Alberto Giustolisi

 

    Few players today know the name Alberto Giustolisi (March 17, 1928 - February 27, 1990); it’s a name that was not well known outside of Italy and today has fallen into oblivion even among Italian players. 

    His heyday came in the years 1950 to about 1966, and in his time he was well known and highly respected wherever chess was played in Italy. His pleasant manners, polite elegance, respect for others, reserve, absence of ambition and the lack of a sense of superiority spilled over into his chess and harmed his competitive spirit and bordered on what almost appeared to be an insecurity. In spite of that, he was a good strategist as well as an elegant tactician and a formidable opponent to all but the elite. 

    Born in Rome, he passed away in a nursing home where he had been hospitalized for some time supposedly for a serious form of nervous breakdown.

    He was Italian champion in 1952, 1961, 1964 and 1966. He was awarded the IM title in 1962 after winning the New Year's Tournament in Reggio Emilia. 

 

    His opponent in this game was the Swiss player Otto Marthaler who won the Reggio Emilia 1958/59 event. 

    Giustolisi emerges from the ipening with an advantage and then follows up with nearly flawless play to score the point. The most interesting thing about the game is the role played by white’s Knight on g1.

 

[Event "Reggio Emilia, 1961/62"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Round ""] [White "Alberto Giustolisi"] [Black "Otto Marthaler"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1961.12.27"] {E94: King's Indian: Classical} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 {A piece with a remarkable future!} e5 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Be3 Re8 9. d5 Nc5 10. Nd2 {This N will not move again until move 26 and then makes the final move of the game. ts purpose here is to defend the e-Pawn and allow white to play f3.} a5 11. a3 {[%mdl 32] In view of what happens next this position can be considered critical and black must choose his next move wisely.} Kh8 { Black has a wide choice here...the opening book I ise shows 8 different moves, all reasonable, but the best is probably 11...a4. The text looks rather pointless.} 12. b4 {Immediately seizing the initiative.} axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 Na6 15. Rb1 {White already has a significant advantage thanks to black's passive 11th move.} Nd7 16. Qa3 f5 17. f3 f4 18. Bf2 Rg8 {So! The point of his 11th move is revealed, but an attack on the g-file is going to prove impotent.} 19. c5 dxc5 20. bxc5 {Black is positionally quite lost.} Bf8 21. Bxa6 bxa6 22. Qa5 g5 {Black gets a K-side attack going, but it is nothing nure than a gesture given Giustolisi's precise defense.} 23. d6 {[%mdl 512] A powerful blow!} g4 24. fxg4 Qg5 {With heavy pieces doubled on the g-file and the threat of ...f3 it looks like black has something going, but Giusto;isi has everything under control.} 25. h3 cxd6 26. Nf3 {The versatile N return to where it was a long time ago in order to block the further advance of black’s f-Pawn.} Qg7 27. Qc7 Be7 28. cxd6 h5 {He could have saved the B with 28...Bf6, but pressing on with his attack is his best practical chance.} 29. dxe7 hxg4 30. hxg4 Qxg4 31. Nh4 {This time the N defends the g-Pawn and realizing there is no attack, Marthaler resigned, It;s interesting to observe the future this N could have had.} (31. Nh4 f3 32. Qd6 Kh7 (32... fxg2 33. Qh6# ) 33. Qd1 Nf6 (33... fxg2 34. Qxg4 Rxg4 35. e8=Q) 34. Qxf3 Qxf3 35. Nxf3 Bh3 36. Ne1 {Again the N shows its versatility by defending g2!} Bd7 37. Rb7 Be8 38. Nf3 {Back again this time headed for more verdant pastures.} Ng4 39. Nd5 Kg7 40. Bg3 Kf7 41. Bxe5 Bc6 42. Rc7 Ba4 43. Bd4 Rb8 44. Bb6 Bb3 45. Ng5+ { Its defensive days are over and the N become an attacker.} Kg6 (45... Ke8 46. Ne6 Bxd5 47. Ng7+ Kf7 48. e8=Q+ Kf6 49. Qh5 Be6 50. Bd4+ Ne5 51. Bxe5#) 46. Rc6+ Kxg5 {The N has sacrificed itself for a mate in 11.} 47. Bd8 Bxd5 48. e8=Q+ Kf4 49. Qf8+ Kxe4 50. Qf3+ Ke5 51. Bc7+ Kd4 52. Qxg4+ Be4 53. Bxb8 Ke3 54. Ba7+ Kd2 55. Qxe4 a5 56. Qd4+ Ke2 57. Re6#) 1-0