Knocking Out a Master

     Charles R. Heising, the winner of this game, was a former electrical engineer for General Electric; he died of lymphoma at the age of 84 at his home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania at on September 7, 2009.

     Born in Newark, New Jersey, Heising earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1945. That year he began a 38-year career with GE, first by graduating from the firm's advanced engineering program in 1950.

     After that he was a controls designer for turbojet engines, first at GE's plant in Lynn, Massachussettes and then at the firm's operation in Evendale, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. 

     From 1960 to 1962, he was in Thule, Greenland working on an early-warning radar system. GE then sent him to Houston, Texas where, from 1962 to 1966, he oversaw reliability management for NASA's Apollo spacecraft program. 

     In 1966, Heising moved to GE's switch gear division in Southwest Philadelphia, where he worked until he retired in 1983. There he dealt with the reliability of power transmission and distribution equipment. 

     Heising was the principal author of a reliability handbook used in the design of industrial and commercial power systems. In 1981, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) gave him its standards medallion for the handbook.

     Starting in 1969, he was a member of the IEEE power systems reliability subcommittee on industrial and commercial power systems and starting in 1981 he served as the subcommittee chairman. 

     In 1985, the industrial and commercial power systems department of IEEE gave him its outstanding achievement award. In 1992, he was named an IEEE Fellow. 

     As a tournament player, he played with success in many local tournaments and in 1955 he won the Ohio Championship. In 1958 he tied with Ross Sprague in the Ohio Championship, but Sprague was awarded the title on superior tiebreaks. 

     In the following game from the 1993 U.S. Open in Philadelphia, Heising scores a win over David Vigorito. Heising was rated 1951; he scored +3 -4 =2 and finished in 211th place out of 368. 

     His opponent was David Vigorito (born 1970) who was rated 2388 and scored +5 -3 =1 to finish in 62nd place; a poor result which cost him 40 rating points! Vigorito went on to gain the International Master title.

