By IM John Donaldson, USA Olympic Team Captain and author
The Lighter Side of Chess: Games, Goofs and Funny Facts by Grandmasters Adrian Mikhalchisin and Georg Mohr is the rare chess book whose pages can be read in any order while lying on one’s couch. As the title implies this is a book to be enjoyed but it is much more. After reading this volume one cannot help but realize that at the chessboard anything is possible. The number of blunders presented in this book, by the best of the best, will give hope to even the lowliest club player.
Time pressure explains some of the howlers but others defy a logical answer. Mikhalchisin and Mohr, who have a deep knowledge of Soviet and Eastern European chess, have provided many examples of individual and mutual mass hallucinations that will leave one scratching their head.
The stories which appear in The Lighter Side of Chess: Games, Goofs and Funny Facts are of different types. Some tales, especially from the distant past, like those on Leonardo and Napoleon for example, are to be enjoyed, not closely examined for their historical accuracy.
Other tales will add to the chess culture of the reader. They will learn Grandmaster Ratmir Kholmov, who served as a sailor in the Soviet navy during World War Two, was taken prisoner by the Japanese. That Milan Matulovic was not only was dubbed j’adoubovic for taking back a move against fellow Grandmaster Istvan Bilek at the 1967 Sousse Interzonal but also answered to the name Dr. Marinelli when out on his assignations.
One interesting chapter deals with name changes that have bedeviled the compilers of Mega Database since it’s inception. Everyone know Garry Kasparov was once Garry Weinstein. Here are a few others mentioned by the authors.
Istvan Farago was previously Fridman
Teimour Radjabov was Sheinin (that is father’s family name, but he has always used that of his mother)
Sergei Komliakov was Popa (this name refers to someone’s posterior in Russian slang which might explain the name change.
Andras Adorjan was Joha (reviewer – this should be Jocha)
Miguel Najdorf (Moishe became Miguel when he settled in Argentina)
Vladimir Peresipkin changed to Gulakov and back again!
Mikhail Krasenkov was Azos
Sadly, the understandable motivation behind many of these changes appears to have been an attempt to avoid anti-Semitism.
The author’s mention the Curse of the House of Stein – Bronstein, Rubinstein and Stein were among the greatest players in the history of the game but never became World Champion.
There is an entire chapter devoted to draws which is filled with dozens of humorous incidents, several involving Sammy Reshevsky who is one of the all-time greats but never a model for good sportsmanship.
On page 223 the authors write:
Reshevsky was notorious for incidents that would have damaged another’s reputation. Playing GM Fedosevich, he offered a draw. The opponent said he would think. With 20 minutes left, he accepted. Reshevsky exploded: My offer is no longer valid – the situation has changed; you have little time!
This captures the big picture but misses the details. It was John Fedorowicz who was facing Reshevsky at Lone Pine in 1981. John was already a strong player (a 2435 rated International Master) but would not receive the GM title for another five years.
Here is what really happened as related by International Master Mark Ginsburg – https://nezhmet.wordpress.com/tag/sammy-reshevsky/
Sammy Reshevsky was quite the opportunistic SOB (some would say weasel). In time trouble, he had a whole “palette” of tricks. In one charming move, he would offer a draw; the opponent would tank and accept, then he would deny having offered it. The action: in Lone Pine, his opponent Fedorowicz goes nuts and gets the TD. The result: despite witnesses backing John up, the TD (a friend of Sammy) goes with Sammy and the game continues. Sammy loses.Karma!
Reshevsky deed indeed lose on time, on the last move of the time control.
While enjoyment may be the primary focus there is plenty of instructive material with numerous examples of ingenious stalemates saving the day, artistic yet practical studies
