Nottinghatn 1936

by

Alexander Alekhine

Foreword by
Andy Soltis

21st Century Edition!

2009
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
Milford, CT USA
 Nottingham 1936

by Alexander Alekhine

Foreword by Andy Soltis

© Copyright 2009

Russell Enterprises, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced,

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ISBN: 978- 1 -888690-63-7

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Printed in the United States of America

 Table of Contents

Foreword 4

Round I 9
Round II 22
Round III 35
Round IV 49
Round V 61
Round VI 74
Round VII 85
Round VIII 96
Round IX 1 07
Round X 121
Round XI 1 33
Round XII 1 46
Round XIII 1 58
Round XIV 1 69
Round XV 181

Index of Players 1 94
Index of Opening 1 95
 Foreword

There were stronger tournaments between the two world wars than Nottingham
1 936, to be sure. Other events of the era, such as New York 1 924, claimed a
bigger prize fund or, like Bled 1 93 1 and AVRO 1 93 8, had more memorable games.
But those factors alone don't make a tournament legendary, and Nottingham be­
came an instant legend.

It set a record by featuring four men who had held the world championship title ­
Jose Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe and Emanuel Lasker. (The next
time four past/current champions met in a tournament wasn't until 1 964.)

The champions were expected to be challenged ifnot surpassed at Nottingham by

four young candidates, Sam Reshevsky, Reuben Fine, Salo Flohr and, in only his
second trip to a foreign tournament, Mikhail Botvinnik, who turned 25 mid-tour­
nament. The time limit, 36 moves in two hours, seems quaint today, but Botvinnik
said it was the fastest he ever played. "I was young then and managed quite well,"
he recalled in one of his last interviews.

The champions and would-be challengers were joined by three veterans. Milan
Vidmar, 5 1 , brought his gravitas and pre-war memories. Efim Bogoljubow brought
his optimism. Bogo regarded himself as still a world-class player. After all, he
was just two years removed from a world championship match with Alekhine and
had a career record of 1 4 wins from Alekhine, more than anyone except Euwe.

The third veteran, Savielly Tartakower, brought a bit of drama to the very first
hour of play just by showing up. The night before, a Dutch liner, believed to be
carrying him, sank in a Thames storm. Tournament officials assumed he had per­
ished. When he strode 20 minutes late into the playing hall during the first round
and moved l .d4 it seemed like a typical Tartakower opening surprise. Finally
there were four invited British players, led by C.H. O'D. Alexander, who later
became a master code-breaker during the height of the Cold War.

Today we're used to world-class players meeting one another every few months,
if not weeks. Vishy Anand, for example, has already played more than 40 games
of so-called "classical" chess with rivals like Vassily Ivanchuk and Michael Adams.
But in 1 936, the difference in ages and other factors meant that some historic
pairings were occurring for the first time at Nottingham and wouldn't be repeated
often afterwards.

For instance, Botvinnik had never before played Alekhine, Fine, Reshevsky,
Vidmar or Bogoljubow. Reshevsky had never faced Euwe, Lasker, Flohr,
Tartakower, Vidmar or Bogoljubow over the board. Also, Nottingham saw the
first game between Alekhine and Capablanca since their world championship

4
match nine years before and their ensuing bitterness over a rematch. The tourna­
ment was, in short, a very rare event.

But it was also a contest, a race for first prize. Alekhine, who chain-smoked
throughout the event and went through I 00 cigarettes in one game according to
British reporters, set the nervous tone. Intense stress influenced several key games,
particularly in the last round when an extraordinary series of blunders helped
determine the top five places.

Even Botvinnik was rattled. He went through the crosstable methodically, mak­
ing draws with the seven players just below him and defeating the seven below
them. But one of the British masters broke the pattern. With first prize on the line
on the final day, Botvinnik was outplayed by last-placed William Winter, who
then offered him a draw, a more than generous gesture from a fellow Stalinist.

That allowed at least two ofthe pre-tournament predictions to come true. Alexander
Ilyin-Genevsky, the founding father of Soviet chess, had forecast that the co­
winners of Moscow 1 936, Botvinnik and Capablanca, would repeat at Nottingham.
Lasker, who had his last great results at Moscow and Nottingham, predicted the
winning score would be 1 0 to 1 1 points out of 1 4. They were both right.

This was the last of Alekhine's splendid tournament books, and it helped make
Nottingham a legend. It falls thematically between New York 1 924, with its re­
markably intense analysis of moves, and New York 1 927, with its emphasis on
sporting qualities and psychological factors. This is a book that devotes attention
to "playing the board" as well as to "playing the man."

It was written by a more mature, self-confident Alekhine. Earlier in his career he

embellished if not outright lied about some ofthe moves he played and how much
he had calculated. But here his first note of the book admits he made a "lapsus
manus" or as we might call it, a mental mouse-slip. He played 4 . .1ld2 (after l .e4
e6 2.d4 d5 3.4Jc3 .llb4) rather than 4.e5 c5 5 . .1ld2, as he intended.

The Soviet era that was to come established an antiseptic, anonymous tone for
annotation. But this book is decidedly pre-Soviet. You see it in Alekhine's flog­
ging of Flohr in game 23 for trying. to exhaust his British opponent and his criti­
cism of himself in game 1 5 for running short of time. (Clock trouble, he writes, is
no more an excuse for a blunder than "the statement of a law-breaker that he was
drunk at the time he committed the crime.")

You see it again in game 8 when he claims authorship for a variation of the Dutch
Defense and, en passant, takes a shot at annotator Hans Kmoch for depriving him
of an "Alekhine Variation" in a tournament book nearly I 0 years before. (Kmoch 's
crime was dubbing one of Alekhine's original ideas the "Kecskemet Variation"
instead.)

5
Each of the contenders for Nottingham's 200-pound first prize got to play an
"anthology game." Flohr's win over Vidmar (game 58) deserves its place in
the endgame textbooks, although Reshevsky 's win over Alekhine (game 43)
may have more instructive points. Alekhine's demolition of Alexander (game
7 1 ) and Botvinnik's ofTartakower (game 24) and Vidmar (game 90) are mod­
els of attack. Botvinnik-Fine (game 1 1 ) deserved the prize for best fighting
draw, if only because the fight lasts much longer than the remarkable Alekhine­
Botvinnik (game 29). It's hard to pick a favorite game. The readers are certain to
find their own.

Andy Soltis
New York
March 2009

6
 Standing (1-r): R. Fine, Dr. S. Tartakower, Dr. M. Vidmar, E. D. Bogoljubow, T. H. Tylor, C. H. O'D. Alexander, S. Flohr,
S. Reshevsky, M. Botvinnik, A.J. Mackenzie
Seated (1-r): Sir GA. Thomas, Dr. E. Lasker, J.R. Capablanca, Ald. J.H. Derbyshire, Mrs. Derbyshire, Dr. M. Euwe, Dr. A. Alekhine, W. Winter
 The 1936 Nottingham International Tournament

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 13 1 4 1 5

1 Capablanca xY2Y2 1 Yz 1 0 Yz 1 Y2 Yz 1 1 1 1 10

2 Botvinnik Y2xY2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Y2 10

3 Fine YzY2 X Y2YzYl.Yl 1 Y2 Y2 1 1 1 Y2 1 9Y2

4 Reshevsky OYzY2x 0 1 Y2 1 1 Y2 1 1 1 1 Y2 9'l'l

5 Euwe Y2Y2Y2 1 xOY2 0 1 1 Y2 1 1 1 1 9Y2

6 Alekhine 0 Y2Y2 0 · 1 X 1 Y2Yz 1 1 Y2 1 Y2 1 9

7 Flohr 1 YzY2Y2Y2 0 X 1 1 Y2 1 0 0 1 1 8Y2

8 Lasker YlYzO 0 1 Y2 0 X Y2 Y2 1 1 1 1 1 8Y2

9 Vidmar OOY2 0 0 Y2 0 Y2xY2 1 Y2 1 Y2 1 6

1 0 Tartakower Y2 0 YzY2 0 0 YzY2Y2 x Y2 0 0 1 1 5Y2

1 1 Bogoljubow Y2 0 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 Y2 x 1 1 1 1 5Y2

1 2 Tylor 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 1 0 Y2 1 0 X Y2 Y2 Y2 4Yl

13 Alexander 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Yz X Y2 Y2 3'l'2

1 4 Thomas 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 X Y2 3

1 5 Winter 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 Yz X 2'l'2
 Round I

Monday, August 1Oth

The first game (according to the "draw") is between Alekhine and Flohr and gets
exciting in the first ten moves. Slight lapses occur on both sides. The time limit of
36 moves in two hours finds Flohr with about twenty moves to make in four or
five minutes, and his score reduces to almost a column of dashes, but he gets
through with the loss of a pawn and adjourns, to lose later at the 57th move.
Capablanca, who has missed the opening luncheon through slight indisposition,
is not in the mood for extending himself against Tartakower and draws in 19
moves. For the first time, in England at any rate, the FIDE rule that no game shall
be agreed drawn in less than 30 moves is done away with, since the rule is so
easily evaded when desired.

Tylor gets a good game against Bogoljubow and might have drawn, but a weak
44th move throws away the chance. Alexander is not at his best against Botvinnik,
who forces a favorable endgame and wins at the first session. Winter and Thomas
keep pretty level and draw in 29 moves. Euwe and Reshevsky play an in-and-out
game. Towards the time control (which finds the latter with seconds only), the
American misses an excellent opportunity which would have obtained a draw at
least and given Euwe much to think about. Further lapses occur and Reshevsky
loses at the evening session. Lasker goes rather astray in some knight play and
Fine playing very accurately wins in 34 moves.

Score: Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Botvinnik, Euwe, Fine - I ; Capablanca, Tartakower,

Thomas, Winter - Yz; Alexander, Flohr, Lasker, Reshevsky, Tylor-0; *Vidmar - Bye

(1) Alekhine - Flohr My Best Games ofChess, would obtain

French Defense [C I S ]
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d 5 3.l�)c3 .Q.b4 4. .Q.d2
A "lapsus manus." I intended to play
4.e5 and 5.f4 as, for instance, against
Nimzovitch at San Remo 1930, but in­
stead I made the move with the bishop
first.
4 dxe4 5..'�) xe4?
..•
a sufficient positional equivalent for the
pawn sacrificed, but the sacrifice of a
pawn involved by the text move is
doubtless incorrect.
5 ... � xd4 6. .Q.d3
The alternative 6.<£lc3 .axc3 7.bxc3
'{{ye4+ followed by <£Jf6 etc. was hardly
more attractive.

6 ....Q. xd2+ 7.� xd2 �d8?

After 5.'({yg4 '({yxd4 6A:Jf3 or 5 . . . <£Jf6
6:�xg7 §g8 7.'{{yh6 '{{yxd4 8.0-0- 0 etc., The refusal to take the b-pawn is based
White, as I have pointed out already in on a total misappreciation of the posi-

9
 Nottingham 1 936
tion: for after the retreat adopted, White
has the opportunity to get his king into
security and gain a tempo, thus obtain­
ing an advantage in development am­
ply compensating him for the slight
material inferiority. By 7 .. .'1>:rxb2 8 . .§dl
<tld7 Black on the contrary would have
reasonable hopes, by careful play, of
taking full advantage of his two extra
pawns.
8.0-0-0 �e7
If immediately 8 . . .<tlf6, then 9.i.tb5+.
9 .£)f3 .£)f6 lO.E!hel
•
It was by no means easy to decide
whether this rapid mobilization of all
forces available was stronger than
1 O.<tlg3 with the eventual threat of
.§hel followed by <tlf5. Both plans had
their advantages, but the one adopted
appeared to be the more simple one.
10 ... .£) xe4 ll.E! xe4 .£)d7 12.E!g4!
In order to induce Black either to castle
- in which case White would play
13 . .§el threatening �h6 - or, as in the
actual game, to weaken his pawn posi­
tion.
12 ...f5 13.E!f4
10
Threatening 14.i.txf5.
13 ... .£)f6 14.E!el Ad7?
As Black's position will remain infe­
rior anyhow he should try to keep at
least his material advantage as long as
possible. The natural defensive move
14 . . . g6 was therefore also the best.
White would in that case continue his
attack by 1 5 .h3 followed by g4.
15.E! xf5 0-0-0 16.E!a5
As the other pieces are not prepared to
support a queenside attack, this rook
had better remain in the middle. The
simple 16.§fe5 would enable White to
institute an easy attack against the back­
ward e-pawn.
16 .-�bs 17 . .£)e5 Ae8 18.g3!
•.
White realizes that a direct attack has
no serious chances of success (if for
instance 18:1>:re3, then simply 18 . . . b6
followed by <tld5) so decides to ex­
change queens, after which the exploi­
tation of the weakness at e6 may bring
success.
18 .•. .£)d5 19.E!e4
White does not prevent 1 9 . . . <tlb4 by
1 9.a3 as he needs this square for his
rook.
Threatening 21 .<tlc4.
20 ... E!d5 21.E!a3 �c5
Otherwise 22.c4.
22.�xc5 E! xc5 23.f4
 Round I

the best possible positions in order to

support the advance of his kingside
pawns, which sooner or later will be­
come decisive.

31 .•• 4)f6 32.4)e5 Ad5

The control ofthe d5-square is certainly

not a sufficient c ompensation for
White's material advantage.

33.f!e3 E!hS 34.h4 c6 35.Ac2 §d8

Threatening 24.c4, which at this mo-
ment would be ineffective because of
23 . . . 4Jd7.
23 ... §d5
It is not hard to understand that Black
tries to avoid the variation 23 . . .h6 24.c4
a5 25 . .§ d4 .llc6 26 . .§c3 eventually fol­
lowed by b3, a3 and b4, but the move
in the text loses another pawn without
improving his position.
24.4)f31 11.d7 25.4)g5 §e8
36.Ab3 E!c7 37.4)f3
More correct at once was 37 . .llc 4.
37 ... §e8 38.4)e5 §ec8 39.Ac4
It was important to have the possibility
of playing b4 in case of . . . b6.
39 ... !ifla8 40.b4 §bS 41.g4
The beginning of the end. The tactical
justification of this move is shown by
the variation 4 l . . .Axc4 42.4Jxc4 4Jxg4
43.4Jb6+ followed by 44 . .§a3•.

Both pawns could not be protected, but 41 ... b6 42.g5 bxc5 43.bxc5 4)d7
by leaving the h-pawn, Black hopes to 44.4) x d7 § x d7 45.h5 §f7
have the opportunity of playing e5,
which would relieve him of one of his
main troubles. The object of White's
next moves is to prevent this possibil­
ity.

26.c4 E!f5 27.§d4 E!ff8 28.c5

Not immediately 28.Axh7 because of

28 . . . e5.

28... 4)d5 29.A xh7 Ac6 30.Ag6

§e7 3 1.41f3
If 45 . . . .§db7, then 46.Ab3 etc.
From now on White's plan is rather
obvious. He tries to place his pieces in 46.§xe6

11
 Nottingham 1 936
One of the combinations that an expe­
rienced player does not need to calcu­
late to a finish. He knows that under
given circumstances the kingside pawns
must become overwhelming.
46... J,lxe6 47.J,\xe6 Etfb7 48.J,\b3
EthS
Also to 48 . . . flb5 the answer would be
the same.
49.h6 gxh6 50.g6 EtgS
Or 50 . . . f!f8 51 .f5 fl xf5 52.f!d8+ fol­
lowed by the exchange of rooks and by
g7.
51.f5 EtfS 52.J,\c2 h5 53.Etd6 Ete7
54.f6 Ete1+ 55.�d2 Etfl 56.f7 h4
57.Etd7 1-0
(2) Tartakower - Capablanca
Queen's Pawn Game [003]
1 .d4 d5 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.Ag5
A harmless move which could also be
quite well answered by 3 . . .llf5.
. tf!b51
3 ...e6 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Ae7 6.4)bd2
4)bd7 7.Ad3 0-0 8.0-0 tflc7
12
As 9.6L'!e5 would not be in White's fa­
vor after 9 . . . 6Llxe5 1 0.dxe5 6Lld7, etc.,
Black had better play at once 8 ... b6 and
if 9.e4, then 9 . . . dxe4 10.6Llxe4 .llb7 as
in the actual game.
If White intended to play e4, he should
do that at once. After 9 . e4 dxe4
10.6Llxe4 b6 l l .�c2 h6 1 2 . .llh4 fol­
lowed by 1 3 .Ag3, the black queen
would have no suitable square. After the
text move, Black finishes his develop­
ment and White has not the slightest
chance to get an advantage.
9 ...b6 10.e4 dxe4 1 1.4) xe4 Ab7
1 2 . d x c 5 4) x c 5 1 3 . 4) x c 5 t}f x c5
14.J,\xf6
White - it is obvious now - only plays
for a draw. Under these conditions it is
generally difficult for the second player
to complicate matters without taking
chances.
14...J,\xf6 15.Ae4 J,\xe4 16.t}fxe4
Practically dislodges the white queen
from its central position.
17.t}Jc2 EtfdS 18.Etfd 1 g6 19.h3
Y,-Y,
In this kind of position the bishop is
worth more than the knight, which has
not any permanent square in the middle.
Further play, beginning for instance
19 . . . f!ac8, was therefore still possible.
Against a player of Dr. Tartakower's
experience, however, it is doubtful if it
would prove successful.
 Round I
(3) Bogoljubow - Tylor
Queen's Gambit Declined [D 1 2]
I.{)f3 {)f6 2.c4 c6 3.d4 d5 4.e3
Jl.f5 5.cxd5 {) xd5
\lore aggressive but more risky than the
Jsual 5 . . . cxd5 which is good enough for
�quality.
6.Ac4 e6 7.0-0 Ae7 8.{)bd2
The natural move 8.'ifre2 with the in­
tention of e4, played by Dr. Euwe in
our sixth match game, is better. Speak­
ing in general, White plays the opening
of this game indifferently and soon gets
a cramped position.
s ... {)b6
A good idea as e4 (in the near future)
would only weaken White's central po­
sition owing to the position ofthe knight
at d2.
9.Ae2 0-0 10.{)e5?
What is the use of placing this knight
only to exchange it at the next move?
C omparatively better was 1 0 . 4Jb3
4J8d7 ll . .lld2 etc.
10 . . . {) 8d7 l l . {) x d7 � xd7
12.{)b3 §.ad8 13.Af3
Wasting time again instead of develop­
ing the other bishop.
1 3...e51 14.a4
Or 14.dxe5 'ifrc7 followed by ifrxe5 etc.,
with obvious advantage.
14...e4 15.Ae2 Ad6
13
Black has now good prospects of ob­
taining a dangerous kingside attack.
t6.Ad2
At last.
16 ... �e7
In order to succeed with his attack,
Black needed here as many pieces as
he could possibly utilize, therefore he
should not allow the exchange of his
knight, which posted at d5 would
greatly contribute to the final assault.
16 . . . 4Jd5 was the right move.
17.Aa5 �h4
The combination inaugurated by this
move is ingenious but finally leads only
to a drawish position. The immediate
1 7 . . . 'ifrg5 (threatening 1 8 . . . .ll h 3 )
1 8.'ifrc2 fl fe8 followed b y f!e6 etc.,
would put before White a more diffi­
cult defensive problem.
18.g3 �g5 19. �c2 h5 20.{)c5
White arrives just in time to exchange
the most dangerous black pieces.
20 ... h4 2l.Jl.xb6 axb6
 Nottingham 1 936
Insufficient would be 2 1 . . . hxg3
22 . .ilxd8 etc.
22.4) xe4 hxg3 23.hxg3 .ll x e4
If 23 . . . �g6, then 24 ..ild3 threatening
4Jf6+ etc.
24.�xe4
24....1}.xg3
This had to be calculated many moves
before. After 25.fxg3 �xg3+ 26.�g2
�xe3+, Black would either give per­
petual check or win a third pawn for
the piece, still keeping an attacking po­
sition. Consequently White has nothing
better than to exchange queens.
2 5 . �g2 .ll h 4 2 6 . � x g 5 .l}. x g5
27.b4
In order to avoid a further simplifica­
tion by . . . c5. Although White has a
slightly better pawn conformation, the
opposite colored bishops should secure
Black an easy draw.
27...f5
As White can prevent the further ad­
vance of this pawn it had better remain
14
at its original place. A safe plan was to
occupy the open h-file by 27 . . . g6 fol­
lowed by '<t>g7 and §h8.
28.f4 .lle7 29. .1lc4+ �h7 30.b5 g5
Black tries to simplify at all costs. Safer
moves here were 30 . . . c5 (3l .d5 being
perfectly harmless) or even 30 . . . § c8.
Of course not 3 l . . .gxf4 because of
32.§hl + and wins, but 3 1 . . .§d6 was
still simpler.
3 2 . b x c 6 b x c 6 3 3 . 13abl 13b8
34.13hl .llf6
In spite of White's desperate winning
attempts Black is holding his own. He
could even play here 34 . . . g4 35.§h2
.ilf6 etc., with quite sufficient defense.
35.fxg5 .ll xg5 36.13h3 b5!
Black realizes that the exchange of one
pair of rooks will destroy the last of the
opponent's winning illusions and is
willing to sacrifice a pawn to obtain this
result.
37.axb5 cxb5 38. .1ld3
If 38 . .ilxb5 §f7 39.§hhl §fb7 with an
easy draw.
38 . . . 13fd8 39.�e2 13d5 40.13fl
13a8 4l . .llb1 13e8 42.13hf3
Allowing a further exchange and hop­
ing for a miracle.
42 ... 13 xd4 43 ..1lxf5+ �h5?
 Round I
More exact was 43 .. .'it>h6 in order to
answer 44.Elgl by 44 . . . El c4! etc.
44.E!gl
44 ... E! xe3+?
Black underestimates the danger of the
following situation in which not only
will his king occupy one of the worst
possible positions but also his pawn will
limit the defensive power of his rook.
He could still obtain a draw by playing
44 . . . Elh4 45.Elfg3 Elg8 etc.
4 5 . E! x e3 A x e3 4 6 . � x e 3 E!c4
47.Ae4 �h6 48.�f4 E!cS?
Instead 48 . . . El a4 49.Elg6+ 'it>h7 etc.,
offered a steadier defense.
49.E!g6+ �h5 50. E!g7 E!hS
5 1 .E!g5+ �h6 52 .E!g6+ �h5
5 3 . Af5 E!dS 54.E!g5+ �h6
55.E!g6+ �h5 56.E!a6 E!gS
Or 56... Eld4+ 57.�e4 Ela4 58.Eld6 Elc4
59.l"ld7 and wins.
57.E!al �h6 58.E!a7 E!g7 59.E!a6+
1-0
As White will force the mate by Ral ,
etc.
15
(4) Alexander - Botvinnik
Sicilian Defense [B24]
l.e4 c5 2. .£lc3 .£lc6 3.g3
Quite a harmless variation, which of­
fers Black many good possibilities of
defense.
3 ...g6 4.j}.g2 Ag7 5. .£lge2 e6
Black, having already the control upon
d4, protects d5, thus obtaining a certain
advantage in the middle. A promising
strategy which could be successfully
met only by very energetic play.
6.d3 .£lge7 7.0-0?
Too indifferent. He should make a dem­
onstration on the kingside by 7.h4 and
8.�g5; if 7 . . . h6, then 8.�f4 followed
by �d2 and Black would have more
difficulties in completing his mobiliza­
tion than in the actual game.
7 ... 0-0 8.Ae3
And here 8.�g5 or 8.�f4 was better.
White should leave himself the possi­
bility of taking the intruding knight at
d4 with his own knight.
8 ... .£jd4 9.�d2 d5 10 . .£lf4
Comparatively better was 10.4Jdl in
order to dislodge, as rapidly as possible,
the powerful knight.
10 ... dxe4 ll.dxe4 �c7 12.E!adl
Other methods like 1 2.Elfcl followed
by �e l would have their inconve­
niences too. The game is already very
difficult to defend.
 Nottingham 1936

12 ....§d8 13.�cl b6 14. .§fel Aa6 One has the impression that White is
anxious to finish the game as rapidly as
possible; the pawn endgame does not
offer, of course, any chance.

27 ...fxe5 28.a4 'irtf7 29. 'irtf3 c4

30. 'irte3 'irte7 3 1 .f4 'irtd6 32.c3
'irtc5 33.fxe5 b5 34.a xb5 'irt xb5
35.'irtd2 'irta4 0-1

(5) Winter - Thomas

Queen's Gambit Declined [D53]

l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 . .£lc3 .£lf6 4.Ag5

1 5. 'irthl?
Ae7 5.e3 .£lbd7 6. .£lf3

This move,and not the next one as was

generally suggested, is the decisive mis­
take. White's last chance of salvation
consisted in 1 5.4Jb1 with the intention
16.c3, and if 1 5 ...g5 1 6.4Jd3 h6, then
17 .f4 with some kind of counterplay.
After the king's move the game is stra­
tegically hopeless.
15 •.• .£lec6 16 . .£lce2
Only shortens the end. The threats
1 6 . . . 4Je5 or eventually (in case of
1 6.4Jb1 for instance) 16 . .4Jb4 were too
.
strong.
1 6 . . . .£l x e2 1 7 . .§ x d8+ .§ x d8
18 . .£l xe2 j}, x e2 19 . .§ xe2 A x b21
20. � x b2 .§dl+ 2 1 .j},fl .§ x f l +
2 2 . 'irtg2 .§ d l 2 3 . .§d2 .§ x d 2
24.j},xd2 �e51
Forcing an endgame in which besides
the extra pawn he w i l l possess a
powerful knight against an anemic
bishop.
White can avoid the following simpli­
fication by playing 6.l"k1 c6 7 ..lld3 but
this is hardly necessary, for in the fol­
lowing endgame the chances of the first
player will be better on account of the
greater freedom in the center and the
open b-file.
6 ... .£le4 7.Axe7 '1Nxe7 8.�c2 c6
9 . .£l x e4 d x e4 1 0 . � x e4 �b4+
11 . .£ld2 � xb2 12.�bl
After 12 . .§b1 , Black would do better
not to take the a-pawn because of the
possible attack commencing by .lld3,
�e2, etc., but play 12 ... �c3 after which
White could hardly avoid the exchange
of queens.
12 .•. �c3
Black prefers to delay the exchange for
one move in order to have the
opponent's rook at c1 and not b l .
l3.�cl � xcl+ 14 . .§ xcl c5

25.� xe5 .£l x e5 2 6 . Ac3 f6 After 14 . . .e5 15.4Jf3, the opening ofthe
27.Axe5 e-file would be in White's favor.

16
 Round I

15.g3

A good idea, as the bishop will have

excellent prospects on the long diago­
nal. Still in the following White omits
to take full profit of this positional ad­
vantage.

15 ...1i!i>e7 16.-'l.g2 .E!d8 17.1i!i>e2

Here was, for instance, the right mo­

ment to force 17 . .£\b3 and the pawn
exchange in the middle, as after
2 6. § x a6 b x c4 27. §a7+ li!J>fS
17 . . . cxd4 1 8.exd4 White could even
28.§xb8 § xb8 29 . .E!c7 §b2 Yl-Yl
castle in order to occupy promptly the
central files with his rooks. After the
(6) Euwe - Reshevsky
move selected Black succeeds through
Queen's Indian Defense [E 1 6]
accurate defense in avoiding further
trouble.
l.d4 .£)f6 2.c4 e6 3 .£){3 b6 4.g3
•

-'l.b7 5.Jl.g2 Jl.b4+ 6.Jl.d2 Jl.xd2+

17....E!b8
7.�xd2 0-0
Now he will be able to answer 18 ..£\b3
by 18 . . .b6. Not the best, as it allows White to gain
control of the important e4-square. First
18. .E!c3 cxd4 7 . . .d6 and only after 8.0-0 was 0-0 in­
dicated.
Rather surprising, but well calculated.
B lack has just time to develop his
bishop.
8 . . ..£\e4 9.'i�k2 .£\xc3 would lead after
19.exd4 .£)f6 20. .£)f3 -'l.d7 21 .£)e5
•
10 . .£\g5 to the loss of the Exchange.
-'l.e8 22.®e3 .£)d7 23. .E!a3 Although in two match games played
with this variation between Dr. Euwe
No more promising was 23.f4 f6 etc. and Capablanca Black succeeded in
making a draw, White's advantage was
23 ... .£) xe5 24.dxe5 a6 25 .E!bl
•
quite evident; the experiment starting
with 8 . . . .£\e4 is therefore certainly not
White's last hope to gain some advan­ to be recommended.
tage but the following move destroys
such illusions.

25 ...b5 In order to play 9 . . . c5 which would be

premature here because of 10.d5 exd5
Forcing a speedy liquidation. 1 1 ..£\h4 etc.

17
 Nottingham 1936

10.0-0 c5 l l.E!adl 20.'�xe4 b5 2l.cxb5 E! xb5 22.f!cl

After the exchange of bishops Black
would not have much trouble protect­
ing his weakness, d6. More promising
and in accordance with the previous
moves was l l .e4.
l l . . . c x d4 1 2 . � x d4 A x g2
13.<it>xg2 E!c8
E!bc 5 2 3 . E! x c5 � x c5 2 4 . E! d l
�b5?
Why not simply 24 .. .f5 25.'�b7 '\;i'c6+
26.'\;i'xc6 Ei xc6 etc.? Ifthen 27.Eid7 Eic2
with a sufficient counter-attack, and by
other moves the black king will ap­
proach the center. The rook endgame
should not be won by White.

An important tempo, as White cannot 25.E!cl E!dS

protect his pawn by 14.b3 on account
of 14 . . . d5, etc. Better was at once 25 . . . Eif8.

26.E!c7 g6 27.�f3 E!fS 28.E!a7 a5

An artificial move that turns to White's

advantage. The simple 14 . . . <iJc6 was
good enough for a draw.

15.�f3! �e5

Instead of defending the pawn by

15 . . . <iJe8 he prefers to enter into an
endgame in which White has the dis­
tinct advantage ofthe pawn majority on
the queenside. Although both alterna­
tives were probably good enough to
save the game, the former was doubt­
less the safe. Both players produce inexact chess.
Here for instance 29.'\;i'c3 was the natu­
16.� xe5 dxe5 17.'�'f31 ral move in order to exchange the e­
pawn against the a-pawn and obtain (as
This very important move was prob­ in the actual game, but in a forceful
ably overlooked by B lack who is way) two connected passed pawns.
thereby deprived of one of his center
chances, the control ofthe a8-h 1 diago­ 29 . . . �c5 30.E!a6 �b4 3 1 .E!a7
nal. �c5 32.�e3 �d5+ 33.<it>h3?

17 ... f!ab8 18.b3 a6 19.�e4 � xe4
There is nothing better as 1 9 . . . <iJe8
(with the intention f5) could be an­
swered by 20.g4.
The only winning chance was 33.f3.
After the text move Black should ob­
tain an easy draw.
33 ... h5 34. �c3

18
 Round I
34... �dl
It is extraordinary that such a specialist
in "skittle chess" as Reshevsky could
overlook, even though very short of
time, the excellent chance of34 . . .�hl !.
After 35:�f3 (best) 35 . . :�fl + 36.�h4
e4! White would have to play the cor­
rect moves in order not to find himself
in trouble, the most convincing draw­
ing possibility would be then 37.�e3
�g2 38.�g5 �xh2 39.�f6 h4! 40.�c5
(threatens mate in two) 40 . . . § e 8
4l .§xf7 hxg3 42.�c7 �h4+ 43.�xg6
�g4+ 44.�h6 and Black has nothing
better than perpetual check.
35.�g2
And now!
35...� xe2 36.E!,xa5
Reaching the position he could have
attained on his 29th move.
36 ... �e4+ 37.�f3 �c2 38.h4?
White did not need to allow the ex­
change of rooks. Simpler was 38.§a7
�c5 39.§b7. If then 39 . . .h4 (indicated
by Dr. Euwe) 40.h3 �d4 4 l . § b5
threatening 42.�e3 etc.
19
3 8 ... E!,c8 39.E!.a7 E!.c7 40. E!, x c7
� xc7 41.�a8+
More exact than 4l .a4 �aS etc.
4t ... �g7 42.a4 �b6?
The last mistake which cannot be ex­
plained by lack of time. Correct was
42 . . .�c3 threatening e4. White could
hardly prevent in that case the exchange
of one of his passed pawns against
B lack's e-pawn and the resulting
endgame would still be very hard to
win.
43.a5
The decisive tempo.
43 ... � xb3 44.a6 �a3 45.a7 e4
Too late.
46. �b8 �f3+ 47.�gl � d l +
48.�h2 �e2 49.�e5+ 1-0
If now 49 . . .�h7, then 50.�f4 attack­
ing also the f-pawn.
(7) Fine Lasker
-
Queen's Gambit Declined [D37]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 4)f6 4.4)c3
.ile7 5.e3
A harmless continuation as Black can
now enter on a variation of the Queen's
Gambit Accepted with a tempo more.
More aggressive, if White does not
want to play the usual 5.Ag5, is even
5.1U4.
5 ... 0-0 6 . .1ld3 d x c4 7 .1l x c4 c5
•
8.0-0 a6
 Nottingham 1936
Black is obviously not content to equal­
ize by 8 . . . <tlc6 9.dxc5 �xdl etc.
Of doubtful value. More correct was
9.lld3 with the intention of answering
9 . . . b5 by 10.dxc5 etc., thus forcing the
position that occurred in the actual
game.
9 •.• b5 10.Ad3 Ab7?
10 . . . <tlbd7, in order to recapture with
this knight in case of dxc5, was more
promising by far. After the text move
White gets a slight positional advantage,
which however does not endanger
Black's game.
l l.dxc5 Axc5 12.e4 .£lbd7
I ntending to answer 1 3 . e 5 with
1 3 . . .llxf3 14.gxf3 <tld5 etc., with wel­
come complications.
13.Ag5 h6 14.Ah4 b4?
Weakening the position on the
queenside without necessity or equiva-
20
lent. At once 14 .. .'�h7 was sufficient
to keep the balance of the position.
1 5 . 4) a4 Ae7 1 6 . §.fdl .£l h 5
17.,ilxe7 '(}Jxe7 18.§.acl
18... 4)df6
After this most unnatural move, which
leaves the other knight completely in the
air, White's advantage becomes over­
whelming. It is really hard to understand
why Dr. Lasker rejected the natural
18 . . .<tlf4. The only plausible explana­
tion is that he did not like after 19.�e3
<tlxd3, the possibility of 20.Ek7, and
answering the move by 20 . . . Jlc6. If
2Uh c 6 (or 2 1 . <tlb6 <tl x b 2 etc . )
2 l . . .<tl7e5 22.<tlxe5 <tlxe5 23.§c5 §fd8
etc., he would emerge from the diffi­
culties. The final phase, not altogether
difficult, is played by Fine with his
usual accuracy.
19.g3 a5 20.4)c5 §.fc8
After this White wins perforce. The
only slight hope of defense was 20. . . g6,
at least consolidating the position ofthe
unfortunate knight.
21.4) xb7 '(}Jxb7 22.4)e5 §. xcl
 Round I
.-\lso 22 . . . g6 23.<£lc4 'l!Je7 24.e5 fol­
lowed by �e4 etc., would not help.
23.f:!xcl f;!cS 24.f;!xc8+ � x eS
25.�c2
Decisive, as after the exchange the
black knights would not be able to pro­
tect the queenside pawns.
25 ... �b7
21
He could resist a little longer by play­
ing 25 . . .'ll!d8 26.'l!Jc5 etc.
26.�c6 � a 7 2 7 . �c8+ �h7
28.�c6 �c5 29.e5+ g6 30.exf6
� x f6 31.�b7 �gS 32 ..Q.e2 �d5
If now 32 . . . 'll!c l + 3 3 . � g 2 'll!x b 2
34.<£ld8 etc.
33.�e5 1-0
 Round II

Tuesday, August 1 1 th

At the first table Capablanca and Alekhine meet. A slip by the former at his 23rd
move is followed soon by a serious miscalculation by Alekhine, who, when he
thought to win both exchanges, loses instead three minor pieces for two rooks.
There is trouble at the adjournment as to who shall seal the move. The Controller
has placed on the tables the envelopes for the sealed moves just before six o'clock
as given by the big clock in the University Tower, but Alekhine is so absorbed in
the position that he makes on the board at 6: 15 the move which should have been
sealed.

The matter finally has to be referred to the B.C.F. executive, which cannot be got
together till the following Tuesday. They then direct that play shall be resumed on
the following day from the position (Capablanca having sealed a move at the
request of an informal committee of officials summoned on the occurrence of the
difficulty) left by Capablanca's sealed move. There is, however, no further play,
Alekhine resigning in a demonstrably lost position.

The incident would probably not have occurred had "The Opponent" remained at
the board at 6 o'clock in the ordinary way to make out the diagram while "The
Player" was considering the move he was about to seal; but apparently there is no
rule in the FIDE code bearing on this point - rather a serious omission one would
think. The hours of play are from 2 to 6 p.m. and from 8 to 1 0 p.m. and a handbell
is installed in the room from Round III on to avoid further trouble of this kind.

After a "chameleon" opening Flohr takes full advantage of poor play by Tartakover
to win in 53 moves, the last 18 ofwhich Alekhine describes in his notes as "neither
thrilling nor instructive." Lasker wins a fine game against Bogoljubow, who it
appears, however, missed several chances of either winning or drawing. Alexander
with one or two grave oversights gives Thomas an easy winning chance, which,
however, the latter lets slip shortly after, and the game is drawn.

Reshevskv and Winter suffer from the time stresses which prevail in this round,
and agree to a draw rather than risk blunders. Euwe 's win against Vidmar Alekhine
describes as one of "Dr. Euwe's best performances at Nottingham."

Score: Euwe - 2; Botvinnik, Capablanca, Fine - l Y2; Alekhine, Bogoljubow,

Lasker, Thomas, Tylor, Winter -1; Alexander, Reshevsky, Tartakower- Y>; *Flohr,
*Vidmar - 0

*This player has had his bye.

22
 Round II

(8) Capablanca -Alekhine treating the queen to c2, thus admitting

Dutch Defense [A92] that his 7th move was not effective. The
knight expedition does not lead to any­
l.d4 e6 2.�f3 f5 3.g3 �f6 4.j},g2 thing.
j},e7 5.0-0 0-0! 6.c4 �e4!
10...,1ld8 l l.�c2 d6 12.d5
This move, in conjunction with the next
one, is one of my inventions and was
satisfactorily adopted by me against
Saemisch and Flohr (before this game)
and against Fine (after). I should think
that this system of defense deserves
to bear the name of the inventor, and
not be (like my idea of B-B 1 in con­
junction with N-Q2 in the Lopez, bap­
tized by Master Kmoch for reasons un­
known, the "Kecskemet" variation)
called the "Dresden," "Podebrady" or
"Nottingham" variation.
In the majority of cases the exchange
involved by this move is in White's
favor. It gives him control of the d5-
This move has been blamed since. But square (compare for instance the
neither with 7 . .£\bd2 (Saemisch), nor game Fine-Bogoljubow); but in this
7 . .£\el (Flohr) nor 7.'it!lc2 (Fine) has particular position White has already
White obtained any appreciable posi­ lost too much time with his queen and
tional advantage. As a matter of fact, knight, thus permitting Black to com­
Black's position is already satisfactory plete his development and to take ad­
because of the weakness of e4. vantage of the open e-file. Therefore
quieter tactics, starting for instance with
7 ...j},f6 1 2.a3 and eventually b4 were prefer­
able.
This bishop position is strong both for
attack or defense. White's next move is 12 . . . �b4 1 3 . �b3 �a6 14.dxe6
already of a defensive nature. �ac5 15.�c2 � xe6 16.�fd4

S.§dl �e8
The alternative, and quite sound, was
8 . . . 'it!le7. Black has already the choice
between several good moves.
9.�c3 .nc6! 10.�b5
White would do better (for 10.d5 was
not good because of 10 . . . .£\aS) by re-
Exchanging pieces without any benefit.
The developing move 16.Ae3 was pref­
erable.
16 ... � xd4 17. � xd4 j},f6 18.�b5?
This second trip is by no means more
successful than the first. 18.Ae3 was
still indicated.

23
 Nottingham 1936
18...�e7 19 ..1le3 a6 20.�d4 .lld7
2l.�acl �ae8 22.b4 b6 23.�f3?
An obvious mistake after which White
should get into great difficulties. In spite
of the previous inexact play, the game
after 23 .'�b3 would be still about even.
23 ... �c3 24. .§d3
24...f4
A miscalculation of a somewhat pecu­
liar kind. I thought to win both Ex­
changes and lost instead three minor
pieces for two rooks. The simple con­
tinuation 24 . . . .ll a 4 2 5 . �d 2 fle4
26.�el g5! would have left Black with
a quite obvious, perhaps decisive posi­
tional advantage.
2 5 . g x f4 .ll f5 26. �d2 .l}. x d 3
27.exd3 c5?
Black is still playing under the halluci­
nation mentioned above. Otherwise he
would doubtless make the move
27 ... fla4 which after 28.d4 would have
left him with an inferior but by no
means hopeless position. After the text
move all is over.
28. .§ xc3 .l}.xc3 29.� xc3 �f6
24
Also the middlegame would be hope­
less.
30.� xf6 gxf6 3l .�d21 f5 32.b5
a5 3 3 . � f l �f7 3 4 . � g3 �g6
35. .1lf3 .§e7 36.�fl �f6 37. .1ld2
�g6 1-0
Black resigned without even asking
about the opponent's sealed move,
which happened to be 38.a4. White's
last six moves were good.
(9) Tylor - Tartakower
Philidor's Defense [C4 1 ]
l.e4 �f6 2.�c3 e5 3.�{3 d6 4.d4
�bd7
At last we know the opening of this
game! First it was Alekhine's Defense,
then Vienna, then Three Knights. Now
it is definitely the Nimzovitch variation
of the Philidor, a difficult game for both
players.
5 . .1lc4 h6
Not absolutely necessary. Black can
also play s . . . .lle7 and if 6.dxe5, then
6 . . . flxe5 (not 6 . . . dxe5 7 . .ll xf7+ etc.,
and wins) without much difficulty.)
6.dxe5
The exchange here is, to say the least,
premature, as it frees and gives away
the control of the c5-square (see the 9th
move of Black). 6.0-0 followed even­
tually by a4 etc., would be the natural
course.
6 ... dxe5 7.�e2 c6 8.a4 �c7 9.0-0
�c5 10 ..Ile3 g5
 Round II
A surprising decision on the part of the
Pol ish grandmaster; his experience
should have told him that such wing
attacks can only be successful, ( 1) ifthe
opponent's king's position shows weak­
ness; (2) if the position in the middle is
blockaded or at least safe. In this par­
ticular case these premises are not ex­
isting and the text move only creates
holes in Black's position. Instead
1 O ... Be7 was safe and good.
ll.E!adl j},g4 12.Acl!
Here, and on the following moves, Tylor
meets Black's threats in the simplest and
most logical way. The intention of the
text move is gradually to unpin the
knight, starting by �e3, etc.
12 ... 4)e6
If 12 . . . �h5, then 13.h3.
13.Axe6 j},xe6 14.Ae3
Threatens 1 5.�xe5 followed by Ad4,
etc . And if now 1 4 . . . Ag4, simply
15 .�c4! as Black would have to attend
to threats after 15 . . . Axf3 16.gxf3 etc.
14 ... Ae7 15.4)el Ag4?
25
Black continues to play with fire, thus
wasting valuable time. 1 5 . . . 0-0 fol­
lowed by the opposition of the rook on
the open file still gives chances to equal­
ize by careful play.
16.f3 j},e6 17:�f2 b6?
Why create a new weakness? The de­
fense 17 . . . �a5 18.�d3 �d7 19.f\al
etc. was certainly a lesser evil.
18.b3 Jilh5
Still dreaming of a non-existent attack.
In spite ofWhite's prospects connected
with �d3 and aS etc., castling was still
the rational move.
19.a5!
After this obviously temporary sacrifice
White has decidedly the better prospects
both for the middlegame and endgame.
19 ... bxa5 20.Ac5 4)f4 21.4)d3
Threatening eventually 22.�xe5 fol­
lowed by Ad4, etc.
21...E!g8
Black betrays the king. After the pro­
saic 2 1 . . .�xd3 22.f\ xd3 0-0 White
 Nottingham 1 936
would regain the a-pawn and would re­
main with a much sounder pawn con­
formation. But in comparison with the
sacrifice of the vital e-pawn, that would
be paradise for Black. What follows
now is simply massacre.
22.Axe7 fJxe7
Or 22 . . . �xe7 23.�c5+ �f6 24.4Jxf4
gxf4 25.§d6 (threatening 26.4Jd5+)
26 ... !'1ac8 26 §al etc., and wins.
23 .1£) xe5 fJb4
• White would of course answer 35.4Jxf3.
After 23 . . . �h3 24.4Jxc6 �f6 25.�c5,
White's threats would be decidedly the
stronger.
24 . .1£) a4 Ah3 2 5 .1£) x c 6 fJb7
• � e 5 40 .i£) x f3 + � d 6 4 1 . �g 2
26.fJc51 E'!c8
The end ofBlack's dream. lf26...�xg2,
then 27.�e5+ �f8 (27 . . .4Je6 28.4Jxa5)
28.4Jc5 �b6 29.§£2! and wins.
27.fJe5+ �f8 28. .1£) xa5 fJe7
As hopeless as 28. . .�a6 29.gxh3 �e2
30.�d6+ followed by �d2.
29.fJ xe7+ � xe7 30.gx h 3 ;E'!xc2
31 ..1£)c4 .i£) xh3+ 32.�hl
26
32 ••. g4
If Black wanted to continue, he had to
play 32 . . . 4Jf2+ 33.§xf2 § xf2. The most
convincing line for White in that case
would be 34.4Jc3 § xf3 35.4Jd5+ �e6
36.§al! etc., thus inaugurating a win­
ning attack.
33.§d2 ;E'!xd2 34. .1£) xd2 §dS
He could threaten a mate in two by
34 . . .gxf3 (35 . . . Rg l + 36.Rxgl Nf2#) but
The rest is neither thrilling nor instruc­
tive.
35 .1£)c4 E'!d3 36 . .1£)c5 E'! x f3
•
37.§xf3 gxf3 38.b4 �f6 39 . .1£)d2
•
.l£)f4+ 42.�f2 a5 4 3 ./£)b7+ �c6
•
44 . .1£) x a 5 + �b5 45.�e3 .i£) h 5
46 . .1£)b7 �xb4 47 .1£)d6 f6 48. .1£)f7
•
�c5 49 . .1£)d4 .i£)g7 50. .1£) xh6 �b6
51 . .1£) hf5 .i£)e8 52.h4 �c7 53.h5
1-0
(10) Lasker - Bogoljubow
Queen's Gambit Declined [052]
l . .i£)f3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 .l£)f6 4 . .1£)c3
c6 5.Ag5 .i£)bd7 6.e3 fJa5 7 . .1£)d2
dxc4 8.Axf6 .i£) xf6 9 . .1£) xc4 fJc7
Thus reaching a well-known position in
the Cambridge Springs Defense. Black
has the advantage of the two bishops,
but it is difficult to bring the queen's
bishop into activity without weakening
his pawn position.
lO.§cl
As the answer shows this move has not
much value. 10.�d3 immediately, or
 Round II

even more promising, 10.g3 followed 16.§c2 f6 17.4)c4 Ae7 18.e4 c5

by itg2 etc., was to be considered. 19.f5?

to ... 4Jd5 11.Ad3 Another hasty move which allows

Black to form a counter-attack in the
It was perhaps worthwhile to lose a middle, and, at the same time, gain
tempo by l l .a3 in order to retake with space on the queenside. First 19.<£le3
the rook in case of 1 1 . . .<£\xc3. and then eventually f5 was the right se­
quence of moves.
1 1 . . . 4) xc3 1 2 .b xc3 Ae7 1 3 .0-0
0-0 14.f4
19 ... b5 20.4)e3 cxd4 21.cxd4 �b6
22.Ae2 E!dS 23.§d2 �g7
Under the circumstances White has
nothing better than to try to form a
This move was not absolutely necessary
kingside attack. But more promising
as there were no squares on the kingside
than the text move would seem to be
which needed protection. A good way
14.'�h5 g6 1 5.�h6 followed by f4 and
to bring the queen's rook into the game
eventually §f3 -h3.
was 23 . . . a5 followed by §a7 and §ad7.
14...g6 15.4Je5?
24.Af3 §b8 25.�hl a5

The pawn majority on the queenside

gradually becomes threatening. White
must therefore continue his efforts on
the other wing.

26.g4 a4

This should mean a mere loss of time;

the logically consistent move was 1 5.e4.

