The Soviet School of Chess 1983 PDF

A. Kotov, M. Yudovich

A. M.

Kotov Yudovich

*

The Soviet Chess School

There are more than four million chess players in the Soviet Union. They include 80 international grandmasters, 112 international masters, about 800 masters, and tens of thousands of candidate masters and first-category players. The names of grandmasters Mikhail Botvinnik, Vassily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosyan, Mikhail Tal, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Nona Gaprindashvili, Maya Chiburdanidze and other Soviet chess players are famous throughout the world. Kotov and Yudovich trace the emergence of the Soviet Union as the country of classic chess, and elaborate the special features of the Soviet chess school. The authors study the style of play and the games of the best Soviet chess players and examine the creative legacy of the great Russian masters of the past.

INTERNATIONAL GRANDMASTER INTERNATIONAL MASTER

A. Kotov M. Yudovich THE SOVIET CHESS SCHOOL

Raduga Publishers Moscow

A. KoToH, MC)KHYHapoJ,HbiH •·poccMeitcTep M. IO.QOBH'I, Me)K.QyHapo.QHbiH MacTep maxMaTbl B CCCP

Translated from the Russian by Lev Kurilov Designed by

Vadim Gorin

Ha aHZJIUikKOM J!3b1Ke

REQUEST TO READERS

Raduga Publishers would be glad to have your opinion of this book, its translation and design and any suggestions you may have for future publications. Please send all your comments to 17. Zubovsky Boulevard, Moscow, USSR.

©

l13.QaTeJibCTBO , 1983

English translation © Raduga Pub­ lishers 1982 Printed in the Union of Soviet Social­ ist Republics

KIO

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054-84

Contents

Chapter I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter Vll. Chapter VIII. Chapter IX. Chapter X. Chapter XI. Chapter XII. Chapter XIII. Chapter XIV. Chapter XV.

The Soviet Chess School .. .. . . . OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF TIME................................. THE FIRST RUSSIAN CHESS MASTERS .............. ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE 20th CENTURY........... ORIGINS... .. ... ................. ... CHESS IN THE SOVIET UNION.............................. MIKHAIL BOTVINNIK . .. .... GENS UNA SUMUS! .......... THE SEVENTH WORLD CHAMPION . ......... .... ... ... . .. TAL YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW. .. ........ ... "IRON" TIGRAN .............. .. STALWARTS 0 F CHESS. ... . BORIS SPASSKY ................ WOMEN CHESS PLAYERS ..... .. ... . .. . . . ...... ... . ANATOLY KARPOV, 12th WORLD CHAMPION ........ .. THE SOVIET CHESS SCHOOL ............................

page 7 9 15 23 36 54 62 77 92 103 114 124 132 138 147 157

THE SOVIET CHE S S SCHOOL

dental, not as a system, not as an overall plan. The Soviet

importance school 's

of

attitude

the can

hardly be overrated. To a cer­ tain extent it means the rescue of chess in its present state, with its present rules. In the thirties many peopl e warned

against

the

death of

chess due to draws, For u s i n the West the term

that its

rul es shoul d be changed.

Soviet Chess School is quite

The Soviet school has cl ear­

vague. In the USSR it denotes

l y demonstrated that there was

the

continuation

line

no question of the death of the

Al ekhine,

game, but rather of those who,

younger

by pl aying their games without

characteristic

ly get into uninteresting drawn

feature is the full devel opment

positions without vigour, with­

from

Chigorin

Botvinnik

and

of to

the

the

generation. Its

due determination, could easi­

clearest

of energy in every game, with­ out any compromise.

out hope.

Onl y as

Right after the war a great

a rare exception a sal oon draw

period of prosperity in chess

is permissibl e in order to get an additional day of rest. Botvinnik

added

an

started,

and in order to pre­

vent chess from falling back

extra

again into earlier mistakes that

element to this: thorough prep­

this

book

arations before a game, espe­

i. e. ,

to

teach young pl ayers

cial ly

and

to

remind

achieve

in

the

resul ts

opening. one

has

To to

work hard. True enough, in other circ­

has

been written, them

of the

glory of the Russian pioneers Chigorin, Alekhine, Botvinnik and their successors.

les too work is viewed as an important factor but more inci-

Max Euwe

Chapter I O UT O F THE DEPTHS O F TIME

them with an army in four parts : elephants , horses, chariots and infantry. The aim of the game was to destroy the opponents' pieces, and the pieces were moved according to the throw of the dice. The next step in the develop­ ment of chess was shatranj the ancient chaturanga transformed in the seventh and eighth cen­ turies . This game, judging by historical sources , emerged in an Arabian caliphate. In shatranj two opponents com­ peted , and the outcome was no longer settled by fate (a throw of the dice) but by the powers of logic and the resourcefulness of the players. It was in the form of shatranj that chess arrived in Rus from the East. Somewhat later shatranj appeared in Europe, making its way there through the Mediterra­ nean states . Over the l 3- 1 4th centuries shat­ ranj was reformed to make the play more dynamic. New rules resembling the modern ones were introduced : the Queen was given greater mobility, a Pawn could advance two squares in the open­ ing move , and castling became possible. For some time it was opined that the Russians became ac­ quainted with chess during the Tatar-Mongolian invasions, and this view was supported in a number of books on the history of chess published both in Russia and other countries . However, research in recent years has shown that chess was already known in old Rus, when the Tatar-Mongolian invasion began -

India, it is common knowledge, is the birthplace of chess. Until recently people thought that the game emerged about I ,500 years ago. This view was supported by Professor eminent scientists: Murrey (Britain), the Dutch re­ searcher Linde, the German his­ torian Bachman, and other specialists. I ,500 years is a very respecta­ ble age . Yet archeologists have established that chess is another four centuries older after excava­ tions on the site of the ancient settlement of Dalverzin-Tepeh in Central A sia. The expedition from the U zbek Academy of Sciences , headed by Professor G. Pugachenkova, found there two ivory chess pieces which archeologists think belong to a set from the time of the Kushan kingdom . The chess pieces were found next to coins minted by the Kushan king, whose rule dates back to the second century. In the first stage of its develop­ ment called chess was chaturanga, derived from the words chatur (four) and anga (detachment, unit). Four men took part in the game, each of

9

in 12.H. and there is plenty of archaeological evidence. Excavations in the old Slav cities Kiev and Vyshgorod disco­ vered some ivory chess pieces: a Queen, Bishop and another piece whose function it was impossible to determine since it was badly damaged. The pieces date from the lith and 1 2th centuries . An expedition to one of the centres of ancient Slav culture, Yaros­ lav 's Dvorishche. * also discov­ ered two chessmen: a Pawn and Bishop dating from the 1 2th century. Chessmen were also discovered in other old Russian citie s , in Chernigov , for instance. Excava­ tions of the Black Grave burial mound discovered chess pieces which specialists date back to the l Oth century. If these finds are insufficient evidence that the ancient Slavs were familiar with chess, irrefuta­ ble proof comes from excavations in Novgorod , one of the oldest Russian cities, where l Oth­ century chess pieces from ap­ proximately 50 different sets un­ questionably belonging to people of different ranks were disco­ vered. Simple wooden chessmen, ivory pieces, and even several gold and silver pieces were among them. Soviet scientists possess a unique archeological collection: more than 250 differ­ ent pieces from ancient Russian chess sets of the 1 1 th to the 1 7th centuries . How then did this game appear in old Rus? Let us try to find an explanation in chess terminology . *

10

Palace.

The Russian name for chess (shakhmaty) is a combination of two words: shakh (shah), which comes from Iran, and mat, which comes from the Arabian mat (he is dead) or the Iranian mat (help­ less, hopeless). The interesting thing is that no other European language has such a composite name for the game . The names of the chessmen also corroborate the fact that chess came to Russia not from Europe but from the East. Korol (King) is a comparative­ ly new word for Russian chess , and materialised at the beginning of the last century. Before that the piece was called shakh, and then tsar. The use of the word tsar, however, could have the most unexpected consequences , as we see from this excerpt from N . Og­ loblin's article "Everyday Life in the 1 7th Century," published in the magazine Russkaya Starina ( 1 892). The excerpt is entitled "Dangerous Play of 1686". "In January 1 686 the Siberian Department sent the sovereigns a report by the Krasnoyarsk voivo­ da, * Stolnik Grigory Shishkov, on a 'matter of state .' "Officer Timoshka Elfimov ac­ Officer cused Marchko Khomyakov of a state offence: it was claimed that Marchko was playing chess with Andryushka Volynshchik, when he took a piece from the board and ex­ claimed: "I expected a ferz, but it's a tsar !" He began to curse the tsar. Three Krasnoyarsk officers were there to hear it. Marchko *

Head of the local army division.

was interrogated , but he denied the accusation , whereas the of­ ficers who were present claimed that they had heard the cursing. " The Krasnoyarsk voivoda re­ ported the matter to his superior, the Y eniseisk voivoda, Boyar Konstantin Shcherbatov , who or­ dered Marchko Khomyakov to be tortured. During torture he admitted that he had cursed without thinking of what he was saying. The unfortunate chess player was then put behind bars. Only a year later did the final decision on the Khomyakov "af­ fair" arrive from the capital: "Their Royal Majesties Tsars and Grand Dukes loan Alex­ eyevich, Pyotr Alexeyevich and Her Royal Majesty Sofia Alex­ eyevna have ordered that Mar­ chko be released . " Ferz is i n Eastern chess ferzin (learned, wise) , a vizier. In all European countries this piece is called daine or Queen. As the German historian T. Las a pointed out at the end of last century, the Russian name ferz indicates that chess was introduced directly by the Persians and Arabs, and did not come through Europe . I n Russia different periods had their own individual rules of play. The original piece "ferz of all kinds", for instance, was met in Russian chess in the 1 7th and 1 8th centuries, and even at the beginning of the 1 9th century. Dal , well-known for his studies of Russian history , noted in the dictionary he compiled that "when, by agreement, the ferz makes all moves, i . e . , moves also

as Knight, it is called 'ferz of all kinds ' . " Butrimov , in his chess guide published in 1 82 1 , mentions a ferz "capable of galloping also as a knight". The author considered the move outdated . He wrote that "such a move has been prohibited by the law-makers of chess and may be dependent on the condi­ tions" . Slon (elephant) comes from an eastern term which has been ex­ actly translated into Russian, and the name does not figure in the chess terminology of other Euro­ pean countries, where this piece is called Bishop , Clown or Footman . Ladia is a distinctive Russian word. "The term ladia could have derived from another language, " the Russian historian Sargin wrote, "had its Russian origin been not supported by the name of the main Slav means of con­ veyance, ladias being used both on rivers and the Caspian and Black seas . " The interesting thing from this aspect is the discovery by ar­ cheologists of two ladias carved in a realistic manner during exca­ vations in Grodno and Vol­ kovyssk. They belong to the 1 2th and 1 3th centuries. The first is made of stone, 5 . 5 centimetres long and 1 . 5 cen­ timetres wide . There are out­ riggers on the sides. There are four soldiers in the boat, with three shields on each side. On the ivory Volkovyssk ladia the sol­ diers located standing at the shields along the sides are better preserved. But an acquaintance with chess 11

terminology poses the researchers such problems as: how chess was played in old Rus, what the rules and customs of play were, and how they changed. Historical material shows that our forefathers were well ac­ quainted with the principles of shatranj , had an u p-to-date knowledge of all the changes in the rules of play, and introduced something of their own to the game . In old Rus, for instance, there was a rule by which the game could begin with the simul­ taneous advance of two Pawns by both White and Black. It is also typical that no foreigner describing medieval Russian chess noted that it dif­ fered in any way from the game as played in Europe. Let us now turn our attention to other sources dealing with chess in Russia. The first written mention of chess in old Rus is to be found in the Kormchaya kniga, a collec­ tion of Church rules and canons compiled by the Serbian Arch­ bishop Savva I at the beginning of the 1 3th century. In 1 262 the Bulgarian Duke sent a manuscript copy of the Kormchaya kniga to the Kiev Metropolitan Cyril III . The Russian copy of the Kormchaya kniga included some additions , such as the prohibition of chess, which was declared a game originating with the "law­ less Chaldeans" , i . e . , pagans . Several manuscript copies of the Kormchaya kniga, taken in 1 252, have been preserved in Serbia, and far from prohibiting chess, it did not even mention the game . The condemnation of chess 12

in the Russian Kormchaya kniga proves that chess was known in Kiev Rus. Church edicts censured, and at times prohibited chess up to the 1 7th century. Penalties even were fixed. The ecclesiastical Paisievs­ ky sbomik (Paisi' s Collection) (the 1 4th and 1 5th centuries) pre­ scribed for chess players a daily ritual of 200 bows in order to resist "the devil ' s temptation". The clergy of St. Sophia's Cathedral in Novgorod went even farther, threatening chess players with The excommunication. Church could not ignore the fact that chess was already widely accepted: the Cathedral Code of 1649 no longer contained any prohibition of chess. Moreover, even priests were unable to resist the attractions of the game. In 1 73 1 , for instance , the Kazan Metropolitan Silvester Kholmsky sent the Holy Synod a complaint about Metropolitan Feodosi Yanovsky, stating that Father Feodosi played chess at night and had even ordered the big bells to be taken down so that their ringing might not distract him from the game . The popularity of chess in Rus­ sia was commented upon by many foreign merchants, dip­ lomats, and travellers who visited Muscovy . I n h i s guide to chess theory , published in Western Europe in 1 6 1 6 , Gustavus Selenus stated : "Russians or Muscovites play chess very intelligently and ear­ nestly, and they are so skilled that, in my opinion, other nations will not be able to compete with them easily."

We can therefore conclude that already 300 years ago chess was quite widespread in Russia. Many famed people of the time enjoyed the game. The Inventory of Clothing and Property of the Times of Tsars Fyodor lvanovich, Boris Godunov and Vasili Shuis­ ky mentions "cut-glass and jade chess sets, two chess pieces , one fish tooth , and others of bone ; two chess boards , stone chess pieces, on silver and gilded foot­ ing" in the Tsars' Treasury. Chess set makers were appointed to the Tsar ' s court. Their job was to make sure that the chess sets were kept in good condition, and to make new sets. Ivan the Terrible is renowned for his love of chess . Peter I also liked to relax at the chess board . Many brief notes on chess have been preserved in his diary. H ere are two of them: "14 October 1714. I spent the whole day at home and played chess with Stepan Vytashchi . " (Stepan, nicknamed Vytashchi, served in his youth in the Preob­ razhensky Regiment, and after that became an official in the Tsar's court) . "21 November 1716. I played chess with Bitka the whole day" (Ivan Khrisanfov, nicknamed Bitka, Peter the First' s Court priest, was his regular chess partner). Ever since the famous assemb­ lies introduced by Peter I in 17 1 9 Russian chess skills had been developing at organised meetings of chess players. The assemblies marked the start of the meetings of chess players from the upper classes,

mostly those at the Tsar's court. Empress Anna Ioannovna had a special chess room equipped in the St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Empress Catherine II herself and many of her courtiers played chess. The Empress' favourite , Potemkin of Tauris, who invited the best chess players from all over Russia to St. Petersburg, was particularly fond of the game. Catherine II invited to the capi­ tal the Hungarian mechanic Far­ kas Kempelen, who had invented the machine Automaton Chess Player. He gave demonstrations of his machine both in St. Peters­ burg and in other Russian cities and towns. Here is a notice that appeared in Tula on 5 November 1777 : "An exhibition of the 'automaton chess player' invented and built by the mechanic Kempelen will be held in the concert hall. The machine is so well designed mechanically that the inventor invites the best players in the town to compete with it." It was subsequently discovered that a chess player so expert that he could easily beat his oppo­ nents was cleverly hidden in the machine. The Russian Emperor Paul I was a chess devotee from his very childhood. During his trip to Paris ( 1 78 1 - 1 782) he more than once visited the then famous chess club-the Cafe de Ia Re­ gence, which a quarter of a century later was frequented by Napoleon. At the end of the 1 8th century chess enthusiasts in St. Peters13

burg began to assemble in the apartments of high-ranking offi­ cials . These gatherings became the prototype for the future chess clubs . The Russian games of those times have unfortunately not come down to us, but the chess

enthusiasts undoubtedly included talented players. Their creative effort influenced the development of chess in Russia, and led to the appearance of outstanding mas­ ters who gained wide recognition in Europe at the beginning of the 1 9th century.

Chapter

II

THE FIRST RUS SIAN C HE S S MASTERS

There are some people whom fortune seems to favour, conferr­ ing success and fame on them throughout their lives. Alexander Petrov ( 1 794- 1 867), the first Rus­ sian chess player to gain worldwide fame, was one of these people (referred to as Pet­ roff in the West). An offspring of a noble family he began his career with a modest post in a St. Petersburg office , and rose fast to the rank of assistant secretary to the State Administration in Warsaw. He was fascinated by chess from his childhood. According to his contemporaries, he already played well at the age of seven . His teacher was his grandfather, Senator I. Sokolov , about whom he later wrote: "My grandfather played chess every day from four o'clock in the afternoon , until I 0 in the evening . . . He was even considered the best player in St. Petersburg." Petrov learned from his grandfather and was soon a better player than him. The Senator told his friends about the boy's abili­ ty, and the youthful Alexander began to receive invitations to

"chess evenings". At the age of 16 he was recognised the best Russian . chess player, and re­ mained so for 50 years . Despite Petrov's respect for the game , he twice refused to take part in international tournaments (London, 1 85 1 , and Paris , 1 862) . Sergei Urusov , an eminent Rus­ sian chess player of that period, claimed that Petrov "had guarded his reputation with the Great Wall of China". In reply Petrov wrote: "Never have I sought to play against European celebrities. Chess is not my trade, and my official functions leave me no time for trips abroad, nor do I have funds for such travels . " The allusion to his official functions and lack of money merely concealed his real reasons for refusing to take part in inter­ national contests. In the social circles in which Petrov moved chess was regarded merely as a pleasant pastime, a not entirely serious occupation. And though Petrov wrote that "chess, with the thought and calculation it requires can be justly called a learned , serious, and fascinating game" , he was unable to break away from the traditions of his environment. Ironically, Petrov ' s administra­ tive affairs, which he considered so important, sank into oblivion, while his chess legacy lives on and is developed in the works of the thousands of his followers. Great credit is due to Alexan­ der Petrov for his work in form­ ing the national chess school, and he is held in high esteem abroad. His works on theory were consid­ ered classic, and his games and 15

chess problems were published in many countries. Of especial importance for the development of chess thought was Petrov's The Game of Chess Systematised with the Addition of Philidor's * Games with Accom­ panying Notes, which the author himself printed in 1 824 in an edition of 300 copies, of which 50 are available today. This book, of great historical importance for the development of chess thought, was published in facsimile in 6,000 copies by the Fizkultura i sport Publishers in 1 977. Petrov ' s book was not, how­ ever, the first of its kind. Chess publishing started with the De­ scription of the Chinese Game of Chess by A . Leontiev, secretary at the Russian Embassy in Peking ( 1 775). This work is especially significant for its enumeration of all the Russian names for the chess pieces . Chigorin noted sub­ sequently that "this is the most ancient record of Russian chess terminology that has come down to us". The first article on chess in the periodical press was published in 1 8 1 5 in the Almanac Russian Museum. Ivan Butrimov ' s Chess Play was published by the Senate press in St. Petersburg in 1 82 1 , and contained much that was known at the time about chess theory. In this first chess guide , its pages yellow with age, we find * Philidor, real name Fran�ois Andre Danican (1726-1795), an outstanding French master, the strongest player of the second half of the 18th century.

16

much interesting and instructive information on chess , its strategy and tactics. Butrimov stated that as a game "chess is not merely a pleasant pastime, it also promotes , as mathematics does, the habit of logical thought". In the time of Butrimov Rus­ sian chess players already under­ stood the importance of contacts with others for improving their game, and greatly valued the former's book. To return to Petrov's book, it contains valuable information on chess theory and practice and it was a major factor in the emergence of the Russian chess school. Published 1 50 years ago, some of the theory is still valid today. For instance, Petrov criticised Philidor for "paying more atten­ tion to attack than defence". Of importance also is Petrov ' s evalu­ ation of Philidor's theory that White, with the advantage of the first move, had to emerge vic­ torious . Petrov wrote: "We cannot agree with Philidor that whoever has the first move must necessar­ ily win. " Philidor' s point o f view intro­ duced a certain fatality into chess theory and impoverished the game. Petrov' s view held more promise for chess. Let us take a look at the first postal game published in Russia, played between Petrov and three chess amateurs from St. Peters­ burg through the municipal post office. The game started on 27 August 1 837, and lasted almost five months.

Petroff Defence A. PETROV

DIAGRAM I

CONSULTANTS

l . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 This open­ ing system was thoroughly de­ veloped by A. Petrov and his companion, the Russian master Jaenisch. 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Bd6 (5 . . . Be7 is better) 6. 0-0 0-0 7. c4 A variation that seems quite modern. It was used, for exam­ ple, by Alekhine, a hundred years later in a game against Alexander when 1 933-1 934), (Hastings, Black continued 7... Nc6, followed by 8 . Nxd5. The consultants' move was very weak. 7 . . . f5 8. f4 c6 9. Be3 Be6 10. cxd5 cxd5 ( 1 0 . . . Bxd5 should have been played) 1 1 . Nc3 Nc6 12. Rcl Rf6 It would have been better to continue symmetrical play with 1 2. . . Rc8 . The attempt to launch an attack on White's strengthened m its King position was doomed to failure . 1 3 . Bxe4 :xe4 14. NbS! Ne7 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. g4! A correct appraisal of the situa­ tion. Although Petrov had written that the Pawns shielding the King . should only be moved from their places in extreme necessity, the move is justified here as the key point of f5 cannot be ceded to Black. 16 . . . g6 17. f5! (by sacrificing a Pawn White gains the initiative) 2-607

1 7 . . . gxf5 18. Bg5 Rff8 19. Bh6 Rfc8 (a return to f6 is preferable here) 20. Qd2 Qd8 Jaenisch pointed out that 20 . . . Ng6 is also bad because of 2 1 . Rxc8+ Rxc8 22. gxf5 Nxe5 23 . Qg5 + with a decisive attack, or 20. . . Rxc I 2 1 . Qg5 + Ng6 22. Nxg6 ! Rc7 23 . Ne7 + Kf7 24. gxf5 , etc. 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. gxf5 (22. Qg5 + Ng6) 22 . . . Nxf5 (22 . . . Bxf5 23 . Qg5 + Bg6 24 . Qf6 also loses) 23 . Qg2+ Kh8 24. Rxf5 Qg8 25. Rf6 Bh3 26. Qg3 Qxg3+ 27. hxg3 Black resigns. Petrov not only studied the strategy and tactics of chess ; he was also the author of a number of popular problems and endgame studies. His symbolic problem "Napoleon' s Flight from M os­ cow" originated in the events of the War of 1 8 1 2 . DIAGRAM 2

The Knights on e2 and f l (the Russian cavalry) chase Black's 17

King (Napoleon) from Russia to the French capital . l . Nd2 + Ka2 (Napoleon leaves Moscow, which is designated by the square b l ) 2. Nc3+ Ka3 3. Ndb1 + Kb4 4. Na2+ KbS S. Nc3+ Ka6 Here the Russians could wind up the struggle by mating Black' s King with the move 6. Qa8+ +, however they miss this opportuni­ ty, so that Napoleon crosses the river Berezina (this is designated by the diagonal h l -a8). 6. Nb4+ Ka7 7. NbS+ Kb8 8. Na6+ Kc8 9. Na7+ Kd7 10. NbS+ Ke7 1 1 . Nc8+ Kf8 12. Nd7+ Kg8 13. Ne7+ Kh8. The Cossacks under the com­ mand of the Russian General Platov force Napoleon to take cover in Paris (the h8 square). Now the game concludes: 14. Kg2+ + . Petrov, typically, asserts that the mastering of chess demands a serious attitude and deep study, and that goal players are of necessity gifted people. "A knowledge of the moves does not mean that a person can 18

consider himself a player," wrote Petrov . "In this respect chess resembles poetry. A knowledge of the rules of poetry does not make a person a real poet unless that person possesses talent . " Petrov rarely took part i n com­ petitions, and therefore few of his games have survived . Those games , however, which did ap­ pear in print, attracted the atten­ tion of the entire chess world by their originality and skill. Here is one of Petrov's games played in Paris in 1 863 against one of the strongest French masters.

King's Gambit A. PETROV

P. JOURNOUD

1. e4 eS 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 gS 4. h4 g4 S. NeS Nf6 (this move is considered the best even now) 6. Bc4 (in Petrov's time this was the main continuation . Now 6. d4 is considered stronger) 6 . . . dS 7. exdS Bd6 8. d4 NbS 9. BbS + Kf8? (the correct move is 9 . . . c6) 10. Nc3 Ng3 1 1 . Bxf4? ( 1 1 . Rg l is better) I I... Nxh1 12. Qd2 Qxh4+ 13. g3 Nxg3 14. Qf2 NfS 1S. Qxh4 Nxh4 16. Bh6+ Kg8? (Bold but risky attack by White. 1 6 . . . Ke7 led to Black' s advantage) 17. Ne4! Be7 18. Be8 Nf3 + 19. Kf2 NxeS 20. dxeS BfS 21 . Nf6 + Bxf6 22. exf6 Nd7? (Black should have played 22 . . . Na6) 23. Bxd7 Rxd7 24. Re1 (24. Rh l threatens Black even more) 24. . . ReS 2S. Rxe8+ Bxe8

DIAGRAM 3

Truly a fantastic posttlon. Black has an extra Rook and Pawn but his pieces are in iron cage from which there is no escape. 26. Kg3 Bd7 27. c4 aS 28. a3 a4 29. c5 Bc8 30. d6 cxd6 31. cxd6 Bd7 32. Kf4 Be6 33. Kg3 A draw. Petrov was not alone in his work on chess strategy and tac­ tics. A considerable contribution to the emergence of the Russian chess school was made by Karl Jaenisch ( 1 8 1 3- 1 872), professor at the St. Petersburg Institute of Communications. While Petrov was the better tournament com­ petitor, Jaenisch surpassed him in the art of analysis and generalisa­ tion . In 1 842- 1 843 Jaenisch published his two-volume work, A New Analysis of Chess Openings, which contained a number of original studies on various sys­ tems of play. Jaenisch indicates that many of the variations were devised by Petrov . 2*

Jaenisch' s book was translated into English and printed in Eng­ land in two editions (London, 1 847, and Cambridge, 1 855). It served as the basis and prototype for many subsequent opening guides , in particular the important Handbuch des Schachspiels by Paul Rudolf Bilguer. Jaenisch ' s work of more than 500 pages describes specific opening variations. The scope of the work can be judged by its length alone. Jaenisch illustrated the basic variations of every opening with games played by the best chess players of his time. We should stress that Jaenisch was the first person to analyse in detail semi-closed and closed openings. A number of the varia­ tions of the French and Sicilian defences now employed, and of the Queen' s Gambit, were also proved to be of value m Jaenisch' s book. Here, for instance, is a varia­ tion of the French Defence, studied by Jaenisch, which is still relevant today: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6. Jaenisch also analyses the Sicilian Gambit 1 . e4 c5 2. b4, different positions of the Queen' s Gambit and, i n particular depth, the Slav Defence ( 1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6). A keen variation of the Ruy Lopez in which so far the last word has not been said: I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5, has been named after Jaenisch. DIAGRAM 4

Like Petrov , Jaenisch paid seri­ ous attention to chess composi19

tion. His problems and endgame studies were well known through­ out the world. Here is one of them, published in 1 859. DIAGRAM 5

White is not in a good position to win. 1 . fxg6 g2+ 2. Kgl BaS 3. g7 Bxc3 4. g8B (But not 4. g8Q or g8R because of 4 . . . blQ+ 5. Bxbl Bxd4+ 6. Bxd4 stalemate) 4 . . . 20

Bd2 5. Be6 + Kg3 6. Be5+ Kf3 7 . Bd5 + endgame develops The Jaenisch's favourite theme of the promotion of a passed Pawn. If instead of 2 . . . Ba5 Black plays 2 . . . Bc7, it is possible to continue 3. Be5 Bd8 (3 . . . Ba5 4. Bf4 Bxc3 5 . Be3 Bel 6. g7 Bg3 7. g8R) 4. Bf4 Bf6 5. Bh6 Bd8. 6. g7 Bc7 7. g8Q Bh2+ 8. Kf2 Bg3+ 9. Qxg3+ hxg3 10. Kgl, etc. The publication of Jaenisch's book was not the end of his analytical work. His articles and studies were published in chess magazines in many countries for almost 25 years afterwards . The three-volume Treatise on the Application of Mathematical Analysis to Chess Play, of inter­ est to cybernetics specialists and mathematicians working on chess-playing computers, appeared in 1 862- 1 863 . Unfortunate­ ly Jaenisch was unable to com­ plete this work. The eminent Russian chess players in the mid- 1 850s also included the brothers Dmitri and Sergei Urusov, Shumov and Mikhailov. Colonel Sergei Urusov ( 1 8271 897), hero of the Sevastopol Defence, friend and chess partner of Leo Tolstoy, was recognised as the strongest player after Petrov. In 1 859 Sergei Urusov played a match with Petrov . The latter won the competition ( + 1 3 -7 1 ) , but declared after the match that Urusov could compete quite suc­ cessfully against the best foreign players. The truth of Petrov' s words =

was soon borne out by Sergei Urusov' s draw in a minor match with Hungary ' s J. Kolisch, one of the strongest chess players of the time (St. Petersburg, 1 862), and victory in his match with the German master P. Hirschfeld (Moscow, 1 866). This game is characteristic of the strength and style of the Russian master. Ruy Lopez S. URUSOV

J. KOLISCH

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bd5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d4 exd4 7. e5 Ne4 S. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Nc5 10. Nc3 0-0 DIAGRAM 6

The possibilities of this position are now being studied. The con­ tinuations 1 1 . Bg5 , 1 1 . Nd5, in addition to Urusov ' s move, were employed. 1 1 . Be3 d6 This is better than 1 1 . . . Nxa4 1 2 . Qxa4 d5 1 3 . exd6

e.p. Bxd6 14. Rad l with advan­ tage for White. (Lombardy vs. Horowitz, New York, 1955) 12. Rad1 Nxa4 (this move is faulty here; the correct line is 1 2. . . Be6 1 3 . exd6 e . p . , Qxd6 14. Qb4 Qb6) 13. Qxa4 Bd7 14. Qe4 In the Fichtl vs. Brzoska game ( 1 954) there followed 14. Qd4 Be6 1 5 . Bf4, and White ' s situation is more advantageous 14 Bc6 15. Nd5 dxe5 16. Qxe5 Bd6 17. Qh5 ReS 1S. c4 Re4 19. Rd4 ReS ( 1 9 . . . Qe8 is better) 20. Qf3 Bc5? (the Queen should have been moved to e8) 21. Rg4! Bxe3 22. fxe3 Bxd5 23. Qg3! Qe7 24. Rxg7 + KhS 25. cxd5 Rxe3 26. Rgxf7! Rxg3 27. Rxe7 Rg7 28. Rff7 RagS 29. Rxg7 Rxg7 30. ReS+ RgS 31. RxgS+ KxgS 32. Kf2 and several moves later Black resigns. Urusov was famed as the in­ ventor of the clever opening gam­ bit 1 . e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3 . d4 exd4 4. Nf4. The curious compli­ cations arising after 4. . . N xe4 were much analysed in the last century . Sergei Urusov ' s "Guide to the Study of Chess", published in the magazine Shakhmatny listok in 1 859- 1 86 1 , i s of great importance for chess theory. Shumov ( 1 8 1 9- 1 88 1 ) , the won­ derful inventor of chess prob­ lems , who promoted chess theory, Mikhailov ( 1 828- 1 882) , one of the organisers of the St. Petersburg Society of Chess Amateurs and chess master Dmit­ ( 1 830- 1903) ri Urusov are also important in the history of the development of Russian chess. .•.

