Sonja Graf – Clarice Benini
International Women’s Chess Tournament; Semmering, July 5, 1936
Queen’s Pawn Game D02
Notes by Master Heinrich Wolf, Neues Wiener Abendblatt, No. 194, July 16, 1936. p. 8.
International Women’s Chess Tournament; Semmering, July 5, 1936
Queen’s Pawn Game D02
Notes by Master Heinrich Wolf, Neues Wiener Abendblatt, No. 194, July 16, 1936. p. 8.
The first International Women’s Chess Tournament at Semmering was won in dominant fashion by Miss Sonja Graf from Germany. The following game, played in the fourth round on July 5, is an example of her clear, positionally founded play, which many of her male colleagues would envy:
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Bf5. Italian player should not have missed the opportunity of gaining a tempo with 3. ... Qb6!, whereupon White is compelled to play 4. b3 or 4. Qc1.
4. Nbd2 Nf6 5. e3 e6 6. c3 Nbd7 7. Be2 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. c4 Rc8. She ought first to play 9. ... h6 so as to prevent the Queen’s Bishop from being exchanged after Nf3-h4.
10. Nh4 Bg6 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. h3. White stands slightly better due to her Bishop pair. However, Italian woman master handles the ensuing middlegame with remarkable ingenuity and succeeds in maintaining the equilibrium until the endgame.
12. ... c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bg3 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nc4 Qe7 18. Qd4 Qf6. This Queen exchange offer was not so urgent. 18. ... Rfd8 seems to be much better.
19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. Nd6 Rc6 21. Rac1 Rxd6. On 21. ... b6 22. Nb5! would be very uncomfortable for Black.
22. Rxc5 Rfd8 23. Bf3 b6 24. Rc4 f5 25. Rd1 Nf6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 27. Rc2 Kf8 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Rc7+ Rd7 30. Rc8 Nd5 31. Bxd5 Rxd5 32. Rc7+ Rd7 33. Rxd7+ Kxd7. German matador exchanged all pieces for a good reason, because only in a pure Pawn endgame she can hope to take advantage of her sounder Pawn constellation.
34. Ke2 Kd6 35. Kd3 Kd5 36. h4 e5 37. Kc3 Kc5
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Bf5. Italian player should not have missed the opportunity of gaining a tempo with 3. ... Qb6!, whereupon White is compelled to play 4. b3 or 4. Qc1.
4. Nbd2 Nf6 5. e3 e6 6. c3 Nbd7 7. Be2 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. c4 Rc8. She ought first to play 9. ... h6 so as to prevent the Queen’s Bishop from being exchanged after Nf3-h4.
10. Nh4 Bg6 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. h3. White stands slightly better due to her Bishop pair. However, Italian woman master handles the ensuing middlegame with remarkable ingenuity and succeeds in maintaining the equilibrium until the endgame.
12. ... c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bg3 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nc4 Qe7 18. Qd4 Qf6. This Queen exchange offer was not so urgent. 18. ... Rfd8 seems to be much better.
19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. Nd6 Rc6 21. Rac1 Rxd6. On 21. ... b6 22. Nb5! would be very uncomfortable for Black.
22. Rxc5 Rfd8 23. Bf3 b6 24. Rc4 f5 25. Rd1 Nf6 26. Rxd6 Rxd6 27. Rc2 Kf8 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Rc7+ Rd7 30. Rc8 Nd5 31. Bxd5 Rxd5 32. Rc7+ Rd7 33. Rxd7+ Kxd7. German matador exchanged all pieces for a good reason, because only in a pure Pawn endgame she can hope to take advantage of her sounder Pawn constellation.
34. Ke2 Kd6 35. Kd3 Kd5 36. h4 e5 37. Kc3 Kc5
38. e4!! fxe4 39. g4 Kd5 40. h5 gxh5 41. gxh5 Ke6 42. Kc4 Kf6 43. Kd5 Kg5 44. Kxe5 Kxh5 45. Kxe4 Kg4 46. f4 f6! 47. b3
47. ... a6? So far, both sides had handled the difficult endgame well, but here 47. ... b5 should have been played, after which a win for White would no longer be possible. Let us suppose, for example: 48. b4 Kg3 48. Kf5 Kxf3 50. Kxf6 Kxf4 51. Ke6 Ke4 52. Kd6 Kd4 53. Kc6 Kc4 54. a3 Kb3! with a draw.
48. b4 Kg3 49. Kf5 Kf3 50. a3! a5. Other moves cannot save the game either.
51. b5 a4 52. Kxf6 1–0.
48. b4 Kg3 49. Kf5 Kf3 50. a3! a5. Other moves cannot save the game either.
51. b5 a4 52. Kxf6 1–0.
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