[Event "FIDE World Championship Tournament"] [Site "The Hague NED / Moscow URS"] [Date "1948.04.11"] [Round "11"] [White "Vasily Smyslov"] [Black "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "mistr"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C75"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/nsspObqZ/pZdJZbVD"] [Orientation "white"] { Even though there weren't any major International chess tournaments during World War II, in the war-torn USSR more than a few tournaments were organized in the 1942-1945 period. Thus, Smyslov - as well as other Soviet players - did get their regular practice and continued developing. It is, therefore, not surprising that, after the war, Smyslov already turned out to be one of the best chess players in the world. It already showed in the first International tournament held in Groningen in 1946 where Smyslov came in third behind Botvinnik and Euwe. Thus, it wasn't surprising that Smyslov was invited to be one of the participants in the FIDE World Championship Tournament, held in the Hague and Moscow in 1948. This tournament was supposed to resolve the interregnum state after Alekhine's death. part from Botvinnik and Smyslov, Euwe, Keres, and Reshevsky participated. It was precisely the American grandmaster that the Soviets feared the most as he was considered to be Botvinnik's most serious competitor. Every encounter with Reshevsky, was, thus, of utmost importance - but in round 11 of the tournament Smyslov inflicted him a devastating blow. It is one of those brilliant strategic/positional masterpieces Smyslov was rather known for and is definitely one of his best games that fully deserves to be included on this list. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 { The so-called Steinitz Defence is considered to be a relatively solid, but quite passive opening. It is still seen from time to time today at the top level - but mostly in faster time controls. } 5. c3 Ne7 { Nowadays, this move is relatively rarely played, even though it is a favourite of the strong grandmaster Anton Demchenko. } 6. d4 Bd7 7. Bb3 { This clever move, side-stepping all sorts of potential exchanges of the bishop and eyeing the f7 square, is the most common possibility here (although not the only one). } 7... h6 { Preventing anything from coming to g5. } 8. Nbd2 Ng6 { The point of the variation. Black tries to reinforce the central e5 point as much as possible. Potentially, the knight looks to jump to f4 in the future. } { [%cal Gg6e5,Gg6f4] } 9. Nc4 { Continuing the typical Ruy Maneuver and intending to place the knight to e3. } { [%cal Gc4e3] } (9. O-O { You might be wondering - but why doesn't White castle first? It is definitely possible, but transposition is very likely after } 9... Be7 10. Nc4) 9... Be7 { Black continues with the development and intends to castle. } { [%cal Ge8g8] } 10. O-O O-O (10... Bg5 { This is a typical modern move that has been played in this position. Black realizes their dark-squared bishop is their worst-placed piece so they try to get rid of it in a radical fashion. Note that taking on g5 is probably not the best as after } 11. Nxg5 (11. Ne3 Bxe3 12. Bxe3 { Was what was seen in some games at the grandmaster level. Black gives up the bishop pair but claim that exchanging one pair of pieces has eased their position a little bit. White is probably still better, but this is the modern interpretation of such an opening line. }) 11... hxg5 { Black gets the open h-file and a nice outpost on f4 for the knight. } { [%csl Gf4][%cal Rh8h2,Gg5f4,Ge5f4] }) 11. Ne3 { The knight finishes the journey and is ready to jump to d5 next. } { [%cal Ge3d5] } 11... Bf6 { Continuing in the same solid and passive style. } (11... exd4 12. Nxd4 (12. cxd4 { Taking with the pawn is also possible, but after } 12... Bf6 { Black does get some play against the central pawns. }) 12... Nxd4 13. cxd4 Bg5 { Black is seeking to exchange some pieces as they have less space. Still, after } { [%cal Gg5c1,Ge3d5] } 14. Nd5 Bxc1 15. Rxc1 c6 16. Ne3 { White's space advantage in the center should guarantee some advantage. It is not much as Black is very solid, but they are also very very passive. }) 12. Nd5 { Now the knight is very powerful on d5. } { [%csl Gd5][%cal Rd5f6] } 12... Re8?! { Another passive move. It was probably better to take on d4 first. Black now threatens to take and then to take on e4 - but now White gains an additional option of capturing on e5 himself. } { [%cal Re8e4,Ge5d4] } (12... exd4 13. Nxd4 { Absolutely necessary here. This idea can be seen often - say in some Italian position it is often a theme. } (13. cxd4 Re8 { And it turns out White's center is under a lot of pressure, e.g. } 14. Bc2 Bg4) 13... Nxd4 14. cxd4 Re8 15. f3 { And now with the knight from f3 gone, the center is under much less pressure as Bg4 is not a thing and White has a stable advantage (although a lot of chess remains to be played, ofc). }) 13. dxe5! { For me, this is an outstanding move that shows superb judgment. White deals with the threat to the e4 pawn and claims that Black has no good way of recapturing on e5 for positional reasons. } 13... Bxe5 { It is hard to say which recapture is better. Or more precisely - worse. Taking with the bishop seems crazy as it gets rid of the bishop pair, but Black is claiming that the knights are better in this position due to its closed nature. } (13... Ngxe5 { Taking with the knight would be met with } 14. Nxe5 { A very strong idea, once again emphasizing the fact that Black doesn't have good way of recapturing. } (14. Nd2 { Even this knight retreat, preserving the pieces and preparing f4, is possible. } { [%cal Gf2f4] }) 14... Nxe5 (14... dxe5 { Always loses to } 15. Nxf6+ { When Black is unable to recapture on f6 with the queen due to the hanging bishop. } { [%cal Rd1d7] } 15... gxf6 16. Qh5 { Here White is winning directly due to Black's ruined kingside. }) (14... Rxe5 { is no better as after } 15. Bc2 { f4 is coming next and Black is again in trouble. } { [%cal Gf2f4] }) (14... Bxe5 15. f4 { Is very strong for White as after } 15... Bf6 16. Bc2 { There are all kinds of threats on the kingside and Black is suffering due to the lack of space. }) 15. f4 { And here White obtains a very dangerous pawn duo in the center and Black is suffering from the lack of space. } { [%csl Ge4,Gf4] }) (13... Ncxe5 14. Nxe5 { Leads to a very similar variations as after 13...Ngxe5. }) (13... dxe5 { Taking with the pawn is losing on the spot as after } 14. Nxf6+ { The queen is unable to recapture on f6 due to the hanging bishop on d7 and after } { [%cal Rd1d7] } 14... gxf6 { Black is just busted due to the weakened kingside structure. White even has the immediate } 15. Nh4 Nxh4 16. Qh5 { Basically winning on the spot. } { [%cal Rh5h6,Rh5h4] }) 14. Nxe5 { Once again, White invites Black to place a piece on e5 so that f4 can happen next. } 14... dxe5 { Black is trying to stabillize the center and prevent the whole f4 idea, but this invites different kinds of problems. } { [%csl Ge5][%cal Ge5f4] } (14... Ngxe5 15. f4 { Is still very dangerous for Black. }) (14... Ncxe5 15. f4 { Leads to something very similar. }) (14... Rxe5 15. Bc2 { With f4 coming next, is also not very attractive. } { [%cal Gf2f4] }) 15. Qf3 { Threatening all sorts of discoveries against f7. Black's problem are passive pieces - the knight is unable to jump to f4 and the other one is severely restricted by the c3 pawn. } { [%cal Rf3f7,Rb3f7] } 15... Be6 { A logical way of trying to deal with the pressure on the long diagonal. } 16. Rd1 { Including the rook in the game and eyeing the queen on d8. } { [%cal Rd1d8] } 16... Bxd5? { But this is a terrible move, simply handing the d5 square and the light-squares into White's hands! } (16... Qc8 { For better or for worse, Black should have tried to sidestepp the discovered attack on the d-file and moved the queen. Then White has a very pleasant position as all his pieces are better placed, but there is nothing immediately decisive and after, say } 17. h3 a5 { With the idea of a4 and Na5-Nc4, Black is still fighting! } { [%cal Ga5a4,Gc6a5,Ga5c4] }) 17. Rxd5 { Now White has a total control over the d5 square and the light-squares in general and also the bishop pair. The position is strategically winning now. } { [%csl Ga1,Gb3,Gc1,Gd5] } (17. Bxd5 { Is also very good. }) 17... Qe7 18. Qf5 { Threatening Rd7, but also the devilish Bxh6 and Qxg6. } { [%cal Gd5d7,Rc1h6,Rf5g6] } 18... Nf8 { This move is necessary to deal with all the threats, but this is another backward move. } (18... Rad8 { is met with } 19. Bxh6 { This bishop sacrifice is necessary in order to open up the back rank! } 19... gxh6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Qxg6+ { [%cal Ga1h1] }) 19. Be3 { White has the easy plan of bringing the other rook into the game, while at the same time, Bc5 is also threatened. } { [%cal Ga1d1,Ge3c5] } 19... Ne6 20. Rad1 Red8 21. g3 { A very instructive move. White does not rush matters at all, but makes a small improving move, creating some space for the king, covering the f4 square and asking Black - what will you do. } { [%csl Gf4][%cal Gg3f4] } 21... Rd6 { Trying to double the rooks, but this allows White to transform the position. } 22. Rxd6 cxd6 { Now a new weakness has appeared on d6. } { [%csl Rd6] } 23. Qg4 { Threatening Bxh6 and preparing a fantastic move that will be seen in the game. } { [%cal Re3h6] } 23... Kh8 { Sidestepping the threat. Maybe f8 or h7 were better squares, but there is not much of a difference. } 24. Bb6 { Taking the d8 under control. White doesn't need to hurry in this position. Once again - the weak pawn on d6 and the bishop pair are static, permanent advantages, so Smyslov is merely trying to restrict Black as much as possible. } { [%csl Gd8][%cal Gb6d8] } 24... Nb8 { This move has a concrete idea in mind - get the knight to d7 and kick the bishop away. It is not entire clear how good this concept is even if it is executed, but now Smyslov finds an outstanding way to transition into a winning endgame. } { [%csl Gd7][%cal Gb8d7] } 25. Bxe6 { As they say, one advantage of having the bishop pair is the possibility of exchanging them at an opportune moment. This is a perfect example - White gives up the light-squared bishop in order to ruin the structure and force the advantageous transformation of the position. } { [%csl Re6] } 25... fxe6 (25... Qxe6 26. Qxe6 fxe6 27. Rxd6 { Leads to a completely lost endgame, of course. }) 26. Qh4 { A star move. When I first saw this positional idea, I couldn't believe my eyes, as White is voluntarily inviting Black to ruin the pawn structure, but in this position, it is all about the activity in the endgame. } { [%cal Rh4d8] } 26... Qd7 { Trying to keep the queens on the board and avoid the depressing endgame, but this merely delays the inevitable. } (26... Qxh4 { Taking the queen on h4 does ruin the structure, but after } 27. gxh4 Nd7 28. Rxd6 { [%cal Rd6e6] } 28... Nf8 29. h5 { White's activity is far more relevant than the double h-pawns. Besides, Black has a lot of weak pawns of their own and White is just completely winning. }) 27. Qd8+ { Another strong point behind the Qh4 move. } 27... Qxd8 28. Bxd8 { Now it transpires it is not possible to defend the d6 pawn. } { [%csl Rd6][%cal Rd1d6] } 28... Nd7 29. Bc7 { [%cal Rc7d6] } (29. Ba5 Nc5 30. Rxd6 { Seems simpler as the e4 pawn is not really important here } 30... Nxe4 31. Rxe6 { White should easily win here as the pieces are too active and Black has too many weaknesses. }) 29... Nc5 30. Rxd6 { And this endgame should be won as White has an extra pawn and the rook is very active. Although, of course, it is never easy to win a chess game and some technique is still required. } { [%cal Rd6e6] } 30... Rc8 31. Bb6 { Maybe not the cleanest, as it does allow some Na4 counterplay. } (31. Ba5 { Was once again probably simpler, although White is winning nevertheless. }) 31... Na4 { Now it transpires that b2 pawn will drop and that Black will get some queenside activity, although White does have an extra pawn and the bishop is, generally, better than the knight in a position like this. } 32. Rxe6 Nxb2 33. Rxe5 Nc4 34. Re6 Nxb6 35. Rxb6 Rxc3 36. Rxb7 { Nevertheless, White ends up in a rook endgame with an extra pawn which should be an easy win. Still it is somewhat instructive to see how exactly does Smyslov convert this. } 36... Rc2 37. h4 { Not being concerned about the a-pawn. Smyslov starts advancing the kingside pawn majority. The idea is to get the king to f5, pawns on f4,g4,h5 and then to either win the g7 pawn or to push the e-pawn far away down the board. } 37... Rxa2 38. Kg2 a5 39. h5 { [%csl Gh5][%cal Gh5g6] } 39... a4 40. Ra7 { Rook behind the passed pawn is ideally placed! } 40... Kg8 41. g4 a3 42. Kg3 Re2 { Trying to exchange the a-pawn for the e4 pawn and obtain an endgame with 3 pawns versus two on the kingside which has high drawing margin. } { [%cal Re2e4,Ra7a3] } 43. Kf3 { Of course, Smyslov doesn't want to allow this transformation. } (43. Rxa3 { Taking the a-pawn would be a premature blunder as after } 43... Rxe4 { This endgame is dead-drawn. It is beyond the scope of this analysis to dive deep and explain how and why Black draws (it is a big question whether the author himself would know how to do it, to be honest), but it objectively shouldn't be too difficult. I refer you to some endgame books/practical play if you are interested in finding more on this topic. }) 43... Ra2 44. Ke3 { Preparing to move the f-pawn and then put the king in front of it. } { [%cal Gf2f3,Ge3f4] } 44... Kf8 45. f3 Ra1 46. Kf4 a2 { At first glance, this may look a bit problematic as Black's a-pawn is far advanced, but it transpires that White's pawns provide a nice shield for the king. } { [%csl Ge4,Gf3,Gg4,Gh5] } 47. e5 Kg8 48. Kf5 { Threatening Kg6 or f4 so Black's reply is forced. } { [%cal Gf5g6,Gf3f4] } 48... Rf1 { Trying to eliminate one of the pawns, but this happens too late here. } (48... Kh7 { Trying to stop Kg6 would allow } 49. f4 { And Black is in zugzwang - they have to either allow the king to g6 or lose the a2 pawn. } 49... Kg8 50. Kg6 Kf8 51. g5 { And Black is losing here e.g. } 51... Ke8 52. Kxg7 hxg5 53. f5 { White is much faster and Black can't survive. There are other ways to win, of course, but just to illustrate the point - Black's rook on a1 is too passive while the one on a7 can simultaneously cover the a2 pawn and participate in the promotion of White's own pawns. } { [%csl Gf6][%cal Gf5f6,Gf6f7] }) 49. Rxa2 Rxf3+ 50. Kg6 { The king on g6 is way too active Ra7 and Ra8 are both threatened here. } { [%csl Gg6][%cal Ga2a8] } 50... Kf8 (50... Rf8 51. Ra7 { Loses the g7 pawn and with it - the game. Note how it is very useful to have the pawn on e5 preventing any Rf6 checks. } { [%cal Ge5f6] }) 51. Ra8+ Ke7 52. Ra7+ { And here Reshevsky finally decided to throw in the towel. A beautiful strategic masterpiece that has always left a long-lasting impression on me - in particular, this counterintuitive move Qh4 transitioning to a won endgame. It is true that this game showcased Reshevsky's weaknesses - most notably in the opening phase of the game. But don't forget he was one of the strongest players in the world for a loong time and that he would also have a rivalry with the young Fischer in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Beating him in this style was no easy feat and this game is a very good demonstration of Smyslov's class at a time. } { [%csl Rg7] } 1-0