[Event "Southsea"] [Site "Southsea"] [Date "1949.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Rossolimo, Nicolas"] [Black "Wallis, Philip Norman"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C06"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1949.??.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,73,25,25,40,34,35,18,26,20,20,28,21,10,3,4,18,18,44,38,54,57,48,32,34,1,71,66,101,-2,-7,14,28,12,36,43,43,-244,-244,-244,-244,-243,-246,-682,-695,-704,-234,-203,-205,-198,-206,-207,-207,-205,-205,-205,-160,-112,-112,-129,-82,-82,39,36,157,156,419,438,866,882,901,901,29987,29988,29989,29990]} 1. e4 e6 {A great favourite of Black.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {The Tarrasch variation which can lead to a more open position than normally occurs in the French Defence.} Nf6 (3... c5 {is the main alternative, and more natural move, faced often by Rossolimo. Some representative games are} 4. exd5 (4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Ne4 6. c3 (6. Bd3 Nc6 7. c3 Nxd2 8. Bxd2 Bd7 9. dxc5 {A plan, if I recall correctly, based on a vague understanding of the game Nimzowitsch-Salwe, Carlsbad 1911 where White over-protected the e5 square and then advanced the b-pawn to attack the bishop on c5.} Bxc5 10. O-O Be7 11. Re1 Qc7 12. Qc2 h6 13. b4 O-O 14. Qc1 f6 15. Bf4 fxe5 16. Bxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bg5 18. Qc2 Rad8 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Ng6+ Kxh7 21. Nxf8+ Kg8 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. Qe2 Re8 24. c4 Kf8 {1:0 Donnelly-Hull. Postal Chess League 1968.}) 6... Nc6 7. Bd3 Nxd2 8. Bxd2 Qb6 9. O-O c4 {Dominguez-Ivanchuk, Beijing Sportaccord Blitz 2014.}) (4. c3 {is not a problem for Black after} Qb6 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. exd5 exd5 7. Nb3 c4 8. Nbd2 Nf6 9. Be2 Bd6 10. O-O O-O {Meier-Al Habeeb, Olympiad-41 Tromsoe 2014 (and earlier in Eptom-Donnelly, Durham County League 1969).}) 4... exd5 5. Ngf3 {as played by the World's elite, for instance,} (5. Bb5+ {is more direct as chosen by Rossolimo for example} Bd7 (5... Nc6 6. Ngf3 Bd6 7. O-O Nge7 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nb3 Bb6 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. fxe3 O-O 12. Qd2 {Rossolimo-Szabo, Trencianske-Teplice 1949.}) 6. Bxd7+ Nxd7 7. Ne2 Bd6 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. O-O Ne7 10. Nf3 {Rossolimo-Rautenberg, Oldenburg 1949.}) (5. c3 {is too passive and a game by lesser mortals went} Nf6 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Bb5+ Nc6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qa4 Qb6 10. Ngf3 Bxf2+ 11. Kd1 Ng4 {and White is dead lost in Hockaday-Donnelly, Billingham (Teesside) Schools Tournament 1968.}) 5... Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nb3 Bb6 {Firouzja-Carlsen, Bullet Chess Winners Chess.com INT blitz 2023.}) (3... dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 {is the other Black option aiming for piece exchanges.} 5. c3 Be7 6. Nf3 Ngf6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nxf6+ Bxf6 9. Qc2 h6 10. Be3 e5 11. O-O-O exd4 12. Nxd4 Qe7 13. Rhe1 {Rossolimo-Dunkelblum, Claire Benedict Cup 1953.}) 4. e5 Nfd7 {the game rerturns to a blocked centre more characteristic of the French.} 5. Bd3 (5. Ngf3 {led to a good win for Wallis against a two times British Champion.