Averbakh on Averbakh (4): Trainer with Botvinnik and Tal

by Nagesh Havanur
10/11/2023 – Last year GM Yuri Averbakh turned 100 and set a world record. He became the oldest ever grandmaster in chess history. Sadly, he passed away in May. Averbakh led a rich and extraordinary life that he narrated himself in his autobiography, “Centre-stage and Behind the Scenes”. In the series here, our columnist draws on this important work and also explains much that was left unsaid. | Photo: Averbakh playing Kasparov (B. Dolmatovsky via Douglas Griffin’s website)

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Previous instalments: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

After the 1958 Interzonal, Averbakh’s sporting career drew to a close. However, he did not have to seek employment. As it turned out, his services as a trainer were in demand. It had begun way back in the 1950s when Botvinnik had asked him to be his second for world championship matches. Botvinnik’s rival was Smyslov, formidable in all phases of the game and importantly, a virtuoso in endings. Averbakh was also known for his prowess in the endgame and his writing on its theory. Smyslov was 15 years younger as compared to Botvinnik and it made sense for the world champion to practise with a relatively young trainer. During the period 1955-1957 Averbakh was to play a series of training games with Botvinnik. While the general score was in the world champion’s favour, the games gave him much-needed practice in match play.

The playing conditions in the early days were unusual. Botvinnik had a radio right under the table going full blast announcing news of factories and fields. He wanted to get himself accustomed to any noise emanating from the spectators in the hall or from outside.

Averbakh writes:

This was a man who was capable of like no other of self-programming. If the noise in the playing hall started to bother him, he would say to himself, “But I trained especially for such conditions, therefore, the noise should not bother me!”

Averbakh and Botvinnik played a short match just before the 1957 World Championship Match. Here is one of the games:

