MARK RUBERY CHESS

Alexander Kotov ( 1913- 1981) was a strong Soviet grandmaster who like many of his generation lived under the towering shadow of Botvinnik. Kotov was known for his ability to develop attacks against the enemy king and enjoyed his greatest triumph when he won the 1952 interzonal in Saltsjobaden, three points clear of the field. In the west he was better known as the author of the classic book ‘ Think like a grandmaster’ from which the terms ‘ candidate moves’ and ‘ tree of variations’ are now part of a chess player’s vocabulary.

His brilliancy against Averbakh in Zurich 1953 contains one of the most astonishing chess moves ever played, as well as one of the most famous King- Hunts of all time.

Averbakh, Yuri L - Kotov, Alexander [ A55]

Candidates Tournament Zurich ( 14) 1953

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 Nbd7 4. Nc3 e5

5. e4 Be7 6. Be2 0– 0 7.0– 0 c6 8. Qc2 Re8

9. Rd1 Bf8 10. Rb1 a5 11. d5 Nc5 12. Be3 Qc7 13. h3 Bd7 14. Rbc1 g6 15. Nd2 Rab8

16. Nb3 Nxb3 17. Qxb3 c5 18. Kh2 Kh8

19. Qc2 Ng8 20. Bg4 Nh6 21. Bxd7 Qxd7

22. Qd2 Ng8 23. g4 f5 24. f3 Be7 25. Rg1 Rf8 26. Rcf1 Rf7 27. gxf5 gxf5 28. Rg2 f4! 29. Bf2 Rf6 30. Ne2 ( 30 h4 avoids the coming combination, but fortunately for chess folklore, Averbakh had not taken Black’s next move into consideration) … Qxh3+!! 31. Kxh3 Rh6+ 32. Kg4 Nf6+

33. Kf5 Nd7 ( It seems a little churlish to point out that 33… Ng4! was later found to bring a more swift and elegant end to the game) 34. Rg5 Rf8+ 35. Kg4 Nf6+ 36. Kf5 Ng8+ 37. Kg4 Nf6+ ( Kotov pragmatically repeats move as the game would be adjourned at move 40 and a secure route to victory can be mapped out) 38. Kf5 Nxd5+

39. Kg4 Nf6+ 40. Kf5 Ng8+ 41. Kg4 Nf6+

42. Kf5 Ng8+ 43. Kg4 Bxg5 44. Kxg5 Rf7

45. Bh4 Rg6+ 46. Kh5 Rfg7 47. Bg5 Rxg5+

48. Kh4 Nf6 49. Ng3 Rxg3 50. Qxd6 R3g6

51. Qb8+ Rg8 0– 1

The first chess column to establish itself was that of George Walker in Bells Life in 1834, which survived until 1873. From February 15, 1845 onwards it faced competition from Howard Staunton’s column in the Illustrated London News, a column that outlived Walker’s, but only by 5 years. During this time a chess column also appeared in the Pictorial Times lasting from February 1845 to June 1848. In 1882 Henry Bird in his Chess History and Reminiscences estimated that there were 150 chess columns. Less than thirty years later in 1913 Harold Murray in his History of Chess estimated there existed at least 1,000 chess columns worldwide.