Adopt a hero

I am often asked which players I admire most and which grandmasters, writers and champions exerted the most influence on my own chess development. In general I was most impressed by the strategists and writers such as Richard Réti, whose games were brilliantly elucidated in an anthology by grandmaster emeritus Harry Golombek OBE, and Aron Nimzowitsch, who expounded his own theories in the two didactic masterpieces, My System and Chess Praxis. Others who fall into the strategic category are Mikhail Botvinnik and Tigran Petrosian; and two superlative tacticians in the persons of Alexander Alekhine and Mikhail Tal.
 
In the weeks ahead I will be coupling creative achievements by these heroes with games of my own which were plainly inspired by illustrious forebears. I kick off with a win by Nimzowitsch, followed by my attempt to emulate his style.
 
Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein; Berlin 1928 (see diagram 1)
 
15 e4 dxe4 16 Nxe4 Nxe4 17 dxe4 e5 Black does not wish to allow the advance e4-e5 but this move creates its own problems.