I’ve been neglectful of this blog for the passed couple of weeks. There has not been much formal activity in the area. Although it should be said turnouts at the Schenectady and Albany Area clubs has been good with both having seven to twelve players turning up on club nights. There are several new faces in these groups, a good sign for chess in the Capital District
Arrangements have been proceeding for the “big” match between Albany and Schenectady clubs. The date is confirmed for August 19th at the Schenectady Club in the Niskayuna Community Center basement. Anticipating a number of younger players, the start time is set for 7:00 pm.
One of my early heroes was Abe Yanofsky, the Canadian GM. He grew up in Winnipeg during WWII. After winning the Canadian Championship in 1945, the youthful Yanofsky, traveled to Europe to play in a number of events including Hastings and the Staunton Memorial Tourney of 1946. In the last event he scored a remarkable win from the soon to be World Champion M.M. Botvinnik
Yanofsky published a slim book of his best games from the 1946-48 European trip and some of his early games. It was one of the first chess books I bought, about 1955 I think. Yanofsky used the French, and his book certainly influenced me to play the French for many years.
Yanofsky, Daniel Abraham - Botvinnik, Mikhail [C99]
Staunton Memorial, Groningen, 1946
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nb4 15.Bb1 a5 16.Nf1 Bd7 17.Bd2 Rfc8 18.Bxb4..,!?
Know theory of the time up to this move. The move was a cutting edge try at the time.
Accepted play was (1)18 Qe2, since 18..., Nc2; is met by 19 Rc1, or (2) 18 Ne3. After the text Black has a slight advantage and shortly it materializes as an extra pawn. For this concession White obtains a complex game with significant counter-play available.
18..., axb4 19.Bd3 Bd8 20.Qd2 Qa5 21.Ne3 b3 22.a3 Qa4 23.Nd1 b4 24.Ne3 bxa3 25.Rxa3 Nxe4 26.Qd1 Qb4 27.Rxb3 Qa4 28.Bc2 Nc5 29.Rc3 29 Qb4 30.Qb1!?,..
White could have tried 30 Nc4, planning to make serious threats on the Black King with the sacrifice of the Bishop on h7. It seems the game would then be dynamically balanced. Botvinnik’s reputation, so great at the time, probably caused the young Daniel to chose another path.
30..., g6 31.Rc4 Qb7 32.b4 Na6 33.Rxc8 Rxc8 34.Bd3 Nxb4 35.Re2 Ba5 36.Rb2 Rb8 37.Nd2 Qa7
Through the difficult middle game Yanofsky has fought back well by striving for maximum activity. The game is tending towards equality now.
38.Ndc4 Qc5?
Botvinnik errs here according to Rybka. It was better to play 38..., Kg7. White now gets to create real pressure on the Black position that translates into a win of the Exchange.
39.Nxa5 Qxa5 40.Nc2 Nxd3 41.Rxb8+ Kg7 42.Ne3 Qd2
Botvinnik is making good use of the placement of his pieces to threaten sacrificial destruction for the White King’s castled position; the Bd7 points at h3 and the Q+N eye the dark squares f2, f4, g3 and h2.
43.Qf1 Nc5
Better maybe 43..., Nf4; according to the computer, but as the lines play out White keeps a significant edge.
44.Qd1 Qc3 45.Rb6 Ba4?
This is a real slip. Better 45..., Ne4. The game move allows White to make the most of his material advantage by threatening the Black King.
46.Qf3 Qe1+ 47.Kh2 f5 48.Rxd6 f4
Different but not really better is 48.., Be8; the 49 Qg3 f4 49 Nf5+ winning.
49.Nf5+ Kf7
If 49..gxf5 50.Qh5 Qxf2 51.Qg5+ Kf8 52.Qf6+ Kg8 53.Rd8+ wins
50.Qg4 Ne4 51.Qh4 gxf5 52.Qxh7+ Ke8 53.Qg8+ 1–0
Yanofsky finished in 14th place with a score of 8.5/10.5 in the twenty player event. At the top were Botvinnik, Euwe and Smyslov who would all play for the World title two years later.
Behind him were the well known names; Ossip Bernstein, Guimard, Vidmar, Herman Steiner, O’Kelly de Galway and Chrsitoffel
Forty years later Abe Yanofsky was still able to give a good account of himself at the 1986 Canadian Zonal Tournament finishing tied with Baraga for 3d and 4th behind Igor Ivanov and Kevin Spraggett.
