But it would not surprise me if the Petrov started a comeback, and regained at least part of the eminence it had before the rise of the Berlin.
All of which is an excuse for sharing the following cracker of a game from Tartakower and du Mont's 500 Master Games Of Chess.
White is the Hungarian-born, and future British citizen, Isidor Gunsberg. He is probably best known for narrowly losing a world championship match against Wilhelm Steinitz (+4=9-6) in 1891.
Another claim to fame is that he was the secret operator of Mephisto, a chess-playing automaton that, unlike The Turk, was operated by remote-control - quite a feat for the 1870s.
Black is Max Weiss. He is little-known today but his achievements included a +5=1-1 match-win over fellow Austrian Georg Marco in 1895.
This Petrov game was played in 1889 at the 6th USA congress, a 20-man double-round robin.
Notes in italics are algebraicised from 500 Master Games Of Chess.
Gunsberg - Weiss
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5
Disclosing his intention to maintain, as far as possible, his knight on its exposed outpost station; any other move, such as 5...Be7 or 5...Bg4, would necessitate its early retreat.
Carlsen and Karpov are among those who have tried 5...Be7!?
6.Bd3 Nc6
Reserving the development of the king's bishop at e7 or d6, and of the queen's bishop at g4 or e6.
6...Nc6 is the most-popular move today, but 6...Bd6 was commoner in the early days of the Petrov.
7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1
Nothing is gained by 8.c4.
Modern theory prefers 8.c4, although Kasparov and Anand are among very strong players who have tried both moves. For what it is worth, Komodo10 prefers the text, while Stockfish10 likes 8.Nbd2.
8...Bg4 9.c3
With the double mission of supporting the threatened d pawn and of increasing the range of White's queen.
9...f5
Weakening but compulsory.
10.Nbd2
A solid continuation. An ingenious idea, due to the Danish analyst Dr [Orla] Krause, is 10.c4, this 'advance by stages' being now more rational because of the more exposed formation of Black's kingside.
Geza Maroczy beat Harry Pillsbury with 10.c4!? at Monte Carlo 1902, the game continuing 10...0-0 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Qxf3 15.gxf3, when White's bishop-pair proved more important than Black's better pawn-structure.
10...0-0 11.Qb3
Relieving the pin and attacking at the same time. It would be more laborious to effect the unpinning of the knight by 11.Nf1 followed by Ng3 and h3.
11...Kh8
Parrying at least the most serious threat [Nxe4].
12.Qxb7
Hazardous! 12.Nf1 is required here.
José Capablanca played 12.Nf1 in a 1919 match-win against Boris Kostić, but most players, including Ivanchuk, have grabbed the pawn.
12...Rf6
Defending the queen's knight with a powerful threat: 13...Rb8 14.Qa6 Nb4 etc.
13.Qb3 Rb8 14.Qc2 Rg6
At express speed Black obtains a concentric kingside attack.
15.b3!?
This looks rather irrelevant when Black is building obvious pressure against the kingside. The engines suggest the surprising 15.g3!?, which would transpose to Sergei Movsesian (2661) - Frank Kroeze (2374), 2001 Dutch team championship play-off, which continued 15...Bd6 16.b4 Qf6 17.b5 Ne7 18.Ne5!? Bxe5 19.dxe5 Qxe5 20.Ba3 (1-0, 44 moves).
15...Bd6 16.Be2
In preparation for 17.Nf1.
16...Bh3 17.Bf1
If 17.g3, ….h5 with fresh resources.
 |
| Position if White had played 17.g3 |
*****
*****
*****
*****
If 17.g3, Stockfish10 gives the fantastic line 17...Bxg3!! 18.hxg3 Nxg3!, eg 19.fxg3 Rxg3+ 20.Kh2 Qd6 21.Nc4 (there seems nothing better) Rg2+ 22.Kh1 Qg3 23.Ne3 Rb6! and wins. If in this line White tries 19.Kh2, Stockfish10 gives 19...Qd6! 20.Kxh3 Nxe2, eg 21.Nf1 (21.Rxe2 Qf4 leads to mate) Ng1+ 22.Nxg1 Rxg1 23.Qxf5 Rf8 and wins.
17...Qf6 18.g3 Bxf1 19.Kxf1?!
A strange-looking choice, although the engines reckon Black has good compensation for the pawn whichever way White recaptures.
19...Rf8
Threat of 20...f4, for if then 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Qxe4, ...fxg3 etc, and White is swamped.
20.Nxe4?!
An optimistic decision.
The engines give 20.Nh4 Rg4 21.Nxe4 fxe4 22.Ng2, when Stockfish10 prefers Black, but Komodo10 gives a tiny edge to White.
20...fxe4
At a stroke, the pressure passes from the king's knight to the f file.
21.Nh4
The engines reckon White had to play 21.Ng1, but after 21...h5 Black is winning (Stockfish10) or at least has the upper hand (Komodo10).
21...Rxg3!
A superb sacrifice, shattering White's lines of defence.
22.hxg3 Bxg3 23.Kg2
There is nothing better. If 23.Ng2, ...Bxf2 etc.
23...Bxh4 24.Be3 Qf3+ 25.Kh2 Be7 26.Kg1 Rf6 27.Kf1 Qg4
In an instructive manner he keeps the opposing king in a trap.
28.Qd1
Trying to force a passage for his king.
28...Rf3 29.Rc1 Qh3+ 0-1
For if 30.Ke2, 30...Rxe3+ 31.fxe3 Qg2#, and if 30.Kg1, 30...Rf6, to be followed by 31...Rg6+.
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