The review 4 numbers of the newspaper "64" for SEPTEMBER, 1938 from 5, 15, 20, September 24, numbers of 49, 51-53

Chess Siberia

The review 4 numbers of the newspaper "64" for SEPTEMBER, 1938 from 5, 15, 20, September 24, numbers of 49, 51-53

by Boris Schipkov

Number 49 contains the announcement of the tournament of four masters "which for serious reasons could not participate in semifinals of chess championship of the USSR". The tournament begins on September 6 in the Moscow central chess club. "There will be 4 rounds. The first two winners will be allowed to participate in the championship of the USSR".
On the 2nd page one could see the photo of the winners of groups of chess tournament of the first category players - Smyslov and Shneideman. In the picture there is the seventeen-year-old Vasily Vasilievich Smyslov, the future seventh world champion.
On the 2-nd and 3-rd pages there are some games and a small review by A.Lilientahl about this tournament which was held in Gorky. I'll show 2 games: Smyslov - Rudnev and Myasoyedov-Ufimtsev with some commentaries of Smyslov and the well-known theoriticizan Ufimtsev who was born in 1914 in the Siberian city of Omsk, was the champion of Kazakhstan ten times and has died recently. I have good memories of the the well-cultured Anatoly Gavrilovich Ufimtsev playing in 1981 at the All-Union chess festival "Magnitka Cup " in Magnitogorsk.

In 51 and 52 numbers there are the results and games of the match - tournament of four masters and championships of Ukraine and Byelorussia. In Kiev Boleslavsky scored 3 out of 3 , and in Minsk Lilienthal was in the lead the same result.
I show the game Alatortsev - Ragozin with some notes of Vyacheslav Vasilievich Ragozin.

In 53 number the results of the match-tournament of four masters were given. The winners were I.Kan and V.Ragozin, tying for the first place with 7,5 points out of 12. V. Alatortsev and N. Riumin scored 4 out of 11. The last game between them was not played, as its result had no significance.
In the championship of Ukraine Boleslavsky was in the lead - 8,5 out of 10, followed by A.Konstantinopolsky, having 6,5 points and 1 postponed game.
In the championship of Byelorussia after nine rounds in the lead were A.Lilienthal - 7 points and V.Panov- 6,5 points and 1 postponed game with an extra pawn in a rook endgame.
In my following review of the newspaper "64" for October, 1938, I hope, we shall find out, who won in these tournaments.
On the last page of number 53 a satirical article of certain A.S is printed. "The Commentaries on the Commentaries". The author writes, that "it is possible to come across commentaries which, at best, are not helpful to the reader". Then he classifies such commentaries "into four basic groups: I. The commentaries illustrating only "variation luggage" of the commentator, II. The commentaries "of highly general considerations", without the account of concrete conditions; III. The commentaries for one side (more often their author is the self-enamoured winner) and IV. "Accompanying " commentaries only ascertaining that something took place".
For an illustration A.S. has chosen such a game: 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6 6.Nd6 a checkmate. I exemplify fragments from group II and, certainly, group III, most urgent and popular presently.
"II. The commentaries "of highly general considerations". 1.e4 (the Idea of this move is lost in the depth of centuries. At the time of Renaissance in XVII century Gioacchino Greco successfully practised...) 1...c6 (As a counterbalance to the purposeful movement of the first player Black answer by sluggish development in the spirit of the newest school...)2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6 (Black imprudently switched to the plan of development, generally speaking, not appropriate to the spirit of the selected opening...) 6.Nd6 a checkmate.
III. The commentaries for one side. 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 (Many people considered, because of my numerous theoretical novelties, that I am well prepared for the tournament. It may be partly true. But I assert, that this move is the result of happy inspiration during the game) 2...d5 3.Nc3 (Continuation... inspired idea) 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 (One of the best moves by the queen, which I had to make. The idea is so hidden that the masters watching this game, considered this move simply weak, not understanding obviously all the depth of my plan) 5...Ngf6 (At Black it is not so visible defences, as does not rescue and 5... g6 or even 5... b6) 6.Nd6 a checkmate. The brilliant finale of a well played game ".
I remember the old game which I played White in 1976 in Sverdlovsk (before 1924 and after 1991 - Ekaterinburg) against Alexander Goldin (Schipkov, B -Goldin, A Sverdlovsk 1976). 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Secretly hoping for the mechanical 5... Ngf6 6.Nd6 the checkmate! 5...Ndf6 Certainly, the future winner of New York Open and many other tournaments easily avoids the "danger" and equalizes the game. Then there was 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be3 e6 9.h3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6 11.0-0-0 Qd5 12.Kb1 0-0-0 and the contenders have agreed to a draw in 29 moves.
I shall finish the review with the information witgh the heading "Abroad". " Of Plymouth (England). The international tournament had an unexpected ending : Alekhine, playing black a decisive game with Thomas was content with a draw. The result was that Alekhine and Thomas have divided the first two places - with 6 of 7 points".

