Geller's "Magister Ludi" Moment!
Sometimes the most difficult thing in a chess game is to play a quiet move, or a defensive move, in the middle of a wild attack. It takes the highest talent and awareness to capture the essence, the truth of a position, in a situation where other players might be confused by the confluence of lines, the convergence of squares, diagonals, files and pieces.
The game featured here is found on page 188 of "The Nemesis", where Geller annotates over 130 of his own games. His ability to transmit knowledge and understanding is world-class.
In the following game , played in a Candidates' match, Geller has such a moment against Smyslov. In a brilliant attacking sequence he finds a move that is so quiet, I have had to look at this game a few times to understand its subtle points. This is no surprise, as Geller is a few levels above me in talent! But the fact that he shares this with us shows his mastery as a coach. No wonder Karpov did so well with Geller as his trainer!
The game reminded me of the novel "Magister Ludi" (The Glass Bead Game), by Herman Hesse.
This novel, published in 1943, won Herman Hesse the Nobel Prize for literature.
Herman Hesse (1877-1962)
I had read some of Hesse's books, such as "Demian" and "Steppenwolf", and both books left me with a feeling that I had received a deep, humanistic message that enriched my life, without being able to accurately describe what that message was. Hesse was able to tap into some deep part of my human psyche, and transmit, through his writings, a message that was crucial for my growth.
But "The Glass Bead Game" (Magister Ludi) proved to be too much for me. I could not read the book. Its complexity staggered me. Even today, reading in Wikipedia the description of the plot, it is obvious to me that whoever wrote that review was not able to fully understand what "Magister Ludi" is all about. I find the description utterly insufficient in its humanistic depth and explanation.
Geller's 27th move in this game reminded me of "Magister Ludi" because, at the height of the game's complications, when the plot of this one chess game seems like a "Glass Bead Game", Geller shows the essence of the position, the truth behind the veil, with a simple, quiet move, 27.Kg1!
Geller's understanding of the game is so deep, and his analytical capacity of such high level, Karpov learned from him; specially the Be2 system against the Sicilian, in which Geller was a virtuoso. No wonder Karpov did so well against Polugaevsky in their 1974 Candidates' Match. Polugaevsky always played the Boleslavsky (.....e5) against Karpov's Be2, and Karpov's training under Geller enabled him to crush Polugaevsky in those encounters.
When Kasparov faced Karpov in their WC matches, instead of ....e5, Kasparov went for the Scheveningen, with ....e6 and ...d6, and showed the world how to play this system most dynamically.
But back to Geller. Here is an interesting quote by Spassky:
"When Geller was on song, he could crush anyone. And I always admired this thoughtfulness of his-not only the excellently played opening-this goes without saying, but the thoughtfulness of his play after it, the planning. He was a grandmaster of very high class, and he would play one or two games a year which would determine the direction that chess took in this or that opening. Such a game, for example, was his win against Smyslov in the Grunfeld Defence in the 1965 match, where he several times sacrificed his queen."
Here is the game, with Geller's comments:
