Шах, рат и једна младост у цвету Chess, War and a Youth in...

Шах, рат и једна младост у цвету –

Chess, War and a Youth in Bloom

Vuk Uskoković

“Шах враћа душу у стање равнотеже:

Chess equilibrates the soul”

Nikola Tesla

Every piece of Nature hides a metaphor meaningful for our lives. Keen eyes thus look at

the tiniest, oftentimes seemingly meaningless natural details and find in them reasons for endless

amusement. These chess games have the same purpose: to present small but miraculous

metaphors that may guide you, me or anyone else willing to devote attention to them down the

avenues and alleyways of our lives. Selected chess games I played starting in 1991 are compiled

here chronologically, presenting secret routes to such epistemic treasures and, eventually,

immortality.

Most games I played between May 1991 and November 1992, exactly 358 of them, I

wrote down in one of four different notebooks. The first notebook also contains 2 games played

in March 1991, while the fourth and the final notebook contains 4 games played in 1993, 1

played in the early morning hours of December 30, 1996, and 3 played in 1997. The appendix to

this collection further contains about a dozen selected, mostly rapid games played between 2008

and 2018. The games dating between 1991 and 1993, comprising the bulk of this collection, were

played against 12 different human opponents, including one FIDE Master (FM), one FIDE

Candidate Master (CM), one FIDE Class A player, one FIDE Class C player and a number of

unranked, but solid chess amateurs. The games were also played against 6 different computer

opponents on Commodore 64 and Amiga hardware platforms, specifically Colossus Chess 4.0,

Grandmaster Chess, Mephisto Mini Chess, Chessmaster 2100 (Elo 2100), Sargon III and Chess

System in the order of their appearance. It should be noted that those were the years when games

between solid human chess players and computers at home could be equal and exciting, rather

than merely instructive. In the preceding years, humans tended to beat computer programs on

similar platforms with ease, while in the years that followed, the best computers simply stopped

losing to human opponents. Still, the chess programs I used for the training games annotated here

were some of the most challenging to a human player. It was before the days of personal

computers, before Fritz - which began to be developed in 1991 and whose first, albeit

rudimentary version was released in the same year - became a popular chess software, before

Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1996 and, finally, before the current days of Google

Alpha Zero, Leela and Stockfish, when making a classical combination appealing to the aesthetic

senses in a game against a computer is virtually impossible because of the superior strengths of

these programs. Some of this chess software available on home computers at the time was

relatively weak, such as Grandmaster Chess or Mephisto, but some of it, such as Colossus or

Chessmaster, was solid and playable for chess players in low 2000s on the Elo scale, which is

where I belonged at the time. So unaccustomed I was - like the first generation of professional

chess players challenged by chess engines in general – to playing a chess game directly on the

computer screen that each move made by the computer I would draw on a wooden chess set

before studying the position, drawing a move on the board and only then repeating it on the

screen.

As I said, the bulk of the games presented in this compilation originate from the four

notebooks containing annotated games dated mostly between May 1991 and November 1992.

Given the relatively short time span in which they were played, they also illustrate my rapid

evolution from a park bench “patzer” to a semiprofessional player. If one follows closely the

quality of my play in these games, one might realize a rapid improvement happening sometime

during the summer of 1991. Per this collection, it is as if the last game played against Jova

Zidverc, a 50 year old chess amateur, involving my sacrifice of two rooks, two bishops and a

knight to win the game, served as a catalyst and the game against Tomislav Jokić, an FM, which

took place only a week or so later, in August 1991, appears as if it was played by a different,

more mature person, who played far more precisely than its earlier self. Evolution in the

biological world is known to proceed via alternation of slow, almost plateauing phases and

phases where transitions are steep and rapid, almost as during crystallization from a

supersaturated solution, and one such sudden phase transition must have occurred in my head

sometime in the summer of 1991. It was in Kumbor, on the Montenegrin seaside, in a resort that

was just a few months earlier, in the summer of 2018, the year in which this compilation is being

made, demolished and my father, I and my two brothers expelled from it ruthlessly. It was built

in the early 1960s by my maternal grandmother with the Church’s permission on the Church land

and then rebuilt from scratch in 2006 by my parents, using 4-5 annual salaries of each in the

process. Only twelve years later, in exchange for annual bonuses, the Church gave the land for

use to a local profiteer, who ordered immediate depopulation and demolishment, not giving out

even in a dime as compensation for the losses. Insisting that the bulldozers of the uncaring

tycoons, who aspired to turn this harbor of dreams into a profitable venture, run over the house in

a fully inhabitable, furnished state, my father took three things before he handed the key to the

demolishers: my Mom’s summer dresses, the books and my grandfather’s chess set, intact since

the early 1960s except for a chipped white knight’s head.

In 1991, I remember, Kumbor was still an idyllic place, even though just over the Orjen

mountains overlooking the coast, the Yugoslav war was beginning to brew. By the time we

returned to Belgrade in late August 1991, the conflict was sparked and over the next year, which

is when my growth as a chess player documented here occurred, it grew into a menacing flame,

threatening to swallow us all. What was still in 1991 a prosperous country, developing in peace

and brotherhood of all ethnicities, became a grim place brimming with hatred and fear, as tens of

thousands of young people were sent to war against their will and my hiding my older brother,

21-year old at the time, in the closet whenever the police knocked on our door and searched for

him with a warrant for the draft, was a daily occurrence. By late 1992, my parents’ monthly

income dropped to a couple of dollars, the monthly inflation skyrocketed to one million percent,

the international sanctions kicked in, the war and organized crime erupted as well as the brain

drain rates, and poverty became striking. Most stores were selling three items only – flour, oil

and sugar – and my Mom, I remember, was in the 5 a.m. line in front of them to get these three

items when the store opens an hour or so later. Bananas and oranges – one, not a few - we ate

only when one of us, the boys, got the flu and that was once or twice during the winter.

Starvation was on every corner, yet none of these things I let distract me from the chess board

with which I fell in love at the time. Chess was my savior and I played it obsessively, around the

clock for a year or so, letting all other things, friends, sympathies and physical sports, but also

daily politics and images of burned towns and carcasses on the TV screen, disappear in the

shadow of obscurity.

My being distracted in these ruminations and hopping from one topic to another is

inevitable, mainly because of being perpetually in love with tangents and sideway signs more

than with the main roads and avenues, but let me get back to the bibliographic details of this

collection once again and repeat the following for the third time: most of the games in this

collection were played in 19 months between May 1991 and November 1992. Selected games

dated from 2008 or later were written down separately and added to this list as an appendix.

Selection made in December 2018 and January 2019 between the 368 games found in the four

original notebooks was based on traditional criteria of what is considered aesthetic in chess, i.e.,

attractive tactical combinations, material sacrifices, instructive positional concepts, the breaking

of the standard positional rules, sophisticatedly technical conversion of minimal material or

positional advantages to a victory, et cetera. Games decided by blunders or gross inaccuracies

were left out unless this unaesthetic flaw of theirs was outweighed by some obvious aesthetic

elements. All the games are given in the PGN annotation form and could be pasted into any

computer analysis software after erasing the notes within the brackets. Each game in the original

notebooks contained an analysis and a commentary, only a handful of which are given here.

Finally, the astrologists and the mystics may be amused by a strange curiosity: the work on this

collection, which took place in December 2018 and January 2019, coincidentally ended around

midnight on the eve of January 20, 2019, under an eclipsed Moon in the Woodbridge

neighborhood of Irvine, California.

A few words should be said about the evolution of my chess playing style. Chess as a

game is the closest one to the Glass Bead Game, a game that is halfway between science and art,

as envisaged by Hermann Hesse. Achieving this balance between science and art has been my

lifelong aim as a scientist and academician, to which end I infused my scientific endeavors with

artistic elements on every possible occasion. In search of the inspiration for it, I usually needed

to look no farther than the biological and cognitive makeup of myself, being a genetic blend of

my father’s analytical skills, albeit deprived of any interest for arts, and my mom’s lyrical nature,

always putting poetry before prose and seeking soul in things on the account of neglecting their

practical nature. As it can be seen from the chronology of chess games annotated below, my

playing style evolved toward a similar middle ground between the defensive, cautious,

Capablanca-like style that preferred simplicity and quiet positions and that typified my mother,

Jasmina, and the fierce, bold, tactical, complicative, Tal-like style adopted by my father, Dragan.

One such balance between positional and combinatorial play, strategy and tactics, is the greatest

one to stand on in the kingdom of this majestic game.

Still, torn between strategy and tactics, I have always leaned onto the former. In other

words, I have been a more proficient strategist than tactician. It has gone hand-in-hand with my

being an excellent synthesizer of new knowledge rather than mere dissector of it – a holist,

always with an eye on the whole, rather than a reductionist. Closed positions minimize the

tactical possibilities, along with cheap tricks that I always abhorred and considered unethical to

seek even in games against complete amateurs, and I preferred those positions over the open

ones. For this reason, 1. d4 and 1…c5 have been my two regular opening moves as white and

black, respectively, for decades now. Closed positions also suited my dreaminess on the

chessboard, like that of David Bronstein, the chess player whom, politically and aesthetically, I

have found myself to have a lot in common with. Bronstein, as a reminder, as the story goes, was

known to have found a greater satisfaction in dreaming through imaginary positions abstracted in

his head during the game more than searching for a practical move that would win the game. In

open positions, my dreaminess could not be unleashed as freely because of the extraordinary

number of calculations that needed to be performed in the head, and yet I knew that it was only

in such positions that immortally beautiful combinations could be made. For the very same

reason, I have almost strictly played regular, 2.5 h per 40 move games and for a long time I

refused to play any games shorter than 100 min per player, including rapids and blitzes, let alone

bullets, which I still consider to be an insult for chess. Still, most games presented in this

collection that were played against my father were 10 – 20 min per player rapids, explaining for

the greater number of errors in them compared to those played against professional players (FM

and CM), which were played under the standard time control regimens at the time (100 min - 2.5

h per player), with the exception that no time would be added after the 40th move. Many of the

games that exceeded 40 moves, including those played against Miša Čanak, were adjourned at

that point and continued the following day with the same time regimen that applied to the first 40

moves.

Regarding this style of mine, it should also be added that I learned from all thirteen world

champions at the time, i.e., by the early 1990s, but my greatest inspirations were, in the

following order, Alexander Alekhine, Bobby Fischer and Miša Tal. From Alekhine I learned

how to exhibit positional wizardry in the midgame, the segment of the game that I became most

comfortable with and imaginative in. Whereas openings required rote memorization and

endgames cold calculations, midgame was the game stage in which chess, in my eyes, was

indisputably an art. My finding comfort in the midgame stage naturally went hand-in-hand with

my artistic inclinations. In those days, moreover, studying openings and endgames was harder

than today, given that they required the use of books and, oftentimes, hours or days before a

single position would be fully evaluated. From Fischer I learned to play simple and, whenever a

minor advantage has been gained, to simplify the position and bring the game to an end without

much complications. His simple and yet psychologically ruthless attacking style was also

mesmerizing and served as an inspiration to my introspective and oftentimes overly acquiescent

self. It was a lesson on the technical penetrability of every conceivable barrier posed before one

in chess and beyond, if only the right set of mind and skills one gets to be equipped with. Finally,

from Tal, an artist and, in his own words, a gambler, I learned to always seek and find most

pleasure in beautiful material sacrifices on the board, so as to demonstrate that spirit rules over

matter and that beauty, as in the words of Dostoyevsky’s Prince Myshkin, will save the world at

the end of it all.

Chess has been an important addendum to my immediate and extended family through

generations. My father was a solid blitz player as a youth, but then went on to make a career in

materials science and never got to play competitively later in life. I was an early teenage chess

enthusiast, who at the age of 14 decided to substitute his real-life friends with chess figures and

figurines, beginning to play obsessively, day and night, until the peer and parental pressures

kicked in and urged me to balance my attitude. Carrying a wooden chessboard, a notebook and a

pencil everywhere with me in those days, my father’s contacts set up a dinner once with Svetozar

Gligorić, the most famous and successful Yugoslavian chess player ever, so I could pick up his

advice and hear his authentic storytelling. His other chess contacts were many, including my

close relative, Milan Vukcevich, a Montenegrin emigre to the United States, who settled in

Cleveland, where he first taught at Case Western, then ran a lab at General Electric and became

the first American grandmaster in chess problem composition as well as twice a nominee for the

Nobel Prize in Physics. On the maternal side of my family, my grandfather was a great chess

aficionado. I inherited his yellowish chess opening and endgame books and used them to

improve the quality of my play. From him I learned the fondness of the queen’s gambit, while

from my father I learned how to cope with the king’s gambit, the opening I neither felt confident

enough to play as white nor comfortable with as black, as it can be told from this collection,

given that it never suited my positional style aiming to avoid any excessive tactical trickeries.

Chess in Yugoslavia was a relatively popular sport and many chess players at or close to

the top of the world, including Misha Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Miguel Najdorf, Viktor Korchnoi

and Anatoly Karpov, spoke Serbo-Croatian with fluency, while many others, such as Bobby

Fischer, could communicate the basics of regular daily and chess topics in it. Also, some of the

strongest and most notable tournaments in chess history prior to the civil war, such as the 1931

Bled tournament, the 1958 Interzonal and Candidates tournaments and the first match of USSR

vs. the rest of the world in 1970, were played on this political middle ground where players

coming from the both sides of the Iron Curtain could meet and play. In 1954, Yugoslavia hosted

the first European Chess Club Cup, which was won by the home squad, Partizan, and which

ended up being the first European club championship won by a Yugoslav team after World War

II, preceding the tremendous successes in other team sports, including basketball, volleyball,

water polo, handball and soccer. Moreover, by the time it dissolved, in 1991, Yugoslavia hosted

the Chess Olympiad the record three times, in Dubrovnik in 1950, in Skopje in 1972 and in Novi

Sad in 1990, more than any other country. The first world championship in blitz chess was also

played in the coastal town of Herceg-Novi, lying at a walking distance from Kumbor and being

the town in which my father has organized yearly materials research conference in the effort to

continue this tradition of being the intellectual middle ground between East and West, the

tradition that, as far as the realm of science is concerned, began with the series of conferences

and round tables on sintering first held under his auspices in Herceg-Novi in the late 1960s.

Finally, Bobby Fischer, who won the aforementioned first speed chess championship of the

world ahead of Tal and Korchnoi, explicitly chose Yugoslavia as the site of his 1992 world

championship title rematch against Spassky. As a matter of fact, the playing of the first portion

of this historic, albeit controversial, match on the isle of St. Stefan coincided with the playing of

some of the best games annotated here on the very same Montenegrin coast, less than 30 miles

down south from the site of this legendary match. In the morning, I remember, I would analyze

the Fischer-Spassky games reported in the local newspapers and in the afternoon, between

swims, I would play a couple of games and analyze them deep into the night. Chessboard was

my best companion that summer and most of the time I spent in front of it on our little Kumbor

cottage patio. In those days I still dreamed of becoming a professional chess player, but soon, in

a year or two, I would relinquish those dreams. It was after I realized that the path thereto leads

through stuffy chess clubs polluted by petty politics and, even more critically, that another

person’s similar dreams must be crushed en route to there. It is a cutthroat profession, it became

clear to me early on, even though it needed not be so, I deemed, if only chess were not a sport, a

competitive endeavor, but a scientific discipline, where players would contribute to a common

good and where win-win rather than win-lose relationships between individual players would be

present. What if the players were awarded for producing beautiful games and/or contributions to

the chess theory rather than being brought against one another, I wondered in those days and the

same wonder keeps me awake at night to this very day in this world where competition, greed

and animosity between people are the driving wheels of progress. Moreover, in the early 1990s,

when these dreams of mine were sparked, the popularity of chess declined greatly, in part

because of the international isolation of the country caused by the civil war and in part because

of the split between the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and the so-called Professional Chess

Association (PCA) that officially happened in 1993. I only need to compare the large number of

people playing on park benches and elsewhere in the 1980s and my not having seen a single

outdoor chessboard, let alone a game played, in the last 25 years in my hometown, Belgrade, to

deduce that this popularity has suffered greatly and that it would be a rather insecure career

compared to the one in sciences.

Truth be told, peer pressure played an additional part in weaning me from chess, which

by 1992 I became severely addicted to. Not only did I find solace from the grim reality of a

country dissolving in a civil war and being shoved into international isolation on the chessboard,

but I began to see chess pieces, my best friends in those days, and chess combinations in

everything, from basketball backboards to lunch plates to bed linings and window curtains, as its

abstract world started to increasingly mingle with my daily perception. Like my five-year old

son, Theo’s walking around these days and always writing something with his right index finger

on an abstract screen before his eyes, chess combinations evolved in my visions during every

waking hour. My absentmindedness became problematic to my friends, all of whom had their

feet on the ground and who made sure I do not fly too far, advising me to quit chess. The times

were also such that peace, love and carefreeness of lighthearted childhood got suddenly

substituted with war, destitution, hostilities and a constant worry, as the paper sailboat glides

turned into slivered bottles of vodka, drugs on every corner, guns and ammunition in kids’

pockets, teenage gangs, thievery, destruction of property, et cetera. “Your chess habit will make

you socially neglected, sidelined and not skilled for survival”, was the message my schoolmates

were sending and I bought into it. When the surge of adrenaline and other hormones flooding the

body in puberty are added to the picture, one gets how this extraordinary interest in chess, which

occupied the entirety of my spare time, had to be sacrificed to remain a social creature, which all

of us, ultimately, are. All in all, my new reality, as turbulent and troubled as it was, managed to

push my serene love for chess to the corners of my mind already by early 1993, when I was only

16 years old, mere two years after my interest in chess got sparked and the first game annotated

in this book was played and analyzed. Viewed from this historic angle, this collection of games

becomes a testimony to a chess talent that burned out in the blood red sky where hopes and

ambition got mixed with warplanes, rockets and missiles, but that got reincarnated in a different

domain, closer to conventional arts and sciences. Through chess I would soon discover my truer

ambition, which will be to search for the timeless beauty of art in natural sciences, the sphere of

human experience devoid of it in this modern era of corporate spirits, dry and lackluster, needing

a shot of poetry to be awakened into a state of divine inspiration. Infected by the bug of artiness

in chess, everywhere I would go from these times on, I would search for the same artistic spirit

and, if I did not find it, I would propose it and build it. At the age of 17, in the summer of 1994, I

finally read Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game, but even though chess was talked about as the

concept closest to this mystical game that concocts science and art, it was as if eternity had

passed since my brief stint as an aspiring chess player. This stint lasted from my age of 14 to the

age of 16 and at the age of 17 my chess voyage came to an end and most traces of my immense

aspirations became erased from my head. My love for chess remained, but the fanatical

obsession with it, fed by hours of rigorous study each day, subsided and got substituted with a

leisured game here and there and lots of chess book reading in spare time. Had I played chess

with the same intensity as during those two years at least up to the age of 22, like Paul Morphy,

before retiring from it, as opposed to retiring at the age of 16, perhaps many more beautiful

games would have been played and a greater impact on the chess game made. Still, in this short

span of time, as I look back at it now through the games gathered here, a number of petite chess

masterpieces were crafted, many of which are presented in this collection.

Today, naturally, I am less interested in chess as a competitive sport and more in it as a

peculiar marriage of science and art, in its aesthetics and also the way it has historically evolved

and the direction in which it will evolve. How have human styles changed throughout the

history? How did they respond to the zeitgeists of their times? How are computers going to

revolutionize chess? What are the computer styles evolving into? Would be they more similar to

Petrosian’s, Tal’s or Kasparov’s style? Are we currently witnessing their transition from reliance

on shallow tactics to implementation of imaginative holistics? In fact, a most interesting thing

about the state-of-the-art chess engines, such as Alpha Zero, is that they often play far more

imaginatively than the highest level contemporary grandmasters, sacrificing pawns and pieces

left and right, in utterly mysterious ways. In that sense, the way computers revolutionize chess as

I write this may bring about a paradigm shift in our understanding how machines and artificial

intelligence will change every other human discipline. Namely, common sense has told us that

computers, emotionless as they are, without any ability to abstract artistically, could boost

productivity, but will inevitably dehumanize everything they touch. However, chess engines are

reverting this paradigm and prompting us to think of the ways by which computers could, in fact,

humanize stuff that has been dehumanized by none other but the very humans. In doing so, they

also take the vision of modern chess as a rebellion against the classical conduct of play, like the

one exposed by my SoCal neighbor these days, the American master, John Leonard Watson in

Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, to a whole new level, thus giving chess a fresh new flavor of

classiness through dissention.

What has become clear to me in recent years, but never occurred to me in the early

1990s, was that with the World Chess Federation split-up and the world champion controversies,

chess made a full circle and reentered the times when it exploded in the most positive sense of

the word, the times when Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen and Henry Blackburne heralded

Romanticism in chess, when Howard Staunton and Wilhelm Steinitz brought the ideas of

positional play into chess, when Emmanuel Lasker insinuated the hypermodern approach, but

could not agree on a consistent and well organized world championship and world champion

determination format. As ever, not only do crises inevitably bring about opportunities, but also

when beginnings and ends merge and things turn inside out and outside in, the magic happens. It

was right around then, in these early 1990s, when the bulk of the games presented in this

collection were played, that computers were beginning to creep into the chess world and an

immense revolution in the understanding of chess was about to happen. This revolution was soon

to show that the most advanced computers can be competitively superior to humans by playing

more boldly, more imaginatively and with a lesser care about the material on the board than

humans have ever played. A soulless machine has restored soul in chess and infused it with a

fresh new life, the life that, albeit new, echoes the beauty lost ages ago. And who would have

thought that that computers, not humans, will bring Romanticism back to chess? Who would

have thought that in my dreams of sparking the birth of New Romanticism in science, that

domain of human interest that is currently reigned by the diametrical opposites of what science,

the grand dome of wonder, represents – i.e., deadness instead of holy spiritedness, stiff egotism

instead of free-spirited altruism, dull technicality instead of inspirational lyricism – I would turn

to computers more than to humans? Decades after its release and my listening to it under the

sways of Kumbor cypress trees, mystical curtains and tranquilizing sea waves in the cataclysmic

1990s, the OK Computer banner flashes before my eyes once again.

As I write this, dozens of top chess engine games are played each day. Some of them start

from artificially created positions, typically from the endgames, in the attempt to find the best

possible moves and decipher who the theoretical winner, if any, in those positions is. Some of

these games utilize no opening books, while some of them start from specific opening motives in

the hope that some early moves could be refuted as erroneous and others validated as the best

possible. To that end, systematic chess studies with the use of computers may bring us closer to

the first moves of the chess games and to the answer to that perennial question, which each chess

game, in a way, attempts to answer: what would be the outcome of the game if both sides were to

play perfect moves? Will white maintain the minor advantage that the first move bears and win

the game or it will end in a draw? But what if there are no single perfect moves in opening

positions or the early midgame? Will the perfect moves in these early stages of the game ever be

known given the enormous number of possible chess combinations, estimated at around 10120 by

Claude Shannon in his Philosophical Magazine paper from 1950, which is greater than the

estimated number of atoms in the Universe (~ 1080)? Finally, if computers do restore the era of

romanticism in chess, would they ever be able to teach humans to think and play with such

brilliancy or the excavation and decipherment of these enlightened pathways of thought would

require even more sophisticated algorithms and computer programs and may remain a sweet

mystery for as long as the Earth spins around the Sun? Illuminating aspects of answers to these

questions requires rigorous analytical efforts and the perception of chess as science. It is through

this, wholly uncompetitive eye that I perceive chess today. In the end, it ought to be said that

every game annotated in this collection I played not with the aim to beat the opponent and

become a victor, but rather to create a beautiful piece of art, if not a valuable contribution to the

chess theory. Chess, here, was played with, not against, the fellow humans and computers. This

attitude that rises above competition and ego, always in search of transcendental beauties that

descend upon our corporeal reality like drizzles of stardust, is to be greeted and thanked for all of

the beautiful chess moments that adorn this book.

Vuk Uskoković, December 2018 & January 2019, Irvine, California.

Games from the four original notebooks

(March 1991 - March 1997)

Vuk Uskoković – Jasmina Uskoković

(Mala Moštanica, March 1991, Philidor Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ c6 4. Bc4 Ne7 5. d4 g6 6. d5 b5 7. Bb3 Ba6 (a threat to white’s

aspiration to castle, but ignoring white’s possible attack on f7 pawn after 8. dxc6 and 9. Ng5) 8.

O-O (white decides to play safe) c5 (eliminates dxc6 threat) 9. Re1?! (white abandons the b3

bishop?!) Nd7 10. Nc3 c4 11. Nd2 cxb3 12. Nxb3 b4 13. Ne2 f5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. Nf4 exf4??

(15…Nf6 was better. Black played better by this point and had an obvious material and

positional advantage, but loses due to a silly blunder) 16. Qh5# (This is my first recorded chess

game. I was 14 years old. The image below reminds of a hand reaching to another hand, even if

an impermeable glass may separate them. Chess I have always seen as a form of communication

- a language without language)

Position on the board after the first moves.

Vuk Uskoković – Dragan Uskoković

(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, May 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Nge2 (f3 would have been

smarter, so as to prevent …Ng4) Ng4 8. Qd2 Nxe3 9. Qxe3 f5 10. O-O-O fxe4 11. Bxe4 Bf5

(…e5 would have been better for black) 12. Nf4! Bxe4 13. Ne6 Qd7 14. Nxf8 Rxf8 15. Nxe4 e5

16. d5 Nd4 17. Ng5 Qa4 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation 0.0. Game could continue like 18. Rxd4

exd4 19. Qe6+ Kh8 20. Nf7+ Rxf7 21. Qxf7 d3 22. b3 Qa3+ 23. Kd2 Qb2+ 24. Kxd3 Qd4+ 25.

Ke2 with dead draw. This is the first recorded game between my father and I).

Final position of the game, after 17…. Qa4, at which point the draw was agreed on.

Vuk Uskoković – Colossus Chess 4.0

(Belgrade, March 1991, Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Trifunović Variant)

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Bf5 6. Nf3 dxe5 7. fxe5 Nc6 8. Be3 e6 9. Nc3 Be7

10. Be2 O-O 11. Qd2 Bh4+ 12. g3 Be7 13. O-O-O?! (O-O was better and white only needed to

consider the black knight pair hanging on the queenside, the black knight slicing through the b1-

h7 diagonal and the black king castled on the opposite side to conclude that O-O-O may not be

the best idea. But as the saying goes, those who crave safety before adventure deserve none) Qd7

14. c5 (another creation of a weakness on d4) Nd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. a3 Be4 17. Rdf1 Qb3 18.

Bd1 Qa2 (though it seems dangerous, black does not get anything from penetrating this deep

with the queen. Advancing the pawns with ...b5 would have been way better) 19. Qc3 Qb1+ 20.

Kd2 Bd5 (if...Rfd8, then Ba5 and the black queen is lost) 21. Bc2 Qa2 22. Ra1 Qc4 23. Qxc4

Bxc4 24. Bd3 Bxd3 25. Kxd3 b6 26. cxb6 axb6 27. Rad1 f5 28. exf6 Bxf6 29. Kc3 Ne7 30. Bg5

Ra5 31. Bxf6 Rxf6 32. Rhf1 (even though the knight is safe, pinning one’s own rook is not the

best idea. Both pieces get frozen now and black will use that as an opportunity) Nd5+ 33. Kd3 c5

34. dxc5 bxc5 35. Ra1 c4+ 36. Kd4 Ra4 37. Kc5? (The key move where the game gets lost for

white. Fearing a discovered check with ...c3, even though there was nothing to fear, and wanting

to escape it, the white king pushed himself into an abyss. Playing bolder and more aggressive 37.

Ng5 would lead to a draw, with one possible variation being ...c3+ 38. b4 Rxa3 39. Rxa3 Rxf1

40. Ra8+ Rf8 41. Rxf8+ Kxf8 42. Kd3 c2 43. Kxc2 Nxb4+ 44. Kc3 Nd5+ 45. Kd4 Nf6 46.

Nxe6+) Ne3 38. Rf2 c3 39. bxc3 Rc4+ 40. Kb5 Rf5+ 41. Kb6 Rxc3 42. Raa2 Nc4+ 43. Kb7

Nd6+ 44. Ka7 Rc7+ 45. Ka6 Rc6+ 46. Ka7 Rf7+ 47. Ka8 Rc8# (this is my first recorded game

against the computer and the loss against it was enormously instructive. This game and all games

against the computer that follow and that were played before 1993 were played on Commodore

64 platform)

Final position of the game, after 47…Rc8#


(Belgrade, May 1991, Réti Opening, Anglo-Slav Variation, Bogoljubov Variant)

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. b3 Nf6 4. Bb2 dxc4 5. bxc4 e6 6. g3 Bb4 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O Na6 9. d3 Bc5

10. Nbd2 Nc7 11. e4! (The idea behind this pawn sacrifice is that, in fact, white maintains a

minor advantage after 12. e5 Nd7 13. Ne1 Qf5 14. Be4 Qg5 15. Nd3) Qxd3 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13.

Qb3?! (white delays the push of the pawn to e5 and wants to exchange queens instead of gaining

initiative from chasing this queen for a move or two across the board?!) Rd8 14. Qxd3 Rxd3 15.

Rad1 Kh8 16. e5 Ne8 (...f5 was better for black here) 17. Ne4 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Be7 19. exf6 Nxf6

20. Nxf6 Bxf6 21. h4 Kg7 22. Nd4 a5 23. a4 h5 24. f4 c5 25. Nf3 Kg6 26. Ne5+! (Practically

enforcing the exchange that favors white. If ...Kg7, then Bf3 and white wins a pawn) Bxe5 27.

fxe5 Kf5 28. Re1 Rb8 29. Bh3+ Kg6 30. Kf2 Bd7 31. Ra1 b6 32. Ke3 Bc6 33. Kf4 Rd8 34. Bf1

(...Rd3 was threatening, putting the white king to a cage and enforcing Rf1, after which black

would pick the pawns on the queenside and win the game) Rd4+ 35. Ke3 Re4+ 36. Kf2 Rxe5 37.

Rb1 Rf5+ 38. Ke1 e5 39. Rxb6 Rf6 40. Ra6 Bxa4 41. Rxa5 Bc2 42. Rxc5 Rf3 43. Rxe5 Rxg3

44. Kd2 Rg1 45. Kxc2 Rxf1 46. c5 Rf5 47. Rxf5 Kxf5 48. Kd3 Ke5 49. Ke3 Kd5 50. Kf4 Kxc5

51. Kg5 Kd6 52. Kf6 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 26. Ne5+!


(Belgrade, May 1991, Scandinavian Defense: Panov Transfer)

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. dxc6 Nxc6 5. d3 e5 6. Nc3 Bf5 7. Nf3 Bc5 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Qd2

O-O 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. h3 Qe7 12. g4 Bg6 13. g5 Bh5!? 14. Bg2 (playing gxf6 and thus

exchanging a rook for a kingside bishop and a knight, while opening the g file would have

certainly been better for white) Nd7 15. h4 Bb4 16. a3 Nc5! 17. Kb1 Nb3 (black is mounting the

pressure, but white has enough defensive resources) 18. Qc2 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Ncd4 20. Bxd4

Nxd4 21. Rh3 (21. Nxd4! exd4 22. Rde1 dxc3 23. Rxe7 Bg6 24. Be4 Bxe4 25. Rxe4 cxb2 26.

Kxb2 is an interesting variation, but it would be difficult for white to strive for victory with one

extra pawn in the rooks endgame) f6 (black could have equalized with …Ne2 22. Qxe5 Qxe5 23.

Nxe5 Nf4 24. Rg1 Nxh3 25. Bxh3) 22. gxf6 Rxf6 23. Nxe5! (a profound idea for gaining a

positional advantage) Qxe5 24. Re1 Qf4 25. Bd5+ Kh8 26. Rhe3 Nc6 27. Be4 Qxf2 28. d4 Qxh4

29. d5 Ne7 30. Bc2 Ng6 31. d6 Rff8 32. Qa5 Qxc4 (black decides to give away his bishop for

two pawns in order to liberate the pieces off the edge of the board) 33. Rc3 Qd4 34. Rxc8 Rxc8

35. Qxh5 Qd2 36. Re2 Qxd6 37. Rh2 Nf8 38. Bxh7 Qxh2! 39. Qxh2 Nxh7 40. Qg1! b6 41. Qh1!

(two quiet moves of the queen with powerful attacking ideas, forcing the black pieces to the

corner) Rg8 42. Qb7 g5 43. Qxa7 g4 44. Qxb6 g3 45. Qg1 g2 46. b4 Nf6 47. a4 Rg4 48. a5

Rxb4+ 49. Kc1 Ra4 50. Qh2+! Nh7 51. Qe5+ Kg8 52. Qd5+ Kf8 53. Qxg2 Rxa5 54. Qf3+ Ke7

55. Qe4+ Kd6 56. Qxh7 Rd5 57. Kc2 Ke5 58. Kc3 Rc5+ 59. Kb4 Rd5 60. Qh8+ Ke4 61. Qh1+

Ke5 62. Qh2+ Kf5 63. Qh3+ Ke5 64. Qe3+ Kf6 65. Kc4 Rf5 66. Kd4 Ra5 67. Qf4+ Ke6 68.

Qh6+ Kd7 69. Qg7+ Ke6 70. Qg6+ Ke7 71. Qc6 Rg5 72. Qe4+ Kf6 73. Qf4+ Rf5 74. Qd6+ Kg7

75. Ke4 Rf1 76. Qd4+ Kf7 77. Qd5+ Kf6 78. Qe5+ Kf7 79. Qh5+ Kf8 80. Ke5 Re1+ 81. Kd6

Rg1 82. Qf5+ Kg8 83. Ke7 Rg7+ 84. Ke6 Ra7 85. Qg4+ Rg7 86. Qd4 Rg6+ 87. Ke7 Rg7+ 88.

Kf6 Kh7 89. Qh4+ Kg8 90. Qh5 Rg1 91. Qd5+ Kh7 92. Qe4+ Kg8 93. Qa8+ (white queen has

made exceptional use of the corners of the board in this game, from moves 40 and 41 to move 45

to move 61 to moves 93 and 94, when the game is finally brought to an end. Cornerstones, as it

hints at, are indeed the foundations of the house) Kh7 94. Qa7+ Kg8 95. Qxg1+ Kf8 96. Qg7+

Ke8 97. Qe7# (This is my first recorded win against the computer and one of the longest

annotated games in this collection)

Position on the board before 23. Nxe5!


(Belgrade, May 1991, Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. Bb2 d6 7. b5 axb5 8. axb5 Rxa1 9. Bxa1

Nd4 10. Bxd4 exd4 (pawns are doubled and the first positional battle has been won) 11. O-O Nf6

12. d3 O-O 13. Re1 Bg4 14. h3 Be6 15. Nbd2 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Bc5 17. Qa1 Qa8 18. Qb2 b6 (...d5

would have been better for black) 19. Nxd4 (a doubled pawn has been won, now this material

advantage must be converted to victory and the first step will be exchange of the heavy pieces

and transition to knight ending) d5 20. exd5 Qxd5 21. Nb3 Re8 22. Rxe8+ Nxe8 23. Nxc5 Qxc5

24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. Nxe5 f6 26. Nd7 Kf7 27. Kf1 Ke7 28. Nb8 Kd6 29. Ke2 g5 30. Ke3 Kc5 31.

c4 Kd6 32. Nc6 (the white knight excursion to the upper edge is over and white’s focus is now

shifting from the queenside to the kingside) Ng7 33. Nd4 Ke5 34. g3 f5 35. Nf3+ Kf6 36. Kd4

g4 37. hxg4 fxg4 38. Ne5 Nf5+ 39. Ke4 h5 40. d4 Ke6 41. c5 Ne7 42. cxb6 cxb6 43. Nd3 Nc8

44. Nf4+ Ke7 45. Nxh5 Nd6+ 46. Ke5 Nxb5 47. Nf6 Nc3 48. d5 b5 49. d6+ Kd8 50. Kd4 Nd1

51. Kc5 Nxf2 52. Kxb5 Nh1 53. Ne4! (the black knight is blocked and the black king will be the

subject to zugzwang, meaning that the promotion of the d pawn is inevitable) 1-0

Position on the board after 25. Nxe5.


(Belgrade, June 1991, Spanish Game: Classical Variation, Zukertort Gambit)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 Be7 7. Re1 exd4 8. cxd4 d6 9. Nc3

Bg4 10. Re3 Bxf3 11. Rxf3 Rc8 12. Bf4 a6 13. Ba4 Ng4 14. Rg3! h5 15. h3 Nxf2! 16. Qxh5!

Bh4 17. e5! (opening space for Bc2, but 17. Rg5! would be even more effective) dxe5 18.

Rxg7+! Kxg7 19. Bh6+ (19. Qh6+? Kg8 20. Bc2 Nd3! would save the game for black) Kg8 20.

Bb3! (better than Bc2. Bb3 will constantly impose the Qg6+ threat) Qf6 21. Nd5 Nxh3+! 22.

Kh2 Qd8 23. Rf1 Nf4 24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Ne7+ Qxe7 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qg7#

Position on the board before 17. e5!

Vuk Uskoković - Colossus Chess 4.0

(Belgrade, June 1991, Spanish Game, Berlin Defense, Rio Gambit Accepted)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. Re1 d5 7. dxe5 O-O 8. Nbd2 Bf5 9. h3

Bc5 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Qxd8 Nxd8 12. Ng5 Bd4 13. Nxe4 a6 14. Ba4 Bxe5 15. c3 Ne6 16. Bd7!

(seasoned strategists would often instruct novices to study the opponent so much that they begin

to think and play like them. The approach of mirroring the opponent’s styles and disarming him

thereby is a common one. 16. Bd7! is a characteristic computer move played here by human and

used to create a crucial advantage, which will be gradually converted to a victory. With this

typically computer-like tactical move, a pawn is won, involving absolutely no strategic

forethought) Bxe4 17. Bxe6! fxe6 18. Rxe4 Bf6 (if …Rf5, then 19. g4 and the e6 pawn must be

relinquished) 19. Rxe6 Rae8 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Be3 Kf7 22. Rd1 Ke6 23. Bd4 Bxd4 24. Rxd4

Kf6 25. Kf1 b5 26. f4 h5 27. Kf2 Kf5 28. Kf3 Kf6 29. Re4 Rd8 30. Ke3 Rd1 31. g4 Re1+ 32.

Kf3 Rf1+ 33. Ke3 Re1+ 34. Kf3 Rf1+ 35. Kg2 Rd1 36. Kg3 Rd3+ 37. Kh4 Rd2 (black’s

infiltration of the first and second ranks will benefit white because the white king in all cases

wants to travel “north”, to higher ranks, to assist the promotion of the g pawn) 38. Kxh5 Rxb2

39. g5+ Kf5 40. Re7 g6+ 41. Kh6 Kxf4 42. Kxg6 Rxa2 43. Rxc7 Kg3 44. Rh7 Rc2 45. Kf7 Rxc3

46. g6 Rf3+ 47. Kg8 Rc3 48. Ra7 Kf4 49. g7 Rc8+ 50. Kh7 Ke5 51. g8=Q 1-0

Position on the board before 16. Bd7!

Colossus Chess 4.0 – Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, June 1991, Indian Game)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e3 d5 4. Bb5+ Bd7 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Ne5 e6 8. Nxd7 Nbxd7 9.

Qf3 a6 10. Bd3 Re8 11. Bd2 Rc8 (white tried to make this technically closed opening as open as

possible, but black has slowed down the tempo; closed game he wants here and he is getting it)

12. Rad1 h5 13. Rfe1 Nf8 14. Qf4 N8h7 15. f3 Kh8 16. Re2 g5 17. Qg3 Ng8 18. Rf1 Nh6 19. a4

Qf6 20. b3 h4 21. Qe1 Qe7 22. Qd1 f5 23. a5 Rg8 24. Rfe1 Nf6 25. Qc1 Nh5 (the mamba-like

maneuvering of the black knights pair has been mesmerizing to watch) 26. Rf1 Rcf8 (the game

has become extremely closed by this point and no side is willing to open yet) 27. Qd1 Rf6 28. b4

c6! (important prophylactic move preparing for …f4. If 28…f4, then 29. exf4 Nxf4 30. Bxf4

Rxf4 31. Nxd5 and white wins a pawn and also a positional advantage) 29. Rfe1 f4 30. exf4

Nxf4 (the first pawns exchanged on move 30) 31. Bxf4 Rxf4 32. Rxe6 Qxb4 33. Qd2 (Ne2

would be logical, but Colossus has a magnificent idea in mind. Ne2 would block the rook on e1

and the computer wishes to activate it and place on the fifth rank) Qxa5 (…Bxd4+ appears

tempting but white will gain momentum for the pawn after 34. Kh1 Nf5 35. Bxf5 Rxf5 36. Qd3

Rgf8 37. Nd1 Bg7) 34. R1e5! Bxe5 35. Rxh6+ Kg7 36. Rh7+ Kf8 37. dxe5 d4 38. Ne4 (white

missed a winning combination involving the knight sacrifice here with 38. e6 dxc3 39. Qe3 Qd5

40. Rd7 1-0) Qxd2 39. Nxd2 (white missed the opportunity to push the pawn and win the game.

This passed pawn will now promptly be captured by black, as it cannot be really defended) Rg7

40. Kf2 Rxh7 41. Bxh7 Rf7 42. Bg6 Re7 43. Nc4 Kg7 44. Bh5 c5! (another excellent

prophylactic move, again involving the c pawn, but this time preparing for …b5. If black

immediately plays 44…b5, then 45. Na5 c5 46. f4! gxf4 47. Nc6 Re6 48. Bf3) 45. Ke2 b5 46.

Na5 Rxe5+ (finally black gains material advantage by capturing the e pawn, but there is long

way to victory) 47. Kd2 Kf6 48. Bg4 c4 49. Nc6 Rd5 50. Bc8 Rd6 51. Bb7 Kf5 52. g3 hxg3 53.

hxg3 d3 54. cxd3 Rxd3+ 55. Kc2 Ra3 56. Kb2 b4 57. Kb1 a5 58. Ba6 c3 59. Kc2 Ra2+ 60. Kb3

Rb2+ 61. Ka4 c2 62. Bd3+ Kf6 63. Bxc2 Rxc2 64. Nxa5 Rc3 65. Kxb4 Rxf3 66. Nc6 Rxg3 67.

Kc4 Rf3 68. Kd5 g4 69. Ke4 Ra3 70. Nd4 Ra4 71. Ke3 g3 72. Nf3 Kf5 73. Ng1 Kg4 74. Ne2

Ra2 75. Ng1 g2 76. Ne2 Rxe2+ 77. Kxe2 g1=Q 0-1

Position on the board before 28… c6!


(Belgrade, June 1991, Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 d6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nc3 h6 7. Be3 Bb4 8. Nd5 Bg4 9. Nxb4

Nxb4 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Bb5 Qd7 12. Qe2 a6 13. Ba4 b5 14. Bb3 Na5 15. Rac1 c5 16. Rfd1 g5

17. Ra1! (white does not mind to return the rook to a1, threatening to open the a file if the bishop

on b3 gets exchanged for the black knight) Rc8 18. h3 Bh5 19. g4? Nxg4! 20. Nxe5 dxe5 21.

hxg4 Qxg4+ 22. Qxg4 Bxg4 23. Rd2 f6 24. Bd5 h5 25. a4 b4! (black closes the position to lessen

the power of white’s bishop pair) 26. Re1 h4 27. Kg2 h3+ 28. Kh2 Rc7 29. Kg3 Rh4 30. Kh2

Bf3 31. Be6 g4! 32. Kg3? (32. c3 b3! 33. Bd5, with d4 to follow seemed better for white, who

would still be at a disadvantage because of the passed black pawn on h file) h2 33. Bxg4 h1=Q

(… Rxg4+ 34. Kxf3 Rg1 was more precise) 34. Rxh1 Rxh1 35. Kxf3 Rb1 36. c4 bxc3 37. bxc3

Ra1 38. Be6 Rxa4 39. Rb2 Ke7 (Rd8+ was not to be feared and 39… Ra4 was better; by this

point, white opened the position for the bishop pair, its light square bishop is well placed, while

the black knight is on the edge of the board, so even with the material advantage for the black,

this is back to the draw position) 40. Bd5 Kd6 41. Rb8 Ke7 42. Rb2 Ra3 43. Ra2 Rxa2 44. Bxa2

Nb7 45. Bd5 a5! (black gives away a pawn to eliminate white’s bishop pair, which will prove to

be a smart decision) 46. Bxb7 Rxb7 47. Bxc5+ Ke6 48. Ke3 a4 49. d4 Rb8 50. d5+ Kd7 51. Kd3

Ra8 52. Ba3 Rb8 53. Bc5 Rb5 54. Bb4 Rb8 55. Bc5 Rb1 56. Kc4 Rf1 57. Bb6? (a blunder –

loses the bishop after … a3 58. Kb3 Rb1+) a3 58. Kb3 Rc1? (…Rb1+ would end the game

earlier; however, even with 58… Rc1?, the position is winning for black) 59. Ba5 Re1 60. f3 Rf1

61. Kxa3 Rxf3 62. Kb4 Re3 63. Kc5 Rxe4 64. c4 f5 65. d6 f4 66. Kd5 f3 67. Bb6 Rd4+ 68.

Bxd4 exd4 69. c5 f2 70. c6+ Kd8 71. Kxd4 f1=Q 72. Kc5 Qf6 73. Kd5 Qf5+ 74. Kd4 Qe6 75.

c7+ Kd7 0-1

Position on the board before 45….a5.


(Belgrade, June 1991, Scandinavian Defense: Panov Transfer)

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. dxc6 Nxc6 5. d3 e5 6. Nc3 Bf5 7. Nf3 Bc5 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Qd2

O-O 10. Be2 Rc8 11. O-O-O Re8 12. h4 Qd7 13. Rdg1 Bb4 14. a3 Bd6 15. Ne1 Kf8 16. Qd1

Red8 17. g4 Be6 18. g5 Ne8 19. Bf3 a5 20. Ne2 Bf5 21. Qd2 Bc7 22. Nc3 Nd6 23. Nd5 Kg8 24.

Nf6+!! (the beginning of an excellent checkmate attack) gxf6 25. gxf6+ Bg6 (white is winning

even after …Kh8 26. Bh6 Rg8 27. Bg7+ Rxg7 28. Rxg7 Bd8 29. Bxc6 Qxc6 30. Qh6 Bxf6 31.

Qxf6 Nxc4 32. Rxh7+ Kxh7 33. Qxf5+ Kh6 34. Qg5+ Kh7 35. Qf5+ Kh6 36. Qg5+ Kh7 37.

Qh5+ Kg7 38. Rg1+ Kf8 39. dxc4) 26. h5 Nxc4! (excellent defense, but it only gives white a

chance to sacrifice his queen and make the combination even more beautiful) 27. hxg6!! Nxd2

28. gxh7+ Kh8 29. Bh6! Nb3+ 30. Kd1 Qxd3+ 31. Nxd3 Rxd3+ 32. Ke1 Kxh7 33. Bc1# (the last

game played in June 1991, providing a perfect prelude to yet another summer from dreams)

Position on the board before 27. hxg6!!


(Belgrade, July 1991, Spanish Game, Morphy Defense, Bayreuth Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. d3 Bd6 7. O-O Bg4 8. Nc3 O-O 9.

Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Re8 11. Rc1 b5 12. a3 c5 13. Nd5 g5 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Bg3 h5 16. h3 Be6 17.

h4 g4 18. Ng5 Bd7 19. f3 Qd8 (a key moment that determines the course and, largely, the

outcome of the game. By playing …Qd8 instead of the expected and stronger …Qg6, black left

white open the room for the tactical sacrifice that follows. Rope-a-dope anyone?) 20. Nxf7!

(white could have opted for fxg4, but he – that is, the computer – chose the attractive exchange

of a knight for three pawns) Kxf7 21. fxg4+ Kg8 22. gxh5 Rf8 23. Rf3 Rxf3 24. Qxf3 Qf8 25.

Rf1 Qxf3 26. gxf3 Be8 (the main problem for white is the doubled pawns on h file, one of which

will soon be captured by black) 27. f4 exf4 28. Bxf4 Bxh5 29. Bxd6 cxd6 30. Rf6 Rd8 31. e5

dxe5 32. Rxa6 c4! 33. dxc4 (if 33. Ra5, then …cxd3 34. cxd3 Be8 35. Ra7 Kf8) bxc4 34. Ra5

Re8 35. Rc5 Bf7 36. a4 Kg7 37. a5 Kf6 38. a6 Ra8 39. Ra5 Kf5 40. a7 Kf4 41. Ra6 Ke3 42. b4

cxb3 43. cxb3 e4 44. Kf1 Kd2 45. Rd6+ Ke3 46. Ra6 Bh5 47. Ra3 Kd2 48. Ra2+ Kd3 49. Ra3

(white’s b pawn is a help for black! It screens white’s attempt to keep the black king in check) e3

50. b4+ Kd4 51. Ra1 Rf8+ 52. Ke1 Rg8! (a highly tricky maneuver, but necessary to win the

game) 53. Kf1 e2+ 54. Kf2 Rf8+ 55. Kg3 Ke3 56. Ra3+ Kd4 57. Ra1 Bg6 (before the black rook

can come to f1, the bishop must come to a square from which it can protect b7 and a8 squares

and prevent the pawn promotion) 58. b5 Be4 59. b6 Bd5 60. Ra4+ Kc5 61. Ra1 Rf1 1-0

Position on the board before 32…c4!


(Belgrade, July 1991, Queen’s Pawn Game: London System)

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. O-O Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9.

Nb5 Qe7 10. Rc1 e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Be2 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Nd4 g6 15. Re1 h5 16. Qd2

Nxf3+ 17. Nxf3 Ne4 18. Qd4 O-O 19. Rcd1 g5! (timely taking on the initiative on the kingside.

This pawn will eventually reach g2 square and literally put the white king into confinement) 20.

Rd3 g4 21. Nd2 f5 22. f3 Nxd2 (…Nc5 would have been good too, in which case the knight

would continue to harass the white pieces from the center of the board) 23. Rxd2 Rf6! 24. c4

dxc4 25. Qxc4+ Qe6 26. Qf4 Rg6 27. Qc7 gxf3 28. Qxb7? Re8 29. Qxa7? (Colossus did not

realize how poisonous the b7 and a7 pawns, the latter in particular, are) f4! 30. e4 Qh3 31. Qf2

Rxg2+ 32. Qxg2+ fxg2 33. Rf2 f3 34. Re3 Rf8 35. Rc3 Rf4 36. Rxc6 Rh4 0-1

Position on the board before 29. Qxa7? f4!


(Kumbor, July 1991, Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Nb3 e6 7. Be3 Nge7 8. Be2 O-O 9.

Qd2 f5 10. exf5 Nxf5 11. Bf4 d5 12. h4 e5 13. Bg5 Bf6? 14. Bxf6 (Nxd5 seemed better here for

white) Rxf6 15. h5 d4 16. Ne4 Re6? 17. g4 (Bc4 here again seemed to have been a more

conventional way to go) Nd6 18. hxg6 Rxg6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Bc4+ Be6 21. Bd3 Rxg4 22.

Qh6 e4 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Be2 Qb4+ 25. Kf1 Rg7 26. Qh6 Qe7 27. Bh5 Bc4+ 28. Ke1 e3 29.

Rh3! (between a draw position (Stockfish 10 evaluation -0.1) yielded after the more cautious 29.

fxe3 and the exciting 29. Rh3!, with which the white king is left “naked”, white opts for the

latter) exf2+ (quieter …Kg8 would have solved all black’s problem and given him the

advantage, but was not in my father’s nature of play; 29. Rh3! was too tempting to expose the

white king to be neglected) 30. Kxf2 Qe4 31. Qh8+ Bg8 32. Rf3+ 1-0 (one of the earliest

recorded Yugoslav attack fireworks in the King’s Indian played between my father and I,

amusing, albeit containing a number of tactical errors)

Position on the board before 29. Rh3!


(Kumbor, July 1991, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Nb3 d6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Be2 O-O 9. Qd2

Bg4 10. O-O-O Bxe2 11. Nxe2 a5 12. f3 b5 13. g4 b4 14. h4 a4 15. Nbd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 b3 17.

a3 bxc2 18. Nxc2 Rc8 19. h5! (risky, but appropriate given the nature of the position) Nd7 20.

h6?! (hg6 after Kb1 would be more conventional) Bh8 21. f4 Nc5 22. Kb1 Bxb2 23. Kxb2 Rb8+

24. Nb4 Qc8 25. Qd4 f6 26. f5 Qa6 27. Rh2 g5 28. Bxg5 e5 29. Qd5+ Kh8 30. Bxf6+! Rxf6 31.

g5 Rff8 32. g6 hxg6 33. fxg6 Rxb4+ 34. axb4 Rb8 35. g7+ Kh7 36. g8=Q+ Rxg8 37. Qf7+ Kh8

38. h7 1-0 (after …a3+ 39. Ka2, both c4 and e2 squares from which the black queen could check

the white king are controlled by the white queen and rook, respectively. Another one of those

early Yugoslav attack fireworks with opposite castles in the games between my father and I,

many of which were to follow in the years to come)

Position on the board before 30. Bxf6+!

Dragan Uskoković – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, July 1991, Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Marshall Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 d5 4. e5 f6 5. d4 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. f4 e6 8. Nf3 Nge7 9. O-O Ng6 10.

c3 Be7 11. axb4 O-O 12. g4 (a very risky move that weakens the kingside) h6 (bad moves come

in pairs and here is another one, unnecessarily weakening the g6 square held by the black knight,

when …fxe5 was the proper way of taking advantage of white’s risky 12. g4) 13. Bd3 (white

immediately recognizes the weakness of g6 and targets it) Be8 14. f5 (Qc2 was stronger,

continuing the attack on g6) Nh8 15. fxe6 Qc8 16. Bf5 Nd8 17. Ra5 g6 18. Bxh6! gxf5 19. Bxf8

Bxf8 20. gxf5 fxe5 (this move should have been played a couple of moves earlier; now it is too

late and black’s position is hopeless. Note also the rare position: all black’s pieces, 7 out of 8, are

pushed to the eighth rank, with only the h8 rook missing) 21. dxe5 Bc6 22. Rxd5 Bxd5 23. Qxd5

Qc6 24. Rd1 Qxd5 25. Rxd5 Nc6 26. Nd4 Rd8 27. Rxd8 Nxd8 (black’s pieces seem destined to

operate from the eighth rank; every once in a while, they all return to it) 28. Nd2 Nc6 29. Nxc6

bxc6 30. Nc4 c5 31. bxc5 Bxc5+ 32. Kg2 Bf8 (black pieces are locked on the eighth rank and all

they can do is wait for the white king to come to the seventh rank and push the pawns to

promotion) 33. Kf3 Bc5 34. Ke4 Bf8 35. Kd5 Be7 36. f6 Bf8 37. Kc6 Ng6 38. Kd7 Bc5 39. e7 1-

0

Position on the board after 21. dxe5.


