[blind-chess] Annotated Game #141: Sir George Thomas - Salo Flohr, Margate 1939
- From: "Roderick Macdonald" <rjmacdonald@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Blind-Chess Mailing List" <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:50:41 -1000
Annotated Game #141:
Sir George Thomas - Salo Flohr, Margate 1939
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Contents:
++1. Sir George Alan Thomas
++1.A Chess
++1.B Badminton
++2. Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr
++2.A Early life
++2.B Early successes
++2.C World title contender
++2.D Excels in Chess Olympiads
++2.E Match results
++2.F Official challenger, personal crisis
++2.G Soviet citizen, recovers form
++2.H Achievements and legacy
++2.I Notable chess games
++2.J Writings and further reading
++3. Sir George Alan Thomas - Salo Flohr, Margate 1939, Round 1
++1. Sir George Alan Thomas
Sir George Alan Thomas, Bart. (June 14, 1881 - July 23, 1972) was
a British International chess Master and International chess
Arbiter. He was also an international badminton and tennis player.
He was twice British Chess Champion and a seven-time All-England
Badminton champion. He also played in the semi-finals of the men's
tennis doubles at Wimbledon in 1911.
Thomas never married, so the hereditary Thomas baronetcy ended on
his death. He was admired for his fine sportsmanship.
++1.A Chess
Living most of his life in London and Godalming, Thomas was British
Chess Champion in 1923 and 1934. He shared first prize at the 1934-
1935 Hastings International Chess Congress in very good company,
tying with the next world chess champion Max Euwe and leading
Soviet player Salo Flohr, ahead of past and future world champions
Jose Raul Capablanca and Mikhail Botvinnik, whom he defeated in
their individual games.
Thomas also defeated Euwe in tournament play and held Alekhine to
six draws. His 'lifetime' scores against the world's elite were
however less flattering: he had minuses against Emanuel Lasker (-1,
not counting a win in a Lasker simultaneous exhibition in 1896),
Capablanca (+1 -5 =3), Alekhine (-7 =6), Efim Bogoljubov (-5 =3),
Euwe (+1 -9 =2), Flohr (+2 -9 =4) and Savielly Tartakower (+3 -9
=10). He also fared badly against Edgard Colle (+1 -9 =8). More
impressively, he did manage even scores with Botvinnik (+1 -1),
Richard Reti (+3 -3 =1) and Siegbert Tarrasch (+1 -1 =3). Against
Giza Maroczy, the balance was in Thomas' favour (+3 -1 =5).
Domestically, he held a plus score against his great English rival
Frederick Yates (+13 -11 =13), but was less successful against
Women's World Chess Champion Vera Menchik (+7 -8 =7),
In 1950 he was awarded the International Master title by FIDE and
in 1952, became an International Arbiter. At age 69, he gave up
competitive chess.
++1.B Badminton
As a badminton player he is the most successful player ever in the
All England Open Badminton Championships with 21 titles between
1906 and 1928. Four of those titles were in men's singles, nine in
men's doubles and eight in mixed doubles.
He was inducted into the World Badminton Hall of Fame as an
Inaugural Member.
++2. Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr
Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr (November 21, 1908 - July 18, 1983) was
a leading Czech, and later Soviet, chess grandmaster of the
mid-20th century, who became a national hero in Czechoslovakia
during the 1930s. His name was used to sell many of the luxury
products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, slippers and
eau-de-cologne. Flohr dominated many tournaments of the pre-World
War II years, and by the late 1930s was considered a contender for
the world championship. However, his patient, positional style was
overtaken by the sharper, more tactical methods of the younger
Soviet echelon after World War II. Flohr was also a well-respected
chess author, and an International Arbiter.
++2.A Early life
Flohr had a troubled childhood beset by personal crises. He was
born in a Jewish family in Horodenka in what was then Galicia,
Austria-Hungary (now in Ukraine). He and his brother were orphaned
during World War I after their parents were killed in a massacre,
and they fled to the newly-formed nation of Czechoslovakia.
Flohr settled in Prague, gradually acquiring a reputation as a
skilled chess player by playing for stakes in the city's many
cafes. During 1924, he participated in simultaneous exhibitions by
Richard Reti and Rudolf Spielmann, and he was still giving displays
well into his seventies.
++2.B Early successes
Flohr won the Kautsky Memorial tournaments of 1928 and 1929 which
were held in Prague, and made his international debut at the
Rohitsch-Sauerbrunn (Rogaska Slatina) tournament in Slovenia, where
he finished second to Akiba Rubinstein in the latter's final
success. Flohr had also taken a job as a chess journalist, and one
of his first assignments had been to cover the 1928 Berlin
tournament, where he continued to win money on the side by playing
chess.
++2.C World title contender
Flohr's playing ability peaked in the mid-1930s, when he became one
of the world's strongest players and a leading contender for the
world championship. He became champion of Czechoslovakia in 1933
and 1936 and played in many tournaments throughout Europe,
generally finishing amongst the top three. Notable victories were
at Bad Sliac in 1932, where he shared first place with Milan
Vidmar; Scheveningen in 1933; Bad Liebenwerda in 1934 with 9.5/11;
Barcelona in 1935 where he tied for first with George Koltanowski;
Moscow in 1935 where he came 1st= with future World Champion
Mikhail Botvinnik; Podebrady in 1936 with the score of +10 =6 -1;
and Kemeri in 1937 where he shared the top spot with Vladimir
Petrov and Samuel Reshevsky. During this period, he had several
other notable high finishes, such as Bern 1932 (tied for second
with 11.5/15, after world champion Alexander Alekhine); Zurich 1934
(tied for second with 12/15, again trailing Alekhine); and Parnu
1937 (second behind Paul Felix Schmidt).
Flohr also frequently visited England, regularly playing in the
Hastings tournaments of the 1930s. He was first in 1931-1932, 1932-
1933 and 1933-1934, finished 1st= with Max Euwe and Sir George
Thomas in 1934-1935, and was second behind only Reuben Fine in
1935-1936. He also won the Margate tournament of 1936 ahead of
former world champion Jose Raul Capablanca.
++2.D Excels in Chess Olympiads
His form for his adopted country in the Chess Olympiads was equally
impressive, according to the comprehensive Olympiad site
olimpbase.org. He made his debut at Hamburg 1930 on board one,
scoring a phenomenal 14.5/17 for the silver medal. On home soil at
Prague 1931, again on board one, he scored 11/18, and led
Czechoslovakia to a team bronze medal. At Folkestone 1933, he again
played board one, and made 9/14, helping Czechoslovakia to the team
silver, and earning a bronze medal for himself. At Warsaw 1935, on
board one he scored an unbeaten 13/17 for another individual gold
medal, and Czechoslovakia finished fifth. Then at Stockholm 1937,
once again on board one, he scored 12.5/16 for a third individual
gold medal. In five Olympiads, he won two individual gold medals,
a silver and a bronze. His aggregate was 60/82, for a fantastic 73
per cent against the top players in the world. However, it should
be noted that the Soviet Union did not compete during those years.
++2.E Match results
In addition, Flohr enjoyed a fair amount of success in match play,
and he played matches with two of his main rivals for the title of
challenger to reigning champion Alexander Alekhine. He drew a 16-
game match against Euwe in 1932 (+3 =10 -3) (who was soon to be the
champion, from 1935-37), and drew against Botvinnik in 1933 (+2 =8
-2). Flohr beat Gosta Stoltz by 5.5-2.5 in 1931 and, a year later,
beat Mir Sultan Khan, the 1932 and 1933 British Champion, by
3.5-2.5. Flohr also defeated Johannes van den Bosch at the Hague in
1932 by 6-2. In 1933, he won two matches in Switzerland, first over
Oskar Naegeli by 4-2 at Bern, and then by 4.5-1.5 over Henri Grob
at Arosa.
++2.F Official challenger, personal crisis
Flohr had married in 1935. By 1937, FIDE had nominated him as the
official candidate to play Alekhine for the World Championship.
