The Vienna Game is an opening in chess that begins with the moves:
108-655: White's second move is less common than 2.Nf3, and is also more recent. The original idea behind the Vienna Game was to play a delayed King's Gambit with f4 (the Vienna Gambit), but in modern play White often plays more quietly (for example, by fianchettoing his king's bishop with g3 and Bg2). Black most often continues with 2...Nf6 . The opening can also lead to the Frankenstein–Dracula Variation . Weaver W. Adams famously claimed that
216-459: A 99.99999999% certainty that the King's Gambit is at best a draw for White, but only after 3.Be2. Revealing the prank, Rajlich admitted that current computer technology is nowhere near solving such a task. The King's Gambit is rare in modern high-level play. The main reason is that it is hard to gain an opening advantage with White against strong opponents, with GM Matthew Sadler once joking that
324-556: A Stalinist purge in the early 1940s. They met in 1948. Nadezhda had a son from her first marriage, an aspiring chess player who competed at the World Junior Championship. Vasily and Nadezhda had no children of their own. She often accompanied her husband at major tournaments to provide moral support. However, she remained in Moscow during the 1959 Candidates tournament when, to the consternation of Soviet authorities,
432-534: A blunder, White should therefore not be launching an attack. While the King's Gambit Accepted was a staple of Romantic era chess, the opening began to decline with the development of opening theory and improvements in defensive technique in the late 19th century. By the 1920s, 1.e4 openings declined in popularity with the rise of the hypermodern school, with many players switching to 1.d4 and 1.c4 openings and positional play . After World War II, 1.e4 openings became more popular again, with David Bronstein being
540-581: A chess career after a failed audition with the Bolshoi Theatre in 1950. He occasionally gave recitals during chess tournaments, often accompanied by fellow grandmaster and concert pianist Mark Taimanov. Smyslov once wrote that, as in music, he tried to achieve harmony on the chess board, with each piece assisting the others. He also recorded operatic arias. Dutch insurance company Interpolis once released an EP sung entirely by Smyslov on their record label imprint Interpolis Verzekeringen to celebrate
648-480: A consistent pattern of high finishes against strong company, but with virtually no tournament championships. Smyslov had never actually won an adult tournament (other than the Moscow City Championship) before he played in the 1948 World Championship Tournament. Smyslov was one of the five players selected to compete for the 1948 World Chess Championship tournament to determine who should succeed
756-431: A credible challenge; he took a share of third place in 1969 (behind Petrosian and Polugaevsky ) and in 1971, was joint runner-up with Tal, behind Savon . He was ranked by FIDE as one of the top 15 players in the world from the late 1940s into the early 1980s, a stretch of almost 40 years. Smyslov maintained an active tournament schedule throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, registering many top three finishes in some of
864-697: A first place at Szolnok (also 1975), and a multi-way share of second at the large Lone Pine Open of 1976 (Petrosian won). He finished third behind Romanishin and Tal at Leningrad in 1977, when all three eclipsed the efforts of then–world champion Anatoly Karpov. In 1978, he won at São Paulo and finished with a share of second at Buenos Aires , behind Andersson . As the 1970s ended, he took first place at Berlin 1979, this time shared with Csom . Notable outcomes for 1980 included joint first places at San Miguel (with Browne , Panno , Jaime Emma) and at Copenhagen (the Politiken Cup, with Mikhalchishin ). In
972-406: A good game. King%27s Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit , White may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with central domination, or direct their forces against the weak square f7 with moves such as Nf3, Bc4, 0-0, and g3. A downside to the King's Gambit
1080-515: A knight but has three pieces bearing down on f7. Such wild play is rare in modern chess, but Black must defend accurately. Perhaps the sharpest continuation is the Double Muzio after 6...Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ !? , leaving White two pieces down in eight moves, but with a position that some masters consider to be equal. In practice White's play seems to be easier, especially when the opponent is surprised by such daring tactics. Similar lines are
1188-515: A large advantage for Black in view of his bishop pair and pawn center. The move 3.g3, the Mieses Variation, is a quiet continuation in which White fianchettoes his king's bishop, a line played by Vasily Smyslov on a few occasions, most notably in a win over Lev Polugaevsky in the 1961 USSR Championship. That game continued 3...d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Be6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1 Bf6 9.Ne4 0-0 10.d3 Be7 11.a3 Nb6 12.b4, resulting in
SECTION 10
#17328020647651296-503: A not especially strong field. It was little better in the Moscow Championship of 1945–46, as he could only score 7½/15 for a tie of 7th–11th places, as Bronstein won. Then in the Moscow Championship of 1946, Smyslov scored just 8½/15, for a tie of 3rd–6th places, as Bronstein won again. During this period he scored just 31/62 in those four tournaments, for 50%. Nevertheless, Smyslov's earlier strong results secured him one of
1404-487: A position which the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings assesses as slightly better for White. The main line today, however, is considered to be 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bd6 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0. A major alternative for Black is 3...Bc5 (3...Nc6 normally transposes into one of the other lines). In addition to these lines, the late American master Ariel Mengarini advocated the whimsical 3.a3, sometimes called Mengarini's Opening. It
