Stephan Popel

     Canada is experiencing its most destructive wildfire season on record and hundreds of them are burning from coast to coast and they are continuing to send tremendous plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. 

     The result is air pollution traveling into the United States producing hazy skies and triggering air quality alerts across parts of the country. In fact, the smoke has even traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and is hovering over western Europe.

     About 9:00am this morning I was out running errands and the haze was so thick that some street lights had come on and most cars had their headlights automatically turn on. Oddly, you could not smell smoke though. 

     Going back to 1951, life expectancy for males was a scant 65.6 while women fared much better...71.4 years. On television “funny” people were Milton Berle and Lucille Ball. I never cared for either one of them. Even as kid I thought their “humor” was silly and not at all funny. 

     The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger came out. For those unfamiliar with the book, it tells of a weekend in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he was expelled from prep school. Confused and disillusioned, he wandered around alone in New York City and questions adult morality, identity and meaning. 

     Conspiracy theorists claim Salinger didn’t write the book, the Central Intelligence Agency did as part of a plot to brainwash people. The reason for the theory is that celebrity killers Mark Chapman (murdered John Lennon), John Hinckley (shot President Ronald Reagan who survived), Robert Bardo (Rebecca Schaeffer, an actress and model who was murdered by a fan) and Lee Harvey Oswald (killed President John Kennedy) all supposedly had recently read or had the book with them while committing their murders. 

     In baseball Joe DiMaggio had a 56 game hitting streak. And, Eddie Gaedel at 3 feet, 7 inched tall became the shortest person in Major League history. His story is quite interesting and you can read it on Wikipedia HERE. 

     Like Eddie Gaedel, US Master Stephen Popel (August 15, 1909- December 27, 1987) is pretty much forgotten. He was born in what used be be known as Austria-Hungary but is now the Ukraine and died in Fargo, North Dakota. 

     He was many times the champion of Lvov, Paris and what was billed as the Ukrainian Championship of in North America. 

     Popel was the nephew of a player whose name was frequently seen in old chess books: Ignatz Popiel (1863-1941). Popel learned chess as a child and played in his first tournament at age 12. He eventually was regarded as one of the important masters of pre-World War II Europe. 

     In 1931, Popel earned a masters degree in French and Latin languages and literature from the University at Lvov. During WW2 he was the personal secretary to the Archbishop of the Ukranian Catholic Church. 

     In 1944 he somehow managed to avoid deportation to Siberia during the Soviet occupation and possibly a worse fate because the Russians shot a lot of people. He fled westward and wound up in Krakow, Poland. 

    After the war he escaped to France. In 1956, Popel migrated to the US where three times he won the Michigan state championships: 1957, 1958, and 1959.

     Around 1960 Popel became a professor of French language and literature at North Dakota State University in Fargo. He was champion of North Dakota 11 times between 1965 to 1980. 

     Chess metrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2532 in 1952 ranking him 123rd in the world. 

     His opponent in the following game played in Hastings 1951/52 was Harry Golombek (1911-1995). He was an IM and was awarded and an Emeritus GM title in 1985. 

     During World War II, Golombek worked at Bletchley Park, alongside other British masters, deciphering the German Enigma codes. 

     He was also a well known chess author. In writing Golombek’s obituary British player William Hartston described Golombek;s pay this way: (He) was a true professional among amateurs. His style was correct rather than imaginative, strong in defence and he had a technique good enough to take merciless advantage of the positional errors of less chess-educated opponents.

[Event "Hastings 1951/52"] [Site ""] [Date "1952.01.04"] [Round "?"] [White "Harry Golombek"] [Black "Stephan A Popel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A15"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "1951.12.27"] {English Opening vs King's Indian} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O e5 7. d3 Nc6 8. Bd2 {Golombek's opening play as never very exciting.} h6 9. a3 Be6 10. Qc1 (10. Ne1 d5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Bc3 {Equals. Ireneusz,L-Tukmakov,V (2585) Geneve 1995}) (10. b4 Qd7 11. b5 { Also playable is 11.Rc1} Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Bh3 15. Bxh3 Qxh3 16. Rc1 {Equals. Greenfeld,A (2560)-Tseitlin,M (2545) Beersheba 1996}) 10... Kh7 11. b4 Qd7 12. b5 Ne7 13. Re1 {This move is hard to explain. The R sits here doing nothing for another 17 moves. 13.Rb1 makes more sense.} Nh5 14. Rb1 {One gets the feeling that Golombek is just making moves whereas Popel actually has plans on the K-side.} f5 15. h3 g5 16. Nd5 Ng6 (16... Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bf7 18. e4 Nf6 (18... f4 19. g4 {Black is stymied on the K-side and now it's white who has the better prospects.}) 19. Rb4 Rfc8 20. Qb2 {White is slightly better.}) (16... Bxd5 17. cxd5 f4 18. g4 Nf6 19. Qc4 {Black's L-side action has been slowed and white is ready to begin Q-side operations.}) 17. Nh2 {Much too passive.} (17. Bxg5 {needed to be played.} c6 (17... hxg5 18. Nxg5+ Kg8 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. Qg5 Nhf4 21. Nxf4 Nxf4 22. gxf4 {With a winning position. }) 18. Nc3 e4 {White has the option of capturing on e4 or c6...eithe way the chances would remain about equal.}) 17... c6 {With no immediate progress possible on the K-side black drives the N back.} 18. Nc3 Nf6 19. Qc2 Rac8 20. Qa4 f4 (20... e4 {was more precise.} 21. dxe4 f4 22. g4 Ne5 {with active play.} ) 21. g4 {With this move white has gummed up black's K-side operations and is now hope to get the initiative to begin action on the Q-side.} Nh4 22. bxc6 { White will regret not preserving his B by retreating it to h1.} (22. Bh1 Rf7 ( 22... h5 23. Qxa7 {and white is better.}) 23. Qxa7 d5 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Qxd7 Rxd7 26. cxd5 cxd5 27. a4 {favors white.}) 22... bxc6 23. Ne4 (23. Bh1 { can now be met by} h5 {and suddenly black's attack i rolling again}) 23... Nxg2 24. Nxf6+ Bxf6 25. Kxg2 h5 26. f3 {With the K-side blocked white appears safe, but Popel has a plan to open it up.} Kg7 27. Qa6 Rf7 {[%mdl 2048]} 28. Rb4 { Perhaps it was white's intention to double Rs on the b-file then try to invade the 7th rank, but he doesn't get the time.} d5 29. cxd5 (29. Reb1 e4 30. Rb7 Rc7 31. Rxc7 Qxc7 32. cxd5 exf3+ 33. exf3 Bxd5 {With a promising position.}) 29... cxd5 30. Rc1 Rxc1 31. Bxc1 e4 32. dxe4 dxe4 {The position has been very delicate for the last few moves and white has managed to keep things balanced, but bot he makes a serious error.} 33. fxe4 {[%mdl 8192] The losing move. Black's f-Pawn will soon decide the game!} (33. Rxe4 {and White has nothing to worry.} Bd5 34. Rb4 Bxf3+ 35. exf3 Qd1 36. Qf1 Qc2+ 37. Kh1 Rc7 38. Bxf4 gxf4 39. gxh5 Qc1 40. Qxc1 Rxc1+ 41. Kg2 Rc2+ 42. Kg1 Rc1+ 43. Nf1 Be7 {draws}) 33... hxg4 {Finally black is able to conduct his K-side attack to a favorable conclusion.} 34. hxg4 Bxg4 35. Qd3 {Against Bh3+} f3+ {[%mdl 32]} 36. Kf2 (36. Nxf3 Bxf3+ 37. Kxf3 Bd4+ 38. Kg3 Be5+ 39. Bf4 (39. Kg2 Qg4+ {mates in 2}) 39... Bxf4+ {wins.}) 36... fxe2 {Black is clearly winning.} 37. Qxd7 Bd4+ 38. Kg2 Rxd7 39. Bd2 Be5 {Popel finishes the game with great precision.} 40. Be1 Bxh2 41. Kxh2 Rd1 42. Bc3+ Kg6 43. e5 Bf5 {White resigned.} (43... Bf5 44. Rb7 e1=Q 45. Bxe1 Rxe1 46. Rxa7 g4 47. a4 Kg5 48. a5 Kf4 49. Kg2 (49. a6 g3+ {mate in 2} ) 49... g3 50. Rf7 Re2+ 51. Kg1 Kg4 52. Rg7+ Kf3 {and wins}) 0-1

Nimble Knights

     There used to be an annual tournament known as the Tri-State Championship in which the top two players from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were invited. 

      The intention was that the players would be the state champion and the second place finisher. If any of the eligible players was unable to attend, the next player in line in the state championship would get the call. 

     The second Tri-state Chess Championship tournament was held in Cleveland, Ohio in 1947 and the players were H. Landis Marks and Dr. Siegfried Werthammer both from Huntington, West Virginia. Pennsylvania sent Attilio DiCamillo, a Philadelphia player who had won his second consecutive state title and Mike Yatron of Reading, who had an undisputed second behind DiCamillo. It appear that Yatron was replace by William Byland of Pittsburgh. The Ohio contestants were Thomas Ellison of Cleveland and Lawrence Jackson, Jr. of Toledo. 

     I was unable to locate any other information on the 1947 event other than the winner was H. Lanais Marks. 

