Allentown Center City
Chess Club

Amazing Chess Comebacks
By Eric C. Johnson

There is a long-established "myth" that games of master chess are smooth, polished affairs in which the strategical plans of each side unfold like a planned work of art. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I suppose one of the reasons why folks believe this kind of nonsense, however, is the enduring popularity of "Best Games of..." collections. Don't get me wrong -- plenty of strong players have played many, many fine games. And these games are worthy of being memorialized in books and game collections. But every once in a great while, it is a good thing to ground ourselves by examining the less-well-played games of strong and intermediate players. I think it would be a real hoot, for example, to see the "Worst Master Games of All Time" tried as a publishing idea, at least once! If it takes two players to cooperate to make a work of chess "art," then surely it takes two players to combine efforts to make an amazing escape or improbable comeback. In fact, this possibility of the amazing comeback is one area that serious chess (either at a professional or club level) shares with the physical sports. Everyone is familiar with disasters in professional football such as the "Miracle in the Meadowlands" or the "Immaculate Reception." And the Buffalo Bills' improbable playoff escape vs. the Houston Oilers after being down 32-3 at halftime will haunt football fans in Texas forever. I often tell beginning players that chess is UNLIKE the physical sports precisely because players cannot, by force of will or by trying harder, turn a bad position into a good one. If you stand worse in chess, you cannot simply grunt harder, run faster, hustle more and make up for lost ground. You cannot win from a bad position through your own efforts -- it takes mistakes by the opponent to let you off the hook. And we are not talking simple Queen-dropping blunders here. Or the major disaster than befell Chigorin in the following game: Chigorin - Steinitz: World Championship Match, 1892 King's Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Nh5 5. Be2 g6 6. d4 Bg7 7. 0-0 d6 8. Nc3 0-0 9. Ne1 dxe5 10. Bxh5 gxh5 11. dxe5 Qxd1 12. Nxd1 Nc6 13. Bxf4 Bf5 14. Ne3 Be4 15. Nf3 Rfe8 16. Ng5 Bg6 17. Nd5 Bxe5 18. Nxc7 Bxc7 19. Bxc7 Rac8 20. Bg3 Nd4 21. c3 Ne2+ 22. Kf2 h4 23. Bd6 Nd4 24. cxd4 Rc2+ 25. Kg1 Ree2 26. Rae1 Rxg2+ 27. Kh1 Kg7 28. Re8 f5 29. Ne6+ Kf6 30. Re7 Rge2 31. d5 Rcd2 Put yourself in Chigorin's shoes: he's about to convert his extra piece in this game, after which his match with Steinitz will be tied. Instead, he plays the most ill-considered move in world championship history. End of game. End of match. Yes, sports fans...Steinitz retained his title on the following whopper: 32. Bb4?? (oops, that Bishop had a job to do) Rxh2+ 0-1 Now THAT was a blunder of epic proportions. According to sources, Chigorin turned beet red as he played his final move. Wouldn't you? But anyone can drop a piece...or allow a mate. Stuff like that happens at chess clubs all the time. Those types of things don't count as "amazing" comebacks. To qualify as truly "amazing," the action has to be deeper, more unexpected, and even more shocking or unnerving to the opponent. Something akin to the following: Johnson (2100) - Davis, B. (1800) Allentown 2001 Sicilian Defense: 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. h3 Qb6 10. Nb3 d6 11. a4 Qc7 12. a5 b6 13. axb6 Qxb6 14. Be3 Qc7 15. f4 Nd7 16. Qf3 Rb8 17. Na4 