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

March 04, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, March 04, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

V. Melnichenko, USSR

Problem: (03/04/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

World Junior Title
The first World Junior Championship for players under 20 was held in 1951. Since then it has been held every 2 years with each country entitled to one representative. In 1955 it was won by Boris Spassky, the only junior titleholder who went on to become world champion. In 1957 it was won by William Lombardy, the only American to earn that distinction.
44 players took part at Athens In 1971. 12 qualified for the finals which was won by Werner Hug of Switzerland, an unknown competing for the first time in an international tournament. He scored 8½-2½ without losing a game. Second was Zoltan Ribli of Hungary (8) followed by Kenneth Rogoff of the US (7112). Rafael Vaganian of the USSR finished in a 3-way tie for fourth, under-scoring the crisis faced by Russia in developing new young stars.
U. S. Junior Co-Champion Ken Rogoff, who hails from Rochester, was leading until 3 rounds before the end. Then he dropped 2 in a row before meeting Hug in the last round. Ken went all out since a win still would have given him the title. But he played poorly and was lucky to escape defeat. Apparently Hug doesn't have much of a killer instinct, because he proposed a draw in a winning position to clinch first place. Hug also automatically gained the title of International Master.

Sicilian Defense
White: Hug 1 P-K4 2 N-QB3 3 P-KN3 4 B-N2 5 P-Q3 6 N-R3 7 0-0 8 P-B3(a) 9 BxB 10 B-K3 11 Q-Q2 12 N-K2 13 P-KB4 14 QR-N1 15 P-B5 16 N-B4 17 PxP 18 NxP! 19 B-K6ch	Black: Rogoff P-QB4 P-Q3 P-KN3 B-N2 N-QB3 N-B3 0-01 BxN(b) R-N1 P-QN4 P-N5 Q-B2(c) N-Q2 R-N3 R-R3 Q-Q1(d) RPxP PxN Draw!(e)
(a) Slow. Usual is 8 P-B4. (b) Giving up the 2 Bishops is weak. Correct is 8 … R-N1 immediately. (c) Misplacing the Queen. 12 … N-K1 gives more counterplay. (d) A losing defense. Necessary is 16 … N/2-K4, although White retains the initiative. (e) White can win: 19 … K-R2 20 Q-N2, RxRch 21 RxR, N-B3 22 RxN! BxR 23 Q-R3ch, B-R5 24 QxBch, K-N2 25 B-R6ch, K-R2 26 B-KB8 mate.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 N-K8!

February 12, 1972 Larry Evans on Chess

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Reno Gazette-Journal Reno, Nevada Saturday, February 12, 1972 - Page 5

EVANS ON CHESS

V. Chepizny, USSR

Problem: (02/12/1972) White mates in two.
Stockfish Analysis.

The 72nd U.S. Open
The 1971 U.S. Open chess championship in August at Ventura California, attracted a record 400 entries, including a strong field of 8 grand-masters. The new co-champions with scores of 10-2 are 22-year-old Walter Browne of Australia, the youngest grandmaster, and 39-year-old Larry Evans of Reno, 3-time USA champion. Close on their heels with 9½-2½ were international stars Lubomir Kavalek (who recently defected from Czechoslovakia), William Lombardy (a Catholic priest), Hans Ree the Dutch champion) and Samuel Reshevsky (once a child prodigy). Here's the crucial clash between the leaders from round 7. The first move in chess is equivalent to the serve, and White's opening initiative often extends well into the middle-game. Fighting an uphill battle, Black never succeeds in equalizing, and eventually he buckles under his defensive task.

Nimzo Indian Defense
White: EVANS 1 P-Q4 2 P-QB4 3 N-QB3 4 P-K3 5 B-Q3 6 N-B3 7 0-0 8 BxP 9 P-QR3 10 Q-Q3 11 PxP 12 R-Q1 13 P-R3 14 B-K3 15 Q-K2 16 QR-B1 17 PxN 18 K-R1 19 B-R2 20 P-Q5 21 PxP 22 RxR 23 Q-B4 24 N-K5 25 Q-K4 26 N-N6 27 N-B4 28 NxP 29 BxBch 30 QxQ 31 N-Q5 32 R-B2 33-R-B3 34 K-N1 35 R-B4 36 RxB 37 R-N5 38 N-N4 39 R-KB5 40 R-B1 41 R-B2 42 K-R2 43 R-B7 44 N-Q5 45 P-QN3 46 R-Q7 47 R-Q8ch 48 N-B6ch 49 RxR 50 R-Q5	Black: BROWNE N-KB3 P-K3 B-N5 0-0 P-B4 P-Q4 PxBP N-B3 B-R4 PxP(a) B-N3 P-KR3 Q-K2 R-Q1 N-Q4 NxB B-Q2 B-K1 QR-B1 N-N1(b) PxP RxR B-Q2 B-B1(c) N-B3 Q-B3 Q-K4(d) BxN K-R1 NxQ N-Q6 B-B4 N-B7ch N-K5 N-N4 NxB P-QN3 N-B2 R-QBch R-Q7 R-Q8ch R-K8 N-N4 R-K7 R-Q7(e) NxP K-R2 PxN N-N4 Resigns
(a) A dubious system which enables White to free his QB (Queen Bishop) while Black's counterpart on QR4 re-mains more or less stranded. More reliable is the older 10 … P-QR3; and if 11 PxP, QxQ 12 BxQ, BxN 13 PxP, N-QR4!=. (b) Or 20 … PxP 21 NxP, Q-K5 22 R-B4! with a good attack. (c) Not 24 … BxP 25 R-KB1. R-KB1 26 RxRch, QxR (…. KxR?? 27 N-Nbch) 27 NxB, NxN 28 QxPc.h, K-R1 29 QxB snares a piece. (d) If 27 … R-K1 28 N;4-Q5, Q-K4 29 NxB, PxN 30 QxQ, NxQ 31 N-K4 with strong threats. (e) Loses. But so does 45 … NxP 46 RxRP, N-B7 47 R-R2! White's extra Pawn is decisive in this ending.

PROBLEM SOLUTION: 1 N-Q7!