11…Bg4This line of defence is inadequate, on account of White's following manœuvre, invented by the Dutch amateur, Van Gelder. 11. ....Kt—R 4 is preferable. On the other hand, 11. ....P—K B 4 is not advisable, by reason of 12. P×P e.p., Kt×P (B 3); 13. Kt—Kt 5!, B—K B 4; 14. Kt (Q 2)—K 4!, with advantage to White.
13.Qd5If 13. ....P×Kt; 14. Q×Kt, P×P; 15. Q×K Kt P, Q—Q 2; 16. Q—Kt 3 and White has excellent prospects of attack on the open K Kt file. After the present exchange of Queens, White's game remains a little superior, thanks to the weakness of the hostile Queen-side.
17.a4As soon as White succeeds in playing this move without immediate inconvenience in this variation of the Lopez, he obtains the advantage.
17…f6Black rightly prefers to attempt a counter-attack, based on the somewhat exposed situation of White's King, rather than a laborious and unpromising defence by 17. ....B—Q 2.
20.Bc4+With the double aim of: (1) Removing Black's King from the centre, with a view to the end-game. (2) Preventing Black's Q B from withdrawing to K 3.
22.Ra5By this move, which incidentally attacks Black's K P, White in reality intends to consolidate the position of his King by B—Q 5 and B—K 4, and later on to make use of his majority of Pawns on the Queen-side. To thwart this scheme Black discovers an ingenious resource which is nevertheless insufficient to equalize the game.
22…Rd1Apparently as discreet as it is elegant, since it is difficult to foresee how White, with the little material left to him, can secure the victory in the end-game, against equal forces.
23.Bd5The only way to maintain the advantage, because the capture of the K P would lead only to a draw: 23. K×P, R×R; 24. K×R, R×P ch; 25. B—B 2, B—R 5, and Black draws.
27.Kd3The first move of a strategic winning plan—White, instead of capturing the hostile K P, prefers to immobilize it and to make use of it to limit the range of action of Black's K B, after which the advance of his Queen-side Pawns will decide the game in White's favour.
27…Kg8If Black had recognized in time his opponent's intentions, and the dangers to which he is exposed, it is probable that he would immediately have rid himself of the embarrassing Pawn by 27. ....P—K 5 ch!, which would have afforded him some drawing chances.
28…Rb8After this useless move Black's game becomes hopeless. But even the best move would in the end be shown up as inadequate, for example: 28. ....R—B 8; 29. K—Q 5 (not 29. R—R 7, R—K 8, threatening 30. ....R×B ch), K—B 2; 30. R—R 7.
30.b5The advance of the Pawns now becomes irresistible.
32…Bd6In the vain hope of sacrificing the Bishop for two Pawns, after 33. P—B 5.
33.Kd5Preparing the next move which, if played at once, would not be so strong on account of the reply: 33. ....K—B 3.
33…e4Too late!
34.b6Decisive, for if 34. ....B×P; 35. P—B 5, K—B 1; 36. K—B 6, P×P; 37. R×P! and wins.
Alexander Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 (1927) · Public domain · source