     Older players from the tri-state area will no doubt remember most, if not all, of the participants of the 1947 event. I do with two exception. In the late 1960s I attended college in Toledo and never heard of Lawrence Jackson, Jr. He appeared on the USCF’s 1958 rating list with a rating of 1881. That’s all I could find on him.

     Nor have I ever heard of Mike Yatron. Doing a search for him, I discovered that Dr. Michael Yatron of West Reading, Pennsylvania passed away, June 30, 2008 at the age of 86. 

     He was born in Reading on July 20, 1921, and was awarded a full scholarship to study Economics at Harvard University, but left after one semester to enroll in the Army where he served during World War II. After obtaing a couple of degrees he taught college English and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English in 1957. Subsequently he taught English and Literature at the college level. His scholarly book, America's Literacy Revolt, published in 1959, is still referred to. 

     A strong amateur player, he dominated local tournaments for many years. He won the Pennsylvania State Class "A" championship in 1943. 

     The following game from the 1947 tri-state tournament that I discovered has an amusing position...after move 19 black has his Knights posted on g3 and g4 and they end up on h1 and h2! 

     The post that I did on H. Landis Marks can be read HERE, but the game has disappeared because the site on which it was posted has ceased working. William M. Byland (1917-1997) of Pittsburgh founded the state chess federation in 1939 and was state champion in 1949.

 

[Event "Tri-State Champ, Cleveland, Ohio"] [Site "?"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "William H. Byland"] [Black "H. Landis Marks"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {Falkbeer Counter Gambit} 1. e4 e5 {[%mdl 32]} 2. f4 d5 {As commentator Kevin Butler put it, the Falkbeer “destroys all the lines that a K-Gambit player may have planned on using. There are also lots of traps that white will have to look out for as his King is very exposed…” He also noted that King safety is extremely important and many games do not last more than 30 moves as the game is decided by whoever can get to their opponent’s King first.} 3. exd5 (3. fxe5 {loses to} Qh4+ 4. g3 (4. Ke2 Qxe4+ 5. Kf2 Bc5+ 6. d4 Bxd4+ 7. Kg3 Qg6+ 8. Kh4 Bf2+ 9. g3 Qe4+ 10. Kh5 g6+ 11. Kg5 h6#) 4... Qxe4+) 3... e4 { This is the main line.} 4. d3 Qxd5 {This is not recomended. Better is 4...Nf6} (4... exd3 5. Bxd3 Qxd5 {White can play either 6.Bc3 or 6.Nf3 or even 6.Qe2+ with equality.}) 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 Nf6 8. dxe4 Qxe4+ 9. Qe2 Bf5 ( 9... O-O 10. Bxf6 Qxe2+ 11. Bxe2 gxf6 12. O-O-O Re8 {White is better. Tica,S (2439)-Svane,F (2577) chess.com INT 2023}) 10. O-O-O {Capturing 10.Bxf6 first was better.} Nbd7 11. Qd2 (11. h3 O-O 12. Qf2 {Either 12.Qxe4 or 12.Rd4 are better.} Qa4 13. Kb1 Ne4 14. Qd4 Nxc3+ {Black is better. Kovshoj,S-Bonnelykke, O (2087) Esbjerg 2007} 15. Qxc3 {0-1 (64)}) 11... O-O-O 12. Bd3 Qd5 13. b3 { After this black quickly gets the better game.} (13. Bxf5 Qxf5 14. Nh3 Ne4 15. Qe3 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Rhe8 17. Rhe1 {is drawish.}) 13... Nc5 {[%mdl 32] White has no good reply to this move.} 14. Bxf5+ (14. Bxf6 {This is best. After} Nxd3+ 15. cxd3 gxf6 16. Nf3 Qc6+ 17. Qc2 Qd6 18. Kb2 Rhe8 19. Rhe1 Rxe1 20. Rxe1 Bxd3 {Black stands well.}) (14. Nf3 Bxd3 15. cxd3 Nxd3+ {White has lost not only a P, but the game because after} 16. Kb1 Ne4 17. Qc2 Qf5 18. Nh4 Nxc3+ 19. Qxc3 Qxf4 20. Rxd3 Rxd3 21. Qxd3 Qxh4 {The ending is lost.}) 14... Qxf5 15. Qe3 { It's hard to believe, but white is dead lost! Watch what happens.} Rxd1+ { Black is clearly winning.} 16. Kxd1 Ng4 17. Qf3 Re8 {The threat is ...Re3 trapping the Q.} 18. Bd2 (18. Bd4 Rd8 19. Ne2 Ne6 {and white has no good reply. } 20. c3 Qb1+ 21. Kd2 (21. Nc1 Nxd4 22. Qxg4+ Nf5+ 23. Ke2 Qc2+ 24. Kf1 (24. Kf3 Qxc3+ 25. Kf2 Qe3+ 26. Kf1 Qxc1+) 24... Qxc1+) 21... Qxa2+ 22. Kc1 (22. Kd3 Nc5+ 23. Kc4 Qxb3+ 24. Kxc5 b6+ 25. Kc6 Rd6#) 22... Qa1+) 18... Ne4 19. Be1 { Defending f2, but watch the nimble Ns.} Ng3 {Again, the threat of ...Re3 winning the Q rears its ugly head.} 20. Bd2 Nxh1 21. Nh3 Nxh2 {White resigned. Very precise play by Marks.} 0-1

A Chimp Named Ham plus a Nice Win by Robatsch

Ham

     Strange weather yesterday (Monday). Sunday was hot and humid with a cold front forecast to move through in the evening...all the ingredients for severe weather including tornadoes. Fortunately when the front came through (as evidenced by several minutes of strong wind) there were only some light sprinkles. 

     Monday saw some widely scattered pockets of rain with a few rumbles of thunder. At about 2:00pm it got pretty dark and I thought I heard rain and looked out the front window and saw nothing. Still thinking I heard rain, I looked out the back window and there was a drenching downpour and the patio and picnic table had rain bouncing off of them. I guess the rain has to stop somewhere and at that time it was right over our house. 

     Who remembers 1961? A chimpanzee named Ham was launched on a test flight into space in on January 31, 1961. Born in Cameroon in approximately 1957; he was captured and brought to a facility in Florida. In July 1959, he was transferred to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, to be trained for space flight as part of Project Mercury. His name was the acronym for Holloman Aero Medical.

     Ham, along with his partners, including another chimp named Enos (who would become the first and only chimpanzee to orbit the Earth), were trained by spending long periods of time confined in a chair and being trained to operate levers in response to light cues. 

     After 18 months of training, Ham was selected as the chimp whose life would be risked to test the safety of space flight on his body. 

     On January 31, 1961, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Ham was blasted into space, strapped into a container called a couch. During a flight of about 16.5 minutes when he traveled at a speed of about 580 miles per hour to an altitude of 157 miles above the earth, he experienced about 6.5 minutes of weightlessness. Despite the g-forces and weightlessness, Ham performed his tasks correctly. 

     After he splashed down 130 miles off target his capsule began taking on water. It took several hours for a recovery ship to reach him and miraculously he was alive and appeared relatively calm. However, chimp experts interpreted his facial expression as being one of extreme fear and anxiety. Later when photographers wanted a picture of him in his “couch” he refused to get back into it and even several men could not force him to do so. 

     After his ordeal he was transferred to The National Zoo in 1963, where he was forced to lived alone for 17 years before being transferred to the North Carolina Zoo where he was allowed to live with other chimps. He died 22 years after his historic flight on January 18, 1983, at the estimated age of 26. On to the chess stuff... 

     Chess players who were lost in 1961 were Soviet GM Grigory Levenfish (1889-1961) who died in Moscow at the age of 71. Akiba Rubinstein (1880-1961) died in Antwerp, Belgium at the age of 80 and the 1923-24 champion of Scotland, Christopher Heath (1877-1961) who died in London at the age of 83. 

     Mikhail Botvinnk defeated Mikhail Tal to regain the world championship. Bobby Fischer won the US Championship for the 4th time. Boris Spassky won the Soviet Championship. 

     In December, 1961, US lady champ, Lisa Lane generated a lot of excitement when she was playing in the Hastings Reserve tournament. After she played four games in which she scored one draw, two losses and had one adjourned game, she withdrew claiming she was homesick and in love. 

     Like most of the people and events mentioned here, Austrian Grandmaster and noted botanist Karl Robatsch (October 14, 1929 - September 19, 2000) have been forgotten. 

    At the age of 17 he moved to Graz to become a student and while there he often frequented the local chess club where he quickly advanced to Master. He was awarded the IM title in 1957 and the GM title in 1961. 

     Robatsch played competitively for over fifty years with his greatest successes coming in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early years Robatsch was noted for his highly tactical play, but later he adopted a more positional approach. His opening play was often experimental and a system of opening moves commencing 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 was named after him. 

     Robatsch had a notable career in botany in which he was an highly esteemed orchidologist in which he performed outstanding research work in the classification of different species and sub-species of orchids. 

     He died in 2000, following a long fight with throat and stomach cancer. 

 

     His opponent was Vasja Pirc (December 19, 1907 – June 2, 1980), a Slovenian player best known as a strong exponent of the hypermodern defense now generally known as the Pirc Defence. Pirc was Yugoslav champion five times: 1935, 1936, 1937, 1951, and 1953. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and the GM title in 1953. He was also an International Arbiter. He died in Ljubljana in 1980.

