Two GMs Run Over At Palma 1966

  

     At the 1966 Palma International tournament GM Arturo Pomar got run over by a bull and GM Lajos Portisch got run over by an unknown Spanish master. 

     In Pomar's case the players got to visit a bull fighting and training facility where Mikhail Tal and Pomar courageously stood face to face with a bull, albeit a small one about the size of a donkey. Tal executed some classic bull fighter moves, but Pomar wasn't so lucky. The bull knocked him down and ran over him! Fortunately he was not hurt. 

     Most of the participants arrived in Palma straight from the Chess Olympiad that had taken place between October 23 and November 20, 1966, in Havana. Tal won the Palma tournament cleanly, scoring six successive wins at the start and only in the 7th round was he "stopped" when Matanovic held him to a draw. He did get challenged a bit when Pomar won two games in a row beating Portisch and Trifunovic. The fight for first was finally settled when Pomar lost his game against Dr. Heinz Lehmann.
 

     The virtually unknown Spanish master Augusto Menvielle Laccourreye (born 1938) had a real shot at gaining the IM title. In the process he engineered one of the most sensational wins in the tournament. In his game against Portisch (at the time one of the best players in the world) Menvielle played for a win from move one when he met Portisch's Sicilian with the Wing Gambit! His play was unsound, but violent, and it worked! 

Menvielle

     In the last round he needed a win against Pomar for his IM title. He tried by playing the Dutch Defense, but could only draw and the title eluded him. Today he holds the FIDE Master title.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Augusto Menvielle Laccourreye - Lajos Portisch

Result: 1-0

Site: Palma

Date: 1966.12.15

Sicilian Wing Gambit Deferred

[...] 1.e4 c5 2.♘f3 e6 3.b4 This delayed variation of the wing gambit is better than playing it immediately (2.b4) because black has already committed his P-structure with ...e6. Menvielle was harshly criticized by some for playing such a reckless choice against the mighty Portisch, but it worked. 3...cxb4 4.d4 d5 5.e5 This position resembles a French Defense except that black has an extra P. White hoped to use his extra space to generate a K-side attack. In his account of the tournament Yugoslav GM Trifunovic was extremely harsh in his criticism of white's opening claiming that black has a nearly winning position, but Stockfish puts black's advantage at a more realistic 0.69 whereas Komodo 12 evaluates the position at nearly 0.00. 5...b6 6.♗b5+

6.a3 ♗a6 7.♗xa6 ♘xa6 8.c3 is equal. Prusikin,M (2502)-Goldstern,F (2384)/Zurich 2001

6...♗d7 7.♗d3 ♘c6 8.a3 Frank Marshall ( a specialist in the WIng Gambit) often played a3 in order to open the a-file and to get his Q-side pieces into play.

8.O-O ♘ge7 9.♘bd2 ♘g6 10.g3 ♗e7 11.h4 O-O 12.♘b3 a5 13.♗e3 Black is better. Rahls,P (2340) -Hodgson,J (2535)/Biel Open 1992

8...♘ge7 9.c3 This is inconsistent with his last move because after black's reply the a-file remains closed. 9...bxc3 10.♘xc3 h6 Preventing Ng5 which could prove unpleasant. 11.O-O ♘g6 12.♘b5 A time waster. 12...a6 13.♘c3 ♘h4 The threat is simple, ...Nxf3+ and ...Nxd4 14.♗e3 b5 Black prevents the advance of the a-Pawn and Rb1 with pressure on the b-file, but white is unconcerned about such strategy because he going for the throat. 15.♘xh4 ♕xh4 16.f4 g6 17.♔h1 Preparing for the advance of the g-Pawn. 17...h5 Which Portisch prevents. 18.f5 White had some positional plans, but he doesn't care to pussy foot around with such trifles. 18...gxf5 19.♗xf5 ♗h6

19...exf5 is just too dangerous. 20.♘xd5 and black's K is exposed and white has threats like Nb7+ or even Nf6+. Black's best chance is 20...O-O-O but after 21.♖f4 ♕g5 22.a4 white has the upper hand.

20.g3 ♕e7 21.♕xh5 This is a bad move that allows black to gain a clear advantage.

21.♗xh6 ♖xh6 22.♗c2 Black is slightly better, but white would still have some chance owing to the somewhat exposed black K.

21...♕f8

21...♗g7 allows 22.♗h7 ♕f8 23.♖ac1 ♘e7 24.g4 and white still has a dangerous attack.

22.♘xd5 ♗xe3 23.♘f6+ ♔e7 24.♕f3 This allows black a crushing reply, but white is already lost...the end is only a matter of time. 24...♕h6 Crushing.

24...♗xd4 is less good. but still winning. 25.♘xd7 ♕h6 and wins.

25...♔xd7 This is bad because after the best line 26.♖ac1 ♗c5 27.♗xe6+ ♔c7 28.♕g2 ♔b6 29.♖xf7 when in this complicated position both sides have chances.

25.♖a2 ♖a7 A blunder. He had three perfectly good moves that keep the win in hand.

25...♘xd4 Best. 26.♕b7 ♘xf5 27.♕xd7+ ♔f8 28.♖xf5 exf5 29.♘d5 ♖e8 and wins

25...exf5 Not quite as effective, but still good enough. 26.♕xe3 ♕xe3 27.♘d5+ ♔f8 28.♘xe3 ♘xd4 with a won position.

(25...♗xd4 26.♗xe6 fxe6 27.♘xd7 ♔xd7 28.♖c2 ♖hc8 with a won position.) 26.♗e4 ♘xd4 Black's position is now lost, but there was nothing better.

26...♘d8 27.♘g4 ♕g5 28.♘xe3 and white has regained his piece and has a decisive advantage.

27.♘g8+ Nifty! 27...♖xg8

27...♔d8 28.♘xh6 ♘xf3 29.♘xf7+ ♔e7 30.♖xf3 ♖f8 31.♖xe3 ♖xf7 32.♖c2 is winning for white

28.♕xf7+ ♔d8 29.♕xg8+ ♔c7 30.♖f7 In his notes to this game Trifunovic mistakenly gave this move a ! when, in fact, it deserves a ? because it throws away all of white;s advantage. Trifunovic incorrectly claimed that black has no defense against the coming Rxd7+

30.♖d1 is correct. Then after 30...♘b3 31.♖c2+ ♗c5 32.♖c3 ♕h5 33.♗f3 ♕xe5 34.♖xb3 white wins

30...♕h5 Portisch misses his chance to equalize.

30...♕g5 results in complete equality whether white trades Qs or not. 31.♕h7 ♕d8 32.a4 bxa4 33.♖a3 ♘b3 with a complicated, unclear position.

31.♖xd7+ After this black is dead lost and white concludes the game accurately. 31...♔xd7 32.♕g7+ ♔d8 33.♕xa7 ♕xe5 34.♕a8+ ♔e7 35.♕b7+ ♔d8 36.♕a8+ ♔e7 37.♕b7+ ♔d8 38.♖a1 ♕f6 39.♕xa6 ♕f2 40.♕d6+

40.♕d6+ ♔c8 Black gets mated in 12 moves after 40. ..Ke8 41.♕e7 ♗d2 42.♗b7+ ♔b8 43.♗g2 ♔c8 44.♕e8+ ♔c7 45.♕e7+ ♔c8 46.♖f1 wins

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