In the end, the tournament was the best performance of his career for the Latvian Vladimir Petrov who shared first with Reshevsky and Flohr.
In an interview he gave on July 24, 1937, Petrov commented that he was happy about his result, but stated that Alekhine did not impress him because his play displayed a lot of nervousness about his upcoming match with Euwe. Of course, as we know, Alekhine won the match rather easily.
Depending on the source, Vladimir Petrov was born in either 1907 or 1908 and in 1937 was among the world's elite players. He was arrested by the NKVD in 1942 and imprisoned for the rest of his life and was expunged from Soviet chess history. Most of the Soviet players of the day with the exceptions Koblents and Keres wouldn't publish his games or even mention his name.
Petrov spoke frankly about his life under the Russians and he was critical of he Bolshevik regime. On August 31, 1942, Petrov was arrested and questioned for two weeks in Moscow at Lubyanka prison for violating "Article 58," a catch-all law that forbade any kind of anti-Soviet statements or activities. He was subsequently transferred to Moscow's notorious Butyrka jail for a further five months of interrogation.
On February 3, 1943, Petrov was sentenced to ten years in Vorkuta Gulag for criticizing the decreased living standards in Latvia after the Soviet annexation in 1940. According to a death certificate released by the KGB in 1989, Petrov died of pneumonia either in or on the way to the gulag on August 26, 1943.
After Stalin's death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev rehabilitated the names of thousands who had died during "The Terror," but the conviction against Petrov was upheld. Not that it did Petrov any good, but Mikhail Gorbachev finally rehabilitated Petrov's name with an official pardon in March 1989.
His opponent was Ludwig Rellstab (November 23, 1904 - February 14, 1983) who won the German Championship in 1942 and was awarded the IM title in 1950.
Rellstab was born into a distinguished family of academics and musicians. His great-grandfather, also named Ludwig Rellstab, was a well known poet and music critic. His father Ludwig M. E. Rellstab was a professor of physics and electronics, who in 1914 became chief engineer at Siemens and Halske. His sister Annekathe was a pianist.
In this game which won a special brilliancy prize Petrov pulls off an amazing tactical blow.
Ludwig Rellstab - Vladimir Petrov
Result: 0-1
Site: Kemeri
Date: 1937
Colle System
[...] 1.d4 d5 2.♘f3 c5 3.e3 ♘f6 4.♗d3 g6 I personally believe this is the best way to meet the Colle because it eliminates a lot of white's potentially dangerous K-side attacks. 5.♘bd2 ♘bd7 6.b3 ♗g7 7.♗b2 O-O 8.h3 This seems rather pointless and white will soon pay for it.
10...♕c7 Now if white castles black gets a dangerous attack with ...Nxg3 11.♕e2
8.O-O b6 9.♕e2 ♗b7 10.♘e5 ♘e4 11.f4 ♘xd2 12.♕xd2 Rossetto,H-Larsen,B /La Plata 1997 is equal.
(8.O-O b6) 8...cxd4 9.exd4 ♘h5 Black has already secured the initiative and ...Nf4 is a troublesome threat. 10.g3 It's clear that white's K-side is badly compromised after this move.
10.♗e2 was probably the safest course. 10...♘f4 11.O-O ♘f6 12.♖e1 Here the position is only equal. Black can try for an advantage with 12...Rc 8 or he can take a draw with 12...♗xh3 13.gxh3 ♘xh3+ 14.♔g2
14.♔f1 Trying to avoid the draw is very dangerous for white. 14...♘g4 15.♗d3 ♘gxf2 16.♕e2 ♕c7
14...♘f4+ 15.♔g115.♔f1 is now playable. but black would stand well after 15...♘g4 16.♘e5 ♘xe5 17.dxe5 e6 18.♘f3 f6 and black is slightly better.
15...♘h3+ etc. 11.O-O ♘xg3 12.fxg3 ♕xg3+ 13.♔h1 ♘c5 14.♕e2 ♘xd3 15.cxd3 (15.♕xd3 ♕xh3+ 16.♔g1 ♕g3+ 17.♔h1 ♗f5 Black is winning.) 15...♕xh3+ and black has the better chances.
11...♘c5 12.♘e5 ♘xd3+ 13.♘xd3 ♗f5 Now he threatens to win with ...Qxc2 which isn't playable immediately because Rc1 would trap the Q. 14.♖c1 ♖ac8 This prevents 15.g4 15.♕e3
15.g4 ♗xd3 16.♕xd3 (16.cxd3 ♕xc1+ 17.♗xc1 ♖xc1+ 18.♕d1 ♖xd1+ 19.♔xd1 black wins) 16...♘f4 17.♕f3 e5 and black has a winning attack.
15...♕d6 Again g4 is prevented. 16.c3
16.g4 ♗xd3 17.cxd3 ♖xc1+ 18.♗xc1 ♘f4 and white is in serious difficulties. For example he can't castle. 19.O-O ♗xd4 The B cannot be raken because of the fork on e2. 20.♕f3 f5 with a winning attack.
(16.O-O ♗xh3 17.♖fe1 ♖fe8−+) 16...♖fe8 17.f4
17.g4 is still bad. 17...e5 Demonstrating the awkward placed of white's Q in front of his K. 18.dxe5 ♗xe5 19.♔d1 (19.gxf5 ♗g7) 19...♗g7 20.♕f3 ♗e4
17...g5 Ripping white's K-side asunder. 18.O-O gxf4
18...♗xh3 is obvious, but not quite as good as the move played. 19.♖f2 gxf4 20.♘xf4 ♗h6 21.♕e5 ♘xf4 22.gxf4 ♗g7 23.♕xd6 exd6 Black is better, but white can play on.
18...♗xd3 first was also good. 19.♕xd3 gxf4 20.g4 ♘g3 with a winning position.
19.♘xf4 (19.gxf4 loses a piece. 19...♕g6+ 20.♔h2 ♗xd3) 19...♗h6 20.♕f3 ♘xf4 21.gxf4 ♔h8 22.♖f2 ♖g8+ 23.♔h2 Now white is subjected to threats along the diagonal, but 24.Kh1 was hardly any better.
23.♔h1 ♖g7 24.♖g1 ♖xg1+ 25.♔xg1 ♖g8+ 26.♔h1 ♕f6 27.♖g2 ♕h4 28.♕f2 ♖g4 29.♘f3 ♕h5 30.♖xg4 ♕xh3+ 31.♘h2 ♗xg4 32.♔g1 ♗f5 is winning for black.
(23.♔h1 is not the saving move 23...♕f6 24.♗a3 ♕h4−+) 23...♖g6 24.c4
24.♖g1 ♖cg8 25.♖xg6 ♕xg6 26.♖g2 ♗xf4+ 27.♔g1 ♕xg2+ 28.♕xg2 ♖xg2+ 29.♔xg2 ♗xd2 Black has won a piece.
24...♖cg8 25.cxd5
25.c5 Prolongs the game, but wouldn't change the result. 25...♕f6 26.♔h1 ♖g3 wins as white's best continuation results in a mate in 12. 27.♕xg3 ♖xg3 28.♖c3 ♕h4 29.♖xg3 ♕xg3 30.♖f3 ♕e1+ 31.♔g2 ♕xd2+ 32.♔f1 ♗e4 33.♖c3 ♕xb2 34.c6 ♗g2+ 35.♔g1 ♕e2 36.cxb7 ♕f1+ 37.♔h2 ♗xf4+ 38.♖g3 ♕h1#
25...♗xf4+ the logical end 26.♕xf4
26.♔h1 cannot undo what has already been done 26...♖g3 27.♖g2 ♖xg2 28.♕xg2 ♖xg2 29.♔xg2 ♕g6+ 30.♔h1 ♗xd2 31.♖c8+ ♗xc8 32.d6 ♗xh3 33.d5+ ♔g8 34.a3 ♕g2#
26...♖g3 White resigned. A magnificent game by Petrov. (26...♖g3 27.♕g4 ♗xg4 28.♖g2 ♖xg2+ 29.♔xg2 ♗d1+ 30.♔f1 ♕h2 31.a3 ♕e2#) Powered by Aquarium
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