ANew York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, July 22, 1962 - Page 80
Chess: Play By Champions
These days the average expert knows as much about theoretical chess strategy as the average master. Tactics, however, is another matter. For it is consistent superiority in tactics that has earned the latter group its masterships. The following victories by the first-prize winners in the recent Easter Open and Western Open Tournaments (with the exception of Mr. Gaba versus R. Byrne) illustrate our point.
Pal Benko's game versus Ariel Mengarini produces a sharp white refutation of a line formerly believed to be in black's favor. Referring to white's 15 R-QKt1, we pass on the remarks of Benko, himself:
“Bobby Fischer played this move against Euwe at Leipzig, 1960, and won a nice game. European chess commentators proclaimed this move as an over the board innovation and lauded Fischer as the ‘new Capablanca’.
“I had discovered this move and before Fischer went to Leipzig I showed it to him.
“Heretofore, black's position up to white's fifteenth move had been considered superior. But 15 R-QKt1 gives white a big edge, since it forces either a strong penetration of the white rook on the seventh rank or the win of the black queen rook pawn.”
As played here, black loses many moves with his king and cannot stave off the loss of a pawn. Quick simplification culminates in a white victory. At the tail end black resigns for he must exchange bishops or lose another pawn: e.g., 32 . . ., K-K3 33 PxP, BxP 34 B-Q4.
In the game Byrne versus J. Pehnec, black is injured by the absence of a convincing counter strategy. The shuttling back and forth of black's queen and knight to no good purpose allows white to control all vital squares. White's pawn at QR5 is a permanent bind against black pawns. White's 23 P-QKt4 was the breakthrough, a clincher Black suffocates from the adversaries sharp tactics.
The game between Benko and New England expert James Bolton decided the winner of the Eastern Open, for if Bolton could have won he would have tied with Benko.
White leads psychologically, employing a “black side” (the Gruenfeld) defense with a move ahead. Bolton, snapping or careless, goes fast astray. Benko notes, however, that 7 . . . B-Q2 was the correct move and could have held the game for black.
In the game Gaba versus Byrne, white's 6 R-K1 and 8 P-QB3 are not to the point. As a result black's pawns occupy the center abreast. Besides, 8 P-QB3 takes away the best square for white's queen knight.
Subsequently, continuous harassment of white's two misplaced horsemen net two pawns for black who winds up the win with a neat combination; a combination implied, since white resigned before its execution—because if 28 RxR, then 28 . . ., BxKt 29 PxB, QxP ch.
Theoretical note: White's ill-conceived opening strategy cannot be rectified tactically. Hence the subsequent tactical maneuvers by white must be considered unavailing.
In the game Byrne versus Ivan Theodorovich, white, after the opening skirmishes retains two far-ranging bishops against two weakly-placed knights. To prevent the loss of a piece black must sacrifice the exchange, after which the white win is a matter of routine technique.
