ANew York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, December 12, 1971 - Page 227
Chess: The Benoni: Old But Still Popular by Al Horowitz
The Benoni Defense, Boris Spassky, Soviet chess champion of the world, versus 50,000 readers of a juvenile paper in the U.S.S.R., leads with an exciting and dynamic partie from first move to the end. Commentaries are by Spassky as they appear in the United States Chess Federation's publication, Chess Life and Review.
A favorite with two world titleholders, Alekhine and Tal, the Benoni is forceful, giving rise to active positions, rich in rapid-fire tactics. Generally, both sides skate on thin ice, where sure footing is not in sight.
The Benoni made its academic debut in an obscure work published in Frankfort in 1825. The deployment made an over-the-board appearance after 1843 when it was tested by St. Amant in his match with Staunton. Thereafter, the match was relegated to obscurity, until revived by Spielmann at Bad Pistyan, 1912.
The opening pattern may assume a blockade or blitz deployment. For example on move 4. N-QB3, white may inject problems. Instead 4. P-Q6 Q-N3; 5. B-B4 QxNP; 6. N-Q2 with the plan of converting space into an assault, or compressing mobility into a lasting cramp. Tal-Penrose favored White after 9. … P-QR3; 10. P-QR4!
With 10. Q-Q2, White buttresses the pin of Black's king knight. But in any case, it is difficult to break. With 14. … P-N4, Black utilizes his queen-side pawn majority to neutralize White's menial plus.
Spassky recommends 15. P-QR3 to contain Black's queenside advance. For from here on, White's threats are gaining in stature. With 17. … PxQ, queens are swapped and traded.
With 23. RxP, it is impossible to maintain the pawn plus. For … N-B4; 24.. RxP B-N4; 25. RxP BxR; 26. NxB N-R3 wins.
As the mid-game approaches, Black's queenside majority is an edge. White, however attempts to neutralize same. White's 24. P-QN3 is a courageous action …
Komsomolskaya Pravda (Newspaper) vs Boris Spassky Pravda corr (1970) (correspondence), Russia, rd 2 Benoni Defense: King Pawn lines (A65) 0-1 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1601064
The following miniature masterpiece between Robert Byrne and Bobby Fischer, a Gruenfeld defense in the United States championship of 1963-64, involved the “sack” of a piece. The game took the spectators, who were hoping for a Fischer debacle, unawares. Hence, on White's 22d turn they thought Byrne was coming into his own. And they waited patiently, anticipating a crusher. Came the surprise. “I resign,” said Byrne.
Aphorisms and maxims, like rules, are made to be broken. The exception often proves the rule. Here, in a game between O'Kelly and Geller in Cuba, 1963, White has just moved his queen to king-bishop-two, overlooking the power of that coy remark “the pin is mightier than the sword.”
Geller makes a devastating play and White resigns. What is the move?
(The answer is given upside down beneath the diagram.)
