College Chess / UT Dallas versus U. Belgrade This is one of the main lines against the French
Defense. Other popular lines include the Advance Variation (3. e5) and the Tarrasch Defense (3. Nd2).
3. ... Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4!? The moves 4. ... Be7 and 4. ... Bb4 are two other
ways to continue in this variation. 5. Nxe4 Be7 This line has gained a lot of popularity recently.
6. Bxf6 gxf6 Black damages his own pawn structure for the
pair of bishops. The resulting position is double- edged. The most current theory in this line seems to prove that Black is fine.
7. Nf3 f5 8. Nc3!? The move 8. Ng3 instead seems more logical
and some thing most people would play, but it isn’t optimal because of 8. ... c5!?. Now White doesn’t have d4-d5, which would have been possible had the knight been on c3.
8. ... a6 9. g3 b5 10. Bg2 Bb7 11. 0–0 c5 12. d5!?
This is something I didn’t expect during the
game, as before the game I had prepped mainly for 12. dxc5.
12. ... b4 13. dxe6 bxc3 14. exf7+ Kf8
(see diagram top of next column) This position seems like it’s easy for Black, who
is just a piece up, but practically it’s very difficult for Black to continue as most of his pieces are on
their original squares. Development always comes first! 14. ... Kxf7? is losing for Black as 15. Ne5+! Kg7 16. Bxb7.
15. Qe2 Bf6!? The computer’s first suggestion, and a some -
what safe move. I basically wanted to put my queen on e7, and the bishop on b7 to e4, so that I can defend my position.
16. bxc3 Qe7 17. Qc4 Nd7 Never too late to develop pieces! 18. Qf4 Be4 19. Rfe1!
I think this move was pretty good as White is setting up a trap, which I fell for. 19. ... Bxc3? I thought my position was completely winning
as both white rooks are attacked. Since White is already a piece down, taking the rook means I would be a rook up, which is just too much material.
20. Rad1! Now I understood White’s motif, I cannot take
the rook on e1 as 20. ... Bxe1? 21. Qh6+! Kxf7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Ne5+ Ke8 24. Qh5+ Kd8 25. Nxd7 Kxd7 26. Bxe4 fxe4 27. Qd5+ Kc7 28. Qxc5+ Kb7 29. Kf1! when I do not have enough compensation for my queen.
20. ... Ra7? Suddenly I have to save my position, which in
this time control was difficult to do. 21. Re2! He was playing very well so far. I had begun to
realize that soon enough I may have big problems. 21. ... Qf6!? Most of my pieces were paralyzed, so I decided
to advance my queen and make some space in general. 21. ... Qxf7? is bad due to 22. Ng5! and White is winning; 21. ... Kxf7? is also a blunder as 22. Rxe4 Qxe4 23. Ng5+ is winning.
22. Ng5 h6 23. Nxe4 fxe4 24. Qxe4 Qxf7 I had already realized that this position is almost
1950: Yugoslavia defeats USA
In 1950, Yugoslavia defeated the United States of America in a 10-board, four-day “radio match.” Steve Pejovich (photo, center left) was then a high school senior in Belgrade. Before he left Yugoslavia in 1957 for a career culminating as professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, Steve was known by his given name of Svetozar. Svetozar Pejovich and other Belgrade high school chess players volunteered as match assistants. Pejovich remembers, “We got permission to miss four days of school” to relay the moves that one of his fellow volunteers recalled were “radio-received.” Three volunteers were assigned to each game. A first volunteer took each move from the radio room to a second volunteer, who sat across from the Yugoslavian player. That second volunteer made the American’s move on the board and started the Yugoslav’s clock. Pejovich was a third volunteer. His job was to update his assigned game’s demonstration board. I asked Pejovich if he remembered who played that game. He said that Ivkov played for Yugoslavia and asked, “A fellow named Bisguier played for the American side. Is he still alive?” I assured Pejovich that Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier (born 1929) is still alive. Bisguier’s opponent, Grandmaster Borislav Ivkov (born 1933), is also alive. Pejovich could not remember the result of the two games between Ivkov and Bisguier, but the Yugoslavians defeated the Americans 111
2⁄ to 81 2⁄ . (Bisguier defeated Ivkov in their first game; they drew their second game. ~ed.) ~Alexey Root
www.uschess.org 35
PHOTOS ALEXEY ROOT
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