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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 The Tarrasch Variation that avoids the pinning of the knight by the Black bishop as in the Winawer Variation. Botvinnik played the Winawer Variation 3.Nc3 Bb4 like a virtuoso. 3...Nf6 The other Main Line 3...c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 leads to open positions that did not suit Botvinnik's style. 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 b6 7.Ne2 White cannot avoid exchange of his bishop with 7.Qe2 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nc6 9.Ngf3 Nb4 10.0-0 Nxd3 11.Qxd3 Be7= as seen in Abramian S-Botvinnik M, USSR Champonship Semi-final 1938 (1/2 -1/2, 41 moves) 7...Ba6 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.0-0 A slight inaccuracy. Later Averbakh came to prefer 9.h4 aiming to seize space for active play on the kingside. If h5 10.Nf3 Be7 11.Bg5± 9...Nc7! Better than 9...Be7 10.f4 f5 11.exf6 Bxf6 played in Botvinnik M-Petrov V, 12th USSR Championship 1940 (1-0, 37 moves) 11...Nxf6? 12.Qa4++- 10.Ng3 10.Nf4 Be7 11.Qg4 g6 12.Nf3 is better-known. The other standard line was already known. 10.f4 f5 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.Nf3 Bd6 13.Ng3 0-0 as in Kan I-Botvinnik M, Training Match 1952 (0-1, 40 moves) 10...h5 "Keeping his king in the cenre for the moment, the World Champion aims to restrict White's possibilities on the kingside and to mount a pawn offensive on the queenside. However, White too has his trumps."-Averbakh. In other words Black prevents Qg4 before playing...Be7. The immediate 10...Be7? is met by 11.Qg4 g6 12.Nf3 h5 13.Qf4± 11.Nf3 Be7 12.Be3 Nb8 "The knight is transferred to a more active position, from where it will be able to support the advance of Black' s pawns."- Averbakh 12...a5 deserves attention. It keeps both options of ...c5-c4 and...Nd7-b8 open. 13.Ne1 g6 14.Nd3? Inviting Black to block the centre. "If I had tried to exchange the dark-square bishops immediately by 14.Nf3 Nc6 15.Qd2 there would have followed Rc8 16.Bg5 Bxg5 17.Nxg5 cxd4 18.cxd4 Nxd4 19.Nxf7 Nf3+ 20.gxf3 Kxf7 "-Averbakh. However, after 21.Rac1! Na6 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.Rc1 Qb7 24.Rc3 followed by Ne2-d4 White has all the chances.-NSH 14...c4 15.Ne1 Nc6 16.Qd2 b5 17.Nf3 a5 18.Bg5? As Averbakh points out, White had to play 18.a3! to stop Black's pawn avalanche. Now there can follow b4 19.axb4 axb4 20.Bg5 Bxg5 21.Nxg5± 18...Bxg5 19.Nxg5 b4 20.h4 Qe7 The queen guards the b-pawn and now the advance ...a5-a4 is threatened. 21.a4 Forced according to Averbakh. Kd7 The king moves aside so that the rooks are connected and Black can play...Rhb8. 22.Rfe1 Averbakh thought he could prevent Black from connecting the rooks with 22.Qf4 However, there is not much that White can do here. Rhf8 23.Rfe1 Rab8 24.Nh7 His line 24.Re3? is met by f6! 25.Nf3 fxe5 26.Nxe5+ Nxe5 27.Qxe5 Qf6 28.Qxf6 Rxf6 24...Rh8 25.Ng5 repeating the position. 22...Rhb8 23.Re3 bxc3 24.bxc3 Rb3 25.Rf3 Nd8 26.Qf4 Ke8? The king is vulnerable here. 26...Kc6! is preferable. 27.Nh7 Kd7 28.Ng5? A slight inaccuracy. The queen should invade h6 first before the knight returns to target f7. 28.Qh6! Kc6 29.Ng5 Ra3 30.Rxa3 Qxa3 31.Qg7 Qxa4 32.Nxf7± set more problems for Black. 28...Kc6 29.Nf1 Playing it safe. Averbakh saw the line 29.Nxf7 Nxf7 30.Qxf7 Qxf7 31.Rxf7 Rxc3= and held the sharp lines arising out of the same far from clear. 29...Rab8 30.Qc1 Ne8 31.Ne3 Ng7? Botvinnik tries to activate the knight and bring it to ...f5 in more suitable circumstances. However, this weakens his control of f6. Black has to play the waiting game with 31...Qd7 32.Rf6 Ne8? Anxious to get rid of the rook, Botviinnik makes a mistake. He would have held the position with any reasonable move like 32...Kc7! 33.Nxd5! Kxd5 34.Qf4 Kc6 35.d5+ Kb7 If 35...Kxd5?? 36.Rd1+ Kc6 37.Nxf7 Nxf7 37...Nxf6 38.Qxc4+ Qc5 39.Rd6++- 38.Qxc4+ Kb7 39.Rxe6+- Black is two pieces up and helpless. A spectacular line. 36.Qxc4 Ka8 37.Rf4 Averbakh thought, he could avoid exchange of queens with 37.Rf3 However, after Rb1+ 38.Rxb1 Rxb1+ 39.Kh2 exd5 40.Qxd5+ Kb8 41.Qxa5 f6! 42.exf6 Nxf6 Black would be calling the shots. 37...Qc7 38.d6 "Of course I wanted to keep queens on, but after 38.Qa6+ Qa7 39.Qd3 Nc7 the Black pieces would have occupied active positions."- Averbakh 38...Qxc4 39.Rxc4 Rb1+ The engine gives a simplifying line that deserves attention. 39...f6 40.d7 Nd6 41.exd6 fxg5 42.hxg5 R3b6 43.Rc7 Rxd6 44.Re1 Nf7 45.f4 Rd8 46.f5 exf5 47.Re8 R6xd7 48.Rxd8+ Rxd8 49.Rxf7 Rd1+ 50.Kh2 Ra1 51.Rg7 Rxa4 52.Rxg6 Kb7= 40.Rxb1 Rxb1+ "The game was adjourned in this position and White sealed his next move. 41.Kh2 "He no longer has an attack, but his strong protected passed pawn and the active placing of his pieces give him an advantage. The question is - can it be converted into a win?"-Averbakh Kb8 42.Rc5 " 42.d7 Nc7 43.Ne4 suggests itself, but after Rd1 44.Nd6 Rd3 it is doubtful whether White can win."-Averbakh 42...Rb7! "Black's No. 1 enemy is the passed d-pawn, and so he prepares to undermine its defences by...f7-f6."-Averbakh. With this plan in view the rook first prevents d6-d7 advance. Not the immediate 42...f6?? 43.d7+- NSH 43.Ne4 Or 43.Rxa5 f6! 44.Ne4 fxe5 45.c4 Ng7 46.Rxe5 Ra7 47.a5 Nf7 48.Rb5+ Kc8 49.c5 Nf5= Black knights have performed a real feat of defence. "By continuing 43.f4 f6 44.Nf3 White would still have every chance of winning. "-Averbakh. If we continue the line, the engine gives the verdict, fxe5 45.fxe5 Ng7 46.Rxa5 Nf5= In a tournament game, with the clock ticking, chances are with White. 43...f6 44.exf6 "A mistake."-Averbakh "Here too 44.f4 was stronger, maintaining the powerful pawn phalanx."- Averbakh. After fxe5 45.fxe5 Ng7 46.Rxa5 Nf5 47.Kh3 Rb1 48.Rb5+ Rxb5 49.axb5 Kb7= is the engine verdict. The position is still unclear to the ordinary human eye. 44...Nf7 45.Rxa5 Rd7! "I overlooked this move."- Averbakh "I had assumed, after 45...Nfxd6 46.Nxd6 Nxd6 47.Re5 White would win the e6 pawn while retaining his f6 pawn. Now, however, he must lose both d- and f- pawns, and with them his winning chances, although the advantage remains on his side."- Averbakh. If we continue this line, again the engine verdict is a draw. Rf7 48.Rxe6 Nb7 49.Rb6 Kc7 50.Re6 Kb8= But the position is far from clear and a lot of play is left. 46.Rb5+ Kc8 47.Nc5 Rxd6 48.a5 Nc7! "Black defends very accurately." -Averbakh "After 48...Nxf6? 49.a6 his position again would have become critical."- Averbakh. In fact White is winning. Black would have to sacrifice his rook to stop the pawn from queening. 49.Rb6 Not 49.Rb7?? Rc6-+ 49...Rxb6 50.axb6 Ne8 50...Nd5! 51.b7+ Kb8= is the short and direct way to draw. 51.Nxe6 Nxf6 52.c4 Ne5 53.c5 Nc6 54.f3 Kd7 Again 54...Kb7= is the easy and simple way to draw. 55.Nf8+ "This leads to further simplification and a quick draw, but there is nothing better."-Averbakh Ke8 56.Nxg6 Nd7 57.Nf4 Nxc5 58.Nxh5 Nd7 59.b7 Kf7 60.g4 Nc5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Averbakh,Y-Botvinnik,M-½–½1956

