[Event "London m Wch 1"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1834.??.??"]
[Round "62"]
[White "McDonnell, Alexander"]
[Black "De Labourdonnais, Louis Charles Mahe"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2440"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "Kasparov,G"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1834.??.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "85"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle ""]
[Source ""]
[SourceDate ""]
[SourceVersion ""]
[SourceVersionDate ""]
[SourceQuality ""]
{The Players Alexander McDonnell (1798–1835) was born in Belfast and
established himself as the best player in England in the 1830s. Indeed, his
superiority was such that he even played at odds when facing the best of the
English players blindfold. Though his talent was undoubted, he had little
experience facing opposition of his own level, and this showed when he faced
Labourdonnais in their series of matches. Louis Charles Mahé de Labourdonnais
(1797–1840) was born on the French island of La Réunion, where his father
had been governor. After settling in France, then the world’s leading chess
nation, he learned the game while in his late teens, and progressed rapidly;
from 1820 up until his death he was regarded as the leading player. He was
clearly a man who loved to play chess; even during his matches, he would play
off-hand games for small stakes between the match games. The Game After some
lacklustre opening play from McDonnell, Labourdonnais sets up a powerful
mobile pawn centre, very much in the style of Philidor, the greatest French
player prior to Labourdonnais. He plays extremely energetically to support and
advance the pawns, and when McDonnell threatens to make inroads around and
behind the pawns, he comes up with a fine exchange sacrifice. The tactics all
work, and Black’s pawns continue their advance towards the goal. The final
position, once seen, is never forgotten: three passed pawns on the seventh
rank overpowering a hapless queen and rook.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 ({In the Parisian
Café de la Régence they preferred} 2. f4 {– in his time Deschapelles had
asserted that 'any other move is advantageous to Black', and McDonnell several
times played this against La Bourdonnais, but after} Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. c3 d5 5.
e5 f6 {and ...Nh6 the Frenchman was more successful (+4 -8 =1). Later Staunton
also thought that 2 Nf3 was a mistake and that 2 f4, as Saint-Amant played
against him, was better. But Morphy categorically disagreed with this, calling
2 f4 'a completely incorrect method of play', and the moves 2 Nf3 and 2 d4
'the strongest'. It is clear, wouldn't you agree, which of these disputants
could see into the future...}) 2... Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 $1 {The
exclamation mark is for the breakthrough in time! La Bourdonnais makes a move
which became the starting point of a variation developed 150 years(!) later by
grandmaster Sveshnikov.} ({The 12th game of the match went} 4... Nxd4 $2 5.
Qxd4 e6 6. Bc4 $6 (6. Nc3 $1 {is more accurate}) 6... Ne7 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. Qd1 Bc5
9. O-O O-O {with a slightly inferior game.}) 5. Nxc6 ({Nowadays every
schoolboy knows that} 5. Nb5 {should be played. After this from the late 1950s
they used to play} a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 {, for example:} 8. Qd1 (8. Qa3)
({or even} 8. Qxf6 Nxf6 9. Nc3 {is also good}) 8... Qg6 9. Nc3 Nge7 10. h4 h5
11. Bg5 d5 12. Bxe7 d4 13. Bg5 dxc3 14. bxc3 Qxe4+ 15. Be2 f6 16. Be3 Bg4 {
with equality, Fischer-Tal, Curaçao Candidates 1962), but 12 exd5! retains an
advantage. Then Sveshnikov showed that 5...d6! 6 c4 Be7 is more solid – here
White has only a minimal initiative. However, 5 Nxc6 is perhaps better than
its reputation. In pre-Steinitzian times they aimed for rapid development and
an attack, and did not pay attention to such positional nuances as the
weakness of the d5-square.}) 5... bxc6 6. Bc4 Nf6 ({Löwenthal recommended} 6...
Ba6 {(with the idea of 7 Bxa6 Qa5+ and ...Qxa6), but after} 7. Nd2 Bxc4 ({or}
7... Qa5 8. O-O Nf6 9. Qe2) 8. Nxc4 Qe7 9. O-O Qe6 10. b3 Nf6 11. Bb2 {White
retains some advantage.}) 7. Bg5 $6 {A futile, anti-positional move: why
exchange this bishop?} ({Also harmless is} 7. Qe2 Be7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bg5 Nxe4 (
9... h6 $5) 10. Bxe7 Nxc3 11. Qxe5 Re8 12. O-O Qxe7 13. Qxc3 d5 14. Bd3 Qd6 {
with equality, as in a previous game of the same match.}) ({But} 7. O-O $1 {
is more logical.} Z0 ({. In the well-known game Morphy-Löwenthal (London 1858)
after} 7... d5 $6 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Re1 Bd6 $6 12.
