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.

 

[Event "US Championship 1963/64, New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1963.12.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Robert Fischer"] [Black "Raymond Weinstein"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C96"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1963.??.??"] {C96: Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 {[%mdl 32]} O-O 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.} Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 cxd4 {Just about any reasonable move has been played by black here.} 12. cxd4 Bb7 13. d5 Bc8 {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... Rc8 {This is the move that is usually played. } 14. b3 Qc7 15. Bd3 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 f5 {White is better. Morozevich,A (2742) -Ponomariov,R (2684) Moscow 2001}) 14. Nbd2 g6 (14... Bd7 15. Nf1 Rc8 16. b3 Nh5 17. Bd3 g6 18. Bh6 Re8 19. Qd2 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 $16 {Did Weinstein see this possibility and that's the reason he retreated his B on move 12?} Nb7 {The N has a dim future on b7.} 16. a4 Bd7 (16... a5 {This messy looking move was somewhat better. After} 17. axb5 Bd7 18. Nb3 Bxb5 {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. Ba4 ( 18. bxa5 Bxb5 19. Nb3 Nxa5 {black has equalized.}) 18... axb4 19. Nb3 {White is slightly better.}) 18. Rxa8 Qxa8 19. Re3 {[%mdl 32] A brilliant move. Fischer is going to pace his R on the 7th rank from where it will exert a tremendous influence.} Qc8 20. Ra3 Qc7 21. Nb3 {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.} Nh5 22. Bd3 Rc8 23. Qf1 Nf6 {Indirectly defending the b-Pawn.} 24. Bg5 {By threatening to take the N white would then be free to capture the b-Pawn.} (24. Bxb5 Nxe4 25. Bxd7 Qxd7 26. Ra7 Nc3 27. Bd2 Nxd5 28. Qa6 Rc7 29. b5 Bd8 {Black has pretty much equalized because the advance of the b-Pawn is held up. For example, if...} 30. b6 Nxb6 31. Qxb6 Rc1+) 24... Rb8 25. Ra7 {Fischer disdains the win of a P and instead chooses to keep black under great pressure.} (25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Bxb5 Nc5 27. Bxd7 Nxd7 28. b5 Qc2 29. Ra7 Nc5 30. Nxc5 Qxc5 {and the b-Pawn has been rendered harmless.}) 25... Qd8 26. Qa1 Qe8 (26... Ne8 {is a better defense.} 27. Bxe7 Qxe7 28. Qa6 Nc7 29. Qb6 Na8 30. Rxa8 Rxa8 31. Qxb7 Qd8 32. Bxb5 Bxb5 33. Qxb5 Rb8 34. Qa4 {White's two Ns and passed P should prevail over the R which they did in 5 Shootouts.}) 27. Qa6 Qc8 {Weinstein totally cracks, but he was as good as lost anyway.} 28. Nxe5 $1 {[%mdl 512]} dxe5 29. Bxf6 Bxf6 30. Qxf6 Qc3 31. Nc5 Nxc5 32. bxc5 Be8 (32... Qxd3 33. Rxd7 Rf8 34. c6 Qxe4 35. c7 Qf5 36. Qxf5 gxf5 37. Rd8) 33. Bf1 Qxc5 34. Re7 b4 35. d6 Qb6 36. Bc4 {Black resigned} (36. Bc4 b3 (36... Rb7 37. Rxe8# ) 37. Bxf7+ Bxf7 38. Qxf7+ Kh8 39. Qg7#) 1-0