[Event "USA-URS"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1954.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Taimanov, Mark E"]
[Black "Evans, Larry Melvyn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E99"]
[Annotator "GM Lubomir Kavalek/ Huffington Post"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1954.06.16"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{"The most thrilling game of my career also featured an inspired defense after
I walked headlong into a prepared variation against the Soviet champion Mark
Taimanov in our rubber game with the score tied 1,5-1,5. Tension rode high. At
move 18 he had used only two minutes on his clock, while I consumed close to
an hour," writes Evans in the introduction to his famous game.} 1. c4 Nf6 2.
Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. d4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 {(The Mar
del Plata variation of the King's Indian defense.)} 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Nd3 f5 11.
f3 ({The most precise move order} 11. Bd2 Nf6 12. f3 f4 13. c5 $1 {,with a
quick lineup along the c-file, came up later.} ({In the game Najdorf-Gligoric,
Mar del Plata 1953, white played the slower} 13. b4 {and came quickly under
furious attack} g5 14. c5 h5 15. Nf2 Ng6 16. Rc1 Rf7 17. cxd6 cxd6 18. a4 Bf8
19. a5 Rg7 20. h3 Nh8 21. Nb5 g4 22. fxg4 hxg4 23. hxg4 a6 24. Na3 Bd7 25. Nc4
Rc8 26. Nb6 Rxc1 27. Bxc1 Be8 28. Ba3 Nf7 29. Qc2 Nh6 30. g5 Rxg5 31. Rc1 Rg3
32. Bb2 Nfg4 33. Nxg4 Nxg4 34. Bxg4 Rxg4 35. Qf2 Bg6 36. Rc4 Qe7 37. Bc3 Qh7
38. Qe2 Rh4 39. Kf2 f3 40. Qe3 Rf4 41. gxf3 Qh2+ 42. Ke1 Qh1+ 43. Ke2 Bh5 44.
Kd2 Rxf3 45. Qg5+ Bg7 46. Kc2 Rf2+ 47. Bd2 Qd1+ 48. Kc3 Qa1+ {0-1})) ({The
first encounter between Evans and Taimanov in New York 1954 did not go well
for the American grandmaster:} 11. exf5 gxf5 12. f4 e4 13. Nf2 Nf6 14. Be3 Kh8
15. Kh1 Rg8 16. Rg1 c5 17. h3 Ng6 18. g4 $2 fxg4 19. hxg4 Nh5 $3 20. gxh5 $2 (
20. Qd2 $1) 20... Qh4+ 21. Kg2 Nxf4+ 22. Kf1 Bh3+ 23. Nxh3 Qxh3+ 24. Kf2 Raf8
25. Bf3 Nd3+ 26. Ke2 Rxf3 27. Qd2 Rxe3+ 28. Qxe3 Qxh5+ 29. Kd2 Bh6 30. Rxg8+
Kxg8 31. Nxe4 Bxe3+ 32. Kxe3 Qh3+ 33. Kd2 Ne5 34. Rg1+ Kf8 35. Rg3 Qh5 {and
Evans resigned.}) 11... f4 ({Preventing Taimanov's favorite line} 11... Nf6 12.
Be3) 12. Bd2 g5 13. Rc1 Rf6 {The idea of floating the rook along the sixth
rank, creating attacking chances along the h-file and defending the pawn on d6
at the same time, belongs to David Bronstein and it was used by Boris Spassky.
However, the Yugoslav grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric realized in Mar del Plata
in 1953 that the rook belongs to f7 to cover the square c7 (see the above game
Najdorf-Gligoric), making white's invasion more difficult. It led to his set-up
} (13... Nf6 14. c5 Ng6 15. cxd6 cxd6 16. Nb5 Rf7) 14. c5 $5 ({A positional
pawn sacrifice. After} 14. b4 h5 15. c5 Rg6 {black has good kingside chances.
- Evans.}) 14... Nxc5 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Na4 b6 17. b4 cxb4 ({Interestingly,
when this position was reached this year at the European Women's championship
in Rijeka, black played:} 17... Rh6 $6 18. Rf2 ({After the cool} 18. bxc5 $1
Qe8 19. h3 Qh5 20. Bc4 Bxh3 21. gxh3 Qxh3 22. Kf2 {the white king walks away.})
18... Qe8 19. h3 Bd7 20. Nb2 Ng6 21. bxc5 Nh4 22. Bf1 Rg6 23. Qb3 Kh8 24. Be1
h5 25. Rfc2 Bf6 26. c6 Bc8 27. d6 cxd6 28. Bxh4 gxh4 29. c7 Bxh3 30. Qd5 Rc8
31. Qxd6 Qg8 32. Nd3 Qg7 33. Kh2 Rg8 34. gxh3 Rg1 35. Qxf6 Qxf6 {1/2-1/2
Lomineishvili,M (2385)-Sandu,M (2277), Rijeka 2010.}) 18. Bxb4 Bf8 $6 ({"The
text was considered a clever trap, but I must confess that White's reply took
me completely by surprise," Evans admits. Commenting on the game, GM Igor
Bondarevsky asked what compensation does white have for a pawn. He didn't like
Evans's move and preferred} 18... c5 {,trading the weak c-pawn,} 19. dxc6 Qxd1
20. Rfxd1 (20. Bxd1 Nxc6 21. Bb3+ Kh8 22. Bd5 Bd7) 20... Nxc6 21. Bd6 {white
is better developed, but he can't accomplish too much. For example,} Bb7 (21...
