MEET THE MASTERS

THE MODNRN CHESS CHAMPIONS

AND THEIR MOST CHARACTERISTICGAMES
PITD|AN BOOKS
Ior
WITH ANNOTATIONS AND BIOGRAPHIES
CNNSS PLAYDRS
CHESS BY
43. net
By C. H, O'D. ALE)NDiR.
DR.MAX EUWE
CHESS MASTERY
BY qUESTION AND ANSWER
By IR.D ItnNED, 5s. ner' TII-ANSL{TED TROM THI] DUTCH BY
T DD T]\TA
PRACTICAL END.GAME PLAY
By FED RINFELD. 53. nd.

CIIESS FOR AMATEI'RS R I{ WO OT) MSe

By FED RETMETD, 5s, net.

ONE IIUNDNXD CHESS GEMS

Ey !. W!I{t@, t:Jd,,ni Crantkn as, 6d. ftr- SECOND EDITION
GEMS OF TIIE CHESS BOARD
By P, WNm- ts.6d. n.t,

IIFTY TWO-MO\ZE PROBLEMS

Ry P. WEM, !.. 3d. net.

LONDON
S t R ISAAC PITMAN & SONS, LTD.
 PREFACE
"Zoo Schaken Zrj" ("They
Ts$ is a translation of
play chesslike this") in which Dr. Euwe introduced
the Dutch chess-playingpublic to the seven grand
masters who were to paticipate with him in thc
lamous A.V.R.O. toumament.
From the first we tried to ke€p close to his text,
becauseit is so highly personal. Fate helped by losing
our MS., wh:th wal addrF,sedLo us in BuenosAires
(where we were playing in the Intemational Team
Tournament) a few days before war broke out and
sli IsaAc PTTIAN & so\s lc^NrDi), LrD has never been seen since. In correcting the proofs,
we had consequentlv to refer back to the Dutch

Herr Hans Kmoch rounded otr "Zoo Schaken Zij"

with a few paragraphs about Dr. Buwe himselt and
this part ofthe book we have completelyrewritten and
greatly extended. It was almost impossible for Herr
Kmoch to furnish anything his Dutch public did not
already know; but we were in a very different posi-
tion, and our B tish and Amcrican readers will
be grateful for anything we can tell about Dr. Euwe.
Our only further departure from the original is the
addition of a few remarks about events subsequent
to its publication.
D61G':,6)
vi PRETACE

Dr. Euwc has co-operaredin the kind and warm_

hcarted manner typical of him. We also owe a debt of
gratitude to Mr. J. Creevey for ungrudging help in CONTENTS
the correction of the proofs, to which labour Messls. PREI]tCE
R. BIow, W. Riison Morry, T. C. N{ Olsen, and
CHAPTER I
G. P. Smith have also cont.ibrtted a noble part.
WIIAT DO TI{EY LIKE ?
L. PRINS
B. H. WOOD CHAPTER II
Ar-EXANDERAT-ExANDRovrrcH ALEKI{.,'E (rirgrolt) 16
Ar-EKHTNEAT IIrs BIST (gonrJ) . 20
PREFACE
CHAPTER III
TO THE SECONDEDITION
JosE RAouL CAPABLANCA (b;ograplAt) . 64
Cur otr, as a result of the war, from both the author CAPABLANCA Ilrrs OUT (gdrnff) . 69
and my co-translater, I have taken th€ liberty of '
CHAPTER IV
preserving the essential topicality of this work by
sALo rlor{R (bkerafir)) r03
adding a few more paragraphs at the end of each of HOW ILOEIIR PLA.IS \Eame, r08
the individual biographies
B. H. WOOD CHAPTER V
MICHAEL MOISIAYOVTTCII BOTVINNIK (bioe PJ,!) r+2
BOT\/IIiIMK MAKES IlIs BOw \gA'?'J] r45

CHAPTER VI
Rxsr{EvsKYlbkgralht .
SAMUEL
RISHEVSKY AT WORK (gdlndr) r74

CHAPTER VII
REUBEN rrNE (bkelelb)
FiNE rN ACTTON (gdr?6) 205
viii coNTENTS

CHAPTER VIII
PAUL KERES(biae PIry\
229 MEET THE MASTERS
KERIS I\ HIS CIFMLNT gAfl'\

CHAPTER I
CHAPTER IX
D R . M A C H G I tIrSI E \ W X \ b i o g a p b \ WIIAT DO THEY LIKE?
.,. ENOACESTlrE ENEMY (gdter) B€lorc passineunder rrview. one by one. the maslers
.onsider"i no"adays as leading challengersfor the
world's cbampionship, let us make d general survey
ILLUSTRATIONS of the outstanding learuresof their lndividual stylesof
DR Al.xdDE" lrt?-A\.
t4al'J Cronp'a1 . 1 6 Dlav. We intend to focus on the most noteworthy
t',tttd Chanfian t92l . 6 4 :le;eni in the stvle of each in turn and thus give a
JosE RAo!L cAPAsLANc^,
picture of the divergent methods which they adopt to
sdo !LoHR.
\hc.dl Mor,{Yo!rr''r Bo]:B!'K attain their end "What sort ol
S/|ffL Rr'tuv'(Y, US Choaqioa By our question we really mean "
R ! ! B .N F r N .
position is the particular forte of each? Here are th€
PA@ Kls jlJehhiae I Fauautabl( Pa'ition'
U}{A illME, trotld ChanPian t')3' ' , !58
DR.
,.whv.,. !ou miqhl exclaim,..ihat is whar Fveryfhess
olav.' i.ri'.s. Wbat is rharacrerttic in this? You "
iliEht u" w"ll say "omebody has a weaknessfor wealth
-f,1 the su-e, thi" is Alekhinet great characte stic
We shall show how he tries from the very outset to
obe:'in.and l'nolu,s hlu to lbtain. a favourable position
and only when he has gainedit giveshi" other potrer*
ful rcin. Not without reason is he famed as a con_
noiss"ur of opening dreory. To gain some advantaqc
from rhe opening is vital ro him, and be is $illing to
risk anv diifi.ulrv or even hazard ro al'a;n a' quicklv
u, possitt", o position ln which he f€els at home' How
often it happens that other masters mlss opponu 'res
 MEET TIIi MASTERS WIIAT DO TIIEY LIKE?

through a faulty appraisal of the ratio of strength to combinationsr especiaiiy when they are Prefaced by
weakness in thei. position ! This ratio is rarely so some sacrifice; the more ftequent and stdking the
exaggerated as one to nought; it may be five to four sacrifice, the greater our appreciation. This is an
or el€ven to ten, or even closer to equality. In this essenriailyotd-fashionedcriterion, for it confinesitself
appraisai and judgment of almost incalculable situa- to visible resuhs, ignoring the mighty effolt which
tions Alekhine b unsurpassable.The ratio can be one must precedethem. This latier is the most important,
hundred to ninety-nine and he will steerasconfidenily as and nowadays is the decisive pa-rt. Ordinary mor-
ever for the more favourable ofthe positions offered him tals can enq, Alekhine\ genius in the discovery of
To pro6t from such minimal advantages,ar extra- charming and starding combinations; the morc skjlful
ordinary flair is required for conceiving and carrying player who feelshimselfquite capableofexecuting such
through an attack. Alekhire has this indeed. I{is combinatioirs has a difi'erent feeling on the subject.
grealnessis rhus basedon rwo toundatiorx: geniusin To quote Spielmann, who is surely competent to pass
the creating, and virtuosity in the exploitation o{ an opinion on combinative skill: "l can comprehend
attacking chances. Alekhine's combinations well enough; but where he
He is the greatest attacking player of all time. gets his attacking chances ftom and how he infuses
Morphy has usually been given this title, but his such life into the very opening-that is beyond me.
task was much easier; in his time, about eighty years Give me the positionshe obtains, and I should seldom
ago, people had naive ideas about opening strat€gy. falter. Yet I continually get drawn games, even out
Morphy was the first great positional player; none ofthe King's gambit."
of his opponents could approach him in this respect Well said, Master Spielmann! Alekhine's real genius
Alekhine's can; and the fact that his attacking skill is in the preparation and construction of a position,
still triumphs again and again amply justifres our long before combinations or mating attacks come rnto
description of him as unchallenged champion of the considerationat all.
art of attack.
To understand Alekhine's greatnessproperly, one Capablancar ClearPotit;ons
must-in view of the higher standard of play to-day- The essenceof Capablancat greatnessis his rare
giv€ the phrase "atiacking skill" a wider interpreta- talent for avoiding all that can complicate or contuse
tion than has been customary. How do we, and how the conflict. He is a realist who has banished the
used we to, tecognize an attacking player, and on romantic and the €xperimental completely. In the
what basis do we assesshis skill? Naturally on the attainment of positions which suit his style, or rather
way in which he decides his games; that is to say, temperament, he exhibits almost mystical insight; as
on his technical ability. We admire his beautiful soon as the leastcloud appearson the horizonr he alteN
4 rlEliT IIIE MASTERS T,VHAT DO THEY LIKE?

his courseso as to remain in clear lvat€r. He lollows simplify rather loo late His oPerationsare slow as a
the sun, likes an easy lif€, is not sparing ir off'ersto rule. He is a specialistin jockeyins for position, and
agree to a draw. To spectatorsthis policy is not very in defencc-€minent tacrician as he is, hc can pcrmit
attractive; he certainly drarvs an extremely high Per- bimself this style. Only very rarely docs he miss a
centageof his games, the quickest oftcn in unmistak- favourable opportunity or fa;l to make the best of a
ably "grand master style," peace being signed before dift ulr p".irion. 1he opnnirg rs nor l,i' rrronqFsr
ever hostilitiesbegin. point: he treats it quiedy and solidly without setting
How, then, has he achi€ved such positir.e results? such problems as Alekhine, but at the same time with-
Whcrein lies his power? I'ilxtly, in the ability to Per- out Capablanca'scovert lcar of diflicultics. He is no
ceive the remotest danger or thc smallestopPortunity theoist, putting his faith in sound common sense.
far in advance; sccondly,iD the almost fauldesstech- Psychologically,he is not so tenseas Alekhine and not
nicat perfection wlich enablcs him to hold on to an so fiercc as CapablaDcr- He has repeatedlyacceptedan
advantage oncc acqLrired with inexorable ef[ciency o{Ier of a draw vhcn in a decidedlybetter position, lbr
and convet it into a rvin. When he has to cope lvith instance, three times against Capablanca,at HastiDgs
opponentsof equal stamp, he gets lesslrequent oppor- in 1934and at Nfargatc in 1936 aDcl 1939,and against
tun;tics lor this, since hc doesnot set.them too diflicult Reshevskyin the A.V.R.O. tournamcnt a thing Nhich
the world championswc have mentioned would never
He can be regarded as the great master of sim- have done. You get the impressionthat, mere ability
plification. T'hc art of resolving the tension at the apart, be is quitc content to demonstrate not his
critical moment and in the most efficaciousway so as superiority over but his equality with the other leading
to ,lar.i, the position as desiredis Capablanca'sown. masters. This explains why he draws practically all
his Samesagainst the great mastersjrrhereashc bcats
Fbrl.t Abr Positku slightly inferior players \rith almost acchanical
Flohr's style recalls Capablanca's, but he lets the regularity.
conflict become sharper. This revcals itself in his
choice of opening, especially as Black. Like Capa- Botvinaik: Difrcult Position:
blanca, he tries to avoid complications; but, unlike Every player has, sooner or lat€r, to put up with a
hiT. he doe" r ot simphlyar "lmo.t cven oppo uni,y. difficult position; Alekhine, for instance, vcry oftcn.
H€ is more paticnt and hard+vorking, and, whilst h€ Borvinnik almost makes you feel rhat dimculty artracts
likes 4r?rl positions,does not go to extreme lengths to him and stimulates him to the full unfolding of his
makc tLcm absolutely clear. Whereas Capablanca, if powers. Most players lecl uncol ortablc in dimcult
anything, is prone to simplily too soon, Flohr may positions,but Botvinnik seemsto enjoy thcm.
 WIIAT DO THEY LIKE?
MEET TIIE MASTERS

the Even leading masters have chinks in their armour;

Where dangersthrealen nom ev'rv side and on" m"1 build up er.ellenr oPening'bur \erken in
might be laral: in a
,muU"stttackJn;ngofatrention thc middle-gane.-Jrorh.r may feelnon" roo ' omfon-
".'i,i." *f i.r' '"i'l-, u .'*" of sreeland intense
abte in the opedng and conscquentlytly to get away
i.""."""C""-S"i"i"nik is in his el€ment His styl€
lrom $'ell-trodden paths as early as possible; every
is anvthins bur def'n,ive: ;r i" a mi'tJ\e ro assume
player must allorv fo! his own temperament, which
on lo
thar'h. ai"pts difficuh position' ar-.lohold
so
wili often force him to decisionsquite indefensibleon
marerial advantage, a' did Steinitz so
some,mall-O" pureJy logical erounds ThL is becausepra,ticallv
,1" contrarv, his thougha are alwavs of
.i,"". everv olaver ha. a p.nchanr lor a , errain kind ofposi-
an attack is very
uitacl. ffis m€thod of PreParing ti."'-ii"il l''" is only too happy to attain, and a dis-
on Ihe
,iu.uct.tLti"; $hen hF ieemcio b" comPletely taste for someother type or types which he would like
hardlor a b'eak-rhrough'
i.i.r'i'. r,. *rrr bcsrrivins to avoial at all costs. This often leads to overlbrcing
.n.. i,.r-"*f, somedcepcombinationWilh deva<(a- otpo,irior.. \\idr o('asion"lly unexpettrdresuLs
master'
rins "udd.in.s' he i' atta'!rns and like a ReJ'ev'\y is t\e ex,eption he i" .n all-roundplayer
!ri"*i* 'l.,i"t'.' like ths ar cham'reristi( of hh
in a flash The with an all-rouDd temperament. He has no partiality
*^'i..,-ir':. *n.r. siruationchanging for any special type of position; he likes and plays
rheexPlorion comes
i..n,.uu;on' are madein sFcretl every sort of game cquatty well; it is this which dis-
his
i.i,i."ri **"i"g. flohr also orr'n ' amouflaqes tinguisheshim ftom his fcllow-masters. Even positions
(he initiaLivF but
..^i i*.",i.r" *'* "radenlvlo take which bore th€ oth€rs becausethere is-or seemsto
,f. ir*"tiai"" is never so dramatic as with Botvinnik' be-nothilg at all in them he handles with as much
i;; ;n ;;;;"' his plans on an advantasesained in keennessas another would devote to his special Predi-
rn
rhe opcning; he i' an exPerron openinerhrory' lection. To Reshevsky,boring positionssimply do not
he can be rompared onlv fith
*r'i-{ J""i",n*. exist; in fact, our slogan for him might well have
.+i"lhi"e,'tho.rgh hir r€p'r'oireis "mdller' Tt mav be b€en corrected to
"Positions which his opponents
remarkedrhor-he js one of rh. fc$ modern marlers 6nd boring."
one can risk
*h" "..* ," open with P K4, a thing He is above atl a practical man, his play being
varied are rhe
."i" if.". 1"."t the oPeninqswell so simple and solid. His gamesgive the impressionthat
k s first move
'amiEcations whi"h can bFgin with Blar he do€s not seek for absolutely the bcst move, but is
" Boring " Potibons cont€nt ifhe finds a good one: that is, perhaps,unless
ReshevsLy!
a pl'y"r's the circumstances n€cessitat€otherwise. He is an
Theorv and prartice. duly moulded by eycellent tactician, seeing
"stock" combinations at
.l-ui". ro lorm rhe bcsis of his suctess
,.*o..r-*,, lightning spe€d,especiallyin defence,which brings out
be Jittle interplav betwe€n these factors'
il;;;;y
 MEET TIIE VASTERS WHAT DO TI{EY LIKE ? 9
his combirative skill to rhe utmosr. He does not but this is a characteristic of thc younger players
o r i g r n a r e , h r r p" a . k , o r r o m p l i c a r i o n s , r o L
mh o i c e . which he shares with l'lohr and Reshevsky,not his
rl|s rnexh-ustrbtp p. r'enl. Fnnble"him lo ha.rgon lor own spccial perquisite. tr4ore typical is his readiness
a n d , l o y , "h i ss r m . o r r F pn , . s i n e "chancey" positions,often
; n , ^, . n s , h ) to go ;n for enough in the
el of tY
d rJnsg cH. F hd. b.cn,Jlted a.pc,i,,sr ir. the ind_ vcry opentug. He ;s not a combinative player like
game, but this is iardty corrct; his admitredly Alckhine, and his fondnesslor critical play is nor so
numerous successes there must be ascribed to tenaciry great as to makc him take risks. No, hc never rak€s
and enduranceraLhcr than sheertalent. Naturally, thl risks! such is not in his style, though his straightfor-
Ionger the game lasts, the greato rhe chance that his lvard, down.ight methods often force him to make
persistency and his equat partiality for any sort of moves which appear risky on thc surface and give his
position will bear lruit. Rcshevskyknows this well, and piay a keen edgc. Unlike Capablanca, Ftohr, and
consequcnfly goes Reshevsky,he likes to confront his oppon€nts with
_over inro thc end_gameat every
opportunity, elen if he gcts the ryor.seof the position tricky problcms lrom the very first move; not, like
to begin with. Like his teliow_Amer.ica,rs, Capairlanca Alekhinc, so as to get an attack, or, like Borvinnik, ro
" , " d F i T . ^ h : . h : . h J d . p l F n , o\ f e \ f " , i " n , . o r i i e h r n , n s produce the opportunity for a surprise counter-attack,
. n e s r . r J r r n h h F n d k F sg r F a ru " e .o f r c r rL a v i n gh i . n _ but m€rel,v rvith an eye to position. Able technician
sclrnttcenor morc mo\ e, ro mat<rr, irhin I few minure., tl,at heis, hc can exploit incidental chanccsasefliciently
tn a complicared and dif6cutt position, rvhilst his as he can carry through a rourine attack. Above atl,
o_pponeftmay hale oceansof dme; and yet he wins. his play is logical. There was a striking instance of
r h c e x p l " n a r i o ins p r r t v p . , , h o l o e i , a t . r i i . " p p o n " n , this in a tournament atAmstcrdam, 1936,wherc he un-
r h o u e l r. u b ,o n . i: ^ , r . r v -' , , . r i l i s i m p o * e\pectedly lost to one of rhe lessfancied players in the
( r o l el o r K c \ h ,\ s k ) n o r r , , T J L e . o m F first round. Thc tournament was a small one, so that
b l u n d e ri n s u c h
tcrriblf rirne-rroublc. rrrd , on.equerrrty hF relaxeshis he had litde opportunity to make up his leeway.
o w na l r e n r i o nR . , . 1 . ^ v . ( Is d i r r i m e . r r or b l ei r r w e t v e Another playcr might have played dskily, stdving to
ofhis fourteen gamesin thc A.V.R_O. tournament I wrest a little more out of his subscquentgames-and
On rhe whot". Rp(t,cvi,{\r pla} :s tF.sdeep rhcn very probably have overplayedhis hand. Not so line;
t l e r e r ; l * " s a f n( l , r n d i l i q e n r :t . . . r , r a , i r h . n . r r o n g . his play continued to exhibit just the samc crysral-
His place among the toremostmasteisis iuliy deserwej. clear logic. He dropped a draw here and there, but
b 1 r h e l a s rd a y h e l , J d r F a , l , " d( o p p t a . F
Fnlet Shatp positions Like Resh€vsky,Fine is a highly expericnccd tight-
Fine is extr€mely gjftcd in the solving of rechnical ning player, and can achievcreal marvetsof efficacious
problemssuch as the preservationofa sm;ll advantage; play in the most sevcretime-trouble. One thing which
 MEET THE MASTERS WHAT DO TIIEY LIKE?
IO

o m r i ' e w i l d a r r a k' i r g P l d v e r o
d i q i n er i . h , ' l r i m f f rrom sf
doesDlay him rricks now and then is his none too cool The rcal
Lst """',-.r. t u' rrot I
hi' ontemporar ies
tempirament, ruhich bothers him more than the other
"' hi" 'trle "r" hi'.precrnce for tlld po'i-
masiers; but if we are to make a considereddecision, r'.rr-rn.'t
rhem Tr
we must admit that his instinct for logic enableshim i i o " , " " a r t - . s " n i u ' w i r h w h i L h . h eh a l d l c '
j , , n " ' 1 ' . m d y a , r t u t i \ c b L I a l s oJ r i , k ) ' r v l e d n d
to overcome this failing.
carrics $'ith it the danger of unexpectedsetbacks. He
Keies: l4lild Positian$ will prcbably begin to Play more sedatelyin thc future,
Positions in which it is almost impossible to get and wLen that happcns ltis style will approach Atek-
one\ bearinqs-thcre Keres is in his elemcnt The hnre's; if his dcvelopmcnt does take this trend, hc
wild.r the bctGr ! This is a remarkablc choice, for mav surpassall his contemporaries. Ai the moment,
h ^'^.r, t. mer"lt pla). diffe"enrJy.ror rrore
grand mrsr"r. usuJllv .hoo'c ro "roid posnionsin
ihi"tr un""pe.r"a tu, ror' may ent'r Io 'wd) rhe con- strongly. As he is the youngest of all rhc masters
nicL. fhqr l.lr or ,krll r.rh"r ,han lu.k. and rake a under reviervJhis potentialities lor the future must be
r g r m e ' , n n o t o n g e rb e l ' e l d
, h a . , . o " i v $ h e n I h e i'tLel regarded as the greatest.
in tbe ordinan wav. leavc rhe good familiar
only as a last expedi€nt. Keres, however, secms MethodiealPosilians
Erwet
Dafi "an em.ient man-
io pr.hlhe d.soerar. .\pedi(nr ro the 'dG Parh.quile Napier once described Eulve as
aD;rt lrom tFe querrior of ne"riN. So hi' methods erting tiger." Atekhine contributed a lar more
fello -masters Hc
contrast sharply with those of his scarching analysis of his styie in an arri.le in the
is an ar r' kine pld\er of r\F fir,t 'var'' appro"ching ManclLe:ter Cuardiansoon aftcr the conclusion of thc
,qlekhineI'im*li in tl-lsre:perr. "'r\ rhe qreat difl'r- last rvorld's chamPionshiPmatch:
ence that Atekhine js consistently rational, whereas "Euwe's che$ lalent is in origin purely tactical unlike
Keres is more irrational than not. He plays extremely *nt of such mastersas Steinitz,Rqbinstein,CePablanca'
well in wild positions, his penchant for combinations and Niemtsovitch.But he is a tacricianNho is determined
makins him thoroughly comfortable in thern' at all coststo bccomea good slrategist,and b)' dint of a
"risks" must not be taken too
Ouiremarks about sreat deal of hard work he has had somcneasureof suc-
literally, and $,e ccrtainly should not like to give the ies. The infallibte oitcrion by $'hich to djstinguishthe
imn.ession rhat K.-e';'o"r ;n anlrhir q bu' " s'raDP) t.ue from thc sould-be strategistis the dcgreeof odgin_
rith ality ofhis conceptions.It makeslittle diJterence \vhether
came. Hc iq a pcde.r gr'rrd mr'rer' 'quipped 'epur'
qu,liry "s"ential ro a pl"v'r of $^rld this oriqinality is ca{icd to the caservith
iv.rv
g. Lno". tf'. openilg ds rlrornuq\lv a' rhe endine' Steinitz and Niemtsolitch. ln most of Euwe'sgameswe
find one and the samepictur+a Plan basedoDthc lbrmal
and can rrear uny po'irion on irs merits This
l2 MEET TIIE MASTERS wl'AT DO THEY LIKE? r3
data of the position, such as a maiority of Pa\{ on the Euwe w'ill go down to chesshistory as the apostte
quecn\ $,ing, an isolated Pa\Ln on the oPponent's side, ofmethod. He is a Doctor of Mathematics, a qualitied
.ombined action of the two Bishops,and so on. Gcnerally actuarl, licensed to teach book-keeping, an accom-
thc plan is good; but therc a.c exceplions due to the plishcd boxer, swimmer, and aviator. He has written
tactical possibilities of particulaf positions, and thcse more books than any three other living masters put
exceptions are by no neans rare. Consequenll) Eu\re as
rogether. Horv does he db ir? By ordering his whole
strategiststands at the opposite poic from lrhere Rcli stood.
cxistcncelike a railway timc-table, dividing it neat)y
Reti declared in his famous book, ,V,d ldras h Clat, th^t
he was interested only in thc exceptions; Eure belid'cs,
;rto rvater-ljght compartments, applying to his iife
perhaps a little too much, in th"' immutabilit,v ollarvs the same sort of disinterestedlogical analysisthat an-
" What, then, in compensationfor this slight shortcoding, other teacher of mathematics might reserve for his
are thc asseisrvhich have nade Euwe one of the most
.edoubtable playeN of our dav? In thc filIt place, his gift trIany a chessplayer collectsgarne scoresin a desut-
of .ombination. Does the general public, do even our tory solt oi ivay; many a mastcr studiesrhe openings
fricnds the critics,.ealize that Erwe hd virtuaLly neler more or less intensively; but Euwe,s rvonderful fiie-
nade an unsound combination? Hc may, of course, index leaves all these etrorts in thc shade-it is the
occasionally lail to take account, oi to take sullicient cighth wonder of the modern clcss wortd. It was
account, of an opponent\ combination; but whea h€ hag understating the case to talk ol Euwe\ .,profound
the initiativc in a tactical op.ration his calculation is to knorvledge" ofthe openings; Alckhinc rvasconsistently
all ;rtents impcccable.
"His other, and his prin.ipal, asset is undoubtedly his outplayed in the opcnings rhroughout the match he
" won. So Euwe's application of mefiod starrs long
protouDd k.osledge ofthe openings
beforc his games bcgin. N{cthod rutes his training,
Much of this is very searching anall'sis indeed, as is which blends the phtsical $,ith the menrat_ Ho;
of course to be erpected from a man rvho, by lis own many .lr.ic md{.rs puL ir. prior ro an imporr:nr
confesion, had studied Eurve's games and writings to matchJ an allotted dmc daily to bicycling and
exhaustion ovcr a period of several months. It ePito- shadow-boxing, follorved by a cold dorchc and a
mizes tbe strengths and rveaknessesin Eurve's play brisk rub dolvn ?
that the match revealed. Nlethod exterds ro his trearment ofthe middle-game;
Why did Euw€ iosc that match? Simply and solely he has catalogueclcombinational possibilitiesto rhe
because AleLhine managed, frequently enough lor his depths,as his rvritingsshow. Hc hasevery standardsoft
purposc, to bring about positions in rvhich Euwp did ol combination at his finger,tips, and rareiy missesa
not fccl at home. lvhat sort of positions arc those? chanceto carry out the manceuvrewhich fi* theposition.
'Ihis
Unmethodical positions I is far ftom saying that his style is meciranicat;
14 MEEI rrrE rtrAsTERS WH^T DO TI]EY LIXN ? 15

he is brilliant in discernment of the precise chances Still short of forty, and taking care of himself as
that th€ situation otrers, and he shows the greatest few people do, he has already evidenced his recovery
o ginality in the application of combinative ideas, from tlic blorv to his sell:confidence of losing the
even if those ideas ar€ seldom original in themseives sorl.t's chrmpionship. His method-and his methods
H;" i' rhe q.E.D.. not or a pFdanl.bur ol an Ein.tein +,ill erplore m Iny anorher universeyet.
The weaknessof this system,and indeed of his whole
approach to chess,is manilesftd on those extremely
rarc occasionswhen another genius, such as Alekhine,
manages to confuse the issue beyond measure. As a
result of his p€rhaps too versatile lif€, Euwe has been
able to build up no rcaeNe ofhabit, no ability tojudge
a position almost by second nature. For every game
"skittles," that he has played in the
ofihess, seriousor
whole of his life, Ilohr or line or Capablanca or
Reshevskymust havc played a dozen So that he is
immediately handicapped as soon as a position begins
to escapethe orbit of exact analysis. He cannot fall
back on insiinct, becausehe has supplanted instinct
by reason. He probesinto the position as methodically
as ever; given unlimited time, he couid work out the
theorem; but alas, his clock is ticking against him and
he blunders hc has committed more blunders in good
positions than any other chessmaster rvho ever lived.
Or else, meihodical even in misfortune, he realizes
that he has not time to analysethe Position in his o$'n
wayJ and deiiberatcly makes a superlicial move This
weaknesswas evidencedagain and again in the course
of the match.
He also sufl'en, like Tanasch, from being such a
great teacher. He is too wiling to pour forth his
richnessto a greedy world and share with othen the
knowledge of his own discove es.
 CHAPTER II
ALEXANDER ALEXANDROVITCH ALEKHINE
As lively and cvcntful as his play has becn Alekhine's
carcer. Did he shapehis liie, or did his lifc shaPehim?
A auestion for the philc'sophcr- He was born in
Mosco\{ o" Novcmber Ist, IBq2. His mother ralrght
him the elemcnts of chess,rvith obvious succex, for
he was attractcd to the gamc liom the fi$t Scion
of a $'ealthy house, he $'as able to devotc himself
to his hobb,\, inLensivcly. Journeys abroad with his
family advanccd his cducation, his sclf-confidence,
and his discernmcnt. At thc age of €jghteen he had
already participatcd in a strong internaiional tourna-
ment tlt Hamburg, scoring a vcry reasonablcdegree
ol successwith five rvins, four losscs,and sevcndraws.
A year later at Carlsbad he d just as \tell (eleven
rvins, n;re losscs,fiie draur). I\ro vears latc., nr
Stockhotm, he $'oD his first international tournamcnt,
and in ,9I3 he topped tbe stro g Schevcningeninter-
national tournamcnt, {iom rvhich time onrvardHolland
began to phy a bjg role in his career. In I9r4 he tied
$'iah Niemtsovitch lor fi.st placc h the championship
ol Russia; then nnmediat€ly lollo ed thc great-
master toumament of St. Petc.sburg, uhich ended
with Lasker jn lirst Place, Capablanca second, and I ) R . , \ r . rx a \ D ' r \ ' , r ( , u \ r
Atckhine third. These sug:csses,and particularly the
attractive manner in which thev $,ere gained, aroused
th€ acclaim of the wLole chessworld. His genius was
r6
 ALEXANDERALEXANDROVITCHALEKTTINE'7

year; but'
revealinE itscll at Mannheim in the same
came to an end, war broke out'
t.for" ,ii" .*t..ll-,
uere susperded' !no Arekhjne'
il;,;;:l;i' s r"rrrd'
c e r t a i ro f f i r s rplare.lhe
"'i" -". "r',, rr prrcriallv
prize' ua" irrerned in
"". ..tr"ff' ".i\en thF fir"r
Cerm,n', r^q"'n.r $iLh some olher Ru"idn Play-

i"ii'."","i t , thetime beinq

allored Lo
i"*"',r. ,t,. 'nd of rhe 1c'r h".wu'
*. ." '. g*,i", wl-erchP".Ned wrrh rhe Red Cross
abour lum'
i;;."'"" ).,., 'ob^dr heard ar\ more
n o t a sa
b L r ri n r q : i f e s u d d c n ht u r n e du D ; n B e r l i n
""il.-.i' l* on holidav as a poor retugee Poor?
i", .*[1. r.. ni' mo'r prcior' rrea'urF his genius
i.,' , r'r.*, "* "ith lrim cril.: dnd d"Pire his
vicissitudes,a icher genius than ever'
With his rcturn to ihe arena altcr the war, his Pro-
lt is
sress towarals tbe worldt championship began
i".il" oo"it l. to catalogue hcre alt the successes of
IqrT
rhe bijl-ii..r p"riod s\i' h 'rru'd iloT ro2r ro
6r't
W-f..**r r'; l r")cd le $d' L 'ked Io gain
ally everv
Dlace,dnd I.e ." hi"'.d th" e\PF'rFd D'dcIi'
i:-". O.rt , n " , \ F n $ o ' l d ' h ; - n p j o n C ! p a b l J n ' ra n d
I a'k'r cnLrld hold him Tn London
,l'" *-.r',"'.',p'"'
I'oz r ' . c " i . l ' a ' e ' o n d r o C a P " b l r n " r i n New
i.'rf '3ra rlrir'l behind La:ter rnd Crldblanca
te*.rfr i.;t S Pct'r.burg irr4 i rnd onreagain
i" r.f."i i-l ir rcr'7 ll. had ro relirquLh firsl PlacF
i. C,o.Ur'"... Ii is dificuli to undersrand evcn this
r"tari\e mca,ur. olitt-'ume"'. for his plav wast 'nait rt
-i\dls Po'Jiblv
".i i"f..i.. ro rhar ol his t$o great
psychological causesprevented hh giving of his best
 ALEXANDER LEXANDROVITCI{ALE(IIINE T9
rB MEET TIIE MAsrERs
'four-
whcn Lasker or Capablanca rvere among his comPeti- decline was revealed by his gamesin the Berne
tors. Playing over his games, one is forced to the nament of I932; nevertheless he won first prize
conclusion that he never rose to quite his best form there too. Tbis obvious lading of his porversinduced
in thesepxrticular events. Bogolyubovto challcngehim for the lvorld's champion-
A l . l h i n . s m a t c h w i r h C r p , b l a r . r ' l - e l di n B u e n o ' *hip a secord rim.. Th. m;tch rook pla,r in r914.
Aires in I9s7, put an €nd ro all unccrtainty. After an bui Alekhine again rvon brilliantly (eighi to three, with
epoch-making struggleJ conductcd with the utmost fifteen dral\'s). A few weckslater he obtained another
"Iirst" at Zurich, and this in a siyle uhich dissipated
siubbornness on both sides, Alei$ine gained the
viciory by six wins to three, with !5 draws, and assumed atl further rumours ofdeclining pol-ers.
the title of world champion So came the secondphase Alekhine did none too well in the A \r.R O touma-
in Alekhine's career to a closc . . as tust Phase ment; his partial lack of successmight be ascribed
one must regard his early days up to the outbreak to the excessivetravelling involvcd
of the rvar. In lhe great International Team Toumament at
The n*t phasewas one of inactivity, and innclivity BuenosAires during rvhich the war broke out, he led
again. Alekhine took part in no big tournament, and the French team s'ith distinction, though his Percentage
rhe only uma'ion or which his oorversuere really scor€at top board was bettered by CaPablan.a After
, , . , r d r a " i n r h F m a , . h r g d i n s tB o q o l ) ' u b oavr r h ' s,inning a minor tournamcnt at N{ontevideo, he
end of I9:9, rvhich he won convincinglv bv elcven returned to EuroPe to serveas interpr€tcrlieutenant in
wins to five, rvith nine dralvs. A few months later' at the French Army (as a linguist, too, he is thc ch€ss
rhe begianingot qto h. r.gidereo rhe mo,t ;mpoling o l a r e r - , b r m p i o n . . p a, d n s R L ' : 3 n ,f r e n ,h C e r m a n .
s u , , . . " o r h i i l r t c f t o m r h e p o i n ,o l v i e $ o f r e c l - 1 i a u e . i.'qr:.r,. rp,ni,r', and Dur.h nu.nr,y. ,rd beire able
scoring an overwhelming victory in the very strong to make himselfunderstoodin severalother langxages).
tournamcnt of San Remo. He drew tua ganesllvho onu, His chateaunear Dieppe fell into rhe hands of the Ger-
winning every othcr game against opponenis mans, with his wile in residence He fled to Lisbon and
included the best players at that time, and finishing could posibly have cscaped,but returned to hcr, and
far ahead of the rest ol the 6eld His wins in this hassinceremained in France under Nazi domination.
tournament exhibited, one and all, the art of chess His srbscquent feats, lvhilst falling a little shot of
at its most pedect yet. A year later at Bled he his brilliant best, have been more than adequate in
scored a hardly lessimposing success from the point face ofthe best opposition that Nazi-organized Europe
as with has been able to muster. Munich, in r94r, salv
of view of figures alonc But her€ th€ l't'k
l,im, and hi. won gamer uere bv no meansso 'on- him tic with tbe Swede Lundin a point-and-a-ha1f
behind another Srvede,Stoltz; Bogolyubov and others
vinc;ng as at San Remo. An €ven more evident
 ALEXANDER I-E)L{NDROVITCI] ALEKIIINE

follol'ing behind. With bombs lalling around during DR, A- ALEKHINE H. WoLr
the €vent, the atmosphere must have been strange. White Black
Amid a hostile populace at Cracow the same yearJ (Playedin the tournamenrat Pistyar, 1922.1
he tied lor first place with Schmidr, Keres's Esthonian
val, a poini ahead ol Bogolyubov. At Salzburg a year IRRNGULAR QUEEN'S PAWN
l d r e rh F . " o r F dr s r e r l n u m f n o r e r h r s l o u n s r i , d l r. P-Q.4 p-ee
K e r . ' . 6 e . ' ; n * r i n r s i , F r r d r " t i , . e | 1 r p a ,e a 2. Kt K83 p eB+
point-and-a-ha1fahcad of him, and later at N4unich J.PB4 BP.p
scoredanother 6rst place, once again abovc Keres. 4. PxP Kt XB3
ALEKHINE AT IIIS BEST This symmctricalvariation, rhough unpre.ennoug
enoughon Black\ part, makesn extrJmelydiflicutttor
First Ilustration
Whitc to extractany rerl advantageout ofthe opening.
The criterion ofa good rnove is its efliciency. There
are hard-and-fast prnrciplcs to teach us rvhich moves 5. KtxP P QRs
are, an.l ivhich are not, eficient in the openings; like- ,{n apparently harmiess divergence iiom rhe syln_
rvise, rvhich raz and vtich ,a,?zotbe efllcient. For mctry i{hich enablesAlekhine to sreer the gamc into
instance, an earty sortie of the Queen is usually con- quite a different channel.
dcmned; only to be justificd, in lact, rvhen rhe 6. P K4!
opponent has made a grossmistake. Willingly accepting the opportunity he hates
In the lollorving game Alekhine brings his queen symmetry for its drawing rendencics.Ttris move rs not
into play early; sccms to lose a lot of dme moving sithout risk. White sacriices his Kins's parvn so as
her about and yet, although his opponent comm;t, to retain his queen's Pawn, vhich ihcn, however,
no definite error, gets a very good game. How bccomes isolated and coutd become weak. As com-
is this? The cxplanation lics in his rare gift of n e n s a l r o nt l.r . s r r i t ; 1 9D o $ e ro f \ V h i j F , p ; r c c "r s f o r
judging every move, in every posirion, with pcrfect tnF rrme be'ng mu, h slrp.rior ro rl,al of BtJ,k s, tor
dctachment. Even if there are a thousand gcneral \f,riou5 r a s o n s : r \ F K i n g . K n i q h r i s w e t i p o . r " d .r h e
reasonslbr rcjccting a movc, Alekhine is always ready \ r n s . n h h o p r . t . e pr o r o m e o u ( . r n d r h F
Q u e e ns
to consider itr and consequentlyofrerrgcts a chanceto l-awn exerts pressureagainst the black position. For
gain an advantage in a totall) unexpectedway. Here a player of Alekhine\ style it is a coneenial task to
an obtrusive white centrc Palvn exeds such pressureon c\ploit this greater srriking power of his pieces. This
Black's position that the lvhitc quccn can go saftly ' . n b , d . h i e \ e do n t \ b y . o m b i n a r i r "m . a n . ,a , i n
um-
into the very thick of the fight. stancc rvhich gives the game a mosr unusual flavour.
 ALEXANDERALEXANDROVTTCHALEKIIINE 23

KTXKP p K r l r r o r r g r] h . e , . n . F d l e dt h r e a tr o h i s q K t P a M
7. q-Rach ! B"L ini, '"r' move uorld have allowedBlack to free
little combinatior: 9. q KB3, P K4l;
Forces Black to block the Queen's filc so that the p x I ' by:r
his -q.rmc
isolated Pawn is temporarily shielded ftom atlack. '.. k.1.), KtxP; Ir' KtxKt, BxKt; I2.
Interposing the quccn (7. . . , q qr) volrld be fatal, q.li,P. B Q4..and Wltite t i l l h.ve I n . r c t i f i c ea
becauseof B. B QKt5. nic.e
' r' sr\e nrs Lzueen
Bq2 R \ ' l , c ' - r o . " h e " \ o u ' e .\ { h i t e m a i n r a i n s r h e p r e , s u r e
B. q Kt3 Kt 84 on K6 and jn addition indircctly attacks the Knight
on Blnck's qB,+.
Black could altcrnativrly har'e played any of the P-KKI3?
g o v e s :8 . . . P Q . K r 4 ; 8 . . . Q B : , o r
f o l l o w i nm 9....
8 . . . Kt Q3. Ther€ is little point in examining the Compronning his game fatally. He should cer-
various consequences, lor the samc sort ofgame woltld binly havc tried 9 . . P-K3; for instance after
have elcntuated ftom cachr violcnt attempts by White r o .P x P , K t x P ; r r . K t x K t , B x K t ; r r . B 8 4 , a n d
to hinder the normal development of his opponent's Blxck could defend himsclf by 12 . . . B-Ktsch;
pieces. The tett move has the rccommerldation that 13. I) Qr, 13xBch; t4. KtxB, O O; 15. BxB,
Black gains a "tempo" and at the same time guards R Kr; ivhilsl the keener continuation Io. P qKt,t,
his K3, a square vital lor thc nrund development ol' Kt Ri; 11. PxP, tsxKtPch; 12.B q2, BxBch;
his King\ Bishop. Howcvcr, there is a drawback too: 1 3 .K t x t s , B ! P ; 1 4 . K t x B , ? x K t ; 1 5 .q x P c h ,
the Knight on 84 is exposedto various threats. q Kr, securesno clear advantage either. So White
must reply to I . . . I K3 $'irh ro. KI-QB3 or
9 q K3! r o. B 84, after which he rvould have only a slight putl.
ro. Kt KBj !
Alckh;rc cmploys his early developed queen with
incrediblc cliciency. This piece 6rst of all cut off the
attack on the qu€cn's Pawn (7. Q;Rach); then
threatened Black's qKtP (8. q-Kt3), and fina1ly
chccked thc advance of the King's Pawn (S. Q KS).
With this move she attacks the unprotected black
Knight and cventually renders it impossiblefor Black
( o ' . s r - . o n r l - cK i n q s s i d c
\ r r . O _q B J r .
l r m p r i n gu " , 9 . Q K B r . t o p r n e n r B 1 a r k . 9 q82
 MEET THE MASTERS ALEXA\DERALEXANDROVITCIIALEKHINE 25

After Black's preceding move, Io . . . P K3 is out attention once again to developing th€ir Pieces But
ol the question. what a contrast thcrc is between White's position and
r r. Q-B3 ! Btack's, {br this purpose I White can complete his
Threa.cnirgnot onl) 12.q R bur ,l.o z. P QKt4 devclopmcntin rlvo moves(B Kr and O O) and there-
and consequentlyforcing Black to renounce all idea of atler. having a perfectly secure position, begin to
castling on the K;ng's side. manduvre on the open King\ file or QB file, or both.
II. . . . R Ktr Black, on the other hand, cannot castleon thc King's
si.le and cannot consider castling on the other. The
Necessaryin order to rePly to 12. P-QKI4 with whitc centre Parvn impedes the most elementary
rr . . B-Kt2. mobilization of Black's picces. One can thus well
12. B K3 P Kt3
understand why Black fails to executeanything in his
rq. qKt -Q2 ! next few moves but a hardly logical and perlecdy
13. P-qKt4 lvould still get nowhere, because of fruitlesssolo action by his qu€cn's Rook.
13 . . . B Ktzl 14. Kt-q4! q R2l 15. PxKt, r5.... B-Kt4
PxP; and Black regains his piece with a good posi-
tion. 13. P qKt4, B-Kt2 | 14. B-qa lvouldl be met To open up the queen's Rook\ 6le.
b v 1 4 . . . B x B ; 1 5 .K t x B , q - K 4 c h . 16. B x Bch PXB
13.... B-Kt2 17. o-o RR5
14. B-q4 BXB White would have gone in for the lorceful advance
1 5 .q x B of his QKtl which lollorvs,even had not his opponent
obliged wifi ris attack on his queen.
rB. P qKt4 S a.r
19.P qR3
While has a positionally won game, and tlis in-
significantmove docsnot alter th€ situation. "Insignifi-
.ant" technically, such little moves have oftcn a high
psychological valuc. They show the opponent holv
powcrless he is antt undermine his morale. What
follows now is no 6ght; White commands a well-
The skirmishesare over. There are no more acutc ofganized army, whereas Black has merely a few
thr€ats in the position, :rnd both players can turn their .letachmentsscatteredabout at random.
26 MEET THE MASTERS ALEXANDIRALEXANDROVITCHALEKHINE 27

Alekhine provides us with a little trimming: he T h e r e r s n o r h i n s b e t L c - :i r : r . P K4; rh.n

finishesoff the game combinatively by sacrificing the ,a. q q5, q-Kr; 25. Kt KGch,K 82; 26. Kt-B?ch,
exchange. P K3; ,7. q B3ch, winning the Queen.
r9.... qKt q, t4. KtxKPch K82
20. KR-Kr KBr 25. Kt Ktsch KBr
2r. P-q6 !
Or 15 . . . K-Kr; 26.R-Kr.
A powerful break-through,with the cnsuingsacrilice
,6. q-qs R-Kr2
of the elchange aheady in midd.
27. Kt K6ch
2 1 . . , . Kt-K3
So Whjft fegainsthe material sacrifrcedand remains
On zr P K3, White could win at lcast
n Pa$'n to the good lvith at1 €v€n more crushing posi-
ihe Pawn on Blackt qKt4: 22. q K3 (attacks the rioDal advantage than beturc. There foltowed-
Knight) 22 . . Kt Kt'; ,3. q Q_3,R QRr lso as 17 . . . K Ktr; 2S.KtxRdis ch, KXKt; 29.
io countcr 2.[. qx qKtP with Kt x P); ?4. Kt-K4, P xP, Kt 83; 30. QxP, R-R2; 3r. R Kr, q,Q3 t
follorved by u5. Qx P.
32. P I(8(Kt)ch, KtxKr; 33. QxKt, QxKt; 34.
12. R xKt! q-Ksch, K 82; 35. P .Kn4, RxP; 36. q IGch,
K Kt2; 37. It K?ch, K R3; 38. Q KBBch, K I{4;
'//lzd1'&t 71, 39. R K5ch, K-Kts; 40. R Ktsch.

