This Week's ChessVideos Show: A Crazy Draw From Zurich 1953 (And A Plug)
Occasioned by my receipt of a new book (or rather, a new translation of an old book) on the great Candidates Tournament in 1953, I've been browsing anew the games from that incredible event. Many of us are very familiar with David Bronstein's excellent book on that event, but three other participants - Max Euwe, Miguel Najdorf and Gideon Stahlberg - also wrote books on that tournament.
It's Najdorf's book I just received (published by Russell Enterprises), and from what I've seen so far I think it's superior to Bronstein's. Bronstein spends more time in lyrical digressions, but Najdorf is certainly fond of explanatory prose but also seems to have taken more care in his analysis; indeed, Bronstein sometimes improved his second edition (the one we in the west see) by using Najdorf's analysis. So I heartily recommend Najdorf's work, even or maybe even especially if you have, know and love Bronstein's.
Anyway, among the great games in the event was the 11th round (of 30!) battle between Paul Keres and Samuel Reshevsky. Reshevsky played a provocative move with Black in a Saemisch King's Indian and came under a ferocious attack. Keres was probably winning, but it was always complicated and the players found themselves in harrowing time trouble by move 25 (and this despite the leisurely time control of those days of 40 moves in 2 and a half hours). Reshevsky not only managed to hold out, but even outplay Keres in what had almost turned into a bullet game. Fortunately for Keres, Reshevsky in turned missed a win, and when the time control had been made the game was again in approximate balance, and the draw was agreed.
There was a lot of content in the game, and even with great analysts like Keres, Bronstein, Najdorf and even Botvinnik examining it there's still more to be discovered. So it seemed a fine subject for a video! As always, it's free for you to watch (the site requires a one-time-only free registration) and will be available on-demand for the next month or so.