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Aron Nimzowitsch vs Jose Raul Capablanca
"The Other Immortal Zugzwang" (game of the day Feb-01-09)
New York (1927)  ·  Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation (B12)  ·  0-1
To move:
Last move:

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Given 59 times; par: 90 [what's this?]

Annotations by Raymond Keene.      [404 more games annotated by Keene]

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Feb-01-09  WhiteRook48: why does CG recycle game of the days?
Feb-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiteshark: <AT> is for sure the most balanced, especially if Capablanca or Nimzowitsch are involved. <And now, in this game you have both!! <Display the fireworks!!

< ♫♪ <♫♪ > ♫♪ > ♫♪ > ♫♪ > (:D

Feb-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: 45...Rc1! is declared as Zugzwang by many, but is it? Turns out that there is a beautiful problem-like win if Black is granted a pass for his 46th move. Namely Black can play Rc2!!


click for larger view

The main point is 46.-- Rc2!! 47.Qxc2 h4+ 48.Kxh4 Qxf3 and Black has to give up the Queen to prevent mate.

Feb-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  paulalbert: <Calli> I agree with your precise, technical definition of Zugzwang, i.e., it's only because you have to move that you lose, and your opponent could make no further progress if you could say "pass". Many so-called Zugzwang positions, even Nimzowitsch's "Immortal Zugzwang Game" against Saemisch, are not true Zugzwangs by this definition, and your Rc2 appears to demonstrate that the end here is not accurately called Zugzwang either.I think it's important to be precise when one uses the term, especially in teaching for example certain endings where Zugzwang really means what I described. Paul Albert
Feb-01-09  AnalyzeThis: <whiteshark: Display the fireworks >

Are there any on Nimzo's side though? All he ever did was get slapped around by Capablanca.

Feb-01-09  Ziggurat: <AnalyzeThis> Isn't it nice to always root for the strongest guy? "Capa was the best! Fischer was the best! Morphy was the best! They slapped everyone else around!" Of course they did! But does that mean no one else counts?
Feb-01-09  AnalyzeThis: Reshevsky counts. Rubinstein too, and Chigorin.
Feb-02-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: Hoisted! Here,Nimzo is trapped in his own trap.

Three cheers for the Machine!!

Feb-03-09  JediKush: Someone tell me what black can do after

46. Kh4

cause i sure cant see it :D

Feb-03-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <JediKush> Couldn't black play 46....Rc2 47. Qxc2 Qxf3 threatening ...Qg4#, as in Calli's line?
Feb-03-09  JediKush: or kh3 now that i look at it more.
Feb-03-09  paladin at large: <JediKush> How about 46. Kh3 Rc3 and if 47. Rxc3 bxc3 and the white queen cannot stop the pawn, else Black's queen will mate via f3, or if 47. Kg3 h4+ leads to the loss of the white rook.
Feb-03-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <paladinatlarge> <Jedi> I checked with Shredder. Strongest after 46. Kh3 is 46....Rc2 47. Qg3 h4. But 46....Rc3 47. Rg3 h4 (there it is again) is quite good enough.
Feb-03-09  mgm329: 46. Kh3 Rc2 47. Qg3 h4
Feb-04-09  paladin at large: <keypusher> Thanks! It really is hard to defend in your own kitchen.
Feb-04-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: The original immortal zugzwang:

Samisch vs Nimzowitsch, 1923

Feb-23-09  WhiteRook48: two fascinating Zugzwangs
Sep-15-09  Wayne Proudlove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWNs...
May-19-10  thickhead: <keypusher: <paladinatlarge> <Jedi> I checked with Shredder. Strongest after 46. Kh3 is 46....Rc2 47. Qg3 h4. But 46....Rc3 47. Rg3 h4 (there it is again) is quite good enough. > the second option 46....Rc3 47.Rg3 h4 on first look I thought is not correct due to 48.Kxh4 but on second thought 48.... Qd1 solves it.
May-19-10  thickhead: Actually White was in zwugzwang on move 45.White had to close the position by 46.b3 which suits white well since his weakness of b pawn in case of exchange of pieces is of no consequence now. Alternative 45.Rb3 turns out badly after 45....Qe4. 46.Rxb4 Rd3+ 47.Kh4 Rf3.Also 45...Re3 disallowing Black Q access to e4 is not possible because of disruption of Q support to d pawn.I have not gone through all 6 pages of kibitzing. If mine is a repetetion of somebody's comment I am sorry.
Jul-08-10  igiene: "One might suppose from this game that Capablanca had carefully read My System and then used all the theories contained therein against their inventor!" One might also suppose that Nimzo intentionally played passively to let Capa show the correctness of Nimzo's theories. If you consider the love for paradox , typical of great Nimzovitch, it's possible.
Oct-16-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  sevenseaman: Whatever White does, Black will eat into his position like a termite.
Jan-10-11  Salaskan: Nimzo defended too passively; if he pressured with 32.Qh4 Re4 33.Rf2 Kg6 34.Rh3 Rh8 he would've drawn easily because black can't make any progress.

After move 45, if white passes black can also simply play Qd1-Rxb3 and queening.

Feb-06-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: This game has been video annotated here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7R...

Feb-06-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <Salaskan: Nimzo defended too passively; if he pressured with 32.Qh4 Re4 33.Rf2 Kg6 34.Rh3 Rh8 he would've drawn easily because black can't make any progress.>

That leads to this position:


click for larger view

Statically speaking, it looks like Black is slightly better. White's rook and queen are being stopped by just a rook, which suggests Black should have a shot at doing something on the queenside, but it is not clear what. White will keep the h-rook on the third rank, and that appears sufficient to stop everything, especially if Black plays ...a4, which fixes the position. In any event, you are right that Nimzo's chance was with making sure Capa would always have to keep that rook on h8 or only one tempo away from h8.

Must have been nerve-racking to be on the defensive side of a slow positional game against Capablanca!

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