21

The

chess gatherings in the house were attended by the best Russian players . A fre­ quent guest was the writer Ivan Turgenev , also a chess en­ thusiast. These first chess gatherings, the beginnings of the future chess clubs, mark a new stage in Rus­ sian chess development largely because the players of the time saw chess as an important factor of education. U rusov

Shumov, for instance, wrote: "The game of chess is almost not a game . In any case, it differs so radically from all other games that it cannot be categorised with them. Chess falls somewhere be­ tween a game and art." The efforts of the first Russian masters to promote chess pre­ pared the ground for new talented players to come to the fore and laid the foundations of a distinc­ tive Russian chess school .

Chapter III ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The distinctive Russian chess school was further developed and improved by the prominent Rus­ sian master Mikhail chess Chigorin. Chigorin shared the fate of many outstanding figures i n the culture, science and the arts of those times. His innovational re­ search was at times considered eccentric , while his new ap­ proaches in chess strategy and tactics were only acclaimed after his death. Chigorin's childhood was a hard one . Orphaned at the age of nine he was handed over in July 1 859 to an orphanage , a tal l , gloomy building standing i n the centre of the small town of Gatchina. The atmosphere i n this public institution was oppressive, the children being subjected only to fear and endless punishment. Only some of the teachers treated their charges with warmth and care . The latter included the Ger­ man-language teacher A. Schu­ mann, who tried to organise the children ' s leisure and taught many of them to play chess. Chigorin made his first ac­ quaintance with the game at the

age of 1 6 . Now, by this age, talented young chess players are already approaching the master Botvinnik, Spas sky, class. Fischer, Karpov , Chiburdanidze and Kasparov were acclaimed masters at 1 6 . The young Chigorin was im­ mediately attracted by chess. He sought consolation at the chess board in order to forget the indignities he was forced to suffer. And there were many of those. The despotism of the teachers and educators was boundless . In 1868 the seniors organised pro­ tests demanding that whipping be stopped . The St. Petersburg authorities intervened . Several of the pupils were arrested, and many others, including Chigorin, were ex­ pelled. Chigorin arrived in St. Peters­ burg, where he searched desper­ ately for a job. His hunt con­ tinued for three years, while he led a hungry life . Finally, in August 1 87 1 , he managed to get an undistinguished office job . The difficult straits in which Chigorin found himself forced him to postpone his thoughts of chess until some distant date. For almost five years Chigorin hardly touched the chess board , and he started to occupy himself with chess seriously only in 1 874 , when he was already 24 years old . The St. Petersburg chess players of the day used to gather in the Cafe Dominique. They played exclusively for money. Handicap tournaments were ar­ ranged , the special feature of 23

which was that the strongest players gave the weaker ones a head start: a Pawn, Knight or even a Rook, but on condition that a tournament fee was paid. Chigorin became a regular vis­ itor of the Dominique. In 1 874 Chigorin's first game was pub­ lished-the game he lost to Mas­ ter Ilya Shumov, who gave the novice the start of a Pawn and a move. At the end of the same year Chigorin competed in a handicap tournament, won by Emanuil Shiffers ( 1 850- 1 904), who soon became a prominent international master. Ilya Shumov came sec­ ond , and Mikhail Chigorin , still being given a start by his experi­ enced opponents, was third . Chigorin' s bold , original play nevertheless attracted the atten­ tion of the experts. The magazine Vsemimaya illus­ tratsia reviewed the results of the tournament : "Third prize was awarded to the young, second­ category chess player who has made brilliant progress in a very short time ." Chigorin's style of play gradu­ ally took shape in his games against the leading Russian chess players, while his understanding of strategy and tactics developed. In the 1 880s Chigorin became Russia's leading player. He was one of the first Russian masters to take part in international con­ tests, with excellent results. Chigorin made his debut in the 1881 Berlin Tournament, in which the pick of the world's best chess players competed: Zuckertort, Blackburne , Winawer, Paulsen, Mason and other celebrities. 24

Chigorin tied for third place with the Polish master Winawer. Here is a game from the Berlin tournament.

Sicilian Defence M . CHIGORIN

L. PAULSEN

I. e4 cS 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. a3 Be7 8. Be2 0-0 9. 0-0 a6 10. Qd3 Qc7 1 1 . f4 d6 12. Qg3 Bd7 13. Be3 DIAGRAM 7

A familiar position: the Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defence frequently met today . 13... Rad8? (An unhappy ma­ noeuvre. Modern theory recom­ mends 1 3 . . . b5 or 1 3 . . . Rac8 to allow freedom of operation on the Q-side). 14. Nd2! (the intention is either to transfer the Knight to c4, aiming to advance it, if given the chance, to b6, or to move it to f3 ,

from where it will be able to support the attack on Black's King) 14. .. d5 15. e5 Ne8 16. Nf3 f5 17. Qf2 Qb8 18. Bb6 ReS 19. Bd3 (Black's poor planning leads him into a cramped and hopeless situ­ ation. Chigorin steadily piles on the pressure) 19 Nc7 20. Nce2 Nca8 21. Be3 Na5 22. b3 b5 Gradually Black now returns to the correct plan of campaign on the Q-side, but valuable time has been lost, and there are no squares on the c-file for him to invade. 23. h4 Nb7 24. b4! Now the Knight on b7 cannot achieve anything useful, and Black does not manage to take advantage of the weakened c4square. 24 Qc7 25. Ned4 Nd8 26. g4! fxg4 27. Ng5 Bxg5 (If 27 . . . g6, then 28. Qg3 with dangerous threats) 28. hxg5 g6 29. Kg2 Rb8 30. Rhl Rf7 3 1 . Rh6 Rg7 32. Rah1 Nf7 33. Rg4 Rf8 34. Qg3 Nd8 35. Qxg4 Nb6? Paulsen, who was considered the best defence expert, has firm­ ly strengthened his position. Only his last move is a mistake and is effectively rebuffed . It was held that Black could still retain equal­ ity after 35 . . . Bc8, but Grandmas­ ter Vasyukov and Master Nikitin, proved that in this case the move 36. Qh3 also gives White a chance for victory. Here is one of the possible variations: 36. . . Rff7 37. Rh6 Kf8 (threatened by 38. Bxg6) 38. Nf3 d4 39. Bxd4 Rxf4 40. Bc5 + Ke8 4 1 . Rxh7, etc. ..•

.•.

36. Rxh7! Rxh7 37. Rxh7 Rf7 (37. . . Kxh7 38. Qh5+ led to mate) 38. Rh6 Nc4 39. Rxg6+ Kf8 40. Bf2 Bc8 41. Qh4 Ke7 42. Rg8 Kd7 43. g6 Re7 44. Qxe7 + ! Black resigns. The then world champion was Wilhelm Steinitz, outstanding theoretician and player. An ever increasing number of reports in the press claimed that Steinitz' only rival was Chigorin. And when in 1 888 there was talk of a world championship Steinitz himself declared Chigorin to be a very worthy opponent. They had played four games in various international tourna­ ments, and in three games Chigo­ rin had emerged victorious . The Havana Chess Club under­ took to organise the world title contest. Chigorin had not only to train for the match, he was also faced with another problem which had nothing to do with chess. He had to find the money for the trip. Subscription sheets were distributed throughout Russia. Chess devotees collected , kopeck by kopeck , the money necessary for the trip to Cuba. In the Havana match , which lasted from 20 January to 24 February 1 889, Chigorin was de­ feated, winning six games and losing ten. Only one game ended in a draw , after both opponents had missed chances for victory in it. However, this match did not put an end to the contests be­ tween the two players. In 1 890- 1 89 1 Chigorin and Steinitz arranged to play two

25

simultaneous games, with the moves being exchanged by ca­ bles. The reason behind the match was the discussion be­ tween Chigorin and Steinitz on the value of two then current opening variations (one in the Evans Gambit for Black and another for White in the Two Knights' Defence) recommended by the world champion. newspapers of Hundreds throughout the world reported and commented on the match . Never before had any chess con­ test aroused such interest. Chigorin won both the games brilliantly . Let us recall one of these unique games, unique be­ cause never since have leading players competed in such a match.

pointed out, here 9 . . . Bd6 also deserves attention in order to reply to 10. d4 with 10 . . . e4) 10. d3 0-0 11 . Nc3 Nd5 12. Na4 Bd6 13. Ng1 f5 DIAGRAM 8

Two Knights' Defence W. STEINITZ

M. CHIGORIN

1. e4 e5 2. NfJ Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nh3 It is theoretically proven that if the Knight retreats to f3 , Black is sufficiently compensated . The controversial move of Nh3 , which Steinitz defended, is still disputed. Robert Fischer revived it and made use of it in several games. Steinitz considered Nh3 the best move, but Chigorin did not agree. 9 . Bc5 (the Knight on h3 is so poorly placed that there is no sense in exchanging it, even if this weakens the position of Pawns . White's As Fischer ..

26

We should point out, by the way, that Fischer interprets the position after the Knight's move to h3 otherwise , in a more mod­ ern fashion, without placing great hopes on his wall of Pawns. This is how his game with Arthur Bisguier (Black) proceeded in the 1 963 New York Championship after 9 . . . Bc5 : 1 0. 0-0 0-0 1 1 . d3 Bxh3 1 2. gxh3 Qd7 1 3 . Bf3 (in the case of 1 3 . Bg4 Nxg4, fol­ lowed by f5 , Black is in a good position to attack) 1 3 . . . Qxh3 14. Nbd2 Rd8 1 5 . Bg2 Qf5 (as Fischer pointed out, by playing 1 6 . Qf3 White gains some advan­ tage) . 14. c3 Bd7 15. d4 e4 16. c4 Ne7! Black does not want to close

the f-file and is preparing to transfer the Knight either to f4 or f5 in case the Pawn on f5 moves to f4. 17. Nc3 Be6 18. b3 Steinitz per­ sistently defends his theory of the Pawn chain, whereas the situation demands decisive action. He should have played 18. f4 in an attempt to mobilise his forces. 18... Bb4 19. Bb2 f4 Black at­ tacks on all fronts, intending to open play by sacrificing the Pawn on f4. In opening the files Black's advantage in development should prove decisive. 20. Qc2-a disaster is imminent. but there are no longer any satis­ factory continuations. In the case of 20. Kfl there is the powerful reply 20. . . f3 ! 2 1 . gxf3 exf3 22. Bxf3 Ng6 and then Nh4, and in case of 20. a3 a good response is 20. . . Bxc 3 + 2 1 . Bxc3 Nf5 22. Bg4 Rb8, etc. 20 Qxd4 2 1 . Kf1 Black can attack strongly after 2 1 . a3 f3 ! 22. gxf3 e3 ! 23. fxe3 Qh4 + . White could best defend himself thus: 2 1 . Rd l Qf6 22. a3 Bxc3 + 23. Bxc3 Qg6 24. Kf l . 21... f3! 22. gxf3 exf3 23. Bxf3. 23. Nxf3 is no consolation either. C higorin saw this variation: 2 1 . . . Bh3 + 22. Ke l Rxf3 ! 23 . Bxf3 Rf8 24. Be2 Ng6. 23 . . . Bf5 24. Ne4 In the case of 24. Rd I Black still retains the attack by removing his Queen to f4 or h4. 24. Bxe4! 25. Qe2 Or 25 . Qxe4 Qxb2 26. Rb l Qxa2. Also unsatisfactory is 25 . Bxe4 Rxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxe4 27. Nf3 Rf8 28. Kg3 Ng6. •••

••

DIAGRAM 9

25. . . Bxf3! Excellent play. B y sacrificing h i s Queen Black can attack White' s King with all his forces . 26. Qe6 + Kh7 27. Bxd4 Bxh1 28. Qh3 Nf5 29. Be5 Rae8 30. Bf4 (White is beautifully mated after 30. f4 Rxe5 3 1 . fxe5 Ng3 + + ) 30... Nd4 31. Qxd3+ Be4 32. Qxd4 Rxf4 33. f3 Chigorin pointed out White cannot take the Pawn on a7. For instance, 3 3 . Qxa7 Rg4 34. f3 Bd3 + 35. Kf2 Rg5, and then Bc5 . 33. .. RefS 34 . Qxa7 c5 35. Qc7 Nc6! 36. a3 Rxf3 + ! 37. Nxf3 Rxf3+ 38. Kg1 Bd2! Chigorin's attack was perfect, and this is one of the most noteworthy games of the 1 9th century. Chigorin ' s victory over Steinitz made a great impact. "Steinitz's primacy in chess has been shaken for the first time in 25 years for all the world to see," claimed the Russian magazine Shashechnitsa, echoing a widely held opinion. 27

No wonder then that by the end of 1 89 1 the second world championship between Steinitz and Chigorin was already ar­ ranged . Again Chigorin had to traved to Havana, and once more Russian chess enthusiasts col­ lected money for the trip. The second Steinitz vs. Chigo­ rin match was one of the most dramatic in the history of chess competition. Both of the oppo­ nents made their favourite open­ ing lines and conducted a relent­ less, uncompromising game. People in Russia waited with excitement for news from Cuba. "I am unable to overcome my chess patriotism and I hope that the Number 1 chess player will be the Russian" , stated Leo Tolstoy. In a number of the games in the match Chigorin made success­ ful use of the bold Evans Gambit, which was a formidable weapon in his hands. Steinitz used closed opening systems . It is interesting that the Evans Gambit was often discarded, only to be revived, whereupon its op­ ponents would discover another Achilles ' heel. At the end of the 1 800s things had gone so far that a spiritualism session was held in Vienna, at which the admirers of the gambit tried to call up the spirit of the famed French chess player Louis Charles de Labour­ donnais to ask for his opinion on this controversial variation . The spirit, alas, was unpre­ pared for such consultations, and the chess spiritualists, headed by Master Kolisch , had to content themselves with an analytical check of the position. 28

Chigorin himself, without re­ sorting to the supernatural , disco­ vered truly extraordinary poten­ tial in the Evans Gambit and other gambit systems and was able to attack in such a way that even Steinitz was unable to parry. By the finishing game the score was 9 : 8 (with five draws) in Steinitz' s favour. In the conclu­ sive ( 1 8th) game Chigorin (White) quickly gained a decisive advan­ tage. Here is the position after Black's 3 1 st move. DIAGRAM 10

Chigorin had plenty of time for consideration. The control time had just passed (the match was played with a time control of 15 moves an hour). The simple 32. Rxb7 would have led to vic­ tory. Chigorin pondered for 20 minutes and made a suicidal move: 32. Bb4??, and after the obvious 32 . . . Rxh2+ he resigned. This is one of the most drama­ tic examples of chess blindness.

Steinitz himself called his wm a Pyrrhic victory. Chigorin was far superior to Steinitz in his understanding of correctness , strength and beauty in the art of chess. But Steinitz unquestionably had more stami­ na, endurance and composure, and was more able to spread his strength in the long run, and take into account the psychological aspects of the game . Just as the Steinitz vs. Chigorin matches were of epic quality, so Mikhail Chigorin's match in 1 893 with the famed German Grand­ master Siegbert Tarrasch, Steinitz' s follower, made chess history. This match , which took place in St. Petersburg, produced a number of excellent games . Chigorin, who competed i n many international contests, was always a worthy representative of Russian chess. He travelled to London, Paris, Prague, Berlin, New York, Budapest and Vienna, where his talent was admired. A study of the past shows us that each generation discovers Chigorin in its own way. His contemporaries saw him as the main figure in a romantic trend, a talented improviser. However, a thorough study of Chigorin' s leg­ acy reveals that the Russian champion was considerably ahead of his time. Although Mikhail Chigorin never became world champion, his role in the development of chess thought is difficult to over­ estimate. Chigorin's profound ideas, opening inventions and en­ dgame analyses have come down to us and are now an important part of tournament practice.

Chigorin emerged as a major chess player when Steinitz ' s theories, later developed b y Tar­ rasch, reigned throughout the world. While he could not deny that Steinitz had introduced much that was new in chess theory and had a very high opinion of his skill, Chigorin disagreed with him on principles of play. The chess his­ torian A. Narkevitch pointed out: "Steinitz's teaching in some way reminds one of the ideological trends of the second half of the 1 9th century: positivism, in rationalism mechanicism, philosophy, naturalism in litera­ ture. Steinitz was a true son of his time, both in his achievements and discoveries , as well as in the limitations of his doctrine. He was unaware of this limitation, and he was inclined to consider it the expression of the absolute truth in chess . " The main aim o f the "new school" led by Steinitz and Tar­ rasch was to lay down laws of chess strategy and tactics dictat­ ing correct behaviour in all foreseeable circumstances . Creativity was thus limited to applying these "laws" at the right time and place. Tarrasch, who devised his own kind of traffic regulation for the chess board , was especially intent on making chess subject to strict laws. Chigorin revolted against this narrow approach ; he thought that the progress of chess theory would inevitably refute many old conceptions. "What theory recog­ nises today it refutes tomorrow," he wrote i n 1 90 1 . Chigorin strove in his research for concrete, 29

exact analyses, avoiding the hazy general arguments that were so dear to the hearts of the "new school" ideologists. "General notions made their appearance in chess literature comparatively recently , some 1 0 years ago" , wrote Chigorin in with 1 893 , the "probably emergence of the so-called new school proclaimed by Steinitz, and took root for a very obvious reason: anyone, so to speak, can occupy himself with this matter if he is the least bit capable of dialectics , even when he has in­ sufficient knowledge of chess and experience in analysis. "We should point out that many of those who see them­ selves as followers of this new school interpret Steinitz' s princi­ ples completely inaccurately." Note Chigorin' s last comment. He always had a high opinion of Steinitz as a chess theoretician , although he disagreed with him on creative principles. "In chess books and memoirs, just as in conversation , one hears: theoretically, more theoret­ ically, etc. What is usually under­ stood by that are the generally commonly accepted, made moves, whose only advantage is to have been studied in greater depth ," wrote Chigorin and, de­ veloping his idea, he added: "In actual fact in almost all openings you can find moves which are not inferior to the theoretical moves if they are used as the initial point of a whole combination of moves by a good and experienced player. Chess as a game is much richer than one might suppose from the existing theory, which 30

attempts to contain it within cer­ tain narrow forms . " These ideas deserve some thought, for they were the basis for new opening designs and what seemed to be "incorrect" struc­ tures . An important feature of the Russian school was to discover not just separate moves, but sys­ tems in which these moves were the important link. Typical of Chigorin' s view of opening problems is his explana­ tion of the move. 2. Qe2 (after 1 . e4 e6) which he employed in his match with Tarrasch . For many years the critics regarded this use of the Queen in the opening as eccentric. DIAGRAM I I

Chigorin wrote: "Move 2. Qe2 in the first four games of the match with Dr. Tarrasch caused the French De­ fence to lose its usual character, and it gave the others a certain originality . . .

"It can, in any case, be discus­ sed only in connection with the entire subsequent plan and not in isolation, as the chess critics did . " Yes, indeed , Chigorin was in­ disputably right in asserting that the opening cannot be viewed as an isolated phase of the battle , for it is organically bound u p with the whole game. The strategic ideas behind 2. Qe2 are now accepted in the fashionable structures of the King's Indian Defence and other similar patterns. Chigorin systematised many opening patterns in which the loss of speed in developing the pieces does not detract from the posi­ tion, because there are other compensatory advantages. We should stress here that Chigorin' s interpretation of tempo was completely different from that of Tarrasch and some other theoreticians. Now many leading chess players share Chigorin ' s point o f view . This difference in approach to tempo can be seen in the short discussion between Chigorin and Tarrasch in 1 90 l . Here is a position from one of the variations of the Sicilian De­ fence after l . e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Ndb5 Bb4 7. a3 DIAGRAM 1 :!

Tarrasch considered that since White had played his Knight on b5, he should be put in check on d6. By moving to a3 , White wastes the equivalent of no less than 3 moves. In itself the move

a3 by its worthlessness equals 2 tempos. Hence White loses the equivalent of 3 moves. "Nonetheless," added Tar­ rasch , "this variation, despite its erroneousness, was often met in tournament practice." C higorin wrote: "The people must not have ceased using it (the variation) because, among other things, they cannot understand the wise arguments of the hon­ ourable doctor about lost tempos , nor his arithmetic , for Black, by moving his Bishop to b4, and capturing with it the Knight on c3 , makes not one but two moves . " The main and serious reason why players have now begun to use the move 7. a3 more fre­ quently lies in the logical thinking of the player who is bold enough to realise that even with three "lost tempos" and the move 7. a3 White has better opportunities for play than in the case of 7. Nd6 + with the almost inevitable con­ tinuation 7 . . . Ke7 8. Bf4 e5 9. Nf5+ Kf8 10. Bg5 d5 I I . exd5 Bxf5, etc. 31

we know, modern theory the move 7. a3 as the strongest in the given position. Now , too, none of the theoreti­ cians consider the tempo in isola­ tion from the dynamics of the events taking place on the chess board . Tarrasch' s counting of tempos cannot be decisive in assessing the potential of the two side s . Another assertion by Chigorin running contrary to Tarrasch ' s main rules was of tremendous significance for modern theory . The German theoretician and his held that followers every cramped position con­ tains within it the embryo of defeat. Imagine , for instance, that this opinion had held sway. It would have prevented not only the de­ velopment of such important openings as the King's Indian Defence, the Sicilian Defence, the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence and many others, but also completely changed the entire strategy of modern ches s . Chigorin advanced the idea that "not every cramped position is a sign of the superiority of the opponent's game" . His statement that "a cramped situation, too, sometimes conceals for a certain time its advantage, affecting the outcome of the battle" is even more definite. These words of 1 895 were Chigorin' s programme of action where opening theory was con­ cerned. Credit goes to him for devising and introducing into prac­ tice a number of versions of the King's Indian Defence, and some very important variations of the As sees

32

Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian Defence . Another discovery by Chigorin is also of vital significance: the possibility of putting up a suc­ cessful struggle against the oppo­ nent ' s Pawn centre by the pieces exerting pressure on the central squares . This idea was expressed in Chigorin' s defence in the Queen' s Gambit ( l . d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6). Although this particular idea was not proved to be reliable , neither the Alekhine Defence nor the Greunfeld Defence could have developed without it. In general the idea of pressure by the pieces on the Pawn centre has become one of the chief problems of Black ' s modern strategy . Let u s now examine another example of how Chigorin under­ took the concrete analysis of a position.

DIAGRAM 1 3

Alexander Petrov

Sergei Urusov

Karl Jaenisch

Mikhail Chigorin

Participants m the Third All-Russian Tournament in Kiev, 1 903

A group of m embers of the Organisational Committee and of participants in the All-Russian Masters Tourna­ ment that was held in St. Petersburg in December 1 9 1 3 and January 1 9 1 4 . First row (sitting): V . P. Vertog­ radov, P. A . Yevtifeyev, G. S. Salwe, Y . 0. Sosnitsky, P. Malyulin, P . A. Saburov , N. N . Cutler, G. Y. Lcvenfish , J . Taubenhaus, P . P . Saburo v , S . N . Freiman . Second row (standing): M . L . Lov ts k y , S . E . Al apin, A. I . Evenson, S . M . Levitsky, A. A. Alekhine, B. Gregori, A. D. Flamberg, Y. D. Bogol y ubov , P. P . Potyomkin, A. A. Durdin, and F. I. Duz-Khotimirsky

Leo Tolstoy at the chessboard

Lenin (left) playing chess on Capri. Among the onlookers is Maxim Gorky

V . I.

The membership card presented to V. I. Lenin by the M oscow Chess Society

EJ

Alexander Alekhine

Nikolai Krylenko

Nikolai Ryumin A lexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky

Chess, a game played in Central Asia for many centuries , is still popular

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WAXMATtfbiA MAtlf

oatwu�riPotioi�a A poster announcing a chess match between the composer Sergei Pro­ kofiev and the violinist David Oistrakh

A scene from the Oistrakh-Prokofiev match

Chess is played everywhere in the USSR

M ikhail Botvinnik and h i s wife

Mikhail Botvinnik at a su mmer resort with his coach Vyacheslav Ragozin

Mikhail Botvinnik

( '

l'J

Mikhail Botvinnik and Jose Raul Capablanca analysing a game

Mikhail Botvinnik in Turkmenia

Sergei Dolmatov

Salo Flohr

Leonid Stein

K. Y. Voroshilov, C hairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, presenting the Order of Lenin to Vassily Smyslov in the Kremlin

Isaak Boleslavsky, David Bronstein, Mark Taimanov

Yefim Geller

Lev Polugayevsky

This was the position in the 1 7th game of the C h igorin v s . Tarrasch match after t h e moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. d4 Nd7 7. Ne2 f6 8. c3 Nb6 9. Bb3 Na5 10. Bc2 Be6. "The Knight on a5 ," the critics claim, "stands poorly." (Chigorin had in mind the Tarrasch rule that the edge of the board is a bad position for a Knight. ) "But why then in the Two Knights' Opening is the Knight in an excellent position on the same square?" Chigorin wrote. "In the opinion of the gentlemen critics the Knight stands poorly, while I saw clearly that White cannot turn this bad position to his advantage." Let us add that Chigorin' s de­ fence system with the move of the Knight to a5 is today the central point in such an important opening as the Ruy Lopez. It is held by some, incorrectly, that Chigorin's research was im­ provised, not systematic. Soviet grandmasters and masters learned to look for new methods of play and acquired the ability to de­ velop systems and variations from Chigorin. Take a look, for instance, at how Chigorin consistently kept on improving his system during tournaments. 1 899. Consultants vs. Chigorin: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d4 0-0 7. d5 NbS 8. Qe2 d6 9. Nel c5 10. c4 Bd7 1 1 . Bc2 b5. The prototype of the future system: counterplay on the Q-side with a well strengthened centre. 3-607

Four months later. An interna­ tional tournament in London, 1 899. Lasker vs. Chigorin: 1 . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. NcJ b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. d3 d6 9. Be3 Na5 10. Ne2 c5 II. c3 Nxb3 12. axb3 Qc7. A precise sequence of moves. This line-up is typical of the Pawn chain a6, b5 , c5 , d6, e5. 1 904. International tournament in Cambridge Springs. Schlechter vs. Chigorin: 1 . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Rei b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. b3 Be6 10. d4 exd4 II. cxd4 Bxb3 12. Qxb3 Na5 13. QdJ c5. Over many years Chigorin tested the development of the Bishop from c8 to b7, to g4, but in the game at the Ostende Inter­ national Tournament ( 1 905) against Taubenhaus he employed a continuation which proved to be the precedent of the famous Marshall Attack , which emerged in 1 9 1 8. Taubenhaus vs. Chigorin: I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Rei b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. d3 Bg4 10. Nbd2 Re8 1 1 . Nfl d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. h3 Bh5 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nxe4 Nxe5 16. Rxe5.

