Lesson of the Week

In my youth chess clubs this week, we looked at a position late in the opening from a game played by Siegbert Tarrasch in 1889. The game is presented in Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev. However, Chernev gives as the conclusion of the game what Tarrasch in his Three Hundred Chess Games says would have been more accurate than the moves he played in the game.


Tarrasch,Siegbert -- Kurschner [D20]
Nuremberg 1889

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 Bf5 4.Bxc4 e6 5.Qb3 Be4 6.f3 Bc6 7.Ne2 Nf6 8.e4 Be7 9.Nbc3 Qc8 10.d5 exd5 11.exd5 Bd7 

White to move

Tarrasch's plan keeps the Black king in the center where it will be vulnerable.

12.d6 Bxd6 13.Bxf7+ Kd8

If 13...Kf8, 14.Ne4

14.Bg5 Nc6 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.0–0–0 Ne5 18.Nf4 Qb8 19.Qe6 Rf8 20.Nxf6 Bd6

White to move

Chernev gives the finish as 21.Nxd7 Nxd7 22.Rhe1 with the idea of 23.Qe8+ Rxe8 24.Rxe8#

Tarrasch states that he preferred the "pretty" queen sacrifice over "correct" play.

21.Qxe5.Rxf7 22.Nxd7 Bxe5 23.Nxe5+ Ke8 24.Rhe1 Re7 25.Nd5 Rxe5 26.Rxe5+ Kf7 27.Rd4 c6 28.Rf4+ Kg8 29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Rg5+ Kh8 31.Rh4 Qc7 32.Rgh5 1–0

We continued the beginning tactics series this week.

Beginning Tactics 13

For each position, find White's best move.