[blind-chess] Annotated Game #173: Salo Flohr - Efim Geller, Moscow 1949
- From: "Roderick Macdonald" <rjmacdonald@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Blind-Chess Mailing List" <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2014 13:40:51 -1000
Annotated Game #173:
Salo Flohr - Efim Geller, Moscow 1949
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Contents:
++1. Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr
++1.A Early life
++1.B Early successes
++1.C World title contender
++1.D Excels in Chess Olympiads
++1.E Match results
++1.F Official challenger, personal crisis
++1.G Soviet citizen, recovers form
++1.H Achievements and legacy
++1.I Notable chess games
++1.J Writings and further reading
++2. Efim Petrovich Geller
++2.A Early life
++2.B Grandmaster
++2.C World title Candidate
++2.D Beating the best
++2.D1 Lifetime scores against top grandmasters
++2.E Legacy
++2.F Notable chess games
++3. Salo Flohr - Efim Geller, Moscow 1949
++1. Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr
Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr (November 21, 1908 - July 18, 1983) was
a leading Czech, and later Soviet, chess grandmaster of the
mid-20th century, who became a national hero in Czechoslovakia
during the 1930s. His name was used to sell many of the luxury
products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, slippers and
eau-de-cologne. Flohr dominated many tournaments of the pre-World
War II years, and by the late 1930s was considered a contender for
the world championship. However, his patient, positional style was
overtaken by the sharper, more tactical methods of the younger
Soviet echelon after World War II. Flohr was also a well-respected
chess author, and an International Arbiter.
++1.A Early life
Flohr had a troubled childhood beset by personal crises. He was
born in a Jewish family in Horodenka in what was then Galicia,
Austria-Hungary (now in Ukraine). He and his brother were orphaned
during World War I after their parents were killed in a massacre,
and they fled to the newly-formed nation of Czechoslovakia.
Flohr settled in Prague, gradually acquiring a reputation as a
skilled chess player by playing for stakes in the city's many
cafes. During 1924, he participated in simultaneous exhibitions by
Richard Reti and Rudolf Spielmann, and he was still giving displays
well into his seventies.
++1.B Early successes
Flohr won the Kautsky Memorial tournaments of 1928 and 1929 which
were held in Prague, and made his international debut at the
Rohitsch-Sauerbrunn (Rogaska Slatina) tournament in Slovenia, where
he finished second to Akiba Rubinstein in the latter's final
success. Flohr had also taken a job as a chess journalist, and one
of his first assignments had been to cover the 1928 Berlin
tournament, where he continued to win money on the side by playing
chess.
++1.C World title contender
Flohr's playing ability peaked in the mid-1930s, when he became one
of the world's strongest players and a leading contender for the
world championship. He became champion of Czechoslovakia in 1933
and 1936 and played in many tournaments throughout Europe,
generally finishing amongst the top three. Notable victories were
at Bad Sliac in 1932, where he shared first place with Milan
Vidmar; Scheveningen in 1933; Bad Liebenwerda in 1934 with 9.5/11;
Barcelona in 1935 where he tied for first with George Koltanowski;
Moscow in 1935 where he came 1st= with future World Champion
Mikhail Botvinnik; Podebrady in 1936 with the score of +10 =6 -1;
and Kemeri in 1937 where he shared the top spot with Vladimir
Petrov and Samuel Reshevsky. During this period, he had several
other notable high finishes, such as Bern 1932 (tied for second
with 11.5/15, after world champion Alexander Alekhine); Zurich 1934
(tied for second with 12/15, again trailing Alekhine); and Parnu
1937 (second behind Paul Felix Schmidt).
Flohr also frequently visited England, regularly playing in the
Hastings tournaments of the 1930s. He was first in 1931-1932, 1932-
1933 and 1933-1934, finished 1st= with Max Euwe and Sir George
Thomas in 1934-1935, and was second behind only Reuben Fine in
1935-1936. He also won the Margate tournament of 1936 ahead of
former world champion Jose Raul Capablanca.
++1.D Excels in Chess Olympiads
His form for his adopted country in the Chess Olympiads was equally
impressive, according to the comprehensive Olympiad site
olimpbase.org. He made his debut at Hamburg 1930 on board one,
scoring a phenomenal 14.5/17 for the silver medal. On home soil at
Prague 1931, again on board one, he scored 11/18, and led
Czechoslovakia to a team bronze medal. At Folkestone 1933, he again
played board one, and made 9/14, helping Czechoslovakia to the team
silver, and earning a bronze medal for himself. At Warsaw 1935, on
board one he scored an unbeaten 13/17 for another individual gold
medal, and Czechoslovakia finished fifth. Then at Stockholm 1937,
once again on board one, he scored 12.5/16 for a third individual
gold medal. In five Olympiads, he won two individual gold medals,
a silver and a bronze. His aggregate was 60/82, for a fantastic 73
per cent against the top players in the world. However, it should
be noted that the Soviet Union did not compete during those years.
++1.E Match results
In addition, Flohr enjoyed a fair amount of success in match play,
and he played matches with two of his main rivals for the title of
challenger to reigning champion Alexander Alekhine. He drew a 16-
game match against Euwe in 1932 (+3 =10 -3) (who was soon to be the
champion, from 1935-37), and drew against Botvinnik in 1933 (+2 =8
-2). Flohr beat Gosta Stoltz by 5.5-2.5 in 1931 and, a year later,
beat Mir Sultan Khan, the 1932 and 1933 British Champion, by
3.5-2.5. Flohr also defeated Johannes van den Bosch at the Hague in
1932 by 6-2. In 1933, he won two matches in Switzerland, first over
Oskar Naegeli by 4-2 at Bern, and then by 4.5-1.5 over Henri Grob
at Arosa.
