October 01, 1959 The Guardian Chess, London, Manchester

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Chess 01 Oct 1959, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Chess

The Guardian, Chess, Thursday, October 01, 1959, Greater London, England Problem No. 544 By J. L. Peake...

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Problem No. 544 By J. L. Peake (Chesterfield)
Black (8)
White (7)
White mates in two moves.
FEN r7/p2R2NN/Qb4k1/3p3R/1r3p2/1P3p2/8/7K w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Qa1 Re4 2. Qf6#

Irresistible v. Immovable
A game between Tal, the world's finest attacking master, and Smyslov, who is like a rock, both in physical build and playing style, forms the nearest equivalent in chess to the clash of an irresistible force and an immovable object. Their two games in the Bled section of the candidates' tournament were typical of their styles. Smyslov won the first by calmly refuting an unsound sacrifice, while Tal overwhelmed his opponent in the second. Incidentally, the Caro-Kann has so far been among the most popular openings at Bled.

Mikhail Tal vs Vasily Smyslov
Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade YUG, rd 8, Sep-18
Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation (B10) 1-0

1. Neither of the standard continuations 2. P-Q4 and 2. N-QB3 brought White any success at Bled.
2. If 3. … P-K3; 4. KN-B3 followed by P-KN3 and B-N2 transposes to a favourable form of the King's Indian Defence with colours reversed.
3. Here and at the next move, Black prematurely opens the centre; preferable is 5. … B-Q3; and if 6. PxQP BPxP; 7. PxP BxP; 8. NxB NxN; 9. N-N3 N-KB3; 10. B-KN B-K3; when Black's position, although cramped, is playable.
4. Now 6. … KN-B3; 7. Nch QxN; 8. B-KN5 Q-K3 is better.
5. It is characteristic of Tal that he prefers to play for the attack rather than be content with the slight ending advantage accruing from 9. N-Q6ch BxN; 10. QxB Q-K2ch.
6. Not 12. B-N3 P-B4; 13. Q-KR4 P-B5.
7. A favourable setting for a display of Tal's combinative genius; the black queen is out of play and his pieces undeveloped while White is massed for a king's side attack.
8. If 15. … P-N3; White replies with the brilliant variation 16. B-B3 QxP; 17. N-R6ch K-N2; 18. N-N4 P-KR4; 19. RxN PxN; 20. RxB Q-R8ch; 21. K-Q2 RxRch; 22. K-K3 R-K1ch; 23. K-B4 QxR; 24. BxNch K-N1; 25. Q-R4 and wins.
9. More obvious is 17. … PxN; but then White replies 18. B-B3ch P-B3 (if 18. … B-B3; 19. BxBch NxB; 20. QxRP, while if 18. … N-B3; 19. RxB); 19. QxP R-KN1 (19. … R-B2; 20. N-N5 R-N2 transposes); 20. N-N5 R-N2 (if 20. … RxN; 21. QxR QxP; 22. KR-K1); 21. KR-K1 and White's attack is overwhelming.
10. Black misses the best defence and loses quickly 18. … P-B3 enables White to maintain heavy pressure by 19. N-B7ch K-N1; 20. N-Q6 Q-R3; 21. R-Q4 but after 18. … B-B3 there seems no definite win. e.g., 19. N-N5 BxNch (but not 19. … PxN; 20. QxRP); 20. N(B7)-K5 NxN; 21. NxN B-K3; or 19. NxPch K-N1; 20. N(B3)-N5 Q-R8ch (not 20. … P-KR3; 21. NxPch) 21. K-Q2 BxBch; 22. PxB N-B3; 23. RxQ NxQ; and Black wins at least a pawn. White's best line after 18. … B-B3 is probably 19. BxB NxB; 20. QxP Q-R8ch; 21. K-Q2 Q-R4ch; 22. K-B1 Q-R8ch with perpetual check. If White tries to avoid the draw by 22. K-K2 then Black replies 22. … RxQ (but not 22. … R-K1ch; 23. K-B1 B-R3; 24. Q-N8ch); 23. R-Q8ch QxR; 24. NxRch K-N1; 25. NxQ B-R3; 26. NxP P-B6dis.ch. Neither can Black afford to play for a win after 22. K-B1 because if 22. … RxQ; 23. R-Q8ch QxR; 24. NxRch K-N1; 25. NxQ B-Q2; 26. N-N7, the doubled pawns and bad bishop give him the inferior ending.
11. There is no saving move. If 20. … QxRch; 21. RxQ RxQ; 22. NxQch, and White is a piece up, while if 20. … NxK5ch; 21. K-K3 B-N3ch; 22. KxN B-B4ch; 23. NxB QR-K1ch; 24. K-B4 for the black queen is still en prise.
12. Eliminating the last faint hope of 26. KxN B-N2. A splendid game by Tal, although Smyslov was far below his best form.

Keres Leading at Half-way Stage in Chess Tournament 01 Oct 1959, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Keres leading at half-way stage in chess tournament
From a Special Correspondent
Bled, September 30.
The first half of the candidates' tournament for the player to challenge the world chess champion ended dramatically at Bled to-night. Olafsson lost his adjourned games against both Fischer and Smyslov, who also drew between themselves. The score after the fourteenth round is Keres 10 points, Tal 9½, Petrosian 8½, Gligoric 8, Smyslov 6, Fischer 5½, Benko 5, and Olafsson 3½.
Keres, now aged 43, who was considered the rightful challenger even twenty years ago when Alekhine ruled the chess world, is playing at his finest. Everybody here agrees that the oldest competitor is the only one who does not look strained or tired during or after play.
Gligoric's result against him will disappoint Yugoslav chess enthusiasts, but they know that Gligoric always shows his full force in the finish. He seems to be the only non-Russian player who has any chance to go to Moscow for the match against Botvinnik.
So far nearly 70 per cent of the games have been won by Black. By the end of the eighth round there was no participant who had not been beaten at least twice. In 1953, as well as in 1956, the winner, Smyslov, lost only one game. At Bled this time he lost during the first quarter of the event more games than he ever lost altogether throughout any tournament during the last ten years. After his win in the first round, he did not win a single game during more than ten rounds.
Other records were set by Tal—for the shortest game (a draw after 12 moves against Petrosian), for the fastest win (in 26 moves against Smyslov), for the lowest average number of moves (he is the only candidate whose average here is less than forty moves per game), and for the fastest play (no one even bothered to calculate how much time he used for his games as it is obvious that no other player can compare with the speed of his thinking).
The battle seems to be much stiffer and even more uncompromising than expected. On his present form Keres will be very hard to beat, but the tournament is still wide open.