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. 

[Event "Manila"] [Site "Manila PHI"] [Date "1973.10.19"] [Round "?"] [White "Florin Gheorghiu"] [Black "Ljubomir Ljubojevic"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B03"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1973.10.16"] {Alekhine's Defense: Four Pawns Attack} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 {[%mdl 32]} 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 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 Nd5 8. Nf3 { 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. Nc3 (8. dxe6 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxe6 10. b3 Nc6 11. Nf3 Nd7 {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. Nf3 Bg4 11. Qd4 Bxf3 12. gxf3 {White dominated the center, but can he exploit it?} Bb4 13. Bxc4 O-O (13... Nc6 {is not as strong as it might appear.} 14. Qe4 Nxc4 15. dxc6 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Na5 17. cxb7 {White is winning.} Nxb7 (17... Rb8 18. Qa4+) 18. Qxb7 {with a winning advantage.}) 14. Rg1 g6 {Black has no really satisfactory move. This guards against potential threat to g7 if white advances the e-Pawn.} (14... Nxc4 15. Qxc4 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 {White dominates the center, but, again, the question is, can he utilize it?}) 15. Bg5 Qc7 16. Bb3 (16. Be2 {would have allowed white to generate a strong attack.} Bc5 17. Qh4 Qxe5 (17... Bxg1 18. Bf6 h5 19. Qg5 Bf2+ 20. Kxf2 N8d7 {and black is still in the game; he has a R vs. B+P}) 18. Bf6 Qf5) 16... Bc5 17. Qf4 (17. Qh4 {allows black to capture on e4 with a check.} Qxe5+ {and black has at least equalized.}) 17... Bxg1 { 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. Ke2 {After this the advantage swings to black.} (18. d6 {This is correct even though it results in no more than equal chances.} Qc8 {This move is a loser.} (18... Qc5 {Six years later in the game Gruenfeld,Y (2430) -Ljubojevic,L (2590) Riga 1979, Ljubojevic found this move which equalizes.} 19. Ne4 Qd4 20. Rd1 Qxb2 21. e6 N8d7 22. e7 Qxh2 23. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 24. Qxh2 Bxh2 25. Nf6+ Kg7 26. Nxd7 Nxd7 {Technically the chances are equal, but in practical play white's position is difficult and in the game he ended up losing.}) 19. Ke2 Bc5 20. Ne4 N8d7 21. Rc1 Qc6 22. Rxc5 Nxc5 23. Nf6+ {White is winning. Bronstein,D (2585)-Ljubojevic,L (2570) Petropolis 1973}) (18. Ne4 N6d7 19. Bf6 Nxf6 20. Nxf6+ Kg7 {1/2-1/2 (20) Shadick,P-Mohd Noor,Y Novi Sad 1990}) 18... Qc5 19. Rxg1 {[%mdl 8192] What could be more logical than this recapture? However, it loses!} (19. Ne4 {had to be tried.} Qb5+ 20. Ke1 (20. Kd2 Nxd5 21. Nf6+ Nxf6 22. Bxf6 Nd7 23. Rxg1 {White is down too much material}) 20... N8d7 (20... Nxd5 21. Bxd5 Qxb2 (21... Qxd5 22. Nf6+) 22. Rd1 Nc6 23. e6 fxe6 24. Bxe6+ Kh8 {White is better after} 25. Bf7 Qg7 26. Bf6 Rxf7 27. Bxg7+ Kxg7 28. Qg3 Be3 {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. Rd1 {Black is better.}) 19... Qxg1 {Black is winning.} 20. Bf6 {Fascinating! White will get his Q to h6 where it threatens mate, but he will ot get time to play Qg7#} Qg2+ 21. Ke3 Qxb2 (21... N8d7 {would be a serious mistake that would allow white to draw. Black must keep pressing.} 22. Qh6 Nxd5+ (22... Nxf6 23. exf6 Rfe8+ 24. Ne4 Qg1+ 25. Ke2 Qg2+ {draws}) 23. Nxd5 Qg1+ 24. Ke2 Qg2+ {draws }) 22. Kd3 N8d7 {Aiming for ...Nc5+.} 23. Ne4 {Preventing Nc5+} Rac8 24. Qh6 { What can black do against mate on g7?} Nxe5+ 25. Ke3 Rc3+ {White resigned. Why? } (25... Rc3+ 26. Nxc3 (26. Kf4 Rxf3+ 27. Kg5 Rf5+ 28. Kh4 Qxh2#) 26... Qxc3+ 27. Ke2 Qxf3+ 28. Kd2 Qxf6 {There is no mate to be had on g7 and white is down a lot of plastic.}) 0-1