Average Players Slug it Out

    It was said of this game that back in the mid-1800s it might have been hailed as an immortal game because sacrificial play triumphed. Jump forward to the mid-1900s when it was played and it was recognized that white’s triumph was only the result of his opponent’s feeble defense. Moving even further forward to the days of Stockfish we find the play of both players was pretty feeble. Nevertheless, it’s a fun game to play over. 

    The game was played in an unknown tournament in an unknown city in Ohio. The names of the players are known, but they are not, if you know what I mean. The 1951 USCF rating list did not have a rating for Wetman, but there was an R. Schaeffer from Ohio listed with a rating of 1611.

 

 

[Event "Ohio"] [Site "?"] [Date "1949.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "M. Wetman"] [Black "R. Schaeffer"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A03"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1949.??.??"] {A03: Bird's Opening} 1. f4 {The Bird is rare and has little theory and it does offer white some attacking chances.} d5 {After this the game can become a reversed version of the Dutch Defense, but not in this game.} 2. e3 Nc6 { More ususal are either 2...Nf6 or 2...c5} 3. Bb5 Bd7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. b3 e6 (5... g6 6. Bb2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Ne5 {equals. Silva,M (2207)-D'Arruda, R (2271) chess.com INT 2022}) 6. Bb2 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. d3 (8. Ne5 Bc5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O {equals. Vahtra,T-Kaniak,M Budva 2003}) (8. O-O Bd6 9. d3 Qe7 10. Nbd2 O-O-O 11. Ne5 {equals. Merle, S-Geronimi,P (1708) Calvi 2007}) 8... Bc5 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Ne5 Bb5 {Better was the immediate 10...Be8. The text allows white to gain a tempo.} 11. a4 Be8 $1 12. Nd2 Nd7 13. O-O f6 14. Nef3 Bh5 15. d4 { Apparently white wanted to prevent ...e5, but 15.h3 would have allowed him to met 15...e5 with 16.g4 and play on the K-side.} Bd6 16. c4 b6 17. Qe1 Qe8 18. Qh4 Kh8 19. e4 Rg8 {This move eventually causes black a lot of problems because his K gets trapped on h8. He can keep things even with 19...Bb4} (19... Bb4 20. cxd5 exd5 21. e5 fxe5 22. dxe5 Bg6 {offers equal chances.}) 20. g4 (20. cxd5 {offers excellent chances.} exd5 21. e5 g5 22. Qf2 Be7 23. f5 Rc8 24. Rac1 c5 25. exf6 Bxf6 26. Rfe1 Qd8 27. Ne5 {with a promising position.}) 20... Bf7 21. e5 $16 g5 22. fxg5 fxe5 23. Nxe5 {[%mdl 8192] White would have done better to keep the N and play instead 23.dxe5} Nxe5 24. dxe5 Bc5+ 25. Kg2 dxc4 26. Nxc4 Rd8 27. Rad1 {[%mdl 8192] This move attacking the Q is quite logical looking, but it is seriously flawed. Instead, white missed a nice tactical shot.} (27. Nd6 {Instead of this he could have also played it safe with the benign 27.Qg3} cxd6 28. g6 Bxg6 29. Qf6+ Rg7 30. exd6 Qg8 31. Rad1 {The position is rife with complications, but the chances are equal. Shootouts were Inconclusive! White scored +1 -1 =3}) 27... Qc6+ (27... Rxd1 {is an alternative that is equally good.} 28. Rxd1 Qc6+ 29. Kg3 {and only now} Bg6 30. Rf1 Rd8 31. Rf3 (31. Nd6 cxd6 32. exd6+ Kg8 {leaves white with a lost position. }) 31... Rd1 {The Rs penetration is decisive.} 32. Ne3 Rg1+ 33. Ng2 Qe4 34. Qh3 Qe1+ 35. Kf4 Qd2+) 28. Kg3 Bg6 {Questionable play on both sides has brought about a unique position in which both Kings are insecurely posted. White is the first to take advantage of the situation.} (28... Rxd1 {practically secures the win.} 29. Rxd1 Qe4 {and it's white who is in serious difficulties.} 30. g6 Rxg6 31. h3 Kg7 32. Bc1 Qc2 33. Rf1 Qxb3+ {wins}) 29. Nd6 cxd6 {Black is much too obliging!} (29... Rdf8 30. Qh3 Be3 31. Qg2 Qxg2+ 32. Kxg2 Rxf1 33. Rxf1 Rd8 (33... cxd6 34. exd6+ Bd4 35. Bxd4+ e5 36. Bxe5+ Rg7 37. Rf8#) 34. Rf3 Bc5 35. Nf7+ Bxf7 36. Rxf7 Rd2+ {with a decisive advantage.}) 30. exd6+ Rg7 { This is a very tricky position!} 31. Qh6 (31. Bxg7+ {looks reasonable, but it would be a mistake.} Kxg7 32. Qh6+ Kg8 {and white is out of plausible moves.} 33. Qh3 Bxd6+ 34. Kh4 Qc2 35. b4 Qb2 36. b5 axb5 37. axb5 Rd7 {Much better than taking the b-Pawn.} (37... Qxb5 38. Qe3 Bf7 39. Qf2 Qe8 40. Qxb6) 38. Rf6 Bf4 39. Rxf4 (39. Rxd7 Qf2+) 39... Rxd1 {and black is clearly winning.}) (31. Kh3 {is his only defense. After} Kg8 32. Qe1 Rxd6 33. Qe5 Qc7 {and the position is even.}) 31... Bxd6+ 32. Kh4 Rdg8 33. Rd2 {This prevents ...Qg2} Qc7 {Missing his chance to strike at the exposed white K. Black drifts into the main line of his opponent's tactical idea.} (33... e5 34. Rf6 Qe4 35. Rdxd6 Qe2 {The threat of mate (...Qxh2#) is too much to handle.} 36. Rd2 Qxd2 37. Bxe5 { h2 is covered, but...} Qe1+ 38. Bg3 Qe2 {White is out of reasonable moves.}) 34. Rc1 {Once again we are back to equal chances...if black plays his cards right.} Qb8 {[%mdl 8192] ...which he does not! Instead, he commits suicide.} ( 34... Qf7 35. Bxg7+ Rxg7 36. Rc8+ Bf8 37. Rdd8 Qf2+ 38. Kh3 Qf1+ {draws}) 35. Rxd6 {[%mdl 512] Decisive.} Qxd6 {The threat is mate with ...Qxh2} 36. Qxg7+ { The right way.} (36. Bxg7+ {is the wrong way.} Rxg7 37. Rc8+ Rg8 {Black wins.}) 36... Rxg7 37. Rc8+ {Black resigned. A see-saw battle that's typical of most non-master games.} 1-0

Bagby Bashes Fink

    A lot of bad things happened in 1939; most notably World War II began on September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland. But, before that the year started with the great Hungarian GM Laszlo Szabo taking first at the 1938/39 Hastings tournament. He was undefeated and finished head of Dr. Max Euwe who was a full point behind. 

    In April an international tournament was held in Margate, England; there it was the legendary Paul Keres who finished ahead of Jose Capablanca and Salo Flohr. The USSR Chess Championship, held in Leningrad, was won by Mikhail Botvinnik. The US Open, held in New York, was won by another legend, Reuben Fine ahead of Samuel Reshevsky and I. A. Horowitz. 

    The Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina was held between August 21 and September 19. The finals commenced on September 1st, the same day the war broke out. The English team was the only team to return home immediately. The US was not playing. 

    Germany (Eliskases, Michel, Engels, Becker, Reinhardt) won the gold medal, Poland silver, and Estonia bronze. Vera Menchik-Stevenson won the Women’s World Championship. At the conclusion of the Olympiad many participants decided to stay in Argentina or moved elsewhere in South America. 

    On December 27, 1939, the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation formed the United States Chess Federation. 

    In a far away land called California, a couple of neglected and long forgotten masters played a match that ended up tied. They were Adolph J. Fink (1890-1956) and Charles Bagby (1903-1975), both of San Francisco.

