The photo shows Andreas Dückstein in July 2017. In his hands he holds the tournament book of legendary tournament in Zürich 1959 where Dückstein played against Tal, Fischer, Larsen, Keres, Gligoric etc. | Photo: Martin Stichlberger
Still going strong
Dr. Dückstein celebrates 90th birthday
Andreas Dückstein played in nine Chess Olympiads and in more than 100 international competitions for Austria and won the Austrian Championship three times. He played against generations of top players (for seven decades!), among them no less than seven World Champions. He managed to score wins against three: Botvinnik, Euwe, Spassky. Particularly famous is his win against the reigning World Champion Botvinnik at the Chess Olympiad in Munich 1958. It was Botvinnik's only loss in Munich and the only game the Soviet team lost in the Olympiad.
A. Dückstein vs M. Botvinnik
| 1.e4 | 1,185,960 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
| 1.d4 | 960,101 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
| 1.Nf3 | 286,728 | 56% | 2440 | --- |
| 1.c4 | 184,987 | 56% | 2443 | --- |
| 1.g3 | 19,897 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
| 1.b3 | 14,604 | 54% | 2428 | --- |
| 1.f4 | 5,958 | 48% | 2376 | --- |
| 1.Nc3 | 3,917 | 50% | 2383 | --- |
| 1.b4 | 1,791 | 48% | 2379 | --- |
| 1.a3 | 1,250 | 54% | 2406 | --- |
| 1.e3 | 1,081 | 49% | 2409 | --- |
| 1.d3 | 969 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
| 1.g4 | 670 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
| 1.h4 | 466 | 54% | 2382 | --- |
| 1.c3 | 439 | 51% | 2425 | --- |
| 1.h3 | 289 | 56% | 2420 | --- |
| 1.a4 | 118 | 60% | 2461 | --- |
| 1.f3 | 100 | 47% | 2427 | --- |
| 1.Nh3 | 93 | 66% | 2506 | --- |
| 1.Na3 | 47 | 62% | 2476 | --- |
Please, wait...
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 h6 9.Bf4 Bd7 10.Bg3 Be7 11.f3 Ne5 12.f4 Nh5 13.Be2 Nxg3 14.hxg3 Nc6 15.Kb1 Qb6 16.Nb3 0-0-0 17.Bh5 g6 18.Bf3 Kb8 19.Rhe1 Rhe8 20.Re3! Bf8 21.a3 Qc7 22.Rd3 Bc8 23.Ne2 h5 24.Nbd4 24...e5?! 24...Na5 25.Nxc6+ bxc6 26.Rb3+ Ka8 27.Qd3 Ka7 28.Qe3+ Ka8 29.Qd3 Ka7 30.Nc3!? Be6 31.Qe3+ c5 31...Ka8 32.Rb6 Bc4 33.Na4 Rb8 34.b3 Bb5 35.c4 Bxa4 36.Rxa6+ Kb7 37.Ra7+ Kc8 38.Rxc7+ Kxc7 39.Qa7+ Rb7 40.Qxa4 32.Nd5 Bxd5 33.Rxd5 Rb8 34.fxe5 Rxe5 35.Rxe5 dxe5 36.Rxb8 Kxb8 37.Be2 37...a5 38.Bc4 f5 39.Qb3+ Kc8 40.Be6+ Kd8 41.exf5 gxf5 42.Qd5+ Qd6 43.Qa8+ Ke7 44.Bxf5 e4 45.Qxe4+ Kf7 46.Qf3 Ke7 47.Qxh5 Qxg3 48.Qe2+ Kf6 49.Qe6+ Kg7 50.Be4 Bd6 51.Bd5 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
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| Dueckstein,A | - | Botvinnik,M | - | 1–0 | 1958 | B66 | Munich ol (Men) qual-A | 2 |
Please, wait...
Out of the dozens and dozens of openings played nowadays the Sicilian Defence remains the most fascinating, entertaining and complex opening. Here White understands that Black will not be a patient lamb but will try to get at him at the very first opportunity. This series includes the Sveshnikov/Cheliabinsk Variation, the Rauzer Attack, the Maroczy Bind and a few other minor sidelines. The approach is typical for Bologan’s videos, as he tries to describe, in a compact format, plans and reactions from White’s point of view. Forget about fears concerning the tons of theory in the Open Sicilian and can get straight into the real fight!
With his results in the preliminaries of the Olympiad, Dückstein was certain to get the Grandmaster title — had he decided to sit out the finals (Austria had qualified for the A-finals), but that was not his style:
"Such a thing is no option at all," he later said.
In Austria, Dückstein became well-known when he commented the World Championship match between Spassky and Fischer in Reykjavik 1972 with live-introduction on TV.
Dückstein was born 1927, in Budapest, where he lived for 22 years. After finishing school he first trained to become a sports teacher and then started to study law, which he finished with a PhD. After World War II he fled to Vienna where he used his PhD in law and his chess knowledge to settle down. He is married and has a son.
Dückstein has always liked sports and at the age of 90 he is still fit enough to sit down at the board to show good chess.
In the 2016/17 season he played a couple of games in the highest league of Vienna and had no trouble to draw against Austrian IM Georg Fröwis, who is about 60 years his junior.
Dückstein with Carmina Handrich, European Championship Under-10 participant | Photo: Martin Stichlberger
And a few days ago he gave a simul at the "Schachimedes" Holiday Camp against 20 juniors. The biggest age gap: 80 years! His bright eyes belie his age — they make it hard to believe that he 90, and not 60 years of age. It seems as if chess is Dückstein's biggest present to himself!
Translation from German: Johannes Fischer