Nb4 18. Nd4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Qf2 Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Bb7 22. c3 Nc5 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. b4 Nxa4 25. Rxa4 Rc8 26. Ra3 a5 27. Rxa5 Qxc3 28. Qxc3 Rxc3 29. Ra8+ Bf8 30. b5 g6 31. Kf2 Kg7 32. Rd1 Bc5 33. Kg2 Bxd4 34. Rxd4 Rxb5 35. Rd2 Rbb3 36. g4 Rg3+ 37. Kf2 Rbf3+ 38. Ke2 Rxf4 39. Rdd8 OK, so White is lost here. But earlier he was doing fine. After seeing-briefly-but-not-choosing my last real chance (30. f5!?), I was feeling rather dejected. My last move (39. Rdd8) was the only active play in the position, and it happens to contain a deadly threat. Do you see it? Black sure didn't, and after the "obvious" 39. ... Rxh3?? he found that not only wasn't he winning big any longer, but in fact he had to jettison a whole Rook after... 40. g5!! Black was surely kicking himself for not anticipating the danger by 39. ...h6!. The game continued: 40. ... Re4+ 41. Kd2 Rd4+ 42. Rxd4 h6 43. gxh6+ Rxh6 44. Ra7 g5 45. Ke3 Rh1 46. Kf2 Rh2+ 47. Kg3 Rh1 48. Kg2 Rh6 49. Rdd7 Rf6 50. Re7 Kg6 51. Kg3 Rf5 52. Reb7 Rf1 53. Ra6 Kf6 54. Rb5 Kg6 55. Raa5 f5 56. Kg2 Re1 57. Re5 Rxe5 58. Rxe5 Kf6 59. Ra5 e5 60. Ra6+ and White won after some additional moves. Not every amazing comeback involves turning a loss into a win. Sometimes, all that is needed is an "amazing escape" to the safe harbors of a draw: Johnson, E. (2100) -- Gwyn, J. (2200) Allentown 2000 French Defense: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 c4 7. Nbd2 a5 8. a4 f6 9. Be2 fxe5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Bc5 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. b3 cxb3 14. Nxb3 Be7 15. Nd4 Qc7 16. Nb5 Qxe5 17. g3 Nf6 18. Bf4 Qf5 19. Nc7+ Kf7 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Qb1 Qxb1 22. Rfxb1 23. Bb5 Ne4 24. Be5 Nd2 25. Re1 Nf3+ 26. Kg2 Nxe1+ 27. Rxe1 Bf6 28. f4 Bxe5 29. Rxe5 Kf6 30. Kf2 b6 31. g4 g6 32. g5+ Kf7 33. Ke3 Ra7 34. Kd4 Bd7 35. Bxd7 Rxd7 36. Re3 Rc7 37. Ke5 Rc4 38. Rh3 Re4+ 39. Kd6 Kg7 40. Kc6 Rxf4 41. Kxb6 42. Rxa4 Re3 43. Rf3 diagram forthcoming... This back-and-forth struggle has contained some moves that each side can be proud of (and some that each side can groan over). Things are certainly going Black's way, and he seems to think that he can win just by advancing the a-pawn. But he was in for a rude (and unanticipated) awakening after the hasty sequence: 43. ... a4 44. Kc6 a3 45. Kd6 a2?? 46. Ke7 diagram forthcoming... and the game was agreed drawn, due to the fact that there is no escape from endless Rook checks on the 7th and 8th ranks. diagram forthcoming... Here's an example where the losing side needs to take dramatic action to save his hide: M. Traldi (2300) - E. Johnson (2100) Allentown 1999 Sicilian Defense: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 7. Be2 a6 8. N5c3 Bg5 9. Nd2 Nge7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. b3 Nd4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. cxd5 Bd7 14. Re1 f5 15. Ba3 Bxd2 16. Qxd2 Rf6 17. Bb2 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 fxe4 19. Rxe4 Qb6 20. Rf1 Bb5 21. Rc1 Raf8 22. Re3 h6 23. Rc2 Bd7 24. Qe2 Bb5 25. Qe1 Rf4 26. Bc1 Qd4 27. Rg3 Rxf2 28. Rxf2 Rxf2 29. Be3 Re2 Black overlooked several earlier wins, but seemed on the verge of winning a piece after 29. .. Re2. White stayed calm and found the proper reply: 30. Rxg7+!! Kh8 31. Rg8+ Kh7 32. Rg7+ 1/2 -1/2 Things can look downright grim before an amazing comeback. Witness this excrutiating example: Johnson, E. (2200) - Kantor, A. (2150) m/8, New Windsor, 1995 Catalan 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 c5 6. 0-0 0-0 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nc3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nc6 10. Be3 Qa5 11. Qc2 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Bd7 13. Rab1 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Bc6 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Rb7 Bd6 17. Rfb1 Rfd8 18. c4 Bxg3 19. Qe4 Bd6 20. Qg4 Be5 21. Be3 Bf6 22. h4 Qxa2 23. h5 Qc2 24. h6 a5 25. hxg7 a4 26. Qf3 Qg6+ 27. Kh1 Ra5 Holding a big lead in the match (I had already clinched victory in the 10 game contest with 5 1/2 out of the first 7 games), White seemed poised for more good fortune after gaining a solid edge out of the opening (16. Rb7, etc.). All of those thoughts went up in smoke after the careless 18. c4?!, which allowed Black the chance to force a draw after 18. ... Bxg3 19. Bc3 Bxh2+! White then compounded his error by rejecting this line in favor of staying in a bad middlegame a pawn down. The end was near after Black started advancing his a-pawn (just as in one of the earlier examples). My opponent, however, became greedy and tried to end the game immediately through threats of mate on the h-file. He was undoubtedly rattled by the sequence: 28. c5 Rd5?? 29. Rb8+ Bd8 30. Qxd5!! exd5 31. Rxd8+ Kxg7 32. Rg1 a3 33. Bd4+ Kh6 34. Rxg6+ fxg6 35. Rc8 a2 36. Rxc6 a1=Q+ 37. Bxa1 Rxa1+ 38. Kg2 Rc1 39. Kf3 and White was content with a draw. Now THAT was a comeback! Don't get the idea that all comebacks are easy, however. You have to stay alert and grab your chance when it comes along. Don't let the following tragedy happen to you: Johnson, E. (2100) - Davis, B. (1800) Allentown, 2001 Sicilian Defense: 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. g3 e6 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qe2 b6 7. f4 a5 8. a4 Ba6 9. d3 Be7 10. Na3 0-0 11. Nh3 Rb8 12. 0-0 f6 13. exf6 Bxf6 14. Nc4 Bxc4 15. dxc4 Nc7 16. Nf2 d5 17. Ng4 Qe8 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. f5 exf5 20. Qxe8+ Rxe8 21. Bf4 Ne6 22. Bxd5 Ncd8 23. Bg5 Rg6 24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Rae1 Kf7 26. Rxf5+ Ke7 27. Rfe5 Rd6 28. Kg2 Kd7 29. Rf1 Nd8 30. Rf8 Ne6 31. Rf7+ Ke8 32. Rxe6+ Rdxe6 33. Bxe6 Rxe6 34. Rxg7 Re2+ 35. Kh3 Rxb2 36. Rxh7 Ra2 37. Rb7 Rxa4 38. Rxb6 Rxc4 39. Ra6 a4 40. g4 Rxc3+ 41. Kh4 Kf7 42. Rxa4 Rc1 43. Kg5 c4 44. h4 c3 45. h5 c2 46. Ra7+ Kf8 47. Rc7 Ke8 48. h6 Kf8 49. Kg6 Rg1 50. Rc8+ Ke7 51. g5 c1=Q 52. Rxc1 Rxc1 53. h7 Rh1 54. Kg7 Just at the moment when Black is about to stage his own amazing comeback (i.e., White had a large advantage through much of the game and 50. h7! was clearly winning, with the idea that if 50. ... Rxg4+ then 51. Kh5!), he makes a blunder of Kasparovian proportions: 54. ... Resigns??? As Tartakower once remarked, nobody ever won a game by resigning! Black can draw by the maneuver 54. ... Ke6 55. g6 Kf5!, keeping in touch with the backward g-pawn. His error was in letting the previous moves of the game affect his evaluation of the current position (i.e., White had been winning throughout the game, so Black was dejected and not open to his chance when it came along). Plus, this was a G/40 contest (played with time delay), and he was down to his last 14 seconds. So a word to the wise: keep alert in even the most lop-sided of positions. You never know when an amazing comeback will crop up. Just ask Chigorin!

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