Nothing New Under the Sun

  

     Pre-arranged results are nothing new. The fifth American Chess Congress (a double round event) was held in New York on January 6–26, 1880, and won by George H, Mackenzie after he beat James Grundy in a tiebreak match, 2–0. 

     The fight for first place turned out to be a close race and in the final round James Grundy was paired against Preston Ware. According to Ware he was walking down the street with Grundy who remarked to Ware that he was poor and really needed the second place prize money ($300, or over $9,000 in today’s currency). 

     Grundy added that when Ware beat him in their first game it had knocked him out of the running for first place ($550, or a little over $15,000 today). He also added that both Charles Mohle and Max Judd were well off. So, if Ware were to take it easy on Grundy it would assure him second prize and earn Ware $20 in bribe money...a little over $500 today). 

     The two agreed to play very slowly and to move back and forth to prolong the game until the other games were finished. The game was adjourned and was to be resumed later that evening after a meal break. At the meal Grundy told him that he (Grundy, who had plenty of time on his clock) would arrive late and Ware should go ahead and start his clock. 

     Then, instead of arriving late, Grundy arrived on time and when they began playing, Ware started shifting piece as per their agreement, but then he realized that Grundy was making a desperate effort to win, which he finally did and as a result he managed to tie for first. 

     The tournament book summed up the case by stating that Ware’s allegation, which implicated himself as an accomplice in the crime “in the undignified transaction” were opposed by a firm denial on Grundy’s part. The tournament book concluded that the case became a question of veracity between two individuals, one of whom freely admitted his guilt while the other pronounced the story as a complete fabrication. In the absence of any corroborative testimony the tournament committee could not impose any penalty upon either player. My guess is that Ware didn’t get his $20 either. 

 

     In any case, even though the game was riddled with mistakes it was quire interesting. Take a look... 

ChessBase

Preston Ware–James Grundy0–1D005th American Congress, New YorkManhattan, New York USA26.01.1880Stockfish 16

QP Opening 1.d4 d5 2.g5 c6 3.e3 a6 4.h3 f6 5.c3 The opening is similar to an irregular Torre Attack f5 6.d3 g6 7.a3 d7 8.f3 e4 9.f4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 dxe4 11.d2 f5 White has not accomplished much owing to the exchange of minor pieces. 9...f6 This is a bist risky. Simply 9...Nxc3 was good. 10.xe4 dxe4 Taking with the B was better. 11.d2 f5 Unlike in the previous note this is now quite bad because white has sufficient minor pieces to actually work uip an attack against black's weakened K-side. 11...e6 12.dxe4 0-0-0 13.e2 e5 Black is a P down, but at least he has some play. 12.d5 d8 13.c4 f7 14.e2 h6 15.e5 xe5 16.xe5 f7 17.d1 c6 18.dxc6 18.f3 This attacks the weakened P-chain and keeps the advantage. cxd5 19.fxe4 fxe4 20.0-0 e6 21.xe4 with an excellent position. 18...xc6 19.0-0 Oddly enough, as bad as black's position looks he actually has sufficient play that the position can be considered equal. g8 19...c4 leads to interesting play after 20.h5+ g6 21.h4 xf1 21...g8 22.fe1 g5 23.h5+ f7 24.e2 c8 22.xh8 c4 20.d2 Now come maneuvering to kill time as per their agreement. e6 21.e2 c5 22.d2 c6 23.e2 e7 24.d2 c5 25.g3 g5 26.fd1 White's position is the more promising. Black should bow offer to exchange Rs with 26...Rd8 e5 This is too loosening especially with his K in the center. 27.d5 f4 Grundy clearly has some ideas about attacking...the correct decision because white stands very well. 28.b4 Not the best; it loses most of his advantage. 28.exf4 exf4 29.xe4 xd5 29...fxg3 results in disater. 30.f6+ f8 31.d7+ 30.xd5 c6 31.h2 g6 32.e2 f8 33.d7 White is much better. 28...c6± 29.h2 d8 30.c4 g6 31.c5 31.exf4 is not as good because complications arise and black gets good play after gxf4 32.c5 e3 33.fxe3 e4 34.xe7 xd2 35.h5+ xe7 36.xd2 g5 31...h5 This results in white gaining what should have been a decisive advantage. 31...f7 keeps white's advantage to a level had is far from decisive. 32.xe7 xe7 33.d6 xd6 34.xd6 e8 35.xh6 d7 36.d6 f5 32.xe7 xe7 33.d6 xd6 34.xd6 c8 35.b2 f5 36.d2 A passive move that allows black to equalize. 36.b5 keeps up the pressure. axb5 37.xb5 c8 38.b3 f7 39.c3 leaves black struggling. 36...e8 36...f7 was much better. For example... 37.b6 d7 37...b8 38.d6+ 38.xd7+ xd7 39.xb7+ 37.c3 37.d5 was the winner. f8 38.xb7 g4 39.xa6 The threat is obviously Rg6+ Black has no good move. 37...c6 38.d2 g4 39.exf4 White's passive play has allowed black to equalize, but this move, opening up hus K's position, is a serious mistake. 39. b6 was good. gxh3 Black counters his opponent's last move by missing the winning line. 39...e3 40.d1 40.fxe3 gxh3 41.g3 b1+ 42.d1 e4 43.f2 g2+ 44.e1 xh2 and wins. 40...gxh3 41.g3 g4 42.d3 xd1+ 43.xd1 exf4 44.h4+ f7 45.g3 exf2+ 46.xf2 h2 wins 40.g3 exf4 41.h4+ f7 41...f8 and black has nothing to worry. 42.d4 42.f6+ would be a serious mistake! xf6 43.xf6 xg2+ 44.h1 e3 45.d8+ f7 46.c7+ g6 47.f3 xf3 48.xf4 c6 49.b8 d2+ 50.g1 h2+ 51.xh2 d1# 42...xg2+ 43.h1 e3 44.f6+ xf6 45.xf6+ The position of white's Q and B make all the difference. Compare this position to the one after white wins the Q in the sub-variation (43.Bxf6). g8 46.e6+ draws 46.d8+ h7 47.d3+ h6 48.d6+ g6+ 46...h7 47.f5+ g8 47...g6+ 48.h2 white wins 48.e6+ etc. 42.g3 This is a horrible move! 42.a2+ was the only winning move. f8 43.d8+ e8 44.xe8+ xe8 45.xg8+ d7 46.d8+ e6 47.gxh3 g6+ 48.h2 White has a won ending. 42...e3 This looks good, but it misses the win. 42...fxg3 43.fxg3 g6 44.xg6 xg6 45.f2+ g7 with a won ending. 43.a2+ g7 44.fxe3 A gross blunder. 44.f6+ forces black to surrender his Q, but he gets sufficient compensation for it. xf6 44...f8 45.d8+ e8 46.xe8+ xe8 47.xg8+ d7 48.d8+ wins...just one example... c6 49.b6+ d5 49...d7 50.d6+ mste next move. 50.d6+ c4 51.fxe3 b1+ 51...fxe3 52.f4+ 52.h2 fxg3+ 53.xh3 f1+ 54.xg3 and wins. 45.xf6 xf6 46.xg8 exf2+ 47.xf2 44...fxg3 45.xg3 h7 45...h4 was even better. 46.f4 h7+ 46.h6+ g7 47.e6 xe6 48.xe6 f7 49.xc6 bxc6 The ending is won for black and he plays the remainder of the game in a decent fashion. 50.h2 g6 51.e4 g5 52.xh3 f8 53.a4 f3 54.g2 g4 55.d6 b3 56.b5 axb5 57.axb5 xb5 58.e5 b2+ 59.h1 e2 60.g1 h4 61.f1 f3 62.g1 h3 63.h1 g4 64.g1 h2+ Ware resigned 64...h2+ 65.f1 b2 mate next move. 0–1

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Attacking the Fianchettoed King

     Friday afternoon was warm and sunny. However, during the hour and a half drive to see my favorite high school lose their championship football game in the closing minutes it clouded up. Add to that the fact that we sat through the game in a chilly, misty rain and it was not really a fun trip. We have not seen the sun since Friday afternnon although I am sure it’s shining...it’s just obscured by thick dark clouds that have drizzled rain off and on for the last three days. A good day to blag! 

     Today we’ll be taking a look at a typicle attack against a fianchettoed King’s position. In the game C.H.O’D. Alexander (1909-1974) launches an instructive attack against Ludek Pachman’s fianchettoed King. 

