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  • Friday, July 29, 2022

    What Software to use?

         A couple of days ago a reader contacted me asking for a recommendation, Fritz or ChessBase? 
         I have on my laptop Fritz 12, Fritz 17, ChessBase 16, Chess Assistant 18, ChessOK Aquarium and Aquarium 2020. 
         Back in January I posted that I had been spending some time fiddling around with ChessBase 16 and it wasn't until February that I figured out how to publish games using the program. 
         At the time I mentioned that one reader had asked about downloading a pgn of the posted game, but at that time it wasn't possible. I was using two different programs (Fritz 12 to analyze and ChessOK Aquarium to post) and downloading a game from the blog was not an option. Later I discovered that Fritz 17 and ChessBase 16 both make publishing games very easy and they can be downloaded so I have been using Fritz 17.
         When it comes to Fritz and ChessBase there is some overlap of functionality, but each has a specific focus on what they are used for. Fritz focuses on playing against it, giving you hints and, if you can tolerate it, talking to you and playing music. Fortunately, you can silence it. 
         Fritz will do a complete analysis of your game and will let you add your own annotations. The full analysis inserts opening variations based on the games it finds in whatever database you instruct it to look into and it will find tactics that you missed. You can search databases for exact positions, players and a number of other criteria. 
         ChessBase is very similar to Fritz in many respects, but its emphasis is on database management, opening preparation and training. If you are a pro or a serious player wanting to improve then ChessBase would probably be your best choice. 
         If the improvement ship has sailed for you then Fritz is the best choice. If you want to publish games in a blog then either program works very well. 

         The only problem I have with ChessBase is that when posting a game in Blogger it has some weird numbers at the beginning of the post. I have ho idea what they are, but noticed a similar thing when posting games using Aquarium; the solution was simple, just delete them in Blogger as they seem to have zero purpose and they they do not effect the output. 
         Pricewise, the ChessBase Starter edition costs $199.95 and the Premium edition $469.95. Depending on where you purchase it, Fritz 18 (the latest edition) cost about $90.
        On the other hand, Chess Aquarium 2022 only costs $44.95. Needless to say, you can download and use the latest Stockfish engine. 
         I was primarily interested in Aquarium because of its Interactive Deep Analysis (IDeA) feature. This feature is similar to the Infinite Analysis feature found in all the programs. IDeA stores the analysis in an analysis tree. The tree is saved and you can browse it even while the analysis is in progress. Interesting lines are analyzed deeply but weak moves are only considered briefly or not at all. In the Infinite Analysis mode, once you stop it, that's it...the analysis disappears. Personally, for my purposes the IDeA analysis feature did not turn out to be something in which I was interested. 
         One significant disadvantage that precluded my using using Aquarium 2020 instead of ChessOK Aquarium to publish games was that the with former the game moves appeared using weird characters. While that had no effect on playing through the game, it looked odd. 
         There were a couple of times I contacted Aquarium for help when installing the program (user error it turned out!) and their response was quick and helpful. However, when I inquired about the weird characters in the game score they never responded. 
         What about Chess Assistant? It's up to version 22 which sells for $94.95. It, too, is a program to manage games and play online, but it is primarily for managing databases. 
         Personally, I do not care for the appearance of its GUI and I find using it a bit klutzy, but that may be because I am a long time Fritz user. 
         In closing, for most average players who want to play, analyze or do basic database operations (create and search) Fritz will fill the bill at a reasonable cost. For those on a budget, Aquarium will also work very well. 
         For those who have a serious interest in analyzing, studying, building an opening repertoire and working with databases then ChessBase is the best, but I can recommend Chess Assistant if you are on a budget.

    Thursday, July 28, 2022

    A King Hunt By Falkbeer

         The other day I was browsing The Golden Treasury of Chess by I.A. Horowitz. The book was first published in 1943 and reprinted several times. I received my copy as part of a birthday present from my brother in 1957. I no longer have that copy, but an updated edition that has 322 games up to 1966. 
         It's fun to dip into it once in awhile and the other day I discovered a game featuring an awesome King hunt. It was new to me, but it's well known to lots of other enthusiasts, but if you haven't seen it before be prepared to be awestruck. 
         I couldn't find out much about the loser or the circumstances under which it was played, but it was apparently an offhand club game played back in 1853. That was the year presidency of Millard Fillmore ended and Franklin Pierce was sworn in on March 4th. As far as I know, both are about as obscure as the loser in today's game! On April 18th Pierce's Vice President, William R. King, died of tuberculosis in Selma, Alabama, without having carried out any duties of the office. 
         Levi Strauss and Company was founded in San Francisco, piano maker Steinway and Sons was founded in Manhattan and an outbreak of yellow fever killed almost 7,800 people in New Orleans. Yellow fever is spread through mosquito bites and symptoms include fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches. About 15 percent of people who get yellow fever develop serious illness that can lead to bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death. 
         In other bad news, on May 6, 1853, in Norwalk, Connecticut 48 people were killed when a train traveling at 50 mph plunged into the Norwalk Harbor off of an open swing bridge. On approaching the bridge, the engineer neglected to check the signal and only became aware that the bridge was open when within about 400 feet of it. He applied the brakes and reversed the engine, but was unable to stop in time. He and the fireman jumped clear before the crash and escaped serious injury. 
         The engine itself flew across the 60-foot gap, striking the opposite abutment some 8 feet below the level of the track and sinking into 12 feet of water. The baggage cars came to rest atop the locomotive; the front of the first passenger car was crushed against the baggage cars and then submerged as the second passenger car came to rest on top of it. The third passenger car broke in two; the front half hanging down over the edge of the abutment; the rear remaining on the track. 
         Most of the 48 dead and 30 injured were in the first passenger car. A further eight people were reported missing. Many doctors were on the train as they were returning from an annual meeting of the American Medical Association in New York; seven of them were killed. 
         As a result of the accident the state legislature passed a law requiring trains to come to a dead halt before crossing any opening bridge. The engineer was charged with gross negligence and held primarily responsible for the disaster. 
         It wasn't all bad news that year! On August 24 in Saratoga Springs, New York it's traditionally been said that potato chips were invented by George Crum (born George Speck, 1824–1914), a renowned African American chef who worked at Moon’s Lake House, a high-end restaurant that catered to wealthy Manhattan families, in Saratoga Springs during the mid-1800s. 
         According to the legend Crum sliced an order of french fries extra thin to spite a demanding customer. r. The story has since been debunked as a myth, but Crum achieved success when he opened Crum's, a popular restaurant in Malta, New York. 
         1853 was an important year in chess. Howard Staunton traveled to Brussels to meet with Tassilo von der Lasa, the German leading chess authority, to standardize the rules of chess. Staunton also lost a match (+4 -5 =3) to von der Lasa; the match was cut short when Staunton started having heart palpitations and had to return home. 
         On May 18, 1853, Lionel Kieseritzky died in Paris at the age of 47. And, in 1853, Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier painted “The game of chess.” 

