Chess, Strikes, Baseball, WW2 and a Long Forgotten Game

     On July 2, 1943, the war was in full swing, but that didn't matter to employees at the Packard Motor Car Company plant in Detroit where Rolls Royce aircraft and marine engines were being built. They walked out in an unauthorized strike that was opposed by the company, the union, the military and government authorities. The reason? Three black workers had been promoted and even though a union representative said they were qualified for their new positions it didn't matter...they were black. 

     Other people took their responsibilities to the war effort more seriously. In Brooklyn bands played as members of the Women's Army Corps, WAVES (female navy personnel), Women's Coast Guard Reserves, Women Fliers of America, American Women's League, the Salvation Army, City Patrol Corps, Boy and Girl Scout troops, police and fire department units, air raid wardens, auxiliary firemen and other groups gathered to hear civic authorities give speeches and stress the need for Brooklyn men and women to volunteer their services for civilian defense work. 

     Emphasized was the fact that the danger of enemy action against the east coast of the United States had not yet passed. Axis powers were on the defensive, but they might at any moment strike "like cornered rats" and if they did the people of Brooklyn and many other communities would be woefully undermanned to meet the emergency. 

     The speeches were highlighted by a plane spotting demonstration in which spotters were perched on the roof of Brooklyn City Hall and communicated with other members of their units below, who in turn transmitted reports to the Army information center by telephone. All the while, loudspeakers kept the spectators informed of what was going on. 

     During the war Reuben Fine was was part of a group that tried to guess where on the east coast enemy submarines might pop up. By January 1942, German submarines had moved into American coastal waters and posed a serious threat to US and Allied shipping. 

     During the first three months of 1942, German U-boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. But, exactly how enemy planes would be able to fly over New York City since the German Navy lacked aircraft carriers is difficult to imagine. 

     Sports, and chess, were still being played. In January of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt sent a letter to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, encouraging Major League Baseball to continue playing despite American entry into World War II. See an article on baseball payers and WWII HERE  

     Here's a game won by Sol Rubinow, the 1943 intercollegiate champion, over L. Schneider of West Side that was played in the Met League match. 

ChessBase

Sol Rubinow (CCNY)–L.Schneider (West End CC)1–0A00Met League Match, New York City1943Stockfish 15

Giuoco Piano, Hungarian Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 e7 The Hungarian Defense was recommended for beginners by CJS Purdy because it is safe, solid and requires little book knowledge. While it avoids the complexities of the Giuoco Piano proper, the Evans Gambit and the Two Knights Defense, white has an advantage in space and freer development and black must be prepared to defend a cramped position. 4.d4 This is white's best response. If black plays 4...exd4 the opening transposes into the Scotch Game. d6 With this move black tries to hold the center. White has a choice of plans: 1) he can simplify to a slightly better Queenless middlegame with 5.dxe5. Or he can 2) close the center with 5. d5 followed by expansion on the Q-sidewith positions resembling those of the Old Indian Defense. Finally, 3) play 5.Nc3 keeping tension in the center and obtaining active piece play. 5.c3 f6 6.h3 exd4 6...xe4 7.xe4 d5 8.b5 dxe4 9.xe5 d6 10.e2 0-0 11.xc6 bxc6 12.xe4 a6 13.d2 f6 14.xc6 fe8 15.0-0-0 f8 16.f3 e2 17.b3+ h8 18.d5 xd1 19.xd1 d7 20.e3 a6 21.d3 Sikula,V (2501)-Bergen,P (2223) Latschach 2006 1-0 (36) 6...a6 7.a3 exd4 8.xd4 e5 9.a2 c5 10.f3 g6 11.0-0 b5 12.e1 0-0 13.d5 xd5 14.xd5 b8 15.e3 h8 16.d2 e6 17.ad1 h6 18.xe6 fxe6 19.xh6 xf3 20.gxf3 h4 21.e3 Padilla Socorro, J-Aguilera Suarez,A (1810) Las Palmas 2009 1-0 7.xd4 e5 8.b3 d7 8...c5 This is equally good. 9.de2 a6 10.a4 d7 11.g5 c6 12.g3 0-0 Equal. Bergstraesser,A (1964)-Tornier,S (1602) Pinneberg 2007 8...a6 A rather pointless waste of time. 9.e2 c6 10.e3 a5 11.0-0 0-0 White's lead in development gives him a considerable advantage. Teupe,H-Hahn,W Manderscheid 1989 8...c6 9.0-0 0-0 10.f4 g6 11.e1 c7 12.h1 a6 13.a3 c5 14.f3 c4 Equals. Raad,B-Reyes,O Cartagena 9.f4 c6 10.e3 0-0 11.0-0 h6 This is too passive and allows white to seize the initiative. 11...xd4 remains equal. 12.xd4 c5 13.e3 b5 14.e5 c4 15.exf6 xf6 16.d4 etc. 12.e5 Forceful. Black is soon driven back. dxe5 13.xc6 xc6 14.fxe5 xd1 Even after this exchange of Qs black will find himself facing relentless pressure. 15.axd1 h7 Retreating to d7 was only marginally better. 16.f5 The f7 square is the focal point of white's attack in all variations. However, after this black could have put up a stiff defense. 16.d5 was much stronger. d8 16...g5 17.c5 fc8 18.e7+ xe7 19.xf7+ is crushing. 17.f4 b5 18.g6 White is clearly winning. 16...b6 16...g5 This is the only satisfactory defense. 17.d5 d8 White's pieces are better placed, but while black has managed to defend all his weak points his position remains quite passive. White can claim only a slight advantage. 17.df1 e8 18.d5 d8 19.f4 Strongly threatening Ng6. White is really pushing. g5 19...d7 Attacking the R runs into 20.e6 fxe6 21.xe6 This move demonstrates the need to be careful even when attacking from a superior position. 21.xe6+ xe6 22.xe6 e8 Black has equalized. 21...xf5 22.xf5 xe6 23.xe6+ After the multiple exchanges black is not facing a winning attack, but now he has an extremely difficult position to defend thanks to white's two Bs and active R. h8 24.f7 White is much better. 20.h4 Aggressive play. xf4 20...d7 Was a manly defense that would have left white with a very difficult task. 21.xf7 xf7 22.hxg5 xg5 23.e6 xe6 24.xe6 xf1+ 25.xf1 xe6 26.xe6+ h7 27.f5+ g6 28.d3 Any engine will tell you white is better, but for non-GMs proving it might be a difficult task! 21.5xf4 21.xf4 would be a mistake after which almost all of white's advantage would disappear. g6 22.e6 gxf5 23.e7 c6 24.exf8+ xf8 25.xh6 21...b5 22.1f2 c5 23.xf7+ h8 24.e6 e8 25.g4 xf7 26.exf7 Capturing with the R was also satisfactory. For the rest of the game black can only offer token resistance. f6 27.d2 ad8 28.g5 h5 29.4f3 hxg5 30.hxg5 g6 is the strong threat. g6 31.c4 h7 32.c3 d7 33.e5 d1+ 34.f1 d7 35.g2 g7 36.f6 h5 37.h1 d2+ 38.f3 d3+ 39.e2 d7 40.xh5+ Crushing. Black resigned. 40.xh5+ gxh5 41.h6# 40.xh5+ g7 41.f1# 1–0

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