[Event "Madrid International"] [Site ""] [Date "1961.05.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Karl Robatsch"] [Black "Vasja Pirc"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A53"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1961.??.??"] {A53: Old Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 {In the Old Indian black develops his B on e7 indtead of g7. Soviet player Mikhail Chigorin pioneered it in the late 1800s and while it's considered sound, it's never been very popular.} 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Be3 Be7 6. h3 (6. Nge2 Ng4 7. Bd2 c6 8. h3 exd4 9. Nxd4 Qb6 10. hxg4 Qxd4 11. Qc2 {White is better. Kuligowski,A (2495)-Vogt,L (2500) Warsaw 1979}) (6. Be2 O-O 7. f3 c6 8. Nh3 a6 9. a4 a5 10. Nf2 {is equal. Castrogiovanni,C (2073)-Welling,G (2378) Lodi 2008}) 6... O-O 7. g3 {Highly unusual. 7.Nf3 is the book move.} Re8 (7... exd4 {is an interesting idea that leads to a Benko Gambit like position.} 8. Qxd4 c5 9. Qd1 b5 10. cxb5 Bb7 11. Bg2 a6 12. bxa6 Rxa6) 8. Bg2 c6 9. Nge2 Bf8 {Quite passive.} (9... d5 {This leads to some complicated play. White's best line appears to be} 10. exd5 cxd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. cxd5 Bb4+ 13. Nc3 exd4 14. Qxd4 Bc5 {with about equal chances.}) 10. d5 a5 11. O-O Nb6 12. b3 $16 Nfd7 13. f4 a4 14. f5 {White already has the makings of a dangerous K-side attack...notice the absence of black defenders in that neck of the woods!} Nc5 15. Rb1 axb3 16. axb3 Be7 { Proof that his 9th move was a waste of time.} 17. Qd2 Ra3 18. Nc1 Bd7 19. g4 f6 20. Rf3 {[%mdl 32]} Bf8 {Again?! It doesn't matter much though because black's situation is already difficult.} (20... Qc7 21. h4 Rea8 22. Rf1 cxd5 23. exd5 Nxb3 24. Nxb3 Nxc4 25. Qe2 Nxe3 26. Qxe3 b5 27. Ne4 Qa7 28. Qxa7 R8xa7 { Black probably will not get enough compensation for the piece, but at least in this line he has some play.}) 21. Rg3 Kh8 22. g5 {This overly anxious move should have allowed black to equalize.} (22. Qb2 Qa8 23. h4 cxd5 24. cxd5 g6 25. g5 {breaks up black's K-side and with most of the black pieces on the other side of the board putting up a successful defense is not likely}) (22. Qb2 Ra8 {This allows black to keep the Q available on the K-side.} 23. h4 cxd5 24. exd5 Nc8 25. N1e2 Qc7 26. b4 {With no immediate breakthrough on the K-side available white can shift his attention to the other side.} Na6 27. Rc1 { White has a dominating position on all three sector-s: Q-side, center and K-side.}) 22... cxd5 23. cxd5 Be7 {Again?! This time the consequences are much more serious!} (23... fxg5 24. Bxg5 Be7 {This time it's OK!} 25. h4 Rf8 { Black has managed to get his pieces to the defense of the K-side and as a result his position is now stable.}) 24. g6 Bf8 {As has been seen several times in this game! AT least here it serves a defensive function.} (24... h6 { is obvioulsy bad on account of} 25. Bxh6 gxh6 {Other moves avoid mate but are quiet hopeless.} 26. Qxh6+ Kg8 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Qf7#) 25. Rg4 h6 26. N3e2 { [%mdl 32] Headed to where the action is.} Qa8 27. Ng3 Ra1 28. Rxa1 Qxa1 { A superficial glance at the position might suggest that black is doing OK: material is equal and he has a lot of activity on the Q-side. However, engine analysis makes it clear that white's advantage (2 - 4.5 Pawns) is a winning one. The reason is that white's brewing K-side attack is going to prevail.} 29. Kh2 {Freeing up the N which as it turns out does not have any need to join in on the attack.} Re7 {What's the point? Black has defended everything on the K-side.} 30. Nh5 {Oddly, black can't take any action against white's b-Pawn because the N on c5 is pinned. Black is pretty much helpless.} Kg8 31. Bxh6 { [%mdl 512] Removing the f-Pawn's defender and destroying the K's house.} Qd4 { The N cannot be taken.} (31... gxh6 32. Nxf6+ Kg7 33. Nh5+ Kg8 34. g7 Rxg7 ( 34... Bxg7 35. Qxh6 {mates in 4} Kf8 36. Rxg7 Rxg7 37. Qxg7+ Ke8 38. Qg8+ Ke7 39. f6#) 35. Nxg7 Kf7 36. Qxh6 Qb2 37. Qh5+ Ke7 38. Qh4+ Kf7 39. Qh7 Nxb3 40. Ne6+ Ke8 41. Qg6+ Ke7 42. f6#) 32. Qe1 {There's nothing forcing to be done regarding the attack, so this nifty little move prepares to add the Q to the assault with Qh4} (32. Qe1 Qb2 (32... gxh6 33. Nxf6+ Kh8 (33... Kg7 34. Ne2 Qb2 35. Nh5+ Kh8 36. Qh4 Qxe2 37. g7+ {wins}) 34. Qh4 Qd2 35. Ne2 Qxe2 36. g7+ Bxg7 37. Qxh6+ Bxh6 38. Rg8#) 33. Nxf6+ gxf6 34. Bxf8 Kxf8 35. Qh4 {wraps it up.}) 1-0

Edward Hymes Sr.

 

     There is a Wikipedia article that informs us that Edward Hymes Jr. (December 4, 1908 – October 17, 1962) was an American bridge and chess player. He was an attorney in New York City. At age 26, he joined the ACBL Laws Commission, which stipulates the rules of the card game of bridge. His main partner was Oswald Jacoby. And, like his father before him, he was also a chess player. 

     But, what about Edward Hymes Sr.? He was born in Florence, South Carolina on September 13, 1871 and passed away in New York at the age of 66 on May 14, 1938.  He was also was a New York attorney whose practice left him little time for competitive chess. His one major tournament saw him finish =3rd-4th with Jackson W. Showalter at 2nd City Chess Club Tournament, held at New York City in 1894, behind Wilhelm Steinitz and Adolf Albin but ahead of Harry Nelson Pillsbury. 

     Hymes, Senior also played in all eight Anglo-American Cable Matches from 1896-1903, scoring +1 -1 =6. F In 1891, he graduated at the head of his class from Columbia College, the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, a private Ivy League research university in New York City. In 1892 he graduated from the School of Mines at Columbia. While there he was a prize fellow in mathematics. Then in 1895, he graduated from Columbia Law School and began practicing law and soon became manager of one of the largest law offices in New York City. 

     When he was 13 years old he beat the champion checker player of New Jersey in a match match and two years later took up chess. He was the chess champion of Columbia College and of the Newark, New Jersey chess club. 

     The following game is from the 2nd Cuty Tournament that was held in New York City from October 20th through November 15th in 1894. It was held under the auspices of the City Chess Club. Pillsbury had won the previous 1st tournament in 189, but only managed an even score in this one. Especially noteworthy was that this was the first tournament since 1883 that had former World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz as a participant.

 

 

      In the following games Hatmes smashes James M. Hanham (1840-1923, 83 years old) in a game un which Hanham used his own variation of the Philidor Defense 

