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ANNOTATED GAME
"the immortal game of overprotection."
vs.
Annotated by: jeffegg2 (1300)
Chess opening: French defence (C00)
vs.
Annotated by: jeffegg2 (1300)
Chess opening: French defence (C00)
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15. Ne1 |
This was the point of his previous move! Black is now forced to exchange off the attacking Bishop at d3. But, with that, even White's King Knight enters the fray with fearful effect at d3, while the square f3 becomes available to the Queen Knight. Surely a grandiose piece of strategy. The fact is that I'm a marvelous player, even if the whole chess world bursts with envy. | ||||
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15... Nxd3 16. Nxd3 |
Naturally not 16 cxd3? which would have been quite inconsistent. The Pawn on c2 is unimportant, and Black only wastes precious time by capturing it. | ||||
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16... Rxc2 17. Rae1 |
White continues his overprotection without much ado. | ||||
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17... a5 |
This counterattack has no punch. Black would naturally like to get a passed Pawn plus a Rook on the seventh, but it is too late for that. | ||||
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18. Kd1 |
Now the menaced Rook must scurry back, for capture on R7 would be much too dangerous. (See Diagram) | ||||
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18... Rc6 |
At last, Black gets the right idea: overprotecting his Pawn at e6. But it is already too late. | ||||
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19. Re2 Ke7 |
Introduced into tournament play by myself. See note to White's 14th move. The King overprotects e6. | ||||
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20. Rhe1 Re8 21. Nf3 |
Completing the overprotection of e5 and thus deciding the fate of the game. Black has no defense. Note the esthetic effect created by White's position. | ||||
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21... Bf8 |
Now Black threatens to complete the overprotection of e6 by playing Ng7. But White has prepared a brilliant combination.. | ||||
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22. g4 |
Much stronger than the obvious Bg5 etc. | ||||
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22... hxg4 23. Qh7 |
Now one clearly realizes the masterly understanding of position which went into White's eighth move (Q-h2!!). | ||||
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23... gxf3 |
Had Black continued overprotecting by 23...Ng7 there would have followed 24 Bg5 f6 25 Bxf6 Kf7 26 Ng5 mate. Black's basic error was that he started overprotecting much too late. | ||||
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24. Bg5# |
mate. One of my best games! I am proud of it if only because Herr Systemsson is one of the strongest Scandinavian players. The game made an overwhelming impression on the players and spectators as well as on my opponent. The game has become famous in Denmark as "the immortal game of overprotection." To the incredulous, the above article was published in the February, 1928,, issue of the Wiener Schachzeitung under the editorship of Hans Kmoch. Kmoch admired and esteemed Nimzovich as a great player and a profound and original thinker. Yet he could not help poking sly fun at Nimzovich's often pompous and bombastic manner. Luckily this rollicking parody is so good-natured, with a few grains of sense artfully concealed in a farrago of nonsense, that Nimzovich expressed himself as vastly amused by it.--Ed [I.A. Horowitz] | ||||
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