1 2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 • K K K K K K K K K I K K K K I I K I I K I K W Polugayevsky K • K K K K K I K I K I I K I K I I K K K 0 K W Geller Taimanov K K 0 K • K K I I K I K K K I K K I K I K K K 13K 6 K K K 0 K • K K K K K I I K K I K K K K K I I U 7 Balasbov K K K K K K • I K K K K K K I Y. I 0 K 0 I I K 12K 8 Platonov K 0 I I 0 K 0 • K K I 0 0 0 I K I I I K I Y1 I 12K 9 Kholmov K K K K 0 K Y. K • K K K I K 0 K I K I K I I K 12K 10 Gipslis K 0 I K K K K K K • K I K K K K 0 I K I K K K U 11 Savon 12 Averkin K 0 I K Y. 0 K I K 0 K • K K K I K 0 K K Y1 I I llY. U Zbukovitsky K O O O K O K I O K K K • I K K K K K K I I I ll 14 Liberzon K K Y. 0 K K Y. I K K 0 K 0 • Y. K K 0 K I K K I lOY. IS Tal K 0 K 0 0 K 0 0 I K 0 K K K • I K I K I I 0 I lOY. 16 Vasyukov 0 K K K K 0 K K K K 0 0 K K 0 • K I K K I 0 I 9Y. 17 Gufeld 0 0 0 K K K 0 0 0 I 0 K K K Y. K • I K Y. Y. K 1 9 18 A.Zaitsev Y. O O Y. O Y. I O Y. O Y. I Y. I O O O • Y. I Y. I 0 9 19 I.Zaitsev 0 K 0 K K K K 0 0 K I Y. K K Y. K K K • 0 Y. I 0 9 20 Lutikov 21 Tukmakov Y. K K 0 Y. Y. 0 0 0 K 0 Y. 0 K 0 0 K Y. K Y. • Y. I 7Y. 22 Furman 23 Kupreicbik Y. K 0 Y. Y. 0 Y. 0 K Y. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I I 0 0 I • 6Y.
I
N THE CHESS WORLD 1969 was a watershed year. Karpov won the World Junior Championship, to emulate the Spassky of 1955. News filtered through that Fischer was on the way back and would play in the 1970 Interzonal if he could secure a nominated place from the US Chess Federation. Irregular as it seemed at the time, the gesture of Benko in ceding his qualifying place to Fischer opened up a new era in chess, particularly in the West, where tournaments multiplied in the Fischer boom years. Prizes for professionals were raised from starvation wages to a good living.In the USSR, of course, this was not welcome. Fischer was known to have a dismissive attitude towards 'those Commies'. Witness his famous statement at the 1 962 Olympiad, when it was pointed out to him by an arbiter that he had agreed a draw in less than 30 moves, contrary to the current regulations. His dismissive reply? 'Those rules were made for the Commie cheats, not for me.' And that was the end ofthe matter.
However, the 37th Championship saw a return to a strong event at Moscow with the unprecedented entry of 23 players. Petrosian made a come-back after having lost his world title to Spassky the year before. A big surprise in the semi-finals was the failure of Bronstein to qualify from the Kiev group, won by Stein, ahead of Platonov who went through undefeated. Bronstein lost to Karasyov and Tukmakov and fmished only sixth with 10 points in the 1 8-man event. Geller was scheduled to play in the Barnaul semi-fmal, but was absent. After lobbying on his behalf he was admitted to the fmal on the grounds of the stability of his results over the years.
Tal did not tum up for the first round, hardly an ' innovation' by him. Polugayevsky, reigning champion, went down in the first round to Furman, who was now Karpov's trainer. Their co operation was to be fruitful for both parties.
Petrosian went through undefeated, at his cautious best. Polugayevsky, despite his initial loss, matched him overall, while Geller's high placing justified the selectors' faith in him. The event was also the Soviet Zonal with Taimanov just making it to the qualifying four by a spectacular last-round win over Lutikov, using his trusty Sicilian. At the time it seemed a wonderful game, but this assessment has been somewhat shaken by a recent discovery by Ken Neat. Stein missed out by a narrow margin. He was not to be so consistent in the last four years of his life as he had been in the mid-60s. Tal, too, could show little of his best, for he had postponed an operation to have his kidney removed just before the start - he begrudged the fact that he would have to stay in hospital for over two months once he had been operated on.
