Nikola Padevsky GM (1933-2023)

[Matt Mackenzie]

The death has been announced of the veteran Bulgarian GM, for many years one of his country's strongest players who represented them at several high level individual and team events. His numerous scalps included a young Karpov at the 1972 Olympiad.

And we can cross off another name from the steadily dwindling list of those still alive who played Fischer.

[Nick Ivell]

Couple of draws against Fischer I think.

[John Moore]

Couple of draws against Fischer I think.

Both at the Varna Olympiad in 1962(!), when the event was still run in preliminary groups followed by Finals. USA and Bulgaria both qualified from the same preliminary group.

[Nick Ivell]

Can't have been bad then. Karpov's only loss at Skopje was with his never-too-convincing Sicilian (though it did transpose to a French where Black was clearly better).

[Matt Mackenzie]

At a later Olympiad in 1978, he inflicted a painful defeat on Boris Gulko with the black pieces - this was a key moment in the USSR just losing out on the gold medals to Hungary, which caused a sensation in world chess at the time. Gulko's indifferent performance in that event was maybe what began his falling out with the Soviet chess establishment, and then his lengthy emigration saga.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Some interesting games mentioned. Any chances of links to them, or PGNs being posted?

[Mick Norris]

Padevsky - Karpov

Fischer - Padevsky

Padevsky - Fischer

Gulko - Padevsky

[Nick Ivell]

A game Karpov himself would have been proud of.

I don't feel he was ever very comfortable with IQP as Black; he was much better playing against it!