Petrov Revival?

SPOTTING trends in chess is, as in other fields, much easier after the event than during (or before!).
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

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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+.

New York Giants

CONTINUING to go through Tartakower and du Mont's 500 Master Games Of Chess, I have reached a game played in the final of the first American Chess Congress, held in New York in 1857.
This event was organised as a series of knockout matches that happily ended with a final between the two strongest players, Paul Morphy and Louis Paulsen.
Both had been unbeaten in reaching the final, with each conceding just a single draw against their semi-final opponents.
According to Bill Wall's chess trivia, it cost $10 to play in the tournament, with an admission fee for spectators of $5.
These are much larger sums than they may seem at first sight. According to the Measuring Worth website, $10 in 1857 is worth almost $300 today if comparing consumer prices, and an eye-watering $4,000+ if comparing average incomes.
Notes in italics are algebraicised from 500 Master Games Of Chess.
Paulsen - Morphy
Spanish Four Knights
Although this game is adorned by one of the most famous queen sacrifices in the literature of the game, it also illustrates quite a number of additional tactical and strategic points; a temporary sacrifice, operations on open files, exploitation of a hole (d3), breaking up of the king's defences, irruption on the seventh rank, etc. Historically, this game spread Morphy's fame to Europe and presaged his coming triumphs in the old world.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3
A forerunner of the modern style, Louis Paulsen prefers a quiet and solid opening, whereas the general tendency of his time was to play the gambits - King's, Scotch, Evans, etc.
3...Nf6 4.Bb5
The Spanish Four Knights, the most scientific of all. Playable also is 4.Bc4, the Italian, and 4.d4, the Scotch Four Knights. Less pugnacious is the restricted development 4.Be2, and Gunsberg's 4.a3, which is best answered by 4...Bc5, claiming the initiative.
4...Bc5
A more stimulating reply than the symmetrical 4...Bb4.
"Rubinstein's" 4...Nd4!? was apparently first played by Emil Schallopp in 1881 in a loss to … Paulsen.
5.0-0
This continuation, storing up energy, is better than hitting out at once with 5.Nxe5 (5...Nxe5 6.d4) or than 5.d3, renouncing any offensive in the centre.
5...0-0
After the more timid 5...d6, the initiative for a long time to come remains with White after 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nf5 0-0 9.Bg5 etc.
Paulsen beat Zukertort with this line in 1877.
6.Nxe5
This temporary sacrifice (6...Nxe5 7.d4) is not without risks for White, as his great adversary immediately tries to demonstrate. After 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5 Re8 8.Nd3 Bd4 etc, the game has lost some of its plasticity, and after 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Ne7 etc, leads to a slowing down of operations.
6...Re8
Aiming at the full development of his forces. After 6...Bd4 7.Nf3 Bxc3 8.dxc3 Nxe4 9.Re1 d5 10.c4 Nf6 11.Bg5, White has command of the central files. If 6...Nd4, 7.Bc4.
7.Nxc6
A careful defence is 7.Nf3 Nxe4 8.d4 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bf8, and the position tends to equality.
7...dxc6 8.Bc4
An immediate and full retreat shows more prudence by 8.Be2 Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.d3 Re8 11.c3 with 12.d4 to follow.
8.Be2 is not in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but is the choice of both Stockfish10 and Komodo9.
8...b5
Not yet 8...Nxe4 on account of 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Bxf7+, for if 10...Kxf7, 11.Qf3+ followed by queen takes rook.
An interesting idea here is 8...Ng4 with 9.h3 Nxf2 10.Bxf7+ Kh8, and Black has the last word.
9.Be2 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Rxe4 11.Bf3
He is hypnotised by Black's weakness at c6. More self-control is shown by 11.d3 Re6 12.c3, to be followed by 13.d4.
11...Re6 12.c3
An error of judgment. He underrates the dangers of the hole at d3. After 12.d3, White's game could be defended.
12...Qd3 13.b4?!
The engines reckon White is fine if he takes immediate steps to evict Black's queen, eg 13. Re1 Rxe1+ 13.Qxe1 Bd7 14.Qf1.
13...Bb6 14.a4?!
A clever plan. Beaten in the first skirmish, White wants to make up leeway in the second, and to release, by turning manoeuvres, the pressure established by Black's queen.
Despite Tartakower's words, Re1 again seems to be better.
14...bax4
Necessary because of the threat 15.a5. If 14...a6, 15.axb5 Qxb5 (evidently not 15...axb5, nor 15...cxb5), 16.d4, breaking the charm.
15.Qxa4 Bd7?
A mistake that allows White a chance, which he misses, to break the bind. Correct was 15...Bb7, covering both c6 and a6.
16.Ra2?
Intending 16.Qc2, but the immediate opposition of the queen by Qa6 is essential.
16...Rae8
A crushing concentration (threat: 17...Qxf1+).
17.Qa6
Too late.

White's queen prevents Black sacing on f1, but ...

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17...Qxf3!!
A splendid sacrifice of the queen, which breaks the hostile king's defence.
18.gxf3 Rg6+ 19.Kh1 Bh3 20.Rd1?
Clearly neither 20.d4 Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3# [this should read 21...Bxf3+ 22.Bg5 Rxg5#], nor 20.Rg1 Bg7+ 21.Rxg2 Re1+, followed by mate in two. Relatively better would have been 20.Qd3.
Morphy apparently spent 30 minutes over his 17th move, and it may well be a large portion of that time was spent on how to meet 20.Qd3.

Black to play and win after the variation 20.Qd3

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If 20.Qd3, the engines give 20...f5!, the idea being to stop the queen from sacrificing itself for the rook on g6, as 20...Bg2+? 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ fails to 22.Qxg6. After 22...hxg6, Black would have the bishop-pair and a pawn for the exchange, but 23.d3 would prevent Black's rook transferring to the g file, and White's superior pawn-structure would give him the advantage.
After 20.Rd1?, the game continued:
20...Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ 22.Kf1 Bg2+
Morphy has his whole plan cut and dried in his mind. Another method is 22...Rg2, with a view to ...Rxh2 and ...Rh1#.
23.Kg1 Bh3+
This wins very easily, but the engines point out a quicker finish, ie 23...Be4+ 24.Kf1 Bf5 etc.
24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Qf1
The only chance of prolonging the game for a little while.
25...Bxf1 26.Rxf1 Re2 27.Ra1 Rh6 28.d4 Be3+ 0-1