A Slugfest In Palestine

 

     In the chess world, 1939 started off with Laszlo Szabo winning at Hastings. Later, in the spring, an international tournament was held at Margate and it was won by Paul Keres ahead of Jose Capablanca and Salo Flohr. 

     The USSR Chess Championship, held in Leningrad, was won Mikhail Botvinnik. The American Chess Federation (ACF) championship (aka the U.S. Open) was held in New York and was won by Reuben Fine ahead of Samuel Reshevsky and I.A. Horowitz. 

     The Chess Olympiad (known at the time as the Hamilton-Russell Cup) and Women’s World Championship was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Germany won followed by Poland s and Estonia. Vera Menchik-Stevenson won the Women’s World Championship. 

     On September 1, the day the finals commenced, Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II and the English team returned home immediately. At the conclusion of events, many participants decided to stay in Argentina or moved elsewhere in South America, rather than face an uncertain future by returning to a Europe in the midst of war. Among them were all five members of the German team (Eliskases, Michel, Engels, Becker, Reinhardt). 

     Finally, at the end of the year the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation formed the United States Chess Federation. 

     There was no nation of Israel and in Palestine, Britain's military and diplomatic efforts brought the Arab Rebellion, which had started in 1935, to an end in the late summer of 1939. 

     The following slugfest, that is probably the best word you could use for such a game as Winz-Czerniak, was played in the Palestine championship. It was a game in which attack and defense changed hands and ingenious sacrifices were countered by even more ingenious ones. 

     It looked like black could have resigned after 13.Rxa7, but Czerniak kept fighting and eventually prevailed at the end by avoiding a shrewd attempt by his opponent to set up a stalemate. 

     Viktor Winz (1896-?) was a Palestine/Israeli–Argentine master. He was born in Germany and began his career in Berlin. He emigrated to Palestine (then under the British Mandate) in the early 1930s. Winz played for the Palestine team in three Olympiads (1934, 1935 and 1939. When World War II broke out during the 1939 Olympiad Winz remained in Argentina permanently. 

     Moshe Czerniak (1910-1984) was a Polish-Israeli International Master. Czerniak emigrated from Poland to Israel in 1934. And, like his opponent, after the 1939 Olympiad he also decided to remain in Argentina. He returned to Israel in 1950. 

