John Littlewood, Always Dangerous

    English FM John Littlewood (1931-2009) was always a dangerous opponent who on a good day could defeat anybody. In any tournament he played in he was always skulking about waiting to ambush the unwary. An enterprising player, he was not in the least timid about sacrificing material. You can read his complete biography HERE. 

    His opponent in the following game was Edwin Bhend (born in 1931) was awarded the IM title in 1960 and was Swiss champion in 1966. He represented Switzerland in 10 Chess Olympiads from 1952 to 1982. According to the FIDE web site Bhend is still active at the age of 93! 

    The following game, played at the Clare Benedict Team Tournament in 1961, features a spirited attack combined with silois positional play. 

    The Clare Benedict Cup was a team tournament for teams from Western and Northern Europe, which took place 23 times from 1953 to 1979. Clare Benedict (1871–1961), a distant relative of author James Fenimore Cooper, was author and patron. She was originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to Switzerland in 1945, where she founded the tournament.

 

 

    The English team was Jonathan Penrose, Peter Clarke, Michael Haygarth and Littlewood. The Swiss team was Dieter Keller, Max Blau, Edgar Walther, Bhend and Hans Johner. 

[Event "Clare Benedict Cup"] [Site "Neuhausen SUI"] [Date "1961.04.05"] [Round "?"] [White "John Littlewood (England)"] [Black "Edwin Bhend (Switzerland)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B11"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "1961.04.05"] {B11: Caro-Kann: Two Knights Variation} 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Bd3 {At the time this was line was quite familiar from the 1958 Smyslov·Botvinnik return match, but here Littlewood essays what was at the time a much recommended, but rarely trie Pawn sacrifice. Today it has become the main continuation. For the Pawn white obtains the better development, open lines and a dangerous initiative. However, with caredul play black should be abe putup an adequate defense.} dxe4 8. Nxe4 Qxd4 9. Be3 Qd8 {Black had three other possibilities: 9...Qxb2 which is too dangerous, 9...Qe5 and 9...Bb4+ (recommended. The text may be considered the safest continuation} 10. O-O-O {[%mdl 1024]} Nbd7 11. Qg3 (11. Bc4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Be7 13. Rhe1 O-O 14. Bxe6 {In this complicated position white is better, but in Mamedov,R (2657)-Eljanov,P (2717) Berlin 2015 he only managed to draw.}) 11... Qa5 12. Kb1 Nd5 {Black has difficulty coordinat his development; however, his position is basically sound.} (12... O-O-O 13. Ng5 Ne5 14. Be2 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 {lead to a quicj draw in Hujbert,F (2444)-Wang,P (2455) Budapest 2014}) 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. f4 O-O-O 15. c4 N5f6 16. Bc3 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Nc5 {Oddly, this move leaves black with a difficult game. The neutral 17...h6 keeps the balance. Or, if black is feeling adventerous he can play 17...Be7} 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Bc2 f6 {Suddenly it becomes clear that white has the better position. The pressure he exerts against black's K-side is more than enough compensation for the P especially now that black has weakened his e-Pawn.} 20. Rd1 Qc7 21. Qe3 {A fine multi-purpose move! It threatens both the e-Pawn and the a-Pawn (after b4) and allows him to advance on the K-side with g4.} a5 {A slightly safer way of guarding the a-Pawn was 21...Kb8} 22. a3 Kb8 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 Na6 25. c5 (25. Qxe6 {is inferior.} Bxb4 26. Bxb4 Nxb4 27. Rd7 Qa5 {Threatening mate on a2, so...} 28. Kc1 Qa1+ 29. Kd2 Qb2 {and black is better.}) 25... Qc8 26. g4 {White has tied down the black Q-side and so he now turns his attention to the K-side. Still, there is no reason for black to panic because with care his position is solid enough to withstand the pressure.} (26. Qg3 {is technically stronger because black will have to retuen the P in order to complete his development.} Nc7 27. Kb2 {A waiting move.} Be7 28. Qxg7 Qf8 29. Qxf8+ Rxf8 30. f5 {This is even better that capturing the h-Pawn.} e5 31. Bb3 {White has a positional advantage, but can ge win? It seems unlikely as 5 Shootout ganes were drawn.}) 26... Nc7 27. g5 Be7 (27... Nd5 {loses in a nifty fashion...} 28. Rxd5 {[%mdl 512]} exd5 29. gxf6 $18 gxf6 (29... b5 30. fxg7) 30. Bxf6 Rg8 31. Be5+) 28. gxf6 Bxf6 29. Be5 {Although not fatal, practically speaking this piun causes black some anxiety. At least one annotator (pre-engine) based hos evaluation on the games outcome and claimed that black was lost. We engine users know that the game is dead equal...theoretically that is; black must defend accurately which is earier for Stockfish than a human!} Rd8 30. Rd6 Ka7 31. Qa3+ {Unable to make progess on the K-side, Littlewood switches back to the Q-side.} Na6 32. Qa5 {Hoping for b5.} Rxd6 (32... Be7 {The pre-engine annotator recommeded this as black's best chance, bit it's his worst...it loses.} 33. b5 Rxd6 34. cxd6 Bd8 35. Qc3 {and the N is lost.}) 33. Qb6+ Ka8 34. cxd6 Bd8 35. Qd4 {Threatens to win with d7.} Qd7 36. Bd3 g6 37. Qa1 Ka7 38. Bd4+ Kb8 39. Qa4 Qf7 40. Be5 {In spite of white's best efforts black has been holding on, but his next move is a slip that should have allowed white to invigorate his position.} Ka7 {[%mdl 8192] Walking into a pin is rarely a good idea and this move is no exceptiom to that gemeralization.} (40... g5 {Counterattack!} 41. Be4 gxf4 42. b5 {The problem with this line of defense is that when playing 40///g5 black has to see the one move that doesn't lose!} Qh5 {This one.} 43. bxa6 Qxe5 44. axb7 Qb5+ 45. Qxb5 cxb5 {and the Bs of opposite color assure the draw.}) 41. b5 cxb5 42. Bxb5 (42. Qxb5 {was even stronger.} Bb6 43. Qa4 g5 44. d7 gxf4 45. Bd4 Bxd4 46. Qxd4+ b6 47. Qa4 b5 48. Qd4+ Nc5 49. Qxc5+ Kb7 50. d8=Q) 42... Qf5+ {Littlewood now wraps up the game with a few swift blows.} 43. Ka2 Qf7 44. d7 Bb6 45. Bxa6 bxa6 46. Qc6 {Black resigned. Bhend's play was actually very good, but Littlewood's was better!} (46. Qc6 Qe7 47. Qc8 Qd8 48. Bb8+ Ka8 49. Bc7+ Ka7 50. Qxd8) 1-0