15...Aa3

Black fears to play 15 .. .f6 because of a

possible sacrifice at g6, but without rea­
son, as both possibilities: (a) 1 6.itxg6
hxg6 (not 16 .. .fxe5 1 7 .itxh7+ etc .) 27.e51
1 7.<£\xg6 §f7 ; or (b)1 6.<£\xg6 h xg6
17.itxg6 'it'g7 1 8.§f3 §h8! etc., would A good move but by no means a deci­
be in his favor. White would conse­ sive one, as most of the annotators of
quently be obliged to retreat his knight. this game seemed to think. As a fact it

27
 Nottingham 1936
should by correct play lead to a bal­
anced position with strong chances and
threats for both sides. It is a pity that
the next part of the fight is spoiled by
many tactical mistakes, due to lack of
time. The position was interesting and
rich in possibilities.
27 ... fxe5 28.dxe5 E! xd2
Of course not 28 . . . il:Yxe3 29.El.xd8 etc.
White should not permit the following
pin of his knight. After 29.f6+ 'it>f7
30.il:Yxd2 �f8 he could prevent the
double threat 3 1 . . .�h6 and 3 l . . .il:Yc5 by
3 l .Ef.cl and a possible continuation
would be 3 l . . . b4 3 2 . El.x c 8 Ef.xc8
33.il:Yd7+ 'it>g8 34.il:Yxc8 il:Yxe3 35.il:Yxe6+
'it>h8 36.�d5 il:Yel + etc., with perpetual
check.
29 ... Jtg5 30.E!el Ab7 31.Axb7
3 1 .f6+ 'it>h6 32.�xb7 il:Yxb7+ 33.'it>gl
il:Ye4! was not satisfactory either.
3 1 ...� xb7+ 32.�gl
28
Missing the winning chance 32 . . . gxf5
33.�xf5+ (or 33.gxf5 'it>h8! followed by
El.g8 etc.) 33 . . .'it>g6 34.�e3 (or 34.il:Yd3
exf5 35.il:Yxf5+ 'it>h6) 34 . . . il:Ye4! etc.
33.�d4?
Instead 3 3 . f6+ 'it>h6 34. il:Yd4 El.d8!
would lead to a draw.
Again he could win by playing 33 ... gxf5
followed by 'it>h8 etc.
34.f6
At last!
34... E!f8?
An awful loss oftime, which definitely
throws the game away. An easy draw
was obtainable by 34 . . . El.d8 35 .il:Ya7
�xe3+ (Dr. Euwe indicated another
way, prettier but more complicated:
35 . . . El.d7 36.il:Yc5 �h4 37.El.fl El.dl !
etc.) 36.il:Yxe3+ il:Yxe3+ 37.El.xe3 g5!
followed by El.b8, b4 etc.
After the knight has been brought into
safety, it does not matter what Black
plays.
36.�d7 E!gS 37.�f7 �as 3S.h4
jtd2 39.E!dl
If the bishop now leaves the c l -h6 di­
agonal, then 40 �f4 with an unavoid­
able mate.
39 ... �c8 40.E!xd2 1-0
 Round II

(11) Botvinnik - Fine l l ...E{f7 12.4:)f5 J}.e6 13.f4

Reti Opening [A09]
White must try to occupy his opponent
1.4:)f3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3 . .£Ja3 by tactical threats, otherwise Black
would definitely consolidate his posi­
Since the logic of the "hypermodern tion by Af8 followed by 4Jd4. From the
chess" has been proved in actual prac­ strategical point of view the move has
tice this move is seldom used in master both advantages and disadvantages, as
games - and rightly so. The aim is to the following pawn exchange creates
exert pressure against the e5-square, weakness on both sides.
which can at this very early stage of the
game be protected. The natural 3.e3 is 13 ... exf4 14.gxf4 4:)b6!
the best move.
Black need not fear the exchange of
3 ... c5 4.4:) xc4 4:)c6 5.b3 f6
White's king's bishop for his knight as
this exchange would compromise the
He could also play immediately 5 . . . e5 king's position of the first player. On
the other hand, a policy of simplifica­
but after 6.g3 (6.4Jcxe5? 4Jxe5 7.4Jxe5
tion as for instance 1 5 .4Jxe7+ E! xe7
�d4) by 7 ..1lb2 he would have to play
1 6.4Jxb6 �xb6 (or 16 . . . axb6 17.ilc3)
7 .. .f6 as e5-e4 would only give the
1 7.e3 etc., although possible would
white bishops new opportunities.
leave Black with a sounder pawn struc­
ture. Therefore Botvinnik's decision to
6.J}.b2 e5 7.g3 4:)ge7 S.J}.g2 .£Jd5?
sacrifice a pawn to maintain the initia­
tive appears justified.
After this instructive move Botvinnik,
in spite of the not too lucky opening,
takes advantage in an astounding way
of the slight weakness of the white col­
ored squares of his opponent's position.
IfBlack had realized that the d5-square
has, in this position, only to be con­
trolled and not occupied, he would have
placed his knight at f5 in order to pre­
vent 4Jh4 which will be an important
link in White's plan. In that case he
would have good prospects gradually
to gain space thus proving the bad logic
of White's third move. 15.Ae4 J}.xc4

9.0-0 Jl.e7 10.4:)h4! 0-0 1 1 . �bl In case of 1 5 . . . 4Jxc4 1 6.bxc4 .ilxc4

White's idea was 17.4Je3 followed by
Threatening 12.ile4 with the following Axh7+ etc.
sacrifice in case of 1 2 . g6. Black's next
. .

move is therefore forced. 16.bxc4 4:) xc4 17.Jl.c31

29
 Nottingham 1 93 6
One o f the points o f the sacrifice. The
alternative 17.4Jxe7+ .§ xe7 18.Axh7+
'it'f8 etc., would be to Black's advan­
tage.
Of course not 1 7 . . . 4Jxd2 1 8 . Axd2
�xd2 19.�xb7 and wins. But instead
of the text move, which leads only to a
draw, Black could try to play for a win
by 17 . . .M8 and in some ways it is a
pity he did not do this. Then White had
several ways of continuing his attack
(one of the simplest was 1 8.-'l.d3 4Jb6
19.'it'hl followed by .§gl) and it would
have been interesting to see which
Botvinnik would have chosen.
18.� xd4 cxd4 19.Axh7+ <it'fS
Of course not 1 9 . . . 'it'h8 because of
20.Ag6 followed by �f5 and wins.
20. .1}.b4
20...d31
A pretty move which forces a speedy
draw as White on account of the threat
�b6+ cannot well avoid the exchange
of queens. Inferior would be instead
20 . . . �b6 because of 2 l .Axe7+ .§ xe7
22.�d3 etc., with advantage.
30
21 . .1}. xe7+ § xe7 22.�xd3 � xd3
23.exd3 �b6
The pawn which White wins by this
move (as Black cannot play 23 . . 4Jxd2
.
24.!H2 etc.) has no importance what­
ever because of his spoiled pawn posi­
tion; the game could be given up as a
draw here.
24.Ae4 §dS 25.§acl �d5 26.a3
§ed7 27.<it'g2 b6 28.<it'f3 �c7!
The knight has to be brought on the
most important c5-square, and becomes
at least as strong as the white bishop.
29.<it'e3 �a6 30.§c3 �c5 3l.§f2
§d4 3 2.f5 §a4 3 3 . §g2 § ad4
34.§f2 §a4 35.§g2 §ad4 36.§c4
§4d6 Vl-Vl
As a matter of fact neither is able to
improve his position.
(12) Thomas -Alexander
Nimzo-Indian Defense [E44]
l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 Ab4 4.e3
b6 5.�ge2 ,ilb7 6.f3
The idea of the previous move (from
Rubinstein) consists in the possibility
or retaking with the knight in case Black
exchanges at c3, therefore the right
move here was 6.a3 in order to force
the opponent to make a decision before
he had the opportunity to play d5.
6...d5 7.�b3 Ad6
Although not bad, this move still allows
the opponent by the next maneuver to
consolidate the position which he had
weakened by the 6th move. More prom-
 Round II
ising was 7 . . .�e7 in order to play c5 at
the first opportunity.
8.c5 -'te7 9.4:\f4 0-0 10.-'td2 Ac6
As White will, sooner or later, be com­
pelled to exchange at b6, this move
proves to be a distinct loss of time (see
Black's 1 2th move). He had a better
chance of obtaining an advantage by
playing 10 . . . <tlc6 at once.
l l .c x b6 c x b6 1 2 . § c l -'lb7
13.Ad3 4:}c6 14.4:}a4!
Preventing 14 . . . <tla5. The game is now
about even.
14...§c8 15.0-0 Ad6 16.4:}e2 Ab8
17.f4
White does not need to provoke com­
plications by playing 1 7 .<tlc5 '{ff c 7
18.<tlxb7 '{ff x h2+ 19.\t'f2 '{ffh4+ 20.g3
�xg3+ 21 .<tlxg3 '{ffh 2+ 22.\t'el '{ff x g3+
23.\t'e2 '{ffc7 24.�a6 inasmuch as Black
could obtain a satisfactory position by
answering simply 17 . . . bxc5 18.'{£Jxb7
c4 19.�bl �d6 etc.
17... �e7 18.§f3
This begins a very unlucky plan which
only results in completely displacing the
31
rook. The natural move was 1 8.<tlg3
preventing <tle4.
18... 4:}e4 19.Axe4 dxe4 20.§g3
It is almost a wonder that the rook re­
turns alive from this expedition.
20... §fd8 2l.�dl
He could prevent the intrusion of the
knight at d3 by playing 2 1 .a3, but
Black's position would remain very
strong.
21 4:}b4 22.§xc8 § xeS 23.4:\ac3
..•
4:\d3
The game from now on becomes obvi­
ously a time control affair. Otherwise it
is difficult to explain, for instance, that
Black fails to make the most natural as
well as a good move, 23 . . .f5.
24.�b3 �d7
24 . . . f5 2 5 . d 5 El d8 was sti l l good
enough.
25.§g5 Aa6?
A grave oversight. The rook makes an
heroic effort to come out of its prison,
which would however have remained
unsuccessful had Black simply played
25 .. .f6 26.Elh5 g6 followed by f5 etc.
26.4:}xe4 �e7 27.-'tc3 f6 28.§g3
Ac4 29.�dl 4:}b4?
Another one!
30.4:} xf6+ �xf6 3l.Axb4 Axe2
32.� xe2 §cl+ 33.�f2 Axf4
 Nottingham 1936
This combination is also wrong, but
with two pawns less Black's game was
hopeless anyway.
34.exf4 �xd4+
The final mistake. By interposing the
queen, White would win easily, for in­
stance, 3 5 .'l!i'e3 l='!c2+ (35 . . . 'l!i'xb2+
36 . .ll d 2) 36.'it'fl 'l!i'c4+ (if 36 ... 'l!i'xb4
37.'l!i'xe6+ 'it'f8 38.'l!i'f5 + and wins)
37.'it'gl l='!e2 38.'l!i'c3 etc.
35...�xf4+ 36.�f3 �h4+ 37.�g3
Yz-Yz
(13) Reshevsky - Winter
Queen's Gambit Declined [D l 9]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3
d xc4 5.a4 Af5 6.e3 e6 7.A xc4
Ab4 8.00 00 9. �e2 �e4
As in other games in this tournament,
this move proves to be quite sufficient
to equalize (see Lasker-Capablanca and
Fine-Capablanca).
1 0 . � xe4 A x e4 l l . � d2 Ag6
12.�b3 �d7 13.Ad2
32
Leads to a further simplification (see
B lack's 1 4th move). But as Black's
pieces are well developed and he has
no weaknesses, there is no reason for
White to complicate matters, for in­
stance by 1 3.l='!dl.
13 ....Q.xd2 14.�xd2 e5 15.a5 exd4
16.exd4
Comparatively better than 1 6.'l!i'xd4
'l!i'e7 followed by l='!fd8 after which
Black's pawn majority on the queenside
could become an important factor in the
endgame.
16 . . . �f6 17. �f4 � d 5 18.�g3
�f6
Showing that he is satisfied with a draw.
Otherwise 1 8 . . . l='!e8 and if 1 9. l='!fe l ,
then 19 . . . l='!xel + 20.l='!xel b 6 i n order
to limit the action of the white knight,
was worth considering.
19.Axd5 cxd5 20.E{fcl
Hoping, in vain, to get the strong d4-
square for the knight after the exchange.
20...§fc8 21. �e5 � xe5 22.dxe5
22 ... E{c4
 Round II
An exactly calculated move which de­
stroys White's last winning hope. If, af­
ter 23.l''l.x c4 dxc4, White should play
24.4:\cS, he would even get into some
troub l e : 24 . . . Ei d8 2 S . 4:\ x b7 Ei d2
26.4Jd6 Ad3 followed by Ei xb2 etc.
23 . .§ x c4 d x c4 24.lz) d 2 Ad3
25 .§a4 .§c8 26. .§b4 c3
• White would not be easy to discover in
The simplest.
27.bxc3 .§ xc3 28.f4 Aa6 29. .§d4
�f8 30 . .£)e4 .§a3 31 .§d5 Yl-Yl
•
B l ack c an now p lay for instance
3 1 . . .Eia4 32.4:lcS Ei xf4 33.4:lxa6 bxa6
34.§d6 Eic4 3S.Ei xa6 Eic7 etc.
(14) Vidmar - Euwe
Queen's Gambit Declined [D 1 7]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3 . .£'lf3 .£)f6 4. .£)c3
d x c4 5.a4 Af5 6 . !£) e 5 l£) bd 7
7 . .£) xc4 �c7 8.g3 e 5 9.dxe5 .£) xe5
10.Af4 .£'lfd7 u . .Q.g2 .§ds
After this good move, first played in my
20th match game against Dr. Euwe,
White has nothing better than to move
his queen to c 1 as he has to reckon on
the eventual threat of gS.
12.�cl f6 13.0-0 Ae6
And this improvement on 1 3. . .'�b8 was
played by Dr. Euwe in our 2 1 st game.
It seems to be good enough to equalize.
The question is of considerable theo­
retical importance.
14.!£) xe5 .£) xe5 15.a5
This risky move was also made in the
game mentioned in the previous note,
33
and also with a negative result. In a
game played in the Moscow tournament
(Lowinfisch-Flohr) White obtained the
advantage by playing 1 S .4Je4 �aS
1 6.Ad2 Ab4 17 ..1lxb4 �xb4 1 8.�f4
etc., but why should not Black answer
with 1 S . . . Ab4 (instead of l S . . . �aS)
16.4JcS .ll c8 etc.? The advantage for
this case.
15 ... a6 16.!£)e4 Ab4 17.1£'lc5 Ac8
18 . .§a4?
In my game against Dr. Euwe I played
here 18.AxeS fxeS 1 9.f4 not being able
to find compensation in case I should
sacrifice a pawn with the text move.
And, as a matter of fact, no compensa­
tion exists.
18 ... ,1l xa5 19 . .£'ld3 0-0
The only move, but amply sufficient. A
mistake would be now 20.-'l.xeS fxeS
2l .�cS because of 2 1 . . .Ab6 22.�xeS
�xeS 23 .4:lxeS Ei x f2 24.Ei xf2 Ei d l +
2S .Afl Ah3 and wins.
20.,1le4
Trying to profit from the b1-h7 diagonal.
But this attempt will be easily refuted.
 Nottingham 1936
20...Ab6 21.'�c2
With the threat 22 . .ll x h7+ etc. Black's
next move shows that the execution of
this threat is welcome.
21. .. g5
A strong move quite in the champion's
style, thus easing the tension in the
middle after which he remains, if not
with a material, at least with an appre-
ciable positional advantage.
22.Axh7+
34
After this transaction, Black will find
it easy to prove the superiority of his
two bishops. A slightly better alterna­
tive was 22 . .ll x e5 fxe5 23.4::\x e5 �xe5
24.�b3+ �h8! 25.�xb6 §d2 etc.
22 ... t1/xh7 23.Jlxe5 Aa7
The point of B lack's defense, after
which he easily develops a powerful
counter-attack.
24.Ac3 b5 25.§.aal c5 26. t1/cl c4
27. .£)el Ab7
With the powerful threat 28 . . .�e4.
28 . .£)f3
In connection with the next move a
quite desperate answer.
28...g4 29 . .£lg5 t1/h51 0-1
One of Dr. Euwe's best performances
at Nottingham.
 Round III

Wednesday, August 1 2th

Alekhine drops half a point rather strangely against Tylor, who in the last hour is
almost on the point of resigning. The exchampion announces his intention of
sealing a move, but is very leisurely about it, consuming a deal oftime in watching
a neighboring game. In the evening Tylor makes a desperate but unsound
combination which takes Alekhine by surprise, and he, "very short oftime," makes
at his 47th "an awful move" which throws away the win.

Flohr begins with distinct positional advantage against Capablanca, but absence
of definite plan enables the latter to improve matters. Each gets tremendously
short of time and neither keeps a proper score, so that a "count" has to be taken to
see whether they have got in their 36 moves. It turns out that each has made 37,
but Capablanca's last move is "a terrible oversight" which he ascribes to
interference from spectators. The incident is referred to in the notes, and
Capablanca's complaint is undoubtedly justified. Euwe (alone) apologizes to the
Controller for his small part in the affair and takes a mild "wigging" in good part.

Overcrowding is the real trouble. Many times more than the usual number of
journalists are present, and they have been accorded the right of entry to the
players' enclosure as at all B.C.F. meetings. Some of them are more excitable
than we are accustomed to in England. The Controller, after twice addressing the
press room on the difficulty, with only temporary improvement, has reluctantly to
withdraw the privilege, and to arrange for one pressman or steward to sit at each
table to take down the moves in duplicate for the benefit of the press room. This
plan works reasonably well for the rest of the tournament.

Botvinnik's is a real master game and he plays Bogoljubow to a standstill in 25

moves. Fine becomes a pawn ahead against Thomas, but the Englishman has a
wellsupported passed d-pawn which enables him to draw. Reshevsky with a pawn
ahead wins a queen ending against Alexander, though a slip prolongs the game an
unnecessary 30 odd moves. Euwe has the bye.

Score: Botvinnik - 2 Yz; *Euwe, Fine - 2; Alekhine, Capablanca, Lasker, Reshevsky,

Thomas, Tylor - I Yz; Bogoljubow, *Flohr, Tartakower, *Vidmar, Winter - I ;
Alexander - Yz

(15) Alekhine - Tylor In order to avoid the move 6 ... .tle4,

Queen's Gambit Declined [D36] which is possible, for instance, after
6 . .tlf3.
l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4..Q.g5
.Q.e7 5.e3 �bd7 6.f!cl 6 . . . 0-0 7 . c x d 5 e x d 5 8 . .Q.d3 c6

35
 Nottingham 1936
9.�c2 .§e8 10.4)f3 4)f8 1 1 .0-0
4)h5
This radical method to force the ex­
change ofWhite's "bad" bishop (which
is of the same color as the squares on
which are placed most of White 's
pawns) can hardly be recommended
inasmuch as the knight at h5 has noth­
ing to d o . An i nteresting p l an i s
1 1 . . .4Je6 1 2.-'l.h4 g6 followed b y 4Jg7
and iUS with the object of exchanging
White's "good" bishop.
12.Axe7 .§ xe7
Better was 1 2 . . .�xe7 preventing for the
moment White's next move.
13.b4
The well-known "minority" attack is
undertaken at a moment when Black has
practically no chances to organize a
counter-demonstration on the other
wing.
13 .•. b5?
But this remedy is even worse than the
disease. Black now will have a very
weak pawn on an open file and the ef­
forts he will make in order to protect it
will permit White to obtain an initia-
36
tive on the other side as well. Instead
Black could start a steady defense by
playing 1 3 . . .a6 14.a4 -'te6 15.b5 axb5
16.axb5 §c7 etc.
A sad place for the bishop.
15.4)e2 .§e6 16.g4 4)f6 17.f4
And not 17.4Jf4 which would allow the
sacrifice 17 . . . § xe5 followed by 4Jxg4
with good chances for Black.
t7 .•. 4)6d7 t8.Af5
Premature would be 18.4Jxd7 4Jxd7
19.-'txh7+ 'i!th8 20.§f3 �e7 2 1 .§h3
§h6 and Black would get compensa­
tion for the pawn. But now he cannot
play 18 . . . §d6 on account of 19.4Jxd7
followed by Axh7+ etc.
18 ... 4) xe51 19.dxe5
Of course not 1 9 . -'l.xe6 because of
19 . . .4Jc4 followed by 4Jxe3.
19 .§e8 20.4)d4 g6 2l.Ad3 f6!
..•
This pawn sacrifice is, under the cir­
cumstances, his best practical chance.
By defensive moves like 2 l . . .§ c8 or
2 l . . .�b6 White would obtain a strate­
gically won game after 22.g5! etc.
2 2 . 4) x c6 j}_ x c6 2 3 . � x c6 f x e 5
24.jlxb5
Threatening 25.�xe8.
24....§e6 25. �c5 exf4 26. .§xf4?
White would have a much easier win
after 26.exf4 probably even in the
 Round III

middlegame. The text move, as will be 34.bxa5 §aS 35.Jld7 4)f8 36.Jlb5
seen, creates technical difficulties. f!xa5 37.a4 4)e6 38.§cl

26... §d6! White must prevent the move 4Jc5 (or

4Jc7).

38...�f6 39.h4! f!a7

It was important to keep as many pawns

as possible and Black threatened to
force a further exchange by 39 . . . h5.
Now White would answer this by
40.g5+.

40.�f2 �e5 41.�e2 4)c7 42.§bl

f!b7

Realizing that the rook endgame would

In spite ofthe threat 4Je6, White is able
to force the exchange of queens, after
which the endgame should be won by
careful play.
27.. .'�xc7 28.§xc7 4)e6 29.§c6
The point of the 27th move.
29 ... § xc6 30.J}.xc6 §dS 3l.§fl
be quite hopeless for him.
43.�d3 �d6 44.e4! 4)e6
Decisive, as after 44 . . .dxe4+ 45.'<t'xe4
White would easily work up an attack
against the remaining black pawns.
45.exd5 4)c5+ 46.�c2

This and the following moves are the

best and by no means easy to find. Here,
for instance the playable 3l .§f6 would
permit Black to build a strong defen­
sive position by bringing his knight to
c3 via g5 and e4.

31 ...�g7 32.J}.a4!

With the intention of answering 32 . . . d4

by 33.�b3.
32 ... §b8 33.a3 a5!
An interesting resource, but, as the fol­
lowing proves, still not quite sufficient.
46... 4) x a4
This sacrifice cannot even be called a
blunder; it is as good, or as bad, as any
other move. B lack's position being

37
 Nottingham 1936

hopeless. If for instance 46... 'it'xd5, then Because of the result of the game the
47J'l d 1 + 'it'e6 (or 47 . . . 'it'e5 48 . .ll c 6 critics condemned th is move and
threatening 49.l"ld5+) 48.'it'c3 and the claimed that 9 .. :ftfxe7 was necessary. I
advance of the king wins rapidly. believe that either move is good enough
to yield a fairly equal position provided
that B lack continues with the exact
moves.
An awful move, the fact that White was
very short of time is, to my mind, as 10.,1le2 Ab7?
little to be considered as an excuse, as
for instance the statement of the law­
breaker that he was drunk at the mo­
ment that he committed the crime. The
inability of an experienced master to
deal with the clock should be consid­
ered as grave a fault as a miscalcula­
tion.

Returning to the game, it is easy to see

that 47 . .ll xa4 would win. If 47 ... §. xb1
48.'it'xb1 'it'xd5, then 49.Ae8! (also
49.'it'c2 wins) 49 ... 'it'e5 50.h5 'it'f4 (or
50 . . . gxhS 5 1 .,\lxhS) 5 1 . hxg6 hxg6
52.Ad7 etc.
47... 'it'xd5 48.Ac4+ 'it'd6 49.�xb7
4)c5+ 50.'it'e3 � xb7 51.'it'f4 'it'e7
5 2 . 'it'g 5 � d 6 5 3 . Ad 5 4) f7 +
54.'it'f4 4) h 6 55.g5 4)f7 56.'it'e4
� xg5+ 57.hxg5 'it'fS Yl-Yl
As it was essential for Black to play c5
as soon as possible he should prepare
for that move by at once developing the
b8-knight at d7. After 10 ... 4:ld7 1 1 .0- 0
c5 1 2.dxc5 4:lxc5 1 3.b4 4:ld7 14:ftfd6
4:lg6 the game would have soon devel­
oped a drawish character.
1 1 .0-0 4)d7 12.'l!\'a4 a6?

(16) Flohr - Capablanca

12 ... c5 13 ..§fd1 4:ld5 was still playable.
Queen's Gambit Declined [59]
After the text move Black is in diffi­
culties because of the uncomfortable
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 d5 4.Ag5
position of his queen.
Ae7 5.e3 0-0 6.�f3

An interesting variation here is 6.l"lcl. 13.�fdl 4)d5 14.�acl �c8

6. . .h 6 7.Ah4 b 6 8.cxd5 4) xd5 From now on Black has no reasonable

choice.
Better than 8 ...exd5 played between the
same players at the Moscow 1 936 tour- 15.� xd5 exd5
nament.
If 15 ... .\lxdS, then 1 6.b4 with a strong
9.Axe7 � xe7 pressure against the queenside.

38
 Round III
16.J;ld3 cS
Strategically unavoidable.
17.dxc5
Tempting but by no means convincing
was 17 . .llf5 because of 17 . . . b5 18.'{tra3
c4! 19.4:le5 4:lxe5 20 . .llx c8 (or 20.dxe5
� c7) 20 . . . 4:lf3 + 2 1 . gxf3 AxeS and
Black's attacking possibilities would
compensate for the sacrificed exchange.
17 ..• l£l xc5
If 17 . . .bxc5, 18 . .llf5 winning at least a
pawn with a good position.
18. �d4 §e8 19.Af5 §c7 20. �f4
Threatening 2l .b4 4Je6 22 . .llxe6 etc.,
and also eventually 2 l .e4.
20 ... §ce7
21.l£ld4?
As a consequence ofthe opponent's in­
different play White has obtained a dis­
tinct positional advantage, which
mainly consists in Black's isolated
pawn and the unfortunate situation of
his bishop. But from now on Flohr starts
to play without a definite plan and al-
39
lows Black gradually to improve the
position of his pieces. Here, for in­
stance, the more natural 2 l .b4 4Je4 (if
2 1 . . .4Je6, then also 22 . .ll x e6 wins)
22 . .llx e4 § xe4 23.'{trc7 etc. would in­
crease Black's difficulties.
2l ...a51
Black, on the contrary, plays - until the
fatal mistake - very well. The text move
not only secures the knight's position,
but also opens a new field of activity
for the bishop.
22.J;td3
This bishop excursion does not lead to
anything. He could still try to dislodge
the knight by 22.b3 followed by a3 and
b4.
22 ...§e51 23.Ab5 §8e7 24.�f3
Neither 24.4Jc6 nor 24 ..llc6 was dan­
gerous for Black.
24... §g5
With the idea ofplanting this rook at f6
where it will occupy a strong defensive
position. White could prevent this ma­
neuver by 25 . .lld3, but continues in­
stead to make an irrelevant move.
25.�e2? §g6 26.J;ld3 §f6 27.J;lbl
J;ta6
It is psychologically easy to understand
that Black takes the first opportunity to
bring his bishop into an active position.
But stronger was first 27 . . § e5! pre­
.
venting the queen from occupying h5.
28.�hS Ab7 29.a3?
 Nottingham 1 936
First 29.b3 was indicated.
29...a4
Almost all B lack's pieces are now
strongly posted and he can quietly await
the development of events.
30. �g4 .§e5 31..£lf3 .§e7 32 . .£ld4
Both players were here tremendously
short of time and were only trying to
avoid oversights.
32....§e5 33 . .£lf3 .§e7 34. �g3 Aa6
35 .£ld4 .Etd7 36.Af5 .Etc7 37.Abt
•
37...�c8??
A terrible oversight which throws away
a position which was by no means des­
perate and which has improved in the
last 1 2 to 1 5 moves. The explanation of
h i s blunder has been given by
Capablanca himself in the Soviet maga­
zine 64 (August 20, 1 936).
He writes: "Both players were very
short of time. When four moves re­
mained to be made our table was sur­
rounded by a crowd ofjournalists, par­
ticipants and others. It is impossible to
play under such circumstances.
40
"Max Euwe, who stood close to the
table, spoke several times to Flohr, tell­
ing him the number of moves remain­
ing to be made, as both players had
stopped writing down the moves. As I
requested him to keep quiet he started
to argue with me, and tried to persuade
me that he was entitled to speak.
"This interference on the part of Euwe
was absolutely inadmissible; but the
tournament director was at that time
busy with his own correspondence, and
as a result of this interference I made a
grave error, losing the exchange."
The simplest was to return with the rook
to d7.
38. .£lf5 .§g6
After 38 . . . g6, 39.4:lxh6+ followed by
4Jg4 the game would be equally hope­
less.
39 . .£Jd6 § xg3 40. .£l xc8 .§ xg2+
As bad as 40 . . . §g5 41 .4:lxb6 etc.
4Vil7xg2 .§xeS 42.Aa2
Winning the d-pawn also.
42... §c6 43.Axd5 .§g6+ 44.\filhl
£ld3 45. .§c2 .§d6 46.Af3
Even stronger than 46.e4.
46 ... .§f6 47.Ae4 .§d6
If now 47 . . . 4:lxf2+, 48.§ x f2 § x f2
49.§d8 mate. The rest is very easy.
48. A x d 3 A x d 3 49 .f3 A x c 2
5 0. .§xd6 b 5 51.\filg2 Ab3 52.§b6
 Round III

Jl,c4 53.!it>g3 !it>fS 54.1it>f4 !it>e7

55.!it>e5 Ae2 56.f4 Ac4 57.�b7+
!it>fS 58.f5

Or 58.'<t'd6, '<t'c5 etc.

58 . . . f6+ 59.1it>f4 h5 60.e4 Ae2

61.e5 fxe5+ 62.!it>xe5 Ac4 63.1it>f4
h4 64.!it>g5 1-0

(17) Bogoljubow - Botvinnik

Queen's Indian Defense [ E 1 4]
l.d4 {)f6 2.4:)f3 b6 3.e3
More usual, and strategically safer, is
3.c4 Jlb7 4.g3 etc.
3 ... c5 4.c4 Ah7 5.4Jc3
The complications which could arise
after 5.d5 b5 etc., would be rather in
Black's favor.
12.�e2?
The aim of this move is difficult to un­
derstand. Because of his already infe­
rior position he should try to simplify
matters by 12.<tle5 as 12 ... <tlxc3 13.§ xc3
<tlxe5 14.dxe5 d4? would be answered
by 1 5 . .>lxd4. After the queen's move
this will, of course, be impossible.
12 .•. �c8

5 .. cxd4 6.ex d4 e6 7.Ad3 Ae7

.
8.0-0 0-0 9.b3
With this move, which weakens the
queenside without any necessity, and
the next one, White completely spoils
his position, which would be promis­
ing enough after 9 .Jlf4 followed, in case
of 9 . . .d5 lO:l;ie2 and §adl etc.
Black does not hurry with f5 as the op­
ponent already has no really useful
moves at his disposal.
13.�fdt f5 t4.Af4?
Directly provoking the unavoidable
kingside attack. White plays the whole
game with the resignation of a lamb
under the threat of the butcher's knife.

9 ...d5 10.Ae3? 14 ...g5 15.Ae5 g4 16.4:)el {) xe5

17.Jl, xe4
And now he should prevent Black's
<tle4 by playing, for instance, 10:i;Ye2 17.dxe5 �c7 etc. would not alter the
as 10 . . .dxc4 would not be dangerous situation.
because of l l .Jlxc4 .>lxf3 1 2 :l;Yxf3
�xd4 13.§dl . From now on Black gets 17 ...dxe4 18.dxe5 �c7 19.4Jb5
the better game.
The only way to prevent material dis­
10...4:)e4 ll.�cl {)d7 advantage.

41
 Nottingham 1 93 6
1 9... � xe5
20. .§.d7?
The last of a series of mistakes, which
loses in a few moves. After 20 ..�:lxa7
E1a8 2 1 .4Jb5 etc., White, in spite of the
obvious advantage of Black's position
(the two powerful bishops), could still
put up a stubborn resistance.
20... Ag5 21 . .§.cdl
He may, at his previous move, have
overlooked that 2 l . § xb7 .\lxcl 22.4Jd3
would be fatal because of 22 .. :i;j'a l .
2 1 ...Ac6 22 . .§. xa7 E!.cd8
The occupation of the open file is ab­
solutely decisive.
23.a4 E!, xd1 24.�xdl .§.d8 25.�c2
Ad2 o-1
I f now 26.'lWbl e3 27.fxe3 'lWxe3+
28.'<t>fl .lle4 etc.
(18) Fine - Thomas
Queen's Indian Defense [E l 6]
l.d4 �f6 2.�f3 b6 3.c4 Ab7 4.g3
e6 5.Ag2 Ab4+ 6.,ild2 �e7
42
As Black has to take the bishop any­
how, he should do so at once and de­
velop the queen at a more opportune
moment. The sequence of moves which
prevents White taking control of e4 at
this phase of the game is 6 . . . .llx d2+
7.'lWxd2 d6 (not 0-0) 8.4Jc3! (see the
game Euwe-Reshevsky) 8 . . . 0-0 9.0-0
etc.
7.0-0 ,ilxd2 8.�xd2 d6 9.�c21
Of course not 9.4:Jc3 because of the sim­
plifying 9 . . 4Je4. The queen's maneu­
.
ver is very subtle.
9...Ae4 to.�b3 Ab7
Black cannot of course allow the even­
tual exchange of his bishop for a knight.
If now 1 1 . . .4Je4, 1 2.4Jh4 with advan­
tage as 1 2 ... 4Jd2 would be refuted by
1 3.'lWa4+ c6 14.§fdl.
1 2 .�c2 E!.c8 13.e4
Thus definitely acquiring an advantage
in space, which cannot however be eas­
ily increased as d6 (after c5) can be pro­
tected without much difficulty.
13 ... 0-0 14 . .§.fel c5 1 5.b3 cxd4
16.1� xd4 �e5 17 . .§.adl E!.fd8
As this opponent's rook is never a pleas­
ant vis-a-vis for the queen; it would be
better placed on c7; and 17 . . . a6 prepar­
ing for this would be a better positional
move.
18. �b2
 Round III
With the obvious intention of playing
�a3 eventually, and besides, another
very obvious threat which Black actu­
ally overlooks.
18...a6
Comparatively better was 18 . . . 4Je8 fol­
lowed eventually by 4Jc6 in order to
simplify matters.
19.f4 �c6?
Loses a pawn. A mistake would also be
19 . . . 4Jed7 because of 20.e5 etc., but
19 . . .4Jg6 (20.f5 {Jf8) could still be tried.
This combination, which often occurs
in different forms in the so-called
"Scheveningen" variation of the Sicil­
ian Defense, should in the present po­
sition be decisive, as after a few ex­
changes, Black must lose a pawn.
20 . . . � x d5 21.exd5 � x d4
22.�xd4 b5
Under the circumstances the best move.
2 3 . c x b 5 a x b 5 24.d x e6 .ll x g 2
25.exf7+ � x f7 26. <it;l x g2 �c2+
43
2 7 . � d 2 � b 7 + 2 8 . <it;l g l � x d 2
29.�xd2 d 5 30.�d4
White has now, as well as the material
advantage, the far better position and
his win should only be a question of
technique.
30 h6 3l.�e5
••.
White was probably short of time, as
this and the following moves are cer­
tainly not the best. For instance, 31 .f5
(threatening f6) 3 1 . . .�c6 32.g4 (threat­
ening §.e7 etc.) was natural and strong.
3l ...<it;lf7 32.f5 �c6 33.<it;lg2 �d7
Of course not 33 . . . �c2+ 34.'it'h3 �xa2
35.§. xd5 and wins.
34.�g4?
This almost looks like an oversight, as
it is hard to understand what advantage
White can expect by permitting the ad­
vance of Black's free pawns. By sim­
ply playing 34.§.e2 (in order to prevent
the pin after �f6) followed by the pawn
advance g4, h4, etc., he would make the
win certain.
34...d4+ 35.<iti'h3 <it;lfSI 36.�e6
 Nottingham 1936
If 36.f6, then simply 36 ... gxf6 37.§.e6
(or 37:�g6 §. g7) 37 . . . §. d6 etc. The
white position looks stronger than it
actually is.
36 ... �d5 37.�g6 §f7 38.�g4
The last attempt to reach a decision in
the middlegame.
38...d3!
Black need not fear the variation
39.'�'h7 ee7 40:�·h8+ 'it>f7 4 l . §. xe7+
'it>xe7 42:�xg7+ 'it>d8 etc., as his strong
passed pawn would secure the draw in
the queen endgame.
3 9 . §d6 �e4+ 40 .�h3 � x f5+
4 1 . � x f5 § x f5 4 2 . § x d 3 �e7
43.�g2
Unfortunately for White, the advance
43.a4 bxa4 44.bxa4 §. aS 45.ea3 etc.
would not be sufficient to win, as in
such positions the pawn has to be at
least on the fifth rank in order to exert
a decisive pressure. As it is, White in
order to profit by his advantage on the
queenside must here bring the king
across and Black will find the neces­
sary time to create sufficient counter­
chances on the other wing. Sir George
44
Thomas' play in the whole endgame is
of a high class.
43 ...�e6 44.§d2 §c5 45.�f3 �e5
46.§d7 g6 47.§e7+ �f5 48.§e2
§c3+ 49.�f2 h5 50.�el �g4
51.�d2 §c5 52.�d3 g5 53.§c2
§f5 54.�c3 h4 5 5 . g x h4 g x h4
56.�b4 h3 57.a4 bxa4 58.�xa4
Or 58.bxa4 §.f4+ 59.'it>b3 (after 59.ec4
§. xc4+ the pawn endgame is drawn)
59 . . . §.f3+ 60.'it>b2 §. f4 6 l .a5 §. a4
62.§.c5 'it>f3 63.eg5 'it>f4 64.'it>b3 eal
etc., with equality.
58... �f3 59.b4 §g5 60.b5 Yl-Yl
(19) Tartakower - Lasker
Bird's Opening [A03]
l.f4 d5 2.J£lf3 4::lf6 3.e3 c5 4.b3 e6
4 ... g6 as a reaction to the fianchetto of
White's queen's bishop looks more
promising.
5.Ab2 Ad6 6.Ad3
With a tempo more, compared with the
Dutch Defense, one may allow oneself
different experiments. But more usual
and sounder is the development at e2
or bS.
6 ...a6
Although in the course of the actual
game this move proves to be of some
value, there was no hurry to make it.
Especially as White has already placed
his king's bishop. The natural move was
6 . . 4Jc6.
.
7.0-0 4::l c6 8.c4
 Round III
The situation in the center had to be
cleared in one way or the other. 8.4Jc3
would, of course, be answered by
8 b5.
. . .
8. .dxc4 9.Jlxc4 0-0 10. .£)e5
.
This knight's position would be of im­
portance only if White were able to
maintain it there without weakening his
pawn position in the center. As it is the
move is only good enough to keep the
position in balance.
10 .•. .£)e7 11.4:\c3 .£)g6 12.d4
The consequence of this advance wiii
be an isolated pawn, and especiaiiy con­
sidering the position of the bishop at
b2, this wiii become one of the weak­
nesses of White's position. As some
compensation he wiii, however, after a
few more or less forced exchanges,
have the open c-file.
12 cxd4 13.exd4 b5 14 . .Q.d3 .Q.b7
••.
15.�e2
The dispositions on both sides are quite
easy to understand.
15 �b6 16 . .£)e4 .£) x e4 17 ..Q.xe4
.•.
§adS
45
With the actual threat (the only one in
the whole game) of 18 . . ..llx e5 19.fxe5
.§ xd4 etc.
lS.'iflhl .£)e7 19.§acl .Q.xe4
The beginning of a transaction with the
object of securing a strong position at
d5 for the knight.
2 0 ." � x e4 f5 2 1 . �e2 .Q. x e5
22.� xe5 4:\d5 Y2-Y2
The prospects are in fact even, but so
they were before the first move.
(20) Alexander - Reshevsky
English Opening [A25]
l.c4 e5 2.4:\c3 .£)c6 3.g3 g6 4. .Q.g2
.Q.g7 5.e3
This weakens the f3 -square without
necessity. To be considered was 5.d3
foilowed eventuaiiy by f4.
5 .£)ge7 6 .£)ge2 0-0 7.0-0 d6
. . • •
8. .£)d5?
As a result of this transaction Black
succeeds in forcing the opening of the
f-file after which the weakness created
by the 5th move becomes acute. More
in accordance with the situation was a
strategem employed in similar positions
of the Sicilian Defense by Black, viz.,
8 .§ bl foiiowed by b4 etc., in order to
.
increase the importance of the g2-
bishop.
8 . . .£) xd5 9.cxd5 .£)e7 10.d4 4:\f51
.
Securing an exceiient position for the
knight at d6 after the exchange of
pawns.
 Nottingham 1936

l l .dxe5 dxe5 12.e4 4)d6 13.Ae3
f5 1 4 . e x f 5 Jl x f5 1 5 . � b3 b6
16.§acl
Unfortunately for White he has no
means of exploiting the open file, his
minor pieces being unable to take ef­
fective action on the left wing.
16... �d7 17.f3
22 ... Jlxg2 23.<;tJxg2 �g4 24.�d3
E( xfl
After having played in exemplary fash­
ion, Reshevsky here overlooks a finesse
which his opponent had probably
played for, and this oversight prolongs
the game for another forty moves. Af­
ter the simple 24 . . .h4 White's position
would be hopeless.

Better was, following the principle qui­ 2 5 . § x f l § x f l 2 6 . <;tJ x fl �f3+

eta non movere, to continue play on the 27.<;tJel Ah6?
queenside by 17.l'k6 followed by l"lfcl.
Still, Black by answering 1 7 ... -'th3 Still hoping to win with �hl +, etc.
( 1 8 . .ilxh3 �xh3 1 9 . l"l xc7? l"l f5 -h5)
would have better prospects. 28.d6!

17 h5 18.§fdl §f7 19.4Jc3 §af8

•..

20.4)e4

As the following shows, White does not

intend to sacrifice the exchange at his
22nd move, and in that case the text
move which leads to the series of ex­
changes has certainly to be condemned.
By proposing the exchange of queens
by 20.�a4 he would somewhat simplifY
the defense, but after 20 . . . �xa4
2 1 .4::\xa4 Ad7 22.b3 .ilb5 23.4::\c 3 Aa6 Although this move in the long run does
the pressure against his f-pawn would not save the game, White still deserves
still remain. credit for his resourcefulness. It now
needs a perfect technique, as Reshevsky
20 •.. 4) xe4 2l.fxe4 Ah3 22.§fl in fact possesses, to win the following
queen endgame.
After this the weakness of the white
squares on the kingside becomes fatal. 28...cxd6
By far the best chance consisted in the
sacrifice 22.l"l xc7 �xc7 23 . .ilxh3 re­ B lack has nothing better; the threat
maining with a bishop and a powerful dxc7, etc., is too strong.
passed pawn for the rook. Even if Black
should finally succeed after 23 . . . ®h7 29.�d5+ <;tJh7 30.Jl x h6 � h l +
24.d6 �d8 in profiting by his slight 3 l .<;tJe2 � x h2 + 3 2 . <;tJf3 � h l +
material advantage, it would be after a 3 3 .<;tJe3 � c l + 34. <;tJf3 � x h 6
long and strenuous fight. 35.'�xd6

46
 Round III
The following endgame lasts a long time
but is easy to understand. Black man­
ages gradually to advance his king, af­
ter having eliminated through exchange
White's g-pawn. He must quite obvi­
ously proceed with great care because
of the great number of check possibili­
ties, but on the other hand, his threats
to exchange queens and thus obtain a
won pawn ending will facilitate his task.
The result is another example of the
kind of endgame played between Sir
George Thomas and Dr. Lasker.
35 . . . �g5 36.�e6 �h6 37. �c8
�f6+ 38.�g2 h4 39.g x h4 �h5
40.�d7 a5 4 1 . � d 1 + � x h4
4 2 . �e l + � h 5 4 3 . �d 1 + �h6
44. � h 1 + �g5 4 5 . � d 1 �h6
46.�h 1 + �g7 47.�c1 �ds
48.�c2 �g5+ 49.�h3 �e3+
5 0 . � h4 �f4+ 5 1 .�h3 �f3+
5 2 . � h 2 � h 6 5 3 . �c6 �f2+
54.�h3 �h51
A mistake would be 54 . . . �xb2 because
of55.�f6! with good drawing chances.
5 5 . � b7 �e3+ 5 6 . �g 2 � d 2 +
57. �g3 � d 3 + 58.�f2 �d6
59.�g3 �g5 60.�f3 �dS 61.�g3
�f6 62.�d5 �f4+ 63.�g2 �h4
64.�c6 �g3+ 65 .�fl �f3+
66.�e1 �e3+ 67.�fl g5 68.�g2
�d2+ 0-1
The final stroke. If 69.'<t'f3 g4 * ; if
69.'<t'fl '<t'g3, forcing the exchange of
queens.
(21) Winter - Vidmar
Queen's Gambit Declined [D68]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 . .£lc3 .£lf6 4. .1lg5
.£lbd7 5.e3 .1le7 6 . .£lf3 0-0 7.f!c1
47
c6 S . .ild3 d x c4 9 . .1l x c4 .£l d 5
1 0 . .1}. x e7 � x e7 1 1 .0-0 .£j x c3
12.f!xc3 e5 13.�c2 e4
The alternative 13 . . . exd4 14.exd4 is not
without danger for Black, for instance,
14 . . .4:lf6 15.Elel �d6 16.4:lg5 h6 (or
16 . . . �f4 17.4:lxf7 and wins as in the
game Lowenfisch-Riumin, Moscow
1 935) 17.4:lxf7! Elxf7 18.�b3 and wins
(Alekhine-Petersen, Orebro 1 935). But
by playing in this variation 14 . . . 4:lb6
(instead of 14 . . . 4:lf6) Black still seems
to have an adequate defense.
Too slow. The correct move, after which
White remains with a slight advantage,
is 1 5 . .1lb3 with the idea of answering
1 5 . . ..1lf5 by 1 6.f4 and eventually play­
ing El c5 . By this continuation Black
could hardly avoid moving the knight
to d5 and the consequent exchange,
which in the majority of cases secures
White the control of the c-file.
15 ...Af5 16.f!c1
As White cannot be sure in this posi­
tion that he will need this rook at c 1 and
as he intends to play f4 anyhow, he
should play that move prior to the rook
move.
 Nottingham 1 936
16... .§ad8 17.b4 h5
A good positional move which would
be useful, for instance, if White should
play 18.b5 thus allowing a kingside at­
tack after 18 . . .cxb5 19.Axb5 <tld5 fol­
lowed by '(;)<g5, etc.
18.f4 g6 19. �b3 .§d71
In expectation of the following reply.
Otherwise he could improve his game
by the simple 1 9 . . . 'it>g7.
20.b5?
This advance must be based on a mis­
calculation as it completely ruins
White's position. A good move was
48
20.<£\fl, after which the issue would still
be uncertain.
20...c5 21.�a4
On 21 .d5, 2 l . . . .§fd8 simply winning a
pawn. This was the object of 19 . . . .§ d7.
21 ...cxd4 22.exd4 �d6 23.4)b3
Now all the white pieces are concen­
trated without effect on the queenside
and the king's position becomes very
exposed.
A meager satisfaction, for the fight will
be decided by the positional, not the
material advantage.
25 ...b6 26. �a4 .§c7
Threatening 27 . . . <£\dS.
27. .§g3 4)g41
Decisive.
28.Ae2 4) xh21 0-1
A well-played game by Dr. Vidmar.
 Round IV

Thursday, August 13th

Tylor outplays Flohr in the opening, but then relaxes. A long spell of even play
follows and Flohr in trying to win a drawn game makes a blunder at move 77.
Tylor then has a won game but gives a drawing chance (not too easy) a few moves
after, which Flohr does not take. Eventually a fourth sitting gives the Oxford
player a win in 96 moves. Botvinnik follows up his fine win against Bogoljubow
with a splendid victory over Tartakower in 30 moves. Subsequently this game is
awarded the special prize for the most brilliant game.

Reshevsky gets much the better opening with Fine, whose weak 34th move should
have led to a lost queen ending. This chance Reshevsky misses, but with a pawn
to the good he continues the effort to win for some time without success, and the
game is drawn at the third sitting. In the VidmarAlexander game both sides make
weak moves, but the latter arrives at a winning position which he lets drift into a
loss through time pressure. Vidmar finishes with a neat mate. After a sterling
defense against Euwe a "pitiful oversight" causes Winter to lose. Alekhine refers
to Winter's decidedly bad luck at Nottingham. Capablanca has the bye.

Score: Botvinnik - 3Y2; *Euwe - 3 ; Fine, Tylor - 2 Y2; Alekhine, Bogoljubow,

Lasker, Reshevsky, *Vidmar - 2; *Capablanca, Thomas - 1 Yl; *Flohr, Tartakower,
Winter - 1 ; Alexander - Yl.

(22) Lasker -Alekhine whether Black can sacrifice a pawn by

Nimzo-Indian Defense [E33]
l . d4 4:)f6 2 .c4 e6 3 . 4:) c3 Ab4
4.'litc2 4:)c6
The modem defense which has not as
yet found its refutation.
After 5.e3, Black can play 5 . . . e5 at once
(Keres-Alekhine, Dresden 1 936).
5 ...d6 6.a3 Axc3+ 7.'litxc3 a5
The necessity for this move depends on
the right solution of the question
playing 8 . . . e5 after 7 . . . 0-0 8.b4. In the
game Fine-van den Bosch (Amsterdam
1 93 6 ) B lack, after 7 . . . 0 -0 8 .b4 eS
9.dxe5 dxe5 10.4Jxe5 4Jxe5 l l .�xe5
.§e8 1 2.�b2 a new move was intro­
duced, 1 2 . . . �d3, which brought his
opponent into difficulties. Although
White finally won the game the whole
variation still deserves a closer exami­
nation.
s.Ag5
As the bishop can hardly avoid the ex­
change, a more promising development
appears to be 8.g3 or even 8.b3.

49
 Nottingham 1 936

8...h6 9. .11. xf6 If 1 8 . El b 5 , simply 1 8 . . . El ab8 and

Black's position would remain safe.
Very harmless. But after 9 . .llh4 the pin­
ning of the knight would be without (23) Tylor - Flohr
much effect as Black would always French Defense [C l 9]
have the move g5 at his disposal.
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.iilc3 .11.b4 4.e5
9 •.• �xf6 10.e3 0-0 1 1 .11.e2 e5
•
c5 5.a3 .11. xc3+ 6.bxc3 .£)e7 7. .£)f3

Black has obviously not the slightest More solid than 7 . �g4 played by
difficulties. Bogoljubow in a later game also against
Flohr. As will be seen White gets after
12.dxe5 dxe5 13.0-0 a few moves a very promising position.

7 ... .£)bc6 8..11.d3 �c7 9.0-0 c4

A move too early! After 9 . .lld7 10.Ele1

..

c4 11 . .\lfl h6 etc. White would find it

difficult to advance his f-pawn.

10 .11.e2 .i1.d7 1 1 . .£)h4

•

Threatening the stereotyped attack f4,

g4, etc. Black has already nothing bet­
ter than the following exchange.

13 ....11.g4 11 ... .£)f5 12 . .£) xf5 exf5 13.f4 .11.e6

14.a4
This maneuver is out ofplace as Black's
d7- and d5-squares are not sufficiently The bishop should have a splendid fu­
protected. But also after the better move ture on the a3-f8 diagonal.
13 . . .llf5 White would proceed to liqui­
.

date on the open d-file. 14 ...h6 15 . .11.a3 �d7 16 ..11.d6 .£)e7

14.h3 .i1.h5 15.E{fdl E{fe8

Otherwise White's next move would

have threatened Black's e-pawn.

16.E!d5 .11.g6

Black admits that the bishop's excur­

sion was useless.