DIAGRAM 1 4

In t h e encounter with 0 . Duras in the international tournament in Nuremberg ( 1 906) the Chigorin system, which is now known to 33

Vienna International Tour­ nament, 1898 A. BURN

M. CHIGORIN

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. f4 0-0 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nbd7 DIAGRAM 1 6

every chess enthusiast, took its final shape. I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 1 1 . d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2. DIAGRAM 15

Now take a look how Chigorin interpreted another of his inven­ tions, the King's Indian Defence. 34

S o this currently popular posi­ tion was first met in a game played 80 years ago . After that a keen struggle ensued: 10. g4 e6 1 1 . dxe6 fxe6 12. Bd2 Ne8 13. 0-0-0 Qf6 14. h4 Qf7 15. Qd3 Bh6 16. g5 Bg7 17. h5 gxh5 18. Be2 Bxc3 19. Qxc3? ( 1 9 . bxc3 is considerably stronger) 19 . . . Ng7 20. Rh4 d5 21. cxd5 exd5 22. exd5 Rfe8 23. Bf3 b5 24. Rdh1 Nf8 25. Bxh5 Nxh5 26. Rxh5 Re4 27. Qh3 Rc4+ 28. Kb1 Qxd5 29. Bc3 Rd8? Chigorin had manoeuvred ex­ cellently up to the point and was in an overwhelmingly superior position. But, as was often the case, he lost his nerve at the

crucial moment. The move 29 . . . b4 led to victory, for instance: 30. Be5 (30. Bf6 ReS) 30 . . Rd8 and , as Chigorin wrote , White lacked the time to make the move g6 with advantage . 30. g6! Qe4+ 31 . Kal hxg6 32. ReS Qxh l + 33. Qxhl b4 34. Rd5 Black resigns. This game could have had a new say in theory but for a long time it was not appreciated prop­ erly , evidently because Black lost. The result had its usual magical effect . Chigorin used the King's Indian Defence in other games in re­ sponsible contests , and the posi­ tions that resulted were usually excellent. Chigorin was a connoisseur of positional strategic play and a master of manoeuvre . He suc­ cessfully developed the founda­ tions of such factors in position as the blockade , restriction of movement and centralisation. His tournament games provide many excellent examples of "strangula­ tion" positional play. Chigorin, of course, did not shy away from bold attacks and made hundreds of beautiful com­ binations, but these tactical oper­ ations were not an aim in them­ selves but the best means of winding up the positional phase of the struggle. .

J•

Chigorin taught us not to suc­ cumb to the self-deception of the "natural" moves, which seem to be obvious and safe . "The desire to take advantage as fast as possible of an oppo­ nent's move which seems at first sight erroneous may entice one to launch an attack along a false path. Only by the gradual de­ velopment of one' s forces and extremely discrete play, do you slowly acquire certain advan­ tages, and then you can deliver a decisive blow to your opponent", wrote Chigorin in 1 897. That was Mikhail Chigorin' s credo. He believed i n the creative diversity of chess, and did not accept dogmatic assertions; he sought and discovered new aspects of the inexhaustible possibilities m the ancient game. Former world champion Vasili Smyslov wrote of Chigorin: "Chigorin is the founder of the Russian chess school. Enthusiasts learn to play chess starting with Chigorin's games. No one has done so much for the develop­ ment and popularisation of chess in Russia as Chigorin. We , Soviet chess players follow his creative behests, revere his memory , and are profoundly grateful to him for his selfless service to the game."

Chapter IV ORIGINS

Jaenisch and KushelevBezborodko, the publisher of the first Russian chess magazine and one of the richest men in Russia, undertook in the mid- 1 9th century the organisation of a real chess club . On 10 July 1 852, the St. Peters­ burg Governor-General sent the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire the following re­ port : "Baron Meendorf, aide-de­ camp to the Tsar, Count Kushelev-Bezborodko and Coun­ cillor Jaenisch presented a peti­ tion asking to be allowed to organise an assembly of chess enthusiasts in St. Petersburg, as is the custom in other European capitals . " The Governor-General sent the Ministry a "draft of the rules for the aforesaid assembly" and stated that "in agreement with the conclusion of the chief of the police" he did not object to the organisation of such an "as­ sembly. " Permission t o establish the club was received on 27 August 1 852, and despite the fact that generals, counts, princes and members of the State Council were among its members , the Ministry of Internal 36

Affairs did not fail to give confi­ dential instructions: "The police should maintain secret supervi­ sion of the club, to ensure that the members obey the rules, that there is no disturbance of the peace , particularly no prohibited games, as well as works not approved by the censorship, or inappropriate opinions expressed on religion and the government. " Even a club for the nobility and aristocracy was placed under secret police surveillance . The first Russian chess club opened on 27 March 1 853. Jaenisch , who was elected secre­ tary , compiled temporary rules, stating that the aim of the club was to "promote a liking for the noble and instructive game". The club existed for seven years , until 1 860. At times its membership was 1 00. Prominent figures in Russian culture and writers such as Turgenev , Tolstoy and Saltykov-Shchedrin attended the chess gatherings. The New Chess Manual, the first Russian chess code, which made many of the disputed rules more precise, and provided the main regulations for contests, was published in 1 858. In 1 860 the club lost Kushelev­ Bezborodko' s financial assistance and this fact put an end to its existence. Almost two years pas­ sed before a new chess club was organised. It was reopened on 10 January 1 862, its members being intellectuals , medium-rank offi­ cials, writers, journalists , critics and artists. Nikolai Chernyshevsky, a prominent Russian philosopher, democrat and chess devotee, was

largely responsible for organising the club. Dostoyevsky, Turgenev , Nekrasov, Pisaryev , Pomyalovs­ ky, Pisemsky, Goncharov and Saltykov-Shchedrin were also among the members. Many progressive people of Russia were aware of chess' crea­ tive educational value. The great Russian poet Alexan­ der Pushkin had in his library French chess magazines and also a book by Petrov presented to him by the author. Another Rus­ sian poet, Mikhail Lermontov, was also fond of chess. Leo Tolstoy played chess regu­ larly both in St. Petersburg and at his country estate of Yasnaya Polyana. His constant partners were Professor Goldenweizer of the Moscow Music Conservatoire · and Mood, who translated his works into English . Tolstoy also played frequently with the com­ poser Taneyev. Leo Tolstoy used to say that interesting combinations, not vic­ tory, should be valued in chess. Tolstoy also met Ivan Turgenev , a much stronger player, over the chess board . Whenever the latter was abroad he took part in tournaments , playing against well-known mas­ ters. Here is the close of the Machusky v s . Turgenev game in the tournament of the best Parisian chess players in 1 86 1 . DIAGRAM 1 7

The unhappy positioning of White's King decides the issue. Turgenev attacked decisively and neatly: 33 . . . Rg8 34. Bc3 Ba4! (all of Black's pieces are involved in

the offensive) 35. Qd4 Rg2+ 36. Bd2 Bd7! (now White has no defence against the doubling of Black ' s Rooks on the second rank) . 37. h4 Rff2 38. Kc3 Rxd2 39. Qh8+ Kb7 40. h5 exd5 41 . exd5 Rxd5 42. h6 Bf5 43. Qf6 Rc2+ 44. Kb4 aS+ 45. Ka4 Rc7 46. Kb3 (there threatened with mate by the Bishop on c2) 46 Rb5+ 47. Ka4 Bd7! White's King on a4 has no defence against the discovered check by the Rook on b5 . If 48 . Qf3 + , there is the simple 48 . . . Ka7. White therefore admit­ ted his defeat. I van Turgenev was elected vice-president of the chess con­ gress, held in Baden-Baden in 1 870. Prominent scientists, such as the physicist Schilling, the chemand the Mendeleyev, ist Markov mathematicians and Bugayev were attracted by chess . During Emanuel Lasker's visit to Moscow at the end of the last century Professor Bugayev of Moscow University frequently •..

37

played light games with the world champion, sometimes winning from him. There were also many strong chess players among Russian musicians. We have already men­ tioned Taneyev ' s games with Leo Tolstoy. The composers Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov enjoyed chess. Prokofiev was an excellent player. In 1 909 he won a game against Lasker, and in 1 9 1 0 against Jose Raul Capablanca. Let us now return to the sec­ ond Russian chess club, which existed for only five months. On 8 June 1 862 , an announce­ ment from the Military Governor­ General of St. Petersburg ap­ peared in the press, stating: "Considering it my present duty to take all measures to put a halt to the alarming state of mind among the capital ' s population and preventing talk about current events, I feel it necessary to close the chess club, in which these groundless speculations are spread, until further notice." After the announcement severe repressive actions were taken against many members of the club, who were charged with belonging to this "seditious" or­ ganisation. "Until further notice" , the Gov­ ernor-General had warned . It was not an easy matter to set up new clubs . Financial hardships compelled chess players to take refuge in different clubs for card players , cafes and restaurants. This threatened to downgrade chess to the level of gambling games and lowered its cultural importance . 38

The true connoisseurs of chess, led by Chigorin, could not recon­ cile themselves to such a state of affairs. The Russian master made the development of the true art of chess in his native land the aim of his life. Here is what he wrote in an article published in the Shakhmatny vestnik magazine in 1 885: "Organisation and activity ! That is the password and slogan of those who work for the future of chess in our land. It is not enough to love and study chess ; all chess enthusiasts must join together in order to achieve the common aims . Were it a matter of our personal opinion, of our desire, we would, without a mo­ ment's hesitation, without vacilla­ tion, propose a radical and much needed undertaking: the establish- · merit of an All-Russia Chess Union with annual congresses and tournaments to be held by turn in different cities . " Chigorin worked all his life to see his dream become reality, but that was to happen only many years after his death. "Chess, like any art, needs a free life and to be able to attract talented people; no art can be created by limiting access to it", wrote Chigorin in 1 885. But how could this problem be solved in Russia at the time? The first step towards an All­ Russia Union was the St. Peters­ burg Chess Admirers' Society. Its rules were approved by the au­ thorities on 3 1 October 1 879, but the society started functioning only on I I January 1 880. Attempts to unite chess en­ thusiasts were not supported, as

witnessed by a report published in the 1 880s by the Vsemimaya illustratsiya magazine, which stated that there were only four chess clubs in Russia, and then chess was played alongside card games. Here is a typical example. In 1 885 the Society of Chess Admir­ ers , with 295 members, including the Governor, was formed in Kazan . This seemed an impres­ sive figure but, as Shakhmatny vestnik magazine noted, there were only several chess players ; the others were interested only in card game s ! Of the Society ' s annual budget of 3 ,000 roubles , only 1 8 were spent o n chess. In 1 886 C higorin drew up a plan for organising an All-Russia Chess Union, and was about to ask noted provincial chess en­ thusiasts to start the necessary preparations. However, once again the authorities put a spoke in his wheel. At the end of 1 886 Chigorin wrote bitterly in Shakhmatny ves­ tnik: "It has been impossible to proceed with the organisation of an All-Russia Chess Union. We could not distribute the printed leaflet which we mentioned due to circumstances 'independent' of us. Until the statutes are ap­ proved we cannot act openly and freely to realise our idea." It is indicative that Chigorin put the word "independent" in quotation marks . He was well aware on whom the decision of the problem depended and why it was delayed . After all, these words, too, are his: "In the noble art of chess all the distinctions of rank and wealth are erased. Be-

fore the goddess of chess all are equal in the republic of art. Of all games, chess is the one that most unites and least divides people . " Chigorin did all i n his power to achieve his cherished aim: he travelled to different Russian cities, advocating the idea of a chess union, organised clubs, tournaments conducted and matches, and wrote for the press. Only in 1 907 , shortly before Chigorin's death, did the St. Petersburg Chess Board submit his Chess Union Statutes, sup­ plemented and altered in some sections, and Programme of the Constituent Assembly for approv­ al by the authorities. But every­ thing was interminably held up in various offices and police depart­ ments. In 1 909, at the Chigorin Memorial Congress (he died in 1 908), fresh attempts were made to solve the problem, but these, too, came to nothing. The calculations in Shakhmatny vestnik on the potential member­ ship of the Union are of interest. According to these calculations, which surprise modern chess players , the clubs of St. Peters­ burg had 80 chess players and those of Moscow 60. For comparison's sake: now in the chess section of the Likhachov Motor Works in Mos­ cow there are about 2 ,000 mem­ bers. They include 1 1 masters , 1 2 candidate masters and a hundred first category players. The works has its own chess club with two coaches. Finally , at the beginning of 1 9 1 4, the Ministry of Internal Affairs granted permission for a chess players' society. It had 39

taken eight years for the draft of the Charter sent for approval during Chigorin' s lifetime, to be finally agreed upon ! The Constituent Assembly of the All-Russia Chess Society met on 10 April 1 9 1 4, in the premises of the St. Petersburg Chess As­ sembly. It was announced that 65 single members and about 800 group members, forming 22 local sections, had joined the Society. Plans were outlined for the future and, in particular, it was decided that the Society would hold its Congress in 1 9 16. But the outbreak of the First World War caused these plans to be abandoned, as was the plan to organise an International Chess Union, which Russian chess players had discussed with the representatives of the British Chess League and the German Chess Society. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded in 1 924. It is customary to date the history of chess tournaments in Russia from September 1 853, when the St. Petersburg society of Chess Admirers organised the first championship, culminating in the victory of Sergei Urusov . The encounter between Petrov and Urusov in St. Petersburg in 1 853 is considered the first offi­ cial match. As we have already mentioned, it was won by Petrov . For many years there was al­ most no competition between players of different Russian cities. Only at the beginning of 1 879, on Chigorin's initiative, a tournament was arranged in St. Petersburg, which became a re­ view of Russian chess skill . This 40

tournament, which was held at the home of Mrs . Milbert, well known for her cheap dinners, on Kirpichny Lane, attracted seven competitors from St. Petersburg and two from Moscow. C higorin and Alapin tied for first place with 6.5 points each . Chigorin won the play-off. The tournament regulations contained an unusual rule: if one of the players overstepped his time limit, play continued , but a draw was recorded if that player won and a loss if he drew . Only 20 years later, in 1 899, was the first official Russian championship held. Twenty-eight chess players from 1 2 cities gathered in Moscow. As ex­ pected , Chigorin won the main tournament, with Emanuel Shif­ fers in second place. Typically, several participants of both the main and the collater­ al tournaments played under pseudonyms, not wanting to at­ tract the attention of their emp­ loyers to their participation in such a "frivolous" undertaking. There were many pupils and followers of Chigorin among the competitors: Neriarokov, Levits­ ky and, of course, Shiffers . The Second All-Russia Tourna­ ment, also held in Moscow, from 26 December 1 900 to 14 January 1 90 1 , involved 1 8 players. Among them only eight had also partici­ pated in the first national cham­ pionship. Chigorin won the second tour­ nament, 2 . 5 points ahead of Shif­ fers, who came second. Interna­ tional Grandmaster Janovsky was third. The Kiev Chess Society organ-

ised the Third All-Russia Tourna­ ment in Kiev in September 1 903 . After the tournament a collection of the games played was pub­ lished for the first time in Russia. In this third championship 1 9 chess players from ten cities competed. They included the newcomer Akiba Rubinstein, who was soon to become one of the world' s best players, and conten­ der for the world title . Rubinstein repeatedly stated that Chigorin' s games greatly influenced his play. "He did away with unsound tac­ tics , and contributed as many new ideas to openings theory as no one else ," wrote Rubinstein. The participants also included gifted masters who subsequently competed frequently in interna­ tional contests : Bernstein, Duz­ Khotimirsky and Rabinovich. While Chigorin remained the Russian champion, he gained his victory with more difficulty: talented chess players were ap­ pearing in ever growing numbers. The Third All-Russia Tourna­ ment was, unfortunately, the last in the chess career of Emanuel Shiffers ( 1 850- 1 904) , who had competed in many domestic tour­ naments and played several matches against the strongest Russian masters . In 1 896 Shiffers lost, honoura­ bly , to Steinitz ( +4, - 6 , 1). Shiffers took part i n eight inter­ national tournaments, after 1 877 being the Russian representative. His best result is sixth place at one of the biggest international tournaments of the 1 9th century (Hastings, 1 895). Shiffers also did a great deal to organise chess instruction. H e =

was the first person in Russia to give, starting in January 1 889, public lectures on chess theory; his promotion work in the press is also widely known. Shiffers' game with Steinitz at the Vienna International Tourna­ ment in 1 898 gives a good idea of his style of play.

Giuoco piano V. STEINITZ

E. SHIFFERS

1 . e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 The move 6 . e5 leads to com­ plications with no danger for Black. Usually 6. cxd4 is played here. 6 . . . d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 0-0 10. Be3 f6 (10. . . f5 is also good.) 1 1 . exf6 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Qxf6 13. Qb3 Ne7 14. 0-0 h6 (necessary in view of the threat 1 5 . Bg5) 15. Ne5 c6 16. Be2? (an unhappy retreat . 16. Bd3 would have been right . Shiffers indi­ cated the variation 1 6 . . . Nf5 1 7 . Bxf5 Bxf5 1 8. a4 with a double-edged struggle) 16 Nf5 17. Ng4 Qe6 18. Rae1 Bc7 19. Bd3 (the Bishop on e3 should have moved to d2) 19 . . . Nxe3 (but not 19 . . . Nxd4? 20. Bxd4 Qxg4 2 1 . Re7) 20. Nxe3 Qd6 (now Black takes over the initiative and starts an energetic offensive on both flanks) 21. g3 Bh3 22. Ng2 b5 (forestalling the move c4) 23. Re3 Rae8 24. Rfe1 Rxe3 25. Rxe3 Qf6 26. Qc2 g5! 27. Qe2 Bg4! 28. Qe1 . .•

DIAGRAM 1 8 28 b4 ! (having tied his oppo­ nent along the entire front , Black •••

41

champion Flamberg. Each played three games against each of the others. Chigorin was finding it ever more difficult to play the young opponents. "This is both a joy (Russian masters are maturing) and a sorrow because my strength is failing" , wrote the champion in a letter. Rubinstein won, while Chigorin placed second.

French Defence M . CHIGORIN delivers a decisive blow. If 29. cxb4, Bb6!) 29. Be2 Bf5 30. Rf3 g4 3 1 . Rxf5 (the last at­ tempt) 31 . . . Q:xf5 32. Ne3 Qe4 33. Nxg4 bxc3 34. Ne3 Qxd4 35. Qb1 Qe4 36. Bd3 Qf3 37. Qc2 Bb6 38. Nf5 Bxf2+ 39. Qxf2 Qxd3 40. g4 Qd1 + White resign s . The fourth Russian champion­ ship was held in St. Petersburg from 22 December 1 905 to 1 5 January 1 906. There were not many good players among the entrants , International Master Salve won the title, but his vic­ tory, in Chigorin' s absence, was not, of course, convincing. In April 1 906 the official match for the title of Russian champion between Chigorin and Salve was held . Chigorin was already incurably ill , but he won the match after a steady fight (+7-5 = 3) , and be­ came Russian champion for the fourth time. I mmediately afterwaros a four­ mao match tournament was ar­ ranged in Lodz between Chigorin, Salve, Rubinstein and · Warsaw 42

A. RUBINSTEIN

1 . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6 (6 . . . Bxf6 is more reliable) 7. Nf3 f5 8. Ng3 c5 9. Bb5 + Nc6 10. c3 0-0 1 1 . Bxc6 bxc6 12. 0-0 cxd4? ( 1 2 . . . Bb7 should have been played) 13. Nxd4 Qc7 14. Qh5 Kh8 15. Rfe1 f4 (here, too, 1 5 . . . Bb7 would be better) 16. Ne4 f5 or 16 . . . c5 1 7 . Ng5 ! Bxg5 1 8 . Qxg5 cxd4 1 9 . Qf6+ Kg8 20. Re5 with an irresistible attack. 17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Qxg5 e5 19. Qh6 Bd7 20. Nf3 Rfe8 or 20 . . . Rae8 2 1 . Nxe5 ! 21. Ng5 (the most decisive) 21 . .. Re7 22. Qf6 + Rg7 23. Nf7 + Kg8 24. Nh6 + Kh8 25. Rxe5 Qc8 26. Re7 Qf8 27. Rf7 Black resigns . At t h e fourth Russian cham­ pionship Blumenfeld, subsequent­ ly a famous master, who studied the theory and the psychology of chess, made his debut . In December 1907 the Lodz Chess Society held the fifth Rus­ sian championship. By this time Chigorin was unable to compete. Rubinstein ( 1 882- 1 96 1 ) became champion. This excellent chess

player, whose ability developed and strengthened in Russia before the Revolution , was to become one of the strongest grandmasters of our time. After the October Revolution Rubinstein lived in Poland for a long time and headed the national team. An annual Rubinstein Memorial Tournament is now held in the Polish People's Re­ public in his honour. Here is a game from the Fifth All-Russia Tournament, printed throughout the world at the time .

Queen's Gambit G. ROTLEWI

A. RUBINSTEIN

l. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. c4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. dxc4 Bxc5 7. a3 a6 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 0-0 10. Qd2? (The Queen is unhappily placed here. Rotlewi should have played 1 0 . cxd4) 10 . . . Qe7 1 1 . Bd3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Bd3 Rd8 14. Qe2 Bb7 The eminent Soviet master Romanovsky wrote of this open­ ing: "It is now clear that the four moves used by White to place the Bishop on d 3 , and the Queen on e2, mean the loss of two tempos . This leads to h i s defeat." 15. 0-0 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 ( 1 7 . Rfd l would have been better) 17 . . . Bc7 18. e4 Rac8 19. e5 Bb6+ 20. Kh1 Ng4! 21 . Be4 Qh4 22. g3 DIAGRAM 1 9

2 2. . . Rxc3!! "One of the best ever combina­ tions. Black's unusually effective

next move reveals the depth of Rubinstein' s wrote idea," Romanovsky. 23. gxh4 Rd2!! DIAGRAM 20

A remarkable position ! Har­ mony, co-operation between pieces and precise calculation are inherent in Rubinstein' s combina­ tion. 43

24. Qxd2 Bxe4+ 25. Qg2 Rh3! White resigns . After the fifth championship, where talented the master Freiman ( 1 882- 1 946) made his debut, official national champion­ ships were not held until after the Revolution . The I 909 Chigorin Memorial Congress holds a special place in the history of Russian chess. The programme included an interna­ tional tournament and the First All-Russia Amateur Tournament, where the future world champion Alexander Alekhine won convinc­ ingly, and which we shall discuss later. The participants included many young people who revered the C higorin traditions , especially Romanovsky ( 1 892-1 964), who made a big contribution to the development of the Soviet chess school, and Verlinsky ( 1 8871 950). Poor chess organisation in Rus­ sia, and the lack of a single directing centre also affected chess ranking. Even in major Russian tournaments players could not be awarded the rank of master, and Russian chess players could become masters only by competing abroad . The 1 909 All-Russia Amateur Tournament at the Chigorin · Memorial Congress was the first home contest to confer the title of master on the winner, who, as we know , was Alexander Alekhine. The Chigorin Memorial Con­ gress produced many brilliant games , and the book published about the Congress was met with interest. The games described in 44

the book, which was published in an edition of 1 ,0 1 0 copie s , were excellently annotated by the then world champion Lasker. Many amateur games were commented on by Alekhine. This unique book (in fact, a bibliographical rarity) was pub­ lished in 4,000 copies in 1 980 by Fizkultura i sport Publishers to immense joy of chess enthusiasts. The second tournament in which the winner officially re­ ceived the title of master was the All-Russia Congress held in 1 9 1 1 by the St. Petersburg Chess As­ sembly. Forty chess players from 1 8 cities took part in it, showing clearly how chess had spread within Russia. The main tourna­ ment was won by Chigorin's pupil , Stepan Levitsky ( 1 8761 924), an original chess player with a talent for good combina' tion. In 1 9 1 2 the attention of the chess world focused on the All­ Russia Congress in Vilnius (Au­ gust-September) . Only masters who had upheld their title in international tournaments could compete in the mam tournament. Rubinstein , who at the time was world champion Lasker's chief rival, came first in a hard fight. Both Bernstein and Levits­ ky proved once again the high quality of their play. Nimzowich , from Riga, soon to become a grandmaster and the author of an in-depth study of chess theory and practice, made a brilliant display of original play in Chigo­ rin' s style. The young St. Petersburg en­ gineer, and the future Soviet

grandmaster Grigori Levenfish ( 1 889- 1 96 1 ) also did well. Here is a game from the main tournament :

English Opening A . ALEKHINE

S. LEVITSKY

1. c4 eS 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 BcS (usually now 3 . . . d5 , 3 . . . Bb4 or 3 . . . c6 is played) 4. Bg2 Nc6 S. d3 (5 . e3 is better) 5 a6 6. a3 d6 7. Nf3 h6 8. NdS Be6 9. Qb3? (an unhappy choice giving Black the initiative) 9 0-0! 10. 0-0 (the Pawn on b7 cannot be taken: 10. Qxb7? Bxd5 1 1 . cxd5 N a5 , and White loses his Queen) 10 . . . Rb8 1 1 . Nd2 NxdS 12. BxdS Nd4 13. Qdl Bg4 14. Ret c6 15. Bg2 fS! 16. h3 Bh5 17. b4 Ba7 18. Nb3 f4 19. g4 Qh4! 20. c5 (if 20 . gxh5 , Nxb3 with a double blow at f2) 20. . . Nxb3 2 1 . Qxb3+ Bf7 22. Qc3 hS! 23. d4 hxg4 24. hxg4 Bd5! (depriving White's King of a real defender) 25. dxe5 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Qxg4 + 27. Kfl dxcS 28. bxc5 .•.

•••

DIAGRAM 2 1

28. . . Bxc5! (this move settles the issue) 29. Qxc5 Qh3+ 30. Kgl Rf5 31. Qc4 + Kh8 32. Qxf4 (neither is there any salvation in 32. Bxf4 ·because of 32. . . Qg4+ 3 3 . Kf l Rxf4 34. Qc3 Rbf8 , etc .) 32 ... Rxf4 33. Bxf4 Rf8 34 . e3 Rf5 35. f3 Qxf3 36. Ra2 g5 37. Rf2 Qe4 38. Rh2+ Kg7 39. Rg2 Rxf4 White resigns . A major Russian chess compet­ ition was the All-Russia Tourna­ ment between 1 8 masters held in St. Petersburg from 23 December 1 9 1 3 to 17 January 1 9 14. Alekhine and Nimzowich tied for first place. Here is a game that was an important one for the results of the tournament.