 

 

    Both were largely neglected "minor" masters, but Fink was an internationally known problem composer and both were prominent figures in California chess for many years. 

    During World War One Fink served as a Corporal in the Army in France and upon his return was Vice-President of the Good Companion Chess Problem Club. Like many problemists Fink excelled in the ending and for many years he performed adjudications for California events. 

    He won the California State Championship in 1922, 1928, and 1929, tied for first in 1945 and finished in second place in 1923, 1925, 1926 and tied in 1948.

    In 1932, in the Pasadena international tournament Fink finished last, scoring 3-8, but that was a creditable score against players like Alekhine, Kashdan, Dake, Reshevsky and Fine. 

    In1906, there was a great earthquake and fire in San Francisco in which the death toll was estimated at over 3,000 and about 200,000 people were left homeless. After the earthquake Fink and his family, along with thousands of others, sought refuge and camped out in the hills surrounding the city. It was during that time that he began studying chess. 

    Upon return to normalcy Fink improved his play by joining the Mechanics' Institute. He was strong enough to have drawn Capablanca, Marshall and Kostic in simultaneous games. 

    Charles L. Bagby was a San Francisco lawyer. His victories included the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club championship in 1923, the Northern California Championship in 1949 and 1950, and the California championship in 1958. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Mechanics’ Institute starting in 1940 and served until his death, longer than any Trustee in the history of the Institute. 

    “Mr. Bagby” as he was always known in his later years was a native of Charleston, South Carolina, a graduate of the University of Washington and he practiced law in San Francisco for nearly 40 years. Besides chess, Bagby had interest in mathematics, classical languages and the American Civil War. 

    As mentioned, Bagny was an underappreciated player. In 1971, while he was still alive, the then USCF Executive Director Ed Edmonson was approached and asked about honoring Bagby with the title Master Emeritus. Edmonson’s haughty reply was, "Not a chance! Don't waste your time applying for it." 

[Event "Match, San Francisco"] [Site ""] [Date "1939.04.26"] [Round "2"] [White "Charles L Bagby"] [Black "Adolf J. Fink"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D57"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1939.??.??"] {D57: Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense} 1. d4 {This game is pretty boring for a while, but there is some excitement coming.} Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Bg5 O-O 7. e3 h6 8. Bh4 Ne4 {This is Lasker's Defense; it's a solid variation that often leading to the exchange of two sets of minor pieces.} 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. cxd5 Nxc3 11. bxc3 exd5 12. Qb3 c6 13. Bd3 Nd7 (13... b6 14. O-O Nd7 15. c4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 c5 17. a4 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nc5 { and the players shook hands. Unzicker,W (2510)-Spassky,B (2615) Bad Kissingen 1980}) 14. O-O (14. a4 Nf6 15. Qa3 Qxa3 16. Rxa3 Ne8 17. O-O {is equal. Supi,L (2546)-Matsuura,F (2248) Florianopolis BRA 2019}) 14... Re8 {Equally playable was 14...Nf6} 15. c4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Nb6 17. Bd3 Be6 18. Qb2 Bd5 19. a4 Nc4 20. Qc2 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Nd6 22. Kh1 {White has plans involving the g-file.} Qf6 23. Be2 Nf5 24. Rab1 Re7 25. Rg1 Rae8 {A microscopic slip. The Rs have no future on the e-file, so the more active. 25...c5 would have been better.} 26. Rg4 { The strong threat is Rf4} Nh4 {Not a good move at all.} (26... Nxe3 {Thus little tactical shot is probably better than a passive defense with 26...g6} 27. fxe3 Rxe3 28. Rg2 Qxd4 29. Rxb7 Rxf3 {and after 30.Rb1 or 30.Qb2 black can fight on. White must avoi playing} 30. Bxf3 Re1+ 31. Rg1 Rxg1#) 27. Rbg1 g6 { Suddenly black has landed in serious difficulties.} 28. f4 {This dissipates all of white's advantage.} (28. Bc4 {keeps up the pressure.} Kh8 29. Rf4 Nf5 30. Bd3 (30. e4 {runs into} Nxd4) 30... Rg8 31. Rgg4 Ree8 32. h4 {with a dnferous attack brewing.}) 28... Qf5 (28... Kh8 29. Bd3 Nf3 30. R1g3 Ne1 31. Qb1 Nxd3 32. Qxd3 {and black has survived.}) 29. Qxf5 Nxf5 30. Bd3 Kh7 (30... Nd6 31. Bxg6 fxg6 32. Rxg6+) (30... Ng7 31. f5 Rd7 32. fxg6 f6 33. Rh4 { is decisive.}) 31. h4 {Even with the Qs off white still has an attack, but black still may be able to survive.} (31. Bxf5 {would be a terrible mistake. After} gxf5 32. Rg7+ Kh8 33. R7g3 Rc7 {Black’s Q-side P-majority assures him of at least equal chances.}) 31... Ng7 (31... h5 {was a better defense.} 32. Rg5 Nxe3 33. fxe3 Rxe3 34. Bb1 Kg7 35. f5 Rh3+ 36. Kg2 Rxh4 37. fxg6 fxg6 38. Rxg6+ Kf7 39. Rf1+ Ke7 40. Rg7+ Kd6 41. Rf6+ Kd5 42. Rxb7 Rg8+ 43. Kf1 Rh1+ 44. Ke2 Rh2+ 45. Rf2 Re8+ 46. Kf1 Rxf2+ 47. Kxf2 Kxd4 48. Rxa7 c5 {and black might survive after all.}) 32. h5 Nxh5 33. f5 gxf5 34. Bxf5+ Kh8 35. Rh4 Ng7 36. Rxh6+ Kg8 37. Bd3 Rd7 38. Rh7 f6 39. Rh6 {Black resigned.} (39. Rh6 Rf8 40. Bc4+ Rff7 41. Rxf6 {etc.}) 1-0

Anthony Guest, Amateur Champion

    Anthony Guest (1856 – January 29, 1925, 68 years old) was a strong British amateur and the 1888 British Amateur Champion. 

    Guest was the best of the British amateur players players of his day and at the time was well known because of his popular chess column in the Morning Post. He was also editor for a short time of the chess columns in several other publications.

    In about 1876 he was receiving Rook odds from Isadore Gunsberg and J.H. Blackburne and Knight odds from master and chess journalist William Potter. However, it wasn’t long before he improved to the point that such odds were not necessary. 

    He gained his practice playing sped chess at local chess clubs where local businessmen met for lunch and a few quicjk games. Guest found it relaxation from business on the Stock Exchange where he was at one time a member. 

    His first attempt at serious play was an unsuccessful appearance in a handicap at the City of London Chess Club. Later he won two handicaps at a local club. 

    In 1884, receiving Pawn and move, he finished second behind James Mason in the handicap at the famous Simpson's Divan. In that even Blackburne was among the participants. 

    In 885, Guest played top board in the first match played in Paris between representatives of England and France. Guesst had a superior position, but let is slip. The game was unfinished and was eventually adjudicated as a draw. 

    The following year after he won the Amateur Championship, Guest started the Bohemian, a paper which dealt with all matters of current interest and, also, featured chess. He resigned as editor after about six months, and was succeeded by James Mortimer. The paper, although very popular among chess players, did not find support from the general public and was discontinued. 

    Over the years Guest took part in a number of competitions, both masters and amateurs. with varying success. He also composed several problems. 

    Guest was also an artist and some of his drawings appeared in various magazines. He wrote many articles for photography magazines and he published (or had his stories published) in many books including some children's books. 

 

 

    n the following game he defeats Wordsworth Donisthorpe (1847-1914, 66 years old). In addition to being a chess enthusiast, he was an English barrister, individualist anarchist, inventor, and pioneer of cinematography. In 1885, he co-founded both the British Chess Association and the British Chess Club. He died in Shottermill, England. 

