Copenhagen, 1923

The Immortal Zugzwang Game

Friedrich Sämisch – Aron Nimzowitsch · 0-1

Result: 0-1
Moves: 25
Opening: Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation
The names end at: 7... d5

Watch it on the map Final position on the map

The story

Played in Copenhagen in March 1923, in a Queen’s Indian Defense. Nimzowitsch, one of the great thinkers of the game, slowly takes over the kingside and the f-file.

After 25...h6 the board is still full of pieces, yet White has no useful move: every move loses something. Nimzowitsch wrote that White “has not a move left”, and Sämisch resigned.

Zugzwang — being forced to move when any move makes things worse — usually happens in endgames. Here it decides a middlegame, which is why Danish players called it the Immortal Zugzwang Game.

The Immortal Zugzwang Game: 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.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 O-O 7.O-O d5 8.Ne5 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Bf4 a6 11.Rc1 b5 12.Qb3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.h3 Qd7 15.Kh2 Nh5 16.Bd2 f5 17.Qd1 b4 18.Nb1 Bb5 19.Rg1 Bd6 20.e4 fxe4 21.Qxh5 Rxf2 22.Qg5 Raf8 23.Kh1 R8f5 24.Qe3 Bd3 25.Rce1 h6 0-1

Through the openings

1. d4Queen's Pawn Game
1... Nf6Indian Defense
2. c4Indian Defense: Normal Variation
3. Nf3Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian
3... b6Queen's Indian Defense
4. g3Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation
4... Bb7Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line
5... Be7Queen's Indian Defense: Traditional Variation
6. Nc3Queen's Indian Defense: Anti-Queen's Indian System
7. O-OQueen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation
7... d5Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line

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. Botvinnik's Bishop SacrificeBotvinnik – Capablanca, AVRO 1938Botvinnik beats former world champion Capablanca with a bishop sacrifice on move 30.