In 1925, the German-language edition of Aron Nimzowitsch’s “Mein System” hit the bookstores, laying out for the first time in comprehensive fashion the key principles of the newfangled hypermodern school of chess. English editions of “My System” quickly appeared in the U.S. and Britain within five years.
One hundred years later, the book — like its prickly, mercurial Latvian-born author — remains both relevant and divisive, with adherents and detractors still arguing the merits of Nimzowitschian concepts such as prophylaxis, over-protection and the correct way to attack and defend a pawn chain.
Still, there’s no denying the enduring influence “My System” has had on the game, or the prevalence of many key hypermodern insights in modern play. The late, great Armenian world champion, Tigran Petrosian, was an ardent champion of Nimzowitsch’s ideas and relied heavily on “My System” and “Chess Praxis” — a collection of more than 100 Nimzowitsch-annotated games illustrating his core principles in practice — to develop his own unique, highly successful style of play.
Turning to my well-thumbed 1972 Tartan Books edition, edited by Fred Reinfeld, one can see that some of the ideological and theoretical hysteria that greeted the author and his fellow hypermoderns has been somewhat overstated. “My System” has chapters on open files, passed pawns and the bishop pair that would have sparked no objection from “Classical” players dating back to Morphy and Steinitz.
Still in the heady early years of the 20th century, there was clearly a fierce clash between traditionalists and the young Turks over the best way to play the game, crystallized for many in the games Nimzowitsch played against German master and author Siegbert Tarrasch. Tarrasch, a brilliant player in his own right, played — and lost — a world title match to fellow German Emmanuel Lasker in 1908 and helped formulate and promote the “scientific” principles of play first formulated by Steinitz and others.
Nimzowitsch would hold a 5-2 lifetime edge in tournament play over Tarrasch, but also was 24 years younger than his famous ideological antagonist. One of their first meetings was at a strong double round-robin tournament in San Sebastian, Spain, in 1912. On the Black side of an Advance French Defense, Tarrasch gets strong pressure on White’s pawn center, but the counterpunching Nimzowitsch shows an early penchant for enduring temporary pain in pursuit of long-term positional advantage.
After 15. Nc3 Na6 (Nimzowitsch in “My System” noted that 15…Bxb5+ 16. Nxb5 Nc2? is bad because of 17. Rc1 Nfe3+ 18. fxe3 Nxe3+ 19. Ke2 Nxd1 20. Rxc8+ Kd7 21. Rxh8 Nxb2 22. Rc1, winning for White) 16. Kg2 Nc7 17. Be2 Bb4 18. Na2 Na6 19. Bd3 Ne7 20. Rc1 Nc6 21. Nxb4 Naxb4 22. Bb1, White has held off Black’s queenside pressure and preserved his cramping pawn chain in the center. With his bishops repositioned after 29. Bc1!, Nimzowitsch is ready take over the game.
Thus: 29…Nc6? (Tarrasch remains fixated on the White d-pawn, but the action is about to shift to the kingside; better was 29…e5 30. g5 Rf7 31. Bd3 Nf5, with chances for both sides) 30. g5 hxg5 31. Bxg5!? (even stronger was 31. Qh5+ Kd7 32. Qxg5 Qe7 33. Rd1, with a bind) Rf8 32. Be3 Qe7 33. Qg4, and now it was time for the beleaguered Black king to skedaddle with 33…Kd7! 34. Rc1 Kc7 35. Qg3+ Kb6 36. Rc5 Ka7, though White retains the initiative.
White’s strategy comes into full flower on 33…Qf6? 34. Rg1 Rh8 35. Kh1!, with paralyzing pressure on the g-file and a bishop pair that puts Black minor pieces to shame. It’s over on 35…Rh4 36. Qg3 Rxd4?! (“desperation,” Nimzowitsch writes, in the face of the threats of 37. Bg5 and 37. Qxg7) 37. Bxd4 Nxd4 38. Qxg7 Qf3+ 39. Qg2 Qxg2+ (throwing in the towel, but 39…Qf6 40. Qg8+ Qf8 41. Rg7 Qxg8 42. Rxg8+ Kd7 43. h4 is equally hopeless) 40. Rxg2 Nxb3 41. h4, and Tarrasch resigned as the White rook cuts his king off and the White h-pawn has a clear path to the queening square.
White’s determination at all cost to hold onto his central pawn chain “rings plausible today,” Nimzowitsch claimed of this game. “At the time it was played, it was nothing short of revolutionary.”
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Although his nerves and unsteady temperament kept him from ever competing for the world chess crown, Nimzowitsch’s unorthodox ideas appear to have flummoxed many of his peers and leading rivals.
That can be seen most famously in his famous “Immortal Zugzwang” against strong German master Friedrich Saemisch at the 1923 Copenhagen tournament, Nimzowitsch’s first great tournament win after the break in international play brought on by World War I.
Nimzowitsch in “My System” criticizes White’s decision in the Closed Catalan (a favorite, center-ceding hypermodern opening) to voluntarily trade off his knight on e5 and for wasting too many tempi as Black seizes space on both wings.
White’s cramped game is already gasping for air when Black offers an unexpected piece sacrifice: 20. e4 fxe4! (based on the “following sober calculation,” according to the author — “two pawns and the seventh rank and an enemy’s queen’s wing that cannot be entangled — all this for only one piece!”) 21. Qxh5 Rxf2 22. Qg5 Raf8 23. Kh1 R8f5 24. Qe3 Bd3!, not only taking away the c2 square for the rook, but boxing in the White queen and threatening 25…Re2.
Saemisch stops that threat but lands in one of the most famous final positions ever: 25. Rce1 h6!!, a tableau that deserves to be today’s diagram. White is lost, despite his material advantage and the fact that he has nearly his whole army intact. Every plausible White move leads to disaster: 26. Rc1 Re2; 26. Bf1 Bxf1; 26. Bc1 Bxb1; 26. g4 R5f3! 27. Bxf3 Rh2 mate; and 27. Kh2 R5f3, again winning the queen.
After just 25 moves, a world-class master finds himself in near-total zugzwang. Nimzowitsch wrote: “Black can now make waiting moves with his king and White must, willy-nilly, throw himself upon the sword. So — 26. Resigns.”
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Nimzowitsch-Tarrasch, San Sebastian, Spain, February 1912
1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. d4 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. Be2 Nge7 9. b3 Nf5 10. Bb2 Bb4+ 11. Kf1 Be7 12. g3 a5 13. a4 Rc8 14. Bb5 Nb4 15. Nc3 Na6 16. Kg2 Nc7 17. Be2 Bb4 18. Na2 Na6 19. Bd3 Ne7 20. Rc1 Nc6 21. Nxb4 Naxb4 22. Bb1 h6 23. g4 Ne7 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Ne1 Rf8 26. Nd3 f6 27. Nxb4 Qxb4 28. exf6 Rxf6 29. Bc1 Nc6 30. g5 hxg5 31. Bxg5 Rf8 32. Be3 Qe7 33. Qg4 Qf6 34. Rg1 Rh8 35. Kh1 Rh4 36. Qg3 Rxd4 37. Bxd4 Nxd4 38. Qxg7 Qf3+ 39. Qg2 Qxg2+ 40. Rxg2 Nxb3 41. h4 Black resigns.
Saemisch-Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen, March 1923
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. Ne5 c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bf4 a6 11. Rc1 b5 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. h3 Qd7 15. Kh2 Nh5 16. Bd2 f5 17. Qd1 b4 18. Nb1 Bb5 19. Rg1 Bd6 20. e4 fxe4 21. Qxh5 Rxf2 22. Qg5 Raf8 23. Kh1 R8f5 24. Qe3 Bd3 25. Rce1 h6 White resigns.
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