By the Touch of the Master's Hand (from Sozin to Planinc)

Dear chess lovers, this post is a document of free-association. My approach to chess right now is intuitive, free-flowing and spontaneous.

I never know which chess book I will pick up and peruse on any given day. I have a good collection of chess books, and what I mean by that is that I have chess books that inspire me; mostly game collections.

One of the best collections that I have come across is "500 Master Games of Chess", by Tartakower and Dumont. Originally published in 1952, it is perhaps the best chess book I own. Why? Because it offers the most varied collection of games with comments, organized by openings!

This book has games from 1834 to 1937. What is the common link between all the games in the book? The "Touch of the Master's Hand", the magic and excitement, the beauty and depth of their concepts, their understanding of the organic essence of chess.

I first heard the poem "The Touch of the Master's Hand" in 1987 or so. It shows the magic of what Masters can do with their talent, and how they can delight us with their art.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

"And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and bruised with hardship
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

- Myra Brooks Welch

And here is the main point: at the beginning of a chess game, the World Champion and I have the same number of pieces; exactly the same. Yet the Masters are able to produce magic with the pieces, and even Art.

The first game I will present today is a win with the Black pieces by Veniamin Sozin against Vladimir Nenarokov:

I had heard the name Sozin, from the Sicilian variation that bears his name, but I had never looked at him as a player! Looking at the book about Yakov Vilner, I came across this game:

Now, Mr. Sozin, he could play!

Participants in the Fourth USSR Championship, 1925
Vienamin Sozin is 2nd from left, standing in the back.

Did I mention that Sozin beat Botvinnik, too? (It seems that in the 30's a lot of players were beating Botvinnik!)

One last game by Sozin, which shows his technique:

Here is another brilliant game by Sozin, showing his tactical ability (GM level, in my view)

OK, one last game by Sozin! In the following game, he outplays Ragozin so thoroughly, you would be hard pressed to guess it was Ragozin playing White! White starts with a Four Knights variation of the English opening, but opens the centre too quickly, and gives Black a Nimzo-Indian type of game. Anyhow, the game is a good example of the strong points of the Nimzo-Indian Defense for Black: better pawn structure AND piece activity! This game is a masterpiece in showing the geometrical weakness in White's position. Black's mix of strategy and tactics is world-class!

Now, for reasons I do not understand, my attention this week turned towards the great Albin Planinc. Going to his page in chessgames.com, I decided to look at the games that were selected as representative of his play. Oh my God! Talk about the touch of the Master's hand!

Now, the next game, what can I say? Rafael Vaganian was a very strong GM, with lifetime plus-scores against players like Bronstein, Geller and Petrosian!

But not on this day......on this day Planinc played like a Magician of the highest order. I think Vaganian did not know what hit him!

Albin Planinc
(1944-2008)

The next game is, in my opinion, a great work of Chess Art.

Again, the next game features the same variation. Ljubojevic varies, and Planinc sacrifices his Queen AGAIN! This game is immortal; Planinc is immortal, too. The amount of chess fantasy and imagination is of Olympic proportions!

Ljubomir Ljubojevic (1950-   )

Planinc's games are so out of the ordinary, he makes Tal look like a kid! Check out the next game! 

Planinc's genius is unique; he can combine simplicity with tactical wizardry. What it amounts to is this: Planinc has a deeper understanding of the position than his opponent. In the next game, Vladimir Kovacevic (who beat Fischer in 1970 from the Black side of a French Defense!) is at a loss for remedies. After an original opening, Planinc gains control of the centre, and when his initiative is challenged, sacrifices a piece. After that, Kovacevic's King is deadly exposed, and that becomes the central theme of the game!

Vladimir Kovacevic (1942-   )

When pieces start clashing almost uncontrollably early in the game, whoever can detect the most minute details is the one who wins. Here the skirmish starts early, and it looks like Black has an attack, and then, like a bolt of lightning, the winning move appears on the board, and forces immediate resignation!

I am running out of adjectives!

In the next game, played in the Vidmar Memorial in 1973, Planinc, playing Black, makes Jan Smejkal, a strong GM, look ordinary! Smejkal had wins against Petrosian, Ljubojevic, Smyslov and Tukmakov! Yet this is what happens when "strong" meets Genius!

The next game could be titled "Poor Don Miguel!"

Miguel Najdorf gets schooled in his own Najdorf Variation in just 20 moves!

Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997) playing Bobby Fischer in Leipzig, 1960

In the next game, Westerinen declines to take a draw and goes after Black's Queen. What he did not know is that Planinc LOVES to sacrifice his Queen!

The following game is a jewel of simplicity and truth!

And this is all I have for you today! Enjoy the games, and may the touch of the Master's hands
elevate your game to new heights!