Open Files Are Important

     Officially, the 1913 Scheveningen tournament celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Nederlandschen Schaakbond, and was held in Scheveningen from July 28-August 8 and it was one of the twenty-year-old Alekhine’s early victories. 

     Edward Lasker was invited at the last minute as a replacement for Nimzovich who had fallen ill. 

     Of the Dutch players Adolf G. Olland (1857-1933, 66 years old), a medical doctor, was the only one with an international reputation. He was the leading Dutch chess master in the time before Max Euwe. 

     Ollan was unofficial Dutch champion in 1895 and 1901 and official champion in 1909. Besides being an active tournament player, he also played a number of matches...29 in all! Olland died of a heart attack playing in the 1933 Dutch Championship at The Hague. 

     Dr. Olland died of a heart attack while playing hos game against A. Hamming, in the 1933 Dutch Championship at The Hague.

     Edward Lasker (188501981, 95 years old) was born in a part of the German Empire that is now in Poland. Before World War I he moved to London, England, but after the outbreak of the war he left the UK for the United States. 

     When America entered the war, he was sent enlistment papers, but with the right of exemption as a German. He waived his right to exemption, hoping that may expedite his request for American citizenship; however, the war was over before he was called. FIDE awarded him the IM title in 1961. Lasker also authored several books. 

 

     In the following game Olland gives us a lesson on the importance of an open file. 

 

ChessBase

Adolf G. Olland–Edward Lasker1–0C83Scheveningen30.07.1913Stockfish 16

C83: Open Ruy Lopez 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.a4 f6 5.0-0 xe4 In the Open Ruy Lopez black tries to make use of the time white takes to regain P to gain a foothold in the center. This defense was to become a favorite of Euwe. 6.d4 b5 6...exd4 is inferior. 7.e1 d5 8.xd4 c5 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.f3 10.xc6 is a loser... xf2+ 11.h1 xe1 12.xe1 12.xd8 f2+ 13.g1 xd1 14.c6 f2+ 15.f1 b6 16.e2 b7 17.xd1 xc6 wins 12...d6 with the advantage. 10...h4 11.g3 Black's attack is at a standstill and white's position is superior. 7.b3 d5 7...exd4 is wrong because after 8.e1 d5 9.c3 e6 9...dxc3 loses 10.xd5 b7 11.xe4 White is winning. 10.xe4 dxe4 11.xe4 and black is at a disadvantage. Robert Fischer - Dr. Petar Trifunovic, Bled 1961 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 e7 10.e3 0-0 11.d3 The customary move is 11.Nbd2. Olland's move apparently was played with the idea of playing Rd1 attacking the d-Pawn three times. However, black can easily meet the threat. 11.bd2 d7 12.e1 ad8 13.c2 is the main line. 11.e1 is not quite up to par. a5 12.c2 c4 13.c1 c5 14.d4 xf2 15.xf2 h4+ Black went on to win. Efimenko,Z (2590) -Kaidanov,G (2629) Moscow 2003 11...a5 This continuation enables an early advance of the c-Pawn and gains black the initiative on the Q-side. 12.bd2 12.d1 is now met by c4 and black is completely equal. 12...xb3N Lasker admitted that the better 12...c5 did not occur to him because he missed the fact that white can’t take on e4 because 13...c4 wins a piece. 12...c5 Five years later Rubinstein did not miss the fact that this is better. 13.c2 13.xe4 is a blunder. c4 14.f6+ gxf6 15.e2 cxb3 13...f5 14.xe4 xe4 15.e2 c4 and the game was eventually drawn. Schlechter,C-Rubinstein,A Berlin 1918 13.axb3 xd2 14.xd2 c5 15.b4 Risky! Both players missed the fact that after this black has a promising continuation with 15...d4 which would have given black Ps on the a- and b-files. It’s true that white gets a P in the center, but it would not be able to advance any time soon. 15.g5 xg5 16.xg5 h6 17.xe6 fxe6 The position is completely even. 15...cxb4 15...d4 16.cxd4 cxb4 17.g5 d5 18.fc1 a5 19.xe7 xe7 20.c5 d7 Stockfish was left to analyze this position for about 30 minutes and up to move 44 the position was judged equal. 16.cxb4 d7 17.fc1 17.c5 fc8 18.ac1 with a slight advantage. 17...f6 Lasker has failed to realize that trying to stop white's operations on the c-file is much more important than his own plan of opening the f-file because white’s f2 is well protected while black’s c7 is not. 17...d4 This is still the right move. Note that if white ha played 17.Bc5 then 17...d4 is not an option. 18.xd4 fd8 19.c3 d5 20.c5 and the position is roughly equal. 18.c5 fxe5 19.xe5 White now has a the edge as black has been forced into a passive position. e8 20.c6 xc5 21.xc5 f6 22.e1 f7 23.e5 b7 24.ec1 af8 Lasker thought perhaps he had drawing chances afte 24...Rc8, but the text is actually his best move. Even so, as it is he drifts into a hopeless, purely defensive game. 24...c8 After about 15 minutes Stockfish can up with the following line... 25.xc8+ xc8 26.c6 e6 27.h3 White stands better and in Shoots outs scored +2 -0 =3 so there is not a lot of difference between Lasker's suggestion and the move played. 25.f3 b8 26.c7 f4 27.1c6 White's Rs on the open file are far more potent than black's on the semi-open file. d8 28.g3 28.b7 was even stronger. h3 29.cc7 The Rs on the 7th rank spell victory. 29.gxh3 g5+ 30.h1 xe5 and now it's black that has the advantage. 29...g5 30.xg7+ xg7 31.xg7+ xg7 32.gxh3 with a winning advantage. For example... d4 33.g2 8f6 34.g3 4f5 35.xd4 Black can only mark time. 28...4f5 29.d4 f7 30.f4 f6 31.c5 e6 32.b7 h8 33.cc7 With black's pieces completely tied up white can win at his leisure. g8 34.c6 f8 35.e7 e8 36.xg8 xg8 37.e7 g6 38.xg7 b1+ 39.g2 c2+ 40.f3 b3+ 41.g4 e6+ 42.g5 Black resigned. White's K has avoided the checks and he now has a mate in 5. 42.g5 f5+ 43.h6 h5+ 44.xh5 d1+ 45.g4+ xd4 46.b8+ g8 47.gxg8# 42.g5 h6+ 43.xf6 c2 44.h7+ g8 45.bg7+ f8 46.h8+ g8 47.hxg8# 1–0

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Judd Clouts Johnston

     One television station has broadcast the slogan, “Cleveland, the Best Location in the Nation”. Don’t believe it. In Cleveland the summers are warm, humid and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, windy and mostly cloudy. The snowy period lasts for four months, from December to April, but snow in November and May doesn’t surprise anybody. Violent weather like thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding and blizzards are not unknown. 

     The Second American Chess Congress was held in Cleveland in 1871, the beginning of the city’s Gilded Age of the 1870s. The years following the Civil War were a time of great growth and progress in Cleveland, a time when industry took root and immigrants began to build up the land Moses Cleaveland founded in 1796. With a population of about 93,000 it was the 15th largest city in the country. Today it ranks 54th. 

     Only nine players showed up to compete for what was even in 1871 a measly prize fund of $100, the equivalent in purchasing power of about $2,521.89 today,

     The entrants were: George H. Mackenzi of New York City, Henry Hosmer of Chicago, Frederic Elder of Detroit, Max Judd of Cleveland, Preston Ware of Boston, H.D. Smith of Cassoplis, Michigan, Henry Harding of East Saginaw, Michigan, Arthur Johnston of Cincinnati, Ohio and W.B. Haughton of Chicago. 

 

 

     The following brevity from the event is quite entertaining. The player with the white pieces was Arthur Johnston (1841-1919) who was botn in London, England. He immigrated to the United States in 1861 and shortly thereafter fought in the Civil War as a member of Company A, Illinois 4th Cavalry. 

     After the war, he became court reporter for the Federal Court in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1865 he was secretary of the Cincinnati Chess Club. 

     By 1874, he was living in Santa Ana, California, where he engaged in farming and raised orchids commercially. Later he gave up those endeavors and returned to being a court reporter and public stenographer. He authored two or three books on the relations of Great Britain and the United States. 

     In 1894 he competed in the Southern California Correspondence Chess in which he finished second. 