} c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Be2 cxd4 8. cxd4 Qb6 9. Nb3 a5 10. a4 Bb4+ 11. Kf1 f6 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. Bf4 O-O 14. g3 Ng4 15. Bb5 e5 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bh3+ 19. Kg1 Rae8 20. Qh5 Bf5 21. Qg5 Rxe5 22. dxe5 Bc2 {0:1 Golombek-Wallis, British CF-37 Championship Buxton 1950.}) (5. f4 {is the other main White choice to try and stabilise the centre.} c5 6. c3 Qb6 7. Ndf3 Nc6 8. Ne2 Be7 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Ned4 {Tringov-Petrosian, EU-Tch Final Skara 1980 (and Hamilton-Donnelly by transpositon from an Alekhine Defence!) Middlesbrough Ch 1969)}) 5... c5 6. c3 Nc6 ({with} 6... b6 {Black rapidly attempts to solve the inherant queen's bishop problem in the French and was successful in the following game} 7. Ne2 Ba6 8. Bb1 Nc6 9. Nf3 Be7 10. O-O Qc7 11. Re1 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Nf8 13. Bf4 Ng6 14. Bg3 c4 15. Nd2 Bg5 16. Rf1 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 {Rossolimo-Keininger, Heidelberg 1949.}) 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 {Play has proceeded along well established. Now Black comes up with an uncommon idea.} Nb4 {a provocative move played many times in the decades from the 1990s to the present by Ruckschloss. The battle resolves around control of the a6-f1 diagonal and is playable even though Black risks the knight being pushed back by a3.} ({Instead} 8... f6 {(with one of Rossolimo's games going} 9. f4 fxe5 10. dxe5 Nc5 11. Bb1 Qb6 12. Nc3 g6 13. Nf3 Bd7 14. Ng5 Be7 15. h4 Bxg5 16. hxg5 O-O-O 17. Qe2 {Rossolimo-Czerniak, Venice 1950).}) ({and also} 8... Qb6 {continuing to attack and/or undermine White's centre are far more common.}) (8... Nb6 9. O-O Bd7 {the so-called Leningrad variation was also fashionable at the time of the main game.}) 9. Bb1 (9. Nf3 {has been playe in a handful of games but achieves little after the obvious} Nxd3+ 10. Qxd3 Be7) 9... b5 {A strange looking move but in reality Black proceedes as fast as possible with a queen's-side pawn storm before White commences his on the king's-side.} (9... b6 {is also played an example being} 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 a5 12. Qa4 {otherwise Ba6 exchanging the often problmatic queen's bishop.} Bb7 13. O-O Be7 14. f4 g6 {Gruenfeld-Lein, Lone Pine op Statham Masters 1979.}) (9... Nb6 {is another method when the bishop comes to d7} 10. O-O Bd7 11. a3 Nc6 12. Bd3 Rc8 13. b3 g6 14. Bb2 Bg7 15. f4 {Kieninger-Bogoljubow, GER-ch qual Augsburg 1951.}) 10. O-O ({If} 10. a3 {then simply} Nc6 {when b4 is in the offing.}) 10... a5 11. f4 g6 12. g4 {Very commital. Safer was} (12. Nf3) ({or} 12. a3 Nc6 13. b3 a4 14. b4 Nb6 15. Kh1 Bb7 16. Bd3 Nc4 17. Nxc4 dxc4 18. Be4 {Sikora Lerch-Ruckschloss, Prerov Friendship IM 2001.}) 12... h5 {tempting but allowing White's next with great complications. Steadier play results from} (12... Qh4 13. Ng3 h5 14. gxh5 gxh5 15. Nf3 Qg4 {Matejovic-Ruckschloss, SVK-chT1W Slovakia 2015.}) ({as well as} 12... Qb6 {Salai-Ruckschloss, SVK-ch T1W 2000 and Sinelnikov-Ruckschloss, W-ch Seniors Rijeka 2011.}) 13. f5 {A characteristic breakthrough in this type of pawn formation but Black comes up with a surpise sacrifice.} Nxe5 {A good idea which complicates the game even further.} (13... hxg4 {is less appealing due to} 14. fxe6 Nxe5 15. exf7+ Nxf7 16. Bxg6 Ra7 {although just about playable with an unclear game.