The Adjudicators Were Wrong!

     Today with a population of about 600,000 Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and it is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the United States. 

     Its history was heavily influenced by German immigrants in the 19th century and it became well known for its brewing industry. What's not well known is that in the early to mid-1900s Milwaukee was the hub of the socialist movement in the United States. The city, the only major city in the country to have done so, elected Socialist mayors...three of them: Emil Seidel (1910–1912), Daniel Hoan (1916–1940) and Frank Zeidler (1948–1960). 

     They were often referred to as "Sewer Socialists" and were known for their practical approach to government and labor. They emphasized cleaning up neighborhoods and factories with new sanitation systems, city owned water and power system and improved education systems. During his terms Mayor Daniel Hoan implemented the country's first public housing project. The socialists' influence began to dwindle in the late 1950s amidst the "Red scare". 

     On November 24, 1917, Milwaukee was the site of a terrorist explosion when a large black powder bomb exploded at the central police station killing nine members of the department and a female civilian. It was suspected that the bomb, the most fatal single event in national law enforcement history, had been placed by anarchists. 

     Also during this time, a small, but growing community of African-Americans who emigrated from the south formed a community that would come to be known as Bronzeville and soon became known as a "Harlem of the Midwest" for its jazz clubs and juke joints which attracted both local and nationally renowned musicians such as B.B. King and Ella Fitzgerald. Bronzeville's significance began to fall off as the heart of Milwaukee's Black community shifted north following World War II after the building of a major expressway which destroyed the geographic continuity of the district. 

     Not too many years before all this, during the war winter of 1916/1917 first rumors, then news, reached the Western world from German-occupied Poland that a little 5-year-old chess prodigy was said to have beaten some better than average Polish players and he had been giving simultaneous exhibitions with astonishing success. 

     In 1917, "Shmulik" Rzeschewski (November 26, 1911 – April 4, 1992) was taken to the Warsaw Chess Club where he had the opportunity to play the great Akiba Rubinstein, who was curious how well the boy actually played. Even though Rubinstein was blindfolded and Rzeschewski lost in about 90 minutes without much of a fight, Rubinstein told him, “Someday you will be world champion!” 

     In the April 8, 1917 issue of the Deutsches Wochenschach und Berliner Schachzeitung a lieutenant in the German army reported from that the little 5-year old prodigy had given exhibitions there and, "It is admirable what the little guy achieves, the pretty combinations he makes, and how he judges positions. Of course he is no master player but can be considered to be of more than average playing strength. One can only feel sorry for the poor child who now already travels from place to place for mercenary reasons. He will probably never amount to anything worth-while, perhaps not even become a first master in chess, if that can be considered as something desirable ... I played two games with him. After he had lost both, the child started to cry. I felt terribly sorry for him." 

     Samuel Rzeschewski visited the United States in 1920 and began making tours giving simultaneous exhibitions. October of 1921 he made his second appearance in Milwaukee where he played 11 opponents at Gimbel's Grill with the result that he won 10 games and lost one to A. H. Candee. 

     Rzeschewski's opponent in the following game was an obscure player who one paper described as the Dean of Wisconsin Chess, William L. Simonds. All I could discover about him was that he passed away in 1950. The game was a see-saw affair and when play was stopped after 30 moves it was adjudicated as a win for Rzeschewski, but that result was totally wrong...the chances were dead even! Ninety minutes of analysis by Stockfish 13 gives white only a 0.18 advantage.

Samuel Rzeschewski - William L Simonds

Result: 1-0

Site: Simultaneous, Milwaukee

Date: 1921

Giuoco Piano, Hungarian Defense

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗c4 d6 4.h3 ♗e7 The Hungarian Defense is a quiet response against the Giuoco Piano. Besides being very solid and easy to play, it has almost no critical variations which is why that great teacher C.J.S. Purdy recommended it for amateurs. The disadvantage is that black must be prepared to defend a cramped position. 5.d4 The universal reply. 5...exd4 Black almost always plays 5...Nf6 before playing this. 6.♘xd4 ♘f6

6...♘xd4 7.♕xd4 ♗f6 8.♕d5 ♕e7 9.O-O c6 10.♕d3 ♗e6 as in Savic,M (2503)-Nikolic,R (2178)/Belgrade 2016 found white slightly better owing to black's difficulty in developing his K-side.

7.♘c3 O-O

7...♗d7 8.♗e3 a6 9.a4 O-O 10.O-O ♘xd4 11.♗xd4 ♗e6 with equal chances. Safiyarov, B-Smetanin,A (2283)/Cheliabinsk 2008

7...♘xd4 8.♕xd4 ♗e6 9.♗xe6 fxe6 10.♗e3 O-O 11.O-O-O e5 White is only slightly better. Schenkerik,C (2153) -Segelken,P (1912)/Budapest 2009

8.♗e3 ♘e5 9.♗b3 a6 This passive move gives white a free hand in the center.

9...c5 allows black to equalize after 10.♘f3 c4 11.♘xe5 cxb3 12.♘f3 bxa2

10.f4 ♘g6 11.♕e2

11.O-O is slightly better, but it can lead to some tricky tactics after 11...c5 12.♘f5 ♘xe4 Better is the solid 12...Re8 13.♘h6+ gxh6 14.♘xe4 and white is better.