(Kumbor, July 1991, Modern Defense: Mongredien Defense)

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 b6 4. f4 Bb7 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Ne7 7. O-O d5 8. Bd3 dxe4 9. Bxe4

Bxe4 10. Nxe4 O-O 11. c4 (if c pawn had to be moved, c3 was better. With c4, the d4 pawn

becomes very weak and it will be the target of black’s attack over the next couple of moves)

Nbc6 12. Be3 Na5 13. Rc1 Nf5 14. Qe1 Nc6 15. Rd1 Qe7 16. g4 Nd6 17. Nxd6 cxd6 18. h4 e5!

(the textbook approach: when a player weakens the pawn structure protecting the king, break the

center and open as much space as possible) 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Rd2 Rad8 21. Rh2 e4 22. Nd2 f5

23. g5 Nd4 24. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 25. Kh1 Qb7 (white king is “naked” and black has an enormous

attacking chances) 26. h5 Rd7 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Qe2 (if 28. Qh4, then e3+ 29. Nf3 e2 30. Rxe2

Rh7 0-1) e3+ 29. Nf3 Qe4 30. Rh4 Bc5 31. Kh2 Rfd8 32. Kg3 Rd2 33. Nxd2 Rxd2 34. Rfh1

Rxe2 (declining to accept the queen sacrifice and sacrificing one’s own queen instead with

…Qxh1 was the way to win for black, who had a game in his hands) 35. Rh8+ Kf7 36. R1h7+

Ke6 37. Re8+ Kd6 38. Rd8+ Ke6 39. Re8+ Kd6 40. Rd8+ Ke6 41. Re8+ ½ - ½ (white is rescued

by perpetual check)

Final position of the game ending in a perpetual check.

Jasmina Uskoković – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, July 1991, Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. h3 Nc6 5. a3 a5! (an instructive response to the overly passive

h3 and a3) 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. c3 (too many moves

spent on nonessential pawn advancements, when the entire kingside remains completely

undeveloped) f5! (alluring the queen to check the black king and disable it from castling, but this

will lead nowhere and will eventually only limit the white queen’s position, putting in on the

edge of the board, where she will stay until the end of the game) 12. Qh5+ Ke7 13. h4 g4! 14. f3

Be6! (threatening to put the white queen into a prison) 15. fxg4 fxg4 16. Rd1 Raf8 17. Ne2 Bf5

18. d4 exd4 19. Nf4 Qe4+ 20. Be2 Ne5 21. Rf1 Rf6 (pieces are getting as congregated as the

cabin in the Marx Brothers’ Night at the Opera) 22. Rd2 d3 23. Nxd3 Nxd3+ 24. Rxd3 Re6 25.

Rd2 Qb1+ 26. Rd1 Rxe2+!! 27. Kxe2 Qe4+ 28. Kd2 Qe3#

Position on the board before 26… Rxe2!!


(Kumbor, July 1991, King’s Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nxe5 dxe4 5. d4 Nbd7 6. Nc3 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Ng4 8. h3 Nxe5 9.

Nxe4 Bf5 10. Qe2 c6 11. g4 Be6 12. f4 Nd7 13. Ng5 Qe7 14. b3 h6 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Qxe6+

fxe6 17. Kf2 Bc5+ 18. Kg3 O-O-O 19. Bb2 Rhg8 20. Bc4 Rde8 21. Rhe1 Nf8 22. f5 b5 23.

Bxe6+ Nxe6 24. Rxe6 Rxe6 25. fxe6 Kd8 26. Kf4 Ke7 27. Re1 g6 28. g5 h5 29. Bf6+ Kd6 30.

e7 Re8 31. Rd1+ Ke6 32. Rd8 Kf7 33. Rxe8 Kxe8 34. Ke5 Bxe7 (white has converted the black

isolated pawn on e file to a white passed pawn, but has given it in favor of the good forward post

for her king) 35. Ke6 Bc5 (threatening …Rd2) 36. c3 Ba3 37. b4 c5 38. Be7! (not only are both

black king and bishop locked on the board, but white also takes the theoretical advantage of

having black’s pawns on white squares in the dark square bishop ending) c4 39. Bc5 a5 40. Kf6

axb4 41. Kxg6 Bc1 42. Bxb4 0-1 (the first recorded win of my Mom against me. White’s

advantage was present constantly from move 16 onward – immaculately well played. In the style

of Capablanca, Mom’s favorite player, she excellently performed in an endgame and magnified a

relatively minor, nonmaterial advantage to a victory)

Position on the board before 38. Be7!


(Kumbor, July 1991, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. e3 h6 6. Bd3 e6 7. O-O Bd6 8. h3 Bh5 9. cxd5 exd5

10. Qc2 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Qc7 12. f4 Nbd7 13. Re1 O-O-O 14. a4 g5 15. Ne2 (the knight will soon

return to c3 while critically ceding tempo to black) Nh5 16. a5 a6 17. Bd2 c5 18. b3 gxf4 19.

Nc3 Rhg8+ 20. Kf1 f3 21. Nxd5? (Qd1 must have been played in this position so as to eliminate

the pest that the black pawn on f3 was, giving solid defensive prospects after …Ng3+ 22. fxg3

Rxg3 23. Nxd5 Qc6 24. e4) Bh2! (queen sacrifice and checkmate, #-6, now cannot be prevented)

0-1 (another one of Mom’s wins. Soon, the quality of my play will improve significantly so

rarely any game will be lost to her again. This collection of chess games serves as a testimony to

this quality improvement)

Position on the board before the final move of the game: 21… Bh2!


(Kumbor, July 1991, Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. e3 Ne4 6. h3 Bf5 7. Nxe4 Bxe4 8. Bd3 e6 9. O-O

Bb4 10. a3 Ba5 11. b4 Bc7 12. Bb2 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 b6 (a strategically poor move that instantly

weakens the adjacent, c6 pawn. White will immediately recognize this and begin to revolve his

attack around the c6 pawn) 14. c5! (this move seemingly blocks the c6 pawn and annuls its

weakness, but this is not so. If…bxc5, then 15. dxc5 e5 16. Qg3 O-O 17. Bxe5 and black is one

pawn down in the center. Another possibility is that after …bxc5, the a1-h8 diagonal becomes

open for white’s dark square bishop, which would be equally detrimental for black’s position.

Therefore, black does not dare capture white’s c5 pawn and must wait for cxb6, whereby the c6

pawn will be fully exposed on an open file and ready to be attacked by the white pieces) f5 15.

cxb6 axb6 16. Rac1 Qd6 17. g3 h5 18. h4 Nd7 19. Rc3 Nf6 20. Rfc1 (the rooks are doubled and

not only will black’s weak c6 pawn be captured soon, but it will also provide a gateway for the

infiltration of white pieces to the heart of black’s position. This sheds light on the multifaceted

nature of single weak pawns in chess) c5 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. Rxc5 Rc8 23. Rc6 Qe7 24. Ba6

(Rxe6! was possible too per the original annotation, but white wanted to avoid complications and

bring the game to an end in “white gloves”. Rxe6! Would lead to more attractive combinations,

for example 24. Rxe6 Qxe6 25. Bxf5 Qe7 26. Bxc8 Be5 27. Rc6 Bxb2 28. Be6 Qb7 29. Bxd5

Qb8 30. Qf5 Kd8 31. Be6 Qe5 32. Qg6 Re8 33. Rc8+ Ke7 34. Rxe8+ Kd6 35. Qd3+ Kc6 36.

Qc4+ Kb7 37. Bc8+ Ka7 38. Qa6+ Kb8 #1) O-O 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qxh5 Qg7

28. b5 1-0

Position on the board before 14. c5!

Vuk Uskoković – Nikola Novaković

(Kumbor, July 1991, French Defense: Normal Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 b6 3. c4 Bb7 4. Nc3 h6 5. Be3 d6 6. f3 Be7 7. Nge2 Nf6 8. Ng3 O-O 9. Qd2 (white

has seized control over the center and with this move announces the aspiration for opposite side

castling and attack on the kingside, which will start with the next move. Black recognizes this

aspiration and with the following move immediately launches an attack on the queenside) a5 10.

h4 Nh7 11. Nge2!? (the key moment of the game and an innovative opening concept. Namely,

white sees black’s attack on the queenside and decides not to castle, but keep the king in the

center. He also allures black to grab the h4 pawn and thus open the h file for white so his rook is

capable of attacking the black king. This attack along the h file, tracing back, as we see, to this

relatively off 11. Nge2!? move, will indeed prove to be decisive in this game) Bxh4+ 12. Kd1

Bg5 (the move is necessary to prevent 13.Bxh6! For example, if 12…Nd7, then 13. Bxh6! Bg5

14. Bxg5) 13. f4 Be7 14. f5 e5 15. Bxh6! Bg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. Qe1 Nf6 (the game offers

equal chances, with white’s hopes lying on the open h file and black’s ideas based on the strong

bishop on b7 and the white king in the center) 18. d5! (white logically blocks the center to

minimize his aforementioned two weaknesses: king in the center and black’s strong bishop on

b7) Ng4 19. b3 (an unnecessary move, only giving black chances to gain advantage with …a4)

Nd7 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. Rxh4 Ne3+ 22. Kd2 Nxf1+ 23. Rxf1 f6 24. Rfh1 Kf7 25. g4 c6 26. Ng1

cxd5 27. Nxd5 Bxd5 28. cxd5 Nc5 29. Ke3 Na6 30. Nf3 a4 31. g5 fxg5? (…Rg8 would have

been better for black) 32. Nxg5+ Ke7 33. Rh7 Kf6 34. Ne6 Rf7 35. Rg1 axb3 36. Rg6+ Ke7 37.

Rgxg7 Rxg7 38. Rxg7+ Kf6 39. axb3 Nc5 40. Rg6+ Ke7 41. Ng5 Rf8 42. Nh7 Rh8 43. f6+ Ke8

44. Rg7 Nd7 45. f7+ Ke7 46. f8=Q#

Position on the board before 11. Nge2!?


(Kumbor, July 1991, Sicilian Defense: Closed Variation, Traditional)

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. d3 Nf6 4. Nf3 d6 5. h3 e6 6. Be2 Be7 7. Be3 a6 8. g4 (unorthodoxly

offensive approach by white) b5 9. g5 Nd7 10. h4 Bb7 11. d4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 b4 13. Na4 O-O 14.

a3 Nc5 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. f3 Qc7 18. f4?! (the vulnerability of the white king,

who neglected to castle and decided to stay in the center will soon be revealed) Rfd8 (excellent

in-between move) 19. Qc1 Bxe4 20. Rg1 f6 21. axb4 cxb4 22. c4 (white prioritizes the opening

of space for the white queen over capturing the a6 pawn) fxg5 23. fxg5 (hxg5 would have made

more sense, as the b8-h2 diagonal is now open and under black’s control) Bd6 (black ceases the

control over this diagonal) 24. Bg4 Bg3+ 25. Ke2 Bd3+ 26. Kf3 Rf8+ 27. Kg2 Be4+ 28. Kh3

Bh2 29. Qd2 Bxg1 30. Rxg1 Rad8 31. Bxe6+ Kh8 32. Qxb4 Rf3+ 33. Kg4 Rdf8 (…Qh2 was

winning too, but black opts for an attractive queen sacrifice) 34. Qc5 Qf4+!! 35. Bxf4 R8xf4+

36. Kh5 Bg6#

Position on the board before 34… Qf4+!!


(Kumbor, July 1991, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Vienna Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Bb4 6. Bxc4 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 O-O 8. O-O b6 9.

Rb1 Na6? (black was planning 10…c5, but white’s next move prevents this plan) 10. Qe2 Ne4!

11. Rb3 Nb8 12. Ba3 Re8 13. Nd2 Qh4 (the beginning of a long walk for the black queen, which

will end on the same square that this walk began from – d8; meanwhile, the white pieces will

organize into a powerful attack) 14. Nxe4 Qxe4 15. Bd3 Qd5 16. e4 Qg5 17. Rb5 Qh4 18. Rh5

Qd8 19. Bb1 g6 20. e5! Bb7 21. Qg4 f5 22. exf6 Qxf6 23. Rh6 Qg7 24. Bxg6! Qxh6 25. Bxe8+

Kh8 26. Re1 Bd5 27. c4! Bxc4 28. d5! Bxd5 29. Bb2+ #1

Position on the board before 27. c4! Bxc4 28. d5!

Jasmina Uskoković, Nikola Novaković (consultants) – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, July 1991, Pirc Defense: Classical Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 7. O-O O-O 8. e5 dxe5 9.

dxe5 Ng4 10. Bf4? (e6! was the best move for white. It could be followed by …fxe6 11. Ng5

Nde5 12. f3 Nf6 13. Nxe6, with an advantage for white) Ndxe5 (black takes one pawn advantage

here and this advantage he will not drop until the end of the game) 11. Qxd8 Rfxd8 12. Nxe5

Nxe5 13. Nb5 a6! 14. Nc3 (not Nxc7 because …e6! and the white knight will have nowhere to

go) Rd4 15. g3 e6 16. Ne2 Re4 17. Nc3 Rc4! 18. Kg2 Nd7 (black maneuvers the pieces without

any supporting pawn structure and robs white of useful space even in a completely open center)

19. Rad1 Nb6 20. Bd2 Bxc3 21. Bxc3 Nd5 22. Rd4! Rc5 23. Bb4 Nxb4 24. Rxb4 Rxc2 25. Rxb7

Rd8 26. Rb1 Rdd2 (moving the rooks to the 2nd/7th rank is the key to double rook endings and

this will help white gain the second pawn of advantage. Everything else is a routine so long as

black makes sure white does not get a chance to double the rooks on the seventh rank) 27. Rf1

Rxb2 28. Rxc7 Rxa2 29. h4 Rd8 30. Kf3 Ra8 31. Kf4 Kg7 32. f3 Rb8 33. Re1 Rb4+ 34. Re4

Rb3 35. Re3 Ra4+ 36. Re4 Raa3 37. Ke5 Rxf3 38. g4 a5 39. Ra7 Rfd3 40. Rf4 Rd5+ 41. Ke4

Ra4+ 42. Ke3 Rxf4 43. Kxf4 Rd4+ 44. Kg3 a4 45. Kf3 Rd3+ 46. Ke4 Ra3 47. Ke5 Ra1 48. g5

a3 49. Kd4 a2 50. Kc3 Rc1+ 51. Kb2 a1=Q+ 52. Rxa1 Rxa1 53. Kxa1 f5 54. Kb2 e5 55. Kc3 e4

56. Kd4 Kf8 57. Ke3 Ke7 58. Kf4 Kd6 59. Ke3 Ke5 0-1

Position on the board before 18…Nd7.

Jasmina Uskoković - Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Petrov’s Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3 (3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 would be a more popular and more

energetic continuation for white) Nc6 4. Nc3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 7. c4 Qd8 8. Bd2

Bc5 9. Be2 O-O 10. Bc3 f6 11. O-O Be6 12. a3 a5 13. Qd2 Qe7 14. h3 Kf7!? (an interesting

concept – black foresees that the kingside on both black and white sides of the board will soon be

ravaged and moves his king back to the center) 15. g4 Ke8 16. Nh2 f5 17. g5 Nd4 18. Bxd4

exd4!! (seemingly blocking the bishop, but black has a different diagonal for this bishop to

control. One of the more impressive moves in this collection) 19. Kg2 (attempting to move the

rook from f1 to h1, but that move will never come) Bd6 20. f4 (it seems that there is no future for

black’s dark square bishop, but black will disprove that soon) h6 21. h4 hxg5 22. hxg5 Kf7!! (the

king comes to the defense, foreseeing white’s next move) 23. Bh5+ g6 (without black king’s

earlier move to f7, this move would not have been possible) 24. Bf3 c6 25. Bd1 Rh8 26. Nf3 c5

27. Ng1 (black was threatening …Qc7 and then …Rh4, after which the white pawn on f4 could

not be defended and white’s position would promptly crumble) b5! (opening the a8-h1 diagonal

for the black bishop) 28. cxb5 Qxg5+!! (the final touch on a magnificent attack by black) 29.

fxg5 (if white declines to take the sacrificed queen with Kf2, black plays …Bxf4 and the

checkmate will come soon. For example, 30. Qc2 Qg3+ 31. Ke2 Qe3# or 30. Nf3 Qg3+ 31. Ke2

Bd5 32. Ne5+ Kg8 33. Qxf4 Rh2+ 34. Rf2 Qxf4 35. Rxh2 Qxh2+ 36. Ke1 Re8 37. Be2 Rxe5 38.

Kd2 Qxe2+ 39. Kc1 Qe1+ 40. Kc2 Re2#) Rh2+ 30. Kf3 Bd5#

Position on the board before 28…Qxg5!!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Bb4 6. Bd2 c5 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 Ne4 9. Rc1 dxc4

10. Bxc4 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 (the pawn distribution after the

exchanges is completely symmetrical, but white’s pieces are more developed, whereas black

pieces are still stuck on the eighth rank) O-O 14. f4 Bd7 15. Kf2 Nc6 16. Ne2 e5 17. h3 a6 18.

Rd1 Rad8 19. Bd5 exf4 20. exf4 Rb8 (a loss of tempo may mean a lot in an equal but relatively

open position like this, where tiny differences may determine the outcome of the game) 21. Rcd3

(white has doubled the rooks on the d file, whereas black still keeps them on the eighth rank and

this game is a testimony to this textbook rule that, when possible, rooks should be doubled along

open files as soon as possible) Be6 (otherwise, Bxf7+, winning the pawn for white, was a threat)

22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Rd7 (whichever rook comes first to the seventh/second rank often wins, say

books on the basics of chess strategy) e5 24. Rc7 Rfd8 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rxb7 exf4 27. Nxf4

Rd2+ 28. Ke3 Rd8 29. Nh5! (another pawn is soon going down and white’s position is winning)

g6 30. Nf6+ Kf8 31. Nxh7+ Kg8 32. Nf6+ Kf8 33. Nd7+ Ke8 34. Nc5 a5 35. Rb6 Ne7 36. Ra6

Nd5+ 37. Kf3 g5 38. Rxa5 Rb8 39. b4 1-0

Position on the board before 23. Rd7.


(Kumbor, August 1991, Queen’s Pawn Game: Franco-Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. Nf3 d6 4. dxc5 Qa5+ 5. Nc3 Qxc5 (…Nf6 was more promising for black) 6.

Be3 Qa5 7. Bc4 g6 8. Qd2 a6 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Bb3 b5 11. h4 (e5 may seem to have been

stronger for white, but this pawn on h4 will prove to have a crucial role, as without it, the final

combination of the game would not have been possible) h5 12. Bd4 e5 13. Nd5! Qd8 (curiosity

is that after move 13, all black pieces sit on their initial squares on the eighth rank) 14. Nxe5! (a

moment of inspiration for white) Be6 (…dxe5 would be bad for black because of Bxe5 and a

dual attack on the h8 rook and Nc7+ threat with a prompt checkmate) 15. Bb6 Qc8 (the possible

square for the queen to retreat to) 16. Nc7+ Ke7 17. Qxd6+ Kf6 18. Nd7+ Kg7 (if …Qxd7, then

Bd4#) 19. Bd4+ f6 20. Nxe6+ Kh6 21. Qxf8+!! Qxf8 22. Ndxf8! (black cannot defend against

checkmate in 3) Nc6 23. Be3+ g5 24. hxg5+ fxg5 25. Bxg5#

Position on the board before 21. Qxf8+!!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Zukertort Opening: Queen’s Gambit Invitation)

1. Nf3 e6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d5 6. c4 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bg5 Qb6 9. Nc3!

(Nd2 is usually recommended, but this is an innovative opening idea and an unusual gambit

played here by white, which black will accept) Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bxc3 11. Rc1! (Rb1 is solid too,

but white choses to chase the bishop, not the queen) Bg7 12. d4 (with the discovery on the black

bishop on c8, the meaning of 11. Rc1! now becomes obvious and white wins the sacrificed pawn

back) O-O 13. dxc5 Qa5 14. Qd2! (white correctly estimated that white can maintain advantage

in the endgame) Qxd2 15. Nxd2 Nc6 16. Nc4! (the key move following 14. Qd2!) Bd7 17. Rfd1

(black’s position is very cramped and the d7 bishop cannot be easily defended, so black choses

to swap it for the opposite color bishop and a pawn) f6 18. Rxd7 fxg5 19. Rxb7 Ne5 (first the

bishop was in trouble, now it is the knight) 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21. Nxe5! (if Bxa8, then …Nxc4)

Rac8 22. Bb7 Rc7 23. c6 Rb8 24. Nd7 Rbxb7 25. cxb7 Rxb7 26. Nc5 Re7 27. Rb1 Kf6 28. Rb7

Rxb7 29. Nxb7

Position on the board before 9. Nc3!


(Kumbor, August 1991, French Defense: Normal Variation)

1. d4 e6 2. e4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nf3 b6 5. Nc3 Bb7 6. Be3 Ne7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. h4 h5 9. Bh6 f5 10.

Bxg7 Kxg7 11. Bd3 fxe4 12. Nxe4 Nbc6 13. Bc2 a5 14. Nh2 Nf5 15. Ng5 Ncxd4 16. Bxf5 Nxf5

17. g4?! (an overly risky attack that could have proven suicidal against a more skilled opponent)

hxg4 18. Nxg4 Bxh1 19. O-O-O Bc6 20. Qc3+ Rf6 (...Kf8, 21. Ne6 Qh4: defends black) 21.

Nxe6+ dxe6 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qxf6+ 1-0

Position on the board before 17. g4?!

Vuk Uskoković – Jova Zidverc

(Kumbor, August 1991, Duras Gambit)

1. e4 f5 2. exf5 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bxf5 5. d3 c5 6. d4 (an unnecessary loss of tempo; d4

should have been played directly a move earlier) c4 7. Be2 (theoretically, after 1…f5, if white

played correctly, he should have an advantage at this point. In this case, however, black already

equalized because of the overly passive approach by white) Nc6 8. Bf4 Nb4 9. Rc1 (the c1 pawn

needed not be defended and white could have easily sacrificed it and continued to develop, with,

say, O-O) Qb6 10. b3 Rc8 11. Be3 Ng4 12. Nd2 Qg6 (black is slowly building initiative around

the c2 pawn, which should have been ignored by white and treated as collateral damage) 13.

Bxg4 Bxg4 14. Nf3 Bf5 15. O-O Bxc2 16. Ne5 Qf5 17. Qd2 e6 18. a3 cxb3 19. axb4 Bxb4 20.

Rxc2? (g4 would bring an advantage to white here. Rc2? allows black to settle on the second

rank with his pawn, giving him an enormous advantage theoretically) bxc2 21. Qe2 O-O 22. Rc1

Rxc3 23. Bd2 Ba3 24. Bxc3 Bxc1 25. Nd3 Be3! 26. Qxc2 Qe4 27. fxe3 Qxe3+ 28. Nf2 Rxf2 29.

Qxf2 Qxc3 30. h3 b5 31. Kh2 Qc7+ 32. Kh1 a5 33. Qe2 Qc6 34. g4 b4 35. h4 a4 36. g5 a3 37.

h5 b3 38. h6 Qc1+ 0-1

Position on the board before 25…Be3!

Jova Zidverc - Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Bird Opening: Dutch Variation)

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 (e3 is better, preventing …e4, which black could have played

in his next move) Nc6 5. d4 dxc4 6. e4 (e3 again appears better or at least safer for white) Bb4 7.

e5 Nd5 8. Bd2 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 O-O 10. Bxc4 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 b6 12. Ng5 h6 13. h4!! hxg5 14.

hxg5 g6 15. Qg4? (Qf3 was better, simultaneously attacking the undefended knight on c6 and

threatening Qh3 with checkmate in one) Re8? (again strange moves come in pairs, although

according to the annotations, black realized that the game could be easily won after …Kg7 16.

Rh6 Rh8 17. Qh4 Ne7 18. O-O-O Nf5 19. Rxh8 Qxh8 20. Qxh8+ Kxh8 21. Rd3 Bb7 and so on,

and he wanted to test whether the game could also be won with this unconventional retreat of the

king back to the center. As the game demonstrates, the best black could do is draw the game) 22.

g4 Ne7 23. Bb3 Rd8 24. Kb2 Kg7 25. a4 c5 26. Bd1 cxd4 27. cxd4 Ba6 28. Rd2 Nd5 29. f5 gxf5

30. gxf5 exf5 31. Rf2 Kg6 32. Bc2 Ne7 33. Kc3 Rc8+ 34. Kd2 Rc4 35. Rf4 Kxg5 36. Rf3 Rxd4+

37. Kc3 Rg4 38. Bd3 Bxd3 39. Kxd3 Nc6) 16. Qh4 Kf8 17. Qh8+ Ke7 18. Qf6+ Kd7 19. Qxf7+

Qe7 20. Bxe6+ (Qxg6 appears better for white) Kd8 21. d5 Bxe6 22. dxe6 Qxe6 23. O-O-O+

Kc8 24. Rh7 Qxf7 25. Rxf7 Re7 26. Rf6 Kb7 27. Rxg6 Nxe5 28. fxe5 Rxe5! (a secure way to

enforce draw is to exchange the knight for two white pawns) 29. Rd7 Re1+ 30. Kb2 Re2+ 31.

Kb3 Rxg2 32. Rgg7 Rc8 33. Rd5 Rf8 34. Rdd7 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 28…Nxe5!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. e3 b5?! (an elementary rule in chess is not to defend the pawn

after accepting the queen’s gambit. This game exemplifies how quickly black’s position

crumbles if black decides to defend this pawn) 5. a4 c6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. Nc3 Qb6 8. b3 e6 9. bxc4

Bb4 10. Qb3 (Bd2 works well too) Bxc3+ 11. Qxc3 bxc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Ne5 may be even better.

For example, 12. Ne5 Bf5 13. Nxc4 Qd8 14. Ba3 Ne7 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. Bb5 Kg8 17. e4 Bg6 18.

O-O) Ne7 13. Ba3 Nbc6 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. Ne5 Bf5 16. O-O O-O (black decides to give up the

exchange to release the pressure. If … Nc6, then 17. Nxc6 Qxc6 18. Qb4 and black’s position

falls apart quickly. And if …Rc8, then 17. Qa3 Nc6 18. Ba6 Rb8 19. Qa4 with a massive

advantage for white) 17. Nd7 Qc7 18. Nxf8 Kxf8 19. Ra5 Rc8 20. Rc5 Qb7 21. Rxc8+ Qxc8 22.

Ra1 Qb7 23. Qa5 Nc6 24. Qa6 Qc7 25. Bb5 Ne7 26. Qxa7 Qxa7 27. Rxa7 Nd5 28. Bc4 Nc3 29.

Ra3 Ne4 30. Bd3 g5 31. f3 Nd6 32. Bxf5 Nxf5 33. Kf2 h5 34. h3 Ke7 35. g4 hxg4 36. hxg4 Nd6

37. e4 f5 38. exf5 exf5 39. gxf5 Nxf5 40. Ra7+ Ke6 41. Ra6+ Kd5 42. Ra5+ Ke6 1-0

Position on the board before 15. Ne5.

Jova Zidverc - Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Bird Opening: Dutch Variation)

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. c4 dxc4 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. a3 Ba5 7. Ne5 c6 (the c4 pawn could have

been easily defended here with …b5) 8. Nxc4 Bc7 9. e4 O-O 10. Be3 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Nb6 12. e5

Nfd5 13. Bd2 Nxc4 14. Bxc4 Bb6! (taking advantage of white’s creating a weak d4 pawn with

12. e5) 15. Ne4 (if white opted for defending the d4 pawn, this would involve moves Bc1 and

Ne2, which close white’s structure and are not favorable) Bxd4 16. Qh5 (white’s clearly

attacking mentality assures that he goes here for all or nothing) Bxb2! (black correctly estimates

that b2 pawn is not poisonous) 17. Ng5 h6 18. Bd3 Qe7 (the a1 rook could have been grabbed

here too, but black already has a two pawn material advantage and prefers focusing on defense

now) 19. Ra2 Bxa3 20. g4 Bb4 21. Nh7 Bxd2+ 22. Rxd2 Rd8! (black does not rush with

…Nxf4) 23. g5 Nxf4 24. Nf6+ gxf6 25. Qxh6 Nxd3+ 26. Rxd3 Rxd3 27. gxf6 Qb4+ (white was

one move away from at least the perpetual check, but black can check the white king; hence the

importance of 18…Qe7) 28. Kf2 Qd2+ 29. Qxd2 Rxd2+ 0-1

Position on the board before 14…Bb6!

Dragan Uskoković - Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Marshall Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. d4 Qc7 (…Qa5 appears stronger) 6. f4 f6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8.

Bb5 O-O-O 9. O-O a6 10. Bxc6 Qxc6 11. Kh1 fxe5 12. dxe5 e6 13. Be3 h5 14. c3 bxa3 15.

Nxa3 Bxa3 16. Rxa3 h4 (the key effect of the push of this pawn will soon be obvious) 17. Qb3

h3 18. Nd4 (not g3 or gxh3 because of 19…Bxf3 and 20…d4 0-1) Qc7 19. g3 Ne7 20. Rc1 g5!

(…Qc4 was a more peaceful option, in which case the game would quickly transition to a draw

position. For example, 21. Qxc4+ dxc4 22. Ra4 Kb8 23. Rxc4 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. c4 Nc6

26. Nxc6+ Rxc6 27. Kg1 b5 28. cxb5 Rxc1+ 29. Bxc1 axb5 30. Kf2 Kc7 31. Ke3 b4 32. Kd4 b3

33. Kc5 Bd1 34. Ba3 Bc2) 21. c4 dxc4 22. Rxc4 Nc6 23. fxg5 (if 23. Nxc6, then… Bf3+! 24.

Kg1 Bxc6 25. Bb6 Rd1+ 26. Qxd1 Qxb6+ 27. Kf1 Rd8 28. Qc2 Qb5 ½ - ½) Qxe5 24. Rc2 (Qc2

appears to be the only move allowing white to continue with an equal play) Rxd4! 25. Bxd4

Qe1+ 26. Bg1 Qe4+ 27. Qf3 Qxf3+ 28. Rxf3 Bxf3+ 29. Rg2 Bxg2#

Final position on the board, after 29…Bxg2#

Vuk Uskoković – Jova Zidverc

(Kumbor, August 1991, Old Benoni Defense)

1. d4 c5

2. d5 b5?!

3. e4 Bb7

4. c4 (white opts not to capture the freely offered b5 pawn)

4…b4

5. b3 Nf6

6. Nd2 g6

7. Bb2 Bg7

8. Be2 O-O

9. h4 e6

10. h5! (per Stockfish 10 evaluation, white relinquishes the advantage over to black for

the first time in this game. This advantage of black will be constantly increased per this

evaluation from this move on, all until move 20, when it will be restored by white)

10…Nxh5

11. Bxh5 Bxb2 (first bishop sacrifice)

12. Qg4!? Qf6

13. Ngf3 Bxa1 (first rook sacrifice)

14. Ng5 Qc3

15. Bxg6! Qc1+

16. Ke2 Qxh1 (second rook sacrifice)

17. Bxh7+ Kh8

18. Qf4 Qh5+

19. Ndf3 a5

20. g4 Qh6 (a critical error by black, a point from which there is no return. Qh1 should

have been played, but who would put queen in the corner when it is more fun to peek at

another queen from behind the back of a horse, that is, knight in Yugoslav terminology?

White’s advantage is now immense in spite of the material superiority of the black)

21. Nxf7+ Rxf7 (the knight sacrifice. If …Kg7, then there is a forced checkmate

sequence, #13, after 22. Qxh6 Kxf7 23. d6 and so on)

22. Qxh6 Rxh7 (the second bishop is finally sacrificed after being offered since move 11

to three different pawns, queen, king and rook for capture. Black would be lost even after

22...Bg7 because of quiet, yet extraordinary powerful 23. Qh5! Namely, if 23… Rf8, then

#2 after 24. Bg6+, and if 23…Rxf3, then 24. Kxf3 and either 24…Na6 25. dxe6 dxe6 26.

Bf5+ Kg8 27. Be6+ Kf8 28. Qf7# or 24…Bd4 25. Bg6+ Kg7 26. Qh7+ Kf6 27. g5+

Kxg5 28. Be8 a4 29. Qg6+ Kh4 30. Qg3#)

23. Qf8# (Many years after I played this game, I came across Schlechter’s immortal from

1893, where the Austrian world champion contender, a player with whose gentleman

style, on and off the board, I have had much in common, sacrificed the exact same pieces

I sacrificed in this game - the pair of rooks, the pair of bishops and a knight – before

checkmating Bernhard Fleissig’s king leaning onto his rook with the queen only in the

very corner of the board, in exactly the same way as it happened in this game too. Other

parallels between these two games could be drawn too, such as Fleissig’s beginning the

game with 1. b4?! and Jova Zidverc’s playing 2… b5?!. The game annotated here is

unique in a sense that it has the greatest concentration of blunders and inaccuracies out of

all the games presented in this collection, yet per the timeline of my growth as a chess

player given here, it appears to have acted as a magical catalyst - suddenly, from this

game onward, I began to play with a markedly higher level of maturity. Per this

collection, I suddenly transformed from an amateur to a player capable or drawing and

even winning against a FIDE master after only a week or two. Hence the magic of this

last in a series of five games played against Jova Zidverc in early August 1991, in which I

sacrificed two rooks, two bishops and a knight to capture the black queen and checkmate

the opponent with a single piece – the white queen. Twenty three years after this game

was played, none other but Jova Zidverc’s daughter, a neurologist, diagnosed my Mom

with an incurable brain tumor. It was the moment in which my Mom, in her thoughts,

waved at me from the shore of this sea that was Paradise for us two and hopped on a boat

to carry her to the Great Beyond. I wish to believe that my Mom is this white queen, who

- after I give away everything with that “blessed are the poor in spirit” norm held in my

mind - will help me win the game of life in this exact manner)

Position on the board before 12. Qg4?!

Original annotation of the game in Book #1 of the chess game collection.

Vuk Uskoković - Dragan Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Showalter Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. e4 e6 6. Be3 Bb4 7. e5 (not a good move, giving

black a chance for the counterplay. Qa4+ was better) Nd5 8. Rc1 (white is lingering too long

with the capture of the c4 pawn. After 8. Rc1, black could have easily defended it with …b5)

Nc6 9. Bxc4 Nxe3 10. fxe3 O-O 11. O-O Ne7 12. a3 Ba5 13. b4 Bb6 14. Bd3 a5? (black

blunders the h7 pawn) 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7? (…Kh8 must have been played) 16. Ng5+ Kg8 17.

Qxg4 Nf5 18. Rxf5! exf5 19. Qh5 Re8 20. Qxf7+ Kh8 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+

Ke7 24. Qxg7#

Position on the board before 18. Rxf5!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Bb5 Qb6 6. O-O a6 7. Bxc6+ Qxc6 8. e5 dxe5 9.

Nxe5 Qc7 10. d4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 e6 12. Kh1 Bc5 13. Qa4+ Bd7 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Qxd7+ Kxd7

16. f5 Rhe8 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Rad1+ Kc7 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Rfe1 h6 21. Bh4 Bb4 22. Rd3 Rad8

(the game appears to be moving to a dead draw, but this will change in a bit) 23. Red1 Rxd3 24.

Rxd3 Kc6 25. Kg1 Nd5 26. Nxd5 exd5 27. Kf1 Re4 28. Bf2 Bd6 29. h3 Be5 30. b3 d4 31. Bg3

Bxg3 32. Rxg3 g5 33. c3 Kc5! (…dxc3 would push the black knight back after Rc3+) 34. Rd3

dxc3 35. Rxc3+ Kb4! (black will sacrifice two pawns for bringing the king close to the

promotion zone) 36. Rc7 b 37. Rc6 a5 38. Rxh6 Ka3 39. Rh5 Kxa2 40. Rxg5 a4 41. bxa4 b4!!

(…bxa4 leads to an immediate draw after 42. Rb1) 42. a5 b3 43. Rb5 b2 44. a6 b1=Q+ 45. Rxb1

Kxb1 46. Kf2 Kc2 47. a7 Re8!! (another key moment: had black played …Ra4, the game would

end in a draw after 48. Kf3. White’s goal is to bring the king in front of his advancing pawns

before the black king reaches them within the distance of two open files and he would have done

that had black played 47…Ra4) 48. Kg3 Kd3 49. Kf4 Kd4 50. g4 Rf8+ 51. Kg5 Ke5 52. h4

Rg8+ 53. Kh6 Kf6 54. g5+ Kf7 55. Kh7 Ra8 56. h5 Rxa7 57. g6+ Kf6+ 58. Kg8 Rb7 59. h6

Kxg6 0-1

Position on the board before 41…b4!



1. e4 c5 2. f4 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bb5 Qb6 5. a4 a6 6. Bxc6+ Qxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. d3 e6 9. O-O d5

10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 Be7 12. Kh1 O-O 13. Be3 b6! 14. dxc5 Nxc5 (bxc5 would have been way

stronger for black, giving him control over the center and threatening …d4) 15. Ng5 Bxg5

(giving away a bishop and opening the f file for the white rook, but creating a weak e5 pawn) 16.

fxg5 Bb7! 17. Bxc5 d4! (an in-between move opening the a8-h1 diagonal) 18. Qe2 Qxc5 19. Ne4

Qxe5 20. Rae1 Rac8 21. Qg4 Kh8 (preventing Nf6+) 22. Qh4 Qd5 (black thought that he would

be pinning the knight with this move, but a surprise comes) 23. Rxf7!! Rxf7 24. g6 h6 25. gxf7

Qd8 (if …e5, then Qe7 1-0) 26. Qxd8+ Rxd8 27. Nd6 Bd5 28. Ne8! 1-0

Position on the board before 23. Rxf7!!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Spanish Game: Morphy Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Nf6 6. O-O Bc5 7. Re1 O-O 8. c3 d5! (black

sacrifices a pawn to open up the position and try to gain advantage in the center instead of

keeping the game closed by playing more conventional ...d6) 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11.

Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 (it is move 14 and 6 out of 7 of white’s major

pieces are still on the first rank) 15. Nd2 Bg4 16. Nf3 Rfe8 (if ...Qh5 17. Nh4! Bxd1 18. Bxd1

and white gets the queen back) 17. Rxe8+ Rxe8 18. Ng5 Qh5 19. f3 Bc8 20. Ne4 Bb8 21. a4 f5

22. Nc5 Kh8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Ra5 f4!! (black reacts to a pawn under threat by

sacrificing another pawn) 26. g4 (game could have continued with 26. Bxf4 Bxf4 27. gxf4 Qg6+

28. Kf2 Qh6 29. Qg1 Qxf4 30. Ra8 b4 too, but with serious advantage for black) Qh4 27. Bd2

(the point of no return for white. White thought that defending the e1 square and simultaneously

developing the bishop was better than the counterintuitive backing up of the white knight from

its powerful post on c5 square with Nc5-e3, when in reality the latter move would save him the

game, whereas his seemingly more natural choices loses it) h5! (natural corollary to 25...f4 26.

g4 variation) 28. Rxb5 hxg4 29. Rxb8 g3 30. hxg3 fxg3 #-5 0-1

Position on the board before 25… f4!!



1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9.

Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Be3 a5 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Nd7 (exchanging queens was safer for

black, but black wanted to grab the pawn on e5, not realizing that it is a trap) 14. e6! fxe6 (the

age-old saying that gambits are best refuted by accepting them) 15. Qg4 (Qf3 with the

subsequent capture of c6 pawn was better for white) Rf8 16. Qxe6 Qc8 (a repetitive motive in

games between my father and I, i.e., fierce attack against fearless defense) 17. Rad1? (Ne4 was

better for white. The key for sustaining the attacking momentum was to block ...Nf6. If 17. Ne4

Nf6, then 28. Nd6+ 1-0) Nf6 18. Qxc8+ (momentum was lost and backing away with the queen

would not give much advantage to white) Rxc8 19. Bd4 Rd8 20. Bxf6 Rxd1 21. Nxd1 Rxf6 22.

Rxf6 Bxf6 ½ - ½ (white has a minor advantage because of black’s weaker pawn structure, but

players agreed to a draw. It must have been late at night)

Position on the board before 13… Nd7 14. e6!

Tomislav Jokić (FM, 2300 – 2400) – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 c6 9. e4 c5

10. d5 exd5 11. exd5 Nb6! 12. b3 Nxc4 13. bxc4 Bd6 14. Re1 a6 15. Bg5 Bf5 16. Ne4 Bxe4 17.

Rxe4 h6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Rb1 Rab8 (...b5 was better) 20. a4 Qd8 21. Qb3 Re8 22. Rxe8+

Qxe8 23. Qb6 Qd7 24. a5 Qc7 25. g3 Qxb6 26. axb6 a5 27. Nd2 f5 28. Ra1 Ra8 29. Ra4 Ra6 30.

f4 Rxb6 31. Rxa5 Ra6? (...Ra4 was better) 32. Rb5 b6 33. Nf3 Kf7 34. Ne5+ Ke7 35. Rb2 Kd8

36. Kg2 Kc7 37. Nf7! Ra4 38. Nxd6 Kxd6 39. Rxb6+ Ke7 (...Kc7 loses for black because of 40.

Rc6+) 40. d6+ Ke6 41. d7+ Kxd7 42. Rb7+ Ke8 43. Rxg7 Rxc4 44. Rc7 Rc2+ 45. Kf3 h5 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 26… a5.

Tomislav Jokić (FM, 2300 – 2400) – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Bg5 O-O 5. e3 d6 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. Be2 h6 8. Bh4 c6 9. O-O e5

10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Rad1 Rxd1 14. Rxd1 Bf5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16.

g4 Be6 17. Ne4 Be7 18. b3 Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Nd6 b6 21. Bf3 Bd7 (...c5 loses for black

because of 22. Bd5!) 22. a4 Be7 23. Ne4 f5 24. gxf5 gxf5 25. Ng3 Kg7 26. Kf1 Kg6 27. Ke2 e4

28. Bh5+ Kf6 29. f4 exf3+ 30. Kxf3 Kg5 31. h3 Bd6 32. Bf7 Kh4 33. Ne2 Kxh3 34. Nf4+ Kh4

35. Be6 Bxe6 36. Nxe6 c5 37. e4 fxe4+ 38. Kxe4 Kg4 39. Ke3 h5 40. Kf2 h4 41. Kg2 h3+ 42.

Kh1 Kg3 43. Ng5 Kg4 44. Ne4 Bc7 45. Kg1 h2+ 46. Kg2 Kf4 47. Nc3 Kf5 48. Nb5 Bb8 49.

Nc3 Bf4 50. Nb5 Bb8 51. Nc3 Ke5! (the black king is off to the queenside to pick up the white

pawns and bring the game to an end; meanwhile, the pawn at h2 cannot be picked with 52. Kxh2

because of 52… Kd4+ and 53… Kxc3) 52. Nd5 Kd4 53. Ne7 Kc3 54. Nc6 Bc7 55. Nxa7 Kxb3

56. Nc6 Kxc4 57. Ne7 Kd3 58. Nd5 c4 0-1 (Although this is a surprisingly well played game for

me at this age, the flow of the game was such that it naturally led to my victory and my play

appeared naïve and effortless all throughout it, albeit gaining confidence as the game progressed.

It was almost as if I got flown on the wings of a higher force from the beginning to the end of the

game. The overall 4-game match with Dr. Jokić was won by him 2½ - 1½ and this was my only

win in it. I was 14 years of age at the time)

Position on the board before 51… Ke5!


(Kumbor, August 1991, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 Bg4 (...cxd4 was better for black) 5. Ne5! Bf5 6. e3 Nc6 7.

g4! (the beginning of the avalanche of white pawns) Bg6 8. g5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. f4 Nb6 11.

cxd5 e6 12. Bb5+ Nd7 13. d6 a6 14. Ba4 b5 15. Bb3 c4 16. Bc2 f6 17. h4 Qb6 18. Qf3 O-O-O

19. Qa8+! Nb8 20. f5!! (opens up d5 square for the white knight) Bxf5 21. Bxf5 exf5 22. Nd5

Qb7 23. Ne7+ Bxe7 24. Qxb7+ Kxb7 25. dxe7 Rde8 26. exf6 Nd7 27. b3 (a pawn has to be

given up by white, but bishop on a3 will prove to be a nuisance for black) gxf6 28. Ba3 fxg5 29.

bxc4 bxc4 30. O-O-O Ne5 31. hxg5 Nd3+ 32. Kc2 a5 (if ... Nf2, then 33. Rb1+ and 34. Rf1) 33.

Kc3 Nb4 34. Rd7+ Kc6 35. Rhd1 Kb5! 36. Rb1 (if 36. Rd8 Rxe7 37. Rxh8 Rxe3+ 38. Kb2 c3+

39. Kc1 c2 40. Rf1 ½ - ½) Kc6 37. Rbd1 Kb5 38. Rb1 Kc6 39. Rbd1 Kb5 40. Bxb4 axb4+ 41.

Kb2 Kc6 42. Rd8 Kc7 43. R1d7+ Kb6 44. Rd6+ Kc7 45. R8d7+ Kc8 46. Ra7 Kb8 47. Rdd7 h5

48. gxh6 Rxh6 49. Rab7+ Ka8 50. Rxb4 Rhh8 51. Kc3 Rc8 52. Rbb7 Rcg8 53. Kxc4 Rg4+ 54.

Kd5 Re4 55. Rb3 Rc8 56. Rd8 1-0

Position on the board before 20. f5!!

Vuk Uskoković - Miša Čanak (CM, 2200 - 2300)

(Kumbor, August 1991, 2.5 h, Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation)

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Bg4 7. c3 e6 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. Bxd6

Qxd6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nbd2 Rab8 12. h3 Bh5 13. Nf1 b5 14. Ng3 Bg6 15. Ne5 Bxd3 16. Qxd3

Rfc8 17. f4 g6 18. Nf1 Ne4 19. g4 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Qe7 (...b4 or ...f6 sounded better for black) 21.

Nd2 Nxd2 22. Qxd2 b4 23. Re2 bxc3 24. bxc3 f5 25. exf6 Qxf6 26. Rf1 Qh4 27. Rf3 Rf8 28.

Ref2 Rxf3 29. Rxf3 Rb1+ 30. Kg2 Qe1 31. Qxe1 Rxe1 32. Rf1 Rxf1 33. Kxf1 Kf7 34. Ke2 e5?

(Black makes a critical error here. The game was in a drawn position on every previous move of

it, but here white is being given a minimal advantage. From this point on, there is only one

correct way of playing this endgame and winning for white) 35. dxe5 Ke6 36. Ke3 (Kf3 was

tempting, but after 36. Kf3 Kxe5 37. Ke3 g5 38. a3 Ke6 39. Kd4 Kd6 40. c4 dxc4 41. Kxc4 Ke5

42. Kb5 Kf4 43. Ka6 Kg3 44. a4 Kxh3 45. a5 Kxg4 46. Kxa7 Kh3 47. a6 g4 48. Kb8 g3 49. a7

g2 50. a8=Q g1=Q, the game would end in a draw) Kxe5 37. g5! Kd6 38. Kd4 a6 39. h4!

(white’s only way to win is by moving pawns on the kingside forward. If he attempted to induce

zugzwang by moving the a pawn, the game would end in a draw. For example, 39. a3 Kc6 40. a4

Kd6 41. c4 dxc4 42. Kxc4 Kc6 43. a5 Kd6 44. Kd4 Kc6 45. Ke5 Kb5 46. Kf6 Kxa5 47. Kg7 ½ -

½) Kc6 40. c4 dxc4 41. Kxc4 Kd6 (if ...Kb6, then 42. Ke5 is winning for white) 42. Kd4 Ke6 43.

Kc5 Kf5 44. Kb6 Kg4 45. Kxa6 Kxh4 46. Kb6 Kxg5 47. a4 Kf4 48. a5 1-0 (Black lost by one

move. Pawn promoted on a8 as a queen would prevent both black’s …g3-g2 and …h2-h1=Q. A

quiet game that led to a minor error by black in my favorite, king-and-pawn endgame, the type of

endgame that I was most skilled in. This was also the first game I played against Miša Čanak, a

professor of mathematics at University of Belgrade and an active chess player. After the game,

Prof. Čanak’s chess club, BASK, offered me to join their team with the highest title possible at

the point of entrance – the 1st Category equivalent to FIDE Class A).

Position on the board before 39. h4!


(Belgrade, August 1991, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Pincus Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. d4 Bb4+ 7. c3 Be7 8. Nxf7! Kxf7 9.

Qf3+ Ke6 (black makes an honest effort to protect the knight on d5. Retreating with the king to

e8 would lose the knight and give a massive advantage to white) 10. O-O! Nxd4! 11. cxd4 c6 12.

Nc3 exd4 13. Re1+ Kd6 14. Bf4+ (Nxd5 was winning too after 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Qxd5+ Kc7

16. Rxe7+ Qxe7 17. Bf4+ Kb6 18. Qb5#) Nxf4 15. Qxf4+ Kc5 16. Re5+ Kxc4 17. Qf7+ Kd3 18.

Rd1+ Kc2 19. Qf5+ (queen sacrifice for the sake of queen sacrifice - unnecessary, as there was a

checkmate in one: Re2#) Bxf5 20. Re2#

Position on the board before 8. Nxf7!

Dr. Ratomir Vukčević – Vuk Uskoković

(Mala Moštanica, August 1991, English Opening: Carls-Bremen System)

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. e3 O-O 6. Nge2 d6 7. O-O Be6 8. b3 d5 9. d4 exd4

10. exd4 Be7 11. c5 Qd7 12. a3 Bh3 13. b4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Rfe8 15. Re1 a6 16. Bb2 Bd8 17.

Qd3 Re6 18. Nf4 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 Ne7 20. Re5 c6 21. Bc1 Bc7 22. Re1 Re8 23. Qd1 Nf5 24.

Rxe8+ Qxe8 25. Qd3 Bxf4 26. Bxf4 Qe6 27. Be5 Ng4 28. Bf4 h6 (28…Qe1 was tempting, but it

would lose for black after 29. Qxf5 Qxf2+ 30. Kh3 h5 31. Qc8+ Kh7 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. Qxh5

Nxh2 1-0) 29. h3 Nf6 30. Bc1 Qe1! (black queen announces that it is a sovereign ruler of the e

file) 31. Bd2 Qe6 32. f3 g5 33. Ne2 Nd7 34. g4 Ng7 35. Kf2 Nf8 36. Qe3 Qxe3+ 37. Bxe3 f5 38.

Nc1 Nfe6 39. Nb3 Kf7 40. Bd2 fxg4 41. hxg4 Kf6 42. a4 h5 43. Be3 hxg4 44. fxg4 ½ - ½

(Stockfish 10 evaluation: 0.0. My goal in this game was to draw against a very strong opponent

and I succeeded in that. An exemplary play for draw by black. He played boring, but never gave

a chance to white to go for the win)

Position on the board before 30… Qe1!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1991, Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne Gambit)

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 c6 3. dxc6 Nxc6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O Qb6 7. b3 O-O-O 8. Bb2 h5 9.

c4 h4 10. h3 e6! (an intriguing, but probably premature sacrifice. If white played correctly, the

bishop could have been captured with a solid advantage for white) 11. d4! (white things

imaginatively and wants to open up the center as a way countering black’s ambitions on the

kingside. White might have fallen for black’s bluffing, the way Tal’s opponents often did when

he sacrificed the material) Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Rxd4 14. Qc2 Be7 15. a4 Rhd8 16.

Nc3 g5 17. a5 Qb4 (black feared sending the queen to the edge of the board with …Qa6, but it

was better than …Qb4) 18. Ra4? (a6 seemed far better) Qd6? (bad moves, like good ones, come

in series. A blunder that gives white the key advantage) 19. Nb5 Qf4 20. Nxd4 Rxd4 21. a6 b6

22. Rd1 Bc5 23. Rxd4 Bxd4 24. c5! bxc5 25. b4 Nd5 (…g4 was possible too and if 26. bxc5

gxf3 27. Qb2 must be played because if 27. Qb1, then …Bxf2+! 28. Kxf2 Qg3+ 29. Ke3 fxg2+

0-1) 26. bxc5 Nc3 27. Ra3 Qe5 28. Kf1 Qxc5 29. Rb3 Kd8 30. Rb7 Qc4+ 31. Kg1 Qa2 32. Qxa2

Nxa2 33. Rxf7 Nb4 34. Be2 Nd5 35. Kf1 Kc8 36. Bb5 Kd8 37. Rd7+ Kc8 38. Bc6 Bb6 39. Rg7

Nb4 40. Bb7+ Kd8 41. Rxg5 Nd3 42. Rh5 Nxf2 43. Rxh4 1-0



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1991,

Queen’s Gambit Refused: Chigorin Defense, Modern Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. e3 Bf5 6. Bxc4 h6 7. O-O Ne4 8. Nxe4 Bxe4 9.

Bd2 e6 10. Rc1 Qd7 11. Be1 b6 12. Nd2 Bd5 13. Bxd5 Qxd5 14. a3 O-O-O 15. Nb1 Be7 16.

Nc3 Qf5 17. Qa4 Kb7 18. Nb5 Bg5 19. Rxc6! Kxc6 20. Bb4! (if 20. Nxa7+, then …Kb8 ½ - ½

and if 20. Nd6+? Kxd6 21. Bb4+ c5 22. dxc5+ bxc5 23. Rd1+ Ke7 24. Qxa7+ Kf6 25. Bc3+ Kg6

and black king traversed the whole board, but finds a safe harbor and black eventually wins the

game) Kd7 (black has no good move) 21. Nxc7+! (more elegant and effective than capturing the

queen with 21. Nd6+) Kxc7 22. Qxa7+ (if 22. Rc1+?, then ... Kb8 and not only is the black king

safe, but black would have an immense advantage, probably winning the game) Kc6 23. Rc1+

Kb5 (if …Kd5, then 24. Qb7#) 24. a4+ Kxb4 25. Qxb6+ #1

Position on the board before 19. Rxc6! Kxc6 20. Bb4!



Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Levenfish Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. O-O a6 9. Kh1 b5

10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Nd5 Nbd7 12. Nxf6+ Bxf6 13. Re1 Nc5 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Bg7 16. c3 Nxb3

17. axb3 Qd5! 18. Qg4 (Qf3 was better for white) Bxe5 19. Rxe5!? (a sloppy sacrifice. White

will get some benefits for development in the next few moves, but that will be it) Qxe5 20. Bf4

Qd5 21. Rd1 Rad8! (here comes the end to white’s short-lived initiative) 22. Re1 e5! (black

demonstrates to white what a more effective sacrifice for the sake of gaining control of the center

is. Black sacrifices a central pawn to open up the space for one of his rooks and exchange the

passive rook for white’s active rook) 23. Rxe5 Rfe8! 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. h3 Re1+ 26. Kh2 Rf1

27. Nf3 (black was threating …Qg1+) Qc5 28. Nd4 Rf2 (black peacefully maneuvers his rook up

and down the first and second rank) 29. Qd7 Rxg2+ (after doing the e8-e1-f1-f2 maneuver, the

black rook liberated with the pawn sacrifice, 22…e5, is now putting the white king to prison) 30.

Kh1 Ba8 (the bishop-rook battery is too worth to be given up so easily) 31. Qe8+ Qf8 32. Qxf8+

Kxf8 33. Bd6+ Ke8 34. b4 Kd7 35. Bb8 Bd5 36. h4 h6 37. b3 h5 38. Ba7 Kc7 39. Bc5 Rg4+ 40.

Kh2 Rxh4+ 41. Kg3 Rg4+ 42. Kf2 h4 43. Ne2 h3 44. Bd4 Rg2+ 45. Ke1 h2 46. Be5+ Kb6 47.

Bxh2 Rxh2 0-1

Position on the board before 22…e5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be3 O-O 6. Qd2 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O-O Nbd7 9. h4

h5 10. f3 e5 11. d5 c5 (in the first game of the second portion of the world championship

rematch between Fischer and Spassky played the following summer, in 1992, in Belgrade,

Fischer, as black, would lose a King’s Indian game to Spassky after making similarly

strategically erroneous 15…c5? and blocking the queenside on which he was to launch a

counterattack as a response to white’s kingside attack) 12. Be2 a6 13. a4 Ne8 (…b5! could have

been played here) 14. g4 f5? 15. gxh5 f4 16. Bf2 gxh5 17. Nh3 Ndf6 18. Rdg1 Kh8 19. Ng5 Nc7

20. Rh2 b5? (many games I played with my father and in which I established a positional

advantage I won by simply waiting for his ill attempt to liberate oneself from chains. “We,

Montenegrins, cannot be in chains”, my father would often cite the famous Montenegrin poet,

Nyegosh, and confined to a tight position, where defense and patience were the only resources,

he would often go for an attractive sacrifice to relax the grip, but that sacrifice would not always

be sound. This was one such game and 20…b5 was a key error in it. This move would have been

exceptional had it been played seven moves earlier, as 13… b5!) 21. Rhg2 Bh6 (locking the

queenside with …b4 and 22…a5 would maintain advantage for white, albeit lesser than after

white’s upcoming capture of b5 pawn) 22. axb5 axb5 23. Nxb5 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Rxg1 25. Rxg1

Nxb5 26. cxb5 Qa8 27. Ne6 Qa4+ 28. b3 Qa2+ 29. Kc3 Qxd2+ 30. Kxd2 Rg8 31. Rxg8+ Kxg8

32. Kc3 Bf8 33. Nxf8 Kxf8 34. Kc4 Nd7 35. b4 Nb6+ 36. Kb3 Nd7 37. bxc5 dxc5 38. Kc4 Ke7

39. Bxc5+ Nxc5 40. Kxc5 1-0

Position on the board after 13. a4, at which point black could have played …b5!


(Belgrade, August 1991, French Defense: Advance Variation)

1. d4 e6 2. e4 c5 3. Nf3 d5 4. e5 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4+ 6. c3 Bc5 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Nxc6 (if 8. Be3,

then ....Qb6, not ...Nxe5 because of 9. Nxe6) bxc6 9. O-O Ne7 10. Nd2 O-O 11. Nf3 Rb8 (...h6

seemed safer, to prevent white’s next move) 12. Bxh7+! Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kg6 14. Qd3+ f5 15.

h4! (If gxf6, then ...Kxf6! and the black king is safe and game equalized. Black in this case can

also play 15... Nf5 16. g4 gxf6 17. gxf5+ exf5 and the game is equal) Qe8 16. h5+! Kh6 (the h

pawn cannot be taken because of the checkmate in one) 17. Qg3 f4 18. Bxf4 Nf5 19. Qg4 Be7

20. Nxe6+ Kh7 21. Nxf8+ Qxf8 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. e6 Rxb2 24. g4 Nh6 25. Be5 Bf6 26. Bxf6

Qxf6 (if ...gxf6, then 27. e7 1-0) 27. Qxf6 (white does not fall for the trap: if 27. Qe8+, then

...Kh7! 28. Qxc8 Qf4, resulting in a draw) gxf6 28. e7 Bd7 29. Rab1 Re2 30. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 31.

Rxe1 Be8 32. Rb1 Kg8 33. f3 Kf7 34. Rb7 a5 35. Ra7 a4 (if 35...Ng8 36. Kf2 Nxe7 37. h6! Kf8

38. Rxe7! Kxe7 39. h7 1-0) 36. Rxa4 Kxe7 37. Ra7+ Kd6 38. a4 c5 39. a5 d4 40. cxd4 cxd4 41.

Kf2 Nf7 42. Rb7 Ne5 43. h6 Bg6 44. a6 Nd3+ 45. Kg3 Nc5 46. a7 1-0

Position on the board after 15. h4!



Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. Qd2 Nge7 8. O-O-O O-O 9.

h4 a6 (too passive. ...h5 or ...d5 must have been played) 10. h5 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Qxd4

g5! 13. h6 f6 14. Rh5 Ng6 (…Nc6 with the attack on white queen was better for black, but he

felt that the knight is needed more on the kingside in the absence of the fianchettoed bishop) 15.

Rxg5! e5 16. Qd5+ Kh8 17. Rg3 Qe7 18. Be2 Nf4 19. Qd2 b5 20. Nd5 (the game illustrates how

the black d7 pawn, not moved for the entirety of the game, can hamper the development of most

black pieces) Qf7 21. b3 Bb7 22. Rg7 Qe6 23. Bg4 Qc6 24. Qxf4!! exf4 25. Bf5 Qd6 (if Ne7

threat is prevented with 25...Rae8, then 26. Rxh7+ Kg8 27. Rg7+ Kh8 28. Nxf4 and checkmate

cannot be stopped. Likewise, if black prevents Ne7 with 25…Rfe8, then 26. Rxh7+ Kg8 27.

Nxf4 Rec8 28. Rg7+ Kf8 29. Ng6+ Ke8 30. Bxd7+ Qxd7 31. Rdxd7, with the checkmate to

promptly follow) 26. Rxh7+ Kg8 27. Ne7+ Qxe7 28. Rxe7 Rad8 29. Rh1 Rfe8 30. Rg7+ Kf8 31.

Rh4 Re7 32. Rgg4 Kf7 33. Rg7+ Kf8 34. Rg6 Bxe4 35. Rxf6+ Kg8 36. Rg4+ Kh8 37. Rg7 Rxg7

38. hxg7+ Kxg7 39. Rg6+ Kf7 40. Bxe4 1-0

Position on the board after 24. Qxf4!!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1991, Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 g6 6. g3 Bg7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. O-O-O a6 9. Nd5

Nxd5 10. exd5 Na5 11. c3 b5 12. d4 c4 13. h3 (white’s counterattack on the kingside should

have proceeded much more aggressively) Nb7 14. g4 a5 15. Ng5 Qc7 16. Be2 a4 17. a3 Na5 18.

Kb1 Nb3 19. Qe1 Qa7 20. Ne4 Bb7 21. Nd2 Bxd5 22. Rh2 Rfc8 23. h4 b4!! (just when white

thought that the queenside was locked and no passage through it was possible, this comes) 24.

Nxb3 axb3 25. cxb4 Be4+ 26. Ka1 (if Kc3, then … Bxd4 27. Be3 Bxb2+! 28. Kxb2 c3+ 29. Kc1

b2#) Qxd4!! 27. Rxd4 Rxa3+! 28. bxa3 Bxd4+ 29. Qc3 Bxc3#

Position on the board before 29... Qxd4!!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1991, Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 d6 5. Bg5 e6 6. g3 Be7 7. Bh3 O-O 8. O-O b6 9. Qe2 Bb7

10. a3 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Rab1 Nd4 13. Qd1 h5! 14. Nxd4 Bxd4! (by playing ...Bxd4 instead

of the expected …cxd4, black sacrifices the h5 pawn and opens the h file for the attack on the

white king, which will prove to be the decisive strategic decision in this game) 15. Nb5 Bf6 16.

Qxh5 g6 17. Qg4 (Qh6 cannot be played because the queen would be trapped after ...Bg5) Kg7

18. c4 Rh8 19. Rfd1? (white ignores the weakness of the bishop on h3 under the open h file and

black could have won the piece by playing 19… a6 20. Nc3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 f5 22. exf5 exf5 23.

Qe2 Rxh3) d5 20. cxd5 exd5 21. Bg2 (or else 21...Bc8 and the white bishop will be captured

without compensation) d4 22. f4! (white will prove that the knight on b5 is still safe; meanwhile,

he launches an attack on the black king, wishing to expose black’s open h file as a weakness and

prove the age-old principle that any attack leaves the attacker vulnerable and the goal of the

defender is to figure out where that vulnerability lies and then attack it back) a6 23. Nd6 Qxd6

24. e5 Qc7 25. exf6+ Kxf6 (white managed to bring the black king to the sixth rank, but can he

pull it any closer?) 26. Re1 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 Qc6+ 28. Kg1 Rae8 29. Re5! (there goes white’s

attempt to bring the black king closer to the center with a pawn sacrifice, but black has a witty

response in mind) Rxh2! 30. Kxh2 (Re4 was another, slightly more prospective option for white

and the game could have continued with 30. Re4 Rxe4 31. Kxh2 Re8 32. Kg1 Rh8 33. Qg5+

Kg7 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Qe4 Qxe4 36. dxe4 f6 37. Kg2 Kf7 38. Kf3 Rh2 39. b3 with the obvious

advantage for black in the rook ending) Rh8+ 31. Qh4+ (if Kg1, then #-2) Rxh4+ 32. gxh4 Qf3

33. Ree1 Qxd3 34. b4 c4 35. a4 c3 0-1

Position on the board before 29. Re5! Rxh2!

Vuk Uskoković – Chessmaster 2100

(Belgrade, September 1991, Queen’s Indian Defense: Yates Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 a5 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. O-O O-O 8. a3 Be7 9. Nc3 d5

10. Ne5 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 (a critical error by black. 11...bxc5 should have been played, as with

11...Bxc5 the black d pawn would remain lone and white will organize its play around the attack

on it, eventually winning it first and then the game. A difference between capital B and small b

can thus sometimes change the fate of the game) 12. cxd5 exd5 13. e3 Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15.

Rc1 Rc8 16. Ne2 Re8 17. Bxa5 Bxe3 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Qxd2 Ne4 20. Qd1 Qg5 21. Nc3 Nc5 22.

Re1 Rxe1+ 23. Qxe1 Nb3 24. Rd1 d4 25. Bxc6 (black would equalize after 25. Ne4 Qe5 26. f4)

dxc3 26. Qxc3 Na5 (white would maintain advantage even after ...Nc5 27. Qd2 Qxd2 28. Rxd2

Kf8 29. Bb5 f6 30. f3 Ke7 31. Kf2 h6 32. b4) 27. Re1 Qd8 28. Re8+ Qxe8 29. Bxe8 Rxc3 30.

bxc3 Nc4 31. a4 Nd2 32. Bb5 Ne4 33. c4 Nc5 34. f3 f6 35. Kf2 Kf7 36. Ke3 Ke6 37. Kd4 g5 38.

Kc3 Ke5 39. Kb4 Nd3+ 40. Kc3 Nc5 41. Bc6 Na6 42. Bd5 h6 43. h3 f5 44. Bf7 f4 45. gxf4+

Kxf4 46. Kd4! Kxf3? (...Nc5 was saving black) 47. Kd5 Nb4+ 48. Kd6 Kg3 49. Be6 h5 50. Kc7

g4 51. hxg4 hxg4 52. Kxb6 Kf4 53. Bxg4! 1-0 (This was the first of many games played against

Chessmaster 2100 on Commodore 64 platform)

Position on the board before 46. Kd4!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Modern Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Rc1 Bb4 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Rxc3

Re8 10. Bd3 Bd7 11. O-O a5 12. Qc2 g6? (...h6 should have been played. Playing the fianchetto

move without the black square bishop to fianchetto can only lead to disaster) 13. Nh4 Qe7 14. f4

Rad8 15. Rf3 Rc8 16. c5! (Blocking the center so there is no way out for black) Qd8 (Colossus

plays unacceptably passively and it is only a matter of time when white will be ready to launch

an unstoppable attack) 17. Rh3 Ra8 18. Nxg6! (The attack has begun after short preparation)

hxg6 19. Bxg6! Kf8 20. Bxf7! (A third sacrifice in a row) Ke7 (capturing the white bishop would

bring about an end to black even quicker after 21. Qh7+) 21. Rh7 (Qg6 was also leading to a

checkmate in a couple of moves) Rh8 22. Bxe6+ Kxe6 23. f5#

Position on the board before 18. Nxg6! hxg6 19. Bxg6!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, Sicilian Defense: Open)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. f4 e6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Nxc6

bxc6 10. O-O Be7 11. Kh1 O-O 12. f5 e5 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. b3 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Qg4 (the

position is equal, but with the following tactical pawn moves, black gains crucial positional

advantage) d5 17. exd5 e4! 18. Nxe4 Bxa1 19. f6! Bxf6 20. Nxf6+ Kh8 21. Nh5 Qg5 22. Qxg5

hxg5 23. dxc6 Rbc8 24. g4 Rxc6 (black gains minimal material advantage and will manage to

execute it in a rook vs. knight ending) 25. c4 Kg8 26. Rd1 Rc7 27. Kg2 f6 28. Ng3 Kf7 29. Ne4

Ke7 30. Re1 Kd8 31. Rd1+ Rd7 32. Rxd7+ Kxd7 33. Nc3 Kd6 34. Kg3 Kc5 35. h4 (white must

try to exchange as many pawns as possible) gxh4+ 36. Kxh4 Re8 37. g5 Re3 38. gxf6 gxf6 39.

Nd5 Re2 40. Nxf6 Rxa2 41. Kg5 Kb4 42. Kf4 Kxb3 43. c5 a5 44. Ne4 a4 45. Ke5 Rc2 46. Kd6

a3 47. c6 Rxc6+ 0-1

Position on the board before 16… d5 17. exd5 e4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, King’s Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg5 d4 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Nd5 Qd8 8. c3 dxc3 9. bxc3

Be6 10. c4 Bxd5! (interesting response to 10.c4, with the following two moves being forced) 11.

exd5 Bb4+ 12. Nd2 Nd4 13. Rc1 (Rb1, with the attack on the bishop on b4 and the pawn on b7

would have made more sense) O-O 14. g3 Qg5 15. Bg2 Rab8 16. h4 Qh6 17. g4 Qf4 18. Rh3 f5

19. g5 Rbe8 20. Rb1 (white king is very unsafe in the center) e4! 21. Rxb4 Nc2+! 22. Kf1 (not

Qxc2 because of 22…exd3+ and the white queen is lost) e3 23. Bf3 exf2 24. Qxc2 Re1+ 25. Kg2

(if Kxf2, then 25. Kxf2 Qe3+ 26. Kg3 Rg1+ 27. Kh2 Qf2+ 28. Bg2 Qxg2#) Qe3! (the winning

move. Rg1+ now cannot be prevented. Promoting the pawn would, however, lose the game for

white) 26. Rg3 f4 27. Rg4 Rg1+ 28. Kh2 Rxg4 29. Bxg4 Qg3+ 30. Kh1 Qg1#

Position on the board before 20… e4! 21. Rxb4 Nc2+!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991,

Queen’s Gambit Declined: Modern Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. Nf3 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Rc1 Nd7 9. e3 f5 10.

Nd2 c6 11. Ndxe4 fxe4 12. Qh5+ Ke7 13. c5! (Bd6+ now becomes a serious threat) e5 14. h4

Nf6 15. Qg6 Qg8 16. h5 (bad decision by white. Qxg8 would have been better for white and the

game could have continued in the following way, with a substantial advantage for white: 16.

Qxg8 Rxg8 17. Bxe5 g4 18. a3 Bxc3+ 19. bxc3 Be6 20. Bd6+ Kf7 21. Rb1 Bc8 22. Be2 h5 23.

O-O Ne8 24. Be5 Nf6) exd4 17. Bd6+ Ke6 (it is necessary, or else the black knight on f6 will be

lost) 18. exd4 Qxg6 19. hxg6 Kf5! (the black king draws the game to an increasingly drawish

position with this bold moving closer to the center) 20. g7 Rh7 21. f3 (black will not be able to

capitalize on the seventh rank pawn) Be6 22. Bf8 Kg6 23. Be2 Ne8 24. fxe4 Nxg7 25. Bxg7

Kxg7 26. e5 Rf8 27. Bd3 Bf5 28. Bxf5 Rxf5 29. Ke2 Bxc3 30. bxc3 Kg6 31. Rcf1 h5 32. Rxf5

Kxf5 33. Rf1+ Ke4 ½ - ½



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. Qd2 Nge7 8. O-O-O O-O 9.

h4 h5 10. Nb3 a6 11. Be2 b5 12. g4 hxg4 13. Bxg4 b4 14. Ne2 (Na4 was better and black with

the next move appears to be winning the material) Ne5 (black threatens to win the material after

the white bishop attacked by the knight retreats to h4 and then with 15. Nc4 there is a dual attack

on the b2 pawn and the white queen. However, white has an ingenious solution) 15. Bd4! (white

will sacrifice a piece for an attacking momentum) Nxg4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. h5 Nf6 18. hxg6

fxg6 19. e5 Nfd5 20. Qh6+ Kf7 21. Nd2! (the idea is to bring the knight from d2 to e4 to d6.

White will eventually redirect the knight to g5 instead of d6, where it will play a crucial role)

Rg8 22. Ne4 Nf5 23. Qh2 Bb7 24. N2g3 Rh8 25. Qg1 (a temporary retreat of the white queen,

but she will return stronger than ever) Rxh1 26. Qxh1 Nde7 (…Qh8 was the best move for black,

but the queen exchange offer is not in the spirit of my father’s playstyle) 27. Ng5+ Kf8 28. Qh8+

Ng8 29. Nh7+ Kf7 30. Nxf5 exf5 31. Rd6 Bc6 32. Rf6+ Nxf6 33. Ng5+ Ke7 34. Qg7+ Ke8 35.

Qf7#

Position on the board before 15. Bd4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. f4!? (white

sacrifices a central pawn to speed up the development) Qb6 9. Kh1 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Qxd4 11.

Qxd4 Bxd4 12. c3 Bg7 13. Be3 (white is obviously more developed, but it is uncertain whether

this is the compensation for a central pawn) Rd8 14. Ng5 Rf8 15. Rae1 h6 16. Ne4 Rd8 17. Ng3

Nd7 18. f5 Ne5 19. Bb3 g5 20. Nh5 Bh8 21. f6 e6 22. h4 gxh4 23. Bxh6 Ng4 24. Bg7 Bxg7 25.

fxg7 (white’s f pawn has made a phenomenal stride and in no time it will be promoted) d5 26.

Rf4 f5 27. c4 dxc4 28. Bxc4 Nh6 29. Rxe6! (bold move and another dubious, Tal-like sacrifice,

with no compensation for white’s sacrifice if black plays correctly) Bxe6 30. Bxe6+ Kh7 31.

Rxh4 Rd6 32. Bb3 Rg6 33. Bc2 Kg8 34. Rd4 Rc8 35. Bb3+ Kh7 36. Kg1 (Rd7? would lose the

game potentially for white after …Rc1+ 37. Rd1 Rxd1+ 38. Bxd1 Rd6 39. Bb3 Kg6 40. g8=Q+

Nxg8 41. Nf4+ Kg7) because of 36… Rd1+ Ng4 37. Kf1 Kh6 38. Bf7! Kxh5 39. Rd6! Ne5 40.

Rxg6 Nxg6 41. g8=Q Rxg8 42. Bxg8 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 29. Rxe6!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Spanish game: Morphy Defense, Graz Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 Bc5 6. c3 Qe7 7. O-O Bb6 8. Re1 Nf6 9. Bc2

Qc5 10. Rf1 O-O 11. b4 Qd6 12. d3 Bb7 13. Re1 h6 14. a3 Ra7 15. Bb2 a5 16. bxa5 Bxa5 17.

Nbd2! Bb6 18. Nf1 Rfa8 19. Ng3 Qc5 (black queen has been in the way of black central pawns,

which is not the best idea. White, however, could not take advantage of this positional oddity)

20. d4 Qd6 21. Nf5 Qf8 22. dxe5 Ng4 23. Re2 Ngxe5 24. Nxe5 Nxe5 25. Kh1 d6 26. a4 Nc4 27.

Bc1 c5 28. Bb3 Rd8 29. f3 d5 30. exd5 Rxd5 31. Qc2 Bc8 32. Ng3 (if Ne3, then ...Nxe3 33.

Rxe3 c4!) Be6 33. Re4 Rd6 34. Ra2 Bd5 35. Re1 bxa4 36. Rxa4 Rxa4 37. Bxa4 Re6 38. Rxe6

Bxe6 39. Bb3 Qd6 40. Ne4 Qe5 41. Qd3 Qd5 42. Qxc4! (winning a pawn for white through the

maneuver that follows) Qxc4 43. Bxc4 Bxc4 44. Be3 Ba5 45. Bxc5 (the pawn is won, but the

black bishop pair is stronger than white’s bishop and knight, so the question is how white could

convert this microscopic advantage, if any, to a victory) Bd5 46. Bd4 Kh7 47. Kg1 Bc7 48. h3 f5

49. Nd2 Bb7 50. Kf2 Kg6 51. c4 Bf4 52. Nb3 (if Ke2, then ...Ba6!) Kf7 53. Ke2 g5 54. c5 Ba6+

55. Kf2 Bb5 56. Be3 Bh2 57. Nd4 (if g3, then ...f4!) Bd3 58. Ne2 f4 59. Bd4 Bb5 60. Ke1 Bc6

61. Bf2 Ke7 62. Kd2 Kd7 63. Kc3 Bb7 64. Nd4 h5 65. Kd3 g4 (...Ba6 was better) 66. hxg4 hxg4

67. c6+!! Bxc6 68. Nxc6 Kxc6 69. fxg4 Bg3 70. Bxg3 fxg3 71. Ke3 Kd5 72. Kf3 Ke6 73. Kxg3

Ke5 74. Kh4 Kf6 75. Kh5 Kf7 76. Kh6 Kg8 77. Kg6 Kh8 78. Kf7 Kh7 79. g5 Kh8 80. g4!

(Luckily for white, he has the double pawn on g file or else the game would end in stalemate)

Kh7 81. g6+ Kh6 82. g7 Kg5 83. g8=Q+ (one of the longest annotated game in this collection

and a magnificent one, where white converted a microscopic, practically nil advantage to

victory)

Position on the board before 67. c6!!

Original annotation of the game in Book #2 of the chess game collection.



King’s Gambit Declined: Classical Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 exf4 4. d4 Be7 5. Bxf4 d6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Re8 9. e5

dxe5 10. Nxe5 Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Bg5 Ne4 (a crucial moment, with which black

permanently puts his position at a disadvantage; developing the other knight, to d7 or c6 was

much better) 13. Nxe4 Bxg5 14. c3 Be7 15. Qg4 Qc8 16. Rf7 g6 17. Rxh7 Kxh7 18. Qxg6+ Kh8

19. Nf7# (one of the many times I got crushed by my father’s king’s gambit)

Position on the board before 15…Qc8 and #5.



1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Be3 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. Qd2 O-O 9.

O-O-O a6 10. Be2 b5 11. h4 Bb7 12. f3 b4 13. Nb1 a5 14. Bh6 d5 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. h5 Nxh5?

(...dxe4 should have been played by black) 17. g4 Ng3 (poor choice; …Nf6 or …dxe4 would

have been better for black) 18. Qh6+ Kf6 19. g5+ Ke6 20. Qh3+ Nf5 21. exf5+ gxf5 22. Nd2

Kd7 23. Nc4 Ke8 24. Ne5 e6 25. Rhe1 Qxg5+ 26. Kb1 Rc8 27. Bb5+ Ke7 28. f4! (white has

eyed the a3 square as the spot for the white queen to move onto and this is the first preparation

for this move) Qxf4 29. c4! (The second in a series of preparatory move) bxc3 30. bxc3 h6 31.

c4! (The third move, with Qa3+ to follow) Rfd8 32. Qa3+ Kf6 33. Nd7+ Rxd7 (if ... 33. Kg6,

then the white knight would have been allowed to play that fantastic role that white planned for it

by dragging it across the board to d7 after 34. Rg1+ Kh7 35. Nf6+ Kh8 36. Qe7 Rf8 37. Nd7

Qe4+ 38. Ka1 Rg8 39. Qf6+ Kh7 40. Qxf7+ Kh8 41. Nf6 1-0) 34. Bxd7 Rb8 35. Ka1 dxc4 (it is

tempting for black to capture the free pawn and open the diagonal for the bishop, but ...d4 would

have been better. 35...dxc4 allows white to launch a winning combination) 36. Qc3+ Ke7 37.

Rxe6+!! fxe6 38. Qg7+ Kd8 39. Ba4+ Kc8 (the black king’s extensive walk from the center to

the kingside back to the center back to the kingside and back to the center eventually ends on the

queenside) 40. Qd7#

Position on the board before 28. f4!



1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Be3 b6 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Be2 e6 9. O-

O Bc5 10. Qd3 O-O 11. f4 Rc8 12. f5 Bxe3+ 13. Qxe3 Rxc3! (black gets better development for

the effective sacrifice of one pawn) 14. Qxc3 Bxe4 15. fxe6 dxe6 16. Rad1 Bd5 17. Bf3 Qe7 18.

Bxd5 Nxd5 19. Qd3 Qc5+ 20. Rf2 Rc8 21. Qf3 f5 22. Rf1 Qd4 23. c3 Qc5 24. Kh1 Kf7! (black

is tempting white by moving the king to the file where his all three heavy pieces are aligned.

Indeed, the king appears to be safe and after 25. Qh5+ Kg7, the white queen would do best by

retreating to e2) 25. g4 g6 26. gxf5 exf5 27. Rd1 Nf6 28. Rfd2 Rc7 29. Rd6 Ne4 30. R1d5!

(white’s shift from tripled heavy pieces aligned along the f file to the same tripled heavy pieces

that are soon to be aligned along the d file is illustrious) Qc4 31. Rd4 Qc5 32. R6d5 Qe7 33. Kg2

Ng5 34. Qd3 1-0? (in this position black resigned, thinking that Rd7 cannot be prevented and he

was right, but he failed to realize that the game could have been saved with ...Ne6!! Now, black

can even win if white proceeds with his plan after 35. Rd7 Rxd7 36. Rxd7 Nf4+ 37. Kf3 Nxd3.

A more probable scenario, leading to draw, would be something like 35. Rc4 Rxc4 36. Qxc4 b5!

37. Rxb5 Qg5+ 38. Kf3 Qh5+ 39. Kg2 Qg5+ 40. Kf3 Qh5+ 41. Ke3 Qxh2 ½ - ½)

Final position of the game in which black resigned, but could have saved the game with 34…Ne6!!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. O-O Bg7 8. Bc4 O-O 9.

Be3 Kh8 10. f4 Ne8 11. Rc1 Nc6 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. e5 (white was expecting … dxe5 14. Qxd8

Rxd8 15. fxe5 Bxe5 16. Bxf7 with a worse pawn structure in black’s position, but also a stronger

bishop pair, so it is unclear whether white would be able to gain any advantage after this

variation) f5! 14. Qd4 (e6 does not really lead anywhere after … Nc7 15. Bd4 b5 16. Bb3 a5 17.

a3 a4 18. Ba2 Qc8 19. Bxg7+ Kxg7 20. Qd4+ Rf6. 14…exf6 also leads to a drawish position

after 14… Nxf6 15. Be6 Bd7 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Bd4) Qc7 15. exd6 Nxd6 16. Qc5 Ne8 17. Be6

Rf6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Rb8 20. c3 b6 21. Qxc7 Nxc7 22. Rfd1 Rd6 23. Bc4 Rbd8 24. Rxd6

Rxd6 25. Kf2 e5 26. Re1 e4 27. a4 Bf6 28. a5 b5 29. Be2 a6 30. Rd1 Rxd1 31. Bxd1 Nd5 32. g3

Nxe3 33. Kxe3 Kg8 34. h4 Kf7 ½ - ½ (black demonstrated decent defensive skills in this game)

Position on the board before 13… f5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. O-O Bd7 9. f4

Nc6 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. Bxf6 (poor exchange that will give black just enough advantage to

eventually win the game) Bxf6 12. Bd5 Rc8 13. Bxc6 Rxc6 14. Qd3 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 Bxc3 (black

has succeeded in converting a positional advantage into a pawn structure weakness in white’s

position) 16. bxc3 Rfc8 17. Rab1 Qc7 18. Rb3 Rxc3 (the weak pawn structure has now been

converted to a material advantage of a single pawn. Next comes the simplification of the

position, with a particular focus on exchanging the queens and then rooks, if possible. Black will

perform this task immaculately in the next 10 moves) 19. Qd5 Rxb3 20. cxb3 Qc1 21. Qd3 Rc3

22. Qb5 a6 23. Qe2 Rc2 24. Qd3 Qd2 25. Qg3 Rc1 26. Kg1 Qd4+ 27. Qf2 Qxf2+ 28. Kxf2

Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Kg7 30. Ke2 e5 31. f5 gxf5 32. exf5 d5 33. g4 Kh6 34. h4 f6 35. Ke3 Kg7 36.

Kd3 h5! (black had an enormous advantage even prior to this move. Still, this is an elegant way

of winning the game if the black king feels very lazy and does not want to make a single move)

37. g5 fxg5 38. hxg5 h4 39. Ke3 h3 40. Kf3 d4 0-1 (The game is not particularly exciting, but

resembles the encounter of an erratic, impatient mind of white and a calm, patient mind of black,

a frequent stylistic motive in the games between my father and I. It is also a textbook example of

the correct play against a minor positional irrationality exhibited by the opponent)

Position on the board before 36… h5!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Queen’s Indian Defense: Capablanca Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qe7 7. O-O Bxd2 8. Qxd2 d6 9. Nc3

Ne4 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 O-O 12. Rae1 d5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nh4 (the original annotation

raves about Nd2 as a much better move) Qd7 15. f4 (creates a permanent weakness on e3) Re8

16. Qd3 Qa4 17. a3 Ba6 18. Qd2 Qd7 19. Rf2 Bb7 20. Qc2 Qc6 21. Qb1 Qe6 22. Nf3 Qe3 23.

Qd1 c5 (Chessmaster may have been eager to convert the game to an opener, more tactical

setting, but playing …Ba6 would have been better) 24. dxc5 bxc5 25. Nh4 Qe6 26. Nf3 Qf5 (the

game in this period resembles a boxing match where the two boxers just lightly hop around each

other, with no punches) 27. Nd2 Re7 28. Qa4 Bc6 29. Qb3 Nd7 30. e3 Rb8 31. Qa2 Nf6 32. a4

Ng4 33. Rfe2 Qh5 34. h4 (dealing with the …Qxh2+ threat with h3 or Bf3 would have been

better for white) Rb4 35. b3 f5? 36. Bf3 (white missed capitalizing on black’s error with 36. Qc2

c4 37. bxc4 Bxa4 38. Bxd5+ Kh8 39. Qc3 a5 40. e4) Qg6 37. Nf1 h6 38. Nh2 Re8 39. Nxg4

fxg4 40. Bg2 Bb7 41. Kh2 Re7 42. Qd2 Qf5 43. Rd1 d4 44. exd4 Rxe2 45. Qxe2 cxd4?

(exchanging the bishops first and only then playing …cxd4 would have been better for black) 46.

Bxb7 Rxb7 47. Qd3 (the game would end in a draw even after 47. Rxd4 Rxb3 48. Qc4+ Qf7)

Qxd3 48. Rxd3 Rd7 49. Kg2 Kf7 50. Kf2 Ke6 51. Ke2 Kd5 52. Kd2 Kc5 53. Kc2 Kb4 54. Kb2

Rd6 55. Kc2 Rd8 56. Kb2 Rd7 57. Kc2 Rd5 ½ - ½ (White played perhaps overly passively but,

like in the earlier game against the computer, demonstrated solid defensive skills)

Position on the board before 42. Qd2.



Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Showalter Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. e3 e6 6. Bxc4 Bb4 7. O-O O-O 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3

Nbd7 10. h3 Bxf3 (“never retreat” has been my father’s maxim in chess, even when exchanges

may not have been positionally sound) 11. Qxf3 c6 12. e4 Nb6 13. Bd3 Rc8 14. e5 Nfd5 15.

Qh5! (sacrificing c3 pawn) g6 16. Qh6 Nd7 17. Bg5 Qb6 18. Bc4 Kh8 19. Bxd5 cxd5 20. Rac1

f6 21. f4?! (an irrational, bluffing-at-best sacrifice, which black will not recognize as such) fxe5

22. fxe5 Rf5 23. Bf6+ Nxf6 24. exf6 Qc7 25. c4 Qf7 26. cxd5 Rxf1+ 27. Rxf1 exd5 28. Qf4 Re8

(…Rc8 would prolong the battle, but it would still theoretically be losing for black after 38. Qf4

Rh8 39. Qf1 Qe6 40. Rf4 Kf7 41. Qc1 Qd7 42. Qc2 Qc8 43. Qb3 Qd7 44. Kh5 Rf8 45. Qb1 Ke8

46. Rf5 Qf7+ 47. Kh4 Qd7 48. Re5+ Kd8 49. Qb6+ Qc7 50. Rxd5+ Kc8 51. Rc5 1-0) 29. Rc1

Rf8 30. Rf1 Kg8 31. Qd6 a6 32. g4 g5 33. Rf5 h6 34. h4! (Qe7 would lead to draw) gxh4 35.

Kh2 Kh7 36. Kh3 Kg6 37. Kxh4 Re8 38. Re5 Rf8 39. g5 h5 40. Qb6! (threatening checkmate in

one with Qb1#) Kh7 41. Re7 (loses the queen and the game) 1-0



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1991, King’s Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 Be7 6. c3 d5 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. b4? (a very risky

move in view of the fact that the white king is still in the center and has not castled yet. This

delayed castling is what black will make the target of his attack in this game) a5 (…d4 would be

more of a textbook move, crashing the center with the opponent’s king resting in it) 9. a3 axb4

10. axb4 Rxa1 11. Qxa1 b6 12. Bg3 Qd6 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Ne4 (Be2 with subsequent castling

was better for white) Qe6 (if white did not perceive this as a move that prepares for the attack on

his king by placing the queen on the same file as the king’s, s/he was wrong) 15. h4 (white’s

leisure is immense) f5! 16. Ned2 Bf6 17. Be2 e4 18. dxe4 fxe4 19. Nd4 Nxd4 20. cxd4 e3! 21.

Nf3 (neither is fxe3 any better, as after …Qxe3, the attack on white’s e2 bishop would be

unstoppable) exf2+ 22. Kxf2 (white loses also after 22. Bxf2 Nf4 23. Qd1 Ba6 24. Kd2 Nxe2 25.

Re1 Be7 26. Rxe2 Bxb4+ 27. Kc1) Bb7 23. Rd1 Ne3 24. Rd2 Qg4 25. Kxe3 Qxg3 26. Qf1 Re8+

27. Kd3 Be4+ 28. Kc3 c5 29. Bd3 cxd4+ 30. Kc2 (white cannot capture the pawn on d4 with the

knight because he would lose it after …Rc8+) Bd5 31. Kb1 (who could have said that the white

king, who looked helpless in the center, would make it to the queenside, but in an equally

helpless state?) Qd6 32. Rb2 Re3 33. Qd1 b5 34. Ne1 Bc4 35. Bxc4+ bxc4 36. Nc2 Re4 37. Qc1

d3 38. Ne3 c3 39. Rb3 d2 40. Qg1 Rxe3 0-1

Position on the board before 20... e3!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Mexican Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 Nc6 3. d5 Ne5 4. b3 e6 5. Nc3 d6 (…Bb4 was better for black) 6. e4 Bd7 7. Be2

exd5 8. exd5 Be7 9. Nf3 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Bb2 Bf5 13. Re1 a5 14. Ne2 Ng4

15. Ng3 Nh6 16. Nxf5 Nxf5 17. Qd3 g6 18. Qc3 f6 19. Re4 c6 20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Rae1 Rb8

(white is far more solidly developed by this point and makes considerable threats to the kingside)

22. Re6! c5 23. Bc6 (immediate Bd5 with the discovery on the black king was winning too) Rf8

24. Bd5! Kh8 25. Rxe7!! (if …Nxd7, then Qxf6+!) Nd4 26. R1e6! Nxe6 27. Qxf6+! Rxf6 28.

Bxf6+ Kg8 29. Bxe6+ Kf8 30. Rf7+ Ke8 31. Bxd8 Kxd8 1-0

Position on the board before 25. Rxe7!!



King’s Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be3 O-O 6. Be2 a6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. h3

Bxf3 10. Bxf3 c5 11. d5 Ne5 12. Be2 (white’s position is slightly better and he is also preparing

for f2-f4-f5 with Be2) b6 13. f4 Ned7 14. f5 Ne5 15. fxg6 fxg6 16. Qd2 Qd7 17. Bh6 e6 18.

Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Rae1 exd5 20. exd5 Rae8 21. Qg5 Qc8 22. Nd1! (maneuvering the knight to e3,

where it will have a more powerful effect on the game) b5 23. Ne3 bxc4 24. Bxc4 (white missed

Nf5+ at this point, with the immediate gaining of material advantage after Nxd6) Nxc4 25. Nxc4

Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Qf5 (the d6 pawn is lost anyway and cannot be defended) 27. Qxf5 gxf5 28.

Re7+ Kg6 29. Nxd6 Rd8 30. Re6 a5 31. Nb7 Rxd5 32. Nxa5 f4 33. Nc4 Kf5 34. Rd6!

(exchanging rooks, of course, increases the chances of converting a minor material advantage to

a win) Ke4 35. Rxd5 Nxd5 36. a4 Kd3 37. Nd6 Kc2 38. a5 Kxb2 39. a6 Kb3 40. a7 Nb6 41. Kf2

c4 42. Kf3!! (if 42. Nxc4, then ½ - ½ after …Kxc4 43. Kf3 Kb5 44. Kxf4 Ka6 45. Kg5 Kxa7 46.

Kh6 Nd5 47. g3 Kb6 48. Kxh7 Kc6 49. h4 Kd6 50. h5 Ke5 51. Kg6 Nf6 52. h6 Ke6 53. g4 Nxg4

54. h7 Ne5+ 55. Kg7 Nf7. It is crucial to keep the black king linger on lower ranks for as long as

possible. Here, as a matter of fact, a single tempo decides the game) c3 (black loses even after

…Kb4 43. Kxf4 c3 44. Ke3 Ka5 45. Kd3 Ka6 46. Nc8 Na8 47. Kxc3 Kb7 48. Nd6+ Kxa7 49.

Kd4 Kb6 50. g4 Kc6 51. Ne4 Kd7 52. Ke5 Ke7 53. Nf6 h6 54. Nd5+ Kf8 55. Kf6) 43. Nb5 c2

44. Nd4+ Kc3 45. Nxc2 Kxc2 46. Kxf4 Kb3 1-0

Position on the board before 42. Kf3!!



Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nc6 9. h3

Bxf3 10. Qxf3 a6 11. Qe2 b5 12. Bb3 b4 13. Nd1 a5 14. f4 Nh5 15. Qf3! (white takes advantage

of black’s slow development and premature expansion on the queenside. Bd5, with the doubling

of the pieces along h1-a8 diagonal is also threatened. Na7 16. g4! (white controls the center and

justifiably launches the attack on the kingside) Nf6 17. g5 Nh5 18. f5 Qd6! (a quiet, but

relatively key move of the game. With it, black sacrifices the f7 pawn, the pawn that is not

usually the best idea to sacrifice) 19. fxg6 hxg6 (black king is pinned, or else fxg6 would have

made more sense) 20. Bxf7+ (white falls into a trap because the capture of this pawn does not

bring him anything, given black’s correct play) Kh7 21. Qg2 c5 22. dxc5 Qxc5 23. Bxg6+? (the

g6 pawn is too tempting not to be taken, but this will bring white to a losing position. Note how

tables have turned and white all of a sudden lacks development. Bd2, developing the first rank,

would have been better, especially so since the bishop on f7 was not threatened) Kxg6 24. Qe4+

Kxg5 (nothing to fear for black. Blocking the check with Rf5 would leave the rook on a8

undefended) 25. Qh7 Qd6 26. h4+ Kxh4 27. Rf4+ (white is losing in all combinations, including

27. Nf2 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Qf3+ 29. Kg1 Rf5 30. e4 Qg3+ 31. Kh1 Be5 32. Qxe7+ Nf6) Rxf4 28.

exf4 Qxd1+ 29. Kf2 Bd4+ 30. Be3 Qxa1 31. Qxe7+ Kh3 32. Qd7+ Kh2 33. Qxd4 Ng3! (or

…Qg1+ 34. Ke2 Ng3+ 35. Kd2 Qg2+ 36. Kd3 Qe2#) 34. Qd3 Qg1+ 35. Kf3 Qg2+ 36. Kg4

Rg8+ 37. Qg6 Rxg6+ 38. Kh4 Qh3#

Position on the board before 33... Ng3!



King’s Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be3 O-O 6. Be2 b6 7. Qd2 Bb7 8. f3 Nc6 9. O-O-O a5

10. h4 a4 (when black drew …a4, he must not have known that this pawn will, in a way, decide

the course of the game, even though this decision will be waged on the opposite, kingside of the

board) 11. h5 Nxh5 12. Bh6 e5 (…Bxd4 was possible too) 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. g4 Nf4 15. Nh3

Qf6 16. Nxf4 Qxf4 17. Qxf4 exf4 (white’s attack is halted and he has no compensation left for

the h pawn he sacrificed; still, he is determined to follow his original plan and attack along the

open h file) 18. d5 Ne5 19. Rh2 g5 (perhaps an unnecessary move; immediately running out to

defend the h8 pawn with Rh8 may have been better) 20. Rdh1 Rh8 21. Nb5 Ba6 22. Nd4! (white

feared the pin along the c file, even though there was nothing to be afraid of, and decided not to

capture the c7 pawn) Bxc4 23. Nf5+ Kg8 24. Bxc4 Nxc4 25. Rh5 (one pawn down, white has

managed to equalize) f6 26. Ne7+ Kf7 (black refuses to repeat moves after …Kg7 27. Nf5+ and

so on, and decides to allure white to a trap, albeit risky for both sides) 27. Rxh7+ Rxh7 28.

Rxh7+ Kf8 29. Rh8+ (white misses the chance to gain critical advantage and perhaps win the

game; rather than immediately going for the capture of the a8 rook, he should have played 29.

Ng6+ first, followed by …Kg8 30. Rh8+ Kg7 31. Rxa8 Kxg6 32. Rxa4 Ne5 33. Ra3. In the

scenario white chose, he has no time to grab the a4 pawn and defend the f3 pawn from the a file,

which will prove to be decisive for the course of the game) Kxe7 30. Rxa8 Ne5 31. Rxa4 Nxf3

(even though white is effectively one pawn up, the game is theoretically a draw. Yet, black has a

few more tricks in his hat to pull) 32. Rc4 Kd7 33. Rc2 Ne5 34. Rg2 f3 35. Rg1 Nxg4! 36. Kd2

Ne5 37. Ke3 c6 38. Rh1? (the losing move for white. His idea was valid – retaining his pawn on

the sixth rank rather than the fifth rank after … dxc6 and limiting the black king’s range of

movement, while also threatening the penetration of the seventh rank with the rook. Yet, chess is

often a counterintuitive game and hence its beauty. The liberated black pawn structure thanks to

no white e pawn anymore will prove to be more decisive) cxd5 39. exd5 g4 40. Kf4 (white is

losing even faster after 40. b3 g3 41. Rf1 f2 42. a3 g2) f5 41. Rh7+ Ke8 42. Rh5 (if 42. Kxf5 f2

43. Ke6 Ng6 44. Ra7 Nf4 45. Kxd6 g3 0-1) f2 43. Rh1 Nd3+ 44. Kg3 Ke7 45. b3 Kf6 46. a4

Kg5 47. Rd1 f4+ 48. Kg2 f3+ 49. Kf1 Nc5 50. Kxf2 Kf4 51. Rd4+ Ne4+ 52. Kg1 Ke3 53. Rc4

g3 0-1

Position on the board before 38. Rh1?


(Belgrade, September 1991, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Modern, Knight Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 c6 6. Rc1 Bb4 7. Nf3 h6 8. Bh4 O-O 9. Bd3 Qa5

10. a3 Bxc3+ 11. Rxc3? Qb6? (…dxc4 was winning an exchange for black after 12. Bxc4 Ne4)

12. Rc2 Qa5+ 13. Rc3 (it appears that white was teasing black with these erroneous rook

maneuvers, like a boxer jumping with guard dropped down in front of the opponent) Ne4 14.

Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 Qf5 16. Qc2 g5 17. Bg3 Nf6 18. O-O c5 19. Be5! cxd4 20. exd4 Ne8 21.

Nxe4 Qg6 22. f4! f6 23. fxg5!! fxe5 24. Nf6+ Kg7 (…Rxf6 was another option, but after 25.

Gxf6 Qxc2 26. Rxc2 Nd6 27. Dxe5, white’s advantage would still be massive) 25. gxh6+ Qxh6

26. Nxe8+! Rxe8 27. Rg3+ Kh8 28. Rh3 Qxh3 29. gxh3 Rg8+ 30. Kh1 exd4 31. Qd2 Kh7 32.

Rf7+ Kg6 33. Qf4 Rg7 34. Qf6+ Kh5 35. Rxg7 d3 36. Qg5#

Position on the board before 23. fxg5!!


(Belgrade, September 1991, Queen’s Gambit Declined)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 O-O 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. O-O Na5 9. Bd3

Qd6 10. Rc1 Bd7 11. Nb5! Bxb5 12. Bxb5 c6 13. Bd3 Rad8 14. Ne5! Qd5 15. Rc5!! Bxc5 16.

Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qh5 h6 18. Qxh6 f5 19. Ng4! Be7 20. f4! Qxa2 21. h3 (if 21. e4 fxg4 22. e5 f5 23.

exf6 Rxf6 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8+ Kf7 ½ - ½) Qxb2 22. Rf3 Qc1+ 23. Kh2 Qe1 24. Rg3 Qxg3+

(white missed playing 24. Nf2 and forcing the exchange of the black queen for the knight rather

than the rook) 25. Kxg3 Rd5 26. Kh2! (a brilliant prophylactic move preparing for 27.e4!

Because after 26. e4? Rxd4 27. e5 Rxd3+ 28. Kh2 fxg4 0-1) Rfd8 27. e4! Rxd4 28. e5!! Rxd3

29. Nf6+ Bxf6 30. exf6 Rxh3+ 31. Kxh3 Rd3+ 32. Kh2 Rh3+ 33. Kxh3 b5 34. Qg7# (The last

game played against Colossus)

Position on the board before 27. e4! Rxd4 28. e5!!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991,

King’s Gambit: Falkbeer Countergambit, Miles Gambit)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Bc5 4. Nf3 Qxd5 5. Nc3 Qd8 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. a3 Bg4 8. b4 Bb6 9. h3

Bh5 10. g4 Bg6 11. b5 Nxe5 (black missed his only opportunity in this game to gain advantage

with …Nd4! Everything that follows will be black’s hanging over the cliff, all until move 42,

when tables will turn and all of a sudden white will have to play for survival. However, the

knight sacrifice with 11…Nxe5 was too attractive not to be played. Here, white cannot play 12.

Nxe5 because of …Qh4+ 13. Ke2 Qf2#) 12. Qe2! (white plays probably the best move here) f6

13. Bb2 Qe7 (if …Bxc2, then 14. Nxe5 fxe5 15. Qxe5+ Ne7 16. Bc4 with an equal play) 14. O-

O-O Ba5! (a move that does not make sense at the first sight, but it is a farsighted move and the

bishop’s x-raying the pawn on d2 will soon become meaningful) 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. Qxe5+ fxe5

17. Bg2 O-O-O 18. Rde1 Re8 19. Nd5 Nf6 20. Rxe5 Nxd5 21. Bxd5 Rd8 22. c4 Rhf8 (black

could have exploited white’s d2 weakness here in an attractive manner: …c6 23. bxc6 Bxd2+ 24.

Kxd2 bxc6 25. Rc1 cxd5 26. cxd5+ Kd7. However, no advantage could be gained this was and

black opted for a more conventional, double rook attack along the f file) 23. Rhe1 Rf2 24. R5e2

Rdf8 25. Bxg7 Rxe2 26. Rxe2 Rf1+ 27. Kb2 Rb1+ 28. Ka2 Bb6? 29. Be6+ Kb8 30. Bf5 Bf7 31.

Bxb1?! (a blunder or the sign of fatherly love? The latter, I assume. The game was too good and

too explosive to be stopped playing now with the easily winning Kxb1) Bxc4+ 32. Ka1 Bxe2 33.

Bxh7 Bxb5 34. g5 (more patient h4 would have been better for white, whose advantage will melt

in the next couple of moves) Ba5 35. Bf6 Bxd2 36. g6 Bd3 37. h4 c5 38. h5 c4 39. Bg8? (39.

Be5+! Kc8 40. Kb2 Bh6 and only now 41. Bg8 was better for white) c3 40. Bb3 c2 41. Bxc2

Bxc2 42. Kb2? (Bb2 was safer for white) Bf5 43. Kb3 b5 44. a4 a6 (…c4! was possibly winning

for black) 45. axb5 axb5 46. Bc3 Bxc3 47. Kxc3 Kc7 48. Kd4 Kd6 49. g7 Bh7 50. h6!

(Zugzwang! If it was white’s turn to move, black would win. But since it is black’s turn to move,

the game will end in draw) Kc6 51. Ke5 ½ - ½ (An illustrious Falkbeer countergambit game full

of tactical possibilities. Over the years it became my only resource against my father’s king’s

gambit)

Zugzwang after 50. h6! = ½ - ½


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation)

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. d3 d5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. g3 Bg4 6. Bg2 (not e4? because white would lose a

piece after …dxe4 7. dxe4 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxf3) Nf6 7. e4 d4 8. O-O O-O 9. h3

Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Ne8 11. g4 Qf6 12. Qg3 Qf4 13. Qxf4 exf4 14. c4 Nb4 15. Rd1! c5 (black decides

not to accept the rook sacrifice and play safe. White would get liberated from the pressure and

gain positional compensation after Nc2 16. Nd2 Nxa1 17. Bxa1 c5 18. b4 cxb4 (not …b6

because of the discovered attack on a8 rook with 19. e5!) 19. Bxd4 Rd8 20. e5 Be7 21. Bxa7

Rxd3 22. Bb6 g6 23. Bxb7 Ng7 24. Be4, but the game would be more or less equal) 16. a3 Nc6

17. Nd2 Ne5 18. Nf3 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Be5 20. Re1 b6 21. b4 Nd6 22. bxc5 bxc5 23. Reb1 Rab8

24. Bc1 g6 25. a4 a5 26. Kf1 g5 27. Ke2 Rb7 28. Rxb7 Nxb7 29. Rb1 Rb8 30. Rb5 f6 31. Ba3

Kf7 (if …Bd6, then 32. e5 1-0. Even with the loss of c5 pawn, the opposite colored bishop and

rook ending should end in a theoretical draw) 32. Bxc5 Nxc5 33. Rxc5 Rb2+ 34. Kf1 Rd2 35.

Rxa5 Rxd3 36. Kg2 Ra3 37. Bd1 d3 38. Rd5 Bb2 39. a5 Bc1 40. a6 Rxa6 41. Rxd3 Bb2 42. Rd5

Be5 43. Be2 Ke7 44. c5 Rc6 45. Bb5 Rc7 46. c6 Ra7 47. Rd7+ Rxd7 48. cxd7 Bd4 49. f3 Bb6

50. h4 Kd6 51. hxg5 fxg5 52. Kf1 Ke7 53. Ke2 Kd6 54. Kd3 Kc5 55. Bc4 Kd6 56. Bb5 Kc5 57.

Ba4 Kd6 58. Kc4 Bd8 59. Bb5 Ba5 60. Ba4 Bd8 61. Kb4 Bc7 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 15. Rd1!

Chessmaster 2100 – Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, October 1991, Queen’s Indian Defense: Fianchetto Traditional)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Rg1?! (an unorthodox move, which would give black

some initiative, but he will fail to capitalize on it) Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Nxe4 Bxe4 9.

Nd2 Bxg2 10. Rxg2 d6 11. e4 c5 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 Nd7 14. Nc4 f5 15. exf5 Rxf5 16. Bf4

Qc7 17. Ne3 Rf7 18. Qg4 Nf6 19. Qf3 Re8 20. O-O-O Bf8 21. Nf5 Qd7 22. Ne3 Rfe7 23. Bg5

Rf7 24. Bh4?! [here lay the main crossroad of the game, whereat black had to decide whether to

respond to an odd move by the computer with a dynamic, out-of-the-box move or with a

conventional move. The latter way of responding by black may have been …Be7 and one studied

variant proceeded as follows, leading to a fierce fight for draw by black: 24.…Be7 25. Re1 Kh8

26. Nc4 Ref8 27. Qd3 Ng4 28. Bxe7 Rxe7 29. Rxe7 Qxe7 30. f3 Ne5 (…Qe1+ 31. Qd1 Qxd1+

32. Kxd1 would lead to draw) 31. Nxe5 Qxe5 32. Re2 Qh5 (…Qf6 would be worse for black and

one of many variations that may follow is this: Qf6 33. f4 Qd8 34. Qe4 h6 35. Qg6 Qc7 36. Re6

Rd8 37. Qe4 Qf7 38. Re7 Qf8 39. Rxa7 Re8 40. Qg6 Re7 41. Rxe7 Qxe7, with a considerable

advantage for white) 33. f4 b5 34. Qxb5 Qxd5 35. Qa6 h6 36. Qxa7 Ra8 37. Qd7 Rxa2 38. Qe8+

Kh7 39. Kb1 Ra6 40. Qe4+ Qxe4+ 41. Rxe4 Kg6 42. Re7 Kf6 43. Rd7 g5 44. fxg5+ hxg5 ½ - ½]

However, shunning the convention, black picked the former plan and demonstrated that playing

tightly against the computer is by no means the way to emerge as a victor. Rather, imaginatively

dynamic moves are the only ones that can question a computer and pave way for the triumph:

24…Ne4! 25. Qe2 c4! 26. f4 g6 25. Qe2 c4 26. f4 g6 27. Re1 c3 28. b3 Nc5 29. Qf1 Qf5 (black

goes for a temporary queen sacrifice that de facto exchanges queens, wanting to take advantage

of passed pawn on c file) 30. Nxf5 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Nd3+ 32. Kd1 Nxe1 33. Kxe1 Rxf5 34. Re2

Rxd5 35. Bf6 Bg7 36. Bxg7 Kxg7 37. Rc2 Rc5 38. a4 Kf6 39. Ke2 d5 40. Ke3 Kf5 41. h3 h5 42.

Kf3 g5 43. g4+ hxg4+ 44. hxg4+ Kf6 45. f5 Ke5 46. Ke3 d4+ 47. Kd3 Rc6 48. Rc1 Rh6 49. Kc4

Rh3 50. Re1+ Kf4 51. f6 Rf3 52. Kxd4 Kxg4 53. Rh1 Kf5 54. f7 Kg6 55. Rg1 Rxf7 56. Kxc3

Rf3+ 57. Kc4 Kf5 58. b4 g4 59. Kb5 Kg5 (if …Kf4? 60. Rh1 g3? ½ - ½) 60. a5 Rf5+ 61. Ka6

bxa5 62. bxa5 Rf7 63. Kb5 Kh4 64. Rh1+ Kg3 65. Rg1+ Kh3 66. Rh1+ Kg2 67. Rh8 g3 68. Rc8

Kh2 69. Rh8+ Kg1 70. Rd8 g2 0-1

Position on the board before 24…Ne4! 25. Qe2 c4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Nd5 e6 8. Nxf6+ Bxf6 9. c3

Bg7 10. a3 O-O 11. Bg5 Qc7 12. d4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 f5 (this may have been a sensible decision to

open up the center and expose the king if it was not for the undeveloped rook and passive bishop

on c8. As the game will show in what follows, white’s gaining control with rooks over two open

central files will give white a crucial advantage) 14. exf5 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Rxf5 16. Rc1 Qb6 17.

