R.I.P. Grandmaster Nikolai Krogius. 1930-2022.

Apologies for both my absence and the unseemly haste with which this was put together.

A few days ago we lost one of the world's oldest Grandmasters - Nikolai Krogius.

His name may have been noted by you recently, as he was a trainer of Boris Spassky for many years, including in the match of 50 years ago.

He sticks in my head for three games, and the fact that he was an unusual chess figure back in the day. These days you can't park your car at a sports ground without running over a group of sports psychologists/analysts/physiotherapists/coaches, etc. 

As a psychologist by training and profession, he was one of the very first to take that into the area of competition.

As someone interested in both chess and psychology, that was a book I owned many years ago!!

Let's get straight to some chess.  Krogius had a sharp and combative style which makes his games a pleasure to look over, so hopefully you will enjoy this brief selection and be inspired to look at some more. No notes - no time - but some enjoyable chess.

Firstly the three that stick in my head, starting with a famous loss.

And a game which deserves to be much better known, with a similar sacrifice of a Queen for a Bishop - had Tal played it, you would know it!!

And a game that I looked at quite recently. In the tournament which he won and so earned the Grandmaster title - no small thing back then - he fought Boris Spassky to a standstill in a wonderful game - Spassky didn't always wipe the floor with his opponents in The King's Gambit!!

And to the rest of the games that I have quickly put together, as they come out of the folder - as I say, this is a quick selection, and it is worth spending the time looking over his games for yourselves. Enjoy the chess!!

One from an opening similar to the Kuznetzov game. The finishing touch is a minor piece of chess art - very beautiful!

And a similar move from the tournament in which he became joint World Senior Champion. Not a bad game by the old guy!!

At the risk of being controversial - as if I would ever be guilty of expressing an independent opinion!! I have always defined a true Grandmaster as being a player who could compete with the very best with realistic hopes of getting a result. Korchnoi wasn't too shabby. He was also one of the all-time greats in the French.

Geller wasn't too shabby either, and one of the all-time greats in the Sicilian. Geller and Krogius must have put hours of work into the Sicilian for the 1972 match.

The famous 6-0 notwithstanding, Taimanov could play! Soviet Champion and he qualified for the finals of that Championship a few times!

Time for three more. An utter rout of a fine player.

True Grandmasters can defend tactical positions, as well as attack in them. A lovely tactical defence.

And to finish, a really beautiful sacrificial attack.

R.I.P. Grandmaster. Another of your generation gone, but not forgotten. With Humble thanks.

All Krogius images via Griffin, with thanks.