White to Play

Pete Tamburro on Mar 30, 2026

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The fourth in our series of instructional games. This one starts our fairly sedately, then goes off the beaten path for no apparent reason at all. The game started out Cukierman,J. - Voison (D12)Paris, 19291.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.e3 Bf5 4.c4 e6 5.Qb3 Qc7 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bd2 Nbd7 8.Rc1 Qb6 (More Slav-like was 8...dxc4) 9.c5 Qc7 10.Nh4 Bg6 11.f4 Be7 12.Nxg6 hxg6 13.Be2 (Now Black decides to get on the CrazyLand Express, and White has some original ideas as well. There is no normal castling in this game. What was once a fairly calm game now gets very exciting!) 13...Ne4 (Black should have played 13...b6 14.cxb6 axb6) 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qc2 Bh4+ 16.Kd1! (16.g3 Bxg3+ wins for Black!)16...f5 17.Qb3 Nf8 (He needed to get the king rook over to defend the queenside pawns. 17...Kf7) 18.Kc2 Qd7 19.Kb1 (More precise was 19.g4 fxg4 20.Bxg4)19...Nh7 20.Rc4 Kf7 21.Rb4 Rab8 22.Ba6 b6!(His only chance.)23.cxb6 c5?? (He misses what players often miss--a backwards bishop move. 23...Be7 24.bxa7 Qxa7 25.Rb7 Qxa6 26.Rxb8 Rxb8 27.Qxb8 Qd3+ 28.Kc1 Qc4+ 29.Bc3 Qxa2=) 24.dxc5 Qxd2 25.Rd1 Qf2 26.Rbd4 axb6 27.Rd7+ Be7 (SEE DIAGRAM) and now how would you pursue the attack?

28.Qxe6+ Kxe6 29.Bc4+ Kf6 30.R1d6+ Bxd6 31.Rf7 mate.

Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.