[Event "Palestine Championship, Tel Aviv"] [Site ""] [Date "1939.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Victor Winz"] [Black "Moshe Czerniak"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D70"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "1939.??.??"] {Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 {A so called Anti-Gruenfeld line that allows black a wide choice, including transposing into the Samisch variation of the King's Indian if he wishes.} d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O {This constitutes the main line, but with his next move white deviates from the usual 8.Qd2} 8. f4 {This forces black to play enterprisingly if he does not want to face a strogn attack by white's Ps.} Nc6 9. d5 Nb8 (9... Na5 {is more precise. After} 10. Bd4 e5 11. Bxe5 Bxe5 12. fxe5 Qh4+ 13. g3 Qe7 14. Qd4 Rd8 15. b4 Nac4 16. Bxc4 Qxb4 {black should be able to hold his own even against white's impressive center.}) 10. a4 {Best!} (10. Bd4 {was played in Korchnoi,V (2615)-McShane,L (2625) Igualada 2005} Bh6 11. Qf3 c6 12. h4 cxd5 13. exd5 e5 14. Bxe5 N8d7 15. Bd4 Nf6 16. O-O-O Qd6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 {Black is better and went on to win a well played ending.}) 10... e5 {The safe line begins with 10...c6} (10... a5 {lead to white's advantage in Richter,M (2470) -Aabling-Thomsen,J (2365) Copenhagen 2014} 11. Nf3 Na6 12. Bxb6 cxb6) 11. a5 { This is the logical followup, but white has unsuccessfully tried both 11.fxe5 and 11.f5 here.} exf4 12. axb6 {[%mdl 8192] This turns out to be a serious mistake. Correct was 12.Bxf4} fxe3 13. Rxa7 {White was probably chuckling to himself over having played this because black is lost after he plays the obvious 13...Rxa7} Qh4+ {Inviting, but this move is actually a clunker.} (13... Rxa7 14. bxa7 Qh4+ 15. g3 Qf6 16. Qc2 (16. axb8=Q Qf2#) 16... Na6 17. a8=Q) ( 13... Bg4 {The winner!} 14. Qxg4 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qf6 16. Qg3 Qxc3+ 17. Ke2 Nd7 18. Qxe3 Qb2+ {and black has a decisive advantage.}) 14. g3 {Equalizing.} Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxe4 (15... Qf6 {Threatens mate on f2, but it allows white to gain the advanatge after} 16. Qc2 Bh3 {The only way to avoid losing more material.} 17. Bxh3 Na6 {White's extra material is enough to win.}) 16. Nf3 {Best.} (16. Rxa8 {would lose after} Qxh1 17. Nf3 cxb6 18. Rxb8 Bg4 19. Rxf8+ Kxf8 20. d6 Bxf3 {and incredibly black has a mate in 11 as follows.} 21. Qd4 Ke8 22. Qe5+ Kd7 23. Qe7+ Kc6 24. Qc7+ Kd5 25. d7 Qxf1+ 26. Kxf1 e2+ 27. Ke1 Ke6 28. d8=Q Bc6 29. Qce7+ Kf5 30. Qxf7+ Ke4 31. Qf4#) 16... Bg4 17. Rxa8 {Finally!} Bxf3 { [%mdl 128] It appears that black's attack will be devastating.} 18. Qd3 Qe5 ( 18... Bxh1 {loses to} 19. Qxe4 Bxe4 20. bxc7 Nd7 21. Rxf8+ Nxf8 22. c8=Q) 19. bxc7 {Forceful, tricky, but not the best.} (19. Rg1 {Prosaic, but equalizing.} c5 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Be2 {followed by Rf1 with equal chances.}) 19... Qxc7 ( 19... Bxh1 {would be mistake.} 20. d6 Nc6 21. Rxf8+ Kxf8 22. c8=Q+) 20. Rg1 { Aiming for Bg2.} Qb6 (20... Bxd5 {would have given black the advantage. White should now play 21.Be2, but he must avoid} 21. Qxd5 Qxc3+ 22. Kd1 Rc8 {when black is winning.}) 21. g4 {White has missed the point of black's last move.} ( 21. Be2 {was the only good move.} Bxe2 22. Kxe2 {and black must be very careful!} Qb2+ (22... Re8 {defends the P, but loses after} 23. Rb1 Qf6 24. Rf1 Qb6 25. d6 Qb2+ 26. Kf3 {Black has no reasonable defense.}) 23. Kxe3 Qxh2 { with equal chances.}) 21... Rd8 (21... e2 {is slightly more accurate.} 22. Qxf3 Re8 23. Bxe2 Qxg1+ 24. Qf1 Qxh2) 22. Rg3 (22. Be2 Bxe2 23. Kxe2 Qb2+ 24. Kxe3 Qxh2 25. Rd1 Re8+ 26. Kf3 h5 {and black is clearly better.}) 22... Rxd5 23. Rxb8+ {This is slightly better than 23.Rxf3} Kg7 24. Rxf3 (24. Rxb7 {is tricky, but insufficient.} Rxd3 (24... Qxb7 25. Qxe3 {and white has plenty of play left.}) 25. Rxf7+ (25. Rxb6 Rd1#) 25... Kxf7 26. Rxf3+ Kg7 27. Bxd3 Qc5 28. Ke2 (28. Rxe3 Qxc3+ 29. Ke2 Qb2+ 30. Ke1 Qxh2 {with a won ending.}) 28... Qxc3 29. Kxe3 {Black should win the ending.}) 24... Rxd3 25. Bxd3 {Black is winning... but only if he finds the right move!} Qc7 {Which he does.} (25... Qd6 26. Rxb7 Qxd3 27. Rbxf7+ {draws.} Kg8 (27... Kh6 28. g5+ Kxg5 29. Rg3+ Kh6 30. Rh3+) 28. Rf8+ {etc.}) 26. Re8 Qxc3+ 27. Kf1 Qxd3+ {The ending is hopelessly lost for white, but he succeeds in making things as difficult as possible for his opponent.} 28. Kg2 Qd2+ 29. Kg3 e2 30. Rfe3 Qe1+ 31. Kh3 Qf1+ 32. Kg3 Qg1+ 33. Kh3 Qf2 34. R8e5 b5 {[%mdl 32]} 35. g5 h5 36. R5e4 b4 37. Rxe2 Qf3+ 38. Kh4 b3 39. R2e3 Qf2+ 40. Kh3 b2 {Black has a mate in 13 after both 41.Rb3 and 41.Re1 and quicker mates after everything else. But...white has one last trick up his sleeve.} 41. Re8 {An amazing resource. Winz plays for a stalemate trap where he would be two Qs down.} Qxe3+ {Clinching the win and so white resigned.} ( 41... b1=Q {This hasty move would have been a tragic mistake.} 42. Rg8+ Kxg8 43. Re8+ Kg7 44. Rg8+ Kxg8 {stalemate}) 0-1