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Monday, January 16, 2023

Obscurity!

     If you have ever heard of Szczawno-Zdroj, a spa town in southwestern Poland, you get 50 rating points. 
     If you knew that in 1957, a Cobalt bomb donated by the Polish Canadian Council was given to the Institute of Oncology you get 200 rating points. 
     The cobalt bomb, as it was called at the time, was the most modern equipment for the treatment of deep seated tumors. 
     Coming out of the depths of Stalinist influence, Poland's music of the 1950s featured state-backed songs that emphasized communist messages about work, but there also existed rebellious jazz that was played in venues hidden from the prying eyes of government officials who had banned that type of music. 
     Here's a sample of the approved music; it's from from the song Budujemy Nowy Dom (Building a New Home):
 
We are building a new home 
Yet another brand new home 
For the better days to come 
O Warsaw!
 ... 
From the basement to the top 
Let the buildings rise with luck 
For the dreams of all of us 
O Warsaw! 

 

     The following game was played in Szczawno-Zdroj, a tournament that was destined to be consigned to oblivion. The loser was Victor Ciocaltea (1932-1983), an 8-time Romanian champion who was awarded the IM title in 1957 and the GM title in 1979. His opponent was the Dutch player Constant Orbaan (1918-1990) who became in International Arbiter. 
 

     The game is rather amusing as the advantage went back and forth and in the end Orbaan did have a decisive advantage, but his last move was an error that allowed Ciocaltea to equalize. Unfortunately for Ciocaltea, he didn't recognize the fact and resigned, or a more likely scenario is that in what appears to have been mutual time pressure, he overstepped the time limit. 

A game that I liked (Fritz 17)

