Gruenfeld, Ernst2560–Alekhine, Alexander26550–1D64Karlsbad2Karlsbad29.04.1923
The Players Ernst Grünfeld (1893–1962)
was a strong Austrian grandmaster who, for a few years in the 1920s, was
probably in the world’s top ten players. He continued to play in the 1930s,
but with less success, and the Second World War effectively ended his career,
although he did play in a couple of small events in Vienna just after the war.
Today he is chiefly remembered for having invented the Grünfeld Defence (1.
d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5) which is one of those workhorse openings played day
in, day out by grandmasters all round the world. Alexander Alekhine
(1892–1946) was one of the greatest players of all time and held the World
Championship from 1927 to 1935 and from 1937 until his death in 1946. Born
into the Russian aristocracy, he was taught chess by his mother and soon
displayed a remarkable talent for the game. After some successes in relatively
minor tournaments, he was invited to play in the famous 1914 St Petersburg
tournament, which included all the world’s leading players. Alekhine’s
third place indicated that he had arrived among the chess elite. The First
World War and the Revolution interrupted Alekhine’s career, but after he
left Russia in 1920 he started a run of impressive tournament successes, which
led to a challenge for the World Championship in 1927. Few expected the almost
unbeatable Capablanca to lose, but Alekhine’s preparation was better and,
aided by his ferocious will-power, Alekhine gained the title after a marathon
battle of 34 games. Unlike many world champions, actually gaining the title
did not undermine his determination and over the next few years Alekhine
dominated the chess world. He successfully defended his title twice against
Bogoljubow, but Alekhine seemed reluctant to face his most dangerous
challengers and never allowed Capablanca a return match. A fondness for
alcohol cost Alekhine the title in 1935 when he faced the Dutchman Euwe. The
gentlemanly Euwe offered Alekhine a return match and, after giving up the
bottle, Alekhine regained his title in 1937. Alekhine’s results just before
the Second World War were definitely less impressive than formerly, and had a
projected match with Botvinnik taken place he might well have lost the title.
The war intervened, and during the war years Alekhine played in a number of
(not very strong) tournaments in German-occupied territory. After the war,
negotiations for a match with Botvinnik resumed and terms were agreed, but
Alekhine died of a heart attack before the match could take place. Alekhine
had a preference for attacking play and tactics, but he could handle all types
of position well. The games produced while he was at his peak are models of
attacking play; he had the rare ability to confront his opponents with all
sorts of problems without risking his own position. The Game After some subtle
opening play, Alekhine manages not only to nullify White’s advantage of the
first move but even to gain a slight positional advantage. Many players would
have tried to increase this advantage by slow positional manoeuvring, but
Alekhine’s methods are far more direct. A series of threats keeps Grünfeld
off-balance, until finally Alekhine strikes with a deadly combination. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 d5 4.g5 e7 5.f3 bd7 6.e3 0-0 7.c1 c6 A tabiya of
the Orthodox Defence; 8.c2 a6 9.a3 The struggle for a tempo. h6 10.h4 e8! 11.d3 dxc4 12.xc4 b5 13.a2 c5 14.d1N 14.0-0 cxd4 15.exd4 b7 16.e5 f8 17.fd1 c8 18.e2 b6 19.f3 ed8 20.f2 d5 21.xd5 xd5 22.xc8 22.xd5 exd5 23.d3 e6 24.c5 e8 25.f1 cd8 26.c2 f6 27.b4 g6 28.a2 g7 29.a4 a8 30.g3 bxa4 31.xa4 b5 32.xa6 xb4 33.xe6 xa6 34.xa6 fxe6 35.d3 f7 36.b1 d6 Gruenfeld,E-Teichmann,R Karlsbad 1923 1/
2-1/2 (37) 22...xc8 23.xd5 exd5 24.d3 e6 25.b4 c4 26.c5 f6 27.f1 c6 28.e1 xd4 Reti,R-Teichmann,R Karlsbad 1923 1-0 (50) 14.xf6 xf6 15.dxc5 xc5 16.e4 e7 17.b1 b7 18.xf6+ xf6 19.0-0 g6 20.fd1 e7 21.b4 ac8 22.e2 d5 23.a2 b7 24.d2 xc1 25.xc1 b2 26.d1 xa3 27.f3 xf3 28.xf3 xb4 Kacalek,T (1661)-Zikan,K (1870) Brno 2007 0-1 (38) 14...cxd4 15.xd4 (this would appear to involve a tactical oversight) b6 Black has an edge. 16.b1 b7! 17.0-0 ac8 Black has comfortably
completed his development and is now threatening 18...Be4 or 18...Ne4. 18.d2 e5! 'This knight will occupy the square c4, thereby fixing the weakness of
the queenside, induced by 9 a3.' (Alekhine) 19.xf6 With the intention of
exchanging the dangerous b7-bishop. However, according to Alekhine, all
White's trickery is no longer sufficient to equalise. 19.e2= 19...xf6 20.c2 g6 (not so much a defence against Qh7+ as a preparation for ...
Bg7) 21.e2 c4 22.e4! g7! Avoiding a subtle trap; 23.xb7 xb7
(threatening 24...Nxa3) 24.c1 e5! 'This advance of the e-pawn will give
Black's knight a new outpost on d3, still more irksome for the opponent than
its present position.' (Alekhine) 25.b3 e4 (again threatening ...Nxa3) 26.d4 ed8! (gradually supporting the
knight's position at d3) 27.fd1 e5 28.a2?! 'After this move, which
removes the knight from the field of action, White is definitely lost. d3 29.xc8 xc8 30.f3? Completely outplayed by his mighty opponent, in
desperation Grünfeld tries to undermine the d3-outpost as soon as possible:
this knight is just too strong, paralysing White's entire game and creating
the preconditions for dangerous combinations. 30.c3! 30...xd4!-+ 31.fxe4 Sunday, June 17, 2018
Ernst Gruenfeld X Alexander Alekhine - Karlsbad 1923
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