Immortal Zugzwang Game
The Immortal Zugzwang Game is a chess game between Friedrich Sämisch and Aron Nimzowitsch, played in Copenhagen in March 1923.
It gained its name because the final position is sometimes considered a rare instance of zugzwang occurring in the middlegame.
[1] According to Nimzowitsch, writing in the Wiener Schachzeitung in 1925, this term originated in "Danish chess circles".
[2] White: Friedrich Sämisch Black: Aron Nimzowitsch Opening: Queen's Indian Defense (ECO E17) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
0–1 Andrew Soltis has objected to the characterization of this game as "the Immortal Zugzwang Game", explaining: "First, Saemisch could have moved one of his pieces, even though it would have returned the sacrificed piece to Nimzovich.
The game could have then proceeded for a good long time after that with Saemisch gaining some breathing space.
But, secondly, the game doesn't constitute a true zugzwang because at the very end Nimzovich had a threat to win his opponent's queen.
What makes zugzwang such a painful death is that the deceased is executed not by a threat but by his own suicide.
"[3] Similarly, Wolfgang Heidenfeld wrote, "zugzwang, in the proper meaning of the term, does not enter into the game at any stage.
In the final position Black threatens [...R5f3], against which White has no reply.
"[4] Raymond Keene wrote in his biography of Nimzowitsch, "This is the so-called 'Immortal Zugzwang Game'.
I prefer to see it as an example of total paralysis of the opposition; the ultimate express of prophylaxis, where the opponent's possibilities are reduced to that degree above zero required to avoid stalemate.
"[5] However, as seen above, Nimzovich regarded it as a Zugzwang, and any piece move by White loses additional material compared to the R5f3 threat.
Black exchanges off his bad bishop, but does not allow White to do the same.
0–1 (see second diagram) Now all of White's piece moves allow checkmate or ...Rxf2 with a crushing attack (e.g. 31.Qxf3 Qh2#; 31.Rb1 Rxf2 32.Qxg4 Qh2#).
[6] Another contender for the title is "the Tomb Game", Bruce Harper–Robert Zuk, Halloween Open, Burnaby, British Columbia 1971:[7] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3.
Qh2 h5 36. b4 Rf1 37. b5 (see first diagram) Kh8 (accentuating White's predicament – he is literally forced to checkmate himself.
In fact the manoeuvre Nf5–e3–d1–f2 would result in checkmate one move sooner) 38. a4 Kh7 39. a5 Kg8 0–1 (see second diagram) After 40.axb6 axb6 or 40.a6 Kh7, White's only legal move is 41.Qh3, after which 41...gxh3 and 42...Qxg2 checkmates White.
However, in each of these games, White has only one or two pieces able to move and a handful of legal moves, compared with over 20 legal moves by 11 different pieces and pawns in the final position of Saemisch-Nimzowitsch.
