BLUNDERS!

Which chess player has not made a blunder? In fact blunders occur even in master play. In this article we give a few examples of blunders.

Petrosian’s shortest defeat on record is the following game from the 17th USSR Championship:

White: Kotov, Alexander
Black: Petrosjan, Tigran V.
Queen’s Gambit Exchange Var., D36

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Qc2

7…Ne4??

Usual is 7…Nbd7 or 7…0-0

8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Nxd5 cxd5 10.Qxc8+ Qd8 11.Bb5+ Nc6 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qxc6+ 1-0

Akiva Rubenstein won the San Sebastian Tournament of 1912, overcoming the redoubtable Aaron Nimzovich in the last round.

White: Rubinstein, Akiva
Black: Nimzowitsch Aaron
Old Indian Defence, A55

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.e4 Be7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O Re8 8.Qc2 Bf8 9.b3 c6 10.Bb2 Nh5 11.g3 Nb8 12.Rad1 Qf6 13.Nb1 Bh3 14.Rfe1Nf4 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.Nxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf1 Nd7

Black keeps the complications. Instead he could have freed himself by 17…Bxf1 or 17…Bg4

18.Qd2 Bxf1 19.Rxf1 Nh3+ 20.Kg2 Ng5 21.f4 Qg6 22.fxg5 Rxe4 23.Qxd7 Re2+ 24.Rf2 Qe4+ 25.Kg1

Now Nimzowitsch moved,
25...Bc5??
And Rubenstein instead of delivering mate in two by 26.Qxf7+ played
26.Bd4
Nevertheless Rubenstein with his extra material is in a winning position, in any case.
26...Bxd4 27.Qxd4 Re1+ 28.Rf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Qh1+ 30.Kf2 Qxh2+ 31.Kf3 f6 32.Qd2 Qh3 33.Qd7 f5 34.Nc3 Qh5+ 35.Kg2 Qxg5 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.Ne2 Qh5 38.Rd7 Re8 39.Nf4 Rxe6 40.Nxh5 1-0

White: Buerger, Victor
Black: Alekhine, Alexander
Margate, 1902
Blumenfield, E43

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 Ne4 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qc2 f5 6.e3 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.Bd2 Nxd2 9.Qxd2 O-O 10.a3 Bd6 11.Qe2 c5 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 a6 14.a4 Qf6 15.Rd1 Re8 16.Qc2 g6 17.O-O a5 18.Rfe1 Na6 19.Bb5 Nb4 20.Qe2 Re7 21.Qc4 Kg7 22.Re2 Rae8 23.Qb3 g5 24.Bc4 g4 25.Nd2 f4 26.exf4 Qxf4 27.Nf1 Rf8 28.Rde1 Rxe2 29.Rxe2 Be5 30.g3 Qg5 31.Ne4 Qf5 32.Qe3 Bd4 33.Qb3 Nxd5 34.Qd1 Nf4?

Alekhine must not have been concentrating against his unknown opponent otherwise he could simply have kept his extra pawn by 34…Nb4 -/+

35.gxf4 Bxe4 36.Ng3

36…Qxf4??

Alekhine, one of the all time greats of chess, and a talented blindfold player doesn’t see the obvious knight fork 37.Nf5+. His opponent misses it too, but goes on to win. Could Alekhine have played Qxf4 intentionally as he is lost in any case?

37.Nxe4 Rf5 38.Qd2 Qxd2 39.Rxd2 d5 40.Ng3 Re5 41.Bd3 Re1+ 42.Kg2 Be5 43.b3 Bc3 44.Re2 Rd1 45.Bf5 d4 46.Bxg4 Rb1 47.Re7+ Kf6 48.Re6+ Kf7 49.Rxb6 Ke8 50.Ne4 Bb4 51.Rb7 Re1 52.Nf6+ Kf8 53.Bh5 Re7 54.Nxh7+ 1-0

Little traps and artifices are apparently not the domain of amateurs alone. In the following game, Dr. Tarrasch plays a wily 5.d3 instead of the routine 5.d5 and Alapin, a virtuoso of the Petroff, moved without looking at what Tarrasch had played and lost a piece!

