Frank James Marshall

[FEN "8/1b3pkp/p7/1p3N2/1P4P1/P1R2P1p/r2r4/2R3K1 b - - 0 35"]
35... Kf6 {That is Capa avoiding the first trick.} 36. Nh4 Kg5 37. Nf5 Rg2+ 38. Kf1 h2 39. f4+ {Capa played 39...Kxf4. Marshall was hoping for...} 39... Kf6 40. Rc6+ Bxc6 41. Rxc6

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 {A defence which was at the time quite a novelty. I therefore determined to play safe, responding with a sound move, which, to be sure, leaves Black with a perfectly good game. (FM)}3. e3 exd4 4. exd4 {White is willing to accept an IQP. The weakness is countered by the mobility of the White pieces.} 4... d5 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 O-O 8. Be2 dxc4 9. Nxc4 Nc6 10. O-O Bg4 11. Nce5 Bxf3 12. Nxf3 Qd5 {Black gangs up on the IQP.} 13. Qa4 Rad8 14. Rac1 {In such situations I have always gone for an energetic counter-stroke rather than for a laborious defensive move such as a 14.Rfe1. (FM)} 14... Nxd4 {White is happy to swap his IQP for the c7 pawn.} 15. Nxd4 Qxd4 16. Qxd4 Rxd4 17. Rxc7 Rd2 {Under normal circumstances both players would perhaps be considering ½-½ here. But Marshall sees that the Bishop and the f7 square can stir things up.} 18. Bc4 {Your Marshall trap (every game has one!) See it in action in the next game.} 18... Ne8 {Sharp spots the trick and this move was to ensure the draw. If now 19.Rxb7 Nd6 forcing the exchange of Knight for Bishop and then Rxb7.} 19. Re7 {'Playing for the win.' (FM)} 19... Nd6 20. Bb3 Rd8 21. Rc1 Rxb2 22. h3 {It's always advisable to give luft in the type of positions but I think this move is a tad slack and I like 22 g3. You will see why in a moment.} 22... h6 23. Rcc7 Rf8 24. Rcd7 Nf5 25. Rxf7 Rxf7 26. Bxf7+ Kf8 27. Bg6 {If there was a pawn on g3 instead of h3 that Knight would now be lost. 27...Ne7 28.Rd8 mate.} 27... Nh4 28. Be4 {Threatening g3.} 28... g6 29. Rxb7 Rxa2 30. g3 Nf5 31. Bxf5 gxf5 32. Rb5 a5 33. Rxf5+ Kg7 34. Kg2 a4 35. Ra5 a3 {The a-pawn looks nasty but it can be stopped. White advances his pawns to 4th rank and plays his Rook to a6. White then advances his pawns to 5th rank and forces the Black King to the 8th rank with a check. The pawns then advance from the 5th to the 6th rank.(FM)} 36. g4 Ra1 37. h4 a2 38. f4 Kf7 39. Ra6 Kg7 {White must never move his King to f3,g3 or h3 else Black will check and play a1=Q.} 40. g5 hxg5 41. hxg5 Kf7 42. f5 {Black resigned here. It ends something like this as mentioned in Marshall's note after move 35. This is technique, known knowledge, You can take White here against anyone in the world and win.} 42... Kg7 43. Ra7+ Kg8 44. g6 Rc1 {Black has to do something before White plays f6 and Ra8 mate.} 45. Rxa2 Rc5 46. Ra8+ Kg7 47. Ra7+ Kg8 48. Rf7 Rc3 {To try and keep the White King out.} 49. f6 {Setting up the mate again.} 49... Rc6 {The Black Rook cannot leave the 6th Rank. He has to stay on the f-pawn to stop the mate.} 50. Kg3 Rd6 51. Kg4 Rb6 52. Kg5 Rc6 53. Kh6 Rd6 54. Ra7 Rxf6 55. Ra8+ Rf8 56. Rxf8+ Kxf8 57. Kh7 {Is just one way to win that position after Black resigned.}

[FEN "5rk1/ppR2ppp/5n2/8/2B5/8/PP1r1PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 1"]

1... Rxb2 2. Bb3 {And if Black thinks he can hold the b7 pawn tactically and perhaps nick the a2 pawn.} 2... a5 3. Rxb7 a4 {Looks good, expecting 4.Bd5 Rc7 winning the a2 pawn. But....} 4. Bxf7+ {Wins the b2 Rook. Marshall's games have wee stunts like throughout his games.}

[FEN "6k1/pR4bp/2p3p1/3p4/3P4/2P4K/PPB2r2/8 w - - 0 28"]

