- . -- Drawing by Bob Brandreth UNITED STATES Vn luml' XXIII Number 12 O"C~ m b er , 19611 EDITOR: Burt Hochberg CONTENTS PRESIDENT Marshall Rohland The Larsen Opinion ................. .... ................. ... ... ...... ....... .... ........... ..... 435 VICE·PRESIDENT Isaac Kashdan Chess life, Here and There ........ ... ......... ................ ... ... .... .. .438, 442, 443 SECRETARY Battles on the Danube, by Fra nk Skoff .. .. .. ..... .. .. .. .. .......... ... ......... .. .....· .. 439 Dr. Leroy Dubeck EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Olympiad Final ..... .. ... .. ... ............ ... .. ... .. ... ... ... ........... ............. ... ... ..... .. ... 442 E. B. Edmondson Keres Annotates, by Paul Keres ..... ............ ............... ... .. .............. ....... .. 444 REGIONAL VICE·PRESIDENTS The Negative Sacrifice, by Anthony Sa idy .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. ....... 450 NEW ENGLAND J ames Bolton Thomas C. Barham Benjamin Landey Observation POint, by Mira Radojck ..... .......... ............. ... ........ .... .. .... .. .451 EASTERN Larry Evans on Chess ............... .. ... ... ..... .... ..... ... .... ... .... ......................... 452 MID·ATLANTIC Steve Caruthers Or. Fred A. Sorensen The Openings in the Candidate Matches Po rt Two Lewis Huek s , , by Bernard Zuckerman .............. ..... ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ................... .. ....... 455 SOUTHERN Phlllp Lamb Robert Cole Donald Schultz 12 X 12, by E. B. Edmondson .. ....... ..... ......... .. ... .. .. ... .. ......... ....... .... .. .. .. .459 GREAT LAKES Robert Byrne V. E. V andenburg Theodore Pehnec Benko's Bafflers, by Pol Benko ......... ....................................... .. ........ ... .459 NORTH CENTRAL Dr. George Tie rs Peter Wolf Tournament Life .. ... .. ... ... ... ... ........... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ..... ..... ... .. ...... ..... .......... 461 Aleksander Liepnleks SOUTHWESTERN John A. Howell Robert S. Brieger Dr. Alfred Sor ensen PACIFIC A. M . Gardner BurraI'd Eddy Col. Charles Daly NATIONAL CHAIRMEN .nd OFFICERS JOIN THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION Byrne Cook E. Elo USCF Is a non·proflt democratic organization, the official governing body and FIDE (World Dondis Chess Federation) Wllt for chess In the USA. Anyone Inte rested in advanclnil American chess Is ellilble t or membership, with benefits which Include a CHESS LIFE su bscription and eliglbiUty for USCF n.UDa:. Regular Membership: 1 year, $10.00; 2 years, $19.00; 3 years, $27.00. Junior Membtlnhip WOMEN'S CHESS. ............................... Eva IUnd er 21 at expiration d ate): I year, $5 .00; 2 years, $9.50; 3 years, $13.50. Sustaining Member· Women'. Intern.tion.I. ............. Kathryn ihlp (becomes We after 10 co nsecut ive a nnual payments): $20.00. Once a Sustalnlnil Member­ ship has belun, each successive year's d ues must be paid before the e xpiration date. Other· wise, the sustaining cycle starts over again at year one and at whatever rates are then In effect. Life Membership: $200.00 . WORLD CHESS FEDERATION CHESS LIFE is publlshed monthly by USC F and entered as second·class matter at East Dubuque, lUiDois. Non.member ,.yr. $ub$Crlption: $6.50 (,7.50 outside USA); slnele copy: 65~ (75<;' (F.!.D.E.) outside USA). Change of "ddreu: Allow six weeks noUce; please give U8 both the new address and the old address, including the numbers and dates on the top line of your stencli. Fred Cramer Vice-President, Zone 5 (U.S.A.) Address all communlcatjons, and make all checks payable to: UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION, 479 Broadway, NeWbur,h, N.Y. 125S0 ... CHESS LIFE THE LARSE OPI An Interview With Bent Larsen Editor's Nota: The following interview was granted by Larsen: 1 think that Korchnoi just now is playing very well, the Danish Grandmaster to Mr. Bell Crane 01 Ann Arbor, and I think he has a very good chance of beating Spassky. Michlgan, during Larsen's recant exhibition tour ot the Spassky is playing as if he doesn't enjoy it very much. United States. Mr. Crane used a tapa recorder lor the in· terview. Crane: What is the reason for that? Crane: You have recently become a "chess professionaL" Most Larsen: No special reason. His style during the last few years masters, however, have found that they need another line of has developed away from the very enterprising chess he used work to supplement their income. What factors led you to to play. He has become very much a waiting player, which this decision? probably cost him the match against Petrosian, in my opinion. The only exception to this could be seen in the three games Larsen: I don't know whether you can say I've become a chess he won against Geller, but probably he felt he could beat professional recently. I have made a living as a chess player Geller in many ways, and that Geller is not a player