Larsen - Uhlmann Candidates Quarterfinal (1971)

This Candidates quarterfinal was held in Moscow. <R.G. Wade and L.S. Blackstock, "Korchnoi's 400 Best Games" (Batsford 1978), p.179> Korchnoi qualified for the 10 game match from his appearance in the Spassky - Korchnoi Candidates Final (1968), and Geller from his shared 2nd-4th in the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970). <Garry Kasparov, "On My Great Predecessors Part 5" (Everyman Chess 2006), p.68> Korchnoi's seconds were Viacheslav Osnos and Gennadi Sosonko, and Geller's second was Eduard Gufeld. <Garry Kasparov, "On My Great Predecessors Part 5" (Everyman Chess 2006), p.68>; <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.425> The arbiter was Vladas Mikenas. <"Chess" vol 36, nos. 631-2 (August 1971), p.344>

Moscow, USSR 13-31 May 1971

           1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8  Pts
1 Korchnoi 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1  5½
2 Geller   0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 0  2½

Recently, Korchnoi had won the USSR Championship (1970), his fourth and final Soviet title. He had also finished first at <Wijk ann Zee Hoogovens 1971>, over Tigran Petrosian, Svetozar Gligoric and Borislav Ivkov. In his home, Korchnoi had played a secret practice match against the new Soviet star Anatoly Karpov, concentrating on playing the black pieces.<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75> Geller had come third at the <Moscow Victory Anniversary 1970> tournament <Di Felice,"Chess Results 1968-1970" p.308>, and fourth at <10th Amsterdam IBM 1970>. <Di Felice,"Chess Results 1968-1970" p.257>. Both players represented the USSR at the <Siegen Olympiad 1970>. Korchnoi won the bronze medal on board 3 with 73.3% and Geller scored 58.3% on 2nd reserve board. <"19th Chess Olympiad: Siegen 1970" http://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970i... http://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970u...>; <R.D. Keene and D.N.L. Levy, "Siegen Chess Olympiad: September 5th to September 26th, 1970" (Chess for Modern Times 1970), p.214>

In game 1, Korchnoi faced one of Geller's favourite weapons against 1.d4, but noted that he had "prepared to do battle against the King's Indian, of which Geller is so fond, and which I find equally pleasant to play against as White." <Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75> The game followed the topical King's Indian Classical variation that featured so prominently in the Fischer - Taimanov Candidates Quarterfinal (1971). Geller produced an innovation, but in the ensuing complications he blundered on the 27th move, fatally opening the King-file for White. <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), pp.424-425>

Korchnoi surprised Geller in game 2 with the Sicilian Dragon. He explained that "I decided to try the Dragon Variation... Geller is quite a good attacker, but he calculates variations badly- he wastes a lot of time, and often does not believe in himself. Therefore the risk seemed justified to me." <Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75> Korchnoi had only played the Dragon once before, winning against S Khodzhibekov at the <Tbilisi USSR Championship Semfinal 1956>.<Rusbase "Semifinal of 24th Championship of USSR- Tbilisi 1956" [rusbase-1]> Geller played imprecisely, much to the annoyance of his second Gufeld, who was an expert in this opening. Geller later admitted that he had not read Gufeld's book on the Dragon. Geller came close to losing, but Korchnoi missed a relatively simple win, leaving Geller with a better position but almost no time on his clock. The game was drawn. <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.425>

Game 3, a well played positional King's Indian, was drawn after 34 moves.<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.425>

Keres called game 4 "one of the most interesting games of the match." <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.425> Korchnoi again tried the Dragon, but Geller improved on the book line with 11.h3-h4. <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.425>; <Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75> From move 28 both players "got into desperate time trouble," but this time Geller won after Korchnoi blundered on move 37.<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75>; <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.426>

