Beating up the oldies
OLEG ROMANISHIN of the Soviet Union played sparkling attacking chess at the Hastings Premier Congress .to take first place with 11½ / 14 points. He scored one loss, three draws and 10 (!) wins, eventually winning by an amazing two point margin. The young Grandmaster, who celebrated his 25th birthday during the event, played to win his last round game despite being already assured of first prize. From the word go Romanishin scythed through the field, producing colourful games even against players of such experience as former world champion and fellow countryman Vassily Smyslov.
Romanishin, Oleg - Smyslov, Vassily - Hastings Premier Congress 1976
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.O-O Bd7 6.c4!? Usual here is 6. c3, preparing d4, but Romanishin tries a lesser known path. 6...Nf6 7.Nc3 Bg4 In moving this piece twice, Black is now a tempo down on a line after 5 Bg4. Better is 7 ...g6 or 7 Be7 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 g6?! 10.d4! Obvious and strong - the side ahead in development should always play to open the position. Smyslov doesn't care to assist him. 10...Nd7 11.dxe5 Ndxe5 12.Qe2 Bg7 13.Be3 O-O 14.Rad1 So Black has castled, but White's position is definitely much superior. Smyslov's next move seems to be an error, but what to do? 14...Na5 15.c5 b5 16.cxb6 cxb6 17.Nd5 A radioactive knight! 17...Nec4 18.Bd4 b5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7
Moves are clickable
20.b4! bxa4 21.bxa5 Nxa5 22.Rc1 Romanishin simply plays positionally to force Smyslov's capitulation. 22...a3 23.Qd2 Rb8 24.Qc3+ The fallout begins: 24...Kh6 ( Black cannot try 24...f6 because of 25.Nc7 ) 25.Nf6 g5 26.f4 gxf4 27.Rxf4 Rarely can Smyslov have received such a trouncing from a player 30 years his junior. 1-0
ANOTHER RUSSIAN has also been doing rather well of late; the International Association of Chess Journalists voted overwhelmingly in favour of world champion Anatoly Karpov s receiving 1976 Chess Oscar for his consistently outstanding play last year. Previous winners of the Oscar are Larsen (1967), Spassky ( 1968, 1969), Fischer (1970, 1971, 1972); Karpov has collected every award since then, the top 10 places in 1976 were Karpov, Larsen, Mecking, Hort, Petrosian, Polugayevsky, Portisch, Korchnoi, Tal and Tseshkovsky.
THE PLACINGS for the 1976 Cutty Sark Grand Prix have the now been worked out. Most successful on the 1976 English the Circuit was Dave Rumens, who wins the £1000 first prize. Rumens, scored 186.9 points out of 200 and finished first in 13 events during the year. The top 10 placegetters receive whisky and bonus pomts for 1977. Second was A. J. Mestel (England) 177.8; third, M. Chandler (New Zealand) 177.3; fourth, M. Fuller (Australia) 176. Tony Miles, the world's youngest Grandmaster and last year's winner finished seventh on 169.8.