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Aron Nimzowitsch vs Ossip Bernstein
Vilnius All-Russian Masters (1912), Vilna (Vilnius) RUE, rd 5, Aug-23
French Defense: Advance Variation. Nimzowitsch System (C02)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 11 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 6...Bd7 7.Bd3 Nb4 8.Be3 Nxd3+ 9.cxd3 Ne7 10.O-O Ng6 ⩱ -0.68 (30 ply)= -0.12 (27 ply) 8.Qg3 f6 9.exf6 Qxg3 10.hxg3 Nxf6 11.Bf4 h6 12.Bd3 Kf7 = 0.00 (29 ply) 8...f6 9.exf6 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 gxf6 11.O-O-O Nge7 12.Bd6 ⩱ -0.77 (29 ply)= +0.50 (33 ply) 11.Re1 Rh5 12.g4 Rh8 13.Ng5 b5 14.Be3 Rb8 15.Ne2 Rb7 = 0.00 (31 ply) 11...Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bd6 13.Qg3 Bxe5 14.Bf4 Bxf4 15.Nxf4 ∓ -1.66 (33 ply) 12.Qg3 Bd7 13.c3 Rc8 14.Re1 b5 15.Rd1 Kf8 16.h3 Rh5 ⩲ +0.56 (30 ply) ⩱ -1.08 (32 ply)better is 14.Bd2 Bc5 15.Qf4 Qf5 16.Qg3 Bd7 17.Be3 Be7 18.Rac1 Rh5 ⩱ -0.69 (25 ply) ⩱ -1.25 (33 ply) after 14...Bd7 15.a3 Qe4 16.Qb6 Bc6 17.Rac1 Bd8 18.Qc5 g5 better is 16.Rfc1 b5 17.a4 Bd7 18.axb5 Bxb5 19.Nd2 Rc8 20.Ne4 Rh5 ⩱ -0.76 (43 ply) ⩱ -1.33 (36 ply) 18...Rc6 19.Be3 b5 20.a4 Rc8 21.axb5 axb5 22.Ne4 Rh5 ⩱ -1.34 (37 ply) ⩱ -0.54 (36 ply) 22...Bxf4 23.Rd1 Ke8 24.Nd6+ Ke7 25.Bc5 b6 26.Nc8+ Ke8 ⩱ -0.84 (39 ply)= 0.00 (50 ply)better is 37...Bb1 38.Rf1 Bf5 39.Ra1 Rd8 40.Rc1+ Kb7 41.Rc7+ Ka6 ⩲ +1.09 (36 ply) 38.Kf2 Bb1 39.Ke3 Rxa5 40.Rxf7 Ra4 41.Rc7+ Kb6 42.Rxg7 ± +1.82 (39 ply)= +0.14 (38 ply) after 38...Rxa5 39.Bxg7 Bb1 40.Rf6 Ra1 41.Kf2 Ra2+ 42.Ke3 Ra3+ 39...Bf5 40.Rc1+ Kb7 41.Bxg7 b4 42.Rc4 b3 43.Rb4+ Kc6 ⩲ +0.65 (40 ply) ± +2.44 (37 ply) 40...Be4 41.Rd4 Ra8 42.Bb4 Bd5 43.h6 gxh6 44.gxh6 Rh8 ⩲ +1.38 (25 ply) ± +2.15 (31 ply) 44...b4 45.Bxb4 Bg4 46.Ba5+ Kb8 47.Rd7 Bxh5 48.Rc7 Bg6 ± +1.91 (42 ply)+- +5.47 (38 ply) after 45.Bb6+ Kb8 46.h6 gxh6 47.gxh6 Rf8 48.Rd7 Bf5 49.Kf2 Bc2 better is 47.Rd7 Bh5 48.Rb7+ Ka8 49.Be3 Be2 50.Rxf7 Bc4 51.Ra7+ +- +4.54 (31 ply)+- +2.65 (24 ply)better is 48.Rd7 Rc8 49.Ba7+ Ka8 50.Be3 Rf8 51.Kg3 b4 52.Kf4 Rg8 +- +4.74 (29 ply) 48...Kc7 49.Bb6+ Kc8 50.Rc6+ Kb8 51.Rc7 b4 52.Rb7+ Ka8 +- +2.66 (20 ply)+- +4.73 (28 ply)better is 50.Rd7 Rg8 51.Ra7+ Kb8 52.Rb7+ Ka8 53.Rxb4 Bc2 54.Kf4 +- +11.70 (36 ply)+- +4.62 (29 ply) after 50...Rb8 51.Rd6 Rg8 52.Rd7 Rc8 53.Ra7+ Kb8 54.Rb7+ Ka8 +- mate-in-12 after 58...Rb8 59.Ke5 Bc6 60.Kf6 Be4 61.a7 Rh8 62.Re8+61...Rc8 62.h8=Q Bxa6 63.f8=Q Kb8 64.Qh6 Rxf8 65.Qb6+ +- mate-in-51-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 6 times; par: 113 [what's this?]

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jul-16-04  Leviathan: A very brilliant win by Nimzo.
What's more he won using the advance variation, heavily blamed by Tarrasch and his followers in those years.

I think that the advance variation became universally used around 1928, even if Nimzowitsch used it already in his earlier tournaments: for example Aron Nimzowitsch vs Arthur Hakansson is pretty nice!

Jan-20-07  Fast Gun: Chernev himself sums up this endgame "Nimzowitsch played the ending in classic style" Enough Said !!
Jan-20-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: I hadn't seen this game of Nimzo's before. Great stuff.
Nov-27-09  AESTRADAR: 53.pxp the final sac a bishop by 2 pawns but what a pawns
Apr-11-10  zdiddy: This game is cited in Nimzowitch's "My System"
Nov-24-13  paramount: 52.Bc5!, Nimzo pointed out precisely.

This could be Saturday puzzle but if you know the theory, you would solve it with just a bit sweat.

Nimzo himself in his famous book mentions that there are 5 special cases about rook/rooks in the 7th rank. And this position could be applied for the first rule :"7th rank absolute". That means "our control is such that the enemy king is shut behind it", that means rook in the 7th rank and there are assorted threats from this position.

You see that 54.f7 its a very good move, but to be easier, its the same case that you take the absolute position first so

54.Rb7! (this absolute) and the rest is about the same with the actual line, i'll give one

54...Bg6
55.f7 Rf5+
56.Ke3 Bxf7
57.h7 Re5+
58.Kd4 Rh5
59.Rxf7 e5+
60.Ke4 Rh4+
61.Kxe5...1-0

The outset 52.Bc5! is a MUST. The offshoot 53...Rf7? becomes impossible because 54.a7! with the mating threat Rb8 and the rest is a cakewalk.

Nov-25-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: An old school line for White, trading the beautiful lsb to save the advanced Pe5. Nice endgame conversion.

<how important it is to have threats against the enemy king if one is seeking to win an opposite bishop plus rook position> Good tip.

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