[Event "Hoogovens"] [Site "Beverwijk"] [Date "1946.01.06"] [Round "2"] [White "Van Steenis, Hendrik Jan"] [Black "Koomen, Willem"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C58"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1946.01.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 {Transposing to the Two Knights Opening-a deceptively innocent name for the type of play that can potentially follow.} 4. Ng5 $5 {This move, which very early in the game attempts to exploit the vulnerbility of Black's f7 pawn has been described, according to GM Evans, by outstanding players such as Panov and Tarrasch, as "primitive" or "a duffer's move". On the other hand some great players such as Bronstein and Fischer have essayed the move as well as in more recent times Aronian and Grischuk..} ({Former World Champion (ex Champion in Kasparov's terminology) Carlsen avoids the whole issue and prefers} 4. d3 {and has obtained an excellent score with this quiet move.}) 4... d5 5. exd5 Na5 (5... Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 {is the so-called Fried Liver Attack which is generally believed by chess hoi polloi to be disasterous for Black. However, it has remarkably been played against top players like Kamsky and Alekseenko who won so matters are not so clear. My personal experience went in line with expectations:} 8. Nc3 Ncb4 9. Qe4 c6 10. a3 Na6 11. d4 Bd6 12. f4 Nac7 13. O-O Bd7 14. fxe5 Be7 15. Qg4# {Donnelly-Redmann, Billingham Teesside 1968.}) 6. Bb5+ (6. d3 h6 7. Nf3 e4 8. Qe2 {is the usual sequence as favoured by strong players such as Zeng and Spitz but Bronstein sprang} (8. dxe4 Nxc4 9. Qd4 Nb6 10. c4 {in his game as White against Rojahn at Moscow 1956 and overwhelmed Black with a central pawn roller})) 6... c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 (8. Be2 h6 {and now} 9. Nf3 {is a more rational move as in Kasparov-Timman, PCA/Intel rapid Moscow 1996.} ({rather than} 9. Nh3 {-the ancient Steinitz idea but revived in Fischer-Bisguer, NY State Open ch 1963 a game won by White.})) (8. Bd3 {is another White option as in Morozevich-Karjakin, Moscow Tal Memorial blitz 2008.}) ({but} 8. Ba4 {is comfortable for Black after} h6 {Lesin-Goriachkin, Irkutsk Region-ch final 2008.}) 8... Qc7 {Black has several other options in this position generally leading to chaotic play. Examples include} (8... Rb8 9. Bd3 Bd6 {Yemelin-Tomashevsky, EU-Cup Kallithea 2008.}) (8... Be7 9. Bxc6+ Nxc6 10. Qxc6+ Bd7 11. Qf3 {Mamedyarov-Tomashevsky, Moscow Aeroflot open-A 2009.}) ({and if} 8... cxb5 9. Qxa8 {the new World Champion chose} Be7 {Yu-Ding, Lindores Abbey final-8 chess24.com INT rapid 2020.} ({whilst a former World Champion prefered} 9... Bc5 10. O-O O-O {Bogoljubow-Euwe, Match 1941.})) 9. Bd3 Be7 (9... Bd6 10. Nc3 {also leads to unbalanced play, for example Van der Wiel-Beliavasky, Baden 1980, due to the line} Bg4 11. Nb5 Bxf3 12. Nxc7+ Bxc7 13. gxf3) 10. b3 O-O (10... h6 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 O-O {and now} 13. g4 $5 ({rather than} 13. Bf5 e4 14. Qxe4 Bf6 15. Nc3 Ba6 16. Qe3 Rfe8 17. Be4 {as Black is winning-Kardoeus-Hofer, Kiel open-A 2014.})) 11. Ba3 {White continues to try and unbalance the game even more whilst a more standard move would be} (11. Bb2) 11... Bxa3 12. Nxa3 h6 13. h4 $5 {Imaginative chess in preference to the more solid} (13. Ne4 Nd5 14. Nc3 Be6 15. O-O f5 {with about equal chances.