• ~ . .. ,• , . .... • .' .. • l( • J • , • • # . • " . • • • •• • . , \ • \ ' .. >­ ( \-' - .,: ' • . '. \"'. .. - • • • ,• . " • .# - -f • • ,.- • .i:- \ ,; I. S. TUROV(R "The Greot Chess Lonr" ( ~e page 4 17 ) Volume XXIII Number 11 November, 1968 EDITOR: Burt Hochberg CONTENTS PRESIDENT Marshall Rohland Observation Point, by Mira Radojcic ...................................................... 395 VICE·PRESIDENT Kavalek IBM Winner ...................................................................... ... ... 398 Isaac Kashdan Another Fischer Triumph ................................................................. ..... 399 SECRETARY Dr. Leroy Dubeck Rating Reports Received ... .. ........... ... .. .................................................. 399 Chess life, Here and There ........................................................... .400. 423 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR E. B. Edmondson Two New Titles, by Bent Larsen ........................................................ ... .40 1 The Unglamorous Endgame, by Robert Byrne ...................................... 402 REGIONAL VICE·PRESIDENTS The Art of Positional Ploy, by Sammy Reshevsky ................................ ... .405 NEW ENGLAND James Bolton Thomas C. Barham Benjamin Landey Something to Analyze, by Pal Benko .. ... .. ... ... ... ... ............................... .406 EASTERN The Openings in the Candidate Matches. by Bernard Zuckerman ........ 408 Lorry Evans on Chess ... .... ......... ... .. .... .. ... .... ... ...................................... .. .4 15 "",ID·ATLANTIC Steve Caruthers Dr. Fred A. Sorensen The Great Chess Laver ..... ..... .. .. ... .. ........ .... .................................... ..... .. 4 17 Lewis Huckl U.S. Open Crosstable ... ..... ... .... .. ...... .... ... ..... ............................ ... .. .. ..... ... 4 17 SOUTHERN PhlUp Lamb Robert Cole Donald Schultz 12 x 12 ................................ ............. ..... ... ......... .. ..................... ... .... .. .... 4 19 GREAT LAKES Robert Byrne Merrimack Grand Prix .......................................................... ... .... .. ....... 420 V. E. Vandenburg Theodore Pehnec Lobor Day Roundup ....................... .. .............. .. .. .................... .. .... ......... 421 NORTH CENTRAL Dr. GeorJ'e Tie rs Peter Wolf New Ideas in Sets ............ ......................... ...... ...... ....................... .. ..... ... 425 Aleksander Llepnleks Industrial Chess. by Matt Pavitt .......................... ............... ..... .... .. .. .. .... 424 SOUTHWESTERN John A. Howe ll Robert S. Briefer Dr. Alfred Sorensen Benko's Baff1ers, by Pol Benko ............................................ .. ................ 426 PACIFIC A. M. Gardner Tournament Life ............ ....................................... ... ... .. ... ... .. .... .............428 Burrard Eddy Col. Chnles D;o.ly NATIONAL CHAIRMEN .nd OFFICERS ARMED FORCES CHE.S.. .............. Robert. Karch COLLEGE CHESS .. ........................ Peter Meschter COUNSIL • TREA.UR.R ........ Davld Hoffmann INDUSTRIAL CH& ................Matth.w A. Pavitt JUNIOR CNEGS .................... ................ Robert Erku MASTERS AFFAllt. ..........................Robert Byrne JOIN THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION NOMINATIONS .......... .......... .......... ........ Peter Cook RATINGS ...AIRINOS ...... .............. Arpad E. Elo USCF Is a non·proflt democratic organization. the offiCi al Gover ninG bod)' and FIDE \Wor ld TAX DEDUCTIBILITY... ................. Harold Dondl. Chess Federation) unit for cheS5 in the l:SA. Anyone IntereMed In a dvancln~ ,\mcrican chess TOURNAMENT ADM.... ....... Geor'e Koltanowlkl Is elJglble for membership, with be ne fits w hich include .. CIIESS un: . ub..,riptl on and ell4: ibiUty TOURNAMENT RULES.................. Jam., Sherwin for USCF ratlna. U. S. CHAMPIONSHIP........ ...... .... Maudce Kuper WOMEN'S CHESS.......... ...................... Ev. Aron80n Rell",lar Membership: 1 yur, SlO.oo; 2 Ye ars. $19 .00; 3 ~· ur •. $2':' .00. Junio.- Membenhip Women" lnternaUon.I.. ............ K.tllryn Slater (Under 11 at expiration dale): I year, $5 .00 : 2 years . $9 .SO; 3 ,- nrs. 513.50. Sust.ining Mlmber­ ship (becomes Life afler 10 consecutive annual paymentsf: 520.00. Once a Sustaining Member­ ship hIS begun, each successive }'ear's dues m ust Ix' pa id bc f o r ~ the expiration date. Other· wille, the sustaining cycle starts o.