Is Correspondence Chess Dead?

     I came across this interesting article on Linkedin the other day and thought I’d share it. 

     Once upon a time I was an avid postal player and later online, but when engines hit the Master level, as only an Expert I could no longer compete. Personally, I disagree with the author and correspondence chess no longer holds any interest for me.

     When it comes to chess, those who can, play; those who can’t, coach; those who can do neither blog.

Crushed by Herbert Seidman

     The year 1939 started off with Laszlo Szabo winning the 1938/39 Hastings Chess Congress. And, in the Spring Paul Keres won at Margate ahead of Jose Capablanca and Salo Flohr. Mikhail Botvinnik won the USSR Championship that was held in Leningrad.

     In the United States Gary Cooper was offered a part in the movie Gone with the Wind, but rejected it saying, "Gone With the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I'm glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his nose, not me.” 

     He was wrong. The movie sold an estimated 200 million tickets and the US Population in 1939 was only 131 Million. Adjusted for inflation Gone with the Wind is the highest-grossing movie of all time, at about $3.5 billion. 

     In another wrong prediction that year, the New York Times predicted that the television would fail because the average American family would not have enough time to sit around watching it. 

     The year was also the debut of Betty White (1922-1921, 99 years old), who in 2014 was awarded the Guiness World Record for the Longest TV Career for a Female Entertainer. 

     Speaking of movies, asbestos was used as fake snow in early Hollywood in films such as, The Wizard of Oz. 

     During the Summer of 1939, the American Chess Federation championship (US Open) was held in New York. Reuben Fine finished ahead of Samuel Reshevsky and I.A. Horowitz. 

     The Chess Olympiad (known at the time as the Hamilton-Russell Cup) took place in August and September in Buenos Aires and after Germany invaded Poland on September 1st starting the outbreak of WW2, Great Britain dropped out and its players returned to England. Also, many players remained in Argentina and the demographics of the chess world were drastically changed. 

     In December the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation formed the United States Chess Federation. 

     In a long forgotten domestic event the annual tournament for the 1939 Marshall Chess Club championship ended in a tie between Sidney Bernstein and Milton Hanauer, both of whom at the time were recognized as being among the country's leading players. They intended to play a match to determine the champion, but it never came off. 

 

     Frank J. Marshall, the club titleholder in 1937 and 1938, was troubled with ill-health during the tournament and could not do better than share in a five way tie for fourth place. 

     One of those sharing fourth with Marshall was a college student whom it was felt was a player of great promise, Herbert Seidman. He was the sensation of the tournament, defeating Anthony Santasiere and Marshall in well played games.

     Herbert Seidman (October 17, 1920 – August 30, 1995) was a Senior Master born in New York City and he played in several US Championships and was a frequent competitor in open tournaments in the New York City area He was known for his swashbuckling-style, risky sacrificial attacks and offbeat openings. Other than that it seems not much is known of him. 

     His opponent in this game, Anthony Santasiere (1904-1977) was better known. A middle school mathematics teacher by profession, he was chess writer and also wrote extensively on non-chess topics. Santasiere won the 1945 US Open Champion, won four New York State championships and six Marshall Chess Club championships. He also competed in four US Championships. 

[Event "Marshall CC Championship, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1939.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Herbert Seidman"] [Black "Anthony Santasiere"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1939.??.??"] {Sicilian, Nimzovich Variation} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Black's strategy here is somewhat similar to Alekhine's Defense im which white is encouraged to chase the N and build up a center which black can then attack.} 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 b6 {This was Nimzovich's original idea, but it loses!} (5... e6 {meets the threat, ut whute gains the advantage after} 6. Bf4 b6 7. Bd3 h6 8. Qe2 Bb7 9. O-O-O {Gonzalez,Y (2482)-Fernandez Romero,E (2449) Havana 2005}) 6. Bc4 (6. e6 {refutes black's last move.} dxe6 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Ne5 Ke8 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Bf4 {The threat is the very strong O-O-O. } a6 (11... e5 12. O-O-O {wins}) 12. Bc6 Rc8 13. Bb7 {wins the exchange.}) (6. Bd3 {is not quite as good as 6.e6.} Bb7 7. Bf4 Qc7 8. Bg3 e6 9. O-O {Michell, R-Nimzovich,A Marienbad 1925}) 6... e6 7. Bf4 Qc7 8. O-O Bb7 9. Qe2 a6 { This is a waste of time becasuse white's next move prevents ...b5 and, more importantly, black's a-Pawn becomes a target.} (9... Nc6 {keeps white's advantahe at a minimum. Play might run...} 10. Rad1 h6 11. Bg3 O-O-O {and all white can claim is a spatial advantage.}) 10. a4 Nc6 11. Rad1 Be7 {Naturally black is in a hurry to castle, but note that white's P on e5 is cutting off black's pieces from reaching the aid of the K.} (11... Na5 12. Bd3 f5 13. Nh4 g6 {is an unattractive setup for black, but at least his defense is holding.}) 12. Rd2 O-O {He still needed to try 12...Na5. Now his lightly defended K is in danger.} 13. Rfd1 {[%mdl 2048]} Rfd8 {This defends the d-Pawn, but deprives f7 of a defender. Black's position is already approaching the critical stage.} ( 13... Rad8 {doesn't work because of} 14. Bxa6 Bxa6 15. Qxa6) 14. Ng5 h6 { All this does is force white to play what he already intended plus is further weakens the Ks position...and it loses the game.} (14... Bxg5 {Eliminating the threatening N was a must play. Even so, after} 15. Bxg5 {Black's R and d-Pawn are both attacked so his best try is} Nxe5 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 17. Bxa6 Bxa6 18. Qxa6 d5 {and try to hold on and make white work for the point.}) 15. Nxf7 {[%mdl 512] Obvious and winning.} Kxf7 {There was no choice.} (15... Rf8 16. Nxh6+ gxh6 17. Rxd7 {Black has no move that offers any hope of defending himself.}) 16. Rxd7 {[%mdl 512] Perhaps this, an absolute crusher, came as a surprise to Santasiere.} (16. Qg4 {allows black some play after} Nxe5 17. Qf5+ Bf6 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Rxd7+ Rxd7 20. Rxd7+ Ke8 21. Qxe5 Bxe5 22. Rxb7 Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Bxb8 { and although white should win, Bs of opposite color do give black some hope.}) 16... Qxd7 (16... Rxd7 {is no better.} 17. Bxe6+ Kxe6 18. Qc4+ Kf5 19. Qf7+ Bf6 20. Rxd7 {and white is winning here, too.}) 17. Rxd7 Rxd7 18. Qh5+ g6 {It looks like Santasiere has defended well because after the Q retreats, say wiht 19.Qg4, black can still put up a stout defense. But, Seidman is not done with the sacrifices.} 19. Bxe6+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxe6 {Count up the material. White has a Q+3Ps vs 2Rs+N+B which should favor black, but black's K is fatally exposed.} 20. Qxg6+ Bf6 (20... Kd5 21. Qf7+ Ke4 22. f3#) 21. Qxf6+ Kd5 22. Qf5 {White threatens e6+ and mate.} Re7 23. e6+ Kc4 (23... Ne5 24. Qxe5+ {mates next move. }) 24. Qd3# 1-0

Fooling Paul Keres

     The 1964 Chess Olympiad was the first ever to be held in Asia and it also attracted a record number of participants when fifty countries entered. There were 294 players, more than 70 of them titled. 

     The teams were divided into six groups of 7, and one group of 8. Only two top teams of each group were qualified into the main final. There were four final sections, three comprised of 14 teams and the bottom one with just 8 teams. 

     The Soviet Union was the only team to have six GMs and the American team was weakened because Bobby Fischer, William Lombardy and Larry Evans were missing. 

 

     

     In the first round of the Olympiad Dr. Anthony Saidy defeated Poland’s Jacek Bednarski (1939 – 2008), an International Master and a politician who won the Polish Championship in 1963. 

     Anthony Saidy (born in1937) is an International Master, a retired physician and author. He competed eight times in the U.S. Championship. He authored several chess books and a book of "what if" political fiction. 

     The game was published several times in Europe and it was presumed to be a brilliamcy. However, Saidy said of it, “To the average player, or even master, the piece sacrifice looks convincing, for did not the opponent collapse within eight moves?" He then made the observation that there is a pitfall in all tactical games...the first evaluation barely glimpses the ramifications and “...in the heat of the arena (the players) have no full grasp of the complexities.” 

     When the mighty Paul Keres annotated the game in the British Chess Magazine he lauded Saidy’s play and complimented him for a “nicely played game” which, coming from the likes of Paul Keres, was a huge compliment. But, in his analysis Saidy concluded that the game was “flawed.” Was it? Let’s see what Stockfish’s opinion is. 