11...c5 12.♘f3

12.♘f5 This is not good with the K still on e1 because of 12...♘xe4 13.♘h6+ Better is 13.Nxe7+ for reasons that are soon clear. (13.♘xe7+ ♕xe7 14.♘xe4 ♕xe4 black is better) 13...gxh6 14.♘xe4 ♗h4+ 15.g3 ♗f5 16.gxh4 ♗xe4 17.♖g1 ♕xh4+ with a significant advantage.

12...b5 How should white meet the threat of ...c4! 13.♗d5 This move gives black the advantage. Instead of reacting to the threat white should have asked what happens if he ignores it and plays an attacking move.

13.f5 This renders black's threat ineffective. 13...♘e5

13...c4 14.♗xc4 bxc4 15.fxg6 hxg6 16.♕xc4 Black's free play is reasonable compensation for the P minus.

14.O-O-O ♘ed7 15.g4 ♗b7

15...c4 Is still ineffective. 16.g5 ♘e8 17.f6 with unclear complications

16.e5 ♗xf3 17.♕xf3 ♘xe5 18.♕g2 c4 19.g5 ♘h5 20.f6 Here. too, the complications are unclear.

13...♖b8 This is better than taking the B which is not particularly well placed on d5 whereas after 13...Nxd5 14.Nxd5 the N would be on a good post. 14.O-O-O Once again 14.f5 was better. 14...b4 15.♘b1 ♘xd5 16.exd5 If he takes with the R then after 16...Bb7 the e-Pawn is x-rayed. 16...♗f6

16...♕a5 was much stronger but the sequence would have been nearly impossible to calculate OTB. 17.♕c4 ♗d7 18.♘bd2 b3 and wins! For example 19.cxb3 ♕xa2 20.♕c2 ♗f6 21.♕b1 ♕xb1+ 22.♔xb1 ♖fe8 23.♖he1 ♘h4 24.♘xh4 ♗xh4 25.♖e2 ♗b5 26.♘c4 ♗xc4 27.bxc4 ♖b3

17.♕c4 a5 18.g4 ♕b6 19.g5 ♗e7 Black stands better here, but Rzeschewski now plays a series of suicidal moves. 20.h4 Better was the defensive 20.Qd3 20...♖e8 Black misses a nice tactical shot here, but even so he retains a slight advantage. Neither player is aware that white's Q is in grave danger. (20...♗a6 21.♕e4 ♖fe8 22.f5 ♗xg5 and wins.) 21.h5 Rzeschewski again makes a serious error that should have left him with a lost game. Better was 21.f5 21...♘f8 Now Simonds makes a serious error! Both players remain aware of the strength of ...Ba6! (21...♗a6 22.♕e4 ♗f8 23.hxg6 ♖xe4 24.gxh7+ ♔h8 and wins.) 22.♗f2 White remains lost. He equalizes with 22.f5! (22.f5 ♗xf5 23.♘h4 ♗e4 24.♖he1) 22...♗a6 Finally! 23.♕e4 (23.♕b3 a4 24.♕e3 ♗xg5 is winning for black.) 23...♗xg5 24.♕f5 ♗h6 25.♘g5 ♕c7 26.♖hg1 f6 This loses a lot of his advantage, but black can still be considered to be winning! Forcing the exchange of Qs with 26...Qd7 was better. 27.♘e4 ♔h8 28.♘g5 A bluff.

28.♘xf6 is met by 28...♕f7 29.♗h4 ♖e3 The threat is ...Bc8 30.♕g4 ♗e2 wins

28...♗c8

28...fxg5 was quite playable as after 29.fxg5 g6 30.hxg6 ♖e5 31.♕f7 ♕xf7 32.gxf7 ♖xg5 black is winning.

29.♕d3 ♕d7

29...fxg5 is OK, but less good than on last move. 30.fxg5 ♗xg5+ 31.♖xg5 ♕f7 32.h6 Black has the advantage.

30.♘d2 fxg5 Here the game was adjudicated as a win for Rzeschewski, but that decision was completely wrong. The position is quite equal. That said, black missed a likely winning continuation with the unobtrusive 30.. .a4!

30...fxg5 For example, this is Stockfish's conclusion... 31.fxg5 ♗xg5 32.♖xg5 ♕f7 33.♗h4 ♕f4 34.♕c4 ♕xc4 35.♘xc4 h6 36.♖gg1 ♖e4 37.♗g3 ♖xc4 38.♗xd6 ♖b7 39.♗xf8 ♔g8 40.b3 ♖h4 41.♗xc5 ♖xh5 42.a3 ♖d7 43.axb4 axb4 44.♗e3 ♖hxd5 45.♖xd5 ♖xd5 46.♗xh6 ♖d7 47.♗d2 ♖d4 48.♖g5 ♗d7 49.c4 bxc3 50.♗xc3 ♖g4 Draw!

30...a4 This move by Stockfish allws black to maintain a slight advantage after Stockfish 13: 31.♔b1 b3 32.♘c4 bxc2+ 33.♕xc2 ♗a6 34.♘xd6 fxg5 35.♘xe8 gxf4 36.♖xg7 ♗xg7 37.♘xg7 ♕xg7 38.♗xc5 Stockfish puts black's advantage at 1.5 Ps, but in Shootouts using Stockfish white scored +1 -3 =1. so he is not without chances!

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