47th Hastings Premier, 29 December 1971 to 15 January 1972

1971/72 Hastings Premier		Fed	Elo	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Total
1	Viktor Korchnoi	USSR	2670g	&;	1	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	11
2	Anatoly Karpov	USSR	2540g	0	&;	1	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	11
3	Henrique Mecking	BRA	2540m	½	0	&;	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	9½
4	Robert E Byrne	USA	2510g	½	0	½	&;	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	9½
5	Svetozar Gligoric	YUG	2600g	½	½	½	½	&;	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	8½
6	Miguel Najdorf	ARG	2530g	½	½	0	0	½	&;	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	8½
7	Ulf Andersson	SWE	2510m	1	½	½	0	½	0	&;	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	8
8	Wolfgang Unzicker	FRG	2545g	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	&;	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	½	8
9	Helmut Pfleger	FRG	2515m	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	&;	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	7½
10	Bojan Kurajica	YUG	2490m	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	&;	½	½	1	½	1	1	7
11	Victor Ciocaltea	ROU	2460m	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	&;	½	½	½	½	½	6½
12	George S Botterill	ENG	(2200)	0	0	0	1	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	&;	½	½	0	1	6
13	William R Hartston	ENG	2390	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	&;	½	1	½	6
14	Raymond D Keene	ENG	2465	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	&;	½	0	5½
15	Peter R Markland	ENG	2510	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	1	0	½	&;	1	4½
16	Michael J Franklin	ENG	(2200)	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	1	0	&;	3

Average Elo: 2479 Category: 10, GM norm = 9 (achieved by Mecking), IM norm = 7½
Prizes £350, £300, £250, £200, £150, £140, £120, £100. Non-prizewinners received £5 per point.

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Hastings Challengers, 29 December 1971 to 7 January 1972 (10-rounds, no rest days)

1971/72 Hastings Challengers		Fed	Elo	Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	SOS
1	Dusan Rajkovic	YUG	2410	Yugoslavia	w7-	b23+	w26=	b22+	w14-	b24+	w10+	w6+	b11+	b5+	7½
2	Martyn J Corden	ENG	2360	Bolton	b27=	w28+	w7=	b16+	w3+	b8-	b6-	w4+	b14+	w9+	7	54.50
3	Edward W Formanek	USA		USA	b14=	w13+	b8-	w15+	b2-	w20+	b11=	w22+	b21+	w6+	7	53.50
4	Peter C Griffiths	ENG		Solihull	b11+	w6-	b13+	b14=	w7+	w12+	b5-	b2-	w15+	w8+	6½	59.00
5	Robert Bellin	ENG		Gt Yarmouth	b26-	w21=	b19=	w27+	b10+	b25+	w4+	w8+	b9=	w1-	6½	52.50
6	Simon Webb	ENG		London	w32+	b4+	w9+	b7=	w8-	b14=	w2+	b1-	w12+	b3-	6	59.50
7	Milan Bajovic	YUG		Yugoslavia	b1+	w18+	b2=	w6=	b4-	w23+	b14=	w9+	b8=	w12-	6	59.00
8	Anthony J Miles	ENG		Birmingham	w30+	b25=	w3+	w12+	b6+	w2+	b9-	b5-	w7=	b4-	6	58.50
9	Ralf Runau	FRG		West Germany	b31+	w20+	b6-	w10=	b29+	w11+	w8+	b7-	w5=	b2-	6	54.50
10	Victor W Knox	ENG		Cheadle	b19=	w26+	w25=	b9=	w5-	b17+	b1-	w20=	b22+	w14+	6	51.00
11	Zvonimir Mestrovic	YUG	2380m	Yugoslavia	w4-	b32=	w30+	b24+	w26+	b9-	w3=	b15+	w1-	b21+	6	50.00
12	John N Sugden	ENG		Cambridge	b28=	w19+	w22+	b8-	w25+	b4-	w26+	w14=	b6-	b7+	6	49.50
13	Jonathan S Speelman	ENG		London	w17=	b3-	w4-	b21=	w27=	b28=	w16+	w23=	b26+	w20+	5½
14	Adrian S Hollis	ENG		Oxford	w3=	b30=	b27+	w4=	b1+	w6=	w7=	b12=	w2-	b10-	5	59.00
15	Richard C Lemon	ENG		Kingston-upon-T	w16=	b22-	w21+	b3-	w30=	b32+	b18+	w11-	b4-	w26+	5	47.50
16	Antonio Magrin	ITA		Italy	b15=	w29=	b20+	w2-	b23-	w18-	b13-	w27+	w25+	b24+	5	46.00
17	Heinz Wirthensohn	SUI		Switzerland	b13=	w27=	b29-	w19+	b20=	w10-	b21-	w28+	b23+	w18=	5	45.00
18	Brian R Eley	ENG		Rotherham	w23+	b7-	w24=	b26-	w22=	b16+	w15-	w29+	b20=	b17=	5	44.50
19	Miroslav Radojcic	YUG		Yugoslavia	w10=	b12-	w5=	b17-	w32-	b31+	w28=	b24=	w29+	b22+	5	44.00
20	A S Moghadam	IRI		Iran	w24+	b9-	w16-	b32+	w17=	b3-	w25+	b10=	w18=	b13-	4½	50.00
21	A Jonathan Mestel	ENG		Manchester	w25-	b5=	b15-	w13=	b31=	b27+	w17+	b26+	w3-	w11-	4½	49.00
22	Nigel Bloch	NED		South Africa	b29=	w15+	b12-	w1-	b18=	w30+	b23+	b3-	w10-	w19-	4	52.50
23	Patrick Derreumaux	FRA		France	b18-	w1-	b31+	w28+	w16+	b7-	w22-	b13=	w17-	b27=	4	48.00
24	Andrew P Law	ENG		London	b20-	w31+	b18=	w11-	b28=	w1-	b29=	w19=	b30+	w16-	4	46.50
25	Ewen M Green	NZL		New Zealand	b21+	w8=	b10=	w29=	b12-	w5-	b20-	w30=	b16-	bye+	4	45.50
26	Franz Hoelzl	AUT		Austria	w5+	b10-	b1=	w18+	b11-	w29+	b12-	w21-	w13-	b15-	3½	55.50
27	Leo B Jansen	NED		Netherlands	w2=	b17=	w14-	b5-	b13=	w21-	w31=	b16-	bye+	w23=	3½	45.50
28	Alan Phillips	ENG		London	w12=	b2-	w32=	b23-	w24=	w13=	b19=	b17-	w31=	b30=	3½	45.50
29	Ronald F A Harman	ENG		London	w22=	b16=	w17+	b25=	w9-	b26-	w24=	b18-	b19-	w31=	3½	44.50
30	Leslie S F Blackstock	SCO		Kidderminster	b8-	w14=	b11-	w31+	b15=	b22-	w32=	b25=	w24-	w28=	3½	43.00
31	Alan T Ludgate	IRL		Manchester	w9-	b24-	w23-	b30-	w21=	w19-	b27=	bye+	b28=	b29=	3
32	Jonathan I Century	ENG		London	b6-	w11=	b28=	w20-	b19+	w15-	b30=	withdrew ill			2½ / 7

