First of all, the pipe must burn before the game, whatever the cost!

Secondly, if you cannot handle a pipe, then stop it (for once)! ;)

1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Bg5 Be7
5. e3 0-0
6. Nf3 b6

6...h6 or 6...Nbd7 are better, but the text is certainly playable, though the commitment to putting Black's light-square Bishop on b7 is questionable at best.

7. Bd3

7. cxd5 immediately is simplest, but Marshall has an attacking variation in mind with the text. His plan worked brilliantly here!

7... B7

Rosenthal in the Tournament Book said that 7...Nbd7 was correct. While this is probably true, the text is consistent with Burn's 6th move and is a reasonable alternative (although, as noted above, it is highly questionable whether the Bishop belongs on this diagonal here).

8. cxd5 exd5

The position was now:

click for larger view

9. BxN

"Introducing a similar attack to the 'Fritz Attack' in the French Defense. Though not strictly correct, it offers nevertheless many potential chances" (Schlechter).

"In former years, this exchange was employed, with preference, by Blackburne. The opinions of the masters on the value of this mode of play seem to be far apart. Some, such as Marco and Maroczy, believe that Black has nothing to fear from the following attack, since he has the two bishops and prospects of organizing an attack on the enemy center with c5. Others mention that White's attack is very strong, indeed even resounding. Under the influence of [this game] and Marshall-Marco [played in the following round] have become convinced that Black must lose. But even these two games prove nothing, since, in both cases, Black collapses by a great blunder" (Marco).

Marco and Schlechter are almost certainly correct that the text is--theoretically--inferior to such moves as 9. 0-0, 9. Qc2, or even 9. Qb3. But as a practical matter, and before players had the chance to dissect Marshall's variation with careful home analysis and later with computers, Marshall's plan presented serious attacking chances for White and tough defensive issues for Black. Indeed, Marshall wiped out Burn in this game (in 17 moves) and Marco in the following rounds (in 23 moves) with 9. BxN. While Marshall's victories in these two games can be traced to serious defensive lapses by Marshall and Marco, this does not detract from Marshall's brilliance and creativity.

9... BxB
10. h4?!

"The threat is 11. Bxh7+ KxB 12. Ng5+, known as the 'Pillsbury Attack,' " (Marshall).

"This method of attack leads to an exceedingly interesting game" (Marco) -- What an understatement.

10. 0-0 is the soundest and theoretically best move. But Marshall's move makes this game the classic that it is--not to mention its success in the very next round against Marco despite the improvement Marco cooked up for Marshall after seeing this game.

10... g6

This much-criticized move in fact was not all that bad. Hoffer, in his commentary on this game, called 10...g6 a "bad move" and said that 10...h6 was "compulsory." But 10...g6 is far inferior to the text, and Burn would have had to work hard to defend his game after 10...h6 11. g4!.

Tartakower-DuMont suggest 10...Re8, and that is arguably better than the text, though White would still have attacking prospects after 11. Ng5.

The best move for Black here has (10...c5), so far as I can determine, been identified only by Rookfile and patzer2 on this site. As patzer 2 has correctly noted, after 10...c5 Marshall's intended 11. Bxh7+ would lose to 11...KxB 12. Ng5+ Kh6! [though I disagree with patzer2's follow-up, since 13. Qg4 should be answered by 13...Nc6 or 13...Qd7 rather than by patzer2's 13...g6 which allows White chances after 14. h5]. Best for White after after 10...c5 is patzer2's 11. dxc5 which--as patzer2 notes, equalizes for White.

While 10...c5 does seem best, Burn's actual 10...g6 was not all that bad, and there is no reason he should have lost the game at this point. Indeed, Marco, who had seen Marshall's win here and prepared a "refutation," played 10...g6 in the next round.

The position after 10...g6 was:

click for larger view

Whatever the merits or weaknesses of 10...g6, Burn still had about equal chances through this move. From there, however, his defense became weak and Marshall crushed him quickly and brilliantly.

11. h5

The logical continuation of Marshall's plan begun with 9. BxN and 10. h4.

11... Re8

Marco called this "a pointless move" and played 11...c5 in the very next round at Paris 1900 against Marshall (losing but not because of this move).

