
point, for now 4 .. .1'.f5 would fail,
e.g. 4 ... 1'.f5 5 tl.\g3 1'.g6 6 h4 h6 7
tl.\e5 1'.h7 8 1Wh5 g6 9 1'.c4 e6 I 0
'ii'e2 and White stands better. But
this is far from saying that 2 tl.\c3
signifies a serious breach in the
bastion of the Caro-Kann; to be
sure, 4 ... 1'.f5 is cast down, but only
to give way to another, more mod-
ern and more effective system of
defence. See the following note!
4 ... tl.\f6!
'4 ... 1'.f5' is dead, '4 ... tl.\f6' lives!
With the usual continuation 1 e4
c6 2 d4 d5 3 tl.\c3 dxe4 4 tl.\xe4
tl.\f6 is of doubtful value because of
5 ttlxf6+. E.g. 5 ... gxf6 6 c3 1'.f5 7
li:le2 and 8 tt:lg3, or 5 ... exf6! 6 c3!
1'.d6 7 1'.d3 0-0 8 'ii'c2. Here, how-
ever, 5 lLixf6+ would fail [sic!]
against 5 ... gxf6 6 c3 1'.g4 followed
by ... e7-e6, ... 1'.d6, ... iic7 and
... 0-0-0 with a solid position.
5 lLig3
Now White has not got anything
at all.
5 c5
Reti 's idea.
6 d4 cxd4
7 'ii'xd4 'ii'xd4
8 tl.\xd4 a6
To stop tl.\c3-b5.
9 1'.e2 .ltg4!
To prevent the effective devel-
opment of the bishop to f3. Pro-
phylaxis is - along with centralisa-
tion and restraint (Haemning) - the
main point of the technique of con-
solidation!
(9 ... .ltg4 represents an im-
provement over the 9 ... g6 chosen
by Nimzowitsch in his game versus
Ahues from San Remo earlier the
same year. That previous game
continued 10 0-0 .i..g7 11 l:tdl 0-0
12 c3 .ltg4 13 1'.e3 .i..xe2 14
212 The Crown Prinle: Selected Game.\ 1929-1931

lZ:ldxe2 l:tc8 15 l:td2 lZ:lc6 16 l:tadl Now the real struggle begins.
lZ:le5 17 b3 b5 18 h3 e6 19 f4 ltJc6 23 1'..c2!
20 ~ h5 with a very good posi- Thomas is preparing the fol-
tion for Black. But White should lowing fine continuation: 24 l:tde2
have played 11 iLf3! with the ad- l:.ae8 25 1'..a4 b5 26 iLc2 and then
vantage. - RDK) 27 a4; the isolated b-pawn would
10 iLd3! e5 then be hunted down (by l:td2-d6-
Not entirely consolidating! b6).
There arises, in fact, some slight Now it rests with Black to find a
weaknesses on d6 and e5, and the yet finer counter-plan.
bishop itself on g4 comes in a way
to fo1111 a weak point, because it
does not find time to retreat. The
first-class solid move here was
10... iLd7!.
11 lLldf5 g6
12 lLie3 lZ:lbd7
On 12 ... 1'..e6 there would follow
13 iLc4 with discomfort for Black.
But now I surrender the two bish-
ops to the opponent (unfortunate-
ly!).
13 tlJe4 1'..b4+!
14 c3 1'..e7
To provoke c2-c3 can have its 23 . h5!!
significance: the d3 square is weak- 24 l:tde2
ened, and an eventual basis for the On 24 h4 follows 24 ... l:tc8 and
minority attack (= two pawns 25 ... l:tc4.
against three) ... b7-b5-b4 is pro- 24 l:tae8
vided. 25 1'..a4 b5
15 lLixf6+ lZ:lxf6 26 iLc2 h4
16 lLixg4 lZ:Jxg4 27 a4
17 f3 lZ:Jf6 All according to Sir Thomas's
18 1'..h6 [sic] prearranged programme. But
Prevents 18 ... 0-0-0 because of now comes that counterp/ay he has
the reply 19 1'..c4. underestimated.
18 27 . lZ:Jd5!
19 1'..xf8? But not 27 ... lLih5 - why emerges
This move ought to be censured: from the note to White's 29th
correct was 19 1'..g5 1'..g7 20 0-0-0 move.
and the two bishops would have 28 axb5 axb5
continued to trouble the opponent. 29 l:td2
19 . ~xf8 On 29 l:te4 would have come
20 0-0-0 ~g7 29 ... f5 30 l:txh4 lZ:lf4 and wins the
21 l:thel l:the8 exchange. With a knight on h5 in-
22 l:td2 l:.e7 stead of d5 'that doesn't work', for
 The C1<Jwn Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931 213

then, after 29 l:r.e4 f5, White simply king journey to b3 is planned.

plays 30 l:tb4! and gets the advan- 35 . l:tc8!
tage. 36 b3
29 tt:lf4 The malicious rook! The journey
'it>cl-c2-b3 is now spoiled for good.
36 . l:th8
Now we have the two files we
talked about in the note to Black's
33rd move. Both open lines are
equally valuable, but their manner
of creation was very different: the
h-file was opened by Black, who
through the menacing centralisation
of the knight on f4 quite forced g2-
g3 ( ... h4xg3, h2xg3 and the file is
open). But the creation of the a-file
is not of Black's doing, it arose
without Black having to exert him-
The current situation: b5 is self at all. It was, for that matter,
weak, but the knight at f4 ties down not White's doing either; it arose
White's troops. Those troops now rather like a side-effect, which fol-
seek freedom: White's 30th-32nd lowed in the wake of another white
moves. operation, the isolating of the b-
30 g3 hxg3 pawn.
31 hxg3 tt:lh5 This circumstance, that Black is
32 g4 operating both on the arduously
The goal is reached, but ... conquered h-file as well as on the
(32 g4? is dreadfully weakening freely granted a-file, is a clear
- White had to play either 32 .l:.g 1 demonstration that he does not suf-
or 32 l:r.d5. It is strange that Nim- fer from that feverish activity,
zowitsch does not castigate the which is the cause of so many oth-
error of the text in his own notes. - erwise not untalented players quite
RDK) losing their sense of perspective,
32 tt:lf4 and not at all being able to control
33 l:td6 l:ta7 events at a longer range (cf. the
Black now owns a giant knight bird's-eye view). But that Black
on f4 and the a and h-files and is was able to do in the present game:
therefore at a clear advantage. On he allowed the opponent to carry
the subject of these files the reader through his plan and worked in the
will soon hear some philosophical- meantime on his own. And when
critical remarks. the time came, he took both the
34 .1'.e4 b4 fruits of his own labours and those
The minority attack! which his opponent had unwit-
35 c4 tingly prepared for him - both the
Not 35 cxb4 because of rooks' files.
35 ... .l:tb8. With the text move a 37 .1'.bl l:th3
214 The Crown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931

38 l:te3 e4! able to bear; in other words: Black

The decisive combinative con- aims at a certain mobility in the
clusion. direction of e5 as compensation for
39 .Jixe4 his otherwise rather immobile
The slim chance of a draw con- pawn-fo1111ation.
sisted in 39 .l:td4, e.g. 39 ... f5 40 8 'jfxf3 '*c7
gxf5 gxf5 41 .Jlxe4. 9 d3 e6
39 . l:ta2
40 .Jic2 l:th2
Or 41 .Jibl lt:Je2+.
41 l:td2 l:tal+
0-1
White resigns, since a piece is
lost. One of my most difficult
games in the last few years.

Nimzowitsch-H.Johner
Bern 1931
Nimzo.;itsch Attack

(Notes to this game are by Nim-

zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish)
1 lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6
2 b3 d5
3 .Jib2 c5
4 e3 lt::ic6
Clearer is 4 ... e6, as Black then
avoids the doubled pawn on c6 and
c5. This doubled pawn does not
necessarily have to be hannful, but
it can become so - and therefore it
is always safest to say 'No' to the
whole of this interesting, but all too
complicated, story.
5 .Jib5 .Jlg4
6 .Jlxc6+ bxc6
7 h3 .Jixf3!
Well played; hereby he secures
tolerable conditions for the doubled
pawn. On the other hand the retreat
7 ... .Jih5 would lead, after d2-d3,
lt:Jbd2 and g2-g4, to the establish-
ment of a knight on e5, which the
horrible, immobile doubled com-
plex at c6 and c5 would hardly be
Interesting, he offers the pawn
on g7; after I 0 .Jixf6 gxf6 11 'jfxf6
.l:tg8 12 'jff3 .Jig? 13 c3 the bishop
would show itself to be too strong.
But why not 9 ... e5 at once? (See
the note to Black's 7th move).
9 ... e5 was the logical move. After
the reply 10 'jfg3 lt:Jd7 11 e4 f6 12
lt::ic3 there follows 12 ... lt::ib6 with a
solid position.
10 lLic3
11 lLla4
12 .JlxeS
13 0-0
Now one can better judge the
doubled pawn's bright and dark
sides: the latter consist in the im-
possibility of obtaining its advance
in a really compact manner - after
... d5-d4 there could surely always
come e3-e4, and the advance ... c5-
c4 is stopped for time eternal. The
bright sides, on the other hand,
consist in its not being easy to force
the pawns out of their passive-
 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.5 1929-1931 215

defensive attitude, since at bottom few years.

that can only be accomplished 17 tbxcS!! l:tbS
through c2-c4, but in that case c4 18 tt:lxd7 xal
would become useless as a square 19 c7!
for pieces. Threatening 20 xc6 with win
14 e2 of the exchange.
A manoeuvre which aims at 19 . c3
forcing ... d5-d4, without White at 20 a4!
this moment having to clutch at The point! The black rook now
such 'extremist' measures as c2-c4. comes to stand badly: only thereby
14 ... 0-0 does the planned co-operation be-
1s d2 rs tween the c7 and tt:ld7 acquire
16 as l:tfb8!? the right degree of intensity.
20 . :tb4
On 20 ... l:t.a5 comes 21 d6 :te8
22 tt:le5 with the main threat 23
'iid7.
21 tbeS
To play 22 n+ and 23 xe6
with subsequent smothered mate
(tt:lf7+, tt:lh6+, 'iig8+ and tt:lf7
mate).
21 .. l:tf8
On 21 ... ~h8 there comes 22 f4
and l:tfl-f3-g3 with an unparriable
mating attack.
22 tbxc6!
This indirect defence of the bone With the threat of 23 tf'Je7+ and
of contention on c5 seems neither win of the queen, whilst on the
in a positional nor in a combinative other hand the rook on b4 is en
sense to be dictated by the internal prise. Now for the first time one
demands of the position: 16 ...d6 understands why the rook was
was the correct move, the rook had tempted to b4 on the 20th move.
nothing to say on the b-file. Black 22 ... 'it>h8
thinks that 17 tbxc5 should now On 22 ... 'iid2 a whole rook is
cost the exchange ( 17 ... l:t.b5 18 lost: 23 'iia5! etc.
lDxd7 xal), but does not calcu- 23 .d6 1-0
late far enough (however, that is An amusing fork!
taken care of by the opponent!).
After 16 ...d6 the game would Nimzowitsch-Gygli
have stood equal, e.g. 17 c4 d4! 18 Bern 1931
exd4 xd4 19 l:tae 1 e5 20 l:t.e2 f4 Queen 's Indian Defence
21 c3 etc. After the text move a
long and beautiful combination 1 c4 e6
follows, which I consider I can 2 lDf3 tt:lf6
count amongst my best of the last 3 d4 b6
216 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.~ 1929-1931
4 a3!?
Prophylaxis. White wants, in
theory, to dispute the diagonal of
Black's fianchettoed queen's
bishop by playing d4-d5, but this
move is not practicable if Black
can react with the pin ... i.b4. Sig-
nificantly, 4 a3 was taken up enthu-
siastically by Petrosian, and the
variation is now known after him. I
wonder how many people realise
that Nimzowitsch was there first!?
In what follows I shall attempt to
register the fortunes of this idea of
Nimzowitsch 's in the context of
more modem theoretical develop-
ments (i.e. Petrosian 's experiences
with 4 a3).
4 i.b7
The natural reply, but by no
means obligatory. At Palma de
Mallorca 1968, Larsen, against Pet-
rosian, varied with the bold 4 ... c5,
when White carried out his the-
matic strategic advance 5 dS and
gained the advantage: 5 ... exd5 6
cxd5 g6 7 lllc3 i.g7 8 i.g5 0-0 9
e3 d6 10 llld2 h6 11 i.h4 tt:la6 12
i.e2 tt:lc7 13 e4 b5 14 0-0 'ii'd7 15
'ii'c2 l:r.e8 16 ltfel i.b7 17 h3.
White won quite rapidly with a
central breakthrough.
5 tt:lc3 d6
Best here is the direct 5 ... d5
hoping to reach positions akin to
the Queen's Gambit where White's
a2-a3 will be exposed as a waste of
tempo. Here are some examples:
5 ... d5 6 cxd5 tt:lxd5 (6 ... exd5! 7
1'.g5 lllbd7 B e31'.e791'.d3 0-0 JO
0-0 c5 11 11c 1 l:teB 12 'ii'e 2 a6 is
more likely to suit Black's needs) 7
e3 i.e7 8 i.b5+ c6 9 i.d3 c5 10
lllxd5 'ii'xd5 11 dxc5 'ii'xc5 12
i.d2 lllc6 13 l:tcl 'ii'd6 14 'ii'c2
l:tc8 15 0-0 h6 16 l:tfdl 0-0 17
i.c3+- Petrosian-Smyslov, Mos-
cow 1961; or 5 ... d5 6 e3 tilbd7 7
cxd5 exd5 8 i.e2?! i.d6 9 b4 0-0
I 0 0-0 a6 11 'ii'b3 'ii'e7 12 l:tb l
tt:le4+ Spassky-Petrosian (!),World
Championship match, Moscow
1969.
6 g3
The pure Petrosian interpretation
resides in an early d4-d5, as in Pet-
rosian 's game versus Keres from
Zurich 1961: 6 d5 i.e7 7 e4 c6 8
dxe6 fxe6 9 lllg5 i.c8 l 0 f4 0-0 11
i.d3 e5 12 f5 c5 13 g4 tt:lc6 14
lllh3 llle8 15 llld5 llld4 16 0-0 and,
although White lost, this position is
not bad for him.
6 . lllbd7
7 i.g2 i.e7
8 0-0 0-0
On 8 ... tt:le4 White would play 9
lllxe4 i.xe4 10 d5 ! and if 10 ... e5
11 lllxe5! i.xg2 12 4:\c6, or
10... exd5 11 cxd5 lllf6 12 llld4!+-.
9 'ii'c2
Preventing the simplification
that would ensue after 9 ... tt:le4, but
the absence of the queen from her
home file pe1111its a blow aimed at
White's centre.
9 cS
IO d5
 The C'rown Prin(:e: Selected Games 1929-1931 217

