50 Years Ago...1972

      1972 was an action-packed year. President Nixon made an unprecedented eight-day visit to Communist China and met with Chairman Mao. 

     Blatantly racist Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama was shot by Arthur H. Bremer at a Laurel, Maryland political rally; as a result Wallace spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. 

     Wallace forgave Bremer in 1995 and wrote to him expressing the hope that the two could get to know each other better, but Bremer never replied and Wallace died in 1998.

     Bremer was released from prison 2007, at the age of 57, having served 35 years of his original sentence. 

     Five men were apprehended in attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Watergate hotel. They were later found to be agents of President Nixon's reelection campaign and ultimately their arrest lead to him being the only President to resign from office. 

     It was the year "Hanoi Jane" Fonda visited North Vietnam and voiced her support of the Communist. While in Vietnam, Fonda appeared on 10 radio programs to speak out against the U.S. military’s policy in Vietnam, beg pilots to cease bombing non-military targets and deny the inhumane treatment and torture of U.S. prisoners of war. 

     Durimg her trip a photograph was taken of her seated on an anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi. To this day some people cannot understand how her actions generated disgust and loathing among Vietnam veterans. 

     Baseball great Gil Hodges, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and former President Harry S. Truman died that year. 

     Chess players who passed were Victor Soultanbeiff (1895-1972) the Belgium champ in 1932, 1934, 1943, 1957 and 1961, Georgy Lisitsin (1909-1972) the Leningrad Champion in 1933-34, 1939 and 1947. IM Kazimierz Makarczyk (1901-1972) died in Lodz, Poland. He won the Polish championship in 1948 and Sir George Thomas (1881-1972) died in London at the age of 91. 

     Finally, Mary Bain (1904-1972) died in New York City at the age of 68. She was Women's World Championship Challenger in 1937 and 1952 and was US Women's Champion from 1951-53. 

     It was also the year Bobby Fischer won the World Championship when he defeated Boris Spassky. 

     The 1972 US Championship turned out to be the great Al Horowitz' last tournament. Besides Samuel Reshevsky, Robert Byrne, Larry Evans and Pal Benko a possible winner had to be former Czech GM Lubomir Kavalek, who, in August 1968, had been playing in a tournament in Europe when the Russians invaded his home land and he defected. 

     A new arrival in the US, Kavalek had been very successful on the European tournament circuit and he possessed excellent theoretical opening knowledge plus he was a good all around player. He could nurse a small advantage to victory and he could slug it out tactically with the best. Or, he could outplay his opponent in the ending. He did have one weakness...he had an amicable personality and was often content to draw. 

     Late in the tournament Kavalek's drawing binge allowed Evans and Byrne to catch up in round 10 and in the 12th round Reshevsky made it into a three-way going into the last round. Besides those three, Evans and Benko also had an outside shot at tying for first. 

     This championship was also a qualifier for one spot in each of the two Interzonals and even Lombardy and newcomer Greg DeFotis had a shot at qualifying. 

     In the final round Kavalek drew Benko, Byrne drew with DeFotis and Reshevsky drew with Martz making it a three way tie for first. Because only two Interzonal spots were available a playoff was necessary. It was held in Chicago in February 1973, and Kavalek lost his game against Reshevky who went to the Petropolis Interzonal and Byrne to he Leningrad Interzonal. Surprisingly, in 1973 Byrne qualified for the Candidates matches; he lost to Spassky +0 -3 =3.

     Kavalek's win against Larry Kaufman concluded with a combination suitable for inclusion in a book on tactics and it won the brilliancy prize. 

 

ChessBase

Larry Kaufman2400–Lubomir Kavalek25550–1A21US Championship, New YorkNew York, NY USA07.05.1972Stockfish 15

Old Indian Defense 1.c4 e5 2.c3 d6 3.f3 g4 4.d4 This is probably best although 4.e3 is also playable. d7 5.e3 At the time this game was played there was a huge amount of opening theory on just these first 5 moves! Soviet theoreticians recommended 5.Be3, but Kavalek thought Kaufman's modest text was probably the best he had. gf6 6.e2 c6 7.h3 h5 According to Kavalek after 7...Bxf3 8.Bxf3 both sides have an easy game. 8.dxe5 Kavalek called this a serious mistake because it frees black's B on f8 and, also, allows his N to occupy e5 at the opportune moment. Curiously, Stockfish evaluates the position as almost dead even while Kaufman's Komodo 14 gives black a tiny edge after the text. 8.g4 This was the move that concerned Kavalek. White does have a slight advantage after g6 9.d2 b6 10.f4 8.b3 e4 9.d2 g6 10.0-0 d5 11.f4 exf3 12.xf3 Black is slightly better. Davies,N (2485)-Hodgson,J (2545) London 1989 8.d5 e7 9.d2 xe2 10.xe2 0-0 11.e4 is equal. Podzielny,K (2450)-Trapl,J (2385) Germany 1992 8.b3 This engine move should result in white gaining an edge. b6 9.g4 g6 10.h4 e7 11.g5 g8 12.g1 White is better. 8...dxe5 9.0-0 e4 10.d2 g6 Black stands better, even if only slightly. Kavalek was was already thinking about the possibility of mating threats on the b8-h2 diagonal. 11.b3 c7 12.c2 e5 13.d1 d6 14.f1 0-0 15.b2 e7 16.d2 e5 17.ad1 As Kavalek observed...White has completed his development but his position contains no threats and he must wait to see what black will do. 17.g3 would be met by d3 18.d1 18.gxe4 loses to xe4 and white has no good recapture. 19.xd3 c5 18...h5 with a dangerous attack brewing. 17.d1 This is white's best chance because now 17...Nf3 fails. d3 17...f3+ 18.xf3 exf3 19.xd6 wins. 18.xd3 exd3 19.f3 and if nothing else, white has avoided immediate disaster. 17...f3+ While not actually decisive, after this black is clearly better. 18.gxf3 After this white is completely lost. Capturing with the B would have allowed him to hang on. 18.xf3 exf3 19.c1 fxg2 20.xd6 gxf1+ 21.xf1 Black is better, but there is no immediate win. 18...exf3 19.d3 e6 With a simple mate threat ...Qxh3-g2# 20.g3 xh3 21.f1 h6 22.d3 g4 23.ce4 h3 White resigned. 0–1

Download PGN

How Good Was Al Horowitz?

     World Chess Hall of Fame member IM Israel Albert Horowitz (November 15, 1907 – January 18, 1973) is most remembered today as a chess book author and as the publisher of Chess Review magazine which also ran very popular correspondence chess tournaments. Horowitz was also the chess columnist for The New York Times, writing three columns a week for ten years. 

     Chess Review magazine was founded in 1933 in partnership between Horowitz, who had been a securities trader on Wall Street and Isaac Kashdan, who departed after just a few issues because he moved to California. 

     Few players realize just how good Horowitz was at the height of his powers. He was a leading player in the U.S. during the 1930s and 1940s. And, Chessmetrics estimated his highest ever rating to have been in January 1943 when it was estimated to have been 2680. That placed him number 10 in the world behind Reshevsky, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Euwe, Keres' Smyslov. Stahlberg, Najdorf and Paul Schmidt. 

     When the United States won the world team championships in 1931, 1935 and 1937 the victories were in a large part do to the games Horowitz won. against some of the best European players. 

     Style-wise Horowitz was of the classical tradition aiming for mobile piece play, clear‐cut strategic themes and opportunities for sharp attacking play. He disdained cramped positions that required tortuous maneuvering and he never cottoned to the style of his rival and contemporary, Samuel Reshevsky. 

     The following game was played in the 1943 U.S. Open. With the war in full progress and restricted travel, the turnout was OK, but only Horowitz and Anthony Santasiere could be considered serious contenders for the title. The decisive game was played in the final round between those two, but according to the report in Chess Review, Santasiere, who was a half-point behind Horowitz with second place assured, made no attempt to win and accepted a draw by repetition.

     Today's game features vigorous and elegant attacking play by Horowitz against Ward M.P. Mitchell from Massachusetts. 

