A Memorable Sacrifice
Monday, January 14, 2008; C10
Washington Post
The Dutch coastal town of Wijk aan Zee is an addictive place despite the howling winds and the cold you are certain to get when playing chess there. Every January, many amateurs as well as the world’s best players gather under the same roof in a huge tournament hall, sneezing their way through one of the world’s most attractive chess festivals.
A Memorable Sacrifice
I took part in this traditional tournament seven times, playing 95 games — the most by any American player. My first chess book, “Wijk aan Zee Grandmaster Chess Tournament 1975,” was devoted to this event. The centerpiece of that work is one of my favorite games — a draw against the tournament winner, Lajos Portisch of Hungary.
A draw rarely gets you a brilliancy prize, but this game, featuring a positional queen sacrifice for a single bishop and a couple of pawns, was awarded the Leo von Kuijk prize for the most spectacular game of the event. Andy Soltis included this King’s Indian game in his book “The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked.”
Portisch-Kavalek
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 …
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Awesome chess!