A Fantastic Correspondence King Hunt! - Best of the 20s - Imbaud vs. Strumilo, 1922
There aren't very many chess masterpieces played bu unknown players, but today's game is such an example. Imbad, possessor of just two recorded games, unleashes a high-level opening trap against his opponent Strumilo in a correspondence game played in 1922.
9.Nxe5!! may look like a truly ancient and simply opening trap - a slight refinement on Legal's mate, but the mating patterns here are quite subtle. It's not easy to get at Black's king in the center, and despite being down a queen, White patiently develops his rooks and cuts off the king's escape squares, forcing checkmate 13 moves after sacrificing the queen.
One wonders how long Imbaud spent calculating all the lines and what his notes looked like.
Top 10 Games of the 1920s
- #1: ????
- #2: ????
- #3: ????
- #4: ????
- #5: ????
- #6: Imbaud vs. Strumilo, 1922
- #7: Reti vs. Lasker, 1924
- #8: Denker vs. Feit, 1929
- #9: Reti vs. Euwe, 1920
- #10: Torre vs. Banks, 1924
- See also: Top 10 of the 1930s, Top 10 of the 1940s, Top 10 of the 1950s, Top 10 of the 1960s, Top 10 of the 1970s, Top 10 of the 1980s, Top 10 of the 1990s, Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s
My annotations are below. Enjoy the game!
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