However, with World War II looming, it proved impossible for Flohr
to raise the stake money in Czechoslovakia, so the plans were
dropped. The next year, Flohr was one of the eight elite players
invited to the great AVRO tournament of November 1938. He finished
last, and this put an end to his chances of a World Championship
match with Alekhine. AVRO may have been the only time in chess
history when the top eight players in the world contested an
important tournament.
While AVRO was an incredibly strong tournament, and Flohr's last-
placed finish was no disgrace, his result may also be explained by
his difficult personal circumstances at the time. The German
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938 had left Flohr, as a Polish-
Ukrainian Jew, in grave personal danger. Flohr remained in the
Netherlands in early 1939, playing in several small events. He tied
1st-3rd in Amsterdam KNSB with Max Euwe and Laszlo Szabo at 3.5/5.
He tied 3rd-4th in Amsterdam VARA with 3/5, as Euwe and Salo Landau
won. He won Baarn I with 2.5/3. Then, he and his family fled, first
to Sweden, and then to Moscow with the help of his friend
Botvinnik. While in Sweden, he tied 1st-2nd at Goteborg with Rudolf
Spielmann on 10/11.
++2.G Soviet citizen, recovers form
Flohr was able to recover his form after reaching safety in Moscow.
He won Kemeri 1939 with a wonderful score of 12/15, also captured
the very strong 1939 Leningrad-Moscow tournament with 12/17, tied
for second at Margate 1939 with 6.5/9 behind only Paul Keres, and
then tied for second at Bournemouth 1939 with 8.5/11, behind only
former World Champion Euwe.
Flohr did not play in any official strong Soviet events from
1940-42. He did lose a 1942 match to Vladimir Makogonov in Baku by
2-0. He became a naturalized Soviet citizen in 1942, and developed
his writing career in his new country, contributing articles to a
number of Soviet newspapers and magazines, including Ogonek. As the
Soviet Union first stopped then reversed the Nazi invasion, some
chess activity started up again, and in 1943 Flohr won a small but
strong tournament in Baku. In 1944 he was again victorious in a
Bolshevik Society tournament at Kiev, tied with Alexei Sokolsky. He
withdrew from the 1945 USSR Championship after only three games.
After the War, he was still a contender for a possible World
Championship match, and finished 6th at the 1948 Interzonal in
Saltsjobaden, thereby qualifying to play in the 1950 Candidates
Tournament in Budapest. However, he finished joint last with 7 out
of 18, and never entered the World Championship cycle again,
preferring to concentrate on journalism, and he also developed a
role as a chess organiser. He did play periodically at high levels,
both within the Soviet Union and abroad, with some success, until
the late 1960s. He was awarded the title of International Arbiter
in 1963.
Salo Flohr died in Moscow on July 18, 1983.
++2.H Achievements and legacy
Flohr was one of Czechoslovakia's greatest chessplayers ever, and
proved virtually invincible at the Olympiads of the 1930s. His
tournament record was impressive, with his tactical skill and
excellent endgame technique securing him many famous victories.
FIDE awarded him the International Grandmaster title on its
inaugural list in 1950. He made a number of important contributions
to opening theory: a 'Flohr variation' can be found in no fewer
than six major openings, including the Caro-Kann Defense, the Ruy
Lopez, the English Opening, and the Gruenfeld Defence. The Flohr-
Zaitsev Variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4
Re8) was taken up in the 1980s with success by World Champion
Anatoly Karpov.
Flohr was primarily a strategist who excelled in the endgame. He
favoured the Closed openings with White, and during the prime of
his career, he was especially deadly with the Queen's Gambit, as
the game selection shows. Flohr almost never opened with 1.e4. He
was one of the main developers of the Caro-Kann, which was an
obscure and poorly-regarded line as late as the 1920s when Flohr
took it up.