     The Irish born Alexander was famous for having been a cryptanalyst at Bletchley Park during World War II and after the war he was the head of the cryptanalysis division at the Government Communications Headquarters for 25 years. An IM of GM strength, Alexander won the British Championship twice: in 1938 and 1956. He played for England n the Chess Olympiad six times: 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1954 and 1958. 

     He was also awarded the Correspondence IM title in 1970. He was a chess author and columnist for The Sunday Times in the 1960s and 1970s. 

     Alexander’s opportunities to play outside of England after the war were limited because he was not allowed to play in the Soviet bloc because of his secret work in cryptography. 

     Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been in 1955 when his estimated rating was 2610 placing him at number 53 in the world. 

     Czech, later West German, GM Ludek Pachman (1924-2003) was a chess writer and author who became a political activist. 

     In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany where he remained for the rest of his like. Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2695 in 1959 placing him number 15 in the world. 

 

 

     When the King is castled behind a fianchettoed formation it has both good and bad points. On the good side there is the ability to resist an attack along the b1-hg7 (or the b8-h2) diagonal, plus the squares f6 and h6 (or (f3 and h3) are guarded by the B. Additionally, the Bishop is not exposed to attack and it can also perform a function on the long diagonal. Also, if the h-file is open the Bishop guards against a possible mate on h8 (or h1). 

     On the other hand, the presence of the g-Pawn on g6 (or g3) makes it easier for the attacker to open the h-file by the advance of his h-Pawn. Also, as Alexander shows here, if the fianchettoed Bishop gets eliminated the entire castled position is seriously weakened. 

ChessBase

C.H.O'D. Alexander–Ludek Pachman1–0C97Hilversum ZonalHilversum NED1947Stockfish 16

C98: Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6.e1 b5 7.b3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10.c2 c5 11.d4 c7 12.bd2 b7 13.d5 c8 14.f1 e8 All book so far. 15.h2 15.a4 d7 16.e3 c4 17.g4 g6 18.f1 f8 19.a3 b7 20.g5 g7 equals. Bulski,K (2389)-Gumula,D (2341) Barlinek 2006 15.g4 h8 16.g3 b7 17.h1 f8 18.g1 White has a strong attack in the mkaing. Averbakh,Y-Zagoriansky,E Moscow 1949 15...g6 16.e3 f8 17.g4 Aggressive play...typical of Alexander's style. g7 18.g1 h8 Safety first. Another plan was 18...c4 then maneuver the N via b7 to c5. 19.g5 f8 This overprotects the f-Pawn, but a more aggressive defense was 19...Bh6 19...h6 20.h4 c4 20...xg5 21.hxg5 g8 22.h1 and black is in danger on the h-file. 21.xc4 bxc4 22.e2 e7 White is better, but blacks defensive chances have improved. 20.h4 g8 Black's K's position is quite congested after this so he still should have tried 20...Nc4 21.e2 d7 It wasn't too late for ...Nc4 either here or on his next move. 22.d2 e7 The position is now ripe for white's final assault. 23.f5 A typical sacrifice in these types of positions. On f5 the N attacks g7 and h6 and, at the same time, threatens to eliminating the fianchettoed B. If black doesn't accept the sacrifice white gets a very strong attack. gxf5 A horrible, and surprising, decision by Pachman who even at the age of 22 was certainly strong enough to have known that this leads to a lost position. 23...f6 offers a much tougher defense. 24.xg7 xg7 forces the N to retreat and now after 25.h3 h6 26.b3 This in-between move prevents black for getting counterplay with the previously mentioned ...Nc4 g5 The idea is to clog up the K0side and if the h-file becomes opened black can oppose Rs on it. White is better here, but he is a long way from winning. 24.gxf5 ...and wins might be added here. f6 There was nothing better. 25.xh7 A necessary followup. 25.e6 xe6 26.fxe6 c4 White's advantage is only marginally better. 25...e8 The only defense as the Q must not be allowed to reach h5. 25...xh7 26.h5+ g8 27.xg7+ xg7 28.g1+ g6 29.xg6+ h8 30.h6# 26.xg7 The fianchettoed B is removed. He could probably win bt takiung the R, but it would be much less clear. xg7 26...g8 is no better. 27.xf6 xg7 28.xe8 xe8 29.h5+ h7 30.xe8+ g8 31.g5 Black's position is hopeless. 27.xf8 xf8 28.h6+ White's position is overwhelming and black can offer only tokes resistance. f7 29.h5+ g6 30.fxg6+ g8 31.f5 White wants to mate with Qe6+. e7 32.g1 c4 It's way too late for this to be effective! 33.c1 d7 34.f3 f8 35.b3 b6 36.h5 f5 37.g5 fxe4 38.e2 38.xe4 wins but offers black some spite checks, but it's easier for white if he just avoids them. xf2+ 39.g3 xg5+ 40.xf2 d2+ 41.f3 38...e8 39.xe4 f5 40.h6 f6 This move may have been played at the end of the time control. It loses a piece...not that it matters. 40...d7 41.xf8 xf8 42.g7 f6 43.xf5 xf5 44.g4 wins easily. 41.f3 Weighted Error Value: White=0.33/Black=0.76 41.f3 d7 41...xe4 42.xf6 e7 43.xe7 mate next move. 42.xf5 Whire has won a piece. 1–0

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And, the Winner Is...Joel Fridlizius

     Do people still buy chess books and play through the games using a board and pieces? Or, do they do everything electronically? It’s been years since I have actually fondled chess pieces...in fact, I no longer own a chess set. 

     My old laptop has the ancient Master Chess 8000 on it. The program was distributed by Chess4Less which is owned and operated by an old friend, Paul Azzurro. Also on my laptop are ChessOK Aquarium 2014, Aquarium 2020, Chess Assistant, ChessBase 16, Fritz 12 and my “go to” program Fritz 17. 

     Most of my chess books were either given away or destroyed when our house flooded. One book that remains is Al Horowitz’ Golden Treasury of Chess that was first published in 1943. I no longer have the original edition, but the one that was reprinted in 1971. It has 322 games in descriptive notation up to 1966. The games themselves have a brief and glowing introduction describing how delightful the games is. A lot of the games won’t be found elsewhere...many of them are long forgotten gems that are just fun to play over. 

     The book has an interesting history that was given by chess historian Edward Winter in an article titled The Horowitz-Wellmuth Affair. 

     Let’s take a look at a game chosen more or less at random...Joel Fridlizius vs. Alexander Alekhine (the loser!) from the tournament Stockholm 1912; the game won the brilliancy prize. Stockholm 1912 was Alekhine's first victory in an international tournament. 

 

 

     Joel Fridlizius (December 3, 1869 – January 6, 1963) was a Swedish master and a correspondence player. He won the first correspondence tournament in Sweden that was played from1897 to 1900. He then won the 1st Nordic correspondence tournament (1900-1902). 

     Fridlizius' best OTB resulte was second place at the 3rd Nordic Championship in Gothenburg 1901. Fridlizius was editor of the chess column in the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfarts-Tidning. In later years he lived in Skara, Sweden, a town of about 18,500 inhabitants that is located about 220 miles west of Stockholm. He won the club championship there in 1954 at the age of 85.

 

ChessBase

Joel Fridlizius–Alexander Alekhine1–0C77Stockholm3Stockholm SWE27.06.1912Stockfish 16

