SOFIA, BULGARIA – Viswanathan Anand defeated Veselin Topalov with the Black pieces in the 12th and deciding game of their world championship match today to retain his title by a score of 6.5 to 5.5.  Topalov’s 32. exf4 may go down as one of the most controversial moves in world chess championship history.

Topalov simply needed a draw with the White pieces today to send the match into a rapid playoff, but was unable to hold off the Anand onslaught after the crucial blunder on his 32nd move.  Anand tried to return the favor with the questionable  40…Kg7, enabling Topalov to prolong one of the most dramatic final games in world chess championship history.

With world championship victories over Vladimir Kramnik (Bonn 2008) and now Topalov, Anand is slowing inserting himself into the discussion of greatest chess player ever.  He has also laid claim to the title through a double round-robin tournament victory (Mexico City 2006) and a knock-out format victory (Tehran 2000).  He will next defend his crown against the winner of the 2011 Candidates Tournament.

Replay the deciding game 12 below:

During my extensive research on Jackson Showalter, I recently came across this article from 1916 that details an inexplicable eleven move checkmate suffered by then American chess champion Frank Marshall at a Brooklyn, New York simul.

The article is shown below and the moves of the game are also given.

SOURCE: Washington Post – April 23rd, 1916

The third Moscow international chess tournament in 1936 had an impressive field of participants, including two former world champions (Jose Raul Capablanca, Emanuel Lasker) and one future world champion (Mikhail Botvinnik).  The tournament took place at the Hall of Columns in Moscow, Russia from May 14th to June 8th, 1936.

The solid mix of Western and Soviet competitors were to play a double round-robin, consisting of eighteen total games.  Capablanca, nine years removed from being the world champion, was alone in first place at the halfway mark.  A point and a half behind him were Botvinnik, Lasker, and Viacheslav Ragozin. The only player to keep within reasonable distance of the leader was Botvinnik, but he eventually finished a full point behind the tournament champion, Capablanca.

The tournament book was written by one of the participants, Gregory Levenfish and later translated to English by Jimmy Adams. 

Lastly, the seventh round game between Capablanca and Botvinnik was an instant classic and is shown below. Enjoy.

One year ago today, the greatest chess player of all time passed away in Iceland of kidney failure.  Bobby Fischer was 64 years old when he died and despite the fact that he had not played competitive chess since 1992, he was still the most talked about player in the annals of chess history.

There have  since been discussions of possible movies about Fischer, an algebraic release of his legendary “My 60 Memorable Games”, and increased conversations about his brilliant chess play and controversial personality.  The topic of Fischer never gets old, no matter what spin is put on it.  A timeless character, whose name is the very first that comes to mind when the game of chess is mentioned anywhere in the world.

His classic battle with Boris Spassky in 1972 reamains to be the greatest chess match of all time, just as his toppling of the Russian chess machine reamains the most amazing feat of all time.

First he was taken from the chess world too soon, and then ultimately taken from the entire world too soon.  His chess theories and novelties continue to amaze, and his contributions of the Fischer clock and Fischer Random Chess are still celebrated today.

Thank you for the memories Bobby, you will definitely be remembered and revered forever.  Presented in your honor is game # 14 from your very own classic book, as well as a photo from that same brilliant game.

Can anyone name the individuals in the background?

Stefano Roselli del Turco was a strong international chess player in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  He won the Italian Chess Championship in 1920, 1923, and 1931.  Even this strong chess master was not immune to bad games or blunders.

At the famous 1925 Baden-Baden tournament, he played a game against the legendary Efim Bogoljubow in which he was playing the black side of a Queen’s Gambit Declined.  On the 17th move he inexplicably played 17… Rf4??? and quickly resigned one move later.

Samuel Reshevsky, the legendary chess prodigy who was born in Poland and later immigrated to the United States, made his tournament debut at the age of 10 years old.  The site was the Chess Club International in New York City and the date was October 8th, 1922.

The youngster’s opponent was Charles Jaffe, a very accomplished and seasoned American chess player.  Reshevsky (then spelled “Rzeschewski”) played the black side of a Ruy Lopez.  The game was initially adjourned with little Reshevsky enjoying an advantageous position and an additional pawn.  Jaffe would eventally equalize the position after play resumed and the result was a hard fought 59-move draw.

Which Chess Match That Never Took Place Would You Most Like To Have Seen?

Our recent poll poses an interesting question, one of which makes you go back in time and really think about the matchups that never took place.  This is one of the most compelling polls that we’ve come up with and one of the most difficult to limit the choices offered.

Please vote for one of the nine choices or pick “other” and comment here.  This should hopefully stir up some enjoyable conversation.

The 1983 qualifying cycle to determine a challenger for Anatoly Karpov was filled with chess legends both past and future.  In the quarterfinal round, up and coming Russian player Garry Kasparov faced off against fellow Russian, Alexander Beliavsky.

With Kasparov ahead by a full point, Beliavsky turned out a masterpiece in game 4 of their match.  A pawn sacrifice on move 13 exposes black’s vulnerable kingside in the Nimzo-Indian defense. 

Kasparov would go on to win the match by a score of 6.0-3.0 and eventually earn the right to face Karpov.  Beliavsky would play board 6 for Russia in the 1984 USSR vs World match the following year, scoring an impressive 3.5 out of 4.0 points in another victory for the Soviet chess machine.

The London International Chess Congress of 1922 provided us with many memorable games.  Jose Raul Capablanca was the reigning world champion at the time and headlined an impressive cast of participants.  His first round game was against future world champion Max Euwe, the very first meeting between these two great players.

Capablanca had the black pieces and played the Berlin defense of the Ruy Lopez.  His brilliant victory in this game serves as an excellent instructional to anyone wishing to learn the Spanish Opening with black.  The game analysis is by Hermann Helms.

SOURCE: Washington Post - October 8th, 1922

Hermann Helms, “the dean of American chess”, was an accomplished chess columnist and an attacking chess player of national master caliber.  His chess career included wins over American legends Harry Nelson Pillsbury and Frank James Marshall.  He also won the New York state championship on two separate occasions (1906, 1925) and represented the United States in five cable matches against Great Britain (1897, 1902, 1903, 1908, 1909), compiling a record of 2 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw.

Helms is probably most famous for publishing and editing the American Chess Bulletin (along with Hartwig Cassel) from 1904 to 1963.  His other notable contributions to chess included writing a chess column for the New York Times (for over 50 years) and for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (for 62 years).  He also assisted in organizing the great New York chess tournaments of 1924 and 1927.

In 1951, a woman by the name of Regina Fischer wrote a letter that was received by Helms, asking for chess opponents for her 8-year old son.  Helms answered the letter and was promptly responsible for getting him into organized chess.  The boy’s name was Bobby Fischer.

Here is one of his games that shows his aggressive attacking style against James F. Smyth in 1915.  The notes are by Helms himself: