A very rare look at Polugaevsky and Tal in action against the English Olympiad team. Can you name the year of this Olympiad?
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Very rare photograph
About Author
It must not be too old, I think I see Kasparov’s name on the Russian team list…
It can be Luzern 82, the day Kasparov destroyed Nunn’s benoni
Lucerne 1982. Kasparov replaced Karpov on the 1st board.
The presence of both Kasparov and Tal proves that it’s either 1980 or 1982. Fortunately, if you click to enlarge the picture, you can read the entire teams on both sides: Kasparov, Polugaevsky, Beliavsky, Tal vs. Nunn, Speelman, Stean, and Mestel. Belyavsky played in 1982, but not 1980, proving that this is 1982.
The absence of Karpov doesn’t prove it by itself. He could have taken a rest day on any given day.
Unfortunately, databases make these things too easy when this much information is given. Rather than trying to figure out who was on the team in which years, it’s easier to just look up the actual games.
Here’s the Speelman-Polugaevsky game about to start. And since this matchup didn’t happen in 1980, that answers the question again.
[Event “Luzern ol (Men)”]
[Site “Luzern”]
[Date “1982.10.29”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Speelman,Jonathan S”]
[Black “Polugaevsky,Lev”]
[Result “1/2”]
[Eco “E17”]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 d5 8.cxd5 exd5
9.d4 0-0 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Rc1 h6 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.Ne5 cxd4 14.Qxd4 Bc5 15.Qa4 Qe7 16.Nd3 d4
17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.Nb1 Ne4 19.Rc2 Rfe8 20.Nd2 Ng5 21.h4 Ne6 22.Rec1 Bf8 23.Qc6 Qa6 24.a3 Qa5
25.Qf3 Qb5 26.Nc4 f6 27.Nd2 Rad8 28.Rc4 Qd7 29.R1c2 Kh8 30.Qf5 Qb7 31.Nf3 Rd5 32.Qg4 Qd7
33.Nfe1 Kg8 34.Ng2 Bd6 35.Qf3 Bf8 36.Ngf4 Nxf4 37.Nxf4 Rc5 38.Nd3 Rxc4 39.Rxc4 Qe6 40.Rc2 Qb3
41.Qc6 Re6 42.Qc8 g5 43.hxg5 hxg5 44.Rd2 Rd6 45.Ne1 a5 46.Nf3 d3 47.Ne1 Qe6 48.Qxe6+ Rxe6
49.Nxd3 Rc6 50.Kg2 Kf7 51.g4 Rc4 52.Kf3 Ke6 53.e3 Bd6 54.Rd1 a4 55.Rh1 Rc2 56.Rc1 Rxc1
57.Nxc1 Kd5 58.Ke2 Kc4 59.Kd2 b5 60.Kc2 Kd5 61.f3 Kc4 62.Nd3 Bc7 63.Nf2 Bb6 64.Ne4 Bxe3
65.Nxf6 Bf4 66.Ne4 Kd4 67.Nc3 Kc4 68.Ne4 Kd4 69.Nc3 1/2
25th Chess Olympiad in Lucerne 1982
Ok, but who’s the Englishman playing Tal?
Have you noticed that Spielman has near his chair a bag with some extra chessmen?
[1]
How odd, I recently read that Tal moved his pieces with his 3 fingered right hand.
Yet here Tal is pressing is clock with his left hand.
I never move a piece with my left hand.
[2]
Tal’s opponent was A. Jonathan Mestel (rated 2540).
Tal won this Sicilan Defense in 57 plairs (ply pairs), in a B+3 v. B+4 endgame.
Mestel’s career included victories over L.Portisch and N.Short.
[2b] Meanwhile, Speelman (using the Reti-English opening) drew with Polugaevsky in 67 plairs (why no short draw?).
[3]
The poor spectators (notice knees) cannot see the clocks. But look how deliciously close they were to the boards.
GeneM
In fact the spectators did see the clocks, because they were two faced.
Yeah, and notice how Spielman got hot? He ‘unloaded’ two sweaters on the back of his chair and gone out probably for some fresh air.
By the way it is Dr.Mestel (he is a mathematician now at Imperial College). He is very prominent composer of chess problems and a solver (I think GM in both of these categories).