Spassky & Portisch level age and match

This weekend the two distinguished gentlemen Lajos Portisch and Boris Spassky played a six games rapid match against each other. Both are seventy years old and both scored three points. The match was held in the spa town of H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z (Hungary) which is located in the biggest thermal lake on earth (H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z means 'warm, streaming spring'). The lake of H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z is warmed by a geothermical spring and its water is around 28?Ǭ?C all year long. But of course the two chess legends didn't come there to just bob in the water.

H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z

Google Map: H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z

The lake and medicinal bath in H?ɬ©v?ɬ?z. Photo: Civertan Grafikai St?ɬ?di?ɬ?

The Hungarian Chess Federation had organised the Match of the Chess Legends, which was played with 20 minutes per person per game, plus 5 seconds increment. In the first game, in my opinion the best of the match, Portisch tried the Berlin Defence against Spassky. The Russian ex-world champion showed great endgame technique and with some very subtle bishop manoeuvres he immediately scored a full point. In the second game Spassky drew with the Stonewall Defence. Quite an interesting game. Then he apparently didn't want to play that Berlin ending again, and played the rare (but not for Spassky) 5.Nc3. Portisch had no trouble drawing that with Black and in the next game he levelled the score with White. Again a Stonewall, but this time the Hungarian managed to keep a small advantage out of the opening. Still, there was no reason for the incredible blunder 24...Nd3?? that suddenly ended the game. The last two games were not very interesting - probably the two players liked the match to end undecided. Game five saw an Anti-Marshall with an early repetition of moves and game six was a Queen's Indian where soon an equal ending was reached.