However, in this game, the initial move of the Bishop to f3 with 41...Bf3 may not have been the problem.

Indeed, after 41...Bf3 42. Ne3? Black would have been winning with 42...Nxf4! (position below).

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Here White's best is 43. Nxf5 when 43...Qd7! (position below)

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*****

<patzer2> Interesting idea

Indeed, after 41...Bf3 42. Ne3? Black would have been winning with 42...Nxf4! (position below).>

Nice catch, I inititally missed the point a bit, because I thought the Knight on e3 is keeping things together quite well, so 43.gxf4 looked good enough. The threat over 43...Rg2+ is covered.

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is 44. Qf1 Bg3+ 45. Kg1 (diagram below)

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46...Bf2+! (46...Kh2 47. Bxe3 ) 47. Qh4# (diagram below)

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Nezh and Krogius did meet at the 1965 tournament and Nezh won.

<patzer2 after 41...Bf3 42 Ne3 black would have beem winning with 42...Nxf4. White best move 43Nxf5.>

.. Bxe4
Qxe4 Qe3
Qxf5+ Kg8
g3-g4 B-d4

Rashid Nezhmetdinov - Nikolai V. Krogius;
[C93] / Event?, 1961
[A.J.G.]

A quick look at this game.
(POTD / Wednesday; March 26th, 2014.)

The game begins as a Ruy Lopez / Spanish.
[See MCO-15, beginning on page # 42.
See also: Opening Explorer

1.e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Bb5 a6; 4.Ba4 Nf6; 5.0-0 Be7; 6.Re1 b5; 7.Bb3 0-0;

So far, it is all normal moves ... the main line. ("Book.")

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The Spanish has been a favorite of both amateurs and masters.

8.h3, (avoidance)

By playing this, "Super-Nez" shows that he does not want to face a possible gambit.

[RR 8.c3 d5; Marshall.]

8...d6; 9.c3 h6!?;

Black is the first to try and vary from the main line, 9...Na5; could transpose back to stem variations. (9...h6; is also useful to avoid a later Bg5/pin by White.)

[RR 9...Na5 ; - Tchgorin. ]

With his next move, White avoids a large chunk of standard opening theory.

10.d3!?, (solidity)

Nezh might have played this to avoid a prepared line, in his day, Krogius was known as a savvy openings specialist. Of course 10.d4 would probably transpose back to the main lines.

[ 10.d4 Re8; 11.Nbd2 Bf8; Geller vs A Matanovic, 1962. ]

10...Be6!?;

Black runs into potential problems with this move ... (After an eventual d2-d4 by White, Black faces a pawn fork on d5.)

[ Probably better was: RR 10...Re8; 11.Nbd2, - Fritz 13 & Powerbook. ]

11.Bc2 Re8; 12.a3 Bf8;

This is solid, Fritz likes 12...d6-d5; instead.

Both sides now do standard maneuvers, Black redeploys his DSB to g7.

13.d4 Bd7; 14.Nbd2 g6; 15.Nf1 Bg7; 16.d5 Ne7; 17.c4 c6; 18.Ne3 cxd5; 19.cxd5 Nh5; (plausible) Black aims to grab the f4-spot as a good outpost for his Knight.

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White has a solid space advantage here, even the computers tend to under-estimate this fact.

20.Kh2 Rf8!?; (20...Qb6; - Fritz.)

21.Bd2 f5!?;

Black looks to get a break in, but this might be the wrong time to do it. Now "Super-Nez" gets a lot of weak squares on the K-side to pick on.

Instead of this, the simple play of 21...Nf4; seemed to give Black a playable game.

White now plays to break open the center and then fix things with f2-f4.

22.exf5 gxf5; 23.Nh4 Nf4; 24.g3 Nfg6; 25.Neg2 Nxh4; 26.Nxh4 Rc8; 27.f4!? e4;

White has gotten the type of game that he wanted ... (I guess.)

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The engines all seem to show "evals" that indicate that Black is slightly better.

