Gaprindashvili - Blagidze, Georgia 1963

I found this game on The Kenilworthian blog, a game between Nona Gaprindashvili and Alexander Blagidze. What fascinated me about this particular game is the position after 12... Nc6. Only twelve moves into the game, a position that seems normal, like something one would see when studying a particular opening, and then Bam! Can you see the bam? That is the challenge. Try to find it yourself.

I've analysed the game (very superficially) using Houdini and I've added two variations, just to see what would have happened in the more obvious situations. One question remains: what was really black's downfall? What was black's bad move and what could have been done instead of it? You can see it in the analysed PGN, but try to see it, it's a deceptively silent move.

[Event "USSR"]
[Site "USSR"]
[Date "1963.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nona Gaprindashvili"]
[Black "Alexander Blagidze"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Opening "Sicilian"]
[Variation "Closed, 2...Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4"]
[WhiteElo "2400"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[WhiteType "human"]
[BlackType "human"]

1. e4 {(e7-e5) +0.10/16 20}
...c5 {(Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6 Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6 d2-d4 c5xd4 Nf3xd4 e7-e6 Bf1-e2 Bf8-b4 Nd4xc6 b7xc6 0-0 Qd8-a5 Qd1-d3 0-0 Bc1-e3 Bc8-b7 Be3-d4 e6-e5) -0.20/16 20}
2. Nc3 {(Nb8-c6 Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6 d2-d4 c5xd4 Nf3xd4 e7-e6 Bf1-e2 Bf8-b4 Nd4xc6 b7xc6 0-0 Qd8-a5 Qd1-d3 0-0 Bc1-e3 Bc8-b7 Ra1-d1 Bb4xc3 Qd3xc3 Qa5xc3 b2xc3 Nf6xe4 Rd1xd7 Ne4xc3) +0.22/17 20}
...Nc6 {(Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6 d2-d4 c5xd4 Nf3xd4 e7-e6 Bf1-e2 Bf8-b4 Nd4xc6 b7xc6 0-0 Qd8-a5 Qd1-d3 0-0 Bc1-e3 d7-d6 Qd3-c4 d6-d5 Qc4xc6 Bc8-d7 Qc6-b7 Bb4xc3 b2xc3 d5xe4) -0.19/16 20}
3. f4 {(d7-d6 Ng1-f3 g7-g6 Bf1-c4 Ng8-f6 d2-d3 Bf8-g7 h2-h3 0-0 0-0 a7-a6 a2-a4 Nf6-h5 Nc3-e2 e7-e6 c2-c3 Bc8-d7 Bc1-e3) 0.00/15 20}
...g6 {(g2-g4 Bf8-g7 g4-g5 a7-a6 Ng1-f3 b7-b5 d2-d3 h7-h6 a2-a4 b5-b4 Nc3-d5 h6xg5 f4xg5 e7-e6 Nd5-e3 Ng8-e7 Ne3-c4) 0.00/15 20}
4. Bb5 {(Nc6-d4 Ng1-f3 Nd4xb5 Nc3xb5 d7-d6 0-0 Bc8-d7 c2-c4 Bd7xb5 c4xb5 Qd8-b6 d2-d4 c5xd4 Qd1xd4 Qb6xd4+ Nf3xd4 Ng8-f6 e4-e5 Nf6-e4 Bc1-e3) -0.02/14 20}
...Nd4 {(Ng1-f3 Nd4xb5) +0.08/14 20}
5. Bc4 {(a7-a6 a2-a4 e7-e6 Ng1-f3 Ng8-e7 e4-e5 d7-d5 e5xd6/ep Ne7-f5 0-0 Nf5xd6 d2-d3 Bf8-g7 Nc3-e4 0-0 Bc1-e3 Nd6xc4 d3xc4 Nd4xf3+ Qd1xf3 Bg7xb2 Be3xc5 Bb2xa1 Bc5xf8) 0.00/14 20}
...Bg7 {(Ng1-f3 d7-d6 0-0 Ng8-f6 e4-e5 d6xe5 f4xe5 Nd4xf3+ Qd1xf3 Qd8-d4+ Qf3-e3 Nf6-g4 Qe3xd4 c5xd4 Bc4xf7+ Ke8-d8 Nc3-e4 Bg7xe5 h2-h3 Ng4-h2 Rf1-e1 Rh8-f8 Ne4-g5 Be5-g3) -0.05/15 20}
6. Nge2 {(d7-d6 0-0) -0.05/13 20}
