An Attacking Masterpiece Against An Uncastled King - Schmidt vs. Kuligowski, 1979
It is rare for two players that one has not heard of to play a masterpiece, but that is what happened in the game Schmidt vs. Kuligowski. This game, played in Poland in 1979, won the best game prize in the Informant issue of it's quarter. The victor, Kuligowski, was Polish champion in 1978 and became a grandmaster in 1980. Clearly a strong player, he ended up pursuing business instead of chess.
The game is a perfect illustration of the fact that chess is a race. White isn't hasty enough with castling, and Black finds a stunning means of trapping the king in the middle of the board and unleashing a devastating attack.
Lessons:
- Attacks on the uncastled king are all about time.
- Be sure you have a plan to get castled in the Nimzo-Indian.
- An exposed queen in the opening provides constant tempos and threats to the opponent.
My annotations are below. Practically, White's defensive task is humongous after the opening, but the engine points out an incredible save.
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I'm the Head of Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2015, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.
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