Immortal Beloved

Nona Terent’evna Gaprindashvili – Rudolf Servaty
Dortmund, 1974
Sicilian Defence B39

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Ng4 8. Qxg4 Nxd4 9. Qd1 e5 10. Nb5 0-0 11. Be2 Qh4? This committal move causes Black serious problems. Best was 11. ... Nxb5 12. cxb5 d6 with a playable position. 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Bxd4 Qxe4 14. Bxg7 Qxg2? After 14. ... Kxg7 15. 0-0 White simply stands better, Csiba – Jozefek, Banská Štiavnica 2012. The text move, however, is brilliantly refuted by Nona Terent’evna.

15. Qd4!! A magnificent double Rook sacrifice! 15. ... Qxh1+ 16. Kd2 Qxa1. Or 16. ... Qxh2 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. Bf3 d5 19. Bxd5 Rb8 20. Re1 Be6 21. Rxe6 1 : 0 Tal – T. Pähtz Sr, Halle 1974. “Not many people can boast of having taught Tal a tactics”, Grandmaster Murray Graham Chandler said. If, instead, 16. ... Qc6 then 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. Qh8+ Ke7 19. Re1 with a crushing attack. 17. Qf6!! The pointe. 1 : 0.

Nona Terent’evna Gaprindashvili