Volume XXIII Number 1 July. 1968 EDITOR: Burt Hochberg CONTENTS PRI!!SIDENT Marshall Rohland Second Grand Prix de Monaco, by Robert By rne .................................... 239 Monte Corio 1968, games annotated by Larsen, Botvi nn ik, VICE·PRESIDENT Isuc Kashdan ond Smyslov ...................................................... ............... .... ... ...... 24 1 The Opening of the Future?, by Po l Benko ................... .. .. ... .... .............. 245 SECRETARY Dr. Leroy Dubeck Chess life, Here and There .................................... 246, 253, 254, 264, 274 EXECUTIVE D1RICTOR Observation Poi nt, by Miro Radojcic .................................................... 247 E. B. Edmondson Keres Wins in Bamberg ............................................................ .. .......... 250 REGIONAL VICE·PRISIDENTS Pachmon On the Ope nings, by Ludek Pachman .................................... 251 NEW ENGLAND James Bolton Thoma. C. Buham Ell Bourdon Fi rst Knoc kout, by Bernard Zuckerman ................................................ 255 EASTERN Robert LaBelle AII~n Kaufm.n Keres Annotates, by Paul Keres ............................................................ 260 MI~hu l R.lmo The Art of Posi tionol Ploy, by Sammy Reshevsky ................................ 262 MID·ATLANTIC St"'e C.ruthers Robert Erkes Dr. Fred A. Sorensen Colorado Hosts U.S. Open ............................................................ ........ 265 SOUTHERN Philip Lamb PC't~ r LaMe From My Notebook, by Pa ul Keres ........................................................ 266 RObert Cole GREAT LAKES Robert 8),rne Lorry Evans On Chess ............................................................................ 268 Or. Han'ey MeCtelian V. E. VandenburC A Computer World Champion?, An Interview with Botvinnik, NORTH CENTRAL Or. Clor,e Tlen Robert Lerner by Dimitrije Bj elico ................................................ ..... .. .. .. ............. 27 1 Peter WoU SOUTHWESTERN W. W. Crew Letters ................ ...... .. ....................................................... ... ... .... ... ........ 273 John A. Howell Robert S. Brleler Be nko's Baffle rs, by Po l Ben ko .. ........................................... .. .... ............. 274 PACIFtC Burnrd Edd)' Kenneth Jones A. M. Gardner Ro ting Re ports Received ..... ....................... .. .... .. .............. .... .................. 276 Tournament Life ...................................... ...................................... .. .. ... .277 NATIONAL CHAIRMEN and OFFICERS Karch .•. .•. ... JOIN THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION USCF Is a non·proflt democraUc or"nballon. the o ffldal 5: o".,rning bod}' and FIDE IWorld Ch.,ss Fed.,ration) un it fo r chen In the USA. 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Cha nge of add,eU: Allow SIX weeki noUee; plene live us both the new addre.. Fred Cramer and t he old address, Including the numbers and dales on Ihe top line of your stencil. Vice-PresideDt, Zone IS (U.S.A.) Address all communleaUOnS, and make all checks payable to: UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION, 419 Broadway, Nlwbur,h, N.Y. 12550 238 CHESS LIFE he gave away the ending by several mis· takes. Even his win from Uhlmann was more than suspect, since his opening SECOND GRAND PRIX idea was at best dubious and required strong support from his opponent to justify itself. The tournament was directed with ex­ DE MONACO traordinary dedication and savoir·faire by AJI>eric O'Kelly de Galway. What I mean can best be illustrated by his skill· In the second funning of what is shap­ the point. Throughout his long game ed handling o( a certain difficulty that ing up as one of the most important tOUf­ with Padevsky he showed beautiful posi· arose in regard to the eleventh-round nament series in chess, it was Bent Lar­ tional technique and he surprised Port· encounter between Byrne and Padevsky. sen all the way. Even a star -studded field isch with the ancient Scotch Opening After the game was adjourned, 1 took a of twelve Grandmasters out of fourteen to win an important point. brief look at the position, decided my entrants was unable to muffle his win­ I came fifth with 8 points compiled in opponent could draw easily and button­ ning punch as he piled up seven wins games of all sorts. At times I played in holed him in the hotel lobby, offering a and five draws for an Impressive 9"h. the "European draw style" that Dr. Tri· split point. He accepted, but some