Both sides had their chances in this struggle of a piece vs. three pawns.

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A game of some historical note, being the last game of the legendary Paul Keres. An overambitious Walter Browne has the tables turned on him in the last round of the 1975 Vancouver Open, played on May 25. Keres died of a heart attack on June 5 in Helsinki while returning to Estonia from Canada.

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This week’s game is chosen because tomorrow (Monday) is grandmaster Naakamura’s 32nd birthday. Happy birthday, Hikaru!

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Friday was Tal’s birthday (he would have been 83) so naturally I wanted to feature one of his games. But since my policy is to present only games not included in ChessBase’s Mega Database, the pickings were slim (they seem to have almost all of his games). This one, however, from a simul in the Netherlands in 1976, has some interest. The tactics are as murky and complex as some vintage Tal but not handled with his accustomed brilliance (it was a simul after all). Even though he was lost at one point, he pulled through. Enjoy.

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Sofia Polgar turned 45 yesterday. Although overshadowed by her two sisters, she was a pretty good player in her own right (I say “was” because she appears to be in retirement and hasn’t played a rated game in nearly ten years). Here’s a lesser known win of hers.

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(My apologies for being a day late in posting this)
Normally, I try to present grandmaster games obscure enough that ChessBase doesn’t have them in its Megabase. This week is an exception. It’s an amateur game that I find particularly enjoyable for the way Black is bound and trussed, and how every attempt to free himself only tightens White’s grip. Black’s knight is so pathetic that he dumps it rather than have to look at it any more. A game that gives a certain sadistic pleasure. The winner was a close friend of mine, who unfortunately passed away about two years ago.

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My apologies for not posting a game last week.

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