Because of his finish at AVRO in 1938 (tied for first with Keres), Fine was invited to play in the world championship tournament in 1948,but he declined because he wanted to concentrate on a career in psychiatry.
Fine won the 1948-49 New York international tournament with an 8-1 score in what proved to be one of his last chess events. At the conclusion of the tournament Miguel Najdorf, who finished second, felt like he had gotten a black eye.
Fine had been on the sidelines for three years and had taken first mainly because he defeated Najdorf in their individual game. Besides that, according to Najdorf's own statement made two years previously in a Spanish magazine, he would one day be world champion.
As a result, a match between the two was arranged.
The start of the eight game match was anything but promising for Najdorf. The first game was played at the Manhattan Chess Club on a sunny, but cold, Saturday, January 15, 1949. The result was a forty move victory for Fine.
The second game, also at the Manhattan Chess Club, was even more shocking: Fine scored in 27 moves! It was his third consecutive defeat of Najdorf (the first being in the recently concluded tournament). Najdorf had played an incredibly lackadaisical game and even he was at loss to explain some of his moves.
The third game took place at the Marshall Chess Club on January 20th and it was adjourned after forty moves with Najdorf a Pawn ahead, but Fine was confident that the ending was only a draw. It wasn't and Najdorf won the 71-move game by ingeniously accurate endgame play.
The fourth game featured some brilliant play by Najdorf and it was also adjourned. Although the adjourned position was complicated, a win for Najdorf seemed fairly certain. It turned out to be an easy win when it was discovered that Fine had sealed a losing move and he resigned without further play.
As a result, with surprising abruptness, especially to the soothsayers who were predicting a crushing victory for Fine, the match was tied.
In game 5, Fine was unable to make his passed a-Pawn a decisive factor and the game was drawn. Game 6 was a careful positional game in which Fine methodically equalized as Black.
Game 7 was different; it was an all out tactical brawl in which Fine sacrificed both of his Knights and there were mistakes a-plenty by both sides when they got into mutual time pressure. Fine should have won, but the game ended in a draw no doubt due to time pressure. The final game was played at the Marshall Chess Club and it was a carefully played draw.
Here is the exciting complicated see-saw battle that took place in the seventh game.
Reuben Fine - Miguel Najdorf
Result: 1/2-1/2
Site: Match, New York
Date: 1949
Gruenfeld Defense
[...] 1.♘f3 ♘f6 2.c4 g6 3.d4 ♗g7 4.g3 O-O 5.♗g2 d5 6.cxd5 ♘xd5 7.O-O c5 8.dxc5 ♘a6 9.♕a4
24.♖bxc1 ♕b2 Note that suddenly black's Q, which looked pretty well placed on c2, is suddenly out of play. (24...♕b3 25.♖c3 ♕b2 26.♖c7 ♗e6 27.♘c5 ♗a2 28.♘cxb7 ♕xa3 29.♕e4) 25.♖c7 Also good was 25.Nf6+ 25...♗e6 26.♔h1 At this point white's advantage was only minimal, but after this move it has totally disappeared and black is right back in the game although, being on the defense, his position is harder to play.
32.♕f5 ♗h8 33.♘xg5 Another imprecise move!
9.e4 Is OK, but it didn't work out so well for white in an online game. 9...♘db4 10.a3 ♕xd1 11.♖xd1 ♘c2 12.♖a2 ♗e6 13.b3 ♗xb3 White resigned. Vachier-Lagrave,M (2779) -Nakamura,H (2777)/chess. com INT 2018
9.♘g5 is the modern way. 9...♘db4 10.♘c3 h6 11.♘f3 ♕xd1 12.♖xd1 with equality.
9...♘xc5 10.♕h4 ♕b6
10...e6 11.♗g5 f6 12.♗h6 ♗xh6 13.♕xh6 ♕e7 14.♘bd2 e5 15.e4 ♘b6 16.♕e3 ♗e6 17.♖fc1 ♖fc8 18.♗f1 ♘cd7 1/ 2-1/2 Najdorf,M-Gligoric,S/ Amsterdam 1950
11.♘bd2 ♕b4 12.e4
12.♕xb4 would not be a good idea. 12...♘xb4 13.♘c4 ♘c2 14.♖b1 ♗f5 and white is in a difficult position.
12...♘f6 13.a3 ♕a4 14.b4 ♘d3 15.e5 ♘g4 Baiting a nice trap into which Fine falls. 16.♕xe7 This hands over the advantage to Najdorf.
16.♘e4 keeps the chances even. 16...♘dxe5 17.♘xe5 ♗xe5 18.♖a2 a5 And now white has a choice. He can safely take the e-Pawn or force an exchange of minor pieces with 19.h3
16...♖e8 17.♕h4 The Q would have been a little better placed on c7. 17...♘dxe5 18.♘g5 h6 19.♘ge4 ♕c2 A poor move that allows white some breathing space.
19...♗f5 keeps up the pressure. In this messy array of pieces calculating the best line over the board would be very difficult. Fortunately for us arm chair grandmasters we can go for coffee and a handful of ginger snaps and when we come back Stockfish has it all worked out. 20.♗b2 ♖ad8 21.h3 ♖xd2 22.♘xd2 g5 23.♕h5 ♗g6 24.♕xg6 ♘xg6 25.♗xg7 ♔xg7 26.hxg4 ♘e5 27.♘f3 ♘xg4 28.♘d4 h5 29.♘f5+ ♔g8 30.♗f3 ♘f6 31.♘h6+ ♔g7 32.♘f5+ ♔g6 33.♘d6 ♖e7 34.♘xb7 h4 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.♘c5 ♕c2 37.♖fd1 ♕f5 38.♖d3 ♕f4 39.♔h1 ♖e5 40.♖f1 ♖g5 41.♖fd1 h3 Black is better (two Ps according to Komodo and 3.5 Ps according to Stockfish).
20.h3 ♘d3 21.♖b1 ♘ge5 22.♘d6 Now with 22...Bf5 Najdorf could have kept up up the pressure and would have been in a position where he had much the better chances. Instead he plays a move that hands the advantage back to his opponent. 22...♖f8 23.♘2e4 ♘xc1
23...f5 was slightly better. 24.♘c5
24.♗xh6 allows black to equalize. 24...fxe4 25.♘xe4 ♗d7 In this wild position chances are equal.
24...♘xc5 25.♗xh6 ♘e4 26.♖bc1 ♕d3 27.♗xg7 ♔xg7 28.♖c7+ ♘f7 29.♘xf7 ♖xf7 30.♖xf7+ ♔xf7 31.♕h7+ ♔f6 and white can take the draw or try to win with 32.♕h8+ ♔e7 33.♕g7+ ♔d6 34.♕f8+ ♔d7 35.h4 with an unclear outcome although in Shootouts using Stockfish white scored +3 -0 =2 26.♘c5 would have been better. 26...♗a2 27.♘cxb7 ♕xa3 28.♕e4 with a bind.
26...♖ad8 27.f4
27.♖xb7 leads to enormous complications after 27...♗d5 28.♖xa7 ♕e2 and it's black who has the advantage after 29.♕e7 ♖xd6 30.♕xd6 ♗xe4 31.♕d1 ♗xg2+ 32.♔xg2 ♕e4+ In this very difficult position black won the Shootouts with 4 wins and a draw.
27...♘d3 28.f5 A nice touch!
28.♘xb7 and black gets the advantage after 28...♖d5 29.♘bc5 ♘xc5 30.♖xc5 ♖d3 31.g4 ♗d5 32.♕f2 ♕xa3 33.♖a5 ♕xb4 34.♖xd5 ♖xd5 35.♘f6+ ♗xf6 36.♗xd5
28...♗d5 29.♘xf7 A nice touch, but the chances remain equal.
29.f6 This is also OK, but after 29...♖xd6 30.fxg7 ♔xg7 31.♖cxf7+ ♖xf7 32.♖xf7+ ♗xf7 33.♘xd6 the position is equal.
29...♗xf7 30.f6 g5 31.♕g4 ♘e5
31...♗h8 This would have kept the balance. 32.♘xg5 ♘e5 33.♕f5 hxg5 34.♕xg5+ ♘g6 An exciting position! There is only one good move for white! 35.♖xf7 ♖xf7 36.♕xg6+ ♔f8
36...♗g7 37.fxg7 ♖xf1+ 38.♗xf1 ♕a1 and here, too, white must take the draw.
37.♕h6+ ♔g8 38.♕g6+ draw 33.♘c3 ♘g6 34.♖xf7 ♖xf7 (34...♔xf7 35.♗d5+ ♖xd5 36.♕xd5+ mates in 3) 35.♕xg6+ ♗g7 36.♘d5 ♖dd7 37.fxg7 ♕xg7 38.♕e6 is winning for white. For example... 38...♔h8 39.♖f6 ♖xf6 40.♘xf6 ♖d1+ 41.♔h2 ♖d8 42.♘e8 ♕f8 43.♕e5+ ♔g8 44.♗d5+ ♖xd5 45.♕xd5+ white is a piece up.
33...hxg5 34.♕xg5+ ♗g6 A terrible mistake that should have lost the game.
34...♘g6 The only move to save the game, but it is sufficient to hold the draw. 35.♖xf7 ♖xf7 36.♕xg6+ ♔f8 37.♕h6+ ♗g7 38.fxg7+ ♕xg7 39.♖xf7+ ♔xf7 40.♕h4 ♖d4 41.♕h5+ ♔e7 42.♕c5+ ♖d6 43.♕c7+ ♖d7 44.♕c5+ ♖d6 and white should take the draw by repetition.
35.f7+ No other move would work. 35...♔g7
35...♔h7 Wasn't any better. White still wins, but it takes some maneuvering. 36.♕h4+ ♔g7 37.♕xd8 ♘xf7 (37...♖xd8 38.f8=♕#) 38.♕g5 ♕e2 39.♖f4 ♕d1+ 40.♔h2 ♕h5 41.♕e7 ♔g8 42.♕e6 ♗g7 43.♖c5 ♕h6 44.♖h4 ♗h5 45.♕xh6 ♘xh6 46.♖hxh5
36.♕f6+ In time pressure finding the correct move would have been nearly impossible.
36.♕xd8 with play similar to that noted after black's last move. 36...♘xf7 37.♕g5 ♕e2 38.♖e7 ♕h5 39.♕xh5 ♗xh5 40.g4 ♗g6 41.♗d5 and black is hopelessly bound.
36...♔h7 37.♕h4+ ♔g7 38.♕f6+Powered by Aquarium
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