Icannos/chess_studies huggingface dataset:
[Event "USSR Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kan"]
[Black "Botvinnik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "37"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Nd5 { White grab s some space in the center and offers his opponent a pawn. Black takes the bait but soon finds himself swamped in the middle. } 7... Nxe4 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 Nf6 { Botvinnik must have felt that with his king out of the center there was no danger, but he quickly realizes that this is not the case. } 10. Bg5 d6 11. Nd2 { Kan uses his lead in development to gang up on f6. If White can occupy f6, mate will follow effortlessly. Botvinnik tries heroically to stop this, but the cost is too high. } 11... Bg4 12. Bxf6 Qc8 13. Nxb6 cxb6 14. f3 Be6 15. Bh4 Nxb4 16. Be7 Qc5+ 17. Kh1 Rfe8 18. Ne4 Qc6 19. Bxd6 { Even Botvinnik , a pioneer of dynamic play, could lose like one of Morphy's opponents when he broke the rules in an open game. } 1-0
[Event "Barcelona"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Torres"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "35"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 { This is risky. } 5. Nb5 Bb4+ { Exposing this bishop to exchange only exposes the weakness of d6. Black should make a gambit of it by 5...d5 6.cxd5 Bc5. } 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 O-O 8. N1c3 Na6 { This loses time. Black had to try 8...Nc6, though the dark squares give White an edge. } 9. g3 Nc5 10. Bg2 a6 11. Nd6 Qa5 { Exposing his queen and knight to a potential fork. } 12. O-O Rb8 13. Rfd1 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Qg5 { With Black's pieces tied up on the queenside White strikes on the kingside. } 15... Na4 { Black is blind to the danger to his own king. He had to give up a pawn by 15...h6. } 16. Nf5 Ne8 17. Nh6+ Kh8 18. Qe7 { Black loses a rook. If you don't see this, check it out by playing this with Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "Carlsbad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Becker"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "35"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nd7 4. Nc3 Ngf6 5. Bf4 { White hopes to profit from Black's knight being committed to the passive square d7. } 5... dxc4 6. e3 { Note that White doesn't get anything from advancing his knight, as shown in the variation: 6.Nb5 Bb4+ 7.Nd2Ne4 } 6... Nd5 { Black decides to eliminate any future threats to c7, but he loses time doing so. } 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 Bd6 9. g3 Nf6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qe2 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 a6 14. Bd3 { The bishop 't doing anything on c4, so White takes aim at h7 and opens his rook's line to c7. } 14... Bb4 { Black hopes to counterattack on the a8-h1 diagonal, but White can answer any threats there easily, showing Black's idea to be a simple loss of time. } 15. Ne4 { Threatening to trade off the only defender of h7. } 15... Qd5 16. Nfg5 { Before trading off Black's knight White prepares to take the a8- h1 diagonal away from Black after a later Nxf6+ and Be4. } 16... Ne8 { Black sees ly the threat to c7, not the stronger threats on the a8- h1 diagonal and the kingside. } 17. Nxh7 f5 { 17...Kxh7 18.Nf6+ } 18. Nhg5 { Black missed this move. Now taking White's knight on e4 loses another pawn, so Black has no good defence to 19.Qh5. If you don't see White's wins after 18...Nf6, 18...fxe4 or 18...Qxd4, copy the game and try them out against Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "Budapest"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Colle"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "24"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qb3 Bxc3+ { Premature, since White often has to waste a tempo by a3 to force this trade. 4...c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 This is Black's best line here and should be equal. } 5. Qxc3 Ne4 { This is also premature. Black may have thought the knight was strong here, but it is really overexposed. } 6. Qc2 d5 7. Nf3 O-O 8. e3 Nc6 { Black hopes to free himself and destroy White's pawn center by a later ...e5. } 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O e5 { The break Black was playing for, but this move is really a blunder, since after 10...f5 11.Nd2 White will keep some advantage by playing b3 and Bb2 and later f3. } 11. cxd5 { Both of Black's knight's are attacked. Black resigned here, because ... } 11... Qxd5 { Loses to... } 12. Bc4 { Driving the queen from the defence of the knight on e4. Black's only try now is... } 12... Nb4 { But it isn't good enough. You should be able to work out White's win here. } 1-0
[Event "Budapest"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Colle"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "24"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qb3 Bxc3+ { Too early, since White often has to waste a tempo by a3 to force this trade. } 5. Qxc3 Ne4 { This is also premature. Black may have thought the knight was strong here, but it is really overexposed. } 6. Qc2 d5 7. Nf3 O-O 8. e3 Nc6 { Black hopes to free himself and destroy White's pawn center by a later ...e5. } 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O e5 { The break Black was playing for, but this move is really a blunder, since after the next move... } 11. cxd5 { both of Black's knight's are attacked. Black resigned here, because he saw that the only move to defend both knights, } 11... Qxd5 { loses to } 12. Bc4 { Driving the queen from the defence of the knight on e4. Black's only try now is } 12... Nb4 { but it isn't good enough. You should be able to work out White's win here. } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1930.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Batuyev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 c5 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 Nb6 11. Bb3 Nbd5 12. Ne5 Nd7 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Qe2 Nf6 15. Rfd1 b6 16. Rac1 Bb7 17. f3 Rc8 { Black seems to have a lot of pieces guarding the king, but White sees that the e6-square is very weak, and by investing a piece he can crack open the enemy position. } 18. Nxf7 Rxf7 19. Qxe6 { Capturing with the bishop would have forked Black's rooks, but this is even stronger, keeping a super-pin on the a2-g8 diagonal. Blocking the diagonal will not help Black, as the following series of captures demonstrates: 19.Qxe6 Ned5 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Bxd5 Bxd5 22.Rxc8 Bxe6 23.Rxd8+ Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.d5 } 19... Qf8 20. Ne4 { It is to White's advantage to exchange pieces, since he can always recover his material investment with interest by capturing at f7. } 20... Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Nfd5 { 21...Nxe4 22.fxe4 White has two very powerful passed pawns. } 22. Nd6 { This adds even more pressure to the pin, while also attacking the bishop at b7. } 22... Ba8 23. Re1 { A subtle move which exploits the power of the pin. After exchanges at f7, the king will wind up there, and so the knight at d5 will be pinned. Therefore the knight at e7 will lack support. } 23... g6 24. Nxf7 Qxf7 25. Qxe7 { A variation on the theme. Black resigned because capturing the queen with either piece will lead to a lost position: } 25... Nxe7 { 25...Qxe7 26.Rxe7 } 26. Rxe7 Bd5 27. Rxf7 Bxf7 28. Bxf7+ Kxf7 29. Kf2 { The king and pawn endgame is a simple win with two extra pawns in hand. } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1931.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Breitman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "45"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. Nge2 Bg4 8. f3 Bd7 9. Be3 Qc8 10. g4 e5 11. d5 Na5 12. b3 b6 13. Qd2 Nb7 14. Bg5 Nc5 15. Ng3 a6 16. h4 b5 { White attacks on the kingside and Black counterattacks on the queenside. But now White puts and end to Black's queenside aspirations. } 17. b4 Nb7 18. cxb5 axb5 19. h5 { The attack can now proceed without interruption. } 19... c5 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Bh6 Qc7 22. Rc1 Qe7 { Black is trying to defend, but now Botvinnik delivers the crowning blow. } 23. Nf5 { Black resigned. If you do not see what happens on 23...gxf5, try to play this against Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "Bled"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1931.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Nimzowitsch"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "37"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Ne2 { Giving Black the opportunity to win a pawn, but the cost is very high. } 4... dxe4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 f5 { So Black has a pawn, but White has a big lead in development and the dark squares around Black's king are very weak. } 7. f3 exf3 8. Qxf3 Qxd4 { This is really asking for it, as Black must lose more time with his queen and White can occupy the open d-file soon. } 9. Qg3 { A strong double attack White will take one of the few defenders of the dark squares Black has left. } 9... Nf6 10. Qxg7 Qe5+ 11. Be2 Rg8 12. Qh6 Rg6 13. Qh4 Bd7 14. Bg5 Bc6 15. O-O-O Bxg2 { Black is still greedy, but it doesn't matter anymore. } 16. Rhe1 { White threatens to win Black's queen by a discovered attack. } 16... Be4 17. Bh5 { Now White's army overruns Black in a blitzkrieg. } 17... Nxh5 18. Rd8+ Kf7 19. Qxh5 { Black resigned because he can't hold his h-pawn: 19...h6 20.Bxh6 and 21. Rf8+, 19...Qg7 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Rf1+. You can work out the win after 19...Kg7 for yourself, and verify it by playing against Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "Soviet Union"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1931.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Lukowski"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "23"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Qg4 { This looks strange, but White's pressure on g7 lets him bend the rules about bringing out the queen too early. } 4... Qf6 { But this is a blunder. Black overestimates the strength of his check on f2. } 5. Nd5 Qxf2+ 6. Kd1 { Now Black has run out of checks but still has to defend against threats to both c7 and g7, as well as his queen getting trapped. } 6... Kf8 7. Nh3 Qd4 8. d3 Bb6 9. Rf1 { In the time it has taken Black to cover c7 and g7 White has developed three pieces, including his rook on the semi-open file leading to Black's king and he now has threats like 10.Rxf7+ Kxf7 11. Nxb6+ and 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Rxf7+. } 9... Nd8 10. c3 Qc5 11. Ng5 h6 { The final error, losing a tempo. He had to try 11...g6 or 11...h5, though White's attack would be strong then as well. } 12. Qh5 { While Black's check on f2 was easily answered. White's impending check on f7 will be followed by his whole army flooding into Black's kingside. } 1-0
[Event "Bern"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1932.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Sultan Khan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "67"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bb5 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qa4 Nxc3 11. Qxc6+ Bd7 12. Qxc3 Rc8 13. Qe3 Bb5 { Black has sacrificed a pawn while his compensation is White's isolated d- pawn and the fact that White's king is at the moment unable to castle. } 14. a4 Bc4 15. b3 Bd5 16. O-O { White has weakened the queenside but has been able to get his king to safety. } 16... Qb6 17. Bd2 { White is willing to trade his extra pawn for a lead in development. This is often an effective strategy in the opening. } 17... e6 { 17...Qxb3 18.Rfc1 Rxc1+ 19.Rxc1 Qxe3 20.fxe3 e6 21.Rc7 when Black's lagging development would give White a winning initiative. } 18. Rfc1 Rb8 { 18...Rxc1+ 19.Rxc1 would leave Black's back rank vulnerable. } 19. Ne5 f6 { 19...Be7 20.Nc4 Qxb3 21.Qxb3 Rxb3 22.Nd6+ Bxd6 23.Rc8+ Ke7 24.Rxh8 would leave White an exchange ahead. } 20. Nc6 { White's better development and extra pawn give him a winning advantage. White's last move takes advantage of Black's king in the center to drive Black's rook from the b-file. } 20... Ra8 { 20...Bxc6 21.Qxe6+ Be7 22.Rxc6 would leave White two pawns ahead. } 21. Na5 { With the threat of 22.Rc6 taking advantage of Black's weak e-pawn. } 21... Kf7 22. Nc4 Qb7 23. Qg3 Be7 24. a5 { White intends to post his knight on b6 which will give White complete control of the c-file. } 24... Rad8 25. Nb6 Bc6 26. Rc4 Rhe8 27. Rac1 Bb5 28. Rc7 Qe4 29. d5 { White is willing to give back the pawn to open up lines to Black's king. } 29... Kg8 { This move leads to a rapid collapse of Black's position. 29...exd5 would have been put up more resistance. } 30. Re1 Qf5 31. Bb4 Rd7 32. Rxd7 Bxd7 33. Bxe7 exd5 34. Qd6 { Black resigned because of his material deficit. } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1932.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Savitsky"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "37"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qb3 { This is an uncommon line against the Nimzoindian, though it does appear from time to time. } 4... c5 5. dxc5 Nc6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Nd4 { There is a trick here. What happens if White captures the bishop? } 8. Qa4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 { Tripled pawns are usually weak, but since White has an extra pawn, it is OK. Of more concern is the fact that none of the kingside pieces are developed and White has not castled. In fact, he won't do so until the penultimate move! } 9... Nf5 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Rc1 Qg5 { Attacking the rook at c1. But Black should have played more solidly. 11...Qe7 12.Qa5 d6 } 12. Qa3 b6 13. Nf3 Qe7 14. g4 { Now the knight has no choice. } 14... Nh4 15. Nxh4 Qxh4 16. Bg2 { The power of a bishop on an open diagonal is impressive. Now the game is won, since Black will lose more pawns without compensation. } 16... Rb8 17. Qxa7 Qg5 18. O-O { 18.Qxb8 Qxc1++ would have been embarrassing for White! } 18... Qe5 19. cxb6 { Black has no defense against the advancing pawns, and so he resigned. } 1-0
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1934.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Menchik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 { White has doubled pawns, but they control important squares, and he enjoys a big lead in development. } 8... Bd6 9. g3 O-O 10. O-O Nf6 11. Qe2 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 { Black's only accomplishment is the establishment of control over the long diagonal, but she has no support for a kingside attack. Still, this position was already known to theory from one of Capablanca's games. } 13. Rac1 Qe7 { 13...a6 had previously been played, but that was too slow, allowing White to attack on the kingside. } 14. a3 Rfd8 15. Ne5 c5 16. Nb5 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxe5 { A mistake. The bishop should have moved to c5. } 18. Qxe5 { Now White threatens Nf5 followed by Nd6. } 18... Qd6 19. Bb3 Qxe5 20. fxe5 Ne8 { Black defends both c7 and d6. But her forces are in no position to guard the pawns at f7 and e6, which now become targets as White advances the f-pawn. } 21. f4 a6 22. Kf2 Kf8 { 22...Bd5 would have been a better defense. The control of the long diagonal cannot bring any real benefits. } 23. f5 Bd5 24. fxe6 Bxb3 { Black seems to have everything under control, as after White captures the bishop with the knight then the pawn on e6 can be recaptured. But White has a powerful intermediate move based on a fork at c6. } 25. e7+ { Here Black resigned, not waiting for the inevitable end. } 25... Kxe7 26. Nc6+ Kf8 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Nxd8 Bd5 29. Nc6 { And White's advantage is sufficient for victory. } 1-0
[Event "Zurich"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1934.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "51"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Ne4 N5f6 12. Ng3 e5 13. O-O exd4 14. Nf5 Qd8 15. N3xd4 Ne5 16. Bb3 Bxf5 17. Nxf5 Qb6 18. Qd6 Ned7 19. Rfd1 Rad8 20. Qg3 g6 21. Qg5 Kh8 22. Nd6 Kg7 23. e4 Ng8 24. Rd3 f6 { Black's pieces are not well-coordinated for the defense. The bishop at b3 is controlling the a2-g8 diagonal. First White drives the king back into the corner. } 25. Nf5+ Kh8 { Now if we mentally remove the pawn at h7, we can slide the rook from d3 to h3 and deliver mate. Can you see the way to make that happen? } 26. Qxg6 { The threat of mate at g7 forces Black to capture, but then Rh3+ leads to mate, so he resigned instead. } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1934.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Euwe"]
[Black "Kan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "69"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 { The Saemish variation of the Nimzoindian defense. The early resolution of the tension at c3 rarely works in White's favor. } 4... Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 d5 6. f3 b6 { 6...dxc4 7.e4 White has the advantage due to his powerful center. } 7. Bg5 { White pins the knight on f6. } 7... Bb7 8. e3 Nbd7 9. Bd3 h6 10. Bh4 c5 11. Ne2 Rc8 { 11...Qc7 breaking the pin should of been preferred. } 12. cxd5 exd5 13. O-O { White stands better because of his bishop pair and control of the center. Notice how White's center pawns control the Black knights. } 13... O-O 14. Bf5 { White pins the Black knight on d7. } 14... Bc6 15. e4 { The pins make this central break possible. } 15... g5 { White's pins have forced Black to fatally weaken his kingside. 15...dxe4 16.fxe4 g5 17.d5 gxh4 18.dxc6 Rxc6 19.Qe1 would take advantage of Black's weakened kingside. } 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Bf2 c4 { 17...Bb5 18.dxc5 Bxe2 19.Qxe2 would favor White because of his two bishops and Black's weakened kingside. } 18. Qd2 Qf6 19. Ng3 Rce8 20. Rae1 Rxe1 { 20...Nf4 21.d5 Ba4 22.Bd4 Qd6 23.Ne4 Qxd5 would allow White a winning combination. } 21. Rxe1 b5 22. Bb1 N7b6 23. Nh5 Qd6 24. Re5 f5 { 24...Qxa3 allows White a mating attack. } 25. Bxf5 Qxa3 26. Be1 Nf6 27. Be6+ Kh8 28. Nxf6 Rxf6 29. d5 { White has a winning position because of his passed d-pawn and Black's weakened kingside. } 29... Bd7 30. h4 { White makes luft for his king while further attacking the Black kingside. } 30... Qd6 31. Qd4 Rf4 32. Qe3 Bxe6 33. dxe6 Rf8 34. e7 Re8 35. Re6 { Black resigned. } 1-0
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1935.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lasker"]
[Black "Pirc"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "39"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O a6 8. Be3 { A typical Sicilian defense has been reached where Black has the two center pawns while White has a lead in development. } 8... Qc7 9. f4 Na5 { This move breaks the opening rule that one shouldn't move the same piece twice before completing his development. } 10. f5 Nc4 { Consistent With Blacks previous move but still bad as Black now moves the knight a third time before completing his development. 10...Be7 Continuing his development and preparing to castle is better. } 11. Bxc4 Qxc4 12. fxe6 fxe6 { The final mistake which gets met with a violent refutation. 12...Bxe6 13.Qf3 would leave White with a winning position due to his lead in development. } 13. Rxf6 { An excellent sacrifice which gets rid of Black's only developed piece. } 13... gxf6 14. Qh5+ Kd8 { 14...Ke7 would not keep the White army out after 15. Nf5+ exf5 16.Nd5+ Kd8 17.Bb6+ Kd7 18.Qf7+ Kc6 19.Qc7+ Kb5 20.a4+ Qxa4 21.c4+ Qxc4 22.Ra5+ Mate. } 15. Qf7 { Although Black is up an exchange he is dead lost because his pieces have not been brought into play. } 15... Bd7 { 15...Be7 16. Nf5 Takes advantage of the fact that the Black queen is not defended. 16...Re8 17.Nxd6 Bxd6 18.Bb6+ Bc7 19.Rd1+ Bd7 20.Qxd7+ Mate. } 16. Qxf6+ Kc7 17. Qxh8 Bh6 18. Nxe6+ Qxe6 { 18...Bxe6 19.Qxh7+ Kb8 20.Qxh6 } 19. Qxa8 Bxe3+ 20. Kh1 { Black resigned because of his material losses. } 1-0
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1935.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alatortsev"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "50"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. Nf3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 { The series of exchanges have eased Black's defensive burden. Now both sides complete their development. } 9... b6 10. Be2 Bb7 11. O-O c5 12. Ne5 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 { Black has achieved a comfortable position. } 14. Bf3 Rac8 15. a4 cxd4 16. cxd4 g6 17. Bxc6 Rxc6 18. Qd3 Qb7 19. Rfb1 Rfc8 20. h3 a6 21. Qa3 Rc2 22. Qd6 { If only there were no pawn at f2, Black could deliver checkmate in one move, with Qxg2 mate. Seeing this, Capablanca finds a mating attack. } 22... Rxf2 23. Qg3 { 23.Kxf2 Rc2+ 24.Ke1 Qxg2 25.Qb8+ Kg7 26.Qe5+ f6 and White runs out of checks. } 23... Re2 { White resigned, since the position is now hopeless, even though there is no immediate mate threat. If you think you can hold the position, try playing it against Gambit! } 24. Rc1 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 b5 0-1
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1935.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Spielmann"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "23"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Qb6 { The queen gets exposed here. Black should play quietly with 6...e6. } 7. cxd5 Qxb2 { 7...Nxd4 loses a piece. After the text move Black's queen is in hot water. } 8. Rc1 Nb4 9. Na4 Qxa2 10. Bc4 Bg4 { 10...Qa3 loses to 11 Ra1. } 11. Nf3 { Avoiding 11 f3 Qxf3. } 11... Bxf3 12. gxf3 { Black loses his queen. } 1-0
[Event "Soviet Union"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1935.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Strazdins"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "28"]

1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 dxc4 { Now Black gets cramped by White's advancing d-pawn. 6...e6 would have been better. } 7. d5 Ne5 8. Nf3 { White develops with gain of time by attacking Black's advanced knight. Black should now try to simplify by 8...Bg4. } 8... Nd3+ { Losing more time. Black is at least three moves from castling and simply can't afford this, as he quickly learns. } 9. Bxd3 cxd3 10. Qxd3 a6 { The decisive waste of time. Black didn't want to let White check him on b5, but now he's down five active pieces to one. } 11. O-O e6 { It seems foolis h to invite White to open lines, but 11...g6 12.Bxf6 would also open the e-file. } 12. Rad1 exd5 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nxd5 { One more gain of time. Black has very few squares left as his queen must guard both c7 and d8. } 14... Qd8 { Black resigns before White starts taking his pieces by 15.Qe3+ and 16.Nb6. If you don't see why this will win material, play it against Gambit! } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ilyin Zhenevsky & Rabinovich"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "82"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-O cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bxg2 7. Kxg2 d5 8. c4 Qd7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. e4 Nc7 11. Nc3 e5 12. Nf5 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Nba6 14. Be3 Rd8 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 16. a4 { White hopes to play a later Nb5 and win the a-pawn, but the time this will require lets Black activate his pieces. They should keep the heat on Black's king by 16.Rd1+ Kc8 17.a3 g6 18.Nh6 Bxh6 19.Bxh6 Re8 20.b4 when White keeps the initiative. } 16... Kd7 { Now Black can meet a check on d1 by ...Ke6. } 17. Nb5 g6 18. Nh4 { White loses time with both knights. 18.Rd1+ was still correct. } 18... Bc5 19. Nxa7 { White wins a pawn but accepts weak doubled e-pawns. } 19... Bxe3 20. fxe3 Nc5 { Now Black threatens both 21...Nxe4 and 21...Ra8, and White can only defend both of these threats by letting Black further maim his pawn structure. } 21. Nb5 Nxb5 22. axb5 Ke6 { Black doesn't bother with the e-pawn since taking it would give White some activity by 22...Nxe4 23.Ra7+ Ke6 24.Ra6 } 23. Kf3 Rd8 24. b4 Nb3 25. Ra7 { 25.Ra6 Nd2+ 26.Ke2 Rd6 27.Nf3 Nxe4 And Black will consolidate his bind by ...h6 and White will be left with no defense. } 25... Nd2+ 26. Kg2 Nxe4 27. Nf3 Rd5 28. Ra8 Rxb5 29. Re8+ Kf6 30. g4 Ng5 31. Nxg5 Kxg5 32. Kg3 { Black has an extra pawn as well as a continuing bind. } 32... Kf6 33. Rh8 Kg7 34. Re8 h6 35. h4 Kf6 36. Rc8 { 36.Rh8 Rxb4 37.Rxh6 Kg7 And White's rook is permanently stranded on h6. } 36... Rxb4 37. Rc6+ Kg7 38. g5 h5 39. Rc8 Rg4+ 40. Kh3 Re4 41. Rc3 b5 0-1
[Event "Nottingham"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Vidmar"]
[Black "Euwe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "60"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 { The Slav defense where Black aims at active piece play was a speciality of Euwe. } 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 { White tries to take advantage of Black's pinned knight. } 10... Nfd7 11. Bg2 Rd8 { The Black rook prepares to take over the d-file from White's queen. } 12. Qc1 f6 13. O-O Be6 { This move relieves some of the pressure White has on Black's pinned knight. } 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. a5 a6 16. Ne4 Bb4 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. Ra4 { Although White sacrifices the a-pawn he doesn't receive enough play for it. 18.Bxe5 fxe5 19. f4 Trying to take advantage of Black's king being in the center is a better plan. } 18... Bxa5 19. Nd3 O-O 20. Be4 { 20.Bxe5 fxe5 21.Qc5 Perhaps this is what White originally intended only seeing too late that 21...Bb6 22.Qxe5 Qxe5 23.Nxe5 Rxf2 24.Rxf2 Rd1+ 25.Bf1 Bh3 when White can't stop Rxf1 mate. } 20... Bb6 21. Qc2 g5 { An exception to the rule that one shouldn't move the pawns in front of the king which usually leaves the monarch vulnerable to attack. Black's idea is to ease the pressure on his pinned knight. } 22. Bxh7+ { 22.Bxe5 fxe5 23.Nxe5 Qxe5 24.Qb3+ Kh8 25.Qxb6 Rd2 would give Black good chances due to his control of White's second rank. } 22... Qxh7 23. Bxe5 Ba7 { This was the point of Black's defense. He now gains a tempo on White's dark-squared bishop which he uses to develop a powerful counterattack. } 24. Bc3 b5 25. Raa1 c5 { Black's queenside pawns push the White pieces to less active positions. } 26. Qc1 c4 27. Ne1 Bb7 28. Nf3 { 28.Ng2 would allow Black a mating attack. } 28... g4 29. Ng5 Qh5 { White resigned. 29...Qh5 White resigned as mate was coming after... } 30. Ne6 Qd5 { when White has no good way of stopping Qg2+ mate. } 0-1
[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Lasker"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "43"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. e4 c6 9. a4 a5 10. Qe2 Nb6 { Black has held the pawn, but his pieces are badly placed and he can't free himself. } 11. Rd1 { Restraining ...c5 or ...e5. } 11... Bb4 12. Ne5 { Now White will get the pawn back but Black will remain cramped. } 12... Qe7 13. Be3 Bd7 14. Nxc4 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 b5 { Black hopes to get his pieces active after 16 axb5 cxb5 17 Nxb5 Rac8. } 16. Qe2 Rab8 17. axb5 cxb5 18. e5 Ne8 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 Qxe5 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. Rxd7 1-0
[Event "Amsterdam"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Van den Bosch"]
[Black "Euwe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "34"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Be2 Nf6 { The game has transposed to a Classical Dragon defense, a line favored by players who enjoy tactical brawls. } 8. Qd2 { White commits his queen too early which gives up control of the g4 square. He should have simply castled, reaching normal variations of the opening. } 8... O-O 9. h4 { With the White king still in the center this attacking move is premature. 9.O-O Ng4 10.Bxg4 Bxg4 would give Black the advantage of the two bishops. } 9... d5 { A thematic advance which takes advantage of White's king being in the center. } 10. Nxc6 { 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 e5 13.Nf3 Nxc2+ 14.Kf1 Ng4 would win material. } 10... bxc6 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. h5 { 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5 Bb7 15.Qd2 Bxg2 16.Rg1 Qh2 } 12... Nxe4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Bd4 Rd8 16. Qc3 { 16.Qe3 would keep White's material losses to a minimum. } 16... Rxd4 { Takes advantage of the White queen being on the a1-h8 diagonal. } 17. Rxd4 Qb6 { White resigned since he can't save the rook. } 0-1
[Event "Nottingham"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Euwe"]
[Black "Winter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "49"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 { The Slav defense which gives Black a solid but somewhat passive position. } 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Be7 { 6...dxc4 is the main alternative, reaching the Meran variation of the Slav Defense. } 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 { Played so the light squared bishop won't have to move again in the event Black plays dxc4. 8.e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 b6 10.Qe2 Bb7 followed by pawn c5 opening up Black's light squared bishop. } 8... b6 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. Qe2 c5 11. Rad1 Ne4 { 11...Qc7 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 14.Nxd5 Qd6 15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.Bxh7+ Kxh7 17.Rxd6 Wins for White. } 12. dxc5 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 bxc5 { 13...Nxc5 14.Bb1 when White's bishops are aiming at the Black king. } 14. cxd5 exd5 { White's play has left Black with hanging pawns. } 15. Ba6 { With the idea of eliminating Black's protection of the d-pawn. } 15... Bc6 16. Bb5 Bb7 17. e4 { A strong move which gives White the better pawn structure. } 17... Bf6 { 17...dxe4 18.Ne5 would win Black's pinned knight. } 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Qe5 { 20.Rfe1 would allow Black to win material. } 20... Qa5 21. Bc4 Nf6 22. Ng5 Rae8 23. Qf4 h6 { An oversight which loses material. } 24. Nxf7 Ba6 { 24...Rxf7 25.Rd7 would take advantage of Black's pinned rook. } 25. Nd6+ { Black resigned as material loss is unavoidable. } 1-0
[Event "Nottingham"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Euwe"]
[Black "Tylor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "49"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 b6 { Black is play ing the Queen's Gambit Declined. His last move makes an opening for the light squared bishop which, is blocked on the c8-h3 diagonal. } 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb5 { 8.Bd3 h6 9.h4 with an initiative on the kingside. } 8... c5 { This pawn thrust is premature and should have been prepared by Bb7. } 9. dxc5 bxc5 { The future play will revolve around Black's hanging pawns. } 10. O-O Bb7 11. Rc1 Qb6 { Ideally Black would like to have his knight on b6 to help protect his d-pawn but this is not easy to achieve. 12.Bxd7 Qxd7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Ne4 Taking advantage of Black's d-pawn being pinned. 14...Bxb2 15.Nxc5 Now Black at best ends up with a very weak isolated d-pawn. } 12. Qe2 { White's queen protects his b-pawn while threatening Na4. } 12... a6 13. Ba4 Rd8 14. Rfd1 Qe6 { Black's backward development gives White the advantage. } 15. Bb3 Ne4 { An oversight which costs Black a pawn. However, White stands better in any event because of Black's undeveloped pieces. } 16. Nxe4 Qxe4 { White now exposes the overworked bishop on e7. } 17. Rxc5 Bxc5 { 17...f6 18.Rc7 when White's rook attacks both of Black's bishops. } 18. Bxd8 Nd7 { Black can finally get his pieces out. However, the damage has been done with White being a clear pawn up. } 19. Bc7 Rc8 20. Bg3 d4 { Black gets rid of the d-pawn in order to open the a8-h1 diagonal for his bishop and queen. } 21. Qd2 Bb6 { 21...dxe3 22.Qxd7 exf2+ 23.Bxf2 Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qg6 would allow White a mating combination. } 22. exd4 Nf6 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 { 23...Kxf7 allows White to win the queen after 24.Ng5+ Kg8 25.Nxe4 } 24. Bb3 Qc6 25. Be5 { Black resigned because he is three pawns down. } 1-0
