Noteboom — Doesburgh Netherlands 1931
Queen's Gambit Declined 1. d2–d4
In the opening, it is advanta- geous to occupy the centre with a pawn and to develop the pieces with a view to control- ling the centre.
White begins by placing a pawn where it takes complete possession of one important square and attacks two others. Control of the two squares c5 and c5 makes it impossible for Black to place pieces there. White can hope to use e5 and c5 as outposts for his pieces, which will have the support of the d-pawn.
The advance of the d pawn serves an additional purpose in opening lines for White's queen and c1-bishop.
1. ... d7–d5
This is the simplest way for Black to get an equal grip on the centre and to prevent White acquiring more territory with 2.e4.
2. c2–c4 ...
White offers a pawn to divert Black's d-pawn from the cen- tre. In effect, it is an offer to exchange a flank pawn for a centre pawn, as White can re- gain the pawn without any
trouble.
Concealed in White's proposal is a threat of destroying Black's pawn-centre by 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 (gaining a tempo, as White develops a piece while Black must move the same one again) 4...Qa5 5.e4, and White's control of the centre is imposing.
2. ... e7–e6
Black defends the centre by supporting the d-pawn with an- other pawn. If White plays 3.cxd5. Black can recapture with a pawn and maintain a pawn in the centre.
Black does not capture White's c4-pawn as that means sur- rendering the centre and his grip on c4.
The shutting in of his c8-bishop (after 2...c6) and the conse- quent difficulty in developing that piece effectively is one of the reasons for the popularity of the Queen's Gambit for White.
3. Nb1–c3 ...
A good move, as the knight at- tacks the two central squares e4 and d5, adding its influence to the pawn's pressure on the latter.
3. ... Ng8–f6 (D) Black's knight develops toward the centre, where its mobility is greatest and where it can
counter the pressure exerted by White's knight.
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4. Bc1–g5 ...A pin which threatens 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bxf6, when Black must either submit to being left with a badly doubled pawn by 6...gxf6 or lose a pawn after 6...Qxf6 7.Nxd5.
The threat is actually of minor importance. White's real aim in pinning the knight is not to in- stitute a threat that can so eas- ily be parried. What White is interested in is the most effec- tive placement of his pieces, and the development of the bishop al g5 is extremely strong. The restraint it places on Black's knight and the cramping effect it has on Black's whole game is not eas- ily shaken off.
4. ... Nb8–d7 (D)
In queen's pawn openings. Black's queen's knight does its best job at d7, not c6. At d7 it supports the other knight and
helps prepare the advance of the c-pawn to c5. The b8- knight must not move to c6, where it obstructs the c-pawn. The c-pawn must be free to advance and attack White's centre.
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Black incidentally sets a trap with the text-move, which is designed to catch the greedy player.
5. e2–e3 ...
Why not win a pawn by 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nxd5 instead? There would then follow 6...Nxd5! (the knight breaks the pin by brute force) 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Kxd8 and Black has gained a piece. White could not fall into the trap if he followed the principle which covers these cases: Do not chase after pawns at the expense of your develop- ment
White's last move supports the central d4-pawn and creates an outlet for the f1-bishop.
5. ... c7–c6
Black strengthens his d-pawn and opens a diagonal for his queen's use.
He plans a counterattack be- ginning with 6...Qa5 and 7...Bb4.
6. a2–a3 ...
This puts a stop to any such manoeuvre, as Black's bishop can never get to b4 to pin the knight.
6. ... Bf8–e7 Black develops a piece, unpins the knight and clears the back rank for castling.
7. Qd1–c2 ...
An ideal development for the queen in this opening. At c2, the queen exerts pressure on the c-file (which will be strongly evident after centre pawns are exchanged) and controls the e4-square. The latter circum- stance is the reason for the queen coming into play at this point, instead of the expected mobilization of the kingside pieces. It is vital to guard the c4-square so that Black cannot tree himself easily by playing 7...Ne4 and exchanging some pieces.
7. ... O–O
Black moves his king to safer quarters. He cannot free his crowded position by the Lasker manoeuvre 7...Ne4 as White
responds 8.Bxe7 Qxe79.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 and wins a pawn. Notice that White's pawn at a3 prevents Black from re- gaining the pawn by 10...Qb4+, showing that White's sixth move was not a waste of time. Instead of the passive kingside castling. Black should have tried for counterplay by 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5!, which disputes control of the centre and helps clear a diagonal for his c8-bishop.
8. Ng1–f3 ...
White brings his king's knight to its best post and attacks the e5-square again, putting an end to any contemplated break by ...e5. 8. ... a7–a6 (D)
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Preparation for the manoeuvre 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 b5 11.Bd3 Bb7, followed by an eventual ...c5. This would serve to de- velop the c8-bishop, free his queenside and start action against White's pawn-centre.