 

ChessBase

Ward Mitchell–I.A. Horowitz0–1C58US Open, Syracuse, NY16.08.1943Stockfish 15

Two Knights Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 f6 4.g5 d5 5.exd5 a5 6.b5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.f3 The usual and safe line is 8.Be2. The text leads to very sharp play. cxb5 The books give this sacrifice a ?, but like white's last move, it has the merit of leading to very interesting play. 9.xa8 c5 10.f3 White's decision to get the Q back into play is sound, but furthering his development was also worth considering. 10.0-0 0-0 11.b4 Situru,M (2382)-Kunte,A (2561) Kuala Lumpur 2005 saw 11.d3 whih is quite solid. xb4 12.c3 h5 13.f3 f4 14.b1 Bogoljubow-Euwe, Match, 1941. Chances are equal. 10.e4 is the Stockfish way. xe4 11.xe4 0-0 12.0-0 e8 13.d3 with a slight advantage. 10...b7 11.e2 This is the best reply. 11.g3 0-0 12.0-0 h6 13.h3 Matsenko,A (1953)-Boskovic,M (1864) Herceg Novi 2008. Black is clearly better. 11...0-0 12.c3 This move is a poor choice after which white finds himself in a losing position because it hinders his development. Correct was 12.d3. After the text, black's attack really gets going. 12.d3 c6 12...xg2 Is too risky. 13.g1 b7 14.e3 xe3 15.fxe3 h6 16.f3 White is a clear P up. 13.c3 h6 14.e4 b6 15.0-0 Black's two Bs and better development should be enough compensation for his P minus. 12...h6 13.f3 c4 14.b4 At this point white's game is pretty much beyond hope. 14.0-0 e4 15.d4 xd4 16.cxd4 xd4 17.c3 b4 followed by ...Ne5 and all white can do is wait for the end. 14...e4 White could resign here, but nobody wants to do that after only 14 moves. 15.d4 xd4 16.cxd4 xd4 17.c3 e5 18.0-0 f3+ 19.h1 g4 20.xb5 Desperation. Now it's mate in 7 moves at most. but his position was hopelessly lost anyway/ xf2 21.e2 h4 22.gxf3 exf3 White resigned 22...exf3 23.xf3 xf3+ 24.g1 xe2 25.xe2 xh2+ 26.f1 f2# 0–1

Download PGN

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

...hope to return after the holiday!
 

A Jaunty Win By Martin Stark

     Martin C. Stark of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) passed away in his sleep at the age of 98 on February 17, 2011. 

     At one time Stark worked in Washington, DC as traffic engineer and project manager, overseeing and implementing the facilitation of traffic flow along the major DC roadway. In 1956, he left that job to work for the former National Bureau of Standards in Washington (known today as the National Institute of Standards and Technology) as an operations research analyst, until he retired in 1973. 

     He was a member of the Harvard champion chess team and in the 1937-39 he won the championships of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. 

     Besides being a rated chess master he enjoyed playing the piano, playing in duplicate tournament bridge, word games and nationally sponsored number contests. 

     The following game was played in Ventnor City in 1943. Weaver Adams played one of his specialty defenses, the Albin Counter Gambit which all the books say is bad, but in days long gone players like Alekhine, Spielmann and Tartakower used it. It has not been extensively analyzed and so because theory is not exhaustive there remains some wiggle room for black. 

     Stark's win in this game was awarded the Best Played Game prize which makes it especially unique because Adams was renowned for his expertise with the gambit. Stark chose a relatively unknown line and handled it quite well and concluded the game in jaunty fashion. 

ChessBase

Martin C. Stark–Weaver Adams1–0D09Ventnor City1943Stockfish 15

Albin Counter Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 Reuben Fine warned Chess Review readers that white must choose his next move carefully because there are hidden traps! That's absurdity. 4.f3 4.e3 b4+ 5.d2 dxe3 A move not considered by Fine, The chances are equal after 6.fxe3 6.xb4 as given by Fine. exf2+ 7.e2 fxg1+ ripping through white's position. 6...h4+ 7.g3 e4 8.f3 xe3+ 9.e2 4...c6 Black wants to defend his d-Pawn, but he should not do so by blocking his B with 4...c5 5.g3 FIne wrote: white's strategy is to concentrate on development and the Q-side. If the e-Pawn falls in the process, it does not matter since the better placement of his pieces will be more than enough compensation. The order of moves is of no great consequence. White often plays either 5.a3 or 5.Nbd2 with the idea of putting pressure on the e-Pawn. Stark pursues a different plan: to defend his own e-Pawn not in order to hold it because that is impossible, but to disorganize black's development c5 6.f4 The point. While the idea is unusual, there is in fact no no good reason why the B is not better here than (elsewhere) - Fine 6.g2 a5 7.0-0 ge7 8.bd2 a7 9.a3 0-0 10.b4 White is better. Ligterink,G (2391)-Brenninkmeijer,J (2499) Groningen 2001 6.a3 a5 7.g2 7.bd2 g4 8.g2 a7 9.0-0 Schlechter,C-Cohn,W Munich 1900 7...ge7 8.bd2 g4 9.0-0 Here, too, white is slightly better. Schlechter,C-Marshall,F Paris 1900 6...ge7 7.g2 g6 8.bd2 Black is faced with a dilemma here as moves like 8...O-O and 8...Qe7 prove unsatisfactory. So, Adams decide to offer a P sacrifice in the hopes of gaining the initiative. f6 The engine's recommendation! 9.exf6 xf4 10.f7+ An unpleasant surprise. After this black's position is disrupted. 10.gxf4 This is the move Adams was hoping for because he could then equalize with xf6 11.0-0 xf4 10...xf7 11.gxf4 h6 A loss of time to prevent Ng5+ 11...f8 This is his best try. 12.g5+ 12.b3 b4+ 13.f1 13.fd2 g8 Here black is quite well off. 13...g8 14.c5 e7 15.c1 and white is slightly better. 12...g8 and white has allowed black to equalize! 12.b3 d6 While his position was not very promising, black could have offered stout resistance after 12...Bb4+ 12...b4+ 13.f1 f6 14.c5 d3 White can now initiate favorable exchanges. 15.e5+ xe5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.xd3 13.e5+ This is not the best move as it should have allowed black full equality. 13.0-0 d8 14.d3 Black has nothing to show for his P minus. g8 14...b4 15.a3 a5 16.e5+ xe5 17.fxe5 xe5 18.c5 White is winning. 15.f5 a5 White is better. 13...xe5 14.fxe5 b6 To quote Fine - After the text black is mercilessly slugged into unconsciousness. 14...b4+ equalizes! 15.f1 xe5 16.xd4 White's advantage is minimal. 15.d5+ e7 16.d3 f8 16...c6 17.g6 b4+ 17...cxd5 18.xg7+ wins 18.d1 f8 19.xg7+ d8 20.e4 with a decisive advantage. 17.g1 f5 18.xg7+ e8 19.e4 xe4 20.xe4 d3 21.0-0-0 xf2 22.b1 d8 23.e6 Black resigned. 1–0

Download PGN

Another 4-Rooker

     Today's post features a game played in 1976. It was an interesting year. Anatoly Karpov and Bobby Fischer net secretly in various locations...they were discussing an unofficial match. 

     Fischer also lost a lawsuit against Life magazine and writer Brad Darrach, for violation of a contract. After that Fischer stopped paying his income taxes. Darrach's book, Bobby Fischer Vs. the Rest of the World, was good reading. 

     We lost two players that year. Donald Byrne died at the age of 45 from lupus on April 8, 1976. Lupus is an ugly disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. It can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. There is no cure. Also, IM Jozsef Szily (1913-1976) dies in Hungary on April 26th. 

     The big news story took place on July 27, 1976. The world's number two ranked player, Viktor Korcnoi, defected from the Soviet Union and asked for political asylum in The Netherlands. His wife, Bela, and their 17-year-old son, Igor, were at home in Leningrad and both claimed they had no idea that that he was going to defect.     

     In 1977, after becoming the challenger to Anatoly Karpov, he took the occasion to appeal again to Russian authorities for the release of his family. It wasn't until 1982 that his wife, son and step-mother arrived in Vienna after being released by the Russians. 

     Igor had spent 2 years in a Siberian prison for refusing military service and had been served with another draft notice when word came the family could join Korchnoi in Switzerland. Igor claimed he had refused to be drafted for fear that contact with military secrets would mean an automatic denial of permission to emigrate for at least 10 years. 

     Back in April of this year I posted a game that was lost by Roberto Kaimo, and today's game features one he won. To reiterate, Roberto "Bobby" Espina Kaimo passed away at the age of 72 in South Plainfield, New Jersey on July 28, 2016 at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. 

     Born in Surigao City, Philippines he worked for Dyco Paints, but in 1974, he quit his job in order to play in the Philippine Championship and was among the leaders for much of the tournament, but ended up in 7th place with a score of 11-9. As a result, he was just a half a point short of making the country’s Olympic team. 

     Soon after this tournament he moved to the United States where he worked for Troy Chemical Company in Newark, New Jersey as an Inventory Manager; he retired from there in 2006. 

     Kaimo was a communicant, meaning he was entitled to partake of the Eucharist, of The Church of the Sacred Heart in South Plainfield. And, besides being an International Master, Kaimo also enjoyed bowling, singing, dancing and was known for his outgoing personality. 

     While I would hesitate to call the following game a four Rook ending, but like the previous game, four Rooks figure prominently. 

ChessBase

Roberto Kaimo–Julio Kaplan1–0B83Manhattan CC InternationalNew York, NY USA07.1976Stockfish 15

Sicilian Scheveningen 1.e4 c5 2.f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.c3 e6 6.e2 e7 7.g4 White has delayed the Keres Attack (6.g4) by one move. Black has a number of reasonable replies, but the best is probably 7...d5 a6 Inviting 7...g5. but the game would then have followed a path very similar to what actually happens. 7...d5 8.e5 fd7 9.f4 c6 10.xc6 bxc6 Black is better. Sampaolesi,N (2200)-Garcia,R (2455) Buenos Aires 1975 7...c6 is advantageous for white. 8.g5 d7 9.h4 0-0 10.g1 Ostojic,P (2385) -Mainka,R (2355) Dortmund 1987. The position is equal, but white wpi;d have stood well after 10.Be3 8.g1 fd7 He still should have played 8...d5 9.g5 b5 10.a3 b7 11.h4 c6 12.xc6 xc6 13.e3 b8 his is not an especially good square for the Q. Either 13...Qc7 or 13...O-O would have been better. 14.d4 0-0 15.h5 Announcing his intention to attack! c8 16.g6 White wastes no time, but he might have done better to first connect his Rs with 16.O-O-O f6 The fact that black has his move available keeps the chances even. 17.gxh7+ This is the wrong capture. Either 17.gxf7+ or 17.e5 were better. 17.gxf7+ xf7 18.d2 a5 19.g5 equals 17.e5 xe5 18.gxh7+ h8 18...xh7 19.0-0-0 d7 20.g4 e5 21.f4 White is better. 19.f4 d7 and white's attack is pretty much at a standstill. 17...xh7 here, too, it would have been better to place the K on h8 18.e5 A nice move opening up the position for attack. xe5 19.f4 Again, 19.O-O-O would have been even better. d5 20.d4 20.0-0-0 d7 results in unclear complications after 21.xg7+ xg7 22.xf7 e5 23.xe6 20...h8 20...d7 gains a slight advantage. 21.g4 xd4 22.d3+ h8 Strange how the K is safer here than on g8 in these variations. 22...g8 23.xd4 e5+ 24.e2 xd4 25.xd4 23.xd4 e5+ with the advantage. 21.g3 This is a serious inaccuracy, but Kaplan fails to take advantage of it. 21.e3 f3+ 22.xf3 xd4 23.0-0-0 a7 and now white must get really aggressive with 24.h6 g6 25.xd4 xd4 26.xf7 f8 27.xe6 f6 28.e7 f4+ 29.b1 g8 with unclear complications. 21...f3+ Not really bad, but 21...Nc4 was much better. 21...c4 22.xf6 xg3 23.xg3 gxf6 24.xc4 bxc4 with a decisive endgame advantage despite his bad B. 22.xf3 xd4 23.h6 g6 23...h2 looks inviting, but runs into disaster after 24.hxg7+ g8 25.h1 24.0-0-0 24.xf7 f8 25.xg6 f4 26.f1 xf2+ 27.d1 f7 28.d3 g8 and white is doomed. 24...e5 25.xf7 As bad as things look for black he can save himself with 25...Bxc3 a7 But after this unfortunate move he is lost. Kaplan was in serious time pressure at this point and so with little time to think, he protects the 7th rank. 25...xc3 26.bxc3 xc3 27.xg6 xa3+ draws. 26.xg6 xf2 26...xc3 is no longer sufficient. 27.bxc3 xc3 28.d3 a1+ 29.d2 and black cannot save the game. For example... e5 30.e3 f5 31.g3 d4 32.e5 h7 33.h5 and white has a forced mate! g2 34.e5+ g8 35.xe6+ f8 36.xc8+ f7 37.xg2 d3 38.xd3 f6 39.xh7 xh7 40.f5+ e7 41.xh7+ d6 42.g6# 27.g4 f5 28.d3 28.xf5 would be very bad because the position black equalizes after exf5 29.g7 29.g6 d4 30.a2 e4 is very good for black. 29...xg7 30.hxg7+ xg7 31.xd5 28...xg6 29.xg6 a5 30.f1 c5 Black lost on time. 30...c5 31.xb5 xb5 32.xb5 e5 33.b1 Theoretically white has a decisive advantage, but black would certainly be justified in playing on! Here's the game continuation by Stockfish. e4 34.g5 d4 35.ff5 ac7 36.d5 b6 37.ge5 c5 38.xc5 xc5 39.e8+ h7 40.e7+ h8 41.e2 d3 42.cxd3 c6 43.dxe4 xh6 44.b7 d4 45.d7 g7 46.d3 b6 47.d8+ h7 48.e5+ h6 49.d5 g5 50.xa5 f4 51.b4 xe5 White has a theoretical win. 52.a2 d6 53.c2 c6 54.b1 h6 55.b3 h3+ 56.c4 c3+ 57.b5 d6 58.a8 g3 59.c4 e5 60.e8+ f6 61.a4 e7 62.b8 g4+ 63.c3 e5 64.a5 h4 65.d3 d6 66.a6 f2 67.b3 g1 68.d8+ e7 69.h8 d1 70.c4 b1+ 71.a4 d6 72.f8 g1 73.b5 d4 74.d8+ e5 75.a4 a1+ 76.b3 c1 77.b5 b1+ 78.a3 b6 79.d7 c1 80.b4 b1+ 81.b3 a1 82.d5+ e4 83.d6 f2 84.e6+ f5 85.b6 g1 86.b7 h2 87.b5 b1 88.e3 g1 89.e8 xb3+ 90.c4 xb7 91.axb7 h2 92.h8 c7 93.d5 g6 94.c8 f4 95.c6 h2 96.c7 1–0

Download PGN

1945 U.S. Amateur

     When the winner of the U.S. Amateur championship was announced in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on November 8, 1945, there was an interesting article on the front page about 48-year old James McPhelan, a Brooklyn policeman who, after being questioned all night, was arrested for homicide for shooting a civilian the night before. 

     Off duty and in civilian clothes, he saw the victim standing near a parked car and acting suspiciously. When McPhelan approached the man he ran down the street and ignored orders to stop. That's when the policeman drew his revolver and fired five shots, one of which went through the victim's back and out his chest. The victim managed to reach the door of his apartment before he collapsed and died. According to the Police Surgeon, the officer was unfit for duty. Except for a couple of details, the story sounds strangely modern.

     The winner of the 1945 U. S. Amateur Championship which was held in October and November at the Marshall and Manhattan Chess Clubs was a virtually unknown and apparently true amateur player named Paul R. Ellis from the The Bronx, New York. 

     The event was described as one of the most exciting races of recent years and Ellis' performance prompted Chess Review to make the bold statement that he might be a candidate for the next U.S. Championship. That's because he had breezed through the Preliminaries and his 10-1 score in the finals was equally convincing. 