Be3! (white is tempting black to grab the b2 pawn, which he will do, when returning to the

eighth rank with …Qd8 made most sense) Qxb2 18. Bg4! Rf7 19. d5 Re7 20. dxe6 Qxa3 (more

“greediness” by black won’t pay off. Black had the idea of both defending the d6 pawn and

taking one of white’s) 21. Qd5! Be5 22. Rc7!! Rxc7 (if …Kf8, then 23. Qf3+ Ke8 24. Rxe7+

Kxe7 25. Bg5+ Bf6 26. Qxf6+ Ke8 27. Qe7#) 23. e7+ Kg7 24. e8=Q Bxg4 25. Qdg8+ Kf6 26.

Qgf8+ Rf7 27. Qexf7#

Position on the board before 22. Rc7!!



King’s Gambit: Falkbeer Countergambit, Miles Gambit)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Bc5 4. Nf3 e4 5. d4 exf3 6. dxc5 Qe7+ 7. Kf2 Nf6 8. Bb5+ Kf8 9. b4

Bg4 (black had a chance here with …Ne4+, but he missed it and from this point of the game,

white will retain a steady advantage) 10. Re1 Ne4+ 11. Rxe4 Qxe4 12. gxf3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3

Qxc2+ 14. Qe2 Qxe2+ 15. Kxe2 (the curiosity of the most open of all open openings that king’s

gambit is: it is move 15, kings have moved, but not castled and no black pieces have moved from

their starting positions. Neither have 3 out of 4 white’s pieces) c6 16. Bc4 Nd7 17. Nc3 cxd5 18.

Nxd5 Re8+ 19. Kf3 h5 20. Bb2 Rh6 21. Rg1 Rg6 22. Rxg6 fxg6 23. Nc7 Re1 24. Ne6+ Ke7 25.

Nxg7 Nf6 26. Be5 Nd7 27. Bd6+ Kd8 28. f5 gxf5 29. Nxh5 Ne5+ 30. Bxe5 Rxe5 31. Ng7 a5 32.

b5 Ke7 33. c6 bxc6 34. b6!! (if 34. bxc6, then …Rc5 35. Bb3 Rxc6 36. Nxf5+ Kf6 37. Ne3, with

a minor advantage for white, questionable whether it could be converted to a victory) Kd7 35.

Ne6! Kc8 36. Ba6+ Kb8 37. Nd4! Rc5 38. h4!! 1-0 (Black is locked, cannot make a meaningful

move and is destined to wait for the promotion of the h pawn helplessly. Another one of the

king’s gambit, specifically Falkbeer countergambit fireworks in a game between my father as

white and me as black, which my father played immaculately)

Position on the board before 34. b6!!



Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Marshall Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 d5 4. axb4 dxe4 5. Nc3 f5 6. g4 (d3 would lead to quieter waters) fxg4

7. h3 (Bg6+! was possible here too) Nf6 8. d3 exd3 9. Bxd3 e5 10. hxg4 Bxg4 11. f3 Bxb4 12.

fxg4 Bxc3+ 13. Bd2 Bxa1 14. Qxa1 O-O 15. Kd1 e4! (why developing inactive pieces when one

can attack? Such thinking is in the spirit of this opening) 16. Bc4+ Kh8 17. g5! (relentless

attacking continues) e3 18. Bd3 Ne4! 19. Rxh7+! Kxh7 20. Bxe4+ Kh8 21. Nf3 Rxf3 22. Bxf3

Qxd2# (Another one of the fun, super-open games in the riskiest and the most gambler-like

gambit of the Sicilian defense)

Final position on the board after 22…Qxd2#


(Belgrade, October 1991, French Defense: Steinitz Variation)

1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. Nf3 c5 8. a3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bc5

10. Be3 Nc6 11. Nxc6 (Qd2 with the ensuing exchange of four light pieces on d4 would be a

better, but also more conventional choice for white. The idea of pulling the computers out of the

chess book was actual then, but not today anymore, when their tactical skills outperform even the

best of humans) bxc6 12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. Qd2 Rb8 14. b4 Nd7 15. Bd3 f6! 16. exf6 Rxf6 (the

game is equal at this point. The black pawns control the center, but they have two weak pawns,

on c6 and e6 and are the logical target for white’s attack) 17. h4 (alas, white has a different idea

in mind: opening up the kingside!) e5 18. h5! Rxf4 19. h6 Rh4 20. O-O-O! gxh6 21. Rh3 Bb7

22. Rdh1 Rxh3 23. Rxh3 e4 24. Nxe4! (Bxe4! was more prospective for white) dxe4 25. Bxe4

Qe7 26. Qxh6! Qxe4 27. Rg3+ Kf7 28. Rf3+ Kg8 29. Rg3+ Kf7 30. Rf3+ Ke8 31. Re3 Qxe3+

32. Qxe3+ Kd8 33. Qxa7 h6 34. Qa5+ Kc8 35. Qh5 c5 36. g4 cxb4 37. axb4 Bf3 38. Qxh6 Rxb4

39. Qd2 Rb6 40. Qc3+ Bc6 41. g5 Kd8 42. g6 Ke7 43. Qc4 Bd5 44. Qxd5 Rxg6 45. c4 Rd6 46.

Qb7 Kf6 47. Qc7 Rd4 48. Kb2 Nf8 49. Qb6+ Ne6 50. c5 Rc4 51. c6 Ke5 52. Qe3+ Kd6 53.

Qd3+ Rd4 54. Qf5 Rb4+ 55. Kc3 Rb6 56. Qd3+ Kxc6 57. Qe4+ Kd6 58. Qd3+ Kc6 59. Kc4

Kb7 60. Qd7+ Nc7 61. Kc5 Rb5+ ½ - ½ (The game ended with a minor advantage for white, but

he found no way to convert it to a victory)


Chessmaster 2100 - Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, October 1991, King’s Indian Attack: Symmetrical Defense)

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d6 6. c4 c5 7. Nc3 Ne8 8. e4 f5 9. Be3 fxe4

10. dxe4 Nc6 11. Qd3 Kh8 12. Rad1 (Qd2, preparing for Bh6 seemed to have been better for

white) Bg4 (a logical move, pinning the knight on f3) 13. a3 Ne5 14. Nxe5 Bxd1 15. Nxg6+

hxg6 16. Rxd1 Nc7 17. f3 a6 18. f4 Qe8 19. Qe2 b5 20. cxb5 axb5 21. Kf1 b4! (a subtle move

that ensures a simple exchange and black’s penetration through the a file, eventually gaining

crucial advantage and winning the game, Black also punishes white for hesitating to play e5) 22.

axb4 cxb4 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. exd5 Ra2 25. Bd4 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Ra1+ 27. Rd1 Qa4 28. Rxa1

Qxa1+ 29. Kf2 Ra8 30. Kf3 Ra2 31. f5 Rxb2 (…if gxf5?, then 32. Qxe7 Rxb2 33. Qf8+ Kh7 34.

Qxf5+ Kg7 35. Qd7+ Kh8 36. Qd8+ Kg7 37. Qd7+ ½ - ½) 32. Qf1 Qxf1+ 33. Bxf1 Rxh2 34.

Bc4 gxf5 35. Kf4 Kg7 36. Kxf5 Kf7 37. Ke4 Rg2 38. Kf4 Rc2 39. Bd3 b3 40. Ke3 Rc1 41. Kd2

b2 0-1

Position on the board before 21…b4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Ponziani Opening: Jaenisch Counterattack)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Bd3 Bc5! (black is alluring white to play b2-b4-b5 and win the

pawn on e5, but that will give black some serious counter play) 5. b4 Bb6 6. b5 Ne7! 7. Nxe5

Ng6 8. Nxg6 hxg6 9. h3 d6 10. O-O Ng4! 11. Be2 Ne5 12. d4 Bxh3! 13. gxh3 Rxh3 14. Kg2

Qh4 15. dxe5 Rh2+ (black saw a quicker checkmate with …Bxf2 16. Rxf2 Qg3+ 17. Kf1 Rh1#,

but wanted to drag the white king far from home) 16. Kf3 Qh3+ 17. Kf4 g5+ 18. Kxg5 f6+ 19.

exf6 gxf6+ 20. Kxf6 (black left white an option for rescue with 20. Kf4! Bxf2 21. Qd3 Qh6+ 22.

Kf5 Qh7+ 23. Kf4 Qh6+ 24. Kf5 Qh7+ ½ - ½, but after grabbing the free pawn, there is no

coming back) Qh8+ 21. Kg6 O-O-O 22. Bg4+ Kb8 23. Bh5 Rg8+ 24. Kf7 Rf8+ 25. Ke7 Qf6+

26. Kd7 (a rarely long walk for the white king, given that he will be checkmated on d7 square)

Rd8#

Position on the board before 12… Bxh3!

Vuk Uskoković – Chessmaster 2100 (Belgrade, October 1991, Nimzo-Indian Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 h6 5. Nf3 d6 6. e4 Bd7 7. Be2 b6 8. O-O Be7 9. Bf4 O-O 10.

Re1 e5 11. Be3 Ng4 12. Bd2 f5 13. h3 fxe4 14. Nxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Kh8 17. Qc1!

Rf7 18. Bg6 Rf6 19. Nh4 Rf8 20. Nf3 Bh4 21. Bxh6! (refusing to play conventionally and

withdraw with 21. Be4) Bxh3! (…Rxf3 may have been a better choice for black) 22. Re4 Be7

23. Ng5! Bf5 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Bxg7+! Kg8 (the bishop cannot be captured because of 26.

Ne6+) 26. Ne6 Qd7 27. Qh6 Kf7 28. Rg4! Ke8 29. Qg6+ Rf7 30. Qh7 Bf8 31. Qg8 Qe7 32.

Bxf8 Rxf8 33. Nxf8 Qf7 34. Ne6+ Qxg8 35. Rxg8+ 1-0

Position on the board before 22. Re4.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. e5 Ne8 6. Nf3 d6 7. exd6 cxd6 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. d5 Ne5

10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. O-O f5 12. f3 b6 13. Qe1 Bb7 14. Qh4 Rc8 15. Bh6 Nf6 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17.

Rae1 Qd6 18. Nb5 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 e4 (a bold, but risky move, as it appears that white will gain

more from this resolution of tensions in the center. Such resolutions are common in chess games

and because of the combinatorial complexity, neither of the sides can calculate who will come

out of them with minor advantage. And so they release themselves, as if in an undertow, hoping

that they would emerge in better standing) 20. fxe4 fxe4 21. Be2! (taking the d5 pawn would not

be favorable for white) a6 22. Nc3 b5 23. Nxe4 Nxe4 24. Qxe4 bxc4 25. Bg4 (draw via a

perpetual check could have been reached for white after 25. Bxc4 Qxc4 26. Qe5+ Kh6 27. Qe3+

Kg7 28. Qxe7+ Kg8 but white wanted to go for the win) Rxf1+ 26. Rxf1 Rf8 27. Rxf8 Kxf8 28.

Be6 Qf2 29. Qf3+ Qxf3 30. gxf3 (white has a minor advantage in the same colored bishop

ending because of the suppressed position of the black king and also the isolated c4 pawn, which

cannot be defended) a5 31. Kg2 g5 32. Kf2 Ke8 33. Ke3 Kd8 34. Kd4 Ba6 35. Kc5 Kc7 36. Bh3

h5 37. Bf5 h4 38. Bh3 Bb7 39. Bf1 Bc8 40. Bxc4 Bd7 41. Be2 Be8 42. b3 Bd7 43. a3 Be8 44. b4

axb4 45. axb4 Bg6 46. b5 Bc2 47. b6+ Kb7 48. Bb5 Bd1 49. Bc6+ Kb8 50. d6 exd6+ 51. Kxd6

g4 52. fxg4 Bxg4 53. Ke5 Bc8 54. Kf4 h3 55. Kg3 Be6 56. Kh4 Bf5 57. Kg3 Be6 58. b7 Kc7 59.

Kf4 Bc4 60. Kg3 Be6 61. Bf3 Kb8 62. Bg4 Bxg4 63. Kxg4 Kxb7 64. Kxh3 Kc6 65. Kg4 Kd7

66. Kg5 Ke8 67. Kg6 Kf8 68. Kh7 Kf7 ½ - ½

Position on the board after 35… Kc7.




1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qc7 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. O-O e6 9. d4

bxa3 10. Bxa3 Bxa3 11. Rxa3 Ne7 12. Nbd2 O-O 13. Nb3 Rac8 (it is clear by this point that

white did not get any compensation for the sacrificed pawn) 14. Nc5 b6 15. Nd3 a5 16. Rc3 Qd7

17. Qb1 Qb7 18. Qb2 Ba4 19. Rb1 Rxc3 20. Qxc3 Rc8 21. Qxa5 (tensions in the position begin

to rise) Bxc2 22. Rxb6 Nc6 23. Qb5 Qc7 (… Bxd3 would have been better for black and after

24. Rxb7 Bxb5 25. Rxb5 Nxd4 26. Rb1 Nxf3+ 27. gxf3 g6 28. Kg2, black would have both one

extra pawn and a more consolidated pawn structure in the rook ending and solid chances for a

win) 24. Nc5 (the positional tensions are at their peak, but will soon begin to resolve rapidly and

end in a draw ending) Rb8 25. Rxb8+ Qxb8 26. Qxb8+ Nxb8 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 22… Nc6.


(Belgrade, October 1991, English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni)

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. e4 d6 7. Ndb5 O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Be2

a6 10. Nd4 Bd7 11. Nb3 Rc8 12. O-O Ne5 13. c5 dxc5 14. Nxc5 Bc6 15. Rc1 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1

Rfd8 17. Rxd8+ Rxd8 18. h3 Nfd7 19. Nd5 (practically forcing the exchange of black’s light

square bishop, but creating an isolated pawn in the center, which is a double-edged sword) Bxd5

20. exd5 Nxc5 21. Rxc5 Nd7 22. Rc7 Bxb2 23. Rxb7 Bg7 24. Bxa6 Nf6 25. Bc4 h5 26. a4 Nxd5

27. Bxd5 Rxd5 28. Rxe7 Bd4! (this time black forces the exchange of white’s light square

bishop. If white denies it by playing, say, Bf4, then … Ra5 and the passed a pawn will fall into

black’s hands) 29. Bxd4 Rxd4 30. a5 Ra4 31. Ra7 Ra1+ 32. Kh2 Kf8 33. a6 Ke8 34. Kg3 Ra4

35. Kf3 Kd8 36. g4 hxg4+ 37. hxg4 Ke8 38. Kg3 Kf8 39. Kf3 Kg7 40. g5 Kf8 41. Ke3 Ke8 42.

f4 Kf8 43. Kf3 Ke8 44. Kg4 Kf8 45. Kf3 Ke8 ½ - ½ (black aimed for a draw and he got it in the

end. White steadily accrued advantage throughout the game, but it ended in an endgame that is

theoretically a draw)

Final position of the game, after 45… Ke8, at which point a draw was agreed upon.

Vuk Uskoković - Chessmaster 2100

(Belgrade, October 1991, Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. g3 e5 5. d5 Nbd7 6. Bg2 Nc5 7. Nf3 Nfe4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Nxd2

Be7 10. O-O Bg6 11. e4 O-O 12. f4 f5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Qe2 fxe4 15. Ncxe4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4

Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Qd6 18. Rae1 Rad8 19. Bf5 Qb6+ 20. Kh1 Bb4 21. Be6+ Kh8 22. Rxf8+ Rxf8

23. Rf1 (an attack based on the utter tactical simplicity of enforcing exchanges) Rxf1+ 24. Qxf1

Qd4 25. Qf7 Qe4+ 26. Kg1 Bc5+ 27. Kf1 Qh1+ (white overlooked that black has the option of

perpetual check. If black played …Qb1+?? Instead of …Qh1+, he would have lost the game, as

the white king would get to safe hideaway of the h3 square) 28. Ke2 Qxh2+ 29. Kd1 Qh1+ 30.

Kd2 Qh2+ 31. Kd1 Qh1+ ½ - ½

Final position of the game, after 31… Qh1+, at which point a draw was agreed upon.


(Belgrade, October 1991, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligorić Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 b6

10. cxd5 exd5 11. c4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 cxd4 13. exd4 Re8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 Bb7 16. Qb3 Rf8 17.

Qd3 Qd6 18. Bg3 Qd7 19. d5 Ne7 20. Ne5 Qd8 21. d6 Nc6 22. Qg6 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Rc8 24.

Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Qxf6 gxf6 (it may seem at the first sight as if white gains something from the

queen exchange, but black is actually the one who equalized the game. The white passed d6

pawn and the broken black pawn structure may seem like an advantage for white, but white does

not have resources neither to support the d6 pawn nor to attack the double pawns on f7 and f6)

26. Rac1 Rfd8 27. Rfd1 Rd7 28. Rc3 Kf8 29. Rdd3 Rc6! (the passed d6 pawn cannot be

supported and will be soon captured by black) 30. Bb5 Rxc3 31. Rxc3 Rxd6 32. Kf1 a6 33. Rc7

Bxg2+ 34. Kxg2 axb5 35. Rb7 Kg7 36. Kf1 Re6 37. Kg2 Kg6 38. Rd7 b4! (a nice idea for

gaining a passed pawn) 39. axb4 Re4 40. b5 Re5 41. Rd6 Rxb5 42. Kf3 Kg5 43. Rd7 Kg6 44.

Rd6 Kg7 45. Ke3 f5 46. Kf4 f6 (the broken black pawn structure on the kingside turns out to be

advantageous for black) 47. Ke3 (it is tempting to believe that playing h4 would save white, but

the pawn structure greatly favors black and white is losing after 47. h4 h5 48. Rd8 Rb2 49. f3

Rb3 50. Re8 b5 51. Rd8 Rc3 52. Rb8 Rc5 53. Rb7+ Kg6 54. Kg3 Rd5 55. Rb8 Kf7 56. Rb6 Rc5

57. Kf4 Rd5 58. Rb7+ Ke6 59. Rb6+ Ke7 60. Ke3 Kd7 61. Rxf6 Kc7 62. Ra6 b4 63. Ra4 Rb5

64. Kd3 b3 65. Ra1 Kc6 66. Kc4 b2 67. Rb1 Kb6 68. Kd4 Rb4+ 69. Kd3 Kc5 70. Kc3 Rb5 71.

f4 Kd5 72. Kd3 Rb8 73. Kc2) Kg6 48. Kd3 Kg5 49. Rd7 f4 50. Kc4 Rb2 51. Rb7 Rxf2 (the

game cannot be saved for white beyond this point) 52. Rxb6 Rxh2 53. Rb5+ f5 (the broken pawn

structure forms a channel on the g file, along which the black king advances) 54. Rb1 f3 55. Rf1

Rh4+ 56. Kd3 Rf4 57. Ke3 f2 58. Rxf2 Rxf2 59. Kxf2 Kg4 60. Kg2 f4 61. Kf2 f3 62. Kg1 Kg3

63. Kh1 h5 64. Kg1 f2+ 65. Kf1 h4 66. Ke2 Kg2 67. Kd2 f1=Q 0-1

Position on the board before 38... b4!


(Belgrade, October 1991, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 e6 8. Qf3 Be7 9. O-O-O

O-O 10. g4 h6 11. h4 hxg5? (ignoring the sac was better for black, say with …Qb6, …Qc7 or

…Rb8. Black’s move instantly loses the game) 12. hxg5 Ne8 13. Qh3 f5 14. Qh7+ (the quickest

way of checkmating the black king. A slower variation may have proceeded the following way:

14. Nxf5 Bxg5 15. Qh8+ Kf7 16. Qh5+ Kg8 17. Qh8+ Kf7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. fxg5 Ne5 20. Bc4

Rxf5 21. gxf5 Nf7 22. Rdg1 d5 23. exd5 Kf8 24. dxe6 Ne5 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26. f6+ Kd6 27. Rd1+

Kc5 28. Qf8+ Kb6 29. Na4+ Ka5 30. Qc5+ b5 31. Nb6 Qxb6 32. Qa3#) Kf7 15. g6+ Kf6 16.

g5# (The shortest game played against the computer)

Position on the board before 11. h4.



King’s Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Nge2 Ne8 8. g4!? (a risky pawn

sacrifice in the center for the sake of breaking quickly through the kingside. If played correctly,

black can refute its validity) Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Bxd4 10. Bh6 Bg7 11. Qd2 a6 12. h4 c5 (perhaps a

key error. In view of white’s ambitions on the kingside, playing …e5 instead of …c5 and making

space for the pieces to come to the defense of the black king was crucial, but ignored by black)

13. h5 e6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qh6+ Kf6 (if … Kf7, then 17. Qxh7+ Ng7 18. e5

Qg5 19. f4 Qxg4 20. Ne4 dxe5 21. Ng5+ Kf6 22. fxe5+ Kxe5 23. Qxg7+ Kd6 24. Ne4+ Kc6 25.

Qxf8 1-0) 17. Qxf8+ Ke5 18. f4+ Kd4 19. Qh8+ Qf6 20. Rh3! Qxh8 21. Ne2# (Another one of

the crushing attacks with the advancing kingside pawns as white)

Position on the board before 20. Rxh3!


(Belgrade, October 1991, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Ba3! Nc6 8. Bc4 O-O 9.

Ne2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. f4 Na5 12. Bd3 f5 13. e5 Bd5 14. Qc2 Nc4 15. Bc1 Qd7 16. Ng3 Rfd8

17. Nxf5! gxf5 18. Bxf5 e6 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Bg6 Rg8 (if 20. f5 then 20… Bxe5!) 21. Qf2 Qe7

22. Qg3! (white deliberately puts his queen to the path of discovery by the black rook on g8) Bh6

23. f5 Qg7 24. Bg5! Bxg5 (…Raf8 was better for black) 25. Qxg5 Rgd8 26. f6 1-0 #6

Position on the board before 17. Nxf5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nb6 5. Bf4 e6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Bxd6 cxd6 8. Be2 Nc6 9. O-

O d5 10. Nc3 dxe4 11. Nxe4 f5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Re1 O-O 14. h4 h5 15. Ng5! Nd5 16. Bxh5! Nf4

(it was better for black to accept the sacrifice and defend the seventh rank checkmate with

…Qd7) 17. Bxg6! Nxg6 18. Qh5 Kg7 19. Qh7+ Kf6 20. Nh5# 1-0

Position on the board before 16. Bxh5!



King’s Gambit: Falkbeer Countergambit, Staunton Line)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 Bb4 6. dxe4 Nxe4 7. Qd4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Qe7 9.

Be2 Qh4+ (the combination entailing the material gain is tempting to black, but castling was best

at this point) 10. g3 Nxg3 11. hxg3 Qxh1 (grabbing the h1 rook is essentially a bad idea because

white can quickly punish black thanks to a difficult way for the black queen back into the game

and the totally underdeveloped other black pieces, along with the king in the center) 12. Qe5+

(white misses the best move on the paper: 12. Ba3, which could have been followed by 12…f6

13. Qe3+ Kf7 14. Qe7+ Kg6 15. O-O-O Bf5 16. Nf3 Qg2 17. Nh4+ Kh6 18. Qf7 g6 19. Nxf5+

gxf5 20. Qxf6#) Kd8 13. Qg5+! (Be3 would be too passive and after …Re8 14. Qd4 Re4 15.

Qc5 b6 16. Qf8+ Re8 17. Qxg7 Rxe3 18. O-O-O Qg2 19. d6 Bd7 20. Qf6+ Kc8 21. Bb5 Bxb5

22. dxc7 Kxc7 23. Qd8+ Kb7, the black king might even reach safety and white would have no

more attacking chances) f6 (if …Ke8, then Ba3 1-0) 14. Qxg7!! Qxg1+ (it is hard to see why this

grabbing of a free piece with a tempo is a losing move for black. The key lies to the fact that on

h1, the black queen had an open way to the game via a8-h1 diagonal, but that way in is now lost.

Playing Rd8 immediately would have been better for black) 15. Kd2 Re8 16. Qxf6+ Re7 17.

Qxe7+! Kxe7 18. Ba3+ Kf6 19. Rxg1 Nd7 20. g4 Nb6 21. c4 Bd7 22. Bd3 Re8 23. g5+ Kf7 24.

g6+ Kg8 25. gxh7+ 1-0 (And yet another one of the times I got crushed by my father’s king’s

gambit. Neither did my extensive studying of Falkbeer countergambit help when it came to the

ultra-open positions abounding with incalculable tactical combinations)

Position on the board before 14. Qxg7!!



Siclian Defense: Godiva Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Nc3 e6 8. O-O Nge7 9.

Qd2 (an unusual move, but signaling to black that b2 fianchetto is planned) O-O 10. b3 f5 11.

Rb1 fxe4 12. Nxe4 d5 13. Ng3 e5 14. Bb2 d4 (…e4 was the right move if black really badly

wanted to push his central pawns, but he wanted to protect his g7 bishop from the exchange) 15.

c3! (a quiet move that halts the advancement of the white pawns in the center) Bf5 16. Rbd1 e4

17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. cxd4 Rad8 19. Rfe1 Nd5 20. Bc4 Kh8 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. Nxe4 Rfd8 23.

Qe3! (the d4 pawn is indirectly protected because if …Bxd4, then 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Rd1 and

black loses a piece due to pinning) Qe6 24. Ng5 Qxe3 25. fxe3 R5d7 26. e4 Bg4 27. Rd2 h6 28.

h3! hxg5 29. hxg4 Kg8 30. e5 Kf8 31. e6! (not Red1 because of … Bxe5) Re7 32. Re4 Ke8 33.

Ba3 Rc7 34. d5 (what goes around comes around – black aspired to stifle white with advancing d

and e pawns and did not do so correctly, so in the end his fate is to be stifled by the very same d

and e pawns by the opponent) Bf8 35. Bxf8 Kxf8 36. d6 1-0

Position on the board before 14… d4 15. c3!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nc6 9. Be3 a6

10. O-O Ne8 11. Re1 f5 (…e5 was more correct. This will give white a chance to nest his light

square bishop on e6, with a huge positional advantage) 12. exf5 Rxf5 13. Bg4 Rf8 14. Be6+ Kh8

15. Ne4 Nf6 16. Ng5 Qe8 17. Bf4!? (a deliberate pawn sacrifice in the center, but playing Qe3

and taking the advantage of a better position may have been better than engaging in the virtually

forced tactical exchange that follows) Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Nh5 19. Qe4 Rxf4 (white would maintain

minor advantage even after …Nxf4 20. g3 Nh5 21. Bg4 Nf6 22. Qxb7 Qb8 23. Bf3) 20. Qxf4!

Nxf4 21. Nf7+ Qxf7 22. Bxf7 (the exchange is over and white maintains a minor advantage, but

it is questionable whether it can be converted to a win if both sides play correctly) e5 23. Kh2

Rf8 24. Bd5 Nxd5 25. cxd5 Rxf2 26. Rac1 Rxb2 27. Rxc7 Bh6 28. Rd7 Bf4+ 29. Kh1 Rxa2 30.

Rxb7 a5 31. g3 Bh6 32. Rf1 e4 33. Rff7 Kg8 34. Rxh7 Bf8 35. Rhd7 e3 36. Rb1 a4 37. Re1 e2

38. Kg2 a3 (black’s aggressiveness has paid off as a compensation to being effectively one pawn

down and he is just about to reach a theoretical draw position, but white is not giving up) 39. Kf3

Rd2 40. Rxe2 Rxd5 41. Ra7 Rf5+ 42. Kg4 Re5 43. Rxe5 dxe5 44. Kf3 Bc5 45. Ra6 Kf7 46. Ke4

Bb4 47. Kxe5 Bc3+ 48. Kf4 Bb2 49. h4 Kg7 50. g4 Kf7 51. h5 gxh5 52. gxh5 Bc1+ 53. Ke4

Kg7 54. Kf5 Kh7 55. Ra7+ Kh6 56. Kg4 Bd2!! (the key to ensuring draw is to preserve the

bishop on the c1-h6 diagonal, this preventing the entrance of the white king to the g/h5 and g/h6

squares. If black played …Bx2, this would lose after 57. Ra6+ Kh7 58. h6 Bc1 59. Kh5 Bd2 60.

Ra7+ Kg8 61. h7+) 57. Rxa3 Bc1 58. Ra6+ Kh7 59. Rd6 Be3 60. Rd7+ Kh6 61. Rb7 Bc1 62.

Rb6+ Kh7 63. Ra6 Be3 64. Ra8 Bc1 65. Ra7+ Kh6 66. Ra1 ½ - ½ (white rook and king cannot

push the black king off the h7-h6 squares so long as the bishop protects the c1-h6 diagonal and

this is a theoretical draw)

Position on the board after 38... a3.



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Bxf3 9. Bxf3

Ne5 10. Be2 c6 11. f4 Ned7 12. f5 cxd5 13. exd5 Ne5 14. Bg5 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 h5 (the white pawn

on b2 was not poisonous and could have been captured by the black queen) 16. Qd2 Neg4 17.

Bxg4 Nxg4 18. Rae1! (white is not interested in the e7 pawn and has a different plan in mind.

Rfe1 would allow black to keep the white king in perpetual check after …Nf2+ 19. Kg1 Nh3+

20. Kh1 Nf2+ and so on) Be5 19. Rxe5!! dxe5 20. h3 Nf6 21. c5! (it is imperative to distract the

black queen from the f6 square) Qxc5 22. Bxf6 exf6 23. Qh6 Qc4 24. Rf3 g5 25. Qxf6 Rfd8 26.

Qxg5+ Kf8 27. f6 a5 28. Qxh5 Ke8 29. Qxe5+ Kd7 30. Nb5! Qxb5 31. Rc3 Qf1+ 32. Kh2 Ra6

33. Rc7#

Position on the board before 18. Rae1! Be5 19. Rxe5!!


(Belgrade, October 1991, Spanish Game: Morphy Defense, Bayreuth Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nc3 Bd6 7. d4 exd4 8. Qxd4 Bf8 9.

Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Ke8 11. O-O h6 12. Nf3 Bg4 13. Ne5 Bh5 14. Re1 Rd8 15. Nd3 Nd7 16.

Nf4 Bg4 17. h3 Be6 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 Bd6 20. Rad1 Be5 21. f4 Bxc3 22. bxc3 e5 23. f5

Nf6 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bf2 Ke7 26. Bg3 Nd7 27. Rb1 b6 28. Kf2 Rf8 29. Ke3 Kf6 30. Rf1

Re8 31. Bh4+ g5 32. Bf2 c5 33. c4 c6 34. Be1 b5 (this was the only point in the game where one

side in this tight drawish game had an open chance to gain positional advantage. White had an

opportunity here by playing 35. Ba5. After 35…Ke7 37. Rd1 Rb8 38. Rd5 b4 39. g4 Rh8 40.

Bc7 Rc8 41. Bxe5 Nxe5 42. Rxe5+, white would limit the range of movement of the black pieces

and be capable of bringing the king to the center, with an attack on the weak c5 pawn) 35. cxb5

cxb5 36. g4 b4 37. c3 a5 38. h4 Rd8 39. cxb4 axb4 40. Kf3 Rb8 41. hxg5+ hxg5 42. Bg3 b3 43.

axb3 Rxb3+ 44. Kg2 Re3 45. Rd1 Ke7 (…Rxe4! does not lead an advantage for black after 46.

Rxd7 Rxg4 47. Rd6+ Kxf5 48. Rd5 Re4 49. Rxc5 g4 50. Kf2 Ke6 51. Bh2 Kd6 52. Rc8 Ke6 53.

Kg3 Re2 ½ - ½) 46. Re1 Rd3 47. Rf1 c4 48. Rf3 Kd6 49. Rxd3+ cxd3 50. Be1 Nf6 51. Kf3 Kc5

52. Bd2 Kd4 53. Bxg5 Nxe4 54. Be3+ Kd5 55. g5 Nd6 56. g6 (e6 was safer for white) Nxf5

(black loses after … Ne4 because of 57. g7 Nf6 58. Bd2! Kd4 59. Bg5 e4+ 60. Kf2 e3+ 61.

Bxe3+) 57. Kf2 e4 58. Bd2 Kd4 59. Ke1 e3 60. Bb4 Ke4 61. Bc3 Kf3 62. Ba5 Nd4 63. g7 d2+

64. Kd1! (not Bxd2? because of …e2! 0-1) Kf2 65. Bxd2 e2+ 66. Kc1 Nb3+ 67. Kb2 Nxd2 68.

g8=Q e1=Q ½ - ½

Position on the board before 62… Nd4.




1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. d4 Qc7 6. f4 e6 7. Nf3 bxa3 8. Bxa3 Bxa3 (the bishop

need not necessarily be exchanged and …Bd7 may be even better. Black need not fear Bxf8) 9.

Nxa3 Nh6 10. Nb5 Qb8 11. Nd6+ Ke7 12. Qc1 (Qd3 may have been better, preventing …Nf5

while also ensuring that the white queen can hop onto the a3 square and threaten the discovered

check) Nf5 13. Nxf5+ exf5 14. Bb5 a6 15. Qa3+ (white is mounting the pressure, but black will

figure out the way how to defend while hanging on a thread) Kd8 16. Ng5 Be6 17. Bxc6 bxc6

18. O-O h6 19. Nxe6+ fxe6 20. Rfb1 Qc7 21. Qc5 Kd7 22. Ra3 Rhc8 (black has finally

equalized and all that follows is fencing with obtuse swords, just for the sake of having the two

queens dance on the board for a bit longer, until they get tired) 23. Rab3 Rcb8 24. Rxb8 Rxb8

25. Rxb8 Qxb8 26. Kf2 Qe8 (black cannot prevent the entrance of the white queen to the seventh

rank whereby white would finally win the pawn sacrificed in the second move back. 26… Qb5

would be bad for black because of 27. Qd6+ and the havoc the white queen would wreak

afterwards) 27. Qa7+ Kd8 28. Qxg7 Qe7 29. Qxh6 (black would benefit from the queen

exchange even with one pawn down) a5 30. Qh8+ Kd7 31. Qb8 Qh4+ 32. Ke2 Qg4+ 33. Ke3

Qxg2 34. Qd6+ Kc8 35. Qxe6+ Kc7 36. Qxf5 a4 (white is two pawn up, but the position is still a

draw) 37. Qf8 Qe4+ 38. Kf2 Qxd4+ 39. Kg3 Qc3+ 40. Kg4 a3 41. Qe7+ Kc8 42. Qa7 Qb2 43.

e6 a2 44. e7 Qg7+ 45. Kf5 Qf7+ 46. Ke5 a1=Q+ 47. Qxa1 Qxe7+ 48. Kf5 Qh7+ 49. Ke6 Qg8+

50. Kd6 Qg6+ 51. Ke7 Qh7+ (if… Qe4+, then 52. Qe5, but there is no need for such shenanigans

on behalf of white, as perpetual check can be easily maintained) 52. Kd6 Qg6+ 53. Ke7 Qh7+

54. Ke6 Qg8+ ½ - ½

Position on the board before 12. Qc1.




1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. f4 Nge7 8. Nb3 O-O 9. Qf3

(black’s hesitating to play d7-d5 leaves d6 square as permanently inhabitable by white pieces.

Here Qd6 could have be played too) b6 10. O-O-O a5 11. a3 a4 12. Nd4 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Rxa6

(black’s pawns and pieces on the queenside and disjointed and the center underdeveloped, giving

white a bit of positional advantage) 14. g4 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Qc7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. h4 Rb8

(…b4! with the sacrifice of a pawn, facilitating the attack on the white king on the queenside,

would have been better for black) 18. Nb5 Qc4 19. Nd6 (control over the d6 square has finally

been gained) Qc5 20. h5 b5 21. hxg6! (soon after the control over the d6 square was gained, it is

time to sacrifice the piece holding it!) Rxd6 22. Rxh7+!! Kg8 (if … Kxg6, then 23. Rdh1 and

checkmate cannot be prevented) 23. Rh8+! Kg7 (if …Kxh8, then 24. Qh3+ and checkmate

cannot be prevented again) 24. Rxb8 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 (a crucial advantage has been gained by

white and everything else is a matter of technique) Qe3+ 26. Kb1 Qxf4 27. Rxb5 Nxg6 28. Qd4+

e5 29. Qxa4 Qxg4 30. Rd5 1-0

Position on the board before 21. hxg6! Rxd6 22. Rxh7+!! Kg8 23. Rh8+!




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bc5 6. d4 Bb6 7. Be3 Bg4 8. Nge2 Ba5 9. h3

Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Qxd5 13. c4 Qd7 14. O-O O-O (it appeared as if

this was going to be one of the quieter Falkbeer countergambits, though there will still be

perpetual positional tensions and exciting combinations in the making) 15. Bf2 (f5! would be

more active, preventing black’s next move) f5 16. c3 Nc6 (the hero of this game finally wakes

up, past noon, on move 16, the last of all light pieces. A protagonist that is introduced for the

first time halfway through the novel) 17. c5 b6 18. Qc4+ Qf7 19. Qxf7+ Rxf7 20. cxb6 axb6 21.

d5 Ne7 22. c4 b5! 23. cxb5 (d6! would have been a better move) Nxd5 24. a4! (it makes sense to

give away the pawn on f4, as defending it would only bring trouble to white) Nxf4 25. Bg3 Ne2+

26. Kh2 f4 27. Be1 (a single knight suppresses two rooks and a bishop to the first rank. In fact,

this game illustrates how the power of a knight can surpass that of a bishop. The last piece to

remain on the board and the piece who would make 16 jumps in this game will be none other but

this knight, as the further course of the game will illustrate. As of move 27, for the first time in

the game one side, in this case black, accrues a promising advantage, which still has a long way

to go before it gets materialized) e3 28. a5 g5 29. Ra2 Nd4 30. Rb2 Rf5 31. b6 cxb6 32. axb6

Rb8 33. b7 Rf7 34. Bc3 Nf5 35. Rfb1 Nd6 36. h4 Rfxb7! (…h6 would be an error and the game

would end in a draw in one such variation. For example, 36…h6 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Kh3 Rfxb7

39. Rxb7 Rxb7 40. Rxb7 Nxb7 41. Kg4 Nc5! 42. Kxg5 Ne4+ 43. Kxf4 Nxc3 44. Kxe3 ½ - ½)

37. Rxb7 Rxb7 38. Rxb7 Nxb7 39. hxg5 Nc5 40. Kh3 e2 41. Kg4 Nd3 42. Kf3 e1=Q 43. Bxe1

Nxe1+ 44. Kxf4 Nxg2+ 45. Kf5 Kg7 46. Kg4 Kg6 47. Kg3 Ne1 48. Kg4 Nd3 49. Kh4 Ne5 50.

Kg3 Kxg5 0-1

Position on the board before 27… e3.



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nc6 9. O-O

Ne8 10. Ne2 f5 (a very risky move, when …e5 was expected) 11. exf5 Rxf5 12. Bg4! (white

logically takes advantage of the weakened d6 square and settles his bishop thereon) Rf8 13.

Be6+ Kh8 14. Re1 Nf6 15. d5 Ne5 16. Qc2 c6 17. f4 Qb6+ (black, in my father’s style, does not

want to retreat with the knight and maneuver in tight space with the sole goal of exchanging the

bishop on d6; rather, a counterattack, even when involving a single piece, will be launched) 18.

Kh1 (c5 was better for white) Qf2 19. Bd2 Nf3 20. gxf3 Qxf3+ 21. Kg1 Ne4 22. Rad1? (most

moves are forbidden, but Bg4, forcing …Qf2+, was a better move for white than Rad1?, which

gives black the opportunity for a draw by the perpetual check) Bd4+ 23. Kh2 Qf2+ 24. Kh1

Qf3+ 25. Kh2 Qf2+ 26. Kh1 Ng3+ 27. Nxg3 Qf3+ 28. Kh2 Qf2+ 29. Kh1 Qf3+ ½ - ½

Final position of the game ending in a perpetual check.


(Belgrade, October 1991, Réti Opening: Réti Accepted)

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nc6 4. Bxc4 e5 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. O-O Nge7 7. b3 (a more aggressive

way of continuing with an overwhelming advantage for white would be 7. Ng5 O-O 8. Qh5 h6 9.

Nxf7 Rxf7 10. Bxf7+ Kh8 11. d4 Bd6 12. d5 Nb4 13. e4 Qf8 14. f4) O-O 8. Bb2 Bg4 9. Ne4

Bb6 10. h3 Bh5 11. Be2 Qd5 12. Qc2 Nb4 13. Qb1 Bg6 14. d3 (white feels very confident in this

type of hypermodern positions, withdrawn even as white, while preserving a steady positional

advantage, albeit minor) f5 15. Nc3 Qd6 16. a3 Nbc6 17. Rd1 Bf7 18. Qc2 Qe6 19. b4 (white

slowly begins to unwind and reduce the pressure) Rad8 20. Ng5 Qf6 21. Nxf7 Rxf7 22. Na4 h6

23. Nxb6 cxb6 24. d4! (a simple move that seemingly sacrifices a pawn by, in fact,

inconspicuously ravages black’s position. It imposes multiple threats by the discovery of the

black queen, the pinning of the rook on f7 and the capture of the rook on d8 and black simply

does not have a good defense and must opt for a material sac of one type or another. The type of

position on the board favors the bishop pairs over the pair of knights) Rc8 25. Bc4 (dxe5 was

equally good) Kh8 26. Bxf7 Qxf7 27. Qe2 exd4 28. Bxd4 Nxd4 29. Rxd4 Nc6 30. Qc2 Re8 31.

Rd2 Rc8 32. Rad1 Rc7 33. Qd3 Qf8 34. e4 fxe4 35. Qxe4 Qc8? 36. b5 Re7 37. Qc2 Qe8 38.

bxc6 Re1+ 39. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 40. Kh2 Qe5+ 41. g3 Qe7 42. c7 1-0

Position on the board before 24… d4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. h3 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. d4 (white sacrifices

a pawn through the following tactical exchange for a more active play, but it is uncertain whether

the activity can be sustained) cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nxe4 10. Nxc6 Nxc3 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. bxc3 Bxc3

13. Rb1 a6 14. Ba3 Re8 15. Rb3 Be5 16. f4 Bg7 17. Re1 Qh4! 18. Bxd6 Bd4+ 19. Kh2 Re3 20.

Rxe3 Bxe3 21. Be5 Bf2 (…Bxf4+ was expected) 22. Rf1 Qg3+ 23. Kh1 Bxh3 24. Rxf2 (if 24.

Bf3, then …Bxg2+ 25. Bxg2 Qh4+ #-1) Qxf2 25. gxh3 Re8 (black was too erratic and hasty with

his attack and white emerges with a minor advantage from it thanks to its bishop pair) 26. Qf1

Qg3 27. Qf3 Qxf3+ 28. Bxf3 b5 29. Kg2 Rc8 30. c3 b4 31. cxb4 Rc2+ 32. Kg3 Rxa2 33. Bc7

Kg7 34. Bb7 h5 35. Ba5 (the bishops will soon snatch the black a pawn and the passed white b

pawn can be pushed to promotion) Ra3+ 36. Kg2 Kf6 37. Bxa6 Kf5 38. Bc8+ Kxf4 39. Bc7+

Ke3 40. b5 h4 41. Bb6+ Kf4 42. Bf2 Rb3 43. b6 Rb2 44. b7 Ke4 45. Kh1 Rb1+ 46. Bg1 Kd5 47.

Kg2 Rb2+ 48. Kf3 Kc6 49. Ba7 Rxb7 50. Bxb7+ Kxb7 51. Bd4 (a lucky circumstance for white

is that his bishop is the dark square one or else the game would end in a draw) Kc6 52. Bf6 Kd7

53. Kg4 Ke8 54. Kg5 Kf8 55. Kh6 Kg8 56. Bxh4 Kh8 57. Bf6+ Kg8 58. h4 Kf8 59. Kh7 Ke8 60.

Kg8 1-0 (white king was pushed twice to confinement on h1 square, but emerged as a winner on

the eighth rank)

Position on the board before 45. Kh1.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Qd3

Be7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. O-O O-O 12. Be3 d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. Rf3 Re8 15. Rh3 Nf8 16. f5 (getting

the a1 rook into the play or gaining control over the c5 square via Na4-c5 maneuver would have

been better for white) exf5 17. Qxf5 Qd7 18. Qf4 Rab8 19. Rf1 Bb4 (if …Bd8, then the room

opens for an exciting variation: 20. e6! Qxe6 21. Qxb8 Bb6 22. Qb7 Bxe3+ 23. Kh1 Re7 24. Qa6

Bd4 25. Rhf3 Be5 26. Qe2 Nd7 27. a4 Qd6 28. Re1 Qc5 29. Nd1 with an equal play) 20. Bd4

Ng6 21. Qg5 Qe7 22. Qh5 h6 23. Qf5 Rb7 24. Rg3 (or 24. e6 Qxe6 25. Re3 Qc8 26. a3 Bf8 27.

Rxe8 Qxe8 28. b4 Rd7 29. Qf2 with a slightly better position for black) Nxe5 (black won a pawn

and will execute this minor advantage to the end) 25. a3 Bc5 26. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 27. Kh1 Rbe7 28.

Qf4 Ng6 29. Qf3 Qe3 30. Qf5 Qe1 31. b4 d4 32. Na4 Nh4 33. Qf4 Qxf1+ 34. Qxf1 Re1 35. Kg1

R8e2 36. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 37. Kf2 Rc1 38. Rd3 (neither does c3 help white, as black continues to

improve its position after 38… Rc2+ 39. Kg1 Rc1+ 40. Kf2 Rc2+ 41. Kf1 Nf5 42. Rd3 Ne3+ 43.

Ke1 Nxg2+) Rxc2+ (not only does black have a material advantage, but his rook and knight are

also considerably more active) 39. Kf1 Nxg2 40. Rxd4 Ne3+ 41. Kg1 g5 42. Re4 Nd5 43. Re8+

Kg7 44. Rc8 Ra2 45. Rxc6 Rxa3 46. Nc5 Nxb4 47. Rd6 a5 0-1

Position on the board after 37... Rc1.


(Belgrade, October 1991, Queen’s Indian Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Qa4 Bb7 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Nc3 h6 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. e4 O-O 9. Bd3 d6

10. O-O c5 11. d5 exd5 12. cxd5 a6 13. Rac1 Qd7 14. Qb3 b5 15. Bc2 b4 (this may be a bit of a

premature advancement and 15…Qe7 so as to develop the b8 knight to d7 and then e5 might

have been better for black) 16. Ne2 Qc7 17. Bd3 a5 18. Ned4 Qb6 19. Nf5 Nd7 20. Nd2 Ne5 21.

Nc4 Nxc4 22. Rxc4 Ba6 23. Rcc1 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 Bxb2 25. Qg3 Kh8 26. Rb1 Bf6 27. Nxd6 Ra7

(…Bh4 would be a bad way of ridding the irksome knight on d6 because it would lose an

exchange or a pawn after 28. Nc4) 28. e5 Be7 29. Nf5 Rg8 30. Qg4 a4 31. Rfc1 (exciting

position with two white passed pawns in the center and two black passed pawns on the

queenside; however, it will soon resolve via a series of exchanges into a dead draw) b3 32. Nxe7

(d6 followed by Qc4 seemed more promising for white) Rxe7 33. Qxa4 Rxe5 34. Rxb3 Qd6 35.

Rb7 Qxd5 36. Qd7 Rd8 37. Qxd5 Rexd5 38. Kf1 Rd1+ 39. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 40. Ke2 Ra1 41. a4

Rxa4 42. Rxf7 Ra3 43. f4 Kg8 44. Rc7 Rc3 45. Kd2 Rc4 46. f5 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 31… b3.




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bc4 Nxd5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Ne2 Bg4 9. O-O

Bxc3 10. Nxc3 Qe6 11. Qe1 f5 12. h3 Bh5 13. Qh4 Bf7 14. g4! fxg4 (with this move the black

e4 pawn becomes vulnerable and a potential target of attack by white pieces) 15. hxg4 h5 16. g5

(f5! would have been a better idea for white. 16. g5 allows black to exchange queens and

equalize in spite of losing the e4 pawn) Qg4+! (sacrifices the central pawn to open the h file and

create an intrusive g4 pawn) 17. Qxg4 hxg4 18. Nxe4 Nc6 19. c3 O-O-O (the black g4 pawn

seems vulnerable, but in fact it will be the anchorage point for the devastating attack that will

follow) 20. b4 Rh3 21. a4 Rdh8 22. b5 Bd5! 23. bxc6 Bxe4 24. Kf2 Rh2+ 25. Ke3 Re8 26. f5

Bf3+ 27. Kf4 (if 27. Kd3, then …Be2+ 28. Kc2 Bxf1+ 29. Bd2 Bc4 0-1) Re4+ 28. Kg3 Rh3+ 29.

Kf2 Re2+ 30. Kg1 Rh1#

Position on the board before 17. Qg4+!


(Belgrade, October/November 1991, Nimzo-Indian Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 g5?! (an out-of-the-box computer move, which will turn this

closed opening into a very open one, full of tricks and fireworks) 5. Bxg5 exd5 6. Nxd5 Bg7 7.

e4 d6 8. f4 Nbd7 9. Qe2! (a visionary unorthodox opening move, given that in this exact order,

first Qe2-b5+ and then Bf1-c4+, will the white queen and bishop checkmate the black king 15

moves later) Qa5+ 10. Kf2 h6 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. e5 Nxd5 13. cxd5 dxe5 14. fxe5 c4! 15. Rd1

Qxa2 16. e6 fxe6 17. dxe6 Rf8+ 18. Nf3 Bxb2 19. e7 Rxf3+! 20. gxf3 Bf5 21. Rg1 c3 22. Qb5+

Kxe7 23. Rg7+ Kf6 24. Bc4 Qa3 25. Rf7+ Kg5 26. Qxf5+ Kh4 27. Rd4#

Position on the board before 9. Qe2!


(Belgrade, October/November 1991,

Queen’s Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4

Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. bxc3 e5 13. e4 exd4 14. Qxd4 Nb6 15. Rfd1 Nxc4 16.

Qxc4 Be6 17. Qe2 Rad8 18. Nd4 Rfe8 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. f3 f5 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. e5 Rd5 23.

Re1 Ra5! (there is a dual attack on a2 and e5 pawns, so one pawn must be captured by black and

with white’s next move, he accepts that draw is what he wishes too, exchanging the rooks and

entering the queens endgame) 24. Qb2 Rxe5 25. Rxe5 Qxe5 26. Kf2 Qc5+ 27. Kg3 Qd6+ 28.

Kf2 b5 29. Qb3+ Kf8 30. Qb4 (the computer as white enforces the queen exchange and the

transition to king and pawn ending with one pawn down, which may seem like a strange

decision. However, the pawn structure benefits black and even in the queens endgame,

theoretically black should win. For example, 30. a4 a5 31. axb5 Qc5+ 32. Kg3 cxb5 33. Qe6 a4

34. h4 a3 35. Kh3 f4 36. Qa6 g6 37. Qa5 Kf7 38. c4 Qc8+ 39. Kh2 bxc4 40. Qxa3 Qc7 41. Qc3

Ke6 42. Kh1 Qc5 43. Qg7 Kd6 44. Qxh7 Qh5 45. Qa7 Qxh4+ 46. Kg1 Qe1+ 47. Kh2 Kd5 48.

Qf7+ Kd4 49. Qxf4+ Kd3 50. Qd6+ Ke2 51. Kh3 c3 52. Qxg6 Qd2 53. Qe4+ Kf2 54. Qb4 Qd5

55. Qb6+ Ke2 56. Qb1 Qd3 57. Qb6 c2 58. Qe6+ Kd1 0-1) Qxb4 31. cxb4 Ke7 32. Ke3 Ke6 33.

Kd4 Kd6 34. g3 g5 35. h3 h6 36. a3 a6 37. f4 gxf4 38. gxf4 h5 39. h4 (in spite of all these pawn

moves, the opposition rule is not important here because black has the following move as an

option) c5+! 40. bxc5+ Kc6 41. Ke5 a5 42. Kxf5 b4 43. axb4 a4! (the final challenge has been

won. If black played …axb4, the game would end in a draw) 44. Kg6 a3 45. f5 a2 46. f6 a1=Q

47. f7 Qh8 0-1 (Black initially played for draw and when black plays for a draw, this is how a

game should be played – simply, without introducing any unnecessary complexities, which is the

task for the side seeking win. During the course of the game, black gained the minimal material

advantage and from seeking draw he went to seek win and he got it)

Position on the board before 39... c5+!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, October 1991, Sicilian Defense: Open)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 (e5 would have been better for

white) d6 (…Qa5 would have forced the bishop back to d2) 7. f4 g6? (a poor move, allowing the

white to create an isolated black pawn on the d file and a weak f6 pawn) 8. Bxf6 exf6 9. Bb5+

Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 (…Qxd7 seems unfavorable for black at first sight, but black, in fact,

would have been fine with it after 11. Qxf6 Rg8 12. Nc3 Bg7 13. Nd5) 11. Nc3 Qc7 12. O-O-O

Be7 13. e5 fxe5 14. fxe5 (the weak d6 pawn is a source of an attack that black cannot defend

against) Rhc8 15. exd6 Bg5+ 16. Kb1 Qc5 17. Qg4+ Kd8 18. Rhe1 Qf5 (if …Rc6, then 19. Rd5

and black loses the bishop) 19. Qxf5 gxf5 20. d7 Rcb8 21. Re8+ Kc7 22. Nb5+ Kb6 23. Rd6+!

Kxb5 24. Re5+ Kc4 25. b3+ Kc3 26. Rd3+ Kb4 27. c3+ Ka3 28. Ra5#

Position on the board before 23. Rd6+!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bb5 Bd7 5. O-O e6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Qxd4 Qb6 9.

Qxb6 axb6 (black’s b pawns are doubled, but he gets an open a file and positionally he stands

better after the queen exchange) 10. Nc3 Nf6 11. Re1 Be7 12. Be3! (white sacrifices a pawn to

speed up the development and gain control over the c file) Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. Bxb6 Bxc2

15. Rac1 Bg6 16. a3 Bd8 17. Bd4 O-O 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Ra4 20. h5 Bh7 21. Kg2 Re8 22. Kg3 f6

23. Bc3 (white has eyed the b4 square as ideal for his knight) e5 24. fxe5 fxe5 (black opts for

double passed pawns as opposed to a more stable pawn structure after …dxe5) 25. Bb4 Ra6 26.

Rcd1 Bc7 27. Nh4 Re6 28. Nf5 Bxf5 29. gxf5 Rf6 30. Kg4 Ba5! 31. Re4 Bxb4 32. Rxb4 Rf7 33.