Gaining territory in the regula- 17 bxc4 .i.c8

tion fashion. 18 e4 g6
10 exd5 19 .i.b2 .i.g7
11 ll:ld2 20 J:ael ll:lg4
The pin along the h l-a8 diagonal 21 ll:ldl
ensures the recapture of the pawn. Black was threatening 2 l ....i.d4+.
In the meantime the king's knight 21 .i.d7?
strives to reach c4 whence it will It must be wrong to pe1111it the
radiate central energy. exchange of the only piece (.i.g7)
11 J:e8? that can guard the dark squares in
A stereotyped response which the vicinity of Black's king. Rela-
saddles Black with a position that is tively better was the repulsive look-
cursed with all the faults of a ing 2 l ... f6 followed by ... ll:lh6-f7,
Benoni set-up but which has none attempting to restrain White's e4-
of its redeeming features, such as a e5. The essential thing was to retain
mobile queenside pawn majority or the king's bishop for defensive
genuine pressure against White's purposes. Only after Black had
centre. seen to this priority should he have
As Nimzowitsch pointed out af- tried for counterplay with ... .i.d7
ter the game Black should have and ... b6-b5.
increased the tension with l l ... b5!. 22 .i.xg7 ~xg7
On 12 ll:lxb5 'it'b6 Black protect..'> 23 h3 ll:lh6
his queen's bishop with gain of 24 'Wb2+
tempo and can therefore fight for a
share of the centre; the decentral-
ising 12 cxb5 hardly comes into
consideration, while 12 ll:lxd5
ll:lxd5 13 cxd5 leaves Black much
better off than in the game. since
his queenside pawns possess a
marked degree of mobility. Fur-
ther 111ore the exchange of one pair
of minor pieces makes it easier for
Black to deploy his king's bishop
on the useful long dark diagonal.
12 a4
Squashing the possibility.
12 J:b8 White has a beautiful position.
13 cxd5 .i.f8 For better or worse Black now had
14 b3 a6 to try 24 ... f6, obstructing the fatal
15 ll:lc4 ll:le5 diagonal, although he probably
The exchange of minor pieces feared g3-g4-g5 in reply. Gygli's
does occur but in this case it only insistent refusal to create a target
serves to strengthen White's stran- by playing ... f7-f6 results in a much
glehold on the centre. worse horror befalling him.
16 f4 ll:lxc4 24 .. ~g8
218 The Crown Prince: Selected c;ame.1 1929-1931

25 g4 f5?
Suicide. Since White threatened
26 g5 trapping his knight 25 ... f6
was by now compulsory.
26 gxf5 gxf5
27 l:te3
Threatening 28 J:tg3+, to which
there is no antidote.
27 . '1Wh4
28 l:tff3 lL'ig4
Or 28 ... 'it>t7 29 e5+-. The text
amounts to resignation.
29 hxg4 fxg4
30 l:.g3 i..xa4
31 lL'if2 h5 9 c3 '1Wa6
32 e5 1-0 White cannot tolerate the pres-
This consummation of White's ence of the enemy queen on the
strategy persuaded Black to aban- powerful a6-fl diagonal. For one
don the unequal struggle. thing White would have difficulty
in castling if the queen were al-
Henneberger-Nimzowitsch lowed to occupy its post unmo-
Winterthur 1931 lested.
Caro-Kann Defence 10 'ii'e2 'ii'xe2+
11 tLlxe2 J:tc8
1 e4 c6 12 0-0 e6
2 d4 d5 13 .ltf4 .lte7
3 lllc3 dxe4 14 l:tfel llld5
4 lllxe4 lllf6 15 .ltg3 c4
5 lL'ig3 c5 16 llle5 lllxe5
6 i..b5+?! 17 .ltxe5 f6
Much stronger is 6 lllf3. The So, White is weak on the light
text weakens White's light squares squares, but why isn't Black corre-
(since his pawns are tending to spondingly weak on the dark
control the central dark squares and squares? Well, one reason is that
cannot readily change their spots) Black's pawn-structure is highly
and furthers Black's development. elastic and it can function as a
6 ... i..d7 light-square aggression mechanism
7 i..xd7+ lL'ibxd7 or as a defender of the dark squares
8 lllf3 '1Wa5+! more or less at will. White's pawn
A far sighted plan. Nimzowitsch fo1111ation is, to a large extent, in-
intends to exchange off all those of flexible. It exerts a minimal (static)
White's pieces which can defend dark-square influence but has very
his light squares. Ideally Black is restricted light-square potential.
aiming to reach the ending: black Those light-square possibilities
knight versus white queen's bishop, which are open to it (a2-a4, f2-f4-
and this he eventually achieves. f5) are not exploited by Henne-
 The Crott'n l'rince: Selelted Game.1 1929-1931 219

berger in the subsequent course of leave it to your imagination to cor-

play. relate the meaning with the plight
Note that Black's light-square of White's position.
plus means that he can weaken his 28 l:tc 1 h4
e-pawn ( ... t7-f6) to create more 29 l:tddl l:th8
space for his pieces without suf- 30 l:td2 rl;e7
fering any adverse side-effects. Black improves the position of
18 if.g3 g5 his king.
Covering the dark square f4 and 31 l:tdc2 rl;d7
thus hindering the relief move: 32 l:r.el l:r.h7
ll'ie2-f4.
19 f4 h6
And not 19 ... g4? 20 f5! exf5 21
.:t.fl.
20 .:t.adl 'l;;f7
21 l:.d2 b5
22 :r.n l:r.he8
23 l:r.f3?
Positively provoking a light-
square blockade which is entirely
in Black's interest. If Henneberger
had assumed that the closure of the
position which follows would only
increase his prospects of keeping
out the wet, he was wrong. Hereabouts Nimzowit'ich had to
He had to reclaim some light- make up his mind about which
square territory with: 23 f5 al- particular breakthrough plan to
though Black stands better in any choose: should he seal up the king-
case after 23 ... if.f8 24 fxe6+ l:txe6 side ... h4-h3) and tum his attention
25 l:tf5 l:td8 26 tllc I ~g6 2 7 l:df2 to the other wing, or should he
l:tel + 28 .l:tfl l:txfl + 29 l:txfl l:te8 open up both wings and seek an
(Nimzowitsch). all-embracing penetration of the
23 g4 white defence? It is entirely possi-
24 .i:r.n rs ble that Nimzowitsch opted for the
The light squares assume threat- less promising course at this point,
ening proportions. The e4 square since the open h-file also grants
beckons to a dark steed and mean- White defensive possibilities.
while the white bishop has been When one has a beautiful posi-
reduced to a most wretched status - tional advantage of the type pos-
almost defrocked. sessed by Nimzowitsch here there
25 .tf2 l:tg8 is a temptation to do absolutely
26 g3 h5 nothing, simply because your posi-
27 'l;;g2 if.d6 tion is so beautiful that you don't
In the picturesque Ge1111an want to alter it in any way.
phrase used by Nimzowitsch him- I know the feeling well, but after
self, White is 'eingeschniirt'. I will a while one is stricken by feelings
220 The Crown Prince: S'efelted Game.\ 1929-1931

of guilt that no positive action (in lt'Jdl+ 44 Wfl ~xel 45 'lt>xel

the sense of winning the game) has ttlxb2 46 lllc3 with some chance of
been undertaken for some time. holding Black off.
One can then be seized by a sudden
compulsion to act which may (as
was possibly the case here) result in
the selection of an over-precipitate
winning procedure as a kind of
extreme psychological compensa-
tion for the previous phase of pro-
longed narcissism.
33 l:.al hxg3?!
The blockading idea in this case
is not fully consistent with the
opening of both wings.
34 hxg3 a5
35 l:.ccl?
White prepares to rush his rook.<> 42 .. 'i!i>b5
to the h-file to ward off the hostile 43 lbc3+
invasion, but the exchange of all Allowing Black to reach his
the heavy pieces leads to a marked dream ending (knight versus
deterioration of White's defensive queen's bishop) but the exchange
chances. He should have played 35 of bishops is also without prospects
a4! (light squares), e.g. 35 ... b4 36 for White: 43 ~xb4 Wxb4 44 'lt>el
cxb4 lbxb4 37 l:.c3 li.Jd5 38 Itc2 c3 45 bxc3+ tt'lxc3-+.
l1b8 with some hope left for White. 43 .. ~xc3
35 . l:.ch8 44 bxc3 'i!i>c6
36 l:.hl Black has a colos..<;al light-square
Just what Black wants. He superiority, but how is he to or-
should have played 36 .tg I and ganise a breakthrough? The posi-
then done nothing, although his tion is blocked in the extreme.
position would have been by no However, a study-like win exists
means attractive. and it does not escape Nimzo-
36 l:.xhl witsch 's attention. In Nimzo-
37 l:.xhl l:txhl witsch 's mature years hardly any-
38 'itixh 1 b4 thing escaped his attention in sim-
39 <tig2 a4?! plified positions.
As so often Nimzowitsch prefers 45 ~e2 lbf6
the complex to the simple. Simpler 46 'it;e3 lbe4
here was 39 ... <tic6 40 'itifl 'it;b5 41 47 'itie2 Wd5
~el b3 42 axb3 cxb3 43 Wd2 48 'iti>e3 Wd6
~c4-+. Triangulation number 1!
40 cxb4 .txb4 49 'it>e2 ~c6
41 'ft;fl Wc6 50 'iti>e3 'it;d5
42 .tel! Threatening 51 ... ~e4.
Hoping for 42 ... lbe3+ 43 51 'it>e2 lbd6
 The ('rown Prince: ,S'e/ected (;ame.1 1929-1931 221

52 'i!i>e3 lbb5 61 .llb2

53 .lld2 There is no choice.
Forced. 61 axb2
53 lba3 62 a4 'it>xg3
54 it.cl 63 a5 'it>h2
Also obligatory. If 54 .lle I 64 a6 g3
!Dc2+ 55 'it>d2 lbxe I 56 'it>xe 1 'it>e4 65 a7 g2
57 'it>e2 a3. 66 a8'ili' gl'ili'+
54 lbbl 67 'i!i>xb2 'ili'g2+!
55 it.bl a3 68 'ili'xg2+ 'i!i>xg2
56 it.al 69 'i!i>a3 'i!i>f3
70 'i!i>b4 'i!i>xf4
71 'it>xc4 'i!i>e3
72 d5 exd5+
73 'i!i>xd5 f4
74 c4 f3
75 c5 f2
76 c6 fl'ili'
0-1
Winning by one tempo. All this
was forced from move 44!

A great ending. White was not in

the same class as Nimzowitsch but
he fought steadily and with re-
The final humiliation for the source and forced his Grandmaster
poor cleric: close confinement to opponent to give of his best.
the tower.
56 'i!i>d6 Gygli-Nimzowitsch
Triangulation number 2 ! Winterthur 1931
57 'i!i>e2 'i!i>c6 Nimzo-lndian Defence
58 'it>dl
Or 58 'i!i>e3 'i!i>d5, and White must If I were asked to concoct a
give way, or if White attempts an typical Nimzowitsch game the end-
imitation triangulation Black wins product would probably bear a
neatly: 58 'i!i>f2 ltJd2 59 'i!i>e2 lbe4 close resemblance to the following
or 59 'i!i>g I (59 ... lbe4 60 'it>g2) encounter. This game highlights in
59 ... lbb3!. striking fashion so many of the
58 .. 'i!i>d5 ideas we associate with Nim-
59 'i!i>c2 ~e4 zowitsch; for example: early inflic-
Black no longer needs his tion of a doubled pawn on the en-
knight. That might seem rather emy; play on both wings to restrict
ungrateful but the knight surrenders hostile possibilities of activity (epic
its life in the service of a higher restraint); a blockading knight; a
ideal. sequence of mysterious, prophy-
60 ~xbl 'i!i>f3 lactic rook moves leading to the
222 The Crown Prince: Selected Game~ 1929-1931

doubling of Black's rooks on a Nimzowitsch pointed out an in-

closed file; a strategic king march teresting possibility at this point
in the notes; a phase of manoeu- which would have led to an unclear
vring (lavieren or 'tacking', liter- position with Black having several
ally) inducing a blunder from the pawns for a piece: 13 ... tt:'ixd4 14
harassed victim, and, finally, a 'it'xd7 ll'ie2+ 15 'it>h 1 tbxd7 16
winning variation carried out tt:'ib 1! i..a6 17 lle 1 i..xc4 18 ..lifl
strictly on squares of one colour. tt:'ixg3+ 19 hxg3 i..xfl 20 llxt1.
However, this adventure would
1 d4 ll'if6 have run counter to Nimzowitsch's
2 c4 e6 strategic designs, therefore he
3 ll'ic3 i..b4 avoided it.
4 'ii'b3 'it'e7 14 i..b2 tt:'iaS
5 lL:if3 b6 15 'ii'c2 cS
6 g3 i..b7 Fixing the doubled pawn com-
7 i..g2 i..xc3+ plex as a pe1111anent target. Black
In Nimzowitsch 's eyes it is intends to bring further latent pres-
White who squanders a tempo by sure to bear on the c4 pawn by
playing a2-a3 to force this ex- means of ... llac8 (threatening ...
change rather than Black who c5xd4) when White will be obliged
wastes a move by exchanging to release the pressure with d4-d5
bishop for knight without provoca- thus reducing the mobility of his
tion. own central pawns to zero.
8 bxc3
Of course, given the present
state of our theoretical knowledge,
we now realise that White should
recapture with the queen. Gygli
was probably seduced by the possi-
bility of placing his queen's bishop
on a3 vis-d-vis Black's queen.
8 .. ll'ic6
Heading for a5 whence it will
place the maximum strain on
White's front doubled pawn.
9 i..a3
As planned with his previous
move, but the embarrassment 16 f4 .:ac8
caused to Black is of purely tempo- Now White has to sidestep the
rary duration. The doubled pawns possibility of: l 7 ... cxd4 18 cxd4
are pe1111anent. tt:'ixc4 followed by l 9 ... i..a6.
9 d6 17 fxeS dxeS
10 'it'a4 'it'd7 18 dS 'it'e7
11 ll'id2 0-0 19 'it'd3 i..a6
12 e4 eS 20 :ael
13 0-0 .:res White has no possibility of ere-
 The Crown P1ince: Selected Games 1929-1931 223

ating mobility for his pawns, so grand manoeuvres ('lavieren') de-

there is nothing for him to under- signed to wear down psychological

take apart from aimless manoeu- resistance.
vres with his pieces. This type of In fact either 28 ... tl:Jaxc4 or
situation, where one side com- 28 ... tl:Jdxc4 would lead to a nasty
pletely runs out of constructive self-pin against the i.a6, while
plans, often occurs in Nimzowitsch 28 ... i.xc4 29 tl:Jxc4 would unnec-
games. essarily release la Belle au Bois
20 l:i.cd8 dormant (i.fl) from its slumbers.
A mysterious rook move ot the Naturally Black does not object to
first water. the exchange of his queen's bishop
21 l:i.e3 l:i.f8 for White's king's bishop since, in
The spectre of the blockading that case, the front c-pawn could be
knight looms up (... tl:Je8-d6). devoured in safety.
22 l:i.fe 1 tl:Je8 29 i.d3
23 i.fl tl:Jd6 30 i.e2
24 'ii'c2 'ii'd 7 31 i.d3
25 i.cl f6 There is no hurry. White's posi-
With two bad bishops White can tion is petrified and Black cannot
only sit and wait. Meanwhile Black dis..<;ipate his advantage without the
prepares to store up energy for a contribution of a gross blunder on
rainy day by doubling his rooks on his part.
the f-file. 32 i.e2 i.d7
26 l:i.f3 l:i.f7 33 i.d3
27 l:i.f2 l:i.df8 White refuses to be intimidated,
for the moment.
33 .. 'ilt'c8
34 i.n i.g4
35 'ilt'c2 i.h3
36 i.d3 'ilt'd7
37 'ilt'dl i.g4
38 'ilt'c2
And what would have been
Nimzowitsch 's explanation for his
last nine, seemingly purposeless,
moves? The rationale is to be found
in the pages of My System where he
writes (apropos the difficulties
facing the chess student in his ef-
28 i.c8 forts to grasp the essence of posi-
Capturing on c4 would represent tion play): 'This kind of manoeu-
a brutal procedure quite alien to vring corresponds in a way to the
Nimzowitsch. Rather than sate his accompaniment in music. Many
appetite on a humble pawn Nim- people hold both this manoeuvring
zowitsch rightly prefers to to1111ent and accompaniment as things
his opponent by embarking on which may be dispensed with;
224 The C'rown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931
many lovers of ches.s go so far as to
characterise this moving to and fro
as a fruit of decadence. In reality,
however, this manoeuvring often
enough provides the only strategi-
cal - be it noted strategical not
merely psychological - way of
throwing in the scale a slight ad-
vantage in terrain and the conse-
quent capacity of moving our
troops more quickly from one wing
to the other.'
However, it should not be over-
looked that in the case under re-
view the white player's acute
awareness of being involved in a
cat and mouse situation contributed
in no small way to his sudden col-
lapse.
38 h5
This move prepares a victorious
onslaught against the white king
involving a preliminary king-march
(39 ... l:re7 followed by ... <Ji>f7-e8-
d8-c7-b7-a8) in conjunction with ...
g7-g6, ... J:th7 and ... h5-h4. With
no adequate counter-measure and
dazed by the lavieren White is now
ready to blunder. The end of this
game must have come as some-
thing of a relief to White.
39 lLlbl lt:Jaxc4
40 J.xc4 lt:Jxc4
41 .b3 lt:Jd6
42 c4 rs
The deluge.
43 lt:Jd.2 lllxe4
0-1
White resigns. Of course White
is hopeles.sly weak on the light
squares after 44 tL'lxe4 fxe4 45
l:!.xt7 xf7 46 e3 ..th3 and he
would certainly lose this position,
but he could have played on to wit-
nes.s the final demonstration. I sus-
pect that Gygli was demoralised in
the extreme and therefore spared
himself the ultimate phase.
Nimzowitsch-Flohr
Bled (Veldes) 1931
English Opening
1 c4 lllf6
2 lllc3 e6
3 e4 d6?
There is no good reason for
Black to choose this move which
positively encourages White to
establish an advantage both in time
and in space. The text is rendered
even less comprehensible by the
realisation that Black has two per-
fectly playable alternatives in 3 ... d5
and 3 ... c5. An example of the latter
move is Rajkovic-Larsen, Hastings
1972-73: 3 ... c5 4 e5 (was Flohr
scared of this? There was no need
to be since the advance also loos-
ens White's position) 4 ... lllg8 5 d4
cxd4 6 xd4 lllc6 7 'ii'e4 d6 8 tt:Jf3
as! (also pos.sible is 8 ... lllxe5 9
lllxe5 lllf6 and 10... dxe5 with ap-
proximate equality) 9 exd6 J.xd6
10 J.d3 lllf6 11 ~4 4:\e5 !
(centralisation - all according to
Nimzowit.<>ch!) 12 tt'lxe5 'ii'xe5+ 13
J.e3 ..td7 14 0-0-0 J.c6 and Black
 has satisfactorily overcome the
problems of the opening.
Flohr might have emulated one
of Nimzowit<>ch 's own classic vic-
tories. The game in question was
from London 1927, and Bogol-
jubow was White: 3 ... c5 4 g3 d5 5
e5 d4 6 exf6 dxc3 7 dxc3 'ii'xf6 8
lLif3 h6 9 i..g2 i..d7 10 tt'id2 .ltc6
ll lLie4 'ii'g612 'ife2 i..e7 (12 ... f5?
13 i..f3!) 13 0-0 0-0 14 h4? (14 f4
lLid7 15 i..d2=. I have never been
able to understand the point of Bo-
goljubow' s 14th move. It does not
even contain a threat. Anyway,
Nimzowitsch rapidly reduces
White's idea - whatever it may
have been - ad absurdum with a
few powerful strokes.) 14 ... f5 15
4Jd2 i..xg2 16 '.t>xg2 lLic6 17 lLif3
f4 18 l:te 1 .l:.f6 19 'ife4 fxg3 20
fxg3 i..d6 21 g4 'ii'xe4 22 lixe4
l:!.af8 23 l:.e3 .U.f4 24 g5 l:!.g4+ 25
'>t>hl hxg5 26 hxg5 '.t>f7 27 ltJg 1
l:.h8+ 28 lLih3 ~e7 29 b3 i..f4 30
.Uf3 lLie5 0-1. A debacle ot the first
order for the man who was to be
the first official challenger to Alek-
hine 's World Championship title.
4 d4 e5
The dismal corollary to his last
feeble move.
5 ltJge2
Nimzowitsch steers for the so-
called Samisch variation of the
King's Indian Defence which had
been gaining favour with him in
recent games, but Flohr refuses to
oblige. This decision on the part of
the (then) young Czech Master is
no great surprise, since (with a
missing tempo) 5 ... g6 could lead to
a holocaust after 6 dxe5 dxe5 7
'if xd8+ ~xd8 8 i..g5 followed by
f2-f4 and 0-0-0. However,
5 ... ltJbd7 and only then ... g7-g6
might almc)st have been playable.
5 ... i..e7
6 f3 c6
7 ~e3 'ifc7
After this Black really does run
out ot constructive plans. I suggest
that Black's last chance of staying
in the game resided in an immedi-
ate exchange on d4 (7 ... exd4) fol-
lowed by a determined effort to
play ... d6-d5 himself. Whether this
would have been successful is an-
other matter, but it could hardly
have been less promising than the
text.
8 'ifd2 lLibd7
9 d5!
An important move. Closing the
centre reduces Black's counterplay
to a minimum. Thus, after 9 ... 0-0,
White could permit himself the
luxury of playing for mate by
means of 10 g4, 11 ltJg3 etc., and
Black would be in no state to or-
ganise any kind of effective resis-
tance.
9 lLib6
A wretched square for the poor
beast but Black was afraid to castle.
10 ltJg3 i..d7
1o... cxd5 11 cxd5 lllc4? 12 tt'ib5
and wins.
226 The Cro}in Prince: ,)elected (;ames 1929-1931
11 b3
An insurance policy against any
projected hostile invasion via the
c4 square. After this Black has no
useful moves left, so he allows
himself a series of rather nonsensi-
cal ones instead, of which the only
point can be to provoke White into
some unsound sacrifice. We might
compare Black's next few moves
(11-18) with Nimzowitsch's provo-
cation play versus Spielmann from
New York 1927. In that case Nim-
zowitsch 's provoking moves also
served a subsidiary strategic pur-
pose (queenside expansion).
Flohr's provocation tactics here, on
the other hand, are of minimal
positional value; their only justifi-
cation is a hopeful lack of faith in
Nimzowitsch 's ability to control his
violent instincts. 'Hope springs
eternal in the human brea..<>t .. .' but
in this case Black's prayers remain
unanswered.
Nimzowitsch does indeed resort
to violence, but a violence
grounded fi1111Jy in accuracy and
garnished with finesse.
11 ... h5?!
12 ~d3 g6
13 0-0 ll:ih7
14 a4
Nimzowitsch refuses to be hur-
ried. Of course, he will eventually
smash open lines towards Black's
king, but first of all he ensures
himself of an additional advantage
on the queenside.
14 ... h4
15 ll:ige2 c5
16 f4
The no1111al thrust to penetrate
Black's shattered lines of defence.
16 ... exf4
17 l:txf4 g5
Or 17 ... ~g5 18 l:rf2 ~xe3 i 9
'tli'xe3 g5 20 l:tafl f6 21 e5 with
play similar to the game.
18 l:.f2 f6
19 e5!
This sacrificial operation frees 'a
whole host of men in the rear'. Of
such typical sacrificial situations
Nimzowitsch had written: 'So
powerful is the pawn's desire to
press on here, to expand (of which
fact indeed visible recognition is
given in the way the officers, lay-
ing aside all pride of caste, pictur-
esquely group themselves round
this simple foot soldier), that our
pawn often seems ready to advance
on his own account, when to do so
will cost him his life - and now of
a sudden the forces in the rear
come to life' (My System, Chapter
IV).
All this (written years before his
game with Flohr) applies perfectly
to the position after 19 e5 !, which
would have provided a superb
practical example for a later edition
of My System, had Nimzowitsch
lived to write it. (The final revision
was in 1927.)
19 ... dxe5
If l 9 ... fxe5 20 ~g6+ 'it>d8 21
 The C1<JV.'n P1inl:e: Sele<:ted Game'.\ 1929-1931 227

l:tf7 with a decisive penetration, 30 nrt .td3

e.g. 2 l ... 4Jf8 22 nxe7 tbxg6 23 The remainder is easy to com-
lllb5 'ifb8 24 .txg5 Cilxe7 25 prehend. The most beautiful varia-
.txe7+ c/;;xe7 26 1i'g5+ followed tions arise after 30 ... .tg6 31 .::tf8+
by 27 1i'g6+ winning. The capture .te8 32 tbg7 (Black is maintaining

of the text puts up more fight and a precarious existence 1n a pin-
Nimzowitsch still ha..<> to provide an cushion) 32 ... ~d7 33 ~xe7 .txe7
elegant display of tactics before he 34 l:txe8 l:txe8 35 tbxe8 'it>xe8 36
can count on the full point. 4:lc3 with a winning ending - extra
20 .tg6+ 'iiid8 pawn plus light-square grip.
21 tbe4 3t l:tf8+ 'it>d7
'Again, the clearing of a square 32 :txa8 .txe2
for one of his own knights is a very 33 .txe7
special characteristic of an advance The final link in the combination
of this kind' (i.e. 19 e5) (ibid.). commencing 25 .txh4.
21 ... tbc8 33 ... .txe7
22 .txh7 l:txh7 34 tbg3 .tdl
23 tbxf6 l:.g7 35 tiJf5 .td8
24 .txg5 tbd6 36 l:txa7 'it>c6
37 :ta8 ~d7
38 tbe3 .txb3
39 ~f2 e4
40 l:txd8+ 'it>xd8
41 a5 .ta2
42 g4 t-0

