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. 

ChessBase

Herbert Seidman–Anthony Santasiere1–0B29Marshall CC Championship, New York1939Stockfish 15.1

Sicilian, Nimzovich Variation 1.e4 c5 2.f3 f6 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 d5 4.c3 xc3 5.dxc3 b6 This was Nimzovich's original idea, but it loses! 5...e6 meets the threat, ut whute gains the advantage after 6.f4 b6 7.d3 h6 8.e2 b7 9.0-0-0 Gonzalez,Y (2482)-Fernandez Romero,E (2449) Havana 2005 6.c4 6.e6 refutes black's last move. dxe6 7.xd8+ xd8 8.e5 e8 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.f4 The threat is the very strong O-O-O. a6 11...e5 12.0-0-0 wins 12.c6 c8 13.b7 wins the exchange. 6.d3 is not quite as good as 6.e6. b7 7.f4 c7 8.g3 e6 9.0-0 Michell, R-Nimzovich,A Marienbad 1925 6...e6 7.f4 c7 8.0-0 b7 9.e2 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...c6 keeps white's advantahe at a minimum. Play might run... 10.ad1 h6 11.g3 0-0-0 and all white can claim is a spatial advantage. 10.a4 c6 11.ad1 e7 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...a5 12.d3 f5 13.h4 g6 is an unattractive setup for black, but at least his defense is holding. 12.d2 0-0 He still needed to try 12...Na5. Now his lightly defended K is in danger. 13.fd1 fd8 This defends the d-Pawn, but deprives f7 of a defender. Black's position is already approaching the critical stage. 13...ad8 doesn't work because of 14.xa6 xa6 15.xa6 14.g5 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...xg5 Eliminating the threatening N was a must play. Even so, after 15.xg5 Black's R and d-Pawn are both attacked so his best try is xe5 16.xd8 xd8 17.xa6 xa6 18.xa6 d5 and try to hold on and make white work for the point. 15.xf7 Obvious and winning. xf7 There was no choice. 15...f8 16.xh6+ gxh6 17.xd7 Black has no move that offers any hope of defending himself. 16.xd7 Perhaps this, an absolute crusher, came as a surprise to Santasiere. 16.g4 allows black some play after xe5 17.f5+ f6 18.xe5 xe5 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xd7+ e8 21.xe5 xe5 22.xb7 b8 23.xb8+ xb8 and although white should win, Bs of opposite color do give black some hope. 16...xd7 16...xd7 is no better. 17.xe6+ xe6 18.c4+ f5 19.f7+ f6 20.xd7 and white is winning here, too. 17.xd7 xd7 18.h5+ 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.xe6+ xe6 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.xg6+ f6 20...d5 21.f7+ e4 22.f3# 21.xf6+ d5 22.f5 White threatens e6+ and mate. e7 23.e6+ c4 23...e5 24.xe5+ mates next move. 24.d3# 1–0

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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. 

ChessBase

Anthony Saidy (USA)–Jacek Bednarski (Poland)1–0E80Olympiad, Tel Aviv, Qual D03.11.1964Stockfish 15.1

K-Indian: Saemisch 1.c4 g6 2.c3 g7 3.d4 f6 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.e3 a6 7.d2 b5 8.d3 bd7 9.ge2 0-0 10.0-0 bxc4 11.xc4 b6 12.b3 a5 13.a4 a6 14.fc1 fd7 This is black's best move. He has complete equality. 14...b5 15.xb6 xb6 16.c3 a4 17.d1 fc8 17...fb8 18.b4 a3 19.ab1 d7 20.xb5 xb5 Lehikoinen,P (2229)-Seeman,T (2441) Helsinki 2002. White is better. 17...d7 18.xb5 xb5 19.e2 b7 20.ab1 fc8 21.c4 d5 Mishra,N (2363)-Suvrajit,S (2335) Nagpur 1999 is fully equal. 18.ab1 a6 19.xb5 xb5 20.b4 axb3 21.xb3 a6 The chances are about even. Adler,J (2274)-Ballmann,M (2375) Switzerland 2014 15.c2 Black has achieved complete equality. His c-Pawn is backward, but white would gain nothing by capturing it. 15.xc6 b5 16.xb6 xb6 17.cc1 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.xc5 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.xb6 xb6 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...c8 18.d1 xe2 19.xe2 c7 20.a4 e5 21.c6 a7 22.f4 exc6 23.e5 g5 24.g3 and white has ample compensation for the N. 18.xf7+ 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...xf7 19.cxb6 xe2 Here Keres wrote, "Certainly black's best practical chance", but, again, Saidy correctly disagreed. The fact is this move costs Bednarski the game. 19...e5 is correct and after 20.xd8+ xd8 21.ac1 d3 22.d2 ff8 23.b1 e5 24.xd8 xd8 Black's advantage is decisive. 20.xe2 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. b8 21.ac1 xb2 22.c8 xc1 23.xc1 etc. 20...xb6 20...a3 This is plable, but it doesn't lead anywhere after 21.d1 axb2 22.a4 xa4 23.xb2 xb2 24.xb2 e5 25.b7 a5 26.b8+ xb8 27.xb8+ g7 and black won't be able to make any progress 21.d1 b8 The decisive error and the one that was responsible for the acclaimed brilliancy. 21...d7 This is another story. 22.cd2 e6 23.b5 b8 24.xb8+ xb8 25.d8+ f8 26.xf8+ xf8 27.d8+ f7 In Shootouts from thids position 5 games were drawn 22.b5 c8 This represents complete collapse. 22...f6 was tougher, but in the long run there is no doubt about the outcome. 23.c6 xc6 24.xc6 c8 25.xb6 b8 26.a7 f6 27.c1 b7 28.xa4 xb2 White has a decisive advantage. 23.d8+ f8 24.d5+ 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.d5+ h8 25.xf8+ xf8 26.d4+ e5 26...g7 27.d8# 27.xe5+ 1–0

