1. d4

E06: Closed Catalan: Early deviations

1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. Ne5 c6 9. cxd5

This move releases the center tension. It is especially odd given that white moved his Knight to e5 to protect the c4 square. More vigorous is 9. e4 to destroy black's center. 9. Bf4 is also very playable.

9... cxd5 10. Bf4 a6 11. Rc1 b5 12. Qb3

This is an odd and ineffective placement of the Queen. It bites on steel and blocks the progress of Queenside development.

12... Nc6 13. Nxc6

White may have traded his strong Knight away because he feared the maneuver Nc6-a5-c4. A timely b3 would have driven this Knight away from the c4 square. Therefore, his fear was not justified.

13... Bxc6 14. h3 Qd7 15. Kh2 Nh5 16. Bd2 f5 17. Qd1 b4

Black slowly gains space on both sides of the board. This subtle process eventually leads to megalomaniac total domination of the entire board.

18. Nb1 Bb5 19. Rg1 Bd6

This move at first appears to be a blunder. However, Nimzovich sees farther.

20. e4

A good try. White hopes to gain time by attacking the Knight on h5. If black comes to its defense with Qf7, then e5 stuffs black and frees white's game.

20... fxe4

A piece for two pawns, and central domination, and aggressively poised pieces, and open file, and...

21. Qxh5 Rxf2 22. Qg5 Raf8 23. Kh1 R8f5 24. Qe3 Bd3 25. Rce1 h6

Here white resigned. Nearly all moves lead to a serious loss of material. After a pawn move or two, white will face complete Zugzwang. Zugzwang is a German word meaning 'a compulsion to move.' White is forced to move, and in so doing will lose. If white plays 26. Rc1 or Rd1 then 26... Re2 wins white's Queen. If 26. Kh2 then 26... R5f3 also wins white's Queen. If 26. g4 then 26... R5f3 27. Bxf3 Rh2 is checkmate. If 26. Bc1 then 26... Bxb1 wins material. If 26. a3 then 26... a5. etc.

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