The older I grow, the more I value pawns.
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[Event "rated untimed match"]
[Site "Fayette Chess Club"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anthony, Charles"]
[Black "Taylor, Phillip"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Charles Anthony"]
[BlackElo "1709"]
[ECO "B71"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "1664"]
{ Our epic battles went back to 1980, when we were founding members of the
Fayette Chess Club.|The Sicilan Dragon was one of the few openings that I
studied in any depth. My wife had given me the book <i>How to Think
Ahead in Chess</i> for our first Christmas together in 1979. The
authors, Israel Albert Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld, recommended the Dragon
against 1. e4, and I thought the name "Dragon" was cool, so I
played it.|My most serious local rival, Phillip, also played it. Thinking
that he would probably play it in our upcoming match, I determined to set a
trap for him, since one of the other books in my small library was
<i>Winning Chess Traps</i> by Irving Chernev. One trap that I
studied against the Dragon had white checkmating black in relatively short
order. Usually, my opponents took me out of my book preparation after a few
moves, but I was fairy certain that he would play the Dragon, and I had a new
"secret weapon" prepared for him. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. f4 { My innovation. Phillip had never faced this move in
our years of play. Horowitz, in his <i>Chess Openings: Theory and
Practice</i> gives Levenfish credit for this aggressive move and he
says that it was thought, for a time, to be white's strongest weapon against
the Dragon. } 6... Bg7 { This was the routine response that I was hoping for.
Chernev says that 6. ... Nc6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 Nd7 is a satisfactory line
for black. I just knew that the trap had been sprung. It seems to go downhill
quickly for black after this move. } 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5 { The game move
seems to be a reasonable move, but white wins now by force. Horowitz also
gives the exact moves for the rest of the actual game in a footnote in his
opening book.|If 8. ... Ng5, then 9. Bb5+ Kf8 (if 9. ... Bd7 or 9. ...
Nd7, then 10. Qxg4 wins) 10. Ne6+ wins black's queen.
(Chernev)|If 8. ... Nfd7 9. e6 Ne5 10. Bb5+ Nbc6 11. exf7+ Kxf7 12.
0-0+ Kamyshov-Averbaky, Moscow, 1948, with advantage for white (Walter
Korn, <i>Modern Chess Openings - 12</i>). } 9. Bb5+ Kf8 { This
continuation is the only way that avoids loss of material. If 9. ... Bd7 or
9. ... Nd7, then 10. Nxd5 wins the piece. If 9. ... Nc6, then 10. Nxc6 wins
for white. } 10. O-O Bxe5 11. Bh6+ Kg8 ( { For example: } 11... Bg7 12. Bxg7+ Kxg7 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Nf5+ Qxf5 15. Rxf5 Bxf5 16. Qd4+ Kg8 17. Qd8+ Kg7 18. Qxe7 Nc6 19. Qxb7 Nd4 20. Bc4 Be6 21. Bxe6 Nxe6 22. Rf1 Rhf8 23. Rxf7+ Rxf7 24. Qxa8 { White wins with a large material advantage. } ) 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 { And
the beautiful ending just seems to flow from this position! } 13. Nf5 Qc5+ { The only move that counters both threats. } 14. Be3 { Now the threats are 15.
Bxc5 and 15. Qd8 mate! } 14... Qc7 { Again, black find the only move, but it is still
mate in two! } 15. Nh6+ { Black resigns here.|(15. ... either king move;
Rxf7 mate).|Never before or since have I played a game in which both
players' over-the-board moves followed exactly not only one, but two books. I
was just fortunate to be on the winning end this time. But it is a game that
I have replayed so many times with my students that I have the moves
memorized. It has become, perhaps in my eyes, "My Immortal Game." } 15... Kf8 16. Rxf7# 1-0