White: Tarrasch, Siegbert
Black: Alapin, Semyon
Breslau, 1889
Petroff’s Defence

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3! Be7?? 6.dxe4 1-0

There is a maxim I was taught when I was still a schoolboy, “If you try to win a drawn position, you will lose!”

White: Lasker, Emanuel
Black: Euwe, Dr. Max
Nottingham, 1936

Dr. Euwe has a tiny advantage in view of Lasker's isolated d-pawn. But we have Bishops of opposite colours and there is no question of a result other than a draw. Instead Dr. Euwe makes a blunder!

23...Ba5?? 24.b4! Bxb4 25.Nc2 1-0 (move 33)

American Samuel Reshevsky was probably the best player in the world during the decade 1946-56. Had there been a chance for him to play against Botvinnik, he could have aspired to have become World Champion.

White: Szabo, Laszlo
Black: Reshevsky, Samuel
Candidates’ Tournament, 1953

20...Bxf6?

This allows a mate in two. Not that there is anything to be said for 20…Kh1 either as White can continue his attack with 21.Qc3 or by means of 21.f4 to follow by f5.

21. Bxf6??

Szabo was overwhelmed by the mere presence of his opponent. Who can expect Reshevsky to allow a mate in two? He missed: 21.Qxg6+ Bg7 22.Qxg7#. The game continued:

21...Bxd5 22.cxd5 Qd6 23.Qc3 Qxd5 24.Rfd1 Qf5 25.e4 Qe6 26.Bg7 b6

Black is certainly lost even now, but here comes another blunder by Szabo:

27. Bxf8??

The win was to be obtained by 27.Bh6 f6 28.Qg3, threatening both 29.Qxg6+ and 29.Qxb8, winning a Rook.

27...Kxf8 ˝- ˝

The final blunder was White accepting his opponent’s offer of a draw. Apparently, Sazbo realized that he had messed up a few easy winning moves and felt shattered, lost his confidence and in time trouble, accepted a draw even in a won position!

White: Alekhine, Alexander
Black: Euwe, Dr. Max
World Championship Match, 1937
Game 16

White is a pawn ahead and has a fine position with tactical threats on the open h-file. Who would believe that Black will eventually draw this game.

25...Qe5??

…and to expect a draw after this! Now White can simply play 26.Qh8+! Kxh8 27.Nxf7+ Kh7 28.Nxe5 with a comfortable win. But Alekhine does not see it!

26.Bb2??

Ewue still doesn’t sense the danger!

26...Bc6??

26...Bd6 was needed.

27….a3??

Four moves in sequence with ?? in a World Championship match. Alekhine could have forced resignation by 27.Qh8+! Kxh8 28.Nxf7+ Kh7 29.Nxe5

27...Bd6

Black is on track at last and fought back to earn a draw on move 65.

White: Szabo, Laszlo
Black: Keres Paul
Candidates’ Tournament, 1953
Queen’s Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Nc3 a6

White should now play 5.e3, when Black cannot hold the gambit pawn by 5... b5 because of 6.a4 c6 7.axb5 cxb5 8. Nxb5. Instead he plays a “novelty”.

5.Qa4+??

Keres spent 14 minutes on the clock working out the rejoinder, which is anyhow pretty much obvious.

5...b5

Of course. Now if 6.Nxb5, then Bd7 wins a piece.

0-1 move 41

White: Tartakower, Savielly
Black: Capablanca,Jose R.
New York, 1924
King’s Gambit Accepted

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Be2 d5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.c4 c6 6.d4 Bb4+! 7.Kf1 cxd5 8.Bxf4?! dxc4

It would appear that Capa has blundered since 9.Bbx8 Rxb8 10.Qa4+ wins a piece.

9.Bxb8??

No, this doesn’t win a piece. Much better is 9.Bxc4.

9...Nd5!!

A simple intermezzo. Now Black stands better.