Time and Space

The following Nimzo-Indian Defense, played by two young and promising European stars, Rumanian GM Florin Gheorghiu (1944-), and pictured Soviet legend Leonid Stein (1934-1973), is a complex illustration of the dangers of a material bent, particulary before castling. The game is from the Mar del Plata tournament of 1965. With 7...exd5, Black lures White into "winning a piece" by a Pawn fork at the expense of time. White falls for the trap and is sharply punished, he is then willing to settle for a mere Pawn but it is too late. White has overextended his postion, which remains punctured on his g1-a7 diagonal. Argentine GM Miguel Najdorf won the event, Stein finished second.