[Event "County Match"] [Site "Swindon"] [Date "1954.03.27"] [Round "1"] [White "Persitz, Raaphi"] [Black "Alexander, C Hugh O'D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C47"] [Annotator "Barden, Leonard - The Guardian"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1954.03.27"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [WhiteTeam "Oxfordshire"] [BlackTeam "Gloucestershire"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] {The following exciting game was played in the recent county match between Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, won by Oxfordshire by 8-6, with one game for adjudication. Persitz, who in London in the morning had won his game in the match Oxford-Cambridge on Board 2, won this game at Swindon in the afternoon on Board 1.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 Bb4 ({Recommended by Euwe in "Chess Archives as better than} 4... exd4) 5. d5 Ne7 6. Nxe5 O-O ({A dubious gambit. Safer is the immediate} 6... Nxe4) 7. Qd4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Re8 {Ingenious counter-play as will be seen.} 9. Bg5 Nf5 10. exf5 d6 11. f4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Qxd5 13. O-O-O {He makes his advantage quite clear...} Qxd4 ({... for if} 13... Qxa2 14. exf6 {is quite safe}) ({or if} 13... Qxe5 14. Qxe5 Rxe5 15. Rd8+ Re8 16. Bxf6 {winning a piece.}) 14. cxd4 Ne4 15. Bh4 Nc3 {Black recovers his pawn at the cost of much time, while White consolidates his advantage in the centre and on the King's side.} 16. Rd3 Nxa2+ 17. Kb2 Nb4 18. Rf3 a5 19. c3 Nd5 20. Bc4 c6 21. g4 b5 22. Bd3 Bd7 23. g5 c5 {An ingenious resource which sets his own pawns in motion...} 24. Rhf1 ({... for if} 24. dxc5 Rxe5 {, etc.}) 24... a4 25. Be4 Bc6 26. g6 {A fine breakthrough.} a3+ 27. Ka1 cxd4 28. gxf7+ Kxf7 29. e6+ Kg8 30. cxd4 Ra4 {With great ingenuity Alexander has conjured up complications out of an innocuous position, and it needs White's greatest care to maintain his advantage.} 31. Rg1 Rxd4 32. f6 Rxe4 33. f7+ Kf8 34. fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 {One might think that Black has winning chances here, but, with great insight, White has realised that his own attack is the swifter.} 35. Bf2 b4 36. Bc5 Rxe6 37. Rf8+ Kd7 38. Rxg7+ Ne7 39. Bxb4 Bd5 40. Rff7 {A very creditable win by a player, aged 19, over England's leading master. (Source: Manchester Guardian, 8 April 1954)} ({A last trap.} 40. Bxe7 $4 Re1#) 1-0