1512-685: A question from Peter Pantelidakis of Chicago about it in one of his columns in Chess Life and Review . In several lines of the Vienna Game White offers a sort of delayed King's Gambit. In the Vienna Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4), Black should reply 3...d5, since 3....exf4 ?! 4.e5 forces the knight to retreat. 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 may lead to the Hamppe–Muzio Gambit after 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.0-0 gxf3 7.Qxf3, or to
1620-521: A slight advantage. If White captures (4.exd5) then Black may play 4...Nf6 or recapture with 4...Qxd5, at which point it becomes the Scandinavian Variation of KGA . This variation was considered most critical in the past, but recent trends seem to indicate a slight advantage for White. "The refutation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." — R. Fischer, "A Bust to
1728-482: A stable pawn chain with ...h6 and ...Bg7. The Kieseritzky Gambit , 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5, is considered by modern writers such as Shaw and Gallagher to be the main line after 3...g5. It was popularized by Lionel Kieseritzky in the 1840s and used successfully by Wilhelm Steinitz . Boris Spassky used it to beat Bobby Fischer in a famous game at Mar del Plata in 1960. The main line of the Kieseritzky Gambit
1836-580: A strong center with 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 (or 5...Ba5) 6.fxe5 dxe5 7.d4. This line is considered slightly dubious, however. Other options in the KGD are possible, though unusual, such as the Adelaide Countergambit 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5, advocated by Tony Miles ; 2...d6, which is the way the King’s Gambit was declined the first known time it was played, when after 3.Nf3, best is 3...exf4 transposing to
1944-547: A strong field at Sverdlovsk 1943, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th places with 8/14. In the 1943–44 Moscow Championship, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th with 11½/16. He finished second in the 1944 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch13) with 10½/16. He emerged as champion from the 1944–45 Moscow Championship with 13/16. By this juncture, Smyslov had advanced into the group of the top three Soviet players, along with Botvinnik and Keres, who were playing in Nazi-occupied Europe during
2052-529: A while. In the next Soviet Championship (URS-ch15, Leningrad 1947), he tied for 3rd–4th places with 12/19, as Keres won. At Pärnu 1947, Smyslov scored 8/13, tying for 4th–6th places, as Keres won again. At Warsaw 1947, Smyslov scored 6/9 to tie for 2nd–5th places; the winner was Svetozar Gligorić . In the Mikhail Chigorin Memorial tournament, Moscow 1947, Smyslov tied for 3rd–4th places, with 10/15, as Botvinnik won. His results showed
2160-757: A winning advantage to White. Material is not as important as the attack in this position, so White should not be afraid to sacrifice. The move 3.Bc4 leads to a position which can also be reached from the Bishop's Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4). Black has several choices here; 3...Bc5 can transpose to the King's Gambit Declined after 4.d3 d6 5.f4 Nc6 6.Nf3; 3...Nc6 4.d3, 4...Na5, 4...Bc5 or 4...d6 are all playable; 3...Bb4 4.f4 Nxe4 5.Qh5 0-0 leads to wild but probably equal play, according to de Firmian in MCO-15 . 3...Nxe4, 4.Qh5 (threatening Qxf7#) 4...Nd6 5.Bb3 when Black can either go for
2268-567: Is 6.Ng1 Bh6 7.Ne2 Qf6 8.Nbc3 c6 9.g3 f3 10.Nf4 Qe7 with an unclear position (Korchnoi/Zak). The main alternative to 4.d4 is 4.Bc4. Play usually continues 4...h6 5.d4 g5 6.0-0 Bg7, transposing into the Hanstein Gambit, which can also be reached via 3...g5 or 3...h6. The MacLeod Defense, 3...Nc6, is named after Nicholas MacLeod . Joe Gallagher writes that 3.Nf3 Nc6 "has never really caught on, probably because it does nothing to address Black's immediate problems." Like Fischer's Defense, it
SECTION 20
#17328020647652376-500: Is a waiting move . An obvious drawback is that the knight on c6 may prove a target for the d-pawn later in the opening. An invention of the Hungarian/English player, János Wagenbach. John Shaw writes: "If given the time, Black intends to seal up the kingside with ...h4 followed by ...g5, securing the extra pawn on f4 without allowing an undermining h2–h4. The drawback is of course the amount of time required". Of
2484-633: Is advocated, among others, by GM Simon Williams . Korchnoi and Zak recommend as best for Black 3...Nf6 4.Nc3 c6, or the alternative move order 3...c6 4.Nc3 Nf6. After 5.Bb3 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.d4 Bd6 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 g5 10.Nxd5 Nc6, Black was somewhat better in Spielmann–Bogoljubow, Märisch Ostrau 1923. Black's other main option is 3...d5, returning the pawn immediately. Play might continue 3...d5 4.Bxd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nf3 Bxc3 7.dxc3 c6 8.Bc4 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 0-0 10.Bxf4 Nxe4 with an equal position (Bilguer Handbuch, Korchnoi/Zak). 3...Nc6!?, Maurian Defense,
2592-436: Is busted. It loses by force" and offered his Fischer Defense (3...d6) as a refutation. FM Graham Burgess , in his book The Mammoth Book of Chess , noted the discrepancy between the King's Gambit and Wilhelm Steinitz 's accumulation theory. Steinitz had argued that an attack is only justified when a player has an advantage, and an advantage is only obtainable after the opponent makes a mistake. Since 1...e5 does not look like
2700-478: Is considered 9...Nh6 10.d4 d6 11.Bxh6 dxe5 12.Qxe5+ Be6 13.Qxh8 Nd7 14.Bxf8 0-0-0 and White will emerge a clear pawn ahead.) Instead, 4...Bg7 has been recommended. 4...d6 and 4...h6 transpose to Fischer's Defense and Becker's Defense, respectively. Also possible is 4...Nc6, recommended by Konstantin Sakaev . After 4...Bg7 5.d4 g4, Simon Williams advocates 6.Bxf4 gxf3 in his DVD and Chess.com video series. White
2808-523: Is considered better for Black due to the insecurity of White's king. Black may play safely with 6...Nh6 (Silberschmidt Variation), or counter-sacrifice with 6...f3 ( Cochrane Gambit) or 6...Nc6 (Viennese Variation). A safer alternative to 4...g4 is 4...Bg7, which usually leads to the Hanstein Gambit after 5.d4 d6 6.0-0 h6 or the Philidor Gambit after 5.h4 h6 6.d4 d6 (other move orders are possible in both cases). The Quaade Gambit (3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3)