         The featured game was played in Vienna. White was an obscure player named Josef Matschego (1800-1858) About all that is known of him is that he studied law and joined the civil service, where he got ahead in the foreign ministry. And, he was a frequent visitor of the chess cafes of Vienna and a member of the Wiener Schachgesellschaft (Vienna Chess Society). 
         The winner, Ernst Falkbeer (June 27, 1819 - December 14, 1885) was born in Brno. He founded Austria's first chess magazine Wiener Schach-Zeitung in 1855. A few months later he went to London and played two matches with Henry Bird, losing in 1856 and winning in 1856-57. He then played in a knock-out tournament in Birmingham (1858), getting knocked out in the 4th round by Lowenthal. He returned to Vienna and where he edited a chess column for the Neue Illustrierte Zeitung from 1877 to 1885.
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Josef MatschegoErnst Falkbeer0–1C39ViennaVienna1853Stockfish 15
    King's Gambit Accepted 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 What?! No Falkbeer Countergambit which he had played in an 1851 game against Adolf Anderssen. 3.f3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.e5 5.g5 is not good. h6 6.xf7 xf7 7.d4 d5 8.xf4 f6 9.c3 and White does not have enough compensation for the sacrificed N. 5...f6 6.c3 A natural developing move, but it's a bad move. He should have played 6. Nxg4 first. 6.xg4 xe4 This is one alternative. 7.d3 g3 8.xf4 Black can now choose between either 8...Qe7+ and 9...Rg8 or 8.Nxh1. In either case the chances would be equal. 6.xg4 d5 This second alternative is also quite playable. 7.xf6+ xf6 8.c3 again, the chances are equal. 6...d6 After this white's position is evaluated as lost! 7.c4 e7 7...h5 is even stronger. 8.e2 g3 9.h2 h5 10.d4 h6 11.d5 c6 12.xf4 b5 white's position is simply horrible. 13.a3 f6 14.d2 xe2 15.xe2 g3 16.h1 g4+ etc. 8.d4 h5 9.e2 xh4+ 10.d2 The K is on the run. g5 10...g3 11.h2 b5 and white has no reasonable move. 11.d3 11.d5 was the only alternative, but after f6 12.xc7+ d7 13.xa8 xe4+ 14.d3 f2+ white has no reason to continue the game. 11...c6 Threatening ... Nb4+ 12.a3 f2 12...f5 13.e5 dxe5 14.b5 0-0 15.c3 d8 16.c2 and white will soon be annihilated. 13.d5 The there is little chance that he will get to play Rxh5 and Nf6+ xd4 14.xc7+ Quite natural, but white should have been thinking of defending, not grabbing material. 14.c3 Squashes black's murderous attack and in spite of the precarious position of white's K black's attack can be survived! It's important to note that after c3 the square c2 is available to white's K. e5 15.xc7+ d8 16.xa8 g3 17.c2 g6 18.d3 xh1 19.xh1 e6 20.f1 f5 21.xf4 fxe4 22.e2 e3+ 23.d1 With careful play white might be able to survive. 14...d8 15.d5 Apparently white had second thoughts about grabbing the R and instead returns the N to it's outpost in hopes of helping with the defense. 15.xa8 was actually better. d5 15...f5 16.c3 fxe4+ 17.c2 e3 18.xd6 Threatening Nf7+ forking the K, Q and R! e7 19.cxd4 xd6 20.d5 f5+ 21.b3 a5+ 22.a2 White's K has reached a safe haven and he can even claim the advantage! 16.c3 dxc4+ 17.c2 with a miserable position, but at least it's not as bad as after the text. 15.c3 is no good now because of xc7 16.cxd4 g3 17.g1 e8 and white must defend e4 so... 18.e5 18.c2 xe2 19.xe2 xd4+ 18...dxe5 19.d5 d4 20.d6+ d8 21.f1 f5+ 22.c3 e4+ 23.b4 ...and black wins. 15...f5 16.xd6 16.c3 This is not effective here because the N on d5 is hanging after fxe4+ 17.c2 xd5 16...fxe4+ The difference here and the positions in the previous note is that white has not played c3 and so his K cannot escape via c2. Instead, it is forced into the open. 17.c4 17.xe4 xd5 18.c4 e5+ followed by the capture of the N. 17...xd5+ Beautiful. It's mate in 8 17...e6 also wins, but it's not as nice, or as effective. 18.b3 xd5+ 19.c4 xd6 20.xh5 Black wins, but there is no immediate mate. 18.xd5 f6+ 19.c4 e6+ 20.b5 a6+ 21.a4 b5+ 22.xb5 axb5+ 23.xb5 a5+ 24.xc6 d5+ 25.d6 e8# A great game. 0–1

    Wednesday, July 27, 2022

    Percivale Bolland Mines Gold

         Weston-super-Mare, also known as Weston, is a seaside town in SW England that lies on the Bristol Channel about 120 miles west of London. 
         The 1924 tournament continued the success of the one held there two years previously with the best English players of the day except F.D. Yates who was playing in the famous tournament in New York, plus two foreign masters, the young Euwe from Holland and the French-Russian master Znosko-Borovsky. 
         The event featured a simul by Znosko-Borovsky who scored +20 =6 -2, a lightning tournament that was won by Chris Sullivan and a quick p tournament that was won by Cyril Duffiled. In addition, there was an Open event that was won by Richard Lean plus three class tournaments consisting of two sections each. 
         In the main event, going into the last round Euwe and Thomas were tied and Euwe took first when he defeated Edmund Specer while Thomas drew with Znosko-Borovsky. 

     
         Today's game is a fine example of attacking play by Percivale Bolland (1888 - March 31, 1950, 61 years old). He was born in Worcestershire, the 7th of 8 children, of clergyman William Ernest Bolland (1848-1919) from New Plymouth, New Zealand; his mother was from India. 
         In 1911, Bolland was a bank clerk and in 1916 he married an American woman who had moved to England in 1892; her name was Cicily Maud Butt; she passed away in 1961. The same year he was married found him fighting in WWI as a second lieutenant in the UK Army's Welsh Regiment. In 1917 he was promoted to captain and he was wounded the following year.
          Cyril Cuffield 1894-1968) was a local player from nearby Bristol.

    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)

    Percivale BollandCyril Duffield1–0C56Weston-Super-MareWeston-super-Mare ENG19.04.1924Stockfish 15
    Max Lange Attack 1.e4 e5 2.c4 f6 3.d4 This is the rarely seen Urusov Gambit in which white gets a great attacking position where it's easy for black to go wrong. The gambit was popular among attacking players for nearly 150 years. Adopted by greats like Schlechter, Tartakower, Caro and Mieses, the opening claimed victims among the best defenders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Steinitz and Lasker. By 1924 there was enough interest in the line that a thematic tournament was organized in New York featuring Marshall, Torre, and Santasiere. More recently, correspondence players have explored the opening's many forcing lines and Yakov Estrin (World Correspondence Champion from 1975 to 1980) published several monographs that carried the analysis into the middlegame. Estrin's analysis revealed, however, a possible equalizing method for Black (with Panov's 4....d5) and suggested that some of the deepest lines might end in equality with best play. I have used it 14 times in correspondence tournaments and scored +5 -0 =9. As black I have faced it 6 times scoring +1 -2 =3. Black has a number of ways of responding. exd4 4.f3 4.e5 This immediate thrust is less promising as after d5 5.xd4 dxc4 6.xd8+ xd8 7.exf6 gxf6 His shattered K-side Ps notwithstanding, black is a solid P up. 4...c5 I have met this move only once and because 5.O-O allows black to transpose into the Max Lange Attack with 5...Nc6 white may try to force matters with the immediate 5.e5 even though in actual practice it has not worked out well. 5.0-0 5.e5 d5 6.exf6 dxc4 7.e2+ e6 8.fxg7 g8 is about even. 5...c6 5...d6 Now 6.c3 is Seirawan's choice in Winning Chess Openings. In a correspondence game back in 2018 I continued 6.c3 dxc3 7.e5 cxb2 8.xb2 dxe5 9.xd8+ xd8 10.xe5 e8 11.d1+ d7 12.d2 xf2+ 13.xf2 xe5 14.xe5 g4+ 15.g1 xe5 A crazy position. White has a R vs a N+3Ps, but the position is equal and eventually drawn. 6.e5 The opening has transposed into the Max Lange Attack. d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.e1+ e6 9.g5 9.fxg7 is rarely seen, but it appears to be satisfactory. g8 10.g5 e7 11.xe7 xe7 12.xd4 d8 13.c3 with equal chances. 9...d5 10.c3 f5 11.ce4 All this has been seen before, but the position requires precise play by black. f8 This very fine move is Stockfish's first choice even though white is slightly better after it. 11...gxf6 black must not play this. 12.g4 g6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.xc5 The position favors white. 11...0-0-0 12.xe6 fxe6 13.g4 e5 14.fxg7 hg8 15.h6 d3 16.c3 d6 16...e7 17.f3 d5 18.f4 18.f7 de8 19.e3 e5 20.f4 g6 21.f7 e5 22.f4 g6 23.f7 e5 24.f4 g6 1/2-1/2 (24) Marshall,F-Capablanca,J New York 1910 18...e5 19.d2 d6 20.e4 d7 This complicated position is equal, but in Marshall,F-Capablanca,J New York 1910 white went on to win. 17.f4 d5 18.f3 e7 19.g5 f5 20.g3 White is better. Marshall,F-Tarrasch,S Hamburg 1910 12.xf7 There's not much difference between this and 12.Nxe6 12.xe6 fxe6 13.g5 0-0-0 14.fxg7 xg7 15.xd8 xd8 A messy position that offers about equal chances. 12...xf7 Obviously not 12...Bxf7 13.Nd6+ winning the Q 13.g5+ g8 14.xe6 14.fxg7 xg7 15.xe6 e8 is even. 14...xf6 15.e2 e8 15...d3 would have fizzled out to equality, but it was black's safest line. 16.cxd3 e8 17.g5 cxd3 18.xd3 e5 19.d5 xe6 20.xe5 xd5 21.xd5 d6 16.xc4 Threatening mate with Ng5+. f7 17.f4 White has the initiative, but black has adequate defensive resources. g6 This prevents 18.f5 and so now black really does threaten to win with ...Nd8 17...d8 18.f5 h6 19.f4 c6 20.e4 white has a decisive advantage. 18.g4 Renewing the threat of f5. a5 18...d8 19.f5 gxf5 20.gxf5 h6 This position is, despite appearances, only very slightly in white's favor. But, it's not a position that black would enjoy defending. 19.d5 White still wants to play f5. b4 What a pity! After this black is lost. 19...c6 20.xa5 20.e5 c4 21.e4 d6 22.e2 h5 With his N centralized and defending his position, with this move black has actually manage to launch a promising counterattack. 20...xe6 and black is out of the woods and even has a bit of a counterattack himself. 21.d2 h5 with equal chances. 20.e2 c6 21.e4 The problem with black's 19th move is now evident...two of his pieces are offside. White now moves in for the kill. c4 22.f5 Finally! c5 ...d3+ is the strong threat. 23.d3 b6 24.g5 xe2 24...d7 saves the Q but does not avoid the slaughter. 25.xe8+ xe8 26.xc4+ 25.xf7 xc2 26.fxg6 h5 27.xh8 e5 28.f5 White has a mate in 9. d3+ 29.h1 e2 30.h6 xh2+ 31.xh2 xg4+ 32.g2 Black Resigned. A nice attacking game by Bolland. 32.xg4 is a move quicker. hxg4 33.e1 e3 34.xe3 g3+ 35.xg3 xh8 36.e8# 32.g2 xh6 33.c8+ g7 34.f1 f5 35.xf5 c5 36.xc5 h6 37.f8+ g5 38.f4# 1–0