9. Ra1–d1! ...
If Black is going in for an attack on the wing. White is prepared to meet it with the recom- mended antidote — play in the centre!
The position of the rook at d1 acts as a deterrent to central pawn exchanges by Black, as any clearances on the d-file increase the pressure of the rook on that file.
9. ... Rf8–e8 Black brings his rook to the e- file, as the centre is usually the theatre of action.
10. Bf1–d3 ...
With the entrance of this bishop. White's development is nearly complete. Notice that he plays no combinations of any sort, either to win material or to start an attack on the king, until most of his pieces are brought off the back rank and into play It is only after these pieces are posted where they are most effective — where they control the centre, enjoy their greatest mobility, and take possession of a good part of the important territory — that White looks around for a combination, a stroke that will decide the game quickly.
10. ... d5xc4 Black has delayed taking this pawn until White's f1-bishop
made a move, so that the bishop will now lose a move in recapturing.
11. Bd3xc4 ... The recapture is forced.
11. ... b7–b5 (D) Black makes the bishop lose time in retreating and vacates the b7-square, ready for the development of the c8-bishop.
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12. Bc4–d3! ...From this square, the bishop manages to be remarkably useful:
It reaches out in two directions to attack, it helps guard e4 from invasion, it threatens Black's kingside and, by attack- ing h7, prevents Black from freeing himself by means of 12...c3.
12. ... h7–h6 (D) If 12...c5, then 13.dxc5 Nxc5 (certainly not 13...Nxc5 14.Bxh7+ and White wins the queen by discovered attack) 14.Bxh7+ and White wins a pawn, as the pinned knight is
helpless to take the bishop.
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With the text-move. Black moves the h-pawn out of the attack of White's queen and bishop. Now he hopes to free his queenside and establish a state of tension in the centre by 13...c5. Incidentally, he would like White's g5-bishop to de- clare its intentions.
13. Bg5xf6! ...
A very fine concept! White does not waste time holding on to the two bishops but plays to prevent any counterplay by ...c5. If he can keep the c-pawn from advancing. Black's game will be fearfully cramped, and he may never solve the prob- lem of getting his light-squared bishop settled on a decent square.
The immediate object of 13.Bxf6 is to divert one of Black's recapturing pieces, the knight or the bishop.
from its surveillance of the c5- square and the support of a
pawn moving to that square. 13. ... Nd7xf6 This is probably better than taking with the bishop, as Black's queen and c8 bishop now have more freedom.
14. O–O ...
The king (who must be secure from danger at all costs) goes into hiding, while the rook (that must take part in the fighting) comes closer to the scene of action.
14. ... Bc8–b7 (D) With rook and queen on the same file, it would be foolhardy to venture on 14...c5. White simply takes the pawn, 15.dxc5, and punishes the re- capture 15...Bxc5 with 16.Bh7+ winning the queen.
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Black's idea, besides that of developing the light-squared bishop, is to bring his rook to c8 and then push the c-pawn.
15. Nc3–e4! ...
White clears the c-file so that he now has three pieces
(queen, knight and d4-pawn) concentrating their power on c5, with the aim of making an advance of Black's c-pawn to that square impossible.
Notice too how White has re- sisted the temptation to play c4, filling up the centre with pawns. Instead he keeps the c4-square free and utilizes it as a springboard for his pieces.
15. ... Nf6xe4 Otherwise, White might swing the knight over to c5 and com- pletely smother Black's queen- side. 16. Bd3xe4 (D)
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Still keeping Black under re- straint: he may not play 16...c5 as his b7-bishop would be snapped up.
16. ... f7–f5 Black must drive the bishop off at once, even at the cost of weakening the pawn position on his kingside. A delay gives White lime to play 17.Ne5 (in- tensifying the pressure on the
c-pawn and incidentally provid- ing the f3-square for a bishop retreat) followed if need be by 18.Rc1.
17. Be4–d3 ...
The third visit of the bishop to this square.
White must not be hasty and play 17.Bxc6 as the reply 17...Rc8 pins the bishop
17. ... Qd8–b6 Once again preparing the lib- erating pawn push.
18. Rd1–c1 ...
The position demands that White devote all his efforts to sustaining the blockade of Black's c-pawn. White must acquire undisputed control of the c5-square, so that the pawn may never advance. He must not relax for a moment, as domination of the key c5- square virtually assures him of a positional win. 18. ... Ra8–c8 (D)
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Black persists in his plan to push the pawn. If he does not
get this move in, his b7 bishop will never have any air.
19. b2–b4! ...
White nails the pawn down! White has a won game, strate- gically. What remains is to ap- ply the proper tactical touches to compel the opponent to yield. The time is ripe for the combinations to appear!
19. ... Qb6–d8 Ready to parry 20.Qb3 (threat- ening 21.Qxe6+ or 21.Bxf5) with 20...Qd5.