One curiosity came in round 20. Taimanov pressed Smyslov hard in a Slav Defence and thought that he had discovered a new idea. Alas, at the end of the game, drawn in only 1 8 moves, the Muscovite was able to disabuse his opponent of this notion by pointing out, in the words of the Russian proverb, that Taimanov had reinvented the bicycle - Smyslov had already had the same moves twice before!
The play-off match between 'Polu' and the wily Armenian took place over six games at the Moscow Central Chess Club on Gogo! Boulevard, 19-29 January 1 970. In fact there was a difference of class between the two and Petrosian won in only five games, taking games 1 and 4 and drawing the others.
Tigran Petrosian-Vladimir Savon GrUnfeld Defence D9 1 1 d4 2 c4 3 l2Jc3 4 t2Jf3 5 .tg5 l2Jf6 g6 d5 .tg7
This method of harmonious development, without pretensions of gaining a large advantage, but based on a solid positional front, suited Petrosian's style well.
5 dxc4
The main response to the bishop move is considered by theory, and with good reason, to be 5 ... l2Je4, leading to a double-edged struggle. Savon was never an expert in the openings and his choice of avoiding the main line is understandable.
6 e3
True to his opening philosophy, White prefers reliable lines to the crucial one which arises after 6 e4 c5 7 d5 b5. Admittedly, such an approach sometimes meant he lost the 'advantage ofthe first move'.
6 .te6
A logical reply. Black argues that it will cost White time to recover the pawn.
7 l2Jd2 c5 8 dxc5
He has to give up his central bastion and open the diagonal of the g7-bishop.
8 l2Jd5!
An excellent manoeuvre, underlining the dynamism of Black' s pieces. It demands particular attention from Petrosian now to counter Black's initiative.
9 .txc4!? 10 bxc3 11 ,.a4+
l2Jxc3 .txc4
Only this is good. After 1 1 l2Jxc4 .txc3+ 12 'iPe2 there is the unpleasant 12 ... 'ii'c8! for White to face.
11 l2Jc6
1 1 ...l2Jd7 was more rational, hastening to win back the pawn at c5. Savon, however, had more ambitious ideas in mind.
12 ,.xc4 0-0 13 l2Jb3
Each side has achievements here. White has the extra pawn, Black the superior development which looks adequate compensation.
13 l2Je5
Very tempting. How could one fail to take the opportunity to deny White his castling rights? Yet this scheme results in a significant loss of time and is not justified. He should prefer activating his pieces by 13 ... W'd7 14 0--0 l:fd8.
14 W'e2
It would be interesting to try the more active 14 W'e4, but White was always a supporter of sound choices.
146 The Soviet Championships 14 15 �fl 16 e4! liJd3+ llJeS
White's position looks unpleasant as a result of the splitting of his forces, but since he has no vulnerable point and Black has lost the rhythm of the attack, White's prospects can be regarded as superior.
16 l2Jc6
The manoeuvre ... l2Jc6-e5-d3-e5-c6 can hardly be worth the displacement of White's king to fl .
17 'ii'd7
White considered that Black should first go 17 ... a5, to induce a slight weakening in the
enemy camp after the forced reply 1 8 a4. 18 h4!
A move with many points! White prepares to link up his forces by g2-g3 and �g2, without allowing a queen check on h3. l:th3 also becomes possible. In time he could 'frighten' his opponent by h4-h5 attacking on the kingside.
18 'ii'e6
Savon fails to find a plan and runs on the spot. 18 .. J:tad8 could be considered.
19 h5 aS
At last Black gets going, but time has been lost.
20
21 l:.h3 l2Jd4! a4
Roles are reversed. Now White has his forces developed he can boldly return the pawn plus.
21 'ii'e5?
