GM B. Spassky (2700)
- GM L. Polugayevsky (2650)
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Just about all the players in the hall felt that Black was OK here.
Now comes one of the most
amazing and shocking chess moves played in a game ...
and one that was missed by most of the masters that were watching this
encounter.
(Was Tal around?)
17.Bxe6!!,
(Really - '!!!' or
even '!!!!')
{Diagram?}
Quite simply - one of the most brilliant moves of all of Spassky's
whole career.
(As Black has a Knight already protecting the e6-square ... and
because White's own
e-file is blocked by a Pawn on e5 ... many of my students don't
understand how
this move is even possible.)
Many of the players in the
hall felt that Spassky had sacrificed a little speculatively here,
but this sack is definitely 100% sound.
[ Or 17.Rf1!? 0-0; "=" {Diagram?} and Black is fine. ]
17...0-0!?;
{Diagram?}
"A sad decision, now KB5 is weak." - Andy Soltis.
If Black tries to take (and win) a piece on the e6-square, he gets murdered.
Without getting technical,
this move could be an inaccuracy.
But the complications are enormous here.
*****************************************************************************
[
Maybe better was: >/=
17...Qd8;
"~" {Diagram?}
but White might be
able to sack on f7 ... and gain a perpetual check.
(Is this why Black
avoided this move? If so ... Polugayevsky made a
terrible
error in judgment.);
***********************************************************
Much worse for Black was:
</= 17...fxe6?; 18.Nxe6!
Bf3!?; {Diagram?}
This could be forced, many
of the alternatives at this point were 1000
times worse for
Black!
***
( Or if: 18...Rd8!?; then 19.Nxg7+!, with a winning ("+/-") attack.
But definitely NOT: </= 18...Nxe6??; 19.Qd7+, Kf7;
20.Rf1+, ("+/-") {Diagram?}
and Fritz says that it is a mate in less than 10 moves. )
***
19.Rf1! Rd8; ('!?')
{Diagram?}
This could be forced
... or Black must play something like this.
( But definitely NOT: 19...Bxd1???; 20.Nxg7#!)
20.Nxg7+! Kf7; 21.Qh6! Rhf8!?;
22.Rxd8!? Qxd8; 23.Qxh7!,
23...Rh8; 24.Rxf3+ Bf6[];
25.Ne6+!! Kxe6; {Diagram?}
This is ugly ... Black
tries to save the Queen here ...
but loses a more important
piece. (!)
***
( Or Black could play: >/=
25...Rxh7!?; 26.Nxd8+ Ke8;
27.exf6, ("+/-") {Diagram?}
but thanks to the promotion threats from the White f-pawn;
the first player is winning here as well. )
***
26.Qf5+ Kf7; 27.Qg5! Nd7;
28.exf6 Rh7!?;
29.Ne4, "+/-"
{Diagram?}
Black is down FOUR
Pawns ... his King is
sadly exposed ...
and he has no real play of
which to speak of.
(Just so you know where this line came from, it was (hand)
written down in a 'book' ...
{a pamphlet, really}
called "Spassky's 25 Best Games."
There was a
biographical section,
about 30-40 pages long. Then the games, which were
VERY lightly
annotated. There were several blank pages in the back. I had
owned this 'book'
since I was about 13-14 years old. This variation was written in
the margin of that
book. I checked this line today - Sat. April 10th, 2004 - with
a strong chess
program. There might be a few slight improvements ...
but nothing
major. - A.J.G.)
***************************************************************
Also bad for Black was the try:
</= 17...Nxe6?; 18.Nxe6
Rd8; {Diag?}
Something like this is
forced for Black in this position.
*******
(
Of course not:
</= 18...fxe6?; 19.Qd7+
Kf7[]; {Diagram?}
This is definitely forced.
***
( If </= 19...Kf8??; then 20.Rf1+,
("+/-") {Diagram?}
and Black will not be able to avoid a very speedy mate. )
***
20.Rf1+ Kg6;
{Box. / Diagram?}
Of course, this is forced.
( Not </= 20...Kg8???; 21.Qxe6#. )
21.Qxe6+ Bf6; 22.Rxf6+!
gxf6; 23.Qxf6+ Kh5;
24.Rd4,
("+/-") {Diagram?}
and White will mate Black in just two more moves from here. )
*******
{Returning to the main line of our analysis here
- that began ...
with
the errant move, 17...Nxe6?}
19.Nxg7+! Kf8; 20.Qh6
Rxd1+; 21.Rxd1 b4!?;
{Diagram?}
Everything else loses
here for Black as well ... this is probably
the most interesting.
(...Bg5+!?)
22.Nd5!! Bxd5; 23.Ne6+!
Ke8[]; {Diagram?}
This is 100% forced here.
( </= 23...Kg8??; ('???') 24.Qg7#. )
24.Rxd5! Qxd5;
{Diagram?}
What else can Black do
here?
***
( Not </= 24...Qxa2?; 25.Nc7#.
Also losing for Black is:
</= 24...Qb6?!; 25.Ng7+ Kf8; 26.Qxb6,
("+/-") {Diag?}
with an easy win for White. )
***
25.Nc7+ Kd7;
{Diagram?}
By now the second player
must realize that his goose is cooked.