2916-627: Is considered to be 5...Nf6 (Berlin Defense) 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.d4 Nh5 9.0-0 Qxh4 10.Qe1 Qxe1 11.Rxe1 0-0 12.Bb3 Bf5. The Long Whip Variation, 5...h5?! 6.Bc4 Rh7 (or 6...Nh6) is considered old-fashioned and risky, as Black loses a lot of time attempting to hold on to the pawn. 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 is the Allgaier Gambit, intending 5...h6 6.Nxf7. This knight sacrifice is considered unsound. The extremely sharp Muzio Gambit arises after 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3, where White has sacrificed
3024-515: Is down a knight, but has a strong attack. The Quaade Gambit has recently been advocated by Daniel King in his PowerPlay series for Chessbase. This is likely to lead to similar positions to the Quaade Gambit; however, 4...g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Qxg4 g2+!? (7...Qxg4=) is now viable due to the threat against the pawn on e4. After 8.Qxh4 gxh1=Q Shaw recommends 9.Nc3 for White, with a complicated position. The Becker Defense (3.Nf3 h6), has
3132-453: Is fine for Black. 4.Bxf7+ is weak; after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe4 d5 ! (inferior is 5...Nc6 6.Qf3+, when Black cannot play 6...Kg8 ?? because of 7.Ng5! 1–0 Davids– Diggle , London Banks League 1949, while 6...Ke8 leaves the king awkwardly placed in the center) 6.Qf3+ (6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 ? Bh6! wins for Black) Kg8 7.Ng5 !? (hoping for 7...Qxg5?? 8.Qxd5+ and mate next move, Schottlaender– Ed. Lasker , simultaneous exhibition, Breslau c. 1902) Qd7!, with
3240-465: Is in no real danger, and White has multiple threats: 7.Qxg7; 7.Nxc7+; and 7.Nh3 Qd4 8.d3 threatening to trap Black's queen with 9.c3. This is an offbeat but playable alternative, as played (for example) by former world champion José Raúl Capablanca against Ilya Kan at Moscow 1936. Some possible moves are 3.Bc4, 3.Nf3, and 3.f4. With move 3.Bc4, ...Nf6 and ...Nc6 can be found above, or Black can play ...d6. White can continue with 3.Nf3, and if
3348-491: Is named after a Danish amateur who discussed it in correspondence with the Deutsche Schachzeitung in the 1880s. The move has received renewed attention following its recommendation by John Shaw in his 2013 book on the King's Gambit. A well-known trap here is 4...g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Qxg4 g2+ ? (7...Qxg4 8.Nxg4 d5 is about equal) 8.Qxh4 gxh1=Q 9.Qh5 ! and White is close to winning. (Black's best defense
Vienna Game - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-536: Is not a serious try for advantage, but is essentially a useful waiting move that gives White an improved version of Black's position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6. First, the "Reversed Ruy Lopez " with 3...Bb4 is ruled out. Second, after 3...d5, 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Qh5!? gives White an improved version of the Steinitz Variation of the Scotch Game , since Black can never play ...Nb4, an important idea for White in
3564-578: Is protected, unlike in the mirror-image position. If Black plays more quietly with 3...Bc5 4.Nf3 Nc6, then 5.Nxe5! Nxe5 6.d4 gives White some advantage. The best line for Black may be 3...Bc5 4.Nf3 d5 5.exd5 0-0 (better than 5...e4 6.d4, when the normal 6...Bb4 is impossible), and if 6.Nxe5, 6...Re8 7.d4 Bxd4! 8.Qxd4 Nc6, as in the mirror-image line. Also possible is 3...Bc5 4.Nf3 d6, when Black stands well after 5.Bc4 Be6, while 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 gives White little or no advantage. White again has three main options, 3.Bc4, 3.f4, and 3.g3. Note that 3.Nf3 transposes to
3672-530: Is relatively untested, but if White plays 4.Nf3 Black can transpose into the Hanstein Gambit after 4...g5 5.d4 Bg7 6.c3 d6 7.0-0 h6 (Neil McDonald, 1998). John Shaw wrote that 3...Nc6 is a "refutation" of the Bishop's Gambit, as he says that Black is better in all variations. Steinitz's 3...Ne7 and the countergambit 3...f5 (best met by 4.Qe2!) are generally considered inferior. Other 3rd moves for White are rarely played. Some of these are: Black can decline
3780-401: Is that after 4.d4 g5 5.h4 g4 White cannot continue with 6.Ne5 as in the Kieseritzky Gambit, 6.Ng5 is unsound because of 6...f6 ! trapping the knight, and 6.Nfd2 blocks the bishop on c1. This leaves the move 6.Ng1 as the only option, when after six moves neither side has developed a piece. The resulting slightly odd position ( diagram ) offers White good attacking chances. A typical continuation
3888-445: Is that it weakens White's king's position, exposing it to the latent threat of ...Qh4+ (or ...Be7–h4+ ), which may force White to give up castling rights. The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented openings, appearing in one of the earliest chess books, Luis Ramírez de Lucena 's Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez (1497). It was examined by the 17th-century Italian chess player Giulio Cesare Polerio . The King's Gambit
3996-407: Is usually played with the intention of holding on to the pawn after 4.e5 Nh5. While it is not Black's most popular option, it attracted some attention in 2020 when Ding Liren used it to beat Magnus Carlsen in the online Magnus Carlsen Invitational tournament. The undefended knight on h5 means Black must be careful: for example 4.e5 Nh5 5.d4 d6 6.Qe2 Be7? (correct is 6...d5!=) 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.Qb5+ wins
4104-778: The English Opening , Grünfeld Defence , and the Sicilian Defence . A variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez is named after him. The line runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 h6. In the Grünfeld Defence , the continuation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7 is known as the Smyslov Variation, and remains a major variation. Smyslov also successfully revived
4212-675: The Fischer Defense (though 2...d6 invites White to play 3.d4 instead); and 2...Nf6 3.fxe5 Nxe4 4.Nf3 Ng5! 5.d4 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 Qh4+ 7.Qf2 Qxf2+ 8.Kxf2 with a small endgame advantage, as played in the 1968 game between Bobby Fischer and Bob Wade in Vinkovci . The greedy 2...Qf6 (known as the Nordwalde Variation), intending 3...Qxf4, is considered dubious. Also dubious are the Keene Defense: 2...Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7 and
