Over a period of several years Larsen won a dozen strong tournaments, played seven Candidates matches and…won two matches for third place in the Candidates cycle. His enormous talent together with his inexhaustible optimism generated a specific, inimitable style. This style incorporated the features of Nimzovitch and Bogolyubov, while Euwe subtly characterized Larsen as a romantic strategist.” Born on March 5, 1935 in Denmark, Larsen, who had diabetes, passed away last Sept. 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he had lived with his Argentinean wife since the early 1970s.
For a long time, says the Daily Telegraph obituary, “he was ranked number three in the world, delighting aficionados with his imaginative and often risky play. He once observed: ‘To win, it is necessary to accept lost positions.’ Larsen’s misfortune was to find the peak of his career coincident with that of Bobby Fischer. In the 1971 semifinals of the world championships, Larsen was put to the sword by the American, who won 6-0 and went on to win the title in the following year.” Larsen blamed the heat in Denver for this catastrophe. “But it is more likely that Larsen was a victim of his own irrepressible desire to win. He usually refused draws, fighting for victory in almost any circumstance. After the first two defeats, almost any other player would have tried to steady himself — but not Larsen.”
His forte “was probably in tournaments, in which competitors usually meet one another only once, putting a premium on the style of play at which the Dane excelled — experimental openings and variations designed to throw the other player off his stride (he pioneered, for example, what became known as Larsen’s Opening, or the Nimzo-Larsen Attack). Between 1967 and 1970 Larsen was regarded as the strongest tournament player in the West, winning eight of the nine top-level tournaments that he entered and finishing second in the other.” In 1967, he was awarded the first Chess Oscar.
“In the USSR vs. the Rest of the World match held in Belgrade in 1970, he played first board for the Rest of the World side, ahead of Fischer, and scored 2.5/4 against Boris Spassky and Leonid Stein. The following year Larsen was ranked third in the world, with Viktor Korchnoi, behind Fischer and Spassky.”
Czech-American GM Lubomir Kavalek, who beautifully annotated our featured partie, described the Dane as “the ultimate chess battler, always interested in wins and first places. Sometimes he reached too far, but it never stopped him from reaching again. He played with enormous energy and great fighting spirit. Offering him a draw was a waste of time. He would decline it politely, but firmly. ‘No, thank you,’ he would say and the fight would go on and on and on. Larsen strived in both simple and rich positions, did not shy of complications and it was an honor to play against him. He had deep knowledge of the game and was always ready to go where nobody else dared to tread. He created several original opening ideas, often shocking his opponents with risky and unusual moves in the middle game and scoring many points by grinding down players in long endgames.”
From 1963 till 1986, Kavalek added, “we played 30 games against each other all over the world [+17 -5 =8 in Larsen’s favor]. It was always a pleasure to meet him at the bridge or chess table. We laughed together, drank together and I loved to listen to his countless stories. Bent was also an outstanding, witty chess writer. He will be missed. In a double-round tournament in 1970 in Lugano, Switzerland, Larsen destroyed me in both games and on the back of the picture from our first game he wrote: ‘With best wishes to Lubos, who allowed me twice to believe in chess beauty.’ ”
Game of the week. Larsen considered this as one of his best.
