J.
Coker (white)- Rev C E Ranken (black)
Played in the chief tournament at Grantham, 1875
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.f4 d6 (7...Qg6 8.Qf3 Nxd4 9.cxd4 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 d5.) 8.Bc4 (8.Be2 is now recogised to be a better move for white.) 8...Qg6 (8...0-0 is an alternative.) 9.Qc2 Bxd4 10.Bxd4 (10.cxd4? Nb4 11.Qa4+ Nec6 12.d5 Qxe4 13.dxc6 Qxe3+ 14.Kf1! Nxc6.) 10...Nxd4! 11.cxd4 (diagram)
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11...d5! (This move
saddles white with an isolated queen's pawn (IQP) that leads to loss of the
game.) 12.Bd3 dxe4 13.Bxe4 Bf5 14.Nc3 0-0 15.0-0 (15.0-0-0 Rad8 with
equality.) 15...Bxe4 16.Qxe4 (16.Nxe4 keeping the queens on may be better.)
16...Qxe4 17.Nxe4 Rad8 18.Rfd1 Nf5 19.Nc5 b6 (19...Rxd4 20.Rxd4 Nxd4
21.Nxb7 with a slight advantage to black.)
20.Nb3 Rd7 21.Rd2 Rfd8 (Increasing the pressure on the isolated queen's
pawn on d4.) 22.Re1 (22.Re2 may be better because the knight on b3 defends
it.) 22... Kf8 (22...Nxd4? fails to win a pawn: 23.Rxd4! Kf8 (23...Rxd4??
Re8 mate) 24.Red1 with increased advantage to white.) 23.Red1 Rd5 24.Kf2
Nd6 25.Re2 c5! (Black steadily increases pressure on the
isolated pawn by exploiting the fact that the pawn is pinned against the white
rook on d1.) 26.Re5 Nc4 27.Rxd5 Rxd5 28.Ke2 Nxb2 29.Rb1 (If white plays
29.Rd2 then 29...Na4 hold everything together.) 29...Na4 30.Ke3 c4 31.Nc1
(31.Nd2 b5 is a better defence) 31...Ke7 (31...Nc3 is better: 32.Rb4
b5 33.Ne2 Nxe2 34.Kxe2 with a winning advantage.) 32.Rb4 (White's move
is questionable and 32.Ne2 a6 is better) 32...b5 33.Ne2 a5 34.Rb1 b4 35.g4
Rb5 36.Kd2 Kd6 37.Kc2 Kc6 38.Re1 b3+ 39.axb3 cxb3+ 40.Kb1 Kd5 41.f5 Rb4 42.h3
Nb6 43.Nc3+ (The alternative 43.Kb2 a4 is equally unappealing.) 43...Kxd4
44.Ne2+ Kc5 45.Nc1 Kd6 46.Re8 a4 47.Nd3 Rb5 48.Re2 a3 49.Nc1 Kd5 50.Rd2+
Kc5 White resigned (0-1)
Source: Hoffer, L (1891). Chess Monthly XII, page 248