4320-683: The Ghulam Kassim Gambit, 4.Bc4 g4 5.d4, and the McDonnell Gambit , 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3. These are generally considered inferior to the Muzio, which has the advantage of reinforcing White's attack along the f-file. Also inferior is the Lolli Gambit 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+ ?! , which leaves White with insufficient compensation for the piece after 5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke8 7.Qxg4 Nf6 8.Qxf4 d6. The Salvio Gambit, 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.Kf1,
4428-478: The Hastings Congress , he shared first place with Keres. At Zagreb 1955, he was sole winner, two clear points ahead of the field. He continued his winning streak at Moscow's Alekhine Memorial in 1956, a victory shared with his constant rival, Botvinnik. During this period, there were several triumphs in his city of birth, when he shared first place with Bronstein and Spassky at the inaugural edition of
Vienna Game - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-637: The King's Gambit Declined . Weak is 3.Qg4 Nf6! 4.Qxg7 Rg8 5.Qh6 Bxf2+ when Black had a large advantage in Tsikhelashvili– Karpov , USSR 1968, since 6.Kxf2?? Ng4+ would win White's queen. Another offbeat possibility is 3.Na4, the Hamppe Variation, when 3...Bxf2+! 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.Ke3 Qf4+ 6.Kd3 d5 leads to wild complications favoring Black, as in the famous Immortal Draw game Hamppe–Meitner, Vienna 1872. The quiet 3...Be7, however, leaves Black with
4644-596: The Leningrad –Moscow International tournament of 1939 with 8/17 in an exceptionally strong field. In the Moscow Championship of 1939–40 Smyslov placed 2nd–3rd with 9/13. In his first Soviet final, the 1940 USSR Chess Championship (Moscow, URS-ch12), he performed exceptionally well for 3rd place with 13/19, finishing ahead of the reigning champion Mikhail Botvinnik . This tournament was the strongest Soviet final up to that time, as it included several players, such as Paul Keres and Vladas Mikėnas , from countries annexed by
4752-562: The Mafia Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 c5. 2...f5 ?! is among the oldest countergambits in KGD, known from a game published in 1625 by Gioachino Greco . Vincenz Hruby also played it against Mikhail Chigorin in 1882. It is nonetheless considered dubious because 3.exf5 with the threat of Qh5+ gives White a good game. The variation is sometimes named the Pantelidakis Countergambit because GM Larry Evans answered
4860-668: The Steinitz Gambit after 4.d4 Qh4+ 5.Ke2. Both of these lines may be reached via the King's Gambit proper, but the Vienna move order is more common. White may also offer the gambit in the Bishop's Opening , e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.f4, though this is uncommon. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has ten codes for the King's Gambit, C30 through C39. Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (Russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Смысло́в , romanized : Vasíliy Vasíl'yevich Smyslóv ; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010)
4968-632: The Three Knights Game , which after 3...Nf6 leads to the Four Knights Game . In the Vienna Gambit, defined by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4, White sacrifices a pawn to gain control of the center . The Hamppe–Muzio Gambit (or Vienna Hamppe–Muzio Gambit) is characterised by the continuation 3...exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.0-0 gxf3 7.Qxf3 (see diagram). As with its close relative, the sharp Muzio Gambit , White sacrifices
5076-407: The 13th Championship in 1944, he placed second behind Botvinnik and in 1947, shared third with Bondarevsky, finishing behind Keres and Boleslavsky. He was a joint winner of the contest in 1949 and again in 1955 (with Bronstein and Geller respectively). Whilst the 1949 title was shared, the 1955 title was awarded to Geller after a play-off. Much later in his career he showed that he could still mount
5184-551: The 1930s. A more modern interpretation of the Falkbeer is 2...d5 3.exd5 c6!?, as advocated by Aron Nimzowitsch . Black is not concerned about pawns and aims for early piece activity. White has a better pawn structure and prospects of a better endgame . The main line continues 4.Nc3 exf4 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.d4 Ne7 7.dxc6 Nbxc6, giving positions analogous to the Modern Variation of the gambit accepted. A common way to decline
5292-487: The 1968–69 edition. The 1960s drew to a close with victory at Monte Carlo 1969 (shared with Portisch ) and a share of third place at Skopje 1969 (with Uhlmann and Kholmov, behind Hort and Matulović ). While less prolific than in previous decades, Smyslov played many strong tournaments in the 1970s and even into the 1980s and beyond. He was joint runner-up with Hort, Gligoric and Korchnoi at Rovinj /Zagreb 1970, behind Fischer. A winner at Amsterdam 1971, he came third at
5400-741: The Alekhine Memorial (Moscow) in the same year, behind Karpov and Stein. At Las Palmas 1972, he was second equal with Larsen, behind Portisch and in 1973, topped the Capablanca Memorial in Cienfuegos . First place followed at Reykjavík 1974; at the Venice tournament of the same year, he finished second behind Liberzon . Then followed a second place at the Alexander Memorial ( Teesside ) in 1975 (behind Geller),
5508-548: The Amsterdam Interzonal , with 17/23. However, he lost his first-round match to Efim Geller . In 1983, at the age of 62, he reached the Candidates' Final (the match to determine who plays the champion, in that case Anatoly Karpov ), losing 8½–4½ at Vilnius 1984 to Garry Kasparov , who was 21 at the time, and who went on to beat Karpov to become world champion in 1985. He had beaten Zoltán Ribli 6½–4½ in
SECTION 50
#17328020647655616-427: The Candidates' Tournament at Amsterdam in 1956 , this time by 1½ points. This qualified him for a second world championship match against Botvinnik in 1957. Assisted by trainers Vladimir Makogonov and Vladimir Simagin , Smyslov won the title, scoring 12½–9½. The following year, Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch, and regained the title with a final score of 12½–10½. Smyslov later said his health suffered during