Caro-Kann Defence A. SMORODSK"\1. A . NIMZOWICH

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 S. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Ng3 e6 7. Bd3 Qc7 (tli.e start of a dubious plan with castling the Q-side. The simple 7 . . . Be7 gives roughly an equal position. 8. Qe2 b6 9. Bd2 Bb7 10. 0-0 Bd6 ( 1 0 . . . Be7 is better) 1 1 . Nf5 0-0-0? ( 1 1 . . . 0-0 should have been played) 12. Nxd6 + Qxd6 13. a4 c5 14. aS! cxd4 15. axb6 axb6 16. Ba6 NbS ( 16. . . Nc5 is preferable) 17. Bxb7 + Kxb7 18. Ne5! Qe7 19. Ra4 Rd5 20. Rfal Nfd7 2 1 . Bb4 d3 (2 1 . . . Qxb4 22. Rxb4 Nxe5 would have been more tenacious) 22. cxd3 Qf6 DIAGRAM 22

23. Qc2! Nc5 24. Ra7 + 25. d4 Black resigns .

Kc8

45

separate performances by emi­ nent foreign masters. Great interest was aroused by the lectures and simultaneous dis­ plays given by world champion Lasker (Moscow, 1 899) and the performances America' s by Grandmaster Henry Pillsbury (Moscow, 1 902). He gave two record displays of simultaneous blindfold play and played a seri­ ous game with Chigorin, who had come specially from St. Peters­ burg . The Russian chess Almanac Chorny korol described the game. "On Thursday, 5 December, a The last pre-revolutionary com- . rare game was played in the Noblemen's Club: the strongest petition, which drew a strong American player met the most entry , was the tournament held powerful Russian chess player. It by the Moscow Chess Circle at goes without saying that this the end of 1 9 1 5 and the beginning game aroused tremendous interest of 1 9 16. among the numerous spectators." Alekhine came first, with Nenarokov in second place. Grigoriev and Zubarev stood out Falkbeer Counter Gambit among the young set . Subse­ quently both of them became H. PILLSBURY M. CHIGORIN masters and eminent figures in Soviet chess . 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 Let u s conclude our survey of 4. Bb5+ (an old move ; now 4. d3 the past with a brief look at the is played here) 4 . . . c6 5. dxc6 international chess competitions bxc6 (Black's potential is excel­ lent if he plays 5 . . . Nxc6) 6. Bc4 held in Russia before the revolu­ Nf6 7. d4 Bd6 ("After the game tion. Pillsbury said that his plan to The first of these was the match-tournament between four attack the Pawn on f4 had been a grandmasters: world champion mistake: he believes that 7 . . . Nbd7 would be better s o as not Lasker and his chief rivals Steinitz, Pillsbury and C higorin to give White time to move his (St. Petersburg 1 895- 1 896). Knight from g I to g3 and the April and May of 1 896 saw the Bishop to e2," the Almanac com­ match between Steinitz and Shif­ mented) 8. Ne2 Nbd7 9. Ng3! Nb6 fers in Rostov-on-Don, which we 10. Be2! Nbd5 1 1 . 0-0 Qc7 have already mentioned. 12. Nc3! ("I proposed to sacrifice a Pawn . My opponent did not For many years after that there were no representative interna­ take it because of the following tional contests in Russia, only variation: 1 2 . . . Nxf4 1 3 . Ncxe4 46

Nxe4 1 4 . Nxe4 Nxe2+ 1 5 . Qxe2 Bxh2+ 16. Khl 0-0! 1 7 . g3 Bxg3 1 8 . Qg2 Bd6 1 9. Bh6 and if 19 . . . f6, 20. Nxd6 , " wrote Chigorin.) 12. . . Nxc3 13. bxc3 0-0 14. c4 cS IS. dS ReS 16. Be3 Kh8 17. Rb1 Ng8 18. Qe1 fS 19. Qc3 Nf6 20. Qa3 Bd7 21. Rb3 Rab8 22. NbS NxhS 23. BxhS Rec8 24. g3 Rb4 2S. Be2 aS 26. Bd2 a4 27. Rb2 Rcb8 28. Rfb1 Rcb6 29. Kg2 Rxb2 30. Rxb2 Qb8 31. Bc3 Kg8 32. BhS! Kf8 DIAGRAM 23

defeat) 34. Qc3 Kd8 3S. QaS Black resigns. Exclusively strong players were attracted to the International C higorin Memorial Tournament (St. Petersburg, 1 909) which we have already mentioned. Twenty and grandmasters masters, headed by world champion Lasker and Russian champion Rubinstein, vied for victory. The representatives of Russia Berns­ tein, Znosko-Borovsky , Freiman , Duz-Khotimirsky and Salve played on the whole well, while C higorin' s successor Rubinstein tied for first place with Lasker. Duz-Khotimirsky, who beat both of the winners, caused a sensa­ tion . Here is the end of his game with Lasker, who was Black. DIAGRAM 24

"Pillsbury did not foresee White's combination with the sac­ rifice of the Bishop, but he couldn't have saved the game by playing 32 . . . g6. A general point: White will withdraw his Bishop , exchange Rooks, then move his Bishop to b2 or a l , depending on Black' s moves, and will make use of the open diagonal a l -h8," wrote Chigorin. 33. Bxg7 +! Ke7 (33 . . . Kxg7 34. Qc3 + Kg8 35. Qf6 leads to

Black's situation is difficult. Lasker tries to tie his opponent up in complex tactics. This time the world champion didn't get away with it. 47

35. g3! Bxh4 (after 35 . . . Qh3 + 36. Kg1 Nh5 , the calm 37. Rd3 would repulse all threats) 36. gxh4 ReS 37. Rd3 Rcl 38.Qf3 Qf5 39. Rd4 g5 40. e6! Qe5 41 . Re4 Qd6 42. e7! A curious ending. Black has at his disposal a discovered check, a mighty tactical weapon , but it, too, does not help him to change the fatal course of events . The world champion admitted his defeat. In November 1 9 1 3 Capablanca arrived in Russia. He gave very successful performances in a number of cities. In March 1 9 1 4 world champion Lasker visited Moscow . His encounters with Bernstein ( + 1 - 1 ) and Alekhine were arranged by the Moscow Chess Circle.

Scotch Opening A. ALEKHINE

E. LASKER

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxdS 9. 00 0-0 10. Bg5 Be6 1 1 . Qf3 ("Evi­ dently the best reply . 1 1 . Bxf6 Qxf6 1 2 . Qh5 g6 1 3 . Nxd5 is bad because of 13 . . . Qd4 ! , and 1 2 . Nxd5 Bxd5 1 3 . Qh5 Rfd8!" Alekhine.) 1 1 Be7 12. Rfe1 h6. •..

DIAGRAM 25

13. Bxh6! gxh6 14. Rxe6 fxe6 15. Qg3 + Kh8 16.Qg6 A draw . "Black cannot avoid perpetual check if 16 . . . Qe8, 1 7 . Qxh6+ Kg8 18. Qg5 + Kh8 19. Q h6 + , etc. But White lacks the material to force an attack , if Black was to play no more than 16 . . . Bd6 48

:, /�

Zt: L�, � Q' Q 1:

< - : \�!

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with the threat of Qe7 ," wrote Alekhine. This short but interesting game appeared in chess theory manuals and became a distinctive standard for the entire opening. The international tournament of grandmasters held in St. Peters­ burg from 8 April to 9 May 1 9 1 4 marked the end o f chess activities pre-revolutionary Russia. in Lasker emerged victorious, Capablanca was second, and Alekhine third. Rubinstein was not placed. It became clear that Alekhine and Capablanca were the world champion's main rivals. Alekhine, brought up in Chigo­ rin's tradition, had developed in Russian contests, and was de­ servedly counted among the world ' s strongest chess players. "This outstanding success by the young chess player testifies to his unusual talent, which should be recognised when he achieves a real victory," stated Shakhmatny vestnik. Here is one of Alekhine's splendid games .

Falkbeer Counter Gambit A. ALEKHINE

S. TARRASCH

1. f4 eS 2. e4 dS 3. exdS e4 4. d3 Nf6 5. dxe4 Nxe4 6. Nf3 BfS (correct move is 6 . . . Bc5 7 . Qe2 Bf5, and if 8 . g4?, 8 . . . 0-0 with attacking power) formidable 7. Be3 c6 S. Bc4 bS 9. Bb3 cS 10. d6! ("White causes simplifica­ tions in his favour, taking into account that he has an extra Pawn. Black cannot take the Pawn with his Queen because of I I . Qxd6 followed by 1 2 . Bd5 ," Alekhine) 10 . . . c4 1 1 . QdS Nd7 12. QxfS Nxd6 13. QdS Be7 14. 00 0-0 15. Nc3 Nf6 16. Qd2 cxb3 1 7 . axb3 b4 1S. NdS Nf5 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Rfel RfdS 2 1 . Bd4! Nxd4 22. Nxd4 QcS 23. Rad1 RdS 24. b3 RadS 25. c3 h6 26. Qd3 Qd6 27. Qf3 NhS 2S. Re4 Nf6 29. Re3 Nh5 30. Rfl Nf6 31. Rfe1 QcS 32. Kh2 ReS 33. Rle2 KfS 34. ReS! ("Now Black cannot play 34 . . . bxc3 35. bxc3 Qxc3 because of 36. Rc2 !" Alekhine.) 34 . . . RedS 35. NfS Qb6 36. Qg3 NhS 37. Qh4 DIAGRAM 26

A very important point. Tar­ rasch claimed that 37 . . . Nf6 was sufficient for a draw. Alekhine disproved this by a precise analysis. But beforehand we must note that the collection of games from the St. Petersburg tourna­ ment was published in German, but was never published in Russia. Here is Alekhine' s analysis: 3S. Nxh6! gxh6 39. Re6! fxe6 (or 39 . . . R5d6 40. Qxf6 Rxe6 4-607

4 1 . Rxe6, and if 39 . . . R8d6 40. Qxh6 + ) 40. Qxf6 + KgS 4 1 . Rxe6 R5d6 42. Qg6+ KhS (if 42 . . . Kf8, 43. Qf5 + Kg8 44. Re7) 43. Qxh6 + KgS 44. Qg6+ KhS 45. QhS + ! KgS 46. Re7! etc. The game actually proceeded (after 37. Qh4): 37 . . . RxeS 3S. fxeS Rd1 39. Re3 Qg6 40. Qxb4+ Black resigns. Let us in conclusion examine how Chigorin' s ideas were de­ veloped by Russian chess players, and how the foundations of the Russian school were con­ solidated. We must first stress that Chigo­ rin' s ideas on the cultural and social importance of chess were imbibed by the progressive rep­ resentatives of Russian chess. The main trend was the search for fresh ideas, the abandonment of dogmatic and cliched play, and concrete analysis. There is a bond which stretches between the ages, and it is pre­ served by the creators of great art. Chigorin' s discussion with Tarrasch was continued by 49

Alekhine, who wrote back in 1 9 14: "I have always believed that a single unsubstantiated, un­ proven assertion, even when it comes from an authority on the given question, cannot convince anyone . " He added: "There are also contradictory views , re­ peatedly expressed by Dr. Tar­ rasch . . . I t is necessary to imagine quite clearly in every case what the given position demands and to adapt oneself to this require­ ment . " The history o f chess thought in Russia would be incomplete with­ out a description of the attempts by Russian chess masters and promoters to produce special lit­ erature on creative play. The first such magazine pub­ lished in Russian was the Shakhmatny listok ( 1 859- 1 863), the editor of which was Mikhailov , an eminent figure in the Russian chess movement. The magazine did a great deal to promote chess , gathering around itself the leading Russian masters of those times, maintaining ties with many chess adherents . One of the issues in 186 1 , for in­ stance, consisted almost entirely of letters from the provinces. The magazine carried many in­ teresting problems, games and analyses. Here, for instance, is a problem devised by Petrov in 1 859 and dedicated to the great American chess player Paul M urphy . DIAGRAM 27

You will easily spot that the initial position of White' s pieces forms the letter M on the board.

50

I I

i,-:;.

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Petrov stipulated that from the position on the board White forces a reverse mate in 40 moves. Later, however, shorter solutions in 35, 32, 29 and finally in 27 moves were found. This is the . Russian amateur Petrovsky ' s solution o f the problem. 1. Qf6 + Kg8 2. Rg7+ Kh8 3. Qb2 Nc2 or 3 . . Nb3 4. Rg3+ Nd4 5. Rh3+ Kg8 6. Qg2+ Kf8 7. Qg7 + Ke8 8. Qf7 + Kd8 9. Qe7 + Kc8 10. Rc3+ Nc6 Kd8 12. Qc7 + Ke8 1 1 . Qf7 13. Qc8+ Nd8 14. Rg7 Kf8 15. Rcg3 Ke8 16. Ke5 Kf8 17. Kf5 Ke8 18. Kg5 Kf8 19. Kh6 Ke8 20. Nd2 Kf8 21 . Nf3 Ke8 22. Ng5 Kf8 23. Rh3 Ke8 24. Rh5 Kf8 25. Qc5+ Ke8 26. Re7+ Kf8 27. Re6 + Kg8 28. Rg6+ Kh8 29. Nf7 + Nxf7 + + . chess Russian The first magazine closed down because there were not enough subscrib­ ers. C higorin revived the magazine in 1 876. He printed in it games by Russian amateurs, as well as a short Course of Opening and Course of Endgames . The magazine also worked to form an .

·

organisation embracing all Rus­ sia's chess players. Chigorin spared neither his strength nor his money for the Shakhmatny listok, but in the second half of 1 878 he was nevertheless compelled to cease publication for lack of money. The magazine was again revived in 1 879, but survived only until mid- 1 88 1 . A number of other chess magazines published in St. Petersburg and Moscow shared a similar fate. All of them encoun­ tered difficulties and did not last long. In general , in the 58 years from the first issue of a chess magazine to the revolution, ten attempts were made to launch chess magazines, and each time the shortage of funds proved an insoluble problem. The total number of books and pamphlets (including the charters of various chess clubs, and refer­ ence material) published in Russia for almost a hundred years before the October Revolution amounted to merely 203 titles. A paltry figure , especially when you recall that largest edi­ tion of any of these publications was 2 ,000 copies. We should single out the Teach- Yourself Chess by Shif­ ters, which ran to seven editions. The last two of these were issued in Soviet Russia. The guide interestingly struc­ tured and, dealing with problems ranging from the simple to the difficult, has brought up many a generation of Russian chess players . The sixth edition of this book appeared m 1 9 1 9 , when the civil 4•

war in Russia was at its height. The book was published on spe­ the cial instructions from People' s Commissariat of Educa­ tion. The seventh edition in 1 926 contained additions by Master Nenarokov . The 203 pre-revolutionary chess books included collections of games from several all-Russia tournaments, a collection of games from the Chigorin Interna­ tional Memorial Tournament ( 1 909), and a number of works on the history of chess by Savenkov, Sarghin, and Gonyaev, opening quides and chess almanacs. The difficulties involved in distribut­ ing chess books can be judged by the fact that Ivan Savenkov's interesting The Evolution of Chess ( 1 905) was published in an edition of 200 copies, while the monumental The Ancient History of Chess and Draughts ( 1 9 1 5) was published by the author him­ self, David Sarghin , in an edition of 300 copies. The collection of the games of the Third All-Russia Tournament was published in an edition of 900, while that of the Fourth Tournament was even smaller500 copies . A small booklet enti­ tled Some Data on the A nalysis of the Chess Played by a Russian Amateur was published in Sim­ birsk in 1 875 in an edition of 500 copies. It deals with the relative strength of the chessmen on the basis of mathematical calcula­ tions. The author was the Sim­ birsk chess player Ilyin (and there is evidence that Lenin' s father, Ilya Ulyanov was involved in it). Chess was a favourite pastime in Lenin' s (Ulyanov) family. His 51

father was very fond of the game , as were Lenin' s brothers and sisters. In 1 889 Lenin worked in Sam­ ara for the eminent lawyer Andrei Khardin * as an assistant, fre­ quently visiting him at home, and taking part in the tournaments Khardin organised . Later Lenin played a correspondence match with him. Unfortunately the re­ cord of this match has not sur­ vived. This is what Lenin' s brother Dmitri Ulyanov recalled : "That very winter Mark Timofeyevich Yelizarov arranged a postal match between Vladimir Ilyich and the strong Samara chess player A. N. Khardin. The moves were sent by ordinary postcards . After a certain move Vladimir llyich, waiting for the reply, set the position up on the board several times and said: ' It will be interesting to see what he does, how he is going to extricate himself from this position. I , at any rate, cannot find a satisfac­ tory reply . ' "Finally the long-awaited reply arrived. The chessmen were im­ mediately distributed on the board . I had become very In­ terested in their game, and thought Khardin ' s move ridicul­ ous . At first Vladimir llyich was puzzled, but then very quickly got to the bottom of the situation and said: ' Yes, indeed , a player of tremendous power!' " Lenin had a profound under­ standing of chess, though he * Andrei Khardin ( 1 842- 1 9 1 0), a Rus­ sian liberal lawyer, one of Russia's strongest chess players at the close of the 1 9th century.

52

could devote very littl e time to it. Here is a typical letter from him in Geneva to his brother Dmitri Ulyanov . The letter was written in view of the fact that the latter had published his own problem to be solved in two moves, in a magazine. "I have received your problem and got quite worked up about chess - I had forgotten literally everything. It must be a year since I played and, in general, during the past few years I have only played a few lightning or very rapid games. I solved your problem easily- R (Q8)- Q6. But I saw a problem in Rech (a Russian newspaper- A uth.) today that I could not solve at once and which I liked very much . . . Beautiful bit of work!" The diagrams show Dmitri Ulyanov' s problem and the spec­ tacular endgame study by the famous Russian chess problem­ setters- the Platov brothers . DIAGRAM 28

Here is the paradoxical solution (White begins and wins): 1. Bf6 d4 2. Ne2! a l Q 3. Nell Qa5. Unexpectedly Black is unde­ fended against two threats: 4. Bg5 + + and 4. Bxd4 + . 4 . Bxd4+ Kxd4 5. Nb3 + , and White wins . The next diagram shows Dmitri Ulyanov 's problem (its solution is mentioned in the letter). DIAGRAM 29

Lenin loved chess , and had read widely about the game. After the revolution he some­ times played with Nikolai Krylen­ ko, first chairman of the AII­ U nion Chess Section and People's Commissar of Justice. In 1 923 Lenin was elected Hon­ orary Chairman of the Moscow

Chess Circle . Lenin's member­ ship card is now kept in the Lenin Museum in Moscow . The Ulyanov family' s chess table and the chess clock which belonged to Lenin are also on display there.

Chapter V CHE S S I N THE SOVIET UNION

The development of chess in Russia after the victorious Great October Socialist Revolution in 1 9 1 7 can be divided into several stages . The first entailed reviving chess. The young Soviet state was building a new life, while hunger and economic dislocation were rampant in the country . But even in this most difficult period the Soviet government showed concern for the development of culture, including chess. From the very first days steps were taken to support chess players , and lay the foundations f�r a chess organisation later destmed to influence world chess. The stormy period of 1 9 1 4- 1 9 1 8 had led to a reduction in the number of chess players , but there were still many chess mas­ ters whose enthusiasm, knowl­ edge and experience made it pos­ sible to revive the former glory of the Russian chess school. Among the leaders of that period were Grandmaster Alexan­ der Alekhine, masters of the older generation Grigori Leven­ fish, Pyotr Romanovsky, Fed�r Duz-Khotimirsky, Ilya Rabi­ novich, and others. 54

In the summer of 1920 the first chess tournament was organised by the chess enthusiast Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky. Cables were sent to all the military areas throughout the country: "A chess tournament will be held in Moscow on 1 October. I order that the area be widely notified of the tournament. Infor­ mation about those wishing to take part in the tournament is to be sent to the Military Training Headquarters in Moscow n ot _ later than 15 September . Permis­ sion to take part will be sent by cable. Deputy Chief, Military Training Headquarters, Zaks " A remarkable tournament in the years of hunger and devasta­ tion ! Despite the difficult condi­ tions in this first championship, many interesting games were played, particularly that b�tween Ilyin-Zhenevsky and Alekhme. A long fight eventually produ�ed . a most complicated Pawn endmg m which the grandmaster playing Black was in a bad position. When the time came to continue the game Alekhine handed his opponent a notebook whi� h con­ tained variations of the adJourned position. "Here we have a draw !" he said and proceeded to prove that he was right. This endgame is now consi­ dered a classic example of a good Pawn ending. DIAGRAM 30

In this position Alekhine (Black) has the move. It is easy

i

to see that his situation is dif­ ficult. If 38 . . . a5 , White places his opponent in the zugzwang, i.e. , forces him to move his King, which leads to the loss of the Pawn on h4. If 38 . . . d5 39. exd4 cxd4 40. b4 b6 4 1 . a4, and Black cannot count on surviving. The following line also leads to defeat: 38 . . . c5 39. a4 b5 40. axb5 axb5 4 1 . b3 or 38 . . . b5 39. b4 c5 40. e5 ! cxb4 4 1 . ed. Black can resign. Finally , nor can 38 . . . b6 save Black in view of 39. b3 a5 40. c4! b5 4 1 . cxb5 cxb5 42 . a3 . That is what Ilyin-Zhenevsky thought, too, but Alekhine ad­ vanced his Pawn on the edge of the board one square . 38 aS!! An excellent move ! No matter how White plays now , he cannot force Black's King from g5-square , while White's King stands on h3 . If 39. b4?, then Black wins, proceeding 39 . . . axb4 40. cxb4 b5. Neither does 39. a4 give White anything because of 39. . . b5 40. b3 bxa4 4 1 . bxa4 d5 ! A draw . ...

White went on to play 39. c4, but this was followed by 39 . . . b5 40. cxb5 cxb5. The opponents agreed to a draw. The 1 920 RSFSR championship was an important event, bolster­ ing interest in chess. Even when life was at its most difficult enthusiasts managed to revive the game. New social conditions called for new organisational forms . Soon after the tournament chess circles were set up in workers' clubs and factories . The number of chess amateurs grew at an unprecedented rate. The Supreme Council of Physical Culture took charge of centralising chess ac­ tivities. For the first time in chess history the development of the game was entrusted to a state organisation. An All-Union Congress , which played a tremendous role in strengthening the organisation of the chess movement, was held in Moscow in August 1 924. It pro­ claimed chess to be a means of promoting culture and education among the masses. Nikolai Krylenko, People's Commissar of Justice, Lenin's friend , did much to develop a chess organisation throughout the country. In 1925 the first international tournament was held in Moscow , and again for the first time, at state expense. The games of the champions, and the stirring moments were constantly re­ ported in the press, showing the Soviet people' s interest in chess. Of particular interest was the encounter between Capablanca, ·

'i5

then the world champion , and Ilyin-Zhenevsky. This was the position after White' s 3 1 st move. DIAGRAM 3 1

Black seems to be in a bad way: the Queen has to retreat, and White will inevitably threaten mate with Rh3 . The Soviet master discovered an unexpected way to both re­ pulse his opponent's threat and gain decisive superiority. He played: 31... exf4! 32. Rxe3 fxe3 Black's Queen is exchanged for a Rook and a Knight, clearly inadequate compensation, but Black' s pieces are so active that White fails to save himself. Were Capablanca to move 3 3 . Re t , then playing 33 . . . Rb2 34. Rxe3 R d l + 35 . Kh2 Rdd2, Black can launch a good attack , and threatens the Rook' s invasion of the second rank. 33. Qel Rb2 34 . Qxe3 Rd2 35. Bf3 c4 36. a3 Bd6 37. Qa7 c3 White resigns. 56

The 1 925 International Tourna­ ment was the culmination of the period when chess was re­ established and consolidated , the next problem was to train young chess players. Chigorin' s and Alekhine' s legacy served as the foundation for educating young talented chess players , who thus gained the necessary knowledge and experience. The young gener­ ation was helped by the state , public organisations, and espe­ cially the trade unions. Chess was structured and organised, the major role in this process being played by sport committees and trade union physical culture societies. Young Pioneer Palaces became the main centres for trammg chess enthusiasts and they pro­ duced many a talented player. The early 1920s were domi­ nated by the older chess masters, whereas by the end of the decade the younger players were begin­ ning to put pressure on their older colleagues in high-level con­ tests. During one of the free days at the 1925 International Tourna­ ment Capablanca gave a simul­ taneous exhibition in Leningrad . One of the games against the world champion was won by the 1 4-year-old Leningrad schoolboy Mikhail Botvinnik. After this important game, Bot­ vinnik competed successfully in many tournaments in Leningrad , and then took part in the next USSR championship, where he tied for fifth place with Vladimir Makagonov and was awarded the title of master. He was then only 16 years old .

In subsequent years the talented Leningrader was always at the top. He was less successful at the 1 929 national champion­ ship, but the Seventh USSR Championship in Moscow in 1 93 1 brought Botvinnik his reward: competing against the older mas­ ters and his own age group he won the national title of the Soviet Union for the first time. In the 1 933 USSR champion­ ship Botvinnik again led the field and became national champion for the second time in a row. There was no doubt that he would become the leading Soviet chess player. His most experi­ enced rivals had to make room for him, while the younger set realised that Botvinnik was a far superior player. At that time many interesting works on theory were published. V sevolod Rauzer, Vassily Panov, Vyacheslav Ragozin and others devised some new and interesting systems of development, discov­ ering at times unexpected moves in seemin_gly well studied varia­ tions. The appearance of talented young chess players, with Mikhail Botvinnik in first place, raised the question of testing the strength of Soviet masters against the best grandmasters of the West. At that time Alexander Alekhine was world champion, with Lasker and Capablanca no longer such formidable rivals . Grandmaster Salo Flohr from Czechoslovakia was doing well in international tournaments, and he was invited to the Soviet Union.

The Botvinnik vs. Flohr match took place in 1 933 in two rounds: six games were played in Mos­ cow and the concluding ones in Leningrad . At first Botvinnik's lack of practice in international contests was telling. In the first game he missed a tactical blow and lost ; after four draws he lost the sixth game. He left for Lenin­ grad , having lost two points to Flohr. The Leningrad half of the match, however, Botvinnik con­ ducted superbly. The seventh and eighth games were drawn, and for the ninth he prepared an original move in Flohr' s favourite Caro­ Kann Defence. He gained a deci­ sive advantage and made good use of it. Without giving Flohr a chance to collect himself, Botvin­ nik continued to attack in the next game . He managed to out­ play Flohr in the Dutch Defence and win yet again. The score was even. The last two games were drawn, and the final match result was a draw . Botvinnik had proved that the leading Soviet players could compete with the best grandmasters of the West on equal terms . This was also confirmed by contests over the next few years. In 1 934 Grandmaster Max Euwe and M aster Hans Kmoch arrived in the USSR, and Botvinnik won first prize in the tournament in which they played. The young master Nikolai Ryumin from Moscow showed his striking talent for combina­ tions. Unfortunately he did not live long ( 1908- 1 942). In his en­ counter with Euwe, an example 57

of beautiful play, this was the position after Black' s 23rd move. DIAGRAM 32

Ryumin brilliantly concludes with an attack on Black's King. 24. g6!! Qf4 (a different con­ tinuation would not lead to a successful defense. In the case of 24. . . hxg6 25. hxg6 Qxg6 26. Bxf3 , Black cannot repulse the attack from White's Rooks along the open g- and h-files. In the case of 24 . . . Qf5, the issue is settled by 25. Bxf3 Bf4 26. Ne7 + Kh8 27 . Bxg7 + ) 25. Nxf4 Bxf4 26. e3 fxg2 27. Rh4! BgS 28. gxh7 + Kxh7 29. Qc2+ Kg8 30. Rg4. (Black's situation is hopeless, so Euwe ' s following last moves are futile) 30. . . Ne6 31. f4 Bf3 32. Rxg2. Black resigns . By the mid- 1 930s the Soviet chess movement had grown con­ siderably. Players from the most 58

distant parts of the country began to attend tournaments . Chess also spread widely in the national republics. Its unprecedented scale in the USSR aroused the admira­ tion of the international grand­ masters who visited the country. They called the country , where in 1 936 more than 700,000 people had taken part in trade union tournaments , the Eldorado of Chess. Although by that time there were many strong players , Mikhail Botvinnik, Grandmaster No. 1 , surpassed them all. His outstanding successes in interna­ tional tournaments in the 1 930s advanced him into the ranks of the contenders for the world title. In 1 935 Alexander Alekhine unex­ pectedly lost the title match to Max Euwe of the Netherlands. According to the terms signed before the start of the match , Alekhine had the right t o a return match and Euwe, expecting here again he would easily outplay Alekhine, who had lost his sport­ ing form, readily agreed to one . Botvinnik thus had to wait to discover who would be world champion after the return match in 1 937. Alekhine won brilliantly with a score of + 1 0 -4= 1 1 . Meanwhile Botvinnik continued to win game after game . A par­ ticular triumph was his result in the 1 936 Nottingham Tourna­ ment, in which he tied for first place with Capablanca. General attention was attracted by Botvin­ nik' s endgame against Tar­ takower, in which he settled the issue of the game by a series of elegant sacrifices .

DIAGRAM 33

achievement was unquestionably with Capablanca-his combina­ tion still delights chess en­ thusiasts after more than 40 years. DIAGRAM 34

�· Q �· l

22. Rxf6! Kxf6 23. QhS Ng6 NfS! This move immediately places Black in a hopeless posi­ tion. Were Black to capture the Knight: 24 . . . Bxf5 then, by play­ ing 25 . exf5, White will simply take the Knight on g6. Neither does 24 . . . Rh8 save the situation because of 25. h4 Bxa2 26. R d l Rad8 27. Bg5 + hxg5 2 8 . Qxg5+ Ke6 29. Ng7 + + . The move made by Black merely delayed his defeat. 24. .. Rg8 25. Qxh6 Bxa2 26. Rdl Rad8 27. QgS+ Ke6 28. Rxd8 f6 29. Rxg8 Nf4 30. Qg7 Black resigns In 1938 the AVRO-Tournament was held in Holland, attended by the strongest grandmasters of the times headed by world champion Alekhine. Paul Keres and Reuben Fine tied for first place. Mikhail Bot­ vinnik was third. The Soviet champion won quite a number of games, including one against Alekhine. But his greatest 24.

