El acceso al campo

The Dutch patron and President of the Max Euwe association, Joop van Oosterom, had certainly this expression in mind when he decided to offer to his great friend Lev Polugaevsky, on his sixti­

eth birthday, a sumptuous chess tournament on the theme of the Sicilian defence, the favourite opening of 'Polu' . It was decided that the tour­

nament should be a double-round affair with eight of the world's top players. The financial questions having been

solved, there remained just two formalities:

choosing the venue and selecting the players.

When he was asked where he would like his diamond jubilee to be organized, the Russian GM replied almost without hesitation:

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His reply may have seemed a surprise because the Argentine capital is as­

sociated with a tragic epi­

sode from the history of Soviet chess where 'Polu' was one of the main ac­

tors. In 1978, for the one and only time of its exist­

ence, the USSR failed to win the Olympiad. That year it could do no better than to finish second be­

hind the astonishing Hun­

garian team; however, 'Polu' could hardly be criticized scoring a mere eight out of eleven!

Two years later the same city saw his defeat in the semi-final of the world championship against the 'dissident' Viktor Kortch­

noi; the match that no So­

viet citizen had the right to lose and which essentially ended his hopes in the quest for the supreme title.

In fact, it is well known

moments gradually erase the painful ones. Giving the reasons for his choice, Polugaevsky explained

"From the numerous journeys that I have made in this country I remember each moment. I won Mar del Plata twice, in 1962 and 1971, and they still remain happy memories for me. In Argentina, people live well and the people are marvellous;

on top of that they really love chess. I'll never forget for example, when the police had to make

].J. van Oosterom

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a path for me through the masses in front of the San Martin theatre after I had just won a game in my match against Kortchnoi. People were grab­

bing hold in order to congratulate me, it was fantastic". His wife Irene added "After Lev was eliminated, I saw people who were in tears. I've never seen that in other countries".

Personally I had never been to Argentina and no doubt like many people, I thought that Russia (let's say the USSR) was the only real home of chess. After three weeks spent in Buenos Aires I revised my judgement and would like to mention here some significant happenings. Almost every­

where in restaurants, the boss and staff recognized the players and asked for their autographs; at the end of the meal it was typical that the house offered us a digestif; be it a bottle of wine or champagne.

In the street, people became aware of Lev, they respectfully acknowledged him or even ap­

plauded shouting "Poluga, Poluga". Finally, for those who still remain unconvinced of the love that the Portinos (the inhabitants of Buenos Ai­

res) have for our game, it is sufficient to remem­

ber the rich chess history of the city: with Mos­

cow (1956 and 1994) and Thessaloniki (1 984 and 1988), it's the only city that has organized two Olympiads, firstly that of 1939 (then called the 'Tournament of Nations') when Germany won ahead of Poland and Estonia, then 1 978, with the surprise victory of Hungary ahead of the USSR and United States. Then one must of course add the two Candidates semi-finals with the matches Fischer Petrosian (1971) and Kortchnoi -Polugaevsky (1980). Finally, and indeed mainly, the world championship final between Alekhine and Capablanca in 1927. The letter written by Alekhine, the 2nd of September 1926, to the president of the Argentino club, who organized the encounter is also revealing: " ... I add that I encountered an exceptional atmosphere, favour­

able from all points of view to the development of chess activity, and that it is with the greatest of satisfaction that I look forward to the prospect of taking part in a match for the world champi­

onship title under its auspices, in the case that Senor Capablanca accepts my challenge ... " .

One could add to this already impressive list, other manifestations, that in their time, attracted attention such as the series of exhibition games between Najdorf and Reshevsky in 1952, the

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famous Argentina - USSR match that took place in 1 954 in the Cervantes theatre, or the tourna­

ments of: 193 1 , 1 946, 1 960, 1964 and 1 970.

Then one must not forget the various tourna­

ments organized in Najdorf's honour with the support of the great local newspaper, Clarin.