[Event "B.C.A Amateur Chp, Bradford"] [Site ""] [Date "1886.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Antony Guest"] [Black "Wordsworth Donisthorpe"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1886.??.??"] [Source ""] {B00: Owen's Defense} 1. e4 b6 {This is aka as the Queen's Fianchetto Defense, today it has a dubious reputation. At the time, the strong British amateur Rev. Joh n Owen (1827-1901) played it on a regular basis as his main defense for mosty of his career.} 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 {[%mdl 32]} e6 4. Be3 d5 (4... c5 5. dxc5 bxc5 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. f4 Nf6 {equals. Petakov,U (2346)-Bokros,A (2483) Novi Sad 2017}) (4... d6 5. Ne2 g6 6. c4 Bg7 7. Nbc3 Nc6 8. Bc2 Nf6 { equals. Nukin,T (2093)-Isanzhulov,A (2305) Almaty KAZ 2019}) 5. e5 c5 (5... Ba6 6. Nf3 c5 7. c3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Nc6 9. O-O Qd7 {equals. Rodrigo Yanguas,M (1999) -Mestre Bellido,H (2284) Padrun 2008}) 6. c3 c4 {This move, releasing pressure on white's center, is not a very good idea. Simply 6...Nc5 was OK.} 7. Bc2 $16 b5 8. Nf3 {One already suspects that trouble is brewing for black.} a5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Ng5 h6 {This unfortunate little move loses outright.} (10... g6 { is a must. White will get a string attack going, but at least it avoids the immediate disaster that follows.} 11. Qf3 Qd7 12. a3 h6 13. Nh3 a4 14. Nd2 O-O-O 15. Rae1 Kb8 16. Nf4 {White is better, but he cannot lay claim to a huge advantage.}) 11. Qh5 {Effectively ending the game. There is no defense to the attack on f7.} g6 (11... Qd7 12. Nxf7 Qxf7 13. Bg6) (11... hxg5 12. Qxh8 Nh6 { just loses a R with no compensation.}) 12. Bxg6 {[%mdl 512]} hxg5 (12... fxg6 13. Qxg6+ Kd7 14. Qxe6+ Kc7 15. Nf7 {and there is no reason for black to play on.}) 13. Bxf7+ Kd7 14. Qxh8 Nh6 {Black could resign here, but nobody likes to to victim of a miniature so he plays on.} 15. Bh5 (15. Bxe6+ {was also quite good, but it requires a bit of calculation to arrive at} Kxe6 16. f4 Nf5 17. fxg5 Bg7 18. Qh7 Nce7 19. Rxf5 Nxf5 20. Qg6+ Ke7 21. Qxf5) 15... Qe7 16. Qf6 Qxf6 17. exf6 Bd6 18. Bxg5 Nf5 19. Nd2 Rh8 20. g4 {[%mdl 32]} e5 21. Bg6 Nh4 22. Bxh4 Rxh4 23. Bf5+ Kc7 24. Nf3 Rh6 25. g5 Rh8 26. g6 e4 27. g7 {Black finally resigned.} (27. g7 Rg8 28. Ng5 Bc8 29. Bh7 {etc.}) 1-0

Sydney T. Sharp

    It’s unlikely that the name Sydney T. Sharp (1885-1953, 68 years old) will be familiar to anyone, but he was long recognized as one of the country’s best players and his record in Pennsylvania was unequaled. 

    He won the state championship 10 times (1908, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1930, 1932 and 1937). Thee merit of that achievement is enhanced by the fact that in those days it was a knockout affair in which the loss of a point-and-a-half meant elimination. 

    A steady player with a thorough knowledge of opening theory, his style was positional and he was content with minute advantages. But, when the time came he could engage in tactics with the best. 

    Sharp learned the game at the age of 15 from his father. In 1900, chess in Philadelphia was flourishing and the Franklin Chess Club was the gathering place for all the notable enthusiasts who met almost daily. Sharp entered this scene in 1900 and some of his progress was attributed to playing against the club’s best players.

    Sharp played a lot of visiting luminaries in simultaneous play and he scored victories against Lasker, Capablanca and Marshall. 

    In the following game a rising young star named Isaac Kashdan fell to Sharp in the 1926 Manhattan vs Philadelphia team match. 

[Event "Manhattan CC - Franklin CC"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1926.02.22"] [Round "?"] [White "Isaac Kashdan"] [Black "Sydney T. Sharp"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C43"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "1926.??.??"] {C43: Petroff Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Black avoids several white openings and counterattacks the centrer. This defense has has a drawish reputation, but there are a few sharp lines.} 3. d4 {The Classical Variation is .Nxe5 while the text is the Steinitz Variation although it was known long before him. Statistically there's not much difference between the two.} Nxe4 {Black can capture either Pawn. 3...d6 transposes into the Philidor Defense.} 4. dxe5 d5 5. exd6 {Very benign and typical of Kashdan's circumspect style.} Bxd6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. O-O Nc6 {[%mdl 32] In this position it appears that nothing is happening and white's next move occupying the open file and chasing the N away looks plausible, but it's a slight mistake that allows black to get slightly the better of it. White should play 8.Nbd2} 8. Re1 Bg4 {This is annoying to white; the threat is ... Ne5. It's somewhat surorising, but this position is very tricky for white.} 9. h3 {[%mdl 8192] A tactical blooper!} (9. Nbd2 {Watch this...} Nxd2 10. Bxd2 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qh4 12. Bb3 Qxh2+ 13. Kf1 Qh1+ {0-1 Gibbs,J-Cunningham,T Lincoln 1969}) (9. Be3 {is white's best defense, but black stands well after} Qf6 10. Bd5 Rae8 11. Bxe4 (11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qd4 Qg6 13. Nbd2 f5 {with a good game.}) 11... Rxe4 12. Nbd2 Re7 13. c3 Qg6 {Black stands well.}) 9... Nxf2 {[%mdl 512] An unexpected gut punch.} (9... Bxf3 {This is probablt what Kashdan expected with equality resulting after} 10. Qxf3 Nf6) 10. Qe2 (10. Kxf2 {is met by} Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qh4+ 12. Kf1 Qxc4+ 13. Qe2 Qh4 {with a winning position.}) 10... Nxh3+ {[%mdl 512]} 11. gxh3 {Sharp conducts the remainder of the game with great precision.} Nd4 {[%mdl 512] What a great move!} 12. hxg4 {This is the best he has, but he is still lost no matter what he plays.} (12. Qe4 Nxf3+ 13. Kg2 Nxe1+ 14. Qxe1 Bxh3+ 15. Kxh3 Qd7+ 16. Kg2 Qg4+ 17. Kf1 Qh3+ 18. Kg1 Bh2+ 19. Kf2 Bg3+) 12... Nxe2+ 13. Rxe2 {White has three pieces for the Q (not counting black;s two extra Ps), but his K is exposed and three of his pieces are undeveloped. Black is winning.} Qd7 14. Rg2 Bc5+ 15. Kh2 Qd1 {White is bound hand and foot.} 16. Nbd2 Rad8 17. Bd3 Rfe8 18. Ne4 Qxf3 19. Nxc5 Re1 {The threat is ...Rd4} 20. Nb3 c5 21. Bg5 Rxa1 22. Nxa1 Re8 23. Nb3 {Kashdan has finally managed to get all his pieces into play, but Dharp now demonstrates that he has everything under control.} Qd5 {Threatening ...c4} 24. Bf5 g6 { The B has to retreat and we're back to black playing ...c4, right?} 25. Bh6 { No! White sets an trap...obvious, but it's still a trap.} Re1 (25... gxf5 26. gxf5+ Qxg2+ {The snag in white's trick.} (26... Kh8 27. Bg7+ Kg8 28. Bh6+ Kh8 29. Bg7+ Kg8 30. Bh6+ {Draw by 3-fold repitition.}) 27. Kxg2 Re2+ 28. Kf3 Rxc2 29. a3 Rxb2 {and black has an easy win.}) 26. c4 Qd8 27. Kg3 {Prevents ...Qh4+. } (27. Bc2 Qh4#) 27... gxf5 28. gxf5 {Kashdan has one more trick up his sleeve. } Kh8 {Prudent!} (28... f6 {And the tables are turned.} 29. Kf2+ Kf7 30. Rg7+ Ke8 31. Rg8+ Ke7 32. Rxd8 Kxd8 33. Kxe1 {White wins.}) 29. Rd2 {Prevents ... Qd3+.} Qf6 30. Bf4 h5 31. Rd5 Qg7+ {Forcing mate so white resigneed.} (31... Qg7+ 32. Kf2 Qg1+ 33. Kf3 Qg4+ 34. Kf2 Re2+ 35. Kf1 Qg2#) 0-1

1856 New York City Chess Club Championship

    This knock-out tournament charges a $3.00 entry fee which made up the prize fund. The entry fee in 1856 was equivalent to about $108.0 today. The competitors were paired by lot. The winner of a match was the player who scored three wins. Draws had to be replayed and the second result stood. There was the stipulation that in the last match the winner had to win five games. The games were played at the chess club and at least one game per week had to be played. Unless a player could prove he was sick, not showing up for a game meant a forfeit. 

