| Nov-05-04 | | Whitehat1963: Love 23...Qxe4+. Opening of the day. |
|
| Apr-20-05 | | aw1988: I think Fine simply plays way too dangerously, and is punished for it. |
|
| Feb-04-09 | | Karnatakiaditya: Great pressure from Euwe's side! |
|
Apr-14-13
 | | profK: I love the Black castling on the 26th !!! |
|
| Apr-14-13 | | PeterB: Fine must have been playing quickly by memory, as he had won a brilliant game against Gruenfeld in this same opening a few months before.
If memory serves, Gruenfeld played 12... Nb4, thinking to trap White's Q, when Fine replied Qb4!! and won a brilliant game. However, Euwe seems to have refuted all this with his 12...Rc8! |
|
Jun-30-13
 | | plang: Opening preparation was a relatively new concept at that time. Fine had been working as Euwes second since 1936 and they had thought that Alekhine might play the Vienna variation (5..dxc first played by Gruenfeld) in the 1937 WC rematch. The Vienna was not, in fact, played in the match but both players were familiar with the lines intricacies. At Amsterdam 1936 Fine had defeated Gruenfeld after 13..Nb4?! 14 Qxb4!. A quote from an article in Chess Life:
" ...On the occasion of his 75th birthday,in 1989, Fine was toasted at the Manhatten Chess Club. As he reminisced about his playing career, he recalled this game-and how around this point in the opening, Euwe passed him a note. The note contained a warning that Euwe had found a major improvement for Black (presumably 12..Rc8)- and offered a draw. But Fine, mindful that his rival Keres was getting a bad position against Sammy Reshevsky that round (the 11th)and seeing a chance to seize clear first, declined." A 1988 game in Belgrade between Schmidt and Jovicic continued 19 Bd3 with chances for both sides; instead Fines 19 f4? lost quickly. 22 Nxf6+..Bxf6 23 Bxf6..Qxf6 would not have helped White (24 Qxf6?..Nd2+). Euwe purportedly spent only 20 minutes for the game. |
|
| Jul-01-13 | | RookFile: Amazing story. |
|
Jul-01-13
 | | offramp: Strange story... Perhaps I could pass notes to my opponents saying that I've found improvements and offering draws. Anyway, Euwe really took Fine to the cleaners. |
|
Jul-01-13
| | plang: The story ended by jumping to the conclusion that if Fine had accepted the draw he would have won sole first ahead of Keres (making assumptions) and might have been granted a title shot (making more assumptions). |
|
| Jul-01-13 | | thomastonk: <plang> Thank you for the nice quote from Chess Life. But your first sentence <Opening preparation was a relatively new concept at that time> is not correct. Already the 19th century knows many examples of opening preparation. The amount and the depth of preparation have increased ever since, of course, but the concept is quite old. |
|
| Jul-01-13 | | DoctorD: I think the implication, <thomastonk>, was that opening preparation for a specific opponent based on his/her previous games was a relatively new concept. But I read it and thought it over for awhile before I came to that conclusion, so I may have been reading something into it. If this assumption/implication has merit, then we are seeing the beginning of the need for databases as we find in the modern day. The quote from Chess Life would also have more value,<plang> if the issue could be cited as well. |
|
Jul-01-13
| | plang: I thought the term "relatively new concept" was pretty tame (not to mention subjective) - anyway, I stand by the wording. <The quote from Chess Life would also have more value,<plang> if the issue could be cited as well.> Yes, but I'm afraid I can't provide that. I had clipped the column years ago so I could read it when I looked at the game. I forgot to write the name of the author on the column. The paper was worn so it was likely from 10-15 years ago. |
|
| Jul-01-13 | | RookFile: Reshevsky says in his best games book that Alekhine announced at the start of AVRO that he felt no obligation to play the winner. |
|
| Sep-19-15 | | Honey Blend: <GOTD: I'm Fine, thank Euwe> |
|
| Feb-27-16 | | thegoodanarchist: This is that famous game from that famous tournament in which a famous former World Champion defeated a famous, up-and-coming Grandmaster, after famously passing a note to White about a major improvement in theory for the opening, which has now become a famous improvement. |
|
| Feb-27-16 | | thegoodanarchist: <plang: The story ended by jumping to the conclusion that if Fine had accepted the draw he would have won sole first ahead of Keres (making assumptions) and might have been granted a title shot (making more assumptions).> Yet Fine was granted a title shot anyway, 10 years later! He was invited to the World Championship tournament. Fine wisely declined the invitation, knowing that the Soviet GMs would make easy draws with each other and save their fighting energy and preparation for the non-Soviets, making it impossible for a non-Soviet to win the title. |
|
Jun-15-16
 | | Jonathan Sarfati: Yes, Euwe improved on Grünfeld's 12... ♘b4 which Fine refuted with 13. ♕xb4, ending up with three active minor pieces against a ♕. See Fine vs Gruenfeld, 1936 |
|
| Oct-17-16 | | Sokrates: Upon revisiting the pages of this tournament, it is amazing how many comments you read with a message that Fine would have won this tournament, IF he had made move X in position Y in game Z. Strangely, these speculations only cover Fine, not Keres or Botvinnik, not any of the others who, I guess, would have loved to make better moves here and there, improving their position in the tournament. |
|
| Oct-17-16 | | ughaibu: <Fine wisely declined the invitation, knowing that the Soviet GMs would make easy draws with each other and save their fighting energy and preparation for the non-Soviets, making it impossible for a non-Soviet to win the title.> Smyslov played one short draw with Botvinnik, in the penultimate round. Botvinnik played a shorter draw against Euwe. Keres' shortest draws were with Reshevsky. It is very easy to repeat nonsense about Soviets drawing with each other, it's also very easy to demonstrate that these claims are nonsense. |
|
| Oct-17-16 | | Petrosianic: <thegoodanarchist>: <Fine wisely declined the invitation, knowing that the Soviet GMs would make easy draws with each other and save their fighting energy and preparation for the non-Soviets, making it impossible for a non-Soviet to win the title.> Revisionist history. Fine ACCEPTED the invitation, and promoted the tournament enthusiastically in Ches Review without a word of protest. He dropped out because he couldn't get the time off. If only Fine HAD declined. The US was entitled to two spots in the World Championship Tournament. If Fine had declined, rather than dropping out after the deadline to replace him was past, America wouldn't have been screwed out of that second spot. |
|
| Oct-17-16 | | Petrosianic: In that case, America's other spot would probably have gone to Kashdan. |
|
Oct-17-16
 | | keypusher: < ughaibu: <Fine wisely declined the invitation, knowing that the Soviet GMs would make easy draws with each other and save their fighting energy and preparation for the non-Soviets, making it impossible for a non-Soviet to win the title.>
Smyslov played one short draw with Botvinnik, in the penultimate round. Botvinnik played a shorter draw against Euwe. Keres' shortest draws were with Reshevsky. It is very easy to repeat nonsense about Soviets drawing with each other, it's also very easy to demonstrate that these claims are nonsense.> Antepenultimate, actually. Botvinnik was presumably willing to play short draws against everyone in the last cycle, but only Euwe and Smyslov cooperated. Botvinnik's longest games in the tournament were two draws against Smyslov. Botvinnik vs Smyslov, 1948 Botvinnik vs Smyslov, 1948 |
|
| Jan-13-22 | | jerseybob: <plang: " ...(Fine) recalled this game-and how around this point in the opening, Euwe passed him a note. The note contained a warning that Euwe had found a major improvement for Black (presumably 12..Rc8)- and offered a draw.> That's bizarre, and fascinating...if true! |
|
Kibitzing
sac: 10...Be7