 |
| Robert Goerlich |
In quoting the "article" I mentioned that it stated Garry Kasparov, who once said President Trump knows as little about chess as he does everything else, had changed his mind and that, “President Trump ranks right up there with George Washington and Honest Abe Lincoln.” The "article" also stated that the USCF would administer the funds, but they had to promise not to squander the money.
I assumed it was obvious that the post was nothing more than a little humor...I was wrong. The other day I was flabbergasted when I ran across an old political post on Twitter that was made by a rabid anti-Trumpite who was ranting against the two of them and referenced the "article" in the belief that it was real!
Moving on...I was not able to locate much information on the Chess by Mail Correspondence Bureau, but the March 1915 issue of the American Chess Bulletin carried a request by Dr. W. C. Browne, of Burnside, Pennsylvania, director of the CMCB, who hoped to promote interest in and make more popular the playing of correspondence chess.
All players that were interested in correspondence play were asked write him stating what their preference was regarding the arrangements for holding correspondence tournaments, considering especially amount of entry fee, number of players in each section or one-round
tournament, time limit for each move, time limit for finishing games, at the expiration of which unfinished games would be adjudicated, limitation of games to certain openings, such as gambits, etc. In addition, any suggestions that would benefit the
game and promote interest in correspondence would be gladly received.
At the time the Bureau is conducting a number of one round tournaments with an entry fee of fifty cents. There were four players with a prize for the winner and special prizes for the most brilliant games played in each event as well as a prize for the player who won the greatest number of games each year.
The Bureau had already sent out letters to members and they had indicated the desire for larger tournaments with larger entrance fees and larger, more valuable prizes. As a result the Bureau was considering special one-round tournaments with either two or five dollar entry fees.
One of the Bureau's most active players was Robert S. Goerlich (? - 1937), of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He began play with the organization in 1911 and won several of the regular tri-monthly tournaments; he also finished first in his section in the club's first annual championship tournament.
Goerlich believed that it was possible to play a considerable number of games at the same time and give each one the required attention. He proved the point by winning the Kimbal prize which went to the member winning the greatest number of games in a year which he three times.
Goerlich began playing correspondence chess in April, 1909, when he responded to a request for opponents by Junior Parrish of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas that appeared in the American Chess Bulletin.
The following game against Fred A. Glick, of Staten Island, New York was played in the first annual championship tournament of the Chess By Mail Correspondence Bureau in 1911. It's a good example of how even strong amateurs play far from perfect chess. Both players repeatedly missed white's Nf5+, but the finish is pleasing.
[Event "Chess By Mail Corres. Bureau"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1911.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fred Glick"]
[Black "Robert Goerlich"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C96"]
[Annotator "Owner"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1911.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2022.03.22"]
{Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Na5 9. Bc2
c5 10. d4 Qc7 {In his notes Goerlich wrote that this move was played in a game
Erich Cohn-Edward Lasker that was published in the January 1911 issue of the
AMerican Chess Bulletin. The game was actually from their match that took
place in Berlin in 1909 and it appeared in the 1910 issue, not 1911.} 11. h3 (
11. Bg5 Nc6 {Black should have played either 11...h6 or 11...O-O} 12. h3 Bb7
13. Nbd2 O-O 14. Nf1 Ne8 15. d5 {White is better. Erich Cohn-Edward Lasker,
Match, Berlin 1909}) 11... Nc6 12. Be3 (12. dxc5 dxc5 13. Nbd2 Be6 14. Nh4 g6
15. Nf1 Nd7 16. Nf3 Rd8 17. N3h2 c4 18. Ne3 {With about equal chances. Mecking,
H (2540)-Pilnik,H (2420) Mar del Plata 1971}) (12. d5 Nd8 {Better is 12...Na5}
13. a4 bxa4 14. Bxa4+ Nd7 15. Nbd2 O-O 16. Nc4 {White is considerably better.
Ernst,T (2409)-Barkhagen,J (2449) Stockholm 2001}) 12... O-O 13. Nbd2 {Black
has plenty of options here.} Bb7 (13... Rd8 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. Nf1 b4 16. d5 Na7
17. c4 Nc8 18. g4 Nb6 19. b3 a5 20. Ng3 g6 21. Kh2 a4 22. Rg1 axb3 23. axb3 Bf8
{White is better. Capablanca, J-Kupchik,A New York 1915 1-0 (45)}) (13... Ne8
14. a4 Rb8 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf1 Nd8 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 f6 19. Nf3 Be6 {
White is better. Levenfish,G-Salwe,G Karlsbad 1911}) (13... Nd8 14. Nf1 Kh8 15.