[Event "Nottingham"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Vidmar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "47"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 c5 8. O-O cxd4 9. exd4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bb3 { White already enjoys a comfortable position, and Black should have taken some measures to reduce the pressure. 11. ..Nd5 is called for. } 11... Bd7 12. Qd3 Nbd5 { Black blockades the pawn, which is the correct positional reaction, but some commentators suggested that the other knight would have been the correct one. After 12...Nfd5 13.Bc2 g6 White would still have enjoyed a small advantage. } 13. Ne5 Bc6 14. Rad1 { The interdependence of Black's forces is both an asset and a liability. White is going to attack on the kingside, so Black must strive for activity. } 14... Nb4 { Continued development was called for, with either 14...Qa5 or 14...Rc8. The knight will not accomplish anything more than encouraging White's queen to move to a more effective post on the kingside. } 15. Qh3 Bd5 { Black spends more time jousting with the Bb3, but this problem is easily solved. On the other hand, 15...Nfd5 16.Bc1! would also have been very strong for White. } 16. Nxd5 Nbxd5 { Now it is time for White to create a concrete plan based on his positional advantages. The target is f7. One would like to have a semi- open f-file, and also eliminate the pawn at e6. Two concepts equal one plan! } 17. f4 Rc8 { 17...g6 is not playable because of 18.Bh6 Re8 19.Ba4 and the bishops combine from a great distance to win the exchange. } 18. f5 exf5 { Forced, since 18.Qd6 19.fxe6 fxe6 leaves the pawn at e6 much too weak. } 19. Rxf5 Qd6 { This allows White to achieve his strategic goal by tactical means, but 19... Rc7 20.Rdf1 and 21.Qh4 would have left Black in despair. } 20. Nxf7 { The combination of pins on the file and on the diagonals reap rewards. } 20... Rxf7 { 20...Kxf7 21.Bxd5+ } 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 { 21...Nxf6 22.Rxf6! Qxf6 23.Qxc8+ Bf8 24.Bxf7+ Qxf7 25.Rf1 Qe7 26.Rxf8+ Qxf8 27.Qxf8+ Kxf8 28.Kf2 is an easy win. } 22. Rxd5 Qc6 { 22...Bxd4+ 23.Kh1! } 23. Rd6 { Avoiding the final trap of 23.Rc5?? Bxd4+! } 23... Qe8 24. Rd7 1-0
[Event "Kemeri"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1937.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Reshevsky"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "73"]

1. e4 Nf6 { Alekhine plays White against the defense named after him! But there is little of interest in this game until move 32. } 2. e5 Nd5 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4 Bg4 5. c4 Nb6 6. Be2 dxe5 7. Nxe5 Bxe2 8. Qxe2 Qxd4 9. O-O N8d7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nc3 c6 12. Be3 Qe5 13. Rad1 e6 14. Qf3 O-O-O 15. Bxa7 Qa5 16. Bd4 Qf5 17. Qg3 e5 18. Be3 Bb4 19. Na4 Ba5 20. f4 Bc7 21. b3 f6 22. fxe5 Qe6 23. h3 Rhg8 24. Bd4 Nxe5 25. Qc3 Nd7 26. c5 Rge8 27. b4 Nb8 28. Nb6+ Bxb6 29. cxb6 Qxa2 30. Qg3 Rd7 31. Bc5 Qf7 32. Ra1 { Alekhine seizes the open file, threatening to move the rook to the 8th rank, pinning and winning the Black knight. } 32... Qg6 { Black responds by trying to exchange queens and eliminate the threat. } 33. Qh2 { White preserves his queen -- and the threats! } 33... Re5 { By placing this rook on the diagonal, blocking the White queen from acting on the b8 square, Reshevsky thinks that he has solved his problems. But the back rank has become weak. How can White exploit this? } 34. Ra8 { First he pins the knight. } 34... Rd2 { Black fails to appreciate the danger, though it was probably too late to save the game anyway. Can you find the winning move? } 35. Rxb8+ { This sacrifice of a rook for a knight sets up a mating net. } 35... Kxb8 { We can now see that the Black king would be checkmated if we could get a rook or queen to the 8th rank. This can be accomplished by means of a sacrifice. See if you can find it. } 36. Qxe5+ fxe5 37. Rf8+ { and Black resigned because mate is inevitable. } 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1938.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Botvinnik"]
[Black "Budo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "51"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 { This position, known as the Panov Attack, can arise out of a number of opening strategies. } 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Bg5 dxc4 8. Bxc4 { Now the game has transposed into the Queen's Gambit Accepted. White has an isolated pawn but also enjoys superior development. } 8... O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Qe2 Nb6 11. Bb3 Bd7 { This position had already been seen in a World Championship game between Lasker and Capablanca, in 1921. } 12. Rad1 Bc6 13. Ne5 Bd5 { Black has invested a lot of time in this bishop. } 14. Bc2 Nfd7 { Black senses the approaching storm, and tries to reduce the attacking force via exchanges. } 15. Bf4 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bg5 17. Qh5 h6 18. Bg3 Qc7 19. h4 Bd8 { 19...g6 20.Bxg6 fxg6 21.Qxg6+ Qg7 22.Qxg7+ Kxg7 23.hxg5 hxg5 24.a4 White has an extra pawn. } 20. Rd4 Qc5 21. Rg4 f5 { 21...Kh8 22.Bf4 Be7 23.Bxh6 gxh6 24.Qxh6+ } 22. exf6 Rxf6 23. Be5 Bc6 { The stage is set for the finish. If the bishop were not at e5, then White could capture Black's queen. With that hint, find the finish! If you have problems, play it out against Gambit. } 24. Rxg7+ { Black resigned because if the rook is captured, then the queen is lost. } 24... Kxg7 { 24...Kh8 25.Rf7 Kg8 26.Rxf6 Bxf6 27.Qg6+ } 25. Bxf6+ { A discovered attack wins the queen. } 25... Bxf6 26. Qxc5 1-0
