Category: Full Game Analysis

According to some reports, Bent Larsen, the strongest grandmaster from Scandinavia until the emergence of Magnus Carlsen, once stated that by knowing and understanding this particular game, one could effectively face the Latvian Gambit.

Rudolf Spielmann, the author of “The Art of Sacrifice in Chess”, and the well-known “The Last Romantic”, played this gem during a simultaneous exhibition in Passau.

The opening was the Four Knights game, which didn’t belong to the most aggressive ones. However, the game is still intriguing in many aspects.

The formation after White’s 5th move allowed multiple ways to recapture the sacrificed knight, while having opened new threats to fork white pieces again.

The tournament was broadcast by Hamburg TV and some recordings can be found on YouTube. It is quite interesting to watch Boris Spassky smoking while playing, which would be completely unthinkable nowadays.

Lasker was so impressed by the loss to Charousek that he reportedly declared, “I will defend my title against this young man one day.”

Taking place a few weeks after Vienna’s major international event of the year in 1908, the Prague event was also organized to honor Emperor Franz Joseph’s 60th anniversary of ruling and showcased many of the same prominent figures.

The overall winner of the tournament was reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen, whose game with Ding Liren I found particularly interesting, as it is pretty rare to see the King’s Gambit at this top level. The game was played in the first part, i.e. with a relatively slower time control of 15+10.

This gambit allows Black to gain a lead in development and put pressure on White’s pawn structure. White must be careful not to make any mistakes, as Black’s pieces will quickly mobilize and put pressure on White’s position.

Tal is widely regarded as one of the greatest attacking players in the history of chess. He was known for his imaginative and daring style of play, often sacrificing material to create attacking chances. His playing style and creative ideas earned him the nickname “The Magician from Riga.”