A Must Watch Video

A Fine Mini Loss

    In 1937, Reuben Fine played in a number of European tournaments: Hastings, Warsaw, Moscow, Leningrad, Ostend, Kemeri, the Stockholm Olympiad and Semmering/Baden.

    According to Google AI, a tournament took place in Orebro, Sweden that year, the Nordic Chess Championship, which was won by the Swedish master Erik Lundin. Naturally, Fine did not participate, but he did give a simul there in which the following game was played. It’s a short, sharp tactical display won by his opponent.

    Tactics are crucial because they are short-term, forcing moves that capture pieces, deliver mate or gain a decisive advantage. Tactical patterns (or motifs) and mating patterns can be learned. Today there are a lot of books on tactics, but the one I learnrd from was The Art of Checkmate by Renaud & Kahn. You can read C.J.S. Purdy’s review of the book HERE. 

    Today programs and websites offer a wealth of possibilities for tactical training. The only problem is that in the training positions you know a tactic is lurking in the position. In your own games you don’t and that’s the problem! In casual Internet games I see a lot of players who evidently think they are playing tactical chess when they just willy-nilly sacrifice a piece without a tactical motif being present,  Those are not sacrifices...they are blunders.

     In the following miniature Fine played in a simul in Orebro in 1937, he played 11.Qb3, voluntarily walking into a pin on his N, he immediately got into serious trouble and his opponent took advantage of it in grand fashion. 

 

[Event "Simultaneous, Orebro"] [Site "Orebro SWE"] [Date "1937.01.26"] [Round "?"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Pettersson"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D17"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "36"] [EventDate "1937.??.??"] {D17: Slav Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 {[%mdl 32]} 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 {Here white has a wide chouice of moves avilable, but the most obvious is 11.Ng2 with equal chances.} 11. Qb3 {This move is the cause of all white's trouble.} Be6 { White manages to extricate himself out of the pin, but the cost is too high.} 12. e3 Nf3+ 13. Kd1 {Black has a decisive advantage.} Qd8 {Note that white's B has no retreat square.} 14. Kc1 (14. Qxb7 {also loses.} Nc5+ 15. Nd6+ Qxd6+ 16. Bxd6 {and wins.} Nxb7) (14. e4 {runs into} Nc5+) 14... Nc5 15. Qd1 Qxd1+ 16. Kxd1 {On the surface it looks like white is in no danger, but black's pieces are poised to swarm white's K.} O-O-O+ 17. Ke2 (17. Kc1 Nb3+) (17. Kc2 { loses the Q.} g5 {trspd the B.}) 17... Bg4 (17... g5 {is note quite as good, but after} 18. Kxf3 gxf4 19. Be2 Bg7 20. gxf4 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Bd5+ {with a dwcisive advantage.}) 18. h3 {This alliws a mate in 3, but there was no way of saving the game.} (18. Rd1 Nxh2+ 19. Ke1 Rxd1+ 20. Nxd1 Nf3+ 21. Ke2 g5 22. Bg2 Ne5+ 23. f3 Nxc4 24. Bxg5 Rg8 25. Bf4 Be6 {Black is a piece up.}) 18... Rd2+ { [%mdl 512] White resigned. It's mate in 2. An excellent performance by an amateur in a simul!} (18... Rd2+ 19. Nxd2 Nd4+ 20. Ke1 Nc2#) 0-1

Rhoda Bowles

 

    The biography of Rhoda Bowles (1861-1931) appears in an excellent article by Batgirl on chess,dom HERE. 

    It’s hard to say how strong she really was, but in the following game her Accuracy Rating (i.e. how closely her moved matched Stockfish) was a whopping 85% which is considerably higher that most GMs achieve. 

    Her opponent was Frideswide (Fannie) Rowland (née Beechey (1845-1919) who was married to the Irish player Thomas Rowland (1850-1929). She was born in Gallway, Ireland and passed away in Bray, a coastal town on Ireland’s east coast. 

  

 

 

 

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "corr"] [Date "1901.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Rhoda Bowles"] [Black "Frideswide Rowland"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C45"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1901.??.??"] [Source "Belfast News Let"] {C45: Scotch Game} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {The Scotch was common in the 1800s, but by the time this gae was played had declined in popularity because it was brlirvrf that it release the central tension too early and allowed black easy equality. Garry Kasparov revived it in the 1990s.} exd4 4. Nxd4 { The Scotch Gambit (4.Bc4) might appeal to gambiteers. In my database the results are about 50-50 with few draws.} Bc5 5. Be3 Qe7 {Today 5...Qf6 is far more popular, but that’s not to say better.} 6. Nc3 {Black should now play 6. ..Nxd4 instead of the more popular and slightly inferior 6...Nf6} Bxd4 { This is also better that 6...Nf6} (6... Nf6 7. Nf5 Qf8 8. Nxg7+ Qxg7 9. Bxc5 { White has the much better position/}) 7. Bxd4 Nf6 8. Bxf6 (8. Be2 {baits a nice trap. Black should now play either 8...O-O or 8...d6 when in either case white has the better position. However, black must not snatch the P.} Nxe4 9. Nd5 Qd6 10. Bxg7 Rg8 11. Nf6+ {and white is much betterm of not winning.}) 8... Qxf6 9. Nd5 (9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O d6 11. f4 Qd4+ 12. Kh1 f5 13. Nd5 {Avdic,A (2261)-Mujic,H (2326) Tuzla 2004. The chances are equal.}) 9... Qd8 10. Qh5 { Very aggressive!} O-O 11. Bd3 Re8 12. O-O-O Re5 13. Qh3 d6 14. Qe3 {White has lost some time with hew Q, but she still has a good position and continues her aggressive policy wuth her next move,} a6 15. f4 {[%mdl 2048]} Rh5 {Black lands in trouble after this. The simple retreat 15,,,.Re8 would have been better.} 16. h3 b5 17. g4 Rh4 18. g5 h6 19. Rdg1 {Now it's clear that 15...Rh5 has resulted in black's ending up with a lost position. Bowles is merciless in her attack.} hxg5 20. Rxg5 g6 21. Qg3 Rh6 22. e5 {Threatens Bxg6!} Nd4 (22... dxe5 {results a slaughter.} 23. Bxg6 fxg6 24. Rxg6+ Rxg6 25. Qxg6+ Kf8 26. fxe5 Nd4 27. Rf1+ {etc.}) 23. Nf6+ {White can also win with 23.Bxg6} Kg7 {From here to the end of the game black had several "stronger" moves than the ones she played, but nine if then were good enough to change the outcome.} 24. Rg1 Qh8 25. f5 Kf8 26. fxg6 Rxg6 27. Rxg6 fxg6 28. Qxg6 Bb7 29. Nh7+ Ke7 {There is no safety in fleeing to the Q-side.} 30. Qf6+ Kd7 31. Rg7+ Kc6 32. b4 Qe8 33. Be4+ {White mates im 4.} Kb6 34. Qxd6+ {Nice!} Qc6 (34... cxd6 35. Rxb7#) 35. Qxd4+ {Black resigned. It's mate next move.} 1-0

Nezhmetdinov’s Flight of Fancy

    From time to time I like to pull out Super Nezh: Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Chess Assassin by Alex Pishkin and play through a few of his games. 

    Nezhmetdinov was an early version of Tal...his combinations were fantastic, if not always entirely sound. Every time I play over his games I get to thinking I could play like that, but, of course I can’t. 

    The following game was played against Oleg Chernikov (1936 – 2015), an International Arbiter and the 2000 World Senior Champion. It was played in a Russian team championship at Rostov-On Don in 1962. 

    After Chernikov played 11...Bf6 a position was reached that had long been known to be drawn and so after making it, Chernikov went for a stroll thinking Nezhmetdinov would take a quick draw. But, Nezhmetdinov sunk into deep thought and everyone wondered what he could be thinking about. Finally, after 45 minutes a youngster rushed up to Chernikov and informed him that Nezhmetdinov had sacrificed his Queen. Nezhmetdinov’s Queen sacrifice only netted him two pieces, but he hoped to attack the weakened dark squares around black’s King.

    Immediately after the game it was thought black had a draw at best. Subsequent analysis reached the conclusion that the chances should be about equal if black plays 14...d5 instead of Chernikov’s 14...Re8. 

    However, since then it’s been discovered that black has several reasonable moves. While the engine evaluations after 14.Nc3 lead one to believe that the chances are even, practical results strongly favor black. 

    In the end, Nezhmetdinov didn’t succeed in overturning theory, but what does that matter? The depth of his plan and his flight of fancy are worth more than reams of engine analysis. 

 

[Event "Chigorin Team Cup"] [Site "Rostov-on-Don"] [Date "1962.05.??"] [Round ""] [White "Rashid Nezhmetdino"] [Black "Oleg L Chernikov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B32"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1962.??.??"] {B35: Sicilian: Accelerated Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 Ng4 9. Qxg4 Nxd4 10. Qh4 {After 10.Qd1 it is difficult for black to equalize as was known when this game was played.} Qa5 {aiming for ...Nxc2+!} 11. O-O Bf6 $1 {This leads to a known draw. White can play 12.Qh6 Bg7 13. Qh4 and repeating moves. Or, he can play 13.Qg5 and after the exchange of Qs the endgame is drawn. Here Nezhmetdinov thought for 45 minutes.} 12. Qxf6 {White only get two pieces for his Q, but he hopes to attack on the weak dark squares around black's K. Of you're wondering what the engine thinks, Stockfish’s evaluation is that the position is almost dead equal. Black can't try to grab material herewith 12...Ncb3} Ne2+ $1 $11 { The position is equal.} (12... Nxb3 13. axb3 Qxa1 14. Qxe7 Qa5 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Bd4 f6 (16... Qxe7 17. Nxe7#) 17. Nxf6+ Rxf6 18. Qxd8+ {White has a forced mate.}) 13. Nxe2 exf6 14. Nc3 Re8 (14... d5 15. Nxd5 Rd8 16. Bd4 Rxd5 17. exd5 Kg7 18. Rae1 Bf5 19. Re3 {White is better. Serwinski,B-Grabczewski,R Polanica Zdroj 1965}) 15. Nd5 Re6 16. Bd4 Kg7 17. Rad1 d6 {Not the best.} (17... Rxe4 { is met by} 18. Bxf6+ Kf8 19. Bc3 Qc5 20. Nf6 {with a promising position.} Rf4 21. Nxh7+ Kg8 22. Nf6+ Kf8 23. g3 Rxf6 24. Bxf6 {and white has the better chances.}) (17... b6 18. Bc3 Qc5 19. Bb4 Qc6 20. Bc3 Bb7 {with equal chances.}) 18. Rd3 {The R joins the attack.} Bd7 19. Rf3 Bb5 (19... Rxe4 $2 20. Bc3 $18 Qc5 21. Nxf6 Re7 22. Nxd7+ {wins}) 20. Bc3 Qd8 21. Nxf6 {[%mdl 32] Both sides have been playing extremely well, but black's next move coats hom the game. He needed to play 21...Rc8 and be prepared to eliminate white's deadly B on c3 by sacrificing the exchange.} Be2 {[%mdl 8192]} 22. Nxh7+ {[%mdl 512] Alertly played.} Kg8 (22... Kxh7 {isn't playable.} 23. Rxf7+ Kh6 24. Bxe6 Bxf1 25. Bg7+ Kh5 26. g4+ Kh4 27. Kxf1 {White is winning.}) 23. Rh3 {Not the best.} (23. Nf6+ {is much better.} Kf8 (23... Kg7 24. Nd7+ Kg8 25. Rh3 Bh5 (25... Qxd7 26. Rh8#) 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Nf6+ Kf7 28. g4 {White is winning.}) 24. Rh3 Rxf6 25. Rh8+ { wins easily.}) 23... Re5 (23... Bxf1 {is met by} 24. Ng5 Kf8 (24... Bb5 25. Rh8#) 25. Rh8+) 24. f4 {[%mdl 2048] As a result of whits's less than optimal 23rd nive black is under strong pressure, but there is no forced win/.} Bxf1 { After this move black is completely lost. In annotating this game one one author made no comment on this move. If it was bad to take on f1 last move, it's still bad. Black could have put up stiffer resistance with 24... Rh5!} ( 24... Rh5 25. Nf6+ Kf8 26. Nxh5 Qb6+ 27. Rf2 gxh5 28. Rg3 h4 29. Bg7+ Ke8 30. Rc3 d5 {White is better, but black has reason to continue the games as he is not witjout play.}) 25. Kxf1 (25. fxe5 {is a bit weaker.} Qb6+ 26. Kxf1 dxe5 27. Ng5 Qf6+ 28. Nf3 Re8 {White still has some work to do.}) 25... Rc8 (25... Rh5 {would not nave been any better.} 26. Nf6+ Kf8 27. Nxh5 gxh5 28. Rxh5 Ke7 29. Rh7 Qb6 30. Rxf7+) 26. Bd4 {Nezhmetdinov is over finessing. The prosaic 26. fxe5 was sufficient.} b5 27. Ng5 (27. fxe5 {Oddly, this is now a bad move!} dxe5 28. Bxe5 Qd1+ 29. Kf2 Rxc2+ 30. Bxc2 Qxc2+ 31. Kg3 Qd3+ {Draw?} 32. Kf4 { Who knows after this?} Qf1+ 33. Rf3 Qc1+ 34. Kg4 f5+ 35. exf5 gxf5+ 36. Kxf5 Kxh7 {This position is evaluated as 0.00, but that does not mean it's a draw!}) 27... Rc7 28. Bxf7+ Rxf7 29. Rh8+ {[%mdl 512] A crisp finish.} Kxh8 30. Nxf7+ Kh7 31. Nxd8 Rxe4 32. Nc6 Rxf4+ 33. Ke2 {Black resigned. Among amateurs black might well play on in a position like this, but in the case of string Masters, to quote the Fritz program, "White us clearly winning."} 1-0

Potpourri

    Now that the last few hectic days have passed things are starting to settle down. Christmas day put the quietus on chess activity although I did run a 5-minute tournament using the strongest engines in my arsenal. Clearly, Stockfish is the best, but the other engines can serve a purpose for strong OTB players who are looking for more human-like play in the search for opening innovations. The poor result of Lc0 is probably due to the fact that it requires more powerful hardware than I possess. 

    Isaias Pleci (1907-1979) was of Argentine was awarded the IM title in 1965 and was the Argentine Champion in 1929-30. He is little known, but fared very well in South American events in the 1930s and Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating ti have bee 2582 in 1940 making him the 44th best player in the world. 

    Pleci won the individual bronze medal at the Stockholm 1937 Olympiad and the gold medal at the 1939 Buenos Aires Olympiad 

    His opponent in the following game played in the 1939 Olympiad was Gunnar Fried,amm (1909-1i44, 34 years old) of Estonia. He played on several occasions in Estonian championships and was a member of the Estonian Olympic temam several times. 

    Friedemann played for Estonia in the following Chess Olympiads. According to Chess metrics his highest rating was 2536 in 1941 ranking him #80 in the world. He died in the German Army on the Eastern front. 

    This game is the first game in Alekhine’s book 107 Great Chess Battles,; the games date from 1939 to 1943. The book gets a lot of negative reviews on Amazon and while it feels like an Alekhine potboiler, I like it simply because it has a lot of great games and not all were played by Alekhine. 

 

