July 08, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, July 08, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

Mott-Smith U.S.A.
Problem: (07/08/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

Turning The Tables
A player must be ever alert since chess offers sudden reversals of fortune. Here are two games from the 1972 USA championship illustrating this doctrine of the second chance. In the first I was ready to resign but got a gift; in the next my opponent was ready to resign but refused my gift.

King's Indian Defense
White: FEUERSTEIN 1 N-KB3 2 P-KN3 3 P-Q4 4 B-N2 5 0-0 6 P-B4 7 P-Q5 8 KN-Q2 9 P-QR3 10 P-QN4 11 R-R2 12 B-N2 13 RxB 14 PxP 15 N-QB3 16 RxP 17 Q-B2 18 KR-N1 19 N-B3 20 P-R4 21 N-Q4 22 N-B6 23 P-B4(b) 24 PxN 25 RxB 26 N-Q5?(c) 27 P-B7(d) 28 NxR 29 K-R2 30 Q-R4 31 P-K4 32 R-N5 33 Q-N4	Black: EVANS N-KB3 P-KN3 B-N2 0-0 P-Q3 N-B3 N-QR4 P-B4 P-N3 N-Q2 N-N2 BxB PxP PQR4 PxP QN-B4(a) B-R3 Q-B2 BR-B1 N-N2 BxP!? N-K4 NxN N-R4 NxR Q-R2 RxP QxN Q-B4 P-Q4 PxP Q-B3 R-R1 Resigns
(a) Correct is 16 … N-R4! followed by … B-R3. (b) Simpler is 23 RxB, NxR 24 N-N5, Q-Q2 25 QxN, etc. (c) 26 N-N5! wins outright. (d) Now he sees 27 QxN? P-QN4ch! winning the Queen. But 27 NxPch, QxN 28 QxN offers drawing chances.

Sicilian Defense
White: EVANS 1 P-K4 2 P-KB4 3 N-KB3 4 P-KN3 5 B-N2 6 0-0 7 P-Q3 8 N-B3 9 B-K3 10 P-Q4 11 R-K1 12 BPxP 13 NxP 14 QxN 15 Q-R4 16 QR-Q1 17 Q-N3 18 P-QR4 19 PxP 20 K-R1 21 QxNP 22 Q-R3 23 Q-N3 24 B-N6! 25 B-B1 26 B-Q4 27 Q-R2 28 BxB 29 N-Q5 30 QxB 31 P-B3 32 Q-B4 33 QxQ 34 R-K3 35 P-QN4 36 P-R4 37 R-Q5 38 B-R3 39 R/3-Q3 40 RxP 41 R-QB5 42 B-B1 43 R-K3 44 R-QR5 45 R-Q5 46 P-B4 47 P-N5 48 R-KB3(b) 49 R-Q8ch 50 R-Q7 51 R/3xP 52 K-N1 53 R-N7ch 54 R/Q-B7ch 55 R-R7 56 KxN 57 K-K1(d) 58 RxRP 59 R/R-N7ch 60 R/N-Q7	Black: LOMBARDY P-QB4 N-QB3 P-Q3 P-KN3 B-N2 P-K3 KN-K2 0-0 P-N3(a) B-QR3 P-K4 PxQP NxN1 BxP B-QN2 P-QR3 P-QN4 B-QB3 PxP P-N5 R-N1 R-R1 Q-R4 Q-R3 Q-B1 R-N1 N-B4 PxB BxN N-Q5 R-Q1 N-B6 KRxQ N-N4 R-B2 N-K3 R-R1 R-R7 N-Q5 N-K7 R/2-R2 N-B8 R-QB7 R-Q2 R-R2 R/2-R7 R/R-N7 N-K7 K-N2 K-N1 NxPch NxB(c) K-B1 K-K1 R-N7ch R/QN-B7ch K-B1 K-N1 K-R1 Resigns
(a) Stronger is 9 … N-Q5. (b) The win is 48 P-B5! N-N6 49 P-B6, R-B8 50 K-N1, N-Q7 51 R-K2! RxBch 52 K-N2, R-Q8 53 P-B7. (c) 52 … R-KR7! forces a draw. (d) Now White wins. Black, with split seconds left, checked with the wrong Rook. 56 … R/KN-B7ch would have drawn by perpetual check, preventing the King from escaping to QR1.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 Q-Q2! threatening 2 K-N3. If 1 … BxN 2 Q-Q8. If 1 … KxN 2 Q-QR2

May 20, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, May 20, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

A. Benedek, Hungary
Problem: (05/20/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

Alekhine Is In Again
Alexander Alekhine (1892 — 1946) emigrated to France after the Russian revolution in 1917. He won the world championship from Cuba's José Capablanca in 1927, refused to grant a return match, and held the title until his lonely death in Lisbon after World War II. Alekhine explained his brief loss of the title in 1935-37 as “too much alekohol.”
Alekhine did not invite affection as a human being. He even collaborated with the Nazis during the war and wrote a series of articles Jewish and Aryan Chess in 1941: “A psychological study — based on experiences at the chessboard — which demonstrates the Jewish lack of courage and creative power.”
Ugly rumors circulated that Alekhine did not lift a finger to aid chess colleagues condemned in Nazi concentration camps. In Russia his name was purged from Alekhine's Defense (1 P-K4, N-KB3) and he was ostracized by the chessworld. Not now.
The Alekhine Memorial Tournament was held in Moscow recently, a strong event indeed. The first 7 in a field of 18 Grand Masters were all Russians: 1-2 Karpov & Stein (11); 3 Smyslov (10½); 4-5 Petrosian & Tukmakov (10); 6-7 Spassky & Tal (9½). The U. S. representative Robert Byrne made the best showing of the seven foreigners, scoring 9 points. In this game he demolishes a young Soviet player with a novel attacking system.

