By the time I found out that 13-year-old Henrique Mecking had created a sensation by winning the Brazilian championship it was old news.
Nor did I know that one of my favorite players, Mikhail Botvinnik, had been seeded into the 1965 Candidates tournament, but declined to participate because he was resentful that FIDE no longer allowed a return match for defeated world champions.
I did not know that IM Vitaly Chekhover (1908-1965) died in Leningrad at the age of 56. Or, WIM Sonja Graf-Stevenson (1908-1965) died of a liver ailment in New York at the age of 56. Or, E. Forry Laucks (1898-1965) died of a heart attack in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the US Open at the age of 67. Or, that IM Fyodar Dus-Chotimirsky (1879-1965) died in Moscow at the age of 86.
And, while I was away, Bobby Fischer participated in the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba playing by teletype at the Marshall Chess Club in New York. He tied for 2nd-4th with +12 -3 =6. The US did not have diplomatic relations with Cuba and the State Department would not allow Fischer to travel to Havana.
The Eastern Open which had been been held annually since 1960 was played in Washington DC and was won by Pal Benko who scored 7.5 points out of 8. He won his first five games, but was nicked for a draw in round six by Larry Gilden. New York masters Paul Brandts and Asa Hoffmann finished a half point behind. A total of 176 players competed.
FM Asa Hoffmann (born February 25, 1943) is a chess teacher and author known as "the sparring partner of champions". His peak regular USCF rating was 2471, a Senior Master. He won the New York City junior championship in 1962 and the First Army Championship in 1966.
Possessed with a good positional understanding, he is primarily a tactician which made him a dangerous opponent even to top players. As of April 2016, Hoffmann was the top ranked senior blitz player in the US.
A colorful figure on the New York City chess scene, Hoffmann is the son of two attorneys who had hopes he would become an attorney also, but after a year at Columbia he dropped out to play chess full time. He made a living playing blitz for money in the clubs and parks of New York City and was good friends with Bobby Fischer. He also started taking on students around the same time.
Yasser Seirawan described Hoffmann as "a near legendary figure in the New York City chess world."
He has published a memoir with a collection of his games titled The Chess Gladiator.
Hoffmann describes himself as a Games Master. Besides chess he also plays backgammon, bridge, scrabble and poker. He was portrayed in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer by actor Austin Pendleton; Hoffmann declined to participate in the movie, unhappy with the depiction of himself as socially inept and obsessive.
His opponent in the following game was Sergei Goregliad (born 1941), a Pennsylvania master who also holds the FM title. At the time the game was played Hoffmann was described in Chess Review as another talented young player. In the game he carries out a sharp attack that is characteristic of his style with the utmost efficacy.
Asa Hoffmann–Sergei Goregliad1–0Eastern Open, Washington DC1965Stockfish 15
Sicilian: Sozin Attack 1.e4 c5 2.f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.c3 d6 6.c4 e6 7.b3 e7 8.e3 0-0 9.f4 The main move today is 9.Qe2 a5
A move of doubtful value because it gives white a free hand in the center. The
famous Fischer-Geller game from the Curacao Candidates in 1962 continued 9...
Nxd4 10.Bxd4 b5 with fascinating complications; Geller eventually won. 9...d5 didn't lead anywhere in Manea,A (2399)-Lupulescu,C (2631) Baile Govora ROU
2017 10.e5 d7 11.0-0 c5 12.e1 f6 13.exf6 xf6 with equal chances. 10.f3 b6 11.g4 11.e5 At the time it was believed this was a promising
continuation. Analysis went... b7 12.exf6 xf3 13.fxe7 xe7 14.xf3 xb3 15.axb3 White probably has enough compensation for his Q, but practically
speaking it was thought he may have difficulty proving it. 11...b7
This is a logical looking move in that it puts pressure on the e-Pawn and the
B is on line with white's Q and R. However, it's not quite forceful enough to
stop white from seizing the initiative and begin a very strong attack. 11...d5 12.e5 e4 13.xe4 dxe4 14.h3 xb3 15.axb3 c7 12.g5 xb3 13.axb3 d7 14.h4 Notice that black has no pieces poised to
defend his K against the brewing attack. e8 15.h5 15.g6 was suggested at
the time the game was played, but it is less promising and, also, more
complicated. fxg6 16.0-0-0 f6 Black has shored up the position of his K in
this line and so white's attack has fewer chances of success. 17.h5 xh5 18.xh5 gxh5 19.xe6 d7 20.xg7 xg7 21.xh5 f6 22.e5 A fascinating
position in which both sides would have had chances. In Shootouts five games
were drawn. 15...e5 This allows white's N to reach f5 with disastrous
consequences, but black's position was already untenable. 15...c8 Trying
to complicate things and hoping white takes the a-Pawn instead of continuing
his attack with 16.g6 was better. 16.xa7 xc3 17.bxc3 b8 18.xb7 18.a1 c5 19.0-0 xe4 20.g4 c8 and white's advantage is minimal. 18...xb7 19.0-0 White is better. 16.f5 exf4 17.xf4 f8 This is a major mistake, but there really was no way of saving
the game. 17...f8 18.0-0-0 e5 19.b1 c8 20.d4 and black can only
wait for the end. 18.f1 After this black has no good defense
against the threat of Nh6+ d7 Allowing a crushing finish, but at best he
could have only made things somewhat more difficult for white with 18...Bxg5 18...xg5 was his best chance. 19.xg5 xg5 20.xg5 h6 21.h4 xe4 22.e7+ xe7 23.xe7 xc2 24.xf8 xf8 25.b4 and white wins, but it will
require some technique. 19.h6+ h8 20.xf7 20.xf7+ also wins g8 21.h6+ h8 22.d4 e6 23.f7 xg5 24.xg7+ xg7 25.xd7 xh6 26.xb7 20...e6 Losing instantly. 20...e6 21.xa7 21.xe6 xe6 22.f7+ g8 23.0-0-0 c5 and black can put up some
resistance. 21...xf7 22.xf7+ g8 23.xb7 and wins 21.g8+ xg8 22.f7# Very forceful and precise play by Hoffmann. 1–0
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