Rudolf Spielmann vs Siegbert Tarrasch (1912)

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Rudolf Spielmann vs Siegbert Tarrasch
San Sebastian (1912), San Sebastian ESP, rd 17, Mar-12
Spanish Game: Open Variations. Schlechter Defense (C80) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Dec-15-02		Kulla Tierchen: 41...Bc1 wins as with 42. Kg3 g6 43. Qh4 Bxf4+ 44. Kxf4 und so weiter.

Feb-21-04		ughaibu: In case anyone's unclear about what a "bad bishop" is.

Dec-19-04		ksadler: This is one of the most impressive demonstrations of getting a space advantage that I have ever seen.

Dec-20-04		keypusher: It's pretty tough to inflict two bad bishops on your opponent at once, but Tarrasch did it here.

Dec-20-04		fred lennox: With 8.a4 Spielmann decides to give Tarrasch the center and go for wing attack. With such strategy about every piece becomes "bad". Note, Tarrasch hardly heeds the feeble attack.

May-26-05		perfidious: Check the game Bogolyubov-Tarrasch, Vienna 1922, for another Open Spanish where White allows his light-squared Bishop to be entombed.

Jun-05-05		Kangaroo: Check several other games by Tarrasch, Von Gottschall vs Tarrasch, 1896 after the 68-th move, or Bogoljubov vs Tarrasch, 1922 after the 16-th move. <This is what <perfidious> meant, I assume.>

Jun-17-06		GeauxCool: Tarrasch was noted for his handling of the two Bishops. In this game, he is noted for his handling of the opponents two bishops as well. First White bishop is immobilized at move 18. click for larger view Second White Bishop is immobilized at move 28. click for larger view By move 33, White can only mark time until black finds a way to break through, but by then White can resign. -Fine

Nov-28-07		Dr. Siggy: Dr. Tarrasch, "The Game of Chess", englisch transl., London 1935, pages 417-23: [About 5... Nxe4!:] "This I hold to be the best - and completely satisfactory - defence of the Ruy Lopez. For a long time its worth was brought into question by the strong attacking move 8. a4. However, since Schlechter in his match with Dr. Lasker demonstrated a strong counter to that move in 8... Nxd4, which has been endorsed by further investigations, there is no longer any fault to be found with this defence." [About 11... c5!:] "The best move, first played in the Cologne tournament, 1911. The move is very unpleasant for White for now he is continually threatened with the imprisonment of his King's Bishop and can avoid disadvantage only by the most extremely careful play." [About 18... c3:] "This shuts in the Bishop for ever - a position that one seldom sees." [About 41... Bc1!!:] "The move Bc1 is analogous to the blocking move of the 'Indian Problem'; intrinsically it is an extraordinarily unlikely, even ugly move, since the Rook which is to give mate is masked. The 'Indian' character of the move is seen in the following variation: 42. Kg1 Be3+! 43. Kh2 Bxf4+ 44. Bg3 Th1#. Another possibility is 42. Be1 Bxf4+ 43. Kg1 Bg3! followed by mate or the gain of the Queen. The main variation is 42. Kg3 g6 43. Qh4 Bxf4+! 44. Kxf4 g5+, and Black wins."

Jul-06-09		WhiteRook48: imprisioned sacrificial player

Feb-18-14		Karpova: Semion Alapin's annotations (originally from 'Vorw�rts' of March 23, 1912) condensed: 4.Ba4 <!> 5.O-O <In this game it shows again that this is not the strongest move. 5.Qe2! b5! (5...Bc5? 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5 Qd4 8.Nd3 Ba7 9.Nc3 etc. In case of other moves, White plays 6.c3 followed possibly with d2-d4) 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8! (7...b4? 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qc4+ followed by Qxc5) 8.axb5 axb5! 9.Nc3 O-O! (originating from Tarrasch) 10.Nd5 (10.Nxb5? d5! 11.Nc3 Bg4 followed by possibly ...Nd4 with overwhelming attack) 10...Nxd5 11.Bxd5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.c3 Bb6 14.O-O etc. The free a-file, the weakness of the ♙b5 and the possibility to advance in the centre with d3 followed by Be3 (or Rd1 followed by d4), secure White the better game.> 5...Nxe4 <Sufficient is also 5...Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.Nbd2 O-O 12.h3 Bb7! (the common retreat ...Nc6? is to be refrained from) 13.Nf1 Rfc8 (threatens ...cxd4) 14.Re2 Ne8 15.Ng3 Nc4 16.b3 Nb6 17.Bg5 Bf8 etc. Black is sufficiently secure on the ♔'s wing and can start operating on the ♕'s wing with a6-a5.> 6...b5 <The analysis of 6...exd4 7.Qe2 (indicated by Alapin. With 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ the 'Riga Defense' is reached which, after 10.Kh1! Qh4 11.Rxe4+ dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 etc. grants Black sufficient defensive resources) 7...Qe7 8.Re1 Nc5 9.Qd1 Ne6 etc. is not finished yet. Black will have an extra-♙, but have to withstand a strong attack.> 8.a4 <Better is 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3. But Black can sufficiently defend with 9...Nc5 (the manoeuvre originates from Dr. E Lasker) 10.Bc2 Bg4! possibly followed by ...Ne6 (threatening d5-d4).> 8...Nxd4 <! originating from Schlechter.> 10.Nc3 <! Georg Marco: This beautiful move, which undubitably enables a promising continuation of White's attack, was indicated by Regierungsrat Johann Berger of Graz and elaborated in a longer analysis.> 10...Nxc3 <10...dxc3? 11.Bxd5 etc.> 11...c5 <!> 13.Qf3 <In case of 13.c4! Black also gets excellent play with 13...Bb7.> 16.Ba2 <After 16.Ba4 Qd7! Black wins the ♗. Georg Marco assumes that this must be a typo by Alapin or in 'Vorw�rts', as it is not clear how Black could win the ♗a4. But he agrees that 16.Ba4 would be bad as White has no sufficient defense after 16...Bd7.> 20...Bf5 <! The encircling of the opponent's ♗s was conducted masterfully by Black.> The original expression is <Zernirung> (Zernierung is something like encircling, e. g. a preliminary stage of a siege). 22...h6 <!> 23...Rb8 <Taking on d4 would free the ♗c1.> 24...Qxa6 <24....Qa1 25.a7! Qxa7 leads to the same result.> 30.g3 <? Speeds up the loss.> 39.Qh5 <? Loses at once. Qf1 put up longer resistance.> 39...Qxb1 <! Georg Marco: An elegant combination which constitutes a worthy finish of this dignified game.> 41...Bc1 <! Resigns. If 42.Kg3 (42.Bg3 Be3 followed possibly by ...Bg1#) 42...g6 43.Qh4 Bxf4+! 44.Kxf4 g5+ winning the ♕. A beautifully played game by Tarrasch.> Source: Pages 47-49 of the January-February 1912 'Wiener Schachzeitung'

Feb-18-14		Sally Simpson: Hi, Great post Karpova, you say the notes are condensed. I recently chose to note this game up and wrote myself into a beautiful hole when I finally looked properly at the note given here: click for larger view both in 'Tarrasch's Best Games' by Reinfeld and Tarrasch himself in his 'Game of Chess'. The notes state White cannot finally free that b1 Bishop with 39.Ba2. click for larger view Because of 39... Qxe2 40. Rxe2 Rb2 41. Bb3 .... click for larger view And now the move I was so looking forward to showing. Black has kept the White Bishop hemmed in for most of the game and now allows it freedom only so it can take part in a pawn promotion combination. 41...Rxb3 42. cxb3 c2 and wins. click for larger view The trouble is there is no Black win. just a some study like positions involving skewers. (or I prefer the term Harpoon if the skewered pieces are of the same value.) 43. Be3 c1=Q 44. Bxc1 Bxc1 click for larger view 45. b4 Bd3 46. Re1 Bb2 47. b5 Bxb5 48. Rb1 click for larger view That is an elementary one but there are dozens of harpoons knocking about in there. The Rook dominates the two Bishops, one has to give itself up for the b-pawn. In the end I ranted on about simply nodding when you see a note like I did all those years ago when I first saw it and not checking it. http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blog... I did a lot of nodding when I was younger player, that one caught up with me. Anyway I was wondering if Alapin mentioned this line or warned against it. If he suggested it then perhaps Tarrasch and Reinfeld did their own nodding without checking. Beautiful game by Tarrasch, Wonderful wrap up. That wee variation is the bum note in a masterpiece. Thanks in advance.

Feb-19-14		SChesshevsky: <41...Rxb3 42. cxb3 c2.> There still might be a win after 43.Be3. Black's best might be ...Bb4 then...Bc3 which looks like it binds White enough to let the Black King wander over and pick up both the b and eventually the d pawn with a B exchange which I think wins. I'm not sure if White has any counter chances but given the position, it might be unlikely.

Feb-19-14		Karpova: Hi Sally, I usually call the annotations condensed to make clear that the reader shouldn't expect a literal translation. If I leave out anaylsis, I will usually mention that though (e. g. in case of epic opening variations or long, multiple winning lines). In this case, the annotations are complete, just not always a literal translation: http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a... Alapin doesn't say much about this part of the game, in this case my translation is pretty much literal. It is not so unusual to have fairly extensive annotations for the opening, and also in parts for the middlegame, and then the notes becoming less extensive for the rest of the game. I agree with you about Tarrasch's and Reinfeld's annotation. It seems that the b-♙ counterplay was underestimated by Black. As the c2-♙ cannot be taken by White and his ♗ is hemmed in by his own ♙s, perhaps it would be better for Black to not go for ...c1=Q but keep White tied up and the threat alive, e. g. something like 43...Bb4 perhaps.

Feb-19-14		Karpova: <SChesshevsky> I agree with you, a good elaboration of what I was also considering (we posted at the same time).

Feb-19-14		Sally Simpson: Cheers lads and thanks for the link. It just gets too messy after the Rxb3 line which is a great pity, I like seeing and giving clockwork no nonsense variations and that one (if it worked cleanly) would have been a real beauty. Thanks again.

Jan-25-16		WorstPlayerEver: Truly inspiring game by Dr. Tarrasch! I'd like to point out that 23... Bd4 24. Be3 Be3 (24. Qf3 Be4; 24. Rd1 Qb6 25. Ba3 Ra8 26. Be7 Be4 27. Bh4 Ra6) 25. Qe3 Qa6 26. Qd4 Be4 gives a position where the dominance of the LSB is clearly demonstrated. As well as the dominance of the BQ: 27. Kh2 Qa3 28. Qb6 Qb2. The WQ cannot take the BQ now. Otherwise black has a winning combination.

Jun-01-17		FSR: <Rudolf Spielmann tied Siegbert Tarrasch 6 to 6, with 6 draws.> Could it be . . . SATAN?

Sep-08-18		EmanuelLasker: <FSR: <Rudolf Spielmann tied Siegbert Tarrasch 6 to 6, with 6 draws.> Could it be . . . SATAN?> Hate to disappoint, but Tarrasch actually beat Spielmann 7 to 6 with 6 draws. One game is missing here on chessgames, Tarrasch's win in the game Spielmann - Tarrasch, Nuremberg Chess Club 1910.

Sep-08-18		WorstPlayerEver: Spielmann had a nice move to equalize: 13. b6 O-O 14. Bf4 Qxb6 15. Bxd5 Ra7 16. cxd4 cxd4 17. Be5 click for larger view

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