[Event "2nd City Tournament, New York City"] [Site ""] [Date "1894.10.23"] [Round "2"] [White "Edward Hymes, Sr."] [Black "James M. Hanham"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C41"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1894.10.20"] {C41: Philidor Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 {This defense is named after Francois-Andre Danican Philidor who advocated it as an alternative to 2...Nc6. His original idea was to challenge white's center by ...f7-f5. Today the defense is considered as a solid, but passive.} 3. d4 Nd7 {Originally this was known as the Lord Variation. The idea was to maintain a strong center. Today it’s known as the Hanham Variation.} 4. Nc3 {[%mdl 32] The move 4.Bc4 is almost universally played.} c6 (4... Ngf6 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 c6 8. a4 {is the main line and black can now play either 8...a5 or 8...b6}) 5. Bd3 { Unusual. More aggressive is 5.Bc4} Be7 6. Ne2 {This is cumbersome and time consuming,m but not bad.} (6. O-O Ngf6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Ne2 Re8 9. Ng3 Bf8 10. c3 {is equal. Baramidze,D (2543)-Ponkratov,P (2413) Heraklio GRE 2004}) 6... Ngf6 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 Re8 (8... d5 {This is more aggressive, but not necessarily better than the move played.} 9. Ng3 dxe4 10. Bxe4 (10. Nxe4 {is not quite so good.} Nxe4 11. Bxe4 f5 12. Bd3 e4 13. Bc4+ Kh8 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qa5 16. Bf4 b5 17. Be2 Be6 {with a good position.}) 10... Nxe4 11. Nxe4 f5) 9. Bb2 Qc7 10. Ng3 Bf8 11. c4 b6 12. Qd2 Bb7 13. Rfe1 {It's hard to tell at this time, but there is trouble brewing for black on the K-side and a better alternative would have beem 13...g6} Rad8 (13... g6 {White cannot now play Nf5} 14. Rad1 Bg7 {Black is confined to a passive defense, but his position is quite solid.}) 14. Nf5 h6 {Guarding against Qg5, but it weakens his K-side.} (14... exd4 15. N3xd4 Nc5 {Fundamentally white has the better position, but black has sufficient play.}) 15. h3 Nh7 16. g4 {This is aggressive, but a bit premature. 16.Rad1 keeps the pressure on black.} Re6 (16... exd4 {is the right move because after} 17. N3xd4 Ne5 18. f4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 d5 {Black has successfully launched an equalizing counterasttack.}) 17. Kh1 {Played in preparation of the opening of the g-file.} Rf6 (17... d5 {is still the right move.,} 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Qf4 Ng5 20. dxe5 Nxh3 21. Qg3 Ng5 22. f4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 {and it's black who now stands better.}) 18. Rg1 Kh8 {Both sides are fixated on the opening of the g-file by white! Black still needed to play 18...exd4} (18... exd4 19. Bxd4 Ne5 {and it's hard to believe but white has no effective way of strengthening his attack. The best line is...} 20. Rg3 b5 21. Bxe5 dxe5 22. Qe2 g6 23. h4 c5 (23... gxf5 24. gxf5+ Kh8 25. Rag1 Bd6 26. Qf1 Qe7 27. Qg2 Qf8 28. c5 Bxc5 29. Nxe5 {with a very strong bind.}) 24. g5 gxf5 25. gxf6+ Kh8 26. Rag1 Nxf6 {with equal chances.}) 19. g5 {As dagerous as white's attack looks with correct defense black can weather the storm...easier said than done!} hxg5 { This is not good.} (19... Rxf5 {is the magic move that leaves black with nothing to worry about.} 20. exf5 exd4 {That move again! It doesn't look right because it opens the diagonal fr the B.} 21. c5 {Keeping black's B out of the game.} (21. Bxd4 {loses} c5) 21... Nxc5 22. gxh6 Nxd3 23. Qxd3 c5 24. Rg3 Re8 25. Rag1 Be7 {Black has quite enough compensation for the exchange.}) 20. Nxg5 g6 {This loses quickly, but there was really nohing better.} (20... exd4 { Of course! This is still the only real alternative, but not it's lost its effectiveness.} 21. Qf4 (21. Bxd4 Rxf5 22. exf5 c5+ {Black is slightly better.} ) 21... Nxg5 22. Rxg5 Ne5 23. Bxd4 Rxf5 24. Rxf5 Kg8 25. Qg3 Qe7) 21. Nxh7 Kxh7 22. Qg5 c5 {You would think that white should now open up the position by exchanging Ps, but he has instead the surprising 23.d5!} 23. d5 {[%mdl 32] Immobilizing black's pieces.} (23. dxc5 Rxf5 {and black wins!} 24. Qg3 Nxc5) ( 23. dxe5 Rxf5 24. Qh4+ Rh5 25. Qg3 dxe5 {Here, too, black is winning.}) 23... Bg7 (23... Rxf5 {no longer helps.} 24. exf5 Kg7 25. Rg4 Nf6 26. fxg6 Rd7 (26... Nxg4 27. gxf7+ {mates}) 27. Bc1 fxg6 28. Qxg6+ Kh8 29. Qxf6+ Bg7 30. Qg6 { Black gets mated.}) 24. Rg4 Nf8 25. Rh4+ Kg8 26. Nxg7 Rxf2 27. Nf5 Ne6 28. dxe6 Rxf5 29. Qh6 {Facing mate in 4, black resigned.} 1-0

Dr. Clurman Got Swindled

     On November 27, 1919, Sammy Rzeschewski gave a simultaneous in New York. He lost a game to Alex Simchow of the Brownscville Chess Club and due to the late hour his game against Dr. Morris J. Clurman of Brooklyn was adjudicated a draw by Frank Marshall who served as referee. 

     Dr. Clurman disagreed with the decision. He said, “I believe my game against the young master should have been credited to me as I threatened very serious things with my last move.” 

     “White's King is not in an enviable position and I threatened (...Ng3). If the Bishop retreats, I am a Pawn ahead and have the superior position. I feel certain that I could have won the game if time would have permitted. The game la a complicated one and shows that the young master has a wotderful power of chess vision.” 

     “To my own satisfaction, I am convinced that Rzeschewski will rank eventually as one of the world's greatest chess masters in a few years. That depends, however, in my opinion, upon the manner in which he will be handled.” 

     Dr. Morris Joseph Clurman was born in 1884 in Russia and died of heart failure at his home in Brooklyn at the age of 76 or 77 on October 11, 1961. 

     He emigrated with his family from Russia in 1888 and became a naturalized US Citizen in 1909. He was the eldest son of 4 children. His brother Harold would become one of the most influential theater directors and critics in the United States. 

    Dr. Clurman was married in Manhattan in June of 1914 and the couple had two children: Irma who was born in 1915 and Stanley who was born in 1919. He graduated from college in 1905 and received his medical degree from Cornell University in 1908. 

     He was one of the first physicians to write about the hazards in football. He published a tract in February, 1911 detailing the physical and health related problems that can come from playing football. 

     Here is his game against Rzeschewski and as you can see, he was right on both counts: he should have been awarded the win and Rzeschewski did go on to become one of the world’s greatest masters.

 

[Event "Sinul, Bew York City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1919.11.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Sammy Rzeschewski"] [Black "Dr. Morris J. Clurman"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B17"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "1919.??.??"] {B17: Caro-Kann} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 {More often seen are 4...Bf5 and 5...Nd7} 5. Ng3 {The usuak move here is 5,Nxf6 gxf6,the Bronstein–Larsen Variation. Black can also play the Korchnoi Variation 5... exf6} e6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. c3 {This is a rather slow continuation that does not challenge white in the center. 6...c5 is more direct.} b6 9. Ne4 ({ Better is} 9. Qe2 O-O (9... Bb7 10. Nf5 {spells difficulties for black.}) 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. Bxh7+ Nxh7 13. Qxe5) (9. Qe2 O-O 10. Ne4 {is a better alternative.} Be7 11. Bf4 c5 {White is very slightly better.}) 9... Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Bb7 11. O-O Qc7 12. h3 Nf6 (12... O-O 13. Bg5 f5 14. Bc2 c5 {is equal. Exner,G-Przepiorka,D Gyor 1924}) 13. Bd3 O-O-O {This is risky. Castling K-side was considerably safer.} 14. Qe2 Kb8 15. Be3 {Passive play. Going after black's K with 15.a4 challenges black's decision to castle Q-side.} (15. a4 a5 16. b4 axb4 17. cxb4 Bxb4 18. Bg5 c5 (18... h6 19. Bh4 {Threatening to pin the Q and K; black is in a difficult situation.}) 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. Rfc1 {White has a dangerous initiative.}) 15... h6 {[%mdl 32]} 16. Rad1 {The best move is still 16.a4!} g5 {[%mdl 32] A terrific move that launches a very dangerous attack.} 17. Bc1 {Rezeschewski is blithely unaware of the impending danger.} ( 17. Ba6 {results in equal chances after} Bxa6 18. Qxa6 g4 19. hxg4 Nxg4 20. c4 Bh2+ 21. Kh1 Rhg8 22. a4 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Bg3 24. a5) 17... g4 18. Ne5 (18. hxg4 { was somewhat better. For example...} Nxg4 19. Rfe1 Rdg8 {with the initiative.}) 18... gxh3 {From this point on white is fighting a lost cause.} 19. g3 Rdg8 { Another good option was 19...c5 opening up the Bs diagonal.} 20. Bf4 $2 (20. Qf3 {was a better alternative.} Bxe5 21. dxe5 h2+ 22. Kxh2 Ng4+ 23. Kg1 Nxe5 { Black is better, but there is no forced win.}) 20... h5 {White is pretty much helpless against what is coming.} 21. c4 (21. Nxf7 {fails to} Bxf4 22. Nxh8 Rxh8 23. Be4 Qg7 {White's position is hopeless. Just a single example...} 24. Bf3 h4 25. g4 Bc7 26. Kh1 Nh7 27. Be4 Ng5 28. f3 Nxe4 29. fxe4 c5 {and there is no way to stop black's ons;aught.}) (21. Kh2) 21... c5 {Adding the B to the K-side action. Black is clearly winning.} 22. f3 h4 23. g4 Nh5 {Here, due to the lateness of the hour, the game was stopped and Frank Marrshall unfairly adjudicated it as a draw.} (23... Nh5 24. Nd7+ {There is nothing better than giving up a piece with this move.} (24. dxc5 Nxf4 25. Qc2 Bxc5+ 26. Kh1 Qxe5 { iseasily winning for black.}) (24. Nc6+ Qxc6 25. Bxd6+ Qxd6 26. Qe5 Qxe5 27. dxe5 Ng3) (24. Qh2 Nxf4 25. Qxf4 cxd4 26. Rde1 f5 27. Kh2 Be4 {There is noi satisfactory answer to ...Bxe5}) 24... Qxd7 25. Bxd6+ Qxd6 26. Qe5 Qxe5 27. dxe5 Ng3 28. Rf2 Rg5 29. Re1 Rd8 30. Bf1 Nxf1 31. Rexf1 Rxe5 {and wins.}) 0-1

Camerena Lands a Sockdolager

 

     Not many people are aware of Mexico’s role in WW2, but the Mexicans were on of two Latin American nations to send combat troops to serve in the Second World War; the other was Brazil. 

