White wins
with the following sacrifice: 20 Rxf5!! Qxf5 (20...Ng3+ 21 Qxg3 not 21
hxg3 Qh6+, in The Chess Player) 21 Rxe4 O-O-O(C) 22 Nd6+ Bxd6 23 Qa6+! Kc7 (23...Kb8 24 Bxd6+ Ka8
25 Bc6 Krnic) 24 Qxa7+ Kc8 [diagram #2] Return to my Chess pages
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© Copyright 1999 . . . Jim Loy
Ljubomir Ljubojevic (ranked #3 in the world in 1983) is my favorite chess player. He is perhaps the world's foremost player of risky moves, sometimes losing moves, which complicate and win. Annotators do not recommend that you follow his example. But, it is a delight to play over his games. And, maybe I do recommend following his example, at least under some circumstances.
1. The following game was voted the best game of the first half of 1974, by the Informant contributors.
L.Ljubojevic-Durao, Orense 1974
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Bc5 4
O-O Nd4 5 Nxd4 Bxd4 6 c3 Bb6 7 d4 c6 8 Ba4 d6 9 Na3 Bc7 (The Chess
Player, vol 6, gives this a ?! and recommends 9...Nf6) 10 d5! (a
"theoretical novelty") 10...Bd7 (10...b5? is bad, according to Krnic)
11 dxc6 bxc6(A) 12 Nc4 Qe7 13 f4! Nf6 14 fxe5
dxe5 (14...Nxe4 15 exd6 Bxd6 16 Nxd6 looks better to me) 15 b3!
(prevents ...O-O) 15...Bb6+(B) 16 Kh1 Nxe4 17
Ba3! Qe6 (threatens 18...Ng3+ 19 hxg3 Qh6++ in The Chess Player)
18 Qd3 f5 (18...Nxf2+ loses) 19 Rae1! Bc7 (19...c5 20 Rxe4! fxe4
21 Bxd7+ Qxd7 22 Nd6+ Kd8 23 Qd5! & Rf7 wins) [diagram #1]
White wins
with the following sacrifice: 20 Rxf5!! Qxf5 (20...Ng3+ 21 Qxg3 not 21
hxg3 Qh6+, in The Chess Player) 21 Rxe4 O-O-O(C) 22 Nd6+ Bxd6 23 Qa6+! Kc7 (23...Kb8 24 Bxd6+ Ka8
25 Bc6 Krnic) 24 Qxa7+ Kc8 [diagram #2]
Just one more move and the game is over!
25 Bb5 1-0(D).
A - 11...Bxc6 12 f4 (Krnic says 12 Bxc6 bxc6 13 Qg4 White better, but 13...Nf6 or 13...Qf6 may be strong) Ne7 13 Bxc6+ bxc6 14 fxe5 looks good for White.
B - 15...Nxe4! (Krnic gives this a ?!) 16 Ba3 Qe6 17 Qd3 (maybe 18 Qf3 f5 Rae1 O-O-O) 17...f5 18 Rae1 O-O-O 19 Rxf5 (something else?) Qxf5 20 Rxe4, and I think Black is better.
C - 21...Qf6 22 Nxe5 Bxe5 23 Bd6 Qh6 24 Rxe5+ Kd8 25 Be7+ Kc8 26 Bg5 looks strong for White.
D - Besides preventing the back rank mate threats, this move wins. Black can try 25...Rdf8 (15...cxb5 is mate in 2) 26 Qa8+ (Krnic says 26 Bxd6! wins) 26... Bb8 (26...Kc7 Qa4+ mates) 27 Ba6+ Kd8 28 Qxb8+ Bc8 29 Bc5! White wins.
2. Here is another game that I have studied. I am having some trouble continuing the attack at one point. See what you think. This game was in Informat #9:
B.Jacobsen-L.Ljubojevic, Netherlands 1970
1 g3 e5 2 Bg2 Nc6 3 e4
Bc5 4 Ne2 Nf6 5 c3 (5 Nbc3!? Milic) 5...d5 6 b4?! (6 exd5 Nxd5 O-O!?