Nimzowitsch-Maroczy
Bled 1931
Nimzowitsch Attack

(Notes to this game are by Nim-

zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish)

Amidst the carnage Black still 1 tbf3 tiJf6

finds the strength to fight back, but 2 b3 d5
Nimzowitsch refutes this last hope 3 .tb2 e6
with a combination which would 4 e3 tiJbd7
surely have found pride of place in 5 c4 .td6
the chapter on the 'Pin', had My 6 tbc3 0-0
System been written after Bled 7 1i'c2 c6
1931. 8 l:tcl
25 .txh4 tiJf5 The point of this is that he
26 l:.xf5! .txf5 should be able to utilise the square
27 d6 1i'xd6 d4 as a piece square (by means of
28 1i'xd6+ .txd6 l/Jd4, but not d2-d4). The rook
29 tbh5+ l:.e7 move played ought, as one will
228 The Crown Prince: Selected Game. 1929-1931
soon be able to see, to be under-
stood as a sort of waiting move.
8 . 'We7
9 llld4 ! .li.a3
Played without finesse, for now
the dark squares become weak.
Black should have prepared ... e6-
e5, either through 9 ... tt:Jc5 or
through the dauntless 9 ... g6. By
playing as he does, he has to con-
tend with difficulties.
10 .li.xa3 'Wxa3
11 cxdS exdS
12 llla4!
The dark squares c5 and d4 are
now in White's possession.
12 llle4?
To provoke one or other weak-
ening pawn-move. But the white
position continues to be compact
even with a pawn-move: Maroczy's
style of play can no longer be re-
garded as being abreast of the
modem theories. Instead of the
move chosen he ought to have
played l 2 ... llle5 followed by
l 3 ... .li.d7 in conjunction with a
retreat of the queen to e7 or d6.
There was no longer any reason to
struggle against the occupation of
the square c5, seeing that he him-
self on his 9th move has laid the
f()Undation for such an occupatioi1.
The ability to accept the conse-
quences of his own mistakes is
characteristic of the modern chess
master.
13 f3!
Of course! The pawn-fo1111ation
d2, e3, f3 is anything but weak.
And especially as d4 and c5 are in
White's hand.<;, in such a manner
that ' ... b7-b6 plus ... c6-c5' cannot
even be dreamt of. Black has sim-
ply lost two tempi, that is all.
13 .. lLief6
Here we have the two tempi.
14 .li.d3 J:e8
15 0-0 h6
16 'Wc3
16 ... aS?
Weakens the point b6, or, one
should rather say, increases the
complex of dark-square weak-
nesses, which henceforth includes
d4, c5 and b6. C()ITect was
16 ... 'We7 with a defensive position.
17 .li.fS!
Well played. All pieces which
are not 'dark-squared' are to be
exchanged with such enemy men as
are. Only in this manner can the
superiority be retained.
17 ... 'Wb4
 Tl1e c1r>~111 P1ince: ,)efel'f<'d G<ime.1 1929-1931 229

18 .ltxd7 'iir'xc3 34 tLlxf5 gxf5

19 .l:xc3 ~xd7 35 tLlc3!
20 l:t.fcl g6 With the threat l2Jc3-e2-f4xh5.
A beautiful example of dark- 35 .. ~d7
square domination. 36 tLle2 a4!
21 g4 .l:e7 On 36 ... :tae8 comes 37 t/Jf4
22 h4 l2Je8 l:!.xe3 38 tLlxh5 or also 38 l:tgel
23 'it>f2 l2Jd6 with advantage for White. The text
24 l2Jc5 .lte8 move is the best possible and not
easy to parry.
37 l:tal!
On 37 b4 there would have
come 37 ... .l:t.ae8 38 lt:lf4 nxe3.
Black eventually offers a piece on
d7, but gets a lot of pawns in com-
pensation.
(Nimzowitsch 's note here may
not appear quite consistent with his
dismissal of 36 ... .l:t.ae8. The differ-
ence between the two lines is that
in the latter case Black's advanced
a-pawn is more of a danger while
b2-b4 by White represent<; a slight
25 l2Ja4 weakening of his queenside pawns.
White takes his time; the oppo- After 37 b4 Maroczy gave
nent can, in any case, not undertake 37 ... J:!.ae8 38 tLlf4 .l:t.xe3 39 l2Jxh5
the least thing. J::'.e2+ 40 'it>fl [to keep Black's rook
25 . .ltd7 under attack] 40 ... .l:t.8e3 41 lllf6+
26 l:tgl 'it>h7 ~h8 42 l2Jxd7 nxa2 43 l:t.g2 l:!.xf3+
27 l2Jc5 .lte8 44 ~g l l:!.xg2+ 45 'it>xg2 .l:t.xd3
28 l:tccl! with counter-chances. - RDK)
For the move 28 ... b6 is not pos- 37 .. cs
sible, by reason of: 29 l2Ja4! c5 30 A little better, perhaps, was
l2Jxb6 l:t.b8 31 l2Jxd5 etc. 37 ... f6. The continuation could then
28 . l:td8 be 38 gxf6 nn 39 .l:t.g5 axb3 40
29 l2Ja4 .:ta8 l:agl .l:t.xf6 41 .l:t.g7+ ~h6 42 l:xd7
30 g5 h5 bxa2 43 l:!.al and White ought to
31 l2Jb6 l:ta6 win, albeit not entirely with ease
32 l2Ja4 .:ta8 (43 ... b5 44 l:tb7 followed by 45
33 d3! lLlcl).
Now it becomes serious! There 38 l2Jf4 ~e6
threatens 34 e4 dxe4 35 dxe4 with 39 tLlxh5 b5
a pawn-majority on the king's 40 l2Jf4 b4
wing; also the d-file then offers a 41 h5 J:tea7
chance for White. 42 l:tacl
33 ... tLlfS! For now an enemy rook may
230 The Cro~'n Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931

gladly come to a2, it no longer does games versus Ahues and Thomas.
anything. Spielmann avoids this simplifica-
42 axb3 tion, presumably on the ground.<;
43 axb3 d4 that the position would then tend
44 t0xe6 fxe6 towards an aridity distasteful to his
45 J:txcS l:ta2+ style.
46 ~g3 dxe3 6 ~c4 a6
47 .tr.el e2 7 a4 tl'ic6
48 l:teS 1-0 Black has achieved the desired
A game played in good tourna- imbalance and prevented the ad-
ment style by White. vance d2-d4. However, he has also
made some positional concessions
It was in his notes to his other in that his c-pawn may become
encounter with Maroczy from Bled exposed to a white attack by means
(which eventually ended in a draw of d2-d3 and ~e3, when the reply
after Nimzowitsch 's first offer to ... b7-b6 will invite the pe1111anent
split the point had been rejected) threat of a4-a5, breaking up
that Nimzowitsch exhorted the In- Black's queenside pawn structure.
ternational Chess Federation to However, as Nimzowitsch put it
pass legislation to the effect that himself: 'If you want to play to win
any rejection of a draw offer should you must be prepared to create
be couched in a 'thoroughly ami- weaknes..<;es, not only in your oppo-
cable tone', so as to avoid hurting nent's camp, but also in your own!'
the feelings of the spumed initiator 8 d3 g6
of the peace proposal. (RDK)

Spielmann-Nimzowitsch
Bled 1931
Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6
2 tt:Jf3 dS
3 l0c3 dxe4
4 t0xe4 tl'if6
5 l0g3
I think 5 lLixf6+ would be the
automatic choice of most players at
the present time, but that may well
be a matter of taste or fashion Quite provocative. Black actu-
rather than a conclusive testimony ally develops his king's bishop
to the strength of 5 t0xf6+, since away from the protection of his c-
Bronstein, Wade and Andersson pawn, which was possible by
have been achieving good results means of 8 ... e6, etc ....
with the recapture 5 ... exf6. 9 ~e3 ~g7
5 ... cS Relying on ... 'iia5+ to salvage
Inviting the ending from his his c-pawn.
 The C'rown Prince: Selected Games 1929-1931 231

10 0-0 b6 eliminating his weakness on d3 in

11 c3 0-0 exchange for Black's c-pawn; in
12 h3 .llb7 addition he lures several of Black's
13 e2 tL'ia5 pieces away from the kingside
The instructive decentralisation which is Spielmann 's secret objec-

in the interests of the centralisation t1ve.
on move 14. 18 b5
14 .lla2 .lld5 19 tL'ib6! tL'ixb6
Nimzowitsch was tom between 20 axb6 xb6
this move and 14... tL'id5. The plan, 21 tL'ie4 c7
in any case, is to consolidate his 22 tL'ixc5 a5
extreme right wing from the direc- 23 d4 l:t.fb8
tion of the centre. 14 ... .lld5 also
strikes a subtle blow at the light
squares which actually fall entirely
into Black's hands after Spiel-
mann 's error of judgement on
move 24.
15 tL'id2
Coming to c4 whence it will
support the disruptive thrust a4-a5.
15 ... .llxa2
16 l:txa2 tt:Jd5
17 tL'ic4 tt:Jc6
Recentralisation. 17 ... tL'ixc4 18
dxc4 tL'ixe3 19 xe3 (threat: a4-a5)
l 9 ... a5 would relieve White of all The position before us looks
his light-square worries. rather good for Black for the fol-
18 aS lowing reasons:
1) He has a minority attack in
motion supported by a powerful
fianchettoed bishop. In view of this
White's pawn chain (b2/c3/d4)
represents a static target for the
unde1111ining blows ... a5-a4-a3 and
... b5-b4.
2) Black has a noticeable, al-
though not yet powerful, hold on
the light-square complex compris-
ing the a2-e6 and f3-d5 diagonals.
The intersecting point d5 is an es-
pecially beckoning post for a black
knight.
The culmination of White's However, the white position too
opening strategy. With this tempo- is not without its resources and
rary pawn sacrifice he succeeds in Spielmann could have maintained
232 The C'ro~n Prince: Selected Cam('.\' 1929-1931

the balance by combining light- the correct one for this move then
square prophylaxis with dark- this particular case is covered by
square counter-attack, thus: 24 Nimzowitsch in Chess Praxis:
'ii'f3 ! e6 (intending, as in the game, 'Sins l)f omission committed in the
... ll\e7-d5) 25 ll\e4 threatening 26 central area - such errors are to be
i.f4 or 26 i.g5 followed by the ascribed not only to insufticient
entry of a white minor piece at f6. knowledge of the principles of
Nimzowitsch regarded that course central strategy [hardly the case
as leading to equality. with Spielmann! - RDK], but also
What Spielmann now does leads to a certain mood of panic. And the
to disaster and there are two possi- moral? Well, even in apparently
ble, but conflicting, explanations critical positions a consolidation
for his actual choice ot 24th move: emanating from the centre is often
1) He completely overestimated sufficient; tl1erefore, centralise and
his own position after he had suc- nil de.sperandum ! '
cessfully lured Black's pieces away 24 ... e6
from the proximity of his king, and Of course, Black prepares
therefore felt he was justified in ... ll\e7-d5 and also invites White to
committing an act of extreme vio- compromise himself even further
lence against the opposing mon- with g2-g4.
arch; 25 .:taal
2) He suddenly panicked and
lost all confidence in his position , /.
?: % ' ,
and therefore inaugurated a des-
peration, bluff offensive in the
hope of confusing the issue. Nim-
zowitsch refutes the attack with
such masterly poise that it now
looks as if explanation 2' is the ;~~ ;~~
f~~ Y~~
more likely, but in the heat of the
conflict nothing is so clear and
simple as it looks afterwards to the
annotator so explanation '1' could
equally well be the correct one.
24 f4?
A pseudo-aggressive, loosening The reserve rook scurries back
advance which wrecks his chances for the kingside assault, but it is
of controlling the light squares. In never given the time to complete its

order to pursue his attack White Journey.
will be obliged to loosen his posi- 25 ll\e7
tion even more by advancing his g- 26 g4 lLid5
pawn, thus exposing his position to 27 Itf3 a4
a vicious counterpunch. We can 28 i.d2 ~c6
say this now, but was it so obvious Increasing the pressure along the
at the time? a2-e6 and (now) h l-c6 diagonals
If, in fact, explanation '2' was exerted by the black pieces.
 lire Cr(J'..;n P1inl'C': ~elelted Game.1 1929-193 I 2JJ

29 lLie4 b4 active piece. 35 ... lLib4, on the other

30 rs hand, would fail to 36 'Witb3.
36 'ii'xe4 l:te8
37 'ii'h4
Or 37 'ili'd3 l:t.e 1+ 38 l:.fl 'ili'c I 39
:'.bl lLie3-+. A most piquant varia-
tion with four major pieces lined up
on White's back rank.
37 ... lLic3
38 :rrt 'ii'dS
0-1

This cannot succeed (if White

had been granted the tempo to
place his queen's rook on fl the
matter would be quite different!)
and Nimzowitsch now annihilates
Spielmann 's over-extended struc-
ture.
Note the aesthetic picture ot' co-
operation created by the black
forces. All the pieces support the Dominating the board. White
minority attack, yet they all stand took this opportunity to resign.
ready to divert their attention at a White is curiously helpless, not so
moment s notice
to a counter- much against 39 ... d I 'ii but against
offensive against White's king, ... :.e2. Nimzowitsch justifies
which is shielded only by an omi- White's abandonment of the strug-
nous vacuum. Black's queen in gle with the line: 39 a4 (what else?)
particular glares balefully along the 39 ... l:te4 40 'ili'f2 l:te2 41 'ili'f3 'ili'xf3
h l-a8 diagonal towards the hostile 42 l:txf3 :tel+ 43 :tfl nxal 44
potentate. l:!.xa I lLie2 + 45 'it>f2 lLic 1 and the
30 .. exfS pawn promc>tes.
31 gxfS a3! Had Black played 38 ... l:!.e4? at
32 bxa3 bxc3 once White would have struck back
33 f6 cxd2! with 39 'ii'd8+ ~xg7 40 l:!.xf7+!.
34 fxg7 .:e8! 'A good game which shows just
35 'ii'd3 l:txe4! how difficult it is to win at the pre-
Crushing the final traces of re- sent high level of chess' (Nim-
sistance by removing White's most zowitsch).
11 The Final Years:
Selected Games 1932-1935

Copenhagen 1933

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Nimzowitsch * I/2 I 1 0 I 1 1 5 1/2
2 Stoltz l/2 * l/2 l/2 I 1 l/2 1 5
3 Stahlberg 0 l/2 * I/2 l/2 1 1 I/2 4
4 Andersen 0 I/2 I/2 * 1 I/2 l/2 I 4
5 J. Enevoldsen I 0 l/2 0 * I l/2 1 4
6 J. Nielsen 0 0 0 I/2 0 * l/2 I 2
7 B. Nielsen 0 l/2 0 l/2 l/2 I/2 * 0 2
8 Gemzee 0 0 I/2 0 0 0 I * 1 1/2

Zurich, 14-28 July, 1934

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 Alekhine * 0 l/2 1/2 I I 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 I I 1 13
2 Euwe I * l/2 1 0 1 l/2 I/2 I I I 1 l/2 1 I 1 12
3 Flohr l/2 l/2 * I/2 I/2 l/2 l/2 1 1 1 I I I I 1 I 12
4 Bogoljubow 1/2 0 I/2 * 1 l/2 1/2 l/2 1 1 I 1 1 I I 1 11 1/2
5 Em. Lasker 0 1 1/2 0 * 1 0 0 l/2 1 I I I 1 1 1 10
6 Bernstein 0 0 I/2 1/2 0 * 1/2 1 1/2 I/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 9
7 Nimwwitsch 0 l/2 l/2 l/2 I I/2 * l/2 0 0 1 I l/2 1 I I 9
8 Stahlberg 0 1/2 0 I/2 1 0 l/2 * 112 1
0 I 1 l/2 I l/2 8
9 H. Johner 0 0 0 0 l/2 l/2 1 I/2 * 0 I 1 1 1 l/2 l/2 7 1/2
10 Henneberger 0 0 0 0 0 I/2 1 0 1 * 0 0 1 0 I 1 5 1/2
11 Gygli 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 I 0 1 * l/2 0 l/2 l/2 I 5
12 Rosselli 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I l/2 * 1/2 1 1 1/2 4 1/2
13 Grob 0 1/2 0 0 0 0 I/2 0 0 0 1 l/2 * 0 l/2 1 4
14 Muller 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 l/2 0 1 1/2 0 1 * 0 I 4
15 Naegeli 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 1/2 0 1/2 1 * l/2 3
16 Joss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I/2 1/2 0 0 l/2 0 0 1/2 * 2
 The Cro..,.,,n Prince: .)elected Clam'.\. 1929-1931 235

Copenhagen, 18-26 August, 1934

An 8-round Swiss tournament with 18 players, prizes being awarded to the

first six places.

I Nimzowitsch 6 1/2
2 Lundin 6
3 Stahlberg 51/2
4 J. Enevoldsen 5
5/6 Stoltz 4 1/2
Gemz0e 4 1/2

This was the last tournament in which Nimzowitsch participated.

Nimzowitsch-B.Nielsen tant, this image will set the imagi-

Copenhagen 1933 nation in motion and assist the
English Opening readers to be well and truly able to
assimilate the dramatic events of
(Notes to this game are by Nim- the next moves.
zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish) 5 exf6
'The burning of the Reichstag' !
I c4 tLlf6 5 ... dxc3
2 tLlc3 e6 'The bourgeoisie are decimated'.
3 e4 d5 6 fxg7
4 e5 d4 'The parties are dis..<>olved'.
At this point it is to be observed 6 ... cxd2+
that this gives an equal game, an
observation which by some will be
understood as being extremely
'realistic'. Personally, however, I
am far from inclined to understand
the concept of 'realism' (Sagligh-
ed) so narrowly. When I now say,
that the following expansion of the
pawn from e5 (or e2) to g7, which
ploughs on parallel and yet in the
opposite direction to Red's
(Black's) expansion of the pawn
from d4 (or d7) to d2, bears to a
great extent the stamp of our times,
and that it brings to mind the ex- 'The Mensheviks - and Trotsky
pansion of the Soviet and Nazi too - are exiled'.
states, ploughing on in parallel and 7 ~xd2 ~xg7
yet opposite directions, then I un- Both White and 'Red' have now
derstand this observation as being 'come to rest' (?) and are delighted
realistic. And what is most impor- - each for himself! - with their
236 The Crown Prince: .'ielected Games 1929-1931

ideal form of state'!! scopic advantage.

8 'ii'c2 tt:lc6 15 i..xd4 exd4
9 tt:lf3 tt:ld4! 16 .d3
This fine exchange aims at the Blockade!
fo1111ation 'i..d4' and ''ili'f6', in 16 .. i..c6
other words: Black will double on 17 f3! h5
the diagonal h8-a 1 with the bi.~hop As 17 ... ..txe4 18 fxe4 would
in front of the queen. Otherwise open the f-file against the pawn at
after 10 i..c3 and I 0 ... ..txc3 I 1 f7. But perhaps it was none the less
'ii'xc3 White would have conquered correct to go in for that line, there
the disputed diagonal. were in any case enough drawing
10 tt:lxd4 i..xd4 chances. Now, however, White
11 i..d3 strengthens the pressure.
Or 11 i..c3 'ili'f6! 12 i..xd4 'ili'xd4 18 l:tael h4
13 l:tdl 'ii'e5+ 14 'ii'e2 (or 14 i..e2 19 i..f5+ c:i;b8
i..d7 and it is Black who gets the 20 b4 llh5
diagonal c6-g2 with the help of the He will force the bishop to a
bishop at c6) 14 ...'ili'a5+! (not declaration.
14... 'ii'xe2+ because of 15 i..xe2 21 i..g4! l:thh8
and 16 i..j3) 15 'ili'd2 'ii'xd2+ 16 22 b5 i..d7
l:txd2 it is again Black who gets the 23 i..xd7 l:txd7
diagonal to g2, though, to be sure, 24 a4
that would not signify anything,
e.g. 16 ... i..d7 17 i..e2 i..c6 18 f3 ., ,,
~

c:i;e 7 I 9 c:j;f2 llad8 20 .:i.hd 1 and

now it is rather Black who must
take care, because his pawn-
~ ~~ "
fo1111ation (the pawn at h7) is the
less compact. The move played in
the game is an innovation, which I
wanted to try out on this occasion.
4;> if1 i~
11 . 'ii'f6
12 OO i..d7
There was no joy in I 2 ... i..xb2
13 llbl i..d4 14 i..e4 c6 15 l:tb3
with excellent play for White.
13 i..e4 OOO White may well take the liberty
14 i..c3 e5 of staging a flank attack. Why? we
A small and yet very excusable ask. Yes indeed, because he is in
mistake. Black should instead be possession of the e-file and of a
bold and play 14 ... i..xc3! 15 bxc3 centralisation quite beyond re-
e5, for example 16 l:tabl i..c6 17 proach. And the centralisation enti-
i..xc6 'ii'xc6 18 'ii'f5+ 'ii'e6! 19 tles him to a little adventure on the
'ili'xe6+ fxe6 20 llfel l:td3 with flanks.
equalisation. After the move played 24 .. 'ii'g6
in the game White gets a micro- Look.<> good, but the rook ending
 The Croi..n Prinle: .)elected (;ame.s 1929-1931 237

is still not quite good for Black. 39 'it>e5.

Into consideration came 24 .. ifb6 38 'ifiid5
to halt the pawn-rush. To play .l:dl-d4-g4.
25 'ir'xg6 fxg6 38 .. c5
26 l:te6 l:g8 He does everything he can to
On 26 ... d3 27 l:txg6 l:td4 there save the game!
comes simply 28 l:tg4. 39 'ifiid6 'it>b7
27 'it>f2 d3 39 ... llcl is parried by mean.<; of
28 l:tdl b6 40 'iii>c6 'iii>c8 41 l:td7 l:.xc4 42
29 :[d2 .l:txa7.
40 l:td5 l:tc 1
41 l:txg5 J:xc4
42 :tg7 + 'it>c8
Not 42 ... 'i!i>b8 because of 43
'lt>c6.
43 :.xa7 1-0
That was stiff resistance!

Stahlberg-Nimzowitsch
Gothenburg 1934 - 1st match game
Nimzo-lndian Defence

1 d4 e6
Inviting transposition to a
And again the d-pawn is block- French Defence, but Stahlberg po-
aded: (strategical) law is law and 1itely declines.
law shall be kept! And the law 2 c4 lbf6
says: 'A passed pawn shall be 3 lbc3 Jtb4
blockaded'. 4 'ir'b3
29 g5 The Spielmann variation which
30 h3 .l:i.gd8 was Stahlberg's favourite line at
31 'it>e3 l:::d4 the time and which he employed
Allows an exchange of rooks, consistently in this match.
whereafter the loss of the d-pawn 4 .. lbc6
can no longer be stopped. But also Rejecting 4 ... c5 which had
after 31 ... 'lt>b7 32 lle5 .l:i.d4 33 brought Nimzowitsch such a re-
llxg5 llxc4 34 l:rg4 the loss of the sounding success versus Bogol-
pawn was inevitable. jubow at San Remo. Nimzowitsch
32 l:te8 J:xe8+ probably feared that Stahlberg had
33 'it>xd4 :td8+ prepared some improvements for
34 'it>c3 l:te8 White over this famous game. In
35 .l:i.xd3 .:e2 the third and fifth games of this
36 :td2 :te3+ match Nimzowitsch did adopt
37 'it>d4 :tel 4 ... c5 and his fears turned out to be
On 37 ... l:te8 there comes 38 l:t.f2 quite justifiable, since Stahlberg
(threatening to play 39 f4) 38 ... .:f8 won on both occasions!
238 Tlze Crown Prince: Selel'ted Game.~ 1929-1931

5 e3 0-0 any future possibility ot' a minority

In game 7 of the match Nim- attack from that sector.
zowitsch chose the immediate
5 ... a5?! and there followed: 6 ~d2!
e5 7 d5 li'ie7 8 ~d3 d6 9 tl:ige2
tl:id7 JO 'ii'dl tl:ic5 11 ~c2 ~g4
(preparing to exchange all of his
bishops for enemy knights) 12 0-0
~xc3 13 ~xc3 b5 14 cxb5 ~xe2
15 'ii'xe2 tl:ixd5 16 ~xe5! dxe5 17
l:fdl 'ii'd6 18 'ii'f3 0-0-0 19 e4 'ii'f6
20 'ii'a3 tl:ib6 21 'ii'xc5 with a win-
ning position for White, although
Nimzowitsch put up tremendous
resistance and lasted until move 72.
6 ~d3 a5
7 tl:ie2 10 0-0 b6
As we have seen 7 ~d2 would 11 ~d2 ~b7
be best, inhibiting Black's follow- 12 l:cl 'ii'e7
ing thrust. 13 tl:ib5 ~xd2
7 a4 14 'ii'xd2 tl:ib4
8 'ii'dl a3 Another plus for Black: the b4
9 b3? square represents a permanent and
After this White's queenside for- unassailable outpost for a knight
feits any mobility factor it may which will menace the white a-
once have possessed. After his er- pawn in perpetuity. White's knight
ror on move 7 the most promising on b5, however, is fated to be
course available to White was to chased back to its stable in no time
pe1111it the isolation of his a-pawn at all.
in order to gain compensation in 15 cxd5
the centre, thus: 9 bxa3 ~xa3 l 0 And not 15 c5? on account of
~xa3 l:txa3 11 tl:ib5 followed by 15 ... tl:ixd3! 16 'ii'xb3 ~a6 with a
12 e4. deadly pin.
9 d5! 15 .. tl:ifxd5
Going into a position character- 16 ~e4
istic of a Queen's Gambit but 1111"eatening 17 t/Jxc7. Interest-
where Black has several advantages ing is 16 e4, but after 16 ... tl:ixd3 17
over the no1111al situations gener- 'ii'xd3 tl:ib4 18 'ii'd2 c6 19 tl:ibc3
ated from that opening, to wit: lifd8 Black has the threat of ... ~a6
1) Black's pawn on a3 deprives in addition to his prospects of oper-
White's queen's bishop of the use- ating on the d-file against White's
ful development square b2; shaky centre.
2) White's a-pawn is a potential 16 c6
weakness for the endgame; The moment of truth.
3) Black's restraint of White's 17 ~xd5
queenside pawns has eliminated 17 tl:ibc3 may well have been
 The C'rown Prince: Selected Game.5 1929-1931 239

stronger. The text leads by force to crease their contact and co-
a position characteristic of a mi- operation White's position evinces
nority attack where Black has ~~e a marked and steady deterioration -
traditional kingside counterplay but in other words: White is caught in a
White has no minority attack! strategic pincer-movement, which
17 ... exd5! appears in a particularly plastic
The half-open e-file is essential fo1111.
to Black's attacking plans. 22 'ii'd2 'ii'a5
18 lllbc3 .lta6 23 lllc3 f5
Black's bishop is a good piece 24 llle2 l:tf6
so it might seem strange to prepare 25 'it>h 1!
its exchange for a white knight. A good try. Stahlberg wants to
However, Nimzowitsch wants to manoeuvre his knight to e5 (via g I
reduce White's possibilities by and f3) whence it will shield his
removing a potential blockader of position from frontal assault.
Black's kingside pawns. 25 ... h6
19 llla4 .ltxe2 26 lllgl
20 'ii'xe2 'ii'a7 Overlooking or underestimating
Coming round to support his Black's excellent reply. He should
knight. have played 26 g3.
21 l:tfdl l:tae8! 26 ... f4!

The right rook. Nimzowitsch 's A very fine pawn sacrifice

a1111y now splits up into two de- which completely cuts across
tachments which operate independ- White's projected defence. If White
ently of each other. On the kingside does not accept the offer (e.g. 27
Black's rooks prepare a break- lt:'if3) then the continuation
through by means of ... t7-f5-f4; 27 ... fxe3 28 fxe3 .l:tef8 will prove
meanwhile the queen and knight on most unpleasant.
the opposite wing are occupied 27 exf4 l:l.e4
with the restraint of White's An outpost on the open file
counter-chances against a3 or c6. seized by a rook rather than by a
As these a1111y corps gradually in- knight, which would be slightly
240 The C1o'>i,'n Princ:e: .)e/ectc'd Game.1 1929-1931

more no1111al, according to the least threaten perpetual check for

postulates of the System. one move (37 'ii'e6+ etc.).
28 g3 35 ... l:txe l
Or 28 tt:lt'3 .l:.exf4 and the p<)Or 36 'ii'xel 'ii'd7
knight cannot go any further in its 37 'ii'cl d4
pilgrimage toward.<> Jerusalem (here
square e5). In lieu of any obvious
relief operation White resolves to
cling grimly to his spoils.
2s ... bs
Very good. Henceforth l:d 1-e 1
is foiled by a cavalry invasion of
d3 while tLlgl-f3 loses to a rook :llii:.
/~
...~
/:;~/, /;~~
fl1;~
invasion of e2. The separate corps
begin to make contact. ~'ft ~. '~. ft'~.ft1
29 l:c3 c5
Another fine move. The pawns
which now come into being at c5 '
and d5 are hanging indeed but
White is in no position to attack The decisive advance.
them. What is more, the black d- 38 tt:le2 'ii'b5
pawn will soon be transfo1111ed into 39 'ii'el 'ii'd3
a veritable Mjollnir, a ret'erence Already there were many alter-
which Stahlberg, being a Scandina- natives sufficient to win. White's
vian, would have appreciated. The case is hopeless.
remainder of the game could serve 40 tt:lcl
as an ideal demonstration of Die 41 ~gl
Expansions lust der Bauern'. 42 'ii'f2
30 dxc5 bxc5 Centralisation even now!
31 l:tdcl l:c6 43 'ii'fl d3
32 l:.e3 Itce6 44 'ii'dl e3+
33 .:rxe4 45 ~g2 0-1
It' 33 l:tec3, hoping for repeti- For example, 45 ... d2 46 tLle2
tion, 33 ... l:td4! would neatly trap ttld6 threatening ... li'lb2.
White's queen in the middle of her
own position - (if 34 l:txc5 'ii'xc5 Nimzowitsch 's handling, in this
wins). game, of the difficult major pieces
33 l:xe4 plus knight versus major pieces
34 t3 plus knight situation was superla-
White is almost paralysed. tive. His best games from his later
34 :es period were outstanding in many
35 l:tel respects, and it is tragic that he did
There is little else White can un- not live to the regulatic)n biblical
dertake against the imminent ad- total of three score years and ten. In
vance of Black's d-pawn. After the that case the chess public would
exchange of rooks White does at have been treated to many subse-
 Tl1e Crov.:n
quent revisions of My Sy.<>tem and
Chess Praxi.'> containing these later
masterpieces. Perhaps that would
also have made this book rather
unnecessary!?
Nimzowitsch-Stahlberg
Gothenburg 1934: 4th match game
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4
In his later years Nimzowitsch
turned increasingly towards I d4
and 1 c4 as his favourite opening
weapons.
1 d5
2 c4 e6
3 tLlc3 tLlf6
4 tLlf3 iie7
5 Jif4
More usual is the forcing 5 Jig5.
Nimzowitsch must have had pleas-
ant memories of the relatively un-
pretentious developing move cho-
sen here from his game with Nae-
geli, played at Winterthur 1931.
Then Black had played 4 ... lt'Jbd7
(instead of 4 ... Jie7) and there fol-
lowed: 5 cxd5 exd5 6 iif4 c6 7 e3
iie7 8 Jid3 0-0 9 llc 1 Ite8 10 0-0
lLlf8 11 tLle5 Jid6 12 Jig3 'iie7 13
f4 tlJ6d7 14 e4! dxe4 15 iic4 tLle6
16 tLlxf7 ! 'Ot>xf7 17 f5 lf.'lf6 18 iih4
'.t>g8 19 tLlxe4 Itf8 20 fxe6 iixe6
21 tLlxf6+ Itxf6 22 iixf6 gxf6 23
ii'g4+ 'Ot>f7 24 llfel 1-0.
5 .. c5
Black seeks to clear up matters
in the centre in order to avoid the
cramp from which Naegeli suffered
after his interpretation ot the
opening.
It is a matter of taste whether
one willingly accepts isolated d-
pawns in this fashion. Nimzowitsch
tended to avoid IQP's in his own
1~rince: Selected Game.'> 1929-1931 241
camp, while Stahlberg, on the con-
trary, was a staunch supporter of
the Tarrasch Defence to the
Queen's Gambit, which positively
invites the IQP.
6 dxc5 iixc5
The immediate recapture of the
pawn with 6 ... dxc4 would lead to
grave difficulties after 7 if xd8+
~xd8 ( 7... 1lxd8 releases the pres-
sure from White's c-pawn) 8
0-0-0+ and 9 li:.'lb5, while the at-
tempt to regain the pawn with the
queen's knight would also confer
an advantage on White: 6 ... tLla6 7
Jid6! tLlxc5 8 iixe7 'iixe7 9 cxd5
exd5 IO e3 0-0 11 i.e2 tLlce4 12
'iid4 with domination of the vital
blockading square d4.
7 e3 tLlc6
7 ... dxc4 8 ifxd8+ etc. would
still represent a most unwise course
for Black.
8 Jid3
If White wishes to inflict an
'isolani ' on his opponent, now is
surely the time to do so - the most
accurate move order is 8 cxd5 exd5
9 iie2 or 9 iid3 with possibilities
of transposing into the text.
8 ... 0-0
Here Black could have reduced
242 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.~
his problems with the simplifying
manoeuvre 8 ... dxc4 and 9 ... 'lixd l
as, indeed, he actually played in a
later game of the match (with the
difference that in the later game
Black had played 7 ... 0-0 instead of
7 ... l:i:Jc6).
9 0-0 a6
For this game, at least, Stahlberg
had decided as a matter of policy to
avoid the move ... d5xc4. In fact
9 ... dxc4 was still possible, and,
although White would retain a
small plus in the position without
queens, Black should not Jose. Af-
ter the move played White turns, at
last, to the theme of the IQP.
10 cxd5 exd5
Black could continue capturing
on d5 with pieces so as to avoid
any structural weaknesses, but after
10... l:i:Jxd5 11 l:i:Jxd5 'ii'xd5 White
has a number of strong continua-
tions at his disposal, e.g. 12 'ii'e2
threatening to centralise the rooks
on dl and cl with gain of time, or
the more speculative 12 'lic2 which
adds the threats of 3'.e4 and 3'.xh7+
to those already mentioned. True,
12 'ii'c2 involves the sacrifice of a
piece, but Black hardly dare accept
it: 12 ... Ci:Jb4 13 3'.xh7+ ~h8 14
'ii'bl g6 15 3'.xg6 fxg6 16 Wxg6
intending 17 3'.e5+. If now
16 ... l:i:Jc6 then 17 3'.h6 (doubtless
White also has other powerful pos-
sibilities at his disposal) l 7 ... l:tg8
18 'ii'f6+ ~h7 19 l:i:Jg5+, but not 19
3'.f4? (threatening mate on h6)
19 ... l:tg6! 20 Wf7+ :g7 21 l:i:Jg5+
Wxg5! and White loses material in
a most undignified fashion.
11 3'.g5
Threatening 12 3'.xf6 gxf6 13
l:i:Jxd5 and Black cannot capture the
bold knight in view of 14 3'.xh7+
1929-/9_~]
netting his queen.
11 ~e6
12 l:i:Je2
A flexible move. White can ei-
ther play this knight to f4, with the
intention of attacking the d-pawn,
or to d4 in order to blockade it. As
Nimzowitsch frequently pointed
out - the disadvantage of an iso-
lated pawn resides just as much in
the weakness of the square directly
in front of it (which can be occu-
pied with impunity by hostile
pieces) as in the vulnerability of the
pawn itself. In this game, as a mat-
ter of fact, we observe an illustra-
tion of the second case - the
pawn's vulnerability to attack.
12 .. h6
13 3'.h4 3'.g4
Hoping to deter White from a
positive plan of campaign by the
threat to weaken his kingside
pawns. However, this threat turns
out to be illusory and, after the
black queen's bishop has captured
the white king's knight, the black
IQP dies through its master's sheer
inability to lend it adequate protec-
tion. Hence Black should have
maintained the bishop at its defen-
sive post on e6 and continued de-
 The Crown Prinle: Selected Game.5 1929-1931 243
velopment with, e.g. 13 ... .l:tc8.
14 l:tcl iie7
The bishop must retire in this di-
rection otherwise the pin becomes
unbearable. The possibility of ... g7-
g5 (as an alternative method of
clearing the pin) hardly comes into
consideration.
15 'ii'b3 iixf3
Consistent but faulty. Better was
15 ... 'ii'd7 followed by withdrawal
of the bishop to e6.
16 gxf3 'it'd7
Or 16 ... lLle5 17 l2Jd4 parrying all
the threats and emphasising
White's positional advantage. After
17 ... tLlxd3 18 'it'xd3 White's con-
trol of the f5 square and the possi-
bility of lLld4-f5 would even make
it worth his while to consider a plan
involving ~h 1, l:tg I and the build-
up of pressure on the g-file against
g7.
17 l:tfdl l:tac8
18 iixf6! iixf6
19 iie4 lLle7
His best chance was the active
l 9 ... d4! 20 iixc6 l:txc6 21 tt:\xd4
iixd4 22 exd4 with some play
against White's scattered pawns to
make up for White's extra material.
However, the passed d-pawn
should eventually decide the game
in White's favour.
After the defensive text Nim-
zowitsch plays with wonderful pre-
cision to bring about an ending
which is lost for Black, despite
initial appearances to the contrary.
20 l:txc8 l:txc8
21 lLif4!
Much better than the immediate
capture. White retains the king's
bishop which will be very powerful
in the coming ending.
21 . 'it'b5
There is no really satisfactory
alternative. With this move Black
pins his hopes on the drawing pro-
pensity of the opposite bishops.
22 'it'xb5 axb5
23 lLlxd5 lLixd5
24 l:txd5 l:ta8
24 ... iixb2 25 .l:txb5 would sim-
ply shed a second pawn. Now after
25 l:txb5 l:txa2 26 Ilxb7 ilh4!
grants Black excellent counter-
chances, while 25 a3? ilxb2 26
l:txb5 iixa3 27 l:txb7 would make
the win, if indeed there is a win, a
most arduous process. The efficient
method by which Nimzowitsch
solves this technical problem is
most impressive.
25 l:tc5!
Facilitating the entry of the rook
to the 7th rank. Note the immediate
25 l:td7? fails to 25 ... l:.xa2!. Now
25 ... l:txa2?? would allow mate.
25 'it>f8
It makes little difference whether
Black plays ... ii.xb2 at once or
prefaces it with this move. After
all, Black must waste a move
somewhere to deal with the mate
threat.
26 Jid5
Realising another facet of 25
244 l'he Crown Prince: ,()efelted Game.1 1929-1931

l:tc5, which made way for this bishop at f5 is defended. Also 7

powerful centralisation, which 'ili'e2 .llx:c3+! 8 bx:c3 'ili'a5 9 .lid2
plans to decide the game by a direct .llx:d3 10 'ili'x:d3 'ili'a6!. That was the
attack against Black's king. Inci- idea behind the develoryment
dentally, this move also extends ... l2Jge7.
some much-needed protection to 7 0-0 0-0
the a-pawn. 8 l2Je2
26 b4 Or 8 W'e2 .llx:c3 9 bx:c3 'ili'a5 10
White was actually threatening .llx:f5 4lx:f5 11 cx:d5 cx:d5 and
to capture the b5-pawn by this Black stands well.
stage. 8 . .lld6
27 l:.c7 9 b3 l2Jd7
Black is helpless and could al- 10 .llb2 'ili'b8
ready capitulate with a clear con- To hinder l2Jf3-e5.
science. He is bound to lose three 11 l2Jg3 .llg6
pawns. Not even the presence of 12 cxd5
opposite bishops can avail him The prelude to an interesting
much against this disaster. combination, whereby Lundin aims
27 ... .llxb2 nevertheless to get a knight fir 111ly
28 I:.xti + 'it>e8 planted on e5.
29 l:txb7 .llc3 12 .. exd5
30 l:.xg7 .llxg7 13 .llxg6 fxg6
31 .llxa8 1-0 Or 13 ... 4'lx:g6 14 ll'if5.

Lundin-Nimzowitsch
Stockholm 1934
Queen 's Gambit - Baltic Defence

(Notes to this game are by Nim-

zowitsch, translatedfrom Danish)

1 d4 d5
2 l2Jf3 .llf5!
3 c4 e6
4 e3 c6
5 .lld3 .llb4+!
Quite an amusing thought. Black
will play ... l2Jg8-e7. Why? Is the 14 e4 dxe4!
knight not better placed on f6? The Herewith begins a light-square
answer is given in the following campaign of counterplay, which,
note. without the opponent committing
6 l2Jc3 l2Je7 any greater errors, slowly forces
The no1111al moves 'ili'c2 or 'ili'e2, him to his knees. On the other
with the aim of carrying through hand, it would have been danger-
e3-e4, could now be parried as ous for Black to engage in
follows: 7 'ili'c2? dxc4! and the 14 ... .llxg3 15 fx:g3 dxe4 16 l2Jg5
 The Cro}vn Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931 245

tt::lf6 l 7 ~a3. 25 l1fel l1fe8

15 tt::lxe4 tt::ld5 26 l:r.adl tt::lc7
The first 'light' square, soon 27 tt:Je5 tt::lf6
more will follow. 28 h3 tt::lcd5
16 tt::lxd6 Wxd6 29 a3 h5
17 tt:Je5 Foils the intended g3-g4 and
The goal of the combination (see procures a threat ot ... h5-h4.
the note to the 12th move) is at- 30 h4 tt::lg4
tained. The e5 point is occupied. 31 tt::lxg4 nxel +
But Black is at an advantage all the 32 l:r.xe 1 hxg4
same: 'tt::ld5' against '~b2' means 33 l:te5
a clear plus for Black. This stationing of the rook fo1111s
17 .. tt::lf4! White's last hope - should Black
Played in scientific style: new later exchange on e5, then the end-
'light' squares are to be made vul- game after d4xe5 is not clearly won
nerable (e.g. if g2-g3 and f2-f4 is for him. However, the win is easy,
provoked, there arises a new square if the exchange of rooks takes place
on e4, which can later be occu- on a square other than e5.
pied).
18 g3 tt::lh3+
19 'it>g2 tt::lg5
20 f4 Wd5+
21 tt::lf3 tt::le6
Better than 2 l ... tt::le4. Now there
is a threat of ... g6-g5.
22 'it>gl l:r.ad8
23 Wc2
A little better was 23 'ii'd2.
23 . 'it'f5!

33 .. g6
34 <t>n 'it>g7
A finesse, one rather expects
34 ... 'it>f7. But the case is this, that
on 35 h5 Black reserves for himself
the manoeuvre 35 ... l1h8 36 hxg6
l1hl + 37 'it>g2 l:.bl with conspicu-
ous advantage.
35 'iii>e2 'it>f7
Now that can well be played, for
on 36 h5 winning is 36 ... l1h8 37
After Wxf5 the e4 point becomes hxg6+ 'ltixg6, and the black rook

easy prey for Black. presses 1n anyway.
24 'it'xf5 gxf5 36 'it>d3 tt::lf6
246 The Crown Prince: Selected Game.1 1929-1931

37 i.c3 l:td5 and Black was sent to the guillo-

38 i.el b6 tine. It did not take long to elabo-
39 a4 l:td6 rate the correct defence which re-
40 'itic4 tl:id7 sides in: 5 ... 'ii'e7+! when, oddlj
41 l:te3 l:te6 enough, White lacks a decent
42 l:txe6 'it>xe6 method of parrying the check. An
43 i.c3 example of what could follow is
The attempt 43 d5+ cxd5 44 the amusing miniature Corden-
'it>b5 founders on 44 ... tt'lb8 45 i.c3 Moles, Oxford 1970: 6 l0e2 (or 6
'1Pd7 46 i.e5 '1Pc8 and ... '1Pb7 etc. i.e3 <i'lf6 7 i.d3 c5!) 6 ... l0c6 7
43 tl:if6 i.e3 (7 'ii'xd5 ttlf6 with excellent
44 i.e I tl:ie4 compensation for the pawn)
45 b4 7 ... 4'if6 8 0-0-0? i.xc3 9 bxc3
Now 45 d5+ is parried by means 3'.g4! 10 'ii'f4 g5! 0-1. If 11 'ii'xg5
of, among other things, 45 ... cxd5+ i.xe2 I 2 i.xe2 'ii'a3+ I 3 'itid2
46 ~b5 '1Pd6 4 7 '1Pa6 l0c5+ 48 tt:le4+ or 13 'ifiib l l0e4 and
'1Pxa7 'itic6, e.g. 49 i.t1 tl:ixb3 50 14 ... lllxc3 mate.
i.xb6 d4 51 a5 d3 52 i.e3 lLixa5. 4 exd5 in conjunction with 5
45 tl:id6+ 'ii'f3!? enjoyed a short vogue after
46 '1Pd3 'ifiid5 Larsen's successful prosecution of
47 a5 tl:ie4 Portisch but, apart from that, 4 e5
48 axb6 axb6 has become the almost universal
0-1 choice in contemporary practice.
A true positional game! 4 .. c5
Attacking White's centre.
Lasker-Nimzowitsch 5 i.d2
Ziirich 1934 Very popular at the time since it
French Defence prevented the doubling of White's
pawns and prepared to extend
1 e4 e6 White's dark-square influence by
2 d4 d5 means of l0c3-b5, e.g. 5 ... cxd4 6
3 l0c3 i.b4 lt.Jb5 i.c5 7 b4 and Black is in seri-
4 e5 ous trouble. Nowadays we prefer
By 1934 the Prosecution (White) the more dynamic 5 a3 inviting the
had largely abandoned its case infliction of doubled pawns but
based on the insipid 4 exd5, mainly hoping, thereby, to generate com-
as a result of Nimzowitsch 's suc- pensating energy in the white posi-
cessful advocacy of the black posi- tion. In particular, the retention of
tion. However, 4 exd5 was revived White's queen's bishop on its
thirty years later by Maitre Larsen original square offers this piece the
in his game versus Portisch from possibility of fruitful action along
the 1964 Interzonal. The sequel the a3-f8 diagonal (a3-a4, i.a3
was 4 ... exd5 5 'ii'f3!? (the fresh etc). A typical follow-up to 5 a3
evidence) 5 ... l0c6 6 i.b5 lLie7 7 would be 5 ... i.xc3+ 6 bxc3 'fkc7 7
i.f4 0-0 8 0-0-0 l0a5 9 l0ge2 c6 10 4:\f3 (7'ilg4 /6! 8 ~ c4!+, an idea
i.d3 b5 11 h4! l0c4 12 h5 f6 13 g4 of the American Grandmaster Rob-
 The Crov.n Prince: Selected c;ames 1929-1931 247
ert Byrne which is quite in accor-
dance with Nimzowitsch 's theo-
ries) 7 ... 0..e7 8 a4 lb.bc6 9 .id3
.i.d7 10 0-0 c4 11 .i.e2 f6 with a
sharp struggle (Fischer-Larsen, 1st
match game, Denver 1971 ).
5 0..e7
6 lb.b5
The key move of White's open-
ing variation. Lasker follows Alek-
hine 's famous victory over Nim-
zowitsch from San Remo 1930.
The alternative is 6 a3, e.g.
6 ... .i.xc3 7 .i.xc3 lb.bc6 8 l2\f3
cxd4 (or 8 ... c4!? 9 .i.e2 b5 10 0-0
.i.d7 11 'ir'd2 a5, Bernstein-Nim-
zowitsch, also from Zurich 1934) 9
0..xd4 0..xe5! 10 0..xe6 .i.xe6 11
.i.xe5 0-0 12 .i.d3 lb.c6 13 .i.g3
'ir'f6 with a good game for Black,
Tringov-Uhlmann, Skopje 1972.
6 .i.xd2+
7 'ir'xd2 0-0
8 c3
As Alekhine played, but Nim-
zowitsch has prepared some im-
provements over the intervening
three years. White dare not loosen
his centre with 8 dxc5 in view of
8 ... 0..d7 9 'ir'c3 a6 10 0..d6 'ir'c7 11
b4 b6 and White's structure begins
to crumble. It is interesting that the
neces..<>ity of defending his centre in
such lines prevents White from
making use of his ostensibly im-
pressive outpost at d6.
8 ... 0..f5(!)
Another move that is well play-
able is 8 ... lt'ibc6. Against Alekhine,
Nimzowitsch found 8 ... b6? 9 f4
.i.a6 10 0..f3 'ir'd7 11 a4 lb.bc6 12
b4.
9 g4!?
We have already referred to the
'odds-giving style', and this move
constitutes a further example. In
My System Nimzowitsch wrote:
'Lasker plays by preference - and
with inimitable virtuosity - this
style. It is this that might make
people believe that the heel of
Achilles lay for Lasker in his
treatment of the opening. But such
a judgement rests on an entire mis-
. '
conception.
Indeed, 9 g4 is, objectively
speaking, a rather weak move
which disjoints White's kingside
pawn constellation in return for the
nebulous gain of postponing (not
preventing) the unde1111ining thrust
... f7-f6. However, the number of
games won by Lasker after a sup-
posedly 'inferior' treatment of the
248 The Crown Prince: Selected Game~ 1929-1931

