Friday, February 28

Teichmann-Spielmann match, Game 5: Teichmann wins again, leads 4-1 with one game remaining

Richard Teichmann defeated Rudolf Spielmann yet again in the fifth game of their match at Leipzig to increase his lead to 4-1 and assure himself of victory in the six-game series, whose final contest will nevertheless be played as scheduled. In the fifth game Spielmann, in need of a win to keep alive his hopes of a tie match, chose a deferred form of the aggressive Jänisch (or Schliemann) Defense against Teichmann's Ruy Lopez, viz. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5, a variation not unknown to Teichmann, as the German Master had faced it in the tenth game of his match vs. Napier at Glasgow in 1905. The present encounter followed the course of that earlier contest until Black's 7th move, when Spielmann chose 7...Be7 in place of Napier's 7...Bd6. A critical moment arose soon thereafter, as Black's 12...Na5?, seeking to exchange the opposing light-squared Bishop, allowed Teichmann to play the powerful piece sacrifice 13.Bxd5! Nxd5 14.Rxf8+ Qxf8 15.Nxd5 Bxg5 16.Qh5!, with a well-nigh winning position for White. Spielmann could find no better defense to White's numerous threats than the immediate return of the piece, after which Black still remained in a most precarious situation. Indeed, Teichmann very likely could have decided the contest via direct attack, but with only a draw being necessary for victory in the series the German opted for quieter methods, entering a far superior endgame following the exchange of Queens at the 28th move. The contest came to a sudden conclusion when Spielmann apparently overlooked the blow 32.Rxg7+!, which assures White of a two-pawn surplus.

Herewith the game:

    

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