    The eight participants were: C.E. Anderson, William J.A. Fuller, Albert R. Gallantin, Adelmour W. King, Thomas Loyd, Napoleon Marache, Frederick Perrin, and W.S. Wheelwright. 

    The tournament took months. In April of 1856, Marache and Perrin were the finlist, but the match was not concluded until August of1856, Marache won a silver cup. 

 

    Frederick Perrin (December 5,1815 – January 27m 1889) was born in London; he moved to the United States in 1845. He played in the American Chess Congress at New York 1857 (Morphy won) and om Chicago in 1874 (George H. Mackenzie won). He participated several times in the New York Chess Club tournament, winning in 1859. 

    Perrin, who was fluent in English, French and German ,was a professor of languages at Princeton College. In the 1850s he was president of the New York Chess Club and in his later years he was an honorary member of the Brooklyn Chess Club. 

Location of Perrin's home today

    He died of pneumonia at home in Brooklyn after having been ill for three weeks. 

    Napoleon Marache (June 15, 1818 – May 11, 1875) was a player, problem composer and journalist. He was born in France and moved to the United States at around age of 12. 

    He learned to ply chess around the late age of 26. It was said his progress was so rapid that within 3 weeks he was giving his tutor odds of a Rook! Within a year began composing problems and writing about the game the following year. 

    In 1866, he published Marache's Manual of Chess, which was one of the country's first chess books; it also had a section on backgammon making it one of the country’s first books on that game also. 

    In 1846, he started publishing the periodical The Chess Palladium and Mathematical Sphinx. At approximately the same time, Charles Stanley started publishing The American Chess Magazine. 

    A brazen feud erupted between the two. Stanley called the rival magazine, "a most ridiculous jumble of unintelligible nonsense" and "sixteen pages of soiled waste-paper." He might have been right; only three issues of Marache's magazine were published (October, November, and December 1846). Stanley’s magazine did better; it ceased publication in 1847. 

    In the 1850s and 1860s, Marache was the chess editor and chess columnist for several newspapers. In 1865, he wrote the chess section for a Hoyle's guide to games. 

    After the end of the Civil War, Morphy went to New York to work on a collection of his games and was assisted by Marache and Charles A. Gilberg, but the book was never published owing to a dispute between Morphy and the publishers. 

[Event "New York City CC Champ (Finals)"] [Site "?"] [Date "1856.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Frederick Perrin"] [Black "Napoleon Marache"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C40"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1856.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.01.24"] {Latvian Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 {Marache played this (the Latvian Gambit) several times in this match. Im the old daysit was known as the Greco Countergambit. While aggressive, it has long been condemned by authorities as weak and unsound. However, it's one of the oldest openings, having been analysed in the 16th century by Polerio and then the 17th century Greco. Dutch GM Paul van der Sterren observed that what is needed to play the Latvian is a sharp eye for tactics and a mental attitude of total contempt for whatever theory has to say about it. The main, and best, line is 3,Nxe5} 3. exf5 Qf6 { While this move is frequently played here in the main line, in this variation it is a very poor choice.} (3... Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Qxd4 Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bc4+ Kh8 10. O-O-O c6 11. Rhe1 {1/2-1/2 (30) Mayet,C-Von Heydebrand und der Lasa,T Berlin 1839}) (3... e4 {is black's best response.} 4. Nd4 Qf6 {Goos now ...it attacks the N/} 5. Qh5+ {This should favor black. 5. Nb5 leaves white with a slight edge.} g6 6. fxg6 hxg6 7. Qd5 Ne7 8. Qxe4 Rh4 { Black went on to lose even at this point he has a significant advantage. Larry Evans-Kon Grivainis, Munich 1958}) 4. Qe2 d6 5. d4 Nc6 6. dxe5 dxe5 (6... Nxe5 {was of about equal value.} 7. g4 (7. Bg5 Qxf5 {with only a slight edge for white.}) 7... Ne7 8. Nc3 Nxf3+ 9. Qxf3 h5 10. h3 g6 {and white's advantage is practically decisive.}) 7. g4 h5 {Slightly better would have been 7...h6} 8. Bg5 Qd6 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. Nb5 {There can be little doubt that black's opening strategy has been a total bust.} Qe7 11. Nh4 {Well played; after this move, we cannot say much in favor of Black's game.} Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Qxe7+ Bxe7 14. Ng6 Rh7 15. O-O-O Bd6 16. Bxf6 (16. Bb5+ {was an even more solid blow} Bd7 17. Rhe1+ Kd8 18. Bxd7 Kxd7 19. Ne5+ Kc8 20. Nc4 Bb4 21. c3 b5 (21... dxc3 22. Re8+ Nxe8 23. Rd8#) 22. cxb4 bxc4 23. Rxd4 {with a winning position.}) 16... gxf6 { Now practically any reasonable move leaves white with a won position.} 17. f3 { [%mdl 32]} hxg4 18. fxg4 Bd7 {As is often the case, white's ganme will ot win itself and care must be taken. For example, the good looking 19.Rxd4 would be horrible!} 19. Bg2 (19. Rxd4 Bc6 20. Rg1 Bxh2 {wins the exchange and leaves black better.}) 19... O-O-O 20. h4 {[%mdl 32]} (20. Rxd4 {is not as bad as it would have been last move, but it would diminish white's advantage.} Rxh2 21. Rxh2 Bxh2 {White has an endgame advantage, but black is far from being ready to resign.}) 20... Bc5 21. h5 Bb5 22. Rhe1 d3 23. cxd3 Bxd3 24. Nf4 Rhd7 25. Ne6 {The knockout punch.} (25. Nxd3 {is much less strong.} Rxd3 26. Rxd3 Rxd3 $16 27. g5 fxg5 28. f6 Re3 29. Rh1 Re8 30. h6 Rh8 31. h7 g4 {and black can hold out for a long time. In Shoorouts white scored +4 -0 =1, but the games were long (some well over 100 moves) and arduous.}) 25... Bf8 26. Nxf8 (26. Nxd8 {As mentioned previouisly, having a winning position does mean one can relax!} Bh6+ 27. Rd2 Bxf5 {and black has equalized after either 28.Red1 or 28. Ree2. But he must not play...} 28. gxf5 Bxd2+ 29. Kd1 Bxe1+ 30. Kxe1 Rxd8 { and black should win.}) 26... Rxf8 27. Re3 Bc4 {Another oversight...not that it matters because after 27...Rfd8 he is still lost.} 28. Bxb7+ Kd8 29. Rxd7+ Kxd7 30. Bg2 Rg8 31. Bf3 Bxa2 {Trapping his own B...not that it matters.} 32. b3 Bxb3 33. Rxb3 Ke7 34. Rb7 Kd6 35. Rxa7 Rg7 36. Kd2 {Black resigned. It will take a while, but the ending is hopeless.} (36. Kd2 Kc5 37. Ra6 Kd4 38. Re6 Rf7 39. Re4+ Kc5 40. Ke3 Kb5 41. Be2+ Ka5 42. Kd4 Kb4 43. Kd5+ Kc3 44. Ke6 Rf8 45. Ke7 Rb8 46. Kxf6 {etc.}) 1-0

A Lucky Win for Lionel Joyner

    In California in 1952, Larry Evans retained his US title when he smashed his predecessor Herman Steiner 10-4 in a match. Yugoslav GM Svetozar Gligoric won the Hollywood International. 

