Late Knight by Richard Forster Secret Hero Have a look at the position (Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov; see below after Black's 11th move.) What goes through your mind when you see it? Your reaction will probably fall into one of these categories: (1) "Is this Halma or Checkers?" (2a) "An old-fashioned variation in my pet line, the Accelerated Dragon." (2b) "I hate Sicilians, especially on my board." (3) "Nezhmetdinov." Regardless of your particular category, you most assuredly will regard those in any other category with the utmost bewilderment and contempt. This is fine with me, really. (Well, unless you happen to fall into (2a), but then you aren't really serious, are you?) It is easy to guess the group to which I belong, at any rate for those who joined me in the last one. For all the others who were puzzled by (3), please let me explain and enlighten you, although I should warn you: you will need to do much more than just read this article to understand the wealth of ideas, the extraordinary beauty and magic behind this answer. Only time and serious study will enable you to comprehend it fully. The above position is not just another bloody Sicilian position. It is a very special one, and although it has become irrelevant for today's opening theory, it is immortal and will forever be connected with the life and games of one of the greatest chess wizards of all times: Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov from Kazan (Russia), born in 1912 and died in 1974. In the present position, which at the time was thought to be a virtually forced draw by repetition after 12 Qh6 Bg7 13 Qh4 Bf6 etc., Nezhmetdinov fell into deep thought and after three quarters of an hour he produced the fantastic novelty 12.Qxf6!! White only got two minor pieces for the queen, but slowly Nezhmetdinov improved the position of his pieces and finally built up a crushing attack with impressive ease: R. Nezhmetdinov O. Chernikov Rostov-on-Don 1962 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0 0 8.Bb3 Ng4 9.Qxg4 Nxd4 10.Qh4 Qa5 11.0 0 Bf6 12.Qxf6!! One of the most memorable moves ever played. 12...Ne2+! A good intermediate move which wins a tempo compared to 12...exf6 13.Bxd4. 13.Nxe2 exf6 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Nd5 Re6 16.Bd4 Kg7 17.Rad1 Gradually White increases the activity of his pieces. It is a great joy to follow the smooth transition from a slight lead in development to a decisive onslaught. 17...d6 17...Rxe4 is answered by 18.Bc3! and f6 is undefended. But after the textmove White also manages to storm this crucial point. 18.Rd3 Bd7 19.Rf3 Bb5 20.Bc3 Qd8 21.Nxf6! 21...Be2! An inventive attempt to hamper White's attack. Both 21...Bxf1 22.Ng4+ Kg8 23.Bxe6 fxe6 24.Nh6 mate and 21...Rxf6 22.Rd1 followed by mass exchanges on f6 and Rxd6+ lost quickly. 22.Nxh7+! Kg8 The knight was immune because of 22...Kxh7 23.Rxf7+ Kh6 - 24.Bxe6 Bxf1 25.Bd2+ g5 26.Bf5! Qg8 (26...Qh8 27.h4!) 27.Rf6+ Kh5 28.g4+ Kh4 29.Rh6 mate. 23.Rh3 Threatening decisively 24.Ng5. Chernikov desperately tries to block the long diagonal now by an exchange sacrifice, but Nezhmetdinov does not even think of accepting such a cheap gift. 23...Re5 24.f4! Bxf1 Or 24...Qb6+ 25.Kh1 Bxf1 26.Nf6+ Kg7 27.Rh7+! and 28.Rxf7 mate. 25.Kxf1 After 25.Ng5 Black would have been forced to give up his queen for the knight, but the endgame is totally lost then. Nezhmetdinov prefers to keep the tension, but on one of the next two moves Chernikov could have forced the transition into an endgame with ...Rxe4 anyway, for example 25.Kf1 Rxe4 26.Nf6+ Qxf6 27.Bxf6 Rxf4+ 28.Rf3 etc. 25...Rc8 26.Bd4 Preventing 26...Rxc3. 26...b5 27.Ng5! Rc7 Allowing a beautiful final combination. However, 27...Rc4 28.Bxc4 bxc4 29.Bxe5 dxe5 30.Rh8+! or 27...Qf6 28.Rf3! also lose quickly. 