[Event "Olympiad, Tel Aviv, Qual D"] [Site ""] [Date "1964.11.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Anthony Saidy (USA)"] [Black "Jacek Bednarski (Poland)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E80"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1964.??.??"] {K-Indian: Saemisch} 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. e4 d6 {The Saemisch always gave Bobby Fischer trouble so that he eventually avoided the K-Indian if he believed he would face it. However, when he faced the Saemisch against Spassky in their 1992 rematch, Fischer scored +2 -1 =2} 5. f3 c6 {A rare sideline that has never brought black much success. He usually castles here.} 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 b5 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O bxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Bb3 a5 {[%mdl 32]} 13. Na4 Ba6 14. Rfc1 Nfd7 {This is black's best move. He has complete equality.} (14... Bb5 15. Nxb6 Qxb6 16. Nc3 a4 17. Bd1 Rfc8 (17... Rfb8 18. b4 a3 19. Rab1 Nd7 20. Nxb5 Qxb5 {Lehikoinen,P (2229)-Seeman,T (2441) Helsinki 2002. White is better.}) (17... Nd7 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 19. Be2 Qb7 20. Rab1 Rfc8 21. Bc4 d5 {Mishra,N (2363)-Suvrajit,S (2335) Nagpur 1999 is fully equal.} ) 18. Rab1 Qa6 19. Nxb5 Qxb5 20. b4 axb3 21. Bxb3 Qa6 {The chances are about even. Adler,J (2274)-Ballmann,M (2375) Switzerland 2014}) 15. Rc2 {Black has achieved complete equality. His c-Pawn is backward, but white would gain nothing by capturing it.} (15. Rxc6 Bb5 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Rcc1 a4 {with full compensation for the P.}) 15... c5 {Writing in the British Chess Magazine the legendary Paul Keres questioned this move, but Saidy disagreed commenting that the move was "impeccable." Stockfish agrees with Saidy.} 16. Nxc5 {[%mdl 8192] As Saidy put it, "... appalled by the disjointed position of my own pieces and the fact that black had so swiftly freed his position" he spent 50 minutes to come up with this move. In his notes Keres awarded this sacrifice a "!" stating, "The combination is original and easily overlooked.". Saidy's reply was, "Perhaps it should have been!" Once again, Saidy is correct...Stockfish says so! It even gives black a decisive advantage.} (16. Nxb6 Nxb6 {and white has the option of keeping thing equal after either 17.Nc3 or 17.dxc5}) 16... dxc5 17. dxc5 a4 {Another fine move. It's better than Keres' suggestion of 17.. .Nc8} (17... Nc8 18. Rd1 Bxe2 19. Qxe2 Qc7 20. Ba4 Ne5 21. c6 Na7 22. f4 Nexc6 23. e5 g5 24. g3 {and white has ample compensation for the N.}) 18. Bxf7+ { This weakening Black's King position is the only PRACTICAL chance white has. By the way, Saidy now had less than a half hour left for 23 moves!} (18. cxb6 axb3 19. axb3 {is Stockfish's coldblooded suggestion, but it leaves white with zero practical chances.}) 18... Rxf7 19. cxb6 Bxe2 {[%mdl 8192] Here Keres wrote, "Certainly black's best practical chance", but, again, Saidy correctly disagreed. The fact is this move costs Bednarski the game.} (19... Ne5 { is correct and after} 20. Qxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rac1 Nd3 22. Rd2 Rff8 23. Rb1 Ne5 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 {Black's advantage is decisive.}) 20. Qxe2 {Remember Saisy was in terrible time pressure and so he played this automatically so as not to waste precious time on the obvious, but after the text black has a slight edge.} (20. b7 {is decisive.} Rb8 21. Rac1 Bxb2 22. Rc8 Bxc1 23. Qxc1 {etc.}) 20... Nxb6 ( 20... a3 {This is plable, but it doesn't lead anywhere after} 21. Rd1 axb2 22. a4 Rxa4 23. Rxb2 Bxb2 24. Qxb2 e5 25. b7 Qa5 26. b8=Q+ Nxb8 27. Qxb8+ Kg7 { and black won't be able to make any progress}) 21. Rd1 Qb8 {The decisive error and the one that was responsible for the acclaimed brilliancy.} (21... Nd7 { This is another story.} 22. Rcd2 e6 23. Qb5 Qb8 24. Qxb8+ Nxb8 25. Rd8+ Rf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Rd8+ Kf7 {In Shootouts from thids position 5 games were drawn}) 22. Qb5 {[%mdl 1024]} Nc8 {This represents complete collapse.} (22... Rf6 { was tougher, but in the long run there is no doubt about the outcome.} 23. Rc6 Rxc6 24. Qxc6 Qc8 25. Qxb6 Rb8 26. Qa7 Bf6 27. Rc1 Qb7 28. Qxa4 Qxb2 {White has a decisive advantage.}) 23. Rd8+ Rf8 24. Qd5+ {Black resigned. Maybe the game was not a brilliancy, but it was exciting plus it was not often that anybody could out-analyzed Paul Keres as Saidy did in this game!} (24. Qd5+ Kh8 25. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Bd4+ e5 (26... Bg7 27. Qd8#) 27. Bxe5+) 1-0

It’s Complicated

     The biggest non-news of 1951 came on January 17th when 7-year-old Bobby Fischer played a game against Senior Master and U.S. Speed Champion Max Pavey in a simultaneous against 13 players in Brooklyn. 

     The unknown kid lost his Queen in 15 minutes and burst out bawling. It’s a fact almost lost to history, but there was another kid playing Pavey that day, too. It was 14-year-old Edmar Mednis who went on to become a Grandmaster. 

     Mednis was a junior member of the Marshall Chess Club and along with Sylvan Katske they did better than Fischer; they both held Pavey to a draw. Fischer later declared that his loss to Pavey was what motivated him to improve, which he did.

     Among the spectators was Carmine Nigro, president of the Brooklyn Chess and Checkers Club and after the game he approached Mrs. Fischer and Bobby and invited Bobby to join the club for free. 

     Nigro was trying to teach his uninterested-in-chess son William how to play and offered to coach Bobby as well. As you know, Fischer was more enthusiastic than William and took Nigro up on his offer. History was also made because Fischer was the first child permitted to join the Brooklyn Chess Club which also had no female members. 

     The following game was played in the preliminaries in the 1951 Manhattan Chess Club Championship and, according to Al Horowitz writing in Chess Review, there was so much action in it that that it was difficult to keep track of its tactical accuracy. He added that only a minute inspection of the game MIGHT have changed hands on move 16 if white had played 16.Kf1 instead of 16.Kf2. 

     To be sure of which move was better Horowitz noted that an electronic computer would be needed. Of course, they didn’t have one in 1951, but today we have a glut of chess programs with strong engines, so let’s take a look and see if Horowitz was correct. 

     Herbert Avram (1913-2006, 92 years old) won the Virginia State Championship in 1952, 1953, and 1954. He was the Maryland State champion in 1955 and 1979. In 1969, he won the Capital City Open. His wife, Henriette Avram, was one of the first computer programmers and was a key figure in the computerization of library catalogs. There is s nice article on Boris Siff (1911-1998, 86 years old) HERE.

 

[Event "Manhattan CC Champ Preliminary"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Boris Siff"] [Black "Herbert Avram"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D48"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1 (10s)"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {QGS Semi-Slav: Meran System} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. e3 e6 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 Ng4 {At the time this was a comparatively new idea against all the multifarious variations of the Slav. The idea is to put pressure on white's P on e5, the mainstay of his game. Nowadays black plays 10...cxd4} 11. Bf4 {Even at the cost of a P white intends to maintain his P on e5. The result of this move though is that it enters a maze of complications.} (11. Be4 {This is the most solid continuation.} Ra7 12. Be3 Nxe3 13. fxe3 g6 14. O-O Bh6 15. Qe2 O-O 16. Kh1 Rc7 17. Rad1 c4 18. a3 Nb6 19. g4 f5 20. exf6 {1/2-1/2 Atalik,S (2585)-Ivanisevic,I (2664)/Kallithea 2008 }) 11... Bb7 {This is not the most accurate.} (11... cxd4 12. Ne4 Bb4+ { Also playable is 12...Qa5+} 13. Kf1 Bb7 14. h3 Nh6 15. Bxh6 gxh6 {The position is equal. Kruger-Florian, Hungarian Chp 1950}) 12. Ng5 cxd4 13. Qxg4 dxc3 14. Nxe6 {Safer was 14.O-O which places the K in safety and still maintains attacking chances. The text invites complications and gives black plenty of counterplay. It's speculation, but Siff probably played 14.Nxe6 on intuition.} cxb2 (14... fxe6 {is really bad.} 15. Bg6+ hxg6 16. Qxg6+ Ke7 17. Bg5+ Nf6 18. exf6+ gxf6 19. Bxf6+ {and white is winning.}) 15. Rd1 Bb4+ {What should white play? Horowitz felt that since white is committed to attacking the right move was 16.Ke2 because it allows the R on h1 to join the game whereas after 16.Kf1 the R is shut out of the game. Stockfish indicates that there is about a whole P difference between the two and Horowitz was correct. At the same time Stockfish is absolutely certain that black has a significant advantage.} 16. Kf1 (16. Ke2 fxe6 17. Bg5 Qc8 18. Qxb4 (18. Qxe6+ {is slightly less good.} Kf8 19. Qf5+ {Now if 19...Kg8 white can repeat moves with 20.Qe6+} Nf6 20. exf6 Qxf5 21. Bxf5 Re8+ 22. Be3 gxf6) 18... Nc5 19. Bc2 {Black is better.}) 16... fxe6 17. Qxg7 Rf8 18. Bxh7 Nxe5 {Horrible! Black goes from winning to losing in a single move. Was Avram under the impression that he has sufficient xcounterplay against white's exposed K?} (18... Qc7 19. Qg6+ Kd8 20. Bg5+ Kc8 21. Qxe6 Bc6 22. Be7 Re8 23. Rd6 Bxd6 24. exd6 Qa5 25. Qb3 Rh8 26. Bd3 Qa4 27. Qxa4 bxa4 {Black is winning. Just a sample...} 28. Ke1 Bxg2 29. Rg1 Bd5 30. Kd2 a3 31. h4 Kb7 32. Rg5 Kc6 33. Rf5 Rhg8 34. Rf4 Bxa2) 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Qxe5 Bd5 (20... Rd1+ 21. Ke2 Rxh1 22. Bg6+ Rf7 23. Qb8+ Bc8 24. Qxc8+ Ke7 25. Qc7+ Ke8 26. Qxf7+ Kd8 27. Qc7#) 21. Bg6+ Rf7 (21... Ke7 22. Qg7+ Rf7 23. Qxf7#) 22. Ke2 Bc4+ 23. Kf3 Ke7 24. Bxf7 Rd3+ 25. Kg4 Kxf7 26. Qxb2 {The rest is technique as they say.} Bc3 27. Qb1 e5 28. Be3 e4 29. Rd1 b4 {Superficially it looks like black has a lot more play than he really does.} 30. Kf5 Rd5+ 31. Rxd5 Bxd5 32. Qd1 Be6+ 33. Kxe4 Bxa2 34. Qd7+ Kg8 35. Bd4 Bb1+ 36. Ke3 { Black resigned.} (36. Ke3) 1-0