opening phase was legion, so 9 g4 a tactical skit 111ish. Note that

cannot really be blamed. This move White's outpost on d6 has weighed
is the introduction to a genuine less heavily than Black's attack
struggle and it was Lasker's bad against the opposing pawn chain.
luck that Nimzowitsch conducted 16 ... fxe5
the struggle on this particular day 17 tt:'ic7
with a virtuosity and sense of de- And now he abandons d6 alto-
te1111ination that were sadly absent gether.
in most of his other games from 17 l:.b8
Zurich. 18 tt:'ixe6
A more sedate alternative to 9 g4 This liquidation of the central
is 9 ~d3, e.g. 9 ... ~d7 I 0 tt:'if3 pawns looks very promising for
~xb5 11 ~xb5 'irb6 12 ~d3 White, but he still has the problem
tbc6=, Stoltz-Nimzowitsch, match, to face of how he should develop
Stockholm 1934. his kingside pieces. In subsequent
9 ... tt:'ih4! play Nimzowitsch actually con-
10 g5 centrates on blotting out White's
Alekhine gave the less uncom- king's knight and his domination
promising 10 0-0-0 f6 11 f4 as a (with minimum means) of the poor
possible improvement. beast in the knight and pawn end-
10 ... cxd4 ing which arises (from move 36
11 cxd4 tt:'ic6 onwards) is most impressive.
12 0-0-0 'ilr'a5 18 ... llf6
Thwarting White's aggressive 19 tt:'ic7 ~xh3
intentions against the black king 20 tt:'ixh3 tt:'if3
(by, for example, d2-f4 ... 4Jg6, 21 l:tdd I exd4
g3 followed by the advance of 22 tt:'ixd5 l:.f5
the h-pawn). White can hardly al- 23 tt:'idf4 l:tbf8
low 13 tt:'ic3 ~d7 14 f4 tt:'ig6 15 24 tt:'id3
g3 l:.fc8, when Black's attack is
the more virulent, so he must ac-
quiesce in the transposition to an
ending where Black has good pros-
pects of exploiting the dislocated
nature of White's kingside pawns.
13 'it>bl
In the endgame White's king
would develop greater activity in
the centre rather than tucked away
on bl, hence 13 xa5 would have
been more accurate.
13 ... xd2
14 l:txd2 f6!
15 gxf6 gxf6 An interesting case of the trans-
16 ~h3 mutation of an advantage. White's
Seeking salvation (or more?) in weak centre has all but vanished
 The C1<Jwn Prinle: Selected c;am('.1 1929-1931 249
(the f-pawn is heavily defended)
while Black's passed d-pawn, al-
though a potential menace, is held
in check t'or the moment by
White's pieces. Black's real post-
skit 111ish advantage lies not so
much in the respective pawn for-
mations but in the superior activity
of his pieces. If we study the dia-
grammed position (which, inci-
dentally, in its unit groupings pres-
ents an unusual geometric spectacle
with the column of black pieces on
the f-file and the white men ar-
ranged at a distance of a knight's
move around the f2-pawn) it will
become clear that the majority of
White's reasonable moves consist
of retreats to the first rank!
24 . lllce5
25 lllxe5 .l:txe5
26 lllgl
Where else can it go?
26 .. lllg5
26 ... lllh4 was also very strong.
27 h4
27 .l:txd4? .l:te I+ 28 'it>c2 l:txf2+
29 .l:td2 .l:txd2+ 30 'it>xd2 lllf3+-+.
27 llle6
28 .l:th2 lle4?
He should have brought the less
active rook into play. With
28 ... .l:tf4! Black would have won
quite quickly. The difference is that
White can now force Black to
abandon either the e-file or his at-
tack on White's h-pawn, which
would not have been the case after
28 ... .l:tf4!.
29 f3! l:t.e3
30 .:tel .l:tf4
Black's position remains excel-
lent, but it is no longer over-
whelming.
31 .l:txe3 dxe3
32 .l:te 1 .l:txh4
33 .l:txe3 llld4
Commencing, in a minor key,
the restriction of White's knight
which will eventually bring him
victory. The threat is 34 ... l:t.h I 35
l:te I h5, and White is helpless since
his knight has no moves.
34 l:.e4
Parrying the threat and, in addi-
tion, forcing the exchange of
Black's active rook. Black cannot
reply 34 ... lllxf3? in view of 35
l:t.e8+ 'it>t7 36 lllxf3 l:.h I+ 37
l:te I ! +-, a typically artful Lasker
resource.
34 .l:txe4
35 fxe4 'it>f7
Can this ending be won by
Black? He has three advantages
which should amount to a win:
I) the outside passed pawn. This
means that White will not be able
to offer or allow the exchange of
knight.<>;
2) White's knight (see note to
move 18) is most limited in its
scope, partly by virtue of the
threatened advance of the black h-
pawn, of course. But note too that a
black knight at e6 and a black
pawn at h5 virtually eliminate any
productive moves by a white
250 The C'rown Prince: Selected Game.~ 1929-1931

knight on h3, and the knight must 42 ... llie6, which is actually very
emerge into play via h3, if it is go- strong. In fact, Nimzowitsch could
ing to emerge at all, since the black have played ... llie6 on move 40.
knight on d4 denies access to the 41 'Wtd3 lliel+
other egress squares e2 and f3; 42 'Wte2 tt:lg2
3) White's e-pawn is isolated. 43 'it>f3
But this is not to say that the pawn Not 43 'it>d3? tlif4+ 44 tlixf4
is weak, although it does eventually 'it>xf4 45 'it>d4 h4 46 e5 'it>f5 47
fall. The real significance of the 'iiid5 h3 and promotes with check.
'isolani' is quite otherwise: 'It is 43 .. tt:lh4+
not only the isolani itself that tends 44 'it>e3 llig6
to become a weakness, but also the
complex of squares surrounding it.
In this the principal evil is to be
found' (My System, Part II, Chapter
3).
In the course of this ending
Black's control over the e5 square
assumes paramount importance and
is absolutely essential to his plans
for victory.
36 'it>cl cbf6
37 ~d2 ~eS(!)
His Black Majesty occupies
himself by keeping the vital square
wat 111 for his good friend the The point of Nimzowitsch's
knight, who pays him the honour of knight manoeuvre was to get this
a visit there some 12 moves later. piece into contact with e5. It looks
38 'Wte3 hS now as if White's knight has some
39 a3 freedom, but this freedom is illu-
Reinfeld in Hypermodern Chess sory.
claims that White missed a draw 4S lligS
here with 39 llih3 llic2+ 40 'iii>f3 He jumps at the chance after his
tlib4 41 llif4 !. I cannot believe this. years of imprisonment.
Why not 39 tlih3 llie6! when Black 4S .. 'it>f6
achieves the ideal restrictive posi- 46 llih7+ 'it>g7
tion I outlined above?, e.g. 40 llif2 47 lligS 'it>f6
llif4 (and not 40... llig5 41 b4.') 41 48 llih7+ 'it>e7!
c,i(f3 h4! 42 a4 (42 ~e3 b5 43 ~f3 If now 49 ~d4 tt:lf8 ! 50 tt:lgS
llie6 44 ~e3 llic5) 42 ... llie6 43 llie6+-+. A fine example of the
~e3 llic5-+. principle: recu/er pour mieux sau-
39 as ter.
40 llih3 llic2+ 49 llig5 llie5
A tease. If 41 'it'd2 then Threatening 50 ... llic4.
41 ... tlid4 42 ..ti>e3, hoping for repe- so 'it>d4 'it>d6
tition, Black would have to play Sl llih3
 The Crown Prince: Selected Gan1e.1 1929-1931 251

Home again. Now both of reaches it-; climax. White's knight

White's pieces are tied down: the can no longer move at all in view
knight must keep a sharp eye on of ... lt:\f4 or ... tt:lg5 and the victori-
the h-pawn while the king must ous advance of the h-pawn, e.g. 61
attempt to fend off the projected 'i!i>c2 'i!i>c4 62 tt:lf2 tt:lg5-+.
invasion of his queenside.
Sl a4
S2 lLlf4 h4
S3 tt:lh3 b6!
A vital loss of tempo. Even now
haste on Black's part could spoil
everything: 53 ... b5? 54 lllf4 4:'ic6+
55 'i!i>c3 'it>e5 56 tt:lg6+ and resis-
tance continues.
54 lLlf4 bS
SS lLlh3 tt:lc6+
S6 'it>e3 ~cs
S7 'it>d3
Or 57 'i!i>f4 ~d4 58 'it>f5 tDe5 59
tt:lf2 tt:lc4-+, and if in this line 58 61 'itic4
tt:lg5 still 58 ... tt:le5!, e.g. 59 tt:le6+ A change of front. Black will
'it>c4 (threatening ... tt:ld3) 60 'itixe5 win on the kingside after all.
h3-+. Lasker adheres to the policy 62 'it>a3 'i!i>d4
of defending his left flank with his 63 'it>xa4 'it>xe4
king rather than trying for a reck- 64 b4 'i!i>f3
less counter-attack. 65 bS 'i!i>g2
S7 ... b4 0-1
White must capture on b4 oth- Black is overcome by humane
erwise Black would himself play considerations and at last resolves
... bxa3 followed by ... tt:le5 and to put the white knight out of its

... tt:lc4. misery.
SS axb4+ 'i!i>xb4 The variations are now quite
Gradually increasing his control simple: 66 b6 'it>xh3 67 b7 tt:lc5+,
of territory. or 66 tt:lf4+ tt:lxf4 67 b6 tt:le6 68
S9 'i!i>c2 tt:ld4+ 'i!i>b5 t2Jd8.
60 'it> bl
To defend his jeopardised Nimzowitsch's handling of the
queen's wing from a2. ditlicult knight and ending which
60 ... tt:le6! came into being after move 35 has
Dominating his opposite num- all the precision and satisfying
ber. The theme of restriction intro- ineluctable logic of the solution to
duced so early in the game finally a complex mathematical problem.
Epilogue

'Nimzowitsch had a restless temperament, accompanied by a suspicious-

ness that amounted to a disease and a nervousness that now and again in
the heat of the struggle had an almost painful expression. An egocentric of
the purest water, he often blew his own trumpet when annotating his
games. 'One of my best games of recent years' was a frequently recurring
expression by which Nimzowit.<>ch the annotator gave ample recognition to
Nimzowitsch the grandmaster and thus encouraged the latter almost to the
same degree that he offended most chess enthusiasts.
'But few masters - perhaps none - were so fond of the game of chess as
Nimzowitsch. The often childish expression of his vanity should not be
allowed to obscure or falsify for us the picture of a valiant seeker after
truth. His original and rich intellect gave many a jewel to the treasure-chest
of the chess historian, and made clear to many that subtle beauty of the
game which is so hard to define. Chess was the great interest of his life, not
because it became his profession, but because from his childhood onwards
he cherished it more than anything else.'

Gideon Stahlberg in Chess and Chessmasters

Index of Openings

All numbers refer to page.~.

Alekhine's Defence, 133

Bird's Opening, 156

Caro-Kann Defence, 56, 97, 122. 21l,218, 230

Dutch Defence, 41
Dory's Defence, 153

English Opening, 10, 73, 105, 181, 199, 224, 235

French Defence, 7, 32, 38, 40, 45, 51, 52, 81, 91, 100, 246

Greco Counter-Gambit, 140

King's Gambit, 89
King's Indian Defence, 185

Modem Benoni, 63, 147

Nimzowitsch Attack (1 b3 / l ll'if3 and 2 b3), 59, 75, 76, 77, 116, 124,
136, 137, 143, 159, 170,208,214,227
Nimzowitsch Defence (1 e4 ll'ic6), JO, 109, 113, 153
Nimzo-Indian Defence, 37, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 80, 163, 166, 176. 191, 221
237

Old Indian Defence, 95

Philidor's Defence, 109

Queen's Gambit:
Baltic Defence, 205, 244
254 Index of Openings

Chigorin 's Defence, 34, 85

Exchange,62
Orthodox Defence, 153, 241
Tarrasch Defence, 35, 61
Queen's Indian Defence, 70, 129, 201, 215

Reti's Opening, 74
Ruy Lopez, 82, 88

Sicilian Defence, 57, 58, 60

Scotch Game, 88

Torre Attack, 178

Vienna Game, 84, 88

Index of Players

Index of Nimzowitsch's opponents in complete games and positions. Nu-

merals refer to pages; those in bold type indicate that the opponent played
White; those in italics indicate positions (as opposed to complete games).

Ahues, 208 Joss, 159

Albin, 88
Alekhine, 57, 81, 100, 133, 143, Kmoch, 156, 195
143
Allies, 10 Lasker, Em., 246
Asztalos, 105 Leonhardt, 52
Levenfish, 7,97
Behting, 140 Lundin, 244
Bernstein, 0., 39
Bogoljubow, 53, 69, 163, 176, 191, Mannheimer, 38
225 Marco, 109
Buerger, 77 Maroczy, 227
Marshall, 63, 147
Capablanca, 56, 74, 166 Mattison, 37
Cohn, E., 104 Menchik, 40
Colle, 205 Mieses, 113
Morrison, 159
Flohr, 224
von Freymann, 51 Naegeli, 241
Nielsen, 8., 235
Gilg, 57 Nilsson, 105
von Gottschall, 39
Gygli, 2 l 5, 221 Przepiorka, 70

Haakansson, 51 Reti, 71
Henneberger, 218 Romih, 62, J99
Hilse, 84 Rubinstein, J 0, 69, 95, 129, 136,
170
Johner, H., 214
Johner, P., 65 Salwe, 91
256 Index of Pla_yers

Samisch, 73, 80, 137 Tartakower, 124, 185

Schlechter, 82 Thomas, G., 48, 211
Spielmann, 53, 58, 62, 75, 88, 89.
109, 122, 140, 153, 181,230 Vidmar, 178
Stahlberg, 191, 237, 241
Stoltz, 61 Wendel, 113
Sultan Khan, 201 Wolf, H., 88, 116

Tarrasch,35,52,85 Yates, 60

Index of Complete Games and Positions not involving Nimzowitsch.

Numbers refer to pages; those in italic.~ indicate positions (as C)pposed to
complete games).

Alekhine-Marshall, 153 Larsen-Wade, 75

Andersson-Tatai, 76 Lasker, Em-Chigorin, 34
Barczay-Tal, 191 Olafsson-Petrosian, 45
Botvinnik-Keres, 62, 74 Petrosian-Nielsen, 41
Capablanca-Spielmann, 153 Petrosian-Pachman, 210
Corden-Moles, 246 Short-Seirawan, 56
Diez de! Corral-Petrosian, I 06 Spassky-Fischer, 67
Donner-Portisch, 68 Spielmann-Thomas, 62
Fischer-Mecking, 75 Stahlberg-Alekhine, 192
Goldschmidt-Crouch, 114 Steinitz-Weiss, 32
Gurgenidze-Lein, 59 Uhlmann-Larsen, 69
Kasparov-lvanchuk, 45 Uhlmann-Smyslov, 202
Keene-Pritchett, 63 Unzicker-Sarapu, 60
Larsen-Spassky,59