Concerning the choice of participants, the prob­

lem became complicated because of the interven­

tion of some spectacular changes. Firstly ac­

cepted, Garry Kasparov's participation was later cancelled. To justify his decision, the PCA World Champion pointed out the length of the tourna­

ment and his full diary in order to excuse himself.

To compensate for his absence, 'Polu' played with the idea, for a few days, of calling Bobby Fischer, but the project was quickly abandoned as unrealistic. A shame because the 'man from Reykjavik' , as well as a specialist 1 .e4 player and undeniable expert on the Sicilian, would have brought much to the tournament. His presence would equally have led to the first meeting be­

tween Karpov and Fischer!

At the beginning of Spring in 1994 it became clear that following his operation, 'Polu' would not be fit enough to take part, and with much emotion, he indicated to the organizers that he had to step down. The tournament was already at an advanced stage of preparation and there was no question of delaying, or cancelling, the tour­

nament. 'Polu' himself simplified things greatly by suggesting a replacement in the person of Valery Salov.

Created in honour of the late World Champion, the Max Euwe Association is still very young as it was only created on the 4th of January 1 99 1 � in Monaco. Nevertheless, its proud record is already impressive. Each event caused a great stir throughout the world, due both to their original­

ity and the quality of the organization. Recently it has diversified its interests, as in honour of the second daughter of Joop van Oosterom, Crystal Kelly, a billiards tournament was created!

Until then, the Max Euwe Association had al­

ways organized and run its own events, but in Buenos Aires, more than 15,000 Kilometres from it's base, the need to involve some foreign partners was evident; not only to balance the budget (which was phenomenal) but also to en­

sure the logistics.

Gata Kamsky was one of the many that enthusiastically submitted to this ceremony.

One of the most prestigious was without doubt the Banco Patricios, one of the most prosperous banks in Argentina who, by the expedient of its foundation, never relaxed its efforts in working to give great impact and sparkle to the tournament.

It is fitting therefore to thank Doctor Alberto Spolski, the president of the foundation, and also the architect Mariano Billic, the foundation's director, along with the members of his team.

The success of this novel collaboration was partly due to the mammoth task performed by 'logistics organizer' Pieter Cordia. He spent, in effect, more than a year on this ambitious project and as things worked out, became a regular trav­

eller between Amsterdam and Buenos Aires. Un­

doubtedly for him, a method of mixing theory and practice as he used to work for a travel agency! It is really a shame that there is no award

for the 'world champion organizer', as for cer­

tain, Pieter Cordia would be a serious candidate.

From my point of view everything was magnifi­

cently orchestrated and one had the feeling that he had truly calculated everything. It was diffi­

cult to find fault in his organization. Perhaps the only reproach that could be made was that the hotel swimming pool was closed, but can we really hold him responsible?

From a media point of view the tournament knew a great success, notably because of the excellent work undertaken by the press officer, Ana Maria Monti. Not without a certain pride, GM Miguel Quinteros pointed out to me: "Here everyday there are newspaper articles, almost fifty journal­

ists have been accredited, the radio has news­

flashes and even the television is talking about it.

It's even better than Linares!".

It is certainly difficult to fault him, as even the Argentinian state itself gave its support in declar­

ing that the Polugaevsky diamond jubilee was of national interest! Incredible. To my knowledge that has never been previously known in any other country.

The tournament, baptized 'Torneo Mundial de Ajedrez Lev Polugaevsky' took place at the head­

quarters of the Banco Patricios Fundaci6n. Situ­

ated at 3 1 2 Callao avenue, it is really near to the city centre and to the famous 9th of July avenue, considered as the largest in the world. Normally geared towards art, music or the theatre, the foundation opened wide its doors to chess as no less than four floors were devoted entirely to the tournament!

On the ground floor, a room gave directly onto the street allowing spectators (but also casual passers-by) to follow the games on four giant electronic screens. This represented a big first in Argentina and I still remember the flabbergasted expressions on the faces of certain aficionados the first day of transmission. Comfortably seated, the spectators (sometimes noisily in this country) could at their leisure discuss the games and par­

take of one of the delicious pastries in the cafe­

teria. I have the names of certain players' wives who gained several kilos in this gastronomic paradise whilst their husbands lost a few from the nervous tension. At the back of the room, near the lifts, was the bookshop, which inevitably had a good number of specialized books in stock.

