The new season is fast approaching, and once again all the mistakes are there waiting to be made. And we'll probably make them. Even when we have made the very same ones countless times before. But the next time disaster befalls you at the chess board, try to remember that however bad it was for you, its been even worse for somebody else. And if you don't believe me, read on!
In one of his marvellous books of reminiscences of the Soviet chess world of the 1950s and later (Smart Chip from St Petersburg), Genna Sosonko tells the tale of a blitz game between Genrikh Chepukaitis and Mark Taimanov. Now we've all heard of Grand Master Mark Taimanov, even if his chief claim to fame is losing 6-0 to Bobby Fischer in the Quarter Final of the 1971 Candidates Matches. But, of course, he was an exceedingly strong player. He won the Soviet Championship in 1956 and only lost out to Botvinnik for the 1952 title after a play off match. For the best part of 25 years he was one of the 20 best players in the world, and he is one of very few people who can claim to have beaten 6 (yes 6!) World Champions - Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Karpov. (But his overall record against Fischer was 0.5-7.5. It must have been something to do with the name, because he couldn't even beat one Johann Fischer at the 2003 European Seniors Championships. Though Taimanov was 77 at the time!)
But it isn't Taimanov that Sosonko's essay is about. It's actually a very affectionate remembrance of his opponent - almost unknown in the West - who was a ferociously strong blitz specialist. He played in the St Petersburg Blitz Championship 47 times (!!), winning it on 6 occasions and regularly beating the likes of Tal, Spassky and Korchnoi. In 1966 he also won the Moscow Blitz Championship, despite sleeping on a bench at a Moscow railway station between the semi-finals and finals. One year, Sosonko recounts, Petrosian was persuaded to give this event a miss by his wife, Rona. " You're the World Champion. Who will praise you if you win? And if you lose? It's fine if Bronstein, Tal or Korchnoi beats you, but what if you lose to Chepukaitis??"
Another anecdote relates to Karpov, who was bemoaning the ever-faster rates of play in tournament chess, complaining that eventually there would be nothing but Blitz, and then Chepukaitis could become World Champion. To which David Bronstein replied, "Yes he might, and I don't see anything wrong with that. Chepukaitis is a magnificent strategist and a brilliant tactician."
Well, this has been a very long introduction to what is going to be a very short game. It features Chepukaitis' pet opening - which he referred to as the mongrel variation, even though he thought it should really be named after himself rather than a certain Mr Trompovsky. It took place at a Leningrad Blitz Championship, in an unknown year. Don't blink or you'll miss it!
I think we can all sympathise with Taimanov's mood after such a debacle. It would be bad enough for the likes of us, but for a two times World Championship Candidate it must have been excruciating. So let's all remember this game the next time we make an appalling blunder. Far better players than us have made far worse mistakes!
And if that isn't a reason to be cheerful, I don't know what is!
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