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Anderssen - Lange
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[A.J. Goldsby I]
Irving Chernev writes:
"One of my favorite miniatures, this is a game I show immediately to anyone who
so much as knows the moves of the chess pieces.
It bristles with piquant surprise moves, pretty sacrifices, and long-range threats if
mate. Best of all, it is easily appreciated by the beginner - as well as admired by the
connoisseur. "
- The late, Great
Irving Chernev.
[See {The} "1000 Best Short Games of
Chess,"
Game # 547, page # 273.].
1. e4
e5; 2.
Nf3
Nc6; 3.
Bb5
Nd4!?;
This is known as:
"The Bird Variation."
(See the game, Boden-Bird for more on this variation.)
[The "Main Line" of
the Ruy Lopez is:
3...a6; 4.Ba4
Nf6;
5.0-0
Be7;
6.Re1
b5;
7.Bb3
d6; 8.c3,
("+/="); etc. ]
4. Nxd4
exd4; 5.
Bc4
Nf6; 6.
e5!?, (Maybe - '?!')
This seems perhaps overly sharp.
[White could play:
6.0-0!?; or 6.d3.]
6...d5!; Hitting
the middle of the board.
As we have seen from the Morphy games(s), Black must immediately strike
at the center.
[ 6...Ne4?!; 7.Qe2
Nc5;
8.0-0, ("+/=") ]
7. Bb3!?, This looks like the correct move,
but in fact may be slightly risky.
[ White should probably play: 7.Be2!,
("="). Or 7.Bb5+!?
Nd7; Forced.
( Not 7...c6?!; 8.exf6
cxb5;
9.Qe2+
Be6; 10.Qxb5+
Qd7;
11.Qd3, ("+/")
)
8.f4,
("=") ]
7...Bg4!?; ('!') An exceptionally sharp move.
(And probably one that could have
- and probably should have - lost
the game for Black.)
But being this game was played almost 150 years ago, I think we can forgive
Black this one excess.
And it leads to a wonderfully complicated game.
***
[ Best is probably: 7...Ng4!,
("=") ]
8. f3
Ne4!; Black sets a very clever trap.
(Chernev also [correctly] awards
this an exclam.)
9. 0-0!, Chernev does not give this move an exclam, but it certainly deserves one -
it avoids a very nice trap.
[Chernev gives the variation:
9.fxg4?
Qh4+; 10.Ke2?,
(Not 10.g3[]
Nxg3!; "-/+")
10...Qf2+; 11.Kd3
Nc5#
]
9...d3!; Chernev also [correctly]
gives this move an exclam.
The idea is to:
A.) Open lines to Black's King; &
B.) prevent White from developing
his Q-side.
(And there is no retreating now. With two pieces forked by a pawn - and
about to lose one of them, Black has already passed the point of no return!)
10. fxg4!?, ('?')
This is dead wrong.
Chernev does NOT mention it,
nor does he award this move
a question mark.
But I am pretty
sure it is the losing move.
(The computer evaluations jump from being almost 2 points in White's favor to being in Black's favor by more than 3 points after this move. This is always a sure sign of a critical move and/or an error.)
[Best for White is:
10.Qe1!, after which White is better, ("+/");
maybe even winning.
("+/-") ]
10...Bc5+; This is an easy move to find.
11. Kh1, Forced.
[ Definitely not: 11.Rf2??
Nxf2; 12.Qe1
Nxg4+;
13.Kh1
dxc2; ("-/+")
]
(Black to play. What move would YOU make?)
11...Ng3+!!; Chernev only awards this
move one exclam, but I think
that is
a little stingy. This move is incredibly beautiful and inspired. I greatly
doubt an average player would consider this move at all. (Many of my students
missed this move.)
(This move is also very
brilliant, and leads to a 100% FORCED win for Black!! )
The idea is to open lines to
the White King and set up a
brutal mating threat
down
the half-open h-file.
12. hxg3, This is forced, there is
no other legal move.
12...Qg5; Chernev says:
"With the nice threat
of 13...Qh6 mate."
13. Rf5
h5!; Now the threat is
14...P/h5xg4 mate.
(Chernev also correctly awards
this move an exclam as well.)
14. gxh5[], This is forced.
[ "Clearly
14.Rxg5?!,
is answered by: 14...hxg4+;
15.Rh5
Rxh5#."
- Chernev. ]
14...Qxf5; Black has big threats.
Chernev writes:
"More trouble for White.
Aside from 15...QxRP/h5+;
he is faced with
another
danger, 15...Qf1!+;
16. QxQ/f1, RxP/h5 Mate!"
15. g4[]
Rxh5+!; Yet another brilliant move.
(Chernev also gives this move an exclamation point.)
In fact, this move moves this game up yet another level. Almost NONE of the people I have tested over the years have ever found this move. A very nice tactical shot.
[ Black could win routinely with:
15...Qf2; ("-/+") 16.g3
Qxg3;
17.Ba4+
c6;
18.Bxc6+
bxc6;
19.Qf1, Forced to stop ...Qh3#.
(19.a4??
Qh3#.)
19...Qh4+;
20.Kg2
Qxg4+;
21.Kh1
Rxh5+; 22.Qh3
Rxh3#;
- LM A.J. Goldsby I. ]
16. gxh5
Qe4; 17.
Qf3
Qh4+; 18.
Qh3
Qe1+;
and Black wins. 0 - 1
A very beautiful game.
(This move must be close to a record for Chernev. Few 18 move games received five {5} exclamation points from him!!) While this game may be unsound, it is still an incredible game. And considering it was played before computers, or even before Steinitz had elaborated the scientific principles of chess! - it is a very remarkable game.
[ Its mate after:
18...Qe1+; 19.Kh2
Bg1+!;
(19...Qg1+??;
"lets the White King out."
- Chernev.)
20.Kh1
Bf2+; 21.Kh2
Qg1#. ]
0 - 1
I first annotated this game in the 1960's.
I think it was run
in a Georgia [State] publication.
(This was one of the first articles that I did that actually made it into
print.)
This game is a slightly
shortened version of the game as it exists in my database.
(I have shortened it for publication.)
If you would like a copy of that game to study, please contact
me.
Click HERE to return to my main website's "Home Page."
Click HERE to return to my (GeoCities) "Best Short Games Page."
Copyright A.J. Goldsby I. © A.J. Goldsby,
1985
- 2013.
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2014. All rights reserved.
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