A First for Malic at Krynica

    In 1955, Dwight D. Eisenhower was President and the year ended with Rosa Parks getting arrested in Montgomery, Alabama on a disorderly conduct charge for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. She lost her case and was fined $14.00 (about $163 today), including court costs. Her attorney Fred Gray appealed, but lost on a technicality. Dr. Martin Luther organized a bus boycott by Black people. The year also ended with General Motors being the first American corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year. 

    The year 1956 started out with the Federal court stopping former Little League Commissioner Carl Stotz from forming a rival group. The FBI arrested 6 members of the Great Brink's Robbery gang 6 days before statute of limitations rans out, And, in January, RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million seller. 

    In January of 1956, an international chess tournament ended in Krynica, a small town in southeastern Poland near the Slovak border. Although today it is inhabited by only slightly over eleven thousand people, it is the biggest spa town in Poland and is often called the Pearl of Polish Spas. It’s a popular tourist and winter sports destination. 

    The tournament was won by Borislav Milic (October 20, 1925 – May 28, 1986, 60 years old) , who was a Yugoslav IM (awarded in 1952). He was made an Honorary GM title in 1977. He once served as General Secretary of the Yugoslav Chess Federation and was a prominent chess writer, organizer, promoter, and administrator. 

     Born in Belgrade, Milic was part of the group of strong Yugoslav players, along with Gligorić, Trifunovic, Pirc, Rabar, Fuderer, Karaklajic and Ivkov, who attained prominence immediately after the end of World War II. 

    Milic was active in tournament play from 1945 to 1967. Although he played in 14 Yugoslav Championships between 1945 and 1962, he was never able to win one. Haowever, it should be noted that during that time period the Yugoslav Championship tournaments were he second strongest in the world, behind only the Soviet Union. He retired from top level play in 1957. 

    Milic was one of the group of pioneering originators of the Chess Informant which systematized opening classifications, game information, and analysis. They produced high class volumes of annotated games from major events using symbols that we are all familiar with today. 

 

 

    His opponent in this game was Jozef Gromek (1931-1985, 53 years old)m an FM who was Polish Champion in 1955. He tied for first in 1959, but lost the playoff. He died from a heart attack while playing a game of blitz chess. 

[Event "Krynica, Poland"] [Site "Krynica POL"] [Date "1956.01.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Borislav Milic"] [Black "Jozef Gromek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B60"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1955.12.30"] {B60: Sicilian: Richter-Rauzer Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 g6 {This rare move has not worked out well for black in practice. Therefpre, the usual 6...e6 is better.} 7. Bxf6 exf6 8. Bc4 Bg7 $1 $14 9. Ndb5 O-O 10. Qxd6 f5 11. O-O-O Qxd6 {Simplification is the wrong approach in this position.} (11... Qa5 12. Qc7 fxe4 13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Bd5 Bg4 15. Rde1 Rad8 16. Rxe4 Bf5 17. Ra4 b6 18. Rd1 a6 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. Rb4 b5 { Black has nearly equalized owing to the awkward position of white's R, but that's not quite enough compensation for being a P down. Volokitin,A (2662) -Carlsen,M (2675) Biel 2006}) (11... Qb6 12. Nd5 Qxf2 13. Nf6+ Kh8 14. Nc7 Rb8 {Surprisingly, this position is evaluated as equal and the game Aroshidze,L (2568)-Vishnu,P (2435) Figueres ESP 2012 was drawn.}) (11... Qg5+ {This is black's least afvorable reply.} 12. f4 Qxg2 13. e5 Bh6 14. Rhf1 Qxh2 {White is better, but soon errer and lost. Solodovnichenko,Y (2521)-Edouard,R (2548) Cap d'Agde FRA 2022}) 12. Nxd6 $18 Bxc3 13. bxc3 fxe4 14. Nxe4 Rb8 {This is not as pointless as it might appear because he has to defend the b-Pawn anyway. Thanks to exchanging Qs, black hgas landed in a very difficult position.} ( 14... Na5 15. Bd5 {and he has to play ...Rb8 anyway.}) (14... Nd8 {A miserable move to have tom play, but it's the ebst he has.} 15. Rhe1 Kg7 (15... Bf5 16. Nd6) 16. Nd6 Bg4 17. Rd2 Be6 18. Bxe6 Nxe6 {and white is clearly better.}) 15. Rhe1 Na5 16. Bb3 b6 17. f3 Kg7 18. Nd6 Kf6 19. h4 {A little tactical finesse that threatening Ne8+.} Bb7 (19... a6 {This is a pass to show what happens if white is allowed to play Ne8+} 20. Ne8+ Kf5 {Black could avoid mate by surrentering his R with ...Rxe8, but he would still lose.} 21. Rd5+ Kf4 22. Rg5 Bf5 23. Bd5 Rbxe8 24. g3#) (19... Nxb3+ 20. axb3 Be6 {is a much better defense. White has what amounts to a decisive advantage, but he still has some work to do in prder to cash in.}) 20. Rd4 Bc6 21. Rf4+ Kg7 {The K looks fairly safe, but it's not.} 22. Re7 {The pressur eon f7 is simply too great; there is nothing black can do.} (22. Rxf7+ {is totally wrong because of} Rxf7 23. Bxf7 Rd8 24. Rd1 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Kxf7 {This is a situation, while theoretically equal, is one that Arthur Bisguier once claimed he could win from either side... assuming he was the stronger player.}) 22... Nxb3+ 23. cxb3 Rbd8 24. Rfxf7+ { White is clearly winning.} Rxf7 25. Nxf7 Rd7 26. Rxd7 Bxd7 27. Ne5 Be6 28. Kd2 Kf6 29. Nc6 {Black resigned. Players like Minic make chess look easy.} (29. Nc6 a6 30. Ke3 Bc8 31. Nb4 Bb7 32. a4 a5 33. Nd3 Bd5 34. c4 Bb7 35. Nf4 {Black is helpless against white's P-majority on both wings. Here is just a sample of what could happen...} Ke5 36. Nd5 Bxd5 37. cxd5 Kxd5 38. g4 Kc5 39. f4 Kd5 ( 39... Kb4 40. f5 gxf5 41. gxf5 {etc.}) 40. Kd3 {Taking the opposition and balck's K must give way.} h6 41. Ke3 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Kd3 Kd6 44. Ke4 Ke6 45. f5+ Kd6 46. Kd4 {The opposition again. White has an elementary win.}) 1-0