min· points. From start to finish he was never funovic recommends I learn, taking early utes later returned, in some agitation, to out of the lead although Botvinnik, Smy­ draws against Smyslov and Forinlos in tell me that he wanted to resign because slov and I kept the pace for quite a positions that were slightly in my favor. his sealed move was a blunder. We while. One of Larsen's prominent capac­ But at other times I willingly ventured consulted O'Kelly who said he would ities is his tortuous change of pace. In into positions so complex and difficult announce his decision in a half hour. his game with Gheorghiu he sacrificed a as to be outside the control of either Whereupon he retired to his room. Ex· pawn Cor positional considerations and player. In my Winawer French with Bot· actly a half hour later he returned and won classically In the manner of a vinnik, we found ourselves in a posi­ declared the game drawn, so far not Capablanca. But against Botvinnlk, oU­ tion so dangerous by the 25th move that having gone beyond the call of duty and beat Nimzovichean strategy left him neither player dared break off a repeti· the FIDE rules. But now comes the best treading the brink of a precipice and tion of moves. Byrne-Uhlmann, another part-that which far exceeds the mini­ only cold-blooded Lasker·lIke tactics Winawer FrenCh, started with a risky mum o( correctness in a tournament di­ brought about his escape with a hal{­ opening innovation by the first player, rector. To cheer up the by now discon­ point. was shortly after saluted by a daring solate Padevsky, he had analyzed the Late in the tournament, round 12 to Knight sacrilice by the second player position to a fo rced draw, beginning be exact, he surprised me by playing it and later ran to a time-pressure endgame with Padevsky's sealed '·blunder." What safe and accepting a draw with Smyslov which I won despite post-mortem assur· more could be asked of any tournament when his position was superior. That ances from Smyslov that it should have director? draw assured him of at least a tie for been drawn. My best errort, my last· And now for my best game from the first place even if he lost in the last round win from Larsen, I comment on tournament. round and Botvinnik were to win. I re­ below. ALEKHINE'S DEFENSE marked to him that 1 didn't know he was Sharing the sixth and last prize and R. Byrne B. Larsen so practical, and he replied emphatically seventh and eighth places were Benko, 1. P·K4 N·K83 that, yes, he was. There is no question Gheorghiu and Portisch wi th 7'h points. I was not really expecting this that he fully deserved his Monaco vie­ Benko complained of fatigue resulting defense, since this was the last tory, another in his almost unbroken from his strenuous efforts at Lake Tahoe round and all Larsen needed to as· skein of triumphs over the past two just prior to this tournament. On the sure first prize was a draw. But his years. White side of his favorite English Open· choice is not as strange as it might ap­ Botvinnik played steady, solid chess in ing he built up positional advantage pear, since these days he is the leading taking second prize with 9 points. He against Botvinnik only to sacrifice a authority 011 Alckhine's Defense, while might have achieved a tie for first had piece unsoundly and go down to defeat. he has rarely shown any liking for l. he continued his last round game with As he meandered dazedly away from the ....... ., P-K4 and the consequent defense Damjanovic in which Uhlmann and I, table, he kept muttering: "All I could of a Ruy Lopez. analyzing it later that evening, consider­ think of was tbe headline in the papcrs­ 2. P·KS N·Q4 3. N-QB3 ... .... ed he bad good chances. But he offered BENKO SACRIFICES KNIGHT; BEATS This move is new for me, but I wanted a draw fairly early, notwithstanding the BOTVINNIK!" It was a clear case of to avoid my former preference, 3. P·Q4, fact that I had an advantageous position counting your headline before the chick· P-Q3; 4. N·KB3, because I have not come against Larsen. Indeed, he had scarcely en has hatched. up with a good answer to Larsen's new· left the tournament hall when I estab­ Gheorghiu was definitely the hard esl Idea-4 ......... , PxP; 5. NxP, P-KN3, lished a sure win. His renowned attack­ luck player of the tournament, throwing with which he defeated Jimenez in Palma ing play showed itself in two fine wins away three or four winning posltions de Mallorca. against Portisch and Padevsky, but he through carelessness or shoddy tech· 3.