K '&H7lz t
Black resigns.
l-hc value ol th;s gamc lies not h thc moves but in
t'lrt 7t 7/t !ltc idcas. The combinationsar.eDot particular.ly deep
, & w 2'./1,,, or unusual, but Alekhine\ general strategy curs righr
acloss all .onvcntional lines. Who else vrould have
l'.:|..:d
7:', ..rlized that here distcd the rare and exceptional
7/,/t ^ Ki n case*herr: very ear.Iymobilization of the Quecn was
'ffi'
A lesserlig1rt misht have discoveredthis sacrifice- Sccond mustration
but only Alekhine could have so brilliantiy crearedthe
r4:portunity for it uuriurs is Alekhinc's knack ofdeveloping a seemingly
,
ntLrmicssarlack, vithin a few moves, il.rto a hurricane
PxR
\lrirh snt\hcs down all resisrance.l{is mcthodsarc
'3. Kt 4t5 Q Ktr
 MEET TIIE rlAsrERS
ALEXIINDER ALEXANDROVMCH ALEK1IINE 2g
28
ivhich it was demonstrated that Black can obtain
simple: it is not so much any particular move which
perfectly equal game by :7 . . . P-KKI3.
is important, as the uhole scries of movcs-and the
movJ after that ! He is a poet who crcates a i{ork
of alt out of something \'!hich woutd hardly inspire "mrffit
another man to send home a picture postcard. 'ffi%
Dt. Ar-nxHINr DR. E. L^SKER 'ffia%
Whne Black
(PlaYedat Zurich, 1934) 'ffiV "&
z%
qUEEN'S GAMBIT
"&tffi
ORTIIODOX
'. P Q,4 Pq4 TlzH&.
2. P qB4 P-KS
Kt KB3 Now the real struggle starts. Alekhinc has a litde
3. Kt QB3 more Aecdom of movement, and his pieces,especially
4. IftB3 BK2
lishop and Knight, are somewhat better placed than
s. B Kt5 QKt Q"
his opponent's. It rcquires the greatest sLill to make
6. P K3 O-O
PB3 anything of this slight advantage, but Alckhinc suc-
?.RBt cccds. One would hardly expect Black to be check-
B. B-q3 PxP
Kt q4 matcd within ten moves.
9. BXBP
r o .B x B qxB rB. Q Q6!
rr. Kt K4 Kt(Q4) 83
12. Kt Kt3 P K+ Attacking thc Knight on Black's K4 and threatening,
r 3 .o O PxP rn somc eventualities,Kt-R6ch, ryhich would lorce a
rt. Kt 85 S a.' scriousweakcning ofBlack's Kingt rving ifthe Knight
,r. K. 83 P Kt X4 had to be captured.
16. B-Kt3 B xKt rB....
q-Kt3 Kt(Ka)-q2
17. KtxB
movethis , 9 . . . K , K . 3 \ o J l d b e a r . u e r e db 1 1 9 . K r R b . h
Un to and includinqWhite\ seventeenth .. ' n o * f o r ,e d : z o . q . K ' . h , , l l , a s k e r
othcr games, j't., mieht
su-i has b".. identicat rvith several n a \ c , o n i d e r Fi d8 . . . qR K'...9.r9.Kr-RbLt,,
including Euwe e. Ilohr (Nottingham, 1936), afrer
3l] MEEI' TIIE MASTERS ALEXANDERALEXANDROVITCIIALE(IIINE 3I

K Rr, or 19. Kt K7ch, K Rr; 20. qxKt(Ks), Irustrating Blackt intcntions, as soon becomes
Kt-Ktr ! (not 20 . . . qA, becauseof zL 'fixP) evident.
r9. KR-QI 24.. .. P-83

Simple mFrhod" indqd: *irh .very move a' is 24 . . . P-KR3 would be as useless:25. Kt B5ch,
obvious Alekhine is improving his position, every K-R2; 26. KtxP, KtxKt; ?7. R R3, etc.,or q6 . . .
piece doing its bit. P 83; 27. Ki-B5 ! PxKt; 28. R-R3ch and mate.
qR q' Insiead olthe textmove, Black would best have tried
i 9 . . . .
,4 . . . qKt 83, with the follouing possibilities:
2l). q Kt3
25. P K5, Kt-K5; 26. qR4, KtxKt; 27. PxKt,
Thrcatedng not onll 2I. qxP male but also etc. Even thcnthc passedQP should ensurean easyrvin.
2r. Kt R6ch followed by 22. KtxPch and conse- 25. Kt B5ch K-Rr
quendy forcing Black to weaken his King's wing. 26. qxKtP! !
P Kt3
er. Q Kt5!
h%
Another strong move: rmong the lhreats is 22 7lt; /&
R q6. ,ara
K-Rr ./izft7t
22. Kt-q6 K. Kt2
?3. P K4! 'HTlt
'/t'&
White's invasion forms a beautifully co-ordinated
whole. He plans to advantr: the KiDg's Parvn to K6
'lhc
and bring his Rooks into the dircct altack on thc miraclc has been achieved. Black cannot ave.t
King's wing, via the third rank. mate. Whitet moves rB. q-q6 ! to e6. qx KtP!
23.,., Kt l<Ktr form one magnificent unified conception. Only nine
moves-and the r4cc is run I Everything unfolds
Hoping to dislodge the white quecn lrom her harmoniously, everything goes equally simply; there
dominating position bv 24 . P ts3 ar 24 is nothing diabolical, nothing smaching of sorccry. A
P-KR3. good position always ollers a choice of good contrnua-
,4. R q3 tions, and A]€khine might lveli hale won in someother
 ' fIlE MASTERS ^LEXANDER^LI XANDRO\IITCIIALEKIIINE
32 MEEI 33

way; but had he diverged at any one move, then the combination in the wholc of chessliterature, wlilst
combinatioir coutd not possibly have formed such a against Reti he first cr€ates complicatrons rn rare
splcndid whole, or been so charactcristicallyAlekhine's' siyle and then resolvesthem to his advaniage.

Third llustration
Let us nolv €xaminc a few passagesfrom Alckhine's
q rLililv' E- GRUNI-ELD Da. A. Aur<srr.tr
" m ^ "w b i c ha p r l yi l l r d r a t eh i sc o m b i r a r : v F
a
Firsrlv. rwo eia, tll rl.ulated finale' ,C-tinl'ld Wh;te Black
Alekhine and Alekhire-Rubinstcin). In each there is (Played in the Carlsbad tournament of 1923.)
"
aheadv a win in the position,and it is onlv" a question
Alekhine has just brought his Knight to the impor-
of drivins this homc. Anv plaver knorvs very well
tant square Qe, and his picces are momenta ly at
how dimiulr a iob rhi . ar prov' in prl'ri' e To besin
thcir maximum of efleclivcness. But White is ready to
*:rh. o ul,r h:s ro b. Fvohedqui.kl). lo- Ihe crid.al
undermine ihe strongly posted Knight, so he musr act
p h , , . o i ' l ' " q , m . u . u a , l y, o m e , j u : r s h e n t i m e i s
immediately.
'ho' '. 1\ere i' no rime tor a derail'd rnallsis
i,"";ng"po,it'on.
of rl . .JL:ne .\erythj.lq inro "rcid'rslion
Tnruit;on h r . r o p l d ! a b i g p : r r a ' " u c hc r i m e r l ' i r h % 7t 7tt'N
exolains why qreat masten often let sliP good oPpor- tf4 Vt %L
tririti"t. Witlt Alekhine such a lapse is extremely
rare; his talent lor combination functions likc a
7.1 rl,z
7t'/*,"tr%
-.ci'i"", o"d hardly evcr lets him dorvn. It is as if 7.4
hc heard a hidden voice:
"Now is th€ tim€; now the ffi 726'&t7z
combinations must stari 1" No sooner has he been
w a r n c dr t r a nr h F ,o n b : n a r : o ni . 1 , . e p a r " d .
It js stilt more difficult $'h€rc the wln ls "Dot yel
"in the omng Here, AleLhine sees his chance and rvins by a neatiy
forced, but the signscxist it is
nol moves must bc found, but ideas, plans, inspira- calculatcd comb;nation
tions-and here Alekhine dsesto even greater h€ights' 30. , . . RxKt!
The }oeolvubov -\lekhine and Reti-Alekhine inales
.r."- r'orv ic handles sitriations like tlis. The wilder T h e s i m p l e3 0 . . . B x K t ; 3 L P x B , R x l ; 3 r .
and more involved a Position, thc more beautiful the PxP, Kt 85; 33. Q-83 rvould not efect anything
( o n \ , F l i o n ch " c a n ^ o h , H i ' g a r F d s r i n . l B ^ c ' l y u - worth $'hi]e.
b o r r o n t . r i n cn c r h d p .I l r e r o ' l b . r r r r i l L ,D
l lonrorion gr.PxP
 ALEX NDER ALEXAXDROVITCH ALEKHINE
34 MEET THE MASTERS

The altemative would have bcen 3L l x R, B x Pch; Fourth llustration

32. K-Br (32. K Rr? Kt-B|ch), 32 . . Kt 85! DR, A. ALEI.:rIINE A. RusNsrrN
3j3. q q, (i3. QxKP, /-B5ch; 34. r h, EttPch; Whitt Black
3 \ . K Q - 2 ,B I f 6 c h ) ; 3 3 . . . qB5ch; 34. K-KI, (Played in the Carlsbad tournament, r9r3.)
P K6l, etc. The text move seems to do alt that is
necessary,the Rook ren:ralriiry enPlise and the Knight
being attacked now as $'e11.
'///t
3r.. . . Kt-85! ':aI
/a
32. P xKt q Bsll ZA
/t
The wholc point of the combination, and a mag li-
€cnt idea vcly dillicult to conceivc bcforclla d. Black
rnust rvin at lcast a Piece
Alekhine's advmtage i,l ihis posiiion is diflercnt
3 3 .q x Q fron:r that in the last. Bhck's posirion exhibits lveak-
33. Kt--ts3 ltuld be hopeless,on ar,rrrrt of ncsseson both rvings: ,n the O-ucen's,lhe importani
33. . . QxQ.; !4. Ktxq, RxR ch. If 13 RxR, square B6 is open to occupation,so that fiom it Black's
not 33 . .. BxR ch; 34.K BI, qxKt l,ut*{:r qKiP, which can soon be rcndcrcd dei'encelcss, can
morecrushing-33. . .qxQ.. be menaced; and on thc King's, the absenceofthe
"only" h&ve Rook's Pawn iDvites a mating attack. The latter is
By 33. R Kr, qxKt, White would
.tosta piece; now it goesstill worsewith him. the more serious weaknes, but to cxploit it White
RxRcL must transport two picces, one of thcm the qLrcen,
33.,.. acrossthe boad-not aD cas,' taskJbecausethe black
34. Q KBr
Queen is well posted to impede the proc€ss.
Otherwisea rvholeRook goes. The plan Alekhine conccivesis very simple ir prin-
B-Q5ch ciple; he opcns up the road to the King's side by
34.... meansofa demonstration on the oppositewing, rvhich
and mates next rnove. draws away Black's active pieces (Queen and Rook)
This fanous ending may be familiar to marry ol (tru' The fulfilment of this plan involves typically of
readen bur evergreercharm Alekhine-.severxl surpfising turns rnd l]cat fincsses
36 MEE'T' 'I'IIE MASTERS ALEXANDROVITCH ALDKHI\E 37

It is about ten moves dcep, and of a remarkably 29. Kt K15, K Ktr; 3(). Q K:, with a double threat
forcing character- of 3 r. Q R5 and 3 r. Qr R, which is unansl,erable.
sr. P qKt4 B-Br 24. Kt Kt5
Not 2r of 2!. qxB, Rxq;
. BxKtP, because Another sharp threat: 25. KtxBPch (e5
23. RxRch and mate. R x Kt; e6. qx R).
22. q 86
24.... R(I(r) Qt
Threatening Rook and Parvn. If Black replies at 25. B Kt6
random, e.g. by 22 B q2, thcre follolvs 23.
qx KtP, attacking the oiher Rook so th.r Bla.k has
no rim. ro ' cprJr. ll-. tshl,oD. lh, clo'F - 7*E % r
R-Q4 lti7z
72 V.,l
So as to save both the attacked units.
23. P-Kt3 vt "4r,
7z Vz
Vz ''&
This is really an atlack on the QKIP, lor, as soon
as the black Queen ceasesto threaten thc Bishop,
Whiie\ queer is lrec to capiure the Pa$'n. The text 71.:2tr
move has a rather rcmarkable second signiicance, as
the sequelshows. This astonishing move reveals White's plan in its
q Ktr eniiretv. See how White, ivith his last three movesJ
e 3 . . . .
has cleared the way from QB6 to KKt?, from which
Black himselfadds lustre to the game here by making latter squarethe queen clinchestle lvin. Had not this
the very best movc and rej€cting rhe simPlifYing clearance been linked with a continuous sedes of
,3 . . . q q3 That also ould l.Jse,but the gamc tluerts, Black would have had time to evolve a satis-
rvould not then follow drc main lines of White's pian lactory defcnce- Ior instance, ::5. B Ktr would have
lt Ml Be.t Cqn" r' .,t, " Al.k'lir" 8i\.. r$J $inning beensatislactodlycounteredb)' 25 . . . q K4. The text
continualionsagainst tlis altcrnative movc, the simPl€r move is immcdiatcly decisive. Black is threatenedwith
being: (r3 . . . Q-Q:l; ::4. KR-QI, QxRch; loss of thc cxchangc and a ?arvn; if he captures the
(31 ... qxo.) 25. BxL, Rt<Rch; 26. RtR, desperadoon lis KKt3, he is elegantlymated: 15 . . .
R K 2 ; 2 7 .R q 8 ) ; , , 5 .R x q , R x R c h ; t 6 . K K t 2 , P x B ; 2 6 .Q K t z , K K t r ; 1 7 . Q - R 3 , B x P ( t h e o n l y
P-.Q,e; 2't. qxKtP, BxP; 28. QxRP, B Qz; move); r3. QR7ch, K Br; 29. q-R8ch, K K?;
3B MEET TI]E MASTERS ALEXANDERALEXANDROVTTCIIALEKIIINE 39

30. qxPch, K-Kr; 3r. q KtBch,B Br (3r after which he might make something of the break-
K K 2 ; 3 2 .q B T h ) ; 32. qx Pchand mate. through by P Kt4.
,5.... QK+ A stolid player might now concentrateon tlvo things:
Biack submia to the lossof maicdal. White no\" preserving his passedPawn and keeping rhe Knight
wins simplvand speedily:26. KtxBPch, RxKt; on White's Q9 under keen observation. This pian
, 7 . B x R , Q K B 4 ; 2 8 .K R Q r , R x n c h ; t 9 . R x R , wouid necessitatea seriesof laborious maneuvres not
at all in the style of Alekhine, who solvesthe problcm
Q x B ; 3 o .Q x B , K R 2 ; 3 r . Q X R P , q B 6 ; 3 e . of the position in a vastly diferent way. His extra
Q Q3ch, Resigns. Pawn meanslittle to him; perceiving how a kwardly,
Fifth llustration for the moment, Write's piecesare placed for delence
E. D. BocolYunov DR. A. Ar-}jKrxN! (the Rook at Kt2, the Bishop and both Knights), he
White lllack asks himself only one question: "How can I break
through into my opponent's position?:'
(Pla,vcdat Hastingsin r9??.) He succeedsremarkably: it is neither his queen
Position altcr r5. Kt(Br) qr. nor a Rook {'hich cracks up lvhite's game, but the
Q-yeen's f,n;ght'sPa1rn,which, aided bv the sacrificeof
'/.,//t
,&-a '& all three heaq, black pieces,advancesto promote to a
'lueen in five moves or so and decide the game. The
',ffi
7./,:?,t'/, whole conceptionis a magnificent example ofkcen and
t7t 7lzt7Z
'xt''&
exact calculation, in rvhich the least inaccuracy would

$!t
r."&
'/)v, ,|lL.
havc lcd to disastcr.
Thcse rcmarks givc a good cluc to Blackt 6rst
'i\
lt ./L,,6 .,/" fl
28.,.. Kt-Q6
7&, Nolv lvhite can rvin back his Pawn ir any of ihrec
Black is a uselul pa'r'n to tbe good, and his pieces
are, on the $'ho1e,more efiectivelypostcd; his Queen's t.a) 2 9 . P ! P , B x P ; 3 ( ) .Q x B I ) ;
Knight commands the strong square q6, and tbc tb) e 9 . P ) i I ' , t s x P ; l o . R x P ;
othcr can come to q4 nltcn the qBP is cxchangedo1l: k) 2 9 . R X P
Whiie has noi a lot of couDtcr-chances : his bcst is th,l
Thc ljne (.), which was a*ua1ly adopted,looksb€s!
possibility of advancing his Knight to Kj vja qR.1,
bccausc Black\ Knight carnot make uc of bis Q4;
 ALIXANDERALE](ANDROVITCFIALEI(HINE 41
MEET THE MASTERS
40
A difrcult situation for White. tr4aterially, even
and yer a would aclually hd\e becl| LFtter. ee.
after the promotion of the black Pawn to Queen, hc
29. PxP, BxP; 30. qxBP, Kt q4; 3I qKt7'
is not badly off; but his piecesare hopelesly misplaced
B-B3; 3:. qKtI, and White might again make
for defence, and ihis is rvhat Alekhine so clearly
somithing of manceuvring his Knight lrom q, to K5,
envisagedfrom the first.
though Black would sti1l have the bctter of ir, quite
apari from the lact that he might havc imProved on 33. Kt,Bz
his earlier ptay, e.g. 3t> . . R 82, instead of3o . . The only move.
Kt ()4. P Be(Q)cu
33....
, A i i * a . l n : r " t y i l d d F q u a r e :. un P P . B P r 3 o 34. Kt-Br Kt-K8
R P . K r Q 4 r 1 r .Q R r ' R R r l . , q R. Q 83.
rollor^ed soonc' ur ldler b) R Rr. " th Blacls Threateuingmate on th€ move.
piecesfiltering ;nto White's rveakly defendcd Position' 35. R Rz
2 9 .R x P Again forced.
The movc on which Alekhine had based his plans' 3 5 .' . . qXBP
29.... P Kt5 ! To follorv up with 35 . . . B-Kt4. Whire cannot
3 0 .R x R Pxq! play 36. Kt q2, bccause of 36 . . . Q QB8; 37.
3r.RxQ P-87 ! Kt Br, B-Kt4.
A britliant climax: Black gives up, in turn, every 36. R qKtg
one of his thr€e stroDgest Pieces-the last with a
The only $,ay to Jrold up Black's attack is to gilc
check !-to gel his passedPawn home.
K-R2 up the e{change.
32. R x Rch
B Kt4
3 7 .R x B qxR
Hcre the combination can bc resarded as having
reached its conclusion: Black remains rvith Queen for
Rook and Bishop, r,ith an overwhelming pos;rion into
the bargain. The win can only be a mafter of time.
Alekhine played the ending no tcss clcgantly and
compellcd his opponent\ rcsignarionafter rhe follorving
 rllEET ALNXANDROVITCI{.\LEKHII-E
4? 43

R. RtrTI Dr. A. A. Ar,rrlrrr,rn

38. P Kt4, Kt-B6ch; 19. BxKt, PxBi 4(r-
PxP,QKT!; 4r.P q5,K Ktr;42.P R5,K R2; h/hite Black
43. P-K4, Lt xKP; 44. Kt xKt, qxKt; 45. P q6, (Playcd in the tournament at Baden-Badcnin
PtPt 46. P-86, PxP; a7. R Q2, q-K7! (the r925.1
promotion theme again); 48..Rxq, PxR; 49. There lollorvcd-
K - 8 2 , P x K t ( q ) c h ; 5 0 .K x Q , K Kt2; 5r. K 82, r7. B-83 B-Kt5
K 82 t 52. K K3, K K3 ; 53. K K4" P q4ch. 18. B-Kt2 BR6
An cxtremely deep complication; lct in dcpth and r9. B Bg B Kt5
complexity it is surpassedby the rcxt, \llich has a And Alekhine claimed a draw by repctition ofmovcs.
psychologicalflavour h addition. Reti protestedrand rhe tournament director ruted that
Sixth nlustration the automatic draw by repctition had not yet comc
One of Alekhinet outstanding characteristicsis his
The reporters rvrore nothing about this; ano somc,
determination. He may lose a Samc through ovcr-
in retr.du, r.rg rhc gJme. omi .d rlre rep",;,;on.orn-
playing his hand, but never through hesitanc) or
p r e r e t \ p. u b l i . . h i n .g. o r F r . - d ; n g r b . B-Rb: r7.
timidity. Yet his judgment of a siruatic,nis impartial,
B 83. B-Kri: r8. B Rr. Ycr rhetr,i.F ,ir.um-
and he embarks on an attack only when he belicves
stances coDtribuie uselul cvidence towards a correct
tbe position to justily it. There is only one exception
judgmcnt of the situation.
to ihis rule: rvhen he finds himsclfgctting the orst of
Reti now lvent
i1, he immcdiatelv counter-attacksat all costs.
A beautiful inslancc of this, and also ol thc psycho- 20. B Rr
logical aspectof his play, is provided bv thc folloiriug and nol Alekhine kncw that, jfhe w.ereto get a draw,
Passage- he would have to fighi lor it. He could seethat lvhjtc
Position altcr 16 B(Kt5) R6: had in mind an attack on the queen,s side, based on
the break-through P-qKt4 qKr5; the oesr cnance,
E g, E in such a casc, lies in counter,attacL, as Alekhine is
t% 7ttr.frit thc 1'ery man to realize.
,.7' ffi There foilows one of the mosr beautiful achieve-

' a 7lt
8ffi6712 ments of his whole carecr--

t P KR4!
?z/:,'//:/,2
7/; 2r. P Kt4
,,. R QBI
PRg
ft"& Ht
 IIEET 'HB MASTERS
14 ALIXANDROVITCII ALEKHINE

Whitc could not go straight on with his plan, as his

Queen's Rook was undcfcnded: 22. P qR4, P-R5;
23. P Kt5? qRPxP; and wins. t8
'"/z ;t
P R5!
7t ffi
23. P R 4 PXP a''il6%
'///l '/2 7lz
24. R P x P '//lt'Hd&
By tbis cxchangcBiack has weakenedthe position of m-t'&
White's castled King: the fact that tlie KKIP is only
once protccted soon givesBlack combinative chanccs.
ry 7,/tW
q-82 Now the rcal combination begins: we soon have an
e4....
almost fantastic number ofpicces on each side ,ll ?rur.
Pu(ing thc weak point in Writct position under
a8..., Kt 86
2 9 .q x P QXQ
25. P Kts RPXP
R K6! 3().KtxQ Kt x Pch
2 6 .P x P
3r. K -R2
An offer which revealsthe significanceofh; PreYious 3r. K-Br, KtxPch; 32. PxKt, BxKi would
move. 27 . . RxKtP is threatened: 28. PxR, I€ave Black a PaNn up rdth much the betrer position.
qxPch; 29. B Kte, Kt K6 and mate. 27. PxR What harm can befall White now? If Black caprlrres
rvould be no delence. White is already thro$,n onio the Rook, lvhite takes the Rook on K3, and there is
rhe deleDsive. nothing in it.

27. Kt-83
3r.. . . Kt K5!!
A marvellous and far lrom obvious move. Three of
Not the best; preferablc was 27. B-B3, $hich Alek- thc lour Rooks are now c, y''rr; U4ite must play
hinc intendcd to answerby ,7 . . . R (Rr ) R6, folloued very careiLlly not to lose the erchangc at once. For
by . . . R(K6)-QBtj in some cv€ntualities. The text- example, 3:. PxR, Kt(K5)xR and both 33 . . .
move rcducesthe Bishop io inactivity and also removes Kt X Ktch and 33 . . . Kt x R are in the arr.
the Knight to a lcssefeclivc square. 3:. R-84
2 7 . , . . PXP Best, in the circumstances.32 .. BXKI would
?8. qxP now allow 33. RxKt(K4)!
46 MEET THE MAsrERs ALEXANDER ALE]LANDROVTTCH ALEKI{INE 47
3e . . . KtxR; 33. KtxKt wouldbe just as use- A little rcperition of the same theme.
threatagainstRookand
lessin viervofthc simultaneous
Bishop. 38. K R3 Kt-K6 dis ch
39. K-Rr KtxR
3 2 . . . KTXBP! ,+o.BxR Kt Q5!
Looks prosaic-Black wins a lawn, and all the It is all ovcr. If 4r. R-K3 or 4r. R KB2, then
threats suddenly disappear; but the most striking q z . R K r . B . Q aw i n n i ' tag p i c , e .
passagcsare still to come. A single exira Pawn rvould 4r...Kt.Bhl
White resigned.
hardly carry the day in such a position, but Black has A peerless example of Alekhine's attacking skill,
worked out quite a distinct winning method. remarkable lor the many problem moves that followed
33. B-Kt2 the exchange ol Queens. Thc position is incredibly
complicated, and everything is suspendedin mid-air;
Black thrcatened to win a second Pawn as well by but Alekhjnc dominates the proceedings. He pulls the
33 . . .B K3folloledby. . . KtxB. sires, and it is ro hi. bidding rhar rh. mdrionerrcs

33.... B-It3
34. R(Bl Bz
SeventL trlustration
The best place lor the Rook, as analysis confirms; The tast e{ample sholcd a {ine, complicated, and
the attack on the Knights restricts Black\ choice of very deeply calculat€d combination which only began
replies. after the qneens had disappearedfrom the board. Such
3,{ Kt Kt5ch casesare rare, for a combination is, in its essence,a
35 K R 3 violent disturbance of the dynamicai equilibrium, the
chancesof which arc greatly reduced when the most
N o t 3 5 . K R r b e c a u s c o f 3 5. . . R R B c h . powerlul piecesarc absent. One must nol lorget that
the exchangeol queens started the complications ofl
35.... Kt X4 dis ch
so that rhesepiecesplayed an important, even though
36. K R2 RxKt
preliminar.r',part.
3 7 .R x K t Here follows an example of quite another stamp.
Forced;37. BxR rvould cost him a piece. Oeens are exchanged off on the sixth move, when
there can be no question of attack or combinarion.
37. ' . . Kt-Kt5ch Nevertheless,it is not long before Alekhine's attacking
 MEET THE MASTERS ALE].ANDRO\IITCH A'-EXHINE 49
48

skill showsitself, and though combinations are absent, must thcrelore play it at once; but this, as lve shail
the fight is tenseenough for an,vbody'staste. see,puts him in trouble otherrvise.
P-B4
DR. A. ALEKSINE R. FINE
9.884 Kt 83
Whitz Black
Black cannot rvcll avert the threatened ro. Kt q6ch,
(Playedin the Kemeri tournamcnti1937.) which will force of one ofhis Bishops.
qI]EEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED Io. PXP
I.PQ4 PQ+ tseloreplaying Kt-q6, White taLes the oppotunity
z. P-QB4 PxP to gain severalmoves on his opponent.
3. Kt KB3 Kt KB3 BXP
4. Q-R4ch r r. P-QKt{ BIK
One of l,e newe,form' of rhisopeninq. 12.P Kts !

4.... qq2 Alekhine ertracts every ounce ofadvantage lrom the

This and the next move force exchangeof queens, Kt qKtr

leadingto a drawn posjtion,aPparently-but it is not 13. Kt q6ch BxKt
quite so simple. 1 4 .B x B
5. qXP Q-83
6. Kt-R3 Q.x Q
This brings the Knighi to a very strong posruon.
t% 7tt
6. . . P K3 \vas io be considcred.
%z'Ntffi
t"k %
7.Ktxq PK3 vlz 7lz %z
B. P qR3 ! '% Vz6:
Played $'ith insight. This move not only forestalls 7z %a"&
the check by the Bishop, uhich I'ould force furthcr
simDtificalion, but it threatcns P qKt4, which would
'rJIrp Bl".k uy f.c\.n,ing. . P-QBr. hi' ireeing The opening is over, and Alekhine, oncc again, has
l n o t " . t ' e t , " t . i s , o A e ri r ' P qB4 .t Jll. he achieved his primary aim-a favourable position.
50 MEET 'I-HE MAS'TERS ALEXANDER ALEXANDRo\IITCH LEKI{INE 5r

Again it was not any particular move, bDt a coherent rB . . . Kt-q3; 19. P K4, Kt K6; 20. B-Kt4l
seriesolmoves, each simple in its€lf, which brought this rould alsoleaveWhite wcll on top.
19. Kt-82
The apparently innocent B. P QR3 forced, as we The linal preparation lor P K4, prev€nting the
have secD, the innediate adtance of the black qBP, r e p l y . . . Kt Kii.
creating a weaknessat Biack's q3 rvhich was shown up 1 9 . . . . B-q2
by 9. B-B4. Now White has the smalt adv.rntageof 20. P K4 R qBr
two Bjshops against Bishop and Knight, but rvc shxll er. K q2 Kt Kt3
seethat this is not casily retained. 22. Kt K3
1 4 . . , . Ift-K5 Otherwise comes:r . . . Kt B5ch. The movements
r5..8-87 Kt-q2 o f t h ; . K n q h , l - r r e b e e nm o . ' p m , r l a b l . : 6 r . r ; l
wcrt to q4 to preparc P 83; then il went to Bz to
15 . . . P qR3, frghdng for counter-play along thc prcparc P K4; and now it goes to K3 to prevent
Q_ueen'sRook\ filc, rvas thc conect move. lvhite Black's whning back thc minor exchangeby rz .
could hardly reply 16. P-Kt6 to much advantage, Kt-B5ch.
becauseit rould give Black's Knight a lree entry to 22.... O O
bis QB3. 22 . . . Kt R5, follorvcd by ez . . . Kt 84 would
16. Kt q4 have been a littlc bctter: compare with our notc to
Black\ frfteenth. Alekhine contrastswith other great
Extr€mely sirong; White int€nds io place his Pailns mastersin the great rarity of such little lapses. After
on KB3 and K4, denying Black the use of his $,hite the text move lvhite never permits Kt R5 again.
squaresQa and K5 lor his pieces. I{e already has a
e3. P qR4!
little advantageon the black squares(Whitc\ K5 and
q4) through possessjngrhc only remaining black-
squareBishop.
t7/tA7'.tt"&t
'ffi '/lzt'X
1 6 . . . . Kt-Kt3
'Mfr72 "'/Z 7.t:.
17. P 83 Kt q4 7lz
18. B-R5 '2A''/Z
^7./,,, 'il^%
If r8. B-K5, then rB P 83. 7z 7z
rB..., Kt(Ks) 83 :"& .ft
 MEET TIID MASTERS ^LTXANDROVLTCHALE](HrNE 53
52

White, afrer e3 moves, has now only two piecesin B 15, P qR3; 33. PxP, PxP; 34. K 83 and Black
play, and yet fiey are ideatly positioned. The beauti- $ill soon lose lis qRP.
lirlly central post ofthe Knight on K3, thc solid centre, e9. Kt q5
the attacking formation on the Queen's sidc, the
mobility of the Bishop on R5-these things make it ,9. R qBr might perhaps have been simpter, but
impossiblefor Black to find good scluaresfor his pieces, Alekhine avoids exchangeof Rooks becauseend-gamcs
whereasWhite's pieces can develop rheir maxrmum with only the lighkr piecesgive many more drawing
combined €g'ectrlithin a few moves. chanccs. The text move gains Whire a passedpawn
Siiuationslike this are comrnon in Alekhntc's games wh;ch, in connexion rvith his trvo Bishops, soon
They draw oners attention to the distinction between becomesa powerful force. There is one sJight flaw in
"quantitative" and "qualitarivc" development Ale- White's tactics: Btack obtains controi-evcn though
khine alrvays foltows qualitative precepts, that is only temporarily ofhis qB4, a lacror rvhich undoubr
ro say, he studies the effecttvenessfar more than the edly gives him some opportunitics.
numerical strength of the forccsat his command. 29.... BxKt
23.... KR-qr 3 0 .P x B Kt 84
24. B-qi PK4 3r. B 85 nQ'
To lree his Bishop. A neat indirect protecrion of rhc Knighr on his B,g
,5. ItR-QBr BK3 and cerrainly beiter than simplifi,ing by 3r . . .
16.RxR Kt Kt6ch; 32. K-q3, KtxR; 33. BxR. The besr
drawing chance lay in a fusbn of these two idcas by
Not 26. B-Kt4 at once, becauseof 26 . . . RxRi
3r . . . Kt Kt6ch; 32. K-q3; and nor! j2 . .
e7. RxR, Ktx RP. R-Qr with thc idea of continuing, aftcr the auacked
2 6 . . . . RXR Rook has moved, isith 33. Kt q5. Evcn rhen, White
2j. B-IK.I4 could maintain tiis advantageby 33. B K7l

Preparing to push still furthcr on the queen's sid€. 32. K 83

2 7 . . , . Kt Kr lndirectly protecting the quccn\ Palvn
eB. P-R5 Kt q2
32. P QKt3
Not eB. Kt B5ch, becauseof 29. KtxKt, 3 3 .; ; ; PXP
B x K t ; 3 0 .R Q B r , B K 3 ; 3 I . R x R , B x R ; 3 2 . 34. B x K t !
54 MEET THE IIASTERS NI,I:)iAND1{OVT'TCH ALEKINND 55

As is *'ell knorvn, the tbrce of thc BishoP-Pairolten succession,that is to say on every occasionwhen they
li€s in the possibilily of exchanging back one of them had competed in togelher the same toumamenr (St.
for a Knight at the appropriatc moment. By the text Pctelsburg,I9I4; London, Ig22; New York, 1924;
move, White obtains a sccond passed Pawn' which and Nea'York, r9r7), the Cuban had finished above
Alethinc, and thcrc was not the slightest reason for
P:B considernrgAlekhine the stronger playcr. When this
Kt Q3 g a m e b e e a n .A l c l h i n c h r d a r n " r s i r ro r r q " 9 " m . .
35. P-Kt6
(: 3) in hi' lavour, but not everybody backed him to
36. B Q?!
wjr evcD thcn. According to the conditions ol the
A beautiful 6nish. l]lai:k is comPletely helpless match, Capabiancarcquired to \|in only two gamcs to
againstthe menaccofB 86, ?-Kt7. . . and R R8. achieve an ever score (5 .5) and remain champion. It
RrB ryas at thjs critical stage of thc match tLat Alckhinc
36....
Kt-Kr won game and title.
37. R RBch
Not only for this was the game importalr; rrs rcc!-
38. R xKt flrate
nical execulion rvas of the grandest. Alckhine oblains
The uhole game is a beautiful example ofAlekhinc\ -as so often-a small advantage in the openirrg and
great lersatility ir attack. I{anv other attacking thcn promptly conlionts his opponent with a dia-
players rvould have more or less lost jntcrcsl when bolical Queen movc :r. Q-Qr ! Capablanca misscs
Queens disappearcdso early, but not Alekhine I He the one and only obscure delence lvhich rvoulcl have
t"ep; up rhe hgl-l r:Jhr inro t\. .nd g.jme. , rcarine held the balance of thc position, and parts lvrth a
initiaiives aneiv all the time. l'a1{n.
With the speedydis:rppcaranceof all but the healy
Eightl llustration pieces lron the board, it becomesmosr dificlrlt for
Now nnally the game rvorthy of being considered Aiekhinc to crploit hh slight advantage: he has ro be
the most important of Alckhine\ whole career, and at on the alert against all sorts of devetopmertsir which
the same time one of his best achievern€nts;n itself an odd Pawn rvould count for noli)ing. He s.,lveshis
It is tlle thirty-fourth and last game in his match lor task \,!ith concentration, patience, and eficiency-
the world\ championship wjfi Capablanca at Buenos Oniy in the very end, rvhen hc has an casilv Non gamc,
Aircs in r9:7. In rvinning this game he became does he rel a little and miss a chance of clinching
world champion. To ases his victory in this match victorv a lilde more quickl,v but this slight blenish
at its true value, one must recall that CaPablancawas wc can wc]] condorteu lcr ihc .ircumstarrcs.
then consid$cd absolutely unbeatable. Four tlmes ln Thc most admirable featurc of this gamc is the
56 MEET TIIE M,\srERs ALEXANDERALTXANDROVTTCHALEKHTNE 57
'on-
r u p e r b r e , n i u u e b y s h r c l r a . l I J l l r d v a n L r g ei ' A typical Alekhine mdve which employs the queen
v"'rr"d in'o o wir. :r prore,s \\hi' h FxrFnd' o\cr )r"drlv to her maximum of effectivcness. Blackt position
efliorts'
sevcnly movcs against an opponent whose sholvs three rveatlpsses: on the queen's side the
fraught with the energy of desperation, continually unprotectedQRP; in the centre the K;net Pawn, and
threaten io thivart him. on thc Kjng's side the bad lormation of Pawns at
Having admired Alekhine lor his combinative KKt3 and KR3. The text move strikes directly or
genius, let us conclude this chapter with this tribute indirecily at cvcry onc of these, as the nrllowing
to bis inspired technique. analysesdemonstratc.
DR. A. ALIKHTNE J. R 2 r . . . R X R ; z z .R x R , R - B r ; 2 3 .R X R , K t x R ;
White Bkck ,4. q-B3 and Blackt Kingt Pawn falls.
2 r . . . R x R ; 2 s .R x R , R - 8 r ; ? 3 .R x R , B X R ;
(Final matchgame,BuenosAires,I9?7'j ,4. q R5 forking Black\ Rook's Parm and King's
QI,'EEN'S GAMBIT
r. P-Q4, P q4r ,. P-Q84 P K3r I Kr qB3' :rt . . . B 83; 22.Kt-R4!BxP; 23. Q-K3 winning
I(r-KBri-a. B -Kt5, qKt Q.; I P K3' P .B3: a piece, sinc€ the black Bishop, in view of the possi-
r , .p - O i q . d ' f z r 7 . r t n 3 , O o r 8 . B Q 3 . P P ; bility of Kt B5ch, has to keep an eye on thjs square,
. s ^'si. Kr-Oar ro. B B, q B; I r' Kt K4' so that 23 . . . B 87 lails through 24. RxB..
k , O n , r i " , r : . K t K r : , P B 4 i 1 3o O ' K t K t 3 ; zr . . . B 83; 22. Kt R4l KtxP; 23. Kt(R4)-
,r. i'n"."p,Pi 1 5 .K t P ' P K t 3 i r U R B r ' B5ch, ?xKt; 24. KrxPch, K Kt3; 25. qxPch,
S-Oz; 'r. QK2, QR Br; 18 PK4' P K4i I KxKt; 26. P-KK|4 mate.
Kt-B3, I( Ktz; ?o P-R3' P KR3' This last variation in particular has a rare beauty
zr' Q Qzl d n d ' h n $ r \ r h a ls u b t l "t u r t s A l e k h i n er a n u r " v e i n t o

H & B-K3
t/ Agi Subsequentanalysis has rcvealcd that only by the
4 ' r 1 yt move 2r Kt R5! (recomnended by Lasker)
";72. could Black havc maintained equilibrium. Norv he
.L -ff simply losesa Pam.
22.Bx B, qxB; 29.q-Rs, Kt-Bs; ,.r. qxRP,
-d 2L.
K t x K t P ; 2 5 .R x R , R x R ; 2 6 . Q x P , K t B 5 ;
&. ; H
8 f Er ]I
,7. Q Kt4, R-QRr; 28.R Rr, Q-83; r9.P qR4!
ffi, 2 9 . . , . I(txP
 MEET TIIE MASTERS
ALEX]\NDROVITCfi ALEKINNE 59
5B
The only way ro save the Piece.
33. Q qBr q83
34. Kt Iq Kt xKt
3 5 .R x K t
7t '&, ,&,
Ellzh t
//.lzvZ 72) 7lz ffi t
7./t % 7lt
ft"llz 7/ZH
gFr hh Pawn back' % //, /a,
7t,.4. t
Ter.ion aga;n. \\hitF r'Fms.Lo fl l!
sreeve
bul Alekhint hm a surpriseup his
30 KtxPl
A very diflicult cnd-gameensues,in which Alekhinc
Ccrtainiy not 30. KtxKt,
qxKt; 3r' R-qBI ' conve.ts his material advantage into a win in a most
Kt K'
b ; ; . . ; i r 3 ; . ' . . n q e ' : . ' qq- r ' K rRQ :R c h i i 4 instructiv€ wxy. lvhen heaq piecesalone remain, it
.i l,."xi p. rr-K6il: 1r' -q andwins'
is very dilicult to force a win. We shall Presentthe
ii" .ril, r<i-ili, r., j5 K Kir' Kr..Kt6di''h remainder of the game in a seriesof snapshots,which
li"lm. is ,s idroir in evoiding his opoonenis best iltushate how Alekhine wends his 1vay,through a
,''ori i"e,,i,"l;"* ar in (redrinehis own'
rFsolrrcFs seriesofend-game finesses,to victory.
3o.... Qq3l 3 5 . . . R q K t r ; 3 6 .R - K 2 , R q R r ; 3 7 .R - R 2 ,
R R4; 38. q 87' Q R3; 39. Q B3ch.
B e s r ,i n r h e c i r ' u m ' r a n ' c ' A f l r : o
Kr Bl\ '':::,2.t ''l%
, K';'3, a K'. S g:. .1'' K rr Q r r ' ' e n de r m " 7 7z
would be easily won tor llhrte "" ; t g
3r. qxKt Q. Kt c . /iJ.i
E "" 1 ""
It is r€markabtehow ev€rything
6ts in; Rlack
P'h'
K r K t . L c r a u s " o IQs z
fr: g " / " : t./;
.'iid;'i;i;;;;
tlrc qu€en'
:, .-
K-Rr; 33 Kt 'Pch wjnning Hz ft:frl
Kt q3
3u. R-Kr
6l] niEET THE lIAsrERs ^LEx^NDRovrrcHALEKrrrNE 6r

White hasgained comnand ofthe long diagonal,and Forcing th€ quecns otr ir circumstances all to
roon bcsrn' ro opFralFwirh mati']q rlrrFJI'' bis advartage (Black's Rook cannor now take up iis
, o . i , x n r ; 4 0 .R q 2 , Q K t 3 r a r ' R Q r . mc,steffective position dr'al the $,hite Parvn).
R KB4 ; 49 . . . QxQ; 5lr. Rxq, K-Kt2; 5r P-QR5,
Q KtSch; 42. K-Rz, Q Krrch ; 4 1 P Kt3.
44.q-Q4' q Kr; 4r. R q5' R 86. R R3.

trE % 7lz 7Zr,g,

E'//1 72 7zt
- ', "& 7z '% 7l"z
u '//z67/tE 71,.tm v "&
t
71 7Z 7Z'&&
"uu
7lz ///t/; '&' '%%7z7:,/.
Whcn the queens leave the board, the passedPawn
.
Decomesa personageor rmporrance.
AId norv \{hitc must not be oler-hasty in his attack' sr. R-q5, R KB3; s3. R-q4, R R3; 54.R R4,
!'or instance, 46 K-Kt2, R-R6; 4?. R QB, s'hich K 83; 55. K 83, K-K4; 56. K K3, P-R4; 57.
seemsstrong, $'ould fail through 47 . . R x RP ! I< Q.3,K q4; s8.IGB3, K 84.
q Kt6, Q'R8 ; 48 K Kt2,
46. P R4, Q KRr ; ,r7
R-83r 4.. q
"/lt
Q4!
72 "/tz t
"r/,:"rt'lt '&. 7../:t
E'2 7rZ
,,,//la,:
,/:lL;, ffi "/:1"/7.tt
H.l'//i tr
7Y7L.t € ",:Ll;t A
fr1 trt, 1.2 7.2 ''& %
g
- /$ lg The Kings are Gghting for space.
59. R-R2, K Kt4; 60. K Kt3, K-84.
 rHE IIASIERS ILEXANDtrRALDXANDRo\'TToI]ALEKHTNE 63
6l venr

Sad ! the Pawn is too hot to touch; lor if 6lJ ' ' won by exhaustinghis opponent'sgood moves,as
R x P . t h e ' 6 L R R . h , K R : 6 : K B 1 .K K t 3 r foltorvs: 67. K Kt7, R-B6; 68. K KtB, R Bs;
OS.K qs. K 82: 6{ K K". K-Qr: di K 86' 6q. K-BBI R 86 (69 . . . R-Bq,. 7o. P-Bd; 70.
d K ' ; b 6 .t 8 4 . K B r ; C 7 P 8 5 " r n dr v i n ' ' K-Lt7, R-84; 7r. P-B4 and Black can res;gn.
67. P-84, R-84! 68. R R3, R-B2; 69. K Ktn
6r. K 83, K Ift4; 6e.K Q4.
R-q2; 70.P 85'PxP; 7r. K-R6,P-85; 72.PxP,
R-q4; 73. K-Kt?, R-KB4 i 74. R R4, K-Ift4 !
?5. R-K4, K-Rj t 76. K R6.

