[Event "Captainmatch V.A.S."] [Site "?"] [Date "1927.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Weenink, H."] [Black "Euwe, M."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B83"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "45"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.05.17"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 {Relatively quiet "classical" development. This contrasts with the complex and aggressive} (6. Bg5 {the so-called Richter-Rauzer attack that has been hotly discussed in theory and praxis for many decades}) 6... e6 {Transposing into the Scheveningen variation of the Sicilian which Euwe took a large part in the introduction and development of in Master play,.starting in the early 1920s, and from both sides of the board too! The pawns at d6 and e6 give good control of the central squares and a multitude of counter attacking possibilities if either were to be advanced usually in conjuction with Black playing on the queen's-side, in particular along the c-file, and by controlling the c4 square.} 7. O-O Be7 8. Kh1 (8. Be3 {is the main alternative. Both moves are played by the World's elite at present.}) 8... a6 {Control of the b5 square , together with the possibliity of advancing a pawn to b5, is a characteristic concept in many Sicilian variations, in particular the Najdorf, which can overlap with the Scheveningen depending when Black plays a6.} (8... O-O {is common and features in early games in this opening.such as} 9. f4 a6 (9... Qc7 10. Bf3 (10. Nb3 a6 11. a4 b6 12. Bf3 Bb7 13. Be3 Nb4 {Maroczy-Euwe, Scheveningen 1923.}) 10... a6 11. a4 Bd7 12. Nb3 Rfd8 13. Be3 Be8 14. a5 Nd7 {Euwe-Colle, Amateur Olympiad A Paris 1924.}) 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Bf3 Qc7 12. Bg1 Rad8 {Lasker-Karstedt, Lasker Simul Lusatia 1924.}) ({Black may also delay castling by} 8... Bd7 9. f4 Qc7 10. Nb3 a6 11. a4 {transposing to Euwe-Najdorf, Buenos Aires La Plata International 1947.}) 9. a4 (9. f4 {is often chosen in both older and modern games. Play may go, for example,} Qc7 10. Bf3 (10. Be3 O-O 11. Qe1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Qg3 Bc6 15. Rae1 Rae8 {Anand-Karpov, Sao Paulo rapid 2004}) 10... O-O 11. Be3 (11. Nce2 {is not appropriate due to} Bd7 12. b3 e5 {Strick van Linschoten-Straat, Scheveningen 1923.}) 11... Re8 12. a4 Bd7 13. Nb3 {Anand-Topolov, Linares 1999.}) 9... Qc7 10. f4 Na5 {Possibly an early experiment which seems perfectly playable but not utilised much in later games . Most games have gone instead} (10... O-O {at this point including multiple times in the infamous Karpov-Kasparov World Championship match of 1985.}) 11. Bd3 {a repositioning of the bishop to facilitate fighting for the c4 square as well as ponting at h7 when Black castles king's-side.} ({other games with the early Na5 idea have gone} 11. Bf3 O-O 12. Qd3 Bd7 13. b3 Rac8 14. Bb2 {and now both} Rfd8 {Proehl-Straube, JBLN Ost Germany 1995.} ({and} 14... Nc6 {Edelman-De Hartogh, NED-Tch 1933 give Black a good game.})) (11. Qe1 O-O 12. Qg3 Rd8 $6 (12... Bd7 {and}) (12... d5 {developing or counter-attacking in the centre look better.}) 13. f5 e5 $2 {Now Black gets wiped off the board showing how sharp these openings can be} 14. Bg5 (14. Bh6 {is also powerful.}) 14... exd4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nd5 Qc6 17. Nxf6+ Kh8 18. Qh4 h6 19. Ng4 {1:0 Kloke-Van Acheren, NRW Class 1 Germany 2004.}) 11... O-O 12. Qe2 e5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. Rxf5 Nc6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 {Clearer equality results from} (16... Qd6 17. Nxe7+ Nxe7 18. Rf3 Ng6) 17. exd5 g6 $2 {This intermediate move, designed to try and avoid the loss of the e5 pawn, fails to a fairly straightforward sacrifice leaving the Black king exposed. If the knight moves then the e5 pawn falls by} (17... Nd4 18. Qxe5) ({but} 17... Nb4 {provides adequate play for the pawn after} 18. Rxe5 Bd6 19. Re4 Nxd3 ({but not} 19... Bxh2 $2 {this pawn grab is fatal due to both} 20. Rxb4 ({and} 20. Rh4)) 20. Qxd3 Rac8) 18. dxc6 gxf5 19. cxb7 {The simplest although} (19. Bxf5 Qxc6 {also wins for White since Black has no time to defend h7, by for example, f6 and Rf7, due to} 20. Qg4+ Kh8 21. Qh3) 19... Qxb7 20. Bxf5 Rfd8 (20... f6 21. Bh6 Rfd8 (21... Rf7 22. Be4 $18 (22. Be6 Bf8 {provides Black with a bit of hope.})) 22. Qg4+ Kf7 23. Qg7+ Ke8 24. Qg8+ {mates.}) 21. Qg4+ ({Here the attempt to win material by} 21. Be4 $2 {loses to} Qxe4 22. Qxe4 Rd1+) 21... Kh8 (21... Kf8 {offers no hope whatsoever due to} 22. Bh6+ Ke8 23. Qg8+) 22. Qh5 Rd1+ $4 {A massive blunder in a lost position that shortens the game by a few moves.} ({If} 22... Kg7 23. Qh6+ {is most strightforward. White has to work a bit after} (23. Qxh7+ Kf6 {when the knock-out blow is} 24. Bg5+ {leading to mate in a few more moves.} Kxg5 25. Rf1 Rh8 26. h4+ Kf6 27. Bc8+) 23... Kg8 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8#) 23. Qxd1 {Despite only playing sporadically Max Euwe continued to develop in the 1920s and 1930 to win the World Championship in a match versus Alexander Alekhine of very high standard indeed. Euwe was never a chess professional though and was a very gifted individual who excelled in a wide range of other activities and lived a normal married existence.. As his whole life was not centered totally around chess he , amongst many really excellent games, made occasional elementary mistakes such as 22...Rd1+ in the above game and others at Nottingham 1936 and the 1948 World Championship. In contrast to these sort of games his matches against Keres and Bogoljubov, the dominance of chess in Holland for decades and , for instance, his result at Groningen 1946 demonstrate many suberb examples of his play as do those in his modestly entitled book "From My Ches Games 1920-1937".} 1-0