++1.F Official challenger, personal crisis
Flohr had married in 1935. By 1937, FIDE had nominated him as the
official candidate to play Alekhine for the World Championship.
However, with World War II looming, it proved impossible for Flohr
to raise the stake money in Czechoslovakia, so the plans were
dropped. The next year, Flohr was one of the eight elite players
invited to the great AVRO tournament of November 1938. He finished
last, and this put an end to his chances of a World Championship
match with Alekhine. AVRO may have been the only time in chess
history when the top eight players in the world contested an
important tournament.
While AVRO was an incredibly strong tournament, and Flohr's last-
placed finish was no disgrace, his result may also be explained by
his difficult personal circumstances at the time. The German
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938 had left Flohr, as a Polish-
Ukrainian Jew, in grave personal danger. Flohr remained in the
Netherlands in early 1939, playing in several small events. He tied
1st-3rd in Amsterdam KNSB with Max Euwe and Laszlo Szabo at 3.5/5.
He tied 3rd-4th in Amsterdam VARA with 3/5, as Euwe and Salo Landau
won. He won Baarn I with 2.5/3. Then, he and his family fled, first
to Sweden, and then to Moscow with the help of his friend
Botvinnik. While in Sweden, he tied 1st-2nd at Goteborg with Rudolf
Spielmann on 10/11.
++1.G Soviet citizen, recovers form
Flohr was able to recover his form after reaching safety in Moscow.
He won Kemeri 1939 with a wonderful score of 12/15, also captured
the very strong 1939 Leningrad-Moscow tournament with 12/17, tied
for second at Margate 1939 with 6.5/9 behind only Paul Keres, and
then tied for second at Bournemouth 1939 with 8.5/11, behind only
former World Champion Euwe.
Flohr did not play in any official strong Soviet events from
1940-42. He did lose a 1942 match to Vladimir Makogonov in Baku by
2-0. He became a naturalized Soviet citizen in 1942, and developed
his writing career in his new country, contributing articles to a
number of Soviet newspapers and magazines, including Ogonek. As the
Soviet Union first stopped then reversed the Nazi invasion, some
chess activity started up again, and in 1943 Flohr won a small but
strong tournament in Baku. In 1944 he was again victorious in a
Bolshevik Society tournament at Kiev, tied with Alexei Sokolsky. He
withdrew from the 1945 USSR Championship after only three games.
After the War, he was still a contender for a possible World
Championship match, and finished 6th at the 1948 Interzonal in
Saltsjobaden, thereby qualifying to play in the 1950 Candidates
Tournament in Budapest. However, he finished joint last with 7 out
of 18, and never entered the World Championship cycle again,
preferring to concentrate on journalism, and he also developed a
role as a chess organiser. He did play periodically at high levels,
both within the Soviet Union and abroad, with some success, until
the late 1960s. He was awarded the title of International Arbiter
in 1963.
Salo Flohr died in Moscow on July 18, 1983.
++1.H Achievements and legacy
Flohr was one of Czechoslovakia's greatest chessplayers ever, and
proved virtually invincible at the Olympiads of the 1930s. His
tournament record was impressive, with his tactical skill and
excellent endgame technique securing him many famous victories.
FIDE awarded him the International Grandmaster title on its
inaugural list in 1950. He made a number of important contributions
to opening theory: a 'Flohr variation' can be found in no fewer
than six major openings, including the Caro-Kann Defense, the Ruy
Lopez, the English Opening, and the Gruenfeld Defence. The Flohr-
Zaitsev Variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4
Re8) was taken up in the 1980s with success by World Champion
Anatoly Karpov.
Flohr was primarily a strategist who excelled in the endgame. He
favoured the Closed openings with White, and during the prime of
his career, he was especially deadly with the Queen's Gambit, as
the game selection shows. Flohr almost never opened with 1.e4. He
was one of the main developers of the Caro-Kann, which was an
obscure and poorly-regarded line as late as the 1920s when Flohr
took it up.
The Second World War killed off any chance he had of winning the
world title, and the stress of becoming a refugee for the second
time in his life affected his style of play. He became a much more
cautious player in his post-war games and earned a drawish
reputation, with many short draws which were hardly contested. He
could not keep pace with the new generation of Soviet stars which
emerged after World War II. Players such as Vasily Smyslov, David
Bronstein, Isaac Boleslavsky, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, Tigran
Petrosian, Efim Geller, Mark Taimanov, Yuri Averbakh, Boris
Spassky, Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi, and Leonid Stein dominated
the landscape with their sharper styles and innovative openings.
According to the site chessmetrics.com, which compares historical
ratings, Flohr was among the world's top 20 players from 1930 to
1951, except for the war years 1942-44 when he was largely
inactive; and his ranking peaked at #2 in the world in 1935.
But it is noteworthy that Flohr was never able to defeat Alekhine
head-to-head, losing five games and drawing seven in their 12
encounters. Alekhine had a sharp, tactical style, and he could also
play outstanding positional chess. It is highly unlikely that Flohr
could have won a match against him, had he been given the chance.