A tough battle in all its phases!

In the book he writes:

We fought unusually hard for a training match. Several games ended in extreme time-trouble, which often resulted in serious blunders… these battles may have cost Botvinnik too much strength and nervous energy. I cannot rule out the possibility that when he sat down at the board a month later with Smyslov Botvinnik had not fully recovered, and that this somehow influenced the course of the match.

Not really! Averbakh is modest about his contribution to Botvinnik’s match preparation and goes too far with this self-deprecatory comment. Botvinnik would have lost the 1957 Match anyway, as Smyslov was well-prepared and played better. Admittedly, he, the younger player, had more energy and stamina to endure the stress and strain of this match.

Averbakh was not involved in Botvinnik’s preparation for the Return Match in 1958. Next year he received an offer from Koblenz to work as Tal’s second for the Candidates’ Tournament.

He writes:

Although I had no obligations to Botvinnik, I decided to advise him of the matter, just to ensure a clear conscience. He listened to me, but said nothing. I took his silence as a sign of agreement, and immediately sent a telegram to Riga, saying that I accepted the offer. How little I knew Botvinnik! He took my actions as a betrayal and never asked me to play training games with him again.

Surely, Botvinnik should not have seen it as betrayal, as he had not even availed of Averbakh’s services as a second for the 1958 Return Match. However, he was right in not having Averbakh as his sparring partner. As Tal was a potential rival for the crown, there was no way in which Averbakh would have trained both the world champion and the candidate.

Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov

Mikhail Botvinnik facing Vasily Smyslov | Photo: Dutch National Archive

Averbakh as Tal’s trainer

Averbakh had an easy wavelength with Tal and did not interfere with his ward’s way of preparation, and still saw to it that he was helped in every possible way:

In the spring of 1959 I went to Riga, to begin preparing Tal for the Candidates’ Tournament. His manner of analysing was unique. Whereas Botvinnik, in the first instance, tried to find the most expedient plan, the most rational arrangement of his forces, the Rigan looked instead for the most aggressive plan, leading to sharp play, rich with combinational possibilities. Whereas Botvinnik sought the rule, Tal sought the exception.

The Candidates’ Tournament was due to take place that autumn. When there were only a few days to go before we were to leave, the news came from Riga that Tal had appendicitis , and had undergone an operation to remove his appendix. Seeing him in Moscow, I was horrified - he was pale, and noticeably haggard. Only his eyes were the same, piercing and burning like fire. Koblents had been delayed in getting his travel documents, so Misha and I went to Yugoslavia together. He had still not recovered fully from the operation, and I had to carry his suitcase for him. We had to develop our tactics at the start of the tournament, to suit his state of health. I suggested that in the first cycle (there were four in all), Tal should try to avoid adjournments. Even if he only scored 50%, that would be fine. The important thing was to conserve his strength fully at first.

Mikhail TalAs it happened, Averbakh’s judgment turned out to be right. Tal’s health improved and after two cycles he was only half a point behind the leader, Keres. How he prevailed over the veteran in the rest of the Tournament is history.

But it was far from easy. In the last cycle, Misha was leading the event and was ahead of Keres by 2½ points. But he still had to face the Estonian, who was determined to play for a win and retain at least theoretical chances of gaining first place. So both Koblents and Averbakh advised Tal to play quietly for a draw. Tal, however, was outplayed by Keres and lost only after a valiant in the session after adjournment.

In the book Averbakh regrets that he and Koblenz gave Misha the wrong advice. Instead they should have let him follow his own instinct and play as he chose. But on that day Tal himself was in two minds about how he should play. On the one hand, he realized that he only had to draw with Keres and would win the Candidates’ as no one else would be able to catch up with him in the remaining rounds. On the other hand, he wanted to even the score with the Estonian in their personal match, 2-2.

Paul KeresHe told Koblenz:

Keres has two and a half fewer points, and I have no moral right to avoid a fight.

First, he played aggressively, but then saw that something was wrong with his position. So changing his mind he played for a draw. Sensing the indecision, the great Estonian pressed for a win and the game was adjourned in a difficult position for Tal. In the book Averbakh does not mention what they did about the analysis of this position. Probably they concluded, the game was lost and it was left to Tal to make a last-minute rally on resumption of the session.

Keres, however, found, the position was a minefield and discovered some amazing possibilities. Here is one of them.

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48...Nf2+! Thus Black avoids a diabolical trap. It was tempting to play 48...h5+? 49.Kxg5 49.Kxh5 Qh3+ 50.Kxg5 f6# 49...Qf6+ 50.Kxh5 Ne5 It appears that the White king is going to be mated. However, he turns the tables with 51.Qd6‼ and White wins. 49.Kf5 Qd3+ 50.Ke5 Ng4+ 51.Kd6 Qxa3+ and Keres went to win only after facing even sterner resistance from Tal (0-1, 79 moves). 0–1
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Tal,M-Keres,P-0–11959Candidates' Tournament

Now Tal had only a slender lead, and the rest of the cycle was not without adventures. In the penultimate round he faced young Fischer. He had had some fun teasing Bobby.