17.E{adl .11.f5 18.E!5d2 Yl-Yl

50
 Round IV
17.Axe7
After having completely outplayed his
opponent, White suddenly becomes
overcautious and begins to play for a
draw. After the natural 17 .a5 and if
- II. Black prepares and actually plays b5.
17 . . . <t\c8 1 8.-'tc5 followed by an attack
with the queen and both rooks on the
queenside Black would lead a sad
existence.
17... � xe7 18.�bl 0-0-0 19.�b5
g5 20.�a5 �b8 2 1 . f!fb l �c7
22.�xc7+
It does not make a difference whether
White exchanges the queens or not af­
ter his 1 7th move; neither of the play­
ers has serious chances in either the
middlegame or endgame.
22 ... �xc7 23 . .E!b5 b6 24.Af3 g4
25.Ae2 a6 26. .E!b4 Ad7 27.�f2
h5 28.�e3 h4 29.�d2 a5 30.,E!bbl
From now a pretty dull affair begins. In
order to make a long story short it is
better, I think, to divide the following
play into sections.
I. Black prepares and finally plays f6 in
order to free the c5-square for his king.
30 . . . .E!h6 3 1 . �e3 Ac6 3 2 . Afl
.E!bS 33.f!b2 .E!h7 34 . .E!ba2 .E!aS
51
3 5 . .E!a3 .E! h h 8 3 6 . .E! 3a2 .E! hb8
37. f!b2 Ad7 38. �d2 .E! b7
39 . .E!bbl .E!bb8 40.�cl f6 41.�b2
fxe5 42.dxe5
42 . . . �c6 43.f!dl �c5 44.�a3
Ac6 45.f!abl .E!a7 46.,E!d4 .E!ab7
47.f!ddl b5 48.axb5 Axb5 49.f!d4
III. Black gradually brings his passed
pawn to a3 where it is weaker than at a5 !
49 ... Ae8 50.,E! xb7 f! x b7 51.Ae2
.E!h7 52.Adl Ah5 53.�a2
Avoiding the "profound" trap 53.-'te2?
g3 and wins.
53 . . . ,E!h8 54.�a3 �c6 55.�a2
.E!gS 56.�a3 .E!g7 57.�b2 �c5
5 8 . f! d 2 .E!d7 59 . .E!d4 .E!b7+
60.�a2 a4 61.f!d2 .E!b5 62.Ae2
.E!bS 63.�al f!d8 64.,E!d4 .E!gS
65.f!d2 .E!bS 66.�a2 .E!aS 67.Adl
a3 68.Ae2
IV. Black prepares and at last makes the
decisive mistake.
6s . . . .E!a7 69.Adl Ag6 70 . .E!d4
Ah5 71 .f!d2 Aes 72 . .E!d4 Ah5
73.f!d2 Ae8 74.f!d4 Ac6 75.Ae2
.E!a5 76.Adl �b5 77.Ae2
 Nottingham 1936
77 <it>a4??
•••
There were some voices in the press
which attributed Flohr 's fai lure at
Nottingham to "bad luck," and espe­
cially to the fact that he lost two points
to the British players, against whom he
had previously had good results. The
present game, more than any other,
shows that such an appreciation is en­
tirely wrong: Because a master, who,
not being able to win through his own
ability, tries to gain a point by exhaust­
ing a less physically trained opponent,
fully deserves to lose.
78 .\ld3
•
White now wins a most valuable pawn
and gets a winning position.
78 Etb5 79 .\l xf5 E{b2+ SO.<it>al
••• •
g3 8l.h3?
Allowing a hidden saving clause. The
winning l i n e was: 8 1 . h xg3 h x g3
82 ..ilg4 �b5 83.-ildl �c5 84.f5 .ila4
(or 84 . . ..ile8 85.f6 Af7 86.§g4 etc.)
85.f6 .ilxc2 86.£7 §bl + 87.�a2 §b2+
88.�xa3 etc.
8 1 . .. <it>b5 82 .\lg6 <it>c5 83.Etd2
•
Aa4 84.E{e2 d4?
52
After the oversight on the 77th move,
Black has obviously lost his head and
overlooks here the simple opportunity,
84 . . .Ab3!, which would permit him to
save a half-point. The chief variation
would be 85.e6 § a2+ 86.�bl §b2+
and White would lose the exchange if
he tried 87.�c l ?? Aa4 88.e7 § b7
89.e8'i£1 AxeS followed by a2 etc. Af­
ter the move in the text all is over.
85.cxd4+ <it>xd4 86.e6 c3 87.e7 a2
88.e8� A x eS 89 . Et x e8 <it>c4
90. E{d8 E{ b l + 9 l . <it> x a 2 E{gl
9 2 .\ld3+ <it>b4 9 3 . Et b8 + <it>a4
•
94.Ae4 E{el 95.E{e8 <it>b4 96.f5
1-0
(24) Botvinnik - Tartakower
Old Indian Defense [A55]
Special prize for the most brilliant
game.
1 ..£lf3 .£lf6 2.c4 d6 3.d4 4)bd7
This defense, in some aspects similar
to the Hanham, was often adopted by
Chigorin who did not mind defensive
cramped positions. Nowadays it is
mostly played in connection with the
fianchetto of the king's bishop, in fact
a more promising procedure.
4.g3 e5 5 .\lg2 Ae7 6.0-0 0-0
•
7 .£lc3 c6 8.e4
•
Another effective way of development
is 8.b3 followed by Ab2.
8 �c7 9.h3 E{eS 10 .\le3 4)f8?
••• •
The first of a series of weak moves,
which rapidly ruin Black's position. His
best chance to obtain some activity for
his pieces in spite of the weak d-pawn
 Round IV
was 10 . . . exd4 l l .<tlxd4 (or l l . .ll x d4
-"2lb6 etc.) l l . ..<tlc5 1 2.�c2 �a5.
ll.E!cl h6?
Either loss of time or a preparation for
a bad move ( g 5 ) . Indicated was
l l . . . .ll d7.
12.d5 Ad7
If 1 2 . . . g5, then 1 3 .h4 <tlg4 14.hxg5
.£Jxe3 1 5.fxe3 hxg5 1 6.<£lh2 followed
by �h5.
After this the game can hardly be saved.
A much lesser evil was 13 . . . <£Jg6 14.f4
exf4 1 5.gxf4 .ll f8 etc.
14.f4 gxf4 15.gxf4 ct;g7 16.fxe5
The attack from now on is very easy to
conduct as there are "many roads to
Rome."
t6 ... dxe5 17.c5 cxd5?
Black sees that he most lose anyhow
and does not even try to resist. After
17 . . . �c8 1 8.d6 .ll d8 the attack would
not develop quite as rapidly as in the
actual game.
53
1 8 . 4) x d 5 �c6 1 9 . 4)c4 4)g6
20.4)d6
Decisive, as the black rook cannot
move. If for instance 20 . . . Elf8, then
2l .�d2 Elh8 22.�f2 and wins.
20...Ae6 21.4) xe7
Instead of taking the exchange plus a
pawn by 2 1 .<tlxe8+ El xe8 22.<tlxe7 fol­
lowed by 23 . .1lxh6+ and El xf6, White
prefers to sacrifice material in order to
build up a mating attack. It is difficult
to say which of the two methods is
stronger as they both secure the win. But
certainly Botvinnik's way is the more
elegant.
If 2 1 . . .El xe7, 22.<£lf5+ and wins.
22.E! xf6
This continuation is by no means diffi­
cult, but makes a specially pleasant im­
pression because the text moves are of
a so-called "quiet" nature, that is, with­
out checks.
22...ct;xf6 23.�h5
Threatening mate in two.
 Nottingham 1 936
23...'£)g6 24.'£)f51 ftgS
If 24 . . . l"ih8, then simply 25.l"ifl .
2 5 . � x h6 .11 x a 2 2 6 . ft d 1 ftad8
27.�g5+
A more logical move was first 27 .l"i xd8.
27 . . . ®e6 28. § x d8 f6 2 9 . § xg8
l£)f4 30. �g7 1-0
(25) Thomas - Bogoljubow
Semi-Slav Defense [D48]
1.d4 l£)f6 2.'£)f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.'£)c3
c6 5.e3 '£)bd7 6.Ad3 dxc4 7.Axc4
b5 8 ..1ld3 a6 9.0-0
If White wishes to fight against the
Meran Defense, he must adopt the main
variation starting with 9.e4, which leads
to keen situations. The indifferent text
move permits Black to obtain a free
well-developed game almost without
effort.
9 ...c5 10. �e2 .ilb7 l l.§d1 �c7
12. .1ld2
This unpromising development of the
bishop is one of the consequences of
9.0-0.
1 2 . . . .1le7 1 3 . §ac1 �b6 14 . .1lb1
0-0 15.dxc5?
After this White can only hope to get a
draw, and even that is problematical.
Instead 1 5 .4Je5 cxd4 16.4Jxd7 4Jxd7
17 .exd4 would still lead to a colorful
game.
15... '£) xc5
54
16.e4?
It is easy to understand that White wants
to give more freedom to his queen 's
bishop, but the moment for this is not
well chosen. Although he does not fi­
nally lose any material, in order to win
back the piece he will be forced to
weaken his position in different ways,
thus permitting Black to force the win
by simple positional play.
16 ...b4 17.e5
Hoping for 1 7 . . . bxc3 1 8 .exf6 cxd2
1 9.fxe7 dxcl t¥ 20.exf8t¥+ etc.
17...'£)g4 18.h3
An interesting idea, but, as already men­
tioned not quite sufficient. However
1 8.4Je4 would, of course, after ex­
changes, cost the f-pawn.
18 ...bxc3 19 . .11 x c3 l£)h6 20.b4
After this Black must exchange his
queen's bishop in order to free squares
for the attacked knight, as 20 . . . 4Ja4
would lose the knight because of
2 1 .t¥c2 etc.
20 . . . Jlxf3 21.gxf3
 Round lY
And not 2 l .'ii!rxf3 4Ja4.
21 .•. 4)b7
As the following shows the knight is
not safe even here. But in order to cap­
ture it White has to give up a pawn and
his king's position is already very com­
promised.
22.Ad4 '/kxb4
Otherwise the queen will not find a safe
square.
23.§c4 '/kbS 24.a4 '/kaS
Or 24 ... 'ii!rb3 25 . .llc 2 etc.
2 5 . '{ke4 4:\fS 2 6 . '(k x b7 E{ abS
27.'/ke4 E{fdS
This is the result of the adventure inau­
gurated by 1 6.e4; most of the white
pieces are pinned and the pawns life­
less and exposed. The remainder is
therefore a matter of technique.
28.E{dcl g6 29.Ae3 Aa3 30.E{fl
§dS 31.f4 AcS!
Forcing the exchange of the bishops
after which the pawns will remain in­
defensible.
55
32.Axc5 § xeS 33.§fc1 §dS!
Better than 33 . . . § xc4 34.'ii!rx c4.
34.'/kf3 4)d4 35.'/ke3 §b3 36.'/ke4
'/kd2 37.§fl E{ xh3
The first victim.
38.<it'g2 §a3 39 ..Q.c2 4) xc2
The liquidation.
40.E{xc2 '/kd4 41.f3 E{ x a4 42.E{el
'/kxe4 43.fxe4 E{dd4 44.<it'f3 §d3+
4 5 . <it'g2 E{aa3 4 6 . § f2 § g 3 +
4 7 . <it' f l E{ ae 3 48 . E{ a l § x e4
49.Et x a6 E{g4 0-1
(26) Reshevsky - Fine
Queen's Gambit Accepted [D23]
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4:\f3 dS 4.4)c3
dxc4 5.'/ka4+
In this position the check is stronger
than at the 4th move. For instance l .d4
d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.4Jf3 4Jf6 because Black
cannot here force the exchange of
queens by 5 . . . 'ii!rd7 followed by 'ii!rc6.
s ... 4)bd7 6.'{kxc4?
White should of course wait until Black
forces him to take the pawn by threat­
ening to protect it. The correct move
was 6.g3 with the better prospects.
6 ...a6 7.g3
7 . .llf4 could be simply answered by
7 . . ..lld6.
7...b5 8.'/kd3 Ab7 9.Ag2 cs to.o-o
c4!
 Nottingham 1 936

A bold advance, which finally proves
advantageous in spite of the belated
development of the king's rook. With
10 . . . Jle7 Black could obtain an excel­
lent game without taking any chances.
1 1 . �c2 b4 1 2./ildl E!cS 13.Ag5
�a5
thing, the simple advance 22 . . . a5 was
indicated.
23./il 5c4 Ab8 24.a3! /ild5
The best under the circumstances, but
his advantage has already gone.
25.axb4 4) x e3+ 26.4)xe3 Ad6

An important tempo.

14.Axf6 /il xf6 15./ile3 c3

A mistake would be 1 5 . . . Jle4 because

of 1 6.4:lxc4 �b5 17.4Jd6+ etc.

16./ile5 Axg2 17.�xg2 �b51

27.E!bl?

White does not take advantage of the

tactical opportunity 27.d5! (27 . . . exd5
28.4Jf5 and wins). Black would then
have to fight for a draw.

27... E!b8?
Preventing 18.4J5c4. White has no com­
Much simpler was 27 . . .Jlxb4! at once.
pensation for the pawn majority on the
queenside. 28.�a2 a5?

18.bxc3 § xc3 19.�b2 Ae7? Losing a pawn. After 28 . . . Axb4 he

would still have an easy draw.
But from here on, Black, probably al­
ready short of time, begins to "swim." 29./ilc41 Axb4
19 . . . Jld6 immediately would save a
tempo. Or 29 . . .Jlc7 30.4Ja3 �a4 3l .�c2 with
a clear advantage.
20.§fcl § xcl 2l.§xcl 0-0 22.f3
Ad6 30./il xa5 �a6 31.�fl?

This bishop's maneuver is not convinc­ But this move throws away the best part
ing. As White does not threaten any- of his winning chances; the correct

56
 Round IV
move was 3 l .§b2 protecting both the
queen and the e-pawn.
3l ... §.b6 32.§.al Ac3 33.E!cl!
The only way to keep the material ad­
vantage. If now 33 . . . Axa5 34.�xa5 or
if 33 . . . Axd4 34.{lb3 winning.
33 ...Ab2 34.§.c2?
Leads to a queen endgame which gives
White only very slight winning hopes.
After 34.§c4 (even at the next move)
34 . . . h6 3S.§a4 White would keep his
extra pawn and have an advantageous
middlegame.
34...g6?
Instead 34 . . . h6 would lead to a diffi­
cult queen endgame. The text move
should lose, as will be shown.
3 5 . E! x b2 E! x b2 36. � x b2 � x a 5
37.�b8+ �g7
38.�f2?
It was certainly not easy to calculate,
even having plenty oftime as White had
at that moment (the control being at the
36th move), that the pawn ending re-
57
suiting from 38.�eS+ �xeS 39.dxeS
could be won, but still it was by no
means impossible. The winning proce­
dure consisted in the advance of the h­
pawn in order to weaken the opponent's
pawn position. The main variation is the
following: 39 . . .�f8 40.h4 �e7 4l.�g2
�d7 42.hS after which Black would
have three continuations:
( l ) 42 . . . �c6 43.h6 �dS 44.f4 �e4
4S.<�h3 �fS 46.�h4 gS+ 47.fxg5 �xeS
48.g6! fxg6 49.�gS and wins;
(2) 42 . . . h6 43. hxg6 fxg6 44.f4 �c6
45.�f3 �dS 46.�e3 gS 47.�d3 fol­
lowed by e4+ and f5, winning; and
(3) 42 . . . gxhS 43 .�h3 �c6 44.�h4
�dS 45.f4 �e4 46.�xhS �e3 47.�h6
�f2 48.�xh7 �xg3 49.e3! and wins.
This last one is the only variation where
White would have any technical diffi­
culties. As played in the text, Black has
a comparatively easy defense. By bring­
ing his king into the center, he will stop
the free d-pawn and the necessarily ex­
posed position of the white king will
give him opportunity of a counter-at­
tack.
38. . . �al 39.�e5+ �g8 40.�g2
�el 41. �b8+ �g7 42. �b2 �g8
43. �c2 �b4 44. �d3 �f8 45.�h3
�a5 46.e4 �h5+ 47.�g2 �a5
48.d5 �e7 49.�d4 exd51
In connection with the following move
an exactly calculated transaction which
leads to a clearly drawn position in a
few moves.
50.e x d 5 �d6! 5 1 . �f6+ � x d 5
52. � xf7+ �d4 5 3 . � x h7 �a2+
54.�h3 �e6+ 55.g4 �e3 56.�b7
 Nottingham 1936

lit'f2 57.'l;;'tb8 Cit' xf3 58.'�'f8+ lit'e2

59.'�f4 �d5 Yz-Yz

(27) Vidmar -Alexander

Queen's Indian Defense [E l 6]

l.d4 4Jf6 2.c4 e6 3.4Jf3 b6 4.g3

Ab7 5.Ag2 c5 6.d5 exd5 7.4)h4
�c7

Instead of this, 7 . . . g6, adopted by

Capablanca against me in New York
1 927 is certainly more logical than the
Either completely overlooking the fol­
plan chosen in the text move. For after
lowing combination, or underestimat­
castling on the queenside, Black will be
ing the strength of the sacrifice on
left with a by no means safe king's po­
Black's 1 8th move. He still should play
sition and without chances to form an
15.�f2 although after 1 5 . . . b5 Black's
attack on the other wing.
prospects would already be slightly bet­
ter than in the variation indicated above.
8.cxd5 d6 9.0-0 4Jbd7 10.4Jc3 a6
l l.e4 g6 12.f4 0-0-0

Practically forced as 1 2 . . .�g7 1 3.e5

dxe5 1 4.fxe5 4Jxe5 1 5.d6 followed by This pretty stroke completely frees
.§el etc., would lead to a quick debacle. Black's game and after White yields to
the temptation to win the exchange
gives very good prospects of victory.

As there is nothing decisive after the

pawn sacrifice, viz., 1 3.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5
'til'xe5, because of the possible check at
d5, this move cannot be condemned.
But White misses his way by the next
two moves.
13...Ag7 t4.Cit'ht?
It is surprising that Dr. Vidmar prefers
this dubious enterprise to the alterna­
tive 1 8 . 4J x h 7 4Jf6 (or 1 8 . . . �xb2
1 9 . .§ b l followed by 4Jxg6) 19.4Jg5
with chances for both sides. After the
following variation he should have lost.

This was not important for the moment.
By playing 1 4.a4 .§ he8 1 5 .�f2 fol­
lowed by .§cl and eventually b4 he
would still maintain strong pressure,
thus proving the unsoundness of
Black's development.
14 ... .§he8 15.a4?
18 ... .§ xe6 19.dxe6 4)f6
With the prospects of winning a sec­
ond pawn, and the two powerful bishop
diagonals (as 20.�xb7+ 'til'xb7+ 2 1 .'lil'f3
etc. would lead to a lost endgame for
White), Black has only technical work
to do.

58
 Round IV
20..£lf3 .§e8 21. �b3 .£le4 22 .§ad1
• (28) Euwe - Winter
d5?
And here it is! First 22 .. :i>k6 and then
d5 would increase Black's position in
a decisive way. Even 22 . . . c4 was good
enough.
23. f!xd5
Naturally!
23 .Q. xd5 24.�xd5
..•
The worst is over inasmuch as Black is
tremendously short of time.
24...�b7?
This second mistake loses a game which
could still be defended by 24 . . . <;t>b8
25.<£\gS l"ld8 etc.
25. �b3 �c6 26. .£lg5 Jld4
There is nothing to be done. If 26 . . .h6,
then 27.<£\xe4 fxe4 28.l"le1 and wins,
as Black cannot take the e6-pawn on
account of Ah3 etc.
2 7 . � d3 � x a4 28 . .£l x e4 f x e4
2 9 . � x e4 � b 5 30. �b7+ �d8
31 . .§e1 .Q.f6 32.�b8+ and mates in
three moves. 1-0
59
Semi-Slav Defense [D46]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3 . .£lf3 .£lf6 4 .£lc3
•
It is a great advantage for the world
champion that, being actually the best
connoisseur of this particular variation
of the Slav Defense, he can permit him­
self the luxury of playing it with White
as well as with Black (compare his game
with Dr. Vidmar).
4...e6 5.e3 .£lbd7 6..Q.d3 .Q.e7
Black avoids the Meran continuation of
which the main variation, 6 . . . dxc4
7 . .1lxc4 b5 8 . .1ld3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5
cxd4 1 1 .<£\xbS <£\xe5 etc., demands an
exact knowledge of all tactical possi­
bilities. The line of play adopted has
been recommended by Bogoljubow and
was played by him a couple of times in
our first match in 1 929.
7.0-0 0-0 8.b3
This leads to a more complicated posi­
tion than 8.e4 dxe4 9.<£\xe4 b6! fol­
lowed by -'tb7 and c5 (Bogoljubow).
8 . . . b6 9 . .Q.b2 .Q.b7 1 0. �e 2 c5
l l . .§ad1 .£le4
It is doubtless a relief for Black to make
this move as soon as it is tactically pos­
sible, especially as his queen has, for
the moment, no suitable squares. If in­
stead of this, for instance, 1 l . . :�'c7,
then 12.<£\eS wins.
12.dxc5 .£l xc3 13 ..Q. xc3 bxc5
After 13 . . . <£\xc5 14.Ab1!, White would
have at his disposal several unpleasant
 Nottingham 1 93 6
threats o n both bishops' diagonals. Af­
ter the text move he gets the often un­
pleasant "hanging" pawns, a disadvan­
tage certainly, but in this particular case
not a decisive one.
14.cxd5 exd5 15.Aa6
The exchange ofBlack's queen's bishop
would greatly facilitate the exploitation
of the weakness mentioned.
t5 ... Ac6 t6.Ab5 Ab7
17.e4!
A strong move, which secures White at
least the better pawn position. Black can
neither play 1 7 . . . dxe4 1 8.<tle5 nor
17 ... d4 18.<tlxd4! cxd4 19. .§ xd4 fol­
lowed by 20 . .§fd1, while after 17. . .<tlb6
1 8.exd5 <tlxd5 White could force an
advantageous endgame by 19.'�b2 Af6
20 . ..1lxf6 �xf6 2 l .�xf6 <tlxf6 22.<£le5.
60
Black's next move appears to be com­
paratively the best.
17 ... Af6 18.j},xf6 .£) xf6 19.exd5
.£) xd5
Threatening 20 . . .<tlc3.
20.�e5 �a5 21.Ac4 .£)f6
The king needed protection; tempting
but too risky was 2 1 . . .<tlb6 2 2 .<tlg5
<tlxc4 23.�f5 g6 24.�h3 h5 25.bxc4
�xa2 26.�d7! .§ab8 27 . .§d6 (threaten­
ing .§ x g6+) 27 . . . �c2 28. .§f6 etc.
22 . .£)g5 E!ae8
A trap. If 23.�f5, then 23 . . . ..1lc8 fol­
lowed by h6, etc., with easy defense.
A pitiable oversight after such a good
defense. After 23 . . ...lla6 there would not
be any attack to fear and the slight weak­
ness at c5 could be easily protected.
Winter had decidedly bad luck at
Nottingham.
24. .£) xf7 Aa6
Or 24 . . . .§ xf7 25.E!d7 winning.
25 . .£)d6+ 1-0
 Round V

Friday August 1 4th

This round produces a fine set of games. A sensational Sicilian between Alekhine
and Botvinnik is drawn in 20 moves, so the excitement does not last long.
Apparently a large part of the game was recent analysis. In the notes Alekhine
suggests a new form ofthe Wing Gambit. Quite early Lasker makes a positionally
weak recapture and Flohr gets a rather easy victory in 38 moves. Tylor sticks well
to Capablanca and twice gives him the chance to win the exchange; but the Cuban
avoids complications, presses hard against pawn weaknesses, and scores a
meritorious win.

Alekhine diagrams two stages in the Tartakower-Thomas game where, first, by

4Jc5 Thomas throws away a win, and, second, by 4Jf5, lets slip the draw, the
second error being due to time pressure. Bogoljubow plays well against Reshevsky,
who makes the first real mistake; but the former misses his way and loses eventually
a very interesting game. Alexander does himself credit in an exciting game against
Euwe. He goes to the sealingamove stage, but after considerable thought decides
to resign. In several critical situations Euwe has always kept a bit in hand and
played exceedingly well.

At the evening session there is a little liveliness when Reshevsky, who has
completed a game about 9: l 0, is called on to resume with Fine another adjourned
game, no difficulty as to time control coming in. Reshevsky is a game or two
behind and there is no official day for unfinished games till next Wednesday, so
something has to be done. Eventually Reshevsky is "persuaded" to continue after
some comic business over the setting of the clocks, in which the controller has to
defend Reshevsky's interests. The game, a queen ending, is again adjourned, but
the time gained here enables a drawn conclusion to be reached at a sitting during
the weekend, when Euwe, playing the part of the good uncle, puts the two
Americans on good terms. Winter has the bye.

Score: *Euwe, Botvinnik 4; Fine, Reshevsky - 3; *Capablanca, *Vidmar,

-

Alekhine, Tylor - 2Yz; *Flohr, Bogoljubow, Lasker, Tartakower - 2; Thomas ­

I Y:z; *Winter
- 1 ; Alexander - Y:z

(29) Alekhine - Botvinnik White in this particular position has to

Sicilian Defense [872]
l.e4 c5 2.4)f3 d6 3.d4
On another occasion I would probably
have played 3.b4, a sacrifice for which
my mind sufficient strategical reasons.
But playing for the first time with the
Soviet champion, for whose play I have
the greatest appreciation, I did not like
the idea of being accused of overween­
ing confidence, undue boldness (and

61
 Nottingham 1 936

this independent of the result of the

game), or of such things as "underesti­
mating," "blulster," etc.
3 . . .c x d4 4.4::'1 xd4 4:'lf6 5.4:'lc3 g6
6.Ae2 Ag7 7.Ae3
Of course not 13 . . . exd6 because of
14.g5 followed by f6, etc.
14.Ac5

Already intending to make the follow­ The alternative 14.�xd6 exd6 15.0-0-0
ing pawn advance. Otherwise I would gxf5 etc., was certainly not dangerous
first play 7.0-0 followed by <tlb3. for Black.

7 ... .£'lc6 8.4:'lb3 Ae6 9.f4

14 ... �f4!

In order to be able to answer 9 . . . d5 by

Again the only move, as 14 . . . �xd1 +
10.e5.
1 5 . E! x d 1 ! <tlc6 ( 1 5 . . . .£\xc2+ 1 6.'tld2)
9 ...0-0 10.g4 1 6.g5 followed by 17.f6, etc., would
give White a distinct advantage.

15.§fl

White, too, has nothing better than to

accept the piece sacrifice.

15 ... � x h2 16 . .Q.xb4

10...d5!

Already played by Botvinnik against

Lowenfisch (Moscow 1 936) who an­
swered 1 1 .e5 d4! 1 2 .£\xd4 .£\xd4 1 3
l;txd4 .£\xg4 14.�d3 a 6 15.0-0-0, etc.,
with about even chances.

l l .f5 .Q.cS 12.exd5 4:'lb4 13.d6 16 ... .£'l xg4

Doubtless the best move. If instead
1 3.fxg6 hxg6 14.Af3, then 14 . . ..£\xg4
1 5 .i;t xg4 Axg4 1 6 . � x g4 .£\ x c 2 +
17.'tle2 .£\xa1 18.E! xa1 i;txc3 19.bxc3
�xd5 with rook and two pawns for two
minor pieces.
The second sacrifice forces the per­
petual check.
17.Axg4 �g3+ 18.§f2
Of course not 18.'tld2? i;th6+ and wins.

62
 Round Y

18 . . . 't1!fgl+ 19. §fl 't1!tg3+ 20.§f2

't1!fgl+ Yz-Yz

.-\ short but sharp and well-played game.

(30) Flohr - Lasker

Queen's Gambit Declined [D38]

l.i£:lf3 d5 2.d4 .£lf6 3.c4 e6 4. .£lc3

.ll. b4

This allows White to get an even better

position than in the variation l .d4 4Jf6
10 . ..1l, xc3+
.

2.c4 e6 3.4Jc3 .llb4 4.�c2 d5 5.cxd5

exd5 6.llg5 as the developing move
-i:lf3 is more important there than �c2.
5.cxd5 exd5
If5 . . .4Jxd5, then 6.lld2 followed by e4
with advantage for White.
6..1l.g5 't1!fd6
A loss of time to say the least. By play­
ing 6 . . . c6 followed by .llf5, he would
probably obtain a balanced position.
7. .\l.xf6 gxf6?
This move is, for Lasker, almost unbe­
lievable. Black completely ruins his
pawn position without obtaining the
slightest compensation. After 7 ... .llx c3+
8.bxc3 �xf6 9.�c2 etc., White's posi­
tional advantage would be insignificant.
Also after 10 . . ..1la5 l l .b4 .llb6 1 2.4Ja4
etc., this bishop would be exchanged.
From now on White 's plan is very
obvious, he has to form a so-called
"minority attack" on the queenside,
which will be effective, inasmuch as
Black's weak pawn position prevents
the usual counter-attack against the
white king.
11. t1!txc3 f5 12.g3 .ll,d7?
As the move c6 cannot be strategically
avoided it was more logical to play it at
once. Speaking in general, the present
game is, and not through Flohr's fault,
one of the poorest of the tournament.
13 . .£le5 .ll,e6 14. .£ld3 0-0 15 ..\l.e2
This is even better than 1 5.llg2.

15 ... §ad8 16.0-0 .ll,c8 17.§acl c6

The unsound plan to play the pawn to
f5 is the consequence of an already un­
sound position. A lesser evil was the
maneuver 8. .. .1lg4-h5-g6, etc.
18.'t1!fc5
An important step ahead as Black's
queen was the only piece which could
eventually become unpleasant.

9.e3 l£:le7 10.a3 18 ...'t1!f xc5 19.§ xc5 �g7 20.b4

63
 Nottingham 1936
This advance will shortly create new
weaknesses in Black's fortress.
20...a6 21.a4 �f6 22.§c2
In order to prevent, after bS, cxbS axbS,
the possibility of b6 followed by aS.
22...�e6 23.b5 axb5 24.axb5 �d6
2 5 . b x c 6 b x c 6 2 6 . .£\ c 5 § deS
27.§a1 -'te6 28.§ca2 §b8 29.§a7
§b6 30.-'th5 §fb8
Also hopeless would be 30 . . . 4Jg6 be­
cause of 3UHa2 followed by '<fi'g2,
'<fi'f3, h4, .ilxg6 and 'it'f4, etc.
3 1 . -'t xf7 §b1+ 32.§xb1 § xb1+
33.�g2 .£\c8 34.§b7
34.§a8 was also sufficient.
34 . . . § x b7 3 5 . .£\ x b7+ �e7
3 6 . -'t x e6 � x e6 3 7 .�f3 .£\ e7
38. .£\c5+ 1-0
It is easy to see that the white king can
now advance via either e5 or g5.
(31) Capablanca - Tylor
King's Indian Defense [E62]
64
4.g3 0-0 5.-'tg2 d6
As White has selected a quiet develop­
ment without tactical points there is no
reason why Black should not try to win
some space in the middle by playing
s . . . ds .
6.d4 .£\c6 7.0-0 -'tg4
The exchange of this bishop for a knight
only increases White's chances. But
7 . . . e5 8.d5 followed by e4 etc. would
also lead to a cramped position for
Black.
8.d5 -'txf3 9.exf3 .£\e5 10. �b3
Although White finally succeeds in ex­
ercising pressure upon Black's b-pawn,
I still think that the e2-square was a
more natural place for the queen. After
10.�e2 the next move of Black would
not be possible on account of l l .f4 and
White could, without any "refinements"
as in the present game, slowly increase
this advantage through the sole pressure
of his two bishops, as happened, for
instance, in an analogous position in my
game against Reti, New York, 1 924.
10 ... 4)fd7 11.-'te3 b6
The fact that this move creates a weak­
ness at c6 is obvious, but the way in
which White takes advantage of this
weakness is subtle and instructive.
Black's position was already difficult,
for instance 1 1 . . .4Jb6 was not satisfac­
tory because of 1 2.c5 dxcS 1 3.Axc5
4Jd3 1 4.Aa3 winning; but l l . . .�c8
could still be tried without immediate
damage.
 Round V
: :�ccting this knight to c6 via d4.
12 ... c5 l3.dxc6 4) xc6 14.f4 �c8
The finest move ofthe game, ultimately
leading to the winning of Black's a­
pawn. The following answer is almost
forced because of the strong threat
16 . .£J x d6. For instance 1 5 . . . .ilxb2
16 . .£Jxd6 exd6 17 ..ilxc6 .£Jc5 18 . .ilxc5
�xal 19 ..ilxd6, etc., winning.
15 . . . 4)c5 16 . .il. xc5 d xc5 17.4)c3
4)d4!
Black probably hoped that this move
would bring him salvation, as 18.Axa8
�xa8, etc. would certainly not be
to White's advantage on account of
the weakness of f3 . But unfortu­
nately for him, White need not hurry
and can quietly improve his position,
taking advantage ofthe weakness ofthe
a-pawn.
18. .§fel e6 19.Ete3 .§b8
If now 1 9 . . . a6, then 20.Axa8 �xa8
2l .�dl etc.
20.�xa7
65
The realization of the material advan­
tage is by no means easy as Black has
full control of the important d4-square.
20 . . . E{d8 2 1 . .§ c l .§d7 2 2 . � a4
�d8 23. .§dl .§d6 24. .il.e4 fS?
Creates a new weakness at e6. But by
quiet play White would also sooner or
later break through by playing a3, b4,
etc.
25.Jl.g2 gS 26.fxg5 � xg5 27.f4
�h6
Probably 27 . . . �h5 at once was slightly
better.
28.E{del E{bd8 2 9 . � h l �h8
30.a3
The beginning of the decisive action.
30 ... .il.f8 31.b4 �hS 32.bxc5 bxc5
33.4)b5! 4) xb5
If 33 . . . 1"\ 6d7, then 34 . .£Jxd4 c x d4
35.1"ld3! (but not 35.1"\ xe6 d3 etc., with
some chances) with a winning advan­
tage.
34.cxb5 .§d2
Threatening 35 ... 1"\ xg2.
35.�c4 1-0
Black could set a last trap : 35 . . . 1"\f2
36.�xe6 El dd2 and if, for instance,
3 7 . �f6 + , then 37 . . . 'itlg8 3 8 . 1"\ eS?
�xh2+! followed by perpetual check.
But White would doubtless p l ay
3 7 . � e 5 + 'itlg8 38.Ad5+ 1"\ x d 5
39.�xd5+ 'itlh8 40.h4 �g4 4l .'itlgl and
wins easily.
 Nottingham 1 93 6

(32) Tartakower - Thomas If 1 5 .�xc3, then 1 5 . . .4Jb4 etc., Black

Bird's Opening [A03] winning.

l .f4 d5 Vilf3 g6 3.e3 Ag7 4.Ae2 15 ... Af5 t6.Ad3

c5
Practically forced.
Black quite rightly adopts, with colors
reversed, the modem system against the 16 ... .i1,xd3 17.cxd3 13,d8 18.13,dl c2
Dutch Defense. This system proved
very successful at Nottingham (three The simplest way to keep the initiative,
white wins out of three games!). as 18 . . . 4Jb4 19.d4 etc. would by no
means be convincing.
5.0-0 4:)c6 6.d3 4:)f6 7:�el

19.f!cl l3, xd3 20.13,xc2 0-0 21. �e2

Preferable would be to act on my sys­
E!fd8 22.13,d2?
tem in the Dutch Defense, viz., 7.4Je5
followed eventually by .llf3. After the
By trying to relieve his position through
text move Black easily equalizes.
exchanges, White slips. The right move
7. . .�c71 was 22.�bl.

Preventing 4Je5. 22...13, x d2 23 . .£l xd2 4:)d4 24.�f2

8 .£lc3 a6 9.e4 d4 10.e5

•

A better chance was to leave the posi­

tion closed by playing 10.4Jd l . As will
soon be seen, the following exchanges
are not to White's advantage.

10 ...d xc3 l l .exf6 A xf6 12.bxc3

b51

Threatening to get control of the square

d4 after b4. White succeeds in prevent­
ing that, but Black still keeps a slight
advantage owing to the greater mobil­
ity of his pieces.
13.Ae3 b4 14.d4
If l4.cxb4, then not 14 . . ..llx al l 5:�xal
to White 's advantage, but simply
14 . . . 4Jxb4!.
14...bxc3 15.dxc5
A mistake would be 24.�c4 4Jf5 win­
ning.
24 •.. 4:)f5
Black, who had so far played excel­
lently, could here obtain an advantage
sufficient for a win by simply taking the
passed pawn. After 24 . . . �xc5 25.4Je4
�d5! (the same move would follow
25.4Jb3) 26.4Jxf6+ exf6, White would

66
 Round V
only have the choice between a bad
middlegame, because of the strong
knight, or a very bad endgame (after
27 .i.txd4 �xd4 etc.). After the text
move he can still defend himself.
25 . .£)e4 Ag7 26.�hl Etd3 27.Acl
�c6 28.�e2 Etd4 29.Etel h5
Permitting White to simplify the game
to his advantage. 29 . . . § d8 instead
would still keep some pressure.
30. .1}.b2! Etd7
He cannot play 30 . . . § xe4 3 l .�xe4
�xe4 32.§xe4 i.txb2 because 33.c6 etc.
would win a piece for White.
31 ..1}.xg7 .£) xg7 32 . .£)g5
In order to exchange the c-pawn for
Black's a-pawn. A wise decision inas­
much as Black threatened 32 . . . 4Je6.
32 � xc5 33. � xa6 Eta7 34. �d3
•..
EtaS 35. �b3 e6 36.Etdl
Of course, White has not the slightest
advantage; on the contrary, his a- and
f-pawns are rather weak. By the text
move he sets a last trap before the time
control, into which his opponent unfor­
tunately falls.
67
36 .•. .£)f5?
The former knight's move to f5 (see
previous diagram) gave away the win,
the latter loses the game. The threat
<i:lxf7 (which he could not do at his 36th
move because of the answer �aS!, at­
tacking the rook) could be met in the
easiest way by 36 . . . �c7 with even a
counter-attack against White's f-pawn,
in which case White would have to be
more than satisfied with a draw.
37 . .£) xf7
After this Black's whole position goes
rapidly to pieces.
37 . . . .£) g7 38 . .£) e 5 �f2 39 . �b7
Eta7 40.�e4 .£)f5 41 . .£) xg6 �xa2
42.�f3 �a4
A nice trap which White, however,
avoids. If for instance now, or at the
next move, 43.�xhS?, then 43 ... <£lg3+
44.hxg3 §h7, winning the queen.
43. �e2 �es 44. .£)e5 Eta4 45 .£)d7•
White wins now by a direct attack.
45 . . . �f7 46.�e5 �h7 47 . .£)c5
Eta7 48. .£) xe6 �g6 49. .£)g5 �e7
50. �b8 Eta6 5 1 . �g8+ �g7
52.�eS+ �h6 53.�cs 1-0
(33) Bolgoljubow - Reshevsky
Nimzo-Indian Defense [E49]
l.d4 .£)f6 2.c4 e6 3 . .£)c3 Ab4 4.a3
Axc3+ 5.bxc3 0-0
Black need not fear the pin of his knight
in this position as he would answer
6.J.tgS by 6 . . . cS and if 7.e3, then
7 ... cxd4 with the strong threat �aS+.
 Nottingham 1936
6.e3 d5 7..\ld3 c5 8.cxd5
This exchange was unnecessary at this
particular moment, and allows Black to
alter the routine of this variation. The
logical move was 8.�e2 as 8 . . . dxc4
9.Axc4 e5 10.0- 0 etc. does not give
Black equal chances.
8 ... �xd5 9. �f3 �d8 10. �e2
The exchange of queens would leave
White with slightly better prospects
because of his two bishops. After the
text move black threatens 10 ... e5.
10... �c7 11 . .\lb2 e5
This solves the problem of the queen's
bishop, but at the same time opens
prom ising prospects to the white
queen's bishop. It is however doubtful
whether the alternative 1 1 . ..�c6 1 2.�f3
b6 etc. would give Black more than a
balanced position.
12.dxe5 � xe5 13.c4 �e7 14.�f3
�c6 15.�c2 E!e8 16.h3
Of course not 16 ..1lxf6 ti'xf6 17 . .ll x h7 +
'it'h8 with the double threat 18 ... 'lli' x a1 +
and 18 . . . g6. The text move prevents
Ag4 as White needs his knight in order
to control the e5-square.
68
16 ... �e4 17.0-0-0
Quite sound as the important points on
the queenside are sufficiently protected.
Black's positional equivalent for the
possibilities of White's pawn advance
on the kingside is his strongly posted
control knight.
17....\lf5 18.g4 .llg6 19.h4 �f6
The only, but sufficient method to meet
the seemingly dangerous attack. Disas­
trous would be 19 ...h5 20.l"ihg1 etc.
20. .\lxg6 fxg6
As White's position now shows a weak­
ness on the f-file.
21.h5 �e4 22.� xe4
Also after 22.Axf6 'lli'xf3 23.Ab2 'lli' xg4
etc., Black would have sufficient de­
fense.
22 ... � xe4 23.hxg6! hxg6
After 23 ... �xf2 White could either force
an immediate draw by 24.l"i xh7 �xd1
25.l"\ xg7+ etc., or make further winning
attempts in the variation 24.l"id7 l"ie7
25.l"ixe7 �xe7 26.gxh7+ 'it'h8 27.l"ih5.
24.E!h2 §adS
And not 24 . . . l"if8 because of 25.l"id7
l"if7 26.l"ih8+ followed by 27.l"ixf7 win­
ning.
25. §dh1 �f7 26. §h7 §g8
27.�c21
Preventing 27 ...�xf2 followed by �d3+
etc.
 Round V
27... E!df8
Useless, to say the least. He could not
play 27 . . . 4Jxf2 because of 28.l"lfl etc.,
but 27 ...g5 followed by '3i'g6 was a good
plan.
28.f!lh2 �e6?
The first real mistake in this well-played
and interesting game. 28 . . . l"l d8 was
necessary although White would here
have better chances on account of the
possibility of g5 followed by l"l 7h4.
29.f!7h3
From now on Bogoljubow begins to
miss his way and finally loses the battle.
After 29.'3i'd3! l"! x f3 30.®xe4 l"l f7
31 .Ac3! (preventing 4Ja5) followed by
f4, etc., Black would find it pretty hard
to save his compromised position.
29 .•. f!d8 30.f!h7
Trying to get the old position again,
but Black has obviously discovered the
danger.
30... f!gf8 3l.f!2h3 f!d7
Safer than 3 1 . . .4Jxf2 32 .4Jg5+ '3i'd6
33.l"lg3 etc.
69
3 2 . f! xg7 f! x g7 33 . .Q. x g7 f!f7
34..Q.c3 .!£) xf2 35.Jilg5+ �d7
Black plays this part of the game very
exactly. A mistake would be 35 . . .'3i'e7
because of 36.l"lh6 l"lf8 37.l"lh7+ ®e8
(37 . . . ®d6 38.l"l xb7) 38.4Je6 etc.
36.f!h6?
Loses a pawn and after a long resistance
the game. He could make a draw by
playing either 36.4Jxf7 4Jxh3 37.4Jh8
g5 38.4Jf7 '3i'e6 39 .4Jh6 etc. , or by
36.l"lg3 l"le7 37.l"lg2 4Je4 38.4Jxe4
l"l xe4 39.'3i'd3 etc.
36 . . . f!e7 37. f! x g6 .!£) x g4 38.e4
.!ilge5 39.f!g8 .!£) xc4 40. .Q.f6 f!e8
4l.f!xe8
After 41 .l"lg7+ '3i'c8 42.a4 4Jd6 etc.,
Black would have an even easier job.
The exchange leads to a long but hope­
less endgame as Black cannot be pre­
vented from getting two passed united
pawns.
41 ... �xe8 42.a4 �d7 43.�c3 .!£)4e5
44.�b3 �e8 45.�c3 a6 46 . .Q.g7
�e7 47. .!ilh3 b5 48.axb5 axb5
From now on Black has to be very cau­
tious with his remaining pawns as the
 Nottingham 1 93 6
t w o knights without pawns cannot
mate.
49. 4:) f4 4:) d 7 5 0 . 4:) d 5 + lit>d6
5 1 . 4:) e3 4:)ce5 5 2 . 4:) f 5 + lit>c6
5 3 . 4:) e7+ lit>b6 5 4 . 4:) d 5 + lit>a5
55.1it>b3 b4 56.4:)e3
After 56.Ah6 in order to bring the
bishop on to the queenside, Black
would have more technical difficulties.
56 1it>b5 5 7 . 4:) d 5 c4+ 58.1it>c2
.••
lit>a4 59.Ah6
Much too late.
60.jld2
The sacrifice of the second pawn is the
equivalent of resignation. But after
60.Jlg7 Black would finally win by
p laying 60 . . . 4Jcd3 6 1 . 4Jb6+ �b5
62.4Jd5 �c5 followed by �d4 etc.
60 b3+ 6l.lit>bl 4:) xe4 62.4:)c3+
•..
4:) x c3+ 63 . A x c 3 4:)d3 64.Ag7
4:)c5 65.Ab2
Also 65.�b2 would not prevent 4Ja4
and c3. White can safely resign.
70
65 ...4:)e4 66.Aa1 c3 67.1it>c1 1it>b4
68.1it>bl lit>c4 69.1it>c1 lit>d3
70.Iit>b1 lit>d2 7 1 .Ab2 c x b2
72.1it>xb2 4:)c5 0-1
(34) Fine Vidmar
-
Queen's Gambit Declined [D48]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.4:)f3 4:)f6 4.e3 e6
5.4:)c3 4:)bd7 6.Ad3 dxc4 7.Axc4
b5 8.Ad3 a6 9.e4 b4
Thus avoiding the main variation ofthe
Meran Defense, which continues 9 . . .c5.
The move seems to give Black quite a
playable game, especially in connection
with his strong 1 4th move.
10.4:)a4 c5 l l .dxc5 j}_xc5 12.0-0
Ab7 13. t\'e2 Ae7
Black could even castle at once as the
variation 1 3 . . . 0-0 14.e5 Axf3 1 5.gxf3
4Jd5 16.4:lxc5 4:lxc5 17 . .1lxh7+ �xh7
18.�c2+ �g8 19.�xc5 �h4 20.�c2 f5
etc. was certainly not to his disadvantage.
14.,E!d1 t\'a5
This is more convincing than Lasker's
strategem in a similar position in the
first round (after 0-0, Ag5), viz., h6
followed by 4Jh5.
15.b3 o-o 16.Ag5 E!fds 17.4:)b2
4:)c5
The simplest. Ifnow 1 8.4Jc4 �c7 19.e5
4:lxd3 20.exf6 gxf6, etc., with a good
game.
18.e5 4:) xd3
Definitely eliminating any danger. If
19.exf6, then 19 . . .4:lxb2 (a) 20.�xb2
 Round V
.ll x f3 2 1 .§ xd8+ .ll x d8 �xb2; or (b)
20.fxe7 § xdl + 2 l . § xdl <tlxdl , win­
ning in either case.
19.§xd3 § x d3
Not 1 9 . . .<tld5 20.§xd5!.
20. 4) x d 3 4)d5 2 1 . .Q. xe7 4) x e7
22.4)f4 §d8
Black had some slight chances in the
middlegame owing to his well-placed
bishop, but the text move, which allows
the opponent to exchange rooks, facili­
tates White's task. A good move was
22 . . . §c8 threatening .llxf3 eventually.
23.§dl! 4)d5 24.4) xd5 Yz-Yz
This game has some theoretical value.
(35) Alexander - Euwe
English Opening [A29]
l .c4 e5 2.4)c3 4)f6 3.g3
This leads to the so-called "Dragon"
variation of the Sicilian with reversed
colors and consequently with a move
ahead. It is doubtless playable but does
not give any advantage provided Black,
as here, adopts the normal way of de­
velopment.
71
3 ...d 5 4.cxd5 4) xd5 5 . .Q.g2 4)b6!
The best move, as there is no hurry for
Black to develop his queen's bishop,
which can be, as in the present game,
placed also at g4.
6.4)f3 4)c6 7.0-0 .Q.e7 8.d3 0-0
9 ..Q.e3 .Q.g4 10.4)a4
The usual pressure on the c5-square.
Black has a fairly even position, but this
and the next moves finally lead only to
exchanges, without releasing White's
pressure on the c-file. More promising
appears to be 10 . . . <£Jd5 and if l l ..llc5,
then l l . ..§e8 with the intention ofplay­
ing the bishop to f6 unless White ex­
changes immediately.
l l.§cl f6
He need not fear l l . . .<tlxa4 1 2.�xa4
<tld4 1 3.�xd7 <tlxe2+ 14.�hl .llx d7
15.§xc7 etc.
1 2 . .Q.c5 4) d8 1 3 . .Q. x e7 t}f x e7
14.h3
Unfortunately weakening the pawn po­
sition. Natural and good was 1 4.<£Jc5
with quite a pleasant position.
 Nottingham 1 936

4 Ae6 15. �c2

•.•

If this move would force the following

exchange, it should certainly be ap­
proved. But as Black could play now
15 . . . §f7 ( 16.4:Jc5 ..lld5 or 16.�c5 �d7),
the simple 15.a3 was preferable.

15 •.• .£) x a4? 16.t!ha4 Ad5

A complicated method of defense to say

the least. Why not 16 . . . c6 followed by
{Jf7?
This tempting move will prove to be a
tactical mistake. Correct was 22 . . . §ad8
(preventing 23.b5 because of23 . . . §d5)
with an even game.
If now 17 . . . c6, then 18.e4 ..Q.f7 19.d4
opening up the position to White's ad­
23.d4!
vantage.

18.b4
A subtle preparation for the following
move.
18...a6 19.4:\d2!
If now 19 . . ...1lxg2, then 20.§ xc7 �d6
2l .'<t>xg2 4:Jc6 22.�b6 etc. This varia­
tion is, of course, only possible after
18 . . . a6 which gave the b6-square to the
white queen.
After this move, probably overlooked
by his opponent, White should obtain
some positional advantage. The threat
24.d5 in connection with �xc7 is rather
unpleasant.
23 ... ;§ad8 24.d5?
The logical sequence of the previous
move was 24.e3! preventing the black
knight from going to d4 and reinforc­
ing the threat d5. The text move elimi­
nates any danger for Black.

24... .£)d4 25 .£) xd4 exd4 26.�xc7

•

In order to avoid possible exchanges on

the a2-g8 diagonal. Black of course Also 26.�xd4 § xd5 27.�g4 etc., was
plays for a win. good enough for a draw.

20.�c5 �f7

The same tendency. This move and also those immediately

following are obviously due to time
21.Axc6 .£) xc6? 22. .£)b3 �h5? pressure.

72
 Round V

27... �f5 28.E!fd1? If 36.�g2, then 36 ... d2 37.§g4 �hl +

followed by 38 . . . dl�+ and 39 . . . �xg4
An oversight. 28.§cdl instead would winning.
secure an easy draw.
36...d2 0-1
28... � x h3 29. �c7

He cannot play 29.§ xd4 because of

29 . . . § c8.

30.�c4 would allow a much longer

defense.

30 ..• � xe2 31.f!e1

Despair.
White resigned here quite rightly be­
31 ..• �xa2 32.E!e7 E!gS 33.E!cc7 d3 cause of 37.§g4 �g6! 38.§ xg6 hxg6
39.�e7 dl� 40.�xf6+ �h7 4l .�e7+
An exactly calculated winning combi­ �h6 4 2 . �e 3 + � h 5 ! 4 3 . �e7 (or
nation. But 33 . . . �d2 (34.§ xg7 § xg7 43.�e5+ g5 ) 43 . . .�d4! etc. But for my
etc.) was even simpler. part I confess that I would have the cu­
riosity to find out whether my opponent
3 4 . f! xg7 f! x g7 3 5 . f! x g7 �b1 + would discover the winning variation
36.�h2 over the board.

73
 Round VI

Saturday, August 1 5th

It has become increasingly apparent that, commodious though the playing hall
undoubtedly is, it does not too well accommodate the large crowds which already
have flocked in to see the famous masters. Conversations with Alderman
Derbyshire and Principal Wortley, who themselves appreciate the difficulty (which
is likely to be enhanced when the general congress with its hundred players opens
next Monday), lead to a decision to remove the Masters' tournament to the big
Assembly Hall. This will be in use on Monday for the reception of the general
congress, but a move is to be made on the following day. (One may take the
opportunity here to pay tribute to the lively interest the University Principal took
in the Masters' tournament, for he spent a good part of every day in the first
fortnight - after which he left for his holiday - in the rooms watching the games,
and was most solicitous for everyone's comfort.)

In this round there are no less than six drawn games, though some of them are
quite interesting and well contested. Especially so is the one between Thomas
and Alekhine. In trying to avoid exchanges the latter loses ground and eventually
he comes to realize that their chances on opposite wings are about equal. Alekhine
has two or three tries for a favorable ending, but a draw is compelled in 77 moves,
when Thomas's game becomes threatening. Flohr has the better opening, but on a
faulty 22nd move tension is relieved and Botvinnik forces a draw in 36 moves.

Reshevsky looks to be in for another interminable ending with queen and rook
each and Tartakower a pawn behind. He takes forty minutes over his sealed move,
leaving himself three minutes for his next twelve. Rather wisely Reshevsky agrees
to a draw without resuming. Vidmar gets a promising game but permits Bogoljubow
a pretty sacrifice of the exchange which was good enough to draw had he followed
it up correctly. Though drawn in 1 9 moves the game Euwe-Fine has some notable
points, and careful calculation had to come in. Tylor has the bye.

Score: *Euwe, Botvinnik - 4\12; *Vidmar, Fine, Reshevsky 3 \12; *Capablanca,

Alekhine - 3; *Flohr, Tylor, Lasker, Tartakower - 2'l'2; Bogoljubow, Thomas - 2;
*Winter - I V>; Alexander - 1

During the weekend a few outstanding games are disposed of at two short sessions
at the Victoria Hotel. These are Tylor-Flohr (96 moves) and Thomas-Alekhine
(77). Reshevsky and Fine play through the first session with the Controller
"standing by" lest Fine's sarcasms at his opponent's carrying on attempts to win
an undoubted drawn game should lead to a breach of the peace; but good humor
prevails, and though a sealed move is made, a draw is agreed without resuming.

74
 Round VI

This leaves Fine free to finish his third round game with Thomas, but here again
a draw is consented to without further play.

The tournament is complete to date with the exception of two games. One is that
between Capablanca and Alekhine, which, as already described, awaits a decision
of the B.C.F. Executive in two days' time. The other is between Bogoljubow and
Reshevsky. This afterwards comes down to Reshevsky getting two knights and
two pawns against the other's knight and bishop, and the American wins in 73
moves. The scores of each round are, up to here and following, made up to include
the ultimate results of all adjourned games.

(36) Thomas -Alekhine 16.�d2 h5 17.a3 �c7 18.E!adl a5

Sicilian Defense [B74] t9.Ad4

l .e4 c5 2 . /i) f3 d6 3.d4 c x d4

4.4:) xd4 4:)f6 5./i)c3 g6 6. .11,e2 Ag7
7..1le3 a6

Certainly not an improvement on the

usual 7 . . . 4Jc6 as Black will not be able
to play b5 either on the next move or in
the near future.

8.f4 0-0 9.0-0 /i)c6 10./i)b3 Ad7

1 0 . . . b5 l l .Af3 threatening e5 would

19 �c4
still be in White's favor.
..•

Black is trying to avoid too many ex­

l l.Af3 E!c8 12./i)d5?
The resulting exchange of all four
knights only relieves Black from his
opening difficulties. White could take
greater advantage of Black's indiffer­
ent 7th move by playing here 1 2 .g4!
which could not be answered by 12 . . . b5
because of 13.g5 followed by 4Jd5.
12... /i) xd5 13.exd5 /i)a5 14./i) xa5
�xa5 15.c3 E!fe8
The right move was 1 5 ... b5 as a first
step to a "minority attack." After the text
move White could obtain the better
game by 1 6.a4, preventing this.
changes, in order to be able to play for
a win, but actually he gets the opposite
result, for after a few moves he is
obliged not only to exchange queens,
but also to weaken his pawn position in
the center and to offer the exchange of
bishops.
More promising therefore was the logi­
cal 19 . . . ..1lxd4+ 20.�xd4 �c5 after
which Black would remain with the
slightly more dynamic pawn position,
and besides there would be enough
material left to organize a real endgame
fight.
20.�f2! j},xd4 21.E!xd4

75
 Nottingham 1 93 6
White i s rightly not anxious to exchange
queens, as he has some attacking pros­
pects on the kingside.
21 ...�c5 22 . .Q,e4
With the unpleasant threat off5. Black's
reply is therefore practically forced.
22 ...e6 23.dxe6 fxe6 24.�hl .Q.c6
It is obvious that White's bishop is more
valuable here than Black's.
25 . .Q. x c6 E( x c6 2 6 . � d 2 E(f8
27.§dl d5 28.E(el �d6 29.�e3
§f6 30.g3 §b6 3 1 . � e 5 � x e5
32.E(xe5 §f8
In the following endgame Black con­
tinues to play for a decisive result, but
comes to realize that his opponent has
about the same prospects of a break­
through on the kingside as he himself
has on the queenside.
Threatening 34 . . . b4 which at present
would be premature because of35.axb4
axb4 36.c4.
35.13e3 §c5 36.E(ed3 �e7 37.h4
76
A counter-demonstration which comes
just in time to nullify Black's efforts on
the other wing.
37...h5 38.g4 hxg4+ 39.�xg4 �f6
4 0 . § h 3 § b8 4 1 . h 5 g x h 5 +
4 2 . E( x h5 E(g8+ 4 3 . �f3 E( g l
44.§h6+ �f5 45.§h5+ �f6
If 45 . . . '<t'g6, then 46.§e5.
46.E(h6+ �e7 47.§h7+ �d6
48.§a7 §fl+ 49.�g3 §c8
A comparatively better chance was
49 . . . a4. Black tries to avoid this move
as long as he can because it deprives
him of the possibility ofb4, but as will
be seen, he will be forced to make it
anyhow.
5 0 . E( a6 + �e7 5 1 .�g2 § b l
52.E(d2 §g8+ 53. �f3 a4 54.§b6
§f8 55.§ xb5
Another drawing variation was 55.§e2
§fl + 56.'<t'g2 § l xf4 57.§bxe6+ '<t'f7
etc.
55 ... §fl+ 56.§f2 § xf2+ 57.�xf2
§xf4+ 58.�e3 §e4+ 59.�d3 �d6
60.§b8
The ending after 60.§b4 would be lost
for White, but the text move is amply
sufficient to make Black's passed pawn
harmless.
60 . . . §h4 6t.§b6+ �e5 62.§b8
§h3+ 63.�e2 �f5 64.§b5 e5
A last attempt.
65.§xd5 �f4 66.§a5 e4 67.§xa4
§h2+ 68.�dl § xb2 69.§a8 �e3
 Round VI

70.a4 §d2+ 7Vi!/cl 'i!le2 72.a5 e3 pieces and taking advantage of the open
73.a6 §d7 74.'i!lc2 §e7 75.c4 'i!lel d-file.
76.'i!lc3 e2 77.§h8 VI-VI

Black has nothing better than 77 . . . Eia7

78.Eih6 �dl 79 .Eid6+ �cl 80.Eie6 If now 17 . . .Ac5, 18.4Jb3 gives White a
�dl 81 .Eid6+ etc. comparatively satisfactory game.