    Tuesday, July 26, 2022

    Bobotsov Gets Squashed Like A Grape

         The following game was played in the World Student Olympiad in Varna, Bulgaria in 1958. Tal won the gold medal on 1st board, with +7 -0 =3. 
         Prior to the start of the Olympiad it was assumed that no team would represent the United States because the U.S. did not maintain diplomatic relations with Bulgaria and American passports were not valid for travel there. 
         The Intercollegiate Chess League of America had been in correspondence with the State Department for nearly a year, but the results were not encouraging then suddenly the State Department agreed to validate the passports so a team could travel to Bulgaria. 
         Max Pavey's wife was chairman of the USCF International Affairs Committee and she took immediate steps to assemble a team while ICLA Vice-President Anthony Saidy acted as chairman of the organizing committee. Naturally, there was the usual problem of financing and USCF members were asked to donate money to the cause. 

         Eventually a team (William Lombardy, Edmar Mednis, Anthony Saidy, Arthur Feuerstein and Martin Sobell) was put together and sent to Varna. The team started out with great success...they swept through the qualifying matches defeating Albania, Iceland, and Bulgaria, to enter the finals. 
         In the finals the USSR finished 1st ahead of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, USA, Argentina and East Germany. At the end, the team finished rather poorly, taking 6th place out of 16 teams. According to Lombardy, "The chess was good, but the nerves and luck were bad." 
         In the following game Tal crushes Bulgarian Milko Bobotsov (1931-2000, 68 years old). Bobotsov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and was Bulgarian champion in 1958 and was awarded the IM title in 1960 and the GM title in 1961, thus becoming Bulgaria's first GM. After suffering a stroke in 1972 his international play was somewhat curtailed. He was married to WGM Antonia Ivanova.
     
     
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Milko BobotsovMikhail Tal0–1E81Finals World Student Olympiad, VarnaVarna BUL1958Stockfish 15
    King's Indian: Saemisch Attack 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.ge2 White hopes to solidify the center, castle Q-side and play g4–g5 and h2-h4 with a K-side attack. The disadvantage is the P on f3 deprives this N of its most natural square, f3 6.d3 Playing this first seems to make more sense, but for whatever reason, it's almost never seen. c5 7.d5 e6 8.ge2 a6 9.a4 c7 10.0-0 exd5 11.cxd5 Equals. Granda Zuniga,J (2525)-Barlov,D (2555) Zagreb 1987 6...c5 Black can challenge the center with this or ...e5 after which white needs to decide whether to close the center with d4-d5 or let it remain fluid. 7.e3 7.d5 e6 8.g3 exd5 9.cxd5 h5 is the main alternative. 7...bd7 8.d2 a6 9.0-0-0 a5 10.b1 b5 11.d5 The opening was played at blitz speed as Bobotsov was curious to find out what had Tal prepared. This risky move had been played in some blitz games the previous day and when Bobotsov played it the spectators gasped when Tal, without a flinch, sacrificed his Q just as happened in the blitz games. 11.dxc5 was tried in Alterman,B (2585)-Nunn,J (2590) Pardubice 1993 dxc5 12.d5 xd5 13.cxd5 xd2 14.xd2 f5 15.f4 with equal chances. 11...xd5 This is the correct move as any engine will tell you, but black's advantage is not great. 12.xa5 White pretty much has to take the Q as other moves are inferior. 12.cxd5 xd2 13.xd2 f5 Best. In Sarno,S (2425)-Timoscenko,G (2533) Lido Estensi 2003 black played 13...Nb6 with equality. 14.dxc5 Favoring black is 14.exf5 xc5 15.xc5 dxc5 16.c3 Black is considerably better. Spulber,C (2365)-Itkis,B (2430) Odorheiu Secuiesc 1993 12...xe3 13.c1 13.d3 is more appropriate. xc4 14.e1 cxd4 15.xd4 with roughly equal chances. 13...xc4 14.xc4 bxc4 15.c1 Wrong direction! The N needs to go to f4 hoping to eventually land on d5 b8 White's prospects are grim. Black has open lines against his K, his Q is misplaced on the Q-side and he has zero prospects of a K-side attack. 16.xc4 b6 17.b3 xd4 18.d2 This loses quickly. 18.e2 To eliminate the B offers a glimmer of hope. xb2 19.c2 19.xb2 c4+ wins outright. 19...f6 20.b1 e6 Keeps the status quo...black has the initiative, but white can hope to defend himself. In 5 Shootouts (long and fascinating) white managed 4 draws and a loss. 18...g7 19.e2 c4 Gutting the position of white's K. 20.c2 c3 21.d3 cxb2 22.d4 d7 Prevents Nc6. 23.d1 fc8 24.b3 24.xa6 is met by c4 25.b3 e6 26.a4 a8 27.b4 cb8 28.c3 a3+ 29.xb2 b5 30.e3 xd4 31.xd4 xb3 32.axb3 a4 and wins 24...a4 25.xa4 xa4 26.b3 c3 27.xa6 xb3 28.axb3 bc8 29.a3 c1+ 30.xc1 xc1+ A delightful slaughter! 0–1

    Monday, July 25, 2022

    Play the Sicilian Wing Gambit?!

         Last post took a brief look at the Staunton Gambit; in this one we will take a brief look at the Sicilian Wing Gambit. It's not very popular and in my database it was played only 36 times, but white scored a whopping +27 - 6 =3!!! 
         One advantage of the gambit is you don't have to worry about black rattling off a long string of book theory! 
         Besides taking you opponent out of the book, luring black's c-Pawn away allows white to occupy the center with d2-d4 which hopefully will work to his advantage. Additionally, white gets speedy development which should be sufficient compensation. Of course, black can decline the gambit, but almost nobody ever does. 
         Kamran Shirazi (born November 21, 1952) is an IM who was born in Tehran and won the 1972 Iranian Championship. He moved to the United States in 1979 and quickly became one of the most active players in the country. He was a fixture on the NY chess scene in the 1980s and was known as a dashing, enigmatic, figure. 
         Thanks to his success in U.S. events plus the fact that the 1980s were a time of rating inflation, his rating rose rapidly and he became one of the highest rated players country. However, when he qualified for he 1984 U.S. Championship based on his results in the 1983 Church's Fried Chicken Grand Prix he finished dead last with a lone draw (against GM Roman Dzindzichashvili) out of 17 games. In that tournament he also achieved the dubious distinction of losing the shortest decisive game in the history of the Championship. Oddly, in that gane he played the Wing Gambit, one of his specialties, which we're looking at today! He earned $37.50 for his efforts. 
         When asked to explain the debacle Shirazi only said, “I was very restless at the time and I hadn’t been sleeping.” Asked what he had been doing, he said he had been playing games and added that for him that was a "form of partying."
         Robert Byrne wrote that Shirazi could "produce a novel and original way of looking at a position, and quite often he plays with a certain freshness, but his eccentricities work against him as well as for him." Byrne added, "He can think of a new way of going wrong every time he sits down and plays a game." 
         Shirazi made an appearance in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer where he was introduced as Grandmaster Shirazi. In 2006, he moved to France and changed his FIDE federation from the US to France. 
         Known for playing strange and unorthodox openings, Shirazi is known for his flamboyant and innovative style of play as well as Byrne's previously mentioned amazing ability to somehow lose. Byrne wrote of the necessity of making use of fantasy if you want to be a greta player, but he cautioned that "you have to have control over it. You can’t be fantastic every time the itch gets to you.” 
         Shirazi was one of the best Blitz players in the U.S. and in today's game we'll take a look at how he demolished a GM playing one of his favorite lines against the Sicilian, the Wing Gambit. 
         It was played in a Game 20 in a strong rapid tournament in Livry-Gargan, near Paris, back in 2009. The tournament was won by GM Murtas Kazhgakeyev of Kazakhstan. Shirazi and his opponent, GM Pavel Tregubov of Russia, tied for places 25-30 (342 players).
     
