Laszlo Szabo
Notable Games

Laszlo Szabo

15 celebrated games · 809 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 809 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1936.08.17 Szabo, Laszlo vsTurn, Johannes 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Exchange Variation 13 moves Munich Schach-Olympia (No FIDE event) Munich 1936, Szabo at nineteen and already representing Hungary abroad. Thirteen moves: 12.d5 pushes the pawn past the knight, and after 12...Bg4 13.dxc6 the piece is simply lost — the earliest game in an archive that runs to 1989.
  • 1946.08.16 Szabo, Laszlo vsO'Kelly de Galway, Alberic 1-0 Queen's Gambit 16 moves Staunton Memorial Groningen 1946 against Alberic O'Kelly de Galway, later World Correspondence Champion. Queens come off on move five and it is over by sixteen: 13.Bxc5 Nd3+ 14.Ke2 Nxc5 15.Nb6 Ra7 16.Rac1 traps the rook in the corner.
  • 1946.10 Szabo, Laszlo vsMacelle, Ferenc 1-0 Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation 15 moves HUN-ch02 Hungarian Championship 1946 — the first of many national titles. Fifteen moves against the Fajarowicz Budapest, and no violence at all: Szabo trades every minor piece, plants a rook on d5, and 15.b4 wins the stranded knight on a5.
  • 1947.04.07 Szabo, Laszlo vsKellner 1-0 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Alekhine Defense, Haberditz Variation 13 moves Schlechter Memorial Vienna 1947, thirteen moves in a Queen's Gambit Accepted. 7.Rxa8 gives back the exchange to strip the queenside, and after 11.Qa4+ Bc6 12.Nxc6 Qd7 13.Qa8 the queen arrives in the corner with the rook still trapped.
  • 1949.04.06 Smyslov, Vasily V vsSzabo, Laszlo 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Closed 34 moves Match/City Moscow-Budapest 87-41 Moscow–Budapest 1949, Black against Vasily Smyslov — four years from his first World Championship match. Szabo blows the kingside open with 17...e5 and 18...gxf5, gives back the piece with 19.exf5 Qh4+, and by 28...Rxg3+ 29.Kh1 Qxe4+ the white king has no cover left.
  • 1952.03.16 Petrosian, Tigran V vsSzabo, Laszlo 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System 65 moves Budapest Maroczy Memorial Maróczy Memorial, Budapest 1952 against Tigran Petrosian, eleven years from the world title. Sixty-five moves of rook endgame: Szabo gives the exchange with 47...Rxf1 48.Rb6 Rxe4, walks his king to b1 to escort the b-pawn, and takes the e-pawn at the end.
  • 1952.03.18 Szabo, Laszlo vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line 40 moves Budapest Maroczy Memorial Two days later at the same tournament, Paul Keres with Black. Szabo wins the c7 pawn with 25.Rxc7 and the a7 pawn with 28.Rxa7, forces the queens off with 33.Qe7, and pushes the a-pawn to a7 by move thirty-six.
  • 1952.08.21 Szabo, Laszlo vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System 35 moves Olympiad-10 Final A Helsinki Olympiad 1952, Keres again five months later. Szabo plays the classical sacrifice 24.Bxh7+ Kh8, keeps the bishop alive on the b1–h7 diagonal — 27.Bg6, 29.Be8, 31.Ba4 — and takes the knight with 33.Rxf7.
  • 1953.09.06 Szabo, Laszlo vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 Old Indian Defense 42 moves Candidates Tournament The Candidates Tournament at Zurich 1953 — one of the strongest tournaments ever held, and Szabo's second of three Candidates appearances. He beats David Bronstein, who had tied a World Championship match with Botvinnik two years earlier: 26.Nd5 and 29.Ne7+ open the position, 36...Rxc3 is answered by 37.Qh6, and 39.Rd8 Qxd8 40.Qh8+ ends it.
  • 1955.06.05 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsSzabo, Laszlo 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation 41 moves Match/Nation HUN-URS 12,0-20,0 Hungary–USSR 1955, Bronstein again and Black this time. Szabo gives the exchange with 21...Rxc3 to break the bishop pair, wins it back on d3, and grinds the knight ending until 41.Kg2 d5 leaves the pawn unstoppable.
  • 1956.10.10 Szabo, Laszlo vsKeres, Paul 1-0 English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Keres Variation 77 moves Alekhine Memorial-01 Alekhine Memorial, Moscow 1956, a third win over Keres and seventy-seven moves long. The record classifies the line as the English Opening, King's English, Keres Variation — Szabo beating Keres in a line that carries Keres's own name.
  • 1964.11.22 Szabo, Laszlo vsLangeweg, Kick 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense 14 moves Olympiad-16 Final A Tel Aviv Olympiad 1964, fourteen moves. 8.Nc7+ Ke7 9.Nxa8 wins the rook in the corner, and when Black tries 11...Nxb4 12.axb4 Bxb4 to trap the knight, 13.f3 Bxc3+ 14.Bd2 simply defends everything.
  • 1965.06.15 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsSzabo, Laszlo 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Yates Defense 77 moves EU-chT 03rd Final European Team Championship 1965 — Black against Mikhail Botvinnik, who had held the world title for most of the previous seventeen years. Seventy-seven moves: Szabo takes the b- and a-pawns with 59...Rxb4 60.Rxb7+ Kxa5, walks the king to c4, and the passed a-pawn decides it.
  • 1975.03.19 Szabo, Laszlo vsKirov, Nino 1-0 Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack, Grünfeld Variation, Main Line 16 moves Budapest Tungsram-01 Budapest 1975, sixteen moves in a Torre Attack. 12.Bb5 pins the knight, 14.Qg4 attacks it a second time, and 15.Qxd7 axb5 16.Qxb7 collects the bishop as well.
  • 1977.03.26 Brasket, Curt Justin vsSzabo, Laszlo 0-1 French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Exchange Variation 17 moves Lone Pine op Louis D. Statham Masters Lone Pine 1977, seventeen moves with Black — Szabo is fifty-nine and still winning miniatures forty-one years after the first game in this archive. 15...Ng4 and 16...Ne5 plant the knight in the middle, and 17.c5 bxc5 loses material outright.
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