5724-665: The Fianchetto Defence to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6) in the 1970s. In the Slav Defence , the sideline 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Na6 is named the Smyslov Variation. Finally, a variation of the King's Indian Defense is named after him, which proceeds with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3. Stanley Kubrick named a character after him in his film 2001: A Space Odyssey . A baritone, Smyslov only decided upon
5832-486: The King's Gambit" The Fischer Defense (3.Nf3 d6), although previously known, was advocated by Bobby Fischer after he was defeated by Boris Spassky in a Kieseritzky Gambit at the 1960 Mar del Plata tournament . Fischer then decided to refute the King's Gambit, and the next year the American Chess Quarterly published his analysis of 3...d6, which he called "a high-class waiting move". The point
5940-508: The Moscow Central Chess Club international tournament series (sometimes also referred as an Alekhine Memorial ) in 1959, was a joint winner in both 1960 (with Kholmov ) and 1961 (with Vasiukov ), and won outright in 1963. His good form continued throughout the 1960s. There were shares of second place at Dortmund 1961 (behind Taimanov ) and at Mar del Plata 1962 (behind Polugaevsky). He traveled again to Hastings at
6048-529: The New Year of 1986–87 and shared second spot with Hort, Chernin and Spassky, behind Ribli. At Hastings in 1988–89, he took a share of third with Gulko and Speelman, behind Short and Korchnoi. Smyslov remained on FIDE's top 100 list until he was 70 years old. His tournament appearances were fewer in the 1990s, but results included a share of first place at Buenos Aires 1990 and a share of second at Malmö (Sigeman) in 1997, behind Hellers. Smyslov represented
6156-489: The Soviet Union a total of nine times at chess Olympiads , from 1952 to 1972 inclusive, excepting only 1962 and 1966. He contributed strongly to team gold medal wins on each occasion he played, winning a total of eight individual medals. His total of 17 Olympiad medals won, including team and individual medals, is an all-time Olympiad record, according to olimpbase.org. At Helsinki 1952 , he played second board, and won
6264-449: The St. Petersburg Technical Institute in intercollegiate chess competitions. The senior Smyslov, who had also studied chess for a time under the tutelage of Mikhail Chigorin , became his son's first teacher, and gave him a copy of Alexander Alekhine 's book My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 . The future world champion would later write that this book became his constant reference, and that "...I
6372-616: The USSR following the Nazi–Soviet Pact of 1939. The Soviet Federation held a further tournament of the top six from the 1940 event, and this was called the 1941 Absolute Championship of the USSR, one of the strongest tournaments ever organized. The format saw each player meet his opponents four times. The players were Botvinnik, Keres, Smyslov, Isaac Boleslavsky , Igor Bondarevsky , and Andor Lilienthal . Smyslov scored 10/20 for third place, behind Botvinnik and Keres. This proved that Smyslov
6480-478: The Vienna Game led to a forced win for White. Nick de Firmian concludes in the 15th edition of Modern Chess Openings , however, that the opening leads to equality with best play by both sides. White has three main options: 3.f4, 3.Bc4, and 3.g3. Note that 3.Nf3 transposes to the Petrov's Three Knights Game , which after 3...Nc6 leads to the Four Knights Game . At grandmaster level,
6588-472: The age of 51 he played third board and scored 11/14, gaining the silver medal. His overall Olympiad score is an imposing 90 points in 113 games (+69−2=42), for 79.6%. This performance is the fifth all-time best for players participating in at least four Olympiads. Smyslov also represented the USSR in five European Team Championships, and emerged with a perfect medals' record: he won five team gold medals and five board gold medals. His total score in these events
SECTION 60
#17328020647656696-427: The age of sixty. Despite failing eyesight, he remained active in the occasional composition of chess problems and studies until shortly before his death in 2010. Besides chess, he was an accomplished baritone singer. Smyslov was born in Moscow, into a Russian family. He first became interested in chess at the age of six. His father, Vasily Osipovich Smyslov , worked as an engineering technician and had represented
6804-436: The alternatives to 3.Nf3, the most important is the Bishop's Gambit, 3.Bc4. White allows 3...Qh4+ 4.Kf1, losing the right to castle, but this loses time for Black after the inevitable Nf3 and White will develop rapidly. White also has the option of delaying Nf3, however, and can instead play g3 !? , after which the game becomes quite sharp, with White having the option of Qf3 with an attack on f7, or Kg2 threatening hxg3. This idea
6912-602: The dream of every King's Gambit player is a "worse but holdable ending". A handful of grandmasters have continued to use it, including Joseph Gallagher , Hikaru Nakamura , Baskaran Adhiban , Nigel Short , and Alexei Fedorov , albeit never as a main weapon. Although Black usually accepts the gambit pawn, two methods of declining the gambit—the Classical Defense (2...Bc5) and the Falkbeer Countergambit (2...d5)—are also popular. After 2...exf4 ,
7020-682: The end of 1962, and scored third place behind Gligoric and Kotov. In 1963, he was second at Sochi (Chigorin Memorial) behind Polugaevsky. His visit to Havana 's Capablanca Memorial in 1964 resulted in a share of first with the East German, Uhlmann . He took outright first at the same tournament the following year. In 1966, there were victories at Mar del Plata and at the Rubinstein Memorial in Polanica Zdroj . In 1967, he
7128-486: The exposed position of Black's queen are more significant factors. Unlike Steinitz, who famously opined that, "The King is a fighting piece!", few modern players are willing to expose their king this way. The Steinitz Gambit is thus rarely seen today. Louis Paulsen played 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 four times with the white pieces – games against Meitner, Rosenthal, Gelbfuhs, and Bird in the Vienna 1873 chess tournament . Three wins with