The picture gives no hint of what is to come . Botvinnik, how­ ever, by sacrificing two pieces, places Black's King in a hopeless situation . 30. Ba3!! Qxa3 (if the Queen retreats to e8 White wins: 30 . . . Qe8 3 1 . Qc7 + Kg8 32. Be7 Ng4 33. Qd7) 31. NbS + ! gxhS (can do no better with Black 3 1 . . . Kh6 32. Nf6 Qc l + 3 3 . Kf2 Qd2+ 34. Kg3 Qxc3 + 35. Kh4 Qxd4+ 36. Ng4 + ) 32. QgS + Kf8 33. Qxf6 + Kg8 (retreat by the King to e8 would obviously lead to mate in two moves) 34. e7 (it remains now for White to get his King out of the reach of Black's Queen. Botvin­ nik calculated well in advance all possible checks from Black's Queen) 59

34 . . . Qcl + 35. Kf2 Qc2+ 36. Kg3 Qd3+ 37. Kh4 Qe4+ 38. Kxh5 Qe2+ 39. Kh4 Qe4+ 40. g4 Qel + 41. Kh5 Black resigns . Botvinnik's successes in the tournaments in 1 933- 1 938 unques­ tionably gave him the right to challenge the world champion Alekhine to a match. Botvinnik started negotiations immediately after the A VRO­ Tournament. Alekhine had al­ ways recognised the Soviet champion's right to such a match and readily accepted the chal­ lenge. Detailed negotiations were already under way to decide the schedule of the match that was impatiently awaited throughout the world , but the start of World War II frustrated all the plans. Soon after the rout of nazism a fight for the chess throne started in Europe. Alekhine, abandoned and sick, lived in those years in the small resort of Estoril near Lisbon. He was depressed, upset by the deci­ sion of the organisers of the tournaments in London and Hast­ ings in 1 945 , who had unjustly accused him of collaboration and revoked the invitations already sent to him. At this time Botvinnik repeated his challenge for a match for the world title. Alas ! for the second time the Alekhine-Botvinnik match was not fated to take place. On the night of 25 March 1 946, the weak heart of the world champion stop­ ped beating. In the morning he was found dead at his table, next to which stood chessmen on the suitcase stand. 60

Soviet chess players revere Alekhine as one of the founders of the national chess school, and study his versatile chess legacy. Collections of Alekhine' s games, and works analysing his play are always being published. Alekhine Memorial Tournaments are held regularly , attracting grandmasters from all over the world. Work never ceases to try to find forgotten games by the first Russian world champion. Alekhine left this world unde­ feated . After lengthy discussions FIDE decided to organise a match-tournament between the five leading grandmasters. This historic tournament took place in the spring of 1 948. The first two rounds were held in the Hag1,1e, the last three in Moscow. Five grandmasters were chosen to participate: Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres and Vassily Smyslov (USSR), Max Euwe (the Nether­ lands) and Samuel Reshevsky (USA) . Botvinnik took the lead from the very start . He finished the first half well ahead of the rest of the participants, and in Moscow he set an even faster pace. Three days before the end of the con­ test, in the 22nd round, the chief referee, Yugoslav Grandmaster Milan Vidmar, stopped the clock and addressed the audience in the Hall of Columns of the Trade Union House in Moscow. "As a result of today' s game Grandmaster of the Soviet Union Mikhail Botvinnik has won first place in the match-tournament and the title of world chess champion . "

His words were met with an ovation by both the players and the audience . Botvinnik's friends and colleagues embraced him. The match-tournament left chess enthusiasts many substan­ tial games , and those by Botvin­ nik were particularly interesting. Here is one of the masterpieces from the tournament, the Botvin­ nik vs. Keres game. DIAGRAM 35

( 1 5 . . . ReS 1 6 . Qxd4 Na4 1 7 . B a t N c 5 would provide more resis­ tance . Now Botvinnik's pieces all concentrate on his opponent's K-side) 16. Qxd4 Qc7 17. cS! dxcS 18. RxcS Qf4 (Black's affairs would not improve with 1 8 . . . QdS 19. Qe3 , after which White' s threats cannot b e countered) 19. Bel Qb8 20. Rg5 Nbd7 (or 20 . . . NeS 2 1 . Nh5 f6 22. Nxf6+ with defeat for Black. Here, too , Botvinnik settles the issue with a beautiful Rook sacrifice) DIAGRAM 36

There is considerable tension in the centre , but the formidable white Bishop on b2 allows Bot­ vinnik to launch a powerful at­ tack on his opponent's K-side. 14. e4! (White leaves the al-h8diagonal open, whereas the er­ roneous move 1 4 . exd4 d5 would have allowed Keres to block the position) 14. .. Be6 15. Rcl Re7

21. Rxg7 + ! Kx�? 22. Nh? + Kg6 (Black's position remams hopeless wherever the King re­ treats to) 23. Qe3! B lack resigns . He can no longer resist the threat of mate.

61

Chapter VI MIKHAIL B OTVINNIK

knowledge of openings. This is evident to everyone now, al­ though thirty or forty years ago even strong chess players held different points of view. In any case, they devoted little attention to the analysis of opening varia­ tions. Mikhail Botvinnik , we dare say, was the first to raise the role of research and new moves in the opening. A person who is interested in the integrity of the game must prepare for it beforehand", wrote Botvinnik, and he himself always strictly observed this rule. Discoveries can only be made when you know everything disco­ vered before, as we all know, and Botvinnik showed himself to have a wide knowledge of the chess opening. He did not learn by rote the whole series of variations: Botvinnik was able to take every­ thing he saw in the games of his colleague s , and comprehend it critically, analyse it and trans­ form it with his imagination and resourcefulness. "A person who wants to be­ come an outstanding chess player must perfect himself in the sphere of chess analysis ," Botvin­ nik used to say. This has been his rule through­ out his life. Botvinnik made many opening discoveries, prompted by tourna­ ment games he played. At the very start of the 1 940s several games were played in the Soviet Union with such variations of the Nimzovich Defence: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c5 8. 0-0-0 "

For almost 50 years Mikhail Botvinnik has been competing in major tournaments and matches, promoting chess, and helping to train gifted young people. His work is characterised by tremend­ ous knowledge and the strict criti­ cal approach to both his own play and that of others. From his early years Botvinnik had developed special qualities which helped him to rise rapidly to become the leading chess player in his own country and throughout the world . Botvinnik enhanced his natural talent for strategy and analysis by daily study, in which his capacity for self-criticism played a major role. The system he developed in preparing for tournaments is based on a correct assessment of his own merits and faults, strict self-control and steps taken in time to eradicate the shortcom­ ings in his play. This obviously demands will power and the abili­ ty to control one's passions and emotions. These qualities enabled Botvinnik to reach the chess summits. Success in modern tournaments deperlds to a great extent en a 62

DIAGRAM 37

In the Mikenas vs. Botvinnik game (USSR championship, 1 940) Black continued thus: 8 . . . 0-0 9. dxcS Bxc3 10. Qxc3 gS I I . Bg3 Ne4 12. Qa3. Next year, in an important game at the match-tournament for the title of absolute champion of the USSR Keres, playing White against Botvinnik, decided on the attack used by Mikenas . This, however, led White to immediate disaster. In reply to 8. 0-0-0 this time Botvinnik played 8. . . Bxc3! 9. Qxc3 gS 10. Bg3 cxd4! II. Qxd4 Nc6 (and Black can safely attack, which Botvinnik confidently does to bring him to victory) 12. Qa4 BfS 13. e3 ReS 14. Bd3 (hoping to hide the King on b I Botvinnik allows his opponent to do this, but prepares a new blow) 14 . . . Qd7 15. Kbl Bxd3 + 16. Rxd3 QfS! (White must sac­ rifice a Pawn to free himself from the pin) 17. e4 Nxe4 18. Kat

0-0 19. Rdl bS! (Now Black's Knight can move to the important square d4) 20. QxbS Nd4 21. Qd3 Nc2+ 22. Kbl Nb4 White resigns. This attack by Black prepared during analysis at home brought Botvinnik success. The following game from the international tour­ nament in Moscow in 1 935 was also won rapidly by Botvinnik. Spielmann related that during his trip from Warsaw to the Russian frontier a foreign journalist told him in strict confidence that he had succeeded in discovering a complete counter to Panov 's Variation in the Caro-Kann De­ favourite Botvinnik's fence, weapon. The journalist talked so insistently that Spielmann was almost hypnotised, and he wasn't even surprised that he was lucky enough to be told about this variation almost free of charge, merely for the price of a bottle of wine. Who could describe Spiel­ mann's joy when he was paired with Botvinnik in the very first round ! In his mind' s eye he already saw himself with a hefty point in the score table and played fast, without thinking. When, however, he looked care­ fully into his position, he noticed to his surprise that he had lost his Queen. Here are Botvinnik's thoughts: "I already knew about the move 6 . . . Qb6, and I was able to thoroughly analyse the position. The move is unsatisfactory chief­ ly because Black, instead of developing the pieces, tries to attack with the Queen alone . " This is the game : 63

Caro-Kann Defence M. BOTVINNIK

R. SPIELMANN

Moscow, 1935

1 . c4 c6 2. e4 dS 3. exdS cxdS 4. d4 Nf6 (this is one of the most popular variations of the old de­ fence, named after the Moscow master Panov) 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. BgS Qb6 (that is Spielmann's innova­ tion. The correct continuation is 6 . . . dxc4 or 6 . . . e6) 7. cxdS Qxb2 8. Rei (This simple reply coun­ ters his opponent's idea. Neither Spielmann nor his "consultant" had noticed this Rook move) 8 Nb4 (Other alternatives are also poor 8 . . . NbS 9. Na4 Qb4+ 1 0. Bd2 or 8 . . . Nd8 9. Bxf6 exf6 10. Bb5+ Bd7 1 1 . Rc2 Qb4 1 2 . Qe2 + ! Be7 1 3 . Bxd7 + , and Black's King cannot hold out long in the centre of the board) 9. Na4

9 . . . Qxa2 10. Bc4 Bg4 l l . Nf3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Black resigns. "I spent only 20 minutes think­ ing over the entire game , and that merely in order to check my home analysis," wrote Botvinnik about this game. Here is another example of an opening variation thoroughly analysed and prepared by Botvin­ nik. Alekhine, too, was a con­ noisseur of opening variations. For his first encounter with Bot­ vinnik he had prepared an ex­ tremely sharp variation where White attacks his opponent' s de­ fence lines from the very start.

••.

DIAGRAM 38

Black's Queen is trapped. It has to be ceded. 64

Sicilian Defence A. ALEKHINE

M . BOTVINNIK

Nottingham, 1936

l. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Nb3 Be6 9. f4 0-0 10. g4 This very same move was made in the Levenfish vs. Bot­ vinnik game at the Third Moscow International Tournament ( 1 936). It goes without saying that Alekhine knew this game and had armed himself with the system containing the move 1 0 . g4. Bot­ vinnik was prepared for such a continuation. 10. . . dS! (Botvinnik had made the same move against Levenfish, who continued 1 1 . e5 d4 ! N xd4 Nxd4 1 3 . Bxd4 Nxg4 with even play) Alekhine chose a new road of attack, but here again he did not catch Botvinnik unawares. l l . f5 Bc8 12. exdS Nb4 13. d6 (This move is one of Alekhine' s dis-

coveries . If 1 3 . fxg6 hxg6, then comes 1 4. Bf3 . 14 . . . Nxg4 or 14 . . . Bxg4) 13. . . Qxd6 14. Bc5 DIAGRAM 39

How many times before Bot­ vinnik had this variation of the Queen' s Gambit been played: 1 . d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nf3 Be7 4 . Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 0-0 6. e3 a6 7. cxd5 exd5 8 . Bd3 c6 9. Qc2 Nbd7. DIAGRAM 40

Alekhine evidently thought that this move gave him an advantage, but Botvinnik is not unprepared. 14. . . Qf4! (by sacrificing two pieces, Botvinnik forces a draw by perpetual check) 15. Rfl Qxh2 16. Bxb4 Nxg4 (a draw is now inevitable) 17. Bxg4 Qg3+ 18. Rf2 (the unwary 1 8 . . . Kd2 would lead at once to the loss of the game after 1 8 . . . B h6 + ) 18 . . . Qg1 + 19. Rfl Qg3+ 20. Rf2 Qg1 + A draw . Botvinnik' s sudden and some­ times seemingly paradoxical opening inventions stunned his opponents. When players later checked the variations linked with these inventions they were convinced that Botvinnik's moves were based on a deep understand­ ing of the position on the board, a precise calculation of the posi­ tional factors. 5-607

In the Botvinnik vs. Alatortsev game played in Leningrad with the participation of Euwe and Kmoch, Botvinnik puzzled his opponent by the following unex­ pected move. 10. g4! (A move based on a subtle comprehension of the situa­ tion. White is obliged to attack as fast as possible on the K-side, even before making the necessary move of castling the Q-side) 10 . . . Nxg4 (Black threatened by 1 1 . B xf6 Nxf6 1 2. g5 , while 10 . . . h6, weakens the position on Black's K-side too much) 1 1 . Bxh7 + 'Kh8 12. Bf4 Nf6 13. Bd3 Nh5 14. h3 Nf6 15. Be5 Black is in a very difficult posi­ tion, and Botvinnik compels his 65

opponent to capitulate within sev­ eral moves. 15 .. Ng8 16. 0-0-0 Nh6 17. Rg1 Be6 18. Qe2 Bf5 19. Bxf5 Nxf5 20. Nh4 Black resigns. Botvinnik ' s tournament games include many started with well­ known variations embellished with unexpected moves . Let us close our account of Botvinnik ' s opening repertoire with another of his inventions .

English Opening M. BOTVINNIK

G. LEVENFISH

1 2th USSR Championship, Moscow 1940

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Bxc3 + 8. bxc3 Ne5 9. e3 Ng6 10. Bg3 Ne4 1 1 . Qc2 Nxg3 12. hxg3 d6 DIAGRAM 4 1

In one of h i s earlier games Botvinnik had played 1 3 . Rd l . On analysing this game at home, 66

he discovered an original method of countering all of Black's de­ signs which he had not noticed during play . 13. f4! Qe7 14. Kf2 (White ' s King o n f 2 makes Black naturally want' to move his Knight to c5) 14. . . Nf8 15. c5! (Botvinnik clears the way for the Bishop on f l , thus launching an attack on Black's King, which soon breaks up Blac k ' s entire position) 15 . . . dxc5 16. Bb5+ Nd7 (bad, too, are 16 . . . c6 1 7 . Nxc6 or 16 . . . Kd8 1 7 . Rad 1 cxd4 1 8. Rxd4, when White's attack can't be stopped. The continua­ tion 1 6 . . . Bd7 1 7 . Nf5 Qf6 1 8 . Qe4 + Ne6 19. Bxd7 + Kxd7 20. Rhd 1 + also loses) 17. Nf5 Qf6 18. Rad1 g6 (Or 1 8 . . . a6 1 9. Qe4+ Kd8 20. Bxd7, and White wins) 19. Nxh6 Rf8 20. g4 Black's position is hopeless, and Botvinnik precisely realises his advantage with several energetic conclusive moves . 20 . . . a6 2 1 . g5 Qe6 22. Be2 Nb6 23. Ng4 Ke7 24. Nf6 Qc6 25. Rh7 Bf5 26. e4 Be6 27. f5 Black resigns. We have dwelt only on Botvin­ nik' s fast moving original designs, but there are many quieter varia­ tions and complete development systems among his inventions. We shall now tum to some of these. Botvinnik's game with Denker from the USSR-USA radio match in 1 945 , also printed in this book, is typical of the Botvinnik Variation. Botvinnik was always dis­ tinguished by his mastery of the middle game. His strategic ideas are deep , and his tactical blows

unexpected. One of the most interesting examples of the tacti­ cal solution of a chess game is the Rauzer-Botvinnik encounter in the 1 933 USSR championship. DIAGRAM 42

moves. After 1 8 . cxe4 Nxe4 1 9 . Nxe4 Bxd5 Black is in a very strong attacking position. The re­ treat of the Bishop to f3 would amount to abandoning the posi­ tion . ) 18 exf3 1 9 . c 5 Qa5 20. Red1? (this move leads to the immediate collapse of White ' s position. 20. Qd3 defends more reliably) 20. . . Ng4! 21. Bd4 f2+ 22. Kfl (the sequel 22. Kh 1 Rxd5 23 . Nxd5 f l Q + loses the Queen. But the King's retreat to f 1 al­ lows Botvinnik to move his Queen to the K-side and launch a decisive attack) 22 Qa6+ 23. Qe2 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Qf6 25. Rcd1 (if 25 . Qd3 Re8, Black wins . ) 2 5. . . Qh4 26. Qd3 Rfe8 27. Re4 f5 28. Re6 Nxh2+ 29. Ke2 Qxf4 White resigns. Mikhail Botvinnik contributed greatly to the theory of the strategic bases of the middle game . Chess theoreticians and tournament grandmasters before Botvinnik concentrated on study­ ing opening variations. Only some of them made half-hearted at­ tempts to understand thoroughly the most complicated stage of play-the middle game . Botvin­ nik, in his study of the most diverse aspects of chess theory, turned his attention to the middle stage. He was the first to systematise several typical middle game posi­ tions. Every chess player knows that in modern chess certain situations resemble each other in their strategic patterns , by their structural forms. Botvinnik set himself the task to systematise typical situations, to find in ..•

..•

The action was concentrated in the centre of the board . White's position seems at first sight to be more active . But Botvinnik, play­ ing Black, counters energetically, capturing the initiative. 16. . . d5 (this advance of the Pawn is part of some very compli­ cated variations already worked out precisely by Botvinnik. White has no choice in his reply) 17. exd5 e4! (Another unex­ pected blow involving sacrifices) The possible continuations from that position were analysed by chess players throughout the world. To this day Botvinnik's manoeuvre is considered a per­ fect example of transition to a counter-attack using a sudden combinational blow. 18. bxc4 (White would not have benefited more from other s•

67

them the most effective methods of play based on an exact calcu­ lation of the positional factors . This is of great assistance in an actual game. If you have studied the position, if your home analysis has adequately assessed the potential of both yourself and your opponent, then all you have to do in the tournament hall is to shape these plans, to make them more exact and adapt them to the actual position on the board. Back in his youth Botvinnik played a game in which he built up an interesting central wedge position . Formidable central for­ mations enabled him to restrict the opposing pieces, to unhurried­ ly rearrange his own pieces and deliver a telling blow at the op­ ponent in his most vulnerable spot. He subsequently used this method in some important games . It was obviously backed up b y research, helping h i m solve the most difficult problems over the board . This is the strategic method: it is best illustrated by a concrete example.

later game, which we will nm analyse. This is the Lisitsyn vs. Botvir nik game played a year later i the 1 932 Leningrad Champior ship. DIAGRAM 44

DIAGRAM 43

The diagram shows the Kirillov vs. Botvinnik game in the Seventh USSR Championship in 1 93 1 , in which English Opening was used. Botvinnik skilfully ar­ ranged his Pawns and placed his Knight on d4, at the head of a wedge. Black's positional advan­ tage was so great that he won. The method of actually making use of superiority in such posi­ tions was best demonstrated in a 68

Take a good look at the di5 tribution of Black's pieces an' Pawns. In military strategy structure like this can be arrange' both for defence and for breakin.

through a section of the front, and it is called a wedge. All of Botvinnik' s pieces are gathered in a wedge with the spearhead on d4. Black's impenetrable cohe­ sion deprives White of any pos­ sibility of delivering a telling blow at a weak point. Black is invul­ nerable , but he has no intention of limiting himself to defence. H e rearranges h i s pieces in the necessary way , breaks through White' s lines and expands his attack to reach White's King. Botvinnik, in his study of simi­ lar positions had discovered some important strategic ideas, accom­ panying them with strong tactical blows. 21. Qdl Bg4 (Strategically a correct move. As 22. f3 is ex­ tremely bad, White is compelled to exchange on d4, after which the e-file opens up along which Black can conveniently attack the Pawn on e2) 22. Bxd4 exd4 23. Qd2 Bf8 24. Rel ReS The next link in Black's plan is to concentrate his major pieces on the open file. White will have no easy task to defend the Pawn on e2. 25. h4 Bh3 26. Bf3 Re7 27. Nh2 Rce8 28. Khl Be6 (reorientation: the Bishop moves towards d5, when it will be exchanged for the Bishop on f3 , which will com­ pletely weaken the Pawn on e2, and in addition will reveal the weakness of the White squares around White ' s King) 29. b3 Nb4 (Botvinnik plays precisely and systematically. It would have been bad to move 29 . . . Nc3 30. e4 ! when there

would have been no weak Pawn left on e2) 30. Bg2 Bd5 31. Nf3 Rf7 (White declines to exchange his Bishop on g2, and so Botvinnik enlists the Bishop standing on the side at f8) 32. Kh2 Bd6 33. Bh3 Qd8 34. Rabl Rfe7 35. Ngl Bc7 36. Na3 Bb7! See how well Black' s pieces are mobilised . It only remains to make the move 37. . . Qd5 , and White will be in a very bad way. So Lisitsyn himself makes haste to exchange Bishops. 37. Bg2 Bxg2 38. Kxg2 Nd5 39. Nc2 Qd6! DIAGRAM 45

'(�� ;�

l i

A triumph for Black's strate­ gy: there is no defence against the check from Black's Knight on e3. 40. Na3 Ne3+ 41 . Khl Ng4 42. Qf4 This is a losing move for White. Neither does 42. Kg2 save the situation because of 69

42 . . . Nxf2 ! 43 . Kxf2 Qxg3 + 44. Kfl Re3 45 . Nf3 Qh3 + 46. Kg l Bh2 + 42 . Rfl Qd5 + is completely hopeless. 42. . . Qxf4 43. gxf4 Nxf2+ 44. Kg2 NxdJ White resigns. Botvinnik made a deep study and analysis of middle game posi­ tions, where as a result of suc­ cessful opening operations he would take complete possession of some central point. The strength of the piece on that point allowed him to expand his aggres­ sive plans over the whole board. This plan was carried out most expressively and neatly in the Botvinnik-Kann game at the 1 1 th USSR championship in 1 939. DIAGRAM 46

20. h3 (d5 is safe for White. Were Black to play 20 . . . Bb7 now, then after an exchange of Bishops , one of White' s Rooks would take this point, supported from e4 by the Queen. So Kann makes haste to exchange his c4 Pawn, thereby weakening the sig­ nificance of d5) 20 Ba6! 21 . BdS bS 22. cxbS RxbS (This facilitates White ' s task. 2 2 . . . Bxb5 would have been more reliable, with 23 . c4 Bc6! Now White has an overwhelming­ ly superior position) 23. c4 Rb6 24. Rbl Rd8 (The following line was bad: 24 . . . Rfb8 25. Rxb6 Qxb6 26. f6! with the fatal threat of 27 . Qg6. If Black replies 25 . . . Rxb6, there follows 26. Qa4 ! and White's threats be­ come very serious) 25. . Rxb6 axb6 26. e4 (The Bishop on d5 is now invulnerable, and White breaks into the enemy camp through the a-file) 26. .. Bc8 27. Qa4 Bd7 28. Qa7 Be8 29. Rfbl Rd6 30. a4 (The Queen has broken through the a-file, and the Rook will penet­ rate the enemy camp along the b-file) 30. . . Kh7 31. aS bxaS 32. QxaS Rda6 33. QxcS Ra2 34. Qe3 (Black is minus a Pawn, but worse is still to come) 34 . . Qa6 35. Rb8 Qa4 36. Kh2! (This underlines Black's hopeless position. In the case of 36 . . . Qc2 there follows 37. Qg3 Rat 38. Rxe8 Qdl 39. Qg6 + fxg6 40. Bg8 + Kh8 4 1 . Bf7+ Kh7 42. Bxg6 + + ) 36. . . Ra3 3 7 . QcS Ra2 38. Ra8 Qxa8 39. Bxa8 Rxa8 40. QxeS Bc6 41. Qc7 Resigns. .••

.

Black's situation doesn't seem dubious , although there is a weakness at d5. This weakness alone, however, is sufficient for White to develop a crushing at­ tack. Botvinnik takes possession of the outpost on d5 and, with its strength , develops his men ac­ tively . 70

Botvinnik analysed also posi­ tions with a fixed centre when White' s and Black' s Pawns but­ ted into each other. For instance, a White Pawn on d4 and a Black Pawn on d5, while next to them are open files, in our case "c" and "e" . Both opponents have to realise concrete strategic plans, taking into account such a posi­ tion. Mikhail Botvinnik was famed for his skilful play in such situations which matched the pre­ cision of a computer. Botvinnik often used such cen­ tral designs. Let us take two examples to demonstrate Botvin­ nik's characteristic play in similar positions, unquestionably de­ veloped during home analysis. In the Stolberg-Botvinnik game at the 1 2th USSR championship ( 1940) this was the position after White ' s 1 5th move: DIAGRAM 47

these squares , after which he occupies them with his pieces. Black intensifies his pressure against the central positions so expressively that the logic and conviction of his game cannot but arouse the admiration of a true chess lover. 15 . . . Bf5! (The aim is simple: to the exchange white-squared Bishops, after which c4 and e4 would be entirely defenceless) 16. Qc2 Be4 17. b5 (This opens the way for Black's Knight to reach c4 via a5 . The move 1 7 . Rad I would be more prudent) 17 . . . Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Na5 19. Ng3 Nc4 20. Bel Rac8 The first part of the plan has been achieved: Black' s Knight is reli­ ably strengthened on c4. Now Botvinnik carries out the "occu­ pation" of e4 with the same consistency. 21 . Ra2 Bf8 22. a4 Bb4 The piece defending e4 has to be taken or forced out of action . 23. Nd1 N e4 24 . f5 Nxg3 25. Qxg3 Bd6 26. Qf3 Be7 27. Qg3 Bf6 28. Bxh6 Bxd4+ 29. Kh1 f6! Botvinnik takes advantage of any opportunity to strengthen his positions. In the course of the next few moves all of his pieces establish themselves firmly in the centre and finally make the oppo­ nent's forces retreat. 30. Bel Re4! 31. Qd3 Ne5 32. Qb1 Rc4! DIAGRAM 48

White' s central squares c4 and e4 are weak. With strict consis­ tency Botvinnik further weakens

An interesting position ! Black' s pieces, concentrated i n the central 71

4. e3 b6 5. Ne2 Ra6 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf4 d5 8. cxd5 Bxfl 9. Kxf1 exd5. DIAGRAM 49

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squares , are a formidable force capable both of defending them­ selves and attacking. No wonder that the next moves mean defeat for White. This is how Black realises his advantage: 33. aS Bc5 34. b6 a6 35.Nb2 Rc3 36. Bd2 Rb3 37. Qc2 Qb5 38. Rcl Rf8 39. Rd1 Re2 40. Qc1 Rxh3+ ! 41. gxh3 d4 White resigns . In this game Black brought home his advantage by basing his plan on the dynamic strength of his centralised pieces on the most important squares attacked by the d5 Pawn, and with a fixed centre . In some games Botvinnik, when necessary, carried out a peculiar transformation, instan­ taneously making his fixed centre into an open one. In the second game of the Botvinnik vs. Smyslov match for the world title in 1 954 the follow­ ing moves in the Nimzovich De­ fence were made: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 72

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The centre is fixed . Botvinnik knows the strength of his Knights on c3 and f4, which are attacking the opposing Pawn on d5, and carries out an unusual attack on the flank. He had unquestionably developed this new method of play in a well-known variation during his preparations for the match . 10. g4! c6 1 1 . g5 Nfd7 12. h4 Bd6 13. e4! By moving into the open space Botvinnik sharply changes the structure in the centre . The posi­ tion is now open and the active White pieces immediately launch an attack . 13. . . dxe4 14. Nxe4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 0-0 16. h5! By several energetic moves , which most probably had been already anticipated by Botvinnik

before the game, White achieved a winning situation. As always , Botvinnik realises his advantage precisely and consistently. 16 . . . ReS 17. Nd6 Re6 18. d5 Rxd6 19. Bxd6 Qxg5 20. Qf3! White wins the Exchange and launches an attack. Smyslov's attempt to save himself in the endgame also fails . 20. . . Qxd5 21. Qxd5 cxd5 22. Rei! Na6 23. b4 h6 24. Rh3 Kh7 25. Rd3 Nf6 26. b5 Nc5 27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rb8 29. a4 Rb7 30 . Rdc3 Resigns . The examples here show to what extent Botvinnik's systemat­ isation and studies of typical po­ sitions occurring in the middle game were important for winning decisive encounters. That is why his followers-chess players both in the USSR and around the world-continue further studies of typical situations in the middle game . Chess players at the turn of this century did not attach special importance to their preparations for tournaments. Alekhine was the first to start practicing such preparation. But it was Mikhail Botvinnik who laid special em­ phasis on preparations for re­ sponsible contests . It was he who taught his followers to daily carry out analytical, physical and psychological training. We have already mentioned analytical preparations, and we shall deal with it more in the coming pages . As far as physical training is concerned it can be said that Botvinnik himself is an example of a chess player capa­ ble of playing in a most gruesome chess competition by correctly

distributing his strength , and pre­ serving sufficient energy for the decisive rounds. Botvinnik paid tremendous attention to his physical fitness by skiing in winter, swimming, rowing, and hiking in sum­ mer. But, of course, the most impor­ tant aspect of Botvinnik' s prep­ arations for tournaments was a special emphasis on psychology. He further developed the princi­ pal guidelines , given in their times by Lasker and Alekhine, both experts on the chess player' s psychology. Alekhine wrote about a chess player's behaviour in important tournaments: "I believe that the following three factors are neces­ sary for success : firstly , an awareness of one's strength and weaknesses; secondly, an exact understanding of the opponent's strength and limitations; and thirdly , an aim which is higher than just a minute's satisfaction. This aim I see in scientific and artistic achievements, which places chess among the other arts ." Botvinnik more than once proved that his aim in playing chess was to achieve the scien­ tific and artistic results of which Alekhine spoke. He thus con­ siders chess a difficult and ver­ satile art. We have already dealt with his ability to discern the strong and weak points of his rivals. Botvinnik ' s games include many in which he was able to force on his opponent a most unpleasant distribution of pieces. Mikhail Botvinnik is an objec­ tive judge of his own strengths 73

and weaknesses. He admitted , for instance , in annotations to his games: "This shows my perma­ nent weakness , my lack of com­ binational vision . " Such honesty is rare . Botvinnik often demonstrated his ability to play decisive tourna­ ment and match games. That is, games which demand the maxi­ mum energy, will power, self­ possession and staying power. Twice Botvinnik won the world championship in the last, the 24th game- against Bronstein in 1 95 1 , and Smyslov in 1 954. In both of them his play was perfect. Another quality also distin­ guished Botvinnik in the course of his chess career: he could draw conclusions from his de­ feats and take drastic measures to eradicate shortcomings in his play. Examples are provided by his two return matches : against Smyslov in 1 958 and against Tal in 196 1 . Neither of his opponents expected Botvinnik to be able to recover his sporting form and to repeat the match with all the power of a champion. In the world championship match in 1 960 Mikhail Tal more than once won by bold, and at times overly reckless, attacks on the enemy positions. Botvinnik made inaccurate moves, especial­ ly in complicated parts of the middle game. In the repeat match a year later, Tal naturally tried once again to use the same at­ tacking method. This time a sur­ prise awaited him. Botvinnik, as in the next game, for instance, confidently and precisely beat back his opponent' s attacks. 74

King's Indian Defence M . BOTVINNIK

M. TAL

Return Match, Moscow , l % 1

1 . d4 Nf6 2 . c4 g6 3 . Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 Nbd7 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 0-0 8. d5 NbS A typical strategy in this inter­ esting variation of the King's Indian Defence. Black plays f5 , while White, shifting the King away to the Q-side, is preparing to start an offensive on the K-side, taking advantage of the weakness afforded by the move f5 . This, however, does not mean that the advance of the Pawn to f5 is a mistake, for were Black ' s Pawn be held u p o n f7 , his opportunity for defence would be even less. Such contradictions are the hallmark of complex modern chess. 9. Qd2 f5 10. 0-0-0 a6 II. Kb1 Ndf6 This move by Black is not good since it allows Botvinnik to open up the h-file, which is favourable for him . It would be more pru­ dent to retreat the Knight from h5 to f6, which leaves Tal more opportunity for defence. . 12. exf5 gxf5 DIAGRAM 50

13. Ng3 Simple and convincing. By launching an attack on the Pawn on f5 , White forces his opponent to exchange on g3. Black cannot now play 1 3 . f4 with advantage because of 1 4 . Nxh5 fxe3 1 5 . Nxf6 + Qxf6 16. Qc2 ! with White in an excellent position. 13. .. Qe8 14. Bd3! Nxg3

Neither does 1 4 . . . Qg6 improve Black's position, as White plays 1 5 . Nxh5 Qxh5 1 6 . h3 with the inevitable g4. Sometimes a Pawn is sacrificed in such situations: 1 4 . . . e4 !? 15. Nxh5 Nxh5 1 6 . fxe4 f4, and evidently this would have been Tal ' s best method of play. 15. hxg3 c5 16. Rh6 (immediate­ ly starting operations along the open file. With the exchange of the Bishop on g7 Black's chances for a successful defence are even fewer) 16 Qg6 1 7 . g4 b5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Rh4 bxc4 20. Bc2 h6! Tal defends himself in the best way . This modest Pawn move allows Black to exchange Queens and thereby somewhat weaken his opponent's offensive on the K-side. 21. Rdh1 Qg5 22. Qxg5+ hxg5 23. Rh6 fxg4 This exchange, however, J s clearly unfortunate. After the powerful move 23 . . . e4 24. fxe4 N xg4 25. Rxd6 fxe4 White would have found it much harder to bring home his advantage.

