[blind-chess] Annotated Game #158: Vasily Smyslov - Samuel Reshevsky, USA-USSR radio match 1945
- From: "Paul Benson" <paul.benson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2013 09:28:24 -0000
Annotated Game #158:
Vasily Smyslov - Samuel Reshevsky, USA-USSR radio match 1945
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Contents:
++1. Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov
++1.A Early years
++1.B War years
++1.C World title challenger
++1.D World Champion
++1.E Later World Championships
++1.F Soviet Championships
++1.G Post-war tournament record
++1.H Team competition
++1.I Final years
++1.J Legacy
++1.K Opera singer
++1.L Notable chess games
++1.M Books by Smyslov
++2. Samuel Herman Reshevsky
++2.A Life
++2.B Chess career
++2.C Quotes
++3. Vasily Smyslov - Samuel Reshevsky, USA-USSR radio match
1945
++1. Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich (Vasilievich) Smyslov (March 24, 1921 - March
27, 2010) was a Russian and Soviet chess Grandmaster and was World
Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess
Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959,
1965, 1983, and 1985). Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet
Championship (1949, 1955), and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad
medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team
Championships, Smyslov won ten gold medals. He remained active and
successful in competitive chess well into the 1960s and 1970s and
he qualified for the finals of the World Championship Candidates'
Matches as late as 1983. Despite failing eyesight, he remained
active in the occasional composition of chess problems and studies
until shortly before his death from heart failure.
++1.A Early years
Smyslov (pronounced "smis-LOFF") first became interested in chess
at the age of 6. His father, Vasily Osipovich Smyslov, worked as an
engineering technician and had represented the St. Petersburg
Technical Institute in intercollegiate chess competitions.
Smyslov's father had also studied chess for a time under the
tutelage of Mikhail Chigorin and the senior Smyslov became the
boy's first teacher. The elder Smyslov gave his son a copy of
Alexander Alekhine's book My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923 and the
future world champion would later write that this book became his
constant reference. He would also write that "...I was later to
read everything that my father had in his library: Dufresne's
handbook, separate numbers of the Soviet chess magazines Chess and
Chess Sheet, the text-books of Lasker and Capablanca, and the
collections of games of Soviet and international tournaments. The
games of the great Russian chess master M. I. Tchigorin made an
indelible impression on me; it was with interest that I read the
various declarations on questions of strategy by A. I. Nimzovitch;
I studied attentively the genius of prominent Soviet masters."
Smyslov's competitive chess experiences began at the age of 14,
when he started taking part in classification tournaments. In 1938,
at age 17, Smyslov won the USSR Junior Championship. That same
year, he tied for 1st-2nd places in the Moscow City Championship,
with 12.5/17. However, Smyslov's first attempt at adult competition
outside his own city fell short; he placed 12th-13th in the
Leningrad-Moscow International tournament of 1939 with 8/17 in an
exceptionally strong field. In the Moscow Championship of 1939-40
Smyslov placed 2nd-3rd with 9/13.
++1.B War years
In his first Soviet final, the 1940 USSR Championship (Moscow, 12th
USSR Championship), he performed exceptionally well for 3rd place
with 13/19, finishing ahead of the reigning champion Mikhail
Botvinnik. This tournament was the strongest Soviet final up to
that time, as it included several players, such as Paul Keres and
Vladas Mikenas, from countries annexed by the USSR, as part of the
Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.
The Soviet Federation held a further tournament of the top six from
the 1940 event, and this was called the 1941 Absolute Championship
of the USSR, one of the strongest tournaments ever organized. The
format saw each player meet his opponents four times. The players
were Botvinnik, Keres, Smyslov, Isaac Boleslavsky, Igor
Bondarevsky, and Andor Lilienthal. Smyslov scored 10/20 for third
place, behind Botvinnik and Keres. This proved that Smyslov was of
genuine world-class Grandmaster strength at age 20, a very rare
achievement at that time.
The Second World War forced a halt to most international chess. But
several tournaments involving Soviet players only were still
organized. Smyslov won the 1942 Moscow Championship outright with
a powerful 12/15. At Kuibyshev 1942, he placed second with 8/11. In
a strong field at Sverdlovsk 1943, Smyslov tied for 3rd-4th places
with 8/14. In the 1943-44 Moscow Championship, Smyslov tied for
3rd-4th with 11.5/16. He finished second in the 1944 USSR
Championship at Moscow (13th USSR Championship) with 10.5/16. He
emerged as champion from the 1944-45 Moscow Championship with
13/16. By this juncture, Smyslov had advanced into the group of the
top three Soviet players, along with Botvinnik and Keres (who was
playing in Nazi-occupied Europe during the War).
As the war ended, organized chess picked up again. But Smyslov's
form hit a serious slump in the immediate post-war period. In the
1945 USSR Championship at Moscow (14th USSR Championship), Smyslov
was in the middle of the very powerful field with 8.5/17; the
winner was Botvinnik, with Boleslavsky and the new star David
Bronstein occupying second and third places. At Tallinn 1945,
Smyslov had the worst result of his career to date, scoring just
6.5/15 in a not especially strong field. It was little better in
the Moscow Championship of 1945-46, as he could only score 7.5/15
for a tie of 7th-11th places, as Bronstein won. Then in the Moscow
Championship of 1946, Smyslov scored just 8.5/15, for a tie of
3rd-6th places, as Bronstein won again. During this period he
scored just 31/62 in those four tournaments, for 50 per cent.
Nevertheless, Smyslov's earlier strong results secured him one of
the five Soviet places in the first really strong post-war
international tournament, at Groningen, Netherlands, in August
1946. This event, the Howard Staunton Memorial, was won by
Botvinnik with 14.5/19, half a point ahead of former World Champion
Max Euwe. Smyslov finished third with 12.5/19, and this confirmed
his status as one of the world's top players.
