Learn from the best! Mikhail Botvinnik
A beautiful and instructive strategic game with the Stonewall Dutch by teenager Botvinnik
(Interactive board at the end of the post)
1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Nf3 d5
The Stonewall Dutch just as the King’s Indian Attack (KIA) resembles more of an opening system rather than a concrete variation where you have to remember long strings of moves. Here, instead of memorising moves, you have to understand where your pieces and pawns have to go and why. It is also essential to be familiar with the possible plans that arise in the set-up you use. In the Dutch Stonewall Black clamps the e4-square with the d5 and f5 pawns aiming to establish a knight there and in case of Nxe4 he will happily take back …fxe4 opening the f-file and hoping to create an attack on the kingside. The downside of this is that he abandons the e5-square intending to control it only with pieces.
7. O-O c6
The b7-c6-d5 pawn chain is a typical technique in oder to restrict the fianchetto bishop on g2.
8. Qc2 Qe8
Another standard move in the Dutch Stonewall. The black queen is heading to the kingside via the e8-square.
9. Bf4 Qh5
As a rule a player should never move the same piece twice in the opening losing valuable development tempi, however, this rule seems to apply more to openings where the centre of the board is quite fluid and unstable. Remarkably enough in the game, Black leaves his queenside totally undeveloped and transfers his queen to the kingside in order to launch a quick attack! White’s forces on the other hand are fully developed, even the rooks are connected already, yet, there is no way to "punish" Black’s lack of development for the simple reason that there is no central breakthrough. The closed/stable center allows the luxurity of mobilising only the necessary forces which are enough in order to launch an attack. In the game, Black’s developed forces (Qh5, Rf8, Nf6, Be7) are ready to launch the attack with the help of the -g- and -f- pawns. With 9…Qh5 Black is building the plan …Ne4 followed by …g7-g5, whilst after a possible exchange Nxe4 …fxe4 the white knight on f3 won’t be able to move to d2, because the e2-pawn falls.
10. Rad1 Nbd7
Before playing …Ne4 Black prepares to meet a possible Nxe4 …fxe4 Ne5 with …Nxe5.
11. b3 Ne4
12. Ne5
(12. Nxe4 fxe4 13. Ne5 Bg5 ((13...Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bd7)) 14. Nxd7 Rxf4 15. Ne5 Rf8 16. e3 Bf6 17. f4 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Bd7 leads to a typical Stonewall position with the f-file open.
12...Ng5
It is very likely that Botvinik was trying to provoke h2-h4 in order to soften White’s kingside and create weaknesses in case of a possible …f5-f4 later.
13. h4
There it is!
13...Ne4 14. Bf3 Qe8 15. Nxd7 Bxd7 16. Kg2?!
An unfortunate decision. It is most probable that White was aiming for some play on the kingside with Rh1 etc, but this is not the right plan. White doesn’t realise that the g2-square must remain available for the white bishop in order to play Bg2, f2-f3 and e2-e4 later, blowing up the center for his light-squared bishop.
The young Botvinik excellently sensed that White’s bishop on f3 stands a bit uncomfortably not having many squares available to move and exploits this element brilliantly; instead of completing development with a normal continuation like 16…Rac8, he starts concrete play based on the unfortunate position of White’s bishop on f3.
16...Bb4
Asking concrete questions your opponents is an excellent way of making them go wrong! Instead of playing the natural 16…Rac8, Botvinik is asking his opponent what is he going to do with his threatened knight on c3, thus giving him a chance to go wrong!
(16...Rc8 17. c5 b6 18. b4 Bf6 would had been equal more or less, but would had given absolutely no difficulties to White.)
17. Bxe4?
And White does indeed go wrong! Correct was 17. Na4 with the idea of transferring the knight to d3 via the b2-square. To be fair it does look like an odd manoeuvre, so maybe that was too deep for a player back in those years. It is also possible that White thought he was doing alright by getting rid of his light-squared bishop, since the position is rather closed and Black’s central pawns are on light squares blocking that bishop. However, White missed an important element; his light-squared bishop was defending the light squares on the kingside!
17...fxe4 18. Rh1
Intending h4-h5 in order to cover some light squares, but Black is faster.
18...Qh5!
From now on Black’s initiative unfolds smoothly as he creates threats with every move he does. "Attack ten times in a row and your opponent will do the mistake" Kasparov said. With 18…Qh5 it seems that Black is threatening 19…Bxc3 and 20…Qxe2, but actually the real threat is 19…Rxf4!
19. f3
(19. Rd2 Rxf4! 20. gxf4 Rf8 21. e3 e5! -+ The bishop on d7 joins the attack and White is lost.) (19. Rde1 Rxf4! 20. gxf4 Qg4+ 21. Kf1 Rf8 22. e3 e5 -+ Allowing the other bishop to join the attack is crushing.)
19...Qg6
With the double threat 20…exf3+ and 20…Rxf4.
20. Kf1
20...e5
Now the bishop on d7 comes into life and there is no white light-squared bishop to oppose it.(20...Rxf4 21. gxf4 Qg3 22. Rg1 Qh3+ 23. Rg2 exf3 24. exf3 Qxf3+ was actually winning already.)
21. dxe5?
(21. h5 would had force Black to work harder; 21...Qf5 22. dxe5 exf3 23. Qxf5 Bxf5 24. Rc1 fxe2+ 25. Nxe2 Rad8 with a technically winning position for Black.)
21...Rxf4! 22. gxf4 Qg3 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Rxd7 Bc5 25. e3 Qxf3+ 26. Qf2 Qxh1+
The game is essentially over. The rest is fair simple.
27. Ke2 Qh3 28. f5 Qg4+ 29. Kd2 Rf8 30. e6 Qxf5 31. Qxf5 Rxf5 32. Rxb7 Rf2+ 33. Ke1 Rf6 34. b4 Bxe3 35. Ke2 Bg1 36. e7 Kf7 37. e8=Q+ Kxe8 38. Rxg7 Rg6 39. Rxh7 Bd4 40. c5 Rg2+ 41. Kf1 Rf2+ 42. Ke1 e3 0-1
A very matured game from the young Botvinik. He posed a concrete question to his opponent and gave him the chance to go wrong.
