[Event "GotM #75"]
[Site "Gotha"]
[Date "1957.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sliwa, Bogdan"]
[Black "Bronstein, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A81"]
[Annotator "Wikipedia"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1957.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DDR"]
{[%evp 0,57,26,18,52,42,102,78,102,101,101,75,86,16,27,6,88,17,15,1,3,8,20,29,
44,58,46,38,106,64,70,91,207,178,178,233,233,233,251,238,375,264,401,405,549,
547,547,547,962,652,915,912,868,867,911,1100,1100,1152,1384,1355] The Immortal
Losing Game is a chess game between the Soviet grandmaster David Bronstein and
the Polish International Master Bogdan Sliwa played in 1957 in Gotha. The
name is an allusion to the more famous Immortal Game between Adolf Anderssen
and Lionel Kieseritzky. The game acquired its name because Bronstein, in a
completely lost position, set a series of elegant traps in an attempt to
swindle a victory from a lost game, although Sliwa deftly avoided the traps
and won.} 1. d4 f5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 (4. c4 Nf6) 4... Nf6 {[#] Both
players have fianchettoed their bishops. If White had played the now-standard
4.c4 instead of 4.Nc3, the Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defence would have
been reached.} 5. Bg5 Nc6 6. Qd2 d6 7. h4 e6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Bf4 Bd7 10. e4 fxe4
11. Nxe4 Nd5 12. Ne2 Qe7 13. c4 Nb6 $2 {[#]} ({Better is} 13... Nxf4 14. Nxf4
Qf7) 14. c5 $1 dxc5 15. Bxc7 $1 O-O $2 16. Bd6 {[#] White wins the exchange by
skewering Black's queen and rook.} Qf7 17. Bxf8 Rxf8 18. dxc5 Nd5 19. f4 Rd8
20. N2c3 Ndb4 $2 21. Nd6 Qf8 22. Nxb7 Nd4 $1 {[#]} ({If} 22... Rb8 {then} 23.
Qxd7 $18) 23. Nxd8 Bb5 $1 24. Nxe6 $1 {[#]} (24. Nxb5 $6 Qf5 $1 25. Nxd4 $4 (
25. Qxb4 $4 Qc2#) (25. Nc3 $4 Nxa2+ $1 26. Nxa2 Nb3#) (25. Rde1 $4 Nxa2+ 26.
Kd1 Qb1+ 27. Qc1 Qxc1#) (25. b3 Qxc5+ 26. Kb1 $1 (26. Nc3 $4 Ne2+ $1 27. Qxe2
Qxc3+ 28. Kb1 Qa1#) 26... Qf5+ 27. Kc1 Qc5+ {draws by perpetual check.}) ({
White can still probably win with} 25. Qf2 Nxa2+ 26. Kd2 Nxb5 27. Ke1) 25...
Nxa2#) 24... Bd3 $1 25. Bd5 $1 ({If} 25. Nxf8 $4 {then} Nxa2+ 26. Nxa2 Nb3#)
25... Qf5 $1 26. Nxd4+ Qxd5 $1 27. Nc2 $1 {[#]} ({If} 27. Nxd5 $4 {then} Nxa2#)
27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 $1 ({If} 28. Qxc3 $4 {then} Nxa2+ {wins the Queen.}) 28...
Qxa2 29. cxb4 $1 {[#] and Black finally gives up and resigns.(Ken Connaughton)}
(29. Nxb4 Qb1#) 1-0