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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.

 

ChessBase

Boris Siff–Herbert Avram1–0D48Manhattan CC Champ Preliminary1951Stockfish 15.1 (10s)

QGS Semi-Slav: Meran System 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.c3 f6 4.f3 bd7 5.e3 e6 6.d3 dxc4 7.xc4 b5 8.d3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 g4 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.f4 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.e4 This is the most solid continuation. a7 12.e3 xe3 13.fxe3 g6 14.0-0 h6 15.e2 0-0 16.h1 c7 17.ad1 c4 18.a3 b6 19.g4 f5 20.exf6 1/2-1/2 Atalik,S (2585)-Ivanisevic,I (2664)/Kallithea 2008 11...b7 This is not the most accurate. 11...cxd4 12.e4 b4+ Also playable is 12...Qa5+ 13.f1 b7 14.h3 h6 15.xh6 gxh6 The position is equal. Kruger-Florian, Hungarian Chp 1950 12.g5 cxd4 13.xg4 dxc3 14.xe6 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.g6+ hxg6 16.xg6+ e7 17.g5+ f6 18.exf6+ gxf6 19.xf6+ and white is winning. 15.d1 b4+ 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.f1 16.e2 fxe6 17.g5 c8 18.xb4 18.xe6+ is slightly less good. f8 19.f5+ Now if 19...Kg8 white can repeat moves with 20.Qe6+ f6 20.exf6 xf5 21.xf5 e8+ 22.e3 gxf6 18...c5 19.c2 Black is better. 16...fxe6 17.xg7 f8 18.xh7 xe5 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...c7 19.g6+ d8 20.g5+ c8 21.xe6 c6 22.e7 e8 23.d6 xd6 24.exd6 a5 25.b3 h8 26.d3 a4 27.xa4 bxa4 Black is winning. Just a sample... 28.e1 xg2 29.g1 d5 30.d2 a3 31.h4 b7 32.g5 c6 33.f5 hg8 34.f4 xa2 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xe5 d5 20...d1+ 21.e2 xh1 22.g6+ f7 23.b8+ c8 24.xc8+ e7 25.c7+ e8 26.xf7+ d8 27.c7# 21.g6+ f7 21...e7 22.g7+ f7 23.xf7# 22.e2 c4+ 23.f3 e7 24.xf7 d3+ 25.g4 xf7 26.xb2 The rest is technique as they say. c3 27.b1 e5 28.e3 e4 29.d1 b4 Superficially it looks like black has a lot more play than he really does. 30.f5 d5+ 31.xd5 xd5 32.d1 e6+ 33.xe4 xa2 34.d7+ g8 35.d4 b1+ 36.e3 Black resigned. 36.e3 1–0

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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. 

ChessBase

Alexander V Tolush–Alexander S Budo1–0E30Trade Unions Champ, Leningrad1938Stockfish 15.1