Tal pushes the pawn only one square, holding it on c6 pretending to play the Cao-Kann. Then he smiles and pushes it to c5. It would be a Sicilian after all.

But this time the game was a dangerous affair. Bobby had lost to Misha thrice before and was determined to beat him this time.

On the morning of the game, Tal prepared with Averbakh, Koblenz and Tigran Petrosian who had called in. They all knew what to expect from young Bobby. He would take a principled position and play 6.Bc4 against the Najdorf Sicilian. So they analysed the same line further and here 9…Nxe4 appealed to Tigran. “Such a nice little central pawn… I think, I would take it”. But Misha had his doubts, and it was only after sitting down at the board and glancing at Fischer, that he waved his hands, “Ah, what the devil — I take it!”

Now the American prodigy, all fired up, played “just like Tal”, first sacrificing a pawn and then both his knights & a rook for an attack. If he lost, Keres would catch up with him for first place in the tournament. Averbakh could not bring himself to watch the ensuing debacle and walked out of the hall. Koblenz and Mikenas, Keres’ second remained in the hall, tense, with sedative tablets in their mouths.

Subsequently Koblenz recalled, earlier during the games, he used to make regular phone calls to relay the moves to his colleagues in Riga, who would then display the moves on large demonstration boards so that the local chess fans could follow the progress of their national hero. During this game with Fischer, however, he stopped calling as he did not want to cause “a collective heart attack”!

Sadly, Bobby lost his way in complications and managed to lose the game. He was to include this encounter in his book, My 60 Memorable Games.