Notes

(1) Prizes £120, £80, £50, £30, £20
(2) Bojan Kurajica played one round before being promoted to the Premier. I can find no record of this game (neither result nor opponent nor score).

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CHESS, February 1972, Vol.37/643-4, p129

HASTINGS - A CHANCE MISSED

The Hastings Premier was carefully designed so that any of our players who scored 7½ would have half qualified as an international master. None did. The five Englishmen scored, among them, only one win against a visitor.

The first round started two players short. Ciocaltea telephoned to say he would be late. Szabo had confirmed his willingness and ability to compete but never appeared. Ten days later he wrote cryptically mentioning that the Hungarian Chess Federation's letter had no doubt explained all — but no such letter had come! Our [presumably B H Wood's] impression is that the Hungarian Chess Federation are taking the standard U.S.S.R. line : invitations to any Soviet player must go through the Federation, which nominates the player it chooses to. No Soviet master or grand master would dare to accept a personal invitation. The Hungarians no doubt felt that Szabo, popular and successful as he has been in Hastings, is far from being their strongest player and is unrepresentative of Hungarian chess.

Replacing Szabo caused complications. R. G. Wade, who did well last year, was available, but bringing him in would have increased the necessary norm for grandmasters and masters qualification. Kurajica's grading was just high enough to preserve the necessary standard so he was promoted from the Challengers Tournament — after playing one game in that event.

Anatoly Karpov, a 20-year-old student of economics at Leningrad (formerly Moscow) University, tied first with the world's 4th ranking player Viktor Korchnoy (40) who trailed for 13 rounds after losing to Andersson in Rd. 1.

Donald [error - it was of course Robert] Byrne followed up his success at Moscow with another real grandmaster score. Evergreen Miguel Najdorf can still beat anybody at 61.

D. Rajkovic Yugoslavia won the Challengers' Tournament (Full report follows).

J. Lambert-Gorwyn, "the finest match captain Hastings ever had" and a great fellow, was helping in the first week; dead of a heart attack the next. [John Arthur James Lambert-Gorwyn. b 23 July 1913, d 10 January 1972]

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BCM, February 1972, ppn 41-65 (in part)

47th Hastings International

THE PREMIER TOURNAMENT - Peter Clarke reports . . .

Chessplayers will surely look back on the twenty days of the 47th Hastings International Chess Congress as a new epoch in the history of the event. In recent years it had often seemed that the prestige of the Premier Tournament depended too much on the Hastings tradition and not enough on its contemporary standing; for a ten-player section of mixed strength simply cannot compete with large grandmaster tournaments. Expansion was imperative, and now it has been achieved.

The sponsors who made this big step forward possible were Mr. J.D. Slater, the Friends of Chess (helped by the British Chess Federation and Bovis Holdings Ltd.) and Hastings County Borough Council. Furthermore, similar sponsorship for the 1972-73 event is guaranteed. The position beyond that remains to be considered, and great weight will be given to the way these first two events are received. In the final count it is for the ordinary player to show that he wants to see such high-class competition in Britain.

When making its invitations to the Premier the Congress Committee had two main objectives: first, to stage a strong and colourful tournament; second, to provide British players with the opportunity to advance their candidature for international titles and improve their Elo rating (both being necessary to increase their prospects of competing abroad). Seven grandmasters plus two young masters on the brink of gaining the higher title promised a good contest, while the average rating of 2482 put the tournament into Category 10 (as defined by F.I.D.E.). This meant that a score of 9 points represented a grandmaster performance and 7½ points one for the title of international master.

Competitors and officials assembled at the Queen's Hotel on the evening of December 28th to make the draw for positions in the pairing table. This resulted as follows: 1. Victor Korchnoi (USSR); 2 Peter Markland (UK); 3 Helmut Pfleger (GFR); 4 Robert Byrne (USA); 5 George Botterill (UK); 6 William Hartston (UK) 7 Victor Ciocaltea (Rumania); 8 Henrique Mecking (Brazil); 9 Raymond Keene (UK); 10 Michael Franklin (UK); 11 Svetozar Gligoric (Yugoslavia); 12 Laszlo Szabo (Hungary); 13 Wolfgang Unzicker (GFR); 14 Anatoly Karpov (USSR); 15 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina); 16 Ulf Andersson (Sweden). By a curious coincidence Korchnoi and Karpov drew precisely the same numbers as they had in the Alekhine Memorial Tournament.

Before going on to the round-by-round commentary I ought to record some of the alterations and improvements in the playing conditions made under the supervision of the Hon. Congress Director, L. A. J. Glyde. The Falaise Hall is far from being an ideal venue for a major international tournament, and even when the players in all but the top three sections are housed in a separate building one notices the lack of space (for instance, no proper analysis room or adequate facilities for the press). However, the installation of fluorescent lighting over the Premier arena was an advance, while the special new chess tables were also appreciated by the masters. A more general amenity, occasionally available before, was the Games Bulletin, edited by Chief Controller W. Ritson Morry and P. C. Griffiths. Its 39 pages, in a handsome cover provided by Hastings, give 150 games (30 from the Challengers) and the full results of every tournament. It has been invaluable to me in the preparation of this report.