Rc4 Rd7 34. f6! (Rc5 was a better option for white, but f6! is a bold attempt to press the black

king for a pawn sacrifice) gxf6 35. Kf5 Rf7 (…Kf7 was better for black and after …Rf7, the

position is theoretically a draw) 36. Rg1+ Rg7 37. Rg6 d5 38. Rc7 Rxg6 39. Kxg6 Kf8 40. Kxh6

e4 41. Kg6 e3 42. Rf7+! (if 42. h6, then black is winning after …f5+ 43. Kh5 Rxh6+!! 44. Kxh6

e2 45. Rc1 f4 46. Kg6 f3 47. Kf6 Ke8 48. Ke6 Kd8 49. Kxd5 f2 0-1) Ke8 43. h6 e2 44. h7 f5+

45. Kg7 Rh6!! (saves the game for black) 46. Rf8+ Ke7 47. Kxh6 e1=Q 48. h8=Q Qh4+ 49. Kg7

Qg5+ 50. Kh7 Qh5+ (black draws by the perpetual check) 51. Kg7 Qg5+ 52. Kh7 Qh5+ 53. Kg7

Qg5+ ½ - ½

Position on the board before 45… Rh6!!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, King’s Indian Defense)

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 c6 6. Nf3 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. O-O Bg4 9. e3

Nd7 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 (an unconventional move that is useful insofar as it throws the

opponent out of the expected lines) Nxc3 12. bxc3 e5 13. Rb1 Qc7 14. Bb2 exd4 15. cxd4 Nf6

16. Rfc1 (e4 was possible too, but white wants to take advantage of the discovered attack on the

black queen along the c file, which will indeed prove itself as a fruitful approach, as the further

course of the game will show) Rfe8 17. d5 Ne4 (the d5 pawn cannot be captured because of

…Nxd5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Qxd5 1-0) 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Rb4 f5 20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Rbc4 (the c

pawn has been made weak and now begins an attack on it) c5 22. g4 Qe5 23. gxf5 gxf5 24. Qe2

Rac8 25. Qc2 h5 26. Bxe4 fxe4 27. Rxc5 Rxc5 28. Qxc5 Qxc5 29. Rxc5 (the pawn has been

captured and white has a pawn advantage in the rook endgame) Kg6 30. Rc7 Ra8 31. Kg2 h4 32.

a4 a5 33. Rc5 Kf6 34. Rh5 Rg8+ 35. Kh2 Rb8 36. Rxa5 Rb4 37. Ra7 Ke6 38. a5 Ra4 39. a6 Kd5

40. Rd7+ Kc6 41. Rh7 Rxa6 42. Rh6+ Kb5 43. Rxa6 Kxa6 44. f4 Kb5 45. Kg1 Kc6 46. Kf2 Kd6

47. Ke2 Ke6 48. Kd2 Kd5 49. Kc3 Kc5 50. f5 1-0

Position on the board before 17. d5.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991,

King’s Gambit Accepted: King’s Knight Gambit)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 d6 5. O-O Be6 6. Bxe6 fxe6 7. Nd4 e5? (a critical error;

…Qe7 was better) 8. Qh5+ Kd7 9. Qg4+ Ke8 10. Qe6+ Qe7 11. Qc8+ Qd8 12. Qxb7 Nd7 13.

Nc3 Ngf6 14. Nf5 (Ne6 was even better) Ng8 (last chance to equalize with …Qb8 was missed at

this point) 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Qxa8! Qxa8 17. Nxc7+ 1-0 (and yet another one of the many times I

got crushed by my father’s king gambit)

Position on the board before 16. Qa8+!



Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto)

1. Nf3 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O O-O 5. c4 d5 6. Qc2 d4 7. b3 c5 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. d3 e5 10.

e3 Bg4 11. exd4 exd4 12. Nbd2 Qc7 13. h3 Bf5 14. Rfe1 Rfe8 15. a3 Rxe1+ 16. Rxe1 Re8 17.

Rxe8+ Nxe8 18. Nh4 Bc8 19. Ne4 f5! (a very nice idea of sacrificing c5 pawn to win space with

the advancing pawns on the kingside and also lock the white knight on the edge of the queenside,

developing black pieces along the way too) 20. Nxc5 g5 21. Nf3 b6 22. Na4 (the knight has no

other square to retreat to) g4 23. hxg4 fxg4 24. Ng5 h6 25. Ne4 Ne5 26. Qe2 Qd7 27. Bc1 Qf5

28. Bf4 h5 29. Nb2 Nf6? (…Ng6 or …Bb7 was better. Making room for the white knight to

reach d6 square will prove to be devastating. Ironically, the most distant black pieces from the

center, the c8 bishop, yet to develop, will be targeted as the most vulnerable by white) 30. Nd6!

(the beginning of a simple tactical maneuver that ends the game) Nf3+ 31. Bxf3 gxf3 32. Qxf3

Qg4 33. Qa8 1-0





1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Nb3 e6 7. Be3 Nge7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-

O-O b6 10. h4 h5 11. g4 d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Rg1 Qe5 15. c3 Bb7 16. Qe2

Rab8 (…Nb4 allowed black to take the initiative) 17. gxh5 Qxh5 18. Qxh5 gxh5 19. Rd7 Ne5

20. Rxg7+! (white wins a knight and a bishop for a rook exchange with this tactical maneuver)

Kxg7 21. Bd4 Rfd8 22. Bxe5+ Kg8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Be2 Rd5 25. f4 Kf8 26. Bxh5 Ke7 27.

Bf3! Rxe5 28. fxe5 Bxf3 (white decided to return the two light pieces – neither more nor less but

a bishop pair! - for a rook exchange, while gaining one pawn advantage along the way. This one

pawn advantage will turn out to be decisive) 29. Nd4 Be4 30. Nb5 a6 31. Nd6 Bf5 (black was

lost even before offering this bishop for knight exchange) 32. Nxf5+ exf5 33. h5 f6 34. h6 Kf7

35. e6+! 1-0

Position on the board before 20. Rxg7+!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, 15 min, November 1991,


1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb4 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Ne2 Nxd5 9.

O-O Nxc3 10. Nxc3 Bxc3 11. bxc3 O-O 12. Re1 Re8 13. Qh5 Na6 14. f5 f6 15. Re3 c5 16. Rh3

h6 17. Qg6? (white misses the winning Bxh6! here) Qf7 18. Rxh6 Qxg6 19. Rxg6 e3 20. Bb2

Nc7! 21. h4 Rad8 22. h5 Kf7 23. h6 gxh6 24. Rxh6 Kg7 25. Rg6+ Kf7 26. Kf1 Nb5 27. a4! Nd6

28. g4 Rh8 29. Ke2 Nc8! (the cool with which the black knight hops back and leaves the black

pawns undefended, while subtly insinuating more serious threats to white’s position is

mesmerizing. Here it threatens the apprehension of the white rook on g6 with …Ne7) 30. g5

fxg5 31. Rxg5 Rh2+! (sacrificing a pawn for the doubling of the rooks on the second rank) 32.

Kxe3 Re8+ 33. Kd3 Ree2 34. Ba3 Rd2+ 35. Kc4 cxd4 36. cxd4 Rxc2+ 37. Kd5? (Kb3 was the

correct move) Nb6+ 38. Kd6 Rhe2? (a seemingly great idea, but black here misses a path to

victory with …Kf6, carrying a simultaneous checkmate threat with Rc6# and an attack on the

white rook) 39. Bc5 Nc4+ 40. Kd7 b6 41. Bd6 Nxd6 42. Kxd6 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation

0.0)

Position on the board before 20… Nc7!




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d4 Bd6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. Nge2 c6 8. O-O cxd5 (…b5 and

…b4 would have been better for black) 9. Nxd5 Be6 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11. Bxe6 Qxe6 12. d5 Qg4

13. Ng3 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Re8 15. Be3 g6 16. c4 Na6 17. a3 Rac8 18. Rac1 b6 19. b4 Rc7 (white

has one pawn more, but his positional advantage is even greater. Still, he must find a way how to

convert this advantage to a winning position. The most logical approach is to focus on pushing

the passed d pawn and white will indeed prove this to be the correct approach) 20. Re1 f5 21.

Ne2!! (a magnificent move that gives away the c4 pawn in order to bring the knight to b5 square,

push the d pawn to d6 and thus literally block black’s two light pieces – the bishop and the

knight – and also force the black rook back to the eighth rank) Rec8 22. Nd4 Rxc4 23. Rxc4

Rxc4 24. Nb5 Bb8 25. d6 Rc8 26. g4!! (disordering the black pawn structure with one pawn

sacrifice, while also making way for the white king toward the upper ranks. 26. d7? would allow

black to ease the pressure and even reach a favorable position after …Rd8 27. Rd1 Nc7 28. Nxc7

Bxc7) fxg4 27. Bd4 Rd8 28. Be5 Kf7 29. Kg2 h5 30. Kg3 Ke6 31. Kh4 Kf7 (black pieces are

completely locked in place and have nowhere to move) 32. Kg5 Rd7 33. Rxe4 Rd8 34. Rd4 Rd7

(if …Rc8, then 35. d7 Rd8 36. Bf6 Bxf4+ 37. Rxf4 Rxd7 38. Bd4+ Ke6 39. Kxg6 1-0) 35. Nc7

1-0

Position on the board before 21. Ne2!!




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bc4 Nxd5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Ne2 Bg4 9. O-O

Qe6 10. Qe1 f5 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qh4 Bf7 13. g4 fxg4 14. hxg4 h5 15. g5 (f5 may have been better

for white) Qg4+! (central pawn is sacrificed for a powerful counterplay) 16. Qxg4 hxg4 17.

Nxe4 Nc6 18. c3 O-O-O! (the bishop sacrifice is dubious, like most things in king’s gambit, as

white technically has an advantage, but if only if he navigates through the forest of tactical

complexities properly) 19. cxb4 Rh3 20. a4 Rdh8 21. Nf2 Nxd4! 22. Nxh3 (Nxd4 is not good

because of …Rg3#) Nxe2+ 23. Kf2 gxh3 24. Rh1 (this still gives some hope for white that he

could win. If Kxf2, then …Bc4+ ½ - ½) Bd5 25. Rh2 Nd4 26. Be3 Nf3 27. Rhh1 h2 28. Rad1

Be4 (if …c6, then 29. Rxd5!) 29. f5 Ng1 (the best black could do in this position is settle for a

draw, which is exactly what 29… Ng1 move does. If …Rh4, then 30. Kg3 with the advantage for

white) 30. Rdxg1 hxg1=Q+ 31. Rxg1 Bxf5 32. Bd4 Rh7 ½ - ½ (to play king’s gambit as white,

one has to have a dose of craziness in one. But to play against it properly, as I have realized, one

has to counter it with an equal dose of craziness, which is exactly what I did in this game)

Position on the board before 18… O-O-O!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation)

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 Bf5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Nf3 Nb6 6. Be2 Qd7 7. O-O O-O-O 8. Ne5 Qe8

9. Nb5 a6 10. Nd4 Bd7 11. b4 g5 12. Rb1 h5 13. c5! Nbxd5 14. c6! Bg4 15. cxb7+ Kxb7 16. b5

e6 17. bxa6+ Ka8 18. Qb3 Rb8 (if 18…Nb6, then 19. Bb5 Qe7 20. Bc6+ Ka7 21. Bb7! followed

by checkmate in two, and if 18…Bb4, then 19. Bb5 Qe7 20. Bc6+ and then either 20… Kb8 21.

a7+ Kxa7 22. Qa4+ Kb6 23. Qb5+ Ka7 24. Qb7# or 20… Ka7 followed by the attractive forced

mate sequence in 11 moves: 21. Nb5+ Kb6 22. Nc4+!! Kxc6 23. Na7+ Kc5 24. d4+! Kxd4 25.

Be3+ Nxe3 26. Qxe3+! Kxc4 27. Rfc1+ Bc3 28. Rxc3+ Kd5 29. Qd3+ Ke5 30. Nc6+ Kf4 31.

g3#) 19. Qb7+!! Rxb7 20. axb7+ Kb8 21. Nec6+ Qxc6 22. Nxc6#

Position on the board before 19. Qb7+!!




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 (Falkbeer countergambit over the years became my favorite response

to my father’s king’s gambit, for which, as this game exemplifies, I never found a solid solution)

4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d4 Bd6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. Nge2 c6 8. O-O cxd5 9. Nxd5 Be6 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11.

Bxe6 Qxe6 12. d5 Qg4 13. Ng3 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Re8 15. Be3 g6 16. c4 Na6 17. a3 Rac8 18. Rac1

b6 19. b4 Rc7 20. Re1 f5 (an interesting pawn structure, almost symmetric on both sides, but

with an extra pawn for white, albeit with the caveat of the weakness on c4, which black will try

to exploit) 21. Ne2! (white sacrifices the c4 pawn for the sake of the better positioning of the

knight supportive of the passed d pawn) Rec8 22. Nd4 Rxc4 23. Rxc4 Rxc4 (winning the c4

pawn will prove to be a Pyrrhic victory for black, as white used this time to reorganize the pieces

in a way that fosters the advancement of the d pawn) 24. Nb5 Bb8 25. d6 Rc8 26. Bd4! (d7

would lose for white as white does not have a good way of protecting this pawn on d7 and here

he must play patiently, which does not come easy to my father, an excellent blitz player and a

bold, oftentimes heedless attacker, who played equal with Aleksandar Matanović and the rest of

the chess gang gathered around him as a youth in the old Montenegrin capital of Cetinje) Kf7 27.

Be5 Ke6 28. Rd1 Rd8 29. Kf2 h5 30. Ke3 Kf7 31. Kd4 Nc7 (here black had an option of

sacrificing his locked knight with …Nxb4, but it would not lead anywhere after 32, axb4 a6 33.

Nc3 Bxd6 34. Bxd6 Rxd6+ 35. Kc4) 32. Nxc7 Bxc7 33. Kd5 b5 34. Kc6 Bb6 35. d7 Ke7 36.

Bd6+ Ke6 37. Bc7 Bxc7 38. Kxc7 Ke7 39. Rd5 a6 40. Re5+ 1-0

Position on the board before 21. Ne2!

Vuk Uskoković – Sargon III

(Belgrade, November 1991, Semi-Benoni)

1. d4 c5 2. d5 e5 3. e4 d6 4. Bd3 Be7 5. Ne2 Nf6 6. a4 O-O 7. Na3 Bd7 8. b3 Na6 9. O-O Nb4

10. Nc4 Qc7 11. c3 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 Rab8 13. Rd1 h6 14. f3 b5! (opening of the b file will bring

minor and short-lasting advantage to the black throughout the next couple of moves) 15. axb5

Rxb5 16. Rb1 Rfb8 17. Nd2 Nh7 18. c4 R5b6 19. Qc3 Rf8 20. Ba3 (excellent position for the

white bishop; though it will not move for the remainder of the game, its positional role will

increase in prominence) Bg5 21. b4 Rfb8 22. bxc5 (white manages to relieve the pressure and

with a passed and protected pawn on d5; his advantage is now considerable, requiring only solid

technique to convert to victory) dxc5 23. Rxb6 Rxb6 24. Nc1 Ba4 25. Re1 Bh4 26. Rf1 Bg5 27.

Re1 Bxd2 28. Qxd2 Rb8 29. Qe3 Bc2 (bishop is safe here, in the heart of white’s position, but

bringing the knight at h7 back to the game with Nf6 was a better idea) 30. Qxc5 Qb7

(theoretically, but not practically good idea for black not to exchange queens at this point; white

queen will soon deliver the final tactical blow and will prove to be a key force bringing pawns to

promotion) 31. Re2 Rc8 32. Qd6! Ba4 (if …Rxc4, then white wins after 33. Qd8+ Nf8 34.

Qxf8+) 33. Rb2 Qd7 34. Rb8 Ng5 35. Rxc8+ Qxc8 36. c5 f6 37. c6 a5 38. Nd3 Bb5 39. Nc5 Nf7

40. Qe7 a4 41. Nd7 Qa8 42. c7 Qa7+ 43. Kh1 1-0

Position on the board before 32. Qd6!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: Paulsen Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qd3 (white needed not

worry about the defective pawn structure after …Bxc3 that much. 7. Bd3 was a good move too.

However, in this game, white made the pawn structure destruction a motive that led to his

victory. So, it may have made sense for him to be concerned about it on both sides of the board.

With 7. Qd3, however, he gave black a temporary initiative and minor advantage in the next

couple of moves) d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 (black’s pawn structure on the queenside has

now been destroyed) 10. Bd4 O-O (an interesting pawn sacrifice with …e5 was available for

black here too) 11. O-O-O Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Qxd3 13. Rxd3 Bxc3 14. Rxc3 Bb7 (it is time for

white to starting thinking how he could now take advantage of the isolated black a and c pawns)

15. Be2 Rfd8 16. Rd1 Rd5 17. Bf3 (a good strategic decision to enforce the rook exchange and

decline to fix black’s pawn structure) Rxd1+ 18. Kxd1 Rd8+ 19. Ke2 Rd6 20. Ke3 g5 21. Rd3

(another enforced rook exchange as the black rook cannot leave d6 square or else the c6 pawn

will be captured) Rxd3+ 22. Kxd3 e5 23. Be4 (good strategic location for the white bishop; note

that none of white’s six pawns have moves from the second rank, while black’s pawns are

scattered all over the place) Kg7 24. Kc4 Kf6 25. Kc5 Ke6 26. Bxc6 (Bxh7 was winning too and

this may be an unnecessary complication unless white preferred the queen ending with two

connected passed pawns over the bishop ending with one pawn advantage) Bxc6 27. Kxc6 e4 28.

c4 f5 29. Kb7 Kd6 30. b4 f4 31. c5+ Kd5 32. c6 e3 33. fxe3 fxe3 34. c7 e2 35. c8=Q e1=Q 36.

Qc5+ Ke6 37. Kxa7 g4 38. a4 1-0

Position on the board before 23. Be4.


(Belgrade, November 1991, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Berlin Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Nf3 Ng4 7. e3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3

Nf6 10. b3 Nc6 11. a3 O-O 12. Bb2 Bg4 13. Ne2?! Bxf3 14. gxf3 Be7 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Bxh7+

Kh8 17. Rc1 Qa5+ 18. b4 Qxa3 19. h4 Qxb4+ 20. Kf1 Rfe8 21. h5 Bg5 22. h6! Bxh6 23. Ng3

Rac8 24. Bf5 Rc7 25. Kg2 a6 26. Nh5 (a voluntary fork!) Qe7 27. f4! (taking the key e5 square

from the black queen) g6 28. Qb2+ d4 29. Rxc6!? (Ng3 was better) Rxc6 30. Qxd4+ Kg8 31.

Ng3 gxf5 32. Nxf5 Rg6+ 33. Kf3 Qe4+?! (...Qe8 gives black better chances for win) 34. Qxe4

Rxe4 35. Nxh6+ Rxh6 36. Rxh6 Re6 37. Rh1 b5 38. Rb1 f5 39. Ke2 Kf7 40. Kd3 Rd6+ 41. Kc3

Rb6 42. Kb4 Rd6 43. Rb2 Ke6 44. Rc2 Kf6 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation: 0.0)

Position on the board before 27. f4! g6 28. Qb2+.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit)

1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. d4 d6 4. f4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Bb5 a5 8. O-O Bd7 9. Bxc6

(with this move, white allows black to fix the pawn structure on the queenside and there are little

chances from now on for white to regain the initiative that would make up for the pawn

sacrificed in the opening gambit) bxc6 10. a3 c5 11. Qe3 Nf6 12. Nbd2 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14.

axb4 axb4 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Ra1 Qb7 (black stands significantly better and white must decide

where he should continue the attack – center or the kingside) 17. h3 Bc6 18. e5 Nd5 19. Qe4! (no

discovery to fear on the e4 square for the white queen) Re8 20. Qf5 g6 21. Qg4 Ne3 22. Qg3 d5!

(black decides to focus on the positional advantage and relinquishes the idea of snatching the

free c2 pawn with the knight) 23. Ng5 Nf5 24. Qg4 c4 (note that while white has been

maneuvering his queen to infiltrate the kingside, black has done the same with pawns on the

kingside and the latter approach will prove itself more fruitful) 25. Nf1 c3 26. Bc1 h6 27. Nxf7!

(a nice idea for white to try to save the game) Kxf7 28. e6+ Kf6! (black does not fall for the trap

because after …Kxe6 comes Qxg6+, though black would still win if playing correctly. Black

king is also perfectly safe on f6) 29. Ng3 Bc5+ 30. Kh2 Rxe6 31. Nxf5 gxf5 32. Qh5 Qg7 33.

Ra5 Bb6 34. Ra6 Bb7 35. Ra4 d4 36. g4 Re2+ 37. Kg3 d3! 38. Qxf5+ (if 38. cxd3, then …Rg2+

39. Kh4 Bf2#) Ke7 39. Kh4 Bf2+ 40. Kh5 Bc6! (…Be8+ cannot be prevented) 0-1

Position on the board before 22… d5!


(Belgrade, November 1991, Italian Game: Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9.

d5 Bf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. Qa4+ Bd7 13. Qb4 b6 14. Be3 O-O 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5

h6 17. Rae1 Re8 18. Nf3 Ng6 19. Rxe8+ Bxe8 20. Bb3 Qf6 21. Qc4 Qxb2! (grabbing the b2

pawn is not a waste of tempo for black because it opens the key a1-h8 diagonal) 22. Qxc7 Qf6

23. Re4 Nh4! (the importance of opening a1-h8 diagonal now becomes obvious) 24. Ne1 (if

Nd4, then …Qg6! 0-1) Ng6 25. Nf3 Qd8 26. Qxd8 Rxd8 27. g3 Kf8 28. Kf1 Rc8 29. a4 a6 30.

Bc4 b5! 31. Bb3 (axb5 immediately loses after …Rxc4! 32. Rxc4 Bxb5) Rc3 32. Nd2 Ne5 33.

axb5 Bxb5+ 34. Kg2 Rd3 35. Nc4 Rxb3 36. Nxd6 f6 37. Nxb5 axb5 38. d6 Rb1 39. f4 Nd7 40.

Re7 Nc5 41. Rc7 Ne6 42. Rc8+ Kf7 43. f5 Nf8 44. Rc7+ Kg8 45. d7 Rd1 46. Rb7 Nxd7 47.

Rxb5 Ne5 48. Rb7 Rd7 49. Rxd7 Nxd7 50. h3 g6 51. fxg6 Kg7 52. g4 Ne5 53. Kg3 Kxg6 54.

Kf4 Kf7 55. h4 Ke6 56. g5 fxg5+ 57. hxg5 h5! 58. g6 Nxg6+ 59. Kg5 h4 60. Kg4 Kf6 61. Kh3

Kg5 62. Kh2 Kg4 63. Kg2 h3+ 64. Kh2 Nf4 65. Kg1 Kg3 66. Kh1 Nd3 67. Kg1 h2+ 0-1

Position on the board before 23… Nh4!


(Belgrade, November 1991, Spanish Game: Closed Variations, Flohr System)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Bb7

10. d4 Na5 11. Bc2 Qd7 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. d5 Nb8 (given the queen’s positioning on d7,

jumping with the knight to a7 was more logical. Black queen will soon be blocking the knight

and will give white a better control over the b and c files, which will soon open) 14. b3 c6 15. c4

Bd8 16. Nf1 bxc4 17. bxc4 cxd5 18. cxd5 Ba5 19. Bd2 Bxd2 20. Qxd2 Nh5 21. Rab1 Nf4 22.

Ng3 Rc8 23. Ne2 Nxe2+ 24. Qxe2 f5 25. Rec1 g6 (f4 seems to have been better for black) 26.

Kh2 (white is already preparing for g3 after …f4, which, as the next move by black shows, will

never come) fxe4 27. Bxe4 Rc7 28. Rxc7 Qxc7 29. Nxe5! dxe5 30. d6 Qxd6 31. Rxb7 Kh8

(despite the material equality, white has an immense advantage, primarily because of

undeveloped black rook and knight on a8 and b8, respectively; hence the aforementioned

problem of blocking the b8 knight) 32. Qc4 Nd7 33. Rxd7 Qxd7 34. Bxa8 Qd6 1-0 (positional

advantage was gradually won and then a tactical combination brought the game to an end)



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: Godiva Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. c3 g6 6. g3 Bg7 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. Bg2 Bd7 9. b4

O-O-O 10. Be3 Qa6 (gives white a chance to gain advantage. This move prevents O-O, but after

the following white’s move, the black queen will get confined on the a file. As the game shows,

it will still have a surprisingly effective way of escaping) 11. Bf1! b5 12. Qc2 (perhaps too

passive, as a4 was possible) Bg4 13. Nd2 Qa3 14. Nb1? (Nc3 was better here. White was

expecting …Te1+, to which he would respond with an effective queen sacrifice, Qxe1!, and win

the game. But he failed to realize that with …Nb1?, he allows an equally effective and even nice

queen sacrifice by black: …Qb2!! 15. Bd3 Qxa1 and the black queen would sneak completely

undefended to grab the rook on a1 and win the game) Qa6 15. Bd3 Bh3 16. a4 Nh6 17. Ra2 Rd6

(although it seems that black has no way of defending the b5 pawn and the devastating opening

of the a file, there was an effective way of rescuing this pawn and even gaining minor advantage.

That move was …Ng4!, followed by 18. axb5 Nxe3 19. fxe3 Qb6 20. Qe2) 18. axb5 Qxa2 19.

Qxa2 Rxd3 20. Qxa7 Rhd8 21. Nd2 Bxc3 22. bxc6 1-0

Position on the board after 14. Nb1?, at which point black could have played 14…Qb2!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: Canal Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. a4 a6 5. Bxd7+ Nxd7 6. O-O Ngf6 7. Nc3 g6 8. d4 cxd4 9.

Nxd4 Bg7 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Kh1 Re8 12. f4 Qb6 13. Nb3 Rac8 14. Qd4 (white overlooks a

simple tactical maneuver that will win black a central pawn and bring him the advantage that he

will carry on to the end of the game) Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bxd4 17. c3 Bg7 18. f5 Rc7

19. fxg6 fxg6 20. Rf2 Ne5 21. Raf1 Rf8 22. Rxf8+ Bxf8 23. Be3 Rc4 (the black rook will make

a rarely good use of the fourth rank in what follows) 24. Ng5 Bh6 25. Ne6 Bg7 26. a5 Re4! (no

good and active square for the white bishop to move to, while defending it even more aggravates

white’s position) 27. Bd4 (if Nxg7, then …Rxe3) Bh6 (black retook the c1-h6 diagonal) 28. Nd8

Nc6 29. Nxb7 Nxd4 30. cxd4 Rxd4 31. Nd8 Rc4! (another subtle rook move along the fourth

rank. It blocks Nc6 and also controls c file. f7 square poses no danger for black and if Te1, then

…e5 or even …Bd2, as e7 pawn cannot be taken because of …Rc1#) 32. g3 Rc1 33. Rxc1 Bxc1

34. b3 Bd2 35. Nc6 Kf7 36. Kg2 Kf6 37. Kf3 d5 (a moment of inexactness …Ke6 was better)

38. Nb8 (white misses good chances with Ke2) Bxa5 39. Nxa6 e5 40. b4 Bb6 41. b5 e4+ 42. Kf4

e3 (…g5 was winning too) 43. Kf3 d4 44. Nb4 Ke5 45. Nd3+ Kd5 46. h4 Kc4 0-1

Position on the board before 26…Re4!


(Belgrade, November 1991, French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Re1 Be7 9. Bf4

O-O 10. Qd2 Nd5 11. Rad1 Nxf4 12. Qxf4 Nf6 13. c4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Bd6 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16.

Qxe5 Bxe4 17. Rxe4 Qe7 18. Rde1 Qd6 19. h3 (a passive, relatively minor move, though

marking a turning point in this game. Before it, white from the opening maintained a very minor

advantage, but after it, black will gain the advantage and maintain it until the end of the game)

Qxe5 20. dxe5 Rfd8 (with the queen exchange, black gains the control of the key d file, which he

will use to double the rooks and infiltrate the second rank) 21. R1e2 Rd1+ 22. Kh2 Rad8 23. Kg3

R8d2 24. Kf3 Rd3+ 25. R2e3 R3d2 26. Rb3 Rc2 27. Ra3 Rdd2 28. Rxa7 Rxf2+ 29. Ke3 Rce2+

30. Kd3 Rd2+ 31. Ke3 h6 32. a4 c5 33. Rf4 Rxf4 34. Kxd2 Rxc4 35. a5 bxa5 36. Rxa5 Rd4+ 37.

Ke3 Rb4 38. Rxc5 Rxb2 39. Kf3 Kh7 40. Rc7 Rb5 41. Rxf7 Rxe5 42. Kf4 Re2 43. Re7 Kg6 44.

Kf3 Re1 45. Kf2 Re5 46. Kf3 Kf6 47. Re8 Kf7 48. Rc8 Kg6 49. Re8 Kf6 50. Rf8+ Kg6 51. Re8

Kf7 52. Rc8 Rf5+ 53. Ke4 Rf2 54. g4 Rh2 55. Rc3 Kf6 56. Rf3+? (Kf4 was better, preventing

the access of the black king to g5 square. After 57. h3-h4 and with the white rook controlling the

third rank, the black king is kept at bay and draw is secured for white) Kg5 57. Kd4 Kh4 58. Rf7

Rxh3 59. Rxg7 Rg3 60. Ke5 Rxg4 61. Re7 Rg1 62. Rxe6 Re1+ 63. Kd5 Rxe6 64. Kxe6 Kg3 65.

Kf5 h5 66. Kg5 h4 0-1

Position on the board after 22. Rad8.


(Belgrade, November 1991, Queen’s Indian Defense: Capablanca Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 O-O 8. Nc3 Re8 9.

O-O d5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Rfd1 c5 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Ne1 Na6 14. e3! (taking the pawn on d5

does not bring any advantage and results in rook and bishop ending with equal material, given

that white’s e2 pawn will be captured by the black rook in the exchange) Nc7 15. Rac1 Rb8 16.

Na4 (black’s pawns control the center, but they are also too exposed and a logical target for

white) c4 17. Nc3 Qe7 18. Rb1 Ne4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Rbc1 Red8 21. Qc2 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Bd5

23. Bf1 Rb4 24. Rc1 Ne6 (the black knight now cannot jump onto d4 and attack the white queen

because of the earlier 14. c3!, whose quiet, prophylactic meaning now becomes obvious) 25. a3

Rb3 26. Bxc4 Bxc4 27. Qxc4 Rxb2 28. Qxe4 Qxa3 29. Nd3 Rd2 30. Rc8+ Nf8 31. Ne5 Rd1+

32. Kg2 Qa1 (black had a chance for a draw here with ...Qa6 33. Qa8 Qa1+ 34. Kf3 Qh1+ 35.

Kg4 Qxa8) 33. Qf5 Rg1+ 34. Kh3 Qa2 35. Nd7 g6 36. Nxf8!! Kg7 37. Qe5+ Kh6 38. Qh8 Qxf2

39. Qxh7+ Kg5 40. Qh4+ Kf5 41. Rc5#

Position on the board before 36. Nxf8!!




1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. Qd2 Nge7 8. O-O-O O-O

(…d5 may have been more promising for black) 9. h4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 Qb6 12.

Qf6 Nc6 (if …Re8, then 13. h5 Qd8 14. h6 Nf5 with an immense advantage for white. 12…Qd8

was solid too, but not in the defensive repertoire of my father) 13. h5 Rd8 14. h6 Kf8 15. Rh3 d6

16. Rf3 Ne5 17. Rf4 Bd7 18. Rd5!! Be8 (if … exd5, then 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Nxd5+ Ke6 21.

Rf6#) 19. Bb5 Nd7 20. Bxd7 Rxd7 21. Qh8+ Ke7 22. Qxh7 Kd8 23. Qg8! exd5 (if …f5, then 24.

h7 Rxh7, after which even 25. Qxe6! was possible instead of 25. Qxh7, in both cases leading to

1-0) 24. h7 Qd4 25. h8=Q Qxh8 26. Qxh8 1-0

Position on the board before 18. Rd5!!



French Defense: La Bourdonnasis Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. f4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. d4 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nf3 c4 7. b3 b5 8. a4 a6 9. bxc4 bxc4 10. Ba3

Bxa3 11. Nxa3 Nge7 12. Be2 Rb8 13. Rb1 Nf5 14. Kf2 O-O 15. Qc2 Qa5 16. g4 Nfe7 17. h4

Rxb1 18. Rxb1 Rb8 19. Rxb8+ Nxb8 20. Bd1 Nc8 (black uses of all his pieces to attack the

queenside, neglecting the threats to the kingside) 21. f5 exf5 22. gxf5 Nb6 (a key moment, when

more defensive …Nc6, perhaps accompanied by the withdrawal of the black to queen with

…Qd8 should have been played 23. f6 Bxa4 24. Qd2 Bxd1 (it is game over for black at his point.

More cautious …h6 should have been played) 25. Qg5! (white sacrifices first the bishop and then

the knight) Kf8 26. e6 g6 27. Qh6+ Ke8 28. Qxh7 Qxa3 29. Qxf7+ Kd8 30. e7+ 1-0

Position on the board before 20... Nc8.


(Belgrade, November 1991, Nimzo-Indian defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 Na6 5. Nf3 d6 6. g3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bf5 8. a3 Nc7 9. Bg2 Be7

10. Nd2 Bd7 11. e4 O-O 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ne3 Bf8 14. f3 Rc8 15. O-O b5 16. Bd2 a5 17. b4 axb4

18. axb4 cxb4 19. Na2 Na6 20. Nxb4 Nxb4 21. Bxb4 Qb6 22. Bd2 b4 23. Rb1 Nxd5! (With this

tactical exchange, black manages to regain advantage, which white held since the first move of

the game) 24. exd5 Rxe3 25. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 26. Kh1 Rc4 27. Rb3 Qc5 28. Qb1 Qxd5 29. Rxb4

Bf5 30. Qb3 Bd3 31. Rd1 Qe6 32. Rxc4 Bxc4 33. Qb7 Bb3 34. Rb1 Bd5 35. Qb4 Ba2 36. Re1

Qd7 37. Qb8 Be6 38. f4 d5 39. f5! (If …Bxf5, then 40. Re8. Enforces the queen exchange,

which benefits white because he had a minor material advantage. The difficult ending of rook

and bishop against the bishop pair with one more pawn will be executed patiently and

confidently) Qc8 40. Qxc8 Bxc8 41. g4 d4 42. Re8 Ba6 43. Rd8 g6 44. fxg6 fxg6 45. Rxd4 Bb5

46. Bd5+ Kg7 47. Rf4 Be8 48. Kg2 Bd6 49. Rd4 Kf6 50. Re4 Bd7 51. h3 Be5 52. Kf3 Bb5 53.

Rb4 Bd7 54. Rb7 Bc8 55. Rxh7 Be6 (avoiding the exchange with a move such as ...g5 won’t

bring anything good to black either) 56. Bxe6 Kxe6 57. h4 Kf6 58. Ke4 Bc3 59. h5 gxh5 60.

Rxh5 Kg6 61. Rc5 Bb4 62. Rb5 Bc3 63. Kf3 Bf6 64. Rb6 Kf7 65. Kf4 Bd4 66. Rd6 Bc5 67. Rc6

Bf2 68. Kf5 Bg3 69. Rb6 Ke7 70. g5 Bc7 71. Rb7 Kd8 72. Rxc7 Ke8 1-0



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, November 1991, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 5. Bc4 Bg7 6. O-O Nc6 7. d4 (d3 was wiser for white)

cxd4 8. Nxd4 Na5 (…Qb6 offered black the opportunity to gain considerable advantage by

pinning the white knight along the a7-g1 diagonal) 9. Bb3 Nxb3 10. axb3 O-O 11. Qd3 Qb6 12.

Be3 Ng4 13. Nf5 Nxe3 14. Nxe3 f5 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. c3 e6 17. Nb4 e5 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Qxd8

Rxd8 20. exf5 Rd2!! (black correctly recognized that white will not get any advantage by

winning two extra pawns and pushing the f pawn to the seventh rank) 21. f6 Bh6 22. f7+ Kf8 23.

Nc4 Re2 24. Rad1 Bg5 25. Rd5 Be6 26. Rxe5 Rxe5 27. Nxe5 Rc8 28. Nd5 (an unusual dance of

the white knight pair and the black bishop pair around each other begins) Be7 29. Nf4 Bf5 30.

Nd5 Bd6 31. g4 Bxe5 (if …Be6, then 32. Nf6 Bc5+ 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. b4 Be7 35. g5 Rd8 36. Kg3

with a considerably better position for white) 32. gxf5 Rd8 33. Ne3 Kxf7 34. fxg6+ Kxg6 35.

Rd1 Rxd1+ 36. Nxd1 Kf5 37. Kg2 a5 38. Ne3+ Ke4 39. Nc4 Bc7 40. h3 Kd3 41. Na3 (if 41.

Kf3, then …a4 is even winning for black) Kd2 (white has an extra pawn, but the black king is

more active and although the position is a theoretical draw, white has to be careful not to make a

wrong move here) 42. Kf3 Kc1 43. Nc4 Kc2 44. b4 axb4 45. cxb4 Kb3 46. Ne3 Kxb2 47. Nd5

Bd6 48. b5 Kb3 49. Kg4 Kc4 50. Nf6 Kxb5 51. Nxh7 Kc4 52. h4 b5 53. h5 b4 54. h6 b3 55. Nf6

b2 56. h7 b1=Q 57. h8=Q Qg6+ 58. Kf3 Qg3+ 59. Ke2 Qd3+ 60. Kf2 Bc5+ 61. Kg2 Qg6+ ½ - ½

Position on the board before 20… Rd2!!



Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Modern Bc4 Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Bc4 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-

O Nxd4 10. Bxd4 a6 11. h4 b5 12. Bb3 b4 13. Ne2 a5 14. f3 a4 15. Bc4 Rb8 (playing

prophylactic …h5 would have been better) 16. h5! (this form of attack has become too big of a

cliché in the chess community, so big that it has actually forgotten how great, in fact, it is) Nxh5

(the point of no return. Not taking the sacrificed pawn, such as by playing …Qc7, would have

been better for black) 17. Bxg7 Nxg7 18. Qh6 Nh5 19. Nf4 e5 20. Rxh5! gxh5 21. Nxh5 (a

typical example of the crush of the Sicilian Dragon through the opposite side castling and the

attack along the h file) 1-0



(Belgrade, November/December 1991,

English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation)

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. b4 (from this unorthodox move until the end of the game,

black maintains steady positional advantage, exceeding -1 for every subsequent move based on

Stockfish 10 evaluation) Bxb4 5. Nd5 Ba5 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. Bb2 O-O 8. e4 d6 9. Rb1 Bg4 10.

Be2 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Rab8 12. O-O Bb6 13. d3 Nd4 14. Bxd4 Bxd4 (black dark square bishop has

found its niche and he will stay in it, logically, until the very end of the game. f2 square that he is

aiming will be black’s target of attack in moves that follow) 15. Bg4 Rfd8 16. Qd2 c6 17. Qb4

d5 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Bf3 dxe4 20. dxe4 b6 21. Rfd1 Rd7 22. Rbc1 Rbd8 23. Qb3 h5! 24. Rc2 (if

Bxh5, then …Qh4 25. Qh3 Qxf2+ 26. Kh1 Qxa2) h4 25. Bg4 Rd6 26. Rdc1 Qf4 27. Bf3 Rf6 28.

Rc8 Rxc8 29. Rxc8+ Kh7 30. Rc7 (a crucial loss of tempo. Playing Qd1 or Qc2 immediately was

necessary) Qd2 31. Qd1 Qxf2+ 32. Kh1 h3 33. Rc2 hxg2+ 34. Bxg2 Qh4 35. Rc7 Rf2 36. Rxa7

Qg5 37. Bh3 g6 (…Rc2 threatening 38…Rc1 was equally effective. 37…Qf4, however, would

be losing because of 38. Qh5+ Qh6 39. Bf5+ Rxf5 40. Qxf5+ Qg6 41. Rxf7) 38. Bf1 Rd2 39.

Rxf7+ Kg8 40. Rf8+ Kxf8 41. Qf3+ Kg7 42. Qg3 Rd1 (a tactical queen sacrifice to bring the

game to an end) 43. Qxg5 Rxf1+ 44. Kg2 Rg1+ 45. Kf3 Rxg5 0-1

Position on the board before 42… Rd1.


(Belgrade, December 1991,

Queen’s Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 d5 8. Ne5 Na6 9. f3 c5

10. cxd5 exd5 (the best way to proceed for black was …cxd4 11. dxe6 dxc3 12. exf7+ Kh8 13.

Qxd8 Raxd8 14. bxc3 Nd7 15. f4 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Bxg2+ 17. Kxg2 Nxe5 18. fxe5 Rd7 19. e6 Re7,

with a considerable advantage and most probably the win for black) 11. Kh1 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Nb4

13. Qd1 Bd6 14. Nd3 Qe7 15. Nb5 Nxd3 16. exd3 Rfe8 17. Nxd6 Qxd6 18. Bf4 Qb4 19. b3 Qd4

20. Qd2 Ba6 21. Rad1 Rac8 22. Rf2 Bxd3!? (Chessmaster is commended for this intriguing

sacrifice of a bishop for two pawns and an advanced pawn on the e file, but white will defend

appropriately and quickly bring the game to an end) 23. Bf1 Ne4 24. fxe4 Bxe4+ 25. Bg2 Qc5

26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Rc1 Qe7 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29. Qd1 e3 30. Re2 Rc3 31. Bxe3 1-0

Position on the board before 22…Bxd3!?


(Belgrade, December 1991, Caro-Kann Defense: Classical, Spassky Variation)

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3

Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ngf6 11. Bf4 e6 12. O-O-O Nd5 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. Rhe1 O-O-O 15. Kb1 Bd6 16.

Ne4 Bf4 17. g3 Bxd2 18. Nexd2 Rhe8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Rd7 21. Nc4 Kb8 22. Nd6 (white

must have believed that he has found a perfect spot for the knight, right in the heart of black’s

territory, but it will turn out that this knight will be more of a nuisance to white and will cost him

the game) Red8 23. Re4 Nb6 24. Rd4 Nc8 25. Nb5 Rxd4 26. Nxd4 Ne7 (protects the c6 square

against Nxc6+) 27. Qe2 c5 28. Nf3 Rxd1+ 29. Qxd1 Nc6 30. Qd6? Qxd6 31. exd6 (with another

arrangement on the board, this pawn would be the key strength for white, but with the current

arrangement it is a weakness and black will soon capture it) Kc8 32. Nd2 f5 33. Nb3 b6 34. Nd2

Kd7 35. Nc4 b5 (black is not only about to win the d6 pawn in the next move, but its overall

position is more active) 36. Ne3 Kxd6 37. c4 a6 38. cxb5 axb5 39. a3 Ne5 40. Kc2 Nd7 41. f3

Nf6 42. g4 fxg4 43. fxg4 Nd5 44. Kd3 Nxe3 45. Kxe3 Ke5 46. Kf3 Kd4 47. g5 hxg5 48. Kg4 e5

49. b4 cxb4 50. axb4 e4 0-1

Position on the board before 24…Nc8 25. Nb5.


(Belgrade, December 1991, Spanish Game: Closed Variations, Flohr System)


10. d4 Na5 11. Bc2 Qd7 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. Nf1 Rad8 14. Ng3 exd4 15. cxd4 Nb4 16. Bb1 c5 17.

a3 Nc6 18. d5 Ne5 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. f4 (Nf5 may have been stronger, with the idea of getting

rid of black’s dark square bishop before b8-h2 diagonal becomes open with f4 exf4) exf4 21.

Bxf4 Rfe8 22. Nf5 Bf8 (Nf5 came one move late, as bishop now has an open square to retreat)

23. Bc2 c4 24. Bg5 Bc5+ 25. Kh1 Be7 26. e5! (white refuses to play more logical d6 and opts for

a pawn sacrifice to open the position) Nxd5 27. Qh5 g6 28. Nxe7+ Nxe7 29. Qh6 Qd5 30. Be4

Qxe5 31. Bxb7 Qxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Nf5 33. Rxe8+ Rxe8 34. Bxa6 Nxh6 35. Bxh6 Re1+ 36. Kh2

Re2 37. Bxb5 Rxb2 38. Bxc4 Rc2 39. Bb5 f5 40. a4 Kf7 41. Kg3 Ke7 42. Be3 Ra2 43. Bb6 Rb2

44. Kf3 Kd6 45. Be3 Rb3 46. Ke2 Rb2+ 47. Bd2 Ra2 48. a5 Kc5 49. Bd3 Kc6 50. a6 Kb6 51.

Kd1 Ra1+ 52. Bc1 g5 53. Kc2 f4 54. Bb2 Ra2 55. Kb3 Ra5 56. Bd4+ Kc7 57. a7 1-0



(Belgrade, December 1991, Réti Opening: Advance Variation)

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. e3 c5 4. d3 Nc6 5. exd4 Nxd4 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. Qb3 a6 (if …e5, then 8.

Qb5+) 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qb4? (Qc2 was a better plan) e5! 10. Qxb7 Rb8 11. Qxa6 Bc5! (blocks

the escape route for white queen via c5 and Qc4 and also prepares …Rb6) 12. Nd2 Rb6 13. Qa5

Bb4 14. Qa7 Ne7! (threatens Nc6; white queen cannot be saved at this point) 15. c5 Bxc5 16.

Qa5 Bb4 17. Qxe5 Re6 18. Qxe6 Bxe6 19. a3 0-1

Position on the board before 11… Bc5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, December 1991, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nc3 Be7 9.

d3 O-O 10. Ne5 Qc7 (black is already controlling the center and has minor positional advantage)

11. Qf3 Rd8 12. b3 d4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nd7 15. Ba3 (this will be the last white minor

piece to remain on board, but his effect will be greatly diminished for the most part of the game

because of its confinement in this angle) Nxe5 16. fxe5 Re8 17. e6 f6! (black would rather have a

white passed pawn on the sixth rank because it brings the hope of gaining material advantage by

capturing it; a risky move, but here it will pay off) 18. Rf3 Qe5 (unusual positioning of pawns on

the d file, white on d6 and black on d5. Black’s efforts will focus around capturing this lone

passed pawn) 19. Qxe5 fxe5 20. Re1 Bd6 21. Rf7 b6 22. Ref1 Rf8 (black could have played

…Rxe6 here, but he feared losing the bishop after 23. Rd7 Re7, not realizing that 23…Be7!

could be played too) 23. Rxf8+ Rxf8 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Bb2 Ke7 26. Kf2 Kxe6 (the pawn has

been captured and the next goal is to convert this material advantage to a win) 27. Kf3 Kd5 28.

c4+ dxc3 29. Bxc3 b5 30. Ke3 c4! 31. d4 exd4+ 32. Bxd4 Bc5 (enforcing the bishop exchange

and a transition to king and pawn endgame with one extra pawn for black. …Bf4+! would

achieve the same, with an even more favorable king positioning for black) 33. Bxc5 Kxc5 34.

bxc4 bxc4 35. a3 a5 36. g4 g5 0-1



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, December 1991,

Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd8 5. e4 Nc6? (…d5 was a most appropriate move in

this position) 6. d5 Ne5 7. f4 Ng6 8. e5 Nd7 9. e6 Nf6? (…fxe6 was better) 10. Bb5+ (Qa4+

would be game over for black) c6 11. dxc6 Qxd1+ 12. Kxd1 Kd8 13. f5! Ne5 14. c7+!! Kxc7 15.

Bf4 Kd6 16. Nf3 Ng4 17. h3!! Nf2+ 18. Ke2 Nxh1 19. Rd1+ Kc7 20. Nd5+ Kd8 21. Nxe5 g6 22.

Nxf7# (black king returns to its starting point to be checkmated by the same Nxf7+ knight jump

as that with which it aspired to gain material advantage (17…Nxf2+) – karma at work, in a way)

Position on the board before 14. c7+!!


(Belgrade, December 1991, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bishop Attack)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Ne2 b6 7. O-O c5 8. cxd5 cxd4 9. exd4

Nxd5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Nxc3 Nc6 12. Be4 Ba6 13. Re1 Rc8 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bf5 Rc7 16. Bf4

Re7 17. Rxe7 Nxe7 18. Bd3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Ng6 20. Be3 Re8 21. Rc1 Qd6 22. Qc3 h6 23. Qc7

Qe7 24. Qxe7 Rxe7 25. Rc3 f6 26. f4 Kf7 27. f5 Nh4! 28. g4 Re4 29. h3 Nf3+ 30. Kf2 Ng5 31.

h4! (winning space on the kingside will prove to be crucial for white’s treading toward the

victory) Nh7 32. Kf3 Nf8 33. Rc7+ Re7 34. Rxe7+ Kxe7 35. g5 hxg5 36. hxg5 Nd7 37. b4! fxg5

38. Bxg5+ Kf8 39. Kf4 Ke8 40. b5! Kf8 41. Bd8! Ke8 42. Bc7 Kf7 43. Be5 g6 44. fxg6+ Kxg6

45. a4! (45. Kg4 leads to draw after 45…Nxe5 46. dxe5 d4 47. Kf4 d3 48. Kf3 d2 49. Kxd2 Kf5)

Nf8 46. Bh8 Nd7 47. Be5 Nf8 48. Bb8 Nd7 49. Bxa7 Kf6 50. Kg4!! (with Ke3 and subsequent

shifting of the white king to the queenside, the white bishop is protected, but only with draw as

the outcome, given that it would be impossible to force the black king away from b6 square or

allow the entrance of the white king to the sixth rank on the queenside. With 50. Kg4!!, the

position is still a theoretical draw if black plays correctly and avoids falling into the trap of

capturing the undefended white bishop on a7. It is funny how with a seemingly disinterested and

paradoxical move of the white king, away from the site of action, white will eventually win the

game) Ke6 51. Kg5 Ke7 52. Kf5 Kd6 53. Kf4 Kc7 54. Kf5 Kb7? (black king is greedy, moving

to get the free white bishop on a7, but will lose the game because of this; the correct move,

leading to draw, was 54…Kd6, preventing the white king from capturing the pawn on d5) 55.

Ke6 Nf8+ 56. Kxd5 Kxa7 57. Kc6 Ng6 58. d5 Ne5+ 59. Kc7 Nf7 60. d6 Nxd6 61. Kxd6 Kb7 62.

Kd7 Kb8 63. Kc6 Kc8 64. Kxb6 1-0

Position on the board before 50. Kg4!!


(Belgrade, December 1991, King’s Indian Defense: Zinnowitz Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bd3 e5 8. O-O h6 9. Be3 Ng4

10. Qc2 c6 11. Rad1 Nb6 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. h3 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 exd4 15. Nxd4 Re8 16. Rc1 f5 17.

f3 Qd8 18. Rcd1 d5 (…f4 was craving to be played, bringing about a better position for black)

19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Bb5 Bd7 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Kh1 fxe4 23. fxe4 Qe7 24. Qg3! Bxd4 (…Qg5

was an alternative, but it would lead to double g pawns for black after the exchange of queens)

25. Rxd4 Qg7 26. Qd3 (Nxd5 would not be any significantly better for white, as after …Nxd5

27. Rxd5 Rxe4 28. Rd7 Qxd7 29. Qxg6+ Qg7 30. Qxe4 Rf8 31. Rd1 Kh8, the white would

preserve a minor advantage, but it is little probable that he would convert it to a victory) dxe4 27.

Nxe4 Rf8 28. Rd1 Rf4 29. Qe3 Raf8 30. Kg1 Qf7 31. Rd8 (white has piled up heavy pieces

along the d file and black piled up his heavy pieces along the f file; an unwritten rule is that such

simultaneous doubling or tripling of heavy artillery along different open files leads to a draw)

Rf1+ 32. Kh2 Qf4+ (…Qc7+ was safer for black) 33. Qxf4 Rxf4 34. Nc5 Rf7 35. Ne6 Rxd8 36.

Rxd8+ Kh7 37. Rd2 Kg8 38. Kg3 Rd7 39. Rxd7 Nxd7 40. Kf4 b6 41. Nd8 Kg7 42. Nc6 a5 43.

Ke3 Kf6 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 25…Qg7.


(Belgrade, December 1991, Sicilian Defense)

1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd6 (return to the baseline with …Qd8 would be more

conventional and safer) 5. Bc4 e5 (too risky of the pawn configuration, giving white a chance for

an immediate attack. Developing a minor piece was a better idea) 6. Bxf7+! Kxf7 7. Ne4 Qe7 8.

Nfg5+ Kg6? (... Ke8 was better) 9. h4 Nc6 10. h5+ Kh6 11. d4 g6 12. Ne6+ g5 13. N4xg5 Bxe6

14. Nxe6+ Qg5 15. Bxg5#

Position on the board before 6. Bxf7+!


(Belgrade, December 1991, Slav Defense: Breyer Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Qc7 7. e3 e6 8. Bb5+ Nbd7 9. O-

O Rc8 10. Re1 Bc2 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 (black is immaculately playing the opening and steadily

gaining advantage) 12. Qb5 a6 13. Qe2 Bd6 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Ba4 (black loses the positional

advantage with this retreat of the bishop. …Bxe4 seemed better for black) 16. Be3 Be7 17. Nc3

Bc6? (…Qa5 was necessary to play. Here, white could have punished black by playing 18. d5!

and winning a piece) 18. Rac1 O-O 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 Qd6 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Nd4 Bd5

(the game enters a very equal position, with most probable draw) 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Qg4 Qe4

25. Qxe4 Bxe4 26. f3 Bg6 27. Kf2 Ne5 28. Kg3 Nd3 29. Re2 Re8 30. b3 f6 31. Kg4 Ne5+ 32.

Kg3 Nd3 33. Bf2 Rxe2 34. Nxe2 Nxf2 35. Kxf2 Kf7 36. Ke3 Ke7 37. Kd4 Kd6 38. Nc3 b6 39.

Nd5 b5 40. Nc3 Bf5 41. Ne4+ Bxe4 42. fxe4 (the game is still theoretically a draw) g5 43. g3 g4

44. a3 a5 45. Ke3 Ke5 46. Kd3 Kd6 47. Kd4 Kc6 48. e5 (risky for white. Still, the position is

draw, but white did not need this) fxe5+ 49. Kxe5 Kc5 50. Ke4 Kd6 51. Kf5 Kd5! (after …h5,

the game is a dead draw. …Kd5! sacrifices a pawn in king and pawn ending, but maintains

decent winning chances for black) 52. Kxg4 Kd4 53. Kg5 (h4 was the way to ensure most

probable draw after …Kc3 54. Kf4 Kxb3 55. g4 Kxa3 56. g5 b4 57. h5 b3 58. g6 hxg6 59. hxg6

b2 60. g7 b1=Q 61. g8=Q Qb4+ 62. Kg5 Qc5+ 63. Kf6 Kb2 64. Qg2+ Kb3 65. Qb7+ Kc4, with

an extra pawn advantage for black, but little chances of actually winning the game) Kc3 54. a4

b4 55. Kh6 Kxb3 56. g4 Kxa4 57. g5 b3 58. Kxh7 b2 59. g6 b1=Q 60. h4 Qh1 61. g7 Qxh4+ 62.

Kg6 Qg4+ 63. Kf7 Qxg7+ 64. Kxg7 Kb3 0-1

Position on the board before 51… Kd5!


