Efim Geller vs Boris Spassky (1955)

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Efim Geller vs Boris Spassky
USSR Championship (1955), Moscow URS, rd 6, Feb-19
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Saemisch Variation (E26) · 0-1

White to move.

ANALYSIS [x]

0-1

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

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Jun-17-06		Mateo: Spassky smashed Geller in the Nimzo. Perfect king side attack for the young Boris. Terrible to see Spassky desdaining the win of the exchange, like a cat playing with his mouse before killing it! 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 Nc6 7.Bd3 d6 8.Ne2 b6 9.O-O Qd7 10.e4 Ba6 11.Bg5 O-O-O 12.Ng3 <in the same tournament, in round 16, Geller played 12.Nc1 against Lisitsin and won> h6 <Unpinning the Knight first. If 12...cd 13.cd Nd4 14.Nh5 h6 (14...Qe7 15.Qa4 Kb7 16.e5! Qd7 17.Qd7 Nd7 18.Bd8, White won the exchange, although Black has some compensation) 15.Nf6 Qe7 16.Bh4 gf 17.Qa4 Kb7 18.e5! Qd7 19.Qd7 Rd7 20.Bf6, the Bishop pair gives White a better ending> 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Nh5?! <14.Be2 desearved consideration.> cxd4 15.cxd4 Nxd4 16.Nxf6 Qe7 17.Qa4 Bb7 18.Nh5 <if 18.Nd5 Qh4! with advantage to Black (but not 18...ed? 19.cd Qf6? 20.Qa7 Rd7 21.Ba6! )> Rhg8! 19.Qd1? <19.Qa7? Rg2!! 20.Kg2 (20.Kh1 Rh2!! 21.Kh2 Qh4 22.Kg2 Qh5 23.Rg1 Be4!, with a mating net) Be4 . But bettter than the move actually played was 19.Ng3, impeding 19...f5 with devasting effect> f5! 20.Re1 <20.Ng3 f4 21.Ne2 Qg5 22.g3 Nf3 23.Kg2 Nd2! threatening both 24...Nf1 and 24...f3> Qh4 21.f4? <a blunder in a very difficult position> e5 <good but sophisticated. Simpler 21...Qe1! 22.Re1 Nf3 winning the exchange> 22.Rc1 exf4 23.Bf1 Qxe1 24.Qxe1 Nf3+ 25.Kf2 Nxe1 26.Rxe1 f3 <26...fe > 27.gxf3 fxe4 28.fxe4 Rdf8+ 29.Ke3 Bxe4! 30.Bh3+ <30.Ke4 Re8> Bf5 31.Bxf5+ Rxf5 0-1

Mar-06-14		Strelets: White is toast in the final position. He's down a pawn and the exchange, his knight is hanging, his pawns are weak, and the skewer ...Re5+ is threatened. On 32.Ng3, Black can force a won king and pawn endgame by returning the exchange: 32...Rxg3+ 33.hxg3 Re5+ 34.Kf2 Rxe1 35.Kxe1 where technique and a queenside pawn majority (once ...d5 is safely pushed) will lead to a routine win.

May-14-17		edubueno: Paliza!

Oct-19-18		edubueno: El plan de Geller en la jugada 12 es inferior.

Oct-20-18		ewan14: and Geller was the winner of this USSR zonal tournament

Oct-20-18		ewan14: Young Boris castles queen side

Jun-05-19		King.Arthur.Brazil: It is fantastic victory of 18y Spasski. Firstly he played a tremendous 18...Rhg8 (if white plays 19. Qxa7?? Rxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Bxe4+ and white loses the Q) note that 19... Qg5 would follow too). Again 21...e5! (22. fxe4 f4!), no? 22...exf4! He didn't win the quality before because black continues the attack! However, after 23.Bf1 I supose that Geller had became without voice when he saw 23...Qxe1. After 29.Ke3 Bxe4! again seems that black punished all the white moves (30.Kxe4 Re8+ and 31... Rxe1!) and the nightmare ends with 30. Bh3+ Bf5! white can go home. This is not his day! It is incredible see Spasski exploding Geller the winner of this tournment this way.

Jun-05-19		sudoplatov: Euwe beat Geller from Black side of a Saemisch Nimzo-Indian at Zurich 1953.

Jun-06-19		ewan14: Young Boris beating the soon to be 1955 U.S.S.R. chamapion

Jun-06-19		ewan14: champion

Dec-31-20		Gaito: In the final position, the simplest way to win (for a human being, not for a machine), as stated by Strelets in his comment above, would be the pawn ending: 32.Ng3 Re5+ 33.Kd2 Rxe1 34.Kxe1 Rxg3! (computers would play differently) 35.hxg3 Kd7 36.Ke2 Kc6 37.Kd3 Kc5 38.Kc3 h5 39.a4 a5 40.Kb3 Kd4, and even a child can win this ending.

Mar-18-22		SonnyGIII: Hands down to my 2nd favoritw world Champion.

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