The year started out with Lytle S. Adams, a dentist, making a proposal to the White House that tiny incendiary bombs be strapped to bats which could then be used to bomb Japanese cities. He said, “Think of thousands of fires breaking out simultaneously over a circle of forty miles in diameter for every bomb dropped. Japan could be devastated, yet with a small loss of life."
People were listening to songs like Deep In The Heart of Texas. The song was initially recorded by Perry Como two days after Pearl Harbor and it became an immediate hit, spending five straight weeks atop Your Hit Parade. It was also sung by Alvino Rey, Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Woody Herman, Cab Calloway, Artie Shaw and many, many others! "The stars at night are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap), Deep in the heart of Texas." You can listen to Gene Autry croon it HERE.
Hoagy Carmichael recorded what was the song with the longest title ever:
I’m a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with My Honolulu Mama Doin’ Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues. Listen to Bing Crosby sing a bit of it HERE.
At the movies, or as some older folks still referred to them, the talkies, the big hits were Walt Disney's animated Bambi, the classic Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. The big name in Hollywood though was Gary Cooper. Other popular Hollywood people were Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.
It was also the year Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) died. He was a REAL hero, not one of those fake ones produced by Hollywood or the sports world.
Munro was the only US Coast Guard member to receive the Medal of Honor. While providing cover for ground troops with his boat, Munro was fatally wounded. The last words he said were, “did they get off?” referring to the soldiers he’d saved. He was 22 years old. 
Another hero was Calvin Graham (April 3, 1930 - November 6, 1992) who enlisted in the Navy in 1942. During WW2, was awarded The Bronze Star, Purple Heart other medals. They were taken away when it was discovered that he was only 12 years old when he enlisted! President Jimmy Carter approved all the medals except his Purple Heart to be reinstated. His Purple Heart was reinstated in 1994.
If you were a man, and assuming you didn't get drafted, you could expect to live only 64.7 years (67.9 if you were a female). By comparison, in 2019 it was 76.3 years for men and 81.4 for women. But, thanks to what some people are calling a hoax or conspiracy (COVID-19), those figures dropped in 2020 to 75.1 years for men and 80.5 for women.
In other news, Time Magazine’s Man of the Year was...Joseph Stalin! From May of 1942 to August of 1945 the US had a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour called The “Victory Speed Limit." It's purpose was to conserve gasoline.
Meanwhile, at the Manhattan Chess Club Bernstein drew his 9th round game with George Shainswit, bringing his score up to 8.0-1.0 and tying him with Reinfeld (remember, Reinfeld has already completed his schedule). All Bernstein had to do was draw his last round game against Boris Blumin, but it wasn't to be. Bernstein blundered and lost and so he ended up tied with Reinfeld for first place.
Reinfeld was the only player to finish without losing a game. He drew with Bernstein, Adams, Shainswit and Pinkus.
Third prize winner Arnold Denker lost to the two leaders and to Adams, but won all his other games.
Adams was the pace-setter in the early rounds but was knocked out of the leadership by losses to Bernstein, Shainswit and Green. Albert Pinkus, the previous year's club champion, made an unexpectedly poor showing by finishing in 7th place with a minus score.
As usual, Weaver Adams, who also finished his schedule early and returned home before the tournament was over, was responsible for some of the most exciting games, including those he lost!
In the following game Adams defeated Boris Blumin with a brilliant K-side attack. Adams no doubt would have disputed the fact that his opening, the Albin Counter Gambit, is an inferior, but he advocated so many out of the way opening lines which, while they may not have been entirely sound, invariably lead to sparkling and interesting play.
Boris Blumin (January 11, 1908 - February 16, 1998) was a Canadian-American master. Born in Russia, he emigrated to Canada, where he played in several championships and was the Canadian champion in 1936 and 1937. He won the championship of Montreal five times. Suffering from Alzheimers, he died at home in New Jersey.
Boris Blumin - Weaver Adams
Result: 0-1
Site: Manhattan CC Championship
Date: 1942
Albin Counter Gambit
[...] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 This gambit is based on the idea of sacrificing a P in order to establish a strong P at d4 and get easy development. The disadvantage is that in order to regain his P he will have to ruin his own P-formation. 3.dxe5 d4 4.♘f3 This is best. There is a well known trap following 4.e3. (4.e3 ♗b4+ 5.♗d2 dxe3 6.♗xb4 exf2+ 7.♔e2 fxg1=♘+ etc.) 4...♘c6 5.a3 At the time this move was fashionable and it still produces good results. White's strategic objectives are to keep the P on d4 under attack and to secure play on the Q-side, but neither of these objectives are really helped by 5.a3. The modern way is 5.g3. 5...a5 This is a good move in that it prevents white's expansion on the Q-sdie and at the same time it gives black a good position there. 6.♘bd2 ♗g4
6...a4 7.b4 axb3 8.♘xb3 ♗e6 9.♘bxd4 ♘xd4 10.♕xd4 ♕xd4 11.♘xd4 ♗xc4 White is better. Dyachkov, S (2549)-Kanep,M (2476)/Moscow 2005
7.g3 One of several good moves white has at his disposal.
