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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Walter Goldwater, Bookseller, Chessplayer, Commie

 
     Walter Goldwater (1907-1985, 77 years old) was an antiquarian who founded University Place Book Shop in Manhattan, part of what was once known as "Book Row." He was a co-founder and publisher of Dissent magazine (a left-wing intellectual magazine). He also collected and wrote about collecting Incunabula (books published before 1501).
He was also a founding member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.
     In 1932 he opened his book shop at 12th and Broadway in Manhattan with $600 and the help of ''a Communist uncle by marriage.'' The bookstore specialized in African, African-American, and Caribbean (West Indies) literature as well as used, old, and rare books. Other specialties included chess, Russia and radicalism. Bobby Fischer was known to purchase chess books there. 
     Goldwater was born in Harlem, New York. His physician father, Dr. Abraham Goldwater, was a radical and knew many prominent black activists which likely explains Goldwater's specialty in books on black studies.
     In those years, the area housed dozens of book stores and constituted the city's center for second-hand books. Sidewalk stands in front of the shops were piled high with bargain books and rare books were found inside. Over the years, rising rents and changes in the book business forced most of the booksellers to close, but Goldwater hung on to the end. 
     He was a decent chess player and at the time of his death he was president of the Marshall Chess Club. He was also the guiding spirit of the annual Goldwater-Marshall invitational tournaments held at the Marshall Chess Club, often paying for the prizes out of his own pocket. His other main other interest was tennis, which he played more often than chess. Goldwater claimed that he knew hundreds of chess players and dozens of tennis players who could beat him, he never met anyone who could beat him at both. 
     He graduated from the University of Michigan and initially took clerical jobs to support himself. In 1930, he joined International Publishers, the most prominent communist publishing organization in the United States." 
     In 1931, Goldwater and his wife Ethel, who had joined him in studying Russian, traveled to Moscow where they helped set up the Cooperative Publishing Society of Foreign Workers. Both then worked there as translators and editors. Goldwater was a critic of Stalin, which landed him in trouble with authorities and they had to return to New York in early 1932. 
     Around 1932 or 1933, Whittaker Chambers tried to recruit Goldwater to open a bookstore near Columbia University to serve as a meeting place for Communist (Soviet) underground agents as well as mail drop. 
     Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor. Chambers became a Marxist and, in 1925, joined the Communist Party of the United States then known as the Workers Party of America. 
     Chambers was recruited to join the communist underground and began his career as a spy. Later he defected from the Soviet underground and worked for Time magazine from 1939 to 1948. Afterwards, he worked as a senior editor at National Review (1957–1959). 
     As for a bookstore, it was to be used as a Communist gathering place and Chambers checked with the Communist Party USA, but they rejected the idea because they were suspicious of him. 
     Goldwater willed his University Place Book Shop to a long-time employee who ran the shop from 1985 to 1988. The store closed in 1995, due to rising costs and a debt of $64,000 in unpaid rent. 
     Goldwater often competed in New York tournaments and here is his win against Harry Fajans in the 1943 Marshall Chess Club Championship. Here is a game from the 1943 Marshall Chess Club Championship in which Goldwater defeated Harry Fajans (May, 1905 - November, 1986, 81 years old), a USCF Expert (2000-2199) and a fixture in New York chess for many, many years.