%'%
z'2t72

Y:'^^r:
The whitc King swings off towards thc other side;
%z
"'&
7Z.z&
""4 7ZE%zI
VzHffi '&
Vz 7z 7z
obviously Black is still worse off if he captures the
Pawn now.
62.., R q3ch;63.K K5,R K3ch; 64 K 84' Write sacri6ceshis queent Rookt Pawn to gain
It-R3 ! 6;. K Krs. R K4ch: Co K R6' R K34' Black'sKRP.
76. . . RXRP; 77. R-K5, R-R8; ?8. KxP,
R-KKIB t 79. R-KKI5, R-KRB; Bo. R KB5,
t' K-Kt3 j Br. RxP, K-B3; 82. R-K7.
,t*' ,( Capablancaresignsand Alekhine becom€sworld
champion!
; E
I "/,: ./:o
',r7u'*
Now comes a rare event-Alekhine misses the
strong€stline. As he has stated himscl! he could have
 CHAPTER III

JOSE RAOIJL CAPA}LANCA Y CRAUPERA

T. R. Capablanca tas born in Havan:r on lgth

NJue-b"., iAeg. A curious analosy to Alekine\ birth
is prescnted by the fact that a match for the \vorld's
chimpionship had bcen Phyed therc the vear bcfore'
Steiniiz plaved his return match againsr Lasker in
Moscow: ;n Havana he had cncountered Tchigorin'
Again iikc Aletrhine, Capablanca learnt chess at a
verv vouthful aqe.
In'rooo. rn'hin onlv lwelve ,vean old, he beat J'
Corzo by four gamesto nil, i{ith s;x draws, in a atch
lor the chamionship of Cuba Thn achievcmentis bv
no means to be minimized, lor the standard of Play
in Cuba, as a resuit of the activjty of the Havana
Ches Club, rvas high.
Gra.llrating from a sccondary school, Capablanca
$ ent to Ne\{ York to study cngineeringtcchnique and
chesstcr:hniquc,althoughbc had not originall-vintcn ded
it. I"Ic be(am€ .r member ancl soon champion of the
Manhattan ChcssClub- ln tgog hc delaatcdthe Amcrl-
can champion l{arshall by €ighr i!'ins to on€,withlbur-
teen draws, and thenceforth was accepted as the
s r r o r s F : pr l " \ ' e ri n r h ' \ ' ' v \ \ o r l d . l h i ' r r r ' h a so f
c o L r r ,hL. " n . l . a l l " n g . d, , , " , r l y b y R F . h F \ . k rvr r d I i n " '
ncither ol rvhom, incidentally, he has met in a match'
CaDablancashowcd talent from the start, Lrut more .JosE RAoUL c^FadL^NcA
$Idld Clrrn,Fnin IQrl
than'this rvas nceded to carrv him into the lorcmost
rank of chessgreatness; he worked had, cs])eciallvin
6,1
 JosE R oul- c^p^!L^NcA v GRAUPERA 65

thc very bcginning, to develop this talent. As with

other great masters, his tm;ning blended study with
plactic€. But there uas a great contrasl wiih Alekhine;
Capablanca did not applv himself to opening theory
(in which hc never therefore achievcd much), but
delved deeply into the study of end-gamesand other
simple positionsrvhich respondto techniquerather than
to imagination. It is said that he studied exhaustively
morc than a thousand Rook and Pawn end-games,a
colossalundertaking lor which he has been well repaid.
His practical experience also followed a diferent
, . u r . F r r n ' nr h " r o r r h eo r \ " r m a . r " r so f \ i . 9 . 1 . r1 r i o n .
He participated in varjous tournaments in Amcrica,
but the real mcasure of his theoretical knolvledgervas
not thc tournament game but the "skittle" game.
Whilst a student in Nerv York, he plaved thousands
of rapid games, all for moncy stakesso that he $as
lorced 10 concentratc; and this drvclopcd in him, in
courseof timc, th€ superior positionaljudgment which
later, in jntemational tournaments, revcaled itself as
such a rcdoubtable ueapon. Iirstly, he learnt to play
quickly without blundering; secondly, he developed
the essentialpro{iciency in wresting the clear positions
hc likes from evel) sort of situation. Ior years and
\exrs he nevcr oncc got into timc-troublc or into a
positnn not under his rigid control. Onlvjust rcccntly
has he detcriorated in this connexion; the time-devil
does play him tricks somerimes,and altogether he
makes harder going ofit than ofold.
Returnjng to the srory of his career. His sparlling
victory over llarshall speediiy brought him inter-
national renohn. In rgrr he came to Europe for the
66 MEETTrrE ilasrERs JosE nAouj- cApABr-ANcA y GR-AUTERA 6j

first time, to win lirst pdze in thc lery strongly con "coming
all the younger masters, and especially the
tested toumam€nt of San Sebastian rvith six wins, man," Alekhinc. In the Moscow tournament he
scvcn drarvs,and but a single loss. Immediately after sllntred anoiher blow: Bogolyubov was first, Lasker
this be sounded Dr. I.asker, then rvorld champion, second,Capablanca rhird; Alekline did not compete.
wifi the idea ol dreir playing a match lor the lvorld\ gis only opportunity ofcrossing swordswith rhe latter
championship, but marters nevcr rcached the stage camc in I9r7 in the four-round tournament of six
of deinite negotiation. When Laskcr $,on the St. mastersat New York; and here he scored an unchal-
Petenburg tournament above him in rgl4, beating l . r j . d f i r s r p l a . e .i n f r o n r ^ f A l F l . ln " o r ' F a s a i n .
him in their indilidual cncounter, his aspirrtions lbr Nc'iv his position as rvorld champion se€medunassail-
the titlc abatcd a litde. tr{oreover,tbe war paralysed ab1c, the more so since Lasker had retired from
ches for a whitc. Capablanca participated in three acti|e chess, and he could look forrvard to thc title
tournamentsonly during the war (in New York, I9I5, 63 | sirh A'r\hi.r.lor$hic\!r.pJ'ar:on.werFgoing
r916, and rgrB), lvinning fi$t prize each time. "vaniry of
lonr.rd. litl- ruprrp 'onnJFn'F.tsur.
Returning to Europe:fter the Armistice, hc rcdoubled vanitics," the very first game brought the Cuban
his efforts to obiain a title match ivith Laskcr. After a crucl disillusionment. I{e w.as beatcn and as
sevcral setbacks,among oth€rs thc lact that Lasker \4hite I
voluntarilv reiinquished his titlc, a stare of allairs This game was crucial lor the match, as subsequenily
Capablanca rcfusedto accept, the match took place in became eudent, lor Capablanca had bcen dislodged
Havana in rger, concluding with a dctory lor the liom his psychologicalthrone and never once looked
Cuban, lvho thus succeededto the titlc. Wilh the like recoveringit thrcughout all the thirty-three games
scorc four to none in Capablanca'slavour, ten gamis shich followed. It is true he put up a mighty resis-
having been drarvn, Lasker adjudged the s;tuation tance, bur he found himself on the delensive, and in
hopclcssand gave up the struggle. chess*rs in ant congict-success lies in attack. Thc
The new world champion vcll knew how to confrm "chess
mach;ne," by which admiring title he had bcen
his standing by wianing the grcat internaiional tourna- krovn, rcvealed thc gr€at dralvbacl ofa machine: it
ment in London in r9t2 with the shattering scorc of had not sulicient flexibiiity to adapt its€lf to altered
eleven wins, no defeats,four dmlvs. It was now that
"unbeatable,"
he began to attract xhe description Ofthc cndlessnegotiationslbr a return match against
yet within two years, at New York, his reputation suf- Alekhinc $e have already written.
fered a sad blow: just as at St. Peienburg in I9I.!, As ex+rorld champion Capablancaregistercdvarious
he had to bc satisfiedwith secondplace behind Laskcr' successes;he came first at Berlin in rgr8 and Buda-
SomeconsolaLion \tas dffordedhim by hi: sLrrparsing Pest in r92g; second at Kissingen in rgr8 behind
 MEET rHE MASTERS .1 cR{upERA
ti8 JosD RAoUL CA!ABL.\NcA 69

Bogolyubov; and, in company with Spielmann, bc- CAPASLANCA IIITS OI-IT

hind Niemtsovitch at Carlsbad in 1929. He de{eated
First I[ustration
Eurve bv two games to nonc rrith eight drarvs in a
match in r93r. After this he withdrew lrom the inter- Iirst ()1 all, a game in the sryle rhar earned for
ndt:onJl rrc.r for som" rir c. lli* r"app""rrn, . in (l^pablanca the description "chess machine." We see
$e Hastings congressof Christmas, 1934,\tas none too hirn obtajn a small but definite advantage from the
succesful, for hc had to (:ontent himself ilith fourth opening, lar from suflicient to produce a $rin of itself
place. In Moscorv a year later hc finished lourth (to I r e n o J g l r o F n J L l ch ; m r o , r u . . h i " u t p o r" n r
!'lohr and Botvinnik, eqltal first, with Lasker third). diliiculties. The position isjust to his taste: slightly to
Only in 1936, al Moscow, was he at last to knolv the hi- advantage, simple, straighttorward. It is splendid
pleasure of surpassing Lasker in an international io obseNehow he hoids his advantageand sysrematic-
tournamcnt. He was easily first, and soon afterwards allv increasesit, exploiting each inaccuracy on the
in the strong Noltingham tournament he shared fiIst lrart of his opponent. His unsurpassablecticiency pro-
prize i{ith Botvinnik. This really was a rcsounding duccsa game which is a model ofmodern objectivity.
success.Then came the double-round tournament of E. D. Bocol-\'uBov J. R. CAp-,.uLANc^
eight leading masters at Sennering-Baden, t937, Wh;te Blact
whcre Keres w'on lirst place, followed b) Iine, (From the New York tournamcnt. 1924_)
Capablanca tyirig $'ith Reshevskylor lourth place.
Eve:rafter his disappointingshowingin the A.V.R.O. qUEEN'S PAWN GAME
tournamentr in rvhich he frnished seventll out of the r P Q.4 Kt Ka3
eight paticipanis, and his not !ery convincing second 2. KI-KB3 P Q+
placc at Nlargate a lew months later, he remained one PK:
S.PK3
of the best players in the world, though he was obvi
ously experiencingmore and more di[]cult)' in main- T t i . n o r l n C " p " b l a n , " < n a , L , r c' n . e e k i n r r i c d , ; e ,
taining his outstanding position. One must not lbrget the opening. This cxplains his choice of rhe quiet
that he 1va! the oldest compctitor ir the Dutch .. . P K3 instead of the keener 3. . . P 84 or
tournamentj and hence prcsumably the m.,st alTected 3 ' .B B+.
by the arduous travelling. Hc scemedtoo inclined 1(r 4. B-Q3 PB4
s€izcmaterial at the expenseofposition, relving on his i. P QKt3 Kt-83
delensivc skill to achieve the miraculous-but his 6 . O O B-Q:
defensive skill c.,uld no longer always achievc the 7. B Kt2 o-o
B. QKI-Q?
 IIEDT THE MASTERS JOSE R.{OUL CAPABLANCA Y GRAUPERA 7I

8. P qRS is prcferable: 8 QK:;9.Kt-K5. Bcginning the real struggle. Black goes for the ex-
This is soon apparent .hange ofBishops, lvhich is to his advantage,as he has
"bad" Bishop (moving on squares of the same
8.... QKz! the
colour as his Pawns and therefore hampercd by them)
Withth€doublcthreat 9. . . P-K4 and I . . . PxP "good" one.
ard Whitc the
followed by . . . B-R6. We scc rvhy B QKt Qz was 16. Kt K5 B Kt4
17. P 83
i:1.Kt Ks PxP
ro. PxP B-R6
R€lativelybest. 17. BxB, PxB would leaveWhite
I I, BXB QXB \itlr t$.o lveak backNard Parvns, his QRP and his
After the exchange of his Queen's BishoP, White's QUP. Nor $ould r7. P QB'] tr" srj"racrory. for
attackire chanceson ihc King's sidc disappearand he r7 . . . PxP would leavc him the choice only between
has to te careh that Black does not iake over the an nolated QP (if he recaptureson Bj with a piece)
initiativc with the hclp of thc open qB 6le All this, 'hanging Pawns" (t$,o Parns
or united with each
holvevcr, was common knorvledge at thc time Bo- othcr but isolated from their lellows a dubious con-
q o l y u o o vp r e . u m a L l y' h o s c r l r L ! - r i x r i o n I o a \ o i d figuration) if he recaptureswith the Pai\'n. The text
i i . t " : a g o o , lp o l i c yi n i t . e l l :I o f \ \ l r i r e h 3 s , . r r a i n l y morc robs the black Knight of the use of his K5, to
not got the woise game. Brrt it soon becomesobvious which square it threatened to advance, attacking the
that Capablanca is far more at home in this 'lear sort qlP.
of posjtion thar his opPonent. 1 7 . . . . BXB
rr. Kt(q2)-BS B-q2 r B .K t x B R82
r?.KtxKt BxLt
14 Qq2
r a , O - B r u : r s r h c ( o r r F . t , u n r : n u l u o n .: ' t " r d i n g t
to at.li'in.. Wh;re mu., mak" an etrorr Io dri!e the
btack Queen from her strong Position.
t ,ru,
t4. .. . qR-Br 7zt/*"
15. P-B3
Weakens his Bishop's Pawn, which was well pro-
n
.r*,
tecied on the secondrank. Better 15. Kt-K5 at once' JI
r5. P-qR3 !
 MEET THT IT STI'RS JosE RAoUL cAPABL.\r"ca 73
Black is now well placed, in vierv of tbe Ieaknesses 7//,:.8t2
in Whitet Pawn position, ParticuLarlYthe qBP, $'hich
t"..H."/zt
can be attacked along thc open file. lvhjtc can €asily
protect the talvn, but this inplies other drarvbacks * %r.
" xtTlt
i"a au"g".' inherent in Positions iD {hich one's
7lz "dz
,tJ
opponent can continually threaten somethingor other. 7z
Eiperience teachcs that in situations likc this it is fr.& '2a
almost impossiblefor the dclending party to 6nd the TlzHW
best movei fo' cver if the attacker makes the most of
his chances.
19. qR Br KR BI
this simple movc finally wins matcrial as the out-
20. R QB2 Kt Kr!
come ofa scriesof beartiftl manctuvres,basedmainly
on the weaknessesin lvhite's King's side. lvhite\
Thc Knighr is airning for Q3, from which s.luare it
Queen'sKnight's Pawn is attackcd, and il he protects
ihreatens to push on to QKt4 or KB4. it then the weaknesscs of his QBP and qP, onc back-
2r. KR Br Kt-Qs $,ard aud the other p;nncd, are at once madc apparent,
22. I(t K5
(,1)?4. P qKta, ? qR4l ,5. PxP, qxRP; win-
In the book of tire tourname t, Alekhine those nn,g either the QRP o. ihe qBP;
excellent notes rve arc follol.ing here shows that (r) ,4. P-qKq, P-(fR4l ?5. P-Kt5, Kt 85; 26.
\lhitc could ha1'e put uP a much more stubborn KrxKt, RxKt; 27. R Rr, P K4!j winning the
resistance by t2. Kt 85, follorvcd it neccssarv bv QP;
Kt R4. {.) ,4. R-Ktr, Kt 84 (threatenjng 25 . . . KtxPl);
qR4 !5. R(Kt2) Ktr, ? 83; 26. Kt Kt4 (16. Kt-q3,
23. P-qR4 R x P I 2 7 . R x R , q x q P c h , e t c . ) ;e 6 . . . P K 4 ; a g a i n
rvindng the qP.
Here again Whitc shoulclhavc tried the manceuvre Capablancais no combinative player, but operations
Kt Q3-B5. I he I.rr m '!.. prFsum,Llyaimrd agcin't like this "executive" combinations (in which an
2 i . . . K r K t 1 . p o d u . " r n e r v w c ; k r n i n ign \ V h i t e ' already existing positional advantage is exploitcd in
Paun position rvhich is fatal the most mathematical way)--are his speciality.
23. . q Kt3 ! 24. Iit-q3
,74 MEET TI]E I\trASTERS JOSE RAOUI, CAPABLANCA Y CRNUPERA ?5

Bogolyubov realizeshe must losc a Parvn and gives According to theory, ? . . . Kt-KB3 is the bcst move
up all idea of cutting across his oPPonentt plans. here; but it leads to some most complei( variations.
"Better late than never!" he at last proceedsto tlansfer Cap r,l.ncr. nerfl r runnol.eur of thc ot.nine. pre-
his Knight to qB5 but it is too late to sa1€the game fers a modcst iine which producesthe type of position
he likes.
24 . . , qxKtP; t5. Kt 85, q Kt3; 26. R lft2, 3. Kt 83 P-Q3
QR2; s7. QKr, P QKt3; 28. Kt Q3, R 85; 4. Kt qR4
29. P R5, PxP; 30. Kt 85, Kt Kt4; 3I R K2. "minor cxchange" (Bishopfor Knight).
Threatening 32. RxP; bur the text move allows To win the
B l a . I r o , D . r r l l i z "o u r r h e p o ' i r i o nr o J l r F I r yw i n . The sequcl rcveals, horvcver, that lhis advantage is
KtxqP conpldely discounted by the opening of the QR file
3r.. . .
R(Br)x Kt for B1a.k.
3 2 .P x X t B Ktj
White rcsigns,for 33. ?xR, qxPch would lose the 5. Ktx B RPxKt
Que€n (oth€rwisehe is mated). Anything else would 6 Pq4 PxP
lose thc QP. 7. q)<P Q 83!
Playing over this game, one gets the involuntary
irnpre,sion Ihar rlrc" i' a d"adlt .imple and easyeame. 7 . . . Kt KB3 $ould 1,ield White a clear opening
T h i si . L r u er,r e r a l l s n e n l o u \ n o r v l r o r v adla rage through 8. B-KKI5.
Second Ilustration B. B KI(ts qxq
The next game is olthe samc genre,but queens are
9. Ktx q
exchanged off h the opcning, so thai we have an
unusuatly good opportunit] ol admiring Capablanca's tsNw7.,).&/16:',H
':lt:,L '/.zl,tlft}
skill in the end-game.
E. IlasN J. R. CAPABLANCA
,& t
White Blath lt'7/,t "&
"i1ft''//2
(Playedin the \'IoscoNtournament,19361
.47Lz,
.t ./r'./,2
ITENNA GAME
r. P Ii4 P-K4
t'ffia7' '&fr
2. Kt-qB3 B-84
 7D MEET TI]E TIASTERS josE RAoUL 77
White has a rcspectabteposition, thanks to hls rwo Ano$er point of the text move is ihat 14. Kt-Kt5
Bishopsand his centre Parvn, which cnsu.eslor him a rvouid achievenothing becauseof 14 . . . Kr{B3)-K4l;
little more terrain. Black's task is now, above all, to rq. B K:, BrKt; 16. BxB, R R4; r7. B K2,
prevent his opponent's posting his picces aggresiveln Kt B6ch; rB. BxKt, RxB. This last variatjonillus-
and Capablanca is just the man lor this. trates prettily thc significancc of thc factors ne have
9 . . . . Bq2 mentioned, the open Rook's 61e and the c.xposedposi-
ro. B 84 Kt-K2 tnrn of the whik qB.
rr.OO Kt Ktj 14. Kt: Kt
l h i s l i t r l em o , c i . i r n i r o r . , n rl .l a " n r : n S i 2 . P 8 4 ,
Missing the best continuation. He should have
which would now be ansrsered by rr . . P R3;
played 14. B-Br, posting this piece securelyand pro-
13. P 85, Kt K4 winning a piece. Capablanca thus
viding extm protection for his qRP. 14 . . . R R5
tilizes the incidcntal circumstancethat his opponent's
could then be answcred bv 15. P-qKt3, with P QRa
Bishop on Kt5 is more or less exposed, to post
to fol1orv. fhe text move only strengthens Biackis
his King's Knjght on a bctter square and prepare
I'a{n position bccause it bdngs his qKrP to qB3,
to castle, $ithoui wasting time l\'irh moves likc
\vhcre it commands his q4, an important centre
... PIGgor...PR3.
12. P qR3 1 4 .. . , PxKt
The fi$t efect of thc opcn Rook's file. Whiie has 15. B q2
to waste a moye $'ith his qRP so as to lree his QR
and KB for action. Hcre again r5. B-Br should have been grv€n thc

o o
13. QR qr Kt-83 ! r5..,. R R5:

Once again, Capablanca seizcshis chancesin mas- Itradicating one of White's two Bishops ultimateiy,
terly lashion-chanccs, for tile timc bcing, merely of the reply being forced.
I , r F \ F n r i nlev h : r , f , o ' r r d \ ; , , . t h e i n i r . r r i v . . r 4 . . . 16. B Q3 Kt K4
R R5! threatens, after rvhich Whire irould have to 17. B-Bj P83
say good-b,veto his Bishop pair, e.g. 15. KtxKt, r8. P-Bg RKr
BxKt Gti[ more enteryrisingis r5 . . . PxKt), and
White mustplay 16.B Q5,as16.B Q3 rvouldsuccumb Never lose patience I Capablanca perceives well
t o r G . . . B x P ; 1 7 .I . q K t 3 , B x B , a n d s o o n . that his opponent can no longer maintain his pxir of
78 UEETTHE MAsrERs JOSE RAOUL CAPABLANCA Y GR..].UPERA 79

Bishops in any case, and thcrefirre he is jn no great Now undoubtedly Black has the better of it. His
hurry to exchangeoF his well-placed Knighi. Pasrs command more squaresin thc ccntral zone, and
r9. R B* his Rooks can make more eflectivc use of the open
fi]es than Wlite's. In addition, there is the possibility
One might askwhy White docs nor tl,v to preseNehis of a break-through on the King's side by
Bishopby r9. B-Kr. The sequelsupplicsthc answer. P-KKI4 Kt5, whilst White is condemned to pas-
1 9 . . . . B-Br siviry. Indeed, his only chance of a break+hrough is
20. B-Br by P KB4, and this promiseslittle, becausehis Ling's
A uselessmove s'hich, horvever, does not giv€ ?arvn, after the reply . . KP r ?, would becomevery
anything away.
2o..,. BR3 In thc ncxt part of the game Capablanca exploits
his chancesvery fine]y, but his opponent too knorvsthe
Now we sec the point of Black's last few moves: ropcs and makes a good fight ofit.
\ ,Iite's KB is still exchangcdoff, but without leaving
Bishopson oppositecolou$. :,3.R Q3 P qKt4
Biack is obviously not playing for a draw. 24. R(82)-q2 P-84
qr.BxB R^B
25. K-82 R-Rs
26. K-Ke K-82
!2. B XKt
27. R qr KK3
Improving Biack's Parvn position still further; but ,8. K q2 R QKtI
it is the bcst of a bad job. The Knight was st.ongly
posted and a continual menace. Both players have biought their Kings rvell into the
BPXB game. Black has posied his Qtreen\ side Pawns
aggressivcly,preparing to break through on that side.
a//i
E% 29. R-B3
11., % t
i"& /t
"/./t
Prcvcnting29 . . . P-Kt5; 30. PXP, PXP through
the concealedthreat to the hinder black QBP.
,L lt/.
'//at 29.... P-Kt4
t\ 4., ../////z
.,/t ../tft 30. P R3 P-R4

a7.,,t ]I Black seesthat he can achieve nothing deckive on

the queen's side, so preparesfor the break-through by
80 MDET TIIE MASTERS
JosE rL{oul- CAT BLANcA .1 GRAUTER{ 8r

. . . P-KK|5, the most iogical plan under rhe n-i35, winning thc Kins's Pawn) 37 . . . R-Kt7ch;
and the Rooksbecomefatally cflecti\'e.
3r. R-KRI 3b. R KRr !
A goocl move. 3e. P R.tl threarens, afrer which 36 . . . PxP; 37. PxP, R-Kt)j 38. R(Q.3) qe
Black t'ould have either ro rcmain with a rveak Pawn s,ouid achievc nothing at all. Now White cannol
on theRooks hlF 3, P P or 33. P. P, or to capture the KtP bccause of j7 . . . R Ktr, lca\,ing
concede his opponent a strong passcd Pavn on the $'bjte hetplessagainst. . . RxKtP rvith ... RxK?
same6le (3e. P R4, I KKt5; 33. PxP, PxP; 34. to foilow. Biack has made real p.ogress rith his last
P R5). lbw moves, having gained the open Rook's file for his
3r.. . . R-Q5ch Rook. All the same, White is not yet lost.
3?. K K2 R-Ktr
37. R Kt3 RR7
Preventingthe advance33. P-KR{, which would be White's KKIP is far more imporrant than Black,s
counlcred by 33 . . . P,KKI5, to Black,s bcnefit, since qKtP. 3? . . . P-B3 \a.uld give White ampte counter-
34. PxP can not' be arsweredby 34 . . . RxKtp. plav by 38. R(Kt3) q3.
33. R Q3 RR5 iB. R q2 R Q.5.
sa.R(Rr)-qr
Now l[hiie may neither exchangc Rooks himself
Black couid trv a break-through with p 83 and ror allow Black to do so. The rext move enablesBlack
P Q,4, rveretlris Rook to remain on rhe KR 6le. to protect his QKtP without having to reckon with an
P KKts attack on his qP.

The break-through succeeds,a d the game now

39. R Kz P-B3
becomescritical, one of Black's Rooks fiItering righr 40. R-83 P-Kt6
through into Wh;tc's position. By sound manccuv ng Capablanca has systematic-
35. RPxP PxP ally strengthened his position and now threatens to
36. K-K3 gain a decisiveadvantagcby 4r . . . R R8. But monen-
tarily his KKtP is rveak, a circumstance which (as
N o t 3 6 . R - K R r . b e c r J s eo l 3 r j . , . P . P . h ; 3 7 . Capablanca bimself pointed out later) gives White a
PxP (I137. rxP, then 97 .. . R-KBrch; 38. K-t3, chancc to savc the game by 4r. P 84! This threatens
82 MEET TriE M srERs Y CR'{UPERA 83
JOSE RAOUL CAPABLANCA

42. K Bg, winningthe KKIP, and Black would there- +.1.... K-83
fore have to lvind up the gamcsummarilyas follorvs: 44. P 83 RxRch
4r. P B4l R-KR5; 4r. Px?, R(Q5)xPch; 43. 4 5 .K x R P q4!
K 83, R(R5) B5ch; 44. KxP, R Kt5ch; 45.K 83, cainins material. He threatensto exchange on his
R x R ; 4 6 .K x R ( K r ) , R x P c h ; 4 7 . K 8 3 , R R ? ;
Kr anrt capture on KB4 or, alternativelv, to Play
48. K Kt31 (soas to prevenr48 . . . -4-R6d,follorved ,16 . . . P ts5ch and 47 . . R-B5.
b y . . . n x R ) ; 4 8 . .R. anywhere; 49. Px P. P B5ch
Draun gane. 4.6. P Kt3
winnirlg hre'
Having missed thjs onc chancc, White is definirely 46 . . . R QRts was another
lost. 47. PxP I(tP x Pch

4r. R-q3? R-R8 ! 48. K K3

One lasr fling. White gambleson 1B . . R-BB;
ao. R Rz, follorvedby the advanceof tlle passed
7Z 7z 72 ir1"l'' t'.*". Not 48 K 82, P Q5; or 48 K Qu,
i /*&'.h
.fr .,4
R_(2R8.
RQRs!
.,,/z
7'T
.r&
'Ha7lz
48..'.
BanishingaU hopefor White
RXP
7z'/t\7tfr
H&'.A''fti, 49. K 83
5o. I( xP
lalv, ]I
or 5.). R K3, R-Kt6 ,n.l whrte rs at r lossror
moves(5r. KrP, P-Q5).
f'or the white King never Sets another oppodunity 50.... RxPch
to attack ]llach's KIltP. 5I. K-n4 R B8!

4?. P KB4 tslackmust not let thc Pawn rcxch Kt5 supporred.
52. P Kt4, R KRSch; 53. K-Kt3' P-QS; S+
Too late; this only hasrensthe R QRz, P q6; 55. K Kt2' R K8; 56 I( Bz,
R P; .r. K 83 .'nd r" : 5 n s .
f o - h r m u : r 1 o ' rL o r h
42.... R KB8 t
bi' ern.'iningParvn'Lt 57 . . . R Br' l': 58 K -Kr l.
43. P B5ch
K-Kt4.
O r 4 3 .l x P , K x P , and the King's Pawn will soon An exccllcnt game, highly chdacteristic of rhe
80. winncr\ play.
84 IVIEI]I' THE M STERS JosE RAoUL crlABLANcA ]. GRAUPERA 85

Third nlustration belor€ advancing into lhe batile. On an,vother square

The last two gamesrevealed Capablanca as a posi- it would havc inpeded the other ivhitc picccs.
tional player, firstly in the middlc-game, secondly in 1 5 . . . . RBr
the end-game. Herc is a game in r,hich hc employed 16. P QKt4
his positional advantag€ to build up slor'ly a decisive
King's side attack. Stopping. . . P-qB4. This move would not havc
been playable had thc Bishop retired to Kt3.
J, R. Cer,.llr-.r:lc,r DR. E. LAsr(ER 16..,. BKr
White Black r?. q-Kt3 R(Kz)-Bz
(The clcventh world's championshipmatch game, r8. P qR4
Havana, r9rr.)
Berore playing P K5, White dislodgcs thc Knight
qUEDN'S GAMBIT lrom his Kt6 so as to prevent its moving srraight b q4.
r. P Q4, P-Qa; e. Kt KB3, P-K3; 3. P-QBS Kt-Kt3
Kt KBj; 4. B Kts, qKr,Q2; 5. P K3, B K2; 19. P-R5 I(t q2
6. Kt-83, O O; 7. R Br, R Kr; B. q 82, P 83; 20. P K5
9. B Q3, PxP; ro. BXBP, Kt q4; rr. BxB, An advance lrhosc cousequencesare vcry difliculi
R)<8, to assess.Capablanca demonstratcs tltat giving up
Illustrating Laskd's preferencefor complicated control of his Q5 clocsliule harm.
positions.rr ... QxB would havebeenbetter,to
continue, after re. O-O, with 12 . . . KtxKt; 13. P Kt3
qxKl, P K4. Black chooscsa line in rvhich he ?r. Kt K4 R-Ktr
experieDces great difficultyin developing1is Bishop..
re. O-O Kt Br
13. KR qr Bq2
r1. P K4 Kt qKtS .,1 "&
1 5 .B B r %
lvlost pla]'e$ \lould have continued 15. B qg, ffi "&.6V2
15. B-Kt3, or 15. B Kl here. Capablanca has s€en 9.,& 7/l_2.6:2*
well that there is no better square for thc Bishop than 7/z'&a'&
BI, lvherc, nrcidentally, it waits paticntly for 22 moves ruH"ZtA,ffi,
86 irEEr
JOSE R-AOUL CA?ABLANCA 67

As Capablanca remarks, this position is extremely " White's

Capablanca's remark here is typical:
interesting. Black threatenstwo things, mainly zz . . . expc,sedKing\ position intites an attack but, belore
PxP. The best lvay of maintaining the pressure "r'rbarking o" this, lvhite must exchange otr his
against lllack's position would norv har.c bccn zz. Pawns to avoid possible subsequent
euec s side
Q R y . W h i t e s n e r r m n r c n n a b l c 'R l J . k r o p o " , a
Knight on his Q4; an opcration, howcvcr, of little Tlis is rcal Capablanca: he eants a clear positionand
siglri{icance. would not think of starting to attack as long as his
,.,. Q 83 Kr Bs or ror.nr h.s any son of , o rnt.r- han,e. fhe q:e-
,3. Kt q6 Kt q4 r r , . " , ' . r h " r W l - ; l c' r l r d c \ ' r : , 1o F u l r i m r l F l yd e t i . i \ e
,.1. Q, R3 P 83 or not is of iess moment. The great thing is that he
Forcnrg White to exchange otr Black's Bishop, should bc completely masrer ofthe situation.
which was threatening to comc itrto good Play via 27.... R(Ktr)Br
Kt3 or R4.
Black can hardiy interfere with his opponent's plan.
25. Kt !B QxKt lf hc plays 27 . . P-q84, then he is saddled, after
26. KP xP KIttP x P :r8. RPxP, RPXP; 29. B-84, Ibr instance,with a
Civing Whitc more trouble tharl 26 . . . Kt(qr) x P bad $caknesson his qB3.
rvhich 1vould havc allolved lim easily to strength€nhis 28. KtP xP RXP
position through his command lr1 K5 and the lveak- 2 9 .R x R RXR
ness of Black\ K3. Laskcr makes the most ol his PxP
3 0 .P x P
dificult position, btt does not suc.ccd iD cqualizing.
\{hitc has now attained his end; he has no longer
'7. P Kt5
an)thing to wouy about on the queent side and can
concentrate on the King's side aitack. The pased
N V*":tl:
,.f '&67,tt blach CIKIP is barmlcss here, since Black cannot
luppori its advance.
3r. R-Kr
3r. B Kt5 would alsohave been good.
3r.. . . Q QB!
22. Kt Q2 Kt Br
33. Kt-K4 qa'
34. P n4!
88 M'ET THE TIASTERS C PABT-A|*CA Y CRAUPER]! 89
JOSE RAOUL

R KI(t2
"2 7; "/zt 35
3ti. P-Kt3 R-R2
'trzE7ut''& 3t. B 8 4
%
"r& 7&6?r7''ffi
%672 With the same threat.

k "/2.
37. . . . R-R4
7 l z ' "&- 38. Kt-83
% 7z ft'/4.
7lz ffiA Among the perils confronting Black now is 39.
BxKt, PxB; 40. R Kir winning a Pawn. Black is
With his last lour moves, Whire has built up a conscquentlylorced to exchange on his 86, a process
splendid attacking position. Nothing is directly *'hich reveals the weaknesses
of his position in a still
threatenedas ye1,but one gets a feeting that a position c)ealer light.
so fLrll of veaknessesas Black's here, with no prospect 3u..,. KtXKt
of rendering the King safer by exchangc of Queens, 59.QxKt
must be untenable in the long run. According to
Capablanca,Black should norv havc made an eflort to
save the game by 3+ . . . P R3, lollowed by . . .
% z ' 4 %'2i
1ft-"/&t/X
I 84; but this does not seem to me to ofer much
hope. If 3.[ . P-84 at once, 35. B Kt5, R 82;
36. Kt Kt5, R Ks; 37. B B4 pLrts Whitc rvell on 7z'1
roP. 7zAffi.,4
7z
34.... RB2 w
After this, Black is definitelv lost, thowh the win
for White is anything but easy.
35. Q qKt3 Here besins the final Dhasenr which White attacks
thc black Kins directly ;t last.
Thrcatening 36. B-B4, which in turn threarens K-82
39....
3 7 .B x K t , P x B ; 3 8 .q x P c h ,Q x q ; 3 9 .K t x P c h ; 4(). Q K3 Q-Q:
and 40. Ktx Q, winning two Pawns.
4r. q K4 R-R5
 c^rASI-ANcA Y CR'^UPER-{
9ir MEEr JOSE RAOUL 9l

it, thc lollowing examPlc

4r . . . R R2 could have beenans\veredby.t2. P q5, roo, it thc occasiondemands
P-K4; 4j. B Br, with B R3 to follow. Now the
irvasion of the white queen decidesthe issue.
.J. R. C^r^BLA\c^
42. q-Kt?ch K-Kt3 white Black
43. q BB Q Kt5 (Plav€din tire N{oscowtourn:rmcnt,I935.)
.+4.R-QBr QK2
NIEMTSOVITCH-INDIAN DEFENCE
There is nothing better. ,1.1. . . Q R6 would have
r. P q4 Kt KB3
been rcfutcd, as Capablancasho$s,by 45. B-Q3ch,
r. P-QB4 P K3
P-B+ (+s . . . Qxs, then46. Q-XAc\ a.nd47.QxR;
or 45 . . . ,ftr.l?3, 46. R-87, threatening4?. qxlkh J. Kr qBj B Kr5
and mate); 4ii. Q KBch,K R3; 47. R Kr, R-Rr; 4. P qR3
48. RxPch, KtxR; 49. qxKtch, K Ktz; 50. Thc Samischvariation,a vigorouslitu: \vhosemcrits
Q K5ch rvith mate in a few moves. and demcritsare difrcult to assess and lvhich Capa-
45. B Q3ch KR3 blan..r €mploys here because he happenedto bc
46. R 87 R Rsch sta!.liug none too nell in the list. $Ihite gains thc
o o,r "minor cxchange" at the expenseof a doubled PawD.
47. Il.-Il-t2
48. qxKtch! , In oder to denyBlack the chance1lrexploit lhe doubled
Pawr, \{hite must play energedcallyfor attack, and
Black rcsigns,for he ;s mated in tvo movcs. expcri<nce shorvs that b€ has fair chances. Nol a
This game too is most typical of Capablanca, for varirtion in Capablanca's normal style: he dislikes
it shows how, even when conducting a King's side having to assurncobligationsin the op€ning.
attack, he insistson getting a dddr position. 4 . ' . . B x Ktch
5.PxB P-Qa
fourtl llustration
Up Lo now, we have seenonly pos;rional gamesby 5 . . I 84 is coDsideredbest.
Capablanca even though the last €nded in a King's 6, Q_82 o o
side attack. So-called "attacking games," in which a 7. P-Il'4 PK4
player goes,more or lcssrhkily, lor an attack from th€ B BQ3 .P-B.4
very opening not in Capablanca's line.
But now B Kt 83 uould be stronger. Black
That he can also handle this sort ofgame excellently
 Y GRAUPEL^
92 MEET THE MASTERS JOS' R'{OUL CAPABLANCA 93

bv 13 P-R5
must fry to provoke the advance P q5 uithout Kt KKt3 can be comfortabtv counrered
nS; 14. K-B2 threatening P-Kt3)'
obstructing his QB4 squarewith one olhis own Pawns, ir: . . .-Xt
Kt qB3 Kt-QKt3
9. Kt K2 P B3?
10. P Q5 Kt K2 13. P Kt4
This should have been avoided ai all costs, for it
rc . . . KL-QR4 lollowed by . . P-qKt3 and
,. Wl,irp op.n a 6le for his Roo\'on rhe Kine'"
. B R3 would havebeenstrongcr. 13 . B Q: wd' indhdrFd; lor
i*i"n ";,' i"*
r r. P-B3 Kt q2 1 r , . , , " " , '.a . K I - K r J. K r - R 5 . l o r l o * e . br v P Q R i a n ' l
P QKr4. tl,j' would hav' off"red som' 'ounter-
rr . Kt KI, threat€ning 12 . . . P-B4, would l \ l r i r e ' K i n e r " i d ea r r J t kw o u l db '
.t',i"e., al'hough
have becn much superior. White could not prevert Black's counter-mea{rrcs on the
more dangcrous than
r l - i l d s r r o \ F b ) r : . P - K q . b a a u , eo f , 2 . . . K l K t ' t !
oppositerving, anYrvaY.
gaining full control for Black ofhis KB5, an important
14. Kt-Ktj KB2
square. So White would have had to cortinue with
12. Kr-Kt3, which seriously diminishes his prospects The black King takes to flight, for his Posrtlon at
of carrying out a pawn-storm on the King's side. KtI was untenable.
r:. P KR4l 15. P-Kt5 !
Demonstrating the badncss of r3 . P 83?
Since there is no thrcat of. . . P KB4, White is in
r5 . . . PxPwould"ow befollorvedbv 16 ?xP, and
no hurry over P-Kt4, but 6rst seizesconirol of KR4.
tlie biack Kine could not return to Ktr (desirable in
12. P-Kt4 at once would have been unsatisfactory,
itselL since Black has now an open KB frle for hrs
becauseof rq. . . Kt-KKt3. Now, howcver,Iz. . .
Rook) becauscof I7. Q- KR! winnins the KRP
Kt Ktr
tVt ffi 'frI 1 5 . . . .
16. P 84
,^ /&. /,ffi 72
7&ft7& % Permissiblebecauscof ttre insccure situation of the
black Kine. Alter 16. . KPXP; IT BxP the
%2fr72ft712frffi ""-. "."1; be op"nctl :t sirlout Black'sb'ine gjren
^47fiz /2 ,ny opportunirl i. *,t. " ol hi' good 'q'rarc K4
"& 6k 1 6 . . . .
17. P-B5 !
KKr
 Y CRAUPERA
94 JO9E R-AOUL CAPABLANC^ 95

r,!. R KKtr, R KB2 ; 25.R Ktr' q Br ; stt.B-Ik'

KRri !7 B R5. RK2: ' 8 Q QR2' qqr;
" ,. s Q". x, R5 i 3u Q Kt3. Kt Kr3.
& '/& a r r " r o . . . R K , r p L n n . n g j. l. . P t r t 4 3 1 .
fr'r1L'&.
'/,
{,.lirr sLLIJ do:dc rlre gam" f,crtily Tl.er€ i3
7:/,1';:.t . i , r "' 1 ," . a " I o n l v 3 2 . K L Q . b u t a l . o t z R K t l ,
a7t
'a/t Y) u , R ; j j . K I 8 7 m : r e 3 - . . B K t w o u l db e n o
.iile"ce,bec""seof3z. qPxB, Kt Kt3; 33.8 BTand
jn
6na wins. 3I . . . 9--R4 fails lace of32. R x Kt, and the
ontv remairine move 3I q-Kt3 is smashed by
A position so curious that it deservesa diagram. ,r.. e Q: P q.rJ',ed: 13. KI 87,h. K Rr:
It is a remarkablc thing that White should have la. X r t r 5 , n . B I a , k m u . t n o $ l"J\. ls qP (o its
gained a decisivc positional advantage after but i.i. si"c",r.1 .. . BxKt; 35 RxB lcavesan un-
seventeen moves of this keenly attacking game, answcrable threat ofgaining a picce by 36. B Qr. The
although his King's side attack has come temporarily fact that, in two different variations, each of his
to a full stop. Knights is stalematedand caught, revealsremarkabiy
r7 ... Q Ke; rB. QrKKt2, K QJ; r9. Kt R5' how helplessBlack is.
Il-82; 20. PxP, PxP; 2r. Kt Kt7,B-q2t 22. 3r. P R4!
P-R5!
To protect his Knight at its outpost and kccp BlacL %2ffi
occupicd with the threat of Kt K6 for as Iong as t%.NH,
'ffi
possible. IfBlack were to advancc his KRP, he would
soon lose it.
ru-
"'*fr"&
qR Br
23. P R6 K Ktr 7z.ftVzft
g"'& "ry,
Dlack has virtually casded twice over; this time on %"&
the queenk wing. His King is sale for the time being, H7l'zffi'
but there is no chancc whatever of any counterylay
for him. He cannot attack White's weakenedqueen's Wnh this beaudl tactlcal GnesseWhite relurns to
side by . . . P Kt4 without running risks through direct attack. He threatensto win a Pieceby 32 P-R5,
exposinghis own King. and rhe Pawn is inviolate: 3I . . BrRP? 32. Q Rz
 vEEr tAE MAsrr.RJ
96 JosE R OUa CAPABLANCA Y OR'\UPER-{ 97
(threatening39. RxKt, if 32 . . . Q;A, %. RxKt,
hc left his Knight at KKIT and went to protect it with
PxR; 94.B-fu and wins) 3r . . . B q2; 53. Kt-Kg jt
e Pawn, instead of playing to K6 immediately.
B xKt (forced); 34. qPx B and rhereis nothingto be q-Ktr
done against35. B B7. 43 "'
44. Q Kt4 R qr
3 r .. . . R Ktr 45. R Kt3 R KBI
32.P R5 Kt Br 46. Kt-K6

Or 32 . . . Kt R5; 33. Kt K6, BxKr (33 . . . At last I And now it is crushing. Black must
QxP; 34. RxEt); 34. QPxB and the simultaneous
threatsof QxKt and B,B7 dccidethe issue. 4b..,. BxKt
R QB2
33. q R2, q'Br; 34. B K3, P-I(t3; 3s. P-R6, 47. QPXB
FQ'; s6.K Qr, Q Br; 37.R-eKt2, e-er. So as to answer 48. B B? rvith 48 . . . R(B!) Br.
Thc Queen's shufiing repetitions arc reveating.
Black can do nothing but await the inevitable end. aB.qxqP Kt Ka
38. Q Krr o r 4 8 . . . R q r ; 4 9 .q x R ( q l ) , q x Q - ; 5 o ,
Rx Kt. etc.
Iniending 39. q-KBr followed by 40. Kt K6, 49. R Q,r Resigrs
BXKt; 4r. BPxB; and 42. B-B7.
Ah\ough rl-c initial consrru,rion of Lhisg-m. *,'
38.... P-Kq
hardlv in Capablancat usual style, it was not long
Fighting desperatelyfor manceuYringroom. before he was sailing;n familiar waters. The leisurely
nay in which he pushed home his advantage,without
3 9 .P x P Ift Ktj pc|mitting his opponeni a shadow of counrerplayJis
4o. Q-Rz PBs t-vpicalof Capablanca. The positions remain crystal-
clear; lrom the brilliant combinations everything is
Toprevent4r...P-84.
cxcludcd that cannot be kepl uncler strict control-
1r. q R3 QB"
4:. K-Br R_KBI Fifth [lustration
43. R(Kt2) Kt2 We shall conclude uith a game which reveals that
Capablanca can also produce brilliant combinations,
Aga;n threatening a decis;on by 44. Kt K6. Wc when they can be calculated out to the very end.
nov seehow superb was Capablanca'sj udgrnent when Itany other masterscombine less exactl,\,. They trust
98 MEEI 'a:rE MAsrERs JOsn IAOUL
CAPABLANCA Y GRAUPER-A 99

KKt4 bv €ither rI '

to generaljudgmcnt of positions;sacrilice,for insrance, Now he can reply to Ir. P
without going ary too dccply irlto the consequ€nces. pxP or II . . . itt 92'
Capablanca does not trust --he calculates out. His IL O-O O
extraordinary experience rvails him rve1l herc: he
works out a long combination in a flash, ;rnd can thus
apply mathematical methods much more deeply than !\'hirc. lvho already has the bettcr of it, is aiming
g. alier
other masters. Ttis is not to say that he does not for p KKt4 at the earliest Possiblemoment, e
occasionaliymake a move \,\'hoseconsequences are not r'. qR-KtI'
exactly calculatcd; but this occurs rarely inde€d. P K4?

