part 1
Fermov's Last TN
by JONATHAN BERRY
Richard Prince entered the hall that went from the swimming pool to Fermov's room. He stopped to pull his right earlobe, and soon the world was right again. Prince was thinking about the next game. Prince was down four to three unless he won. A loss or a draw meant a quick trip back to Canada. The open spaces of Canada were as far from Prince's thoughts as the door he opened. The opening he needed was a chess opening. Prince counted on Fermov to come up with another opening innovation. How else to break down the Champion's tepid defensive technique? The last three innovations by Fermov had produced decisive results, though one had been a loss. But now was no time to fear a loss. It was victory or nothing. Prince did not expect Fermov's next move. Fermov sat at his chair as usual, but his forehead rested squarely on e4. Prince tried artificial respiration but it was too late. Dead. He phoned Match Central. It would take ten minutes for them to assemble a neutral delegation, another ten minutes to get here. Under Fermov's right arm was a dog-eared copy of informant 27 open at page 150. Unmarked except for a shaky ? in pencil next to the result of Mihalcisin - Taborov. A draw. Why did Fermov still use books? All the informants, Volume 1 to Volume 60, were available on tape and could be loaded into a microcomputer in seconds. With the Chess microchip finding a game was so much easier than looking in the book. Prince folded the corner of the page and dropped the book into his briefcase. He took Informant 20 from the bookshelf, found a well-marked page, and put it under Fermov's right arm. He sat back in an armchair and stared out the window. It had started with Fischer - Spassky in 1972. With the Karpov - Korchnoi matches the struggles became deeper and hateful. In 1978 they laughed at the "Two Dead Flies Defence" and the "Marinated Quail Eggs Gambit", but they didn't laugh so much later. In 1982 it was discovered that certain spoken words could unsettle the listener. The Socrateaser came forth with the 1984 World Championship match. One side lodged a protest that contained certain nonsense words. the protest was read to the opponent. Desired effect: victory - achieved. The 1985 FIDE Congress padded a new subsection to section 74 of the World Championship regulations. "Each player's Second has the full responsibility for not informing the player of the details of an opponent's protest." 1987 brought with it Alkaloid's Defence. Alkaloids are a family of interesting chemicals that include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin. Alkaloids in the form of coffee, tea, and colas were the world's favourite drugs. Alkaloid's Defence rested on the fact that certain alkaloids can be absorbed through the skin and have a kick like a unicorn. The 1988 FIDE Congress eliminated the handshake as the expected sign of good sportsmanship. The Giuoco Piano - quiet game - had made a resugence in the 1981 match, but nothing like in 1990. Ponziani and Del Rio would have called it witchcraft. While the champion smugly contemplated the next move with the reassuring thought that his opponent was being bombarded with microwaves, the Challenger struggled hard to keep from smiling. After all, the Champion was immersed in ultrasound. The 1991 FIDE Congress decided to rewrite the rules completely. The match took place in a specially designed city. Each camp occupied one half of the city, separated and enclosed by a wall. They called it the Berlin Defence. March 9, 1996 was a bright sunny day, like most days here. The Atlantic seacoast stretched into the distance against the deep blues of sky and water. Why here? In 1983, Sahagra, Inc, offered the City of New York a 99-year contract to remove the city's sewage for less than 2 cents per cubic metre. New York was delighted! It was cheaper to flush it out to sea, but after the Second Coming of 1982, the City came under strong pressure to find a better way, deficit or no. Oil tankers on their way back to the Middle East took the sewage direct from barges in New York harbour. Sahagra negotiated a favourable short-term contract. After all, the oil tankers would otherwise have to go back to the Middle East empty. As oil production decreased the tanker market got more competitive and Sahagra was able to turn better and better deals. The tankers took their cargo to a spot at 25 degrees north and the west coast of Africa. The trip took 8 days, long enough for a cup full of bacteria added in New York to consume the