Much Ado About Nothing

Regina Gerlecka – Sonja Graf
Women’s Super-Tournament; Semmering, 1936
3r4/p7/1k2P3/1Pp3n1/5p2/1PP5/6P1/1K2R3 w - - 1 42

Position after 41. ... Rd5-d8

Gerlecka daringly sacrificed her Knight for two Pawns, trying very hard (but at zero risk) for a win. 42. Re5 Nh7!? Graf is not too happy to share the point and prays for something more. 42. ... Nxe6 43. Rxe6+ Kxb5 would have led (almost inevitably) to a draw. 43. e7 Re8 44. c4 Nf6?? It is hard to justify such a crazy move, unless Sonja was very short of time. She ought to play 44. ... Kc7 45. Rxc5+ Kd7 and accept that the game was closer and closer a draw. 45. Re6+ Ka5?? Very probably, after 45. ... Kb7 46. Rxf6 Rxe7 47. Rxf4 Black, who is two Pawns down, cannot hold water on both wings, but however bad it was, it was... less bad than now. 46. Rxf6?? And Gerlecka misses her golden opportunity to enter the history (but it’s never too late!): 46. Ra6+ Kb4 47. Kc2! Rxe7 48. Ra4 mate. 46. ... Rxe7. Okay, nothing happened. 47. Kc2 Kb4 48. Kd1 Rg7 49. Rxf4 Rxg2 50. Rf7 Kxb3 51. Rxa7 Kxc4 ½ : ½.