Skype coaching session, 04 October 2015. 

The following game was examined, the game 39 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

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Annotated game. 

White: J. Szily. 
Black: Bronstein. 
Event: Budapest 1949. 
Result: 0-1 in 39 moves. 
Opening: Ruy Lopez, Schleimann Defence, Jaenisch Gambit Accepted, C60. 

1. e4 e5 
2. Nf3 Nc6 
3. Bb5 f5 

| Perhaps the sharpest response available to black against the Ruy Lopez. Even if serious hand to hand combat does not arise, there will be pawn structure imbalances allowing opportunities to fight for the initiative. || 

4. exf5 

| Other popular choices for white include, 4. Nc3, 4. d3, and a rather aggressive response, 4. d4. || 

4. ... e4 

| Usual question here. Is black claiming central space or is this pawn over-extended? It is too early to say, it is how each player handles the middlegame which will give the answer. || 

5. Qe2 Qe7 

| The black queen supports the advanced black e-pawn but is temporarily blocking the development of the f8 bishop. If white wishes to centralise the attacked f3 knight then a compromise must be made. || 

6. Bxc6 

| White gives up the bishop pair for a weakening in the black pawn structure. Many variations of the Ruy Lopez follow this strategy, indicating each player believes there are gains to be made from this minor piece trade. More pawn structure imbalance further increases the possibilities of fighting for a middlegame initiative. || 

6. ... bxc6 

| The alternative, 6. ... dxc6, is known. Capturing with the b-pawn keeps an eventual, pawn d5, available to strengthen the black centre. || 

7. Nd4 Nf6 
8. Nc3 c5 

| Black wishes to support the e4 pawn with the d7 pawn, and so must first move the targetted c6 pawn. || 

9. Nb3 

| An alternative has been tried here, and look out for a cute tactical opportunity for white on move 11, 9. Ndb5 d5 10. d3 c6 11. Bg5 a6 12. Na3 exd3 13. cxd3 Bxf5 14. O-O-O Qxe2 15. Nxe2 Ng4 
16. Rhe1 Kd7 17. Ng3 bg6 18. Re2 Bd6 19. Nc2 Rae8 20. Red2 h6 21. Ne3 Nxh2 22. Bh4 d4 23. Nc4 Bf4 24. Ne4 Bxe4 25. dxe4 Rxe4 26. Bg3 Bxg3 27. fxg3 Kc7 28. Rf2 Rd8 29. Rf5 Rd5 30. Rf7+, and black wanted more than a draw and pressed for a win which was not there, 1-0 in 42 moves as in A. Csonka (2330) - Z. Stojcevski (2375), European Club Cup 2009. || 

9. ... d5 

| The black pawn centre looks formidable, but as any player of Alekhines Defence will tell you, this structure can be handled. Yes, there are similarities to the Alekhines Defence with colours reversed. || 

10. Qb5+ 

| White sends the queen on an expedition into the black queenside. She will attempt to combine with the two knights to create a bind. Instead, 10. O-O, to be followed with, 11. d3, or, 11. d4, each challenging the black pawn centre might have been preferable. || 

10. ... Qd7 

| If, 10. ... Bd7 11. Qb7 Rc8 12. Qxa7, and white has won a safe pawn. || 

11. Qa5 

| White is not interested in trading queens, there are weaknesses to probe at, the black c5 pawn is going to become a target. || 

11. ... Qc6 
12. Na4 

| The black c5 pawn is triply attacked. If, 12. ... Nd7, completing development of the queenside will be difficult. Has black an alternative here? Take some time to find the next black move. || 

12. ... Rb8 

| Defending the c5 pawn with a tactic. If now, 13. Naxc5 Rb5, and white will lose a piece with, 14. Qxa7 Bxc5 15. Nxc5 Rxc5. Clearly white will not fall for, 13. Qxa7 Ra8, and the queen is trapped. || 

13. d4 c4 

| Black keeps the centre closed. The plan is to castle kingside, regain the offered pawn with, Bxf5, and wait. White will have to commit to castling or even keep the king in the centre. Black will find play whichever white chooses. || 

14. Nbc5 Bd6 
15. b3 

| Not strictly necessary but quite sensible. Such a challenge is the correct way to set bout the black central pawn formation and also ensures that the black rook will never make an entry capture on the white 2nd rank. || 

15. ... O-O 
16. h3 

| Designed to keep a black knight out of the g4 square. Such pawn advances might however become targets as the middlegame starts to flow. You can't have everything your own way. || 

