[Event "Prague"] [Site "?"] [Date "1937.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul Keres"] [Black "Emil Zinner"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C90"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1 (12s)"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1937.??.??"] {Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Should amateurs play this? Some say yes, some say no. The no group say it's because as early as move three black can play the Morphy, Cozio, Smyslov, Bird, Steinitz, Schliemann, Classical or Berlin defenses. All require a different strategy and that's too much material for amateurs to absorb.} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 {My opening book shows black having tried 9 different moves here. Most popular are 5...Be7 and far behind in popularity are the text and 5...Nxe4} 6. Bb3 Be7 7. a4 Rb8 {Slightly better was 7...Bb7.} 8. Re1 d6 9. axb5 axb5 {According to Alekhine, in the Ruy Lopez, the opening of the a-file is always favorable for white.} 10. c3 Bg4 (10... b4 11. d4 bxc3 12. bxc3 exd4 13. cxd4 O-O {White is slightly better. Blomqvist,E (2567)-Sasikiran,K (2661)/Stockholm 2017}) 11. d4 Qd7 (11... exd4 12. cxd4 O-O 13. Nc3 h6 14. h3 Bh5 15. d5 Ne5 {Black has fully equalized. Rubinstein, A-Treybal,F/Prague 1908}) (11... Bxf3 12. gxf3 Qd7 13. Kh1 Qh3 14. Rg1 Nh5 { White is slightly better. Pillsbury,H-Suechting,H/Hannover 1902}) 12. Be3 Nxe4 {After this move Stockfish's evaluation of black's position takes a nosedive from only being slightly behind to losing.} (12... exd4 13. cxd4 d5 14. e5 Ne4 {and white has only a slightly better position.}) 13. d5 {This was probably unexpected by Zinner as other moves results in approximate equality} (13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qxd7+ Bxd7 15. Bd5 Nf6 16. Bxc6 Bxc6 17. Nxe5 Bd5 {equals}) (13. h3 Bf5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bd5 Nf6 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bf3 Qxd1 18. Rxd1 O-O {and here black is slightly better.}) 13... Nd8 14. Ba7 Ra8 15. Rxe4 {Black will not be able to demonstrate any compensation for the N.} f5 16. Re1 Qc8 (16... e4 {is adequately met by} 17. Qd4 exf3 18. Qxg7 Rf8 19. h3 Bh5 20. Nd2 fxg2 21. Qxh7 Bf7 22. Nf3 {and white is winning.}) 17. Ra2 {Defending the R using the B on b3.} f4 18. Qe2 Qb7 19. Bc5 {Can you see the point?} Rxa2 (19... dxc5 20. Qxe5 {Threatens mate on e7 which can be avoided only by a catastrophic material loss.} O-O (20... c6 21. Rxa8 Qxa8 22. Qxe7#) 21. d6+ c4 22. dxe7 Ne6 (22... cxb3 23. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 24. Qe8#) 23. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 24. Bc2 Rf6 {and white is up a piece.}) (19... Bxf3 {This, too, is insufficient.} 20. Qxf3 dxc5 21. Rxa8 Qxa8 22. Rxe5 Qc8 23. Qxf4 c4 24. Bd1 {and white is winning.}) 20. Bxa2 Nf7 21. Ba3 g5 {This is just a gesture at an attack, but even 21...O-O would not have altered the evaluation.} 22. Nbd2 h5 23. Qe4 Rh6 24. Nd4 {The N is obviously immune because on mate on e7.} Qc8 25. Nxb5 {Snagging a P while it's available.} Bd7 26. Nd4 {Why did black suddenly resign? Could he not have played on?} (26. Nd4 g4 {Continuing the charade that he has an attack.} 27. Ne6 h4 (27... Bxe6 28. dxe6 Ng5 29. Qc6+ Kf8 30. Ne4 Nxe4 31. Rxe4 g3 32. Ra4 Kg7 33. hxg3 Rh8 (33... fxg3 34. Ra8 {wins the Q}) 34. gxf4 {wins}) 28. Qc4 c5 29. b4 h3 30. g3 fxg3 31. hxg3 Bxe6 32. dxe6 Ng5 33. bxc5 Qc6 {Threatening mate} 34. Qd5 Qxd5 35. Bxd5 dxc5 36. Rxe5 {and wins.}) 1-0