[Event "Buenos Aires Olympiad Final-A"] [Site ""] [Date "1939.09.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Isaias Pleci (Argentina)"] [Black "Gunnar Friedemann (Estonia)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [Annotator "Alekhine/Stockfish"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "1939.09.01"] {C90: Closed Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Na5 {Alekhine correctly predict t hat this premature move would be abandoned in favour of 8...O-O. He said it would happen within 3 years. How accurate his time limit was is unknown, but 8...Na5 does not serve black well at all in my database.} 9. Bc2 c5 10. a4 Rb8 (10... Bg4 {was played in Leventic,I (2481)-Rubil,M (2255) Djakovo CRO 2011 and after} 11. h3 Bd7 12. d4 Nc6 13. Nbd2 O-O {white is only slightly better.}) (10... Bb7 {has asi ben tried.} 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 O-O 13. Nf1 Nc6 14. d5 Nd8 {White gas the advantahe. Leventic,I (2481)-Rubil,M (2255) Djakovo CRO 2011}) 11. axb5 axb5 12. d4 Qc7 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 {Alekhine stated that this capture was rightly considered by theory to be too dangerous and recommended 14.Nbd2. However, he added that there was no supporting proof of that opinion and therefore this game was a good test. Stockfish gives the nod to 14.Nxe5 although 14.Nbs2 is not far behind. In the end, the best move is a matter of how much risk white wants to take.} Qxe5 15. Rxa5 Ng4 $1 {Black must continue aggressively. Any oyjrt move, say 15...O-O, is too slow.} 16. g3 $1 {The only good defense.} (16. f4 Qc7 17. Ra1 c4 18. Qe2 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Nf2+) 16... Qh5 17. h4 Bxh4 {Best. After this move both players are ion the razor's edge, Alekhine wrote that ,any spectators (some of them experts of proven international renown) were surprised that Friedemann did not play the recommended book move 17...g5. He added that probably Friedemann saw over the board that white would have the strong reply 18.Qd5} (17... g5 18. Qd5 { only results in equality after} O-O 19. Bxg5 Rd8) (17... g5 18. Ra7 { overlooked by Alekhine! White gains a decisive advantage after} Rb7 (18... gxh4 19. Qd5 {Now is the time for this.} Qg6 20. Bf4 Rb6 21. Rxe7+ Kxe7 22. Qxc5+) 19. Ra8 O-O 20. Bxg5 Bxg5 21. Qd5 Re7 22. Bd1 Rd7 23. Qxg5+ Qxg5 24. hxg5 { White is two Ps up and has a decisive advantage.}) 18. gxh4 Qxh4 19. Qf3 Qh2+ 20. Kf1 {And now Bf4 would win.} Ne5 {A key move necause it allows his B to participate.} 21. Qg3 Qh1+ $1 {The correct decision, 21...Bh3+ may look goodm but it falls way short.} (21... Bh3+ 22. Ke2 Bg4+ 23. Ke3 $1 {The only defense. } Qh6+ 24. f4 $1 {Again, the only defense.} Qb6 {It looks like white is in trouble, but he has the surprisubg...} 25. Rxb5 $3 Qxb5 26. fxe5 h5 27. Na3 $1 {The Ns appearance leads to a decisive advantage.} Qd7 28. Nc4 O-O 29. Nd6 { Whiye has a B+N vs a R, but he has a dominating position.}) 22. Ke2 Qh5+ $1 { Yet another move that is the only correct one.} 23. f3 Nxf3 $1 {Still another only move! Alekhine wrote, "A fresh a n d perfectly correct sacrifice. It is evident that the N's untouchable..."} 24. Kf2 $2 {It's odd that Alekhine passes over thsi in silence. Now it is black who is in control.} (24. Bf4 { Keeps the chances equal after} Rb6 25. Nd2 Nxd2+ 26. Kxd2) 24... Nxe1 25. Kxe1 Qh1+ (25... Rb6 $1 $19 {[%cal Rb6g6] ...Rg6 is the strong threat.} 26. Be3 O-O) 26. Kf2 $1 {Threatens to win with Qe5+.} Qxc1 {Alekhine incorrectly gave this move a question mark calling it an “unbelievable error after such inspired play” adding that black was probably in time pressure and completely overlooked the check that was coming. With all due respect to one of the greatest players ever, that is completely wrong. I took lunch break here and left Stockfish running. Over an hour later its evaluation was 0.00. Curious, I checked with a couple of other engines and they all agreed with the evaluation. } (26... O-O {This was Stockfish's (and Alekhine's) first choice, but black is only a half a P better adter} 27. Bf4 Rb6 28. Qh2 Qxh2+ 29. Bxh2 f5 30. e5 g5 31. Bg1 Re8) 27. Qe5+ {"Now black is lost." (Alekhine) Not according to Stockfish.} Kd8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Now black is lost (Stockfish)} (27... Kd7 { leads to a draw.} 28. Qf5+ Kd8 29. Qd5+ Ke8 30. Qe5+ Kd7 31. Bd3 Qxb2+ 32. Be2 Rb6 33. Qxg7 Bb7 34. Qxh8 Rg6 35. Qe5 Rg2+ 36. Kxg2 Qxe2+ 37. Kg3 Qe1+ {draw}) 28. Qd6+ Ke8 29. Ra7 {This wins, but 20.Qxb2 was even quicker. It's quite possible that for the rest of the game bothplayers were in time pressure as there are a few small inexactitudes.} (29. Qxb8 Qxc2+ 30. Ke3 Qc1+ 31. Ke2 g6 32. Qe5+ Kd8 33. Qd6+ Ke8 34. Ra8 Qc2+ 35. Nd2 Qd3+ 36. Kxd3 f5 37. Rxc8+ Kf7 38. Rc7+ Kg8 39. Qd8#) 29... Qxc2+ 30. Nd2 Rb7 31. Ra8 Rc7 32. Ke2 Qa4 33. Rxa4 {Ra8 would kill now.} bxa4 34. Qxc7 Bg4+ 35. Ke3 Rf8 36. Qxc5 f6 37. Kf4 Bd7 38. Nc4 g5+ 39. Ke3 Rg8 40. Nd6+ Kd8 41. Nb7+ Ke8 42. Qc7 Ke7 43. Qd6+ Ke8 44. Qxf6 Bh3 45. Qd8+ Kf7 46. Nd6+ Kg7 47. Qxg5+ {Black resigned. It's mate next move. A fascinating game.} 1-0

Tal vs, Botvinnik

Mikhai; Ta;

    One of the most exciting World Championship matches that I remember was the 1960 Tal vs, Botvinnik match. How would the staid, scientific Botvinnik do against the “Magician from Riga”, Mikhail Tal with his wild and sometimes unsound sacrifices Botvinnikd didn’t do well at all, but in the rematch the following year he turned the tables and won easily. 

    In their very first game Tal’s success was well deserved, but it wasn’t much of a fight. Botvinnik adopts one of his pet lines which is now known ti be questionable and his 11th move worsened the situation. Then for no obvious reason Botvinnik gave away a Pawn after which Tal demonstrated flawless technique. 

 

[Event "World Championship Match, Moscow"] [Site ""] [Date "1960.03.15"] [Round "1"] [White "Mikhail Tal"] [Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1960.??.??"] {C18: French: Defense Winawer Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 {This is questionable. Evn at the tine this game was played most experts recommend 6...Ne7} 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 Ne7 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 cxd4 11. Kd1 {This position was known and wa cinsidered favorable to white. Botvinnlk obviously disagreed, but ahite is, in fact, slightly better and black's position is difficult to defend.} Bd7 {This move is also questionable. 11...dxc3 would have been better/} 12. Qh5+ (12. Rb1 {is much less effective,} Nbc6 13. Nf3 O-O-O 14. cxd4 {equals. Borovikov,V (2570) -Berg, E (2516) Pardubice 2002}) 12... Ng6 {Botvinnik has played the opening very poorly which qas uncharacteristice of him. Walking into a pin was a very poor decision. That saidm even after the better 12.Kd8 white stands considerably better.} (12... Kd8 {My database has 12 games that have reached this position anf white has tried 5 different movesm but the correct move to keep the advantage was not played in any of them.} 13. cxd4 Qc3 14. Rb1 Qxd4+ 15. Bd3 { with the advantage.}) 13. Ne2 {Better was 13.cxd4. After the text cxd4 the d-Pawn is defended and black can't play ...Qc3+. As played black could have gotten some counterchances.....} d3 {In his notes to this game Hams Knoch was wrong when he wrote that this move seems to be the resu lt of some miscalculation by Botvinnik because he gets nothing it and it leds to a losing game. In fact, it's the only move that keeps black in the game/} (13... dxc3 { was Kmoch's recommendation, but after} 14. Nf4 Kf7 15. Rb1 b6 16. Qh7+ Rg7 17. Qh6 Qxe5 18. Nh5 {Black's position is difficult, but hardly lost.}) 14. cxd3 Ba4+ {Botvinnik missed ti correct followuo to his last move.} (14... d4 15. cxd4 Nc6 16. Bd2 O-O-O 17. Rc1 Kb8 {Black has gotten his K to safety and white; s advantage is not so great.}) 15. Ke1 Qxe5 {After this logical looking move blacl's game is hopeless.} (15... d4 16. cxd4 Nc6 17. Bd2 O-O-O 18. Rc1 Kb8 { As in the previous note black has some chance of defending himself.}) 16. Bg5 Nc6 17. d4 Qc7 {Now black is a P down in an inferior position and so his resignation is only a matter of time.} 18. h4 {It is good technique to adva n ce the passed P and mobilize the R on h1. Also, by keeping his K in the center he gives black no opportunity for counterplay against it.} e5 {The only dim chance for counteplay· play} 19. Rh3 Qf7 20. dxe5 {Well timed. The poInt is that. on 20...Rh8 white has 21.e6!} Ncxe5 21. Re3 {The R has been mobilized.} Kd7 22. Rb1 b6 23. Nf4 Rae8 24. Rb4 Bc6 25. Qd1 Nxf4 26. Rxf4 Ng6 27. Rd4 Rxe3+ 28. fxe3 Kc7 29. c4 {Tal starts an attacj that wins a second P.} dxc4 {The d- Pawn cannot be defended.} (29... Ne7 30. cxd5 Bxd5 31. Bc4 Bxc4 32. Rd7+ Kc6 33. Qd6+ Kb5 34. Rxe7) 30. Bxc4 Qg7 31. Bxg8 Qxg8 32. h5 {Black resigned. Botvinnik's poor oprning and Tal's excellent technique secured the point.} 1-0

Petrov’s Immortal Game

    Such tactics as we see in the following game are likely to be considered crude by today’s strong players, but they were considered charming in the 1800s. Today most of us amateurs still find then charming, I think. 

    The idea of readily surrendering the Queen in order to hound the hostile King with the other pieces isn’t new, but Petrov's sacrifice was one of the earliest examples we have. What’s more, Stockfish suggested no improvements on his play. 

    Alexander Petrov (1794-1867) was a Russian player, composer and writer. He was born into a noble family and is usually remembered as the first great Russian master. From 1804, he lived in St. Petersburg. He established himself as the best Russian player at the age of 15 and remained so for over half a century. 

    He was the author of the first chess handbook in Russian. He also analyzed with Carl Jaenisch the opening that later became known as the Petrov Defense. From 1840. he lived in Warsaw (then in the Russian Empire), where he successfully played against the top Warsaw masters which included Alexander Hoffmann (1798-1855). 

    During the January Uprising (1863–64), he left Warsaw for Vienna and Paris. He died in Warsaw in 1867, and was buried there. 

 

[Event "Warsaw m"] [Site "Warsaw POL (Russian Empire)"] [Date "1844.11.??"] [Round "?"] [White "F Alexander Hoffmann"] [Black "Alexander Petrov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C53"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "1844.??.??"] {C54: Giuoco Piano} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ne4 {This is unsound, but in 1844 such assessments mattered little. Black’s only good move is 6...d5 which equalizes.} (6... d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 { is the Main Line which is equal.}) 7. Bd5 {Black has only two options here, Sacrifice the N or try to defend it with 7...f5} Nxf2 (7... f5 {This move is almost always met by 8.cxd4 after which white is better, but castling is actually a bit stronger.} 8. O-O Ne7 9. Bb3 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. cxd4 Bb6 12. Nc3 {White is better because he is stronger in the center and black's K-side is a bit loose.}) 8. Kxf2 dxc3+ 9. Kg3 {Surprisingly it matters little where the K gord. It's perfectly safe on g3.} cxb2 (9... O-O {May look better, but it's not at all satisfactory either.} 10. Nxc3 d6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Re1 { with a substantial advantage.}) 10. Bxb2 Ne7 {[%mdl 32] White has a N vs. 3Ps, but what counys is his space and mobility because they give him a clear advantage after 11.h3 or 11.Qe2. Instead, in the spirit of the day white decided on a sacrifice of his own.} (10... O-O 11. h3 {Equally good is 11.Re1} d6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qc2 Rb8 14. Nbd2 Be6 15. Rhe1 {White stands well. Mammadov,A (2409)-Abasov,N (2504) Baku AZE 2011}) 11. Ng5 {Intending to counter-sacrifice his N on f7.} Nxd5 (11... Nf5+ {also works.} 12. Kf4 O-O 13. h4 (13. Kxf5 d6+ 14. Kf4 dxe5+ 15. Bxe5 {Black has inly one winning move.} Be3+ 16. Kxe3 Qxg5+ 17. Kf2 Qxe5 18. Na3 Be6 {Black wins material.} 19. Bxe6 (19. Re1 Qxd5) 19... fxe6+ {wins}) 13... d6) 12. Nxf7 {Black would still be much better after 12.Qe7, but...} O-O {Spectacular! White is lost wheather he takes the Q or not.} ({Not} 12... Kxf7 13. Qxd5+ Ke8 14. Qxc5 {and white has equalized.}) 13. Nxd8 {Black has a forced mate.} (13. Qxd5 Rxf7 {White's K cannot escape the clutches of black's pieces.} 14. h3 Qg5+ 15. Kh2 Qf4+ 16. g3 Qf2+ 17. Qg2 Qxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Rf2+ 19. Kg1 b6 20. Ba3 Bd4 {and wins}) 13... Bf2+ 14. Kh3 d6+ {Black mates.} 15. e6 Nf4+ 16. Kg4 Nxe6 17. Nxe6 Bxe6+ 18. Kg5 Rf5+ 19. Kg4 h5+ 20. Kh3 Rf3# {Analysis with Stockfish informs us that Petrov's Accuracy Rating was a perfevt 100%} 0-1

Fischer’s Last American Tournament

    Bobby Fischer's last game was the 30th game of his 1992 rematch against Boris Spassky who resigned on his 27th move. I am not 100% positive, but I believe Fischer’s last America tournament was a double round rapid tournament at the Manhattan Chess Club in August of 1971. He won it with the incredible score of 21.5-0.5; he got nicked for a draw by Walter Shipman. 

    At the time, Fischer had just returned from winning candidates matches against Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen. His match against Larsen, played in Denver, Colorado, had just concluded and Fischer, himself, called the club and suggested they arranged a 5-minute double round -robin invitational tournament and he would participate/ 

    Fischer wasn't known for playing in such events although he had played in one in Herceg -Novi, Yugoslavia, where he won easily against top level competition. In this tournament everybody was certain Fischer would win and the question was, would he make a perfect score? He had some close calls, but the only real danger came in his games against Andrew Soltis and Walter Shipman. 

    Against Soltis, who at the time lacked an international title, Fischer had a Rook and some Pawns against a Queen and Pawns. For young reader who aren’t familiar with pre-digital age chess clocks, they had little flags that the minute hand raised and the flag dropped at 12. With both flags hanging and the players moving at lightening speed, Soltis blundered into a lost position. He could have played on and possibly won on time, but Soltis is a class act and so he resigned. 

    Against Walter Shipman, Fischer tried hard to to win a drawn Rook and Pawn endgame, Fischer blundered away his Rook but his connected, passed Pawns enabled him to secure the draw. 

 

 

    In the following game Fischer crushed GM Robert Byrne. On the March 1971 USCF rating list Fischer was #1 at 2771 and Byrne was ranked #7 at 2527. Note that ratings are a reflection of results, not strength although it’s obvious that the strongest players will have the best results. Ratings across decades do not compare to each other. For example, on the latest USCF rating list Fabiano Caruana is #1 at 2876 and there are 3 other players rated over 2800. Today a rating in the 2500s will only get you ranked below 35th place.

[Event "Manhattan CC 5-minute Tmt"] [Site ""] [Date "1971.08.08"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Bobby Fischer"] [Black "Robert Byrne"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B57"] [Annotator "Stockhish 171."] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1971.??.??"] [EventType ""] {B57: Sicilian: Sozin Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bc4 {A Fischer favorite. The Sozin Attack is white's most aggressive lines. Ot pften leds to direct play against black's K and sacrifies are frequently seen.} Qb6 {Sharp. 6...Bd6 is mre frequently seen.} 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O e6 9. Bf4 Qxb2 {Risky at best. More prudent is 9...Qc5} 10. Qd3 Qb4 11. Rab1 Qc5 {Black has lost a lot of time with his Q for the dake of picking up a P. How big is the price tag going to be?} 12. Rfd1 {A sly move. The threat is 13.Na4 forcing the Q away from defending the d-Pawn} e5 (12... Be7 13. Na4 Qa5 14. Bxd6 {and white is practically winning.}) 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bxf6 {Forcing black to weaken his K-side.} (14. Na4 {is not as efficient as the text.} Qa5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nc3 {is roughly equal.}) 14... gxf6 15. Ne2 {Even in a 5-minute game it's surprising that Fischer missed the tactical shot 15.Nd5!} ( 15. Nd5 Bd8 (15... cxd5 16. Bxd5 {snags the R on a8.}) 16. Ne3 Bc7 {Black has a solid, but camped position that offers few real prospects.}) 15... Be6 { [%mdl 8192] This results in more weaknesses around his K. A neutral move like 15,,,a4 and waiting for defe,opments seems like his best choice.} 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Rb7 {Clearly this leaves black in a difficult position, but there was an even better move,} (17. Qh3 Kf7 18. Qh5+ Kg7 19. Rb7 d5 20. Rd3 {and there is no defense against Rg3}) 17... Kf7 18. Rdb1 {[%mdl 1024]} d5 19. Ng3 h5 20. h4 {Very good. He doesn't wan the N driven off...it's going to leap into action from g3.} a5 21. Qf3 Kg6 (21... Qxc2 {would not have worked any. better.} 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Nxh5 {and white is winning.}) 22. R1b3 a4 23. Rc3 Qd6 24. Nxh5 { [%mdl 512] The finishing blow.} f5 (24... Rxh5 25. Qg4+ Kh6 26. Rg3 Rg5 27. hxg5+ fxg5 28. Rh3+ Kg7 29. Qxg5+ Kf7 30. Rh7+ Kf8 31. Qg6 {mate next move.}) 25. exf5+ exf5 26. Rxe7 {[%mdl 512] A beautiful finish.} (26. Rxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxc6+ Kf7 28. Qxf5+ {Black is hopeless.}) 1-0

Marshall vs. Pillsbury, a Titanic Struggle

    By1906, when a King’s Gambit Accepted theme tournament was held in Vienna the enthusiasm for romantic gambit play had all but disappeared. In an attempt to revive interest, the Vienna Chess Club sponsored a King's Gambit tournament. 

    With the financial support of Albert Rothschild, an Austrian banker, and Leopold Trebitsch, an Austrian industrialist and chess patron, the Vienna Chess Club invited ten masters who played a double-round event. 

    The positional players (Schlechter, Maroczy and Teichmann) found it tough going; the wild tactical positions resulting from the King’s Gambit were anathema to them! 

 

     Thee Russian Chigorin, known as King of the Gambiteers, was in his element as was Marshall. He got lucky in the following game, a titanic struggle, against Pillsbury. This tournament turned out to be Pillsbury’s last European tournament. He died of syphilis in Philadelphia in 1906. The first effective cure for the disease came in 1910, but it was an arsenic-based compound that was toxic and hard to use; the real and safe cure, penicillin, began its widespread use in the 1940s. 

 

[Event "Vienna"] [Site ""] [Date "1903.05.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Frank Marshall"] [Black "Harry Pillsbury"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C38"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1903.05.02"] {C38: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 {The Kimg's Gambit Acce[ted was obligatory in this tournament.} exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. Qd3 g4 {Safer is 7...Nc5. While the the text is risky, danger lurks for both sides.} 8. Ng1 $1 Qf6 $1 (8... Nc6 9. Ne2 Nge7 10. Nbc3 Nb4 11. Bxf7+ Kxf7 12. Qc4+ Be6 13. Qxb4 {with equal chances. Pavlovic,M (2345)-Tukmakov,V (2570) Lugano 1986}) 9. c3 h5 (9... Ne7 10. h5 d5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Qf1 Nd7 13. Bxf4 O-O-O {with equal chances. Cortlever,N-Euwe,M Amsterdam 1939}) 10. Na3 { The N remains out of play for a long time, so 10.Ne2 was better.} Ne7 11. Ne2 Ng6 {White gains the advantage after this. The aggressive 11..f3! was much better.} (11... f3 12. gxf3 Qxf3 13. Ng3 Be6 {offers equal chances.}) 12. g3 { This move looks very risky, but white is in cotrol.} (12. Nb5 {This is even better. The threat of Nxc7+ forces black into a passive position.} Na6 13. O-O Qxh4 14. Nxf4 {The position is rife with dizzying tactical complications, but they favor white.} g3 (14... d5 15. Nxg6 fxg6 16. exd5 Bf5 17. Rxf5 gxf5 18. Bf4 O-O 19. d6+ Kh8 20. dxc7 Qf6 21. Rf1 {White is winning.}) 15. Bxf7+ Kd8 16. Nh3 Bxh3 17. gxh3 Qxh3 18. Qe2 {White has a decisive advantage.}) 12... fxg3 13. Rf1 {Excellent! This looks questionable because of 13...Qh4+, but Marshall played 13.Rf1 in order to keep his attack alive even at a considerable material cost.} Qxh4 14. Bxf7+ Kd8 {White should now capture on ge (with either piece) which would leave him with a significant advantage. Instead, he plays a nove that leats his opponent right back in the game.} 15. Bxg6 g2+ 16. Rf2 Rf8 {It would have been slightly better to get more pieces into play with 16...Be6} 17. Be3 Bh6 {[%mdl 512] aiming for ...Rf3.} 18. Bxh6 {[%mdl 8192] A miscalculation that lands white in serious trouble.} (18. Bf5 {keeps a slim edge after} Bxf5 19. Bxh6 Re8 20. Be3 Bxe4 21. Qb5 c5 22. O-O-O Bf3 23. Qd3 Qe7 24. Nc2 {The N finally finds somrthing to do.} Qe4 25. Qd2 {and as odd as it may appear, black cannot find a way to utilizr his K-side Ps. However, that's not to say black is totally without hope. In Shootouts white scored +3 -0 =2, so black does have some slight chance of avoiding defeat.} g3) 18... g1=Q+ { [%mdl 512]} 19. Nxg1 Qxf2+ 20. Kd1 Qxg1+ 21. Kc2 Rf2+ {Keeping up the pressure. It's black who has energed from the last few moves with a winning attack.} 22. Bd2 Qxa1 {A fascinating position! Black has an enormous material plus (2Rs+2Ps vs a B and so has a theoretical win. Even so, his position is difficult to play becaise his lack of development tell against him.} 23. Qe3 Rxd2+ {Black still has the upper hand after this, but he missed the sockdolager.} (23... Qf1 24. Qg5+ Rf6 25. Nc4 Nd7 26. Qxh5 c6 27. Ne3 {The N has finally reached a decent square, but black is beginning to get his pieces developed and he still has 2Rs vs. a B.}) 24. Qxd2 Bd7 25. Qg5+ {[%mdl 8192] This juicy looking check should have lost because black can get away.} (25. Qh6 {Threatening Qf8+ is a different story.} Ba4+ 26. b3 Qxa2+ 27. Kd3 c6 28. Qf8+ Kc7 29. Nc4 b5 30. Qxd6+ Kb7 31. Na5+ Kb6 {The line leading to this messy position would be nearly impossible to calculate OTB and this position difficult to play, but the chances are now equal.}) 25... Kc8 $18 26. Bf5 b6 {Pillsbury is rightly playing to win. One old annotation suggested that he should have taken the draw.} (26... Bxf5 27. Qg8+ Kd7 28. Qf7+ Kc6 29. Qd5+ Kd7 30. Qf7+ {draws}) ( 26... Qxa2 {This is also good. It prevents Qg8+ and so white has to try and find some way to keep up the pressure.} 27. Qxh5 Qg8 {It's black's Q that lands on g8 and the g-Pawn cannot be stopped.} 28. e5 g3 29. e6 g2 30. exd7+ Nxd7 31. Be6 g1=Q 32. Bxg8 Qxg8 {Black is a R+P up and has a won game.}) 27. Qg8+ Kb7 28. Bxd7 Nxd7 29. Qd5+ c6 30. Qxd6 Rd8 {It's logical to defend the N, but, ironically, it's one square too far and now the chances are back to equal! } (30... Rc8 31. Qxd7+ Rc7 32. Qe6 (32. Qf5 Qe1 33. Qxh5 Qxe4+ 34. Kd2 Re7 { with a winning position.}) 32... Qe1 33. Nc4 Qf2+ 34. Kb3 Qf8 35. Nd6+ Kb8 36. d5 g3 37. dxc6 g2 38. Qg6 Rg7 {wins}) 31. d5 {This keeps things complicated and, as a result, Pillsbury soon slips up.} Rf8 {[%mdl 8192] This plausible move loses! Stockfish is announcing a mate in 20 for white.} (31... Nc5 { Returning the extra R is more clear than 31...Ka6.} 32. Qxd8 Qxa2 33. dxc6+ Kxc6 34. Qc8+ Kd6 35. Nb5+ Ke7 36. Qc7+ Kf8 {White has to take the draw by keeping up the Q checks otherwise ...Qcb2+ ;eaves b;ack with too many Ps.}) ( 31... Ka6 32. dxc6 Qf1 33. cxd7 Qf2+ 34. Kb3 Qf7+ {After the d-Pawn falls black's K-side Ps will be unstoppable.}) 32. dxc6+ Ka8 33. cxd7 Rf2+ 34. Kb3 Qxb2+ 35. Ka4 {Black resigned. A titanic struggle with a surprising turnaround. } (35. Ka4 b5+ 36. Nxb5 Qxa2+ 37. Na3 Qg8 38. d8=Q+ Qxd8 39. Qxd8+ Kb7 40. Qd7+ Kb8 41. Nb5 Ra2+ 42. Kb3 Ra3+ 43. Kxa3 a5 44. Qc7+ Ka8 45. Qa7#) 1-0

Fine Beats Botvinnik

    Reuben Fine (1914-1993, 73 years old) is mot, or perhaps never was, greatly appreciated as a player. He grew up in New York City and learned to play chess at the age of eight. 

    After winning several strong tournaments in the U.S. he then made a name for himself in international tournaments. He played on three Olympiad teams from 1933 to 1937, winning one gold and one silver individual medal. In 

    1937 he tied with Paul Keres for first at Margate, and at the AVRO tournament in 1938, he again finished tied for first with Keres. Then came World War II and he was employed by the Navy to estimate where enemy submarines might surface. These estimates were essentially educated guesses and often highly inaccurate.

    After World War II, Fine was invited to the World Championship tournament in 1948, but declined because he was working on his Ph.D. in psycholgy and he expressed dissatisfaction with FIDE's organization coupled with a distrust of thr Russian players thinking they would cheat bu helping each other. After that he pretty much faded from view. 

    Mikhail Botvinnik (1011-1995, 83 years old) was a different story. He learned the game early and progressed rapidly, winning the first of six USSR Championships in 1931; the others came in 1933, 1939, 1944, 1945 and 1952. 

    With the death of Alexander Alekhine in 1946, FIDE took control of the World Championship and invited six players to take part and Botvinnik won it. In 1957 Smyslov defeated Botvinnik in a World Championship match, but lost the return match the following year. Then in 1960, he lost to Mikhail Tal, won the rematch in 1961. He lost the title for the last time to Tigran Petrosian in 1963.

