I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best.
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[Event "Copenhagen"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1923.05.10"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Saemisch, Friedrich GM"]
[Black "Nimzovich, Aron GM"]
[Result "0-1"]
[BlackElo "2500"]
[ECO "E06"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "2500"]
{ The Latvian-Jewish GM Aron Nimzovich was a leading pioneer of the
Hypermodern Theory of chess play. Hypermodern Theory holds that control of
the important center squares can be achieved without occupation by pawns. It
was a direct challenge to the Classical Theory of chess. As such it was a
radical and innovative theory when it matured in the early 1900's; thus the
name Hypermodern.|Nimzovich was a passionate man in defense of his
theories. He considered the leader of Classical Chess Theory, Dr. Siegbert
Tarrasch, his born enemy. Nimzovich said, "Tarrasch to me always meant
mediocrity ... all his views, his sympathies and antipathies, and above all
his inability to conceive any new idea -- all this clearly attested to the
full mediocrity of his cast of mind."|Nimzovich documented his theories in
what is obviously his book 'My System.' To this day it remains perhaps the
most influential book ever written about the game of chess. That says a lot
considering that more books have been written about chess than any other
subject. Today there are few experts in the game of chess who have not
studied Hypermodern Theory in 'My System' at one time or another.|The
success of Nimzovich's Hypermodern Theory cannot be denied. He beat the best
of his day in tournament play. Sadly, he was denied a chance for one reason
or another to compete for the world championship title in the late 1920's. He
died at the age of 48 in 1934 of pneumonia.|The following game
demonstrates Nimzovich's mastery of both Classical and Hypermodern Theories.
It is most remarkable in how Nimzovich slowly chokes his opponent by
preventing any counter play. This choking style is the preferred style of the
best chess player in the world, AlphaZero. } 1. d4 { E06: Closed Catalan: Early
deviations } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. Ne5 c6 9. cxd5 { This move releases the center tension. It is especially
odd given that white moved his knight to e5 to protect the c4 square. More
vigorous is 9. e4 to destroy black's center. 9. Bf4 is also very playable. } 9... cxd5 10. Bf4 a6 11. Rc1 b5 12. Qb3 { This is an odd and ineffective placement
of the queen. It bites on steel and blocks the progress of queenside
development. } 12... Nc6 13. Nxc6 { White may have traded his strong knight away
because he feared the maneuver Nc6-a5-c4. A timely b3 would have driven this
knight away from the c4 square. Therefore, his fear was not justified. } 13... Bxc6 14. h3 Qd7 15. Kh2 Nh5 16. Bd2 f5 17. Qd1 b4 { Black slowly gains space on
both sides of the board. This subtle process eventually leads to megalomaniac
total domination of the entire board. } 18. Nb1 Bb5 19. Rg1 Bd6 { This move at
first appears to be a blunder. However, Nimzovich sees farther. } 20. e4 { A
good try. White hopes to gain time by attacking the knight on h5. If black
comes to its defense with Qf7, then e5 stuffs black and frees white's game. } 20... fxe4 { A piece for two pawns, and central domination, and aggressively poised
pieces, and open file, and... } 21. Qxh5 Rxf2 22. Qg5 Raf8 23. Kh1 R8f5 24. Qe3 Bd3 25. Rce1 h6 { Here white resigned. Nearly all moves lead to a serious
loss of material. After a pawn move or two, white will face complete
Zugzwang. Zugzwang is a German word meaning 'a compulsion to move.' White is
forced to move, and in so doing will lose. If white plays 26. Rc1 or Rd1 then
26... Re2 wins white's queen. If 26. Kh2 then 26... R5f3 also wins white's
queen. If 26. g4 then 26... R5f3 27. Bxf3 Rh2 is checkmate. If 26. Bc1 then
26... Bxb1 wins material. If 26. a3 then 26... a5. etc. } 0-1