Tolush Bashes Budo

     While checking what was happening in 1938 I made the shocking discovery that Time Magazine’s Man of the Year was Adolf Hitler in its February 1st, 1938 edition. But then over the years Time had given such recognition to other controversial figures such as Joseph Stalin, Osama Bin Laden, Ayatollah Khomeini and Donald Trump. 

     Just stating a fact can be misleading. Recipients of Time’s “award” are chosen by analyzing how much coverage they had in the media over a given year. Time’s criteria for the selection is “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill.” Winners are people with the biggest impact on the news and that is not always an honor. 

     In fact, Time’s1939 issue described Hitler as "the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today." It said Hitler's actions "left civilized men and women aghast" and called Hitler "the man most responsible for this world tragedy is a moody, brooding, unprepossessing, 49-year old Austrian-born ascetic with a Charlie Chaplin mustache." 

     I remember my parents laughingly telling me about Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds that was broadcast live over the CBS radio network at 8 pm (Eastern time) on October 30, 1938 and how it caused panic in the eastern United States. 

     Some listeners tuning in late believed that a Martian invasion was actually taking place. The size of the panic hasd been disputed though simply because the program had relatively few listeners. Still, like on today’s social media accounts, thousands of listeners shared the false reports with others. A few newspapers even jumped on it and reported people fleeing their homes proved the existence of a mass panic...it sold papers. Some preferred to call CBS, newspapers or the police with questions about the reality of the reports. 

     Future Tonight Show host Jack Paar was working as an announcer for WGAR radio station in Cleveland, Ohio and when panicked listeners started calling the station, he attempted to calm them down by saying, "The world is not coming to an end. Trust me. When have I ever lied to you?" Not surprisingly, some accused Parr of lying and covering up the truth. 

     Let’s move on to the chess stuff. As far as I know there has only been one book printed containing the best games of Alexander Tolush (1910-1969) and it was published in Russia back in 1983.

     That’s too bad because in the middle of the 20th century he was one of the best of the Soviet players. Although he was an outstanding imaginative attacking player his play was never quite sound enough to reach the very highest honors He worked as a chess journalist and was a noted trainer whose pupils included Keres and Spassky. For whatever reason Tolush was rarely allowed to play abroad. 

     His opponent in the following game from the 1938 Trade Unions Championship that was played Leningrad was Soviet Master Alexander S. Budo (1909-1982) from Russia. From Leningrad, he held high posts in management of the city’s buildings. 

 

 

     I like the game because for a few moves it looks like Budo is launching a promising attack against Tolush’s King which has castled Q-side. But, appearances can’t always be trusted. Tolush beat off the attack and was left with a lot of extra plastic so Budo resigned. 

[Event "Trade Unions Champ, Leningrad"] [Site ""] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander V Tolush"] [Black "Alexander S Budo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E30"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] {Nimzo-Indian: Leningrad Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 { This is known as the Leningrad Variation because its theory was developed extensively by players from there and in more modern times especially by Boris Spassky.} Qe7 {This move has disappeared from practice. Today black plays either 4...h6 or the immediate 4...c5.} 5. Qc2 O-O 6. e3 Bxc3+ {There was no reason to play this until provoked by white playing a3. Simply 6...h6 was adequate.} 7. Qxc3 d6 8. Bd3 e5 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. O-O-O {This sharp move, eschewing 10,d5, is typical of Tolush.} (10. d5 Nb8 11. e4 h6 12. Bd2 a5 13. Ng3 Nbd7 14. O-O Nc5 {This closed position would not be to Tolush's liking.}) 10... Re8 11. Qb3 h6 12. Bh4 a5 {[%mdl 2048]} 13. Nc3 (13. a4 {stopping the advance of the a-Pawn favors black.} g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Rhe1 (15. Qxb7 { is a trap white must avoid.} Nb4 {is winning for black.}) 15... Ra6 16. h3 Rb6 17. Qa3 Bxe2 18. Rxe2 e4 19. Bb1 Nb4 {and black is better.}) 13... a4 (13... exd4 {would be a really bad mistake.} 14. Nd5 (14. exd4 Nxd4 {favors black.}) 14... Qd8 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Bb1 {followed by Qd3 and white's position is much better.}) 14. Qa3 g5 (14... exd4 {is still bad.} 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Bc2 Ne5 18. exd4 Ng6 19. Qg3) 15. Bg3 exd4 {How this is safe to play because the 3rd rank is blocked to white's Q.} 16. exd4 (16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Ne5 { and now it's black who is better.}) 16... Nxd4 {Black has won a P, but at the cost of weakening his K-side, so white has compensation.} 17. f4 Qe3+ {From here the Q will get attacked costing black time he cannot afford.} (17... Bf5 { was a better alternative,} 18. Rhe1 Qd7 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. fxg5 hxg5 21. Qxa4 Qxa4 22. Nxa4 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Ne2+ 24. Kd2 Nxg3 25. hxg3 Ne4+ {Black has active piece play.}) 18. Rd2 Ne6 {Better was the developing move 18. ..Bf5} 19. Re1 Qc5 20. b4 (20. Qxc5 {only results in equality after} Nxc5 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Bc2 Be6) 20... axb3 {A miscalculation. Black does not get nearly enough compensation for the R. Even so, practically speaking the move does give him some dangerous play because white must defend carefully.} (20... Qc6 21. Rde2 Bd7 22. fxg5 {clearly favors white, but it's the best line black has.}) 21. Qxa8 Bd7 22. Qxb7 Qa3+ 23. Kb1 Nc5 24. Rxe8+ Bxe8 25. Qf3 {This move was likely overlooked by Budo. It guards e4} (25. Qxc7 {This is probably what he expected...it's an obvious capture.} Nxd3 {Drawing the R away from the defense of a2.} 26. Rxd3 bxa2+ 27. Ka1 Qc1+ 28. Kxa2 Qc2+ 29. Ka3 Qxd3 {Here things get interesting. White needs to defend the N, but how?} 30. Be1 {A must play.} (30. Kb3 {loses to} Ne4 31. Be1 Qe3 {attacking the B.}) 30... gxf4 31. Qe7 Qd4 32. Kb3 Bc6 {Black's advantage is minimal.}) 25... g4 26. Qe2 bxa2+ {The final mistake.} (26... Qb4 {was worth a try because white would still have his work cut out for him to score the point.} 27. a3 Qxc3 (27... Qxa3 28. Bh4 b2 29. Na2 Ncd7 30. Rxb2 {is winning for white.}) 28. Be1 b2 29. Rd1 Qxa3 30. Qxb2 Qxb2+ 31. Kxb2 {Using Stockfish white scored 5-0, but the wins took 80 to over 100 moves!}) 27. Nxa2 Qb3+ 28. Ka1 Qa3 29. Bc2 Bc6 30. Bf2 Nfe4 31. Bxc5 {Black resigned.} (31. Bxc5 Nxc5 32. Qxg4+ Kf8 33. f5 {Hoping to play f6} Qe3 34. Re2 Qg5 35. Qd4 Qg7 36. Qxg7+ Kxg7 37. Nb4 Ba8 38. Nd5 Bxd5 39. cxd5 {Black is hoplessly lost.}) 1-0

Focal Points

     Generally speaking, a focal point can be defined as a weak square in the defender's territory and it is a potentially strong for the attacker. 

     In addition to the focal-points, other squares in the vicinity of the castled King can also be significant such as weak squares on which the attacker can safely post his pieces. 

     Text books point out that there are two types of focal points. If the attacker threatens mate or actually delivers mate on a square then it is a mating focal-point, but if he only harasses the King or uses the square as a point from which the launches an attack against the King then it is a strategic or auxiliary focal-point. 