     After his wife died in 1911, he began to travel, taking a pleasure trip to Canada and visiting Cincinnati. His remaining years were spent in Asheville, North Carolina and wintering in Jacksonville, Florida. Johnston died of cancer at a hotel in Jacksonville. His body was returned to Santa Ana where he was interred next to his wife. 

     Max Judd (18101906) was born in Poland and emigrated to the United States in 1862. Judd was founder and president of the Saint Louis Chess Club. He was appointed by President Cleveland as the U.S. Consul General to Austria. His brothers Maurice and Isidor were amateur players. It’s hard to say how strong Judd was, but Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have come in 1882 when his rating is estimated to have been 2610 ranking him at #9 in the world. The top players on that list were Zukertort, Steinitz, Mackenzie, Blackburne, Winawer, Mason, Englisch, Paulsen< Judd and Wittek. 

     Don’t be surprised if you never heard of Alexander Wittek (1852-1894) who was an Austrian-Hungarian architect and chess master. 

     As an architect, Wittek worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Austro-Hungarian Empire. His most well-known works in Sarajevo are the City Hall building which later became the National Library and the Sebilj public fountain. As a chess master he tied for 5–6th at Berlin 1881, the 2nd DSB–Congress which was won by Blackburne. He finished 9th in Vienna 1882, which was won bySteinitz and Winawer won). 

     Wittek died in a lunatic asylum in Graz in 1894, having been diagnosed with a "paralytic mental disorder" the previous year. This is a disorder in which mental health issue disrupt how the brain works. It causes real, physical symptoms that a person can't control. Symptoms can include seizures, weakness or paralysis, or reduced input from one or more senses like sight, sound, etc. One source says that he committed suicide, but another cites tuberculosis. 

ChessBase

Arthur Johnston–Max Judd0–1B212bd American Congress, Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OH USA1871Stockfish 16

B21: Sicilian Defense 1.e4 c5 2.f4 I am not sure what to call this opening: the Grand Prix (2.f4), the Alapin (2.c3) or the Kopec System (2.Bd3), It's probably a hybrid..Bd2 e6 3.f3 c6 4.c3 e7 After 4...Nf6 white has tried 5.Bd3 and 5.e5, Black has also played 4...Nge7 and 4...h6. All are reasonable moves, but 4...d5 seems the best move. 5.d3 d5 6.e5 b6 7.c2 h6 Thanks to his 4th move this rather poor position for the N is the only reasonbale way to try and get it into play. ...Nf5 is a possibility, but it' curious that the N remains here until it delivers mate! 8.a3 Rther than stopping short white should have moved this P on square further, or he could have castled. 0-0 9.d4 c4 Closing the position was not the best idea because now white's position is the more active. 9...f6 or even 9...cxd4 would have been preferable. 10.h4 10.bd2 was better. f6 11.exf6 gxf6 12.f1 d7 13.e3 with a promising position. 10...f6 11.exf6 xf6 12.g5 This attacks h7, but it's premature. White should have castled. e5 A brilliant and surprising move that leaves white's K fatally explosed. 13.dxe5 13.xh7+ h8 14.0-0 g4 15.c2 exd4 rips the guts out of white's position! 16.cxd4 xd4 17.f2 e2+ 18.h1 xf2 19.xf2 xc1 20.g6 d4 21.d2 b3 13...xe5 There's no point in being picky and pointing out that 13...Nxe5 was a wee bit better because in either case black is winning. 14.xd5+ h8 15.e4 At least Johnston avoids the worst! 15.fxe5 results in mate... f2+ 16.d1 g4+ 17.f3 xf3 18.gxf3 xf3+ 19.xf3 xf3+ 20.d2 d8+ 21.e1 xh1+ 22.e2 g2+ 23.e1 g4 24.e3 xe3 25.d3 xd3 26.d2 xd2# 15.xh7 is equally hopeless. xf4 16.xf4 xf4 White's K is fatally caught in the center. 17.d2 f5 18.xf4 xc2 19.g5 e8+ wraps it up. 15.b4 is the best white has, For example... e8 16.f1 f6 17.xc4 17.d2 g4 18.e4 e7 19.c5 d8 20.xc4 e8 Here, too, white is in a lot of trouble. 17...g4 18.e4 ac8 19.c5 Black is clearly better, but he has no forced win. 15...f5 16.e3 xe3+ Even the trade of Qs can't stop Judd's attack. 16...d4 17.cxd4 ae8 is also good 17.xe3 xc2 18.fxe5 xe5 19.d2 Materially white is not too badly off as he has a B+P vs a R, but he he has three undeveloped pieces and his K is exposed. Judd's attack is merciless d3 20.d4 f5 21.e1 c6 Heading for b3. White can't do anything but wait. 22.f3 22.a4 is met by xd4 23.cxd4 f2+ 24.c3 c2+ 25.b4 xb2+ 26.a3 b3+ 27.a2 but this position is equally hopeless. 22...a5 At least had white played 22.a4 his K ended up on a square where is was sheltered from mate, but now it's driven to it's doom. 23.e3 White commits suicide. 23.e3 b3+ 24.d1 xa1 with an easy win. 23...b3 24.a2 24.f2 xa1 ...and wins. 24...g4# A fine attacking exhibition by Judd. 0–1

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Short, Ultra-Sharp Game by Nezhmetdinov

     In Russia, back in the early days before rating systems, the Master title could be earned by scoring 50 percent in the Soviet Championship, by winning a match from an established Master, by drawing two matches with an established Master or by winning a tournament that had at least three Masters participating. 

      In 1948, Vladas Mikenas and Rashid Nezhmetdinov played a natch for the Master title, but I am not sure which player was attempting to gain the Master title, but I strongly suspect that it was the Lithuanian Mikenas. In any case, the match ended in a 7-7 tie. 

     Vladas Mikėnas (1910-1992) was a chess legend in Lithuanian, an International Master, an Honorary Grandmaster and a journalist. He was one of the most outstanding players from the Baltic's prior to World War II. He emigrated from Estonia to Lithuania in 1931. After Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940, he also played in many Soviet Championships. 

     Rashid Nezhmetdinov (1912-1974) was a Soviet player and writer as well as a checker champion. He was a fierce and imaginative attacking player who was capable of beating anyone in the world. 

     Unfortunately the only time he played outside the Soviet Union was at Bucharest in 1954 where he finished 2nd behind Korchnoi. He had a lifetime plus score against Tahl and Spassky, but his weakness was that given a position where there were few attacking chances he would often try and complicate in the hopes of attacking even if it was not justified. He served as Tahl’s trainer in the latter’s championship matches against Botvinnik. 

     The following short, sharp encounter from their match was played with precision by Nezhmetdinov. 

ChessBase

Rashid Nezhmetdinov–Vladas Mikenas1–0B02Match for Title of MasterKazan URS03.1948Stockfish 16

