Juan Silvano Diaz Perez

     Paraguay doesn't have any well known chess players. In fact, I doubt many of us know anything at all about the country. Paraguay is a landlocked country between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia and home to large swaths of swampland, subtropical forest and chaco, wildernesses comprising savanna and scrub land. The capital is Asuncion. 

     Taking a virtual tour of the country on Google Maps is impossible because only a few streets in downtown Asuncion are mapped and across the country the streets are mapped pretty good in a city named either Puerto Presidente Stroessner or Ciudad del Este (Wikipedia and maps are confusing on the name). But, for the most part, on Google Maps Paraguay is a large dark green void. 

     According to one report Paraguay is generally a very safe country. Rates of street crime are very low even more so outside Asuncion. Paraguayans are polite people and are genuinely concerned should any misfortune befall any visitors to the country. 

     The country has produced only a handful of international chess players. Currently they have GMs Axel Bachmann Schiavo, Neuris Delgado Ramirez and Zenon Franco Ocampos, IM Guillermo Vazquez and WIM Gabriela Vargas. 

     One of the country's best known players of yesteryear was Juan Silvano Diaz Perez (1914 – 1969). He won the Paraguayan Championship in 1938, 1939 and 1942. He played first board for Paraguay in the 1939 Olympiad in Buenos Aires and scored +3 -11 He was a lawyer by profession, but from a very young age he devoted himself to both chess and literature and was a poet, teacher, essayist and literary critic. From the late 1930s to the mid-1940s, Diaz Perez was one of Paraguay's leading players. He won first official Paraguayan Championship in 1938 and repeated this success in 1939 and 1942. 

     A professor of literature in the 1940s, he also lived in exile for many years. An essayist and scholar, he had the honor of prefacing the first edition of Ceniza Redimida (1950) by the great poet Herib Campos Cervera. Several of his poems have appeared in various anthologies. 

     The following game was played in the preliminaries in the 8th Olympiad which took place between August 21 and September 19, 1939, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

     The Olympiad coincided with the outbreak of World War II; the next one would not be held until 1950. The finals commenced on September 1, the same date of the outbreak of World War II. Most players wanted to continue, but England's team, despite having qualified for Final A, was the only one to return home. 

     Due to political ramifications six of the finals matches could not be played due to tensions aroused by the war were declared drawn 2–2 by mutual forfeit. They were Germany's matches against Poland, France and Palestine. The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia games against France and Poland. And, Argentina against Palestine. 

     Many participants, mostly Jewish, decided to stay in Argentina or moved elsewhere in South America, rather than face an uncertain future by returning to a Europe. All five members of the German team (Erich Eliskases, Paul Michel, Ludwig Engels, Albert Becker and Enrique Reinhardt) also chose not to return to Nazi Germany.

Juan Silvano Diaz Perez - Alberto Ismodes Dulanto

Result: 1-0

Site: Olympiad Prelim-A, Buenos Aires

Date: 1939

Gruenfeld Defense

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 g6 3.♘c3 d5 This fighting defense offers white the possibility of 4.cxd5 and 5.e4 which gives white an imposing center P-formation. 4.cxd5 ♘xd5 5.e4 ♘xc3 6.bxc3 In this line black generally attacks white's center with ...c5 and ...Bg7, often followed by moves such as . ..Qa5, ...cxd4, ...Bg4, and ...Nc6. White often uses his big center to launch an attack against black's King. 6...c5 7.♗b5+ This rare sideline has proven at least as effective as the more popular moves 7.Bc4 and 7.Nf3. 7...♗d7 8.♗xd7+ ♘xd7 9.♘e2 ♗g7 10.O-O O-O 11.♗e3 ♖c8

11...♕a5 12.♕b3 ♕a6 13.♘g3 ♖ac8 is equal. Chekletsov,E (2055)-Dietze,F (2185)/Hofheim GER 2019

11...♕c7 12.♖c1 ♖fd8 13.d5 c4 14.♗d4 ♗xd4 15.♘xd4 a6 white is slightly better. Delort, F (2202)-Troupel,A (1990)/Marcy L'Etoile 2007

12.♖b1 b6 13.♕d2 ♕c7 14.f3 ♖fd8 15.♖fc1 ♘f8 This passive move allows white to gain the initiative. The more active 15...Ne5 was better.

15...♘e5 Threatening 16...Nc4 16.♗f4 ♕d7 17.♗xe5 ♗xe5 18.d5 e6 with an active position.