(37) Botvinnik - Flohr 18.a3

Alekhine's Defense [B05]
Of course not 18.c5 Axc5 etc. But com­
l.e4 Jilf6 2.e5 Jild5 3.d4 d6 4.Jilf3
paratively better was the immediate
.Q.g4 5 .Q.e2 c6 6.0-0
18.Eifdl.
•

As the sequel shows, this allows Black

18 §d3 19.§fdl .Q.e7 20.c5
to get quite a satisfactory position. To
..•

be considered was 6.c4 4Jc7 7.exd6.

White has no reasonable alternative, for
6 ••. .Q.xf3 otherwise the doubling of Black's rooks
on the d-file would prove fatal.
Much better than 6 ... dxe5 7.4Jxe5 as
played between the same opponents, 20 .•. Jild5 21.Jilc4 § xdl+ 22.§xdl
Moscow 1 936.

7. .Q.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6

White's e-pawn is now exposed to at­

tack, and his pair of bishops is of but
little importance owing to the closed
character of the game.

9.'�e2 t/1c7 10.c4 Jile7

Threatening 4Jg6 followed by 4Jd7, to

win the e-pawn.
22 •.. t/1a4?
11 .Q.g4 Jild7 12.f4 h5
•

Up to this point Flohr has played very

An important tempo. If 1 3.Axh5?, then logically, and has increased his open­
1 3 . . .4Jf5 with advantage. ing advantage. Here, however, he makes
a peculiar mistake. Instead of forcing
1 3 .ith3 0 - 0 - 0 14 . .Q.e3 Jilf5 White to exchange his knight at d6, he
15 .Q.xf5 exf5 16.t/1f2
• prevents his doing so by attacking his
rook. Correct was 22 . . . tfb5 (attacking
Preventing Ac5, but Black has other no also the c5-pawn) 23 .4Jd6+ .ll x d6
less effective ways of developing his 24.cxd6 tfb3! 25.Eiel b6 with strong

77
 Nottingham 1 93 6
pressure on White's colored squares.
After the faulty text move, Botvinnik
succeeds in forcing the exchange of
queens and has nothing further to fear.
23 . .§cl h4
23 . . . §d8 could be met by 24.'�c2.
24.b4 h3 25.g3 .§dS
The complications after 25 . . .g6 26. .l1d4
§d8 27:i;fb2 would be rather in White's
favor.
26.�c2 � x c 2 27 . .§ x c 2 �d7
2S.�f2 �e6 29.Acl g6 30 ..Q.b2
.§aS
Preparing for aS. After White prevents
this the draw is inevitable.
31.4:)a5 .§bS 32.�f3 .Q.dS 33.4:)b3
�d7 34.4:)d4 .§aS 35 .§e2 Ae7 •
If 35 . . . a5, then 36.b5.
36.4:)b3 .Q.fS Yz-Yz
(38) Lasker - Capablanca
Slav Defense [D l 9]
l.d4 4:)f6 2.c4 c6 3.4:)f3 d5 4.4:)c3
dxc4 5.a4 Af5 6.e3 e6 7 .Q. x c4 • small advantage in space, and might try
.Q.b4
This whole system of defense was in­
troduced by me against Rubinstein and
Bogoljubow in the London Tournament
of 1 922. It was nearly twenty years be­
fore it became a fashion.
S.0-0 0-0 9.�e2 4:)e4
Rather doubtful here would be 9 . . . c5
because of the move of the Russian
78
master Belavenets, 10.<£la2! But 9 . . ..l1g4
played in this tournament by Euwe
against Bogoljubow, seems also to be
satisfactory for Black.
10.4:) xe4 .Q.xe4 l l . .§dl 4:)d7
The following moves are easy to under­
stand. White manages to gain control
of the white squares, while Black in the
meanwhile completes his development.
1 2 . .Q.d3 4:) f6 1 3 . 4:) e 5 �c7
14 ..Q.xe4 4:) xe4 15.�c2 4:)f6 16.e4
h6 1 7 . 4:) d 3 Ae7 1 S.f3 .§fdS
19 .Q.e3 a5 Yz-Yz
•
Black's last move prevented the ad­
vance b4, which might eventually have
given White a serious initiative on the
queenside. The first player has still a
to profit by it with a carefully prepared
pawn advance on the kingside, leading
to the opening of files in that section of
the board. Whether such a plan would
succeed or not is of course another
question; but there was a fighting
chance, without much risk.
(39) Reshevsky - Tartakower
Semi-Slav Defense [D3 1 ]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4:)c3 b6
 Round VI
Dr.Tartakower likes such eccentric
moves in the opening. But they do not
always give him the expected satisfac­
tion!
4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3
A new and interesting method of devel­
opment. White intends to attack Black's
d-pawn as many times as possible, in
order to force c6. It still remains a ques­
tion, however, whether there is a more
energetic way to meet Black's 3rd move.
For instance, has the Pillsbury Gambit,
l .d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4Jc3 b6 4.4Jf3 .ilb7
5 . cxd5 exd5 6.e4 dxe4 7.4Je5, etc.
(Pillsbury-Swiderski, Hanover 1 902)
ever been refuted?
s ... .£lf6 6.Ag2 Ab7 7. .£lh3 Ae7
8.0-0 0-0 9 . .£lf4
White seems to have succeeded, or
nearly so. After l O :li1rb3 B lack can
hardly avoid the unpleasant move c6.
But really would this success be any­
thing more than a moral one? Suppos­
ing that Black plays here 9 . . . 4Ja6 and
after 10:�b3 (or a4) 10 ... c6, followed
by 4:Jc7, White could hardly then un­
dertake immediate action in the center
without developing his queen's bishop
and rooks. His advantage therefore
would be problematical.
79
One ofTarktakower's many oversights
in this tournament. See, for instance, his
games against Euwe and Alexander.
White's win now should merely be a
question of technique.
10 . .£jfxd5 .£j xc3 1 1 . .£l xc3 A xg2
12.�xg2 Af6 13.Ae3?
This very weak move makes the win
more doubtful. Inasmuch as Black from
this moment defends himself with great
care. 1 3 .e3 instead was convincing
enough.
13 ... .£jc6 14.�a4
The only way to keep the material gain.
1 4 .d5 would be useless because of
14 ... 4Je7 etc. But Black has now the
opportunity to force a great reduction
in material.
14 . . . .£j xd4 15.l�fdl c5 16.Axd4
cxd4 17 .e3 d3!
Not merely preventing White from get­
ting a passed pawn, but also compel­
ling the exchange of the remaining mi­
nor pieces.
18.�b5 Axc3 19.f! xd3 a6!
Again, very alert, forcing the exchange
of a further two pawns.
2 0 . �c4 f!cS 2 1 . � x a6 �f6
2 2 . f! x c 3 f! x c3 2 3 . b x c 3 � x c3
24.f!dl
24.�bl was no better, because of the
reply 24 .. .'�c6+ 25.'Ji'gl �d8!.
 Nottingham 1 93 6

2 4.. :�c6+ 25.�gl g 6 26.�d3 Unconvincing would be 6:li¥a4+ .:£\c6

7.e4 h6.

6...c5

This counter-attack is one of the points

of the variation. Its consequences are
very complex, but it seems to lead to
positions favorable to White.

7 .e5 cxd4 8.�a4+ l£)c6 9.0-0-0 h6

The alternative 9 ....lld7 is also unsatis­

Losing a tempo in comparison with
26:li¥e2. But in this simple position it
is of no importance. Black will be suc­
cessful in drawing because he will be
able in the near future to liquidate the
last remaining pawns on the queenside.
26 .§a8 27.�e2 �f6 28.e4 h5
••.
factory, because of 1 0 . .:£\e4! .ll e 7
1 1 .exf6 gxf6 12 . .Jlh4 .:£\b4 1 3 .'li¥xb4!
.llxb4 14 . .:£\xf6+ '<t'f8 15 . .§ xd4 (Fine­
Grunfeld, Amsterdam 1 936).
1 0 . e x f6 h x g5 l l .f x g7 .§g8
12.i£)xd4 .Q.d7 13.4)e41

29.�g2 .§a4 30.f3 .§a3 3l.h4 b51 Much stronger than 1 3 . .:£\xc6 .ll x c3
32 .§d2 b4 33 . .§b2
• 14.bxc3 �c7 etc.

A rather naive trap (33 . . . .§ xf3 34.e5 13 •.. �e7

wins).

33 ... �e6 34 .§d2 �h7 35.f4 b3

•

3 6 . a x b 3 � x b3 3 7 .�f2 �e6
38 . .§e2 �g4 39.§el §d3 40.f5
gxf5 41.exf5 §d5 42.f6 Yl-Yl

Black plays of course .§f5, etc.

(40) Vidmar - Bogoljubow

Queen's Gambit Declined [039]

l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.i£)f3 d5 4 ..Q.g5

.Q.b4+ 14.4)c21

The famous "Vienna" variation, which
has become popular - unduly so, in my
opinion - in the last few years.
5.i£)c3 dxc4 6.e4
Tempting, but not so good, was 14 . .:£\bS
because of 14 . . . 0-0-0 after which nei­
ther 15 . .:£\xa7+ nor 15 . .:£\ed6+ would
bring White a palpable advantage, but
now he threatens 1 5 . .:£\ x b4 .:£\ x b4

80
 Round VI
16.Ei xd7, etc., and thereby forces the
following move.
14...f5
Black loses no material, but his pawn
position is completely ruined, and
White from now on has only to play for
simplification.
1 5 . � x b4 f x e4 1 6 . � x c 6 A x c6
1 7 . � x c4 §cS l S . 'it>b l 'it>f7
19.Ae2 'it> xg7
This sacrifice - or oversight - does not
improve his chances of salvation. Com­
paratively better was 19 . . .Ad5 20.�d4
�f6.
2 0 . �d4+ �f6 2 1 . � x a7 §gf8
22.�e3 Ad5 23.§cl �f4
Owing to the unsafe position of his king
Black could not avoid this elimination
of the queens.
24.§xc8 § xeS 25.g3 �xe3 26.fxe3
'it>f6 27.h4
Up to now Dr. Vidmar has played very
well, but here he overestimates the value
of the passed pawn on the h-file. The
fol lowing exchange merely allows
Black to utilize his rook on the kingside,
and Bogoljubow takes advantage of the
opportunity in an ingenious way. White
should first play 27.Eifl + and after
27 . . . �e5 28.h4 this pawn would be­
come an effective force. If, on the other
hand, 27 . . .�g6, then 28.Eif2 and next
move 29.b3 as Black would not have
the answer 29 . . . Ei c 3 on account of
30. �b2! Ei x e 3? 3 1 . �c2-d 2 while
against passive play on Black's part
the gradual advance of the queens ide
81
pawns would decide the game in
White's favor.
27 g x h4 2 8 . g x h4 'it>g6 29.b3
••.
'it>h6 30.§gl §fS 31.§g2
3 l .�c2 would not help, because of
3 l . . .Ei c8+ 3 2.�d2 Ei a8. But now it
looks as if White would get out of his
trouble.
31 ... §f3!
A pretty combination, which should
save the half-point. White must obvi­
ously accept the offer of the exchange.
3 2 . A x f3 e x f3 3 3 . §f2 'it> h 5
3 4 . 'it> c 2 'it> x h4 3 5 . 'it> d 2 'it> g 3
36.'it>el Ae4?
After 36 . . . b5! White could not win.
In the position resulting from 37.a4
( o t h e rw i s e B l a c k p l ay s b 4 )
37 . . . bxa4 38 .bxa4 .ll c 4 3 9 . a 5 Aa6
both White pieces would be tied to
the protection of f2. If 4 0 . Ei a 2 Ac4 .
The bishop has only to remain on
the a6-fl diagonal . After the text
move, the method of winning is not
complicated, but it is instructive. The
idea is to bring the rook behind Black's
passed pawn.
 Nottingham 1 93 6
37.a4! Ac6 38.E!b2 e5 39.E!d2
Ae8 40.®fl!
After this Black cannot prevent the fol­
lowing rook maneuver.
40 . . . Ac6 4t .E!d6 Ae4 4 2 . E!f6
Ad3+ 43.®el Ac2 44.a5 A xb3
45.E!g6+ ®h4
The rest is easy.
46.®f2 e4 47.E!d6 Ac4 4S.E!d4
Ab5 49.E!xe4+ ®h3 50.E!e7 Ac6
5 1 .E!g7 ®h4 5 2 . E!g3 ® h 5
53.E!xf3 ®g5 54.E!f4 Ah1 55.®el
1-0
(41) Euwe - Fine
Queen's Gambit Declined [D67]
l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�f3 d5 4.�c3
Ae7 5.Ag5 �bd7 6.e3 0-0 7.E!cl
c6 8.Ad3 d x c4 9 . A x c 4 � d 5
10.Axe7 tNxe7 l l.�e4
Dr. Euwe seems to like this invention
of mine, which I, on the contrary, no
longer adopt, chiefly because of the
possibility of the Capablanca defense,
l l . . .{'l5f6, followed by �b4+, which
leads to a comparatively easy draw.
82
11 ... � 5f6 12.�g3 c5
But this is, I think, more risky than the
queen check, or even Lasker's move,
12 . . . e5. White could play now 13.e4,
and if 13 . . . cxd4, either 14.e5 �b4+
1 5.�d2 �xd2+ 1 6.�xd2 4Jg4 17 . .§hfl
followed by h3 or - even simpler -
14.�xd4 �b4+ 1 5.�e2 followed by
.§hdl, and after an exchange of queens,
White's prospects for the endgame
would be excellent.
13.0-0 a6 14.�e5
At this moment 14.e4 would be less
promising, as Black could protect him­
self against e5 by playing 14 . . . b5 and
.llb7, keeping command over d5.
14... cxd4
This opening-up of the central files
looks rather risky, but, as Black's next
excellent move shows, was very cor­
rectly calculated.
15.exd4 'iNd6
Protecting the squares c7, c6 and d5 .
Not 1 6 . . . �xd4 because of 1 7 .4Jxf7!
.§ xf7 18 . .llx e6 ( 1 8.�xe6? 4Je5!) fol­
lowed by .§fdl with a winning position
for White.
17.Ab3 Ab7 18.E!fdl E!ac8
This plausible occupation of the open
file has also to be carefully calculated.
19.E! xc8 E! xc8 Yz-Yz
 Round VI

Hoping to be able to play e5. White,

however, defeats this plan.

9.exd4 4)c6 10.4)f3 .§e8 1 1.4)e5!

The right move, which mechanically

prevents the e-pawn's advance - pos­
sible, for instance, even after l l ..lld 3.

ll ... dxc4

The champion here offered a draw,

which was naturally accepted, as Black
saw that it could be forced by 20.<£\fS
exf5 2 1 . <£\ x f7 fic7 2 2 .fie7 <tlb6
23.<tlh6+ etc. But White would not have
had any winning chances in this varia­
tion.

(42) Winter -Alexander

Nimzo-Indian Defense [E32]
Logical but not quite sufficient.
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 .i},b4 4.a3
.ilxc3+ 5.bxc3 0-0 12.4) xc6

As the continuation shows, this attempt

The crisis of the game. Instead of im­
to meet White's two bishops by simple
proving his position by the obvious
developing moves is not quite suffi­
1 2.f4, White allows Black to carry out
cient. Instead, Black may adopt one of
his intention. He had no reason to fear
the three following plans: ( 1 ) 5 . . . b6 in
1 2 . . . <£\xd4. In fact, after 13.cxd4 fixd4
order to fight against White's e4; (2)
14.§dl fie3+ 1 5 .Ae2 <tle4 1 6.<tlg4
5 . . . c5 in order to fix White's doubled
White would easily maintain his ad­
pawns; or (3) 5 . . . d6 in order to play as
vantage.
soon as possible e5.

12...bxc6 13 ..i}.xc4 h6

After this White has no more trouble He could also play at once 1 3 . . . e5 but
concerning the two c-pawns, while his without appreciable profit, e.g., 14.0-0
pleasure - the two bishops - still re­ exd4 15.§adl c5 1 6.cxd4 cxd4 17 . .1le3
mains. etc.

7 .ilg5 c5 8.e3 cxd4

• 14 . .i}.d2

83
 Nottingham 1 936

This, as will soon appear, is an indirect
protection of the d-pawn.
14...e5 15.0-0 exd4 16.cxd4 .Q.e6
If 1 6 . . . 'li'\'xd4, then 1 7 .lixh6! is to
White's advantage (e.g., if 17 . . . gxh6
18.'li'l'g6+).
17 .Q.a6
• allows the position to be liquidated.
- are about equal inconveniences. The
position comes down therefore in a few
moves to perfect balance.
17 . . . �b6 18.�d3 §adS 19 . .Q.e3
4)d5 20. .Q.c4
He sees that 20 . .§ abl lH5 would be to
the adversary's advantage, and therefore

White tries to complicate matters, but 20 4) xe3 21.fxe3 .Q.xc4 22.�xc4

.•.

without success, as the two weaknesses § xe3 23.�xf7+ �h8 24.§f4 §b3
- White's d-pawn and Black's c-pawn 25.h3 Yl-Yl

84
 Round VII

Monday, August 1 7th

A blunder at the time control (which for once finds Reshevsky a minute or two
better off) makes matters difficult for Alekhine, and a further indifferent move
loses all chance of a draw in the ending, which Reshevsky plays exceedingly
well, winning at the third session. Thomas gets the better game against Flohr but
fails to take full advantage of his chance. Later a draw was still possible, but
Flohr came into his own in a long ending and won in 84 moves.

A note to Capablanca's third move against Botvinnik is of theoretical interest.

The game is pretty even throughout and is drawn in 29 moves. Tylor boldly essays
the Four Knights against Lasker, an opening that used to be a favorite of the old
world champion. Playing very well indeed Lasker wears down his opponent and
scores a fine win in 45 moves. Tartakower and Vidmar play a 1 6 move draw
without much interest or effort. Bogoljubow for once shows his real strength in a
game with the champion. He sits for forty minutes over his sealed move and
Euwe agrees to a draw in two or three more moves.

The best game of the round is Fine's excellent win against Winter, following a
sacrifice of a bishop for three pawns which the Londoner apparently quite failed
to reckon with. Alexander has the bye.

Score: *Euwe, Botvinnik 5; Fine, Reshevsky - 4Y2; *Vidmar 4; *Capablanca,

*Flohr, Lasker - 3 Y2 ; Alekhine, Tartakower - 3 ; *Tylor, Bogoljubow - 2 Y2; Tho­
mas - 2; *Winter - 1 Y2; *Alexander 1

(43) Alekhine - Reshevsky reply, obliging Black to change his

Queen's Pawn Game [D05] plans.

l.l�)f3 d5 2.d4 4)f6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 6.�a4! g6 7.c4 Ag7 8.cxd5 4) xd5
4)bd7

In conjunction with Black's next move

this is a tempting, but not quite sound,
way of meeting the Colle system, which
was adopted against Colle himself by
Spielmann and Stoltz at Bled, and by
Rubinstein at Rotterdam, in 1 93 1 .

Aiming at e5. White makes the correct

85
 Nottingham 1 93 6

22.E! xa5 .ll xb5 23.f!bxb5 e6

S o far both players had followed, with­ In order to play 4::\c4, which White's
out knowing it, Colle-Rubinstein at next move prevents.
Rotterdam. But here White makes a
move inferior to that of the late Belgian 24.b3 E!d7 25 . .£}e4 E! xa5 26..1lxa5
champion, who obtained a better posi­ .£}c8
tion by the continuation 9.e4 4::15 b6
1 O.'li:i'c2 'li:i'd6 1 l .a4! After the text move Threatening 27 . . . 4::\a7 and if 28 . .§ c5,
White gets an isolated pawn at d4, then 28 . . . b6.
which obliges him, in order to avoid
greater troubles, to seek for equalizing 27. .£}e5 .ll x e5 28.dxe5
simplification.

9 ... .£} 5b6 10.a4 cxd4! l l .exd4

If 1 l .a5, then 1 l . ..dxe3, followed, if

1 2.fxe3, by 12 . . . 4::\c S, or if1 2.-li:i'xe3, by
1 2 . . . 4::\d S.

ll ... a5 1 2.Ab5 0-0 1 3.0-0 4Jf6

14.E!ell

An important move, which prevents

14 . . ..1le6 because of the possible an­
swer 15 . .§ e6! fxe6 1 6.4::\g S. 28... .£}c71

14 ... Af5 15 . .£}fl �d6 16.�a3 A wise decision, as White threatens to

Again the best, as after the exchange of
queens the weakness ofWhite's d-pawn
will be balanced by the pressures on the
b- and e-files.
16 ...�xa3 17.f!xa3 .£}fd5 18. .£}g3
Ad7 19.f!b3 E!fdS 20.J}.d2
Practically proposing the exchange of
the a-pawns, which Black accepts.
20... .£} xa4 21.E!al .£}ab6
obtain the better endgame by playing
29.§ xd5 followed by 30.4::\f6+. After
the forced exchange of rooks the game
might already be dismissed as a draw,
since by careful play there should not
be any winning chances for either of the
adversaries.
2 9 . 4Jf6 + <i!;>g7 30 . .£} x d7 .£} x b5
3 1..1ld2 .£}e7 32.<;t>fl
G o o d enough, but s impler was
3 2 . f4 .

If 2 1 . . .4::\ d b6, then 22 . .1lxd7 .§ x d7 32. . . .£}d4 33.b4 4J d 5 3 4. .£}c5 b5

23 . .§b5 etc. 35.4Jd3 f6 36 . .\lcl?

86
 Round VII

A typical time-limit blunder. Instead,

36.exf6+ or 36.f4 would quite easily
have preserved the draw. But White's
position is so safe that even after the
loss of the pawn he could still save the
game by accurate (and not too difficult)
defense.

36...fxe5 37. .£l xe5 .£lc2

This was the resource overlooked by

me on my 36th move. The immediate
37 . . . .£lxb4 would, after 38 . .llb2 ?Jdc2 White should never have allowed this
39.'.tt e 2 ! turn out rather in White's advance.
favor.
50.<;fle3 �e6 51.Ab2 �d5 52. .£lh4
38.Ab2 .£1 c x b4 3 9 .�e2 �g8
Black would also have had excellent
40.g3
winning chances had White exchanged
on e5.
A good idea was to fix Black's h-pawn
in its p lace by 40.g4 followed by
52 ....£lb6! 53.-'tcl .£lc4+! 54.�f2
4 1 .g5. There were "many roads to
.£1b4
Rome" besides that which White
chose.
The cooperation of the knights is very
instructive.
40 ... .£1e7 41 . .£lf3 .£led5 42 . .£1g5
.£1c7 43.�e3 55.�e2 .£1a2 56.Ad2 b4 57.fxe5
b3 58.�dl .£l xe51
More natural was the immediate
43.f4. White's last hope was 58 . . . b2 59.'.ttc 2
?:lxd2 60.'.ttx b2 ?:lb4 6 l .'.ttc3 etc., sav­
4 3 ... .£1c6 44.f4 h6 45 . .£lf3 �f7 ing the game.
46.�d3 .£ld5 47.Act .£1f6 4s.Ab2
.£id7 49.Aa3? 59 . .£lg2

Another terrible move ! - instead of There is nothing more to be done. If

which 49 ..1ld4 was still good enough
for a draw, as the exchange at d4 would
lead to the loss of Black's passed pawn.
From now on to the end Black's play is
of high class.
49 ... e51
59.?:lxg6 ?:lxg6 60. .Ilxh6, then 60 . . . ?:le5
61 ..\lcl ?:lxcl 62.'.ttx cl ?:lc4 63.h4 '.ttd4
64.h5 '.ttc3 65.h6 b2+ 66.'.ttb l '.ttb3 and
mate next move.
59 . . . �e4 60.h4 .£1 d 3 6 t .Aa5
.£1b2+ 0-1

87
 Nottingham 1 936
(44) Flohr - Thomas
English Opening [A 1 7]
1.c4 e6 2 . .1£)f3 .l£)f6 3 . .i£)c3 d5 4.e3
This game proves sufficiently that this
is inferior to 4.d4 transposing into the
Queen's Gambit Declined. Black now
obtains without difficulty an equal game.
4...c5 5.cxd5 .i£) xd5
5 . . . exd5 is also good.
6.Ae2 Ae7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d3
White plays for a win, and thus avoids
early action in the center, starting with
d4, which would probably lead to sim­
plifications. But by the line adopted he
only cedes an advantage in space to his
opponent, without getting any counter­
chances worth considering.
s ... b6 9.Ad2 .l£)c6 10.f!c1 Ab7
l l.a3 .i£) xc3 12.Axc3 Af6 13.�c2
�e7
All Black's pieces are effectively
posted, and White's d-pawn is not pre­
cisely a jewel! That is, so far, the result
of White's opening strategy.
14.Ae1
He wants to bring his knight to a cen­
tral post, e4, but as that square can even­
tually be attacked by a black pawn, his
whole position remains unstable. In
fact, Black succeeds in simplifying
matters, still keeping more freedom for
his pieces.
14 ... E{fd8 15 . .i£)d2 f!ac8 16. .1£)e4
Ae5 17.f4 Ab8 18.�b1 �d7
88
Preparing, in case of 1 9 .b4 c x b4
20.axb4, the answer 20 . . . 'ii1d4.
1 9 .Ah4 .i£)e7 20.f!cd1 f!fS
21.�c1 .l£)g6 22.Ag3 f5
The logical reaction to White's maneu­
ver started on the 1 4th move.
23. .i£)g5 e5 24.fxe5 Axe5 25.Axe5
.i£) xe5 26 .1£)f3 �e7 27 .1£) xe5 �xe5
• •
28.Af3 Aa6!
The exchange of bishops would secure
a draw, but Black, probably weary of
the "hyper-modem" evolutions of his
opponent, begins to play for a win him­
self- and quite rightly so !
29.f!fe1 E{fdS 30.Ae2
30... f!c7
A glance at the board is sufficient to
show that Black distinctly has the ini­
tiative, but his present move is not the
right way to increase the pressure, as it
contains no threat. Much more disagree­
able for White would be 30 . . . l"l d6! and
if 3l .�fl , then 3 1 . . . .§h6 which would
induce a serious weakness on White's
kingside. That weakness, added to those
existing already, might possibly be de­
cisive.
 Round VII
3t.Afl Ab7
Not, of course, 3 1 . . . l"l cd7 for then
32.d4.
32. �c3 �e7 33. �c4+ �f7
34.�xf7+ cJ;xf7
The game should now be a draw.
35.E!cl E!cd7
S impler was 35 . . . l"l dc8, preventing
36.b4. In the endgame the d3-square is
no longer weak.
36.b4 c xb4 37.ax b4 Aa6 38.d4
Axfl 39.E!xfl cJ;e6 40.g3 g6
Here and the next move Black loses
valuable time. A good idea was
40 . . . l"ld5 in order to attack White's b­
pawn by l"lb5 or to play eventually a5.
41.®f2 E!e7 42.®e2 E!dd7
The plan of doubling rooks on the sec­
ond rank is not in accordance with the
demands of the situation.
43.®d3 E!c7 44.b5!
After this White's hand holds an impor­
tant trump. Black must now, generally
89
speaking, avoid the exchange of both
rooks, as the pawn ending would be lost
for him.
44 cJ;d6 45.h3!
•..
Preparing g4, which will give his king's
rook new attack possibilities.
45 ... h5 46.E!xc7 E! x c7 47.g4 hxg4
48. h x g4 cJ;e6 4 9 . g x f5 + g x f5
50. E! h l ®f6 5 1 . E!h 6 + ®g5
52.E!e6 §.cl 53.E!e7 E!bl?
53 . . . l"l a l would save an important
tempo. Black facilitates his opponent's
win by a systemless defense.
54.cJ;c4 E! d l 5 5 . ® d 5 ®f6
5 6 . E! e6+ ®f7 5 7 . E!e5 ®f6
58.§.e6+
At last securing two passed pawns in
the center, which will settle matters.
58 . . . cJ;f7 59.®e5 E!bl 60.E!f6+
®e7 6 1 . E! x f5 E! x b5 + 62.d5 a5
63.E!f4 E!c5 64.E!h4 b5 65.§.h7+
®f8 66.e4 a4 67.E!a7 b4
Obviously the only chance, but, as the
sequel shows, insufficient.
6 8 . §. x a4 §. b 5 6 9 . E! a8 + ® e 7
7 0 . §. a 7 + ®f8 7 1 . §. a8+ ®e7
72.E!a7+ ®fS 73.®e6 b3 74.E!f7+
cJ;gS 7 5 . §. f l b2 7 6 . E! b l cJ;fS
77.d6 §.b4 78.e5 E!b7 79.®d5
E!b3
If 79 . . l"lb5+, 80.'<t'c6 etc.
.
80.e6 cJ;eS Sl.§.hl §.d3+ 82.®c5
E!c3+ 83.®d4 E!f3 84.§.h8+ 1-0
 Nottingham 1 93 6

(45) Capablanca - Botvinnik ising squares at the knight's disposal.

English Opening [A30] If 19.4::lb 5, 19 ... a6!.

1.{)f3 {)f6 2.d4 b6 3.g3

The present game, perhaps more than

any other, shows that this fianchetto
system, before Black has played e6,
does not bring White any advantage. On
the contrary, he must be very careful not
to get himself into trouble.

3 ....Q.b7 4 .Q.g2 c5 5.0-0

•

Although not very promising, the alter­

19... �a6
native 5.c3 would still offer some pros­
pect of a fighting chance.
This does not lead to anything, as White
can attack the queen on his 2 1 st move.
5 ... cxd4 6.{) xd4 .Q.xg2 7.�xg2 g6
But 19 . . ..llh6 at once would also leave
Black with but an insignificant advan­
The correct system, but he could also
tage after 20.§ xd8+ § xd8 2l .§dl §d7
start with 7 .. :�c8.
(threatening �a6!).

8.c4 .Q.g7 9.{)c3 �c8 10.b3 �b7+ 20. �fl .Q.h6 2 1 . {) b4 �b7
l l.f3 d5 12.cxd5 {) xd5 13.{) xd5 2 2 . )3 x d8+ }3 x d8 2 3 . )3 d 1 Eld7
� xd5 14 .Q.b2 0-0
•
2 4 . {) d3 {) x d3 2 5 . )3 x d3 .Q.g7
26 .Q. xg7 )3 x d3 27.�xd3 � xg7
•

White's knight is most uncomfortably 28. �d8 b5 29.b4 a6 Yl-Yl

pinned. The next moves are therefore
practically forced. (46) Tylor - Lasker
Ruy Lopez [C49]
1 5.�d3 Eld8 1 6 . )3fd 1 {) d7
17.Eiac1 1 .e4 e5 2.{)f3 {)c6 3.{)c3 {)f6
4 .Q.b5 .Q.b4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6
•

Threatening 18.4::lc 6 �xd3 19.§ xd3 7 .Q.g5 {)e7

•

.llx b2 20.§cdl, etc.

This old defense has very rarely been
17 ...{)c5 18.�b1 played since the game Schlechter­
Duras, San Sebastian 1 9 1 1 , which
At last the bishop is protected, and the brought White a brilliant victory. The
knight can move. . . usual system is 7 . . . .llx c3 8.bxc3 �e7
eventually followed by 4::ld8.
18... �b7 19.{)c2
8.{)h4 c6 9 ..Q.c4 �h8 10.f4 exf4
...but unfortunately there are no prom- 1 1 .Q.xf6?
•

90
 Round VII
After this Black has no troubles. Indi­
cated was l l ..§ xf4 4Jg6 1 2.4Jxg6+ fxg6
13.'liff3 followed by .§fl .
l l ...gxf6 12.f! xf4 �g6 13.� xg6+
fxg6
Black has now a distinct advantage be­
cause of his pair of bishops. It is not
easy, however, to transform this advan­
tage into a win, as White's position at
the moment has no weaknesses.
14.Ab3 t:/e7 15.�e2 Aa5 16.c3
Ad7 t7.�g3
The knight has not much to do on this
square, but it is generally difficult to
find a good place for it. Possibly 17 . .§fl
followed by 4Jf4 and 'liff3 was a better
plan of mobilization.
17 . . . Ac7 18. f!f2 �g7 1 9 .' �e2
f!ae8 20.f!afl j}_e6!
At first sight surprising, but in reality
absolutely in accordance with the ne­
cessities of the position. Black offers
to renounce the two bishops in order to
obtain another advantage - a strong
bishop against a weak knight.
21. t:/c2 Ab6
91
Forcing the weakening of the e-pawn.
22.d4 Ac7 23.�hl h5 24.f!el
t:/f71
In order to secure the exchange of bish­
ops without ceding to the white queen
the b3-square.
25.f!fe2 Axb3 26.axb3
The endgame after 26.'\ifxb3 '\ifxb3
2 7 . axb3 would also be slightly in
Black's favor.
More logical was 28.4Jd2 .§fe8 29.4Jf3
so as to be able to meet 29 . . . d5 with
30.e5.
28... f!fe8 29.�d2 d5
As there is scarcely a way to strengthen
the position further, Black forces the
exchange of rooks, in the hope of ex­
ploiting the superiority of his bishop
over Black's knight.
3 0 . e x d 5 f! x e2 3 1 . f! x e 2 f! x e2
32. t:/ x e 2 t:/ x d5 3 3 . t:/e7+ t:/f7
34.t:/e4?
White, being unable to avoid indefi­
nitely the exchange of queens, would
do much better to exchange now. After
34.'\ifxf7+ �xf7 3 5 . g3 fol lowed by
�g2-f3 the endgame, though in Black's
favor, would still be defensible.
34 ... t:/d7 35.�f3 �f7 36.c4?
A further weakening of the pawn posi­
tion. A little better was 36.g3 '\ife6
37.'\ifxe6+ �xe6 38.�g2 f5 39.�f2.
 Nottingham 1 936
Now the exchange would obviously be
much worse than before, as either the
king or bishop would penetrate into
White's territory.
37... J,tf4 38.g3
38... �e3!
The winning move. The exchange
would cost White his pawn at b2, while
its avoidance allows a mating attack.
39.�c3 Ah6 40.c5
Desperation.
40 . . . �f2 41.�c4+ �g7 42.�d3
Ae3 43.�dl a5 44.b4 axb4 45.b3
�h6 0-1
Except for the dubious opening a per­
fectly played game on Dr. Lasker's part.
(47) Tartakower - Vidmar
Bird's Opening [A03]
l.f4 d5 2.4)f3 4)f6 3.e3 Ag4
This development ofthe queen's bishop
is not very promising, as Black will not
92
be able to avoid the exchange. More
usual is - just the same as for White
against the Dutch Defense - the king's
fianchetto.
4.c4 e6 5.4)c3 4)bd7
Black renounces the opportunity to ex­
ert pressure against d4, and so relieves
his adversary of any possible worries.
He should play 5 . . . c5 6.cxd5 exd5
7 ..llb5+ then 7 ....£lbd7 (or even 7 . . ..£lc6)
8.0-0 .lld6 etc., with better prospects
than he has in the actual game.
6.cxd5 exd5 7.J,le2 c6 8.0-0 Axf3
To prevent d4 followed by <tle5. But
White has now the pair of bishops.
9.A xf3 J,tb4 10.�c2 0-0 l l.b3
�e7
12.4)a4
At this point, or even one move before,
White should have played 1 2.a3 to pre­
serve his two bishops. After the text
move the position becomes perfectly
even, and neither of the performers
seems to enjoy further play.
12 ...Aa3 13.Axa3 �xa3 14.§acl
§feS 15.4)c3 §adS 16.4)e2 Yl-Yl
 Round VII

(48) Bogoljubow - Euwe He cannot avoid the ensuing exchange

Slav Defense [D l 9] of his queen's bishop.

l.d4 d5 2 .£lf3 .£Jf6 3.c4 c6 4. .£lc3

• 18.h3 Ah5 19 . .£l x h 5 � x h5
d xc4 5.a4 Af5 6.e3 e6 7 . .Q. x c4 20.�e4
Ab4 s.o-o o-o 9.�e2 Ag4
Rightly fearing Black's attacking pos­
This leads to a more complicated game s i b i l ities on the g - fi l e in the
than Capablanca's 9 . . . .£\e4. Both this middlegame.
game and Lilienthal-Flohr, Moscow
1 936, show that, although White gets 20 .•• §f7
some initiative in the next stage of the
game, Black's defensive resources are The exchange of queens can hardly be
sufficient. escaped; e.g., 20 .. .'�'h8 2 l . 'i1Yg4 'i1Yh6
22.'i1Yh4.
lO.§dl .£lbd7 ll.e4
21. �g4+ �xg4 22.hxg4
In the above-mentioned game Lilienthal
played first l l . h3 and only after In the following play Black certainly
l l . . .Ah5, 1 2 .e4 which looks more has the sounder pawn position, but it
promising than Bogoljubow's move, will soon become clear that this advan­
as White can in that case eliminate the tage is not of a decisive character.
pin of his knight by playing eventually
g4. 22 ..• §g7 23 . .£lh2 a5

l l ...�e7 12.e5 It would not make much difference if

he were to play 23 ... �f7 followed by
Black was preparing to play 1 2 . . . e5. 24 . . . Elh8 at once, as White would al­
Another way to prevent this move was ways have a sufficient defense in .ilxd5
1 2 .ilf4. and, in case ofh5, gxh5.

12 ... .£Jd5 13 . .£Je4 f6 24.g3 'it>f7 25.'it>g2 §h8 26.§hl

'it>e7 27.§acl lit>d6
A strategical necessity.

14.exf6 .£!7xf6 15 . .Q.g5 �f7

If . . . h6 and .ilh4 had already been

played, White could obtain some pres­
sure by playing here <tlg3. As it is, he
hardly has anything better than the
course he follows, which leaves Black
pleasant endgame prospects.

16.Axf6 gxf6 17. .£Jg3 §ae8

93
 Nottingham 1 936
28.Ab3t
A good positional move. White intends
to capture at d5 only after Black's h5,
so as to have, in case of Black's recap­
ture with the king, the opportunity of
answering with �fl !.
28 ...h5
Black has no means of further improv­
ing his position.
29 .Q.xd5 cxd5
• 9 ....Q.d6 10.f4 .£}e4 1 1 . .£} xe4 dxe4
In the circumstances the best move.
30.g x h 5 .§ x h 5 3 1 . .£} f3 .§ x h 1
32 .§xh1 .§c7 33 . .§h6 �e7
• tive.
Practically forced, since after 33 . . . .§. c2
34 . .§. xf6 White's g-pawn would become
too strong.
34 . .§h7+ �d8 3 5 . .§ x c7 � x c7
36.g4 �d6 37.�fl �e7 38.�e2
�f7 39 . .£}h4 Yz-Yz
This is one of the few games in the
Nottingham tournament in which
Bogoljubow displayed his real strength.
(49) Fine - Winter
Slav Defense [Dl 2]
1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c 6 3 . .£}f3 .£}f6 4.e3
Af5 5 . .£}c3
5.cxd5 cxd5 6:�b3 gives White some
initiative on the queenside. After his
next move Black has no further open­
ing difficulties.
5 ...e6 6. .£}h4
94
It is true that White now gets the ad­
vantage of two bishops, but he opens
up for his adversary the h-file and less­
ens his pressure on the central squares.
All in all, his scheme is hardly to be
recommended.
6 ... .Q.e4 7.f3 .Q.g6 8. .£} xg6 hxg6
9.g3
B lack was threatening �h5, which
move could be played in case of e4.
12.-'l,d2 �e7
Not necessary at this moment. Instead,
1 2 . . . g5 would give Black a good initia­
13.a3
Also by no means convincing. If White
intends to play 'ii¥b 3, he had better do
so at once.
Castling the queenside, 14 . . . 0-0-0,
would be too dangerous on account of
15.'ii¥a4 followed by b4.
15.�a4 a6 16.Ae2 g5
At last.
17.0-0-0 f5 18.fxg5
The initial move of a rather hidden sac­
rificial combination. Black's best
chance now was to start an immediate
counter-attack by 18 . . . b5 1 9 .'ii¥ x a6
bxc4, followed eventually by 0-0, etc.
This would lead to some Wild West
 Round VII
play, of which the result would be by
no means certain.
18... � xg5 19.c5
19 ... Ac7?
Black seems completely to overlook the
possibility of a sacrifice. After 19 . . . Jle7
he would still have a defensible posi­
tion, although 20.'liYb3 l:':lh6 2 l .g4!
would give White undeniably the ini­
tiative.
20. .Q.xa6! bxa6
Useless was 20 . . . l:':la8 2 1 .'liYb3! . But
with 20 . . . 0-0 2 1 .Jlc4 'liYe7, the game
could be much longer defended. White
95
would win then chiefly because of his
extra pawn.
21.� xc6 'it>dS 22.�xe6
Besides having a full equivalent for his
piece, White obtains also a strong at­
tack against the exposed king. The game
is practically over.
22 ... �f6 23. �d5
Threatening 24.c6.
23 ...'it>e7 24.Ab4 E!hcS 25.'it>bl
Threatening again 26.c6+, which would
here be premature on account of
25 ... Jld6.
25 . . . 4:) f8 26.g4 a5 2 7 . Ac3 g6
28.gxf5 �xf5
If 28 . . . gxf5, then 29.l:':lhfl .
29.�c4 4:)e6 30.E!hfl �h5 3l.d5
4:) xc5 32.d6+ 1-0
If 32 . . .Jlxd6, then 33.'liYf7+ and mate
next move.
 Round VIII

Tuesday, August 1 8th

Today a move is made to the greater commodiousness of the main Assembly Hall
of the University. The tables are set in a long row down the centre ofthe Hall and
the playing space is wider, so that the games are a little further removed from the
observation of onlookers at the main sessions. When the adjourned games come
on it is found possible to make matters more cozy, and each board is the centre of
its own group of spectators, the games being spread out over the Hall. A slight
handicap is that only the players can be allowed to smoke as the floor and carpets
are too valuable to run risk of damage.

For the first time all the games are finished at the afternoon session, Vidmar v.
Alekhine and Reshevsky v. Flohr in 23 moves each. In both these there is some
hard thinking and the first has some theoretical value. A variation of the Queen's
Gambit Accepted which has been thought to be well in favor of White is
rehabilitated for the defence by an innovation by Flohr at his 1 3th move. An early
weak play by Thomas leads soon to the loss of a pawn and a broken position; and
Capablanca reduces the game to a simple though instructive winning ending.

Botvinnik rather outplays Tylor who, with a pawn down and the inferior position,
resorts to a desperate measure which loses a piece, and he gives in at the 36th
move. Tartakower defends the Queen's Gambit Declined against Euwe with
Chigorin's defence and tries a surprise(?) with 3 . . . e5. An oversight leads to Black's
losing the exchange and a pawn. Then he is indulged with a series of checks
which only carry Euwe's king into the enemy's position to help to build up a
mating position. Winter gets a far superior position against Bogoljubow, but a
weak 22nd move converts it into a lost one, and six moves later he has to resign
when faced with a forced mate.

Alexander and Fine get through 4 7 moves each in their two hours' allowance, and
the former seals a move. They stay on for half an hour analyzing, after which
Alexander decides to resign. Lasker has the bye.

The evening sitting sees Reshevsky win his adjourned game from the seventh
round against Alekhine, who also informs the Controller that (following the official
ruling in the morning) he resigns his second round game with Capablanca. Flohr
and Thomas continue their game from the previous round and it becomes rather
exciting since Flohr seems to cut matters rather fine. The game is again adjourned
but Flohr wins at the next sitting.

Scores: *Euwe, Botvinnik - 6; Fine - 5'l2; Reshevsky - 5; *Capablanca, *Vidmar

- 4'l2; *Flohr - 4 ; *Lasker, Alekhine, Bogoljubow - 3 Y2; Tartakower - 3; *Tylor -
2'l2; Thomas - 2; *Winter - 1 'l2; *Alexander - 1

96
 Round VIII

The Garden Party

Wednesday, August 1 9th

Today is the first break in the round routine and was intended to give an opportunity
to settle any games that might still be outstanding after eight rounds' continuous
play. As there is a garden party in the afternoon, only a short session in the evening
is necessary to finish off the six or seven remaining moves of the Flohr v. Thomas
game (Round 7), and a special morning session is not required.

Nearly three hundred guests from the Masters' and the General Congress attend
the garden party at Rempstone Hall (near Loughborough), the residence of
Alderman Derbyshire, who takes other opportunities also of inviting small parties
of officials and competitors to his house for consultation and relaxation. It is
unfortunate that the only really wet day during the three weeks should coincide
with the garden party. However, breaks in the weather enable the guests to visit
the beautiful gardens and to enjoy some outdoor games. Dr. Lasker, if we remember
rightly, won a prize for putting. Naturally he played for the ending, that is, for his
second putt to be as short as possible (a former British Champion's best stroke,
he says, is his third putt). A large marquee gives good cover during teatime, after
which a dramatic society gives delightful renderings of a scene from Medea, three
scenes from Twelfth Night, and an excerpt from Julius Caesar. Coaches have
brought the guests from and to the University and the Victoria Hotel, and the
outing and the entertainment make a most enjoyable break in the chess program.
High appreciation is expressed by all ofAlderman and Mrs. Derbyshire's generous
and splendid hospitality.

(50) Vidmar -Alekhine 1 933) would possibly facilitate the de­

Griinfeld Defense [D85] fense of the center.

l.d4 .iilf6 2.c4 g6 3 . .£Jc3 d5 4.cxd5 7... .,1lg7 S. .iil f3 .iil c6 9.h3

After this move and especially after the
next, White can hardly expect anything
but an equal game. Black can easily
mobilize his forces, at the same time at­
tacking his opponent's central pawns.
The mode of today is 4 .'l>:i'b3
(Botvinnik).
Practically forced, as Black threatened
Ag4.
9 ...0-0 10.'�d2 �a5! ll . .llc4
To prevent 1 1 .. .Ae6, which would be
the answer to 1 1 .Eldl.

4 .£J x d5 5 .e4 .£J xc3 6.bxc3 c5

..• ll ... c x d4 1 2 .c x d4 � x d2+
7. .1le3 13.ci!]xd2 �dS 14 .1ld5 •

Instead of this, 7.Ab5+, in order to ex­ After 1 4 . <;£;>c3 Ad7, fo l lowed by

change off this bishop (as played, e.g., B ac8, White would gradually get into
by Kashdan against me at Folkestone, trouble.

97
 Nottingham 1 936

Not 2 1 . . .Eld6, 22 ..1le7!.

22.Ae3 b6 23.\tle2 1£le7 \12-\12

(51) Reshevsky Flohr

Queen's Gambit Accepted [D28]

l.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.1£lf3 1£lf6 4.e3

c5 5.A xc4 e6 6.0-0 l£lc6 7. ti\'e2 a6
S.E!,dl b5 9.Ab3 c4 10.Jl,c2 l£lb4
11.1£lc3 1£l xc2 12. ti\'xc2 Ah7 13.d5

14... Jl,d7

After this White succeeds in equaliz­

ing without difficulty. Also the tempt­
ing 14 . . .4:\xd4 (which in most variations
would leave Black with a superior po­
sition) is not quite satisfactory because
of 15 . .1lxd4 e6 16 . .\lxg7 �xg7 17.e5
with a positional advantage for White
fully compensating for the pawn lost.
But by the simple 14 . . . e6 1 5 . .1lxc6 bxc6
threatening c5 and e5 Black's advan­ The whole variation has been exhaus­
tage would be evident. The establish­ tively analyzed in the course of the last
few years and the text move has - since
ment of this fact gives to the present
the games Eliskases-Flohr, Hastings
short game a certain theoretical value.
1 933/34, and Vidmar-Grlinfeld, War­
saw 1 935 - been considered to give
15.E!.abl e6 16.Ac41
White a strong initiative. Flohr's inno­
vation in the present game seems to re­
Now White does not need to exchange
habilitate the entire line of defense.
this valuable bishop, and Black, after a
few moves, will have to declare him­
13 ... ti\'c7!
self content with a draw.
The main idea of this is to block the
16 Ae8 17.\tld3 E!.ac8 lS.E!.hcl
••.
center by e5 in case White plays 1 4.e4.
l£la5 19.Ab5 E!, xcl 20.Jl,xcl l£lc6 1 3 . . . exd5 instead, as played in the
21.Ag51 games mentioned above, would be an­
swered by 14.e4 with good effect.
After 21 ..1le3 Black would succeed by
2 l . . . a6 in forc ing the exchange of 14.e4
White's king's bishop.
As 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.e4 does not work,
21 ...f6 on account of 1 5 . . . b4 there is nothing

98
 Round VIII

better than to complete the development 5...bxc6 6.d4 f6 7.Ae3 4:)e7

of forces.
With the object of answering 7 ... g6 with
14...e5 15.Ag5 8.�d2 followed eventually by i.th6. But
Black has a much easier line of devel­
If immediately 1 5 .i.te3, then 1 5 . . . {)g4. opment.

15 ... 4:)d7 16.Ae3 Ac5

Black obviously considers the opening
problem as already solved, and does not
intend to simplify. By 1 6 . . . i.td6 he
would have more chances of taking ad­
vantage o f his maj ority on the
queenside, inasmuch as White could
certainly obtain nothing by a demonstra­
tion on the other wing, such as 17.{)h4
g6 18.Jlh6 f6.
17.Axc5 'l:1f xc5 18.b3!
This is now possible, as 18 . . . b4 can be
answered by 19.{)a4.
lf 9.h4, then simply 9 . . . exd4 followed
by {)e5. The knight would not be dis­
lodged from its central square by f4 as
the g4-square would remain weak. But
9. �e2 offered better prospects than the
text move.
9 ...Ae6
With the obvious intention of playing
d5.
10.b3?

18 . . . 0-0 19.bxc4 'l:1f xc4 20.4:)d2

'l:1fc7 21. 'l:1lb2 §fcS 22.§ac1 4:)c5
23.4:)b3 Yz-Yz

After 23 . . . {)xb3, followed by 24 . . .�d6,

Black would still have the slightly bet­
ter game because of his queenside pawn
majority.

