Reshevsky Could Still Play

Reshevsky

     The 1957-58 US Championship, the tenth, was played in New York City and was on the anniversary of the First American Congress, the event that had heralded the arrival of Paul Morphy a century before. The 1957-58 Championship also heralded the arrival of a new player who was soon to establish himself as one of the world's best, Bobby Fischer. 

     For several years there had always been doubts that the championship could be played at all due to the USCF's perpetual financial crises that dated back to 1948.

     In the case of the 1957-58 event a small group of men, mostly wealthy members of the Manhattan Chess Club, banded together and formed the American Chess Foundation which declared that they would choose the best players for small, topflight events and finance them. The result to date had been three strong Rosenwald invitational tournaments and three matches. Reshevsky won two of the tournaments and Evans and Bisguier tied in one. Reshevsky also defeated William Lombardy, Arthur Bisguier and Donald Byrne in matches. 

     For the 1957-58 event, the fourth Rosenwald, the USCF agreed to let it be designated as the 10th US championship and as the FIDE zonal tournament. A most magnanimous gesture considering the USCF didn't have any money. The first two finishers qualified for further tournaments to select a challenger to Mikhail Botvinnik for the World Championship. 

     Fischer had been quite active in 1956 and 1957, was attracting a lot of attention, and had been featured in several issues of Chess Review and newspaper articles. Even so, most players considered Reshevsky to be the favorite. Others considered as challengers to Reshevsky were Larry Evans and Robert Byrne, who declined his invitation at the last minute. William Lombardy was considered a dark horse. 

     Arthur Bisguier reckoned that Fischer might score a little over 50 percent. Bisguier was wrong. Fischer started with a win and two draws, including his draw with Reshevsky in round three. After 5 rounds he was a half point behind Reshevsky with 4-1 score, but then came five straight wins. Reshevsky lost a whopping (for him) two games (to Sherwin and Lombardy). In the end, Fischer finished a whole point ahead of Reshevsky.  

     The May 5th issue of Chess Life had the 11th national rating list with the ratings of 3,350 players. In addition to the below list of top players there were 60 rated Masters which included 2231 rated Robt. J. Fischer of Brooklyn, NY.

 

 

     The above mentioned paucity of funds on the part of the USCF had a good explanation. In those days it was not always a requirement to belong to the USCF to play in tournaments. Chess Life noted that of the rated players only 1,022 were actually members of the USCF. Worse yet, only only 61 percent were class players (i.e. rated below 2000). Organizers were required to pay a fee of 10 cents per game (about $0.94 in today's dollars) to get their tournament rated. 

     USCF membership was $5.00 which was actually pretty hefty because it figures to be almost $47.00 today. That five dollars would buy you almost 21 gallons of gas, or over 16 pounds of hamburger, or 9 dozen eggs or 25 loaves of bread.

 

Bisguier

  Although Fischer would soon make everyone forget about Reshevsky, the old man (age 46) could still play. In the following game Reshevsky emerged from the opening with an inferior game when he resorted to a variation of the Sicilian that the Russians had recently been experimenting with. The belief that Reshevsky never studied openings is simply not true. However, Pal Benko once observed that, surprisingly, Reshevsky had a poor memory for them! 

      Bisguier played accurately and by move 12 Reshevsky had an unpleasantly camped position, but he remained calm and relying on fortitude and confidence, he waited for Bisguier to err which he did when he chose risky continuation as was typical for him. 

Arthur Bisguier - Samuel Reshevsky

Result: 0-1

Site: US Championship New York

Date: 1957.12.29

Sicilian: Taimanov

[...] 1.e4 c5 2.♘f3 e6 Rershevsky was partial to the Dragon, but in this game he decided to experiment with what came to be known as the Taimanov Variation which at the time the Russians had been using and obtaining good results. 3.d4 cxd4 4.♘xd4 a6 Allowing white to play the Maroczy Bind with 5.c4 if he wishes, but Bisguier has no interest because beginning in the 1950s, the Bind had became less feared. The ninth edition of Modern Chess Openings which was published in 1957 stated that Black had "worked loose" from the strictures of the Bind. 5.♘c3 ♕c7 This prevents white from playing e5 and at the same time black toys with the idea of ...Bb4. 6.♗d3 ♘c6 7.♘xc6 bxc6 8.O-O Bisguier has played the opening logically and he is better developed and so his prospects are good. 8...♘f6 9.♕e2 d6 Reshevsky decides on passive strategy. Today 9...d5 is almost always played, but he didn't like it even though he knew it was better. 10.f4 ♘d7 Preventing white from playing e5.

10...♗e7 11.e5 ♘d5 12.exd6 ♗xd6 13.♘e4 ♗xf4 14.♗xf4 ♘xf4 15.♕g4 Here Reshevsky felt, and engines agree, that white has good attacking chances.

11.♗e3

11.b3 ♗e7 12.♗b2 O-O 13.♖ae1

13.♔h1 is correct. 13...♗b7 14.♖ae1 ♘c5 15.♕g4 e5 16.♗c4 ♘d7 17.f5 ♘f6 18.♕h3 d5 with equality. Forster,R (2370)-Masserey,Y (2350)/Horgen SUI 1995

13...♗f6 14.e5 dxe5 15.♘e4 ♗h4 16.fxe5 ♗xe1 17.♕xe1 ♘xe5 18.♘f6+ gxf6 19.♕g3+ ♔h8 20.♕h4 1-0 Kanarek,M (2506)-Gbyl,A (2262)/Zgierz POL 2018

11.♔h1 ♗e7 12.♗d2 O-O 13.♖f3 ♘c5 14.♗e3 ♘xd3 15.cxd3 with equal chances. Sokolov,A (2505) -Kurajica,B (2530)/ Novi Sad 1984

11...♗e7 12.♖f3 Typical enterprising play by Bisguier. He is preparing a K-side attack should black play ...O-O. 12...♖b8 13.♘a4 (13.b3 ♗f6 is awkward for white.) 13...♗f6 14.♖b1 a5 15.c4 ♗a6 As Reshevsky pointed out this is th only logical square for this B. On b7 he if he wanted to get any use out of it he would have to play ...c5, but that would give white an excellent square for his N on b5. An interesting bit of GM logic! 16.♖c1 h5 Black has abandoned any intention of castling. 17.♖ff1 ♗e7 An odd move that invites white to play Bd4. 18.♗d4 Reshevsky was critical of this which he said ignores black's plan.

18.♔h1 Reshevsky 18...h4 19.♗d2 h3 20.g3 c5 This OK now that the N cannot reach b6 21.♗c3 This was Reshevsly's suggested plan. 21...♗f6 22.♗xf6 ♘xf6 with equality.

18.b3 looks promising. 18...h4 19.♕f3 and white stands well.

18...e5 19.♗c3

19.fxe5 ♘xe5 would have, according to Reshevsky, give black a strong bind in the center. Apparently Bisguier agreed, but Komodo 12 disagrees evaluating to position as quite equal.

19...exf4 This looks risky, but Reshevsky judged that it gives him some good chances of success. 20.♗xg7 Reshevsky thought that white should have played 20.Rb1, but Bisguier was never one to shrink back from complications and, in fact, engines confirm his judgment that the text is best. 20...♖h7 21.♗c3 ♘e5 22.♗d2 Bisguier is to anxious to win a P and lets the advantage slip. (22.b3 ♗g5 23.♖cd1 ♖h6 24.♕e1 ♗c8 25.♗e2 and white is better.) 22...♕a7+ 23.♔h1 ♕d4 24.♖f3 Well played! Giving up the exchange keeps the chances even. (24.♗b1 ♗xc4 25.♕f2 ♕xf2 26.♖xf2 ♗b5 27.♘c3 ♗h4 is very good for black.) 24...♘xf3 25.♕xf3 ♖h6 A precautionary move against white's opening up lines with the advance of his e-Pawn.

25...h4 After this black must play precisely to avoid falling into serious trouble. 26.e5 ♖h6 27.♗xf4 ♖e6 28.exd6 ♗xd6 29.♗xd6 ♕xd6 30.♖f1 ♖b7 31.♕g4 wiht equal chances.

26.♗xf4 ♖f6 Reshevsky commented that with the exchange to the good, black should encounter no serious difficulties in scoring the point. An interesting comment as no engine gives black the slightest advantage. In Shootouts using Stockfish and Komodo white scored all draws. 27.g3 This parries the "threat" of ... Rxf4 and ...Qxd3, but it is a serious mistake.

27.♗e2 keeps the balance after 27...♖e6 28.♗d3 ♖d8 29.b3 ♖f6 30.♖d1 d5 31.cxd5 ♖xf4 32.♕xf4 ♗xd3 33.♕g3 cxd5 34.e5 with complications.

27.b3 This allows black to carry out his "threat." 27...♖xf4 28.♕xf4 ♕xd3 but white has an escape... 29.♘c5 dxc5 30.♕xb8+ ♕d8 Now an ending without Qs would favor the two Bs, but white can keep the Qs on with 31.Qe5 with both sides having chances, but a draw seems a reasonable outcome.

27...♗c8 With this move Reshevsky repositions his B to a more useful diagonal. 28.♔g2

28.♖e1 was slightly better. 28...♗g4 29.♕e3 ♕xe3 30.♖xe3 h4 and black is slightly better.

28...♗g4 29.♕f1 Better was 29.Qe3 when white can continue the fight. Now Reshevsky has a crusher. 29...h4 After this all that remains is for Bisguier to resign.

29...♖xf4 While Reshevsky's move is more than adequate, this is even more powerful because it takes advantage of white's loose pieces 30.gxf4 ♕e3 31.♖e1 ♕d2+ 32.♗e2 ♗h4 33.♖d1 ♕c2 34.♘c3 ♖xb2 White has to lose material.

30.b3 (30.gxh4 ♖xf4 31.♕xf4 ♕xd3 32.♕xg4 ♕d2+ wins a R.) 30...hxg3 31.hxg3 ♔d7 32.♗e2

32.c5 ♖h8 (32...dxc5 33.♖c4 traps the Q.) 33.♖c4 ♗h3+ 34.♔f3 ♖xf4+ 35.gxf4 ♕g7 36.♕c1 ♗e6 is winning for black because white's K is too exposed to be defended.

32...♗xe2 33.♕xe2 ♖xf4 It is very important to note that without this move black has no more than equality! It shows the importance of being alert until the very end.

33...♖g8 This would be a bad mistake. 34.♖d1 ♕xd1 (34...♕a7 35.♗e3 ♕b8 36.e5 and white has the initiative.) 35.♕xd1 ♖xf4 36.♘c5+ ♔c8 37.♘d3 ♖fg4 38.♕e1 ♗h4 39.♕xa5 ♖xg3+ with a likely draw.

34.gxf4 ♖g8+ 35.♔f3 ♗h4 White resigned as there is no way to meet .. .Rg3

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