Aron Nimzowitsch vs Lajos Steiner - Bad Niendorf 1927.08.08

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Aron Nimzowitsch vs Lajos Steiner
Bad Niendorf Bad Niendorf GER round 3 1927.08.08
Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense, Semi-Duras Variation 1-0

[Event "Bad Niendorf"]
[Site "Bad Niendorf GER"]
[Date "1927.08.08"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "3"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Aron Nimzowitsch"]
[Black "Lajos Steiner"]
[ECO "C62"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "41"]

1.e4 {Notes by Nimzowitsch} e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 d6
5.d4 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Qd3 Nd7 8.Be3 exd4 9.Bxd4 {Black's
difficulty is not so much the problem of the pawn-center as
the fact that White's centralized bishop keeps the g-pawn
under fire.} f6 {? The move appears to us to be the decisive
mistake. The correct continuation was 9...Nc5 at once, e.g.,
10 Qe2 Ne6 11 O-O-O Be7 12 Nd5 O-O 13 Bc3 Re8 followed by
...Bf8 with entirely sufficient central effect. Or else
12...Bxd5 (instead of O-O) 13 exd5 Nxd4 14 Nxd4 O-O with
...Bf6 and Black has a good game.} 10.Nh4 {A diversion in no
way premature.} Nc5 11.Qe2 Ne6 12.Nf5 {Now Black can longer
obtain a satisfactory development; e.g., 12...Be7? 13 Nd5 Bxd5
14 exd5 Nxd4 15 Nxd4 with decisive control of e6.} Qd7 {Futile
would be 12...g6 because of 13 O-O-O Kf7 14 Qc4.} 13.O-O {Not
merely a developing but also a waiting move. for Black is in
all circumstances compelled to create a new weakness if he
wishes to arrive at a reasonable development, and White van
afford to wait until Black decides to play ...a6 or
...b6. Therefore 13 O-O, which looks like a developing move,
was in a reality a tentative waiting move} b6 {The alternative
13...a6 also had its drawbacks. Entirely bad, however, would
be : 13...O-O-O, e.g. : 14 Bxa7 b6 15 a4 Kb7 16 a5 Kxb7 17
axb6+ Kb8 18 Ra7 Bb7 (the only move) 19 Rxb7+ Kxb7 20 Ra1 cxb6
21 Qa6+ Kc6 22 Qb5+ Kb7 23 Qd5+ Qc6 24 Ra7+ and wins. Instead
of creating a weakness by ...a6 or ...b6 a Steinitz would no
doubt have tried 13...Be7, e.g. : 14 Nd5 Bd8 15 c4 O-O 16 Bc3
Re8 and the black position is terribly constricted, yet not
easy to undermine.} 14.a4 {Now everything is set.} a5 15.Nd5
Nxd4 {If 15...O-O-O 16 Bxb6.} 16.Nxd4 Bb7 17.Ne6 Rc8 18.Qh5+
g6 19.Nxf6+ Kf7 20.Nxd7 gxh5 21.Ndxf8 {It is clear that
Black's game could have been held, as shown by 9...Nc5 and
perhaps later even with 13...Be7 and 14...Bd8 (though this
required the defensive powers of a Steinitz). Also 10...Ne5
possessed strength. Giving up the center is not necessarily a
catastrophe.} 1-0

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Updated: 5 December, 2021
Created: 5 December, 2021