    The North won the annual North-South team match by a score of 32-27; Vladimir Pafnutieff of the North lost to Herman Steiner of the South. Henry Gross and Irving Rivise tied for the California State Championship and Sven Almgren won the California Open Championship. The Santa Monica CC beat Long Beach CC in a match by a score of 10.5-9.5. 

    The Los Angeles County Championship whet to Lionel Joyner after he defeated Morris Gordon 3-1 in the playoff. Here’s a Joyner win from that event. 

 

    Lionel Joyner ( 1932 – 2001) was born on the 28th of March 1932 in Montreal, Canada. He was Canada's representative to the first World Junior Championship in 1951. 

    He scored 5-4, tying for fourth, in the 1952 Hollywood International and in 1958, he played on the Canadian team as alternate at the Chess Olympiad where he scored 7-6. 

    Joyner shared first place in the 1975 Paul Keres Memorial Tournament in Vancouver. He was Canadian Closed Champion in 1961 and the Canadian Open Champion in 1955, 1957, 1959 and 1960. 

    He was a strong postal player and won the prestigious Chess Review’s Golden Knights Postal Tournament in 1961-62. 

    I could not locate anything on his opponent, Morris Gordon, other than he was the Los Angeles City Champion in 1946. 

     In his annotations Joyner did not think Gordon handled the opening well, but, in fact, the chances were quite equal until move 21 when Gordon launched an ill conceived K-side attack After a few vicissitudes by both sides Joyner managed to secure a clearly won position. But...at move 37 he blundered when he overlooked a tactical shot that would have won the game for Gordon. As for Gordon, he counterblundered and overlooked the same tactical shot and so ended up losing.

[Event "51-52 Los Angeles County Champ"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Morris Gordon"] [Black "Lionel Joyner"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C02"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {C02: French: Advance Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {The Advance (sometimes called the Steinitz) Variation offers white no particular advantage. It's quiet and solid and it's a good choice for players who don’t know a lot theory on the French or those who prefer strategic battles over tactical ones.} c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 {The alternative is 5...Bd7. There's not much difference between them.} 6. Be2 (6. a3 Nh6 7. b4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nf5 {is considered the Main Line. Note that the difference between this position and the one reached in the game after 8... Nf5 is that here white has expanded on the Q-side which gives him more play.}) 6... cxd4 7. cxd4 Nge7 8. Nc3 Nf5 9. Bb5 (9. Na4 {While white's text move is not bad and is not new, this seems more precise.} Qa5+ {Here white has a choice of equalizing moves: 10.Kf1, 10. Bd2 and 10.Nc3}) 9... Bb4 (9... Bd7 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. O-O c5 12. Na4 Qa5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 {with equalk chances as in Keitlinghaus,L (2515)-Hoang Thanh Trang (2360) Budapest 1996}) 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. O-O c5 {This is premature because it should have allowed white to seize the initiative and obtain a strong position on the Q-side.} (11... Ba6 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 12. Re1 O-O {is equal.}) 12. a3 {White misses a chance to grab an advantage.} (12. Na4 Qc7 13. a3 Ba5 14. Nxc5 (14. dxc5 {threatening to trap the B is equally good.} Qd7 15. b4 Bc7 {and white is clearly better.}) 14... Bb6 15. b4) 12... Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Re1 O-O 15. a4 {White wants to occupy the diagonal and eyes d6 as a potential square for his B.} Rfc8 {[%mdl 32]} ( 15... Rfb8 16. g4 Nh6 17. Bxh6 gxh6 {as in Kieran,R (2084)-Shaw,D (2165) London 2004 where white is better.}) 16. Ba3 cxd4 17. cxd4 Rc3 {An attemot to seize the initiative. It succeeds because white doe snot find the best defense. } 18. Rb1 Qc6 19. Bc5 Rd3 20. Qc1 Qxa4 21. Qg5 {This is not really a blunder, but the action is on the Q-side and white really has no more than slender chances of launching a successfull attack on black's K.} (21. Ra1 Qc4 22. Qb2 { is equal. Black's extra P on a7 is superfluous.}) 21... Qd7 {This is overreaction to a preceived threat!} (21... Rxf3 {A clever reply. After} 22. gxf3 h6 23. Qd2 Bc4 24. Ra1 Qb3 25. Ra3 Qb8 26. Rea1 a6 {A dicey position! In Shootouts white scored +o -2 =3}) 22. h3 {Here ot on the next move Qf4 was a safer alternative, but white is intent on attacking.} Bc4 23. Nh2 Nxd4 { This results in needless complications. The straightforward advance of the a-Pawn was much better.} (23... a5 24. Ng4 Qc7 (24... a4 25. Nf6+ {wins}) 25. Nf6+ Kh8 26. Nh5 h6 27. Qf4 {The attack has been beaten back anbd black can proceed with...} a4 {with a clear advantage.}) 24. Ng4 Kh8 25. Bxd4 {[%mdl 8192] After this white's positionnis clearly inferior.} (25. Be7 {keeps him in the game. For example...} Nf5 26. Bf6 gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Qg5+ {draws by repetition. But not...} Kf8 29. Nf6 Qc6 30. Nxh7+ Ke8 31. Nf6+ Kf8 (31... Ke7 32. Rec1 {Whits has all kinds of tricks.} a5 33. Rb6 Qxb6 34. Nxd5+) 32. h4 { with a decisive advantage.}) 25... Rxd4 26. Re3 Qd8 27. Qh5 Bd3 {White is lost because of the threat ...Bg6 trapping his Q.} 28. Rxd3 {Eliminating the B was his only feasible option.} Rxd3 29. Qxf7 Qe8 30. Qc7 Qc8 31. Qf7 Qg8 32. Qc7 { Of course white cannot afford to trade Qs. Now the attack on black's K is over. ..or is it?!} Rd4 33. Rb7 a5 34. Qe7 Rf4 35. g3 Rff8 36. h4 a4 37. h5 { Threatens to win with h6.} a3 {[%mdl 8192] The chess term for this kind of move is "blundering in a won position." We'v all done it.} (37... h6 { eliminates all danger.} 38. Ra7 Rxa7 39. Qxa7 Ra8 {advances the a-Pawn and wraps it up.}) 38. Nf6 {When he annotated this game for Chess Life it's surprising that Joyner completely missed this move. In fact. he was sure he was winning and all he had to do was advance yje a-Pawn.} (38. h6 {...and wins! } gxh6 39. Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04] is mate in} Rf7 40. Qxf7 Qxf7 41. Rxf7 Ra7 42. Rxa7 a2 43. Rxh7#) 38... gxf6 {Things now are a bit tricky, but black has the win in hand.} 39. exf6 (39. Rb1 {holds out a wee bit longer, but it, too, is hopeless.} Qf7 40. Qb4 a2 41. Ra1 fxe5 42. Qb2 Qxh5) 39... Rf7 {[%mdl 512] Of course 39...a2 also wins.} 40. Qxf7 Qxf7 41. Rxf7 h6 {Even better was 41...a2} 42. Re7 a2 43. f7 a1=Q+ {White resigned} 0-1

The Amazing Edith Price

    Edith Price (1872-1956, 84 years old) won the British Women's Championship five times: 1922, 1923, 1924, 1928,\ and 1948). When she won the championship in 1948, at the age of 76 she became the oldest player ever to win a national championship. 

    She played in her first Ladies Championship in 1912, finishing second and almost took the title in 1920 and 1921, when she narrowly missed out in the playoffs, after tying for first. 

    In 1898 she founded the Gambit Chess Room for men only except for waitresses. The club was open every day except for two days in 1940 when it was bombed during a Nazi air raid. 

    In addition to here chess she was a prolific author and illustrator of children's books. In the field of children’s books she was best known for the imaginative stories and illustrations she created for 37 different books and stories. 

 

 

    Her grandfather was landscape painter William Trost Richards, who first inspired her to draw. Price received her training in the United States at the Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the New York Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. Her early works were often published in in general interest magazines and those aimed at children. 

