Larsen was a creative player. Optimistic, a figther and often offbeat. - In the early 80s I played against Flohr in a simultan. Certainly I lost. The greatest challenge for the old man Flohr was walking around and after two hours or so he paused for five minutes and sit down to recover. He lost only two games of about fourty.
As a young schoolboy I played against Euwe in a simul, in spring 1981. Euwe, 80 years old, won ALL the games. Half a year later he was dead... (They say he worked too hard.)
As a young man there was not much chess material available. I was lucky and bought a pile of British chess magazines from the fifties. As a teenager in the seventies playing for my school. I played many, what you could call old soviet lines. I had a deal of success with various Benonis,good to see a win, difficult to get away with it these days, sadly. Thanks Daniel and keep up the good work.
It's unfortunate that there were so many creative Soviet players active during Larsen's peak years. Bent played wonderful chess, and he was no less entertaining than Tal, Keres, Boris, and the rest.
Very instructive, Mr. King! I'm of course a little biased ... being Danish and all that ... but Larsen actually DID push a lotta Rook pawns back in the day together with Gligoric, Bronstein and other "punks" of the game at that time. So whenever people are shouting "LEEEEEHLA!" or "AAAALPHA 0!" (or "Harry!" for that matter) these days I just go 🙄. Larsen did it 60 years ago! I remember an article in a Danish newspaper back in the 80'es talking about "rubber-chess". It's like letting the opponent coming to you ... yes, lotta space, looking like an advantage ... but then BOOM! (A few King's Indians look like this as well.) The "rubberband" for sure slapped back at Flohr in this game!
Thanks Danny. Keeping all the pieces on the board, knowing that at some point you'll get your chance seems like a very good, clear description of this opening.
I sat in the late 60s early 70s as a kid with only a handfull of chess books, clear favorite being Larsens 50 Chosen Games (directly translated). This game had an introduction around the danger for black in getting squeezed down - and the conclusion that Larsen uses this opening in order to force himself to play aggresivly. Wonderfull little book, for a kid a treasure chest with words like diamonds. (just found it, well hidden in the library).
Larsen was a great chess writer, as well as zany player. His Best Games is wonderfully annotated - no long variations, just drama and self-deprecating wit.
What a beautiful game by Larsen, fireworks on the board. Czech Benoni is a great opening for blitz games against players who are unfamiliar with it. Thanks for the great analysis Danny!
Somewhat reminiscent of the famous Botvinnik - Tal encounter. "It (..Nf4) is good, in that all other continuations are bad." Tal also got his rook to d4, where it caused all manner of destruction.
Great stuff. Some 32 years ago I was a part of 40 players that faced Bent Larsen (RIP) in a simu event. He was just on visit back home (Denmark), since he was living in Argentina. The first thing he did after giving a little speech, he took his shoes of & put some slippers on. Out of 40 he took 39 scalps, (I among others). Only losing to a little child named Nicolai V. Pedersen.
A rook up the flank, and into the centre, is very Larsen - liked to catch his opponent off-guard. He played the man as well as the pieces - but in a good way.
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He does appear on streams as guest commentator. Recently on Chess24's GM stream. Pre-pandemic GM King was a regular on the big tourney circuit, commentating onsite which was usually streamed live over the internet. You could frequently catch him and IM Anna Rudolf covering the biggest chess tournaments in the world.
Larsen said that any opening is playable, as long as the opponent underrates it, so maybe that's why he chose the Czech Benoni? As a Dane I obviously always admired Bent Larsen. But that rarely made me attempt to copy his openings! He played Black in the Caro-Kann a lot and wrote a book about it. And I tried it twice against a player I'd normally beat, and lost both games, hating my position all the way. This led to a lifelong love of the white side in the opening!
#suggestion Hi Daniel, I like the videos but could you please put a PGN of the moves in the description? I enjoy having my own analysis open as well during the video and this helps tremendously. Cheers
As I recall, Petrosian played the Czech Benoni in one of his matches against Spassky, drawing a position Spassky could have won. It seems an opening tailor made for Petrosian even though he didn't particularly like playing KID-like formations as black.
