Rank & File

66.Kc7 Rh1 (if 66...Ka6 67.c6 Kxa5,
one simple method is 68.Ra8+ Kb5
69.Kb7 +-) 67.c6 Rh7+ 68.Kc8 reaches
a position that would be drawn without
the a-pawn, as Black would play
...Ka7-b6. Here, though, the c-pawn
will promote after 68...Rf7 69.c7 Rh7
70.Kd8.
62...Kb8 63.c5 Rb1+ 64.Kc6 Rh1
Jack: White must work harder to
refute 64...Ra1. He only draws with
65.Rg8+?? Ka7 66.Kd7 Rd1+ 67.Kc7
Rh1 68.c6 Rh7+ 69.Kc8 Kb6.
Jack: To prove the win, White must
find 64...Ra1 65.Rb7+ ¨ Ka8 (White
does not mind 65...Kc8 66.Kb6 Rb1+
67.Ka7 Rc1 because 68.Rh7 anticipates
68...Rxc5 69.Kb6 Rc1 70.Rh8+
Kd7 71.a7 +-) 66.Rd7 ¨ Rxa6+ 67.Kc7
Rh6 68.c6 Ka7 69.Kc8+ ¨ Kb6 70.c7
¨ Kc6 71.Kb8 ¨ Kxd7 72.c8=Q+ Ke7,
when the tablebase demonstrates
a win in 25 moves, beginning with
73.Kc7.
65.Rb7+ ....
Jack: I wanted to play a couple of
safe moves to reach adjournment,
where I could work out the precise
winning sequence.
Jack: Most efficient is 65.Rd7.
65...Ka8
Jack: Worse is 65...Kc8 66.Rb2 +-.
66.Re7 ....
XIIIIIIIIY
9k+-+-+-+0
9+-+-tR-+-0
9P+K+-+-+0
9+-zP-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+r0
xiiiiiiiiy
Jack: This was the final move of
the morning session. Black sealed his
reply, and the game resumed around
10 p.m., when each of us completed
our afternoon games. An experienced
master told the TD that the game was
a certain draw, and therefore Tal and
I should be paired as if we had drawn.
Bent Larsen ended the argument by
confidently asserting, “It is a win.” My
most vivid memory of my next-round
loss to Yehuda Grunfeld is that Tal
came by my board every few minutes,
his face looking more and more agonized
as my position deteriorated. He
suffered at least as much as I did!
Cy: Your loss to Grunfeld was probably
because you expended a superhuman
amount of energy winning
this one!
66...Kb8 67.Rb7+ Ka8 68.Rd7! Kb8
69.Kd5! Rd1+
Jack: Black puts up less resistance
by 69...Ra1 70.c6 Rxa6 71.Kd6 +- or
69...Rh5+ 70.Kc4 Rh1 71.c6 +-.
70.Ke6 Re1+ 71.Kd6 Rd1+ 72.Ke7
Rc1
Jack: After 72...Re1+ 73.Kd8 Rc1,
the winning path is narrow. White
must find 74.Rd5 Ka7 75.Kc7 ¨ (as
75.Kd7?? Kxa6 76.c6 Kb6 draws) 75...
Kxa6 (no better is 75...Rh1 76.Rd6!
+-) 76.Rd6+ ¨ Ka7 77.c6 ¨ Rh1 78.Kc8
¨ Rh8+ 79.Rd8 ¨ Rh6 (the stalemate
trap 79...Rh7 80.Rd7+ Ka8 fails because
of 81.Kc7 Rh1 82.Rd5 Ra1
83.Kb6 Rb1+ 84.Rb5 +-) 80.c7 Rh7
81.Re8 (intending 82. Kd8) 81...Kb6
82.Re6+ Ka7 83.Kd8 +-.
73.Rd8+! Ka7
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tR-+-+0
9mk-+-mK-+-0
9P+-+-+-+0
9+-zP-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-tr-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy
Jack: White relies on 73...Kc7 74.a7
Re1+ 75.Kf6 +-.
74.Kd6 ¨ ....
Cy: White’s a-pawn doesn’t matter.
Black is unable to impede the passed
c-pawn’s course.
74...Rd1+
Jack: After 74...Rh1 75.c6 ¨ Rh6+
76.Kc5 Rh5+ 77.Rd5 Rh1, White has
several ways to win, but each requires
a surprising move or two. Probably
the most direct continuation is 78.c7
Rc1+ 79.Kd6 Kb6 80.Rb5+ ¨ Kxb5
81.a7 +-.
75.Kc7 Rh1 76.c6 Rh2
Jack: White welcomes 76...Kxa6
77.Ra8+ Kb5 78.Kb7 +-.
Jack: Trickier is 76...Rh7+ 77.Rd7
(White is not ready for 77.Kc8??
because 77...Kb6 draws) 77...Rh8
78.Rd1 Rh7+ 79.Kc8, when 79...Kb6
80.a7 ¨ forces the win: 80...Rxa7
81.Kb8 ¨ Rh7 82.c7 ¨ Rxc7 83.Rb1+
Kc6 84.Rc1+ ¨.
77.Kc8 Rh7
Jack: After 77...Kxa6 78.c7 +-,
White will move his King to b8 or d7
to make way for the pawn.
Jack: White refutes the alternative
77...Kb6 78.c7 Rh7 by 79.Rd6+ Ka7
80.Rc6 +-.
78.c7 .... 1-0
Jack: Also good is 78.Rd7+ Ka8
79.c7, as long as I don’t fall for
79.Rxh7?? With 78.c7, I planned 78...
Rg7 79.Re8 Kb6 80.Re6+ Ka7 81.Kd8
Rg8+ 82.Re8 +-.
Tal was a very pleasant opponent
who showed no irritation at this unfortunate
loss. We analyzed together
for about an hour. He gave a simultaneous
exhibition at the Santa Monica
Bay Chess Club two days later. I
didn’t attend, but I heard a story that
shows his sense of humor. Just before
the simul, someone asked him if he
expected to lose any games. He made
a show of peering at the audience,
then joked, “I don’t see Jack Peters.
No!”
Cy: I was a witness to this game and
at the moment Tal resigned, I looked
at the normally stoic Jack, who was
grinning, like an eight-year-old who
is told that school is let out early today.
r n l q k
www.scchess.com Dec 2015-Jan-Feb 2016
Rank & File 11