SOKOLSKY MEMORIAL (BLR/UKR)

 

Welcome to the Sokolsky Memorial, we are pleased to have your participation in this ICCF approved tournament. The correspondence chess federations of Belarus and Ukraine are launching jointly two postal invitational Sokolsky memorial tournaments. The supplementary 10-boards friendly match Belarus - Ukraine has started November 2003. All these events are devoted to a memory of Alexey Pavlovich Sokolsky (1908 – 1969), the known chess master (since 1938), twice champion of Ukraine (1947/48, over-the-board), runner-up of the 1st Soviet correspondence chess championship (1948/51).

          A name of Sokolsky is known now mostly due to his opening research and developments, and one can read more about him elsewhere (see [1] and references therein). Sokolsky was a recognized trainer, he taught chess since 1936, was a permanent second of his close friend I. Boleslavsky since 1945 (including FIDE Candidates tournaments 1950, 1953), head coach of the Belarus national team and an arbiter.

          He was an author of a dozen of books, some of which have been translated into European languages, but we would like to mention his conceptual [2] in addition to citations of [1]. Being interested in various chess features, he was a composer of problems and endgames studies. Finally, he was a Godfather of Belarus postal chess, he headed the Belarus postal chess comission to organise the 1st correspondence chess championship of Belarus in 1964/65.

          Sokolsky memorial master-norm tournaments were held regularly in Minsk since 1970 (16 events until 1989, see [3]). Winners included FIDE GMs A.Lutikov (1972), V.Savon (1976, 1977), masters (future GMs) V.Kupreichik (1971, 1979), V.Chekhov (1981), V.Malaniuk (1985), R.Dautov (1989), as well as junior candidate masters G.Kasparov (1978) and B.Gelfand (1983), et al. A number of the Sokolsky opening thematic tournaments were played by correspondence.

          A series of correspondence games of Sokolsky, which were played in the six Soviet Championships and several international competitions, is available elsewhere [4, 5]. We would like to offer his over-the-board game versus future ICCF GM and FIDE IM.

 

Nimzo-Indian Defense (E51)

O.Moiseev - A.Sokolsky

Moscow, 1951

 

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 Be7 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Bd3 b6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.Qe2

The following moves serve for standard e3-e4 and against it. Solid 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Qc2 with further Nf3-e5 is more efficient plan in this relatively rare line.

9...Ne4 10.Nd2 f5 11.f3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 c5 13.Bb2 Nc6 14.e4?

The vigourous play of Sokolsky has proved that it is just a decisive mistake. He advised to play 14.cxd5 with relatively balanced game.

14...dxe4 15.fxe4 cxd4 16.exf5 Bf6!

This bold intermediate move suggests a lot of geometrical problems for White at the both main and other (g1-a7) diagonals, as well as at the d-file (squares d3 and d4).

17.Ne4 dxc3 18.Nxc3 Nd4 19.Qe3 exf5 20.Rad1 Nf3+! 21.Kh1 Nh4 22.Qe6+

It is impossible to defend the g2-point (22.Be4 Qe8!). 

22...Kh8 23.Be4 fxe4!

Starting the final sacrificial attack, however, 23.Rd2 or 23.Rf2 was poor for White as well because of 23...Rfe8.

24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.h3

Everything is hopeless due to the permanent threat Bxg2+ (and Bxc3 at this moment).

25...e3 26.Rxf6 Rxf6 27.Qe7 Bxg2+ 28.Kh2 Rf8

28...Nf3+ was strong as well. The same move would force a checkmate after 29.Nd5.

29.Ne2 Ng6 30.Qxe3 Rf2 31.Kg1 Rf1+! 32.Kh2 Ba8 33.Bd4 Rh1+ 34.Kg3 Rf3+ 35.Qxf3 Bxf3 36.Kxf3 Rxh3+ 37.Ng3 Nh4+ 0-1 

White resigned. This game is quite typical for Sokolsky's style.

 

References

 

1. T.Harding, How Sokolsky played the Sokolsky (2003) - www.chesscafe.com/text/kibitz85.pdf

2. A. Sokolsky, Pawns in Movement (Moscow, 1962), in Russian.

3. L. Bondar, E. Mochalov (eds.), Sokolsky Memorials (Polymia, Minsk, 1989), in Russian.

4. T. Harding (ed.), MegaCorr CD (ChessMail Ltd., Dublin, 1999).

5. S. Grodzensky, T. Harding, Red Letters (ChessMail Ltd., Dublin, 2003).

 

Two Belarusian participants of Memorial knew Sokolsky personally and remember him well.