Walter Goldwater - Harry Fajans

Result: 1-0

Site: Marshal CC Championship

Date: 1942

Latvian Gambit

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 f5 This aggressive attempt to take control of the game, immediately is considered dubious because black's P-sacrifice is probably not entirely sound and it also weakens his King. However, it can be tricky and it has a following of a few players who have maintained its soundness. At one time there were a few correspondence players especially were fond of it. 3.♘xe5
3.exf5 Although seen frequently, this has never been a favorite. 3...e4 And white can play either either 4.Qe2 or 4.Ne5 4.♘e5 ♘f6 5.♗e2 White stands well.
3.d4 Is another replay that has been seen occasionally. 3...d6 4.♘c3 fxe4 5.♘xe4 d5 6.♘xe5 dxe4 7.♕h5 and white is better.
3...♕f6 4.d4 d6 5.♘c4 fxe4 6.♘c3 ♕g6 7.♗f4 ♘f6 So far this is what may be considered the main line of the Latvian although of course both sides have tried many other moves along the way. 8.♘e3 Probably best. Oddly, for all those who claim that the Latvian is unsound, Komodo 10 only give white a very slight advantage here.
8.♕d2 is most often seen. 8...♗e7 9.O-O-O O-O 10.h3 with about equal play.
8...♗e7
8...c6 quickly landed black in trouble in the following game: 9.d5 c5 10.♘b5 ♘h5 11.♗xd6 ♗xd6 12.♘xd6 ♕xd6 13.♕xh5 Vedmediuc,S (2459)-Grigorian,R (2163)/Paris 2019 and white is winning.
9.♘cd5
9.♗e2 Seems too passive to hope for any advantage. 9...O-O 10.♗g3 c6 Correct is 10...Nc6! with equality. 11.d5 a6 12.O-O c5 13.a4 Nevanlinna,R (2310)-Hector,J (2470)/Jyvaskyla HOF 1993. White is better.
9.♗c4 Is a good try. 9...c6 10.d5 ♘h5 11.♗g3 ♘xg3 12.hxg3 ♘d7 Also worth considering is 12...c5 13.♗e2 ♘f6 De Bonnieres,P (2050)-Lebrun,X (2207)/FRA 2002 with approximate equality.
9...♗d8 10.♘xf6 ♕xf6 11.♗g3 White has failed to demonstrate that black's opening choice has been inferior. 11...♘c6 Black is headed down the wrong path by leaving his K in the center and initiating and immediate K-side attack. After 11...O-O the game is equal. 12.c3
12.d5 does not work... 12...♕xb2 13.♖b1 ♕c3 14.♕d2 ♕xd2 15.♔xd2 ♘b8 and black is just a little better.
12...h5 13.h4 ♘e7 14.♗e2 g6 15.♕c2 ♗f5 16.♕b3 b6
16...♗c8 is somewhat better. After 17.O-O ♘f5 18.♖ae1 at least black is still in the game, but even here his prospects are rather gloomy.
17.♗b5 ♗d7 18.♗c4 c6 19.O-O ♗g4 20.♖ae1 Black's position is precarious and it's hard to suggest a decent move, but his next move meets with a surprise rejoinder. 20...b5 21.♘xg4 Eliminating an important defensive piece before the coming surprise sacrifice.
21.♗xb5 Also works. 21...cxb5 22.♘d5
22.♕xb5 ♗d7 would actually put black tight back in the game and the outcome would be in doubt.
22...♕f7 (22...♘xd5 23.♕xd5 wins.) 23.♖xe4 ♔f8 24.♗xd6 ♗e6 25.♕xb5 ♗xd5 26.♖f4 wins.
21...hxg4 22.♗xb5
22.♖xe4 is even better... 22...bxc4 23.♕b7 Winning the R. 23...♖c8 24.♕xc8 O-O 25.♕e6 ♕xe6 26.♖xe6 and wins.
22...cxb5 23.♕xb5 ♔f8 24.♖xe4 ♗b6
24...♔g7 allows white to mop up... 25.♕b7 ♖c8 26.♕d7 ♖f8 27.♖fe1 g5 28.♕xd6 ♕xd6 29.♗xd6 ♖f7 30.♗xe7 ♖xe7 31.♖xe7 ♗xe7 32.♖xe7
25.♖fe1 (25.♖f4 ♘f5 and black is almost out of the woods.) 25...♘f5 26.♖e6 ♕f7 27.♖xd6 (27.♗xd6 is another good move. 27...♘xd6 28.♕e5 ♔g8 29.♕xd6) 27...♘xd6 28.♗xd6 ♔g8 Here white has established a won position and after 29.Qc6! he keeps a firm grip on the position. Instead he plays a move that should have allowed black to equalize. 29.♖e7
29.♕c6 ♖d8 30.♖e7 This invasion of the 7th rank is decisive. 30...♕xa2 31.♖e8 ♖xe8 32.♕xe8 ♔h7 33.♕e7 ♔g8 34.♗e5 ♕f7 35.♕xf7 ♔xf7 36.♗xh8
29...♕xa2 Assuring himself of a lost game.
29...♖h5 Equalizes. 30.♕d7 (30.♖xf7 ♖xb5 31.♖f4 ♖xb2 32.♖xg4 ♔f7 and black should be able to win.) 30...♕f6 31.♗e5 ♖xe5 32.♖xe5 ♖f8 There is no guarantee that white can win this. In Shootouts white scored +2 - 0 =4, so black has devent drawing chances.
30.♕e5 After this the win is well in hand. 30...♕b1 31.♔h2 ♖xh4 32.♔g3 Black could well resign here, but tries on last trick. 32...♖h3 33.♔xg4 Clean and safe!
33.gxh3 would also have won as black eventually would run out of checks. 33...♕g1 34.♔h4 ♕xf2 35.♔g5 ♕f5 36.♕xf5 gxf5 37.♔h6!37...gxh3 38.♖g7 ♔h8 39.♗e5 and there is no good way to meet the discovered check.
33...♕f5 34.♕xf5 ♖h4 35.♔xh4 gxf5 36.♔h5 ♗d8 37.♖e8 ♔f7 38.♖f8 Black resigned.
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