FLASHBACK! The tournament in Solingen, celebrating the 600th anniversary of the town, almost didnt take place. The main attraction was Boris Spassky (photo above), but he was running out of favor in Moscow ever since he lost the world title to Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik in 1972. Almost at the last moment the Soviet Chess Federation decided to cancel Spasskys participation in Solingen. As a result, the main sponsor Egon Evertz sent telegrams to all players, the Soviet Federation and the Soviet Embassy. He explained that the tournament is being cancelled because the Soviets didnt keep their word. Within 24 hours Spassky got his traveling permit back and the event was on again. A series of five wins in the second half of the tournament allowed me to take the lead. The Soviet grandmaster Lev Polugaevsky was the only player who could have catch me with a win in the last round. There were only a few inaccuracies in that game. I decided to play quietly, but in time pressure my temperament got the better of me and I dove into wild waters and drowned in the rapids. With the win, Polugaevsky caught me. Spassky later said I was not being practical in time trouble and it was a good lesson for me, a cheap one since I still tied for first.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:01:15 +0000
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