GM Slim Bouaziz, courtesy of www.liveinternet.ru
Many Happy Returns of the Day to Slim Holy Bouaziz (Bou-Aziz), the GM from Tunisia, for many years Africa’s strongest – and certainly best known – player.
Born in 1950, he became an IM in 1975 and a GM some seventeen years later. Has he really played in sixteen Olympiads, mostly at top board?!
In 1982 he scored 9.5/14, drew with a raging Tal in an Interzonal. At Sousse, 1967, he beat future Candidate Robert Byrne, drew with Reshevsky and Stein, not to mention the young Mecking.
In an era when geography restricted more (“no computers”) and politics governed perhaps too much, his must have been a brave and very difficult path, no question.
He is an unsung hero. Bouaziz has not been active of late.
RE Byrne
S Bouaziz
Sousse Interzonal, 1967
Sicilian Sozin
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. f4
Bb7 9. f5 e5 10. Nde2 Nbd7 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Ng3 Rc8 13. Nh5 Nxh5 14. Qxh5 O-O
15. h4 b4 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Nc5 18. O-O-O a5 19. Qg4 a4 20. Bc4 b3 21. cxb3
axb3 22. a3 h5 23. Bxe7 hxg4 24. Bxd8 Ne4 25. Kb1 Rxc4 26. Ba5 Ng3 27. Rc1 Ra4
28. Bb4 Rd8 29. Rhe1 Nxf5 30. Re4 Nxh4 31. Rxg4 Nf5 32. Rc3 Ne7 33. Rd3 g6 34.
Rgg3 Kg7 35. Rd2 Nf5 36. Rxb3 Rb8 37. Rc3 Raxb4 38. axb4 Rxb4 39. Ka2 Kf6 40.
Rb3 Ra4+ 41. Ra3 Rb4 42. Ra8 e4 43. Re8 e3 44. Re2 Rd4 45. Kb1 Kg5 46. Kc1 Kf4
47. b3 Rxd5 48. b4 Rb5 49. Rb2 Nd4 50. Rf8 Rf5 51. Kd1 Ke4 52. Ke1 Kd3 53. g4
Rf4 54. Ra2 Nf3+ 55. Kd1 e2+ 56. Rxe2 Rxb4 57. Rc2 Rxg4 58. Kc1 f5 59. Rd8 Rd4
60. Rc6 g5 61. Rcxd6 Rxd6 62. Rxd6+ Ke3 63. Re6+ Kf2 64. Rf6 Nh4 65. Rh6 f4 66.
Kd2 Ng2 67. Kd1 g4 68. Rg6 Ne3+ 69. Kd2 g3 70. Kc1 g2 (The rook can’t hold-back the tide)
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