So far we have examined creative episodes - original ideas at the beginning of the game, exceptional tricks in the middlegame and new discoveries in the ending. In this chapter we move on to consider examples of a genuinely creative approach to the game as a whole.
The following contests are quite dissimilar to other chess battles (and not one of them is like the other ... ) and an impression is created that none of the players involved has read a chess book or is familiar with the modern principles of the game ...
Game 1: Kuzmin-Dorfman, USSR (zonal) 1978
A game which does not feature any development of pieces, strategical thinking or long-term planning. Right from the beginning a crazy race develops as each side captures material and desperately attacks the other's king (over half of the moves in the game, 23 in number, are check!)
In an analysis of the game, the late IM Moshe Czerniak20 wrote, "a game full of sacrifices, in which all the chess records of boldness were broken; after each sacrifice the reader would ask himself: Which side wants to win?"
125
Kuzmin-Dorfman USSR (zonal), 1978
Black to play
Game 2 : Hodgson-Speelman, British Championship 1980
Black sacrifices a pawn in the opening, seeking compensation in the enhanced activity of his pieces, particularly the unopposed light square bishop. Later, having allowed the white f-pawn to march on to the sixth rank, he is obliged to retreat his dark-square bishop, rather embarrassingly, to h8.
On his 22nd move, Black succeeded in regaining both material equality and the freedom of his dark-square bishop. However, he immediately sacrifices another pawn, exchanges one strong bishop for a knight, sacrifices the other bishop, makes a quiet move ... and wins.
1 e4 c5 2 f4 ll:lc6 3 ll:lf3 g6 4 .i.b5 .i.g7 5 0-0 d6 6 .i.xc6+ bxc6 7 ll:lc3
126
Hodgson-Speelman Great Britain {ch), 1980
Black to play
Game 3 : Barash-Solan, League game, Israel 1984 Barash-Solan
Israel, 1984
(Variation)
White's first move already hints at an irregular approach to chess, and the continuation only reinforces this impression. White's whole army remains undeveloped, while his queen is rampant in the black camp. So successful is the queen in annihilating the black pawns that in one of the variations (see diagram 127) Black is left completely naked, without a single pawn - in sharp contrast to the eight remaining
white pawns. A s far as w e know, this fact in itself has n o precedent.
Game 4: Petrosian-Schmidt, Skopje Olympiad, 1972
The former world champion, Tigran Petrosian, was renowned for his unorthodox approach to chess. The following game well illustrates his independent and unconventional thinking. Petrosian breaks the whole repertoire of 'sacred' chess principles: exchanging a bishop for a knight (move 8), giving up castling rights (move 1 1), straightening his opponent's wrecked pawn structure (move 13) capturing flank pawns with his queen and removing her from the centre of action (move 21), disrupting the pawn formation protecting his own king (move 28).
128
T. Petrosian-Schmidt Skopje ( ol), 1972
White to play
Petrosian wasn't bothered that the game left a strange impression on his colleagues. The one principle that drove him was to play the strongest moves.
1 c4 tllf6 2 tllc3 d5 3 cxd5 tllxd5 4 g3 g6 5 J..g2 tllb6 6 d3 J..g7 7 J..e3
Game 5: Mnatsakanian-Veresov, USSR 1968
The game develops along well known theoretical paths and reaches a position that has been extensively researched and encountered by many thousands of players.
In the position shown in the diagram, Black has a plan involving the continuation 13 ... tllc4 14 J..xc4 .llxc4, followed by ... l% ac8 and the exchange sacrifice on c3. Meanwhile, White will continue with h5 and J..h6. A race will develop between the opposing attacks, the winner being the one who gets to the enemy's king first.
That is the 'normal' way to play. However, Veresov finds a totally different plan, which put his pieces in positions that are quite different from those in the acknowledged theory of the Sicilian. He successfully creates something new, using routine and well-chewed materials.
1 e4 c5 2 tllf3 tllc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tllxd4 g6 5 tllc3 J..g7 6 .te3 tllf6 7 Jlc4
1 3 ... l:[ c4!? 1 4 .txc4 Black threatened 14 . . . l:[ xd4! and 15 . . . ttJxf3.
14 ... ttJxc4 15 'ili'd3 b5 16 ttJb3 'ii'a6 17 i.d4? e5 18 .tf2 b4 19 ttJd5 ttJxd5 20 'ili'xd5 i.c6 21 'ili'd3 .tb5! 22 tiJd2 22 'ili'd5 'ili'xa2! 23 'ili'xa8+ .i.f8. 22 .•.
ttJxb2! 23 'ili'd5 ttJd3+! 24 �bl 'ii'a3! White resigns.
Game 6: Dobkin-Czerniak, Israel (ch) 1955
Black handles the opening in dubious fashion and is quickly subjected to a very strong attack. On move 13, White plays a combination which tears apart the defences of the black king.
In the diagram position a white victory seems to be only a matter of time, e.g. 15 ... J:i. xg6? 16 h4 h5 17 g4 winning.
Black's reaction is based on an amazing concept: he leaves his king open to discovered check, and initiates a massive attack on the opposite wing during which his c-pawn develops a brilliant career, charging forward to promotion in double-quick time.
When White fails to find a convincing culmination of his own attack, he falls victim to a barrage of tactics.
1 e4 d6 2 d4 tiJf6 3 tiJc3 g6 4 ttJf3 i.g7 5 i.g5 h6 6 .te3 0-0 7 h3 tiJbd7?!
8 'ir'd2 '.ith7 9 0-0-0 a6 10 Jl.d3 b5 11 e5 b4 12 ttJe2 ttJd5 13 e6! fxe6 14 ttJh4 l:[ f6 15 ttJxg6
Black to play 15 ... c5! 16 tiJf4+
Or 16 ttJxe 7 + '.it h8 17 ttJxd5 (after 17 tiJg6+ l:[ xg6 18 i.xg6 'iii' a5 19 i.xh6 i.f6 20 �bl c4 and Black's threats are the more dangerous)
17 ... exd5 1 8 c3 c4 19 .i.c2 a5 with a double-edged game. Maybe 16 ll:ie5+ @h8 17 ll:ig4 was best, preventing Black's 19th move.
16 ... @h8 17 ll:ihS 'iVaS ! 18 @bl 1 8 ll:ixf6? 1Vxa2 19 'iV e l .i.xf6. 18 ..•
.l:i.b8! 19 @al 19 ... ll:ic3+ was threatened.
19 .•. c4 ! 20 ll:ixf6 20 .i.xc4? ll:i5b6 20 •.. cxd3 21 ll:ixd7 dxe2 22 ll:ixb8 exdl='if + 23 .l:i. xdl ll:ixe3 24 Wxe3 1Vc7 25 dS ! exd5
25 ... 'ifxc2? 26 'W' c l saves the knight as 26 ... .i.xb2+?? fails to 27 'W'xb2+!
26 'ife2 e5 27 ll:ixa6 'it'b6 28 ll:ixb4 1Vxb4 29 .l:i.d3 .i.a6 30 'it'd2 'it'xd2 31 .l:i. xd2 d4
The melee is over. As the dust settles it becomes clear that Black's advantage is decisive.
32 f3 d5 33 @bl e4 34 @cl J..e5 35 @dl e3 36 f4 �xf4 37 .l:i. d3 i.xd3 38 cxd3 �d6 39 @e2 @g7 40 a4 .i.b4 White resigns.