who since I left high school when I was seventeen. But it was likes to defend, Apart from that match he has been playing only about four or five years ago that it became a real pro­ very Iiltle attacking chess over the last few years. I think he fession, because before that I was just living as a modest has developed away from his natural style, in fact. student. It has not been a decision that I have taken suddenly, I just drifted into it. Now it appears that is very possible in Crane: Of course it would depend on who the challenger is, Denmark to make a Jiving from chess playing, chess writing, but do you believe Petrosian will be able to defend his title? and sometimes on radio and TV. Of course it is better when Larsen: Against Korchnoi, I don't believe it. Against Spassky, you are winning money prizes than when you don't do well, I don't know. Spassky is a little afraid of Petrosian, and if but I think theoretically it would be possible for me to make it weren't for that I wouldn't give Petrosian many chances. a living as a chess player without playing at aU-just writing, He has not obtained very good results as a World Champion, giving exhibitions, and so on. a~d I think it's time he found a successor. Crane: Why did you decide to compete in such "minor" tour· Crane: Botvinnik was, perhaps, understandably disturbed when naments as the U. S. Open and the Canadian Open? he was denied a return match with Petrosian. Do you feel that the World Champion, if dethroned, should be granted Larsen: This is a kind of tournament I've never played in an automatic rematch? before, and I found it could be fun for a change. When I came back from my match with Spassky I intended to pause Larsen: No, I don't think so. In the case of Botvinnik, these for several months, not playing in any tournaments, but then matches had the justification that Botvinnik did not play I found out that this was also a good way of relaxing. very much. Botvinnik has always been working as an engi­ neer, and he didn't participate in many tournaments, so Crane: To what do you attribute your loss to Spassky? several times he was very badly prepared for his match for the world title. In this case it seemed more or less natural Larsen: The main reason would be the way FIDE President to give him the right to a rematch. But on the whole I think Rogard organized this match. He did this in a way which I that the chess world or FIDE should encourage the World can only describe as scandalous. Both players and the organi· Champion to make himself seen a little more than Botvinnik zations were very dissatisfied. He did not even do it through did. It is so difficult to get through the qualification tourna­ the Swedish Chess Federation or the local chess club-it was ment for the world championship that it is a little too much just a private arrangement. I don't understand why he wanted for a successful challenger to have to give a return match to organize the match under these very bad economic condi­ one year later. I am against return matches. I know that tions, with very bad organizers, when he could haVe had the Botvinnik feels he was treated very badly by the FIDE, be· match in another country under very good economic condi­ cause in the end they took away this rule. But I think he tions for the players and their federations. The federations was treated very nicely by the FIDE because they had this had to pay traVel expenses and everything. The first prize rule for many years. Many of the other leading Russian in this match was 1000 Swiss francs, or a little more than masters have had the feeling that Botvinnik had too much 200 dollars. Both Spassky and I were very depressed by this. to say within the FIDE when he was Champion. We had a meeting with Rogard the evening before the match started and he made it very clear that he thought the players Crane: Dimitrije Bjelica once asked various Grandmasters should not make any money on these FIDE tournaments. If about their shortest games. Have you produced any notable that is the way he wants it, I think he'll very soon see that miniatures? the FIDE's championship is considered a kind of amateur world championship, and then other sponsors might very Larsen: I am not too sure about the shortest win against a well get the idea to arrange a professional world champion. Grandmaster, but it is more than twenty moves. The shortest ship. As I see it, when there is something like a match be· loss against a Grandmaster was against Bisguier in Zagreb tween Spassky and me, when Rogard has, so to speak, some· 1965, and that was eighteen or nineteen moves. In a junior thing to sell, he should not sell it as cheaply as possible. If tournament in 1952 I remember winning a game against a you consider the fact that the players probably used several No .... vegian player in fourteen moves, and he was not bad. I months in preparation for the Candidates' tournament (the don't care very much for miniatures.