J. R. CA"ABLA\CA N, N. Bhck has a terrible game,bul this praclicallyloses

h/hite Bkck
1 2 .q P x P KtxP
STONEWALL DEFENCE 1 3 .P x P PXP
(Playedin Havana, rqr2.) 14. Kt B4 !!
I. P Q4, P Q4; z. P I(3, P K3 ; 3. B Q3,P qB3 ;
4. Kt KB3, B-q3r 5. qKt-Q2, P KB4; 6. P 84, ETlzA/ZH&'/2
,&r.% "'/tt
Q83; 7. P qKt3, Kt KR3.
The Stoncwall opening is not particularly unfavour-
7,
'h 'N wrm
able for Black as long as he developesHs Knighrs on
q, and KB3, his KB on K2, and his
Queen, perhaps,
a, ',a,t8lt
on Kr.
'fhe
$d,r in whichrre handlesir here is nor so 6: /" I
sood. fr al&att
6. B I(t2 o o t'&8'///':&ft
9. q82 Kt-Q2 &H4 'H
ro. P KR3
lntrc'ducing a deeply calculated combination, based
Threatening rr. P-KKt4 (rr . . BPxP; r:. on all kinds of mating thrcats along the long diagonal.
B x P c h ,K - R r ; r 3 . R P x P ) . A seriesof surpris€sfollour,
IO, P KIft3 PxKt
rOO MEET TI{E MASTERS CAPABLANCA '' GRAUPERA
JOSD RAOUL

Black has no good choice. If 14 . . . KrXBch;

15. qxKt, q-K2; 16. KtxB, qxKr; and then
r7. Q-Q4 finnhesthe game. Black might have put
up a better rcsistancewith 14 . . . Kt(R3)-Br, for
instrnce15.KtxB, qxKt; 16.Q n3, Q-QB3 (r7.
B 84,PxB: tB. KtxtrL qB3); though hc would
still be positionally lost in vielv of his rveak Queen's
Pawn and White's two fine Bishops. Incidenralty, not
through r7. QxQ becauseof 17 . . . KtxBch; but
through r 7. B Kr or possibly17.B Kt5 !
15. Bx qBPch Kt(R3)-B2 'Jihe point of the whole magnificcnt combination.
Black must take the Rook, as 19 . . q KI is refuted
Iorccd, for otherrvise16. RxB is still rnore dcadly. by 20. KtxKt, threatening mate.
1 6 .R x B ! 1 9 . . . . B^R
2{). Kt xB
The natural continuation.
The mair threat nolv is::L Q 83, rvhich rvould win
qxR at once after, say, 20 . . . qX Kt. The orher threat is
1 7 .K t x K t er. Kt-B6ch, mating or winning thc q,reen. (2r ' . .
K Kt2; 2e. Kt Kt4dis ch, K-KII; 23. Kt-R6 mate).
White has not sacrifrccdso much after all-only the
2o..., K R Br
cxchange,and it has yiclded him an attack. The com-
bination extendsmuch farther, horvevcr. Black\ only hope olcontinuing the game but it only
17.... BKg senesto reveatthe third link in Whitc's combination.
2r. q B3 RiB
Forced. 2 2 .P x R
r B .R q r qK" Black resigns,finding that 22 . . . Kt-qI rvould
losethe queen bv 13. Q R8ch, K 82; 24. q Kt7ch,
The Quecn must continue to guard th€ Bishop. If K K 3 ( r 4 . . . K K r ; r 5 . K t B 6 c h ) ; 2 5 .K t B B c h ,
she goesto Kt3, then White would win by r9. Kt-q7 K-Q3; 16. B-R3ch; and that'rir . . . Kt q3 would
followed by Q-ts3. losea pieceby 23. Q RBch, K Br; 24. Kt-K5ch; and
1 9 .R Q 7 ! ! 2 5 .Q x R .
 MEET TIIE MASTERS

Such an achievement in the realm of combinative

chesscan only be describedas superb. IV
CHAPTER
After a1l I have written about Capablanca, perhaps
you h.rnder how he ever came to lose his invincibility. SALO FLOHR
To my mind, this is thc €xplanation: hc perceives
Salollohr was born on thc 2lst ofNovember',rgo8,
and calculatcs with incredible speed, but he became
s o a , , u r o m F dI o r h i ( r h a r h i s " b i l i r y ' o i n r e s r i q a rae at [Ioroc]enkainRussianPoland. About I9r6 he cameto
position with thoroughness diminishcd. "What he DoLemiaas an orphan refugeeolthe ivar, and this coun"
rry a.loptedlim asits own; a few yearslater he became
doesn't sce at once, hc doesn't seeat a11,"a critic said
x rlaluralizcd Czech. As a result of Germany'sannexa-
once, and although tliis may have bc€n said in jest, it
rio , ofCzft hu'lo!dk:r, he i. no" a reiugeeonceagain.
has certainly a Lcrncl oftruth. Capablanca ptays very
He greiv up in the neighbourhood ofBeneschauand
superficially sometimes, in a way that can only be
settled down subsequently in neighbouring Prague.
ascribed to lack of concentration. This G an int€gral "civil" prolession for him
Various etrorts to find a
weakncssof his make-up and can only be partially
failed, but hc gradually acquired a big reputation as a
compensatcdby his employing his time allorvance to
chessplayer in Prague circles. He learnr in a hard
the full. But this leads to time-trouble and rhencc to
school, being condemned for many years to playing
other dangers,so that this inspired and speedythinker ''skittle"
samesin small caf6sfor money stakes. To an
is gradually involved in a vicious circle superficiality, ii\'€n greater degree than in th€ cas€ of Capablanca
blunders in timc-trouble, superficiality. . . . Now and skittlcsformed the loundation of his p1ay.
then..hesuccecdsin releasinghimself from this vicious In rq28 he watched a big international tournamenl
, ircle,and thenhesl owshi, old irvincibiliryonre again. lor the fint time. It was at Kissingen,where a Czech
Playing ior Cuba in the Internaiional Team Tourna- chrxsjournalist had brought him as an assistant. Few
ment at BuenosAires, he had the satisfactionofmaking of thc competiton in this tournament will recollect
a better score than any other top-board player- Ilohr's presence,for the quiet little man kept very
including Alekhine and Kercs. That \a'asto be his rnuch to rhe background. However, it often happened
swan-song. He appeared in no more leading events, rhat when the masterswere analysing some game, this
and at New York on 7th March, 1942, at the early same quiet little man would come up and suggesta
age of fifty-five, he succumbed within a matter of movc which would make the great ones think. A
minutes to a cerebral hemonhage. H; body was lew rveeksiater a b;g tournament was held at Berlin;
conveyedto Cuba whcre under the aegisof the Presi- again Ilohr was present as an assistantjournalist, but
dent ofthe Republic, Cuba's "good-will delegateto the this timc he was no longer unknorvn. In the Cafi
world " was given a luneral with full military honours. Konig, rvhere the tournament was held, there was
rfJ4 MEET TII! MASTERS

another room in which ches players regularly assem-

bled. Every day, after lunch, a busy chesslife de-
veloped, which only pctered out, after strenuou$
struigies with the waiters, at about 3 a m. MaiEIy.
skittles were played, lor money stakes. Hcre was
somefting just to Ilohr's tasrc! He came, he saw, he
conquered; and within a lew days everybody in the
phc;, not excepting three or four ofthe competing
masters, was in his debt He was well kno$'n to aI i
the masters by now, but another year elapsed before :
the intemational public got to knolv ofhim.
After Sloriouslyvindicating his private r€putation in
the Carlibad tournament of rgsg, he 1vasinvited to
take part in the international tournament at Rogaska-
Slati;a held towards the end ofthe year' Here he won
secondprize behind Rubinstein and quickly gained the
;nternational limclight.
He did not score a realty crashing successin the
iniernationat 6eld for somctime. For insrance,he could
onlv finish equal third lvith Rellstab and Rejlir in the
resirvc tournament at Hastings in rgeg 3lr In the
international team tournament at Hamburg in r93o
he scored a very promising result, being fourth with
r a , p o i r t ' " : r o f r 7 ' 8 1 p e r , e n L o n I l . el i s to f b e s t
i n d i v i d u aal , h i . r , - e n r , l n r n F{ \ r ; ' r m J . ' o n g ' e sast
Hastings rvhich follow€d, he iopped th€ ?remier
Reservesrvith eight points out of nine. A year later
{ r o r r z . h e s o n t l c P r e m i e sr F . t i o n$ ; r h l h c s a m e
y oie. Norableal'o ta' hi, eood result in rhe team
tournament at Prague ir r93I. In the biggest rourna- Saro flonR
mcnt of the year (Bled, I93I) he did little, however, onr ot ihe ables of$e ).ungcr gra m:n.L
tying for fourth place with Kashdan, Stoltz, and
 r05
Vidmar whilst rgainst rhe three leading prrzovuirrers,
Alekhine, Bogolyubov, and Niemtsovitci, he could
only scorehalf a point out ofsi{ games.
As he gained more and more experience in the
routinc of internalional mastcr play his results im-
provcd and bccame more consistent,and since rg32
hehas registeredone success after another. !'orinstanci,
second prize at London (Alckhine first); equat 6rst
with Vidmar in ihe srrong rourn;Lmcnt at Sliac, and
equal second with Euwe in Bcrn, behind Atekhine
again. A match againsr Euwe finished in a tie, each
playcr winning three games with rcn clrawn. In the
mJsrerrourn,jmd . nr rH u . r i n c . .r q , 1 : - 3l , . n r r u r a l i y '
ron hrcr pnze agdil. Jr d l,F played brihi:nrty tor hL
country rn the team tournamcnt ofFolke(one (r933).
He participated in a numbcr of smaltcr tournaments;
lor instance,at Scheveningen,where he won 6rst prize;
in Hastings (1933-4) rve seehim once again at rhe rop
of the list, rvith seven points out of nine; at Zurich
(1934) he came, just as at Berne, €qlrat second with
Euwe behind Alelhine. In rhc latter part of 1933 he
had been playing an interestingmatch at Moscow and
Leningrad against Botvinnik, which ended in a draw
at two wins each, with cight draws. Then again ilr
the Hastings Christmas tounament of 1934-5 he tied
lor first placc with Sir George Thomas and Euwe, in
front of Capablanca, Botvinnik, and Lilienthat.
Striking was his successat Moscow in 1935, where hc
tied for first pdze with Bo&innik in fiont of Capa-
blanca, Lasker, and a batch ofother stars. It gradua y
became impossible to brcach the subjccr ',rvorld
championship"without Flohr comingromind. Curiously
r06 MBET T}IE MASTERS to7
enough, as his reputation went for$'ard, his playing of the International ClLessFedcration held there he
standard seemedto go back. At Christmasin Hastings was clected ollicial candidrte for thc rvorld'schampion-
(1935-6) he had ro satisly himseif rith second place ship. Soon alter, howcver, there came yet anoth€r
behind the American Finc. It is true rhat he won the disappointingresult: in the tournament ar Semmering-
Easter toumament at Margate in 1936 in lront of "tourrlament
Baden advertisedby fie o€anizers as a
Capablanca, but the ensuing tournament of the dlite for 1vorld champiorlship candidates," he lailed to
at Moscow was a big disillusionment_ He .!,!asonly vindicatc his front-rank position Out of lhe eiglit
third, a long way behind the first two pnze"lnncrs parricipants, he rvas fifih onlv (Keres 9, Fine B, Capa-
(Capablanca rj, Botvinnjk re, Ftohr 9]). trom this trlanca and Rcshevsky?t each, Ilohr 7, Eliskasesand
blow he re-establishedhimself at Podebrady,where he Ragosin each 6, Petror, 5).. Nor did hc succeedin
finished6rst abor.eAlekhine; bur jn a top,rank tourna- add;ng another to his sericsol lifst Prizesin thc next
ment at Nottingham irl 1936 he expericnced anothcr Christmastournamcnt at Hastings,Reshcvsky being first
severecheck. His B+ points out of a possible r4 only with 7 points, Alcrrndcr and Kcres eqoal seconcl rvith
eamed him scventh placc, equat rvith Lasker. Ir is 6+, and only then l-lohr equal rvith lirc at 6 points.
only fair 1l] add that he had a lot of bad luck in this tr{eanrvhile the auangements lor his world cham-
torirnament, grvlng away tvo and a half points to pionship match \\,ith Aiekhine werc going through,
\^eakcr opponentsr,hen he had blilt up overwhetming ivhen suddcnly the G€rman annexation of Czecho-
ifnot winning advanragcs. It is very curious that he slovakia endcd everything. It must havc been a sad
should have lost, in the coune of 1936, more tourna- hlow, and might go to elplain h;s bad shownlg in the
ment games than in the thrcc p.e\,ious ycan put A.V.R.O. tournament; but we must also recall that
together. One lrardly knolrs how to exptain this. AII he has never scorcd great successes against lis lellow
that is certain is thai lis opponents 1'cre not playing grand mastcrs. His spcciality is beating mastcrs lvho
unusually well, but that he himself did not seemquite are not quite in the very top rank, and in this he is
able, on these important occasions,ro rise ro his besr. supreme. Even when scoring his greatcst srt...sseshis
His reputation as a candidate for the world,s cham- record has bcen, almost monotonoudy, a serics of
pionship grew, and indccd it rlas soon given an o{icial \rins against torver piaycrs but draws against iellow
standing. Thc sumner of 1937 found Ftohr ptaying q-Jnd ma"ter.. Out or rr'. 5. lournarnrn' gdmc' i'
in the big Kemeri toumament, where he finish;d in a $hich he has encounteredthe other mastcrswho form
triple tie for 6rst place wilh Reshevst<yand pctrov, the subject of this book, hc has won but two I Thus it
lcaving other grand masterssuch asAlckbine, Fine, and *,as hardty surprising, rvhen he lvent on io the
Keresbehind. A few hccks later camethc International Lcningrad Moscow tournament a lew rveeks later,
'Ieam
Tournament at Stockholm, and at urc meemg that he staged a "come-back," finishing frIst, above
rog MEET THE MAsrERs SALO rLOHR rog

Reshevskyand Keres, but in a fie1dlacking any other An out-of-the-way ramification ot the exchange
grand master of their stamp. variation of thc Ruy Lopez (4. BxKt). White €x-
Ilohr has acquircd Soviet cirizenshipduring the last changesonly aftcr having lost a move through 4. B-R4.
lew years, but has plaved liule first-classchessand his At first sight this appears very illogical, but in rcality
rcsults have not been impressivc. it is basedon a well-consideredplan. In the sychange
variation(4. BxKt, Q?xB) s. P Q4, PxP; 6. (2xP
IIOW FLOHR PLAYS qxq; ?. Ktxqis consideredthe strongestcontinua-
First Illustration
tion: but this is not to Flohr's taste, because the
The game below showsthat Flohr's style had already position is too opcn, and becauseBlack is left with the
shaped itself when he fint emerged into the inter- tv/o Bishopsfor Bishop and Knight. This latter is a
national limelighL factor on which Flohr sets a very high valuation he
S. Fr,onn E. Cax,tr would rather play thc exchange variation (that is to
I4rhih Blach say, the normal line 4. BxKt) as Black than as White.
(Playcd in the tournament ar Rogaska-Slatina,r929.) All this does not explain the text move. Flohr
knows, of course, that the BishoPs are less etrcctive
RUY LOPEZ in a closed position than in an open, and thcrefore
r. P K4 would not permit himself to play P q4 or his opPonent
Flohr likesclose,or nearly close,positions,sogenerally to play . . . P KB4 in this opening, these being the
avoidsthe P-K4 openings. As White he normally plays very moves uhich would open up the position. If
r. P-Qa, r. P-q84, or r. Kt-KB3; and as Black he White, in the normal variation 4. B xKt, QPXB,
a n s w e r sr . P K 4 b y r . . . P - Q B 3 , r . . . p - Q B 4 , Leepsthe position closedby 5. Kt-B3, B q3 (o. 5 . . .
r .. . Kt KB3, or r ... P K3. (He has lately taken P B3); 6. P Q3, Black by 6 . . . Kt K2 and an early
to r . . . P-K4, and admirted in one articte thit he . . . P-KB4 can €nsurethat his Bishopscom€ into their
had handicapped himself to some extenr through his om. Now, however, Black has already played . . .
limited opening repertoire.) Ifhe openswith L p-K4, Kt KB3, so that the advance . . . P-KB4 will be
it is a mere formality, for evcn then he manages to dificult to negotiate. Ilohr has thus a reasonlbr going
block the gam€ more or less. over into the exchangeva ation, once it is certain that
PK4 th€ position wiil remain, at any rate temporariiy,
2. Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3 closed.
3. B-Kts P-QRs It is worthy of note that this adaPted exchange
4. B Il4 Ki-83 variation ol Flohr's devising came into general use
5. B xKt only five years aftcrwards, when Alekhine employed
IIO MEE'I' TI]E MASTERS

it successfullyin the sirtecnth game of his match with

Bogolyubov in 1934.
&Ha %'t
"&.Lffi,
5 . . . . qPxB
t r.7t 7Xt
6. Ift Bg B-qKt5 & ,u '& 7z
?. P_Q3
8.BQn
qK2
Bq2
'//z
7lzfi
9. Kt-It2 B XBcL 2 lztTl .,,&,fr
dTlt
This move, by rrhich Black relinquishesthe actvan-
l! fr7t
tage of his Bishops wifiout a struggle, is inferior. 7:t ffi
Betterg . . . B q3 follolvedby. . . P Ba. carries with it the permarLent danger of a break-
ro.q:B throush by P-qKt5 (precedcdby I QR4, of course)
Moves like this, which aim mainly at limiting the
Threatening to rvin a Pawn by r r. Q-83. mobiiity of the oppos;ng pieccs, are chrrz.tcristic ol
o o o l-lohr. It is to be notcd that, after thc text move,
White has dificultv in bringing his Qrcen back into
ro . . B-Kt5 would havc becn betier. play. Flohr has secn clearly rhat he can safely permit
Ir. P KR3 iimself to lose a little tim€ in this position, as his
opponent has no opportunity of oPeningup the game'
Forestalling. . . B Kt5 oncc lor all. 13.... K Ktr
Kt Kr 14. Kt Q2 Kt q3
1 5 .q 8 5 Kt BI
Again missingthe bestline, rr . . .l 84. 16. q 83
r r .q R s PBs Eichansins queenswould equalizc the game com-
pletely.
re . . . P-qB4 N.rs still the bcst. BK3
13. P qKt4 ! 17. P qn4
Yielding White a clcar positionaladvantage. Black's IB. P-Kt5, $,hich Black cannot allord to aliorv, is
counter-thrust. . . P qB4 is now prevented, so that threatcned alrcady.
Wbite has:r free hand in the centre. Ai the same tim€ t7-.,. Kt R2
the 6xing ofBlack's qRP and QBP on their third rank rB. P 84!
 I'EET' THE IIASTERS r13
Strengthening his posirion in the centre. The
ensuing cxchangeis praftically forced. 7t/, % H
PXP tT, E'ffiAVXT
19.KtxP Vtr.% " ' & %
\ote how thc preveDtivc mo\'e 13. P.QKI4 linked
% %z%
,.&
up ilith the attacking move r8. P-84 to climinate a1l %ft".ffi%.2
&t
control of White's important Q4 squarc by a blacL aTlz72fr
"il
% ^ %ft%
r9. B82 HVz
The morc enterprjsing 19 . . . ?-KB4 was to be con- Now White has suddenly obtained an exceltent
sidcrcd,especiallyas ,o. KtxB, qxKt; 2r. qxKtP attacking position; the decisivebreak+hrough P Kt5
would be far too sky for Whitej but it would not is already on the way. Truly amazing-for White has
have attained much becauseof 20. q-K5, for instance not playcd lor attack at all I He has chosen a par-
20. KR-K]; rr. QxB, QxQ; eq. KtxQ, ticularly peaceful variation, sacrificed nothing, ancl
RXKt; 23. O O, PXP; 24.KtxP, afterwhichWhite not even gone lor speedy development; on the con-
would have the betier of it through his command of trary, the mobilization of his pieces has proceeded
the open KB file. with almost painful slowness. A critic imbued with
20- o-o classicalnotions of attacking play would undoubtedly
disapproveoi hls conduct of the game; he woutd per-
flohr lnorr,lirtle rheorv: he relieson expcrienrein
haps attempt to cxplain the paradox of Whitc's
the main, so judges every position on its mcrits. This obtaining the better position by some mrstake on
is oft€n shown in his attitude tolvards castiing. He does
Black's part. Such a diagnosis could not content a
not stick to the general principle of castling as early
player with modern conceptionsof strategy. Between
as possible, bur invcstigates impartially and dis- classicaland modern there is here an essentialdifer-
interestedly whethd or not it is the ght move, with
ence. Formerly, people choseto employ moves aiming
the result that he ofter givesright ofway ro all sots of
directly at the goat, but this method is too simple to
manceuvfes belore "bringing h;s King inro safety.',
off'erreal chancesof succcs nowadays. To-day we try
Only a tactician tried and tested,and immune lrom to camougageour intentions as much as possible. The
imaginary dangers,could attempt strategy like this. more we succeedin this, the more correct the strateg).
2o.... RQ' It is just in tHs, the art oftacking about to reach one s
2r. XR Ktr destination, that Flohr €xcels. He employs moves,
 r14 MEET TIID MASTERS rr5
o r e n . i b l vq u i r . l , r r m l e . -..t r r F , r e n i nn4o r F i n gw. a s r i n g
rhe more ellectively posted this too as a consequence
t r m c r v c n . b ! r i n r c a l i r ) . e j v i n e L r n o b r r . e d l ya n d
of the Pa r! situation.
very graduall\ r h F u o p o n u n i r vt o r r " k i n g In the scquel, Flohr demonstrareshow e{.ellently
r n c I n . l l J l r r e , -I rno .rrherd. rscd m . r h e . e r a ,r i c . r o m e r o
he can exploit such small advantages.
mancllou. fruirion. Adn-ir,", t) BIa.k hrs madeoneor
r u o s l i g h r hi n h r i o r n u v e s .o u , h e \ $ e r p . r r , a i n t rn o r 2 3 - , . . RKr
24. K-82 P-QKt3
15. K K3
2r.... eK4
White\ King comes into rhe game $ithout dim-
By forking rhc $,hitc queen and Knjght, Black torces culty, whcrcas Black's must stay at home. This is the
the exchange of queens, cerlainly a sensjblcdecision lirst factor in Whitc's advanlage.
in view of the_mcnacingdisposition of White,s pieces. 1 5 . . , . Kt BI
As thc sequel shorvs, however, this move hae its 26. R-KBr K.-q3
27. Kt-KBj K Kt2
2 2 .q \ q PXQ 28. P-Kt4 KBI
?3. Kt K2 ,9. Kt Kt3

Norv \\ihite tlneatens1()inauguratc a very dangerous

:rttack on the King's side, utilizing the open KB file
':&L
DryD'">
/ L 7/z
$ha. makes this attack so dangerousis the \leakness
ofthe isolated King's Pawn, which cannot bc guarded
bv the Knight for the momcnt, so that at least one (r1'
' "//z
'x % r h p b l a ' k R o o k . i . r i F dd o B n o r r h . K i n q \ h l e . C o r -
rectly esiimating that pasive play rdll achievc nothing
t t 7tft nr the long run, Black decidesto counter-attackon the
fthd.a ftz opposile side.
H,/ 29.,,. PB4
this posirion White has a lot ofsmal advantages. Black can allorv his Pawnsto be doubl€d and isolated
_.In
Firstly, the black Pawn skcleton sho$.s because,as he has corrcctly foreseen,he will be able
t h e . d o u b l e t o n o n r n . B i . t r n p \h l " : r n d , h e . . . i n C t F - to dissolvethem again.
l o n ' o n t h e K i n g " . S e c o n d t vr.h e $ h i r e PxP
I,rp.ea ( re 3 0 .P x P
rr6 S LO ILOHR I\7

Norv the point of Black's preceding move becomes compelled to att€mpt something, but his counter-
evident; if $Ihite fixes the doublcd Pawnsby 3r. P-B4, the Queen's side have only rcdounded to
the black Knight would travei to qB3 (via Kr2 and White's advantage.
R+ or Qr), creating various counter-chances,among 35.... B-R4
them the threat to White's Queent Pasn. N{or€over,
by 3t. P 84, White would relinquish for ever the
In order to drive away the Knight and thus, in-
chance of playing P q4. dir€ctly, protect the King's Pawn; but the relief is

3r. R B2 96. Kt-q2 Rq3

37. R 85!
White ignorcs Black's count€r-action and goes
straight on with his own attack. Hence Black is prac-
tically forced to mahe the ensuing advance and
exchangeon his Q6; but after this it is not he, but his
opponent, who is able to p.o6t from the open 6les.
i % ' H"c&aVzA
"*, %7fl
3r. . . . P-85
ffi '&
32. Kt 85 Kt x Ktch
fr% %t%'&ft
W' %%z^ffi
ffi%z7*
32 . . . B Ktr was to be considered. White could
have answered this by 33. R-qKtr threatcning 34.
KtxKP,RxKtj 3 5 . K t x K t c h , R x K i ; 3 6 .R B B c h , Forcing the win of Blackt KP. Black cannor, with
R O; :1. R Kt8ch, KxR; 38. RxRch, K-Kt2; his Bishop, simultaneously parry the threats to the
39. Rx B. With the text move, Black blocks the open KP by the Knight from both qB4 and KB3. Nor can
Bishop\ file; but this means nothing, as White now he prepare to protect the Pawn further by 37 . . .
obtains other open files for his Rooks. R q2, because 38. Kt-84 then threatens both 39.
33. KtP xKt PXP KtxP a 39. Kt-Kt6ch (ir 38 . . . R(qr) Ke;
3 4 .P x P P-R3 39. Kt q6ch, winning the exchange). If 37 . . .
35. R Bz R(Kr) qr, then 38. R R3.
37 . . . P Kt3; 38. QR QBr, R Ka; 39. Kt 84,
Threateninsto win a Pawn by 36. R 85, R(q2) R-KB3; 4o. R-Br !
K2; 37. R-R5, K-Kt2; 38. R-Ktlch, K R2; 39. White sticks to his advantagerelentlessly. The text
R(Ktr)-Kt5, and 4o. RxKP. Black wasmore or l€ss move needed exact calculation.
r r8 MEETTHE rL{srERs SALO FLOHR II9

40. . . R Kt2i 4r. KtxP, PtPi 42. PxP, various ways, according to style and temperament.
R-Kt6ch; 43. K 84. LFt us seeho$ Flohf gucs1o work to reiureJ.traregi.
The point of White's last move is that now 43 . . ,
RxRP would fail through 44. R(Br) Br, R-R5ch;
45. K Kt3. So White maintains his matcrial plus. S. FLoHR F. D. YATES
It is no longer dificult to i,in, but it i mstrucxve to White Blach
observe how quietly and solidly Flohr $inds up the
(Playedin the teamtournamentat Hamburg,
aflair.
r930')
43 , . . R Kt4; 44. K-K4, B Kr; 45. Kt Kt4,
R-Q3; 46. P R5, B B3ch; 47. K 84, B-Kt4 j qIJEEN'S GAMBIT
48. Kt 82, R Kt7; 49. K 83, R Kqi 5(].
R(Br)-Br, R Kt2; 5r. K K4, R-K2cL j 52. R K5, '. P Q+ Kt KB3
Rx Rch; 53. K xR, K Qr. ,. P QB4 P-K3
5 3 . . . B r P i s r e f u t e d b y 5 4 .R q r ; I o r i n s t a n c e , 3. qKt 83 P Q+
5.1. . . B-Kt4; 55. RxR, P)iRch; 56. KxP, or 4. B Kt5 BK2
even 56. K-B6 followed bv 57. K-Kt7. s. P K3 qKt q.
6. PxP
54. P Q4, B 83; 55. R-85, B-Kt7; 56. P R4,
R Qz; :i. P 86, K Kr; 58. Kt Kt4, P R4; 59.
Kt Kg, B 86; 60. R-Br, K B2j 6r. P Q5, B-K7; Flohr was onc ofrhc 6rst mastersto make regular use
62. Kt-K12, B-86 i 63. Kt 84, K Kr ; 64. R 86. of ihis variation of the Queen's Gambit, and he suc-
lvinning a second Pawn. Both 65. RXRP and ceededin making it a rcdoubtablc wcapon. The te{t
65. Kt K6 are threaten€d. move Icads to a quict gamc in $tich White is ,vet
6,t . , . K 82; 65. RXRP, R-qr j 66. R 86. able to presene the advantag€ofthe move. Something
Black rcsigns. just to Flohr's taste.
An uncommonly good example of Flohr\ style. 6. PXP
Since his debut at Rogaska-Slatina he has ron hun- 7 - B-Qs o-o
dreds of tournamcnt games, but fcn' chamcterize his 8. Q 8 2 PB3
play so striLingly as this. I . Kt 83 RKr
o o Itt Br
Second Illustration II. P qR3
Flohr's opponent rqakes a strategic mistakc in the
opening which might have been exploited in any of The signal for an attack on the Queen'swing.
 MEET TIIE MASTERS SALO ILO}IR
I2O

White is going to pr€pare.he break-throughP qK4 because,as soon asthe Bishopmoves,White would play
and P-Kt5. P-85. Noie that Black could o6er a much strong€r
Kt K5 resistanceif White pcrmitted him timc lor . . . P-KR4
and . . . P-KR5.
1 2 .B x B QXB
13. B xKt PXB t7.... Kt-q2
14 Kt q2 B-84 r8. Kt KKt3 Q83
19. Kt-84
This is the mistake we mentioned. The advanced
Pawn now becomesweak I4 . . . P-KB4 should have White cannot capture the Pawn, of course, because
been olaved. It is most interesting to see how Flohr otrg...q-Kt3.
males tit "." ol this opportunity and slowly gains 1 9 . , . . Kt-Kt3
the upper hand. 20. Kt K5 Kt q4
r5. P 83 ,r. QR-Kr
White misht have tried 15 P 84, but with the text
" temPo." Here 2r. KTXKP would be a mistakc, becauseof
move he gains an impotant
2r . . . q K2 with the double threat of 2q. . . P-B3
1 5 . , . Q-Kt4 and eq . . KtxKP. Nor could White capture the
Pa1\,non the next move.
Avoidins lossofa ?awn by counter-attackingWhite's
KP. The combination 15. PxP; 16. qxB, QK3
O xPch would not have been sound, becausethe reply 22. P-R3 SR q'
to
fr. R-Bz would leave him with nothing mor€ 23. Kt Rr !
play for.
16. P B4 Q-K2.
The same posirion would h"ve aris'n from r 5. P-84
ar once,bur *i,n Blact<ro move in.readof Whire.
r7, Kt I'':\2 "&,t'"&-
v;
Verv well plared White bringshis Queens Knight
to K(tt. lrim whence ir commands both his Ka
7z "& %zi
and hisk3r. BLck has no opportuni(yto carry out
&wl" l^
rhe mancru-vre. . B-Q.z folloned by P -K84,
 MEET TIIE MASTERS SALO FLOIIR I23
122

The decisive phas€ begins. There threatens 24. this Pawn in the lurch, and has to throw severalpieces
P-KKt.l and 25. P 85, ruinning a piece. 23 . . . P KR4 into the battle for a lost cause.
rvould allow 24. qK2, P R5; e5. QR5, QB3; 3 0 . . . , R-K2
26. Kt-Kt4, BxKt; 27. PxB, and Black has no 3r. P-KR4! R(qr) Kr
delence against the threat of e8. P Kt5 lollowed by 32. P-Kts !
Q . R P . F l o h r s m a n o ' u , r i r g: " . u p c r b . N o t c h o w
Black has been continually laccd with the choice An unusual kind of Pawn storm. After making a
between two evils: losing his King\ Pawn, or lea!'ing long seriesof purely posidonal moves, lvhire suddenly
his Bishop in its prccarious situation. developsan irresistible Kingt side attack. Surprising
turns like this occur frcquently in }lohrt games.
23.,.' PB3
e4. Kr-84 B Kt3 32.... Kt Q2
33. R Ktr qBt
O r a 4 . . . P K R 4 ; 2 5 . Q K r ( : : 5 .. . P R 5 ; 34. Kt(Kt3) xP
:6. Q-R5, or 25 . . . B Kt3; 26. P- KKt4).
25. P KKt4 BB2 7z*V2Yv/z&
t%6H /&'7tt
Aftcr 25 P KB4 White would continue his TlztVz
attack by Kt-Kt3, Ki K5, etc. Nevertheless,Black TlzATzt"&
would better have tried this line. //lz ,&6ffi
26. P B5 "4r 7& lZ.
Compare the note to I7. Kt-K2. The isolation of
'&8ffi 'ffi,
the black KP is now complcte. 7z 7lz M
Q-K2 The la n falls at last. White has now an over-
27. Kt Q2 Kt Ktj
B-q4 whelming position, and wins easily. It is the attack,
28. Kt NKt3
howevcr, $'hich decides the issue, and not the extra
r9. R 84 Q QBz Pawn.
30. K-Bz ! PxP
3 4 . . .
White could have played 30. Kt(Q?)xP; but the 3 5 .P x P q Ktr
text move is much stronger, dcmonstrating peculiarly 36. R Kt3 R KBI
well the weakncssof the KP. Black can hardly leave 37. Kt qB3 Kt Kt3
124 ]!I'ET THE IIASTERS r25

38. P-86 ! R(IG) KB2 Here is one of his best achievementsin this field-
39. q 85 Qx' ILoIIR Borvrr.rrrx
40. It I{4
White Black
So as to force 4o. . . P Kt3, giviilg Whit€ a prot€cted (Playedin the matchat Moscow,1933.)

Q.P., NIEMTSO-INDIAN DEFENCE

4 ' o .. . . R:P?
r. P q4, Kt KB3; 2. P-q84, P K3; 3. qKt 83,
A blunder in a dcsperate situation. Black com- B-Kts; 4. QBa, P 84; 5. P:P, KtRS; 6.
pletely overlooks the fact that White can capture P-qR3, Bxlftch; 7. qxB, KtxPi B. P-83 !
twice on hjs KB6, thanks to his Rook on KKt3. P Q3;9.P K4,P K4; ro.B-K3, Q B2; r r. Kt-K2,
B-K3; r:. Q-Bz, O-O; 13.Kt 83,KR-Br; 14.
4r. P xR, Resigns B-K2, P qR3; 15.QR-Br, Kt(B4) Q2; 16.qq2,
This game shorvsthat Flohr is no materialist. NoF
Q Ktr (B)<P? 17. Kt.-q5!) ; 17. Kt q5, BxKt;
r8. BPxB, RxRchi r9. qxR,QQr; ,o. O O,
Mithstarding lhe quietness of lis sq'lc, which aims RBr; rr. Q Qz, QBz; 22. R Br, QxRch;
ralher at grin of mated:rl than ncat attack, he always 23. QX q, R x qch; 2.1.B xR.
thinks more of positior than material, rvhich latter he
goes for onlv when mcre positional means can carry 'r/,:z''/l /2&lz
bim no farther. 'al..zi'/,h6%t'&l
t7l "'& ffi v,,,t
'*.72ft'/& %
Third Illustration
It is usuall,vadlantagcousto retair bothBishopswhen %t%z
your opponcnt has exchangcd oll one or both of his. 72 Vtt'k
'N7t97,ft
Experience shows, hoi(e\er, that this advantage is
insumcient to dccide tl(r issnc jn itself, as a ftle. In './t
lact it is ofte! vcry ler lrom sumci€nt. The ability to
ffi,
exploit the Bishoppair hasahvavsearned.- even among The first part oftl,is gamc do€snot concern us here.
famous masters a spccial rcputaLion. Of old it rvas We reach an end-game in rvhich White's two Bishops
Steinitz, Janovsky, and Rubinstein rvho possesedthis sigdfy iittle, because the lalvns are split into two
reputation; norvadays Flohr is thc t$o-Bishop king. equal groups, so that ncjthcr pla)'cr can force a passed
rr6 SALO rLOHR r27

Parvn. This last lactor is imporrant: the player with has increased his advantage in telrain, and now he
thc tlvo Bishopshas often good rvinning chancesif he can open up the queer\ side by P Kt5 just when he
can crcate a passedPawn, rvhereasotherwisethc most likes. He wanis to open up thc position so as to use his
prc,bableresult is a draw. Whitc has a little the better Bishopsactively.
of the diagrammed position, for, as a rcsult of the With the next fcw moves, White gocs to strengthen
situation in the centre) hc commands rather more of his position in the centre and on the Queen'swing.
the board. Flohr avails himself of this crcumstance 33. . . Kt(Kt3)-q2; 1.1. B qBr, K-q', 35.
and of his possesionof the Bishop pair in impcccable B Kt2, Kt Kr; 36. K Q 2, Kt 82; 37. KK3,
fashion. K K2; 38. B-KBr, Kt Kt4i 39. P R4, Kt 82;
2 4 , . . K t s r ; ? 5 . K 8 2 , L K 2 ; 2 6 .a & , 40. B-XR3, Kt Kr; 4r. P 84! P 83; 42. B 85.
K qr; 27.K Kr, K Dz. Iorcing a slight weakening in Black's Pawn forma-
Both playersstrivc, first of ail, to post their Kings tion.
as well as possiblc. 4 2 . . . P - K K t 3 i 4 3 .a K R 3 , P R 3 ,
28. K q2, Kt qB4; 29. P 8_Kt4. So ar to meet 44. P 85 rvith 44. . . P-KKI4, widr-
Well calculated.29 . . . Kt-R5 could now be met out allowing White to lorcc a passedParvr by exchang-
by 30.B qr, P qKt4 (or 30 . . . ,(i Kt3; 3r. E 83, ing on his Kt5. Note tbat this advancewould have been
followcdby 3::.P QR4); 3r. B x Kt, Px B; 32.K 83, most dangerousfor Black in view of thc threat of 45.
K Ktq; 33. K B.r, Kt qr; 34. P Kt5, P (lR4l PxP, PxP; 46. P Kt4, and \\'hite obtains a passed
35. P-Kt6, K-RSI 36. P KtTl Kt Ktr (j6 . . . Pawn on thc King's Rook's filc. Inciclentaily, the text
KxP; 37. K-Kt5 vinning both Black's Quecn's move bctokcnsa further wcakcning of Black's position,
Rook'sPawns): 37. P 84, P 83; 38. P 85 and Black 44. B QBr, Kt Kt2; 45. PxP!
cannot prevent the break{hrough by P Kt4 and
P Kt5, as a result ofrvhich, his Parvnssoonbecome
7t "'tlz
vulnerablefrom the rear. 7),ffi
'/4,tTlzdr&t
t % '& wr.
One of the chief advantages of the pair of Bishops
is that their possessor can choosewhen to exchange.
,9 . . . Kt(84)-Q2; 3lr. P Kt3, Kt-Kt3;
K 82, Kt(Kt3)-q2.
3r. & 72ft.&%
3r...Kt R 5 ,f o l t o wdep o s i b l yb y . . . P Q K t 4 ,
llY,
" 47t^%
. ' & ./ &
camerather into consideration.
32. P-qR4, Kt-Kt3 i 33. P-R5. 7z V:/z
Whitc has decidcdlystrcngthened his position; he
r28 IIEET TIID MAsrERs i29

Prctty play. This gives White a protectcd passed fhe Bishop pair is no longer the important factor.
Pawn, since 45. KtxP lvould lail against 46 B-B8 After 6lr . . . Kt x Bi 6r. K x Kt. White would win all
rvhilst 45. BPxP is refutcd by 46 K-83; if Black the remaining black Pawns in exchangefor his KRP.
r h c n t L i e it o a r o i d l o : . o l a P , ' v n b e l o s " ' a p i e ' ' : The Pawn end-game after exchangeof all the pieces
, Kr (+7 .. Kt-ry;
4 6 . . . P - R 4 ; 4 7 .B K t 5 c hK rroul.l be a win for him.
ie. n-Aq; 48. B R6ll Thc Knight on Kt7 hasno The remaining moves are interesting,all thc samej
move, whilst the KiDg is unable to protect both the clearly Flohr is in no hurry to force the issue, and
Knights at once. Black's n€xtis thus forccd olays.frr't ofal.. ro win rl," Kirg; Pa\vn.
A problemlikc position l 60. . . Kt(K2) q4; Gr. B,Kt5 ! Kt R4.
45... qPxPi 46. K 83, P-R4; 47 B K3' A{tcr 6r . . . KIXB; 62. KXKI, KIXP; 63. P R5
K-Qg; +8. B R6, Kt Kr i agj P. Kta. the passedPawn would run straighi through.
$1.;r" p','qr*. a n o L l , e rl i r r l c ' t e p l h e d i s - 62. B KB3, Kt-KtG i 63. B-Q2 ! K q3; 6a.
appcamncc of awo more Parrns enhancesthe actlvity B-Kt4, Kt 83; 65. B 88, K Bg; 66. B-Kr,
of his pieces. P-Ksch; 67. K-q4, Kt(Kt6)-R4; 68. B-85,
49. . . PxPch; 50. BxP, Kt-B2; 5t B K3' n q3; 69. B-Q2 !
Kt Kt4; 52. K K2, Kt 82 ; 53. It q} Black resigns,as further resistancewoutd be hope-
Threatening 54. L-B4 followed by 55 B qB5ch less (69 . . . Kt Kt6; 70. B-ts4ch).
Now Black has no tonger any satisfaclory dcfence. A model achievement in this type of end-game,
For insta;rcc, 53 . . . Kt-Kq; 54. ts K6 (54. -lt 84, worthy of inclusion in evcry tcxtbook.
rt n6,n), thr€atenins 55. B-87
P84 Fourth Illustration
5 3 ,
Ilohr is llrst and foremost a position player, but the
The onty Lope. Black obtai$ morc frredom lor next garne reveals that he can also achieve excellence
his Diecesand eliminates lhe passedPawn Not that in the realm of combiDation and attack. The essence
thjs improv€s the situation:r lot, for White obtaiDs a of his style is revealed hcrc too: the carrying out of
nerv paised Parvn on thc King's Rook\ flle preparations in an almost myste ous way. He;s likc
54. PxP, PxP; 55. BxP, KtxP; 56. B Q3, an artist mughing-in, to begin with, odd strokesand
Kt,Q2 B3i -'i. K 84. K B3r 58 B K,6. points which seem to signify nothing; finally he links
AJreadyrl-e pa ., rJ P,r r. i' Lhrrarenirgro advan,e up these random strokes and you gazc amazed at a
irrcsistibly. perfcct portrait.
!
58 . . . P Kt4ch; 59. K-Q3, Kt Kz; 6o. B K4ch
r lo MfE TIrE ASTIRS S LO ILOHR I3I

FLoHR RELL5TAB Nor doeshc pay much heed to th€ other old maxim,
"Never move a piece
White Black twice belore you have moved
every piece once." He fccls that the problem of this
ai Hastirgs,
(Playedin the PremierReservcs position is not to be solved along traditional hres.
r93o-r.)
Kt-qu
ENCLISq OPENING ro. Kt KB3 P-83
r. P-qB4 P QB+
Th; protection of the Kingt Pawn is quite in the
2. Kt qB3 Kt KB3
line of Blackt plans.
3. P-KKt3 PQt
KtxP rr. q 82 Kt-K3
4.PrP
5. B Kt2 Kt-QBe rr . . . R-Ktr was to be preferred,so as to be able
P-KKI3 to play. . . P QKt3 ifnecessary.
The continuation5 . . . Ktxlltand6.
is more usual and better. 12. Kt R4
6. P Kt3 P-Iq Compare the notc to 9. Kt R4.

A lormation considered particularly strong at the Kt-Kt3

time of this game. If Black can succeed m com-
r3. Kt KBs!
pleting his developmeni undisturbed, then he obtains Excellently plaved- Whitc permits a seriousweaken-
i posiiional advantage, thanks to his Pressureagainst ing of his Pawn formation so as to keep his atrack on
Whitc\ Q4. the go. After 13. KtXKt, PXI(I, Black's QBP rvould
7. B Ktz B-Ik b€ sufliciently protected, whereashis o$n qRP lvould
B. R-Br be under 6rc. The text move threatens 14. KtXBch,
follo\\,edby 15. Kt x P.
The beginning ofa seriesofdeeply conceivedmoves,
by which Whitc aims, through threats on Black's BP 1 3 . . . . KtxKt
and KP, at destroying Black\ influencc in the centre. 14. PxKt R-Ktr
It is to be noied that, just as in his game against Preparing for P qKt3,
Canal, Flohr completely ignorcs the routin€ formula
" Castle early ! " 15. P 84!

o o The way in which Flohr handles this game elhibits

9. Ki R4! an originality and energy which leave nothing to be
I32 MtrET TIiE MASTIRS r33
desired. The one supporting piilar in Black\ position picc€s a remarkable lact rvhen wc considcr how
(his QBP) is far from secureevenyet, and now his other repeatedly he has made moves directl]' contrary to
cent.e Palvn is also under firc. classicalrules of dcvelopmcnt. His comnand of the
Thc positional text move is bascd or a little com- open KKt file otrers bim cxccllent attacking chances,
binatio: 15 . . . PxP; 16. PxP, KtxP; 17. and his superiority is realiy almost overlvhelming.Note
Q IJ4ch,Kt-K3; rB. B Q5, K Br (fbrced), and White how saleis lVlitet King on its original square,and how
has now two alternativc vays of regaining ihe sacri- he has savedhimselfvaluablc dmc by foregoingcastling.
ficed Pawn (r9. KtxP or I9. KtxBch). Even better \ 7 . . . . B B r
chances are olTcrcd by continuing with the atlack,
e.g. r9. R-KKtr, P-KKI3; 2.l. Q Ral, and so on. Clearly r? . . KtxP $as no longer possible(r8.
15. ,. FxP Q B4ch, Kt-K3; r9. B q5, K Br; :o. RxPch or
r9 . . . B Br; ?o. Kt R6ch, K Rr; 2r. Kt-B7ch and
Black cannot maintain his King's Pr(n, lor instanc€ $ins). But thc text mo!'c too leadsto forccd lo$. Black
1 5 . . . B - q 3 ; 1 6 .K t x B , q x K t ; r7. PxP, PxP; shouldhavctriccl 17 . . . K Rr.
r8. q K4, Kt qs; t9. Q Q5ch; and White wins rB. B qB6 !
either ihe BP or the KP. Dccisive, thrcatening to win the exchangeand atso
1 6 .P x P RKr to win the quecn by Kt-R6ch and Kt B7ch.
17. R KKtr ! r8.... Kt Qs
19. Itt R6ch K-Rr
H,.Lffi-H'//t 20. Kt B?ch K-Iftr
t% ?& s r. Kt R6ch
7z?,fr,
726ffi Repetition of movesto ga;n time.
7zd"&, 2r.. . . K-R.r
7t
7z'/t2 "'/Z 22. Kt BTch K-Ktr
'Ng'&.t'/z ,3, Q 84!
'.e ffi, This prctty move, $'hich threatens mate m two,
required exact calculation.
The result of $hitet lasl ten moves leaps to th€ 23.... RX Pch
eye. tslack\ centre has bcen undermined. What is 2 4 .q x R ! Ktxe
still more important, Whitc has berter play for his e5. Ktx Q Ktx R(Kt8)
I34 MEET TIIE MASTERS sALo rLoHR I35

Losinga piece; hor''ever15 . . . PrB, lvould like- M. l-.rcN S. FLoER

rvisenot hav€ sullicedto put up seriousresistance, White Black
e . g . 2 6 .K x K t , R x B ; e 7 . R K t r ! R X R P ( a f t e r
(Pln)edin the tournamentat Kemeri, r93i.)
cxchangcof Rooks, White {ou1d win casily); ?8.
R Kt8, B R3ch; e9. K K3, R R6ch; 3o. I( B:2, GRIJNFELD DEFENCE
B 85 (otheNise3 r. & .[6 irint; 3r. P-B5! R x P;
I P Q + Kt KB3
je. Kt K6, BxKt; 33. PxB, R K5; 34. R-KI and
r. P QB4 P KKt3
rvins. What follous now is simple.
3. Kt qBg P-Q+
16. B qsch KRr
K Ktr 4. q-Kt3 PxP
"7. Kt B?ch BK3
28. K Bz Kt R6ch 5. Q,XBP
6. Q-Ktsch Kt-83
19. K I(t3 P qKt4
B Kt2 ?. Kt-83
30. PxP
3L B 84 P qR3 So far exactly as thc second game in the Eulve-
Sr. P Iq PxP Alekhine match of 1935. 7. qxP? here $'ould allow
3 3 .P x P KTXBP 7 . . . KtxP, threarening mate on the move.
34. KxKt PR4 Kt Q4!
7. . ' .
35. R KI(tr KR2
'we"tHtH
36. Bx P! %
t"''& ,ft.t7zt
Black resigns,for, after 36 . . . PxB, he rvould be
mated by 37. B q3, etc.
Tlzd%A%t%
This magnificcnt game shorvs that Flohr's play is 8'/46V2 %
anythine but mcchanical. VzffiW7z
Vzd7z
Fifth llustration t\ ak t\
Finally, an example in which Flohr works for com-
plications right ftom the beginning so as to prev€nt A most interesting continuation, better than the
the game from becoming drawish. He reveals himself
7 . . . R-QKtr which Alekhine played in the game
as full' up to this task, too. cited. It has a double motiv€, protection (indirect) of
the qKtP and prevention of Whit€t B. P K4.
r36 MEET TIIE MASTERS r37
8. Qx P? would be answeredby B . . . Kt(q4)-Kt5, by . . . B-Ktsch. This last considerationaccounrsfor
thr€atening both 9 . . . R-qKtr, winning the queen,
and 9 . . . Kt-B7ch, winning a Rook. The advance ro. B q2 P-QR3
8. P-K4 would likewise be ansrvcred by B . . .
Kt(q4)-Kt5 putting White into dilliculties, e.g.9. Putting an end, once for ali, to rhe thr€at against
his QKIP. It is obvious rhat rr. QrKtP would fail
Q..R46. P 8s, n-Bjch at s. QxP? R-Qrtr),s . . .
B-Q2, ro. B qKt5, P qR3; rr. BxKt, Ktxts; in face of Black's r r . . . R-Rq, rvinning the Qreen.
,2. q qI, B Kr.,. 1nd Bld.k s t"o BLhoP' more than r r. q R4 FQg
compensatefor lVhite's centre Par'!ns. One could not
Black has already obrained a vcry respecrableposi-
call B. P-K4 a mistake,for its conseclucnces are almost
tion, and he p.oceedsto strengther ir stcadily.
incalculable. Flohr rcliesmainly on getting his bearings
better than his opponcnt in the complicated situations 12. B-.K2 o o
which would arise. r3. Q Be Kt-Kt5
14. q Ktr P KB4
B. KtXKt
Preventing 15. P-K4 Whiie's preponderancein thc
White lvants to avoid all complications,but for this centrc has been definitely nullified now.
very reason concedeshis opponent a most satislactory 15. O-o Kt 83
game. t6. B-B3 QK2
BXKt I?. R.qI
9. P It3 PK3 Write uants to prevent or at least delay. . . P-K4.
The text mov€ cannot be good, becauseWhite,s hear1,
Demonstrating the impartiality of Fbhr's judgment pieces are now posted inharmoniously and hardly
once again, Black has played P-KKI3, the emciently. The Queen should have moved, then the
logical implication of which, as every mastcr would Queen's Rook. One great drawback to the text move
agree, is the development of the KB at Kt2. Ilohr is that it leavesthc \/hire King inadequaretyprotected.
seesdeepd; hc plays with apparent inconsistency,but rj..,. Kt Ktr
it soon becomesobvious that the Bishop does bctter
ivork on the diagonal KBr qR6 than aiom Kt2. Initiating a line cavalry manccuvre. Flohr's great
A further advantage of the text move is that Black stra.tegicabilities are exhibited markedly in this game-
gains more influence in the centre, whilst White must 18. Kt-q2 Kt q2
take into account thc possibitityof. . . B x Kt followed r9. B-83
I38 MEET THE MASTERS sal-o rLoHR r39

Leading speedily to an exchange of the whit€- White oughl to have made some attempt to play
square Bishops, which docs not improve things for P-B4 followed by Kt 83 and Kt-Ks. 23. P 84 at
"worse" BishoP (the one once would fail against 23 . . . B x P. Superior to the
White, as he is left wixh the
impeded by his om Pal'ns). 19. Kt-84 would cer- t€xt movej $'hich takes the Knight to an inferior
tainly have been better. square, would have been 13. Q Q3.
r9..., Kt-83 2 3 . . . . Kt K5
,o. Q q3 Kt-K5 ! ,4. qR Br PBa
r5. B-Kr QR-Kr
26. P KKts
'4, '%2, White tries to preveni. . . P B5-in varn.
t
.,&, t 26.... QSz
% Threatening 27 . . . P-B5 already (eB. KIPXP,
.r&
v.z qKt5ch; 29. K-Br or K Rr, BxP; 3o. PxB,
Ki Kr6ch, ctc.).
n A
?7. q BI P-KKt4
,8. R q3 P85
White cannot play to win a Pawn now, eg. :r. Black\ preparations have been masrerly, and with
BxKt, PxB; 2?. KtxP, BxKRPch; 23. KxB, the text move he embarks on the decisive attack.
Q - R 5 , h : e 4 . K K t I . B K r . r . i r ha w i n n i n ea t r a c l White is in an untenable situation.
Or cr. Kr Kr, P KL; :,. B P. B^RP'h: :3 e 9 .K P x P PXP
KxB, Q- R5ch; 24. K Ktr, qxPch; s5. K-R2,
q R5ch,lollowedby,6 . . . tsxB, ctc. 30. Kt-R4 B-K2
3r. Kr Bj B-Qs
?r. q K2 Kt Kt4!
As in the last game, a repetition of moves to gain
CompellingWhite to excbangeoff the \vhite-square time.
Bishops .disadvJnti,gFou',a. aLeady arplained). tor 32. Kt R4 K-Rr
o r h e r w i s e , o m F s .. . X ' S , L , e \ P n l e s sP l F a q a n r . 33. q-Kt2 PXP
22. BxB PXB 34. RPxP Kt Kt{
23. Kt-B3 35. P-B3
r4o IIEET THE IUASTERS s^r..) rr_oHr L4r

Producing wcaloesscs,but no other move would Enabling Black to clinch fte issuc outdght, rhe
save tbc situation. For instancer35. K R: would be Rook's siation at Br being accidentally Inlortunate.
rcfuted by 35 . . . Q Kt5 $,ith 36 . . qx Ktch in 4r..,. Kt BTch!
prosPect.
A pretty concluding strokc. The Knighi must be
35.... Kt R6ch
taken, and aftcr cithcr 4r. RXKt, q Kt8ch or
36. K Rr 42. Qx Kt, Q R6ch, lVhite is maied. With this
beautiful game le say gocd-b,veto Irlohr and passon
Not to Rr, becausco{ 36 . . . Kl B5!; 37. PxKt'
to th€ leading rep.esentativein master chess ol the
B r Pch and s,nrs.
Union of So'ict SociaiistRcpublics.
3{i.... B K2!

