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Chess Chats 29 Mar 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com
Chess Chats by George Koltanowski
International Chess Master
Problem No. 173
White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 3r4/1R1p1B2/2Pkn1P1/1P2R3/8/8/1BQ5/6K1 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Re1 Nc5 2. Qh2#
The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Sunday, March 29, 1959, Santa Rosa, California Problem No....
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Monday, March 14, 2022
CHALLENGED TO A DUEL
Of all the irascible, moody, exasperating and yet altogether lovable chess masters, past and present, I could think of no one to equal the oddities, the whims, the irritability of the great Aaron Nimzowitsch. Uncompromisingly apodictic in his theories, he was equally outspoken in his personal likes and dislikes. On one occasion, having to play a certain German master (who shall remain nameless) he showed his contempt by staring at his opponent's 1. P-K4 as if he had never seen such a thing.
Then, with an insolent shrug, he got up and went for a leisurely walk round the tournament hall. When he came back to sit opposite his irate opponent, he gave the board another haughty stare and then took out some newspapers and spent well over an hour reading them and yet another ten or fifteen minutes, appearing to be wrapped up in the crossword puzzle.
Only 20 Minutes
When finally turning to the board he had barely twenty minutes left until the time-control, but that was quite sufficient to give him a winning position. His irate opponent might well have resigned, but he protracted game another 30 to 40 moves; right up to the mate. Next morning he sent his seconds. “Swords or pistols?” they wished to know.
“Neither,” said Nimzo, grinning and flexing his muscles, “Bare fists will have to do, you can tell your man, that's just as hopeless for him as the chess board.”
We found this (along with other and better-known Nimzo anecdotes) in Dr. Hannak's interesting biographical introduction to a new German edition of “Mein System.”
Here is one of the master's favorites to illustrate the sin of pawn-snatching:
French Defense: Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation
(Mate is unavoidable).
Played In the European Cup Finals, by mail, 1958.
D. H. Butler, England vs. Dr. F. Coni Arregui, Spain
Bird Opening: From's Gambit, Lasker Variation
(a) The usual line is 6. N-K5 BxN; 7. PxB QxQch; 8. KxQ, N-QB3 etc.
(b) Avoiding the escape of the knight via K4.
(c) It 8. P-K4 P-KR3; 9. P-K5 PxN etc.
(d) Wishes to avoid N-QN5 for Black. So he is three pawns up, but no development.
(f) That's one back. If 13. QxN B-N6ch; 14. K-Q1 BxBP etc.
(g) If 16. QxN BxNd.ch; 17. B-K2 BxBch followed by BxN etc.
(h) After 17. KxN RxBch; 18. KxR B-B5ch followed by BxN and it's all over but the shouting.
GAMBITS GALORE
The Rt. Hon. Mr. Harold Macmillan. Prime Minister of Great Britain, speaking at the Lord Mayor's banquet in London: “We must not forget that the Russians are probably the best chess players in the world. It is a game in which the keen player does not mind how long it lasts, and in which he experiments with different openings. So we must be patient and enduring.”
