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!

February 19, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, February 19, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

S. Poduschrin, USSR

Problem: (02/19/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

Fischer to the Summit
For the first time in history the U.S. produced a contender for the world championship when Bobby Fischer smashed Tigran Petrosian in Buenos Aires last October. Finally Bobby earned a title shot which will pit him against Russia's Boris Spassky in spring '72.
Argentina got its money's worth for a $12,000 purse — banner headlines and worldwide publicity. Some 5,000 fans jammed the San Martin theater every round, overflowing into the lobby to follow each move on large demonstration boards. Halfway the feverish betting odds dropped to even money when Fischer got mired in 3 draws after losing the second game which shattered his 20-game winning streak. The score was tied after round 5.
The turning point came when Petrosian suddenly drew into his shell, adopting the usual waiting game which had served him so well during his reign as world champion. He set up a cramped, sluggish formation and then shuttled to and fro along his back row. Perhaps he felt that his best chance lay in tempting Fischer to overreach himself. No such luck. Bobby swept the last 4 games to post 6½-2½.

6th match game Q's Fianchetto
White: Petrosian 1 N-KB3 2 P-QN3 3 B-N2 4 P-B4 5 P-Q3 6 P-K3 7 B-K2(a) 8 QN-Q2 9 0-0 10 P-K4 11 N-K1 12 B-N4 13 QxB 14 Q-K2 15 N-B2 16 KR-B1(b) 17 B-R3? 18 N-K1 19 PxP(c) 20 B-N2 21 N/1-B3 22 P-QR3 23 Q-Q1 24 P-QR4 25 PxP 26 PxP 27 NxN 28 Q-K2 29 QxN 30 Q-R2 31 QxQch 32 R-B7ch 33 P-N4 34 R-R2 35 RxR 36 P-R5 37 P-R6 38 K-B1 39 K-K2 40 K-Q3 41 N-N1 42 N-K2 43 R-N2ch 44 R-N1 45 R-N2 46 P-B3 47 R-B2 48 R-R2ch 49 R-N2ch 50 R-R2 51 R-R1 52 R-R7(d) 53 R-Q7 54 R-Q5ch 55 N-B1 56 R-Q7 57 N-K2 58 R-QN7 59 RxP 60 NxPch 61 KxP 62 K-K3 63 K-K2 64 P-R4 65 P-R5 66 K-K1 White Resigns	Black: Fischer P-QB4 P-Q4 P-B3 P-Q5 P-K4 N-K2 KN-B3 B-K2 0-0 P-QR3 P-QN4 BxB Q-B1 N-Q2 R-N1 Q-K1 B-Q3 P-N3 PxP N-N3 R-R1 N-R4 Q-B2 PxP P-B5 N/3xBP NxN NxB KR-N1 B-N5 KxQ K-K3 B-B6 R-QB1 RxR R-QR1 R-R2 P-N4 K-Q3 K-B4 K-N4 B-R4 KxP R-QB2 B-K8 K-R4 R-QN2 K-N4 B-N5 R-QB2 R-B1 B-R4 B-N3 B-B4 K-R5 B-N5 K-N6 R-QR1 R-R8 PxN R-Q8ch B-B4ch R-KR8 K-B5 R-R7ch K-Q6
(a) Passive. More active is 7 PxP, BPxP 8 P-KN3 with a reverse Benoni defense. (b) Pointless. Better is 16 P-N3. (c) Only opens the position for Black. 19 P-N3 is drawish. (d) 52 R-R2, P-R4 53 P-R3, R-KR1 54 R-R1 offers stronger resistance. The text loses.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 Q-B1! (Not 1 Q-K3? K-Q8! Or 1 Q-B3? B-N7! but they're good tries).