No matter how much you think deep…he will ‘smell’ any kind of danger 20 moves before!” In a 1960 interview, Fischer noted that although Botvinnik, Tal and Spassky were “among the best,” Petrosian was “better than all of them.” Another chess legend, Soviet GM Lev Polugaevsky, said: “In those years, it was easier to win the Soviet Championship than a game against ‘Iron Tigran.’ ”
There was one player though who could go toe to toe with the ninth world champion: the Yugoslav/Serbian superstar Svetozar Gligoric. Born in 1923, Gligoric is a 12-time champion of Yugoslavia when it was considered the second strongest chess playing nation in the world. He was one of the planet’s top 10 players during the 1950s and 1960s and was considered a “dangerous” opponent by the Soviets. An openings theorist and a lucid commentator and writer, Gligo recently celebrated his 88th birthday.
Against Petrosian, Gligo’s lifetime score was a not too shabby +7 -10 =10. It was the Yugoslav GM who first inflicted a defeat on Petrosian after the Armenian won the world title from Botvinnik in 1963. Gligo’s style of play, according to GM Lubosh Kavalek, was “classical: he cherished a strong pawn center, a pair of bishops and did not like to play passively…. He didn’t believe in psychological warfare in chess. ‘I play against pieces,’ he said simply and made it the title of his biography.”
Game of the week. Kavalek annotates one of Gligoric’s most famous games — a victor against Petrosian at the great “Tournament of Peace” in Zagreb four decades ago. It’s a battle royale between an irresistible force and an immovable object.
White: T. Petrosian
Black: S. Gligoric
King’s Indian Defense
Zagreb 1970
1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 [The Bayonet Attack was the main reason why even the most stubborn King’s Indian players gave up on the defense. Gligoric’s legacy is the incredibly effective kingside set-up in the The Mar del Plata variation 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3. It premiered in the Argentinean resort in 1953 and it is still on fire more than a half century later.] 9…Nh5 10.Nd2 [Up to the present game Petrosian kept this idea secret. It was usual to play 10.g3 ,taking the f4 square away from the black knight, but it costs white a tempo and weakens the kingside. For example 10… 10…f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.f3 h6 13.Ne6 Bxe6 14.dxe6 f4 15.b5 fxg3 16.hxg3 Qc8! 17.Nd5 Qxe6 18.Nxc7 Qh3= threatening perpetual check, Pachman-Taimanov 1964. Petrosian’s move increases the queenside pressure in extra-quick time. Black is no longer able to block the queenside, as after 9.Nd2 c5, so white’s king’s knight can play an important role there. — Gligoric; 10.Re1 became popular 25 years later and it is still the main line.] 10…Nf4 The knight is strongly placed on this square but it can’t stay there forever. Petrosian’s idea is based on the assessment that black has spent two moves on this maneuver and the knight is standing in the way of the black kingside pawn mass. — Gligoric 11.a4 [The bishop can’t immediately run away to f3: 11.Bf3 because of 11… 11…Nd3 12.Ba3 a5! and white’s dark bishop has no good place to hide. — Gligoric] 11…f5 At this moment I had the feeling that I was in grave danger of being outplayed on the queenside so all my moves were motivated by my hurry to carry out a counter-action that would neutralize white’s initiative. — Gligoric [Perhaps the simple 11…Nxe2+ was also playable, clearing the way for the black pawns.] 12.Bf3 [Until here black has been fighting in the dark, not knowing exactly the essence of white’s plan, and his last move came as a small psychological shock that lasted some five minutes. Should I have taken the light bishop earlier? Because now it is too late. After 12.c5 I wanted to reduce white’s menacing pressure by playing 12… 12…fxe4 (12…Nxe2+ ) 13.Ndxe4 Nf5 — Gligoric] 12…g5! [After the initial surprise, black spent 20 minutes searching for the best solution at this critical moment of the battle. The move played, threatening 13…g4, is probably the only sound solution. Black weakens his light squares, but speeds up his action on the kingside, which is important to maintain balance. 12…Nd3? 13.Ba3 the dark bishop is active, safely hidden behind the a-pawn, which was the idea of white’s previous move. After 13… 13…a5 14.bxa5 [White is better] ; The variation 12…fxe4 13.Ndxe4 Nf5 14.g3 was much slower than the move I played. — Gligoric] 13.exf5 Nxf5 Threatening 14…Nh4. 