Nc3 (12. Bg5 $1 {is more accurate}) 12... e4 $2 ({even the superior} 12... Qe6
13. Bg5 Bb4 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxd5 O-O-O 16. c4 Bxe1 17. Qxe1 {would have left
White with the initiative}) 13. Bg5 {Black encountered great difficulties.}) (
7... Nxe4 $6 8. Re1 d5 {is bad because of} 9. Rxe4 dxe4 $2 10. Bxf7+ $1 {.}) ({
. However, in the event of} 7... Be7 $1 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Qd3 d6 {White would have
been unable to count on anything. He has a free game, it is true, so the
outcome of the opening is acceptable for both sides...})) 7... Be7 ({The 11th
game of the match went} 7... Bc5 8. O-O h6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 {.}) 8. Qe2 $6 ({
I agree with Chigorin, who proposed} 8. Nc3 Bb7 9. Qe2 d5 10. Rd1 {. After} d4
11. O-O O-O 12. Nb1 c5 13. Nd2 Nd7 {Black is alright, but for the moment White
too has not yet spoiled anything.}) 8... d5 ({This is more energetic than} 8...
O-O {, as recommended by a number of commentators.}) 9. Bxf6 $2 {But this is a
serious error.} ({'White could have advantageously simplified the game:} 9.
exd5 cxd5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nc3 {with pressure on
the central pawns.' (Neishtadt) Excuse me: after} d4 14. Nd5 Qd6 15. c4 O-O 16.
O-O Nb6 $1 {this pressure is worthless.}) 9... Bxf6 10. Bb3 O-O 11. O-O a5 {
(with the threats of 12...a4 and 12...Ba6)} 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Rd1 d4 14. c4 $2
{Apparently the decisive mistake: it was wrong to allow Black's pawns to
become passed, since it does not prove possible to blockade them on the light
squares. McDonnell decides to play actively, hoping that his own passed c-pawn
will prove as strong as Black’s d-pawn. However, this hope may be
unrealistic. Black’s d-pawn is already well advanced, and ably supported by
its neighbour, the e5-pawn. Moreover, Black’s pieces are better mobilized
and have more scope. If a modern grandmaster were to end up in this position
as White, then he would not try to start a race, but rather develop the
queen’s knight, and aim to restrain and blockade the d-pawn, most likely
chipping away at it with c3 at some point. However, this game was played
almost a century before Nimzowitsch systematized the concept of “restrain,
blockade, destroy” (though the third part would be hoping for too much in
this instance), and, besides, in the early nineteenth century it was more
standard for players to try to solve positional problems by lashing out
aggressively. More prudent options include 14. c3 and 14. Nd2.} ({After} 14.
Nd2 a4 15. Bc4 a3 16. b3 Bb7 {White would simply have stood worse (the
opponent has the two bishops, the centre, and so on), but he could still have
held on.}) 14... Qb6 15. Bc2 Bb7 16. Nd2 Rae8 $1 {Labourdonnais correctly
perceives that his rooks belong on the e- and f-files, despite the fact that
this leaves his rooks poorly placed to act on the queenside. The d-pawn is of
course his main asset, but to create real threats Black will need to push his
e-pawn, and this in turn may need the support of the f-pawn. If White could
somehow set up a firm blockade on e4, then he would have good chances, so this
square may be regarded as the focus of the battle.} ({The greedy} 16... Qxb2 $2
{would have thrown away Black's entire advantage:} 17. Qd3 g6 18. Rab1 e4 $1
19. Nxe4 (19. Rxb2 exd3 20. Bxd3 {is equal}) 19... Bxe4 20. Rxb2 Bxd3 {with a
probable draw.}) 17. Ne4 ({Even so,} 17. Be4 $5 {was more tenacious.}) 17...
Bd8 (17... Be7 $5 {was also good.}) 18. c5 Qc6 19. f3 Be7 20. Rac1 f5 $1 {
The beginning of the end: the bishops are firing from afar, and the pawns
break through in the centre, for which Black does not begrudge giving up the
exchange!} 21. Qc4+ Kh8 ({But not} 21... Qd5 $2 22. Qb5 Bc6 {in view of} 23.