This is his best win from the Zonal:
Hawkes, Rob (2315) - Yanofsky, Daniel Abraham (2390) B57
Canada Zoanl Tournament, Canada, 1986
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.0–0 a6 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Qh5 Bd7 12.Kh1 Ne5 13.Be2 0–0–0 14.f4 Ng6 15.a4 Rdg8 16.a5 Qc7 17.g3 Rg7 18.Rad1 Kb8 19.Rd4 Rc8 20.Rc4 Qd8 21.Rxc8+ Qxc8 22.Bf3 Qh8 23.Rd1 Rg8 24.Qh3 Rd8 25.Qg2 Rc8 26.Qe2 Rc7 27.Qe3 Qc8 28.Rd2 Qf8 29.Nd4 Qh6 30.Rd3 Qf8 31.h4 Qe8 32.Nde2 Bf8 33.Qb6 Ne7 34.Qd4 Nc6 35.Qxf6 Nxa5 36.Qh8 h6 37.f5 Nc4 38.f6 Ne5!?
Not quite as good as 38..., Nxb2; which is close to winning.
39.Re3 Rc8 40.Bh5 Qd8 41.g4 Qb6 42.Nd1 Qa5 43.Rc3 Bc6 44.Kh2 Qa1 45.Ne3 Qe1 46.Ng3 Qf2+
Also powerful is 46..., d5.
47.Kh3 Nf3 48.Ng2 Ng1+ 49.Kh2 d5 50.g5 Bb4
Less risky is 50..., hxg4.
51.Qxh6 Bxc3 52.bxc3 dxe4 53.g6 Nf3+ 54.Kh3 fxg6 55.Bxf3 Qxf3?
Ending matters quickly with 55..., exf3; is better. It is possible that having passed his 60th birthday, Yanofsky was tired at this point. White is still lost but there is a glimmer of hope in his advanced passed pawns and active Queen.
56.Qg5 e5 57.Qxe5+ Ka8 58.Qd6 Bb5 59.Kh2 Qxc3 60.Nxe4 Qxc2 61.f7 Bf1 62.Nd2 Qf5 63.Nxf1 Qxf7?
The strain of a long game is showing. Possible is 63..., Qxf1 64 Qe7 Qf3 65 Kg1 Ka7 66 Ne1 Qf5 67 Ng2 a5 68 Qe8 Qc5+ 69 Ne3 Qf8 and Black is getting his forces coordinated to fight the f-pawn successfully. True enough there are many, many moves to be played, but Black should win. Perhaps worried fatigue would blur his calculation, Yanofsky here opted to keep a smaller but secure advantage. Grandmasters are not afraid to make those choices.
64.Ng3 Ka7 65.Nf4 Rc2+ 66.Kh3 Rc6 67.Qd4+ b6 68.Nge2 Qe7 69.Kg3 Rc5 70.Kg4 g5 71.hxg5 Qxg5+ 72.Kf3 Qe7 73.Nc3 Qe5 74.Qxe5 Rxe5 75.Nd3 Re8
Now it is clear. The White King is cut off from the Black passed pawns. To get the King over to the Q-side will require some Knight moves allowing the pawns to advance farther and the Rook has the c-file for the next cut-off line.
76.Ne4 b5 77.Ke3 Kb6 78.Kd4 a5 79.Nf6 Rc8 80.Nd5+ Ka7 81.Nc5 Rh8?
Another slip. Either 81..., Rc6; or 81.., a4; are better. The text gives White a chance.
82.Ne6?
Better is 82 Nb3.
82..., Rh6 83.Nec7 b4 84.Kc5 Kb7 85.Nb5 Rc6+ 86.Kd4 Rc1
The White King is now separated from the critical zone and the Knights will not be able to cope with the pawns if Black does not fall into some kind of fork trap.
87.Ne7 Kb6 88.Nd6 Rd1+
Taking the opportunity to force the White King further away.
89.Ke5 b3 90.Ne4 b2 91.Nc3 b1Q 92.Nxb1 Rxb1 93.Kd4 Rf1
Faster is 93..., a4.
94.Nd5+ Kc6 95.Nc3 Rh1 96.Kc4 Rh4+ 97.Kb3 Rb4+ 98.Ka3 Kc5 99.Na4+ Kc4 100.Nb2+ Kc3 101.Na4+ Kc4 102.Nb2+ Kb5 103.Nd1 Rc4 104.Kb3 a4+ 105.Ka3 Rc1 0–1
The final ten moves were not a crisp as a fan would like, but an educational game in any event.
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky died in 2001. Below is a summary of his career from Wikipedia:
In 1946, at age 21, Yanofsky entered the first top-class post-war tournament, at Groningen, and defeated Soviet champion and tournament winner Mikhail Botvinnik, winning the brilliancy prize. During the next two years, he played several more European events, where his best result was second place behind Miguel Najdorf at Barcelona 1946. Yanofsky represented Canada at the Interzonals held in Saltsjobaden 1948 and Stockholm 1962. He won the British Championship in 1953. At Dallas 1957, Yanofsky achieved his first grandmaster norm with wins over Samuel Reshevsky, Friðrik Ólafsson and Larry Evans. His performance at the Tel Aviv Olympiad in 1964 earned him his second grandmaster norm, and the title, thereby becoming the first grandmaster raised in the British Commonwealth
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