[Event "Plimont 1938"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1938.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Bruse"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "23"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 { Black does better to hold onto his center pawn by 3...Bg4. } 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 { He had to play 5...Bg4. Now he will lose to much time because the bishop is a target on g6. } 6. h4 h6 { Otherwise White captures the bishop after 7.h5. } 7. Ne5 Bh7 { Black doesn't want his kingside to get mangled after 7...Nf6 8.Nxg6 fxg6, but that would be no worse than what happens now. } 8. Qh5 g6 9. Bc4 e6 { Black's last two moves have been forced to avoid mate on f7. Now his bishop is buried and his kingside is weak. } 10. Qe2 Nf6 { Missing the point of White's last move. He should have played 10...Qe7 or Qc7 but White would keep a big edge. } 11. Nxf7 Kxf7 12. Qxe6+ { So White mates on f7 after all. } 1-0
[Event "Holland"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1938.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Van Mindeno"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "37"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. h4 h6 { Black attacks the bishop, expecting it to retreat. But Alekhine appreciates the value of an open file and is willing to sacrifice a piece to accelerate his kingside attack. } 11. Nd5 { This brings another piece from the distant queenside to a position where it can join the attack if necessary. Black accepts the offering. } 11... hxg5 12. Nxe7+ { This removes one of the defenders from the kingside. } 12... Qxe7 13. hxg5 Nxe4 { 13...Nh7 14.Rh5! would both defend the g-pawn and prepare the doubling of rooks on the h-file. } 14. Rh5 Qe6 { Black hopes to have time to move the rook from f8 and evacuate the king, and, if possible, to counterattack by capturing the pawn at a2. But White does not give him a moment's rest. } 15. Rdh1 { Threatening Rh8 mate. } 15... f5 { Now the king can escape via f7. White can cut this escape route by playing 16.g6, but then the queen will capture the pawn (16...Qxg6) and then checking on the diagonal with 17.Qc4+ will be met by 17...d5. } 16. Ne5 { The point of this move is to control the f7 square. But there is a second, and equally important goal. The pawn at d6 must remain in place to guard against the variation in the previous note. } 16... dxe5 { 16...Qxe5 17.Qxe5 dxe5 18.g6 and Black cannot escape being checkmated at h8. Also 16...g6 17.Rh8+ Kg7 18.R1h7++ } 17. g6 { Black resigned, because now there is no pawn to interpose at d5. } 17... Qxg6 18. Qc4+ Rf7 { 18...Qf7 19.Rh8+ } 19. Rh8# 1-0
[Event "Margate"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1938.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Book"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qe2 a6 8. Nc3 { 8.a4 would lead to more common lines. } 8... b5 9. Bb3 { Alekhine correctly keeps the bishop on the queenside, as the lack of a rook at d1 means that 9. Bd3 left d4 without sufficient protection. } 9... b4 { This came as a surprise to Alekhine, who expected Black to play 9...Be7, as in an encounter with Euwe. 9...Bb7?! 10.Rd1 Qc7 11.d5! exd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 followed by e3-e4 and the eventual placement of the Ra1 at c1 would be decisive. } 10. d5 { Alekhine's judgement is probably correct, though Taimanov's preferred 10.Na4 is a worthy alternative. White's goal is to advance the e-pawn, and to do this he must somehow release the pressure at d4. } 10... Na5 { 10...exd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Rd1 followed by e3-e4 gives a clear advantage to White. } 11. Ba4+ Bd7 { White has achieved quite a lot, but wouldn't it be great if he also had a rook on an open d-file? With this idea in mind, we can easily see how Alekhine creates one of his impressive combinations. } 12. dxe6 fxe6 { 12...Bxa4 13.exf7+ Kxf7 14.Nxa4 } 13. Rd1 { And here we are! The advance d4-d5 has borne delicious fruit! 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7 14.Rd1 Qc6! 15.Nb1 Be7= } 13... bxc3 { 13...Be7 14.Bxd7+ Nxd7 15.Ne5 Ra7 16.Qh5+ g6 17.Nxg6 and White wins. } 14. Rxd7 { Alekhine describes this as the highpoint of the combination. The main reason why the White attack is consequential is the position of the Na5 which cannot participate in the play. } 14... Nxd7 15. Ne5 Ra7 16. bxc3 { Taking stock of the position, it is clear that if the Bc1 can get into play then Black will be in serious difficulty. } 16... Ke7 { A strange looking move, but the alternatives are not pleasant. If 16...Be7 or 16...Bd6, then 17.Qh5+ is sufficient. } 17. e4 { This sets up tricks with Bg5+. } 17... Nf6 18. Bg5 { And now Qh5+ is in the air. } 18... Qc7 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Rd1 g6 { 20...Nb7 21.Nc4 or 20...Ra8 21.Bg5 Rd8 22.Nd7 Qc7 23.e5 or 20...Rg8 21.Bg5 h6 22.Qh5 } 21. Bg5 Bg7 22. Nd7 { The decisive, thematic thrust that brings the game to a swift conclusion. } 22... Rxd7 23. Rxd7+ Kf8 24. Bxf6 Bxf6 25. e5 { and Black resigned, rather than walk into the obvious line: } 25... Qb1+ 26. Rd1 Qf5 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Qxa6 Qxc3 29. Qxe6 { to which there is simply no defence. } 1-0
[Event "AVRO"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1938.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhine"]
[Black "Capablanca"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "70"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+ 10. Kf1 Be7 { In this sharp line of the French, opening lines with 10...f6 is a wiser move. } 11. a3 Nf8 12. b4 Bd7 13. Be3 Nd8 { Black does have a plan: to play Bb5 and exchange the light-squared bishops. But this is easily parried, and turns out to be just a waste of time. } 14. Nc3 a5 { Black challenges White's queenside formation and forces White to determine his short-term plans. Alekhine decides to plant a pawn at b5. } 15. Na4 Qa7 16. b5 { Now the scope of the Bd7 is severely limited, and Black's plan, beginning with 13...Nd8?!, is exposed as faulty. } 16... b6 { The picture is quite different from that of two moves ago. With the queenside secured, White now turns his attention to the kingside. } 17. g3 { In order to achieve results on the kingside, White may need to use both rooks, so he takes time out to prepare a nice safe hole for his king. Alekhine always prepared his attacks well. That's why he was able to play so many combinations } 17... f5 18. Kg2 Nf7 19. Qd2 { Alekhine is not so captivated by his own plan that he forgets to keep an eye on his