The Second World War killed off any chance he had of winning the
world title, and the stress of becoming a refugee for the second
time in his life affected his style of play. He became a much more
cautious player in his post-war games and earned a drawish
reputation, with many short draws which were hardly contested. He
could not keep pace with the new generation of Soviet stars which
emerged after World War II. Players such as Vasily Smyslov, David
Bronstein, Isaac Boleslavsky, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, Tigran
Petrosian, Efim Geller, Mark Taimanov, Yuri Averbakh, Boris
Spassky, Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi, and Leonid Stein dominated
the landscape with their sharper styles and innovative openings.
According to the site chessmetrics.com, which compares historical
ratings, Flohr was among the world's top 20 players from 1930 to
1951, except for the war years 1942-44 when he was largely
inactive; and his ranking peaked at #2 in the world in 1935.
But it is noteworthy that Flohr was never able to defeat Alekhine
head-to-head, losing five games and drawing seven in their 12
encounters. Alekhine had a sharp, tactical style, and he could also
play outstanding positional chess. It is highly unlikely that Flohr
could have won a match against him, had he been given the chance.
++2.I Notable chess games
* Salo Flohr vs Max Euwe, Amsterdam-Karlsbad match 1932, Queen's
Gambit, Exchange Variation (D36), 1-0 Virtually perfect game
by White showing optimal strategy in this variation.
* Mikhail Botvinnik vs Salo Flohr, Leningrad-Moscow match 1933,
Caro-Kann Defence, Panov-Botvinnik Attack (B13), 0-1 Botvinnik
adopts his favourite line, but has to concede defeat.
* Salo Flohr vs Isaac Kashdan, Folkestone Olympiad 1933, English
Opening, Flohr-Mikenas Attack (A18), 1-0 Flohr adopts one of
the lines which will eventually bear his name, with good
success here.
* Salo Flohr vs Paul Keres, Warsaw Olympiad 1935, Queen's Gambit
Declined, Exchange Variation (D37), 1-0 Keres was the 19-year-
old new star making his international debut, but he is out of
his league here.
* Salo Flohr vs J.R. Capablanca, Nottingham 1936, Queen's Gambit
Declined, Tartakower Variation (D59), 1-0 Even the phenomenal
Capablanca, former World Champion and joint winner of
Nottingham, can't defend against Flohr's Queen's Gambit.
* Salo Flohr vs Emanuel Lasker, Moscow 1936, Reti Opening (A06),
1-0 Solid positional performance in one of the fashionable
hypermodern variations.
* David Bronstein vs Salo Flohr, USSR Championship, Moscow 1944,
Ruy Lopez, Open Variation (C82), 0-1 The 20-year-old Bronstein
was making his debut at the top Soviet level, but learns a
lesson here.
* Salo Flohr vs Tigran Petrosian, USSR Championship, Moscow
1949, Old Indian Defence (A54), 1-0 The 20-year-old Petrosian
was making his debut at the top Soviet level, and learns a
positional lesson.
* Salo Flohr vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1950,
Reti Opening (A05), 1-0 Another young Master learns that the
veteran Flohr still packs a punch.
* Leonid Stein vs Salo Flohr, Ukrainian Championship, Kiev 1957,
Caro-Kann Defence, Flohr-Smyslov Modern Variation (B17), 0-1
Another smooth positional massage from the Master of the
'Roach'.
* Salo Flohr vs Bent Larsen, Noordwijk 1965, Sicilian Defence,
Accelerated Dragon Variation (B39), 1-0 Flohr takes off one of
the Candidates of that time in his last great victory.
++2.J Writings and further reading
* 12th Chess Tournament of Nations (Moscow 1956 Olympiad), by
Salomon Flohr, Moscow, Fiskultura i Sport, 1957 (Russian).
* Salo Flohr's Best Games of Chess, by Salomon Flohr (translated
from the Russian by Gregory S. Donges), Davenport, Iowa,
Thinker's Press, 1985, ISBN 0-938650-34-3.
* Grandmaster Flohr, by Viktor D. Baturinsky (Hg), Moscow,
Fiskultura i Sport, 1985 (Russian).
* Salo Flohr und das Schachleben in der Tschechoslawakei, by
Helmut Wieteck, Hamburg, Neu-Jung Verlag, 2005, ISBN
3-933648-26-2 (German).
