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(also called Scandinavian Defense). Black
loses too much time developing his pieces,
while White gets his into play aggressively.
Indeed, White's army dominates the all-
important center of the board as well as the
king's side. This sets the stage for a mating
attack. White's two-move maneuver 13. Rf3
and 14. Rh3 is called a rook lift, and is a typ-
ical attacking strategy. This rook then sacri-
fices itself on h7 in a way that allows Steinitz
to bring his other rook quickly into the fray.
White is a rook down, but all of his forces
take part in the assault, while the Black
queen's rook and bishop seem to be waiting
for the next game. They don't have long to
wait.
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!, sac-
rificing his knight. He finishes up with a
convincing queen sacrifice that forces
checkmate.
10. Jose Capablanca vs. Herman
Steiner, Los Angeles, 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. Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Paul
Keres,
The Hague, 1948
Botvinnik won the world championship a
record three times. His opponent here is pos-
sibly the strongest 20th-century chess player
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 posi-
tion, 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 sac-
rificing 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. Anatoly Karpov vs. Victor
Kortchnoi, Moscow, 1974
Twentieth-century chess perfected defense.
It is no longer typical to see top-level players
playing only for the attack. In fact, Korchnoi
at the time of this game was one of the best
in the world, and his forte was defense.
Many fine players would attack him ingen-
iously, only to break up on his rock-like for-
tifications. Still, World Champion Karpov
crushes him in only 27 moves with a mating
attack! In a classic manner against Black's
Sicilian Dragon defense (so named probably
because of the "tail" of control Black's bish-
op makes from g7 to a1), Karpov plays the
St. George attack, castling queenside and
prying open the h-file to slay the dragon.
14. Boris Spassky vs. Tigran
Petrosian, Moscow, 1969
Spassky won the world championship from
Petrosian in the match that produced this
game. In this English Opening that becomes
a Queen's Gambit, you'll see that once again
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mate in a shower of brilliant blows. This
classic is known as the "Evergreen Game."
3. Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl &
Count Isouard, Paris, 1858
While in Paris at the opera, the brilliant,
unofficial world champion from New
Orleans plays an offhand game against two
noblemen. In this case, we're sure it was over
before the fat lady sang! In a Philidor
Defense, the team of two played a weak 3.
… Bg5 that left Morphy with superior devel-
opment (more of his pieces are deployed)
and the bishop pair (two bishops against a
bishop and knight). These two important
advantages were all Morphy needed. After
Black wastes even more time with another
pawn move, 9. … b5?, Morphy hits the duo
with a series of brilliant sacrifices to mate.
Victory of mind over material is the poetry
of chess.
4.Wilhelm Steinitz vs. Kurt von
Bardeleben, Hastings, 1895
Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official world
champion, begins this game as a Giuoco
Piano. He maneuvers deftly to keep his
opponent from castling into safety. Then he
sacrifices his pawn on d5 so that he can
make the square available for his knight. But
the most brilliant move of the game is 22.
Rxe7+. At first glance, it simply looks like a
blunder. All of White's pieces are attacked,
and if Black wasn't in check, he could play
… Rxc1+ with mate next. But if Black can't
take the rook—with either his king or
queen—he loses in all variations. And by not
taking it, he is eventually mated anyway. If
you're interested in these complex lines, you
can find a complete explanation of this clas-
sic game in many books.
5. Alexander Alekhine vs. O. Tenner,
Cologne, 1911
World Champion Alekhine was a chess
fanatic (he even named his cat "Chess") and
one of the greatest attacking players of all
time. Here he plays the unusual Bishop's
Opening and seems to be developing quietly.
Black even appears to be getting a good
game just at the time Alekhine is able to play
the swashbuckling 11. Nxe5, allowing Black
to capture his queen. Black's king is forced
to march to the center of the board, an
unhealthy spot for a monarch when so many
pieces are still on the board, where he is
mated. It's important to understand that such
sacrifices don't just happen illogically.
White's pieces again had a dominating com-
mand of the board, and Black allowed
White's pressure on f7, Black's most sensi-
tive defensive square when he hasn't castled,
to build into an explosion.
6. Gaudersen vs. Paul, Melbourne,
1928
This "miniature" of only 15 moves, starts off
as a French Defense in which White plays
the Advance Variation, placing his pawns on
d4 and e5. Black's 8th move, castling, was in
this case a blunder because his kingside is
attacked by many pieces and not effectively
defended. White's sparkling 9. Bxh7+ is an
example of a bishop sacrifice that's hap-
pened so often it has a name—the "Greek
Gift." White's 14. Nxe6+ is an example of a
discovered check, the dive bomber of the
chessboard. White's amusing 15th move is a
very rare example of checkmate with the en
passant capture.
7. Edward Lasker vs. George
Thomas, London, 1910
This masterpiece, a Dutch Defense, features
a famous example of the king’s walk to
mate. Edward, an American distant cousin of
the great world champion Emmanuel Lasker,
gets his pieces activated against Black's
kingside while the English champion
Thomas develops (gets his pieces off the
back rank and into play) too slowly. By 10.
Qh5, White is already threatening an all-out
blitzkrieg. His brilliant queen sacrifice 11.
Qxh7 is followed by a devastating discov-
ered double check, 12. Nxf6++. Then Black's
king has to walk the plank, all the way across
the board to g1, the normal spot for the
White king! Here he breathes his last.
8. Wilhelm Steinitz vs. A.
Mongredien, London, 1862
This game starts out as a Center Counter
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