Henrique Mecking
Notable Games

Henrique Mecking

17 celebrated games · 330 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 330 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1965.06 Mecking, Henrique vsCotta, Eduardo 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation 38 moves BRA-ch 32th Brazilian Championship, Rio de Janeiro 1965, the event Mecking won at 13, against Eduardo Cotta. The record names the opening the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Mecking Variation. Queens come off on move 15, 28.Nxe6 fxe6 leaves White two bishops against two knights, and after 32.f5 and 33.fxg6 the rooks reach the seventh rank with 34.Rf7 and 38.Rdd7.
  • 1967 Mecking, Henrique vsPanno, Oscar 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Normal Defense 42 moves Zonal South America playoff Play-off of the 1966 South American Zonal, Buenos Aires 1967, against Oscar Panno. Mecking, then 15, won the play-off and the place at the Sousse Interzonal that came with it. He opens the h-file with 26.hxg5, doubles rooks there with 27.Rh5 and 28.Rch1, and 39.f6+ and 42.Qe6 close in on the black king.
  • 1967.10.29 Mecking, Henrique vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Delayed Fianchetto 45 moves Interzonal-07 Sousse Interzonal 1967, round 11, against Viktor Korchnoi, at Mecking's first Interzonal at the age of 15. Queens come off on move 16, Korchnoi gives up the exchange with 25...Rxf4 26.gxf4, and after 39.R5xa7 Rxa7 40.Rxa7 Mecking's rook and passed a- and b-pawns face two minor pieces.
  • 1967.11.01 Mecking, Henrique vsGipslis, Aivars P 1-0 Bogo-Indian Defense 34 moves Interzonal-07 Sousse Interzonal 1967, round 13, against Aivars Gipslis, one of the games Wikipedia lists from Mecking's first Interzonal. 22.Nc6 Bxc6 23.dxc6 plants a pawn on c6, 25.e5 and 27.exf6 break open the center, and the c-pawn reaches c7 on move 34.
  • 1969.04.09 Mecking, Henrique vsRocha, Antonio Cavilhas 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation 24 moves Zonal-8 South America (MdP-28) South American Zonal, Mar del Plata 1969, against Antonio Rocha. In the Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation, Mecking gives up a rook with 16.Rxd7 Kxd7 and a knight with 17.Nxb6+ Qxb6, takes on f7 with check, and mates with 24.Nxc6#.
  • 1970.11.15 Mecking, Henrique vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Exchange Variation 38 moves Interzonal-08 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal 1970, round 6, against the former World Champion Vasily Smyslov. 31.Rd8 Qxd8 32.Qxd8 fxe5 33.fxe5 gives a rook and bishop for the queen, and White then collects pawns with 35.Bxa4 and 37.Qxc5.
  • 1970.12.02 Taimanov, Mark E vsMecking, Henrique 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Exchange Variation 73 moves Interzonal-08 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal 1970, round 17, against Mark Taimanov, a game Wikipedia lists among Mecking's notable ones. 44...Rh3+ 45.Qxh3 Nxh3 46.Kxh3 gives rook and knight for the queen, and Mecking wins the ending of opposite-colored bishops: his king takes the a-pawn with 63...Kxa3, and 72...e1=Q+ 73.Kxe1 Kc3 leaves the b-pawn free to run.
  • 1971.09 Mecking, Henrique vsLjubojevic, Ljubomir 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations 34 moves Boris Kostic Memorial-02 Boris Kostić Memorial, Vršac 1971, the tournament Mecking won, against Ljubomir Ljubojević. The queens are traded on move 16; 24.Nxg6 takes a pawn, 25.Nd4 exd4 26.Re1+ Ne5 27.Nxe5 Bxe5 28.Rxe5+ wins back the knight, and the white h-pawn reaches h6 on move 33.
  • 1973.07.30 Mecking, Henrique vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer 32 moves Interzonal-09b Petrópolis Interzonal 1973, round 6, against Samuel Reshevsky. Mecking won this Interzonal without losing a game. Against the Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez, 28.Bxf7+ Qxf7 29.Qxf7+ Kxf7 30.Rxb6 trades queens and wins a pawn, and 32.Rf1+ brings the second rook in.
  • 1973.08.02 Savon, Vladimir A vsMecking, Henrique 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 33 moves Interzonal-09b Petrópolis Interzonal 1973, round 7, against Vladimir Savon. In the Najdorf Sicilian, the sequence 16...Nfxe4 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Bxe7 Nb3+ 19.Kb1 Rxd4 20.Bxd6 Bxh1 ends with Black taking the rook on h1.
  • 1973.08.07 Smyslov, Vasily V vsMecking, Henrique 0-1 English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line 45 moves Interzonal-09b Petrópolis Interzonal 1973, round 11, against the former World Champion Vasily Smyslov. Smyslov gives up the exchange with 22.Rxb4 cxb4, 32...Bf1+ 33.Kxf1 Rxc3 gives back a bishop to win the rook on c3, and Black's b-pawn reaches b2 on move 41.
  • 1974 Mecking, Henrique vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation, Normal Variation 41 moves Candidates qf Kortschnoj-Mecking +3-1=9 Candidates quarter-final, Augusta 1974, against Viktor Korchnoi, who won the match 7½–5½; this was Mecking's only win in it. 17.Nfd4 exd4 18.Qxg4+ wins back the piece and forces the queens off, and 36.Bxf6 takes a pawn in the ending of rook and bishop against rook and knight.
  • 1975.04.07 Mecking, Henrique vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation 64 moves Las Palmas-04 Las Palmas 1975, round 2, against the former World Champion Mikhail Tal, in the Najdorf Sicilian, Poisoned Pawn Variation (8.Qd2 Qxb2). The queens come off with 19...Qxd3 20.Bxd3; in the ending of knight and bishop against knight and bishop, 60.Nxb6 wins a pawn and the white king walks to c8.
  • 1976.06.22 Tan, Lian Ann vsMecking, Henrique 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Main Line 38 moves Interzonal-10b Manila Interzonal 1976, round 7, against Tan Lian Ann. Mecking won the Interzonal with 13 points from 19 games. Against the Yugoslav Attack he gives up a rook with 26...Rc2 27.Kxc2 Qxa2+, wins it back with 29...Qxh1, and chases the white king to e4, where 38...f5+ ends the game.
  • 2006.06.06 Mrdja, Milan vsMecking, Henrique 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 25 moves Lodi op Lodi Open 2006, round 2, against Milan Mrdja, in a tournament Mecking won at 54. In the Najdorf Sicilian, 21...Qa3 22.Nxe7+ Kf8 23.Kc1 Qxb2+ 24.Kd2 Nb3+ 25.Ke3 Rxc3 drives the white king to e3 in 25 moves.
  • 2008.05.26 Mecking, Henrique vsTimman, Jan H 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line 41 moves Bazna Kings 2nd Kings Tournament, Bazna 2008, round 3, against Jan Timman. The queens come off with 40.Qxb5 cxb5, and the record ends with 41.c6, a passed pawn on the sixth rank.
  • 2009.01.24 Mecking, Henrique vsSasikiran, Krishnan 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation 38 moves Corus-B Corus Group B, Wijk aan Zee 2009, round 7, against Krishnan Sasikiran. 32.Qxf7+ Kh7 33.Re7 brings the queen and rook to the seventh rank, 36.Ng5+ drives the king to h8, and 38.Qxe5 takes the knight.
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