MARK RUBERY CHESS
Ratmir Kholmov (1925-2006) was one of those very strong Soviet grandmasters who were lesser known in the West due to the severe travel restrictions imposed upon those just below the elite who did not follow the party line. Though barely known to the wider public, Kholmov was rated very highly by his professional colleagues. Here is a snippet of an interview he gave to Genna Sosonko a few years before his death.
‘How did I beat Fischer? That was in ’65 in Cuba, when Fischer was playing by telex and they were transmitting his moves from New York I was under a lot of pressure in that game, understanding if I’d lost, they would set the dogs on me as they (KGB?) remember everything, and the evening before that game in particular. Why? The snack bar in the hotel was open all night and I was drinking Bacardi, that marvellous rum from Cuba. It was already very late when Smyslov came looking for me. Let’s go Ratmir he says, I’ll show you a variation you can play against Fischer tomorrow. We went up to Smyslov’s room and he showed me a new move in the Chigorin variation of the Spanish, but I was so drunk that the former world champion was sure I would not remember anything…
I sat down the next day thinking there would be hell to pay for my behaviour, thus gritting my teeth, clenching my fists, I applied myself to this most important game, never once leaving my chair.
Fischer,Robert James - Kholmov,Ratmir D [C98]
Capablanca mem Havana (18), 1965
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nf1 Be6 15.Ne3 Rad8
16.Qe2 c4 17.Ng5 h6! (Smyslov’s idea is to encourage what would seem to be a favourable exchange for White) 18.Nxe6 fxe6 (The isolated doubled pawns control key central squares) 19.b4? (This standard thrust allows a neat tactical shot. Better was 19 a4)… Nd4!
(A pseudo sacrifice that will cement Black’s advantage. Curiously five years later Reshevesky chose the less strong 19…Rd7) 20.cxd4 exd4 21.a3 d3 22.Bxd3 Rxd3!
(22…cxd3 23 Qa2!) 23.Ng4 Kh7 24.e5 Nxg4 25.Qe4+ g6 26.Qxg4 Rf5 27.Qe4 Qd7 28.Be3 Qd5 29.Qxd5 Rxd5 (30…exd5
31 Bc5 is fine for White) 30.f4 g5 31.g3 gxf4 32.gxf4 Rf8 33.Kg2 Kg6 34.Rg1 Rd3 35.Kf3+ Kf5! (The Black pieces are too dominant for even a Fischer to repel) 36.Rg7 Bd8 37.Rb7 Rg8 38.Rb8 Rg7 39.a4 h5 40.axb5 axb5 41.Rxb5 Bh4 42.Ke2 Rg2+ 43.Kf1 Rh2 44.Kg1 Re2 45.Bb6 c3 46.Kf1 Rh2 0–1
After the game Fischer congratulated me, we did not discuss the game. In that tournament in Havana there were many strong grandmasters among the 22 participants, and I did not lose a single game and only missed first place by half a point.’
And in his autumn years… “And what about Putin? How did I vote in the election? The way I used to prepare for games, I tossed a coin and voted for whichever party it indicated.” (R Kholmov)