Yury Nikolaevich Muivid was member of special Yourth grupp organized for training under Sokolsky leading in 1958 when Yury was student. Other members of grupp becames then known chess players (Kira Zvorykina, Albert Kapengut etc.) Yury Nikolaevich took part in the fist cc championship of Belarus organized by Sokolsky in 1962/63 (semifinals) and 1964/65 (final) and finished 2nd-3rd! Last time he met Sokolsky in 1969 few months before his death. Many years Yury Nikolaevich worked as chess coach in Brest, then in Minsk. Now he is pensioner but prolongs his activity as trainer in Minsk palace for youth. Please see fragment from his game in the first Belarusian cc championship final 1964/1965:

 

White (Yury Muivid): Kf1, Qd2, Rg1, Rh1, Bb1, Ne2, Ne3, pawns a2, b3, d5, e4, f3, h4  (13)

Black(Gennady Tsentsiper – the 4th place in the tournament): Kg7, Qb6, Rc8, Rf8, Bh3, Nc5, Nf4, pawns a6, b5, d6, e5, f7, g6   (13)

 

1.Rh3! Nh3  2.Nf5 Kf6  3.Qg5!! Ng5  4.hg5 very elegant mate!        (There were no computers!)

 

Dr.Vladimir Alexandrovich Shchekoldin even played vs. Sokolsky in Belarus over the board championship final in 1960 (and finished draw!). He attended Sokolsky’s chess lectures in Minsk city club during 60th, first publication of his chess game was in Sokolsky article “Youth attacks!” (Minsk, 1961)

Please see this combination:

 

White (Vladimir Shchekoldin): Kg1, Qb3, Rd1, Re1, Bc4, Ng5, pawns a4, b2, f2, g2, h3  (11)

Black (Vitaly Geronin): Kg8, Qf6, Rb8, Rf8, Ne7, Bf5, pawns a5, b7, f7, g7, h7   (11)

 

1.Nf7! Rf7 (b5 was little better) 2.Qb7!! Re8 3.Re7 and Black resigned!

 

Vladimir Alexandrovich worked many years as researcher in Cybernetic institute of State Science Academy in Minsk, now he is pensioner and works as organizer of weekend children chess tournaments in Minsk palace for youth.

 

Time limit:          30 days for 10 moves, time cumulative, unless both sides agree to use e-mail and ICCF e-mail rules and time limit.

Notation:            ICCF numeric, unless both sides agree to use alternative notation.

Tie break:           Sonneborn-Berger score.

Prize fund:          No, sorry!

 

Please, go to www.iccf.com  and review the ICCF rules for postal individual tournaments and anything you may not be sure about. A few comments about the rules:

(i) The 1st exceeding of the time limit is the last: the game is lost! This rule was effective January 1st, 2001. Please be careful about this. For appeals of Tournament Director (TD) decisions, read rule 13(c) of the postal individual rules

(ii) Please note rule 3 (b) which tells that TD will default the game against the player who has not played during 4 months and has not advised TD about a delay. Rule 3 (a) tells that participants have to repeat moves after 14 days plus average time post both ways with a copy to TD (reply move should be copied to TD as well). Registered mail is not an obligatory, unless TD’s special request.

(iii) Please, inform TD about any mutual arrangements of a game (e-mail transmission, alternative notation, etc.).

 

At least, but not at last, please, conduct yourself with TD and with your opponents in the manner you would like to be treated and in the spirit of the ICCF motto Amici sumus! We look forward to this event with pleasure. We suppose the cross-table will be available at the web site www.iccf-europa.com You may have to navigate the site a little to find it and it may be some time before it is available.

You will find your assignments below. If you choose to start your games before June 20, 2004, no Reflection Time will be counted until this date. Please, confirm the TD to have received this start list immediately and to have started your games.

Please be sure you include the game score when submitting a result to TD, otherwise the result will not be recorded.

 

Best wishes, and good chess to all,

 

 

ICCF GM, FIDE IM Dmitry Lybin, ICCF delegate of Belarus

Vladislav Dubko (BLR), TD Sokolsky-A Memorial

ICCF SM Fedir Savchur, ICCF delegate of Ukraine

ICCF IM Dr. Andrei Yeremenko, Sokolsky Memorial executive

 

 

 

Group A: Start 20.6.2004

Category/Average rating = VII/2403

IM norm = 8/14          SM norm = 9/14         GM norm = 11/14

Finish December 1st, 2006, but TD will not call the tournament as long as titles are undecided

 

 

 

      

List of players:

White against:

1

Batakovs, Olegs (LAT), Maskavas 174 - 3, LV - 1019, Riga, Latvia

2   4   6   8  10  12  14

 

 

 

2

Baykovsky, Yury (UKR),                                  

3   5   7   9  11  13  15

 

Volodarskogo 23/1, UA – 64602 Lozova,          

 

 

Kharkivska obl., Ukraine                                    

 

 

 

 

3

Dr. Bulla, Jàn (SVK), Jasíkova 14, 821 03 Bratislava 2, Slovakia

1   4   6   8  10  12  14

 

 

 

4

Dusart, Philippe (BEL), rue Jean Froie 126, B-6043 Ransart, Belgium       

2   5   7   9  11  13  15

 

 

 

5

Goncharenko, Georgy (UKR), Okipnoi, 9-5,      

1   3   6   8  10  12  14

 

UA-02002 Kiev, Ukraine                                     

 

 

 

 

6

Gritsaenko, Vladimir (RUS),                              

2   4   7   9  11  13  15

 

