The Chessboard 25 May 1969, Sun Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park, New Jersey) Newspapers.com
The Chessboard: Title Match May Alter Theory by Harry T. Conover
The Tarrasch Defense in the Queen's Gambit Declined, 1. P-Q4 P-Q4; 2. P-QB4 P-K3; 3. N-QB3 P-QB4; 4. BPxP KPxP, seeks to obtain a free easy development for Black at the cost of an isolated queen's pawn. Until now, theory has favored White, holding that Black does not have adequate compensation for the weakness he incurs by his third and fourth moves.
Be that as it may, the world championship match now in progress between Tigran Petrosian, the titleholder, and Boris Spassky, both of the Soviet Union, may change the thinking on the Tarrasch, since Spassky has bad notable success with it.
As this is written, Petrosian has come from behind to tie up the match at 6½-6½, with 13 of the 24 games completed. In gaining an early lead, Spassky scored some pretty wins on both sides of the Tarrasch.
In the fifth game of the match, Petrosian resorted to a sort of semi-Tarrasch layout, delaying the push P-QB4 until the fourth move and recapturing the pawn after 5. PxQP with the king's knight rather than with the king's pawn. As will be seen, the results obtained by this maneuver were far from satisfactory for Black. Here is the score:
Boris Spassky vs Tigran V Petrosian
Petrosian - Spassky World Championship Match (1969), Moscow URS, rd 5, Apr-23
Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense. Exchange Variation (D41) 1-0
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 c5 5. cxd5
An alternative is 5. B-N5 BPxP; 6. KNxP P-K4; 7. N-B3 P-Q5; 8. N-Q5 B-K2, leading to equality.
5. … Nxd5
While there is nothing drastically wrong with this recapture, still it is not as strong as 5. … KPxP for two reasons. In the first place the pawn capture clears the way for rapid development of the queen's bishop, and secondly the pawn at Q4, isolated though it may be, prevents an early P-K4 by White.
6. e4
White loses no time in grasping the opportunity for this important push, immediately taking control in the center.
6. … Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O
Black appears to have come out of the opening in good shape, but weighing heavily against him is White's strong hold on the central squares which is now to be reinforced.
11. Bc4 Nc6 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7
Black will try to offset White's grip on the center with pressure from the flank.
14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. d5
But White does not have to wait for Black's plan to eventuate.
15. … exd5 16. Bxd5 Na5 17. Qf4 Qc7 18. Qf5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Qc2
Black, still seeking the exchange of queens, now looks for counterplay on the queenside—but it is already too late.
20. Qf4 Qxa2
There is little else he can do.
Position After Black's 20th Move.21. d6!
White correctly calculates that this advanced, passed pawn will more than offset Black's two connected passed pawns on the queen's wing.
21. … Rcd8 22. d7 Qc4 23. Qf5 h6 24. Rc1 Qa6 25. Rc7 b5 26. Nd4 Qb6 27. Rc8
Spassky is wrapping everything up in a nice tidy package. Now 27. … QxN would be fatal because of 28. RxR.
27. … Nb7 28. Nc6 Nd6 29. Nxd8! Nxf5 30. Nc6! Resigns
Chess Problem No. 106 by E. Backe, 1st Prize, A.G. Ojanen Tourney, 1966. White mates in two moves.
FEN 8/5R2/8/3pp3/B2NkBP1/8/2P1NRP1/1K1b4 w - - 0 1
Key: N-KB3/Nf3
Chess Adjourned 29 May 1969, Thu Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park, New Jersey) Newspapers.com