28.Bxf7+! Rxf7 29.Rh8+! Kxh8 30.Nxf7+ Kh7 31.Nxd8 Rxe4 32.Nc6 Rxf4+ 33.Ke2 and Black resigned. Nezhmetdinov's wonderful idea earned him not only a well- deserved point in the tournament table but also the admiration of chess-players all over the world. It was later discovered that 14...d5! was a better defence, but after 15.Nxd5 or 15.Bd4!? (Nezhmetdinov's original intention) White remains with plenty of chances for the material deficit. I do not think I need to put the introductory question again "Nezhmetdinov" must definitely be the right answer, mustn't it? However, this was only one of the many brilliant chess oeuvres produced by this still little known player who did not even become a grandmaster, but remained an International Master all his life. On the other hand, he was acknowledged as a player of equal standing in Checkers as well a feat quite unique in the history of the two games (we do not know about his Halma skills, but there can hardly be any doubt...). Attentive readers have certainly seen the postings on the Bulletin Board (thread 136) which liberate me from further praising this outstanding chess master. I am glad to see that he is becoming better known in the West, and the publication of an English edition of his "Izbrannye Partii" is something to be looked forward to by every fan of the game. Rashid Nezhmetdinov, with whose games I made my first acquaintance through the excellent books by Koblents, has ever since my youngest chess days been my greatest secret hero. Why "secret"? Well, because there was simply no point in praising the beauty of his games to my mates since none of them had ever heard of Nezhmetdinov. Only from a certain Mr. Kortschnoj did I earn an approving nod. I remember very well the day when I got the news from my local chess dealers that it was not possible to order a copy of his collected games. I was about fourteen then, and never before nor since have I been so sad about not being able to obtain a book I wanted. Two years later, however, during the World Junior Championships the following happened: I was waiting at a traffic light talking with my team mates, when a stranger approached me. Apparently he had recognised our language and therefore asked me whether I knew Mr. R. who is quite a chess personality in my country. "Yes," I replied, "he even happens to live in the same town as me." "I am a chess dealer and I have met him before. Can you give me his present address?" "No, unfortunately I cannot." "But could you possibly give him this, my latest catalogue?". Of course, I could. First of all, I forgot about the whole thing. Only many weeks later did I rediscover the material and being curious about its content I wanted to have a look at the catalogue before passing it on. And well, you have guessed it, there it was in the second-hand section: Nezhmetdinov's Izbrannye Partii. My heart beat loudly when I phoned up that chess dealer the very same day. Yes, he still had a copy left! It was one of the most beautiful parcels I ever received and since then it has been my favourite chess book (despite my absolute inability to understand a single word of Russian). Meanwhile I secured another copy during the Olympiad in Elista, as well as the 1987 Nezhmetdinov biography by Iakov Damsky in the "Black series" of Fizkultura i Sport (which also contains a couple of his best Checker games!). Nevertheless, I have never before written about my chess hero perhaps because I have always felt that whatever I wrote would not be adequate to show Nezhmetdinov's genius in its best light. All the same, I will try now to share some of my Nezhmetdinov experiences. Nezhmetdinov's greatest ever game was probably the one against Polugaevsky which has been treated in Sunil Weeramantry's December column The Hunt. Also quite well- known are his wins against another chess magician, Mikhail Tal, with whom he had a lifetime record of 3-1 and who openly stated his great admiration for Nezhmetdinov's play. Here I would like to present a few less familiar masterpieces by the master from Kazan which all made a profound impression on me: M. Shishov R. Nezhmetdinov Match Russia Azerbaijan, Tbilisi 1947 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.d4 e4 8.Ng5 An interesting piece sacrifice is 8.0 0 exf3 9.Qxf3. 8...d5 9.f3 h6 Later the even stronger 9...e3 was discovered. 10.fxe4 hxg5 11.exf5 Bd6! A new move at the time, replacing the older 11...Qd6. Nezhmetdinov is prepared to give up two pawns for rapid development. 12.Qg4 Nf6! 13.Qxg5 Kf8!! Defending g7 and freeing e8 for a rook check while at the same time moving the king towards a relatively safe shelter. 