++1.I Notable chess games
* Salo Flohr vs Max Euwe, Amsterdam-Karlsbad match 1932, Queen's
Gambit, Exchange Variation (D36), 1-0 Virtually perfect game
by White showing optimal strategy in this variation.
* Mikhail Botvinnik vs Salo Flohr, Leningrad-Moscow match 1933,
Caro-Kann Defence, Panov-Botvinnik Attack (B13), 0-1 Botvinnik
adopts his favourite line, but has to concede defeat.
* Salo Flohr vs Isaac Kashdan, Folkestone Olympiad 1933, English
Opening, Flohr-Mikenas Attack (A18), 1-0 Flohr adopts one of
the lines which will eventually bear his name, with good
success here.
* Salo Flohr vs Paul Keres, Warsaw Olympiad 1935, Queen's Gambit
Declined, Exchange Variation (D37), 1-0 Keres was the 19-year-
old new star making his international debut, but he is out of
his league here.
* Salo Flohr vs J.R. Capablanca, Nottingham 1936, Queen's Gambit
Declined, Tartakower Variation (D59), 1-0 Even the phenomenal
Capablanca, former World Champion and joint winner of
Nottingham, can't defend against Flohr's Queen's Gambit.
* Salo Flohr vs Emanuel Lasker, Moscow 1936, Reti Opening (A06),
1-0 Solid positional performance in one of the fashionable
hypermodern variations.
* David Bronstein vs Salo Flohr, USSR Championship, Moscow 1944,
Ruy Lopez, Open Variation (C82), 0-1 The 20-year-old Bronstein
was making his debut at the top Soviet level, but learns a
lesson here.
* Salo Flohr vs Tigran Petrosian, USSR Championship, Moscow
1949, Old Indian Defence (A54), 1-0 The 20-year-old Petrosian
was making his debut at the top Soviet level, and learns a
positional lesson.
* Salo Flohr vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1950,
Reti Opening (A05), 1-0 Another young Master learns that the
veteran Flohr still packs a punch.
* Leonid Stein vs Salo Flohr, Ukrainian Championship, Kiev 1957,
Caro-Kann Defence, Flohr-Smyslov Modern Variation (B17), 0-1
Another smooth positional massage from the Master of the
'Roach'.
* Salo Flohr vs Bent Larsen, Noordwijk 1965, Sicilian Defence,
Accelerated Dragon Variation (B39), 1-0 Flohr takes off one of
the Candidates of that time in his last great victory.
++1.J Writings and further reading
* 12th Chess Tournament of Nations (Moscow 1956 Olympiad), by
Salomon Flohr, Moscow, Fiskultura i Sport, 1957 (Russian).
* Salo Flohr's Best Games of Chess, by Salomon Flohr (translated
from the Russian by Gregory S. Donges), Davenport, Iowa,
Thinker's Press, 1985, ISBN 0-938650-34-3.
* Grandmaster Flohr, by Viktor D. Baturinsky (Hg), Moscow,
Fiskultura i Sport, 1985 (Russian).
* Salo Flohr und das Schachleben in der Tschechoslawakei, by
Helmut Wieteck, Hamburg, Neu-Jung Verlag, 2005, ISBN
3-933648-26-2 (German).
++2. Efim Petrovich Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller (March 8, 1925 - November 17, 1998) was a
Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won
the Soviet Championship twice (in 1955 and 1979) and was a
Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions (1953, 1956,
1962, 1965, 1968, and 1971). He won four Ukrainian Championship
titles (in 1950, 1957, 1958, and 1959) and shared first in the 1991
World Seniors' Championship, winning the title outright in 1992.
Geller was also a coach to World Champions Boris Spassky and
Anatoly Karpov. He was also an author.
++2.A Early life
Geller grew up in Odessa, USSR, and was Jewish. He was a fine
basketball player, and earned his Doctorate in Physical Education
before specialising in chess. His development as a top player was
delayed by the inception of World War II.
Geller's first notable result was sixth place in the 1947 Ukrainian
Chess Championship at Kiev with 9.5/15; the winner was Alexei
Sokolsky. He shared 3rd-5th places at Baku 1948 with 9/15, an event
won by Jüri Randviir. Geller scored 11/18 in the 1948 Ukrainian
Championship at Kiev for a shared 5th-8th place; the winners were
Alexei Sokolsky and Poliak.
++2.B Grandmaster
He began to make his mark in the late 1940s. He won the USSR
Championship semifinal qualifier at Tbilisi 1949 with 11.5/16,
advancing to the final later that year. His finals debut was
sensational at URS-ch17 at Moscow 1949, since as a virtual unknown
he tied for 3rd-4th places with 12.5/19, behind only winners David
Bronstein and Vasily Smyslov. Geller defeated such established
stars as Semyon Furman, Isaac Boleslavsky, Alexander Kotov, Salo
Flohr, fellow finals debutant Tigran Petrosian, Viacheslav Ragozin,
and Grigory Levenfish. Despite this showing, he was obliged to
return to the semifinal level the next year, but advanced
successfully with a third-place finish in the 1950 qualifier at
Kiev with 9/15. At URS-ch18 at Moscow 1950, Geller made 9/17 for a
shared 7th-10th place; the winner was Paul Keres. Also in 1950,
Geller won the Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, the first of his
four titles in that event; he repeated from 1957 to 1959, with all
three events at Kiev. Geller in 1950 made a successful
international debut at the Przepiorka Memorial at Iwonicz Zdroj
with 11.5/19 for seventh place in a powerful field; Keres won
again.