[Event "Przepiorka Memorial, Szczawno-Zdroj"] [Site "Szczawno-Zdroj POL"] [Date "1957.08.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Victor Ciocaltea"] [Black "Constant Orbaan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E75"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "1957.07.27"] {King's Indian: Averbakh Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 {The Averbakh Variation. It prevents the immediate 6...e5} c5 { This is the old main line which keeps the long diagonal open. Sometime black plays 6...h6 forcing the B to move plus he also has the option of a later ... g5. Other moves are 6...Nbd7 and Judit Polgar's 6...Na6.} (6... e5 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nd5 {wins the exchange.}) 7. d5 e6 8. g4 {An experiment that has not been repeated.} (8. f3 {remains equal.} exd5 9. cxd5 a6 10. a4 Qa5 11. Ra3 h5 12. Qd2 {Labollita,M (2429)-Lemos,D (2371) Buenos Aires 2006}) (8. dxe6 Bxe6 (8... fxe6 9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 Rxd8 {is messy, but equal. Kummer,H (2321) -Mahdi,K (2332) Vienna 1999}) 9. Qd2 Qb6 10. Nf3 Nc6 11. O-O Ng4 12. Nd5 { is equal. Estrada Degrandi,W-Najdorf,M Montevideo 1954}) 8... exd5 9. exd5 Re8 {White would have a difficult choice to make about what to do with his B after 9...h6 and none of them are totally satisfactory.} 10. Kf1 {White is already facing difficulties in completing his development.} h6 11. Bd2 Rxe2 {This clever sacrifice of the exchange assures black of a lasting initiative.} 12. Ngxe2 Bxg4 (12... Nxg4 {Is more precise because the threat of ...Qh4 would win. } 13. h4 Ne5 14. h5 g5 15. f4 Nxc4 16. fxg5 Nd7 17. gxh6 Qf6+ 18. Kg2 Nxd2 19. Qxd2 Bxh6 {and black is well off.}) 13. Kg2 Nbd7 {[%mdl 1024] Black has compensation for the exchange, but not more.} 14. f3 Bf5 {Better was 14...Bh5} (14... Bh5 15. Ng3 Ne5 {is fully equal.}) 15. Bf4 {[%mdl 8192] Missing his chance to gain the advantage and at the same time yielding a significant advantage to black.} (15. Ng3 Bd3 16. b3 {This also leaves black in a difficult situation.} (16. Bxh6 Bxh6 17. Qxd3 {nets a P}) 16... Nh5 (16... b5 17. Nxb5 Nxd5 18. Rc1 {Black has no really good reply.}) 17. Nxh5 gxh5 18. Rg1 Bg6 19. Kh1 {and white is better.}) 15... Nh5 {[%mdl 2048] Now black is back in control.} 16. Bg3 Ne5 17. b3 Qd7 18. h3 Nd3 19. Qd2 Re8 20. Raf1 {[%mdl 32]} Qe7 21. Kh2 Bxc3 (21... Nxg3 {was better.} 22. Kxg3 Nf4 23. Nxf4 (23. Qxf4 Be5) 23... Qg5+ 24. Kf2 Bd4+ {wins}) 22. Nxc3 Nxg3 23. Kxg3 Qe5+ 24. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Qd4 25. Rf3 g5 {After this black loses all of his advantage and the position is back to equal.} (25... Ne1 {This move, admittedly difficult to see, would have kept black in charge.} 26. Rxe1 (26. Qxd4 cxd4 27. Rxe1 Rxe1) 26... Qxd2 27. Rxe8+ Kg7 28. Re2 Qc1 {Black has what should amount to a winning advantage. ..theoretically at least.}) 26. fxg5 Bg6 27. gxh6 {The remainder of the game is not playe especially well by either side. Was time pressure a factor?} Kh7 { Centralizing the N with 27...Ne5 was better.} 28. Rhf1 (28. Nb5 {attacking the d-Pawn is inviting, but it loses...} Qe5+ 29. Kh4 (29. Kg2 Be4) 29... Qh5+ 30. Kg3 Be4) 28... Ne5 29. R3f2 {Now Nb5 is a strong threat.} (29. Qxd4 cxd4 30. Nb5 Nxf3 31. Rxf3 d3 32. Rf2 {with about equal chances.} (32. Nxa7 d2 33. Rf1 Re1 {and black wins.})) 29... Bd3 (29... Nxc4 {is a better defense as it leads to a difficult material imbalance.} 30. bxc4 Re3+ 31. Kg2 Qxd2 (31... Qxc3 32. Qxc3 Rxc3) 32. Rxd2 Rxc3 33. Rf6 Rxc4 34. Rxd6 {White should be able to force the win.}) 30. Qf4 {[%mdl 8192] his gross blunder loses the game.} (30. Ne2 Bxe2 31. Qxe2 {Taking the Q leaves black with an annoying passed P. In this position white should be able to squeeze out a win.}) 30... Rg8+ {Of course he could also have won with 30...Qxc3} (30... Qxc3 31. Rc1 Rg8+ 32. Kh2 Qd4 33. Qxd4 cxd4 34. Rg1 Rxg1 35. Kxg1 Kxh6 36. Rf6+ Kg5 37. Rxd6 Bf5 38. c5 Kf4 39. h4 d3 40. Kf2 Ng4+ 41. Ke1 Ke3 {and black wins}) 31. Kh2 Bxf1 {[%mdl 32768] This position is actually very complicated, but after this move the game is back to equal. There is no explanation as to why white lost here. It's possible that he misjudged to position, but that he lost on time isalso a pausible explanation.} (31... Qxf4+ {is not playable.} 32. Rxf4 Bxf1 33. Rxf1 Rg6 34. Ne4 Rxh6 35. Rf5 {and white is winning. For example...} Kg7 36. Nxd6 Rxd6 37. Rxe5 {with a won ending.}) (31... Bxf1 32. Ne4 (32. Rxf1 Qxc3 { leaves black winning.}) 32... Bd3 33. Nf6+ Kh8 34. Nxg8 Qxf4+ 35. Rxf4 Kxg8 36. Rf6 Kf8 37. Kg3 (37. Rxd6 Ke7 {The R has only one way out.} 38. h7 Bxh7 39. Rh6 Bg8 {with a likely draw.})) (31... Qxc3 {leads to victory.} 32. Qe3 f5 33. Rd1 Qd4 34. Qxd4 cxd4 35. Rg2 Rf8 {and black should be able to win.}) 0-1

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