Smyslov found it tough going for the next while however, once he
was back playing in Soviet events. In the next Soviet Championship
(15th USSR Championship, Leningrad 1947), he tied for 3rd-4th
places with 12/19, as Keres won. At Parnu 1947, Smyslov scored 8/13
for a tied 4th-6th places, as Keres won again. At Warsaw 1947,
Smyslov scored 6/9 to tie for 2nd-5th places; the winner was
Svetozar Gligoric. In the Mikhail Chigorin Memorial tournament,
Moscow 1947, Smyslov tied for 3rd-4th places, with 10/15, as
Botvinnik won.
His results showed a consistent pattern of high finishes against
strong company, but with virtually no tournament championships.
Smyslov had never actually won an adult tournament other than the
Moscow City Championship, before he played in the 1948 World
Championship Tournament.
++1.C World title challenger
Smyslov was one of the five players selected to compete for the
1948 World Chess Championship tournament to determine who should
succeed the late Alexander Alekhine as champion. His selection was
questioned in some quarters, but this criticism was amply rebutted
when he finished second behind Mikhail Botvinnik, with a score of
11/20.
With his second-place finish from the 1948 World Championship,
Smyslov was exempt into the 1950 Budapest Candidates' tournament.
Smyslov scored 10/18 for third place, behind Bronstein and
Boleslavsky, who tied for first place. Smyslov's third place
exempted him into the next Candidates' tournament. He was awarded
the International Grandmaster title in 1950 by FIDE on its
inaugural list.
After winning the Candidates Tournament in Zurich 1953, with 18/28,
two points ahead of Keres, Bronstein, and Samuel Reshevsky, Smyslov
played a match with Botvinnik for the title the following year.
Sited at Moscow, the match ended in a draw, after 24 games (seven
wins each and ten draws), meaning that Botvinnik retained his
title.
++1.D World Champion
Smyslov had again won the Candidates' Tournament at Amsterdam in
1956, which led to another world championship match against
Botvinnik in 1957. Assisted by trainers Vladimir Makogonov and
Vladimir Simagin, Smyslov won by the score 12.5-9.5. The following
year, Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch, and won the title
back with a final score of 12.5-10.5. Smyslov later said his health
suffered during the return match, as he came down with pneumonia,
but he also acknowledged that Botvinnik had prepared very
thoroughly. Over the course of the three World Championship
matches, Smyslov had won 18 games to Botvinnik's 17 (with 34
draws), and yet he was only champion for a year. Yet Smyslov was to
write in his autobiographical games collection Smyslov's Best
Games, "I have no reason to complain of my fate. I fulfilled my
dream and became the seventh world champion in the history of
chess."
++1.E Later World Championships
Smyslov did not qualify for another World Championship, but
continued to play in World Championship qualifying events. In 1959,
he was a Candidate, but finished fourth in the qualifying
tournament held in Yugoslavia, which was won by the rising
superstar Mikhail Tal. He missed out in 1962, but was back in 1964,
following a first-place tie at the Amsterdam Interzonal, with
17/23. However he lost his first-round match to Efim Geller.
In 1983, at the age of 62, he went through to the Candidates' Final
(the match to determine who plays the champion, in that case
Anatoly Karpov), losing 8.5-4.5 at Vilnius 1984 to Garry Kasparov,
who was 21 at the time, and who went on to beat Karpov to become
world champion in 1985. He had beaten Zoltan Ribli 6.5-4.5 in the
semifinal, but drew his quarter-final match against Robert Huebner
7-7, with the advancing player (Smyslov) determined only by the
spin of a roulette wheel. His final Candidates' appearance was the
Montpellier 1985 tournament, where he did not advance.
++1.F Soviet Championships
Smyslov was a frequent competitor at the Soviet Championships and
enjoyed some notable successes. In 1940, while still a teenager, he
finished third behind Bondarevsky and Lilienthal. At the 13th
Championship in 1944, he placed second behind Botvinnik and in
1947, shared third with Bondarevsky, after Keres and Boleslavsky.
He was a joint winner of the contest in 1949 and again in 1955
(with Bronstein and Geller respectively). Whilst the 1949 title was
shared, the 1955 title was awarded to Geller after a play-off.
Much later in his career he showed that he could still mount a
credible challenge; he took a share of third place in 1969 (behind
Petrosian and Polugaevsky) and in 1971, was joint runner-up with
Tal, after Savon.
++1.G Post-war tournament record
Smyslov maintained an active tournament schedule throughout the
1950s, 60s and 70s, registering many top three finishes in some of
the most prestigious tournaments of the period.
In 1950, he was second behind Kotov at Venice and in 1951, won The
Chigorin Memorial, held in Leningrad. He shared third place with
Botvinnik at Budapest (The Maroczy Memorial) in 1952, after Keres
and Geller. In 1953, he won a training tournament in Gagra and
finished third at Bucharest, behind Tolush and Petrosian. At the
1954-1955 edition of the Hastings Congress, he shared first place
with Keres. At Zagreb 1955, he was sole winner, two clear points
ahead of the field. He continued his winning streak at Moscow's
Alekhine Memorial in 1956, a victory shared with his constant
rival, Botvinnik. During this period, there were several triumphs
in his city of birth, when he shared first place with Bronstein and
Spassky in 1959, was a joint winner in both 1961 (with Kholmov) and
1962 (with Vasiukov), and won outright in 1963.