C77: Ruy Lopez 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.c3 c5 6.0-0 b5 7.b3 d6 8.d3 g4 9.e3 This is the standard move, but engines prefer 9.h3 9.h3 e6 10.e3 d4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 exd4 13.e2 Draw agreed. Mamedov,N (2405)-Mamedyarov,S (2503) Oropesa del Mar ESP 2001 9.g5 d4 10.d5 c6 11.e3 xf3+ 12.gxf3 Black is better. Klundt,K (2325)-Gergel,V (2202) Katerini GRE 2014 9...d4= 10.xd4 xd4 11.h3 Black should now play 11...Bx3 or first 11...Bxc3 or even 11...Bh5 is OK. Instead, Alekhine bluffs his opponent with an unsound B offer. h5 12.e2 12.hxg4 wins as blacj really has no good way of following up the sacrifice. hxg4 13.xd4 exd4 14.e2 d7 to open a line for the Q. 15.g3 h4 16.e1 e5 17.c3 dxc3 18.bxc3 0-0-0 19.d4 g6 20.d2 Black has no attack. 12...d7 Strange...now if the B is taken white has no advantage anbd the chances would be equal! 13.d1 13.hxg4 hxg4 14.xd4 h4 mates as follows... 15.xf7+ xf7 16.f4 g3 17.fxe5+ g8 18.f8+ xf8 19.h5 xh5 20.any Qh1$ 13.a4 is quite satisfactory because after b8 14.axb5 axb5 15.hxg4 Also good is 15.Nd5 hxg4 16.g3 He can't allow ...Qh4 xc3 17.bxc3 gxf3 18.xf3 the game is completely even. 13...f8 13...f6 After this white should avoid taking the B. 14.hxg4 14.c3 b6 15.d5 b8 16.c6 with equak chances 14...hxg4 15.e1 gxf3 16.xf3 xf3 17.gxf3 Black is better, 14.c3 14.hxg4 leads to more than equality after hxg4 15.g3 gxf3 16.xf3 14...a7 15.e3 This is better than taking the B which was possible, but it would lead to no more thanb equal chances. After the text white gains the advantage. 15.hxg4?! hxg4 16.g3 gxf3 17.xf3 15...d7 the either had to reteat of capture on f3. 16.d4 Fridlizius' restraint in not taking the B has lead to his gaining the initiative thanks to Alekhine's loss of time with his Bs having been driven back. g6 17.d2 17.ad1 was a bit more precise. exd4 18.xd4 f8 18...g5 19.d5 c8 20.e5 and white should win. 19.h1 xd4 20.cxd4 f4 21.f3 h4 22.e5 d8 23.c1 with a clear advantage. 17...c6 18.d5 c8 19.ad1 0-0 20.h2 20.dxe5 was even better. xe5 21.f4 xf3+ 22.gxf3 xd5 23.xd5 with a dangerous attack. 20...b7 21.g1 The indicates the point of white's last move...he wants to play g4, but the plan is not feasible. 21.dxe5 offered better chances. Even then, black can still defend quite strongly. dxe5 22.c1 c5 23.c4 23.f4 b6 24.d5 d8 23...b8 24.g3 21...c6 22.e3 f6 23.f5 d5 At this point, thanks to a few not quite precise moves by Fridlizius, Alekhine has managed to achieve equality. 24.g3 h4 25.h5 d6 26.g5 exd4+ 27.e5 e6 But this moves allows white the opportunity to set up a very strong attack. 27...d8 offering the exchange of Qs blunts the force of white;s attack and keeps the chances equal. 28.xd8 fxd8 29.cxd4 c5 is equal. 27...d8 28.f5 Avoiding the exchange if Qs also allows black to solidify his position as follows... d3 29.xd3 c7 30.c2 ce8 and black;s defense will hold. 28.cxd4 c5 Again, offering to trade Qs (28...Qe7) would have been a little better. 29.xh4 cxd4 29...e7 runs into 30.f6+ gxf6 31.exf6 d6+ 32.g3 c6 33.xg6 and wins because black cannot play fxg6 34.xg6+ h8 35.g7# 30.ge1 b8 30...e7 loses to 31.f6+ Again. gxf6 32.exf6 as in the previous note... 31.f4 e7 Guess what's coming. 32.f6+ Not unpredictable, but still beautiful. gxf6 33.exf6 xf4+ 34.xf4 xe1? 35.xg6 e4 36.e7+ White mates in 8 moves at most. h8 37.xd4 h7 37...xf4+ leads to a pretty mate. 38.xf4 c4 39.xc4 dxc4 40.h4# 38.h4 c4 39.xc4 dxc4 40.xh7+ xh7 41.h4# A memorable performance by Ffidlizius! 1–0

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Harold Morton

     Harold Morton (January 10, 1906 - February 17, 1940, 34 years old) was a strong from Providence, Rhode Island. 

     Even though he was a strong payer, Morton had dismal performances in the two US Championships in which he participated. In the first modern 1936 championship which marked Frank Marshall’s retirement Morton finished last with a +1 -10 =4 score. His result in the 1938 championship was a bit better; he scored +3 -9 =4 and finished next to last. 

     I. A. Horowitz and Morton frequently traveled together giving tandem simultaneous exhibitions in which they would alternate making moves. On February 17, 1940 while enroute to Minneapolis, Minnesota after touring in the south and west, they were involved in a car accident on highway 30 about seven miles west of Carroll, Iowa when the car apparently skidded on a curve and collided with a van driven by Frank S. Robbins of Denver, Colorado. 

 

 

     Robbins was uninjured. Morton, who was driving, was thrown from the car and killed outright. He had the dubious distinction of being the county’s first traffic fatality of the year. 

     Horowitz was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital in Carroll where he was able to give his name. He had, among other injuries, a skull fracture and he was initially not expected to recover.. He was hospitalized for some time and during his stay in the hospital his brother, Irving, went to Iowa to be with him. The US Championship was held in April in 1940, but Horowitz still had not recovered sufficiently to play in it. 

     Morton’s opponent in the following game was Augustus N, Towsen (1905-1991, 85 years old). He was champion of Central Pennsylvania in 1930. He was a medical technician in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), almost forty thousand men and women from fifty-two countries, including 2,800 Americans, volunteered to travel to Spain and join the International Brigades to help fight fascism. The US volunteers served in various units and came to be known collectively as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. 

     Towsen was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and attended Albright College and possibly Millerville University in the summer of 1927. He received passport on May 17, 1937 which listed his address as 264 North Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On May 19, 1937 he sailed aboard the Normandie and arrived in Spain on May 29, 1937 and began serving with Medical Services. He returned to the US on August 14, 1938. 

     After WWII he served as an urban renewal activist. Urban renewal was a nationwide program in which the Federal government cities in the 1950s and '60s. The federal government gave cities billions of dollars to tear down blighted areas and replace them with affordable housing. At least, that's what was supposed to happen. Towsen died in Spalding, Georgia. 

 

ChessBase

Augustus Towsen–Harold Morton0–1D95ACF Congress. Prelim A, MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI USA1935Stockfish 16

Gruenfeld Defense 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.c3 d5 4.e3 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.b3 c6 7.d3 b6 Both 7...e6 and 7...dxc4 can be considered the main lines. 8.cxd5 8.0-0 e6 9.d2 h6 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.fc1 White stands well. Cvek,R (2517) -Walek,M (2350) Czechia 2010 8...cxd5 9.d2 b7 10.c1 e4 11.c2 Castling was to be preferred. Oddly enough white never doubles Rs on the c-file. And, eventually this R on c2 will be a problem for white. e6 11...e5 Grabs the initiative. After 12.xe5 xe5 This is perfectly safe because white's K-side attacking prospects are zero. 13.xe4 13.dxe5 c5 Black wins heavy plastic. 13...dxe4 14.dxe5 d7 15.0-0 xe5 Black can claim a slight advantage. 12.e2 This strange move leaves his K vulnerable even though it is not yet apparent exactly how. 12.0-0 c6 13.fc1 with a perfectly even position. 12...c6 13.a3 e5 14.xe4 dxe4 15.xe4 a5 16.d3 xe4 17.xe4 f5 18.h4 e4 19.g5 This loses the N! 19.xd8 is the only way for white to try and stay in the game. exf3+ 20.xf3 axd8 21.xa5 bxa5 22.hc1 f4 Black is clearly better. 19...h6 20.f4 hxg5 21.fxg5 c8 22.c3 22.hc1 would have hels out longer, but he would still be lost. xc2 23.xc2 d7 24.xa5 bxa5 25.f4 c8 26.xc8+ xc8 27.d2 a6 28.b8+ f8 29.b3+ g7 30.d5 a4 31.c3+ h7 32.d4 g7 33.c5 d3+ 22...d5 Notice how vulnerable the R on c2 is. 23.f2 23.f4 prevents black's next move, but after a2 24.d2 24.hc1 b3 25.d1 xc3 wins easily. 24...b3 25.hd1 xd2 with an easy win. 23...f4 24.exf4 xd4 24...b3 was also good... 25.d1 e3 26.f3 f5 25.g3 25.xd4 xd4 26.xd4 xc2+ That vulnerable R again. 25...b5+ White resigned. 25...b5+ 26.d2 xc3+ 27.bxc3 b3+ 28.e1 c5 29.e3 29.d2 e3 30.d1 d3+ 29...d3+ 30.d2 xf4 and black's pieces are swarming all over white. 0–1

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Russell Chauvenet

  

     Besides being an Expert chess player Louis Russell Chauvenet (February 12, 1920 – June 24, 2003) was one of the founders of science fiction fandom. 

