Round 14 of the 1967 Vrnjacka Banja tournament. https://www.365chess.com/tournament...

Horst Watzka - Laszlo Barczay the game was adjourned here with White to seal.

click for larger view

White sealed 41. Ng4.

You can see both Knights can go to g4.

Watzka said it was meant to be 41.Ne2-g4.

Barczay said he would only play on if 41.Ne5-g4 was played which does appear to give Black quite an advantage.

It looks like the arbiter agreed that Barczay could choose which piece went to g4. (I believe in such cases this was the rule, though don't quote me. )

The game https://www.365chess.com/game.php?g... shows 41.Ne-g5 and then 0-1.

BCM, March 1975.

Nothing there about Barczay getting to choose which interpretation was to be used. I seem to recall Gheorghiu was pretty fed up at one of his main rivals being virtually gifted a point. "I don't want to talk about it" was the gist of his comment.

Hi Cibator,

So CHESS covered this as well (what issue - the game took place in 1967 but I'm reading it from a 1975 BCM ).

The report is from 'Quotes and Queries' (no.3564) page 114.

It mentions the controller was M.Yudovitch and clearly says:

'Barczay would only continue if the N on K5 went there. (losing a piece for White). Watzka resigned without continuing."

(BCM back then used descriptive notation.)

It then says see BCM March 1967 (page 71) which I do not have to hand at the moment.

I thought any ambiguous sealed move lost a game, maybe in this case Barczay was giving his opponent a sporting chance rather than see him defaulted.

As the game linked above suggests 41. Ne5-g4 is given and then 1-0.

Without more details at the moment it looks like the controller allowed the move 41.Ne5-g4 and Watzka declined to continue.

I've submitted the game for inclusion here. Hopefully we can sort out what happened on it's own game page.

Thanks again for heads up about CHESS.

1967 BCM March page 71 (The Owen Hindle report) says basically the same thing. Barczay would only play on if the e5 Knight went to g4.

Showed article to an International Arbiter who was at the club. He said White losses by default, "...sound like an interesting situation."

Was called away before I could look at CHESS - when I went back the cupboard was locked and 'the keeper of the keys' had gone.

Game submitted.