[blind-chess] Annotated Game #121: Salo Flohr - Georgy Lisitsin, Moscow 1935
- From: "Roderick Macdonald" <rjmacdonald@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Blind-Chess Mailing List" <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2012 17:22:34 -1000
Annotated Game #121:
Salo Flohr - Georgy Lisitsin, Moscow 1935
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. Georgy Lisitsin
++3. Salo Flohr - Georgy Lisitsin, Moscow 1935
++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. Georgy Lisitsin
Georgy Lisitsin October 11, 1909 - March 20, 1972) was a Russian
chess master.
He won thrice Leningrad City Chess Championship in 1933/34 (joint),
1939 and 1947 (joint). He participated many times in USSR Chess
Championship. His best result was in 1933 when he shared 3rd
(Mikhail Botvinnik won). He also played in international
tournaments, finishing 15th at Moscow 1935 (Botvinnik and Salo
Flohr won), and took 2nd at Helsinki 1946 (Viacheslav Ragozin won).
Lisitsin was an author of several chess books.
He was awarded the International Master title in 1950.
++3. Salo Flohr - Georgy Lisitsin, Moscow 1935
Moscow 1935
White: Salo Flohr
Black: Georgy Lisitsin
Result: 1-0
ECO: E46 - Nimzo-Indian Defense, Rubinstein Variation, Reschevsky Variation
Notes by R.J. Macdonald
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Bb4
(The Nimzo-Indian Defense.)
4. e3
(The Rubinstein Variation.)
4. ... 0-0
(The Reschevsky Variation.)
5. Nge2 d5
6. a3 Be7
(The Simagin Variation continues with 6. ... Bd6.)
7. cxd5 exd5
8. Ng3 c5
9. Bd3 Nc6
10. 0-0
(Alternatives include (a) 10. Bc2 cxd4 11. exd4 Qb6 12. Nce2 Re8 13. 0-0 Bd6
14. Qd3 Bg4 15. Be3 g6 16. b4 h5 17. h3 Bd7 18. Rfd1 Ne7 19. Qd2 Rac8 20. Bg5
Nh7 21. Bf4 h4 22. Nf1 Nf5 23. Bxf5 Bxf5 24. Ne3 Be4 1-0 in 38 moves, as in the
game M. Notkin (2478) - D. Losev (2396), Moscow 2002; and (b) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11.
b4 Bb6 12. Na4 Bc7 13. Bb2 Ng4 14. Nf5 Nge5 15. Bc2 Bxf5 16. Bxf5 Qg5 17. Bh3
Nc4 18. b5 Nxb2 19. Nxb2 Ne7 20. Qd2 d4 21. 0-0 Qxb5 22. exd4 Rad8 23. Rfd1 Bb6
24. a4 Qh5 0-1 in 36 moves, as in the game R. Fossati (2201) - M. Suba (2451),
Arvier 2010.)
10. ... g6
(This move controls f5. Also possible here are (a) 10. ... Re8 11. Nce2 a5 12.
b3 Qb6 13. Rb1 cxd4 14. exd4 Bd6 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Bxf5 g6 17. Bd3 Nxd4 18. Nxd4
Qxd4 19. Bb2 Bxh2+ 20. Kh1 Qh4 21. Bxf6 Qh6 22. Bg5 Qxg5 23. Kxh2 Qh4+ 24. Kg1
Re5 25. g3 1-0 in 41 moves, as in the game U. Gebhardt (2154) - F. Zeller
(2412), Ditzingen 2006; (b) 10. ... a6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Ba7 13. Bb2 Ne5 14.
Nce2 Rb8 15. Rc1 Nfg4 16. Bd4 g6 17. h3 Bxd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Ne5 20. Qb3
Nc4 21. Rfd1 b5 22. Nf3 Qf6 23. Qc3 Qxc3 24. Rxc3 Be6 25. Nd4 1/2-1/2, as in
the game W. Winser - D. Horne, Hastings 1949; and (c) 10. ... c4 11. Bc2, with
a slight advantage for black.)
