R Domenech S Flohr Rosas Sicilian Defense
- Salo Flohr
For a description of Flohr's skill in this game, I commend you to Roget's Thesaurus, where you will find such adjectives as exquisite, elegant, artistic, and enchanting.
Throughout the play there are delightful finesses and touches of originality. Who but Salo Flohr would interrupt a series of exchanges, force an irreparable weakness, and then proceed to complete the exchanges ?
To my mind, this quiet little positional game, played with crystalline clarity, outshines all the blazing combinations of a dozen wide-open, slam-bang attacking games.
An attempt to get the Maroczy Bind, which is no improvement on the usual 3 P—Q4. A move has been wasted that should have been devoted to straightforward development, while the Pawn at B4 restricts the scope of White's King Bishop.
Apparently White does not care to play 6 Kt—QB3, when 6 ... B—Kt5 in reply puts him on the defensive. He would have to guard against 7 ... Kt X P (winning a Pawn) as well as 7 ... BxKtch 8 PxB (saddling him with a doubled Pawn).
Geniuses do not have to capture toward the center! Black wants the Queen file open so that he can exert pressure on White's Q3 and Q4 squares, both of these squares having been weakened by White's premature third move.
These weaknesses are almost imperceptible, and it is difficult at this early stage to see how Flohr can possibly exploit them, but he does so—and beautifully!
7 QxQch KxQ
Black has lost the privilege of Castling, but it is of no consequence. The King is more useful in the center than hidden away in a corner. With Queens off the board, there is little danger of the King running into a mating attack.
This saves the King Pawn, but it limits still more the scope of White's King Bishop. The more of White's Pawns there are on white squares, the less freedom of action the King Bishop has, since it travels on white squares only.
On 8 P—K5 instead, there follows 8 ... Kt—Kt5 9 B—B4, B—B4 (threatens 70 ... Kt X BP) 10 B— Kt3 (or70P—B3, Kt—B7 11 R—Ktl, Kt—Q6ch, and Black wins the exchange) B—Q5, and Black wins a Pawn.
A little move, but it accomplishes a great deal:
(1) It releases the Queen Bishop, which will assume a strong attacking position at K3.
(2) It fixes White's King Pawn at K4, preventing it from advancing to K5.
(3) It exerts pressure on Q5, one of the weak squares in White's position.
White's idea may have been to prevent 10 ... B—Kt5ch (a move his opponent had no intention of making) but time is wasted, and another weakness created—a "hole" at QKt3. This will cause White bitter regret later on.
The simple 10 Kt—B3, developing a piece, would have been better.
The point of this is that it will enable Black to play ... B—QB4, and force an exchange of Bishops. This would eliminate White's good Bishop, and leave him with the one that is ineffectual.
The Pawn is to advance to R5, where it will have a crippling effect on White's Queen side.
This is the position, with Black to move:
Forces an exchange which will leave Black in control of the black squares.
14 BxB KtxB
This Bishop is aggressive, White's Bishop is passive.
Intending to double Rooks on the Queen file. If White tries to dispute control of the file, this is what might happen: 17 Kt—Bl, Kt—Kt6 18 RxR, RxR 19 R—Ql, RxR 20 BxR, BxP, and White has lost a Pawn.
The purpose of this move and White's next, is to place some Pawns on black squares, thereby allowing his pieces (notably the Bishop) more freedom of movement.
Black now has a powerful grip on the Queen file. His opponent can do little but sit tight and await developments.
A perfectly natural move, but it opens the door to a surprising delayed-action combination. It is one that is unique, so far as I know, in the literature of chess.
This is the position, with Black to play and win:
20 PxP
Obviously 20 K x P loses a piece instantly by 20 ... RxKt.
At this point, with so little material on the board, this is a startling sacrifice of the exchange.
The alternative is 22 K—K2, after which the play would go 22 ... B—Kt5ch 23 K—Kl, BxR 24 RX B (if 24 K X B, Kt X P 25 R—B2, R x Ktch, with an easy win for Black) KtxP 25 KtxKt, R—K6ch 26 K—B2, RxKt, and Black wins another Pawn and the game.
Threatens a quick finish by the simplification: 23 ... BxR 24 RxB, RXKtch 25 RxR, KtxPch followed by 26 ... Kt X R.
White is practically in zugzwang (compelled to move, without a playable move left):
(1) If the King Rook moves, 23 ... R X Ktch wins a piece.
(2) If the Knight moves to B3 to shield the Rook from the Bishop, 23 ... Rx Ktch finishes the Knight's career.
(3) If the Queen Rook moves, Black wins as in the previous note.
Grateful for small favors, White advances the King Pawn to rescue it from immediate danger of capture.
24 RxB
One would now expect Flohr to continue by 24 ... Kt—Kt6 25 K—K2, R x Ktch 26 R X R, Kt x R, leaving him with a slightly superior position. Whether Flohr could squeeze a win out of it is doubtful, skilled though he is in the endgame.
Flohr does bring the Knight to Kt6.
Flohr does clear away all the pieces.
But first his Knight will make two moves that will create irreparable weaknesses in White's Pawn position.
Watch the Knight do some fancy stepping!
Attacks the Bishop Pawn, and forces its advance.
Nothing else saves the Pawn, 25 K—K2 being refuted by 25 ... KtxPch.
Once again the only move.
Plants a piece in the "hole" created by White's tenth move.
29 RXR KtxR
31 Resigns
The rest is a matter of counting moves. In order that White may Queen a Pawn he must capture the Queen Knight and Queen Bishop Pawns (six moves), move his King aside (one move) and advance the Queen Bishop Pawn (four moves). Total—11 moves.
Black meanwhile captures the King Bishop Pawn (two moves), moves his King aside (one move), and advances the King Bishop Pawn (five moves). Total—8 moves.
Resignation for White was clearly in order.
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