Ng3 g6 16. Qd2 Ne6 17. Rad1 Bb7 {White s slightly better. Steiner,L-Johner,P
Dresden 1926}) 14. Nf1 {A better plan was to close the center with 14.d5} Nd8 (
14... cxd4 {and Black stays safe.} 15. cxd4 {Black's winning of a P is only
temporary.} Nb4 16. Bb1 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Nxe4 18. a3 Nc6 19. Rc1 Qb7 20. Qc2 Nd8
21. dxe5) 15. Ng3 g6 16. Qd2 Ne8 17. d5 f6 18. Kh2 {Not bad, but a good plan,
as it almost always is in the Ruy Lopez is for white to try and open the
a-file with 18.a4} Ng7 19. h4 {[%cal Oh4h5]} f5 20. Bh6 {[%mdl 8192] This
should have turned out poorly. A better plan was 20.exf5 eliminating the
possibility of black playing ...f4} f4 {Suddenly it is black who has seized
the initiative and is conducting a K-side attack.} 21. Ne2 Nf7 22. Bxg7 Kxg7
23. g3 fxg3+ 24. Nxg3 {This only makes matters worse.} (24. fxg3 {was somewhat
better.} Nh6 25. Rf1 Ng4+ 26. Kg2 Bc8 {and white is on the defensive.}) 24...
h6 {Too slow as it allows white back in the game because now the N can't join
in the attack.} (24... Nh6 25. Bd1 Rf4 {and white is pretty much helpless.})
25. Rg1 {All of a sudden it's a whole new game.} Bc8 26. Rg2 Bg4 27. Qe3 {
[%mdl 8192] And now it's no longer equal!} (27. Nf5+ {A great move!} gxf5 28.
exf5 h5 29. f6+ Bxf6 30. Qd3 Rg8 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Qxf6 Qe7 {and it's likely
going to be a draw.}) 27... Bxf3 {Yet another miscue!} (27... Qd8 28. Nf5+ gxf5
29. exf5 h5 30. f6+ Bxf6 31. Qe4 Rh8 {and wins because the B is defended by
the Q} 32. Qg6+ Kf8) 28. Qxf3 {To repeat...Correct is 28.Nxf5+} Bxh4 {Black
returns the favor.} (28... Ng5 {is hard to answer. After} 29. Qe3 Nf3+ 30. Kh1
Nxh4 {in order to stay in the game white has to find} 31. Nf5+ {Again!} Rxf5 {
Best} 32. exf5 Nxg2 33. Kxg2 gxf5 34. Bxf5 Rf8 {and black can only claim the
better ending.}) 29. Nf5+ {White finally finds the move and it wins...or
should have.} Kh7 30. Nxh4 Ng5 31. Qg3 Rf4 32. Rf1 {[%mdl 8192]
An outright blunder that loses immediately.} (32. Kh1 Raf8 33. Rh2 {White is
building up a very strong position, but he will still have his work cut out
trying to nurse it to victory.} Qe7 34. Rg1 Kg7 35. Bd1 Qf6 36. f3 {Black has
succeeded in defending against the threats to his K and white's attack is at a
standstill. He must now try to fond a way to win which Stockfish was able to
do in five Shootouts. However, it must be pointed out that it took the engine
another 40 moves or so.}) 32... Rxh4+ {[%mdl 512] This pretty move forces
white's resignation. In his notes to the game Goerlich incorrectly stated that
black's R and N mate against the Q and two Rs, but there is no forced mate.} (
32... Rxh4+ 33. Kg1 (33. Qxh4 {also leads to a lost position.} Nf3+ 34. Kg3
Nxh4 35. Kxh4 {and black wins.}) 33... Rf8 34. Rh2 Rxh2 35. Kxh2 Rf3 36. Qg4
Qe7 37. Kg2 h5 38. Rh1 Qf6 39. Qh4 Rf4 40. Qg3 Nxe4 41. Bxe4 Rxe4 {with a won
ending.}) 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment