Attacking GeniusPart I
Grandmaster Gennady Kuzmin passed away last week in his native Ukraine at age 74. Long since retired as an active player, Kuzmin had since become a world famous trainer. Amongst his best known students count Maia Chiburdanidze, Andrei Sokolov, Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Areshchenko and Katarina Lahno, all of them world championship quality grandmasters.
Tal, Ribli (with his back to the camera) and Kuzmin at the 1974 Olympiad in Nice. Kuzmin scored a fantastic +10, winning an individual Bronze medal, and also sharing the Gold medal for being part of the winning Soviet team.
Listing all of this hugely talented player’s tournament achievements would take much time and space. Amongst his many victims include world champions Tal, Petrosian and Smyslov.
I limit myself to noting that Kuzmin prematurely reached his peak in his mid-20s and by sometime around 30 years old was already getting worse results. For this reason he was soon eclipsed by the generation of talented players born in the early to mid 1950’s. Today few young players outside of the Ukraine have even heard of his name or know that he was once considered a future world champion.
Gennady Kuzmin’s forte as a player was an uncanny ability to grasp the initiative early on in the game, reminiscent of the great Alexander Alekhine.
Kuzmin quickly became one of the most feared attackers of his time, and his collection of best games includes some of the most inspiring examples of attack in modern chess.
I think that any up and coming player would find it hugely beneficial to his development to play over Kuzmin’s games.
A couple of impressive victories
gm Kuzmin,G – gm Averbakh,Y Moscow 1974 (1-0)
{<strong style="color:black;">This game is especially impressive given the fact that Averbakh is one of the strongest exponents of the Spanish Opening from the Black side. Kuzmin’s logical and forceful play give the impression that the opening is almost forced loss! </strong> }
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2{[#]} Nc6 13.d5 Na5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The most popular line today. However, Rubinstein’s favourite Nd8 is still a perfectly playable alternative.</strong>}
14.b3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">According to Geller, this is the strongest line for White. I am not sure, but I leave the debate to the theoreticians.</strong>} Bd7 15.Nf1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rfb8$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This turns out to be a serious tempo loss, given the game continuation.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Black should first regroup with </strong> } 15...Nb7 {<strong style="color:black;">readying the unhindered advance of his Queenside pawns </strong> } 16.Ng3 g6 17.Nh2 c4! 18.b4 a5!{<strong style="color:black;">and Black gets adequate counterplay on the Queenside to balance White’s Kingside chances </strong> }
19.a3 axb4 20.cxb4 Ne8 21.Ng4 Ng7 22.f4 exf4 23.Bxf4 Bxg4 24.Qxg4
Bf6 {<strong style="color:black;">Smirin, Ilia – Ehlvest Jaan , Pinsk 1986 Ch URS (1/2 final)</strong> } )
16.Bd2 g6 17.Ng3 Nb7 18.Nh2{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Logical and strong. Opening up the f-file will give White’s pieces more possibilities to attack the Black King</strong>} Be8
({<strong style="color:black;">Last chance to stay in the game is </strong> } 18...Ne8 19.f4 Bf6 {<strong style="color:black;">trying to keep some coordination of Black’s pieces over e5 </strong> })
19.f4!