Bogatyrsky pr. 35-2-162,                                     

 

 

St.Petersburg-372, RUS-197372, Russia            

 

 

 

 

7

Grohde, Wolfgang (GER), Steenkoppel 16, D-24539 Neumünster,  Germany

1   3   5   8  10  12  14

 

e-mail: WGrohde@t-online.de

 

 

 

 

8

Khvorostyanov, Anatoly (UKR),                        

2   4   6   9  11  13  15

 

ul. Zaporozhskaja, 72 - 39, Orehov                      

 

 

UA - 70500 Zaporozhskoi obl., Ukraine             

 

 

 

 

9

Kustov, Vladimir (UKR), Sadovaja, 22,                 

1   3   5   7  10  12  14

 

UA-97100, Nizhnegorsk,                                      

 

 

Autonomic Republic Crimea, Ukraine               

 

 

 

 

10

Muyvid, Yury (BLR), ul. Auezova, 8 - 85,        

2   4   6   8  11  13  15

 

Minsk 220096 Belarus                                          

 

 

 

 

11

Plyushch, Yury (UKR),                                       

1   3   5   7   9  12  14

 

Saltovskoe shose, 139/47,                                  

 

 

UA-61112, Kharkov-112, Ukraine                     

 

 

 

 

12

Dr. Shchekoldin, Vladimir (BLR),                      

2   4   6   8  10  13  15

 

per. Kalinina, 6/3,                                                                                    

 

 

Minsk-12, 220012, Belarus                                  

 

 

 

 

13

Timko, Viktor (UKR),                                          

1   3   5   7   9  11  14

 

9 January St., 36 - 116, Belopole,                          

 

 

UA - 41800, Sumska obl., Ukraine                       

 

 

 

 

14

Vošahlik, Jiři (CZE), Breclavska 10/58, CZ-32300  Plzen, Czech Republic

2   4   6   8  10  12  15

 

e-mail: jivos@seznam.cz

 

 

 

 

15

Yusufov, Izro (BLR),                                               

1   3   5   7   9  11  13

 

ul. Borichevskogo, 32/24,                                     

 

 

231900 Volkovyssk Grodnenskoi obl., Belarus                      

 

 

e-mal: yusufov@yandex.ru                                    

 

 

 

Appeals:

 

Tournament Director:

Ragnar Wikman, Box 111,

 

Dubko, Vladislav, P.O.B. 83,                                 

FIN-20521Åbo, Finland

 

Minsk 220090 Belarus                                           

e-mail: appeals@iccf.com

 

                tel/fax +385 (17) 2161469,            e-mail: olimp@it.org.by

            rwikman@ra.abo.fi

 

 

Group B: Start 20.6.2004

Category/Average rating = IV/2326

IM norm = 9.5/14            SM norm = 10.5/14     LG norm = 7/14

Finish 1.12.2006, but TD will not call the tournament as long as titles are undecided

 

      

List of players:

White against:

1

Broucke, Fernand (BEL), Beukenlaan 7, B-9051 Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Belgium

2   4   6   8  10  12  14

 

 

 

2

Drobotov, Gennady (MDA),                              

3   5   7   9  11  13  15

 

ul. Pushkina, 20 – 39,                                             

 

 

MD-3300, Tiraspol-7, Moldova                         

 

 

                  e-mail: chess@idknet.com

 

 

 

 

3

Dubko, Vladislav (BLR), P.O.B. 83,                   

1   4   6   8  10  12  14

 

Minsk 220090 Belarus                                         

 

 

                   e-mail: olimp@it.org.by

 

 

 

 

4

Dzenis, Raivo (LAT), Strautu 6 - 24, LV-3264 Roja, Latvia

2   5   7   9  11  13  15

 

 

 

5

Gerasimchuk, Volodimir (UKR),                        

1   3   6   8  10  12  14

 

ul. Karpatska, 4 -52,                                            

 

 

UA - 76019, Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine                        

 

 

 

 

6

Hoffmann, Frank (GER), Meisenweg 22,

2   4   7   9  11  13  15

 

D - 51399 Buscheid, Germany                              e-mail: FM.Hoffmann@t-online.de

 

 

 

 

7

Kobylyansky, Igor (UKR),                                   

1   3   5   8  10  12  14

 

ul. Bachinskogo, 3 – 7,                                          

 

 

UA - 76000, Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine                            

 

 

 

 

8

Dr. Lew, Henryk (POL), skr. poczt. 152,                                  

2   4   6   9  11  13  15

 

PL - 41900 Bytom, Poland                                    e-mail: henryklew@go2.pl

 

 

 

 

9

Liskevich, Valery (UKR),                                       

1   3   5   7  10  12  14

 

quartal 50 let Oktiabria, 6-14, Sverdlovsk-9,         

 

 

UA-94809, Luganska obl., Ukraine                        

 

 

 

 

10

Onoprichuk, Vladimir (UKR),                                

2   4   6   8  11  13  15

 

ul. Perebiyna, 11, Radomishl,                                

 

 

UA - 12200,