 

     Ellis learned to play chess at the age of 12 from neighborhood kids and in 1932 he captained the his high school team to the New York Commerce Interscholastic championship, but didn't play any serious chess during his City College days. 

     However, between 1933 and 1936 he played for the Empire City Chess Club team in the Metropolitan Chess League matches. During those years he excelled, defeating players of the caliber of, among others, Arnold Denker and Abraham Kupchik. 

     After a layoff of almost ten years during which time he played no tournament chess, he picked up a stray copy of Chess Review magazine, saw the tournament advertised and decided to enter even though he was without any preparation and was unfamiliar with the most recent opening analysis. 

     Style-wise his play was positional, he was tenacious in difficult positions and he played the ending well. Apparently Ellis soon disappeared from the chess scene. 

     In the following critical game Ellis defeated Edward S. Jackson Jr., the defending champion. In this tournament 16-year old Arthur Bisguier made a very favorable impression and one of his wins was selected by Reuben Fine for Chess Review's Game of the Month. 

     In this game which featured a four Rook ending, Jackson needed a win in order to retain the title and the win was there, but he missed it. Once upon a time I studied two books on endings: Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine and The Endings in Modern Theory and Practice by Peter Griffiths. 

     I still have the latter book and it's filled with notes penciled in the margin. If you can find a copy and are interested in really studying the endgame, it's still a valuable book. 

     In it Griffiths did not devote a lot of space to four Rook endings, saying that in many cases they are more complicated cases of single Rook ending. Although there is not a lot of material available on endings with four Rook they do appear frequently and they are different. 

     The "rule" is that four Rook endings are drawn with two exceptions. One, a mating attack is possible and two, you can exchange a pair of Rooks leaving you with a won R+P ending. 

ChessBase

E.S. Jackson, Jr.–Paul R. Ellis1–0B72U.S. Amateur, New York1945Stockfish 156

Sicilian Dragon 1.e4 c5 2.f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.c3 g6 6.e2 g7 7.e3 0-0 8.b3 c6 9.f4 e6 10.g4 Jackson was a very aggressive player so this line suits him very well. a5 This is not good. Much better was Botvinnik's 10...d5 10...d5 11.f5 c8 12.exd5 b4 13.d6 xd6 14.c5 f4 15.f1 xh2 16.xb4 xg4 17.xg4 g3+ 18.f2 g1+ 19.f1 g3+ 20.f2 g1+ Draw agreed. Alekhine,A-Botvinnik,M Nottingham 1936 11.g5 d7 12.d2 c4 In Motwani,P (2425) -Mestel,A (2515) Swansea 1987, black played 12...Rc8 13.xc4 xc4 14.0-0-0 xb3 14...c8 is also reasonable. 15.b1 xb3 16.axb3 xc3 17.bxc3 c5 Equal. Fiori,H (2081)-Rodriguez,J (2406) Buenos Aires 2014 15.axb3 a5 This threatens ...Qa1+ but has the additional advantage of preventing the advance of white's e-Pawn. 16.b1 fc8 Considering the N's coming activity the best course of action was to eliminate it with 18... Bxc3 16...xc3 17.bxc3 c5 18.xc5 dxc5 19.h4 with approximate equality. 17.d4 Black is in a difficult position here. If he allows the exchange of Bs white has a strong attack. The move he played has the disadvantage of leaving him weak on the d-file. e5 17...xd4 18.xd4 c6 19.b4 b6 20.d3 e6 21.b5 c7 22.xd6 18.fxe5 xe5 19.hf1 c6 20.d5 xd2 21.xd2 e8 22.f6+ What could be more reasonable than this? Still, he should have grabbed the a-Pawn which would have left him with a significant advantage. xf6 23.xf6 b6 Black has pretty much managed to equalize here. 24.h3 24.c3 According to an old note by Kmoch this virtually leaves black without a move. but that's an overstatement. While his position is difficult, black can keep himself in the game with 24...Nd7 d7 25.fxd6 xd6 26.xd6 c5 27.d4 xe4 28.d7 xg5 29.xa7 b5 Now comes white's only move to hold any chances of winning. 30.c4 b4 31.a4 f3 32.b6 White's advantage is minimal and Shootouts indicate that a draw would be a reasonable outcome. 24...d7 There is not much going on in this position and the maneuvering that follows is not difficult to understand. 25.f4 f8 26.g4 e6 27.f6 c5 28.d4 d7 29.f4 e6 30.b4 h6 31.h4 xf6 32.gxf6 32.xf6 was more accurate. hxg5 33.xe6 fxe6 34.hxg5 This position should be drawn. 32...h7 33.c3 g5 34.hxg5 hxg5 35.f5 g6 36.dd5 Correct was 36.Kc2 36.c2 e5 36...xe4 is safely met by 37.xg5+ xg5 38.xe4 xf6 39.e1 and white can hold the draw by marching his K over to the K-side. 37.xd6 xd6 38.xe5 xf6 Black has the better chances. 36...xe4 Missing the win. 36...e5 leaves white with no good options. 37.c2 37.fxe5 dxe5 38.xe5 xf6 wins. 37...xf5 38.xf5 c8 39.d3 e8 40.e3 e6 41.f3 xf6 wins 37.xg5+ xf6 38.g8 e6 39.h5 c7 40.c2 This should have lost a P, but even if black had captured on b4 it probably would not have been sufficient to win the game, e5 Missing the win of a P with 40...Rxb4. Even then, even though he two Ps up, has an outside passed P and white's K is far away the two active white Rs would make the win unlikely. Keep in mind the curious pin on the c-Pawn...it will play a part later! 41.h4 d5 42.d3 f5 43.g3 d6 44.e3 f2 45.b3 b2 46.h6+ d7 47.h7 d6 48.f3 xb3 All this R maneuvering has resulted in a position where black has a clear advantage, but because of the double Rs it's only a draw...if white finds the one move here that does not lose. 49.fxf7 49.c2 xb4 wins the b-Pan and this time it's enough to give black the win. 49.hxf7 bxc3+ 50.d2 xf3 51.xf3 c4 Black has a won ending. 49.h6+ This is the only mover that holds the draw. e5 50.h5+ d6 51.h6+ draws by repetition because retreating to the 7th rank does not help black's cause either... e7 52.xf7+ xf7 53.h7+ e6 54.xc7 a3 55.h7 and black can make no headway. 49...bxc3+ After this black is two Ps up plus he can eliminate a pair of Rs leaving him with a won R+P ending. 50.e2 xf7 51.xf7 b3 52.f4 e5 53.h4 d4 White resigned. 53...d4 54.b5 d5 54...xb5 55.h5+ 55.h7 xb5 56.xa7 This ending can be a bit tricky, but for white, playing on would ultimately prove futile. 1–0

Download PGN

The Ancient Damiano Defense Catches Fischer

     Damiano's Defense, a beginner's defense if ever there was one, begins with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6? It's one of the oldest openings, with games dating back to the 1500s. 

     This weak defense gives white a large advantage after 3.Nxe5, but even if he chooses simple development instead he still gets an advantage because black's K-side has been badly weakened bu 2...f6. 

     The opening is named after the Portuguese player/author Pedro Damiano (1480–1544), despite the fact that even he condemned it as weak.

      Obviously you'll never see it in master play. The last great player to use it was Chigorin who played 3...Qe7 against Schiffers at St. Petersburg 1897...Chigorin lost his Queen in the opening. You'd think he would have resigned then, but Schiffers' subsequent play was quite weak. Chigorin later missed a forced mate and only escaped when Schiffers agreed to a draw in a winning position. 

     It is possible to play it and may be get away with it at lower levels where sometimes just about anything will work. 

     Interestingly, in a 1964 simultaneous the 1955 and 1956 Wyoming state champion, 1979 Texas Amateur Champion and several several time Texas Senior champion Robert McGregor played it against Bobby Fischer and managed to draw. 

     Obviously, Fischer didn't play his best game, but even so, if it caught Fischer (who played better in simuls than most players we'll ever run into in a tournament) it might be worth a try at least once in a while. The game was part of a nationwide tour Fischer made in 1964. 

ChessBase

Robert Fischer–Robert McGregor½–½C40Simultaneous, Houston28.03.1964Stockfish 15

Damiano's Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 f6 According to Horowitz a strong reply is either 3.d4 or the simple and potent 3.Bc4 3.xe5 This is the most forceful because taking the N with 3...fxe5? exposes black to a deadly attack. 3.d4 is best met by the rather surprising d5 4.exd5 xd5 5.c3 b4 6.d2 xc3 7.xc3 e4 8.d2 e7 9.c4 with a significant advantage. 3.c4 d6 4.d4 c6 5.0-0 and white is better, but there is no immediate, forcing way to bigger gains. 3...e7 This is black's best move. 3...fxe5 4.h5+ g6 5.xe5+ e7 6.xh8 ec6 7.c4 b4 8.xh7 d3+ 9.cxd3 d6 10.f7# Vachier Lagrave,M (2434)-Benmessaoud,Y Cergy Pontoise 2004 3...g6 is just awful. 4.f3 g7 5.c3 c6 6.d4 d6 7.f4 White has a decisive advantage. Velchev, H (2298)-Djermic,I (2077) Bosnjaci CRO 2010 4.f3 d5 5.d3 The less effective 5.Be2 was played in Ivekovic,A (1888)-Hosticka,F (2185) Nachod 2009 dxe4 6.dxe4 xe4+ 7.e2 f5 7...c6 as played by Chigorin is better, but it's still a long way from equalizing. 8.0-0 d7 9.c3 g6 10.e5 xe5 11.h5 White is winning, but on move 34 he agreed to a draw in a won position. Emmanuel Schiffers-Mikhail Chigorin St. Petersburg 1897 8.d4 8.c3 is stronger. After xc2 9.xc2 xc2 10.d4 g6 11.f4 White's huge lead in development is plenty of compensation for the c-Pawn. 8...c6 9.xf5 xf5 10.0-0 d6 11.g4 b5 12.c3 c4 Somewhat better was 12...Qa5, not that it really matters. 13.e2 With this move Fischer throws away all of his advantage. 13.e1+ ge7 14.e6 b4 15.e4 White has a winning position. 13...f7 14.b5 0-0-0 The obvious threat is ...Bxh2+ winning the Q. 15.g4+ f5 Much the best! 15...b8 16.xc6 bxc6 17.e3 followed by Qa4 leaves black in dire straits. 16.h3 ge7 17.e4 h6 17...e5 Things get crazy after this! 18.d2 f6 19.e1 xb2 20.e4 d4 21.xb2 xb2 22.c4 d4 23.ab1 xa2 24.c5 xb5 25.cxb5 b8 26.e6 and the game could go either way. 18.xd6+ xd6 19.f4 d4 It was probably safer to play 19...Rd8 20.e3 b4 21.xc6 21.c4 keeps a slight edge after xb2 22.c5 e2 23.xe7 xe7 24.d3 e4 25.f3 e5 26.d4 f6 27.xa7 with the advantage. 21...xc6 22.b3 At this point all of white's advantage has vanished. e4 23.fd1 d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d1 e6 26.g3 xe3 Draw agreed. ½–½

Download PGN

Menchik Benoni Jumps Thomas

 

     Did you know that handy little device we use without much thought, the staple remover, was invented in 1932? And, we've all seen the disclaimer, “This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.” at the end of movies. That's because in 1932 the Russian prince who killed Rasputin sued MGM for not accurately depicting Rasputin’s murder in their movie Rasputin and the Empress. 

     It's probably a good thing most of us weren't around in 1932. In the US, life expectancy for men was a scant 61.0 years; women did a little better: 63.5 years

     It was also the year the government found yet another way of taking money out of our pockets. The Revenue Act of 1932 was enacted, creating the first gasoline tax in the United States at 1 cent per gallon. 

     The most infamous person in the country was probably Al Capone, but the Crime of the Century was the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh. Jr. the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh from their home near Hopewell, New Jersey. I remember my mother telling me about it some 25 years later. 

     In London in 1932 there was what the British Chess Magazine referred to as a "select company of masters" who participated in a tournament.

 

     The following game from that event features what Hans Kmoch coined as the Benoni Jump, an attacking idea that presents itself when castling has taken place on opposite sides and, particularly, in fianchettoed Pawn formations. 

 

ChessBase

Vera Menchik–George A. Thomas1–0E85LondonLondon ENG1932Stockfish 15

King's Indian: Saemisch Attack 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 This system gave Bobby Fischer all kinds of trouble in his early years to the point that he eventually avoided the K-Indian if he believed he would face the Saemisch; it wasn't until his 1992 rematch with Spassky that he finally figured it out. 0-0 6.e3 e5 7.ge2 b6 This method of meeting the Saemisch is inferior, but that was not known at the time. Today 7...c6 is amost universally played. 8.d2 c6 8...c5 9.d5 a6 10.b1 e8 11.g4 b5 12.cxb5 axb5 13.xb5 f5 14.gxf5 gxf5 Black's position has little promise. Castaldo,F (2330)-Likavsky,T (2485) Arvier 2007 8...a6 9.b3 bd7 10.d5 h5 11.0-0-0 f5 12.b1 f4 Skalski,M (2327) -Jamashev,E (2320) Ternopil 2006. this position looks like it might be favorable to black, but white's position is actually is to be preferred and he went on to win the game. 9.d5 e7 10.g4 One thing is clear: black has zero counterplay on the Q-side and instead has chosen indulge in hand to hand combat on the K-side. d7 10...h5 was worth a try. 11.gxh5 xh5 12.g3 f4 13.0-0-0 13.xf4 It's not worth taking the P because black gets lots of play. exf4 14.xf4 f5 15.h4 f6 16.h6 Black has a choice between 16...Bg7 or 16...fxe4 13...f5 14.g1 If anybody's K is in danger it's black's. 11.g1 a5 Black has to ove and in this position it doesn't particularly matter what it is. 12.0-0-0 c5 13.g3 d7 14.h4 a4 15.h5 b8 The position is ripe for a Benoni Jump. In fact, it could be played now. 16.h6 Menchik decides to eliminate dark squared Bs first leaving black's K weakened even further. a7 17.xg7 xg7 18.f5+ Here it is...the famous Benoni Jump. xf5 18...f6 19.g5# 18...gxf5 19.g5+ g6 20.h6+ g8 21.f6 mates 18...xf5 19.gxf5 g8 20.b1 b8 21.h3 d8 22.fxg6 fxg6 23.f5 f6 24.hxg6 and it's all over. 18...g8 Black can't avoid taking the N either. 19.h6 xf5 20.gxf5 d7 21.hxg6 fxg6 22.fxg6 hxg6 23.xg6+ f7 23...xg6 24.xg6+ h8 25.e2 mates 24.g7+ e8 25.e6 d8 26.xe7+ c8 27.xd7+ b8 28.b5 mates in 9 19.gxf5 One wonders if Thomas saw what was coming and just surrender to his fate. a3 19...h8 was this only defense... if you can call it that. 20.f4 h6 21.e2 ag8 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.hxg6 f6 24.h1 White doubles Rs on the h-file and then penetrates black's position and there is little black can do about it. 20.f6+ A forceful conclusion. At best black can oly delay mate. h8 21.h6 axb2+ 22.b1 g8 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.xh7+ Black resigned. Menchik's play was not only forceful, it was very precise. 1–0

Download PGN

Michael Jackson Overshadows Chess

     Last week was wretched. After the furnace malfunctioned and required repairing, the refrigerator malfunctioned and required repairing. Naturally, there was a 3 day wait on parts for both. 

     Then there was the weather...it went from bright and sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s to the remnants of hurricane Nicole with rain followed by a cold front with temperatures in the 30s and snow flurries. 

     Besides that, two old laptops running Windows 8.1 had to be updated which took hours. As a reminder to any readers who use ChessBase products (which can be installed on up to three computers), before you make any system changes you must deactivate the chess program. Not doing does not render the programs totally useless, but when they launch there are some very annoying problems and, at least on ChessBase 16, some important functionality will be lost. 