Round 1 - Wednesday 29th December 1971

The first and last pairings on the above list [Botterill vs Kurajica & Ciocaltea vs Franklin] did not take place at the appointed time, being postponed until the second free day, Monday 10th January 1972. This was caused by the late arrival of Ciocaltea and the non-appearance of Szabo. At the start of the second round, when there was still no news from the Hungarian authorities about the grandmaster's absence, a substitute had to be found. It was a blow to the event (Szabo has won the Premier three times), but the situation was saved by promoting the young Yugoslav master Bojan Kurajica from the Challengers. The choice was between him and Bob Wade, but the British master's Elo rating was not quite high enough to maintain the status of the tournament. These two postponed games did not prove of much interest, though Franklin came near to winning his. For the purposes of the progressive scores throughout this report they have been reckoned as played at the proper time.

Slow starts are to be expected in long races, and the two Soviet grandmasters, the acknowledged favourites, certainly did not leap into their full stride. Karpov achieved a draw by exercising the most patient defence, whilst Korchnoi toiled away for hours and finally overreached himself in trying to exploit Andersson's extreme time-pressure. The game was adjourned, but the next morning the young Swede's coolness and skill gained its reward — his second win against Korchnoi.

None of the grandmasters was in fact able to win in this round, and thus for the only time in the tournament they totalled a minus score. Gligoric was happy to draw after compromising his Queen's wing by pawn advances; an energetic thrust in the centre gave Hartston the initiative, but he then missed the best line and allowed Black counterplay. Shortly afterwards the other Ruy Lopez ended in a grandmasterly deadlock — White's protected passed pawn at K5 was firmly blockaded by a Knight. Najdorf came the nearest to victory, winning a pawn in the middlegame as the result of a K side attack. Difficulties usually bring the best out of Markland, and he managed to hold his position together thanks mainly to an invulnerable Knight at K4. The grandmaster's winning prospects slipped away, and on resumption the opening of a sealed move brought immediate agreement.

The British Champion [Keene] was a little unlucky to be defeated, having conducted most of the game with both vigour and stubbornness. However, he could not match Mecking's composure in the time scramble: instead of counterattacking Keene played passively and permitted White to set up a decisive mating threat.

Round 2 — Thursday 30th December 1971

The spectators got more decisive games for their money than in the first round, though the early results did not look very promising. Gligoric, for instance, could make little of the space advantage he obtained in the opening, and the Andersson-Keene encounter ended after just one piece exchange (of course, one can understand Andersson's desire not to spoil his fine start). Mecking's readiness to draw was also wise, since by simple, restrained play Franklin had reached an endgame which White could hardly lose.

Karpov's win was the highlight of the day. This young Russian's triumph in the Alekhine Memorial Tournament evoked comparisons with Tal and Spassky at the same age, and a demonstration of his skills was eagerly awaited at Hastings. His clarity and incisiveness were impressive.

After Najdorf and Pfleger had worked their way to a lively yet balanced conclusion we were left with the spectacle of three home players fighting rearguard actions. Unfortunately, none survived. Hartston was made to regret advancing his KRP and keeping his King in the centre; when complications arose on the Q side he was unable to avoid decisive material losses. Korchnoi gradually outplayed Markland in a complex middlegame, and in the end White's passed QRP supported by two Bishops proved too strong for the defender. Last to capitulate was Botterill, after two sessions. His 27th move was an oversight which lost a pawn and the rest of the game was no more than a technical exercise for the German grandmaster.

Round 3 — Friday 31st December 1971

So called grandmaster draws are an inevitable feature of international chess; for most competitors simply do not possess the iron determination to play hard every round. The stronger player is often satisfied to take a quick draw with the black pieces, as did Andersson here, and reserve his strength for when the odds are in his favour. The agreement between Ciocaltea and Kurajica was less clearly founded, since White had been building up for a violent attack. It may have been that neither side relished his position.

Gligoric and Unzicker again chose to defend the Ruy Lopez, and this time both their opponents tried the Exchange Variation. In my experience 4 BxKt does not strike fear into Black, though its practical merits have to be admitted. Two interesting struggles resulted, in which the grandmasters had to show great care to maintain their defences.

Byrne's win was a relatively easy matter, since Najdorf failed to solve his opening problems. Black's isolated QP fell on the 23rd move, leaving him in a hopeless endgame. The other successes called for harder work, and only Korchnoi broke through before the adjournment — in the excitement of a time scramble.

This game [Pfleger-Korchnoi] and the following one, which put Karpov into a clear lead, may be said to typify Soviet prowess at chess. Botterill played well enough to beat many a master, one would have thought. However, Karpov withstood White's pressure on the Q side and finally hit back with a mating attack.

The last game to finish provided a minor sensation, in that it was apparentlv Keene's first tournament defeat at the hands of a British player since 1965! After he had erroneously closed up the Q side he was doomed to wait while Franklin built up an attack on the other wing. White's long resistance was ingenious but unavailing.

Round 4 — Saturday 1st January 1972

When a master, playing Black, holds a grandmaster to a draw in 13 moves he is not to be criticised. Throughout the tournament Gligoric was lacking in aggressive ideas, and regarding this game he seemed overawed by Keene's encyclopaedic knowledge of the Pirc (the same defence, let it be remembered, as in the British Champion's win over him in Berlin last year).

Botterill, who was having a grim introduction to the Premier, at last opened his account. He came under fire on the K side, but careful defence brought simplification and persuaded Najdorf to share the point. A third draw soon followed, between Kurajica and Mecking. These two both had their eyes on a possible grandmaster title and, not wishing to tempt fate, found a repetition of moves.

This was a good day for the Germans. Pfleger got into an ending with Kt against bad Bishop and resultant control of the white squares, while Unzicker went ahead in a sharper but equally logical manner [vs Ciocaltea].

Andersson drew level with Unzlcker by comfortably refuting Frankin's piece sacrifice, but their position in the lead did not last long. Later that evening in the second session, Karpov duly exploited his endgame advantage of an extra pawn and thus reached 3½ points. In the earlier stages, however, Hartston had offered the most determined resistance, and it was only on the 39th move, just short of the time control, that he let the vital material slip. Meanwhile Korchnoi had abandoned his winning attempts against Byrne. The American grandmaster resolutely prevented White from opening up the game for the benefit of his two Bishops — a case of attack well met.

Round 5 — Sunday 2nd January 1972

The runners were now beginning to settle into their places and patterns of campaign to emerge. First, Karpov was living up to his reputation by setting the pace. It is true that in this round he contented himself with a dull, theoretical draw [vs Ciocaltea], but it was still sufficient to keep him in front.

Second, the candidate grandmasters Andersson, Kurajica and Mecking were all progressing nicely. The two with Black were happy to hold the balance against Keene and Pfleger, but Mecking pressed Unzicker for much of the session and came near to winning.

The third feature of the developing contest was the lack of any challenge from the home competitors. The day's tally of one draw looked very sorry, particularly when four of our men were favoured with the white pieces. Here is how Hartston was destroyed by Najdorf, suddenly his old self after a poor start.

While Botterill was too aggressive against Korchnoi, who is known to like accepting material offers and then consolidating, Markland and Franklin erred in the other direction. Byrne at length cut his way through on the K side, and Gligoric relentlessly advanced across the whole front and squeezed White into submission.

Round 6 — Tuesday 4th January 1972

It appeared that the rest on Monday had freshened up the players, since only the Andersson - Gligoric game could be put in the grandmaster draw category.

Unzicker - Keene, though scarcely longer, is worth quoting in order to illustrate how interesting a short draw can be. In the diagrammed position the British Champion played the neat thrust 7 P-Q4!, thereby posing White a very tricky problem. 8 KtxP would be met by 8 ..., P-K3 followed by the capture of the white QP; 8 Kt-K2 would be passive; 8 P-K5 would leave him with an inferior and static pawn formation. After much thought Unzicker produced the reply 8 PxP!!, undoubtedly one of the finest moves of the tournament. Play continued 8 ..., Kt-Kt5; 9 B-Kt5 ch, K-B1; 10 P-QR3, KtxP; 11 KtxKt, QxKt; 12 Q-K2, Kt-R3; 13 P-B3, Kt-B4; 14 B-B4, Q-Q3; 15 B-Q2, B-B3; 16 O-O-O, K Kt2; 17 B-Q3, P-K3; 18 K-Kt1, KR-K1; 19 KR-K1, Q-Q2; Drawn. The grandmaster had correctly reasoned that the isolating of the doubled pawns was his best prospect. White's Bishops gained more scope as a result of 8 PxP (for example, his K4 square could be a valuable post), and any later attempt by Black to increase his activity would be likely to do the same for the white pieces. The objectivity and logic of Unzicker's thinking appealed to me.

After Najdorf and Ciocaltea had reached an unbalanced but drawn Bishop ending the day's wins and losses began to come in. The Oxford University pair Markland and Botterill, showed a praiseworthy readiness to fight. White's opening advantage persisted into the middlegame, and even the exchange of Queens did not help Black much. The white Rooks penetrated to the seventh rank, forcing Botterill to surrender a piece. This was quickly followed by another fine Karpov victory [vs Mecking]. In his best games he reveals the Fischer touch.

For 18 moves Kurajica and Franklin followed Fischer-Taimanov, 4th game, Quarter-Final Candidates' Match, Vancouver, 1971, which the American eventually won by superb endgame technique. The Yugoslav master varied with 19 P-B4 and was soon a sound pawn up. There was also a rare finish - White mated by knighting a pawn.

The last two games were adjourned. Pfleger's pessimism about saving his Rook ending with one pawn versus two turned out to be unfounded. Byrne, a true expert in this field, afterwards demonstrated how White could draw in a critical line that had not occurred. It would have been surprising if Hartston had survived too. Korchnoi's constant pressure throughout the first five hours had worn the English player down, and the remainder was a matter of the technical exploitation of weaknesses. This win meant that Korchnoi had fully recovered from his setback in the first round, while for Hartston there was the consolation that he was now through the tournament's grandmaster belt.

Round 7 — Wednesday 5th January 1972

For tough, competitive chess this was by far the best round so far - not a single encounter ended prematurely, unless one could so describe Markland's defeat [by Hartston]. The first 11 moves were as in his game with Byrne from Round 5.

Karpov scored another valuable point. The brand of chess produced by Keene may not bring gasps from the crowd, but it is normally practical and sound. In this game, however, the British Champion was perhaps to aggressive (in advancing his KBP), and the loosening of White's position allowed strong counterplay. Having gained the initiative, the confident young Russian was not to be stopped.

For several hours it seemed that Franklin would cause a major upset by defeating Unzicker, who had underestimated his opponent's unpretentious opening and been driven hard on to the defensive. But it was not to be: the ending which Franklin eagerly aimed for proved easy for Black to draw.

Gligoric evidently saw it as his duty not to give his compatriot a friendly draw. White's small but nagging advantage led Kurajica to drift into extreme time-trouble, and only a marvellous display of calmness and dexterous defence enabled him to hold on. Botterill and Pfleger also agreed to halve the point as soon as the time control was safely reached. A hard fight had reduced the armies each to a Queen and three pawns.

Three games were adjourned, but Andersson decided to resign [to Byrne] without further play. He had been unfortunate enough to blunder away material after making most of the running. It was generally expected that Korchnoi would win [vs Ciocaltea] in the second session and thereby increase his grip on second place; for he was in possession of a healthy extra pawn and could choose his moment to exploit it. However, he faltered on the brink of success and was very lucky to have his offer of a draw accepted. The Rumanian master, somewhat pressed by the clock, did not realise that he could win by force.

The meeting of the oldest and youngest participants went to a third sitting and was a terrific struggle. Najdorf showed remarkable enterprise in sacrificing a piece to expose the white King to an attack, but in the long run Mecking's steadiness told. This was the start of the Brazilian's surge forward towards the grandmaster score.

Round 8 — Thursday 6th January 1972

The contest passed the halfway mark under the increasing dominance of Karpov. Although he did not find Franklin an easy victim, the manner in which he switched operations from wing to wing in order to probe the weak spots Black had was instructive.

Korchnoi's play seemed laborious in comparison with that of the leader, and his greater toil was getting less reward. A very hard game with Mecking came to a climax and in a mutual time-scramble, during which neither player wrote down the moves. In the end it was seen that Black had overcome his difficulties, and the draw was agreed before a resumption.

While Unzicker and Gligoric were refraining from battle, their younger colleagues Andersson and Kurajica were settling down for a full session. For the second day running the Yugoslav master tortured himself on the clock (a few minutes for 20 moves), and here the handicap was too much. He reached the adjournment a pawn down in a lost Rook ending.

In the remaining four games the English players surpassed themselves. Markland, Keene and Hartston held their own in competent fashion, while Botterill scored the triumph [vs Byrne] which the pressmen had so long been waiting for. This game, with its fine counterattack on the uncastled white King, will appear in the Games Department with the winner's notes.

Round 9 — Friday 7th January 1972

The very quick draw between Kurajica and Unzicker was due to the Yugoslav's feverish condition. He saw the doctor afterwards and was prescribed some tablets. The Ciocaltea-Pfleger and Gligoric-Karpov encounters, on the other hand, could fairly be classed as grandmaster draws. Such tactics suited the leader, and the gap between him and Korchnoi remained the same at the end of the round.

Keene made one of his best efforts, tying Black down in the middlegame to the defence of pawn weaknesses. When Korchnoi emerged into a Rook ending the British Champion withstood his adversary's psychological pressure (refusal to concede the draw) with commendable toughness. He has annotated the game which will appear in his ‘Column'.

Apart from Markland, who suffered yet another loss with the black pieces, the other Englishmen also performed well. Botterill pressed Andersson hard, and Hartston went all out for a K-side attack [vs Byrne]; by sacrificing a Knight and a Rook he dragged the enemy King into the open, but there was no more than perpetual check, Ironically, it was the loser who came closest to victory. In a fluctuating struggle, packed with entertainment for the onlookers, Franklin paid the penalty for a moment's hesitation. 37 P-KKt4 would have brought Najdorf's resignation.

Round 10 - Saturday 8th January 1972

Despite the absence of long games this was a well contested round - even the Najdorf-Gligoric encounter had its moments of interest. Korchnoi destroyed Franklin without much expenditure of effort, and it did not take Karpov much longer to account for Kurajica. Depressed by his worsening form, the Yugoslav master once again mishandled the clock and finally exceeded the time limit. This defeat practically put an end to his hopes of attaining a grandmaster score.

In the English duels the white players made determined attempts to use the initiative, but the accurate defences of Keene and Hartston stood the test. I give here the more exciting of the two. [Markland-Keene - the other all-UK match was Botteril-Hartston]

Byrne also launched a fierce K-side attack [vs Ciocaltea] - and with more success. It is such games that make one question the reliability of the Sicilian, which in this tournament was certainly bringing wretched results.

After Andersson and Unzicker had dourly settled for an endgame draw the whole attention of the spectators was turned upon Pfleger and Mecking, both heading for a severe time-scramble. These are a regular feature of the Brazilian's performances, and they appear to do him no more harm than good. Defending an inferior position, Mecking reached 39 moves with his flag almost horizontal. Pfleger now had about 20 seconds left for his last move, but he hesitated too long - his flag fell while he was in the process of moving. That was an unexpected bonus for Mecking.

Round 11 — Sunday 9th January 1972

It was unfortunate for the weekend visitors to the tournament that no less than four of the games in this round were what might be called non-events. In rapid succession Keene, Mecking, Gligoric and Unzicker stopped trying to exploit the white pieces, and only the Brazilian had a reason acceptable to the organisers (who issue the invitations); he was consolidating his position with a view to winning the grandmaster title.

Kurajica's early P-KKt4 did not worry Najdorf. He employed the same recipe as Mecking in Round 4 and obtained an even better position — the result was another good win for the veteran.

The draws registered by Hartston and Botterill kept them level with Keene. Hartston, although suffering from a cold, achieved his in his normally steady style, whereas Botterill had to fight through great difficulties both on the board and the clock. Ciocaltea was still without a win to his name.

Markland at last scored as Black, and now he too had 4 points. His opponent had fallen away badly after a satisfactory start and was clearly destined for 16th place. Franklin's error in this game was to let himself be saddled with a bad bishop, which was a decisive disadvantage in the endgame.

Round 12 - Tuesday 11th January 1972

The early draws between Najdorf and Unzicker and between Andersson and Karpov caused no surprise. The leader's position looked impregnable at this stage, and to coast home with draws was standard practice. However, his Soviet colleague took the opportunity to cut the lead a little, winning the following game from the unhappy Kurajica. If the latter had not been so short of time, he would surely have seen that 24 BxP was a mistake; for Black could have drawn by 24 ..., QxB; 25 QxR, QxR ch; 26 K-R2, Kt-Q7, threatening 27 ..., Kt-B8 ch etc.

It ought not to pass unmentioned that there were fewer draws in this round than in any other. Once Hartston - Ciocaltea had concluded peacefully (the Rumanian master's defence matched White's attacking build-up) the spectators had the pleasure of seeing five consecutive knock-outs; for no game went to the adjournment.

For the British players the results were disastrous, extinguishing the remaining faint hopes that they may have entertained of reaching the international master norm (7½). Keene, who of course did not need to reach the magic figure, was outplayed in fine style by Byrne, while Franklin also did not succeed in recovering from an inferior opening. Markland, on the other hand, claimed that he was doing well in the middlegame and succumbed unnecessarily to the tactical problems. Finally, there was no doubt that Botterill had a promising position throughout almost the entire game. But Mecking's defensive skill and quick reactions when desperately short of time thwarted White and caused him to overreach himself. Thus Mecking came to within just one point of the coveted grandmaster title.

Round 13 — Wednesday 12th January 1972

Karpov's quick draw was presumably based on the assumption that the classically solid style of Unzicker would keep Korchnoi at a distance. But that was not the case. Korchnoi won a pawn in the early middlegame, and that was virtually decisive; for in regaining it the German grandmaster landed himself with overwhelming defensive tasks.

