A Bisguier Roller Coaster Ride

     Who can forget 1958? I became a teenager and the US was suffering a big recession with unemployment soaring to over 7 percent. Our household was unaffected though because my dad, a foreman on the B&O railroad, remained employed. At the same time, inflation dipped below 2 percent so those who were working and earning the average wages of $3,851 per year were quite well off,

     Cars kept getting bigger and heavier with larger engines, but imports continued to grow with Datsun and Toyota from Japan being the leaders. The US launched its first satellite down in Cape Canaveral, Florida. In August, the Navy's USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, successfully creeped under the North Pole in the first undersea journey to the geographic North Pole. The submarine began its trip at Point Barrow, Alaska and traveled under the Arctic ice cap at a depth of about 500 feet for over 1,000 miles. 

     If you watched television seven of the top ten programs were Westerns: Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Rifleman, Maverick, Tales of Wells Fargo and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. The non-Westerns were The Danny Thomas Show, The Real McCoys and I've Got a Secret. 

     In May, 1958, 15-year old US Champion Bobby Fischer appeared on I've Got a Secret and stumped the panel when they couldn't guess what he was famous for. When asked if what he did made people happy, Fischer responded that it made him happy and when asked how long he had been playing chess, Fischer replied that he had been playing since he was six, but didn't start playing seriously until age 9. In September, 1958, Fischer became the youngest GM in the world. 

     In other chess news Raymond Weinstein won the US Junior championship. Charles Kalme, a University of Pennsylvania freshman, won the Intercollegiate Championship. The US Open was held in Rochester, New York and was won by Cuban Champion Eldis Cobo Arteaga who finished a half point ahead of Larry Evans and Robert Steinmeyer. 

     In a long forgotten tournament down in Bogota, Columbia that was won by Argentina's Oscar Panno, two US players participated: William Lombardy and Arthur Bisguier. 

     Lombardy (1937-2017) won the 1954 New York State Championship and in 1956 he tied for first with Larry Evans at the Canadian Open Championship. The same year he narrowly lost a match to Reshevsky (2.5-3.5) and played second board for the World Student Team Championship in Uppsala, Sweden where he went undefeated. In 1957, Lombardy became the first American to win the World Junior Chess Championship when he scored 11-0 in Toronto. Besides finishing in second place in Bogata, later in the year Lombardy also went undefeated (11-4) and finished in second place in the Mar del Plata. 

     As for former US Champion Arthur Bisguier, he had been in poor form having tied for tenth in the last US championship where he lost seven games. In Bogota, although he only tied for 7th place his play was hardly disappointing as he played some interesting tactical chess and was rewarded with some nice wins. 

 

     In the following game played against Walter Ader Hausman of Chile, Bisguier obtained a decisive advantage right in the opening but then threw it clean away. However, in the tactical melee that followed Bisguier managed to maintain the upper hand by a hair and brought a thrilling game to a neat conclusion.

Arthur Bisguier - Walter Ader Hausman

Result: 1-0

Site: Bogota

Date: 1958

Pirc Defense

[...] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 ♘f6 3.♘c3 g6 4.♗g5 ♗g7 5.f4 Throughout his career Bisguier was fond of this type of P-formation because it generally lends itself to an attacking game. In any case, 5...O-O, 5...c6 or 5...h6 would have been better. 5...c5 William Lombardy considered this to be the losing move even though it takes accurate play on white's part to demonstrate it. 6.e5 According to Lombardy this is the refutation of black's opening play. Indeed, black has farted quite poorly in this line. Also, black has not done well againt the alternative 6.d5 either which demonstrates how poor black's position really is. 6...♘g4 Practice has shown that no N move is satisfactory nor is 6...dxe5 .

6...cxd4 is relatively best. 7.exf6 exf6 8.♕xd4 ♕e7 9.♘ce2 ♘c6 10.♕c3 O-O 11.♗h4 and white has the advantage. Yakovich,Y (2525) -Chabanon,J (2415)/Oviedo rapid 1993

7.♗b5 After this black has no really good move. 7...♘c6 Even though this loses a piece in practice it's no better or worse than the alternatives! (7...♗d7 8.♕xg4 cxd4 9.♗xd7 ♘xd7 10.e6 is good for white.)

7...♔f8 8.dxc5 h6 9.♗h4 a6 10.♗a4 and here, too, black is in poor shape.

8.d5

8.dxc5 is unsatisfactory. 8...dxe5 9.♕xd8 ♔xd8 10.O-O-O and black is equal. Gusev,Y-Chepukaitis,G/Kharkov 1967/USSR Chp

8...a6 9.dxc6! When he played 7...Nc6 black may have been thinking white had to play 9.Bh4. (9.♗a4 b5 10.dxc6 bxa4 but here, too, white is slightly better. )

9.♗e2 works out well for black after. 9...♘e3 10.♕d2 ♘d4 11.♗d3 ♘df5

9...axb5 10.cxb7 Here's the problem...black has to abandon the defense of his N. 10...♗xb7 11.♕xg4 Lombardy stated that black can resign here, but the beauty of chess is that you can play without any money in the bank. It's interesting that although black is a full piece down, Komodo evaluates the position as only one P in white's favor, so it would appear that Ader was justified in playing on a bit. Also, as the game progresses, it's clear that a white win is not yet automatic. 11...b4 12.♘ce2 A wee bit of a slip. 12.Nd1 and Nd3 would have been safer abd offered black zero counterplay. Komodo puts white's advantage as just half a P! 12...dxe5 13.fxe5 ♗xe5 14.c3 Oh, no! Bisguier has permitted himself to get involved in unnecessary tactics. Now the chances are even! Either 14.O-O or 14.Rd1 would have been better. 14...f5 Being a piece down black can't waste time...he has to go all out for an attack. 15.♕h3 ♕a5 Continuing his aggressive play, but taking on c3 at once was even better. (15...bxc3 16.♘xc3 ♕b6 17.♘ge2 ♗d4 with equal chances.) 16.♗d2

16.♕e3 attacking the b-Pawn and the B on e5 plus eyeing e7 would have put white back in control. 16...♗xg2 17.♕xe5 O-O 18.♘g3 and white is much better.

16...O-O-O 17.♘f3 ♖d3 Black appears to have some real counterplay here, but the fact remains that he is a piece down. The question is whether white can avoid making any more slips. 18.cxb4 cxb4 19.♕h4 ♖hd8 After a series of small, but imprecise moves, by black, white is now back in the driver's seat with, according to Komodo, a three P advantage.

19...♗xf3 offered a better chance. After 20.♕c4 ♔b8 21.♕xd3 ♗xg2 22.♖g1 ♗b7 23.♕b3 ♖c8 24.♗xb4 ♕c7 white's winning here also, but black can try advancing his gob of Ps on the K-side.

20.♗xb4

20.♘xe5 was more clear. Bisguier is, as usual, trying to be ingenious. 20...♕xe5 21.♕c4 ♕c7 22.♕xc7 ♔xc7 23.♗xb4

20...♕d5 21.♖c1 ♔b8 22.O-O ♗xb2 23.♘f4 This is more clear than taking the e-Pawn. (23.♗xe7 ♗xc1 24.♘xc1 ♖d1 25.♗xd8 ♕c5 26.♕f2 ♖xf1 27.♔xf1 ♕xc1 28.♘e1)

23.♖c2 This is probably the simplest reply. 23...♗f6 24.♕f2 ♖d1 25.♖xd1 ♕xd1 26.♘e1 with a technical win.

23...g5 This violent move is quite trappy...very nice! The complications are enormous. 24.♕f2 A poor move.

24.♘xg5 ♕d4 25.♕f2 ♕xf2 26.♔xf2 ♗d4 27.♔e1 ♖e3 28.♘e2 ♗a6 29.♖c2 ♖c8 30.♖xc8 ♔xc8 31.♖xf5 ♖xe2 and black is a little better.

(24.♕xg5 ♗xc1 25.♖xc1 ♖d1 and black has equalized.)

24.♘xd5 This is best. 24...gxh4 25.♖b1 ♖xf3 26.gxf3 ♗d4 27.♔g2 ♖xd5 28.♗xe7 with a difficult position, but one that is, or should be, in white's favor.