7236-414: The f3-knight with ...g4, or else to consolidate with ...Bg7 and ...h6. The main continuations traditionally have been 4.h4 and 4.Bc4. More recently, 4.Nc3 (the Quaade Gambit or Quaade Attack) has been recommended by Scottish grandmaster (GM) John Shaw as a less explored alternative to 4.h4 and superior to 4.Bc4. With 4.h4 White practically forces 4...g4, thereby undermining any attempt by Black to set up
7344-496: The f4-pawn with ...Ng6, a relatively safe square for the knight compared to the Schallopp Defense. It was played by Mark Bluvshtein to defeat former world title finalist Nigel Short at Montreal 2007, even though it has never been highly regarded by theory. The Cunningham Defense (3.Nf3 Be7) threatens a check on h4 that can permanently prevent White from castling; furthermore, if White does not immediately develop
7452-473: The fifth anniversary of the Interpolis chess tournament. The EP, titled Schaakgrootmeester Vassily Smyslov Zingt (english: Chess Grandmaster Vassily Smyslov Sings ), contains vocal covers of traditional Dutch songs accompanied by orchestra conducted by Harry van Hoof . For more than 50 years, Smyslov was married to Nadezhda Smyslova, a woman three years his senior whose first husband was executed during
7560-546: The first grandmaster in decades to use the King's Gambit in serious play. He inspired Boris Spassky to also take up the King's Gambit, although Spassky was not willing to risk using the opening in any of his World Championship matches. Spassky did beat many strong players with it, however, including Bobby Fischer, Zsuzsa Polgar , and a famous brilliancy against Bronstein himself. In 2012, an April Fools' Day prank by Chessbase in association with Vasik Rajlich —author of chess engine Rybka —claimed to have proven to
7668-633: The five Soviet places in the first really strong post-war international tournament, at Groningen , Netherlands, in August 1946. This event, the Howard Staunton Memorial, was won by Botvinnik with 14½/19, half a point ahead of former World Champion Max Euwe . Smyslov finished third with 12½/19, and this confirmed his status as one of the world's top players. Once he was back playing in Soviet events, however, Smyslov found it tough going for
7776-427: The gambit is with 2...Bc5, the "classical" KGD . The bishop prevents White from castling and is such a nuisance that White often expends two tempi to eliminate it by means of Nc3–a4, to exchange on c5 or b6, after which White may castle without worry. It also contains an opening trap for novices: if White continues with 3.fxe5 ?? Black continues 3...Qh4+, in which either the rook is lost (4.g3 Qxe4+, forking
7884-464: The gambit move 3.f4 is considered too risky an opening. It is best met by 3...d5, striking back in the center. Lines other than 3...d5 give White at least an edge, however, making this a good choice for aggressive play at lower levels, where opponents are unlikely to know that 3...d5 is best. The gambit should not be accepted, since 3...exf4 4.e5 Qe7 5.Qe2 forces Black's knight to retreat with 5...Ng8, and after 6.Nf3, Black must be careful not to lose on
7992-414: The gold medal. After missing out on selection in 1962, he returned for Tel Aviv 1964 , on third board, and won the gold medal with 11/13. He missed selection in 1966, but returned with a vengeance for Lugano 1968 , and made a phenomenal 11/12 for another gold medal as second reserve. At Siegen 1970 , he was first reserve, and scored 8/11 for the bronze medal. His final Olympiad was Skopje 1972 , where at
8100-475: The greatest brilliancies , including the Immortal Game . Nevertheless, players have held widely divergent views on it. François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795), the greatest player and theorist of his day, wrote that the King's Gambit should end in a draw with best play by both sides, stating that "a gambit equally well attacked and defended is never a decisive [game], either on one side or
8208-525: The h5-knight. The Modern Defense, or Abbazia Defense, (3.Nf3 d5) has much the same idea as the Falkbeer Countergambit, and can in fact be reached via transposition, i.e. 2...d5 3.exd5 exf4 4.Nf3. Black concentrates on gaining piece play and fighting for the initiative rather than keeping the extra pawn. It has been recommended by several publications as an easy way to equalize, although White's extra central pawn and piece activity gives
8316-533: The idea of creating a pawn chain on h6, g5, f4 to defend the f4 pawn while avoiding the Kieseritzky Gambit, so Black will not be forced to play ...g4 when White plays to undermine the chain with h4. White has the option of 4.b3, although the main line continues with 4.d4 g5 ( ECO C37) and usually transposes to lines of the Classical Variation after 5.Bc4 Bg7 6.0-0 ( ECO C38). The rarely seen Bonch-Osmolovsky Defense (3.Nf3 Ne7) aims to defend
8424-401: The individual gold medal with 10½/13. At Amsterdam 1954 , he was again on second board, scored 9/12, and took the individual bronze medal. At Moscow 1956 , he scored 8½/13 on second board, but failed to win a medal. At Munich 1958 , he made 9½/13 on second board, good for the silver individual medal. At Leipzig 1960 , he was dropped to first reserve, and made a great score of 11½/13, which won
8532-410: The king's bishop, Ke2 would be forced, which hems the bishop in. A sample line is 4.Nc3 Bh4+ 5.Ke2 d5 6.Nxd5 Nf6 7.Nxf6+ Qxf6 8.d4 Bg4 9.Qd2 ( diagram ). White has strong central control with pawns on d4 and e4, while Black is relying on the white king's discomfort to compensate. To avoid having to play Ke2, 4.Bc4 is White's most popular response. Black can play 4...Bh4+ anyway, forcing 5.Kf1 (or else
8640-557: The knight on f3 in return for a powerful attack against the black king. It is named after Austrian theoretician Carl Hamppe and classified under ECO code C25. The Dubois Variation continues 7...Ne5 8.Qxf4 Qf6. 6.d4 is the Pierce Gambit. The Steinitz Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4, was a favorite of Wilhelm Steinitz , the first World Champion . White allows Black to misplace White's king with 4...Qh4+ 5.Ke2 (see diagram), hoping to prove that White's pawn center and