Nothing of significance happened in Keene - Botterill, but the other three draws were lively enough. Ciocaltea and Andersson seemed bent on a stern battle until the exchange of Queens halted them, while the complications devised by Gligoric and Pfleger were resolved in a repetition which neither player could avoid. Mecking and Hartston supplied the theorists with material by following Fischer-Petrosian, 1st Game, Final Candidates' Match, Buenos Aires, 1971, up to the 15th move, when White altered course with 15 R-Q1. After 15 ..., BxP; 16 KtxB, RxKt; 17 QxQ, RxQ Black obtained adequate play in the endgame.

Byrne joined Mecking in third place with another effective win. He countered Franklin's Q side operations by launching an assault on the while King, concluding it with a powerful combination.

The last game to finish was a big disappointment to Markland. A long, hard defence in an ending a pawn down was wasted by momentary carelessness when the theoretical draw was at hand. I suppose Kurajica deserved some luck after his previous bad run.

Round 14 – Thursday 13th January 1972

A short draw can rarely have given anyone as much joy as Mecking's gave him here [vs Ciocaltea]. He had reached his target and would now become (given the official ratification of the performance) the youngest grandmaster in the world.

This was followed by four more draws, and of these only Hartston - Keene saw any serious disturbance of equality. The British Champion seized the initiative at a very early stage and began to make things unpleasant for White. However, he lacked the form to enable him to increase his advantage and so permitted Hartston to escape into a tenable ending.

Andersson had arrived at a crisis point in his bid for the grandmaster title. Needing a win and a draw from the two remaining games, he made an all-out effort against Najdorf only to find the old lion wide awake.

Naturally, the clash of the leaders, the two Soviet grandmasters, was the centrepiece of the day and a fitting climax to the tournament. Here was an occasion when they could fight each other for the top prize without fear of the intervention of a third party. Korchnoi, armed with the white pieces, sensed that his rival was in too defensive a frame of mind and took full advantage of it.

Thanks to his good win over Franklin, who had failed to find an answer to White's K side offensive, Botterill moved up level with Hartston at the head of the English contingent. Both of them had recovered well from their painful start to the event.

Round 15 — Saturday 15th January 1972

This final round bore all the signs of an anti-climax. It was clear that Korchnoi had made his point by defeating Karpov and would not attempt to finish the outright winner. He was now content to draw [vs Najdorf] and wait to see whether his compatriot could catch up.

Most of the other players were also in drawing mood, since they were in general satisfied with the stations they had achieved. Mecking and Andersson fought quite hard, the two Germans put in a surprisingly long stint and Botterill even managed to get the upper hand against Gligoric; however, the Yugoslav grandmaster preserved his unbeaten record by sacrificing a piece to force a repetition of moves.

Form suggested that Markland had little chance of holding Karpov; for in six games with Black he had scored just the one win against Franklin, while the Russian had conceded but one draw as White. The English player put up a tough resistance but was not quite able to hold the ending.

Long tournaments have the advantage of reducing the role of luck to a minimum and accordingly reflecting the actual form of the competitors. The final order here is a good illustration, and I feel that no-one can complain of being at all wrongly placed.

The victorious Soviet grandmasters effectively demonstrated their superiority, thus maintaining — or rather reasserting — the tradition they have established at Hastings. From Round 3 onwards there was never any doubt that one of them would win. Korchnoi's wonderful determination was impressive, while with Karpov it was the confidence and apparent ease of his play.

Mecking and Byrne also clearly deserved their high positions. One might say that they were representative of the new inspiration and authority of the American Chess World. Byrne is probably now at the peak of his powers, but Mecking still has many years in which to improve and pursue his great ambitions.

All the grandmasters finished in the top half, and it was right that Andersson was the other master to enjoy their company. It should not be long before he gains the senior title.

British readers will be sorry to see the home players all in a group at the bottom. Keene was expected to make a better challenge, but at the moment, having become an international master, he is lacking in purpose and energy. Botterill and Hartston need not be dissatisfied with their performances; in the second half they both seemed to be learning how to live among such tough opposition. Markland was quite unable to reproduce the steadiness he showed last year, when he was defeated only once. He needs to review his opening repertoire before the next big event. Finally, Franklin suffered the usual fate of the gifted amateur in a professional field — of simply not being accustomed to this kind of chess.

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THE CHALLENGERS' TOURNAMENT by W. Ritson Morry

The original entry for the Challengers' Tournament was a very strong one and contained the names of three international masters, E. Gereben, B. Kurajica and Z. Mestrovic, the last named of whom played in last year's Premier Tournament. Another interesting Yugoslav entrant was D. Rajkovic who has a high Elo rating and one international master performance to his credit at Smederevka Palanka in October last.

Unfortunately, Gereben was unable to come and Kurajica was promoted to deputise for Szabo in the Premier Tournament. Moreover, two other strong contenders G. H. Bennett and A. Lombard failed to make the deadline, but with such players as M. Bajovic, B. Eley, N. Bloch and R. F. Harman coming in as replacements the event was still extremely strong. The inclusion of representatives from eleven foreign countries made it a truly representative international tournament.

There was an encouraging start from the British viewpoint, for Griffiths, with the black pieces, convincingly defeated Mestrovic and the young British Junior Champion, A. J. Miles, showed that he was in good form by winning his opening game at the expense of L. S. Blackstock. Nevertheless, at the end of Round 2 only three players, Bajovic, Runau and Webb, had clean scores and two of them were from overseas.

Thereafter there was a dramatic change in fortunes and Miles began to forge ahead until Round 4 saw him sharing the lead with Webb, whom he defeated in Round 5, giving Martyn Corden a chance to nose into second place only to go down to Miles in Round 6. By this time the hall was buzzing with speculation as to whether Miles could be stopped, for with 5½ points and a clear lead of a whole point he seemed to be in an unassailable position; but, at 16½, his style is not yet sufficiently steady and a defeat by the young West German R. Runau in Round 7 pegged him back. When Bellin, recovering brilliantly from a bad start, beat him again in Round 8, he was removed from his pedestal never to recover.

Bellin had put in a great burst to rise from 1 out of 3 to 6 out of 8 and now looked to be the likely winner, having half a point lead with two rounds to go. He maintained his position with a draw in Round 9, but this enabled Rajkovic to draw level and the 9th Round began with Bellin and Rajkovic 6½, followed by Corden, Formanek, Miles, Runau and Webb 6 and P.C.Griffiths 5½.

The final round was a tense struggle with the leading pairings Bellin v. Rajkovic; Corden v. Runau; Formanek v. Webb; and Griffiths v. Miles. Corden was the first to win whilst Formanek and Griffiths scored just after the adjournment, but the leaders fought on until midnight when the victory of Rajkovic settled the issue without resort to tie-splitting procedures.

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THE GENERAL CONGRESS by W.Ritson Morry

Most of the events in the General Congress were housed in the White Rock Pavilion, which, for 22 years from 1931 to 1953 was the venue for the whole congress. For me it revived some nostalgic memories, for it was there that I attended and played in my first Hastings in the same year that it moved to that hall. The place has changed little in the 40 years except for a new and lower stage which brings the controllers into more intimate contact with the competitors. No doubt this enabled the players to appreciate to the full the firm efficiency of the officials, Harry Baines and Mrs. Parker, even though cloaked by disarmingly friendly exteriors. Some measures of the hard work done by both can be gauged from the fact that Harry Baines, in order to enable me to superintend the prompt publication of the daily bulletins of the Premier Tournament games, took the responsibility for making all the Swiss tournament draws for both halls whilst Mrs. Parker looked after the score-boards at the Falaise Hall as well as at the White Rock.

As originally printed the programme showed a slightly lower entry than last year, but, thanks to the arrival of a number of would-be contenders and the consequent creation of additional Xmas and New Year Special Sections, the final figure of 281 for all sections, including the Premier, was a new record.

The Challengers' Reserves Section was very strong indeed, and, in winning the first two prizes and promotion to next year's Challengers' Tournament, S. Thrower and Harry Lamb had to reach their top form. Indeed, for a long time it seemed likely that L. A. Edwards might win the section, but a defeat by Lamb in the penultimate round turned the tables.

In the Main Sections there were several players one might normally expect to see in the Challengers' Reserves had there not been such demand for places. A notable visitor was the cheery German player H. Jühe who was celebrating his twenty-first visit. He marked the occasion by sharing first place in Main ‘A' with Dr. L. da Silva of Brazil and earning promotion to next year's Challengers Reserves.

Another regular visitor to the congress is Mr. William Latey Q.C., the former divorce commissioner, and this year he was accompanied by his son Sir John Latey, who is a High Court Judge. Both finished in the prize list in Xmas Special ‘E'.

Full details of the various sections are given hereunder.

I cannot conclude this article without reference to a very sad event which took place after the General Congress had ended. The Hastings C.C. Match Captain Jim Lambert-Gorwyn, who had worked in the control team for some years and given most valuable service was taken suddenly ill on Sunday, January 9th, and underwent an emergency operation; but thereafter he suffered a heart attack which proved fatal. To all of us who had known and worked with him it came as a great shock and cast a shadow on the remainder of the congress. A great enthusiast and hard worker for chess in general, and Hastings chess in particular, he will be sadly missed.

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1971/72 Hastings: Other Sections

Challengers' Reserves: (1) Sean Thrower (Oxford) 7½/10; (2) Harry Lamb (Bolton) 7; (3-4) (Louis) Alan Edwards (Leicester), Lewis Johnstone Mills (Wokingham) 6½; (5-9) Alan K Crombleholme (Oxford), Hans-Jürgen Hahne (W Germany), John M Ripley (Liverpool), Wolfgang Schellhorn (W Germany), V Weber (W Germany) 6; (10-12) John R Cooke (Loughton), Robert E Evans (Blacon), H J Kruger (W Germany) 5½; (13-16) Anthony James Booth (Bedford), Michael J Conroy (Burnley), Manfred Gielow, Kevin J Wicker (London) 5; (17-22) Paul V Byway (Ware), Hans-Peter Canibol (W Germany), Mrs Jana Hartston [Bellin] (Cambridge), Dr. Gerald Simon Katz, Stewart Reuben (London), Jean-Pierre Wurch (Switzerland) 4½; (23-24) Alan Heaton, Gerald P Hildred (Morecambe) 4: (25-30) John A Feavyour (Saxmundham), James L Harkins (USA), James Roderick Nicolson, J Rethi, P Simonds, Timothy D Harding (Bromsgrove) 3½.

Main A: (1-2) Heinrich Jühe (W Germany), Dr L C da Silva (Brazil) 8/10; (3) Mrs Dinah M Wright [Norman] 6½; (4-6) Paul F Habershon (Bedford), David Lees (Sale), Peter G Moore (Heald Green) 6; (7-12) Graham J Bromley (Chester), Andrew N Chapman (Swindon), John Bertram Goodman (Plymouth), John A Gorman (Blacon), R/B Hessbrugge, A Sottocasa (W Germany) 5; (13-14) A Kammerman (Switzerland), Nicholas R Keene 4½; (15-18) Thomas H Stonehouse (London), Robert P Ross (Hull), Dr. Reinhard Cherubim (W Germany), Miss Eileen B Tranmer (London) 4; (19-21) Percy B Cook, H Dvorsak, John A Felton (Hastings) 3½; (22) Arthur Cootes (Belfast) 3.

Main B: (1) David/Dafydd R Johnston (North Ferriby) 8½/10; (2) (Frederick) John Ferrar (Ramsgate) 7; (3-4) R Hock, J G Marsh (Preston) 6½; (5-6) Sydney Ross Capsey, Nigel W Dennis (Henley) 6; (7-9) Ian P Eustis, Walter R Rayner, Ewart J Smith (Old Basing) 5½; (10-11) Peter John Boghurst (Tunbridge Wells), A Niedra 5; (12-16) William Bainbridge, Roger L Baker (Bakewell), J Eyre, Roger William Morgan, J P Scragg (Stockport) 4½; (17-19) Eric Wilfred Knapp, E Mitchell (Hastings), Alan F Stammwitz 4; (20) Ronald E Rushbrook 3½; (21-22) Rodney E James (Banstead), Truman V Parrott (Harrow) 2½.