11. dxc5
(Both sides have equal chances.)
11. ... Bxc5
12. b4 Bd6
13. b5
(White threatens to win material: b5xc6. 13. Bb2 Be6 offers equal chances.)
13. ... Ne5
(13. ... Na5 14. Bb2 is slightly better for black.)
14. Be2
(The isolani on d5 becomes a target. The position is now even.)
14. ... Neg4
15. Bb2
Key Move Diagram:
r1bq1rk1/
pp3p1p/
3b1np1/
1P1p4/
6n1/
P1N1P1N1/
1B2BPPP/
R2Q1RK1
Position after white's 15th move.
15. ... h5??
(Black loses the upper hand. Better is 15. ... Be5!? equalizes the position.)
16. h3
(This move gives white a solid advantage.)
16. ... h4
(16. ... Nxf2 17. Qd4 Bxg3 18. Nxd5 is very strong for white.)
17. hxg4
(White now has a very strong advantage. 17. Bxg4?! hxg3 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxc8
Rxc8 gives white a solid advantage.)
17. ... hxg3
18. Qd4
(18. g5!? Nh7 19. f4 Be6 is very strong for white.)
18. ... Nd7
(18. ... Re8!? 19. Nxd5 Be5 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 secures equality.)
19. g5
(Better is 19. fxg3 Be5 20. Qxd5 with a solid advantage for white.)
Key Move Diagram:
r1bq1rk1/
pp1n1p2/
3b2p1/
1P1p2P1/
3Q4/
P1N1P1p1/
1B2BPP1/
R4RK1
Position after white's 19th move.
19. ... gxf2+?
(19. ... Qxg5 is a viable option: 20. Ne4 Qh6 21. Nxg3 Be5 with a solid
advantage for white.)
20. Rxf2
(White's position is now very strong.)
20. ... Be5
21. Qh4 Nb6
(21. ... Kg7 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rd1 is very strong for white.)
22. g3 f5
23. gxf6
(Better is 23. Rh2!? Rf7 24. Nd1 Bxb2 25. Nxb2 with a very strong advantage for
white.)
23. ... Bxf6
(White now has a solid advantage.)
24. Qh6 Bg7
25. Qxg6 Rxf2
26. Ne4
Key Move Diagram:
r1bq2k1/
pp4b1/
1n4Q1/
1P1p4/
4N3/
P3P1P1/
1B2Br2/
R5K1
Position after white's 26th move.
26. ... Rf7??
(The position is going down the drain for black. Better is 26. ... Qe7 27. Nxf2
Bf5 28. Qxf5 Bxb2, though white still has a solid advantage.)
27. Ng5
(White now has a very strong advantage.)
27. ... Rf6
(27. ... Qe7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Bxg7+ Rxg7 30. Qh8+ Rg8 31. Rf1+ Bf5 32. Rxf5+
Ke8 33. Qxg8+ Kd7 34. Rxd5+ Nxd5 35. Qxd5+ Kc7 36. Ne6+ Qxe6 37. Qxe6 Rg8 38.
Qxg8 Kd6 39. Bc4 Kc7 40. Qf7+ Kd6 41. g4 b6 42. Qxa7 Ke5 43. Qe7#.)
28. Bxf6 Qxf6
29. Qh7+ Kf8
30. Rf1 Qxf1+
31. Bxf1 Bd7
32. Qg6 Be8
33. Qf5+
(33. Qd6+ Kg8 34. Qe6+ Kh8 35. Qf5 Kg8 36. Bh3 Bh5 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. Qxh5 Ke7
39. Qf7+ Kd6 40. Qf4+ Be5 41. Qb4+ Kc7 42. Qc5+ Kb8 43. Qf8+ Kc7 44. Ne6+ Kd7
45. Qf7+ Kd6 46. Qc7#.)
33. ... Kg8
34. Bh3
(Black resigned in view of 34. Bh3 Bh6 35. Qh7+ Kf8 36. Ne6#.)
1-0
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