Taimanov - Uhlmann; (Re-play page.)

Taimanov - Uhlmann

Mark Taimanov (2650) - Wolfgang Uhlmann (2600)
[D80]
Match Game, USSR vs. 'The Rest of The World'
Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1970.

[A.J.Goldsby I]

Game # 1 in the book, "The Art of Positional Play."
(by GM S. Reshevsky.)

In this game, the author examines the consequences of one weak pawn ...
a weakness that was caused by the careful and methodical play by White.

This is a fresh and different look at this game - several possibilities that are
ignored by the author are noted by me.

But still a wonderful and instructive game. And the notes are VERY
informative.

1.d4 Nf6; 2. c4 g6; 3. Nc3 d5; 4. Bg5!?,
A lesser used line.

The great Mark Taimanov did a lot of the pioneering work in this variation
of the Grunfeld.

[ The line: 4.cxd5 Nxd5; 5.e4 Nxc3; 6.bxc3 Bg7; etc.
is the "Exchange Variation." ].

4...Ne4!; The most energetic.

[ 4...c6?!; 5.Bxf6 exf6; 6.cxd5 cxd5; 7.e3 Bb4; 8.Rc1, "+/=" ].

5. Bh4!?, {Diagram?}
A favorite of Taimanov's.

   [ White could also play:
     5.cxd5 Nxg5; 6.h4 Ne4; 7.Nxe4 Qxd5; 8.Nc3 Qa5; "~" {Unclear.}
     ... "with even chances," according to Reshevsky.
     Or 5.Nxe4 dxe4; 6.Qd2 Bg7; 7.e3 c5!; "=" ].

5...c5!?; (Striking immediately at the center.)
The most active, according to several books I have.

[ 5...Nxc3; 6.bxc3 c6!?; "=" (Or 6...dxc4!?) ].

6. cxd5 Nxc3; 7. bxc3 Qxd5; 8. e3 cxd4!?; (Maybe - '?!')
Possibly not the best.

[ Book is: 8...Bg7!; 9.Nf3 Nc6; 10.Be2 cxd4; 11.cxd4 0-0; 12.0-0, "="
- modified Power Book.

Black could even try: 8...Nc6!? ].

Now White heads for a slightly advantageous ending.
9. Qxd4! Qxd4; 10. cxd4!, "+/="
The correct recapture.

White now has the slightly better ending, an advantage he builds on.

[ 10.exd4!? Bf5; "~" ].

10...Nc6; 11. Bb5 Bd7; 12. Nf3 Bg7; 13. 0-0 e6;
Necessary, if Black is to castle.

[ 13...0-0?; 14.Bxe7!, "+/" ].

14. Rab1 0-0; 15. Nd2!?; (Diagram?} (Maybe - '!')
The White Knight heads for e4, then c5 or d6.

[ White could also have played: 15.Bd3!, "+/=" ].

15...f5!?; (Diagram?}
Black wishes to prevent the afore-mentioned maneuver.

[ Perhaps Black could try: 15...a6!?; 16.Be2 Na5!? ].

16. Nb3 b6!?; {Diagram?}
Reshevsky says this is forced. (To prevent Nc5.)

17. Rfc1 Rac8; 18. Ba6 Rce8;
"Black tries to keep his second rank safe from White's Rook by maintaining
his Knight at QB3. Nonetheless, after the next move, White has his way."
- GM Samuel Reshevsky.

[ 18...Rc7?; 19.Bg3, "+/" (Maybe "+/-) ].

19. Bb7 Nd8;
Black is retreating.

20. Rc7!?,
"White's control of the 7th rank leads to Black's downfall."
- GM S. Reshevsky

[ Possibly better was: 20.Bf3!, "+/=" ].

20...Rf7;
Looks forced.

[ 20...Nxb7?; 21.Rxb7, "+/" or "+/-"
Black is shedding a Pawn. ].

21. Ba6 Ba4; 22. Rbc1 Bf8; 23. R1c4!, {Diagram?}
The best.

   [ Reshevsky says the following line is, "unproductive."
     23.Bc8!? Bd6; 24.Rxf7, (Not 24.Bxd8? Bxc7; 25.Bxc7 Rxc8; "/+"
      Much better was: 24.R7c3!, "+/=")   24...Kxf7; "=" ].

23...Rxc7; 24. Rxc7 Nc6; 25. Bc4 Bg7; {Diagram.}
Was this forced?

[ 25...a5?; 26.Rc8! Rxc8; 27.Bxe6+ Kg7; 28.Bxc8, "+/=" ].

26. Rc8!?, {Interesting.}
Reshevsky says this is an exclam, but I don't buy it.

"Winning a Pawn by force. Black was aware of this possibility, but could
do nothing to prevent it." - GM S. Reshevsky.

Sometimes winning a pawn will prematurely release the pressure.
(Black's weak pawn wasn't going to run away!)

[ Maybe better is: 26.Nd2!?, "+/=" (Maybe - '!') with a clearly better game.
I like the move: 26.Bg3!?, "+/=" (Maybe - '!') and think it is best. ].

26...Rxc8; 27. Bxe6+ Kf8; 28. Bxc8, "+/=" 28...Nb4;
Black has a lot of play in this ending. (Probably as a direct result of White
releasing the pressure too early.)

29. Nc1 Kf7; 30. Bg3 Bf8;
Black wishes to prevent Bd6.

[ Not 30...a5?; 31.Bb7, "+/" ].

31. Bb7 Ke6; 32. Bb8 Kd7?!;
This is bad. The computers {do} immediately spot this,
but GM Reshevsky does not mention it.

[ Maybe better was: 32...Bc6[]; 33.Bc8+, "+/=" ].

33. Bf3!?,
This is OK.

[ White should NOT play: 33.Bxa7? Kc7!; 34.Bf3 Bc6; "=/+"
Possibly better (than what was played in the game) was: 33.h4!?, "+/=" ].

33...Bb5; 34. Bd1 a5; 35. a4 Bc4;
Black is trying to scare up counterplay on the Q-side.

[ 35...Bc6?!; 36.Bb3! White targets the Black K-side Pawns. ].

36. g4!?,
Attempting to break up Black's K-side Pawns.

[ Also good was: 36.h4!? ].

36...b5; {Diagram.}
Black attempts to make a passer.

37. gxf5 gxf5; 38. Be5 Nc6?!;
Trying for play, but inferior to ...Nd5.

[ Definitely better was: 38...Nd5. ].

39. Bh8 Ba3; 40. axb5 Bxc1?!; (Maybe - '?')
This is bad, and a question mark, according to Reshevsky.

   [ Possibly better was: 40...Bxb5; 41.Nb3,   ( 41.Ne2!? );   41...Kd6;
     42.Bc2 a4; (Worse was: 42...Ba4?; 43.Nxa5 Bxc2; 44.Nc4+).
     43.Nd2 Bb4; ... "with good play," according to Reshevsky.

But not: 40...Nxd4?; 41.Bxd4 Bxc1; 42.Bc2 Be6; 43.b6 Kc6;
44.e4 f4; 45.e5, "+/-" ].

41. bxc6+ Kxc6; 42. Ba4+ Kd5;
Best according to the computers.

"This offers no hope at all." - GM S. Reshevsky.
(Quite a difference of opinion!!)

[ 42...Bb5!?; 43.Bc2!, "+/" ].

43. Bc2 Ke6; 44. Kg2 Ba3; 45. Be5 Bf8; 46. Bc7 Bd5+;

47. f3!?, (Interesting.)
K-N3 was better according to GM S. Reshevsky.

   [ Definitely better was: 47.Kg3! Bb4; (47...Bd6+?!; 48.Bxd6 Kxd6;
      49.Bxf5 a4; 50.Bxh7 a3; 51.Bb1 a2; 52.Bxa2 Bxa2; 53.e4!, "+/-")
     and now 48.Kf4, "+/-" ].

47...Bb4; 48. Kg3 Kf6!?;
I don't know about this.

[ Black should not play: 48...Bd6+?!; 49.Bxd6 Kxd6; 50.Kf4, "+/-"
But, possibly better was: 48...Kd7!? ].

49. Be5+ Kg6!?;
Maybe Black should play a little more actively.

[ Better might have been: 49...Kg5; 50.e4, "+/" etc. ].

50. Kf4 Be6; 51. Ba4 Bf8; 52. e4!?; (Hmmm.)
White gets his pawns rolling.

   [ Much simpler is: 52.Be8+! Bf7[]; This looks completely forced.
      (52...Kh6?!; 53.h4 Bb4!?; 54.Bc6, "+/-")   53.Bxf7+ Kxf7;
      54.Kxf5, ("+/-") And White seems to be winning easily.
      GM S. Reshevsky does not even mention this possibility. ].

52...Bh6+; 53. Kg3 fxe4; 54. fxe4 Bd2; 55. Kf3 Bh3;

56. Be8+ Kh6; 57. Bf6!?, Black Resigns. 1-0.

"Black is helpless against the onrushing pawns. An excellent performance
by the Soviet veteran." - GM S. Reshevsky.

[ Even better was: 57.d5! ]

1 - 0

Game first posted on my web site, March 25th, 2002.

This game is a shortened version of the game as it exists in my database.
(I have shortened it just slightly for publication.)
If you would like a copy of the fully annotated version
of this game to study, please contact me.

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