Main C: (1) Alfred Milner (Manchester) 7½/10; (2) Alan Kerry (West Bridgford) 7; (3) C Sottocasa (W Germany) 6½; (4-6) David A Burrows (St Helens), E Chambers (Hastings), Jack A Edwards (Torquay) 6; (7-10) William Edward Busbridge (St Helens), Mrs Olive Chataway (Harrow), David Terence Fairbank (Smethwick), Mrs Evaline Emily Feavyour (Saxmundham) 5½; (11-12) Patrick Albert Baldwin, Leslie E Vine (Eastleigh) 5; (13-15) Victor S J Litvin (London), J A McGregor, Wilfred G Oliver (Cheltenham) 4½; (16) J Sottocasa (W Germany) 3; (17) Miss E Whyte 1½; (18) Mrs E Crowe 1.

Christmas Special A: (1) Raymond J Gamble (Derby) 4½/5; (2-3) Peter W Hempson (London), Stephen J Taylor (Bedford) 3½; (4-6) Michael P Cook, B J Little (Huntley), Roy Alan Wagstaff (London) 3; (7-9) Anthony C Ashby (London), M A Walker, R A Walker 2½; (10-12) H Trevor Jones (Beckenham), Paul R Kemp (West Bridgford), John F Turnock (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) 2; (13-16) Christopher D Carr (Staines), Dr. J A Fidler, W D Johnson (Keswick), A Philip Primett 1½.

Christmas Special B: (1-4) John G Collins (Nottingham), Paul David Hare (Grantham), Eric Houghton, Lucien Mouillaux 3½/5; (5-8) J W Dick, Kenneth Henry Staines (Sidcup), D J Towers, J Watson 3; (9-10) A Gray, Peter Morrey (Reading) 2½; (11-12) C W Bryan, H Hassenruck (W Germany) 2; (13-14) Neville Robin L Boyd, Richard J Dixon 1½; (15-16) D Gulliver, W E Sharp 1.

Christmas Special C: (1-2) J Rowley (Sutton Coldfield), Jack A Speigel 4/5; (3) J Biou 3½; (4-5) J Cotterell, Laurence John Wheatley (Lucas, Birmingham) 3; (6-10) G M Brown (Folkestone), M Morris, Richard J Nash (Boston), R Quaye (London), J West 2½; (11-13) A Archer (Stoke-on-Trent), N R Browne (Hastings), J Halliwell 2; (14-15) David John F Bull, David Edward Luckin (South Croydon) 1½; (16) P A Hann 1.

Christmas Special D: (1-2) C J Blundell, J Colquhoun 4/5; (3) D Hardcastle 3½; (4-6) C Chamberlain, C J Lamb, I New 3; (7-9) N Brat, H G Crews, Mrs Sandra Osmond 2½; (10-12) R J Fidler, S G Quilter, Maurice D Speigel 2; (13) I C Baker 1; (14) John C Hamer (New Brighton) 0.

Christmas Special E: (1) P Ganszczyk 5/5; (2-3) D Begarnie, S M Willey 3½; (4-7) P A Bond, Sir John Latey, William Latey (London), H Rawcliffe 3; (8) G Burnett (Worcester) 2½; (9-10) R Baker, A Hills 2; (11) R Sanders 1½; (12-14) Miss Elsie Grace Coulson, Miss Jean Pickles (Preston), Mrs M Scammell 1.

Christmas Special F: (1) Kevin J O'Connell (Teignmoth) 3/4; (2-3) Leon J Fincham, M Osmond 2½; (4) J Sheehan 2; (5) J Bruce 0

New Year Special A: (1) Gerald H Bennett (Sutton Coldfield) 4½/5; (2-6) G Eichhorst (W Germany), S Grabow, David A Hester (Cambridge), G Meinhardt, Graham Russell Mitchell (Woking) 3½; (7-8) Peter W Hempson (london), Martin C Page (London) 3; (9-10) R Beck, John A Flood (London) 2½; (11-14) G Kaye (Coventry), Victor Norman Rains (Cambridge), Leigh A Trangmar, L Wheatley (Birmingham) 2; (15) M L Goodhead/Goodland (Tonbridge) 1½; (16-17) A S Grant, W L Starling (Hastings) 1; (18) G Krauchi (Switzerland) ½.

New Year Special B: (1) H A Killick (Leatherhead) 4½/5; (2-3) Richard Heasman (Tilehurst), Michael F McNaughton (Liverpool) 3½; (4-6) R S Bavin (Bognor Regis), Leon J Fincham, P J Neve (Netherlands) 3; (7-11) R Brain (Kingston-upon-Thames), Leopold Fuchs (Northampton), George F Ramsay (Hastings), Shaun M Taulbut (Marlborough), David A Watt 2½; (12-15) Mrs Sandra Osmond, (Sydney) Hugh Brocklesby (Bath), F H Hill (London), A S O'Broin (Ireland) 2; (16) I C Baker 1½; (17) R W Quaye 1; (18) A Archer (Stoke-on-Trent) ½ (retired).

New Year Special C: (1) R P Moore 5/5; (2) W Woodhead 4; (3) H Rawcliffe 3½; (4-8) Francis Norman Copping, J Hatton, E Newham, S Willey, Frank A Winter 3; (9) N A Hoad 2½; (10-13) G Burnett, W J Edwards, Miss Ada Enstone, G Phillips 2; (14-15) Miss Elsie Grace Coulson, S G Quilter 1; (16) A Gill 0 (retired).

New Year Special D: (1) E Peters 4/5; (2) B Morris 3; (3-4) Kevin R M Claudius, Miss M Walther 2½; (5) N R Browne 2; (6) R Park 1.

Shirley Wilson, aged 12, of West Kirby Grammar School, plays Svetozar Gligoric at Hastings, 29 December 1971

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File Updated

Date	Notes
Previously	Uploaded as part of the Hastings collection some time ago.
11 June 2025	Updated, with Premier games dated and sourced, crosstables, 36+4 games/part-games from other sections, reports, etc.
12 June 2025	Added two more Challengers games: (1) N Bloch 0-1 D Rajkovic (rd 4); (2) N Bloch 1-0 L Blackstock (rd 6). Also, an amendment applied to the score of Andersson-Franklin, Premier, rd 4. Many thanks to Andy Ansel.
13 June 2025	Added two more games: (1) R Runau 1-0 Z Mestrovic (Challengers, rd 6); (2) M Gielow 1-0 S Reuben (Challengers Reserves). Many thanks to Ulrich Tamm.