A very dubious decision. Savon over estimates his chances. It was essential to play 2 l ...li::lxd4 22 cxd4 �xd4 23 l:td3 �g7 or 23 ... �f6, reconciling himself to an inferior but defensible position.
22 'ii'g4 'ii'xc5 23 'ii'h4!
This is the manoeuvre Black had failed to spot, or underestimated. Clouds gather round Black's king position.
23 h6 (D)
A remarkable state of affairs arises here. This move was universally condemned as a gross blunder and Petrosian gave it two question marks in his notes. It does in fact lead to a loss, but was there any salvation for Black
here? Petrosian suggested the alternative 23 ... f6, but then after 24 hxg6 hxg6 25 'ii'h7+
�fl 26 'ii'xg7+! (26 �h6 is unconvincing - 26 ... l:.g8 when Black is out of danger both after 27 �xg7 'W'c4+! and after 27 l:tg3 'ii'h5 28 l2Jf5 gxf5 29 l:txg7+ l:.xg7 30 'W'xg7+ <it;e6!) 26 ... �g7 27 l2Je6+ �fl 28 l2Jxc5 fxg5 29 l:f3+! �g8 30 l:.g3 ! Black is doomed. Con sequently, it is the 21st move by Black and not his 23rd that should be criticized as leading to a lost position.
24 �xh6!
An elegant but far from complicated combination.
24 l2Jxd4
Savon makes White's task easy, but he was in time-trouble. A more stubborn defence lay in 24 ... �xh6 25 hxg6 Wg5 !? 26 gxfl+! .l:txfl 27 'W'xh6 'ii'xh6 28 l:xh6 lt::le5, when White has a technical win. 25 cxd4 26 hxg6 27 �e3 28 'ii'h7+ 29 e5! 'ii'xd4 fxg6 'ii'f6 �f7
An important resource. 29 l:.f3 would fail to 29 ... 'ii'xf3 ! 30 gxf3 l:.h8. 29 'ii'xe5 Or 29 ... 'W'f5 30 �h6 winning. 30 l:.f3+ �e6 31 'ii'xg6+ �f6 32 'ii'g4+ �f7 33 :rs 'ii'b2 34 'ii'h5+ �e6 35 l:.e1 !
The whole white army pursues the enemy king.
35 �d7 36 :d5+ �c7 37 :ct+ 1-0 (time) Here Savon exceeded the time limit. Only this, or loss of the queen, could save him from mate in a few moves (37 ... �b8 38 �f4+).
This was a typical Petrosian game.
Polugayevsky's creative achievements were less striking, so I present readers with the undoubtedly most dramatic game of the event, won by the third-placed player.
Anatoly Lutikov-Mark Taimanov Sicilian Defence B48 1 e4 c5 2 t2Jf3 t2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 e6 5 t2Jc3 'ii'c7 6 �e3 a6 7 �d3
One of the key positions of the Paulsen system has arisen. I have studied this line for many years. The ftrst few moves defme the themes of the coming strategic conflict. Black concedes space in the centre and concentrates on the queenside where he has the open c-ftle.
7 b5
The most principled and direct treatment of the variation in which Black takes on great responsibilities, since he neglects kingside development. 7 ... t2Jf6 is a more rational and calm alternative and after 8 0-0 comes either 8 ... t2Jxd4 9 �xd4 �c5, or 8 ... �d6 9 h3 �f4, or else 8 ... l2Je5 9 h3 b5 (or 9 ... �c5) 1 0 f4 l2Jc4 which I have often tried out in practice.
8 l2Jxc6
Lutikov was (alas, we have to write about him in the past tense - he died in the prime of life) a player with an aggressive style and concrete thinking who preferred clear plans that promised him the initiative. The exchange of knights along with his subsequent manoeuvre fully corresponds to his tastes. 8 0-0 has also been tried against me here.
