His last name is pronounced Meek-an-us. He was born in Tallin, Estonia and quickly became one of the country’s strongest players.
When Mikenas was ten years old, his father died and he had to help contribute to the family’s livelihood, but he continued to play chess in his spare time.
He played in his first tournament at the age of 15 in the Tallinn Chess Club and actually finished first. By 1929, he was strong enough to be giving simuls and that was the year he lost a game to a 13-year-old Paul Keres who left a favorable impression on Mikenas.
In 1930, Mikenas officially became the master and won the championship of Estonia. In December 1930, a tournament was organized in Talinn in which seven local players plus Efim Bogoljubow took part. Mikenans defeated Bogoljubow and finished first.
In 1931, Mikenas won the Helsinki Chess Club championship and received an invitation to the Baltic Championships in the Lithuanian city of Memel (today: Klaipeda).
While there he visited the home of his father (a Lithuanian) for the first time and despite initially not being able to speak Lithuanian, he stayed in the country and set himself the goal of becoming the Lithuanian Champion.
To that end, in 1932, he faced Alexander Macht in a match. Macht would order tea and start sipping it loudly when it was Mikenas’ turn to move. Mikenas countered by asking for an empty glass which he would stir with a spoon from time to time and Macht got the message. Mikenas failed to win the match and had to wait another year.
This tea anecdote reminded me of the 1975 US Championship in Oberlin, Ohio. When Reshevsky met the popular Cleveland, Ohio player Milan Vukcevich, every time it was Vukcevich’s move Reshevsky would cough and loudly unwrap a stick of gum. I was in the vending area when Vukcevich came out to get a cup of coffee and he was having a good chuckle at Reshevsky’s antics. Vukcevich eventually won the game.
In 1933, Mikenas defeated the seven-time Lithuanian champion and became the new Lithuanian champion. In the next few years before the war he defended his title several times, in 1934, 1937 and 1938 against Paul Vaitonis (who eventually moved to Canada) and in 1935, against Isakas Vistaneckis.
Macht and his family had emigrated to Palestine where he became a very successful banker. He promoted the arts and was a member of the Chess Federation of Israel, but no longer played tournament chess.
Mikenas’ career spanned five decades and he met all the World Champions from Lasker to Kasparov, defeating Alekhine, Botvinnik, Petrosian, Smyslov and Tal in the process.
Throughout his career he was a fan of the Alekhine Defense and was one of the few players who had an equal score against Alekhine.
He represented Lithuania on top board at five Olympiads and played in ten USSR Championships. He was also a theoretician, coached Keres and was an arbiter at the 1984 Kasparov – Smyslov Candidates Tournament final match and the 1985 World Championship match between Karpov and Kasparov.
When Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in August 1940; Mikenas became eligible to play in the Soviet Championships.
The following game was played in the 13th Soviet Championship which was held in Moscow from May 21st to June 17th, 1944.
Twelve of the Soviet Union's best chess masters qualified from three semifinal tournaments played earlier in the year. It was the first USSR championship since the USSR Absolute Championship that was held in 1941. It was Botvinnik’s third consecutive title (counting the absolute championship) and his fourth Soviet crown, out of an eventual total of six.
The war had interrupted Botvinnik's chances for a world championship with Alekhine and his performance in this and the 1945 USSR Championship were attempts to prove that he remained the rightful challenger.
Note that Mikenas’ opponent in this game is NOT Abram Khasin, but Abram Khavin...two different people. Abram L. Khavin (1914-1974) was also a Ukrainian master.
GM Lev Alburt has long played Alekhine’s Defense. So does IM Igor Khmelnitsky, but after looking at the statistics Khmelnitsky wrote, “one may conclude – the Alekhine is good, just don’t play it against GMs, even if you are a GM yourself. Well, I would make a different statement - play the Alekhine Defense against anyone if you like the positions you are getting, but make sure you are well prepared!”
[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "Moscow URS"]
[Date "1944.06.12"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Abram Khavin"]
[Black "Vladas Mikenas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B02"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1944.??.??"]