B02: Alekhine Defense: Chase Variation 1.e4 f6 A Mikenas favorite. I've always had a macabre fascination with this defense...like a car accident where you don't want to look, but can't force yourself to turn away. 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 d5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 d6 7.xd5 exd5 8.xd5 c6 This move was Mikenas’ invention. 8...dxe5 Mikenas thought this move was bad which is why he preferred 8...c6 9.f3 is the move Mikenas feared, but after 9.b3 f6 10.xb7 xb7 11.xb7 c6 12.c8+ White is better. Roeder,F (2275) -Ruehrig,V (2300) Germany 1982 9...f6 10.xb7 xb7 11.xb7 d7 The position offer chances to both sides after either 12.d4 or 12.b4. After the obvious 12.c6 c5 13.b5 b8 14.e2 d3+ 15.f1 c5 white would be lost. 9.xf7+ At the time this game was played this sacrifice was unexpected, but it's the best move even though white's advantage turns out to be minimal. xf7 10.cxd6 e8 10...e6 was played in the 3rd game of the match which continued 11.f4 and now black unnecessarily returned the extra piece with 11.h3 Nezhmetdinove came up with this improvement in the post-game analysis. h4 is much worse. 11...xh3 12.f3+ 12.f3+ g8 13.f4 White is better. 11...xd6 12.exd6 e8 13.f2 xd6 and black won. Actually, this position is fully even, but in the post-game analysis Nezhmetdinov came up with the improvement at move 11 and so Mikenas avoided 10. ..Be6 11.e2 11.f3+ 11 years later Vasiukov discovered this better move in his game against Spasskey. g8 12.e3 Now black can’t return the extra piece by sacrificing it for the P on d6. e6 13.e2 d7 14.0-0 White has the more promising position. Vasiukov, E-Spassky,B Tbilisi 1959 11...c5 12.f3 xd6 Nezhmetdinov wrote, "A timely sacrifice which can’t be accepted by white." 13.g5+ 13.exd6 xe2+ 14.xe2 e8+ 15.d1 This position offers equal opportunities to both sides, so the sacrifice could have been accepted without incurring any disadvantage. 13...g6! 14.d3+ Instead of this white had a couple of more promising continuations: either 14.d4 or 14.f4 and the chances would have been avout equal, Now, depite the precarious looking position of black's K, it is he who is winning! xg5 15.xd6 15.f4+ turns out to not to be an improvement. h6 16.xd6+ g6 17.xc5 xg2 18.g1 e4+ An unbalanced material situation (white has 2Ps vs. a N) has been reached and black has what should prove to be a decisive advantage. 15...d8 This move tosses away his advantahe and now the chances are back to equal. 15...c6 is good because once Qs are traded white’s attack fizzles out 16.d3+ h5 17.e3 xd6 18.exd6 Again, black has what should be a winning position and did, in fact, win 5 out of 5 Shootouts in games lasting 50-60 moves. In practice white may have remote chances of salvaging a draw. 16.d4+ f5 This is the move that loses the game. Even though the position of black's K looks really bad, it's quite safe after 16...Kh5!! 16...h5 17.xc5 White must avoid the exchange of Qs e6 18.0-0 c6 Now that black has gotten his pieces unto play there is little chance that white can successfully conduct a winning attack. In Shootouts white manages to score +1 -0 =4 16...h5 17.g4+ as in the game does not work. xg4 18.xc5 and black is winning. 17.g4+ This is the only winning move that white has. e4 17...xg4 18.g1+ f5 19.g5+ e4 20.xc5 Surprisingly white ha sno forced mate, but black's K is fatally exposed. 18.xc5 f8 19.0-0 Stockfish spots a mate in 15 moves. f3 20.h3 b6 21.c3+ e4 22.c4 Black resigned as mate is unavoidable. 22.c4 xg4 23.hxg4 xf2 24.e1+ f3 25.d3+ xg4 26.e4+ h5 27.xh7+ g4 28.e4+ g3 29.g6+ g5 30.xg5+ h3 31.g4# 1–0

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Fischer Bashes Weinstein

     The year 1963 was a momentous one for me; I graduated from high school and entered the military. The other day when we entered a store I was wearing a USMC cap and the greeter informed me he was an ex-Marine and asked when I got discharged. I tole him 1967 and he replied that was the year he was born and then added, “I’m glad you’re still here.” So am I! 

     The big event in 1963 happened in Dallas, Texas on November 23rd...President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Did singer/songwriter Bob Dylan know anything about it?  Read article...

     In 1963, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, “They’ll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.” On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Perry hit his first and only home run. 

     Ben Franklin (aka “the dime store” or “the five & dime”), a chain of variety stores went bankrupt in the 1990s, but some independently owned stores still exist. They were selling turtle kits that included a bowl, food, ornament and gravel for 44 cents. You could buy a baby turtle to go with the kit for 25-50 cents. That may seem pretty cheap, but in 1953, 50 cents was almost $5.00 today. Back in the 1950’s I never bought a turtle, but used to go catch them for free at a pond near our home. I named all my turtles...they were all named Herman. 

     The year 1963 started off with Bobby Fischer winning the US Championship with 6 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss (to Edmar Mednis). The next championship (1963/64) was different...he scored 11-0. 

     Players who passed away that year were: Hermann Helms (1870-1963) and Weaver Adams (1901-1963), Boris Kostic (1887-1963) and Gosta Stoltz (1904-1963). 

     Today’s game is Fischer vs. Weinstein, played in the 1963/64 US Championship. The story of IM Raymond Weinstein (born April 25, 1941) is a tragic one. 

     While in Amsterdam studying under the Dutch psychology professor and International Master Johan Barendregt, Weinstein assaulted Barendregt, got deported and while being detained in a halfway house (a type of recovery residence for those transitioning out of drug and alcohol rehab, mental health treatment, and/or incarceration) he slit his 83-year-old roommate’s throat with a razor when the old man made derogatory remarks about Weinstein’s mother who was also institutionalized. 

     Weinstein was deemed incapable of standing trial and was sent to the Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Manhattan’s Wards Island where he remains.

     Author and chess activist Sam Sloan visited Weinstein in 1996 and described him as having gotten obese and having a habit of rubbing the side or under his nose, During the 45 minute Weinstein did not utter a single word and just stared blankly at Sloan. Weinstein did not give any indication that he recognized nbames like Kasparov, Karpov, Fischer, Anand and other top grandmasters or that he even knew what Sloan was talking about. Finally, Weinstein went to the attendant and told her rather angrily that he wanted to go back to his ward.

 

     In the following game he got defeated by Fischer, but so did the ten other players Fischer faced.

 

ChessBase

Robert Fischer–Raymond Weinstein1–0C96US Championship 1963/64, New YorkNew York, NY USA28.12.1963Stockfish 16

C96: 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 This is all book in the Ruy. Fischer's move, preventing the pin by ...Bg4, is by far the most popular because if white allows it then according to my database black does much better. In fact, the black scores about 50 percent. a5 10.c2 c5 11.d4 cxd4 Just about any reasonable move has been played by black here. 12.cxd4 b7 13.d5 c8 It's interesting that my database has only a couple of games with this move, but it's the one preferred by Stockfish. It makes sense though to reposition the B which has no future on b7 after white has closed the center with his lst move. 13...c8 This is the move that is usually played. 14.b3 c7 15.d3 xe4 16.xe4 f5 White is better. Morozevich,A (2742) -Ponomariov,R (2684) Moscow 2001 14.bd2 g6 14...d7 15.f1 c8 16.b3 h5 17.d3 g6 18.h6 e8 19.d2 f5 20.exf5 gxf5 Black resigned. White is considerably better, but reso\ignation seems premature. Garrido Outon,A (2380) -Djokic,M (2227) Vrnjacka Banja SRB 2023 15.b4± Did Weinstein see this possibility and that's the reason he retreated his B on move 12? b7 The N has a dim future on b7. 16.a4 d7 16...a5 This messy looking move was somewhat better. After 17.axb5 d7 18.b3 xb5 white's advantage is minimal. 17.axb5 axb5 This is questionable because it allows white a lot of pressure on the Q-side. 17...a5 was much better because after 18.a4 18.bxa5 xb5 19.b3 xa5 black has equalized. 18...axb4 19.b3 White is slightly better. 18.xa8 xa8 19.e3 A brilliant move. Fischer is going to pace his R on the 7th rank from where it will exert a tremendous influence. c8 20.a3 c7 21.b3 More brilliant play by Fischer. Before going to a7 with the R he first improves the position of this N and then ties Weinstein down to the defense of his b-Pawn. If at once 21.Ra7 Qb8 and the R must retreat. h5 22.d3 c8 23.f1 f6 Indirectly defending the b-Pawn. 24.g5 By threatening to take the N white would then be free to capture the b-Pawn. 24.xb5 xe4 25.xd7 xd7 26.a7 c3 27.d2 xd5 28.a6 c7 29.b5 d8 Black has pretty much equalized because the advance of the b-Pawn is held up. For example, if... 30.b6 xb6 31.xb6 c1+ 24...b8 25.a7 Fischer disdains the win of a P and instead chooses to keep black under great pressure. 25.xf6 xf6 26.xb5 c5 27.xd7 xd7 28.b5 c2 29.a7 c5 30.xc5 xc5 and the b-Pawn has been rendered harmless. 25...d8 26.a1 e8 26...e8 is a better defense. 27.xe7 xe7 28.a6 c7 29.b6 a8 30.xa8 xa8 31.xb7 d8 32.xb5 xb5 33.xb5 b8 34.a4 White's two Ns and passed P should prevail over the R which they did in 5 Shootouts. 27.a6 c8 Weinstein totally cracks, but he was as good as lost anyway. 28.xe5! dxe5 29.xf6 xf6 30.xf6 c3 31.c5 xc5 32.bxc5 e8 32...xd3 33.xd7 f8 34.c6 xe4 35.c7 f5 36.xf5 gxf5 37.d8 33.f1 xc5 34.e7 b4 35.d6 b6 36.c4 Black resigned 36.c4 b3 36...b7 37.xe8# 37.xf7+ xf7 38.xf7+ h8 39.g7# 1–0

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Alekhine Smashes Zubarev

     Here is an instructive game by Alekhine against a little known Master from Moscow that was played in a First Category tournament. First Category was approximately equal to an Elo rating of 2000-2125, or roughly USCF Expert. 