Sicilian Defense
White: BYRNE 1 P-K4 2 N-KB3 3 P-Q4 4 NxP 5 N-QB3 6 B-K3 7 N-N3 8 Q-Q2 9 P-B3 10 0-0-0 11 P-N4 12 P-N5 13 R-N1 14 K-N1 15 BxN 16 P-K4 17 Q-N2 18 N-Q5 19 P-B4 20 PxPe.p. 21 PxP 22 B-R6 23 PxP 24 N-Q4! 25 RxQ 26 N-B7ch 27 Q-R8ch 28 R-N7ch 29 QxR	Black: BALASHOV P-QB4 P-Q3 PxP N-KB3 P-QR3 P-K4 B-K3 QN-Q2 R-QB1(a) N-N3 Q-B2 N-B5 QxB P-N4 P-N5 B-Q1 P-B4(b) NPxP QPxP P-B4 BxP QxN RxP BxN(c) K-K2 K-B3 Resigns (d)
(a) 10…Q-B2 followed by 0-0-0 gets the King to safety. (b) Dangerously exposing his King in the center. 19…P-QR4 offers more counterplay. (c) If 26…RxNch 27 K-R1, PxR 28 R-K1ch, B-K2 29 Q-N7 wins. (d) Futile is 29…R-R7ch 30 K-B1, R-R8ch 31 K-Q2, etc.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 Q-B7! If 1…B-B4 2 K-Q5. Or 1…B-Q4 2 PxB.

February 26, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, February 26, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

S. Szekely, Hungary

Problem: (02/26/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

The Best Laid Plans
The opening game of the recent Fischer-Petrosian match in Buenos Aires was dramatic and exciting. Riding the crest of a 19-game winning streak, Bobby was lucky enough to draw the white pieces against the imperturbable ex-world champion. But 42-year-old Petrosian was well prepared for his youthful antagonist. So well prepared, in fact, that he refuted one of Bobby's pet weapons against the Sicilian Defense. Departing from his usual cautious style, Petrosian seized the initiative with a sensational new 11th move. But he failed to proceed energetically, swapped pieces and drifted into an inferior ending where his great defensive genius was foiled by the clock. Short of time, he missed a draw.
Petrosian tasted brief glory by winning the next game. But this was not enough to halt Bobby's resolute drive to a 24 game title match with Russia's Boris Spassky.

1st match game Sicilian Defense
White: Fischer 1 P-K4 2 N-KB3 3 P-Q4 4 NxP 5 N-N5 6 B-KB4(b) 7 B-K3 8 B-N5 9 QN-B3 10 BxN 11 N-R3 12 PxP 13 NPxB 14 Q-Q2 15 B-B4 16 R-Q1 17 B-Q3 18 QxB 19 0-0 20 K-R1 21 P-84 22 N-K4 23 PxQ 24 R-Q2 25 NxR 26 PxP 27 R-K1 28 R-K2 29 R-K3 30 R-R3! 31 N-B3 32 RxP 33 P-KR4 34 RxP 35 K-R2 36 P-R5 37 RxP 38 R-K4! 39 K-N3 40 N-K5	Black: Petrosian P-QB4 P-K3 PxP N-QB3(a) P-Q3 P-K4 N-B3 B-K3(c) P-QR3 PxB P-Q4!(d) BxN Q-R4 0-0-0 KR-N1! B-B4(e) BxB(f) N-Q5 K-N1 QxRP(g) R-QB1 QxQ R-B7 RxR P-B4! R-K1 N-B7 N-Q5 N-B7 RxP RxP RxP N-K6 R-Q8ch(h) R-R8 P-B5(i) RxP NxP R-R4 Resigns
(a) In the 7th game Petrosian varied with 4 … P-QR3. (b) A dubious time-consuming maneuver. More solid is 6 P-QB4 with a Maroczy bind. (c) Better than 8 Q-R4ch 9 Q-Q2! NxP 10 QxQ, NxQ 11 B-K3, K-Q2 12 QN-B3! NxN 13 NxN as in Fischer-Taimanov, 1st match. game 1971. (d) Prepared analysis, improving on 11 . N-Q5 12 N-B4, P-B4 13 PxP, NxP 14 B-Q3 (Fischer-Taimanov, 6th match game). (e) Also strong is 16 … RxP 17 N-K4, Q-N3! (f) Missing the thematic.17 … P-K5! 18 B-K2 (not 18 NxP? BxN 19 BxB, KR-K1) RxP 19 Q-K3, N-K4 with active chances. (g) Leads to trouble. More viable is 20 … P-B4 21 P-B4 P-B3 with equality. (h) 36 R-Q3! followed by a Q-side Pawn advance should hold the draw, (i) A better try is RxP but White still wins with 37 K-R3.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 Q-K6!