[Event "GotM #65"] [Site "St Petersburg"] [Date "1909.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Forgacs, Leo"] [Black "Tartakower, Saviely"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C14"] [Annotator "Connaughton, Ken"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2022.06.26"] [EventCountry "RUS"] {[%evp 0,55,16,22,37,21,46,38,82,50,52,52,73,6,69,27,27,42,60,40,38,43,8,32,19, -16,23,2,51,52,42,41,39,35,35,-25,-25,-111,-111,-124,-70,-70,124,71,134,78,81, 91,88,249,202,87,29993,29994,29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 {King's Pawn Opening} e6 {French Defense} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 {Paulsen Variation - most popular} (3. exd5 {Exchange Variation}) (3. e5 {Advance Variation}) (3. Nd2 {Tarrasch Variation}) 3... Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 {Classical Variation in the Paulsen Lines} 5. e5 Ne4 ({Main Line of the Classical Variation continues with} 5... Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7) 6. Nxe4 Bxg5 7. Nxg5 Qxg5 {[#] Black leads in development, his King is ready to castle unlike White who needs three more moves to do so.} 8. g3 c5 9. c3 Nc6 {[#] Thematic strikes against d4 but the Queen is on the wrong wing to help with this. No quick excursion to b6 for her.} 10. f4 Qe7 {...Qd8 - b6 was rejected in favor of holding the c5-pawn.} 11. Nf3 Bd7 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Bd3 c4 14. Bc2 b5 {[#] Black attacks on the Queenside as White sees his future prospects in a Kingside attack.} 15. O-O a5 16. Rae1 b4 17. f5 $1 {Sacking the pawn to open lines and diagonals against the Black King.} exf5 18. g4 $5 { [#] He goes further trusting his attack to be potent enough to occupy his opponent. The calculation is the open ground in front of his own King is something Black will never be in a position to exploit.} fxg4 19. Ng5 g6 20. Rf6 {Cramping his opponent so that his pieces both in defense and attack will remain immobile. A vicious attack begins here.} Kg7 21. Ref1 {[#] A tussle for f7 or is White merely forcing his opponent into passivity by making him protect f7 with his pieces.} Be8 22. Qf4 Nd8 23. e6 Ra6 {[#] All six of Black's pieces are tied down to the defense of f7.} 24. Qe5 {[%CAl Re5g7] Deadly tactical threats of double checks are now emerging.} Kh6 25. R1f5 { [%CAl Rg5f7,Rf5h5] Now pins are being used to hound the Black King.} fxe6 $2 { The last nail in the coffin. It's # in 4 moves now.} (25... Qxf6 {was best but we understand why it's not so appealing.}) 26. Nf7+ $1 {[#] The killer idea. The King can't return to g7 and nothing he does here can parry every threat.} ( {If} 26. Rxf8 gxf5 27. Rxf5 Bg6 28. Rf6 $18 {then White is still better but the road to victory is longer and harder.}) 26... Qxf7 (26... Rxf7 27. Rh5+ Kg7 28. Rxg6+ Kf8 29. Qh8#) (26... Nxf7 27. Rh5+ Kg7 28. Rxg6#) 27. Rh5+ {Forcing the King on to the dreaded g7 square.} Kg7 28. Rxg6# {[#] A most pleasing finish.} 1-0