28. Bb3 {White sets up the trick.} 28... Rxb2 {Black walks into it. And now with Bxd5+ White would have won the b2 Rook. Instead...} 29. Rxa7 {He missed it and went on to lose this game.}

[FEN "6k1/1R5p/6p1/3pp3/8/1B6/PP1r1PPP/5K2 w - - 0 29"]

29. a4 {White sets up the trick.} 29... Rxb2 {Black walks into it.} 30. Bxd5+ {This time White spots it. 1-0.}

[FEN "r5k1/1R3p1p/p4p2/7b/8/1B6/PP1r1PPP/R5K1 w - - 0 20"]

20. g4 {This is good. White chases the Bishop to g6 so White cannot defend the b2 pawn with Rb1. In Black's mind the b2 pawn is already gone.} 20... Bg6 21. Rd1 {White sets up the trick.} 21... Rxb2 {Black walks into it.} 22. Bxf7+ {Gotcha! 1-0.}

[FEN "8/5Rpk/pp5p/2p1p1b1/4P3/1BP2P2/Pr4PP/5K2 w - - 0 28"]

28. Rb7 {White has seen it.} 28... Be3 29. Rxb6 {And sets up the trick.} 29... c4 {Unfortunately Black saw it about two moves before White did. 0-1.}

1. e3 {It's move. If 1...d5 you can play 2.Nf3 and head for a Nimzo Indian in reverse a tempo up.} 1... e5 2. Bc4 {Hmmm.....} 2... d5 3. Bb5+ c6 4. Be2 {well if the idea was to tempt my pawns forward then it worked.} 4... Nf6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. d4 e4 7. Nfd2 {We now have an Advanced French in reverse.} 7... O-O 8. c4 Re8 9. Nc3 Nbd7 {Not too sure what to do with my extra move. He's not going to 0-0-0 so I swing my bits over to the King-side and see what happens.} 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. a3 Nf8 12. Nb5 Bb8 13. g3 Bh3 14. Bf1 Qd7 15. Qe2 {White was moving once a day. By now a lot of my other games had finished, I was down to two or three games so hopefully I could put some descent moves together for the finale.} 15... Bg4 16. f3 exf3 17. Nxf3 {My eyes are on the backward e-pawn and the pinned d-pawn.} 17... a6 {Pushes back the Knight to unprotect the d-pawn and set up a trick.} 18. Nc3 Ne6 {I actually have ALL my piece in play now. Yes even that Rook on a8 is playing it's part. Watch.} 19. Bg2 Nxd4 {Looking good.} 20. Qf2 Nxf3+ 21. Bxf3 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 d4 23. Nd1 dxe3 24. Nxe3 Ng4 {Remember what I was saying about the a8 Rook. Can you see the part it is about to play?} 25. O-O Nxe3 26. Bxe3 Rxe3 {There it is. If 27.Qxe3 Ba7 wins the Queen. The a8 Rook is holding the Bishop.} 27. Qg2 Ba7 28. Kh1 Rae8 29. Rad1 {A piece and two pawns up. Queens off and close it down.} 29... Qxd1 30. Rxd1 Re1+ 31. Qf1 {Forced.} 31... Rxf1+ 32. Rxf1 Re2 33. Rb1 {Now is the time for luft. Not just any move, I learned that from the Marshall game.} 33... g5 {Aggressive Luft.} 34. b3 g4 35. b4 b5 36. Rb3 {Maybe my opponent saw the finish and wanted to end it all, maybe he missed it. Now you see why I pushed g7-g5-g4.} 36... Re1+ 37. Kg2 Rg1 {Mate.}

[FEN "5r1k/pp5p/2p3p1/2b5/4RrPq/1B1P4/PPP1RPQ1/6K1 w - - 0 29"]

29. d4 {A trappy pawn sac. The idea becomes clearer in a move or two.} 29... Bxd4 30. Rxf4 Rxf4 {The Bishop was lured to d4 to weaken the back rank. If the Bishop was on c5 then White would have two piece covering f8 and could interpose a piece on f8 if Re8+.} 31. g5 {Given a ! by Marshall. A Clever move that deserved a better fate (FM). You can now see the coincidence. If Black wins the White Queen....} 31... Rg4 32. Re8+ {....he losses his King.} 32... Kg7 33. Rg8 {And you have the mating pattern I had in my game with borntodestroy. Looks like I learned more than I know from that Marshall book. Marshall spotted the trap, played h6 instead of Rg4 and won.}