A Game by Kim Commons

 

Kim Commons in 1976

     One problem with published games appearing in books and magazine is that they are usually well played or interesting for some particular reason. 

     But, how do masters really play in games that are played in the normal course of a tournament and never get to see the light of day? 

     The following game was played in Lone Pine, 1976. First place was taken by Tigran Petrosian. There was a log jam for second place: Vasily Smyslov, Walter Browne, Larry Christiansen, Kenneth Rogoff, Gyozo Forintos, Oscar Panno, Miquel Najdorf, Anthony Miles and Miguel Quinteros. 

     This game, just picked at random, was won by Kim Commons who scored +3 -2 =2 to finish tied for places 17-23. Also included in that group was Pal Benko. Commons’ opponent finished +2 -4 =1 and was in a group tied for places 42-47. There were 57 players but 3 withdrew early in the event. 

     Kim Commons (July 23, 1951 - June 23, 2015), originally from California, was one of the most promising players in the US in the 1970’s and was good enough to be invited to participate in the US Championship. He was awarded the IM title in 1976. 

     Commons gave up chess because he desired to, as he put it, “become a Grandmaster in real estate.” To that end he became a real estate broker in California and later a successful businessman in Arizona.

     For the second half of his life he lived in Arizona, first in Tempe before moving to Mesa where in 2005 he was the founder and owner of Club Red, a music club. The club was a haven for metal and hip-hop shows. The club closed in 2021. No reason was given for its closure, but at that time music venues across the country closed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

     Commons passed away at the age of 63 on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, after suffering a major stroke two days earlier. He was remembered by his associates at the club as "a very intelligent person...always brimming with ideas and constantly tapping into people's insight on how to make our old venue, as well as our new one, the best possible experience for everyone involved.... He was constantly working on improving the venue and making sure that we could be the best at what we do."

     Commons was also praised for his business acumen and, also, for his modest life style...profits went back into the club, he never “cashed out, took huge trips or bought anything lavish for himself.... “ He was also described as being, kind, honest, selfless and as have never developed a large ego or ever took advantage of bands or anyone else. 

     His opponent was Boris Baczynskyj (1945-2008) who was a Philadelphia chess legend and popular coach. Baczynskyj was known as a very aggressive player. He was Ukrainian by nationality, born in Vienna and raised in Philadelphia. 

     Before he became a full time chess coach (among his students was Philadelphia 76ers (a pro-basketball team) owner Pat Croce) he worked as a stringer for Associated Press in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime, a Communist highly autocratic, totalitarian and repressive government that was responsible for many deaths. They fell in January of 1979 when Vietnamese troops seize the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and toppled the brutal regime of Pol Pot.

[Event "Lone Pine"] [Site ""] [Date "1976.03.09"] [Round "?"] [White "Kim Commons"] [Black "Boris Baczynskyj"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E14"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] {E14: Queen's Indian} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 {The Q-Indian is a solid defense with the aim of increases black's control over e4. A rars sideline. Far more usual is 4.g6} 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. a3 Be7 9. b4 Nbd7 10. c5 g6 {Evidently played to avoid potential sacrifices on h7 but he soon wishes he hadn’t played it.} (10... a5 11. Bb2 c6 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Nb3 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Rxa1 Ra8 {is about equal. Jovanic,O (2520)-Tratar,M (2479) Nova Gorica SLO 2014}) (10... bxc5 11. bxc5 e5 (11... Bc6 12. Qc2 Rb8 { is slightly in white's favor. Grachev,B (2661)-Fedoseev,V (2662) Vladivostok 2014}) 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. Qc2 Nxe5 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 {White is better. Szilagyi,G-Csom,I Hungary 1966}) 11. Qc2 $16 c6 12. Bb2 Nh5 {This is in keeping with Bacynskyj’s reputation as an aggressive player, but he is making the basic mistake of playing on the wrong side of the board.} (12... a5 13. Bc3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 {with equal chances.}) 13. Ne5 f6 {Weakening his K’s position. 13..Nxe5 was better.} 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. f4 {Making room for a Rook lift using the f3 square. This is basic strategy often seen in openings like the Stonewall Attack and the Torre Attack.} Rae8 {Defending the g-Pawn with 15...Qe8 would have been better.} 16. Bxg6 {[%mdl 512]} hxg6 17. Qxg6+ { Black's position is critical and it's doubtful that he can hold it.} Ng7 18. Rf3 {[%mdl 3104] Adding the R to the attack.} Bd8 {Passive defense is doomed to fail so the aggressive 18...e5 was his best try.} (18... e5 19. Rg3 Rf7 20. dxe5 fxe5 21. Bxe5 Bh4 22. Rh3 Re6 23. Qd3 {The attack has temporarily been beaten off and perhaps black can organize a defense.}) 19. Rh3 Rf7 20. Rf1 Kf8 21. Rff3 {A slip that should have allowed black to equalize! Adding the N to the attack with 21.Nf3 was the right way to continue.} (21. Nf3 Qc7 22. e4 dxe4 23. Ng5 {Sacrificing the N so the B can join the attack.} fxg5 24. d5 cxd5 25. Bxg7+ Ke7 26. Bf6+ {wins.}) 21... Nf5 {[%mdl 8192] Missing a golden opportunity to equalize.} (21... Ke7 {and surprisingly there is no way to get at black's K!} 22. Rh7 Rg8 23. h4 Bc7 24. h5 Qe8 25. Rg3 (25. h6 {would actually lose...} Nf5 26. Rxf7+ Qxf7 27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {Black is winning as the h-Pawn presents no danger.}) 25... Nxh5 26. Rxf7+ Qxf7 27. Qxg8 Nxg3 28. Qxg3 Qh7 {and black is pretty much out of the woods.}) 22. e4 {Now it's all over and Commons concludes the game with hammer blows.} dxe4 {Not that it really matters, but 22...Rg7 was a better defense.} 23. Nxe4 Qd5 24. Rh8+ Ke7 25. Rh7 Ref8 26. Nxf6 Qa2 {Now that the Q has been forced from d5 white can add the B to his attack or, if black captures it, the P will become an attacker.} 27. d5 {The crusher.} cxd5 (27... Qxb2 28. Rxf7+ Rxf7 29. d6+ {Black can only delay mate by jettisoning material.}) 28. Ng8+ Ke8 29. Qxe6+ Be7 (29... Ne7 {was a stouter defense, but after} 30. Nxe7 Qb1+ 31. Rf1 Qe4 32. Qxe4 dxe4 33. Rxf7 Kxf7 34. Nf5 {There is no doubt about the outcome.}) 30. c6 {Simply threatening 31.Qd7#} Qb1+ 31. Rf1 Qxf1+ {Black is playing like an engine by sacrificing everything to hold off mate. Here I suspect Commons may have been in time trouble which would explain why Bacynskyj is prolonging the game.} 32. Kxf1 Ba6+ 33. Kg1 Rxh7 34. Qd7+ Kf7 35. Qxf5+ {In this hopeless position black resigned.} (35. Qxf5+ Ke8 36. Qd7+ Kf7 37. Qxe7+ Kg6 38. Qe6+ Kh5 39. Nf6+ Kg6 40. Ne4+ Rf6 41. Qxf6+ Kh5 42. Qg5#) 1-0