Revisiting an old Keres game
Believe it or not, there was a time when chess mastery was far removed from the adrenalin of modern-day Armageddon or the semi-hustler culture that has become popular since organizers have reduced the time available for thoughtful reflection.
Today I want to take a look at a not so well known game of the legendary Paul Keres. His opponent is the strong Kazakh master Boris Katalymov. This game was played at a team championship in Moscow in August of 1965.
I like this game because it is so typical of chess in those days: it is instructive. It has an unusual opening, a curious middlegame and a well played endgame. Moreover, each phase of the game is interesting.
The play is hardly perfect, but it is precisely because of this that the student might learn something new and at the same time enrich his own understanding of chess. Bon appetit !
Keres,Paul – Katalymov,Boris
Moscow August 4, 1965
1-0
International Master Boris Katalymov was born on June 13, 1932 in the Mordovian Autonamous Soviet Socialist Republic and died on February 1, 2013 in Almaty,Kazakhstan. Curiously, he has a variation named after him in the Sicilian Defence. The Katalymov Variation begins with the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 b6!?