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Kamran Shirazi2404Pavel Tregubov26281–0B20Livry Gargan (France) Open (Game 20)6Livry Gargan10.05.2009Stockfish 15
    Sicilian Wing Gambit 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 2...e6 3.bxc5 xc5 4.d4 is seldom seen. Black can retreat the B or play ...Bb4+, but he has no more than equality. 3.a3 3.c4 e5 4.f3 c6 5.b2 d6 6.d4 exd4 7.xd4 f6 8.d2 e7 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 Hector,J (2500)-Kudrin,S (2570) Palma de Mallorca 1989. Black is a solid P up and went on to win. 3.b2 f6 4.e5 d5 5.f3 c6 6.c4 b6 7.b3 e6 8.0-0 e7 9.c4 a5 10.c2 xb3 11.axb3 0-0 12.c1 a5 13.d4 f5 Black gets into serious trouble after this. Correct was either 13...d4 or 13...d6 14.d5 exd5 15.c5 a6 16.cxb6 xb6 17.d4 g6 Rogers,I (2545)-Douven,R (2405) Groningen 1991 1-0 3...d5 This along with 3...bxa3 and 3...e6 are the most popular replies. All are of about equal value. 3...e6 4.axb4 xb4 5.c3 e7 6.d4 d6 7.f3 c6 8.e3 Black has a solid position and went on to win. Marshall,F-Tarrasch,S San Sebastian 1912 3...bxa3 4.d4 d6 5.f4 g6 6.f3 g7 7.h3 c6 8.c3 f6 9.e5 Better was 9.Bd3 dxe5 10.fxe5 d5 11.xd5 xd5 12.c4 a5+ 13.d2 b6 14.c5 b2 15.b1 f5 16.xb2 axb2 17.h6 b1 0-1 Savchenko,B (2567)-Yeletsky,I (2438) Voronezh 2019 4.exd5 xd5 5.f3 5.axb4 e5+ 0-1 Shirazi-John Peters, US Championship, 1984. 5...e5 6.c4 e6 7.d4 exd4+ 7...e4 was a reasonable alternative. 8.g5 g6 A strange position. Stockfish 15 suggests either 9. c5 or 9.h4 as equalizing. 8.e2 d3 Returning the P for no reason seems a strange decision. 8...Qg6 and black is slightly better. 9.xd3 f6 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 e7 12.axb4 This looks reasonable, but the advantage swings in black's favor. 12.d1 f5 13.xf5 xf5 14.axb4 xb4 15.a4+ The point of move 12. White will play Ba3 next move and the chances will be about equal. 12...xb4 It seems odd, but taking with the B was actually better. 12...xb4 There is no way for white to utilize the fact that black's Q is standing between the R and K. 13.d2 0-0 leaves black slightly better. 13.d2 0-0 14.f1 14.d3 was better d6 15.xe7 xe7 16.a3 wins the N and white has what should be a winning advantage. e4 17.xb4 xb4 18.xb4 e8 19.c3 xc3 20.xc3 Stockfish evaluates this position as winning for white, but I didn't believe it so ran a Shootout and white did score +4 - 0 =1, so it's true. However, the dames were very long, 100 moves or more, so in human play a draw seems like a likely outcome. 14...d6 The losing move. 14...e4 This saves the game and even leaves black slightly better, but who is going to voluntarily walk into a pin when moving the Q out of danger looks so logical? 15.b2 There is just no way to take advantage of the pinned N on e4. 15.d4 f6 wins 15.f4 f5 15...f5 16.c3 a5 17.e3 f6 18.d4 d8 and things fizzle out to equality after 19.xe4 fxe4 20.xf6 xf6 21.xf6 gxf6 22.xe4 15.xe7 Decisive. xe7 16.a3 d8 17.b2 This can be considered the decisive move because the logical looking 17.Qxb4 allows black to equalize. 17.xb4 xb4 18.xb4 d1 paralyzing white's pieces. Chances are equal. 17.xb4 is much worse. After xd2 18.xe7 d1 19.xf6 gxf6 20.fd2 f5 black has a winning position. 17...d1 And now ...Nd3 would win. 18.xb4 d8 19.c2 d7 19...g4 is tougher. 20.d2 xf3 21.gxf3 d4 22.xd1 xa1 Technically the position favors white, but in practical play it's quite unclear. In Shootouts white scored +3 -0 =2, but the games were long, one going over 150 moves! 20.c3 White has established a winning position and Shirazi plays the rest of the game with great precision. b6 21.b5 b7 21...b7 22.e5 e6 23.d1 b8 When compared to white's, black's pieces have little in the way of prospects. In Shootouts from this position white scored five wins as all black could do was sit passively while white ground him down to a winning ending. Still, this seems like black's best option. 22.e5 Black's R comes under relentless fire. e4 23.c1 b7 24.d6 e7 25.xe4 xe5 So, black has saved his R, but white is winning. 26.xf6+ gxf6 27.c3 e6 28.f4 d6 29.g4+ f8 30.d1 a3 31.h3 e8 32.d3 c5 33.xh7 e7 34.d5 a3 35.h3 Black resigned. It looks like there is plenty of play left in the position, but Stockfish puts white's advantage at over 9 Ps. 35.h3 Not being a Grandmaster I don't see a clear way of winning here, so here is Stockfish 15's continuation. a4 35...e5 Practically speaking this may be black's best chance. 36.d7+ 36.xe5 xh3 37.gxh3 fxe5 38.xe5+ would win, but it's more difficult. 36...e8 37.c7 e6 38.c5 There's no really good answer to Qh8+ d8 39.e7 xe7 40.h8+ d7 41.xa8 xc3 42.d5+ e8 43.b5+ f8 44.d8+ g7 45.xe7 bxc5 Engines give white the win here, but with humans who knows?! 36.b2 c8 37.a3+ c5 38.c3 e8 39.h4 f5 40.xf5 a5 41.d5 f6 42.xc5+ bxc5 43.xa5 f7 44.xc5 e1 45.c7+ e7 46.g3 g8 47.f3 g6 48.g3 e1 49.g2 c2 50.h5+ and wins. 1–0

    Friday, July 22, 2022

    Play the Staunton Gambit?!

         The Staunton Gambit (1. d4 f5 2. e4) was once a feared weapon for white, but it is rarely played today because theory has shown how to neutralize it. In my database white scores 35 percent while black scores 50 percent and who wants to play an opening where you have a 50 percent chance of losing? 
         The idea behind the opening is that white sacrifices a Pawn for quick development in the hopes of launching an attack against back's King. Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defense, but accepting the pawn with 2...fxe4 is considered stronger. 
         The database of my games has 10 games in which the Staunton Gambit was played. I was white in 4 of them and scored three wins and a draw; playing black, I scored 3 wins, a loss and a draw. Thus, in the ten Staunton Gambits that I was involved in white scored +4 -3 =2. That's not the statistical results of the games in the 8-million game database, but then these games were played by average players, so maybe the Staunton Gambit is worth a try if you are an average player! It also suggests that you should not expect a lot of draws. 
     

         In 1908 Frank Marshal and Rudolf Spielmann met three times in tournaments: Prague (Marshall won), Vienna (Spielmann won) and at Dusseldorf where Marshall handed Spielmann a quick defeat using the Staunon Gambit. 
     
     
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Frank MarshallRudolf Spielmann16th DSB Congress, Dusseldorf08.10.1908Stockfish 15
    Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit 1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.c3 3.f3 This is a rarely played, and risky, sideline. d5 4.fxe4 dxe4 5.c4 f6 6.g5 c6 7.d5 g4 8.e2 a5 9.b5+ d7 10.bc3 xb5 11.xb5 c6 12.dxc6 xc6 13.ec3 After this white's position deteriorates. a6 14.a3 b5 15.xf6 exf6 16.d5 xa3 17.bxa3 a5+ 18.f2 0-0 19.f1 ad8 20.h5 d2+ 0-1 Anon-Tartajubow, Correspondence 2009 3...f6 4.g5 c6 4...g6 Seldom played but it turns out to be the favorite of no less a player than Stockfish! My opponent was years ahead of his time. 5.f3 exf3 6.xf3 d5 7.d3 g4 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 c6 White should have started operations on the K-side with 9.h4 10.0-0-0 g7 11.de1 bd7 12.hf1 0-0 The position is equal, but white eventually won in Tartajubow-Anon, 1967 5.f3 exf3 6.xf3 e6 6...d5 7.d3 g6 8.e5 b6 9.e2 xb2 Bad...very bad. He should have played 9...Bg7 10.0-0 xc3 11.xf6 and white soon won. Lalic,B (2590) -Kovacevic,V (2520) Slavonski Brod 1995 7.d3 e7 At this time this position was known from Lasker, E-Pillsbury,H Paris 1900. Lasker won with 9.Ne5, but Marshall's move is equally good. Stockfish already gives white a winning advantage! Where did black go wrong?! 8.0-0 White has a decisive advantage. 8.e5 0-0 9.xf6 xf6 10.h5 g6 11.xg6 e8 12.xe7+ xe7 13.0-0-0 White has a decisive advantage, but it took Lasker 80 moves to demonstrate it. Lasker, E-Pillsbury, H Paris 1900 8.e2 This is less effective. 0-0 9.0-0 c5 10.e4 White is much better, but in Zavadil,M (2138)-Macicek,J (2056) Frydek Mistek 2007, he managed to lose the game. It demonstrates how slippery a slope the Staunton is for the non-master. 8...d6 No N on e5 for white! 9.e2 a6 10.a3 Prevents Nb4 and leaves the N misplaced. c7 11.ae1 In his book, My Fifty Years of Chess, Marshall wrote that he believed Spielmann was simply "afraid to castle", adding that it was the only good move as he is preparing Nh4 followed by Bxf6 and Qh5+. b6 Sad to say, this is probably as good a move as any. 11...0-0 is, however, very little help. 12.f2 d7 13.h4 f7 14.e2 g6 15.h6 h5 16.g5 Black is facing a very dangerous attack. One possibility... xf1+ 17.xf1 e5 18.f7 e4 19.xe4 e8 20.xh7 with a decisive advantage. 12.h4 d7 This is the worst possible move, but he had to make a move. 12...0-0 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 xf1+ 15.xf1 g6 16.xg6 xg5 17.e5 e7 18.f7 and there is no satisfactory way to meet the threat of Qxh7+ 12...d7 is refuted by 13.xf6 xf6 14.h5+ f8 White has two winning lines: 15.Ne4 (objectively the strongest) and 15.Rxf6+ (the prettiest). 15.xf6+ gxf6 16.xh7 e7 16...e5 17.h6+ f7 18.e4 e6 19.g6+ e7 20.g7+ f7 21.g6+ e6 22.f4+ e7 22...exf4 23.xf6# 23.dxe5 fxe5 24.g6+ d7 25.xh8 and wins 17.g6+ 13.f5 f8 13...exf5 14.xf5+ e8 15.xc8 xc8 16.xf6 gxf6 17.xf6 f8 18.xe7 d7 18...xe7 19.xe7# 19.h5+ f7 20.xd6+ e6 21.e5 d8 22.e4 f8 23.f6 e6 24.xe6 xe6 25.xe6 Black can only avoid Re8# by giving up the exchange. 14.xe7 xe7 15.e4 f8 16.xf6+ gxf6 17.f3 This has a surprising tactical flaw. 17.f2 was correct. f7 Getting away from white's R 17...e8 18.xe6 xe6 19.f5 18.h6 was very strong. a6 17...e8 After this black's hopes of saving the game drop to zero. 17...a6 This at least would have allowed black to continue playing. 18.h6 18.xf6 xd3 19.xe7 xf3 20.xf3 xc2 white is only slightly better. 18...f7 19.c4 g8 White is better, but there is no forced win and so black can continue to put up a fight. 18.xe6 Easy ti see, but nice anyway. It's hard to believe Spielmann missed this...or perhaps he just decided to end it, but then why not resign? f7 18...xe6 19.f5 19.e4 The h-Pawn is the next target. b7 20.h4 g7 21.xh7 h8 22.h3+ Black gave up 22.h3+ c7 23.xf6 e7 24.g6 xh7 25.xh7 and there is nothing black can do.

    Wednesday, July 20, 2022

    Dr. Robert B. Griffith

         In 1937, aviation made the news in a big way. Amelia Earhart mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during a flight and Howard Hughes broke his own transcontinental speed record in a flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey. Also, the German airship Hindenburg burst into flames while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey. 
         In Chicago, The Memorial Day Massacre took place when ten union demonstrators were killed when police open fire on them. U.S. Steel had signed a union contract but smaller steel manufacturers refused to do so and a strike was called. 
         On Memorial Day, some 1,500-2,500 unionists, their families and sympathizers gathered and had an outdoor picnic lunch with music and speakers. 
         The crowd began to march towards the Republic Steel mill to picket, but were met by a line of roughly 300 Chicago policemen. The protesters argued their right to continue and the police opened fired. As the crowd fled, police murdered ten people, four dying that day and six others later. Nine people were permanently disabled and 28 had serious head injuries after they were beaten with clubs by the police. No police were ever prosecuted. 
         In San Francisco the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened in May. The Looney Tunes cartoon character Daffy Duck appeared in April. The duck was voiced by Mel Blanc who also voiced Porky Pig and later Bugs Bunny. 
         In 1937, 60-year-old Dr. Robert B. Griffith, a doctor for the Hollywood film industry was killed in a car crash. Dr. Griffith was the physician for, among many other Hollywood stars, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. 
         He was the target of at least three malpractice lawsuits. In 1924, Minnie Chaplin, wife of film start Syd Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin's half brother), in a lawsuit for $100,000, claimed her nose job performed by Dr. Griffith left her not only disfigured but permanently marred. Griffith countered that it was due to her refusal to follow instructions and not to his carelessness and negligence. Curiously, Minnie was diagnosed with breast cancer and died in France in September 1936 following surgery for the illness. 
         I was unable to determine the outcome of that lawsuit, but in 1927, in another $100,000 suit for a nose job gone wrong, Dr. Griffith was sued by silent screen actor William H. Scott, who claimed his nose had been mangled so bad that he was no longer able to get film work. A judge ruled there was no evidence of negligence. 
         Then in 1929, Dorothy Higgins, a New York stage actress, filed suit for $5,000 against Dr. Griffith alleging an operation he performed on her nose to make it photograph well caused it to increase in size and made her voice sound like she had a cold. Again, the results of the lawsuit are unavailable. 
         The October 1921 issue of Caduceus, a publication of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, carried a lengthy article on the exploits of Dr. Griffith that was as glowing as anything that ever came out of Hollywood. 
         Under the title, Chess, Recreation of Film Star's Physician, it was said that, "For Brother Griffith it is who sustains in the actors and actresses of Los Angeles film colony the good health and pep required in screen productions. They bring all their troubles, from a broken heart to a broken limb, to the doctor for repairs."
         The article pointed out that were were drawbacks though. For example, Dr. Griffith had to keep up his professional dignity while being photographed with his famous patients. The article observed that, "He treats them all; and well, evidently, for he has been retained as the Pickford family physician for a number of years." 
         Described as  being a genial, affable gentleman, hearty and frank person and one of the most popular men on the Coast, he was for a long time also the physician for the Los Angeles Athletic Club. 
         According to the article, whenever a chess expert visited Los Angeles, "Dr. Griffith is trotted to the front" and proceeded to show the newcomer who was the boss.
         In his earlier days Dr. Griffith used to play considerable chess, but that was before his medical work took up all of his time. Back in his college days he was intercollegiate champion. 
         The article informed readers that after college Griffith was "a billiard shark." Shortly after his graduation the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. hired him to travel for them as a salesman. The Chicago-based company was the largest billiard equipment operation in the world and later expanded their business to include bar equipment. 
         On May 30, 1937, Herman Steiner was on his way back to Hollywood from California's annual North-South chess match where he had played on board 1 and Dr. Griffith on board 2. Steiner hit another car head-on killing Dr. Griffith and the driver in the other car was critically injured. 
         In his book Reshevsky on Chess, Reshevsky (or the ghost writer who is believed to have been Fred Reinfeld) thought this game was one the best he played as a child. A short time after this game a single game was played between the two and it ended in a draw.

