In chess, having a precisely crafted middlegame plan is absolutely crucial. An effective strategy is more than just individual moves; it's a carefully coordinated sequence of moves through which you eventually reach your positional goals. Today, we examine Efim Geller’s positional masterpiece that illustrates this principle at its best. Let’s see how he executes a multistep plan to completely squeeze his opponent and get a dominating position.
Geller vs Najdorf, Zurich 1953
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. OO Nbd7 9. f4 Qc7 10. f5 Bc4 11. a4 Rc8 12. Be3 Be7 13. a5 h5 14. Bxc4 Qxc4 15. Ra4 Qc7 16. h3 h4 17. Rf2 b5 18. axb6 Nxb6 19. Bxb6 Qxb6 20. Qe2 Ra8 21. Kh2 OO 22. Rf1 Ra7 23. Rfa1 Rfa8 24. R1a2 Bd8 25. Na5 Rc8 26. Nc4 Qc6 27. Ne3 a5 28. Rc4 Qa6 29. b3 Bb6 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Ned5 Nxd5 32. Nxd5 Qc5 33. Ra1 Qf2 34. Qxf2 Bxf2 35. Rf1 Bd4 36. c3 Bc5 37. g4 hxg3+ 38. Kxg3 Rb7 39. Rb1 f6 40. Kf3 Kf7 41. Ke2 Rb8 42. b4 g6 43. Kd3 gxf5 44. exf5 axb4 45. cxb4 Bd4 46. Rc1 Kg7 47. Rc7+ Kh6 48. Ke4 Kg5 49. Rh7 Bf2 50. Rg7+ Kh4 51. Kf3 Be1 52. Kg2 Rf8 53. b5 Ba5 54. b6 Bxb6 55. Nxb6 Rb8 56. Rg4+ Kh5 57. Nd5 10