[Event "Stuttgart m blindfold"] [Site "Stuttgart"] [Date "1909.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Mieses, Jacques"] [Black "Schlechter, Carl"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C44"] [Annotator "Donnelly,MJ"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1909.??.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "GER"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,77,25,16,10,6,-17,-53,9,-44,26,-9,-11,-9,30,-6,-9,-26,-37,-15,-4,-12,-12,-27,-27,-45,-47,-39,-37,10,-25,-75,-19,-67,0,0,0,-75,-70,-103,-91,-80,-78,-83,-74,-74,-82,-74,-77,-77,-87,-79,-63,-132,-153,-156,-156,-170,-111,-115,-117,-114,-115,-120,-125,-125,-118,-122,-155,-159,-156,-167,-169,-163,-161,-163,-163,-163,-163,-163]} 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 {The speculative Danish Gambit a line much favoured by the great American attacking player Frank Marshall. Its probably a good choice against a player like Schlechter who with steady chess drew a World Championship match with Lasker in 2010.} (3. Qxd4 {is the Centre Game. The subject of a recent monograph by Marek Soszynski. Long out of fashion is has been played often by Nepomniachtchi in recent years with a respectable score even against World elite players. Even Carlsen tried the gambit, twice in 2021 in rapid games, but only scored 50%.}) 3... dxc3 (3... d3 {takes the excitement out of the game and Black gets reasoanbly solid position after} 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 {for example Stein-Averbakh, URS-chT Moscow 1959 although White has a easy time completing development..}) 4. Bc4 (4. Nf3 {can be played here but this position would normally arise from 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 (The Goring Gambit) .} Nc6 5. Bc4 {A line even played by the legendary Cuban and later World Champion Capablanca} cxb2 ({two personal games, despite their low quality, nevertheless demonstrate that lack of effective development and lack of co-ordination between pieces is not the way to deal with gambit play:} 5... d6 6. Nxc3 h6 7. O-O Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Bf4 g5 10. Bg3 Bg7 11. Re1 Nd4 12. e5 Nxf3+ 13. gxf3 Qd7 14. exd6+ Kf8 15. dxc7 Nf6 16. Qxd7 Nxd7 17. Rad1 {1:0 Donnelly-Ratcliffe, Salford University Ch 1971.}) 6. Bxb2 d6 7. Qb3 Nh6 8. O-O Bd7 (8... Na5 9. Qa4+ c6 10. Bd3 b5 11. Qc2 Rb8 12. Nbd2 Be6 13. Rfe1 Qb6 14. Ng5 Ng4 15. Ndf3 Nc4 16. Bd4 c5 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Bxc4 cxd4 19. Bxe6 d3 20. Qd2 {and White soon won in Donnelly-Kermath, Salford University Ch (FInal 1) 1972.}) 9. Qc2 Qe7 {now White whips up a winning attack seemingly out of nowhere after} 10. Nc3 O-O-O 11. Nd5 Qe8 12. Rfc1 f6 13. Nc3 Ng4 14. Nb5 {spotting a hidden tactic} Qh5 15. h3 {remarkably its game over.} Nge5 16. Bxe5 dxe5 17. Nxa7+ Kb8 (17... Nxa7 18. Bf7) 18. Nxc6+ Bxc6 19. Rab1 Qe8 (19... Rd6 20. Bd5 $18) 20. Bb5 Bd6 21. Bxc6 {1:0 Capablanca-Downey, City of London Simultaneous 1911.}) 4... Nf6 (4... cxb2 {is the real test where White obtains two raking bishops and a lead in development for no less than 3 pawns sacrifieced.} 5. Bxb2 Nf6 (5... d5 {is a line developed later by Schlechter where Black gets equality in a much simpler fashion via} 6. Bxd5 Nf6 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qxd8 Bb4+ 9. Qd2 Bxd2+ 10. Nxd2 {is about level as in Nyholm-Tartakower, Baden 1914 even after} c5 {with a 3:1 pawn majority on the queens-side as White has a slight lead in development.}) 6. e5 (6. Nf3 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 O-O 8. O-O Bxc3 9. Bxc3 Nxe4 10. Bb2 Nc6 11. Re1 Nf6 {was better for Black in Firouzja-Carlsen, Lichess.org blitz 2021}) 6... d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. fxg7 Bb4+ 10. Nc3 Re8+ 11. Nge2 {and White is much better as in Marshall-Duras, Match New York 1913.}) 5. Nxc3 (5. e5 {is here readily met by} d5 {with a good game for Black as in Marshall-Owens, ACB USA 1915 or more recently in Firouzja-Lazavik, Bullet Chess WInners Chess.com blitz 2023.}) 5... Nc6 (5... d6 {lets White complicate the game with} 6. e5 {for instance Mieses-Pillsbury, Monte Carlo 1903 which continued} Qe7 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. O-O {with compensation after} Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Qb3) 6. Nf3 Bb4 {with more counter-play than blocking the bishop with} (6... d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Ng5 {Alekhine-Verlinsky, Match Odessa 1918 or, again, more recently in Ivanchuk-Shahade, Titled Tuesday intern op Chess.com blitz 2020.}) 7. O-O O-O 8. e5 Bxc3 9. bxc3 d5 10. exf6 {This looks promising as Black's king-side ends up being disrupted. The retreat} (10. Bb3 {and if} Ne4 {then} 11. Bb2 Be6 12. Qe2 {is an alternative when White threatens c4 in combination with bringing the rooks to the central files with pressure on d5 and e4 as compensation for the gambit pawn.}) 10... dxc4 11. fxg7 Kxg7 {Perhaps surprising Black is fine here, as the weakened king-side cannot readily be exploited by White, who at the moment must prevent the queens being exchanged.} 12. Nd4 (12. Qe2 {is another way to avoid the exchange of queens} Qd3 13. Qb2 Rg8 $6 14. Bf4 $14 {Batkoski-Stojcheski, Skopje op-B 2023.}) 12... Nxd4 ({not now} 12... Qd5 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Qd4+ f6 15. Re1 $11) 13. cxd4 {Key features of the position are firstly that play has resulted in opposite coloured bishops emerging. In additon, Black's extra pawn is doubled and on an open file hence is vulnerable to attack.} Re8 (13... Qd5 14. Bf4 f6 15. Qd2 Rf7 {is slightly stronger consolidating Blacks posiiton somewhat better.}) 14. d5 {Opening the long diagonal and threatening Bb2+ or Qd4+.} Qf6 15. Be3 (15. Qc2 {threatens Bb2 and if} Qxa1 16. Bh6+ Kxh6 17. Rxa1 $18 {However, 15...c3 keeps matters under control.}) 15... Qg6 {Beginning some counter-play that requires White to play accurately.} 16. Rc1 Bh3 17. Qf3 (17. Rxc4 {of course loses to} Qxg2# {but even some strong GMs, such as Nigel Short on one occasion, have fallen for such tricks even with sight of the board.}) 17... Bg4 18. Qg3 (18. Qf4 Bh3 ({Instead} 18... Re4 19. Qxc7 Rc8 20. Qg3 ({not} 20. Qxb7 Bh3 21. g3 Qf6 22. Bf4 Rxf4 23. gxf4 Qg6+ $19) 20... c3 21. Bxa7 Be2 {is very unclear.}) 19. Qf3 {would repeat the position and draw.}) 18... Be2 19. Rfe1 (19. Bd4+ {doesn't help as after} Kg8 20. Rfe1 Qxg3 21. hxg3 {Black has guarded c4 and now White too has doubled pawns with little compensation for Black's extra pawn.}) 19... Qxg3 20. hxg3 Bd3 21. Bf4 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rd8 23. Re7 Rxd5 24. Rxc7 Ra5 (24... b5 {is much more complex and seems to give more winning chances following} 25. Rxa7 (25. a4 b4 26. Rxa7 b3 27. Bd2 Bf5 28. Bc3+ Kg6 29. Rc7 Be6) 25... c3 26. a4 b4 27. Rb7 Rf5 28. Rxb4 Rxf4 29. Rxf4 c2) 25. Rxb7 Rxa2 26. g4 Kf6 27. Be3 a5 28. f4 Rxg2+ (28... Be4 29. Bd4+ Ke6 30. f5+ Kd5 31. Rd7+ Kc6 32. Rxf7 Rxg2+ 33. Kf1 Rxg4 {again gives more winning chances although difficult to judge with material being reduced so much.}) 29. Kxg2 Be4+ 30. Kf2 Bxb7 {Black is two pawns up but they are isloated and weak. The opposite coloured bishops, and in particular White's control of the black squares, in conjunction with White soon to be active centrally placed king means there are no entry points for the Black king. Finally, White places his pawns on black squares so they cannot be attacked by Black's bishop.} 31. Bd4+ Ke6 32. Ke3 f5 (32... Kd5 33. Bb2 Kc5 34. Kd2 Kb4 35. Bc3+ Kb5) 33. g5 Kd5 34. Bc3 a4 35. Bb4 Ba6 36. Bc3 a3 37. Bb4 a2 38. Bc3 Bb5 39. Bd4 ({After} 39. Bd4 {a representative variation follows indicating Black is unable to achieve anything significant despite the extra material.} Kc6 40. Ba1 Kc5 41. Kd2 Kb4 42. Bb2 Kb3 43. Bc3 Bc6 44. Bd4 Be4 45. Bc3 Bb1 46. Ba1 {A nicely played game by both players who negotiated the evaluation of some difficult lines very well.}) 1/2-1/2