8748-544: The late Alexander Alekhine as champion. His selection was questioned in some quarters, but this criticism was amply rebutted when he finished second behind Mikhail Botvinnik , with a score of 11/20. With his second-place finish from the 1948 World Championship, Smyslov was admitted directly into the 1950 Budapest Candidates' tournament without needing to play in qualifying events. Smyslov scored 10/18 for third place, behind Bronstein and Boleslavsky, who tied for first place. Smyslov's third place automatically qualified him into
8856-474: The mirror-image position. Third, after 3...Bc5, 4.Nf3 gives a reversed Two Knights Defense . Then the typical 4...Ng4 may be met by 5.d4 exd4 6.Na4, when 6...Bb4+, White's usual move in the mirror-image position, is impossible. After 4...Ng4, White may also play improved versions of the Ulvestad Variation (6.b4 in the above line) and Fritz Variation (6.Nd5 c6 7.b4), since when White plays b4 his pawn
8964-524: The most prestigious tournaments of the period. In 1950, he was second behind Kotov at Venice and in 1951, won the Chigorin Memorial, held in Leningrad . He shared third place with Botvinnik at Budapest ( Maróczy Memorial) in 1952, behind Keres and Geller. In 1953, he won a training tournament in Gagra and finished third at Bucharest , behind Tolush and Petrosian. At the 1954–55 edition of
9072-581: The move 3...Nc6 ?! (transposing to the Three Knights Game ) 4.Nxe5! Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.Bd3 leads to a large advantage for White. Stronger is 3...d6! Then 4.Na4 Nd7 5.d3 Ngf6 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Nxc5 Nxc5 9.Ne1 Ne6 10.c3 d5 is about even. The main line runs 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Bg5 (6.Be2 d5 7.e5 Ne4 8.0-0 Nxc3 leads to equality) h6 7.Bh4 0-0 8.Nb3 and now de Firmian in MCO-15 gives 8...Bb4 9.Bd3 Re8 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 g5! 12.Bg3 Nxe4, when Black's "chances are at least equal". After 3.f4, ...d6 leads to
9180-692: The next Candidates' tournament. He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1950 by FIDE on its inaugural list. After winning the Candidates Tournament in Zürich 1953, with 18/28, two points ahead of Keres, Bronstein, and Samuel Reshevsky , Smyslov played a match with Botvinnik for the title the following year. Sited at Moscow, the match ended in a draw, after 24 games (seven wins each and ten draws), meaning that Botvinnik retained his title. Smyslov again won
9288-410: The offered pawn, or offer a countergambit . The Falkbeer Countergambit is named after the 19th-century Austrian master Ernst Falkbeer . It runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4, in which Black sacrifices a pawn in return for quick and easy development. It was once considered good for Black and scored well, but White obtains some advantage with the response 4.d3!, and the line fell out of favor after
9396-412: The other." Writing over 150 years later, Siegbert Tarrasch , one of the world's strongest players in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pronounced the opening "a decisive mistake" and wrote that "it is almost madness to play the King's Gambit." Similarly, future world champion Bobby Fischer wrote a famous article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", in which he stated, "In my opinion the King's Gambit
9504-553: The relatively quiet waters of 5...Be7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 g6 8.Qe2 (or 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Qe5 0-0) Nd4 9.Qd3 Nxb3 10.axb3 Nf5 11.0-0 d6, which led to equality in Anand – Ivanchuk , Roquebrune 1992. Or the complexities of 5...Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6, which the Irish correspondence chess player and theorist Tim Harding extravagantly dubbed "the Frankenstein–Dracula Variation ". 4.Nxe4 d5 forks bishop and knight
9612-434: The return match, as he came down with pneumonia , but he also acknowledged that Botvinnik had prepared very thoroughly. Over the course of the three World Championship matches, Smyslov had 18 wins to Botvinnik's 17 (with 34 draws), yet was only champion for a year. Nonetheless, Smyslov wrote in his autobiographical games collection Smyslov's Best Games , "I have no reason to complain of my fate. I fulfilled my dream and became
9720-654: The rook and king ) or White is checkmated (4.Ke2 Qxe4#). This line often comes about by transposition from lines of the Vienna Game or Bishop's Opening , when White plays f2–f4 before Nf3. One rarely seen line is the Rotlewi Countergambit: 3.Nf3 d6 4.b4 !? . The idea of the gambit is similar to that seen in the Evans Gambit of the Italian Game . White sacrifices a pawn to try to build
9828-446: The same year he finished second at Bar , behind Petrosian, and second at Baguio , behind Torre . At Moscow 1981, he joined Kasparov and Polugaevsky in second place, behind Karpov. A further Hastings visit in 1981–82 resulted in a share of second place, with Speelman , behind Kupreichik . He was first at Graz in 1984 and first equal at Copenhagen (Politiken Cup) 1986 with Chernin , Pigusov and Cserna. He played at Reggio Emilia over
9936-582: The semifinal, but drew his quarter-final match against Robert Hübner 7–7, with the advancing player (Smyslov) determined only by the spin of a roulette wheel. His final Candidates' appearance was the Montpellier 1985 tournament, where he did not advance. Smyslov was a frequent competitor at the Soviet Championships and enjoyed some notable successes. In 1940, while still a teenager, he finished third behind Bondarevsky and Lilienthal. At
10044-529: The seventh world champion in the history of chess." Smyslov did not qualify for another World Championship, but continued to play in World Championship qualifying events. He was a Candidate in 1959, but finished fourth in the qualifying tournament held in Yugoslavia , which was won by the rising superstar Mikhail Tal . He missed out in 1962, but was back in 1964, following a first-place tie at
10152-498: The spot, for example after 6...d6? 7.Nd5!, when the dual ideas of Nxc7 and exd6 will win the game quickly. Retreating immediately with 4...Ng8 is better, but after 5.Nf3 with the idea of d4 followed by Bxf4, White has a nice game. Other lines for Black include 3...d6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.d3, when the threat of Bxc6 followed by taking on e5 induces 6...exf4 7.Bxf4, leaving White with a pleasant position; and also 3...Nc6? 4.fxe5! Nxe5 5.d4, when both 5...Nc6 and 5...Ng6 are met by 6.e5 with