entire organic content of the cargo, even in Winter. Aside from their rapid rate of multiplication, the bacteria had the unusual property of floating on water. The impurities - everything from toxic PCBs to heavy metals like gold - sunk to the bottom of the tank. Separated from the common sewage, the impurities were economically reduced to usable base products. Another property that Sahagra's scientists had bred into the bacteria was forming a thin watertight crust when exposed to sunlight in the presence of air and acid. Sahagra made a good deal on the huge stockpiles of nitric and sulphuric acid that electricity companies had after the anti Acid Rain laws of 1983. Not far inland, Sahagra had two machines served by long flexible pumps. The first mixed the desert sand with bacterial soup; the second tamped the surface flat and sprayed a layer of acidified bacteria to form a crust that prevented evaporation. About four weeks later, when the lower layers were sufficiently rotted, another machine punched tiny holes in the surface and planted one seed in each hole. Sahagra sustained small losses until 1987 when the crops began to show a modest return. However, they made tens of millions on other aspects of the business - royalties for use of their bacteria, and sales of sewage contracts. Sahagra had bought the sewage rights to most of the major seaports in the world and was now prepared to sell them, sometimes back to the original owners. Rumour had it that Sahagra Inc was just one single oil sheik who wanted to remain anonymous. Perhaps he was a chess player, because Sahagra had bid to hold the World Championship, and had built this village Shatranj for just one purpose - A knock on the door roused Prince. "Come in". Six men walked in. Two diplomats, two doctors, and two federation officials. Prince pre-empted what could have been a lengthy session. "I came into the room and found him just like that. I tried to revive him, but he was dead. Now, I think you'll understand, gentlemen, I'd rather be alone." He picked up his briefcase and walked back to his room. Prince figured a delay of the next game "for compassionate reasons" would soon be announced. He sat down at his TV terminal and typed: "My Second and long-time friend Pyotr Alexandrovich Fermov is gone. I am deeply grieved. But I know Pyotr would have wanted the next game of the match That is the highest tribute we may make to him. I therefore request that no postponement be made." Two more keys and the message was on its way at the speed of light to Match Central. His last escape closed off. Prince was ready for his main task - to find a special opening for the next game. Prince worked well under pressure, but the Champion had been shielded from such situations. Prince thought he might be able to use the new move he and Fermov had worked out in the English Opening. But what if the Champion played something different earlier on? Ask him to take back his move? No, it must be a line that the Champion had absolute faith in, perhaps in the Sicilian Defence. Well, how about the ? that Fermov had put in the book? Prince cut off the signal to the outside and typed in A.Mihaljcisin - Taborov 1979. The words Record not found flashed across the screen. "Oh yes, tuned to English spelling" Prince said to himself out loud and typed: A.Mikhalchishin - Taborov 1979. The liquid crystal display flipped through the first positions as the familiar moves were played:
Diagram 1
The commentator's voice filled the room: "Here Mikhalchishin give question mark and" Prince shuddered. It was Fermov's voice. He took a deep breath. Of course, he knew why it was Fermov's voice. Comments were digitally recorded on the micro-chip. When they were unscrambled, any voice could be used. Prince's team had long ago chosen the familiar voice of his teacher, complete with residual Russian grammar. Now it was Fermov's familiar voice, but the words were words that Fermov could never speak. Prince closed his eyes, trembled again, and took another deep breath. He went back to 1986. The first mass-produced two-way computer-TV sets. The first office in the home - really just a TV screen and keyboard connected to the downtown office by a thin strand of glass. Car manufacturers and office landlords go bankrupt. Governments bail them out with guaranteed loans. Monetary crisis, revolution, dictatorship. By 1988 things looked bad by the standards of 1982 newspapers. No elections, decreasing GNP, no automobiles. But life went on. Auto factories produced solar panels and magnetic railway cars. To say nothing of bicycles. Interest in chess multiplied almost as fast as Sahagra bacteria. More leisure time, limited travel, adequate exercise for everyone, and a sophisticated chess program from Computer Central. A program that not only played chess, but contained all the teaching material and amusements from 1,000 chess books. Other "games" could have got there first but the Chess Federation of Canada had enough foresight to see what was happening in 1983 and had everything prepared when the big change came. By 1989 the Chess Federation had the biggest membership at Computer Central. Over 11 million Canadians subscribed to one service or another - chess news, postal chess, weekend tournaments, national opens, play the computer, problem solving, problem composition, top recent games, best games of all time, computer annotate your game, human annotate your game, computer teach you, human teach you, find the combination - and more, all at the touch of a fingertip. When 2,500,000 entered the 1989 Canadian Open and 1046 still had perfect scores after the scheduled 10 rounds, the computer was asked to find all the players with a strength of over 2000. The computer found only 541. The Federation then offered $10,000 to anyone who could achieve a rating over 2500, and $100,000 to anyone who could qualify for the Candidates' Matches. The instructional services suddenly became more popular, as did small tournaments among players of the same strength. By 1991 Canada had 35 players rated over 2400, and in 1994 two Canadians qualified for the Candidates' Matches. Prince won the matches in 1995. Fermov had been assigned to Prince in 1991, the year Prince broke the 2500 barrier. The ex-Soviet was not used to computer terminals, so Prince would have to adjust or go without a teacher. In August 1991, Prince played his first chess game with a real board and pieces. After three years of chess on a two-dimensional screen. But, as Fermov used to say, "Chess is Chess". When Prince awoke he was staring at the ceiling. The armchair had reclined when it sensed that its occupant's vital signs were indicative of sleep. No sense waking with a sore neck. It was dark outside. Prince went down the hall to the exercise room for a quick game of table tennis to wake him up. He decided not to summon the duty exerciser. He typed "Ping" on the keyboard of the Master Robocizer. Words flashed on the screen: "How would you like it?". Prince typed M. After five minutes playing table tennis against a metallic arm whose shoulder was the wall Prince felt like himself again. Back in his room. Prince sat down at the terminal again. The words "Shall we continue?" lay on the screen. Prince paused for a second and pressed G - for go. The screen presented the position in the last diagram. 17.Qh5 Fermov's voice continued: "Here Mikhalchishin give question mark and suggest 17.Ne3!, intending Qh5 and Ng4, good for White. But game Verbliudov - Mikhalchishin continue - " "Verbliudov!" whispered Prince. The Champion's Second! 17...e5 18.Bc3 exf4 19.Qxf4 Nc5 20.Nf5 Bxg5 21.Rg1 f6 22.Qxd6 Qxd6 22.Nxd6 Nxd3 23.cxd3 Rad8 and Black win endgame." So, Prince thought, Mikhalchishin found an improvement after writing his notes for Informant 27. Not the first time. Verbliudov probably remembered the analysis but forgot who wrote it. And what a good lesson for his pupil, the Champion. You must not play a move against the player who recommended it. So the Champion must know this game! 17...exd5 18.Rf3 "Here again Mikhalchishin give question mark and suggest 18.Re3 , but he take black figures again in game with Gorp: 18.Re3 dxe4 19.Rh3 exd3+ 20.Kg1 f6! 21.Qxh7+ Kf7 22.Qh5+ Ke6 23.Re1+ Ne5! 24.Bxe5 dxe5 25.f5+ Kxf5 26.gxf6+ g5! 27.fxe7 Qd4+ 28.R1e3 d2 29.Qh7+ Kf4 and White resign. Other variation 27.Qh7+ Ke6 28.Rxe5+ Kxe5 29.Re3+ , try for draw, 29...Kf4! and Black win. And 24.Rxd3 Rh8 25.Qg6?! Qe8! also good for Black." 18...Ne5 19.fxe5 g6
Diagram 2
"Here Mikhalchishin have only one way to continue attack. Big sacrifice, but big threat." 20.Qxh7+! Kxh7 21.Rh3+ Kg8 22.exd6 f6 23.e5 Bxd6 24.exf6 Rf7 25.Rh6 Be8 26.Rxg6+ Kh8 27.Rh6+ Kg8 28.Rg6+ "and draw." The voice had been strangely silent for the last few moves. Gorp must have been the last player to try to improve Black's defence. Not that he needed much improvement. After all, the game ended in a draw. So unless White needed a draw, he would play something else. Even if he needed a draw, there were easier and less suspicious ways than sacrificing a Q for perpetual check.