 

    In November of1938, a Dutch radio company AVRO organized and sponsored what was up to that time the strongest tournament ever held. Fine finished tied forfirst with Paul Keres who was declared the winner as a result of a better tiebreak score. 

 

[Event "AVRO"] [Site "The Netherlands"] [Date "1938.11.06"] [Round "1"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C17"] [Annotator "Fine and Stockfish"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1938.11.06"] {C17: French Defense} 1. e4 {(Notes by Reuben Fine, supplemented by Stockfish). Before this tournament I was known as a d4 player, hence my first move must have come as somewhat of a surprise to Botvinnik.} e6 {Botvinnik does not vary. Against e4 he almost invariably played the French, sometimes he tried the Sicilian.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. dxc5 {This is the prepared move. Unlike Euwe, I make it a rule not to analyze such lines too profoundly before the game because it is most essential to be able to meet whatever surprises come up over the board and not everything can be foreseen.} Ne7 6. Nf3 Nbc6 7. Bd3 d4 {Accepts the complications. On 7...Bxc5 8.O-O, White's game is freer.} 8. a3 Ba5 {This gets a ! from Stockfish as both 8...Bxc3 and 8...dxc3 favor white (Tartajubow)} 9. b4 Nxb4 $1 10. axb4 Bxb4 11. Bb5+ {Another possibility was O-O, but the move played was part of the prepared variation.} (11. O-O Bxc3 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Ng5 Qxe5 14. Qh5 g6 15. Qh6 Ng8 16. Qh4 Kf8 17. Bf4 Qd5 18. Bd6+ Kg7 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 20. Qd8 e5 21. Qf8+ Ke6 22. f4 e4 23. f5+ {1-0 (23) Hodgson,J (2590)-Kupreichik,V (2500) Germany 1998}) 11... Nc6 (11... Bd7 { and black us slightly better after} 12. Qxd4 Bxc3+ 13. Qxc3 Bxb5 {Slobodjan,R (2490)-Schmidt,R (2370) Germany 2014}) 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. Ra4 Bxc3+ 14. Bd2 { Suddenly Black discovers that he is lost. The Bishop is hopelessly shut in, and it is only a question of time before White's superior development make itself felt.} f6 {Desperately trying to free the bishop. (This move gets a ? from the engine. Black shpuld have tried `4...a5 with approximate equality/ Tartajubow)} 15. O-O {[%mdl 2048]} O-O 16. Bxc3 dxc3 17. Qe1 a5 (17... fxe5 { This is his best try.} 18. Nxe5 Qd2 19. Qxd2 cxd2 20. Rd1 Rb8 21. f4 {Making an escape for his K.} (21. Rxa7 Rb2 {and black has equalized.}) 21... Rb5 ( 21... Rb2 22. Rxd2 {wins}) 22. Rxd2 a5 {and black can at least put up a fight (Tartajubow)}) 18. Qxc3 Ba6 19. Rfa1 Bb5 20. Rd4 {Black was hoping for 20.Rxa5 which would bring some freedom to the Black pieces.} (20. Rxa5 Rxa5 21. Qxa5 Qxa5 22. Rxa5 {Black has completely equalized (Tartajubow)}) 20... Qe7 21. Rd6 a4 {To tie the rook down.} 22. Qe3 {Threatens to win a pawn, but not in an obvious way. &uis move gets a ! from both Fine and Stockfish. Tartajubow)} Ra7 23. Nd2 {The point: the poor Bishop will be driven away.} a3 {The pawn goes anyhow.} 24. c4 ({Less strong is} 24. Rxa3 Rfa8 $16) 24... Ba4 25. exf6 Qxf6 26. Rxa3 Re8 27. h3 {After this q - iet move, Black might as well resign. (Stockfish gives white a 4.5 Pawn advantage Tartajubow)} Raa8 28. Nf3 Qb2 29. Ne5 Qb1+ 30. Kh2 Qf5 31. Qg3 {Too many threats. Black can't guard the 7th rank. --Fine (Black does not have a single move, and Rf3 is threatened. A combination of a splendid strategic idea with tactical subtleties.--Botvinnik). } 1-0

Searching for Old Chess Publications

 

       Sunday posts are rare, but after the Alberta Clipper went through this neck of the woods last night and most of the city is moving at a crawl, it's a good time to check out the Hathi site.

     HathiTrust was founded in 2008 as a not-for-profit collaborative of academic and research libraries now preserving 19+ million digitized items. They offer access to the extent allowed by U.S. and international copyright laws. 

    If you sign on HERE and search for "chess' a lot of stuff comes up and a lot of scrolling will be required, but you can find old publications on chess problems or old copies of the British Chess Magazine or if you get really lucky, something like Smyslov’s Best Games. 

    Some other title you might find are Chess News Jan-Nay 1916 or a selection of games played in the international tournament at Bradford, England in 1888. 

    Most of this material won't find anywhere else and it is entertaining browsing. Of course, you must be able to read Descriptive Notation.

Don’t Scratch That Itch!

  

    Not too long ago I got the urge to try my luck again at correspondence play. My last try was a year ago when I played a two game match against a player who is both an OTB IM and ICCF IM. 

    The goal was to test the Berserk engine which I had read was sometimes able to uncover hidden opening resources that might not be found by other engines. It didn’t find any and when we reached the early middlegame it seemed like my position in both games was starting to deteriorate a bit, so I switched back to Stockfish and drew both games. 

    I nearly entered an event that would have required me to play 10 games, but got to thinking that was too many. A lot of players who win top level correspondence tournaments these days find repeating the task too exhausting and they often don’t opt for a repeat performance. I’m not a top level player, but do I really want to put in that kind of effort? The answer is, “No!” and in any case my old laptop which is held together with clamps and duct tape just isn’t packing the gear for such play. 

    These days an important thing in correspondence play is opening preparation. The goal is to find a line that looks good on a cursory engine analysis, but when you go deeper it’s flawed. That takes hours (or days!) of analysis. 

    You also have to use different engines because each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Plus you must be able to guide the engine into lines that it might not prioritize on its own. Engines sometimes misjudge complex positions, especially endings. (I wouldn’t know, but that’s what the good correspondence players say). It’s those critical junctures a human has to recognize. The bottom line is that merely copying an engine's top move will likely lead to a draw or a loss against a strong, engine-assisted opponent. I have neither the gumption nor the skill to do all that. Hence, I avoided temptation. Here’s the way we played correspondence chess in the old days. 

 

[Event "Semi-Finals Golden Knights Postal Tmt"] [Site "CORRESPONDENCE"] [Date "1971.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Mike K."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B91"] [Annotator "Stockfosh 17.1"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1971.??.??"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IND"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] {B91: Sicilian Najdorf} 1. e4 c5 {The only thing I remember about this game is that my opponent was from Canada and he owned a furniture store.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 {A solid, if unambitious , line. My source was O'Kelly's The Sicilian Flank Game.} e5 7. Nde2 {Again, a bit passive, but also a bit more solid than 7.Nb3. This game was played in the semi-finals of Chess Review's big one, the Golden Knights and I wanted to male sure I qualified for the finals. This loss and one to US Senior Master Arthur Feuerstein meant I failed to qualify.} Be7 8. Bg5 {The main oprion is to delay this for a while and play play Bg2 and O-O.} Be6 9. Bg2 (9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd3 O-O 11. Bg2 Nc6 12. O-O Rc8 {½-½ (12) Matulovic,M-Bogdanovic,R Sarajevo 1968} ) 9... Nbd7 10. a4 {I am not sure where O'Kelly's book line ended it analysis, but it's possible that it was around here. My database has no games after this move, so we may habe been on our own at this point.} O-O 11. O-O Rc8 12. h3 b6 (12... Nxe4 {at once was a possibility suggesyed by a couple of engines.} 13. Bxe7 Nxc3 14. Qxd6 Nxe2+ 15. Kh2 Qa5 16. Bxf8 Nxf8 17. Bxb7 Rc4 18. b3 Rb4 19. Qxa6 Qc5 20. Qxe2 Rxb7 {White has a R+P vs. B+N and the chances are about equal, but practically speaking it looks very unclear/}) 13. b3 {When I first saw this tiday it looked like an odd (bad?) move, but engines find ni fault with it. Actually, the position is so evenly balanced it's difficult to suggest a good plan of action for rither side.} Nxe4 14. Nxe4 {This leads to a very slight advantage for blkack, but it avoids the complications arising from 14.Bxe7} Bxg5 15. Nxd6 Rc7 16. f4 exf4 17. Nxf4 Nc5 {Remarkably, the last few moves havem't been faulted by Stockfish which now recommends either 18.Nxe6 or 18.Ne4} 18. b4 {This is not really bad, but black is beginning to get a very slightly better position.} Rd7 19. bxc5 bxc5 (19... Bxf4 {was a bit better because it allows black to take advantage of the pin on the N...} 20. gxf4 bxc5 21. Nxf7 Bxf7 22. Qg4 Rd2 23. Rad1 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Rd8 {with a slight advantage.}) 20. Nxe6 $14 fxe6 21. Rxf8+ Qxf8 22. Qh5 Be3+ 23. Kh2 Rxd6 24. Rf1 {Black has an extra P, but the Bs of opposite color and combined with the beavy pices don; t give him any advantage. However, white's defense is more difficult and any slip could have serious consequences.} Qe7 25. Be4 Rd2+ 26. Kh1 {[%mdl 2048] Stockfish's evaluation is returning 0.00, so you woulf think a draw is going to be the outcome.} h6 {Apparently black did not want a draw.} (26... g6 27. Bxg6 Qb7+ (27... hxg6 28. Qxg6+ Kh8 29. Rf7 {wins}) 28. Qf3 Rd1 29. Qxb7 Rxf1+ 30. Kh2 Rf2+ 31. Kh1 (31. Qg2 Rxg2+ 32. Kxg2 hxg6 {and whote has lost a piece.} ) 31... Rf1+ {draws}) 27. Qg6 (27. Rf3 $16 Rd1+ 28. Kg2 Rd2+ {draws}) 27... Rf2 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Rb1 {I was not eschewing the draw here...I thought this was winning. It's not; it only leads to equality.} (29. Rxf2+ Bxf2 30. Bg6+ Kf6 31. Bd3 Qb7+ 32. Kh2 Bd4 {is a draw.}) 29... Qg5 30. g4 {This is a losing blunder that fatally weakens the dark squares around my K.} (30. Rb7+ {looks goodm but loses after} Kf6 {and there is no followup.} 31. Qg8 (31. Qg6+ Qxg6 32. Bxg6 Kxg6) (31. Qxg7+ Qxg7 32. Rxg7 Kxg7) 31... Rf1+ 32. Kg2 Rg1+ 33. Kf3 Qxg3+ 34. Ke2 Re1+ 35. Kd3 Bf2+ 36. Bf3 Qxf3+ {mate next move.}) (30. Qh8 {would draw...} Bd4 (30... Qxg3 31. Rb7+ Kf6 32. Qd8+ Ke5 33. Qb8+ {wins the Q.}) 31. Rb7+ Kf6 32. Qd8+ Ke5 33. Qxg5+ hxg5 34. Bd3 {with a draw.}) 30... Bf4 (30... Kf6 { was much better. White has no good move. However, the consequences of 30...Kf6 would be extremely difficult to calculate. As it is, black;s move is quite satisfactory.} 31. Qg8 Rh2+ 32. Kxh2 Qe5+ 33. Kg2 Qxe4+ 34. Kg3 Qf4+ 35. Kg2 Qf2+ 36. Kh1 Qf3+ 37. Kh2 Bf4+ 38. Kg1 Qg3+ 39. Kf1 Qxh3+ 40. Ke2 Qh2+ 41. Kf1 (41. Kd3 Qd2+ 42. Ke4 Qe3#) 41... Qh3+ 42. Ke1 Qh4+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+) 31. Bg2 { This is the only defense.} (31. Rb7+ {...the move white has been hoping to play since playing 29...Rb1 loses.} Kf6 32. Qg8 Rh2+ 33. Kg1 Be3+ 34. Kf1 Qf4+ {mates in 2}) 31... Be5 {This is a serious slup that should have allowed ne to equalize.} (31... Bc7 {gets the B out of the way of the Q and allows black to gain a winning advantage in the ending despite Bs of opposite color and having Qs on the board. However, the variations would not be easy to calculate, so the outcome would still not be clear.} 32. Qe4 Qd2 33. Qd3 Kf6 34. Rf1 Rxf1+ 35. Qxf1+ Ke7 36. Qc4 Qd1+ 37. Bf1 Qd6 38. Qe2 Qc6+ 39. Kg1 Qxa4) 32. Qh8 { [%mdl 8192] After this the game is over. Centralizing the Q would have probably resulted in a draw.} (32. Qe4 Bc7 33. Re1 Qd5 34. Qxd5 exd5 35. Bxd5+) 32... Qf4 {The aforementioned dark square weakness is now evident.} 33. Rb7+ Kg6 34. Qe8+ {As intended when playing 32.Qh8} Kh7 35. Qxe6 (35. Rxg7+ Bxg7 36. Qxe6 Qc1+ 37. Kh2 Qxc2 38. Qd5 Rxg2+ 39. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 40. Kxg2 {is hopeless.}) 35... Qh2# {With this loss, coupled with my loss to Feuerstein, I failed to qualify for the finals and so was unable to add to my collection of the emblem of th Golden Knight, a sterling silver, gold-plated and enameled lapel button. I did however rceive a prize of $2.50 off the entry fee into another tournament.} 0-1

Fine’s Preposterous Opening

    Reuben Fine (1914-1993) was a formidable player with a solid style. Arnold Denker compared him to Bobby Fischer because both were active positional players who possessed a universal style and were able to win in a variety of ways.

    Fine always aimed for precision without regard for where it lead tactically, positionally or into the ending. Tatrtakower observed that Fine, like Capablaca, was often able to make something out of nothing in his games. Denker even went so far as to claim that Fine was better than Reshevsky because he had a better understanding of the game. According to Denker, Reshevsky had the better record only because Fine lacked the tenacity and singleness of mind that Reshevsky had.

    Today Fine is probably remembered more for writing Basic Chess Endings than anything else. It's hardly entertaining reading because it's like a text book on a boring college subject. It focuses on endings that occur most frequently and offers tried-and-tested rules. Over the years mistakes in analysis were found, but the value of the book has not diminished and a great deal can be learned from it.

    Before he became one of the world's best players, in his college days the teenage Fine sometimes played some pretty bizarre openings as the following game show. The game was played in the 1931/32 Intercollegiate Championship that was won by City College of New York; Fine played board 1. 

    Even when playing an irregular opening the objective must be based on sound opening principles. So, after the move 1.f3 against Rappaport, Fine did not neglect the center. When his opponent failed to take advantage of the opportunity to gain space with 3...d4 Fine was able to gain control of the center himself. 

 

[Event "Intercollegiate Chp 1931/32, New York"] [Site "USA"] [Date "1931.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "J. Rappaport"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1931.??.??"] {Barnes Opening} 1. f3 {Named after Thomas Barnes (1825-1874), an English player who had an impressive eight wins over Paul Morphy, including one game where Barnes answered 1.e4 with 1...f6, known as Barnes Defense. Edmar Mednis called it the worst possible opening because it does not develop a piece, doesn’t open any lines and actually hinders the development of white’s N. If that is not enough, it also weakens the K-side P-structure, opens the e1-h4 diagonal against the uncastled K and opens the g1-a7 diagonal against white’s potential K-side castled position.} d5 2. e4 e5 3. Nc3 c6 {3...d4 would gain space and is best. Evifemtly black wants to keep the position open. However, after 3...c6 Fine manages to trades Qs which greatly reduces black’s attacking chances.} (3... d4 4. Nb5 c5 5. d3 a6 6. Na3 Nc6 {Black has the advantage. Mustiola,N-Velez,E Villa Giardino 2002}) 4. d4 dxe4 5. dxe5 Qxd1+ $1 6. Nxd1 exf3 {Amazingly, this position is equal no matter which way white captures on f3!} 7. gxf3 {Fine intends to support the e-Pawn with a P and perhaps create chances by advancing the e- and f-Ps.} Be6 8. Bh3 Bd5 { After this move, which looks quite reasonable, Fine manages to build up a very strong center formation. Black should have played 8...Bxh3 which has the merit of leaving white's N not so well place.} 9. Ne3 Bc5 {Better was 9...Be6} 10. c4 {It would have been better to play 10.Nxd5 gicing black an isolated d-Pawn which, now that the Qs are off the board, would leave white with a favorable endgame.} Bxe3 {Retreating to e6 was still the best option. White's two Bs will come in handy.} 11. cxd5 Bxc1 (11... Bd4 {is met tactically and was no better.} 12. Ne2 Bxe5 13. f4 Bc7 14. Bc8 Nd7 15. Bxb7 Rb8 16. Bxc6 {White has won a P.}) 12. Rxc1 Nd7 13. f4 {Well polayed!} (13. dxc6 {is not nearly as good because after} bxc6 14. Rxc6 Nxe5 {material is equal and it will be difficult for white to demonstrate any advantage}) 13... cxd5 (13... Ne7 { As bad as this is it's his best chance.} 14. d6 Nd5 15. Ne2 {Even here black can do much except to sit tight.}) 14. Rc7 {The R on the 7th rank spells disaster for black. One is almost left wondering how black has gotten into such a bad position so quickly when white’s opening was one of the worst possible!} Nb6 15. Rxb7 Ne7 16. Ne2 Nc6 17. Rg1 g6 18. Kf2 Ne7 {Castling would have been a bit better.} 19. Rc1 Nc4 {Obviously white cannot be allowed to double Rs on the 7th.} 20. b3 Na5 21. Rxe7+ Kxe7 22. Rc5 {Winning the N so black gets what he can for it} Nxb3 23. axb3 {Materially speaking white has a B+N vs R+P which is of about equal value, but here it's the mobility of white's pieces that is important.} a5 24. Rc7+ {Forcing the K to the back rank and leaving the R on h8 useless.} Ke8 25. Nc3 Rb8 26. Nxd5 Kf8 27. e6 {Black has no defense.} f5 (27... fxe6 28. Bxe6 Rb5 (28... Rxb3 29. Nf6 Rb2+ 30. Ke3 { Black is in a mating net.}) 29. Nf6 {mates}) 28. Nf6 {Black resigned. Mate on f7 can’t be avoided. An amazing demonstration by Fine.} 1-0

King Hunt by Feigins

    Movsas Feigins (or Feigin) was born in what was at the time the Russian Empire, but is now Daugavpils, Latvia. 

