Game 15
White: Ludek Pachman
Black: David Bronstein
Prague
v. Moscow (round 2)
Prague 1946
This is perhaps my most
famous King's Indian game, a 'gift from the gods',
so to speak. After it, and
the game with Zita, from being a 'losing'
opening the King's Indian was
transformed virtually into a winning one, and
this made a great impression in
the West. Thanks to these games I was
included in the FIDE list for the first
Interzonal Tournament.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 3 Nc3 e5
Why
this move order, instead of first developing the bishop at g7, and only
then
...d7-d6 and ...e7-e5? Well, the point is that in those days we were
very
afraid of the Sämisch Variation (2...g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3), and
the
chosen move order rules this out, as 4 e4 allows Black a lead in
development
by 4...exd4 5 Qxd4 Nc6.
4 Nf3 Nbd7 5 g3
g6 6 Bg2 Bg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 b3
Later White learned to avoid this move,
which creates a potential tactical
weakness on the long diagonal, in favour
of the immediate 8 e4.
8...Re8 9 e4
Black was threatening
...e5-e4-e3. 9 e3 was possible. The text move allows
Black, after exchanging
pawns in the centre, to deploy his pieces
comfortably and to take the
initiative.
9...exd4 10 Nxd4 Nc5 11 Re1
11...a5 12
Bb2
Perhaps 12 a3 should have been played, to answer 12...a4 with 13
b4. Now,
however, after 12...a4 White has a weakness at b3. White would like
to
exploit the weakening of the b5 square by Ndb5 (I am always afraid of
this
manoeuvre in the King's Indian), but on this and the next move it is
not
possible because of 12...Nfxe4, and then Black will play
...c7-c6.
12...a4 13 Rc1
If 13 b4 Black was planning the
sharp move 13...a3.
13...c6 14 Ba1 axb3 15 axb3 Qb6 16
h3
A classic position, where I have done everything possible: played
my pawn
to c6, knight to c5 and queen to b6, while the other two queenside
pieces
are waiting.
Now I had to play something, but I did not know what -
this was one of my
first King's Indian games. I remembered that Dr Lasker
advised
putting the king's knight on f8, so that it should not get in the
way. That
was how a new idea in this variation arose: ...Nf6-d7-f8!
16...Nfd7
It is curious that, when I played
this, the participants and spectators
thought that the knight was aiming for
e5 and then d3. From this point
Black required only three moves to prepare
the decisive combination.
17 Rb1 Nf8 18 Kh2
18...h5
A notable feature of this game is
Black's attack with his rook's pawns on
both sides of the board, with the aim
of breaking up the white position.
19 Re2
If 19 f4 there
would have followed 19...h4 20 g4 Nce6, when Black
penetrates on the
opponent's weakened squares on the kingside. White
improves the position of
his rook, by playing it to d2, where it defends
the second rank against the
invasion of the a8 rook, and will
simultaneously threaten the d6
pawn.
19...h4 20 Rd2
When he made this move, White
anticipated the opponent's reply. He thought
that he would win the game by
refuting Black's combination, but he had
miscalculated.
20...Rxa1
Black carries out his planned
combination, after which a very interesting
tactical skirmish
develops.
21 Rxa1 Bxd4 22 Rxd4 Nxb3 23 Rxd6
23...Qxf2
The crux of Black's combination! He
does not play 23...Nxa1, in view of the
counter-combination 24 Nd5 Qxf2 25
Nf6+ and Nxe8.
24 Ra2
If 24 Qxb3, then 24...hxg3+ 25 Kh1
Bxh3 (the decisive intrusion of the
'undeveloped' bishop) 26 Rg1 Bxg2+ 27
Rxg2 Qf1+ 28 Rg1 Qh3 mate.
24...Qxg3+ 25 Kh1 Qxc3 26
Ra3
Or 26 Rd3 Qc1, and the knight at b3 is
invulnerable.
26...Bxh3 27 Rxb3 Bxg2+ 28 Kxg2 Qxc4 29 Rd4 Qe6 30 Rxb7
Ra8 31 Qe2 h3+
White resigns, as he is powerless against the mating
attack.
