Leonid Alexandrovich Shamkovich

1978

The Grandmaster, not long after participating in the Hastings Premier tournament, played 33 opponents at Adam House, Edinburgh, on Wednesday 18 January 1978. After six hours' play, and at 2 a.m., he finally finished his last game.

The event was organised by Danny Kopec, says Geoff Chandler, who was not able to provide detailed results (he drew his individual game playing a Latvian Gambit).

Other participants included Mark Condie (age 13), Mark Orr (both made their mark by winning) and Alan Norris.

Shamkovich - A.J. Lait
Edinburgh 1978
Grünfeld Defence [D87]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Rb1 Na5 11. Bd3 c4 12. Bc2 a6 13. Qd2 b5 14. O-O Nc6 15. Bh6 e6 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Rbd1 Qc7 18. f4 Rd8 19. f5 exf5 20. exf5 f6 21. fxg6 hxg6 22. Nf4 Ne7 23. Rde1 Rd6 24. Qf2 Ra7 25. d5 $2 Qb6 26. Re3 Nf5 If he had arrived at the board earlier I was going to play 26... Nxd5, which would have lost to 27. Nxd5 Rxd5 28. Re7+. 27. Bxf5 Bxf5 28. Ne6+ Kg8 29. g4 Bxe6 30. dxe6 Re7 31. Rfe1 Rdxe6 32. Rxe6 Rxe6 33. Qxb6 Rxb6 34. Re7 Rd6 35. Re2 Kf7 36. Kf2 Rd3 37. Rc2 Ke6 38. a4 Kd5 39. axb5 axb5 40. h4 Rh3 41. Kg2 Rxh4 42. Kg3 and White resigned. 0-1From move 38 onwards, White was trying to "blitz" me into mistakes, when he was already lost. I was only playing for a draw until about move 28, then I played for a win. The game lasted six and a quarter hours, my longest ever session.
Notes by the winner in Scottish Chess, August 1981 (!), p8.

Shamkovich - M.J. L. Orr
Edinburgh 1978
Sicilian Defence [B95]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd3 Be7 8. O-O-O Nbd7 9. f4 Qc7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. a3 Bb7 13. Bg2 Nb6 14. Qh3 (?) The beginning of Shamkovich's confusion. His Q-manoeuvre to the K-side achieves singularly nothing. 14.f5 is better, trying to provoke a weakening of the square d5. 14...O-O-O 15. Qh5 Rhf8 16. Nb3 Nc4 17. Rd3 Qb6
18. Qh3 Kb8 19. Rhd1 Rc8 20. Qg3 Rc7 21. h4 Rfc8 22. g5 a5 23. Nd4 a4 24. Na2 d5! Bursting open the centre, with aview to effecting the deadly break ...b4. White's time-wasting K-side gestures have left him vulnerable to a direct attack. 25. exd5 b4! 26. axb4 Bxb4 Threatening 27...Be1! White is desperately placed. 27. Nb3 axb3 28. Rxb3 Nd2! So that if 29. Rxd2 Bxd2+ 30. Kxd2 Rxc2+ 31. Ke1 Qg1+ 32. Bf1 Rc1+ and wins. White could now resign. 29. Nxb4 Nxb3+ 30. Qxb3 Rxc2+ $1 31. Kb1 Rxg2 32. d6 Be4+ 33. Ka1 Kb7 White resigned. 0-1
Notes by Craig
Pritchett in Glasgow Herald column of 21 Jan 1978.

Further details would be welcomed.

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland