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Ossip Bernstein vs Alexander Alekhine
Match (1933), Paris FRA, rd 3, Oct-10
Three Knights Opening: General (C46)  ·  1-0
8
7
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4
3
2
a
1
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d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)4...d6 was played in D C W Spaans vs Euwe, 1920 (0-1)6.Re1 was played in P Ponssen vs Maroczy / Tartakower, 1920 (1-0)6...h6 was played in Janowski vs Chigorin, 1906 (0-1)7...d6 was played in E Delmar vs Pillsbury, 1904 (0-1)9.Qe1 was played in Goglidze vs Kasparian, 1937 (1-0)better is 9...Qd6 10.Re1 Bd7 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Nb6 13.Bd3 Nxd4 = +0.15 (18 ply)better is 10.h3 Bh5 11.Re1 Qd6 12.Rb1 Nb6 13.Bb3 Rae8 14.g4 Bg6 ⩲ +0.69 (17 ply)= +0.08 (21 ply) after 10...Bh5 11.h3 Re8 12.Rb1 Nb6 13.Bg5 Qd6 14.Bb3 h6 15.Bh4 11.h3 was played in T Wibe vs E D’Adamo, 1986 (1-0) 12.Bb3 Rae8 13.Qe2 Na5 14.h3 Bh5 15.c4 Nxb3 16.axb3 f5 ⩲ +0.63 (23 ply)better is 12...f5 13.h3 Bh5 14.Be3 h6 15.a4 Rae8 16.c4 Nd7 17.a5 f4 = -0.48 (24 ply)= +0.12 (22 ply) after 13.h3 Bh5 14.c4 e4 15.c5 Qxc5 16.dxe4 Rd8 17.Be3 Qe7 better is 26...Qh3+ 27.Ke2 Qxh2 28.a4 Nf4+ 29.Kd1 Qh1 30.Qe3+ Ne6 = 0.00 (29 ply) ⩲ +0.69 (23 ply) 27...h5 28.c4 Nf6 29.Qe3+ Kf7 30.a4 h4 31.Qf4 Qh1+ 32.Ke2 = 0.00 (27 ply) ⩲ +0.95 (24 ply) 31...Qf4 32.a4 Kd7 33.Ke2 Kc8 34.Qb4 Qc1 35.a5 Qc2+ = 0.00 (29 ply) ⩲ +1.36 (25 ply) 32...Nh5 33.Bd2 Kf7 34.a5 Qc8 35.Qe3 h6 36.Qe5 Nf6 37.Bc3 ⩲ +1.21 (28 ply)+- +2.79 (26 ply) 34.fxg4 Ne4 35.a6 f4 36.Qb8 Qxc4+ 37.Kg2 f3+ 38.Kh2 Kd7 ± +2.40 (22 ply)= 0.00 (34 ply) 41...Qxc4 42.Qxc6+ Kg5 43.Qc8 Qe4+ 44.Kh2 Qe5+ 45.Kh3 = 0.00 (33 ply) ⩲ +1.11 (23 ply) after 42.Qg3+ Kf5 43.Qd3+ Ke5 44.Kh3 Qb7 45.Qe3+ Kf6 46.Kh4 44.Qe4+ Kh6 45.Qe6+ Kg5 46.Qe7+ Kg6 47.Kh3 Qa6 48.Qe4+ ⩲ +1.37 (23 ply) 44...Kg5 45.f3 h5 46.Qe7+ Kf4 47.Qh4+ Ke3 48.Qe4+ Kd2 ⩲ +0.57 (23 ply) ± +1.74 (23 ply) after 45.Qe7+ Kg6 46.Kh3 Qa6 47.Qe6+ Kg5 48.Qg4+ Kf6 49.Kh4 45...Kf8 46.Qd6+ Kg8 47.Qd7 Kh8 48.Kh3 Kg8 49.Kg4 Kh8 ± +2.00 (25 ply)+- +3.15 (23 ply) 48...Qc7 49.Qd6 Qc8+ 50.Kg5 Qe8 51.Qc7+ Kg8 52.Kf6 Qg6+ +- +2.92 (22 ply)+- +4.60 (22 ply) 52.Kg5 Qe8 53.Qc7+ Kg8 54.Kf6 Qg6+ 55.Ke7 h5 56.Kd7 Qg4+ +- +3.50 (22 ply)= 0.00 (34 ply) 53...h5 54.Kg5 Qe3+ 55.Kxh5 Qe2+ 56.Kh4 Qe4+ 57.Kg3 Qe3+ = 0.00 (33 ply)+- +3.59 (25 ply) 55...Qe2 56.Qxc6 Qh2+ 57.Ke3 Qe5+ 58.Kd3 Qxf5+ 59.Kc3 +- +2.54 (23 ply)+- +5.35 (25 ply) after 56.Qe5 Qc8 57.Qe7 Qb8+ 58.Ke4 Qb2 59.Qe8+ Kg7 60.Qe5+ 56...Qe8 57.Qc7 Qe2 58.Qxc6 Qh2+ 59.Ke3 Qe5+ 60.Kd3 +- +4.12 (23 ply)better is 57.Qe6+ Kf8 58.f6 h6 59.Ke5 h5 60.Kf4 Qf7 61.Qd6+ Kg8 +- +11.03 (23 ply)+- +4.95 (23 ply) after 57...Kf7 58.f6 Kg6 59.Ke5 Qb2+ 60.Ke6 Qe2+ 61.Kd7 Qd2+ +- mate-in-16 after 63...Kg7 64.Qd7+ Kg8 65.Qxh7+ Kxh7 66.f6 Kg6 67.Ke666...Kg6 67.Ke7 Kf5 68.f7 Ke4 69.f8=Q Kd4 70.Kd6 Ke4 +- mate-in-141-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35434 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-14-08  paladin at large: A masterful queen ending by Bernstein, worthy of Maróczy. Not a bad master over the age of 50 who can draw a four game match with Alekhine in his prime.
Dec-02-17  visayanbraindoctor: <paladin at large: A masterful queen ending by Bernstein, worthy of Maróczy. Not a bad master over the age of 50 who can draw a four game match with Alekhine in his prime.>

Surprise! I did not know Alekhine played a match while still a reigning World Champion. Does anyone know about the details of this match?

After 16. Qe3, AAA offers his a7 pawn with 16.. e4

(So typical of Alekhine, the master of a thousand sacs. How in the world is he able to consistently sac material game after game, and more importantly create positions that make such sacs feasible?)

Bernstein grabs it. 17. dxe4 Rxe4 18. Qxa7

After 18. Qxa7 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Rxe1+ 20. Bxe1 Nb6

We see AAA's point. He blocks off the White Queen on a7. Typical of such Q grabs RP sacs, Black obviously was planning to isolate the White Queen in the Queenside and deploy an attack against the White King on the other side of the board.

But Bernstein counters with

21. c5!

Alekhine probably missed this in his calculations, or saw it but thought he still had compensation. It deflects the Back Queen away from the c7 Black pawn. 21...Qxc5 is answered by the skewer 22. Bb4

AAA proceeds with his Kingside plans by moving his Queen to an attacking position in the Kingside, but Bernstein wisely exchanges off the rooks.

21. c5 Qg6+ 22. Kf1 Nd5 23. Rb8 Qh5 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8

Had Black been able to swing this Rook over to the Kingside it would have been curtains for White. Bernstein nips it off in the bud.

Bernstein next gives up his KRP in order to gain tempi to bring back his off-place Queen into the game.

25. Qb8+ Ke7 26. Qb3 Qxh2

Now Black threatens to directly attack the White King by Nf4.

But 27. Bd2 contains the Knight.

Now suddenly it's an endgame where the inconspicuous extra White a-pawn is now a potentiality dangerous outside passer. Bernstein proceeds to push it of course.

27. Bd2 Qh1+ 28. Ke2 Qa1 29. c4 Qe5+ 30. Kf1 Nf6 31. Bc3 Qe6 32. a4 g5 33. a5 g4 34. a6 gxf3

The Queen + Knight combination is a superb attacking weapon, and Bernstein exchanges the Knight off.

35. Bxf6+ Qxf6

He then proceeds to demonstrate the power of the outside passed pawn in a Queen endgame. As with all top class masters, he knew Queen endgames are often won by the outside passed pawn.

Dec-03-17  Chessdreamer: Skinner & Verhoeven ("Alexander Alekhine's Chess Games, 1902-1946", p.472, game 1688) has a slightly different score:

34.Bxf6 Qxf6 35.Qa3 gxf3 36.a6 Qg7 37.Qe3+ Kf7 38.Qxf3 Qa1+ 39.Kg2 Qxa6 40. Qxf5+ Kg7 41.Qd7+ Kg6 42.Qxc7 Qa8 43.Qd6+ Kg7 44.Qe7+ Kg6 45.Qe6+ Kg7 46.f3 Qb7 47.Kg3 Qc7+ 48.Kg4 Qb7 49.f4 Kf8 50.Qf6+ Kg8 51.Qd8+ Kg7 52.Qd6 Qc8+ 53.f5 Qe8 54.Kf4 Kf7 55.Qh6 Kg8 56.Qf6 Qb8+ 57.Qd6 Qb7 58.Qd8+ Kg7 59.Kg5 h6+ 60.Kf4 Qf7 61.Ke5 h5 62.Qg5+ Kf8 63.Kd6 Qh7 64.Qd8+ Kg7 65.Qe7+ Kg8 66.Qxh7+ Kxh7 67.f6 1-0

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