7.♘b3 ♕e7 8.♘bxd4 O-O-O 9.e3 f6 10.exf6 ♕xf6 11.♕a4 White stands quite well. Jankovic,A (2446)-Zaja,I (2466)/Omis CRO 2005
7.♕b3 a4 8.♕d3 ♘ge7 9.h3 ♗f5 10.♘e4 ♘g6 11.♘f6+ gxf6 12.♕xf5 ♘gxe5 13.♘xe5 fxe5 14.g4 The chances are even, but in the game white managed to whip up a winning attack. Dancevski,O (2384)-Krstev,E (2217)/Struga MKD 2011
7.h3 ♗e6 8.g3 ♕d7 9.♗g2 ♗c5 10.♘g5 ♘ge7 11.O-O White is slightly better. Pachman, L-Plachetka,J/Luhacovice 1968
7...♗c5 More common is 7...Qd7 followed by .. .O-O-O. 8.♗g2 ♘ge7 9.O-O O-O 10.b3 This is not bad, but Reuben Fine preferred concentrating on black's d-Pawn with 10.h3
10.h3 ♗xf3 11.♘xf3 ♘g6 12.♕c2 ♕e7 (12...♘gxe5 13.♘xe5 ♘xe5 14.♗xb7 is good for white.) 13.♗g5 ♕e6 14.♗f4 followed by Rad1 etc.
10...♘g6 11.♗b2 ♕e7 12.h3 ♗xf3 13.♘xf3 ♖ad8 Overprotecting the d-Pawn. Black's plan is to threaten to capture the e-Pawn which white cannot defend. Therefore, white's strategy should be to keep up the pressure on black's d-Pawn with moves like Qc2, Rfd1 and double his Rs on the d-file. Blumin does eventually hit on this plan, but only after a diversion. 14.♕d2 b6 Removing the b-Pawn from the range of white's B is part of black's plan. 15.♔h2 A more direct strategy would still be trying to pile up on the d-Pawn. 15...♘gxe5 16.♘xe5 ♘xe5 17.f4 The reason for 15.Kh2... the K is not exposed to a discovered check after ...d3. 17...♘d7 18.♖fd1 Although Blumin has not taken the direct approach to put pressure on the d-Pawn he still has a reasonably good game. But, oddly, after this move which finally does take that approach, black gets a slight advantage. Still, it does not merit the two question marks Fine slapped on it. Unfortunately for Blumin he missed his chance to eliminate the d-Pawn and gain full equality, but so did Fine in his notes!
18.b4 Totally overlooked by Fine, this move equalizes. Fine suggested 16.Bxd4 which is also reasonably good. 18...axb4 19.axb4 ♗xb4 20.♕xd4
18...♘f6 19.♕d3 ♖fe8 Securing control of the e-file. White is now saddled with a passive position and it only gets worse because of his further passive play. Instead he must look for counterplay which he can get with 20.b4 20.♗f3
20.b4 This is no longer as effective as ot would have been previously, but at least it keeps black's advantage to a minimum. 20...♕xe2 21.♕xe2 ♖xe2 22.♖ab1 axb4 23.axb4 ♗xb4 24.♗xd4 Here, unlike before, the Qs are gone and black has a R on the 2nd rank which means he has slightly the better of it. It's doubtful that black's advantage would be enough to win because in Shootouts he only scored one win and six draws.
20...♘e4 21.♔g2 f5 White's position is extremely passive and he is reduced to trying to find moves that don't make his position worse...a difficult task. 22.♗h5 g6 23.♗f3 g5 Adams has made all the preparations to unleash a violent attack. 24.♖g1 gxf4 25.gxf4 ♕h4 The crusher. A discovered check by white would not accomplish anything at all. 26.♖af1 ♔f7 27.♔h2 Offering a P for some sliight counter chances, but black has better. 27...♖d6 Very pretty! The threat is 28...Qxh3+
27...♕xf4+ 28.♔h1 ♔f6 29.♗xe4 ♕xe4+ 30.♖f3 ♕xd3 31.exd3 ♖e2 and black is still winning.
28.♗g2
28.♗a1 A pass to demonstrate the threat. 28...♕xh3+ 29.♔xh3 ♖h6+ 30.♔g2 ♖g8+ 31.♗g4 ♖xg4+ 32.♔f3 ♖h3+ 33.♖g3 ♖hxg3# Nice!
28.♗xe4 This is only marginally better than the move played. 28...fxe4 29.♕g3 ♕xg3+ 30.♖xg3 d3 with a won ending.
28...♖g6 With the obvious threat of ...Rg3 29.♖f3 ♗d6 30.♕xd4 At long last the d-Pawn disappears, but it's far too late to be of any significance.
30.♗xd4 was no better. 30...♗xf4+ 31.♔h1 c5 32.♗e3 ♗xe3 33.♖xe3 ♘f2+
30.♗c1 ♖d8 Here white is pretty much without any moves. 31.e3 ♗c5 32.exd4 ♗xd4 33.♗e3 ♗xe3 34.♕xe3 ♖d2 White has run out of playable moves.
30...♗xf4+ 31.♔h1
31.♖xf4 leads to another pretty mate. 31...♕xf4+ 32.♔h1 ♘g3+ 33.♔h2 ♘f1+ 34.♔h1 ♕h2#
31...♖d8 Winning the Q which has no squares to retreat to. 32.♖xf4 ♕xf4 White resigned. (32...♕xf4 33.♕xd8 ♘f2#) Powered by Aquarium
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