     Alekhine is known to everybody, but the chances are you never heard of the Soviet player Honored Master of Sport Nikolai Zubarev (January 10, 1894 – January 1951), twice champion of Moscow. 

     The title of Honored Master of Sport was a Soviet government honor introduced in 1934; it was awarded by the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport to athletes, including chess players, for outstanding performance. The award was in the form of a badge and certificate. Though normally conferred for life, it was revoked in the case of Alla Kushnir and Viktor Korchnoi following their defection from the Soviet Union. Mark Taimanov also had his award revoked in 1971 following his crushing defeat by Bobby Fischer, but it was restored in 1991.

     Back in the 1930s, when Nikolai Krylenko reigned in Soviet chess, Zubarev wielded considerable authority as a Krylenko deputy. As a key member of Krylenko’s Chess Section, Zubarev was instrumental in setting up the Soviet title system. It was during those days that Alekhine would occasionally drop by his home in Moscow where they would analyze and play skittles. 

     Vasily Panov described Zubarev's play as follows...at the board he personified common sense, a cold-blooded rationalist, with high-arching, skeptical eyebrows. Zubarev followed opening theory rigidly and sought conservative, clear-cut, low-risk plans, but was often helpless when positions became murky or the opening was new to him. 

     The following game game is fairly well known because it demonstrates the importance of the P-center and how it cab fuel an attack. Alekhine begins the game with positional play, but when the time is right switches to tactical play.

 

ChessBase

Alexander Alekhine–Nikolay Zubarev1–0E321st Category tournament, MoscowMoscow RUE1915Stockfish 16

E32: Nimzo-Indian: Classical (4 Qc2): 4...0-0 1.d4 f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3 b4 Zubarev was an early fan Nimzovich even though My System wasn’t published until 1925. 4.c2 This was an early attempt to refute the Nimzo. From here the Q guards the N on c3 and offers the possibility of playing e2-e4. b6 This move has pretty much disappeared from Master practice because it's makes a major concession in that it allows white to advance his e-Pawn. Correct is 4. ..O-O, but 5...d5 and even 4...c5 are preferrabe. 4...0-0 Now white usually plays 5.a3 5.e4 d5 6.e5 and black equalies after e4 5.e4 b7 6.d3 xc3+ This takes advantage of the fact that white can’t recapture with the Q. 6...c5 This is best met by… 7.d5 with a space advantage plus black's B on b7 is extremely limited in scope. 7.bxc3 Forced because of the pressure on e4. White now has doubled c-Pawns, but that’s really unimportant and, as a trade off he has the two Bs and good control of the center. d6 The prepares a counterattack on white’s center with ...c5 or ... e5 8.e2 Better than 8.Nf3 which blocks the f-Pawn. bd7 Black already has a dismal position. 9.0-0 0-0 9...e7 10.f4 e5 10...0-0-0 11.a4 a5 12.g3 with good play. Virkud,A (2027)-Amrayeva,A (2191) Porto Carras GRE 2015 11.g3 g6 12.c5 exd4 13.c6 xc6 14.cxd4 b8 15.f5 fd7 16.d5 b7 17.xc7 a6 18.xa6 xa6 19.b7 Black resigned in Horvath,J (2525)-Fokin,S (2365) Budapest 1990 10.f4 h6 Oddly, this game was duplicated up to this point 13 years later. 11.g3 Bringing up the reserves. 11.e5 This is good, too. It shows how strong white's position is that in both games bnlack didn't last long. e8 12.g3 c5 13.e2 h4 14.f5 cxd4 15.f4 d8 16.cxd4 dxe5 17.dxe5 c7 18.g4 e7 19.xg7+ Black resigned. Euwe,M-Colle,E Amsterdam 1928 11...e7 12.e2 Equally playable was 12.e5, but from e2 the Q may eventually join the attack by going to h5. ae8 What's the purpose of this move? There isn’t any, but he has to play something. 13.a3 Black is clearly facing imminent disaster, but how will it manifest itself? c5 Black is so cramped, so cramped he has to do something and so he tries to break the pin. 14.ae1 Alekhine brings one more piece to the K-side. h8 Zubarev is without any viable options. 14..cxd4 15. cxd4 only mobilizes white’s center Ps. 14...e5 loses as follows... 15.f5 d8 16.xd6 exf4 17.e5 f3 18.gxf3 with a crushing position. 15.d5 The immediate 15.e5 was also good. g8 Other moves were possibve, but not a one of them could be considered an improvement. 16.e5 A serious tactical mistake because it drops the d5-Pawn. 16.c1 This fine retreat (found by the engines) brings the B back into the game. d8 17.d1 c8 18.e3 g6 19.ef3 e5 20.f5 df6 21.c2 h7 22.h1 g7 23.h3 a6 24.e2 g5 There is no forced win, but white can keep up the pressure with either 25.Rg3 or 25.Ba4 16...g6 Zubarev returns the favor and so white remain unscathed. 16...dxe5 equalizes! 17.fxe5 exd5 18.cxd5 xd5 19.b1 xe5 20.c2 f5 21.xf5 g5 22.g3 xf1+ 23.xf1 g6 24.c1 Black is a P up, but he still has to contend with a strong white attack, so practically speaking the chances are equal 17.d2 Now things are back on track. It would not have beneficial for white to capture with either P, but he could also have played 17.Ne4 with the advantage. 17.e4 dxe5 17...exd5 18.xd6 dxc4 18...b8 19.xb7 wins outright 19.xc4 c6 20.xe8 with a winning advantage. 18.fxe5 d8 19.d6 a6 20.c1 with a clear advantage. 17...exd5 This is neither better nor worse than taking with the other P because white already has what amounts to a winning position. 18.cxd5 dxe5 18...xd5 is the alternative, but after 19.b5 b7 20.exd6 black is better oof than after 18...exd5 19.c4 h7 Black is simply out of meaningful moves. 19...f5 is met by 20.fxe5 xe5 21.b2 and the game is over. 20.b2 gf6 21.fxe5 g4 22.e6 This destroys black’s defenses. The move attacks the N, the f7 square and opens the long diagonal. h4 This threatens ...Qxh2# and, on 23. h3, black can take the N. Even in that caser white;s position is so good that he would still win! 22...fxe6 leads to disaster. 23.xg6+ g8 24.xe6 xf1+ 25.xf1 23.xf7+ An outounding move that may have come as a complete surprise to Zubarev. Stockfish informs us that white now has a mate in 13 moves. 23.h3 xg3 24.hxg4 b8 25.c3 f6 26.xg6+ g7 26...xg6 27.xf6+ mates in 3 27.xg3 23...xf7 24.xg6+ Of course the prosaic 24.exf7 also wins. xg6 25.d3+ g5 26.c1+ Black resigned. 26.c1+ f6 27.f5+ g7 28.xf7+ h8 29.xe8+ h7 30.xd7+ h8 31.b2+ f6 32.e7 d4+ 33.xd4 cxd4 34.xf6+ g8 35.f5 c6 36.g7# 1–0

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Sal Matera Wins 1967 US Junior Championship

 

     Sal Matera (born February 5, 1951) was awarded the IM title in 1976. In 1967, as a sixteen-year-old Junior at Brooklyn Preparatory School, at the US Junior Championship je tool the lead at the half way point nd clinched the title in the semi-final round. The event was played at the Henry Hudson Hotel in New York City. 

     After five rounds Matera had 4.5-0.5 points, Robert Wachtel had 3.5-1.5 and Walter Browne had 3.0-2.0. Matera couldn’t afford a loss as that would have lefty him tied with Wachtel going into the last round A draw could have meant that if he lost in the last round a tie for first with Browne was a possibility. However, Matera defeated Wachtel nd so even though he lost his last round game to Browne (given below) he still emerged as Junior Champion. 

     Walter Browne (January 10, 1949 – June 24, 2015) was an Australian-born American chess and poker player. He was warded the GM title in 1970. Browne was a six time winner of the US Chess Championship six times, a record exceeded only by Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky. 