24...♖xf3 Suddenly black has re-entered the game! 25.gxf3

25.♘xd5 This isn't so ggod now as after 25...♖xf2 26.♔xf2 ♗xc1 27.♘xe7 ♗d2 28.♗xd2 ♖xd2 29.♔e3 ♖xg2 30.♖xf5 ♖xa2 nobody is going to win.

25.♕xf3 is bad on account of 25...♕d4 26.♕f2 ♕xb4 27.♖b1 ♖d2 with the advantage.

25.♕xb2 is also insufficient. 25...♖xf1 26.♖xf1 gxf4 with equal chances.

25...gxf4 26.♗d6 The only chance to win.

26.♕xb2 isn't playable. 26...♖g8 27.♔f2 ♕xf3 with excellent chances. 28.♔e1 ♕e4 29.♔d1 ♖g2 30.♕h8 ♔a7 31.♗c5 ♔a6 and white is in real danger of losing.

26...♔a8 Another miscue!

26...♖xd6 is better. After 27.♕xb2 ♔a8 28.♕b3 ♕d2 black can still put up tough resistance.

27.♖cd1 Technically white is winning, but in practice it's still possible for anything to happen. Black has several plausible moves here: 27...Qg8+ (best by a slight bit), 27...Qe6, 27... Qc6, 27...Qb5 and 27...Qxf3, 27...♕c6 Bisguier's next move is an inaccuracy lets his opponent back in the game. 28.♗xf4

28.♗xe7 is much beter. Then after 28...♖e8 29.♖d8 ♖xd8 30.♗xd8 ♗e5 White wins this game as verifies by Stockfish winning 5 Shootout games, but they were long (another 30+ moves) and a bit tricky. For humans, it would (I think) still require careful play on white's part.

28...♖g8 Black can't afford to exchange Rs because white's passed a-Pawn would then make itself felt. 29.♔h1 e5 30.h4 Bisguier has managed to free himself of mating threats on the long diagonal, but at the cost of allowing black to equalize...yet again!

30.♖b1 is best. A likely continuation might be 30...♗c3 31.♖b6 ♕a4 32.♗e3 ♕c4

32...♗d5 33.♖fb1 and wins. 33...♕xa2??34.♕xa2 ♗xa2 35.♖a6#

33.♖fb1 ♖g7 34.♖6b3 and black is facing too many threats .

30...♕a4 31.♖g1

31.♕xb2 is impossible because of the following mating combination 31...♗xf3 Mate attack 32.♖xf3 ♕xd1 33.♔h2 ♕g1 34.♔h3 ♕g4 35.♔h2 ♕xh4 36.♖h3 ♕xf4 37.♖g3 ♕xg3 38.♔h1 ♕g1#

31...♖c8 32.♗e3 f4 33.♗b6

33.♕xb2 still loses. 33...♗xf3 34.♔h2 fxe3 35.♔h3 ♗xd1 36.♕g2 e4 and black wins.

33...♕a3 Reasonable; it attacks two Ps.

33...♗c3 This move saves the game. Black intends to advance his e-Pawn which would be very annoying for white. 34.♖c1 e4 35.♖g4 (35.fxe4 ♕xe4 36.♔h2 f3 with equal chances.) 35...exf3

34.♔h2 With this move Bisguier prepares for ...e4. 34...♗xf3 Falling for a cheapo...a tragedy.

34...e4 is best, but after 35.fxe4 ♗e5 (35...♗xe4 36.♖g5 ♗c6 37.♖a5 wins.) 36.♖g5 ♕e7 37.♗d4 ♗c7 38.♕f3 white has avoided disaster and can now concentrate on coming up with a winning plan one that likely involves his a-Pawn. Note that the e-Pawn is immune. If 38...Qxf3 39.Qa3+ leads to mate. If 38...Bxe4 white plays his Q to c4 vis b3 and threatens mate. 38...♗xe4 39.♕b3 ♗c6 40.♕c4

35.♖b1 After this black loses his B on b2 and he will be a R down.