Geller is reckoned to have been among the best ten players in the
world for around twenty years. He was awarded the International
Master title in 1951, and the International Grandmaster title the
following year.
Geller played in 23 USSR Chess Championships, a record equalled by
Mark Taimanov, achieving good results in many. He won in 1955 at
Moscow (URS-ch22) when, despite losing five games, he finished with
12/19, then defeated Smyslov in the playoff match by the score of
+1 =6. He won his second title in 1979 at Minsk (URS-ch47) in his
54th year, making him the oldest Soviet champion.
Among his best results in other important tournaments were: clear
first at Iwonicz Zdroj 1957, equal first with Taimanov at Dresden
1959, equal first with Lajos Portisch at Beverwijk 1965, clear
first at Kislovodsk 1966, clear first at Gothenburg 1967, clear
first at Kislovodsk 1968, equal first with Mikhail Botvinnik at
Wijk aan Zee 1969 (ahead of Keres), equal first at Havana 1971 with
Vlastimil Hort, equal first at Hilversum 1973 with Laszlo Szabo,
clear first at Budapest 1973 ahead of Anatoly Karpov, clear first
at Teesside 1975, clear first at Moscow 1975 (ahead of Boris
Spassky, Viktor Korchnoi, and Tigran Petrosian), clear first at Las
Palmas 1976, equal first with Gennadi Sosonko at Wijk aan Zee 1977,
clear first at Bogotá 1978, equal first at Bern 1987 with Daniel
Campora, clear first at Dortmund 'A' 1989, and equal first at New
York Manhattan 1990 with Gregory Kaidanov, at age 65.
In Seniors' competition, Geller further distinguished himself in
the early 1990s. At the World Seniors' Championship, Bad
Woerishofen 1991, he tied for first with Smyslov at 8.5/11. Then,
in the next year's Championship at the same site, Geller claimed
clear first with the same score. Geller remained active in high-
level competitive chess until age 70; his last event was the 1995
Russian Championship at Elista.
++2.C World title Candidate
Geller reached the later stages of the World Championship several
times. He was a Candidate at Zurich 1953 and Amsterdam 1956. His
best result was in the 1962 cycle. He finished second to Bobby
Fischer at the Stockholm Interzonal. Then in the Candidates', he
ended up just half a point short of playing for the title by
scoring 17/27 at Curaçao, tying for second place with Keres. That
tournament was won by Tigran Petrosian, who went on to win the
title the next year. Geller lost a playoff match to Keres at Moscow
1962 by 4.5/3.5, but was able to enter the 1965 Candidates' matches
when Botvinnik (defeated World Champion) declined to take part. He
defeated Smyslov by 5.5-2.5 at Moscow in the first round, but lost
to Spassky by 5.5-2.5 at Riga in the semifinals. In a 1966
Copenhagen playoff match against Bent Larsen, the two players split
eight games with two wins each, and Larsen won the first tiebreak
game to secure Candidates' exemption in case of a withdrawal by a
qualified player in the next cycle. (Eventually, this turned out
not to matter, since none withdrew.) In the 1968 cycle, Geller
again lost to Spassky, at Sukhumi by 5.5-2.5, in a Candidates'
first-round match. He had to return to the Interzonal stage in 1970
at Palma de Mallorca, but qualified as a Candidate again, losing
his first match to Korchnoi at Moscow by 5.5-2.5. In 1973, he tied
with Lajos Portisch and Lev Polugaevsky for second place at the
Petropolis Interzonal, but lost out in the three-way playoff match
tournament at Portoroz, with two qualifying spots at stake, so did
not advance.
++2/D Beating the best
Geller represented the USSR seven times in Chess Olympiads, over an
impressive 28-year span from 1952 to 1980, and contributed well
each time to the team gold medal victories. He won three gold
medals and three silver medals on his board. His overall score in
Olympiad play is: (+46 =23 -7), for 75.7 per cent.
Chess Olympiads:
* Helsinki 1952, board 4, 10.5/14 (+8 =5 -1), board silver
medal.
* Amsterdam 1954, 1st reserve, 5/7 (+4 =2 -1), board gold medal.
* Moscow 1956, 2nd reserve, 7.5/10 (+7 =1 -2), board gold
medal.
* Varna 1962, 1st reserve, 10.5/12 (+10 =1 -1), board gold
medal.
* Lugano 1968, board 4, 9.5/12 (+7 =5 -0), board silver medal.
* Siegen 1970, 2nd reserve, 8/12 (+6 =4 -2).
* Valletta 1980, board 4, 6.5/9 (+4 =5 -0), board silver medal.
Geller was also selected on six occasions for the USSR team to the
European Team Championships. His team won gold each time, and he
won four gold medals on his board. According to olimpbase.org, his
overall score in Euroteams events is: (+17 =19 -1), for 71.6 per
cent.
* Oberhausen 1961, board 7, 6.5/9 (+4 =5 -0), board gold medal.
* Kapfenberg 1970, board 4, 4/6 (+3 =2 -1), board gold medal.
* Bath, Somerset 1973, board 7, 4.5/5 (+4 =1 -0), board gold
medal.
* Moscow 1977, board 6, 4.5/7 (+2 =5 -0), board gold medal.
* Skara 1980, board 5, 4/6 (+2 =4 -0).
* Plovdiv 1983, 2nd reserve, 3/4 (+2 =2 -0).
According to Jeff Sonas' Chessmetrics rating system, Geller was
ranked No. 3 in the world from 1962-63, and was in the world's top
ten for much of the 1950s and 60s, and broke back into the top ten
in 1973, 1975-1977 and 1979-1980. Geller also had an overall plus
score against world champions, +40 -32 =123, comprising Max Euwe +1
-1 =0, Mikhail Botvinnik +4 -1 =5, Vasily Smyslov +11 -8 =31,
Mikhail Tal +6 -6 =22, Tigran Petrosian +5 -3 =33, Boris Spassky +6
-9 =22, Bobby Fischer +5 -3 =2, Anatoly Karpov +1- 2 =5, and Garry
Kasparov +0 -1 =3.
++2.D1 Lifetime scores against top grandmasters
Note: only official tournament and match games are counted here.
Score against 12 top grandmasters
* Mikhail Botvinnik* +4 -1 =7
* David Bronstein +5 -4 =12
* Bobby Fischer* +5 -3 =2
* Paul Keres +7 -8 =21
* Viktor Korchnoi +6 -11 =16
* Bent Larsen +4 -5 =2
* Tigran Petrosian* +5 -3 =33
* Lajos Portisch +4 -2 =12
* Vasily Smyslov* +11 -8 =33
* Boris Spassky* +8 -10 =22
* Mark Taimanov +8 -9 =13
* Mikhail Tal* +6 -6 =23
Total +73 -70 =196
Total score against six World Champions (*): 39 wins, 31 losses,
120 draws
++2.E Legacy
Geller is best remembered today for the tactical ability and
original attacking style which characterised the earlier part of
his career. In later years he became a more rounded player. He was
noted as an openings expert, and was one of the pioneers in
developing the King's Indian Defense to prominence, along with
fellow Ukrainians Isaac Boleslavsky and David Bronstein. Geller
also greatly advanced the knowledge in several variations of the
Sicilian Defense, such as the quiet line with 6.Be2 against the
Najdorf Variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6,
which he used to defeat Bobby Fischer. He introduced the sharp
Geller Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4) against
the Slav Defense. He acted as second (assistant) to World Champion
Boris Spassky in the World Championship match of 1972 against Bobby
Fischer, and later seconded World Champion Anatoly Karpov, as well
as his lifelong close friend Tigran Petrosian. His books included
an autobiography, translated by Bernard Cafferty as Grandmaster
Geller at the Chessboard (1969). This was later updated and
reissued in 1983 under the title The Application of Chess Theory,
and contains 100 well-annotated games. Former champion Botvinnik
stated that, in his opinion, Geller was the best player in the
world in the late 1960s. Geller seemed to be stronger in tournament
play than in matches.
++2.F Notable chess games
* Alexander Kotov vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow
1949, King's Indian Defense, Fianchetto Variation (E68), 0-1 -
Geller makes his debut at the top Soviet event, and makes
sure he's noticed with wins like this.
* Tigran Petrosian vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow
1949, King's Indian Defense, Petrosian Variation (E93), 0-1 -
Petrosian's new system gets a rough ride in one of its first
games.
* Efim Geller vs Alexei Sokolsky, USSR Championship, Moscow
1950, French Defense, Winawer Variation (C18), 1-0 - A drastic
victory spurred by a new opening idea on White's eighth move.
* Mikhail Botvinnik vs Efim Geller, Budapest 1952, King's Indian
Defense, Fianchetto Variation (E68), 0-1 - Geller wins a
crucial game over the World Champion.
* Efim Geller vs Paul Keres, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1959,
Nimzo-Indian Defense, Rubinstein Variation (E45), 1-0 - Keres
had a big edge in wins over Geller early on, but Geller
started to close the gap.
* Efim Geller vs Bobby Fischer, Curacao Candidates 1962,
Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation
(B92), 1-0 - Rising American star Bobby Fischer gets overrun
by Geller's queenside advance.
* Efim Geller vs Boris Spassky, USSR Spartakiad 1964, Sicilian
Defense, Scheveningen Variation (B83), 1-0 0 Geller had the
edge over Spassky in tournament play, but the younger Spassky
dominated in their two matches.
* Efim Geller vs Vasily Smyslov, Candidates' Match, Moscow 1965,
game 5, Grunfeld Defense, Exchange Variation (D87), 1-0 - A
fabulous tactical masterpiece involving repeated Queen
sacrifices, exploiting Black's weak back rank.
* Efim Geller vs Bent Larsen, Playoff Match, Copenhagen 1966,
game 2, Sicilian Defense, Richter-Rauzer Variation (B69), 1-0
- Larsen is a tactical wizard who gets outplayed in this
encounter.
* Leonid Stein vs Efim Geller, USSR Team Championship, Moscow
1966, King's Indian Defense, Averbakh Variation (E70), 0-1 -
Two King's Indian maestros go toe-to-toe, and Geller comes out
on top.
* Bobby Fischer vs Efim Geller, Skopje 1967, Sicilian Defense,
Velimirovic Attack (B89), 0-1 - During a stretch when Fischer
was beating virtually everybody else, Geller was dominating
Fischer. Here Fischer miscalculates and is drastically
punished.
