Fischer - Taimanov: 45 years later

On the last Sunday of May, in the premises of the Norm Theater in UBC, was held a competition dedicated to the chess match which took place exactly 45 years ago on that same stage.

In 1971, Vancouver hosted the quarterfinal match of the contenders for the title of world champion in chess. There met the future 11th world champion Bobby Fischer and one of the strongest Soviet grandmasters Mark Taimanov.

The American chess player was considered to be a favourite, but no one could predict the result of this match in advance: 6-0. Fischer won six games in a row without making a single draw.

The friendly match of 2016 was thematic. Team Fischer and Team Taimanov were formed from Vancouver chess players who wished to celebrate this event.

In February, Mark Taimanov turned 90 years old. Moving away from active tournament practice, the grandmaster devoted himself to his family and the development of children's chess in St. Petersburg.

On the eve of the match, I have had a telephone conversation with Mark Evgenievich, asking him to share his memories of the match and Bobby Fischer.

– Good evening, Mark Evgenievich.

– Good evening.

– The legendary match happened 45 years ago when you were 45. This year you celebrated your 90th anniversary. We can say that now your life divided into two equal parts - before and after the match with Robert Fischer. As you wrote in your book "How I became Fischer's Victim" this match was not only the greatest disappointment but also became one of the most remarkable events in life.

– Yes, indeed. It was a big sports failure. Big emotional stress followed, related to a harsh criticism by our leaders, who saw in this loss an evil intention: an attempt to discredit our great country. Nevertheless, I recall that match to be one of the most dramatic events in my chess life because I played that match with the great chess-player. Despite such a dramatic result, there were interesting games and bright moments.

Fischer himself admitted that the outcome of this match does not correspond in any way to its chess subject-matter because the struggle was intense, fascinating and creatively saturated. After the sixth game, according to Fischer's opinion, the result should be a maximum of 3½ - 2½ in his favour. The games of this match entered the history of the biggest chess events.

– Speaking about Robert Fischer, I would like to know your opinion about what qualities of this outstanding chess player can be useful to players in the present age of ubiquitous use of computers at all stages of preparation and analysis of parties?

– At that time, Fischer found many elements, which even today remain to be very relevant. For example, a chess clock with the addition of time, which significantly "justified" the outcome of the games in time trouble. If earlier it was possible to lose the game, having run out of time in one turn before giving a checkmate, now, with such a clock with the addition of a few seconds after each move, such an element of injustice is excluded. This is the first.

Also, Fischer predicted the future capabilities of computers to analyze chess debuts, which has become a negative side for today. The computer largely deprived chess players of the need to independently conduct a creative analysis of the debut stage of the game. Now, by clicking the button, you can get the results of any research for two centuries, without applying any creative efforts.

– Do you think that the "Fischer’s chess" has prospects to take a much larger place than they occupy in the modern chess world?

– Of course, computer programs are developing rapidly, and the time will come when all 960 initial positions will be analyzed in detail, but for now this is a special trend in the process of the chess game.

– It is known that Fischer read Soviet chess books and magazines. In what language did you communicate during the match - English or Russian?

– No, I do not speak English very well. Surprisingly, we spoke with him in mixed Serbian-Russian. We both went to Yugoslavia for a long time and spoke at a decent level, sufficient to understand each other. For us, the most convenient language was Serbian.

– For Vancouver, your match of 1971 is the brightest page in the chess history of the city. Do you have special memories related to our city?

– I can say that I always remember Vancouver with warmth, despite the fact that I had to endure a lot after this match. I recall it as a very pleasant, interesting and hospitable city.

– About your chess career: You went to the match with Bobby Fischer when you already had victories in almost all major competitions: The USSR champion, the multiple champion of Leningrad, as a member of the USSR national team, the winner of the chess Olympiad and several European Championships, not counting victories in a number of prestigious International tournaments. You have repeatedly met at the chessboard with all the strongest grandmasters of the 1950s and 1970s. Who from the rivals was most uncomfortable for you or against whom you were played most easily?

– Such dramatic results as in the match with Fischer, with other grandmasters I did not have. I think participating in tournaments and matches that took place in the Soviet Union, I felt at ease and played at my level, which fit into the elite of Soviet chess players.

– You met with world chess champions from Botvinnik to Kasparov and you have six wins under your belt over the strongest chess players of your time. What victory is remembered most of all?

– The most memorable of these parties is the victory in the tournament in 1977 in Leningrad over the current world champion Anatoly Karpov.

– You are also known both as a journalist and as a writer: since the 1950s you have been writing for chess publications and publishing books on the theory of chess openings, essays, and memoirs?

– Yes, at some point, a third was added to my two main professions. Maybe I did not achieve such heights in journalism, nevertheless, it was always interesting and fascinating for me. I hope that my work in this field let me introduce readers to chess art. Returning to the above-mentioned book "Remembering the most memorable" (2003), I talk about my creative life: both musical and chess, about meeting the greatest chess players, politicians and outstanding personalities of the 20th century.

I was fortunate enough to be on good terms and for some time to be friends with Che Guevara, who was a big fan of chess. He did a lot for the development of chess in Cuba: tournaments were held, which became a true gem in the international chess calendar for many years. These prestigious tournaments exist even today. My meetings, of course, were largely related to both my favourite professions: chess and music. Thanks to them I traveled around the world with performances, visited 80 countries.

– Recently I talked with one of the strongest chess players in Vancouver, and he highly praised your book Taimanov's Selected Games, published in 1996 in English. I myself can add that your books perfectly combine the analysis of what is happening on the board and a description of the whole atmosphere of what is happening around. Do you use a computer to analyze the games played in the 50-90s, that is, in the "precomputer" era?

– I can say that I am opposed to such a "rethinking". For many years we are friends with Garry Kimovich Kasparov, but our points of view on the need to subject the computer analysis of the party of past years diverge. Kasparov published a series of books called "My Great Predecessors", where he used computer analysis, which often changes the notion of classical evaluation in individual games of great chess players.

Some of the games that we considered masterpieces, the computer ruthlessly criticized and found options that overthrow these great parties from the throne.

I believe that this is equivalent to if the computer intervened in the 5th symphony and said that here Beethoven applied parallel quints, which are not allowed in the theory of classical musical composition. Using such an analysis could destroy our bright sensations and impressions of outstanding masterpieces of musical creativity. It seems to me that from this point of view the overthrow of the great works of chess art, at least, is offensive.

– Very interesting analogy. I have one more question: which photo of the match in 1971 will you recommend using when publishing the interview? Maybe you have in the archive previously unpublished photos?

– I think that the most famous photo of this match, where we both sit at the chessboard, with our hands clasped around the head, during the last sixth game, best reflects the tension in the match.

– It is the photograph that since last year has been decorating one of the walls in the cinema which accommodated that game.

– Yes, I like it. In my personal archive, I have a newspaper with this photo. It is among the photos exposed in the chess academy in St. Petersburg.

– Mark Evgenievich, a few years ago a chess academy for young talents was opened under your leadership. Please, tell about it. You personally communicate with young chess players?

– I do not think that I am well prepared for teaching chess to children. This should be dealt with by people who have significant pedagogical experience. I myself started in a similar circle at six. It was a class for few children with one enthusiastic teacher. Our school has enough space for several groups. Lectures, simultaneous games, and tournaments for chess players of various levels of training are held. The best coaches are invited, I emphasize, it is the "children's" trainers.

In the children's school, it is not necessary to grow large grandmasters. It is important to teach children to love chess. My professor of music said: "Love the music and it will reciprocate you." The same can be said about chess.

– Thank you for the interview. I hope that this friendly match will be traditional.

– Good luck!

Kostantin Pyryaev,

Telephone conversation, April 2016, Vancouver - St. Petersburg

Translated by Nikita Olechko.

Web Content Editing by Lucian Aere.