Nd4 22. Bc4+ Be6 23. Bxe5 $16) (21... Bd7 22. Bc4+ Kh8 23. Bb5 Rc8 24. Bxc6
Bxc6 25. Bxe5 {but after} Rff8 26. Bxg7+ Kxg7 27. Nc3 Rfd8 {the chances are
equal.}) 22. Bb5 (22. Bc4+ Kh8 23. Bb5 $2 Nd4 $1 $19) 22... Rd8 $1 23. Bxc6
Bxc6 24. Rxc6 Bf8 $17 {Of course, these variations don't exhaust all
possibilities, but they help to get some sense of the position. With his
knight on a4 out of play, white doesn't seem to have a compensation for the
pawn - Bondarevsky}) ({Today, after} 18... c5 {white would reshuffle the
pieces, for example} 19. Bc3 Ng6 20. Nb2 Bf8 21. a4 {with pressure on the
queenside.}) 19. Rxc7 $2 ({"I literally broke out into a sweat! The eyes of
over a thousand spectators, it seemed, were focused on our wallboard. It
didn't take very long to calculate that the upstart rook could not be captured,
" Evans describes this critical moment of the game. Yet, it is a wrong
combination. Taimanov overlooks Evans's splendid reply. Increasing the
pressure with} 19. Qb3 $1 {was better.}) 19... Nf5 $3 ({A beautiful
counterpunch, leaving many white pieces hanging. The knight is headed for e3.
Taimanov was counting on} 19... Qxc7 20. d6 Rxd6 (20... Qd7 21. dxe7 Bxe7 22.
Bxe7 Qxe7 $2 23. Qd5+ {wins.}) 21. Bxd6 Qc6 22. Qb3+ Kg7 23. Bxe5+ Kh6 24. Bb5
$14) ({Evans came up with this startling counter stroke while analyzing the
line} 19... Ng6 20. d6 Bxd6 21. Qd5+ Kh8 {but here after} 22. Rc6 $1 Bb7 23.
Rxd6 Bxd5 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rd1 {white still has the advantage.}) 20. Bxf8 ({
Taimanov decides to sacrifice two exchanges after discarding} 20. d6 Ne3 21.
Qd3 $5 (21. Qa1 Bxd6 $1 (21... Nxf1 $2 22. Qxe5 $1 $18) 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. Rfc1
Bd7 24. Nb2 g4 $1 $17) 21... Bxd6 $1 22. Rc6 Be7 $19) ({After} 20. exf5 Qxc7
21. d6 Qf7 {black should win.}) 20... Qxc7 21. Ba3 ({"White prefers to
sacrifice a second exchange rather than ruin his pawn structure by} 21. exf5
Kxf8 {" - Evans.}) 21... Ne3 22. Qc1 Qg7 $1 ({Rather than winning more
material, Evans attacks. After} 22... Qd7 23. Qb2 $5 (23. Nb2 $6 Nxf1 24. Bxf1
$19) 23... Qxa4 (23... Nxf1 24. Qxe5 Rg6 25. Bxf1 $17) 24. Qxe5 Rf5 $1 25. Qe7
(25. exf5 Qxa3 26. f6 Bf5 $19 27. d6 Qc5 $1) 25... Qd7 26. exf5 Qxe7 27. Bxe7
Nxf1 28. Kxf1 h6 29. f6 {white is still kicking.}) 23. Rf2 (23. Bb2 Rg6 $1 $19)
23... Bd7 {"An ideal developing move which gains time by the attack on white's
misplaced knight." - Evans} 24. Nc3 g4 $1 25. Bb2 (25. fxg4 Bxg4) 25... g3 $1
26. hxg3 Qxg3 ({The direct attack} 26... Rh6 {also wins, for example} 27. g4
Qg5 28. Bf1 Bxg4 $1 29. fxg4 Qh4 30. Rf3 Nxg4 31. Rh3 Qf2+ 32. Kh1 Rxh3+ 33.
gxh3 Qh2#) 27. Bf1 Rc8 ({Again,} 27... Rh6 28. Rc2 (28. Rd2 Rh2 $19) 28... Rh2
{threatening 29...Qh4, was quicker.}) 28. Qe1 b5 ({The straightforward} 28...
Rh6 29. Re2 Qh2+ 30. Kf2 Rg6 31. Rxe3 Bh3 $1 {gives black an unstoppable
attack.}) 29. Ne2 Qh4 30. g3 {"Desperation. Otherwise black mates with 30...
Rh6." - Evans} fxg3 31. Nxg3 Nxf1 $1 ({Simple, but it was possible to call
white's bluff with} 31... Qxg3+ $5 32. Rg2 Nxf1 33. Kxf1 (33. Rxg3+ Nxg3 34.
Bxe5 Rc1 $1 $18) 33... Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Rc2+ 35. Kh1 Rxf3 36. Bxe5 Bh3 {and
black wins.}) 32. Nf5 ({Black wins after} 32. Rg2 Rg6 33. Qxf1 Rxg3 (33... Bh3
34. Nf5 Bxf5 35. exf5 Rxg2+ 36. Qxg2+ Kf7 $19) 34. Bxe5 Rg6 $19) 32... Rg6+ 33.
Kxf1 Qh1+ 34. Ke2 Rc2+ 35. Kd1 Qxe1+ 36. Kxe1 Rg1+ (36... Rg1+ 37. Rf1 Rxf1+
38. Kxf1 Rxb2 $19) 0-1