++3. Sir George Alan Thomas - Salo Flohr, Margate 1939, Round 1
Margate 1939, Round 1
White: Sir George Thomas
Black: Salo Flohr
Result: 1-0
ECO: C84 - Ruy Lopez Opening, Morphy Variation, Closed Variation, Knight Attack
Notes by R.J. Macdonald
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5
(The Ruy Lopez Opening.)
3. ... a6
(The Morphy Variation.)
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 Be7
(The Closed Variation.)
6. Nc3
(The Knight Attack.)
6. ... b5
(White retains a slight advantage after 6. ... d6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. d4 exd4 9.
Nxd4 Bd7 10. Re1 0-0 11. h3 Re8 12. Qd3 Nh5 13. Be3 Bf6. Also possible is 6.
... Bd6 7. d4 b5 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Bb3 0-0 10. Bf4 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 Bb7 12. Bxd6
cxd6 13. Rad1 b4, where White again has a slight advantage.)
7. Bb3 d6
(7. ... 0-0 8. d3 d6 9. Nd5 Bg4 10. Be3 Na5 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. h3 Bh5 13. Qe2
Rfd8 with a slight advantage for white.)
8. Nd5 Bg4
9. Nxe7
(Also possible is 9. c3 Na5 (9. ... 0-0 10. h3 Be6 11. d4 Kh8 12. Re1 Nd7 13.
Bc2 f6 14. a4 Na7 15. axb5 axb5 16. Be3 c5 17. dxc5 dxc5 18. Ra6 Bxd5 19. exd5
Qc8 20. Qa1 Qb7 21. b4 Rfb8 22. d6 Bd8 23. bxc5 Rc8 24. Ra2 1-0 in 31 moves, as
in the game A. Alekhine - G. Barcza, Munich 1942) 10. d3 c6 11. Nb4 Qb6 12. Be3
c5 13. Nd5 Qc6 14. c4 bxc4 15. Bxc4 Nxc4 16. dxc4 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Qb5 18. Rb1 0-
0 19. Qd2 Bxf3 20. gxf3 f5 21. Qc2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Qd7 23. Kh1 Qh3 1/2-1/2 in 34
moves, as in the game P. Huk - P. Ostrowski (2080), Krynica 1998. 9. c3 Na5 10.
Bc2 Nxd5 11. exd5 0-0 gives white a slight advantage.)
9. ... Qxe7
(White has the pair of bishops. The position is now even.)
10. c3
(White's piece can't move: from c1.)
10. ... 0-0
(10. ... Nxe4? is no good because of 11. Bd5 Qd7 12. Bxe4, with a decisive
advantage for white.)
11. d3
(This Prevents intrusion on e4.)
11. ... Na5
(11. ... h6 12. Re1 leads to equality.)
12. Bc2 c5
(12. ... Rfd8 13. h3 Bh5 14. Qe2 offers equal chances.)
13. h3
(White threatens to win material: h3xg4.)
13. ... Bh5
(13. ... Be6 14. d4 gives white a slight advantage.)
14. Qe2 Nd7
(14. ... Nc6 15. Re1 gives white a slight advantage.)
15. Qe3
(15. Bd2 h6 gives white a slight edge.)
15. ... Nc6
16. Nh2
(16. Re1 Nb6 gives white a slight advantage.)
16. ... Nb6
(The position is now even.)
17. b4
(17. Qg3 d5 also leads to equality.)
17. ... Rab8
18. a3 Rfc8
19. bxc5 dxc5
20. f4 exf4
21. Qxf4 Ne5
(White has a cramped position. 21. ... b4 22. axb4 cxb4 23. Rxa6 bxc3 24. Rxb6
Rxb6 25. Qf5 offers equal chances.)
22. Qg3
(Black has an active position.)
22. ... Bg6
(22. ... Re8!? should not be overlooked, as it offers equal chances.)
23. Bf4
(White now has a solid advantage.)
23. ... Nbd7
24. Ng4
(This begins the manoeuver Nh2-g4-e3-d5.)
