Monday, September 11, 2023

Weinstock Wallops Stenzel

     National Master Solomon Weinstock (1925-2009) passed away peacefully at his home in New York after a brief illness. 
     He retired from Brooklyn College after more than 20 years as professor of Psychology where h was a distinguished teacher and researcher. 
     Weinstock served in the Army during World War II. After the war, he majored in math and physics and graduated from City College of New York; he received his doctorate in Psychology from Indiana University. 
     He was a strong advocate for civil rights and environmental issues, enjoyed nature, chamber music, traveling and art. 
     Weinstock was a participant in the 1944 US Championship in which he scored 7-10 and tied for 10etg place with Atillio Di Camillo. Weinstock won the Correspondence League of America championship in 1999. 
 
 
     His opponent in the following game was Harold Stenzel (born 1952) who is an International Arbiter. The game was fairly even until Stenzel played 12...Bxa6 which precluded his castling to safety on the Q-side. His final mistake was the loss of time trying to make K-side threats with 15...Qh5. After that he got walloped. 

A game that I liked (Fritz 17)

[Event "Nassau County Chp, Long Island NY"] [Site ""] [Date "1988.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Solomon Weinstock"] [Black "Harold Stenzel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C03"] [WhiteElo "2210"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "1988.??.??"] {C10: French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nc6 5. Nf3 b6 6. Bd3 (6. Bb5 {Was also playable. Here is an amusing miniature...} Qd5 {Correct was 6...Bb7} 7. Qe2 Nf6 8. c4 Bb4+ 9. Kf1 {Black resigned. Rausis,I (2575) -Herboth,T Baden-Baden 1993 After 9...Qd7 10.Ne5 he loses material.}) 6... Bb7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bg5 h6 {Risky. He should play 8...Be7} (8... Nxd4 {would be a serious mistake.} 9. Nxd4 Bd6 (9... Qxd4 10. Bb5+) 10. Re1 {White us winning.}) 9. Bxf6 gxf6 {Evidently black though he would have attacking chances owing to the semi-open g-file. That won't be the case.} 10. c3 (10. d5 {This tactical shot secures excellent chances for white, For example...} exd5 11. Ng3 Bd6 12. Re1+ Kf8 13. Nf5 {Black is left with a shattered K-side and his K is likely to find itself in a predicament.}) 10... Be7 11. Qa4 {With his last two moves white has failed to take advantage of black's play with the result that the position is nearly equal.} Qd7 $1 $11 12. Ba6 Bxa6 {This is wrong because black is now unable to play ...O-O-O} (12... O-O-O 13. Bxb7+ Kxb7 {and jis K is quite safe.}) 13. Qxa6 $16 Rg8 14. Rad1 {[%mdl 32]} Qd5 15. Rfe1 Qh5 { This is consistent with his idea of conducting a K-side attack, but it is tactically faulty as Weinstock simmediately demonstrates.} (15... b5 {cutting off the Q offers a glimmer of hope.} 16. a4 Rb8 17. b4 f5 {and black is surviving.}) 16. Ng3 {Not bad, but 16.Qb7 was much more forceful.} (16. Qb7 Rd8 17. Qxc6+ {White has won a piece.}) 16... Qd5 17. c4 Qd7 18. d5 {Busting the position wide open with black's K caught in the center.} exd5 (18... Nb4 19. Qb7 Qc8 20. Qxc8+ Rxc8 21. a3 Na6 22. Nd4 e5 23. Nc6 {with a decisive advantage.}) 19. Rxd5 Qc8 20. Qa4 Qb7 21. Nd4 b5 22. Rxb5 $1 {Black resigned.} (22. Rxb5 Qc8 23. Nxc6 Kf8 24. Nxe7 {etc}) 1-0

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