7zt
/.,/,I'/h.8"'t&
t'//l/zt7Z7l /r.'
''& 7l"t
7zi7z"
'././, 'x:
7/t
VlETza"&6
t''& '//z VZg
?ffi'N1 7z
Thc white Knight having no squareofretrcatr a new
weakeningofthe castled position is inevitable; furtller
rcsistanceis thcn out of ihc question. It should bc
noted ihat 37. K R? is uselesson account of 37 . . .
BxKt; 38. qxKt? R-KTch, winnng the queen.
37. B q2 BxItt
3 8 .P x B q84
39. R Kt3 R-LKIr
40. q R2 R-K3
4r. R Br
 C}LA.PTER V
N'TICHAEL MOISIAYOI'ITCH BOTVINNIK
tr4. Botvinnik was born on rrth Apil, I9Ir, some-
where in Russia; to judgc b)- his name, probably in
the Ukraine. For as long as hc has been knoutt as a
chcssplayer, he has livecl in Lcn Srad. IIe studie.l
physics and gradultcd as an clcctrical engineer. It
w : r . i r r t : . 1 r l , i r l f l F x r n r' 1 . . . d . . J h - r J r F g ; l l
became immediatcly apparenl. As early as 1926 he
t'as permitted to cornpete in the championship o1'
Lenirrgrad, linishing secord. In i9?7 he lras rccog-
dzcd oiliciallt as a Sovict rrastcr, aftcl having attained
fifth piace in the national championship and rvon frrsr
prize in a Leniryrad iournament. He repeatcd this
lattcr successin r93o, and has regularly competed in
all the impo.tant Rusien events ever sincc. Hc
becamea professionalplaycr a r:arccrrvhich in Russia
implies a Civil Service status. A r.car later, in r93r,
he won the championslip not only of I-enhgrad
(rvnrnnrg r: games, iosing t and drawing 4) but also
of the rqholc Soviet Union (r8 rvins, a loses, a draws),
and sincc rhcn has rcnained tirc urlchallengedleader \li.!\rl lloahYovrrcH llorvrr\rtr
of Sovict chcss. That Lclcnfish held thc actual title t\in2ril,v a poition player, but brilliant in atacl
for a rvhile lormalityr Botvindk did not
take part in thc championshiptournalncnt of 1937,
but it lvasanangcd that whoever lvon this tounament
should play a match agailxt tim to decide thc cham
pionship for that I'ear. Thus thcre came about a match
bebv€en Botvinnik and Levenfish in rvhich, to the
surprise of the uhole rvorld, Lcvenfish slrcceededin
 MTCI]'\ILMOISIAYOVITCHBC'T'I\NIK I43

holdinE his owr (thc match being dra$'n) and con-

seouenilv rcmained in posscssionof the title Whilst
coidially congratulating Leven6sh on his achievement,
on. t1r'1 1.q.rd ,c pu-ely formal in rdnsFmenr
rkouph rhi,h Botvrnrix 'v"' dclrivPd or his ritl€
witho-utbcing defeatcd So much lor the domestic side
of Botvinnik's career.
In the irier-city match Stockholm-Leningrad, held
in the Swcdishcapital in 1929,he defeatedSioltz His
second encounter with a foreigner of any consequence
came torvards the €nd of 1933, when by drawing his
match against llohr (z wins, B draws 2 losses), he
qualifiedis
' an international great master$'ith honours'
Now thc whole chesswortd rvas anxious to seehim
playinq in a tournament wiih leading non-Rnssian
maiter". or.t.',b|l oursidern' U S c R Tne L"ur"a-
m c " r o i r * . h . i n l " n i n q r a d1 A u g u " rr.o 1 4. u \ i ' h h c
won. ha.dlv sads6ed rhFse de'ir'(. lbf onL) rwo
foreiqner.,Euweand Kmor h. tookpa' r' HL parri'ipa-
tion in the Hastings tournament of 1934 5 aroused
e a e c c. , r r i c i p a r i o(nh, em o r F' o a \ r h ; r o u r n d m c n$ta s
ould ',1.,11''rrongly cnn!.sred.thc four orher visiLine
Lasr"r l"i.q nonc orher rhan C.pabl:n'a. l lohr'
Lilienthal, and Euwe. The result of this first excursion
into thc outcr rvorld rvas a bitter disapPointment-he
"EuroPa" (as the Sovieiscall EuroP€
came fifth. IIad
outside of their own land) overvalucd him? The
toenoscenti conld not bclicve it, and events jusdfied
thlm. On I4tt' Fcbruary, only a few weeks later,
there started an internatronal tournament at Nloscow,
comprising eight visiting grand mastersand twelve of
the st.ongist Russians Botvinnik forged ahead, to tie
t4+ MtrET lHE IIASTERS r45

for ultimate firsr place wirh llohr. Th,: cLualityof this Botvnrrik\ ches since r94o has been practically
succcsscan be gaugcd througli a survey of thc results coninecl to ,io bursts of activiq. In a so<alled
ofthe other visiting great rnasten. Laskcr came third, U.S.S.R. Championshipin I94r, the lield b€ing a
Capabiancafourth, Spietrnannlifih, Lilicnthal eighth; large one, and unilormly strong as usuaily in Russia,
Stahlbcrg sixteenth, Pirc cightecnth, and \{iss tr'Ien- he disappointed by finishing equal fifth and sixrh
chik in iast place. This rcsuh impelled rhe ItDssian with Boleslavskvbehind Bondarevsky and Lilienthal
chcss organizers (an ollicial bodv) to announce a first. Sm).slovthjrd aDd Kercs lourth. It; ofsigniti-
double-round tournament of len players a year later, cancethat not one ofthese six $as or'er thirty-five years
the live besiRussinnpl?Llcrsmaiching theirpro1\ess$'itli ofage. 3nd that Bondarelsky, Bolcslavskyand Smvslov
five leadine loreier masters ln this tournam€nt, which rvere in thcir tc€nsI B! a curious cl.ispcnsatioD, tLesc
.o*-"r'."i o. rltLL rla,v, I936, Ilotvinnik tirllv uPheld six plavers uere norv marchcd;L a quadruple-round
his reputation. as the s.ore card skxqs: Capablanca r3, tournament for the "Absolutc Championship of the
Bot,innik r:.l lohr 9|, Litienthalg, Ragozin13.1' Lasker Sovient Unions," and now the original order was
B, Elislases, Kahn, T-cvenfish and Riumin all equal 7|. rlmost c\ai:tly rc|crscd, lotvinnik settins a dcadly pace
Thc lact tlLar Botvinnik h.rd scored all his great from thc first a .l finishiDgt\{o and a halfpoints ahead
successcs in hjs (^!n countrt, whereashis only appear- of thc field.
ance abroad had been a disapPointment,rendered it For two ycars more urgcnt activity engrosscdldm.
highty dcsirablc for his repuraiion that he should' at Thcn at Svcrdlovsk jn .Junc, IC),11,he scored a con-
ant rate on one occesion,attain his bcst oleNeas. The vincing viciory ir anothcr U.S.S.R. Championship,
Noitinglam tournament gave him this opportunity' abovc Makagonov, Smyslor, Bol:slavskyand orhers.
$ h i r l , I e F . / l " r l \ ' r ' , i , n d ' r l i r i . r " r y .i " ' o m - By all thesc magnificcnt acLicl'emcnts Botvinnik
Danv $ith Capablanca,l\'asgaincd in handsomestyle. has gaincd an assuredIJlacewithin the small circle of
-
In thc A.ii.R.O. tournament he playcd sLrperblv grand mast€rs lbo nay bc rcgardcd as
steady ch€ss; aftcr losing nr fie fi$t round to Fine he tcnders for the worlcl-championshjpthronc.
climbed, by the cleventh round to second place BOT\''INI{IK MAI{ES HIS BOW
'Ihen he retaxed, blL,ndernrg badly in a pcrfectlv
First llustration
innocuous position against Fuire and frittering awav
an overpon€rirlg advartage aginst Ilohr. Third to One of thc openingsrvhich Botvinnik likes to adopt
f<eresand Fine in tbc frnal tabie, he could yct look is the Sicilian Dcfcnce. This is one ofthc most dillicult
b J , k o n ' i . I ' e d o r m d n , "a o t \ ' i r r r , ' L r" r : ' l d ' r i o r ' of openings, drerc bcing little chance of its leading to
A f r r v m o n i h s l u t c r h . r "enr " d h i " S . v i e r . h a r n p i o n s h i P a drawn position at any early stage. W-]ite gets more
ai \{osco!v, making no mistakein a crucial final rorrnd' terrain and various attacking possibilities. tslack, on
 I
',TIiI'
146 MEET MASTERS I'ICHAEL MOISIAYOVIICH BOT!.IN'MK '41
the other hand, entrenches himself behind a sort of ri The position we have rcached is characteristic of
"Maginot Line," rcady at any time for a sudden the Sicilian. White commands more of the board and
counter-attack; for this he needs the utmost self- must strive to post his Knight on Q5; shoutd he suc-
reliance, othervr'isethc chances may tum definit€ly ceed, then he would have much the better game.
against him. An opening which allorvs Botvinnik to In practice, he rarely does.
exploit his curious abilities to the full. Here is a 15. qR Br
beautili exampl€-
White wants to play P qKt3, prcparing P-QB4.
V. A. RouzER tr{- M. BorvrNMK
White Black I5.... P K4,
(Playedin the Leningradtournament,I933.) A strong and, as soon appears, deeply calculated

SICILIAN DEFENCE 16. P-qKt3

r. P.-K4, P QB4; ,. Kt KB3, KI-QB3; s. P-Q4,
PxPr 4. KtxP, Kt-KBj; 5. Kt-Q83, P-q3; White plays to a consistentplan. This move safe-
guards lis qKtP and envisagesan eventual Kt-Q5.
6. B K2, F KKt3; 7. B I(3, B Kt2; B. Kt Kt3,
BK3;9.P84,OO;ro.OO. 16. Kt q5 at once would lose a Pawr through
For somctimc thc livcly ro. P Kt4 wasregardedas 16 KtxKt; I7. PXKt, PXP; IB. BXBP,
strongest; the game we give ne1t, Alel-hine,. Bot' B x K1P or rB. B Q4, B Ka.
vinnik, modifed this opinion,horvever. 16. PrP rvas playable: 16 . . . PxP; 17. q 82;
but then Black would have a thoroughly satisfactory
Kt qR4 game.
rr. KtxKt 1 6 . . . . P Qa!!
Accord;rg to curr€nt ideas,rvhich arc basedon stud)
ofnune-o.rsg:me, openedliLe thi". t\e mo t promising
continuadonhcre is rt. P 85, B 85; i2. R q3. Tirt'Nt
"ffit?z
r r . . , q x K t ; r r . B 8 3 , B 8 5 ; r 3 .R K r ,
KR qr; 14.Q q2, q 82.
Black retircs his Queen so as not to have con-
tinually to rcckon rvith the possibility of Kt-Qs. This
man$uvre might be very troublesome, though there
vrould be norhing in it at the moment (r5. Kt-qs!
qxq; r 6 .B x q , K t x K t ; r T . P x K t , B x K t P , e t c . ) ,
 r49
r4B MEETTnE MAslERs MICHAELMOTSIAYOVITCTiBoTIIINNIK

B qP. rhr.drerine ?o ts I\r or 'if rhc allaclFd

A snlendid and totallv uncrpected continuatron' 'n";" "* ' :o B-Bo winning thc
Black making a sudden sha|p attack. Pure Botvinnik I iil irt,hould
q qri
c r ' l r : n g e s. o r l r : . \ V n i r ei s l o r ' e d r o - f h ) ' o
1 7 .I ( P x P Q bil 2I B-82'
,i,"n r'i. r'r'r' i' lo't: 20 .
Wtrite was laccd with an unpleasant choice, as the P-84, etc.
Anothcr possibilitv *'as IS Kt x P, Kt x P (thrcat€n-
fouowing analysesrcvcal
piecc with a 6ne ins rq . . . .[ir-B fo]lorvcd by zo. . . B-Q5 winning
1a; 17. P xb, P xl recolcring the
rh. qutrn : ro. I( R r. Kr B: 20 .q Kt' rnd
" (ould plav
(r) r?.KtxP,BxKt; I8.PxB,P K5; I9 tsK2, 0.. ' kl'.. r 6ne g,n.: though \vh'rher lrc
to win the exchangc by 20 . . B q5; ,t. qq2,
KtxP with a clcar xdvantage;
,., I?. BP P, Kr P: 18 B Kt P B: r9 R K r i i ' d o u b r i u; l o r i r . s t a n ' 'z : Q K r 4 B R ;
o-8,. b^KP. Jnd UlJtk win' \{tLirrs KRP This . i K ' B b ( n .K R r : : 4 . Q B j . B Q 7 : z 5 Q K t z ,
li,t v"ri,Lion v:(loc \vhite pl'nrv of counL"'' harres' t s K i 1 2 5. . . Q Q 3 . : , o . R i 8 , J d ' l d w i n ' ; 2 6
all rhp ,arr.: ..g. :o. Kt P. B P'h: 2I K Rt' 6, [.,.n. S Bo; r;. Kr B. K K : 28 Kr K4.
- BK r z e . K Lk \ \ r 2 . P K l i B q 4 : ? ' K-RI; U ^ ( B P r 2 . ) .K r B b . h , K B I : 3 0 K r P ' h I n d t h e
,3. e"-Qa.und noq ir F \\ hite who nas rl-' best of it' '^-'n ilor Bhckt is problematical
B;t Black n..d nor eo for r\F P:r 'vn rrn ' finaflv. IB. ifK2 would lead {after rB . . BxQP)
q' K P looksa :rronget rlrern,tive.. I rua'lotar' to the same sorts of position as arise from iT Ktx?
Alr.r fte rcxrmov. tl frir" ls up againsra m,r'h more (seethe note to r?. K? x P).
diffcult task, the manifold ingenuities of Botvinnik's rB. PXB
combination being fuli)' rev€aled' r 9 . P-QBs
I?.... P - K s!
lvhite's t\ro advanced Pawns look dangerous, but
Bv this Palvn otrcr Black securcsmaximum freedom |he other side ofth€ picture is soon seen His position
tor iris pje..s $ rhour wa)rirg rn\ rimc l o reri'e his is too loosel his PJwns and pieces co-operate awk-
,rro.k"d B;'hop ro Rj 'vouldlo" r a u'ble tin- a 'd he r \l a , k ' o r t i n L r " l lfvi n d ' a F w p o ; n r s
s . , r d l r . c o n s " o u e nB
is at particular pains to avoid thai' ro rl|;ck. N;dce it'" ill.po"unr pa( plavcd bv Ih"
IB.PXB black Pawn on 86
1 9 .. . . q-R4!
Wlitc s bmits unwillinglv to the indirect exchange
'
of hi: KB ror BIJ.L s crposcdQB ,Wharel'e ou'd he
. K t ' B : I c Kr /Kt, A very strong move. Thc main threat $ 20 '
. l o ? O n r B .B , K P f o l l o . ' sr B
r50 MEET THE MASTERS MICII I]L MOISIAYOVTI'C I5I

Kt Kt5, after which 2r. B Q4 would fail in face of

2r... P B7chor2r...BxBchfollowedby22... "%,r.
P-B7ch, winning a Rook. Any move of th€ attacked
Knight would lose likervise,e.g. 2r. Kt-Ktr, qxq; % 72
2 2 . K t x Q Q 2 . B x q , P B T c h ) , : r .. . K t x B ; 2 3 .
Rx Kt, B Q5,andsoon. The refutationof2l. Kt K4 'a,/44
K*'ffi
(after20. . . Kt-Kts) is also pretty: zr . . . QxQ;
rut
zr. B x Q, P-B7ch; 25. Kt x P, B Q5 winning the
cxchangeand several Pal{ns.
ffi. '/&
Apart fiom 20 . . . Kt-Kt5 there thr€atcns eo. . . H%r.
K t x P ; 2 r . K t x K t , q x Q ; 2 2 .B x Q , R x K t , a n d There is no adequatedefenc€to this move. Th€ best
White is lost in vie'v of the innumerable w€aknesses of a bad job would be 2r. Kt-K4, qx q; ?2. B x q,
in his Parvn position. Neverthel€ss,\!'hite could have B q5ch; ,3. K Rr (forced),23.. . PxPch; 24.
put up a more exteDdedresistancein ihis way, and KXP, RXPj but this would lead to an end-game in
thercfore 20. P x P would have been best on the whole, which White has no feuer than five isolated Palvns.
getting rid of "public enemy No. B3."
Yet anothcr move worth consideringwas 20. q-q3, 2r. B q4
e.g. 20 . Kt Kt5; 2r. Kt K,1. But then 2r This is the move which White had in mind when he
P-B4 would be extremely strong (2e. Kt q6? P-B7ch; played :o. KR QI; now he need not caPture the
/3. B P. Kt B: :4. }' Kt. Q BPrh. winning a KBP wben it advances.
Prece). P BTch!
20. KR Q: 22. K-Br
Forccd; drc King cannor go to RI because of
With the idea of further prorccting thc Queent 22 . . . RxP; 23. KtxR (or 23. 1il f?) 23 . . . P-BB
?awn, and also ruling out all eventualitiesin which (queeDt ch! 24. R x q, qx Qand wins. Apparendy
Black threatened the Rook by . . . P B7ch. Black's White overlooked this pretty finesse untii too late,
attack, bowever, is becoming jrresistible, thanks to otherwise he would have captured the Pawn. On Bt
llre pin on While\ Knight and rhe co-operation the white King is very unsale, as l]otvinnik revealsby
oa the advanced KBP. Some beautiful opcrations a seriesof porverful strokes.
lollow. q R3ch !
Kt-Kt5 23. Q K2
r52 I'ICHAIL I'OISIAYOVITCII r53
Agair 1i]l-ced.Ihere vas no interposing thc Knight, R x R ; ? 9 . q K t i , K t x P c h ; 3 . r .KxP, Kt-Kt5ch;
e.g. 23. Kt-K2, R x P; r.1. P 83, R Kr ; or e4.
3r. K 83,R K6 matc.
P-84, B)<B (threateningmate); ,5. KtxB, qR qr; Kt x Pch
26. Q-83, qxRP (th.catcning nlate again); 27. 29. K Kz QXP!
R 82 (or 27. R qr), e7. . . RxKtl and Blacl<has
a \\'on game, in vierv ol tLrechalccs of promoting his
,.L
'/tE./r&
'/2
Palvn. j23. q-qc \vould also lose by lorce, through 7l 7/t
23 . . BXB; 24. Q_xQ_, Kt K6ch; 2j. K K2,
P BB (qucens) ch! 26. Rxq, lxQ and Black has '"/l) /r/t\7tt
,&ft24177,,
/
-,
,y,
7t a s
1 3 . , . . BXB
24.RxB
Dxchanging queens would again lose a piece by
a 'ftf r" g 1 t
a4...KtK6ch. ...
And row Black threarensto win a rvhole Rook by
e4.... Q r(}e quecnjng the Pawn. The only ptausible repty, 3o.
The black Quccn suddenl1,takesover a dccisiverole R K 13r , \\'ould ailorv Black to appropriatc the exchange
on the King's rving, gaining vaioable timc by attacking b,v3o . . . RrRch and 3r. KtxR, and he $,ouldrhen
the undefendedRook. hale enough lor a 1vin. IIe has an evcn stronger re-
,s. R(Br) qr s(mlcc,30.. . Q-R Qrl, and asainst thc ihreat of
:5. Q Q: wouldbejusrashopelcss: 25 . . . q-Rs; irinning a wholc Rook (by 3r. . . RrR) rvhich ttris
o r 1 5 .Q Q 3 ,R - K r ; , 6 . P - K R 3 , q R 5 introduccsthcre is no rcsourcewhatcvuJ e.g. ,Jr.
Rx ilP, q KKtsch, crc. Or 3r. RxRch, RrRch,
2 5 - . . . q-R5
etc. Or final],v3r. R K3, Itt xR.
,6. Q-q3 R-Kr So \\hitc rcsisns.
With two mating tbreats,viz.27 Ktx P and A.grard arhievemcnt which gained a rve -desewed
z 7 . . . R K B . ,
27. R K4 P B4! Second llustration
28. R'K6
Ncxt, a gamc rvith the same opcnins but in which
Exchanging Rooks would rob the white King of its \!'hilc seiccts thc most \ioteDt ti".t-i"r; ,,,,.uu".,
only remaining 0ight s<pare,and allorv 28. (RxRch) it is AtcLhine ullo ptays White, a guaranteethar every
r54 I1EET THE iIASTERS MrcH.\EL rIOl!r\YOVITC r55

chance of altack will be energetically seized. Never- it is extraordinarily d;mcult to work out all its thorny
theless,Botfinnik manages to keep the balance; the tactical consequenccsBrilliancies ensue.
mol.e vigorously hc is attacked, thc sharPer are his r r. P-85
'fhe
counter-measures. outcomc is a suPerbdraw. lf rr. P-K5, th€n II ... Kt-Kr or (certainly
Dr. A. Ar-rnnrrn M. M. BorvIN!"rK k e r : n e rr)r . . . P q 5 l 1 2 .P x K t , B X B P ! , r e g a i n i n g
t\/hite Black t h c p i e c e$ i t h a g o o dg a m e ; o r I I . . . P q 5 ; r2.
KtxP, KtxKt; I3. BxKt (r3. PxEt, B\BP!)
(Playedin the Nottinghamtoumament,I936.)
1 3 . . . K t x P I ( r 4 . B x K t . B x B ; 1 5 .Q x B , q x B )
SICILIAN DEFENCE lrith the sameresult.
B-Br !
r. P K4, P qB4; 2. Kt-KB3' ? Q:l; S P Q+,
P xP; 4. KtxP, Kt KB3j 5. Kt qB3, P KKt3; 6. In such an involved pos;tion it is cudous that Black
B K2,B Kt2;; 1.8-'r3'Irt B.3; B. Kt Kt3,B-K3; shoulCbc able to permit himsetf such a meek rcffeat,
9. P-84, O O; Io. P Kt4. bur .,ny orf.r mo!" sould lc.d rrim i,,ro *riou.
Threateningrr. P Kt5, which rvould drive away troublc. Botvinnil. has loreseen well that the loss of
Blackt KKt and diminishhis itrlluencein rhe ccntre. time involvcd does not impair the effectivencssof his
t n l e . sl e i s r n h e l e m m e di r , B l r ,\ n , u s e
r n g i r c ea' counrer-xltack. II. P B5 has rveakenedWhite's posi-
counter-action immcdiat€ly. A vcry dificult taskhere, tion in thc centre; he can no longer play P K5.
which, howevcr, Botvinnik fulfiIs immaculately. 1 2 .K P X P
P q4!! Clearly enough, White has notling better.
Kt Kt5
"'&t,,-:.,. ?* t'',At
Threa.ening to capture the Qucen's Pawn $'ith

7zA'x,i.
either Knight, or alterrrativcly 13 . . . PxP; lor
V26 '//t instance,13. I 83, lxl; 14. P-qR3, PxP, etc.
7, "/./tfrt',/t 7lz 13. PxP, RPxP; I4. B 83 rvouldnow set Blaclia
7l; dilicult problem. lvhitct pius Pawn on q5 is now
//taF1 .,& '/t
A A
adequatelyprotected, whilst 15. P QR3 threatcns. II'
th. black Knjghr be then lorccd to withdraw to qRg,
A .]I A TlzA %
& "/t..l&itr
Whitc has a won game at once. Il would therelbre be
up to Black to find some $'ay of keeping his action on
the go; a passivemove rvould spcll certain downfaii.
This thrust is positionallyjusti6ed in every way, but
 }iICIIADL TIOISIAYOVITCH tsO]'VINNIK

Slrcha corltinuationindeedexists,namcly (I3. PxP, strugglc, lets Black go tl,rough with his drawing
RPxP; r4. B 33), KtxKtl'l! 15. BxKt, BxB;
1 6 .q x B , B x K t c h ; r 7 . P x B , K t x B P c h ; r B .K K q , 1 5 . . . . QXRPI
Kt x R; 19. R x Kt, qx ? and, \\'hiic's posi.ion is 16. B xKt KtxP!
torn to shrcds, apari from ihc facl that, \vith a Rook
and nvo Pan'ns for tiro minor pjc.cs, Black might E A ts,g,',
considerhimsclf matcljally 1o the good as \!e11. t t '/,/t L'/2t71,,:.
t'/,/ t&t
1 3 .P q 6 !
Vcry stronglypla)cd. fhemainthreatis 14.P qR3,
"&7//i',r/:
",,& t "/,,,,,,,,,,,t
'../.:,'/16v;
'..:.1
ihc secondary14. PXKP, QxP; t5. B 85. Black /t6'4
"/.:/6,.il''::',::''z'a':./
musl n.rtnow play t3... K P x P b c c a u s co f t 4 .
? qRj nnloiled b), 15. P-Kt5 and 16. ? 86. So the
next move is lbrced. fr'&t',/:':.,.47t
W
1 3 . . . . QxP
14. B 85 'Ihe
whole point I r 7 . . . Q Kt6ch is now threatened;
The point o{ trVhite'scounter-sacdfice.After 14 . . . r8. K Qr, B R3ch, Nith matc to follon'. White must
q x Q r h ; 1 5 .R x ( l l K t - B 3 0 5 . . . t r t > < B P c h1: 6 . accept tLc secondsacrificc.
K A,, P L8; r?. B\KP a.nd. *'dirx) Write would 1 7 .B x K t q-Kt6ch
dcfinitely take the lead. Notc thaL 14. Qr Qrvould be rB. R Bz
weak becauseBlack, after rccapturing, rvould havc thc
Once againforced,for rB. K Ke?, QlBch; orrB.
tlrreats15.KtxBPch and 15 . . . PxP at his disposal.
K Q9, B R3ch rvoulcllose cluickly.
r4.... QBs: q Kt8ch
Bascd on thc considerationthat, if thc crchangc of r9. R-Br
Oeens catr bc avoided, fie exposedsituation of the Whitc can never move his Knrg. The text move
white King must bccome the crucial l'rctor. Black hlls
revcais the significanceof 16 . . . lttxPl, for Whire
a dra*'ing linc up his sleeve,too, irl lhe elent o{-his
cannot interposehis Bishop on Br now. Thus peryerual
opponent\ going for thc rvin of a piccc. chcck, by Cl Ki6 Kt8, is inescapabte.
15. ItR Br A most plcasant drau,n game, brief yet rich in
lVhite, realizing that thc c\posed situation of his combinrtion. It is characteristic of both adversaries,
King rvould compromisc any attcmpt to inteDsify the each a connoisseur in rhe crearive, elncient, and
I5B IIICTL{DI- IIOISI YOVITCI] BOTVINNI( r59
aggressivehandling of the opcnings,that thc struggle formation of Whitc's Pawns: in the onc case his qP
was shary from the very outset. soe" ro K5. i'r rlr. orllFr ir r, nain'on Q4 The larter
Third llustration "r n ari"n pru. i.le, t"c ber'"r .han. c'. 'in" ir i' more
.lynamic, thc square K5 remaining opcn f.,r the use ol'
One of Botvinnikt principal characteristics,which
ihe rfhitc Pieces.
he shareswith some of the other prcminent masters
B...Ktg2t 9. P KB4' P K3; ro P84,
of the younger generation, is grear padencc. If therc q4 Kt3 r I r. B K3r B K._2:.'r. qB3, O-O.
Kr ^K.
are ncither possiblc combinations nor objects of im- mu, h too lir.lc of rnr Loard, rnd
Bl-..L , om'n-nds
mediateattack,he knows how to man.ruvre, tack about, task rvhich Flohr taclles vcry
nust defcnd carcfully-a
and slowly improve Ilis position, utilizing eYery little ensues in tvhich Botvinnik
rvell irrteed. A hard light
opportunity.
managesto turn his superior mobility to account.
Here is an examplc.
r3. R 83
NI. }lt. BorvrNNrK S. FLoHR 'rhe "natural" continuatin, rvas t3.
White Black QR Qr, but
(llavcd in thc tournamcnt at Nfoscow,1936.) the text move is stronger:,threatening t4. R-R3 fol-
lorved by Q-R5, and compelling Black to take im-
AIEIIHINE'S DEFENCE mediate counter-mcasr.tres.
r. P K4, Kt KB3; :,. P K5, Kt q4; 3. P q4, I3.... QK'
P q3; 4. Kt KB3, B-Kts; 5. B-K2, P-QB3; 6. So as to ansrver14. R R3 rvith I4. . . P KB4 and
o-o, P x P. nip \\'hite's King\ side attack in the buci
Another gamc, played betwecn the samc opponcnts
r4. R Q.r
three months latcr in Nottirgham, l,r'€nt as follorvs:
6 . . . B x K t ! ; 7 . B x B , P x P ; B .P x P ,P K 3 ; 9 . r 1 . R R 1 r o u l d n o r vb e m ' r " $ " n F o f r i m F
q K r , q B r ; r o . P8 4 , K tK 2 l ; r r . B K q , K t q r ; 1 4 . . . . R-qr
r:. I 84, I KR4; 13.B R3, O O O; 14.B-Ii3, t5. P-QKt3 P KB4
Kt I34; 15.BxKt,.l'xB; 16.q KBr, q-R4; per- Norv necesary; Black has to strive for some grrP
for Black. (r7. BxP? P-qKt3l)
fectly satisfactorily
on the centre so as to be ablc to manc€uvre more
The move played here is not so good. 'Ihc
easily. text move createsa bachura.dPawn on liis
7. KtxP! BXB K3 whicb, \\'hilst it has o immediate significance,
B.QXB makes its presencefelt: throughout al1 posible sim-
The distinction betweenthc t$'o continuations6 . . . p l ; l , a r i o n ,F t o l . r m u . L r a L e , r r ^ t o i r s u r e ! s r i n ' l
B xKt! and 6 PxP lies in the resulting central its suddenly becorning weak, as would happen, for
rbo MrcHAlr- rrorsr^Yovrrc 16r
instance, if hc wcre to advance his qBP and permit Borvinnik plans to reply to ?4 . . B Kt5 tith
QPxQIIP. The text movc makes Black's position ?,r. Kr Ktr !, sutrsequenttydriving away thc Bishop.
morc rigid and robs it ofsome ofits flexibility. l]lcn his queen's Knight could return to qB3 and
16. Kt-q3 cerry ollt its d t,r ofkeePing an eye on K4.
The first of a seriesof movcs by $'lich White does
Kt K5
nothing but emphasizchis supcdor mohilit)'. Above 25. Kt K5 KtxB
all, to achievc this, he avoids exchangcs.
25 . . . Ktx Kt would have been a little better. The
16..,. B-83; 17. B 82, Q82; rB. Kt-Kr,
remo\al of the Knight on white's QB3 rvould have
KR Kr; r9. n(n:) Q:, Kt KBr; 2{). Kt 83,
given Black the chance to establishhis second Knight
Q 82;2r. Kt K5. on K5.
AccordiDg to Botvinnik, zr. P-Ktj lvas preferable,
16. K xI(t Kt Q2
protecting the KBP and still further facilitating White's .j7. Q n3 I(t X Kt

Kt(Kt3)-q2 :fhis e)icharge serves to close the King\ file for

22 q-q2 BI(2 lvhitc a]ld bdng Black's backward King's Pawn into
23. Kt 83 safety,but it carriesanother danger in its trail; White's
Compare the note to White's sixtecnth move. This ccntral formation is strengthened and Black has a
rnoving to and fro of the Knight seemsbad, but we positional rveaknessat his q3, whosc significance is
can hardly speak herc of loss of time. The essential spcedily revealed.
criterion ofa lossof timc, that thc other side should be 18. BP xKt qR4
able to profit by it, is missing. Botvinnik manccuvres
profoundly, strengthening his position bit by bit; for Aiming to cxchangeofl the wlite Knight by 29 . . .
instancethe doubling ofhis Rooks was a stcp forward. B Kt5. This move uould not have bcen possible
without rhe preceding exchange,becauseof the reply
23.... Kt B3 Kt X Kt, follo$,edby q: Pch.
,4. q-Br !
,9. P-qn4
Prudent pla). Black thrcatened !4 . . . B Kt5
followedby 15 . . . Kt K5, or by::5 . . . BxKtand Salcguardingthe QRPso that 29 . . . B Kt5couldnoiv
26 . . . Kt-K5, after rvhich the Knight could be dis- be mct simply by moving away the attacked Knighr.
lodged from its adfanced post only {ith dimculty. 29. . . R q2; go. P Kt3, Qq:r; 3r. K Kt2,
Wh;te by the text move avoids this simplification. B Kt4; 3?. Q 83, Q-K*; 33. P-85 !
 MTCHAELi{orslAYovrrcEBorvINNrK 163
t6z MEET TIIE MASTERS

98....
qQ'
39. P QKt4 PxP
T%EH
%Effi frT 4 0 .R x P BXKt
t7l*t Write could artack the qKtP four times over,
ffi "ffi.t whereasBlack can delend it onlv thrice Consequendv
tt" &, /t il'" e*"t'ung" i" th" t.'.t is quite unavoidable,and might
trave had to be carried out under even more unfavour_
frDtr48
'//&g able circumstancesil postponed White has nolY
a
',',".y too"g pased Pivn' whilst the Kingt file is
openedup onceagarn.
After this advance, \Vhite suddenly has a positional
4L KP xB S-R4
ar. R(q3)-Kr3 R-Kr
suoerioritv.Wnercas,up ro norv.rhe posirionhasbeen
in'Whire" favour only in a gcreral "av. hh advan' So as to get chances of perpetual check after 43'
Kjng
raqeno* rak". raneiblelorm. ThrrF is a direrI threar n p. n'd, r. R R. Q RP: rhe white
a-in*.urelv
L.ils som.qhar situarcd But White fights
oi rt X.'-n 5 84 Qb. tollo'ved bv P-QKra Kt5'
against which Black can do little. shy ;f all double-cdgedpossibilities.
43. q-K2
qR'
33.... P-qR4 K-82
44. R K3
BLLI ,dnnor prevrnl the Kniqnl mancFUvrF. bul 45. q B4
have been more solid'
he ,an stop the Pawn pu'h. lt rhc white QKIP 45. K R3 or K KtI would
:r
ad'an."s no'v, Bld,k will exchang" off ThJtext allows Black to stagean apparent surprise,but
This resourceis not comPletelysatisfactory,as White White is rvell prcpared
canr sooner or later, employ P-qKt4 to open uP the 45. . ., P-qKt4!
OKt file for his own bene6t A p ' e r r ts r r o k e\.V h i r e c d n n o t r a P t u r e t h e c o u r a g e o u g
.t4. Kt Ktr' Q Br i 35 Kt R3' B qr : J6 Kt 84, p"\\',. to; /6. RP . P / I "ould lo.. rb" Qucen {46 .
B-Bz; 37. Kr q6' R Ktr i 18.R qKtr' PxPchl. i\,hilst it is doubtful whether White's two
l"oti'.i t"tV :rrra.tivc posibiliry wds {he sa'ri- Da^edPa$n\ rvouldbe a lor of u'F af.er 4b P Pe P '
-
ficial line q8. Kt x KtP, R x Kt, 39 qx QBP lollo\qed i'-la.t'; a7. P Kr7. R KrP; 48 R R . q x R'h:
bv ao. O^Pch. But Borvinnikis nor keen on 'om-
49. K-R3, P x?.
si""ilo""-*;tl,o,r ",l.ar aim lf he hJ' rhe berrFfot
it, then h€ tries to avoid comPlications' 46. Q Bz
,6, MICHAEL MorslAyollTcrrBorvINNlK 165

Holding on io his advantage; he now th.eatens Another winning line rvas 5 r. R x P. The text move
4 7 .P x P . rlueatens to 6nish tlle game at once by 5r. QxPch,
46..,. RXP? K R I ; 5 3 .q K 8 .
This violent attempt to profit ftom the mom€ntaily 5r. , . . P-R3
unsheltcredsituation of the white King losesby force. 5r. QxPch K R2
46 . . . PxP would have been better; it is doubtful 53. q K8 P Kt6
wherhFrBIa(k (oDld hold our irrdeqnil.li jr an) rare,
Black tries a little trap. Now 54. qx q, Rx q;
4 7 .P x R P-B4ch ; 5 . R K B u u u l db e a n . q e r e d
bv 55. . . P Kt-; 56.
RxR, P-Kt8(q), 57. P Qs (Q)? (57. R-R8ch is
4U. K R3 PXR
correct), 5? . . . Q-KB8ch; 58. K R4, P-Kt4ch
49. Q BTch K-Ktr
madrg or wiming the queen.
so. P qz
s4.q.xq Rxq
5 5 .P x P Rqr
A7.z 5 6 .R x P RXP
71.,:,i7)
'/lzt' 57. P KtG
"/&.art The gamc vas adjourned here, and Black resigned
"tw s'itholrt further play.
No spectacular,but yet a very good, achievement.
V*. 7/z notlnlnik held fast io his op€ning advantage and
irxrcascd it so remorsclesslythat hjs opponent was
tua]]y driven to a despairing countd-attack $'hich
The move 46. . . RxP smashedthe positioncom- nnl! ,.." i-ir"r-,i rl,- a-,-l
pletely open, allo$'tug Whitc to penetraie $ith his
queen and capitalize his pased Queen's Pawn. The Fourth Iuustration
win is no longer diflicult. Finall,v, a b.illiant examplc ofBotvinnik's attacking
50... R KBI
lf5o . . . R-Qr, thcn5r. Rx P (threatening \I. lL BorvrN"-rx V. A. CHEKoVITR
QxRl),
K-B2; 52. Q q6 and wins. wh;te Black

5'. +q6 (Playcd irl the \4oscow tournament. r935.)

r66 MEET THE MASTERS
r crrAEL MorsrAyovrrcl{ I}orvrNNIK r6J
R.ETI SYSTEM 'Ihis surrcnder of the centre is bad. Black wants to
r. Kt NB3, P Q4; z. P 84, P K3! 3. P QKt3, play . . . P K4 with gain of time; th€ Plan 8o€s
KI-KB3; 4. B-Kt2, BK2; 5. P-Kg, o-Oi 6. ivrong, howe"er, with the result that White obtains a
B-K2. clear superioritYin the centre.
Niemtzovitsch used to handle this opening rather r o .P x P Kt 84
dift'erentty, postponing P-qB4 or omitting it alto- rr. P 84
gether and playing Kt-Ks, aollowed by P-KB4 as
early as possible. A downright plan lik€ this is not to
Bowinnik's taste. He prefersto adopt a more reserved Parrying the positional thrcal ol Ir
attiiude, consistentlywith his predilection for attackg r?. Ki 83, Kt-q6
which savour rather of counter-thrusts. Q-B2
P-83 12. Kt 83 Rqr
r3. q-82
6 . . . P B 4 , l o l l o w ebdy Kt 83, was to be
prefened. fhc nnal preparation 1br the advance of the QP.
7. o-o qKt-Q2 II r:j. P-q4 at once, 13 . . . QKt-K5 forcesoS one
B. Kt 83 P-QRa minor piece on cach side, to lighten Black's task
9. Kt Q4 slightly.
13 . . . Kt(Bd-q2; r4.P Q4,P 84; 15.Kt K5,
A chamct€ristic move. White does not want to P-qKt3; 16. B-Q3, PxP; 17. PxP, B Kt2;
transposeinto the queen\ Gambit by 9. P Qa, for r8. Q K2, Kt Br.
this would make thc position lesscomplicat€d. So he
plans to go through with Niemtsovitcht idea (by ?-84,
followed by Kt 83 and Kt K5). At the same time hc
t
tempts Black to weakcn his centrc by . . . P-K4 (which
would be answered by Kt 85) or . . . P-B4, which,
7,:2"
m
though objectively not unfavounble for Black, would
set him some diflicutt problems after the reply Kt Be V*t ru
(or even Kt-B3), producing a position of a tlpe that
suits Bowinnik particularly wc)l. ,&'z-I 're
9 . . . PXP
 r68 MEET IIIE TIASTERS MrcIrAELMorsrAyovrrcnBorvrNNrx 169
A verv laniliar iypc of position has been reached. Thcre is no choicc; any other move would losc to
White has "hanging" ?awns at q4 and qB4 and n ?3. Kt(Kts)xBP.
more or lesscompeuedto play for a King,s side attack,
'lvhich has, howcvcr, 4. PxP Kt(Dr)-Qp
under the circumsLarcer,c\,ery
chance of succecdiug. Whitc usLrallyr.orks tor p 7f 23 . . K(BS)-Q2, then 24. KtxP wins.
e5
or P KB5 in such positions. Botvi ik tacktes thc
24.Itu xP!
problem in an alrogethcr differcnt rvay: he brings his
qKt over to rhc Kins's wnrs, whe;e it deci;ivety Bcautifu y played. Therc $'crc other good con-
strengthensthc atta(:k. Each of his next lew movcs tjnuations he.e, but Wlite €onsistcntly finds the
dcseNesan exclanation mark. srongesr.
r9. Kt Qr RR2 KxKt
20. Kt 82 25. P Kt6ch K Ktr
QKtr
2r. Kt R3 P-Re
22. Kt-Kts ! 15 . . . K Kr or K-Br rvouldpermit White an ample
choiceof winning continuation,e.g.-
( a ) , 5 . . . K - B r ; 2 6 .Q x P , K t - K 4 ; 2 7 . P x K t o r
'N more prettily 27. RxKtch, PxR (s7 . . . .BxR,
A7
".& t"&
,ffi 28.B Rgch);rB. q R3, K Kr; 29. B-B5, etc.
t 7z,t
"/.;/,,, 7Z 'il
(,b)z5 . . . K-Kr ; 26. Qx P, Kt-Br (16 . . .
R Bt, e7. Q,R-EI); 27. q B7ch,K Q2; zB.B B5ch
'&-
v,arft'& o r z B .B R 3 . R - K r : 2 9 .R K r . P . R l l o . P K t 7 ,
/L,.'/2&/lz"/ta 7t
]I t& 7g 26. QxPch KRr
27. q R3ch K Ktr
zB. B 85 Kt-Br
The piano of the opening passedinto a cresccndoin The threat was, of course, u9. B-K6ch and matc,
the middle-gamc and norv becomes a fortissimo of 2 S . . . B K t 5 w o u i d l o s e t o(e.g.)ze. ?-Q5.
attack. Ihroughout thc next tcn movcs sacrificial
combinations arc always in thc air; the black King's
29. B K6ch KtxB
stronghold is smashedoperr rvith titanic power. 30. qx Ktch K-Rr
3r. q R3ch K-Ktr
PxKt 92. RxKt
r70
The final saclifice. Blackl reply is lorced
CHAPTER VI
3?. BXR
3 3 . Q RTch KBI SAMIJEL RESHEVSKY
3+.R K r "Rzeszewski") was
Samuel Reshevsky (originallv
trt"-." rO,ft f'f.""-ter, rgII, at Ozorkov in Rusian
And this is the linishing touch. To lorestallmat€ chcss bcfore thc alphabet, and-
Blackmust play 35 . . . B-K4 or 35 . . . q-K4, either Poland. He lc.rrned
ofwhich is equivalcntto resigningthc game. o ' i l i r u a i r ' r , l " ag r , , r r r l " r rt u r i r ' A ' a l i r r r eo o v o l
Ji"r., ri. ' .,-il *'"t -. 'u'q!i n'e Irrarl" sa""llowed
31.... BK4 '
, J p . t n ' . ^ - ' - ' i n r u n rp r o d i e ' l u - e r l r " rs r h m e m -
35. q Rsch KK2 l.i .f li. f.*;ru, who played tbe part of business
36. QxPch! Kqg *""t**, f'. -ua. big-to"n through Central and
37. qxBch K-q2 w"li"r" r,-p.. ,-arir,q ,n :nrmFn* 'ensation [n
q.-KBsch K-83
38. ;";;;" *"."'.o*. 'r*uti,n"ou' 'l''pl,'s in flolJand'
;"'-e oiwhict Euwe, then a vouth of eightecn' lvas
On 38 . . . K Br would follo$ ?9. R K?ch. Black
must soon be chcckmated, anyhow; and Chekover one of thc vo plavers amongst twenty partlcrpants
at
who managcd io beat him. The same vear'
grllantly givrs h; adversarythis pleasure,otherwisehe gamc against Professor
Vienna, hc-plaved a serious
rould surel,vhavc rcsignedlong befbre.
Via-.., " i".,i.. ol international rcputation The
39. P Esch, K B4; 4o. B-R3ch' KxP; 4r.
onlooke;sharclly treate.l the occasionseriouslvto
begln-
q Ktr
Q xach, x 86; 4s. B Kt4ch, K Kt7; 43. with. but as Vidmar gradually began lo get the worse or
it, iheir attitude cnanlsed. In ihe end the infant Prodigy
Though Botvnmik is primarily a position pla)er, and
si,'ndered
- a"ct lost-but it $as an honourabledefeat'
thoush his construction ofthe gamc dillers vastly lrom
,q" i"";t.,i." . ,t-erica brought lds percgdnations
Alckhn)c's, his plav reveals, in his discernment ol
to an end; littlc Sammy b€gan to setlle dorvn' assimi
attacki g chan(cs, the grcatest possiblc resemblance grew
l^tc,t a normal upbringing and cdLrcation,and
to the brilliant st,vleof rhe world champion. 'iriz"" Auromdti'al]\ the
uD irto a r^rmdl AmFrr,"n
' s i ' l o r q o r L e n' n d \ ! h e n v F r r
r l m e i n r , n rp , , ' d i q )
"ftcr.vards, he ParaiciPatedin an Am€rican tourna'
rnenL, alt sensaiionalismwas relegated to the back-
ground. Nor rvcre his r€sults of a kind to arousemorc
iia" -nderate i"terest. I n Pasadena( I 932) , lor instance'
ti2 rrEtrT THD [1^sTERs

he lniisll(l beifild ,Alekhi c and KashdaD,sha Lgthird

p)accrdrh Dakc and Stcincr.
His first grcat succ€sscame in thc iournament at
S,vracuse(\$r,York, 1934), \\Lrich included rhe bi,st
. \ r ' e i . ' r . l ' l J ) , r ' . . . i rI o r " , r r \ . , i r F g n - n - . ( . " . .
Rcslicvskr topped the list $'ilh r:: poina, ibllo*cd by
K:,sl,dan nt io+, rvith Dakc, I-ine, and Kupchik dorvn
thc ljst. $'ith his visit io Itargare i)r rLe East.r
consressof 1935Lis carco as an intc ational ernnd
masrcr bcSan. His on. scrjouscompetitor, Capablanca,
hc managed to dcfc:tt in a beaulilj,l game which wc
give latcr, atul Lis first place nr the final list rvas rvcll
earn(l \!ilh 7+ points from ninc gam€s.
ID the spring of 1936, Rcshc\sky aqujr.cd rhe tirle
of i:hanrpidr ol iLc Unircd States of America, alier
: !
a t.rrilrlc start in which he lost t\to ofhis first rhr(jc
gamcs fone newspapcr publishcd rhe score of onc of
thcscgames,$ith the caption " l'he gamc $hich losr
Rcshevsky his chance of thc U.S. championship").
'lhis
successarouscd kccn interest ir his doi:rgsin the
grand mastcr tournamcnt at Nottingham in -{ugust of
the same vear. Rcshevsky did not disappoint; hc
sharid drjfd ro fifth placessith Fine and truwc bchind
Capablanca and Sotvinnik, but in lronr of Alckhine,
Flohr, Lasker, ancl othcrs. Ir is curious mar rne
chara.tcristic rvay in wlich he ibrges ahcad in indi-
vidual games is so often mirrored in thc progressof
his score. Herc asaiD an jnauspiciousstart (5 our of9)
\fas lollolved by a powe ul finish (a! our of 5)-a
triumph oftenacit,v. Hc has bccn acceptedas a mem-
bcr of thc select group of candidates for wortdt
championshiphonours evcr since.
 SAITUDL R]iSHNVSKY
r73
derored rhc secondhatf of 1937excru-
< ,l*f.*it
\ e 4' u . h F . . . h l u t r L e
n t " , " d i n r t r et o u r r a r n e n r
ar Kcmcfl. Ljr- rd. h, r:nq lr.r plr, F wirh
floh, dnd
r F I r o r a b o v FA i e t , , i r . eK. e r e . .f i n , . a d
o r h c r s .f o r a
r o n g , J r m e , j r , l u o kr .d i r l r u o u t d s i n
6 r s rp r i z e u n _
, n a l l f n q c 4b. J r , b J .k i r r l , , 1 . , . r
o u n <1J h cI , o rr ^
the Finn, Bdrjk) spoilt his chancc.
At nrst_board in rtre Intemalionat Tean .l.ourna_
ment at Stockholm that August, he led
his team to
S e D r F m b e ra 3 7 b r o u g h r r r r s b r r t t e . .
ln {h.
e x . . p r r o n a l l ys r o n e d o u u r r _ r o u n d
t o u . u b m e n ra (
rl.TTnnc-Biden.hc shared rhirJ and
tourrh pl"ces
\ \ r j L J p a b t a n ,.. b c h i rd K . r c . d r d
I ineburin lr.nr
A t r e ra | ' e rd i n s r l e r c r , . n r n " , , , , A l c k h i n e
. z. Eu$c
'n r Journdtrsrr. , dpa.iry. hF fan:(ipdred in the r"adi-
",.,'"q: chri"rmr.rournrmelr.
uhi,h broushr
ll:j"la rsoundinq \;
nrm ror\ o\, r K, r.s. I tohr. fine, ird
'Ihen
Ie rcrurn,d ro Amcrira. to ,.nhrm
his
: I f ' T " ' v . ' ^ .!hr .rsm, h F s s\ i r h r h r l J - p o i nm
' 4 r s i no \ t r
p:^r.hip rournJmFnr.,nuung
: . 1 : , ' ' . ,In
n: no
mrstake the crjti.al last round
h I I - e A . V R O . r o L r n r m . n rh e r r p e r r e d
. hisNor_
,,rrnam and U.5.4. Frploils a
over aqdin. A d,"\a,
rr'"n d io.l posirior.rhen I
-1-.r.tFrr.'hen detear..r s"."n6 6.1."1,"
a draw _rt,i.N,s ,hc rn(tan.hol)rale
' ' n oro,rrc..
in rh. fi,I( five r^Ind,. He sFFm.d, on_
prd(e. cnuld rnybody r.col.r rrom
:,.,i":",. lf'
^l:3 srJrr in cu,h , ompan)i Reshe\.k)
;,,I;"' and
'"- .''"i
d'd. Conrinur y in LJmc_rrouble. barrling
174 MEET THE MASTERS SAITUEL RESIIEVSKY \75
on stubbornl)' into lengthy cnd-games,he overhauled qrand mast€r, on the occasionof his very first appear_
Flohr and Capablanca and finally drew abreast ince in an international master tournament outside
of Alekhine and Euwe for an honou.able lourth
place.
About this time he was very ambitious of a world S. RtrsHEvsKY J. R. CAPABLANC^
White Black
championship match with Alckhine; dissatisfiedwith
hn A.V.R.O. result, hc *ent on to Russia, where, as (From the MaBate Easter Congress,1935)
we have seen, he finishcd a good second in a fairly
strong gathedns. OIJEEN'S GAMBIT
He has thrce timcs siDcecons.rlidatcdhis tenure of ' P-Q+ Kt KB3
the U.S. titlc, bui in only one casc has he really con- z. P-QB4 PK3
vinced. In thc iast round of thc rg4o tournamenr, he 3. Kt qB3 P Q,4
drifted inb a dcad tost position againstline, and could 4. B Kt5 qKt q2
only thank his opponenCsnerves for the draw which 5 .P x P
s d l F e u d r d , lJi r i l e . l l r J c t , J r . d H o " o s i r ?p r c y
easily in a match, but on mccting rhe same oppon€nt Reshevskt',like llohr, is partial to this variation, so
in the lan round of tlre rg42 Championship tourna- as €rst1y to avoid dificult opening problems and
ment, he jeopardized his tide in almosr exactly the sccondty to be able to count on a quiet but lasting
same way as two years previously; and noN it was irlitiative.
Horowitz's turn to obtain a clearly-rvonposition, and 5 . . . . PXP
blunder it arvay. Thn enabled Reshevskyto rie with 6.PK3 BI(2
Kashdan lor first place, and in rhe play-of match he ?. B-Q.3 oo
made no mistake, crushing his opponent by 7F3*. B .Q B 2 P84
Iine had l1ot participated in rhis rg42 cvenr.
A possiblcexplanation of Reshevslyl urevcnnessrs B . . . t 83 is sounder. Black hopesto Prolit by the
that he has been concentrating morc and morc on his circumstancethat lvhite exchangedon his Q4 without
work as an accountant. 'raitinglor...PQB3.
9. Kt-83 P-85
RXSHEVSKY AT WORI(
First Ilustration Nlore or icssforced; otllerwise Whitc wili soon play
Here is the game in which Reshevsky laid the PxP and eventuatly concentrate lis forces on the
foundation-stone{br his spccdity attained renown as isolatcdbiack qP. 'lo make the aapture on the ninth
,r5 SAMUEL RESI]EVSKY t77
move would have becn unwise, as it would concede

t7/z 'lzlzt7zt
Black too great an advantagein development.

7l "N:i%
ro. B Bs R-Kr
r r. O-O P KKt3 7Lz
'/lttrlt
'&t"'& 7t
'&t"'& %
An importanr preamble to hi next move. rr
Kt-Br ? would be a blunder because of rr. BxB,
. . 7z V;
'ffiF:%z
R x B ; 1 3 . B x K t , B x B ; 1 4 . q B 5 l , w i n n i n gt h e % ffi "&ft
black QP. t%872
r:. B-R3 K.-Br
Iz . . . P QRl, follorved as soonas possibleby. . . A fin€ tactical ,arl which seNes to produce a
P QKt4, would have been stronger. pseudo-isolationof Black's QBP and QP and erentu-
ally trouble Black with persislentthreats to his qP.
r 3 .B x B RXB
14.BxKt BXB r6. qA'
15. P QKt3 ! . fter16...qxKtP; 17.qR KtI
T h eo n t ym o v e A
A strong continuation which puts White on top. (stronger than r7. Et\P, q-L3i' qq3; I8. RxP
15 . . . PxP? 16. qXqKtP would now costa Pawn. with the three threats r9. RXQRP, 19. R-Kt5 and
ConsequentlyBlack must resignhimselfto th€ exchang€ r9. KR KtI, BlacL\ positionwould sPeedilybecome
on his QB5, rvhich may havc most unpleasant conse-
quences. How is he to recapturc? . . . RxP would 17. q R4
Ieave his QP weak, rvhilst after . . PxP White's
preponderancein the c€ntre would count for far more
With threatsot rB. Qx P and r8. q-Kts whichforc€
Black'sreply.
than Black's majority on the Queen's wing.
r7.... P-QR3
, 5 .. . . qR4
r8. P-Ktsl
Holding up 16. PxP, which would allow Black to
The strat€ical point of 16. P qKq. White gaini
reply 16. . . RxP and make deadly useofthe pin
possexion of the square qKt5 and this makes th€
on the Knight. As the sequelshows,the text mov€ it isolation of the Black QBP and qP an accomplished
not wholly satislactory. fact.
16. P-QJKt4 ! r8.... R-K3
178 MEET THE MAS'I'ERS SAMUEL RESI{EVSKY 179

The threat was rg. P X P, R Rr ; so. q Kt5. Ex- Naturally White does not allow the Qre€n's side to
changing on his QKt4 rvould cosi Black a Pawn be blocked.
likewise. RXRP
19. QR Ktr ! zz. Q-Bz Kt-K3
Threatcning 20. PXP, RxP (ro . . PxP, zr. 23. KR Ktr R-R2
R-Kt7); 2r. QKt5 $inning a Pa$'n. r9. PxP at 24. P QR4
once nould not be so good, on account of 19 . . .
RxP; 20. Q-Kt5, R-R41, White being unable now
to capture thc qKtP becauseof zr R-Ktr, rz.
q 86, R Ki3; and the queen is trapped.
Apart from this, thc text move robs Black of all
possibilityofblocking the queen\ side by. . . P qR4
followed by. . . P Kt3. Let us try: I9 . . . ?-QR+;
tVzt'ffi
20. P-Kt6l, RxP; zr. RrR (the object is to l'in
the qP without giving up the blockadc of the qBP;
consequentlynot 2r. trlXP, RtR, 22. KtxBch.
qxk, etc.),2r . qxR; 2q. R Ktr and White
Concluding, for the moment, the operations he
oi.ks up th. bh, k Qu""n s sid. Pauns on. by one. nnugurated $'ith 16. P-qKq. The black Pawn com-
r9.... R Ktr plex (QP and QB?) is demonstrably isolated; Black
20. R-I(t2 mu$l put up with protracted pressurealong the open
Threatening 2r. KR Ktr followcd by 2s. PxP QKL file. Reshevsky has gained a clear positional
( R x P ; : , 3q
. xR). advantage through splendid tactics. Now the game
BK2 entcrs on a I1ew phase: White gradlrally shengthens
Black is still aiming at zr . . . P-QR+ and is now his irosition.
readyto reply ro 22. P-K b $irh B-K15 gaining Lime 24.... KtB2
by attacling the undefended KnighQ followed by e5. Kt-K5
2 3 . . . K t - Q 2 o r 2 3 . . . R X K t P , e . 9 .2 3 . R B r , Threatedng to win the exchangeby 26. Kt 86.
BxKt; 24. RxB, RxP. If Whit€ postpones22.
P-Kt6, then Black plays a Pawn on to that square
qK'
.hirnself,bringing his opponent'sattack to a full stop. e6. P-84
2r. PxP Reshevslyforeseeswell that Black will not be able
IBo MEET TrIE MASTERS SAMUEL REsHEvsKY rBI

to make anything our of the backward Kp which this So as to reply to 38. R-Ki5 with 38 . . . RxR;
produces. The threat ofP-B5, starjng a strong atrack
1q. R x R, Q R6, after which the passedPawn would
on the King's side, is now in dre air. Iirst, however,
s.rdaenlybecomestrong,e.g. 40. KtxP, P 86; 4I.
come a few moves which do not altcr the situation to KtxB, P 87; 42. Kt K6ch, K-Rr, and the Pawr
any considerable exrent. (Onc mieht surmisc that rill queen
Reshevskywould normally be in timc+rouble about
38. R Kt4 R-q2
neret)
39. K-Rr Bqr
__t.,. P - n S ;) 1 . K t ' ( t 4 , e e t i ,s.pR3, 40. P Kt4
K Kt2; 29. Kr Bz, B R6; 3o. R Rz, B e3; 3i.
Kt(B2)-Qr, P-84. l he quecn's Pawn cannol be won directly, so White
So as not 10 havc continuallyto reckon with the goesto improvc his position by a demonstrationon the
possibilityof P 85 or P-K4. King's side. This move threatens4I. P x P, which after
32. Ift Kt5 ! RR4 ttre reply 4r , . . PxP would saddle Black wirh yet
33. KtxKt BxKt a.other weaL Pawn. at his KB4; apa* from this, the
open KKt file would spell danger for the black King.
34. Kt-83 !
40.,.. PXP
The rnanceuvre with the white Knight was very
fine, exchanging of the hostile Knight rvithout yietd- Thc best.
ing up the biockade of rhe black QBp. Not€ that the 4r. PxP qQj
blo(kading Kniqhr simultaneou.tya a.k: rhF
ep. ar. . . Q;R5ch would be merely waste ol tim€:
I hF drdpped'rnce ol lhe Llr, L Knighr opensup rhe
squareqKt5 lor the use ofthe white Rooks. 4?. K Kt2.
34.... qK3 42. K Ktr B-82
35.Q A2 P Kt3 43. K Bz
36.q 83 RQI The white King is heading for QBz, where it sup-
37. R(R2),Itt2 ports thc Knight. This would rob Black's. . . Q;R6
of its sting, so that \,\&ite could safely go to win the
Though it seemsnow that Black can no longer prc, qP by R Kt5.
vent the fall ofhis queen's Pa.\a,n,
Capabtancadefinds
as well as possibleand finds a prettf resourceaganst 43.... R B2t
the threat of R Kt5. Capablancafrnds a defenceonce again. He threatens
Q K2! to counter-attack dangeroudy, commencing with
r82 MEET rHE [rAsrERs sAMUtrLREsITEvsKY I83

4 4 . . . P K K t 4 , e . 9 . 4 4 .K K z , P K K q ; 4 5 . P B s , rerit move, on thc other hand, White rvins the QBP

R 83, and Write has no adequate parr! against the
as rvell, since thcre is nothing to be done against the
threat of46 . . . R KRg, since46. R KRr would leave
threat of 50 Q Kt5.
tle Rook on Kt4 unprotect€d. Hence White's next
is practicaliy forced, though it liees the important
.+9... RR4
square KB4 lor the black quccn. 5 0 .q x P
44. P Kt5 B-qr
45. K K2 BXP EI" AEg t
Here Black missesthe best continuation and soon "z l- llZt
gets into a hopclesssituation. 45 . . . Q K3 would lr,. I "trI
have givcn White much more trouble, threatening 7,9ffi
46 . . . Q B4, rvith an invasion to 87 or Q6 in the a6: t
- / & 2
46. RxKtP Q-R6 HZ vi
47. Il'-Wl 'Ihe race is Nn. Reshelsky's sb.rtegy has been
See the notc to 43. K B2. Everything is xdcquately
crowned \vith complcte success He las von both the
protected on the queen's side; the black qu€en can
Pawnshe isolatcd.
do nothing from qR6, and White returns immedi- 'l'he
$'hite King is, rathcr remarkably, safcr in the
ately to the attack, which, thanks to hjs possession
of ccntreof the board lhan thc black in his castieddomain'
the open qKt file, speedilyciinches the issue.
lncidcnt2lly, an iliusrration of the significance of a
B-K2
48. R-Kt? RXRP
5o.... RR4
K - q 3 qR'
Onc last despairing aLtempt. Pasive play would be 5L
qR6
useless,
e.g.48. . . Q-Qs; 19. R(Kr7) Kt5, RxR; ir. QK6
50. PxR!, R 84; 5r. P-Kt6 and ivins. Costsa piece and precipitatcs the end.
49. QXP 53 ri Q.7
'lhere
To capture the Rook would bc a bad blunder: is now ro parrying th€ simultaneousthreats
49, KtxR?? q q6ch; 5o. K-Br (5o.r( f,r, B-rR5ci), ol 5{. R(Ktr) Kt7 and 54. R'Kt3.
B R6ch; 5r. RfKtT) Ktr, P 86 and wins. With the R tR4)-ItB4
53.
 SATTUELRESHEVSKY 165
r84 MEEI rHE MAsrERs

Countering the 6lst threat (if 54. R(KII) Kt7, the QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED,
Bishop simpiy moves away)' but not ihe second. NOTTINGHAM VARJATION
r. Ift-K33 Pq4
54. R Kt3 QRB ,.P QC Kt-KB3
5 5 .R x B Q-KBBch 3.P84 P-K3
56. I( q2 Resigns
4. P-KKt3 PxP
5. Q R4ch
This game givesus a vcry good picture ofReshevskyt This move, in connexion with the nanch€tto of the
style. quiet construction of the game (5. PxP)
King's Bishop, is the hall-mark ol the Nottingham
masks enterprising plans (the intention to castle on
variation. The lirst six or seven moves can be trans-
the queen's sidc), and if provoked (8 . . r Ba), he posedin various ways.
"mix it," and knows how to seize
is quite willing to qKt q2
his chances in supreme fashion (I5. P QKt3l, 16. 5 .' . ,
P QKt4!, and 18. P Ktsl). In the middle-gamehe
6. B-Kt2 P QRs
7. QXBP P84
is daring, and often enough decides on seemingly
risky manceuvresuhich not even llohl and Botvinnik tslack could also play 7 . . . P-qKt4 at once, for
would voluntarily undedake. (4o. P-Kt4 followed by 8. q 86 merely wastestime: B . . . R-R2!; 9. B 84,
the march of the King.) Fortified by strong nerves, fi Kte ! (Capablanca-Reshevsky,Nottingham, 1936.)
dcvout optim;sm, gr€at self-confidence,a philosophical ro. QxBP would fail through Io .. QxQ;
temperament and a tremendousweight of experience, rr.Bxq,BxKt.
he feels conndent in any position that is even remotely 8.OO P-QKt4
'
presentable,and up to any task the worjd ofhis oppo- e. q-Q,3
nents may present him.
9. Q-Bq was preferable. Through thc maneuvre
Q R4ch and qxBP in this variation, the white
Second llustration Queen cornes to bc somewhat exposed, hence it is
As secondgame we print one of somewhat the same advisabie to retirc her to a safc square as soon as
genre but with Reshevskyas Black. possiblc.
9 . . . . B Kt2
I. K,\ssDAN S. RESHEVSKY ro. P-QRa
14/hite Blark The well-known way of smashinguP the formation
(Played in the U.S. Championship, I93B) of Pawns on R3, Kt4, 84; but here it fails to obtain
186 M!!T THE MASTDRS
SAMUEL RESHEVSKY r87
the result dcsired. White could have secureda drawrsh
pos;tionbv Io. PXP. factors are not decisive in themselves,especially as
Kashdan delends very well; but Reshcvskymanages
P Kr5 not only to maintain his advantage but gradually to
rr. QKt Q2
Apparently coming into fine play vja QKt3 or QB4. r 6 . B Kt2 Kt 86
PxP! t 7 . KR Kr QR Br
QR BI Kt 83
Iar liom a mcre sinple exchange, but a pretty
combination by rvhich Black gainsimportant time. The Th€ Knight on 86 is indirectly protected,t9. B x Kt ?
point is that the natural reply Iz. KtxP would lose: PaB; 20. RxP?, BxPch losingthe excbange.
1 2 . . . K t K 4 1 1 3 .q K 3 ( f o r c e d t) 3, . . . K t ( B 3 ) - 19. P-K3
Kt5; 14. Q B4, P-Kt4l, and the lvhitc queen has no
move. Conscquently White must r€capture on Q4 Now \{hite threatens20. B x Ki in eamest.
with the queen, which enablesBlach to gain time in r9.... BR2
dev€loping his King\ Bishop. 20. Kt-84
12. Qx qP B84 White seemsto have evaded his difticulties already,
13. q R4 since Black cannot consolidate the situation ofhis
The white queen leads a fugitive existence. 13. advanced Knight any further. If j,o . . . Kt(83)-K5,
Q;Q3 would havc been just as unsatisfactory. rhcn ?r. Kt Kt5 would be a very strong repiy; whilst
13. .. O-O lzo . . . Kt(B3) Q4 can hardly be correct, since Black
14. P-Kt3 'Lould then havc conrinually to r€ckon with tLe
posibilitrof...PK4.
Weakening his QB3. 14. Kt-Kr would havc offered
better prospectsfor the respectabledevelopment of his Kt(86) Ks
pieces. 2r. Kt I(t5 B-Q+
1 4 . . . . Kt-Q{! s2. KtxKt KtxKt
,3. R(Kr)-qr P-83
Very good. After the practically forced exchangeof
Illack must be on the alert against premature sim-
Queens.Bla.k s pi.."' w"rl' $ell rogerher.
,s.qx q KRXq p l i f i c a t i o ne,. g . 2 3 . . . B x K t ; 2 4 . R x R c h , R x R ;
,5. RxB, R QSchj ,6. B Br, RxBch; 27. KxR,
Black is ahead in development and can also make Kt qTch; 28. K-K2, KtxR; 29. ?xKt and White
capital out of the \a'eaknessof White's qBS. Tbese has a bcautiful game; he threatens to isolate Black\
 S^MUEL RESHEVSKY IB9
r88 rIEE'a rIlE MASTERS

OKIP bv 10. P Rr cnd Lhen win ir. whjl'r Black vield Black the advantageby 27. PxB, RxR; 28.
J"r", jr,i "q . . . e qna F:m"FIr be'ause of 30. i'xR, Kt-Q7ch; 2q. K-Kq, Kt-Kt6l; go. R-Ktr,
B-K5 i n r , a r F n i n g t s B i . 1 ( .
) B - K t 3: lI. KtxPch; 3r. K q3, R qll But White has b€tter:
3..
B QL and Whit" u:n< b1 rovan,:nq hi' frsed Pawn' x7. R(Br) xB, and this move even giveshim the upper
K-Br hand, as z7 . . . Kt-q7ch fails against 28. RxKt,
24. K-Br
w h i l s tb o t h 1 7 . . . R ( B I ) x R a n d 2 7 . . . R ( q I ) x R
e' . . . BxKtch sould still achievenothing: 25'
P^b. Kt eq; 2u.B q4 l"llo$'d bv /7 B Kt and The text move produces a far-reaching simplifica-
rhe eam. uoulcl bc d, ,rn. rhroug\ rne Bi:hop' being tion ivhich givesBlack's advantage concreteform
on squareso1 oPPosltecotour' 27. RxKt
,5' B Q4 Iorced.
With evcry move White is gaining command ofmore 27. BxBch!
of the board, but Reshcvskynow takes care to put an 2B. K K I
end to ttrc Process
2 4 . . . . BxB Not 28. K xB?, RxR and wins.
1 6 .R r B 2 8 . , . . R R
29. KxR B Q4
Not e6 . . . P rB, which would lose at least a Pawn
by26...Kt86 Threatening 30 . . . BxKt, after which thc pro-
16. . .. Kt-Q7cL ! tected passed Pawn would be ext.emely dangerous,
e . g .3 r . P x B ( 3 r . n x r l , b < R ; 2 2 , P x R , P Q - R 4 ,
and rvins easily), 3r . . . R 84lollowed by 32. P qR4
30. K Q3 PK4
3,. P-Iq BK3
32. R-B2 KK2
33. I(t-Qz
Naturally Whitc must get fid of the pin on the file
as soon as possibie.
33..., RXR
3 4 .K x R KQa
A painful surprisclor White, who apparentlY had KB{
reckonedonly $ith 26 . . BxKtch, which would 35. K-Q.3
r90 MEET TfiE MASTERS SAMUEL RESHEVSKY I9I

4 o .K K 3 , P B 5 c h ; 4 r . P x P , P x P c h ; 4 r . K q 3 ! ,
P qR4j 43. Kt-K4ch, K 83; 44. Kt q2, etc.
vlz
% % l f rt . The text move allowsthe black King accessto K3
t
,r&. %A/& withoutgainingK4 lor the Knight.
ffi'.& % P-B5 !
n '& 7lzft%
38....
3 9 .P x P PXP
%ft72,&7lz .& Black has acquired two more advantages, thc
: "a w
.:
", t,
majority of Pawns on the King's side and the certainty
of his King's being able to peneFate to q5-this latter
through his being able to exhaust White of moves.
Now seewhat the simplification started by 26 . . . PR3
40. P R4
Kt-q? has produced. White's position ethibits two
4r. P qR5
serious weaknesses,one material (on qKt3) and one
posirional'on Q4 . $4rir. s Knight clnnot move,owing In vain White struggle against the surrenderof his
to the thr€at on the qKtP; his King must keep an Q.1
eye on the square q4, lest the black King invade it. 41.... B q"!
Consequently the Nhite pieces arc almost completely Threateningthe unmeetable42 . . : B Kt4ch; 43.
.immobllized. The Bnhop is vastly supe or to the K Bz, K Q5.
Knight; for instance, it can mov€ at \\'ill along
the diagonal (Black's) KKII to K3 without giving 42. It-82
up the pressureon Whitc\ qKtP, and this circum- lf 42. Kt 84, ihen 42 B-Kt4 would be even
stance confronts White with the danger of becoming
+2.... K-Q,5
In the ensuingtechnical phaseofthe game Reshevsky The rest is easy.
contrives to resolve his advantage into an eflicient
43. Kt-84, B K3; 44. Kt Q2, K K6; 45. K-qr,
K-B7; 46. K Be, K-I(7; 47. K Br, P-R4 !
36. K K3 P-Kt3 Threatenirg 48 . . . P Kt4; 49. PxP, P R5, €tc.
37. K Q3 P-84 There is now no preventingthe promotionof Black,s
38. P 83 KRP-
The only chance of putting uP seriousresistancelay 48.P-K5, P-Kt{; 49. Kt K4, P P; 50. Kt Kt5,
P R 6 ! 5 r . K r . 8 , P R 7 t 5 2 .K t . P c L ,K , P .
in 35. PxP, e.c. 38 . . . PxP; 39. P-83, B-q4;
I92 MEET TIIE MAS'TERS SAMUEL RESHEVSXY r93

White r€sisns. Once he has played 6. Kt qB3, it is preferable to

An outsta;ding positional game, characterized by retire this Bishop to Kt3. White must go for the break-
the various tactical niceties through which Re3helsky through by P-q5 in this variation.
str€ngthened his hold on the game and by the clever- PXP
ness with which he managed to retain his advantage,
in a vari€ty offorms, through all so s ofsimPlifications' This exchangeis importantr to fix the centre forma_
tion. White's KP disappears,and his QP can neither
Third lllustratior capture nor march fonvard.
Reshevsky often wins with Black. He prefers de- 9.PXP B Kt2
fenceswhich encouragehis opponent to attack; therc ro. B Kt5 B-K2
arise livelv posiiions in which his tactical prepa.edness rr. Q Kz o-o
counts fo; ; lot. The next two games illustrate this rz. QR-QI
well.
White is aiming at building up a strong attacking
DR. D. LASKER S. RrsFEvsKY
position by Kt-K5 and P-B4, but Reshevskymanages
White Black
to thwart this plan by a few simple moves
(Playedin th€ tournamentat Nottingham,Iq16.) qltu-q2
13. Kt K5 Kt q4!
qUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED
'!Vhite. After 14. BxB, qxB
very troublesomefor
r. P-Q4, P Q4; ,. P-QB4, P P; 3. Kt K33,
lt4. . . ftxKt?2i q. BxRPth!) 15. P-84 (or 15
Kt KBri +. P K3, P K3; 5 B'P, P-84; 6.
Kt-81. K t x E t , B t K r ) ,$ . . . K t x K t ( B 6 ) ; r 6 . P x K t , K R B I
Black has the better Pawn formation, whilst White's
Ofiate. o. O-O followedby l. Q Kz hasbeenalmost
attacking chancesare somervhatproblematical.
exdusivelyplayed. It is not certainwhich is the b€tter
14. B Br
P qRa
To avoid exchanges,a good plan for the attacker
?. O-O as a rule; but the move losestime and allows Black
The " classical" continuation 7. P qR4 has gonc to saddle White with a backward Pawn on his QB3.
completely out of favour. 14.... IftxKt(86)
P-qlft4 1 5 .P x K t I(t 83
B. B-Q.3 re. P Qna
'94 MEET THE MASTERS sA:{uEL RESEEVSKY rg5

A pretty Pawn sacrificewhich White had apparendy single opportunity to exploit his redoubtable ability in
had in mind when making his preceding move. After involved positions.
16 . . . PxP; 17. P-QBa or 17. B Kt2 followedby 20.P^P PXP
rB. P qB4, White really would get good attacking
chances,his command of the impotant central square Not so . Kt x Ktch; 2 r. qx Kt and White
would suddenly havc good counter-chances.
Q5 insuring him against all possibility ol counter-
21. B x KtP
There is one seriousdrawback-that Black need not
Losing outright. 2r. Kt Kr was necessary,although
accept the sacrifice.
!\4rite's position would hardly have been tenable after
16.... qQ.4! 2r . . . Kt R6ch; 2e. K-Rr, Kt-Bs, followed by
. . . KtxB.
17. P-K34 would, as things stand, only mean
so White\ Knight has to go
creating new weaknesses,
Kt x Ktch
22. PxI(t
back again.
r?. Kt 83 KR Br! As a consequenceofhis precedingmove, White can-
not recapture with the q,reen (22. qx Kt, qxB), and
Black has now an excellent game. The best lbr this proves fatal.
White is now r8. PxP, PxP; I9. BxP, RxP; q Kt4ch
so. q K5, but he would still have inadequate com- 23. K Rr q Kt5!
pensationfor the isolation of his queen's PaM.
rB. B-Kt4 Kt Ksl
AV,.'&tffii
Very strongly played, again. Equally after 19. % %tVz %
B x Kt, qx B; 20. qx Q, B x q, and after 19. P x P,
P x P ; 2 0 .B x P , K t x q B P ; 2 r . B x K t , R x B , B l a c k
A% 7;.&g%
,/&..ffi %z
would have an overwhelming position Yet Whitc "& "4,^72
should have chosenone of thesecontinuatrons.
19. R Br Kt-Kt4!

Black employs simple methods, yet clarifies his With the threat of 1 4 . . . B x P c h , a g a i n s which
t
advantage with every move. Lasker does not get a nothing can be done, Wti;te resigns.
196 MEET TIIE MASTERS r97

Fourtl lUusttation to easehis task by exchanges,

bur this time he meets
S. LANDAU S ResnovsrY rvith more difiiculty.
white BIa& '6.Q-K4 P Kt3
17. Q Itt4 Kt-83
(Played in the Kemcr;, Latvia, tournament, 1937) r8. Q 84 Kt-R4

qIJEEN'S Reshevsky man,:euvresquite clcverly, keeping hi:

GAMBIT ACCEPTED
opponent occupied all the time so that hc cannot
r. PQl,P-Q+;: P Q B 4 ,P P ; 3 Kt-K33'
easily dcvelop his attack. The situation, howcver,
Kt-KB:r r a. P K3, P-QR3; 5 B P, P-K3;
remains difrcult for Black.
6. o o;P Iiar .. q K2, P QK.a; 8 8-q3' 19 qK3
Concerning the oPeningrseethe last game.
White has omitted Kt-qB3 here. He now uanis to Sagelp y l a v e d .A f t c r r 9 . q R 6 , K t x B ; 2 ( r . P x K t ,
attack Black\ Queen.s wing by P-qR4; in this con- B x K t ; 2 I . B x P ( 2 r .P x B , , B f t 4 a n dw i n s ) , 2 r . . .
nexion, his KB is better placed on Q3 than Kt3 B P x B ; 2 2 .R x q , q R t R ; 2 3 .l x B , K t 8 5 ( t b r e a t -
PXP ening 14. . . B Kt4l 25. qxB, Ki R6ch or 24. . .
R 84 and. . . R R,r) White, in spite of his extra
Selectingthe same construction as in the preccding mat€rial, $'ould bc in a very awklvard corner, as his
game, but in the changed circurnstancesit do€s rot Queen is in peril ofher life.
yield him a whouy satisfactorygame. 1 9 . . . . RBr
9. PxP B Kt2 zo. QR-BI KtxB
ro. P-QR4I P Kt5
B-K2 This and the hvo lollowing moves are very deep.
r r. QKI-Q2
P-qR4 Reshevsky, although siill in dimculties, sets hN
rr. Kt B4
opponent a diabolic trap.
Blackcouldnot permit 13.P-R5. 2r. PxKt B-84
22. q R6 qK2
r 3 .B B 4 OO
23. Kt Kt5?
14. KR Q: Kt 83
r5. B-K5 Kt Q4 This i. jun the more BIa,k rvas hoping for. .r1.
K( P? would alcoha\'. bccn bad. be,duseoi.,3 . . .
With the sameideaasin the lastgamc: Blackwants BxKt; 24. PxB, Q-Re attackingthe Knight and
r98 MEET THI MASTERS SAMUEL RESHEVSKY r99

the KBP simultaneously; but 23. B K2 would have R x R ; 2 7 . R x R , B K 6 ; 2 8 . R K r , B x K t ; 29.

Ieft Whiie excellentlyplaced. QxB, R-B8ch winning the Queen. After the
The text move loses. moveWhite hasno more choiceat all.
2 3 . . . . P-83 25.... Q,x Pch
q6. Kt 83
P
24. xP
A King move would allow mate in one move or rwo.
It goes without saying that White worrld havc
r€j€cted 23. Ki-Kt5 if he had realized lvhat was 26.... BXKt
comine now, for it is already too late to save the 2 7 .P x B QrBPch
situation; 24. Kt-K4 or 14. Kt R3 would be answered 28. K Ktr R-85 !
by 24 . . . PXP, rvhile 24 BXP would give a pr€ce
The threat of 29 . . , R Kt5ch is crushing,
away, not lor an aitack but lor nothing
24.... BxPch ,9. qXR
,//zH7z"tH,g% Brings only momentary relief.
2 9 .. . . KtxQ
A'""2 V %t
l, z-t&tffi Threatening mate in two distinct ways.
% Vz.'ffi6 30. B Br R-84
|LDZ k n
/1, 4,
,at( The same little idea as before, but now Wlite has
no queen to throw hersell gallantly on to the flames.
& $.fr'& 3r. R-QBch K-Kt4
ffiH%*ffi', 32. R-Q7ch KR3
A thunderbolt out of a clear sky- Lulled by roseatc
dreams a moment ago, White is rudely awak€ned by White resigns.
We see that the American champion can institute
elementalviolence.
splerdid combinations. His talent is, as we have
s 5 .K x B observed,truly many-sided.
15. K-Rr woutd have been just as useless,for in-
stance25 . . R xP; e6. Ktx QRP (oth.ruise White
remains a Pawn behind in a bad Position), 26 . .
 CHA?TER VII

RNUBEN FINE
R. Iine rvas born ;n Ne'v York on rrth October,
:9I4, and became acquainted with cllessat all early
age rvithout taking it very periously. In lis fiftcenth
year he suddcnly bcgan to progr€ss, and spccdily
developedinto a strong player. In 1932 hc took part
in thc tournam€nt at Pasadena (scc thc chapter on
Reshevsky),but w;thout successi he shared Iast place
uithJ. Bernstein,Factor, and Reinfeld. A year later,
however, he had acquired such a reputation through
local successes that he was elected a member ol the
U.S. team for the lolkestone Team Tournanent.
This was his first :rppcaranceon the European stage,
and he assistcdhis country 10 victory in promisrng
style. In the toumament at Syracuse (Nerv York,
r93a) he sharcd third ancl lourth placca with Dake
behind Reshevsky and I(ashdan, and a vear latcr
iJuly, 1935) he scoreda brilliant successat thc Ameri-
can Chcss Fedcratiou's thirty-sixth congressat Mil-
waul<cc,$inning the top tournament rvith eight points
out of t€n sames, abovc Dakc (secondl and Kashdan
(third) a remarkablc leat, since Kashdan was then
consideredthe strongestplaycr in ,{merica. Reshevsky
did not participatc in this tournamcnt.
On the strength of ihis achicvemcnt hc was selected
to play at the U.S.A.'s top board in the International
Team Tournament at Warsa\r (August 1935). He
started rather badly (;l is said he had a thoroughly
seasickcrosing), but puiled up to\rards the end and
played a worthy part in bjs tcam's victory. As a sequel
"Olympiad," a tournament often was organized
to th€
at Lodz, and there line camc second, together $.rth
K o . . k , b c l r i r r dl a , r " k o v F r . T r , i w a . h i . f s t i r r -
dividual tournament in Europe. A lelv months laler
ne *ored a icq,rtional ,uLLc5,ln rhe Chri'tma. con-
gressat Hastings, beating llohr and taking firsl prize.
Now he suddenly bcgan to be considereda candidate
for the rvorld\ champiorxhip as Alekhine, inciden-
tatly, had predicted hc would many years beforc.
1936 begaD"ith a ljttlc diappointmcnt. Manhall,
. r i i l t i . u i r r . \ . n p i o - o f r l , FU . s . \ . " r h e r cl r a d b e e n
no ,l-,mpio "\ip lo, l.np ,irF. re-
linquished his title voluntarily, and thus the American
Chess Federation found themselveswith the iask of
organizing a tournament lor the title. A series of
qualifying tournaments produced a final tour ey ot
sixteen. Finc startcd lavouritc but could finish no
higher than third, cqual $ith Treysman. Rcshcvsky
was the new champion, *'ith Sinonson second and
Kashdan fifih. It rvas about here that Reshevskywas
suddenlv revealed as Fire's "bogcy-man"; anothcr
three y€ars r\'ere to elapsebelore Irine could score his
Iirst win against him.
In 1936 he returned to stay more than a year and a
half in Europe, durn,g which time he played in one
tournament after anotho, rcgistering a s$ics of fine
successes.Towards thc end his results evidentlv
through staleness begrD to detcriorate. The 6ISt
tournament in this period rvasat Amsterdam, where he
took first place with 8] points out of ir (Euwe 7*,
Keres and Dr. Tartakoler cach 6], Bogolyubov and
 MtrtrT TIIE MASTERS 203

Maroczy cach 6). The Nottinsham (1936) tourna- pertulbing as the chess$,or1dhad becomeaccuslomed
ment tbllowcd which we have ahcady mentioned more io seeinghim lose only on the rarest occasions.A two-
than once (sec,for instancc,under Reshcvsky). motlths' rest ensued,apparently not long e orgh, for
Finc sertt€d awhile in Amstcrdan. ln October he his t,crlormance in the strong toumam€nt at Kemeri
competcd in a tournament of cight organized by a nr June 1937 rvas a d6bacle; he frnished ninth out
socialist newspaper company and finished first, to- of cightcen, and lvhat rvas cven morc painful could
gether with Euwe, Alekhinc being half a point bchind oDlv amass a single point against the seven leaders,
in third piace. In the Hastings Christmas toumamcnt l l , , l r , P e r r . r .R . : \ F $ t ) . A ' " l l , i n e .K F r F . A S ' . : n F r .
he came second to Alekhinc, \\'ho beat him in their and Turtakoler. Was stalenessalone to blame for this
indiv;dual ucountcr alter Fine had rushedaway with a . a l , e ' " . 1 h " h L t o r i a tg' - " p e .i n r h . d r r ! r h . , . r
sequenceofseven straight wins. IiDe made a beeline on1,vrccold that a month afterwards Fine announccd
arom Hastings direct to S$'eden, rvhere he took part lis ensagcmcnt to l,Iiss Keesing. WjtNn another
irr scvelal tournaments, the most outstanding result month he $'as marricd and had gone of to take part
of this trip bcing his beating Stahlbcrg in a match in thc vcry strong toumament at Semmering-Baden,
bv53. \ ! . , , 1 , " , , ? l l yr l . ' F wL i m r l l : n , . t h . t r a y . H " , " m .
Thcn came a trip to Russia,where he won two smail second to Keres in lront of Capablanca, Reshevsky,
events in Nhich Botvinnik did not compete. The flohr, trliskascs,Ragozin, and Petrov. It was here
tr{argate Eastcr tournament enabled him io revenge that h€ had onc of the most annoying experjencesol'
himself over Alekhine lor the dcfeat at Hastirlgs. He his i,arcer: tlro Pawnsup in a B;hop zl.Knight ending
and Keres both beat the 1\'orld champion ;n their agan,stRcshc!,sk,v, he could not rvinl His scorc,rn an
individual encountcrs, and finished together in fi$t e r e n ro f I n r l r " u l r s .m a d e d . u n o u . s h o h i n - ' : r $ ' i
place. Tliis tournament representedthe culmination, wins, no lc'sses, twelve drawsl
for the limc being, of his success; months of play From Octobcr till December he acted as "second"
without a moment's respitc had b€gun to sap his to Euwc in the return match lor the lvorld\ titlc. and
powers, and in the tournamcnt at Ostend which we need make no sccrctofthe lact that in spite ofhis
immediately follo$rd Nlargate he reccived a serious prlDcipal's di.0ppoint g result-he discharged this
warning. In thc middle oI this tou.namcnt he rushed task mbl,v. That altcr thcse Neeks of exertion and
ovcr to London to givc a simultaneousdisplay, return- tensionhc could only tic for fourtll aDd fifth placeswith
ing to compiete his schedulcof gamesat high pressure. Flohr in the Christmas tournament at Hasrings was
In the circumstanceshe did rveli to shar€ thc final hardly surpr;ing.
lirst place with Grob and Keres; but in doing so he Inl anu,n . , n3.t.re s,, .d s irh hiss if. for N.u York.
^
lost no fewer tban three gam€s, a result the more trur lourg grand ma".ertrrd had enorgl, ofctrr.. for
2oil MEET THE MASTERS 205

the timc being, and returncd to complete his mathe- Dcnker, ruho had becn almost unknown outside the
matical studies; but in the meantime he competed iD Stares- Worthy of mention is his extendcd tour of the
the American cirampionship tournament in Marc\ U.S.A. and Canada in I94o; of a total of4r8 games,
with the result aheady reportcd: ReshevskyI3, Fine many pla)'ed simultaneously blindfold, he lost only
rr+, Simonson rr, HoroNitz ro, Kashdan 9+, etc. In three I
their last-round game, though plaving Wlite, he could Hc has rccentl]' produced a superb book on the
male no ;mpression on Reshevskyand was glad in endingswhich wili keep its place as a classicfor many
the cnd to acccpt a draw.
Then came scYeral months of rest and quiet re-
FINE IN ACTION
scarch on the opcnnrgsfor his Ievision of Moden Cnass
Openinss, ut\til October, lvhen he retumed to Hollard first llustratior
'I
to scorc the successofhis life. In the 6ISt six rounds of hF g"me whi, h follous rook a loirly qui.r cour'e.
the A.V.R.O. burnament hc beat Botvinnik, Resh- qlreens came ofearly, and there were no combinationg
e v s k r . t u q e . f l o ' r . a n 4 . \ l e k' i n . , n d d r . w w i t h ol Dote. !'ine played pretty keenly withal: in the very
Capablanca-surcly one of the most bdiliant bursts in "minor exchange" and
beginnnrg he conceded the
chesshistory. And he misscda win againstCapablanca! the Parvl) majoity on the Queer\ wing, convinced
Then came a landslide, and he could only snatch that his superior mobility on other lronts would count
three points out olhis rcmajning cight games; but h€ for morc. Keen and efficient play is required, in a case
had done enough to assurehimselfolfirst place. like this, to make the abstract advantagelurn the scale
In the r94o U.S. champtunship toumam€nt, he against thc concrcte. I;ne succeedsconvincingly.
{inished once again'lialf-a-poinr behind Resho'sky; R. Frre G. IIARoczY
this time he had tile tiilc in lis grasp, but the occasion 14/hite Blaeh
proved too much for him, and he let slip a won game.
(?lavedin the Zandloort tournament,I93tj.)
With curious regularity, hc has sincebeaten Reshevsky
in less€relents such as "Lightning Chess" chanpion-
ships,the New York Statc champ;onship,etc., and has ORTHODOX QI]EEN'S GAMBIT
ridden roughslod ovcr all other U.S. opposition. On r. P-Q4, P K3; 2. P qB4, KI-KB3; 3. Kt-q83,
$e $,hol€,hc can bc said to be a slightly more polished P Q+; +. Kt 83, B K2; 5. B Kt5, QKt q2;
and skilful player, but hc cartnot win that U.S. 6 . P K 3 , O O ; 7 .R B r , P 8 3 ; 8 . B q 3 , P K R 3 ;
championship! He did not enter the contcst iD 1942, 9. B-84.
"sharper"
having taken up a post as translator in a Govcrnment 9 B R{ is morc usual; the text moveis
department in Washington. In 194,1,with Resbersky m $ fd' J. ir t"rrni(. BL, k ro cxchanC" ofr U h:r-s qB
absent, he managed to takc second place again to l o r . K n i g F. l n e r e s u l r i n. ei l u a r i o ni , d : n c u t rr o
co6 MEE'THE MASTERS

assess,White's command of greater terrair being now perceive the imporrant distinction between the
balanccd against Black's retention of his two Bishops. continuations ro . . . Kt q4 and ro . . . Kt R4; the
Fine often makes moves in the opening which lirsr allows Black to play rr . . . KtxB and concen-
sharpen,or rather could sharpcn, the con{lict. He docs trate unlindered on the task of bringing his QB into
not go in for direct attack, but strives after some play, lvhilst the second,adopted here,Ieav€slis Knight
positional aim in a more or lessprovocativeway. Ifhis most awkwardly plac€d,so that he has to postponethe
opponcnt takes up tbe gauntlet, a lively game quickly inportant job of getting out the Bishop until he has
ensues,in which it usually becomesevident that line atrende.l lo its security.
has seen lar more dccply into the posit;on than his 12.... qx Qch
opponent.
Black cxchangesqueens to eliminate thc danger of
9. , . . PxP
a direct attack, at any rate.
Black would better have playcd 9 . . . Kt R4 at
r 3 .R x Q P-KKt3
once if he is going to play it at all, e.g. ro. B K5,
KtxB; 11. PxKt, P KKtg; rr. O O, B-Q;; 13. E
q q2, PxPj 14.BxBP,Q82; 15.Kt K4,qR-Qr;
16. q-B3, B-Br; 17. ? KKt4, P KB4l, lvith good t"/u,Nr%
play for Blacl (Thomas ,. Lasker, Nottinsham, 1936). ^4t"rytrfr
,.'&
ro. BXBP Kt-R4 7' "/lz
%6
Once Black has givcn up the centre, ro . . . Kt q4
7l*A%"'&d7z
Z
deservesprclerence. The point is that then, alter the ffi "&fr"&
^'& 7lz 'llzV
Z "//.lz.H1'.8
attackedBishopmoves,r r . . . Kt x Kt can be played,
White having to recapture with the Pawn, since other-
wise he would lose the exchangeby . . . B-Kts. The
Black has thc two Bishops and the better Pawn
blocking of the qB file thus produced would ease
Blackk task considerably, and for thjs rcason White Position. His preponderenceon the Queen's side is a
clear advantage in itself, since one of White's Pawns
does best, alter ro Kt Q4, to allor,v Black to
on the othcr rving is doubled; whilst rhe Bishop pair
capture his qB by continuing r r. O O. $ a certain glraranteefor the future. All thesefactors
Ir. B K5! Kt^B arc not quite enough to counrerbalancehis dilliculties
re. P xKt tn developing,howcver, as line has aoreseen.
Thrcateningto win a piece by 13. P KKt4. We 14. P-KKI4 Kt-Kt2
qo8 MEET TIIE MlsrERs REUBEN FINE 2O9

Not a beautiful square for the Knight. The con- Black has norhing bettcr in face of the threat of
sequencesofthe inferior Io . Kt R4 are becoming r::. R Q7.
more and more clearly apparent. 22. Kt It5
'
r5. Ift-K4 Threat€ning to win the exchangeby z3 Kt Q7!
Cancelling out one of Btack's advantagesaheady; 22. . , , Kt q3
White can now play Kt B6ch rvhenever he chooses, 23. P-B3 !
as good as forcing th€ reply... BxKt, so that
Blackt better Bishop disapPears. Threatening to win a piece b,vt4. P K4. If ?3 . .
1 5 . . . . PR3 KR Qr; ,4. P-K4, B-Itt2 (24... B\RP?; 25.
Kt-86, R (tr!; :6. P -6i5 and uin$; e5. R Qz,
16. P-KR4 P-qKt4
Kt Kr; 26.R(Br) q I , RxR; 27. RxR and wins
r7. B-Kz
casil,vthrough his possesionof the Queent file. Black
Itisjust aslvell to retire this pieceto a squareon which is at a lossfor a saiisfactoryreply. [We havc a leeling
it is quite immune from further chiwying by Pawns. ,3. Kt Q7 rvould have been evcn stronger: 23
P QB+ KR-B]; 14. Kt Kt6.-Translatars.)
rB.OO Kt 85
23....
Very well played. Superficially it might seem good
tslack has already had to give back the mrnor ex-
io forego castling, leaving the Rook at RI and playing
for a King's side attack, e.g.Bith P R5 in mind (which changc, and now he seeshis Pawn majority on the
would induce Black to Play . . P KKt4 so that Queen'ssidedisappear.Thc ensuingexchangesleavehis
Paivnsbadly scatiered,and soon one of rhem must go.
White could then break through by ?-B4) Iine does
2 4 . B x K t , B x B ; 2 5 .K t x B ' P x K t i 2 6 .R - B r ,
the iob mor.,imply ard 'dlFly H' PrelFrsto basehis
qR Ktr; 27. R KB2, R ltt5; 28. P R3!
opeiution<on th. Qu.en s filc. -nd his judgm€nr ;5
Driving the Rook to an inferior squarc
speedilyvindicated.
28 . . .R R5; r9. R-83, R Q;; 30 R(82) D2.
B I(t2
Winning the lalvn on 84.
r9. Kt B6ch
30...R q4.
Accurately timed. Black must capture, olherwise 3().. . R Ktr or3o. .. R qgch; 3r. K Kt2,
zo R-Q7 decidcs. R-QKI8 r'ould be no better. White would not
r9.... BXKt capture the Paun at once, but would lirst bring his
20. PXB Kt KI King to KKt3.
2I. P Kt5 BQ+ 3I. P-84, P K4; 32. RxP, RxR; 33. RxR,
2IO MEET TIIE MASTERS RDU3EN FINE 2I I

K P x P ; 3 4 .K P x P , P x P i 3 5 .R P x P , R Q 7 ; 36. in that it is his opponent 'vho lirst sdzes$e initiative.

