Alekhine, Alexander VS Tartakower, Saviely 1922.11.26

Annotations

1. 4…dxe4 A good move which seems to yield a perfectly satisfactory defence, especially in the variation adopted here by White.
2. 5.Bxf6 Slightly preferable, although equally insufficient to yield White an advantage, is 5. Kt×P, B—K 2; 6. B×Kt, B×B; 7. Kt—K B 3.
3. 7.Nc3 The withdrawal of this Knight to K Kt 3 offered still less prospect, because of the reply 7. ....P—B 4 !
4. 9.Qd2 If 9. B—B 4, P—B 4 !; 10. P—Q 5, P—Kt 4; 11. B×P, Q—R 4; 12. B—K 2, B×Kt ch; 13. P×B, Q×P ch, followed by 14. ....P×P with advantage to Black.
5. 9…c5 This move increases the action of Black's K B, and compels White to play very prudently to maintain equality.
6. 11.Nb5 The exchange of Queens resulting from this move avoids all danger of an attack directed against the White King. This attack might have become very dangerous with the aid of the two Black Bishops.
7. 12…Na6 Not 12. ....B×P on account of 13. R—Q Kt 1, B—K 4; 14. Kt—B 4, with the better game for White.
8. 14.Nb3 Black's Knight had no good square; however, the resulting opening of the Q R file will allow White to exert pressure on his opponent's weakened Queen-side.
9. 17.b4 Preparing to undouble his Pawns by P—Kt 5.
10. 18.O-O-O It would have been more prudent to capture the Q B at once with the Knight (with an end-game analogous to that in the game), for after the text-move Black could have provoked complications by 18. ....B—Q 2 and if 19. P—Kt 5, B—K 4 !, the outcome of which would have been difficult to foresee.
11. 20…Rxc8 The ensuing end-game is clearly in White's favour: (1) He has the majority of Pawns on the Queen-side. (2) The position of his King, which is already in the centre of the board, is very promising for utilizing this advantage. (3) All Black's Pawns are temporarily situated on squares of the same colour as the adverse Bishop, and those on the Queen-side can only be moved with difficulty. (4) Black's K R P is isolated and therefore weak. (5) Lastly, White will have a base for operations in the Q R file, possession of which cannot be disputed. But the neutralizing force of the Bishops of opposite colour is such that, despite all these advantages, it is not certain that White could have succeeded in winning, if his opponent had not allowed him to occupy the fifth rank with his Rook (see Black's 24th move).
12. 24…f4 This attempt at counter-attack, which aims principally at playing B—Q 3 followed by P—K 4 and P—B 4, is premature and must be considered the decisive mistake. The correct move was 24. ....B—Q 5, followed by 25. ....B—Kt 3, with drawing chances for Black. The continuation of this game, whose conclusion resembles a composed study, compensates in some degree for the monotony of its first phase.
13. 25.Kb3 Definitely depriving Black of the possibility of B—Q 5.
14. 26…Bc7 Again best, for if 26. ....R—Q 4; 27. B—B 3 !, R×R; 28. P×R and White wins the Queen-side Pawns. And if 26. ....P—B 3; 27. B—B 3, K—Q 1; 28. P—Kt 5, P×P; 29. K×P, K—B 1; 30. R—Kt 6, R—K 2; 31. K—B 4 and 32. K—Q 3, followed by the victorious advance of White's Queen-side Pawns.
15. 28…b6 Clearly Black must at all costs maintain his Pawn.
16. 30.Bh5 The consequences of this move, which allows Black two very dangerous passed Pawns, had to be examined very accurately by the two opponents, for it held out, in appearance at least, as much danger for the one as for the other. Finally White had the good fortune to foresee, in the critical position, the possibility of a problem-move, the only move to win.
17. 31…Kd8 After 31. ....K—Q 3; 32. R×P, Black, a Pawn down and with a bad position, would have lost slowly but surely.
18. 32…e5 Forced, for the same reason as the previous move.
19. 35…f3 The hidden point of the combination commenced by 26. ....B—B 2. If 35. ....P—K 5; 36. R—Q 4 !, P—B 6; 37. R×P, P—B 7; 38. R—K 8 ch and 39. R—K B 8 wins easily.
20. 36.Rd5 What must White play now to avoid a draw or even the loss of the game in some contingencies? Here are the leading variations to be considered: I.—36. K—B 4, P—K 5; 37. K—Q 4, B—B 5; 38. R—K B 2, P—K 6; 39. R×P, P—K 7 and Black wins. II.—36. K—B 2, P—K 5; 37. R—Q 4 !, P—K 6; 38. K—Q 1, B—Kt 6; 39. R—K 4, P—K 7 ch; 40. K—Q 2, B—R 5; 41. R—K 5, B—Kt 6 and draws. III.—36. P—K Kt 5, P—K 5; 37. R—Q 5 (if 37. P—Kt 6, B—K 4 followed by 38. ....P—K 6 and Black wins), P—B 7; 38. R—K B 5, P—K 6; 39. P—Kt 6, P—K 7; 40. P—Kt 7, P—B 8=Q; 41. P—Kt 8=Q ch, K—Kt 2; 42. Q—Q 5 ch, K—R 2 and White cannot win, on account of the threats 43. ....P—K 8=Q, and 43. ....Q—Q 8 ch. IV.—36. R—R 2, P—K 5; 37. R—R 8 ch, K—Q 2; 38. R—K B 8, B—Kt 6 !; 39. P—Kt 5, B—Q 3 !; 40. R—B 6, B—K 4 !; 41. R—B 7 ch or R—B 5, K—K 3, and Black draws by chasing the White Rook along the K B file, which it dare not leave. And yet the win is there! The variations springing from this rather unlikely move (it attacks one solidly defended Pawn and allows the immediate advance of the other) are quite simple when we have descried the basic idea: the Black Pawns are inoffensive (1) when they occupy squares of the same colour as their Bishop, for in that case White's King can hold them back without difficulty, by occupying the appropriate White squares; (2) when the Rook can be posted behind them, as in variation IV above, but without loss of time. As the two main variations from the text-move—I.—36. ....P—B 7; 37. R—Q 1, P—K 5; 38. K—B 2, B—B 5; 39. R—K B 1 and 40. K—Q 1; II.—36. ....P—K 5; 37. R—K B 5, B—Kt 6; 38. P—Kt 5, P—K 6; 39. R×P, P—K 7; 40. R—K 3—answer the above aim, the victory is assured to White.
21. 38…Kd7 This is the only possibility, for 38. ....P—K 6 has been shown to be inadequate in variation II above.
22. 42…Kg4 If 42. ....K—K 4 White wins just as quickly by 43. P—B 4.

Alexander Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 (1927) · Public domain · source