     Browne was noted for spending a lot of time during the opening and early middlegame and so often found himself in time trouble and so mistakes popped up, but Browne played well blitzing out good moves which sometimes disconcerted his opponents. Early on his intensity and fighting spirit sometimes lead to unsportsmanlike behavior, but as he matured such conduct disappeared, but not his aggressive play! 

 

     Going into the last round, when this game was played, Browne was only a half point ahead of Wachtel, so there was no doubt that he was going to be playing for the win. The result was a sharp game which Browne handled superbly. 

     Matera annotated the game in Chess Life, but as is often the case in pre-engine days, some of his conclusions were inaccurate. Actually, Matera played a muchgbetter game than the thought! 

ChessBase

Sal Matera–Walter Browne0–1A61US Junior Champ, New York7New York, NY USA16.07.1967Stockfish 16

A73: Modern Benoni 1.c4 f6 2.c3 e6 3.d4 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 The systen Browne uses here was made popular by Tal during his rise to World Champion. Later Fischer used it. It leads to a very double-edged position in which white aims for an attack in the center, usually by the advance of his e-Pawn. Black intends to use his Q-side majority to counterattack and disrupt white's pieces. A secondary goal for black is to reach an ending in which the Q-side P-majority can be exploited. In the meantime, black intends to use the half-open e-file to hold back the advance of ehitr's e-Pawn and, at the same time, exert prtessure on it. 6.f3 g6 7.d2 Matera explained that this is an important move because it preserves this important N and it may go to c4 from where it attacks black's e-Pawn. White wants to play e4, but Matera did not want to do so at once because of 7...Bg4 7.e4 Now black should play either 7...a6 or 7...Bg7 g4 This does not seem to be disadvantageous for white. 8.a4+ d7 8...d7 9.b5 8...bd7 and now 9.d2 and black has to weaken his position in order to deal with the threat of 10.h3 9.b3 Black has lost time with the B and he is also under a great deal of pressure. 7...g7 8.e4 0-0 9.e2 a6 10.0-0 b8 10...c7 is a good alternative. 11.a4 a6 12.f3 b8 13.a5 d7 14.c4 e5 15.b6 d7 16.c4 e5 and white's advantahge is minimal. 11.f3 Matera had hoped to transpose into the game Petrosian-Schmid, Zurich 1961, but it's not possible because in that game black played 10...Re8. Matera considered 11.f3 to be a waste of time, but it's not really bad at all. That said, 11.,a4 would have been more precise though. 11.a4 b4 12.c4 e8 13.f4 a6 14.d2 b6 15.e5 with the better game. Pinter,J (2570)-Hansen,C (2560) Dortmund 1988 11...c7 12.a4 Typical in these types of positions because it hinders ...b5. b6 13.c4 a6 14.f4 fe8 Black is now ready for . ..b5 15.e5 ...and so white pushes on. dxe5 16.xe5 b7 17.d2 Matera thought that even though white has a number of possible moves here none are satisfactory. Actually, the position is quite equal here, but whereas it's hard to suggest anything better for white than shifting pieces, black has an active position. Sooner or later white is likely to find himself in a position where he must find only the best boves to avoid disaster. ..a dangerous situation to be in against a player like Browne! 17.c6 It's probably best to avoid this. xc6 18.dxc6 d4+ 19.h1 f6 20.d5 xd5 21.xb8 e3 22.b3 xf1 23.xf1 xc6 24.xa6 g7 Although material is equal and white has the two Bs black's position remains the more active. 17...xd5 Matera called this move daring and recommended 17...Nd6, but Browne's judgment is correct...17...Nd6 favors whitr. Even so, here the position remains equal. 18.xd5 18.fd1 Matera thought he could have seized the advantage with this, but that's not the case. f6 19.c4 xc4 20.xc4 xd2 21.xd2 bc8 22.xc7 xc7 23.xa6 with com[lete equality. 18...xd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.g3 ec7 20...xe5 21.xe5 ec7 keeps the P, but leaves white with two Bs which could make themselves felt. 21.d7 xb2 22.ab1 d4+ 23.h1 b7 24.xf8 xf8 Matera mistakenly asserted that black has now reached a winning position. His pieces are well coordinated and beautifully centralized and he will soon have two connected passed pawns. All very true, but the game is hardly won! In Shootouts usimng Stockfish 7 games (11-21 plies) ended in draws. 25.c4 Even at the cost of giving black the two Bs white decides to get rid of one of black's well-placed pieces and it's this move that turns out tp be the one that loses the game. 25.d6+ is correct. g7 26.b3 e8 27.g3 b4 28.d1 a5 and it's doubtful that either side can make any progress. 25...e3-+ 26.fc1 xc4 27.xc4 e6 28.h4 This doesn't accomplish anything; his only hope was to try and get his K over to the Q-side, but there is no way to accomplish that. 28.c2 e7 29.f2 d6 30.xd4 xd4 31.d2 b5 32.axb5 axb5 33.g1 d5 34.f2 b4 35.e3 Almost there...but not quite! c4 36.c1+ b5 37.d3 e7+ 38.d2 e2+ with an easy win. 28...e7 Centralizing. 29.h5 d7 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.e1 c6 32.c2 b5 33.axb5+ axb5 34.a2 b4 35.a8 This maneuver is meaningless as Black has no weaknesses. b3 Brown conducts the final phase pre- cisely. 36.g3 c4 37.c8+ d5 38.g2 b2 39.f1 a7 40.b8 c3 White resigned. A great demonstration by Browne. 0–1

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Vienna 1950/51

     The Korean War started in 1950 when North Korean Communist invade South Korea and on June 27th the United States got involved; it ended in 1953. I have memories that in either 1952 or 1953 sitting in my parents’ living room with my sister and her boy friend (a fellow named Howard) who was wearing his Army uniform. He had been wounded in Korea and was home on leave. 

     On November 1, 1950, there was an assassination attempt on President Truman by Puerto Rican nationalists. The day before the attempt, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola boarded a train to Washington from the Bronx in New York. They carried with them two pistols and had the goal of bringing national attention to the cause of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. 

     There was a shootout and White House policeman Leslie Coffelt became the first and only member of the Secret Service to die protecting the President from an assassination attempt. Griselio Torresola (July 19, 1925 – November 1, 1950) was, in turn, killed by a returned shot from Coffelt. 

     Oscar Collazo (January 20, 1914 – February 21, 1994) was convicted and sentenced to death, but Truman commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. In 1979 Collazo's sentence was commuted to time served by President Jimmy Carter. He was paroled and he return to Puerto Rico where he continued to participate in activities related to the independence movement. On February 21, 1994, he died of a stroke in Vega Baja, having passed his 80th birthday by just over a month.

     Today you step into an elevator and push a button for the floor you want and that’s it. But it wasn’t always that way. In 1950, the first self-service elevator was installed in Dallas, Texas by Otis Elevator. 

     Before that there used to be elevator operators. A good elevator operator had to have skills. Early elevators were usually controlled by a lever and the operator had to start and stop it, regulate its speed which required a good sense of timing because he had to stop it so the car was lined up the with the floor. They operator also had to open and close the doors manually. They were also trained in safety and in large department stores they served as greeters, announced product available on each floor and occasionally mentioning special offers. 

     In the chess world the year started off with Laszlo Szabo of Hungary winning at the Hastings 1949/50 tournament. Larry Evans, age 17, finished 4th. 

     In early January, Liudmila Rudenko (1904-1986) won the 2nd Women's World Championship, held in Moscow. 

     David Bronstein and Isaac Boleslavsky won the first candidates tournament, held in Budapest. Bronstein won the playoff, 7.5-6.5. Reshevsky was unable to play because the State Department would not allow US citizens to travel to Hungary. 

     FIDE met in Copenhagen and awarded the first Grandmaster title to 27 players, 94 International Master titles and 17 International Women Master titles. The first USCF rating list was published; there were 2,306 rated players, Fine was top rated at 2817 and Reshevsky was 2ndat 2770. 

     James B. Cross won the US Junior championship and Arthur Bisguier won the 1950 US Open. 

     The Yugoslav team (Gligoric, Pirc, Trifunovic, Rabar, Vidmar, Jr. and Puc) won the Dubrovnik Olympiad. The US team (Reshevsky, Steiner, Horowitz, Shainswit, Kramer and Evans) took 4th. Miguel Najdorf won the Amsterdam international. Samuel Reshevsky was 2nd. Paul Keres won the USSR Championship.

     I used to own a duplicate of the Dubrovnik chess set, but it was destroyed when our house flooded this past summer. It's shown here with my chess table and vintage Russian chess clock, both of which survived.

 

     Boris Velinsky (1888-1950) the 1920 USSR champion died in Moscow. In the US , Maurice Wertheim (1886-1950) died in Cos Cob, Connecticut at the age of 64. He was former president of Manhattan Chess Club and chess patron. 

     Lost in all that was a small international tournament in Vienna that was played at the end of the year and finished in 1951. It was won by Alfred Beni (1923-1995), an Austrian International Master. 

 

     The following game from that little known event was played by the little known Karl Kopetzky (1909-1985) of Austria and Bora Tot (1907-1987) of Yugoslavia.

 

ChessBase

Karl Kopetzky–Bora Tot1–0B08Vienna 1950/51Vienna12.1950Stockfish 16

B08: Pirc Defence: Classical System 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 According to Garry Kasparov, the Pirc Defense is "hardly worth using in the tournaments of the highest category" because it gives white "too many opportunities for anybody's liking." Black will have counterplay but has to be cautious about playing too passively. 3.c3 g6 4.f3 The main line is 4.f4. In this line qhite contents himself wityh the classical P center (Ps on d4 and e4). g7 5.h3 The main line is 5.Be2, but white has been quite successful with this move. 0-0 6.e3 bd7 7.d2 c5 8.0-0-0 8.d5 a6 9.a4 a5 10.a2 h5 11.g4 xc3 12.xc3 xc3+ 13.bxc3 g7 14.h4 White's position is the more active. Tsuboi,E (2344) -Rodriguez,A (2485) Sao Paulo 2004 8.e2 cxd4 9.xd4 c5 10.f3 d7 11.0-0 is equal. Gerasimenyk,M (2211)-Kubanov,N Evpatoria 2006 8...a5 Well played...it gives black active play on the Q-side since white's castling there could prove somewhat risky. 9.b1 9.c4 didn't work out too well for white in Jelson,Y-Le Hoang Tran,C Thailand 2005. Black should now continue b6 10.e2 xc4 11.xc4 b5 12.xb5 xb5 13.xb5 xe4 with a good game. 9...b6 But this move is far too passive. The aggressive followup to black's last move was 9...b5! 9...b5 10.xb5 b6 11.c3 b7 12.e5 Whte must continue aggressively to have any hpe of success. 12.d3 ab8 13.b3 b4 with sufficient play for the P/ 12...dxe5 12...cxd4 13.xd4 c7 14.exf6 13.xe5 xe5 14.dxe5 fd8 15.e1 d5 Black has good play, but the chances are about equal if white defends carefully. 10.h6 While it's true that this eliminates black's B it really does not accomplish much. Aginn, 10.e5 is better. 10.e5 cxd4 11.xd4 xe5 12.f4 c5 12...a5 13.c6 h5 14.e2 h4 15.xe7+ h8 16.f2 h6 17.g4 with a winning attack. 13.e6 wuth a excellent position. 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 e8 12.h6 xe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.d5 xc3 15.bxc3 xc3 16.xa8 with a decisive advantage. 10...cxd4 11.xd4 b7 This logical followup to his last move misses a tactical shot that maintains the balance. Now white gets the better of it. 11...xe4 12.xe4 xd2 13.xd2 13.xd2 xh6 wins 13...xd4 14.g5 g7 15.f3 with equal chances. 15.xe7 e8 16.xd6 xe4 and wins 12.xg7± xg7 13.b3 h5 After this it's clear black's Q-side operations have come to a halt. Of course on h5 the Q is subject to harassment. 13...e5 This is the only other available position for the Q, but after 14.f4 h5 15.g4 his position is even worse. 14.g4 h4 15.g2 c5 16.f4 xb3 The decision not to take the e-Pawn was the correct one. 16...fxe4 17.xe4 xe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.d4+ f6 20.g5 wins the pinned N. 16...xe4? just transposes. 17.xe4 cxe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.d4+ f6 20.g5 16...ad8 17.axb3 ad8 18.e3 g8 19.f3 h6 20.hg1 d7 Obviously it would prove too dangerous to take the h-Pawn, but his best chance was countering in the center with 20...e5 20...e5 21.f5 gxf5 22.g5 This excellent move rips open the K-side. hxg5 23.xg5+ xg5 24.xg5+ h7 25.xf5 g8 26.h5+ h6 27.b5 A not so obvious ,ove it would have been difficult to OTB! d5 27...a6 28.xd6 c8 Otherwise Nf5 29.xe5 e6 30.h5 d7 31.e5 and white is winning. 28.exd5 f5 29.c4 e4 and black can at least put up a fight. 21.g5 The threat is 22.Rg4 h5 22.e2 fe8 22...xh3? 23.h1 e6 24.d4 traps the Q 23.h1 a6 Black should still try ...e5 24.c4 Preserving jis N b7 25.d4 Instead of this move which allows black to equalize, white should have pressed on with his attack. 25.f5 e5 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.xd6 White is clearly better. 25...e5 Suddenbly black has equalized! 26.xd6 exf4 This only improves the position of white's pieces. 26...c5 27.fxe5 xe4+ 28.xe4 xe4+ 29.xe4 xe4 30.xd8 xd8 The mass exchanges have made black's defense much easier and here the chances would be equal. 27.xf4 c5 28.xd8 xd8 29.d5 c8 This attack on the h-Pawn is not dangerous, but his position has already badly deteriorated to the point that it's hard to suggest any improvements. 30.d1 e6 30...xh3 leads to mate. 31.f6+ g7 32.xd8 f1+ 33.a2 xf6 34.gxf6+ xf6 35.f4+ f5 36.exf5 d3 37.xd3 g7 38.fxg6 f6 39.d7+ xg6 40.e4+ f5 41.xf5+ h6 42.g6# 31.e7+ Black resigned; white picks up the R. 1–0

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Who Played Black?

     By April 1945, Americans were exhausted, scared and overwhelmed with the month’s headlines. Even though the war in Europe looked to be drawing to an end things looked bleak: Japan was still fighting, economic disaster was predicted, there was a rising death toll plus flu and polio were on the up rise with no end in sight.

     It was the closing stages of World War II and headlines reported the unexpected death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the killing of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the suicide of Nazi tyrant Adolf Hitler. Also in April, on the 18th, beloved columnist Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese machine gun fire.

     Would the American and British armies win the race to Berlin and occupy the enemy capital before the Red Army? Could the Marines take Okinawa and provide a jumping-off point for invading Japan? 

     People wondered how many lives would be lost in the invasion of Japan? In late July 1945, the War Department provided an estimate that there would be between 1.7 to 4 million US casualties, including 400,000 - 800,000 US deaths and 5-10 million Japanese. 

     Other question included how many people had died in the Nazi concentration camps that were being liberated? When would the national rationing program end? There were shortages of everything: paper, ink, gasoline for delivery trucks, photographic film just to name a few. 

     The end of the war appeared tantalizingly close and chess provided a respoter. For West Virginia players there was some good news. The April 10, 1945, issue of the West Virginia Chess Bulletin reported that one of the state’s best players, Reid Holt of Charleston who in the previous issue had been reported as missing in action, had been discovered to be alive and well in Germany. 

     On April 17, 1945, the promising young German player Klaus Junge (1924-1945) was killed in action at the age of 21. Junge, like his father, was a staunch Nazi. On April 17, Lieutenant Junge refused an offer by British troops to surrender and as a result he and those under his command were killed in the Battle of Welle. On their way to capture Harburg, the British 7th Division captured Welle and Tostedt on April 18th. It was one of the last battles of the War. 

     Among the chess action in the Unites States, in Peoria, Illinois, on April 29th there was an 8-board team match played between Illinois and Missouri. As a prelude to the match, Chicago's Samuel Factor gave a simultaneous exhibition, scoring 15 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. 

     The player conducting the white pieces in the following game was Albert Sandrin (1923-2004). As a child his vision was damaged after he stared at the sun. His vision deteriorated and by 1968 he was totally blind.. Despite being blind, Sandrin was still a strong master. He won the 1949 US Open held in Omaha, Nebraska, scoring an undefeated 10-2 in a strong field that included Larry Evans, Arthur Bisguier and Anthony Santasiere. After going blind he lived with his brother Angelo, also a strong master. 

     Exactly who his opponent was is not clear. According to the May 1945 edition of Chess Review the game was played on “April 29th” and Sandrin’s opponent was Lewis W. Haller. How a game played on April 29, 1945, made it into the May, 1945 issue of the magazine is unclear. 

     There was a strong St. Louis player named Lewis T. Haller. His brief biography at chessgames.com gives his date of birth as 1855 and his date of death as March 8, 1936. He is reported to have operated the demonstration board for the games that were played in St Louis as part of the Steinitz-Zukertort World Championship Match in 1886. His brother was William Haller (1856-1920), also a string St, Louis player. 

     But, who was Lewis W. Haller whom Sandrin played? This Haller must have been a pretty strong amateur also because he was playing on board 3. 

     I discovered a Lewis W. Haller, age 46, in the 1940 census. He lived St. Louis and was listed as Head of Household which consisted of his wife Alma (age 48), daughter June (age 24) and son Lewis, Junior (age 18). If I had to guess, my guess is that it was the senior Haller who played black. 

ChessBase

Albert Sandrin (Illinois)–Lewis W. Haller (Missouri)1–0A00Inter-State Match1945Stockfish 16

C68: Ruy Lopez: Exchange Variation 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 a6 4.xc6 This gives black the B pair, but it also weakens his P-structure. White hopes to reach an endgame with a superior P-structure, which may become an important factor. As a result, black must strive for an active position and generally avoid piece exchanges. The variation was dormant for many years until Bobby Fischer began playing it. dxc6 Black may recapture with either P, but this move is almost always played. 5.0-0 This, the most popular move, is sometimes called the Barendregt Variation, a name proposed by Robert Byrne in a 1966 article for Chess Life. Dutch master Johan Barendregt played it in the early 1960s and made considerable contributions to its theory. g4 In Fischer's day 5...f6 was very popular. However, this move is the most aggressive. 6.h3 After this black can play either 6...Bh5 or 6...Bxf3, but the most modern and active variation is 6...h5. xf3 6...h5 White can't take the B. 7.hxg4 hxg4 8.d3 8.e1 h4 9.f4 g3 mates 8...gxf3 9.xf3 h4 10.h3 xh3 11.gxh3 xh3 and black is better. 7.xf3 f6 8.d3 h6 9.c3 9.g3 d6 10.d2 e6 11.c4 d6 12.xg7 0-0-0 13.xd6+ cxd6 14.g3 White is clearly better. Balogh,C (2567)-Massoni,M (2013) Bastia FRA 2005 9.a3 xa3 10.bxa3 e7 11.b1 b6 12.b2 0-0 13.g3 is equal. Antal,T (2175) -Grigoryan,M (2099) Kecskemet HUN 2010 9...d6 9...d7 10.g3 e6 11.e3 0-0-0 12.fd1 Black has the more active position. Ryberg,D-Reppen,E (1922) Copenhagen 2007 10.e3 c5 11.e2 e7 12.g3 g6 This prevents Nf5 13.e2 0-0-0 14.d2 g5 Having prevented white's N from landing on f5 on move 12, black now inexplicably allows it and in and as a result white's position is greatly improved. 14...h5 would have forced white to find another post for his N and kept the position even. 15.f5 d7 16.c3 b6 Black's Pformation on the Q-side is not as solid as it looks as white soon demonstrates...the position is full of holes. 17.a3 a5 17...e6 might work better because it allows him to add the N to the defense of his K. 18.b4 d7 with a position that might prove difficult to crack even though positionally white stands considerably better. 18.f3 An unnecessary precaution. 18.Rfb1 was more direct. h5 19.c4 The light squares around black's K are horribly weak. b7 Prevents Qa6+. 19...f4 allows white to invade as follows... 20.a6+ b8 21.xd6 xd6 22.b4 e2+ 23.h2 d4 24.fb1 c6 25.bxa5 a8 26.xa8+ xa8 27.xd4 xd4 28.axb6 with a won ending. 19...f4 20.b4 is also very good. b5 21.xd6+ cxd6 22.a2 e6 23.bxc5 xa2 24.xa2 dxc5 25.b2 e6 26.xb5 Here, too, white's endgame advantage is decisive. 20.b4 White is on the roll. cxb4 21.xd6+ But with this move he allows black back in the game. 21.fb1 e6 22.xd6+ xd6 23.axb4 xc4 24.dxc4 axb4 25.c5 c6 26.xb4 and white is better, but the win, if it's there, is a long way off. In Shootouts in some long (70+ moves) white scored +2 -0 =3. 21...xd6 22.axb4 xb4 Black's desire to trade Qs and reduce white's attacking possibilities is understandable, but unfortunately for him white now has a won position. 22...axb4 allows black to defend himself. 23.fb1 a8 24.xa8 xa8 25.xb4 f4 with a solid position. 22...axb4 23.a6+ c6 Black's K is quite safe here and surprisingly there is no way for white to make any progress. so he may as well repeat moves with 23.Qa4+ and take the draw. 23.xf7 The invasion by white's Q proves decisive. 23.xb4 actually leaves black with the better game after axb4 24.fb1 c5 25.c3 xd3 26.cxb4 xe3 27.bxc5 c6 28.cxb6 b8 29.b7 xb7 23...f4 24.ab1 hf8 25.g7 e6 25...e2+? 26.f2 g8 27.xh6 h8 28.xh8 xh8 29.xb4 axb4 30.xe2 25...g8 puts up a much tougher fight. Here is analysis by Stockfish... 26.h7 h8 27.g7 hg8 28.xe5 a4 29.f2 ge8 30.b2 d6 31.h2 c6 32.d2 d7 33.xf4 gxf4 34.c4 ed8 35.d4 xc4 36.d5 b4 37.xb4 axb4 38.xb4 e7 39.db2 d6 40.g3 fxg3+ 41.xg3 g6+ 42.f2 f7 43.h4 h5 44.2b3 g4 45.e5 c8 46.e6 f5 47.xg4 hxg4 48.f4 xf4+ 49.g3 d4 50.e3 d8 51.e5 e7 52.h5 b5 53.h6 a4 54.f5 a8 55.f7+ d6 56.d7+ e5 57.e7 wins 26.xe5 d6 27.xa5 White has a decisive advantage and the rest of the game presents no special problems. a8 28.d5+ xd5 29.exd5 f4 30.d6 A nice move undermining the Ks position. a6 31.dxc7 xc7 32.a1 xa1 33.xa1 d5 34.f2 e8 35.d2 e6 36.c4 f4 37.xf4+ gxf4 38.e1 xe1 38...d6 was equally hopeless. 39.e4 xd3 40.xf4 d6 41.e4 cutting the K off c3 42.g4 c5 43.h4 xc4 44.xc4+ xc4 45.g5 39.xe1 h5 40.d4 d6 41.h4 Black resigned 1–0

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A Mieses Classic

     Back in the good old days it seems sacrifices were played instinctively and the “combinations” as tactics were called then were, if mot sound, always exciting and sensational. 

     In the case of the double Rook sacrifice the principle underlying the sacrifice is simple and fairly well known. It happens when the victim’s King is exposed and he removes his Queen from the action by grabbing both Rooks that are sitting on the 1st or 8th rank. 

     This Craddock—Mieses game is a good example. Craddicj grabs both Rooks which puts his Queen is out of the game on h8. Mieses’ Queen on the other hand is poised to end the game quickly. 

     James M. Craddock 1913-2001) was the under-18 British Champion in 1929, 1930 and 1931 and played top board for Cambridge in his college days. He played for the National Liberal Chess Circle. 

     Jacques Mieses (1865-1954) was born in Leipzig. He won the chess championship of Berlin at the age of 17 and was a professional player. In 1938 Mieses settled in England and became a British citizen. He was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1950. 

