VIKTOR KORTCHNOI: MY LIFE FOR CHESS (Volumes 1 & 2)
ChessBase (2005)
DVD
Viktor Kortchnoi: My Life for Chess Volume 1 (DVD); ChessBase 2005
Viktor Kortchnoi: My Life for Chess Volume 2 (DVD); ChessBase 2005
Each DVD is $29.95.
Reviewed by John Watson
ChessBase continues to amaze. They keep putting out innovative high-end products and count upon an enthusiastic market of the more knowledgeable players and devotees to support them. In that way they remind me of Gambit, many of whose high-quality books are geared to the tastes of top players and sophisticated fans. Probably neither company grabs much of the large popular market with this kind of product, but they do well enough with them to supplement their more accessible works. The latter are also of consistently high production quality
With the VIKTOR KORTCHNOI: MY LIFE FOR CHESS set of 2 DVDs, ChessBase has recorded a remarkably extensive video interview that must have cost a great deal to produce – I’m sure that Korchnoi doesn’t come cheap. He dissects eight of his own games on each disc. While the minutes aren’t listed separately on the case, I’ll estimate about 25+ minutes per game on Disc 1 and 30+ minutes per game on Disc 2 for a total of 7-8 hours. This is a massive undertaking. Korchnoi examines these games in great detail, all the while telling stories and giving opinions about his own and other players’ styles and careers.
The DVDs are presented in the form of interviews by ChessBase Magazine editor, reporter and Web Manager Frederic Friedel. Korchnoi is 73 years old, incredibly active (in more than one way: he can’t sit still!), and someone who even now must be reckoned with as a player in high-level international chess. The first DVD includes his games from 1949 to 1979, all the way up to his match for the world championship in Baguio 1978 versus Karpov, where he shows the win that got him two wins versus Karpov’s four and back in the running (Karpov eventually won 6-5). The second DVD continues with fascinating games against leading players. For example, against Kasparov (in Brussels 1986), Korchnoi gets a winning position right out of the opening when Kasparov sacrifices first one pawn and then another (Korchnoi admires the second decision, not at all an obvious one since it achieves little versus proper play, but the correct practical decision). With nothing to lose Kasparov manages to launch a very unlikely kingside attack. Every time that Korchnoi seems to have completely refuted it Kasparov comes up with something to maintain at least a chance of success and confuse matters. Kasparov plays an incredible maneuver Rc1-c7-e7 that leaves Korchnoi shaking his head in appreciation. Nevertheless Korchnoi is still in charge and plays with great skill. Then in time pressure he misses several fairly easy winning continuations and Kasparov escapes with a miraculous draw. The game haunted Korchnoi and he says that his disappointment was so great that it was a real factor in his later poor record versus Kasparov. I checked a database and indeed, the man who had excellent records versus all the World Champions of his time scored 0-10 with 15 draws thereafter! Korchnoi was getting older, of course, but Kasparov’s power never ceases to amaze. [trivial side note: I am using the familiar spelling “Korchnoi” instead of their “Kortchnoi”. Ironically, ChessBase’s own databases use “Kortschnoj” !]
Introducing his game versus Spassky in Clermont Ferrand 1989, Korchnoi gives a little background. He and Spassky had grown up in Leningrad with the same trainer (Zak). His games with Spassky went back 34 years at that point (Korchnoi boasts a 56% advantage out of 67 games), including a tough Candidates match in 1968 (won by Spassky) and another in 1977 (a classic encounter won by Korchnoi). Korchnoi explains that following his win in the 1973 USSR Ch Spassky really didn’t have any great successes, and that after their 1977 match he believes that Spassky “didn't work” anymore. This provided him an advantage in their game. Korchnoi is on the White side of a Tartakower Queen’s Gambit (which he calls the “Tartakower-Makogonov-Bondarevsky System”). He explains with mock annoyance that he has had to play this against everyone, either in matches or serious play: “Karpov, Spassky, Kasparov, Huebner, Belyavsky, Geller...” and presumably more. He laments, “I had to break my head what to do against this system as White.” But Spassky, he knew, hadn’t changed his systems or kept up with theory for many years, and Korchnoi thus prepared a special move order of recent vintage. Spassky wasn’t quite up to the challenge and allowed Korchnoi a strong kingside attack. An exciting game followed in which Spassky defended beautifully but never equalised and couldn’t stand up against Korchnoi’s maneuvering play. Interestingly, Korchnoi looks at a possible defense for Black at the end of the game and says that he (White) gets a winning pawn endgame. It doesn’t in fact win, which indicates that Korchnoi did not over-prepare for the presentation. I think that shows through in some other games in which he seems to be looking at a position for the first time, and it adds a spontaneity that makes the whole product more enjoyable. I should add, however, that a large dimension of Korchnoi’s personality is missing from these DVDs: his well-known anger and dislike of so many other players in the chess world. My own feeling is that his statements about people are not to be trusted. Fortunately, what we have here is the man at his most genial talking about some great games.
Anyone who can afford it should have VIKTOR KORTCHNOI: MY LIFE FOR CHESS. One could go to two 8-hour lectures by Korchnoi and still not get the value that this format provides. In particular, Korchnoi’s ruminations about his matches and opponents make this two-disc set most attractive to those with some familiarity of chess history over the last 50 years. For them it may be the most enjoyable combination of chess personality and annotated games that they have experienced (especially if one likes video presentations).
Click to buy VIKTOR KORTCHNOI: My Life For Chess, Volume ONE
Click to buy VIKTOR KORTCHNOI: My Life For Chess, Volume TWO