In this game Black employed an innovative way of using space. Five of
his
pieces - king, knight at f8, rooks at e8 and a8, and bishop at c8 -
stood
on the back rank undeveloped, and yet at the same time these pieces
were
very active.
Game 40
White: Mikhail
Botvinnik
Black: David Bronstein
World Championship (game 21)
Moscow
1951
This game appealed to Max Euwe, and in a Dutch magazine he
praised me for
the moves 9...Nh5, 10...Qe7, 11...Kh8 and 12...a6. I think
that it was I
who first employed this new plan of play on the queenside, back
in 1947 in
a game with Flohr. Now everyone plays this way.
This game is
unique for the fact that Black succeeded in carrying out the
attack
...b7-b5-b4, for perhaps the only time ever. Neither before this
game, nor
since, have I seen anyone playing this way. Black succeeded with
his attack
on the b2 pawn, thanks to the possibility of controlling the
light squares on
the queenside.
It seems to me that my opponent made one mistake - he thought
for a long
time after ...Nh5, evidently recalling our game in 1945, in which
I had
obtained good play.
In this game there was also an interesting
psychological context. When you
simply look at a position and evaluate it,
you can play in several
different ways, but if the fate of the historical
development of chess can
depend on your every move, you feel a terrible
oppression, which greatly
hinders your play.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4
d6
At last! Twenty games of the match had gone by, and I had not
once employed
my favourite weapon - the King's Indian Defence, as I feared
that Botvinnik
would be well prepared for it.
3 Nc3 e5 4 Nf3 Nbd7
5 g3 g6 6 Bg2 Bg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 e4 c6
All these moves had
already occurred in the game between the same players
from the 14th USSR
Championship, Moscow 1945 (cf. Game 32). There Botvinnik
played 9 d5 but did
not gain any advantage. On this occasion the World
Champion chooses a
different method of development.
9 h3 Nh5
An interesting
idea. Here Black usually plays 9...exd4 10 Nxd4 Nc5 followed
by
11...a5.
10 Be3
Instead of this, 10 b3
came into consideration, in order after 10...Qe7 to
develop the bishop at a3,
and after other continuations - at b2.
10...Qe7
After the
development of the bishop at e3, the queen is very comfortably
placed at
e7.
11 Nh2
White prevents ...f7-f5, but at h2 the knight
is very passively placed. 11
Re1 looks more natural, in order to continue
developing with 12 Qd2 and 13
Rad1. It is very dangerous for Black to play
...f7-f5.
11...Kh8 12 Re1 a6
Having decided against
exchanging on d4, Black avoids play in the center.
White has also forestalled
the opponent's attacking ideas on the kingside.
Only one possibility for
Black remains - an offensive on the queenside.
13 a3
A
bad move. White weakens his b3 and c4 squares, which Black
energetically
exploits. Correct was 13 Rc1, preventing 13...b5, when there
can follow 14
cxb5 axb5 15 d5.
13...Rb8 14
Bf1 Nhf6
Preparing ...b7-b5, which if played immediately would have
been met by
14...b5 15 cxb5 axb5 16 d5.
15 Qd2 b5 16 cxb5 axb5 17
Rad1 Nb6
18 Bh6
The bishop at g7 is passively placed,
and there is no point in exchanging
the e3 bishop for it. White still does
not have a bad position. He should
have played 18 dxe5 dxe5 19 Qd6
immediately or after the pre-paratory 19 b4
Nfd7. After the move in the game
the initiative passes completely to Black.
18...Bxh6 19 Qxh6 Be6 20
Nf3 Bb3 21 Rd2 Nfd7
Preventing 22 Ng5, after which Black's pieces on
the kingside would have
been tied down.
22 Qe3
Bc4
23 Bg2
A poor move, since on g2 the bishop is
passively placed. Botvinnik has just
exchanged his active bishop for the
passive one at g7, and now he does not
want to exchange his 'bad' f1 bishop
for the dangerous bishop at c4. He
would have done better to play his rook to
d1 or c2.