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1.e41,165,57054%2421---
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 The Sicilian Najdorf that Bobby himself played 6.Bc4 Bobby played this move almost all his life. e6 7.Bb3 b5 7...Be7 8.f4 0-0 9.Qf3 Qc7 10.0-0 b5 was seen in a previous round between the same opponents. Fischer-Tal, Candidates' Tournament 1959 (0-1, 33 moves) 8.f4 Currently 8.0-0 is in vogue. Fischer himself was to play it with success in later years. 8...b4! 8...Bb7 is usual. 9.Na4 "Indirectly undermining White's center" - Fischer Nxe4!? 9...Bb7 also played here allows 10.e5 Nfd7 11.Qh5 with a lot of complications. A thematic try is 9...Qc7 10.0-0 Be7 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Qxe5 13.Bf4 Qe4 seen in Abdrlauf E-Salem AR, Titled Tuesday Chess.com Blitz 2022 (0-1, 39 moves) 10.0-0 g6? Tal probably thought, he could stop the advance, f4-f5 with this move. Fischer's suggestion 10...Bb7? is met by 11.f5 e5 12.Ne6! fxe6 13.Qh5++- The cool retreat, 10...Nf6! is playable. Black prepares the thematic advance, ...d6-d5, freeing his position. White has a slender lead in development, but his knight on a4 is out of play. Practical results have favoured Black. Here is a sample line, 11.Qf3 d5 12.f5 e5 13.Re1 Be7 14.Rxe5 0-0= 11.f5! "This riposte caught Tal completely unaware." - Fischer gxf5 If 11...exf5? 12.Bd5 Ra7 13.Nxf5! Bxf5 14.Qd4± 12.Nxf5! Rg8? "Woozy. Tal stumbles into a dubious defense." - Fischer "Not 12...exf5? 13.Qd5 Ra7 14.Qd4 spearing a rook"- Fischer After 12...d5? 13.Be3!± is very strong. Black cannot play 13... exf5 on account of 14.Bd5. 13.Bd5! "A shot!" - Fischer. Ra7 If 13...exf5? 14.Bxa8± Or 13...exd5? 14.Qxd5 Bxf5 15.Qxf5 Ra7 16.Qxe4+ Re7 17.Qxb4+- 14.Bxe4 Fischer thought, this move was bad and endorsed 14. Be3, a Kevitz recommendation. In retrospect the move he played still appears OK. 14.Be3 Rc7! 14...Nc5? 15.Qh5 Rg6 16.Rae1+- (Kevitz) 15.Bxe4 15.Bb6? exd5 16.Bxc7?? Qxc7 17.Qxd5 Bb7 18.Qd4 Qxc2-+ 15...exf5 16.Bxf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5± 14...exf5 If 14...d5 15.Be3! Rd7 16.Bd3 d4 17.Bf4 Bb7 18.Ng3 with an irresistible attack. White follows up with Qh5 and Rae1. 15.Bxf5? "Probably it's better to avoid exchanges with 15. Bd5 or 15.Bf3."- Fischer After 15.Bd5 Be6 16.Be3 Re7 17.Bf3 Black has avoided the worst, though White still has an advantage. 15.Bf3 followed by 16. Be3 sets more problems for Black. 15...Re7 "A unique way of shielding the K -file" - Fischer If 15...Bxf5 16.Rxf5 Qd7 17.Qe2+ Be7 18.Qh5± A better try is 15...d5 16.Qh5 Nc6 17.Be3 d4 18.Be4 Rg6! 19.Bd2± But not 19.Bxg6? hxg6 20.Qf3 Ne5 21.Qe4 dxe3 22.Qxe5+ Re7 23.Qf4 e2 24.Rfe1 a5∞ 16.Bxc8 This is not bad. Tibor Karolyi suggests the better 16.c3! Bb7 17.Bh3± 16...Qxc8 17.Bf4? 17.Qxd6?? loses to Rxg2+! 18.Kxg2 Re2+ 19.Kf3 Bxd6 20.Kxe2 Qxc2+-+ Fischer rightly gives the line, 17.c3! Qc6 18.Rf2 and it favours White. If Rg6 19.cxb4 Nd7 20.Bf4± A more recent suggestion is 17.Rf2! Rg6 18.c3 Qb7 19.cxb4 Nc6 20.Bf4± 17...Qc6 18.Qf3 Qxa4! "Such a surprise that I didn't dare believe my eyes"-Bobby Fischer 19.Bxd6 Qc6 Tal finds an inspired defence. Not 19...Rd7? 20.Rae1+ Kd8 21.Qf6++- 20.Bxb8 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 Qxb8 "The crowd was shouting and whistling with each move. Later I was informed that many sports fans were in the auidience. Maybe some soccer match had been canceled. As a consequence, chess was the main attraction that day in Belgrade."