Pastimes; Chess

Let us end the year by remembering the four fine players who died during 1995. Here is one game by each of them.

Sir Stuart Milner-Barry (1906-95): gambiteer and gentleman.

Milner-Barry-Mieses, Margate 1935: 1 e4 Nc6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 d5 Ne5 5 f3 exf3 6 Nxf3 Nxf3+ 7 Qxf3 Nf6 8 Bf4 a6 9 h3 g6 10 g4 Bg7 11 0-0-0 Bd7 12 Qg3 Rc8 13 Be2 0-0 14 h4 c6 15 h5 Nxd5 16 hxg6 Bxc3 17 Qh4 Nf6 18 g5 Qa5 19 gxf6 h5 20 gxf7+ Kxf7 21 Bxh5+ 1-0

Harry Golombek (1911-95)

Three times British Champion and prolific writer on all aspects of the game.

Golombek-Krogius, Warsaw 1935: 1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 e5 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Be7 6 e4 0-0 7 Be2 Bb4 8 f3 d6 9 Be3 Qe7 10 Qd2 Ne5 11 0-0 Be6 12 a3 Ba5 13 b4 Bb6 14 Nd5 Nxd5 15 exd5 Bd7 16 Rfe1 a5 17 Nc2 Bxe3+ 18 Qxe3 Qh4 19 Qd4 Qxd4+ 20 Nxd4 Rfe8 21 Kf2 Kf8 22 c5 b6 23 c6 Bc8 24 Nb5 Re7 25 f4 Ng6 26 Bf3 Rxe1 27 Rxe1 Nxf4 28 Nxc7 Nd3+ 29 Kg3 Nxe1 30 Nxa8 axb4 31 axb4 b5 32 Be4 1-0.

Lev Polugayevsky (1934-95)

Soviet champion and world title candidate.

Najdorf-Polugayevsky, Mar del Plata 1971: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 c5 6 Nf3 d5 7 0-0 dxc4 8 Bxc4 Nc6 9 Bd3 cxd4 10 exd4 Be7 11 a3 a6 12 Bc2 b5 13 Qd3 Bb7 14 Re1 g6 15 Bb3 Rc8 16 Bh6 Re8 17 Ba2 b4 18 Ne2 Na5 19 Nf4 b3 20 Bxb3 Be4 21 Qd1 Nxb3 22 Qxb3 Bc2 23 Qa2 Ng4 24 Nxe6 Qb6 25 Ng7 Bb3 26 Qb1 Red8 27 Nf5 gxf5 28 Rxe7 Nxh6 29 Qd3 Qf6 30 Ra7 Bc4 31 Qd2 Bd5 32 Ne5 Ng4 33 Qf4 Bxe5 34 dxe5 Qg6 35 g3 Be4 36 Re1 Rd3 37 e6 Qxe6 0-1

Mikhail Botvinnik: (1911-95) World champion 1948-57; 1958-60; 1961-63. Master strategist.

Goglidze-Botvinnik, Moscow 1935: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 Qb3 Nxc3 7 bxc3 0-0 8 e3 c5 9 Be2 Qc7 10 0-0 b6 11 a4 Nc6 12 Qa3 Na5 13 Nd2 Bb7 14 Nb3 cxd4 15 cxd4 Nc4 16 Qb4 Rfc8 17 a5 e5 18 axb6 Nxb6 19 Na5 Bd5 20 Bb2 Bf8 21 Qb5 a6 22 Qd3 e4 23 Qb1 Qc2 24 Ba3 Bxa3 25 Rxa3 Qxe2 26 Qxb6 Rab8 27 Qd6 Qxf1+ 28 Rxf1 Rb1+ 0-1.