Nimzo-Indian: Leningrad Variation 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 b4 4.g5 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. e7 This move has disappeared from practice. Today black plays either 4...h6 or the immediate 4...c5. 5.c2 0-0 6.e3 xc3+ There was no reason to play this until provoked by white playing a3. Simply 6...h6 was adequate. 7.xc3 d6 8.d3 e5 9.e2 c6 10.0-0-0 This sharp move, eschewing 10,d5, is typical of Tolush. 10.d5 b8 11.e4 h6 12.d2 a5 13.g3 bd7 14.0-0 c5 This closed position would not be to Tolush's liking. 10...e8 11.b3 h6 12.h4 a5 13.c3 13.a4 stopping the advance of the a-Pawn favors black. g5 14.g3 g4 15.he1 15.xb7 is a trap white must avoid. b4 is winning for black. 15...a6 16.h3 b6 17.a3 xe2 18.xe2 e4 19.b1 b4 and black is better. 13...a4 13...exd4 would be a really bad mistake. 14.d5 14.exd4 xd4 favors black. 14...d8 15.xf6+ gxf6 16.b1 followed by Qd3 and white's position is much better. 14.a3 g5 14...exd4 is still bad. 15.d5 d8 16.xf6+ gxf6 17.c2 e5 18.exd4 g6 19.g3 15.g3 exd4 How this is safe to play because the 3rd rank is blocked to white's Q. 16.exd4 16.d5 xd5 17.cxd5 e5 and now it's black who is better. 16...xd4 Black has won a P, but at the cost of weakening his K-side, so white has compensation. 17.f4 e3+ From here the Q will get attacked costing black time he cannot afford. 17...f5 was a better alternative, 18.he1 d7 19.xe8+ xe8 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.xa4 xa4 22.xa4 xd3 23.xd3 e2+ 24.d2 xg3 25.hxg3 e4+ Black has active piece play. 18.d2 e6 Better was the developing move 18. ..Bf5 19.e1 c5 20.b4 20.xc5 only results in equality after xc5 21.xe8+ xe8 22.c2 e6 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...c6 21.de2 d7 22.fxg5 clearly favors white, but it's the best line black has. 21.xa8 d7 22.xb7 a3+ 23.b1 c5 24.xe8+ xe8 25.f3 This move was likely overlooked by Budo. It guards e4 25.xc7 This is probably what he expected...it's an obvious capture. xd3 Drawing the R away from the defense of a2. 26.xd3 bxa2+ 27.a1 c1+ 28.xa2 c2+ 29.a3 xd3 Here things get interesting. White needs to defend the N, but how? 30.e1 A must play. 30.b3 loses to e4 31.e1 e3 attacking the B. 30...gxf4 31.e7 d4 32.b3 c6 Black's advantage is minimal. 25...g4 26.e2 bxa2+ The final mistake. 26...b4 was worth a try because white would still have his work cut out for him to score the point. 27.a3 xc3 27...xa3 28.h4 b2 29.a2 cd7 30.xb2 is winning for white. 28.e1 b2 29.d1 xa3 30.xb2 xb2+ 31.xb2 Using Stockfish white scored 5-0, but the wins took 80 to over 100 moves! 27.xa2 b3+ 28.a1 a3 29.c2 c6 30.f2 fe4 31.xc5 Black resigned. 31.xc5 xc5 32.xg4+ f8 33.f5 Hoping to play f6 e3 34.e2 g5 35.d4 g7 36.xg7+ xg7 37.b4 a8 38.d5 xd5 39.cxd5 Black is hoplessly lost. 1–0

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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.

 