I wouldn't go that far. I have a book called The King's Indian according to Tigran Petrosian which has all 284 games from career with him playing King's Indian positions both sides. According to this book Petrosian played about 120 King's Indian type openings as black of which around 19 can be classed as Benoni, and most of those Benoni positions seem to have the Czech Benoni pawn formation. Not all of these positions started as pure Benoni or King's Indians, but to me it shows that he was comfortable playing these type of positions and was happy to transition into them from other openings.
@@jonsirulesx9929 Nevertheless, he had a certain contempt for the King's Indian, though not as much as Korchnoi (who also resorted to it on occasion, Portisch-Korchnoi, SWIFT, 1986, 0-1). In his biography, Petrosian is quoted as saying, allowing for translation, "Any day I can't win against the King's Indian is a bad day." He sometimes played openings that seem antithetical to his nature. In one of his last tournaments he played the Stonewall Dutch against Kasparov, and Petrosian's contempt for the Dutch was well known from his own notes to Petrosian-Larsen, San Antonio, 1972.
What a great,creative game with daring play! Unfortunately, I don't think the average player,even at master lever,can ever play so good,in order to justify the Czech Benoni. :(
Yes, I saw a strongish player essay the Czech, but he put his B on e7 and his opponent, who was actually a very strong young player, played Bg5 missing the boomerang. I think the Black player had guessed, or got lucky and found a weakness in presenting a solid opening that looks harmless against a pretty good positional player, and good at tactics, but that sort of thing is easy to miss.... The Larsen idea is creative of course.... Flohr had been one of the best in the world but he slowly got quieter and played more and more for endings according to Reuben Fine in a book he wrote....
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Facts
Larsen was a creative player. Optimistic, a figther and often offbeat. - In the early 80s I played against Flohr in a simultan. Certainly I lost. The greatest challenge for the old man Flohr was walking around and after two hours or so he paused for five minutes and sit down to recover. He lost only two games of about fourty.
I played against Bronstein in a simul. He took a break in the middle and the organizers said that during a simul the player walks about two miles.
As a young schoolboy I played against Euwe in a simul, in spring 1981. Euwe, 80 years old, won ALL the games. Half a year later he was dead... (They say he worked too hard.)
As a young man there was not much chess material available. I was lucky and bought a pile of British chess magazines from the fifties. As a teenager in the seventies playing for my school. I played many, what you could call old soviet lines. I had a deal of success with various Benonis,good to see a win, difficult to get away with it these days, sadly. Thanks Daniel and keep up the good work.
Larson was good at playing the oddball opening. He beat Karpov with the Scandinavian when Karpov was World Champion.
That was genius play by Larsen! It stimulates me to play through his book with best games, to study this great player.
It's unfortunate that there were so many creative Soviet players active during Larsen's peak years. Bent played wonderful chess, and he was no less entertaining than Tal, Keres, Boris, and the rest.
wonderful book.
Amazing game - I love the way Larsen plays.
Very instructive, Mr. King!
I'm of course a little biased ... being Danish and all that ... but Larsen actually DID push a lotta Rook pawns back in the day together with Gligoric, Bronstein and other "punks" of the game at that time.
So whenever people are shouting "LEEEEEHLA!" or "AAAALPHA 0!" (or "Harry!" for that matter) these days I just go 🙄.
Larsen did it 60 years ago!
I remember an article in a Danish newspaper back in the 80'es talking about "rubber-chess". It's like letting the opponent coming to you ... yes, lotta space, looking like an advantage ... but then BOOM! (A few King's Indians look like this as well.)
The "rubberband" for sure slapped back at Flohr in this game!
Thanks Danny. Keeping all the pieces on the board, knowing that at some point you'll get your chance seems like a very good, clear description of this opening.
I sat in the late 60s early 70s as a kid with only a handfull of chess books, clear favorite being Larsens 50 Chosen Games (directly translated). This game had an introduction around the danger for black in getting squeezed down - and the conclusion that Larsen uses this opening in order to force himself to play aggresivly.
Wonderfull little book, for a kid a treasure chest with words like diamonds. (just found it, well hidden in the library).
Larsen was a great chess writer, as well as zany player. His Best Games is wonderfully annotated - no long variations, just drama and self-deprecating wit.
What a beautiful game by Larsen, fireworks on the board. Czech Benoni is a great opening for blitz games against players who are unfamiliar with it. Thanks for the great analysis Danny!
