Login

Happened Today in the Chess World - Mar 19, 2024

EDUARD AND MONNA LISA

Tbilisi 1959, Soviet Championship: the game between Tal and Gufeld from which today's combination was taken

Today, we remember Grandmaster Eduard Gufeld, who was born in Kyiv (Ukraine) on March 19, 1936.
Gufeld was Isaak Lipnitsky's student, and in his youth years, he was a good soccer player who played for youth teams in Ukraine.
Gufeld was gifted with extraordinary creativity and could defeat world champions like Tal and Smyslov. He also created masterpieces like his victory against Vladimir Bagirov, which Gufeld himself called his "Monna Lisa."
Gufeld's rating peaked in January 1977 with 2570 Elo points. For many years, Gufeld has coached the World champion Maia Chiburdanidze. He was also the captain of the women's national team in two olympiads and of the male national team at the 1958 World Championship.
Gufeld authored several chess books on openings and middlegame; the most famous one is "Exploiting Small Advantages."
In the nineties, Gufeld moved to Los Angeles, USA.

Eduard Gufeld-Mikhail Tal, Tbilisi (Soviet Championship) 1959
White to move