Skip to content

All Chess Positions Open the map

Rotterdam, 22 November 1938

Botvinnik's Bishop Sacrifice

Mikhail Botvinnik – José Raúl Capablanca · 1-0

Result: 1-0
Moves: 41
Opening: Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System
The names end at: 4. e3

Watch it on the map Final position on the map

The story

Round eleven of the AVRO tournament of 1938, which brought together the world’s best players. Botvinnik, then the rising Soviet star, faced the former world champion José Raúl Capablanca in a Nimzo-Indian.

With 30. Ba3! White gives up the bishop to lure Black’s queen away from the passed e-pawn, and after 31. Nh5+! the pawn queens by force. Capablanca resigned after 41. Kh5.

Garry Kasparov called it the game of Botvinnik’s life; it was judged the most brilliant game of the tournament.

Botvinnik's Bishop Sacrifice: the map where the opening names end — The position where the game leaves the named openings, with every game of the next four moves around it.

The moves

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 O-O 9.Ne2 b6 10.O-O Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Bb2 Qd7 13.a4 Rfe8 14.Qd3 c4 15.Qc2 Nb8 16.Rae1 Nc6 17.Ng3 Na5 18.f3 Nb3 19.e4 Qxa4 20.e5 Nd7 21.Qf2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6 Nxf6 24.f5 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Re8 26.Re6 Rxe6 27.fxe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe8 29.Qe5 Qe7 30.Ba3 Qxa3 31.Nh5+ gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+ 35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+ 37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+ 40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5 1-0

Through the openings

1. d4Queen's Pawn Game
1... Nf6Indian Defense
2. c4Indian Defense: Normal Variation
3... Bb4Nimzo-Indian Defense
4. e3Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System

Source of the moves: en.wikipedia.org

More famous games

The Opera GameMorphy, Paris 1858Playing from a box at the opera, Morphy mates his two opponents in 17 moves. The Immortal GameAnderssen, London 1851Anderssen gives up both rooks, a bishop and his queen, then mates with the minor pieces he has left. The Evergreen GameAnderssen, Berlin 1852Anderssen sacrifices his queen and mates with a bishop; more than 170 years on, the game is still fresh. The Game of the CenturyD. Byrne – Fischer, New York 1956Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer gives up his queen and wins. Kasparov's ImmortalKasparov – Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999A rook sacrifice on move 24 starts a hunt that chases Black's king across the whole board. Deep Blue Beats KasparovDeep Blue – Kasparov, New York 1997The last game of the first match a computer won against the world champion, over in 19 moves. The Game Spassky ApplaudedFischer – Spassky, Reykjavik 1972Fischer almost never opened 1.c4; here he did, and at the end even Spassky joined the applause. The Octopus KnightKarpov – Kasparov, Moscow 1985Kasparov's knight digs in on d3 and paralyses White; that match made him world champion. The Immortal Zugzwang GameSämisch – Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923White still has plenty of pieces, but every move he could make loses.