(Belgrade, December 1991, Benko Gambit Declined: Main Line)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Nf3 bxc4 5. e3 Ba6 6. Na3 Qa5+ 7. Bd2 Qc7 8. Bc3 Qd6 9. Bxf6

Qxf6 10. Qc2 c3 11. Bxa6 cxb2 12. Rb1 Qxa6 13. Qxb2 e6 14. e4 (relinquishing the d5 pawn

with Nd2 or Qc3, while focusing on fast development, was better and more in the nature of the

very aggressive and tactical gambit on the board) Nd2 Qd3 15. Nd2 Na6 16. Rd1!? (Nac4 would

have been more conventional, but it would lead to queen and rook exchange, from which black

would emerge as just slightly better; for example, 16. Nac4 Rb8 17. Qc1 Rxb1 18. Qxb1 Qxb1+

19. Nxb1 exd5 20. exd5 g6. White, instead, is willing to risk and this risk will pay off) Rb8 17.

Qc1 exd5 (... Nb4 was better) 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. O-O Qxa2 (black is yet to realize that the two

pawns he snatched with the queen are fairly poisonous. He gave white some precious tempos to

develop and attack the black king that still lingers in the center) 20. Ndc4 Be7 21. Rfe1 Kd8 22.

Qe3 Bf6 23. Rd6 Rb3 24. Qe4 Nb8 25. Qd5 Be7 (...Re8 allowed black to continue to fight; with

Be7, black is lost) 26. Rxd7+! Nxd7 27. Ne5 Bd6 28. Nxf7+ Kc8 29. Nxd6+! Kb8 30. Nab5!

Qa6 31. Qxb3 Rd8 32. h3 Nb6 33. Re7 Nd7 34. Rxd7 Qa1+ 35. Kh2 Qe5+ 36. g3 Rxd7 37.

Qg8+ Rd8 38. Qxd8#

Position on the board before 26. Rxd7+!


(Belgrade, December 1991, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 a6

10. O-O Na5 11. Bd3 d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Be4 Qd7 15. Rad1 Nc4 16. Qc1

Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Qc7 18. f4 e5 19. fxe5 Bxe5 20. h3 Rd8 21. c3 Rb8 22. Bf3 Re8 23. Qd3 Bxd4+

24. cxd4 Qg3 (...Bf5 seemed better for black) 25. Be4 Qd6 26. d5 Bd7 27. Rf2 Re5 28. Bf3 Rbe8

29. Qd2 Bb5 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. a3 Rc8 32. Rxc8+ Bxc8 33. Rf1 b5 34. Re1 Rxe1+ 35. Qxe1 Qc5+

36. Kh2 Qc7+ 37. Qg3 Qxg3+ 38. Kxg3 Kg7 (the last major challenge for black. Should he

played ...Kf8, 39. D6 would follow with excellent chances for win for white after 39. d6 Bd7 40.

b4 g5 41. Kf2 f5 42. Ke3 g4 43. hxg4 fxg4 44. Be4 Kf7 45. Kd4 Ke6 46. Kc5) 39. Kf4 Kf6 40.

b4 h6 41. Bg4 Bb7 42. Ke4 Ke7 43. Ke5 f6+ 44. Kd4 f5 45. Bf3 Kd6 46. g3 Ba8 47. g4 fxg4 48.

hxg4 Bb7 ½ - ½ (another proof that not all games played against the computer in particular were

exciting. Some of them, like this one, were equal from the beginning to end)

Position on the board after 30… Bd7.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, January 1992,

Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Modern Bc4 Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Bc4 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-

O a6 10. a3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. Ba2 Bb7 13. f3 Rc8 14. h4 h5 15. g4! Qa5 16. Kb1!

(alternation between sacrificial, ruthless attack (g4!) and quiet, prophylactic, defensive moves is

the key to success) Rc7 (white has doubled the positional advantage based on Stockfish 10

evaluation with the last two moves) 17. gxh5 Nxh5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Rdg1 Qb6 20. Qg5 Rc5

21. Qg4 b4? (everything would have been fine for black had he played …Bc8) 22. Bxf7! 1-0

(another one of the countless Yugoslav attacks on fianchettoed kingside with opposite side

castling in games between my father and I in the years before and after)

Position on the board before 15. g4! Qa5 16. Kb1!



King’s Gambit: Falkbeer Countergambit, Blackburne Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 Bc5 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Bb4+ 6. c3 dxc3 7. Nxc3 Ba5 8. Bb5+ c6 9. Ba4

Qb6 10. Qd4 (too early of the queen exchange for white to allow him to regain the advantage

conceded with the gambit pawn sacrifice. Playing a move such as a3 seemed more prospective)

Qxd4 11. Nxd4 Ne7 12. O-O Nf5 13. Nxf5 Bxf5 14. h3 h5 15. Be3 Nd7 16. Rfd1 Bb6 17. Bxb6

Nxb6 18. Kf2 Nxa4 19. Nxa4 Rd8 20. Nc5 Ke7 21. b3 b6 22. Nd3 c5 23. Rac1 Rc8 24. a4 Rhd8

25. Kf3 c4 26. bxc4 dxc4 27. Nb4 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Bd7 29. g4 (playing Nd5+ and pushing the

black king back to the eight rank gave better chances for white in fighting for draw) hxg4+ 30.

hxg4 Bxa4 31. Ra1 b5 32. Nd5+ Ke6 33. Nc3 g5 34. Ke4 gxf4 35. Kxf4 a5 36. Nxa4 bxa4 37.

Rxa4 c3 38. Ra1 c2 39. Rc1 a4 40. Ke3 a3 41. Kd2 a2 0-1

Position on the board before 25...c4.




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Nxe5 Bd6 5. d4 Nf6 6. Bc4 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. O-O O-O 9. c4

Nbd7 10. Nc3 c5 11. Be3 cxd4 12. Bxd4 Bc5 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. Nxe4 Bxd4+ 15. Qxd4 Qc7

(white emerges with a considerably better position after these initial exchanges) 16. Ng5 Nc5 17.

b4 h6 18. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 19. bxc5 hxg5 20. fxg5 Rac8 21. Rae1 Rxf1+ 22. Kxf1 Kf7 23. Re5 Rd8

24. Ke2 Rd4 25. c6! Rxc4 26. cxb7 Rb4 27. Ra5! (A natural corollary to 25. c6! and an efficient

way for white to win) Rxb7 28. h4 Rc7 29. g4 Rb7 30. Kf3 g6 31. h5 gxh5 32. gxh5 Kg8 33. Kf4

Rf7+ 34. Kg4 Rb7 35. g6 1-0



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, January 1992, Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bb5 a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 Na5 9. O-O

(e5 was more aggressive and better for white) Be7 (if …b4, then 10. Nd5!! exd5 11. e5 with

equal chances for both sides) 10. f4 Bb7 11. e5 Ne4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Qg4 O-O 14. Kh1 Nxb3

15. axb3 Bc5 16. c3 (f5 was possible already now, but white opts for an extensive preparation

before pushing the f pawn) Qb6 17. Be3 Qc7 18. Rae1 Rfd8 19. Bg1 Bb7 20. f5 Bxd4 (if …

exf5, then 21. Nxf5 Bf8 22. Nh6+ 1-0) 21. f6 g6 22. Bxd4 d6 23. Qh4 Kh8 24. Re3 dxe5 (loses

the game for black, when …g5! was saving it, albeit with still good attacking chances for white)

25. Qh6! Rg8 26. Qxh7+! Kxh7 27. Rh3#

Position on the board before 26. Qxh7+!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, January 1992, Réti Opening: Advance Variation)

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. O-O e5 6. d3 Bg4 7. e3 Qc7 8. h3 Be6 9. exd4 exd4

(…cxd4 was better for black, as it turns out that opening the a3-f8 diagonal for the bishop was

more effective than opening the b8-h2 diagonal for the queen) 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12.

Nbd2 h5 13. Ne4 Qe7 14. h4 O-O-O 15. Re1 Nf6 16. Neg5 Rd6 (though at the first sight it may

seem as if black’s pieces are positioned decently, whereas the white ones are overly withdrawn

to the white’s half of the board, this is not so and the white pieces are capable of launching a

much quicker attack on the black king castled on the queenside than the black pieces can attack

the white king castled on the kingside. Note in particular the power of the g2 bishop, which is X-

raying through the black’s defense. Though shielded by the f3 knight, this knight will uncover

the bishop only in the last move of the game and yet it will be enough for black to immediately

surrender) 17. a3 Qd7 18. b4 b6 19. bxc5 bxc5 20. Nxe6 Rxe6 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. Rb1 Nd7 23.

Qa4 Nb6 24. Qb5 Kd7 25. Re1 (white is quietly shifting the pieces and without much pomp

crushing black) Qd6 26. Ne5+ 1-0

Position on the board after 16…Rd6.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, January 1992, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bd7 5. O-O e6 6. Kh1 d5 7. exd5 exd5 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. d4

cxd4 10. Nxd4 Be7 11. Re1 O-O 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. g4 d4! (sharp response to a

sharp move. …Bb4 was equally good) 15. Ne4 Qd5 16. Qf3 Nxe4 (…Nxg4 was possible too) 17.

Qxe4 Qxe4+ 18. Rxe4 Rfe8! (pawn on d4 can be captured by white, but his position will soon be

crammed after …Bc5 19. Rd1 Re2 21. Bd2 and so on) 19. Bd2 (white opens up the path for the

rook on a1 and d4 pawn now must be defended) Bc5 20. Rae1 Rxe4 21. Rxe4 Kf8 22. Kg2 Rd8

23. Kf3 Bb6 24. a4 a6 25. a5 Ba7 26. c3 dxc3 27. Bxc3 Rd3+ 28. Ke2 Rh3 29. Rb4! Re3+ 30.

Kd2 Re7 31. Be5 Rd7+ 32. Kc3 ½ - ½ (black accepted the offer for a draw in a position where

white appears to have a subtle advantage)

Position on the board before 18… Rfe8!




1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Nxe5 Bd6 5. d4 exd3 6. Nxd3 Nf6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Nbd7 9.

Nc3 Nc5 10. Be3 Nxd3 11. Bxd3 Ng4 12. Qf3 Nxe3 13. Qxe3 (the game is moving towards a

quieter line for the Falkbeer countergambit) Re8 14. Qf3 Bc5+ 15. Kh1 h6 (if …Re3, then Qh5

with the simultaneous checkmate threat and the attack on the black bishop on c5) 16. f5 Re3 17.

Qh5 Bf8? 18. f6! (Bc4 was equally good, as it would bring white a crucial advantage through the

pressure on f7 pawn) gxf6 19. Rad1! (white does not rush with capturing back the f6 pawn) Qe8

20. Rxf6 (Nd5 was possible too and after …Qd5, white would play Qh4, as Qxd5 would lead to

draw) Bg7 21. Rff1 Be6 22. Ne4 Rxe4?! (a bold, but unjustified sacrifice in an equal position)

23. Bxe4 Bxa2 24. Rde1 Be6 25. Rf3 Qd7 26. Rg3 (black simply does not have a good answer to

white’s attack on the black king) f5 (another seemingly solid move, which in fact further

weakens black’s position. …Kh8 was better for black) 27. Bd3 Kh8 28. Rg6 Bf7 29. Rxh6+!

Bxh6 30. Qxh6+ Kg8 31. Re3! 1-0

Position on the board before 29. Rxh6+!



King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Rare Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. h3 Nc6 7. Be3 b6 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Qd2 e6

10. O-O-O a5 11. a3 Ne7 12. h4 c5 13. d5 h5 14. Bf4 exd5 15. exd5 Ng4 16. Nh2 Ne5 17. Be2

Nf5 18. Nf3! (white appears determined to chase the black e5 knight all across the board) Re8

19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. g4 hxg4 21. Bxg4 Bxf4 22. Qxf4 Nd4 23. Ne4! f5 24. Nxd6 Qd7 25. Rxd4!

cxd4 26. Bxf5! Rf8 27. Rg1 Rxf5 28. Rxg6+ Kh7 29. Qh6#

Position on the board before 25. Rxd4! cxd4 26. Bxf5!


(Belgrade, January 1992, Spanish Game: Marshall Attack, Modern Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5

Nxd5 10. Nxe5 (d4 is another possible continuation for white) Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. Re1 Bb7

13. d4 c5 14. Qg4 cxd4 15. Bh6 Bf6 16. cxd4 Bxd4 (black opts for the bishop exchange, but

…Qc8 or …Nb4 may have been better options) 17. Qxd4 gxh6 18. Nd2 Rc8 (…Nb6 was needed

because this bishop on d5 will remain pinned until almost the end of the game, bringing white an

anchorage for his attack) 19. Nf1! (a superb idea – when Ne4 was expected, with the following

jump onto f6, white sees the knight on f5 square) Qd6 20. Ng3 Rfd8 21. Nf5 Qg6 22. Qe5 a5 23.

Bxd5 Rxd5 24. Qe8+ Rxe8 25. Rxe8#

Final position on the board, after 25. Rxe8#.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, January 1992, English Opening: Great Snake Variation)

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 O-O 5. d4 b6 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. O-O d6 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Bb2 c5

10. d5 Ne5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Qc2 e6 13. e4 exd5 14. exd5 Ne8 15. f4 exf4 16. Rxf4 Nd6 (white

has the d5 pawn ready to advance and get promoted, but can he succeed in this plan? This

question outlines the following part of this game. With …Nd6, black acknowledges that he will

stand solidly in the way of this threat and the passing of this pawn) 17. Re1 (black thinks that this

prepares for Ne4 that challenges the black knight on d6, but he will be surprised when he realizes

that white has a different route for this knight to take) Re8 18. Rff1 Qd7 19. Ne2! (instead of

Ne4, white plays Ne2) Qg4 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf4 Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Re8 23. Rxe8 Nxe8 24. Qd2

Nd6 25. Ne2 Nf5? (…Qf5 26. Qe3 h5 27. Bh3 Qxh3 28. Qe5+ Kh7 29. Qxd6 was a more

promising continuation for black) 26. d6! Bxg2 27. d7! (d pawn moment has come) Qf3? (…Nd4

appeared better for black) 28. Qd1? Ne3? (a series of bad moves by all sides here. Black misses a

winning combination here with …Bh3) 29. Qa1+! (from the very edge of the board will the

queen give the final blow) Kh6 30. d8=Q Bf1 31. Nf4!! (with two queens and a knight on board,

white finds a knight move to be the most appropriate. Stockfish 10 evaluates this move highly

positively. The move frustrates the opponent because they are so close, yet so far to the target,

the white king, being unable to harm him. Qh4+ was winning here too) Ng2 (white king is

surrounded by black pieces from all squares, yet they cannot do anything to him; he is perfectly

safe where he is) 32. Qf8+ Kg5 33. Qe5+ Kg4 34. h3+ Kxg3 35. Qg5+ Qg4 36. Qxg4#

Position on the board before 31. Nf4!!


(Belgrade, January 1992, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bishop Attack)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Ne2 b6 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 c5 9. cxd5

cxd4 10. exd4 exd5 11. O-O Bb7 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Re1 Re8 14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. Nb5 (a key

tactical maneuver that will win white the game. The knight exploits the weakness in black’s

position and aims for d6 square, where it will be supported by the end of the game only by light

pieces and not a single pawn) Qc8 (…Qd7 was much better as a response to white’s aspiration

for Nd6 and Bf4) 16. Nd6 Qc6 17. Bf4 Qc7 (an array of bad moves by the black queen will soon

be punished by white) 18. Rc1 Bc6 19. Bb5 Nb8 20. h3! (a quiet move that wins the game for

white. If 20. Qc2 was played before 20. h3, it would give a potential escape route for black via

20…Nh5 21. Be5 f6 22. Ne8 Dd8. White could have, however, blocked this route by playing 22.

Df5! instead of 22. Ne8) a6 21. Bxc6 Nxc6 22. Qc2 Ne8 23. Qxc6 Qxc6 24. Rxc6 Nxd6 25.

Bxd6 1-0 (advantage by white was accrued gradually and steadily throughout the opening and

early midgame, at which point black’s position was lost)

Position on the board before 15. Nb5.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, February 1992, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. c4 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nc3 (riskily

inviting black to play …d4 for the sake of penetrating black’s defense through the e file with

pending Ne5) d4 9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Ne2 O-O 11. d3 Re8 12. Ne5 Qc7 13. Ng3 Nbd7 14. Nxd7

Qxd7 15. Nh5 Nxh5 16. Qxh5 Bd6 17. f5 f6 18. Bd2 Re5 (black has maintained a minor

advantage up to this point, but from now on the games becomes equal) 19. Rae1 Rae8 20. Rxe5

Rxe5 21. Qf3 Bb8 (preventing …Bf4. If 21… Qe7?, then 22. Bf4 Re1 23. Qd5+ Kh8 24. Qxd6

1-0) 22. g4 a6 23. b4 cxb4 24. Bxb4 b5 25. c5 Qe7 26. a3 (Qc6 appeared solid too) a5 27. Bxa5

Qxc5 28. Bb4 Qd5 29. Rc1!! (if 29. Qxd5+, then draw results after …Rxd5 30. Kg2 Bd6 31.

Bxd6 Rxd6 32. Rb1 Rd5 33. Rb4 Kf7 34. Kf3 Ke7 35. Ke4 Re5+ 36. Kxd4 h5 37. h3 hxg4 38.

hxg4 g6 39. fxg6 Kf8 40. Kc3 Kg7 41. d4 Rg5 42. Rb1 Kxg6 43. Kb4 Rxg4 44. Kxb5 Rxd4 45.

a4 f5 46. a5 f4 47. a6 Rd8 48. a7 Kf5) Qd8 30. Qb7 Re8 (in a matter of few moves, all black’s

pieces have been pushed to the eighth rank and white’s advantage has become massive) 31. Rc5

g6 32. Rxb5 Qc7 33. Qxc7 Bxc7 34. Rb7 Be5 35. a4 gxf5 36. gxf5 Rd8 37. a5 Bd6 38. a6 Bxb4

39. Rxb4 Ra8 40. Rb6 Kg7 41. Kf2 Kh6 42. h4 Kh5 43. Kg3 Rf8 44. a7 Ra8 45. Ra6 Kh6 46.

Rxf6+ Kg7 47. Ra6 Kf7 48. Kf4 Ke7 49. Ke5 Kd7 50. f6 1-0

Position on the board before 29. Rc1!!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, February 1992, King’s Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. Be3 Ne8 9. h3

Bxe2 10. Nxe2 a6 11. O-O e5 12. d5 exf4 13. Nxf4 Ne5 14. Be2 Nf6 15. Qc2 Qd7 16. Nd3 Rfe8

17. Nxe5 dxe5 (if ...Rxe5, then 18. Bd4. However, with ...dxe5, white gets a considerable

positional advantage) 18. Bg5 Qd6 19. Qd3 Nd7 20. Bg4 Nc5 21. Qf3 Rf8 22. b4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4

f5 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 gxf5 26. c5 (26. Qxf5 Rf8 27. Qe6+ Qxe6 28. dxe6 Re8 29. e7 e4 30.

Rd1 h6 31. Bh4 was possible too, with solid chances for win for white) fxe4 27. cxd6 cxd6 28.

Rc1 Rf8 29. Be7 Rf7 30. Bxd6 e3 31. Rc8+ Bf8 32. Bxf8 Rxf8 33. Rxf8+ Kxf8 34. Kf1 Ke7 35.

Ke2 Kd6 36. Kxe3 Kxd5 37. g4 e4 38. h4 Ke5 39. a4 b6 40. b5 a5 (black would lose after ...bxa5

because of the zugzwang) 41. g5 (if h5?, then ...h6 0-1, as white king would now lose due to

zugzwang) Kf5 42. h5 Kxg5 43. Kxe4 Kxh5 44. Kd5 Kg4 45. Kc6 h5 46. Kxb6 h4 47. Kxa5 h3

48. b6 h2 49. b7 h1=Q 50. b8=Q Qd5+ 51. Qb5 Qa8+ 52. Kb4 Qf8+ 53. Qc5 Qb8+ 54. Kc3

Qg3+ 55. Kc4 Qe1 56. a5 Qf1+ 57. Kb4 Qb1+ 58. Ka4 Qd1+ 59. Kb5 Qd7+ 60. Kb4 Qd2+

61. Qc3 Qd6+ 62. Qc5 Qd2+ 63. Qc3 Qd6+ 64. Qc5 ½ - ½

Position on the board after 26. c5.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, March 1992, Sicilian Defense: Open)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 a6 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Nd4

Nxe4 10. Rc1 Bd7 11. Bd3 Nxc3 12. Rxc3 g6 13. O-O Bg7 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Rc2 (more

aggressive Ra1 would only push the queen to the center of board after …Qe5) O-O 16. h4 h5 17.

Re1 Rac8 18. Rce2 b5 19. Bd2 Qxa2 20. Rxe7 Qxb2 21. R1e2 bxc4 22. Bxc4 Bb5 23. Bh6 Qf6

24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Bxb5 axb5 26. R2e6! (white sacrifices the h4 pawn in order to approach the

black king with his rooks) Qxh4 27. Qa1+ Kh6 28. Rf6 Qg5 29. f4 (white must keep on attacking

because as soon as his attack dwindles, black will be able to reconsolidate and proceed toward

the victory with the material advantage it currently has) Qc5+ 30. Kh2 Qc1 31. Qd4 Ra8??

(...Qc5 allowed black to maintain minor advantage, -1.5 per Stockfish 10 evaluation) 32. Qd5

Qc5 33. Rfxf7 Rh8 34. Qxa8! 1-0

Position on the board before 34. Qxa8!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, March 1992, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 b6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. a4

Rc8 10. Nc3 Bc5 11. Qd3 Bxb5 12. Nxb5 Ne7 13. Be3 Nf5! 14. Bxc5 bxc5 15. O-O c4 16. Qc3

Qb6+ 17. Kh1 a6 18. g4 axb5 19. gxf5 b4 20. Qg3 Rg8 21. f6 g6 22. Qh4 h5 23. Qg5 Kd7 24. a5

Qc5 25. Qg1 Qxg1+ 26. Rxg1 Kc6 27. Kg2 Ra8 28. Kf3 Ra7! 29. Ra4 Kb5 30. Rga1 Rga8 31.

Kg3? (White king gets confused as to which side he should be at, moving to the kingside instead

of the queenside. Ke3 was the correct move and this wrong choice gets immediately punished for

by the next black’s move) d4! 32. Kf3 (the white king realizes the error and tries to go to the

right place, but now it is too late) c3 33. b3 d3!! 34. cxd3 Rxa5 35. Rxa5+ Rxa5 36. Rxa5+ Kxa5

37. Ke3 Kb5 38. d4 Kc6 39. Kd3 Kd5 40. h4 c2 0-1

Position on the board before 33… d3!! 34. cxd3 Rxa5.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense)

1. Nf3 Nc6 2. g3 e5 3. Nc3 d5 4. d3 f5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Bg5 d4 7. Nd5 Be7 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nxf6+

Qxf6 10. Bg2 O-O 11. Nd2 f4 12. O-O g5 13. g4! h5! 14. h3 Kh7 15. gxh5! Kh6 16. Kh2 g4 17.

hxg4 Qh4+ 18. Bh3 Rg8 19. Rg1! (the pawn on f2 is deliberately left undefended and the black

queen allured to capture it in a classic act of rope-a-dope trickery. The black’s offensive will thus

be halted and an unstoppable counterattack on the black king launched) Qxf2+ 20. Rg2 Qh4 21.

Nf3 Qe7 22. g5+ Kh7 23. Bxc8 Raxc8 24. Qe1! Qe8 25. Qh4 Qe6 26. g6+ Kh8 27. Rag1 Qe7

28. Qh3 Qf6 29. h6 Ne7 30. g7+ Kh7 31. Ng5+ Kg6 32. h7 Rxg7 33. h8=N+ Rxh8 34. Qxh8 1-0

Position on the board before 19. Rg1!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, King’s Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Nd5 (continuing the development with

Be2 would have been better for white) Nxd5 7. exd5 Bxg5 8. dxc6 bxc6 9. Nxg5 Qxg5 10. g3

Rb8 11. b3 d5 12. f3 (does not prevent ...e4, which could have been the best option for black in

the next move) f5 13. Bg2 Ba6 14. O-O Rf6 15. Qc1 f4 16. g4 Rg6 17. Qd2 e4 18. Rad1? (fxe4

was necessary) e3 19. Qa5 h5! 20. Qxc7 hxg4 21. Qxb8+ Kh7 22. Kh1 (if Rde1, then ...gxf3 and

the checkmate is promptly coming) e2 23. Rde1 exf1=R+ 24. Rxf1 g3 25. h3 (Re1 seems to be

the only defensive move that gave solid chances to white to go for a draw) Qf5! (Black wishes to

bring the bishop back to the game through the c8 square) 26. Qxa7 Bc8 27. a4 Qh5 28. Kg1

Bxh3 29. Re1 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Qh2+ 31. Kf1 Qh1+ 32. Ke2 Re6+ 33. Kd2 Qxe1#

Position on the board before 19…h5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, French Defense: Advance Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Ne7 4. Nf3 Nf5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. O-O c5 8. c3 Nc6 9. Bg5

h6 10. Be3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Rc8 12. Qb3 Na5 13. Qd3 Nc4 14. b3 Na5 15. Nc3 Be7 16. Bd2 Nc6

17. Ne2 Bd8 18. b4 a6 19. a4 a5 20. Rab1 axb4 21. Bxb4 Ba5 22. Ba3 Bd8 23. h3 Be7 24. g3

Na5 25. Bxe7 Nxe7 26. Qb5 Nec6 27. Nc1 O-O 28. Nb3 Nxb3 29. Rxb3 Rc7 30. Kg2 Ra8 31.

Rd3 Ra5 32. Qb3 Ra8 33. Nd2 Rac8 34. Qa3 Na5 35. f4? (a minor positional error that will cost

white the game) Rc2 36. Rf2 Nc4 (this settling on the c4 square by the white knight will prove

decisive) 37. Qb3 Rb2 38. Qd1 Ra8 (black’s patience will eventually pay off) 39. Nxc4 Rxf2+

40. Kxf2 dxc4 41. Ra3 b5 42. a5 b4 43. Ra1 Qd5 44. a6 c3 45. Ke3 b3 46. Ra3 c2 47. Qc1 Rc8

48. a7 Rc3+ 49. Kd2 Qxd4+ 50. Ke1 Qe4+ 51. Kf2 Qf3+ (white king is being dragged under

checkmate threats to the opposite side of the board from the one where the main pressure on

white has occurred) 52. Kg1 Qxg3+ 53. Kh1 Qxh3+ 54. Kg1 Rg3+ 55. Kf2 Rg2+ 56. Ke1 Qh1#

Position on the board before 35. f4?


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 g6 5. e3 Ne4 6. cxd5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qxd5 8. Bd3 Bf5 9. O-O

Bg7 10. Re1 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 Nd7 12. e4 Qd6 13. e5 Qd5 14. Bf4 O-O 15. Ng5 e6 16. Re2 c5 17.

Re3 (a prophylactic move preventing …Nxe5 after Ne4) Rab8 18. Ne4 b6 19. Nd6 f6 20. exf6

Rxf6 21. Qe4? (white did not notice the discovery on the a1 rook by the bishop on g7 with this

bringing the two queens to almost a kiss, clingy, as it were) cxd4 22. cxd4 Rbf8? (black missed a

chance to gain critical advantage with …Qxe4 23. Rxe4 e5! 24. dxe5 Rxd6 25. exd6 Bxa1) 23.

Bg3 Qxe4 24. Rxe4 Nb8 25. Rc1 g5 26. Rc7 a6 27. f3 Rd8 28. Be5 Rg6 29. Bxg7 Rxg7 30.

Rxg7+ Kxg7 31. Rxe6 b5 32. Kf2 b4 33. Ke3 a5 34. d5 a4 35. Kd4 b3 36. axb3 a3 37. Kc3 Nd7

38. Nb5 Ra8 39. Re1 Nb6 40. Kd4 a2 41. Ra1 1-0

Position on the board before 21. Qe4?


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nb6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. d5 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Ne5 9.

Qd1 Nbd7 10. Bb5 c6 11. dxc6 Nxc6 12. O-O e5 13. Be3 Bb4 14. Rc1 O-O 15. a3 Ba5 16. f4

Bc7 17. f5 g6? (weakens the kingside; …Bb6 was better) 18. Nd5 a6 19. Bc4 Kh8 20. f6 b5?

(leaves the knight at c6 hanging; …Bd6 was better, though black is lost, with no chance of

saving the game if white plays correctly) 21. Ba2 Nb6 22. Bc5 Re8 23. Qd2 Nd7 24. Qh6 1-0 (…

Rg8 25. Be7 Bb6+ 26. Kh1 Qc8 27. Nxb6 Nxb6 28. Bxf7 1-0. This is the last recorded game

between my Mom and I)

Final position of the game, after 24. Qh6.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation)

1. b3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. Nf3 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bb2 e5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. Be2 Qd7 9. a3 Be7 10.

O-O O-O 11. Qc2 a6 12. h3 Bh5 13. Rfe1 Ne8 14. Nxd4! (a tactical sacrifice that maintains

material equality, but overturns the positional advantage; before it, it was in black’s favor, in part

due to the simple nature of Larsen’s unorthodox opening, but after it, it was in white’s favor all

until the end of the game) Nxd4 15. exd4 Bxe2 16. Rxe2 exd4 17. Rae1 Bh4 18. Nf3 Bf6 19.

Bc1 g6 20. Bg5 Qf5 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Re7 Rab8 23. Rc7 Nh5 24. Re5 Qf6 25. Qe2 Nf4 26. Qe4

Ne6 27. Rxb7 Rxb7 28. Qxb7 Qf4 29. Qxa6 Qc1+ 30. Re1 Qc2 31. Rxe6! (if 31. Ne5, then

..Qd2 32. Kf1 Nf4 33. Qc6 Nxd3 34. Nxd3 Qxd3+ 35. Kg1 Qxb3 ½ - ½) fxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kg7

33. Qe5+ Kg8 34. Qxc5 Qxd3 35. Qd5+ Kg7 36. b4 (a kingside attack instead of the queenside

pawn advancement was bearing positive results for white too; for example, 36. Qb7+ Kg8 37.

Ng5 Qf1+ 38. Kh2 Rxf2 39. Ne6 Rxg2 40. Rxg2 1-0) Qxa3 37. Qxd4+ Kg8 38. b5 Qe7 39. c5

Rd8 40. Qc4+ Qf7 41. Qxf7+ Kxf7 42. b6 Ke7 43. c6 Rd1+ 44. Kh2 Kd8 45. Ne5 Kc8 46. Kg3

Rb1 47. Nd7 Rb4 48. f4 Rb2 49. Kf3 Rb3+ 50. Ke4 Rb5 51. g4 h5 (Rb4+ or Kd8 do not save

white either) 52. f5 (gxh5 gxh5 53. f5 was winning for white too) Rb4+ 53. Kd5 hxg4 54. fxg6

gxh3 55. g7 Rg4 56. b7+ Kd8 #2 1-0

Position on the board before 31. Rxe6!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, April 1992, French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. f4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Qxd2 Qb6 9.

Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qxd4 c5 11. Qa4+ Bd7 12. Qa3 Ne7 13. Nbd2 O-O 14. O-O Rab8 15. b3 Nc6

16. c4 Rbc8 17. Rac1 Nb4 18. Rc3 Bc6! 19. Rcc1 a5! (black’s knight is now cemented and Ne1-

c2-xb4 will not release the tension around the c5 pawn) 20. cxd5 exd5 (black positionally

outplayed white by this point; his pieces are better coordinated and also control the key squares)

21. f5 Rfe8 22. Rce1 c4+ (the long awaited ...c4 now comes with much greater force that if it had

been played earlier, around move 14. Played now, the c pawn penetrates white’s defense more

deeply and is unstoppable on the way to promotion) 23. Kh1 (this move should have been played

earlier and, in fact, this whole game illustrates the importance of tactical discoveries; black built

the queenside attack around it and when the energy around it became powerful enough, he

simply lifted the dam with ...c4 and unleashed it) c3 (the pawn can now go further than if ...c4

were to be played earlier) 24. Nb1 Bb5! 25. e6 (Rfg1 is not any better) fxe6 26. fxe6 Bxf1 27.

Rxf1 Nd3 28. e7 Nf2+ 29. Kg1 Nh3+ 30. Kh1 Nf2+ 31. Kg1 Nd3+ 32. Kh1 c2 0-1

Position on the board before 22…c4+ 23. Kh1 c3.


(10 min, Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, May 1992, Sicilian Defense: Godiva Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb5 a6 6. N5a3 Nf6 7. Nc3 g6 8. Nc4 Qc7 9. Be3

b5 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 bxc4 12. dxc6 Qxc6 13. Qd4 f6 14. Bxc4 Bb7 15. O-O-O e5 16. Qd3

Be7 17. f4 Rc8 18. Bb3 d6 19. Be6 Rd8 20. c4! Qe4 21. Qd2? (a poor move that refuses to

exchange queens, but gives black a chance to gain crucial advantage with a double attack on

bishops after …fxe4, which black misses in this rapid game) Kf8? (a chance is missed and there

goes advantage back to white’s hands) 22. fxe5! (the mistake by black gets immediately

punished) dxe5 23. Bh6+ Ke8 24. Qa5 Qc6 25. Bd5 Qc8 26. Qa4+ Rd7 27. Bxb7 Qxb7 28. Rd5!

(black’s position is completely crammed and all crucial squares are blocked. Rook on h8 is

blocked by the black king and white bishop on h6, the other rook is pinned and Qc7-b7-e3

maneuver does not work because the bishop on h6 controls the c1-h6 diagonal. The meaning of

20. c4! Also becomes obvious now as it is prevents 28…Qb5, which would have saved black had

the c4 pawn not been there. Here, black simply cannot prevent ensuing Rhd1 and the loss of rook

on d7 and, thus, the game. Note that 28. Be6 would lead to draw after 28…Bc6!) 1-0



(Belgrade, April 1992, Caro-Kann Defense)

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f4 dxe4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nge2 Nbd7 6. Ng3 e6 7. Ncxe4 c5 8. Nxf6+ Nxf6 9.

Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. Be3 Rc8 12. c3 cxd4 13. Qxd4 b6 14. Bd2 Nf6 15. Qxd8+ Rxd8

16. Rd1 Bd6 17. b4 O-O 18. O-O Rd7 19. Kh1 Rfd8 20. Be3 Nd5 21. Rd3 Nxe3 22. Rxe3 Bc7

23. c4 Rd1 (black owes its advantage to the double rooks on the d file and the weak white c4

pawn, which will soon be captured) 24. Re4 R8d4 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. c5 bxc5 27. bxc5 Rc4 28.

Rd1 Rxc5 29. Nf1 Rc2 30. a3 Kf8 31. g3 Ke7 32. Rd2 Rxd2 33. Nxd2 Kd6 34. Kg2 Kd5 35. Kf3

Kd4 36. Ne4 h6 (even if the jump of the white knight onto the g5 square with an attack on f7 and

h7 pawns is allowed, the knight would be distracted and the black king would snatch the white a

pawn and bring the game to an end) 37. Nd2 Kc3 38. Ke3 Bb6+ 39. Ke2 Kb2 40. Nc4+ Kb3 41.

Nd6 Kxa3 42. Nxf7 Bc7! (a quiet move that takes away all possible squares for the white knight

and forcing its exchange and transition to a won pawn ending) 43. Ne5 Bxe5 44. fxe5 Kb2 45. g4

a5 46. g5 a4 0-1

Position on the board before 42…Bc7!


(Belgrade, May 1992, Spanish Game: Closed Variations, Flohr System)


10. d4 Na5 11. Bc2 Qd7 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. Nf1 Rad8 14. a4 bxa4 15. d5 Nb8 16. Bxa4 c6 17.

N3h2 Qc7 18. c4 Nbd7 19. b4! (sharper than, for example, Ng3) cxd5 20. cxd5 Qc4 21. Bc2!

Rc8 22. Bd3 Qd4 23. Be3 Qc3 24. Qb1 Qc7 (the excursion of the black queen through white’s

position only benefited white, as it helped him reorganize the pieces and focus on the weak white

pawn on a6) 25. Bxa6 Bxa6 26. Rxa6 Ra8 27. Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Nd2 Rc8 29. Qb3 Qc2 30. Qxc2

Rxc2 31. Rb1 Bf8 32. b5 Nc5 33. Bxc5 Rxd2 34. Ba7 Nxe4 35. Nf1! (white sacrifices the second

pawn in a row to introduce the knight back into the game) Rxd5 36. Ne3 Rd2 37. b6 Nc5 38. b7

Nd7 (…Nxb7 would extend the game, but the position is still winning for white) 39. Nc4 Rc2 40.

Nb6 Nb8 41. Bxb8 Rc6 42. Ba7 g6 43. b8=Q 1-0 (excellent positional performance and

understanding of the Spanish game, involving the queenside attack, winning of a pawn, then

sacrificing the two in order to give a final tactical blow to the opponent. Per Stockfish 10

evaluation, the position never went out of white’s favor, being in the + range for each move of

the game)

Position on the board before 35. Nf1!


(Belgrade, May 1992, Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. Nc3 Nge7 8. Be2 O-O 9. f4 b6

10. Ndb5 Bb7 11. Nd6 Qc7 (it seems as if black is attracting white to that “dark forest where 2 +

2 = 5” with this tempting move) 12. Ncb5 Qb8 13. Qd2 a6 14. Nxb7 axb5 15. Nd6 bxc4 (black

has indeed emerged from this dark forest and the ensuing exchanges with a decent positional

advantage!) 16. Bxc4 Nc8 (a more active …Na5 seemed better for black) 17. Rd1 Nxd6 18.

Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Bxb2 20. Bxb6 Rfb8! (the game would move toward a more drawish

ending after Bc3+ 21. Ke2 Rab8 22. Be3 Rb2+ 23. Kd3 Bg7 24. Bd2 Rfb8 25. Rxd7 g5 26. g3

g4 27. e5 Nb4+ 28. Bxb4 R2xb4 29. Rd1 Rc8 30. Bb3 Rb6 31. Ke2 Bf8 [not …f5? because of

32. R1d6 Rxd6 33. Rxd6 Re8 34. Rxe6 Rxe6 35. Bxe6+ Kf8 1-0] 32. R1d4 h5 33. Kd3 Bc5 34.

Rd8+ Rxd8 35. Rxd8+ Kg7 36. Kc3 Rb7 37. Kc4 Rc7 38. Kb5 Bg1 39. Rd2 Rb7+ 40. Kc4 Rc7+

41. Kb4 Rb7+ 42. Kc3 Bb6 and so on) 21. Be3 Rb4 22. Bd3 Rb7 23. Bc4 Ra4 24. Bd3 Rxa2 25.

O-O Ba3 26. Bc4 Rc2 27. Rd3 Rxc4 28. Rxa3 Rxe4 29. Rd1 d5 30. Rad3 h5 31. g3 Rb2 32. Bc5

Ree2 33. h4 Rec2 34. Bd6 Kg7! (white’s position is locked and black can begin to introduce the

king to the game, which will have a decisive effect on it) 35. Kf1 Kf6 36. Ke1 Kf5 37. Kf1 Ke4

38. Ke1 d4 39. Ba3 Ra2 40. Bd6 Re2+ 41. Kf1 Re3 42. Rxe3+ dxe3 43. Re1 Nd4 (…Nc2 cannot

be prevented) 0-1

Position on the board after 12…Qb8.


(Belgrade, June 1992, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4

Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. bxc3 e5 13. e4 exd4 14. Qxd4 Nb6 15. Rcd1 Nxc4 16.

Qxc4 Be6 17. Qe2 c5 18. Rd2 Rad8 19. Rfd1 Bg4 20. h3 Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 f5! (a

subtle tactical maneuver will produce a passed pawn for black, which he will eventually convert

to a win. With …f5, a completely draw position is converted to advantageous for black) 23. Re2

(e5! was a better choice: 23…Qxe5 24. Rd7 ½ - ½ ) fxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxf3 25. Rxe7 Rxc3 26.

Rxb7 Ra3 27. Rb2 Kf7 28. f4 Ke6 29. Rc2? (a basic rule of rook endings is for both sides to try

to position the rook behind, not in front of, the advancing pawn. White could have achieved that

with Rb7 instead of Rc2) Kd5 30. Kf2 Kd4 31. Rd2+ Rd3 32. Rc2 c4 33. f5 c3 34. Ke2 Kc4!

(…intuitive Re3+ would lead to a draw by giving the white king room to make its way to the

front of the advancing black pawn with 35. Kd1 Kd3 36. Rf2 Re5 37. Rf3+ Kd4 38. f6 gxf6 39.

Rxf6 Rc5 40. Rf4+ Ke5 41. Rf7 ½ - ½) 35. Ke1 Rd5 36. Rf2 Rb5 37. f6 gxf6 38. Rxf6 Kd3 39.

Rd6+ Kc2 40. Rd7 Kb2 41. Rxa7 c2 42. Rc7 0-1 (A microscopic advantage gained by a simple

tactical exchange is converted to a win in a very dry rook ending thanks to the relative passivity

of the white king and the imperfect positioning of the white rook in one out of twenty moves of

the ending)



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, July 1992, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. f4 (a move that

gives black an advantage via pinning the knight on d4 after …Qb6) Bd7 9. h3 Nc6 10. Nxc6

Bxc6 11. Bd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Rc8 13. Re1 Re8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Rxe4 Qb6+ 16. Kh1 Rc7

(black has been hesitating to play …e5, which would theoretically give him some level of

advantage, but would also push the game into a more tactical reign, which he feared would

benefit white’s style) 17. c3 Qb5 18. a4 Qa6 19. Qf3 Rc4 20. Bd2 Rxe4 21. Qxe4 Qb6 22. b4

Qc7 23. Rc1 e6 24. c4 b6 25. Be3 Qd7 (game is heading toward a quiet and peaceful draw) 26.

dxe6 Qxe6 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. Bf2 Re2 29. Kg1 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation of position: 0.0)

Final position on the board, after 29. Kg1, at which point the opponents agreed to a draw.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, July 1992, Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Be3 Bg7 6. Nc3 e6 7. Qd2 Nge7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-

O-O a6 10. h4 b5 11. a3 b4 12. axb4 Nxb4 13. h5 Qa5 14. Kb1 d5 15. hxg6 fxg6 16. Bh6 Rf7 17.

Bxg7 Rxg7 18. Nb3 Qb6 19. Bf3 Bb7 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Nexd5 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Qd4

Rb7 24. Nc5 Re7 25. Nxe6 Rxe6 26. Qxd5 Rb8 27. b3 a5 28. Qd4 Qb5 29. Rxh7! (it is payback

time for declining the offered queen exchange with 28. Qd4 Qb5) Kxh7 30. Rh1+ Kg8 (… Qh5

loses too after 31. Rxh5+ gxh5 32. Qd7+ and 33. Qxe6) 31. Qh8+ Kf7 32. Rh7#



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, July 1992, French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. f4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bc5 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. c4 Ba6 9. cxd5

Bxf1 10. Rxf1 cxd5 11. Nc3 Qh4+ (…Nh6 seemed better and more composed for black) 12. g3

Qxh2 (a classic rope-a-dope is coming to punch black in the face. White has allured black to

infiltrate his defense with the queen and seemingly begin the process of crushing him, when

things will soon change and white will launch a much stronger counterattack) 13. Qa4+ (Qg4

would be a worse choice because after …Nh6, black would gain a tempo, as the white queen

would have to retreat because the g7 pawn cannot be taken without grave consequences for

white) Kd8 14. Ne2 Ne7 15. f5!! (an excellent idea on how to weaken the bishop on c5) Nxf5 16.

Bg5+ Be7 17. Bd2 (white maneuvers the bishop onto d2 square wherefrom it would guard the

king, but also cut through two open diagonals, particularly a5-e1) Bc5 18. Rxf5 exf5 19. Qa5+

Bb6 (if … Ke8, then 20. Qb5+ Kf8 21. Qxc5+ Kg8 22. Qxd5, with a massive advantage for

white) 20. Qxd5+ Ke7 (if … Kc7, then 21. Rc1+ Kb8 22. Qd6+ Kb7 23. Qc6+ Kb8 24. Qd6+

Kb7 25. Qc6+ Kb8 26. Be3!! Qh1+ 27. Qxh1 Bxe3 1-0) 21. Bb4+ Bc5 22. Bxc5+ Ke8 23. Qc6+

Kd8 24. O-O-O#! (checkmate by castling – a rare sight!)



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, July 1992, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Marshall Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd8 5. Bg5 Bf5 6. e3 Nc6 (…c6 or …h6 were better.

With 6…Nc6, white had the option of playing 7. d5) 7. Nf3 e6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Bb4 10. O-

O Bxc3 11. Qxc3 O-O 12. Rac1 Qd7 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. d5 Qxd5 15. Qxf6 Qh5 16. Rfd1 Rad8

17. h3 Qg6 18. Qxg6+? (a strategically poor choice; namely, white first relinquished a control

over the center and now even fixed black’s broken pawn structure through this queen exchange.

His advantage is lost hereby) hxg6 19. b4! (in this theoretically draw position, white tries to

break the equilibrium) Nxb4 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxc7 Nxa2 22. Rxb7 Ra8 23. Ng5 a5! 24. Nxf7!

(white will prove that black has a point with the pawn sacrifice, but cannot win if white plays

correctly) a4 25. Nd6! a3 26. Ne4 Nb4 27. Nc3 a2 28. Nxa2 Nxa2 (black has a knight for two

pawns, but is that enough to secure win? Theoretically, the advantage is minor, but it seems that

black cannot win so long as white controls the seventh rank and keeps the black king away from

the game) 29. g4 Nc3 30. Kg2 Ne4 31. f4 Ra3 32. Re7 Nc5 33. Rc7 Ne4 34. Re7 Ra6 35. Kf3

Kf8 36. Rb7 Nd2+ 37. Ke2 Nc4 38. Rc7 Nd6 39. Kf3 Ra3 40. h4 Nb5 41. Rd7 Ra6 42. h5 gxh5

43. gxh5 Ra3 44. h6 Kg8 45. Rg7+ Kh8 46. Re7 Nd4+ 47. Ke4 Nc2 48. Rxe6 Rxe3+ 49. Kd5

Rh3 50. f5 Ne3+ 51. Ke4 Ng4 52. Kf4 Nxh6 53. Kg5 Kg7 54. f6+ Kf8 55. Ra6 Nf7+ 56. Kg4

Rd3 57. Ra8+ Rd8 58. Rxd8+ Nxd8 59. f7 Nxf7 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 23… a5!


(Belgrade, July 1992, Nimzo-Indian Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 h6 5. Nf3 d6 6. e4 Bd7 7. Bf4 b6 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10.

Nd2 e5 11. Be3 Na6 12. Kh1 Nc7 13. f3 Qe8 14. g4 Rb8 15. Rg1 Rb7 16. Nf1 Rb8 17. Qd2 Rb7

(the computer makes four passive, meaningless moves in a row with the rook and this will soon

be penalized by white) 18. Bxh6! gxh6 19. Qxh6 Qa8?? (the puzzlingly passive array of

computer moves, as if the program bugged, is crowned by this queen move, a point from which

there is no return) 20. Ne3 Bd8 21. g5 Nfe8 22. g6 fxg6 23. Qxg6+ Ng7 24. Qxg7#


Sargon III - Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, July 1992, King’s Indian Attack: Wahls Defense)

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O Bg7 5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 c6 7. e4 dxe4 8. dxe4 Nbd7 9. Re1

Ng4 10. Nb3 e5 11. Bd2 Qc7 12. Ng5 Ngf6 13. c4 Rd8 14. Qc2 Nf8 15. Ba5 b6 16. Bc3 Ne6 17.

Nf3 Nd7 18. Qe2 Ndc5 19. Red1 Ba6 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 21. Ng5 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. b4

Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Qd7 (the game, apparently, is very equal at this point. The pawn structures are

symmetrical, the center control is divided and there is no asymmetry on any side) 25. Qxd7 Nxd7

26. Bh3 Nf6 27. Bf1 h6 28. Nf3 Nxe4 29. Bxe5 Bxe5 30. Nxe5 c5 31. f3 Nd6 32. bxc5 bxc5 33.

Nd7 Bxc4 34. Bxc4 Nxc4 35. Kf2 f5 36. Ke2 Kf7 37. Nxc5 Ke7 38. Kd3 Ne5+ 39. Ke3 Kd6 40.

Nd3 Nxd3 41. Kxd3 Kd5 42. f4 Kc5 43. Kc3 g5 44. h4? (it is hard to figure out why this move

was the losing one, but it is. It allows the black to gain opposition in the pawn endgame and

converts a game that was dead draw up to this point into a winning position for black) gxf4 45.

gxf4 h5! (black brings white to zugzwang and pulls the white king out of opposition, as the result

of which white will lose the game) 46. Kd3 Kd5! (black takes advantage of the opposition) 47.

Ke3 Kc4 48. Ke2 Kd4 49. Kf3 Kd3 (the power of opposition at work) 50. a3 a6 51. a4 a5 52.

Kf2 Ke4 53. Kg3 Ke3 54. Kg2 Kxf4 55. Kf2 Kg4 56. Ke3 f4+ 57. Kf2 Kxh4 58. Kf3 Kg5 59.

Kg2 Kg4 60. Kf2 f3 0-1

Position on the board before 46…Kd5!

Vuk Uskoković - Miša Čanak (CM, 2200 – 2300)

(Kumbor, July 1992, 2.5 h, Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 f5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Ne5 Nf6 8. e3 O-O 9. Bd3

Nbd7 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. f3? (an opening error that weakens the e3 pawn and will lead to the

loss of a pawn for white and, against one such serious opponent, will cost him the game. Black

will from this point on steadily increase the advantage, as the Stockfish evaluation of the moves

shows) e5! (black recognized the error and the loss of a pawn is inevitable) 12. O-O exd4 13.

exd4 Qe3+ 14. Kh1 Qxd4 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Bc4 Qxc4 18. Qxd7 Qf7 19. Rfd1

Qxd7 20. Rxd7 Rf7 21. Rad1 Re8 22. Kg1 g6 23. a4 Kg7 24. Kf2 Kf6 25. R1d6+ Re6 26. Rxf7+

Kxf7 27. Rd7+ Re7 28. Rd6 Rc7 29. b4 Ke7 30. Rd3 Rd7 31. Rc3 Rd1 32. b5 Kd6 33. bxc6

bxc6 34. Ra3 c5 35. Ke2 Rd4 36. a5 c4 37. Rc3 Ke5 38. Re3+ Kd6 39. Rc3 Kc5 40. Re3 Kb4

41. Re7 a6 42. Rxh7 c3 43. Rc7 Rd2+ 44. Ke1 Rxg2 45. Kd1 Rd2+ 46. Kc1 g5 47. Rb7+ Kxa5

48. Rg7 Kb4 49. Rxg5 Rxh2 50. Rxf5 Kb3 51. Rd5 Rh1+ 52. Rd1 Rxd1+ 53. Kxd1 c2+ 54. Kc1

Kc3! 55. f4 a5 56. f5 a4 57. f6 a3 58. f7 a2 59. f8=Q a1=Q#

Position on the board before 11. f3? e5!

Miša Čanak (CM, 2200 - 2300) – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, July 1992, 2.5 h, Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Qe2+ Qe7 7. Nc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Nf6 9.

b3 d4 10. Nb5 Na6 11. Ne5 Be6 12. Bf3 Bd5 13. O-O Bxf3 14. Rxf3 Nd7 15. c3 Nxe5 16. fxe5

dxc3 17. dxc3 Be7 18. Nd6+ Bxd6 19. exd6 Rd8 20. Bf4 Kd7 21. Re1 Rhe8 22. Rfe3 Rxe3 23.

Rxe3 Re8 24. Kf2 Rxe3 25. Kxe3 Nb8 26. Kd3 Ke6 27. Kc4 b6 28. a4 Nd7 29. b4 a6! 30. g4

Nf6 31. h3 Ne4 32. bxc5 Nxc5 33. a5 Nd7 34. axb6 Nxb6+ 35. Kb3 Nc8 36. Kb4 Nxd6 37. Ka5

Kd5 38. Bxd6 Kxd6 39. Kxa6 Kc5 40. Kb7 h6 (...f6 would have been better) 41. Kc7 g6 42. h4

f5 43. h5 gxh5 44. gxf5 Kd5 45. Kd7 Ke5 46. c4 h4 47. Ke7 h3 (... Kf5? would lead to draw) 48.

f6 h2 49. f7 h1=Q 50. f8=Q Qb7+ 51. Ke8 Qc8+ 52. Kf7 Qxf8+ 53. Kxf8 h5! (... Kd4? leads to

draw) 54. c5 Kd5 0-1

Position on the board before 53… h5!


(Kumbor, July 1992, 2.5 h, King’s Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense)

1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nf6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. Qd2 e5 8. d5 Ne8 9. g4 f5 10.

gxf5 gxf5 11. O-O-O f4 12. Bf2 b6 13. Nh3 a5 14. a4 Nc5 15. Kc2 Bd7 16. b3 Bf6 17. Rg1+

Kh8 18. Be1 Bh4 19. Bxh4 Qxh4 20. Qg2 Bxh3 21. Qxh3 Qxh3 22. Bxh3 Nf6 23. Rd2 Rg8 24.

Rxg8+ Rxg8 25. Rg2 Rxg2+ 26. Bxg2 Kg7 27. Bf1 h6 28. b4? axb4 29. Nb5 Ne8 30. Na7 Kf7

31. Nc6 b3+! 32. Kc3 Nf6 33. a5 bxa5 34. Nxa5 Nfxe4+!! 35. fxe4 Nxe4+ 36. Kb2 Nd2 37. Be2

f3 38. Bxf3 Nxf3 39. h3 e4 40. Nxb3 e3 41. Nc1 Ng1 42. Kc2 Nxh3 43. Kd3 Kf6 44. Kxe3 Ng5

45. Ne2 Nf7 46. Ng3 Ne5 47. c5 Kg5 48. cxd6 Nc4+ 49. Kd4 Nxd6 50. Kc5 Kf4 51. Nf1? (Nh5+

was better) Ke5 52. Ne3 h5 53. Kc6 h4 54. Kxc7 Nc4? (...h3 wins for black) 55. Nxc4+ Kxd5

56. Ne3+ Ke4 57. Nf1 ½ - ½ (this attractive game exemplifies the advantage that the knight pair

has over a knight and a bishop in a materially equal endgame with a large number of pawns, in

this case 7, and pawn blockades)

Position on the board before 34… Nfxe4!!


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h,

English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen’s Knight Variation)

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O e5 7. e4 c5 8. d3 Ne8 9. Nd5 Nc7

10. Nxc7 Qxc7 11. Ne1 Nc6 12. f4 Nd4 13. Nc2 Nxc2 14. Qxc2 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Bd5+ Kh8

17. Be4 exf4 18. Bxf4 Bxe4 19. dxe4 Bd4+ 20. Kg2 Be5 21. Rad1 Rad8 22. b3 Kg8 23. Qd3

Bd4 24. Bh6 Rxf1 25. Rxf1 Qe7 ½ - ½ (During the course of this game, no side exceeded 0.5

advantage per Stockfish 10 evaluation. The ability to play for such solid, lackluster draws as

black was one sign of my improvement as a player over the period of time covered in this

collection)

Final position of the game, after 25…Qe7, at which point the players agreed to a draw.


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, Benoni Defense, Hromádka System)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e4 exd5 6. exd5 g6 7. b3?! (finachettos on opposites can

lead to dangerous discoveries, especially on an open board, as white will soon experience) Bg7

8. Rb1 O-O 9. Nf3 Bf5 10. Bd3 Re8+ 11. Ne2 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Qe7 13. Bb2 Nh5 14. g3!

(blocking the king from further infiltrating white’s territory. White has repelled the brief pressure

of black pieces and regained the minor advantage of the first move) Bxb2 15. Rxb2 Nd7 16. O-O

Ne5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Nc3 f5 19. Re2 Qf6 20. Rfe1 Ng7 21. Nb5 Rxe2 22. Rxe2 a6 23. Nc7

Rc8 24. Ne6 Re8 25. h4! (obliged to play for win as white, white sacrifices the d pawn to regain

one extra pawn and seek a chance to win in a difficult queens ending. If 25. Nxg7 Rxe2 26. Qxe2

Kxg7 27. a3 b6 28. b4 f4, the game would be a complete draw) Nxe6 26. dxe6 Rxe6 27. Qd5

Kf7 28. Rxe6 Qxe6 29. Qxb7+ Kf6 30. Qxa6 Qe1+ 31. Kg2 Qe4+ 32. Kh2 Qd4 33. Kg1 f4 34.

Qb7 fxg3 35. Qf3+ Kg7 36. Qxg3! (the two isolated pawns on f and h files are more convenient

for hiding the king from perpetual checks) Qa1+ 37. Kg2 Qxa2 38. Qxd6 Qxb3 39. Qxc5 Qb7+

40. Kg3 Qe4 41. Qd5 Qe1 42. Qd4+ Kf7 43. c5 h6 44. Qd7+ Kf6 45. Qd6+ Kf7 46. c6 Qg1+ 47.

Kf3 Qh1+ 48. Kg3 Qg1+ 49. Kf3 Qh1+ 50. Ke2 Qe4+ 51. Kd2 Qxh4 52. c7 Qxf2+ 53. Kc3

Qe1+ 54. Kc4 Qc1+ 55. Kb5 Qf1+ 56. Kb6 Qb1+ 57. Kc6 Qc2+ 58. Qc5 Qa4+ 59. Qb5 Qa8+

60. Kb6 Qc8 61. Qd5+ Ke7 62. Qc6 Kf7 63. Ka7 Ke7 64. Qb7 Kd7 65. Kb6 g5 66. Qc6+ Ke7

67. Qxh6 Kf7 68. Qxg5 Qe6+ 69. Kc5 Qh3 70. Qd5+ Kg7 71. Kc6 Kf6 72. Kb6 Qe3+ 73. Kb7

1-0



(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, Queen’s Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 c5 5. c3 c4 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Bg3 (white has neglected to play

somewhat stronger b3) O-O 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. e4 Bc7 10. e5 Nd7 11. h4 (white weakens the

kingside and black, correctly, immediately opens up the f file) f5 (…f6 was better for black

because after 11…f5, white could have played Ng5!) 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. Be5 Ng4! (an excellent

position for the black knight. Albeit undefended, it will rest in the g4 square for the next six

moves, before giving the key tactical blow to the opponent) 14. Ng5 g6 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. Ndf3

e5! (time to open up the center and the bishop diagonal) 17. dxe5 Ncxe5 18. O-O-O? (the key

error, allowing for an effective tactical combination that would bring black considerable material

advantage) Nxf3! 19. Nxf3 Qf4+ 20. Qd2 (Kb1 is worse because of …Bf5 0-1) Nxf2 21. Bxc4

dxc4 22. Qxf4 Rxf4 23. Rd8+ Rf8 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Rf1 Nd3+ 26. Kd2 Ke7 27. Ng5 Be6 28.

b3 b5 29. Rf3 Rd8 30. Re3 Rd6 31. bxc4 Ne5+ 32. Kc2 Nxc4 33. Re2 Kd7 34. Nxh7 Bf5+ 0-1

Position on the board before 18. O-O-O? Nxf3! 19. Nxf3 Qf4+ 20. Qd2 Nxf2.


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, Normal Line)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9.

Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Nc6 12. a3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. exd4 Be6 15. Rc1 Rac8 16.

Qd2 g6 17. Ba6 Rc7 18. Rxc7 Qxc7 19. Rc1 Qb8 20. Qc3 Qf4 21. Rc2 h5 22. Qd2 Qxd2 23.

Rxd2 Bc8 24. Bd3 Bd7 (up to this point white has maintained the minor, first move advantage

for almost every move, but from this point on, every move has 0.0 evaluation by Stockfish 10)

25. f4 Rc8 26. Rc2 Kg7 27. Rxc8 Bxc8 28. Kf2 Kf6 29. g3 Bf5 30. Be2 Be4 31. h4 Kf5 32. Ke3

f6 33. Bd1 Ke6 34. Be2 Kd6 35. Bb5 Kc7 36. b4 a5 37. Be2 axb4 38. axb4 Kc6 39. b5+ Kd6 40.

Bd1 Ke6 41. Be2 Kf5 42. Bd1 Bb1 43. Bf3 Ba2 44. Be2 Ke6 45. Bd3 Kf7 ½ - ½ (another one of

the games that is like a placid sea from the beginning to end)

Position on the board before 25. f4, at which point the players could have agreed to a draw.


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. Nd2 e6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bd3 c5 9.

c3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Be7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. h4 h5 13. Bg5 g6 14. O-O-O Nh7 15. Bh6 Re8 16.

Nxe6! Qb6! (if…Bxe6, then 17. Nxg6! This knight cannot be captured with …fxg6 because of

Qxe6+ 1-0, but there is a move that defends black and even gives him an advantage: 17…Qb6!,

forcing white to exchange queens after 18. Qxh5 Qxh5) 17. Nf4 Bf5!! 18. Bxf5 Bg5! 19. Qxe8+

Rxe8 20. hxg5 gxf5 (…Qxf2! was even better for black at this point) 21. Nxh5 Re2 22. Rd2

Rxd2 23. Kxd2 Qxb2+ 24. Kd3 Qxf2 25. Rd1 Qxg2 0-1

Position on the board before 17… Bf5!! 18. Bxf5 Bg5!


(Kumbor, August 7, 1992, 2.5 h, Queen’s Gambit Declined: Neo-Orthodox Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Nbd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. cxd5

Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. O-O a6 12. Ne4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 b5 14. Rc1 Ne5 15. Bb1 Bb7 16. Qh5

Nc4 17. g4 Rc8 18. g5 Qd5 19. f3? Nf5? (... Ne3 was better) 20. Nf6+! (one of the dearest moves

of my chess youth) gxf6 21. Nxf5 exf5 22. gxf6 Nd6? (...Qe5 was better and gave black the

advantage) 23. Rcd1 Qe5 24. Qxh6 Ne8 25. Kh1 Qxf6 26. Rg1+ Qg6 27. Rxg6+ fxg6 28. Qxg6+

Ng7 29. Rd7 1-0 (#6)

Position on the board before 20. Nf6+!


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, King’s Indian Attack: Symmetrical Defense)

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d4 d6 6. c4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 Re8 8. e4 e5 9. dxe5

Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Bg5 c6 13. Rad1 Be6 14. b3 h6 15. Be3 Ng4! (black

gives a7 pawn to gain control over the d file and infiltrate the second rank with his rook) 16.

Rxd8+ Rxd8 17. Bxa7 Rd3 18. Na4 Rd2 19. h3 Rxa2! (a tactical knight sacrifice in order to

enforce the rook and opposite colored bishop ending with equal material, usually a draw) 20.

hxg4 b5 21. Nc5 Rxa7 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Rd1 bxc4 24. bxc4 c5 25. Rd6 Kf7 26. Rc6 Bf8 27.

g5!! (white’s rationale in this ending is to rely on the defective pawn structure of black and with

27.g5!! a pawn is sacrificed to weaken this structure even more; out of five pawns, black now

has a pair of doubled pawns and an isolated one, Until the end of the game, white will try to

capitalize on this weakness) hxg5 28. Bh3 Kg7 29. Bxe6 Re7 30. Bd5 Ra7 31. Kg2 Rd7 32. Kf3

Ra7 33. Kg4 Be7 34. Re6 Bf6 35. Re8 Re7 36. Rg8+ Kh7 37. Rc8 Kg7 38. Rxc5 Ra7 39. Rc8

Be7 40. c5 Kf6 41. c6 Bd6 42. Re8 Be7 43. Rc8 Bd6 44. Rd8 Be7 45. Re8 Rc7 46. Kf3 Kg7 47.

Ke2 Bd6 48. Kd3 Ra7 49. Kc4 Kh6 (...Ra5 was better) 50. Rd8 Ra4+ 51. Kb5 Bc7? 52. Rd7?

(Rh8+ was winning for white) Ra5+ 53. Kb4 Ra7 54. g4 (Rxc7! was winning for white) Ba5+

55. Kc5 Rxd7 (black has exchanged rooks with white and the path toward draw is now paved)

56. cxd7 Kg7 57. Kc6 Kf6 58. Kb7 Ke7 59. Kc8 Bd8 60. Bf7 Ba5 61. Bxg6 Bb6 62. Kb7 Bd8

63. Kc6 Ke6 64. Bf5+ Ke7 65. Kd5 Bc7 66. d8=Q+ Bxd8 67. Kxe5 Bc7+ 68. Kd5 Kf6 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 19.... Rxa2.


(Kumbor, August 1992, 2.5 h, Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation)

1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. c4 e6 (sharper …d4 is much better for black) 5. Nf3 Be7 6. d4

O-O 7. Be2 Re8 8. O-O Nb8 9. Nc3 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nd4 Nbd7 13. Rc1 Bb6

14. Na4 Ba5 15. a3 a6 16. b4 Bc7 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. bxc5 Ne4 19. Nf3 Be6 20. Qd4 f6 21. Rfd1

Rc8 22. h3 Bb8 (black is defending well and a minor positional advantage white had around

move 12 is now completely neutralized) 23. Bd3 Ba7 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Qxe4 Qc7 26. Qh4 Qe7

27. c6! Rxc6 28. Rxc6 bxc6 29. Qa4 Qb7 30. Bd4 Bb3 31. Rb1 Bxa4 32. Rxb7 Bxd4 33. Nxd4

Bb5 (…c5 was a more open and aggressive option for black, but with …Bb5 black announces

that he will lock the position and aim for draw. White has a minor advantage because of better

positioning of the white rook compared to its black analogue, but theoretically the position is

draw) 34. Nf5 g6 35. Nh6+ Kh8 36. Nf7+ Kg8 37. Nh6+ Kh8 38. Nf7+ ½ - ½

Position on the board before 30.... Bb3.


(Kumbor, August 1992, Hungarian Opening)

1. g3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. Bg2 e5 4. d3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O f5 7. e3 Nf6 8. exd4 cxd4? 9. Re1 (Nxe5

was possible too) Bd6 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Nbd2 Qe8 12. Nh4 h6 13. Bxf6 Rxf6 14. f4 g5 15. fxe5

Nxe5 16. Nhf3 Nxf3+ 17. Nxf3 Re6 18. Qd2 Bc5 19. b4 Bf8 20. Nxd4 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Qd8 22.

Ne6 Bxe6 23. Rxe6 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Rd8 25. Bxb7 Qxd3 26. Qxd3 Rxd3 27. c5 Rd1+ 28. Kg2

Rd2+ 29. Kf3 Kf7 30. Ra6 Rb2 31. a3 Rxh2 32. c6 Bd6 33. Rxa7? (an erroneous move by white,

which could have cost him the lost opportunity to win. Correct move was 33. Bc8 and white is

winning after …Rh3 34. Bxf5 Rxg3+ 35. Ke4 Bb8 36. c7 Bxc7 37. Rxa7 Rc3 38. a4 Kf6 39.

Ra6+ Ke7 40. Kd5 Rb3 41. b5 h5 42. Ra7 Kd8 43. Ra8+ Ke7 44. Ra7 Kd8 45. Kc6 Rc3+ 46.

Kb7 Ke7 47. Ra8 h4 48. a5 h3 49. a6 h2 50. Rh8 Rc1 51. a7 h1=Q+ 52. Rxh1 Rxh1 53. a8=Q

Bf4 54. Qg8) g4+ (it was difficult to see why this was a losing move, but, in short, it enabled the

upcoming 35. c7. This move could have been prevented with simple …Kf6 and the game would

probably end in a draw) 34. Ke3 Bxg3 35. c7 Bxc7 36. Bd5+ Kf6 37. Rxc7 Rh3+ 38. Kf4 Rxa3

39. Rc6+ Kg7 40. Kxf5 g3 41. Rc7+ Kf8 42. Kf6 Ra6+ 43. Rc6 Ra8 44. b5 h5 45. b6 1-0

Position on the board before 35. c7.

Vuk Uskoković – Vanja Al Halidi (Class C, Elo 1400 – 1600)

(Kumbor, August 1992, Spanish Game: Berlin Defense, Beverwijk Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Re1 O-O 7. c3 d5? (leaves the e5 pawn

undefended. Bb6 was a better option) 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Bxc6 Qxc6 10. Nxe5 Qd6 11. d4 Bb6 12.

Bf4 Bf5 13. Ng6! Qd7 14. Re7 Qc6 15. Rxc7! (an array of fine tactical combinations is crowned

by this temporary rook sacrifice) Bxc7 16. Ne7+ Kh8 17. Nxc6 1-0

Position on the board before 15. Rxc7!

Vanja Al Halidi (Class C, Elo 1400 – 1600) - Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1992, Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack)

1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d3 g6 5. Ng5 e6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Bf4 O-O 8. e5 (Bb3 or O-O was

better for white) dxe5 9. Bxe5 Nc6 10. Bf4 h6 11. Nge4 Nxe4 12. dxe4 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Qd2

Ne5 15. Bd3 Nxd3 16. cxd3 h5 17. Nb5 a6 (black missed a much better move here: …Ba6, with

a discovery on the weak white d3 pawn) 18. Nd6 Qe7 19. e5 f6 20. Nxb7 fxe5! (winning a pawn

through this tactical trickery and this extra pawn will prove to be decisive in the upcoming rook

ending) 21. Bh6 Qxb7 22. Rfe1 Qd5 23. Qg5 Rf6 24. Rxe5 Qxd3 25. g3 Rd8 (…Rxf2! Was

possible here too, followed by 26. Kxf2 Qd4+ and 27…Qxe5) 26. Rf1 Rd5 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28.

Rxd5 exd5 29. Qe3 Qe4? (strange move, when …Qxe3 was more sensible, creating an isolated

white pawn and keeping the black pawn structure connected rather than vice versa) 30. Qxe4

dxe4 31. Kg2 Rd6 32. Re1 Rd2 33. Rxe4 Rxb2 34. Re7+ Kf6 35. Rb7 Ke5 36. a3 c4 37. Rd7 c3

38. Rd1 c2 39. Rc1 Kd4 40. Kf1 Rb1 0-1

Position on the board before 20… fxe5!

Nikola Novaković – Vuk Uskoković


1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. d3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nge7 6. Be2 Bd7 7. O-O g6 8. c3 Bg7 9. a4 O-O 10.

Na3 a6 11. Qc2 f6 12. d4 cxd4 13. cxd4 Rc8 14. Qb3 Rf7 15. Qxb7 Rb8 (white queen is

threatened potential confinement for the cost of grabbing the pawn on a6) 16. Qxa6 Nb4 17. Qa7

(advanced computers and 19th Century humans would play Qd6, as analyses show that the queen

is perfectly safe on this square, but no 20th Century human would dare play this) Rb6 (…Nc6

appears stronger) 18. Nb5 (a5 was better; with Nb5, black takes over the advantage and

maintains it until the end of the game) Nec6 19. Qc7 Qxc7 20. Nxc7 Nc2 21. Rb1 N6xd4 22.

Bb5 Bxb5 23. Nxb5 Nxb5 24. axb5 Rxb5 25. Rf2 Nb4 26. Nd4 Rb6 27. Rd2 fxe5 28. fxe5 Bxe5

29. Nf3 Bf4 30. Re2 Bxc1 31. Rxc1 Nd3 32. Rc8+ Rf8 33. Rxf8+ Kxf8 34. Ng5 Rxb2 35.

Nxe6+ Kg8 (white needed not fear a nasty discovery by drawing 35…Ke7, which would be more

active and centralizing for the king than 35…Kg8) 36. Rxb2 Nxb2 (black king is very far from

the center and the position is a theoretical draw) 37. Kf2 h6 38. Nf4 d4 39. Nxg6 Kf7 40. Ne5+

Ke6 41. Nf3 Kd5 42. Ke2 d3+ 43. Ke3 Kc4 44. Nd2+ Kc3 45. Nf3 Nc4+ 46. Kf2 (a crucial

moment that cost white the game. Counterintuitive Kf4! was the correct move that would ensure

draw, whereas Kf2 immediately loses) Ne5! 0-1

Position on the board before 46.... Ne5!

Vuk Uskoković - Nikola Novaković


1. e4 e6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Ne7 5. Be3 O-O 6. Qd2 b6 7. O-O-O d6 8. h4 f5 9. f3 e5 10.

d5 f4 11. Bf2 Nd7 12. Nge2 Ba6 13. b3 Nc5 14. Rh3 Kf7 15. g3 fxg3 16. Nxg3 h5 17. Be2 Rh8

18. Rg1 Bc8 19. Rh2 Bh6 20. Be3 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 Rg8 (…Qf8 may have been better for black)

22. f4 exf4 23. Qxf4+ Kg7 (…Ke8 brings about an even quicker end to black because 24. Nxh5!

also follows and then 24… gxh5 25. Rxg8 Nxg8 26. Bxh4+ Kd7 27. Qf5+ Ne6 28. Qxe6#) 24.

Nxh5+! Kh7 25. Qf7+ (Nf6+ is equally winning) Kh8 26. Nf6 Rg7 27. h5!! Rxf7 28. hxg6+ Kg7

29. Ne8+!! Qxe8 30. gxf7+ Kxf7 31. Bh5+ Kf6 32. e5+ Kxe5 33. Re2+ Kd4 34. Nb5+ Kd3 35.

Rd1#

Position on the board before 27. h5!!




1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 e6 7. Bc4 Nge7 8. Qd2 b6 9. h4

Bb7 10. h5 Qc7 (O-O or Rc8 was much better. After …Qc7, white’s positional advantage

becomes immense) 11. Ndb5 Qb8 12. Nd6+ Kf8 13. O-O-O Ne5 14. h6 Bf6 15. Bb3 N7c6 16. f4

Ng4 17. Nxf7! (black is crammed by white’s initiative and times has come for an effective

sacrifice) Nxe3 (distracts the white queen from the d file. If …Kxf7, then 18. Qxd7+ Kf8 19.

Qxe6 1-0) 18. Qxe3 Kxf7 19. Rxd7+ Be7 (if … Ke8, then another effective combination comes:

20. Rhd1 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Bc8 22. Qd2 Rf8 23. e5 Rxf4 24. Rd8+! Nxd8 25. Qxd8+ Kf7 26.

Qh8!! (the black bishop has nowhere to go and the black queen are the rook a8 must remain in

custody) Rf5 27. Rd8 Qxe5 28. Qf8#) 20. f5 Ke8 21. fxe6 Qe5 22. Nd5!! (a quiet queen

sacrifice) Bg5 23. Nc7+ Kf8 (…Qxc7 would not help black either because after 24. Qxg5 Qe5

25. Qd2 Rf8 26. Rd1, white’s advantage would still be enormous) 24. Rf1+ Bf6 25. Qc3 Qxc3

26. bxc3 Ne5 27. e7#

Position on the board before 17. Nxf7! Position on the board before 22. Nd5!!


(30 min, Kumbor, August 1992,

King’s Gambit: Falkbeer Countergambit, Hinrichsen Gambit)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. Nxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Bxc3+ 9.

bxc3 Bf5 10. O-O f6 11. Nd4 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Qd7 13. Ba3 fxe5 14. fxe5 Rxf1+ 15. Rxf1 Nbc6

16. e6 Qe8 17. Rf7 (a fancy combination initiated by white, but it fails to give him an advantage;

quite contrarily, black gains the advantage at this point and maintains it until the end of the

game) Ne5 18. Qe2 Nxf7 19. exf7+ Qxf7 20. Qxe7 Re8 21. Qxf7+ Kxf7 22. Kf2 a6 23. Bb4 Rc8

24. Nf5 g6 25. Ne3 c5 26. Ba5 Ke6 27. c4 dxc4 28. Nxc4 b5 29. Nd2 c4 30. Ne4 Kd5 31. Nc3+

Kc5 32. a3 Re8 33. Bb4+ Kd4 34. g4 (a4 was better at this point) Ra8 35. Ba5 Kd3 36. h4 Rf8+

(the first opportunity for black to make a winning combination thanks to the better positioning of

its king failed. It would have been 36…b4 37. Bxb4 a5 38. Bd6 Kxc3 0-1) 37. Kg3 Rf1 38. Nd5

Rc1 39. Nb4+ Kd4 40. Bb6+ Ke4 41. Nxa6 Kd3 (the second opportunity was missed with

41…Rc3+ and 42…Rxa3 0-1) 42. Nb4+ Ke4 43. Kf2 c3 44. Ke2 Rh1 45. Bd8 Rg1 (the third

opportunity missed here with 45…Rh2+ 46. Kf1 Kf3 47. Bb6 c2 0-1) 46. Bf6 Rxg4 47. Bxc3

Rxh4 48. Na6 Rh2+ 49. Kf1 Kd5 (…Kf3 50. Kg1 Rc2 51. Be1 Rc1 52. Kf1 h5 was a more

correct way of proceeding for black) 50. Nc7+ Kc6 51. Ne6 Kd6 52. Nd4 Kd5 53. Nxb5 Kc4 54.

a4 Ra2 55. Be1 Rxa4 56. Nd6+ Kd5 57. Bg3? (Nb5 was better) Ra2 (fourth opportunity missed

with 57…Rg4 58. Bh2 Rh4 59. Bg3 Rh3) 58. Ne8 Ke6 59. Nc7+ Kf5 60. Nd5 g5 61. Kg1 h5 62.

Bf2 g4 63. Kg2? Ra3 (due to time trouble, black did not realize that black bishop was pinned and

that h5-h4 was possible) 64. Ne3+ Kg5 65. Nc4 Rb3 66. Nd2 Ra3 67. Nc4 Rc3 68. Nd2 Kf4 69.

Nf1 Kg5 70. Be3+ Kf5 71. Bf2 Rc8 72. Ng3+ Kg5 73. Ne4+ Kf4 74. Nf6 Rh8 75. Nd5+ Ke5 76.

Ne7 Rh7 77. Ng6+ Kf6 78. Nh4 Kg5 79. Kg3 ½ - ½ (An exhaustive endgame in which black had

an advantage and a number of opportunities to win the game, but white defended well and found

a draw position despite the double passed pawns he had to defend against)

Final position of the game, after 79. Kg3, at which point draw was agreed on.


(15 min, Kumbor, August 1992, Bird Opening: Dutch Variation)

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. c4 d4 5. exd4 cxd4 6. d3 Bg4 7. Be2 e5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. fxe5

Bb4+ 10. Nd2 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Ne7 12. O-O Qc7 13. Nf3 (Ne4 would be even better, as …Qxe5

is tempting, but devastating for black after 14. Bf4 Qe6 15. a3! and so on) Nc6 14. a3 Be7 15. b4

O-O-O (O-O would be more sensible given the advancing wall of white pawns on the queenside)

16. Ng5! (eyes are now focused on the queenside, yet white gives away a pawn in the center and

enters through the kingside!) Nxe5 17. Nxf7 Nxf7 18. Rxf7 Rde8 19. Qf2 (Bf4 Qe7 20. Qe5 Bd5

21. Qxd6 Qxd6 22. Bxd6 is winning too for white) Rhf8 20. Qf5+ Qd7 21. Qxd7+ Kxd7 22.

Rxg7 Kc8 23. Rxh7 Bxb4 24. Bb2? (Bh6 was better) Re2 (black misses …Bc3! with high

prospects for draw) 25. Bxd4 Bxa3 26. Rf1 Rg8 27. Rff7 Rgxg2+ (...Rexg2+ is not significantly

better, as it would lead to a winning rook endgame with two passed pawns for white after 28.

Kf1 Bd6 29. Rxb7 Rxh2 30. Rxh2 Kxb7 31. Rh7+ Kc6 32. Bxa7) 28. Kf1 Rxh2 29. Rc7+ Kb8

30. Rxb7+ Kc8 31. Rhc7+ Kd8 32. Bf6+ Ke8 33. Rb8#

Position on the board before 27. Rff7.


(Kumbor, August 1992, King’s Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. Be3 a6 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qc2

Ne8 10. Ng5 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 e5 12. Nf3 f5 13. d5! (setting the base for the future outpost for

white knights are e6) fxe4 14. Nxe4 Nef6 15. Neg5 Re8 16. Ne6 Qc8 17. Nfg5 Nf8 18. f4! exf4

(…d4 is not ideal because of 19. Nxg7 Kxg7 20. Bd4) 19. Rxf4! h6 20. Nxg7 Kxg7 (…hxg6 is

not any better for black because 21. Rxf6 follows) 21. Rxf6!! Kxf6 (if …hxg5, then 22. Raf1

Kh6 23. Bxg5+! Kxg5 24. Qd2+ Kh5 25. h3 is only one of many winning combinations for

white) 22. Rf1+ (Bd4+ is possible too, followed by …Kxg5 23. h4+ Kxh4 24. g3+ Kxg3 25.

Qg2+ #10) Kg7 23. Bd4+ Kg8 24. Rf7!! (an attractive queen sacrifice to end the game with)

Rxe2 25. Rg7+ Kh8 26. Nf7#

Position on the board before 21. Rxf6!!

Vuk Uskoković – A. Simić (Class A, Elo 1800 – 2000)

(Kumbor, August 1992, French Defense: Mediterranean Defense)

1. d4 e6 2. e4 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. c4 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ne7 7. f4 d6 8. Nf3 Nbc6

(…dxe5 seems better for black) 9. Be2 (more aggressive d5 favors white here by forcing the

retreat of the knight back to b8 and winning space in the center) O-O 10. O-O Nf5 11. g4 Nh4

12. Nxh4 Qxh4 13. Nc3 dxe5 14. dxe5 Qe7 15. Rad1 a6 16. Ne4 b6 17. g5 (limiting the range of

movements for the black queen. It weakens the f5 square and makes it an ideal one for the black

knight, but its coming to it is a mission impossible with the current positioning of the black

pieces) Bb7 18. Qe3 Nb4 19. Bf3! (a quiet move with strong repercussions, threatening 20.

Nf6+! if the sacrificed pawn on a2 is captured by the black knight or 20. c5! otherwise, thus

practically enforcing the exchange of the black bishop, black’s strongest piece, for white’s knight

and creating an important positional advantage for white) Bxe4 20. Bxe4 (the centrality of the

white knight and the open diagonals make it much more powerful than the black knight) Rad8?

(loses the knight after the following move. 20...a6 or 20…Nxa2 were better, but white would

retain a major positional advantage. Even after 20…Nxa2, the situation would not change. The

advancement of the white pawns in the center and the kingside and the control of the d file

limited black’s activity and its only logical target was queenside, yet the poor positions of the

black pieces predispose that action for failure too, as demonstrated by the capture of the black

knight) 21. a3 a5 22. axb4 Qxb4 23. b3 g6 24. Bc2 Kg7 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Rd1 Rxd1+ 27. Bxd1

Qc5 28. Qxc5 bxc5 29. Kf2 h6 30. Ke3 hxg5 31. fxg5 Kh7 32. b4 axb4 33. Kd3 Kg7 34. Kc2

Kf8 35. Kb3 Ke7 36. Ka4 c6 37. Ka5 1-0

Position on the board before 19. Bf3!

Vuk Uskoković – A. Simić (Class A, Elo 1800 – 2000)

(Kumbor, August 1992, Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto)

1. Nf3 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Ne7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 c6 7. Nc3 d6 8. Bf4 c5 9. e3 Nbc6 10.

d5 exd5 11. cxd5 Nb4 12. a3! (a similar motive appears as in the previous game against Sima,

namely white offers a pawn for an exchange of the black bishop at g7, which proves to be bad

for black) Bxc3 13. bxc3 Nbxd5 14. Bh6 Re8 15. c4 (e4 was safer) Nc7 16. Bg5 Kg7 17. Qd2

Rf8 18. e4 f6 (…Ne6 may have been more active, but rook on f8 is not savable) 19. Bh6+ Kf7

20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. Rfd1 Bg4 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 Kf7 24. h3 Bxf3 25. Bxf3 Ne6 26. Rb1

Nd4 27. Bg2 Rb8 28. Rd7 b5 29. cxb5 Rxb5 30. Rxb5 Nxb5 31. a4 Ke6 32. Rxe7+ 1-0

Position on the board before 12. a3!



1. d4 e6 2. e4 b6 3. c4 Bb7 4. Nc3 h6 (too passive, …Bb4 was better) 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 c6 7. O-

O d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. cxd5 Bxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Re1 Nc6 12. a3 (as passive as black’s

earlier …h6; Be4 was much better) Nf6 (…Nxd4 would be bad because of 15. Be4) 13. Be3 O-O

14. h3 (this third passé, “caveman” approach to blocking the b/g 4/6 squares in this game is the

most meaningful, as will be obvious soon) Rad8 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. Qd2 Qd7 17. g4 (hence the

point of earlier h2-h3) Nd5 18. Bxh6! gxh6 19. Qxh6 f5 (no better move was out there for black)

20. Rxe6 Rf6 21. Rxf6 Nxf6 22. Bxf5 Qc7 23. Be6# (The advantage for white was gained early

in the opening and preserved throughout every move of the game)


Vuk Uskoković - Nikola Novaković & A. Simić (consultants)

(Kumbor, August 1992, Philidor Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f6 4. d5 c6 5. c4 c5 6. Nc3 a6 7. Be3 Ne7 8. Be2 Ng6 9. g3 Nd7 10. Qd2

Nb6 11. O-O-O Bd7 12. Ne1 Ba4 13. b3 Bd7 14. Nd3 a5 15. a4 Nc8 16. f4 Qb6 17. Kb2 f5 18.

fxe5 dxe5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Nf2 Bd6 21. Bd3 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 O-O 23. Nfe4 Qd8 24. Bxc5

(blacks’ c5 pawn is finally captured and their position crumbles promptly) Bxc5 25. Nxc5 Qb6

26. N3e4 Rf7 27. Rhf1 Nd6 28. Nxd6 Qxd6 29. Rxf7 Kxf7 30. Rf1+ Kg8 31. Ne4! (taking the b7

pawn would lose the knight after 31…Qb4. Ne4 attacks the queen, gains the tempo and also

opens the path for the passed d pawn) Qb4 32. d6 Rd8 33. Qd5+ Kh8 34. Ng5 Qxd6 (perhaps a

deliberate blunder in a desperate position to give white a chance for an attractive checkmate) 35.

Nf7+ Kg8 36. Nh6+ Kh8 37. Qg8+! Rxg8 38. Nf7# (The advantage was steadily accrued as the

game progressed, never dropping in black’s favor and constantly increasing on the + side of the

Stockfish 10 evaluation range)

Final position of the game, after 38. Nf7#.


(Kumbor, August 1992, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Slav Gambit)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 b5 4. a4 c6 5. Qc2! (a rather unorthodox way of punishing black for

defending the captured pawn in the queen’s gambit; 5. axb5 cxb5 followed by 6. Nc3 or b3 are

more common approaches) e6 6. Nc3 Bd7 7. Ne5 Bb4 8. axb5 cxb5 9. Qe4 (the early shift of the

queen to c2 now becomes meaningful) Na6 10. Nxd7 Kxd7 11. Rxa6 Nf6 12. Qc6+ Ke7 13. e3

Rb8 14. Rxa7+ Kf8 15. Be2 Nd5 16. Bd2 g6 17. Nxd5 Bxd2+ 18. Kxd2 exd5 19. Bf3 Kg7 20.

Bxd5 Rf8 21. Qe6 Kh6 22. Rxf7 Qa5+ 23. Ke2 Rxf7 24. Qxf7 c3 25. h4 cxb2 26. g4 Qa2 27.

g5+ Kh5 28. Bf3# (It is widely known that black, if accepting the queen’s gambit, is never to

defend the capture pawn on c4 or else he runs into serious trouble, as this game very nicely

exemplifies. Although white regained material advantage fairly quickly, he practically played

without the rook on h1, needing it not to checkmate the opponent in less than 30 moves)

Position on the board before 5. Qc2!

Nikola Novaković – Vuk Uskoković

(Kumbor, August 1992, Bishop’s Opening: Berlin Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Qf3 c6 6. Nc3 Be6 7. Nxd5 Bxd5 8. Bxd5 cxd5 9.

c4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Kxd2 dxc4 12. Qxb7 Qxd3+ (though logical, this is a bad move

because there is neither a good square to check the white king after he retreats to e1 nor is there a

white piece to capture plus the white rook on a8 is now left defenseless. Nd7 was much better)

13. Ke1 O-O 14. Rd1 Qc2 (…Qg6 was better) 15. Qxa8 Qxb2 16. Rd2 Qc1+ 17. Rd1 Qb2 18.

Qf3 c3 19. Qe3 c2 20. Rc1 Nc6 21. Ne2 Nb4 22. Qb3 Rd8! (black is technically still at a

considerable disadvantage, but is trying hard to pull himself up) 23. Qxb2 Nd3+ 24. Kf1 (Kd2

was possible too, as white need not fear getting dragged to higher ranks via repetitive checks)

Nxb2 25. f3?? (Ng3 was a move allowing white to retain the advantage. With f3??, he gets lost

and black, surprisingly, wins the game) Rd1+ 26. Kf2 Nd3+ 27. Kg3 Nxc1 28. Nxc1 Rxh1 0-1

Position on the board before 22… Rd8!


(Kumbor, August 1992, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Old Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 4. Nf3 h6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qa4+ c6 7. Bxc4!? (interesting opening

novelty, involving the exchange of two light pieces and misplaced queen for a rook and two

pawns, theoretically giving black an advantage) b5 8. Nxb5 cxb5 9. Bxb5+ axb5 10. Qxa8 Bd5

11. Qa3 e6 12. Qd3 Bc4 13. Qc3 Nc6 14. a3 Nf6 15. Nd2 Qd5 (one tempo makes a significant

difference; if black drew …Qd5 in the previous move, he would maintain the advantage. By

drawing first …Nf6 and only then …Qd5 rather than the other way around, this advantage is

lost) 16. Nxc4 bxc4 17. O-O Bd6 18. Rb1 Qh5 19. h3 g5 (tempting, but …Qb5 was safer and

gave an equal play) 20. f3 g4 21. fxg4 Nxg4 22. Qxc4 (if hxg4, then …Qh2+ ½ - ½) Kd7 23. d5!

Nce5 24. dxe6+ fxe6 25. Qe2! (Fischeresque simplification of the position when a minor

advantage is held) Nf6 26. Qxh5 Nxh5 27. b4 Ra8 28. Ra1 Nd3 29. Bd2 Ke7 30. Rfb1 Ng3 31.

Be1 (Ra2 was another option) Ne2+ 32. Kf1 Nxe1 33. Kxe1 Nc3 34. Rb3 Nd5 35. b5 Nb6 36.

Rd3 Be5 37. Ra2 Ra4 38. Kd2 Bd6 39. Kc2 Nc4 40. Kb3 Rxa3+ 41. Rxa3 Nxa3 42. Rxd6 Nxb5

43. Rd2 Kf6 44. Kc4 Nc7 45. Rd7 Ne8 46. Kd4 Ng7 47. Rxg7! Kxg7 48. Ke5 Kf7 49. g4 Ke7

50. h4 Kf7 51. g5 h5 52. e4 1-0

Position on the board before 22. Qxc4 Kd7 23. d5!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1992, King’s Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 Ne8 7. Be3 Nc6 8. d5 Ne5 9. Nxe5

dxe5 10. O-O f5 11. exf5 gxf5 12. f3 e6 13. dxe6 Bxe6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Rad1 Nd6 16. b3 b6

17. Bg5 Bf6 18. Bxf6 Rxf6 19. Rd2 (the textbook doubling of the rooks will soon pay off for

white) Rff8 20. Rfd1 a6 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Nf7 23. c5! b5 24. Rd7 (c7 would be an error

because of …Rd6 and a most probable draw) c6 25. Rc7 Rc8 26. Ra7 Ra8 27. Rdd7 Rxa7 28.

Rxa7 Rd8 29. Rxa6 Rd2 30. Kf2 Nd8 31. Ke3 Rd7 32. f4 Kf7 33. fxe5 Rd5 34. b4 Rxe5+ 35.

Kd2 f4 36. Bf3 Re6 37. Ra8 Ke8 38. Bh5+ Ke7 39. Ra7+ Kf6 40. Rd7 (black cannot defend the

knight and the piece must be yielded) 1-0

Position on the board before the final move of the game: 40. Rd7.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, August 1992, French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. f4 (it is rare that from the third move of the game black gains a lasting advantage, but

this has occurred here. As of 2.f4, black gains a positional advantage and will maintain it until

move 25, when things will suddenly change and white will take over the initiative and eventually

win the game) d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Qb6 5. c3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nge7 8. g4 h5! 9. Bh3 hxg4

10. Bxg4 (white needs to watch out for this bishop, lest it get into confinement) Bd7 11. Nc3 f6

(…f6 was better) 12. Qb3? (h4 had to be played, to make room for the retreat of the bishop)

Nxd4 13. Qxb6 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 axb6 15. Be3 fxe5 16. fxe5 Ng6 17. Bxb6 Nxe5 18. Be2 Rh3

19. O-O Be7 (a series of inaccurate moves will melt black’s advantage. Here, for example,

…Bd6 was the correct move) 20. Bc7 Nf7 21. Bg4 (black still has a considerable advantage, but

white is beginning to press on the e6 pawn) Rh4 22. h3 Rc8 23. Bg3 Rh8 (giving up the

exchange with …Rxg4 was better for black) 24. Nxd5 Bc5+ (…exd5 was leading to the same

after 25. Bxd7+ Kxd7 26. Rxf7 Rxh3 27. Rxg7 Rch8 ½ – ½) 25. Kg2 Rf8 (…more active …Ng5

should have been played) 26. Rae1 Nd8 (another passive move by black and his fate is sealed)

27. Bh5+ Nf7 28. Nc7+ Ke7 29. Nd5+ Ke8 30. Nf4 Rc6 31. Ng6 Bd4 (if … Rg8, then 32. Ne5

g6 33. Nxd7 gxh5 34. Nf6+ 1-0) 32. Nxf8 Rc2+ 33. Kh1 Bc6+ 34. Bf3 Kxf8 35. Bxc6 Rxc6 36.

Rc1 Rxc1 37. Rxc1 Bxb2 38. Rc8+ Ke7 39. Rc7+ Ke8 40. Rxb7 1-0

Position on the board before 31. Ng6.



Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation)

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Qc2 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 dxc4 9.

Qxc4 Nc6 10. O-O a6 11. d5 Na5 12. Qd3 b5 13. e4 c6 14. Rd1 cxd5 (the game was more or less

equal, with a minor advantage for white, before this series of exchanges, but black benefitted

from the exchange much more. White’s control of the center will be gone and the pressure on b2

square by black will become intense) 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 Qxd5 17. Rxd5 Rfd8 18. Rxd8+

Rxd8 19. Kf1 Nc4 20. Rb1 Rd1+ 21. Ke2 Nxb2 22. Ne1 (white king is ahead of all white pieces

resting on the first rank) f5 23. exf5 gxf5 24. Nd3 Rxd3 25. Bxb2 Rd8 26. Bxg7 Kxg7 27. a4!

(black has one extra pawn, but in the rook ending this may not be enough to ensure the win) bxa4

28. Rb4 Kf6 29. Rxa4 Rd6 30. f4 e5 31. fxe5+ Kxe5 32. Ke3 Kd5 33. Ra5+ Ke6 34. Kf4 ½ - ½

Position on the board after 22. Ne1.


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, September 1992, Scandinavian Defense)

1. e4 d5 2. e5 c5 3. f4 e6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. O-O Nge7 7. d4 Nf5 8. c3 cxd4 9. cxd4 g6

10. Nc3 a6 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. a3 Be7 13. b4 Qd7 14. g4 Ng7 15. Kg2 a5 16. Rb1 axb4 17. axb4

b6 18. Kg3 O-O 19. h4 (a risky move that gives black immediate positional advantage. White is

determined to attack with the king and two knights as the most protruded pieces and all other

pieces resting on the first rank. The further course of the game will show whether this can be a

viable strategy) Ba4 20. Nxa4 Rxa4 21. h5!! (White gives away an important pawn to attack with

his king on the frontlines) Rxb4 22. Rxb4 Bxb4 23. h6 (if 23. hxg6, then black would regain

advantage after fxg6 24. Ng5 Be7 25. Rh1 h5 26. gxh5 Nxh5+ 27. Rxh5 gxh5 28. Qxh5 Bxg5

29. fxg5 Qf7 30. Qxf7+ Kxf7 31. Kg4 Kg6 0-1) Ne8 24. Qb3 Qe7 25. f5 gxf5 26. gxf5 exf5 27.

Kf2 Kh8 28. Rg1 Rg8 29. Bg5 Qf8 30. Qxd5 Be7 31. e6 Nd6 (if ...fxe6, then 32. Qxe6 and black

is lost. Black would stay in the game longest by playing ...f6, but after 32. Bf4 Rxg1 33. Nxg1

Bd6 34. Ne2 Bxf4 35. Nxf4 Qxh6 36. Ke3 Qf8 37. Qd7 Qa3+ 38. Nd3 Qf8 39. d5 Kg8 40. Kd4

h5 41. e7 Qf7 42. d6, white would be winning the endgame despite being two pawns down) 32.

Qxd6 f6 33. Qd7 fxg5 34. Ne5 Rg6 35. Rc1 Rxh6 36. Rc8 Rf6 37. Rxf8+ Bxf8 38. e7 1-0

Position on the board after 21. h5!!


(Belgrade, August 1992, Dutch Defense: Classical Variation)

1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qd3 d5 6. Ne5 O-O 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3

fxe4 10. Qxe4 Qd5 11. Bd3 Qxe4+ 12. Bxe4 a6 13. Rb1 Ra7 14. Rb3 b6 15. O-O Bb7 16. Bxb7

Rxb7 17. Re1 c5 18. Be3 Bd6 19. f4 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nd7 21. Rf1 c4 22. Ra3 Ra8 23. Bd4 b5 24.

Kf2 Nb6 25. Bxb6 Rxb6 26. Ke3 Rd8 27. f5 exf5 28. Rxf5 Re8 (a bolder move than it seems,

given that it opens the space for the white king to pick the black pawns on the queenside in

exchange for the infiltration of the black rooks into the kingside. Albeit more dynamic, this

variation with double passed pawns on both sides would lead to draw too. 28...Rd3+ 29. Ke4 b4!

may have been more promising for black, but chances for draw would still be high) 29. Kd4

Rbe6 30. Rf2 Rxe5 31. Rxa6 Re4+ 32. Kc5 R4e5+ 33. Kb4 Rf8 34. Rxf8+ Kxf8 35. Ra7 Re2 36.

Kxb5 Rxg2 37. a4 Rxh2 38. Kxc4 g5 39. a5 g4 40. a6 Ra2 41. Kb3 Ra1 42. Kb2 Ra5 (a more

attractive ...g3! with the corresponding rook sacrifice would lead to draw too after 43. Kxa1 g2

44. Rxh7 g1=Q+ 45. Kb2 Qb6+ 46. Kc1 Qxa6 etc.) 43. Rb7 Rxa6 44. Rxh7 Rg6 45. c4 g3 46.

Rh1 Ke7 47. Rg1 Kd6 48. Kc3 Ke5 49. Kd3 Kf4 50. Ke2 Re6+ 51. Kd3 Kf3 52. Rf1+ Kg2 53.

Rf7 Rh6 54. c5 Kh2 55. Ke4 g2 56. Rf2 Kh1 57. Rxg2 Kxg2 58. Kd5 Kf3 59. c6 Rh8 60. c7 ½ -

½

Position on the board before 28… Re8.


(Belgrade, August 1992, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5! 6. d3 Nxd5? (…h6 7. Nf3 d4 was a more

appropriate course of action by black. With 6. Nxd5?, white gains an early positional advantage)

7. Qf3! Be6 8. Nxe6 fxe6 9. Qh5+ Ke7 10. Qxe5 (Bxd5 may have better; exchanging the bishop

for a more centralized knight, which can defend with Nf6, is more reasonable than exchanging it

for the knight dwelling on the edge of the board) Nxc4 11. dxc4 Nf6 12. c5! h6 13. Bf4 Nd5 14.

Bg3 Nb4 15. Na3 (Bh4+ does not win anything after …g5 16. Qxh8 Nxc2+) Qd5 16. Qxc7+ Ke8

17. Rd1 Qc6 18. Qe5 h5 19. O-O h4 20. Bf4 Kf7 21. Nc4! (relocation of the white knight to d6

will solve the game) Bxc5 22. Nd6+ Bxd6 23. Rxd6 Qc8 24. Rfd1 Nd5 25. c4 (R1xd5! was

possible too, followed by …exd5 26. Qxd5+ Kf8 27. Kg6 Qd8 28. Bd6+ Ke8 #2) Nxf4 26. Rd7+

Ke8 27. Qxg7! #8 1-0

Position on the board before 21. Nc4!


(Belgrade, September 1992, Bogo-Indian Defense: Exchange Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Nbxd2 d5 6. Ne5 O-O 7. Ndf3 Nbd7 8. cxd5

exd5 9. Rc1 c6 10. Nxd7 Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxd2+ 12. Nxd2 Bxd7 13. e3 Bf5 14. Be2 Rfe8 15. O-O

Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. f3 Bg6 18. Kf2 Re7 19. Bd1 Rae8 20. Rc3 f5 21. Bb3 Kf8 22. g3 h6 23.

Rfc1 Bh7 24. Bc2 g5 25. Bb3 Kf7 26. R1c2 Kf6 27. f4 Re4 (...gxf4 followed by 28. gxf4 Rg7

was good too) 28. fxg5+ hxg5 29. h3 (getting the bishop into play via Re2 and Bc2 was more

relevant than opening the kingside) f4 30. exf4 gxf4 31. Rd2 fxg3+ 32. Rxg3 Rh4 33. Rf3+ Ke6

34. Re3+ Kf7 35. Rxe8 Kxe8 36. Kg3 Re4 37. h4 Bg6 38. Bc2 Re6 39. Bb3 (white thinks that he

has some reason to strive for a win here and refuses to exchange bishops, but chances are slim)

Re4 40. Bd1 Kf7 41. h5 Bf5 42. h6 Kg6 43. Bf3 Re3 44. Rh2 Re7 45. Kf4 Rh7 46. Rg2+ Kf6 47.

Rh2 Bb1 48. a3 Kg6 49. Rh1 Ba2 50. b3 Bxb3 51. Bh5+ Kf6 52. Bg4 Bc2 53. Rh2 Be4 54. Rh3

Kg6 55. Bc8 b5 56. Rc3 Kxh6 57. Rxc6+ Kg7 58. Ke3 Kf8 59. Rc5 Rf7 60. Rxb5 Rf3+ 61. Ke2

Rxa3 62. Rb7 Bd3+ 63. Kd2 Bc4 64. Bf5 a5 65. Ra7 Ra2+ 66. Kc3 a4 67. Kb4 Rb2+ 68. Kc5

Ra2 69. Kb4 Bb3 70. Be6 Bc4 71. Bf5 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation: 0.0. This is an example of

a game where both players, particularly the computer for the most part, tried to squeeze lemon

from stone and convert a minor, less than one pawn advantage to a win, but failed because of

solid defensive skills of the opponent)

Final position of the game, after 71. Bf5, at which point draw was agreed on.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Nimzo-Indian defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 b6 5. e4 d6 6. g3 Bb7 7. Bg2 Nbd7 8. f4! Be7 9. Nf3 O-O?

(white could have played 10. dxe6 fxe6 11. Ng5, winning a pawn or exchange, but also opening

the center. His idea, however, is to keep the center blocked and focus on the kingside, lest the

black pieces be given a chance for a counterattack on the white king, who does not plan to castle

at all) 10. Bh3 e5 11. f5 Qe8 12. g4 h6 13. Be3 Bd8 14. Qd2 Ba6 15. Rg1! (white sacrifices a

pawn on the queenside, having estimated that his attack on the kingside will be unstoppable)

Bxc4 16. Bxh6! gxh6 17. Qxh6 Nh7 18. g5 Kh8 19. f6 (g6 was possible here too and black again

has no defense against the attack. One possible ending would be …fxg6 20. fxg6 Nf6 21. g7+

Kg8 22. gxf8=R#) Rg8 20. Bf5 Nf8 21. Rg3 Ng6 22. Qxh7+! (an effective queen sacrifice for

checkmate in one) Kxh7 23. Rh3#

Position on the board before 15. Rg1! Bxc4 16. Bxh6!


(Belgrade, September 1992, Colle System: Traditional Colle)

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nbd7 6. O-O Be7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4

Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Nf6 11. Qc2 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Bd6 13. Bf4 cxd4 14. cxd4 Bxf4 15. Qxf4 Bd7 16.

Rfc1 Bc6 17. Ne5 Rc8 18. Nxc6 Rxc6 19. Rxc6 bxc6 20. Rc1 Qb6 21. b3 Rd8 22. Rc4 c5! 23.

Rc1! (if Rxc5?, then …Qxc5 0-1. Black played up to this point for a draw and the game was

indeed perfectly equal, but after this point, when white essentially blundered a pawn, his aims

change and he will go for a win) cxd4 (if …Rxd4?, then Qxd4 1-0. Apparently, both sides can

exploit the first/eight rank weakness in this position) 24. Rc7 f6 (if …f5?, then white

immediately wins with 25. Qe5) 25. Qg3 g6 26. Re7 Qc5 27. Qc7 Qxc7 28. Rxc7 d3 29. Rc1 e5

30. f3 f5 31. Kf2 f4 32. Rd1 Kf7 33. Ke1 Ke6 34. h4 e4 35. fxe4 Ke5 36. Kd2 Kxe4 37. Re1+

Kf5 38. Re7 h5 39. Rxa7 Kg4 40. Rg7 Rd6 41. a4 Kxh4 42. a5 g5 43. b4 Ra6 (white g2 pawn

has a powerful defensive role and black opts for giving away the passed pawn so as to attempt to

focus on advancing the pawns on the kingside and blocking the double connected passed white

pawns on a and b files) 44. Kxd3 g4 45. Ke4 Kg3 46. Rg5 Rf6 47. Ke5 Rf8 48. a6 Kxg2 49. Rf5

Ra8 50. Kxf4 Rxa6 51. Rxh5 g3 52. Rg5 (despite black’s best effort, the win seems farther and

farther away and it seems that he will have to settle for a draw) Rf6+ 53. Ke3 Rf1 54. b5 Rb1 55.

Kd4 Kh3 56. Kc5 g2 57. b6 g1=Q+ 58. Rxg1 Rxg1 59. b7 ½ - ½

Position on the board before 31…f4.


(Belgrade, September 1992, King’s Gambit Declined: Classical Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 Qe7 5. fxe5 dxe5 6. d3 (playing King’s gambit, but then opting

for 6. d3 instead of 6. d4 is the betrayal of its soul and in this case brings about an immediate

advantage for black), Nf6 7. Be2 O-O 8. Bg5 Rd8 9. Nbd2 h6 10. Bh4 Bg4 11. Nb3 Bb6 12. Qc2

Nc6 13. O-O-O Qd6 (…Be3+ may have been better for black) 14. Rhf1 Bh5 15. h3 Be3+ 16.

Kb1 Bg6 17. Bf2 Bxf2 18. Rxf2 Bh7 19. g4 Nb8 20. g5 Nfd7 21. Qd2 f5 (launching an attacking

on the queenside with …a5 may have made more sense than opening the kingside in view of the

opposite side castling) 22. exf5 Bxf5 23. Nh4! Be6 24. gxh6 Nc6 25. hxg7 Bxb3 26. Rg1! Be6

27. Ng6 Qd5 (if 27. Qh6?? Bxa2+ 0-1) 28. b3 Qc5 29. Rff1 Bxh3 30. Qh6 Bxf1 31. Rxf1 Nf6

32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Rxf6+! Kxf6 34. g8=Q+ (if g8=N+ #8 1-0 as opposed to #2) Kf5 35. Qf7+

Kg5 36. Qh4#



(Belgrade, September 1992, Réti Opening: Réti Accepted)

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nc6 4. Bxc4 e5 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. a3 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. b4 Bd6 9. Nb5

Bf5 10. d4 e4 11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. Nh4 Bd7 13. g3 d5 14. Be2 Rc8 15. f3 Qc7 16. Bb2 Bh3 17.

Rf2 exf3 18. Bxf3 a6 19. Ng2 Bxg2 20. Bxg2 Rfe8 21. Rxf6! gxf6 22. Qg4+! Kf8 23. Bxd5

Rxe3 24. Bc1 Nxb4! (nice tactical sacrifice, but it fails to bring any positive to black. Another,

more farsighted and deeper sacrifice, Ne5!, would have brought more to black after 25. dxe5

Re1+) 25. Bxe3 Nxd5 (if 25. axb4, then ... Re1+) 26. Bh6+ Ke7 27. Re1+ Kd6 28. Bf4+! Nxf4

29. Qxf4+ (white’s advantage is massive because of the black king’s being led away from its

comfort zone, to the center of the board) Kd5 (if ... Kd7, then 30. Qf5 and 31. Qf6+) 30. Qf5+

Kxd4 31. Qe4+ Kc3 32. Re3+ Kd2 33. Qd3+ Kc1 34. Re1+ Kb2 35. Rb1+ Ka2 36. Qb3#



(Belgrade, September 1992, Queen’s Gambit Refused: Albin Countergambit)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. dxe5 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxc4 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. Bf4 h6

9. Rd1+ Bd7 10. e4 b5! (Advancement of pawns on the queenside proves to be an excellent

strategic decision for black) 11. a4 a6 12. axb5 axb5 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 c6 15. Be2 Ra2 16.

Rc1 Ne7 17. Bh5 Be6 18. O-O Kc7 19. Bxf7 Bxf7 20. e6+ Kd8 21. exf7 Ng6 22. Bd6 Kd7 23.

e5 Ke6 24. Ra1 (f4 followed by ...Kf7 25. f5 may have been better for white) Rxa1 25. Rxa1

Kxf7 26. Ra7+ Ke6!! (black offers the g7 pawn for free, but its capture will prove to be

poisonous for white, as the “greedy” rook will be distracted from the queenside, where it will

soon be needed to stop the advancement of black passed pawns) 27. Rxg7 (patient g3 was better)

Nf4 28. Bc5 c3 29. Rc7 c2 30. Rxc6+ Kd5 31. Rd6+ Ke4 32. f3+ Kd3 33. Ba3 Ra8! (the final

trap was avoided, given that logical 33...Ne2+ would lead to draw after 34. Kf2 c1=Q 35. Bxc1

Nxc1 36. e6 Re8 37. Rc6 Na2 38. d5 Nb4) 34. Bc1 Ne2+ 35. Kf2 Nxc1 36. Rxh6 Ne2 37. Rc6

Nc3 0-1

Position on the board before 26… Ke6! 27. Rxg7 Nf4.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Russian Game: Classical Attack)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Re1 Bf5 9. c3 O-

O 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Nbd2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Qd7 14. Ng5 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 h6 16.

