Study on the black keys
[Event "weak pawns: weak colour comple"]
[Site "weak pawns: weak colour compl"]
[Date "1921.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bernstein"]
[Black "Mieses"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[PlyCount "97"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 {Black has pawns on light squares. Good job he has his dark-squared bishop!} 7. e5
{Trying to fix the hole on d6} 7...Nd5 8.
Ne4 f5 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Nd6+ Bxd6 11. Qxd6 Ne4 {Black has lost the dark-squared bishop and has holes all over the place} 12. Qd4 Nf6 13. Qd6 Ne4 14. Qb4
d5 15. Bd3 Qd6 16. Qxd6 Nxd6 17. f4 {[#] ! A key move, preventing the advance
e6-e5 when Black's position is fine. The f-pawn prevents ...e5 and the Bishop will prevent ...c5.The rest of the game features an iron
determination to prevent any freeing move by Black, and a gradual invasion on
the dark squares.} a5 18. Be3 Ba6 19. Kd2 Nc4+ 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 {[#] It is
sometimes assumed that the presence of opposite-coloured bishops is a powerful
drawing factor. This is true of some simple or blocked positions, but here all
Black's pieces stand badly because of the weak dark squares.} 21. a4 Kd7 22. b3
Ba6 23. Bb6 Bc8 24. Ke3 Ra6 25. Bc5 Kc7 26. Kd4 Bd7 27. Rhe1 h5 28. Re5 g6 29.
Rg5 Rg8 30. Ke5 Be8 31. Re1 Ra8 32. Kf6 Bd7 33. g3 Rae8 34. Ree5 Rh8 35. Rxg6
Rh7 36. Rg7 Reh8 37. Rxh7 Rxh7 38. Kg6 Rh8 {[#] While there's life...} 39. Kg7
{!} (39. Rxh5 Be8+) 39... Rd8 40. Rxh5 Be8 {White needs to be sure of his
ground here, as he has an alternative plan of advancing the h-pawn.} 41. Rh7
Rd7+ 42. Kh6 Rxh7+ 43. Kxh7 {How many moves will it take White to Queen a
Pawn? How many for Black?} Bh5 44. h4 Bd1 45. c3 Bxb3 46. g4 Kd7 47. g5 e5 48.
f5 Bxa4 49. f6 {1-0 bernstein-meises} 1-0
Adventure in space
[Event "Top 10 endgames: "]
[Site "Arnstadt"]
[Date "1926.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hage"]
[Black "Nimzovitch, A."]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A80"]
[PlyCount "84"]
{I have a vision of a perfect game, where on move one I lay claim to a square,
and I keep collecting squares until my opponent resigns on move 63, facing
inevitable mate. This is the nearest I can think of: with every exchange White
gets more cramped!} 1. d4 f5 2. e3 d6 3. Bd3 e5 4. dxe5 dxe5 5. Bb5+ c6 6.
Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Bc4 Bd6 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Nc3 Ke7 10. a3 Rd8 11. Bd2 b5 12. Ba2 a5
13. O-O b4 14. Nb1 c5 15. Bc4 e4 16. Ng5 Ba6 17. Bxa6 Rxa6 18. axb4 axb4 19.
Rxa6 Nxa6 20. c3 h6 21. Nh3 Ng4 22. g3 Ne5 23. Kg2 g5 24. Bc1 b3 25. Nd2 c4 26.
Ng1 Nc5 27. Ne2 Rg8 28. Nd4 f4 29. Nf5+ Ke6 30. Nxd6 f3+ 31. Kg1 Kxd6 32. Rd1
Ke6 33. Nb1 Ncd3 34. Na3 Kd5 35. Nb5 Rb8 36. Na3 Ra8 37. h3 Kc5 38. Kf1 Nxc1
39. Rxc1 Nd3 40. Rb1 {[#]} Nxb2 41. Rxb2 Rxa3 42. Rb1 b2 *