FIDE Surveys – Miguel Illescas

1

Miguel Illescas:

The move that was never
played

Arabidze M. : Hoang Thanh Trang
Chakvi 2015

Studying chess with modern computers
allow us to discover moves that otherwise
would go unnoticed. I want to draw your
attention to the following game, from the last
European Women Championship. Please,
examine carefully the opening: can you spot
something unusual?

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qb3
Qe7 6.Bg5 b6 7.g3 Bb7 8.Bg2 h6 9.Bf6 Bc3
10.Qc3 Qf6 11.0–0 0–0 12.Rfd1 d6 13.e3
Be4 14.Ne1 Nd7

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-trk+0
9zp-zpn+-zp-0
9-zp-zppwq-zp0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+PzPl+-+0
9+-wQ-zP-zP-0
9PzP-+-zPLzP0
9tR-+RsN-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

with an equal position that Black finally won
in 57 moves. The rest of the game is
irrelevant to this article but quite interesting,
though.
15.f3 Bb7 16.Nd3 a5 17.Rac1 Rad8 18.Qc2
e5 19.c5 dc5 20.dc5 Ba6 21.c6 Bd3 22.Qb3
Qf7 23.Qd3 Nc5 24.Qd8 Rd8 25.Rd8 Kh7
26.Rcd1 Qa2 27.Bh3 Qb3 28.Bf5 g6
29.Bh3 Qe3 30.Kh1 h5 31.Rf1 Nd3 32.Rd7
Kh6 33.Rc7 Nf2 34.Kg2 Nh3 35.Kh3 Qe2
36.Rc1 g5

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-tR-+-+-0
9-zpP+-+-mk0
9zp-+-zp-zpp0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+PzPK0
9-zP-+q+-zP0
9+-tR-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

37.Rh7 Kh7 38.c7 g4 39.fg4 Qg4 40.Kg2
Qe2 41.Kh3 Qg4 42.Kg2 Qc8 43.Kf3 Kg6
44.Ke4 Kf6 45.Rc6 Ke7 46.Ke5 Kd7
47.Rc3 Qe8 48.Kd4 Kc8 49.Kd3 Qb5
50.Kc2 Qe2 51.Kb3 Qh2 52.Ka2 a4
53.Ka3 b5 54.b3 Qd2 55.Rf3 b4 56.Ka4
Qd7 57.Kb4 Qd6
and the rook is lost.It looks like nothing
extraordinary happened. Howewer, the
analyisis of the opening will bring a big
surprise. 0:1.

Analysis (Illescas,Miguel)]

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+k+-tr0
9zplzppwq-zpp0
9-zp-+psn-+0
9+-+-+pvL-0
9-vlPzP-+-+0
9+QsN-+NzP-0
9PzP-+PzPLzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

The opening, despite being an unusual line,
was developing according to well known
patterns. But suddenly, White had the chance
to win the game by mean of an amazing
move.

FIDE Surveys – Miguel Illescas

2

8...h6?!
According to the following analyisis, we
must conclude that this natural move is a
mistake. A couple of reasonable alternatives
would be:
8...Nc6!? 9.0–0! Na5 10.Qc2 Nc4 11.Nb5!
d5 12.Nc7! Qc7 13.Qa4 Qd7 14.Qb4 a5
15.Qe1 Nb2?! (15...Rc8, Kortschnoj V. :
Van der Wiel J., Amsterdam 1990.) 16.Ne5
Qe7 17.Rb1 with good compensation for the
pawn;
8...0–0 9.0–0 Bc3 10.Qc3 d6=, Postny E. :
Gleizerov E., Zagreb 2011.
9.Bf6 Bc3?
Even knowing the truth, I still find it
astonishing that this intermediate check, so
common in many variations of the Nimzo-
Indian Defense, is a mistake. The reason lies
in the following answer, that went unnoticed
to the players and the general public.
The ugly 9...gf6± had to be played.
10.Nd2!!+–

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+k+-tr0
9zplzppwq-zp-0
9-zp-+pvL-zp0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+Qvl-+-zP-0
9PzP-sNPzPLzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

This move caused great impact on me. In the
more than 40 years that I've been sitting in
front of a chessboard, I had not seen
anything alike. In addition to the practical
value it may have, perhaps not the particular
position but rather the idea itself, the
aesthetic effect is undeniable.
10...Bd2 11.Kd2
The Black Queen is threatened and there is
no time to save the b7 bishop.
The less evil would be

11...Bg2
If 11...Qf6 12.Bb7 Qd4 13.Ke1 Black gets
no compensation for the rook.
12.Be7 Bh1 13.Rh1 Ke7
with a rook and a knight for the Queen,
which in practical terms means a clean extra
pawn for White. +–.

Wallis C. : Tolhuizen L.
Douglas 2014

I was curious to know if the same idea had
occurred in any game, but I did not find any
case where white was able to find the evil
knight move to d2. So we can surely say that
it is "the move that has never been played",
although there were some opportunities. In
the following example the White queen was
on d3, which does not alter the value of the
previous analysis.
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Qd3
Qe7 6.Bg5 b6 7.g3 Bb7 8.Bg2 h6 9.Bf6 Bc3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+k+-tr0
9zplzppwq-zp-0
9-zp-+pvL-zp0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-vlQ+NzP-0
9PzP-+PzPLzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

10.Qc3
As we have already said, the winning move
was 10.Nd2!!
10...Qf6=

Delvos T. : Sewarte U.
Ruhrgebiet 2005

But one should be careful! Sometimes the
briliancy doesn't work. Have a look at this
example:

FIDE Surveys – Miguel Illescas

3

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.g3
Bb7 6.Bg2 0–0 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bf6 Bc3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zplzpp+pzp-0
9-zp-+pvL-zp0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-vl-+NzP-0
9PzP-+PzPLzP0
9tR-+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

Now, in case of
9.Nd2?!
The game continued 9.bc3 Qf6=.
9...Bd2 10.Qd2 Qc8!
and White is in trouble.

Reichelt H. : Thinius M.
Jena 2008

So, with the queen on d8, the magic move
doesn't work. False! This is the beauty of
chess, there are no fixed rules. Let's check
the following example!
1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 b6 5.g3
Bb7 6.Bg2 Bb4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bf6 Bc3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wqk+-tr0
9zplzpp+-zp-0
9-zp-+pvL-zp0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-vl-+NzP-0
9PzP-+PzPLzP0
9tR-+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

9.Nd2!
Instead of 9.bc3?! Qf6=, like in the game.
9...Bd2?!
It would be better to accept that after 9...Qc8
10.Bg7! Rg8 11.bc3 Bg2 12.Rg1 Rg7
13.Rg2 Qa6 14.Rg1 Nc6. White stands
better, with a pawn advantage.
10.Qd2 Qc8 11.Bg7 Rh7 12.Bh6 Bg2
13.Rg1 Bb7 14.Qg5! Kf7 15.Qh5

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnq+-+-+0
9zplzpp+k+r0
9-zp-+p+-vL0
9+-+-+p+Q0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-+-+-zP-0
9PzP-+PzP-zP0
9tR-+-mK-tR-0
xiiiiiiiiy

And the analyisis seem to prove that White
gets a decisive attack. For example:
15...Kg8
15...Kf6 16.Bg5 Kg7 17.Bf6! Kf6 18.Qh7
Nc6 19.g4+–.
16.Qg6 Kh8 17.f4!!
17.g4 f4!
17...Nc6 18.Qf6 Kg8 19.g4!
With mate in a few moves. +–.