A Record-Breaking Tournament

Reported by our special correspondents Yuri Noskov and Vladimir Rozhdestvensky

The participants in the traditional chess tournament were welcomed in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. This city is dear to the visitors not only because the initiator of the event was the beloved international grandmaster Paul Keres and the chief arbiter is the Tallinn grandmaster Lembit Vahesaar. Thousands of people in the republic spend their leisure time at the chessboard. It is therefore natural that a fairly large number of them wish to see at least one example of top-class play with their own eyes. Every year the official calendar contains team and individual competitions and various friendly meetings. These include the traditional annual match on one hundred boards between the representatives of Tallinn’s Kalev sports society and the rural Jõud society. There is little need to say anything further about the organisers’ ability and willingness to host such events: they have demonstrated it more than once.

As a rule, the international tournament is held in one of the republic’s largest concert halls, the House of Political Education of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia. During play, the best players sit here alongside the radio commentators, while simultaneous exhibitions are arranged in the foyer. In short, everything is done so that the tournament is staged at a high level and leaves a pleasant impression on its guests.

In terms of the field, the first Tallinn tournament of 1969 was weaker than expected. Even so, it attracted attention because the international grandmaster Leonid Stein participated for the first time. Two years later, representatives of nine countries came to Tallinn, and the field was strong enough to suggest that the first prize would probably go only to a world champion. Indeed, first and second places were shared by former world champions Mikhail Tal and Paul Keres.

The Tallinn 1973 tournament will go down in history as a record-breaking event. Never before had a competition in our republic gathered such an impressive field: six international grandmasters, one grandmaster, seven international masters and two masters. Two places were reserved for local players who had earned the right to compete in a special qualifying tournament.

World champions Boris Spassky and Mikhail Tal, grandmasters David Bronstein, Leonid Polugaevsky, Yuri Balashov, Sweden’s Ulf Andersson, former world champion Tigran Petrosian, and strong masters from the GDR, the Netherlands, Finland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and the United States came to Tallinn. The hosts were represented by Paul Keres and Iivo Nei. The chief arbiter, as in the two previous tournaments, was international arbiter Lembit Vahesaar.

Opening Ceremony and Draw

The opening ceremony took place in the conference hall of the new Viru Hotel. Flowers, music and the sea surrounded the participants and guests. They were welcomed by Arnold Green, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Estonian SSR; Ivar Kallion, chairman of the Tallinn City Executive Committee and chairman of the organising committee; Olaf Utt, head of the Central Committee department and chairman of the USSR Chess Federation; Hein Sillak, chairman of the Estonian SSR Sports Committee; representatives of the public and journalists. The reception was followed by an exhibition by the Estonian Academic Men’s Choir, and then by the draw.

The participants chose one of sixteen albums placed in envelopes. The albums were decorated with watercolours by Estonian masters and later served as souvenirs.

The draw produced the following starting order:

1. H. Pfleger
2. I. Nei
3. L. Popov
4. H. Westerinen
5. J. Timman
6. U. Andersson
7. B. Spassky
8. D. Bronstein
9. E. Seidy
10. H. Kärner
11. L. Polugaevsky
12. I. Přibyl
13. Y. Balashov
14. P. Keres
15. B. Rytov
16. M. Tal

The Opening Rounds

The chief arbiter of the international Tallinn 1973 tournament, Lembit Vahesaar, started the chess clock. Boris Spassky appeared at the board for his game with Iivo Nei a few minutes late, shook his opponent’s hand and asked Ivar Kallion, who was present in the front row, to make the first move for him. Kallion advanced the king’s pawn two squares. Thus the encounter between the former world champion and one of Estonia’s leading masters began.

Keres chose a system with a fianchettoed king’s bishop. Similar structures had repeatedly occurred in responsible competitions. However, in his game with Boris Spassky, Kärner departed from the usual continuation and soon reached a position from a Caro-Kann variation. White obtained some advantage, but could not extract anything tangible from it. Kärner defended skilfully, creating counter-threats, and after the time control the players agreed to a draw.

Two days before the start of Tallinn 1971, David Bronstein wrote that, despite his age of forty-seven, he continued to play with youthful enthusiasm and remained a serious contender for prizes. On the opening day of the new event Bronstein turned forty-nine, and the following day, in fine style, defeated the American E. Seidy. As often happens, after the opening Seidy began to experience difficulties in the middlegame. Bronstein manoeuvred skilfully and created strong pressure on his opponent’s position. In the end, the American stopped resistance on move forty-one.

In the first round, after sharp and attractive play, the Tallinn players Iivo Nei and Boris Rytov also concluded peace. The games H. Westerinen — Y. Balashov and U. Andersson — L. Polugaevsky likewise ended in draws. World champion Mikhail Tal presented H. Pfleger with a birthday gift in the form of a full point. It should be added that earning the required score for the international master title in this tournament was by no means easy.

The encounters L. Popov — P. Keres and J. Timman — I. Přibyl had no special distinguishing features and were adjourned in approximately equal positions.

In the second round Mikhail Tal defeated Ulf Andersson, and Yuri Balashov defeated I. Přibyl. The games P. Keres — H. Westerinen, H. Pfleger — I. Nei, Y. Balashov — J. Timman and L. Polugaevsky — B. Spassky ended in draws. The remaining games were adjourned.

Tal’s Fighting Style

The sharp, highly complicated play of Mikhail Tal always appeals to Tallinn spectators. Although the former world champion has only so far shown flashes of his extraordinary combinational ability, his opponents know his reputation and proceed with caution, while the spectators eagerly await every new game of the Riga player.

“Something ought to happen,” they say. Tal himself, however, does not seem to be in any hurry. He strives to attack whenever possible, but he does not always have to conduct his games in the same highly tactical manner. One must admit that the Riga player is also excellent in the second, positional style. In Tallinn he had already won two such games.

Spassky’s Start

When we began our review with Tal’s game, it was appropriate to speak also about the performance of another former champion, Boris Spassky. Unlike his colleague in title, Spassky began the event cautiously and was unable to win immediately against either I. Přibyl or B. Rytov; his other four games were draws.

Nevertheless, the grandmaster should not be blamed for such a modest start. His opponents included Petrosian, Balashov and Keres, and the struggle was still ahead. “The chickens are counted in the autumn,” as the saying goes.

In the fourth round Spassky met Balashov. The following report described the development of one of the tournament’s central games.

The Atmosphere in the Hall

“The chess players have already taken their seats, exchanging handshakes, but the hall is still noisy and cannot settle down. What is happening? The participants have not understood the reason either. Then someone guesses: the idol of Estonian chess enthusiasts, Paul Keres, is not yet on the stage. His opponent, the Bulgarian master L. Popov, feels somewhat uncomfortable. Paul Petrovich Keres is punctual and responsible. Evidently something must have happened on the way. And so it was: he was held up in a stream of cars on Tallinn’s narrow streets.

Keres was no more than five minutes late. Silence quickly filled the hall.

The players sat down calmly and in a friendly manner. The tournament proceeded, one might say, under ideal conditions.”

Swede Ulf Andersson and Finn Heikki Westerinen paid tribute to the organisers, while, like the young Dutchman Jan Timman, they did not abandon the opportunity to compete in simultaneous exhibitions. Andersson admitted frankly that his tournament trips to the USSR had not always been easy. In Tallinn he intended to prove himself. Every morning, the young grandmaster carefully analysed at home; he had practically no free time.

Muscovite David Bronstein, as always, was full of ideas. He noticed that he had packed his suitcase so tightly that only one carpet would fit at the end. “Parquet floor, furniture, modest furniture and nowhere to play. The tournament organisers surely did not understand whether Bronstein was joking or speaking seriously.”

The hall became noisy when time trouble began. This was the moment when the spectators’ emotions rose highest. The chief arbiter, Lembit Vahesaar, watched the participants’ clocks, perhaps disliking the situation himself, but allowing the game to continue. Chess spectators are lively people. One fan once remarked: “Think with your head. Robert Fischer is not on the stage.”

The spectators followed Boris Spassky’s play with particular attention. Tallinn 1973 was his first tournament after the match with Fischer. The former world champion had to test his strength and regain form. Spassky started cautiously, with a large reserve of reliability, but two victories already appeared among his results.

Boris Spassky and Iivo Nei spent their free time actively. They played tennis and swam. Swimming, incidentally, is held in high regard by chess players: the swimming pool is also visited by a large proportion of the participants.

The chess players rested in different ways. The American A.Saidy, for example, liked old-fashioned and almost deserted streets. In the mornings he disappeared into museums and visited Vyborg. Seidy hoped to see Leningrad, Kyiv and Tbilisi after the Tallinn tournament, where he wanted to become acquainted with chess schools and clubs as well as other sights.

West German international master H. Pfleger visited Tallinn’s zoo and theatre and had already become acquainted with Estonian ballet.

On 28 February the participants were guests of I. Kallion, chairman of the Tallinn City Executive Committee, and the city’s chief architect D. Bruns.

The struggle continued not only on the stage of the assembly hall but also in the foyer, where daily simultaneous exhibitions were held. Here one could also purchase an information bulletin containing games from the previous rounds and a commemorative badge. The bulletins were printed by enthusiasts at the Experimental Printing Plant “BIT”, who worked even on Saturdays and Sundays. The supporters’ society assisted them, while candidate master L. Sokk and the director of the B. Vaher chess-and-checkers club provided advice.

“The tournament is organised excellently,” said international arbiter L. Vahesaar. “It is only a pity that there were many draws in the first rounds. But the draws were far from peaceful. The chess players play with great fighting spirit and courage. At the start, former champions Mikhail Tal and Paul Keres announced their serious ambitions. Boris Spassky and Leonid Polugaevsky are also in a combative mood.”