14.Bxc6?! To avoid the threat 14...Rh5 15.Qg6 Nce7, but also exchanging his only developed piece apart from the queen. A later game Baturinsky-Estrin, Moscow 1947, saw 14.Bf4 Rh5 15.Qg3, but Black had a good position after 15...Qe7+ 16.Kd1 Ne4 17.Qf3 Rxf5 18.Bxd6 Nxd6 and went on to win after 19.Re1 Qf6 20.Qh3 Re8 21.Nd2 Rxe1+ 22.Kxe1 Nxd4! 23.cxd4 Qxd4 etc. 14...bxc6 15.Qg6 Qd7! 16.Bg5 Re8+ 17.Kd1 Ne4 18.Kc2 How would you continue Black's attack? Nezhmetdinov found a truly astounding solution. 18...Qf7!! Despite White's two extra pawns, exchanging the queens is the best way to exploit the advantage in development! After for example 18...Ng3 19.Rg1 Rxh2 20.Nd2 Re2 White would obtain counter-play with 21.f6 etc. 19.Qxf7+ Kxf7 20.Bc1 A sad retreat, but 20.Bd2 Ng3 21.Re1 Rxh2 22.Rxe8 Kxe8 23.Na3 Rxg2 was also hopeless. 20...Ng3! 21.Rg1 Rxh2 22.Nd2 Ne2 23.Rd1 Rxg2 Nezhmetdinov has regained the two pawns and keeps a decisive positional advantage. The game ended 24.Kb3 Nxc1+ 25.Raxc1 Bf4 26.Nf3 Bxc1 27.Rxc1 Rb8+ 28.Ka3 Rbxb2 29.Ne5+ Kf6 30.Rf1 c5 31.Nd7+ Ke7 32.Nxc5 Rxa2+ 33.Kb4 Rgb2+ 34.Nb3 a5+ and finally White resigned. The next game is an excellent illustration of the dangers involved in a weakened a2-g8 diagonal. R. Nezhmetdinov A. Zaitsev Russian Championship, Kazan 1964 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc7 7.e6 f6 8.exd7+ Qxd7 9.Qf4 Nd5 10.Qd2 Bg7 11.Be2 e5?! It was wiser to bring the king into safety as soon as possible (especially when facing a genius of attack!), viz. 11...0 0 12.Bc4 Rd8 13.0 0 Kh8. 12.0 0 Ne7 13.Bc4! Exploiting the open diagonal and guaranteeing White a lasting initiative. Even after an exchange of queens Black's king is still not safe (Nd2-e4-d6+). 13...b5 Immediately chasing the bishop away from the diagonal. 14.Bb3 Na6 15.Qe2 Nc5 16.Rd1 Qc6 17.Bc2 Be6 17...0-0 was not advisable because of 18.b4! Nb7 19.Be4 Qe8 20.a4 bxa4 21.Qc4+ Rf7 22.Na3 or 21...Qf7 22.Qc7 with a clear plus. 18.Nbd2 Rd8? But this was the right moment for castling. White only keeps a small edge after 19.Nb3. 19.Nb3 Rxd1+ 20.Qxd1 Nb7? Here was the last opportunity for 20...0 0 as Nezhmetdinov demonstrates with his 23rd move. Nevertheless White has a definite plus after 20...0-0 21.Nxc5 Qxc5 22.Be3 Qc7 23.Bb3. 21.a4 a6 22.axb5 axb5 23.Nbd4!! A brilliant shot in Nezhmetdinov's best style. Instead 23.Ra8+ Kf7 did not promise anything. 23...exd4 24.Nxd4 Qd7 25.Nxe6 Qxe6 26.Ra8+ Nc8 Forced as 26...Kf7 27.Rxh8 Bxh8 28.Bb3 loses the queen. 27.Bb3! Returning to his favourite diagonal! 27...Qd7 There was no survival after either 27...Qc6 28.Bd5 Qc7 29.Bf4! Qxf4 30.Bc6+! and mate in three moves or 27...Qf5 28.g4! Qc5 29.Be6 Nbd6 30.Rxc8+! Nxc8 31.Qd7+ with mate in two or 28...Qd7 with the same variations as in the game. 28.Qe2+ Kd8 Or 28...Kf8 29.Be6. 29.Be6 Re8 30.Rxc8+! A nice final touch, winning the queen. 30...Kxc8 is now answered by 31.Bxd7+ Kxd7 32.Qxb5+. 30...Qxc8 31.Qd1+ Ke7 32.Bxc8 Rxc8 33.Qe2+ Resigns. Our final example is a beautiful demonstration of bishop power. B. Gurgenidze-R. Nezhmetdinov Moscow 1957 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.0 0 0 0 9.Rd1 Qe7 10.h3 Bb6 11.d4 Bb7 12.d5 Allowing Black to seize the initiative. The more restrained 12.dxe5 led to equality. 12...Na5 13.Bc2 After 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.Qxe3, 14...Nh5 was planned with f7-f5 to follow soon. 13...c6! Black's whole game plan is based on the activation of his bishop pair. 14.dxc6 Nxc6 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 Perhaps 16.Be3 was better. 16...Qxf6 17.Nbd2 Ne7! 18.Nf1 Ng6 19.g3 Qe6 20.Ne3? Nezhmetdinov indicates that 20.Bb3 was preferable, because now Black's initiative becomes overwhelming. 20...Qxh3 21.Rxd6 21.Nf5 was not better: 21...d5! 22.exd5 Bc8 23.Ne3 f5 or 23...Bg4 (24.Nxg4 Qxg3+!). 21...Bc5 22.Rxg6 Otherwise 22...f5! with decisive threats. 22...fxg6 23.Nxe5 Kh7 Here, quite unusually, Nezhmetdinov misses the quickest win. After 23...Rxf2! 24.Qxf2 Rf8 25.Nf7 Rxf7! (even stronger than 27...Kh7 Nezhmetdinov.) 26.Bb3 Kh8! 27.Bxf7 Bxe4! White is mated in a few moves the bishops dominate the entire board. 24.Rd1 Rxf2!! 25.Kxf2 After 25.Qxf2 Rf8 26.Qe1 Black finishes with yet another rook sacrifice: 26...Rf1+! 27.Qxf1 Bxe3+. 25...Qh2+ If now 26.Kf1 Black wins by 26...Rf8+ 27.Nf3 Qxg3. 26.Ke1 Qxg3+ 27.Kd2 Qxe5 28.Nd5 Qg5+ 29. Resigns. If you do not love him by now, please stick to your Halma board. Copyright 1999 Richard Forster. All Rights Reserved.