Bogolyubov - Alekhine, Hastings 1922
Bogolyubov - Alekhine, Hastings 1922 , is a famous game of chess that was played in the 10th and final round of the Hastings Tournament on September 21, 1922 by Alexander Alekhine with the black pieces against Efim Bogolyubov ( white ). Alekhine won the tournament with 7.5 points, half a point ahead of Akiba Rubinstein . The tournament victory was important for Alekhine, as he was trying to distinguish himself through good results as a challenger to the world chess champion José Raúl Capablanca .
In 1926 Savielly Tartakower called it the most beautiful game of recent times (...), whereby the beauty of great sacrifices is complemented by deep strategy that reveals itself across the board . The American chess writer Irving Chernev wrote in 1968: This brilliant achievement Alekhine is the greatest masterpiece that was ever created on the chessboard . Later world champions also praised the game: For Vasily Smyslow it is a triumph of spirit over matter, Garry Kasparov compares it to a grandiose painting.
Notes on the game
- 1. d2-d4 f7-f5
The Dutch Defense ( ECO Code A90), which was very uncommon at the time. Alekhine writes: A daring defense that I only use in exceptional cases .
- 2. c2-c4 Ng8-f6 3. g2-g3 e7-e6 4. Bf1-g2 Bf8-b4 + 5. Lc1-d2 Bb4xd2 + 6. Nb1xd2
6. Qd1xd2 with the idea of developing the knight after c3 is better. So also played Max Euwe in 1927 against Alekhine.
- 6.… Nb8 – c6 7. Ng1 – f3 0–0 8. 0–0
Instead, Tartakower suggested 8. Qd1 – c2 with the idea of e2 – e4.
- 8.… d7 – d6 9. Qd1 – b3 Kg8 – h8 10. Qb3 – c3
Better 10. d4 – d5 (Kasparov).
- 10.… e6 – e5 11. e2 – e3 a7 – a5! 12. b2 – b3 Qd8 – e8 13. a2 – a3 Qe8 – h5
Black begins an attack on the kingside. White cannot win a pawn because of 14. d4xe5 d6xe5 15. Nf3xe5 Nc6xe5 16. Qc3xe5 Nf6 – g4. The 14th b3 – b4 prepared in the last move does not work either because of 14.… e5 – e4 15. Nf3 – e1 a5xb4.
- 14. h2-h4 Nf6-g4 15. Nf3-g5
White would like to drive the knight off g4 on the next move, but this leads to a weakening of his pawn position. Better according to Alekhine 15. b3 – b4.
- 15.… Bc8 – d7 16. f2 – f3 Ng4 – f6 17. f3 – f4
Black threatened to play f5 – f4 himself and thereby tear open White's kingside.
- 17.… e5 – e4 18. Rf1 – d1 h7 – h6 19. Ng5 – h3 d6 – d5 20. Nd2 – f1 Nc6 – e7
Black threatens to conquer the d5 square for his knight with a5 – a4, a4xb3, d5xc4. If White prevents this, as in the game with a3 – a4, a black knight goes to b4.
- 21. a3-a4 Ne7-c6 22. Rd1-d2 Sc6-b4 23. Bg2-h1
This unnatural move shows that White's opening concept has failed.
- 23.… Qh5 – e8 24. Rd2 – g2 d5xc4 25. b3xc4 Bd7xa4 26. Nh3 – f2 Ba4 – d7 27. Nf1 – d2 b7 – b5
A battle breaks out over possession of the midfields, which leads to very original situations (Alekhine).
- 28. Nf2-d1 Nb4-d3
Much better than 28.… b5xc4 29. Nd2xc4 Nf6 – d5 30. Qb3 – a3 along with Nc4 – e5 and White can still defend himself.
- 29.Ra1xa5
White wins back his pawn, but does not solve his problems. After 29. c4xb5 Bd7xb5 30. Ra1xa5 Nf6 – d5 31. Qb3 – a3 (31. Ra5xa8 Qe8xa8 32. Qc3 – b3 Bd7 – a4) Ra8xa5 32. Qa3xa5 Qe8 – c6 he is also bad.
- 29.… b5 – b4 30.Ra5xa8 b4xc3
By means of 30.… Qe8xa8 31. Qc3 – b3 Qa8 – a1 32. Qb3 – b1 Qa1xb1 33. Nd2xb1 Rf8 – a8 Alekhine could have won prosaically here, but he has planned a spectacular combination .
- 31. Ra8xe8
Position after White's 31st move
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- 31.… c3 – c2 !!
A very fine intermediate move, which is connected with a double tower sacrifice .
- 32. Re8xf8 + Kh8-h7
White currently has two towers more, but can the conversion does not prevent the c-pawn in a new lady.
- 33. Sd1-f2 c2-c1D + 34. Sd2-f1 Sd3-e1
Threatening Ne1 – f3 mate .
- 35. Rg2-h2 Qc1xc4
With the idea of Bd7 – b5 and the threat of mating on f1. White therefore has to sacrifice quality.
- 36. Rf8 – b8 Bd7 – b5 37. Rb8xb5 Qc4xb5 38. g3 – g4 Ne1 – f3 + 39. Lh1xf3 e4xf3 40. g4xf5
Position after White's 40th move
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- 40 ... Qb5 – e2
White is under pressure , e.g. B. 41. Nf2-h3 Nf6-g4. If White took the queen, 42. Rh2xe2, Black would hit back, 42.… f3xe2, and would get a new queen, since the knight cannot stop the pawn when the pawn is being converted. In this possible variant, the same tactical motif comes into play as in the 31st move (compare there). White must therefore make senseless pawn moves. The next two waiting moves by Black underline the helplessness of White's position.
- 41. d4 – d5 Kh7 – g8 42. h4 – h5 Kg8 – h7 43. e3 – e4 Nf6xe4 44. Nf2xe4 Qe2xe4 45. d5 – d6 c7xd6 46. f5 – f6 g7xf6 47. Rh2 – d2 Qe4 – e2
Alekhine takes the motif of the game, the pawn conversion, to extremes and unwinds in a won endgame .
- 48. Rd2xe2 f3xe2 49. Kg1 – f2 e2xf1D + 50. Kf2xf1 Kh7 – g7 51. Kf1 – f2 Kg7 – f7 52. Kf2 – e3 Kf7 – e6 53. Ke3 – e4 d6 – d5 + White retired . 0: 1
literature
- A. Alekhine: My best games 1908–1923 . Verlag De Gruyter, Berlin 1982, pp. 171-174.
- I. Chernev: The chess companion . Simon and Schuster, New York 1968, pp. 281-283.
- G. Kasparov: Moi welikie predschestwenniki [My great predecessors], Moscow 2003, pp. 402–405.
- A. Kotow : Alekhine's chess legacy. First part , Sportverlag, Berlin 1957, pp. 173–177.