KEG: Post II
14. Nde4!
Very logical, very strong, and just the sort of move we would expect from Alekhine. 14... BxN
This only made matters worse. He had to play 14...Kh8 to get his King off the lethal diagonal. 14...Ne5 was also better than the text. 15. NxB Kh8
Better late than never, but now Kubbel loses a pawn: 16. NxN RxN
17. Qxd5
 click for larger view17... Rd6?
A futile gesture. Kubbel had nothing better than to trade Queens and struggle on a pawn down. The position would still be theoretically lost, but with Alekhine playing White, the text was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. 18. Qe4
 click for larger viewAlekhine now dominated the board and the end was very much in sight. 18... Qd7
Another weak move by Kubbel. He had nothing better than 18...Qe8. 19. Rad1
Good, but 19. Rfe1 was perhaps even stronger. After the text, the position was:  click for larger view19... Rf8?
Kubell had obviously lost the thread of the game. If he wanted to struggle on, he had to try 19...Re8. 20. Bc5
More than good enough to win, but most brutal was 20. Bc2. After the text, the position was;
 click for larger view1-0
Although Alekhine's last move was not the most accurate, resignation was not premature. <zev22407>gives a possible line from the final position: 20...RxR(best) 21. RxR Qe8? This leads to immediate catastrophe (if that makes sense to say, since Black is finished anyway) since, as noted by <zev22407> 22. Re1 wins a piece (as does 22. BxB NxB 23. Re1). Somewhat better than 21...Re8? in this line would be 21...Bd6, but after 22. Bc2 Black would have little to play on for. In sum, this was a fine win for Alekhine as he pressed to win the 1st USSR Championship. |