Bb3 Bxb5 24. Bxd5+ Kh8 25. Nd6 Bxd6 26. cxd6 Rf6 27. Rc5 Rb8 28. f4 $1 {
, when it is now Black who is worse:} e4 29. Bb7 $1 Bd7 30. Rxd4 $1 Rxb7 31.
Rc7 Rxb2 32. Rxd7 {.}) 22. Ba4 Qh6 23. Bxe8 $2 ({The last possibility of
sharpening the play was} 23. Nd6 $1 Bxd6 24. Bxe8 ({or} 24. cxd6 Rc8 {and wins}
) 24... Bc7 25. c6 e4 26. cxb7 Qxh2+ 27. Kf1 exf3 28. gxf3 Bg3 $1 ({Romanovsky
only considered} 28... Qh3+ 29. Ke2 Rxe8+ 30. Kd3 Qxf3+ 31. Kc2 Qxb7 32. Qxd4 {
, although even here after} h6 {Black is slightly better}) 29. Qxd4 Rxe8 {
, and now not} 30. Rd2 $2 ({but the computer move} 30. Rc3 $1 {, and Black
still has to work for his win:} h5 $1 31. f4 h4 32. b8=Q $1 Rxb8 33. Rd2 Qh1+
34. Ke2 Qe1+ 35. Kd3 Qf1+ 36. Kc2 Bxf4 37. Qf2 Qxf2 38. Rxf2 g5 39. Rxf4 gxf4
40. Rh3 Kg7 41. Rxh4 Rb4 {with a won endgame}) 30... Qh1+ 31. Qg1 Qxf3+ 32. Rf2
Bxf2 33. Qxf2 Qxb7 {with two extra pawns (Neishtadt).}) 23... fxe4 $1 {(the
avalanche of passed pawns sweeps away everything in its path)} 24. c6 ({Or} 24.
Qb5 Ba6 25. Qc6 exf3 26. gxf3 Qe3+ 27. Kh1 Be2 {and wins.}) 24... exf3 25. Rc2
({White loses after both} 25. cxb7 $2 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 fxg2+ 27. Kxg2 Rf2+ 28. Kg1
Re2+) ({and} 25. gxf3 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 Qxf3+ 27. Kg1 Rf5 {.}) 25... Qe3+ 26. Kh1
Bc8 ({The computer also suggests} 26... d3 27. Qxd3 Qxd3 28. Rxd3 f2 29. Rxf2
Rxf2 30. h3 Bc8 31. c7 Rc2 32. Bc6 g6 {winning.}) 27. Bd7 f2 (27... d3 $5 {.})
28. Rf1 d3 29. Rc3 Bxd7 30. cxd7 (30. Rxd3 Be6 $19) 30... e4 {(with the threat
of 31...Qe2 32 Rcc1 e3)} 31. Qc8 Bd8 ({The commentators also pointed out
another way to win:} 31... Rd8 $5 32. Rcc1 d2 33. Rcd1 Qe1 (33... Qf4 34. Qc4
Bd6 {is also possible – G. K.}) 34. Qc3 e3 35. Rdxe1 dxe1=Q 36. Rxe1 Bb4 $1 {.}
) 32. Qc4 ({Or} 32. Rcc1 d2 33. Rcd1 Qf4 $1 {with the threats of} 34. Z0 Bc7 ({
and} 34... e3 {.})) 32... Qe1 33. Rc1 d2 34. Qc5 Rg8 35. Rd1 e3 36. Qc3 Qxd1
37. Rxd1 e2 {What a phalanx! Philidor would certainly have been delighted by
such a fantastic pawn surge. This inimitable finish is one of the most
remarkable positions to have occurred in the 19th century! Lessons from this
game: 1) A large mobile pawn centre is a major strategic asset. 2) Don’t be
afraid to sacrifice to press forward to your main strategic goal (e.g. the
advance of a pawn-centre, as in this game). An advantageous position does not
win itself against a resourceful opponent, and at some point it may become
necessary to “get your hands dirty” and analyse precise tactical
variations. 3) When pawns are far-advanced, close to promotion, always be on
the lookout for tactical tricks involving promotion. The final position of
this game should provide all the necessary inspiration – make a mental note
of it!} 0-1
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