MARK RUBERY CHESS
During the late 70’s and early 80’s Oude Meester brandy was the pre-eminent sponsor of chess in the country. Along with a nation-wide knockout tournament they sponsored the only two Grandmaster events this country has ever held – initially in 1979 and later in 1981 where the masters faced each other four times During the 1979 Oude Meester Grand Prix the following questions were fielded to the assembled grandmasters with the late Tony Miles being typically flippant: Which players of the twentieth century do you consider were worthy of the title of World Champion, but were not? Wolfgang Unzicker: Rubinstein Keres, Bronstein and Korchnoi without doubt. Nimzovich probably, but I have some doubts.
Anatoly Lein: Bronstein Keres and Korchnoi. William Lombardy: Keres, Fine, Reshevsky Bronstein and Tarrasch.
Viktor Korchnoi: Keres and Korchnoi.
Tony Miles: I know very little about chess history and thus am not qualified to answer this. Which two books do you consider contributed the most to chess theory? Wolfgang Unzicker: My System by Nimzovich and Keres’ series on the openings.
Anatoly Lein: I consider My System by Nimzovich and an excellent book by Oscar Lipinsky on chess theory that has not been published outside Russia. William Lombardy: Cheron’s four volumes on the endgame and Keres’ three volumes on King Pawn Openings. Viktor Korchnoi: Besides My System by Nimzovich the Encyclopaedias of Opening by Chess Informant-but they have contributed too much and are killing chess as an art. (One wonders what would Korchnoi have to say today about the role played by the computer?)
Tony Miles: No idea! Korchnoi won the event followed by Unzicker Miles and Lein. The chain-smoking American GM gave his best display at the conclusion of the tournament. Lein,Anatoly (2535) - Miles,Anthony J (2560) [E14] Oude Meester Grand Prix Johannesburg, 1979
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 Ne4 6.Nc3 f5 7.Bxe4 fxe4 8.Nd2 Qg5 9.0–0 d5 10.f3! (This double pawn sacrifice breaks up Black’s center as well as accelerating White’s development) …Qxe3+ 11.Kh1 Qxd4 12.fxe4 Na6 13.Nb5 Qe5 14.exd5 0–0–0 15.Nf3 Qh5 16.Ng5 (And with his position about to collapse the English GM called it a day) 1–0
In 1981 Ulf Andersson, ahead of Korchnoi Hubner and Nunn, won the second Oude Meester Grand Prix. The following position allowed Rubinstein to play one of the most beautiful combinations ever recorded.
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN
‘Self-confidence is very important. If you don’t think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them.’– Magnus Carlsen