His good form continued throughout the sixties. There were shares
of second place at Dortmund 1961 (after Taimanov) and at Mar del
Plata 1962 (after Polugaevsky). He travelled again to Hastings at
the end of 1962 and registered third place behind Gligoric and
Kotov. In 1963, he was second at Sochi (The Chigorin Memorial)
after Polugaevsky. His visit to Havana's Capablanca Memorial in
1964 resulted in a share of first with the East German, Uhlmann. He
took outright first at the same tournament the following year. In
1966, there were victories at Mar del Plata and at The Rubinstein
Memorial in Polanica Zdroj. In 1967, he was second to Fischer at
Monte Carlo, won at Moscow and took second after Stein at the
city's Alekhine Memorial tournament. He placed third the same year
at The Capablanca Memorial in Havana (after Larsen and Taimanov)
and finished third again at Palma de Mallorca 1967 and Monte Carlo
1968, the latter two events both being headed by Larsen and
Botvinnik. This was also the year he repeated his previous success
at Polanica Zdroj, taking outright first. His next trip to Hastings
also ended in triumph, as he took clear first at the 1968/69
edition. The sixties drew to a close with victory at Monte Carlo
1969 (shared with Portisch) and a share of third place at Skopje
1969 (with Uhlmann and Kholmov, after Hort and Matulovic).
While less prolific than in previous decades, Smyslov played many
strong tournaments in the seventies and even into the eighties and
beyond. He was joint runner-up with Hort, Gligoric and Korchnoi at
Rovinj/Zagreb 1970, after Fischer. A winner at Amsterdam in 1971,
he came third at The Alekhine Memorial (Moscow) the same year,
after Karpov and Stein. At Las Palmas 1972, he was second equal
with Larsen, behind Portisch and in 1973, topped The Capablanca
Memorial in Cienfuegos. First place followed at Reykjavik in 1974
and at the Venice tournament of the same year, he finished second
behind Liberzon. There followed a second place at The Alexander
Memorial (Teesside) in 1975 (after Geller), a first place at
Szolnok (also 1975), and a multi-way share of second at the large
Lone Pine Open of 1976 (Petrosian won). He finished third behind
Romanishin and Tal at Leningrad in 1977, when all three eclipsed
the efforts of then world champion Anatoly Karpov. In 1978, he won
at Sao Paulo and finished with a share of second at Buenos Aires,
after Andersson. As the seventies ended, he took first place at
Berlin 1979, this time shared with Csom.
Notable outcomes for 1980 included joint first places at San Miguel
(with Browne, Panno, Emma) and at Copenhagen (the Politiken Cup,
with Mikhalchishin). The same year, he finished second at Bar,
after Petrosian and second at Baguio City, after Torre. At Moscow
1981, he joined Kasparov and Polugaevsky in second place, behind
Karpov. A further Hastings visit in 1981/82 resulted in a share of
second place, with Speelman, after Kupreichik. He was first at Graz
in 1984 and first equal at Copenhagen (Politiken Cup) 1986 with
Chernin, Pigusov and Cserna. He played at Reggio Emilia over the
New Year of 1986/87 and shared second spot with Hort, Chernin and
Spassky, after Ribli. At Hastings in 1988/89, he took a share of
third with Gulko and Speelman, behind Short and Korchnoi.
His tournament appearances were relatively more sparse in the
nineties, but results included a share of first at Buenos Aires
1990 and a share of second at Malmo (Sigeman) in 1997, after
Hellers.
++1.H Team competition
Smyslov and Yuri Averbach, 2002
Smyslov represented the Soviet Union a total of nine times at chess
Olympiads, from 1952 to 1972 inclusive, excepting only 1962 and
1966. He contributed mightily to team gold medal wins on each
occasion he played, winning a total of eight individual medals. His
total of 17 Olympiad medals won, including team and individual
medals, is an all-time Olympiad record, according to olimpbase.org.
At Helsinki 1952, he played second board, and won the individual
gold medal with 10.5/13. At Amsterdam 1954, he was again on second
board, scored 9/12, and took the individual bronze medal. At Moscow
1956, he scored 8.5/13 on second board, but failed to win a medal.
At Munich 1958, he made 9.5/13 on second board, good for the silver
individual medal. At Leipzig 1960, he was dropped to first reserve,
and made a great score of 11.5/13, which won the gold medal. After
missing out on selection in 1962, he returned for Tel Aviv 1964, on
third board, and won the gold medal with 11/13. He missed selection
in 1966, but returned with a vengeance for Lugano 1968, and made a
phenomenal 11/12 for another gold medal as second reserve. At
Siegen 1970, he was first reserve, and scored 8/11 for the bronze
medal. His final Olympiad was Skopje 1972, where at age 51 he
played third board and scored 11/14, good for the silver medal.
His overall Olympiad score is an imposing 90 points in 113 games
(+69 =42 -2), for 79.6 per cent. This performance is the fifth all-
time best for players participating in at least four olympiads
Smyslov also represented the USSR in five European Team
Championships, and emerged with a perfect medals' record: he won
five team gold medals and five board gold medals. His total score
in these events was (+19 =15 -1), for 75.7 per cent. From
olimpbase.org, here is his European teams' data.
* Vienna 1957: board 1, 3.5/6 (+2 =3 -1), board and team gold
medals;
* Oberhausen 1961: board 5, 9/9 (+7 =2 -0), board and team gold
medals;
* Hamburg 1965: board 4, 6/9 (+3 =6 -0), board and team gold
medals;
* Kapfenberg 1970: board 5, 5/6 (+4 =2 - 0), board and team gold
medals;
* Bath, Somerset 1973: board 6, 4/5 (+3 =2 - 0), board and team
gold medals.
Smyslov played for the USSR in both the 1970 and 1984 matches
against teams representing the Rest of the World. He was on board
six at Belgrade in 1970, and on board four at London in 1984, with
the Soviets winning both matches.
++1.I Final years
In 1991 Smyslov won the inaugural World Senior Chess Championship.
He played no competitive games after the 2001 Klompendans Veterans
versus Ladies tournament in Amsterdam. His Elo rating after this
event was 2494.
Smyslov died of heart failure in hospital in Moscow on the morning
of 27 March 2010, three days after his 89th
birthday.
++1.J Legacy
Vasily Smyslov congratulates Yuri Averbakh at his 80th birthday and
presents him with a book of his own chess studies.
Smyslov was known for his positional style, and, in particular, his
precise handling of the endgame, but many of his games featured
spectacular tactical shots as well. He made enormous contributions
to chess opening theory in many openings, including the English
Opening, Gruenfeld Defense, and the Sicilian Defense. He has a
variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez named for him: the line runs 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 h6. Smyslov also successfully revived the Fianchetto
Defense to the Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6) in the
1970s. In the Slav Defense, the main line with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 is named the Czech or Smyslov
Variation.
Perhaps in tribute to his probing intellect, Stanley Kubrick named
a character after him in his film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
++1.K Opera singer
Smyslov was a fine baritone singer, who only positively decided
upon a chess career after a failed audition with the Bolshoi
Theatre in 1950. He once said, "I have always lived between chess
and music." On the occasion of a game against Mikhail Botvinnik, he
sang to an audience of thousands. He occasionally gave recitals
during chess tournaments, often accompanied by fellow Grandmaster
and concert pianist Mark Taimanov. Smyslov once wrote that he tried
to achieve harmony on the chess board, with each piece assisting
the others.
++1.L Notable chess games
* Tigran Petrosian vs Vasily Smyslov, USSR Championship, Moscow
1949, Sicilian Defense, Scheveningen Variation (B84), 0-1 The
first meeting of two future World Champions goes to Smyslov in
a precise positional performance.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951,
Sicilian Defense, Closed Variation (B26), 1-0 Smyslov used the
Closed Sicilian periodically throughout his life, and made
many important improvements.
* Paul Keres vs Vasily Smyslov, Zurich Candidates' Tournament
1953, English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. Hedgehog System
(A17) 0-1 In a vital late-tournament encounter, Smyslov fights
off Keres' very dangerous attack, to put himself in the
driver's seat towards winning the tournament.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Botvinnik, World Championship Match,
Moscow 1954, game 9, French Defense, Winawer Variation (C17),
1-0 Smyslov blows up one of the World Champion's favourite
variations with a queen sacrifice to score a stunning win.
* Mikhail Botvinnik vs Vasily Smyslov, World Championship Match,
Moscow 1954, game 14, King's Indian Defense, Fianchetto
Variation (E68), 0-1 With one of the deepest pre-game home
preparations ever seen, Smyslov unleashes a chain of tactical
wizardry, including a queen sacrifice, to record a beautiful
win which fundamentally changed the theory in this variation.
* Vasily Smyslov vs David Bronstein, Candidates' Tournament,
Amsterdam 1956, English Opening (A34), 1-0 The two players
were fighting for the right to qualify, late in the
tournament, and Smyslov finds a way to come out on top.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Mikhail Tal, Candidates' Tournament,
Yugoslavia 1959, Sicilian Defense, Najdorf / Opecensky
Variation (B92), 1-0 It was their first-ever meeting, and the
young star Tal gets a sharp lesson from the veteran.
* Robert Fischer vs Vasily Smyslov, Candidates' Tournament,
Yugoslavia 1959, Sicilian Defense, Fischer / Sozin Variation
(B86), 0-1 The 16-year-old Fischer had honed this opening line
into a formidable weapon, but here Smyslov shows him a few new
wrinkles.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Boris Spassky, Moscow vs Leningrad team
match 1960, Alekhine's Defense (B05), 1-0 Spassky tries the
unusual Alekhine's Defense and is beaten in fairly short
order.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Championship, Leningrad
1971, English Opening / Queen's Gambit (A34), 1-0 Karpov was
the young rising star, but here he lasts for only 29 moves
against Smyslov, who is 30 years older.
* Vasily Smyslov vs Garry Kasparov, Soviet Olympiad Training
tournament (?) 1980, Sicilian Defense, Scheveningen Variation
(B84), 1-0 Smyslov spots the young Kasparov 42 years, but
shows chess is a game for all ages with a precise victory over
the future World Champion.
++1.M Books by Smyslov
* Vasily Smyslov (2003) Smyslov's Best Games, Volume 1:
1935-1957 (Moravian Chess Publishing House)
* Vasily Smyslov (2003) Smyslov's Best Games, Volume 2:
1958-1995 (Moravian Chess Publishing House)
* Vasily Smyslov (1997) Endgame Virtuoso (Cadogan)
* Vasily Smyslov (1995) Smyslov's 125 Selected Games (modern
edition published by Everyman Chess)
* Grigory Levenfish and Vasily Smyslov (1971) Rook Endings
(Batsford Edition)
++2. Samuel Herman Reshevsky
Samuel Herman Reshevsky (November 26, 1911 - April 4, 1992) was a
famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess
Grandmaster. He was a contender for the World Chess Championship
from about 1935 to the mid-1960s; coming equal third in the World
Chess Championship 1948 tournament, and equal second in the 1953
Candidates Tournament. He was also an eight-time winner of the U.S.
Chess Championship.
++2.A Life
Reshevsky learned to play chess at age four, and was soon acclaimed
as a child prodigy. At age eight he was beating accomplished
players with ease, and giving simultaneous exhibitions. In November
1920, his parents moved to the USA to make a living exhibiting
their child. He played in the 1922 New York Masters tournament.
