MARK RUBERY CHESS

In 1980 Oude Meester (this famous brandy was quite likely the most generous sponsor South African chess ever had) held a large Knock-out tournament that was played in all the major centres across the country. Slowly the field got whittled down until the winners from various centres crossed swords. Eventually only two players remained: the favourite, SA Closed Champion Frank Korostenski , who had a rich tactical imagination and a sober positional style. His adversary (and also his brother-inlaw) was Helmut Leicher whose opportunistic style had seen off a number of more fancied opponents such as Donald MacFarlane. Both players squared off on live television for a first prize of R4000 and contested what was admittedly a low quality game, with the tension of the occasion getting the better of Korostenski who turned a winning position into a stunning loss…

Korostenski,F - Leicher,H [B22]

Oude Meester Tournament Johannesburg, 1980

1.e4 c5 2.c3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Nf3 Ne7 ( Not the cutting-edge in theory, but then Leicher preferred the ropea-dope boxing ploy...) 8.Bg5 0–0 9.Qd2 Re8 10.Bh6 Bh8 11.0–0 (Under different circumstances Korostenski would have flicked out 11 h4 and quickly notched up the point)... a6 12.Rfe1 b6 13.Rad1 Ra7 14.a3 Rc7 15.Ba2 Nd7 16.h4 Nf8 17.h5 Bg7 18.hxg6 (18 Bxg7 Kxg7 19 h6+ Kg8 20 Qf4 looks stronger)... hxg6 19.Kh2 (A little too obvious a continuation to the attack)... f6 20.Rh1 Bxh6 21.Qxh6 Nf5! 22.Qf4 Rh7+ 23.Kg1 Rxh1+ 24.Kxh1 Ng7 25.e5 Nh5 26.Qe3 Re7? (This blunder of a piece paradoxically gives Black some tactical chances) 27.g4! Rh7 (At this stage Helmut began to start tasting the small bottles of the sponsor’s product and this perhaps contributed to White’s lack of vigilance over the next few moves) 28.gxh5 Rxh5+ 29.Kg2 Bb7 30.exf6 (30 d5! fxe5 31 dxe6 Kg7 32 Ne4 is crushing for White)... Qxf6

31.Ne4?? (31 d5 blocking the diagonal was still winning, now White is suddenly lost)... Qf5 32.Nh2 (The planned 32 Ng3 fails to...Bxf3+ 33 Qxf3 Rh2+!) .... Bxe4+ 33.Kg1 Rg5+ 34.Kf1 Qb5+ 35.Qe2 Rg1+ 0–1

‘Chess slays boredom and exhilarates the spirit. You’re always thinking, always in present time. You know you’re alive. You’re always being challenged and threatened. There is no social purpose, only the joy of creating a pocket of beauty in a noisy world!’ (Larry Evans)