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Bogo's Best Games
Compiled by backrank
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Efim Bogoljubow ('Bogo') was one of the greatest and nowadays most underrated attacking players in the first half of the 20th century. He had plus scores agains such giants as Réti, Rubinstein, Spielmann and Nimzowitsch, and won some major tournaments, above all the great Moscow 1925 tournament, where he finished 1st ahead of Lasker and Capablanca.

However, as great as Bogo was a tournament player, he was an unlucky match player. He lost not only both WCC matches against Alekhine, he suffered defeat also in his matches with Spielmann and Rubinstein, while he achieved overall plus scores against both of them. (But, and this fact is little known, Bogo became FIDE World Champion in 1928 by defeating Euwe in two FIDE matches, see Honza Cerwenka's Game Collection: Bogoljubov vs Euwe - Two FIDE Championships. So there had already been a 'split title' in former times.) Here we see an interesting parallelity to Frank Marshall, to whose style Bogo's play also shows quite a few similarities.

Bogo's games are ideal models for anyone who wants to study attacking techniques, which not only consist in the final combination, but also and above all in the methods how an attack is built up and developed.

Lasker seems to have thought quite the same, at least he has appreciated Bogo a lot, for in his 'Manual of Chess', Chapter (Book) 6: Examples and Models, he included no less than 6 Bogo wins from a whole of 24 games given in that chapter!

The first encounter between Alekhine and Bogo - a great swindle
Alekhine vs Bogoljubov, 1914 
(C64) Ruy Lopez, Classical, 27 moves, 0-1

One of Bogo's earliest attacking masterpieces
Flamberg vs Bogoljubov, 1914 
(C80) Ruy Lopez, Open, 24 moves, 0-1

Featured by Réti himself in 'Modern Ideas in Chess'
Bogoljubov vs Reti, 1919 
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 36 moves, 1-0

Attack against a 'semi-exposed' king
Reti vs Bogoljubov, 1919 
(C12) French, McCutcheon, 40 moves, 0-1

Demolishing the French by the Alekhine-Chatard
Bogoljubov vs Spielmann, 1919 
(C13) French, 27 moves, 1-0

23. Bxd5!
Bogoljubov vs A Hakansson, 1920 
(C11) French, 25 moves, 1-0

Nice win over Rubinstein
Bogoljubov vs Rubinstein, 1920 
(C48) Four Knights, 31 moves, 1-0

Very probably Bogo's most impressive win over Rubinstein
Bogoljubov vs Rubinstein, 1920  
(C48) Four Knights, 22 moves, 1-0

19. ... Rxh2 ??!! is incorrect, but suggestive
Spielmann vs Bogoljubov, 1920 
(C28) Vienna Game, 43 moves, 0-1

Demonstrating the power of the bishop pair
Reti vs Bogoljubov, 1921 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 35 moves, 0-1

The game from Stefan Zweig's 'Schachnovelle'
Alekhine vs Bogoljubov, 1922 
(C78) Ruy Lopez, 47 moves, 1/2-1/2

Bogoljubov vs D Przepiorka, 1922 
(E10) Queen's Pawn Game, 53 moves, 1-0

Brilliancy prize!
Bogoljubov vs H Wolf, 1922 
(E10) Queen's Pawn Game, 38 moves, 1-0

Another energetic and instructive attack by Bogo
Maroczy vs Bogoljubov, 1922  
(C49) Four Knights, 31 moves, 0-1

Demolishing the French again
Bogoljubov vs Spielmann, 1922 
(C13) French, 28 moves, 1-0

Special prize for the best defensive (!) game
Maroczy vs Bogoljubov, 1924 
(D05) Queen's Pawn Game, 27 moves, 0-1

24. Qc2! 51. R7e6!
Bogoljubov vs Marshall, 1924 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 56 moves, 1-0

A sudden finish: 40 ... Rxc3!
A Smorodsky vs Bogoljubov, 1924 
(C97) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 44 moves, 0-1

Bogoljubov vs P Romanovsky, 1924
(A15) English, 53 moves, 1-0

Maybe Bogo's all-time masterpiece
Bogoljubov vs J Mieses, 1925 
(A90) Dutch, 35 moves, 1-0

24. Rd2!
Bogoljubov vs Nimzowitsch, 1925 
(E21) Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights, 38 moves, 1-0

A win over Réti highly praised by Lasker
Bogoljubov vs Reti, 1925 
(C12) French, McCutcheon, 25 moves, 1-0

Nimzowitsch vs Bogoljubov, 1925 
(A04) Reti Opening, 40 moves, 0-1

Win over the ingenious mexican
Bogoljubov vs Torre, 1925 
(A47) Queen's Indian, 44 moves, 1-0

Win over the then most famous theoretician
Bogoljubov vs Gruenfeld, 1925 
(C49) Four Knights, 29 moves, 1-0

Bogoljubov vs Reti, 1925 
(C12) French, McCutcheon, 58 moves, 1-0

Refutation of an opening system
Bogoljubov vs S Gotthilf, 1925 
(D12) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 30 moves, 1-0

Funny miniature
Bogoljubov vs Tarrasch, 1925 
(B04) Alekhine's Defense, Modern, 23 moves, 1-0

titanic struggle
Bogoljubov vs Rubinstein, 1926 
(C98) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 75 moves, 1/2-1/2

Positional exchange sacrifice
Bogoljubov vs Nimzowitsch, 1927 
(E16) Queen's Indian, 39 moves, 1-0

Bogo as a defensive player - switching to counterattack
P Johner vs Bogoljubov, 1928 
(D35) Queen's Gambit Declined, 41 moves, 0-1

Bogo as a purely positional player - winning a knight endgame!
Bogoljubov vs Spielmann, 1928
(D51) Queen's Gambit Declined, 44 moves, 1-0

Probably best game from FIDE-WCC match
Bogoljubov vs Euwe, 1928 
(D78) Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O c6, 36 moves, 1-0

Bogo as a defender again
Yates vs Bogoljubov, 1928 
(C86) Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack, 59 moves, 0-1

Euwe vs Bogoljubov, 1928 
(D06) Queen's Gambit Declined, 45 moves, 0-1

Best Bogo game from 1st match with Alekhine
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1929 
(C11) French, 51 moves, 1-0

Draw against Capa
Capablanca vs Bogoljubov, 1929 
(E60) King's Indian Defense, 37 moves, 1/2-1/2

another epic fight against Rubinstein
Bogoljubov vs Rubinstein, 1930 
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 77 moves, 1-0

19.d5! 20. e4! 21. e5!, and the black position falls to pieces
Bogoljubov vs Kmoch, 1930 
(D48) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran, 24 moves, 1-0

Heroic defense - and a nice triple pawn
Stahlberg vs Bogoljubov, 1930
(D43) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 45 moves, 0-1

Wild play from the beginning - should have led to a draw
Tartakower vs Bogoljubov, 1931 
(D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 56 moves, 0-1

Kashdan vs Bogoljubov, 1931 
(E61) King's Indian, 30 moves, 0-1

22. Nd1!
Bogoljubov vs Spielmann, 1932
(D46) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 29 moves, 1-0

Both go wrong - but the counterattack rules
K Opocensky vs Bogoljubov, 1932 
(A41) Queen's Pawn Game (with ...d6), 28 moves, 0-1

Bogo as an endgame player!
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1932 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 92 moves, 1-0

Quiet opening - devastating finish
Bogoljubov vs Rellstab, 1933
(A48) King's Indian, 40 moves, 1-0

Bogo's best game from 2nd match with Alekhine
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1934 
(D23) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 58 moves, 1-0

Bogo's only win over Lasker
Lasker vs Bogoljubov, 1934 
(C11) French, 39 moves, 0-1

Bogoljubov vs G Danielsson, 1935 
(C18) French, Winawer, 24 moves, 1-0

Another well-fought draw against Capa
Capablanca vs Bogoljubov, 1936 
(A26) English, 46 moves, 1/2-1/2

Creating a murderous attack out of an even postion
G Machate vs Bogoljubov, 1936 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 38 moves, 0-1

Wild and mysterious draw
Saemisch vs Bogoljubov, 1937
(D24) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 49 moves, 1/2-1/2

Bogo's most famous and convincing win over Alekhine
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1937 
(C17) French, Winawer, Advance, 24 moves, 1-0

Win over another highly underrated player of world class format
Eliskases vs Bogoljubov, 1939 
(A52) Budapest Gambit, 35 moves, 0-1

Bogo's next to last win over his lifetime's rival
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1942 
(B15) Caro-Kann, 46 moves, 1-0

Study-like endgame after 46. b6!
Bogoljubov vs F Bohatirchuk, 1947 
(B10) Caro-Kann, 54 moves, 1-0

56 games

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