After suffering a major operation and the death of his first wife strongest Hungarian chess player 60-80’s returned to active chess activity. He kindly answered a few questions.
The beginning of a career, and who had the greatest influence on You?
I was born in the small town of Zalaegerszeg on the border with Slovenia, coaches was not there, books too. I just got lucky, that was fond of chess and my younger brother Ferenc, I still jokingly call my first and only coach. Then I became the strongest Hungarian Junior and played in the world championship among juniors in 1954, when Spassky became the champion, I took the fourth place. After that, the Federation put me up for three months in Budapest, where with me intensively engaged the famous chess player and coach Lajos, Astalos. In addition, the great Laszlo Szabo was preparing for the candidates tournament, together with another giant Gedeon Barcza. I even watch their analysis was the greatest happiness. Gedeon Barcza first worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics, then decided to become a professional and actively edited chess magazine. He was a genius root endings – still no one approached him! And a year later I played in the championship of Hungary and two in the composition of the Hungarian national team at the Olympics in Moscow. Great Marozzi I have not found, but has carefully studied his two old books – about debuts and high chess, still remember them with awe. Then there was another giant Hungarian chess – Paul Benko, subsequently became a contender, but under a star-spangled American flag.
And what’s the main difference between the current giants and the “great old man”?
Yes we started late – I’m 12 years old, and now at this age already become grandmasters. But those “old people” – every one of them was a person, and present… on the world’s top ten will be typed in all a couple of courses at the University. What they say – it is better not to write. The old men knew chess, and young only digging the theory of Fritz. ( But between the great was the difference. Botvinnik told me that they Sense can do the same move, only Meanings saw him immediately, and Botvinnik needed 5 minutes to come to him.) Now everything is bad play endgame. These fools from FIDE completely destroyed endgame – how to play well, if the course give 30 seconds? But this is the hardest part of the party.
What is Your attitude to the study of the classics?
And without it is impossible to learn to play, all the baggage of past giants easier to learn than most reach only some talents not become prominent players because of the gaps with the classics. Fischer studied 1000 parties, such as Steinitz, but I mastered only 100, and that’s the difference between us. I studied Rubinstein, Nimzovich, Lasker, apparently too little Alekhine. And now – how to play the Ruy Lopez without referring parties Keres?
What were your relations with the old elite?
I am happy that I had good relations with all, even with competitors. With Bronstein I always loved to talk, though his speaking rate and specific dialect gave me problems with its interpretation. Very friendly terms with Spassky, Keres and tal and Petrosian ,a former world champion, wore my suitcase! It was in Yerevan in 1966, when Tigran organized a great tournament. We arrived at the hotel “Armenia”, and there’s no working elevator. Tigran, under the surprised look present and my protests, grabbed our bags and hopped on the third floor. This hospitality and democracy! Where would the current Champions of the rival-friend brought a suitcase! Friendly relations were with Leonid Stein, unfortunately he, unlike me, was very fond of gambling. At the tournament in Mar del Plata in 1965 we went at the invitation of the organizers of the casino, and I have seriously won. But I wanted to win a chess tournament and decided that win in the casino “will Spasic” my chess success. And I said to Lena:” I’m going to put everything on one figure, in order to get rid of the “unclean” money”. Stein said,” Give them better here, I somehow find how to put the”. But he still lowered.
Who was the most dangerous and unpleasant opponent?
Immediately after the youth world championship it was Boris Spassky. We played a lot, even the candidates matches – I could not win their first game, it took many years, and then the psychological stopper fell off. We played in the 60s match the Leningrad-Budapest in 4 laps. And now I have two pending with Spassky, one won, the other lost. The Russians have proposed two draws, but I was totally against it was necessary to beat Spassky. It is clear that ended badly – the lost saved, and won ended in a draw! With Fischer, I was not able to win, but all parties were extremely interesting, and the last two I have Bobby just “jumped” off the hook! With Kasparov its impossible to compare – it is unknown how it developed.
When You feel in the world elite?
Turning tournament was super Bled 1961, where the chief justice was a great Milan Vidmar. I played a medium, but in the next year I began to play at a new level. Then I won two Memorial Vidmar – what for me was an important sign of continuity.
You called “Hungarian Botvinnik”.
Yes, I worked a lot as he is. A lot of studying middlegame plans of my openings. But he was very precise and organized, and I was always in the soul of the artist, and were not able to organize themselves, as the great Patriarch. Closer to me still Vasily Smyslov. When I play, I feel that I figure just live. There are many things you have contributed in the development of the debut. Where Your development were the most important? I worked a lot with the protection of Nimzovich, both for white and for black. I was one of the main developers of the plans (it is them, and not so much specific options) option Paulsen. At age 50 I decided to revive and began to play with great success option Najdorf.
You once said that if you choose first, You would have preferred the music before the game of chess. It in fact?
Yes it is unlikely, though such thoughts and came very cruel sometimes the chess world. But in chess I known figure in Hungary, was friends with by Janos Kadar. And the music can be ,and has been soloist with the Metropolitan Opera, and I would fly on a private Boeing, and maybe would have had to sing in the choir retirees of the city of Zalaegerszeg. Generally in music I was lucky in the sense that I started singing late, and my voice fresh. Young, due to requirements impresario, has a lot to perform, and they are often at risk of losing voice.
Author Adrian Mikhalchishin
international grandmaster,
the Chairman of the FIDE trainers Commission,
honorary friend of web-club Fenix-64