Showalter Whiffs Whitaker

Jackson W. Showalter, U.S. Champion in the late 1800's is credited by some with inventing baseball’s curve ball. An excerpt from Showalter’s obituary in the March 1935 issue of Chess Review read: Mr. Showalter was famous as a baseball player and was an ardent fan up until the latter part of his life when bad health kept him at home. He was the first man in Kentucky to pitch a curve ball and one of the seven men who discovered the curve. 

Another well known player of the day, Henry Chadwick, who was involved in correspondence chess and published a number of articles on the contemporary chess scene, is known as "The Father of Statistical Baseball." Also, in April 1859, a Brooklyn baseball team was named after Paul Morphy. 

Back in 1916, Showalter, then of Georgetown, Kentucky, vindicated his position in the U.S. chess hierarchy by defeating Norman T. Whitaker of Washington. D. C., who at that time was one of the most promising of the younger generation of American players, by the lop-sided score of six games to one. The games were played in Lexington and Georgetown. The winner was the first to win six games.

The result convinced many of the veteran Showalter’s fans that he would have fair chances of success in a match against Marshall and, at the same time, the admirers of Whitaker, while greatly disappointed, convinced themselves that the young lawyer had failed to do himself anywhere near the justice his ability deserved. A perusal of some of the games appears to bear them out, but on the other hand Showalter deserves credit for the decisive manner in which he won the match. 

In the games Showalter invariably played 1.d4 while Whitaker pinned his faith on the Ruy Lopez, but lost all three of the games in which he had white. 

In the first game Whitaker ended up with a weak center and lost a P on move 19 after which Showalter carefully nursed his advantage to victory. In the second game Showalter, playing black, broke up Whitaker’s P-formation on the Q-side and then segued his attack to the K-side. 

Whitaker scored his only win in a tactical melee in the third game. In game four, Whitaker conducted the opening well and won a Pawn. In an ending with Bs of opposite colors and three Ps to one on the K-side, somehow Whitaker managed to fritter away his advantage and lost. 

On a par with this experience was his poor play in the fifth game in which he won a P, but not only couldn’t hold it, he lost one. He got two passed Ps on the Q-side, but Showalter got a R on the seventh and wiped out all of Whitaker's Ps on the opposite wing. After that, Showalter sacrificed a R for one of the black Ps and was left with four Ps to one and then managed to win the race to queen. 

In the sixth game Whitaker's attack came to naught and at move 22 he blundered away a N. Whitaker's play in the final game was, as one commentator put it, “not quite intelligible” for he gave up a P on the fourteenth move after which a futile advance of the K-side Ps only weakened his position even further. 

The results (Showalter was white in odd numbered games): 

1) Showalter (QGD, 50 moves) 

2) Showlter (Ruy Lopez, 47 moves) 

3) Whitaker (QGD, 32 moves) 

4) Showalter (Ruy Lopez, 50 moves) 

5) Showalter (QGD, 62 moves) 

6) Showalter (Ruy Lopez, 34 moves) 

7) Showalter (QGD, 53 moves) 

Here is Whitaker’s only win, a real tactical brawl.

Jackson W. Showalter - Norman T. Whitaker

Result: 1-0

Site: Match, Georgetown, Kentucky

Date: 1916 

Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker's Defense

[...] 1.d4 d5 2.♘f3 ♘f6 3.c4 e6 4.♘c3 ♘bd7 5.♗g5 ♗e7 6.e3 ♘e4 The solid Lasker's Defense without black playing 6.. .h6 first. It is rare that black omits the move 6...h6 and as far as I know Andy Soltis has been the only one to cover 6...Ne4 in his book Lasker's Defense to The Queen's Gambit. 7.♘xe4

7.♗xe7 is the alternative and it can transpose into a Dutch-like position. 7...♕xe7 8.♕c2 c6 9.♗d3 f5 10.O-O This lines appears to be more promising for white that the line he actually chose.

7...dxe4 8.♗xe7 ♕xe7 9.♘d2 f5 10.c5 This immediate expansion on the Q-side doesn't seem to work out too well.

10.f3 This jab at the center didn't work out well for white. 10...e5 11.♗e2 exd4 12.exd4 e3 13.♘b3 f4 with the better game for black in Levy,P-Planas Garcia,F/Helsinki 1952 although in the game black only managed a draw.

10.♗e2 seems to be the best. 10...O-O 11.O-O e5 12.d5 But even here black has the better prospects.

10...O-O 11.♗c4 ♔h8 12.O-O e5 13.♕e2 Technically the position is about equal, but practically speaking black looks to have all the chances. 13...♘f6 14.f3 ♗d7 15.b4

15.fxe4 fxe4 16.dxe5 ♕xe5 and black is better, but is his advantage enough to win? Apparently, yes because in Shootouts black scored 3 wins and two draws.

15...♖ae8 16.d5 b6 17.♘b3 After this white gets into real trouble.

17.fxe4 is correct. Then after 17...fxe4 18.♗b3 ♖d8 19.♕c4 chances are equal.

17...exf3 18.gxf3 b5 A little tactical diversion! 19.d6 Showalter counters with a little tactics of his own, but black is still better after...

19.♗xb5 This is just too dangerous. 19...♗xb5 20.♕xb5 ♘xd5 21.♖ae1 ♕g5 with a winning position.

19...cxd6 20.♗xb5

20.cxd6 ♕xd6 21.♗xb5 ♕xb4 22.♗xd7 ♘xd7 23.♕d2 is also better for black, but he should avoid the exchange of Qs.

20...♗xb5 21.♕xb5 ♘d5 Keeping up the pressure.

21...dxc5 is less good. 22.♕xc5 ♕f7 and white has hope owing to his Q-side Ps.

22.cxd6 ♕g5 Whitaker has no interest in the d-Pawn; he is going for the attack. 23.♔h1 ♘xe3 24.♖g1 ♕h5 Threating to mate after ...Qxf3+ 25.♕e2 f4 26.♘c5 This makes sense because it places the N on an outpost from where it can support the advance of the d-Pawn and it seems to guard against the advance of the e-Pawn.

26.♘d2 was actually better though. 26...e4 27.d7 (27.♘xe4 loses to 27...♖xe4) 27...♖d8 28.♘xe4 ♖xd7 An interesting position. Watching Stockfish strut its stuff in Shootouts was quite ineresting as black won 3 games with two draws from this position.

26...e4 With the N on c5 away from the center of the action this is even more devastating than if it were on d2. 27.d7 (27.♘xe4 loses to 27...♖xe4) 27...♖e7 Best. Here Showalter makes the fatal mistake of capturing the e-Pawn that was mentioned in the note to move 26.

27...♖d8 allows white to equalize, but it's complicated. 28.♘e6 The best line is 28...♖xd7 29.♖g5 exf3 30.♕f2 ♘d1 31.♕c5 ♕e8 32.♕xf8 ♕xf8 33.♘xf8 ♖d2 34.♖xd1 ♖xd1 35.♖g1 which probably will fizzle out to a draw.

28.♘xe4 An elementary blunder overlooking black's replay which takes advantage of the pin on the f-Pawn.

28.♖ad1 ♖d8 This leaves black with a won position. (28...♘xd1 29.♕xd1 ♖d8 30.fxe4 equalizes.) 29.♖de1 exf3 30.♕f2 ♕d5 and white is bound hand and foot and can only wait while black advances his K-side Ps.

28...♖xe4 With a N down there is nothing to prevent white from resigning. 29.♖ac1 ♖d4 30.♖c7 ♖d8 31.♖gc1 ♕d5 32.♖xa7 ♖d2 Showalter resigned.

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