     Beginning in December of 1944 and running through February of 1945 the Mexican Championship was held in Mexico City. It attracted an entry list of 22 players. They were divided into two groups in the preliminaries with four from each group qualifying for the finals. The eight finalists then played a double round robin for the title. 

     After a tough battle Army Major Jose Joaquin Araiza emerged victorious. According to a Chess Review article he was born March 23, 1897, but Wikipedia gives his birth year as 1900. He passed away September 27, 1971. 

     Araiza's most dangerous contender was the second place finisher Joaquin Camarena who was one of the best local players. 

     At that time he had never competed outside of Mexico. He did, however, play in the 1945 Pan Am Championship that was played in Hollywood in 1945. He was not at all successful, finishing 13th (lat) with ten losses and only two draws (with Herman Steiner and Jose Broderman. Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2378 on the July 1947 rating list. His best performance was at the 1964 Olympiad in Tel Aviv where his performance rating was 2428.

Joaquin Camarena

     Camarena learned to play from his father as did all eight of his brothers and sisters. Since 1937, he had been finishing at or near the top of local events. Physically he was described as being built like a heavyweight wrestler, but having a “light and sensitive touch at the chessboard.” It was claimed that Camarena never read a chess book. Unfortunately, I could fimd no other information on Camerena. 

     In the following game Camarena’s Rook sacrifice at the end is the game’s redeeming quality. 

[Event "1944/45 Mexican Chp, Mexico City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Joaquin Camarena"] [Black "Enrico Kupfer"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Komodo"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1945.??.??"] {A07: Reti Opening} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Nbd7 5. d3 e5 { White's setup is an odd one. Here, with either 6.e4 or 6.Nbd2 the opening would be a K-Indian Attack, but his next move is a rare sideline.} 6. Nc3 { Black has a wide choice here. 6...d4, 6...Bb4, 6...h6 and 6...Be7 have all been played.} Bd6 7. Bg5 (7. e4 {is more typical in these types of positions.} d4 8. Ne2 c5 9. Nh4 O-O 10. f4 {with a completely equal position.}) 7... h6 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 {White did not have much choice in making the exchange because otherwise he would simply have lost time with the retreat 8.Bd2. Here black's position is slightly preferable.} 9. Nd2 {It would have been preferable to play 9.e4.} Be6 (9... d4 10. Nce4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Be7 {White's N looks oddly placed, but white can get some play in the center with Re1 and e3, or he can reposition the N by playing Nd2-c4. In either case black still has a slight advantage.}) 10. e4 Bb4 {Black cannot afford this loss of time. Either 10...d4 or 10...O-O were preferable.} 11. exd5 Nxd5 {Better was 11...cxd5 with good control of the center.} 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. c3 Bd6 14. c4 {As a result of his 11th move black has lost time and this thrust at his center has allowed white to equalize.} Be7 {Another loss of time that black cannot afford.} (14... d4 15. Bxb7 {is obviously not good for black.}) (14... dxc4 {was his best chance. After} 15. Bxb7 Rb8 16. Bc6+ Bd7 17. Bxd7+ Qxd7 18. Nxc4 {White is better.}) 15. cxd5 Bxd5 16. Qa4+ {A nasty surprise for black who is now forced to move his K.} Kf8 (16... Bc6 17. Bxc6+ bxc6 18. Qxc6+ {is even worse for black...he has lost a P.}) 17. Nf3 {Attacking the B and b-Pawn with 17.Qb5 would have put more pressure on black.} Bxf3 {This is not bad by any means, but it allows white's B consideranle scope so opposing it with 17...Bc6 would have been slightly better.} 18. Bxf3 Qb6 {As a result of white's small slip on move 17 black has succeeded in getting sufficient counterplay.} 19. Rac1 {Baiting a trap.} g6 {Which black avoids and with this move he makes a place for his K and also activate his R.} (19... Qxb2 20. Rb1 Qc3 21. Rxb7 {and white also picks up the a-Pawn.} Rd8 (21... Qxd3 {would be fatal.} 22. Rb3 {attacks the Q and Q and so wins material.}) 22. Qxa7 {White's control of the 7th rank spells the end for black.} Qxd3 23. Bh5 (23. Rxe7 Qxf3 {is less strong for white.}) 23... Qf5 24. Be2 Qe6 25. Rc1 {Black is in serious trouble after white plays Rcc7}) 20. Rc3 Qxb2 {Black has captured this P under more favorable circumstances, but he probably should have played 20...Rd8 with some counterplay.} (20... Kg7 21. Rb3 Qe6 22. Rxb7 {favors white.}) 21. Rfc1 { White fails to take advantage of black's last move.} (21. Rb3 Qc2 22. Qe4 Qxa2 {leads to a loss after} 23. Qxe5 Rh7 (23... Rg8 24. Bd5 {also leaves black in a losing situation.}) 24. Rxb7) 21... Rd8 {Somewhat better was 21...Kg7. Even here though white cannot claim any significant advantage.} 22. R1c2 Qb1+ 23. Kg2 b6 {[%mdl 8192] It's easy to understand black's wish to get the b-Pawn out of harm's way, but this move immediately results in a completely lost position. } (23... h5 {This surprising move which ignores white's threats was an absolute must.} 24. Rc7 h4 {Do you see black's threat? It's 25...h3#, so...} 25. h3 hxg3 26. fxg3 Qb6 27. Rxb7 {This looks crushing, but that's not at all the case!} Qe6 {Threatening ...Qxh3+} 28. Bg4 f5 29. Bf3 Rxd3 30. Rb8+ (30. Qxa7 {turns out poorly after} e4 31. Be2 f4 32. Bxd3 Qxh3+ 33. Kf2 Qxg3+ 34. Ke2 Rh2+ {mates in 3}) 30... Kg7 31. Rxh8 Kxh8 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Rc7 Qxa2+ 34. Kg1 Qb1+ 35. Kh2 Rd2+ 36. Bg2 {and black draws with} Rxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Qb2+) 24. Rc7 {Effectively ending the game.} Bd6 25. Rxa7 Rh7 26. Qh4 Qxc2 {This allows a mate in 7, but his position was hopeless in any case.} (26... Re8 27. Qf6 Qxc2 28. Qxd6+ Kg8 29. Bd5 Rf8 30. Bxf7+ Rhxf7 31. Qxg6+ Kh8 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. Qg6+ Kh8 34. Rxf7) 27. Qxd8+ Kg7 28. Rxf7+ {[%mdl 512] Of course, 28,Qxd6 wins, but to borrow a phrase from I.A. Horowitz, withg this move Canarena "lands a sockdolager!"} Kxf7 29. Bd5+ Kg7 30. Qg8+ Kf6 31. Qe6+ {Black resigned; it's mate in 2} 1-0

Gregory Koshnitsky

     Gregory Kashnitsky (October 6, 1907 – September 17, 1999, 91 years old) was a Russian-born Australian player. He was Australian champion in 932-33 and 1938-39 (with Lajos Steiner). He was awarded the International Correspondence Master title in 1972. He was President of the Correspondence Chess League of Australia from 1937 to 1953. 

     In 1934, Koshnitsky set a new Australian record for simultaneous play when he played 143 opponents, scoring +104 -6 =33. He was also an expert blindfold player and he played up to 10 games at a time. 

     Koshnitsky won three Queensland titles, seven New South Wales titles, and one South Australian title. He captained the Australian Olympic Chess teams in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1980. In 1966, he won the South Australia championship and his wife, Evelyn, won the women's title. He was the author of the book Chess Made Easy (with Cecil Purdy). 

     His daughter-in-law was WIM Ngan Phan-Koshnitsky (born in Vietnam in 1974) who in the early 1990s was married to Koshnitsky’s son, Peter. She remarried in 2007 and is now Ngan Nadalin. 

     Koshnitsky was a very popular player who made friends wherever he went. He was born in the the Russian Empire in what is now Moldova. 

     In 1925, at the age of 18, he was champion of Shanghai. In simultaneous play he defeated the Hungarian master Borislav Kostic 4-0. 

     In 1926, he moved to Australia and settled in Brisbane. In 1929 he moved to Sydney and the following year became joint champion of New South Wales with M. E. Goldstein in an historic match that was a precursor to the 1984/85 Karpov-Kasparov match that was stopped after 48 games and 40 draws. The Koshnitsky-Goldstein match was much worse! It was terminated after the players drew 54 successive games. 

     Also, in 1929, he established a chess club in Sydney that became what was probably at that time the best chess club in the in the British Empire. As manager of the club Koshnitsky was such a success that the membership rapidly grew.

     During World War Two, Koshnitsky enlisted and served in the education section to teach chess to the troops. He also gave simuls and lectures nd was promoted to Lieutenant. 

     After the war his first marriage broke up and in 1947 he started a chess academy in Sydney which last until 1960. In 1950 he married Evelyn Esau, a chess player and organizer and together they formed a partnership in world chess which culminated in 1993 with them both being awarded Honorary Membership in FIDE. In 1961 they moved to Adelaide and Koshnitsky became involved with FIDE and served as President of South-East Asia and the Pacific. He and his wife also organized international tournaments in Adelaide. 

     The event in which the following game was played is uncertain, but I think it was played in the 1932 New South Wales Championship which was won by Koshnitsky with a score of +6 -0.