     He was the US Amateur Champion in 1959, as well as state champion for Virginia in 1942 through 1948 and for Maryland in 1963, 1969 and 1976. He also wrote columns for Chess Life. When he won the title in 1963, his son also took the state's Junior title.

     In 1991, Chauvenet won the National Deaf Championship in Austin, Texas. In 1992, at Edinburgh, Scotland, the International Committee of Silent Chess awarded him its Grandmaster title. 

     Chauvenet represented the US at the World Individual Deaf Championship four times: (1980, 1984 where he won the Silver medal, 1988 where he won the Silver medal and 1992. In addition, he also won three US National Tournaments of the Deaf: 1980, 1983 and 1987. 

     Besides chess, Chauvenet was an award winning runner. After his retirement, he resumed his college running career with the Montgomery County (Maryland) track club. He was honored in the Washington D.C. area and recognized as a "1,000K Man" when he completed his 100th 10K race (all between the ages of 62-75). 

     He was the founder of Boston's The Stranger Club, a science fiction club active during the 1940s. He also co-founded the National Fantasy Fan Federation. 

     It was Chauvenet who coined the terns “fanzine” (in 1940) and “prozine, a term for professionally published magazines containing science fiction stories.

     Chauvenet was also a sailor and even built his own Windmill class sailboat and participated in regattas. The Windmill is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of plywood or fiberglass in the form of a double hull with a foam core, resulting in an unsinkable boat. In addition to other positions he served as editor of the Windmill Class Association newsletter. 

     Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he became completely deaf in 1930 at age 10 after suffering cerebro-spinal meningitis. He attended a special school for the deaf before graduating from Belmont Hill Preparatory School in Belmont, Massachusetts and then went on to Harvard, Boston College and the University of Virginia, receiving a Bachelor of Science in biology in 1943 and a Master of Science in chemistry in 1948. 

     From 1943-1946 he was employed by the Calco Chemical Company in New Jersey, after which he worked with computers as a civilian employee of the US Department of Defense from 1948 until his retirement.

     In the following game he defeated Walter Suesman (1918-1984) who once played in the US Championship in 1938; he finished last (17 players) with a +1 -13 =2. He defeated Isaac Kashdan (!) and drew with George Treysman and George Shainswit. Reshevsky won the tournament a half point ahead of Fine. Suesman, a solid Master, won the 1960 Rhode Island state championship. 

ChessBase

Walter B. Suesman–L. Russel Chauvenet0–1D10Ventnor CityVentnor City, NJ USA22.06.1942Stockfish 16

D12: Slav Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 f6 4.c3 f5 5.f3 e6 6.b3 c7 7.d2 b6 An inferior continuation. Correct is 7...Nbd7 8.c1 The threat is 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Nxd5 sso now the Q has to move to an ineffective square. b7 9.a4 Rather pointless. Simply 9.Nh4 gaining the two Bs was satisfactory. d6 10.e2 Here or next move he should still try Nh4 0-0 11.0-0 a6 12.e5 dxc4 This should worj out to be in white's favor. 12...b5 13.b3 xe5 14.dxe5 fd7 15.cxd5 cxd5 keeps things even. 13.xc4± c7 14.b3 bd7 White now has the more active position. 15.f4 15.a5 Interestiong, but tricky! xh2+ 16.xh2 c7+ 17.g1 bxa5 White should be OK because of all black's weak Ps. 15...b5 16.e5 xe5 Taking with B was a little more precise because his Ns would do better in the closed position. 17.fxe5 By capturing with the f-Pawn white hopes to use the open f-file to cocnduct a K-side attack. e4 18.e1 Too passive. 18.xe4 xe4 19.d3 xd3 20.xd3 and there doesn't seem to be any way for white to take advantage of black's backward c-Pawn. a5 21.e4 a6 22.c5 c8 23.fc1 d8 18...b6 19.f3 After this the position is only equal, so white should have played 19.Nxe4 and he would have had slightly the better of it. 19.xe4 xe4 20.b4 fd8 21.d3 c5 22.xc5 xc5 23.xe4 xe4 24.f4 b7 and either way white takes on c5 he has a very slight advantage. 19...g5 20.e2 c5 Black commences his counterplay. 21.h4 He simply cannot afford to ignore blak's Q-side activity. 21.dxc5 and white has nothing to worry about. xc5 22.xb5 b6 22...axb5 23.xc5 and white has the advantage. 23.d4 xd4 24.exd4 xd4+ 25.f2 xe5 with an equal position. 21...e4 21...cxd4 This takes advantage of white's slip. 22.exd4 xd4+ 23.h1 e4 24.xe4 xe4 25.xg5 xe2 26.e7 26.fe1 xb2 27.xb2 xb2 with a won ending. 26...fc8 Black has a active and theefore promising position. 22.xe4 xe4 23.f4 After this white quickly finds himself in hot water. 23.dxc5 Neutralizes black's Q-side play and after xc5 24.xc5 xh4 neither side can demonstrate an advantage. 25.c3 23...c4 Of course the Q cannot retreat. 23...b7 24.f3 a7 25.xa8 24.c3 24.xe4 cxb3 25.f4 bxa2 26.a1 b1 is not at all good for white. 24...a5 A well played followup to his last move as his Q still cannot retreat. 25.xe4 xc3 26.xc3 xe4 27.f3 Trading off his good B only makes things worse, but in the long run black would still be winning after, say, 27.Be7 xf3 28.gxf3 a7 White's mass of center Ps will prove no match for the exchange. 29.f2 c8 30.e4 b4 31.c2 ac7 32.d5 d7 33.d6 f6 Excellent! Black undermines white’s P’s and makes inroads for his R’s. 34.g3 34.exf6 gxf6 35.xf6 xd6 and black is in full control. 34...c5 35.f4 f7 36.e3 c3 37.bxc3? 37.d4 is also insufficient, but it would hold out longer. c8 38.bxc3 xc3 39.xc3 bxc3 40.xc3 fxe5 41.fxe5 b7 wins the endin. For example... 42.f4 b1 43.g5 e8 44.h4 a1 45.b3 d7 46.e7 e1 47.b4 xe4+ 48.a5 c6 49.a3 e3 50.d7 xd7 51.f8 c6 52.xa6 g6 53.a5 xe5+ 54.b4 e4+ 55.b3 xh4 37...xc3+ 38.xc3 bxc3 39.d3 b7 40.xc3 This position is very similar to the one reached after move 40 in the the note to move 37. e8 41.c4 White resigned. His resignation is possibly a little premature, but in the long run his position is lost. 41.c4 fxe5 42.f5 As has been seen, fxe5 leads nowhere. exf5 43.exf5 d7 44.xe5 b5 45.d4 g6 46.fxg6 hxg6 47.g3 a5 Black wins. One example... 48.c4 xa2 49.b3 g2 50.e5 e2 51.f4 f2 52.e5 f5 53.d4 White cannot allow the sacrifice of th exchange because the K+P ending is lost. 53.g3 f3+ 54.a4 xg3 55.hxg3 xd6 53...h5 54.g1 xd6 55.b4 h4+ 56.b3 56.a5 c6 57.a7 57.xa6 a4# 57...xh2 56...c6 57.a3 g5 58.b3 g4 59.c3 d5 60.b3 e4 61.b4 h5 62.b3 f3 63.a7 xh2 and wins 0–1

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Dentist to the (Chess) Stars

     Here is an interesting article by Howard Langer about his grandfather Dr. Samuel Greenberg, a New York dentist, that appeared in Tablet Magazine, a conservative online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture. Read article...

     There seems to be very little information available about Dr. Greenberg, but I did find the following game played in 1962 in the Manhattan Chess Club Championship Preliminaries that he lost against William Goichberg. It features a pleasing mating attack by Goichberg. 

     Dr. Greenberg’s name appeared in the USCF’s 1964 rating list...it was Class A (Elo 1905). National Master Bill Goichberg (born November 11, 1942) is a tournament organizer and director. He founded the Continental Chess Association which runs the annual World Open and other large tournaments. He is also a former president of the United States Chess Federation.