[Event "US Open, Philadelphia"] [Site "?"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Charles Heising"] [Black "David Vigorito"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B85"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "1993.??.??"] {Sicilian Scheveningen} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 e6 {With the Scheveningen Variation black sets up a solid center with Ps on d5 and e6 which give him control of d5 and e5 and the flexibility to break in the center with either ...d5 or ...e5. Black can proceed with rapid development and he will have excellent counter chances.} 7. Be2 {This is the classical method in which white plans to build up a K-side attack, typically by means of a quick P advance. Black will aim for Q-side play on the semi-open c-file or strike in the center.} Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Nb3 b6 11. f4 Bb7 12. Bf3 Qc7 13. Qe2 Rab8 14. g4 Rfe8 15. g5 Nd7 16. h4 (16. Bg2 Bf8 17. Rf3 Na5 18. Rh3 g6 19. Rf1 Bg7 20. Qf2 {with equal chances. Ivanovic,B (2525) -Ribli,Z (2610)/Bugojno 1984}) 16... Bf8 17. h5 (17. Rf2 {This slow build up was tried in Schmittdiel,E (2440)-Borriss,M (2440)/GER 1997. Black overreacted and instead of 17...Nc5 with a solid position, he quickly got into trouble with } Nb4 18. h5 e5 19. f5 d5 20. exd5 e4 21. Bxe4 Rxe4 22. Nxe4 Nxd5) 17... Na5 18. Nd2 Rbc8 {The immediate 18...d5 countering in the center was also a good choice.} 19. Qg2 Nc4 20. Nxc4 Qxc4 {White has the more active position and could have tried the advance of either the g- or h-Pawn.} 21. Rfd1 (21. h6 g6 22. Rfd1 f5 23. Rd4 Qc7 24. exf5 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 gxf5 {white is better.}) (21. g6 Re7 (21... hxg6 22. hxg6 fxg6 23. Qxg6 {with an excellent position.}) 22. f5 { White has good prospects.}) (21. f5 {This is not so good. After} exf5 22. g6 ( 22. exf5 Rxe3 23. Bxb7 Qd4 {black is better.}) 22... hxg6 23. hxg6 fxg6 24. exf5 Bxf3 25. Rxf3 gxf5 {Black is better.}) 21... g6 {Also good was 21...d5} 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Rd4 Qc7 24. Rad1 Nc5 (24... e5 {fully equalizes.} 25. fxe5 Nxe5 26. Be2 Bg7) 25. R4d2 Bc6 (25... e5 {would now lose to} 26. f5 gxf5 27. exf5 e4 28. Bg4 Nd7 29. Qh3 f6 30. Qh4 Re7 31. gxf6 Rh7 32. Qg5+ Bg7 (32... Kh8 33. Rh2 Rxh2 34. Kxh2 Ne5 35. Rh1 {wins}) 33. Bd4 Nxf6 34. Bxf6) (25... d5 { This is his best try.} 26. e5 Nd7 27. Qh3 Bb4 28. Bd4 Kf8 29. Rh2 Ke7 {and black's K has sneaked off to safety. The chances are even.}) 26. b3 {Too passive. More active was 26.Bd4} Qb7 27. Kf2 {Again, too slow. 27.Bd4 was still the best move.} b5 (27... Bg7 {was the best move because after} 28. Bd4 Qe7 (28... e5 29. Bxc5 bxc5 30. f5 gxf5 31. Rxd6 c4 32. b4 Qxb4 33. g6 f6 { with what is likely to be a winning attack.} 34. Qh3) 29. Bxg7 Kxg7 30. Rxd6 Bd5 {Cutting off the R.} 31. e5 Nb7 32. Nxd5 exd5 33. R6xd5 Rxc2+ 34. Be2 Nc5 { with equal chances.}) 28. axb5 axb5 29. Bd4 {This routine move is now a mistake that allows black to equalize.} (29. Bxc5 dxc5 30. e5 c4 31. Bxc6 Qxc6 32. Ne4 Kg7 33. Nf6 Bc5+ 34. Kg3 Qxg2+ 35. Rxg2 Rh8 36. bxc4 bxc4 37. Rh2 Rxh2 38. Kxh2 Rh8+ 39. Kg3 {and after white plays Rd7 he will maintain a slight advantage in the ending. White won five Shootouts from this position.}) 29... e5 {Rather than allowing white to open up the position with this counterattack black should have gone on the defensive with ...Nd7 and ...Bg7} 30. Bxc5 dxc5 31. f5 gxf5 32. Nd5 {This is a routine move which is just OK because white missed a nifty tactical shot.} (32. Rd7 Bxd7 {and now} 33. Nd5 {The B has been removed from covering d5 and white has a strong check on f6 which includes a fork.} Bg7 34. Nf6+ {with much the better position.}) 32... Bxd5 33. Rxd5 f4 { This turns out to be the fatal error.} (33... c4 {was correct...white could not then play 34.g6} 34. Kf1 (34. g6 Qb6+ 35. Ke2 Qxg6 {with at least equality. }) 34... cxb3 35. cxb3) 34. g6 {...and wins!} fxg6 35. Rd7 Qb6 36. R1d6 Qxd6 { Capturing with the B allows a mate in two.} (36... Z0 $140 37. Qxg6+ {Mate threat}) 37. Rxd6 Bxd6 38. Qxg6+ Kh8 39. Qh6+ Kg8 40. Qxd6 {The win is still going to require a bit of technique.} Rcd8 (40... Kh7 41. Bg4 Ra8 42. Bf5+ Kh8 43. Qh6+ Kg8 44. Qh7+ Kf8 45. Bg6 {forces the win}) 41. Qg6+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ (42. Bg4 Ra8 43. Bf5 Ra7 44. Qxe8+ Kg7 45. Qxe5+ Kf7 46. Qxc5 Ra6 47. e5 Kg7 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. e6 Rxe6 50. Qxe6+ Kg7 51. Qe7+ Kh6 52. Qf6+ Kh5 53. Qg6+ Kh4 54. Qg4#) 42... Kh7 43. Bg4 Rd2+ 44. Ke1 Red8 {There was nothing better, but this results in the loss of a R.} (44... Rdd8 45. Bf5+ Kg8 46. Bg6 Rf8 47. Qe7 {wins }) 45. Bf5+ Kg8 46. Be6+ Kh7 47. Bd5 {Black resigned.} (47. Bd5) 1-0