    He was a prominent Jewish Latvian master duting the 1930s. He was the Latvian Champion in 1932 and competing in several strong international tournaments before World War II. Between 1930 and 1939 Feigin played for Latvia in five official Olympiads and one unofficial one.

    Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2581 in 1941 ranking him #49 in the world. Some other players close to his ratings were Soviet GM Grigory Levenfish and American Masters Albert Pinkus and Arnold Denker. Botvinnik was top rated at 2786. 

    In September 1939, when World War II began, Feigins was competing in the Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Like many other participants, he chose to stay in Argentina permanently. He remained in South America, living for a time in Paraguay before returning to Buenos Aires, where he died in poverty in 1950. 

 

 

[Event "Hamburg Olympiad"] [Site ""] [Date "1930.07.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Movsa Feigins"] [Black "Einar Thorvaldsson"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D01"] [Annotator "Stockfosh 17.1"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1930.07.13"] {D01: Ricter-Veresov Opening} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 {The Richter–Veresov Attack was played by Marshall and Tartakower, but the German player Kurt Richter develop new ideas during the 1930s. Soviet player Gavriil Veresov contributed greatly to its theory in the 1940s and 1850s. While never popular at the top levels, it is a good chioce for players with an attacking style.} Nbd7 4. f3 e6 5. e4 dxe4 6. fxe4 Be7 7. Nf3 h6 {While this os not really bad, there is no good reason to play this move, It slightly weakens the K-side and ultimately cause him serious problems. Either 7...O-O or 7...c5 would have been better.} 8. Be3 (8. Bf4 a6 9. e5 Nd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Qd2 Nf8 12. O-O-O {is equal. Obrusnik,M (2184)-Szczepkowska-Horowska,K (2297) Wroclaw POL 2010}) 8... b6 {This is way too slow. He should try 8...c5} ({Black should try} 8... c5 $14) 9. e5 {Already white has a strong attack.} Nd5 {The N has no entirely satisfactory square.} (9... Ng4 10. Bg1 Bb7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Qe2 c5 13. O-O-O {with the better game. Steiner,D (2265)-Stajner,S Bled 2001}) 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 c5 {This comes too late to do black any good. More importantly, black has either overlooked white's next move or underestimated it. It was imperative that he prevent whote's next move with 11...Nf8 followed by 12...Ne6 } 12. e6 {After this it's evident that black's 7th move was faulty; he now has a fatal weakness on the light squares.} fxe6 13. Bg6+ Kf8 {The K is driven to the pillar; it will soon be driven to the psot.} 14. Ne5 Qc7 15. O-O+ Nf6 16. Qh5 Bd8 17. Rf2 Ke7 {There is no safe haven for the K.} 18. Qh4 cxd4 19. Bxd4 a5 {It really doesn't matter what black plays; he either has to make a move or resign.} 20. Qg3 Rf8 21. Bh5 {[%mdl 512] Very clever!} Nxh5 (21... Rg8 22. Rxf6 gxf6 (22... Kxf6 23. Nc6+ e5 24. Qg6#) 23. Qxg8) 22. Ng6+ (22. Qa3+ {is, if nothing else, clever.} Qd6 23. Ng6+ Kd7 24. Nxf8+ {White has won the exchange and black's K is still in grave danger.}) 22... Kd7 23. Nxf8+ Kc6 24. Qf3 Nf6 25. Re1 Qf7 26. Nh7 Be7 27. c4 {Opening up lines for attack.} Bd7 28. Nxf6 gxf6 {White concludes vigorously.} 29. cxd5+ exd5 30. Rc2+ Kb7 {Feigins now executes a crushing finale.} 31. Rxe7 $1 {[%mdl 512]} Qxe7 32. Qxd5+ Kb8 33. Bf2 {Black resigned.} (33. Bf2 {The threat is Bg3+ and there is nothng black can do about it.} Bf5 (33... Ka7 34. Qxa5+ Kb8 35. Qxb6#) 34. Bg3+ Ka7 35. Rc7+ ) 1-0

Reshevsky Caught in Boden’s Mate

    As promised in the previous post this is the one game a young Sammy Reshevsky lost in a 1921 simultaneous display in St, Louis, Missouri. The game is interesting because Reshevsky got caught in Boden’s Mate. It's a handy pattern to keep in mind though it rarely happens. I can remember pulling it off in an online game only once. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Event "Simul, St, Louis"] [Site "?"] [Date "1921.08.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "Edward D. Duncan"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "James Massie"] [PlyCount "34"] [EventDate "1921.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.12.06"] {C40: Elephant Gambits} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 {This rarely played move is gemerally called the Elephant Gambit, but it has also been known by several different names. At the time this game was played it was called the Center Gambit. Whatever you call it, it is generally considered unsound because black is usually unable to gain compensation for the sacrificed Pawn.} 3. exd5 (3. Nxe5 {This is also good and statistically the results strongly favore white as they do after 3.exd5.} Nf6 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Qe2 {This is a bit better that the ogten played 5.d4. White is a Pawn up with no difficulties.}) 3... e4 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 {This is a mistake. The safest move is 5...Be7} (5... Be7 6. Nxe4 Nxd5 7. Nc3 {However, even here black has no compensation for the P.}) 6. Nxe4 {The attack on the B and the threatened discovered check give whiye what should amount to a winning advantaget} O-O {This is his best move. Black has the forlorn hope that white will take the B/} (6... Nxe4 7. Qxe4+ Be7 8. Bc4 { White is teo Ps up with a dominating position.}) 7. Nxf6+ (7. Nxc5 {is too inclear as the position becomes bery complicated. The best line seems to be} Re8 {This pin is bery difficult to meet and requires precise play.} 8. Ne6 Bxe6 9. dxe6 Rxe6 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. f4 Qe7 12. d4 Nxd4 13. Qd3 Ng4 14. Qxd4 Rd8 15. Qc3 Nxe5 16. fxe5 Rxe5+ 17. Kf2 Qf6+ 18. Kg3 Qg6+ 19. Kf2 Qf6+) 7... Qxf6 8. c3 Bd7 (8... Bg4 {is no better. Black still has a bad game.} 9. d4 Nd7 {White can capture the B with impunity. The fact that he doesn't shows how good his position is.} 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 Rfe8 12. Be3 Bg6 {White soon won. Dimitrov,V (2471)-Galvao,H (2187) Figueira da Foz POR 2007}) 9. d4 Bd6 10. Be3 Bf5 11. Nd2 Nd7 12. g3 {White could have gotten a strong attack with 12.g4 and 13.h4} Rfe8 13. Bg2 Qg6 14. O-O-O {Safer was 14.Nf3. After the text move white's advantage is diminished a bit.} c5 {Black equalizes with 14...Bd3, but this sneaky move catches Reshevsky off guard/} 15. dxc6 bxc6 {Now white should play 16.Rhe1 and he would have been a P up with a solid position.} 16. Bxc6 {[%mdl 8192] Black looks to be in trouble with both his R and N attacked.} Rac8 {The tables have turned and now it's white that is in serious trouble.} 17. Bxd7 {After this black has a mate in 2 by what is known as Boden;s Mate, a pattern in which two Bs deliver mate via intersecting diagonals. For this mate to happen the K's escapr squares must be blocked.} (17. Nf3 {at least avoids immendiate disaster. } Rxc6 18. Nh4 Qe6 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 {White has to offer an exchange of Qs with either 20. Qc2 or 20.Qc3, but after 20...Qa5 black's onslaught would be irresistible.} 20. Rhe1 {This routine move loses...} Rxc3+ 21. bxc3 Ba3+ 22. Kd2 Rb8 23. Rb1 Rxb1 24. Rxb1 Qxb1 {with an extra piece.}) 17... Rxc3+ { [%mdl 512] White resigned.} (17... Rxc3+ 18. bxc3 Ba3# {Boden's Mate}) 0-1