“I got strong ideas about my house. I’m going to hire the best architect and have him build it in the shape of a rook. Yeah, that’s for me. Class. Spiral staircases, parapets, everything. I want to live the rest of my life in a house built exactly like a rook.”
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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
[Event "London Int'l Congress"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "01"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Euwe, Max"]
[Black "Capablanca, Jose Raul"]
[ECO "C66"]
[PlyCount "76"]1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The so-called Berlin defense to the Ruy Lopez, which has withstood the test of time
and was adopted in four of the Capablanca-Lasker match games at Havana – the third,
sixth, twelfth, and fourteenth.} 4. O-O d6 {Practically the Steinitz defense, although the great Austrian in his development of
the opening made this a move earlier.} 5. d4 Bd7 6. Nc3 exd4
7. Nxd4 {In the fourteenth game of the match at Havana, which was won by Capablanca, Lasker,
playing white, continued with 7.Bxc6 before the exchange of pawns in the center.} Be7 8. Re1 O-O {In this manner, also, did Lasker and Tarrash play in the world’s championship match
of 1908.} 9. Bf1 {Following the cue of Lasker in his twelfth game with Capablanca. Both of these
masters continued with 9.Bxc6 in the third and sixth games of thew match, which, like
the twelfth, were drawn.} Re8 10. f3 Nxd4 {Capablanca, in the twelfth game aforesaid, played 10...Bf8, after which followed
11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 g6 13.Nd5 Bg7. At this point Capablanca, in his book on the match,
remarks: "I can not very highly recommend the system of defense adopted by me in this
variation."} 11. Qxd4 Be6
12. Qf2 c6 {This, at first blush, would appear to leave the queen’s pawn weak, but black is
fully prepared for the advance of d4 if the need arises.} 13. Bd2 Qb6 {As this is the only point at which the queen can be deployed satisfactorily.
Capablanca does not mince matters, but faces the situation squarely, though it
involves an exchange of queens.} 14. Na4 {An invasion which costs him valuable time. Instead, he should have played 14.Qxb6,
followed by 15.a6.} Qxf2+ 15. Kxf2 d5 16. e5 {Somewhat risky, as will be seen presently. On the other hand, if 16.exd5 Nxd5, with
the better position.} Nd7
17. g3 {This loses a pawn; either f4 or Bd3 was necessary as preventive.} Bf5 18. Rac1 b5 19. Nc3 Bc5+
{Disclosing the rook on the king’s pawn, now twice attacked.} 20. Kg2 Nxe5 21. g4 Bg6
22. Kg3 h5 23. Bf4 {The only chance for freeing his game lies in this direction. At best, with a pawn
down, white’s prospects are not at all enviable.} f6 24. Bxe5 fxe5 25. Bd3 Bf7 {Well played; an exchange of bishops would have enabled white to set up a stronger
defensive barrier.} 26. g5 g6
27. Re2 Bd6 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Rce1 Re7 30. Nd1 Rf8 31. Nf2 Be8
32. b3 {To bring the knight to g1 via h3 would avail nothing as a defense for the king’s
bishop pawn, inasmuch as black, with Bc5, could always dislodge it.} Ref7 33. c4 {It is useless to play 33.Re3 on account of 33...d4.} Rxf3 34. cxd5 cxd5 35. Bb1 Bc6 36. Rd1 R3f4
{With all of black’s force bearing directly upon the king, the end is now close at
hand.} 37. Be4 Bc5 38. Nd3 dxe4 0-1
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:
