[Event "USA-URS radio m"] [Site "radio"] [Date "1945.09.01"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Denker, Arnold Sheldon"] [Black "Botvinnik, Mikhail"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D44"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1945.09.01"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "2"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [WhiteTeam "US of America"] [BlackTeam "Soviet Union"] [WhiteTeamCountry "USA"] [BlackTeamCountry "URS"] {In what was at the time new theory in openings, Mikhail Botvinnik plays here a line in what was to become known as the Semi-Slav Defence:Botvinnik System. Now Mikhail Botvinnik was known for many opening novelties, in the French Defence and Dutch Defence in particular and his systems of opening development live on to this day. Here he plays against Arnold Denker in an almost post war encounter on the radio in a match between USA and USSR in 1945, which to the astonishment of the then Chess world , the Soviet Union(ie USSR) won the match by a rather convincing 15.5 - 4.5 which was a comon theme in post war chess as the soviet teaching and promoting of chess in schools took hold.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 $1 (6. a4 {I find more players play more cautiously with 6.a4 in club play than choose the more aggressive 6. e4}) 6... b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 (8. exf6 hxg5 9. fxg7 Bxg7 10. a4 Qb6 11. Nxg5 Qxd4 12. axb5 Qe5+ 13. Nge4 f5 14. b6 fxe4 15. Rxa7 e3 16. f4 Qxf4 17. Qf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Bb7 19. Rxb7 $11 {after all that the position is equal!!!!}) 8... g5 $1 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 (11... Bh6 12. Bxh6 Rxh6 13. g3 Nxf6 $14) 12. Be2 $6 (12. a4 b4 13. Ne4 c5 14. Qg4 cxd4 15. Bxc4 Qa5 16. Bxe6 Ne5 $16 (16... fxe6 $4 17. Qxe6+ Kd8 18. f7+ Kc8 19. Rc1+ Bc5 20. Rxc5+ Qxc5 21. Nxc5 Kc7 22. Bf4+ Kd8 23. Qxd7#)) 12... Qb6 13. O-O O-O-O 14. a4 (14. h3 $13) 14... b4 $1 15. Ne4 c5 $1 16. Qb1 Qc7 {targetting the h2 square.} 17. Ng3 $2 $17 (17. g3) 17... cxd4 18. Bxc4 $1 Qc6 $1 {The pressure is unrelenting now g2 is threatened and there is only one posible defence.} (18... Qxc4 $4 19. Rc1 Qc6 20. Rxc6+ Bxc6 21. a5 $18) 19. f3 d3 $3 {This move does a few things at once namely allows the c5 square to be vacated for the dark squared Bishop, and creates a dangerous passed pawn out of a previously inocuous pawn.} 20. Qc1 Bc5+ 21. Kh1 Qd6 22. Qf4 {the rook sacrifice on h2(or h3) isn't at all obvious but the Russian makes it look so. There is little Arnold can do to stop this threat.} (22. Bxd3 Qxg3 23. h3 Rxh3+ 24. gxh3 Qxh3#) (22. Bf4 Rxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Rh8+ 24. Bh6 d2 $3 25. Qxd2 Qxd2 26. Ne4 {the Bishop on h6 is pinned and cannot take back the pawn on d2.} Qxh6+ 27. Kg3 Qh4#) 22... Rxh2+ $3 23. Kxh2 Rh8+ 24. Qh4 (24. Bh4 Qxf4 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. f7 Rxh4#) 24... Rxh4+ 25. Bxh4 Qf4 {and as more material is lost, ie either the Bishop on c4 or the one on h4 is not long on the board. So Arnold gave up there. A sign of things to come but only until 1972 when the Western Chess World was revitalised by a new hope. The advent of chess computers today (and in particular Internet Chess, and the German Chessbase organisation) provides a real hope for Western Chess in the future. Let us hope that in the future the Russians share in their success at the game for the good of the game itself.} 0-1