Bd2 Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 Ne7 18. Bf4 Re8 19. h3 c6 20. Qg3 Nf5 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. Qg4 Qe1+ 23.

Kh2 g6 24. Qf3 Kg7 25. Be5+ f6 26. Bxf6+ (this tactical sacrifices will fail to give any

substantial advantage to white; a mere ripple in the calm sea of equality it is) Kxf6 27. g4 Qe4

28. Qxe4 dxe4 29. gxf5 g5 30. Kg3 Kxf5 31. h4 gxh4+ 32. Kxh4 Kf4 33. c4 Kf3 34. d5 cxd5 35.

cxd5 Kxf2 36. d6 e3 37. d7 e2 38. d8=Q e1=Q 39. Kh5 Qe5+ 40. Kxh6 Qxb2 41. Qh4+ Kf3 42.

Qh3+ Ke4 43. Qg4+ Kd5 44. Qf3+ Kc5 45. Qf5+ Kb6 46. Qe6+ Kc5 47. Qf5+ Kb4 48. Qe4+

Kc5 49. Qf5+ (another illustrious lackluster draw between computer and I).

Position on the board before 26. Bxf6+.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. e4 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5 O-O 9. a3

Be7 10. Nf3 Nd5 11. Bxe7 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Qxe7 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Qc2 Nf6 15. O-O b6 16. Ng5

h6 17. Nh7 Nxh7 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Rfe1?! (a very bold, almost humanlike sacrifice of bishop

for two pawns by the computer. It is dubious whether there will be enough compensation for it.

Such sacrifices that are highly strategic in nature were very unusual for computers in those early

computer chess days) g6 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6 Qg7 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. g4 Rf3 24. Rac1

Bd7 25. Kg2 Bc6 26. Kg1 Bd7 27. Kg2 Raf8 28. Re2 Bc6 (if … R8f4, then 29. d5 exd5 30.

Re7+ Rf7 31. Rxd7 ½ - ½) 29. Kg1 Kf6 30. Kf1 Ke7 31. c4 Kd6 32. c5+ Kd7! (black wants to

preserve the white pawns as a shield against the white rook pair) 33. Rd2 R8f4 34. cxb6 Bb5+

35. Kg2 Bc6! (the third time this bishop comes to the c6 square, making point every single time)

36. Rxc6 Kxc6 37. bxa7 Kb7 38. a4 Kxa7 39. Ra2 Rf6 40. a5 R3f4 41. f3 Rxf3 42. g5 hxg5 43.

Rc2 0-1

Position on the board before 32…Bc6!


(Belgrade, September 1992, Scotch Game: Classical Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. O-O Ne5 9.

Bb3 d6 10. Nc2 Bxe3 11. Nxe3 Be6 12. Nd2 Rfe8 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. Qb3 Qxb3 15. Nxb3 Nd3

16. Rab1 Nf4 17. Rbd1 Rad8 18. c4 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nc6 20. Rfe1 Nf4 21. f3 Nb4 22. Nc1 Ne6

23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 Nc5 25. Rdd1 Re5 26. Ng4 Re7 27. Nf2 Rde8 28. Nd3 Nxd3 29. Rxd3

a6 30. g3 f5 31. Rde3 fxe4 32. Rxe4 Kf7 33. Rxe7+ Rxe7 34. Rxe7+ Kxe7 35. Kg2 d5 36. cxd5

Kd6 37. Kf2 Kxd5 38. Ke3 c5 39. f4 c4 40. g4 b5 41. h4 b4 42. h5 a5 43. g5 a4 44. f5 Ke5?

(black makes a critical error in a draw position, which costs him the game. …c3 followed by 45.

f6 cxb2 46. fxg7 b1=Q 47. g8=Q would lead to ½ - ½) 45. f6!! gxf6 (…Ke6 is not better either

because of 46. fxg7 Kf7 47. Kd2 Kxg7 48. A3 b3 49. Kc3 Kf7 50. Kxc4 1-0) 46. g6 hxg6 47. h6

a3 48. bxa3 b3 49. axb3 cxb3 50. Kd3 b2 51. Kc2 b1=Q+ 52. Kxb1 g5 53. h7 Ke4 54. h8=Q 1-0



(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, 20 min, September 1992, Borg Defense)

1. e4 g5 2. Bc4 Bg7 3. d4 e6 4. f4 h6 5. Nf3 g4 6. Ne5 h5 7. O-O d6 8. Nd3 (Nxf7! should have

been the way to go, followed by …Kxf7 9. f5, with the advantage for white) Ne7 9. c3 f5 10.

exf5 Nxf5 11. d5 exd5 12. Bxd5 c6 13. Bb3 d5 14. Re1+ Ne7 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16. Rxe5 Nd7 17.

Rg5 Qb6+ 18. Kh1 Nc5 19. Qd4 Rh7 20. Bc2 Rh6 21. Qe5 Ne4! 22. Rg8+ Kd7 23. Bxe4 Re6!

24. Qxh5? (Bf5 would give good chances to white) Qf2! 25. Qe8+ Kc7 26. Qd8+ Kb8 27. Be3

Qxe3 28. Na3 Qxe4 0-1

Position on the board before 21… Ne4!


(Belgrade or Mala Moštanica, 20 min, September 1992,

Queen’s Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation)

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 g6 3. e3 c5 4. c4 cxd4 5. exd4 Bg7 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3

Bxf3 10. Qxf3 dxc4 11. Qxb7 cxd3 12. Qxa8 Qxd4 13. Be3 Qb4 14. Qxa7 e5?? (…Qxb2 would

have been better) 15. Bc5 Qxb2 16. Bxf8 Bxf8 17. Rab1 Qxc3 18. Qxb8 e4 19. Rbc1 Qd4 20.

Rc8 Nd7 21. Rd8 d2 22. Rd1 e3 (white at his point enters a serious time trouble based on the

annotations) 23. fxe3?? (Qb5 would have been better) Qxe3+ 24. Kh2 Qe1?? (black forgot that

the black queen is no longer pinned and that white queen could have been captured with

…Nxb8) 25. Rxd7 Qxd1 26. Qd8 Qe1 27. Rxd2 Qe5+ 28. g3 h5 29. h4 Qc5 30. Qd4 Qc1 31.

Rd1 Qc2+ 32. Rd2 Qc1 33. a4 Bc5 34. Qd8+ Kg7 35. Rg2 Qe3 36. a5 Be7 37. Qd5 g5 38. a6

gxh4 39. gxh4+ Kh6 40. Qd2 Qxd2 41. Rxd2 Bxh4 42. a7 1-0 (this is the last recorded game

between my Father and I)

Final position of the game, after 42. a7.


(Belgrade, September 1992,

Queen’s Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 d5 8. Ne5 O-O 9. Nc3 c5

10. cxd5 exd5 11. e4?! (a very risky and, theoretically speaking, poor opening move by white.

Although foreseeing the entire line that would lead to a forced loss of initiative for white was

difficult, white should have paid attention to the opening of the a6-f1 diagonal for the black

bishop, which would prevent castling and subject the white king to all kinds of possible pins and

discoveries) dxe4 12. Nxe4 Qxd4? (black failed to find the best move here, which was …Nxe4,

as after 13. Bxe4 Qxd4 14. Bxa8 Qxe5+ 15. Be3 Rd8 16. Qc1 Bf6 17. Rb1 Qc3+ 18. Qxc3

Bxc3+, black would be crushing white in less than 20 moves) 13. Bc3 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 (white

has succeeded in his goal, which was to give away a pawn for the sake of gaining huge positional

advantage, as obvious from more centralized pieces and, most importantly the X-raying of the g2

bishop all the way to the still undeveloped black rook on a8) Re8 (…Ne8 may have been better,

but also far more passive than the computer’s choice of …Re8) 15. f4! Nxe4 (the loss of

exchange is inevitable for black and this loss will decide the outcome of the game) 16. Bxe4 f6

17. Bxa8 fxe5 18. Bxe5 Bf6 19. Kf2! Bxe5 20. fxe5 Kf7 21. Rhe1 Bc8 22. Rd6 Bg4 23. Bd5+

Ke7 24. Re4 Bd7 25. Rf4 Rf8 26. Rxf8 Kxf8 27. e6 Be8 28. Rd8 Na6 29. Bc6 Nc7 30. Rc8 Ke7

31. Rxc7+ Kd6 32. Bxe8 Kxc7 1-0

Position on the board after 14. Rxd1.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Spanish Game: Exchange Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 c5 7. Nb3 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Nf6 9.

f3 Be6 10. Be3 Bxb3 11. cxb3 Bd6 12. Nd2 Rd8 13. Ke2 O-O 14. Nc4 Rfe8 15. Bg5 Be7 16.

Rhd1 h6 (...Nxe4! 17. Bxe7 Nd6 is a typically computer-like tactical maneuver that Chessmaster

missed at this point, but which would have given it a key advantage; such maneuvers became

readily discoverable to chess software a decades or two later) 17. Bh4 Nd5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19.

Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Rd1 Rxd1 21. Kxd1 f5 22. g3 fxe4 23. fxe4 Nc6 24. Ke2 Kf7 25. Ke3 Ke6 26.

Nd2 Ne5 27. Nf3 c6 28. Nxe5 Kxe5 29. a4 b6 30. Kd3 Ke6 31. Ke3 Ke5 32. Kd3 Ke6 33. Ke3

Ke5 ½ - ½ (one of many lackluster draws between myself and the computer)

Final position of the game, after 33…Ke5, at which draw was agreed upon.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Spanish Game: Closed)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bb7 9. d4 Na5

10. Bd5! Nxd5 11. exd5 Bxd5 12. axb5 axb5 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Rxe5 c6 15. Nc3 Nc4 16. Rxa8

Qxa8 17. Nxd5! cxd5 18. Rxd5 Qc6 19. Qd3 O-O 20. Rh5 h6 21. Nd4 Qe8! 22. Nxb5 Bg5! 23.

Bxg5 Qe1+ 24. Qf1 Re8 25. b3 (Be3 was better) hxg5! (...Nd2 26. Bxd2 Qxd2 27. Rd5! Qxd5

28. Nc7 1-0) 26. h3? (g4 is better) Qxf1+ 27. Kxf1 Nd2+ 28. Kg1 Re5 (threatens 29... g6 and

30... Kg7 but ... Rf1+ 29. Kh2 Nf1+ 30. Kg1 Ng3+ with 32... Nxh5 0-1 would have been better

for black) 29. h4 Rxb5 30. Rxg5 Rb4! 31. h5 Kh7 32. Rd5 Ne4 33. f3 Nc3 34. Rd3 Ne2+ 35.

Kf2 Nf4 36. Rd7 Nxh5 37. Rxf7 Nf6 38. Ke2 Nd5 39. Kd3 Kg6 40. Rd7 Nf4+ 41. Kc3 Rb5 42.

Rd2 Rg5 43. g4 Re5 44. Rd6+ Kf7 45. Kd4 Re2 46. c3 Ne6+ 47. Kc4 Rf2 48. Rd7+ Kf6 49. Rd3

Ng5 50. Rd6+ Kf7 51. Rd7+ Kf6 52. Rd6+ Kf7 53. Rd7+ Kf8 54. b4 Nxf3 55. Kb5 Ne5 56. Rd4

Rg2 57. Rd5 Nxg4 58. c4 Nf6 59. Re5 g5 60. c5 g4 61. c6 Ne8 62. Kb6 g3 63. c7 Nxc7 64. Kxc7

Rg1 65. Rc5! g2 66. Rc2 Rb1 67. Rxg2 Rxb4 ½ - ½ (one of the more exciting draws between the

computer and myself)

Position on the board before 22… Bg5!, which introduces confusion and allows the black to equalize and escape

unharmed.


(Belgrade, September 1992, Semi-Slav Defense)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Ne5 Bd6 6. Bf4 Nh5! 7. Bd2 Nf6! 8. e3 Nbd7 9. cxd5

exd5! 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Ng4 13. h3 Qh4 14. f3 Qg3! 15. fxg4 Qh2+ 16. Kf2

Bg3+ 17. Kf3 f5 18. Bxf5 Bxf5?! (...Rxf5 is better, followed by 19. gxf5 Be8 and 20... Bh5+) 19.

gxf5 Rxf5+ 20. Kg4?? (Ke2 followed by …Qxg2+ and 21. Ke3 finds safe square for the white

kind and gives a minor advantage to white) Qxg2 21. Rg1 h5+! 22. Kxf5 Qxh3+ 23. Kg5 Qh4+

24. Kg6 Qf6+ 25. Kxh5 Qf5#

Position on the board before 21… h5+! and #-4.


(Belgrade, September 1992, King’s Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Standard Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 Bg7 5. Be2 Nbd7 6. Nf3 e5 7. d5 Nc5 8. Qc2 O-O 9. O-O Bg4

10. b4 Na6 (…Nfxe4 would have been better for black, though without giving him any

advantage) 11. a3 c5 12. b5 Nc7 13. Bg5 Bd7 14. Nd2 h6 15. Bh4 Rc8 16. f3 Qe8 17. g4 b6 18.

a4 Rb8 19. a5 bxa5 (this capture of the pawn and the opening of the a file would prove to be

disastrous for black) 20. Rxa5 g5 21. Bf2 Ra8 22. Rfa1 Qb8 23. Qa2 Qb7 24. Rxa7 Rxa7 25.

Qxa7 Rb8 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bxh4 Qb6 28. Qxb6 Rxb6 29. Ra7! Nce8 30. Nb3! Rb8 31. Na5 Rb6

32. Nc6 Bxc6 33. dxc6 Rb8 34. c7 Rc8 35. Bxf6 Bxf6 36. Nd5 Kg7 37. b6 Nxc7 38. bxc7 Bd8

39. cxd8=Q 1-0 (steadily gained positional advantage, leading to secure win)

Position on the board before 30. Nb3! and the beginning of the journey of a white knight to c6 via a5, which would

create double passed pawns and end quickly resolve the game.


(Belgrade, September 1992, English Opening: King’s Variation)

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O e4 7. Ng5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Qe7 9.

Qb3 (if f3, then Qc5+) Qe5 10. Nh3 Na5 11. Qa4 d6 12. Ba3?! Be6 (...Bd7 was better) 13. c5

Nc4 14. cxd6 Nxa3? (here black misses ...b5!, which would win him an exchange after 15. Qb3

Nxd2 and probably the game too) 15. Qxa3 Bxh3 16. Bxh3 cxd6 17. Bg2 Rfc8 18. f3 d5 19.

Rac1 Qc7 20. fxe4 Nxe4 21. d3 Nxc3 22. Rc2 Qb6+ 23. Kh1 Nb1? (loses the game for black; d4

was the best choice, leading to a drawish position) 24. Qe7! Nc3 (if Rxc2, still 25. Qxf7+) 25.

Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Rxc3 Qd8 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Qxd5 Qxd5 29. Bxd5 b5 30. Rf7 a5 1-0 (the game

for white was won because of the blunder (23...Nb1?), but illustrates well how a game, in this

case for white, is usually lost if he ignores to move the central pawns and keeps the center

completely passive, so long as the black plays correctly (14...b5 would have been the correct way

of playing, which black missed). In this game, however, the white launched an attack through the

queenside and even though it was minor, it managed to distract the black from the effort through

the center and prompt him to mistakenly get deep into the queenside (23...Nb1?), fall into the

trap and lose the game after 24. Qe7. As Emmanuel Lasker knew very well, the key to winning

the game is not to play a perfect move all the time, but to sometimes play incorrectly, as if

coming to the edge of a cliff voluntarily, so that the opponent is attracted to this edge before

being wrestled through tactical maneuvers and push down from it. Misha Tal rephrased this

principle by saying that famous line of his, “You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest

where 2 + 2 = 5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one”)

Position on the board before 20. Qe7!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Queen’s Indian Defense)

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Qa4 Bb7 5. Bg5 c5 6. e3 Bc6 7. Qd1 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3

Nbd7 10. O-O cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb7 12. Nc3 Be7 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Ncb5 Nc5 15. Rac1 a6! 16.

Nc3 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Ne4! 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Qb3 b5 21. Rfd1 g6 22. f3 (too

risky, 22. Nc6 Bxc6 23. Rxc6 Rac8 24. Rdd6 Rxc6 25. Rxc6 Rd8 26. Rxa6 Qc5 led to draw as

well as 22. a3) Rac8 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. h3 Rc4! 25. a3 (too late for this move that opens space

for the white queen to retreat; f4 was better) Qc5! 26. Ne6 fxe6 27. Rd8+ Kg7 28. Rd7+ Kf6 29.

fxe4 (if Rxb7, then Qc6! 30. Rxh7 exf3 and if 31. gxf3 Qxf3 0-1) Bxe4 30. Rd1 Bc2 31. Rf1+

Ke7 32. Qa2 Qxe3+ 33. Kh2 Be4 34. Qa1 Bxg2! 35. Re1 Qxh3+ 36. Kg1 Rf4 0-1

Position on the board before white’s exposing a positional weakness with 22. f3


(Belgrade, October 1992, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 Nc6 8. Rd1 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7

10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. Bb3 Qc7 12. Nc3 Bd6 13. h3 Qb7 14. f4 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Qg4?! (dxc5

was expected) c4 (the long awaited …c4 coming at the right time) 17. Qxg7 O-O-O! 18. Bxc4

Rhg8 19. Bxe6+ Kb8! 20. Qxf7 Rxg2+ 21. Kh1 (if Kf1, then 21...Bd3+! 22. Rxd3 Qf3+ 23. Ke1

Qe2#) Rg7+ 22. Kh2 Rxf7 23. Bxf7 Qxf7 0-1

Position on the board before 19… Kb8!


(Belgrade, October 1992, East Indian Defense)

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Bd3 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. e4 e5 8. Be2 exd4 9.

Qxd4?! Nc5! (a patient move that appears to be pretending that black is unaware of how odd – or

plainly bad - white’s Dxd4 idea was, but setting up grounds for the tactical punishment that is

soon to come. Also preventing 10. e5 with …Ne6 11. Qh4 dxe5 and winning a central pawn) 10.

Qb4 a5 11. Qc4 Be6 12. Qd4 Nfxe4 13. Qe3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Re8 15. Re1 Bc4 16. Qxe8+ Qxe8

17. Bxc4 Qd7 (white’s odd 9. Qxd4 is punished with a considerable material gain – queen for a

rook and bishop - and all that is needed now is routine technique to bring the game to an end.

White, however, won’t give up easily) 18. Nd4 d5 19. Be2 Re8 20. Be3 Ne4 21. Bf3 c5 22. Ne2

Nxc3 23. Nf4 Ne4 24. Rab1 Bc3 25. Red1 d4 26. Ne2 Qe7 27. Bxe4 Qxe4 28. Nxc3 dxc3 29.

Rd3 Qa4 30. Rxc3 Qxa2 31. Rcb3 Qxc2 32. Rxb7 Rd8 33. f3 Rd1+ 34. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 35. Kf2

Kg7 (not 35…c4? because of 36. Rc7 Qd3 37. Bh6! This is why prophylactic …Kg7 is first

needed) 36. Rb2 c4 37. Rd2 Qb3 38. Bd4+ f6 39. Rb2 Qd3 40. Rb7+ Kf8 41. Bxf6 Qd2+ 42. Kf1

(if 42. Kg3, then black is instantly winning with …Qd6+) c3 43. Bg7+ Kg8 44. Rc7 c2 45. Bb2

Qd1+ 46. Kf2 Qb1 47. Rc8+ Kf7 48. Ba3 Qa1 49. Rxc2 Qxa3 0-1

Position on the board before 9. Qxd4?! Nc5!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9.

Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. O-O Nc6 11. Be3 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rd8 13. Rb1! (though d5! would be equally

good for white) b6! (13…Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 Qxd4 16. Qxd4 Rxd4 17. Rxb7 O-O

18. Rxe7 Rc8 19. Rxa7 Rxe4 was also possible, bringing about a draw position in an express

manner) 14. d5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bd4 Bxd4 (if 16.. Qd6, then 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Qa4+

Kf8 with advantage for white) 17. Qxd4 O-O 18. Rfd1 Rc8 19. Rbc1 Rfd8 20. Rc4 Rxc4 21.

Qxc4 Rc8 22. Qb3 Qc7 23. Re1 Qc1 24. Qb4 Rc3 (24… a5 would lead to draw after 25. Qb1

Qxb1 26. Rxb1 Rc2) 25. Kf1 Qd2! (black sacrifices a pawn to put the white king under the

checkmate threat and enforce the perpetual check of the black king) 26. Qxe7 Rc2 (…Rc1 was

leading to draw too, but in that case the black queen would have to perpetually check the white

king: Rc1 27. Qe8+ Kg7 28. Qe5+ Kg8 29. Qb8+ Kg7 30. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 31. Ke2 Qc2+ 32. Kf3

Qd3+ 33. Kf4 Qd2+ 34. Kg3 Qg5+ 35. Kf3 Qf6+ 36. Kg3 Qg5 37. Kf3 Qf6+ 38. Kg3 Qg5+ ½ -

½) 27. Qh4 Rxa2 28. Qg3 b5 29. Qb8+ Kg7 30. Qe5+ Kg8 31. Qe8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kf8 33.

Qb8+ Kg7 34. Qe5+ Kf8 35. Qb8+ (black in this game aspired to nothing more but a draw and

he nicely exhibited the correct approach leading to such an end: avoiding complications and

forcing the exchange of light pieces to reach a theoretically draw rook/queen endgame)

Position on the board before 25… Qd2!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit, Main Line)

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Bb4 6. a3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 (dxc3 may have made

more sense in view of the open character of the game, but this will prove to have been a good

choice later in the game) Bg4 8. Bb2 Ng5 9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qh4+ 12. g3

Qc4 13. Rf1 O-O 14. e6 Qe4+ 15. Qxe4 dxe4 16. exf7+ Rxf7 17. Rxf7 Kxf7 (the meaning of 7.

bxc3 now becomes obvious; the d2 pawn prevents the black e4 pawn from being passed) 18. Kf2

Nd7 19. Re1 Nc5 20. c4 (the shutter from the bishop’s niche has finally been lifted) Rd8 21. Ke3

b6 22. Bd4 Ne6 23. Rf1+ Kg6 24. Bc3 Ng5 25. Rf4! Nf3 26. h4 Ne1 (magnificent maneuvering

of the black knight) 27. Kxe4 h5 28. g4 Nxc2 29. gxh5+ Kxh5 30. a4! Re8+ 31. Kd5! g5 32.

hxg5 Kxg5 33. Rf7 Rc8 34. Kc6 Na3 35. Rxc7 Rxc7+ 36. Kxc7 Nxc4 37. d3!! (d4 interestingly

leads to draw after ... Kf5 38. d5 Ke4) Na3 38. Kb7 b5 39. a5 Nc2 40. Kxa7 b4 41. Bb2 b3 42. a6

Nb4 43. Kb7 Nxa6 44. Kxa6 1-0

Position on the board before 37. d3!!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Indian Game: Anti-Nimzo Indian)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Bd6 6. Bxd6 Qxd6 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. e3 c6 9. Bd3

Re8 10. O-O Bg4 11. Qb3 Qc7 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Nxf3 Re7 14. Rac1 Nbd7 15. Nh4 g6 16. Nf3

Ne8 17. Rc2 Ndf6 18. Rfc1 Nd6 19. Qb4 Nfe4 20. Qa3 a6 21. Qb4 Rf8 22. Ne5 f6 23. Ng4 f5

24. Ne5 Nf7 25. Nxf7 Rfxf7 26. Be2 (Bxe4 of Re2 were better for white) f4 27. exf4 Rxf4 28.

Bf3 Ref7 29. Re2 Rxf3!! 30. gxf3 Rxf3 31. Kg2 (Rc3 was extending the game for white) Rxf2+!

32. Rxf2 Qg3+ 33. Kh1 Nxf2#

Position on the board before 29… Rxf3!!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Spanish Game: Open Variations, St. Petersburg Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5

10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Bb6 13. Nfd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qd7 15. Qe2 c5 16. Nxe6 Qxe6

17. f4 Rfe8 18. Be3 Re7 19. a4 d4 20. cxd4 cxd4 21. Rfd1!! dxe3 22. Bxe4 fxe4 23. Rd6 Qc4 24.

Qxc4+ bxc4 25. Rxb6 (the tactical sacrifice did not bring any material advantage to white, but

destroyed black’s pawn structure) Rf8 26. g3 g5 27. Rf1 gxf4 28. Rxf4! (if gxf4, then …e2! 29.

Re1 Rxf4) Rxe5 29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 30. Kf1 Kf7 31. Ke2 Re6 32. Rxe6 Kxe6 33. Kxe3 Kd5 34. g4

Ke5 35. a5! Kd5 36. h3! Ke5 37. h4 Kd5 38. h5 Ke5 39. g5 Kf5 40. g6 hxg6 41. hxg6 Kxg6 42.

Kxe4 Kf6 43. Kd4 Ke7 44. Kc5! (Kxc4? leads to draw) Kd7 45. Kb6 Kd6 1-0

Position on the board before 21. Rfd1!!


(Belgrade, October 1992, Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 Nc6 8. Rd1 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7

(computer thinks here – and not only here in those days - through cheap tactics, but black, the

human, thinks farther ahead and in a more strategic, positional manner) 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. Bb3

Qc7 12. Nc3 Bd6 13. h3 Qb7 (black emerges from the opening with a solid advantage thanks

mostly to the excellently positioned bishop pair) 14. f4 (light pieces were more necessary to be

developed) Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Qg4?! (an almost unrealistically array of bad positional and

now tactical moves by Chessmaster. The intention was to give away the bishop on b3 for 2 or 3

pawns depending on the combination, but the computer overlooked that this would entail the

opening of the g file for a black rook to target the g2 pawn together with the queen-bishop batter

along the completely open a8-h1 diagonal. Playing something like 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxe6 was

needed for white) c4 17. Qxg7 O-O-O 18. Bxc4 Rhg8 19. Bxe6+ Kb8! 20. Qxf7 Rxg2+ 21. Kf1

(if Kh1, then 21…Rg7+ 22. Kh2 Rxf7 with the loss of white queen) Bd3+ 22. Rxd3 Qf3+ 23.

Ke1 Qe2#

Position on the board before 19. Bxe6+ Kb8!


(Belgrade, November 4, 1992, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 O-O 6. Bg5 Bxc5 7. Nf3 Bb4 8. e3 h6 9. h4!

Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 d5 11. Rd1! hxg5 12. hxg5 Ne4 13. Bd3! Nd7 (...f5 would have been better,

with small advantage for white) 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 Re8 16. Ne5! Qc7 17. Ng6!! fxg6 18.

Qxg6 Re7 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. g6! Nf6 21. Qh8+ Ng8 22. Rd4 e5 23. Qxg8+!! Kxg8 24. Rdh4!

Bh3 25. R1xh3 Rc8 26. Rh8#

Position on the board before 17. Ng6!


(Belgrade, November 1992, French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nh3 Nbc6 8. Be2 Qa5 9. Bd2

c4 10. O-O Bd7 11. Nf4 O-O-O 12. Bg4 Ng6 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Qe2 Ne7 15. Ra2 Nf5 16. Rb1

Ba4 17. Rb4 Rd7 18. Rbb2 Ne7 19. Rb1 Nc6 20. Rab2 Nb8 21. Ra2 Na6 22. Rab2 Bc6 23. Ra2

Nc7 24. Rb4 Nb5 25. a4 Nc7 26. Ra3 b5 27. axb5 Qxa3 28. bxc6 Qa1+ (if ...Re7, then 29. Qd1

Na6 30. Rb5 with drawish prospects) 29. Be1 (Qf1 may have been better) Re7 30. Rb7 Rhe8 31.

Bf3 Na8 32. Rb5 Rc7 33. Rc5 Qa4 34. Bg4 (threatens Rxd5) Kb8 35. Qf3 Nb6 36. Qf4 Qa6

(threatens Na4) 37. Qc1 Qa2 38. Bd1 Rec8 39. Rb5 Rxc6 40. Bf3 R8c7 41. Rb2 Qa6 42. Rb1

Qc8 43. Qf4 Rb7 44. Rb4 Qc7 (if ...Na8, then 45. Qxf7) 45. g3 Na8 46. Qh4 a5! 47. Qh8+ Qc8

48. Rxb7+ Kxb7 49. Qh7 (if Qxg7, then 49...Qe8!) Qf8 50. Qh4 Rb6 51. Qf4 Rb1 52. Qe3 a4 53.

Kh1 a3 54. Bxd5+ exd5 55. e6 fxe6 56. Qxe6 Nc7 57. Qe3 a2 58. Kg2 a1=Q 0-1 (the game

exemplifies patience and positional perseverance in a closed variation of the French defense. The

computer as white was frustrated with a lack of ideas and the blocked position that it committed

an exchange of dubious correctness (27. axb5), which was patiently taken advantage of by the

black. Notice also the key role and the number of different squares occupied by the b8 knight)

Position on the board before 18… Ne7 and the beginning of the black knight’s maneuver f5-e7-c6-b8-a6-c7-b5-c7-

a8-b6-a8-c7, where it would be positioned at the game’s end.


(Belgrade, November 1992, Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System)

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 Nbd7 6. O-O e5 7. d5 O-O 8. Bg5 Qe8 9. Ne1

Nc5 10. f3 Bd7 11. Qd2 Na4 12. Nxa4 Bxa4 13. b3 Bb5 14. c4 Ba6 15. g4 c6 16. dxc6 Qxc6 17.

Rd1 Rfd8 18. h4 Rac8 19. Kh1 b6 20. Nd3 Bb7 21. Nxe5!! (an intriguing knight sacrifice in the

center paves way to victory) dxe5 22. Qxd8+! Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Ne8 24. Rfd1 f6 25. c5!! fxg5 26.

Bc4+ Kf8 27. R1d7 Qf6 28. Kg2 gxh4 29. Rxb7 h3+ 30. Kf2 h2 31. Rdd7 Qh4+ 32. Ke2 Qe1+!

33. Kxe1 h1=Q+ 34. Ke2 Qg2+ 35. Kd3 Qxf3+ 36. Kc2 Qf2+ 37. Rd2 Qf6 38. g5! Qf3 39. Rf7+

Qxf7 40. Bxf7 Kxf7 41. c6! h5 42. Rd7+ Ke6 43. Rd8 (b4 leads to draw after 43...Bf8 44. Rd8

Ke7) Ke7 44. Rc8 h4 45. c7 Nxc7 46. Rxc7+ Kf8 47. Rxa7 Kg8 48. Rd7 Bf8 49. Kc3 Bc5 50.

Rd3 Kf7 51. b4 Bd4+ 52. Kc4 Ke6 53. a4 Kd6 54. Rh3 Bf2 55. a5 bxa5 56. bxa5 Kc6 57. Rb3

Bd4 58. Rf3 Ba7 59. Rf6+ Kc7 60. Rxg6 Bd4 61. Rh6 Bf2 62. g6 1-0

Position on the board before 25. c5!!


(Belgrade, November 1992, Sicilian Defense: Canal Attack, Main Line)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Nxd7 5. Nc3 Ngf6 6. O-O g6 7. Qe2 Bg7 8. Qd3 O-O

9. b3 Ng4 10. Bb2 Nge5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Qe2 Nc6 13. Qc4 Ne5 14. Qb5 Qd7 15. Qxd7 Nxd7

16. Rab1 Rac8 17. Nd5 Rfe8 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. d3 e6 20. Nc3 a6 21. f3 f5 22. Kf2 Nf6 23. exf5

exf5 24. Rfe1 d5 25. Ne2 Re7 26. d4 c4 27. Nf4 Rce8 28. Rxe7+ Rxe7 29. bxc4 dxc4 30. d5?

(Rb6 was the way to go for white. d5 detaches the pawn from its companion at c3 and, albeit

passed, makes it vulnerable) Kf7! (if ... Rd7, then 31. Ne6+ Kf7 and either 32. Nc5 or 32. Rxb7

with a draw. With 30... Kf7!, a subtle change in the position induces repercussions that mean win

for black. The pawn on d6 is now hardly defendable. For example, if 31. d6, now goes 31...Rd7

and 32. Rb6 comes too late because of 32...g5. This expulsion of the white knight from f4 cannot

be prevented with h2-h4 because of h7-h6. In total, a minor error of white with 30. d6 becomes

punished by a quiet move of the king and draw is turned into a win for black) 31. Rd1 Rd7 32.

h4 h6 33. Kg3 g5 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Ne6 Rxd5 36. Nxg5+ Kg6 37. Rxd5 Nxd5 38. Ne6 Nb4 39.

Nc5 Nxc2 40. Nxb7 Nb4 41. a3 c3 42. Na5 c2 43. Nb3 Nd3 44. Kh4 c1=Q 0 - 1

Position on the board before 30. d5? Kf7!


(Belgrade, March 1993, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Be3 O-O 9. Bc4

Nc6 10. O-O cxd4 11. cxd4 Bg4 12. Rb1 Na5 13. Bd5 Qd7 14. Qd2 Bxf3 15. gxf3 e6 16. Qxa5

exd5 17. Qxd5 Qxd5 18. exd5 b6 19. Rb5 Rfd8 20. Kg2 Rd7 21. Rd1 Rad8 22. Kg3? (Rc1 was a

better move) Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Rxd5 24. Kf4 f5 25. Rd2 Bf8 26. Kg3 Bb4 27. Rd1 Bd6+ 28. Bf4

g5 29. Bxd6 Rxd6 30. d5 Kf7 31. f4 h6 32. fxg5 hxg5 33. h3 f4+ 34. Kg4 Kf6 35. Rd3 b5 36.

Rd2 (a critical moment in the game and the move in which white gave minimal, but crucial

advantage to black. The white pawn on d6 should have been relinquished in favor of more active

36. Ra3. From this moment on, black gains a minimal advantage, but executes it flawlessly) a5

37. Rd3 b4 38. h4 gxh4 39. Kxf4 Ke7 40. Kg4 Rh6 41. f4 h3 42. d6+ Kd7 43. Rd1 h2 44. Rh1 a4

45. Kg3 b3 46. axb3 axb3 47. f5 b2 48. Kg2 Kxd6 49. f6 Rxf6 50. Rb1 h1=Q+!! (seemingly

logical 50...Rh6?? would be an error because of 51. Kh1! leading to draw after 51. Kd5 Rxb2)

51. Rxh1 (if 51. Kxh1, then 51... Rf2, 52. Kg1 Rc2 53. Rf1/Kf1 Rc1 0-1) Kc5 52. Rb1 Rb6 53.

Kf2 Kd4 54. Ke2 Kc3 55. Kd1 Re6! 0-1

Position on the board before 50… h1=Q!!


(Belgrade, March 1993, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nf6 (...Nxc3 is here better for black) 6. h3 Bg7

7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 (...c5 is more dynamic and more favorable for black) 9. a4 Bd7 10. O-O

Na5 11. Ba2 Nc6 12. Be3 Nb4 13. Bc4 c6 14. Qe2 Qb6 15. Ne5 Rad8 (...a5 Rfd1 16. Rad8 is

better for black, even though white maintains advantage) 16. Nxf7 Rxf7 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18.

Qc4+ Be6 19. d5 Bxd5 20. exd5 c5 21. Bxc5 Rc8 22. d6+ Nbd5 23. Nxd5 Qxc5 24. Qxc5 Rxc5

25. Nxf6 Bxf6 26. dxe7 Bxe7 27. Rfc1 Ke6 1-0

Position on the board before 16. Nxf7

Vuk Uskoković – Chess System

(Belgrade, December 30, 1996, Queen’s Gambit Declined)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. e3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. Nge2 Bb4 7. Qc2 e5 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3

e4 10. Bc2 Bg4 11. Bd1 Qe7 12. O-O O-O-O 13. Nf4 Bf5 (…Bxd1 was better for black) 14. Bd2

Rhg8 15. b4 Qd6 16. c5 Qf8 17. b5 Ne7 18. b6 axb6 19. cxb6 c6 20. a4 g5 21. Ne2 Nd7 22. a5

Bg4 23. Nc1 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 Qh6 25. Nb3 Qf6 26. Rdc1 Qd6 27. a6! bxa6 28. Rxa6 f5

(advancing black pawns on the kingside are yet to come into contact with white pawns shielding

the white king, whereas the pawn protection of the black king on the queenside lies in ruins.

Immediate 28…Nb8 was a more meaningful try, albeit being as long of a shot as 28…f5) 29.

Rca1 Nb8 30. b7+! Kxb7 31. Nc5+ Kc8 32. Qb2 Rdf8 33. Ba5 Qxc5 34. dxc5 Nxa6 35. Qb6

Kd7 36. Qxa6 Rc8 1-0 (Chess System was played on the Amiga platform)

Position on the board before 30. b7+!

Chess System – Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, February 1997, Spanish Game: Closed)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Na5 9. Bc2 c5

10. d4 Qc7 11. Bb3 O-O 12. Na3 Nxb3 13. Qxb3 Bb7 14. d5 c4 15. Qd1 Rac8 16. Nc2 g6 17.

Bh6 Rfd8 18. Ng5 Bf8 19. Bxf8 Rxf8 20. Qf3 Ne8 21. Qh3 Nf6 22. a4 Ra8 23. Qf3 Qe7 24. Qe3

Rfd8 25. Nb4 Ne8 26. Qb6 Qc7 27. Qxc7 Nxc7 28. a5 Ne8 29. Rad1 Nf6 30. Re3 Nd7 31. Rh3

h5 32. Rf3 (f4 exf4 33. Rf1 was better for white) Rf8 33. Nc6 Nc5 (prophylactic …Kg7,

preventing Rf6 and subsequent Rxd6 while keeping the position closed was also positive for

black) 34. Rf6 Kg7 35. Rxd6 Bxc6 36. Rxc6 Rac8 37. Nf3 f6 38. Rxc8 Rxc8 39. Nd2 f5 (not the

most perfect move, but the one that threw white out of balance and reversed the advantage from

white’s to black’s) 40. exf5 (f3 was better for white) gxf5 41. Nf1 Nb3 42. Ng3 Kg6 43. d6 Nxa5

44. Rd5 h4 45. Nf1 Kf6 46. d7 Rd8 47. g3 hxg3 48. hxg3 Ke6 49. Ne3 (Rc5 was better for black,

as it would allow it to enter the eighth rank and avoid the inevitable rook exchange after …Rxd7)

Rxd7 50. Rxd7 Kxd7 51. Nxf5 Nb7 52. Ne3 Nc5 53. Ng4 Ke6 54. f3 Na4 55. Ne3 Nxb2 56. Kf2

Na4 57. Nd1 a5 58. Ke3 b4 59. Kd2 Nxc3 60. Nxc3 bxc3+ 61. Kxc3 Kd5 0-1

Position on the board before 39… f5

Vuk Uskoković - Chess System

(Belgrade, March 1997, Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line)

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Be3 Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3 Bb4

10. Rc1 f6 11. exf6 Qxf6 12. Bd3 O-O 13. O-O Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Qf5 15. Qe2 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Na4

17. Ra3 Nb6 18. Nd2 Qc2 19. Rb3 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Qxd2 22. Rd3 Qa5 (...Qh6 is

not really better. After 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. Rh3 Qxh3 white wins) 23. Bxg7! e5 24. Rg3 Qc5+

25. Kh1 Qd6 26. Bxe5+ Qg6 27. Rxg6+ hxg6 28. Qf6 Kh7 29. Qg7#

Position on the board before 23. Bxg7!

Chess System – Vuk Uskoković

(Belgrade, March 1997, King’s Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 e5 6. Nge2 O-O 7. Bg5 Nbd7 8. f4 c6 9. fxe5 dxe5

10. d5 cxd5 11. cxd5 Nc5 12. Ng3 b6 13. b4 Nb7 14. Be2 Bd7 15. Ba6 (a puzzling loss of

tempo) Nd6 16. O-O h6 17. Bd2 Nfe8 (…b5 was be a more aggressive option for black, but I

stuck to the quieter, positional play) 18. Be3 Nc7 19. Be2 Qe7 20. Qc1 Kh7 21. Nd1 (a4 would

have been sharper and better too) Rac8 22. Qa3 Ncb5 23. Qd3 f5 24. a4 f4 25. Nh1 Nc7 26. Bd2

g5 27. Bh5 Nce8 28. Bf3 Nf6 29. Nhf2 Rg8 30. Nb2 Bf8 31. Rac1 g4 32. Rxc8 Bxc8 33. Be2 g3

34. hxg3 fxg3 35. Nfd1 (Nh3 appears as a sounder option) Nfxe4! 36. Bf3 Qh4 37. Bxe4+ Nxe4

38. Rf7+ (allowing this entrance of the white rook to the seventh rank, ironically, does service to

the black by unpinning the black king from the b1-h7 diagonal) Kh8 39. Ne3 Bg4!! (… Bh3 was

weaker but still winning for black after 40. gxh3 Ng5 41. Ng2 Qxh3 42. Bxg5 Qh2+ 43. Kf1

Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxg2+) 40. Nf1 (if Qxe4, then …Bf5!! 41. Rxf5 Nf2 42. Rxf2 gxf2#, and if

Rh7+, then Kxf7 41. Qxe4+ Kh8 42. Nf1 Bg7 43. Be1 Rf8 44. Nxg3 Qg5 45. Nc4 Rf4 46. Qc2

Rd4, with the massive advantage for black) Bf5 41. Rxf5 Nf2 42. Rxf2 gxf2# (this is the last

game recorded in the original 4 notebooks, scribbled on a separate piece of paper and tucked

between the pages of the fourth and final book. Symbolically, the computer was checkmated

with a pawn, that weakest of all chess pieces. The game combines an excellent positional play in

a closed setting and a combination with multiple sacrifices to end it with, the two elements that I

aspired to embody in my playing style. Holism and reductionism that I later wished to combine

in my scientific worldviews here lay embedded blended into an inextricable oneness in a

different universe.)

Position on the board before 39…Bg4!!

Appendix I: Selected games annotated between 2008 and 2018


(Kumbor, September 2007, Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation)

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. f3 e6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nxf6+ Qxf6 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Ne2

O-O 10. c3 Nd7 11. Ng3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Qg6 13. Ne4 Bc7 14. O-O-O Nf6 15. g4 Nxe4 16. fxe4

Rfd8 (g4 pawn seems poisonous but its taking by the black queen does not lead to severe

repercussions because after 16…Qxg4 17. Rdg1 Qh3, white cannot play Rg3) 17. g5 e5 18. h4

exd4 19. cxd4 Qh5 20. Rdf1 (Rhf1 was possible too, as opening of the h file after …Qxh4 would

be too risky for black) Rd7 21. Rf5 g6 22. Rf6 Bd8 23. Rf2 Bb6 24. Qb3 Rf8 25. e5! Bxd4 26.

Bxd4 Rxd4 27. e6! Rd5 28. Qxb7 (28. exf7 Rxf7 29. Rxf7 and only then Qb7+ would win the

game for the white) fxe6 29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 30. Qb8+ Ke7 31. Qxa7+ Kd6 32. Qb8+ Ke7 33. Qa7+

Kd6 34. Qb8+ Kd7 35. Qb7+ Kd6 36. Qb4+ Kd7 37. Rf1 Rf5 38. Rxf5 gxf5 39. Qd4+ Kc7 40.

Qf4+ Kd7 41. Kd2 Qe8 42. a4 Qa8 43. b3 Qa5+ 44. Kc2 Qc5+ 45. Kd3 Qa3 46. Qd4+ Kc7 47.

Kc4 Qc1+ 48. Kb4 f4 49. Qg7+ Kd6 50. Qd4+ Kc7 51. Qg7+ Kd6 52. Qd4+ Kc7 53. Qg7+ ½ -

½



(Kumbor, September 2008, Indian Game: Wade-Tartakower Defense)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bg5 g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nbd2 e5 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9.

Ne4 Bf5 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. Bh6 Bg7 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. c3 Qe7 14. Qd4 h5 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16.

Qa4 Bd7 17. Qc2 Rad8 18. e4 f5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Qb3 (Qc1 seemed better for white because of

preventing …Rd2 and controlling c1-h6 diagonal) Rd2 21. Bc4 c6 (…Be4 would have been

more active and after …Qg5, the attack on the white king would have been considerable) 22.

Rad1 Bc2 23. Rxd2 Bxb3 24. Bxb3 Rd8 25. Rxd8 Qxd8 26. Rd1 Qe7 27. Re1 Kf6 28. Kf1 b5

29. f3 g5 30. Bc2 g4 31. Be4 c5 32. Rd1 gxf3 33. Bxf3 h4 34. Re1 Qe6 35. a3 Qf5 36. h3 Kg5

37. Re4 Kg6 38. Ke2 Kf6 39. Kd2 a5 40. Kc2 Qh7 41. Kb3 Qf7+ 42. Kc2 Qh7 43. Kb3 a4+ 44.

Ka2 Ke6 45. Rg4 Kd6 46. Ka1 Kc7 47. Be4 Qe7 48. Bf3 Qf6 49. Be2 Kb6 50. Bf3 Kc7 51. Be2

Qe7 52. Bf3 Qh7 ½ - ½ (Stockfish 10 evaluation of the final position is -1.7, but draw is

estimated given infinite play. For most of the game, the black king and queen clang to each other

and were positioned on adjacent squares. Therefore, the game is a symbolic illustration of how

the king and his beloved should have left some more space between each other. To present a

good support of the building, pillars of the foundation have to be kept somewhat separated from

each other. Only then, with the king and the queen separated, giving each other space to breathe

and interact from the close distance, a winning play would have been made possible in this

game)

Position on the board before 40… Qh7.

Alba (Fritz) – Vuk Uskoković

(San Francisco, June 14, 2012, Rapid game, Sicilian Defense)

1. e4 c5 2. d3 d6 3. f4 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Qe1 Nc6 8. Kh1 Qc7 9. Ng1 Bd7

10. Qg3 Rad8 11. f5 Ne8 12. Bh5 exf5 13. exf5 d5 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qf2 Nd4 17.

Bd1 Nxf5 18. Bg4 g6 19. Bf3 Neg7 20. Nc3 Bc6 21. g4 d4! 22. Ne4 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Ne3 24. Qh4

Nxf1 25. Rxf1 f5 26. gxf5 Nxf5 27. Qg5 Ne3 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Nf3 Qf6 30. Qxc5 g5! 31. Qc7

Qf7 32. Qd6 g4 33. Nd2 Qf1+ 34. Nxf1 Rxf1#

Position on the board before 33… Qf1+.

Vuk Uskoković – Bluetentau (Fritz)

(San Francisco, October 27, 2012, Rapid game,

Sicilian Defense, Modern Variations, Main Line)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 6. Nc3 a6 7. Ba4 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4

O-O 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Be3 b5 12. Bb3 b4 13. Na4 Nxe4 14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. Bxe6+ Kh8 16. Bd4

Ndc5 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. f5 Bxe6 19. fxe6 Rae8 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. Qg4+ Kh6 22. Rf7 Rxf7

23. exf7 Rf8 24. Rf1 Bd8 25. Rf3 Bg5 26. Rh3+ Kg7? (... Kg6 ½ - ½) 27. Qxg5+ Kxf7 28.

Rxh7+ 1-0

Position on the board before 20. Bxg7+.

Vuk Uskoković – Okyoyu Online (Fritz)

(San Francisco, 2012, Rapid game, Spanish Game: Classical Variation)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O d6 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bb3 Nge7 8. d3 O-O 9. Re1 Na5

10. Bc2 f5 11. Nbd2 c6 12. Nf1 Nb7 13. Be3 f4 14. Bxc5 Nxc5 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Ne6 17. d5

Nc5 18. dxc6 Nxc6 19. e5 Bg4 20. exd6 Rf6 21. Bxh7+! Kh8 22. d7 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Kxh7 24.

Qh5+ Kg8 (if ...Rh6, it only prolongs the struggle, but does not rescue black: 25. Qf5+ Rg6 26.

Re8 Qxd7 27. Qxd7 Nxd7 28. Rxa8 1-0) 25. Re8+ Rf8 26. Rxd8 Raxd8 27. Qxc5 1-0

Position on the board before 21. Bxh7+.

Vuk Uskoković (wolfline) – psx19 (1622, lichess)

(Irvine, February 2, 2018, 15 min, Caro-Kann Defense)

1. d4 c6 2. e5 d5 3. Nc3 h6 4. e5 Bf5 5. f4 e6 6. Nf3 a6 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Ne7 9. 0-0 Nf5

(opens room for 10.g4 and …Nd7 seemed better for black) 10. Kh1 (white hesitates to play

aggressively with 10. g4) Nbd7 11. Bd2 Nb6 (…c5 is an expected move for black here) 12. b3 c5

13. g4 dxc5 14. Be1 Nxf3 15. Rxf3 Rc8 16. Rd1 c4 17. Qe3 cxb3 18. axb3 Qc7 19. f5! exf5 20.

gxf5 Be7? 21. f6 gxf6 22. exf6 Rd8 23. Bg3 Qd7 24. Re1 Qe6 25. fxe7 1-0 (This is one of the

chess games played as a question at a crossroad in life. Chess, at times, could be played almost

like Tarot and the signs presented through the game to the player can be analyzed as a source of

guidance. This particular game coincided with my being punished by the reigning Order for my

standing up in defense of Freedom. The annotation of this game was given in a footnote of my

book SF Penseés and here I present a relevant excerpt: “I opened with my usual first move of the

queen’s pawn, 1.d4, leaning “left of the middle”, more to my Mom and various other queens in

my life than to my Dad and everything masculine in life. As the game transitioned from the

opening to the middlegame, the c file became opened and the black launched an attack on the

weak black knight resting on c3 square. The hoppy knight, symbolizing unbound joy in me, got

attacked, just as in real life, but I maintained it in place, unhurt and untouched, all until the end

of the game. The way I counteracted this attack of the black was by pushing the two central

pawns, e and f, all the way to the top of the board. These two pawns symbolized something small

and weak, which I would make the strongest weapon in my arsenal. These, I deemed, must be

my daughter and son, the two preciousest pawns in my possession. When they march forward, in

their godly purity, nothing can stand in the way and the darkest of armies secede. Such was the

case in this game too, as this counterattack withdrew all the offensive black pieces from the

queen side to help the arrogant king, which castled not, and then forced him to surrender under

an imminent checkmate threat. And so, following this guidance, I erased all other thoughts from

my head and focused only on these two diamonds jumping on my lap. I looked deep into their

starry eyes and empathized with the world seen through them. It was, I knew, my way to the

victory”).


Vuk Uskoković (wolfline) – YefimG (2087, lichess)

(Irvine, April 15, 2018, 15 min + 5 sec, Slav Indian)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. Bd2 e5 5. dxe5 Qxe5 6. Nf3 Qe6 7. e3 g6 8. Ng5 Qe7 9. Be2

Bg7 10. O-O h6 11. Nf3 O-O 12. Qc2 d6 13. Rad1 Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Na6 16. Be1

Rad8 17. Nd4 Nc5 18. Qe2 a5 19. f3 Rfe8 20. e4 Nh5 21. Bg3 Nxg3 22. hxg3 Qg5 23. g4 d5 24.

f4! Qh4 25. e5 Ne6 26. cxd5 cxd5 27. Ncb5 Nxd4 28. Rxd4 Qe7 29. Qd3 f6 30. Qxg6 fxe5 31.

fxe5 Qxe5 32. Rdf4 Re7 33. Nd4 Qg5 34. Qb6 Re4 35. Ne6 Bd4+ 36. Nxd4 Rxf4 37. Rxf4 Re8

38. Qf6 Qxf6 39. Rxf6 Kg7 40. Rd6 Re4 41. Nf5+ Kf8 42. Rxh6 Rxg4 43. Rd6 Rf4 44. Rxd5

(Rf6+ Kg8 45. Nh6+ and 46. Rxf4 would have been better) b6 45. Ne3 Ke7 46. Rf5 Re4 47. Kf2

a4 48. a3 Ke6 49. Kf3 Rd4 50. Rb5 Rd6 51. Nc4 Rd3+ 52. Ke4 Rg3 53. Rxb6+ Ke7 54. Ra6

Rxg2 55. Rxa4 Rg4+ 56. Kd5 Rg5+ 57. Ne5 1-0


Vuk Uskoković (wolfline) – hamed481 (2040, lichess)

(Irvine, April 11, 2018, 12 min + 3 sec, Slav Defense: Quiet Variation)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. O-O dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Bd2

Be7 10. b4 O-O 11. a3 Qc7 12. Qc2 a6 13. Nc3 Rac8 14. Ne4 h6 15. Rac1 e5 16. Rfe1 Rfe8 17.

h3 Bf8?! 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Nh4 a5 20. Bxb5 Qb6? 21. Bc4 exd4 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. Qg6+

Ke7 24. exd4+ Kd6 25. Bf4+ Kd5 26. Qf7+ Re6 27. Qxe6+ Kxd4 28. Be3+ Kd3 29. Qc4#

Position on the board before 22. Bxf7+.

Vuk Uskoković (wolfline) – capitanLeidenz (1765, lichess)

(Irvine, May 2, 2018, 5 min + 8 sec, English Defense)

1. d4 b6 2. e4 c5 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Nc3 d6 5. dxc5 bxc5 6. Bf4 g6 7. Qd2 Bg7 8. O-O-O Nf6 9. Nd5!

Nxe4 10. Qe3 f5 11. Bc4 e5 12. Bg5 Nxg5 13. Nxg5 Bh6 14. h4 Nc6 15. f4 e4 16. Qc3 Nd4 17.

Rxd4! Bxg5 18. Bb5+ Kf7 19. hxg5 cxd4 20. Qxd4 Ke6 21. Bc4 Rc8 22. Nc7+ Kd7 23. Qg7+

Kc6 24. Bb5+ Kc5 25. Qc3+ Kb6 26. Qd4+ Ka5 27. Qxa7+ Kb4 28. a3# 1-0

Position on the board before 17. Rxd4.

Vuk Uskoković (wolfline) – fourcube (1912, lichess)

(Irvine, June 2, 2018, 5 min + 5 sec, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bd3 e6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. f3 Bd7

10. O-O-O Nc6 11. Kb1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Rhe1 Bf6 16.

Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qf2 Bc6 18. Qg3 Rfe8 19. Qh3 g6 20. Qh6 Re6 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. Qf4 Re8 23.

Qd4 f6 24. b3 Qd6 25. g3 Re5 26. f4 Re7 27. c4 Qe6 28. cxd5 Bxd5 29. Bxg6! Bxb3! 30.

Bxh7+! Kg7!! 31. Bc2? Bxc2+ 32. Kxc2 Qxa2+ 33. Qb2 Rc7+ 0-1 (a boring game that suddenly

explodes into witty bishop sacrifices on both ends and a quiet king move that resolves the game)

Position on the board before 29… Bxb3! 30. Bxh7+! Kg7!!

Шах, рат и једна младост у цвету Chess, War and a Youth in...

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