9.Aaron Nimzovich vs. S. Alapin, Riga, 1913
Another French Defense. In this one, the great Latvian player and writer Nimzovich (after whom the Nimzo-Indian Opening is named— see page 6) plays an opponent who wastes time stealing a pawn with 9. … Qxg2. "Nimzo" plays a punishing 12. O-O-O!, sacrificing his knight. He finishes up with a convincing queen sacrifice that forces checkmate.
10.Jose Capablanca vs. Herman Steiner, LosAngeles, 1933
The handsome Cuban World Champion Jose Capablanca had a deceptively simple style. Here we see him playing the old-fashioned Four Knights' game and opening up his opponent's kingside pawn protection by move 11! His first rook sacrifice, 17. Rxf6!, can't be refused and forces Black's king into a deadly crossfire. With 23. Qxb7!, Capa offers a second rook, which can't be taken immediately because of 23. … Qxf6? 24. Qb4 checkmate. But Black is forced to take the rook a move later and mate follows on the same square.
11.MikhailBotvinnikvs. PaulKeres, The Hague, 1948
Botvinnik won the world champi- onship a record three times. His opponent here is possibly the strongest 20th-century chess play- er who did not become world
champion. The opening is a Nimzo-Indian. White's doubled pawns are potentially a long-term weakness, but in the short term they control a good many all- important central squares. White plays cleverly to keep a grip on the position and breaks through on the queenside with his pawn-push 17. c4-c5. This gives him a chance to bring his queenside rook into action. He swings it against the kingside, sacrificing it on g7 to win. In the final position, Black's king will be mated by the White queen, supported by the bishop on c1. Where did Black go wrong? Take a look at his "unemployed" queen and rook on a8 and b8!
12. J. Banas vs. P. Lukacs, Trnava, 1986
In a Four Knights' Game, Black gets his king into safety by castling and takes advantage of White's awkward piece placement by sacri- ficing his knight with 9. … Nf3+. Then he allows White to take his bishop on c5. But by that time, White's king is surrounded. In the final position, after 13. … Ng4, White's only effective defender, his knight on e3, is forced from its square, allowing … Qg2 mate.
13.AnatolyKarpovvs.VictorKortchnoi, Moscow,1974 Twentieth-century chess perfected defense. It is no longer typical to
11see top-level players playing only