28.Rb1 Rf7; 29.Bb3 a5!; 30.Re2 a4; 31.Ba2 Bf6; 32.Ng2 Rg7; 33.Bb4 Be8;

34.Rc2! Rxc2; 35.Qxc2 Bf7!?; 36.Rd1 Kh7; 37.Qf2 Bh5!?; 38.Rd2 Ng6; 39.Bb1 Bf3; 40.Ne1 Bh5; 41.Ng2 Bf3;

Maybe Black was hoping for a draw? (Both players could get this by repeating moves, Ne1, Bh5; Ng2, Bf3; etc. Three-fold repetition.)

Given what happens next, this would have probably been the correct way for this game to end.

42.Ne3?, (blockade?)

Nezh put his Knight directly in front of his opponent's passed pawn, which is exactly what Nimzovich said you should do. Here, however, the move contains a tactical flaw.

[Better was: >/= 42.Ne1, '=' ]

42...Ne7?!; (Rats!)

This is a logical (safe) move, but Krogius missed his chance at a big-time tactical shot.

[ Much better was: >/= ¹42...Nxf4!; 43.Nxf5,
The engines all seem to pick this move.

(Even worse (for White) was the following variation: ‹43.gxf4? Bh4!; 44.Qf1!? Bg3+!; 45.Kg1 Bf2+!; 46.Kh2▢ Qh4!, )

43...Qd7!; 44.gxf4, (Best?)

Once more, White does not have a lot of (good) options left.

(44.Bxe4 Bxe4; 45.Qxf4 Qxf5; )

44...Rg2+; 45.Qxg2 Bxg2; 46.Kxg2 Qxf5; (Black's winning.) when all the engines seem to "think" that Black has an overwhelming position here. ]

43.Qe1 Qb6?; (Gak!)
Now Black virtually blunders ...

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Now it is Nezh's turn to find a tactic ... and he does not fail us. (The position - just above - for the POTD.)

[ Much better was: >/= 43...Kg8!; 44.Rc2 Bd4 ∞; when Black was no worse. ]

White to play: (move #45).

44.Nxf5! Nxf5; 45.Bxe4,

Apparently Black resigned here.

A nice game by our hero, but Black also missed his chances.

[ White wins in all variations: 45.Bxe4 Re7; A pin, does it win?

(Or 45...Bxe4; 46.Qxe4 Kg6; 47.g4, )

46.Bxf5+ Kg7; 47.Be6 Rc7; 48.Qg1!, +2 Pawns. White has a won game. ]

I suppose that the side with a paratrooper piece deep in enemy territory has an obligation to support that piece. Otherwise it could fall prey to an undermining and encircling attack, such as in our POTD.

<BOSTER> Really. After 43.gxf4 Bh4 44.Qxf3 exf3 45.Nxf5, we get to here:

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Now the poor move 45...Rg2+ does indeed give white three pieces for the queen, with advantage to white (although not yet a win).

But we don't have to be so compliant. Why throw away a piece to a discovered check when we don't have to?

After 45...Be1 46. Nxg7+ Kxg7 we get this position...

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When the attacked white rook moves, black will exchange bishops on b4, leaving black with all five pawns being isolated and/or doubled. Then moves like Qf6 or Qh4 will pick off the white pawns with ease.

Fritzie actually thinks that white's best bet is to give up the exchange for a pawn with 47. Rg2+ fxg2 48. Bxe1

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But frankly that's too grisly for words. Black will play Kf7 and Qf6 and all the white pawns are vulnerable.

Black has a winning attack and White will at least have to give back material.>

What about

45. ..... Bxe4
46. Qxe4 Qe3
47. Qxf5+ Kh8
48. Qe6

No attack for Black - the Queen has to retreat - and two pawns down.

After your ... Kg8, White can play Qe6+ forcing a queen exchange.

So let's suppose you changed that to ... Kh8. Then White may be able to combat ... Bd4 with a pin on the long diagonal. Even if he can't, Qd3 stops the bleeding at one pawn.