35.♖b1 ♗d4 (35...♗e4 36.♖xb2 and black is a R down.) 36.♗xd4 exd4 37.♖b3

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Keres Contriturates Alekhine

     Paul Keres (January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s. In 1935 reports about the 19-year old Keres began showing up in chess magazines all around the world. His games displayed originality and his genius was best seen in the middlegame which were rife with unexpected and sparkling combinations. 

     Already by 1937 he had won a number of important tournaments and in early April when ten masters, including Keres, the world champion Alexander Alekhine and potential his challenger, Reuben Fine, participated in a tournament at the seaside resort in Margate, England, it promised to be an interesting event. 

     It was expected that the tournament would be a contest among Alekhine, Fine and Keres. Indeed, as they were facing the lower ranked players first it was expected they would all start 4-0, but in the second round Alekhine lost to one of the tailenders, Victor Berger, who scored the win in a game that was filled with multiple mutual blunders in time pressure. 

     The virtually unknown Victor Berger (1904-1996) was also known as Victor Buerger. He was born in Nikolaev, Ukraine and at some point emigrated to Great Britain, probably in the early 1920s as that's when he began showing up in crosstables in English events. He is listed on Chessmetrics' rating list from 1927 to 1939 with a high rating of 2549 in 1929. That may not look too high by today's standards, but at the time it put him in the world's top fifty. 

     The game with Berger was adjourned and Alekhine stepped out for an adult beverage and upon returning he resigned stating, "The next seven rounds will show if I can afford to give an extra point to Fine." He couldn't because both Keres and Fine were unbeatable and Alekhine suffered losses to both of them as well. 

     Fine and Keres lead all the way and they faced each other in the last round. The game, which was full of mutual mistakes, was eventually drawn resulting in a first place tie. Keres was critical of himself, claiming, "I felt that I still lacked the necessary endgame technique.” 

     The Czech magazine Sachovy Tyden (Chess Week) wrote that the extraordinary tactical ability of Keres left a deep impression on everybody and added that considering the fact that he was only 21 years old, he was destined for future fame. The magazine added that the only factor that spoke against him was his modesty. After all, according to the magazine, "No player with aspirations of becoming a World Champion has ever been known for this characteristic." 

    In 1937 Keres was so successful that he was being compared to Morphy. The comparison was due mostly because his style contrasted so sharply to top players of the day like Reuben Fine and Salo Flohr who Soviet master, author and teacher Peter Romanovsky claimed had no particular style or preferences. i.e. they were extremely boring players. 

     Keres was the exception to this non-style. Sachovy Tyden gushed about how he was the most admirable phenomenon in chess at the moment and in the year and a half he had been on the international scene he had produced a quantity of brilliant games that few could manage in a lifetime. They prophesied that in the future the name Paul Keres would be "written into the history of chess with golden letters." At the same time they declared that only Keres could play the way he did where "everything appears to be hanging by a thread, yet despite appearances every eventuality has been accounted for." While Keres never obtained the title World Champion with his style, another player who played in a similar style did if only briefly...Mikhail Tal. 

     Besides the aforementioned Berger, another player not too well known, but one who deserves to be, was the Czech player IM Jan Foltys (1908-1952). In the mid-1940s Chessmetrics estimates his rating to be 2653 putting him in the world's top 20 with players with the likes of Ragozin, Flohr, Lilienthal and Szabo. In 1951 he qualified at Marianske Lazne for the 1952 Interzonal in Stockholm, but died of leukemia at Ostrava before it took place. 

     Trying to pick a "best" game by Keres is impossible because he played so many, but when he beat Alekhine at Margate, you just know it had to be a great game. Keres kept up the pressure from the beginning and under the strain of constant defense Alekhine totally collapsed.