26.Nxd5,
("+/-") {Diagram?}
and Black should feel quite
free to resign in this position. ]
******************************************************************************
18.Bb3
Rad8; 19.Qf4 b4;
{See the diagram - just below.}
Black looks to be doing well.
I remember once studying this
game with a young player from Alabama - who went
on to become a Master - and he thought Black was better in this
position.
(He did not even come close to guessing what White's next move was!)
*************************
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What square do you think that
Spassky must retreat his threatened Knight to?
(b1, e2 ... or is the central square e4 the best in this position?)
20.Na4!!,
('!!!')
("A sock-dolager.")
{See
the diagram
... just below.}
Another truly shocking and stunning move.
(My friends and students are always floored when I show them this
incredible shot.)
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(The position immediately following White's move, 20.Na4!!!)
*************************
I remember a funny story. I
took a book on Spassky to a chess tournament back in the early
1970's. I was going over this game, showing to a few interested
players. One of the strongest
and highest-rated players in the tournament hall walked over. I showed
him this move and asked
him his real opinion of it. He looked at the chess board for a few
minutes, then waved his hand -
dismissing us completely. "You must have the board set up
wrong," he said ... "that couldn't
possibly be the move that Spassky played there!" (Then he
just walked away.)
[
Or
20.Nb1 Nxb3+; 21.axb3
Bd5; "=/+"
and maybe Black
is just slightly better. ]
20...h6!?;
(hmmm)
{See the diagram that follows [after]
the analysis.}
Is Black trying to be sneaky?
What is Polugaeyevsky's threat from this position? (hint
= g5)
I always felt that Black had
to grab the bull by the horns here, and play ...NxN/a4.
(A true "Do or die," situation.)
I clearly remember myself and
a few friends spending a couple of Saturday afternoons
when I was in High School; pushing pieces around, yelling and carrying
on. And while
we never really resolved the problem of this particular position, we
had a great deal of
fun ... and learned a lot in the whole process.
******************************************************************************
[
Andy
Soltis gives the following (somewhat
superficial) analysis:
>/= 20...Nxa4;
('!') 21.Nf5!! Rxd1+!?;
{Diagram?}
This seems like a
fairly natural move for Black, and it also follows
general principles as
well.
("When you are attacked, trade as many pieces as you can.")
( One book gives the line of: </= 21...Rfe8?!;
(but now)
22.Bxf7+!!,
22...Kxf7!?; 23.Rxd8! Rxd8; 24.Nd6+ Kg8;
25.Qf7+ Kh8;
26.Qxe7, ("+/-") {Diagram?}
but White is clearly winning here.
{One simple win is if Black plays ...Bc8; - to keep from
dropping the
Bishop on b7 - White simply plays
QxR/d8+! and Nf7+.} )
22.Rxd1 Bc5!?;
('?!/?')
{Diagram?}
I guess Black is looking to activate
this somewhat
passive piece.
*******
---> (
It seems much better to retreat the Bishop to the d8-square.
>/= 22...Bd8!;
{Diagram?}
An odd-looking move, but a play which is natural when you
realize that if Black allows Qg5, he is simply lost.
23.Bxa4!?,
{Diagram?}
This is the <correct> move according to A. Soltis ...
he even praises this play for White. ('23.Bxa4!'
- Andy Soltis.)
***
( Much better is the surprising move - in this position, of:
>/= 23.e6!!, "+/=" "--->"
{Diagram?}
and according to IM S. Soloviov, White will have a
great - and possibly winning - attack. )
***
23...Qxa4?!;
(Really - '?')
{Diagram?}
I guess this is the main idea - but Soltis does not discuss any
alternatives here for Black. (Black blindly falls in with White's
plan. But the second player has a better move that I wrote into
the U.S. Chess magazine about ... but never got a reply.)
***
( MUCH better was the move:
>/= 23...h6!; "~" (in-between) {Diagram?}
and two week's worth of analysis never revealed any forced
wins here for White. ('23...h6!!'
- IM Sergei Soloviov.)
)
***
24.Rxd8 Rxd8; 25.Qg5,
"+/-" {Diagram?}
and thanks to the mate threat on g7, Black will pick off a whole
Rook here. )
<---
*******
23.Qg5 g6; 24.Nh6+! Kg7;
25.Ng4!, ("+/-")
{Diagram?}
and White has a
mating attack, despite Black's (useless) extra piece
in this
position. (If 25...Qb6!?; then White simply plays the
thunderbolt,
26.Rd6!!,
winning the house.) ]
******************************************************************************
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The position just before White executes his 21st move here.
*************************
21.Nxc5!!,
(White allows ...Bg5?)
{Diagram?}
A tremendous shock and surprise to Polugaeyevsky's poor nervous
system.
(Now if Black tries to win White's lady, Spassky will net a ton of
extra material.)
[
Black probably expected:
21.h4!? {Diagram?}
(To prevent
his Queen from being pinned.) ]
21...Qxc5;
{Box?}
{Diagram?}
This was probably forced here.
[
Not recommended was:
</=
21...Bg5?!;
('?') 22.Qxg5! hxg5;
23.Nxb7 Qc7; 24.Nxd8 Rxd8;
25.e6!, '±±' (Maybe
"+/-") {Diag?}
when Spassky has
gained 2 minor pieces ... AND a Rook! ... for the Q.
(All the computers
that I tested this position on, considered White to be
just
clearly winning here.) ]
Now the move h4 works ... and
also gives Spassky a fairly large edge here.
22.h4,
('!') 22...Bd5; 23.Nf5! Bxb3; 24.axb3 Rxd1+;
25.Rxd1 Rc8;
26.Qe4!,
(nice)
{Diagram?}
"The way Spassky combines attack and defense is captivating as
well as
instructive." - Andrew Soltis. (Quite right, Andy!)
[
Another idea here was:
26.Nxe7+!?,
{Diagram?}
heading immediately for the
end-game where White
is a whole pawn up. ]
26...Bf8;
{Box?}
{Diagram?}
Black does not want a {later} hanging Bishop on this square.
[
Not
</= 26...Qc6??;
when 27.Nxe7+,
{Diagram?}
forks all of Black's pieces
left on the board. ]
27.e6!
fxe6; 28.Qxe6+ Kh8; 29.Qe4 Qc6; 30.Qd3!,
{See
the diagram below.}
As Soltis is quick to point out, White is not quite ready to go
for the ending,
there are a few issues, (weaknesses); to be resolved first.
*************************
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(The position immediately following 30.Qd3, by White.)
*************************
[
Also good for White was:
30.Qxc6 Rxc6; 31.g4,
"+/=" ('±') {Diagram?}
but Spassky's method is
superior. ]
30...Re8;
31.h5! Be7; {Diagram?}
This is pretty much forced for Black in this position ... if
Polugaeyevsky allows Nh4-to-g6+,
it will probably result in a complete disaster!
[ Not 31...a5?; 32.Nh4!, '±' ]
Many of the masters and other
good players in the tournament hall were predicting that
the game would now end in a draw. (Spassky's position is NOT all that
impressive at
the moment here. And White's extra Pawn on the Queen-side is also
doubled and kind
of clumsy.)
32.Nxe7
Rxe7; 33.Qg6! Qe8; 34.g4! Re1;
{Box?}
{Diagram?}
Black cannot exchange Queens on the g6-square ... the resulting
position is completely
lost for him. (The pawn on g6 would greatly ham-string Black, if his
Rook ever left the
back row; Black would be check-mated!)
[
Much, much worse for Black was the following continuation:
</= 34...Qxg6?; 35.hxg6
Re8; {Diagram?}
This is close to
being forced for Black.
( </= 35...Re6??; 36.Rd8+ Re8; 37.Rxe8#. )
36.Rd6 Ra8; 37.Rb6 a5;
38.Kd2, ("+/-")
{Diagram?}
The win is pretty simple
for White, the first player plays c4, and then
marches his King over.
Black can't offer any meaningful resistance from
this position.
{technique} ]
**********************************************************
**********************************************************
Now a few well placed blows
and very finely executed plays by White from this
position brings Black's struggles to an end.
35.Qxe8+
Rxe8; 36.Rd4 a5; 37.Kd2 Re5; 38.c3! bxc3+;
39.bxc3
Rg5; 40.c4! Kg8; 41.Rf4!, ("+/-")
{See
the diagram below.}
(Black Resigns.) Spassky
has alertly fixed all of Polugaeyevsky's King-side Pawns
prior to entering the R+P endgame. His last move cut the board in half
and prevents
Black's King from crossing the board. White's King comes to c3, then
he plays b3-b4.
After this, White's passed QBP, strongly supported by the WK will
easily decide the
game in Spassky's favor here.
*************************
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(The final position of this fantastic game.)
*************************
One of Spassky's most
brilliant and powerful wins. I don't think any player who ever lived
...
- not Tal, Fischer, nor even Kasparov - can show a game with a greater
number of beautiful
and truly surprising chess moves. A great game, a classic
Spassky showpiece, and a contest
that should be cherished by chess-players everywhere ...
for as long as the game is played.
******************************************************************************
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I have many different books
that have this game in it. I also have several game collections of
this player's best games, like the one by Cafferty.
But my two main sources for
material to aid me in my attempt to annotate this game, NOT
counting dozens of books on this opening, were:
# 1.) "The
Best Chess Games of Boris Spassky,"
(1949-1971) by IM Andrew Soltis.
(This book was written and released well before Andy ever got
the GM title.)
Copyright (©) by the author. (And the publisher, of course.)
Printed in 1973 by David McKay books of New York City. (USA)
# 2.)
GM "Boris SPASSKY's ... Four Hundred
(400) Selected Games,"
by IM Sergei Soloviov. (This book is part of the
"Chess Stars" series of books,
out of Moscow, Russia.) Copyright (c) by the author, 2003.
Printed in Sofia, BUL. ISBN: # 954-8782-29-4
*************************
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A.J. Goldsby I.
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