ChessBase

William Goichberg–Dr. Samuel Greenberg1–0D46Manhattan CC Prelims, New York1962Stockfish 16

D46: Semi-Slav 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.c3 f6 4.f3 c6 In the Semi-Slav black's Ps sre a mixture of the Orthodox Q-Gambit (...e6) and the Slav (...c6). Black is threatening to capture the c-Pawn and hold it with ...b7–b5. White can avoid this in a number of ways. 5.e3 bd7 6.d3 d6 7.0-0 0-0 8.e4 Aggressive and somewhat risky. Solid is 8.Qc2 dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 f6 11.c2 g6 This weakens the K's position. He should play 11...h6 or even 11... c5 12.g5 12.b3 is also good. c7 13.b2 d8 14.e2 h5 15.ad1 and white went on to win in a handful of moves in Duong,T (2415)-Hj,S (2339) Bandar Seri Begawan BRU 2010 12...e7 13.e2 c7 14.ad1 d7 This turns out to be too passive. For what it was worth he should have tried 14...b5 14...b5 15.c5 d5 16.h6 d8 17.h4 with a promising attack. 15.a3 h5 This leads to a lost position...immediately! He should still have tried ...b5 16.h6 White must have blitzed this one out otherwise he would have simply played 16.Bxe7 g7 17.fe1 f6 18.e5 fe8 19.f3 xe5 20.dxe5 f5 21.g5 c5 22.g4 This turns out to be a key move! g7 22...d4 puts up a bit of a fight. For example... 23.f6 d8 24.xd8 exd8 25.xd8 xc2 26.xd7 xe1 27.f6 and white should win the ending. 23.f6 Mate is on the horizon. h6 24.h3 h7 25.e3 Moving in for the kill. h8 This allows a nifty finish, but he was lost anyway. 26.xh6+ xh6 27.h3+ h5 28.xh5+! gxh5 29.g5# His 22nd move paid off! 1–0

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Kashdan Conjures Up an Attack

     Back in 1930m between April 19th and May 4th a match in which the first player to win five games, draw not counting, was played in the Manhattan Chess Club. 

     One contestant was 26-year-old Lajos Steiner who had come to the United States to participate in the 1929 Bradley Beach (located in New Jersey) tournament. There Steiner had finished second to world champion Alexander Alekhine. 

     His opponent was 24-year old Isaac Kashdan, a the 1929 Manhattan Chess Club champion and a rising star. He had been the first board of the American team at the 1928 Chess Olympiad where he scored an impressive +12 -1 =2.

     Lajos Steiner (1903-1975) was born in Hungary. One of four children, his elder brother Endre Steiner was also a master. 

     Lajos was educated at the Technical High School in Budapest and graduated in 1926 with a diploma in mechanical engineering from the Technikum Mittweida in Germany. He emigrated to Australia in 1939, and won the Australian Championship in 1945, 1946/47, 1952/53, and 1958/59. He also won nine of his ten attempts at the New South Wales title (1940–41, 1943, 1944, 1945–46, 1953, 1955, 1958).

     Isaac Kashdan (1905-1985) was twice U.S. Open champion (1938 and 1947), but even though he was once considered world championship material he never won the US Championship. On the November 1932, Chess metrics estimated his rating to have been 2738 placing him at number 2 on the list behind Alekhine (estimated rating 2826). 

     He was called der Kleine Capablanca (German for The little Capablanca) in Europe because of his ability to extract victories from seemingly even positions. Watch him conjure up a winning attack from almost nothing in the following game and you’ll see what they meant. Alekhine named him one of the most likely players to succeed him as World Champion. 

     Kashdan’s peak year coincided with the Great Depression and so for financial reasons he was unable to make chess a career. Then later he moved to California because the climate was better for his son’s health. 

     Besides the Steiner-Kashdan match, in 1930, an international tournament was held in San Remo; it was won by Alexander Alekhine. 

     On May 2, 1930, former German champion Isidor Gunsberg (1854-1930) died in London. On August 17, 1930, former Hungarian champion Leo Forgacs died in Hungary at the age of 48. 

     The 3rd Tournament of Nations (aka the Chess Olympiad) was held in Hamburg, Germany. It was won by Poland (Rubinstein, Tartakower, Przepiorka, Frydman). Jungary was second and Dermany third. The US team (Isaac Kashdan, Frank Marshall, Harold Phillips, Herman Steiner and James Anderson) finished 6th (out of 18 teams). 

     The 2nd Women’s World Championship took place during the Olympiad and Vera Menchik successfully defended her title. 

     The Western Chess Association (forerunner of the US Open) was held in Chicago. Norman Whitaker and Samuel Factor tied for 1st. 

     On December 29, 1930, Alekhine almost killed himself when he fell asleep with a lit cigarette in his mouth in a hotel bed in Esseg, Yugoslavia. The cigarette fell out of his mouth onto the bed which caught fire. Alekhine awoke and tried to get out of the room, but passed out on the floor. A hotel clerk responding to the fire managed to get Alekhine out of the room and extinguish the fire. 

 

     Kashdan considered this game, the third game in his match with Steiner, to be one of his best.

 

ChessBase

Isaac Kashdan–Lajos Steiner1–0D52Match, New York3New York, NY USA22.04.1930Stockfish 16

D52: Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.f3 f6 4.c3 e6 5.g5 bd7 6.e3 a5 This is te Cambridge Springs Defense and even today is the most popular reply in the QGD. 7.b3 The usual reply is 7.Nbd2 is the usual reply with 7.cxd4 a close second. The text avoids the more complicated attacks, but it allows black to obtain easy development. e4 8.cxd5 8.h4 b4 9.c1 b6 10.d3 dxc4 11.xc4 xc4 12.xc4 d6 equals. Werle,J (2481)-Gurevich,M (2641) Zwolle 2002 8...exd5 9.d3 b4 Kashdan was of the opinion that this B belongs on e7. 9...xg5 10.xg5 e7 11.f3 0-0 12.0-0 with complete equality. Djukanovic,S (2294) -Blagojevic,D (2532) Tivat MNE 2011 e8 ½-½ (38) 10.c1 xg5= 11.xg5 h6 12.f3 0-0 13.0-0 e8 14.a3 xc3 The main option was 14...Bd6 and while there is nothing really wrong with the move played Kashdan thought it gives white the advantage because of his better development and also because of the mobility of his Q-side Ps, which threaten to advance and create weaknesses in black's position. Hence Kashdan felt it was better to retreat. 15.xc3 xc3 16.xc3 f6 17.b4 e6 18.fc1 e4 19.xe4 Several years after this game Kashdan said that if he were "playing this position today (i.e. in 1936) he would prefer 19.R(3)-b2 because his B would be useful to enforce b4-b5 and black's N can always be gotten rid of anyway. Engines prefer 19.Bx35, but only by a hair's breadth. dxe4 20.d2 d5 21.c5 Perhaps initiating a Minority Attack with 21.a4 followed by b4-b5 was more accurate, but Kashdan played the text in order to induce 21...b6 which he judged would be weak for black. b6 A sounder idea was 21...f5 followed by ...f4 22.5c3 a5 23.c4 Kashdan judged that now black's Ps are seriously weakened and subject to attack, whether his N is exchanged or not. According to Stockfish the position id dead equal. axb4 24.axb4 a6 Played with the (correct) belief that he can set up a sufficient defense. 24...xc4 is inferior. It's main practical advantage is that the resulting double R ending would by difficult to play for both sides. 25.xc4 a4 26.h4 f8 27.xc6 xb4 28.a1 f5 29.a6 b1+ 29...b8 30.c7 f4 31.aa7 White is winning. 30.h2 b2 31.g3 b5 32.c5 White is better. 25.e5 e6 Excellent defense by Steiner. Defending the P, which cannot yet be taken because of the mating threat, and intending ...b5 after which everything would be secure. If Kashdan wants to win he cannot untake it quickly. 26.b5 Very interesting and innovative. The P sacrifice had to be accurately calculated because if Kashdan's attack fails the P will become a Q! But not 26.xc6? xc6 27.f4 d7-+ 26...cxb5 27.c8+ Kashdan is attacking with opnly two Rs and a N...will it succeed? h7 28.d8 An excellent move! It gains an important tempo and it's an essential patt of his idea. 28.xf7 does not accomplish anything as after b4 29.h4 29.8c7 b3 30.b1 b2 31.c2 c6 32.bxb2 xf7 and black wins 29...b3 30.h2 a8 31.xa8 xa8 32.e5 d5 33.b1 with a likely draw. 28...c4 Seemingly the most natural square as it blocks the open file, but the move allows white q slim advantage...something Kashdan was famous for exploiting. In fact, Kashdan claimed the move loses quickly! 28...f6 This is actually the best move as it does not allow white to really accomplisj anything. For example... 29.xd5 fxe5 30.dxe5 c6 31.b1 c5 32.d2 xe5 and neither side will be able to make any headway. 33.h3 29.d7 Threatening to win the exchange, which strangely enough cannmbe avoided despite the mobilty of black's R. g6 29...c6 30.f8+ g8 31.d7+ h7 32.b8 29...d6 This is best. The ensuing ending is extremely complicated! 30.f8+ g8 31.d7+ 31.xd6 xf8 and black has compensation for the exchange. 31...h7 32.f3 exf3 33.f8+ g8 34.xd6 xf8 35.e4 fxg2 36.d5 e7 37.c6 f5 38.c7+ d8 39.xg7 fxe4 40.xg2 a2+ 41.g3 e3 42.d6 e2 43.f2 e1+ 44.xe1 xh2 45.h7 Theoretically at least, this position is drawn. 30.d5 Gaining time, as the R still cannot escape. Very instructive. e7 30...xd5 31.f8+ f6 32.xd5 wins easily. 31.d6 xd7 32.xd7 Kashdan has made something out of nothing. d3 This loses at once. 32...a3 keeps fighting... 33.e7 d3 34.xe4 xd6 35.h4 f6 36.a1 d2 37.a7 e6 and the gane could go on forever. 33.b7 f6 White has more than one way to skin the cat! 34.f3 Black resigned 34.f3 c4 35.d1 a8 36.xb6 exf3 37.gxf3 d8 and the enbding is hopelss. 34.d7 also wins. e7 35.f3 c4 36.d1 d3 37.fxe4 a3 38.e5 b4 39.xb6 xd7 40.d6+ e7 41.6xd3 etc. 1–0