On the first floor, a large area with a hundred or so chairs served as a commentary room. Hugo Spangenberg (Argentinian champion in 1994), Pablo Zarnicki and Ariel Sorin were regular com­

mentators. It is interesting to note that all three were picked for the Argentine team that partici­

pated in the Moscow Olympiad,. Zarnicki per­

forming in brilliant fashion to obtain the gold medal for the fourth board. It is appropriate here to acclaim their remarkable performance, each with their own style. However, he who merits the most praise was undoubtedly GM Bent Larsen, who now lives in Buenos Aires. A true enter­

tainer, he normally started his commentary around four o'clock in the afternoon, without doubt after a regenerative siesta, and after his three IM colleagues had 'warmed up' the

audi-ence. His analysis, interspersed with tremendous anecdotes, often very educational, were a real treat and it wasn't at all rare to hear a thunderous applause at the end of some spectacular vari­

ation. In Argentina one loves a good game and one lets it be known! The spectacle of the Dane's analysis alone, was worth the five Pesos ($5) entry fee.

On the second floor was the press room, also equipped with electronic screens but with the added benefit of a television showing the faces of the players. There in charge was local celebrity GM Oscar Panno. Throughout the tournament, I had the distinguished honour and luck to work with him in editing the bulletin. Never tired, always in a good humour, Oscar inspires respect and everyone in Argentina seems to adore him.

From the first day, I gave him the nickname 'the octopus' because it amused me to see him to bustle about in all directions and accomplish all sorts of tasks at the same time. I sometimes had the feeling that he had even fifteen arms. He would simultaneously prepare the bulletin, an­

swer the telephone, tap away at his computer, greet his friends who would never miss a chance to come and see him, anticipate the continuation in the games; finally, and certainly not the easi­

est, put up with me all afternoon. At first, I was rather surprised to see him with so much energy, but a little later I learned his secret: four sessions of tennis a day! In this domain too he had some good habits; Judit Polgar and I learned to our cost.

It was equally on the second floor that the V.I.P lounge could be found, where the players came to analyse their game, replied to journalists ques­

tions and sometimes posed for the television.

On the third floor was the actual playing hall which could seat a total of 250 spectators.

What gave the Polugaevsky tournament its charm was above all the unique rule: all players must respect the imposed opening moves: 1 .e4 c5 2.lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 (or 2 ... e6, or 2 ... d6) 3.d4 cxd4 4.lt:Jxd4. Despite its originality this type of tour­

nament was far from being a novelty as at the beginning of the century in Vienna, the cele­

brated King's gambit was thus honoured. Nearer to our time, in Utrecht in the middle-eighties, a tournament took place where positions noted for their complexity were selected and 'imposed' .

Ttmman and Miles. The Sicilian already had its place with the two following positions:

No.1 Najdorf - Poisoned Pawn

No. 2 Dragon - Main Line

Of course, the Utrecht tournament was not in any way comparable to that of Buenos Aires which, with an average Elo rating of 2694, reached category XVIII. The games were played at the rate of 40 moves in two hours, then 20 moves in an hour, followed by one hour per player K.O., implying that no adjournments were possible. As for Elo rating, at the request of several players it was decided that the tournament would not be counted. A debatable decision as it could have, perhaps, added further spice to an already attrac­

tive competition.