     There can be more than one mating focal-point which are then referred to as compound focal-points. If there are many focal-points on squares of the same color, iy’s called a weak square complex. 

     The f7 square is often referred to as an auxiliary focal-point because of its vulnerability before casting. It can also be the focal point of an attack after castling. That said, d7 is rarely a true focal point because after castling mate is rarely delivered on that square. However, it is very often an auxiliary focal-point which is attacked in order to drive the King away or, by means of a sacrifice, to draw the King on to the mating square. 

     So much for all the technical mumbo-jumbo. In the following game the cautious Amos Burn sacrifices a N on f7. His mean spirited contemporaries said it was the only sacrifice he ever risked in his whole chess career, but even then it wasn't correct. Actually, the sacrifice WAS sound, PLUS there was also another sacrifice that was equally good. We know this thanks to...Stockfish! 

 

 

     The game was played in the 1912 Congress of the German Chess Federation that was held in Breslau.

 

[Event "18th DSB Kongress"] [Site "Breslau GER"] [Date "1912.07.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Amos Burn"] [Black "Erich Cohn"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D60"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1912.07.15"] {Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bd3 dxc4 {Now is the correct time to play this...after white's B has moved so that he must lose a tempo to recapture.} 8. Bxc4 {[%mdl 32]} a6 9. O-O c5 10. Qe2 {It's preferable to play 10.a4 hindering black's next move.} b5 11. Bb3 {Better than 11.Bd3. White has the potential to set up a bettery with the B on c2 and the Q on d3 attacking h7.} Bb7 12. Rad1 (12. Rfd1 Qb6 13. Ne5 Rfe8 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. Qh5 cxd4 17. Rxd4 {with equal chances and Corsi Ferrari,N (2269)-Lobato,C Mar del Plata 2006 was eventually drawn.}) 12... Qa5 (12... Qc7 13. Bc2 Rfd8 14. Bf4 Qb6 15. Ne5 Rac8 {Black's position is slightly better. Marshall,F-Maroczy, G Ostende 1905}) 13. Ne5 {Black must now guard against Nxd7.} Rfe8 (13... Nxe5 {loses a piece after} 14. dxe5) 14. f4 {Not at all bad; white is playing for a K-side attack.} (14. Nxd7 {was another option that takes a different path...a center attack, but it fizzles out.} Nxd7 15. d5 exd5 (15... Bxg5 16. dxe6 {favors white.}) 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 17. Bxd5 Nf6 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Qf3 {with equality.}) 14... c4 {Cohn was probably hopingh to push on with Q-side play (perhaps with ...b4), but this move drives the B to where it ants to ga and black end sup being force on the defenside.} ( 14... Qc7 15. Nxd7 (15. Bc2 cxd4 16. exd4 h6 17. Bh4 Nd5 18. Qd3 Bxh4 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxg7 {is favorable to black.}) 15... Nxd7 16. d5 c4 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Bc2 Rad8 19. Qg4 Nf8 {black has put up a successful defense and the chances are about equal.}) 15. Bc2 Nf8 {The purpose of this move is seen on move 17, but it was not too late to play 15...Qc7} (15... Qc7 16. f5 { is not now playable.} Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qc5 19. fxe6 fxe6 {Black has won a P and he now stands better.}) 16. f5 Qc7 (16... exf5 17. Rxf5 Qc7 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rxf6 gxf6 20. Ng4 Qe7 21. Rf1 {White stands quite well.}) 17. fxe6 Nxe6 18. Nxf7 {[%mdl 512] Pre-engine analysis aside, this move is quite correct, so kudos to cautious old Amos Burn!} (18. Bxf6 {is also quite interesting.} Bxf6 19. Rxf6 gxf6 20. Ng4 Kh8 21. Bxh7 Kxh7 22. Qf2 Rh8 23. d5 { The only move that keeps the attack going.} Qe7 24. Ne4 (24. dxe6 Rad8 25. Nxf6+ Kg7 26. Nh5+ Kh6 {and the chances are equal.}) 24... Kg7 25. d6 Qd8 26. Nexf6 {with complications, but white is a bit better.}) 18... Kxf7 {By accepting the sacrifice black exposes himself to withering attack. Instead, he sould have looked around for counterplay.} (18... Nxg5 19. Nxg5 Bd6 {A fascinating position! White has two plausible continuations that leave him with a slight advantage.} 20. d5 (20. Nxh7 Nxh7 21. Nd5 Bxh2+ 22. Kh1 Bxd5 23. Bxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qh5+ Kg8 25. Qxd5+ Kh8 26. Rf3 Bg3 {White can take a draw with 27.Qh5+ and 28.Qd5+ or he can go for more with 27.Qg5 followed by the capture of the .} 27. Qg5 Re6 28. Rxg3 {with the better game.}) 20... Rad8 21. Bf5 Bc8 22. Be6+ Bxe6 23. Nxe6 Qe7 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. g3 {White is better.}) (18... b4 19. Na4 (19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qh5 Nf8 21. Rxf6 gxf6 22. Nh6+ Kh8 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 Ng6 {with an unclear position.}) 19... Kxf7 20. Qh5+ (20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qh5+ Ke7 {The K is slipping away to safety.}) 20... Kf8 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. d5 Nd8 23. d6 Qf7 24. Qxh7 Bc6 {While black is not out of the woods, he has avoided to worst.}) 19. Qh5+ Kg8 {This allows white to gain a tempo which is decisive, but even the better 19...Kf8 was not likely to save him.} (19... Kf8 20. Bxh7 Nxg5 21. Qxg5 Rad8 22. e4 {White has a decisive attack because the threat of e5 cannot be met.}) 20. Bxf6 {White is clearly winning.} Bxf6 21. Qxh7+ Kf8 22. d5 Qe5 (22... Ng5 23. Rxf6+) 23. dxe6 Qxe3+ 24. Kh1 Qxe6 25. Bg6 {Black resigned because the threat of Rxf6+ is too much.} (25. Bg6 Red8 26. Rde1 Qg8 (26... Qd7 27. Qh8#) 27. Rxf6+ gxf6 28. Qe7#) 1-0

Karpov vs. Fischer

     I recently received an email from the Dutch player Wijnand Engelkes describing an interesting project he has been working on called Hidden Games.    

     Fischer - Karpov 1975 would possibly have been one of the greatest World Championship matches of all time, but it never took place. What would have happened if those two had played each other? That’s something the projects speculates upon. 

     He has selected 25 of top players in history, made databases of their games and then combined the games of players who never played each other to see what might have happened had they actually met. For an example, compare Karpov vs Bellon (Madrid, 1983) where Karpov copied the moves of Saidy vs Fischer (New York, 1968). 

     Mr.Engelkes is looking for other people to help him to find more of these games and if you are interested in helping out you may contact him direct;. His email address is: engelkes@xs4all.nl

[Event "HDT1073"] [Site "P046"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anatoly Karpov"] [Black "Robert Fischer"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A00"] [PlyCount "97"] {[%evp 0,1,16,-34] The hidden game ends with 23. Kh7. There are some transpositions.} {Karpov-Bellon Lopez Madrid International Madrid 1/2-1/2} 1. c4 {[%eval 704,0]} ({Saidy-Fischer USA-chT New York 1969.??.?? 0-1} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 f5 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. e3 Bc5 6. d3 f4 7. exf4 O-O 8. Nge2 Qe8 9. O-O d6 10. Na4 Bd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. h3 h5 13. a3 a5 14. b3 Qg6 15. Nb2 Bf5 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. Re1 Nc5 18. Bf1 Ra6 19. Bd2 Rb6 20. Bxa5 Rxb3 21. Bd2 Ra8 22. a4 Ra6 23. a5 Kh7 24. Red1 b6 25. Be1 bxa5 26. Na4 Rxd3 27. Bxd3 Bxd3 28. Qa2 Nb4 29. Qa3 Nc2 30. Qb2 Nxa1 31. Rxa1 Nxa4 32. Rxa4 Qe4 33. Bxa5 Rxa5 34. Rxa5 Qe1+ 35. Kh2 Qxa5 36. Qxd4) 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 f5 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. e3 f4 7. exf4 O-O 8. Nge2 d6 9. O-O Qe8 10. Na4 Bd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. a3 a5 13. b3 Bf5 14. Nb2 Qg6 15. Qc2 Nd7 16. Re1 Nc5 17. Bf1 Ra6 18. Bd2 Rb6 19. Bxa5 Rxb3 20. Bd2 Ra8 21. a4 h5 22. h3 Ra6 23. a5 Nb4 24. Bxb4 Rxb4 25. Ra3 b6 26. Rea1 Qe6 27. axb6 Raxb6 28. Ra8+ Kh7 29. Qd1 g6 30. Na4 Nxa4 31. R8xa4 Rxa4 32. Rxa4 Bxh3 33. Ra7 Bxf1 34. Rxc7+ Kh6 35. Qxf1 h4 36. Kg2 Rb2 37. Kf3 d5 38. gxh4 Rb3 39. cxd5 Qxd5+ 40. Kg3 Qf5 41. f3 Rxd3 42. Rc6 Rc3 43. Rd6 Kh5 44. Kg2 Rc2+ 45. Kg3 Rc3 46. Kg2 Qxf4 47. Rd5+ Kh6 48. Qe2 Qc1 49. Rh5+ 1/2-1/2

Going From Winning To Losing

     World Champion Dr. Max Euwe once pointed out that generally speaking tactics (or as we used to call them, combinations) are either hard to see or hard to calculate. Nevertheless, we can improve our ability to see tactics by learning common tactical devices. 

     In the following game Rubinstein places his R on the seventh rank, a strategy that he often used, and got a favorable position. But, then we see how things can go horribly wrong in tactical situations even for a great player like Rubinstein.

     Rudolf Spielmann (May 5, 1883 - August 20, 1942) was an Austrian player of the Romantic School who had a complete mastery of tactics and they often showed up in his games in unexpected and beautiful ways. 

     Spielmann was a newspaper editor in Vienna and in spite of his attacking nature on the board Reuben Fine wrote, "In appearance and personal habits Spielmann was the mildest-mannered individual alive. Beer and chess were the great passions of his life; in his later years, at least, he cared for little else. Perhaps his chess became so vigorous as compensation for an otherwise uneventful life." 

     Known as The Master of Attack and The Last Knight of the King's Gambit, his daredevil play was full of sacrifices, brilliancies and beautiful ideas. 

     In 1934, Spielmann, who was Jewish, fled Vienna due to pro-Nazi sympathies and moved to the Netherlands. In 1938, he went to Prague to be with his brother, but the German army occupied Czechoslovakia only a few months later. Leopold Spielmann was arrested and died in a concentration camp a few years later. One of their sisters also perished in a camp, the other survived the war, but never recovered mentally from the ordeal of it and ended up committing suicide.

     Spielmann was more fortunate. He managed to flee to Sweden with the help of a friend and from there he hoped to eventually reach England or the United States. In order to earn money for the voyage he played exhibition matches, wrote chess columns and a book (Memories of a Chess Master). With the war in full swing and some members of the Swedish Chess Federation being Nazi sympathies who disliked Spielmann, his book was repeatedly delayed and never published.

     As a result, Spielmann became withdrawn and depressed and one day in August 1942, he locked himself in his Stockholm apartment and did not emerge for a week. On August 20, neighbors summoned police to check on him. They entered the apartment and found him dead. The official cause of death was coronary artery disease, aka hardening of the arteries. Others claimed that he intentionally starved himself. 

     Akiba Rubinstein (December 1, 1880 - March 14, 1961) was also a tragic figure. Born in Poland to a Jewish family, he learned to play chess at the age of 14. In 1903 he abandoned his rabbinical studies and devoted himself entirely to chess. 

     Between 1907 and 1912, Rubinstein established himself as one of the strongest players in the world. After 1932 he withdrew from tournament play as his anthropophobia (fear of people) showed traces of schizophrenia (a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.). It is not clear how he survived World War II in Nazi-occupied Belgium, but it's possible that it was due to the fact that he was confined in a sanatorium. He spent the last 29 years of his life living at home with his family and in a sanatorium because of his severe mental illness. 

      Rubinstein's playing style was primarily positional and his endgame technique was legendary. His knowledge and understanding of Rook endings was far ahead of his time.

[Event "Stockholm"] [Site "?"] [Date "1919.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Akiba Rubinstein"] [Black "Rudolf Spielmann"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A44"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "58"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.20"] {Semi-Benoni} 1. d4 c5 2. d5 e5 3. e4 d6 4. Bd3 Ne7 5. c4 (5. Ne2 Qc7 6. Nd2 Ng6 7. a4 Be7 8. Nc4 b6 9. O-O {Black's position is very passive. Kool, G-Kieninger,G Amsterdam 1963}) (5. f4 exf4 6. Bxf4 Ng6 7. Bg3 Be7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 {Equals. Kozma,J-Stoeckl,E Munich 1958}) 5... Ng6 6. g3 Be7 7. h4 h6 8. Nc3 {White clearly has the better prospects thanks to black's passive position.} Nd7 9. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 10. Nh2 {Black's position is so passive that Rubinstein has plenty of time to undertake a lengthy N maneuver.} Bd7 11. Nf1 Nf8 12. Ne3 {From here the N eyes f5 and also supports the advance of the g-Pawn} g6 13. Be2 h5 14. Bd2 Qc8 15. f3 Ng8 16. Qc2 Nh6 17. O-O-O Qc7 18. g4 { A near decisive breakthrough.} O-O-O (18... hxg4 19. fxg4 O-O-O 20. g5 Ng8 21. Nb5 {White has the advantage on both sides and his position is strategically won. Black cannot afford to play} Bxb5 22. cxb5 Nd7 23. a4 Rf8 24. a5 b6 25. Nc4 {and white is winning.}) 19. Rdg1 Kb8 20. gxh5 {Also good was 20.g5 keeping black in a serious bind.} gxh5 21. Nf5 Nxf5 22. exf5 Nh7 23. Rg7 { [%mdl 32] The R is going Pawn hunting on the 7th rank. There's nothing wrong with the move and white can claim a slight advantage. But...it will all go horribly wrong. Over his career Rubinstein won many games, especially endings, by establishing a R on the 7th (or 2nd) rank.} ({was another way to grab a P.} 23. f4 e4 24. Bxh5 Rdf8 25. Qxe4 {Here, too, white has slightly the better of it.}) 23... Bf6 24. Rxf7 Bxf5 {With both his Q and R attacked white has no choice except to exchange Qs.} 25. Rxc7 Bxc2 26. Nb5 {This is where white goes astray. The R has no way out so white must give it up for as much as possible.} (26. Kxc2 Kxc7 {leaves white down the exchange.}) (26. Rf7 Bg6 27. Rxf6 Nxf6 { Here, too, white is down the exchange and black is slightly better.}) (26. Rxc5 dxc5 27. Kxc2 {and at least white has some compensation for the exchange in the form of a protected passed Pawn in the center..}) 26... Bf5 {There is no way out for the R.} 27. Bg5 {[%mdl 8192] This move leads to a complete collapse of white's game.} (27. Rf7 Bg6 {wins the exchange.}) (27. Ba5 { save the day!} b6 28. Bxb6 axb6 29. Rc6 {and the best for both sides is to accept the draw.} Kb7 30. Rc7+ Kb8 31. Rc6 {etc.}) 27... Nxg5 {Because white is now without any threats black can go on the attack and wrap things up. A very sudden collapse of white's position!} 28. hxg5 Bxg5+ 29. Kd1 Bd7 {White resigned. It would be hopeless to play on the exchange down for nothing.} ( 29... a6 {would also work.} 30. Rf7 Bh7 31. Nc7 Bg6 32. Rg7 Rdg8 33. Rxg8+ Rxg8 34. Ne6) (29... Bd7 {This forces} 30. Rxd7 Rxd7) (29... Bd7 30. Rxb7+ Kxb7 31. Nxd6+ Kc7 32. Nf7 Bf4 33. Nxd8 Kxd8 {Black is a piece up.}) 0-1

A Game From the 1938 Utah Championship

     The state of Utah, a landlocked state in the Mountain West sub-region of the Western United States, has a colorful history. 

     It has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive when the explorer Francisco Vazquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cibola, a myth about seven cities of gold.

     Later came fur trappers, including the legendary Jim Bridger, a trapper, Army scout and wilderness guide who explored some regions of Utah in the early 19th century. 

     Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the US, becoming part of the Utah Territory. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the Federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896. 

     Much less well documented is Utah's chess history which seems to be practically non-existent except for recent years. The following game was played in the 1938 Utah State Championship which was held in Salt Lake City. 

 

 

     The game was annotated in a 1939 issue of Chess Review by the strong Master Sidney N. Bernstein (1911-1992) who was a participant in eight US Championships (1936, 1938, 1940, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1959 and 1961). 

     Bernstein described the game as, "One of the most remarkable games ever played by American amateurs!" True enough, it was remarkable and a real fist fight. White's sacrifice was unsound, but it resulted in complications galore and only a chess engine could successfully navigate through them.

[Event "Utah Champ, Salt Lake City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dale L. Morgan"] [Black "Irvin W. Taylor"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.18"] {Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 {This used to pop up occasionally in Frank Marshall's games, but it's not particularly effective.} 3. Nc3 { White is intent on playing a regular QGD otherwise he would seize the chance to obtain a free hand in the center.} (3. cxd5 {as logical as this is it's seldom played. Statistically it highly favors white.} Nxd5 4. Nf3 {It turns out that this is even better than 4.e4} Bf5 5. Nbd2 {Obviously the threat is 6. e4 so a black piece has to retreat.} Nb6 6. e4 Bg6 7. h4 {with the initiative.} ) (3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {Black almost always replies with the inferior 5...e6} 6. Nge2 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bc5 8. Be3 {White has no more than his usual opening advantage.}) 3... e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 b6 {The solid Tartakower Variation except black has omitted ...h6} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxe7 Nxe7 {Safer was 7...Qe7 preventing white's subsequent Ng5} (7... Qxe7 8. Nxd5 (8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bb7 10. Qa4+ Bc6 11. Qc2 {equals. Valle Maytin,L (2285)-Garcia Martinez,J (2119) Girona ESP 2010}) 8... exd5 9. e3 Qb4+ 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 {equals. Vokac,M (2476)-Bores,M (2214) Prague 2005}) 8. e4 O-O 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. e5 { This cramps black and opens up the Bs diagonal. Clearly white is going for a K-side attack.} Nbc6 11. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 8192] When NM Sidney Bernstein annotated this game for Chess Review he based his annotations strictly on the game's outcome, a not an uncommon practice in those days. This sacrifice is, in fact, totally unsound. It's dangerous to black, but IF he finds the right reply he is left with won game...a big if! Either 11.O-O or 11.Be4 would have been correct. In either case the position would be completely equal.} Kxh7 12. Ng5+ {Black is now confronted with a choice of 4 moves, but there is only one that leaves him with a won position.} Kh6 {The best of the worst!} (12... Kh8 13. Qh5+ Kg8 14. Qh7#) (12... Kg8 13. Qh5 Re8 14. Qxf7+ Kh8 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Nce4 { [%emt 0:00:14] Mate in} Nf5 17. Nf6+ Qxf6 18. exf6 Nh6 19. Qg6 Re7 20. O-O-O Ba6 21. Rhe1 Be2 22. fxe7 Nxe7 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 24. Qe4 Nef5 25. Qxa8+ Ng8 26. Rxe2 g6 27. Qf8 Nd6 28. Re7 Nf7 29. Qxf7 Nxe7 30. Qh7#) (12... Kg6 {...and wins! This is looks like a scary place for the K, but it leaves white at a loss for a way to continue the attack.} 13. Qg4 Qxd4 14. Nge4+ (14. f4 Nxe5) ( 14. Qg3 Nf5 15. Nxe6+ Nxg3 16. Nxd4 Nxh1) 14... Kh7 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Ng5 Qxe5+ 17. Nce4 Qa5+ 18. Kf1 Qf5 {and h7 is covered.}) 13. Qd2 {[%mdl 8192] Threatening a discovered check, but it's a phantom threat.} (13. Qg4 {This would win.} Nxd4 14. O-O-O Ng6 15. Qh3+ Kxg5 16. Qe3+ Kh5 17. g4+ Kh4 18. f4 { with a decisive advantage.}) 13... Qxd4 {After this any discovered check is harmless.} 14. Qc1 Qxe5+ 15. Nce4 Kg6 (15... Qa5+ {is even better.} 16. Kf1 Nd4 17. Nxe6+ Kh7 18. Nxf8+ Kg8 19. Ng6 Ba6+ {wins} 20. Kg1 Ne2+ 21. Kf1 Nxc1+ 22. Kg1 Qe1#) 16. h4 Rh8 17. g4 {Black's K is safe and there is no effective way that white can continue the attack.} Rxh4 {Well played.} (17... Rad8 18. h5+ Rxh5 19. gxh5+ Kf5 20. Qe3 {and white is winning.}) 18. Rxh4 Nd4 {This move looks good because it centralizes the N, but it also lets any advantage black had slip away. The chances are back to being equal.} (18... Nb4 {Threatening a nasty fork on d3 was even more powerful.} 19. Kf1 Bxe4 20. Nh3 f6 21. Qd2 Qd6 { White's attack is over and so is the game...black has a winning advantage.}) 19. f4 Qa5+ 20. Kf2 Qb5 (20... f6 {was somewhat better as it would practically assure black of a draw. That said, calculating the correct sequence OTB would be nearly impossible.} 21. Qxc7 Qb5 22. Qxb7 fxg5 23. Qxa8 Qxb2+ 24. Kg3 gxh4+ 25. Kh3 Qa3+ 26. Kh2 Qb2+ {draws}) (20... Rd8 {was also playable.} 21. Qh1 Bxe4 22. Qxe4+ f5 23. gxf5+ Qxf5 {with equal chances.}) 21. Nc3 Qd3 (21... Qc5 { was a bit better.} 22. Qe3 Nd5 23. f5+ exf5 24. Nxd5 Qxd5 25. Rg1 f6 26. Ne6 Qf3+ 27. Qxf3 Nxf3 28. gxf5+ Kxf5 29. Nxg7+ Ke5 30. Rh5+ Ng5 {with complications, but engines evaluate the position as dead equal and Shootouts indicate that a draw would be a likely outcome.}) 22. Rh3 {[%mdl 1024] White has compensation.} Qc4 23. Qb1+ f5 24. Qg1 {[%mdl 2048] Black has has survived the attack and even lost his advantage, but he is still under a lot of pressure.} Qc5 (24... Nc2 {was more precise.} 25. gxf5+ Kxf5 26. Nge4 Qd4+ 27. Ke2 Qxg1 28. Rxg1 Kxf4 {The position is quite unclear. Shootouts indicate that a draw is likely.}) 25. b4 {An excellent move that drives the Q off the diagonal and so avoids the discovered check.} Qxb4 26. gxf5+ {Whits is now conducting a vigorous attack.} Nexf5 {A logical move because it gets the N into play, but white still has a very strong attack.} (26... Kf6 {is not much better.} 27. Rb1 Qc4 {White is better, but there is no way to get at black's K. } 28. Qc1 Bd5 (28... Ba6 29. fxe6 Nxe6 30. Qe3 Nxg5 31. fxg5+ Kg6 32. Qxe7) 29. Qe1 Ndxf5 30. Rb4 {Black can get in a couple of meaningless checks, but after} Qc5+ 31. Kf1 Bc4+ 32. Kg2 Bd5+ 33. Kh2 Kg6 34. Nxd5 Qxd5 35. Qe2 {Threatening Qh5+} Ng3 (35... c5 36. Qh5+ Kf6 37. Qf7#) 36. Kxg3 Nf5+ 37. Kf2 {and wins}) 27. Nxe6+ {Missing a golden opportunity,} (27. Rb1 Qe7 (27... Ne2 28. Kxe2 Qc4+ 29. Ke1 {and white is winning.}) 28. Qg4 Kf6 29. Nce4+ Bxe4 30. Nxe4+ Kf7 31. Qh5+ g6 (31... Kg8 32. Qh8+ {wins}) 32. Qh7+ Ke8 33. Qh8+ Qf8 34. Qxf8+ Kxf8 35. Rh8+ {Even though it's going to take some time and effort white has a won ending.}) 27... Kf7 {White must now prevent ...Qb2+.} 28. Rb1 Qd6 29. Ng5+ { Once again black is confronted with a decision of where to place his K and again he makes the wrong choice.} Kg8 (29... Kf8 {gives the K room to flee and black has nothing to worry about.} 30. Qc1 c5 {This position is completely equal.}) 30. Rh8+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxh8 31. Nf7+ Kg8 32. Nxd6 Nxd6 33. Qg6 Rf8 $16 34. Rg1 Rxf4+ 35. Ke3 Rf3+ {Nicely played!} (35... Rf7 36. Kxd4 {Black simply does not have enough compensation for his material deficit.}) 36. Kxd4 c5+ 37. Ke5 Nf7+ 38. Ke6 Re3+ 39. Ne4 {[%mdl 512] Very clever! White sacrifices a piece to avoid the checks.} (39. Kf5 Rf3+ 40. Ke6 (40. Kg4 Ne5+) 40... Re3+ { etc.}) 39... Rxe4+ 40. Kf5 Re5+ 41. Kf4 {[%csl Gg1][%cal Rg6g7]} Re4+ 42. Kg3 { Black is out of checks and Shootouts indicate that white has good winning chances (=2 -0 =3), but scoring the point won't be easy.} Nh6 {After this black should have lost.} (42... Re2 {makes life difficult for white.} 43. Kh3 Bc8+ 44. Kh4 Rh2+ 45. Kg3 Rh6) 43. Kf2 {With the obvious threat of Qxh6} Rf4+ 44. Ke3 Rf3+ 45. Ke2 Nf5 46. Rg5 {White falls into a perpetual check or elso allows black to establish material equality. Either way it's a draw.} (46. Kd2 {wins as black has no adequate defensive resources. But...that's not so easy to see.} Bd5 47. Qe8+ Kh7 48. Rg5 Rf2+ 49. Ke1 Rf4 50. Rh5+ Nh6 51. Rxd5 { White is winning, but it's not going to be as easy as thje engine evaluation of a 6 Pawn advantage suggests.}) 46... Ba6+ {Draw. A terrific game!} (46... Ba6+ 47. Kxf3 (47. Kd2 Rf2+ 48. Ke1 Re2+ 49. Kd1 Ne3+ 50. Kc1 Re1+ 51. Kb2 Nc4+ 52. Kb3 Re3+ 53. Kc2 (53. Ka4 b5#) 53... Re2+) 47... Nh4+ 48. Ke3 Nxg6 49. Rxg6 {This position is drawn.}) 1/2-1/2

Attacking the Castled King

     In view of the example in the previous post it is not surprising that players take care to castle early as a matter of principle. But, as mentioned, as soon as castling takes place the King has a permanent residence and if its defenses are defective it's possible to destroy his home with a flashy tactical attack. 

     In the previous game black wasted time before castling and found himself in a difficult situation. Of course he could have defended himself, but doing so required more precise play than was practically possible. 

     In the following we see that it's just as dangerous to waste time after castling as it is before castling. Soviet GM Andre Lilienthal (May 5, 1911 - May 9, 2010, 99 years old) vividly proved the point in when he delivered a quick defeat that was made possible simply because he had more pieces in play than his opponent, GM Miguel Najdorf (April 15, 1910 - July 4, 1997, 87 years old). Lilienthal's accumulation of pieces allowed him to simply crush his opponent.

 

[Event "Saltsjobaden Interzonal"] [Site ""] [Date "1948.07.22"] [Round "?"] [White "Andre Lilienthal"] [Black "Miguel Najdorf"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1948.07.16"] {Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 { Lilienthal adopts the most forthright way of meeting the Nimzo-Indian by putting an immediate end to the pin at once. The price is doubled c-Pawns. His next goal is to play e2-e4.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bd3 b6 8. Ne2 O-O 9. e4 Ne8 {Black's intention here is twofold. 1) he wants to prevent the N from being pinned by Bg5 and 2) he wants to make a timely strike at the center with ...f5. It's a good plan, but it requires careful execution.} (9... d6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 e5 {is an alternative.}) 10. O-O (10. f4 f5 11. Ng3 g6 12. Be3 d6 13. O-O Na5 14. d5 Ng7 15. Qc2 {Draw agreed. Miron,L (2498)-Berescu,A (2456) Calimanesti-Caciulata ROU 2014}) 10... d6 (10... Ba6 {attacking the c-Pawn is solid, but it does not produce much of anything after} 11. Qa4 (11. Qc2 Na5 12. dxc5 (12. Be3 Bxc4 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Bxc5 d6 15. Bb4 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Qc7 { Black's weak d-Pawn offsets white's weak c-Pawn.}) 12... bxc5 13. Be3 Rc8 14. e5 h6 15. Ng3 {unclear.}) 11... Na5 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Rb1 {with equal chances.} ) (10... Bb7 11. f4 f5 12. exf5 exf5 13. dxc5 bxc5 {with equal chances. Kuljasevic,D (2501)-Perunovic,M (2589) Kavala 2008}) 11. e5 (11. f4 {is interesting.} f5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Qf3 {with equal chances. Metge,J (2170) -Sutherland,J (2085) Auckland 1997}) 11... dxe5 12. dxe5 {[%mdl 32]} Bb7 (12... Nxe5 {loses because the N on e8 has interrupted the communication between black's Q and R on f8.} 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Qxd8) 13. Bf4 {The position is equal.} f5 {This may look suspect, but it's actually black's best move.} 14. exf6 {How should black recapture?} e5 {Najdorf is playing with fire.} (14... Nxf6 {This is OK.} 15. Qc2 e5 16. Bg5 h6 {with equal play.}) (14... Qxf6 { This is OK, too.} 15. Qc2 e5 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Bc1 Nd6 {with equal play.}) ( 14... gxf6 {This is not OK.} 15. Re1 Ng7 16. Ng3 f5 {Necessary to cut off the line of the B.} 17. Qd2 Qf6 18. Bg5 Qf7 19. Rad1 {White's position is superior. }) 15. fxg7 {The King's defenses are stripped away.} Rxf4 16. Nxf4 exf4 17. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 512] This unforeseen sacrifice wrecks black's defenses. Najdorf ends up with three pieces for a R, but it costs him him the game. White has a significant advantage, but with extremely careful play black can put up a stiff defense. In practical play the task was too daunting even for the mighty Najdorf!} (17. Qf3 {Perhaps Najdorf was expecting a move like this. If so, then after} Nf6 18. Qxf4 Qxd3 19. Qxf6 Qg6 20. Qxg6 hxg6 {the unbalanced material situation is quite unclear. In Shootouts white scored +3 -0 =2}) 17... Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kxg7 19. Rad1 {[%mdl 32] White needs to bring a R into play and this is the right one. Playing Rfd1 allows black to equalize!} (19. Rfd1 Qe7 20. Qg4+ Kf8 21. Rd7 Qf6 22. Rxb7 Ne5 23. Qh5 Nd6 {and white can make no headway...5 Shootouts ended in draws.}) 19... Qf6 (19... Qe7 20. Rfe1 {This move shows why the other R was the right one.} Qf7 21. Qg4+ Kf8 22. Rd7) 20. Rd7+ {The R on the 7th decides the game/} Kf8 21. Rxb7 Nd8 22. Rd7 Nf7 23. Qd5 {Nice! But not 23.Re1 at once. This grandmasterly move, centralizing the Q, was not flashy, but it's vital in order to keep the attack going.} (23. Re1 { Obviously white needs his remaining piece in play, but this allows black to play on.} Ned6 24. Qf3 Re8 {and black has practically equalized.}) 23... Rb8 ( 23... Rc8 {is a wee bit tougher.} 24. Re1 Nc7 25. Qd1 Rd8 26. h3 {A safety measure.} Rxd7 27. Qxd7 Qd8 28. Qg4 Qg5 {and white has the win, but he will have to work for it.}) 24. Re1 (24. Rxa7 {is too greedy. After} Ne5 25. Rd1 Nc6 26. Rd7 Ne5 {White is clearly better, but black is annoying him.}) 24... f3 25. Re3 {Black resigned} (25. Re3 Qg6 (25... Rd8 26. Rxd8 Qxd8 27. Rxf3 Qxd5 28. cxd5 {The ending is lost for black.}) 26. Rxf7+ Qxf7 27. Rxf3 (27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 28. Rxf3+ {is a very difficult ending to play and in fact, in Shootouts (which resulted in 80+ move long games) white only scored =0 -3 =2!!}) 27... Qxf3 28. Qxf3+ {is an obvious win.}) 1-0

King Hunts

     An article on the Military History Matters website listed nine deposed English kings, some of whom were gruesomely dethroned. 

     One example was the hot tempered William II (1087-1100) who filled his court with undeserving lackeys and spent too much time hunting. He was killed by a stray arrow in the New Forest and some suspected foul play. 

     His case was possibly and early example of what was known as "fragging" in the Vietnam War which was the deliberate killing of a military colleague. 

     There have been many documented instances throughout history of soldiers killing colleagues, however, the practice of fragging seems to have been relatively uncommon in the US military until the Vietnam War. An early estimate was that something over 1,000 fragging incidents may have taken place in Vietnam, causing 86 deaths and 714 injuries, the majority of whom were officers and non-commissioned officers. 

     The first known incidents of fragging in South Vietnam took place in 1966, but fragging incidents appear to have increased in 1968. After the Tet Offensive early that year, the Vietnam War became increasingly unpopular in the United States and among American soldiers in Vietnam, many of whom were draftees. Secondly, about that time racial tensions between white and black military personnel increased after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April, 1968. 

     With troops reluctant to risk their lives in what was perceived as a lost war being conducted by bumbling politicians, most notably President Lyndon Johnson, fragging was seen by some enlisted men as the most effective way of discouraging their superiors from showing enthusiasm for combat. 

     By 1971, a Marine Corps Colonel declared, "The morale, discipline and battle worthiness of the US Armed Forces are, with a few salient exceptions, lower and worse than at any time in this century and possibly in the history of the United States." 

     In another example involving English kings, there was Edward II (1307-1327) who was described as a weak-willed playboy who was ineffective and unpopular. With a preference for male lovers, he was estranged from his wife and was overthrown in a conspiracy led by the queen herself. He was imprisoned and killed by having a red-hot poker thrust up his rectum. 

     In chess, the most primitive way of winning and the one that appeals to some bloodthirsty types is the King hunt, an assault on the enemy King, preferably from the get-go before castling has taken place. 

     Experienced player take time to castle early, but even after the King has a permanent residence, if its defenses are defective it's possible for the opponent to immediately train his guns on the King. 

     Whichever way it happens, it's fun to watch as the following game demonstrates. 

     White was played by the Polish Master Antoni Wojciechowaki (June 6, 1905 - January 19, 1938, 32 years old), a well-known player in Poznan in the 1920s and 1930s. Almost nothing is known of the player of the black pieces, Hermann Weiss, except that he was Austrian. 

     The game was played in the 1936 Munich Olympiad which was the 3rd unofficial Olympia. It was held by German Chess Federation as a counterpart of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Given the times, oddly, many Jewish players took part in the event. The finals consisted of 21 teams and was won by Hungary ahead of Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. 

[Event "Munich Olympiad"] [Site ""] [Date "1936.08.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Antoni Wojciechowski"] [Black "Hermann Weiss"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C15"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] {French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 {Here white is tempting Black to take a P and then defend it at the expense of time which he cannot afford. Statistically white does not do nearly as well with this move as he does with the normal 4.e5. Black's mistake in this game is trying to hold onto the P rather than return it in favore of development.} dxe4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 f5 {There was no harm in having taken the P, but this is the bad move which seriously weakens the position of the black K. Correct was 6...Nc6} (6... Nc6 7. Bb5 Nge7 {with full equality.}) 7. f3 {This is usually seen, but perhaps inducing a further weakening of black's K-side would also have been worth trying.} (7. Qh5+ g6 8. Qh3 Nc6 9. Bf4 Nf6 (9... Qxd4 10. Nb5 Qxb2 11. Nxc7+ Kd8 12. Rd1+ {and white is winning.}) 10. O-O-O Nd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qg3 { White is better.}) 7... exf3 8. Qxf3 Qh4+ {Another loss of time. After 8...Nf6 white has only a minimal positional advantage.} (8... Qxd4 {Too greedy!} 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Nb5 Qe4+ 11. Be2 Na6 12. Qxg7 Rf8 13. Bh6 Rf7 {White is winning. Shelk, A (2372)-Samarin,S (2137) Irkutsk RUS 2010}) 9. g3 Qxd4 {White is two Ps down, and black has no pieces in play except his Q on whose safety, moreover, he will have to spend even more time. As a result, white has a legitimate hope of scoring a quick win. There's a good chance that some of black's pieces will never even see any action whereas that is unlikely to be the case with white's pieces. All of that is practically speaking. Engines (Stockfish and Komodo) present a different picture. According to them white's advantage is nominal.} 10. Be3 (10. Nb5 {was also good.} Qe5+ 11. Be2 Na6 12. Nc3 Nf6 13. Bf4 { with a good game.}) 10... Qg4 11. Qg2 {White also has a promising positional wdvantage after the exchange of Qs.} Nf6 12. Be2 {[%mdl 1056]} Qg6 13. O-O-O { [%mdl 2048] This is an interesting situation. Both Stockfish amd Komodo evaluate this position as almost dead equal, but practically speaking who would want to defend black's position? One slip is apt to be fatal. In any case, white has the initiative.} Nc6 {Castling was the other option and no doubt the best one.} (13... O-O 14. Nb5 {This sally leads nowhere, but the truth is black is very near to gaining complete equality because white has been unable to launch a successful attack and black has slowly managed to get his pieces developed.} Na6 15. Rhe1 e5 16. Nxa7 e4 17. Nxc8 Raxc8 {Black is getting himself untangled.}) 14. Nb5 {Now this move cause black some consternation, but as long as he can defend the c-Pawn his position remains safe from immediate disaster.} Qf7 15. Bc5 {Castling is prevented and black's position looks gloomy. There is, however, and adequate defense.} a6 {[%mdl 8192] Black finally cracks and plays this, the losing move.} (15... e5 { This is it. Black's control of the center enable him to offer stout resistance. } 16. Bd6 Qa2 17. Nxc7+ Kf7 18. c3 {So as to defend the b-Pawn with Kc2 after . ..Qa1+} (18. Nxa8 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qxb2 {and suddenly black is in the game.}) 18... Bd7 19. Bd3 (19. Nxa8 {White lands in trouble after this!} Na5 20. Nc7 Ba4 { and it's black who is on the attack!}) 19... Na5 20. Bb1 Qc4 {and white probably has no better course than to repeat moves with 21.Bd3}) 16. Bf3 { The surprise crusher.} Nd8 (16... axb5 17. Bxc6+ bxc6 18. Qxc6+ {wins}) 17. Qd2 Nd5 18. Bxd5 axb5 (18... exd5 {is even worse.} 19. Rhe1+ Be6 20. Nd4 c6 (20... Qd7 21. Qf4 g6 22. Qe5 Rg8 23. Nxe6 Nf7 24. Qf6 {White has a mating attack.}) 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. Rxe6+ Qxe6 23. Re1) 19. Rhe1 {Two Rs on the center files are almost always too much for a K which is caught in the center.} Bd7 20. g4 Nc6 { keeping lines closed would have been a bit better.} 21. gxf5 Qxf5 {This allows a quick finish.} (21... O-O-O {This offered no hope either.} 22. fxe6 Bxe6 23. Bxe6+ Qxe6 24. Rxe6 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 {he's a R down.}) 22. Bxe6 {[%mdl 512]} Bxe6 (22... O-O-O 23. Qxd7+ Rxd7 24. Bxf5 Nb8 25. Re7 Rhd8 {and white is winning.}) 23. Qd7# {Aggressive play by Wojciechowski who kept the pressure on his opponent from the beginning.} 1-0

30 Moves in 30 Minutes

 

     Way back in Morphy's day some players in trying to play the best moves resorted to the excruciatingly slow rate of three or four moves per hour, but when they tried the same tactic against the legendary Morphy they usually lost anyway.

     It didn't matter because the illusion still persisted that a player's strength increased proportionately with the slowing down of the rate of play. When chess clocks came into use, the belief was that it was impossible to make more than 20 moves per hour in tournament play. As a result, everybody pretty much accepted the face that adjournments were necessary. 

     Of course, faster time limits make tournaments easier to organize because games can be finished in a single day. So, back in 1952 in a tournament held at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City what was called "a very remarkable test" was tried. 

     Dr. Ariel Mengarini played a three game match against James T. Sherwin with a time limit of 30 moves in 30 minutes and the match was completed in a single evening. Mengarini won 2-1 and Chess Review noted that the games were "well above the average quality of normal tournament games" and it was hoped that tournaments of from six to eight participants might be played in a single weekend. 

     Dr. Ariel Mengarini (October 19, 1919 - January 9, 1998) was born in Rome and his family emigrated to the New York City in 1927. Mengarini learned chess at the age of 6. He began his studies at Harvard in 1937 after winning a competitive scholarship. Due to focusing his attention on chess, Mengarini lost his scholarship and began attending George Washington University in Washington, DC. He was a psychiatrist and author of the book "Predicament in 2 Dimensions" In 1943 he won the US Amateur Championship with the score of 11-0. 

     James T. Sherwin (born October 25, 1933) was a corporate executive and International Master. He was born in New York City and after high school he graduated from the Coast Guard Academy Officer Candidate School in 1956 and later advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 

     As an attorney he was admitted to the New York and Supreme Court Bars. While serving as Chief Financial Officer of GAF Corporation, a manufacturer of roofing materials for residential and commercial buildings, in 1988, he was indicted by US Attorney Rudy Giuliani, who was to serve as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, for stock manipulation in connection with the 1986 sale of stock owned by GAF. 

     He was convicted after three trials, but the conviction was reversed on appeal and dismissed with prejudice meaning that that the ruling is the final judgment in the case. The dismissal prohibits the prosecutor from refiling the charges. 

     Sherwin finished third and tied for third in the US Championship twice and tied for fourth four times. He was Intercollegiate Champion and New York State Champion in 1951 and US Speed Champion in 1956–57 and 1959–60. He was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2021. Sherwin is mow living near Bath in the United Kingdom. 

[Event "30/30 Match, Marshall CC New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1952.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dr. A.A. Mengarini"] [Black "James T. Sherwin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C15"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1952.??.??"] {French Defense, Winawer} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {Named after Szymon Winawer this variation was pioneered by Nimzovich and especially Botvinnik who began playing it in the 1940s.} 4. Nge2 {White normally clarifies the situation in the center with 4.e5, gaining space and hoping to show that black's B on b4-bishop is misplaced. With the text white avoids the doubled c-Pawns, but in practice the move does not enjoy the same success rate as the usual 4.e5} (4. a3 {is an interesting sideline.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4 Nf6 7. Qxg7 Rg8 8. Qh6 {with interesting play.}) 4... dxe4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 f5 { Risky.} (6... Nc6 {This simple developing move keeps the position equal.} 7. Bb5 Nge7 {and white has a wide choice of plausible moves.}) 7. Bc4 {Also sood was 7.Qh5+ immediately.} (7. Bf4 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O c6 10. f3 {White is better. Chernobai,A (2409)-Liasota,E (2241) Dimitrov 2007}) 7... Nf6 8. Bf4 Nd5 {This looks reasonable, but Mengarini demonstrates the flaw in it.} (8... a6 9. Qd2 Qe7 10. O-O-O b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Rhe1 Nc6 13. f3 {Both sides have active play. Bajer,R (1924)-Kaulich,P (1576) Tuebingen 2007}) (8... c6 {is also playable.} 9. g4 Nd5 10. Bxd5 exd5 11. gxf5 {Better was 11...g5} O-O {Black is better. Sanchez Gonzalez,S (2288)-Aziz Ortego,O (2080) Parla ESP 2010}) 9. Bxd5 {Well played. White is hoping the the Bs of opposite color will be good for his attack seeing that black is left with a bad B. White is clearly better.} exd5 10. Qh5+ {With this move white initiates an irrestible attack.} Kf8 (10... g6 {was worth a try.} 11. Qh6 Be6 12. f3 {Busting up black's K-side and leaving black with a gloomy position.} Qd7 13. fxe4 fxe4 14. O-O Nc6 {White is better, but with luck black may be able to put up a manly defense.}) 11. g4 c6 {There is no time for passive play like this.} (11... Nd7 12. Nxd5 Nf6 13. Nxf6 Qxf6 14. gxf5 Qxf5 {With the reduced material and Bs of opposite color black has chances of defending himself.}) 12. gxf5 Nd7 {But here this move is insufficient.} (12... Qf6 {This offers the stoutest resistance.} 13. f3 exf3 14. Rf1 h6 15. O-O-O Qxf5 16. Qxf3 {White's lead in development paus black's exposed K should prove decisive.}) 13. Bd6+ Kg8 14. Rg1 Nf6 15. Qg5 g6 { The only move.} (15... Qd7 16. Qxf6) 16. Be5 Kg7 17. h4 {[%mdl 32] The charge of the h-Pawn is decisive.} Rf8 18. h5 Qe7 19. h6+ Kh8 20. fxg6 hxg6 21. Qxg6 { Black resigned.} (21. Qxg6 Qf7 (21... Bd7 22. Qg7+ Qxg7 23. hxg7+ Kh7 24. gxf8=Q Rxf8 25. Bxf6 Rxf6) 22. Qg7+ Qxg7 23. hxg7+) 1-0