[Event ""]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1946.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gligoric, S"]
[Black "Bidev, P"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Tim McGrew"]
[ECO "C60"]

{ When I set about trying to find a game of Gligoric's for the campfire, I almost despaired. For over half a century Svetozar Gligoric has been turning out chess masterpieces -- how to select from such an abundance of material?
Gligoric was one of the early contributors to the theory and practice of the King's Indian Defense; one could easily find a dozen beautiful wins by him in that opening. But for a campfire game, some of these are too strategically complex. Finally, reaching back to the early post-war era, I found a gem of a game that illustrates a surprisingly simple theme: the use of Time in the opening. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Many players hammer out the first few moves of the Ruy Lopez (or "Spanish Game" as it's sometimes called) without stopping to think about the logic behind them.
White, we are told by some opening books, is threatening to remove the defender of Black's e-pawn. But if that's really the threat, then why does Black so often adopt Morphy's idea of 3...a6, immediately daring the Bishop to capture on c6? And why does White so often decline to take? } 3... a6 4. Ba4 { The answer is that White is not actually threatening -- yet -- to take the N/c6 and grab the e-pawn. Even in the exchange variation 3...a6 4.Bxc6, White's aim is not to win the e-pawn but rather to establish a healthy Kingside pawn majority, at the cost of the two Bishops. 4...dxc6 The punishment for grabbing on e5 is a swift equalization of the position: 5.Nxe5 Qd4 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2.  Notice the resulting pawn structure. White and Black each have four pawns on the Queenside. In this kind of pawn formation, White cannot force a passed pawn: Black's "crippled" Queenside holds White's "healthy" set of four easily. So Black has the Bishop pair essentially for free. Unfortunately, it's almost inevitable that everything will be exchanged down the e-file (both sides will rush to occupy this with Rooks) with an early draw the likely result. 
So instead of playing 4.Bxc6 as a means of "winning" the e-pawn, White sometimes plays the exchange variation in order to trade his own d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. That is a different matter entirely: 5.0-0 Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4  This sort of position -- with or without the exchange of Queens -- affords White more winning chances. Now White's pawn majority is on the Kingside, and that makes a huge difference. Experience shows that Black's pair of Bishops is just about adequate compensation for White's pawn majority. But this line can definitely be played for something other than a stone-cold draw, as Fischer proved numerous times. 
Nevertheless, the resulting positions often lack the dynamism of a full-board struggle. In our game, Gligoric chooses a time-honored move that remains the main line of the Ruy Lopez: 4.Ba4  It's instructive to keep track of time in the opening. White is moving the Bishop for the second time, but this isn't really a net loss in development since Black's move ...a6 hardly counts for much in the way of time. White remains, then, half a tempo ahead. 
I can hear the faint sound of heads being scratched. "Half a tempo? How do you get half of a tempo? A move is a move, you can't have half of a move!"  Not to leave you wondering, here's my modest contribution toward the theory of time in the opening. In the initial position of chess, White is thought to have a slight advantage. But why? The position is, after all, symmetrical. White's only advantage is that it is his turn to move.   Now, it would violate logic if White, who has this theoretical advantage, were to stand worse after using it in the best possible way. Therefore, I propose to count having the turn to move as being worth half of a tempo. Consider: 
After 1.e4, White has moved -- and gets a full tempo for that. But it is now Black's turn to play, and so Black gets back half a tempo. The net difference? One half of a tempo, just as it was before White moved. Skip forward now to the point where White has played 4.Ba4. 
White has three useful moves on the board that affect, directly or indirectly, the center: P/e4, N/f3, B/a4 (threatening Black's Knight, though at the moment that threat doesn't carry much bite).  Black has only two: N/c6 and P/e5. However, it is Black's turn to move. So White has retained his half-tempo lead. (White gets 3 tempi, one for each "good" move. Black gets two for "good" moves and another half-tempo for its being his turn to move.) } 4... Nf6 5. O-O { Experience shows that Black cannot simply win a pawn here on e4: he must rapidly give it back or face a fierce attack. The line is playable (it is known as the "Open Defense"), but in our game Bidev plays more conservatively.  White remains half a tempo ahead: He has four useful moves to Black's three, so he would appear to be a full tempo ahead, but it is Black's turn to play so that narrows the gap to half a tempo. } 5... Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 { A third move by the Bishop, but again, obviously forced: White retains the advantage in Time conferred on him by the first move. Of course, there's also the interesting question of Black's pawns on a6 and b5 -- are they strong or weak?  Whoever can answer that question understands the mysteries of the Ruy Lopez. 
Black cannot get away with an immediate chase of the Bishop -- his e-pawn is hanging, and he is not in a position to regain it. So he must either sacrifice it by ...0-0 (the Marshall Attack) or else defend it, as Bidev does here. } 7... d6 { This move constitutes a positional threat to the B/b3: Black now intends ...Na5, both aiming at the Bishop and freeing his c-pawn for duty in the center.  This gives me an opportunity to clear up another little mystery. Many players learn early on to identify Bishops as "bad" or "good," according to whether they do or do not bump into their own center pawns.  By that criterion, of course, White's B/b3 is "bad" -- it's on a light square, as is White's principal pawn in the center on e4.  But that isn't really the point. The important thing is that White's Bishop is active.  The designation "bad" is only useful insofar as it denotes a Bishop that is well and truly restricted by its pawns.
