Malcolm Pein on…Lubosh Kavalek

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Malcolm Pein continues his tribute to Lubosh Kavalek in today’s Daily Telegraph chess column.

Yesterday’s column examined his famous game with Gufeld and today brings more interesting moments from Kavalek’s games.

Malcolm Pein on..Lubosh Kavalek

I continue my tribute to the Czech-American GM Lubosh Kavalek (1943-2021).

When Kavalek fled Czechoslovakia in 1968, he was reigning Czechoslovak champion, having triumphed in the strongest championship ever held at Luhacovice. It was a 20-player-all- play-all with only three rest days. Kavalek lost just one game and scored a remarkable 15/19 to finish a point ahead of a field comprising the best of two generations of Czech players including: Vlasimil Hort, Jan Smejkal, Miroslav Filip, Ludek Pachman and Vlastimil Jansa.

Plachetka – Kavalek, round 13. White played the London System and had been trying to exchange pieces, 29.Nb3 has just been played. An exchange of knights would make the position slightly sterile, but Kavalek had envisaged a grand combination:

29…Rxf2!! (29…Bxg2 30.Nxc5 Qh4 must also have been pretty tempting) 30.Kxf2 Qh4+ 31.Kg1 (31.Bg3 Ne4+) 31…g3 32.Bxg3 Qxg3 33.Bf1 Rf8 (Threat Rxf1+ and Qg2#. White’s queen is out of play) 34.e4 Nxe4 (Or 34…Qf2+ 35.Kh2 Qh4+ 36.Kg1 Nxe4) 35.Re2 Ng5 (Nf3+ and Qh4# is the main threat) 36.Nd2 Nh3+ 37.Kh1 Qh4 38.Nf3 Bxf3 39.gxf3 Nf2+ 0-1 White loses the rook on d1 for starters.

Trapl – Kavalek, round 15. White has just played 25.Kg2, perhaps dreaming of attacking down the h-file after Ra1-h1. Kavalek got his retaliation in first:

25…Ne3+! 26.fxe3 Rxg5 27.Rah1 Nh5 28.e4 Qe5 29.Qf2 Nf4+ 0–1

Test Your Strength

Kavalek – Dolezal from the first round.

 White to play and win

Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.

34.Nxg6 fxg6 35.Rf3 1-0

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