[Event "Vimperk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1949.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kramer"]
[Black "Fichtl"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "14: Minority Attack"]
[ECO "D65"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[Source "Hays Publishing"]
[SourceDate "1964.01.01"]

{ Black plays to get a passed a-pawn } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 a6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 c6 10. Qc2 Re8 11. O-O g6 { The only difference here is that Black has played ... Pg6 instead of ... Nf8 } 12. Rb1 Nb6 $1 { This time it seems ... Pg6 has an entirely different
motive - not only to screen the point h7, but also to have the possibility of .
.. Pf5 handy, so as to start operations on the half-open e-file. The move ...
Nb6 is significant. The first intention is to bring c4 under fire; it is
always a weak square as soon as the b-pawn moves. Besides this there is a
second point, which emerges presently } 13. Ne2 Nh5 14. Bxe7 Rxe7 15. b4 Ng7 { preparing ... Bf5 to exchange bishops } 16. Ng3 { White's not going to have his Good Bishop exchanged for Black's bad bishop } 16... Be6 { Increasing pressure on the c4 square } 17. a4 Nc8 { This is the
second intention of Black's 12th move. The Knight is coming to d5, from which
vantage point it observes c4 and e4 } ( 17... Nc4 18. Bxc4 dxc4 19. e4 ( 19. Ne5 Qd5 20. Ne4 Ne8 ) 19... b5 ) 18. b5 cxb5 19. axb5 a5 { These last
s of Black have put an entirely new complexion on the game, for the passed
a-pawn could be very dangerous. In view of the fact that White still has the
initiative through his control of the c-file, Black would have been wiser to
play ... Rc7 first } ( 19... Rc7 { gaining control of the c-file first } ) 20. Rfc1 Nd6 21. Qa4 Ngf5 { the text is in line with Black's chosen strategy } ( 21... Nc4 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Ne5 { White wins the pawn } ) 22. Nxf5 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. Rc5 { Drawing a bead on the weak d-pawn and threatening Pb6 } 24... b6 25. Rc6 Nd6 26. Ne5 f6 27. Nd3 Kf7 $2 { with the aim to prevent Nf4-e6 } ( 27... Nc4 28. Nf4 -- 29. Nxd5 Qxd5 30. Qxc4 { removing the guard } ) ( 27... Kh8 { getting the King off the diagonal from a2-g8 } ) 28. Nf4 Nf5 ( 28... Nb7 29. Qa2 Rd7 30. Ne6 { The b-[awn falls } ) ( 28... Ne4 29. Qa2 Rd7 30. f3 Ng5 31. h4 { trapped piece } ) 29. Qa2 Rd7 30. Nxd5 Rxd5 31. e4 Ne7 32. Rc2 Kg7 33. exd5 Nxd5 34. Rbc1 { White has won the exchange but the Black Knight is established at
his blockade post and the game is still not easy to win. White renews the
pressure on the open c-file } 34... Qd7 ( 34... Nb4 35. Rc7+ ) 35. Qc4 Re8 36. g3 Qf5 37. Re2 Rd8 { If Black permits the Rook exchange, he will be unable
to keep the White pieces out of his back rank } 38. Rce1 Rc8 39. Qa2 g5 40. Qb1 Qxb1 41. Rxb1 Rc4 42. Ree1 { The d-pawn being no more than an obstruction to
the White Rooks, White decides to hand it over gratis. } 42... Nc3 ( 42... Rxd4 43. Rbd1 Rxd1 44. Rxd1 Nc3 45. Rd6 Nxb5 46. Rxb6 { The ending is now technically a simple win for White } ) 43. Re7+ Kg6 44. Rbe1 Rxd4 45. Rb7 Na4 46. Ree7 { Two Rooks on the sevent: the ultimate objective of
everyone who operates on an open file } 46... h5 47. Rbd7 Rb4 48. Rg7+ Kf5 49. Rd6 { White switches to the sixth rank, which is more promising in this case } 49... Ke5 50. Rc6 Rxb5 51. Rg6 Rd5 52. Rcxf6 Kd4 53. h4 $1 b5 ( 53... gxh4 54. Rf4+ { winning the Knight } ) 54. hxg5 b4 55. Rg8 Nc5 56. g6 b3 57. g7 Rd7 58. Rf4+ $1 ( 58. Rd8 $2 b2 ( 58... Rxd8 $2 59. Rf8 ) ) 58... Kd5 ( 58... Kd3 59. Rf3+ Kc2 ( 59... Kd4 60. Rd8 b2 61. Rxd7+ Nxd7 62. Rb3 ) 60. Rxb3 $1 Rxg7 $1 61. Rbb8 ) 59. Rf5+ Kd4 60. Rxc5 $1 Rxg7 { Black's last hope is his well advanced connected passed pawns } 61. Rgc8 $1 Rb7 62. Rxa5 b2 63. Rd8+ Kc3 64. Rd1 { Although this new plan which Black
introduced in this game did not lead to the desired result, this game is an
interesting contribution to the theory of the minority attack. It seems by no
means impossible that this scheme - the creation of a passed a-pawn combined
with the pressure against the c4 square - may be instrumental in banishing the
dread of the minority attack, or at least considerably reducing it. } 1-0