     Aubrey Shoebridge and C.J.S. Purdy tied for second. The remaining places were taken by Spencer Crakanthorp, Alex Bunyan, Ireland, George Hastings and Merkel. 

     Koshnitsky employs the Colle. The opening is somewhat old fashioned, but it’s more dangerous than it looks. Purdy defended well, but then suffered an hallucination...thinking he had a mate, he played a move that lost the advantage, if not the game. Although playing on would likely not have altered the outcome, his resignation does seem a bit premature. 

 

[Event "New South Wales Chp, Sydney"] [Site ""] [Date "1932.11.15"] [Round "?"] [White "Gregory Koshnitsky"] [Black "C.J.S. Purdy"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "1932.11.15"] {Colle System} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Nbd7 5. Nbd2 Qc7 6. Bd3 e5 { A sharp move that leads to a complicated position. A more solid line is 6...e6} 7. e4 {White replies in kind, but he actually has a wide choice of playable moves.} (7. dxe5 {Tame} Nxe5 8. Nxe5 Qxe5 9. Nf3) (7. Nxe5 {Another sharp continuation.} Nxe5 8. dxe5 Qxe5 9. e4 dxe4 10. O-O Bd6 11. f4) 7... c4 (7... dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6 10. Bc2 cxd4 11. O-O dxc3 12. Nxe5 Bd6 13. Ba4+ Kf8 14. Bf4 Bg4 15. Ng6+ {white is better and went on to win in Colle,E-Stoltz, G Bled 1931}) (7... cxd4 {is the safest continuation.} 8. cxd4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Nf6 {with complete equality. Jussupow,A (2570)-Gomez Esteban,J (2498) Leon 2008}) 8. Bc2 Bd6 {Purdy correctly tends to getting his pieces developed. Any central exchange will favor white.} 9. exd5 O-O (9... exd4 10. Nxd4 (10. Qe2+ {This is not as dangerous as it looks.} Kd8 11. Qxc4 Re8+ 12. Kf1) 10... O-O 11. Nf1 Re8+ 12. Ne3 Bf4 13. Ndf5 Qe5 {is nore annoying to white than anything. Overall he is still slightly better.}) 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. h3 b5 (11... Nxf3+ {would have served black better because after} 12. Nxf3 Re8+ 13. Be3 (13. Kf1 {The fact that white can't castle and his d-Pawn is weak gives black the advantage.}) 13... b5 14. O-O Bb7 15. Nd4 a6 16. Nf5 Bh2+ 17. Kh1 Nxd5 {Black is better.}) (11... Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 {This move is surprising because it wrecks white's K-side, but it's best because it exchanges off black's pieces and so lessens his attacking chances.} Nxd5 13. Ne4 Be6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 {The psoition is equal.} 15. Qd4) 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Nf3 Bb7 14. O-O (14. Nxe5 Qxe5+ 15. Be3 Nxd5 16. Qd4 Qxd4 17. Bxd4 Nf4 {is good for black. For example...} 18. O-O Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nxd4 20. cxd4 Rad8 {with a favorable ending.}) 14... Rad8 15. Qe2 (15. Nxe5 Rxd5 16. Bd2 Rfd8 17. Nf3 Qc6 {Black has a formidable looking position, but with accurate defense white should survive.}) 15... Rfe8 (15... Rxd5 16. Re1 Qc6 {is about the same situation as in the previous note!}) 16. Be3 {This allows Purdy to get the advantage.} (16. Nxe5 { remains equal.} Rxe5 17. Qf3 Nxd5 18. Qg3) 16... Nxd5 17. Rae1 {It would have been better to eliminate the N with 17.Nxe5} Nxe3 18. fxe3 {Clearly Koshnitsky's risky play has allowed Purdy to get the upper hand.} Bg3 19. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 8192] This is his best practical chance...and it works.} (19. Rd1 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Qc5 {is favorable to black.}) 19... Kxh7 20. Ng5+ {Where should the K retreat to?} Kg6 {[%mdl 8192] Not here!} (20... Kh6 {loses to} 21. Nxf7+ Kh7 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. Qh8#) (20... Kg8 {This is th correct retreat.} 21. Qh5 { and black saves himself with} Bd5 {guarding f7 and leaving white with no followup.} 22. Qh7+ Kf8 {and the "attack: is over.}) 21. Qg4 {[%mdl 1024] This move was probably overlooked by Purdy.} (21. Nxf7 {is playable, but it leads to a difficult ending.} Bc8 (21... Bxe1 22. Qg4+ Kh7 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qh8#) 22. Nxd8 Qxd8 23. Rd1 Qg5 24. Qf3 Rxe3) 21... Bh2+ 22. Kh1 {White wouldstill have a significant advantage after the correct 22...Bxg2, but Purdy now makes a gross blunder that loses at once.} Qg3 {After playing this hasty move black resigned. It threatens mate with 23...Bxg2#, but Purdy immediately realized there is no mate because white has a defense. However, his resignation was a bit premature because he could put up a stout defense with 22...Bxg2} (22... Qg3 23. Qf5+ Kh6 24. Qh7+ Kxg5 25. Rf5#) (22... Bxg2+ {Offers some faint hope.} 23. Qxg2 Qg3 24. Rg1 Qxg2+ 25. Rxg2 Be5 26. Ne6+ Kf6 27. Nxd8 Rxd8 28. Rf2+ Ke6 {In 5 games from this position Stockfish scored 4 wins and a draw, but in OTB play black might do better.}) 1-0

Dake Mops Up the Floor with Adams

 

     In 1936 a major heatwave struck North America and thousands of people died. The "Dust Bowl" years of 1930-36 brought some of the hottest summers on record to the United States, especially across the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lake States. 

     Nationally, around 5,000 deaths were associated with the heat wave. For example, in La Crosse, Wisconsin there were 14 consecutive days (July 5th-18th) where the high temperature was 90 degrees or greater, and 9 days that were at or above 100 degrees. In Decorah, Iowa the temperature hit 111 degrees on July 14, 1936. 

     Also that year the Baseball Hall of Fame was founded in Cooperstown, New York. Ty Cobb got more votes than Babe Ruth in the first inductees. Cobb was a great player, but during his career, he was a hated player who was involved in numerous fights on and off the field and profanity-laced shouting matches. In June 196. he was taken to a hospital after falling into a diabetic coma; he died there on July 17, 1961, at age 74. 

     The year 1936 was significant in US, chess history because the first modern championship was held that year. 

     Organizers planned for preliminary round-robins to select eight qualifiers for the 16-man finals. Seeded into the finals were: Reshevsky, Fine, Dake, Kashdan, Kupchik, Steiner, Horowitz and Kevitz. 

     However, there were so few advance entries for the preliminaries that the organizers had to drop the registration fee from $10 (about $221 today) to $5 and eventually 48 players entered. 

     It was interesting because of two unheralded New Yorkers (George N. Treysman and Albert C. Simonson) and a frequent visitor to the city were in the finals (Arthur Dake). 

     The 55-year old Treysman was well known He was a professional coffeehouse player who earned dimes playing speed chess, often at upto and including Queens (!) at the rundown East Side chess clubs that at the time were located all over Manhattan. 

     The youngest contestant was Albert C. (Buddy) Simonson and his result came as a huge surprise. Even though he had played on the US World Championship Team at Folkestone in 1933, his record was not all that great, but there had been a steady increase in his playing strength since then. He was also recognized as one of th city’s best bridge and backgammon players. 

     The other player to watch was a merchant seaman from Portland, Oregon which is 2,900 miles from New York. Arthur Dake already already had an international reputation as a result of his play in the Olympiad team tournament held the previous year in Warsaw. There he achieved a remarkable score of +13 -0 =5. 

     The tournament started with Kashdan going 4-0 followed by Treysman with 3.5. But then in the 5th round they both lost and Dake assumed the lead and by round 9 he had scored +5 -0 =5.

     For the favorite, Reshevky, the tournament was, to use his words, “something of a nightmare." He started out win and a draw, but the blundered badly against the Sidney Bernstein and was completely outplayed by Al Horowitz in Round 4.

     One of his main rivals was Isaac Kashdan and when they met in round 8 Reshevsky’s opening play lead to Kashdan getting a good advantage, but later he underestimated Reshevsky’s threats and played too passively. As a result, Reshevsky got compensation for the exchange he had lost earlier and ended up catching Kashdan in a cheapo. After that, Reshevsky became invigorated and won nine and drew only once in the next ten games. 

     Another favorite was Reuben Fine, but he was stuck in a quagmire of draws. As for Dake, he suddenly fell apart and only scored two points in his last six games which started with a loss to Reshevsky. 

 

     In all the excitement of major tournament one tends ot concentrate on the play of the leaders, but other players were participating aod they sometimes produced exciting games. One such game was the next to last round game between Dake and the eccentric and erratic Weaver dams. In this game Adams unsuccessfully played the aggressive Falkbeer Counter ambit. 

[Event "US Championship, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1936.05.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Arthur Dake"] [Black "Weaver Adams"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C31"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1936.04.25"] {Falkbeer Counter Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 {An aggressive defense in which black opens up the center in an attempt to exploit white's weakened K-side. In my database 8 our of 10 games are decisive with the results being almost equally distributed between white wins and black wis!} 3. exd5 (3. fxe5 { is a gross blunder.} Qh4+ 4. g3 (4. Ke2 Qxe4+ 5. Kf2 Bc5+ 6. Kg3 Qg6+ 7. Kf4 ( 7. Kf3 Qg4#) 7... Qf5+ 8. Kg3 Qf2#) 4... Qxe4+) 3... e4 {This is the old main line. Nimzovich favored 3...c6 which fares quite well in my database with black winning 2/3s of the games.} (3... exf4 {is occasionally seen.} 4. Nf3 Nf6 (4... Qxd5 5. d4 Bg4 6. Bxf4 {Now black should probably play 6...Nc6} Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Qxf3 8. gxf3 {Unclear.}) 5. c4 c6 6. d4 {the chances are equal.}) 4. d4 f5 (4... Nf6 5. c4 b5 6. cxb5 Nbd7 7. Nc3 Nb6 8. Qb3 Bd6 {Black is slightly better. Fernandez Rubio,U-Campora,D (2549) Seville 2005}) (4... Qxd5 5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 Qd6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. O-O-O O-O {equals. Van den Heever,D (2274)-Bhawoodien,S (2135) Cape Town RSA 2014}) 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 7. Nh3 { [%mdl 32]} b5 {Aggressive play. If black does not play aggressively white will certainly get the better of it.} 8. Be3 {The immediate 8.Ng5 was also good.} bxc4 9. Bxc4 Bd6 {Black probably should have played 9...h6 here to stop the N from improving its position.} ({Better is} 9... h6 $1 $15) 10. Ng5 $11 Qe7 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne6 {[%mdl 2048] A bone in black's throat!} Re8 (12... Bxe6 13. dxe6 Nc6 14. Nd5 {White naturally avoids closing the Bs diagonal with 11.d5} Nxd5 15. Bxd5 {with a fine position.}) 13. h3 Nbd7 {Adams does not sense the danger or he would have played 13...Kh8} ({Black should try} 13... Kh8 $14) 14. Nxc7 {[%mdl 512]} Nb6 (14... Bxc7 15. d6+) 15. Nxe8 Nxe8 {Black plays on out of inertia. It's unlikely that Dake would somehow manage to lose from this position.} 16. Bb3 Nf6 17. Bf2 Qb7 18. Bh4 Qf7 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. a4 a5 21. Nb5 Bb7 22. Rc1 {Dake has baited a trap into which Adams falls...not that it matters because he is quite lost} Nxd5 {Of course...materially black now has a B vs a R+P} 23. Nxd6 (23. Nc7 {really smashes black!} Bxc7 24. Rxc7 Qb6 25. Rd7 Qc6 26. Rxd5) 23... Qxd6 24. Rc5 Kh8 25. Bxd5 Bxd5 26. Qd2 {Seeing no reason to play on, Adams resigned.} 1-0

A Young John W. Collins

  

     The 39th ACF Congress, also known as the North American Championship, was held at the Hotel Touraine in Boston, Massachusetts, July 11-23, 1938. 

     A total of 42 players participated with the group being and divided in six seven-player preliminary sections from which the top two finishers qualified for the Championship final, 3rd-4th for the Consolation Masters and 5th-7th for the Class A Final. 

     Although it lacked the imposing entry list of the National Championship this event drew players from a wider geographical distribution plus it had some new talent and demonstrated that locations like New England also had some chess talent.

     In the preliminary phase, two rounds were played most days in the afternoon and evening with adjournments played off in the afternoon before round 5. 

      The qualifiers in order of finish in the finals were Isaac Kashdan and I.A. Horowitz (tied), Boris Blumin and David Polland (tied), nthony Santasiere, Harold Morton, George Shainswit, John W. Collins and Charles Jaffe (tied), Jack Moskowitz, Paul Rosenzweig , Burton Dahlstrom. 

     Today’s game is one by w player described at the time as a promising young player, Jack Collins, although at the age of 25 he could hardly be called a “young player.” 

     John W. Collins (September 23, 1912 – December 2, 2001) was born in Newburgh, New York. His father was a flutist and piccolo player who was frequently in John Philip Sousa's orchestra. Collins was confined to a wheelchair due to a birth injury. 

     Collins eventually formed the Hawthorne chess club in his home which served as an early hangout for Bobby Fischer, the Byrne brothers, Raymond Weinstein and William Lombard, among other young players who came later. Collins did not mentor Fischer and his contemporaries as it is sometimes reported; at the time Fischer and the others were much stronger than Collins.

 

[Event "North American Championship, Boston"] [Site "Boston, MA USA"] [Date "1938.07.12"] [Round "?"] [White "Stanley Epstein"] [Black "John W Collins"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] {English} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. d4 Be7 6. Bg5 c6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 (8. Be2 dxc4 9. O-O Be6 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxc4 Nb6 12. Ne5 {Harff,M (2299)-Hecht,C (2118) Schwaebisch Gmuend GER 2015}) 8... Nbd7 9. O-O Re8 10. Rc1 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Be2 Be6 13. Qc2 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. a3 Rad8 (16... Bg4 {would leave black better after} 17. Bd1 (17. Rfe1 Bxf3 18. gxf3 (18. Bxf3 Qxe1+ 19. Rxe1 Rxe1#)) 17... Nf4 18. Ne5 Bxd1 19. Rcxd1 f6 20. Nc4 Qe2) 17. Bd3 h6 18. Rfe1 Qf6 19. Re5 Nf4 20. Bf5 {A slip that should have profited black.} (20. Rce1 Nxd3 21. Qxd3 {is completely equal.}) 20... Bd5 ( 20... Bxf5 $17 {was correct. The after} 21. Rxf5 Qd6 22. Re5 Rxe5 23. dxe5 Qd3 {and black stands quite well.}) 21. Rce1 Rxe5 22. dxe5 Qe7 23. Be4 Bxe4 { [%mdl 128] White needs to defend precisely.} 24. Rxe4 Ne6 25. g3 c5 26. Kg2 b5 27. a4 {In retrospect this move leads to the opening of the a-file and ultimately white's undoing. Thta said, if it wasn't the opening of the a-file that cost white the game he most likely would have lost in the ending.} a6 28. axb5 axb5 29. Kf1 Qb7 30. b3 Qd5 {Collins has slowly improved his position to the point that he has a theoretically winning position.} 31. Ke2 Ra8 {The beginning of a plan of invading along the a-file and ultimately the first rank. } 32. Re3 Ra1 {Strongly threatening ...Qa8.} 33. Qd3 (33. Rc3 {offered a better defense...black must be precise.} Qa8 34. Qd3 Rh1 35. Rc2 Qa1 36. Rd2 { Taking the P is immediately fatal.} (36. Qxb5 Qf1+ {wins the Q}) 36... c4 37. bxc4 bxc4 38. Qd7 Qb1 39. Qc8+ Kh7 40. Qc6 Rc1 41. Qd5 c3 (41... g6 42. Rd1 c3 43. Ne1 Rxd1 44. Qxd1 Qe4+ 45. Kf1 Nd4 46. Kg1 c2 47. Nxc2 Ne2+ 48. Kf1 Nc3 49. f3 (49. Qc1 Qh1#) 49... Qc4+ 50. Ke1 Nxd1) 42. Qd3+ {draws}) 33... Qa8 34. Qxb5 Qa2+ 35. Kd3 Qb1+ {White now overlooks a mate in 1, but even after 36.Kc3 or 36.Kc4 to slip out of the mating net his position would be lost.} 36. Ke2 Qf1+ 37. Kd2 Qxb5 {White resigned. Black had a mate in 3, but there was no practical reason to look for a mate when the Q was there for the taking and white's position is totally hopeless! A strong showing by Collins.} (37... Ra2+ 38. Kc3 Qc1+ 39. Kd3 Qc2#) 0-1

1923 Kansas State Championship

  

     Popular songs in 1923 included Yes! We Have No Bananas by many artists and I’ll Build A Stairway to Paradise by Paul Whiteman and the big movie was Cecil B. DeMille’s first version of The Ten Commandments. The most famous person in the United States was probably baseball great Babe Ruth and Yankee Stadium opened in April on The Bronx. Yankee Stadium, also known as The House That Ruth Built.

     The governor of Oklahoma signed a bill, the first anti-Darwinian legislation passed in the country, that outlawed teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. 

     On June 4th, 35 year old Irish horse trainer and jockey Frank Hayes suffered a fatal heart attack died while riding the horse Sweet Kiss to victory at Belmont Park in New York. His death was not discovered until the horse’s owner and race officials came to congratulate him shortly after the race. It was suggested that the fatal heart attack may have been brought on by hsi extreme efforts to meet the weight requirements. The horse never raced again. 

     In the United States life expectancy for males was a scant 56.1 years and for females it was 58.5. The famous landmark HOLLYWOOD sign (origianlly it was Hollywood Land) was constructed and it was designed to stand for only 18 months. 

     Also in 1923, Otto Schnering, founder of Curtiss Candy Company, had Baby Ruth candy bars dropped from airplanes in cities around the country, with tiny parachutes attached to each candy bar. 

     The Baby Ruth candy bar was NOT named after Babe Ruth. It was named after President Grover Cleveland’s daughter, Ruth Cleveland. The company claimed it was named after herto capitalize on the popularity of the president’s daughter. However, some people believe it WAS named after Babe Ruth. 

     In other news, the first known dance marathon winner was dance instructor Alma Cummings who danced for 27 hours without stopping. That was on March 31est. After she was finished he put her feet into a bowl of cold water. Then she held up her dancing shoes for the photographers and There were holes in both soles. 