14.g3 [14.Nde4 Nh4 ; 14.Be4] 14…Nd4! The knight sacrifice seemed to me the only good reaction at this point. It is a positionally active continuation and it should solve the problem of maintaining the balance. After 14…Ng6 the black pieces would be pushed back and white would not only have a spacial advantage but also superiority on the light squares. — Gligoric 15.gxf4 [Petrosian has to accept the sacrifice because after 15.Bg4 Bxg4 16.Qxg4 h5 17.Qd1 Nh3+ 18.Kg2 g4 19.f3 Qd7 black is better.] 15…Nxf3+ [Removing one of the defenders seems more logical than 15…exf4] 16.Qxf3?! [Gligoric thought that 16.Nxf3!? was more cautious. It was the right move. Black has to juggle with 16… 16…g4!? 17.Nd2 exf4 18.Nde4 Bf5!? 19.Ra3 Qe8! 20.f3 Qg6 21.Kh1 (21.Bxf4 gxf3+ 22.Ng3 Bg4 23.Qd2 Rae8 [Black is slightly better] ) 21…Rae8 22.Rg1 Rxe4! (22…g3 23.Bxf4 Bxe4 24.Nxe4 Rxf4 25.Rxg3 Qh6 26.Ra2 Kf8 27.Rag2 Be5 28.Qc1 [White is better] ) 23.Nxe4 Bxe4 24.Rg2 (24.fxe4? Qxe4+ 25.Rg2 f3 26.Rf2 Bd4 [Black is better] ) 24…Bf5 25.Bxf4 h5 hoping to survive.] 16…g4 17.Qh1? A strange decision. Petrosian burries his queen in the corner, limiting his own king. The Armenian grandmaster was known to predict danger many moves ahead, but I am not sure he was such a great defender once his opponent got his attack rolling. [Gligoric expected 17.Qd3 and hoped to keep equality with 17… 17…Bf5 for example 18.Nde4 (18.Nce4 exf4 19.Rb1 f3 20.Bb2 Qh4 with compensation, for example 21.Kh1 (21.Bxg7? Qh3-+; 21.Rfe1!? Bxb2 22.Rxb2 Rae8 23.Qf1 Qh6 24.Re3 (24.Ng3 Bd3 ) 24…Re5 25.Rb1 (25.c5 Bg6= ; 25.Ra2 Bg6 [Black is slightly better] ) 25…Bxe4 26.Rxe4 (26.Nxe4 Rh5-+ ) 26…Qxd2 27.Rxg4+ Kf7 [Black is slightly better] ) 21…Bxb2 22.Rxb2 Rae8 23.Rg1 (23.Rbb1!? Rxe4 24.Nxe4 g3 25.fxg3 Bxe4 26.gxh4 Bxd3 [Black is better] ) 23…Rxe4 24.Nxe4 Re8 25.Qd4 Rxe4 26.Qxa7 Rxc4 with roughly equal chances.) 18…exf4 19.f3 (After 19.Bxf4 Bxe4 20.Qxe4 Bxc3 21.Ra3 Qf6 black is fine.) 19…gxf3! (19…g3 20.Bxf4!+- ) 20.Rxf3 Bxc3 21.Qxc3 Bxe4 22.Rxf4 Qg5+ 23.Qg3 Qxg3+ 24.hxg3= ; 17.Qd1 exf4 18.Nde4 Bf5.] 17…exf4 18.Bb2 [The computer engines prefer to consolidate with 18.Nde4 Bf5 19.Bd2 for example: 19…Qe8 (19…f3 20.Rae1 Qd7 ) 20.h4 (20.h3 Qg6 21.h4 h5 ) 20…Qe5 21.h5 Qd4 22.h6 Be5 23.Rae1 Qxc4 24.Qh4 Kh8 with roughly equal chances.] 18…Bf5 [Black could have locked the white queen immediately with 18…f3 ] 19.Rfe1 f3 20.Nde4 Qh4 Preparing to bring the rook from a8 to the battle, the move also gives an impression that black intends to lock the white queen with Qh4-h3. Petrosian gets nervous and worsens his position. 21.h3? Petrosian tries to free his queen, but he opens his king up to danger. Other moves keep black in charge: [21.Ng3 Bg6 (21…Bd3 22.Rad1 Rfe8 23.Nce4 Bxe4 24.Bxg7 Bc2 ) ; or 21.Nd1 Bxb2 22.Nxb2 Rae8 23.Ng3 Bg6 white is playing without queen and black threatens 24…Qf6.] 21…Be5! It’s over now. Black has a winning attack. 22.Re3 gxh3 23.Qxf3 Bg4! [According to Gligoric, this is more energetic than 23…Bxe4 24.Rxe4 Rxf3 25.Rxh4 Bxc3 26.Bxc3 ) ] 24.Qh1 h2+ 25.Kg2 [25.Kf1 Rf3!-+ ] 25…Qh5! (It took me some time to find this fine maneuver which is the most efficient way of continuing the attack and battle for the light f3 and h3 squares around the white king. White’s reply is forced because he has to protect the f3 square. — Gligoric) 26.Nd2 Bd4!? [Attacking the main defender; the rook protects the third rank — Gligoric. However, 26…Qg5! is swifter, for example 27.Rxe5 (27.Kf1 Qxe3-+ ) 27…Qxd2-+ ] 27.Qe1 [27.Rae1? Bh3+! 28.Rxh3 (28.Kxh2 Rxf2+ 29.Kg1 Rxd2-+ ) 28…Rxf2+ 29.Kg3 Qg5#] 27…Rae8!? [Gligo brings the last piece into battle, but he could have finished the game more efficiently with 27…Bxe3! 28.Qxe3 (28.fxe3 Bh3+ 29.Kh1 Bg2+! 30.Kxg2 h1Q+ 31.Qxh1 Qg4+ 32.Kh2 Rf2+ 33.Qg2 Qxg2# ) 28…Rf3! 29.Nxf3 Qh3+ 30.Kh1 Bxf3+ wins.] 28.Nce4 [After 28.Kh1 comes 28… 28…Rxe3! 29.fxe3 Bf3+ 30.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 31.Kxh2 Be5+ 32.Kg1 Qg4+ 33.Kh1 Qh3+ 34.Kg1 Qh2# ] 28…Bxb2 29.Rg3 Be5 [The straightforward 29…Bxa1! 30.Qxa1 Rxe4! 31.Nxe4 Rf3! 32.Nd2 Rxg3+ 33.fxg3 Qh6 also wins.] 30.Raa3 [After 30.f3 Bxg3 31.Qxg3 Rxe4 32.fxe4 Rf7 33.Rh1 Qh6 34.Nf1 Rg7-+ ] 30…Kh8 31.Kh1 Rg8 32.Qf1 Bxg3 33.Rxg3? Speeds up the end. [33.Nxg3 Qh6-+ ; 33.fxg3 Rgf8 34.Qa1+ Re5-+ ] 33…Rxe4! [33…Rxe4! 34.Nxe4 Bf3+ wins.] 0-1.
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail [email protected].
