[Event "USSR Championship 1934/35"] [Site "Leningrad URS"] [Date "1934.12.22"] [Round "12"] [White "Grigory Levenfish"] [Black "Vyacheslav Ragozin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C16"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1934.??.??"] {C16: French Defense, Winawer} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {Named after Szymon Winawer and pioneered by Nimzovich and, especially, Botvinnik who championed it starting in the 1940s, gives white doubled Ps which form the basis of black's counterplay, but they can also be beneficial to white because they strengthen his center and he has a spatial advantage on the K-side.} 4. e5 Ne7 5. Bd2 {A rare sideline that avoids the doubled Ps/ It was often used by Rashid Nezhmetdinov. Statistically it's as good as the mian line 5.a3} O-O { Far more popular, but nor necessarily better, is 5...c5} 6. a3 (6. Nf3 c5 7. dxc5 Nbc6 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. Bxg6 fxg6 10. Na4 {turned out well for black in Ljubojevic,L (2610)-Anand,V (2670) Roquebrune 1992}) 6... Ba5 {This does not work out well.} (6... Bxc3 {is the alternative.} 7. Bxc3 b6 8. Nf3 c5 {is equal. Weichhold,P (2425)-Gdanski,J (2455) Zgierz 2018}) 7. Bd3 Nd7 8. Nf3 f6 { Black's position has already become very difficult.} (8... c5 {is a serious tactical error.} 9. Bxh7+ Kxh7 10. Ng5+ Kg6 {Not 10....Kg8 11.Qh5} 11. h4 Qe8 ( 11... Nf5 12. h5+ Kh6 13. Nxe6+) 12. Qg4 Nf5 13. h5+ Kh6 14. Nxe6+ Kh7 15. Qxf5+ {with an easy win.}) 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Qe2 Re8 11. g4 {Better was 11.O-O-O } c5 {Much better would have been 11...e5 after which 12.g5 would be a mistake. } 12. g5 Nh5 {This is a poor square for the N. 12...Nd7 was his best try.} 13. Ne5 g6 {Further weakening the Ks position.} 14. dxc5 Nf5 15. O-O-O Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Qxg5+ 17. Kb1 Nf4 18. Qf3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 b6 20. Rhg1 Qe7 21. c6 a5 22. Qf3 Qh4 23. Rg4 Qh5 24. Rdg1 Kf8 25. Qf4 {White is preparing a breakthough sacrifice on g6.} Ra7 26. Rg5 {The immediate 26.Nxg6 was also possible.} Qh3 27. Nxg6+ {[%mdl 512]} hxg6 {There is no other choice.} (27... Kf7 28. Nh8+ Rxh8 29. Rg7+ Ke8 30. Rxa7 Qh4 31. Bxh8 Qe7 32. Rg8+ Kf7 33. Rxe7+ Kxg8 34. Qg5+ Kf8 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Re8#) 28. Rxg6 Qh7 29. Qg5 e5 30. Bxe5 {[%mdl 512]} Be6 (30... Rxe5 31. Qd8+ Re8 32. Rg8+ Qxg8 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 34. Qxe8+ Kg7 35. Qxc8 {and there is no reason for black to continue the game.}) 31. Qf6+ { White mates.} Bf7 32. Rg8+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Qxg8 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 34. Qh8# { A nearly flawless attack by Levenfish!} 1-0