Diagram 3
Prince took a look at the final position. This was where Fermov had penciled his ?. At the end of the game, right next to the result. Was there a better move for White than to take the perpetual check? What did Prince find in this position? How did his last game with the Champion turn out? Wait 'til next issue or tell us. The best conclusion will win a prize.
part 2
Fermov's Last TN
by JONATHAN BERRY
Diagram 4
We left our hero. Richard Prince, studying the position in the from the game Mikhalchishin - Taborov, which appears in Informant 27. His late trainer Fermov had marked the game with a ?. White to play. Prince stared grimly at the grey wall. Behind it surely sat several thousand spectators, looking intently upon him through the one-way glass. The Champion entered the room. The two players nodded at each other and the Arbiter started Prince's clock. 1.e4 c5 Once again, the Champion's favourite Sicilian Defence. The Soviets did not want to engage Prince's so-called Canadian computer technique with a stodgy Ruy Lopez. Keep to the path, get the kind of position you know, simplify. That was the Soviet recipe for drawing a game, and those were the ingredients the Champion would use. 2.Nf3 Prince had done nothing to hide the fact that he had not slept the night before. In fact, a little black shoe polish under the eyes made it look like he hadn't slept for a week. But Prince didn't need acting lessons to make his opponent think he was nervous and upset. Prince was nervous and upset. He had spent all his time analysing one position, and he knew he could win it. He could win it, but it was just one position. Only one barrel loaded. Prince wondered: why, why didn't I go to bed and be fresh for the game? Why did I have to analyse it so long? What are the chances that he will play the same line? A million to one? Why didn't I take the postponement they offered me twenty minutes ago? Prince had a lot of time to think about things other than the position on the board. Of course, he couldn't just play the moves. He had to think about them, look agonized. Otherwise the Champion might guess something was amiss. The Champion made his moves deliberately, but not slowly. At the beginning it looked like so many thousands of Sicilian defences he had played, and tens of thousands he had looked at. A forest of Sicilians. As the game went on, some of the individual trees in the forest could be identified, some were lost from sight. Perhaps even before he realized it, he was drawn toward the familiar branches of Mikhalchishin - Taborov. When he realized what he saw, he liked it even better. He and Verbliudov had analysed it for a whole day. The game had stuck in his memory because he had been able to apply its main lesson several times: remember the analysis, but also remember the analyst! Both Prince and the Champion guided the game towards the position they both thought would give them the result they needed. 28...Kh8 The Champion glanced up. Prince looked as pained as ever. It would be a draw. The title would remain his. The Challenger must offer the draw. The way he was looking he might even throw that away. But no matter. A draw was there, whenever the Challenger offered. 29.Re7 Well. just as I expected, thought the Champion, anything to put off the inevitable. But 45 minutes later the Champion was in a different frame of mind. The R/e7 could not be taken, checkmate. How to stop the threat of 30.Rh6+ Kg8 31.Bh7+ Kf8 32.Bf5 Kg8 33.g6 and 34.g7 ? And 32.Bg6 Kg8 33.Bxf7+ Bxf7 34.g6? If 29...Bc5 30.Rh6+ Kg8 31.Bh7+ Kh8 32.g6 Bxd4 33.g7+ Rxg7 34.Bg6+ Rh7 35.Rexh7+ Kg8 36.Rh8++ . 29...Be5 30.Bxe5 d4 31.Rh6+ Kg8 32.g6 Qd5+ 33.Kg1 Ra7 34.g7 The Champion tipped his King and stuck out his hand. Prince smiled and shook hands meekly. As the Champion left the table, Prince wondered whether they would give him a day's postponement of the next game. He'd need it.
