KERES - FINE 1937

Keres - Fine 1937

The game Keres - Fine 1937 is said to be Paul Keres’s first outstanding chessgame.

Of course, the game contains several mistakes.

Since then, the opening theory has evolved, and Black’s defence has been improved, for example, by Kramnik.

Keres himself admitted, in his book Valitud partiid [= “Selected Games”], Tallinn 1961, that his maneuver Re1-e3 and Rd1-e1 was clumsy.

Fine had several options to make a prophylactic move h7-h6. He also missed the opportunity to play 20...b5xa4!, attracting White’s bishop from the active position on the diagonal a2-g8.

Fine allowed Keres to start a combination. Suddenly, it turned out that White’s first rank was weak, and Fine seemed to get a counterplay.

After the move 27...d5-d4, the position was critical. White’s rook on e3 - the defender of the rook on the first rank - was attacked and had no good retreating squares.

However, Keres had calculated that the move 27...d5-d4 also opened a diagonal a2-g8 to White’s bishop.

White attacked first and won.

Below, I have tried to make some short comments on that game. 

I DO NOT RECOGNIZE THE DECISION OF THE ESTONIAN CHESS FEDERATION

Look at the sports news:

"Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CAS" 
World Chess News, 06 January 2026

Quotation:

"This week the national federations England, Norway, Estonia and Germany announced they have collectively filed an appeal with Ukraine to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIDE. Their complaint is about the FIDE General Assembly's decision to readmit fully Russia and Belarusia into chess team sport and allow their symbols to be used."

I am an Estonian citizen, a sufficiently strong chess player, and a philosopher, and I have to announce the following:

1. I am strongly against politicizing sports. 
2. I am even more strongly against politicizing sports in a selective, discriminatory manner.

For example, the US chess players or chess institutions have not been sanctioned for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars that the US started and kept for decades.

The Israeli chess players or chess institutions have not been sanctioned for the Gaza genocide committed by Israel. 

Moreover, look at the phrase "full-scale invasion" in the article:

"The Russia/Belarus question has been bitterly dividing the chess world since, in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022."

The question is about why they never called the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq "full-scale invasions". It is obvious that these invasions were full-scale - if that word has any meaning at all.

Moreover, look at the complaint that FIDE has violated its rules, etc. According to the article, in its public statement, the Norwegian Chess Federation said: 

"The Appellants submit that the challenged resolutions were adopted following serious procedural irregularities, including violations of the FIDE Charter and fundamental principles of transparent and lawful decision-making within international sports governance."

You have no self-respect whatsoever.

When FIDE, in 2022, decided to impose sanctions on Russia, the decision-making process was already not transparent. 

Moreover, FIDE changed its rules ad hoc - solely to be able to impose sanctions on Russia.

These are the facts.

In sum, I am of the opinion that the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were completely unjustified; the Russian invasion of Ukraine was better justified, but also not sufficiently justified (taking into account the principle of proportionality and the large numbers of war victims); and the sports sanctions imposed on Russia were unjustified and discriminatory.

This is my opinion about those chess pederations who are trying hard to weaponize sports. 

The officials of Estonian Chess Federation

KRAMNIK SUES FIDE FOR DEFAMATION

A quotation from the article “Vladimir Kramnik Sues FIDE for Defamation after Daniel Naroditsky Controversy” (India Today, 1 January 2026):

"Czech Grandmaster David Navara has also claimed to have felt distressed and suicidal due to Kramnik's online cheating charge against him."

"Kramnik has consistently defended his conduct, maintaining that his statements are substantiated."

- Implicitly, it is said that Kramnik made a statement that Navara was cheating, and that Kramnik asserts that this statement is substantiated.

And that is a lie and a form of defamation.

I have read Kramnik's statements and watched his videos.

Kramnik has NOT accused Navara of cheating.

From the article “Kramnik Takes FIDE to Swiss Civil Court - Bypassing Sport's Usual Arbitration System” (Worldchess News, 30 December 2025), which presumably represents the position of FIDE:

"[Kramnik] ... now faces accusations that his own allegations against others crossed ethical and legal lines."

- The article implies that Kramnik has made several accusations and only accusations.

Instead, most of Kramnik's "accusations" are carefully formulated suspicions or questions.

In such cases, he clearly states that he does not accuse but merely demands investigations of statistically abnormal playing results and demands explanations.

Thus, when writing about the current defamation lawsuit, the slandering continues and even amplifies.

Typically, Kramnik's precise and clear formulations are almost never quoted.

The written text of Kramnik's critics simply does not correspond to what Kramnik actually said.

And I am talking about it not because of Kramnik.

I am talking about it because of the principle that important statements must be reported correctly. 

LACK OF TIME AND THE WINNING MOVE

In a short rapid game Eintalu - Juhasz, there was tactical fireworks and mistakes on both sides. 

In the end, I accepted a draw offer because I was running out of time and couldn't find an effective winning move.

Can you find it?

White to move

Below is an analysis of the game.