Raymond Keene
Notable Games

Raymond Keene

14 celebrated games · 298 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 298 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1966.12.30 Keene, Raymond vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Indian Defense: West Indian Defense 35 moves Christmas Congress 1966/67-42 Premier Hastings 1966/67, at eighteen, against the former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, who won the tournament with 6½/9 and lost only this game. The black queen reaches f2 and e3, but 34...Rxe2 35.Qg4+ checks the king and attacks the rook on e2, and Botvinnik resigns.
  • 1971.03.13 Keene, Raymond vsRobatsch, Karl 1-0 Catalan Opening: Closed 27 moves Clare Benedict Cup-18 Clare Benedict Cup, Madrid 1971, against Karl Robatsch in a closed Catalan. 21.Rxf7 Kxf7 22.Rf1+ gives up a rook to open the black king, 23.d6+ and 26.d7+ drive it to c8, and 27.Bh3 pins and wins the queen.
  • 1971.08.16 Penrose, Jonathan vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation 37 moves British CF-58 Championship British Championship, Blackpool 1971, which Keene won unbeaten with 8/11. Against Jonathan Penrose, ten times British champion, the Pirc reaches an ending after 23...Qxd4+ 24.Qxd4 cxd4, the passed d-pawn advances with 27...d3 and 30...d2, and 33...Bxe3 and 37...Bxb3 end it.
  • 1971.09.22 Gligoric, Svetozar vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack 55 moves GER-ch52 International01 International tournament, Berlin 1971, against Svetozar Gligorić in the Austrian Attack against the Pirc. 15...Bxf3 16.gxf3 exd4 opens the center, 29.Rexe3 dxe3 30.Rxe3 gives up the exchange, and the black rooks win the ending with 47...Rxh2 and 55...Rf2.
  • 1971.12.13 Donner, Jan Hein vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Modern Defense: Averbakh System 25 moves Palma de Mallorca Gran Torneo-07 Palma de Mallorca 1971 against Jan Hein Donner, with Black in the Modern Defense. With the white king on b1, 17...b5 gives a pawn to open the queenside, and 25...Rxa2 ends the game in 25 moves.
  • 1973 Keene, Raymond vsKovacevic, Vlatko 1-0 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation 25 moves IBM-B IBM tournament, B group, Amsterdam 1973, against Vlatko Kovačević. 21.Bxf5 gxf5 gives up the bishop, 22.Ra7 Qxa7 23.Nxc6 the rook, and after 24.Nxe7+ Kg7 25.Qh5 Black resigns.
  • 1974.01.06 Keene, Raymond vsTimman, Jan H 1-0 Zukertort Opening 26 moves Christmas Congress 1973/74-49 Premier Hastings 1973/74 against Jan Timman. 14.c5 and 15.cxd6 open the center, 16.Nc7+ Kf8 17.Nxa8 takes the rook, and after 20.dxe7+ the black king is stuck on e8. Timman resigns after 26.Rfe1.
  • 1974.03.26 Jimenez Zerquera, Eleazar vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Modern Defense: Standard Defense 35 moves Capablanca Memorial-11 Maestros Capablanca Memorial, Camagüey 1974, in the masters' group that Keene won, against Eleazar Jiménez with Black in the Modern Defense. 26...Qc7 and 28...bxa4 open the queenside, 30...Qc1+ and 32...Rc2 bring the black queen and rook in, and White resigns after 35...Qb2.
  • 1974.06.24 Keene, Raymond vsJansa, Vlastimil 1-0 Zukertort Opening 61 moves Olympiad-21 Final A Nice Olympiad 1974, where Keene, on board two for England, earned the first grandmaster norm by an English player. Against Vlastimil Jansa the dark-squared bishops come off with 25.Bxg7 Kxg7, and the bishop and knight win the ending: 46.Bxh7, 50.Rxa6 Rxa6 51.Bxc4+ and 61.Nd4.
  • 1975.05.03 Planinc, Albin vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System, Czech Defense 35 moves Rovinj/Zagreb Rovinj/Zagreb 1975 against Albin Planinc, with Black in the Pirc. 14.e6 fxe6 15.h5 gxh5 starts a fight on the kingside, the black rooks take the g-file, and Planinc resigns after 33...Rxg2+ 34.Kf1 Rg1+ 35.Ke2 Re8+.
  • 1976.01.12 Keene, Raymond vsMiles, Anthony John 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line 26 moves Christmas Congress 1975/76-51 Premier Hastings 1975/76 against Tony Miles, who later in 1976 became the first British grandmaster. In the Semi-Tarrasch, 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.Bxg6 fxg6 gives up two pieces, and after 22.Nxe4 and 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 the attack ends in mate: 24.Qxg6+ Kh8 25.Bg7+ Bxg7 26.Qxg7#.
  • 1976.11.03 Keene, Raymond vsKraidman, Yair 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation 37 moves Olympiad-22 Haifa Olympiad 1976, where Keene scored 7/10 unbeaten on board two and earned his second grandmaster norm. Against Yair Kraidman, 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5 wins a pawn, the queens come off at move 22, and 29.Bxe5 and 31.Rxg7+ decide the ending.
  • 1979.10.26 Keene, Raymond vsKerr, Stephen GR 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation, Fischer Variation 22 moves Sydney International Sydney 1979, a tournament Keene won, against Stephen Kerr in the Nimzo-Indian. 15.Bxh6 gxh6 opens the black king, 17.Qxh6 follows, and after 18.Qg5+ Kh7 19.Qh4+ Kg8 20.Qg3+ Kh7 21.Qh3+ Kg8 22.Nh6+ the knight check uncovers the queen's attack on d7.
  • 1981.09.10 Basman, Michael J vsKeene, Raymond 0-1 Grob Opening: Keene Defense, Main Line 20 moves Manchester Benedictine op-04 Manchester 1981 against Michael Basman's 1.g4, in the line of the Grob known as the Keene Defense. 11.Nxd5 Ng3 12.Nf6+ gxf6 13.fxg3 Bxg3+ gives the white king no shelter, 17...Nxe3 and 19...Qf4+ follow, and 20...exf3 ends it in 20 moves.
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