foto · Rob Mieremet / Anefo · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Portrait · GM (grandmaster)
Milan
Matulović
A two-time Yugoslav champion whose attacking games offer striking examples of queen, rooks and minor pieces working together.
Years
1935-2013
Title
GM (grandmaster)
City
Belgrade
FIDE ID
900362
Rating peak
2530 (May 1974); highest ranking 47th in the world (July 1971)
Games in the archive
1
Milan Matulovic (1935–2013) belonged to the strong Yugoslav generation alongside Gligoric, Ivkov and Matanovic. Born in Belgrade, he became a grandmaster in 1965 and won the Yugoslav Championship in 1965 and 1967. His games have a particular appeal for fans of combinations and king attacks.
The first game in our selection was played in Skopje in 1972. Matulović has White against Asfary.
Milan Matulović - Asfary · Olympiad (qualifiers), Skopje, 1972
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Matulovic–Asfary, Skopje 1972: 23.Qf7+ offers the queen, and accepting it allows 24.Rxf7 mate.
In the first game, played in Skopje in 1972, a Ruy Lopez develops into pressure against Black's castled king. White's f-pawn opens a file for the rook, while knight and bishop take away important escape squares. The finish is short and easy to follow.
Matulovic played in five Olympiads, earning team and individual medals. He shared first place at a strong international event in Belgrade in 1969. He also played a training match with the young Bobby Fischer in 1958, scoring one win.
At the 1970 Siegen Olympiad, Matulović had White against Bulgaria’s Georgi Tringov.
Milan Matulović - Georgi Tringov · Olympiad, Siegen, 1970
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Matulovic–Tringov, Siegen 1970: after 25.Nf5, queen and rooks use the open lines; the game ends with 34.Rg8 mate.
Against Georgi Tringov at the 1970 Siegen Olympiad, Matulovic has White against the Pirc Defence. Before the sacrifice, look at the preparation: a rook reaches d3, ready to swing to the kingside. Only then comes 25.Nf5, a knight offer that opens routes to Black's king.
This combination has several fine details. A bishop is offered on c5, the queen enters e8 and the rook swings from d3 to h3. Near the end, White exchanges queens with check and brings the other rook to f8. The attack succeeds because the pieces have clear tasks and arrive in time.
Many tournament anecdotes surround Matulovic, but these two games provide ample interest on their own. In both, mate is prepared long before the final check, as the pieces gradually remove the opposing king's escape squares. On a second viewing, pause before the queen or knight sacrifice and try to find the continuation.