ChessBase

James Craddock–Jacques Mieses0–1A25Club game, London1939Stockfish 16

[%evp 9,28,-26,39,30,81,6,48,40,50,-4,-19,-290,-297,-612,-618,-29994,-29995, -29997,-29998,-29998,-29999] A25: English Opening 1.c4 e5 2.c3 c6 3.g3 f6 4.g2 b4 5.e3 At this point white has played just about every reasonable move you can think of, but the most popular by far is 5.Nf3 d6 6.ge2 g4 This is not particularly effective. Simply 6...O-O was more precie. 7.b3 This gets out of the pin and threatens 8...Bxc6+ 7.h3 is better. e6 8.d5 a5 9.a3 b6 10.ec3 0-0 11.b4 with a favorable game. 7...b8 Or 7...O-O 8.d5 c5 Now the reason for black's odd looking last move is clear. 9.xf6+ He could still have played 9.h3. The text is not really bad, but as it turns out white is barking up the wrong tree. xf6 This move contains a trap which Craddock fails to fathom. 9...gxf6 This may have been what white was anticipating and it gives him a good game after 10.h3 e6 11.0-0 and he can hope to take advantage of black's compromised K-side. 10.xc6+ After this white falls victim to a quick attack. 10.c3 0-0 11.d5 g6 12.0-0 is completely equal. 12.xc7 would land white in difficulties after f5 13.0-0 13.a3 c2 14.a2 d3 15.b5 d4 16.exd4 exd4 with mate in 5 17.f4 be8+ 18.e4 xe4+ 19.f2 e2+ 20.g1 d3+ 21.d4 xd4# 13...c2 14.b5 14.c3 b4 The Q is trapped. 14...a6 15.xa6 a7 16.a5 bxa6 17.xa6 d3 18.e1 e4 12...e2 13.e1 d3 White's position is cramped, but free of organic weaknesses. 10...bxc6 11.xb8+ Falling victim to the classic double R sacrifice. He could have held out longer by retreating the Q to d1, but hjis position would be pretty ugly. 11.d1 0-0 12.a3 d5 13.b4 e7 14.b2 14.0-0 h3 15.c3 15.e1 f3 16.f4 xd1 17.xd1 exf4 15...xf1 14...f3 15.g1 dxc4 16.c2 c5 11...d7 12.xh8 With the Q out of play black has a mate in 6 12.b3 This attempt to weasel out of difficulty also results in a complete rout. f3 13.d3 xh1+ 14.g1 xg1+ 15.f1 xh2 12...f3 13.d1 13.f1 xe2+ 14.g2 f3+ 15.g1 h3 16.d8+ xd8 mate next move. 13...xe2+ 14.c2 xc4+ White resigned. A real debacle. 14...xc4+ 15.b1 d3# 0–1

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An Entertaining Bobby Fischer Game

 

     During his heyday Bobby Fischer was generally acknowledged as the greatest player of all time. His play was brilliant, creative, daring, etc., etc. and few players could beat him. 

     In the Candidates’ matches leading up his defeating Boris Spasskyy by a score of 12.5-8.5 in the 1972 World Championship match, Fischer annihilated Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen with a perfect 6-0 score. Former World Champion Tigran Petrosian did a little better...Fisch crushed him with a 6.5-2.5 score. 

     In 1975, Fischer abdicated his throne to Anatoly Karpov. The prior year FIDE voted in favor of Fischer's 10-win proposal for World Championship matches, but rejected the 9–9 clause as well as the possibility of an unlimited match. In response, Fischer refused to defend his title. 

     This is just my opinion, but I think Fischer was afraid to face Karpov. I think that because during the 1984 Karpov-Kasparov match for the World Championship, in two interviews with a Philippine radio station, Fischer voiced the opinion that the games were prearranged with the aid of computers. To me this indicates that Fischer understood neither computers nor the games. 

     The chess programs of that era could not compete with Masters. In a match that took place in February of 1996, the monster computer Deep Blue became the first chess program to win a game against a world champion under regular time controls. Kasparov won three and drew two of the following five games, beating Deep Blue by 4–2 in the match. 

     At the time of the K-K match in 1984, the SciSys Explorer table top chess program was being sold for under $80 (under $250 today) and it was promised to play at a 1550 level at 40 moves in 2 hours or your money would be refunded.

     SARGON was introduced at the 1978 West Coast Computer Fair where it won the first computer chess tournament held strictly for microcomputers, with a score of 5–0. Former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik played a game against Sargon in 1983 at Hamburg; he won in 37 moves. 

     Correspondence GM Robin Smith published his Modern Chess Analysis in 2004 and at that time chess engines could still be beaten by Masters. 

     The point is, Fischer’s claim that the K-K match games, whether prearranges or not, most certainly did not involve any help from computers as Fischer claimed.

     In the first New York State Open held in Poughkeepsie over the Labor Day weekend inj 1963, Bnobby Fischer made a clean sweep. Arthur Bisguier, James Sherwin, Joseph Richman and Matthew Green finished behind Fischer in the 58-player field with 5.5-1.5 scores. 

     Here’s the Fischer-Bisguiser encounter. Fischer’s 26th move was praised as a beautiful winning move, but anybody (say, for instance, me) with a strong chess engine can see it was a lemon. 

 

ChessBase

Robert Fischer–Arthur BisguierC59New York State Open, PoughkeepsiePoughkeepsie, NY USA02.09.1963Stockfish 16

C59: Two Knights Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 f6 4.g5 d5 5.exd5 a5 6.b5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.e2 h6 All standard moves so far. Where should the N go? Most often it retreats to f3. 9.h3 This is an odd looking move that dates all the way back to Steinitz and it's odd that it's not a bad one! c5 9...xh3 This gives white the two Bs and the semi-open g-file which he can, hopefully, use to generate a K-side attack. Therefore, black usually refrains from taking it, but he need not do so. 10.gxh3 d4 10...c5 is better. 11.0-0 11.g1 turns out to be a mistake. e4 12.f3 xf2+ is winning for black. 11...0-0 12.c3 b7 13.f3 d6 White should now play 14.d3 with equal chances; taking the offered P gives black the initiative. 14.xc6 c8 15.g2 f5 16.d3 h4 with an active position. 11.0-0 d6 12.d3 d8 13.c3 h4 Taborov,B (2450)-Shianovsky,V (2295) Kiev 2003. The chances are balanced. 10.0-0 0-0 11.d3 xh3 The temptation is too much; Bisguier was never afraid of complications. The safe positional option was repositioning the N with ...Nb7-d6 11...d5 12.c4 xh3 13.cxd5 f5 14.e3 xd5 This interesting position occurred in Socko,M (2462)-Batsiashvili,N (2417) Plovdiv BUL 2014. Does black have sufficient compensation for the P? Practically speaking he probably does. 12.gxh3 d7 Now, should white give back the extra P? 13.f3 A good diagonal for the B and certainly more active than defending the P. 13.g2 d5 14.c3 ad8 15.xd5 cxd5 16.f4 f6 17.c3 c6 18.a4 Socko,B (2643)-Pavasovic,D (2590) Austria 2009. White has an active position, but black's is quite solid. 13.g4 is possible. After xg4 14.hxg4 He could also take with the Q. f5 Black has active play, but the position is technically even. 13...xh3 14.d2 ad8 15.g2 f5 Safer would have been 15...Qe6 16.e1 16.f3 was an interesting alternative because after xf3 17.xf3 black is tied to the defense of his c-Pawn and white seizes the initiative. d5 18.b1 d4 19.b4 b7 20.c4 c3 21.b3 xa2 22.b2 xb2 23.xb2 c3 24.xc6 with a promising position. 16...fe8 For his part white has some hope of generating an attack using his light squared B and the g-file, but for the moment his Q is uncomfortably positioned opposite black's R. 17.e4 This attacks the N on a5 and enables him to eliminate black's N on f6 lest it head for f4 via d5. b6 17...xe4 loses a piece. 18.dxe4 g4 19.xa5 18.xf6+ xf6 19.h1 c5 Black could recentralize his N with ...Nb7-d6, but instead Bisguier prefers to centralize it on the more active square d4. Actually, not a bad decision at all. The down side is that it blocks his B. Hiwever, the B may at some point get back into the game by relocating to c7 from where it attacks h2. 20.c3 20.e4 is more active. d4 21.f3 xf3 22.xf3 with equal chances. 20...c6 21.f4 d4 Bisguier has achieved an active position and has every reason to be satisfied with his game. His Rs are centralized and the threat is ...Ne2 22.c4 g6 23.c3 The N is just too well placed on d4 and so it has to go. f5 23...Nc2 leads to tactical play that should favor black, but it would require precise play... something that would be very difficult to do OTB. 24.fxe5 Even though this opens up the e0file and allows black's R to reach the second rabk, it's a tremendous move by Fischer. 24.e1 looks tempting, but after h5 25.fxe5 g3+ 26.g1 e2+ white comes under a crushing attack. 27.h1

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