ADaily Press Newport News, Virginia Sunday, June 24, 1962 - Page 23
Virginia Chess Notes 24 Jun 1962, Sun Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia) Newspapers.com
Curacao Report:Grandmaster Draws
Sharply honed. The incidence of draws in grandmaster play has prompted the observation from time to time that chess has progressed from the days of the 20 move mate to the 20-move draw. Perhaps it's illustrative of the extremely fine nuances and complexities involved in such high level competition. At any rate, there are winner, and there are differences in strength even in grandmaster play. To confirm that one only has to check the scores at Curacao.
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Overdrawn. The late Jose Raoul Capablanca for a time dismayed the chess world with the woeful assessment that chess had become played out (for grandmasters). Add a piece to the board he suggested. His friend, the American master Edward Lasker, thought the idea had merit. But with all the comparative wood pushing in the game the addition of more timber for the great mass of players, experts included, was a repulsive thought.
To the relief of all and sundry Capa was proved wrong by a new crop of grandmasters. Alexander Alekhine wrested the world championship from him. Others less exalted dropped the erstwhile Cuban chess machine a rung or more in major tournaments. The American star Samuel Reshevsky took such opportunity at Margate in 1935. Playing the white side of a Queen's Gambit Declined, Reshevsky gained an advantage however slight and went on to win after a struggle that lasted 56 moves.
Underdrawn. The late Karl Schlecter was renowned for his collection of half-points. “The Drawing Master,” he was called. As fate would have it, when this gentle Viennese grandmaster had the opportunity to win the world championship with a draw, he muffed. In the 10th and last game in his match with Emanuel Lasker in 1910, Schlecter stepped out of character, went for broke and lost. With eight games drawn, one lost and one won, Lasker under the terms of the match retained the title!
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Appearances. Some psychoanalytically inclined have gone so far as to read into tendency for the draw the trait of meekness. But whatever the Freudian explanations, Caissa seems to have a way of her own in such matters. The Viennese grandmaster Rudolph Spielmann seemed to be a living refutation of the fallacy of judging by appearances. Known for his sacrificial play, Spielmann was a tiger at the board, his play disdaining the draw. Away from the board, according to those in the know, he was a veritable lamb.
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Curacao report. Chess-mad Willemstad trembles with excitement as the windup nears. Tigran Petrosian, according to wire dispatches, is now favored to win. Paul Keres, who shares the lead, disappointed admirers by drawing with Petrosian in the previous round. Bobby Fischer, enmeshed in the gears of the Soviet drawing machine, is mathematically out of the running for the top spot. Mikhail Tal, stricken with a kidney ailment, has withdrawn from the tournament, but his remaining games won't be counted as forfeits. Now will his remaining scheduled opponents be credited with automatic victories. Tuesday is the last playing day, Wednesday has been set for winding up adjourned games. Thursday will bring awards to the winners. Friday the chess world may sit back and wait for analysts to give plausible explanations of what happened and why.
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Superiority foiled. How Englisch outfoxed Bird at London, 1883 — black to play and force the draw:
