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C11 French (Classical - Burn)

French Defense: Classical. Delayed Exchange Variation

Aron Nimzowitsch vs Semion Alapin, 1914

1-0, 19 moves ("Mate àla Pin")

[Event "casual game"]
[Site "St. Petersburg"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Aron Nimzowitsch"]
[Black "Semion Alapin"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "35"]
1. e4 {Notes by Nimzowitsch except where noted.} e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5 Nxd5 {Surrender of the center} 5. Nf3 c5 {To "kill" the Pawn. "Restraint" might have been effected by, say ...Be7, ...O-O, ...b6, ...Bb7.} 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 7. Be3 {It was to be able to make this move, which combines development and attack (the threat is dxc5 winning a Pawn), that White exchanged Knights.} cxd4 {Disappearance of tempo spells loss of time.} 8. Nxd4 a6 9. Be2 Qxg2 {Stealing a Pawn. The consequences are grievous.} 10. Bf3 Qg6 11. Qd2 e5 {The crisis. Black means to be rid of the unpleasant Knight, so that he may in some measure catch up in development. [White must have paid him a fee to play this. -- C H O'D Alexander]
} 12. O-O-O {!} exd4 13. Bxd4 {White's advantage in development is now too great.} Nc6 14. Bf6 {! Travels by express. Any other Bishop move could have been answered by a development move, whereas now there is no time for this; Black must take.} Qxf6 15. Rhe1+ {Play in the King and Queen files at the same time. The danger of a breakthrough is great.} Be7 {or 15...Be6 16.Qd7 mate!} 16. Bxc6+ Kf8 {or 16...bxc6 17.Qd8 mate.} 17. Qd8+ {!} Bxd8 18. Re8# 1-0

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