One Of The Greatest Games Games Ever Played That Needs More Attention

This game was played in the 1943 Uruguayan Chess Championship.  The winner of this brilliancy, Luis Roux Cabral, "[W]on the Uruguayan Chess Championship twice, in 1948 and 1971, and played for Uruguay in the Chess Olympiads of 1939, 1964 and 1966" (Wikipedia, Luis Roux Cabral). The game includes several dazzling sacrifices by black, most of which Stockfish find surprisingly sound.  The game inspired me to adopt the Meran Variation as a main weapon against the Queen's Gambit.  Fred Reinfeld called it, "A game destined for immortality."  it surprises me that this game is not very well known.  I have never found it in any collection of "Greatest Sacrifices" or of that sort.  If the black player had been an attacking legend like Mikhail Tal, then it is very likely that this game's popularity would have taken off.    This is my favorite game of all time, and it is really pleasing to look through from start to finish.  

Nice play! Thanks for sharing.

why did white take the rook and not the queen? I know there is a reason I am not smart enough to figure it out lol (move 25)

 Great stuff, Ernst! Thanks for sharing this terrific game. I've been thinking of trying the Meran as a change away from my usual Grunfeld. This game has inspired me to look more at it.

I read that since finding this game you've adopted the Meran as your main weapon against the Queens Gambit. How have you found it to be in your own games on the whole? Are there any particular difficulties with it that stand out?

Horowitz wrote in his book "Chess Openings: Theory and Practice" the following:

"The 'Meran' derives its name from he international tournament staged at that resort in 1924. Here it was that the great Akiba Rubinstein unveiled his new conception to the world, startling his opponent and quickly wresting the upper hand from him.

"Ever since that game, analysts have delighted in attempts at refutation. In spite of prolonged analytical investigation, however, definite conclusions as to the value of the defense have yet to be reached. Just when all possibilities appear exhausted, new variations are uncovered, driving the analysts back into their studies.

"The Meran is a sharp defense; Black must be fully acquainted with all its intricacies before adopting it over the board."

There's an endorsement if ever there was one as far as I'm concerned! Anyone got Rubinstein's original game from Meran to post?

An unbelievable game!!

The disturbing thing is that white looks all right up to the very end. The sacrifices look presumptuous, over-risky... but black had it in the bag all along. 

A terrific game! Thanks for sharing. 

Cabral was playing with the black pieces