(52) Thomas - Capablanca

Ruy Lopez [C73]
l .e4 e5 2 . 4:) f3 4:)c6 3 . A b 5 a6
4.Aa4 d6 5.Axc6+
I think that this, a logical sequel to
Black's 4th move, is one of the most
promising defenses against the Lopez,
in which the chances of the two sides
may be considered about even. An in­
teresting idea instead of White's 5th
move is 5.c4.
This can be considered in a higher sense
the losing move, although White need
not actually lose material after it. The
emancipating 10 . . . d5 should be pre­
vented by lO . .§dl, after which the real
fight would begin.
10...d5! 1 1 .0-0
Giving up at least a pawn without the
slightest compensation. This could be

99
 Nottingham 1 93 6
avoided by l l .exd5 cxd5 1 2.�a4 e4
1 3.�gl but White's position would re­
main bad enough.
ll ... dxe4 12.� xe4 Ad5 13.�g3
The knight cannot be protected, on ac­
count of 13 .. .f5, etc.
1 3...J;txf3 14.gxf3
14. . .�h4!
Securing a decisive material advantage,
as 1 5 :�·e2 would be met by 1 5 . . .'�'d5
16. �e4 '€i'e6! (less convincing would
be 16 . . . exd4 17.�xf6+ gxf6 18 ..1lg5+)
and '€i'h3. The rest ofthe game is merely
a matter of technique.
1 5 .�d3 � x f3+ 1 6 . � h l � x d4
17.�e4 �d5
By trying to keep his two extra pawns,
Black will eventually meet with diffi­
culties.
1 8 . � x d 5 c x d5 1 9 .A x d4 e x d4
20.§adl Ac5
If20 . . . c5, White would also win a pawn
by 2 1 .c3 etc.
1 00
Besides his material superiority Black
has also the better position - the only
open file, bishop versus knight, and a
more active king.
23.c3 E!e5 24.E!d3 E!ae8 25.a4?
This creates a new weakness in the b­
file, which Black exploits in a very con­
vincing manner. A longer resistance was
possible after 25.'�g2.
25... J;txd4 26. § x d4
26.cxd4 § e l 27.'i!i'g2 § x fl 28.'i!i'xfl
'i!i'e7 29.§c3 'i!i'd6 30.§c5 §b8 31 .§a5
§b6 left White helpless.
26 . . . c5 27.§d2 E!b8 28.§bl a5
29.�g2 �e6 30.§c2 �d6 3l.f3 g5
32. �g3 h5 33.h4
Otherwise Black would win by c4, fol­
lowed by §e3, etc.
33... gxh4+ 34.�xh4 E!e3 35.�g3
35.'i!i'xh5 §g8 would put White's king
in a mating net.
35 ...c4!
Winning another pawn.
36.b4 axb4 37.cxb4 E!b3! 0-1
A simple but instructive rook endgame
(53) Botvinnik - Tylor
Catalan Opening [E07]
l .�f3 e6 2.c4 d5
As Black - rightly - does not intend to
take the c-pawn, he should play first
 Round VIII

2 ... 4Jf6 and if3.g3 b6 followed by .llb7. 8 b6 9.b3

•..

With the text move he only shows his

cards unnecessarily. Not 9.e4 because of 9 . . ..lla 6.

3.g3 .£)f6 4 .Q.g2 .Q.e7 5.0-0 0-0

• 9 .Q.b7 10.e4 dxe4 11 . .£) xe4 c5
••.

6.d4 .£)bd7 7. .£lc3 c6 12 . .£lc3 cxd4 13.'lit'xd4

This does not help to solve the problem

of the queen's bishop, and allows White
without difficulty to get an advantage
in space. More logical was the accep­
tance of the pawn sacrifice, as in
Botvinnik-Lasker, Moscow 1 936. The
continuation there was 7 . . . dxc4 8.e4 c6?
9.a4 a5 1 0 :-lli'e 2 4Jb6 1 l .� d 1 .llb4
1 2.4Je5 'Jife7 1 3 . .lle 3 .lld7 1 4.4Jxc4
4:lxc4 1 5 .'Jif xc4 b5 1 6 .'Jife2 � ab8?
(16 . . .bxa4!) 17.axb5 cxb5 18.e5 4Je8
19.d5 exd5 20.4Jxd5 'Jifxe5 2 1 .4Jxb4
Resigns. 13 ....£)e8?

The result of that game, however, was
unconvincing, not only on account of
Black's mistake on his 1 6th move, but
more so because of the defense chosen
by him on his 8th. After 8 . . . c5! he could
retain his extra pawn, and the game
would become very complicated.
Botvinnik in his annotations to the game
gives the fol lowing very interesting
variation: 9 . d 5 exd5 1 0 . e 5 4Jg4
1 l .'Jifxd5 4Jb6 1 2.'Jife4 'Jifd3 1 3 .'Jife 1
with chances perhaps for both sides.
But I believe that Black has a more sat­
isfactory way of avoiding trouble by
playing, in reply to 1 0 . e 5 , simply
10 ... d4! 1 1 .exf6 .llxf6 and his three cen­
ter pawns should amply compensate for
the piece sacrificed.
8.'lit'd31
As usual, Botvinnik plays the opening
with great exactitude. After an imme­
diate 8.b3 Black could answer 8 . . . 4Je4
This retrogression is absolutely unjus­
tified. Black could play 13 . . . e5 which
would be tactically correct (14.4Jxe5?
.llc 5 15.'Jiff4 .llxg2 1 6.'it>xg2 4:lxe5 fol­
lowed by 17 . . . .ll d 4) but after the
simple retreat, 14.'Jifd1 , strategically
questionab l e . He could also p lay
13 . . .4Jc5 with a sufficient defense in the
endgame after 14.�d1 'Jifxd4 1 5.4Jxd4
mcs.
With the simple positional threat of
17.4Je4 and 18.4Jxf6+.
16... .£)c5 17.Aa3 .£)d6?
Botvinnik refutes the pawn sacrifice in
a very convincing way. After 17 . . ..llx c3
18.'Jifxc3 4Jf6 there was still a possible
defense.
18 .Q. x c 5 b x c 5 1 9 . 'lit' x c 5 .Q. x c3
•

followed by f5. 20.'lit'xd6 'lit'f6 21 . .£)h41

101
 Nottingham 1 936
Simplest. White does not object to bish­
ops of opposite colors, since his pawn
majority on the queenside guarantees
victory.
2 1 . . . g5 22 .Q. x b7 §.adS 2 3.t?/c6
•
gxh4 24.t?/f3 hxg3 25.hxg3 t?/g7
A little better was 25 . . . �g5 preventing
the advance of the passed pawn.
26.c5 .Q.d4 27.§.bcl e5
In connection with the next move a
desperate attempt, which finally loses
a piece.
2S.c6! e4 29.t?/xe4 t?/xg3+ 30.t?/g2
.Q. xf2+ 3 1.�fl §. xdl+ 32.§.xdl
t?/ xg2+ 33.�xg2 .Q.b6 34.§.d7!
The point ofthe combination started by
his 28th move.
34 ••• §.dS 35.c7 .Q. xc7 36.§.xc7 1-0
(54) Euwe - Tartakower
Queen's Gambit, Chigorin [D07]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 .£jc6 3 . .£lc3 e5?
A weak continuation, which has not
even the advantage of novelty. If Dr.
Tartakower thought to take his oppo-
1 02
nent by surprise he was mistaken, as Dr.
Euwe knew the variation - if not before
- from his game with Colle, Hastings
1 93 0/3 1 , in which there fol lowed
4.cxd5 �xd4 5.e3 �f5 6.�f3 .ild6 7.e4
�fe7. The line adopted in the present
game is even more convincing.
4.cxd5 .£l xd4 5.e3 .£!f5 6.e4 .£ld6
7 . .£Jf3 .Q.g4
Comparatively better was 7 .. .f6 at once,
as the white queen will be extremely
well placed at b3.
S.t?/a4+ .Q.d7 9.t?/b3 f6 10. .Q.e3
White has a welcome object of attack
in Black's c-pawn.
10 •.• .£je7 ll.§.cl .£leeS
Another possible plan was l l . . c6 fol­
.
lowed by 12 . . . g6 and 1 3 . . . .ilg7. But
White would have no difficulty in any
case in maintaining his advantage in
space.
1 2..Q.d3 .Q.e7 13.0-0 0-0 14. .£Jb5
Aiming at the possesssion of two bish­
ops, in anticipation of a long positional
struggle.
14 ....Q.xb5 15. .Q.xb5
 Round VIII
1 5...� xb5?
I am almost inclined to think that Dr.
Tartakower simply overlooked the dis­
covered check! Otherwise this move is
hardly to be explained, as the immedi­
ately disastrous consequences are only
too obvious. The right course was
15 . . .4:\f7 followed by 16 . . . 4:\cd6 with
possibilities of a steady defense.
16.d6+ gf7 17.dxe7 �d7
After 17 . . . i!i'e8 18.a4 4:\bd6 19.Ei xc7
4:\xe7 20 . .1lc5, White has an easy win.
18.gfdl �cd6
If 18 . . .4:\bd6, 19.ili'xb7 etc.
19.a4 �d4 20.j},xd4 exd4 21.e5!
Winning the Exchange, with the better
position. The game should not last long
now.
21 ...fxe5 22.� xe5 �xe7 23.� xf7
� xf7 24.�xb7 gds 25.gxc7 �e6
26.ge7 �f6 27.�d7 grs 2s.ges
After 28.Ei xd4, Black (in spite of his
optimism) would probably have re­
signed.
1 03
28... �d6 29.gxf8+ Cjfjlxf8 30.gd3
�e5 3 1 . Cjfjlfl h5 3 2 . � x a7 � f5
3 3 .�d7 g6 34. gb3 �f4 3 5 .g3
� c l + 3 6 . Cjfjlg2 �e3+ 3 7 . Cjfjl h 3
� f l + 3 8 . Cjfjl h4 � f 5 + 3 9 . Cjfjlg5
�cl+ 40.Cjfjlf6 1-0
(55) Winter - Bogoljubow
King's Indian Defense [E72]
l.d4 �f6 2.c4 g6 3.�c3 -'tg7 4.e4
d6 5.g3 �c6
A very well-known strategem, which
was specially patronized by British
masters. At this particular moment,
however, it seems unnecessary, as Black
could immediately play 5 . . . e 5 . The
variation 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.ili'xd8+ �xd8
followed by c6 etc., was not dangerous
for him.
6.d5 �b8 7.-'tg2 e5 8.�ge2 �bd7
9.h3 h6
White's last move, aiming at .lle 3, was
correct. But the fact that Black, already
handicapped by lack of space, allows
himself to lose time also is sheer care­
lessness. He should play at once 9 . . . a5.
10.Ae3 a5 l l .a3 0-0 12.0-0 �c5
Allowing White to increase his posi­
tional advantage on the queenside. A
lesser evil was 1 2 . . . b6 followed - if
1 3.b4 for instance - by 13 ... 4:\hS.
1 3 .b4 a x b4 1 4 . a x b4 g x a l
15.�xal �a6 16.�a3 �h5
This rather harmless attempt is made
under the conviction that White's ad­
vance on the other wing cannot be
stopped in the long run. If, e.g., 1 6 ... b6
 Nottingham 1 936

the reply would be 17.�b5 threatening

18.�a7-c6.

17.b5 �b8 18.g4 �f6 19.c5 dxc5

20.Axc5 .§e8 21 . .§cl �bd7

If 26.'<t>fl , Black also plays 26. . . �xg4

followed by �h4.

26 . . . � x g4+ ! 27. h x g4 �h4+

28.Ah3 �f6 o-t
22.Ab4?
Mate is forced in a few moves.
With this and the following poor moves
White transforms a far superior posi­ (56) Alexander - Fine
tion into a lost one. After 22 ..1le3, Black English Opening [A 1 8]
would find no compensation for the
l.c4 �f6 2.�c3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4
obvious weakness of his queenside, and
it would be easy for White to increase
A mistake would be 4 . . . �e4 because of
his pressure. He probably overlooked
5.�xe4 dxe4 6.�g4! as played in Flohr­
Black's 23rd move completely.
Thomas, Hastings 1 93 1132.
22 ... h5 23.f3?
5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3

The game after this is lost by force. His

best chance was to try to create compli­
cations with 2 3 . g 5 �h7 2 4 . h4 f6
2 5 .'�b3 giving him some fighting
chances.
23 ...Ah6 24. .§dt
The sacrifice of the Exchange - e.g.,
by 24.�dl - would merely prolong the
game without saving it.
After 6.fxg7 cxd2+ 7.�xd2 �xd2+
8 ..1lxd2 .llxg7, Black would have a sat­
i s factory position for the coming
endgame. The variation chosen leads to
a complicated game in which White in
compensation for his somewhat spoilt
pawn position, has a certain advantage
in space.
6 . . . � x f6 7.d4 b6 8 . � f3 Ab7
9.Ae2 h6

24 ... hxg4 25.fxg4 Ae3+ 26.<it'h2 If this loss of time is really necessary,

1 04
 Round VIII
the whole variation can hardly be rec­
ommended. Why should not Black first
play 9 . . . .lld6, to prevent White's un­
pleasant knight move?
He has nothing better. If 10 . . . .llx g2,
then 1 1 .'iii'a 4+ c6 1 2 .l"lg1 .lle4 1 3.f3
'iii'h4+ 14.'<t>d1 'iii' x h2 1 5 .l"le1 and wins.
At first sight this is tempting, but in fact
the perfectly useless check spoils the
effect of the previous move. It would
be interesting to know how Fine would
defend the position after White sacri­
fices a pawn: 1 1 .0-0 .llx e5 (otherwise
1 2 .f4!) 1 2 .dxe5 'iii' x e5 1 3 . .llf3 Black
would find it difficult to castle kingside,
on account of the possibility of .lla 3,
and White's open files would give him
a promising initiative.
ll ...�e7 12.Af3
Now this is practically forced, and
White gets a worse pawn position and
no real attacking chances.
1 2 . . . A, xf3 1 3 . .£l xf3 f!d8 14.0-0
�f8 1S.f!e1 .£ld7 16.�c6?
1 05
This only facilitates Black's task, as his
next move will be accompanied by a
strong threat. Better was 16.'iii'd 1 and if
16 . . . e5 17.a4, with the object of elimi­
nating at least one weakness in his po­
sition.
16 ...eS 17.�e4 �g8 18.Jl,b2?
Decidedly not the place for the bishop.
White could not capture three times at
e5, because of his unguarded back rank,
but 18.'iii'g4, to stop 'iii'e6, was worth
consideration.
18 ... E{e8 19.f!e2 �e6
The exchange of queen for two rooks
after 19 . . . exd4 would be a good trans­
action for White. But now Black threat­
ens not only 19 . . . 'iii'xc4, but also 19 . . .f5,
thus getting an advantage in the center.
White therefore decides to relieve the
tension, but the ensuing endgame can­
not be saved against correct play by
Black.
20.d xeS? .£! x eS 21 . .£) xeS � x e S
22.�xeS E! xeS 23.f!xeS AxeS
The following part of the game is only
interesting from the technical point of
view. Black's choice of a winning line
 Nottingham 1 936

comes to the exploitati on of his 36.gxf4 gxf4 37.E!e4 �f5 38.f3

opponent's queenside weakness, merely
as a means of keeping the white pieces
busy on this side of the board. In the
meantime he opens a file on the other
wing and wins through the intrusion of
his rook. Simple but instructive!
E!d6+ 39.�c2
If 39.\tle2, then 39 . . . 1==l g6 40.\tlf2 1==l c6
forcing an entrance into the hostile camp.
39 ...bxc4 40.E!xc4 E!g6

24.E!dl E!eS 25.�fl §e6 26.§.el "Quod erat demonstrandum."

�fs 27.g3 g5 28.E!e4 �e7 29.�e2
f5 30. f!e3 �f6 3 1 .�d3 E!d6+
32.�c2 f4 33.E!e2 h5 34.-'tcl E!c6
35.�d3 b5!
The endgame crisis begins. White's re­
ply is unavoidable, as his 3 8th move
shows.
Black's passed pawn will of course be
infinitely stronger than White's.
4 t . E!a4 E!g2+ 42 . .1}.d2 E! x h2
43.E! xa7 h4 44.E!a8 h3 45.E!f8+
�e6 46.E!b8 E!hl 47.E!e8+ �d6
0-1

1 06
 Round IX

Thursday, August 20th

An excellent round, no quick draws without fight. Three games finish in the
afternoon with two wins and a draw, and four games full of interest carry over to
the evening, when a still larger attendance testifies to the tenseness of the struggle.
Two of the adjourned games are Alekhine v. Euwe and Capablanca v. Reshevsky.
Three of the four are still further adjourned and in the end White wins five games
and two are drawn.

Alexander, defending against Bogoljubow, goes wrong at his seventh move and
the latter wins rather easily in 24 moves. Tylor v. Thomas is a well contested game
which is drawn in 29 moves with the former, it appears, still having a worthwhile
superiority. Tartakower uses a risky variation of Bird's Opening and Winter's
energetic play seems to promise a lively win. However, one or two weak moves
later lose the British Champion an excellent chance of a fine victory.

Alekhine's close annotations make his game with Euwe very good reading and
his eventual win in their first meeting since the great match give unusual piquancy
to this game. Capablanca has a bone to pick with Reshevsky after his loss at their
first encounter at the Margate Congress a few months previously. The American
champion begins well but falls away later with "a series of indifferent moves,"
and Capablanca's usual accuracy wins an interesting ending in 58 moves.

Flohr v. Vidmar becomes so complicated that near the adjournment through time
shortage both players are "swimming." Alekhine says Vidmar misses one or two
chances of drawing, but the difficult ending that comes at length is won by Flohr
in beautiful style. A very even game between Lasker and Botvinnik is drawn in 44
moves. Fine has the bye.

Score: Botvinnik - 6Y2; *Euwe - 6; *Capablanca, *Fine - 5Y2; *Flohr, Reshevsky

- 5; *Vidmar, Alekhine, Bogoljubow - 4Y2; *Lasker, Tartakower 4; *Tylor 3;
Thomas - 2Y2; *Winter - I Yl; Alexander - I

(57) Alekhine - Euwe ment. But, as he will later be forced to

French Defense [C02] make some efforts to recover the pawn,
the whole plan can hardly lead to more
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.1£\f3 l£\c6 than a balanced position.
5.-'td3
s.. cxd4 6.0-0 f6
.

One of the late A. Nimzovitch's ideas.

White temporarily sacrifices a pawn in If Black had prefaced this by 6. . . �b6,
order to get an advantage in develop- White could with some chances of sue-

1 07
 Nottingham 1 936

cess transform the game into a regular 1 5 .l'hel and only in case of 1 5 . . .Ac8
gambit by 7.c3 dxc3 8.4Jxc3 etc. followed by 1 6 . .§dl, .§fe l .

7.Ab5 1 5. . .§a7?

There is nothing better than to re-estab­ A tactical mistake, which allows the
lish equilibrium in material. If, e.g., exchanging off of his valuable king's
7.Af4, then 7 ... g5, followed by 8 ... g4. bishop. Comparatively better was
15 ... Ab6 and if l6.4Ja4, then 16 ... .ild8
7 . . . Ad7 8 . A x c6 b x c6 9 . � x d4 with c5 to follow.
fxe5 10.�xe5
16. .£\a4 §b7
If instead 10.4Jxe5, Black would have
the opportunity by 10 .. .'�b6 either to
dislodge the hostile queen or to ex­
change it.

to ... .£\f6 l l.Af4

An important move, to prevent �b8

followed by Ad6.

l l ...Ac5 12 . .£\c3 0-0 13.Ag3

The f-pawn is the weakest spot in White's

position, and needed further protection.
The game has reached a difficult stage
for both sides, and White's slight ad­
vantage (which consists in the control
of eS) is extremely hard to exploit.
13 ... �e7
The alternative was 13 .. .'�e8.
14.a3
No bad speculative move, which pre­
pares eventually for 4Ja4 or b4, and also
prevents Ab4.
14 ... a5 15.§fel
There was no immediate need to
weaken the f2-square. White could play
A counter-error to Black's 1 5th move.
Instead of, by 17 .4Jxc5 and 18 . .§e2, se­
curing a clear positional advantage
(through the weakness of the black
squares in the adversary's game), White
hits at the a-pawn, for which Black can
easily get compensation.
17...Aa7 18.�xa5 .£\e4
Good enough, but even more convinc­
ing was 18 . . . .§a8 and if 1 9.'<t'hl �f8
20.�d2 .ilxf2 followed by 2 1 . . . .§ xa4.
19. �a6 Ae8 20.b4
In connection with his next move, this
is White's only way to meet the pres­
sure on the f-file.

1 08
 Round IX
20 ...g5?
By this over-impulsive move, Black
weakens still further his already un­
safe pawn position. The more natural
20 . . . e5 would give him better equaliz­
ing chances. After White's intended
sacrifice 2 1 .El xe4 dxe4 22.'t1k4+ �J7
23.�xe4 ltd5 24.�xe5 ltxf3 25.�xe7
.§ xe7 26.gxf3 .§xf3 27.'it'g2, the two
pawns for the Exchange would hardly
be sufficient to assure a White victory.
But after the text move, White suc­
ceeds in simplifying matters to his ad­
vantage.
21.4)c51 Axc5
Black cannot keep the two bishops, e.g.,
2 l . . .�xc5 22.bxc5 .llx c5 23.El xe6! etc.
22.bxc5 4) x c 5 2 3 . �e2 4)e4
24.�e3
White's superiority has now become
evident. His pawns are much more
soundly placed, he still has the control
of e5, typical of this variation, and, last
but not least, he has a rather menacing
passed pawn.
24... Ag6
1 09
Even against the somewhat better
24 . . . c5, White would maintain his ad­
vantage by 25.�d2! but the exchanges
of the two minor pieces on each side
facilitates his task considerably.
25.4)e5 c5 26.4) xg6 h xg6 27.f3
4) xg3 28.hxg3 C3;f7 29.a4!
In order to exploit Black's weaknesses
in the center and on the kingside, White
makes first a demonstration on the other
wing, forcing his opponent to leave
some vulnerable spots uncovered.
29 •.• E{a8 30.C3;f2
With the sudden threat of a mating at­
tack starting with .§hl.
3 0... E{b2 31.E{e2 c41
In the circumstances, comparatively
best, although not quite sufficient. As a
matter of fact, no human being - not
even the Champion - could hope to pro­
tect at the same time ( 1 ) the a-file; (2)
the h-file; (3) the c-pawn; ( 4) the e­
pawn; (5) the g-pawn; and (6) the e5-
square. It is really a little too much!
3 2 . E{ h l C3;g8 3 3 . �e 5 1 �a7+
34.C3;fl E{ b l + 3 5 . § e l E{ x e l +
36.C3;xel �g7!
The only temporarily saving move.
Black loses merely two pawns, but he
gets a sort of counter-attack, which has
to be met with the greatest care.
37.�xe6+ C3;f8
Not of course 37 . . . �f7 38.Elh8+.
 Nottingham 1 936
And now 38:�·d6+ 'lf1e7+ would only
lead to a draw. The text move looks
more risky than it actually is.
38... �c3+
Again the best. 38 . . . § e8+ would be
answered by 39.'it'd2! '[;j'f6 40.i"lh7 af­
ter which 40 . . . §d8 would lose at once
by 4l.§h8+ etc.
39 . . . 'f!1xc2+ would lead to a rapidly lost
game after 40.'it'g l .
40.g41
Checks at d6 and then d7 would be use-
less. The queen is best placed in the
center.
40... �e3+ 41.'iflg3 �f4+ 42.'iflh3
�e7
If 42 . . . 'it'g7, then 43.'[;j'd7+.
43.�c5
The right move. After 43.g3 '[;j'e3 the
win would be doubtful.
43...�f6 44.g3
Not 44.§el '[;j'h8+ 45.'it'g3 '[;j'h4 mate!
1 10
44... �h8+
If 44 . . . '[;j'xf3, then 45.§el wins.
4 5 . 'iflg2 �c3 4 6 . � h7 � x c 2 +
4 7 . 'ifl h 3 �e2 48 . � x e7 � x e7
49.�xc4
One might think that the win from this
point was merely a matter of technique,
but it is not quite so. White has to solve
the double problem of safeguarding his
kingside pawns and avoid a draw by
perpetual check or repetition of moves.
Confident as he was of the final out­
come, his choice may not have been the
most rapid but was certainly one of the
safest lines.
49 . . . �el 50.�c5+ 'itlf7 5 1.'itlg2
�al 52. �c2 'itlf6 53. �b3 'ifle5
54. 'itlf2 'itlf6 5 5 . �b6+ 'itlg7
56.�b4
The game was adjourned here for the
second time and White starts on the se­
rious final task. His plan is ( 1 ) to play
a5; and (2) after that to play at the right
moment f4.
56. . . �hl 57.�el �h2+ 58.'ifle3
'itlh7 59.a5 �a2 60.�d2 � a l
61.'ifle2
 Round IX
61 ... �h6
A better chance - though practically the
game would be lost even by the best
play - was 6 1 . . .t¥h l . After the text
move White gets in f4 in the most fa­
vorable circumstances, leaving him no
difficulties for his king's final trip,
which makes his passed pawn irresist­
ible.
62.f4! gxf4 63.gxf4 �a4 64.�f21
In order to play g5+ at the moment when
Black cannot answer with ®h5.
64 . . . �h7 65.g5 �a3 66.�d7+
�h8 67.�c8+ �h7 68.�c7+
Thus the queen protects both the a- and
f-pawns, and the king is ready for the
final walk.
68 ... �h8 69.�e2 �a2+ 70.�e3
�b3+ 7 1 . �d4 �b4+ 72.�d5
�b5+ 73.�d4
The third adjournment. White could
also play 73.®e6 and after 73 . . . 'i�H5+,
74.®e7 t¥f8+! 75 .®d7, but he did not
need it.
73 ...�a6 74.�b6 �c8 75.�d6!
Ill
The simplest scheme.
75 . . . �c2 76.a6 �d2+ 77.�e5
�c3+ 78.�e6 �c8+ 79.�e7 �h7
80.�d7 �c3 81.�e6+ 1-0
The exchange of queens is forced.
(58) Flohr - Vidmar
Queen's Gambit Declined [D62]
l.c4 e6 2.4:)c3 d5 3.d4 4:)f6 4 . .Q.g5
Ae7 5.e3 0-0 6.4:)f3 4:)bd7 7.�c2
c5 8.cxd5
This move, a favorite with F lohr,
leads after a few exchanges to a posi­
tion that offers but very slight winning
prospects for White, but it has the un­
deniable advantage of leav ing no
counter-chances for Black, who can
play only for a draw.
8 ... 4:) xd5 9 . .Q.xe7 � xe7 10.4:) xd5
exd5 l l .Ad3 g6 1 2.dxc5 4:) xc5
13.0-0
Slightly better than 1 3 . Ei c l {Jxd3+
1 4.t¥xd3 .lif5! played by me in the
I Oth match game against Capablanca,
1 927.
13 Ag4 14.4:)d4 E!ac8 15. �d2 a6
.•.
If 1 5 . . . <Lle4, then 1 6.t¥a5 <Llc5 17.t¥a3.
16 . .Q.c2 �g5
Both players try to complicate matters,
but the position reached is of the type
which practically demands further sim­
plifications.
17.f3 Ad7 18.f!fel E!fd8 19.E!adl
�f6 20.Ab3 .Q.a41
 Nottingham 1 93 6
After having caught the enemy's bishop
Black has really nothing to fear either
in the middlegame or in the ending.
2 1 . A x a4 .£) x a4 2 2 . §c l .£) c 5
23.§edl �b6 2 4. .£)e2
24... .£)d7
Black has considerably improved his
position in the last dozen moves, and
could play here 24 . . .<£le6 25.l''!.xc8 §xc8
26.<£lc3 <£lc7 with an easy draw. But the
text move should lead to the same re­
sult in a slightly more complicated way.
2 5 .�d4 � x d4 26 . .£) x d4 .£) e 5
27.b3 �fS 2S.�fl § xcl?
Even this curious exchange should not
lose. Much simpler however, was
28 . . .'1le7.
29.§ xcl .£)c6?
But here 29 . . .'1le7 was necessary.
30. .£) xc6 §cS 31.§c5?
Both players are "swimming" - possi­
bly through shortage of time. White
should play here 3 1 .'1le2 § xc6 (or
3 1 . . .bxc6 32.E!c5 etc., as in the actual
1 12
game) 3 2 . E! xc6 bxc6 3 3 .b4 'll e 7
34.'1ld3 '!Jd6 35.'1ld4 with a typical
winning position.
3l ...bxc6?
And Black does not take advantage of
the opportunity by answering
3 1 . . . § xc6!. Then 32J� xc6 (32.§xd5
E! c2 yields an obvious draw) 32 ... bxc6
33.b4 'lle7 34.'1Je2 '!Jd6 35.'1ld3 c5
36.bxc5+ 'll x c5 37.'1lc3 aS gives an
equal position. After his opponent's last
mistake, Flohr forces the win in an in­
structive manner.
32.�e2 �e7 33.�d3 �d6 34.§a5
§aS 35.�d4 f5 36.b4 §bS 37.a3
§aS
3S.e4!
White profits by the fact that Black's
rook is tied and is unable to threaten on
the kingside, forcing his opponent to
weaken his position there in a decisive
manner. What follows is a classic ex-
ample of how to play such kind of end­
ings.
3S...fxe4 39.fxe4 d xe4 40.�xe4
§a7 4 1 . �f4 h 6 4 2 . h4 �e6
43.�g4 §aS 44.h5! g5
 Round IX
If44 . . . gxh5+, then 45.'it>xh5 l:'!g8 46.g4
winning easily.
45.g3 §a7 46.\t>f3 §aS 47.\t>e4
§a7 48.\t>d4
He could play immediately 48.l:'!e5+.
48 \t>d6 49.\t>e4 \t>e6 50.§e5+1
•..
Forcing entrance for either the rook at
e8 or the king at f5 .
50...\t>d6 51.§e8 c5
Desperation!
52.§d8+ \t>c6
52 . . . 'it>c7 53.l:'!h8 cxb4 54.axb4 and
wins.
5 3 . § c8 + \t>b6 54. § x c 5 § h 7
55.§e5 \t>c6 56.§e6+ \t>b5 57.\t>f5
§f7+ 58.§f6 1-0
(59) Capablanca Reshevsky
-
Catalan Opening [E03]
1 .d4 d5 2 . � f3 � f6 3 .c4 d xc4
4."�a4+ �bd7 5."�xc4?
The same logical error as in Reshevsky­
Fine. Why not immediately 5.g3 taking
the pawn on c4 only after Black by c6
has threatened to protect it? If 5 . . . a6,
then 6.4Jc3.
5...e6 6.g3 a6 7..Q.g2 b5 8."�c6 §a7
So as to meet White's next move with
.Q.b7. White would do better now by
trying to exchange off his queen 's
bishop - 9.Ae3 4Jd5 1 0 . .Q.g5 Ae7
1 13
l l .Axe7 'lf1xe7 1 2 .0-0 Ab7, followed
by eS.
9 ..Q.f4 .Q.b7 10.�c1 c5 l l .dxc5
.Q.xc5 12.0-0 0-0
Black has now even slightly the better
prospects, through a certain advantage
in space on the queens ide and the some­
what exposed situation of White 's
queen.
1 3 . � bd 2 �e7 1 4 . � b3 .Q.b6
15 ..Q.e3
In trying to force the exchange of his
adversary's strong king's bishop, White
is willing to lose several tempos with
his queen. But there was in fact, noth­
ing better to do.
15 §c8 16.�d2 � e4 1 7.�d3
. • •
�ec5 18.� xc5 � xc5 19.�d1
19 ••. .Q.a8?
The beginning of a series of indiffer­
ent moves, permitting White gradually
to improve his position. Natural, and
best, was 19 . . . Ad5 and if 20.b3, then
2 0 . . . l:'! d7 2 l .'lf1e l l:'! dd8 fo llowed
eventually by 'lf1b7 with a still freer po­
sition.
 Nottingham 1 936
20.E{cl E!ac7 21.b3 4)d7
There was no necessity at all to ex­
change pieces at this particularjuncture,
as White threatened nothing. A good
positional move was 2 1 . . .f6.
22.E{ xc7 E! xc7 23.,1l x b6 4) x b6
24.�d4 4)d5 25.E{dl f6
More rational now looks 25 . . . .§ c8 in­
tending <£Jc3.
26.4)el ,1lb7 27.,1lxd5 exd5?
A hardly credible move from a master
of Reshevsky's experience! He isolates
the central pawn, and at the same time
practically kills his bishop without the
slightest necessity. After 27 . . . .\lxdS a
draw would be the only normal result.
28.e3 �e4 29.h4
Simpler was 29.f3 at once.
29 •.. a5 30.f3 �xd4?
The endgame in this form is as good as
hopeless. 30 .. .'(ife5 instead, and after
3 1 .'<t'f2, 3 1 . . .b4 offered comparatively
better chances.
31.E{xd4 E!cl?
1 14
This expedition merely leads to further
simplification, which is indubitably in
White's favor. A plausible idea was to
bring the king up to the center.
32.'\t>f2 E!al 33.E!d2 a4 34.4)d3
34... E{bl
After 34 . . . axb3 35 .axb3 .§bl White
could continue 36.<£Jc5 .llc 6 37 . .§ a2
with advantage. Still he would find it
more difficult to force the win then than
after the exchange of rooks provoked
by the text move.
35.f!b2 E{ xb2+
Now obviously forced.
36.4)xb2 Ac6 37.4)d3 g5
Purely defensive play, starting with
37 . . .'<t'f7, would be absolutely hopeless,
as White, after 38.<£Jb4, would bring his
king up to d4, and then the exploitation
of Black's two weaknesses at d5 and
b5 would be a simple matter. Reshevsky
therefore makes a desperate effort at
counter-attack on the kingside.
3 8 . h x g 5 f x g 5 3 9 . 4) b4 a x b3
40.axb3 ,1lb7 41.g4
 Round IX
It was very important to prevent h5.
If 43 . . .d4, then of course 44.e4.
44. g x h 5 + � x h 5 4 5 . �d4 �h4
46. .£l xd5 �g3 47.f4 g4
After 47 . . ..\lxdS 48.'<t1xd5 g4 49.f5, the
black king would have to go either on
the f-file, when White's pawn would
queen with a check, or on the h-file,
when both sides would queen, but
White would force the exchange of
queens at once.
48.f5 Ac8 49.�e5 Ad7 50.e4 Ae8
Technically simpler was 5 1 .f6 '<t1f3
52.b4 g3 53.<£Jf4 followed by '<t1f5 and
e5 etc.
51 ...�f3 52.e5 g3 53. .£le3 �f4
Or 53 . . . .lld7 54.e6 .llc8 55.e7 .lld7
56.f6 .lle 8 57.<£Jf5 g2 58.<£Jh4+ '<t1f4
59.<£Jxg2+ '<t1f5 60.<£Je3+ '<t1xf6 61 .<£Jd5+
and wins.
54.e6 g2 55. .£l xg2+ � xf5 56.�d5
�g4 57. .£le3+ �f4 58.�d4 1-0
liS
(60) Tylor - Thomas
Hungarian Defense [C50]
l.e4 e5 2 . .£lf3 .£lc6 3.Ac4 Ae7
If Black does not intend to develop his
bishop at c5 or b4, but to play d6, it is
better to make that move first. He would
then have the option in certain cases of
developing the bishop in fianchetto.
4.d4 d6 5.h3
Hardly necessary at the moment, but
will be useful later to keep Black's mi­
nor pieces off g4. 5.<£Jc3 .llg4 6.h3 oc­
curred in Alekhine-Breyer, Mannheim
1 9 1 4.
5 ... .£lf6 6 . .£lc3 a6
This move would prove rather harmless
if White replied simply 7.a3. As it hap­
pens, however, it leads to an exchange
which facilitates the defense.
7.Ae3 b5 8.Jl.d5
Simplest, as he has to consider two pos­
sibilities: 8 . . . b4 and 8 . . . exd4 9.<£J(or
.ll)xd4 <£Jxd4 10 . .\l(or <£J)xd4 c5.
8... .£l xd5 9 . .£l xd5 0-0 10.0-0 Jl.b7
An indirect protection of d5, in order
to prepare for f5. White prevents this
project by his next move.
l l . �d 3 e x d4 1 2 . Jl. x d4 .£l x d4
13 . .£l x d4
The famous "two bishops" will in this
instance be perfectly useless, as one of
them will necessarily be exchanged off
in a very few moves.
 Nottingham 1 936
13 ... .i}.f6 14.c3 �e8 1 5.a4 .i}.xd4
16.cxd4
Not, of course, 16.'\il'xd4 on account of
16 . . . c6 followed by c5.
16 .•. c6
Too optimistic. In the ensuing blockade
the superiority of the knight over the
bishop will become apparent. Much
safer was 16 . . . .1lxd5 1 7 .exd5 bxa4
18.l"l xa4 'iil'b8 with a rather easy draw
in the near future.
17. i£)e3 c5 18.d5 �d7 19.f3 f6
20.b3
White's plan is obvious; he intends to
free the c4-square for his knight.
20 ... �eb8 2 1.�f2 .i}.cS 22.�fa2
bxa4
A sad necessity, as 22 . . .Jlb7 would be
worse on account of 2 3 . axb5 axb5
24.l"la5 etc.
2 3 . � x a4 �b5 24 . .'£)c4 �ab8
2 5 . �4a3 �c7 2 6 ." � e3 Ab7
27.�f4 �d8 28.®h2 �d7 29.g4
This is somewhat premature, and would
be more effective after 29.{:\a5 Jla8.
1 16
But even now White's prospects in the
middle and endgame are superior, and
he should not have stopped playing af­
ter his opponent's next move.
29 .i}.c8 Yz-Yz
•..
(61) Lasker - Botvinnik
Griinfeld Defense [D9 1 ]
l.d4 .'£)f6 2.c4 g6 3.i£)c3 d5 4. .'£)f3
Ag7 5.Ag5
The more usual 5.e3 gives White only
a very slight positional advantage. As
he plays, he allows his opponent to ob­
tain the advantage of the two bishops,
which, however, is not easy to exploit,
since Black cannot, without taking
chances, transform the game into an
open one.
5 ... .'£)e4 6.cxd5 .'£) xg5 7. .'£) xg5 e6
8 . .'£)f3 exd5 9.e3 0-0 10. .i}.e2 c6
The game, up to the 20th move, devel­
ops quite logically, and is easy to un­
derstand. White by starting the "minor­
ity attack" on the queenside, usual in
this kind of position, finally (on the 2 1 st
move) compels Black to play b5, after
which both sides get strong points, at
c4 and c5 respectively. The only chance
for Black after that would be in open
diagonals for his bishops through an
advance on the other wing, but that ad­
vance makes his king's position unsafe,
and allows White to force the exchange
of queens before the bishops become
dangerous. A well-played but rather dull
game is the result.
11.0-0 �e7
Preventing, for the time being, b4.
 Round IX
12.a3 Ae6 13.§.cl 4::\ d7 14.4::\ e l
The knight aims at cS, but after Black's
next cautious move the maneuver will
prove harmless.
14 4::\ b6 15.4::\ d 3 §.adS 16.4::\ c 5
•••
AcS 17.b4
If 17.b3 (to prevent l£lc4), Black could
at once start a counter-attack with
17 .. .f5.
17 4::\c4 18.4::\ b l b6 19.4::\b3 Aa6
•••
20.§.el
A mistake would be 20.1£lld2 for then
20 . . . 1£lb2 2l .�el l£ld3 etc.
20 §.feS 2 1 . 4::\ ld2 b5 2 2 . §. a l
. . •
Acs 23.Afl
Preventing the promising sacrifice
l£lxe3 etc., e.g., after 23.1£lc5.
23 �d6 24.4::\ c 5 §e7 25.4::\ db3
••.
§.deS 26. �cl
Still preparing a4, which here would be
premature on account of 26 . . . bxa4
27.l''l.x a4? l£lb2.
26 f5 27.4::\ d3 g5 2S.�c3
.•.
1 17
2S...f4
Black, as already mentioned, is practi­
cally obliged to force matters, since oth­
erwise White would take the initiative
with a4, etc.
29.exf4 gxf4 30.§xe7 § xe7 31.a4
a6 3 2 . a x b 5 a x b5 3 3 .§.aS §.eS
34.�cl §.fS 35.�dl
Not, of course, 35 .l£lxf4? for then
35 . . .-'l.h6 followed by �xb4.
35 .Q.f5 36.§.xf8+ JlxfS 37.�h5
••.
�g6
Otherwise, after 37 . . .Ag6 38.�g5 etc.,
the pressure exerted by the white queen
would become unpleasant.
3S.� xg6+ hxg6 39.4::\ x f4 Jl x b4
40.Ad3 4::\ d2
This last attempt to win is sufficiently
parried by White's 43rd move.
4 1 . 4::\ x d 2 .Q. x d 2 42 .Q. x f5 g x f5
•
43.4::\ e6! Ac3
Or 43 . . . �f7 4 4 . 1£ld8+; or 4 3 . . . b4
44.<£\cS, with an easy draw in either
case.
(62) Tartakower - Winter
Bird's Opening (A02]
l.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 A xd6
4.4::\ {3 g5
The Lasker Attack (Bird-Lasker, 2nd
match game, 1 892) leads to lively situ­
ations if White avoids, as in the present
 Nottingham 1 93 6
game, the exchange variation: 5.d4 g4
6.<£\e5 .ftxe5 7.dxe5 iil'xdl+ etc.
5.d4 g4 6. .£,g5
If Black replies 6 .. .f5, then 7.e4 h6
8.<£\h3, sacrificing a piece for an inter­
esting attack. After Black's actual move
White should keep his superiority with­
out any sacrifices.
6 ... 'i/Je7 7. 'i/Jd3!
Threatening 8.<£\e4 and preparing also
for h3.
7...f5 8.h3 .£,c6 9.hxg4
9.c3 was also to be considered, but the
text move is keener and better.
9 ... .£,b4 10.'i/Jb3 f4
11.-'l,d2?
A tame move, which spoils the whole
effect of the energetic opening play.
Logical was l l .�xh7! �xh7 ( l l ...iil'xg5
1 2 .iil'f7+ followed by 1 3 .� xh8 and
wins) 1 2.iil'xg8+ 'it'd7 1 3.<£\xh7 <t\xc2+
14.'it'dl <t\xa l ! 1 5 .e4! fxe3 16 . .ftxe3
with an overwhelming attack, as Black
must be mated or lose his queen if he
1 18
takes the bishop ( 1 6. . . iil'xe3 17.<£\f6+).
After the exchanges in the text Black
gets ample compensation for his slight
material inferiority.
1 1 . . . .£, x c 2 + 1 2 . 'i/J x c 2 'itJ x g 5
13 . .£lc3
Ifl3.�xh7, then simply 13 . . . �xh7 (not
13 . . ..ftf5 14.iil'a4+) 14.iil'xh7 .ftxg4 also
with a promising position.
13 ... .£,f6 14..£,e4 .£, xe4 15.'i/Jxe4+
'i/Je7 16. 'i/Jf3
16.iil'xe7+ 'it'xe7 17.Ac3 Axg4 18.d5
h5 19 ..llxh8 �xh8 gives Black a splen­
did game, White's bishop being impris­
oned.
16 ... -'l,e6 17.'i/Jxb7
Not merely for the sake of a pawn, but
to prevent 0-0-0.
17 . . . 0-0 1 8 . 'i/Jf3 'i/Jg7 1 9 .Ac3
-'l, x g4 20.'i/Jd5+ �h8 2 1 .0-0-0
§ae8 22.§d3
The only possible attempt to bring the
king's bishop back to life, but without
the opponent's help it certainly could
not succeed.
22 ... -'tf5 23.Etf3 -'te4?
Why such a hurry? After 23 ... �e7, for
instance, White would be without use­
ful moves.
24. 'i/Jh5 -'l,xf3?
So false an appreciation of the position
by a player of Winter's experience can
only be due to shortage of time. By
 Round IX
24 ... c6 25.f!.fh3 (25.d5 Ae5) 25 . . . 1"!.£7
followed by Ad5 he could still keep up
a tremendous pressure. The "win" ofthe
Exchange, on the contrary, completely
changes the aspect of the game in his
opponent's favor.
25.exf3 E!e3 26.Ac4 E!fe8 27.Ab3
E!Se7 28. �f5 c5?
A last error. But also after 28 . . . f!.e8
29 ..llc 2 his position would remain very
difficult.
29.E!x h7+ � x h7 30.�f8+ 1-0
(63) Bogoljubow -Alexander
Queen's Indian Defense [E l 6]
l.d4 .£)f6 2 . .£)f3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3
Ah7 5.Ag2 d5?
In this well-known variation Black gen­
erally develops his king's bishop at b4
or e7. It is much more important here
first to mobilize the kingside and only
develop the other wing in accordance
with the adversary's dispositions.
6.0-0 .£) bd7
Even here 6 ... .lle7 seems preferable.
7.cxd5 .£) xd5?
1 19
Already the decisive strategical error,
which Bogoljubow exploits in a most
energetic way. 7 . . . exd5 was necessary,
with quite possibly a defense.
8.e4 .£)5f6 9.e5 .£)d5
10. .£)g5!
The idea of this maneuver is mainly to
prevent Black castling on the kingside,
for it is only too obvious that neither in
the center nor on the queen's wing will
the black king feel comfortable.
10 ... Ae7
He could perhaps save a tempo by play­
ing immediately 1 0 . . . ii!e7 and i f
l l ."iifh 5 g 6 1 2 ."iifh 3 0-0-0. But this
would hardly save his compromised
situation.
Threatening <tlxe6, etc.
13 .•. �e7 14. .£)c3 0-0-0 15.Ad2
White's position is so strong that this
offer of a pawn sacrifice was absolutely
unnecessary. The simple 1 5.f!.el was
best.
 Nottingham 1 93 6

16.� xd5 .Q.xd5

16 . . . exd5 would not help at all.

17. .Q.xd5 exd5 18.Etfel Etc8

The simple threat was 1 9 . e6 fx e6

20.€lxe6 etc.

19.Etacl .Q.g7 20.e6 fxe6 21.� xe6

�f6

2 l . ..�f7 22 . .£lg5; or 2 l . . .�f6 22.Jlg5

A s Black has nothing t o lose, h e should
accept the sacrifice, and wait to see
whether his opponent would find a win
after 1 5 . . . 4J x c 3 1 6 .Jlxb7+ 'it' x b7
17.bxc3 (not of course 17.�g2+ €ld5)
17 . . . €lxe5 18.�g2+ �b8 19.€le4 .£ld7
20.a4 etc. After the indifferent text
move the game was completely lost.
�f7 23.€lxg7. In both cases White has
an easy win.
22.� xc7 �f7 23 ..Q.f4 g5
23 . . .'it'b7 24.�fl etc.
24.�e8+ 1-0

1 20
 Round X

Friday, August 2 1 st

In this round Botvinnik has the bye and remains at 6Y2. Fine wins and Euwe
draws, both reaching 6\12. Vidmar falls sick and asks permission to postpone his
game. His opponent, Capablanca, raises no objection and the controller consents.
When later it comes to arranging a day for play it turns out that Capablanca is
engaged for the whole of Sunday, so there is no chance to work off the game
before the rest day next Wednesday. Capablanca then wins, so virtually he too is
6Y2.

Alekhine brings off a nice finish against Winter, who has been gradually outplayed
after a strategical error which lost control of critical squares on the e-file. Euwe
and Flohr draw in 1 9 moves, the latter improving on Lasker's play againstAlekhine
at Zurich, 1 934, when Lasker's 1 7th move led to a quick loss.

Thomas makes two weak moves in succession for his 1 7th and 1 8th against Lasker,
the second probably turning the scale. He holds out well in the ending, but Lasker
scores in 55 moves. Apart from one slight lapse Alexander's play against
Tartakower is excellent; the Polish master is quite outplayed and loses in 44 moves.

Fine has rather an easy win against Bogoljubow, who makes an early positional
error, and afterwards, partly under excessive time pressure, blunders away two or
three pawns. Bogoljubow resigns at the adjournment, though he might just as
well have given up earlier. To save an unnecessary return to the rooms for evening
play Reshevsky resigns his unfinished Round 9 game against Capablanca.

Score: *Botvinnik, *Capablanca, *Euwe, *Fine - 6Y2; Reshevsky - 6; *Flohr,

Alekhine - 5 Y2; *Lasker - 5; *Vidmar, Bogoljubow 4Y2; Tartakower - 4; *Tylor
- 3; Thomas - 2Y2; *Alexander - 2; *Winter - 1 Y2

(64) Winter -Alekhine 3 ...exd5 4.-'\.d3 4)c6 5.4)e2 Ad6

French Defense [CO l ] 6.c3

l.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 Giving B lack the welcome chance

This move is generally taken to show
that White is only playing for a draw.
But, as a matter of fact, Black will have
at least no fewer opportunities of com­
plicating, if he wants to do so, than in
most of the other variations of the
French.
of taking the initiative. The alterna­
tive, however, 6 . f\bc3 f\b4 would
lead either to the exchange ofWhite's
king 's bishop or (in case of 7 . .1lb5+
c6) to its removal to ineffe c t i v e
squares .

121
 Nottingham 1 936
It was important to prevent 7 . .l.l.f4.
A correct offer of a pawn. After 8. �b3
0-0-0 9 . �xd5 4Jf6 fol lowed by
10 . . ..§he8, Black would have an over­
whelming advantage in development.
8.�c2 0-0-0 9.4)fl
If 9 . .l.l.f5+, simply 9 . . .'it'b8.
9 ...g6
Preparing for the exchange of his
opponent's "good" bishop, after which
the white squares in his position will
be left somewhat weak.
1 0 .Ae3 4) ge7 1 1 .0-0-0 Af5
12.4)fg3 J}. xd3 13. �xd3 h6
To secure the position of his queen,
which might be uncomfortable after
White's �d2.
14.f4?
This move, weakening without compen­
sation important squares on the e-file,
may be considered the decisive strate­
gical mistake. Comparatively better was
14.4Jgl followed by 4Jf3 with a rather
cramped but still defensible position.
14... �g41
Black aims - and with success - at keep­
ing the f5-square under control. How
important this is will be evident in the
second half of the game.
15.h3 �d7 16.Eihfl h51
1 22
If now 17.f5, then 17 ... h4 18.f6 4Jg8
(better than 18 . . . hxg3 19.fxe7 �xe7
20 ..l.l.f4) 1 9.4Jhl .§ e8 winning. The
white f-pawn must fall.
17.4)gl h4 18.4)3e2 4)f5 19.4)f3
f6
All White's minor pieces from now on
will suffer from an obvious lack of
space, and he will therefore be unable
to prevent an increasing pressure on the
e-file.
20. 4) h 2 E{ de8 2 1 . A d 2 Ete6
2 2 . 4) g4 E{ he8 2 3 . Et de l E{ 8e7
24.<if}dl �e8 25.�f3
In order to move the knight from e2,
which was at present impossible be­
cause of25 . . . .§xel + followed by .l.l.xf4.
25 ... 4)a5
By this maneuver Black quickly obtains
decisive material superiority. White
cannot now play 2 6 . �xd5 .§ x e 2
27 . .§ xe2 .§ xe2 28.�xa5 (or 28.4Jxf6
.§ xd2+, etc.) 28 ... 4Jg3! threatening both
4Jxfl and .§ xd2+.
26.b3
 Round X
26... .£)c4!
A rather spectacular finish. If 27.bxc4
�a4+ 28.'it>cl Aa3+ 29.'it>bl l"!b6+
30.'it>al �c2, and mates in two.
27 . .Q.cl .£)ce3+ 28 .Q. xe3 .£j xe3+
•
29. .£) xe3 § xe3 30.'�f2 til/b51
Threatening 3 l . . .�d3+ 32.'it>cl Aa3
mate. White is thus forced to give up a
pawn.
3 1 . .£l c l § x c3 3 2 . § x e7 .Q. x e7
33. til/el \!ld7
If �xc3, now or next move, Black re­
plies with �xfl +, followed by �xf4 or
�xg2 and wins.
34.f5 §e3! 35.til/f2 g5 36.§el §e4
37.§ xe4
The exchange, giving Black a strong
passed pawn, shortens matters. But
White was helpless in any case.
37 dxe4 38.\!ld2 .Q.d6
.•.
Threatening 39 . . . e3+!.
39.\!lc2 .Q.f4 0-1
1 23
(65) Euwe - Flohr
Queen's Gambit Declined [D67]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 ..£lf3 .£)f6 4. .Q.g5
.Q.e7 5.e3 0-0 6. .£Jc3 .£)bd7 7.§cl
c6 8 . .Q.d3 d x c4 9 . .Q. x c4 .£l d 5
1 0 . .Q. x e7 til/ x e7 1 1 . .£) e4 .£! 5f6
12 . .£lg3 e5
Introduced by Dr. Lasker against me at
Zurich 1 934. Because of Black's loss
of that game the move had, as usual, a
bad press. The present game shows that
it is as pl ayab le as C apablanca's
1 2 ... �b4+.
1 3 .0-0 e x d4 1 4 . .£l f5 til/d8
1 5 . .£! 3 x d4 .£le5 1 6 . .Q.b3 .Q. x f5
17 . .£) xf5
17 ...g6!
This is the correct move. Dr. Lasker
against me played 17 . . .�b6? and lost
speedily: 18.�d6! .:£Jed7 19.1"!fdl l"!ad8
20.�g3 g6 2 1 .�g5 'it>h8 22 . .:£Jd6 'it>g7
23.e4! .:£Jg8 24.1"!d3 f6 25 . .:£Jf5+ 'it>h8
26.�xg6 0- 1 .
18.til/d4
There is nothing better. E.g., 18 ..:£Jd6
�e7; or 18.f4 .:£Jeg4; or 1 8.�d6 l"!e8.
Black easily equalizes the game.
 Nottingham 1 936
18... � xd4 19.4) xd4 Yz-Yz
(66) Vidmar - Capablanca
Semi-Slav Defense [D43]
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)f3 d5 4.Jig5
h6
This leads after a few exchanges to po­
sitions that are rightly considered favor­
able to White. But one has to take some
chances if one wants - as was obviously
the case in this game - to go all out for
a win!
5.Jixf6 �xf6 6.4)c3 c6 7.�b3!
This good move, introduced a few years
ago by V. Buerger, has as its object the
preparation of e4, by preventing a fu­
ture bishop check.
7... 4)d7 8.e3?
But this ofcourse is illogical. The move
8.e4 has brought White a number of
victories, one of the best known being
my game against Dr. L. Asztalos at
Kecskemet 1 927, which was awarded
the first brilliancy prize.
8...Jid6 9.Jie2
If this was played with the intention of
bringing the bishop to f3, then the whole
idea must be considered artificial, and
not in accordance with the necessities
ofthe position. The usual 9 . .lld3 is best.
9... �e7 10.4)d2
To answer 10 . . .dxc4 by 1 1 .4:Jxc4 fol­
lowed by f4.
10 ... 0-0 11.0-0-0
1 24
The decisive strategical error, as Black
must get strong attacking chances, with­
out any sacrifices in space or material.
In spite of his incorrect opening play,
White had up to this point still about an
equal game, and could, with l l .f4 fol­
lowed by 0-0 initiate a complicated
struggle in the center.
1 1... 4)f6 12.Jif3
To prevent e4. Not quite satisfactory
now was 12.f4 on account of the reply
1 2 . . . c5.
12 ... b5!
Energetic and to the point. If 1 3.cxb5,
Black would by 13 . . . 1:=lb8 easily regain
the pawn, with many attacking chances.
13.c5 Jic7 14.e4
This advance was generally con­
demned, but in fact White had little
choice, as he must reckon with Black's
strong strategical threat of e4.
14...dxe4 15.4)dxe4 4)d5 16.§.hel
Jid7 17.�bl
After 1 7.4Jxd5 (here or on the next
move) 17 . . . exd5 18.4:Jg3 �f6, Black's
positional advantages would be very
 Round X
considerable. But purely passive tactics
will not bring salvation either.
17 a5 18.'l1'Yc2 a4 19.4)g3
•.•
Threatening 20 . .1lxd5 etc. But the threat
is very easily met.
19 ..• 'l1'Yd8 20.4)ce4?
White is still unwilling to put in a "tes­
timonium paupertatis" by playing
20.<t\xd5 and finally loses the Ex­
change. His position, however, was al­
ready sick, though immediate threats,
such as .lla 5, were not yet deadly.
20 a31 21.b3
••.
He could not allow the opening of the
a-file.
21 •.. .Q.a5 22.<if}al
If the king's rook moves, Black will of
course play 22 . . . f5, preparatory to
<t\c3+. So far the game has gone logi-
cally, White being punished for his in-
different conduct ofthe opening, but the
next two moves are difficult to under-
stand.
22 ..• 'l1'Yh4?
1 25
By the simple 22 . . .-llx el Black would
win without much difficulty. The
queen's move must be the result of a
miscalculation.
23.4)h5?
White could - and had to - go away
with the rook. After 23.§hl f5 (what
else is there?) 24.<t\d6 Ac3+ 25.�bl
.llxd4 White would get some counter­
chances by 26 . .1lxd5, followed by c6 or
<t\xf5, depending on whether Black cap­
tured the bishop with the c-pawn or e­
pawn. By the text move, however, Black
is again in prosperity.
23 ••• .Q.xel 24.§xel 'l1'Yd8
The waste of time has been of little im­
portance, as White can build up no se­
rious attack.
25.g4
Black now forces the win in a few
moves. A longer resistance was possible
by 25.�d2, controlling the aS-square
and preventing g6.
25 g6 26.'l1'Yd2 <if}h7
.••
Not of course 26 . . . gxh5 27.�xh6 etc.
But now the knight must go away.
27.4)f4 f51 28.4)d6
28.gxf5 § xf5 would be equally fatal.
28 ••• 4) xf4 29. 'l1'Yxf4 fxg4 30. 'l1'Yxg4
Or 30.<t\f7 �g8 and wins.
30 ..• 'l1'Ya51 0-1
 Nottingham 1 936
(67) Reshevsky - Tylor
Queen's Gambit Declined [D53]
l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�f3 d5 4.�c3
Ae7 5..1lg5 �bd7 6.e3 c6 7.'12Jc2
7 . .1ld3 is more usual here. The text
move allows a simplification which is
not to Black's disadvantage.
7 . . . �e4 8 . -'1, x e7 '12! xe7 9 . � x e4
d x e4 1 0 . '12J x e4 '12!b4+ l l . � d 2
'i2J xb2 12.'12!bl
If 1 2.E!bl , Black's best answer would
also be 12 .. :i1k3. 12 ... 'l1!xa2 would al­
low a dangerous attack, starting with
1 3 ..1ld3 'it'e2 etc.
12 ... '12!c3 13.'12!cl '12!a5
Generally in this position Black tries to
exchange queens and White to avoid it.
Here, on the contrary, Black shows his
desire to avoid a premature draw, and
the further development of the game
proves him right, as he soon has a su­
periority.
14.c5?
This risky scheme to plant the knight at
d6 will be convincingly refuted. No less
1 26
aggressive, but safe, was the continua­
tion 14 ..1ld3 0-0 1 5.0-0 e5 1 6.'l1ic2 h6
1 7.f4. White 's d-pawn in that case
would be easy to protect.
14 ...e51
Not 14 ... 0-0 15.f4 blocking the center.
15.Ad3 exd4 16.exd4 0-0 17.0-0
�f6 18.�c4 '12!c7 19.�d6 �e81
20. '12!f4
At least logical. Otherwise he would be
left with the weakened d-pawn and with
no compensation.
20 ... � xd6 21.cxd6 '12!d8 22.�abl
�b8
Not of course 22 . . . b6 because of
23.'l1ie4 followed by the win of the c­
pawn.
23.�fel .11,e6 24.�e5!?
This looks much better than it really is.
The strong threat 25.E!h5 g6 26.'l1!h6
or 25 ...h6 26.E!xh6! can be parried in a
simple but very effective manner.
24... '12Jf6!
Giving White the choice between a dis­
tinctly inferior endgame or renounce­
ment of his plan of attack.
25.'12!d2
Trying for material compensation for
the indefensible pawn at d6.
25 ... �fd8 26.'12Ja5 � xd6 27.'12!xa7
�bd8 28.�b4
 Round X
The only defense for the second d­
pawn. But White's position is still full
of danger.
28...b5?
Black misses a very good winning
chance, which was his by playing
28 . . . i<H4 ! e . g . , ( 1 ) 29.�xb7 � xd4
30.� xd4 �xd4 3 1 .�e3 �al + 32 . .>lfl
.>lc4 and w i n s ; ( 2 ) 2 9 . g 3 � c l +
30.�g2 (30 . .>lfl .>lh3) 30 . . . �c3 and
wins; (3) 29.�e4 �cl + 30 . .>lfl b5!
3 1 .�c5 �xeS 32.dxc5 �dl winning.
The exchange of pawns which follows
the text move makes White's defense
easier.
29.a4 bxa4 30.E!xa4 �f4
Now this is no longer effective, since
White has no difficulty in protecting his
first rank. Simpler was 30 . . . g6.
31.g3 �ct + 32.Aft Ah3??
A terrible oversight, which at once
transforms a still good game into a lost
one. After 32 . . .g6, for instance, Black
could not lose.
33.E!a1
1 27
Black must have completely overlooked
this simple resource.
33 ... �h6 34. �e7!
Against this drastic mating threat there
is no adequate defense.
34 ... g6 35.E!a7 Ae6 36.E!xe6 fxe6
3 7 . �f7+ �h8 38. �f6+ �g8
39.Ac4
This would have been premature on the
37th move, on account of Black's an­
swer g5, but it is deadly now.
39... �f8 40.jtxe6+ 1-0
If 40 . . . � xe6, there follows 41 .�xe6+
�h8 42.�f7 etc.
(68) Thomas Lasker
Queen's Gambit Declined [D66]
1.d4 �f6 2.�f3 e6 3.c4 d5 4.�c3
Ae7 5.Ag5 �bd7 6.e3 0-0 7.E!c1
c6 8.Ad3 h6
The modern defense, of which the aim
is to continue, if 9 . .>lh4, with 9 . . . dxc4,
followed by 10 . . . b5.
9.Af4 �h5?
An analogous experiment was made,
but without success, by Mar6czy against
Fine in the Zandvoort Tournament.
Safer is in any case 9 . . .a6.
10.Ae5 � xe5 1 1 .dxe5
Also 1 1 .4Jxe5 4Jf6 1 2 . h4 fol lowed
eventually by g4 was an interesting pos-
sibility.
 Nottingham 1 93 6
tt •.• g6 t2.o-o Ad7 13.�d2?
This enables Black to open the d-file
and so to obtain a fairly even game, as
d6 and f6 are sufficiently protected.
More promising was 1 3 . cxd5 exd5
14A:Jd4 and if 14. . . c5, then 15.4Jde2
followed by f4.
13 dxc4 14.Axc4 �c7 15. .£Je4
•.•
1 5.g4 would not be very effective, for
then 1 5 . . . 4Jg7 16.4Je4 and eventually
. . .f5.
15 ... §ad8 16.�c3 Ac8 17.g4?
Now this move is much weaker, since
Black's reply leads to results decidedly
in his favor. 17.E!fdl was indicated.
17 f5!
.••
With this strong move Black takes the
initiative, whatever White answers.
18. .£jd6?
Probably the decisive mistake. Instead,
1 8 . g x f5 g x f5 ( 1 8 . . . f! xf5 1 9 . J,l. e 2 )
19.4Jg3 gave him a defensible game.
18...fxg4 19 . .£Jd4 Axd6 20. .£j xe6
128
It is true that White wins the pawn back,
but after the ensuing exchanges his
king's position shows a distinct weak­
ness, which Dr. Lasker exploits in mas­
terly fashion.
20 . . . j}_ x e 6 2 t . A x e6 + \tlh7
2 2 . e x d 6 § x d 6 2 3 . A x g4 .£l f6
24.Af3 .£ld5 25.Jlxd5 E! xd5 26.f4
B lack was threaten ing 2 6 . . . E! g5 +
27.'it'hl E!f3, etc.
26 ... �d7 27.�el E!eS 28.e4
Loss of a pawn could not be avoided.
28 . . . �g4+ 2 9 . \tl h l § d4 30.e5
E!xf4 3l.�e3 E!ef8 32.E!xf4 E!xf4
33.E!el �f5
After this White has no satisfactory re­
ply; e.g., 34.'�xa7 E!fl +, with a winning
endgame; or 34.e6 'liiYd 5+ and wins; or
34.E!gl E!e4; or 34.h3 E!f3 . White's
next move therefore cannot be consid­
ered a mistake.
34. \tlg2 E!g4+?
Instead of this, 34 . . . 'liiY g 5 + 3 5 .'it'hl
( 3 5 . 'liiY g 3 E! g4 ) 35 . . . E! fl + won the
queen.
 Round X
Good enough, but stronger was
35 . . . i"l.f4, with the same possibilities
after the 33rd move.
36.§dl §g5
In conjunction with the next two moves
a well-calculated simplifYing maneuver.
There is obviously nothing else against
the threat of 'liirf3+.
38... § xe5 39.�xe5 �f3+ 40.�gl
� xdl + 41.�f2 �d7
The ending is an easier win for Black
than appears at first sight, because of
the open position of White's king, and
White also has to avoid the exchange
of queens.
42.�el g5 43.�f6 �d5 44.�e2
After 44.'liite 7+ '<t'g6 45.'liit xb7 'liirh l +
followed by 'liitx h2+, the two passed
pawns would have won rapidly.
44...� xa2 45.�e7+ �g6 46.�xb7
�e6+ 47.�d3 �f51
The final attack against White's h-pawn.
48.b4 �d5+ 49.�c3 h5 50.�b6
�e4 5 1 .�b7 h4 52.�h7+ �f3
5 3 . � h 5 + �g2 54. �e2+ �h3
55.�f2 �g2 0-1
(69) Alexander - Tartakower
Dutch Defense [A99]
l.c4 e6 2. ./ilf3 f5
1 29
It is less advantageous for B lack to
choose this D utch Defense before
White has played d4, as he deprives
himself of the chance to profit by a cer­
tain weakness on the e l -a5 diagonal in
the early stage of the game. Good here
is 2 . . <£\f6 or 2 . . .d5.
.
3.g3 ./ilf6 4.Ag2 Ae7 5.0-o o-o
6. ./ilc3 d6?
This can only be good in conjunction
with a more or less forcible kingside
attack, and especially when Black can
play in the near future e5. Otherwise
he has a weak spot at e6, without com­
pensation, and generally gets into
trouble in the early middlegame.
7.d4 �e8 8.b3
Even more logical than 8. 'liitc 2 as played
by F i ne in this round against
Bogoljubow. White's queen's bishop
will now exert effective pressure on the
a3-f8 diagonal.
8 . . . � h 5 9 .Aa3 ./il bd7 1 0 . �c 2
./ilg4?
A perfectly useless move, as White can
just ignore it. Better was 10 . . a6 at once.
.
ll.§adl a6
 Nottingham 1 93 6

He cannot well play l l . ..e5 because of The point of the preceding exchanges.
1 2.dxe5 4:ldxe5 1 3.h3 4:lxf3+ 14.exf3
4Je5 1 5.4:\dS .lld8 16:l!Yc3 etc.

12.§fel §bS 13.e4 fxe4 Black, having been completely over­

After this the weakness on the e-file will
prove fatal to Black. But the attempt
1 3 ... b5 14.exf5 b4 1 5.h3! 4Jh6 1 6.g4
4:lxg4 17.hxg4 �xg4 18.fxe6 etc. would
also result in White's favor.
played, is clearly demoralized and by
this move loses a pawn without com­
pensation. His game was already diffi-
cult. For instance, 22 . . . 4Jc6 23.�f3!
followed by g4. Or 22 ... 4Jef7 23.�e6
�c2+ 24.l"id2 �c3 25.l"ide2. White,
however, would have to make an effort
in order to win.

2 3 . �e6+ � x e6 24. {) x e6 §fcS

He need not fear 14 . . . l"\ xf3 1 5 ..1lxf3
25 . .£) x g7
�xh2+ 1 6.�fl.
Black evidently overlooked this simple
14 b6 15.h3 {)h6 16.A,cll
move.
.•.

With the very strong threat 17.4:\egS.

B lack sti l l cannot play 1 6 . . . .§ x f3
17.�e2 l"if5 1 8.g4 and wins. 26.4Jh5 was also good.

16... �g6 17.�e2 Ab7 18 .£)eg5 •

26...b5 27.cxb5?

Carefully calculated simplification.

Black's weak e-pawn disappears but his
weakness at e6 remains.

18 . . . A, x g5 1 9 . {) x g 5 A, x g2
20.�xg2 e5 21.dxe5 {) xe5 22.f41

A slight mistake, Alexander's only lapse

in an excellently played game. The
opening ofthe a-file gives Black a shade
of a chance, which he would not have
after 27.c5!.

27 axb5 28 .£) xf8 �xfS 29.g4

..• •

1 30
 Round X

White will still win, not only on account
of his advantage in material, but also
because his bishop is much stronger
than the knight, which has no safe
squares in the center of the board.
29 . . . 4)f7 30.f5 c5 3 1 . Af4 §c6
32.§e6
of the second player to delay as long as
logically possible the advance of his d­
pawn in this opening, so as to keep the
choice between the two points, d6 and d5.
7.4)c3 'li\'eS 8.'li\'c2 4)c6?

32.g5 was much simpler, followed by

h4 etc.

32 ... §a8 33.§d2 §aa6

Missing his last fighting chance. After

33 . . . Eka6 34.Elee2 d5 35.g5 d4 36.h4
the game would have lasted much longer.

34.g5 An obvious positional error, which en­

Threatening 35.g6 hxg6 36.fxg6 and
.llh 6+.
34...�g7 35.h4 c4 36.h5 d5
Otherwise there comes 37.f6+, followed
by g6.
37 . § x c6 § x c6 3 8 . § x d 5 § a 6
3 9 . § x b5 § x a 2 + 40.�f3 § a 3
41.f6+ �fS 42.§b8+ 1-0
(70) Fine - Bogoljubow
Dutch Defense [A98]
l.d4 f5 2.g3 4)f6 3 ..1l,g2 e6 4.4)f3
.il,e7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d6
I believe that 6 . . . 4Je4 introduced by
-
ables White to get control of that im­
portant d5-square. The logical move
was 8 .. :�h5 for Black has no reason to
fear 9.e4 fxe4 10.4Jxe4 4Jc6.
9.d5 4)b4 10.'li\'b3 4)a6 l l .dxe6
.£lc5 12.'li\'c2 .il,xe6 l3.b3
Intending to play 1 4 . 4Jd4, a threat
which should be met by 13 . . .4Jfe4, fol­
lowed by .Q.f6. The passive line adopted
by Black in the next moves leads to an
almost hopeless situation for him.
13 . . . 'li\'h5? 1 4 . 4) d4 Acs 1 5 .b4
4)a6 16.§bl �hS
He could not play 16 . . .4Jxb4 17.El xb4
c5 on account of 18.4Jd5 etc.

me against F. Samisch, Dresden 1 936, 17.4)d5 'li\'f7?

and played also in the present tourna­
ment against J.R. Capablanca - offers An oversight which loses a pawn with­
Black comparatively better fighting out compensation. After 17 . . . 4Jxd5
chances. It is generally in the interests 18.cxd5, it would take White some time

131
 Nottingham 1 936

to transform his positional plus into 18.b5 4:1c5 19 .£) xc7 E!b8 20. .£)d5
•

material advantage. .£)e6 2 1 . .£) x f5 .£) x d 5 2 2 . c x d 5

.£1g5?

Losing two more pawns. He might as

well resign.

23 . .£1 x d6 j\ x d 6 24.j\ x g5 Ad7

25.e4 'li:\'h5 26.j\e3 E!f3 27.13b3
E!bf8 28.Ac5 13 x b3 29.Axd6 13f6
30.a x b3 E! x d6 3 l . 'li:\'c7 E!h6
32.'li:\'b8+ j\e8 33.g4 'li:\'f7 34.)3cl
<it>g8 35.13c7 'li:\'f8 36.§c8 1-0

1 32
 Round XI

Saturday, August 22nd

Botvinnik spurts into first place with a win, reaching 1Y2, followed by Capablanca,
Euwe, Fine and Reshevsky, all of whom get 7.

Alexander is at a loss to account for his defeat by Alekhine, for he plays reasonably
well and even attempts counterattack, but suddenly the bottom drops right out of
his game and the ex-champion gets a great win in 27 moves with a brilliant kingside
attack which won one of the special prizes. Winter has a good chance of drawing
with Flohr, but faulty play combined with a serious oversight turns the tables all
in half a dozen moves or so. Capablanca and Euwe embark on a variation which
gives White a pawn, but only temporarily, as recent analysis has shown. What
looked like being a real fight is suddenly drawn in 22 moves.

Tylor becomes a pawn ahead against Vidmar, but it cannot be made of much
effect. The latter twice refuses the offer of a draw, but this is at length the outcome
after being prolonged to nearly 70 moves. The annotator finds plenty to criticize
in Botvinnik v. Thomas on both sides; the game comes to a most uncommon and
long, drawn-out ending, but most interesting with its opportunities for zugzwang
and stalemate. Fine gets an "overwhelming" advantage against Tartakower, but in
the lack of a definite plan the game drifts into a draw by Tartakower's clever
simplifying tactics.

The controller gets a note signed by seven of the visiting masters requesting that
the Vidmar-Capablanca game be played on Sunday and not delayed until next
Wednesday, and pointing out the obvious objections to delay. The controller admits
the difficulties and has already expected some such protest. The Sunday question
has already been disposed of, and the overriding feature of the matter is that
Capablanca has forgone his rest day next Wednesday and consented to play a
game which might have been his by default, so that what advantage he gets on the
whole is rather illusory. The matter ends easily without further question.

It has been arranged to play the other two unfinished games on Sunday at the
Victoria Hotel, but on arrival there through some hitch no preparation has been
made. However, Tylor and Vidmar agree to a draw without resuming, and, after
telephoning Alekhine and Euwe, together with Winter (for the Manchester
Guardian) and the controller, go by car to the university, where the only other
spectators are the principal and the watchman. Only nine more moves, making 8 1
in all, are necessary to decide the game in favor of Alekhine. It is rather curious
that this game, as well as Capablanca-Alekhine, and in a lesser degree Capablanca­
Reshevsky, all reverse previous "verdicts."

1 33
 Nottingham 1 936

Score: *Botvinnik - 7Yz; *Capablanca, *Euwe, *Fine, Reshevsky - 7; *Flohr,

Alekhine - 6Yz; *Lasker, *Vidmar - 5; *Bogoljubow, Tartakower - 4Yz; *Tylor -
3 Yz; Thomas - 2Y2; *Alexander - 2; *Winter - 1 Yz

(71) Alekhine -Alexander

Queen's Indian Defense [E 1 6]
l .d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3 . 4) f3 Ab4+
4.4)bd2
The usual move nowadays is 4 ...\ld2 in
order to develop the knight on the more
natural c6-square. But, on the other
hand, if Black wants to avoid the ex­
change ofhis king's bishop, he will now
be forced to lose time by retiring it to
e7. The text move therefore cannot be
condemned. It has the advantage any­
how of leading to more complicated
lines than the usual move.
The correct recapture, as the queen's
bishop is wanted on the long diagonal.
s...d6 9.b3 4)bd7 to.Ab2 �bs
Black shows his hand decidedly too
early. The obvious object of the text
move is to play <£\e4, followed by f5,
for which purpose the bishop must be
protected, to avoid the possible answer
<£\g5. But the same idea could have been
combined with a mobilization of forces,
by 10 . . . �e7, l l . . .!:!ad8 and eventually
..\laS.

4...b6 5.g3 .\lb7 6. .\lg2 0-0 7.0-0

7 ....\l xd2? An interesting and effective method of

Instead of this exchange, which yields
White the advantage ofthe pair ofbish­
ops without necessity, Black could play
either 7 . . . d5 (Rubinstein-Alekhine,
Semmering 1 926) or even 7 . . .Ae7 fol­
lowed by d6, <£\bd7, etc. In both cases
he would have better equalizing pros­
pects than in the actual game.
meeting B lack's plan. The white
queen's bishop is to play in the follow­
ing development a most important and
practically decisive part.
1 1 ... 4)e4
If 1 l . . . �e7, then 1 2 .�e3 ( 1 2 . . . <£\e4
1 3.d5).

1 34
 Round XI

12.�e3 f5 13.d5 a possible wm after a laborious

endgame.
This pawn will only apparently be weak,
as White can always protect it by 21 ... 4)ef6
counter-attack.

13...exd5

1 3 ... e5 instead would lose a pawn by

14.4Jh4! etc.

14.cxd5 4)df6 15.4)h4 �d7

If 1 5 . . . 4Jxd5?, then 1 6 . § xd5! l.txd5

17.'�d4 wins for White.

t6.Ah3
22 .i}.xf51
•

Again preventing 16 . . . 4Jxd5, this time

because of 17.�xe4.
16 ... g6 17.f3 4)c5 18.�g5
Threatening not only 19 ..1lxf6, but also
19.1.txf5 or 19.4Jxf5, and if 18 . . . 4Jxd5,
then 19.4Jxg6 wins. Black's reply is
therefore forced.
The surprising sequel to 20.e4. After
22 . . .gxf5 23.4Jxf5 Black would either
lose his queen or be mated (23 . . .�h8
24.4Jh6+ �g7 25.�g5 mate).
22 ...lifjlh8 23.Ae6
At last the d-pawn is definitely safe.

18 ... �g7 19.b4 4)cd7 23 ...Aa6 24.f!fel .£le5 25.f4

Equally hopeless would be 1 9 . . . 4Ja4
20 . .\lal etc.
20.e41 4) x e4
Black clearly based his last hopes on
this ingenious stroke. If now 2 1 ..1lxg7
4Jxg5 22 . .\lxfS , then 2 2 . . . 4J x h 3 +
23.�g2 § xf8 24.�xh3 4Jf6, followed
by 4Jxd5 with good fighting chances.
Far the simplest way to force resignation.
25... 4)d3 26.f!xd3 Axd3 27.g4 1-0
There is no remedy against g5. This
game won the special prize for the most
brilliant kingside attack at Nottingham.
(72) Flohr - Winter
Semi-Slav Defense [D45]

21.�cll

Much more effective than 2 l .fxe4 White delays d4 until his opponent
�xb2 22.exf5 �f6 yielding White only plays 4Jbd7, in order to obtain a rather

1 35
 Nottingham 1 93 6
favorable variation i n the Slav Defense.
This line of play, introduced in the
Moscow International Tournament of
1 936, has the disadvantage, however,
of not compelling Black to answer with
.f:lbd7.
5.cxd5 cxd5 6.d4
Here we are. White's queen's knight is
certainly better placed than Black's. It
is another question, of course, whether
this small advantage can be seriously
increased.
6 ... e6 7.Ad3 .Q.e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Ad2
Another and perhaps better plan would
be 9 :i;fc2 (with the strategical threat
10 . .f:le5) 9 . . . h6 (or 9 . . :i;fc7 10 . .1ld2 fol­
lowed by f\acl) l O.f\dl and if l O . . . a6,
then l l .a4 b6 1 2.e4.
9 •.. a6 10.a4 b6 1 1 .4)e5
The only chance of getting something
out of the position.
11 •.. 4) xe5 12.dxe5 4)d7 1 3.f4 f5
Useless was 13 . . .f6 because of 14.�h5.
1 36
14.exf6
If at once 14 . .f:le2, then 14 . . . .f:lc5 fol­
lowed by .f:le4. But after the exchange
in the text, White will have about as
many weaknesses as his opponent.
14 ... 4) x f6 15.4)e2 Ad6
With the object of answering .f:ld4 with
e5.
16.Ac3 �e8
Not 16. . :i;fe7 1 7. .f:ld4 e5 18 . .f:lc6.
17.Ac2 Ab7 18.�d4
Hoping to create complications; e.g.,
after 1 8 . . . .1lc5 1 9.�e5 �e7 20 . .f:ld4
.f:lg4! 2 1 .�h5 .f:lf6 22.�h3. But Winter
defends his position, up to a certain
moment, excellently.
18... �e7 19.4)g3
Not 19.�xb6 .llc 5.
19 •.• E{ac8 20. �d3
There is nothing better. What has obvi­
ously lost valuable time.
Good enough to secure a level game.
But as White threatened nothing, Black
could quietly improve his position by,
for instance, 20 . . . a5.
2 1 . 4) xe4 d x e4 2 2 . � e 2 Ad5
23.E!fd1 a5 24.Ab1
A move like this clearly shows that
something is wrong with White's posi-
 Round XI
tion. As a matter of fact, Black has a
slight advantage in space, and his pawn
at e4 can easily be protected.
24... .Q.c5 25.�hl
25 ... .Q.b3
The beginning of a faulty speculation,
in which Black seems temporarily to
forget that he has a king! By 25 . . . .§fd8
and if 26 . .§cl .llb4 etc., he would cer­
tainly not have to worry about being
able to draw.
26.E!cl �d7?
Obviously overlooking White's 28th move.
27..\lxe4 .\lxa4 28.�h5! E!f5
Or 28. . . g6 29 . .1lxg6 Ac6 30.�g4 and
wins. The game is over.
29 . .\l x f5 e x f5 3 0 . .Q.d4 .\l x d4
3 l . E! x c 8 + � x eS 3 2 . e x d4 .Q.c6
33.�e2 1-0
(73) Capablanca Euwe-
Slav Defense [D 1 8]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3
d xc4 5.a4 .Q.f5 6.e3 e6 7 .Q. xc4 •
.Q.b4 8.0-0 0-0
1 37
If White hopes to gain an advantage
with this move, in conjunction with the
following, he was mistaken. But also
9.�e2 <£\e4 (not 9 . . . c5 1 0.<£\a2 .!laS
l l .dxc5 <£\c6 1 2 . .§ d l �e7 1 3 .<£\d4
.§fd8 14.b4! as in Ragozin-Fiohr, Mos­
cow 1 936) 1 0.<£\xe4 .llxe4 1 l ..§dl <£\d7
as in the 6th round game Lasker­
Capablanca, seems to give White no
appreciable pull.
9 ...c51
This move had to be very carefully cal­
culated (or analyzed beforehand) as it
involves a temporary pawn sacrifice.
10.�a2 .Q.a5
To allow this bishop to be exchanged
would give White without a fight a dis­
tinct positional advantage.
ll.dxc5 � xdl 12.E!xdl .\lc21
The chief point of the defense, which
enables Black to gain soon an impor­
tant tempo in development.
13.E!d4
 Nottingham 1 93 6
After 1 3.1:'\fl .slc7 with .slxa4 to follow,
Black would be very well situated.
13 ••• .Q.c7 14./Z:If3
14.f4 .slxe5 15.fxe5 <£lfd7 1 6.<£lb4 .slg6
would yield White no profit.
14 ... /Z:Ic6 15.l3d2
The rook must keep on the center file.
If 1 5.1:'\h4 § adS 16 ..sld2? g5.
15 ....Q.g6
Black's minor pieces are now very har­
moniously posted, and the recovery of
the pawn can only be a question of very
little time.
16.b4
To meet the threat of <£le4.
16 ... a5 17.b5 /Z:Ie5 18./Z:I xe5
White takes the earliest opportunity of
a drawish ending.
1 8. . . .Q.xe5 1 9 . .Q.b2 /Z:Ie4 20.l3e2
.Q.xb2 2l.l3xb2 /Z:I xc5 22./Z:Icl Yz-Yz
Black's positional advantage is only
apparent, and would soon disappear
after 22 . . . 1:'\fdS 23.<£lb3 <£lxb3 24 ..slxb3
etc.
(74) Tylor - Vidmar
Four Knights Game [C49]
l .e4 e5 2./Z:If3 /Z:Ic6 3./Z:Ic3 IZ:If6
4..Q.b5 .Q.b4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 .Q. xc3
If Black wants to play for a win, he
would do better with first 6 . . .d6. Now
138
White could by exchanging on his 8th
move obtain a symmetrical position,
with bishops of opposite color, and
would have no difficulty in drawing.
7.bxc3 d6 8.l3el tf}Je7 9.tf}Je2
Probably with the object of answering
9 . . . .slg4 with 1 0 .h3 .slh5 1 l .�e3.
Black's next move leads to a position
known as the Metger Defense, in which
both players hold trumps in their hands
- White his two bishops, Black the
sounder pawn position.
9 .../Z:IdS 10.d4 c5 11 ..Q.d3 �h8
Black's plan must be to try to induce
his opponent to play d5, when he will
be able to develop an initiative on the
kingside. He could perhaps attain that
objective more quickly by 1 1 . . ..slg4 but
rigidly determined to keep his bishop.
12.h3 /Z:Ig8 13 .Q.b2 /Z:Ie6 14.g3 f6
•
15.�g2 .Q.d7 16.d5
This looks rather inconsequent after his
attempt (on his 1 3th move) to protect
his d4. But a further delay would be
useless, as Black by §ac8, for instance,
would sooner or later force a clearance
of the position in the center.
 Round XI
16 ... .£lg5
The exchange of knights, although de­
priving Black ofthe chance to break the
center by f5, still promises him consid­
erable initiative on the open f-file.
17. .£l xg5 fxg5 18.-'tc1
Here and in what follows White works
up the right defensive position.
18 . . . §f7 1 9 . -'te3 §af8 20.§h1
�d8
The object of this is not quite clear. He
could instead play immediately 20 . . . h6
with 4Jf6 to follow.
2 1 .c4 h6 22. �d2 .£lf6 23. §af1
.£lh5 24.f3 §f6!
This move will cause the opponent
some difficulty.
25.h4?
Very tempting (if in reply 24 . . .g4, then
25 .f4!) but not the best. The only even­
tual threat from Black could be met, for
instance, by 25.�el , after which there
was no immediate danger for White.
25...gxh4 26.§xh4
139
26 ... .£jf4+?
Losing a pawn without compensation,
instead of which he could get an advan­
tage by 26. . . 4::\x g3 27.'it'xg3 (27 . .!lxh6
4::\ x fl 28 . .\lgS+ 'it'g8 29 . .\lxfl f!. g6)
27 . . . .§. g6+ 28 . .§. g4 .§. x f3 + ! 29 . .§. xf3
.!lxg4! etc.
27.Axf4 exf4 28. § xf4 g5 29.§xf6
�xf6 30.�d1
Or immediately 30.f4.
30...�g8 31.f4 gxf4 32.§ xf4 �g7
33. § xf8+?
The right move was 33.�f3 with the
threat o f 34 . .§.xf8+ �xf8 35.�f4.
33. . . � xf8 34.�f3+ �e7 35.�f4
�g5 36.-'te2 Aa4 37.-'td3 �h5
3 8 . � h4+ � x h4 3 9 . g x h4 �f6
40.�f3 �e5 41.�e3 Ad7 42.c3
Ag4 43.Ac2 Ah3 44.a3 Aft
45.Ab3 a6 46.Aa2 Ah3 47.Ab1
Ag4 48.Ac2 Ah5 49.Aa4 Ag6
50.Ac2 Ae8 51.Ad1 Ad7 52.-'tc2
b6 5 3 . �f3 Ah3 54.Ad3 Acs
55.-'tbl Ad7 56.Ac2 a5 57.Ad1
-'te8 58.�e3 Af7 59.-'te2 -'tg8
60.Af1 Ah7 61.-'tg2 Ag6 62.Af3
Af7 63.Ae2 Aes 64.Ad1 Ad7
65.�f3 Ac8 66.jle2 Aa6 67.�e3
'12-'12
(75) Lasker - Reshevsky
Queen's Gambit Accepted [D27]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3 . .£lf3 .£lf6 4.e3
It would be interesting to see what de­
fense Reshevsky, who often has origi­
nal ideas in the openings, would adopt
against the modem 4.�a4+.
 Nottingham 1 936

4 ...e6 5.Axc4 c5 6 . .£\c3

This move is somewhat out of place From now on White has only the choice
here, because it either facilitates the between several evils.
advance of Black's queenside pawns,
the knight being eventually an object of 14.Acl .£\ xc3 15.bxc3 .£\f6 16.a4
attack, or, in case of its being followed
On account of White's several weak­
up by a4, it leads to a weakening of the
nesses a va banque policy starting with
b4-square.
1 6. f4 would perhaps offer better
chances.
6... a6 7.0-0

By castling at move 6, White would

have had far more choice in the future.
7 ... b5 s . .Q.d3
After the following exchange, White
will have less compensation for his iso­
lated pawn than after 8 . .ilb3 cxd4
9.exd4 (or 9.�xd4 playing for a draw)
9 . . ..ilb7 10.<£le5 followed by l l .f4.
Now 17.f4 would be worse, because of
17 . . . b4 etc.
17... §.fc8 18.Ab2
Or the most uncomfortable alternative
1 8.axb5 axb5 19 . .ilxb5 E! xc3 etc.
18 ... .£\e4 19.§.cl

8 ...cxd4 9.exd4

After 9.<£lxd4 the position of the white

pieces in the middle of the board would
not be happy.

9 ... Ab7 10.Ag5 Ae7 1l.�e2

It is strange that White does not seem

to worry about the growing strength of
his opponent's d5-square. A radical way
of dealing with this would have been
l l . .ilxf6 .ilxf6 1 2.Ae4 etc.
1 1 ...0-0 12.§.adl .£\bd7 13 . .£\e5
19.axb5 axb5 20 . .ilxe4 �xe4 2l .�xb5
(the exchange of queens would leave
Black a technically easy endgame) was
not possible, on account of 2 l . . .Aa6.

This only looks like an attacking move.

Either 1 3 .-ilcl at once (if 1 3 . . . <£ld5
14.<£le4!) or 1 3.Elfel threatening sim­ This leaves White no satisfactory de­
plification by 14.d5!, was comparatively fense. E.g., 20.4Jel bxa4 2 l .c4 <£lh3+
better. 22.'it>hl �g5!, with threats of<£lf4 or a3.

1 40
 Round XI

20.axb5 axb5 With this strong move Dr. Euwe was

With the new threat of §a2.
21.Axb5
Merely shortening the agony.
21 ... .£j xf3+ 22.gxf3 �g5+ 0-1
successful in two of our match games.
6 ...c6 7. .£!a4
But here the champion played in the
1 Oth game 7.b4 which looks more con­
sequent. Also the next move of White
here is not convincing.

After 23.'1t'hl, 23 .. .'l1'Yg4 wins the queen. 7... .£je4 8.Ad3

In this game the United States Cham­
pion found the best line ofplay through­ As will soon be seen, this is not the right
out. place for the bishop. Either 8.Ae2 or
immediately 8..£Jd2 was more logical.
(76) Botvinnik - Thomas
8 ...e5 9 . .£id2 .£j xd2?
Semi-Slav Defense [D45]

After this exchange, developing White's

1.c4 e6 2 ..£if3 .£lf6 3 . .£ic3 d5 4.d4
game, Black cannot get any compensa­
.£ibd7 5.e3
tion for the weakness of his queenside.
Instead 9 . . . .£Jg5, fol lowed by .£Je6,
It is interesting to note that Botvinnik
would bring him interesting possibili­
does not adopt the continuation 5.cxd5
ties both in the center and on the
exd5 6.Af4 generally considered favor­
kingside.
able to White.
10.Axd2 e4 l l .Ae2 Ae7 12.0-0
5 a6
0-0 13.f3
•••

Better is 5 . . . c6 leading to the Meran Before making play on the queen 's
Variation. wing, White does well to open the f­
file for defensive purposes. Otherwise
6.c5! the advance of Black's f-pawn, and
eventually his g-pawn, would become
threatening.

13 . . . f5 14.f x e4 f x e4 1 5 . § x f8 +
�xf8 16.Aa5 .£if6

This leads in a few moves to a lost po­

sition for Black. Comparatively better
prospects were offered by 16 . . . Ah4
17.Ael .llg 5.

17.Ac7 Ae6 18.�b3

141
 Nottingham 1 936
Black's b-pawn cannot now be reason­
ably protected, and he is practically
forced to try a desperate counter-attack.
18 ...-'i,g4 19.-'i,xg4 .£l xg4 20.-'i,f4
Not 20.§fl �c8 2 1 .{Jb6? �xc7.
20... �f7?
His last chance was the sacrificial line
20. . ..ilh4 21 .�xb7 (21 .g3 or 21 .h3 was
met by 2 1 . . .g5 while if 2 1 .§fl , then
2 1 . . . .ilf2+ 22.§xf2 {Jxf2 23.'it'xf2 g5)
2 l . . . .ilf2 + 2 2 . 'it' h l .il x e3 23 . .ilxe3
{Jxe3 24.�xc6 §d8 with some practi­
cable chances.
2l.h3!
21 .�xb7 §f8 would give Black a strong
attack.
21 ... -'i,h4
This comes now decidedly too late, and
White refutes the sacrifice very easily.
But 2 l . . . g 5 2 2 . .ilg3 or 2 1 . . . {Jh6
22.�xb7 would be equally hopeless for
Black.
22.hxg4 g5 23.g3?
1 42
Why not 23.Ah2 ? lf23 . . . �f2+ 24.'it'hl
§ f8 25 .4:Jc3! �xe3 26.{Jxd5 �xb3
27.axb3 cxd5 28.g3. And if 23 ... Af2+
24.'it'hl �e6 25.§fl ms 26.�dl �h6
27.g3 Axg3 28.§xf8+ fol lowed by
29.�e2, winning easily. The text move
gives Black unexpected chances.
23 . . .gxf4 24.gx h4 �e6 25.�h2
§f8 26.§fl f3
This pawn is certainly strong, but not
sufficient compensation for a piece.
White's next moves are the best, but are
not difficult to find.
Much simpler than 28.g5 h6.
28...� xg4 29.§gl �d7 30 .£lc3 •
Not yet decisive was 30.�g3.
30 . . . §f6 3 1 . .£l d l �e7 3 2 . �g3
§g6
His second mistake, after which he has
to play a very long endgame. Simple
enough was 33.�e5+ �xe5+ 34.dxe5
 Round XI

§e6 (34 . . . § xg l 35.�xgl �g7 36.{Jf2 The process is divided into four parts:
�g6 37.{Jg4 �f5 38.h5 etc.) 35.§g5
h6 36.§f5 �g7 37.h5 etc. I. White forces the advance of the h-
pawn.
33 ••• <;ffg7 34.E{xg6+ <;ff xg6!
47... <iftd7 48.�h5 <;ffdS 49.�f6 h6
After 34 . . . hxg6? 35.'�'f4 Black would 50.�g4 h5
have to resign. But now he is threaten­
ing to win a second pawn for the piece, II. White captures the h-pawn with the
after which White, as will appear, will king.
have some technical trouble.
5 1 . � f2 <;ff d7 5 2 . <;ff h4 <;ff d8
35.<iftg3 53.<iftxh5 <ifte7

35.'�f4 �h5 would not make much dif­ III.By playing his knight to f5, White
ference. secures his king :S advance.

35 ... �g7! 36.<;ff h 2 <ifth5 37.�g3
�g4! 38. � x g4+ <;ff xg4 39.�f2+
<;ff xh4
The rest of the game is quite interest­
ing and instructive. It is a pity that it is
by no means the logical outcome of the
previous play.
40.b4 <iftg5 41.<;ffg3 <iftf5 42.�h3
<;fff6 43.a4 <iftf5 44.�f4 <;fff6 45.b5
axb5 46.axb5 <;ffe7 47.b6
54. <;ff g 4 <;ff e6 5 5 . <iftg3 <;ff d 7
5 6 . � h 3 <;ff d S 5 7 . � f4 <;ff d7
5 8 . � h 5 <;ff e 6 5 9 . � g7+ <iftd7
60.�f5 <;ffc8
I V.After retreating the knight to fl,
White drives the black king into a stale­
mate position, thusforcing the move [2.
On this square the pawn will be cap­
tured, and that is the finish.
6 1 . � d 6 + <;ff b8 62.�f5 <;ff c 8
63.<iftf4 <;ffb8

63 . . . �d7 64.�e5 does not help Black.

64. <;ff e5 <;ff c 8 65 .<ifte6 <;ff b S

66.<;ffd7 <;ffa8 67.�g3!

Not 67.�c7 f2 68.{Jg3 f1 i£1 and draws.

67 ... <;ffb8 68.�fl <;ffa8 69.<;ffc8 1-0

(77) Tartakower Fine

-

Torre Attack [D03]

This position has been reached per-
force, and White's win is now assured. l.�f3 �f6 2.d4 d5 3 . .Q.g5 e6 4.e3

1 43
 Nottingham 1 93 6
By renouncing the attack o n the center
through c4, White can only hope to get
an even game. In fact, Black has not the
slightest trouble in developing his
pieces efficiently.
4 ...c5 5 . .£Jbd2 .£Jbd7
In harmony with the subsequent devel­
opment of queen and bishop.
6.c3 �b6 7.�c2 Ad6 8.Ad3 h6
9.Ah4 0-0 10.0-0 �c7 1 1.Ag3 a6
Black intended to continue the devel­
opment of his queen's bishop with a
pawn advance on the queenside. Oth­
erwise he could as well p lay here
l l . . . .ll x g3 1 2.hxg3 b6 and if 1 3 .e4,
13 . . .dxe4 followed by .llb 7.
12.§adl b5 13.dxc5
Slightly better was 13 . .1lxd6 �xd6
14.dxc5 <tlxc5 1 5.e4 But the text move
was good enough for equality.
13 .•. Axg3 14.hxg3 .£J xc5
15 . .£Jb3?
It is d i fficult to explain why the
"routinier" (as Dr. Tartakower calls
1 44
himself) yields to opponent the full con­
trol of the center, with no compensa­
tion. The course indicated was 1 5 .e4
<tlxd3 16.�xd3 dxe4 17.<tlxe4 <tlxe4
1 8 .�xe4 l.tb7 1 9.�e3 with an even
game.
1 5 . . . .£j xd3 16.� xd3 e5 17 . .£Jh2
§d8?
Black's advantage was overwhelming,
and the most natural way to exploit it
was a "minority attack" starting with
17 . . . a5. It is surprising that Fine, here
as well as in the next few moves, ap­
pears not to think of this. His play in
the following part of the game is not
exactly weak, but lacks a definite plan.
Tartakower, on the contrary, makes the
utmost of his inferior position, and fi­
nally succeeds in saving half a point.
18.§fel Ae6 19.�e2 .£Je4
This knight maneuver cannot be recom­
mended. He could still play 19 . . . l"l ab8
followed by a5 etc.
2 0 . § c l § ac8 2 1 . §e d l �c4
22.�el �c7
Admitting by this that his last move was
useless.
23. �e2 .£Jd6 24. .£jd2 �b6 25.a3
.£Jc4 26. .£J xc4 bxc4 27.§d2 Af5
Black is still slightly superior and might
try to get up an attack on the b-pawn
with l"lb8, etc. The text move allows his
alert opponent to obtain further simpli­
fication.
28.�h5!
 Round XI

29.�xg6 .ilxg6 30.f4!

Just at the right moment, as 30 . . .f6

would now be inferior because of
3l .fxe5 fxe5 32 .£\g4.
.

30 . . .e x f4 3 1 .gxf4 §b8 32.§cdl

.ile4 33.l£)g4

Practically forcing the exchange of the

remaining minor pieces, with an un-
28... �g6 avoidable draw.

If28. . :t!H6, then 29 ..£\f3 and eventually 33 ... §b6 34.l£)f2 §db8 35.l£) xe4
g4. dxe4 36.§d8+ § x d8 Yz-Yz

1 45
 Round XII

Monday, August 24th

Three players reach 8 and two others 7 'h, so a close finish may well be looked for.
This round sees some hard games and 3 Y. hours elapse before the first game is
finished. This is Euwe v. Tylor; the latter is in poor form and three separate slips
lose a pawn each time. Fine and Alekhine are both out for a win if possible.
Chances on both sides are repelled by clever defence, and the game, twice
adjourned, is at length drawn in 66 moves.

Flohr, defending against Alexander, early gets a position good enough to win, but
later "sees ghosts" and lets the win slip into a draw. "Chess blindness" brings an
utter blunder at his 50th move and he loses in another dozen moves. Winter lets
go a win against Capablanca by, strangely enough, a bad 37th move, the one
following the time control. In trying at several points to avoid a draw, Capablanca
has drifted into a lost position.

Exchanges and simplifications between Vidmar and Lasker lead to an easy draw
in 33 moves. Knight play is prominent in the game between Reshevsky v. Botvinnik,
which becomes exciting when both combatants struggle to the time control with
only seconds to spare. Reshevsky took the best part of an hour for his first move
following the adjournment, leaving himself some four minutes for his next 1 3
moves. However, the spectators are deprived o f what promised to be another
exciting scrimmage when the two agree to a draw at move 4 1 .

Interesting but somewhat inaccurate play marks the game between Bogoljubow
and Tartakower, who keep each other close company in the score list right through.
Bogoljubow misses a good chance to win at his 28th move and then can only save
his game by simplifications. Tartakower tries hard for a win, but in 46 moves a
draw is reached. Thomas has the bye.

Score: *Botvinnik, Capablanca, *Euwe - 8; *Fine, Reshevsky - 7'h; Alekhine -

7; *Flohr - 6Y2; *Lasker, *Vidmar - SY2; *Bogoljubow, Tartakower - 5; *Tylor -
3 Y2; *Alexander - 3 ; *Thomas - 2'h; *Winter - I 'h

(78) Fine -Alekhine the present game, however, Black gets

Queen 's Gambit Declined [D53] almost immediately a perfectly satisfac­
tory game.
l.d4 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3 ..'ilc3 d5 4.4)f3
Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.Axf6?

Probably no better and no worse than This in conjunction with the next move
the usual 5 . . . 4Jbd7. As White plays in would be rather promising, were

1 46
 Round XII
Black's c-pawn already at c6, but, as it
was not, the logical move was 6.�h4.
6 ... -'\.xf6 7.e4 dxe4 8.4) xe4 4)c6
Forcing the exchange that follows.
9.4)xf6+ � xf6 10.�d2
White must do something at once
against the threat of 0-0 and .§ d8.
10... 0-0 l l .�e3!
After 1 1 .0-0-0 e5 (and if 1 2 .d5 e4),
Black's game would be preferable.
l l ... .§.d8?
This superficial move spoils Black's
chances, which would be excellent af­
ter 1 1 . . .4Jb4! 1 2.�d2 c5 1 3.dxc5 4Ja6
followed by 4::.\x c5.
12.0-0-0 4)e7
As White's d-pawn is now sufficiently
protected, Black must think seriously
how he can meet an attack against his
king, beginning with the simple advance
h4, g4, etc. The knight's maneuver in
the text is enough for that purpose, but
allows White, through the exchange of
queens, to obtain a slightly superior
endgame.
1 47
1 3 .Ad3 'il f5 14.�e5 � x e5
15.dxe5 -'\.d7 16.-'\,e4
Forcing Black's reply, after which the
mobility of his bishop will for a time
be very limited.
16 . . . c6 17 . .E!. d 3 -'\,e8 18 . .E!.hd1
.E!. xd3 19. .E!. x d3 �f8 20.�c2 h5
In order to play '#le7, at present impos­
sible on account of g4.
21.-'\.xf5
White hopes to take advantage of the
weakness of the black squares of his
opponent's kingside, but this hope is
destined to prove illusive, as the bishop
soon becomes active again. After the
exchange chances may be considered
about even.
21 ... exf5 22.4)g5 �e7 23.b3?
This allows Black to profit by the fact
that the white king and rook are posted
on the same diagonal, and so to obtain
even winning prospects. Simpler and
better was 23.'#lc3 in which case, after
23 . . . c5 24.h4 Black would not continue
as in the actual game, but would make
a diversion on the queenside with
24 . . . b5 25.b3 .§b8 when his prospects
would be satisfactory.
23 ...c5!
With this strong move (which White
overlooked when he played 23 .b3)
Black obtains a definite pull, which he
maintains until the end. By Fine's ac­
curate defense, however, the advantage
is not allowed to become enough for
winning purposes.
 Nottingham 1 93 6
24.h4 Ac6 25.f3
25 ...f4 26.�c3
He has nothing better. 26.<t'lh3 would
lose, for then 26. . ..lld7! with the double
threat of .llx h3 and .llf5.
26... �e8
Threatening with 27 . . .�f8 to win the e­
pawn.
27.�d6! �f8 28.e6 f6 29.�h3
�e7 30.�d2 �xe6 31.� xf4+ �f7
32.�xh5 �h8 33.�f4 � x h4
The last few moves on both sides were
practically forced. In the next part of
the endgame the bishop proves slightly
superior to the knight.
34.�d5 �h5 35.�f4 �e5 36.a4 g5
37.�d3 �e3 38.�a2
Intending to answer 38. .b6 with 39.a5.
. If 56 .. .f4, then 57.<t'lg2 .§.f7 58.a6! fol­
But Black finds a way of obtaining a
passed pawn on the kingside, by sacri­
ficing his c-pawn.
38 . . . g41 39.�d2 �e7 40 . f x g4
Axg2 41.� xc5 Af3 42.�c3 Axg4
1 48
The remaining portion of the endgame
is instructive on account of the clever
way in which White prevents the passed
pawn being brought as far as f4. He
succeeds in this mainly because Black's
bishop does not command (see note to
move 56) the queening square of his a­
pawn, and White can speculate there­
fore in many variations on a sacrifice
of the knight for the passed pawn.
43.�f2 f5 44.a5 �f6 45.b4 �g5
46.�d3 �h4 47.�f4 �g3 48.�d4
Af3 49.�d8 Ae2 so.�g8+ �f3
51.�f8 �e3 52.�el �e4 53.�g2
Ah5
Threatening 54 . . . .§.g7 etc. But White,
as several times before, has again the
saving move.
54. �d8! �f3 5 5 . � h4+ �g4
56.�d4+ �g5
lowed by 59 . .§.xf4+ etc., with a draw.
57.�g2 Af3 ss.�f4 Ae4 59.�d5
�e5 60.�dl Af3
I f 60 .. .f4 now, 61 .�d4.
 Round XII

6 1 . E{g l + .Q.g4 6 2 . �d4 Ete4+ 1 1 ... .£\eg4 1 2 .£\f3 .£\ xe3 13.fxe3
•

6 3 . � d 3 Ete6 64 .£\e3 E{d6+

• .£\g4
65.�c3 E{d8 66.b5 E{e8 Yz-Yz
Keeping control of e5.
(79) Alexander - Flohr
Sicilian Defense [D32] 14.f1d2 0-0 1 5 .h3 .£\e5 1 6.a3
.£\ xf3+ 17.E{xf3 .Q.e7 18 .£\e2
•

l .e4 c5 2 . .£\f3 .£\c6 3 .d4 c x d4

4 .£\ x d4 f1c7
•
Flohr's innovation, with which he first
experimented in the Moscow Tourna­
ment, 1 936. The move is hardly better
than the usual line of play, but White
Intending to bring the knight to f3 and
then to play e5. But in the meanwhile
Black strengthens his position in a de­
cisive way.
18 ... f1e5 19 .£\d4 b6 20.§f2 .Q.b7
•

may, as in the present game, get into 2 1 . .£\ {3 f1c7 2 2 . f1 c 3 Et ac8

difficulties if he tries to refute it imme­ 23.Etcl
diately by making attacking moves.
Also against 23.e5 Black's next move
would be very strong.