* Efim Geller vs David Bronstein, Kislovodsk 1968, Sicilian
Defense, de la Bourdonnais Variation (B32), 1-0 - Bronstein
was another player who dominated Geller at first, but Geller
persevered and started winning.
* Efim Geller vs Viktor Korchnoi, Candidates' Match, Moscow
1971, game 4, Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation (B78), 1-0 -
When it came to a theoretical duel, Geller could certainly
hold his own with anyone.
* Efim Geller vs Mikhail Tal, Moscow 1975, Pirc Defense (B08),
1-0 - A tactical melee between two attacking geniuses.
* Efim Geller vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1976,
French Defense, Winawer Variation (C16), 1-0 - Geller crosses
up World Champion Karpov, whom he was coaching, with a
surprise in the opening, to counter Karpov's own unusual
defensive choice.
++3. Salo Flohr - Efim Geller, Moscow 1949
17th USSR Championship
Moscow 1949, Round 18
White: Salo Flohr
Black: Efim Geller
Result: 0-1
ECO: E92 - King's Indian Defense, Classical Variation, Anderssen Variation
Notes by R.J. Macdonald
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
(The King's Indian Defense.)
3. Nc3
(3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 Bf5 6. Ng5 Bg7 7. e4 Bd7 8. Be2 0-0 9. 0-0 Qb6 10.
Bd2 h6 is also slightly better for white.)
3. ... Bg7
4. e4
(4. Nf3 d5 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Bf4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. e3 0-0 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. 0-0 cxd4
11. exd4 Bg4 is also slightly better for white.)
4. ... d6
5. Nf3 0-0
6. Be2
(The Classical Variation. White is also slightly better after 6. h3 Re8 7. Be3
b6 8. Be2 Bb7 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. 0-0 e5 11. d5 a5 12. a3.)
6. ... e5
(6. ... b6 7. 0-0 Bb7 8. e5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Nbd7 10. Bf3 Bxf3 11. Nxf3 c5 12. Qe2
gives white a slight advantage, as does 6. ... Nbd7 7. 0-0 e5 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9.
Nxe5 dxe5 10. Be3 c6 11. Bc5 Qxd1 12. Rfxd1 Re8 13. Bd6 Bg4 14. Bxg4.)
7. dxe5
(The Anderssen Variation.)
7. ... dxe5
8. Qxd8 Rxd8
9. Bg5 Nbd7
(9. ... Na6 10. Nd5 Rd6 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. Bxf6 Rxf6 13. Nxe5 Re6 14. f4 Re7
15. Bf3 is also slightly better for white.)
10. Nd5 c6
11. Ne7+ Kf8
12. Nxc8 Rdxc8
13. Nd2 Nc5
14. f3 Ke8
(Black king safety dropped. 14. ... Ne6 15. Be3 Nd7 (15. ... Rd8 16. Nb3 b6 17.
Rd1 Rxd1+ 18. Kxd1 Rd8+ 19. Kc2 c5 20. Rd1 Rxd1 21. Bxd1 Ng8 22. a4 Bh6 23.
Bxh6+ Nxh6 24. a5 Ke7 25. Kc3 f6 26. Nc1 Nd4 27. b4 Nf7 28. Nd3 Kd6 29. Nb2 Nc6
30. axb6 1/2-1/2 in 42, as in the game F. Couturier (1980) - A. Goujon (1760),
Fontenay le Fleury 2003) 16. 0-0-0 Ke8 17. g3 Bf8 18. Nb3 a5 19. f4 a4 20. Nd2
exf4 21. gxf4 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Ndxc5 23. Rhf1 Rd8 24. f5 Nd4 25. Bg4 a3 26. b3 h5
27. Bh3 Nd3+ 28. Kb1 Ne2 29. fxg6 0-1 33 moves, as in the game N. Brunner
(2288) - M. Kazhgaleyev (2613), Vandoeuvre 2005. 14. ... Ne6 15. Be3 leads to
equality.)
15. Be3
(White threatens to win material: Be3xc5. 15. Nb3 Ne6 16. Be3 c5 offers equal
chances.)
15. ... Bf8
(The position is now even.)
16. Bxc5
(16. Nb3!? Nfd7 17. h4 offers equal chances.)
16. ... Bxc5
(Black now has a slight edge. Opposite colored bishops appeared. The text move
traps the white king in the center.)
17. Nb3 Bb4+
(17. ... Be3 18. Bd1 gives black a slight edge.)
18. Kd1
(18. Kf2 a5 is slightly better for black.)
18. ... a5
19. a3
(White threatens to win material: a3xb4.)
19. ... Be7
20. a4 Nd7
21. Kc2 Nf8
22. Rac1
(22. g3 Rd8 is slightly better for black.)
22. ... Ne6
(Black now has a solid advantage.)
23. Kb1
(23. Rhd1 Bb4 gives black a solid edge.)
23. ... Bc5
24. g3 Ra6
25. Bf1
(25. Rc3 Rb6 gives black a solid advantage.)
25. ... Rb6
26. Kc2
(26. Rc3 Rb4 gives black a solid advantage.)
26. ... Rb4
27. Bh3 Rxc4+
(27. ... Be3 28. Rb1 gives black a solid advantage.)
28. Kb1 Rxc1+
29. Rxc1 Bb4
(29. ... Bb6 30. Bxe6 fxe6 31. Ka2 is solid for black.)
30. Nc5 Bxc5
(30. ... Ke7!? appears to give black a solid edge.)