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James Allan Anderson, a Long Forgotten Player

  

     If you never heard of James Allan Anderson (June 28, 1906 – December 23, 1991, 85 years old), a three-time St. Louis Chess Champion who defeated Alexander Alekhine in a simultaneous exhibition in 1929, you are not the only one.

     In the 1929 Western Chess Association Championship (US Open) Finals held in St. Louis, Missouri, Anderson tied for second with stalwarts Herman Steiner and Norman Whitaker behind Harold Hahlbohm.

     In 1930, at reserve board in the 3rd Chess Olympiad in Hamburg, won by Poland (Rubinstein, Tartakower, Przepiorka, Frydman), Anderson scored +3 -7 =7. The US team consisted of Isaac Kashdan, Frank Marshall, Harold Phillips, Herman Steiner and Anderson; the team finished 6th (out of 18 teams). 

     The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (July 31, 1930 edition) mentioned that in view of the fact that Anderson lost all of his last five games it was clear that “the severe strain of the long grind was too much for him.” Is that a hint at the reason he disappeared two years later

 

     Anderson finished fourth (score 5.5-3.5) at the 1931 Western Chess Association Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event was won by Samuel Reshevsky followed by Samuel Factor and Norman Whitaker. Anderson lost only to Reshevsky and Factor. 

     Anderson won the St. Louis championship in 1932 with an5.5-0.5 score and then he seems to have disappeared at the age of 26. 

     His opponent in the following game was Ilmari Rahm (1888-1939) a Finnish doctor, chess player and journalist. Somerime in the 1890s Rahm’s parents moved to Helsinki, where he spent most of his life. After receiving his medical degree he served in the Finnish army as a navy medical captain from 1918 until 1921. After Rahmi's health began to falter during 1929, he gradually had to give up all things associated with chess. As a result of his poor health he only scored 3.5-10.5 at Hamburg. 

 

ChessBase

Ilmari Rahm–James Allan Anderson0–1D37Hamburg Olympiad3Hamburg GER15.07.1930Stockfish 15

D37: Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 d5 4.f3 bd7 5.e3 e7 6.c2 0-0 7.d3 dxc4 8.xc4 c5 9.0-0 a6 This is considered best even today. 9...cxd4 10.exd4 b6 11.d3 d7 12.g5 h6 13.e3 bd5 was quickly drawn in Kurajica,B (2520)-Cvetkovic,S (2470) Cetinje YUG 1991 10.a4 b6 11.d1 b7 12.g5 This move serves no purpose and only loses time. 12.dxc5 also favors black after xc5 13.b3 c7 Better was 13...b5 with a slight advantage. 14.b2 e5 15.xe5 xe5 16.d5 equals. Dzhumaev,M (2428) -Malygin,V (1995) Almaty KAZ 2019 12.d5 results in equal chances after exd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xd5 12...h6 Evidently white thought he has induced black into weakening his K's position with this move, but that is not the case because white is in no positiob to take advantage of it after the better 13.Nf3 13.h3 The N is badly misplaced here. c7 14.e2 Another time wasting move, but his position is already showing that he has difficulties. 14.d5 e5 15.b3 xc4 16.bxc4 exd5 17.cxd5 d6 leaves white in difficulties. 14.e2 d6 15.f4 cxd4 16.exd4 fe8 17.e3 g4 with the initiative. 14...d6 15.f4 cxd4 16.xd4 Recapturing with the P was not much bvetter...black would also have had a very active position. c5 17.c4 Thgis is a gross oversight. Retreating to d1 was better although black would still have had the upper hand. d5 18.xd5 exd5 19.b4 19.c3 is met by e4 20.f2 20.d3 xe3+ winning the Q 20...xc3 winning the exchange. 19...dxc4 20.bxc5 xc5 21.g4 Black has a R+P against a B so it's obvious that he is winning. Therefore white throws everything into a desperate attack. d5 22.f5 22.xc4 fe8 23.f5 ac8 24.xc5 xc5 is hopeless for white. 22.g5 xe3 23.xe3 xe3+ 24.g2 c5 25.gxh6 ad8 26.g5 26.hxg7 d2 27.gxf8+ xf8 28.xc4 xe2+ wins immediately. 26...d3 and white's attempted attack is over. 22...c3 23.xc5 xc5 24.xc4 White has managed to reach an ending the exchange down, but his position is devoid of any counterplay and so he is lost as long as black plays carefully. b5 25.a3 25.axb5 axb5 26.xa8 xa8 27.xb5 a1 wins the B 25...fc8 26.b4 26.axb5 axb5 27.b2 27.xc5 xa1+ 28.f1 xc5 27...bxc4 Black is a full R up. 26...5xa4 26...bxc4 27.xc3 e8 would also secure the win. 27.d3 a5 28.a3 b4 29.f5 29.c1 c5 30.f5 b3 wraps it up. 29...bxa3 30.xc8 xc8 31.xa3 c5 32.f2 b2 Prevents Nd3. 33.g2 a4 34.h4 b5 35.a2 a3 36.e4 c4 37.f3 xe4! This finally convinced white to resign. to resign. 37...xe4 38.xe4 c3+ 0–1

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RIP Tom Wozney

Wozney circa 1966

      It was with sadness that I learned that veteran master Thomas Wozney of Parma, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, passed away at the age of 82 on March 1st this year. He was retired from East Ohio Gas Company after many years of service. 

     Chester Thomas Wozney, born April 20, 1940, was a US Army Specialist 4th Class when he won the US Armed Forces Championship in 1966. At that time he was with the 51st Signal Battalion, Company A, stationed in South Korea. For those not familiar with Army ranks, he was the equivalent rank of a Corporal except specialists are not considered a Non-commissioned Officer; the specialist's job is focused on technical expertise and they normally have less personnel leadership responsibilities than Corporals. 

     Besides having many Midwest tournament victories to his credit, in 1964 Wozney tied for first in the Ohio Championship (with Richard Kause, George Kellner, James Harkins and David Presser). 

     He won the title won outright in 1967 and in 1969 he eked out a tiebreak victory over Robert H. Burns, Jr and Richard Garber. 

     Then in 1971 he again tied for first with Robert Burns and Ross Sprague, Burns getting the title on tiebreaks. 

     In 1972 he won the State title on tiebreaks over Ross Sprague, Richard Kause and Jerry Fink. In 1974 he again tied for first with Robert Burns, Jerry Fink, James Voelker and Arthur Keske with Burns again gaining the title on tiebreaks. 

     I never met Wozney persoanlly, but saw him many times at tournaments in the 60s and 70s and he struck me as being a pleasant, quiet and reserved individual. This game features a snazzy win by Wozney from the 1973 US Open. 

