Houston 1974

     In 1974 at a tournament in Lublin, Poland Mikhail Tal was playing Jan Adamski and both of them were in time trouble when Adamski’s flag fell, but Tal had lost a piece and unwittingly resigned immediately after Adamski's flag had fallen. 

     Tal’s wife had been counting moves and informed everyone that Adamski hadn't made the required 40 moves. The arbiter awarded the win to Tal, but that wasn't the end of the story. 

     When reconstructing his scoresheet, Adamski, who had quit writing down the moves after move 25 because of time trouble, tried to weasel out of the loss by adding two fake moves to make it look like he made more than 40 moves. 

     1974 was also the year that Claude F. Bloodgood III and fellow inmate Lewis Carpenter overpowered their guard and escaped from a tournament outside the prison that they had been allowed to play in. Bloodgood had been sentenced to death in 1970 for strangling his mother in 1969, but his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. 

     In early 1974, FIDE's rules committee issued the rules for the world championship match. Bobby Fischer agreed to all of them except the 36-game limit; he insisted on 10 wins, draws not counting, with no limit on the number of games. He also insisted that in case of 9 wins apiece the champion should retain the title. Fischer threatened to resign his title if his terms weren't accepted. 

     On June 27, 1974, Fischer sent a telegram to the FIDE Congress: "As I made clear in my telegram to the FIDE delegates, the match conditions I proposed were non-negotiable...FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. I therefore resign my FIDE World Championship title." Good riddance. 

     In late 1974, the Zaire government offered Fischer $5 million to play a match against Karpov in their country; he turned it down. 

     The chess world lost England's C.H.O'D Alexnder on February 15, 1974 at the age of 64. He was British Champion in 1938 and 1956. On April 2 the brilliant Austrian master Josef Lokvenc (b. 1899) died in Sankt Polten, Austria. Attacking genius Rashid Nezhmetdinov (b.1912) of the Soviet Union died on June 3rd at the age of 61. A month later, on July 3rd, Henri Grob (1904-1974) died in Zurich, Switzerland at the age of 70. 

     In August, 1974, Walter Browne won his first of 6 US championships. On August 8, 1974, the first computer world championship was held in Stockholm. It was won by the Russian computer Kaissa. 

     The Houston International Tournament (held December 7-20) was the fourth in the series of international events organized and sponsored by the USCF. The others were Norristown and Chicago in 1973 and Los Angeles 1974. 

     At Houston, John Grefe and William Martz made their final IM norms and Edmar Mednis made his first GM norm. West German GM Robert Huebner was the clear favorite and lived up to expectations by finishing first. Yugoslav GM Aleksandar Matanovic shined when he was the only player who never had a losing position! Yugoslav GM Mato Damjanovic complained of tiredness after almost three months of non-stop playing. Kim Commons was a last minute replacement for Anthony Saidy who had to withdraw due to illness in his family

Robert Huebner - Julio Kaplan

Result: 1-0

Site: Houston

Date: 1974

King's Indian Defense

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.♘f3 g6 3.c4 ♗g7 4.♘c3 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.♗e2 e5 7.O-O c6 8.d5 cxd5 9.cxd5 ♘a6 The purpose of this awkward-looking move is to transfer the N to either c5 or b4 after white's eventual d5. At the same time it defends c7 in case white plays Nb5. Huebner thought the move too artificial because the N becomes a target in white's attack on the Queen-side and on a6 the N might not get into play again. He recommended 9...Ne8 although today far more common is 9...Nbd7. 10.♘d2 The square QB4 will be ideal for the N and because the e-Pawn is guarded twicw white is now prepared to meet 10...Nc5 with 11.b4 10...Nc5 with 11.b4 10...♘e8 It is premature to exchange the dark squared Bs by 10...Bh6

10...♗h6 11.♘c4 ♗xc1 12.♕xc1 b5 and in Simeonidis,I (2275)-Stiri,A (2149)/Athens 2008 white incorrectly allowed black equality by defending the e-Pawn with 13.Nd2 13.♘xb5 ♘xe4 14.♕e3 ♗f5 15.♗f3 ♘c7 16.♘xc7 ♕xc7 17.♗xe4 ♕xc4 18.♗xf5 gxf5 19.♕g5+ ♔h8 20.♕f6+ ♔g8 21.♖ad1 would have left white with the advantage.

11.♘c4 f5 12.f3 f4 13.a4 This is important, to make sure the N stays anchored on c4. Also, the maneuver Ra3-c3 is now possible;. This is important because on the 3rd rank the R might also help to defend the K-side. 13...g5 Black starts the usual K-side P- attack. 14.♘b5 ♖f6 While this involves a P sacrifice, it is black's best option. 15.g4

15.♗d2 With the idea of defending his K-side is another option, but it is too passive to suit Huebner. 15...♖g6 16.♗e1 h5 17.h3 with equal chances.

