Heraldica Imports 1979

     In New York City in 1979, there was held one of the strongest tournaments the US had seen in recent years, the Heraldica Imports First International Tournament. It's main sponsor and organizer was the owner of Heraldica Imports, a jewelry manufacturing concern, Spainiard Jose Cuchi, a strong amateur player. 

     Heraldica Imports sponsored a number of New York open tournaments and there had been a long standing conflict between Cuchi and Bill Goichberg's Continental Chess Association. 

     Matters came to head in 1980 after Cuchi, at the last minute, canceled a New York tournament with an advertised $16,000 prize fund that he had scheduled in direct conflict with Goichberg's World Open, the largest Swiss open in the country. A lot of people had traveled to the site of Cuchi's tournament only to find there wasn't going to be one. At first Cuchi admitted that those entrants should be compensated for their expenses, but then claimed that if a player was playing in a tournament out of town they should phone ahead to make sure it was still on. The mess resulted in a big USCF Policy Board debate, but that's another story. 

     Due to illness and a desire to concentrate on his business interests, Cuchi stopped organizing tournaments in 2000. 

     The tournament itself was hard fought with no GM draws as evidenced by the fact that black won more games than white. The GM norm was 8.0 and the IM norm was 6.0, but nobody made a norm. 

     Going into the last round Roman Dzindzindihashvili was tied for second behind Andrew Soltis. In the last round Dzindzindihashvili defeated IM Julio Ostos and Soltis lost to IM Vitaly Zaltsman. 

     In the following game Venezuelan IM Julio Ostos (born December 10, 1953) defeats the then unrated Columbuan master Alonso Zapata in a comicality of tactical miscues. 

     Ostos won the Venezuelan Championship five times (1974, 1980, 1985, 1987, 2000) and from the mid-1970s to the end of the 2000s, he was one of Venezuela's leading players. 

     Alonso Zapata (born August 22, 1958) had finished second, behind Artur Yusupov, in the 1977 World Junior Championship at Innsbruck. He went on to become an eight-time Colombian Champion (1980, 1981, 1995 (joint), 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008) and was awarded the GM title in 1984. In 2014, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and is still active in local events.

Alonso Zapata - Julio Ostos

Result: 0-1

Site: Heraldica Imports Int'l, New York

Date: 1979

French Tarrasch

[...] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.♘d2 The Tarrasch variation became particularly popular during the 1970s and early 1980s when Anatoly Karpov used it. Though less aggressive than 3.Nc3, it protects e4, but is different in several respects. 1) it doesn't block the c-Pawn which means white can play c3 at some point to support the d-Pawn, 2) it avoids the Winawer Variatior, but 3) it develops the N to a less active square and 4) it hems in the dark-square B which means white will have to spend an extra tempo in order to develop the B. 3...♘f6 More often seen is 3...c5, bit it is by no means better. 4.e5 ♘fd7 5.♗d3 c5 6.c3 ♘c6 7.♘e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 immediately undermining white's center. 9.exf6 ♘xf6 This is the correct recapture. 10.O-O ♗d6 11.♘f3 ♕c7 12.♘c3 a6 13.♗g5 O-O 14.♗h4 The idea is to trade off the dark squared B eliminating any threats agaisnt h2.

14.♖c1 is equally good, but not seen very often. 14...♘g4 This attack on h2 does not lead to anything. 15.h3 ♘h2 16.♘xh2 ♗xh2+ 17.♔h1 ♗f4 18.♗xf4 ♕xf4 The position is equal.

14.♖c1 ♗d7 This too leads to equality, but it seems to give black more opportunities than he gets by the fruitless attack on h2. 15.♘e2 h6 16.♗h4 ♗e8 17.♗g3 ♘e4 18.♗xe4 dxe4 19.♘d2 ♗xg3 20.hxg3 ♖d8 21.♘xe4 ♕b6

14...♗d7 15.♗g3 ♖ae8 16.♖c1

16.♖e1 ♗xg3 17.hxg3 e5 18.dxe5 ♘xe5 19.♖c1 is about equal. Czebe,A (2491)-Berkes,F (2541)/Budapest 2001

16...♗xg3 17.hxg3 ♕d6 18.♗b1

18.♗c2 e5 19.dxe5 ♘xe5 20.♗b3 ♔h8 21.♘xd5 ♘fg4 22.♘xe5 ♖xe5 23.♘e3 with equal chances although black managed to squeeze out a win in Coenen,N (2386) -Saiboulatov,D (2359)/Belgium 2005

18...e5 19.dxe5 ♘xe5 20.♘g5 ♔h8

20...d4 was also worth considering. 21.♘ce4 ♘xe4 22.♘xe4 ♕h6 but white can wiggle out of all danger to his K-side with 23.♕d2 ♕h5 24.♕g5

21.♕d4 ♘fg4 22.♘h3 ♕h6 After 23.f4 the chances would be about equal, but, not spotting the lurking danger, Zapata plays a routine move. 23.♖cd1 ruins a clearly superior position 23...♘f3+ Well played, but it's lamentable that he does not follow it up correctly. 24.gxf3 Black to play and win. Be that as it may, it turns out that black misses the winning move. 24...♖xf3 After this white is right back in the game.

24...♘e5 nails it down as there is no good defense against the fork on f3 and at the same time the N on h3 is under attack. 25.♘f4 ♘xf3+ 26.♔g2 ♘xd4 27.♖xd4 ♖xf4 28.♖xf4 ♗h3+ 29.♔g1 ♗xf1 wins

25.♔g2 Surprisingly, there is only one move for black that avoids the loss! 25...♖ef8 This is a loser.

25...♖xc3 26.♕xc3 ♘e3+ 27.fxe3 ♕xh3+ and black is forced to take the draw by perpetual check. 28.♔g1

28.♔f2 would lose immediately 28...♖f8+ 29.♔e2 ♕g2+ 30.♔d3 ♖xf1 31.♖xf1 ♕xf1+ 32.♔c2 ♗f5+

28...♕xg3+ 29.♔h1 ♕h3+ etc.

26.♖d3 As is this! Black finds the winning move.

26.♘xd5 when after black's best continuation of 26...♘e3+ 27.♘xe3 ♗xh3+ 28.♔g1 ♗xf1 29.♖xf1 and white's two pieces are superior to the R. In multiple Shootouts using Stockfish white always won, but with humans that would not necessarily be the case!

26...♘e3+ 27.♖xe3 (27.fxe3 ♕xh3+ mates next move.) 27...♗xh3+ 28.♔g1 ♖xe3 29.♖d1 ♖ef3 30.♘xd5 ♖xf2 31.♘f4 ♖f3 32.♕d6 ♖f1+ Winning the Q, so white resigned.

32...♖xg3+ is not at efficient. 33.♔h2 ♗e6+ 34.♔xg3 ♕g5+ 35.♔h2 ♕h4+ 36.♔g1 ♖xf4 37.♕d8+ ♗g8 38.♕xh4 ♖xh4 and wins.

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