-Fischer 22.Qc6+? Unfortunately, this check allows the Black bishop to become free. "Many commentators believed that 22.Rae1! was the winning move.Tal himself confessed, he thought Black was lost after that. But Kd8! holds in all lines. 22...Rg6? 23.Qxf7+ Kd7 24.Rd1+ Rd6 25.Rxd6+ Kxd6 26.Rf6+!+- was seen in Amonatov F-Savchenko B, KIIT Cat.A Open, Bhubaneshwar 2022 (1-0, 72 moves) 23.Qd3+ Fischer gives the line 23.Rd1+ Kc7 24.Qf4+ Kb7 25.Rd6 If 25.Qxb4+? Ka7 26.Qc5+ Qb6 27.Qf5 Rg6 28.Rd7+ Kb8-+ White would be on retreat and then Black takes over the offensive- NSH 25...Qc7 Karolyi gives 25...Qe8! 26.Qf3+ Re4 27.Qxf7+ Qxf7 28.Rxf7+ Kc8 29.Rc6+ Kd8 30.g3! "White has good chances to hold the endgame." 26.Qxb4+ Kc8 27.Rxa6 Qb7 28.Qxb7+ Kxb7 29.Raf6 Rg7= 23...Rd7 24.Qxh7 Rg7 25.Qh4+ Kc7 26.Qc4+ Kb7 27.Rf6 Bd6 28.Qe4+ Kc7= 22...Rd7 23.Rae1+ "Finally Tal "develops his bishop." - Fischer Be7 24.Rxf7? Karolyi suggests 24.Qf6! Kd8 Or 24...Rf8 25.Qxa6 Qb7 26.Qh6 Qd5 27.Qxh7 Rd6 25.Qxf7 Re8 26.Qxh7 Qd6 24...Kxf7 25.Qe6+ Not 25.Qxd7? Qd6-+ 25...Kf8! "I thought he had to go to 25...Kg7? whereupon 26.Qxd7+- wins easily." - Fischer 26.Qxd7 Not 26.Rf1+ Kg7 27.Rf7+ Kh8 28.Qxd7 Rd8 29.Qg4 29.Rxh7+ Kxh7 30.Qxe7+ Kg6-+ NSH 29...Qe5-+ Fischer 26...Qd6 27.Qb7 If 27.Rf1+ Kg7 28.Qg4+ Kh8-+ 27...Rg6! "Within a handful of moves the game has changed its complexion. Now it is White who must fight for a draw."- Fischer. The rook shields the black King while preserving its attacking potential as Karolyi rightly uts it. 27...Rg5 may be better as it clears the path for .. .Qh6 and prepares..Rh5 among other things-NSH 28.c3 "Black's extra piece means less with each pawn that is exchanged."-Fischer a5 Stronger is 28...Re6! 29.Rf1+ Rf6 30.Re1 Qe6! 31.Ra1 bxc3 32.bxc3 Qxa2!-+ An elegant line featuring back rank mate. 29.Qc8+ 29.cxb4? fails to Qxb4 30.Qf3+ Rf6 31.Qe2 Bd6-+ as pointed out by Karolyi. 29...Kg7 30.Qc4 Bd8 Black aims for...Bc7 targeting h2. 30...Bf6! 31.cxb4 Qd2 32.Qe4 axb4-+ may be the other route to victory. 31.cxb4 axb4 32.g3 White can not save the game with the queens on. 32.Qe4 Bc7 33.Qe7+ Kg8 34.Qe8+ Qf8 35.Qe4 Bd6-+ 32...Qc6+ 33.Re4 Qxc4 34.Rxc4 Rb6! "I overlooked this. Now Black has winning chances."- Fischer "I had planned on a draw after 34...Be7 35.a3 dissoving Black's QNP b3 is answered by 36.Rc7 followed by Rb7. 35.Kg2 Kf6 35...Bf6 36.Rc2 Kf7-+ 36.Kf3? Allowing the Black monarch to advance. 36.Re4! Be7 37.Kf3 offered sterner resistance, though Black still has a plus - NSH 36...Ke5 37.Ke3 37.a3 is met by b3-+ 37...Bg5+ 38.Ke2 Kd5 39.Kd3 Bf6 "White might be able to draw this ending, but it's an ugly defensive chore."- Fischer 40.Rc2? Too passive (Fischer) "I wanted to avoid immobilizing my queenside pawns with 40.b3 , but it is the best hope now. On Be7 41.Rd4+ preserves drawing chances."- Fischer. Karolyi analyses the line further. Kc5 42.Rc4+ Kb5 43.Re4 Bc5 44.Rh4 h6 It is still not easy for Black to make progress. 40...Be5 41.Re2 Rf6 The sealed move. 42.Rc2 Rf3+ 43.Ke2 Rf7 44.Kd3 Bd4! "Little by little Tal inches his way in." - Fischer 45.a3 On 45.b3 Rf3+ 46.Kd2 Rf2+ 47.Kd3 Rxc2 48.Kxc2 Ke4-+ wins-Fischer 45...b3 46.Rc8 "Equally hopeless is 46.Re2 Rf3+ 47.Kd2 Bxb2-+ " -Fischer Or 46.Rd2 Rf3+ 47.Ke2 Rf2+-+ Fischer 46...Bxb2 47.Rd8+ Kc6 48.Rb8 Rf3+ 49.Kc4 Rc3+ 50.Kb4 Kc7 51.Rb5 Ba1 52.a4 b2! An elegant finish! 52...b2! 53.Kxc3 b1Q+-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Fischer,R-Tal,M-0–11959

Bobby Fischer

Cover of the 1969 Simon and Schuster edition of “My 60 Memorable Games”

Years later Tal recalled a famous moment from the game:

It was here that a widely-known psychological duel took place between us. Every player has his own habit: one will first make his move and then write it down, while another will do things the other way round. In our game Fischer first wrote down the move 22.Rae1!, without doubt the strongest, and wrote it, not in his usual English notation, but in European, almost Russian! Then he not very deftly pushed the scoresheet towards me. ‘He’s asking for an endorsement’, I thought to myself, but how was I to react? To frown was impossible, if I smiled he would suspect ‘trickery’, and so I did the natural thing. I got up and began to calmly walk up and down the stage. I met Petrosian, made some joke to him, and he replied. The 15-year-old Fischer, who was essentially still only a large child, sat with a confused expression on his face, looking first at the front row of the spectators where his second was sitting, and then at me. Then he wrote down another move: 22.Qc6+? and after 22…Rd7 23.Rae1+ Be7 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.Qe6+ Kf8! 26. Qxd7 Qd6 I held on to my extra piece and adjourned the game in a won position. When I later asked Fischer why he hadn’t played 22.Rae1, he replied, “Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!”

Some in the Soviet establishment gloated over Tal’s victory in this game. Vasily Panov, with typical iron curtain “objectivity”, commented in the Soviet tournament bulletin, “Almost all game Fischer played in Tal style. But all his trouble was in vain because Tal did not defend in Fischer style — instead he found the one and only one saving counterchance!”

It was an unwise comment to make. Two years later Bobby beat Misha at the 1961 Bled Tournament. Tal himself was to acknowledge the genius of Fischer in the ensuing years.

Averbakh sums up his portrait of Tal with fine words, “He burnt the candle at both ends.”

Notes

1) One limitation of this book is that there are no games in it. From this point of view, his other work, Averbakh’s Selected Games (Cadogan, 1998), deserves mention. However, I have found Big DataBase also useful, as it has many of the games mentioned by Averbakh in this book.

2) Averbakh offers two of his games from the training match with Botvinnik in his book, Averbakh’s Selected Games. The former world champion also annotated two of the games from this match and they may be found in Botvinnik’s Best Games Vol.3 (1957-1970).

3) The picture of Keres here first appeared in the book of the 1959 Candidates’ Tournament, Turnir pretendentov 1959 by Gligorić & Ragozin. Here it is reproduced from Douglas Griffin’s Twitter Page (now named X) on Soviet Chess History: https://twitter.com/dgriffinchess

4) The picture of Tal appeared in his blog on Soviet Chess History, which has a section on the 1959 Candidates’ Tournament: https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com/

5) Keres analysed his game with Tal in great detail, and it may be found the book, Paul Keres, The Quest for Perfection by Paul Keres and John Nunn (B.T. Batsford 1997)

6) The Fischer-Tal 1959 encounter is also analysed in detail in Mikhail Tal’s Best Games of Chess Vol. 1 The Magic of Youth by Tibor Karolyi.

7) A Trbute to the Life and Work of Averbakh: https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/yuri-averbakh/

8)Another tribute to Averbakh (Russian) with rare images from his life and career: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNxFnDqJ0s

Links


Prof. Nagesh Havanur (otherwise known as "chessbibliophile") is a senior academic and research scholar. He taught English in Mumbai for three decades and has now settled in Bangalore, India. His interests include chess history, biography and opening theory. He has been writing on the Royal Game for more than three decades. His articles and reviews have appeared on several web sites and magazines.

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