Korchnoi (2)

The day after I wrote my previous blog about Korchnoi, Malcolm Pein wrote a similarly warm article in his Daily Telegraph column, wishing Victor well.

Malcolm showed a game Victor played against Sergey Tiviakov in the Banyoles Open 23/8/2006 which was quietly venomous. Playing through it, I can only marvel that black’s only slip was to permit a5! clamping down on the queenside and in particular black’s white squared bishop. I wouldn’t have found a5! because it relies on a hidden tactic (…Na5 Bc7); nor would I have played Bh3 keeping the pressure on.

Malcolm ends his article with the position below as a puzzle, which I failed to solve; though, in my defence, I would have in practice played either the winning move or, the move I chose when trying to solve the problem, which is also winning, according to the engine. I say ‘according to the engine’ because the final position whilst clearly better for white, to me didn’t seem entirely winning, until I had silicon assistance…and then I saw the beautiful combination of threats and pressure. I do know, though, that if I glance upon the position again, some time in the distant future, I will again not appreciate I overwhelming White’s position actually is.

Victor the Terrible, truly.

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