White: B. Larsen
Black: L. Kavalek
Larsen Opening
Lugano 1970
1.b3The Larsen opening. Bent played it successfully, but all his efforts were overshadowed by his famous defeat against Spassky in 17 moves at the match USSR vs. Rest of the World in Belgrade. It began 10 days after Lugano finished. 1…c52.Bb2Nc63.c4e54.g3d65.Bg2Nge76.e3g6[6…d5 is a good move. Kavalek tries to transfer the game into a known position from the English opening. — Larsen] 7.Ne2[7.Nc3 was best with the idea 7…Bg78.d3 to meet 8…Be69.Nd5 with — Larsen] 7…Bg78.Nbc30-0[Better was 8…Be6, e.g. 9.Nd5?!Bxd510.cxd5Nb4 — Larsen] 9.d3Be610.Nd5Qd711.h4!Larsen’s trademark — a rook pawn move. Here it prevents 11…Bh3. 11…f5Stopping white’s advance with 11…h5 was better. 12.Qd2Rae8Larsen thought that 12…Rab8!? gave black more chances for a counterplay on the queenside. 13.h5b514.hxg6hxg615.Nec3bxc416.dxc4e417.0-0-0Ne518.Nf4Rd8[After 18…g5?19.Nxe6Nd3+ Larsen planned the exciting 20.Qxd3!exd321.Nxg7Kxg722.Nd5+Kg623.Bf3!! white is winning.] 19.Kb1I thought here for 16 minutes about the sacrifice 19…Bxc4! and left myself with only 12 minutes for 21 moves. It is remarkable, since the time control in those days was 40 moves in 2 1/2 hours. What was I doing for the first 19 moves? 19…Bf7?![Chickening out, although my instinct told me that the bishop sacrifice is the right thing to do. Larsen did not think much of it, saying that after 19…Bxc420.bxc4Nxc421.Qe2 black does not have anything. However, Gavril Veresov, a Belorussian master, later provided splendid analysis, confirming that black’s attack was indeed very powerful after 21…Nxb222.Kxb2Qa4! and suddenly a disaster is looming on the long diagonal a1-h8 after 23.Qd2(23.Qc2?Rb8+24.Kc1Qa3+25.Kd2Rb2 ) 23…Rb8+24.Ka1Qa3!25.Rc1d5!! and white has a hard time coping with black’s threat to push his d-pawn. 26.Bf1(26.Nfxd5?!Nxd527.Qxd5+Rf728.Qd2Rd7!29.Qc2Rd3-+ ; Black has to be more creative after 26.Ne6with 26…Bf6!!27.Nxf8Kxf828.Rc2 (28.Qc2c429.Qd2Rb3-+ ) 28…Rb329.Rhc1Nc6 threatening 30…Nb4, and after 30.Qxd5Bxc3+31.Rxc3Qb2# ) 26…Rb4!(Less spectacular, but very effective is 26…Rf627.Nfxd5Nxd528.Qxd5+Kf829.Bb5Rfb630.Qd2Be5!threatening 31…Rxb5.) 27.Nfxd5(27.Ne6Rfb828.Nxg7Rb229.Rc2Qxa2+30.Nxa2Rb1# ) 27…Rd8!!(Veresov suggested only 27…Qxc1+28.Qxc1Nxd5which is not as clear after 29.a3 ) 28.Nxe7+Kf729.Ned5(29.Qc2Bxc3+30.Qxc3Qxc3+31.Rxc3Rd1+32.Rc1Rxc1# ) 29…Kf8!! and amazingly, white does not have a good defense to 30…Rxd5!, for example 30.Be2Rxd531.Qc2Rd3!32.Bxd3exd333.Qd2Rb3 and there is no defense to 34…Rxc3 winning.] 20.g4!In his book “Studies for Practical Players,” published by Russell Enterprises, the outstanding Russian chess composer Oleg Pervakov writes:” White has opened the h-file, and taken aim at the black king. It would be nice to push the queen over to h2 — but how? The d2-e1-g1-h2 route is pretty long and would grant Black time to whip up counterplay on the queenside. Larsen finds a cardinal solution to the problem.” And indeed, Larsen’s line-clearing on the second rank is remarkable. 20…Nxg4[Now after 20…Bxc4 white plays 21.gxf5 and his attack is faster.] 21.f3!exf322.Bxf3Ne5[Larsen claims correctly that after 22…Nf623.Qh2Rfe824.Nb5Nc825.Bxf6Bxf626.Qh7+Kf827.Bd5 white wins quickly, e.g. 27…g528.Ng6+Bxg629.Qg8+Ke730.Rh7+Bxh731.Qf7#] 23.Qh2Bxc4!?[23…Rfe824.Nb5Nc825.Qh7+Kf826.Bd5 threatening 27.Nxg6+, white wins.] 24.bxc4Nxf325.Qh7+Kf726.Ncd5Rg827.Nxe7Rb828.Ka1[28.Kc1won less brilliantly, e.g. 28…Qxe729.Qxg6+Kf830.Bxg7+Qxg731.Ne6+] 28…Qxe729.Qxg6+Kf830.Ne6+Qxe631.Bxg7+![Sidestepping the last trick 31.Qxe6Bxb2+32.Kb1Ba3+33.Ka1(33.Kc2Rg2+34.Kd3Ne5+-+ ) 33…Bb2+ and black draws.] 31…Ke7Almost escaping, but Larsen nails down a magnificent finish. 32.Bf8+!Rbxf833.Rh7+[33.Rh7+Rf734.Rxf7+Qxf735.Qxd6+Ke836.Qd8# ] 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Qa1, Nd5, Bg5, Kh7
Black: Ke5
White to play and mate in three.
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