As an adult, however, Reshevsky was never a professional chess
player. He temporarily gave up chess to enter the University of
Chicago, graduating in 1934 with a degree in accounting. He
supported himself and his family by working as an accountant. His
1941 marriage to the former Norma Mindick produced three children.
Reshevsky was a devout Orthodox Jew and did not play on the Jewish
Sabbath, with his games scheduled accordingly.
++2.B Chess career
Reshevsky won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1936, 1938, 1940,
1941, 1942, 1946, and 1969. As well, Reshevsky tied for that
tournament title in 1972, but lost the playoff in 1973 to Robert
Byrne. He competed in a record 21 U.S. Championships, and achieved
a plus score every time. He also holds U.S. Championship records
for most finishes in the top three places (15), most games played
(269), and most games won (127).
He won the U.S. Open Chess Championship in 1931 at
Tulsa. Reshevsky shared the 1934 U.S. Open title with Reuben Fine
at Chicago. Reshevsky's international career began in 1935 with a
trip to England, where he won at Yarmouth with 10/11. He then won
first place at the Margate tournament where he beat, among others,
former world champion Jose Raul Capablanca. The game transcript
follows:
Reshevsky-Capablanca, Margate 1935
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 d5
4. Bg5 Nbd7
5. cxd5 exd5
6. e3 Be7
7. Bd3 0-0
8. Qc2 c5
9. Nf3 c4
10. Bf5 Re8
11. 0-0 g6
12. Bh3 Nf8
13. Bxc8 Rxc8
14. Bxf6 Bxf6
15. b3 Qa5
16. b4 Qd8
17. Qa4 a6
18. b5 Re6
19. Rab1 Rb8
20. Rb2 Be7
21. bxa6 Rxa6
22. Qc2 Ne6
23. Rfb1 Ra7
24. a4 Nc7
25. Ne5 Qe8
26. f4 f6
27. Ng4 Qd7
28. h3 Kg7
29. Nf2 Ba3
30. Ra2 Bd6
31. Nfd1 f5
32. Nb5 Ra5
33. Nxc7 Bxc7
34. Nc3 Qd6
35. Qf2 b6
36. Qf3 Rd8
37. Rab2 Qe7
38. Rb4 Rd7
39. Kh1 Bd8
40. g4 fxg4
41. hxg4 Qd6
42. Kg1 Bc7
43. Kf2 Rf7
44. g5 Bd8
45. Ke2 Bxg5
46. Rxb6 Qa3
47. Kd2 Be7
48. Rb7 Rxa4
49. Qxd5 Ra5
50. Qxc4 Rh5
51. Kd3 Qa8
52. Qe6 Qa3
53. Rd7 Rhf5
54. Rb3 Qa1
55. Rxe7 Qf1+
56. Kd2
1-0
A year later he shared third place at the Nottingham 1936 chess
tournament. In 1937 he shared first at Kemeri, Latvia, and in 1938
shared fourth in the AVRO tournament in the Netherlands, which
featured arguably the eight strongest players in the world.
Reshevsky won his third U.S. Open title at Boston 1944.
Reshevsky was a serious contender for the World Championship from
roughly 1935 to the mid-1960s. He was one of the five chess
grandmasters to compete in the World Championship match tournament
in The Hague/Moscow 1948 and finished in joint third place with
Paul Keres, behind Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov.
In 1950, Reshevsky was awarded the title of International
Grandmaster by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, on its inaugural
list. Although eligible, he did not play in the Candidates
Tournament in Budapest. It has generally been believed that he was
barred from attending by the U.S. State Department due to the Cold
War, and this is consistent with the fact that the only other
eligible active player from a NATO country, Max Euwe of the
Netherlands, also did not play. In 1991, however, Reshevsky said
the decision not to go was his.
The following Candidates in Zurich 1953 was probably his best
chance to qualify for a World Championship match, but he finished
in joint second place with David Bronstein and Keres, two points
behind Smyslov. Bronstein, in his last book, Secret Notes,
published in 2007 just after his death the previous year, confirmed
long-standing rumours by writing that the nine Soviet grandmasters
(out of a field of 15) at Zurich were under orders from both their
chess leadership and the KGB to not let Reshevsky win the
tournament under any circumstances, with Smyslov being the
preferred victor. When Reshevsky maintained his strong contention
late into the two-month event, Bronstein claims that the Soviets
prearranged several results in games amongst themselves to
successfully prevent Reshevsky's overall victory, while also
ensuring that Reshevsky faced the maximum test in his own games
against the Soviet players. Several other writers, including Alexei
Suetin (who was the second of Tigran Petrosian at Zurich 1953),
also confirmed the Soviet collusion in Zurich.
Reshevsky qualified for one more Candidates', in 1967, but lost the
subsequent quarterfinal to Viktor Korchnoi the following year.
Sammy Reshevsky, 1960
He was a regular top board for the USA at the Chess Olympiads.
Overall he played in eight events, helping the U.S. team to win the
gold in 1937 and bronze in 1974, and winning an individual bronze
medal for his performance on board one in 1950. His complete
results were (+39 =49 -12) in 100 games, for 63.5 percent; he
appeared on board one for the United States six times. He played in
1937, 1950, 1952, 1958, 1964, 1968, 1970, and 1974, a 37-year span.
In 1952, New York hosted the first eight games of an informal match
for "The Championship of the Free World" between Reshevsky and
Polish-Argentine grandmaster Miguel Najdorf. An additional five
games were played in Mexico City and five more in San Salvador.
Reshevsky won the match, 11-7. The following year a rematch took
place in Buenos Aires. Reshevsky again won, 9.5-8.5.
