Opera Singers In, Chess Players Out

     In 1973, the great Philippines International Tournament was the most important chess event ever held in Asia and the Pacific area. The event was organized by Florencio Campomanes and sponsored by Ferdinand Marcos, the President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. 

     The opening ceremony featured Marcos himself and World Champion Bobby Fischer and was performed before a crowd of 10,000 in the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, a part of Metro Manila. 

     The tournament itself got off to a disastrous start. First there were the communication difficulties and when President Marcos opened the tournament seven of the participants were still in Europe! 

     Then, after the drawing of lots it was discovered that of the first round games only two could be played on that day because not all of the players were present. So, because there were so many spectators in the arena, it was decided to begin the tournament with round 15 which made it possible to play three games instead of two! 

     Things returned to normal when the missing players finally arrived...sort of. Two Philippine opera stars had also arrived and when a concert was arranged in the Araneta arena it meant the chess players had to be kicked out. 

     Consequently, round 5 was played in venue with no air conditioning; with outside temperatures hovering near 100 degrees and the humidity close to 100% the conditions were brutal. Afterwards the players protested and round 6 was played in a very small room that had air conditioning, but the lighting was bad!

     The strongest protests about the bad lighting to Chief Organizer Campomanes, who had been kowtowing to Fischer, came from Kavalek and Quinteros and as a result their games were delayed two hours. 

     Campomanes managed to get the venue changed again, but this time the air conditioning was so strong the place was cold. After that, things got back on track and the last four rounds we were back where they started in the Araneta arena.

     Bent Larsen was the tournament 's highest rated player, won it convincingly, losing only to Gligoric. 

     

     Immediately after this tournament nine of the players took part in a smaller event under the sponsorship of Marlboro cigarettes that was held in Bauang, Philippines. The winner was Kavalek who was followed by Ivkov and Quinteros, Larsen, Tatai, Naranja, Ardijansah, Estimo and Cardoso 3. 

    The following game which features Alekhine's Defense caught my eye because when I see it, I want to turn away, but am drawn to it and generally can't resist playing over the game. 

    This game is a Four Pawns Attack... Some GMs, Nigel Short for example, do not rate the defense very highly and in his book Nigel Short's Chess Skills he listed it as one of the "bad and indifferent" ones. 

ChessBase

Florin Gheorghiu–Ljubomir Ljubojevic0–1B03ManilaManila PHI19.10.1973Stockfish 15

Alekhine's Defense: Four Pawns Attack 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 The Four Ps Attack in which white weakens the area around his K in order to establish a big center. It leads to some fascinating positions and in my database it out performs the more popular 5. exd6. Both players need to play aggressively. White must either secure an advantage in space or make use of it before black succeeds in making a successful strike at it. dxe5 5...g5 This is the brazen, but interesting Planinc Variation in which black attempts to undermine the center. 6.fxg5 According to Alekhine expert, GM Lev Alburt, this is wrong because after 6... dxe5 black is much better. Engines disagree and evaluate the position as equal. 6.exd6 Recommended moves for black have been 6...Qxd6, 6...exd6 and 6... exd6 none of which are liked by Stockfish. 6...dxe5 7.c5 d5 8.f3 and there is no theory on this position. 6.fxe5 c5 Rarely seen and risky, but the usual 6...Nc6 has not been especially satisfactory either. 7.d5 e6 An interesting alternative is 7...g6 8.c3 8.dxe6 xd1+ 9.xd1 xe6 10.b3 c6 11.f3 d7 and black is much better. 8...exd5 9.cxd5 c4 Limiting the scope of white's B. There is a bit of theory on this position and Stockfish evaluates it as being significantly in white's favor. That may be true, but I was curious about what would happen in a Shootout. White scored +1 -0 =4 and in actual practice the results do favor white, so practically speaking black has to be very careful. I should mention that some of the Shootout games reached fascinating unbalanced positions! 10.f3 g4 11.d4 xf3 12.gxf3 White dominated the center, but can he exploit it? b4 13.xc4 0-0 13...c6 is not as strong as it might appear. 14.e4 xc4 15.dxc6 xc3+ 16.bxc3 a5 17.cxb7 White is winning. xb7 17...b8 18.a4+ 18.xb7 with a winning advantage. 14.g1 g6 Black has no really satisfactory move. This guards against potential threat to g7 if white advances the e-Pawn. 14...xc4 15.xc4 xc3+ 16.bxc3 White dominates the center, but, again, the question is, can he utilize it? 15.g5 c7 16.b3 16.e2 would have allowed white to generate a strong attack. c5 17.h4 xe5 17...xg1 18.f6 h5 19.g5 f2+ 20.xf2 8d7 and black is still in the game; he has a R vs. B+P 18.f6 f5 16...c5 17.f4 17.h4 allows black to capture on e4 with a check. xe5+ and black has at least equalized. 17...xg1 A few months earlier in the 1973 Petropolis (Brazil) Interzonal Ljubojevic reached this position against David Bronstein who continued with the correct 18.d6 18.e2 After this the advantage swings to black. 18.d6 This is correct even though it results in no more than equal chances. c8 This move is a loser. 18...c5 Six years later in the game Gruenfeld,Y (2430) -Ljubojevic,L (2590) Riga 1979, Ljubojevic found this move which equalizes. 19.e4 d4 20.d1 xb2 21.e6 8d7 22.e7 xh2 23.exf8+ xf8 24.xh2 xh2 25.f6+ g7 26.xd7 xd7 Technically the chances are equal, but in practical play white's position is difficult and in the game he ended up losing. 19.e2 c5 20.e4 8d7 21.c1 c6 22.xc5 xc5 23.f6+ White is winning. Bronstein,D (2585)-Ljubojevic,L (2570) Petropolis 1973 18.e4 6d7 19.f6 xf6 20.xf6+ g7 1/2-1/2 (20) Shadick,P-Mohd Noor,Y Novi Sad 1990 18...c5 19.xg1 What could be more logical than this recapture? However, it loses! 19.e4 had to be tried. b5+ 20.e1 20.d2 xd5 21.f6+ xf6 22.xf6 d7 23.xg1 White is down too much material 20...8d7 20...xd5 21.xd5 xb2 21...xd5 22.f6+ 22.d1 c6 23.e6 fxe6 24.xe6+ h8 White is better after 25.f7 g7 26.f6 xf7 27.xg7+ xg7 28.g3 e3 White has a Q vs R+B+P, but capitalizing his slight material advantage will prove a challenge. In Shootouts white scored +1 -0 =4 21.d1 Black is better. 19...xg1 Black is winning. 20.f6 Fascinating! White will get his Q to h6 where it threatens mate, but he will ot get time to play Qg7# g2+ 21.e3 xb2 21...8d7 would be a serious mistake that would allow white to draw. Black must keep pressing. 22.h6 xd5+ 22...xf6 23.exf6 fe8+ 24.e4 g1+ 25.e2 g2+ draws 23.xd5 g1+ 24.e2 g2+ draws 22.d3 8d7 Aiming for ...Nc5+. 23.e4 Preventing Nc5+ ac8 24.h6 What can black do against mate on g7? xe5+ 25.e3 c3+ White resigned. Why? 25...c3+ 26.xc3 26.f4 xf3+ 27.g5 f5+ 28.h4 xh2# 26...xc3+ 27.e2 xf3+ 28.d2 xf6 There is no mate to be had on g7 and white is down a lot of plastic. 0–1

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