This Game has it All

Oldrich Duras (1882-1957), was one of the world's premier tournament players from 1905 until the start of the first World War. He was three-time Czech Champion (1905, 1909 and 1911) and tied for first in the German Championship of 1912. FIDE awarded him the Grandmaster title in 1950, when it was first introduced.

The following game is a classic; a course in winning chess tactics. Knight forks, pins and double attacks are rampant. To boot, the strategic concept of simultaneous attack and defense is exemplified. Duras dominates Spielmann beautifully by a well-directed attack. White's 23.Nxa5! initiates one of the finest combinations ever conceived in a chessboard. Austria, 1907, is the scene of play.