RxP, R xP; 37.R-B8ch,K R2; 38.R-88. Thc rvay in lvhich Finc not only parries but punishes
t4, rhese attempts, gains the upper hand, and eventually
'/& vztvz consolidatesthe rvin is indeed mcmorable.

t % 7z ,,&.t
,,&
R, FINE
Whik
DR. A,
Bkck
ALEKHTNE

7z 7z 7z,e (Played in the trIargatc Easter Congress,1937.)

72 %
,,& Vz %z% DUTCH DEFENCE
7t Vz r. P Q4, P K3; r. P QB4, P KB4; 3. P KKt3,
V z %E Kt-ItB3; ,1. B-Kt2, B l(tsch; 5. B-Qz, A-Kc;
Whit€'s efforts arc cro'vned by his sudden ability 6. Kt 83, Kt 83.
lo p'ofir by rhe bad po.itionol h; opponcnr'sKins. According to the "books," the Dutch Defence is
Black now played jg . . . R Kt2, and;mmediately inlcrn,r, onlv the Stonervall formation, which Black
resigned, realizing the hopelessness of further resist- could now set up b)' 6 . . . P Q4, otrering prospcctsof
ance. Write need only keep an eye on stalemate equalitv. trxperience teaches,holvever, that it is not
possibilities, e.C. 39. P R4, P-R4; 4o. R QR8?, easy for White to maintaitr an opening advanrage in
R Kt8ch; 4r. K 82, R KBBch, etc. There is better: practice, since the play usually becomesvery involved
and Black can threaten all sorts of dangerousattacks;
39. K 82, P R4; 4o. R QRB, R Kt4; .rI. R-R7,
K Ktr; 42. K-K3, R-QB4 Q2. . . R Kt6ch; 49. thc play suits Alekhine's style, and he has indeed ilon
K 1i4, RxP; 4q. R RBch,E Rz; 45. /t -638 and many beautiful gamesvith this opening.
wins); 43. P-R4, R Q+; ++. R Kt7, and the thr€at AlckhiDe tvpically rejects the quiet 6 . . . P q4 in
favour of the complicationsimplied by the tcxt movc.
of 45. R Kt5, lvinning the Rook\ Pawn, cannot be
This time he lcarns a littlc lesson!
parded.
A typical line gamc. Simple methods, no direc. 7. P Q.s! Kt-K4
attack, no invoh,ed combinations or complications, B. q Kt3 o o
and yet keen motili. 9. Kt R3 Kt Kt3
Second Illustration . T o c o n t i n u ew i r h . . . P K4, a most important
advancetbr Biack in this opcning.
Fine provides a magnificent specimen of positional
play in the following game, which differs from the last ro.pXp !
2\2 MEET TIiE MAS'IERS REUBEN IINE 213

Simple, but shong. White simultaneouslyopensthe Black has no satislactory means of protecting his
Queen's6le and thc long diagonal, with the result that KBP,rorboth16 . . . q BI; r7. qx q, qR x q;
his pieces are able to co-operate harmoniously. Ex- . 8 . B R j . K r - Q ; ; r 9 . P Q K t 4 r h , e " , e r , i n g2 0
perience shows that in this opening it is to Black's P K4), and 16 . . . Kt qr; 17. P qKt4, P-qR4;
benefit cntirely for the centre to remain closed. r8. P-QR3 would have given White an overwhelming
PXP game.
r r. R Qr r7. QxKBP
If rI. BxP, Black would play for attackby Ir . . .
BxB; rz. Qxts, R Ktr; 13. QxRl, RxP. This
i ss t r o n g e
t hr a nr r . . . R Ktr; 12.BXB,RxQ; 13. xt
t;" ,/ 'ffi6
IJ x Pch, etc., with R, B, and trvo Pawnsfor the Queen. Vzt''/,/;
t& "X,A7t
P83
r::. o o //z %, 71,
'lo
move the QB would achievenothing. 7zffi%"'&
PK4 t'&'&t"&a
Far ioo isky. Black should have played 12 . . .
K Rr or rz . . . q Br, after rhich, though he doeg
have the worse of it, he retains chancesof equalizing. This is the position Whitc c visaged ivhen playing
Alekhine thinks he can permit himself aggressive 13.P 85 dis ch. Hehas hvo Bishopsand the bctter Pawn
tacticsand thus givesIine the oppoturir,v ofdisplaying lormrtion (his Pawnsare in two groups,his opponent's
his skill in positional play and defence. in thrcc). The isolated Pa$'n is not weak in itsclq but
13. P 85 dis ch cannot bc employed lor attack, and consequently
Black is dcnied his normal chancesin this opening,
An attacking move rvith positional aims, which
which coNist in direct attacks on the King's side.
necessitatcdaccurate reckoning of its consequences.
As compcnsation,he has thc Parvn majority on the
r3.... KRI Quccn\ uing, but the sequcl shorvshe cannot exploit
14. Kt KKt5 QK' this olving to the power ofthe white Bishops.
Forccd, as is his ne\t mo\ c likewise. t1. R-qr
15. Kt K6 BxI(r rB. q-82 Q. K3
16.qxB BXP r 9 . Kt-.R4
2r4 RIUBFN II\E 215

r9. Kt-K4 was also to be considered,but White The two Bishopsno ionger mean a lot.
does not want to cxchange off either of thc black
Knights they are not very mobile, anyway. 27.,.. qB,
28. P K3 R-Br
r9.... B-K2
zo. P qRs
Losing a pawn; but Black was already at a lossfor
this Pawnand threatening2r. Kt 85.
Saleguarding a satislactory continuation. If, lor instance, z8 . . .
2o.... RQs R Qr, then :9. B x B winning material just the same
( ? 9 . . . K i ( K t 3 ) x B ; 3 ( r P. K 4 ; o r 2 9 . . . q x B ;
Averting WHte's threatfincly. Now, if?I. Kt-B5?, 3o. Qr P). Black\ position is lu1l of holes-this must
then 2r P'><Kt;22. qxB, KR qI; ,3. q Br, provc faial in the long run.
Q Qr, and Blackwins a piece. 29. Q. 84!
2I, P R3 P Kt4
Sincc 2?. Kt 85? rvould still iose a piece and the ',/4.t&g'.&^
Knight must therelore rehrrn to qB3, Bixck considers
rhe dme dpe to start evaiuating his majority on the t'% %67*
Queen's side; but this advance, as becomesapparent "&872
later, only weakenshis posiiion still further. One or
other ofthe quietcr continuadonssuchas 2r
or rt. . K R Q r w o u l dh a r " b e e nb . t t e r
. q 85 7z',&
'ffi.
Kt-B3 P QR4
7z
23. B-K3 RXR
24. R X R P-Kr5 Thrc"reninqprineipally1o.P K4. winning a pie,e.
Severalblack Palvnsa.e in dang€r, too.
Black persistsin his aggrcssivetactics, and quickly
succumbsasa result. The lesspretentious24 . . . R qI ?e.,. q-B'
merited preference,but in any caseWhite has nol\. the
better of the game. Nothing is much good by now, e.g. 29 . . . BxB;
s 5 .P x P PXP 3i) KtxB, R Br; 3r. R q2 and Black must lose a
Iawn; or !9 . . . R Br; 30. R-q2, €tc.
26. Kt-R4 Kt q4
e7. B-85 ! 31r.B xB Ift(Kt3)xB
216 MEET THE MASTERS REUBtrN IINE 217

Not 3() . . . qxB, because

of3l BxKt. 30 R. Frnr W. $iNrtrR
Kt(q4)xB wouldbe answered by 3I QxKtP. 14/hite Blac*
3r. P K4! Kt-83 (Playcdin thc Nottinghamburnamcnt, r936.)
32. Qx KtP
qUEEN'S GAMBTT
White has oicked uD a Pr n and still h an over-
uhclming poiition into the bargain. The iob of '.Pq4 PQ4
pushing home thesc big advantageswe.an leave lo r PQB4 P QBS
Fine. There ensued 3. Kt KB3 Kt KB3
34. Kt 85. 4 P K 3
3s . . . R Q,r ; 33. Rx R, QxR;
B3, P R3; 36. Kt-Q3, Kt q2; 37.
Q Qs; :s. Q \{hitc wantsto makeit as dillicult for his opponent
P R4, Kt KKt3; 38. B-R3, Kt(Kt3) Brt 39. . . l e , . r ' . h " n . . a \ o r d .4 . K r B j . \ , i , h i . u o n g e . l
P qKt4, P R4, 4(J. Kt 85, Kt B3j 4L qB4, a..or.ling to theorybut hasalsobeenmostanalysed.
qK2t 12. Kt Kt3' Q Q3; 43. Kt R5' Q Q7 ; BB4
44. KtxP, Q;KBch; 45. B-Br, KtxP; 46. q-Kzl P-K3
qx q; 47. B xQ, P Kt3 j 48, KtxP, Kt 86; 49 5. Kt 83
6. Kt KR4
B-Q3, K Kt2; 50. P 84! Kt q4, 5r. P Kr5'
K 83; 5e. K 82, Kt-Kt3; 53. K K3, Kt R5; 54. To aroid all chancc of thc game becoming drawish
K Q,4, Kt-K3ch; 55. K q5! Kt'Bzch t 56 K 86, and to produce a dificult game, $rhitc submils to a
Kt K3; 57. P-Kt6, Kt-qrch; 58. K Q?, Kt K3, slight dclay in developmcnt to rvin the "minof
59. P Kt7, Kt(Rs) B4ch; 6o. K 88.
Black rcsigns. 6 . . , . B K S
A model performance in the realm of logical posi-
6...8 K t 5 \ | a sa p l a y a b l e
atrernatjve.
tional play. Aftcr acquiring a small advantagc in rhe
opening, \{hitc corttinuall,\rexhaustedhis oPponent ot i. P 83 B Kt3
Eood moves. -fhere are lerv direct rhreats,but, in sPite 8. KtxB RPXKT
;f all Blackk efiorts. his situation sieadily deteriorates. 9. P KKt3 !
He missedthe best linc orce or twice, buthe s'asnever B A . , , 1 , , . . , . r r o n qi r d e l e n . e f. i n , , . , . t e r m i '
permiitcd the leasi chance to get back on lcvel terms ,
r r n . F , l , I s u r l o f m a n v r a r i r r i ^ r r s. l r i . l r r e , u p e r .
F i"ll\ i.i\ ,- t..,tu
Third llustration n r o . r u . .a . e r i , r " . r ^ r !) / - n F h : r h
Now follorvs a gamc which illustrates above all r , l , a d i i n q . W i r h r h . , l r . r r . l lo1r , . i n u "
move, l\hilc Jarestaltsa dangers along tbc open KR
!'ine's combinative intrepidity.
2I8 MEE,I TIiE MASTERS 2r9

lile; after 9. B-q3, for instancc,the reply 9 . . Kt-R4 One of those little moves which mark a great
would havc been rather troublesome. masrer. White prevents both 13 . . . B Kt5 and
B-Qs 13 . . P qB1, which latter rvould now be very
9 . . ,
ro. P-B4 strorgly met by 14. PxP, BxqBP; 15. P qKq.
ID ansrverto the more obvious r3. Q Kt3, Black would
The logical consequenceofhis preccding move The
ha|e becn able to play 13 . . . P-Q84, and continue
threat was Io . . . BxPch, and ro B Kt2? \vouldbe possibly$.ith . . . Kt-83 with much better chances.
l a u t t y o w i n g t or o . . . R r P ; I I R x R , B x P c h , e t c .
1 3 . . . . Kt-Q2
Kt K5
14. Q Kt3
ro . . . qKt q, merited preference,whilst Io .
N,,w thi! moveis made sith gain ot timc.
Kt R4 follo$'ed by Ir . . P-KB4 and . Kt-83
was also worth considering. 1 4 . . . . R-QKtr
r r. Kt xKt lhe Pawn was difficult to protect. Obviously
An important exchange. Any other move would r4...O O O lvouldbc too dangeroLrs. r4. . . Kt-B3
allow Black to get a very strong Position by II . . $as not quite satisfactory either, since Black could
P-IS4. th€n only ivith difficulty play . . . P KB4, a move
P K t rvhich is rcquired to protecr the Pawn on K5.
Black\ Qucent Rook is not very beautifully placed
White has now got a mobile centre the queen's
Pawn being blocked no longer and this circumstance 15.q-rq PRa
enhances fie significance of his two Bishops. The' 16. B K2 P-KIft4
ensuing operations on each side are dictated by ihe
Pawn situation: White must '!ork in the centr€ and This attempt to open up the Kingt side is, to say
on the queen's wing, Black on the King's wing- the 1east,prcmarure. Black should have castled.
which incidentally otrers him few chances,as Whitc ]7.OOO P-KB4
naturally doesnot castleon that side.
re. B-q2 qK2 _ Black persists in his rbky tactics, advancing his
fawns before complering his development.
Probabty so as to play I3 . . B-Kt5 and exchange r8.pxp
otrone of the $'hite Bishops. Iz . . . Kt Q; would
The prccursorto some prerty little combinations.
have been b€tter, however.
13. P qR3 ! QXP
 MEDT THE MASI'I)RS

Yet again, I8 O O $ould have becn bettcr' Attacking the Bishop, so that Blach is compelled to
B-B2 teave his KP in the 1urch.
t9. P 85
2r..., K-qr
'Ih€rc is no
Had Black divined his opPonent's intentions, he bctter continuation. Tn tbis rvay Black
would certainly have retreated to K! instead, e g' at any ratc avoids the Pawn's being captured with a
:r' B 84 K-Bz
1 I g . . . B K z : : o .Q K r , . Q B r r
p'...nB. 1 2 B A / ' : l ' u re v e nt h ' n h i s 22. QxKP
situation {oulc1 ot ltavc been pleasant. $Jhite has already got threc Pavns for his piece,
20. BtP I among them two united pased Palns. Another of
Blach's Pawns is in the air at hjs qR3, and his King
is badly placcd. Clearly White has an overrvhelrning
,.'Nh7,/' t& galrc.
%'ffi-
t 7;t7Z
TZtW ?3. q Q5
Q-Br

7t'//, ' ^ t " 'ft, Everr erchange ol Queens would have been good;
but tle tcxt move is much stronger, as it keeps the
ft K i n r ' , . i , l r b , , r , l g o : ' , 8 . T l " m r i n r h r e a rn o r v k
?E' ffi 7lz
H///t .//t
14. I' 116,rcgaining the piece sacriliced.
23..., KIl-2
e4. B-Kt4 !
A finc and surprising move. White gcts several 'lhreatcning
Pa$ns lor his picce, togethcr ith a strong King's side 15. P 86 dis ch (:5 . . . RxB; 16.
qx Ktch).
PXB 24. . .. KR-QBI
15. P-B{j dis ch $ould now be ansivered,rather
The real bcauty of $Jlite's combination uould bav€ ncatly, br 25 . . B q3l, I'ith a promising game.
been disclosedby ?o . . R RI; 2I qKr3l, PxB !5. K Ktr
trr . . . RxB; ?4. qxKt?, rcgainingthe piece);
q qI) rollowed bv '3' Thrcatdring P B6 once again.
z:. QxKPr:h (22. gKq,
qx qBr. Kt Br
2I. qxBP 2ii. P KKt4 !
 REUBEN FINE 223
MEI'T THE MASTERS

strong tournaments at Nottingham in 1936 and

White continualty finds the strongestline Semmedng-Baden in 1937, without losing a game.
26.... PR4 Ilohr also scoresa characteristicallysmall proportion
of lost games, but he does not play so aggresively as
Not!6 . .PxP?; :7.KR Br with crushingeff'ect' Iine and consequentlydoesnot so often have to perfom
. ' g . 2 7 . . q K 3 ; 2 8 .q K t s c L '
miracles ofdcfcnce. The preceding game has already
2't. B-83 P Kt3 revcaledFirrs ,kill in defence. H.re is " gdme in
2 8 .P x P Q.XBP rvhich he is on the dcfensivethroughout.
Orr8 . . . PxP; 29 qR KBI'etc M. M. Bor!'rNNrK R. Frlql
29. QB4 Kt K3 White Rlack
(Played in the Nottingham tournament, 1936.)
task,and ir aheadv
Blackis up againstan imPossiblc
he
matterslitde holv Plays. RXTI'S OPENING
qR4 PQ+
So.KR Br r. Kt-KB3
3I. P-Qs KtxP 2. P-84 PXP
32. P q6ch !
The motifofthe Queen'sGambit accepted,to which
A prerrvfinish. Bl:r'k rF'iLn(: matc in i lF\\ moves opening Flohr, Reshevsky,and Fine are partial.
is in.\i,r;I. l2 . ts Pr r.l.Q Bl' h crc 3. Ift R3
A charmini litLle game. Here again Irine lavs his
quite 3. P K3, P QB4; 4. BxP, P K3; 5. P Q4 would
founclationsin the very op€ning, but bymethods lransposeinto the normal Queen's Gambit accepted,
.lifferent from Alet<hine's. Not attack, but some con-
- i ' h i ' but Botvinnik prelers modern lines.
- r
c r c r c d d \ a n r d e F p a i ro f B i ' h o o ' Prrmdryaim' j . . . P-qB4; 4. KtxP, Kt-QB3; s. P-qKt3,
To .,.hie\e rhi, hr FL"r submit, ro LFirg pL'rd on P 83; 6. B-Kt2, P K4,
orvn
the defensive,relying on bcing able to hold his Black has now gained the upper hand in the c€ntre,
over to the atrack himself and
,.,",if t'. I' ull .'p'i' but on the othcr hand Whire is the better devetoped.
his corfidence is vindicatcd' It promiscsro becomea di6cult, lively struggte.
fourth lUustration 7. P Kt3, KKr 'K2; q. B Kt2. Kt Q4i - 9. O O,
B Ke; rolKt R4,O-O; rr. qXlr.
Fine exccls in clcfence He is almost unbeatablc A strong move. The main threat js rr. B K4, which
*h"" tt" g"u into his st de He has gone through wot'ld pDt Black into grav€ difficutties since 12
rnl"v,."i".-*u, amons them the exceptionallv
 IIEJ]T TFT! MASTERS 225

? - K R { s o u l d l a q .t o r . i l l - R 7 , h . a n d r : P KKt3 Excellently piayed. He tlueatens to win a Pawn on

Lo ',1 g XrP. P B; r 4 Q P ' h K R I: 15 his qB5 or q7. White cannot play 15.P Q3,because
l o l l o " e d b v P 84 etc' rhat ivould lcave the KKt unprotected; to exchange
Q R i c h . K I ( t I : 1 6 .K r K r 6 .
R B 2 on qKt6 or K? &ould rveakenhis attack.
r r . . . .
1 5 .B K 4 !
Now the sacriiiceon I(t6 (after I? B K4, ? KKt3l)
would not be quite sounci. With this finc move lvhite sustainshis attack.
12 Kt 85 15.... BxqKt!
This was tLe secondidea behind II Q-Ktr'
Again the best. After 15 . . B:KKI or 15 . . .
BK3 P KR3 Black would soon go downhill. Nor would
l\4,nr a plater$o rld ha\e fla)ed I2 B BI ri . . . KtXKt be vely good,becauseof 16. PXKt,
-.re o' l,.. ,ur'm"ticalll I er". but rhi' sould have BxP; I7. Kt K3l recolering thc l,alrn in lavour-
lost the o(changc(I3 KKt Q6!, BxKl; 14 BxKt) rble circumstances,shce 17 . . . SXKP $'ould lail
agajnst18. R-ts?, qxl; r9. Kt Br.
I3. P-84
1 6 .P x B KtxP
Much stronger than cxchanging on K7; eliminates r7. B QB3 t
cqualitv in the centre lt
Rlack'sKP ani re-establishes
now becomesvery dimcult for Black, but Fine defendg Prote.ting the qP and tlreatening rB. qx P. Black
cootly and painstakinglY. catlllot continue rvnh 17 . . Klx? on accouDtof
I 1 . .' . PxP r 8 . Q _ B x K i ,Q x B ; r 9 . Q x P a n d " i n s . 1 7 . . .
. Kt Kt3!
'1. rxr B Br is also unsatisfactory, e.g. rB. Kt K31, Ktxltt
( r 8 . . . t r r x P ; t g . B x P c h ,K R t ; 2 0 . q K K $ ! ,
7a/t
ffi'NE t h r c a t c n i n?gr . q n 5 ) ; r g . B x l c b , K R r ; 2 o . P x K t ,
t /// and \\lire.s atta(:kshould!vin; 2r. q KKr6 and 2r.

x''N
671/A^W
VtA
R li3 alc among the immcdiaie t]ueats.
17. Kt-Qs !
'./a
672 "&- Ioih siclcsplay finely. Whcrcas \lhitc can con-
t trnrillv choosc lrom among all sorts of sale continua-
tlt
//zf rTlrH
t,ous. Black is fighting for the dr.aw all the time, and
repc.Ledlyhasto find the onc and onlygood move,which
226 MEET TIItr MASTERS 221
makcs his task much more dilncult than his oPponent's
Bishop,so that White hasno time to go for the exchange
and his .rchievementin this game a greatcr one. 2r. -tsKtij.
bL
.lllack
rB. KtxKt thus lorces a simplification in rvbich he sheds
a Pa n but gets a dead draNn position.
After r8. BxKt, PxB; rg. KtxBch, RxKt; 20.
zr. BxBch
BxRPch, K-Br (2o . . . .['RI, 2r. LB5!); 2r.
q Kt3, q Q.4; 2s. B KtG (threatcning ,3. q KR3), Th€rc is nothiDg better; Iet us examine,for instarce,
White's attach coLrld hardly be stoppcd. But Black r\' , on.,quen,c' ^t / L B P. rl K'3' l, I
has better,Damcly18.BxKt, KtxP! Now the rvhite
( d ) 2 2 . K K t 2 ? o r 2 2 . K - R r ? , B x B ; 1 3 .B x K t ,
queen is .,,,,,lrne, and re. KtxBch, RxB; 2().
BxRPch, K Rr would not essentiallyalter the situa- Q Il3ch; lbllorvedby 14. . . . QxB and Bl:cl haswon
a pi.ce;
tion. Hence the text move \\'hich, horvever, allows
B l a .k r n . r p t u r e r h eQ P w i r h e a i no l t i m , ir) 'r. R Bz,qxIJ; 23.q)< q, B x q;24.B x Kt,
PxKt R IJr; and Whit€ cannot savc his q?, s;nce25. P q3
rg. BxRPch K Br! is rcfilted by 25 . . . B-B,t;
( r ) r z . P K 3 ,Q r B ; e 3 .q x q , B : q ; 2 4 .B x K t ,
of 20. B Kt6 (2o
Not 19 . . . K-Rr, because R K r l ; 2 5 .R - B a ,R Q r ; e 6 .R Q r , R x K P ; 2 7 .
PxB; ,r. q 85 and winE. P ). R, R x Rch with a drawn game.
20. B-Kt4 P-q6 ! ! RxB
22. qx qP

T: U.E The Pa'vn cannot be captured in any other way,

becauseof r:: . . . KtX P.

%72 Q.x Q.
wa% 7&- :3. PxQ
7zt7z or 23. Bxq,KtxP uith an cqual game. The text
fr.tz fufrZ mo\e gains a Parvn (since 23 . . . Kt x P? would lose
' h . K r ' q h r r l . o u e l rr e . R B r h u Lw l r t a P " t v ni r i i l
I
Bl ' 1 . io i,;on a-mpty, ou","-bal,-, ,. ,u.1, d ,matl
The magnificent idea behind Blackt last lew moves. material advantage.
Black threatens to check ftom qKt3 and win the 23.. . . Kt-Kt3; ra. B-K4, R Q1; ?5. QR Br,
 MEET TT]E MASTERS

Kt-Q4; 26. P-qR3, R(K2) Wt 21. I(-I(t2,

P QKt3; 28. K 83, Kt 82. CHAPTER \TIII
So as to bring the Knight to the bcautiti square
qB4. Whire must now play carefully himself so as not PAUL KERXS
to fa1l behind. Keres rvas born on 7th January, 1916, at Narva;
29. K-K3, Kt R3; 31]. R qB3, Kt 84; 3I. like Alekhinc, Botvinnik, Flohr, and Reshevsky,he
R KBz, R Q5; 32. P 85, R R5; 33 R-Kt2, thus came from the old Rusia. He is of Estonian
R(Rs)-q5. nationality and now lives in l artu.
'fhe
former Rrissian Baltic provinces are lamous
34. R KB2 centresof chessactivity ancl have produced a number
The game has comc to a dead end Neither Pla]er of masters of rcnorvn-Niemtsovitch of Riga, ftr
can undertahe anything cffective. instance. Herce Keres grerv up in surroundingsr'hich
34 . . . R R5; 35. R Kt2' R{Rs) Q5; 36 R-84' afforded plcnty of chesscontacts.
R(q5)-Q3' He w:Is a strong player at fifteen, and only need-
Drarv agreed. ed intemational expericnce to develop his powers.
A splendid example of intrcpid delence and at the Lstonia\ geographical situarion iftplies great expensc
same time a nel' illustration of Fine's skill in thc to anybody who m;ghi $ish to journey to other chcss-
handling of critical positions. playing countries, so Keres had to content himself, in
the international spbere, lvith cor.respondenccchess.
In this he soon acquired a big reputatiol, his lively
sltle attracting universal attcntion even in those earty
.lays. He was ready to chance any knrd of gambir or
bizarre opening; wc cvcn know ofonc corrcsponderce
game in nhich he opencd with r. P KKi.!. Ir spitc
of his dslv stvle, he eamed succcsscsboth in corre-
sirondenceplay ancl also in a fcw small tournaments
on the Baltic. His career as an intemarional tourna-
ncnt player begar in r935. Having won the champbn-
srLipolEstonia inJanuary ofthat ycar (as the youngest
ol tle elevcn compctitors) he led the nationai team iD
thc Intcrnational 'Ieam Toumamcnt in Warsal, in
,\ueust. He scored a pretty good result (beating
:3o MEET THP MASTERs

Grtinfeld and Stahlberg xmongst others), and the

newspapen r{'cresoon talkirrg ofa rising new star.
ln 1936he participated in his 6lst strongly contested
international tournament (BadNauheim) with astound-
ing success,lor he tied for {irst placc with Alekhinc
ahead of Bogolyubov, Stahlberg, Vidnar, van den
Bosch, and four German maste$. He and Alekhine
each scored 6| points out of 9 and went through the
tournament unbeaten. The twenty-year-old became
famous overnight. Things couid not continue in this
t€mpo. In a tournament of the same sort at Dresdcn
a few weekslater he lailed dismaUy,as the tournament
table reveals: Alckhinc 6|, Engels 6, Maroczy and
Stahlberg 5!, Bogolyubov 5, Rddl and Samisch 4+
each, Helling and Keres 3| each, Grob ].
In th€ meantime he had rcceived an invitation to
the Zandvoort tournament, and the Dutch public
rvaited anxiously to know what he would do there.
Should we see the Keres of Nauheim or the Keres of
Dresden? If anyihing, he justified all that had been
predicted of him, coming third with 6+ points out of I I,
equal with Tartakover but ahead of Bogolyubov,
Grrinfeld, Maroczy, Spielmann, and others. He had
recoveredlrom his Dresdensetbackand establishedhis
reputation as ar international master.
For severalmonths littlc was heard ofhim, but when
h€ returned in 1937, it was to make furious progress.
In Margatet Easter tournament he shared first place
with Fine with the good score of ?A out of 9, each lrur- KEREs
defeating Alekhine. Another tournament of ten A Lriltianrchallenscflor rhc Cihanpion:hip
followed immediatcly at Ostend. Iine and Keres
started asfavourites,but neither did too well ; although
 e3r

they managed to tie for first placc in the end with

Grob, each totatled onty 6 ponlts. Irom Ostend K€res
went to Praguerwherc he took first place in a tourna-
ment ofhvelve, rvith ro points (Zinner 8, Eliskasesand
Folqs7 ea,h..r,.. \lier $at Ir. t"nt on ro win a
double-round tournament ol lbur, 1vith prescribed
openings,in Vicnna; so that he returned to Estoniaon
3oth May loaded with fame. He l€ft himsclf little time
for recuperation, lor only a lortnight later the great
tournament at Kemeri in Latvia began. In this things
went none too propitiously at first, but all ended fairly
well: he shared fourth and fifth places$'ith Alekhine,
only half a point behind Flohr, Petrov, and Reshevsky.
Three days later another tournament of eight strong
players started at Parnu in his own country. How
he would have liked to top this tournamentl But
in this he was disappointed, as the scorc shows:
Schmidt 5+, Ftohr, Kcres, and Stahlberg 4! each,
Tartakover 4, Opocensky 3+, Raud Il, Villard o. A
prophet is not witholtt honour . . .? Well, Schmidt,
though German (he retumed to his country alier the
outbreak of the war) lived in Estonia for years and
is an "ancient" rival of Keres, whom hc had already
played to a drawn match in 1935. From Parnu the
trail I€d to Stockhoim for another International
Team Tournament, whcrc Keres, with II points out
of r5, made one of tile best of all the scoresby top-
board players. He had now becn engagedin continu-
ous tournament play for four months, but was ready a
fcw days later to embark on the hardesttournament of
the year. This was the double-round tournament of
eight leading mastersat Semmcring-Baden,where th€
 M!E1 ]'HE M-{STERS 233
resuit rvas: Kcres 9, Fine B, Capablanca and Resh- encounter lvith the last named. But he always scemed
evsky 7l each, Flohr 7, Dliskascsard Ragozin 6 each, able to disconcerthis opponcnts,at a pinch, by giving
Pelro!. 5. Keres registered in this tournament, both r h Fg . r m e o m r , o m b i r r t i r c l yr g g r e * i r er u i { .
qualitatively and quantitativ€lv, an aclievemcnt rvhich At Nlargate (Easter 1939) he collected the leading
can only bc described as grand. Hc $on game alter honours, ahead of Capablanca and FJohr, quitc com-
game, drauing farthcr :rnclfarther away from thc field. fortably. Two of hk gamesshowedall his old brilliance,
Wittr thrcc rounds to go. hc had scored8+ points out the rest he piayed quietly and soundly.
of t I and stood lrvo points ahead of his nearestrival. At the €nd of 1939 Keres defcated Dr. EuNc by
Perhapsthis made him a little over confident; rn)-rvav a narorv margin in a match of fourteen games; all
he lost to Elisk;Nesand Rcshevskyquitc unncccssarrl,\'. were wild atrairs of rhe lvpe he rcvcis in. This
As the linal rcsult sholvs,hc could even have allowcd achicvement finally scts the seal on his rcputation.
himsclf to losc his ILsr game to Capablanca as wcrr, As an Esthonian, Kcres has vitresscd thc success;ve
without endangcring his first prize. overrunning oI his nativc iand by Sovict and German
Ile then played relatirely seldom for a r4tile. armies, and has played in chessiournamenis under the
Hc participated in only three evcnts prior to the two opposing regimcs. In the two great U.S.S.R.
A.V.R.O., namely the Hastings Christmas tourna- tournaments ol r94r which wc have mcntioned whcn
ment (Reshclsky 7. Keres and Alexander 6,1,Iine and writing of Botlinnik, his record was more consistcnt
Ilohr 6 each, trIikenrs 5, etc.); a match against than that ofhis rival (he took fourth and secondplaces
Stahlberg (drarvn by 2 2, lvith lour drawt; and the respcctiveiy). His resultsin Nazi-o€anizcd cvcnrshavc
rr \oordrlk (tli.k ".;.K,,- 6.P:. c,l. already been referrcd to (page 2o). He has not been
Eurve 5, etc.). A1l excellent rcsults which, howe\er, able to shake Alckhin€'s sup.€macy, but with thc
cannot bc considcred on a par rvith his mathlcss rcturn of more settled dmcs, lrccing him ftom constanr
achicvcmcnt in the Semmering-Baden tournament. arxicty! his youth rvill undoubtedly begin to tell.
Stahlbergheld him in their match by consistentlygoing
inro thc end-gamc,so cnmping his combilratlle powers. ITERIS IN HIS EIEMENT
The A.\r.i{.O. tournament provided him lvith yet In the game which follows, Keres revives the old
r n " r h " r r . s o r r r d' gi . u " ' . . p , u b . L l )' 1 , "c , e ' r F ' ' I idea ol lighhing-qu;ck, devil-may-care development,
his lile. From the moment hc splcndidly bcat thc then in origi al stylc.
ieader lire, at the end of the 6rst half of the touna'
ment, hc ncvcr looked back. He had his ups and P. Ksnrs W. WrNrrR
downs he might have lost to Eurve, to Capablanca, I4/hitc Black
to Alekhine; he thrcw a$'ay an easyi{in in his return (Played in the tcam tournament at lvarsaw, 1935.)
234 MEE'I THE MASTERS PAUL I(ERES 235

SICILIAN DEFENCE ro. Kt Kt3, Q-B:; rr. QxP, B K3; or 9. Q,X P,

r. P K4, P-QB4; 2. Kt KB3, Kt KB3t 3. P-K5, Kt 83.
Kt-Q+; +. Kt 83, P-Kj; 5. lftxKt, PxKt; 6. 9. B q3!
P-Q+,P Qs' The fiIStlink in White\ plan.
A wel-known position in thc Niemtsovitch variation pxBp
(s . . . Kt KB3) ofthis opcning. White can nowisolate 9....
tslack's Queen's Pawn by 7. KPxP, foliowed by
9 . . . Kt 83 would have beenmore prudent. Black
B. PxP, and this rvould give him a small positional possibly had not yet realized thc gambit flavour th€
pull; but this is a much too placid line ior Keres! game would assume,but believed that he was merety
7. B KKt5 ! i{inning material.
The introduction io a kind ofdevelopment combina- ro.O O!
tion, by which White, ai the expenseofseveral ?awns,
brings his piecesinto play with lightning rapidity. A1ier this the statcly Sicilian bcgins to take on the
7. . - . Q n+.n character of a Danish Gambit. White has already
' lo,r" two Prun,.
and l.a'.. " thid ?nI,i,?.
If 7 . . . B-Kr, then 8. tsxB and Black must re-
caprurewith the King, otherwisea Pa'vn goes: B . . . ro.... BPXP
qxB; 9. PxBP, follorvedby ro. Qx P, asfor example, Can Black stilt believehe is making all the running?
in the game Cortlevcr de Groot, Dutch championship, It{uch more prudent rvould be ro . . Kr 83; rr.
1938. Equally unsathlactory for Slack is 7 . . . R-Kr, B K3.
Q - B z ; B .P X B P q
, xP; s.Q.Qr(9...PxP; ro.
r r. R-Ktr
KixP, P 83; r r. Kt-Q3), which leadsto the isolation
of Black's queent Parvn in circumstances very
unfavourable lor b;m.
8.P83
Consistent with his preceding move. B. B Qz,
q Kt3 j or B. Q-Qr, Qx Qcl; 9. K r Q rvould
achievelittle.
BP^P
Apparently stronq, for Black would obtain a per-
fectly satislactory game aftcr cither g. Ktx?, PxP;
236 MEET THI M,\STERS 237

The result of ihe opening skirmishesis now clear' Threatening simultaneouslvr7. QxB and r7.
White has developedevery one ofh;s pieces,Black only Q-B6ch.
his queen. Into th€ bargain, there are plenty ofopen 16.... BKB4
6les, so that the attack can start at oncc. All this for r7. KR-Kr
a mere three PawnsI The chanceofBlackt being able
to consolidate his position bcfore some catastrophe Strongerthan r7. q86 and qxB(q6). rB.
Q-R7ch and Ig. B-R6 mateis now threatened.
PxP 17.... B-K5
It would, of course,be foolish to chew up the QRP IB.RXB I PxR
re. q B6ch
as wcll. The tcxt move, by tlhich Black plans to castle
as soon as possible, is also inadequatc,2s the rvhite
Knight gels to a porverful outpost. The only move to Black resigns,for he is mated in a iew moves, e.g.
hold th€ game, even for a while, was rI . . Kt 83. I 9 . . . K K r ; 2 0 .Q - K 6 c h ,K B r ; 2 r . B R 6 m a t e ;
1 2 .K t x P BQs or r9 . . . K Ktr; 2(r.qxPch, K Br; er. QxBch,

Naturallynot 12 . P 83,becauseofI3 q-Rsch. A pleasing win, meritorious not lor the way in
Black countson I3. R-Kr, O-O; t4. Q R5, P-B4, which the attack is carried through, bur for $rhit€'s
wirh good ' han,esol srlvarion Bur r\ines go !Fry original construciion of his game.
diff€rently.
1 3 .K t x P ! K XKt Second Illustration
A still better picture ofKeres's 1'eryindividual talent
Black has no choice. is presented by the following uild+vcst game, *.hich
14. Q R5ch P KKt3 opens rathe. ;rcgularly, so that it is quite impossible
lbr Keres to have analyscd in advance the complica-
Some other possibilitics were r4 . . K KtI; t5 tions which soon come about. ln the last game he
Q KBch, n BI; 16. qxqB and wins; or 14 . may possibly havc come prepared.
K-K3; 15. B B5ch, KxB; 16. B-Q: dis ch uinning
the (lue€n; or 14... K BI; 15.KR-K', B qr; A, DUNKELBLUM P, KERES
16.R K3 with the unmeetablethreat of 17. R B3ch
Wh;te Black
15. B x Pch PXB
1 6 .q x R (From the Oite d tournamcnt, 1937.)
238 MEET rIrE MAsrERs 239

KING'S INDIAN DEFENCE parryingthis by 13. P-qR4 would offer Black targets
r. P-q4, Kt-KB3; r. Kt KB3' P 84; 3. P K3, on the qKt file (r3 . . . R-Ktr).
P KKt3; 4. B K2, B Ktz; 5. O O, O O, 6. P-B4' 1 3 .B Q 2 !
P Q4.
Both sidestreat the openingirregularly,gettingright
awayfrom the bodks. The only thing that rccallsany g. Litilr
theory to us is the lianchcttoof Black'sKB, which is Vt, "4 Tltt
why we calledthe openinga Kingt Indian.
ObviouslyWhitc is playing for a draw, but Biack
6% 7z
wantsa fighrand m.kesfor complieations.
72' f Vt
fi%
7. BPxP KtxP
B .P X P Kt R3!?! ryw"&ft
Inaugurating some horrible intricacics But this is apparently a complete refutation. If
9. BxKt Black wants to save the exchange he must leave his
Pawn on qR4 in the lurch, lor 13 . . . BxP; r4.
This exchange,which nor only spoils Black's Pawn B x P , q K 4 ; r 5 .B x R , B x R ; r 6 .K t x B , q x K t ;
formation but also saleguardsthc QBP for the time r7. ?-K4 would not do at all, whilst rj . . . q 83 Go
beingJwas too tempting to forego. Needlessto say, it as to meet 14- BtP \rith B gR3) would likervise be
cannot be bad; but Keres is now in his element. insuficientin vicw of 14. KtxP, qxBP; 15. R Br,
9 . ' . . PXB leaving !\rhite a Pa$'n up in a sound position.
ro. Kt-q4 The spectaton were unanimous in thinking that
Keres was going to iose this game.
Not ro. P-K4, Kt Kt5, after which White would r3.... P-Rs
get into serioustrouble becauseof the weaknessof his
QBr and Q3. Keres reveah that his position otrers astounding
resources.There follow the tensestcomplications,and
I O . . . . Q-Bo nowherecan it be demonstratedthat Whit€ should hav€
r r. Kt-Kt3 R-Qr
e. QIKz P-QR4 Sot deinitely the better otit.
14. B R5 Q83
Looks strong. 13 . P-R5 b threatened,and 1 5 .B x R
24O MEE:I THE ILAS'IERS PAUL KERXS 24I

r5. Kr Q4 wouldbe a mista\e.because of B Kt, K t x q ; 2 4 .R P x K t , B x P ; 2 5 .K t q 2 , B x R ; 2 6 .

r b . 0 / 8 , K r B 5 l : r i q B J .K t R 6 . h : I B K - R I , RxB, qBr!; ?7. BxPl, q-Kt2ch; 28. P-861,
Qx Q; rg. P x q, R x P, and Black has an over- QxB; 29. R qBr. Accordingto Kercs, the game
whelminggame. should end in a dmw then, alihough it is rather
1 5 . . . . B qR3 ! dangerousfor Black.
N{issing this intricate salvation, W}ite now loses
Hitting back-but it is not all over yet. quickly.
16. Kt R5 ! 17. Q Q2? BXR
rB. Kt B3
16.Q.Q:. B R uould be qood fur Bla,k
QK3! Hastening his own defeat. r8. KxB rvould havc
been best, though White would not have been at al1
enviablyplacedthen, after rU . . . RxB.
r i"ial BxP!
&71; /lz87lzl7z 1 9 ,K X B RXB
h & h " fhreatening to win the Queen.
i - ,
'&. '//./2 20. I(-Rr P-R6 !
4 7z A pretty finish. Black's "weak" Pawn goes on to
7t8"trft win the gamel
72Hffi,
,L R Q,r PxP
Compar. t, . . . B q: ,7 Kr ' Q. B R; tB. 22. Kt /.Kt RxKt
Xr Q:. ana White has gor rhe bclrFr oI i(. fhe text
move makes matters much more dimcult for him. White resigns, as he practically cannot stop tlle
Immediately aftcr the game Keres declared that he Pawn |rom queening, e.g. 13. Q-Br, RxRch; 14.
had expected17. Kt 84 as the best move and intended qx R, q K5ch, etc.
RxBr' "It is true that White need not have lost this game,"
to continue lvith 17 . . . Kt-Bsl (not 17 .
r 8 . Q n ' r , R r .r n d B I J . L h 3 . n o r r u q r ;
, F n tt o m p r n ,r r i o n Kcrcs remarked n\ de I4tiznerSehachaeitung," br\t it
for the exchange); r8. Q-83, BxKt!; 19. qxR, "!uld be unjust to a combinative player if the dcfend-
B Oa:r 20. Q K,8:, Kr K7(h; trhe ProblFmlike ing side were to see everything in dre limited time
- . 7 - . A R d r ' ; t sr o - z ' .s P d i s , n ' r. r ' K R r , allorvcd lor reflection."
BxPch; 22. KxB, Q-Kt5ch; ,3 qKt3 (lorced), Well does this little note reveal Kcres\ psychology:
242 MEET TqE MASTERS PAUL KERES 2+3
he considen attacking or combining a definite achieve-
More exact than thc tcxl move would
m€nt in itseq fully worthy of a reward. There is . . . KtxKt; B.BxKt, B.Kt-qr.
indeed some truth in this.
B. Kt(K4) Kt5 t
Third Illustration
Keres doesnot shrink from treating front-rank inter-
national masters "au ganbit," as the following game

P. KrnBs E. ELrsKAsEs
White Bkc|
{From thc tournament of eight at Semmering-Baden,
I937J

WING GAMBIT DEFERRND

I. P-K{ P-QB+ Although this move results in the loss of several
2. Kt KB3 P-q3 "tempi," it is strong becauseit confrontsBlack ,!\,ithall
3. P-qKt4 sorts of dificulties in dcvelopment, e.g. B . . . P-K3
(thc most natural continuation), 9. q-Ke ! (threatening
This developmentof the ordinary Wing Gambir
(r. P-Ka, P-QB4; e. P-QKt4) was introducedby ro. KtxBP, KxKt; rr. Kt Ktsch, etc.), Kt Kti;
Keres. o. Kt Ks. Q P; rr. R QKrt. uirh a wlnrinq
attack. It is therefore plausible to prepare P K3 by
3 . . . PXP
?-KR3, but this would give White the oppotunity of
4. P-q4 Kt K.B3 playing 9. Kt K6l Acruallv, Black need not be so
5. B-q3 PQ+ very much alraid of that move (9 . . . Q-Kt3 !, not
6. qKt-q2 PXP
g...PxKt?2; ro. B ft6 mate),but Eliskasesprcfers
6 . . . P-K3 was perhapsprelerable.
7. Kt xP qKt-q2 Q84
Preparing for . . . P,K3, which would not have 9. P-84 !
been so good at this stage,becauseof8. Kt X Ktch and This surprising advanc€ofthe backward QBP, based
Black must retake with the pawn, s;nce I . . . qX Kt on a tactical6nesse,improvcs White's position a lot. It
rvould lose the queen through 9. B KKt! goeswithout saying that the Pawn phalanx Q4 QB4
2+4 MEET THE MASTERS PAUL KERES 245

is strong,and Black can hardly ca.ptL]le €n?a$ant,e.g. Yet another move with the qKt, and an effective
9. . . P x P ; r o . Q r K t 3 l , P
K 3 ; r r . K t x BPl,KxKt; oner tooJfor it paries . . . P K5 and at the sam€ time
re. Kt Ktsch, K-Kr; r3. qxKPch, B K2; 14. presseson Black's weaknessat his KB4.
Q-B7ch,K-Qr; 15.Kt K6 mate. r3.... o o
9.... PKR3 14.OO PKs
ro. Kt R3
Neither of the altcrnatives r 4 . . . P x P or r 4 . .
N o t r o .K t - K 4 , K t x K t ; r r . B x K t , Q x B P . R Kr would get Black out of his trouble.
ro.... P KKt4 r5. KtxK? KtxKr
Gaining time (. . . P Kt5 is threatened),but also The peripatetic Knight has disappearcdat last.
produ.ine$e.,knFsrs:BIe,k s positioni, now (om- 1 6 .B x K t qXBP
promiscdon both wings. ,7.B q3
r r. Kt(R3) Ktr
QQ+
IB. R Kr P-Itu5
Sometimesa retreat requires mole courage than a This advance rvould be justificd onty if it werc to
culminate in the capture oa the qP. Since this is not
B Kt2 rhe .ase ir o.ly m.ans a furrher and very seriou.
12. Kt K2 weakeningofBlacht castlcdposition. r8 . . . Kt-Kt3,
White is a Pawn down, and hallofhis twelve moves lollowed, ifpossible, by. . . B-B4, was indicated.
have been made lvith the qKt (Kt-Q?; Kt x K4; 19. Kt-R4 Kt-Kt3
Kt Kt5; Kt R3; Kt Ktr ; Kt-K2). Nevertheless
BJack rccognizes that 19 . . . QxQP would be
he has a good game, thanks to his prepondcrancein
sheerjov to White becauseof2C).R-Ktr threatening 2r.
the centre and rhe enfeeblementofBlackt King's wing.
Ki 85 or qr. R-K4 or 2r. B-Kt?, and aboveall 2r.
r2.,.. PK+ BxRP (2r. BxB?, B R7ch, winning the Queen).
Energetic. With the text movc Black achieves a eo. R Ktr Bq2
little successin the centre. The drawback is that the ,r. R K4 KR I(r
weaknesses in his position become more marked than 22. R 84 q Q.3
Protecting the qKtP and threatening 22
rr . . . P-Kt3, followed by . . . B,Kt2 mighx have Kt-q4, which would give Black quite a satisfactory
game.
13.Kt KB! ,3. B-Q2
246 MEET THE MASTERS PAUL (ERES 247

Apparently attacking the qKtP again; but it Black's moves are forccd all rhe time.
immediat€ly becomesobvious that the main idea was 29. Q n4 P-KR4
to provide an extra guard for the square Kr. g o .R x P QR BI
2 3 . . . . Kt q4 3r. P KR3 R 82
24. RXKKTP! 32. R Kt5 RK3

E /rZ .rH Losesat once, bui Black was hopelesslyPlaced any-

"&t72.XV',;t
t''N rvay, since he had no compensationwhatever for the
. , mf f i .,.rm rery bad position of his King. Tarrasch has pointed
'/12.6%*
Vz'&1 7z
out that a Rook and two Bishopsare usually strongcr
rhan two Rooks and a Knight. Here White possesses a
ffi M E stlong extra Pawn and atl sortsofpositional advantages
Vz "/&.AV*
'ffi % as well.
tZz &lE 33, RXRP t
VzH'//48% ffi' Black resigned,lor 33 . . . Kt x R would be answered
White's attack on the King's side becomesirr€sist- by 34. q QBch, R KI; 35. B Kqch and mate in
ible. The weaknesses in Black's castledposition become three. A pretty linish. When we recall horv very strong
:s E[(kaser in defen.c a. for instan.c. the great
painfully apparent; 18. P-Kt5 in particular proves to
have been a latal move. attacking player Spielmann discoveredto his sorrow in
no fe er than three matches),then we get an idea hoi!
24.... BXR rremendous was Kere.'" a, hicrementin thisgamc.
2 5 .q x B
Fourtl IUustration
Threatening 26. qxBch (K x q, 17. Kt B5ch). We
seewhy White played 23. B Q3: 15 . . . R KBch had Here is an encounter in which Keres attacks
to be prevented, otherwise the immediate sacrifice of riolently by purely positional +eans
the etchange would have been still stronger.
P. KERrs S. FLoHR
?5-... q83 White Black
26. Kt 85 KBI
27. Kt xB qxKt (From the tournament of eight at Semmering-Baden,
zB. Q-R5 Kt-83 \937.)
248 MEET THE MASTERS
249
KING'S INDIAN DEFENCE Preparing . . . Kt-q2. Black wants to maintain the
r. P q4, XI-KB3; z. P-Q84, P KXt3; 3. betterPawnformation,so avoids rz . . . Kt-83, after
Kt KB3, B-Kt2; 4. P-KKt3, P 83; 5. B Kt., whi, h \ /hi(r wourda"qui," a smdllbur d.finireopening
P q4; 6.PxP, KtxP. advantageby Kt x Kt.
6 . . . PxPissafer, pr.oducinga symmctrical position 13. KR-Qr Kt q"
in which White has gained practically no opening
14. P QB4 !
advantage.
7 . o o ! The "weak" Pawn is going to join in the attack, and
showsplenty of healthiness. Black has to reckon with
7. P K4 turned out very badly in thc game Fine- the possibility olP-85 and P 86.
Reshevsky, Kemeri, 1937: ?. P-K4,Kt Kt3; 8. O O, 1 4 . . . . Kt 84
B K t 5 : o . B K 3 . P - Q B a l .r n d W h i r Fg o r i n r o b , F a t 15. q Kt4 Kt-K3
dilicultics. r6. Kt-Kts Q-K4
7 . , . O O ; 8 .K t 8 3 ,K t x K t ; 9 . P x K t , P q B 4 ; 17. qR-Br
ro. B qR3, PxP.
ro. . Kt R3orro... K t Q r w o u l dh a v eb e e n Whitet last moves have been nicely calculated, the
point being that the KP cannot now be capturedl
i r. KtxP ! 17...qxKP; r B .K t - B 3 1q, R 4 ( o rr B . . . B x K t ;
rq. qx B, \'ith an irre*tible attack) ; 19. Kt q5,
Much stronger than rr. PXP. White allows hh R Kr; 20. q Kt5, and Whit€ has a big pull position-
Parvn position to be weakened, but every one of his allt. Biack is in trouble.
piecesdevelopsthe fullest aciivity-and exploiting this r7.... R-qr
solt ot advantaec is jusr what Keres likcs. IB. R-Q5 !
QB? Nlagnificently played. If Black now captur€s the
In this open position Black dare not go lor rhc major- King's Parvn, there would follol: 19. R Kr, qx RP;
ity of Pawnson the queen's side by rr . . . BxKt, 2 0 .R X R c h , K t X R ; 2 r . R x P ! , B x R ; 2 2 .q X B ,
of coursc, because ;t would leave White rvith two QRBch; e3. B-KBI, Kt-K3; 24. Kt 87, R-Ktr;
dangerousBistrops. Whitet game is as o\-erivhelmine ,5. QKBch, K-Ktz; 26. KtxKtch, BxKt; 2?.
after rz. QrB as after r!. PxB. B-IBch, K 83; 28. qxR and wins (:8 . . . BxP,'
2s.qB1thot2a.. B R 6 : 2 s . q - Q \ c h ,K 8 4 ; 3 o .
12. q Kt.l BB3
8Ql"h).
 25O MEET TI]E MASTERS PAUL KDRES 25I

Since r8 . . q Ktr wouid bc powerfuily countered 2o . . . Kt Q5;:r. RxBch, RxR; 22.KtxR,

Uy r9. R(Br)-Qr Blaclis finds himself compelled to Qx KP ; 23. P R4, Kt 84; ,4. q-K4.
dissolve White's Pa$'n-position weaknessafter all by Black resigns,for ncithcr exchangc of Queens nor
exchansins on q4. ::4 . . . QxRP, 25. KtxPch offers any hope.
RXR lt has been a clash between two widely diverging
1 9 .P r R P QRs conceptions, Kcres representing the strategy of the
middlc-game, Flohr that of ttre cnd-game. The man
Bad execution of a sound idea. Black should have rvho lives in the present beats thc one who iives for
he lurure-it h rolhing newl
attacked the Knight, not with the Pawn bui with the
Bishop. After 19 . . . B q2; 20. Kt 83 (2o. pxri"r,
,x,{:r), Kt-qr, the position, whiist admittedly very Fifth [lustration
dilncult for Black, would have been far from lost. linallv, a game which prese ts Kcles as an cnd-game
The text movc finds a charming refutation.
20. Kt-R7 ! t
S. RESHEV5(Y P. KERES

HVe.A White Black

mr.%vffit% (From the Semmering-Baden

tounament, I93?.)
t"ry, a',&t
Vz Vz w % QUEEN'S INDIAN DEFENCE
w.% 7lz7lz
'& r. Kt ItB3, KI-I(B3; e. P 84, P K3; 3. P-Q4,
ffi P-qKt3; 4. P ItKt3, B-Kt2; 5. B Kt2, B Ktseh;
ft72 ft'ffi4 6. B q2, BxBch; 7. qxB, O-O; 8. O O, P-Q3;
9. q 82, qKt Q2; ro. Kt 83, Q-K2; rr. P K4,
Whitc hasslightlythe bcttcr ofit. In this openingit
An astonishing continuation, with which White is mostjmportantfor Blackto impedeor nullify White's
forcesthe win of a piece. IfBlack captur.esthe Knight, P K4. Kereshasneglectedthis, probablyon purposc,
he losesa Rook aftir rr. R xBch, Ki Br; zz. Q Kt6, so as to conlusethe s|russlc.
'vhilst 20 . . . B-q, laiis to 2r. PxKt and 20 . qR-Br !
K t B r t o 2 r . K t x B , R X K t j 2 2 .q x K r p . I t i s , , a l l r2. KR-Kr PK4
over bar shouting." 13, QR'Q,I
252 NIEET THE MASIERS PAUL (ERES 253

13. Kt Q5 u'ould be answeredby Ktx Kt iollowed and Keres soon succeedsin fu1ly re-establishingthe
byP qB3 this cxplainsrr . .. R-Br. equilibrium on this fi]e.
r3.... P83 ?8. R(Q8)-Q3, R q2; ,9. RxRch, Kt xR; 30.
14. q R4 K K2, Kt q3j 3r. Kt-Q2'Kt Br!
Anning for Q5. Black no$ takes the iead.
White fails to produce a useful plan. It was corr€ct 3r. R QRr Kt K3
to move the Quecn, as she was unsatisfactorilyposted 33 PR5
on the same {ile as BlacL's Rook; but I4. Q-Qr
(perhapsprcccded by Kt KR4) $'asto be prelerred. White can hardly remain complctcly passive; yet
his efforts to attack on lhe queen's wing have no
1 4 . . . . R82
satisfactory outcome and Black\ advantag€ becomes
15. q R3 R-Kr
cl€arer and clearer.
16. P Kt3 P Kt3
33.... P-qKt{ !
1 7 .P x P
3 4 .P x P
White over-cstimatesthe importance of the square Aftcr 34. P 85, Kt q5ch; 35. K q3, Kt 82;
q6. The text move, which lcads to an exchange of finlorvcd by. . . R O-I and pos';bly. . . Kt Kt4 and
Queens, produces an end-gamc in rvhich White's . . . Kt(Kt4)-K3, it is Black who hvades along the
presenradvantage,his command ofa little more space, Queen's file. The text move too has its drarvbacks(it
slowly disappears; consequendythe weaknesson his otens the file of llack's Rook), but White 2t least
Q4 becomesof more moment than the one on Black's ol)tains som€ prospectsof counter-plav al,:rngdre QB
Q:. or QfiIe.
17. , . PrP; rs.Qxq,Rxq; 19.BR3'B Brt 31 . . . Kt Qsch; 35. K q3, PxP; 36. R Br'
20. P-QKt4, Kt-Br; 2r. BxB, RxB; 22. R q6, K K3; 37. Kt K2.
Ift Kr; 23. R q3, P-83; ,a. R(Kr)-Qr, K Bz; \{hitc's intention wittr 34. PxP is norv evident:
25. P QR4. s;n|liGcationand a draw.
A vain attempt to obta;n some langible target, but Kt B3r
3i "'
this rushing forward the Pa$'ns on the queen\ wing
only enfeeblesWhitet position. Forcing the lvhitc Rook to leave the qB frle. See
u5 . , .X-K3; 16.R q8,R(X2) qB2!;27.K-Br, hoic the enfeeblemcnt ol Whitc's Queen's wing is
K K2. hclpiDg Black ro get the upper hand.
Black's wcaknesseson the q fle have disappcarcd, 38. R-qKtr R-Qr!
254 MEEI' THE MASTERS 255
Prepadng to push forward in the centre. Black Rook along the Knight\ or Rook\ 61e. The rext move,
wants to force the white King to make up his mind: dictated by n€cessiti, is an endeavour to confuse the
if3e. K K3, then after 39 . . . Kt B5ch ihe eleent issue,e.g. 45 . . . PxP; 46. PxP, KtxKKtP; 47.
h1e becomes a most important basc of operations. K r Q / K . t . R Q r , l . : 4 e . K B - z r h r e a r e n i n g4 o .
Hence White's reply. Kt-B5ch or 49. Kt-Krsch. The lossofhis qRP might
39. K-83 P 84! causeseriousrrouble for Black.
+5 P Ksch !
Black is gaining morc and more ground. The text
move leaves Whitc no choice, for 4o. P 83 woutd be
answeredby PxP, 4r. ?xP, R-KBr (42. R KBr, 7ZE'//t
K t . K P r h : o r i f 4 r . K , P . K , , K r . h : 4 2 .p . K r , 7.2 72 Vlit
R KBr: anJ rhF RooL pe'.trare, inro ntrirFs i v4h'/z
@'x
i7z %^'/2.
'ffi
40. PxPch PXP t",4t
%2,
4r. P 83 R-QBr ry&TZzt'%
4'. K Q3 Kt Kr!
The e$ect ofhis operationsin the centre: the square
m ' x%
^
Q-4is now available for a Knight.
A beautiful breakthrough, with which Black re-
43. Kt 83 Kt 83! futes the counter-action and increaseshis advantage
T f r r o r 4v 4 . K r . P . r h c n4 4 . . . K r e 4 . - n d b o r h decisively.
'l
Wl,jtcs Queen's-side Prwnssoonhtl. he point ofthis move is revealedin the subsequent
course of the game: Black can always get a passcd
44. R Kt2 P qR3 Pawn c,ut oftbe majority he now obtains on the King's
45. P Kt4 wlng, and th€ advance of this Parvn finally proves
Wl,ite has a bad game, and he can hardty make iresisrible.
anytbing of paxive delence in the long run. His 46. BPxP
qurFni \vire is ucar. he i. rramped in the renrre,
and 6netly hF i. rhredr(n.d h:lh dr. acrion on rhe | . ed.1b' 46. K 82 or 40. K-Kr \ould fail aga;nsr
King's rving, commenc;ng with a break-through by .tb... Kt-qsch, whilst 46. K-K3 can be met by
P-R4 and P R5 and sustainedby ttre invasion ofthe 4b . . . Kt x (IKrP or even 46 . . Kt--K2!
 MEET TgE \iASTERS

46 . . .Kt-K4ch!;.17. K-B2'PXKtP;.{U K Kt3, IX

Kt 85 !; 49. KtxKt. CIIAITER
Againlorced; e.g.4q.R 82, KtxKtch; 50. RxKt,
DR. MACITGIELIS EIIWX
RxKt!; 5r. KxR, Kt!lch, etc.
RxKtj 5o. R Kz, K K4; ')r. R Kr' Dr. NI. Euwe was born at Watergraafsmeeron 2oth
49...
P R4! l4av. rqol It was his mothcr lvho instructed him in
Nluch stronger than capturing the Kl at oncc. the'firsi rudiments of ch€ss. At thc early age of ten
Black geis a passcdPawn on thc King\ Knight\ 61e, he participated in a one-day Christmas congressat
and the win is then eas)'. Amiterdam and won evcr-wgame; but he was never
q8, P Kt6 i 5,+ P xP, launched forth as an infant Prodrgy'
5P. R qr, P R5; 53. R
P xP; 55. R-q3' P Kt7! His chesstalents eraduallv develoPed,albeit at no
Norv 116.R-Kt3 is out of the question, becauseof e ) , o e n sreo l ' . ' r u d i e , a n d D ) I 9 / o h ' h a d a l r e a d y
l " . " m e r h e 1 , . ' d i n ef i g u r c i n D u " l r ' h e ' A vear
R x Kichl, etc. rhe rillP of
r..r.' he oper.Fdhis arn-ral 'ub..ription rn
56. Kt-K2, R x KP; 57. Kt Ktr, R K8! ro d drJw in a
White resigns,since 58 Kt B3ch is ofno avail llutch , hanpion dnd plalcd Nfrro'zt
H ' ( ub-
A lirst-rate achiev€mentin thc realm of end-Play. n.'u,. -ut,h 1. "in, "a'tr.wirh8 drrws
iequently made several successful incorsions into
f,rrcisn ches tonereses.
H! sainedhi. bo, r"r,r" in 1926 "nd in De' ember
'en'ariona!5uc'e'r
l,nui '. .qro-; a, hiered hi: fi 'r
'mall
in,:nn '".'r.h tu Alckhine b; rne cxrremelv
- " r q i n o f . , g d m e '1 0 1 r i r h 5 d r a u ' l n r o r8 he
". '-,*ice de"f."r"db1 Bogollrbor. thoueh 'erin by
thc narowest of margins (2 3 fith 5-draws; and r-3
. i ' r ' r d r a , r . r . l h e . e u ' r e g r a r . r ' h i c r e m ' n t st o r a
pu'e amateur.ond t\e qorld riqhtlv acclaimFdthcm

ln Ioro he scoreda resounding successat Hastings'

toppin!"the ?remier section atread of Capablanca'
'"f''", ft-.t""t'-, defeated bim in a subsequentmatch
bv r o rvith I clrarvs. r93z rvas a good vear' He
bear Spielmann by 2 o lvith e draws and dre1{ t$o
257
258 MEIT THI MASTER.T

matcheswith Ilohr, ivith whom he sharedsecondpiacc

in a tournament at Beme behind Alckhinc.
Then came a brcak in his chesscareer through his
devoting himselfto his mathematical studiestor a lthile.
Alekhine's slight lapse in thc Christmas tournament
at Hastings 1933-4 suddenly gave him the idea ol
chalicnging the norv world champion to another
match, and by thc summer of 1935the great evcnt hnd
been ananged.
In the mcantime be scored trvo more successes,
sharing sccondplace i{ith Flohr belind Alckhine once
again, this time at Zurich, and w.inning the Chrisrmas
tournament at Haslings, in cornpany with Sir George
Thomas and llohr, ahead of Capablanca, Lilienthal,
and Botvinnik.
The dramatic result of his first match against
Alekhine is old history. Three points dotn afier seven
gam€s, he pulled up to equality, only to see hjs re-
doubtable opponent draw away again. Batiiing
gamely, he was still two down at the 1wo-thirdsstage,
but won the t*'entieth, twenty-6rs1,twcnty-fifth, and
twenty-sixth games and .etained h; grip on a now
desperateadversaryto the end.
Euwe's great characteristicis cconomy ol lorce. He
is logic personified, a genius of la$ and order. His
play is accurate and aggressile. One uould bardly
call him an attacking ptaycr, ,vet when his genius is
functioning at its smoothesthe stridesconfidently into
somc extraordinarily complex positions: he is no
disciple of simplicity. \\'orld Cl[hpio. Iq35 7
His great *caknessis a tendenc)'to blunder. Kmoch
asks: "Has he some psychologicalantiparhy to rcal-
 DR, MACI{CIELIS EUWE 259
ism? I am no psychologist,and cannot say. The fact
remains that Eurve commits the most inexplicable
mistakesin thoroughly favourable positions,and that
this weaknesshas consiskndy tarnished his record."
His dnning the world title stimulated him to
some brilliant rcsults during 1956,results which, even
though blcmished by blunders, bear comparison wiih
those ofany world champion before or since. Blunders
alone costhim fiIst place at Zandvoort and Nottingham
and a better standing among the first-board mastersin
the Stockholm Olympiad.
However, in two very strongly contestedtournaments
played at va ous localities in Holland and Germany
respectively, he topped the ljst, above Alekhine on
each occasion. When the return match for the world
championship began, he could look back with satis-
laction on two wins and a draw as the outcome of
their last three encounters, and he added a lurther
win in the 6$t game ofthe match.
Then the ti.le gradually began to turn against him;
we have gone into some of thc posible reasons. The
temporary loss of his "second," Reuben Fine, through
appendicitis, was a sad blow, for Iine collaborated
in opening and adjournment analysis, and it is an
undeniable fact that a great part of Alekhine's suc-
cesswas duc to the almost miraculous analysis that
he put into several positions on adjournment in
co-operatior with his second, Eliskases. Adding this
Id.Ior (o EJ\1cs Lumm:-ion oI even more seriou,
blunders than usual, one is bound to regard the 6nai
margin of6ve points against him as a tremendous ex-
aggeration ofthe real dil)erencebetweenthe players.
 DR. MACITGIELISEU\4aE 26r
26o MEET TIIE MASTERS

He coulcl only reach lourth place in one subsequent deep kno$'ledge of opening theory. Hcre are two
gam€swhich illustratc this.
Dutch t.rurnament, but was terdbly handicapped
through carrying on with his teaching duties through'
out, working atl day and playing in the evenings. I'or ENGAGES THE ENEMY
the A.V.R.O. tournament he had inadequate prcPara- First Illustration
tion, and only rcceived leale of absenceat the very
DR. M. EuwE S. FLoHR
last moment. This probably lvent far io account for
14/hile Bla*
h i s d e p r e s . i n g . r - n ;i r r l . . v - ' , n d h r o { r h " t o u r n a -
menl. hoheicr, n .rrqed a r o m e - b a c t w h i cr (l'rom the tournament ofsix, Amsterdam, r939.)
delighted his supporters and must have restored all
and Capa- QTJEEN'S GAMBM, SLAV DEFENCE
his self-confidencc,beating line, Botvinnik,
blanca (the latter for tlle first time in his life), and I. P Q.4 P-Q+
drawing his rcnaining four games. He faltered a little ,. P qB4 P QBs
in the 1938 9 Christmas congressat Hastings, losing 3. Kt KB3 Kt 83
to Landau and finishing bchnrd Szabo, but he has 4. Kt 83 P-KKt3
"firs1"
sincescoreda {ine in a Dutch toumament above An unusual "modulation" from the Slav Delcnce to
Flolrr, Szabo,and Landau, and has annexedthe Dutch the Grnnleld, which, by thc way, is not too favourable,
championship repeatedly since lor i stancc, he since the passivemove . . . P QB3 n, as a rule, only
crushed the strong player Landau mercilesslyby 5 o satisfactorywhen Whitc has shut in his QB by P-K3.
with 5 dra$s in a match for the championship in
r939. 5 BB4 B-Kt2
In 1939 hc finished first above Viilmar in a tourna- ln a match game between the same adversaries
mcnL at Buda-Pesth. ('93r) 5... PxP; 6. P-QR4, Kt-Q4; ?. B Qr,
In r94r hc beat Bogolyubov in a match by 6l-3; Kt Kt5 was played, and Black got the better of it.
r lery fine achievemcnt. APaIt lronl this, however, Subsequent analysis showed that it should be white
he has-so far as $e can trace pla,vect no tourna- rvho obtains the bcst prospectsafter 6. P K3 (insteadof
ment in Nazi Europe, but h consistentlyoverwhclmed P QRa), e.g. P qKt4; 7. P qR4, Kt Q4; B. PxP,
" l l " p p o ' . r i o n n H o . l a r . t .l , i ' l J r e ' r \ i . L i " n r o p r o r F KtxKt; 9. PXKt, PxP; ro. q Ktr! rcgainingthe
unable to scorc one wnr ovcr him in a match lor the Parsn.
Dutch champiot)shiP being a youthlul newcomer 6. P-K3 o o
namcd van clen Hoek.
The foundation ofEuwe's suc;ess; undoubtcdly his The drawback to Black's method is aoDarent: if he
162 I'LT:T THE MASTIRS DR- MACHCTELIS EU!1'l' 263
wants to make the natural riPoste to B KB4 the . . . Q- Kt5, he coDldstill havegor a reasorrabte
game.
Griinfeld Delencc, namelv . . . P (2B4, his second Norh . , s " r c r' 4 .BK1: rr.KrR+,rdKr Bl.
move would turn out to have been a mr:re waste of ,,. Kt fu q_4,
,6. KR qr
i. q Kt3 P P
White hasplayed the openirrgin his characteristically
He can hardly continucLis develoPmenlotherwise- clean-cut way, to obtarfl a tremenclousadvantage in
development.
8. BxP QKt q2
s. Kt Ks qK' Kt-ql
1 7 .P K 4 P-K3
Useless,as soon bccomesclcar. 9 KtxKt at
He must get in this move at oncc, sirrc r 7
oncc $as t.r be prelerred. Kt KrJ 'ould L\" he"n \e-) .uorglv mFr br r8.
ro. B Kz P-q5. tsut now the luclilessqB is nnpfjnDed behind

Preventing...KtR4. r8. q KB3

KtxKt
q-S' Probablv bciter than 18. q KKr3, Kt 83, dc.
rr. BxKt
rr. O-O Kt Kt3
r9. Kt 85 Kt q'
Paltly as a result ofBlack's weak ninth molc, White
A rathcr neat littlc man.euvre which lorces oII a
has now by lar rhe better prosPects
couplc ofpieces lvithout wasting time, but also wirhout
q Kt3 impro|ing Black's situarion a lot.
20. Kt xKt B^Kt
So as to develop Lis QIl, hhich has bccn tied down 2r-B 86
to thc dcfence of thi: qKLP.
Notc the remo$eless logic: White methodically
,3 q R3 RKr
BB! completeshis devciopmentbefirrc making any offensive
r4. QR-BI
ove.turesJbut the moment the time is ripe he move3
A scarcely natural move, Nith which Black Nastes
more valurble time. With r4 . P QR4, follorvedbv QRI
264 MEET
'T'HE MASTERS DR. M|.CI]CIELIS EV\{'E 265

Q B+ QXP
"t 26. B-Br
r'./t
: a:"t" 26. B 83 would have been better. Now Flohr
tgi'z
vn //4 managesto confuseth€ isue a little.

vh "ffift 2 6 . . . , B-K2
Not 26 . B Ktz; c7. BxB and wins as before.

Ku"'i**G ,7. q Ir4

If r7. qR6, then BxB; 28. PxB, qxP(83).
The Queen is doing quite usefulwork-so \{hite might
With 2r . . . B Ke; :2. P-K5 Black would have rveil have tried to undermine her position on qKtT by
left himself fatally weak on the black squares round 27. R Ktr!, q-Q-5 ("7 . . . QxR?; 28. q-R6, ctc.):
his King. 28. R Kt4!1, q-R8; t9. Q-R41, and White wins,
22. R-85 ! since Biackt occupation of the seventh rank, which
The Rook is untouchable, since Black rvould lose proved so valuable in the actual game, is eliminated.
two Bishopsfor it; 22 . BxR; 23 PxR, and 2 7 - . . . B qB4 !
Black musi leave the qB enPrisein 1liew of the threat
Very well played. 28. R x P is prevented becauseof
Q K3-R6. rB . . . QxBPch, and if 29. K Rr, Q-Kt8 mate. Had
QxP the white Bishop gone to 83 on th€ twenxy-sixthmove,
e3. R-KRs ! PK4
this variation would not have been possible.
Black must hold up Q KR3 at all costs' Another 28. R R6 PR4
rvay ofdoing this was r3 . . . qx P, which 1\rouldhave
It suddenly looks as ifBlack might win!
transnosed back to rhe actual game On the oth€r
h a n d , z : . . . B K t r i v o u l d l o s c :2 4 . B X B , K X B ; 2 5 ' ca. R Q3 BxPch
nxi"h, KxR; e6. qxPch, K moves; 17 R-Q3, forced, for 30. R-KB3 (protecting KB2) followed
q-Kt8ch; e8. B-BI,l-K4; 29. qxB, etc by RxP was thr€atened. 29 . . . B 85 would be no
24. PxP B-K3 defence: 3o. R x P, qx BPch; 3r. Qx q, B x qch;
32. KxB, KxR; 33. R-KR3ch, and mate next move.
Black has to lvastea movc rvith his attacked Bishop,
but he has morc defensiveresourcesthan aPpear on 30. qxB Q,x qch
the suface. 3 r .K x Q P-R5
266 DR, MACHCIILIS EUWE 267
I f 3 6 . . . R x P ; S ? .R X R P , R B 5 c h ;3 8 .K x B ,
RxB; 39.R RBchand matc.
t vt %t"ry.
t
t %,swI 3 7 . P-Ks BXP
7z "& vt 38. R x R P
3 9 .P X R
R xBch
t % 7zfr7)
7zH7/lt 7Z Blackresigns,lor his passedPawnscan now be easily
7zl % - q a stopped:39 . . . BxR; 40. RxB, P qKt4j 4r.
7z VzAVI R qB3, P Kt5; 42. RxP, P Kt6; 43. R-Kt6, etc.,
or 40 . . . ?-84; 4r. R-Q83, P Kr3; 42. R 84,
Holv is White going to ncutralize the menacrng P-R6; 43. R-qR4.
onrush of the Pawns? A garnelike a detectivenovel, with an unexpected
32. B-I(2 t dlnaument or the thirty-secondmove.

This beautifully quiet move is the solution. White Second llustration

is going to screenhis KR3 for use by a Rook, by 33.
DR. M. EuwE L. Sz.q.ro
P Kt4. This leavesBlack no time to queen hir Rook's
Palvn, the 1{,holepoint being that White threat€nsnot Whitr Black
33. P-Kt4, 34. R{q3) KR3, and 35. RxP, but
33. P-Kt4 and 34. R x P at once, which savesa vital q.G.D., HALF-SLAV DEFENCI
move. It seemsa matter of touch and go but is not so
(Irrom the tournamentofsix, Amsterdam,r939.)
in reality as Euwc has every eventualit/ neatly
' P-Q+ PQ+
32- R.-R4 r. P-q84 P-QBg
33. P K t 4 RxP 3. KI-KB3 Kt-83
4. Kt 83 P-K3
Desperation; otherwise 34. RxP would 6nish the
game at oncc, A much keener var;ation than it appears to be, In
3 4 .B x R B85 the fi$t place White has to shur in his qB, since 5.
35. R(q3)-I{R3 BXB B Kt5, P KR3 would force him to give up the minor
36.B 86 R-Kg exchangeby 6. BxKr, nat 6. B-R4, P x P; 7. P R4,
268 MEEI rHE MAsrERs DR. MACHGIELIS EUWE 269

B-Kts; follorved by. . . P-qKt4, and White cannot is not easy to refute a prcparcd variation, even a bad
recover the Pawn. onc I But it is very doubtful whether the variation is
nes ro Lurre and he knor. just whar Io L
5. P-K3 BK2
ro. Kt-qR4 BR3
Avoiding the Meran defence (5 . . . QKt-Qr; 6.
B-Q3,PxP; 7. BxBP, P qKt4; e. B-q3,P qR3; N e i t h c rr o . . . K t R 3 ; r r . q - B z , q 8 2 ; 1 2 .
followed by . . . P 14) in favour of an old and rather B , q , ( r , . . . P 8 4 ; r 3 . F x P ; a n d 1 4 .R B r ) n o r
passiv€line. ro . . . qKt qr; rr. q Br, q R4; 12.B-qz!would
6 B-qs o-o cnableBlack to get in the so essential. . . P-B4, in
tle laucr casebecaus€of (r2 . . . P 84) 13. P qR3
7. o-o PxP
(threatening t4. trtxP a\d 15. PxP), BPXP; 14.
It lvould be better to stick to his original plan and KtxP, B-Kt2; 15.PxP, KBxP; 16-Ki-Kt3l, etc.
completehis d€velopmentby 7... P qKt3, B-Kt2, r r. Kt-Ks
etc., before thinking of complications. The text move
could still lead to a Meran delenceposition but Black ThreateningKtxqBP. lf tslackwants to d€velop
has rvastedvaluable time, through playing 5 . . . B-K2 his Queen\ wing he has nothing bettcr than to ex-
instead of 5 . , . qKt-Q?, as would be evident if the changethe B;shops,cnabtingWhite to strengthenthe
following variation rvere adopted- pressure
on QB5.
B. BxP, P qKt4; 9. B Q3, P-QR3; ro. P K4, BXB
P-B4; rr. PxPl, BxP; 12. P K5, Kt-q4; 13. 1 2 .K t x B QKt-Q2
Kt-K4, B-K2; 14. B-Kts, etc. 13. B Q2 P-QR4
Hoivever, Black has quite other intentions. r4. R Br
B .B X P P-qKt4 Crystal-clearstrategyI
9.BQ3 P-Kt5?
1 4 . . . . RBt
Indeed a naive mistake for a master of this class. r5. P 83
The qBP now becomespermanently weak, and White
15.Q:B3looksattractive;butis notsogood,because
can put ii under fire in a va ety of ways. The fact
of15...PB4l; 1 6 .P x P , K t x P l W i t h t h €t e x t
rhat Black now decidesto complicate the game proves
mole White plans P K4 and B K3, alter which his
t h a tt h e c o m b i n a t i oonf 5 . . . B K : a n d 6 . . . O-O
position would not be far lrom ideal.
lYith 7 . . . PxP isdoubtful.
This whole schemeis an invention of A. Steiner. It I5. Kt-Kt3
270 DR. MACTTCIELISEUW! 271

Or zr . R-Ktr; 22. q-Br!, P R3; !j. P-K4,

1,-Kt4; 24. Q 86, followedby B K3 and B-R7.
22. P ltr.4?
""r4.
ffir.%t'ffi
"n 'm ,A.tthis critical stageWhite succurnbs to a character-
'ffi.% istic iapse and manages to give back his Pawn lor
nothing, in the simplestway. After 22. q-Br, the
%d1&.t gamcwould havebeenoverin a fcw moves.
frffi g 7.^ ( i ) r r . . . P R 3 ; 2 3 .Q B B , q K t r ; 2 4 .R - B r ,
K Re; 25.q B7l, etc.
( i i ) , e . . . q K t r ; 2 3 .q B 6 l , R x B ( o t h e r w i s e
16. Kt-K5 ! White reiains lhe Pawn); 24. R-Br (threatening
2.. 0- BBch,R qi; 26. qxQ, RxQ; 2j. R BBth),
Reluting Black\ $.hole plan; cvcn stronger than R Q'; r:. qR6l and rvinsthroughthe threatof
16. Kt(R4) 85. The qBP is lost, for the black Queen R n8, since t5 . . . q K4 fails against:6. R BB,
cannot guard both the Knight and the attacked Pawn, qxKPch; 2?. K Br, and Blackcannotcheckagain.
whilsl 16 . . . KtxKt; 17. qrKt, P 84 fails against
rB. Kt 86, Q moves; 19. KtxBch, qxKt; 20.
qxRP, €tc. V,ttt"&
1 6 . , . . P84 %tffi
r7. Ktx qBP BxKt W, Vz
I B .P X B *Qr %ft//4
%fr%
rB . . . Kt(Kt3) qp would have been a lirtle better; ffi 72fr
19. Kt q3!, Kt Ktr; 20. Q-B2, but any auempi to 872Hffi
regain the Pawn by ro . . . q-q4 (thrcatcnirg R-Qr) q Q5.L
would fail through 2r. Kt-B+ | (2r . . qxRP; 22.
R Rr, etc.),
23. K-Rr
24. q-82
S-a'
qxP
1 9 .P x K t qx Kr 25. R-Br
2 0 .R x R RXR Norv a very dificult gamc develops. White com-
2r. P-I{t7 RQI mandsmore ofthe board, a circumstancerhich makes
272 MEET TIIE MASTERS D R . MACHCTELTSEn!{E 273

his Bishop stronger than Black's Knight. Black\ Not, of course, 3 5 . B x K t , R x B ; 36. RxP,
advanced Pawns on the queen's side deter him ftom R-qKt4.
exchanging Queens, since their weaknesswould then 35.... K Kt3
become fatal; this very inability to allow exchangeof 36.P B4
qucens causeshim a lot of trouble in view of White's
possessionof the QB file. Euwe handles this part of Eradicating thc possibility of Kt 83 (e.g. afrer
the game with splendid accuracy. 36. R-R? ?).
2 5 . . , . P-R3 36.,,. Kt-Xts
c6. B-K3 Q-Kt4 37. B 83
27. K-Ktr Rq6
rB. K 82 P-Kt6? Simply 37. P-R3, Kt 83; 38. K K3, Kt-Kr; 39.
R-Q7, followed by B B3 and R-R7 would have been
Promoting the very exchangeheshould have avoided.
good enough.
Hc could have put up a betier resistanceby a waiting
O, 3j . . . P K4; 38. B 83, Kt 83; 39. K-B3,
move such as ,8 . . . R qr (?9. q 85, q Rs or ,9.
Pxl; 4().KxP follo$'edby R R7.
Q n6, Q-Ra). In another master this move wouid have been dis-
Dr. Eulve norv forces an end-game,which is, rather
missed as a mere flourish, bui such a gesture is quite
curiously, a clear-cut win.
foreisn to Euwe. It is merely that he seeshe can lorce
19. P qR4 ! PXQ a distant passed Pawn which, with the faratridins
30. P x Q R Kt6 Bishop against Knight, ,"16r,according to his beloved
3r. R x P RxP(Kt4) principles, win. So he marchcs for this theoretically
3?. R BBch KR2 ryon position by the most di.cct way.
33 8Q4
KtxP
Thc threats of R-qRg and B 83 now cost Black the 38. R R7 Kt Kt5
gam€. 39. R xRP RXR
33.... Kt Q2
34.R B? If he l€avesthe Rooks on, the procedurewill be
Ifg4. R-QR8 at once,then34 . . . Kt 84;35.8-83,
P-Kt4, P Kt5, B-q4, P-Kr6, R R7, etc.
P R5, etc. 4o. BxR P-84
94.,,. Kt-K4
35. K-K2 The King could not march alongthe rank at once,
2?4 MEET TIIE MAS?ERS DR. MACHCIELIS EUWE 275
since40 . . . K 83 would be answeredsimply by 4r. "b
B-QBch; or'40 . . . P-K4; 4r. P-B5ch,K-83??; 1 : H'
42.B qB matell & * r y ,
White's passedPawn dominatesthe rest of tLe %.tb"
game. % ^ & a %"4&
4r. P-Kt{, Kt 83; 42. P Kt5, KtxP; 43. zz. /,
B-Kt4, momenta ly stalematingthe Knight. 43 . . .
I(t-Blt
46. B q6,
44. P Kt6, Kt-q2;
K Kts; 47. K-Q3,
45. P Kt7, K-R4 i
K-R4; 48. K-84,
K-KtJ; 49. K-Kts, K B2i 50. K 86, K Kr.
Kr&,",''
",7
1hc Bishops on opposireiy colour€d squares make
rhe draw almost inescapable.
Blrck deride, rhi. very difhrutr endirg by meansof
a mosrstriling combinarionrl,our rselvF movFsdeep.
The leitmotifs of the position are-
(r) Black wins if he can get two connected passed
Parvns.
(, Black wins if he can get a pawn majo ty on
each wing.
30.... B-Bt
. . . R KTrh 31610'u.ricafl1lorLing
5 r . B B B l , P K t 4 ; 5 2 .B x P , P x P ; 5 3 . B x P , ,..Tl,rratening3r
P X4; 5j. B Kt5, Kt Ktrch; 55. K q6, P-Ks;
56. K K5, Kt R3; 57. KxP, K q2; 58. B-84 3r. R-Kr PQz
P K6; 59. P-KI8(Q). 3r. R-qr R-Ks
Blackresisns. 33. B-K5
lvhite is repcatedly d€nied aU choice of moves.
Thi':.I l|lusttation After 33. RxP, RXPch Whire would lose either the
QRP or the KtP as wctl.
E. Krrrx DR. M. EuwE
Whitz Black 33.... R-Rs
34. R-q6 RQs
(From the Congressat Hastings, r93B-9.) 35 8-85
276 ]\'EET THE I{,\STERS DR. M]ICHCIELIS EUWE 277
White had to attach the Rook, since 35 . . B R5 K-Kt3 i 50.B Kr6, K R4; 5r. K Bz, K Kt5; 5r.
$as thrcarened, and after 35 8 K5, R q6 the qRP B-QB, P Kt4; 53. B K7, B Kr2 ; 54. K-Kg, B-Br ;
falls. 55. K K4, K R4; 56. K K3, P-KKI5; 57. K 82,
35.... RxPch P Kt6cht 58. PxP, P-R6; 59. B q6, K Kt5;
36.K K3 60. B-Kt4, B-Ktr; 6r. K Ktr, Kxp! and White
resigned.
If 36. K-Kt3, thcn 36 . . R B6ch; 37. K R4,
P KR3; 38.P Kt5, B Qr, and Fourth Illusttation
RXP In the sametournamentEuwereachedthe followins
37.B x P pn,ir;onaga;nsttrfilnc'.BJrrysirer{5 mo\""

No$ it scemsas if White drarvs casily, since the qP

goes; but we havc not seen half of the combination

3 7 . . . R KRS !
38. B Ktg
'fhe
only rvay to savc both Pas'ns.
38.... R-R6ch
j9. B Kt3 P-R4
4o. l(rP PR5
ar. B-Q6 46. P R5
"focus" square' wher€
. And norv the BishoP is on a A malicioustrap.
it is loaded with thc task of guardnrg both white's BXP?
46.,..
Pawns, so cannot move without loss
47. It-B2
4r.... K It3
B-q4! r nrearenrngboth ts-ti-t3.h and R B6ch B5ch.
42. K Br
47. . . . K-K+
At Iastl Wltile musr lose a second Pa 'n and the
qame.Playwent43.B KtB'RxP(qR6) ;4-r' R Krch' ._Wirh or tvirhourrherk. 48. P Kr r win. thc game.
K n z ; + , t .R B r c h , R B 6 ; 4 6 . R x R , B x R ; 4 ? ' | -4? . . B K'3rlr. rhen 48. R B. P. Rr 49.
K Qz, F Krt4; 48. K K3' B 83; 49. B 87, f Kr3,h. There fotlo*ed aB. p Kt3, R <p; 49.
 \,IEET .lH! ASTERS DR. MACIICIELIS EU1VE 279

K Kt2, R-R4; 50 R R6, B-(t3; 5I. B I(t6' and If rT . . . q Br, then e8. qR qr, threatening29.
BIack r€signed. Bx? or 29. Kt Kt6-KTch or 29. P-Q7.
28. qxPch KR2
fiftl Illustration
DR. M. EuwE S. ILoER The alrernativelr'as z8 K Rr; 29. RrR,
t4rhite Blaek alxP; 30. Kt-Kt6ch, K Rr; 3r. Kt K7, R_g,r (if
3r . . . R Bz, the\ 32. (Z-KtGchand n RBrn); 32.
B ,R l w i r hr h ed e a d tri h r F d r , t . t .BB5 c h j. : . . . e - Q 5
wouldrlioq .r rhril]ine6ni.h. I I. u e5.t'. r n,i ia.
R Kr, Q Q7;35. Kt-Kt6ch,K Rr; 36.qx KKtpcLl,
K x Q_; 37. R-K7ch, K-Ktr ; r8. B K6 mare.
2 q .R x R qxP
The tlrreat was 3(). Bxl,, R qKrr; 3r. B Bj
Iollo$edby R R7. And z9 . . . Q Kr wouldsuccumb
to 3o . . P Q7. White'snext movemakesa crash.

(From the A.V R.O tourneY ) 30. B K4ch ! KRI

24. P B5l I Or 3o . . . KrxB,3r. Q-Bsch, erc.

in somc Jj. Kt K16ch K R2

Threatening Kt 84 and also P 86 Kt-K?cL
32. Btack resigned

PxP A combinarion in Euwe's very best styte. The initial

?5. Kt B4 qA' sacrifice rvas perfectly sound, and thc wholc com-
bination went through with murderous exactitude.
Neither25 . . KtxKtP (?6.Kt Kt6, RxR; 2?
RxR, q qI; zB.KtxR,qxKt; r9. P-Q6follorved
Uy R-qi ana possibly
B R3) nor z5 . . Q Bz (16'
P Q6, iollouedby KtxP and BrP) would be anv

26.KtxP Kt xKtP
,7. P Q6 RXR