Tahl - Bhend, Zurich 1959

      In celebration of the 150th anniversity of the founding of the Zurich Chess Club an international tournament was held at Zurich from May 19 to June 8, 1959. Ten foreign players, including 8GM’s, played against six of the top Swiss masters. Tal (+10 -2 =3) was first with 11.5, Gligoric second with 11, while Fischer and Keres tied for third; Bobby scoring +8=5-2.
      I remember a postal opponent from England sent me a tournament book containing all the (unannotated) games from the event which was quite a prize because such books were hard to come by in those days. One of the biggest surprises was Tahl's upset by the Swiss Master Edwin Bhend. The other was Fischer’s near loss to another Swiss master, Edgar Walther, but Fischer finally managed to hang on for a draw. That game appeared in Fischer’s
60 Memorable Games.
      Of the players in this game, Tahl needs no introduction, but Bhend is little known. Edwin Bhend (September 9, 1931) was awarded the IM title in 1960 and in the 50s, 60s and 70’s was on of the leading Swiss players.

Edwin Bhend - a recent photo

What makes this game interesting is a typical Tahl sacrifice on move 22, but his position went downhill rapidly when he played the uncharacteristic retreat 25.Bc2. Another thing I found interesting was several opportunities to reach positions similar to the one occurring in the analysis to Black’s 26^th move:

      This position is evaluated by Houdini as being 3-1/3 P’s in Black’s favor. To me it looks like it’s “unclear” and therefore offers equal chances. I can only assume that Houdini is correct in this evaluation because despite the unbalanced material situation Bhend demonstrated good technique in forcing the win.

   

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

Walther vs. Fischer Zurich 1959

     Years ago I played a correspondence game against an opponent from England who graciously mailed me a copy of the tournament book (with no notes) from Zurich, 1959. It was a welcome gift because in those days chess books from overseas were rare.
     Ten grandmasters were invited to compete against six top Swiss masters, including the Swiss champion; the tournament was held at from May 18th to June 8th, 1959. Although Tahl viewed the tournament as a minor event, it turned out to be closer than he would have expected. Although he easily defeated five of the six Swiss players, Edwin Bhend dealt Tahl a blow in the first round in a surprising defeat of the future world champion. After that Tahl was in fine form, but then lost again, this time to Gligorich, who would trail him only by half a point in the final. This was also a significant tournament for a young Bobby Fischer. His play was already improving dramatically in international events against stronger opposition, and he came close to tying Tahl in the final. Alas, a loss to the Swiss champion, Dieter Keller, in the penultimate round cost Fischer a spot at the top and he had to settle for shared third with Keres. Fischer also lost to Gligorich and was held to draws by Tahl, Larsen, Barcza, Max Blau and his opponent in this game, Edgar Walther. This game was a very narrow escape for Fischer. In his book, Fischer wrote that he would have resigned on the spot after 37. Re8, creating zugzwang in a few moves.

The final standings:
1st Tal 11½/15
2nd Gligoric 11/15
=3rd Fischer 10½/15 ½
=3rd Keres 10½/15 ½
=5th Larsen 9½/15
=5th Unzicker 9½/15
7th Barcza 8½/15
8th Olafsson 8/15
9th Kupper 7/15
=10th Bhend 6½
=10th Donner 6½/15
12th Keller 6/15
=13th Walther 5/15
=13th Dückstein 5/15
=15th Blau 2½/15
=15th Nievergelt 2½/15

     Fischer's opponent in this game was an FM. Wather passed away last year at the age of 83 in Zurich. He gained a measure of notoriety at Zurich when he had a winning position against the eventual world champion, but thanks to a stroke of luck, Fischer managed to draw when Walther misplayed the ending.