24. fxg4! (Now the Bishop on c2, the Knight on c3 and the Rook on f I are included in the attack on the Black King, and Black is soon lost although the Queens have already disappeared from the board) 24 . . . Bg4 25. Rg6 + Kf7 26. Rfl Ke7 27. Rg7+ (a decisive check . Had Black replied with 27 . . . Rf7, then the winning line would have been: 28. Rxf7 + Kxf7 29. Ne4. It would, however, have been better for the King to retreat to d8, although in this case, too , 28. Ne4 would have led to a swift victory) 27 . . . Ke8 28. Ne4 Nd7 (but not 28. Nxe4? 29. Ba4 + ) 29. Nxd6 + Kd8 30 . Rxf8 + Nxf8 31. Nxc4 Bd7 32. Rf7 Kc7 DIAGRAM 5 1

••.

33. d6+ Resigns. In recent years Botvinnik has not competed . Professor in the sphere of electronics and cybernetics , holding a doctorate in technical sciences, Mikhail 75

Botvinnik heads a laboratory de­ signing an "electronic grandmas­ ter" , a machine capable of play­ ing chess. The second half of the 1 970s saw the publication of a number of scientific works and books on chess by the former world champion. Botvinnik' s book of recollections called The Achieve­ ment of a Goal published in a large edition aroused particular interest.

Botvinnik' s correspondence recently established, school, where he instructs young chess players, comments on their games and gives consultations on analysis , has deservedly won recognition. Many young chess enthusiasts studied under Botvin­ nik to become masters and gran­ dmasters. For example, grandma­ ster Garry Kasparov , the 1 980 world junior chess champion, to name but one .

Chapter VII GENS UNA SUMUS !

At the beginning of the 20th century chess became very popu­ lar in many countries. Interna­ tional tournaments, matches, and team competitions were held in ever growing numbers. This made it necessary to establish an inter­ national organisation to unite chess players and promote chess in all parts of the world. A constituent congress of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) took place in Pari s in 1 924. Its main principle was the equality of all its members : the FIDE flag bears the dictum: GENS UNA SUMUS (WE ARE ALL ONE FAMILY) . In its first 25 years the Interna­ tional Chess Federation not only would not unite chess players, but was incapable even of or­ ganising matches for the world title . World champions merely ignored the decisions and the opinion of FIDE , and themselves chose their opponent (at times a weak one) and laid down the conditions and time of the championship . At the 1 948 FIDE Congress in Mikhail Botvinnik Stockholm proposed that a strict system for conducting world title matches be established.

Botvinnik thought the match for the world title should be held once in three years in accordance with the FIDE rules. The main principles of these rules are : the world is divided into zones , the victors in the zonal tournaments meet each other in interzonal tournaments . The winners of these meet in short tournament matches . The victor receives the right to play the world champion for his title. This clear-cut system was ap­ proved by the FIDE Congress. Since then, every third year for more than 25 years the world champion defends his title in a match with the strongest grand­ master among the contenders. The Soviet Chess Federation, whose representative in that period was world champion, did all in its power to protect this just principle of competition from any violation. Of all the contests in the FIDE programme, the personal and team championships are , of course, the main events for all chess players. The history of the selective trials of the last decades has a lot to tell us, and in this chapter we will deal with the struggle for the world title from 1 948 to 1 975 inclusive, and the best games played in these con­ tests. Several months after Mikhail Botvinnik became world cham­ pion, the first interzonal tourna­ ment opened in Salchobaden, a suburb of Stockholm. It was dis­ tinguished from all the rest be­ cause its competitors were not the winners of zonal tourna77

ments, but chess players put on the list by the votes of special­ ists. Seven Soviet chess players were among those invited to Sal­ chobaden. Sepecially worthy of mention is the outstanding suc­ cess of the 24-year-old master David Bronstein, who did particu­ larly well : in the last round he literally wrested the victory from the Hungarian champion Laszlo Szabo, himself in excellent form. Only two years later did the first challengers' tournament take place, with the beautiful island on the Danube in the centre of Budapest as the venue. Before the tournament it had been sup­ posed that the right to play Bot­ vinnik for his title would be contested by two of the particip­ ants in the 1 948 tournament­ Vassily Smyslov and Paul Keres . But these forecasts were mis. taken . From the very start the talented Soviet grandmaster Isaac Boleslavsky spurted ahead . With his knowledge of openings, he is the author of many original de­ velopment systems, including the famed Boleslavsky System in the Sicilian Defense. In excellent form , Boleslavsky was half a point ahead of his closest rival, David Bronstein. On the last day he met grandmaster Gideon Stahl­ berg of Sweden, who was playing poorly , and so thought that he could count on a victory and the right to a match with the world champion. But Boleslavsky miscalculated : thinking that Bronstein would be unable to win his last game with Keres, Boleslavsky made a quick 78

draw with Stahlberg. Bronstein, however, by sacrificing a Pawn to Keres , developed a formidable attack , won this important game and caught up with Boleslavsky. The two friends finished with the same number of points. An extra match had to decide who would challenge Botvinnik. Boleslavsky had risen rapidly from a first-category player to become a grandmaster. Boleslavs­ ky was distinguished by his ex­ traordinary speed of thought- at the end of a game his clock rarely showed more than an hour spent on thought. His outstanding natural talent happily combined with his capacity for hard work. He could retain in his memory a tremendous number of games, especially new theories. A taciturn player, he was always a very dangerous opponent. In an encounter with Boleslavsky a player with a first-class knowl­ edge of chess openings risked being suddenly confronted with a position which Boleslavsky had already thoroughly analysed . This is what happened when the famed Soviet grandmaster Vyacheslav Ragozin had to come up against this "knowledge" of his . In the 1 943 Moscow champion­ ship , where Boleslavsky played White, the following position oc­ curred. DIAGRAM 52

21. Bh3 Qxd4+ 22. Khl Qxe5 23. Bd2 c5 (The capture of the Pawn on b2 by Black' s Queen would be a mistake in view of 23 . . . Qxb2 24. Bf4 d4 25 . Bxg3 d3 . 26. Rad l )

33 . . . Qg7 34 . Bf4! Boleslavsky concludes the gaine in precise fashion. He at­ tacks the Black King, and holds up Black's Pawns in the centre by active play. . 34 . . . c3 (It would be better to play 34 . . . Rd8 35 . Rg5 Qxg5 36. Bxg5 d2 37. Bxd2) Boleslavsky now launches a spectacular attack . 35. Rg5 Rad8 36. Be6 + Kh8 37. Be5! DIAGRAM 53

Rael Qxb2 25. Bf4 Qf6? This move, as Boleslavsky con­ vincingly proves, loses. Subse­ quently Botvinnik found it neces­ sary to play 25 . . . d4 26. Bxg3 d 3 . Botvinnik tested this powerful continuation for Black against Boleslavsky a year later in the tournament in Sverdlovsk. The game continued thus: 27 . Be6+ Kh8 28. Be5 , after which 28 . . . Qc2 is best (instead of the made by Botvinnik move 28 . . . Qd2) and leads to a draw. 26. Bxg3 d4 27. Re6 Qg5 28. Kh2 c4 29. f4! This is the Pawn that will deal a decisive blow at Black. Rago­ zin' s attempt to get his Pawns moving in the centre is belated. 29. . . Qh5 30. f5 d3 31. f6 gxf6 32. Rf5 Qg6 33. Rexf6! The Pawn' s fast advance to f6 deprives Black's King of a Pawn cover, and White's pieces now conclude their attack. Boleslavs­ ky had obviously looked at this move in his analyses of all the possibilities of this complicated opening variation . 24.

Black resigns. After 38. Rf8 + Rxf8 39. Bxg7 mate is inevitable. I saak Boleslavsky ( 1 9 1 9- 1 977) had an exceptional knowledge of chess openings. He was admired for the depth of his strategic plans, and the beauty of his sudden tactical attacking moves . This next game shows how grace­ fully Boleslavsky realized his ad­ vantage against Smyslov in the m match-tournament 1 950 Budapest. 79

Queen's Gambit I. BOLESLAVSKY

V. SMYSLOV

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5 . . a4 c5 This continuation was previ­ ously considered quite satisfac­ tory for Black. After the ex­ change of Queens the ending offers ample opportunity for de­ fence and counterplay . Boleslavs­ ky's assessment of the system somewhat differed from that gen­ erally accepted . He proved con­ vincingly that the advance of the Pawn was premature , and that 5 . . . Bf5 is better play. 6. e4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 Qxd4 8. Nxd4 e6. Now the White Knight can move to the favourable position on b5. Black cannot prevent this since, in the case of 8 . . . a6, there would follow 9. e5 and 1 0 . Nd5 with a big positional advantage for White. 9. Ndb5 Na6 10. Bxc4 Bc5 1 1 . Bf4 Ke7 Smyslov considered that the endgame already started , and so he left his King in the centre. But Boleslavsky proved him wrong and discovered a method of or­ ganising a direct attack against Black's King. Castling the K-side would have been better for Black: 1 1 . . . 0-0. 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. e5! This is the move which proves Black's system of play wrong, now that his King is stuck on e7 . Black at once finds himself in a situation difficult after his Knight' s retreat from f6. In the case of 13 . . . Ne8 there would follow 1 4 . Bg5 + f6 1 5 . exf6+ 80

gxf6 1 6 . Bh4 Rg8 1 7 . Rfe 1 Rg4 1 8 . Re4! with a strong attack for White, and if 1 4 . . . Kf8 , 1 5 . Rad 1 Bc6 1 6 . Nd4 leaves White with a decisive positional advantage . 13 . . . Nh5 (this retreat, too, has its faults, as Boleslavsky pro­ ceeds to prove with his next move) DIAGRAM 54

14. Be3! shows a fine understand­ ing of opening strategy . It would have been weaker to play 1 4 . Bg5 + f6 1 5 . exf6 + gxf6 1 6 . Bh4 Rhg8 1 7 . Rfe 1 -Rg4 1 8 . Re4 Rag8, and Black is in a good position. Now Black is com­ pelled to open up the f-file , after which his King will be attacked by the Rooks. 14 . . . Rhc8 (attempting to avoid opening the file. In the case of 1 4 . . . Bxe3 1 5 . fxe3 g6 1 6 . Nd6 the two Black Pawns, on b7 and f7, are attacked) 15. Be2 g6 16. Ne4! Bxe3 (or 16 . . . Bb4 1 7 . g4! Ng7 1 8 . Bg5 +

Kf8 19. Nf6, winning a Pawn and gaining an overwhelming position­ al advantage) 17. fxe3 Rc2 (brings closer the disaster which could have been averted by the move 1 7 . . . Bc6) 18. Nd6! Rf8 or 1 8 . . . Rxe2 1 9. Rxf7 + Kd8 20. Rf8+ 19. Bxa6! bxa6 20. g4 Ng7 21. Nf6! DIAGRAM 55

1 948 and in the tournament of challengers for the world title in 1 950. In the 1 930s Flohr won many first prizes in international tour­ naments against the strongest. His play was distinguished by the depth and logic of his plans and by the precise calculation of vari­ ations. Flohr's filigree technique was especially evident in his endings . His victory over Szabo in the 1 950 Budapest match-tournament of claimants for the world title was won in the endgame. Flohr is playing White. DIAGRAM 56

A spectacular end to the at­ tack. 22. Nxh7 threatens, but the Rook cannot escape because of Rxf7 + . 21... Bc6 The last attempt at counterplay, but Boleslavsky plays precisely to the very end . 22. Rfcl! Black resigns. After 22 . . . Rxc l + 2 3 . Rxc 1 he cannot prevent invasion by White' s Rook. I f he plays 2 2 . . . Rg2+ 23 . Kfl Rxh2, he is beautifully mated: 24. Rxc6! Rh 1 + 25 . Kg2 Rxa l 26. Rc7+ Kd8 27. Rd7 + + . Andre Liliental and Salo Flohr were among the players in the first interzonal tournament in 6-607

Flohr calculates the variations exactly and brings the battle to a victorious finish. 45. g6! hxg6 46 . hxg6 Re7+ (the sequence 46 . . . Kxg6 47. Ne5+ Bxe5 48. Rxd7 Bxb2 49. Rxd5 also loses) 47. Kd1 Kxg6 (This merely brings the end nearer. The best continuation is 47 . . . Rg7 ! 48. Nb4 81

Kxg6 49. Nxd5 Be5 50. Rxg7 Kxg7 5 1 . b4 Bd4, which still leaves Black some hope of salva­ tion) 48. Nf4 + Kf5 49. Nxd5 Rd7 50. Rxc7 Rxd5 + 5 1 . Kc2 Ra5 52. a3 Ke5 53. Rd7 Ke6 54. Rd2 Rh5 55. Kb3 Rh4! 56. Rd8 Ke7 57. Rd5! (Flohr's technique is im­ maculate . The move 57 . Rb8 is weaker because of 57 . . . Rh6 58. Kb4 Kd7 59. Kb5 Kc7 60. Rg8 Rh5 + ) 5 7. . . Rg4 58. Kc3 Rh4 59. b3 Rg4 60. Rd4 Rg3 + 61. Kc4 Rg5 62. Rd5 Rg4+ 63. Kb5 Rg3 64. b4 Rg6 65. Ka6 Rh6 66. bS Resigns. After the war grandmaster Flohr did well in many important tournaments , although he never managed to equal his former achievements. We nevertheless feel it is a shame that he gave up chess competition as early as he did. Flohr was the author of witty articles and these were held in as much esteem as his tournament play. Grandmaster Liliental gained recognition in the early 1 930s , when he played successfully in international tournaments. He subsequently also did well i n nationwide tournaments . In the 1 2th USSR Championship in 1 940 he tied for first place with grand­ master Bondarevsky. Liliental did relatively well at the Interzonal Tournament in Stockholm in 1 948, where he played several striking combina­ tional games and was placed fifth . His game with Miguel Naj­ dorf of Argentina was particularly memorable . 82

DIAGRAM 57

The diagram shows a· position from this game. Black still seems to harbour the hope of destroying the White Pawn on g7 and or­ ganising a stubborn defence. But the Soviet grandmaster, as White, calculated all the possibilities and with the following sacrifice of a piece he demonstrated B lack's helpless position. 17. Bxh7 + ! (Black's King is now forced to leave his refuge in the corner of the board and move about under attack from White's pieces) 17... Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kxg7 19. Rad1 (This "quiet" move em­ phasises the hopelessness of Black's position. Grandmaster Liliental had taken into account all the sequences of the sacrifice: Black' s King cannot escape pur­ suit. If, for instance, Black now plays 1 9 . . . Qc8, then 20. Rfe 1 Nf6 2 1 . Qg5 + Kf7 22. Rd6 leads White to victory. Neither is there salvation defence in the 19 . . . Qc7 , after which White con-

tinues his attack with 20. Qg4) 19. .. Qf6 20. Rd7 + Kf8 21. Rxb7 Nd8 22. Rd7 Nf7 23. Qd5 It is interesting that almost none of White's moves lead to check. This shows that Liliental' s combination was conceived and carried out not only on the basis of calculation of the variations but also on a subtle and intuitive understanding of the position. 23. . . Rb8 24. Ret f3 25. Re3 Resigns. Even if B lack makes the best move 25 . . . Ng5, 26. h4 settles the issue. Grandmaster now Liliental lives in Budapest, where his youth was spent. To return to the 1 950 match­ tournament. The play-off be­ tween Boleslavsky and Bronstein was an unusually stubborn con­ test. Bronstein won the first and seventh games, but those who Boleslavsky ' s underestimated fighting spirit were mistaken. H e won the eighth game and after two draws evened the score by a victory in the eleventh encounter. The twelfth game, too, was drawn. The 12 games provided for by the rules were inconclu­ sive, and so the first win in the additional games was to settle the issue. In the 14th game for­ tune smiled upon Bronstein: in a theoretical variation which he had analysed with Boleslavsky, ironi­ cally enough, some time ago , he on this occasion discovered a stronger move which enabled him to win. The first contender for a match with the world champion was the Moscow grandmaster David Bronstein. 6•

The Botvinnik-Bronstein match tremendous interest. aroused Bronstein was not the opponent Botvinnik would have chosen, as the world champion had twice lost to him. To compound matters, after becoming world champion Bot­ vinnik had not competed in tour­ naments for a long time, as chess had to take second place to his work on his doctoral thesis in technical sciences. Botvinnik sub­ sequently wrote about this period: "In my match with Brons­ tein the interruption in public appearances cost me very dear: I had not played then for almost three years and painfully felt my lack of the necessary training . " The Botvinnik-Bronstein match started with a series of four draws . The fifth game went to Bronstein . But by that time Bot­ vinnik had realised that his young opponent was not totally confi­ dent in the endgame. In the sixth game Bronstein made a mistake in a very simple ending, and instead of half-point he got a vexing zero . In tlie next, seventh game, Botvinnik won again. Then again came three draws , and in the 1 1th and 1 2th games the opponents inflicted defeats on each other. Another four draws followed. Towards the end of the match Bronstein managed to win three important games , but he lost the 1 9th and 23rd games, after some inaccurate moves in the endgame. The last game ended in a draw, and the score was even 1 2 : 1 2. In keeping with the rules , Mikhail Botvinnik re­ tained the world title. It was the first time in the 83

history of chess that representa­ tives from one country had com­ peted for the world title, and this was to happen again frequently over the next 20 years . Bronstein played many interesting games in the match , one of which we will show the reader. The tactical abilities of the young grandmaster are immediately evident in this game.

Nimzovich Defence M . BOTVINNIK

D. BRONSTEIN

Fifth Game of the Match

1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 cS 6. Nf3 b6 7. 0-0 Bb7 8. Na4 One of the better known varia­ tions of the Nimzovich Defence, used in tournaments for almost the last 40 years . It was this variation, for instance, that was played in the Alatortsev vs. Lisit­ syn game at the USSR Cham­ pionship in 1 937. White avoids doubling his Pawns on the c-file and wants to begin encircling Black's Bishop on b4. Black ex­ changes on d4 to release his Bishop, this leading to the strengthening of White' s centre. 8. . . cxd4 Later, in the Taimanov-Botvinnik game (Mos­ cow, 1 963) Black was not flus­ tered by the threat and calmly played 8 . . . Qe7 . 9. a3 Be7 10. exd4 Qc7 1 1 . b4! Botvinnik pondered this move for 52 minutes . He decided to take firmer hold of the centre with his Pawns, thinking quite rightly , that he could repulse White's tactical threats on the K-side without losses. 84

11 Ng4 12. g3 It seems a dangerous move, but Botvinnik had thought out all the necessary defence moves. 12 f5 13. Nc3 a6 14. Rel Nc6 15. Bfl! This is the right defence ! The Bishop is transferred to g2, and White ' s K-side is thus reli­ ably protected. 15 Nd8 16. Bf4 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Bg2 Nf7 19. c5 Qc7 20. Rcl White is now preparing his Pawn's dangerous advance onto the central d5 . 20. . . ReS 21. Na4 b5 22. Nc3 f4! Since Black finds himself cramped he seeks to intensify play on the King's flank. At last he manages to do it. 23. d5 fxg3 24. fxg3 Bronstein subsequently took re­ sourceful advantage of the weak­ ness of e3, thus making it less dangerous for White to take on g3 with the Pawn from h2. 24 ... exd5 25. Qd4 Nf6 26. Nh4 ReS Bronstein does not allow White' s Knight on to f5, and with the threat 27 . . . Rfe8 he forces Botvinnik to switch play into the endgame stage. 27. Rxe5 Qxe5 28. Qxe5 Nxe5 29. Nf5 Nc4 30. Rd1? White inaccurately calculates the possible tactical variations and his position becomes critical . This may be partly the result of the big loss of time in the opening and consequent time trouble. It would be correct to play 30. Nxd5 Nxd5 3 1 . Bxd5 + B xd5 32. Ne7 + Kf7 3 3 . Nxd5. •.•

••.

••.

DIAGRAM 58

30 . . . Kh8! A clever mov e ! Bronstein makes i t impossible for the Knight to give check on e7 , and at the same time sets a trap for his opponent. Were Black now to play 3 1 . Nxd5 Bxd5 32. Bxd5 Nxd5 3 3 . Rxd5, after 33 . . . g6 ! he would lose the Knight. If it moves to any other square the issue is settled by 34 . . . N e3 ! , with the advantage o f a Rook for Black. 31. Rei Nxa3 32. Nd6 Bc6 33. Ral Nc2 34. Rxa6 d4! with a double aim: to take advantage of the far advanced passed Pawn and, exchanging the Bishop on g2 , to weaken White' s King, with a decisive influence on the final moves of the game. 35. NxbS Bxg2 36. Kxg2 Ng4 37. NfS. An interesting situation with many intricate variations possi­ ble . If White had played instead 37. Ne4, Bronstein would have carried out a mating attack: 37 . . . d3 38. Nbc3 Nce3 + 39. Kh3

d2 ! 40. Nxd2 Nf2 +4 1 . Kh4 Ng2 + 42. Kg5 (42 . Kh5 Rf5 + + ) 42 . . . g6 ! 43 . Rf6 (or 43 . Kh6 Ng4+ 44. Kg5 Rf5 +45. Kxg4 Ne3 + 46. Kh4 Rh5 + + ) 43 . . . Kg7 44. Rxf8 h6+ + . 37. . . d3 38. Rd6 RxfS 39. Rxd7 Ne3+ White resigns. David Bronstein 's games con­ tain many i nteresting ideas. The following game, played at the Alekhine M emorial Tournament in Moscow ( 1 97 1 ) is a good exam­ ple. Bronstein was awarded a special prize for the new theory demonstrated in this game .

Sicilian Defence D. BRONSTEIN

B. PARMA

I. e4 cS 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 c:xd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6 . Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8 . Qd2 0-0 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. Bb3 QaS l l . 0-0-0 Rfc8. This is one of the most compli­ cated variations of the Sicilian Defence, called the Dragon Vari­ ation . White attacks on the K-side, but Black is planning a counter-attack at the other end of the board. The moves made had frequently been met in games played in previous tournaments. Now , too, Bronstein sacrifices a Pawn and launches his attack. DIAGRAM 59

12. h4 NeS 13. hS! NxhS 14. NdS! After the compulsory exchange of Queens the threats along the opened h-file are difficult for Black to repulse. 85

14 . . . Qxd2+ 15. Rxd2 Kf8 16. g4! This is the point of the entire plan based on the sacrifice of the Pawn. Now , in case of the retreat of the Black Knight from h5 to f6, White continues 1 7 . Nxf6 Bxf6 1 8 . Rxh7 and can exert considerable pressure along the open h-file and on f7. Parma tries to save the game by sacrificing his Bishop for three Pawns, but this doesn't help. 16 . . . Bxg4. The move 16 . . . e6 is stronger, giving Black an oppor­ tunity for defence. 17. fxg4 Nxg4 18. Bg5 Nhf6 19. Nxf6! Bxf6 20. Nf3 Kg7 21. Bxf6 + Nxf6 22. e5! This breakthrough in the centre gives White the opportunity to win the weak Pawn on f7, after which Black' s situation is hope­ less. There still followed: 22.. dxe5 23. Nxe5 Ne4 24. Rdh2 h5 25. Nxf7 Rc7 26. Rg2 Rf8 27. Bd5 Nc5 28. Ne5 Rf5 29. Rxg6 + Kh7 30. Bg8+ Resigns. In subsequent years Soviet 86

chess gained in prestige. It be­ came common for Soviet grand­ masters to win at international tournaments . In 1 952, for the first time, the USSR team took part in the world team championship- the Chess Olympiad, which is some­ times called the Tournament of Nations. The Soviet chess team won first place in the final tour­ nament and returned to Moscow with the gold challenge trophy: the Hamilton-Russel Cup. For more than 30 years this honorary chal­ lenge trophy has stood in the Central USSR Chess Club. Once every two years the chess team takes the Cup to the next Olym­ piad, only to return home again with it. The Second Interzonal Tourna­ ment, held in Salchobaden in 1 952 , was also won by Soviet chess players, even more con­ vincingly than on the first occa­ sion. Whereas in 1 948 four of the five winners were Soviet grand­ masters , in the second all the five prize-winning places were taken by Soviet chess players. FIDE, in order to avoid holding an exclu­ sively Soviet tournament, allowed several more grandmasters who placed . sixth and lower, i . e . , Szabo (Hungary), Gligoric (Yugoslavia) and Stahlberg (Swe­ den) to take part , as well as former world champion Max Euwe and Samuel Reshevsky of the USA. The Second Interzonal Tourna­ ment was marked by another special feature . Apart from Alex­ ander Kotov , who finished 3 .5 points ahead of the other prize winners, the rest of Soviet chess

players were representatives of the young generation. Tigran Pet­ rosyan and M ark Taimanov tied for second place, while Efim Geller was fourth and Yuri Aver­ bakh fifth. All of them were awarded the title of international grandmaster for this achievement (only Geller won the title earlier). A year later the second chal­ lengers' tournament was held in Switzerland. The FIDE Cong­ ress overrode its former decision, and expanded the number of competitors to 15. Twenty­ eight games in 30 rounds: tru­ ly a marathon chess contest! "The winner will be the one who has enough strength , without the aid of his second, to reach the tournament hall on the last day," joked grandmaster Miguel N ajdorf. This time the struggle for first place was between four grandmasters: Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, David Bronstein and Samuel Reshevsky. Smyslov went into the lead almost from the very start. He played consis­ tently, not taking excessive risk, while not abstaining from some complicated designs. As a result Smyslov finished two points ahead . The 1 953 tournament was dis­ tinguished by its many interesting games which were subsequently annotated by Bronstein in his The Grandmasters ' International Tournament. We have chosen a game from the tournament which astonished the audience with its unusual final combination and was awarded a special prize for its beautiful style. This position is taken from the Averbakh vs. Kotov game:

DIAGRAM 60

White moved his Knight from c3 to e2, with its aim of g I , thus to reliably defend h3. His plans are upset by a sudden combina­ tional blow . 30 Qxh3 + ! ! The queen IS sacrificed for a mere Pawn. There had to be a reason for such a rare sacrifice. White' s King is now forced to leave the safety of h2, with every move penetrating deeper into the enemy camp, where inevitable destruction is in store for him. The exclusiveness of the position lies in the fact­ and Black knows this-that White's army cannot come to the aid of its King and is compelled to watch its sovereign perish. 31. Kxh3 Rh6+ 32. Kg4 Nf6 + ! 32. . . Rf8 would have been weaker because of 3 3 . N xf4 Nf6+ 34. Kf5 Ng4 + 35. Kxg4 Rg8 + 36. Ng6+ Rxg6+ 3 7 . Kf5 Rh5 + 38. Rg5 Bxg5 39. Kg4 ! , with only a small advantage for Black. 33. Kf5 Nd7. Black, seeing the possibility of merely repeating the •••

87

moves until the 40th (control) move is reached, decides to calm­ ly check the variations considered before the sacrifice of the Queen. He simply does not notice that 33 . . . Ng4! immediately settles the issue. 34. Rg5 Rf8 + 35. Kg4 Nf6 + 36. Kf5 Ng8+ 37. Kg4 Nf6 + 38. Kf5 Nxd5+ 39. Kg4 Nf6 + 40. Kf5 Ng8+ 41 . Kg4 Nf6 + 42. Kf5 Ng8+ 43. Kg4 Bxg5. DIAGRAM 6 1

Black cannot be repulsed , for instance, 44 . Ng3 Be7 45 . Nh5 (or 45 . Rh 1 Nf6 + 46. Kg5 Rg6 + 47. Kh4 N xe4+ ) 45 . . . Nf6 + 46. Nxf6 Rfxf6 with mate inevita­ ble: 44. Nxf4 Bxf4 and B lack wins. Neither is White saved by the sequence 44. Bg3 Nf6+ 45 . Kf5 Ne8+ 46. Kxg5 Rg8+ 47. Kxh6 Nf6 ! , with mate in two . In the case of 44. Rh l ! Rxh l 45 . Kxg5 (White cannot play 45 . Qxd6 due to 45 . . . Nh6 + and 46 . . . Nf7 + ) 45 . . . h6+ ! Black's at­ tack cannot be repulsed despite 88

his limited material, for m­ stance-46. Kg4 ! Nf6 + 47 . Kf5 Ne8+ 48. Kg6 Rg8 + 49. Kxh6 Nf6, etc. 44. Kxg5 Rf7! The concluding manoeuvre. The Rook creates the threat of mate in two: 45 . . . Rg7 + and 46 . . . Rf6 + + . 45. Bh4 Rg6+ 46. Kh5 Rfg7 47. Bg5 White cannot avoid the threat of mate and prolongs the game by continuous sacrifices . 47 . . . Rxg5 + 48. Kh4 Nf6 49. Ng3 Rxg3 50. Qxd6 Rg6 5 1 . Qb8+ Rg8 White resigns . I n the spring of 1 954 Botvin­ nik's second world title match took place in Moscow, and again his opponent was a formidable one . For many years Vassily Smyslov had competed with the world champion in many tourna­ ments and had to his credit vic­ tories in numerous international and USSR contests. He was in the prime of life, only 33 years old. He came to the match with an excellent knowledge of theory, and with a peerless technique, especially in the endgame . Botvinnik had learned his les­ son from the match with Brons­ tein, and realised that he had to compete in tournaments if he was to retain his sporting form. Bot­ vinnik had been placed only fifth in the 1 95 1 national championship and had not done very well at the Mar6czy Memorial Tournament in Budapest in 1 952. The world champion had thus made serious efforts to get back his form , competing in several major tournaments, from 1 952 to 1 954. In the 1 952 USSR Cham­ pionship Botvinnik tied for first

place with Mark Taimanov , and after winning a play-off was awarded the gold medal. Botvin­ nik thus came fully equipped for his match with Smyslov. The match was an uneven one. Botvinnik won three and tied one of the first four games , but then losing four and winning only one . The first 1 2 games, just half of the match, ended with an even score of 6:6! This was followed by another three victories for the world champion, but then, after a series of draws, he lost the 20th and 23rd games . History was repeat­ ing itself: as in the match with Bronstein the world title hinged on the last game . Botvinnik' s only advantage was that this time he played White. Smyslov chose the King's In­ dian Defence, and Botvinnik con­ fidently gained a big positional advantage. And again, just as with Bronstein, he agreed to a draw , although he had every chance of winning. Why take the risk? Anything can happen when under stress . The match culmi­ nated in a 1 2 : 1 2 draw , and so, as in the match with Bronstein, Bot­ vinnik retained his title. Unsuccessful attempts to win the world title usually disheart­ ened the contenders, so weaken­ ing their game. Not so Smyslov. Over the next three years he played in tournaments and Olym­ piads with the same confidence and strength as before the match with Botvinnik. He won first prize at the international tourna­ ment in Zagreb in 1 955, after which he shared first place with Botvinnik at the 1 956 Alekhine

Memorial Tournament in Mos­ cow , which attracted many strong players. In this next three-year period ( 1 954- 1 957) Soviet chess players further consolidated their interna­ tional standing. The USSR team won two Olympiads in Amster­ dam in 1 954 and in Moscow in 1 956, and in 1 957 won the Euro­ pean team championship . In the same period the Soviet student team became world champions for the first time. Another first was the winning of the world junior chess champion­ ship by Boris Spassky, an 1 8year-old undergraduate from Leningrad University. Leningrad has produced many gifted chess players, among them, of course, the talented grandmaster and noted pianist Mark Taimanov. He had played chess as a child, and soon developed a serious interest in the game, sharing his time between it and music. At the age of 1 9 he was awarded the title of master, and in the 1 952 interzonal tournament, tying for second place, he became a grandmaster. Twice, in 1 953 and 1 97 1 , he competed for the right to chal­ lenge the world champion. Taimanov did only moderately well in the challengers' tourna­ ment in Zurich, despite the many excellent games he played there. Taimanov ' s (White) final attack on Petrosyan is particularly re­ nowned. DIAGRAM 62

White gains a noticeable advan­ tage in space and decides to 89

launch a direct attack on the K-side. To start with he puts maximum pressure on Black, and primarily the Queen, by attacking along the diagonals and the open b-file. 24. Ba4! Rd7 25. Rbl White doesn 't win the ex­ change , · hoping for something more . 25 . . . Qd8 26. Bxd7! White does not risk sacrificing his Queen, since in the case of 26 . . . Qxh4 27 . Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Bxd5 Ra7 29. Rb8 Qd8 30. Be6 White will have both a material advantage and powerful Pawns in the centre . 26 Qxd7 27. Rg3 Na7 28. Be7 Bf7 29. Qg5 Bg6 30. h4 Nc6 31. Ba3 Nd8 32. h5 This nimble Pawn will be cru­ cial in White' s final attack. 32. . . Ne6 33. Qh4 Bf7 34. h6 g6 35. Qf6 Qd8 36. Be7 Qc7. •.•

DIAGRAM 63

37. Rxg6+ ! A beautiful sacrifice ! 37 . . . hxg6. No better is 90

37 . . . Bxg6 38. Qxe6+ Bf7 39. Qf6, leaving Black nothing to count on. 38. h7 + Kxh7 39. Qxf7 + Ng7 40. Kf2 Resigns. Yet another young Soviet player, grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, took part in the 1 953 challengers' tournament in Switzerland. He played a number of games with great skill, demon­ strating an ample grasp of chess strategy and tactics , skill in realising an advantage, and an excellent knowledge of endgame technique. Averbakh later pub­ lished a famous three-volume work on endgame theory. His victory in the following game was due precisely to end­ game play. DIAGRAM 64

The diagram shows a position from the Euwe vs. Averbakh game (the 1 953 challengers' tour­ nament) after White' s 32nd move. White's situation seems solid, but A verbakh correctly calculated

that he could sacrifice a piece and settle the game. 32. . . Nd6 33. Ke3 Nb5! 34. f4 Nc8 35. f5 Ncd6 36. Nf4 Nxa3! That is the decisive move! Av­ erbakh had for a long time been basing his game on the strength of this Knight sacrifice. Black's Pawns on the Q-side cannot now be contained . 37. Bxa3 NbS 38. Bel . The only retreat. Possibly White counted on the continua­ tion 38 . . . a3 39. Kd2, with a chance of retrieving the game but 38 . . . Nxc3!+ 39. Ne2 Nbl + ! White resigns . In the 1 954 match Smyslov had

not managed to wrest the world title from Botvinnik. In the sum­ mer of 1955 the Third Interzonal Tournament was held in Goteborg (Sweden). This time FIDE de­ cided to hold it according to new regulations: almost half of the participants were included in the group of contenders for the world title. First place in Goteborg went to Bronstein , the winner of the First Interzonal Tournament in Stockholm. The Soviet grandmas­ ters Keres , Petrosyan, Geller and Spassky, Hungary' s Szabo, Filip of Czechoslovakia, and Argenti­ nians Panna and Pilnik, also went forward to compete for the right to challenge the world champion . The third challengers ' tourna­ ment held in 1 956 was won by Vassily Smyslov, who for the second time in a row had to play Botvinnik for the world title. H e played this 1 957 match with great confidence. At the start neither of the opponents managed to gain an advantage , but Botvinnik's strength gave way , and out of the remaining games he managed to win only one. Capturing the lead­ ership, Smyslov went ahead , and played excellently until the end. He became the world ' s seventh champion.

Chapter VIII THE SEVENTH WORLD C HAMPION

In 1 935 Moscow had �osted an international tournament, at­ tended b y such legendary figures as Lasker and Capablanca. Soviet chess enthusiasts expected much from Botvinnik. Every round at the Museum of Fine Arts was watched b y an elderly, somewhat slow-moving man accompanied by a red­ headed boy . The Smyslovs, father and son, watched the more interesting games, standing most often at the table where Capab­ lanca played. For the Smyslovs chess was a family hobby . "I became in­ terested in chess in 1927," the grandmaster recalled subsequent­ ly. "My father, an engineer, was devoted to music and chess . He retained these interests to the end of his life and I inherited them from him in the early years of my childhood. " Smyslov Jr. was 1 4 years old when he started to play in tourna­ ments. At first his rivals were his classmates , and then the chess players of the Moskvoretsky House of the Young Pioneers. In the spring of 1 936 he was awarded the second sport rating in chess, and in the autumn the 92

first. In the year that Smyslov left school ( 1 938) he took first place in the USSR junior chess championship and became a can­ didate master. When child prodigies appear in chess, the way they play , with dashing attacks, bold combina­ tions, sacrifices and yet more sacrifices, inevitably attracts at­ tention . At this stage the en­ thusiasm is obvious, but it is difficult to tell whether he will achieve anything, and whether he has any real talent. But if the games of a young chess player show a predilection for the end­ game and the ability to play a game on a positional basi s , there can be no doubt that he has great promise. These were the kind of games played by Lasker, Capab­ lanca, Rubinstein, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Petrosyan, and Fischer. Smyslov worked hard at chess even as a child. He was helped and guided by older and more experienced players, at first by his father, then in children ' s clubs b y professional teachers . The year 1 935 saw the first publication of a game by Smys­ lov , in the 64 newspaper. It was played in the Moskvoretsky House of Young Pioneers cham­ pionship .

QUEEN'S PAWN OPENING K. Gerasimov

V. Smyslov

l. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. Bd2 Bd6 7. 0-0 Qc7 (7 . . . 0-0 is simpler and more reliable) 8. a3 b6 9. c4 Bb7 10. Nc3 a6 1 1 . Rel

1 1 . dxc5 bxc5 1 2. cxd5 exd5 1 3 . Re i is better. 1 1 . . . cxd4 12. exd4 0-0 13. Na4 Bf4 The move to c5 must be fore­ stalled . 14. c5 will now be fol­ lowed by 14 . . . b5 1 5 . Nb6 Rad8 16. b4 Ne4, and if 1 7 . Bxe4 dxe4 1 8 . Rxe4, then comes 18 . . . Ne7 19. Re t Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Bxh2+ 2 1 . Kh 1 Bf4, with equal oppor­ tunities for both sides. 14. Ne5 dxc4 15. bxc4 NxeS 16. dxe5 Qc6! 17. Bfl? The correct move is 1 7 . Qf3 , simplifying play. 17 . . . Rfd8 18. Qb3 Ng4 19. h3 DIAGRAM 65

follows 2 1 . . . Bh2+ 22. Kh 1 Nxf2 + + . 21. Bd4 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 BxeS + White is now bound to lose men and he resigns . When the participants in the 1 938 Moscow championship were told that Vassily Smyslov would also be competing, this did not make any special impression as nobody viewed the schoolboy as a serious rival. But with every new game Smyslov' s play attracted ever greater attention from both the players and the audience . The young chess player was confident in both combinational and posi­ tional technique, was well able to realise an advantage, and has an excellent knowledge of theory. The secondary school pupil be­ came a testing ground for the participants in the tournament, and many masters "failed" the test. The 1 7-year-old Smyslov finished ahead of many promi­ nent chess players and was awarded the title of master.

French Defence V . SMYSLOV

19 . . . Rd3! 20. Qxb6 Black's Rook cannot be taken either by the Bishop (because of mate on g2) or by the Queen (in view of 20 . . . Bh2+ 2 1 . Kh 1 Nxf2 + , etc . ) 20 Rxh3! An effective con­ tinuation of the attack. If 2 1 . Qxc6 is npw played, there •.•

A. LILIENTAL

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Ng8 Retreat to d7 is more useful for Black. 5. Qg4 h5 6. Qf4 c5 6 . . . b6 7 . Nf3 Ba6 is more logical . 7 .. dxcS Bxc5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Bd3 Nb4 10. 0-0 "There is a great belief these days in the advantage of two Bishops", wrote Vassily Smyslov . "It is, however, interesting to recall that C higorin readily at.

93

tacked with two Knights and often won. There are no compul­ sory laws of play in chess that apply to every position, for if that were so chess would lose its appeal and fade away . " 1 1 . cxd3 Bd7 10 . . . Nxd3 12. Be3 Be7 After 1 2 . . . Bxe3 1 3 . fxe6 the f-file could become the main highway for a dangerous attack by White . 13. Qg3 g6 14. Bg5 Nh6 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Racl Nf5 17. Qf4 Kf8? Black spends a lot of time on the King's manoeuvre. He should have played 1 7 . . . 0-0. 18. Ne2 Kg7 19. Rc7 Rhc8 Now a Pawn has to be ceded. If 1 9 . . . RabS, then 20. Qg5 is very strong. 20. Rxb7 Rcb8 21. Rxb8 Rxb8 22. b3 ReS 23. Ned4 Qa3 24. Nxf5 + exf5 25. Qg5! Be6 (25 . . . Qxa2 is bad because of 26. Qf6+ KgS 27 . Ng5 ReS 2S . e6) 26. Qf6 + Kg8 27. Ng5 ReS DIAGRAM 66

94

28. Nxe6! Few young chess players would have refrained from launching an attack here, switching the play into an ending with major pieces, but an analysis shows that the move 2S. h4 provides Black with real opportunities to save the situation. Smyslov also considered this variation : 2S . . . Qb2 29. R e t Qc3 30. Re3 Qal + 3 1 . Kh2 Qd4 but the continuation 32. Rg3 will not do because of 32 . . . Qxh4+ 3 3 . Kgl ReS . 28 . . . Rxe6 29. Qd8+ Kg7 30. Qxd5 Qxa2 31 . h3 Qb2 32. d4 Rb6 33. Qd7 a5 34. Qa7? (34. QdS ! is stronger) 34 . . . Qxb3? Black replies to a mistake with a mistake . 34 . . . Qxd4? is bad in view of 35. e6 ! , but 34 . . . Rxb3 ! would provide a defendable posi­ tion , and if 35. e6, then there follows 35 . . . Rb7. 35. Qxa5 f4 36. Qd2 f3 37. d5 fxg2 38. Kxg2 Qc4 39. d6! A decisive offensive. After 39 . . . Qe4 + 40. f3 Qxe5 4 1 . d7. Rb2 42. dSQ White wins. The game continued 39 . . . Rb7 40. Rdl Rd7 41 . Qd5 Qf4 42. Qd4 Qg5 + 43. Kh2 Kh7 44. Qe4 Kg7 45. Rd4 The very simple and appealing 45 . Rgl leads to unnecessary complications, i.e . , 45 . . . Qd2 46. Rg2 Ra7 47 . f4 Qdl 4S . f5 Ra t . 45 . . . Ra7 46. Qf4 Qxf4 + (or 46 . . . QdS 47. Qf6 + , and after the exchange of Queens the passed d-Pawn settles the issue) 47. Rxf4 g5 48. Rf5 Kg6 49. Rf6 + Kg7 50. h4 gxh4 5 1 . Kh3 Ra4 52. d7

Ra8 53. Rd6 Rd8 54. f4 Kf8 55. f5 Ke7 56. f6+ Resigns. This was Smyslov's first tour­ nament encounter with a grand­ master. In 1 940 the Large Hall of the Moscow Music Conservatoire was placed at the disposal of the participants in the 1 2th USSR Championship. Smyslov, now a student, was competing at such a high level for the first time. His debut brought him third place, ahead of such players as Botvin­ nik and Keres. "Smyslov's career is just begin­ ning," stated the magazine Shakh­ maty v SSSR, "nonetheless he plays with maturity and consum­ mate skill . " In 1 94 1 , shortly before the start of the war, a tournament between the strongest Soviet chess players took place in Leningrad. Smyslov came third, after Botvinnik and Keres . The title of grandmaster was conferred on Smyslov for this achievement. At that time he was the youngest grandmaster in the world . Here is the finale of a game played in this competition. DIAGRAM 67

Smyslov , playing White, car­ ried out a perfect attack on Boleslavsky ' s position. There followed : 19. c5! Bd5 Otherwise , after c6, Black ' s Bishop would have been blocked. 20. Racl Rde8 21 . c6 This method is one of slow strangulation. Smyslov declined combinational the solution 2 1 . Nd6+ cxd6 22. cxb7 + Kb8 23. Rc7.

21 . . . Qd8 22. Qc2 a5 23. Rcdl Bf8 24. Qd3 Be7 25. Nc3 Bb3 Good or bad, Black was ob­ liged to play 25 . Bxf3 . The move chosen makes matters even worse for him. 26. Rbl a4 27. Nd2 h4 28. Nxb3 hxg3 29. hxg3 axb3 30. Qc4, the aim being to move Qa4-Qa8 with mate on B7. Black has no satis­ factory defence. 30 . . . f5 31. Qa4 Bd6 32. Qa8 QgS 33. NdS! Now e7 is under attack and mate is inevitable. Black resigns. In June 1 94 1 Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union . The war lasted four long years , but did not put a stop to cultural activities. A number of tournaments be­ tween grandmasters and masters took place in Moscow, Lenin­ grad , Sverdlovsk, Kuibyshev and other cities in 1 94 1 - 1 944. Soviet chess lost many talented players, but nonetheless preserved its vit­ ality, and prestige as a sport. Competitions during the war years confirmed Smyslov's high 95

class and showed him to be Botvinnik ' s chief rival . The 1 3th U SSR Championship in 1 944 was indeed fought largely between Botvinnik and Smyslov. Scoring a victory in their personal encounter, Botvinnik won his match against Smyslov and took first place, and the latter was second. The tournament revealed Smys­ lov' s increased tactical skill. became His play more dynamic, decisive and precise. Smyslov never aimed purely for effect in his attacks . Smyslov himself defined his understanding of strategy and tac­ tics thus: "A good player must aim to combine the main strategic plan with the skilful use of tacti­ cal means in solving problems facing him. " The radio match between the USSR and USA teams in 1 945 aroused tremendous interest. Smyslov played in this famed match against the strongest American chess player of those times, Samuel Reshevsky. The two radio games with Re­ shevsky were Smyslov ' s first in­ ternational appearance . He coun­ tered the former's strength and experience with imagination, pre­ cise calculation and excellent technique. Smyslov won both games. The initial post-war internation­ al competitions marked Smyslov out as one of the challengers for the world title. The result of the tournament in Groningen (the Netherlands) held in 1 946 was indicative. Botvinnik emerged victorious , Euwe came second, and Smyslov took third place. %

Here is a game from this tour­ nament.

Budapest· Gambit V. SMYSLOV

H. STEINER

I. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4. The American master clearly wishes to involve the game in tactical complications, but we reap as we have sown. 4. N£3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Nxd2 6. Nbxd2 Nc6 7. a3 Bxd2 + 8. Qxd2 Qe7 9. Qc3 0-0. Black wants to regain a Pawn after 9 . . . Re8, but this transpires to be far from simple. 10. Rd1 ReS 1 1 . Rd5! b6 12. e3 Bb7 13. Be2 RadS 14. 0-0 NbS DIAGRAM 68

15. Rcl ! White sacrifices the exchange and gains a powerful Pawn centre. 15 Bxd5 16. cxd5 d6 If 1 6 . . . c5 then, as Smyslov pointed out, 1 7 . Bb5 is very strong. .••

17. Bb5 Rf8 18. e4! a6 19. Bd3 dxe5 1 9 . . . Rfe8 is more persistent. 20. Nxe5 Rd6. After 20 . . . f6 Smyslov intended to reply 2 1 . Ng4 in order to transfer the Knight to f5 (via e3). 21. . . Nc4 Rh6 22. Ne3 Qh4 Black hopes to attack, but all his attempts are thwarted by White. 23. Qxc7 Rf6 24. g3 Qh5 25. e5 The attack by the central Pawns settles the issue. 25 . . . Rh6 26. h4 Qf3 27. Rc4! b5 28. Rf4 Qh5 29. Ng4 Rg6 30. Bxg6 Qxg6 31. e6 Qb1 + 32. Kh2 f5 33. e7 Re8 34. Qd8 Resigns. This game is clear-cut and sim­ ple, but this simplicity testifies to Smyslov' s mastery of the game. Smyslov also did well in the 1 5th USSR Championship ( 1 947) and two international tourna­ ments held in the same year in Warsaw and M oscow. In 1 948 FIDE arranged a tour­ nament of the world' s strongest grandmasters laying claim to the world title, and deservedly in­ cluded Smyslov in the list of competitors . As we know, first place went to Botvinnik and the second to Smyslov. The tournament confirmed that Smyslov possessed outstanding combinational "vision" and intui­ tion. The young grandmaster also proved himself an innovator as a theoretician. His system in the Grtinfeld Defence, which was a development of Chigorin' s idea of the battle for the centre with pressure exerted by the 7-607

pieces, was tested in the tourna­ ment. There is no need to enumerate all of Smyslov's achievements. He is, after all, to this day an indispensable participant in, and in many cases also the winner of, the biggest international competi­ tions. The five-year period from 1 954 to 1 958 inclusive went down in chess history as a fight between Botvinnik and Smyslov for the world title. They first met in the spring of 1 954. The 24 games of this match guide us through the intricacies of chess , and testify to the beauty of the game . Here is one of them:

French Defence V . SMYSLOV

M. BOTVINNIK

I . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nd7 1 1 . Nf3 Nf8? An unhappy move. 1 1 . . . Qc7 is better. 12. Qd3 Qxa5 13. h4 Bd7 14. Bg5! White' s plan is clear. Smyslov manages to keep Black's King in the centre , and this decisively influences the further course of the game . 14 . . . Rc8 15. Nd4 Nf5 The move 1 5 . . . Rc4 would be bad because of 16. Qe3 , and if 1 6 . . . Ra4, then 1 7 . Rb l follows . 1 6 . Rb1 ! This move is still very strong now . If, for instance, 16 . . . Qxa3 , then there follows 1 7 . Nxf5 exf5 1 8 . Rxb7 Rxg5 19. hxg5 Qc l + 20 . Q d l Qxg5 2 1 . Qxd5 Qc 1 +

97

22 . Qd l Qf4 23 . Rh3 ! , and Black cannot avoid defeat. In the case of 16 . . . b6 there would follow 1 7 . Nb5 with the threat of 1 8 . Qxf5 , and after 1 6 . . . Nxd4 1 7 . Qxd4 White is in a better position. 16 . . . Rc4 17. Nxf5 exf5 18. Rxb7! DIAGRAM 69

Black's King IS now under crossfire. 18 . . . Re4 + White counters this move bril­ liantly, but neither would 1 8 . . . Rxg5 1 9. hxg5 Re4+ with 20. Be2 save Black from losing. 19. Qxe4! A spectacular sacrifice of the Queen, which concludes White's attack. 19. . . dxe4 20. Rb8+ Bc8 2 1 . Bb5 + Qxb5 22. Rxb5 Ne6 23. Bf6 Rxg2 24. h5 Ba6 25. h6 Black resigns . In 1 957 Smyslov won the right for the second time to challenge 98

the world champion. The result of the match was 1 2 . 5 points against 9.5 in Smyslov ' s favour ( + 6 - 3 = 1 3) . It i s interesting that Smyslov won the very first game in which he played Black. By this stage Smyslov had overcome his old weakness of playing less confi­ dently with Black. According to the rules then existing (later revoked by FIDE) the world champion, if he was defeated, had the right to a return match the following year. Botvin­ nik took advantage of this rule and challenged Smyslov to a match. While Botvinnik had been the weaker player in the 1 957 match, in the repeat match Smyslov was not up to his usual standard . In the first three games he got as many zeros. The match subse­ quently continued according to a pattern of a win , a loss and several draws, and then again the same monotony. But the differ­ ence in three points remained . Although Botvinnik made some mistakes towards the end of the match , even passing the time limit when he was in the better positio n , nonetheless, all he had to do was to draw the game before the last three, and he would regain the world title. He lost the 22nd game , and in the following game "a victorious peace" was registered. Botvinnik, the longest reigning among the Soviet world chess champions, became world champion for the fourth time. The three Botvinnik vs. Smys­ lov matches involved a total of 69 games . The overall count of + 1 8

- 1 7 = 34 m Smyslov ' s favour speaks for itself. The world champion spells a whole era in chess. What new elements did Smyslov introduce into this an­ cient game? Smyslov himself answered that question thus: "The quest for truth is my main aim in chess. Chess is the constant quest for better concepts, a better plan, the most powerful moves, the discov­ ery of concealed , clever ways to achieve a goal . " Tigran Petrosyan, Smyslov's rival for many years, said of him: "The ability to detect and demon­ strate to the stunned opponent the finest nuances of the so­ called simple positiOns places Smyslov in the same class as the classic players . " Smyslov' s play has been com­ pared with Capablanca' s , and fea­ tures specific to Rubinstein and other great masters of the past have been discovered in his games. However, such historical comparisons are not always very convincing. Smyslov is Smyslov, a man with a strikingly individual character and views. Some critics claim that Smys­ lov as a theoretician is merely a follower of Chigorin. Indeed, Smyslov inherited many of C higorin's ideas. Smyslov himself noted that he found Chigorin's view of chess as a peculiar art: that cannot be encompassed or expressed through some kind of mathematical formula particularly appealing. "It seems to me , " wrote Smys­ lov, "that in our times a chess player has to aim for breadth of vision, for a steady search for 7•

ways and means to move chess ahead ." These precisely have always been Smyslov ' s aims during his chess career. Guided by Chigo­ rin ' s work he has done much to develop the theory, strategy and tactics of chess . Smyslov h a s never been a retir­ ing person, and he is very in­ volved in the activities of Soviet chess, writes books and articles for chess journals. Smyslov was awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest hon­ our, for his work to promote chess and pass his experience on to young people. As a child Smyslov was seriously interested in singing. He wanted to become a professional singer. His tutors were specialists in their field , and he took part in concerts. He even sang with the famed tenor Ivan en­ Smyslov ' s Kozlovsky. thusiasm for chess meant the Soviet stage lost a promising singer. In the 1 959 challengers' tourna­ ment (Bled - Zagreb-Belgrade) Smyslov took fourth place, after Tal, Keres and Petrosyan. There he played with Bobby Fischer for the first time. The four games between them produced the result 1 : 1 , with two draws. As a winner of the Interzonal Tournament in Amsterdam ( 1 %4) Smyslov was numbered among those competing to challenge the world champion. Smyslov lost to Geller in a match in 1%5, the score being 5 .5 :2.5 in Geller's favour. Time takes its toll, and Smys­ lov was evidently no longer cut out to be world champion. Even

99

now, however, he remains one of the leading grandmasters, his chess career an enviably long one. Smyslov won a total of nine gold medals as a member of the USSR team at world chess Olym­ piads, in which Smyslov played 1 07 games , with 69 victories, just two (sic !) defeats and 36 draws. Smyslov played in an Olympiad for the first time in 1 952 ( l Oth Olympiad , Helsinki). The game in which he defeated grandmaster Barcza of H ungary is an interest­ ing one.

Ruy Lopez V . SMYSLOV

G. BARCZA

I. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 A continuation which cannot equalise chances, but the Hun­ garian master counted on Smys­ Jov being unacquainted with this old variation. 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4? (5 . . Bb6 is better) 6. e5! Nd5 7. 0-0 0-0 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Bc4! Nce7 10. Bg5! Qe8 1 1 . Qb3 .

21. Nc4 A crushing defeat. Black resigns. Twenty years later, at the 20th Jubilee Olympiad (Skoplje , 1 972) Smyslov was again a member of the USSR national team, the only one from the winning Soviet team in 1 952. Picking up 1 1 points in the 1 4 games played at the 20th Olym­ piad , Smyslov emerged as one of the leaders in this competition . In the following game the veteran encountered L. Ljubojevic, a very promising grandmaster from the younger generation.

DIAGRAM 70

Again everything is remarkably simple, but Black's strategy has been countered, and his position cracks in all directions. 11 ... c6 12. Nbd2 h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Ne4 d5 A desperate move, but Black cannot otherwise develop his pieces. 15. exd6 e.p. Nf5 16. Rfe1 Qd8 17. Ne5! Nxd6 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Bxf7 + Rxf7 20. Qxf7 + Kh7 100

Irregular Opening L. UUBOJEVIC (Yugoslavia)

V. SMYSLOV (USSR)

1. b3 Nf6 2. Bb2 b6 3. f4 Bb7 4. e3 The young Yugoslav grandmas­ ter wants to deflect his experi­ enced opponent from elevated theory . 4 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 cS •..

7. 0-0 0-0 8. a4 Nc6 9. Na3 dS 10. Qel e6 1 1 . NeS d4!? There was no compulsion to make this move, but Smyslov challenges his young rival. 12. Bf3 NdS 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 cxd5 1S. Qe4 Black appears to lose a Pawn without compensation, but Smys­ lov had foreseen all the details: 1S. . . Ba6 16. Rfe1 Qc7 17. Qxd4 Rad8 18. g3 Rfe8! Black plans to transfer his Bishop to f8 with the threat of Bc5. 19. Rad1? The most natural but, as is so frequently the case, by no means the best move. Either 1 9 . Kh 1 or 1 9. Qb2 would be correct. DIAGRAM 7 1

20. b4 Bxb4 21 . Qa1 QcS+ 22. d4 Qc3 23. Qxc3 Bxc3 The Rook on e l has no conven­ ient square to which to retreat. 24. NbS Bxe1 2S. Rxel BxbS 26. · axbS Nc7 27. Bc6 Neither will 27 . Nc6 Nxb5 ! 28. Nxd8 Rxd8 save the situation. 27 Re7 28. c3 a6 29. Bb7 Or 29. bxa6 Nxa6 30. Rb l f6 3 1 . Ng4 Kf7 32. Rxb6 Ra7, and Black should win. 29 ... NxbS 30. Bxa6 30. Nc6 Rxb7 3 1 . Nxd8 Rd7 32. Nc6 Nxc3 is also poor. 30 . . . Na7 31. Rb1 bS 32. BxbS Reb7 33. Bd3 Rxb1 34. Bxb1 NbS 3S. c4 Nxd4 White resigns. And now , almost 60 years old, the veteran performs successfully in competitions . H� visits differ­ ent countries, r�adily handing down his experience to young chess players, demonstrating his unfading skill . .•.

DIAGRAM 72

i

l

�-·

II

��

' /.- ' / '

�

1 9. . . Bf8! A knockout move. If 20. Qb2, then 20 . . . Qc5 + is decisive, and in the case of 20. Kg2 the win­ ning line is 20 . . . Bxa3 2 1 . Ng4 Bf8 22. Bxd5 Bg7 !, with all the ensuing consequences.

�

The Pacis vs. Smyslov game reached this position in the 1 980 101

tournament held in the health resort m Baguio m the Philip­ pines. White attacked on the Q-side, but Black's attack directed against White's King was considerably more danger­ ous. 26. . . h5! 27. Qc2 hxg4 28. hxg4 Rh3 29. Qc8 Qh7 30. Kf2 A vam effort to escape, for

White' s hide.

King

has no place to

30 . . . Nh4 31. Qe6 + Kg7 32. Net If 32. Ke2, Nxf3 ! 3 3 . Rxf3 Qxe4 + , etc. 32. Nd2 Nxf3 ! 3 3 . Nxf3 Qxe4 is also bad. 32. . . Rh2+ 33. Kgl Ng6 34. Ng2 Qh3 35. Rc2 Nh4! White resigns.

Chapter IX TAL YESTERDAY , TODAY AND TOMORROW

In the 1 957 USSR champion­ ship 20-year-old Mikhail Tal from Riga was awarded first place. Tal ' s performance with his spir­ ited game , combinative play, sac­ rifices and tactical blows came as a surprise . He made sacrifices in almost every game, and whether his opponents accepted or de­ clined the offer, they were over­ whelmed by tactical attacks. It is this dynamic creativity that prompted people to describe the Riga chess player as a trouble­ maker, wizard , magician , and so on. Tal ' s rise to fame was a rapid one- in 1 957 he was simply a master, in 1 958 grandmaster, and the winner of the Protoroz inter­ zonal, a year later he did better than the other competitors in the challengers ' elimination round and qualified for a world-title match with the reigning champion M ikhail Botvinnik. Even in the challengers' tour­ nament Tal' s unusual play was , indeed, astonishing. Usually par­ ticipants in such tournaments showed circumspection and a­ voided risks where possible. Tal, however, played with flair and verve, drawing only eight out of

the total of 28 games he played at the 1 959 challengers' tournament in Bled . Although Tal lost four games, he won the remaining 1 6 ! The match between the 24-year­ old Mikhail Tal and Mikhail Bot­ vinnik was therefore awaited with impatience. In the spring of 1 960 Botvinnik played his fifth world-title match as reigning champion. Mikhail Tal was so irrepressible in his on­ slaught that his play at times looked like sheer gambling. Perhaps Tal' s vigorous style of play put Botvinnik off his bal­ ance, because Tal took the initia­ tive at the very start of the match and exploited his success to gain an overall victory with a consid­ erable margin. Mikhail Tal , then 24, became the eighth player in history to win the world title. Tal is well known to and ad­ mired by chess connoisseurs all over the world. His clever and bold combinations seem to take us back to the jousts of the knights of the past. What kind of person is Tal , this 20th-century romanticist, who rose so swiftly to become world champion? "Chess is a specific form of creativity, the chess player being author, critic and performer simultaneously," said Mikhail Tal. "What attracts me most of all in chess is intellectual rivalry, the clash of ideas and the test of will power. "Chess mirrors the essence of man, his distinctive features . I do not think that machines will ever demonstrate individual traits of character and the clash of ideas. To gain success in chess , one ·

1 03

must have great enthusiasm and talent . Good chess players are born, great ones are made . "I am an optimist, and I re­ member Napoleon's words to the effect that a soldier who does not carry a marshal ' s baton in his knapsack is a bad soldier. " Mikhail Tal was born in Riga on 9 November 1 936. His father, a doctor, was a chess devotee and taught his seven-year-old son the rules of the game . Mikhail, however, developed a real inter­ est in chess only at the age of 1 2 . I t so happened that Misha's cousin, who was never parted from his pocket chess set, was visiting his relatives in Riga dur­ ing his vacation. Mikhail asked his cousin to play with him, but proved no match at all , losing one game after another. "Where have you learnt to play chess so well?" inquired Mikhail. "At the Young Pioneers' Palace . And I have a chess rating already," came the reply. It was then that Mikhail de­ cided to enrol at the chess club of the Riga Young Pioneers' Palace. The year was 1 948. The young Tal soon gained chess ratings. He qualified as a player of the third, second and first grades without special diffi­ culty. And then, quite naturally , came reverses, with his oppo­ nents ever stronger and more experienced . Mikhail often did well at Riga schoolboys' chess tournaments , although reverses also did occur when he became too excited , and overestimated the potential of his position. In 1 95 1 the Riga schoolboy 1 04

played against masters and candi­ date-masters for the first time. The entrants to the Riga cham­ pionship included two masters, six candidate-masters and 1 3 first-grade players, Mikhail being one of the latter. Mikhail finished far below the prize-winning places in the scoretable. Nevertheless, in some games he showed himself a very gifted player. Misha was, however, too excitable, tended to underesti­ mate the resources of his oppo­ nent's defence, and his technique was poor. It took Mikhail Tal another two years of persevering work to make his game more steadily successful. In 1 95 3 , Tal became Latvian champion . A. Koblents, master, finished runner-up, while third place went to Tal ' s rival in many junior chess competitions- Aivar Gipslis, now an international grandmaster. This was an encouraging achievement. But only when Tal competed in the 1 953 USSR team championship did he attract the attention of chess fans. The Lat­ vian team, made up mainly of young players, did very well . Mikhail Tal put up a splendid performance, scoring four-and-a­ half points out of a possible seven, and winning the right to play a match for the title of master. This match was held in Riga in 1954, with candidate master Mikhail Tal, now a student at Riga University, battling it out against master Vladimir Saigin from Byelorussia, who had more than once won Byelorussian

championships. First one player, then the other would come out on top, but in the long run Tal, supreme with the score of + 8 - 6 , qualified for the title of master. It was, perhaps, this match which for the first time showed that Tal' s play had become ver­ satile, the aim for combinations no longer an end in itself for the young chess player. The tournaments and matches in which Mikhail Tal appeared in 1 955, when he took part for the first time in trials for the USSR individual championship, were a decisive test of everything he had so far accomplished. The zonal of the USSR cham­ pionship in Vilnius involved the best players from the Baltic area, Byelorussia and the Karelian Au­ tonomous Republic. Of the total of the 1 7 games he played in this tournament, Tal won seven, lost two and drew eight, scoring 1 1 points and tying for third place. The magazine Shakhmaty v SSSR (Chess in the USSR) said then about the Riga player: "Tal is a gifted master of combinative play, who quickly finds his bear­ ings in complicated positions . At times, however, his play seems to be flimsy and he fails to show precision in making the most of an advantage . " Indeed, Tal had played too recklessly in several games of the tournament, overestimating the potential of his position, and he was still playing an unconvincing endgame . Towards the end of 1 955 Mikhail Tal scored his first major

success, emerging victorious in one of the three groups of the semi-finals of the 23rd USSR championship. In January 1 956 Mikhail Tal passed a major test in the finals of the USSR champion­ ship, tying for fifth place with two of the other entrants and confidently emerging as one of the country ' s leading players. Tal took part for the first time in an international competition in 1 956. A member of the Soviet students' team, he played at the world student chess champion­ ship. The USSR team came first. Tal, playing on Board 3, scored four points out of a possible five. And now for one of his games.

King's Indian Defence M . TAL (USSR) G . MORGEN (SWEDEN)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. Qd2 e5 8. d5 Ne8 9. 0-0-0 f5 10. exf5 gxf5 1 1 . g4 f4 (a naive attempt to block the K-side. The position requires vigorous counterplay, continuing 1 1.. Nc5) 12. Bf2 a5 13. Bd3 Nc5 (at this stage the move does not achieve its aim because White has gained control of the important central point e4. ) 14. Bxc5 dxc5 1 5 . Ne4 b6 1 6 . h4 .

DIAGRAM 73

Tal attacks simply and energeti­ cally. It would be most persistent for Black here to play 16 . . . Nd6; but instead: 1 05

DIAGRAM 74

16 . . . Nf6 17. Qc2 Nxe4 (or 1 7 . . . h6 1 8 . Ne2 , after which the Rook occupies the g-file) 18. Bxe4 Qd6 (if 1 8 . . . h6, then 1 9 . d6! Rb8 20 . d7 and so on) 19. Bxh7 + Kh8 20. Be4 a4 21. g.S Black resigns. The year 1 957 brought major competitive chess successes and wide recognition to Mikhail Tal . From 20 January to 22 February the 24th USSR Championship was held in Moscow, with Tal (nine games won, two lost and ten drawn) winning the USSR title. An appreciable rise in the stan­ dards of Tal ' s play was evinced, among other things, by the fact that of the eight grandmasters , who took part in the tournament, five lost their games to the new champion of the Soviet Union . And now for the end of his game with Alexander Tolush, playing Black. The swift smash­ ing of the Black King's position has become a classical example of attack. 1 06

Tal' s spectacular move 30. e5!, came as a surprise to all who werefollowing the game. The breakthrough in the centre i s indeed beautiful . Indeed, White strikes in a sector of the board where Black is strong. The e5Pawn is threatened with capture by four chessmen simultaneously , and the g5-Bishop is also about to perish. The game developed as fol­ lows: 30. . . Rxe5 (if 30. . . fxg5 then 3 1 . Bxg6 hxg6 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Rh7 + ) 31. Bxg6 Rb7 (if 31... hxg6; 32. Qh8 + Kf7 3 3 . Rh7 + clinches matters . 3 1 . . . Rxg5 32. Bxh7+ Kf7 3 3 . Ne4 is equally bad) 32. Ne4! fxg6 33. Rfl Rxe4 (the only possible way of forestalling a catastrophe on f6) 34. Bxe4 Rg7 35. Rf6 Bxg4 (or 35 . . . Ng6 36. Rxg6) 36. Rfl Nd7 37. Rxd6 Qe8 38. Rxa6 Kh8 39. Bxh7! (without giving Black even a moment's respite) 39. . . NbS 40 . Bf5 + Kg8 41 . Be6 + Bxe6 42. Rxe6 Black resigns .

Mikhail Tal ' s performance at the USSR championship brought him the title of grandmaster. H e was at the time a fifth-year stu­ dent in the Department of His­ tory and Philology at the Univer­ sity of Latvia. The next four years held a string of successes in store for Mikhail Tal . The year 1958 saw him win the USSR championship and the in­ terzonal tournament in Portoroz, Yugoslavia, and again the best individual results at the 1 3th Chess Olympiad in Munich; The year 1 959 brought him first place at the international tourna­ ment in Zurich and at the marathon challengers' tournament (Bled, Zagreb and Belgrade) ; The year 1 960 held the final stroke in this brilliant four-year period , the match with Mikhail Botvinnik and the winning of the world title. The list is, indeed, eloquent. Competition history has witnes­ sed but very few examples of chess players making such tre­ mendous progress in so short a time! I n all these tournaments and matches Tal distinguished himself by spectacular, unusual and reck­ less play, at times excessively risky, but always interesting and bold . Tal astonished the chess world by his attempts always to gain the initiative, to attack. Nothing would stop him from this, neither positional weaknesses, nor the consequent need to sacrifice ma­ terial . Mikhail Tal ' s games involve sacrifices galore. Tal was very

inventive when it came to chess combination, and this endears him to all chess connoisseurs. DIAGRAM 75

i

This is a position from the Tal vs. Smyslov game played at the 1 958 challengers' tournament. The game continued as follows: 14. Qh4!? The exclamation and question marks mean that even now, many years after the encounter, com­ mentators have not managed to determine whether Tal's sacrifice was a correct one . Yet we might ask whether it really matters much that at times over the board , and more often in subsequent analyses , some of Tal' s plans were proved incor­ rect. And, indeed, he never claimed to be infallible : "I did make mistakes, but these never included a statement that I never err", wrote Tal himself. "Well, just try and see through my puzzles during the battle, in the very heat of the struggle, when 1 07

delay (as a result of spending too much time on pondering one's moves) may mean death . " 1 4. . . bxc4 1 5 . Qg5 Nh5 (If 1 5 . . . g6? then 1 6. Nh6 + Kg7 1 7 . Bc3 Qxa2 1 8 . Nh4 Qal + 1 9. Kd2 Qa6 20. N4f5 + Kh8 2 1 . Ke2 ! with White's attack becoming irresisti­ ble) 16. Nh6 + Kh8 17. Qxh5 Qxa2 (as analysis has show n , Black should have defended him­ self by playing 17 . . . Bf6 !) 18. Bc3 Nf6 (a very dangerous continua­ tion is 1 8 . . . f6 1 9. Rhe 1 gxh6 20. Qxh6 Rg8 2 1 . Ng5 and so on) 19. Qxf7! Qa1 + ( 1 9. . . ReS 20. Qg8 + and 2 1 . Nf7 + + ) 20. Kd2 Rxf7 21 . Nxf7 + Kg8 22. Rxa1 Kxf7 23. Ne5+ Ke6 24. Nxc6 Ne4+ 25. Ke3 Bb6 + 26. Bd4 Black resigns. At that same challengers' tour­ nament, Mikhail Tal beat Robert Fischer in all his four games with him . What lies behind Tal ' s succes­ ses and what has he contributed to chess? Even connoisseurs disagree in their views on Tal 's play . There has been a persistent note of disbelief in some commentators' notes in the legitimacy of the victories gained by the Riga grandmaster, with critics pointing out the numerous instances when Tal found himself in a difficult position, the many times he could have lost, if this or that had not happened. The point is that chess means a struggle-the struggle of plans and ideas; it tests the opponents' wills. Tal's strength lies in the fact that he is not afraid of complica­ tions, indeed actively seeks them, 1 08

and is ready to take risks. Tal fights whether his position is good or bad, creates difficulties for his opponent, finding latent potential . Tal ' s answer to a reporter's question as to whether he had taken "unjustified risks" in his games at the challengers ' tourna­ ment tells us a great deal . "Everything depends on what one regards an unjustified risks . I was not sure of the correctness of the decision I took only in the game with Smyslov. Although at a certain point I should have forced a draw, I relied on the fact that my opponent was in time trouble. Analysts will, perhaps, find quite a few such points in my games. I'll add that in such company it is generally difficult to play without taking risks . " DIAGRAM 76

This position arose in game 1 7 o f the challengers ' tournament. Tal here continued 12. 14?! This is how he commented himself on

•

bility of a tactical struggle on this move: '"An awful, anti­ either side. positional, incredible move ' ,- the "Secondly, the weakness of words all commentators without White' s rear can be brought into exception have used describing play only by undermining his the move. One might conclude position in the centre , whereas that White had never read a chess such moves as c5 and e5 would text-book, because it is common knowledge that 1 2 . f4 weakens add considerably to the strength of White's Bishops. White' s black-squared periphery, immobilises the Bishop, and "And, lastly, Black will be able to mount an attack on the K-side places his King in jeopardy. "I do not think the reader will only after castling the Q-side, but hold me immodest if I say that I then White' s Pawn on the Q-side was concerned with all these will also be set in motion." considerations during the game. Logical reasoning? There can Yet, it is a fact that the horrible be no doubt that it is. The reader move, 1 2 . f4, was made. Why? will now see from the game that I 'll now try and set forth my ensued how all of Tal' s clever thoughts in brief. calculations were justified, even "First of all , I was convinced - though White was on the brink of a precipice. that there was no trace of the advantage White had possessed at 12... 0-0-0 13. a3 Qc7 14. b4 Nb6 15. Be2 Be7 16. Qd3 NfdS the opening stage. Still, by play­ 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. c4 Nf6 ing 1 2 . Qd2, White could, proba­ bly, secure a draw. 19. Rabl Qd7 20. Rbdl Kb8 Incidentally, White did not 21 . Qb3 Qc7 22. a4 Rh4 23. aS Nc8 24. Qe3 Ne7 25. QeS Rhh8 have much to choose from in this position: the Bishop on g5 is 26. bS cxbS 27. QxbS a6 28. Qb2 Rd7 29. c5 Ka8 30. Bf3 Nc6 under attack, and any retreat would have been inconsistent; 31. Bxc6 Qxc6 32. Rf3 Qa4 exchange on f6 is absolutely 33. Rfd3 Rc8 34. Rbl QxaS senseless ; defending the Bishop 35. Rb3 Qc7 36. Qa3 Ka7 37. Rb6 by playing Qc I is passive. The Qxf4 38. Ne2 Qe4 39. Qb3 QdS negative aspects of all these con­ 40. Rxa6+ Kb8 41. Qa4 tinuations are therefore the most apparent. DIAGRAM 77 "At last, my roving glance stopped at 1 2 . f4. At first, I even felt somewhat awkward, because Black has no defence against the demerits of this move were the threat of mate; Botvinnik most conspicuous. Its merits therefore resigned. Black' s error were less obvious, but they were was his 39 . . . Qd5? (he should still present, though they lay , so have played 39 . . . Ka8). to speak, not entirely on the Soon after the match with Bot­ chess plane. vinnik, world champion Mikhail "First, this move needs to be Tal led the USSR team at the refuted, which involves the possi14th Chess Olympiad, held in 1 09

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Leipzig, scoring 1 1 points out of 15. Tal ' s encounter with Fischer, leader of the US team, attracted the attention of both the spec­ tators and competitors. Larry Evans, Fischer' s coach, said that the game, the first between the rivals after Tal had won the world title , proceeded in the man­ ner of past masters . The aggres­ sive-minded Fischer quickly sec­ ured a winning position. He was imprudent enough, however, . to allow Tal to embark upon a senes of brilliant sacrifices . The storm lasted for seven moves and ended in perpetual check. And now for this interesting game .

R. FISCHER

·

•..

DIAGRAM 78

French Defence M. TAL

1 . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 BaS (the usual 5 . . . Bxc3 i s more reliable) 6 . b4 ! (this bold move was recommended by Alexander Alekhine, and that is 1 10

recommendation enough) 6. . . cxd5 (we know that 6 . . . cxb5 enables White to launch a strong attack after 7 . Nb5) 7. Qg4 Nge7 (7 . . . Kf8 would have been ans­ wered by 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. a4 ! , opening the way for the Bishop from c 1 to a3) 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 1 1 . Nf3 Qc7 (but not 1 1 . . . Qxa5 , because of 1 2 . Ng5 Rf8 1 3 . f4, and his centre strengthened , Wh te would start pushing his h-Pawn squard 12. Bb5 Bd7 ( 1 2 . . . Rxg2 is ineffective, in view of 1 3 . Kfl ! Rg8 1 4 . Rg1 Rxg1 1 5 . Kxg 1 , and the way i s open again for the advance of the h-Pawn) 13. 0-0 0-0-0 (more promising is 13 . . . Nxe5, as Tigran Petrosyan suggested after the game) 14. Bg5? Fischer wrote in his notes that the correct move here would have been 1 4 . Bxc6, giving the following sequence: 14 . . . Bxc6 (if 14 . . . Qxc6, 1 5 . Bg5 d4 1 6. h4 ! , or 14 . . . Nxc6 1 5 . Re i , with the subsequent Bg5 and h4) 1 5 . Qxf7 d4 ( 15 . . . Rxg2+ 1 6 . Kxg2 d4 1 7 . Kg l Rg8+ 1 8 . Ng5 is incor­ rect) 1 6 . Qxe6+ Bd7 ( 1 6 . . . Kb8 1 7 . Ng5) 1 7 . Qxe7 Rxg2 1 8. Kxg2 Bh3 + 1 9 . Kxh3 Qxe7 20. Bg5 , and White is bound to win . 14 Nxe5!

The beginning of a series of spectacular moves. Fischer ad­ mitted that he thought Tal was just trying to complicate the game . 15. Nxe5 Fischer wrote that he had at

first intended to play 1 5 . Bxd7 + , but then noticed that after 1 5 . . . Rxd7 16. Nxe5 (if 16. Bxe7, 1 6 . . . Qxh 2 + ) Nxf3 + 1 7 . Kh1 1 6 . . . Qxe5 1 7 . Bxe7 Rh8 ! , B lack would win the piece back and gain the initiative) 15. . . Bxb5 16. Nxf7 Bxfl! 17. Nxd8 Rxg5 18. Nxe6 Rxg2+ 19. Kh1! White survives in a difficult position. 1 9. Kxf l is ineffective in view of 1 9 . . . Rxh2 ! 20. Qf7 (or 20. Nxc7 Rxh7 etc . ) 20 . . . Rhl + , and White would be in desperate need of advice. 19 . . . Qe5 (an interesting variant is 19 . . . Qc4 20. Qxe7 Rg8. White saves the game only by playing 2 1 . Nf4 ! , if 21... Qxf4?, 22. Qxe6+ Kc7 23 . Qxg8) 20. Rxf1 Qxe6 21. Kg2 Qg4+ Drawn A downward trend in Mikhail Tal's career became evident in 1 96 1 , when his short stay on the chess throne ended in the loss of a return match to Botvinnik. This return match as had been the case three years before with

Smyslov , was strikingly different from the 1 960 Botvinnik-Tal match. This time it was Botvinnik who dictated his will, calmly re­ pulsing Tal ' s reckless attacks . By the end of the 1 2th game , Botvin­ nik was three points ahead , which predetermined the outcome of the whole affair. The return match ended in a 5-point lead for Bot­ vinnik. In the year of his 50th Botvinnik birthday, Mikhail scored another major victory in a return match , this time over the young chess player distinguished by his outstanding talent for com­ binational play. This time Botvinnik countered Tal ' s impulsive performance with his scientific , analytical method of play, and by preparing for the match by thoroughly analysing his opponent's merits and de­ merits. "Improvisation is the great thing in Tal' s style of play ," wrote Botvinnik. "A study has shown that Tal is strong at the board in far from every posi­ tion . . . Tal feels good only in games with a lot of room for manoeuvre, particularly if he has the initiative. This lop-sidedness in his style somewhat detracts from his strength in practice, and this has, probably , had a substan­ tial impact on the outcome of the match." After his loss of the return match , Mikhail Tal still went on to do well for several years, but the standard of his play was nevertheless declining steadily , which disappointed his numerous fans and admirers. Tal was obviously living through a serious crisis. Would Ill

he manage to regain his former strength? The beginning of 1969, when he experienced quite a few reverses, was a particularly grim time for Tal. His result at the USSR championship of that year was a sad one: 10.5 points out of a possible 22. "Tal is no longer the Tal we used to know ," some critics wrote. Their conclusions were once again proved premature . Towards the end of that same year, I %9, Tal came first at an international tournament in Tbilisi. "I was perfectly aware ," wrote Tal, "that I had to back up this success, for, indeed, it had been preceded by too many failures." The grandmaster from Riga set himself to surpass the standards of the Tal of old. "I now see " , h� said, "quite a few shortcomings in the play of 'former Tal ' . And I would like, if I can to present myself not only as the 'former ' , but even, i n some respects , a s a 'new Tal' , said Tal giving the lie to the sceptics' dismal forecasts. With ever greater energy he again undertook to reach the top in class. Let us turn to the chess events of the 1972-1973 period. As a member of the USSR national team Tal took part in the 20th (jubi ee) Chess . Olympiad in _ Skoplje, Yugoslavia ( 1 972), w1th the Soviet team again, for the eleventh time, winning the gold medals . Tal ' s score was a record one: 14 wins in 16 games . Here is one of the games he played at the Olympiad:

l

1 12

Ufimtsev Defence TAL (USSR) J. TIM MAN (HOLLAND)

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nbd2 (a disputable continua­ tion, but Tal is fond of breaking new ground. The usual move here is 4. Nc3) 4 . . . Bg7 5. Bc4 0-0 (5 . . . Nxe4 is premature in view of 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Nxe4 with good oppor­ tunities for White) 6. Qe2 c6 (the extravagant 6. . . Nh5 deserved attention) 7. Bb3 Bg4 8. e5 dxe5 9. dxe5 Nd5 (9 . . . Nd7 is parried with the very unpleasant 10. e6!) 10. 0-0 Nd7 17. h3 Bf5 12. Ret Qc7 (Black has deployed his pieces well ; at this juncture he could have fully equalised by playing 1 2 . . . Nc5. The move he actually made is less effective) 13. Nfl Rad8 14. Ng3 Be6 15. Qe4 (Black's King, like a magnet, seems to attract Tal ' s thoughts. The Queen i s ready for the move to h4) 15. . . Rfe8 16. Qh4 f6 (it is dangerous to accept the offer of the Pawn, for example: 1 6 . . . Nxe5 1 7 . Ng5, or 16 . . . Bxe5 1 7 . Nxe5 Nxe5 1 8 . f4 Nd7 19. f5 , and the columns of White' s pieces approach Black ' s King) 17. Bh6! Nxe5 (The best move here is 1 7 . . . Bf7, but the Dutch master has already fallen prey to Tal's combinational play and treacherous traps) DIAGRAM 79

18. Rxe5! fxe5 19. Ng5 Bf6 20. Nxe6. Black resigns. "How do you manage to rout your opponents so quickly?"

Alexander Alekhine was once asked. "I make them think inde­ pendently," came the answer. Mikhail Tal shares Alexander Alekhine's stand. On the eve of 1 97 3 , Tal scored yet another outstanding success : in the 40th USSR Championship, held in Baku, he came confident­ ly first, winning the USSR title for the fourth time. When the championship came to an end, a correspondent from the Sovetsky sport newspaper put this question to Tal: "Many news­ papers speak about Tal ' s 'renais­ sance' . Any comment?" The quick-witted Tal answered: "I

haven't read even one decent obituary on myself to be able to speak about my 'renaissance ' . There i s a much simpler explana­ tion. I didn't feel well for a number of years , and I played badly. I have felt O . K. for a few years now, but, evidently, this seems hard to believe. If my success in Baku can convince the sceptics, I 'll be very pleased indeed." Unfortunately, Mikhail Tal's form has still left something to be desired in recent years. Excellent results have alternated with re­ verses and failures. The ' question of Tal' s "renaissance" remains unanswered. Let us quote Tigran Petrosyan, who had this to say about Mikhail Tal : "Tal is the player who has produced the most spectacular games in modern chess. In his games, perhaps modern, some­ what slow chess, has most fully recalled the major strategic factor of time. Even very strong players have again realised that today, too, one has to prize time. "His remarkable imagination and brilliant power of calculation have entered Tal ' s name in the list of the great chess players of all times . "

Chapter X IRON ·TIGRAN

The Fifth Challengers' Tourna­ ment was held in Cura