AVRO, Round 10: Four draws and some drama

by Johannes Fischer
6/12/2020 – Four draws, no win - that was the outcome of the tenth round of the AVRO Tournament 1938, which was played in the Dutch city of Breda. But despite the four draws the spectators in Breda got their money's worth as they could watch two fascinating tactical duels: Samuel Reshevsky (pictured) used hidden tactics to attack Mikhail Botvinnik, Reuben Fine used hidden tactics to defend against José Raúl Capablanca. Of course, nothing has changed in the standings. After 10 of 14 rounds Fine and Keres share the lead with 6½/10, Botvinnik follows with 5½/10. | Photo: Samuel Reshevsky (Archive)
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Missed opportunities

With three wins, three losses and three draws, Samuel Reshevsky was exactly on 50 percent before round ten. However, in his perennial time-trouble Reshevsky had missed a couple of good chances in his previous nine games – and in time-trouble he also spoiled a winning position against Mikhail Botvinnik in round ten.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 9.g3 Nd7 10.Bg2 Nf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Nc3 c6 13.b4 a6 14.Re1 Re8 15.Bb2 Bf8 16.Qd3 Be6 17.f3 Nd7 18.Na4 b6 19.Rac1 b5 20.Nc5 Nb6 21.Bc3 Ra7 22.e4 Nc4 23.Ra1 Bxc5 24.dxc5 Rd7 25.Qd4 f6 26.f4 dxe4 27.Qxe4 Rd3 28.Rac1?! Perhaps it was better to play 28.Qxc6 Bd7 29.Qb7 Kf8 29...Rxc3 30.Rad1 30.Rad1 Rxe1+ 31.Rxe1 with a complicated position. 28...Rxc3! 29.Rxc3 Bf7 30.Rd3 This was probably Reshevsky's idea when he played 28.Rac1. Qb8? The wrong square. After 30...Qc8 Black is winning: after 31.Red1 Rxe4 32.Bxe4 Bd5 33.Bxd5+ cxd5 34.Rxd5 Black's queen can escape. After Qe6 White no longer has any serious threats and Black should win. 31.Red1! Rxe4 32.Bxe4! However, in contrast to the variation above, Black's queen now has no escape square. White regains the sacrificed material and is winnning. Qf8 After 32...Bd5 33.Bxd5+ cxd5 34.Rxd5 Black's queen cannot escape and is lost. 33.Rd8 Be8 34.Re1 Kf7 35.Bxh7 Ne5 36.fxe5 Qh8 37.Bc2 Ke7 38.Rc8 Simpler was 38.Ra8 f5 39.Bxf5 Qh5 40.Ra7+ Kf8 41.Be6 and White is winning. 38...f5 39.Bxf5 Qh5 40.g4? This weakens White's position. More solid was 40.Be4 e.g. Qg5 41.Bg2 Qd2 42.Rf1 Qd4+ 43.Kh1 Qxe5 44.Ra8 and White should still win. 40...Qg5 41.Rc7+ Kd8 42.Rc8+ Ke7 43.e6 g6 44.Rc7+ Kd8 45.Rd7+ Kc8 46.e7 gxf5 47.Rd8+ Kc7 48.Rxe8 Qxg4+ 49.Kh1 Qf3+ 50.Kg1 Qg4+ with a perpetual. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Reshevsky,S-Botvinnik,M-½–½1938E46AVRO10

Reuben Fine enjoys the reputation of being a solid positional player who values correct chess above all but against Capablanca he showed how tactically alert he is. After a small inaccuracy in the opening Fine came under pressure but found a remarkable tactical resource that allowed him to escape into an endgame in which he was only slightly worse. He tenaciously defended this ending, but when the draw seemed within reach, he blundered in time-trouble and almost spoilt all his previous efforts. However, Capablanca failed to see how fortune had smiled on him and the game ended in a draw.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 c5 7.Bd2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Nc6 9.Rd1 0-0 10.e3 b6 11.a3 Bb7?! This inaccuracy leads to trouble. Better was 11...Rd8 e.g. 12.dxc5 Qxd1+ 13.Qxd1 Rxd1+ 14.Kxd1 bxc5 and White has only a slight advantage. 12.dxc5! Qxc5 13.b4 Qh5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Rd7 Rac8! Very creative defense by Black. 16.Qb2 Rfd8! 17.Rxb7 Ne5 18.Be2 Nxf3+ 19.Bxf3 Qe5! 20.Qxe5 Rc1+ 21.Bd1 White has to give the bishop to avoid a perpetual. Rcxd1+ 22.Ke2 R1d2+ 23.Kf3 fxe5 24.Rxa7 e4+ 25.Kg3 Ra2 Black managed to avoid the worst but he still has to fight for a draw. 26.Ra6 Rdd2 27.Rf1 Rdb2 28.Rxb6 Rxa3 29.b5 Kg7 30.h4 Rab3 31.Kf4 Rxb5 32.Rxb5 Rxb5 33.g4 Rb4 34.Rc1 Rb2 35.Kg3 Kf6 36.Rc4 Ke5 37.Rc8 Kf6? After imaginative and stubborn defense Black goes back into the danger zone. After 37...Rb1 Black should be able to hold. 38.Rg8 h6? More stubborn was 38...Rb1 39.g5+ Ke5 40.Rg7 f6 41.gxf6 Kxf6 42.Rxh7 and White still has some work to do. 39.g5+ hxg5 40.Rxg5? Incredible. Capablanca, who is famous for his endgame skills, misses the win. After 40.h5! Rb1 41.Kg2 Black has no good way to stop White's h-pawn from queening. 40...Rb8 41.Kh3 e5 42.Rg1 The crisis is over and the players agreed to a draw. ½–½
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Capablanca,J-Fine,R-½–½1938E34AVRO10

Max Euwe and Alexander Alekhine are old rivals and have played two World Championship matches against each other. In the first half of the tournament Alekhine won a brilliant attacking against against Euwe, but in the second half of the tournament they drew after a tough fight.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qa4 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Bf4 c5 9.Nc3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Qc8 12.Rfd1 Qb7+ 13.f3 Rc8 14.Ndb5 Qc6 15.Rac1 Ne8 16.Nd5 Bf8 Black keeps the tension. 16...exd5 17.cxd5 Qb7 18.Rxc8 Qxc8 19.Rc1 Qd8 20.Bc7 Qc8 21.Bf4 leads to an immediate draw. However, Black is by no means better and in the game he did not manage to put serious pressure on White. 17.Nb4 Qb7 18.Bxb8 Qxb8 19.Rxd7 a5 20.Nc2 Qe5 21.Nc3 Nd6 22.Na3 Nf5 23.Nc2 Nd6 24.Na3 Qc5 25.Rd1 Qb4 26.Qb3 Nxc4 27.Nxc4 Rxc4 28.Rb7 Qxb3 29.axb3 Rb4 30.Na4 Rxb3 31.Rxb6 Rxb6 32.Nxb6 Rb8 33.Nc4 a4 34.Rd2 g6 35.Ne5 Bg7 36.Nd3 Rc8 37.Kf1 Bd4 38.Rd1 e5 39.Ra1 Rc4 40.Ra3 f5 41.b3 ½–½
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Euwe,M-Alekhine,A-½–½1938E15AVRO10

For Salo Flohr the AVRO Tournament 1938 is not a good tournament. With 2½ points from 9 games (5 draws and 4 losses) he is in last place after nine rounds. And in round 10 he had to play with Black against tournament leader Paul Keres. However, Flohr had no problems to equalize and to get an easy draw. If the tournament had gone better for Flohr he might even have considered to try to pressure Keres a bit longer in the final position.

 
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1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.d4 Bd6 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Be3 Bg4 10.Re1 Nd7 11.Qd3 Qc7 12.g3 Nf8 13.Nd2 Qd7 14.d5 Bxe2 15.Rxe2 Ng6 16.dxc6 Qxc6 17.Qc4 Qd7 18.Nf3 Qf5 19.Nd4 Qh5 20.Qd3 Ne5 21.Qf5 Qxf5 22.Nxf5 Bf8 23.b3 Rad8 24.Kg2 g6 25.Nh4 Ng4 26.Nf3 Bc5 27.Rae1 Nxe3+ 28.fxe3 f5 29.Kf2 Bb4 30.Rb1 ½–½
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Keres,P-Flohr,S-½–½1938B15AVRO10

Results of round 10

S. Reshevsky ½-½ M. Botvinnik
P. Keres ½-½ S. Flohr
J.R. Capablanca ½-½ R. Fine
M. Euwe ½-½ A. Alekhine

Standings after round 10

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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