A Lesson

Karl Schlechter – Matteo Gladig
Trieste, December 6, 1910
King’s Gambit Declined C30

Notes by Karl Schlechter, Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung, December 18, 1910, p. 1686.

Friendly game, played on December 6, 1910 in Società Scacchistica Triestina.

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. h3 Bxf3 6. Qxf3 Nc6 7. Bb5 Nf6. Black should not allow his c-Pawn to be doubled. Far better would be 7. ... Ne7.
8. d3 0-0 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Ne2 Rb8 13. b3 Ne8 14. Be3 a5. This Pawn is very exposed here, and later Black will have to put a Rook into a bad position to defend it. Black should have moved this Pawn only one step.
15. 0-0 Bg5

16. a4! White immediately fixes the weak Pawn on a5.
16. ... g6. This creates a new pernicious weakness on f6. 16. ... Nd6 was worth considering.
17. Qg3 Bxe3+ 18. Qxe3 Qd6. There was the threat of Qe3-c5.
19. Rf2 Ng7 20. g4 f6 21. Raf1 c5 22. Nc3 Rf7

23. Nb1! The Knight heads for c4 in order to attack a5.
23. ... Qe7 24. Nd2 Ra8 25. Nc4 c6 26. Rf3 Ra7 27. Qf2 Ne8 28. g5 f5. Or 28. ... fxg5 29. Rxf7 Qxf7 30. Qxf7+ Rxf7 31. Rxf7 Kxf7 32. Nxe5+ Ke6 33. Nxc6 followed by Nc6xa5 with an easy win for White.
29. exf5 Qxg5+ 30. Kh1 Ng7 31. fxg6 Rxf3 32. gxh7+ Kxh7 33. Qxf3 Re7 34. Nd6! Re6 35. Ne4 Qh6

36. Kh2! Bad would be 36. Nf6+ on account of 36. ... Rxf6 37. Qxf6 Qxh3+ etc.
36. ... Rg6 37. Nf6+ Kh8 38. Ng4 Qd2+ 39. Rf2 Qc1 40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Nf6+ Kh6 42. Qh8+ 1–0.