...e6 {(b2-b3 a7-a6 e4-e5 d7-d5 Bc4-d3 Nd4xe2 Bd3xe2 Ng8-e7 Bc1-b2 Bc8-d7 h2-h4 Ne7-f5 h4-h5 Nf5-g3 Rh1-h3 Ng3xe2 Qd1xe2) +0.01/14 20}
7. Nxd4 {(c5xd4 Nc3-e2 d7-d6 b2-b3 Ng8-f6 Bc4-d3 Bc8-d7 Bc1-a3 Qd8-b6 h2-h3 Bd7-c6 Ne2-g3 0-0 Ba3xd6 Rf8-d8 Bd6-e7 Rd8-d7) -0.09/15 20}
...cxd4 {(Nc3-e2 d7-d6 b2-b3 Ng8-f6 Bc4-d3 Bc8-d7 Bc1-a3 Qd8-b6 h2-h3 Bd7-c6 Ne2-g3 0-0 Ba3xd6 Rf8-d8 Bd6-e7 Rd8-d7) +0.09/16 20}
8. Ne2 {(d7-d6 b2-b3 Ng8-f6 Ne2-g3 h7-h5 Bc4-d3 h5-h4 Ng3-e2 Bc8-d7 Bc1-b2 e6-e5 0-0 Bd7-c6 c2-c3 Bc6xe4 Bd3-b5+ Ke8-f8 f4xe5 d6xe5 c3xd4) -0.15/16 20}
...Qh4+ {(g2-g3 Qh4-e7 a2-a4 d7-d6 d2-d3 Ng8-h6 c2-c3 d4xc3 b2xc3 0-0 0-0 Nh6-g4 h2-h3 Ng4-f6 e4-e5 Nf6-d7 d3-d4 Nd7-b6) 0.00/16 20}
9. Ng3 {(Ng8-f6 Qd1-f3) -0.29/15 20}
...Qxf4 {(d2-d3 Qf4-f6 Rh1-f1 Qf6-e7 Qd1-f3 d7-d5 Bc4-b3 Ng8-h6 e4xd5 e6xd5+ Qf3-e2 Qe7xe2+ Ng3xe2 Nh6-g4 Bb3xd5 0-0 Bc1-f4 Ng4-e3 Bf4xe3 d4xe3 d3-d4 a7-a5 a2-a4) +0.12/16 20}
10. d3 {(Qf4-d6 0-0 Ng8-e7 Bc1-f4 Qd6-b6 a2-a4 0-0 a4-a5 Qb6-c5 Qd1-e1 d7-d6 Bf4-d2 Bc8-d7 Ng3-e2 b7-b5 a5xb6/ep a7xb6 Qe1-h4 Ra8xa1 Rf1xa1) -0.22/16 20}
...Qc7 {(0-0) +0.11/15 20}
11. O-O {(Ng8-e7 Bc1-g5 Qc7-c5 Qd1-d2 b7-b5 b2-b4 Qc5-b6 Bg5xe7 Ke8xe7 Bc4-b3 f7-f6 a2-a4 b5xa4 Bb3xa4 Bc8-b7 Qd2-f4 Ke7-e8 e4-e5 f6-f5 Ng3-e2 g6-g5) -0.21/16 20}
...Ne7 {(Bc1-g5 Qc7-c5 Qd1-d2 b7-b5 b2-b4 Qc5-b6 Bg5xe7 Ke8xe7 Bc4-b3 Bc8-b7 Qd2-f4 f7-f6 a2-a4 b5xa4 Bb3xa4 Ke7-e8 e4-e5 f6-f5 Ng3-e2 g6-g5) +0.21/16 20}
12. Bg5 {(Qc7-c5 Qd1-f3 0-0 Bg5-f6 Bg7xf6 Qf3xf6 b7-b6 a2-a3 Ne7-c6 Rf1-f5 Qc5-e7 Ng3-h5 Qe7xf6 Nh5xf6+ Kg8-g7 Rf5-f4 Nc6-e5 Ra1-f1 Ne5xc4 d3xc4 Bc8-a6 b2-b3 g6-g5 Rf4-f3) -0.10/16 20}
...Nc6 {(Ng3-h5 g6xh5 Rf1xf7 h7-h6 Bg5-f4 Bg7-e5 Qd1xh5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+ Kd8-e8 Qh4-h5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+) 0.00/16 20}
13. Nh5 {(g6xh5 Rf1xf7 h7-h6 Bg5-f4 Bg7-e5 Qd1xh5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+ Kd8-e8 Qh4-h5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+) 0.00/17 20}
...gxh5 {(Rf1xf7 h7-h6 Bg5-f4 Bg7-e5 Qd1xh5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+ Kd8-e8 Qh4-h5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+) 0.00/18 20}
14. Rxf7 {(h7-h6 Bg5-f4 Bg7-e5 Qd1xh5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+ Kd8-e8 Qh4-h5 Ke8-d8 Qh5-h4+) 0.00/18 20}
...Qe5 {(Rf7-f5 Qe5xf5 e4xf5 0-0 f5xe6 d7xe6 Qd1xh5 Bc8-d7 Qh5-g4 Ra8-e8 Bg5-h6 Re8-e7 Bh6xg7 Re7xg7 Bc4xe6+ Kg8-h8 Qg4-h3 Bd7xe6 Qh3xe6 Rg7-f7 Qe6-b3 Rf7-e7 Ra1-f1 Rf8xf1+ Kg1xf1 Kh8-g7 Qb3-d5 h7-h6 Kf1-f2 Re7-f7+ Kf2-g3) -4.44/16 20}
(14. .. Kxf7 15. Qxh5+ Kf8 16. Rf1+ Qf4 17. Rxf4+ Bf6 18. Rxf6+ Ke7 19. Rxe6+ Kf8 20. Re8+ Kg7 21. Qh6#)
15. Rf5
(15. Rf5 Qxf5 16. exf5 O-O 17. fxe6 dxe6 18. Qxh5 Bd7 19. Qg4 Rae8 20. Bh6 Re7 21. Bxg7 Rxg7 22. Bxe6+ Kh8 23. Qh3 Bxe6 24. Qxe6 )
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