ChessBase

Amos Burn–Erich Cohn1–0D6018th DSB KongressBreslau GER31.07.1912Stockfish 15.1

Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.c3 f6 4.g5 bd7 5.e3 e7 6.f3 0-0 7.d3 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.xc4 a6 9.0-0 c5 10.e2 It's preferable to play 10.a4 hindering black's next move. b5 11.b3 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. b7 12.ad1 12.fd1 b6 13.e5 fe8 14.xd7 xd7 15.xe7 xe7 16.h5 cxd4 17.xd4 with equal chances and Corsi Ferrari,N (2269)-Lobato,C Mar del Plata 2006 was eventually drawn. 12...a5 12...c7 13.c2 fd8 14.f4 b6 15.e5 ac8 Black's position is slightly better. Marshall,F-Maroczy, G Ostende 1905 13.e5 Black must now guard against Nxd7. fe8 13...xe5 loses a piece after 14.dxe5 14.f4 Not at all bad; white is playing for a K-side attack. 14.xd7 was another option that takes a different path...a center attack, but it fizzles out. xd7 15.d5 exd5 15...xg5 16.dxe6 favors white. 16.xe7 xe7 17.xd5 f6 18.xb7 xb7 19.f3 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...c7 15.xd7 15.c2 cxd4 16.exd4 h6 17.h4 d5 18.d3 xh4 19.h7+ f8 20.h8+ e7 21.xg7 is favorable to black. 15...xd7 16.d5 c4 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.c2 ad8 19.g4 f8 black has put up a successful defense and the chances are about equal. 15.c2 f8 The purpose of this move is seen on move 17, but it was not too late to play 15...Qc7 15...c7 16.f5 is not now playable. xe5 17.dxe5 xe5 18.f4 c5 19.fxe6 fxe6 Black has won a P and he now stands better. 16.f5 c7 16...exf5 17.xf5 c7 18.xf6 xf6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.g4 e7 21.f1 White stands quite well. 17.fxe6 xe6 18.xf7 Pre-engine analysis aside, this move is quite correct, so kudos to cautious old Amos Burn! 18.xf6 is also quite interesting. xf6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.g4 h8 21.xh7 xh7 22.f2 h8 23.d5 The only move that keeps the attack going. e7 24.e4 24.dxe6 ad8 25.xf6+ g7 26.h5+ h6 and the chances are equal. 24...g7 25.d6 d8 26.exf6 with complications, but white is a bit better. 18...xf7 By accepting the sacrifice black exposes himself to withering attack. Instead, he sould have looked around for counterplay. 18...xg5 19.xg5 d6 A fascinating position! White has two plausible continuations that leave him with a slight advantage. 20.d5 20.xh7 xh7 21.d5 xh2+ 22.h1 xd5 23.xh7+ xh7 24.h5+ g8 25.xd5+ h8 26.f3 g3 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.g5 e6 28.xg3 with the better game. 20...ad8 21.f5 c8 22.e6+ xe6 23.xe6 e7 24.xd8 xd8 25.g3 White is better. 18...b4 19.a4 19.xf6 xf6 20.h5 f8 21.xf6 gxf6 22.h6+ h8 23.d5 xd5 24.xd5 g6 with an unclear position. 19...xf7 20.h5+ 20.xf6 xf6 21.h5+ e7 The K is slipping away to safety. 20...f8 21.xf6 xf6 22.d5 d8 23.d6 f7 24.xh7 c6 While black is not out of the woods, he has avoided to worst. 19.h5+ g8 This allows white to gain a tempo which is decisive, but even the better 19...Kf8 was not likely to save him. 19...f8 20.xh7 xg5 21.xg5 ad8 22.e4 White has a decisive attack because the threat of e5 cannot be met. 20.xf6 White is clearly winning. xf6 21.xh7+ f8 22.d5 e5 22...g5 23.xf6+ 23.dxe6 xe3+ 24.h1 xe6 25.g6 Black resigned because the threat of Rxf6+ is too much. 25.g6 ed8 26.de1 g8 26...d7 27.h8# 27.xf6+ gxf6 28.e7# 1–0

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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

ChessBase

Anatoly Karpov–Robert Fischer½–½A00HDT1073P046

Karpov-Bellon Lopez Madrid International Madrid 1/2-1/2 1.c4 Saidy-Fischer USA-chT New York 1969.??.?? 0-1 1.c4 e5 2.c3 c6 3.g3 f5 4.g2 f6 5.e3 c5 6.d3 f4 7.exf4 0-0 8.ge2 e8 9.0-0 d6 10.a4 d4 11.xd4 exd4 12.h3 h5 13.a3 a5 14.b3 g6 15.b2 f5 16.c2 d7 17.e1 c5 18.f1 a6 19.d2 b6 20.xa5 xb3 21.d2 a8 22.a4 a6 23.a5 h7 24.ed1 b6 25.e1 bxa5 26.a4 xd3 27.xd3 xd3 28.a2 b4 29.a3 c2 30.b2 xa1 31.xa1 xa4 32.xa4 e4 33.xa5 xa5 34.xa5 e1+ 35.h2 xa5 36.xd4 1...e5 2.c3 c6 3.g3 f5 4.g2 f6 5.d3 c5 6.e3 f4 7.exf4 0-0 8.ge2 d6 9.0-0 e8 10.a4 d4 11.xd4 exd4 12.a3 a5 13.b3 f5 14.b2 g6 15.c2 d7 16.e1 c5 17.f1 a6 18.d2 b6 19.xa5 xb3 20.d2 a8 21.a4 h5 22.h3 a6 23.a5 b4 24.xb4 xb4 25.a3 b6 26.ea1 e6 27.axb6 axb6 28.a8+ h7 29.d1 g6 30.a4 xa4 31.8xa4 xa4 32.xa4 xh3 33.a7 xf1 34.xc7+ h6 35.xf1 h4 36.g2 b2 37.f3 d5 38.gxh4 b3 39.cxd5 xd5+ 40.g3 f5 41.f3 xd3 42.c6 c3 43.d6 h5 44.g2 c2+ 45.g3 c3 46.g2 xf4 47.d5+ h6 48.e2 c1 49.h5+ ½–½

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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.

