Adams - Torre
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***
[A.J.G. (+CB)]
A brilliant game of the first magnitude.
Maybe THE game for exploiting a weakened back-rank. {A.J.G.}
Chernev writes:
<< "Wonderful!" is praise lightly bestowed today on chews and chips and Sealy-hams and cabin-chairs and kinks.
But what else can we say of this brilliancy which glistens with six Queen sacrifices in succession? >>
(What the heck is a "KINK?" - A.J.G.)
[ See the book, {The} "1000 Best Short Games of Chess," by Irving Chernev. Game # 944, pages 516-517. ]
Played in New Orleans, Louisiana, 1920.
GM Andrew Soltis considers this game to be a fake, and for many years I vehemently disagreed with him. But it is quite possible that he is correct.
See GM Larry Evan's column in 'Chess Life,' "Larry Evans on Chess." (Chess Life; December, 2002. Page # 63.)
1. e4
e5; 2.
Nf3
d6;
The Philidor's Defense.
Most people assume this is inferior, but it is not.
3. d4
exd4!?;
Perhaps surrendering the center too soon.
[Book is: 3...Nd7!; ---> A.J. Goldsby I ]
4. Qxd4!,
Probably the best.
{A.J.G.}
[4.Nxd4!?=
] .
4...Nc6!?;
This has
a slightly odd look to it.
(It might have been better to preface this with ...a6 first.)
[ 4...a6; ---> Sznapik-Plachetka;
4...Qf6; ---> Guez-Samama;
4...Nf6; 5.e5,
(Or 5.Nc3
---> Campora-Chiburdanidze;
5.Bg5
---> Sax-Tseshkovsky.) 5...Be7;
6.Nc3
---> main line;
5...Qe7; ---> Jansa-Ermenkov
(5...dxe5;
---> Gufeld-Georgadze) 6.Be3
Ng4=
]
5. Bb5
Bd7!?; Hmmm.
This is very stodgy and unnatural.
{A.J.G.}
[ 5...Nf6;
---> Niedermayer-Speckner;
5...Nge7; ---> Markovic-Nikolic
(- '!'; {A.J.G.})
6.0-0
a6; 7.Qa4
Be6;
8.Be2
h6!?; 9.Rd1
Qc8!;
10.Nbd2
g6; 11.c3
Bg7;
12.Qc2
0-0; 13.a4,
("+/=") {A.J.G.} ]
6. Bxc6
Bxc6; 7.
Nc3!?,
Hitting the center. (This is very logical, controlling
key central squares, and developing a piece.)
[ 7.Bg5
f6; ---> Morphy-Harrwitz
(7...Nf6;
--> Anderssen-Paulsen)
7.c4!?, ---> A.J. Goldsby I]
7...Nf6;
Black develops.
[ Black
could play: 7...Qf6
---> Tringov-Acimovic;
Or 7...Ne7!?
, ---> LM A.J. Goldsby I;
Or 7...h6!?
; ---> A.J. Goldsby I]
8. 0-0!?,
Simple development, but maybe
not the most precise. (Perhaps White needed to be a bit more aggressive here.)
[ 8. Bg5!, ---> Gawliczek-Goebel. 8...Be7 ; 9.0-0-0 ].
8...Be7;
9. Nd5!?,
Good, and very active. (But it is not
clear if this is the absolute best.)
9...Bxd5;
Perhaps Black could have just castled instead.
[
9...0-0!?
]
10. exd5
0-0; 11.
Bg5
c6; (!?) {Diagram?}
It is not clear if this is the most accurate here for Black.
12. c4
cxd5;
The most accurate.
[ Not
12...Nxd5?!; 13.cxd5
Bxg5;
14.Nxg5
Qxg5;
15.dxc6
bxc6;
16.Qxd6, ("+/=") {A.J.G.}
(See
the {analysis} diagram just below.)
|
12...h6!?
]
13. cxd5
Re8; 14.
Rfe1
a5!?; 15.
Re2
Rc8?!; ('?')
Natural looking. ( Grabbing an open file, but probably not the best.
{A.J.G.} )
[ 15...h6!; ("=")
].
16. Rae1, ("+/=")
16...Qd7; 17.
Bxf6!
Bxf6;
Black looks OK here ... but looks
can be deceiving!
White's next move is the first to receive an exclam from Chernev.
18. Qg4!,
Offering the Queen, which Black
cannot take.
[ 18. Rxe8+!? ("=")
]
18...Qb5;
Forced.
Now White's next five moves get one exclamation point each from Chernev.
[ Chernev writes: "If 18...Qxg4; 19.Rxe8+
Rxe8;
20.Rxe8#, mate. Black's Queen
must stay on the diagonal leading to the King's Rook." ]
Chernev only gives White's next
move one exclamation point, but
that is surely too stingy.
19. Qc4!!
Qd7;
Black cannot
take.
Chernev writes: "Again he may not capture the Queen with either Queen or Rook."
Once again, Chernev only gives White's next move a single exclam.
He could afford to be more generous for a move so brilliant.
20.Qc7!!
Qb5;
21. a4!,
Why
this? (Because it's a nice move, trying to decoy
the Black Queen.)
[ White could have fallen for:
21. Qxb7?
Qxe2!;
22.Rxe2
Rc1+, ("-/+")
and it is White who will be
mated on the back-rank.
{A.J.G.} ]
21...Qxa4; 22.
Re4!!,
(Maybe only - '!')
Another nice decoy theme, hammering away at the fact that Black is tied to the defense of e8.
Chernev writes:
"This gives Black a choice of three
different ways of capturing - none
of them any good!"
22...Qb5; 23.
Qxb7!, 1 - 0 {Diagram?}
Black is out of moves, and it is time to
resign.
Soltis (and many others) have said this game must be a forgery. But until I see or hear of positive proof to this effect, I prefer to believe the game is real.
1 - 0
(Code initially) Generated with ChessBase 8.0
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1996
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