Black's Bishop on e7 is, at this point, unequivocally bad. But neither of White's Bishops is inactive like the poor creature on e7.  That is why White now takes time to preserve his Bishop and increase his control over the center, particularly the d4 square. } 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 { This move, which can be found in tens of thousands of grandmaster games, is liable to be baffling. Isn't it almost always a bad waste of time to move one's Rook's pawn in the opening? And isn't it particularly weakening when done in front of one's King??   
Yet the move has a sound strategic objective that is squarely focused in the center. White wants the option of creating a strong center with a subsequent d4. If Black is allowed to play ...Bg4, the pin on White's N/f3 will reduce White's control of d4 -- the more so since Black, by capturing on f3, not only eliminates one defender of d4 but also draws away the Queen, thereby at a single blow reducing White's control of d4 by two. } 9... Bb7 10. d3 { An interesting parting of the ways.  
Gligoric could very well play d4 here -- his previous play has been designed to make it possible. But instead, he chooses a rather different (and superficially, slower) method of handling the position. By playing 10.d3, he cuts the potential of Black's B/b7, thereby rendering the tempo spent on its development a waste. } 10... Nd7 { Black, for his part, evolves a plan to bring his forces to the Queenside and open the center, believing that he has superiority in piece activity. } 11. Nbd2 Nc5 12. Bc2 d5 { Without this move, Black's maneuver to reposition his Knight on c5 looks a little odd. But on second thought, it looks odd with ...d5 as well. On f6, the Knight supported ...d5 directly. Black has chased White's Bishop to c2, but the Bishop will stand very well there when the e-pawn is exchanged off!  Indeed, in the coming tactics, Black will have cause to remember that Bishop on c2. } 13. exd5 Qxd5 14. Nf1 Rad8 { Superficially, Black's position looks fine. He controls four ranks of the board to White's three: his pieces seem tolerably active, and it's hard to believe that disaster is about to strike.   
To get beyond superficial assessments, let's look at some less obvious factors. First, mentally draw lines from White's Bishops up the diagonals.  They're aimed in the right direction, and they will both be ready to let fly when White (as is unstoppable) plays d4. 
Second, look at the square f5. Wouldn't that make a lovely location for a Knight? Black, by exposing his Queen on d5, has given White a free tempo for swinging a Knight up there.  It is hard to believe it, but at this point Black is probably already lost. The time he spent repositioning his Knight to c5 -- where it has virtually no bearing on Kingside defense and is in fact an embarrassment -- comes back to haunt him. } 15. Ne3 Qd7 { The drive begins. From now on, Gligoric's pieces come flooding out with a speed that is truly frightening. } 16. d4 exd4 { Black would love to bypass the exchange, but because of the attack on his N/c5, he cannot: 16...e4 17.Nd2 ... and Black must move the Knight, allowing the e-pawn to fall. } 17. cxd4 Qc8 { Bidev pins the d-pawn, hoping that Gligoric has simply overlooked the fresh attack by the Rook. He could not in any event have gotten away with taking it, because in the end the weakness of the f5 square (no, really!) is too great: 17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Qxd4 19.Qxd4 Rxd4 20.Nf5 White snags a full piece here. } 18. Bd2 { Unpinning! Once again, Black is unable to take the pawn because of a subsequent Nf5 forking d4 and e7. } 18... Na4 19. d5 Nb8 20. Nf5 Bf6 21. Ng5 { Witness the transformation!  
In just a few moves, White's pieces have assumed truly menacing positions. Now Black's h-pawn is threatened, since a recapture would be met by Ne7, winning the Queen with the discovered check from -- yes, you guessed it, from the B/c2! } 21... g6 { This is not an unreasonable try: Black hopes to put his Bishop on g7 where it may give him some defensive strength. But now Gligoric shows his tactical completeness with a lovely exploitation of both light and dark squares around Bidev's King. } 22. Nxh7 { A lovely shot! The fundamental idea is to draw the King up to h7, thereby self-pinning the g-pawn. } 22... Kxh7 { But how, you ask, is the g-pawn pinned? The answer is that it is pinned by the B/c2. "No," you say, "it's not; the N/f5 is in the way." But Gligoric cannot be bothered with such trifles! } 23. Ne7 $3 { This lovely follow-up, which had to be seen, clears the diagonal and simultaneously attacks the Black Queen. Notice that the Queen cannot come up to e6, f5, or g4 -- squares from which she might render some defensive aid to the beleaguered Kingside. } 23... Bxe7 24. Qh5+ { Finally, White exploits the pin on the g-pawn. Now Black may as well run to g8, since he can be forced there anyway. 24...Kg7 25.Qh6+ Kf6? 26.Bg5# ... would be a merciful way to commit suicide. Bidev, however, insists on being shown. } 24... Kg8 25. Bxg6 { The mate threat on h7 forces Black's reply. } 25... fxg6 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Rxe7 { ... and Bidev resigned.  There is, in truth, nothing left to be said.   
I've seen many masterpieces by Gligoric, but I've always had a weak spot in my heart for this sprightly demonstration of tactical mastery. All the while Bidev was maneuvering over to the Queenside, Gligoric was preparing -- surreptitiously, but very effectively --to take over the Kingside. I think we can forgive Bidev for not realizing it until it was too late.  Gligoric had to have what he needed in the right spot when he needed it, and he needed to know what to do with it when he got it!  He didn't fire a shot, didn't sac a piece, until everything was in readiness.  That Knight, repositioned with such labor, to c5, cost Black precious time and put the piece on a square that was palpably worse. Opening the center sealed his fate. } 1-0