    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Samuel ReshevskyDr. Robert B Griffith½–½Exhibition game, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA USA06.07.1921Stockfish 15
    Giuoco Piano 1.e4 e5 2.c4 f6 3.f3 c6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 d6 This move is too passive to give black any real counterplay and as a result he gets a very passive position. 6.xd4 e7 7.c3 d7 8.h3 0-0 As a result of his 5th move black's position is unpleasantly passive. 9.f4 9.e3 e8 10.f4 f8 11.f3 h6 12.e5 This is unsound. 12.f2 a6 White is better. 12...xe4 13.xe4 xe4 14.xf7+ xf7 15.d5+ wins 12...dxe5 13.fxe5 xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.d4 White has nothing to show for the P. Stavrev,N (2245)-Spasov,V (2540) Bulgaria 1994 9...b6 Best was 9...Nxd4 followed by 10...Bc6 9...e8 10.f3 h6 11.e5 dxe5 12.g5 hxg5 13.fxg5 e6 14.xe6 c5+ 15.h1 xe6 16.gxf6 xf6 lead to a loss for black in Kalashnikov,K (2399)-Grachev,J (2352) Novosibirsk 2001) 10.e3 e8 Again he should have exchanges on d4 11.e5 this impetuous advance allows black to equalize. Best was the simple 11.Nf3 dxe5 12.xc6 xc6 13.fxe5 d6 An excellent move that results in complications that Reshevsky does not handle well. 14.exf6 Or 14.exd6. Either move is satisfactory for equality. 14.xf6 This is also playable. After gxf6 15.exd6 xe3 16.d5 xd5 17.xd5 c8 18.g4+ h8 19.d7 b8 20.xf7 e7 21.e8 the position is unclear. 14...xe3 15.g4 15.d5 is a loser... xc3 16.xf7+ xf7 17.h5+ g8 18.bxc3 gxf6 and black is winning as evidenced by scoring 5 wins in Shootouts. 15.fxg7 is correct. Then after c5 16.h2 h4 17.g4 the position is equal. 15...g6 16.h4 16.xf7+ fails after xf7 17.c4+ e6 18.ae1 d7 16...c5 17.h1 d7 17...d2 isn't as good as it looks. 18.d5! xd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.h6 xh3+ 21.xh3 18.h2 White is losing after this. A must was 18.Bd5 d6+ 18...d2 was much better. 19.d5 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.ad1 e5+ and black's extra piece is a winning advantage. 19.h1 Better was 19.Rf4 and 20.Raf1 d7 20.h2 d6+ 21.h1 d7 In a winning position this is a mistake because it allows white to draw by threefold repetition with 22.Kh2 21...e5 22.d5 e4 23.h6 f8 24.e7+ xe7 25.fxe7 xh6 wins 22.d5 Unwisely disdaining the draw. ae8 Even better than taking the N! 23.ad1 Avoiding a trap. 23.xe3 xe3 24.h2 24.h6 xh3+ 25.xh3 xh3# 24...e4 25.h6 f8 23...8e4 Wrong R! After this black remains with the superior game, but it was not the best move. That said, after the better 23...R3e4 the complications are enormous, so perhaps practically speaking this is the best move after all! 23...3e4 Right R! 24.f4 xf4 25.xf7+ 25.xf4 xh3+ mate next move. 25...xf7 26.xf4 h5 black is better. 23...3e4 24.h6 f8 25.e7+ 8xe7 26.xd7 xd7 27.xf7+ xf7 28.d2 Here, too, black is better. 24.h6 xh3+ 25.xh3 xh3+ 26.gxh3 xc4 Black has simplified, to an ending in which he has a P for the exchange and soon he will win another P. It's going to take Reshevsky a great deal of ingenuity to avoid the loss. 27.c3 e4 28.d2 e5-+ 29.fd1 f5 30.b4 d6 31.g1 Threatening 32.Ne7+ xd5 32.xd5 xf6 33.a3 g7 34.c4 f3 35.1d3 xd3 36.xd3 In the ending black will have two united passed Ps and white's only chance is to get open files for his R, which he does. From this point, barring a serious error, the position is a draw. f6 37.g2 e6 38.e3+ e5 39.a4 g5 40.d3 e7 41.d5 f6 42.f3 h5 43.a5 f4 44.axb6 axb6 45.b5 e5 46.e4 e6 46...g4 47.hxg4 hxg4 48.f5 g3 49.d2 is a draw. 47.d8 f5+ 48.e3 g4 49.hxg4 This makes white's task much harder. 49.e8+ d6 50.h4 f4+ 51.e4 f6 52.xf4 xh4 53.h8 f2 54.xh5 is a draw 49...hxg4 The correct recapture. 49...fxg4 50.e4 g3 51.f3 h4 52.g2 and black can make no progress. 50.e8+ f6 51.g8 d6 52.h8 As a result of his 49th mvoe white's defense was again very difficult, but this should have lost. 52.f2 is a stouter defense. f4 53.f8+ e5 54.e8+ d4 55.g8 xc4 56.f8 g3+ 57.f3 d6 58.xf5 b4 59.g2 is a draw 52...c5+ 52...g5 was even better. 53.g8+ h4 54.f2 f4 55.h8+ g5 56.g8+ f5 57.g7 f3 58.f7+ e5 wins 53.f4 d6+ 54.e3 g5 55.h7 An interesting position. Whoever annotated this game for Reshevsky's book (him or Reinfeld) completely misjudged the position. The note to this move claims that white waits until his opponent decides to advance one of the Ps which is less dangerous than it seems. Sooner or later, one of them will occupy a black square and will not be able to advance. Stockfish puts black's advantage at an overwhelming 12 Ps while Komodo 15 puts is at only two PS which is also significant. f4+ 56.e4 f3 57.h1 c5 58.h7 f2 See the previous note. After this black's K cannot enter play and so the game can now be considered a draw. However, Stockfish quickly found the winning way. 58...g1 This is the correct move, but considering the complexity of it all, it is not difficult to understand why the annotators did not find the winning line. 59.g7+ h4 60.f5 h3 61.xg4 h2 62.d4 f2 63.d1 g2 64.d2 g1 65.e6 f1 66.d7 xc4 67.c8 xb5 68.b8 c4 69.c8 d6 70.b2 f4 71.b7 e4+ 72.b8 b5 73.a2 c5+ 74.a7 e7+ 75.a6 e6+ 76.xb5 xa2 77.xc5 d2 78.c4 d6 79.c3 d5 80.b4 d2+ 81.a3 b5 82.a2 c1 83.a1 b2# 59.h1 d6 60.f1 g3 61.e3 f5 62.h1 g5 63.f1 f5 The game was drawn 9 moves later, but the moves are not known. ½–½

    Tuesday, July 19, 2022

    Never Relax

         Won games don't win themselves. When you have one, it's important to remember that your opponent can still cause trouble and you must always be on the alert for their seizing an opportunity for counterplay. 
         In The Middle Game in Chess, Znosko-Borovsky broke the game down into three elements: space, time and force. In his book New Ideas In Chess, Larry Evans repeated the same thing except he added Pawn structure. 
         Emanuel Lasker's Law, which was based on Steinitz' tenets, said that no combinations are possible without a considerable advantage. All of that is true...sometimes. In his writings Purdy aptly pointed out that it is possible to have an advantage in all those elements and still lose the game. Why? Because sometimes even if a player has an advantage he can still fall victim to a tactic because of some anomaly in the position. Therefore you should always look for tactics first.
         In the following game by move 24 Tal had a promising position, but rather than sit back and wait and see, Petrosian uncovered a tactical solution; he sacrificed the exchange to gain counterplay and Tal's position slowly deteriorated.
         The game, a very complicated one, has been annotated by the players, Kasparov and Jeremy Silman used a fragment of the game in his book How To Reassess Your Chess for illustrative purposes. 
         All of these great players produced their analysis before today's powerful engines which, while they may make concrete evaluations, they do not take human frailties into consideration. Anyway, it's precisely those human frailties that make the comments of those esteemed players valuable to those of us who are not esteemed. 
         In annotating this game I relied heavily on notes by the above mentioned players, but since the days when they annotated the game, Stockfish and Komodo have changed some evaluations. As Kasparov noted concerning Petrosian's 60th move "higher computer geometry" has changed things. 
         In several positions the results were quite clear to the engines, but not to me (no surprise there). In those cases I ran Shootouts to clarify things. For those unfamiliar with Shootouts, they are simply games the engine plays against itself from a give position. You can specify either a time limit or a ply depth.
     
