A GM beats a Class A Player

     In 1965 a new tournament, the National Open in Las Vegas, made its debut and 138 players, including four GMs, had a shot at a then record breaking $4,500 (almost $40,000 today) prize fund. 

     In the end, Reshevsky and Robert Byrne yielded two draws each and were tied for first with scores of 7-1. First and second place prize money was split, each receiving $700 (about $6,200 today), but the title went to Reshevsky on the median tie-breaks. 

     Reshevsky started off by winning his first five games before yielding a draw to Ariel Mangarini. His defeat of Larry Evans was probably the best game of the tournament and it left him going into the last round in the lead with 6.5 points. He was followed by Robert Byrne, Tibor Weinberger, Jack Moscowitz and Paul Brandts with 6.0 points. 

      In the last round Reshevsky agreed to a quick, perfunctory draw against Weinberger. Byrne, who trailed Reshevsky by half a point most of the way won his last round game, but lost out by a fairly wide margin in the tie-break. 

     Pal Benko's 6-2 final score doesn't look bad, but he lost consecutive games in rounds 5 an 6 to Mengarini and California Expert Paul Quillen. Against Mengarini he fell into a mate in a winning position; the next day, against Quillen, he declined several draws by repetition and walked into mate. The rumor was that Benko's problem was lack of sleep as a result of spending long hours at games other than chess. 

      In the following game played in the first round Reshevsky defeats a provisionally rated 1805 player from Colorado named D. Korts. Out of curiosity I analyzed this game using Stockfish 14.1 at 10 seconds per move using ChessBases's Centipawn Analysis with the result that Reshevsky scored 32 and Korts 109. According to the chart on the post on Centipawn Analysis, Reshevksy's score puts him in the Master (not GM) class while Korts puts him in the beginner class, which he certainly was not. Draw you own conclusions.

Samuel Reshevsky - D. Korts

Result: 1-0

Site: National Open, Las Vegas

Date: 1965.02.08

Ruy Lopez: Deferred Steinitz

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 a6 4.♗a4 d6 5.c3 f5 6.exf5 ♗xf5 7.d4 e4 8.♘g5 d5 This move is the most popular in my database and it also gives black excellent results; he wins half of the games. But, oddly, Stockfish does not like it at all. It evaluates the position at +/- in favor of white.

8...♗e7 This is Stockfish's recommended mve. 9.c4 ♗xg5 10.♕h5+ g6 11.♗xc6+ bxc6 12.♕xg5 ♕xg5 13.♗xg5 h6 With equal chances. Kurajica,B (2525)-Lombardy,W (2520)/Banja Luka 1976

9.f3

9.♘h3 This strange move favors black. 9...♘f6 10.♘f4 ♗g4 11.♕c2 Koepke,E (2271)-Osmanodja, F (2348)/Germany GER 2018

9...♗e7 10.fxe4 Black has already managed to get himself into a lost position. 10...dxe4

10...♗xg5 11.♕h5+ ♗g6 12.♕xg5 ♕xg5 13.♗xg5 ♗xe4 14.♗xc6+ bxc6 White is much better. Hauge,L (2450)-Krstulovic, A (2294)/Graz 2017

11.O-O ♘h6

11...♗xg5 does not save the day 12.♖xf5 ♗xc1 13.♕xc1 ♘ge7 14.♖f4 and white is winning.

12.d5 Far stronger was 12.Qh5+ as it would have made black's defense very much more difficult.

12.♕h5+ ♗g6 13.♕h3 ♕d7 14.♘e6 ♘f5 15.♗b3 ♘a5 16.♖xf5 ♗xf5 17.♕xf5 ♘xb3 18.axb3 and white is winning.

12...♗xg5 Even after this poor move the game is deceptively complicated as indicated by Stockfish's analysis of this position.

12...b5 would have allowed him to continue the game. 13.♕h5+ ♗g6 14.♕h3 ♗xg5 15.♕e6+ ♘e7 16.♗xg5 bxa4 17.♗xe7 ♕d7 (17...♕xe7 18.♕c6+) 18.♗c5+ ♕xe6 19.dxe6 ♘f5 and the game is hardly over.

13.dxc6 Good and probably more clear than the engine's preferred 13.Qh5+

13.♕h5+ was still the best move! 13...♗g6 14.♕xg5

14.dxc6 is much weaker 14...b5

14...♗xh5 materialistic play, which will be punished 15.cxb7+ ♔e7 16.♗xg5+ (16.bxa8=♖ succumbs to 16...♕d5 17.♗xg5+ ♕xg5 18.♖xh8 ♗f3) (16.bxa8=♕ ♕xa8 17.♗xg5+ ♔e6 white is better.)

16.bxa8=♘ White must not take the rook, otherwise he will bring himself grief 16...♗xc1 17.♖xc1 ♕d5 Black is winning.

16.bxa8=♗ White cannot capture the rook 16...♗xc1 17.♖xc1 ♕xa8 is winning for black.

16...♔e6 17.♗xd8

17.bxa8=♖ is a bad alternative 17...♕xg5 18.♖xh8 ♗f3 with equality.

17.bxa8=♕ is the less attractive alternative 17...♕xa8 18.♘d2 ♗e8 19.♗b3+ ♔d7 Technically white is better.

17...♖axd8 18.♘a3 is winning for white.

15.♗xg5 Only equalizes. 15...♗xh5 16.♗xd8 ♖xd8

13...b5 14.♕xd8+ ♗xd8 15.♗xh6 gxh6 Natural, but bad.

15...♗g6 offers betetr chances even though after 16.♗xg7 ♖g8 17.♗d4 bxa4 18.♘d2 ♗e7 19.♖ae1 O-O-O white is better.

16.♖xf5 bxa4 17.♘d2 e3 18.♖e5+ ♗e7 19.♘c4 ♖f8 20.♘xe3 ♖f7 21.♘d5 ♔d8 22.♖ae1 ♗c5+ 23.♔h1 ♖f8 This allows a quick end, but black was dead lost in any case. 24.♘f6 Facing mate in 3, black resigned. And that's the way we average players play against GMs. (24.♘f6 ♗e7 25.♖xe7 a3 26.♖e8+ ♖xe8 27.♖xe8#)

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