Somewhat reminiscent of the famous Botvinnik - Tal encounter. "It (..Nf4) is good, in that all other continuations are bad." Tal also got his rook to d4, where it caused all manner of destruction.
All those fine games, and he gets remembered as a player fischer beat to love - ah well
At 8:34 Danny was thinking of a fresh minty breath.
Extremely dynamic play from Larsen
Great stuff. Some 32 years ago I was a part of 40 players that faced Bent Larsen (RIP) in a simu event. He was just on visit back home (Denmark), since he was living in Argentina. The first thing he did after giving a little speech, he took his shoes of & put some slippers on. Out of 40 he took 39 scalps, (I among others). Only losing to a little child named Nicolai V. Pedersen.
Yes, Larsen was an impressive simul giver. I played him when I was a kid, I think I was around 9 years old, and he took on an enormous number.
A rook up the flank, and into the centre, is very Larsen - liked to catch his opponent off-guard. He played the man as well as the pieces - but in a good way.
King. The best
Great analysis GM!
If you ❤ my videos do *subscribe* bit.ly/powerplaysubscription and do checkout the *supporting* *options* through Patreon: bit.ly/patreondanielking or through *PayPal* (links in the description)
I'd love to see you stream
He does appear on streams as guest commentator. Recently on Chess24's GM stream. Pre-pandemic GM King was a regular on the big tourney circuit, commentating onsite which was usually streamed live over the internet. You could frequently catch him and IM Anna Rudolf covering the biggest chess tournaments in the world.
Larsen said that any opening is playable, as long as the opponent underrates it, so maybe that's why he chose the Czech Benoni?
As a Dane I obviously always admired Bent Larsen. But that rarely made me attempt to copy his openings! He played Black in the Caro-Kann a lot and wrote a book about it. And I tried it twice against a player I'd normally beat, and lost both games, hating my position all the way. This led to a lifelong love of the white side in the opening!
#suggestion Hi Daniel, I like the videos but could you please put a PGN of the moves in the description? I enjoy having my own analysis open as well during the video and this helps tremendously. Cheers
This game seems to have cousin characteristics to the Benko Gambit.
daniel make series on game of the day of norway chess starting tonight
As I recall, Petrosian played the Czech Benoni in one of his matches against Spassky, drawing a position Spassky could have won.
It seems an opening tailor made for Petrosian even though he didn't particularly like playing KID-like formations as black.
I wouldn't go that far. I have a book called The King's Indian according to Tigran Petrosian which has all 284 games from career with him playing King's Indian positions both sides. According to this book Petrosian played about 120 King's Indian type openings as black of which around 19 can be classed as Benoni, and most of those Benoni positions seem to have the Czech Benoni pawn formation.
Not all of these positions started as pure Benoni or King's Indians, but to me it shows that he was comfortable playing these type of positions and was happy to transition into them from other openings.
@@jonsirulesx9929 Nevertheless, he had a certain contempt for the King's Indian, though not as much as Korchnoi (who also resorted to it on occasion, Portisch-Korchnoi, SWIFT, 1986, 0-1).
In his biography, Petrosian is quoted as saying, allowing for translation, "Any day I can't win against the King's Indian is a bad day."
He sometimes played openings that seem antithetical to his nature. In one of his last tournaments he played the Stonewall Dutch against Kasparov, and Petrosian's contempt for the Dutch was well known from his own notes to Petrosian-Larsen, San Antonio, 1972.
What a great,creative game with daring play! Unfortunately, I don't think the average player,even at master lever,can ever play so good,in order to justify the Czech Benoni. :(
Yes, I saw a strongish player essay the Czech, but he put his B on e7 and his opponent, who was actually a very strong young player, played Bg5 missing the boomerang. I think the Black player had guessed, or got lucky and found a weakness in presenting a solid opening that looks harmless against a pretty good positional player, and good at tactics, but that sort of thing is easy to miss.... The Larsen idea is creative of course.... Flohr had been one of the best in the world but he slowly got quieter and played more and more for endings according to Reuben Fine in a book he wrote....
You look & sound like Jamie Lanister
Good opening choice against Flohr, forcing him to commit, as Flohr had the reputation of being a drawing master.
I can well imagine Petrosian actually preferring the Black side of a Czech Benoni. 🙂
Personally, I like the Benoni ...