Immortal Zugzwang Game

The "Immortal Zugzwang Game" is a 1923 chess game between Friedrich Saemisch and Aron Nimzowitsch, played in Copenhagen. It is called that because the final position is sometimes considered a rare instance of zugzwang occurring in the middlegame. [E.g., Fred Reinfeld, "Hypermodern Chess: As Developed in the Games of Its Greatest Exponent, Aron Nimzovich", Dover Publications, 1958, p. 90.] It was given this name by Emanuel Lasker. [Graham Burgess, John Nunn, and John Emms, "The Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games", 2nd ed, 2004, Carroll & Graf, ISBN 978-0-7867-1411-7, p. 111]

Game

(with notes by Nimzowitsch)

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 b6
4. g3 Bb7
5. Bg2 Be7
6. Nc3 O-O
7. O-O d5
8. Ne5 c6

Safeguards the position

9. cxd5 cxd5
10. Bf4 a6

Protects the oupost station c4, i.e., by ...a6 and ...b5.

11. Rc1 b5
12. Qb3 Nc6

The ghost! With noiseless steps he presses on towards c4.

13. Nxc6

Samisch sacrifices two tempi (exchange of the tempo-eating Knight on e5 for the Knight which is almostundeveloped) merely to be rid of the ghost.

13... Bxc6
14. h3 Qd7
15. Kh2 Nh5

I could have supplied him with as yet a second ghost by ...Qe7 and ...Knight-d7-b6-c4, but I wished to turn my attention to the King's side.

16. Bd2 f5!
17. Qd1 b4!
18. Nb1 Bb5
19. Rg1 Bd6
20. e4 fxe4!

This sacrifice, which has a quite surprising affect, is based upon the following sober calculation: two Pawns and the seventh rank and an enemy Queen's wing which cannot be disentangled - all this for only one piece!

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Sämisch versus Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen, 1923.
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Position after 25...h6

21. Qxh5 Rxf2
22. Qg5 Raf8
23. Kh1 R8f5
24. Qe3 Bd3
25. Rce1 h6!!

A brilliant move which announces the Zugzwang. White has not a move left. If, e.g., Kh2 or g4, then R5f3. Black can now make waiting moves with his King, and White must, willy-nilly, eventually throw himself upon the sword.

0-1

Full PGN (Portable Game Notation) for the game

[Site "Copenhagen"]
[Date "1923.??.??"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Friedrich Samisch"]
[Black "Aron Nimzowitsch"]
[ECO "E18"]

1. d4 {Notes by Nimzowitsch} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb75. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. Ne5 c6 {Safeguards theposition} 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bf4 a6 {Protects the oupost stationc4, i.e., by ...a6 and ...b5.} 11. Rc1 b5 12. Qb3 Nc6 {Theghost! With noiseless steps he presses on towards c4.}13. Nxc6 {Samisch sacrifices two tempi (exchange of thetempo-eating Knight on e5 for the Knight which is almostundeveloped) merely to be rid of the ghost.} Bxc6 14. h3 Qd715. Kh2 Nh5 {I could have supplied him with as yet a secondghost by ...Qe7 and ...Knight-d7-b6-c4, but I wished to turnmy attention to the King's side.} 16. Bd2 f5 {!} 17. Qd1 b4{!} 18. Nb1 Bb5 19. Rg1 Bd6 20. e4 fxe4 {! This sacrifice,which has a quite surprising affect, is based upon thefollowing sober calculation: two Pawns and the 7th rank and anenemy Queen's wing which cannot be disentangled - all this foronly one piece!} 21. Qxh5 Rxf2 22. Qg5 Raf8 23. Kh1 R8f524. Qe3 Bd3 25. Rce1 h6 {!! A brilliant move which announcesthe Zugzwang. White has not a move left. If, e.g., Kh2 or g4,then R5f3. Black can now make waiting moves with his King, andWhite must, willy-nilly, eventually throw himself upon thesword.} 0-1

Objections to the sobriquet

Andrew Soltis has objected to the characterization of this game as "the Immortal Zugzwang Game", explaining: "First, Saemisch could have moved one of his pieces, even though it would have returned the sacrificed piece to Nimzovich. The game could have then proceeded for a good long time after that with Saemisch gaining some breathing space. But, secondly, the game doesn't constitute a true zugwang because at the very end Nimzovich had a threat to win his opponent's queen. What makes zugzwang such a painful death is that the deceased is executed not by a threat but by his own suicide."Andy Soltis, "Chess to Enjoy", Stein and Day, 1978, p. 55. ISBN 0-8128-6059-4.] Similarly, Wolfgang Heidenfeld wrote, "zugwang", in the proper meaning of the term, does not enter into the game at any stage. In the final position Black threatens [...R5f3] , against which White has no reply." [Harry Golombek (editor), "Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess", Crown Publishers, 1977, p. 148. ISBN 0-517-53146-1.] Raymond Keene wrote in his biography of Nimzowitsch, "This is the so-called 'Immortal Zugzwang Game'. I prefer to see it as an example of total paralysis of the opposition; the ultimate express of prophylaxis, where the opponent's possibilities are reduced to that degree above zero required to avoid stalemate." [Raymond Keene, "Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal", David McKay, 1974, p. 81.]

Other contenders for the title

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Podgaets versus Dvoretsky, USSR 1974
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Position after 29.Qg2Chess diagram|=
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Podgaets versus Dvoretsky, USSR 1974
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Final position, after 30...Kh6!!

Soltis writes that his "candidate for the ideal zugzwang game" is the following game: Podgaets-Dvoretsky, USSR 1974 1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Bg5! 8.Bb5+ Kf8! Black exchanges off his bad bishop, but does not allow White to do the same. 9.Bxg5 Qxg5 10.h4 Qe7 11.Be2 h5 12.a4 g6 13.g3 Kg7 14.0-0 Nh6 15.Nd1 Nd7 16.Ne3 Rhf8 17.a5 f5 18.exf5 e4! 19.Qg2 Nxf5 20.Nxf5+ Rxf5 21.a6 b6 22.g4? hxg4 23.Bxg4 Rf4 24.Rae1 Ne5! 25.Rxe4 Rxe4 26.Qxe4 Qxh4 27.Bf3 Rf8!! 28. Bh1 28.Qxh4? Nxf3+ and 29...Nxh4 leaves Black a piece ahead. Ng4 29.Qg2 (see diagram at left) Rf3!! 30.c4 Kh6!! (diagram at right) Now all of White's piece moves allow checkmate or ...Rxf2 with a crushing attack (e.g. 31.Qxf3 Qh2#; 31.Rb1 Rxf2 32.Qxg4 Qh2#). That leaves only moves of White's b-pawn, which Black can ignore, e.g. 31.b3 Kg7 32.b4 Kh6 33.bxc5 bxc5 and White has run out of moves. [Notes based on those in Soltis, pp. 55-56.] 0-1Chess diagram|=
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Harper versus Zuk, Burnaby 1971
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Position after 37.b5Chess diagram|=
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Harper versus Zuk, Burnaby 1971
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Final Position, after 39...Kg8

Another contender for the title is "the Tomb Game", Bruce Harper-Robert Zuk, Halloween Open, Burnaby, British Columbia 1971: [ [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1289113 Harper-Zuk, Halloween Open 1971] ] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Bd2 Nh5 10.Rc1 c5 11.g3 Nf6 12.a3 Ne8 13.Ne1 f5 14.exf5 Nxf5 15.Bf3 b6 16.Bg2 Nd4 17.f4 Bf5 18.fxe5 Bxe5 19.Bh6 Bg7 20.Bxg7 Nxg7 21.Nd3 Qg5 22.Nf4 Rae8 23.Qa4 Qe7 24.Nb5 Nxb5 25.Qxb5 Qe3+ 26.Kh1 g5 27.Nh3 Bd3 28.Rxf8+ Rxf8 29.Rg1 Be4 30.Qd7 Bxg2+ 31.Rxg2 Qe4 32.Ng1 h6 33.h4 Rf2 34.Qh3 g4 35.Qh2 h5 36.b4 Rf1 37.b5 (see diagram at left) Kh8!! (announcing zugzwang) 38.a4 Kh7 39.a5 Kg8 0-1 (diagram at right) After 39.axb6 axb6 or 39.a6 Kh7, White's only legal move is 40.Qh3, after which 40...gxh3 and 41...Qxg2 checkmates White.

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1102400 Game score]