Carl Schlechter vs Friedrich Jakob (1900)

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Carl Schlechter vs Friedrich Jakob
12th DSB Congress, Munich (1900), Munich GER, rd 4, Jul-27
Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense (D46) · 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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Aug-29-18		KEG: A wonderful demonstration of Schlechter's fine technique. Schlechter did nothing especially brilliant in this game and Jakob made no horrendous blunders. But Schlechter outplayed Jakob nearly from start to finish. The finish--in a two Bishops against two Bishops ending--is intriguing. The manner in which Schlechter--though "only" one pawn up--reduced Jakob to complete helplessness is almost comic. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. e3 c6 Jakob decided to try a Slav formation. As soon became clear, however, Schlechter understood the nuances of this opening far better than did Jakob. 6. Bd3 Bd6 The simple and more usual 6...dxc4 was better. 7. 0-0 Schlechter could perhaps have played 7. e4 immediately. 7. Qc2 is more normal. But Schlechter was in no hurry against the last-place finisher Jakob. 7... 0-0 8. e4 The Tournament Book gave Schlechter a "!" for this move. 8. Qc2 is once again more normal and was arguably best. The position was now: click for larger view 8... dxe4 Definitely inferior to 8...dxc4. Amazingly enough, after this positionally second-best move by Jakob, Schlechter held a distinct edge to the very end of the game. Schlechter gave Jakob no chance to recover, and slowly and carefully strangled the life out of the Black position from here. I found Schlechter's technique from here to the end fascinatingly precise. 9. Nxe4 NxN 10. BxN Nf6 10...Qc7 or 10...c5 or even 10...h6 were all somewhat better. 11. Bc2 Re8 11...h6 or 11...c5 were better. 12. Qd3 g6 Once again, 12...h6 was better. 13. Bg5! Continuing his domination of the board, the position now being: click for larger view That Schlechter has the better game here is obvious. Black's c8 Bishop is hemmed in, Schlechter controls the center, and Jakob had all sorts of weak squares on the King-side. But how to go about converting these advantages into a win. Let' watch Schlechter at work: 13... Be7 14. Qe2 "!"--(Tournament Book). 14. Rfe1 and 14. Rad1 were good alternatives. 14... Nd7 15. Bf4 Schlechter is not interested on trading off this excellent Bishop. Had Marshall (or perhaps Pillsbury) had this position, 15. h4?! would likely have come into consideration. But Schlechter plays slowly and logically and sucks the life out of Jakob's game. 15... Bf6 This hardly looks good, but Jakob's alternatives do not look much better. He might have considered 15...b6 or 15...a6 in hopes of getting his c8 Bishop into the game. 16. Rad1 Qe7 16...b6 was perhaps a better try, but the move does not look attractive. 17. Ne5 It is a pleasure to watch Schlechter at work here. 17... Bg7 18. Rfe1 NxN 19. dxN The position was now: click for larger view Jakob's prospects were hardly rosy at this point, but--as I will discuss in my next post on this game--things went rapidly downhill after 19. dxN. Notice how completely constricted and devoid of counterplay Jakob's position had become. And things only got worse for him with Schlechter tightening the noose.

Aug-29-18		KEG: Post II The downhill slope continued for Jakob: 19... c5 With this doubtful move, Jakob seems clearly lost. If Jakob wanted to get his c8 Bishop into the game, he should have played 19...b6 or 19...b5. Alternatively, he might have tried 19...Bf8. In fairness, none of these options was very attractive. 20. Ba4! Leaving the e8 Rook with no good escape squares. 20. Rd6! was another powerful move for White here. 20... Rd8 While it is always tempting to seek trades in an effort to relieve a poor middle-game position, the text is bad as Schlechter quickly demonstrates. 20...Rf8, though awful looking, was Jakob's best chance. 21. RxR+ This exchange makes it difficult if not impossible for Black to avoid losing material. 21... QxR 22. Rd1! Schlechter's position remained dominating even after the trade of Rooks" click for larger view 22... Qe7 23. Qd2 23. Qe3 looks stronger, but Schlechter sees a chance to force a winning endgame, and so pursues this simple method of closing out the game. 23... b5 A valiant but hopeless bid for freedom. 24. Qd8+ 24. Bxb5 immediately was also good. 24... QxQ 25. RxQ+ Bf8 26. Bxb5 There were many roads to Rome from here for Schlechter. 26. cxb5 or 26. Bd1 (my favorite) also would have won. 26... Bb7 27. Bg5 Keeping Jakob tied up in knots. 27... h5 This is hopeless, but Jakob's chances with the better 27...RxR or 27...Be4 were not pleasant. 28. f4! RxR 29. BxR This left: click for larger view Jakob is "only" down a pawn, but his game is utterly hopeless. His King-side is paralyzed, and in the fullness of time his Queen-side pawns must fall. Nonetheless, and as I will discuss in my next post on this game, the conclusion was a fine demonstration by Schlechter of how to win a clearly won ending.

Aug-30-18		KEG: Post III By this stage of the game, Jakob was essentially a piece (as well as a pawn)down, since his f8 Bishop cannot escape from the box in which Schlechter has locked it up. Moreover, Jakob's King is confined to a very few squares. Nonetheless, Schlechter's winning technique is as pleasing as it was efficient. 29... a6 Perhaps the desperation move 29...f6?! was in order, but it almost certainly would not have altered the outcome. 30. Ba4 30. Bd7 was probably even more lethal. 30... Be4 Jakob is reduced to pointless shuffling with this Bishop. 31. Kf2 The King is a fighting piece in the endgame, and Schlechter uses his monarch to advantage. Poor Jakob did not have this option. 31... Bd3 32. b3! Eliminating all possible counterplay on the Queen-side. 32... Be4 33. g3! And now accomplishing the same thing on the other wing. 33... Bb7 34. Ke3 Bg2 35. Bd7! With Black's White-square Bishop hanging out on g2, Schlechter can threaten Bc8, forcing the Black Bishop to retreat to b7. 35... Bb7 36. a3 Preparing b4 and the upcoming winning invasion on the Queen side. 36... Kh7 37. Kd3 The White King joins the hunt. It was now time for Jakob to call it a day. 37... Kg7 38. Kc3! Now there is no defense to b4. 38... Kh6 39. b4 1-0 The final position was: click for larger view 39...cxb4+ 40. axb4 would be hopeless, and if Black does nothing he will be trampled beginning with 40. b5!

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