23...f6 24 Rc2 Bb3 25 Rce2 Nc4 26 Qd3 Na5 27
Rd2
There is nothing that White can do. If 27 Nd2 there could have
followed
27...Bc4 28 Nxc4 bxc4 29 Qd1 Nb3 with advantage to
Black.
27...Nb6 28 Qb1
Another knight aims for c4. White
cannot exchange the queens, as after 28
dxe5 dxe5 29 Qd6 Qxd6 30 Rxd6 Black
wins a pawn by 30...Nbc4.
28...Nbc4 29 Rde2 b4 30 axb4
Rxb4
31 h4
In search of counterplay, Botvinnik
tries to weaken the
opponent's
kingside.
31...Nb6
31...Rfb8 was even
stronger.
32 Na2 Bxa2 33 Qxa2 Nbc4 34 h5 Rfb8 35 hxg6 hxg6 36
Qb1
36 Rb1 is bad because of 36...Qb7, when Black threatens 37...Nb3
followed
by 38...Ra8.
36...Kg7 37 dxe5 fxe5 38 Qc1 Nxb2 39 Qc3 Na4
40 Qc1 Rc4
Both players were in time severe trouble, and this
explains their
inaccuracies. With 40...c5 Black could have won much more
easily.
At this point the game was adjourned.
41
Qg5
The sealed move. White's alter-natives were 41 Qa3 and 41 Rc2.
After 41 Rc2
the strongest reply is the exchange on c2, as if 41...Rcb4 White
creates
dangerous threats with 42 Nh2. After 41 Qa3 Black could have played
41...c5
and then transferred his knight from a5 to d4. In general, it is
easier for
Black to realize his advantage with the queens on, and therefore
the
exchange of queens carried out by Botvinnik is the strongest
continuation.
41...Qxg5 42 Nxg5 Nb3 43 f4
Now there is
the danger of a white rook breaking through onto the 7th
rank.
43...Nd4 44 Ra2 Rb2
Black accurately realizes his
advantage. By exchanging rooks he
simultaneously parries two threats: 45 Rea1
and 45 Bf1 followed by 46 Rh2.
45 Rxb2 Nxb2 46 Kh2
The
ending after 46 Ra1 Rc1+ 47 Rxc1 Ne2+ is hopeless for White, as the two
black
knights successfully support the advance of the c-pawn.
46...Nd3 47
Re3
This makes things easier for Black. Better defensive chances
were offered
by 47 Rf1, e.g. 47...Rc2 48 Rd1 (but not 48 f5 Rf2), threatening
if the
knight moves from d3 to play 49 Ra1. After 47 Rf1 Black would have
to
reckon with the threat of f4-f5, whereas after the text move none of
the
white pieces has any future.
47...Rc3
Threatening
to consolidate the knight's position at d3 by ...c6-c5-c4.
White's reply is
forced.
48 Bf1 Rc2+ 49 Kh3
No better is 49 Kg1 Nc1 50 Ra3
Nce2+, winning another pawn.
49...Nf2+ 50 Kh4 Rc1 51 Bg2 Rg1 52
Bh3
52...Rh1
The white king is in danger. Black is
threatening, after moving his king,
to play ...Ne6, winning a piece, against
which White has no defence.
53 fxe5 dxe5 54 Ra3 Kf6 55 Nh7+ Ke7 56
Ng5 Kd6
On the last move before the time control Black overlooks the
immediate win
by 56...Ne6, but a move later, having noticed it, he tries to
return to the
same position.
57 Nf7+ Ke7 58 Kg5
Since
the piece cannot be saved, Botvinnik gives it up
voluntarily.
58...Kxf7 59 Ra7+ Ke8 60 Bd7+ Kd8 61 Kxg6 Nxe4 62 g4
Rf1
Not 62...Nb5 63 Rb7 Nc5 64 Bxc6 Nxb7 65 Bxh1.
63 Bf5
Nxf5 64 gxf5 Ke8
White
resigns