The annotations to this game, by Boris Spassky, appear in the Soviet Yearbook Shakhmatnyi

Ezhegodnik 1960 (Fizkultura i Sport, Moscow 1962).

The translation from the original Russian is by Douglas Griffin.

Spassky – Foguelman
10th round, Mar del Plata, 09.04.60

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.N1e2 Nf6 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Bc4
All this has already been encountered more than once in practice. Normally in this position
Black continues 9...e6, which appears rather logical, since the pawn at e6 limits the sphere of
action of the bishop at c4.

9...e5
Black is the first to begin active operations in the centre, whereas White is somewhat better
developed. This, of course, is a general consideration, but one often has to be directed by these
in the choice of one or another continuation.

The move 9...e5 presents White with a rather pleasant choice between 10.dxe5 and 10.Qe2.
In the case of 10.dxe5 Qa5+ 11.c3 Qxe5+ 12.Nfe2, intending 13.Nf4, White, thanks to the
better development, stands more promisingly. Interestingly, on 10.dxe5 my opponent, as he said
after the game, intended to reply 10...Qxd1+ 11.Kxd1 Ng4. However, in this case White,
continuing 12.Re1, achieves an advantage. For example: 12...Bc5 (or 12...Nxf2+ 13.Ke2 Ne4
14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.e6) 13.Re2 Nxf2+ 14.Ke1 Ng4 15.Ngh5, and if 15...0–0, then 16.e6.
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8rsn-wqkvl-tr0
7zpp+-+pzpl0
6-+p+-sn-zp0
5+-+-zp-+-0
4-+LzP-sN-zP0
3+-+-+-sN-0
2PzPP+-zPP+0
1tR-vLQmK-+R0
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10.Qe2
Possibly, this move is not stronger than the simple 10.dxe5, but it demands very exact play
from Black, since in return for the win of a pawn he is behind in development and his king
lingers in the centre.

10...Qxd4
(Translator’s note: Interestingly, Foguelman did not abandon the plan with 9...e5; against Tal
(Interzonal Tournament, Amsterdam 1964) he continued instead 10...Nbd7. Earlier, in the
game Bonch Osmolovsky-Panov (20th USSR Championship Quarter-final, Moscow 1951)
Black had tried 10...e4, but after 11.Be3 Nbd7 12.0–0–0 was unable to equalise.

11.0–0 b5
The beginning of an incorrect plan, associated with the development of the bishop at c5.
Black rejected the immediate 11...Bc5 in view of 12.Be3 Qd6 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Qc4+, etc.
Thus the move 11...b5, taking the c4 square from the white queen. However, strangely enough,
the plan chosen by Black forcibly leads to catastrophe. In place of 11...b5 Black ought to play
11...Nbd7, on which White intended to continue 12.Rd1 Qc5 13.Be3 Qe7 14.Nfh5 with not
bad play for the sacrificed pawn, since it is far from simple for Black to complete development.

12.Bb3 Bc5 13.Be3 Qd6 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Bxc5 Qxc5

Thus, Black has retained the extra pawn and will even be in time to castle. Nonetheless, his
position is unsatisfactory. The main problem consists in the undeveloped state of the queen's
flank and the weakness of the square g7 - the bastion of the castled position, on which White also
delivers the decisive blow.
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8rsn-+k+-tr0
7zp-+-+pzpl0
6-+p+-sn-zp0
5+pwq-zp-+-0
4-+-+-sN-zP0
3+L+-+-sN-0
2PzPP+QzPP+0
1+-+R+RmK-0
xabcdefghy
16.Nfh5! Nxh5 17.Nxh5 0–0 18.Qg4 g6
Forced, since it is impossible to play 18...Bg6 on account of 19.Qxg6 .

19.Rd3
Black threatened the move 19...Qe7, intending 20...Kh8, after which the white knight would
have to retreat. Now however, on 19...Qe7 there follows 20.Rf3, and White manages to
establish himself on the square f6 with the knight, since 20...Nd7 is impossible in view of
21.Qxd7 followed by 22.Nf6+.

Moreover, (after 19.Rd3) White threatens to double rooks on the d-file to create threats to the
enemy king along the 8th rank.

19...a5
Already there is no satisfactory defence for Black. For example: 19...e4 20.Nf6+ Kg7 21.Nxe4
Qe5 22.Nd6. With the help of a pawn-sacrifice Black has somewhat activated his queen, but
that is all. His pieces, as before, are undeveloped. Or 19...Na6 20.Nf6+ Kg7 21.Nd7 Qb4
22.Qg3 Rfe8 23.Nxe5.

20.Rfd1
Including a final, fifth, piece in the attack.

20...Ra7
The threat to win the bishop by 20...a4 was imaginary, since White would have continued
21.Bxf7+ Kxf7 (or 21...Rxf7 22.Rd8+ Rf8 23.Qe6+, and mate in 2 moves) 22.Rf3+ Ke7
(22...Kg8 23.Qe6+ Kh8 24.Rd8!) 23.Rxf8 Kxf8 24.Qf3+ followed by 25.Qf6.

21.Rd6 Kh8
There was threatened 22.Rxg6+.
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8-sn-+-tr-mk0
7tr-+-+p+l0
6-+ptR-+pzp0
5zppwq-zp-+N0
4-+-+-+QzP0
3+L+-+-+-0
2PzPP+-zPP+0
1+-+R+-mK-0
xabcdefghy
22.Nf6
Now against the threat of 23.Nxh7 Kxh7 24.Bxf7 Black has no satisfactory defence. For
example, 22...Qb4 (or 22...Bg8 23.h5 Qb4 24.c4) 23.Qxb4 axb4 24.Rd8 Kg7 25.Ne8+, and
White wins.

22...a4 23.Nxh7 axb3

On 23...Kxh7 there would have followed, as stated above, 24.Bxf7.

24.Nxf8 bxc2 25.Nxg6+ fxg6 26.Rd8+ Kg7

If 26...Kh7, then 27.Rc1, and Black is helpless.

27.Rg8+ Kxg8 28.Qxg6+ Rg7

Clearly, bad is 28...Kf8 in view of 29.Qf6+ and 30.Rd8.

29.Rd8+ Qf8 30.Rxf8+ Kxf8 31.Qxc2 Kg8 32.Qc5

Black resigned.