{Alekhine's Defense} 1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 {GM Lev Alburt, an expert on the
Alekhine, says this is a logical if unambitious continuation. White doesn't
accept the challenge to chase the N, but prefers to support the center with a
developing move. Black can play the Pirc (2...d6) or the Vienna (2...e5), but
the move he chooses is the most principled because it contests the center
immediately.} d5 {This leaves white with two choices: 3.exd5 and 3.e5. White
should not try to transpose into the dangerous, but speculative; Blackmar
Gambit with 3.d4 because then 3...Nxe4! favors black.} 3. e5 {If 3.exd5 Nxd5
then according to Alburt white has 5 reasonable moves to choose from, but none
are dangerous to black. After this move black has three choices: 3...Ng8 (not
recommended), 3..Nfd7and 3...Ne5! (This has Alburt's stamp of approval and he
calls it the most interesting).} Nfd7 {Alburt says the main problem with this
move is that black must be prepared to play the French Defense after 4.d4. I
am not sure why playing the French Defense would be a problem, but Alburt
thinks it is. In any case, he thinks any move by white other than transposing
into the French causes black no problems.} 4. e6 {Alburt assigns this old move
of Spielmann's a ?! and says it has insufficient positional justification, but
it does really cause black some problems. Of course 4.d4 and 4.NxNxd4 are both
quite satisfactory.} fxe6 5. d4 c5 {Playable, but Alburt prefers 5...g6 to
which he attaches a !} (5... g6 6. h4 {The most aggressive reply.} Bg7 7. h5
Nc6 8. hxg6 hxg6 9. Rxh8+ Bxh8 10. Qd3 Nf8 {with what can only be described as
a interesting position.}) 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bd3 {In addition to this move white
has tried 7. Nf3, 7.Be3 and 7.Bb5 here.} Nf6 $146 8. Nf3 g6 {This move seems
rather ineffective.} (8... e5 9. Bb5 Bg4 {Black has the classical center and
white's only compensation seems to be the two Bs which he can get after...} 10.
h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 e6 {Black's position is preferable.}) 9. O-O Bg7 10. Qe2 O-O
11. Bg5 Kh8 12. a3 e5 {Clearly something has gone wrong for white, but what?
Going back it looks like the decision to play 4.e6 might be the culprit.} 13.
Nd2 e4 14. Bb5 Nd4 15. Qd1 Nxb5 (15... Bf5 {was an excellent alternative. After
} 16. Ba4 Ne6 17. Bxf6 Rxf6 18. c6 Nf4 19. cxb7 {Black is in complete control
of the ganme.} Rb8) 16. Nxb5 a6 17. Nc3 Be6 18. Nb3 h6 (18... Ng4 {was
somewhat better.} 19. Ne2 Qc7 20. Ng3 h6 21. Bd2 h5 {with a strong attack
brewing.}) 19. Bh4 Bg8 {It appears the purpose of this move is to advance the
e-Pawn, but he never does} 20. Na4 Rc8 (20... e5 21. Nb6 Rb8 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23.
Qe2 Qc7 24. c4 {White has sufficient pressure on black's immobile center Ps to
have equalized.}) 21. Bg3 Nh5 22. Qg4 Nxg3 23. hxg3 Qe8 24. Nb6 Rd8 {Keeping
the R on the c-file with pressur eon white's c-Pawn was a good alternative.} (
24... Rc7 25. c3 h5 26. Qe2 Qc6 27. Rad1 Bh6 {Black has an active position.})
25. Na5 Qb5 (25... Rf5 {is an interesting alternative.} 26. Rad1 Bxb2 27. c4 {
with equal chances.}) (25... Bxb2 {was also an interesting but not quite
satisfactory alternative.} 26. Rab1 Bd4 27. Nxb7 Rb8 28. Nd7 h5 29. Qh3 Rxb7
30. Rxb7 Rxf2 31. Rxf2 Qf7 32. Rb1 Qxf2+ 33. Kh2 Qxc2 {with a wild position.})
26. b4 {Very nice as white's gob of Ps on the Q-side offset the loss of the
exchange. Over the last few moves white has somehow managed to equalize as
black has failed to press home the advantage he enjoyed a few moves back.} Bxa1
27. Rxa1 Rf6 28. Nxb7 {Logical, but it's a costly mistake and after this white;
s collapse is sudden and complete.} (28. Re1 Rxb6 29. cxb6 Qxb6 30. Qf4 {
Here the chances are equal.}) 28... Rdf8 29. c4 {Ignoring the attack on f2 is
fatal.} (29. Rf1 Kh7 30. c4 dxc4 31. Qe2 {White has managed to defend f2, but
black's position should prove decisive according toi the engines. OTB may ne
another matter!} Be6 32. Qxe4 c3 33. f4 Bf5 34. Qxe7+ R8f7 35. Qe3 Qd3 36. Qxd3
Bxd3 37. Rc1 Rxb7 38. Rxc3 Bb5 {Stockfish blitzed out 5 wins.}) 29... dxc4 30.
Qxe4 Rxf2 31. Qxe7 (31. Rc1 c3 32. Kh2 (32. Rxc3 Qf1+ 33. Kh2 Rxg2+ {wins})
32... Rb2 33. Nd8 Qe2 34. Qxe2 Rxe2 {and the gane is over.}) 31... Qc6 32. Qe5+
R8f6 {White resigned.} (32... R8f6 33. Nd5 Qxd5 34. Qxf6+ Rxf6 35. Nd6 Qd4+ 36.
Kh2 Qxa1 37. g4 Qe5+ 38. Kh3 Rf1 39. Nf7+ Bxf7 40. g5 hxg5 41. g4 Bd5 42. b5
Rh1#) 0-1
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