[Featured Game] Vlastimil Hort GM vs. Sohrab PandayOct 15, 2022, 3:30:22 PM
A David versus Goliath moment in my life in 1976 aged 15 the Czechoslovakian Grandmaster V Hort kindly visited Leeds University and demonstrated a simultaneous exhibition against 44 adults and juniors. Hort was known as one of the top 5-10 in the world at classical chess, held the world record for simuls once playing hundreds of people at once and was known as the 'gentleman of chess'. He was warm and charming with no sense of arrogance
Anyway, I played along with innocent abandon expecting to lose in no time but to my astonishment my game outlived the majority of players and so now I was getting nervous. The opening was the Trompowsky which I had absolutely no idea about! Maybe I might be even or have winning chances. Would I wither on the vine, or wilt under the heat or hold my nerve. I saw an opportunity to attack - beats being passive against a super-GM any day.
Finally I found he was facing a smothered mate which he avoided by resigning as I made the last move. Congratulations followed and I was on cloud nine for a few days. The next morning a friend of mine who was Horts host picked him up to take him to the airport and said he was still a bit upset about my game - he could not believe he had lost it.
Obviously I was incredibly lucky he missed a trick in the middle game and made a blunder near the end when losing anyway. Fond memories!
- written by Belper Chess Club member Sohrab Panday.
Photos
Featured Game Analysis
PGN
[Event "GM Hort Simultaneous exhibition"]
[Site "Leeds University The Riley Sm"]
[Date "1976.01.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hort, Vlastimil"]
[Black "Panday, Sohrab"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A45"]
[Annotator "Sohrab"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1976.01.19"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 g5 {!? this move is not book and a very aggressive
counter by black against the Trompowsky Attack} 4. Be5 f6 5. Bg3 $6 {= ; but
white should exploit the weak h5-e8 diagonal} d5 $6 6. Nd2 Nxd2 7. Qxd2 Nc6 8.
h4 g4 9. h5 $6 {=} e5 10. dxe5 fxe5 11. e3 a6 12. Ne2 Bf5 $6 {+0.4, better was
Be6} 13. c3 $6 {-0.5 better is O-O-O} Bg7 $6 $11 {ok but best was} (13... Qd7
14. Bh4 Be7 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Ng3 O-O-O) 14. Bh4 $6 {inaccuracy by Hort yet
again delaying 0-0-0} (14. O-O-O {equalises} Be6 15. e4 dxe4 16. Qc2 Qf6 17.
Bh4 Qf7 18. b3) 14... Bf6 {a good move neutralising Whites only well placed
piece} 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ng3 {NB Qxd5 is bad for white as blacks gains control
of both the d and f files} (16. Qxd5 Rd8 17. Qc4 Rf8 18. f3 gxf3 19. gxf3 Be6
$17 {black is winning}) 16... Be6 17. Bd3 e4 18. Be2 Rf8 19. Rf1 Qg5 {?!} ({
better is quick development as in} 19... O-O-O 20. O-O-O Kb8 21. Qc2 Ne5) 20.
O-O-O O-O-O 21. Kb1 Rf6 $6 ({better is} 21... Qe7) 22. Qe1 $6 {This is a
critical position where Hort white needs to equalise by taking advantage of
blacks weak central pawns with Qc2 or c4} (22. Qc2 Qe5 23. c4 Kb8 24. Ka1 h6
25. cxd5 Rxd5 26. Qxe4 $11) (22. c4 Kb8 23. Qc2 Rdf8 24. cxd5 Bxd5 25. Nxe4
Bxe4 26. Qxe4 Rxf2 $11) 22... Bf7 $2 {Pointless move - loses my advantage
trying to grab the h pawn I should have played Rdf8} (22... Rdf8 $17 {was much
better}) 23. c4 $1 {a cunning move by Hort} Bxh5 $2 $16 {persisting in my
misguided materialism !} 24. cxd5 Rxd5 $4 {[#] A blunder - not sensing the
danger of a combination Best was Nxe5 = See Diagram Can you see how Hort
should punish me here? 1 min 2 min 3 min 4 min 5 min times up
How did you get on? space space space} (24... Ne5 $1 $11) 25. Nxh5 $1 (25.
Nxe4 $4 {Tempting but wrong! Black can pin the knight with either Qg6 or Bg6})
25... Qxh5 (25... Rxd1+ $2 26. Qxd1 {and black cannot recapture the knight on
h5 because of Bxg4+ winning the queen!}) 26. Rh1 $2 {??? -0.83 Terrible
oversight by Hort ! I was a condemned man who was given a last minute
reprieve ....26 Bxg4+ wins the exchange and then likely the game + 1.75} (26.
Bxg4+ Qxg4 27. Rxd5 Qg8 28. Rd1 Qf7 29. g3 Kb8 30. Qd2 h6) 26... Rxd1+ 27. Qxd1
Qf7 $6 {better was Qg6 -0.70} 28. Bxg4+ Kb8 29. f4 Rd6 $6 (29... exf3 30. Bxf3
Rd6 31. Qa4 Ne5) 30. Qb3 $6 (30. Qe1 $11) 30... Qg7 $1 $17 31. Bh3 $6 Rd3 $1
32. Qe6 $6 (32. Qc4 {better}) 32... Rxe3 $1 33. f5 $2 {-3.0 Blunder - this
attractive attacking pawn advance is premature} ({better is} 33. Qc4 Qg3 34.
Bd7 Qxg2 35. Rc1 Re2 36. Qc3 $17) 33... Qd4 34. Bg4 $2 {-6.0 error} (34. f6 Re2
35. Qg8+ Ka7 36. Qb3 Qxf6 $17) 34... Qd3+ $5 {a strong move with a win in mind
but there was a stronger move Ne5} (34... Ne5 {-6.0 v strong} 35. Qf6 Rd3 36.
Qh8+ Ka7 37. Ka1 Nxg4 38. Qxd4+ Rxd4) 35. Ka1 Nd4 $3 36. Qg8+ Ka7 37. Rd1 $4 {
[#] #-4 = mate for black who had to try.... . . . . . . . . ..} ({the only
defense which is still a slow loss however} 37. Bd1 {-5.0} Re2 38. a3 Rd2 39.
Ba4 Nxf5) 37... Nc2+ $3 {the point of 35.Nd4!} 38. Kb1 Na3+ 39. Ka1 Qb1+ 40.
Rxb1 Nc2# {Philidor would be proud} 0-1