Game Of the Week: A Tribute to Emory Tate

A Tribute to Emory Tate

Opening: :

Player(s): Emory Tate

International Master Emory Tate died of a heart attack suffered during a tournament game in California recently. While he had not been as active or proficient in recent years, he leaves behind a legacy of fascinating games. Tate was brash and quick-witted, and occasionally confrontational. His outgoing personality, combined with a fearless, creative attacking style, brought him legions of fans. Tate was especially fond of sacrifices, and his desire for brilliance often took him away from practical continuations that might have moved him further up the ranks. But in any given game, he could be as dangerous as any player on the planet. He beat many grandmasters in fine fashion over the years. For this week's feature, I selected a game that is typical Tate in many ways. He meets Georgy Orlov's off-beat opening in kind, and some ingenious moves bring him to the cusp of victory. Mundane moves would have sufficed, but Tate wanted a big finish. The game was not very smooth but quite spectacular; that's how Emory Tate rolled.