This is already questionable. 5.c4 and 23 ... b5!

if s . . . �f6, then 6.�c3 e6 7.�c2! pre­
venting the disagreeable �b4, would
If now 24.cxb5, 24 . . . 'iii'd6 wins a piece.
have left White with the preferable
game.
24.E{fc2 f1b6 25. f1d2 b4!

5 . . . f1b8 6 .c4 .£\ f6 7 .£\ lc3 e6

Creating a new weakness at b2.
•

8 .Q.e3
•

26.a x b4 .Q. x b4 27. f1e2 .Q.c5

To prevent �c5 followed by a6.
28.§el

8 ...a6 9 .£\d4 .Q.b4 10 .Q.d3

• •

If 1 0.f3, 10 . . .d5!.

10... .£\e5 1 1.0-0?

The result of this is that White's pawn

formation is ruined, and besides, his
adversary gets the advantage of the two
bishops, particularly important in a po­
sition of the kind. In other words, Black
obtains at this very early stage a strate-
gically won game! 28... E{ce8?

1 49
 Nottingham 1 93 6

U p to this Flohr has exploited his ad­
vantage admirably, but from now on he
starts to play much below his strength,
finally managing to lose the game. In­
stead of the preparatory move in the
text, the immediate .. .f5!, threatening
both .. .f4 and . . .fxe4, was decisive. If
against it 29.exf5, then of course . . . exf5
followed by .. .l''!ce8.
29.<i!?hl f5 30.e5 Ac6
43 . . . g6 fol lowed by .Q.g7 refuted
White's desperate attack in the simplest
way.
44. fJe4 fJg6 4 5 . fJ x g6 h xg6
46.Etxd7
This endgame should be a draw.
46 ... Eta8 47.'£)g5 a5 48.'£)xe6 a4
49.'£)g5

Preparing an attack on the b-pawn. This, A little too optimistic. An easy draw was
too, should have won. 49.<tlxf8 .§.fxf8 50.l"lg4 etc.

31. 'IP!f2 'IP!c7 32. 'IP!g3 Etb8 33.Etce2 49 ...a3 50.e6

Etb3 34.-'tbl EtfbS?

34 . . :i;!tb6 instead would have won the

pawn, leaving Black also with the bet­
ter position. If against it 35.e4, 35 . . .f4.

3 5 .e4 f x e4 36 .Q. x e4
• .Q. x e4
37.Etxe4 Et xb2

In spite of his inexact play Black should

still win, as White's few threats on the
kingside are no compensation for the
powerful a-pawn.
50...a2??
38.Etg4 Af8 39.Etee4
A dreadful case of chess blindness. Af­
Trying to complicate at any price - of ter 50 . . . .§.f5 5l .e7 .f.txe7 52.l"l xe7 a2
course the only possible tactics here. 53.l"lel al iit1 54.l"lxal l"l x a l 55.<tlf3
Black could still make - probably un­
39 . . . 'IP!c5 40. Etd4 fJe7 4 1 . Eth4 successful - efforts to win.
Etbl+
51.'£)f7 .Q.d6+
More correct was 4 1 . . . l"l a 2 and if
42.'lif1g4 l"lbl + 43.�h2 l"lbb2 etc. Obviously this is the only way to pre-
vent mate.
42. <i!?h2 Etfl 43. fJg4 fJeS?
52.Etxd6 Et xf7
Flohr sees ghosts, and gives away his
winning prospects. The maneuver If 52 . . .�f8, then 53.l"ld7.

1 50
 Round XII
5 3 . e x f7+ � xf7 5 4 . E! d t a t �
55.E!xal E! xal 56.E!g4
The free pawn secures White an easy
win.
56 ... E!c1 57.�g3 �f6 58.�f3 E!et
59.E!e4 E!ct 60.�e3 E!c2 6t.E!g4
E!ct 62.�d2 1-0
(80) Winter Capablanca
English Opening [A30]
t .d4 4) f6 2 . 4) f3 b6 3.g3 .Q.b7
4 . .Q.g2 c5 5.0-0 c x d4 6 . 4) x d4
.Q.xg2 7.�xg2 g6 8.b3
Comparatively better is the immediate
8 . c4 as i n the 7th round game
C apablanca-Botvinnik. B ut B lack
would not have opening difficulties
anyhow.
s ....Q.g7 9. .Q.b2 o-O?
9 . . . d5 was indicated. Both players treat
this opening erroneously.
10.c4 d5 lt.cxd5 4) xd5
As in the game above-mentioned, the
situation of the White knight in the
middle is not a happy one. Still Winter's
next move seems sufficient to maintain
the balance of the position.
12.e4 4)b4 13.�d2 4)8a6
13 . . . 4Jc2 14.'l1i'xc2 �xd4 would merely
lead to a drawish simplification.
t4.E!dt E!cS 15.4)a3
Black was now threatening to get a po­
sitional advantage by 4Jc2.
151
1 5 ... E!c7 t6.4)ab5 Eld7 17.�e2
4)c5!
White by his last move had consolidated
his position, and he now threatens a3.
The text move (instead of the simple
17 . . .4Jb8) is the beginning of an inge­
nious and complicated combination,
which, however, against Winter's excel­
lent defense brings Black no appre­
ciable advantage.
18.a3 4)bd3 19.4)c6
White cannot of course capture twice
on d3, because of the subsequent e5.
19 ...�a8 20. .Q.xg7 � xc6
Not 20 . . .�xg7 2 1 .4Jbxa7 with advan­
tage to White.
21.4)d4!
2 l .�xf8 would lose a piece by
2 l . . .'l1i'xb5 threatening 4Jf4+.
21 ... �b7
From now on Black plays to avoid
drawing variations, and continues to do
so until he gets a lost game. A safe line
was 2 1 . . .'l1i'a8 22.�xf8 El xd4 23.�xe7
fl xe4 24.'l1i'f3 4Je5 2 5 . El d8+ 'l1i'xd8
 Nottingham 1 936
26.Axd8 <f:lxf3 27.®xf3 § e8 28.Af6
§e6 29.Ac3 <f:lxb3 30.§dl after which
White would probably succeed in draw­
ing because of his strong bishop.
2 2 . .11, x f8 f! x d4 2 3 . .1lh6 f! x e4
24.�f3 f6!
Making a flight square for the king, and
threatening very strongly <f:le5. White's
reply is accordingly forced.
25.�gl 4)e5
The draw could be secured by
25 . . . §el + 26.®g2 §e4 etc. But Black
still continues to play for a win.
26.�g2 g5 27.f!d8+ �f7 28.f4!
The saving counter-attack.
28... 4)e6 29.f!b8
29... �d5?
B l ack either underestimates his
opponent's attack or overestimates his
own. Anyhow he should take his last
opportunity to equalize by 29 . . . <f:lf3+
30.'il!xf3 §el + 3 l .®f2 'il!xf3+ 32.®xf3
§ x a l 3 3 . f5 <f:lg7 3 4 . A x g7 ® x g7
35.§b7 etc. After the text move he
should lose.
1 52
3 0 . f!fl �d4+ 3 1 .�hl 4) g4
32.�h31
Stronger than 32.fxg5 'ilfd3!.
3 2 . . . 4) x h 6 3 3 . � x h6 f!e2
34. � x h7+ 4) g7 3 5 . �g8+ �g6
36.f5+ �h5
The ominous 37th move, which cost
Capablanca half a point against Flohr,
brings him here undoubtedly a full
point. White had an easy win by play­
ing the obvious move 37.'ilfc4 . E.g.,
37 . . . 'il!xc4 3 8 . b xc4 (threatening
3 9 . § g8) 38 . . . ®g4 3 9 . § g8 ®h3
(39 ... <f:lxf5 40.§f4+ ®h3 4 1 .Rh8+ with
mate in three) 40.§h8+ ®g4 4l .®gl !
followed by 42.§f2 etc.
37...�g4 0- 1
If now 38.h3+ ®xg3 39.§gl +, there
follows 39 . . . 'ilfxgl + with mate next
move.
(81) Euwe - Tylor
Queen's Gambit Declined [D55]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 4)f6 4..1lg5
.1le7 5.e3 0-0 6.4)f3 b6
 Round XII

This is played nowadays mostly after 15.Ab3

6 ... h6 7 ..1lh4.

7.cxd5 exd5 8.Ab5

By 8 . .1ld3 h6 9.h4 White could obtain

a promising attack. The fact that the
champion does not adopt this variation
can be explained in two ways: either
he has found an improvement in the
defense against it, or he suspects that
his opponent has some innovation in
store.
15 ...4)e4?
s ...c5?

The only chance for B lack in this

This is decidedly premature, and should
compromised situation was 15 . . . c4
be prepared for as follows: 8 . . . .1lb7
and if 16.4Jd4, then 1 6 . . . '?!Je5 17 . .1lf4
9.0-0 a6 10 . .1la4 4Jbd7 1 l .l"lcl and not
'?!Jh5. After the text move he loses a
even now 1 1 . . . c 5 because then
1 2 . .\lxd7! 4J x d7 1 3 . .\l x e7 '?!1xe7 pawn and remains with a hopeless po­
14.dxc5 '?!1xc5 1 5.4Je4 etc., Alekhine­ sition.
Cuki erman, Paris 1 9 3 3 ) but first
1 1 . . . l"l c8 , w i th good e q u a l i z i n g 16.4) xe4 � xe4 17.§ xc5! Axc5
chances.
If 17 .. .f6, then simply 18.l"lc7 winning
9.dxc5 bxc5 10.0-0 Ab7 ll.E!c1 easily.
�b6
1 8 .A xd8 4) d 7 1 9 . Ac7 E!cS
Black's main difficulty lies in the im­ 20.Ag3 d4
possibility of playing 4Jd7-b6 - e.g., if
now 1 1 . . . 4Jbd7, 1 2 . .1l x d7 '?!1 x d7 Shortening the agony, which might have
1 3.Axf6 .llx f6 14.4Je4 winning. lasted pretty long, after 20 . . .h6 for in­
stance.
12.�e2
21.�d2
Protecting b2 and threatening 4Ja4.
Another winning move was 21 .\t>fl .
12 ... a6 13.Aa4 E!dS 14.§fd1 �e6
21 ...jtb6
The unfortunate knight still cannot be
developed, and Black is practically Sheer desperation.
forced to make artificial moves. Dr.
Euwe has exploited perfectly his 2 2 . e x d4 4) f6 2 3 . A x f7 + �hS
opponent's premature 8th move. 24.Ab3 �c6 25.Ae5 1-0

1 53
 Nottingham 1 93 6

(82) Vidmar - Lasker Suggesting a series of exchanges, after

Queen's Gambit Declined [D66]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �f6 4. .Q.g5
.lle7 5.e3 �bd7 6.�f3 0-0 7.§.cl
c6 8..1ld3 dxc4 9 . .Q. xc4 b5
If Black wants to adopt this particular
defense (instead of 9 . . . <£\dS), it is bet­
ter to play first 8 . . . h6 and after 9.�h4,
9 . . . dxc4 etc. The difference will soon
be apparent.
which the remaining pawn material
makes a peaceful result almost inevi­
table.
t6...cxd4 17.exd4 .ll xf3 18.� xf3
� x d4 1 9 . .1l x a6 �b6 20 . .Q.b5
§.xal 2l.§.xal �e5 22.�e2 �g6
23 ..1le3

10 . .Ild3 a6 ll.a4?

This move - which would be the best

had Black already played h6 - leads
here to practically nothing. 1 0.e4, on
the other hand, which would be bad af­
ter 10 . . . h6 l l .�h4, because of the an­
swer l l . . .<£\xe4! (see Euwe-Alekhine,
28th match game) would here secure an
appreciable advantage in space.
ll ...bxa4 12.� xa4 �a5+ 13.�c3
Here is the difference. White cannot
play 1 3.<£ld2, his queen's bishop being
loose.
13 ...c5
This weakness being eliminated, Black
will have no difficulty in equalizing the
game.
14.§.al �b4 15.0-0 .llb7
1 5 . . . �xb2 was inadvisable, as after
16.<£\bS White would threaten not only
17.<£\c7, but also 17.l"!.bl -al-bl, with a
secure draw.
The two bishops are of little value
here, since they have no weak points
to attack, and the advance of the b­
pawn can easily be prevented. Dr.
Lasker's defense has been, as usual,
very accurate.
23 ...�b8 24.g3 §.cS 25. .1la7 �c7
26.§.a6 �b7 27. .Q.c4
This attempt to advance the b-pawn
merely leads to further simplification.
27... �e5 28.�xe5 §.xc4 29.�b8+
� x b8 30 . .Q. x b8 §.cS 3 1 . .Q.d6
.Q. xd6 32.§.xd6 §.bS 33.§.d2 �f8
Yl-Yl
(83) Reshevsky - Botvinnik
Dutch Defense [A95]
l.d4 e6 2.�f3 f5 3.g3 �f6 4 . .Q.g2
.lle7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d5

1 54
 Round XII

Botvinnik evidently considers this kind
of "Stonewall" sufficient for the de­
fense, since he adopted it also in an
important game against Capablanca,
Moscow 1 936. As I have already men­
tioned, I prefer 6 . . . .:tle4 reserving the
option between d6 and d5.
text move Black, in spite of the lost
tempo, still threatens to free his game
by e5. This proves that the enterprise
started by 8.§bl was not very effective.
14.Ac7
As he intends to protect his center by
e3, there is no better way of utilizing
this bishop, which otherwise would be
uncomfortable at f4.

14 ... f!f7 15.Aa5 e5 16.e3 4) xc3

The blockade of the center is certainly

not to White's disadvantage. Tempting
therefore was 16 . . . g5 keeping up the
tension for the moment, inasmuch as
1 7.bxc6 bxc6 1 8.�a4 g4 was not dan­
gerous for Black.

17.Axc3 e4 18.4)d2 4)f8

S.E!bl

Although the plan inaugurated by this

move met with the approval of the so­
called "authorities," it looks to me not
at all convincing; see next note. More
logical seems (in order to lessen the ef­
fect of an eventual .:tle4 by B lack)
8 . .:tlel and if 8 . . ..:tlbd7, then 9.<tld3
(9 . . .dxc4 10 . .:tlf4) or if 8 . . . �e8, then
9.f3 preparing e4.

8 ... �e8 9.c5 �h5?

As his 1 3th move shows, this is merely
loss of time. Indicated was 9 . . . .:tlbd7
10.b4 .:tle4 l l .�c2 .l.tf6 followed by e5.
1 0.b4 4) e4 l l . �c2 4) d7 1 2.b5
Af6 13.Af4 �es
Not, of course, 1 3 . . . <tldxc5 14 . .:tlxe4
.:tlxe4 1 5.bxc6 and wins. But after the
19.f31
An interesting sacrifice of a pawn, the
acceptance of which leads Black into
difficulties. After the quiet move 19.a4
.l.td7 20.�b3 White would have to de­
fend his kingside against an attack be­
ginning with g5.
19...cxb5 20.fxe4 dxe4

1 55
 Nottingham 1 936
If 20 . . .fxe4, 21 .'\!Yb3 would regain the
pawn.
21.d5
White correctly estimated that this
passed pawn would amply compensate
for his small material disadvantage.
2l ...Axc3 22.�xc3 Ad7 23./ilb3
E!cS 24.g4
White wants to operate on both wings,
but finally succeeds only in re-estab­
lishing material equilibrium. The logi­
cal sequel of the pawn sacrifice was
24 . .§ fc l '\!Ye7 2 5 A:Jd4 threatening
both 26.€\xbS and 26.a4 with advan­
tage.
24...g6 25.�d4 �e7 26.E{bcl AeS
27.f!f4
The consequence of his 24th move; he
must try to attack the f-pawn. But in the
meanwhile Black gets up a counter-at­
tack in the center.
27...E{d8 28.E!cfl �d7 29.gxf5
If 29 . .§dl, then 29 . . . .§g7 followed by
.llf7 White's advantage is already gone.
29 ... gxf5 30.Ah3 � xd5 31.E{xf5
� x d4 3 2 . /il xd4 f!g7+ 3 3 . � h l
Ad7 34.f!h5 Axh3 35.f!xh3 f!g5
36./ilf5 E!d7 37.E!h4 E!c7!
Practically forcing his opponent to give
perpetual check. In the last stage of this
game both players have found the right
moves.
3 8 . 1£:} h 6 + �g7 3 9 . /il f5 + �gS
40.I£:}h6+ �g7 41./ilf5+ Yz-Yz
1 56
(84) Bogoljubow - Tartakower
Dutch Defense, Lisitsyn Gambit [A04]
1./ilf3 f5 2.e4
An interesting gambit, acceptance of
which would lead Black into dangerous
situations after 2 . . .fxe4 3 .€\gS .flf6 (or
3 . . . d5) 4.d3 exd3 5 ..llxd3, etc. As Black
plays, his weakness on the e-file is with­
out compensation, since the open f-file
is unimportant. Black's 1 st move is not
to be recommended.
2 . . . d6 3 . e x f5 A x f5 4 . d4 /il f6
5.Ad3
Another idea was 5 . .llc4 in order to pro­
voke sooner or later d5. But the method
actually adopted keeps the advantage.
5 ... �d7 6.c4 g6 7./ilc3 Ag7 8.0-0
0-0 9.E!el Ag4
As 9 . . . €\c6 10.d5 would be inconve­
nient to Black because of his weakness
at e6, he is already practically obliged
to yield his opponent the advantage of
the two bishops in order to mobilize his
queen's rook.
10.h3?
A tactical mistake, which should give
Black a good game. The right line was
10 . .lle 2 and if 10 . . . €\c6 l l .d5 .ll xf3
1 2.Axf3 .fle5 13 . .lle2, Black would not
have the important move .flh5.
10 . . . .i}. x f3 l l . � x f3 l£:}c6 1 2 .d5
/ile5 13.�dl E!aeS?
By 13 . . . €\hS Black could (per nefas !)
get a strong initiative, e.g., 14 . .lle2 .flf4
1 5 . .llxf4 .§ xf4 16.g3 .§d4 etc.
 Round XII
14.Ae2! e6 15.f4
There was no hurry for this move.
15.�e3 instead would keep up the pres­
sure without weakening the position in
the middle.
15 ... .£)f7 16.�b3 e5?
This sacrifice is neither necessary nor
correct. The simplest course was 16 . . .c6
with fighting chances.
1 7 . � x b7 e x f4 1 8 . A x f4 § bS
1 9 . � x a7 § x b 2 20.�a3 § bb8
2l.§fl
White only needs now to concentrate
his pieces and then to advance his
passed pawn.
21 . . . §a8 22. �b3 �e7 23.§ael
.£)e5 24.�c2 §fe8 25 . .£)b5 .£)f7
26.<iflh2 �d7 27.a4
This should be the beginning of the end.
27... §e7
28.Ad3?
1 57
Again White forgets the possibility of
4Jh5, but this time Black takes advan­
tage of the blunder. After 28.�f3 the
win would be quite easy.
28... § xel 29.§ xel .£)h5 30.g3
As the bishop can hardly be saved from
exchange (e.g., 30.�e3 .ile5+ 3 l .�gl
4Jf4 etc.) he wishes at least to control
the e5-square. But this compromises his
king's position.
30. . . .£) xf4 3 1 .gxf4 Ah6 32.§e4
�d8 33. .£)d4?
The knight was well enough posted for
the moment. After 33.�g3! Black would
be in difficulties, for 33 . . .'�f6 could be
met by 34.4Jxc7.
33 ... �f6 34 . .£)e6 §bS
Now, as a result of the white knight's
maneuver, B lack's rook is suddenly
free, and his activity soon forces White
to look for salvation by simplifying at
all costs.
35.�g2 §b2 36.Ae2 §a2 37.�g4
�f5!
After his opponent's mistake on the
2 8th move, Dr. Tartakower has ex­
ploited all the possibilities of the posi­
tion. White must now exchange, as the
delay 38.�f3 4Je5! would not help.
38. � x f5 g x f5 3 9 . §e3 .£) e 5
4 0 . § g 3 + .£)g6 4 t . §g2 § x a4
42 .Ad3 <iflf7 4 3 . A x f5 .£l h4
44.Ac2 § xc4 45.§f2 .£)g6 46.<iflg3
Yz-Yz
 Round XIII

Tuesday, August 25th

Botvinnik wins and Euwe loses, so that with Capablanca's tenth round game still
unplayed the Russian is temporarily in the lead. Flohr and Fine are the first to
finish; after some interesting opening play a premature draw in 1 9 moves is agreed.
A Sicilian between Tylor and Winter goes rather in Tylor's favour, but an oversight
makes it expedient for him to go for a draw by perpetual check.

Euwe blunders against Lasker. With two minor pieces each and one of Euwe's
pieces en prise, he makes a move which results in his other piece getting en prise,
so that a piece is lost in a position which should have been drawn. Botvinnik wins
a beautiful game against Vidmar in 24 moves. Following the sacrifice flxf7, a
short series of pretty and well-calculated moves bring about a pleasing finish.
The other three games are carried to the evening session.

Alekhine wins a brilliantly carried through kingside attack against Bogoljubow

which might have won the special prize for this type of ending had notAlekhine's
game against Alexander been even better. Alexander does well for a time against
Capablanca but is gradually outplayed. The end is made easier for Capablanca by
his opponent's sealed move, which is not far removed from a blunder. Reshevsky
wins in 42 moves against Thomas by play which the annotator describes as "a
strategical masterpiece." Tartakower has the bye.

Score: *Botvinnik, *Capablanca - 9; *Euwe, *Fine, Alekhine - 8; *Flohr - 7;

*Lasker - 6Y2; *Vidmar - 5Y2; *Bogoljubow, *Tartakower - 5; *Tylor - 4;
*Alexander - 3; *Thomas - 2Y2; *Winter - 2;

Wednesday, August 26th

A quiet day, and almost entirely the rest day for which it was intended. The
postponed game between Vidmar and Capablanca is played off. In a Queen's
Gambit Declined there is some irregular play. Vidmar castles on the queenside,
and his opponent hits up a useful and interesting attack which wins in 30 moves,
Vidmar's resignation being hastened by the fact that he is left with five or six
moves to make in about a minute.

This brings Capablanca level with Botvinnik at 9 each (as given above). The only
other play consists of two adjourned games from the 1 2th round. In one of them
Flohr resigns to Alexander without resuming; and the other, Fine v. Alekhine, is
drawn in another 1 2 moves.

1 58
 Round XIII

(85) Alekhine - Bogoljubow lent chances. The question which move

Semi-Slav Defense [D3 1 ]
Vtlf3 d5 2.d4 .£1f6 3.c4 c6 4 . .£\c3
dxc4 5.a4 e6?
It is really surprising that such connois­
seurs as Dr. Euwe (in our 1 9th match
game) and Bogoljubow (for the second
time against me) should sometimes
adopt this obviously umesthetic move
instead of the natural and strong
5 .. ..\H5.
6.e4 Ab4
gives him the greater advantage is there­
fore, to my mind, rather academic.
12 . . . Ac5 13 . .£\f31 .£\d7 14.E!dl
�c6 15.Axc4 0-0
The king must fly, because after
1 5 . . . .ll x f2 + 1 6 . �xf2 �xc4 1 7 . .ll a 3
Black would rapidly succumb.
Forcing the weakening of B lack 's
kingside position.

And now 6 . . . c 5 , recommended by 16 ...g6 17.Ab5 �c7 18. .£)e4 Ae7

Soultanbeieff, seems to be the only pos­
sible alternative continuation. After the
text move White has several methods
of obtaining an appreciable positional
advantage.

7.e5 .£)e4

The inferiority of 7 . . . 4Jd5 was shown

in my first match game with
Bogoljubow in 1 929.

8.�c2 �d5 9.Ae2 c5

Of course not 18 . . . 4Jxe5 because of
Or 9 . . . 0-0 10.0-0 4Jxc3 1 l .bxc3 .lle7 1 9.4Jxc5 followed by 20 . .lla 3 etc.
1 2 .4Jd2! (Alekhine-Helling, Dresden
1 936). 19.f4

1 0.0-0 .£\ x c3 l l .b x c 3 c x d4 Up to this White has made the right at­

12. .£\ x d4
Also 1 2.cxd4 as in the above-mentioned
game against Dr. Euwe is good enough.
But I wanted to satisfy myself whether
the capture with the knight is even stron­
ger. In both cases White wins back the
pawn sacrificed, while keeping excel-
tacking moves, but here he misses the
strongest continuation. After 19 ..llh6
E!d8 20.f4 Black, with his backward
development, could hardly have found
an adequate defensive line. Now he can
slightly improve his position by practi­
cally forcing the exchange of one mi­
nor piece.

1 59
 Nottingham 1 936

19 .J�)c5 20.4)f6+
•.
Rather bold, but in the circumstances
the most promising chance of attack.
20...Axf6 21.exf6 Ad7 22.Ae3?
This, however, is most certainly a mis­
take, after which White not only for­
feits his advantage, but, by the right
continuation on Black's part, would
have had to fight merely for a draw. The
correct move was 22 . .ila3! (though pos­
sible also was first 22 . .ilxd7 and then
23 . .ila3 ), giving White time to protect
his pawn at f6 by .ile7 and still main­
tain dangerous threats against the hos­
Black begins to play with fire. Here, or
even at the next move, he should offer
the exchange of queens by 30 . . .�d5.
He would still be able to protect his
backward a-pawn . The variation
30 . . . �d5 3 1 .�xd5 exd5 3 2 .1::l xe8+
l::l xe8 33.1::l a l l::l a8 should, as suggested,
result in a peaceful draw. After the text
move and its successor, White succeeds
in building up a formidable kingside
attack.
3l.§b4 �c7? 32.§b2!
Black's e-pawn becomes weak.
32 §e7 33.§be2 �f7 34.g4 §ce8
•.•

tile king. 35.g51

22... Axb5 23.axb5 4)d7! 24.g3 With a hidden purpose, which Black
completely overlooks.
As both the f-pawns cannot be pro­
tected, White gives up the right one; for
35... fxg5
if 24 . .ild4 �xf4 25.1::l fl �g5, Black in
addition to his material gain would even
have attacking prospects (e5, etc.).

24 ••. 4) xf6 25.Ad4

After 25.1::l xa7 4Jd5! (25 . . . 1::l xa7 26.b6!)

26.1::l xa8 4Jxe3 27.1::l xf8+ �xf8 28.�d3
4Jxdl 29.�xdl �c5+ B lack would
have a superior endgame with queens.

25 ... 4)d7 26. �f2

White has sufficient compensation for
the pawn, because of his powerful
bishop, but that is about all. By the fol­
lowing moves Black could force sim­
plification, which most probably would
lead to a draw.
The only chance of salvation was
35 .. .f5, when White would still have
excellent winning prospects through h4-
h5.
36.f511

26 b6 27.§el �c4 28.§abl §ac8

•.• A problem-like finish, as the variations
29.�e3 §fe8 30.�f3 f6 show: I . 36 . . . e x f5 3 7 .�d5+ �f8

1 60
 Round XIII

3 8 . Ag 7 + and w i n s ; I I . 36 . . . g x f5 4 . . . .Q.b4 5. �c2 0-0 6 . .Q.e2 §e8

37.'�h5+ 'it'f8 38.�h6+ 'it'g8 39.�xg5+
and wins; and III. 36. . . e5 37.�d5+ 'it'f8
38.�c6! �xc6 39.bxc6 exd4 40./"!xe7
/"! xe7 4 1 ./"! xe7 'it'xe7 42.c7 and wins.
36... �f4
Neither better nor worse than the varia­
tions just given.
37.fxe6+ § xe6 38.�d5
7.0-0 d6
Black intends to play d5 only after hav­
ing finished his development. This is a
good logical plan, which at any case
secures him a balanced position. But
still more promising was, I think, first
7 . . .�f8 to prevent the exchange of this
bishop, which in the actual game be­
came practically forced.

Another winning line was 38. �h3 �h4

39./"!fl + 'it'g8 40./"!xe6! and wins. Obviously to avoid the opening of files
after 8 . . . l.txc3 and 9 . . . e4.
38 .•• .£)f6
8 ... .Q.e6 9.a3 .Q.xc3
Otherwise 39./"!fl would follow.
C omparatively better than 9 . . . Aa5
39 . .Q. x f6 �g4+ 40.§g2 �f5 1 0.b4 �b6 after which he would lose
41 . .Q.e5 the chance of playing d5.

Not 4l .�c4? �c5+ and Black wins!

10. �xc3 a5 l l .b3

41 ... �g8 42.§f2 �g4+ 43.�h1

h5 44. § g 1 �h4 4 5 . § f6 �h7
46.§xe6 § xe6 47.�d7+ 1-0

(86) Flohr - Fine

English Opening [A28]

1.c4 .£)f6 2 . .£)c3 e5 3 . .£)f3

If 3.e4, then 3 . . .�c5 - not 3 . . .4Jc6 4.f4

with advantage to White, as in the game
Alekhine-Lilienthal, Hastings 1 933/34.)

3....£)c6 4.e3
The experience of the last few years has
proved that the variation 4.d4 exd4
5.4Jxd4 Ab4 is quite satisfactory for
B lack. But also with the text move
White cannot hope for any advantage.
Instead of this unnecessary preparatory
move he should play at once l l . . .d5
which would either force an exchange
or allow next move d4, without giving
White the opportunity (which he had in
the actual game) ofblocking the center

161
 Nottingham 1 936

by e4. In either case White would have
to deal with more difficult problems
than after the queen's move.
1 2.d3 d5 13.�c2 .§.adS 14.Ab2
Ag4
Hoping to get rid of one ofWhite's pair
of bishops. Flohr meets this strategical
threat most energetically.
Unnecessary at the moment. Black has
two ways of preparing the d-pawn's
double advance: I. 12 . . . b6 followed by
.ilb7; and II. 12 . . . d6 followed by .ild7-
e8 and .§. d8.
13.�c2 b6

15.cxd5 � xd5 16 .!ilf3

•

The further weakening of the pawn po­

sition is in this particular case without
much importance.

16...Axf3 17.gxf3 .!ild7 18 .§.ac1

•

.!ilf8 19.�c4 Yl-Yl

Although the chances are in fact about
even, this premature decision, after the
interesting opening play, is regrettable.
(87) Capablanca -Alexander
English Opening [A26]
14.f41
Seizing the opportunity to eliminate
Black's e-pawn - in the circumstances
White's best fighting chance.
14 Ab7 15.fxe5 Axe5 16.0-0-0
.•.

1 .c4 e5 2 .!ilc3 .!ilc6 3.g3 g6 4.Ag2

•
Ag7 5.d3 .!ilge7 6 . .!ild5?
The beginning of an attacking maneu­
ver, which does not prevent Black
from finishing his development. A
promising line in positions of this kind
is Elbl followed by the advance of the
b-pawn.
6 0-0 7.h4 .!ild4 s.Ag5
••.
d5
After this, weak spots will arise in both
positions; for Black his d-pawn, for
White his e- and g-pawns, which will
limit the action of his queen 's bishop.
Prospects are now about even, and will
remain so for a number of moves.
17.d4 Ag7 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.�bl
.§.ac8 20. .!ilc3 �d7 21 . .§.c1 .!ilc7

One would have thought from White's More prudent was 2 1 . . . h5 2 2 . 'l;i'b3
previous move that he intended to con­ .§.fd8.
tinue with h5.
22.�b3
8 f6 9.Ad2 c6 10 . .!il x e7+ �xe7
..•

l l.e3 .!ile6 12 .!ile2 f5

• Threatening eventually e4.

1 62
 Round XIII
22 ... �h8 23.h5
Though not very dangerous, this ad­
vance may lead to attacking possibili­
ties later.
23...g5 24.h6 Af6 25.E!hfl Ae7
26.�dl
26 ... �e8?
Not only losing valuable time, but also
permitting White's following move, the
first step in the emancipation of his
queen 's bishop. Instead, as his adver­
sary had no direct threats, Black could
start a queenside attack with 26 . . .�a6
followed by the advance of his b-pawn.
The outcome would be an absolutely
open question.
27.g4! �g6 28.gxf5 E! xf5 29.E!xf5
�xf5+ 30.�al E!fS 3l.�hl!
A very strong post for the queen at­
tacking Black's d-pawn, defending the
h-pawn and preparing e4.
This proves insufficient, as will soon
appear. But Black has no really useful
move left.
1 63
32. .£!b1 Ad6 33.Af3 �f5 34.E!ft
�g6 35.E!gl Ae7 36. .£lc3 �gS?
He should, as far as possible, prevent
the advance of White's e-pawn. There­
fore 36 . . .'�'£7 or 36 . . :li1e6 was indi­
cated.
37.e41
At last his queen's bishop is freed, and
at the same time White gets at least a
strong passed pawn, the beginning of
the end.
37 ... �f7 38.Ag2 �f2
And after 38 . . . dxe4 39.�xe4 �xe4
40.'/ifxe4, the game would not last long.
Black could not play 40 . . .'lii'f5 because
of 4 1 .'lii'xf5 §xf5 42.§el .
3 9 . A x g 5 A xg5 40. E!fl � x fl+
4 1 . A x fl d x e4 4 2 . Ag2 .£! e 6
43.Axe4 Aa6 44.Abl 1-0
If 44 . . . 4Jxd4, then 4 5 . 'lii' e 4 4Jf5
46. 'lii'e 5+ and wins.
(88) Tylor Winter
-
Sicilian Defense [B72]
l .e4 c5 2 . .£lf3 d6 3 .d4 c x d4
4..£1 xd4 .£!f6 5. .£lc3 g6 6.Ae2 Ag7
7.Ae3 .£lc6 8. .£jb3 a5
This attempt (instead of Botvinnik's
8 . . . �e6) gives the game a peculiar
character, but hardly to Black's ben­
efit. In fact, he obtains only a shade
of attack on the queenside and yields
in return to White the full control of
the important b5-square. White plays
the next part of the game with perfect
judgment.
 Nottingham 1 936
9 .0-0 a4 10. �d4 0-0 l l . �db5
.ile6 12. 'ttd 2 �a5 13.b3
This meets the threats in the simplest
way, and Black's knight will soon have
to return after a fruitless trip.
13 ...axb3 14.axb3 'ttd7
Slightly more promising was the delay­
ing ofthe following exchange by 14 . . . § e8.
1 5.,ilh6 �c6 1 6 . .Q. x g7 \tl x g7
17.E{adl �g8 18.f4
A misjudgment, since White has no real
prospects of a kingside attack. His
chances are in the center, and on the
other side ofthe board. He should there­
fore play at once 18..£\d5 �xd5 19.exd5
.£\d8 20.c4 with an obvious positional
advantage. The move selected only
weakens the central squares.
18 . . . f6 1 9 . �d5 ,il x d 5 20.e x d5
�d8 21.�d4
And even here the simplest, 2 l . c4, was
also the best.
21 ... �h6 22 . .ild3 'ttc7
Intending to profit by the comparative
weakness of the black squares in his
1 64
opponent 's position. White's next
move, giving up command of e5, makes
the task still easier.
23.f5 'ttc5 24.,ile4 �hf7 25.Etf3
White realizes that his position does not
now look promising and takes the first
opportunity to force a perpetual check.
25 . . . � e 5 2 6 . E{g3 g5 27 .h4 h6
28.h x g5 h x g 5 29. E{ x g5 + 1 fxg5
30. 'tt xg5+ \tlf7 3 l .'tt h 5 + \tlg7
Yl-Yl
(89) Lasker - Euwe
Slav Defense [D l 2]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.e3
.ilf5 5 . .ild3
This seems to promise even less win­
ning chances than the more usual
5.cxd5 after which Black also gets a
satisfactory position by the maneuver
5 ... i!i'c8 and eventually .£\fd7.
5 ...e6 6.cxd5
If first 6 . .1lxf5 exf5 and then 7.cxd5,
Black would reply 7 ... .£\xdS.
6 ... .Q. xd3 7."tt x d3 exd5
 Round XIII
The position now reached is familiar,
with colors reversed, in a variation of
the Caro-Kann Defense ( l .e4 c6 2.d4
d5 3 .exd5 cxd5 4.c3 etc.) in which
Black - as in this case White - has to
choose between a "minority attack" on
the queenside or a break in the center
by e4. Dr. Lasker selects the second
method, which gives him, however,
only prospects of a draw.
S . 4) c3 J,td6 9.0-0 0-0 l O . § e l
4)bd7
White's next move could not be pre­
vented.
l l .e4 d x e4 1 2 . 4) x e4 4) x e4
13.�xe4
This looks like a drawing proposition,
as after Black's next move further liq­
uidation will be practically forced. But
White had no objective reason to avoid
a draw, as the alternative 13.Eixe4 �f6
would now offer him attacking chances.
1 3 . . . §eS 1 4 . � x eS + � x eS
1 5.§ xeS+ § xeS 16.1if}fl
At this moment the game might safely
be declared a draw; certainly with more
reason than many other games in this
1 65
tournament. That the draw was not de­
clared here was only, I presume, be­
cause neither player offered one, for
different reasons. Dr. Lasker, because
(although he doubtless was perfectly
aware that his isolated pawn is by no
means a serious weakness) he was,
theoretically at least, at a slight disad­
vantage. Dr. Euwe, because as the new
champion he felt obliged to exploit even
the shade of a winning chance. The
unfortunate result was the ensuing ca­
tastrophe, which changed the normal
course of the tournament.
16 . . . 4) b6 1 7 . Ad 2 f6 l S . § e l
§ xel + 19.4) xel lif/f7 20.1if/e2 1if/e6
21.h3 4)c4 22.-'lcl .Q.c7 23.1if/d3
23... .Q.a5??
This move is indeed hard to understand
as even the answers 24.4Jc2 or 24.'<\?xc4
�xel 25 .�e3 would yield Black no
advantage.
24.b41
The rest of the game requires no com­
ment.
24....Q. xb4 25.4)c2 .Q.d2 26..Q. xd2
4)b2+ 27.1if/e2 lif/d5 2S..Q.cl 4)c4
 Nottingham 1 936

2 9 . �d 3 .£1 b6 30 . .£l e 3 + �e6 lesser evil was 14 . . . §c8 in order to an­

31 .£1c4 .£1c8 32 .£la5 .£1d6 33.Af4
• • swer 1 5.�h3 with 1 5 . . .-tlxc3 1 6.bxc3
1-0 Ae4.

(90) Botvinnik Vidmar -

15.'l,\'h3 Ad5
Queen's Gambit Declined [D40]
This does not solve the problem of the
l .c4 e6 2 .£lf3 d5 3.d4 .£1f6 4.Ag5
•
defense, as White preserves his power­
Ae7 5 .£1c3 0-0 6.e3 .£1bd7 7.Ad3
•
ful k i n g ' s b i shop. But also after
15 . . ..£lfd5 16 . .\.tcl ! Black would hardly
The variations starting with 7.§cl have save the game.
been so much analyzed of recent years
that the text move, though it allows the 16 .£1 xd5 .£1bxd5 17.f41 E!c8
•

immediate 7 . . . c5, offers better fighting

chances. Or 17 . . .g6 1 8 . .\.th6 §e8 19.g4 etc.

18.f5 exf5 19.E! xf5 'l,\'d6?

7 ... c5 8.0-0 cxd4

As the Black pieces are not developed

so as to attack the isolated d-pawn, the
better policy here is the usual line
8 ... dxc4 9. .\.txc4 a6 1 0.a4 §e8 etc.

9 . e x d4 d x c4 10.A xc4 .£1 b6

u.Ab3 Ad7

The beginning of a risky plan, in view

of White's prospects of a kingside at­
tack. The half-pinning of his king's
knight, which seems so harmless at the
moment, will in a few moves become
extremely disagreeable for Black. It was
wiser therefore to clear the situation at
once by 1 1 . . . .£lfd5 without much dan­
ger in the near future.
Losing immediately. The only move was
19 . . . §c7 after which White would in­
crease his pressure against f7 by
20.§dfl followed eventually by �h4
with a decisive advantage.
20 .£1 x f71
•

12.'l,\'d3!
Simple and neat. Black cannot avoid
Intending, if 1 2 . . . .£lfd5, 1 3 . .\.tc2. serious material loss.

1 2... .£1bd5 13 .£1e5 Ac6 14.E!adl

• 20... E!xf7 2l.Axf6 Axf6 22.E! xd5
.£1b4?
Much stronger than 22 . .\.txd5.
A second mistake, after which White's
attack becomes tremendously strong. A 22 ... 'l,\'c6

1 66
 Round XIII

Or 22 . . ...1hd4+ 23.�hl and wins. 14...f6!

23.§d6 �e8 24.§d7 1-0
(91) Thomas - Reshevsky
Ruy Lopez [C84]
l .e4 e5 2 . l£H3 4)c6 3 .Ab5 a6
4.Aa4 4)f6 5.0-0 Ae7 6.c3?
This move, which in answer to d6
would be the best, is in the present
variation, on the contrary, quite out of
place, as it allows Black to exchange
the central pawns without any disadvan­
tage. Both 6 . .§el and 6.'l;lre2 are good
continuations.
White's pieces are now limited in their
action, and each pawn move only cre­
ates new weaknesses.
15.b3 �d7 16.h3 b5 17.§e1 §fe8
Already preparing to exploit the ex­
posed position of the white queen.
1s.Ad2 g6 19. �h4
Or 19.'l;lrh6 �f7 threatening 20 . . . g5 and
2 l . . .�f8.
19... �f7

6 ...4) xe4 7. �e2 4)c5 8.Axc6 dxc6

9.4) xe5 0-0 10.d4 4)d7!

Quite right. After the exchange of

White's only developed piece, Black
will find it easier to exploit the advan­
tage of the two bishops.

A second positional error, leading to

White's queen being badly exposed.
The natural move was l l .�f4 with
equalizing chances.
The knight has no future here. But af­
ter 1 3.�e4 .lld5 Black would have a
distinct positional superiority.
n...Ad6 14.�h5?
After this White's game can hardly be
saved. A lesser evil was 14.�e2 and if
14 . . . .§e8, then 1 5.�d3 f6 16 . .1le3.
20.�e4
Black has achieved a strategical mas­
terpiece, of which the result is to reduce
his opponent to this desperate combi­
nation. As a matter of fact, B lack's
threat of 20 . . . g5 21 �h6 .llf8 would
bring him at least a pawn, as the sacri­
fice 21 ..1lxg5 fxg5 22.�xg5 �g6 would
be perfectly hopeless.
20...Axb3 21.�xe8+
If 21 .�xc6 .§xel + followed by �d5,
etc.

1 67
 Nottingham 1 936
2 t ... g x e8 2 2 . g x e8+ � x eS
23.axb3 b41
Again a very strong move, by far the
surest way to profit by his material ad­
vantage. If White had had time to play
b4, the winning procedure would have
been far more elaborate.
24, g x a6 b x c 3 2 5 . dl x c3 �e2
26.gxc6
After 26.E!al 'ii!!c 2, Black would first
take off the b-pawn, then play c5, and
1 68
finally force a win by advancing the
second c-pawn.
26... �b5 27.gxd6
Or 27.E!c4 'ii!!xb3 28.<tld2 'ii!d
! l + 29.<tlfl
'ii!!c l and wins.
27...cxd6 28.b4 �d3 29.dld2 g5
30.dle3 �bl+ 31.<1;h2 � xb4
White might as well have resigned here,
as it is obvious he cannot build a steady
defensive position.
32.g4 �b7 33 .£ld2 �d5 34 .£lfl
• •
rt;lf7 35 . .£lg3 rt;e6 36 . .£lf5 �f3
37 .£j h 6 rt;ld5 38 . .£jg8 rt;lc4
•
39 .£le7 d5 40. .£jg8 rtlc31
•
He wants to arrive at e2 with his king
when White's knight is at g8.
41 ..£le7 rt;ld3 42.rt;lgl �xh3 0-1
 Round XIV

Thursday, August 27th

With a view to securing that the round shall be finished before tomorrow's last
round is begun, the controller arranges, (and announces at the opening of play)
that the evening session shall be extended an hour (8 to 1 1 ). The Controller ofthe
General Congress falls in with the idea and it is employed there also. The plan
well fulfils its intention and all the games are through by 1 0:30. There is an
increased crowd of spectators in view of the close finish, for at this point about
half-a-dozen players still have a chance of taking or sharing first place.

This is Alekhine's last day of play, and he wins a fine game against Tartakower
which takes the special prize for the best game in this round. He has made up for
earlier slow progress (3 Y2 out of 8 games) by scoring 5 Y2 out of the last 6, a
magnificent effort. A miscalculation at his 3 1 st move costs Bogoljubow the
exchange and Flohr scores in 45 moves. The annotator is sarcastic about the 20-
move draw between Fine and Capablanca; but one report had it that the former
champion was not feeling very fit today.

Alexander and Tylor come to a draw in 24 moves, the former having missed a win
five moves earlier. Winter is not at his best against Lasker; he gets a bishop trapped
and has to give up a pawn to release it, and a stout resistance in the ending comes
too late. Euwe and Botvinnik have a thoroughly interesting game, with most of it
in the former's favor, according to Alekhine. The game was drawn in 56 moves,
and the annotator avers that Euwe still had a win at his 56th move! "The most
exciting endgame in the tournament."

Vidmar v. Thomas is drawn in 66 moves, though it might have been given up

earlier. Thomas with this game won the special prize for the best ending by a
British competitor; it was easily the best of the five entries submitted. He had
started the ending a pawn down! Reshevsky has a bye.

Score: *Botvinnik, Capablanca - 9\.-2; Alekhine - 9; *Euwe, *Fine, *Reshevsky -

8\.-2; *Flohr 8; *Lasker 7\.-2; *Vidmar - 6; *Bogojulbow, *Tartakower - 5;
*Tylor - 4\.-2; *Alexander - 3 \.-2; *Thomas - 3 ; *Winter - 2

(92) Tartakower -Alekhine obtain equality, but does not present

Queen's Pawn Game [D02] such difficult problems as, for instance,
the usual 2.c4.
l.d4 .£lf6 2.g3
2 ... c5
One of Dr. Tartakower ' s favorite
moves. It is doubtless good enough to Intending, if 3.d5, to play a king's

1 69
 Nottingham 1 936

fianchetto. But a sounder answer to 12.exd4 exd4 13.Af4

White's unusual 2nd move is d5.
This most important win of a tempo is
3.4)f3 d5 a direct consequence of Black's incor-
rect 1 Oth move.
Black decides to fight against a King's
Indian Defense with colors reversed. As 13 ••• �c8 14 .§dl 0-0
•

the sequel shows, the loss of a tempo in

this particular case turns out rather to
his advantage. A safer line for White
now was 4.c3.

4.Ag2 cxd4 5.0-0

Hoping to obtain the initiative in the

center by the variation 5 . . . {Jc6 6.{Jxd4
e5 7.{Jxc6 bxc6 8.c4. But Black takes
advantage of the fact that his queen 's
knight is not yet developed and avoids
the exchange at c6, which would favor
his opponent. Fortunately for Black, he need not
trouble about his center pawn, as he will
5 Ag4! 6.4) xd4
..• find compensation in the capture of
White's h-pawn. Or if 1 5.g4 (probably
There is obviously nothing better. best) 1 5 . . .�e4! 16.{Jbd2 �g6, etc., with
a complicated but not disadvantageous
6 e5 7 .4)f3 4)c6 8.h3 Af5
•••
middlegame position.

Not bad, but 8 . . .�d7 to prevent White's

next move (for then 9 . . . dxc4) would be
still more effective. 8 . . .�e6, on the con-
trary would be inferior, because of the
answer 9.{Jg5 followed by c4.
9.c4 d4 10.�b3 �c7
Allowing White to obtain about an even
game. Much preferable was 10 . . .tl'd7
(not 10 . . . tl'c8 l l .{Jxe5 {Jxe5 1 2 . .\.txb7)
and if l l .e3, then l l . . .i.te7 followed by
0-0.
1 5 . 4) x d4 A x h 3 16.4) x c6 bxc6
17.Axh3?
From now on White makes a series of
indifferent moves, which rapidly spoil
his, at present, defensible position. It
was obviously inadvisable to bring the
black queen through this exchange to a
strong attacking post. He should first
and foremost finish his development by
17.{Jc3.

l l .e3 Ae7
Again underestimating Black's attack­
Black must now get his king into safety ing chances. Better was 19.{Jd2 and if
as rapidly as possible. 19 . .f5, then 20.{Jfl .
.

1 70
 Round XIV
19 ...f51
With the powerful threat of 20 . . ..1lc5,
at present premature on account of
20 . .£le4.
20.�g2 �h5 21.§el
Equally unsatisfactory was 2 1 ..1ld6
.llxd6 22.§ xd6 f4 etc.
21 ...Ac5 22.4)dl g5! 23.Ae5
23 . .1le3 .f.txe3 24 . .£lxe3 4Je5 followed
by f4 would give Black a very easy at­
tack.
23 ... §ad8
After this there is no longer a defense
against § xdl .
24.Ac3 § xdl
Not only winning a pawn, but com­
pletely demolishing the remains of
White's fortress.
25.§axdl Axf2+ 26.\tlfl Axel
Not 26 ... .1le3 27.�xc6!.
27.§ xel f4 28.gxf4
The desperate resource 28.l"1e7 would
prove insuffic i ent on account of
28 . . . .£le3+ 2 9 . 'it' g l �dl + 30 .'it'h2
fxg3+ etc.
28... §xf4+ 29.\tlgl 4)h21
The deadly stroke. If 30.�xh2, then
30 . . . l"1g4+ 3 l .'it'hl §h4 etc. White
chooses another method of giving up
his queen, but he is soon persuaded that
further resistance is perfectly hopeless.
171
3 0 . § e3 § f l + 3 l . � x fl 4) x fl
3 2 . \tl x fl �f7+ 3 3 .\tlg2 � x c4
34.§e7 �d5+ 35.\tlh3 h5 0-1
This game was awarded a special prize
for the best game in the 1 4th round.
(93) Bogoljubow - Flohr
French Defense [C 1 8]
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3 . .£lc3 Ab4 4.e5
c5 5.a3 Axc3+ 6.bxc3 4)e7 7. �g4
.£lf5
As will soon be seen, this move should
not yield Black a perfectly satisfactory
game - at least in the variation intended
by Flohr. The usual 7 . . .'it'f8 gives Black
more opportunities to get up a counter­
attack in the center.
s.Ad3 h5 9. �f4?
9.�h3 was the logical move, threaten­
ing g4. If 9 . . . c4, intended by Flohr (as
he says in his comments), then 10 . .1lxf5
exf5 1 l .�g3 provoking a further weak­
ness in Black's position, and remain­
ing with the best prospects, because of
the possibility of successful play on the
black squares.
9 ...cxd4 10.cxd4
 Nottingham 1 936

Here 10.Axf5 would not give White any ginning of a little combination which,
advantage because of 10 . . . exf5 l l .cxd4 however, only leads to further simplifi­
"{:Jfc7 etc. cation.

10 •.. �h4! 19 ... � xd3 20 .§ xb7

•

Forcing the exchange of queens, after He has time to take this pawn, as the
which the game may be considered black knight has no escape.
about level. White has the two bishops,
Black the chance of initiative on c-file. 20... .Q.c6 21 . .§bbl hxg4 22.hxg4
.§h3
1 V�)f3 �xf4 12 .Q.xf4 �c6 13.c3
•

Ad7 14.h3 Slightly better than the immediate

22 . . . �xf2 since Black finds an oppor­
tunity to win a tempo be attacking the
knight.

2 3 . � g 5 .§ h 2 24. � x d3 .§ x f2
25.�e3 .§h2 26. .§hl

And not 26 . .§fl for then 26 ... Ab5.

26... .§xhl 27 .§xhl �g6 28. .§bl

•

�e7 29 .§fl f6!

•

Both sides' operations are dictated by A pitfall!

the necessities of the position. White
dislodges Black's king's knight, Black 30.exf6+ gxf6
in the meantime forces the exchange of
one of White's bishops.

14... .§c8 15.�e2 �a5 16.g4 �e7

17.Ad2 �c4 18 .§hgl •

The attempt to preserve the king's

bishop from exchange by 1 8.a4 would
not succeed because of 1 8 . �b2 . .