According to Wade and Blackstock, "After the 4th game which was very complicated with both players getting into acute time trouble Geller no longer wanted a sharp tactical struggle, whereas Korchnoi as planned continued to involve him in one." <R.G. Wade and L.S. Blackstock, "Korchnoi's 400 Best Games" (Batsford 1978), p.179> Korchnoi considered game 5 to be his best of the match.<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.426> This time Geller chose a QGD rather than a Kings Indian, but Korchnoi was ready. He had "prepared an interesting innovation in a well-known variation of the Queen's Gambit, which was quite often adopted by Geller."<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.75>

Position after Korchnoi's 9.Bh4xf6

click for larger view

Keres was enthusiastic about Korchnoi's new move: "9.BxN! (an interestng idea. Usually White exchanges on KB3 immediately on the 7th move, if he decides to do so at all. The text has the idea of forcing the Bishop to QN2 first, where it does not stand very well)"<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.426> Korchnoi was later disappointed that his idea didn't "appear in the list of thirty innovations mentioned in the appropriate issue of 'Informator.'" After putting "strong pressure on the hanging enemy pawns," Korchnoi won in 26 moves.<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.76> Keres labeled this game "a terrible debacle" for Geller.<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.426>

In game 6, Korchnoi chose a Scheveningen Sicilian and "defended carefully" to draw in 26 moves. <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.426> Korchnoi noted that "I repulsed Geller's onslaught... though not without difficulty."<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), p.76>

Game 7 featured another King's Indian Defence, but this time Korchnoi employed his more usual <3.g3> (E60) treatment.<ChessBase "Big Database 2013"> The adjourned position seemed equal, but Korchnoi was determined to find a win: "I attached great importance to the resumption of this game, and therefore the following day, for the first time in the history of matches for the World Championship, I asked for a postponement on the adjournment day!" His second Osnos suggested a line with a surprising piece sacrifice that "did not give a win, but Black" would be "forced to defend accurately." Geller now requested a further postponement, but his team did not consider the sacrificial line, which Korchnoi indeed played over the board:<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), pp.76-77>

Nd4-f6+

click for larger view

Geller soon drifted into a hopeless position and lost on time.<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.427>

Geller needed 2½ points from the next three games just to tie the score, so he was in a must win situation. In game 8 he took the white pieces and built up a favourable position against Korchnoi's Scheveningen Sicilian. Keres described Korchnoi's play as "provocative," and noted that Geller's play became "hesitant," "irresolute" and "hard to recognise." He missed a very promising bishop sacrifice on move 27, and subsequently lost on time for the 3rd time in the match.<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.427>

Victor Korchnoi had eliminated Efim Geller 5½ - 2½, advancing to the <Petrosian-Korchnoi Candidates Semifinal 1971>.

After the match, Geller remarked that his defeat on time in game 1 was unpleasant, as he was immediately in the position of having to catch up. Osnos and Sosonko reckoned that "Perhaps this factor affected Geller's play, which was laboured and with long periods of thought, in nearly all the remaining games of the match"<Garry Kasparov, "On My Great Predecessors Part 5" (Everyman Chess 2006), p.68> In his evaluation, Keres remarked that "I cannot avoid the impression that this match was decided less on the chess board than on the clock... in almost every game at least one of the contestants was in terrible time trouble... in the distribution of time Geller was clearly the worse in this match." <Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), p.424>

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Game Collection: Wijk aan Zee Hoogovens 1971

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-<Chess is My Life>

Korchnoi:

(75) "In the first match I was due to meet Geller. The young grandmaster Karpov offered me his services, and we played a training match. The match was completely secret, especially since Karpov was a member of the same Sports Society as Geller. One can understand Karpov: he hoped to gain and, I think, gained a great deal of benefit from a match with me. We played at Karpov's home. I played five games with Black, and one as White. I would probably not have bothered to mention this training match, had it not been for the fact that, shortly before our Candidates' Final Match, Karpov sent to a British master for publication the games which he had won against me in this match. Before each game I told Karpov which opening I was going to play, so that he could prepare for it- at that time opening knowledge was not Karpov's strong point, and I wanted the games to be of full value from start to finish. Karpov led by 2-0 with one game drawn, but then relaxed somewhat, and I levelled the score. One of the games won by Karpov in the match- a French- was excellently played by him.