}) ({which contrasts with} 13... Qh4 14. Nf3 Qxg4+ 15. Kf2 {which is good for White as the Black queen is in trouble.}) 14. dxe5 Bc5+ 15. Kg2 {The king has more freedom on this square relative to} (15. Kh1 hxg4 16. f6 {because of} Bb7) 15... hxg4 (15... Qh4 {again leaves the queen with problems after} 16. g5 Qxg5+ 17. Kh1 {due to the threat of Ne4.}) 16. f6 Bb7 (16... Kd7 $2 {trying to escape to the queens-side is a flawed idea} 17. Ne4 ({but not the ill-timed move} 17. a3 {as Black wins by} Rxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Qh8+ 19. Kg3 Qh3+ 20. Kf4 Be3#) 17... Qb6 18. Nf4 Kc7 19. Ng5 Rf8 20. Qxg4 {wins.}) 17. Ng3 Qc7 18. Nb3 $2 {White goes drastically astray in trying to deflect Black from taking on e5. Essential was} (18. Qxg4 {which is unclear and} Qxe5 {loses to} 19. Nf3 Qxf6 20. Ng5) 18... d4+ 19. Be4 Bxe4+ 20. Nxe4 Qxe5 21. Qxg4 (21. Ng3 Qd5+ 22. Kg1 Bb6 {is overwhelming due to the threat of d3.}) 21... Qxh2+ 22. Kf3 {Although White has 3 pawns for the piece he is in real trouble here.} Nd3 {still winning but more emphatic was} (22... Rh3+ 23. Ng3 Bd6 24. Bf4 Bxf4 25. Qxf4 Nd3 26. Qc7 Rxg3+ 27. Qxg3 Ne5+ 28. Kf4 g5+) 23. Bf4 Rh3+ 24. Bg3 Ne5+ 25. Kf4 Nxg4 (25... Nd3+ 26. Kf3 Bb6 {is not as clear cut becasue of} 27. Qg5) 26. Bxh2 Nxh2 27. Nbxc5 Nxf1 {Obvious but allowing White to continue the game.} (27... Rd8 {followed by Rd5 would leave White helpless.}) 28. Rxf1 Rd8 29. Kg4 {Remarkably, by holding his nerve, White has reached a balanced position.} Rh5 (29... Rh2 {can be met in the same manner as Rh5 when Black must be careful.} 30. Nb7 Rd5 31. Nbd6+ Kd7 32. Nxf7 Rxb2 (32... d3 33. Kg3 {is also level unless Black tries to queen when he loses to} d2 34. Kxh2 d1=Q 35. Ne5+ Kc7 36. Rxd1 Rxd1 37. f7) 33. Nh6 Rf5 $11) 30. Nb7 Rb8 (30... Rdd5 {leaves the back rank open and White either wins or draws by} 31. Nbd6+ Kd7 (31... Kf8 32. Rc1 $18) 32. Nxf7 Rdf5 33. Rc1 $11) 31. Nbd6+ Kf8 $2 {holding onto f7 loses hence Black had to bail out with} (31... Kd7 32. Nxf7 {despite White having the better chances.}) 32. Ng5 e5 33. Ndxf7 e4 34. Ne5 Rxg5+ 35. Kxg5 {White has just 2 pawns for the piece but the Black king is in deep trouble.} e3 36. Rh1 Kg8 37. Kxg6 ({Following} 37. Kxg6 {Black is soon mated. A few examples are} d3 (37... Rf8 38. Nc6 d3 39. Ne7#) (37... Rb7 38. Rc1 Rb8 39. Nd7 d3 (39... Rf8 40. f7+ Rxf7 41. Rc8+ Rf8 42. Rxf8#) 40. f7+ Kh8 41. Rh1#) 38. Nf7 d2 39. Rh8# {A lucky escape for White who went on to win the event with an excellent, unbeaten, score of 9/10 followed by Pachman on 8.5, Tartakower on 8, and Aitken on 7 with Wallis in 5th place on 6 points but above Sir G.Thomas and F.Alexander on 5.5. Wallis was in the 1940s both Warwickshire otb and correspondence champion, whilst living in Kenilworth, and just before the Southsea event the NCCU Champion. Later he also won the Yorkshire and Leicestershire County Championships and the MCCU championship. So a very strong and succesful regional player. Rossolimo in comparison, was an International player in every sense. He had finished second behind Capablanca in a tournament in 1938 and was after the war many times champion of Paris.. Around the time of the Southsea event he was French Champion and drew two matches against the legendary Tartakower. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and the GM title shortly after and also won the USA Open on tie break ahead of Reshevsky.}) 1-0