24. ... Re8
25. Ne3 Rbc8
26. Nd5
(White threatens to win material: Nd5xe7. The white knight is well posted.)
26. ... Qd8
(26. ... Qe6!? must definitely be considered, but it leaves white a slight
edge.)
27. a4
(White now has a very strong advantage.)
27. ... b4
28. a5
(Better is 28. cxb4!? cxb4 29. Rac1, with a decisive advantage for white.)
28. ... bxc3
(White has a solid advantage.)
29. Nxc3
(White has new hanging pawns: d3+e4. 29. Ba4 Re6 30. Nxc3 h6 gives white a
moderate advantage.)
29. ... Nc6
(29. ... c4!? is worth consideration: 30. dxc4 Nxc4 offers equal chances.)
30. Nd5
(White has a moderate advantage.)
30. ... Nd4
31. Rf2
(31. Bd1 Ne6 32. Bd6 gives white a solid advantage.)
Key Move Diagram:
2rqr1k1/
3n1ppp/
p5b1/
P1pN4/
3nPB2/
3P2QP/
2B2RP1/
R5K1
Position after white's 31st move.
31. ... Ne6?
(31. ... Nf6 32. Bg5 Nh5 33. Qg4 would leave white with a slight advantage.)
32. Bb3
(32. Be3 c4 33. d4 c3 is very strong for white.)
32. ... c4
(Better is 32. ... Nxf4!? 33. Nxf4 Rb8, though white still has a solid
advantage.)
33. Bxc4
(Now white has a very strong advantage.)
Key Move Diagram:
2rqr1k1/
3n1ppp/
p3n1b1/
P2N4/
2B1PB2/
3P2QP/
5RP1/
R5K1
Position after white's 33rd move.
33. ... Bxe4?
(Better is 33. ... Nxf4 34. Nxf4 Nf6 35. Bxa6 Rc5, though white still has a
much better position.)
34. Ne3
(34. Nc7! nails it down: 34. ... Ndc5 35. Nxe8 (35. dxe4 Nxe4 36. Bxe6 Nxg3 37.
Bxf7+ Kxf7 38. Bg5+ Kg6 39. Bxd8 Rexd8 40. Nxa6 Rd6 is decisive for white) 35.
... Qxe8 36. Bd6 gives white a very strong advantage. Weaker is 36. dxe4 Nxe4
37. Qb3 Nxf2 38. Bxe6 Qxe6 39. Qxe6 fxe6 40. Kxf2 Rf8 with a decisive advantage
for white.)
34. ... Bg6
(White now has a slight advantage. 34. ... Nxf4? doesn't work: 35. Qxf4 (35.
Rxf4?! Bg6 offers equal chances; 35. dxe4?! Ne6 gives white a solid advantage)
35. ... Nf6 36. dxe4 Rxe4 37. Qg3 Rexc4 38. Nxc4 is very strong for white.)
35. Bxa6 Ra8
36. Bb5 Nd4
(Black threatens to win material: Nd4xb5. The knight likes it on d4.)
37. Bc7
(White threatens to win material: Bc7xd8.)
37. ... Qe7
38. Bxd7 Qxd7
(Opposite coloured bishops appeared.)
39. Bb6
(An ideal square for the white bishop.)
39. ... Nb3
(Black threatens to win material: Nb3xa1. 39. ... Re6 40. Rc1 Nc6 41. Nf5 would
leave white slightly better.)
40. Ra3
(White threatens to win material: Ra3xb3.)
40. ... Nc1
(Increasing the pressure on the isolated pawn on d3. 40. ... Qxd3?? (taking the
pawn is naive) 41. Rb2 gives white a decisive advantage.)
41. d4
(Better is 41. Rc3 Nxd3 42. Rd2, giving white a solid advantage.)
Key Move Diagram:
r3r1k1/
3q1ppp/
1B4b1/
P7/
3P4/
R3N1QP/
5RP1/
2n3K1
Position after white's 41st move.
41. ... Nd3?
(41. ... Rac8!? and Black could well hope to play on, though white would still
have a solid advantage.)