At the stroke of five o'clock in the afternoon (the games started at 2.30 p.m.) the building was generally jam-packed and the press room had an incredible atmosphere. This was for me an

op-world-wide, celebrities. lt was true to say that all the creme of the profession and all the stars of chess-life in Buenos Aires passed before my eyes. One of the most diligent was of course Miguel N ajdorf, nicknamed affectionately by his friends El viejo or Migue lito. At 84 years old, this living legend showed yet again that the years have not taken their toll on him and that his understanding of the game remains intact. Al­

ways alert, he still drives himself in his Renault R21 without glasses, (as he likes to tell everyone) trying no doubt to imitate another Argentinian idol: Juan-Manuel Fangio. There was also Fran­

sisco Benko, talented composer and keeper of one of the biggest collections of problems and studies in the world with about 30,000 works ! At the beginning of the tournament he attracted attention by exhibiting one of his problems that he considered the most accomplished. He was always proud to announce beforehand that it had kept Mikhail Tal occupied for several hours.

British Chess Magazine 1 950 Mate in three moves

Solution: l.lllc4 ( l .lllb7? 'i!Yg3 2.f8'i!Y 'i!Yg8 and the b3 pawn is protected) l. .• 'i!Yg3 2.f8'i!Y 'i!Yg8 3.'it;lb3 mate.

Another notable visitor, Samuel Schweber, a very experienced player having taken part in six Olympiads. With his cigar glued to his lips, he blitzed away a good deal of his time and on this occasion everybody noticed that he hadn't lost any of his ability.

Carlos Guimard, came along a few times to the press-room and during the tournament he

cele->rated, with great ceremony, his 8 1 th birthday to he 'Bolsa de Commercio'. Finally there was luan Sebastain Morgado, second in the world :orrespondence championship 1978-1984 and

>wner of a famous chess bookshop. Resembling he old British Chess Magazine bookshop (with­

mt the sea salt!), it contained a few treasures and me of the most regular customers during the oumament was without any doubt, Geurt Gijs­

:en. A collector in spirit, the Dutchman took tome to the Netherlands a veritable library of :hess books !

\.s opposed to the closing ceremonies, always ather formal affairs, the opening functions or­

�anized by the Max Euwe Association are always plendid. Each time two factors predominate: the

•riginality and quality of the spectacle, based ,!ways around the theme of the host's national lance. In Buenos Aires, this was of course the mgo, almost a religion in this country of more han 30 million inhabitants.

:'he show started with some folk music,

accom-panied by a piano and an accordion; then fol

!owed an exhibition of the tango with four cou pies. Next was to be the drawing of lots whicl would allow the calculation of the pairings. Th1 principle was as follows: each player had t<

choose a dancer (of the opposite sex) then durin1 several minutes to dance a few steps of the tango at the end, as if to thank the partner, the dance would reveal the number previously hidden i1 the dancer's clothes. This provoked some sauCJ comments from the ineffable Ljubojevic. At thi1 game, Anatoly Karpov showed that he was ^m stranger to the dance. The next morning, th!

Argentinian press did not miss the opportunity tc publish Judit Polgar, smiling radiantly, in th!

arms of her partner. For her, who openly admittec her nerves on the prospect of performing thh task, the few steps seemed to last for ever ...

After a light cocktail, the players and organizen made their way to the bus that was to take us tc the Sheraton hotel, where we were all staying There, in one of the most sumptuous restauran�

Anatoly Karpov surrounded by tango dancers.

Mrs. Polugaevsky is an interested spectator.

tournament officials. Having arrived somewhat in advance, I met the main arbiter, Geurt Gijssen, who was already occupied with the petits fours.

To engage him in conversation I asked him how he was and if the tournament was going to run smoothly. He replied positively, making it be known that it couldn't be otherwise, especially when it came to tournaments organized by the Max Euwe Association! I continued by telling him about my recent visit to the Lloyds Bank open in London where apart from playing, I had witnessed some surprising events. I asked him how he would have acted if faced with the rather amusing incident that occurred in the ninth round.

That day two strong English IM's, Gary Lane and Christopher Ward were paired together. At that stage, they both had five and a half points out of eight, the players still having realistic hopes of obtaining a qualification place for the PCA Grand Prix tournament (it required victories in both last games). The two players knew each other well and were indeed good friends, but that day they the two rivals launched into an unrelent­

ing battle. The tension was extreme as time

ing battle. The tension was extreme as time