Though Marco's 11...c5 was an improvement on 11...Re8, Tartakower-DuMont claim in their commentary on this game that it loses to the line adopted against Marco: 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Ne5 BxN 14. dxB. While White indeed has the better game in this line, the position is hardly a win for White. More significantly, Marco's 13...BxN was a mistake. He could have had at least equal chances--if not the better game--after 13...cxd4. Thus, the best Marshall had--again from a theoretical view--was 13. Qc2 or 13. dxc5 with about equal chances. In real life, however, it must have been a nightmare for Burn or Marco to face Marshall in this opening over the board.

Perhaps as good or better than 11...c5 here was 11...Nd7 as recommended by Rosenthal in the Tournament Book.

In any case, even after Burn's 11...Re8, he still had a playable (though difficult) position. But then he fell apart.

12. hxg6

This (or 12. Qc2 immediately) would have allowed Marshall to play 0-0-0 had Burn not erred and gotten blown off the board by move 17.

12... hxg6

Tartakower-DuMont claim that 12...fxg6 was better, but after 13...Qc2 Kg7 14. 0-0-0 Burn would have a difficult game. The text would have been fine absent Burn's horrendous 13th move.

13. Qc2

The position was now:

click for larger view

Burn here played:

13... Bg7?

and was promptly crushed by Marshall. What should he have played here? Three alternatives have been proposed: 13...Kg7, 13...Re7 and 13...Nd7. Any one of these moves would have kept Burn very much in the game.

13...Kg7 was proposed by Rosenthal in the Tournament Book, by Marco in his commentary on this game, and by al wazir on this site. patzer2 has done an excellent job of analyzing 13...Kg7. Best play after 13...Kg7 is 14. 0-0-0 Rh8 which leads to approximate equality as demonstrated by patzer2. Rosenthal's 14...Nd7 is not as good, but it does not lead to a lost game as patzer2 claims. After 14...Nd7 15. e4 [patzer2's move which is far better than Rosenthal's 15. Rh2 Rh8] dxe4 16. Bxe4 (as given by patzer2) Black can hold with 16...BxB rather than patzer2's 16...Qc8 17. Kb1 a6? (17...Rb8 still gives Black chances) 18. Qb3.

13...Re7 as proposed by Rookfile on this site also allows Black to survive.

Tartakower-DuMont give a different score, and state that Burn here played 13...Nd7? and got crushed with 14. Bxg6! fxB [14...Kf8 would have been better if Burn did indeed play 13...Nd7, but would also have been hopeless] 15. Qxg6+ Bg7 16. Ng5 arriving at the same position as in the score given in the Tournament Book.

After Burn's 13...Bg7? the position was:

click for larger view

Marshall now unleashed his winning combination starting with:

14. Bxg6!

There is no real defense to this gorgeous sacrifice. Black is lost.

14... fxB?

Burn obviously did not see what was coming. Had he done so, he might have tried something like 14...Na6 or 14...Qd6 or 14...c6, all of which are ugly but at least allow Black to play on for a while.

The only serious effort to salvage Black's game I have seen if 14...c5 as proposed by Rookfile on this site. While this is a bold effort to obtain counterplay, it fails to patzer2's 15. Bh7+ Kf8 16. 0-0-0. Even more lethal is the computer move 15. Rh5 which Fritz 15 spit out in a nanosecond.

After Burn's 14...fxB, the game ended quickly.

15. Qxg6 Nd7

As patzer2 has demonstrated on this site, all other options lose for Black.

16. Ng5

Game over. The only chance to survive was to sacrifice the Queen with 16...QxN. But Burn apparently didn't see what Marshall had cooked up.

16... Qf6

The position was now:

click for larger view

This could be given as a problem: White to mate in 2. Marshall found the pretty solution:

17. Rh8+!!

Ray Keene cleverly uses this game as a closing link link between this game and the Penrose - Donner game where he had to pour Donner's coffee over a burning ashtray.

https://www.thearticle.com/chess-sm...

If you cannot get the link to work to read the whole article which covers many others aspects, the gist of the Penrose - Donner tale is here.

Raymond Keene (kibitz #761)

13... Kg7 14. O-O-O Nd7 (better Rh8 +0.7) does not hold the game: