[Event "Hastings Premier 1953/54 29th"] [Site "White Rock Pavilion, Hastings"] [Date "1954.01.06"] [Round "7"] [White "Bronstein, David Ionovich"] [Black "Alexander, C Hugh O'D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A82"] [Annotator "Golombek, Harry"] [PlyCount "240"] [EventDate "1953.12.30"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 f5 2. e4 {Readers may remember that Bronstein's first move in the tournament was 1 P-QB4, as a gesture of recognition in playing in his first English tournament. This move, too, is by way of a delicate compliment to English chess since his adoption of the Staunton Gambit was purposely made for the above reason as Bronstein himself told me during the beginning of the game. } fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 ({This move gives White the best attacking chances as Euwe has pointed out. After} 4. Bg5 Nc6 5. d5 Ne5 6. Qd4 Nf7 {White regains his pawn but Black gets full equality.}) 4... exf3 5. Nxf3 g6 ({Alexander's favourite device in the Dutch Defence; other moves allow White a fierce attack, e.g.} 5... d5 6. Ne5 Bf5 7. g4 {followed by g5}) ({or else} 5... e6 6. Bd3 Be7 7. Qe2 c5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Bg5 O-O 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. Rf1 d5 12. Ng4 { Szabo-Pedersen, Marianske Lazne 1951}) 6. Bf4 ({Intending to play an early Qd2 and so exchange off Black's fianchettoed Bishop; but I prefer here} 6. Bd3 { so as to give White absolute control of e4 and also with the manoeuvre h4-h5 in mind.}) 6... Bg7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. Bh6 d5 {Though this move leaves his e-pawn backward, it has a number of points to its credit; it gives Black some hold on the centre - especially the important e4 square, and it opens a line for the development of the c8 bishop.} 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. O-O-O $2 ({Obvious and bad. It is of the utmost importance to prevent the useful development of Black's light-squared bishop and at the same time to retain control of e4. Hence White should play} 10. Bd3 {and if then} Nc6 11. O-O Bg4 12. Ne5) 10... Bf5 $1 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nc6 {Now that the bishop question has been disposed of, much to Black's satisfaction, he turns his attention to eliminating the one real weakness in his position - the hole of e6. This can be accomplished by forcing his pawn to e5.} 13. Rde1 Qd6 14. Kb1 a6 {It is now necessary to prevent White from playing Nb5, a move that would not have been effective before on account of Qf4.} 15. Re2 Rae8 16. Rhe1 e6 17. Ne5 $2 ({A serious waste of time, since the knight cannot be maintained on this post. Better was} 17. a3 {to give the king an escape from the back rank and then an attempt at a kingside attack by h3 and g4.}) 17... Nd7 18. Nf3 Rf5 19. Re3 e5 $1 {What a relief it must have been to make this move. It is the culminating point of Black's fine middlegame strategy. Numerous and welcome (to Black) exchanges circle round e5 and Black remains in firm control of the initiative whilst retaining his extra pawn.} 20. dxe5 Ndxe5 21. Nxe5 Rfxe5 22. Rxe5 Rxe5 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxd5 Qxh2 25. Qd7+ ({ This check is faulty, since it leaves his important g-pawn unprotected. Again, it would be better to give his king a loophole by} 25. a3) 25... Kh6 26. a3 Qd6 ({And not} 26... Qxg2 27. Qxc7 {when Black cannot defend his queenside pawns; for if then} Nd4 ({or if} 27... b5 28. b3 {and White threatens either Qb7 or Qb6.} ({not} 28. Qb6 Qf1+ 29. Ka2 Qc4+ {followed by ...b4})) 28. Qf4+ {wins the knight;}) 27. Qc8 Nd8 28. g4 $2 ({Every move of this pawn facilitates black's task as it enables him to attack the pawn and eventually establish a passed pawn on the kingside. Correct was} 28. Qh3+) 28... Kg7 29. b3 c6 30. g5 $2 ({Possibly overlooking Black's next move or perhaps hoping to make the opposing king more vulnerable to attack Bronstein now commits the decisive mistake. He should play} 30. Kb2) 30... Qe7 $1 {A strong move that forks two pawns and means that sooner or later one of these must fall when Black will be no less than two pawns up.} 31. Qg4 Nf7 32. Ne4 ({The best chance:} 32. Kb2 Qxg5 {would lead to a speedy win for Black.}) 32... Qxa3 33. Qe6 Qa5 34. Nd6 ( 34. Qf6+ Kf8 35. Nd6 Qe1+ 36. Ka2 Qe7 {would force the exchange of queens and after} 37. Qxe7+ Kxe7 38. Nxb7 Nxg5 39. Na5 Kd6 {Black has a comfortable win.}) 34... Nxd6 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qxd6 {We have now arrived at a pure Queen and pawn ending in which, though Black is two pawns to the good, the win is attended by consider­able technical difficulties owing to the exposed nature of his King and the consequent necessity of being absolutely sure that a pawn advance will not make possible a draw by perpetual check. The winning process is, however, quite clearly defined: first to make the King safe from checks and next to create a passed pawn on the King side.} Qe1+ 37. Ka2 Qe8 38. Qc7 b5 39. Kb1 Qe1+ 40. Kb2 Qe6 41. b4 Qe4 42. Qd8+ Kf7 43. Qf6+ Ke8 44. Qd6 ({After} 44. Qh8+ Kd7 45. Qxh7+ Kd6 46. c3 Qg2+ 47. Kb3 Qxg5 {Black has been allowed to attain the above-mentioned objective of a passed pawn on the kingside and the end is in sight.}) 44... Qd5 45. Qf6 Kd7 46. Qg7+ Kd6 47. Qf6+ Kc7 48. Qg7+ Qd7 49. Qe5+ Qd6 50. Qg7+ Kb6 51. Qc3 ({If} 51. Qxh7 Qxb4+ 52. Ka2 Qe4 53. Kb1 a5 { , and White suffers from weaknesses on both sides—he must guard his g-pawn and is also threatened by the eventual advance of the a-pawn to a3 with a mating attack.}) 51... Qe7 52. Qd4+ Kb7 53. c3 Qf7 54. Qh8 Kb6 55. Qd4+ Kb7 56. Qh8 Qd7 57. Ka3 Qe7 58. Qf6 Qc7 59. Kb2 a5 {A move that serves a double pur­pose; it makes the opposing king more vulnerable by removing the protection of the b-pawn and gives his own king more space for manouevring.} 60. bxa5 Qxa5 61. Qe6 Qc7 62. Kb3 Qf4 63. Qd7+ Kb6 64. Qd8+ Kc5 65. Qe7+ Kb6 { A repetition of moves presumably to gain time on the clock; but Black will eventually have to expose his King to further checks and bring it over to the kingside in order to reinforce the attack on White’s g-pawn.} 66. Qd8+ Kc5 67. Qe7+ Kd5 68. Qd7+ Qd6 {Now the queen is to replace the king as protection for the c-pawn whilst the king carries on with its journey towards the g-pawn.} 69. Qg4 Qc5 {Threatening to win at once by Qc4+.} 70. Qd7+ Ke5 71. Qxh7 { Black is now ready to make a double attack on the g-pawn by Kf5, so White hastens to take the h-pawn himself as some compensation.} Kf5 72. Qd7+ ({ It is impossible to defend the g-pawn either by} 72. Qh4 {when} Qc4+ {leads to a won ending}) ({or by} 72. Qh6 Qd5+ 73. Ka3 Qg2) 72... Kxg5 73. Qd2+ Kf6 74. Qd8+ Kf7 75. Qc7+ Qe7 76. Qf4+ (76. Qxc6 Qe6+ {leads to a won pawn ending for Black.}) 76... Kg7 77. Qd4+ Qf6 78. Qe4 Kf7 {Threatening to exchange queens by Qe6+ and preparing to bring the King over to the queenside before advancing his g-pawn. Alexander was afterwards of the opinion that this manoeuvre was a mistake and that the king should have remained on the kingside with a quicker win in prospect; and, indeed, it will be seen that eventually the king does have to return to its original wing.} 79. Kb2 Qd6 80. Qf3+ Qf6 81. Qe4 g5 82. Qh7+ Ke6 83. Qe4+ Kd6 84. Qd3+ Kc7 85. Qh7+ Kb6 86. Kc2 Qf4 {He wants to play . ..g4 without allowing White's queen to become centralised on e4.} 87. Qe7 Qf2+ 88. Kb3 Qd2 89. Qe8 ({Showing that Black’s king is not really safe from checks on the queenside. Naturally not now} 89. Qe4 {because of the exchange of queens by} Qd5+) 89... Qd5+ 90. Kb2 Qd6 91. Qe3+ Qc5 92. Qe8 Qf2+ 93. Kb3 Qf6 94. Qd7 Kc5 {By now Black has realised that his king must come back to help on the passed pawn and that he can thus avoid perpetual check threats.} 95. Kc2 Qe5 96. Qd8 Qe4+ {At last he can force forward his g-pawn and with this advance the end really is in sight.} 97. Kb2 g4 98. Qd7 ({He has no more checks after} 98. Qf8+ Kc4 99. Qb4+ (99. Qf7+ Kd3 {merely drives the king the way it wants to go}) 99... Kd5) 98... Kc4 99. Qd1 Qg2+ 100. Ka1 c5 {He could have won quicker by simply capturing the pawn; but Alexander, by now understandably enough fatigued by the long struggle, had overlooked White’s neat little resource on the following move which succeeds in prolonging the game a little. However, the text also wins comfortably enough.} 101. Qc2 Qf1+ ( 101... Qxc2 {stalemate would indeed be a horrid end.}) 102. Kb2 {Bronstein’s spirit of aggression is still not subdued. He threatens Qe4 mate.} Kd5 103. Qd2+ Ke4 $1 {Now the king is coming to the correct side of the board. The chief point of the subsequent manoeuvres is that, once the black king has reached the 7th rank, White will have difficulty in maintaining checks on that rank owing to the danger of a queen interposition pinning White’s own queen on to his king.} 104. Qg5 Qf5 105. Qh4 Kf3 106. Qh1+ Ke2 107. Qg2+ Ke1 108. c4 ({Or} 108. Qg1+ Qf1 {and then if} 109. Qxg4 (109. Qxc5 Qf2+) 109... Qe2+ { ; in both cases exchanging queens with a simple won ending.}) 108... b4 109. Qg1+ Ke2 ({With White’s pawn one square further advanced the above variation will not work; for if} 109... Qf1 110. Qxc5 Qf2+ 111. Qxf2+ Kxf2 112. c5 { and White’s pawn queens just after Black’s with a draw.}) 110. Qg2+ Ke3 111. Kb3 ({Or} 111. Qg3+ Kd4 {and Black's c-pawn falls.}) 111... Qd3+ 112. Ka4 Qxc4 113. Qg3+ Kd2 114. Qf2+ Kc3 115. Qe3+ Kb2 116. Qe5+ Qc3 117. Qg5 g3 118. Qg4 g2 $1 {This pawn is not be taken because of the exchange of queens after 119 Qxg2+ Qc2+.} 119. Qg5 Qc1 120. Qxc5 {More in jest than in earnest, Bronstein makes a last attempt at stalemate; but the joke is a brief one, for now comes} Qc2+ {Whereupon White resigns; a memorable game for British chess. Source: BCM, March 1954, p93} 0-1