Milic) 6...Bb6 7 exd5 Nxd5 8Ba3 Bg4! (planning 9...Qf6 & 10...Bf3
Milic) 9 O-O Nf4!! 10 gxf4 Qd3 11 Re1 O-O-O! (Milic says Black has an
advantage) 12 b5 (12 Nc1 Qg6! planning 13...Bf3 -+ Milic) 12...Na5 13
Bb4(A) Nc4 14 a4 exf4 15 a5 (15 Nxf4 Qf5 16
Bf3 h5! -+ Milic) [diagram]
I guess
everyone, including Jacobsen, knows what Black is about to do. Black has been
planning this: 15...Bxf2+! 16 Kxf2 Ne3! 17 Na3(B) 17...Nxd1 18 Raxd1 f3 19 Nc1 Qf5 20 Bh1 Qf4
0-1.
A - Here is where I have some trouble with Black's attack. Try 13 fxe5 (surprisingly sharp) 13...Nc4 14 h3 Qf5 15 d4 (15 hxg4 loses) 15...Bxh3 16 Ng3, and I cannot justify being a piece down.
B - White's Queen dies because of 17 Qb3 Nxg2 18 Kxg2 Rhe8! Milic gives Black an advantage. I say it is a simple win.
3. This game was voted one of the best games of all time, even with an unsound attack:
L.Ljubojevic-U.Andersson, Wijk aan Zee 1976
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3
d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be2 a6 7 0-0 Nf6 8 Be3 Be7 9 f4 d6 10 Qe1 0-0 11
Qg3 Bd7 12 e5!? dxe5 13 fxe5 Nxe5 14 Bf4 Bd6 15 Rad1 Qb8! (15...Rad1!? may
draw, other moves lose. Nunn) 16 Rd3! Ne8! (unpinning the knight) 17
Ne4 Bc7 18 Rc3 (threatens Rxc7) 18...Nc6! 19 Bxc7 Nxd4 20 Bd3 Qa7 21 Nc5
Bb5! (21...Nxc5 22 Bxh7+! draws by perpetual check. Nunn) [diagram]
23 Bxh7+! Kxh7 24 Rf4?! (unsound; 24 Bxg7 Nxg7 25 Qxg7+ Kxg7
26 Rg3+ draw by perpetual check. Nunn) 24...f6? [24...Nxe5! (24...Rd8
draws) 25 Rh4+ Kg8 26 Qxe5 and both 26...Bd7! and 26...f5! seem to win for
Black. Nunn] 25 Rh4+ Kg8 26 Qh3 Nd8 (or 26...f5 draws. Nunn) 27 Bd4
b6 (forced. Nunn) 28 Nxe6 Nxe6 29 Qxe6+ Qf7 30 Qe4 g5? (loses.
30...Qxa2 draws. Nunn) 31 Rh6 Ra7 32 Rch3 Qg7 33 Rg6 Raf7 34 a4 1-0
(continue: 34...Bxa4 35 Rxg7+ Rxg7 36 Bxb6 Bd7 37 Ra3. Nunn).
4. These two games are something of a mystery. I will comment on that, after the second game.
F.Gheorghiu - L.Ljubojevic, Manila 1973
1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 c4 Nb6
4 d4 d6 5 f4 dxe5 6 fxe5 c5!? 7 d5 e6 8 Nc3 exd5 9 cxd5 c4! 10 Nf3 Bg4 11 Qd4
Bxf3 12 gxf3 Bb4 13 Bxc4 0-0 14 Rg1 g6! 15 Bg5! Qc7 16 Bb3 Bc5 17 Qf4 Bg1
[diagram]
18
Ke2?? (18 d6! see the next game) 18...Qc5 -+ 19 Rxg1 Qxg1 20 Bf6 Qg2 21
Ke3 Qxb2! 22 Kd3 N8d7 23 Ne4 Rac8 24 Qh6 Nxe5+ 25 Ke3 Rc3+ 0-1
D. Bronstein - L.Ljubojevic, Petropolis Interzonal 1973
1 e4 Nf6 2
e5 Nd5 3 c4 Nb6 4 d4 d6 5 f4 dxe5 6 fxe5 c5!? 7 d5 e6 8 Nc3 exd5 9 cxd5 c4! 10
Nf3! Bg4! 11 Qd4 Bxf3 12 gxf3 Bb4 13 Bxc4 0-0 14 Rg1 g6! (14...Qc7 15 e6 f6
16 Bh6 Qc4 17 Rg7 Kh8 18 Rg8! Kg8 19 Qg1 1-0 Ljubojevic - Honfi, Chachak 1970)
15 Bg5!! Qc7 16 Bb3 Bc5 17 Qf4 Bxg1 [same diagram]
