Earlier I wrote about the Short vs Torre match held in 1988. It was not in any of the major databases of the world and GM Nigel Short submitted the games to Chessbase because, in his words, “these games ought to be in the public domain. They are certainly of interest to historians and aficionados alike.”
Now that we are in a historical mood let me talk to you about the Torre vs Cardoso match back in 1972 the games of which have also not shown up in any databases.
Who is IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso?
Born on Christmas Day 1937 in Anda, Pangasinan. He passed away Aug. 21, 2013 after suffering a heart attack.
Philippine Champion in 1958 and 1963, Asian Champion in 1956 by winning the 1956 Zonals held in Baguio City. By virtue of that win he represented the whole continent of Asia in the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal.
Rudy won the 1956 National Junior Championship sponsored at that time by the Manila Times Publishing Co. This victory carried with it a four-year scholarship and also entitled him to represent the country in the 1957 Toronto World Junior Championship. Pepsi-Cola sponsored a match between the Junior Champions of the Philippines (Cardoso) and the USA (no less than Bobby Ficher!) in 1957 which the American won 6-2 with five wins, two draws and a loss. Rudy lost the match but at least won one game, the only time Bobby ever lost to a Filipino.
IM Cardoso represented the Philippines in four Olympiads: 1956 Moscow (where he won the silver medal for best overall 4th board performance, 1958 Munich, 1972 Skopje and the 1974 “Dream Team” to the Nice Olympiad (Torre, Cardoso, Renato Naranja, Rosendo Balinas, Ramon Lontoc, Glenn Bordonada).
By virtue of his sparkling performance in the 1956 Moscow Olympiad the International Chess Federation gave him the International Master title. He thus became Asia’s (and the Philippines’) first International Master.
Eugene Torre had just won the 1972 Asian Zonal and in the process become the Philippines’ third International Master (Renato Naranja got his IM title by winning the Asian Zonal in 1969 Singapore). “El Eugenio” was to become Asia’s first Grandmaster in 1974 and Asia’s first Candidate in 1982, but all of that is still in the future. In 1972 there was still a question of who the Philippines’ best player was and that was why the match between the two was held in early Sept. — whoever won would play top board for the Philippines in the Skopje Olympiad due to start later that month.
This was originally planned to be a six-game match but the last game was no longer played when Eugene opened up an unassailable two-game lead. Here are all five of the games.
* * *
Torre, Eugene O. — Cardoso, Rodolfo Tan [B30]
Torre-Cardoso Six Games Match Manila (1), 02.09.1972
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.0–0 d5 6.d3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e6 9.Re1 Ne7 10.Nc3 d4 11.Ne2 Ng6 12.Qh5 Bd6 13.f4 0–0 14.g4 f5 15.gxf5 Qh4 16.Qxh4 Nxh4 17.Kf2 exf5 18.e5 Be7 19.Ng1 h6 20.Nf3 Nxf3 21.Kxf3 Kf7 22.Bd2 Rab8 23.b3 Rg8 24.Rg1 g5 25.Rg2 Rg6 26.Rag1 Rbg8 27.Ba5 Ke6 28.Be1 h5 29.fxg5 Rxg5 30.Rxg5 Rxg5 31.Rxg5 Bxg5 32.Bg3 Bh6 33.Bh4 Bg7 34.Kf4 Bxe5+ 35.Kf3 Bc7 36.Be1 Kd5 37.Bd2 Be5 38.Bf4 Ke6 39.Bh6 Bd6 40.Bd2 Kf6 41.Bh6 ½–½
* * *
Cardoso, Rodolfo Tan — Torre, Eugene O. [B07]
Torre-Cardoso Six Games Match Manila (2), 02.09.1972
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.f3 c6 6.Nge2 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.0–0 Nbd7 9.Be3 Bb7 10.Qd2 a6 11.Nd1 c5 12.c3 e5 13.d5 Ne8 14.g4 f5 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.exf5 Nef6 17.Bg5 c4 18.Bc2 Bxd5 19.Ne3 Qb6 20.Rad1 Bc6 21.Rf2
[21.Qxd6? h6 wins a piece for Black]
21…d5 22.Ng4?
[22.f4 Rae8 23.fxe5 Nxe5 24.Nd4 is still ok for White]
22…Kh8 23.Ng3 Rad8 24.Bh6 Rg8 25.Bxg7+ Rxg7 26.Qh6?
Blunders away a piece.
26…Rxg4! 27.fxg4 Qxf2+ 0–1
[27…Qxf2+ 28.Kxf2 Nxg4+ Black emerges with an extra knight and pawn.]
* * *
Torre, Eugene O. — Cardoso, Rodolfo Tan [B92]
Torre-Cardoso Six Games Match Manila (3), 05.09.1972
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 a6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f4 Qc7 9.0–0 Nbd7 10.f5 Bc4 11.a4 Rc8 12.Be3 Be7 13.a5 0–0 14.Kh1 Rfd8 15.Ra4 Bb5 16.Nxb5 axb5 17.Bxb5 Qxc2 18.Qxc2 Rxc2 19.Rf2 Rxf2 20.Bxf2 Nc5 21.Bxc5 dxc5 22.Be2 Nd7 23.g3 g6 24.Kg2 gxf5 25.exf5 Nb8 26.Bb5 Na6 27.f6 Bxf6 28.Bxa6 bxa6 29.Nxc5 Rd2+ 30.Kf3 Rxb2 31.Nxa6 Be7 32.Nc7 f5 33.a6 Bc5 34.g4 e4+ 35.Kf4 e3 36.Kxf5 e2 37.Re4 Kf7 38.Ne6 Bf2 39.Ng5+ Kf8 40.Nf3 Ra2 41.Re6 Ra5+ 42.Re5 Ra2 43.Kf4 Ra4+ 44.Re4 Ra2 45.g5 Kg8 46.Kg4 Kf8 47.h4 Kg8 48.h5 Kf8 49.Kf5 Ra5+ 50.Re5 Ra3 51.Kf4 Ra4+ 52.Re4 Ra2 <D>
POSITION AFTER 52…RA2
It is here that things get interesting. White makes a last attempt to win the game.
53.h6 Kg8 54.Kg4 Kf8 55.Rf4+ Kg8 56.g6 hxg6
[56…e1Q 57.Nxe1 Bxe1 58.g7 and the threat of mate on f8 wins the game for White]
57.Ng5 Ra4!
[57…e1Q? 58.h7+ Kg7 59.Rf7+ Kh8 60.Rf8+ Kg7 61.h8Q#]
58.Nf3 Rxa6 59.Re4 Ra2 60.Re8+? Kh7 61.Kg5 Ra5+ 62.Kg4 Ra2 ½–½
Both players miss that 62…Ra4+! seems to win for Cardoso. The immediate point is that 63.Kg5 e1Q! 64.Rxe1 (64.Nxe1? there is a beautiful mate 64… Bh4#) 64…Bxe1 65.Nxe1 Ra5+ 66.Kf4 Kxh6 is an elementary win for Black.
If instead of going to g5 White’s king goes to h3 then 63.Kh3 Ra2 64.Kg4 Kxh6 I am not 100% sure, but Black is probably winning this.
* * *
Cardoso, Rodolfo Tan — Torre, Eugene O. [E77]
Torre-Cardoso Six Games Match Manila (4), 06.09.1972
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 c5 6.d5 0–0 7.Be2 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 9.exd5 Nh5 10.0–0 Bg4 11.f5 Bxf5 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 Bg4 14.Ne4 f5 15.Nf2 h6 16.Re1 Nd7 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Qh4 19.Re6 Bd4 20.Rxg6+ Ng7 21.g3 Bxf2+ 22.Kxf2 Qd4+ 23.Kg2 Ne5 24.Rxh6 Nxf3 25.Kxf3 Rae8?!
Too slow. He should have pushed the initiative decisively with 25…Qe4+! 26.Kf2 f4 27.g4 (After 27.gxf4? Rxf4+ 28.Bxf4 Qxf4+ the rook is lost) 27…Qd4+ 28.Kf1 (28.Kf3 Qd3+ 29.Kg2 Rae8 30.Bxf4 Re2+ 31.Kg1 Qe4 Black wins) 28…Qxc4+ 29.Qe2 Qxd5 30.Qf2 Rae8 Black has a decisive advantage
26.Bf4 Qxc4 27.Rc1 Qe4+ 28.Kf2 Rf7 29.Rc3!
Now it is White who is playing for a win.
29…Qb4 30.Rb3 Qa4 31.Rd3 Qxa2 32.Qb3 Qb1 33.Rd1 Qe4 34.Qd3 Qb4 35.Qd2 Qb3 36.Bxd6 Re4 37.Re1 Rxe1 38.Kxe1 f4 39.Bxf4 Nf5 40.Rh5?
[40.Re6]
40…Nd4 41.Qc3? Qb5?
Missing 41…Re7+! 42.Kf2 (42.Re5 Qxc3+ 43.bxc3 Nf3+) 42…Re2+ 43.Kg1 Qd1+
42.Rg5+ Kf8 43.Re5 Re7 44.Rxe7 Kxe7 45.Qe3+ Kd7 46.Qe4 Qb4+ 47.Kf1 Qxb2 48.Qh7+ Ke8 49.Qg8+ Ke7 50.Qg7+ Ke8 51.Qg6+
Now the game winds down into a draw.
51…Ke7 52.Bg5+ Kf8 53.Qf6+ Kg8 54.Qd8+ Kf7 55.Qe7+ Kg8 56.Qe8+ Kg7 57.Qe7+ Kg8 58.Qe8+ Kg7 59.Qe7+ Kg8 60.Qe8+ Kg7 ½–½
* * *
Torre, Eugene O. — Cardoso, Rodolfo Tan [B24]
Torre-Cardoso Six Games Match Manila (5), 08.09.1972
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Rb8 5.d3 b5 6.f4 Bd7 7.Nf3 b4 8.Nd5 g6 9.0–0 Bg7 10.f5 gxf5 11.exf5 h6
[11…Bxf5 12.Ng5 Bg6 13.Nxf7 Bxf7 14.Rxf7 Kxf7 15.Qh5+ Kf8 (15…Ke6 16.Bh3#) 16.Bh6! with a very strong attack]
12.Nh4 Nf6 13.a3 a5 14.axb4 cxb4 15.Rf4?!
An original idea, although probably not a good one. White wants to play Nf3 but it will lose the f5 pawn to …Bxf5, so he puts his rook on f4 first so that the pawn remains secured.
15…Rb5
Cardoso is also gripped by the same move-your-rook-to-your-4th-rank idea — on his part he wants to force white’s knight on d5 to retreat.
16.Ne3 h5 17.d4 Bh6 18.Rf1 Bg5 19.c4 bxc3 20.bxc3 Bxh4 21.gxh4 Rg8 22.Kh1
It looks like White is in trouble because of the open g-file, right? Wrong. White has better control of the center and now pushes back Black’s pieces.
22…Qc8 23.c4 Rb8 24.Nd5 Nxd5
[24…Bxf5? 25.Nxf6+ exf6 26.Re1+ Kd8 27.Qf3 Ne7 28.Bd2 Black’s position is collapsing]
25.cxd5 Nb4 26.Qxh5 Qc2 27.Bg5 Nd3 28.Qh7 Rf8 29.Bh6 Rb2 30.Qg7
Of course not 30.Rg1?? Nf2#.
30…Bxf5 31.Rxf5 Kd7 32.Qg4 Qc3 33.Rxf7+ Kc7 34.Rxf8 Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Rxf2 36.Rc1 Rc2 37.Qd1 1–0
This was a very exciting and interesting match. Well worth preserving.
Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
