Isidor Gunsberg vs Richard Teichmann (1902)

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Isidor Gunsberg vs Richard Teichmann
Monte Carlo (1902), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 4, Feb-07
Queen Pawn Game: Stonewall Attack (D00) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Jan-27-19		zydeco: Gunsberg is perfectly fine until 24.b4?

Jul-24-21		KEG: Gunsberg was definitely lost after 24. b4? as <zydeco> says, but Black had the upper hand for most of the game before that (and probably would have had a win had be played 22...c5 instead of 22...Rb8. 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 click for larger view An opening formation to which Showalter and especially Marshall were partial. It is playable and could confuse an unprepared opponent. 3... c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. f4 This effort to set up a Stonewall is not awful, but the simple 5. Nf3 is most reasonable. 5... Bg4 6. Nf3 e6 7. Nbd2 Bd6 click for larger view White had a tenable though inferior game at this point. Beginning here, however, Gunsberg lost his way. 8. h3 The simple 8. dxc5 still leaves Black a bit better, but the text is weak. 8... Bh5 8...Bf5 was perhaps even stronger. 9. b3 White had numerous better options. The weakening text gave Teichmann chances he did no entirely seize. 9... cxd4 10. cxd4 click for larger view With 10...Nb4 or 10...Qa5, Teichmann would have had excellent play on the Queen-side. But instead he played the inferior: 10... Rc8 Now Gunsberg could have forestalled Queen-side play by Black with 11. a3. But Gunsberg gave him a second chance. 11. 0-0 Bg6 Missing his chance to get the better game with 11...Qa5 or 11...Nb4. Now Gunsberg could get a nearly equal game. 12. BxB hxB click for larger view 13. Ne5 A over-reach by Gunsberg that might have cost him. 13. Bb2 or 13. Qe2 or even 13. Ng5 would leave White in decent shape. 13... Qa5 13...0-0 or 13...Ne7 were simpler. 14. Bb2 Bb4 Natural but inferior to 14...Ne7 or 14...0-0. 15. Rf2 Needlessly tangling his pieces. White would be basically OK with 15. Ndf3. 15... BxN Hard to believe from Teichmann. Black would have far the better game with 15...Ne7 or 15...0-0 16. QxB More sloppy play by Gunsberg allowing Black to reduce to a favorable endgame. 16. RxB was definitely better. 16... QxQ 17. RxQ NxN 18, dxN Ne4 click for larger view Not a great position to get as White, but Gunsberg still had a tenable position. From here, however, things went downhill fast for White.

Jul-24-21		KEG: Post II 19. Rdd1 Setting a small trap. 19... Kd7 As the Tournament Book noted, 19...Rc2 allows 20. Rac1 equalizing (or 20. Bd4--KEG) 20. Rac1 Rc6 Setting his own little trick. click for larger view 21. RxR? This gave Teichmann all the play. Almost any other plausible move would have been better. 21... bxR 22. Rd4? White was worse before this lemon, but now he was probably lost: click for larger view Black would have all the play with 22...c5 or 22...a5. But instead Teichmann decided to set another trap which shouldn't have--but did--work. 22... Rb8 23. Ra4 Rb7 click for larger view 24. b4? "?"--(Tournament Book)(<zydeco>) "An oversight. Here Gunsberg provokes a move that he thought he was preventing." (Tournament Book) White would have had a likely holdable position with 24. Kf1 or 24. Ba3 or 24. Ra6 and maybe even 24. Ba1. Now, however, he was dead. 24... c5! click for larger view White is lost here whatever he does. The Tournament Book correctly noted that 25. a3 would not save the day (because of 25...c4!) So Gunsberg tried a desperation piece sacrifice that--at first blush--looks like it gives White chances. 25. bxc5?! "Gunsberg sacrificed a piece, but only accelerated the conclusion." (Tournament Book) 25... RxB 26. Rxa7+ Kc6 click for larger view White can pick up a few pawns for a bit, but the game was in reality over, though Gunsberg played on for quite a while.

Jul-24-21		KEG: Post III 27. Rxf7 Gunsberg's plan was to gobble as many pawns as possible and try to draw with Rook against Rook and Knight. Not a plan likely to be crowned with success, but there was nothing better to try. 27... Rb7 Simpler is 27...Re2 28. Rxg7 Rxe3 29. Rxg6 Re1+ 30. Kh2 Nxc5 31. f5 Rxe5 32. fxe6 Nxe6 after which Black's sole remaining pawn is sufficient to carry the day, e.g., 33. Rg3 d4 34. Rd3 Re2 35. h5 Kd5. But Teichmann preferred to place Gunsberg in the dilemma of either trading Rooks (leading to a lost Knight versus pawns ending) or what in fact followed, the position now being: click for larger view 28. Rf8 Trading Rooks might have been somewhat better, but White seems dead lost in either case (e.g., 28. RxR KxR 29. g4 Nc3 30. Kf2 Nxa2). 28... Nxc5 29. Rc8+ Gunsberg might have gone for broke with with 29. a4 or 29. h4 or 29. g4. But nothing seems to help. 29... Kb5 30. Kf2 This looks like the lamest of his options. But given the 30-move time limit, Gunsberg may have faced time pressure. Viewed objectively, 30. a4+ looks like the best (though likely futile) hope. 30... Ra7 31. a3 Kc4 32. a4 click for larger view The a-pawn leads a charmed life for the balance of the game, and Gunsberg played it for all it was worth. But Teichmann soon proved this was not sufficient and repeatedly declined to pick off this little isolani. 32... Rf7 32...Rxa4 certainly seems fastest. But Teichmann had his own ideas, and never gave Gunsberg any real chances 33. h4 d4 33...Ra7 followed by snatching the a-pawn still seems best, but Teichmann's idea also worked, the position now being: click for larger view 34. exd4 Rxf4+ 35. Kg3 Rxd4 click for larger view With the removal of his central pawn mass, Gunsberg might have called it a day. But he still had that a-pawn, and so continued the struggle for a while. 36. a5 Kd5 37. Rc7 If he wanted to continue, Gunsberg might have tried 37. Rg8 37... Ne4+ 37...g5 looks to be the more direct route (e.g., 37...g5 38. hxg5 g6 39. Rg7 Ra4 40. Rxg6 Kxe5 41. Rh6 Rxa5 42. g6 Ra3+ 43. Kg4 Ne4 44. Rh5+ Kf6). But the text also wins without all that much difficulty. 38. Kf4 Nf6+ 39. Kf3 Kxe5 click for larger view 40. Rxg7 He might as well have tried 40. a6, though aftwr 40...Rxh4 41. Rc5+ Kd6 42. Ra5 Rh8 White would be out of useful ideas. 40... Kxf5 He could also just have played 40...Rxh4 41. a6 Rxh4 42. a7 Ra4 0-1 click for larger view

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