16. ... Bxf5 



17. Be3 Nd7 

| Black needs to do something while waiting for white to commit the king. Challenging the white queenside grip is just ideal. || 

18. Qd2 

| An admission that the white invasion of the queenside with queen and pair of knights has not given the desired gains and even attempting to maintain a bind is inadvisable. If a plan is not working then replace it a better one. The centre and kingside must be strengthened. || 

18. ... Nb6 

| The black knight is over-defending the d5 pawn before it is even attacked. Why? Simply because black anticipates the d5 pawn will become a target and has plans for the queen to re-locate from the c6 square. || 

19. Nc3 Qe8 

| But just where is the black queen planning to be in the future? || 

20. a4 

| White wishes to push the black knight away from the b6 square, unfortunately this offers black the chance to create a weakness on the b-file. || 

20. ... cxb3 
21. cxb3 c6 

| Protecting the d5 pawn. So now each player has a backward pawn on a semi-open file in need of protection from higher value units. || 

22. Ne2 

| A double purpose move. The knight is trying to strengthen the kingside while vacating the c3 square for the queen, where she can defend the b3 pawn and attack the black c6 pawn. || 

22. ... Nd7 

| Exposing an attack from the b8 rook onto the white b3 pawn. || 

23. Qc3 

| So far white has been postponing castling. Clearly going queenside is now ruled out. The slightly open queenside also probably rules out staying in the middle with, Ke2. So, it must be castling kingside. Black anticipates this but does not wish to alert white to a nasty surprise in the pipeline. Black to play and find a move which does not remove any tactical options in the position and actually creates another option. Take some time here. || 

23. ... Be6 

| The chess equivalent of treading water. Offering activity to the f8 rook while keeping that tactical shock hidden. || 

24. O-O 

| At last. Take some time here to find a move which catches white unaware. || 

24. ... Bxh3 

| The closest piece to the white king was on the black 3rd rank, and yet now white has serious problems. White is going to twist and turn, it is up to black to make the most of what is available. White needs to decide whether to capture the bishop or not. Should be fairly easy, right? || 

25. Ng3 

| This game has appeared in many books, in particular collections of games of David Bronstein. Should white capture with, 25. hxg3, or leave it alone? Attempting to replicate such analysis here is not possible. Consider the position after, 25. hxg3: 
#1. The white king would be exposed up the semi-open g-file. 
#2. The white queen is a few moves away from assisting the defence. 
#3. The h3 pawn can become an easy target and is not easy to defend satisfactorily. 
#4. The black queen on e8 has access to many light squares on the kingside. 
#5. The black rook on f8 has control of the semi-open f-file and the f3 square is ready for invasion. 
#6. The black bishop on d6 is attacking important dark squares around the white king. 
Looks quite dangerous then. Proving that, 25. hxg3, is unsafe is really a job for a Grand Master. 

However, here are a few sample lines to show some possibilities should white try, 25. gxh3. 
(A). 25. ... Rf3 26. Ng3 Qg6 27. Qe1 Nxc5 28. dxc5 Rbf8 29. Kg2 Bxg3, black is winning. 
(B). 25. ... Qh5 26. Kg2 Qf3+ 27. Kg1 Qxh3 28. Bf4, the queens are opposed, white might be escaping. 
(C). 25. ... Qh5 26. Nxd7 Qxe2 27. Nxf8 Rxf8 29. f4 exf3 30. Rf2, the black attack is over. 
(D). 25. ... Qg6+ 26. Kh1 Rf3 27. Ng1 Qh5 28. Nxf3 exf3, and h3 falls to the black queen. 

Lastly instead, 25. Nxd7 Bxd7, black has won a pawn and can still invade the white kingside. || 

25. ... Qg6 

| Keeping tactical opportunities alive. Instead, 25. ... Nxc5 26. dxc5 Be6, retreating with a safe pawn would risk nothing and be simpler to play. Grand Masters however have a feeling for what can and cannot be risked, though if David Bronstein were alive today he would undoubtedly insist there is no risk whatsoever here. || 

26. gxh3 

| On the understanding he was going to be a pawn down for no compensation, white decides to test black. || 

26. ... Bxg3 

| The white kingside cover is going to be wiped out. The question is whether the black pieces can invade for a mating attack before white can re-group and push black back. || 

27. Kh1 

| Yet again white resists the temptation to capture at the first opportunity. || 

27. ... Qh5 

| Threatening a mate in 2 moves beginning with, Qxh3+. This forces white into capturing just as black wishes. || 

28. fxg3 Qxh3+ 
29. Kg1 Qxg3+ 
30. Kh1 

| Black can now sit back and calculate the game to the end with precision. If white somehow has a defence, or horror of horrors, seems to have a continuation which shows the black sacrifice loses, then black can take a draw by 3-fold repetition. So, black to play and the accurate move must be found here. || 

30. ... Rf3 

| A double purpose move. It threatens, Rxe3, regaining the piece with a 3-pawn advantage, or a forced mating attack with queen and rook. With black to move the mating sequence would be, 31. ... Qxh3+ 32. Kg1 Qg4+ 33. Kh1 Rh3+ mate. || 

31. Rxf3 

| Forced. Instead, 31. Nxd7 Qh4+ 32. Kg2 Qg4+ 33. Kh2 Rh3+ mate, demonstrates queen and rook working on adjacent files. 
Now black must again find the correct game move. Oh and by the way, don't forget about that unprotected knight on the d7 square. It has been untouchable for a while but such luxuries do not last forever. || 

31. ... Qxf3+ 

| It would be tempting to capture, exf3, and have a pawn setting up potential mating nets as well as ideas of promotion costing white material. So, why has black chosen to capture with the queen? The answer is black wants the fully-open f-file for the b8 rook to invade. || 

32. Kg1 Nxc5 

| At last. Of course black could have exchanged these knights back on move 25, but with perhaps an eye to the spectators, left the piece unprotected until the trade was essential. || 

33. dxc5 

| Black now has 4 passed pawns though these are the least of white's worries. It is now up to black to combine queen and rook with accuracy to avoid a long ending. || 

33. ... Qg3+ 

| The queen and rook must be on separate files to coordinate against the white king for mate. If invasion into a position is required then doubling of heavy pieces is the usual way, but when trying to push a defenceless opposing king around, queen and rook work well by taking turns on alternate files. || 

34. Kh1 Rf8 

| At last white has a free move to assist the defence. White is undoubtedly lost, but even so, one must try to find the move which makes it most difficult for black. || 

35. Qe1 

| White is trying to set up a defence on the dark squares. Black to find the correct plan or white might slip away. || 

35. ... Qf3+ 

| Surely black wants the rook to work on the f-file? Not necessarily. Providing the queen and rook can work on adjacent files then the sweeping of the white king across the board will occur. || 

36. Kg1 Rf6 

| To hit with, Rg6+. White has one last attempt. || 

37. Bf2 

| The bishop shields the f-file from the power of the black queen. Now the white king can try to run for the queenside using the safe f1 square. Instead, 37. Qf2 Rg6+, when white can choose between, 38. Kh2 Qh5+ 39. Qh4 Qxh4+ mate, or, 38. Kf1 Qh1+ 39. Ke2 Qxa1, black is an exchange and 3 pawns up. || 

37. ... Rg6+ 
38. Kf1 

| Black must find the next move or the game might continue for a long while. || 

38. ... Qh3+ 

| Paradoxical. Black has been trying to keep the white king confined to the kingside and yet here is the black queen forcing him towards the centre. That's Grand Masters for you. || 

39. Ke2 Qd3+ mate 
0-1 

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## Unannotated game. 

White: J. Szily. 
Black: Bronstein. 
Event: Budapest 1949. 
Result: 0-1 in 39 moves. 
Opening: Ruy Lopez, Schleimann Defence, Jaenisch Gambit Accepted, C60. 

1. e4 e5 
2. Nf3 Nc6 
3. Bb5 f5 
4. exf5 e4 
5. Qe2 Qe7 
6. Bxc6 bxc6 
7. Nd4 Nf6 
8. Nc3 c5 
9. Nb3 d5 
10. Qb5+ Qd7 
11. Qa5 Qc6 
12. Na4 Rb8 
13. d4 c4 
14. Nbc5 Bd6 
15. b3 O-O 
16. h3 Bxf5 
17. Be3 Nd7 
18. Qd2 Nb6 
19. Nc3 Qe8 
20. a4 cxb3 
21. cxb3 c6 
22. Ne2 Nd7 
23. Qc3 Be6 
24. O-O Bxh3 
25. Ng3 Qg6 
26. gxh3 Bxg3 
27. Kh1 Qh5 
28. fxg3 Qxh3+ 
29. Kg1 Qxg3+ 
30. Kh1 Rf3 
31. Rxf3 Qxf3+ 
32. Kg1 Nxc5 
33. dxc5 Qg3+ 
34. Kh1 Rf8 
35. Qe1 Qf3+ 
36. Kg1 Rf6 
37. Bf2 Rg6+ 
38. Kf1 Qh3+ 
39. Ke2 Qd3+ mate 
0-1 

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