Walther - Fischer at Zurich

     Walther took four national titles: three times he was Federal Champion (1949, 1957, 1971), in 1965 he won the Coupe Suisse. Oddly, he never managed to win the Swiss Championship. The closest he came was in 1965 when he lost the playoff against Marcel Markus after they tied for first.
     As a long-time member of the Swiss national team Walther played in six chess Olympiads. He was a long time member of the Zurich Chess Club. He was also well known in correspondence chess. In 1967 and 1971 he won the tournament for the "Golden Springer," which earned him, for the second time, the Swiss Correspondence Champion title.  In the semi-final of the 8th World Correspondence Championship (1972-75), he tied for first and second and in the final he came in at number 11, for which he earned the title of International Correspondence Master. His last FIDE rating was 2254, down from a high of 2316 in 2007. Kingscrusher does a nice job (in three parts) analyzing this tricky ending on Youtube HERE.

Vintage Tahl

The first strong tournament in Switzerland for a long time took place in Zurich in May and June 1959 and it had several of the world's leading players participating. Among them were Tahl, who a year later would defeat Botvinnik to become world champion, Fischer, Keres, Larsen. Unzicker, Barcza, Olafsson, and Donner. Things started well for the Swiss masters; Walther held Fischer to a draw in a B and P ending and Tahl lost to Edwin Bhend. Tahl was undaunted though and went on to win his next four games!

Final stndings: 
1) Tahl-11.5 
2) Gligoric- 11.0 
3-4) Keres - 10.5 
3-4) Fischer 
5-6) Larsen - 9.5 
5-6) Unzicker 
7) Barcza - 8.5 
8) Olafsson – 8.0 
9) Kupper – 7.0 
10-11) Donner 6.5 
10-11) Bhend 
12) Keller - 6.0 
13-14) Duckstein – 5.0 
13-14) Walther 
15-16) Blau - 2.5 
15-16) Nievergelt 

The following attacking game is vintage Tahl.
 

Tal vs. Nievergelt Classic

   
     Pick up a chess book on tactics and you may very well find a position from this game played at Zurich, 1959 in which Tal exploits white's weak King position with a decoy/deflection Queen sacrifice. 
     I first learned of the Zurich, 1959 tournament in the early 1960s while playing a friendly correspondence game with a fellow teenager in England when he kindly send me a small tournament booklet. 
     The event consisted of ten GMs who were invited to compete against six top Swiss masters, The tournament took place from May 18th to June 8th, 1959. Among the GMs invited were Mikhail Tal and Paul Keres from the Soviet Union, Bobby Fischer from the United States, Svetozar Gligoric from Yugoslavia, Bent Larsen from Denmark, Wolfgang Unzicker from Germany, and Fridrik Olafsson from Iceland. 
     Although Tal easily defeated five of the six Swiss players, Edwin Bhend dealt the future world champion a fatal blow in the first round. Tal found his form, but lost again to Gligoric, but the latter was not quite able to catch Tal and finish a half point behind. 
     It was also an important tournament for Fischer who was improving by leaps and bounds. He almost caught Tal, but in the next to last round suffered a defeat at the hands of the Swiss Champion Dieter Keller.  Fischer's only other loss was to Gligoric. 
     Tal's opponent in this game, Dr. Erwin Nievergelt, finished tied for places 15-16 with Max Blau. Nievergelt scored only one win and three draws. Not much is available Nievergelt, but Antonio Iglesias Martin did publish a book on him, (Erwin Nievergelt: Entre la emoción y el talento) in Spanish in 2005. 

     Nievergelt, a retired professor of computer science, was born in Zurich in 1929 and was one of Switzerland's biggest chess hopes in the 1950s. His chess career was hindered as a result of increasingly focusing on his professional career, the fledgling fields of Operations Research and Computer Science. For almost 25 years he worked as a professor at the University of St. Gallen. After his retirement, Nievergelt, who was also gifted as a concert pianist, moved to the south, where he found a second and third home in Italy and Spain. Chessmetrics puts his rating at 2511 in 1959, way down the list at 189th place, but a 2500 rating is still pretty nice.
 

The Rise of Bent Larsen

     February 1956 was a sad month because on February 4th, Dr. Savielly Tartakower died at the age of 68 in Paris. On a happier note, a few months later at the Olympiad in Moscow Bent Larsen (March 4, 1935 – September 9, 2010) made his debut in the international arena. Like Tartakower, Larsen was to become known for his imaginative and unorthodox style. 
     Larsen won the Danish championship six times and was a Candidate for the World Championship four times, reaching the semifinal three times. Larsen became a GM in 1956 with his gold-medal performance on board one at the Moscow Olympiad, where he drew World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. He suffered from diabetes and died in 2010 from a cerebral hemorrhage. 
     The 12th Olympiad took place between August 31 and September 25, 1956, in Moscow and the Soviet team (Botvinnik, Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Taimanov and Geller) which had won the previous two Olympiads, was the huge favorite and they lived up to expectations. 
     A total of 34 teams were entered and were divided into four preliminary groups of eight or nine teams. The top three from each group advanced to Final A, the teams placed 4th–6th to Final B, and the rest to Final C. All groups and finals were played as round-robin tournaments. The US did not sent a team to the Olympiad that year, but less than a month after the Olympiad, on October 17th at the Marshall Chess Club in New York, 26-year-old Donald Byrne sat down to play 13-year-old Bobby Fischer in what was later to be called "The Game of the Century" by Hans Kmoch in Chess Review. 
     Even though the Soviet Union was the heavy favorite, authorities treated the event dead seriously.  Things were changing in the Soviet Union. Unknown to the world at the time, at the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union held during February, the Soviet Leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had given a speech condemning former Soviet premier Joseph Stalin who had died three years earlier. Khrushchev denounced Stalin as a cruel leader who had created a toxic, suspicious and terrifying environment in which persecution was rife. Khrushchev stated that Stalin's "cult of personality" must be dismantled and urged the Soviet Congress members to reveal the truth about Stalin slowly to the Russian public. The entirety of the secretive speech was not revealed to the Russian people until 1988. And, a win by the Soviet team would go a long way to “prove” the superiority of the Soviet system.

    The Red Army Central Theater was the venue. The main final consisted of 12 teams. The Soviets started with impressive 4-0 over England and took the early lead. After challenges by Hungary, Yugoslavia and unexpectedly Switzerland, in round 9 the Soviets trounced Denmark by scoring three wins and assured themselves a first place finish. But the sensation was on on board 1 where Larsen held the World Champion, the mighty Botvinnik, to a draw. When it was all over, the Soviets won another trophy but this time it was not so easy. They lost their first ever match and couldn't overtake their competitors until penultimate round. 

Final A 
1-Soviet Union (Botvinnik, Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Taimanov and Geller)
2-Yugoslavia (Gligoric, Matanovic, Ivkov, Karaklajic, Milic, Durasevic) 
3-Hungary (Szabo, Barcza, Benko, Szilagyi, Bely, Portisch) 
4-Argentina (Najdorf, Bolbochán, Panno, Pilnik, Sanguineti, Wexler) 
5-West Germany (Unzicker, Schmid, Darga, Pfeiffer, Niephaus, Teschner)
6-Bulgaria (Padevsky, Minev, Kolarov, Tringov, Tsvetkov, Milev) 
7-Czechoslovakia (Filip, Pachman, Sefc, Rejfir, Alster, Jezek) 
8- England (Golombek, Penrose, Wade, Milner-Barry, Clarke, Phillips)
9-Switzerland (Blau, Bhend, Walther, Keller, Johner) 
10-Denmark (Larsen, Poulsen, Pedersen, Ingerslev, Nielsen, Enevoldsen) 
11-Romania (Balanel, Ciocaltea, Troianescu, Soos, Ghițescu, Radulescu) 
12-Israel (Czerniak, Porath, Aloni, Oren, Dobkin, Smiltiner)