Alexander Alekhine vs Leon Kussman - Simul, 18b 1924.01.13

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Alexander Alekhine vs Leon Kussman
Simul, 18b Newspaper Club, New York, NY USA 1924.01.13
Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense 1-0

[Event "Simul, 18b"]
[Site "Newspaper Club, New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1924.01.13"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Alexander Alekhine"]
[Black "Leon Kussman"]
[ECO "D40"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "39"]

1. d4 {Notes by Alekhine.} d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5
5. cxd5 exd5 {? Nowadays "theory" considers-and rightly so for
once-5...Nxd5 as the only correct reply. But when this game
was played, even masters did not realize the danger of the
text move; for instance, Dr. Vidmar it against me in the
London Tournament, 1922.} 6. Bg5 {! Much more effective here
than 6.g3 which in the regular Tarrasch Defence (with the
Black Queen's Knight at c3 and the King's Knight undeveloped)
would be the most promising line.} Be6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. e4 {!}
dxe4 9. Bb5+ Bd7 {Or 9...Nd7 10.Nxe4 Qg6 11.Bxd7+ Bxd7 12.O-O,
etc, with advantage.} 10. Nxe4 Qb6 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 12. O-O cxd4
{Facilitating White's attack. A lesser evil would be to allow
the unpleasant ...d5} 13. Nxd4 Rd8 {After White's next move
Black's d6 will need further protection.} 14. Nf5 {!} Ne5
15. Qe2 g6 {Permitting an elegant finish; but the position,
was of course, lost.} 16. Qb5+ {!} Nd7 {The Queen could not be
taken because of 17.Nf6 mate.} 17. Rfe1 {Threatening mate
again.} Bb4 18. Nf6+ Kf8 19. Nxd7+ Rxd7 20. Qe5 {! Threatening
this time three different mates. That is too much!} 1-0

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Updated: 31 January, 2022
Created: 31 January, 2022