exf4 20.Bxf4 Nd7 21.Ng4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Yet more pressure building over Black’s King.</strong>} Ne5 22.Rf1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Kh8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">As we shall soon witness, this does nothing to stop White</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Probably Black would also lose after the immediate </strong> } 22...f6 {<strong style="color:black;">but he could have resisted longer </strong> } )
23.Qd2!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Connecting Rooks and eyeing infiltration of the Queen via h6</strong>} Nxg4
({<strong style="color:black;">One brilliant way to lose is </strong> } 23...f6 24.Bxe5! fxe5 25.Qh6! Kg8 26.Rf8+$3{<strong style="color:black;">winning immediately </strong> } )
24.hxg4 f6 25.Bh6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Tightening the noose around Black’s neck</strong>}
Nd8{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Hoping to bring in reinforcements, but it is too late for such things.</strong>} 26.g5! fxg5 27.c4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The coming check along the a1 – h8 diagonal will be decisive. Here Black resigned. A likely continuation wuld be </strong>} Nf7
( {<strong style="color:black;">Or if </strong> } 27...b4 28.Bd3{<strong style="color:black;">followed by a check on b2 </strong> } )
28.Rxf7! Bxf7 29.Qc3+{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 1-0
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gm Kuzmin,G – gm Groszpeter,A Kusadasi 1990 (1-0)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3
Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Kh1 b5 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.Qxd5{[#]} Ra7 12.Be3 Be6 13.Qd1
Rd7 14.a4 b4 15.f4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Something has gone wrong with Black’s opening and now Kuzmin increases the pressure.</strong>} Qc7 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Not pretty, but it is already hard to find a good move</strong>}
( 15...d5 16.Nc5 {!} Bxc5 17.Bxc5
dxe4 18.Qe1 Re8 19.f5 Bd5 20.f6 {!} $16)
16.f5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Forcing Black’s hand</strong>} Bc4
({<strong style="color:black;">The alternative</strong> } 16...Bxb3 17.cxb3 $16{<strong style="color:black;">would not solve Black’s problems either. White would place his Bishop on the c4-c7 diagonal and shift his heavy pieces to the Kingside. I doubt Black could resist very long. </strong> } )
17.Bxc4 Qxc4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 18.f6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Typical Kuzmin! He never misses a shot. Now the Black Kingside is ripped open and his King becomes a target.</strong>} Bxf6
( 18...gxf6 19.Nd2 {!} Qe6 20.Rf5 $40 ) 19.Rxf6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} gxf6 20.Qg4+
Kh8 21.Qh4 Qe6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black is doing his best to keep things together</strong>} 22.Nd4$3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Brilliant. This move really deserves a diagram! Capturing the Bishop would soon oblige Black to give up his Queen to avoid an immediate mate.</strong>} Qe7 23.Nf5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The dream square for any hot blooded Knight!</strong>} Qe6 24.Rf1 d5 25.Ng7$3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">This Knight deserves a special prize for really annoying Black!</strong>}
Qe7
( {<strong style="color:black;">There is no good move. Losing quickly would be </strong> }25...Kxg7 26.Bh6+ Kh8 27.Bxf8 Rd8 28.Qh6 Qg4 29.Qxf6+ Kg8
30.Qxf7+! Kh8 31.Qf6+ Kg8 32.Bh6{<strong style="color:black;">And mate follows </strong> } )
26.Bc5$3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Deflecting the Black Queen and bringing the game to the final curtain…</strong>} Qxc5 27.Nh5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rd6 28.Nxf6 Rxf6 29.Qxf6+
Kg8 30.Rf3 Rc8 31.Qxf7+ Kh8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}32.Qf6+ Kg8 33.Rg3# {[#] <strong style="color:red;">A truly magnificent attacking game.</strong>} 1-0
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gm Kuzmin,G – gm Andersson,U Croatia 1975 (1-0)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O e6 6.c3 Nf6 7.Qe2{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This is one of the few games of Kuzmin against the Sicilian where he does not need to make a sacrifice!</strong>}
Nc6 8.Rd1 Be7 9.d4 cxd4 10.cxd4 d5 11.e5 Ne4 12.Ne1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Smoking out the well entrenched Black Knight</strong>} f6 13.f3
Ng5 14.Nc3 Nf7 15.f4 f5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Andersson plays safe and closes the game down, normally a good policy against an attacking player.</strong>} 16.Be3 O-O 17.Nd3 b6 18.Rac1 Rac8 19.Kh1!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Kuzmin has developed his pieces and now decides to play on the Kingside</strong>}
Na5 20.Rg1!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Kh8 (21...Nh6 21.h3) 21.g4 Nd8 (21...Nh6 22.g5 Nf7 23.g6!$16) 22.Qg2{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The threats begin!</strong>} g6 23.Qh3 Nc4 24.gxf5 gxf5 25.Qg3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black is lost because White can continue to improve his position and make threats at the same time</strong>}
Bh4 26.Qxh4 Nxe3 27.Rg3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nc4 28.Rcg1 Nc6 29.Qh6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rf7 30.Nb5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Here Black resigned. A bit premature, but nothing can stop Nd6 (forcing an exchange) and then placing the other Knight on e5. A likely continuation would see: </strong>} a6
31.Nd6 Nxd6 32.exd6 Rcf8 33.Rg6 Re8 34.Ne5 Nxe5 35.fxe5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">And Black is completely helpless </strong>} 1-0
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