Smyslov, V. - Rudnev [C10]
Gorky 1938

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6
"By this move Black refuse to struggle for the field e4. Correct was 9...gxf6 so that he could play f5 at the convenient moment" (Smyslov).
10. c3 Qd6 11. Qe2 O-O 12. O-O-O c5 13. Kb1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Qb6 15. f4 Bd7 16. Qc2 h6 17. Nf3 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. h4
"Threatening 20.Ng5 g6 21.Ne4 Be7 22.h5" (Smyslov).
19...Rfd8 20. Rdf1

20...Qc4
Black pass into an endgame, but it appears very difficult. It was better to organize a figured counter-attack on the queenside 20...Rac8! 21.g4 Qb5 22.Ka1 Rd3 23.g5 Bxc3! or 23.Qe2 Qd5 24.Rd1 Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Qc4 26.Qxc4 Rxc4.
21. g4 Qd3 22. g5 Qxc2+ 23. Kxc2 Be7 24. gxh6 gxh6
In an endgame young Smyslov shows an outstanding technique of the realization of advantage.
25. f5 exf5 26. Nd4 Rd6 27. Nxf5 Re6 28. Rhg1+ Kh8 29. Re1 Bc5 30. Rgf1 Rae8 31. Rxe6 Rxe6 32. b4 Bb6 33. Rd1 Rf6 34. Rd5 Bf2 35. h5
"This endgame is easily won due to an active arrangement of White pieces and weakness of a kingside of Black" (Smyslov).
32...b6 36. Kd3 a6 37. c4 Rc6 38. a4 Be1 39. b5 axb5 40. axb5 Re6 41. Rd6 Rxd6+ 42. Nxd6 Kg7 43. c5
Black resigned. 1-0

Myasoyedov - Ufimtsev, A. [B26]
Gorky 1938

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3
"One of versions of a Sicilian game hardly giving White opening advantage" (Ufimtsev).
3...g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nge2 Nc6 6. d3 e6 7. Be3 Nge7 8. Qd2 Nd4 9. Nd1 Bd7 10. c3 Nxe2 11. Qxe2 Bc6 12. O-O Qd7 13. Rb1
"A unnecessary move... White should play 13.f4 0-0 14.Nf2 followed by Rad1 and d4" (Ufimtsev).
13...O-O 14. Qd2 f5 15. f3 b6 16. Bh6 d5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7

18. e5
Better was 18.Qf4 or 18.exf5.
18...d4 19. c4 f4!
"Correct sacrifice quickly giving the initiative for Black." (Ufimtsev).
20. g4 g5 21. Nf2 Ng6 22. Rbe1 Nh4 23. Ne4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 h5 25. Bh3 Rh8 26. Kh1 hxg4 27. Bxg4 Rh6 28. Rg1 Qf7 29. b4 Rah8 30. Re2 Qb7 31. Rf1 Qc6 32. a3 Ng6 33. Kg1 Rh4 34. b5 Qe8 35. Rfe1 Rxg4+!
"Completely correct sacrifice. The Black's position is so strong, that the White's rooks are completely helpless" (Ufimtsev).
36. fxg4 Rh3 37. Rf1 Nh4 38. Rxf4 gxf4 39. Qxf4 Qf7 40. Qg5+ Kh7 41. Rf2 Nf3+ 42. Rxf3 Qxf3
"And when the checks ended - White resigned" (Ufimtsev) .
0-1

Alatortsev, V. - Ragozin, V. [A10]
Moscow 1938

1. c4 e6 2. g3 f5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 d5 7. Bb2 c6 8. Qc2 a5 9. a3 Qe8 10. d3 Qh5 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. e4 f4!
"Absence of the dark-squared bishop on c1-h6 diagonal has effect on the game. The sacrifice of a pawn results in interesting complications. Other plan is advantageous for black: 12...fxe4 13.dxe4 Nc5" (Ragozin).
13. cxd5 cxd5 14. gxf4 Qg4 15. f5 exf5 16. h3 Qh5 17. e5 Ne8

18. Nh2 f4 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. d4 Qxh3 21. Bg2 Qh5 22. Bf3
"Correct was 22.Rfe1" (Ragozin). Not bad and 22.Rad1 with a sharp fight.
22...Qh4 23. d5?
"The miscalculation or blunder?" (Ragozin).
23...Nxe5 24. Bxe5 Qg5+ 25. Kh1 Qxe5 26. Rfe1 Qf6 27. Nc4 Nd6 28. Qd2 Nxc4 29. bxc4 Ra6 30. Rg1 Qh4 31. Bg4 Bc5
"Time trouble! Even easier decided 31... f3! and there is no defence from Rh6 " (Ragozin).
32. Bxc8 Rh6 33. f3 Bxg1 34. Rxg1 Rxc8 35. Rg4 Qe7 36. Rxf4 Rf8 37. Re4 Qxa3 38. Kg2 Rg6+ 39. Rg4 Rxg4+ 40. fxg4 Qb4 41. Qd3 Qb2+
White resigned. 0-1

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