Reggio Emilio 1971/72

 

     The year 1971 saw a big change in television and radio when ads for cigarettes were banned. The top rated tv shows were All in the Family a comedy that touched on social issues and stereotypes; The Flip Wilson Show, a comedy/variety show; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Gunsmoke, a Western; Sanford and Son, a comedy; Mannix. private detective 

     The hit movies were the horror film Willard, the Western Big Jake, the action drama Billy Jack and the musical Fiddler on the Roof. 

     The female sex eymbols, hotties and fashion icons were Dyan Cannon, Veronica Carlson, Catherine Deneuve, Goldie Hawn, Ann-Margret, Diana Ross, Tannia Rubiano, Tina Turner and Raquel Welch.

     I did not make the list of sex symbols, leading men and Hollywood hunks, but Richard Roundtree, Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, Sean Connery and Elvis Presley did. 

     D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane in the northwest United States, obtained $200,000 in ransom money and parachuted into the night, never to be heard from again; to this day nobody knows the real story. 

     After the Watergate scandal broke, Richard Nixon still won the 1972 election by winning 49 out of 50 states. Charles Manson and three of his followers were convicted of murdering actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969. 

     Audie Murphy was an American soldier, actor, songwriter, and rancher who was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II died when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed northwest of Roanoke, Virginia, in conditions of rain, clouds, fog and zero visibility. The pilot and four other passengers were also killed. 

     Rock and Roll stars Duane Allman (motorcycle crash) and Jim Morrison (officially heart failure, some suggest it was a drug overdose) died. 

     Chess players lost in 1971 were IM Hans Mueller (1896-1971) the 1947 Austrian champion; IM Emil Richter (1894-1971) the Czech champion in 1948; IM Olaf Barda (1909-1971) a 6-time Norwegian champion and correspondence GM; IM Carel Benjamin van den Berg (1924-1971), the Dutch CC champion in 1943; Jose Joaqin the Mexican champion in 1957; oviet GM Alexander Zaitsev (1935-1971) died of thrombosis after having a leg lengthened. 

     It was also the year Bobby Fischer annihilated Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen 6-0 in the Candidates matches. Tigran Petrosian fared a little better; Fischer beat him by a score of +5 -1 =3 making him the challenger for the world championship. 

     Long forgotten was the 1971/72 annual international tournament at Reggio Emilia, Italy, that was won by an untitled Andrew Soltis; he was awarded the IM title two years later and the GM title in 1980. 

     The tournament was not especially strong with only one GM (Damjanovic) and three IMs (Masic, Kovacs and Garcia). IM Enrico Paoli was entered, but dropped out to make room for Lombard; Paoli then served as TD instead. Soltis made the IM norm, but was 4 games short of the 30 games he needed for the title. The Swiss player Andre Lombard just missed qualifying for the title when he lost in the penultimate round to Richter of Israel. 

     Soltis' opponent in the following game was Renato Cappello (born 1952), an Italian FM. 

[Event "Reggio Emilia"] [Site "Reggio Emilia ITA"] [Date "1971.12.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Andrew Soltis"] [Black "Renato Cappello"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C17"] [Annotator "()tockfish 15"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1971.12.27"] {French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. dxc5 {This was one of Soltis' opening experiments in this tournament. His evaluation of this unusual move is that is is not as bad as its unpopularity would indicate and leads to a good attacking position for white. Almost always seen here is 5.a3} Nc6 6. Nf3 d4 {An innovation and not a bad one. Book lines here are 6...Nge7 and 6...f6.} 7. a3 Ba5 8. b4 Nxb4 {Soltis was critcal of this calling it a bad idea and recommended 8...dxc3 instead. Stockfish suggests that both moves are of nearly equal merit, but finds the text slightly preferable.} (8... dxc3 9. bxa5 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Nge7 11. a6 {with roughly equal chances.}) 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. O-O (11. Qxd4 {This is also quite playable.} Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3 Bxb5 13. Qb3 {Black is slightly better. White should have played 13.Nd4 with equality. Amdouni,Z (2290)-Rian, M (2048) Sousse 2019}) 11... Bxc3 12. Rb1 Bxb5 13. Rxb5 Qd7 14. Rb3 Ne7 (14... h6 {This was recommended by Soltis because it prevents his next move,but it is actually nor better or worse than the text. In either case black has equal play.} 15. Bb2 Bxb2 16. Rxb2 Ne7 17. Qxd4 Qxd4 18. Nxd4 Nc6 (18... b6 19. cxb6 axb6 20. Rxb6 O-O {is drawn.}) 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Ra2 a5 21. Rfa1 {draws}) 15. Ng5 Nd5 16. Qh5 g6 {Soltis correctly labels this move ghastly idea because it leaves black's K-side permanently weak.} ( 16... a5 {Soltis suggested 16...h6 at once.} 17. Ba3 h6 18. Ne4 O-O 19. Nf6+ gxf6 20. Qxh6 fxe5 {draws.}) 17. Qf3 (17. Qh6 {was better because after} O-O-O 18. Ne4 Kb8 19. Nd6 {white has excellent prospects.}) 17... d3 {This tactically flawed.} (17... O-O {As dangerous as this looks it keeps white's advantage at a minimum.} 18. Ne4 f5 19. exf6 a5 20. Bh6 Rf7 21. Nd6 Rxf6 { White's active piece play compensates for his P minus.}) 18. Ne4 Bxe5 19. c4 f5 20. cxd5 fxe4 21. Qxe4 Bg7 22. d6 Rb8 {White is winning, but Soltis spent half an hour looking for a constructive winning plan without allowing black any counterplay.} 23. c6 {[%mdl 32] This packs a punch!} Qxd6 24. Ba3 Qe5 25. c7 { Equally good was 25.Qxd3} Rc8 26. Qa4+ b5 {The only move.} (26... Kf7 27. Qd7+ Kf6 28. Be7+ Kf7 29. Bg5+ Kg8 30. Qxc8+ Kf7 31. Qd7+ Kg8 32. c8=Q+ {mates in 3} ) 27. Rxb5 (27. Qa6 {was even more persuasive.} Rxc7 28. Rxb5 Qf6 29. Qd6 Re7 30. Qc6+ {wins.}) 27... Qd4 {Soltis overlooked that this move which allows the Q to retreat to d7 in time to hold the position together a bit longer. Black K is caught in the center and as soon as white gets his Rs into play, black will be finished.} 28. Qa6 Qd7 29. Rb3 {Much simpler than the suggested engine move. } (29. Rd1 {was technically best, meaning it's preferred by engines, but it leads to a position a human would not want to play!} Kf7 30. Rb3 Rxc7 31. Rbxd3 Qc6 32. Rf3+ Bf6 33. Rxf6+ Kxf6 34. Bb2+ Kf7 35. Qxc6 Rxc6 36. Bxh8 {with a technical, but very difficult, win.}) 29... Rxc7 30. Rxd3 Qc6 31. Qa5 Bf6 { [%mdl 8192]} 32. Rd6 Qc4 {[%mdl 8192]} 33. Rxe6+ {[%mdl 512] Capello had overlooked this fine move.} Qxe6 (33... Kf7 {loses to} 34. Rxf6+ Kxf6 35. Bb2+ Ke7 36. Qe5+ Kd7 37. Qxh8 Kc6 38. Be5 Rb7 39. Qc8+ Kd5 40. Rd1+) 34. Qxc7 Be7 35. Qb8+ Bd8 36. Rd1 Kf7 37. Qb7+ Ke8 38. Qb5+ {Black resigned.} 1-0