42. Rd2
(White now has a very strong advantage.)
42. ... Qb5
43. Kh2
(43. Nd1 Nc1 44. Nc3 Qh5 is also very strong for white.)
43. ... h5
(43. ... Nb2!? 44. Qd6 Rxe3 45. Rxb2 Rxh3+ 46. Rxh3 Qxb2 is very strong for
white.)
44. Nd1
(White now has a decisive advantage.)
44. ... Nc1
45. Re3
(45. d5 Qb4 46. Rb2 Qf8 is very strong for white.)
45. ... Rxe3
(45. ... Qb4 46. Rf2 is decisive for white.)
46. Qxe3
(46. Nxe3!? Qd7 is decisive for white.)
46. ... Re8
(White has a solid advantage.)
47. Rb2 Qc6
48. Qc3 Qd6+
49. Qg3
Key Move Diagram:
4r1k1/
5pp1/
1B1q2b1/
P6p/
3P4/
6QP/
1R4PK/
2nN4
Position after white's 49th move.
49. ... Qd5?
(Better is 49. ... Qe6!?, with a moderate advantage for white.)
50. Nc3
(White again has a decisive advantage.)
50. ... Qc4
51. Nb5
(51. d5 Nd3 52. Re2 Rxe2 53. Nxe2 Nb4 is decisive for white.)
51. ... Qf1
(51. ... Nd3 52. Nd6 Qc6 53. d5 Qxd5 54. Nxe8 Nxb2 55. Qc3 is still very strong
for white.)
52. Qf2 Qd1
53. Rd2
(53. Qf3 Qe1 54. Nc7 Nd3 55. Nxe8 Nxb2 gives white a decisive advantage.)
53. ... Qb3
(53. ... Qa4 54. Nc7 Nd3 55. Qf3 is still very strong for white.)
54. Nc7
(White plans d5.)
Key Move Diagram:
4r1k1/
2N2pp1/
1B4b1/
P6p/
3P4/
1q5P/
3R1QPK/
2n5
Position after white's 54th move.
54. ... Re7??
(Terrible, but the game is lost in any case. 54. ... Re4 55. d5 Nd3 is still
very strong for white.)
55. d5 Nd3
56. d6
(56. Qd4 and White can relax: 56. ... Qa3 57. Nb5 Qb4 58. Qxb4 Nxb4 and white
should win easily.)
56. ... Nxf2
57. dxe7 f6
(57. ... f5 58. Rxf2 (58. Bxf2?! Qc4 59. Rd8+ Kh7 leaves white with only a
slight advantage) 58. ... Qb4 59. e8=Q+ Bxe8 60. Nxe8 is decisive for white.)
58. Rxf2
(58. Bxf2?! Qc3 59. Rd8+ Kh7 gives white only a slight edge.)
58. ... Qb4
59. e8=Q+ Bxe8
60. Nxe8 h4
(60. ... Kf7 61. Nc7 is decisive for white.)
61. Nc7 Kf7
(61. ... Qd6+ 62. Kg1 should win easily for white.)
62. Kg1
(62. Rf5 seems even better: 62. ... Qd2 63. Rb5 Qf4+ 64. Kh1 Qc1+ 65. Bg1 Qxc7
and white should win easily.)
62. ... Kg6
(62. ... Qe4 63. Rf1 Qc6 64. Rd1 is decisive for white.)
63. Nd5 Qa3
64. Ne3 Kf7
65. Rf1 g6
(65. ... Qa4 is decisive for white.)
66. Ng4 f5
(66. ... Kg7 does not save the day: 67. Rxf6 Qc3 68. Re6 and white should win
easily.)
67. Ne5+ Kf6
(67. ... Kg7 doesn't change anything either: 68. Bd4 Qd6 69. Rf4 with a
decisive advantage for white.)
68. Bd4
(Black resigned. 68. Bd4 Ke6 69. Nxg6 should win easily for white.)
1-0
Other related posts:
- » [blind-chess] Annotated Game #141: Sir George Thomas - Salo Flohr, Margate 1939 - Roderick Macdonald