Paul Keres - Alexander Alekhine

Result: 1-0

Site: Margate

Date: 1937.04.07

Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense Deferred

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 a6 4.♗a4 d6 The Steinitz Defence Deferred is an interesting and still relatively unexplored system. Apparently passive, yet extremely solid and quite flexible, it has survived the test of time since the days of players like Janowski, Schlechter, Capablanca, Alekhine, Keres, Smyslov and others who have all used it successfully. 5.c4 The defense played by Alekhine was one of his favorites and he achieved some notable successes with it. As a result, Keres decided to try this seldom played move even though he knew that positionally it's not as good as the ususal 5.c3. Today it's known as the Duras System after Oldrich Duras, a Czech master from the early 20th century who played it almost exclusively. The idea is that white shuts down black's active possibilities such as ...d7-d5 and ...b7-b5 at a cost of weakening d4 square. However, due to the pin on the N the game takes on a positional, maneuvering character. 5...♗d7 6.♘c3 g6 This is the line that Alekhine often used on the occasions he faced 5.c4. Usual is 6...Bg4 and then maneuver the N on g8 to c5. 7.d4 ♗g7 Theoretically this move is regarded as somewhat inferior to the immediate 7...exd4.

7...exd4 8.♘xd4 ♗g7 9.♘xc6 bxc6 10.O-O ♘e7 This is wrong; black should play 10...Nf6. 11.c5 with the advantage to white. Boleslavsky-Fine, USSR-USA Radio Match 1945.

8.♗e3

8.♗g5 f6 9.♗e3 ♘h6 Often seen, but inferior to capturing twice on d4. 10.dxe5 fxe5 11.c5 Jobava,B (2721)-Lomsadze,D (2345)/Tbilisi 2012 and white was better.

8.d5 ♘ce7 9.♗xd7 ♕xd7 10.O-O with equality. Aldama Degurnay,D (2385)-Li,R (2571) /Philadelphia, 2017.

8...♘f6 Keres considered this an inaccuracy and believed black should either play 8...Nge7 or possibly exchange on d4. 9.dxe5 dxe5

9...♘xe5 Keres considered this better because black gains space for his pieces. 10.♘xe5 dxe5 11.♗c5 ♗xa4 12.♕xa4 ♕d7 13.♕c2 is equal. Florian,J-Saemisch,F/Prague 1943

10.♗c5 Preventing black from castling and at the same time making it difficult for him to generate any counterplay. 10...♘h5? (10...♗f8!?11.♗xf8 ♔xf8 12.♗xc6 ♗xc6±) 11.♘d5 Keres' move prevents black from playing his intended ...Nd4

11.♕b3!? makes it even easier for White 11...b5 12.cxb5+⁠−

11...♘f4

11...b6 12.♗a3 ♘d4 13.♘xd4 exd4 14.g4 Keres

14.O-O This is better. 14...c6 15.♖e1 b5 16.♗b3 with an excellent position.

14...c6 (14...♘f6 This loses to 15.♗e7 wins.) 15.♗xc6 ♗xc6 16.gxh5 and white is slightly better.

12.♘xf4 exf4 13.e5 The move 13.O-O, originally recommended by Lajos Steiner, allows white to keep a slight opening advantage. At the time Keres was concerned about ... Qf6 and so after long thought decided on this move which he considered a promising P sacrifice. While not technically correct white gets good practical chances because, as Keres stated, in a tournament game exact analysis of the variations isn't possible because of the limited amount of time available.

13.O-O ♕f6 This move actually holds no danger for white. 14.♗d4 ♘xd4 15.♗xd7 ♔xd7 16.e5

13...g5 Alekhine thought a long time before playing this move and he eventually came to the conclusion that accepting the P was too dangerous. Unfortunately for him, it was the wrong decision and taking the P was the best course.

13...♘xe5 14.♕e2 f6 15.O-O-O and in the post-game analysis both Keres and Alekhine concluded that this line leads to approximate equality. The best continuation is now 15...♗xa4 16.♖xd8 ♖xd8 Black only has a R, B and P for his Q and Komodo evaluates the position as equal. However, in Shootouts using Stockfish white scored +3 -0 =2 in long tedious endings in  Q+2Ps vs R+3Ps endings.

14.♕d5 This fine move puts an end to any hopes Alekhine had of advancing ...g4. 14...♗f8 This is his best move as it relieves some of the pressure on his position, but he can't avoid material loss.

