MARK RUBERY CHESS 21.Rxg7+! Kxg7 22.Nh5+ Kg6 23.Qe3 1–0 (As Black is defenceless against mate on g5 or h6)
There has been a great deal of debate as to whether Paul Keres played purposely below his ability during the World Championship tournament, The Hague-Moscow 1948. In his encounters with ‘Stalin’s favourite’ Mikhail Botvinnik, the Estonian legend lost his first four games. Another thread to this theory to was revealed by former World Champion Vasily Smyslov in the Russian chess magazine – 64:
“Many years later Botvinnik, giving an interview in Holland, said that Stalin, through intermediaries, suggested that in the Moscow part of the 1948 match-tournament the other Soviet participants should “ensure” Botvinnik’s leadership. When Botvinnik knew about Stalin’s “advice” he was very angry. This mistrust of his chess strength was humiliating for him. During the closing ceremony of the match-tournament he ‘forgot’, as was the rule at the time, to thank Stalin for his attention to chess players. And in their turn, the authorities ‘forgot’ to award Botvinnik with the Order of Lenin which he received together with me in
1957 after he had lost a match to me ...”
Botvinnik,M – Keres,P [E28]
World Championship 18th NLD/URS (10)1948
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0
5.a3 (The Saemisch Variation against the Nimzo-Indian where White gains the bishop pair whilst allowing his pawn structure to be fractured) … Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Re8 7.Ne2 e5 8.Ng3 d6 9.Be2 Nbd7 10.0–0 c5 11.f3 cxd4 12.cxd4 Nb6 13.Bb2 exd4 14.e4 Be6 15.Rc1 Re7 16.Qxd4 Qc7? (16 … Na4 avoids the worst) 17.c5! dxc5 18.Rxc5 Qf4 19.Bc1 Qb8 20.Rg5! (The switch of the rook to the kingside is immediately decisive) … Nbd7
Whoever wrote the following would have been appalled in the direction chess has taken more than a century later …
‘Continuous tournaments, and rapid games of one minute per move, have been lately in great favour in America. They have not yet caught on much in Europe, and we hope the latter kind never will do so, for though they may be very amusing, and may promote a quick sight of the board, they are more of the nature of skittles than of solid and thoughtful chess, and we should think would be a very poor preparation for contests of any real importance.’ (British Chess Magazine, 1898)*