18 d6! (18 Bf6 Qc5 -+ Loy) Qc8(A) 19 Ke2?(B) 19...Bc5? (19...Qc5! 20 e6 N8d7!! -/+ Bronstein) 20 Ne4! N8d7 21 Rc1 Qc6 22 Rc5 Nc5 23 Nf6 Kh8 24 Qh4 Qb5 25 Ke3!! h5 26 Nh5 Qb3 (26...Qd3 27 Kf2 Ne4 28 fxe4 Qd4 29 Kg2 Qb2 30 Kh3 Qc3 31 Ng3 +- Bronstein) 27 axb3 Nd5 28 Kd4 Ne6 29 Kd5 Ng5 30 Nf6 Kg7 31 Qg5 Rfd8 32 e6 fxe6 33 Ke6 Rf8 34 d7 a5 35 Ng4 Ra6 36 Ke5 Rf5 37 Qf5 gxf5 38 d8Q fxg4 39 Qd7 Kh6 40 Qb7 Rg6 41 f4 1-0
A - 18...Qc5 (18...Qe3 20 Qe3 Be3 21 Be3 +/- Bronstein) 19 Ne4 Qb4+? (19...Qe3! 20 Qxe3 Bxe3 21 Bxe3 +/- Bronstein (a draw?, Loy) 20 Kf1 +- Bronstein. Continue 20...Bd4 21 Bf6 Nc4 22 Re1! (22 Qh6 Ne3 -+) 22...Be3 23 Rxe3 Nxe3+ 24 Qxe3 +- Loy.
B - 19 0-0-0! Bc5 e6 fxe6 21 Qe5 Nd5 (21...Re8 22 Bh6 Qd7 23 Ne4 +/-) 22 d7! +- Bronstein. Continue 22...Qxd7 23 Nxd5 Qg7 24 Qxe6+ Kf8 25 Bf6 Rxf6 =. I don't see a win for White, Loy.
It looks like Bronstein improved on the earlier Gheorghiu game, but that is not the case. Comparing the dates of the tournaments, it turns out that the Bronstein game was played first. And so, it now seems that against Gheorghiu, Ljubojevic went into a sharp but somewhat inferior variation (if Bronstein's assessments are accurate) a second time, fully aware that Gheorghiu had probably seen the Bronstein game (with hindsight, it is obvious that he had not seen that game). Did Ljubojevic have an improvement (maybe my continuation of note B)? Or did he just think that it was worth the risk?
5. Here is a short game:
Ljubojevic-Calvo, Lanzarote 1973
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4
O-O Nxe4 5 Re1 Nd6 6 Nxe5 Be7 7 Qh5 Nxe5 8 Qxe5 Nxb5? (8...0-0 Saidy)
[diagram]
9
Qxg7! (seems sound) Rf8 10 a4 Nd6 11 Nc3 Nf5 (11...c6 12 Qf6! +-
Saidy) 12 Nd5 f6 13 Qxh7 d6 14 Qg6+ (continue 14...Kd7 15 Qxf5+ Ke8 16
Qh7 or other moves +-) 1-0.
6. Here is a surprising Queen sac:
L.Ljubojevic-V.Korchnoi, Linares 1985
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4
e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Qg4 0-0 8 Nf3 Nbc6 9 Bd3 f5 10 exf6 Rxf6 11 Bg5
Rf7 12 Qh5 g6 13 Qh4 c4 14 Be2 Qa5 15 Bd2 Nf5 16 Qg5 Bd7 17 g4 Nd6 18 h4 Ne4 19
Qe3 Raf8 (19...e5. V. Kovacevic) 20 h5 gxh5 21 Rxh5 Rg7 22 Ng5 Be8 23
Nxe6 Bxh5 24 Nxg7 Bg6 25 Nf5 Qc7 26 0-0-0 Qa5 27 Kb2 Rf6 28 Bf3 Ne5? 29 Bxe4!
dxe4 (29...Rb6+ 30 Ka2 Qb5 31 Bxd5+ Kf8 32 Qh6+ Ke8 33 Bc6+ Rxc6 34 Qe3 +-
who?) 30 dxe5 Rb6+ (30 Ne7+ better?) 31 Ka2 Qb5 [diagram]
32
Qxb6! (desperation, the only idea to draw. But white still has winning
chances) 32...axb6 33 Bf4 Qa5 (33...Bxf5 apparently draws) 34 Rd8+
Kf7 35 Nd4 e3 36 e6+ Kf6 37 fxe3 Bxc2 38 Rf8+ Ke7 39 Rf7+ Kd8 40 Bd6 (40
Bc7 mates) Bb1+ 41 Kb2 (White mates) 1-0.