ChessBase

Akiba Rubinstein–Rudolf Spielmann0–1A44Stockholm1919Stockfish 15.1

Semi-Benoni 1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6 4.d3 e7 5.c4 5.e2 c7 6.d2 g6 7.a4 e7 8.c4 b6 9.0-0 Black's position is very passive. Kool, G-Kieninger,G Amsterdam 1963 5.f4 exf4 6.xf4 g6 7.g3 e7 8.f3 0-0 9.bd2 d7 10.c4 Equals. Kozma,J-Stoeckl,E Munich 1958 5...g6 6.g3 e7 7.h4 h6 8.c3 White clearly has the better prospects thanks to black's passive position. d7 9.f3 f6 10.h2 Black's position is so passive that Rubinstein has plenty of time to undertake a lengthy N maneuver. d7 11.f1 f8 12.e3 From here the N eyes f5 and also supports the advance of the g-Pawn g6 13.e2 h5 14.d2 c8 15.f3 g8 16.c2 h6 17.0-0-0 c7 18.g4 A near decisive breakthrough. 0-0-0 18...hxg4 19.fxg4 0-0-0 20.g5 g8 21.b5 White has the advantage on both sides and his position is strategically won. Black cannot afford to play xb5 22.cxb5 d7 23.a4 f8 24.a5 b6 25.c4 and white is winning. 19.dg1 b8 20.gxh5 Also good was 20.g5 keeping black in a serious bind. gxh5 21.f5 xf5 22.exf5 h7 23.g7 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.xh5 df8 25.xe4 Here, too, white has slightly the better of it. 23...f6 24.xf7 xf5 With both his Q and R attacked white has no choice except to exchange Qs. 25.xc7 xc2 26.b5 This is where white goes astray. The R has no way out so white must give it up for as much as possible. 26.xc2 xc7 leaves white down the exchange. 26.f7 g6 27.xf6 xf6 Here, too, white is down the exchange and black is slightly better. 26.xc5 dxc5 27.xc2 and at least white has some compensation for the exchange in the form of a protected passed Pawn in the center.. 26...f5 There is no way out for the R. 27.g5 This move leads to a complete collapse of white's game. 27.f7 g6 wins the exchange. 27.a5 save the day! b6 28.xb6 axb6 29.c6 and the best for both sides is to accept the draw. b7 30.c7+ b8 31.c6 etc. 27...xg5 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 xg5+ 29.d1 d7 White resigned. It would be hopeless to play on the exchange down for nothing. 29...a6 would also work. 30.f7 h7 31.c7 g6 32.g7 dg8 33.xg8+ xg8 34.e6 29...d7 This forces 30.xd7 xd7 29...d7 30.xb7+ xb7 31.xd6+ c7 32.f7 f4 33.xd8 xd8 Black is a piece up. 0–1

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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.

ChessBase

Dale L. Morgan–Irvin W. Taylor½–½D53Utah Champ, Salt Lake City1938Stockfish 15.1

Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 d5 2.c4 f6 This used to pop up occasionally in Frank Marshall's games, but it's not particularly effective. 3.c3 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. xd5 4.f3 It turns out that this is even better than 4.e4 f5 5.bd2 Obviously the threat is 6. e4 so a black piece has to retreat. b6 6.e4 g6 7.h4 with the initiative. 3.cxd5 xd5 4.e4 f6 5.c3 e5 Black almost always replies with the inferior 5...e6 6.ge2 exd4 7.xd4 c5 8.e3 White has no more than his usual opening advantage. 3...e6 4.g5 e7 5.f3 b6 The solid Tartakower Variation except black has omitted ...h6 6.cxd5 xd5 7.xe7 xe7 Safer was 7...Qe7 preventing white's subsequent Ng5 7...xe7 8.xd5 8.e4 xc3 9.bxc3 b7 10.a4+ c6 11.c2 equals. Valle Maytin,L (2285)-Garcia Martinez,J (2119) Girona ESP 2010 8...exd5 9.e3 b4+ 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 equals. Vokac,M (2476)-Bores,M (2214) Prague 2005 8.e4 0-0 9.d3 b7 10.e5 This cramps black and opens up the Bs diagonal. Clearly white is going for a K-side attack. bc6 11.xh7+ 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. xh7 12.g5+ Black is now confronted with a choice of 4 moves, but there is only one that leaves him with a won position. h6 The best of the worst! 12...h8 13.h5+ g8 14.h7# 12...g8 13.h5 e8 14.xf7+ h8 15.h5+ g8 16.ce4 Mate in f5 17.f6+ xf6 18.exf6 h6 19.g6 e7 20.0-0-0 a6 21.he1 e2 22.fxe7 xe7 23.xe6+ h8 24.e4 ef5 25.xa8+ g8 26.xe2 g6 27.f8 d6 28.e7 f7 29.xf7 xe7 30.h7# 12...g6 ...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.g4 xd4 14.ge4+ 14.f4 xe5 14.g3 f5 15.xe6+ xg3 16.xd4 xh1 14...h7 15.h5+ g8 16.g5 xe5+ 17.ce4 a5+ 18.f1 f5 and h7 is covered. 13.d2 Threatening a discovered check, but it's a phantom threat. 13.g4 This would win. xd4 14.0-0-0 g6 15.h3+ xg5 16.e3+ h5 17.g4+ h4 18.f4 with a decisive advantage. 13...xd4 After this any discovered check is harmless. 14.c1 xe5+ 15.ce4 g6 15...a5+ is even better. 16.f1 d4 17.xe6+ h7 18.xf8+ g8 19.g6 a6+ wins 20.g1 e2+ 21.f1 xc1+ 22.g1 e1# 16.h4 h8 17.g4 Black's K is safe and there is no effective way that white can continue the attack. xh4 Well played. 17...ad8 18.h5+ xh5 19.gxh5+ f5 20.e3 and white is winning. 18.xh4 d4 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...b4 Threatening a nasty fork on d3 was even more powerful. 19.f1 xe4 20.h3 f6 21.d2 d6 White's attack is over and so is the game...black has a winning advantage. 19.f4 a5+ 20.f2 b5 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.xc7 b5 22.xb7 fxg5 23.xa8 xb2+ 24.g3 gxh4+ 25.h3 a3+ 26.h2 b2+ draws 20...d8 was also playable. 21.h1 xe4 22.xe4+ f5 23.gxf5+ xf5 with equal chances. 21.c3 d3 21...c5 was a bit better. 22.e3 d5 23.f5+ exf5 24.xd5 xd5 25.g1 f6 26.e6 f3+ 27.xf3 xf3 28.gxf5+ xf5 29.xg7+ e5 30.h5+ g5 with complications, but engines evaluate the position as dead equal and Shootouts indicate that a draw would be a likely outcome. 22.h3 White has compensation. c4 23.b1+ f5 24.g1 Black has has survived the attack and even lost his advantage, but he is still under a lot of pressure. c5 24...c2 was more precise. 25.gxf5+ xf5 26.ge4 d4+ 27.e2 xg1 28.xg1 xf4 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. xb4 26.gxf5+ Whits is now conducting a vigorous attack. exf5 A logical move because it gets the N into play, but white still has a very strong attack. 26...f6 is not much better. 27.b1 c4 White is better, but there is no way to get at black's K. 28.c1 d5 28...a6 29.fxe6 xe6 30.e3 xg5 31.fxg5+ g6 32.xe7 29.e1 dxf5 30.b4 Black can get in a couple of meaningless checks, but after c5+ 31.f1 c4+ 32.g2 d5+ 33.h2 g6 34.xd5 xd5 35.e2 Threatening Qh5+ g3 35...c5 36.h5+ f6 37.f7# 36.xg3 f5+ 37.f2 and wins 27.xe6+ Missing a golden opportunity, 27.b1 e7 27...e2 28.xe2 c4+ 29.e1 and white is winning. 28.g4 f6 29.ce4+ xe4 30.xe4+ f7 31.h5+ g6 31...g8 32.h8+ wins 32.h7+ e8 33.h8+ f8 34.xf8+ xf8 35.h8+ Even though it's going to take some time and effort white has a won ending. 27...f7 White must now prevent ...Qb2+. 28.b1 d6 29.g5+ Once again black is confronted with a decision of where to place his K and again he makes the wrong choice. g8 29...f8 gives the K room to flee and black has nothing to worry about. 30.c1 c5 This position is completely equal. 30.h8+ xh8 31.f7+ g8 32.xd6 xd6 33.g6 f8± 34.g1 xf4+ 35.e3 f3+ Nicely played! 35...f7 36.xd4 Black simply does not have enough compensation for his material deficit. 36.xd4 c5+ 37.e5 f7+ 38.e6 e3+ 39.e4 Very clever! White sacrifices a piece to avoid the checks. 39.f5 f3+ 40.e6 40.g4 e5+ 40...e3+ etc. 39...xe4+ 40.f5 e5+ 41.f4 e4+ 42.g3 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. h6 After this black should have lost. 42...e2 makes life difficult for white. 43.h3 c8+ 44.h4 h2+ 45.g3 h6 43.f2 With the obvious threat of Qxh6 f4+ 44.e3 f3+ 45.e2 f5 46.g5 White falls into a perpetual check or elso allows black to establish material equality. Either way it's a draw. 46.d2 wins as black has no adequate defensive resources. But...that's not so easy to see. d5 47.e8+ h7 48.g5 f2+ 49.e1 f4 50.h5+ h6 51.xd5 White is winning, but it's not going to be as easy as thje engine evaluation of a 6 Pawn advantage suggests. 46...a6+ Draw. A terrific game! 46...a6+ 47.xf3 47.d2 f2+ 48.e1 e2+ 49.d1 e3+ 50.c1 e1+ 51.b2 c4+ 52.b3 e3+ 53.c2 53.a4 b5# 53...e2+ 47...h4+ 48.e3 xg6 49.xg6 This position is drawn. ½–½

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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.

 

ChessBase

Andre Lilienthal–Miguel Najdorf1–0E29Saltsjobaden Interzonal22.07.1948Stockfish 15.1

Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch Variation 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 b4 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. xc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 c6 7.d3 b6 8.e2 0-0 9.e4 e8 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.g5 h6 11.h4 e5 is an alternative. 10.0-0 10.f4 f5 11.g3 g6 12.e3 d6 13.0-0 a5 14.d5 g7 15.c2 Draw agreed. Miron,L (2498)-Berescu,A (2456) Calimanesti-Caciulata ROU 2014 10...d6 10...a6 attacking the c-Pawn is solid, but it does not produce much of anything after 11.a4 11.c2 a5 12.dxc5 12.e3 xc4 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.xc5 d6 15.b4 xd3 16.xd3 c7 Black's weak d-Pawn offsets white's weak c-Pawn. 12...bxc5 13.e3 c8 14.e5 h6 15.g3 unclear. 11...a5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.b1 with equal chances. 10...b7 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.g3 g6 13.f3 with equal chances. Metge,J (2170) -Sutherland,J (2085) Auckland 1997 11...dxe5 12.dxe5 b7 12...xe5 loses because the N on e8 has interrupted the communication between black's Q and R on f8. 13.xh7+ xh7 14.xd8 13.f4 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...xf6 This is OK. 15.c2 e5 16.g5 h6 with equal play. 14...xf6 This is OK, too. 15.c2 e5 16.xh7+ h8 17.c1 d6 with equal play. 14...gxf6 This is not OK. 15.e1 g7 16.g3 f5 Necessary to cut off the line of the B. 17.d2 f6 18.g5 f7 19.ad1 White's position is superior. 15.fxg7 The King's defenses are stripped away. xf4 16.xf4 exf4 17.xh7+ 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.f3 Perhaps Najdorf was expecting a move like this. If so, then after f6 18.xf4 xd3 19.xf6 g6 20.xg6 hxg6 the unbalanced material situation is quite unclear. In Shootouts white scored +3 -0 =2 17...xh7 18.h5+ xg7 19.ad1 White needs to bring a R into play and this is the right one. Playing Rfd1 allows black to equalize! 19.fd1 e7 20.g4+ f8 21.d7 f6 22.xb7 e5 23.h5 d6 and white can make no headway...5 Shootouts ended in draws. 19...f6 19...e7 20.fe1 This move shows why the other R was the right one. f7 21.g4+ f8 22.d7 20.d7+ The R on the 7th decides the game/ f8 21.xb7 d8 22.d7 f7 23.d5 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.e1 Obviously white needs his remaining piece in play, but this allows black to play on. ed6 24.f3 e8 and black has practically equalized. 23...b8 23...c8 is a wee bit tougher. 24.e1 c7 25.d1 d8 26.h3 A safety measure. xd7 27.xd7 d8 28.g4 g5 and white has the win, but he will have to work for it. 24.e1 24.xa7 is too greedy. After e5 25.d1 c6 26.d7 e5 White is clearly better, but black is annoying him. 24...f3 25.e3 Black resigned 25.e3 g6 25...d8 26.xd8 xd8 27.xf3 xd5 28.cxd5 The ending is lost for black. 26.xf7+ xf7 27.xf3 27.xf7+ xf7 28.xf3+ 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...xf3 28.xf3+ is an obvious win. 1–0

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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. 

ChessBase

Antoni Wojciechowski–Hermann Weiss1–0C15Munich Olympiad31.08.1936Stockfish 15.1

French Defense 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.ge2 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 xc3+ 6.xc3 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...c6 7.b5 ge7 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.h5+ g6 8.h3 c6 9.f4 f6 9...xd4 10.b5 xb2 11.xc7+ d8 12.d1+ and white is winning. 10.0-0-0 d5 11.xd5 exd5 12.g3 White is better. 7...exf3 8.xf3 h4+ Another loss of time. After 8...Nf6 white has only a minimal positional advantage. 8...xd4 Too greedy! 9.g3 f6 10.b5 e4+ 11.e2 a6 12.xg7 f8 13.h6 f7 White is winning. Shelk, A (2372)-Samarin,S (2137) Irkutsk RUS 2010 9.g3 xd4 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.e3 10.b5 was also good. e5+ 11.e2 a6 12.c3 f6 13.f4 with a good game. 10...g4 11.g2 White also has a promising positional wdvantage after the exchange of Qs. f6 12.e2 g6 13.0-0-0 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. c6 Castling was the other option and no doubt the best one. 13...0-0 14.b5 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. a6 15.he1 e5 16.xa7 e4 17.xc8 axc8 Black is getting himself untangled. 14.b5 Now this move cause black some consternation, but as long as he can defend the c-Pawn his position remains safe from immediate disaster. f7 15.c5 Castling is prevented and black's position looks gloomy. There is, however, and adequate defense. a6 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.d6 a2 17.xc7+ f7 18.c3 So as to defend the b-Pawn with Kc2 after . ..Qa1+ 18.xa8 a1+ 19.d2 xb2 and suddenly black is in the game. 18...d7 19.d3 19.xa8 White lands in trouble after this! a5 20.c7 a4 and it's black who is on the attack! 19...a5 20.b1 c4 and white probably has no better course than to repeat moves with 21.Bd3 16.f3 The surprise crusher. d8 16...axb5 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.xc6+ wins 17.d2 d5 18.xd5 axb5 18...exd5 is even worse. 19.he1+ e6 20.d4 c6 20...d7 21.f4 g6 22.e5 g8 23.xe6 f7 24.f6 White has a mating attack. 21.xe6 xe6 22.xe6+ xe6 23.e1 19.he1 Two Rs on the center files are almost always too much for a K which is caught in the center. d7 20.g4 c6 keeping lines closed would have been a bit better. 21.gxf5 xf5 This allows a quick finish. 21...0-0-0 This offered no hope either. 22.fxe6 xe6 23.xe6+ xe6 24.xe6 xd2 25.xd2 he's a R down. 22.xe6 xe6 22...0-0-0 23.xd7+ xd7 24.xf5 b8 25.e7 hd8 and white is winning. 23.d7# Aggressive play by Wojciechowski who kept the pressure on his opponent from the beginning. 1–0

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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. 

ChessBase

Dr. A.A. Mengarini–James T. Sherwin1–0C1530/30 Match, Marshall CC New York1952Stockfish 15.1

French Defense, Winawer 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 Named after Szymon Winawer this variation was pioneered by Nimzovich and especially Botvinnik who began playing it in the 1940s. 4.ge2 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. xc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.g4 f6 7.xg7 g8 8.h6 with interesting play. 4...dxe4 5.a3 xc3+ 6.xc3 f5 Risky. 6...c6 This simple developing move keeps the position equal. 7.b5 ge7 and white has a wide choice of plausible moves. 7.c4 Also sood was 7.Qh5+ immediately. 7.f4 f6 8.d2 0-0 9.0-0-0 c6 10.f3 White is better. Chernobai,A (2409)-Liasota,E (2241) Dimitrov 2007 7...f6 8.f4 d5 This looks reasonable, but Mengarini demonstrates the flaw in it. 8...a6 9.d2 e7 10.0-0-0 b5 11.b3 b7 12.he1 c6 13.f3 Both sides have active play. Bajer,R (1924)-Kaulich,P (1576) Tuebingen 2007 8...c6 is also playable. 9.g4 d5 10.xd5 exd5 11.gxf5 Better was 11...g5 0-0 Black is better. Sanchez Gonzalez,S (2288)-Aziz Ortego,O (2080) Parla ESP 2010 9.xd5 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.h5+ With this move white initiates an irrestible attack. f8 10...g6 was worth a try. 11.h6 e6 12.f3 Busting up black's K-side and leaving black with a gloomy position. d7 13.fxe4 fxe4 14.0-0 c6 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...d7 12.xd5 f6 13.xf6 xf6 14.gxf5 xf5 With the reduced material and Bs of opposite color black has chances of defending himself. 12.gxf5 d7 But here this move is insufficient. 12...f6 This offers the stoutest resistance. 13.f3 exf3 14.f1 h6 15.0-0-0 xf5 16.xf3 White's lead in development paus black's exposed K should prove decisive. 13.d6+ g8 14.g1 f6 15.g5 g6 The only move. 15...d7 16.xf6 16.e5 g7 17.h4 The charge of the h-Pawn is decisive. f8 18.h5 e7 19.h6+ h8 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.xg6 Black resigned. 21.xg6 f7 21...d7 22.g7+ xg7 23.hxg7+ h7 24.gxf8 xf8 25.xf6 xf6 22.g7+ xg7 23.hxg7+ 1–0

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