     She accomplished he feat of dancing the waltz at a Manhattan ballroom, wearing out not just her shoes, but six male partners in the process. As it turned out, she was one of those responsible for a phenomenon that swept the United States over the next two decades...dance marathons. 

     On December 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, 1923 the Kansas State Chess Association meeting and state championship tournament was held in Wichita 

     First on the program was a simultaneous display against fourteen opponents by W. W. Livingston of Fort Scott who had held the championship of the State for the past three years. The following morning George S. Barnes of Wichita was elected President and problems were then presented for the consideration of the members. 

     The championship tournament was won by George S. Barnes after close finish, with former champion Livingston a close second. Barnes was a 10-time winner of the Minnesota State Championship in the 1930s and 1940s. 

     He was born in Duluth, Minnesota on August 4, 1902. Although he would live most of his adult life in Minnesota, he grew up in Chicago and it was there he learned to play chess from an uncle. 

     Barnes attended one of the elite high schools in Chicago and his team won the city championship in 1920 and one of his games was published. 

     After graduating from high school in 1921, he enrolled in the University of Michigan and during his time there he was the college’s best player. In 1924 when Emanuel Lasker visited Ann Arbor, Barnes was his chauffeur during and in Detroit he defeated Lasker in a simul. 

     After college Barnes worked in advertising for General Mills in Minneapolis, and over the next few decades advanced to increasingly higher-level positions. 

     Barnes also become a major patron of Minnesota chess for over 40 years. At the same time he was the dominant Minnesota player from the early 1930s until the early 1950s, winning eleven state championships. His record stood until Curt Brasket (1932-2014) came along and won the title 16 titles. 

     In the 1930s Barnes had a up a +0 -1 =3 score against Reshevskly in the Western Chess Association Championships and in 1938 he held Kashdan to a draw in the American Federation Championship. He played a lot of games for his club and beginning in the 1930s in the Minneapolis matches against Canada’s Abe Yanofsky. Barnes retired to Arkansas and continued to play actively until his death in 1977. 

     Here is one of his games from that 1923 Kansas Championship. 

 

 

[Event "Kansas State Championship, Witchita"] [Site ""] [Date "1922.12.??"] [Round "?"] [White "E.E. Felt"] [Black "George S. Barnes"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C58"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "1922.??.??"] [Source "American Chess B"] {Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 {This is more aggressive than the 3...Bc5 (the Giuoco Piano). It allows an attack on f7 with 4.Ng5 after which the game becomes tactical.} 4. Ng5 {Tarrasch called this a duffer's move and Soviet opening theorist Vasily Panov called it primitive. Both were wrong. The theory of the Two Knights and this variation in particular, was explored extensively in the famous game between Yakov Estrin and Hans Berliner in the 1965 World Correspondence Championship. If white wants to play it safe he can choose the solid 4.d3} d5 {This is the only feasible move. White has little option but to play 5.exd5, since both the B and e-pawn are attacked.} 5. exd5 Na5 {this is almost always played, nut it's not the only option.} (5... b5 {This is the Ulvestad Variation names after American master Olav Ulvestad who introduced it back in 1941, It was played by Berliner in his famous game.} 6. Bf1 Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 { Yakov Estrin-Hans Berliner ICCF 1965}) (5... Nxd5 {has been known to be extremely risky Doing back to mid-1940s US Master Albert Pinkus unsuccessfully tried to revive the move.} 6. Nxf7 {It would be a bit safe to play 6.d4, but also less fun.} Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke8 {is natural, but it loses to} 8. Bxd5 Qf6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qh5+ {with what should amount to a winning position.}) (5... Nd4 ) 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 Bd6 (8... h6 {is known to be better.} 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Qc7 {This is better than the other main option 10...Bd6. After 11. d4 the chances are eual.}) 9. d3 O-O 10. Ne4 {Excellent. We know this is good because it's Stockfish's first choice!} (10. Nc3 Nd5 11. Nce4 Be7 12. Nf3 f5 13. Ng3 Nf4 {KrivokapicnM (2418)-Marinc,D (2041) Sunny Beach BUL 2011. Black did not have evough compensation for his compromised P-formation and out of play N on a5.}) 10... Nxe4 11. dxe4 Nb7 12. O-O {White has a very solid, if somewhat passive position.} Nc5 13. f3 Qe7 14. c3 Rd8 15. Qc2 Ne6 16. b4 g5 { Risky! A move like 16...a5 would have left black slightly better.} 17. h3 { White would do better to work on his development with 18.Nd2. Instead he has a plan to set up a hedgehog-like formation in front of his K, but it does not turn out welL!} Kh8 18. g4 {Note that white has also loaded up the white squares with Ps to the detriment of his B.} Nf4 19. Kh2 Qe6 20. Rg1 { Apparently white anticipated the opening up of the K-side and hoped to use his R on the g-file.} h5 21. Bxf4 {The N was just too well placed to leave there, bit eliminating it has cost white his good B, but it had little scope anyway.} gxf4 22. Nd2 hxg4 23. fxg4 ({White should play} 23. hxg4 Kg7 24. Kg2 {and there is no hope for any action on the h-file by either side. Black would now have to seek his fortune on the Q-side with 24...a5}) 23... Qh6 24. Bf3 { As Najdorf once put it, the B is nothing more than a tall Pawn!} Kg7 {[%mdl 1152]} 25. Nc4 Rh8 {It's clear that black has some serious threats on the K-side and all white can do is give thought to defense.} 26. Qg2 Bc7 {Opening the path for the R on the d-file.} 27. Rh1 Be6 28. Be2 Qg5 {The threat is ... Rxh3+} 29. Kg1 (29. Rad1 Rxh3+ 30. Kg1 (30. Qxh3 Rh8 31. Rd3 Rxh3+ 32. Rxh3 { Engines say that black has a decisive advantage, but would that be the case in a non-GM game?! In any case, white clearly did not care to find out.}) 30... Rg3) 29... Rad8 30. Rh2 Bxc4 31. Bxc4 Bb6+ 32. Kh1 Be3 33. Qf3 Rd6 34. Re1 Rhd8 {This move is quite logical, but it gives white an opportunity to equalize.} ( 34... Bb6 35. Rf1 Qh4 36. Be2 Rdh6 37. Kg2 Rd6 {keeps up the pressure.}) 35. Rxe3 {[%mdl 8192] Panic!} (35. h4 {keeps white in the game after} Qg6 36. g5 Rd1 37. Rf1 {and it;s not clear how or even if black can breakthrough.}) 35... fxe3 ({And not} 35... Rd1+ 36. Kg2 fxe3 37. Qxf7+ Kh8 38. Be2 {with equal chances.}) 36. Qxf7+ Kh8 {White must now prevent ...Rf6.} 37. Re2 {Which he does not.} Rd1+ $2 (37... Rf6 {is more efficient.} 38. Qh5+ Qxh5 39. gxh5 Rd1+ 40. Kh2 Rd2 41. Kg3 Rxe2 42. Bxe2 Rf2 {Black is better.}) 38. Kg2 Qf4 39. Qh5+ {[%mdl 8192] This loses quickly, but the ending after exchanging Qs is hopeless.} (39. Qxf4 exf4 40. e5 Kg7 41. Kf3 Rf1+ 42. Ke4 Rd2 43. h4 Rxe2 44. Bxe2 Rf2 45. Bc4 e2 46. Bxe2 Rxe2+ 47. Kxf4 Rxa2 48. h5 Rc2 49. g5 Rxc3 { the R will prevail.}) 39... Kg7 40. Qf5 R8d2 {White's K is in grave danger and the exchange of Qs is no help.} 41. g5 (41. Qxf4 exf4 42. e5 Re1 43. Kf3 Rf1+ 44. Ke4 Rxe2 45. Bxe2 Rf2 {etc.}) 41... Rg1+ {[%mdl 512] Exchanging Qs wins, too, but it makes things a bit more difficult.} 42. Kxg1 Qg3+ 43. Kh1 Rd1+ 44. Re1 Qxe1+ 45. Kg2 Rd2+ 46. Kf3 Rf2+ 47. Kg4 Rxf5 (47... Qd1+ $142 48. Kh4 Rxf5 49. exf5 e2 50. Bxe2 Qe1+ 51. Kg4 Qxe2+ 52. Kg3 Qe3+ 53. Kg2 e4 54. h4 Qf3+ 55. Kh2 Qxf5 56. Kg2 e3 57. h5 e2 58. h6+ Kg6 59. h7 e1=Q 60. h8=N+ Kh5 61. Kh2 Qff2+ 62. Kh3 Qxc3#) 48. exf5 Qxc3 (48... Qd1+ 49. Kh4 e2 50. Bxe2 Qe1+ 51. Kg4 Qxe2+ 52. Kg3 e4 53. Kf4 Qf3+ 54. Ke5 e3 55. f6+ Kg6 56. h4 Qd5+ 57. Kf4 e2 58. Kg4 Qf5+ 59. Kg3 e1=Q+ 60. Kh2 Qef2+ 61. Kh1 Qh3#) 49. Be6 e2 50. h4 e1=Q 51. f6+ Kf8 52. g6 Qcg3+ {White gets mated next move an so he resigned. Looking back, it seems as though Felt never had a chance!} 0-1