[Event "Bad Gastein casual"] [Site "Bad Gastein"] [Date "1948.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Rossolimo, Nicolas"] [Black "Romanenko, Ivan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B31"] [Annotator "Llewellyn, Alan"] [PlyCount "35"] [EventDate "1948.??.??"] [EventType "game"] [EventCountry "AUT"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.11.24"] {Nicolas Rossolimo was a Russian emigre who eventually settled in New York. He was a romantic possibly one of the last of a kind. Born in 1910 and died in 1975. He is known for playing risky (spectacular) chess rather than trying to win everytime, which is what qualifies him as one of the Chess Romantics. His opponent is a little known Soviet player and the game wasn't in a competition but an offhand game played in their own time.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { This is the variation of the Sicilian named after Nicolas, ie the Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian Defence. Nicolas only actually played the variation at top level 12 times but never lost.} g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nd4 $6 { In the rules of the opening devised by Emanuel Lasker it states that a piece should never be moved twice in an opening unless it achieves something concrette in the position it is moved to. This move breaks that ennate rule and thus leaves Black decidedly behind in development.} 7. e5 $1 Ng8 8. d3 Nxb5 9. Nxb5 a6 10. Nd6+ $3 {a trully incredible development...the king is exposed despite pawns covering it seemingly effectively.} exd6 $4 (10... Kf8 $1) 11. Bg5 $3 Qa5 $1 (11... f6 $2 12. exf6+ Kf7 13. fxg7 Nf6 14. gxh8=Q Qxh8 $18) 12. exd6+ Kf8 13. Re8+ $3 (13. Qe2 {this also wins} Bxb2 14. Qe8+ Kg7 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16. Qxe5+ f6 17. Qb2 Qd8 18. Re7+ Nxe7 19. Qxf6+ Kg8 20. dxe7 Qe8 21. Bh6 Qf7 22. e8=Q+ Qxe8 23. Qg7#) 13... Kxe8 14. Qe2+ Kf8 15. Be7+ Ke8 16. Bd8+ $3 { Nicolas spots the weak f7 square as a target for checkmate.} Kxd8 (16... Kf8 17. Bxa5) 17. Ng5 $1 Nh6 (17... Bxb2 18. Nxf7#) 18. Qe7# {A trully incredible checkmate.} 1-0