14...g4 loses to 15.O-O-O and if 15...gxf3 16.e6 ♗xb2 17.♔xb2 ♕f6 18.♔c1 ♕xe6 19.♖he1 O-O-O 20.♖xe6 ♗xe6 21.♕xf3

15.♗xf8 ♖xf8 16.O-O-O ♕e7 Best. (16...g4 still fails to 17.e6 ♗xe6 18.♗xc6 bxc6 19.♕xc6)

16...h6 results in a lost ending. 17.e6 fxe6 18.♕d3 ♕e7 19.♕g6 ♕f7 20.♕xh6 O-O-O 21.♗xc6 ♗xc6 22.♘xg5

17.♗xc6 In order to keep his attack alive Keres wisely avoids taking the g-Pawn.

17.♘xg5 O-O-O (17...♕xg5 18.♕xd7#) 18.♘e4 ♗f5 19.♘d6 cxd6 20.♗xc6 dxe5 and black has actually gained the advantage.

17...♗xc6 18.♕d3 ♗d7 It's essential for black to defend his K so once again Alekhine offers a P. (18...♗xf3 19.♕xf3 c6 20.♖d6 and the ending is in white's favor.)

18...♖d8 is the best defense, but in his notes Keres didn't mention it. 19.♕c2 h6 20.♘d4 ♗xg2 21.♖he1 ♗h3 and after doubling Rs on the d-file white will have a slight advantage.

19.♘xg5 Obviously the N cannot be taken because of Qxd7 mate. White could have taken the h-Pawn, but he is not interested in putting his Q out of play.

19.♕xh7 O-O-O 20.h3 ♖h8 21.♕d3 g4 22.hxg4 ♖xh1 23.♖xh1 ♗xg4 and black has equalized.

19...O-O-O Once again Keres plays it safe and avoids the risks involved in taking the h-Pawn. 20.♘f3

20.♘xh7 ♗g4 21.♕a3 Otherwise it's black who ends up slightly better. 21...♖xd1 22.♖xd1 ♕xa3 23.bxa3 ♖h8 (23...♗xd1 loses 24.♘xf8 ♗e2 25.e6 fxe6 26.♘xe6 ♔d7 27.♘xf4 ♗xc4) 24.f3 ♖xh7 25.fxg4 ♖xh2 26.♖d4 ♖xg2 27.♖xf4 with an even ending.

20...f6 Keres gave this a ! stating that it gets rid of his doubled P, opens up the position and gains black more freedom for his pieces to the point that he even gets a little counterplay. That may be a bit over optimistic an assessment though as even here black had several reasonable moves that keep his chances alive.

20...♗h3 21.♕xh7 ♗xg2 22.♖he1 ♗xf3 23.♕h3 ♕e6 24.♕xf3 ♕xc4 is roughly equal.

(20...♖g8 21.♕xh7 ♖xg2 22.♖d2 ♗g4 is also about equal.)

20...♗e6 21.♕xh7 ♗xc4 22.♖xd8 ♖xd8 is a bit more complicated, but with correct play black should hold his own.

21.exf6 ♖xf6 After this Alekhine gets into serious trouble. By far his best move was recapturing with the Q.

21...♕xf6 22.♕d4 This is, according to Keres and the engines, better than taking any risks by capturing the h-Pawn and it was the move Keres, who was somewhat short of time, said he would have played. On the other hand, Alekhine was more afraid of 22.Qxh7. 22...♕xd4 23.♖xd4 and thanks to his P majority on the K-side white has some slight winning chances.

22.♖he1 In spite of Keres' excellent play thus far the game is still far from won if black continues to put up manly resistance. As it turns out, Alekhine makes a rare gross tactical blunder. 22...♕b4 Losing outright.

22...♗e6 23.♕xd8 ♕xd8 24.♖xd8 ♔xd8 25.b3 b5 with a difficult ending where white is a P up and prevailed in five Shootouts without any serious difficulties.

23.♕xd7 Mate attack!

23.♕xd7 ♔b8 24.♕xd8 ♔a7 25.♕xf6 ♕xc4 26.♕c3 ♕xc3 27.bxc3 ♔b6 28.♖e7 ♔c6 29.♖dd7 a5 30.♖xc7 ♔b5 31.♖xb7 ♔c4 32.♖e5 ♔xc3 33.♖d7 a4 34.♖d4 a3 35.♖c5#

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