James Mason vs Jacques Mieses (1902)

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James Mason vs Jacques Mieses
Monte Carlo (1902), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 9, Feb-17
English Opening: King's English. Two Knights' Variation Reversed Dragon (A22) · 1-0

White to move.

ANALYSIS [x]

1-0

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

FEN COPIED

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Jun-04-22		KEG: Mason exploited an error by Mieses on move 10 and by move 20 was a pawn up in the ending. Mason carefully nursed this edge to victory without giving Mieses an chances to recover. A rarity at Monte Carlo 1902 from what I've seen thus far: a player taking advantage of an opening mistake and carrying it on to a win without any flubs by the victor along the way. Mason had gotten off to a bad start at Monte Carlo 1902, and was in next-to-last place after six rounds and still down in 16th place as he began this 9th round game. By contract, Mieses had won his first three games and, despite a loss to Tarrasch, was still in fifth place as he sat down to play Mason. By the end of the tournament, these two players were nearly tied, Mieses finishing in 12th place with Mason in 13th 0.25 points behind (under the strange scoring system used in this event). 1. c4 Mieses was an attacking player, so this choice of opening was a good selection by Mason who even at this stage of his career (when sober) was a fine positional and endgame competitor. 1... e5 Predictably, Mieses chose the most aggressive response. 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 click for larger view Believe it or not, this position had only been reached once before: in a game between Maroczy and Charousek in 1895 (eventually drawn). The move 3. g3 has been played countless times since this game,including by the likes of Carlsen and Caruana. Mieses obviously was unprepared for 3. g3, and badly misplayed the opening. 3... d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Be6 5...Nb6 or 5...Nf6 are better. But even after the text Mieses' position was not all that bad...yet. 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. d4 exd4 8...NxN looks better, but Mieses' move seems playable. 9. Nxd4 click for larger view White is surely better, but Black is not (yet) in terrible shape. But his next move was weak, and hs 10th move was a losing blunder: 9... NxN(d4) 9...NxN(c3) was best. 10. QxN Stronger was 10. BxN which gives White a considerable positional advantage; e.g., 10...c6 11. QxN 0-0 (exploiting the pin) 12. Rd1 Bf6 13. Qe4 BxB 14. NxB cxN 15. Rxd5 Qb6 16. Rd7. After the text (10. QxN), the position was: click for larger view 10... Bf6? The losing move. It is to Mason's credit that he never permitted Mieses to recover after this blunder (which ultimately cost him a pawn) 11. Qa4+! Did Mieses overlook this resource? Black was now busted. 11... c6 Perhaps Mieses had thought he could respond 11...Bd7, but now realized that he would then be crushed with 12. Qe4+ Ne7 13. Qxb7 Rb8 14. Qxa7 12. NxN BxN click for larger view Although perhaps not apparent at first sight, this position is a straightforward win for White, as Mason proceeded to demonstrate. 13. Rd1! b5 Best, though insufficient to avoid loss of a pawn. 14. Qc2 Qc8 15. e4! Bc4 Once again, best; and...once again...inadequate to avoid material loss. 16. e5 16. Bf4 was also good. click for larger view Now Mason won a pawn...and the game.

Jun-04-22		KEG: Post II 16... Be7 There is nothing better. 16...Bxe5, of course, would lose a piece after 17. Re1. 17. b3 Simple and decisive. 17... Bd5 Forced. 18. Bxd5 cxB 19. QxQ+ RxQ 20. Rxd5 20. Be3 is probably stronger, but the text was more than sufficient, and left Mason a pawn ahead in the below-diagrammed ending: click for larger view Mason was a fine endgame player (his prowess in this department of the game being recognized by Lasker). Mieses' specialty was swachbuckling tactics in the middle game. The result in this contest was thus in little doubt even at this early stage. 20... Rc5 21. RxR Mason would perhaps have had an even greater edge by declining the Rook trade (e.g., 21. Rd2 since if 21...Rxe5 22. Bb2 is a killer). But Mason was happy to trade wood against so excellent an attacking player as Mieses, being confident he could win the pawn up ending. 21... Bxc5 22. Bb2 click for larger view 22... Ke7 23. Rc1 23. Rd1 was perhaps more accurate, but the text was plenty good enough. 23... Bb6 24. Kf1 Rd8 25. Ke2 Ke6 click for larger view 26. f3 26. f4 or 26. Rc5+ were simpler. The text move was the closest thing to a mistake by Mason in this ending, and gave Mieses the closest thing to a chance to try to save the game. 26... Rd7 Better counter-chances were offered by 26...h5! 27. Rc6+ 27. g4 immediately was also good. 27... Kf5 27...Kd5 might have given Mieses slightly better hopes to survive. 28. g4+! Extinguishing Black's last hopes, though the ending still requires time and patience to convert for White. After 28. g4+, the position was: click for larger view 28... Kf4? Now Black was definitely sunk. 28...Kg5 offered the only even small hope. 29. e6! click for larger view

Jun-04-22		KEG: Post III 29... Re7 29... fxe6 30. Rxe6 Kg5 31. Re5+ Kg6 32. Rxb5 leaving Black two pawns down is not much of an improvement. 30. Bxg7 fxe6 click for larger view 31. Bf8 Re8 32. Bd6+ e5 click for larger view 33. Bc5 33. Bc7 BxB 34. RxB is perhaps more accurate as White promptly picks up another pawn, but the text also wins. 33... BxB 34. RxB click for larger view Black has little or no hope of being able to hold this Rook and Pawn ending. 34... a6 If 34...e4?? 35. Rf5 mate, as noted in the Tournament Book. Black's only even remote chance lay in 34...h5. 35. Rc7 h6 Mieses at this point seems to have just been going through the motions. 35...Rf8 offers the stoutest resistance, but with no real hope of saving the game. click for larger view 36. Rc6 Mason, no doubt recognizing that he had an easy win, also adopts a carefree approach. The quickest finale was 36. Rf7+ Kg5 37. Ke3 Re6 38. Ke4 Kg6 39. Rf5 Rc6 40. Rxe5. 36... e4 37. Rf6+ ! Kg5 38. Rxa6 click for larger view Mieses played on from this hopeless position, perhaps as a matter of momentum. 38... Rc8 39. h4+ The strongest line, though just about anything else would likely have won as well. 39... Kxh4 40. Rxh6+ Kg3 41. fxe4 click for larger view Mieses might have spared himself the rest. 41... Rc2+ 41...Kf4 was the best way to extend the game, if that is what Mieses truly wanted. 42. Kd3 Rxa2 43. Rb6 Kxg4 44. Rxb5 Ra1 45. Rd5 click for larger view If Mieses was wondering whether Mason would make it to the move 45 time control, that question had been answered. Mieses nonetheless carried on for another 10 moves. With Black's King cut off, Black can barely even offer token resistance. 45... Rd1+ 46. Kc4 Rc1+ 47. Kb5 Kf4 48. e5 Kf5 49. b4 Ke6 50. Rc5 Rb1 51. Ka5 Kd7 52. b5 Ra1+ 53. Kb6 Rb1 54. Kb7 Rb2 55. b6 click for larger view 1-0

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