31. Bxe6
(The position is now even.)
31. ... fxe6
32. Rxc5
(A rook endgame follows.)
32. ... b6
(Black threatens to win material: b6xc5.)
33. Rxe5
(White pins: Re5xe6.)
33. ... Kf7
34. Rg5
(34. Kc2 Rd8 leads to equality.)
34. ... Rd8
(Black now has a solid advantage.)
35. Kc2 Rd4
36. b3 Kf6
37. h4
(37. Rg4 e5 is solid for black.)
37. ... e5
38. Rg4 b5
39. axb5 cxb5
40. Kc3
(40. h5 g5 (40. ... gxh5?! 41. Rg8 offers equal chances) 41. h6 a4 is solid for
black.)
40. ... a4
(Black's position is now very strong.)
41. bxa4 bxa4
42. f4
(42. Kb2 Rd3 43. f4 Rd4 gives black a solid edge.)
42. ... Rxe4
Key Move Diagram:
8/
7p/
5kp1/
4p3/
p3rPRP/
2K3P1/
8/
8
Position after black's 42nd move.
43. Kd3??
(Terrible, but what else could White do to save the game? 43. fxe5+ looks to be
a better choice: 43. ... Kxe5 44. Rg5+ Kf6 45. Kd3 with a solid edge for black.)
43. ... Kg7
(Black now has a very strong advantage.)
44. h5
(44. Kxe4 does not win a prize after 44. ... a3 as black has a decisive
advantage.)
44. ... a3
45. Kxe4
(45. h6+ does not improve anything after 45. ... Kf7 46. Rh4 Ra4, with a
decisive advantage for black.)
45. ... a2
46. hxg6
(46. h6+ hardly improves anything: 46. ... Kf7 47. Rg5 a1=Q 48. Rxe5 Qh1+ 49.
Kd3 Qxh6 is decisive for black.)
46. ... hxg6
47. Rg5 a1=Q
48. Rxe5 Qc3
49. Rg5
(49. g4 hoping against hope, but black still has a decisive advantage.)
49. ... Kf6
50. Kd5 Qd3+
(50. ... Qb4 51. Kc6 Qc4+ 52. Kb6 Kg7 53. Kb7 Qe6 54. Kc7 Kf6 55. Rc5 Qg4 56.
Rc6+ Kg7 57. Rc3 g5 58. fxg5 Qxg5 59. Kb6 Qd2 60. Rc4 Qe3+ 61. Kc6 Qxg3 62. Kd5
Kf6 63. Kd4 Qe5+ 64. Kd3 Qd5+ 65. Rd4 Qf3+ 66. Kc4 Ke5 67. Rd2 Qc6+ 68. Kb3 Ke4
69. Kb4 Qf6 70. Kc4 Qf1+ 71. Kc3 Qc1+ 72. Rc2 Qa3+ 73. Kd2 Kd4 74. Ke1 Qb4+ 75.
Ke2 Qb1 76. Kd2 Qf1 77. Rb2 Qf2+ 78. Kc1 Qe1+ 79. Kc2 Kc4 80. Ra2 Qe4+ 81. Kb2
Kb4 82. Ra7 Qd4+ 83. Kc2 Qxa7 84. Kd3 Qh7+ 85. Ke3 Qf5 86. Kd4 Kb3 87. Ke3 Kc3
88. Ke2 Qf4 89. Ke1 Kd3 90. Kd1 Qd2#.)
51. Kc5 Kf7
52. Kc6
(52. Kb4 doesn't get the bull off the ice: 52. ... Qd4+ 53. Kb3 Kf6 is decisive
for black.)
52. ... Qd4
(52. ... Qc4+ 53. Rc5 Qe4+ 54. Kb5 Qd3+ 55. Rc4 Qxg3 56. Kb4 g5 57. fxg5 Qxg5
58. Rc7+ Ke6 59. Rc6+ Kd7 60. Rc3 Qe5 61. Kc4 Qe4+ 62. Kc5 Ke6 63. Kb5 Kd6 64.
Rc4 Qb7+ 65. Ka4 Kd5 66. Rc1 Qb6 67. Rc3 Kd4 68. Rc2 Qe6 69. Kb4 Qe1+ 70. Kb3
Qb1+ 71. Rb2 Qd3+ 72. Ka2 Kc4 73. Rb7 Qc2+ 74. Ka3 Qc3+ 75. Ka2 Qe5 76. Rb3 Qd5
77. Rb2 Kc3+ 78. Ka1 Qd4 79. Ka2 Qd1 80. Rh2 Qb3+ 81. Ka1 Qb8 82. Ra2 Qd6 83.
Rf2 Qa6+ 84. Kb1 Qb6+ 85. Ka1 Qxf2 86. Kb1 Qb2.)
53. Kb5 Qc3
54. Kb6 Qc4
(54. ... Kf6 makes it even easier for Black: 55. Kb5 Kg7 and black should win
easily.)
55. Kb7
(55. Ka5 Qb3 56. Ka6 Qb4 57. Ka7 Qd6 58. Ra5 Qd4+ 59. Kb7 Qd7+ 60. Kb6 Qd8+ 61.
Kb5 Qd3+ 62. Kc6 Qxg3 63. Ra4 g5 64. fxg5 Qxg5 65. Rd4 Qf5 66. Rd5 Qc8+ 67. Kb5
Ke6 68. Rc5 Qb7+ 69. Kc4 Kd6 70. Rb5 Qc6+ 71. Kb4 Qc1 72. Ka4 Kc6 73. Rb3 Qc4+
74. Ka3 Kc5 75. Kb2 Kd4 76. Rg3 Qe2+ 77. Kb3 Qe6+ 78. Kb2 Kc4 79. Rc3+ Kb4 80.
Rc2 Qf6+ 81. Ka2 Qe5 82. Rf2 Qd5+ 83. Kb1 Qd3+ 84. Ka2 Kc3 85. Rb2 Qd1 86. Rh2
Qb3+ 87. Ka1 Qb8 88. Ra2 Qd6 89. Rf2 Qa6+ 90. Kb1 Qb6+ 91. Ka1 Qxf2 92. Kb1
Qb2#.)
55. ... Qe6
56. Kc7 Kf6
57. Kb7
(57. Rc5 cannot change what is in store for white: 57. ... Qg4 58. Rc6+ Kg7 59.
Kd6 Qxg3 60. Rc4 g5 61. Ke5 Qe3+ 62. Re4 gxf4 63. Kf5 Qd3 64. Kxf4 Kf6 65. Re1
Qd4+ 66. Kf3 Kf5 67. Re3 Qd2 68. Re8 Qd5+ 69. Kg3 Qb3+ 70. Kf2 Kf4 71. Re2 Qd1
72. Re8 Qd4+ 73. Kf1 Qc4+ 74. Ke1 Qb4+ 75. Kf2 Qc5+ 76. Ke1 Kf3 77. Kd1 Qd6+
78. Ke1 Qc6 79. Rf8+ Ke3 80. Kd1 Qd6+ 81. Kc2 Qxf8 82. Kc3 Qc5+ 83. Kb3 Kd2 84.
Kb2 Qb4+ 85. Ka1 Kc1 86. Ka2 Qa4#.)
57. ... Qd6
58. Kc8
(58. Rb5 is a fruitless try to alter the course of the game: 58. ... Qe7+ 59.
Kb6 Qe3+ 60. Kc6 Qxg3 61. Rb4 Qc3+ 62. Kb5 Kf5 63. Rc4 Qxc4+ 64. Kxc4 Kxf4 65.
Kd3 Kf3 66. Kc2 g5 67. Kd1 Kf2 68. Kc1 g4 69. Kc2 Ke3 70. Kb3 Ke4 71. Kb4 g3
72. Kc5 g2 73. Kb5 Kd5 74. Ka4 g1=Q 75. Kb3 Kd4 76. Kc2 Qa1 77. Kd2 Qb2+ 78.
Ke1 Ke3 79. Kd1 Qb1#.)
58. ... Qc6+
59. Kd8
(59. Kb8 is no salvation: 59. ... Qb6+ 60. Ka8 Kf7 61. Re5 Qa6+ 62. Kb8 Qd6+
63. Kb7 Qxe5 64. fxe5 Ke6 65. Kb6 Kxe5 66. Kb7 Ke4 67. Kc6 Kf3 68. Kd5 Kxg3 69.
Ke5 g5 70. Ke4 g4 71. Ke3 Kh2 72. Kd2 g3 73. Kc2 g2 74. Kd3 Kg3 75. Kd4 Kf4 76.
Kc4 Ke5 77. Kb4 g1=Q 78. Kc3 Kd5 79. Kd2 Kd4 80. Kc2 Kc4 81. Kd2 Qf2+ 82. Kc1
Kc3 83. Kb1 Qb2#.)
59. ... Qb7
60. Re5 Qb6+
61. Kc8 Kf7
(White resigned in view of 61. ... Kf7 62. Rg5 Ke7 63. f5 Qc5+ 64. Kb7 Qb4+ 65.
Kc7 Kf6 66. Rxg6+ Kxf5 67. Rb6 Qa5 68. g4+ Ke5 69. Kc6 Qd5+ 70. Kc7 Qc4+ 71.
Rc6 Qxg4 72. Rc5+ Ke6 73. Rc6+ Ke7 74. Rc5 Qe4 75. Rc6 Qb4 76. Rb6 Qd4 77. Kb7
Kd7 78. Rb5 Qd6 79. Rb6 Qd3 80. Rb4 Qc3 81. Rb6 Qf3+ 82. Kb8 Qe4 83. Rb3 Qe5+
84. Ka7 Qc5+ 85. Kb8 Kc6 86. Rb7 Qa5 87. Rb1 Qd8+ 88. Ka7 Qd4+ 89. Ka8 Qh8+ 90.
Ka7 Qh7+ 91. Kb8 Qxb1+ 92. Kc8 Qh7 93. Kb8 Qb7#; or 61. ... Qc6+ 62. Kd8 Qd6+
63. Kc8 Qxe5 64. fxe5+ Kxe5 65. Kb7 Ke4 66. Kc6 Kf3 67. Kd5 Kxg3 68. Ke4 g5 69.
Ke3 g4 70. Ke2 Kh2 71. Ke3 g3 72. Kd3 g2 73. Kc4 Kg3 74. Kd4 Kf4 75. Kd5 g1=Q
76. Kd6 Qd4+ 77. Kc6 Ke4 78. Kc7 Kd5 79. Kb7 Qe3 80. Kc8 Kc6 81. Kd8 Qe2 82.
Kc8 Qe8#.)
0-1
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