8 Wxc6
9 �d4
White's aim is to hinder Black's development. After 9 0-0 �b7 10 We2 b4 1 1
lDbl t2Jf6 12 t2Jd2 d5, or 9 a3 �b7 10 0-0
l2Je7! Black ftnds it easier to achieve the desired counterplay. I will continue the last line, referring to one memorable example, Minic-Taimanov, Palma de Mallorca 1 970: 1 1 Wg4 l2Jg6 12 f4 �c5 13 �xc5 Wxc5+ 14 �hi 0-0 15 :ae 1 f6!? 16 l2Je2 :ae8 17 l2Jg3 (17 c3 is better) 17 ... Wd4! 18 t2Jh5 f5! 19 exf5 exf5 20 Wg5 (20 �xf5 is bad because of 20 ... :xel 2 1 Axel :xf5 2 2 Wxf5? �xg2+ 23 �g2 l2Jh4+) 20 ... :xe1 2 1 :xe1 Wxb2 22 h3 Wxa3 and Black won. 9 10 1 1 'ii'e2 f4 �b7 l2Je7
Not spending time on castling on either side, Lutikov begins his assault.
1 1 b4
Black's trumps are on the queenside and they too are brought into play.
12 t2Jb1
The more natural retreat 12 tlJdl could be considered.
12 13
l2Jg6 �d6!
This unusual opening formation is Black's basic concept. Every tempo counts!
14 �e3
It is not easy to take such a decision and Lutikov thought for a long time before reconciling himself to it. Was there a reasonable alternative? Apparently not. If 14 �xg7, then Black has 14 ... t2Jxf4! 1 5 �xh8 t2Jxd3+ 1 6 cxd3 Wcl + 1 7 �e2 Wxh1 , and 14 g3 meets with the unpleasant reply 14 ... e5, while 14 e5 is met by 14 ... �e7 1 5 0-0 l2Jh4. In all these variations White has a bad position. Obviously, Black has successfully coped with his opening problems.
14
15 t2Jd2 16 h4!?
0-0 :ac8
In this fascinating battle everything is going 'contrary to the rules'. This is the case here. Lutikov, true to his aggressive style, abstains from the natural consolidating moves 16 0-0 or 16 0-0-0 and aims to exploit, without loss of time, the drawback of the g6-knight, by launching an immediate pawn storm. The threat h5-h6 does look very tempting.
148 The Soviet Championships A cunning manoeuvre. By attacking the f4-
pawn a third time (and each time the attack has been made with gain of time}, Black aims to provoke 1 7 g3, which would give him counter play in the centre by 1 7 ... f5, or to provoke 1 7 e5 which significantly activates his b7-bishop. This opens up the prospect of a counter initiative. 17 18 19 20 e5 h5 'ii'xe3 tbc4 .i.c5 .i.xe3 tbe7
Both sides persist in their line. Lutikov has extended the gain of space in the centre and on the kingside. Black has succeeded in making his pieces dynamic and has pivot points at f5 and d5. To help assess matters, it is important to note that the attractive manoeuvre 20 tbe4 would not promise much in view of the counter blow 20 ... tbf5 2 1 'W't2 d6! and if 22 g4, then 22 ... .i.xe4 23 .i.xe4 tbe7 and White's centre is destroyed.
20 tZJr5
21 'ii'd2
2 1 .i.xf5, then Black has a pleasant choice between the prosaic 2 l ... 'ii'xc4 22 .i.d3 'W'd5 and the romantic 2 l ...exf5 22 tbd6 'W'xc2 23 tbxc8 .l:.xc8.
21 .i.d5
Exploiting his advantage in development, Black maximizes his piece activity, at the same time driving White's pieces back.
22 tbe3 tbxe3 23 'ii'xe3 •c5!
It becomes obvious that the latest happenings on the board have tipped the scales in Black's favour. By exchange of minor pieces he has weakened White's attacking potential, while retaining all the advantages of his strategic structure. White now has the choice of going into a prospectless endgame where his kings ide pawn weaknesses (considering Black's resource of ... t7-f6!) would become of concern, or of burning his bridges. This means avoiding the exchange of queens and trying to get at the enemy king. For Lutikov the choice was simple - 'better to die standing up than live on one's knees' .
24 .g3 h6
25 .l:[h4
The only chance for White is the g-file and
the point to aim at is the g7-pawn, but this is really very little.
25 .g1+?!
A critical moment. The simple 25 ... �h8 26 .l:[g4 l:g8 would strip White of all his illusions. But the game was played in the last round according to the considerations which apply then ... The impulsive check (tension, nerves!) suddenly and unexpectedly changes the scen ario. A clear strategic conflict changes into the elemental chaos ofunforeseen tactics. Yet, 'ev ery cloud has a silver lining' . Had I not made this mistake, there would be one most striking and memorable game less in my collection!
26 �d2
As was shown by subsequent scrupulous analysis, it was better to play 26 �e2, after which Black has nothing better than to force a draw by 26 .. Jhc2+ 27 .i.xc2 .i.c4+ 28 �d2 (obviously not 28 .i.d3 in view of 28 ... .i.xd3+ 29 <itxd3 'W'xal, nor does 28 'ili>t3 work - 28 ... 'i'xal 29 l::tg4 •n + 30 �e3 'W'e2+ 3 1 �d4 'W'xc2) 28 ... 'W'd4+ 29 �cl 'W'gl + 30 �d2 (30 .i.dl l::tc8 is risky for White) 30 ... 'i'd4+. However, on general considerations, the position of the king on d2 is safer and it was no surprise that Lutikov without hesitating pre ferred to have it there. Indeed, what is Black to do now?
26 .d4!
Back quickly! 26 ... 'i'xal 27 .l:.g4 and 26 .... xg2+ 27 Wxg2 .i.xg2 28 l::tg l .i.d5 29 l:.hg4 are both bad for Black. Now the main threat, at least, is repelled as 27 .l:lg4 now carries no danger thanks to 27 ... .i.e4! 28 l:txg7+ 'ili>h8. Yet, alas, Black's problems are only beginning.
This blow looks deadly - the queen is attacked and if it retreats, then the advance f5- f6 decides matters.
27 l:.xc2+!!
A happy discovery at the most dramatic moment. Black is the first to let fly with his forces at the enemy king, and lures it out from its apparently safe haven into the squall of an attack. An irrational phase now follows.
28 �xc2 b3+! 29 �d1
If 29 axb3 Lutikov feared the fresh sacrifice 29 ... �xb3+, after which 30 �xb3 l:.b8+ would lead to disaster, but in the heat of the moment he overlooked that taking the bishop was by no means forced and by 30 �d2 ._xb2+ 3 1 �e3 ._xal 32 f6 he could keep chances of saving himself. Indeed then Black does not even have perpetual check after 32 ... c l + (32 ... 'ifgl + 33 'iPe2!) 33 'iPt2 'it'd2+ 34 �e2 ._g5 35 l:tg4.
29 'ifg1+
30 'ife1 'ifxg2!
A striking picture. Black is a rook down, but by exploiting the total lack of harmony of White's forces, he can generate yet more threats with limited material.
31 'iffl �f3+ 32 �e1
Obviously, 32 �c l is bad in view of 32 ... 'it'g5+ 33 �bl ._xh4 34 'ifxf3 'ifel +.
32 'ifxb2
33 l:.b1 'ifxeS+ 34 �fl bxa2
Incredible! In the course of the last five moves Black has gobbled up four enemy pawns and established theoretical material equality while not conceding the initiative, a true triumph for attacking play.
35 l:.e1 'iff6 36 �g3 (D)
36 �g2!
A study-like idea of diversion. The bishop, though attacked twice cannot be taken. 37 �g2 allows the h4-rook to be taken; 37 •xg2 allows the pawn to queen on al .
37 'ifg1 exfS
So, Black now has six pawns for the rook, and one of them, at a2, is particularly strong. The main point is that White's pieces cannot develop any cooperation.
38 'ifd4
A breath of freedom at last, but it doesn't help.
38
39 �h2 �e4! 'it'gS+
Once again a study-like idea, this time inter ference. The light-squared bishop has rendered great service in this game.
40 l:.hxe4
There is no longer anything better.
40 fxe4
41 'ifxe4 'ifxhS+
At this point, the time came to adjourn the game. Lutikov was to seal his next move, but after brief reflection he resigned. White is helpless against the armada of black pawns.