CHESS

DOWN

1 Young eels, in Onich

2 Took (the exam) again

3 Schoolmarm, in Rocktown

4 Ceremonial Hindu sandalwood paste dot

Cape

The biennial South African Open Championship was first held in 1962. Titled internationals won the first two editions – Belgian GM O’Kelly tied with English IM Golombek in 1962 and German GM Schmid scored a picket fence 11/11 ahead of Melvin Hope (Bulawayo) in 1964. The first ever South African to win outright was Bob Griffiths in 1966 (and again in 1972). Bob represented SA at the 1968 (Lugano) and 1970 (Siegen) Olympiads, producing these pretty wins. Lugano first:

Andujar (Dominica) - Griffiths (SA) [English Opening]: 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 g3 Nc6 4 Bg2 g6 5 e3 Bg7 6 Nge2 O-O 7 O-O d6 8 d4 exd4 9 exd4 Bf5 10 a3 (Unnecessary. White is fine after 10 h3 Nb4? 11 g4) 11 Kh2) 10 Re8 11 b4 a6 (Also unnecessary. 11 Qc8 12 b5?! Na5 is good for Black) 12 Bb2 Qd7 13 Nd5? (Too hasty. The obvious 13

Nf4 was best, answering 13 … Bh6 with 14 Nfd5) 13 … Nxd5 14 Bxd5 Be4 (White’s K-side will be weak now) 15 Nf4 Bxd5 16 Nxd5 Ne7! (The impetuous 16 … Re4?! 17 b5 axb5 18 cxb5 Nxd4 comes up against 19 f3 Qxb5 20 fxe4 Qxb2) 17 Nxe7+ Rxe7 18 Qd2 (Better was 18 Rb1. His B needed guarding but so do the White squares. Bob now infiltrates with logic and maximum economy) 18 … Rae8 19 Rae1 Qg4 20 f4? (Loses. The only hope lay in 20 f3 Qf5 21 g4) 20 … Re2 21 Rxe2 Rxe2 22 Qc1 Qe6! (More ruthless than 22 … Qh3 23 Rf2 Rxf2 24 Kxf2 Qxh2+ etc) 23 Qb1 (Or 23 Qc3 Qh3) 23 Qe3+ 24 Kh1 Qd2 White resigned.

And at Siegen:

(SA) - Defence]:

Griffiths (New Zealand) [Sicilian

Evans

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 f4 Qc7 7 Bd3 Nc6 8 Nf3 g6?!

(Mixing the a6 Najdorf with the g6 Dragon is a bit like flavouring your food with pepper and sugar instead of salt!) 9 O-O Bg7 10 Qe1 e6 11 Kh1 (11 f5 was possible immediately, but it will keep) 11 … O-O 12 Qh4 b5

(Not much use unless White has castled long. Better was 12 … Qe7) 13 f5! Qe7? (After White’s 13th, this makes f6 fatally pinnable. He had to try 13 exf5 14 exf5 d5) 14 Bg5 b4? (14 … Bb7 struggles on)

Black resigned.

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