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Chess 20 May 1960, Fri The News (Paterson, New Jersey) Newspapers.com
CHESSically Years
By HENRY OVEREEM
It is interesting to read that Tal credits psychology for his match victory over Botvinnik for the world's title. He avoided book lines and used his own variations, which sometimes appear to be second rate moves but when forced his opponent to use a lot of time to figure out, “why?”
Actually psychology always has been a big factor in chess, even long before the professional advent of the head shrinkers. Every weakness of every opponent was taken into account; the arrangement of seating, the time and endurance factor, the effect of lighting or of shadows and glare. It was truly a battle of wits, of stamina, of skill and strategy both off and on the chessboard. Much of this has disappeared with the modern rules and especially with the use of chess clocks. But knowing your opponent, all else being even, is still one of the best means to gain an advantage. What does he normally play? Even Reshevsky had his weakness with the Sicilian, and so he walked right into a trap laid for him by Bobby Fischer. He had played it so often without change or variation that he played it cold. Bobby must have known this and planned accordingly.
In Soviet Chess, Mikhail Tal is a black sheep. The Soviet masters, and also many outside the Russian sphere of control, have ridiculed Tal and his style. The Soviets are perfectionists when it comes to chess. Twenty three year old tall Tal is not, he is often wild and reckless. His published game in this column against Fisher certainly proves it. He gambles, he tries unsound combinations. But he wins! In the post analysis the other grandmasters pull his games to shreds, but over the board it is another story and this is where they pay off.
Almost all grandmasters, especially the Soviets, gave him no chance against the man who had defeated all pretenders for 11 years. But for once they were wrong and the lowly wood-pusher was right. The predictions of a Tal victory game from the little guys. This column hit it pretty close. Due credit should be given to Mel Morris also. We got our heads together and predicted; An early lead for Tal, a lead he would maintain and a match that would not go the limit of games. The actual event fitted the script.
Using Tal's strategy I always tell the young player, “Do not be afraid of the seemingly unsound combination. The burden lies with the other fellow to find out.”
Practically all “brilliancies” in chess are based on unsound combinations. Post analysis proves this, almost all could have been stopped, and often defeated, with the proper move at the right time. Answers have to be met over the board and usually with a time limit. The aggressive player has the advantage, if he keeps pressing the attack the chance of the defense overlooking something while under pressure increases with every move.
All this now makes me wonder if Tal will introduce a new Soviet system? Will the perfectionists go, to be replaced by daring players who will return to the age of Michael Ivanovich Tchigorin.
Tchigorin shunned books and the decisions of other men. He changed openings to suit him self; he accepted no theoretical logic but used individual appraisal; the seed of miracles lay in every game and he as the artist could make it bloom.
In my opinion the young Russian grandmaster Spassky already a member of the new school, along with Tal. In the recent South American tournament Fischer's only defeat came at the hands of Spassky. We present the game and ask, when have you seen a more wide open encounter between two grandmasters, unless it was the Fischer game referred to earlier? The past is returning and the chess of Morphy and Marshall will live again.
Boris Spassky vs Robert James Fischer
Mar del Plata (1960), Mar del Plata ARG, rd 2, Mar-30
King's Gambit: Accepted. Kieseritsky Gambit Rubinstein Variation (C39) 1-0