In his long career, Reshevsky proved a formidable match player. In
1941, he defeated I.A. Horowitz in a U.S. Championship playoff
match by 9.5-6.5 (+3 =13 -0). In 1942, he defeated Isaac Kashdan by
7.5-3.5 (+6 =3 -2). In 1952, he defeated Svetozar Gligoric by 5.5-
4.5 (+2 =7 -1). In 1956, he defeated William Lombardy by 3.5-2.5
(+1 =5 -0). In 1957, he defeated Arthur Bisguier by (+4 =4 -2). In
1957, he defeated Donald Byrne by 7-3 (+7 =0 -3). In 1960, he
defeated Pal Benko by 5.5-4.5 (+3 =5 -2). Only in 1968, in his 57th
year, did he finally lose a match, to Viktor Korchnoi, in Amsterdam
in the first round of the Candidates.
Reshevsky played on top board for the USA in the 1955 team match
against the USSR, held in Moscow, and defeated world champion
Mikhail Botvinnik over four games, winning one and drawing three.
In 1961 in New York and Los Angeles, Reshevsky began a 16-game
match with the then-current U.S. Champion Bobby Fischer. Despite
Fischer's recent meteoric rise, consensus opinion favored
Reshevsky. After eleven games and a tie score (two wins apiece with
seven draws) the match ended due to a dispute between Fischer and
match organizer Jacqueline Piatigorsky, with Reshevsky receiving
the winner's share of the prize fund. There was little love lost
between the two players. Ahead of the Buenos Aires 1960 tournament,
Reshevsky reportedly said, "I would settle for 19th place - if
Fischer placed 20th." In the 1967 Sousse Interzonal, Fischer turned
up 53 minutes late for his game with Reshevsky and made his opening
move without a word of apology. Reshevsky, who had been convinced
that Fischer had withdrawn from the tournament, lost the game badly
and complained furiously to the organisers. He also refused to play
for the US team in the Chess Olympiads of 1960, 1962 and 1966
because Fischer was chosen ahead of him for the top board. He did,
however, play on a lower board in 1970, the only time the two men
appeared in the same team.
During his long chs careeesr, Reshevsky played eleven of the first
twelve World Champions, from Emanuel Lasker to Anatoly Karpov, the
only player to do so (he met Garry Kasparov but never played him).
He defeated seven World Champions: Lasker, Jose Raul Capablanca,
Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov,
and Bobby Fischer.
Aside from U.S. Championships, Reshevsky's important tournament
titles included Syracuse 1934, Hastings 1937-1938,
Leningrad/Moscow 1939, Hollywood 1945 (Pan American Championship),
New York 1951 (Maurice Wertheim Memorial), Havana 1952, New York
1956 (Lessing Rosenwald Trophy), Dallas 1957, Haifa/Tel Aviv 1958,
Buenos Aires 1960, Netanya 1969, and the Reykjavmk Open 1984 at age
72.
Reshevsky competed seriously at least semi-regularly, virtually
until his death in 1992. He defeated old rival Vasily Smyslov in a
tournament game in 1991.
Reshevsky's books include Reshevsky on Chess (1948), How Chess
Games Are Won (1962), Great Chess Upsets (1976), and The Art of
Positional Play (1978). He also wrote a book on the 1972 World
Championship match between his great rival Bobby Fischer and Boris
Spassky. As well, he authored columns in chess magazines and The
New York Times.
Reshevsky was a tough and forceful player who was superb at
positional play, but could also play brilliant tactical chess when
warranted. He used huge amounts of time in the opening, a dangerous
tactic which sometimes forced him to play the rest of the game in
a very short amount of time. That sometimes unsettled Reshevsky's
opponents but at other times resulted in blunders on his part.
Reshevsky's inadequate study of the opening and his related
tendency to fall into time-pressure may have been the reasons that,
despite his great talent, he was never able to become world
champion; he himself acknowledged this in his book on chess upsets.
++2.C Quotes
* "By playing slowly during the early phases of a game I am able
to grasp the basic requirements of each position. Then,
despite being in time pressure, I have no difficulty in
finding the best continuation. Incidentally, it is an odd fact
that more often than not it is my opponent who gets the
jitters when I am compelled to make these hurried moves."
* His self-description, "My style is somewhere between that of
Tal and Petrosian", is sometimes circulated as an ironic
comment (given that these two players are considered to
represent opposite extremes of style) but makes more sense in
its full context; from his book Great Chess Upsets: "I am
essentially a positional player, although I can conduct an
assault with precision and vigor, when the opportunity arises.
My style lies between that of Tal and Petrosian. It is neither
over-aggressive nor too passive. My strength consists of a
fighting spirit, a great desire to win, and a stubborn defense
whenever in trouble. I rarely become discouraged in an
inferior situation, and I fear no one."
++3. Vasily Smyslov - Samuel Reshevsky, USA-USSR radio match 1945
USA-USSR radio match 1945
White: Vasily Smyslov
Black: Samuel Reshevsky
Result: 1-0
ECO: C82 - Ruy Lopez, Morphy Variation, Open Variation, Italian Variation
Notes by R.J. Macdonald
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5
(The Ruy Lopez Opening.)
3. ... a6
(The Morphy Variation.)
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 Nxe4
(The Open Variation.)
6. d4 b5
(The Riga Variation continues with 6. ... exd4, after which black can achieve
equality after: (a) 7. Re1 d5 8. Nxd4 Bd6 9. Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10. Kxh2 Qh4+ 11. Kg1
Qxf2+ 12. Kh1 Qh4+ 13. Kg1 Qf2+; (b) 7. Qe2 Qe7 8. Re1 Nc5 9. Qd1 Ne6 10. c3 d3
11. Qxd3 Qd6 12. Qc2 Be7; or (c) 7. Nxd4 Nc5 8. Re1+ Ne6 9. Nxe6 dxe6 10. Bxc6+
bxc6 11. Qg4 h5 12. Qh3 Qf6 13. Nc3 Be7 14. Qg3 Bd6.)
7. Bb3
(Also playable are (a) 7. Qe2 d5 8. Bb3 exd4 9. Nbd2 f5 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11. Nxd4
Nxd4 12. Qh5+ g6 13. Qe5+ Be6 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. Qxh8: (b) 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. dxe5
bxa4 9. Qd5 Bb7 10. Qxb7 c6 11. b4 a5 12. bxa5 Rxa5 13. Nd2 Rb5 14. Qa7 Bc5;
and (c) 7. Re1 bxa4 8. Rxe4 d5 9. Re1 e4 10. c4 Bb4 11. Bd2 a5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13.
dxe5 0-0, all of which offer equal chances.)
7. ... d5
(White has a solid advantage after (a) 7. ... exd4 8. Re1 d5 9. Nc3 Be6 10.
Nxe4 dxe4 11. Rxe4 Be7 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nxd4 e5; (b) 7. ... Be7 8. dxe5 Nc5 9.
Bd5 0-0 10. Nc3 Rb8 11. a4 Nb4 12. axb5 axb5 13. Be3 c6 14. Be4; or (c) 7. ...
Bb7 8. Nbd2 Ng5 9. Re1 Be7 10. Nxg5 Bxg5 11. Ne4 Bxc1 12. Rxc1 0-0 13. Nc5 Na5
14. dxe5 Bc6 15. Bd5 Re8.)
8. dxe5
(White can also achieve a slight advantage after 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Be6 10.
Nd2 Nxd2 11. Bxd2 Be7 12. c3 0-0 13. Bf4 Qd7 14. Qd3 c6 15. a4.)
8. ... Be6
9. c3
(White retains a slight advantage after (a) 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Nxb3 11. Nxb3
Be7 12. Nbd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 0-0 14. f4 Bd7 15. Be3 Re8; or (b) 9. Be3 Be7 10.
Qd3 0-0 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qe2 Nc6 13. Nbd2 f5 14. c3 Qc8 15. h3.)
9. ... Bc5
(This is the Italian Variation. The Berlin Variation continues with 9. ... Nc5.
White retains a slight edge after 10. Bc2 Be7 11. Nbd2 Bg4 12. Re1 Bh5 13. Nf1
0-0 14. Ng3 Bg6 15. Be3 Re8 16. Bxg6.)
10. Nbd2
(The position is also even after (a) 10. Qd3 (The Motzko Variation) 10. ... f6
11. exf6 Qxf6 12. Be3 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Nd2 0-0 15. Bd4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 Qd6
17. Rae1; (b) 10. Qe1 0-0 11. Be3 Re8 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Bg4
15. Rad1 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxe5 17. Qxd5 Qxd5; (c) 10. Qe2 0-0 11. Be3 Qe7 12. Nbd2
Bxe3 13. Qxe3 f5 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Rfe1 Rae8 16. Ng5 Bf7 17. Qxe7; or (d) 10.
Bc2 0-0 11. Nbd2 Nxf2 12. Rxf2 f6 13. exf6 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Qxf6 15. Kg1 Rad8 16.
a4.)
10. ... 0-0
(White stands slightly better after 10. ... Qd7 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Ng5 Bxb3 13.
axb3 Nxe5 14. Nxe4 Qxd1 15. Rxd1 Bb6 16. Rd5 f6 17. Bf4 Ng6.)
11. Bc2 f5
(The Dilworth Variation continues with 11. ... Nxf2 12. Rxf2. After 12. ... f6
13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Qf1 Bf5 15. Bxf5 Qxf5 16. Nb3 Bxf2+ 17. Qxf2 Rae8 18. Bg5 h6
19. Bd2 Ne5 20. Nbd4 Qh5 both sides have equal opportunities.)
12. Nb3 Bb6
13. Nbd4 Nxd4
14. Nxd4 Bxd4
(Better is 14. ... Bd7 15. f3 Nc5 16. Bf4 Ne6 17. Be3 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 c5 19. Bf2
Be6 20. Qd3 Rb8 21. Qe2 d4 22. Rfd1 Qd7, though white retains a solid
advantage.)
15. cxd4 f4
(Better is 15. ... c5 16. f3 cxd4 17. Qxd4 Rc8 18. Bb3 Nc5 19. Be3 Qd7 20. Rfd1
Nxb3 21. axb3 Qb7 22. Rd3 Rc2 23. Rc3 Rc8 24. Qd3, but white retains a strong
advantage.)
16. f3 Ng3
Key Move Diagram:
r2q1rk1/
2p3pp/
p3b3/
1p1pP3/
3P1p2/
5Pn1/
PPB3PP/
R1BQ1RK1
Position after black's 16th move.
17. hxg3?
(Better is 17. Rf2 Qh4 18. Qd2 c6 19. a4 Nf5 20. Qc3 Rac8 21. Re2 Rf7 22. b4 g6
23. Bd2 Kg7 24. Bd3 Qg5, with a strong advantage for white.)
17. ... fxg3
(Black now has a strong advantage.)
18. Qd3 Bf5
19. Qxf5 Rxf5
20. Bxf5 Qh4
21. Bh3 Qxd4+
22. Kh1 Qxe5
23. Bd2 Qxb2
24. Bf4
(Black has a strong advantage at this point.)
24. ... c5
(24. ... d4 25. Bxg3 (25. Bxc7 Re8 26. Bxg3 d3 27. Bf5 d2 28. Rfd1 Qc3 29. Be4
Rxe4 30. fxe4 Qxg3 31. Rxd2 Qg5 32. Rad1 1/2-1/2, as in the game E. Sparenberg
(2054) - F. Vermeulen, Groningen 2005) 25. ... c5 26. Be5 Re8 27. f4 Qe2 28.