10260-423: The two main continuations for White are 3.Nf3 (King's Knight's Gambit) and 3.Bc4 (Bishop's Gambit). This is the most popular move. It develops the knight and prevents 3...Qh4+. Black's two main approaches are to attempt to hold on to the pawn with ...g5, or to return the pawn in order to facilitate development . The Classical Variation arises after 3.Nf3 g5. Black defends the f4-pawn, and threatens to kick
10368-458: The variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 named the "Paulsen Variation" of the Vienna Game, and the fourth win after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Nf3 vs. Henry Bird. Most often, White plays 3.Bc4, when the solid 3...Nf6 transposes to the 2...Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 line. Weaker is 3.Bc4 Bc5, when 4.Qg4! is awkward to meet. 4...Kf8 and 4...g6 are thought the best moves, but neither is too appealing for Black. The natural 4...Qf6?? loses to 5.Nd5! Qxf2+ 6.Kd1, when White's king
10476-682: The various declarations on questions of strategy by A. I. Nimzovitch ; I studied attentively the genius of prominent Soviet masters." Smyslov's competitive chess experiences began at the age of 14, when he started taking part in classification tournaments. In 1938, when he was 17, Smyslov won the USSR Junior Championship. That same year, he tied for 1st–2nd places in the Moscow City Championship , with 12½/17. However, Smyslov's first attempt at adult competition outside his own city fell short; he placed 12th–13th in
10584-449: The war. As the war ended, organized chess picked up again. But Smyslov's form hit a serious slump in the immediate post-war period. In the 1945 USSR Championship at Moscow (URS-ch14), Smyslov was in the middle of the very powerful field with 8½/17; the winner was Botvinnik, with Boleslavsky and the new star David Bronstein occupying second and third places. At Tallinn 1945, Smyslov had the worst result of his career, scoring just 6½/15 in
10692-585: The wild Bertin Gambit or Three Pawns' Gambit, 5.g3 fxg3 6.0-0 gxh2+ 7.Kh1, played in the nineteenth century). In modern practice, it is more common for Black to simply develop instead with 4...Nf6 5.e5 Ng4, known as the Modern Cunningham. An under-explored but seemingly playable line here is 5...Ne4!?, the Euwe Variation, which has a number of trappy ideas. The Schallopp Defense (3.Nf3 Nf6)
10800-594: The year 2000, the 80-year old grandmaster participated in what was to be his final tournament, the Klompendans Veterans Vs. Ladies Tournament in Amsterdam . The highlight of the match was his rout of Zsofia Polgar , leaving the all-time record between the two as +5–1=3. Some of the matches were adjourned early as draws due to his failing eyesight, and Smyslov officially retired from competitive play after this tournament. His Elo rating after this event
10908-584: Was +19−1=15, for 75.7%. From olimpbase.org, here is his European teams' data. Smyslov played for the USSR in both the 1970 and 1984 matches against teams representing the Rest of the World. He was on board six at Belgrade in 1970, and on board four at London in 1984, with the Soviets winning both matches. In 1991, Smyslov won the inaugural World Senior Chess Championship . With a FIDE rating still around 2400 as of
11016-435: Was 2494. Smyslov died of congestive heart failure in a Moscow hospital on the morning of 27 March 2010, three days after his 89th birthday. Reports circulated that his final years were spent in near-poverty and that he could not afford badly-needed eye surgery. It was also reported that Smyslov and his wife Nadezhda mostly lived on income from renting their apartment and that no one checked on them or provided care. Smyslov
11124-682: Was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the seventh World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 1985). Smyslov twice tied for first place at the USSR Chess Championships (1949, 1955), and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team Championships, Smyslov won ten gold medals. Smyslov remained active and successful in competitive chess well after
11232-482: Was known for his positional style, and, in particular, his precise handling of the endgame , but many of his games featured spectacular tactics as well. His opening repertoire was conventional for the 1950s–1960s era, featuring mainly the Ruy Lopez and English Opening as White, and the Sicilian Defense and Nimzo-Indian Defense as Black. He made enormous contributions to chess opening theory, including
11340-403: Was later to read everything that my father had in his library: Dufresne 's handbook, separate numbers of the Soviet chess magazines Chess and Chess Sheet , the text-books of Lasker and Capablanca , and the collections of games of Soviet and international tournaments. The games of the great Russian chess master M. I. Chigorin made an indelible impression on me; it was with interest that I read
11448-434: Was of genuine world-class Grandmaster strength at age 20, a very rare achievement at that time. World War II forced a halt to most international chess, but several tournaments involving Soviet players only were still organized. Smyslov was exempted from military service due to being severely nearsighted, and he won the 1942 Moscow Championship outright with a powerful 12/15. At Kuibyshev 1942, he placed second with 8/11. In
11556-426: Was one of the most popular openings until the late 19th century, when improvements in defensive technique led to its decline in popularity. It is infrequently seen at master level today, as Black has several methods to obtain equality , but is still popular at amateur level. The King's Gambit was one of the most popular openings for over 300 years, and has been played by many of the strongest players in many of
11664-610: Was second (behind Fischer ) at Monte Carlo , won at Moscow, and finished second (behind Stein ) at the city's Alekhine Memorial tournament. He placed third the same year at the Capablanca Memorial in Havana (behind Larsen and Taimanov) and finished third again at Palma de Mallorca 1967 and Monte Carlo 1968, the latter two events both being headed by Larsen and Botvinnik. This was also the year he repeated his previous success at Polanica Zdroj, finishing first outright. His next trip to Hastings also ended in triumph, as he took clear first at
#764235