1 9.Ac2 hxg4 20.hxg4 .§ xhl 21 .l'!xhl

Axa4 etc.

18 ... �b2! 19 .§gbl

• 31.�h7?

Very weak would be 19.gxh5 �xd3 After 31 ..£lf3 e5 32.g5 White would still
20.'it>xd3 �f5. The text move is the be- have had little fear. The move made

1 72
 Round XIV
loses the Exchange without compensa­
tion - and therefore the game.
31. f!h8 32.f! xf6
•.
Or 32.4Jxf6 .§h3+ 33.'<t'f2 Jlb5! and
wins.
32 Jl,e8 33.f!xg6 Jl, xg6 34.{)g5
•••
E!h4 35.{)f3
After 35 .'<t'f3 .§hl Black would win
even more easily.
35 ... f! xg4 36.{)e5 f!g2 37.c4 dxc4
38. {) x c4 Jl,e8 3 9 . Ab4+ �f6
40 . {) d 6 Jl,c6 4 t .�d3 Jl,d5
42.�e3 �g5 43.{)b5 �g4!
Trying to construct a mating net.
One last error. But after 44.'<t'd3 .§g3+
45.'<t'd2 a6 46.4Jc7 Ac4 Black would
finally win.
44... Jl,c4 45.d5 e5 0-1
(94) Fine - Capablanca
Slav Defense [D 1 9]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.{)f3 {)f6 4.{)c3
dxc4 5.a4 Jif5 6.e3 e6 7.Jl, x c4
Jl,b4 8 . 0 - 0 0-0 9. �e2 {)e4
1 0 . {) x e4 Jl, x e4 l l . f!d1 {) d7
12.Jl,d2
This seems to give Black even less
trouble than 1 2 .Ad3, played by Dr.
Lasker in the 6th round, as he can ex­
change by force almost all the minor
pieces.
12 •.. Jl, x f3 13.�xf3 �a5 14.�e2
1 73
Jl,xd2 15. �xd2 �xd2 16.f!xd2 a5
17.g3 {)b6 18.Jl,b3 E!fd8 19.f!c2
{)d5 20.Jl,xd5 f! xd5 Yz-Yz
A delightful game for the annotator. I
think it is the only one in this collection
which does not even deserve a diagram.
(95) Alexander - Tylor
Queen 's Gambit Declined [D40]
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4
{)f6 5.{)c3 {)c6 6.{)f3 e6
It is somewhat better to play this on the
5th move, in order to be able to answer
c5 with b6. After the text move the ad­
vance of the c-pawn would offer White
excellent prospects.
7.-'1.d3?
Instead of which White loses an impor­
tant tempo, and allows his adversary to
enter into a quiet variation of the
Queen's Gambit Accepted.
7 d x c4 8 . Jl, x c4 a6 9 .0-0 Jl,e7
. • .
10.Jl,f4 0-0 l l.a3
Preparing d5, which at this moment
would be premature, on account of the
answer l l .d5 4Ja5.
ll ••• b5 12.d5 exd5
It is obvious that after 1 2 . . . bxc4
1 3 .dxc6 White 's c-pawn would be
stronger than B l ack ' s . Also that
1 2 ... 4Ja5 1 3.Axb5 followed by 14.d6
would be to White's advantage.
13.Jl,xd5 Jl,b7 14.b4
If this move is made in order to prevent
4Ja5, it fails to attain its object. In fact,
 Nottingham 1 93 6
Black could make the knight's move,
which was in the circumstances his sim­
plest course. E.g., 14 . . ..fia5 15 . .1lxf7+
E!xf? 16.bxa5 t'l'xa5 17.iil'b3 .llxf3 fol­
lowed by E! af8.
14 ...h6?
An important loss of time. If he did not
mean to play .fia5, he should continue
14 . . . .fixd5 15 . .fixd5 .lld6 with a feasible
defense.
15.E!el � x d5?
A mi stake . Necessary first was
15 . . . E! c8.
Strangely enough, there is no longer a
defense against the threat of .fixe7+,
.llc7 or .fic7.
17.Ac7 �c8 18.� xg5 hxg5
19.E!cl?
The game could easily have been won
by 19.iil'h5!. If in reply 19 . . . t'l'f5, then
20.E!e5! iil'g6 2 1 . f! xg5 t'l'xh5 22 . .fif6+
followed by 23.E!xh5 mate. Or ifl9 .. .f6,
then 20 . .1ld6 E!f? (20 . . . E! d8 2 1 ..fib6
1 74
winning the Exchange) 2 1 ..fib6 t'l'd8
22 . .1lc5 followed by E!adl when Black
would lose through want of space.
19 ... E!e8
Now the immediate danger is over. If
20.E!xe8+ t'l'xe8 21 . .fib6, then 2 1 . . .E!a7
22.t'l'd2 f6 23.E!el t'l'f7 etc.
20.�d3
Still White should adopt the variation
just mentioned. After the careless move
in the text, Black can force a drawn
position in a few moves.
20 ... �g4 21.�g3 � xg3 22.hxg3
�e5 2 3 . E! x e 5 E! x e5 24.A x e 5
A xd5 Yz-Yz
(96) Winter - Lasker
Queen's Pawn Game [D05]
l.d4 �f6 2.�{3 d5 3.e3 e6
Dr. Euwe prefers 3 . . .�f5 introduced by
me in my game against Colle, San Remo
1 930.
4.�bd2 c5 5.c3 �c6 6.Ad3 Ad6
7.0-0 0-0 8.dxc5 Axc5 9.e4 �c7
10.�e2 E!e8
The game Gilg-Alekhine, Kecskemet
1 927, had the continuation 10 . . . �d6
l l .E! e l .fig4 (in order to control e5)
with about even chances. With the risky
E!e8 Dr. Lasker probably hopes to ob­
tain more.
ll.e5 �d7 12.E!el?
Instead of this superficial move, which
allows a successful counter-attack in the
 Round XIV
center, White should play 1 2 .<tlb3 Ab6
1 3.Af4 and if 13 .. .f6, then 14.Eife1 thus
keeping control over the important e5-
square. It would be difficult for Black
in that case to find a suitable line of
development.
1 2...f6!
This leads to lines very favorable to
Black. The variation 1 3 .exf6 <tlxf6
14.b4 Ad6 was not very pleasant either.
But by 1 3.b4 Ab6 14.exf6 <tlxf6 1 5 .b5
followed eventually by c4, White could
have complicated the situation in a way
not too unpromising for himself.
13 ..• �xe5!
As will appear, this is perfectly convinc­
ing. White probably hoped for 13 .. .fxg5
1 4:�h5 g6 1 5 .Axg6 with a draw.
14.j},xh7+ lit'fS 15.�xe5?
After this the bishop at h7 is in danger
beyond hope of salvation. Necessary
was 1 5 .<tlgf3 though after 1 5 . . . 'it!xe2 or
15 . . . 'itlh5 Black would still keep an ap­
preciable positional advantage.
15... .£)dxe5 16.b4
1 75
White must be glad now to be able to
save a piece at the price of a pawn.
t6 ... Ad6
After 16 . . .Ab6 17.b5 Black would have
to reckon with a possibility of .lla 3+
from White.
17 .£)gf3 g6 18 . .£) h4 lit'g7 19.f4
•
lit' x h7 20.fxe5 .£) xe5
Black has now not only a material sur­
plus, but also a far superior position
- a strong center, a pair of bishops. It
is therefore rather surprising that the
technical realization of these advan­
tages takes so long from this point.
White tries to defend his game with
great determination, but he is fighting
in a lost cause.
2 1 . .£) hf3 Ad7 22 . .£) x e5 A x e5
23.Ab2 E!acS 24.E!e3 Af4
This leads to a simple exchange, but
after all this is what Black needs in the
circumstances.
25.E!d3 Ab5 26.E!h3+ lit'g7 27.a4
Ac4 28. .£) xc4 E! xc4 29.E!dl Ae5
30.a5 E!ecS 3l.§el E!Sc6 32.1it'fl
g5 33.1it'gl g4 34.E!h4 E!cS
 Nottingham 1 93 6

I n order t o force a further exchange. At this point 1 5 . . . cxd4 would be risky,

because of 1 6.l"! xd4 �c6 17.l"!fdl etc.
3 5 . g 3 §hS 3 6 . § x h8 � x h8
37.�g2 �g7 38.�f2 �f7 39.§e3 16.d5
�e7 40.�e2 §e4

Forcing the exchange of the last pair of

rooks, an effective, but rather monoto­
nous technical process.

4 1 . �d3 § x e 3 + 4 2 . � x e3 �d6
43.�d3 �c6 44 .\lcl �b5 4S..Ile3
.

a6 46..Q.h6 fS 47..\lgS .llg7 0-1

(97) Euwe Botvinnik

-

Nimzo-Indian Defense [E34]

A bold move, which succeeds only

l .d4 e6 2 .c4 4) f6 3 . .£l c 3 .ll b 4
4.�c2 dS S.cxdS � xd5 6.e3 cS
7.a3 .ll xc3+ 8.bxc3 4)bd7
Whether this is stronger than the more
natural-looking 8 . . . 4:Jc6 is questionable.
In the present game Black attains, after
the opening stages, a quite satisfactory
position.
9. .£lf3 b6 10.c4 �d6 11 . .\lb2 .llb7
12 . .\le2 §cS 13.0-0 .lle4
Premature would be 1 3 . . . 4:Jg4 14.d5
exdS lS.cxdS .1lxd5 1 6.l"!adl! with ad­
vantage.
through Black choosing a tame reply.
By 1 6.4:Je5, White could have main­
tained a slight positional advantage
without taking chances.
16 ... �f8?
Allowing White to spoil his pawn posi­
tion - a circumstance which is particu­
larly important because of the strength
of White's bishops. Instead he could ­
and should - take the pawn. After
16 ... exd5 17.cxd5 �f8 (not of course
17 . . . .1lxd5 18.e4) Dr. Euwe indicates in
his notes 18 . .1la6 l"!b8 19.�c4 adding
that "Black has not improved his posi­
tion."

And now 14 . . . 4:Jg4 would be answered
by 1 5 .4:Je5. But instead of the rather
indifferent text move, Black could play
more energetically 1 4 . . . cxd4 and if
1 5 .4:Jxd4 ( 1 5 .exd4 4:Jd5 followed by
4:Jf4), 15 . . . 4:Jc5 16.f3 .1la8 followed by
0-0 without any difficulties.
lS.§adl §fdS
But, in the first place, it was White, not
Black, who after the opening was try­
ing to get an advantage; and secondly,
what would be White's intention after
19 . . .�d6 threatening .1lxd5? The cham­
pion admits himself that 16.d5 was not
the result of analytical work, but was
merely based on a general appreciation
of the position. This particular case

1 76
 Round XIV

shows how unsafe that kind of sacri-
fice may sometimes be.
17.dxe6 fxe6 18.4)e5
The alternative 18.4Jg5 'if!e7 (18 . . . �f5
1 9 . g4 4:lxg4 20.e4 with advantage)
19.4:lxe4 etc., was even more promis­
ing.
18... "tNe7 19.4)xd7 4) xd7 20 . .§d2
Ac6 21.Jl,g4 4)f6
creases White's chances. After 32 . . .\t>e6
followed by a6, b5 etc., Black certainly
need not lose.
33.Axe4
33.fxe4 4Jf6 34.'it'f3 \t>e6 and White's
prospects of a win would be gone.
33 . . . J}. x e4 34.fxe4 4) b8 35.�f3
4)c6 36.Ac3 g6

The exchange of both rooks was in

White 's favor, but Black could not
avoid it, as the threat was �xe6+.

22.,E!xd8+ ,E! x d8 23.f!dl ,E!xdl+

24.J}.xdl "tNd6 25.Ae2 �f7 26.f3

Dr. Euwe remarks that by this natural­

looking move he missed an interesting
opportunity: 26.g4 h6 27.h4 etc. After
the text move the advance, which would
increase White 's superiority, is no
longer possible, the g3 -square being
unguarded.
26 ...J}.a4 27.Ad3
Not 27.e4 e5! 28.'if!xe5 'if!d2 when
Black has a counter-attack.
Now the second hour is over, and both
players start to conduct the ensuing dif­
ficult ending in good - if not quite im­
peccable - style. As a matter of fact,
Black misses a drawing line, and White
a winning one.
37.�f4 a6 38.a4

2 7 . . . h6 28.g3 Ac6 2 9 . �f2 e5 Leaving b4 open to the hostile knight,

30.Jl,e2 4)d7 3l."tNd3 but he could not well allow 38. . . b5.

3 1 .f4 would be unconvincing, because 38...�e6 39.h4 4)b4

of the answer 3 l . . .'if!f6. An endgame is
comparatively White's best winning Threatening 40 . . . 4Jd3+, followed by
chance. 4Je5+.

31. .. "tN xd3 32.J}.xd3 e4? 40.�f3 4)d3 41.Jl,g7! 4)e5+!

This sacrifice, which has been praised The only winning chance, as after
by some annotators, in fact merely in- 4 1 . . . h5 4 2 . \t>e 2 the exchange by

1 77
 Nottingham 1 93 6
4 2 . . . 4:l e 5 ? 4 3 . .\l x e S � x e S 44 . �f3
would lead to a lost endgame for
Black.
But here on the contrary 42.i.txe5 �xeS
43.g4 aS would cost White a pawn.
42 .•. .£) xc4 43 .G,xh6 .£)b2
•
Even playing to win, which gives White
new chances. An easy draw was obtain­
able by 43 . . . b5 44.axb5 axb5 etc.
44 . .G,g7 .£) x a4 45 .g4 b5 46.h5
gxh5 47.gxh5 't;f7 48..G,at l£)b6
If48...b4, then 49.e5 threatening 50.e6+
and wins.
It was certainly not easy, but still pos­
sible to calculate that this weakening of
the c4-square would become dangerous.
The right move was 49 ... a5 with a prob­
ably draw.
50.e5 l£)d7 5 1 .'3;; e4 't;e6 52.h6
l£)f8
In consequence of Black's 49th move
White now controls c4.
1 78
53.'3;;d 3 't;d5 54.e4+ 't;c6 55.'3;;c4
a5
56.e6?
This is equivalent to proposing a draw,
and just at the moment when the win
was comparatively easy to force ! In
fact, after 56.�b3! White had only to
take into serious consideration the
answer 56 . . . '<t'b5 which would lead to
the following forced variation: 57.e6
a4+ 58.'<t'a2 4Jg6 59.h7 �c6 60.e7
'<t'd7 6 1 ..1lf6 c4 62.�bl (obtaining the
classical position in which the king
stops the three p a s s e d pawns)
6 2 . . . '<t'e8 6 3 . e 5 '<t'f7 64 . e6+ '<t'e8
65 . .\lgS 4:lh8 66.Ah4 4Jg6 67.Jlf6 and
wins.
(98) Vidmar - Thomas
Semi-Slav Defense [D47]
l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.l£)f3 l£)f6 4.l£)c3
e6 5.e3 l£)bd7
An interesting system was adopted here
by Spielmann in his 2nd match game
with E l iskases, December 1 9 3 6 :
5 . . .Jle7 6.Ad3 0-0 7.0-0 dxc4 8.i.txc4
b5 9. .1ld3 b4 10.4Ja4 Aa6 etc.
 Round XIV

6.Ad3 dxc4 7.Axc4 b5 8.Ad3 b4 attack. But also the simpler 1 6.Ae3
9. .£\a4 Ab7 would be good, e.g., if 16 . . . Eid8, then
17.Eifdl Axf3 18.�xf3 �xeS 19.�b7
There was no immediate need for this. and wins.
Instead, 9 . . . Ae7 and if 1 0 . 0-0 c S
( l l .AbS 0 - 0) w o u l d offer better 16 •.. E{c8 17.j},d2 a5
chances of equalizing.
He still cannot play 17 . . . AxcS on ac­
10.0-0 Ae7 1 1.'�e2 0-0 12.e4 c5 count of 18.Axh7+.

Now this advance comes in far less fa­ 18.E{acl j},xe4 19.� xe4 �c6!
vorable circumstances. A safer alterna­
tive was 1 2 . . �aS 13.b3 (Or 1 3.�c2 eS
. A mistake would be 19 . . . JlxcS 20.Ae3
etc.) 1 3 . . . cS. �b6 21.ElxcS! Ei xcS 22.�d4 and wins.
After the exchange of queens the
13.e5 .£\e8 endgame is by no means easy to win
for White, as Black's knight proves to
Losing a pawn. He had nothing better be an excellent blocking piece.
than to leave White with the two bish­
ops - 1 3 . . .Axf3 14.�xf3 �dS. 2 0 . � xc6 E{ x c6 2 l . Ae3 .£\ c 7
22 . .£\d4 E{a6
14 .£) xc5 .£\ xc5 15.dxc5
•

Of course not 22 . . . Ei xcS 23.�c6 etc.,

Now 1S ... Axf3 would not be satisfac­ winning the Exchange.
tory because of 1 6 . g xf3 AxeS
17 . .\l.xh7+ � x h7 1 8 .�c2 + and 23.c6 E{dS 24.E{c4 E{d5 25.f4 g6
19.�xcS, after which White would re­ 26.E{fcl �f8 27.�f2 �e8 28 .£\b3 •

main with both material and positional

advantage. Preparing the exchange of a minor
piece, which will take him a step fur­
ther.

28 . . . �d8 29 . .Q.c5 EtaS 30.�e3

Axc5+ 31 . .£\ xc5 �e7

There is a pitfall here. lf16. . .AxcS, then

17.Axh7+ with the well-known mating

1 79
 Nottingham 1 936

32.1�)b7? Also 52 . . . E!d4+ was good enough. If

53.®c2 E!c4+ 54.®b3?, then 54 . . . 4Jd4+
So far White has gradually increased his 55.®a4 b3+ 56.®a3 E!a4+! 57.®xa4
pressure, and there should be no rea­ bxa2 and Black wins!
son for him not to win through his ex­
tra pawn. Here, however, he makes a 53.�d2
slight error, which allows Black to free
his pieces and get counter-chances on
the kingside. The right move was
32.4Je4 (preventing 32 ... g5) followed
by 33.Elc5 with a further exchange of
pieces.

32...g5!

From now on Sir George Thomas de­

fends himself in impeccable fashion.

33.g3 gxf4+ 34.gxf4 .§g8 35 . .§4c2 53 ... b3!

f6 36.exf6+ �xf6
A further brace of pawns disappears.
It is obvious that the last exchanges
have considerably increased Black's 54.a x b 3 .§ b4 55 . .£\ d 3 .§ x b3
drawing chances. 56..§d7+?

37 . .£\ c 5 .§g4 38 . .£\ e4+ �e7 This exchange certainly does not in­
39 .£\f2 .§g8! 40.�f3
•
crease White's prospects. But 56.h4
would probably be unsuccessful also.
If 40.4Jd3, then 40 . . . El f5 preventing
56... �xd7 57..£\c5+ �d6 58. .£\ xb3
41 .4Je5.
.£\e3 59.h4 .£1 c4+ 60.�c2 �e5
61..£\ xd4
40 . . . .£\b5 41 .§c5 .§c8 42 .§ x d5
• •

exd5 43 ..§c5 .£\d4+ 44.�e3 .£1f5+! Instead of accepting a draw at once.

Much better than 44 . . . 4Jxc6 45.E! xd5. 6 t . . . � x d4 62 .b4 �e4 6 3 . �c3

45.�d3 �d6 46 . .§ x a5 .§ x c6
47 . .§a7 .§c4 48 . .§ x h7 .§ x f4
49.�e2 .§c4 50.�d2 .§d4+
51.�e2 §c4 52.�dl d4
.£1b6 64.b5 �f5 6 5 . �d4 �g4
66.�c5 .£1a4+ Yz-Yz
This game won a special prize for the
best ending by a British player.

1 80
 Round XV

Friday, August 28th

Play today is from 9:30 to 1 :30 and from 3:00 o'clock to a finish, to accommodate
the prizegiving and final ceremonies at a banquet tonight at the Victoria Hotel.
The XV round gives a splendid finish to the contest and the issue is in doubt to
the end. With their present lead of a point, a win to either Botvinnik or Capablanca
will put him first; but each draws and they share first place. Euwe, Fine and
Reshevsky have varying fortunes, but all win and keep their present level in the
next place. Alehhine, Flohr and Lasker are close up, and after them there is rather
a gap.

Botvinnik v. Winter finds the British champion playing very well and this is
probably his best game in the tournament. Still having the advantage he agrees to
a draw prematurely, says A1ekhine. Capablanca reaches a stage offering good
winning chances, but an oversight turns the tables slightly in Bogoljubow's favor.
However, a saving clause comes just in time and a draw results in 46 moves.
Euwe presses hard for a win against Thomas, and in doing so makes a grievous
error which should have lost; but the chance is missed. A draw is still possible for
Thomas, but a weak King move near the adjournment finally loses.

Fine has some anxious moments before the win comes; for Tylor, after having the
better of the first half of the game, allows various drawing chances to pass in the
last half. This was the last game to finish. Reshevsky has the better all through
against Vidmar, whose king keeps in the middle too long. Lively play leads to a
bright and pretty win in 26 moves. With a won game, Flohr overlooks a mating
threat, as he did against Alexander, and his opponent, Tartakower, gets off with a
draw. Unnecessarily risky play by Alexander leads to the loss of the exchange,
and Lasker scores rather easily in 34 moves. Alekhine has the bye.

(99) Flohr - Tartakower The right recapture, but White does not
English Opening [A 1 7] take full advantage of it.

Vf)f3 4)f6 2.c4 e6 3.4)c3 d5 4.e3 7 ...c6 8.d4

4)e4
4 . . . c5, played by Sir George Thomas
against the same opponent, is simpler
and better.
5.�c2 f5 6.d3 4) xc3 7.bxc3
He could by 8.e4! free his queen 's
bishop, which, owing to Black's back­
ward development, would be of great
importance. It is obvious that the double
exchange at e4 would be disadvanta­
geous for Black. The move actually

181
 Nottingham 1 936
made leads to a kind of "Stonewall"
where the chances are about even.
8 ... Ad6 9.cxd5
There was absolutely no hurry for this
exchange. The course indicated was
9 ..lld3 followed by 0-0.
9 ... exd5 10.Ad3 0-0 1 1.0-0 Ae6
1 2.c4 .£ld7 13.§bl §bS 14.Ad2
\t'h8
So far Black has made normal devel­
oping moves. But from now on he starts
to play for simplification, which is only
to White's benefit, because of his open
files on the queenside. It was better to
prevent the possible exchange after
Ab4 by playing 14 .. .'�e7 and eventu­
ally to start a kingside attack with g5.
1 5 .§fel d x c4 1 6 . j}_ xc4 A x c4
17.�xc4 .£lb6 18.�c2 �f6?
He refrains from 18 . . . 4Jd5 because of
19.4Je5 but makes the mistake of not
paying sufficient attention to White's
other strategical threat. The right move
was 18 .. :�e7 preventing both 4Je5 and
Ab4. The variation 18 .. .'�e7 19.e4 fxe4
20.f\xe4 �f7 and eventually �f5 was
not dangerous for Black.
1 82
1 9 . Ab4 A x b4 20. § x b4 .£l d 5
2l.§b3 §f7 22.§cl §c7 23. �c5
�d8
If Black intended to play b6 and, after
White's �a3, f\bc8, he had better do it
at once.
24.§b2 b6 25. �a3 §bc8 26.§bc2
26... �e7?
The endgame will be very difficult for
Black to defend. As White threatens
nothing for the moment, Black could try
to consolidate his position by 26 . . .g6
followed by �g7.
27.�xe7 .£j x e7 28 .£je5 c5?
•
Losing a pawn. The move had to pre­
ceded by �g8, but in any case White
would have considerable winning
chances.
29 .£lf7+ \t'g8 30 . .£j d 6 §dS
•
3 l .d x c5 § x c 5 3 2 . § x c5 b x c 5
3 3 .£lb7 §d2 34.a4 §a2
•
lf34 . . .c4, then 35.g3 followed by f\xc4.
35 .£l xc5 .£!d5 36.g3 .£Jb6 37.§bl
•
h6?
 Round XV

Comparatively the best chance was 50.�g2 .£,f4+ 51.�g3 §.b3+

37 . . . 4:lxa4 38.l'=lb8+ '<t'f7 39.l'=lb7+ '<t'f6
40.l'=l xa7 4:lc3 41.l'=lxa2 4:lxa2 leaving a
difficult knight endgame. And even
37 . . . g6, protecting the f-pawn, was bet­
ter than the text move.

38.§.b5 f4

Or 38 . . .4:lxa4 39.4:lxa4 l'=lxa4 40.l'=l xf5

with an easy win for White.

3 9 . g x f4 .£, x a4 40.§.b8+ �h7

41 .£,e6
52.f3??
•

Even stronger than 41 .4:lxa4 as White's

As in his game with Alexander, Flohr
pawn at f4 will help him to construct a
overlooks an elementary mating threat,
mating net.
but this time the oversight only costs
him half a point. After 52.'<t'g4 :§b4
41 •.• §.b2 42.§.e8 §.b7
53.f6 there would not be any effective
If 42 . . . ®g6, then 43.l'=lf8 with the strong discovered checks, and Black might
threat of f5+. resign.

43.f5 52 §.b2 53 .£,f6+ �f8 54.§.a8+

.•• •

�f7 55.§.a7+ �f8 56.§.a8+ �f7?

Threatening mate in three, starting with
44.4Jf8+. B lack answer is therefore
forced.
43 g5 44.e4
•••
The two passed pawns should now win
without the slightest difficulty.
Black, obviously under the influence of
his lucky escape, does not even try to
play for a win, which he might do with­
out taking risks by 56 . . .®e7 57.4:ld5+
4:lxd5 58. l'=l a7+ '<t'e8 59.l'=la8+ '<t'd7
60.l'=la7+ ®c8 61 .f6 :§b4 etc. Another
comedy of errors.

44 .£,c3 45.e5 a 5 4 6 . §. a8 a4
. • •
57.§.a7+ �f8 !h-!h
47 . .£,c5 §.b5 48.§.a7+ �gs
49 .£,d7
•
(100) Capablanca - Bogoljubow
English Opening [A26]
Threatening mate in a few moves, be­
ginning with 50.4Jf6+ and e6. l.c4 e5 2 .£,c3 .£,c6 3.g3 g6 4.Ag2
•

Ag7 5.d3

The same variation as in L asker­

The last desperate attempt. Alexander, played in this round.

1 83
 Nottingham 1 936
5 ...d6 6. .Q.d2 f5
The slight attacking chances that Black
gets with this advance hardly compen­
sate for the weakening of the white
squares in the middle. Instead there was
to be considered 6 ...4Jge7 and if7.�cl,
7 . 4Jd4.
. .
7.f!bl 4Jf6 8.b4 0-0 9.b5 4Je7
This knight would have a more active
post after 9 . . .4Jd4 10.e3 4Je6.
10.�c2
White does not need to prevent 10 . . .d5,
because then l l .cxd5 4Jfxd5 1 2.4Jf3
would make Black's weaknesses in the
center obvious.
10 h6 l l.e3 a6
••.
The opening of the b-file is certainly
not in Black's favor. Ifhe wished to play
c5, in an attempt to clear the situation
in the center, he should do so at once.
12.a4 c5 13.bxa6 §xa6
A pawn like Black's at b7 would cer­
tainly not be to everybody's taste.
1 4 . 4) ge 2 4)c6 1 5 . 4J d 5 4) x d5
16. .Q.xd5+ �h7 17.h4
1 84
In order to prepare the king's maneu­
ver at g2, which at this moment would
be doubtful, because of 17.';t>fl f4. But
17 .-'tg2 was a good enough alternative.
Although White maintains a certain su­
periority even after the exchange of his
powerful king's bishop, there was no
necessity to allow it. A good plan was
18.-'tg2 followed by );b5 and a5.
18 4)e7 19.a5 4) x d5 20.cxd5 �f7
•..
21.�c4
2 1 ...f4!
This pawn sacrifice, in the circum­
stances, is Black's best chance. Other­
wise he would perish because of the
weakness at b7.
22.gxf4 .Q.g4 23.§gl Af3 24.e4
exf4 25.4) xf4?
As Black has no immediate threats, this
was the right time to increase the pres­
sure on the b-pawn by 25.�b5!. After
this omission, White's winning chances
are only problematic.
25 ... .Q.e5 26.4)e6
 Round XV
Not 26.4Jxg6 E!g8 27 .h5 .llh2 and wins.
26 ... E!aa8
Black has no choice. If, for instance,
26 . . .E! e8, then 27 . .1lxh6! and wins.
27.l�) xf8+ f!xf8
Obviously an oversight, allowing Black
to massacre almost all White's pawns.
The right move was 28 . .1le3 and after
28 . . .Ah2 29.E!g2 .llx g2+ 30.'it'xg2 .lle5
3 l .'it'fl 'i';'Yd7 (followed by 32 . . . E! t7)
White could still, in view of his king's
safe position, continue to play for a win.
28...,ilxe4! 29.�xb7
The only move of course.
29 ... ,il xd3+ 30.�g2 ,ile4+ 31.f3!
It is really a stroke of luck for White to
have, after his blunder, this saving
move. If instead 3 1 . 'it' h 3 , then
3l ... .llf5+ followed by .lld7 gives Black
an easy victory.
3 1 . . . ,il x f3+ 32.�h3 ,il x d 5
33.�xf7+ f! xf7 34.E!gfl J,te6+
1 85
Also after other moves, such as
34 . . . E!e7, White would save the game,
because of his possibility of exchang­
ing off one of the black bishops by Af4.
35.�g2 Af5 36.a6 Ae4+ 37.�h3
E!g7 38.f!b6 Af5+ 39.�g2 J,te4+
40.�h3 f!e7
Useless would be 40 . . . g5 4l .hxg5 hxg5
42.'it'g4 etc.
4t.J,tf4 E!f7 42.,ilxe5
Just sufficient to save the vital half­
point!
42 .. ;f!xfl 43 . .Q.xd6 f!f3+ 44.�h2
g5 45.hxg5 hxg5 46.J,txc5 YI-YI
(101) Tylor - Fine
Sicilian Defense [B73]
l .e4 c5 2 . 4) f3 d6 3.d4 c x d4
4.4) xd4 4)f6 5.4)c3 g6 6.,ile2 ,ilg7
7.Ae3 0-0 8.�d2
This move is as good as the more usual
8.0-0 and in the present game proves
so far a success that it induces Black to
prepare a tempting, but strategically
unjustifiable, exchange.
8 ... 4)c6 9.E!dl
 Nottingham 1 936

With the threat of an eventual 4::l x c6 20 . . . a6 was indicated.

followed by e5. Although Black gets the
two bishops, his position will remain
slightly inferior, because of White's
strength in the center and his ability to
protect easily the vulnerable squares on
the c-file. The normal 9 . . ..lld7, followed
by a6, b5, etc., is better.
9 ... 4]g4 10.Jlxg4 Jlxg4 1l.f3 Jld7
12.0-0 E!c8 13.§f2
Protecting c2 and thus making ready for
4:Jd5.
13 ... 4]e5 14.b3 f5?
21. � xa7 §g8
The open file is rather harmless to
White, and would have been more so if
he had not played the useless h3 .
22. �b6 Jlf6 23.4Jc3!
In connection with the following move,
one of the simplest ways to break
Black's attempts at attack. White gives
his extra pawn back but eliminates one
of the hostile bishops, so forcing a dis­
tinctly superior endgame.

23. . .Ac6 24.4]d5 A xd5 25.cxd5

This weakens his central squares with­
�h5 26.4]f3 �xh3 27.Jld4 �h6
out real compensation and White's ad­
vantage becomes quite obvious. Black
should try for some kind of initiative
on the queenside by 14 . . . a6 and if
15.a4, 15 . . . 8b8 eventually followed by
b5.

15.exf5 gxf5 16.4]ce2 4]f7 17.f4

After this Black's pawn position in the

center becomes unsound, and will be
very difficult to improve.

17 .. :{l)·es 18.h3 28.Jlxf6+?

But this is over-cautious. He could qui­ White is too anxious to exchange

etly play first 18.c4 and only in case of
18 . . . e5? 19.fxe5 4::l x e5 20.h3 and wins.
18... \t>hS 19.�a5 4]d8 20.c4
20.'i<\'xa7? e5 would be in Black's favor.
queens . With 2 8 . 8 e l (threatening
8 xe7) he could gain a very valuable,
probably decisive, tempo, since the
middlegame, after 28 . . .'i<\'xf4 29 ..1lxf6+
exf6 30.4:Jd4 would be scarcely defen­
sible by Black.

20... �g6? 28 ... � xf6 29.�d4 \t>g7!

Now, however, Black had no earthly The king comes in time to prevent a
reason to leave his a-pawn en prise. catastrophe.

1 86
 Round XV

30.§e2 � xd4+ 3l.lf) xd4 \!jlf6 48 §g2 49.4)c5 § x g3+ 50.\!jld2

•.•

4)d6
The ensuing endgame is only slightly
in White's favor, as black has some
compensation for his obvious weakness
on the e-file, through the possession of
the open c-file. But a Joss for White by
accurate play is of course quite out of
the question.

32.\!jlf2 §c5 33 .£lf3 h6 34.§d4

•

§eS 35.b4 §c3 36.§e3?

Much simpler was 36.a4 when it would

be Black who must look for drawing 51.4) xb7?
variations.
A desperate sacrifice in a situation
36 . . . § c 2 + 37.§d2 § x d2+ where it was not as yet necessary. As a
38.4) xd2 e5 matter of fact, it is very doubtfu l
whether Black would have had any real
Clearly a great relief for Black. winning chances after 51 .'3Je2, threat­
ening both b5 and Eldl. 5 1 . . . .fle4 in
39.dxe6 4) xe6 40.g3? reply would not be sufficient because
of 52 . .flxb7 .flc3+ 53.'3Jf2 etc.
Here and in what follows White plays
decidedly too passively. By making a 51 4) xb7 52.a6 4)d6 53.b5 §a3
..•

counter-attack he would have an easy 54.b6 §xa6 55.b7 4) x b7 56.§xb7

draw, e.g., 40.Eld3 '3Je7 41 .Eld5 .flxf4 \!jle6?
42.E\ xf5 .fld3+ 43.'3Jf3 .flxb4 44.E\b5
A grave mistake, which almost threw
etc.
away the win. The correct - and simple
- l i ne was 56 . . . '3Jg6 5 7 . El d7 Ela4
40 §c8 41.§d3 \!jle7 42.\!jle3 §c2
58.Eld6+ '3Jh5 59.'3Jc3 El a3+ followed
.•.

43.a4 4)c7 44.§b3?

by '3Jg4 etc.

Better was 44 . .flb3 Ela2 45.a5. 5 7 . § h7 ! § a 2 + 58.\!jld3 §h2

5 9 . §a7 §h4 6 0 . § a6 + \!jlf7
44 §a2 45.a5 4)b5 46.§bl \!jlf6
..•
61.\!jld4?
47.\!jld3 d5 48.4)b3
After this all is over. The right continu­
As this combination rightly carried out, ation was 61 .'3Je3! and if 6L .. h5 or
offered good drawing chances, it is not 6 1 . .. '3Jg7, then 62.Eld6. Or if61.. .'3Je7,
to be condemned. Otherwise White then 62.'3Jd4.
would have had to tackle a number of
technical difficulties. 61 .•• § xf4+ 62.\!jlxd5 \!jlg7 63.\!jle5

1 87
 Nottingham 1936

f!fl 64.f!a2 �g6 65.f!g2+ �h5 only an insignificant positional advan­

66.�f6 �h4 67.E{g6 h5 68.E{g5 f4 tage.
69.�f5 f!a1 70.E{g2 f3 0-1

(1 02) Lasker -Alexander

English Opening [A26]

1.c4 e5 2.lilc3 4::l c6 3.g3 g6 4.,ilg2

Ag7 5.d3

More promising is 5.e3 as played (with

colors reversed) by Botvinnik against
Alexander in the 1 st round.

5... 4::lge7 6.,ild2 0-0 7.4::l f3 4::l d4

17.Ag5!

The idea of protecting the d5-square

with a pawn is in harmony with the char­
acter of the position.
8.0-0 c6 9.E{c1
White is not in a hurry, and obviously
prepares for a long positional battle.
9 ...d6 10.b4 4::J xf3+ ll.,ilxf3 Ah3
12.E{e1 t\'d7 13.b5 c5 14.4::J e4
The refutation of Black's last move, as
he cannot now play 17 .. .f6 because of
18 . .\lxf6 .llx f6 19.{Jxf6+ followed by
20 . .\lxa l .
1 7... 4::l f5
A desperate attempt to save the Ex­
change.
18.4::l f6+ ,ilxf6 19 . .i}.xf6 E{ab8

An original move, preventing for the
moment 14 . . . h6, because of 1 5 . .1lxh6,
etc. Black should answer it by 14 . . .'it'h8
and if 1 5 .§bl, then 1 5 . . . h6 16:�cl f5
17.{Jc3 'it'h7 with a perfectly satisfac­
tory position. Black's next two moves
are not actually weak, but show lack of
a general plan.
He cannot play the rook to e8, as he
needs that square for the knight.
20.,ilg4 4::J g7
Obviously forced.
21. t\'h6 4::l e8 22.Ae7 4::Jg7 23.Af6

14...t\'c7 15.E{b1 Ad7 16.t\'c1 b6? Saving time for the next move.

One might call this tempting Providence
in the most definite way. Why leave the
queen's rook on the diagonal of the
hosti le king's bishop? The natural
16 .. .f5 17.{Jc3 §ae8, followed if nec­
essary by b6, would leave White with
23 . . . 4::l e8 24.,ile7 4::l g7 25.Axf8
E{xf8 26.Af3
After the loss of the Exchange, Black
has no more fighting chances, as Dr.
Lasker promptly demonstrates.

1 88
 Round XV
26 . . . 4)f5 27.�d2 4)d4 28.Ag2
Ac8 29.e3 4)e6 30.f4 Ab7 3l.a4
f5 32.Axb7 � x b7 33.�g2 �e7
34.�d5 1-0
(103) Botvinnik - Winter
Griinfeld Defense [D95]
1.4)f3 4)f6 2.c4 c6 3.4)c3 d5 4.e3
g6
Entering on the Schlechter variation of
the Slav Defense, which according to
modem theory leaves White with but
an insignificant advantage.
5.d4 Ag7 6.�b3 o-o 7.Ad2 b6
The slight weakness at c6 occasioned
by this move is not easy to exploit.
8.cxd5 cxd5 9.4)e5 Ab7 10.Ab5
a6 ll.Ae2 4)bd7!
Somewhat better than 1 1 . . .<tlc6, as
Black has now the prospect of playing
bS followed by <tlb6.
12.4)xd7?
If Botvinnik had not intended to take
the d-pawn on his next move, he cer­
tainly would have avoided this ex­
change and played 1 2.f4, which was the
logical sequel to 9.<tle5.
1 89
12 ... 4) xd7 13.f4
He real ized now that 1 3 .<tlxd5 e5!
would lead to complications in Black's
favor. But also after the text move his
advantage is definitely gone.
13 ... e6 14.0-0 f5
Black had no reason to hurry with this
move, which should be made only in
case of necessity. The natural course
was 14 . . . l"ib8 followed eventually by
bS.
15.Af3 §bS 16.§acl b5 17.4)e2
1 7 .a4 could be advantageously an­
swered by 17 . . .bxa4 as well as by .llc6.
The text move prepares an irrelevant
exchange, which, as will soon be seen,
only facilitates Black's work of simpli­
fication.
17 . . . §e8 18.�a3 Af8 1 9 . Ab4
Axb4 20.�xb4 �b6 21.§c2 �f7
Protecting e7, and thus making ready
for l"iec8.
22.4)cl?
By doubling his rooks on the open file,
White could obtain an easy draw. From
now on Black gets the initiative.
22 ... §bc8 23.§ff2 §c4!
With this important gain of a tempo
Black forces his opponent to a pain­
ful retreat, as 24 .l"i xc4 dxc4 would
give Black a threatening queenside
majority.
24.�el §ec8 25.Adl § x c2?
 Nottingham 1 93 6
Instead of this, 2 5 . . . b 4 26.4Jd3 a5
27.4:\eS+ 4:\xe5 28.fxe5 '<t'g7 would
maintain the pressure. After the text
move, White could retake with his rook,
thus getting out of trouble.
26.Axc2? a5 27./£ld3 Aa6 28.b4?
A comparatively better chance of equal­
izing was 28.4:\eS+.
28 axb4 29. .£\ x b4
.•.
29:�xb4 l"! c4 was not a pleasant alter­
native.
29 . . . �a5 30.Ab3 .£\ f6 3 l . §fl
.£\e4 32. .£\ xa6 �xa6 33.�b4
If 33.�h4, simply 33 . . . h5.
33 ... §c3 34.§el �c6 35.h3 §cl
36.�h2 �c3 37.�xc3
37.�xb5 would not force a draw, be­
cause after 37 . . . �xel the black queen
would protect h4.
37 .•. § xc3 38.§e2 Yz-Yz
Black agreed to call the game a draw,
but it was a very premature decision, to
say the least. A simple plan was to bring
1 90
his king over to b4, threatening to sac­
rifice the Exchange. To prevent this,
White would be obliged to create new
weaknesses in his position, e.g., after
38 . . .'<t'e7 39 . .llc 2 followed by Bxe4 the
rook ending would be quite hopeless for
White. It is a pity a game of such im­
portance should have remained practi­
cally a torso.
(104) Thomas - Euwe
Alekhine's Defense [BOS]
l .e4 .£')f6 2.e5 .£\d5 3.d4 d6 4 . .£\f3
Ag4 5.Ae2 c6
B lack adopts Flohr's move (see
Botvinnik-Flohr in the 6th round) which
seems to be quite playable, but not with
the continuation in the present game.
6.0-0 dxe5?
Giving White a marked advantage in
space. The logical course was 6 . . ..llxf3
7 . .llxf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 as in the game
just mentioned.
7 . .£\ xe5 Axe2 8.�xe2 e6 9.b3
White had the choice between several
good continuations, e.g., 9 . l"! d l in
preparation for 10.c4. Not advisable, on
the other hand, would be an immediate
 Round XV

attack by 9.f4 as after 9 ....1le7 10.f5 exf5 Not 18 . . . cxd5 19.cxd5 if:fc2 20.4:lxf7!
1 U '\ xf5 0-0 Black would gain time by if:fxb2 2 1 . 4:lxd8 E! xd8 2 2 . dxe6 and
attacking the exposed white pieces. wins.

9 .1£\d7 10.c4 .l£\ 5f6 11 .1£\c3 .ll.b4

.•. • 19.cxd5 .§eS 20.f4 cxd5
12. .1l.b2 0-0 13 . .§fdl
Not, of course, 20 .. .f6 for then 21 .dxc6!
White has an obvious positional ad- etc.
vantage owing to the fact that his
knight at e5 cannot be either dislodged 21 .§ xd5 .§adS 22. �d3
•

or very well exchanged - for in the

latter case d6 would become weak. But
with this and the next moves he does
not exploit his chances with the neces­
sary precision. Here 1 3 .E!adl, sti ll
keeping in mind the possibility of f4,
seems more logical. If 1 3 . . .if:fa5, sim­
ply 14.E!d3.

13 ... �c7 14 . .§d3 .§fd8

This and the next defensive move elimi­

nate any danger on the kingside. If
White had played 1 3.E!adl , he could I n the circumstances comparatively the
now go on with 1 5.f4, starting a prom­ best, as the uneasiness created by 20.f4
ising activity on the f-file. on the g 1 -a7 diagonal is not yet dan­
gerous.
15 .§adl
•

Already preparing the following sim­

plification by d5. White is obviously not
in a murderous mood!
15 .1£\fS t6 . .1£\e4 .l£\ x e4 17.�xe4
•.•
.ll.d6 18.d5
Quite enough for a draw. But it was still
worthwhile to try for more. A good
positional move was 18.h4 with the
idea either to prevent Black's 4Jg6 by
h5 or, if Black plays it at once, to con­
tinue 19.4:lxg6 hxg6 20.E!h3 followed
by h5.
18 exd5
•.•
This blunder is difficult to understand,
as even with his faulty reply 23.g3,
White gets a comparatively better posi­
tion than he would have had after
22 . . . .1lc5+ 23.'\t>hl 4Je6 with a slight
advantage to Black, owing to the ex­
posed position of the white king.
23.g3??
Incredible! One might almost suppose
a case of suggestion. After 23.f! xd6
E! xd6 24.if:fxd6 E!d8 25.4:ld7 the world
champion would have had to resign, and
this would have put him in a tie for 6th

191
 Nottingham 1 936

to 8th places. Certainly a new chapter

on the theme of "Luck in Chess"!

23 Ac5+ 24.�g2 Ab6 25.'ii:\'c3

.•.

From this point White is right in look­

ing for simplifications, as the
middlegame chances now favor Black.

Setting a few traps, such as I. 27:'i!xc7?

.flxc7 etc.; and II. 27..flf3 .flxf4+ 28.gxf4
"i!xf4, both lines being wins for Black.
But White finds the right answer.
27 .4)c4! 'ii:\'c6?
As Black had to play for a win, he
would have done better to keep his
bishop by 27 ... Ac5.
28.4) xb6 'ii:\' xb6 29.E{d2
The first of a series of indifferent
moves, which can only be explained by
extreme shortness of time. After the
natural 29."ifc4 White had even the bet­
ter prospects, as 29 . . . \t>h8 30.f5 .flg5
3 l .Ad4 would be painful for Black.
29 ... 4)c5 30. 'ii:\'c4+ �h8 31. 'ii:\'d 5
Simpler was 3 l ..§e2 as White need not
be afraid of the check from c6.
31 ...h6 32.�h3??
32 ... 4)e4 33.Elc2 'ii:\'e3 34. 'ii:\'d4
Also after 34."i!xb7 "iff3 there would be
no defense.
34 ... 'ii:\'f3 35. 'ii:\'g 1 h5 36.Ad4 ladS
Black was also short of time, otherwise
he would not have overlooked the pos­
sibility 36. . . .flg5+ etc.
37.'ii:\'e3? 0-1
37 . .§b2 would save the rook, but not
the game, which would remain hope­
less after 37 . . . "i!g4+ 38.\t>g2 h4 etc.
After this, his sealed move, White re­
signed, as the c onsequences of
37 . . . .flg5+ are only too obvious!
(105) Reshevsky -Vidmar
Queen's Gambit Accepted [D28]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.4)f3 4)f6 4.e3 e6
5.Ad3

The losing move, for it allows the vic­
torious intrusion of Black's knight. In­
stead of it White had a choice of safe
moves, such as 32.Aa3, 32 . .§c2 or even
32 .h4 as Black was not threatening
anything (if32 . . . .fle4, then 33 . .§e2). It
is a tragi-comedy of errors.
Permitting Black to enter into a varia­
tion of the Queen's Gambit Accepted,
instead of adopting the more usual
5 . .flc3 .flbd7 etc., leading to the Meran
Defense.
5...dxc4 6.Axc4 c5 7.0-0 a6 8.4)c3

1 92
 Round XV
b5 9.Ab3 Ab7 10. �e2 4)c6?
After White has placed his bishop at b3
(instead of at d3, as in the game Lasker­
Reshevsky), it would not be advisable
for Black to exchange pawns in the cen­
ter, as in that case White's pressure
against e6 and f7 would become dan­
gerous. Much better than the text move
was 10 . . . �bd7 not allowing White's d­
pawn to advance with gain of a tempo,
and keeping the balance of the position.
l l .§d1 �b6 12.d5!
A well-known maneuver in positions of
this kind (see Opocensky-Rubinstein,
Marienbad, 1 933/34 ), which in this par­
ticular case is exceptionally strong, as
Black is not yet able to castle.
12 ..• exd5?
The decisive mistake. A much better
fighting chance was 1 2 . . . �a5 1 3.e4 (or
1 3.dxe6 fxe6 etc.) 13 . . . �xb3 14.axb3
b4 15 .�a4 �bS.
13.e4
After this Black has no satisfactory de­
fense. If 1 3 . . . d4, then 1 4 . e 5 ! �g4
1 93
15.�d5 �d8 16.iH4 with the double
threat of 17.e6 or 17.�f6+, the attack
being overwhelming.
1 3 . . . d x e4 1 4 . 4) x e4 4) x e4
15. �xe4+ Ae7
A pretty variation would occur after
1 5 . . . �e7 16.�e5! c4 1 7.�xc4! bxc4
18.Aa4+ Ac6 19.Eld6! E! c8 20.Ag5 f6
21 .Elel with a winning position.
16.Ad5 E!d8 17.Ag5 E! xd5
After 17 .. .f6 18.Af4 Black, with his
king in the middle, would be helpless
against the numerous threats.
18.§ xd5 0-0 19.§d7!
Without this move White would still
have some technical difficulties, but
now things are easy.
19 ...j},d8 20.§cl?
Not the best, although good enough.
Immediately decisive was 20.b4! cxb4
21 .Ae3 etc.
20 . . . Ac7 2 1 . �e3 4)b8 2 2 . §e7
Axf3 23.� xf3 h6?
In consequence of White's 20th move,
Black was in a position to make a longer
resistance by playing here 23 . . . �c6.
24.Af4 Ad6?
Another blunder. But Black's game was
already perfectly hopeless.
25.§b7 �d8 26.§d1 1-0
 Index of Players
Numbers refer to games; bold indicates the player had white.

Alekhine, Alexander - 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, 50, 57, 64, 71, 78, 85, 92
Alexander, C.H.O'D - 4, 1 2, 20, 27, 35, 42, 56, 63, 69, 7 1 , 79, 87, 95, 1 02
Bogoljubow, Efim - 3, 1 0, 17, 25, 33, 40, 48, 55, 63, 70, 84, 85, 93, 1 00
Botvinnik, Mikhail - 4, 11, I 7, 24, 29, 37, 45, 53, 6 1 , 76, 83, 90, 97, 103
Capablanca, Jose Raul - 2, 8, 1 6, 31, 38, 45, 52, 59, 66, 73, 80, 87, 94, 100
Euwe, Machgielis - 6, 1 4, 28, 35, 41, 48, 54, 57, 65, 73, 81, 89, 97, 1 04
Fine, Reuben - 7, II, 18, 26, 34, 4 1 , 49, 56, 70, 77, 78, 86, 94, 1 0 1
Flohr, Salo - I, 16, 23, 30, 3 7 , 44, 5 I , 58, 65, 72, 79, 86, 93, 99
Lasker, Emanuel - 7, 10, I 9, 22, 30, 38, 46, 61, 68, 75, 82, 89, 96, 102
Reshevsky, Samuel - 6, 13, 20, 26, 33, 39, 43, 51, 59, 67, 75, 83, 9 1 , 105
Tartakower, Savielly 2, 9, 19, 24, 32, 39, 47, 54, 62, 69, 77, 84, 92, 99
Thomas, George - 5, 12, 1 8, 25, 32, 36, 44, 52, 60, 68, 76, 91, 98, 104
Tylor, Theodore - 3, 9, 1 5, 23, 3 1 , 46, 53, 60, 67, 74, 8 1 , 88, 95, 101
Vidmar, Milan Sr. - 14, 2 1 , 27, 34, 40, 47, 50, 58, 66, 74, 82, 90, 98, 1 05
Winter, William - 5, 1 3 , 21, 28, 42, 49, 55, 62, 64, 72, 80, 88, 96, 1 03

1 94
 Index of Openings
Numbers refer to games.

Alekhine's Defense 37, 1 04

Bird's Opening 1 9, 32, 47, 62
Catalan Opening 53, 59
Dutch Defense 8, 69, 70, 83, 84
English Opening 20, 35, 44, 45, 56, 80, 86, 87, 99, 1 00, 1 02
Four Knights Game 74
French Defense 1 , 23, 57, 64, 93
Griinfeld Defense 50, 6 1 , l 03
Hungarian Defense 60
King's Indian Defense 3 1 , 55
Nimzo-Indian Defense 1 2, 22, 33, 42, 97
Old Indian Defense 24
Philidor's Defense 9
Queen's Gambit Accepted 26, 5 1 , 75, 1 05
Queen's Gambit, Chigorin 54
Queen's Gambit Declined 3, 5, 7, 1 0, 1 3, 1 4, 1 5 , 1 6, 2 1 , 30, 34, 40, 4 1 , 58, 65,
67, 68, 78, 8 1 , 82, 90, 95
Queen's Indian Defense 6, 1 7, 1 8, 27, 63, 7 1
Queen's Pawn Game 2, 43, 92, 96
Reti Opening 1 1
Ruy Lopez 46, 52, 9 1
Semi-Slav Defense 25, 28, 39, 66, 72, 76, 85, 98
Sicilian Defense 4, 29, 36, 79, 88, 1 0 1
Slav Defense 38, 48, 49, 73, 89, 94
Torre Attack 77

1 95