-er again at )'ear one and at "" hate"er rales are then In etteet. Life Memb.rshlp: $200.00. WORLD CHESS FEDERATION CHESS LIFE Is published monthly b}' USC. and enter ed :1$ s«ond·cla" matler at East (F.I.D.E,1 Dubuque, IIl1nol5. Non·member I-yr. subscription: 56.S0 ( 57 . ~0 outside USA); sln,le copy: 6So: (7~ outside USA). Chanlle of addreu: Aliow sir: weeks nollee; please give us both the new address Fred Cramer and the old address, includin g the numbers and dalCS on the top line of your stencil. Vice-President, Zone 5 (U.S.A.) Address all communications, and mike aU checks payable to: UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION, 479 Broadw.y. N.wbur..... N,Y. 12.550 394 CHESS LIFE by Miro Radojcic Spassky Once Agoin It happened that three former World Champions gathered Tal, and who, like Larsen earlier, committed the same in Moscow in early September: two of them, Botvinnik and mistake: in his nervousness, he wanted to equalire at any Smysiov, were saying good·bye to the third, Dr. Max Euwe, price, and of course the price was too high. Korchnoi lost just as Boris Spassky and Victor Korchnoi were about to the fourth game and for all practical purposes this was the start the first ,arne of their match in Kiev. The following end of the match for he was already down 1-3. It was not conversation is reported to have taken place before the so much that he lost, but the mlnner in which he lost this former champions parted. game that poses the question about the "strategy of the "What openin, do you think they will play in the first unknown," which, to judge by this example, is no strategy game-Closed Sicilian, perhaps?" someone wondered. at all. "Not at all," said Botvinnik. The strange phenomenon thus far was that Black was "Why not-didn'l Spassky use It so effectively in his getting the better of it all the time, and this would have matches with Geller and Larsen?" been 100% true had Spassky won the sensational sixth game "This is exactly the reason he will not use it in the first after securing a draw from an inferior position in the fifth. game of this malch," Botvinnik insisted. But It was as If someone was trying to prove that we can­ "And what will be the outcome of that first game?" not have a moment in our lives without irony-Spassky ac­ "A draw," said Smyslov, resolutely. tually lost the game which had all the attributes of great­ While this outcome was rather easy to predict because ness until his incredible blunder on his 25th turn. So a no one is eager to risk much in the very first game, it was game which was his best eventually became his worst, but very difficult, almost impossible, to predict the final result this was no help to Korchnol. This master of defense simply of the whole affair-or so it seemed. For here we had two could not find his form and was actually slaughtered in the players so equally matched that it was hard to find any seventh game, the first one of this match in which the quality in which one could be given any advantage over the player of the White pieces came out on top. other. The age difference certainly was of no importance Once again two points down, Korchnoi had to try some· here-Korchnoi at 37 could not be handicapped in this de­ tbing, but the eighth game was one more case of purpose­ partment against Spassky at 31. Their health, talent and less opening strategy and inadequate play afterwards. The experience had similar marks, and if Korchnoi's tournament result was another disaster for Korchnoi. The score now results of late were more impressive than Spassky's, the stood at 5~·2~, and it was child's play for Spassky to make latter was more impressive in the matches. There was not one point from the remaining four games (the final match much arguing about their technical equipment either: neither was best·of·twelve). Spassky left the impression that in each was considered a "book" player and both were known for suC(!eed ing match he was winning with greater ease, although their readiness to choose very old or very adventurous roads every new opponent was supposed to be stronger. in search of victory. And now once again we have more of the same: some­ With all this said, my impression was that a tiny major­ where, sometime next spring, Boris Spassky will face Tigran ity of the people with whom I talked-among them some Petrosian. For a chess player, this now becomes the only well· known Grandmasters-were inclined to bet on Korch­ fact of life that really matters-and what could be more noi, although I could not find exactly why. If only facts interesting than to hear two former World Champions and were considered, the opposite would have been more under­ the reigning king discuss what they think about this future standable, for it was Spassky who had more experience in fiesta of the chess world. this kind of fight, and furthermore, he was the winner of Kotov, who reported the Kiev encounter for a Belgrade the same affair thrce years ago. Yet Korchnoi's reputation paper, put this question to both Botvinnik and Smyslov. is strange; he is considered something of an enigma, some­ Botvinnik's comment was: "Boris Spassky has come