[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "Great Britain"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bogoljubov, Efim"]
[Black "Alekhine, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2589"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "A.J.G."]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1922.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2004.06.28"]

{.   One of the prettiest games of   chess ever played. And writer   Irving
Chernev's favorite game.} {.  .     The ratings are from statistician  Jeff
Sonas's web site.  .} 1. d4 f5 {;  (K-side play.)     The Dutch Defense.} {.}
2. c4 Nf6 {;} 3. g3 e6 {;} 4. Bg2 Bb4+ $5 {; (hmmm)  {D?}        This is OK,
but theory avoid this   move today, as Black's game is     a little sterile.  
.     #    .} ({Maybe better was:} 4... Be7 $5 {;   when Black has a fair game.
}) {.  .} 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ {;} 6. Nxd2 $5 {, {D?}      After this seemingly
innocent move,   White's Knights steps on each others   toes for the rest of
the game.    .} ({Best is} 6. Qxd2 $1 $14 {,  - Alekhine.}) {.  .} 6... Nc6 {;}
7. Ngf3 O-O {;} 8. O-O d6 {;} 9. Qb3 Kh8 {;} 10. Qc3 $5 e5 $1 {;     Based on
a tactic, Black grabs     his fair share of the center.} {.  .} 11. e3 $5 {, 
(protection)      Guarding the center.    .} ({White cannot win a Pawn on e5, 
due to the hanging WN on d2:} 11. dxe5 $5 dxe5 {;} 12. Nxe5 $4 Nxe5 {;} 13.
Qxe5 Qxd2 $19 {;   "-/+"     and Black has won a piece.}) {.  .} 11... a5 $1 {
;  (prophylaxis)     Black forestalls any Q-side play  by White. (Stops b4.)} {
.  .} 12. b3 Qe8 $1 {;} 13. a3 Qh5 $1 {;    Black takes advantage of White's  
somewhat inaccurate play to begin   a forceful demonstration on the K-side.  .
#    .} {.  .} 14. h4 $5 {, (Maybe - '?!')    Black will later regret this  
weakening of his K-side.   .} (14. dxe5 $1 Nxe5 {;} 15. Nd4 $1 $11) {.  .}
14... Ng4 {;} 15. Ng5 Bd7 {; {D?}      Black has played the opening perfectly.}
{.  .   White's next is a little risky. ('?!')  (I.e., White's idea is to kick
the   BN Knight off g4, but this   results in a fairly substantial   
weakening of the King safety    of the White King, owing to the    (now)
pourous nature of the   pawn cover surrounding Bogo's   most important piece.)}
16. f3 $5 Nf6 {;} 17. f4 $5 e4 {; {D?}        White's K-side is totally
bottled up.} {.  .   White's strategy - for this game - seems    to be to try
try and completely close the     position, perhaps hoping that he can    
restrain Alekhine's flair for tactics ...} 18. Rfd1 h6 {;} 19. Nh3 d5 $1 {;}
20. Nf1 Ne7 {;} 21. a4 Nc6 $1 {;} 22. Rd2 Nb4 {;} 23. Bh1 Qe8 $1 {;   (Maybe -
'!!')   .       A truly great move. Black abandons  his seemingly promising
game on   one side of the board, to go for an   unknown type of game on the
Q-side.    .     #     .} {.  .} 24. Rg2 dxc4 {;} 25. bxc4 Bxa4 {;} 26. Nf2 Bd7
{;} 27. Nd2 b5 $1 {; {D?}    Blowing open lines on the Q-side.} {.  .} 28. Nd1
Nd3 $1 {; (Outpost ... and '?')     Black begins a magnificent combination... 
one of the greatest in the annals of chess.} {.} 29. Rxa5 $5 b4 $1 {;  (hits
c3 ...)     Black's lst move attacks the WQ,   thus cutting down on the first
player's    range of options.   .   #     .    Now the stage is set for one of
the    most fantastic combinations ever    seen ... in any chess game ... ever!
} {.} 30. Rxa8 {,  (Possibly an error?)     This move - by virtue of deep  
analysis - turns out to be rather    inaccurate, although I admit    it
appears to be perfectly   OK to me.    .} ({Possibly better was:    (>/=)} 30.
Qa1 {,  - Fritz 13}) {.  .} 30... bxc3 $3 {;  (Maybe - '!!!')         Perhaps
one of the greatest combinations   and one of the most original concepts in   
any combination that was ever conceived   over the board in a game of chess.  
.} ({December, 2012:   Both Houdini 1.5 and Fritz 13   win in a more
pedestrian    manner with the following    rather pendantic line:} 30... Qxa8
$145 {;} 31. Qb3 Qa1 {;} 32. Nf1 Ra8 {;  "-/+"     and Black wins simply
because   of the totally un-coordinated     nature of all of White's army.    
(Black threatens  ...Qc1; to be    followed by  ...Ra1, which will   win
material.)}) {.  .} 31. Rxe8 c2 $3 {; (Maybe - '!!!')   .     #    .          
One of the most brilliant and   amazing chess moves of that ...  or any other
century.   .} ({White probably expected something    like this continuation:} 
31... Rxe8 $145 {;} 32. Nxc3 $13 {,     when the first player probably   has a
playable position.}) {.  .} 32. Rxf8+ Kh7 {;} 33. Nf2 c1=Q+ {;   Black's
second Queen in this game.} {.  .} 34. Nf1 Ne1 $1 {;  (Threatens N-attack.)   
Threatens mate in 1.   (Smothered mate!)} {.  .   The next series of moves are
good,    although the box prefers  35...Nc2.} 35. Rh2 Qxc4 {;} 36. Rb8 Bb5 {;}
37. Rxb5 Qxb5 {;} 38. g4 Nf3+ $1 {;    This move leaves a pawn on f3   that
could turn into a target, but   Alekhine is unafraid.   .  (Alekhine also
sacrifices    a couple of pawns.)} {.  .} 39. Bxf3 exf3 {;} 40. gxf5 Qe2 $1 {
;    (Maybe - '!!')    .  Black ties White up.  (White is reduced to cinders  
by the force of Zugzwang.)   .     #     .} {.  .   White is sooo tied up here
...    (Bogo is virtually in a state   called Zugzwang, White has    few moves
that do not   instantly lose the game.)} 41. d5 Kg8 $1 {;} 42. h5 Kh7 {;} 43.
e4 Nxe4 {;} 44. Nxe4 Qxe4 {;} 45. d6 cxd6 {;} 46. f6 gxf6 {;} 47. Rd2 Qe2 $1 {
;  (What number?)     Another Queen sacrifice.  (White sees no choice but to  
accept ...)    [Fritz likes 47...QxP/f4; here.]} {.  .} 48. Rxe2 fxe2 {;} 49.
Kf2 exf1=Q+ {;     This is Black's 3rd Queen in    this fantastic game.} {.  .}
50. Kxf1 Kg7 {;} 51. Ke2 Kf7 {;} 52. Ke3 Ke6 {;} 53. Ke4 d5+ {;   White
Resigns. 0 - 1.  .  (Maybe he does not want to see   Black's FOURTH [4th]
Queen in  this game.)  .  A magnificent game where Black   played with
unparalleled brilliance ...   on both sides of the board!  .  (Alekhine
himself considers this   perhaps the finest game he ever    played.)   .   
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby, 2001.    All rights reserved.    .  (Updated in
December, 2012.)    .} 0-1