16.♕e1 ♘d7 17.♘f4 e6 18.e5 Clearly white intends to launch a K-side attack. 18...♕c6 19.♕h4 c4 Black was probably hoping to launch his Q-side Ps with moves like ...b5, ...a5, ... b4 etc, bit it turns out that there is not time for that. Better would have been 19...Qa4 attacking the a=Pawn and giving white something to think about. 20.♘h3 ♘f8 This passive move sets up a meeting with disaster.

20...f6 would have kept black in the game. 21.exf6 ♘xf6 22.♖e1 ♖e8 23.♘g5 h6 24.♘e4 ♘xe4 25.♕xe4 g5 and white is only slightly better.

21.♗g5 ♖d5 22.♘f2 h5 23.g4

23.♘e4 is better according to the engines, but after 23...♘h7 24.♗e7 ♗f8 25.♗xf8 ♖xf8 White's chances lie in his superior position giving him a winning ending. In Shootouts white score 5-0 and here's the ending at 17 plies. 26.♖c2 ♕d7 27.♖e2 ♔g7 28.g4 ♕d8 29.♕xd8 ♖fxd8 30.gxh5 ♘f8 31.♖g2 ♔h6 32.f4 gxh5 33.f5 exf5 34.♘g3 ♘e6 35.♘xf5+ ♔h7 36.♖f1 ♖5d7 37.♘g3 ♖g8 38.♘xh5 ♖xg2+ 39.♔xg2 ♔g6 40.♘f6 ♖d8 41.d5 b5 42.dxe6 fxe6 43.h4 ♖d3 44.h5+ ♔g5 45.♖h1 ♔f4 46.h6 ♖d8 47.h7 ♖h8 48.♖e1 and wins.

23...hxg4

23...♘h7 was also worth considering. 24.♘e4 f5 25.♘d6 ♖xd6 Eliminating this N offers black his best chance, but after 26.exd6 hxg4 27.fxg4 ♕xd6 28.gxf5 exf5 29.♖e1 black is still in a very difficult position.

24.♘xg4 ♘h7 25.♗h6 ♗h8 If black exchanges Bs then white simply moves his K off the g-file and replaces it with Rs and advances his h-Pawn all of which leads to black's eventual demise. 26.♖b2 ♕d7 27.♘e3 ♖a5 28.♖g2 ♗g7 Why black decided to exchange this B which he chose to keep a couple of moves ago is a mystery. The situation has not changed and the loss of his dark squared B certainly cannot improve his position.

28...b5 with the forlorn hope of getting some kind of play was his best option. 29.f4 b4 30.♖f1 b3 31.axb3 cxb3 Here comes th decisive blow! 32.f5 exf5

32...♖a2 33.♖g3 b2 34.fxg6 fxg6 35.♖xg6+ ♗g7 36.♕g4 ♖c7 (36...♖a1 37.♖xg7+ ♔h8 38.♖xd7 ♖xf1+ 39.♘xf1 mate is unavoidable.) 37.♗xg7 wins

33.♘xf5 ♗f6 34.♕e4 ♕c6 35.♕xc6 ♖xc6 36.exf6 ♖xf6 37.d5 ♖a2 38.♘e7+ ♔h8 39.♗f4 and the threat of Be5 cannot be met in any satisfactory way.

29.♗xg7 ♔xg7 30.♘g4 ♕d8 31.♕h6+ ♔g8 32.♔h1 ♕f8 33.♕f4 ♕g7 34.♖cg1 ♔f8 35.♘f6 ♘xf6

35...♔e7 The K can run, but it can't hide. White has a pretty win with... 36.d5 exd5 37.♕h4 g5 38.♖xg5 ♘xg5 39.♖xg5 ♕h8 40.♖h5 ♕d8 41.♖h6 ♖c6 (41...♖xa2 42.♘xd5+ ♔e8 43.♖h8+) 42.♖h8 ♕xh8 43.♕xh8 ♖xf6 (43...♖xa2 44.♕e8#) 44.♕xf6+ wins

36.exf6 ♕h8 37.♕d6+ ♔g8 38.♕d7 White missed a mate in 5, but he is still winning. (38.♖xg6+ fxg6 39.♕xe6+ ♔f8 40.♕e7+ ♔g8 41.♖xg6+ ♕g7 42.♕xg7#) 38...♖f8 Now white has a mate in 8. 39.♖xg6+ A sparkling finish. 39...♔h7 40.♖g7+ ♔h6 41.♕d6 ♖f5 42.♕g3 Black resigned. (42.♕g3 b5 43.♕h4+ ♖h5 44.♕f4+ ♖g5 45.♕xg5#)

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