20. Nf3–e5 ...
A powerful blow! White attacks the unfortunate c-pawn (which must slay where it is) a third time. Against passive resis- tance. White plans 21.f4 (to give his knight additional sup- port and to stabilize the cen- tre), followed by 22.Be2 and 23.Bf3, after which the c-pawn must perish. 20. ... a6–a5 (D)
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Black attacks one of the pawns hemming in his queenside.
Against 20...Bf6 White slicks to the script with 21.f4, followed by 22.Be2 and 23.Bf3.
21. Qc2–b3! ...
Again threatening 22.Qxe6+ or 22.Bxf5.
White probably gave no more than a glance to 21.bxa5, to which Black can reply 21...Qxa5, 21...Bxa3 or 21...c5, any of which gives him far too much freedom from White's point of view!
21. ... Be7–d6 The defence that Black had relied on is ruled out: if 21...Qd5, then 22.Qxd5 and White wins a pawn after 22...exd5 23.Bxf5 or 22...cxd5 23.Bxb5.
22. Bd3xf5 ...
The first bit of actual violence brings in a pawn.
22. ... Qd8–f6 With an attack on the bishop and a double attack on the knight. Black hopes to get his pawn back.
23. Bf5–b1 ...
The idea of this withdrawal to the back rank is to support the queen in an attack along a di- agonal, either by moving the queen to c2 or by shifting the bishop to a2 behind the queen.
23. ... Bd6xe5 Black does not care to part with the services of an active
piece, but he must do so in or- der to recover the pawn he lost.
24. d4xe5 ... Forced.
24. ... Qf6xe5 Material is even, and Black seems to have survived the worst.
It is true that White can win a pawn by 25.bxa5, but he would be left with doubled and iso- lated pawns on the a-file, and it is doubtful that he could get any advantage from the extra pawn. There must be a better reward for line positional play than this dubious bounty!
25. Rc1–c5! ...
White spurns the pawn, in fa- vour of piling on more pres- sure. The rook now holds Black's queenside in a paralys- ing grip. The strength of White's move is evident in the fact that the rook can never be dislodged! 25. ... a5–a4 (D)
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An intermediary move, whose purpose is not only to save the pawn, but also to gauge White's plans by his next queen move.
26. Qb3–a2! ...
A remarkable retreat! One would expect 26.Qc2 so that the queen, backed up by the bishop, might penetrate Black's kingside position. However. Black refutes this cleverly by 26...Qf6 and now:
1) 27.Qh7+ is met by 27...Kf7, when White has no means of furthering the attack.
2) 27.e4 (intending to banish the queen by 28.e5 and then pierce the position) 27...e5 and Black repels any invasion.
26. ... Qe5–d6 The defence 26...Qf6 suc- cumbs to 27.e4! (now we see the point of 26.Qa2 — it is to pin Black's e-pawn and prevent 27...e5 at this point) 27...Rcd8 28.e5 Qf4 29.Qc2 (threatening 30.Qh7+ Kf8 31.Bg6 Re7 32.Qh8#) 29...Qg5 30.f4 Qg4 31.Rc3, when the entrance of the rook at g3, followed by 33 Qh7+, is conclusive.
Notice that the move 31.Rc3, relaxing the pressure on the queenside, is not an infraction of principle. An attack that leads to a forced win takes precedence over positional
considerations.
27. Qa2–c2 ...
Now this grouping has more effect! White threatens 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Bg6 Red8 30.Qh8+Ke731.Qxg7#.
27. ... Rc8–d8 (D) If 27...e5 to guard the g6- square with the queen, then 28.Qh7+ Kf7 (on 28...Kf8, 29.Bg6 wins easily) 29.f4 (threatening 30.fxe5+) 29...e4 30.Ba2+ Kf6 31.Qf5+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ and White wins the bishop, as a start.
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28. Qc2–h7+ ...Control of the light squares leading to Black's king renders this a decisive invasion; the cramping of Black's queenside and the smother-ing of his bishop make it difficult for Black to hold out.
28. ... Kg8–f8 On 28...Kf7 White can either win the exchange by a bishop check or pursue the attack by 29.f4, when the continuation
might be 29...Rh8 30.Qg6+ Kf8 31.f5 e5 (or 31...Qe7 32.f6) 32.f6 and White wins.
29. Bb1–g6
Further confines the king while attacking the rook. The threat is 30.Qh7–h8+ Kf8–e7 31.Qh8xg7#.
1-0
Black can only delay the exe- cution at great cost in material. White's play is a fine example of the value of preventive strategy. In paralysing Black's queenside, he demonstrates the extraordinary fact that weaknesses on one wing can lead to complete collapse on the other! Once Black is held in restraint, his efforts to make some sort of stand seem little more than feeble flutterings.