 

ChessBase

Marvin Rogan–Thomas Wozney0–1B80US Open, Chicago1973Stockfish 16

B80: Sicilian Scheveningen 1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 c6 5.c3 a6 6.e3 f6 7.g3 This line is not difficult to meet and is not very challenging to black. 7. Bd3 is the main line. e7 8.g2 0-0 9.0-0 c7 10.e2 White might actually served better by 10.f4 10.f4 d6 11.h1 d7 12.b3 b5 13.a3 b4 14.axb4 xb4 15.g4 with equal chances. Guseinov,G (2625) -So,W (2640) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2009 10...d6 11.ad1 d7 12.f4 ac8 13.g4 This allows a tactical shot that wins a Pawn. 13.f5 b5 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.h3 xd4 16.xd4 Black is slightly better. Honfi, K (2390)-Ribli,Z (2590) Baden-Baden 1981 13.h1 b5 14.xc6 xc6 15.a3 b7 16.d4 equals. Markosian,D (2406)-Bairachny, R (2442) Tula 2000 13...xd4 14.xd4 This move looks logical, but he actually does better by capturing with the R. In any case, black wins a Pawn. 14.xd4 e5 15.d2 xg4 16.e1 e6 17.f5 c4 18.f3 fd8 19.g3 Theoretically black should be able to defend himself, but in Kamishov,M-Baturinsky,V Moscow 1945, he couldn't manage it anbd lost. 14...e5 Picking off the g-Pawn. 15.fxe5 dxe5 15...xg4 would be less effective. 16.exd6 xd6 17.f3 xf3 18.xf3 e5 19.xe5 xe5 20.df1 16.e3 xg4 17.f3 e6 Threatening a pin with ...Bc4 18.g2 c5 19.xc5 xc5+ 20.h1 fd8 21.g1 This attack on g7 is harmless...white simply has no way to follow it up. g6 22.df1 e3 Plunging right into the guts of white’s position and generating tactical threats. Hoping for ...Rd2. 23.e2 Attacking the N on f6, but missing a pretty continuation. 23.g3 was no better though. d2 24.xe5 d7 25.g3 xc2 Black's advantaghe will prove decisive. 23...xc3 Black is clearly winning. 24.bxc3 xe4 25.f3 c5 25...d5 is cute...if 26.xe3 f2# 26.d3 This loses immediately to a nifty little combination, but there wasn’t much else. xd3 27.cxd3 f2+ White resigned. Near flawless play by Wozney. 27...f2+ 28.xf2 xf2 29.f1 d5+ 30.g2 xg2+ 31.xg2 f1+ 32.g1 xd3 0–1

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Dog Fight!

     1895...that was the year legendary baseball player Babe Ruth and a silent film star named Buster Keaton were born. Jell-O was invented. Irish poet, novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde was arrested for "sodomy and gross indecency" and sentenced to prison. 

     Mintonette was invented in Holyoke, Massachusetts. We known it by its later name, volleyball. The first automobile race took place in France. The winner traveled 732 miles in 48 hours and 47 minutes. 

     A Sears catalog from 1895 shows you could get a shirt for as little as 50 cents. A carpenter made around 32 cents an hour and an unskilled laborer made about half of that. 

     That was the year World Champion Lasker moved back to England, first to London and later to Manchester. In the US, Jackson W. Showalter won the 5th US championship by defeating Samuel (or Salomon) Lipschultz in a match by a score of 7-4. 

     In March the leading English player of the 1870s, William Potter died. In May Martin From died in Copenhagen. He was an analyst and is remembered for the Fromn Gambit (1.f4 e5). Problem composer and the 1886 Scottish champion Georges Barbier died in France. 

    In 1895, in December, Harry N. Pillsbury contracted syphilis in Russia and in June of 1906, he died from it. Back in those days mercury was the treatment of choice for syphilis. In the early stages of the disease topical applications may have occasionally aborted the infection, but it was undoubtedly ineffective in curing secondary syphilis. Besides that, the problem was mercury’s toxicity to the central and peripheral nervous systems. It could produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys and it could be be fatal. 

     Before his trip to Russia, the Hastings international tournament was won by Pillsbury. At that time the tournament was not played over Christmas and New Year; it was played from August 5th to September 2nd. 

 

     Today’s’ game was played in that tournament. I remember when I first saw this game (probably back in the early 1960’s) how much I enjoyed it. Recently I played through it again and nothing has changed. The game won Second Brilliancy Prize despite Tarrasch’s rather inept conduct of most of the game. However, his brilliant combination at the end after Walbrodt mishandled the attack, allowed Tarrasch to redeem himself. 

     Tarrasch's opponent, Carl Walbrodt (November 28, 1871 - October 3, 1902), was a leading German master of the period who participated in many tournaments and matches and wrote several chess columns. In real life he and his brother owned a pantograph factory. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the early 1890's and ultimately died from it. 

     Enjoy the complications! 

ChessBase

Siegbert Tarrasch–Karl Walbrodt1–0C77HastingsHastings ENG09.08.1895Stockfish 16

C77: Ruy Lopez 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.c3 d6 6.d4 Black has a wide choice here: 6...Bd7, 6...Nd7, 6...Bd7 and 6...exd4 d7 This transposes into the Steinitz Defense Deferred. It's an interesting and still relatively unexplored system. It appears somewhat passive, but it is extremely solid and flexible. 7.xc6± xc6 8.e2 exd4 9.xd4 d7 10.0-0 e7 11.b3 0-0 12.b2 b5 One early annotator dubbed this a sly move threatening...c5, ...b4 and ...Bb5 winning the exchange. Not true. 12...e8 13.ad1 f8 14.d3 e7 15.fe1 ad8 was played in Marco,G-Taubenhaus,J Ostende 1905. The position is equal. 13.a4 13.ad1 c5 Not the best move. Both 13...Re8 and 13...h6 are good. 14.f5 b4 Taking the N is a little better. 15.a4 b5 This loses. 15...Bxf5 leaves white slightly better. 16.f3 e8 16...xf1 17.xf1 c4 18.e5 is decisive. Hust va samplke line... e8 19.xe7+ xe7 20.xa8 17.g3 g5 18.fe1 g6 19.h4 f6 20.e5 g7 21.exd6 xb2 22.e7+ h8 23.xb2 d7 24.c4 bxc3 25.xc3+ f6 26.a4 c6 27.xc6 xc6 28.d7 g7 29.b4 White is winning. 13...b4 This not only drives back the N, but it also gains space. 14.d1 14.d5 c5 15.f3 15.xe7+ xe7 16.f3 xe4 black has won a P. 15...xd5 16.exd5 f6 17.xf6 xf6 18.ae1 fe8 Black stands slightly better. 14...c5 15.f3 15.f5 was better. xf5 16.exf5 d5 17.e3 d4 18.c4 with about equal chances. 15...c6 In spite of having a backward d-Pawn, black has a nice position. 16.d2 d5 17.e5 With this move Tarrasch is striving for a closed position where Walbrodt’s two B’s don’t have a lot of scope, but the idea fails. 17.exd5 This has been recommended. xd5 18.c4 e8 19.de3 f6 20.xf6 f4 21.xd8 xe2+ 22.h1 axd8 Black has the more active position. 17...e8 18.e3 d7 19.ad1 d4 This move gives white’s N a good outpost on c4, but is gives black's light-squared B a great diagonal plus it also shuts white’s B out of the game. The real surprise is that it is the buried B on c7 that is going to win the game for Tarrasch!! 20.ec4 e6 21.f4 This looks right...it's part pf Tarrasch's pan to keep the game closed.... but it's actually a poor move. 21.de1 keeps the game about equal. d5 22.d3 c6 23.f3 and it's hard to see how either side can make any headway. 21...f5 Excellent! The position is closed, but Walbrodt's position has a lot of freedom and he uses it to build up a promising attack. 22.a5 d5 23.d3 h8 This is the kind of move that engines do not readily find. Black’s plan is to open up the g-file for an assault on White’s K. 24.g3 In view of black's plan the Q is not well placed here and so 23.Nac4 was better. a7 Another great move. Because he in control of the game Walbrodt is preparing to bring the R over to the K-side before undertaking an immediate attack. 24...g5 This immediate assault is also extremely good! 25.f3 gxf4 26.xf4 g8 with good attacking chances. 25.ac4 g8 26.de1 g5 27.e2 d8 28.d3 ag7 29.g3 gxf4 This move was criticized as a mistake by Tarrasch and Reinfeld. Tarrasch recommended ...g4 followed by the advance of the h-Pawn, saying it would have lead to a quick win, but that does not appear to be the case. In fact, 29...gxf4 is the best move in thsi position and it leaves black with a clear advantage. 29...g4 30.d6 f8 30...xd6 31.exd6 xd6 32.xf5 with equal chances. 30...h5 is bad for black... 31.xf5 f7 32.d6 with a significant advantage. 31.xa6 e7 32.ff2 h5 and black's advantage is minimal. 30.xf4 White's pressure on the f-Pawn is not quite enough to equalize. g5 This defends the f_Pawnm but it is a small slip that loses some of his advantage. 30...g4 31.xf5 xf4 32.xf4 32.xe6 xe6 32...f6 33.d6 h5 34.f2 g5 35.f5 xf5 36.xf5 f8 positionally black has the advantage. White has a nifty tactical shot here... 37.xd4 cxd4 38.xd4 g7 39.e6 e7 40.e4 but his chances are only marginally improved. 31.ef2 g7 32.d6 xe5 This is probably not the most effective move. That said, suggesting anything a lot better is a challenge! 32...c7 was recommended without futyher comment by Reinfeld.. After 33.f3 xf3 34.4xf3 xd6 35.exd6 xd6 36.c3 bxc3 37.xc3 Black is a P up, but it's hard to see how he will make further progress. 32...g6 is the engine suggestion, but it only keeps the advantage while noit undertaking anything concrete. 33.f3 f8 34.f1 e7 35.xa6 xf3 36.4xf3 xe5 37.c4 d5 38.b5 f4 39.b6 h5 40.c1 e6 41.e2 h3+ 42.e1 g5 43.xf4 e6 44.xf8+ xf8 45.xg5 xe2+ 46.xe2 Black is clearly better... theoretically at least, but the position is very difficult. 33.xf5 h5 This is a blunder that loses immediately. 33...e6 keeps a slight advantage. 34.e4 xe4 35.xe4 xe4 36.xe4 5g6 37.xc5 xc5 38.xd4+ f6 39.xc5 c6 40.d4+ f6 34.xd4 An amazing change of fate! xg3 Perhaps this was the move Walbrodt was relying on, but it is insufficient. 35.xg3 Rh4 is the strong threat. xg3+ 36.hxg3 xg3+ 37.f1 xd3 38.g4 This is the winner...it leads to mate in 9, so Walbrodt resigned. 38.xd3 would have been a horrible mistake! xb2 39.xd5 e7 40.e4 and black should be able to draw. 38.g4 h5 38...xb2 39.f8+ mate next move. 39.xe5+ f6 40.xf6+ h7 41.g7+ h6 42.cxd3 c4 43.xc4 h4 44.h2 f7 45.xh4+ h5 46.g5 a5 47.hxh5# 1–0

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A Rook Lift Goes Wrong

   

     Today’s game features a common maneuver, the Rook Lift. Rook handling is always a difficult task, especially for beginners and average players.. 

     C.J.S. Purdy pointed out that one of the goals in the opening should be to connect R’s. Most players beyond the beginner level know that. They know the rules about open files, but in many cases find difficulty in answering the question, which R? How do you decide which R goes on the open file? How often have moved the wrong one? They also know the importance of R’s on the 7th (or 2nd) rank and Rooks belong behind passed Pawns, etc. 

     Ludek Pachman wrote that R handling requires a great understanding of the strategy suited to a particular position. There’s that word, strategy...something that seems despised by many average players these days. 

     Another part of Rook handling is the R-lift where Rooks are actively placed in front of its own Pawns to attack the opponent’s King. 

     In fact, sometimes the Rook can even be placed in front of its own Pawns even when there is no thought of attacking the King. The reason for this is that Pawn advances are generally necessary to open files and in a closed, positional type of game players often try to keep Pawns on their original squares as long as possible. So, if the Rools are to operate they must do so in front of their own Pawns. This is a good idea to keep in the back of your mind when the normal methods of using them on open files is ineffective or not available. 

     I was looking for some examples of Rooks in front of its own Pawns and came across the following game in which Eperjesi did just that. However, when I saw that he lost, I was going to move on to another game, but this game has redeeming qualities. Just check out Farago’s 35th and 42nd move. 

     The game also illustrates the point that even after you have established a good position, the game will not win itself. After about 25 moves Eperjesi had a really great position but a series of weak moves let the game slip away. We all know from experience how easily that can happen! 

 

      Laszlo Eperjes (born May 16, 1943) is an International Master and International Arbiter. Ivan Farago (Aoril 1, 1946 – December 12, 2022) was born in Budapest. The Hungarian Chess Federation declared him a master in 1964. He was awarded the IM title in 1974 and the GM title in 1976. 

 

ChessBase

Laszlo Eperjesi2400–Ivan Farago0–1D55Hungarian hamp, Budapest11.12.1977Stockfish 16

D55: Queen's Gambit Declined 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 b4+ 4.d2 e7 5.c3 d5 6.g5 0-0 7.e3 b6 8.c1 b7 9.cxd5 exd5 10.d3 bd7 11.0-0 c5 12.e5 xe5 12...a6 13.b1 e8 14.xd7 xd7 15.a4 equals. Sulava,N (2479) -Cavalcanti,F (2280) Nice 2003 12...h6 13.f4 c8 14.f5 White has the advantage. Goncalves,D (2282)-Leiva,G (2381) chess.com INT 2023 13.dxe5 e8 14.f4 c7 14...f6 15.h5 g6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.xg6+ h8 18.h5+ g8 19.h6 fxe5 White has no more than a draw. Forgacs,L-Swiderski,R Barmen 1905 14...g6 15.h6 g7 16.f4 f5 White is much better. Vidmar,M-Martinolich,G Vienna 1907 14...f5 This is black's best move. 15.c2 g5 16.g3 f4 This loses. Correct was 16...Ng7 with equal chances. 17.xh7+ h8 18.g6 f6 19.exf6 xf6 20.h5 and white went on to win. Schlechter,C-Lasker,E Cambridge Springs 1904 15.c2 g6 16.cd1 The R has no future on c1 and so White places it on a square from which it is in line with the Black Q. c8 17.h6 e8 18.f4 The attacking method in this game has been known since the days of Pillsbury. White is going to play a R-lift, placing it in front of his P’s and attacking Black’s K. c4 19.e2 c5 20.f3 e6 21.a4 Before continuing his attack white wants to drive the B back, but he could have press on with his attack. e7 22.g3 b5 22...h4 was slightly better as after 23.h3 d8 white is better, but he will have to come up with a different plan of attack. For example... 24.f3 b8 25.c3 b5 26.e2 b6 27.d4 and now strive to play g2-g4. 23.f5 Pressing on with his attack at the cost of a P. However, more preparation with moves like Ng4 and Nc3 would have offered better chances of success. xe5 24.f4 g7 24...e4 was better as it shuts down white's attack. 25.xe4 dxe4 and black has equalized. 25.xc7 With this move white's advantage slips away...there is no longer an attack and black now stands better. 25.c3 c5 26.h5 is promising. For example... h8 27.h1 e7 28.fxg6 fxg6 29.xg6 hxg6 30.xg6 f7 31.f1 xe3 32.e2 f8 33.g1 White is slightly better. 25...bxa4 26.f3 A tactical error that allows black to take advantage of the undefended e-Pawn. 26.Bf4 would have been better. c5 27.fxg6 He still should have tried 27. Bf4. After this white's attack just does not have sufficient force. xe3+ 28.h1 hxg6 29.h4 ac8 30.xa4 f6 30...xb2 would also win, but it invites unnecessary complications after 31.g4 and noiw black's best line is e4 32.xc8 xc8 33.f1 e2 33...f4 34.xf4 xf4 35.xf4 c1+ only draws 34.gf3 g4 Black wins as white gains nothing on 35.xf7 f5 36.7xf5 gxf5 37.d1 37.xf5 xh4+ 38.h2 e1+ 39.f1 xf1# 37...xd1 38.xd1 c3 etc. 31.h5 g7 32.a5 c6 33.a3 d4 34.e1? 34.xc6 xc6 35.xe3 xe3 36.xe3 dxe3 37.c3 gxh5 withg a won ending. 34...h4+ Black’s continuation is absolutely brilliant! 35.h3 xh3+ 36.gxh3 xf3+ 37.h2 xd1 Black has more than enough compensation for the Q. 38.g3 xh5 39.d6 c3 40.bxc3 dxc3 41.e5+ g8 42.f6 ...a very forlorn hope. xe5! Another fine move to finish off his opponent. 43.xe5 c2 White resigned. 0–1

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