     Chess has been on the back burner, but while doing the last post on Kasparov's Gambit, I ran across a report on a little known event, the Marshall Chess Club Winter International tournament that was held in February of 1993.

     On March 26, 1993, the legendary Reuben Fine died, but the big news that year had to be about Michael Jackson being investigated on accusations of child molestation that broke in late August. The resulting spectacle lasted for years. 

     At a press conference in Tel Aviv in December, La Toya, Michael's estranged sister, alleged that the accusations were true. She also repeated her earlier claim that she and her siblings were abused, including sexual abuse, by their parents. In 2011, she retracted all her allegations saying that she was forced to make them by her husband at the time, whom she accused of being abusive. 

     It wasn't until November of 2003, after raiding Jackson's famous ranch in California that the sheriff arrested Jackson on charges of child molestation. After posting $3 million bail the same day and surrendering his passport, Jackson was allowed to go free as he awaited trial. 

     Finally, in June of 2003, he was acquitted of all charges. But, wait! There's more! Within months, prosecutors charged Janet Arvizo (whose son Jackson allegedly molested) with fraud and perjury related to statements she made at Jackson's trial; she accepted a plea agreement the following year. 

     On June 25, 2009. Michael Jackson was found dead at the age of 50. It wasn't until November of 2011 that Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death for having administered a deadly dose of the anesthetic Propofol. 

     Back to the tournament. IM Alexander LeSiege, the 17-year-old champion of Canada, ran away with first place, finishing ahead of Chilean IM Victor Frias (February 10, 1956 - January 15, 2005, 48 years old). Frias was one of Chile's leading players from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He passed away after a brief illness. 

     IM-elect Maurice Ashley tied Frias. Those three players were the only ones who achieved the IM norm of 8.0 points, but they no longer needed the norm.

     Alexandre Le Siege (born August 18, 1975) went on to earn the GM title and ia all he won three Canadian championships. Born in Montreal, he was first introduced to chess at age six and by the age of 11 he had an Expert (2000-2199) rating. His first important success was winning the Canadian Junior Championship in 1989, at age 14. At age 16, won the 1992 Canadian Championship, defeating GM Kevin Spraggett in the key game. He earned his GM title in 1999, but then virtually retired from competitive chess from 2004 to 2015 when he started playing again. His opponent was Pierre Moulin (born April 19, 1963), a Belgian FM.

ChessBase

Pierre Moulin–Alexandre Le SiegeB80Marshall CC Winter International1993Stockfish 15

Sicilian Scheveningen 1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.c3 d6 Black's P-formation (Ps on d6 and e6) constitutes the Scheveningen. 6.e3 The aggressuve Keres Attack (6.g4) and the classical 6.Be2 are most often seen. The text, like 6.Be2, is a more conservative approach. In my database half the games are drawn and the other half are evenly divided between white and black. a6 7.f3 c6 8.d2 e7 9.g4 0-0 10.0-0-0 d7 11.h4 de5 12.f2 c7 12...d7 13.xc6 xc6 14.b6 b8 15.g1 d7 16.e3 b5 white is slightly better. Kovacevic,A (2536)-Stevic,H (2550) Jahorina 2003 13.g5 Now bad, but the surprising 13.Nf5 packed a stronger punch. 13.f5 exf5 14.gxf5 d8 15.d5 d7 16.g1 h8 17.h5 h4 18.d2 White has a dangerous attack brewing. 13...b5 14.xc6 xc6 15.b1 15.e2 was less forceful as played in Slobodjan,R (2500)-Schirm,F (2315) Binz 1995 c4 16.d4 c7 17.xc4 bxc4 18.d2 and with 18...e5 black could have equalized. 15...d7 16.e2 At this point the two sides' ideas are quite clear. White is attacking on the K-side, black on the Q-side, but white's attack develops much faster. Watch! b4 17.d4 b7 18.h5 a5 19.g6 This P cannot be taken. f6 Black's situation is highly critical and his best chance was to press on with his counterplay and try 19...b3...for what it's worth. 19...fxg6 20.hxg6 xg6 21.h2 h4 22.d3 a4 23.f2 White is winning. 19...b3 20.gxh7+ xh7 21.xb3 a4 22.d4 ab8 23.c1 f5 This lunge in the center represents black's best try. 24.exf5 exf5 25.g2 f6 and at least black is still fighting. 20.h6 This is the wrong P move and it should have allowed black to equalize. 20.gxh7+ This cannot be adequately met. xh7 21.g1 b3 22.cxb3 a4 23.f4 wins c6 24.e5 dxe5 25.d3+ g8 26.fxe5 xe5 27.h6 g6 There is nothing better; the weakness of g7 is fatal. 28.f3 d6 29.d4 xd4 30.xd4 e5 31.xe5 20...fxg6 21.hxg7 f7 21...xg7 After the text black has equalized, but this would have been even better. 22.e2 22.h2 h5 23.g2 a4 24.f4 g4 and black is actually winning. 22...a4 23.h4 h5 24.hg1 b3 Black's counterplay has taken over! 22.e2 a4 23.f4 b3 Offering the N on e4 which white unwisely takes. After 24.axb3 he would have been OK. 24.fxe5 24.axb3 axb3 25.xb3 xg7 26.xd6 f8 27.c5 c7 28.a6 xa6 29.xa6 b7 with equal chances. 24.axb3 c6 is also playable. 25.e5 xg7 26.g2 26.h2 This looks more potent, but after xd4 27.xh7+ f8 28.xd4 axb3 29.d3 c6 Black is better after 30.xg6 a6 31.c1 bxc2 Black's advantage is decisive. Just one possible continuation is... 32.xf7 cxd1+ 33.xd1 c4+ 34.d2 xd4+ etc. 26...dxe5 27.fxe5 axb3 28.xb3 xe5 29.d3 a5 30.xb7 xb7 31.e4 b8 32.a7 a8 with a draw by repetition. 24...bxc2+ 24...xe5 is the wrong way. 25.h4 bxc2+ 26.xc2 xg7 with equal chances. 25.xc2 25.xc2 had to be rejected on account of xe5 and white loses his Q. 25...dxe5 25...xe5 26.h4 xg7 is equal. 26.f3 b8 27.c1 c6 Much stronger than taking on e4 27...xe4+ 28.d3 c8+ 29.b1 and black must find the only road to equality which is xc1+ 29...b7 loses after 30.xh7 xh7 31.g5+ xg7 32.xf7 xc1+ 33.xc1 d5 34.c2 c6 35.xg6 a3 36.xc6 axb2 37.g1 xc6 38.e4+ xf7 39.xc6 and white should win. 30.xc1 xf3 31.xf3 g5+ 32.b1 xf3 33.xg6 c6 34.xh7 g3 and black may be able to hold the draw. 28.d2 c7 The finish is only matter of technique. 29.b3 29.b1 xe4+ 30.xe4 xc1+ mate next move. 29...xe4+ 30.b2 axb3 31.c4 bxa2+ 32.xa2 b1+ 33.xb1 xb1+ Facing mate in 3 white resigned. A sharply played game by both sides.

Download PGN

Kasparov's Gambit...

     ...an early chess playing program. Kasparov's Gambit was a chess playing computer program created by Heuristic Software (owned by IM Julio Kaplan, who was also a computer programmer) and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. 

     With the help of other players and programmers. Kaplan's original program evolved into Socrates which won the North American Computer Chess Championship. Among the developers were Larry Kaufman and Don Dailey, who, later were also developers of Kasparov's Gambit which was based on Socrates II.

     Electronic Arts purchased Socrates II and hired its creators to build a new product, Kasparov's Gambit, with Kasparov himself as consultant. 

     The program was an MS-DOS program and Kasparov's involvement and support was a big selling point, but even then it didn't sell very well. When it went on sale in 1993 it was buggy and had to be patched. The patched version ran at about three-quarters of the speed of the old Socrates II. 

     In 1993, Kasparov's Gambit competed in the Harvard Cup (six humans versus six programs) where it faced GMs rated 2515 to 2625; the program finished in last place. The best computer program (a Socrates derivation - Socrates Exp) finished sixth. According to team developer Eric Schiller, a Windows version of the Gambit was planned by Electronic Arts, but it was never finished. 

     In 1993, Computer Gaming World liked the program stating its stunning SVGA graphics, Socrates II engine and coaching features placed it "above any PC game on the market". The editors called the program "beautifully crafted", a "great teacher" and "a chess game for the 'rest of us." 

     The program was intended to be a teaching tool for a wide range of player levels. It had digitized images, videos and the digitized voice Kasparov. It also featured 125 tutorials (written by Eric Schiller), classified by openings, middlegame, endgames, tactics and strategy as well as a Famous Games database with world champions' games commented on by Kasparov with a quiz option where the user must choose the next move. 

     There was an auxiliary graphical chessboard showing the computer's analysis while playing or reviewing moves, an interactive move list and an analysis text box. It showed the move's elapsed time, depth, score of the best evaluated line and number of positions examined. In addition, the program had multiple playing styles allowing creation and customization of computer opponents.

     It also had a coaching window, including the moves played and comments about openings and advice, sometimes showing videos of Kasparov The personalities that could be created consisted of five adjustable characteristics in percentage (0-100%): strength, orthodoxy, creativity, focus and aggressiveness/ They had an Elo rating, but it had no relationship to the real world. Instead, it was intended to provide a useful way to measure the player's strength and progress against the program. 

     Kaspatov's Gambit was designed for 386SX IBM AT compatible systems and the use of a mouse was recommended. Using the SVGA mode it had a 640x480 resolution with 256 colors. 

     The first released bugs included: the knowledge of Bishop mobility was missing as was some other knowledge. It was slow and there were bugs in the features and time controls. Also, at least for that time period and the fact that it had so many features that were unfamiliar to early computer users, it was rather difficult to use. 

     The list price for Kasparov's Gambit was $59.95 ($123 in today's dollars).  By comparison, Fritz 2 (floppy disc) sold for $125 ($257 today) and Fidelity Electronic's USCF 2325 rated Mach IV Master in a custom attache case listed at $799 ($1,640 today). The Windows version of Chessmaster 3000 (floppy disc) sold for $59.95, the MS-DOS version was $10 cheaper.  

     Kasparov's Gambit (DOS version) can be download from My Abandoned Ware HERE and you can play against it on Retro Games HERE. Note: once the program starts running you'll have to press ESC to get out of it. 

     By the way, the very first chess computer I ever owned was Boris, circa 1980. It was pretty weak, but it was a quite a novelty. I saw it in a bookstore with a $300 price tag on it and had to have it. I remember the sales lady being kind of shocked when I told her I wanted to buy it...$300 was a LOT of money in 1980, about $1,050 today. You can see a nice YouTube video of Boris in action HERE. 

     Boris is long gone, but I still have the very nice 6-7/8" x 10" x 3-1/4" wooden box that the guts were housed in; it makes an excellent box for storing watches, tie clips, loose change, etc.

The 1907 Triangular College Chess League Tournament

     The year 1907 was the year in which my dad was born. Down in Ft. Gay, West Virginia, I doubt that anybody knew what was going on in the chess world.

     Theodore Roosevelt was the president and Oklahoma became the 46th state. The fall of the stock market sparked a financial panic across the US. Fortunately, John D. Rockefeller, the wealthiest man in America, helped avert a financial crises when he pledged half of his wealth to maintain America’s credit and got other bankers to help as well. 

     J. P. Morgan and a bunch of other Wall Street financiers created a $25 million pool to invest in the shares on the plunging New York Stock Exchange. Their action ultimately lead to establishment of the Federal Reserve System. 

     Not long after that. President Roosevelt approved the takeover of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company by J. P. Morgan's US Steel company in the wake of the panic. Makes you wonder what was going on behind the scenes, doesn't it? 

     It's hard to believe, but if you were a man your life expectancy was a scant 45.6 years; for females it was 49.9 years! The five leading causes of death were pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke. 

     Only about 14% of US homes had a bathtub and 8% had a telephone. There were only 8,000 cars in the country and only 144 miles of paved roads. The speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write and only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school. 

     The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ($5-10,000 today. A dentist made $2,500 per year (around $76,000 today). More than 95% of all births took place at home and 9 out of 10 doctors had no college education! They attended medical schools, many of which were condemned by both the press and the government as being substandard. 

     Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over-the-counter in local corner drugstores. Pharmacists claimed heroin cleared the complexion, gave "buoyancy" to the mind regulated the stomach and bowels. It fact, it was claimed that heroin was a "perfect guardian" of health. 

     Three chess players were lost in 1907: On May 11, 1907, George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip (1841 - May 11,1907), an American-English master and writer. Professional ballet dancer and minor German master Max Harmonist (1864 - October 16,1907). Walter Montagu Gattie (1854 - November 17, 1907), the winner of the first British Amateur Championship in 1886. 

     It was a bad year for the US in match play. Britain defeated the US in a cable match by a +3 -2 =5 score and Emanuel Lasker bashed Frank Marshall 11.5 - 3.5 in a world championship match. 

     Amid all the international hubbub Cornell's chess team, Roy T. Black and Ernest H. Riedel, both graduates of Boys' High School in Brooklyn, won the Isaac L. Rice trophy in the ninth annual tournament of the Triangular College Chess League. The final scores were: 

 

1) Cornell (5.5-2.5)

    R.T. Black 3-1 and E.H. Riedel 2.5-1.5 

2) Pennsylvania (4.0-4.0)

    W.H. Hughes 2.5-1.5 and H.L. Bauder 1.5-2.5 

3) Brown (2.5-5.5)

    R.W. Burgess 1.5-2.5 and O.R. McCoy 1.0-3.0

 

     The winner of today's game was Roy T. Black (February 14, 1888 - July 27, 1962, 74 years old). Born in Brooklyn New York, he won the championship of Brooklyn seven times (1909, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1917 and 1918), the New York State Championship in 1914 and participated in two cable matches (1910 and 1911) against Great Britain, winning both of his games. He went on to become a judge. Nothing is known of his opponent except that he was active in college chess during his days at Pennsylvania, bit after that he seems to have disappeared. 

ChessBase

Roy T. Black (Cornell)–H.L. Bauder (Pennsylvania)1–0Triangular College Chess League.1907Stockfish 15

QGD, Tarrasch Defense 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.c3 c5 This aggressive bid for center space was advocated by Tarrasch who contended that the increased mobility black gets is well worth the inherent weakness of the isolated d-Pawn. Following the teachings of Steinitz, most masters rejected the defense out of hand, but Tarrasch went to the point of putting question marks on routine moves in all variations except the Tarrasch which he awarded an exclamation mark) in his book Die moderne Schachpartie which he published in 1921. 4.cxd5 exd5 5.f3 f6 6.g5 Another possibility is 6.g3 c6 Black would do better to play either 6...Be6 or 6...Be7 7.xf6 gxf6 Black's K-side is shattered, but one supposes that he allowed it to happen in the hopes of using the g-file for an attack. 8.e3 e6 9.e2 White is better. 9.b5 was also good for white. a6 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.0-0 Hennig,D (2396)-Viela,M (2219) Torres Vedras POR 2011 9...d6 9...g8 10.g3 c4 11.0-0 e7 12.b3 a5 13.c2 f5 14.bxc4 dxc4 15.ab1 b5 16.xb5 Black resigned. Eslon,J (2365)-De Dompablo,A Leon 1997 10.b5 While this gains the two Bs, it allows black to equalize, so better was 10.dxc5 leaving black with weak Ps. c4 This assures black of equal play. 11.xd6+ xd6 12.d2 Where will he castle? c8 13.h4 g8 Black is wasting time because there is no real prospects on a K-side attack. Instead, he should have been trying to get play on the Q-side with 13...b5! 13...b5 14.a3 0-0 The K will be quite safe here; white doesn't have a preponderance of pieces on the K-side to launch a serious attack. 15.0-0 e7 followed by ...Ng6 then he can devote his attention to the Q-side. 14.f4 f5 15.0-0 15.0-0-0 is very dangerous. b5 16.hg1 b4 17.b1 a5 with a strong attack. 15...e7 16.f3 f6 17.h4 d7 This connects the Rs, so black was probably still thinking in terms of a K-side attack. However, he still should have been thinking of Q-side play with 17...b5 18.c2 e8 Black has no time to dilly-dally like this with his K. It's after this move that white holds sway. 18...b5 19.xf5 xf5 20.xf5+ favors white. c7 Black threatens both ...Qe3+ and ...Nxd4, but after 21.f3 xd4 22.exd4 xe2 23.f2 white stands well. 18...c7 is the correct move. Now 19.f3 19.xf5 loses after xf5 20.xf5 xe3+ 21.f2 xd4 22.xh7+ b8 23.h5 e6 24.f3 xf4 25.af1 h8 26.f5 cg8 and in this position it's black who is winning. 19...b8 black's K has reached safety and the chances would be equal. 19.h5+ f8 20.xf5 xf5 21.xf5 d8 22.h1 g7 Much better, though still insufficient, would have been 22...Kg7 and 28...Kg8 which would have afforded the K a little bit of shelter. 23.g4 Signalling the end. h6 Naturally black wants to forestall g5, but that's not possible so stouter, though still useless, defense was offered by .. .Rd6 and ...Ne7 24.g5 e7 24...hxg5 25.fxg5 xg5 26.xf6+ xf6 27.xf6+ g7 28.af1 leaves black with a lost ending. 25.g6 d6 26.ad1 e8 Only somewhat better would have been 26...Kf8 27.fe1 Hoping for e4. 27.e4 at once was also quite playable... dxe4 28.d5 d8 29.xe4+ f8 30.xc4 White is winning. 27...d8 The K has nowhere to hide. 28.e4 e7 29.g4 dxe4 30.f5 b6 31.xe4 xb2 32.d5 There is no way to prevent d6. b5 33.d6 e5 34.dxe7+ xe7 White has a mate in 9 beginning with 35.Qxc4 and a mate in 1o with the mundane 35.Qf4, but instead he plays the showy, but also deadly. .. 35.d7+ Black resigned. 35.d7+ xd7 36.xb7+ d6 37.xg7 xe1+ 38.g2 white wins with little trouble. 35.d7+ leads to mate. f8 36.f7+ xf7 37.gxf7 xe4 38.fxe8+ xe8 39.xe8+ It's mate in 15 moves at most. 1–0

Download PGN

Hidden Agendas

     When we think of tactics we usually thing of a move, or sequence of moves, that makes one or more immediate threats with the goal of delivering mate or winning material. 

     But, that is not always the case. Sometimes a tactical theme, whether threatened or actually carried out, can be used to further a strategic idea. And, as Swedish IM Jesper Hall wrote, in those cases tactics support the strategy, so tactics become a strategic tool. 

     In his book Chess Training for Budding Champions, Hall advises aspiring players to "study standard positions. The more you have in your memory, the better you will become, as there will be more positions you can judge by intuition." 

     Hall also offers the advice that one should not "believe analysis or suggestions in magazines and newspapers without having first convinced yourself that they are correct." This is especially true of pre-engine analysis which was often dashed out with little regard to accuracy, or was lacking resources that engines find with ease, but humans miss. Even them Hall advises, "...do not trust computer analysis without having formulated and described it in your own words." 

     Jesper Hall (born July 15, 1971) is an author, chess researcher and teacher who has worked with Magnus Carlsen. His opponent in the following game was English GM Danirel King (born August 28, 1963). The game was played in the Bundesliga, a premier league of teams in Germany that was established in 1980. It is the strongest league of its kind and attracts many highly rated players. 

     The game was one of those in which Hall's hidden agenda in his use of tactics was to gain a strategic advantage. 

ChessBase

Daniel King2530–Jesper Hall24850–1C16Bundesliga 1998/99GER21.11.1998Stockfish 15

French Defense 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.e5 d7 This move is almost never played and it's results for black are unfavorable. The idea is to play .. f5 thereby shielding the g-Pawn. 5.d2 White can also choose to play with doubled Pawns on the c-file after 5 a3. In that case white would get an advantage in space and some pressure against the K-side. Black would bring his N from a6 to c4 and start exchanging pieces to try to reach a better ending. b6 6.b5 White does not want to allow an exchange of light-squared Bs, but is trying to transfer the B to c2. c6 7.a4 a6 8.ce2 A standard maneuvre. The dark-squared Bs are exchanged and c2-c3 becomes a possibility. xd2+ 9.xd2 b5 Worth considering was 9...Bxe2 eliminating his B which has a limited future in exchange for white's N which might be useful in the closed position. 10.b3 c5 10...c4 Hall rejected this move because after 11.xc4 dxc4 12.g5 f6 13.exf6 xf6 Black's K-slde Ps are shattered. 11.c3 c6 12.f3 ge7 13.0-0 a5 Black has to play actively because if white can play Rc2, Rfel and Nf4 he has good prospects on the K-side. - Hall 13...cxd4 is more appropriate. 14.cxd4 a5 15.d1 c4 16.c1 c8 with an equal position. Vazquez,R (2423)-Pomes Marcet,J (2380) Pamplona 2002 14.d1 Best, but for the reason Hall noted. 14.c2 c4 15.g5 Hall did not mention this sharp move. Even so, after... 15.c1 xb2 Wins a P. (Hall) 15...xb2 16.fe1 16.xg7 g8 17.f6 xe2 wins 16...g6 17.h4 h6 and white does not have quite enough compensation for the P. 18.g3 14...0-0 15.e1 This is an important moment because the opening ends and the middlegame begins. It is time to form a plan. White has several natural moves at his disposal to start an attack on the K-side, but it is more difficult for black. Hall's reasoning ran: as white has not yet coordinated his pieces, he (Hall) wanted to play ...f6 quickly to force white to exchange his central Pawn. It was at this point that Hall said he began calculating concrete variations. g6 16.h4 e7 17.h5 h4 18.h2 A logical move, as the attacker usually wants to keep the pieces on the board. - Hall 18.xh4 xh4 Hall reasoned that white's attack is over without ever having gotten started. Apparently so did King. 19.b3 c6 20.f4 ac8 21.a4 a6 22.g3 White has the initiative, but black's resources appear to be adequate. 18...f6 19.exf6 xf6 20.g4 After this black gets the upper hand. 20/Ng3 keeps the balance. 20.g3 c4 21.e2 cxd4 22.g4 g5 23.xe6+ h8 24.e7 xe7 25.xe7 is equal. 20...f3 A fine tactical shot! all pointed out that he needed tactics to support his positional idea. e added that the rest is a matter of technique, but that may be overstating his case. 20...f7 allows white a clear advantage. 21.g5 f5 22.dxc5 bxc5 23.f4 h6 24.g6 xg6 25.hxg6 ae8 26.xe6 and white is winning. 21.gxf3 xf3+ 22.g2 xd2 23.g3 ae8 23...cxd4 was more accurate. 24.cxd4 c6 25.xe6 xd4 26.e7 f7 27.xf7 xf7 28.c1 e6 and black has a favorable ending. 24.e5 dc4 25.g4 xe5 26.xe5 f6 27.ae1 f7 28.dxc5 bxc5 An inaccuracy that should have allowed white to equalize! 28...c4 29.e2 bxc5 30.xc4 xc4 Black is better. 29.b3 Missing his chance. 29.e4 This tactical shot equalizes. dxe4 30.xc5 a6 31.a4 xa4 32.xa5 and white is at least equal. 29...c6 30.g5 30.5e3 is his only hope of staying in the game. e7 31.c4 a6 32.g1 b7 33.cxd5 exd5 34.c1 and at least white is still fighting. 30...d3 31.e2 xe2 32.xe2 f4 33.f1 33.c4 offers little hope. d8 34.cxd5 xd5 35.xd5 exd5 36.c2 Black is better. 33...h6 34.g3 f5 35.f3 xf3 36.xf3 e5 37.e3 e6 The threat is ...d4 38.g3 f8 39.f3 d4 This secures the point. 40.c4 f5 White resigned. 40...f5 41.cxd4 cxd4 42.h2 g5+ 43.f2 b4 44.a3 d3+ 45.f1 f5 46.h3 f4 47.h1 xh5 etc. 0–1

Download PGN