Rae1 Qh5 29. Rc1 d3 30. Rxc5 Qe2 31. Rg1 Rd8 32. Rc7 Kf8 33. Bxg7+ Ke8 34. Bg4
Qxg4 35. Re1+ Qe2 36. Rxe2+ dxe2 37. Bc3 Rd1+ 38. Kh2 Rc1 39. Rc8+ 0-1 in 43
moves, as in the game S. Tiviakov (2640) - I. Sokolov (2625), Groningen 1994.)
25. Be6+
(White forks: d5+g8.)
25. ... Kh8
(25. ... Kf8 26. Bd6+ Ke8 27. Bxd5 Rd8 28. Rfe1+ Kd7 29. Be5 Qd2 30. Bxg3 Qxd5
31. Rad1 Kc6 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Re6+ Kd7 34. Rxa6 Rg5 35. Bf4 Rf5 36. Bd2 Rd5
37. Bc3 b4 38. Bxg7 c4 39. Rb6 c3 40. Rxb4 1-0 in 51 moves, as in the game M.
Niering (2220) - E. Sprang, Kassel 1995.)
26. Bxd5 Rd8
(Black threatens to win material: Rd8xd5. 26. ... Qd4 27. Be4 (27. Bxa8? looks
very tantalising, but 27. ... Qxf4 28. Rfe1 g6 would be decisive for black) 27.
. ... Rd8 28. Bxg3 offers equal chances.)
27. Rad1
(The position is now even.)
27. ... c4
(Black wins space. 27. ... Qf6 28. Bxg3 Qg5 29. Be6 Rxd1 30. Rxd1 offers equal
chances.)
28. Bxg3 c3
(A strong pawn. 28. ... Qf6 29. Rfe1 leads to equality.)
29. Be5
(White now has a slight advantage.)
Key Move Diagram:
3r3k/
6pp/
p7/
1p1BB3/
8/
2p2P2/
Pq4P1/
3R1R1K
Position after white's 29th move.
29. ... b4??
(29. ... Qb4 is the only rescuing move: 30. Be4 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Kg8 where white
has only a slight advantage.)
30. Bb3
(White now has a very strong advantage.)
30. ... Rd2
(30. ... Rxd1 doesn't change anything: 31. Rxd1 h5 gives white a very strong
advantage.)
31. f4
(31. Bf4 makes sure everything is clear: 31. ... h6 32. Bxd2 cxd2 33. Rf2 with
a very strong position for white.)
31. ... h5
(31. ... h6!? looks like a viable alternative leading to equality.)
32. Rb1
(White has a solid advantage at this point.)
Key Move Diagram:
7k/
6p1/
p7/
4B2p/
1p3P2/
1Bp5/
Pq1r2P1/
1R3R1K
Position after white's 32nd move.
32. ... Rf2??
(This will cause more grief. Better is 32. ... Qa3 33. Rf3 c2 34. Bxc2 Qxa2,
with a solid advantage for white.)
33. Rfe1
(33. Rfd1 might be the shorter path: 33. ... Qxb1 34. Rxb1 Kh7 with a decisive
advantage for white.)
33. ... Qd2
(33. ... Qa3 there is nothing better in the position: 34. Bd4 c2 with a very
strong advantage for white. 34. ... Rxf4 misses a pretty mating combination:
35. Re8+ Kh7 36. Bc2+ Kh6 37. Re6+ Rf6 38. Be3+ g5 39. Rxf6+ Kg7 40. Rbf1 Qa5
41. Rg6+ Kh8 42. Rf8+ Kh7 43. Rf7+ Kh8 44. Bd4+ Qe5 45. Bxe5#.)
34. Rbd1 Qb2
(34. ... Re2 35. Rg1 Qb2 36. Rd8+ Kh7 37. Bg8+ Kg6 38. Rd6+ Kf5 39. Bh7+ g6 40.
g4+ Ke4 41. Bxg6+ Kf3 42. Rd3+ Re3 43. Rxe3+ Kxe3 44. Rg3+ Kd2 45. Rg2+ Kc1 46.
Rxb2 Kxb2 47. gxh5 Kc1 48. h6 Kd1 49. Bh5+ Kd2 50. h7 b3 51. h8=Q Kc2 52. Bg6+
Kd2 53. Qd8+ Ke2 54. Kg2 c2 55. Bc3 c1=Q 56. Qd3#.)
35. Rd8+ Kh7
36. Bg8+ Kg6
37. Rd6+ Kf5
38. Be6+
(38. Bh7+ Kg4 39. Rg6+ Kh4 40. Rxg7 Rxg2 41. Bf6+ Rg5 42. Rxg5 c2 43. Re2 c1=Q+
44. Rg1+ Qxf6 45. Rh2#.)
38. ... Kg6
(White has a decisive advantage.)
39. Bd5+
(39. Bg4+! and White wins after 39. ... Kf7 40. Rd7+ Ke8 41. Bc7+ Re2 42. Rd8+
Kf7 43. Bxe2 with a decisive advantage for white.)
39. ... Kh7
40. Be4+
(40. Rxa6?! is not possible because of 40. ... Qd2 41. Be4+ Kg8 42. Ra8+ Kf7
43. Ra7+ Ke6 44. Ra6+ Ke7 45. Ra7+ Ke6 46. Ra6+ Ke7 47. Ra7+ Ke6 and equality.)
40. ... Kg8
41. Bg6
(Black resigned in view of 41. ... Qd2 42. Rxd2 cxd2 43. Rd1 where white should
win easily.)
1-0
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