     
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Mikhail TalTigran Petrosian½–½C97USSR Championship, Riga1958Stockfish 15
    Ruy Lopez 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6.e1 b5 7.b3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 a5 10.c2 c5 11.d4 c7 12.bd2 d7 13.f1 c4 14.e3 The often played 14.b3 is a harmless alternative. xe3 15.xe3 e6 A better alternative is probably 15...h6 16.d2 16.g5 was an alternative, but essentially it drives the B to a more aggressive position. c8 Intending to transfer the B to th long diagonal. 17.f4 exd4 18.cxd4 h6 19.f3 b7 20.d5 etc. 16...fe8 17.f4 ad8 18.fxe5 dxe5 18...cxd4 is more accurate. 19.cxd4 19.exf6 dxe3 20.fxe7 exd2 21.xd2 xe7 is no more than equal. 19...dxe5 20.d5 c8 21.c1 d7 22.b3 white is slightly better. 19.d5 d7 20.c4 b8 21.a4 b4 22.a5 f8 23.a4 xa4 24.xa4 Tal has built up a considerable positional advantage. 1) he has a protected passed P on d5 which could play a decisive role in the ending, 2) he has an advantage in space, 3) he has pressure against black's c-Pawn and 4) good prospects of a K-side attack. bd8 25.f3 d6 Placing the R on the 6th rank is the beginning of a brilliant plan. A passive wait and see move would have been 25...Nd8 giving white a free hand. 26.b3 Putting pressure on the c-Pawn. Kasparov makes an instructive observation here in pointing out that up to here individual moves did not play a decisive role and mainly they were merely aimed at implementing the plan in general form. But now concrete calculation is required. And, as Kasparov pointed out, there is coming a sudden change in events that unsettled Tal and put him on the defensive, a situation he did not like to be in. d7 27.aa1 Obviously the R has no future on a4 so has to return. g6 28.f1 d6 Black has managed to place his R in a good position and Tal now attempts to drive it away by advancing his h-Pawn. As a result he weakens his K's position, but with correct play that should not be a factor. 29.h4 29.e2 e7 30.d2 d6 31.f5 maintains an aggressive position without any danger. 29...d8 30.h5 Driving the R where it wants to go, but this is still the best move. f6 31.g4 White would now like to exchange the R after which Tal correctly wrote that he considered his position to be won. Stockfish would agree, assigning white a two P advantage while Fritz 17 is less generous, giving white a one P advantage. Tal has prepared an attack on the K-side while, at the same time, black is lacking any play and s defending a weak c-Pawn. f4 A brilliant move! Petrosian sacrifices the exchange and for a small material investment he gets active piece play. The cold-blooded Stockfish still puts white's advantage at two Ps, but it does not take into account human emotions. 31...h6 is, according to Stockfish, a better defense, but only by about a quarter of a P which is meaningless to humans. 32.xf4 According to Kasparov this move leads to the activation of both the bad B at d6 (it now eyes the h2-square) and the N at d7 which lands on an excellent outpost on e5. Additionally, the white's Ps on c4 and e4 are weak. And, if that isn't enough, it transpires that the h-Pawn has advanced too far and that the white K is a potential target. In short, a complete change of scene. Again, that's from the human perspective, but Stockfish is still giving white a two P advantage. No matter...humans are playing the game and Kasparov believed that if Tal had realized what the winning of the exchange woud lead to he would have been satisfied with the win of a P instead. 32.xf4 exf4 33.xf4 The material-grubbing engine does not like this quite as well as winning the exchange, evaluating the position at about a quarter of a P less. 32...exf4 33.d2 e5 White must now play accurately and this change in the situation has a psychological effect. Kasparov observed that up to here individual moves did not play a decisive role and mainly they were merely aimed at implementing the plan in a general form. But, now concrete calculation is required and thus sharp turn of events unsettled Tal. Also, now Tal finds himself defending which was a situation he did not like being in. By the way, the nit-picking engine likes 33...Be5 a little better. 34.xf4 Kasparov called this a mistake, but engines disagree and prefer Tal's move. xc4 35.e5 Excellent! As always, the aggressive Tal plays a P sacrifice to open a file for his R and give his N an outpost on e4. xe5 Retaining a strongly posted N in the center. 36.e4 h6 37.ae1 This is where Tall really goes wrong and as a result black now gets an equal position. 37.xd6 eliminates the dangerous B, but after xd6 38.b3 xd5 39.ad1 e6 black is in no way worse off. 37.b3 was essential. After h8 38.ad1 c7 39.fe1 c4 40.f3 xa5 41.xd6 xd6 42.e4 b7 43.e3 And white is better. It's a tough row to hoe, but in Shootouts white managed to score +4 -0 =1 with the passed d-Pawn, as mentioned in the note to move 24, playing an important role. 37...b8 Keeping his important B. Note the threat of a fork at d3 38.d1 38.xc5 xd5 39.xa6 d3!-+ 40.g4 xe1 41.xe1 a7+ and black wins. 38...c4 This activates his Q-side P-majority and threatens ...Ba7+ and ... Bd3 with a mating attack. Technically, the position is equal, but practically black is better and white's K is in danger. 39.d6 d3 Both players were in time pressure. 40.g4 This last move before the time control turns out to be a bad one. 40.e3 d7 41.xd3 Returning the exchange is the safest course. cxd3 42.xd3 a7+ 43.h2 g4 44.g3 xh5+ 45.g2 xa5 46.d7 b6 47.d6 c5 48.c8 White's d-Pawn keeps black tied up and so compensates for his two Ps minus. d8 49.e1 g6 50.d6 50.e8 is a blunder c6+ 51.e4 f6 52.h2 d8 53.d4 b3 53...xd4 54.e7+ 54.d5 c2+ 55.xc2 bxc2 56.c5 xd7 57.xc2 b7 black wins. 50...c2+ 51.f1 c4+ 52.f2 c7 53.d5 g4 54.e8 xg3+ 55.e2 g4+ draws thanks to white's exposed K. 40...a7+ The B comes to life on the diagonal. 40...xb2 This hasty move loses after 41.d5 c3 41...b3 42.g3 c3 43.f5 g5 44.e7+ h8 45.g6+ 42.f6+ h8 43.xb4 41.h1 41.h2 is met by f5 42.h3 xa5 42...fxe4 43.e6+ h8 44.xf8+ xf8 45.d7 f4+ 46.g3 f2+ 47.h3 f4+ 48.gxf4 f3+ draws 43.d7 e5+ 44.g3 f4 and black is winning. 41...f5 Petrosian keeps the attack going. As before ...Nxb2 would end up losing the game. 42.f6+ h8 43.xc4 xb2 44.xa6 Take the N or the R? xd1 This is the correct decision. 44...xf6 45.xa7 xd1 46.xd1 g5 and the position is equal. White can't make progress because of his exposed K. 44...xf6 would lose: 45.c1 h7 46.xa7 xd6 47.f2 d2 48.xf5+ h8 49.c8 wins 45.xa7 xd6 In My Great Predecessors Kasparov assigned this move a ? and gave 45...Nc3 a ! He also gave a lot of analysis that appears to have be engine generated (the book was published in 2004). Stockfish 15 takes the exact opposite view and gives 45... Qd6 the ! (evaluation 5.75) and 45...Nc3 a ? (evaluation -0.32). 45...c3 46.e7 gxf6 47.xf5 xe7 48.dxe7 e8 49.xf6 xe7 This position is extremely complicated! In Shooutout analysis black scored 3 wns at 10, 11 and 13 plies, but draws at 15 and 17 plies. 46.d7 Kasparov called this a very strong reply that enabled Tal to draw, but he added that (at the time of publication) nobody had seriously analyzed this part of the game. These days using Stockfish, his analysis appears flawed because after the text black's advantage is over 6.5 Ps. xf6 46...d8 47.xd6 xd6 48.a6 gxf6 49.a7 d8 50.xf5 a8 51.xf6 xa7 52.b6 f2+ 53.g1 g4 54.f1 54.xb4 a1+ 55.b1 xb1# 54...f7+ 55.e2 f4 In Shootouts using modern endgame tablebases black scored 5 wins. 47.xd1 b8 47...a6 Much better (Stockfish); bad (Kasparov). 48.a1 f4 49.f3 f5 black is winning. 48.f3 48.d3 Kasparov was correct in claiming this move is much better. b3 49.a6 This position is a draw as demonstrated in Shootouts. 48...a8 With this move black loses his advantage. 48...b5 49.e1 f7 50.a6 h7 51.f1 a5 52.h3 f6 53.b3 xa6 54.xb4 a1 55.b1 It was a herculean task, but in Shootouts black scored 5 wins. 49.e1 xa5 50.xb4 e5 51.f4 h7 52.h2 d5 53.f1 g5 54.f3 e5 55.g1 c5 56.f2 e5 57.f3 a5 58.h2 h8 59.g1 a2 60.d5 Then position was dead even, but this is a very serious lapse because it leaves e3 undefended. Both 60.Kh2 an 60.Rf2 hold the draw. c2 Missing his chance. Kasparov commented that when this game was played the winning move was discovered by the Junior and Fritz engines, adding that this knowledge required "higher computer geometry which was then unknown." 60...e3+ 61.h2 a4 62.f3 h4+ 63.h3 xh3+ 64.gxh3 e2+ 65.g1 xh5 with a won ending. 61.a8+ h7 62.f3 c1 63.xc1 xc1+ 64.h2 c7+ 65.h3 e5 66.g4 fxg4+ 67.xg4 g5+ 68.h3 f6 69.e4+ g8 70.e8+ f8 71.xf8+ xf8 72.g4 f7 73.f5 Draw agreed. ½–½

