[Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "1953.09.13"] [Round "9"] [White "Euwe, Max"] [Black "Najdorf, Miguel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E61"] [Annotator "Llewellyn, Alan"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1953.08.30"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "30"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] {This was Max Euwes swan song from chess, he was playing Miguel Najdorf an argentinian player who did well in this candidates tournament (The Zurich 1953 Candidates Tournament) for the right to challenge Mikhail Botvinnik for the World Title. Vasily Smyslov won the tournament.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 c5 6. d5 e5 7. Bg5 h6 $6 $14 (7... d6 $11) 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. d6 $5 Nc6 10. e3 b6 11. Bd5 Kh8 12. Ne4 Qd8 13. h4 $1 {White must attack or he will lose the pawn on d6 and thus the game, but Blacks pieces are badly unco-ordinated. The intention of this move is to play Ng5.} f5 14. Ng5 $3 Bb7 ( 14... hxg5 15. hxg5+ Bh6 16. Rxh6+ Kg7 17. Bxc6 Qxg5 18. Rxg6+ Qxg6 19. Bxa8 $18 {and Black can ask - Where have all my pieces gone?}) 15. g4 $1 e4 16. Ne2 Bxb2 17. Nf4 Qf6 (17... Bxa1 $2 18. Qxa1+ Qf6 19. Qxf6+ Rxf6 20. h5 hxg5 $4 ( 20... Kg7 $13) 21. hxg6+ Kg7 22. Rh7+ Kf8 23. g7+ Ke8 24. Rh8+ Rf8 25. Rxf8#) 18. gxf5 Bxa1 19. Nxg6+ Kg7 {Blacks King has few squares throughout the remainder of this game.} 20. Nxe4 Bc3+ 21. Kf1 Qxf5 22. Nf4 $3 {I don't know whats more remarkable- that the Knight is worth more than the Rook here or that Max Euwe saw as such. I guess Max thought that having lost a Rook for nothing he was in for the penny and in for the pound.} Kh8 (22... Bf6 $2 {in this complex position the Bishop is lost, even if he tries to save it :-} 23. Ng3 Qh7 24. Qg4+ Bg5 25. Qxd7+ Kh8 26. hxg5 Qxd7 27. Rxh6+ Kg7 28. Ngh5#) 23. Nxc3 Rae8 24. Nce2 Rg8 (24... Nd8 $2 25. Ng3 Qf6 26. Ngh5 Qb2 27. Ng6+ Kh7 28. Nxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qd3+ Kh8 30. Nf4 Bxd5 31. cxd5 Qa1+ 32. Kg2 Rg8+ 33. Ng6+ Rxg6+ {otherwise Miguels Queen is lost.} 34. Qxg6 $18) 25. h5 Rg5 26. Ng3 Rxg3 27. fxg3 Rxe3 $6 (27... Na5 28. Bxb7 Nxb7 $13) 28. Kf2 Re8 29. Re1 Rxe1 30. Qxe1 Kg7 31. Qe8 {heading to infiltrate on the g8 square defended by the Bishop on d5.} Qc2+ {There is no defence.} (31... Qf8 32. Qxd7+ Kh8 33. Ke3 Ne5 34. Ng6+ Nxg6 35. hxg6 Bxd5 36. Qh7#) 32. Kg1 Qd1+ 33. Kh2 Qc2+ 34. Ng2 Qf5 35. Qg8+ Kf6 36. Qh8+ $1 Kg5 37. Qg7+ {if 37...Kxh5 then the nice 38.Bf7+ Qxf7 39.g4# ends the game. Miguel put up a tough battle but Max played sublimely.} 1-0