}) 13... Re8 ({Accepting the sacrifice with} 13... hxg5 14. hxg5 {reveals what hidden tactics are in this posiiton. For instance} e4 (14... Nd5 15. Rh8+ Kxh8 16. Qh5+ Kg8 17. Qh7#) 15. gxf6 exf3 (15... exd3 16. Qh5 $18) (15... Qe5 16. O-O-O exf3 17. Bh7+ $11) 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Bg6+ $11) 14. Ne4 {White operates exclusively in the centre as castling either side leads to a winning game for Black:} (14. O-O-O Bg4 $19) (14. O-O hxg5 15. hxg5 e4 $19) 14... Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Be6 $6 {This straightforward developing move allows White to escalate the randomness on the board. After some fire-works the sequence beginning} (15... f5 {leads to equality after} 16. Bxf5 e4 17. Bxe4 Qe5 18. O-O Qxe4 19. Rae1 Qxf3 ({or} 19... Qxe1 20. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21. Kh2 Be6) 20. Rxe8+ Qf8 21. Rxf8+ Kxf8) 16. b4 Nb7 (16... Nc4 {loses to} 17. Nxc4 Bxc4 18. Qc3 Bd5 (18... Be6 19. Bxc6) (18... Bb5 19. a4) 19. Bxd5 {with two extra pawns and no Black counter-play.}) 17. b5 {An ambitious idea.} (17. Bxc6 {allows} Bg4 18. Qxg4 Qxc6 19. O-O Rad8 {which gives Black compensation for the two pawns in better development and the disharmony in White's game.}) 17... Na5 (17... cxb5 {is perhaps safer again with compensation for the pawns after} 18. Bxb7 e4 19. Bxe4 Bd5 20. Nxb5 ({not} 20. d3 Qc3+ $19) 20... Qe5 21. O-O Bxe4) 18. g4 {Original play White just leaves the king in the centre and continues to attack.} Rab8 19. g5 hxg5 20. hxg5 Kf8 {Whilst providing for the Black king to escape to safety with Ke7 this loss of tempo should have been fatal. A position with a more co-ordinated game for Black results from} (20... cxb5 21. g6 b4) 21. Ke2 $5 {Persisting in originality White missed the chance to grab a second pawn safely with} (21. bxc6 {leaving Black to justify the loss of material.}) 21... cxb5 {Seemingly safe enough but met with by a brilliant idea.} 22. Qf6 Bg4+ (22... gxf6 23. gxf6 Bg4+ 24. f3 (24. Ke1 Kg8 25. Bh7+ $11) 24... Kg8 25. Rag1 Qd7 26. Rxg4+ Qxg4 27. fxg4 {and remarkably Black can do nothing to prevent the currently inactive Na3 coming into the game via Nb1-c3-d5 or Nd2-c4 with devastating effect as illustrated in a later note.}) 23. f3 gxf6 24. gxf6 Kg8 25. Rag1 Qd7 26. Bh7+ {Not surprisingly White goes a little off-course here.} (26. Rxg4+ {is a more emphatic move with the re-routing of the Na3 idea to follow.}) 26... Kf8 27. Rxg4 (27. Bf5 {forces White to draw by repetiiton with} Bxf3+ 28. Ke1 (28. Kxf3 Qxf5+ $19) 28... Bxh1 29. Rxh1 Kg8 30. Bh7+ $11) 27... Qxg4 28. fxg4 Rb6 29. g5 a6 $2 {Too slow in a critical posiiton.} (29... e4 {keeps Black in the game although White has more chances via} 30. Bxe4 Rxe4+ (30... Kg8 31. Kf3) 31. Kf3 Kg8 32. Kxe4) 30. Be4 Kg8 31. Rh7 $6 (31. Nb1 $3 {is optimum when a possible line hardly to be envisaged in an otb game would be} b4 32. d3 Rd6 33. Nd2 Nc6 34. Nc4 Rde6 35. Ne3 Nd4+ 36. Kd2 Rc8 37. Bh7+ Kf8 38. Bf5 Nxf5 39. Rh8#) 31... b4 $2 {This now loses so Black had to play the counter-intuitive} (31... Rf8 {which seals in the king but allows Black to hang on for more moves after} 32. Nb1 Nc4 33. Nc3 Nd6 34. Nd5 Rb7 35. Ne7+ Rxe7 36. fxe7 Re8 37. g6 Rxe7 38. Bd5 {although White should still win.}) 32. Rg7+ Kf8 33. Bh7 {Its mate in one or two moves. Rather inspired and impressive play by White who in the end deserved victory in a stageringly complex game. This, in spite of some mistakes by both sides, which would be entirely expected in such a difficult otb game.} 1-0