7. Ljubojevic-Hartoch, Wijk aan Zee I 1973
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4
cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nb5 d6 6 c4 Nf6 7 N5c3!? Be7 8 Be2 0-0 9 0-0 b6 (9...a6
Minic) 10 f4 Bb7 11 Bf3 a6 12 Be3 Rb8 13 Na3 (13 Nd2 Minic) 13...Nd7
14 Rc1 Ba8 15 Qe2 Re8 16 Rfd1 Bf8 17 Nc2 Qc8 18 Kh1 g6 19 b4 Na7 20 Bd4 Qc7
(planning ...b5. Minic) 21 b5 a5 22 Ne3 Rbd8 23 Qf2 Nc8 24 Qh4 Ne7 25 Ng4
Bg7 26 Nh6+ Kf8 27 Bxg7 Kxg7 [diagram]
28 Nxf7!?
Kxf7 29 Nd5!? (29 Qxh7+ Kf8 30 Qh6+ Kg8 31 Bg4 Nf8 32 Rd3 unclear. Minic)
29...exd5 30 cxd5 Qb8?! [30...Qb7 31 Qxh7+ Kf8 32 Bg4 (Sosonko says 32
e5 wins) 32...Nd5! unclear. Minic] 31 Qxh7+ Kf8 (31...Kf6 32 g4! g5 33
h4 +- Minic) 32 Bg4 Ng8 33 Be6 1-0.
8. 
J.Timman-L.Ljubojevic, IBM 1975
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4
d5 exd5 5 cxd5 g6 6 e4 d6 7 Bd3 Bg7 8 Nge2 0-0 9 0-0 a6 10 a4 Qc7 11 h3 Nbd7 12
f4 Rb8 13 Be3 Re8 14 Ng3 c4 15 Bc2 Nc5 16 Bd4 b5 17 axb5 axb5 18 e5? (18
Re1 Chess Player, vol. 12) 18...dxe5 19 fxe5 Rxe5 20 Qf3 [20 Bxe5 Qxe5
21 Rf3 b4 22 Nce2 Nxd5 (22...Qxb2 23 Ra2 Qe5) Chess Player] 20...Rg5 21
Nfe4? Ncxe4 22 Bxe4 [diagram]
22...Ng4! 23 d6 (23 hxg4 Bxd4+ and ...Bxg4-+) 23...Bxd4+ 24 Kh1 Qxd6 15 Qxf7+ Kh8 0-1 (continue 26 Qe8+ Kg7 27 hxg4 Bxg4 and White will run out of checks).
9. L.Ljubojevic-B.Gelfand, Novi Sad 1990
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4
cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Nbd7 8 Qf3 Qc7 9 Be2 b5 10 f5 b4 11 fxe6
Ne5 [diagram]
12 Qxf6!
gxf6 13 Nd5 Qa7 14 Nxf6+ Kd8 15 Nd5+ Ke8 16 Nf6+ Kd8 17 Nd5+
1/2-1/2.
10. A loss:
F.Gheorghiu - L.Ljubojevic, Manila 1974
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5
4 d4 exd5 5 cxd5 g6 6 g3 d6 7 Nf3 Bg7 8 Nd2 Nbd7 9 Bg2 0-0 10 0-0 Re8 11 h3 a6
12 a4 Rb8 13 Nc4 Nb6!? 14 Na3 Bd7 15 Bf4 Nh5! (a theoretical novelty) 16
Bd6 Bc3 17 Bb8 Bb2 18 Ba7 Ba1? (18...Na4!-/+ Sokolov) 19 Bb6 Qb6 20 Qa1
Re2 21 Rb1 Qc7 22 Nc4 Rf2?? (22...b5! unclear, Sokolov) 23 Qe5!! (23
Kf2? Qg3 Sokolov) 23...Qe5 24 Ne5 Bf5 25 Kf2! Bb1 26 d6! Kf8 27 Nd7 Ke8 28
Nc5 Ng7 29 Bb7! +- Ne6 30 Bc6 Kd8 31 Ne6 fxe6 32 Ke3 e5 33 a5! Bc2 34 g4 g5 35
Bb6 Kd7 36 Ba6 Kd6 37 Bd3 Ba4 38 a6 Kc7 39 Ke4 Kb6 40 Ke5 Bc6 41 Bf1 Be8 42 Kf6
h6 43 Kg7 h5 44 Kf6 1-0
Also see: