I came across the following game in one of my old chess books. Apparently it was played in 1924 between Saemisch and Herzog. I assume it was Fritz Saemisch who was white, given the quality of the attack. Oddly, it doesn't show up in my database, although it has been christened "Saemisch's Immortal" on at least one chess forum. I'm wondering under what circumstances the game was played as my initial source ("The Fireside Book of Chess" first published in 1949) called it an "unknown masterpiece" and claimed it was the first time the game had appeared in book form.
Saemisch - Herzog [B15]
Gablonz, 1924
1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nd7 5. Bd3 Be7 6. O-O dxe4 7. Nxe4 Ngf6 8. Qe2 Nxe4 9. Qxe4 Nf6 10. Qe2 O-O 11. c4 h6 12. Bd2 Re8 13. Bc3 b6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. Rae1 Bf8 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Qh3 Rad8 18. Re3 Re7 19. Rg3 Kh8 20. d5 exd5 21. Nd7 Rdxd7 22. Qxh6+ gxh6 23. Bxf6+ Bg7 24. Rxg7 Re4 25. Rg4+ Kh7 26. f3 h5 27. Rg7+ Kh6 28. fxe4 dxc4 29. Bb1 b5 30. e5 Rd3 31. e6 Qb6+ 32. Kh1 fxe6 33. Bxd3 cxd3 34. Rd7 c5 35. Bd8 Bxg2+ 36. Kg1 1-0
1 comment:
This is indeed an amazing attack, but isn't 22 Bxf6 objectively stronger? After 22 ... gf, 23 Qf5 wins; or 22 ... Qf4, 23 Rf3, and the queen can't both defend h6 and protect f5. I reckon if he'd taken on f6, Saemisch would have won long before move 36.
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