opponent! Capablanca was preparing g7-g5 and Nf8-g6. This must be stopped! } 19... h6 20. h4 Nh7 21. h5 { Excellent judgement! Alekhine sees that the enemy knight will get to e4, but reasons that the hole at g6 will be more important. } 21... Nfg5 22. Nh4 Ne4 23. Qb2 Kf7 { 23...Bxh4 24.gxh4! keeps control of critical squares on the kingside, and now 25.f3 will prove fatal to the Ne4. } 24. f3 Neg5 { Looking at the position, we can see that if the Pf5 were out of the way White could launch a powerful attack. Alekhine wastes no time in achieving this goal . } 25. g4 fxg4 26. Bg6+ { A useful interpolation, which cuts off the communication of the enemy rooks. } 26... Kg8 27. f4 Nf3 { More resistant was 27...Nf7, but after 28.Bd3 Black would still have been in deep trouble. } 28. Bxh7+ Rxh7 29. Ng6 Bd8 30. Rac1 { Such a quiet move is easy to miss. But if White had left the c- file unguarded, Black might have been able to establish some counterplay by swinging his heavy artillery there. } 30... Be8 31. Kg3 { His majesty attends to the invasive knight personally! The threat is simply Kxg4 and Kxf3. } 31... Qf7 32. Kxg4 Nh4 { 32...Ng5 33.fxg5 Qf5+ 34.Kg3 and the king is perfectly safe, while the White rooks aim for the f-file. } 33. Nxh4 Qxh5+ 34. Kg3 Qf7 35. Nf3 h5 { Capablanca exceeded the time limit here, but his position was hopeless in any event. } 1-0
[Event "Margate"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1939.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Golombek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bh4 O-O 10. Nf3 Re8 11. O-O Be7 12. Bg3 { White prevents Black from easing his game by 12...Ne4. } 12... Nf8 13. h3 Be6 14. Rab1 { White prepares b4-b5 to weaken Black's queenside. } 14... Nh5 { Black begins a manuevre to exchange light squared bishops, but this loses a lot of time. } 15. Bh2 g6 16. Ne5 Ng7 17. b4 Bf5 18. Na4 { White prevents Black from meeting a later b5 by ...c5. } 18... Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Nd7 20. Rfc1 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Bd6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. b5 { In spite of all the exchanges this break is very strong. } 23... cxb5 { 23...Rac8 24.bxc6 bxc6 Black's weaknesses on a7 and c6 will prove decisive. } 24. Qxb5 Ne6 { 24...Re7 25.Rc5 Rd8 26.Nc3 } 25. Nc3 { The b-pawn is hopeless, so White takes aim at another target as well. } 25... Red8 26. Qxb7 Qa3 27. Nxd5 Qxa2 28. Nb4 Qa4 29. Nc6 { White not only threatens to take the rook on d8 but also to trap the queen by 30.Ra1. } 1-0
[Event "USSR Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1939.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dubinin"]
[Black "Botvinnik"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "58"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. d3 { The normal move is 9.h3, preventing the enemy bishop from reaching g4. } 9... Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Qc7 12. Nf1 h6 13. h3 { We have transposed back to more normal lines of the Spanish Game, except that usually White's pawn is at d4 rather than d3. } 13... Be6 14. Ne3 Rad8 15. Nf5 { A typical maneuver. Black cannot let the knight remain in attacking position. } 15... Bxf5 16. exf5 Nc6 17. d4 exd4 18. cxd4 d5 19. Be3 Rfe8 20. Rc1 c4 { Black has a pleasant position, with a strong queenside initiative and control of key squares in the center. } 21. g4 Ne4 22. Bb1 Bd6 { Now it is Black who is attacking on the kingside, and White has to be concerned with the pawn at d4, which requires constant defense. } 23. Nh4 Bf4 24. Qf3 Bg5 25. Ng2 Bxe3 26. Qxe3 { 26.fxe3 Ng5 } 26... Re7 { Now Black wins material. } 27. Qf4 Nxd4 28. Qxc7 { Now Black wins in two moves. Do you see how? } 28... Nf3+ 29. Kf1 Ned2# 0-1
[Event "Buenos Aires Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1939.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca"]
[Black "Vassaux"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "59"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Bb4 { This is worse than the normal 7...b5 because the bishop is exposed here and interferes with Black's queenside play. } 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 Qe7 10. Ne5 c5 { 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd5 12.Ne4 } 11. f4 Nb6 { Black begins a manuevre to relieve his cramped position by exchanges, but he loses a lot of time doing so, giving White a strong attack. } 12. Bb3 Nbd5 { Black loses too much time with this knight. He should get on with his development. } 13. Bd2 Bxc3 { 13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 Ba5 15.Bc2 And White will get a strong attack by 15.Qd3 and g4-g5. } 14. bxc3 Ne4 15. Be1 f6 16. Qd3 f5 { 16...fxe5 17.Qxe4 White wins a pawn here. } 17. a4 Kh8 18. g4 { White undermines Black's knight and opens lines for his attack. } 18... Ndf6 19. Bh4 Bd7 20. Rf3 { White threatens 21.Rh3 and 22.Ng6+. } 20... Be8 21. Rh3 Qd6 22. gxf5 exf5 23. Rd1 cxd4 24. exd4 Qa3 25. Be6 g6 26. Bg5 Nxg5 { 26...Bxa4 27.Bh6 Bxd1 28.Nxg6+ hxg6 29.Bxf8+ } 27. fxg5 Ne4 28. Rxh7+ { And Black gave up in the face of... } 28... Kxh7 29. Qh3+ Kg7 30. Qh6# 1-0
[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1940.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mazel"]
[Black "Botvinnik"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "26"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 { White gains space and hopes to discourage Black from an eventual ...d5. } 3... c5 { Black hopes to proves that d4 is a weakness. } 4. f4 { This gains more space in the center but wastes time and weakens his kingside. } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 d5 { So Black plays ...d5 after all, reckoning that White's weaknesses and loss of time allow it. } 6. e5 Ng4 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Qb3 { Playing with fire. Having already made five pawn moves, White shouldn't be wasting time with his queen. } 8... Nb4 { Covering both d5 and b7 and eyeing the hole at d3. } 9. a3 { The final loss of time. White doesn't see the real danger of Black's next move. } 9... c4 { Not only gaining time and taking over d3 but opening the a7-g1 diagonal as well. } 10. Qa4+ { Losing more time, since the queen must go to d1 anyway, though it doesn't really matter. } 10... Bd7 11. Qd1 Qb6 { White resigned here, since his queen can't cover both c2 and f2, e.g. } 12. d4 cxd3 13. Qd2 Nc2+ 0-1