In my match against Geller, whom I considered an outstanding theory specialist, and a bold fighter, with a fairly subtle positional understanding, I decided to adopt the Sicilian Defence as Black. In the first instance I decided to try the Dragon Variation, hitherto played with success by Sosonko. Geller is quite a good attacker, but he calculates variations badly- he wastes a lot of time, and often does not believe himself. Therefore the risk seemed justified to me. As White, on the other hand, I prepared to do battle against the King's Indian, of which Geller is so fond, and which I find equally pleasant to play against as White. At the same time I prepared an interesting innovation in a well-known variation of the Queen's Gambit, which was quite often adopted by Geller...

(76)

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-<R.G. Wade and L.S. Blackstock, "Korchnoi's 400 Best Games" (Batsford 1978)>

-<Garry Kasparov, "On My Great Predecessors Part 5" (Everyman Chess 2006), p.68>

-<Paul Keres, "Korchnoi 5½ Geller 2½" "Chess Life and Review" (August 1971), pp.424-427>

-<"19th Chess Olympiad: Siegen 1970" http://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970i... http://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970u...>

-<Gino Di Felice, "Chess Results 1931-1935" (McFarland 2006)>

-<Victor Korchnoi, "Chess is My Life" (Edition Olms 2004), pp.75-77>

-<R.D. Keene and D.N.L. Levy, "Siegen Chess Olympiad: September 5th to September 26th, 1970" (Chess for Modern Times 1970), p.214>

-<"Chess" vol 36, nos. 631-2 (August 1971), p.344>

-<ChessBase "Big Database 2013">

-<Chessgames "Korchnoi-Geller" search "korchnoi-geller">

-<Rusbase "Semifinal of 24th Championship of USSR- Tbilisi 1956" [rusbase-2]>

-<"New York Times" (May 1971)>

-<"Omaha World Herald" (20 May 1971), p.10>

-<"Omaha World Herald" (21 May 1971), p.34>

-<"Greensboro Record" (27 May 1971), p.33>

-<"Icelandic Visir" (1 June 1971), p.3>

Original games collection Game Collection: WCC Index (Korchnoi-Geller 1971) by : User: Hesam7. Intro researched and written by User: Chessical. Additional research by User: crawfb5, User: Tabanus, and User: WCC Editing Project.

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Game dates:

crawfb5:
This is what I see from the NY Times:

1 -- 13 May
2 --
3 -- 17 May
4 -- 18 May
5 --
6 -- 24 May
7 -- 26 May
8 -- 31 May

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Tabanus:

Reuter report in Omaha World Herald 20 May p. 10: Game 4 <adjourned Wednesday night on the 43rd move>. So Game 4 = May 19 (a Wednesday)

Reuter report in Omaha World Herald 21 May p. 34: <The fifth game is Saturday>: Game 5 = May 22 (a Saturday)

Greensboro Record 27 May p. 33: <adjourned their seventh game Wednesday night>:

Game 7 = May 26 (a Wednesday)

1 -- 13 May
2 --
3 -- 17 May
4 -- 19 May
5 -- 22 May
6 -- 24 May
7 -- 26 May
8 -- 31 May

Game 2 is reported in newspapers on Monday 17 May, I'd say 15 May is pretty certain.

But the Icelandic Visir of 1 June p. 3 has that "Korchnoi won the 8th game yesterday", so I'd say Game 8 = May 31

Conclusion:
1 -- 13 May
2 -- 15 May
3 -- 17 May
4 -- 19 May
5 -- 22 May
6 -- 24 May
7 -- 26 May
8 -- 31 May

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