15...fxg3 Risky, but Kaplan is going all out with his K-side attack. (15...♘ac7 16.♘xc7 ♘xc7 17.♗d2 h5 18.h3 ♖h6 19.♔g2 ♗d7 20.♖c1 is equal.) 16.♗xg5

16.hxg3 was safer as after 16...♖h6 17.g4 black's K-side attack is going nowhere and white can commence operations on the Q-side.

16...♕d7 Black does not obtain sufficient play after this, but the alternative wasn't much better.

16...♗h6 17.♗xf6 gxh2+ 18.♔h1 ♕xf6 Here white has only one good move. 19.f4 ♗xf4 20.♗h5 ♘ac7 21.♘xc7 ♘xc7 22.♕f3 and white has the better prospects.

17.hxg3 (17.♗xf6 allows a perpetual check! 17...♕h3 18.hxg3 ♕xg3+) 17...♖g6

17...♕h3 18.♖f2 ♖g6 (18...♕xg3+ 19.♖g2 ♕h3 20.♗xf6 ♘xf6 21.♘bxd6 leaves black lost.) 19.♖h2 ♕xg3+ 20.♖g2 ♕h3 21.♖a3 ♗f6 22.f4 and black is in serious difficulty.

18.♗h4 Here things a re getting tactical and both sides have plenty of viable options. 18...♗f6 19.♔f2 ♗xh4 20.gxh4 ♕h3 Huebner explains - Black wants to disturb the coordinated development of white's pieces by penetrating with his Q, but since his Q will be out of play and the white K will reach the shelter of the Q-side without significant loss of time, the simple 20...Qe7 was preferable.

20...♕e7 Now play might go 21.h5 ♕h4+ 22.♔e3 ♕xh5 23.♔d3 ♗d7 24.♖h1 ♕g5 25.♔c2 ♗xb5 26.axb5 ♘ac7 27.♖g1 ♕h6 28.♖xg6+ hxg6 29.b6 with the strategic advantage.

21.♖h1 ♕g3+ 22.♔e3 ♗d7 23.♔d2 ♘c5

23...♗xb5 wasn't any better as after 24.axb5 ♕f4+ 25.♔c2 ♘ac7 26.h5 ♖g3 27.♕d2 ♘xb5 28.♕xf4 exf4 29.♔d3 Stops the check on d4 29...♘f6 30.♖h4 with a winning advantage.

24.h5 ♖g7

24...♕f4+ offered him more play. 25.♔c2 ♖f6 26.♘c3 a5 27.♘b6 but here too white is very well off.

25.♖g1 ♕f4+ 26.♔c2 Note that all hope black had of a K-side attack is gone. 26...♘xa4 27.♘bxd6 b5 This move facilitates White's task since it loosens the Q-side Ps.

27...♘xd6 was his best chance. 28.♘xd6 ♕f6 29.♘b5 ♗xb5 30.♗xb5 ♘b6 31.♖xg7+ ♔xg7 32.♖c1 and white should be able to convert his advantage into a win.

28.♘xe8 ♗xe8 29.♘d6

29.d6 was even stronger because after 29...bxc4 30.♕d5+ ♔h8 31.♖xg7 ♔xg7 32.♖g1+ ♗g6 K moves allow mate. 33.♕xa8 winning easily.

29...♗xh5 White has a number of ways of mopping up. 30.♖xg7+ ♔xg7 31.♗xb5 ♗xf3 32.♕g1+ ♔h8 33.♖xa4 ♖g8 34.♕xa7 ♖g2+ 35.♔b3 ♖xb2+ (35...♗d1+ 36.♔a3 ♕g3+ 37.♔b4 ♖xb2+ 38.♔c5 ♗xa4 39.♕xa4 ♕f2+ 40.♔c6 wins) 36.♔a3

36.♔xb2 ♕d2+ 37.♔b3 ♕d1+ 38.♔b4 ♕d2+ 39.♔c5 ♕e3+ 40.♔c6 ♕xa7 41.♖xa7 h6 42.♘e8 h5 43.♘f6 ♗xe4 44.♘xe4 ♔g8 45.♗c4 h4 46.♘f6+ ♔f8 47.d6 h3 48.♖f7#

36...♕c1 37.♕b8+ ♔g7 38.♖a7+ (38.♘f5+ ♔f6 39.♕d8+ ♔f7 40.♗e8+ ♔g8 41.♗h5#) 38...♔h6 39.♕f8+ ♔g5 40.♕f5+ ♔h4 41.♖xh7+ ♔g3 42.♖h3+ Kaplan resigned. It's mate in 3. (42.♖h3+ ♔f2 43.♕xf3+ ♔e1 44.♖h1+ ♔d2 45.♕d3#)

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