    Monday, July 18, 2022

    Eugene Antoniadi

         Never heard of him? Me either. It turns out that Eugene Michel Antoniadi (March 1, 1870 - February 10, 1944) was a Greek-French astronomer and an important one at that. 
         Antoniadi was born in Istanbul (then Constantinople) but spent most of his adult life in France, after being invited there by Camille Flammarion who was another important astronomer. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction novels, and works on psychical research and related topics. He also maintained a private observatory in France. 
         Flammarion hired Antoniadi to work as an assistant astronomer in his private observatory in 1893 and he worked there for nine years. In 1902, he resigned to yake another position. 
         Antoniadi was one of the founding members of the British Astronomical Association. In 1892, he joined the BAA's Mars Section and became that section's Director in 1896. 
         He became a highly respected observer of Mars, and at first supported the notion of famous Martian canals. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was believed that there were canals on Mars. They were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions that were observed by astronomers using early telescopes. 
         The canals were first described by an Italian astronomer in 1877 and later confirmed by other observers. The Italian name given to them meant channels, but wrongly translated into English as canals. 
         An Irish astronomer made some of the earliest drawings of straight-line features on Mars, although his drawings did not match those of the canals' discoverer. 
         Around the turn of the century there was speculation that they were engineering works, irrigation canals constructed by a civilization of intelligent aliens indigenous to Mars. By the early 1900s improved telescopes revealed the canals to be an optical illusion. In 1909, using a large 32.7 inch telescope in Paris, Antoniadi came to the same conclusion. 
         Antoniadi also made the first map of Mercury, but his maps were flawed by his incorrect assumption that Mercury had synchronous rotation with the Sun.
         Synchronous rotation is a result of tidal friction. The Moon has tidal bulges similar to those on Earth. It is thought that the Moon once rotated much faster than it does today. The friction created by the stretching and squeezing of the Moon caused the Moon’s rate of rotation to slow down until its rotational period was the same as its orbital period. At this point there is no more tidal friction, the rate of rotation stabilizes and the Moon is locked in synchronous rotation with Earth. 
         Antoniadi is also famous for his scale of seeing which is commonly used by amateur astronomers, 1 being hopeless and 10 being perfect. 
         But enough about astronomy! Antoniadi was also a very strong amateur player. His best result, and as far as I know only tournament result, was equal first with Frank Marshall in a small tournament at the Cafe de la Regence in Paris in 1907. 
         Marshall had played a world championship match against Lasker earlier the same year. And, between tournaments at Ostend and Carlsbad, Marshall visited Paris and while there was invited, together with Tartakower, to meet a few of the leading Parisian players. 
         In the tournament Antoniadi tied Marshall for first, scoring +6 –1 =0, his only loss being to de Villeneuve. Besides his win over Marshall, he also defeated Tartakower. In a three game playoff, Marshall won the first game and the other two were drawn. 
         Up until this tournament Antoniadi had few opportunities to face top rank players, but wrote that he had studied a great deal. The two books he mentioned were ABC des Echecs by Jean Preti and then books by Tarrasch whom he considered one of the best annotators of his time. 
         Below is his tournament victory over Marshall. What a surprise when both Marshall and Tartakower were beaten by Antoniadi, who was living in Paris. He died there on February 10, 1944, not quite 74 years old. 
     
     
    A game that I liked (Komodo 14)
    Frank MarshallEugene Antoniadi0–1Cafe de la Regence Tmt, ParisParis FRA07.07.1907Stockfish 15
    Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.c3 f6 4.g5 e7 5.e3 e4 This is an old defense which Lasker had recently adopted with success in his match against Marshall. Later it was discovered that it was better to delay the N move until after 5...0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 and now 7...Ne4. 6.xe7 xe7 7.cxd5 xc3 8.bxc3 exd5 9.d3 9.b3 c6 10.d3 0-0 11.e2 d7 12.0-0 f6 13.c4 Korchnoy. V (2650)-Pfleger,H (2520) Bath 1973 is equal. 9...d7 9...0-0 10.f3 c6 11.c2 h6 12.0-0 d7 13.ae1 c5 equal. Luik, H-Rozhdestvensky,V Minsk 1957 10.f3 0-0 11.0-0 e8 11...f6 was slightly more accurate. 12.c4 dxc4 13.xc4 c5 12.c4 dxc4 13.xc4 b6 14.c2 This is hardly bad, but white might have done better to preserve his B with either 14.Bb3 or 14.Bd3. f5 As Antoniadi himself commented this developing move weakens black's Q-side somewhat, but he was relying on the N to defend it. 14...xc4 is simple and good. After 15.xc4 g4 the position is completely equal. 15.xf5 xc4 16.fc1 d6 In spite of black's Q-side P-majority white is slightly better because of his more active pieces. 17.c5 c6 18.ab1 Logical, but a slight inaccuracy, 18.e5 was preferable because it leaves black very passive and it's difficult to suggest an active plan. d8 19.d3 White will, after preparation. attack the a- and b-Pawns with his Rs and his N can go to c5 or back to e5 as appropriate. 18...e4 19.c2 19.b4 offering to trade Qs was an alternative, but not to Marshall's taste. xb4 20.xb4 e7 Black should be able to defend himself. 19...ad8 A slight inaccuracy. 19...c5 keeps the balance. 20.dxc5 ec8 21.b2 xc5 22.xc5 xc5 with complete equality. 20.e5 d6 21.a4 Black need not worry about his a-Pawn because ...Ra8 would win white's a-Pawn. b5 This baits a trap into which Marshall inadvertently falls! He can keep just a smidgen of an advantage with 22.Rc5 or even 22.Qb4 22.xc6 Marshall considered this sacrifice for 25 minutes, but missed black's obvious reply. xd4 The refutation. 22...bxc6 This is the move Marshall expected but after 23.xc6 e4 24.xb5 d5 he has no more than equality. Five Shootouts were drawn. 23.exd4 bxc6 24.h3 Making an escape square for the K. 24.xc6 is out of the question. e1+ 25.xe1 xe1# 24...d6 Also playable was 24.. .c5, but Antoniadi is going for the K. Oddly, white's position is no longer tenable; the Q and R are unable to defend the K. 25.xc6 25.c1 was not much help. h6 26.b4 f6 27.c4 xe5 28.dxe5 d1+ 29.h2 xf2 30.f4 g1+ 31.g3 e3+ 32.f3 xe5+ 33.f4 xf4+ 34.xf4 with a won ending. 25...e4 26.c1 g6 27.g4 There is nothing better. 27.g3 xg3+ 28.fxg3 e3+ 27...h5 28.c2 f3 29.b3 It is evident that it would not br good strategy for black to exchange Qs because in this position he has a very decisive attack going. f4 29...xb3 30.axb3 hxg4 31.hxg4 xg4+ 32.f1 and black is still winning, but this line only makes it harder on himself. 30.c3 hxg4 31.e5 gxh3+ Offering the exchange which white cannot accept. 32.h1 32.xg6 g5+ 33.g3 xc1+ 32...g5 White resigned. 32...g5 33.g3 xc1+ 34.h2 xg3 35.xg3 g5+ 36.xh3 e6 mate in 5 at most. 0–1