    Around 1914, she was the chief founders of the Brownies, a version of the Girl Scouts for younger girls of around the age of 7 or 8. Price also recorded a large number of folk songs in 1945. 

[Event "British Ladies' Chp, Southport"] [Site "Southport"] [Date "1924.08.21"] [Round "?"] [White "Edith Price"] [Black "Rosa Banting"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A04"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1924.??.??"] {C41: Philidor Defence} 1. e4 d6 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. d4 e5 4. c3 Nf6 {This is questionable because it loses a P and white gets a superior ending.} (4... Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. Bc4 Ngf6 7. Nbd2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 c6 {equals. Pichot,A (2638) -Goroshkov,M (2278) chess.com INT 2023}) 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Nxe5 Be6 8. Bd3 {White is clearly better.} Bd6 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. O-O Ne5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 { It looks like a long, boring ending is coming, but that turns out npot to be the case.} 12. Be3 {But this logical developing move is a tactical mistake that should have allowed black to equalize. 12.Bd2 would gave kept a good advantage.} c6 (12... Ng4 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 13. h3 (13. Bd4 Bxh2+) 13... Bh2+ 14. Kh1 Nxe3 15. fxe3 Bg3) 13. h3 h6 14. Nd2 {f4 is the strong threat.} b6 {Black ignores the threat to her detriment.} (14... g5 15. Bc4 Nd7 (15... Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Bc7 17. f4 gxf4 18. Bxf4 Nxe4 19. Rad1+ Kc8 20. Bxc7 Kxc7 21. Rxf7+ Kc8 22. Rdd7 {...and wins}) 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Rfd1 Bc7 18. Nb3 Ke7 {and black has some chance of surviving.}) 15. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Bc7 16. f5 Bd7 17. Rad1 b5 {Black has no really satisfactory defensive plan. All she can do is wait.} 18. Nb3 Re8 19. Nc5 Bb6 20. Rfe1 Bxc5 21. Bxc5 Kc7 22. Bc2 Ng8 23. e5 {[%mdl 32] Moving in for the kill!} Rad8 24. g4 a5 25. Bb3 f6 26. e6 Bc8 27. Rxd8 Kxd8 28. Bb6+ Ke7 29. Bxa5 Kf8 30. Rd1 Ke7 (30... Ne7 {avoids mate, but black would still be hopelessly lost after} 31. Bb4 g6 32. Kf2 gxf5 33. gxf5 h5 34. Ke3 h4 35. Bc5 {Black is pretty much out of moves.} Bb7 36. Rd7 Bc8 37. Rc7 Ba6 38. Rxc6 {etc.}) 31. Bb4+ {It's mate after 31...c5 32. Bxc5# and so black resigned.} 1-0

Richter’s Double Rook Sacrifice

    A major advantage of the fianchettoed King’s position is its ability to resist an attack. However, if the fianchettoed Bishop is exchanged the King’s position is seriously weakened. And, without the fianchettoed Bishop, the opening of the g-file and the weakness of f6 and g6 (or f3 and g3) can be significant. 

    Also, remember that the position of the g-Pawn can make the attacker's task of opening up the h-file by the advance of his h-Pawn a dangerous possibility. 

    Short version...without the Bishop the castled position becomes weak and vulnerable and the squares that the missing Bishop covered result in a serious weakness. 

    An attack against the fianchettoed position is typically carried out by a Pawn advance and, hopefully, the elimination of the Bishop and the breaking up of the Pawn structure in front of the King. 

Kurt Richter

    The following ame by the great attacking genius Kurt Richter shows him sacrifices both Rooks for the fianchettoed Bishop in order to finish the game by an attack on the weakened dark-squares around the King. The game is not only a delight to play over, but it’s also very instructive. Note: some sources give slight opening transpositionm but they do not affect the game. 

    Kurt Richter (1900-1969) was born in Berlin in 1900 and was awarded the IM title in 1950 on the first designation of titleholders. He was a sharp attacking player and theoretician. 

    His opponent, Leonhard Abramavisius (1900 (?) -1960) was a Lithuanian master. In 1950, he tied for 1st in the Lithuanian championship. 

[Event "Hamburg Olympiad"] [Site "Hamburg GER"] [Date "1930.07.18"] [Round "8"] [White "Kurt Richter (Germany)"] [Black "Leonardas Abramavicius (Lith)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C11"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1930.07.13"] {Vereson Attack} 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 {In the Veresov white plays for fast development. He will often play e2-e4. And, frequently players castle on opposides making for some interesting play. Here the game reached a what appears to be a rather benign position from the French Defense. As will be seemn, appearances can be deceptive.} e6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Qe2 c5 10. O-O-O cxd4 11. g4 (11. h4 Be7 12. Neg5 (12. Kb1 Qb6 13. Ka1 Nc5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Ng5 g6 16. f4 {as in Negi,P (2634)-Ghane, S (2375) Dubai UAE 2010. Whie has a promising position.}) 12... Nf6 13. Ne5 Qc7 14. g4 Bd6 15. f4 b6 16. Rhf1 Bb7 17. Bc4 {with equal chances. Sutovsky,E (2660)-Ivanchuk,V (2711) Moscow 2002}) (11. Nxf6+ {is playable' it results in equality.} Qxf6 (11... Nxf6 12. Nxd4 Bd7) 12. Qe4 Qh6+ 13. Kb1 Nf6 14. Qxd4) 11... g6 (11... Be7 12. h4 (12. g5 Qa5 13. Kb1 Nc5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Rhg1 { Philippe,C (2392)-De Val,D (2149) Pula 2005. White's position us the more active.}) 12... Qc7 13. Kb1 b6 14. Nfg5 Bb7 15. Nxh7 Kxh7 16. Nf6+ {White is considerably better. Sutovsky,E (2661)-Kovacevic,A (2559) Neum 2004}) 12. h4 { Black's position is quite solid and his next move looks plausible. But, it is, in fact, a seriuous mistake.} Bg7 (12... b6 {An odd looking way to defend against the K-side attacck, but what ot does is allow black to escange off some attacking minor pieces.} 13. h5 Nc5 14. hxg6 (14. Nxc5 bxc5 15. hxg6 hxg6) 14... Nxd3+ 15. Qxd3 fxg6 {The position is equal.}) 13. h5 {Black is now facing a dangerous attack.} Re8 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. g5 {It's hard to imagine the lurking danger on the h-file thanks to the defending B on g7.} e5 16. Rh4 Nf8 ( 16... b6 {is still his best defensive chance.} 17. Bc4 Nc5 18. Nf6+ Bxf6 19. gxf6 Qxf6 20. Rdh1 Bf5 {and black can probably survive.}) 17. Rdh1 Bf5 18. Qf1 {Planning toi sacrifice on h8} Rc8 {[%mdl 8192] Poor Abranavicius! He doesn't suspect a thing.} (18... Nd7 {had to be played.} 19. Rh8+ (19. Nfd2 Kf8 { leaves white clearly better, but there is no forced win.}) 19... Bxh8 20. Rxh8+ Kxh8 21. Qh1+ Kg8 {as in the game does not work because the N on d7 covers f6.} ) 19. Rh8+ {[%mdl 512] Brilliant!} Bxh8 20. Rxh8+ {[%mdl 512] This is the only followup that does not leave black winning!} Kxh8 21. Qh1+ Nh7 $2 (21... Kg8 { is a better defense.} 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. gxf6 Rc6 24. Bxf5 Rxf6 {Black is lost here, too, but he can at least make white work for the point. Here's how a Shootout variation went...} 25. Bd3 Kg7 26. Ng5 Re7 27. Qd5 Rc6 28. f4 exf4 29. Qxd4+ f6 30. Nf3 g5 31. Qxa7 Rd6 32. Qc5 Red7 33. Qf5 Re7 34. b4 Re3 35. Nd2 Rd4 36. Nc4 Re7 37. Kb2 Rc7 38. Kb3 Rcd7 39. a4 R7d5 40. Qc8 Rd7 41. Qe8 Rxd3+ 42. cxd3 Rxd3+ 43. Kc2 {[%eval 375,28] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} Rd7 44. Nd6 b6 45. Nf5+ Kg8 46. Kc3 Rc7+ 47. Kd2 Rh7 48. Ke1 Rd7 49. a5 bxa5 50. bxa5 Ra7 51. Qd8 Kf7 52. Qb6 Rd7 53. a6 Kg6 54. Nd6 g4 55. Qb1+ Kg7 56. Nf5+ Kf7 57. Nh6+ Kg7 58. Nxg4 Ng6 59. Qb6 f3 60. a7 Rxa7 61. Qxa7+ Kf8 62. Qd4 f2+ 63. Kxf2 Ne5 64. Qd8+ Kf7 65. Qxf6+ Ke8 66. Qe6+ Kd8 67. Nxe5 Kc7 68. Qc6+ Kb8 69. Nd7+ Ka7 70. Qb6+ Ka8 71. Qa6#) 22. Nf6 Kg7 23. Qh6+ {It's mate next move so black resigned.} 1-0

Leopold Hoffer

 

    Leopold Hoffer (1842 in Hungary – August 28,1913 in England) was an English player and journalist who was born in Budapest, left for Paris at the end of 1866 and for the rest of his life he resided in London after 1870. 

    He founded the British Chess Club, was an honorary member of the City of London Chess Club, founder and honorary secretary of the British Chess Association. 

    As a chess journalist he worked for The Field, Standard and Westminster Gazette. He is most famous for founding the Chess Monthly magazine and running it together with Zukertort. You can read issues of the magazine (as well as many others) at the outstanding site Chess Archaeology. 

    While living in Paris, he won matches against, among others, Ignatz von Kolisch, Samuel Rosenthal and Jules Arnous de Riviere. 

    At his death he was Europe's supreme chess commentator who was known for his verbal brickbats and and at least one admirer claimed he was the greatest chess editor the world had ever seen! 

    His opponent in the following delightful minature was James I. Minchin (1825-1903) who was born in Madras, India and died in Parkstone, England. He was one of the main promoters of the London 1883 international tournament and edited the tournament book. After Minchin’s slip on move 11 he got slaughtered. 

[Event "London"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1876.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "James I. Minchin"] [Black "Leopold Hoffer"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C33"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "1876.??.??"] {C33: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 {This is second in popularity to 3.Nf3. The text can lead to several extremely sharp lines. Compared to 3. Nf3 there is very little theory on this move.} Qh4+ 4. Kf1 { White has lost the possibility of castling and his K looks precariously placed, but it's actually safe on f1. White can now gain several tempi because of the position of black's Q. White's plan is usually to develop quickly and start an attack on the K-side using the half-open f-file and the B on c4.} d5 {This move, attacking the B, is only one of black's defensive possibilities. Black gives back the P for a rapid development.} (4... g5 {is usual and statistically brings black th emost success.} 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. d4 {Black usually continues with 6...Ne7, but 6...d6 isslightly better. Either way the chances are about even.}) 5. Bxd5 {Best. It avoids the B being blocked by the P on d5.} (5. exd5 {This favors black after} Bd6 6. Nf3 {and the retreat to either h5 or h6 leave black well off.}) 5... Ne7 6. Nc3 (6. Bb3 {preserves the B, but black is solid after} g5 7. Nf3 Qh5 8. d4 Nbc6) 6... g5 (6... Nxd5 {Gains the two Bs, but black's development is disrupted after} 7. Nxd5 Bd6 8. Nf3 Qh6 9. e5) 7. d4 (7. Nf3 {is more accurate, Then after} Qh5 8. h4 {chances are even.}) 7... Bg7 (7... Bg4 {leaves black a bit better.} 8. Nf3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nbc6) 8. Nf3 $18 (8. g3 {is not to be recommended even though it's whan the great Capablanca played in Capablanca,J-Beckman,A, Philadelphia 1924} fxg3 9. Kg2 Nxd5 10. hxg3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Qxe4+ 12. Nf3 Bg4 13. Re1 Bxf3+ 14. Qxf3 Qxe1 {and black won in a few more moves.}) 8... Qh5 9. Ne2 (9. h4 {is correct.} h6 10. Kf2 (10. Kg1 Qg6 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Rg8 {with equal chances. Paulsen,L-Anderssen,A Baden-Baden 1870}) (10. e5 {did not work out well for white in Mortimer,J-Steinitz,W London 1883} O-O 11. Kg1 g4 12. Ne1 Rd8 {Black has what should amount to a decisive advantae, but in the game he let it slip and only managed to draw.}) 10... g4 11. Ne1 Nbc6 12. Bxf4 Bxd4+ 13. Kf1 {Black is better. Swiderski, R-Marshall,F Vienna 1903}) 9... Nxd5 10. exd5 {Black now has a strong initiative and white finds himself on the defensive.} Bg4 11. Qe1 {A fatal slip. Correct was 11.Qd3 so as to recapture with the Q if black plays ...Bxf3} (11. Qd3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 13. gxf3 {Black has no more than a slight advantage.}) 11... O-O {A necessary precaution.} (11... Bxf3 12. Nxf4+ Be2+ 13. Qxe2+ Qxe2+ 14. Nxe2 {White is solid P up.}) 12. Qf2 Nd7 {[%mdl 32] This N will strengthen the attack.} 13. c4 Rae8 {[%mdl 32]} 14. Bd2 Nf6 {The threat of Ne4 cannot be met in any satisfactory way.} 15. Nc3 (15. a3 {This a pass just to illustrate the danger if the N remains on e5} Ne4 16. Qe1 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Qxf3+ 18. Kg1 Nxd2 19. Qxd2 Rxe2) 15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 Rxe4 17. Bc3 Rfe8 { White's position is hopeless.} 18. Rd1 Re3 19. Kg1 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Rxf3 21. Qg2 { White is quite lost and Stockfish is announcing mate in 11 moves.} Rxc3 { [%mdl 512] White resigned. A nearly flawless game by Hoffer.} (21... Rxc3 22. bxc3 Qxd1+ 23. Qf1 Re1 24. Kf2 Qd2+ 25. Kf3 f5 26. Qf2 Qd1+ 27. Kg2 Qg4+ 28. Qg3 Re2+ 29. Kf1 fxg3 30. hxg3 Qf3+ 31. Kg1 Qg2#) 0-1

Bruno E. Siegheim

    Here is a name from out of the past that you have probably never heard of: Bruno E. Siegheim (May 24, 1875 in Berlin, Germany - November 5, 1952 in Johannesburg, South Africa).

    Born in Berlin, in 1895 he went to South Africa. At that time, though he knew something about chess, he was totally unacquainted with its deeper mysteries. He joined the Johannesburg Chess Club in January of 1898, but in April he migrated to Quebec in Canada, where he lived for nine months. 

    While there he met Professor Isaac Rice (1850-1915), the Bavaria-born master and inventor of the Rice Gambit who had moved to the US together with his parents at the age of six. Rice introduced Siegheim, who by that time had developed into a strong player, to the Rice Gambit germ. 

    Seigheim's next experience was with the Manhattan Club in New York where he worked his way up to one of their strongest players, even taking third place in a Rice Gambit tournament in 1903. In the Manhattan Chess Club Championship of 1903, David Baird took first and Seigheim finished second. 

    In October of 1904, Seigheim returned to South Africa and returned to the Johannesburg C.C. At that time a player named Dr. Nax Blieden was acknowledged to be the strongest player in the country. Seigheim was strong enough that a match with Blieden was arranged.

    Seigheim scored +6 -2 =2 in the first ten games, but then Blieden scored four straight wins to even the score! According to the match arrangements the match was to be continued until one of the players score 9 points which Seigheim succeeded in doing. 

    Seigheim won the championship of South Africa in 1906 at Capetown, scoring +5 -0 =2. In 1910, he lost a challenge to Dr. Blieden, he defeated Harry Duhan in a challenge in 1911, then defeated Henk Meihuizen in challenge in1912. Also in 1912, he captured his second South African championship. 

    After World War I, he tied for 5-6th in th British Championship at Malvern (F.D. Yates won). At the annual Hastings Christmas Congress of 1922/23 he shared 2nd with Richard Réti, behind Akiba Rubinstein. He also is reported to have played a match against Mir Sultan Khan at London in 1929, but I was unable to find any details.

 

[Event "Offhand Game Johannesburg CC"] [Site "?"] [Date "1910.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Bruno Siegheim"] [Black "A. Frere"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D52"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1910.??.??"] {D52: Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Variation} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 {The Cambridge Springs Defense has been around for over a century and is still one of the most popular ways of meeting the Queen's Gambit, second only to 4...Be7. It also sets what is known as the Elephant Trap.} 5. e3 (5. cxd5 {This is quite playable.} exd5 {White should now play either 6.Nf3 or 6.e3} 6. Nxd5 {Falling for the Elephant Trap.} Nxd5 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8 {and black has won a piece.}) 5... c6 6. Nf3 Qa5 {At the time of this gme this move had been abandoned as insatisfactory. However, that opinion has changed and today 6...Qa4 is the main line. Black intends ...Bb4 and possibly ...Ne4 with pressure along the a5–e1 diagonal.} 7. Nd2 Ne4 (7... Bb4 {This is the modern way.} 8. Qc2 O-O 9. Be2 c5 {White has a wide choice of replies.}) 8. cxd5 (8. Ndxe4 dxe4 9. Bh4 {Akso playable is 9. Bf4} Bb4 10. Qb3 e5 11. a3 exd4 12. Qxb4 Qxb4 13. axb4 dxc3 14. bxc3 {Dobrev,N (2179)-Hristov,A (2259) Albena BUL 2010. Chances are equal.}) 8... Nxc3 $146 ( 8... Nxd2 9. Qxd2 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4 11. O-O O-O {Marshall,F-Teichmann,R Cambridge Springs 1904. White is slightly better.}) 9. bxc3 Qxd5 10. Bh4 f5 { Much too weakening.} (10... e5 11. Nf3 exd4 12. exd4 (12. cxd4 {is inferior. After} Bb4+ 13. Ke2 {Black is better.}) 12... Be7 13. Bxe7 Qe4+ 14. Be2 Qxe7 15. O-O Nf6 16. Re1 O-O 17. Bc4 Qc7 {equals.}) 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qg5 Qa5 (12... Nb6 {to hinder Bc4 is not any better.} 13. a4 a5 14. Be2 {and black is still at a positional disadvantage.}) 13. Bc4 Kf7 (13... Rg8 14. Bxe6 h6 15. Qg3 Rg7 16. Bxd7+ Bxd7 17. Bf6 Rf7 18. Qxg6 {is also unfavorable for black.}) 14. O-O Bd6 15. e4 {White already has a decisive advantage and must figure out how to dig out black's King which Siegheim does quite efficiently.} h6 16. Bxe6+ Kg7 ( 16... Kxe6 17. Qxg6+ Nf6 18. Qxf6+ Kd7 19. Qf7+ Be7 20. Qxe7#) 17. Qe3 f4 ( 17... g5 {runs into} 18. Bxf5 gxh4 19. Qh3 {So that he can check on g4. Black's K is exposed and is totally helpless. A samll line..} Nb6 20. Qg4+ Kf8 21. Bxc8 Nxc8 22. e5 Be7 23. Qh3 Qd5 24. f4 c5 25. f5 cxd4 26. f6 Bc5 27. Kh1 dxc3 28. Nf3 Nb6 29. Nxh4 Rh7 30. Ng6+ Ke8 31. e6 c2 32. f7+ Kd8 33. Rac1 Kc7 34. Rxc2 Na4 35. Qb3 Qxb3 36. axb3) 18. Qf3 g5 {This wins a piece, but further weakens his position.} 19. Nc4 Qc7 20. e5 Be7 21. Qh5 Rf8 (21... gxh4 22. Qf7#) 22. Nd6 {The purpose of this move is to lure the B away from the defense of the g-Pawn.} (22. Bxg5 {is also playable. Here is just a sampke of how play could go.} hxg5 23. Nd6 Nxe5 24. Nxc8 Raxc8 25. Bxc8 Qxc8 26. dxe5 Qe6 27. Rad1 Rd8 28. Rxd8 Bxd8 29. Rd1 Be7 30. h4 gxh4 31. Rd4 Qf7 32. Qg4+ Qg6 33. Qxg6+ Kxg6 34. Rxf4) 22... Bxd6 (22... Nxe5 {would have given him a fighting chance.} 23. Bxc8 Qxd6 24. dxe5 Qg6 25. Qxg6+ Kxg6 26. Bxb7 Rab8 27. Bxc6 gxh4 28. Rfd1 Rb6 29. Be4+ Kg5 30. Rd5 Rc8 31. e6+ Kf6 32. Rf5+ Kxe6 33. Re1 Rxc3 34. Rxf4 { White is better and should be able to win.}) 23. Bxg5 hxg5 24. Qxg5+ Kh7 25. Bf5+ {The last words of Hamlet, "The rest is silence" is appropriate here!} Rxf5 26. Qxf5+ Kg7 27. Qg5+ Kh7 28. exd6 Qxd6 29. Rfe1 Nf6 30. Re5 Bd7 31. Qxf4 Qf8 32. Rae1 {Black resigned. Forceful plat by Siegjeim!} 1-0

1904 - Chicago Players Were Best in Country

    Life expectancy in the US in 1904 was only 46.2 for men and 49.1 for women. Short story writer O. Henry was visiting Honduras whe he came up with the term Banana Republic to describe a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon exporting a limited-resource product like bananas. 

    Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, invented tea bags by accident. He wanted the small bags to be samples of the tea. People started dunking them instead. King C. Gillette patented his Gillette razor blade. On December 31, the first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then Longacre Square), New York City. And, the term “hangover” came into the vernacular. Before that, people felt “crapulous.” 

    If you lived in Chicago in 1904, you started paying the Bottled Water Tax. It applied to the retail sale of bottled water in the city at a rate of $0.05 per bottle. However, the tax did not apply to sale of bottled water to passengers on an interstate carrier. 

    In 1904, it appeared that Chicago might possibly be emerging as the new power in American chess. Teams from the Chicago Chess and Checker Club had won victories in telegraph matches against Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston and they also overwhelmed a team from the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

    In the match against the Twin Cities the outcome of one of the games was disputed owing to inability of the players to agree upon the correct position at time of adjournment. It didn’t matter; Chicago won by 10 points anyway. 

    The winner of the following game from the match was Chicago’s little known Carl Medinus (August 4, 1873 – December 6, 1941). Medinus played a match against Frank Marshall ib Chicago in 1900, with Marshall winning 4-2. 

    On the other hand, Horace Bigelow (March 6, 1898 – April 18, 1980) was a well known master and organizer. He learned to play chess at age ten in Lucerne, Switzerland. Eventually he found his way to New York City where he was a prominent member of the Manhattan Chess Club, one of organizers of the New York 1924 tournament. In 1928-29, he won the Marshall Chess Club Championship. He edited a chess column in the New York Evening Post and the Liberty magazine.

[Event "Team Match"] [Site "?"] [Date "1904.01.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Carl Medinus (Chicago)"] [Black "Horace Bigelow (Twin Cities)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "57"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.01.15"] {C29: Vienna Game} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 {Originally the idea behind the was to play a delayed King's Gambit, but in modern play qhite often plays more quietly. Weaver Adams once claimed the Vienn led to a forced win, but of course it does not.} Nf6 3. f4 d5 {Best. It strikes in the center.} (3... exf4 4. e5 {is rarely played. White almost always replies with 4.Bc4, but the best movr appears to be...} Ng8 {Best because after 4...Qe7 5.Qe2 black has to retreat the N anyway.} 5. Nf3 d6 6. d4 dxe5 7. Bb5+ c6 8. Bc4 {White is better developed.}) 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 {More exact os 6.Bb5} Bb4 7. Bd2 Bf5 $146 (7... Bg4 8. Be2 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 Qh4+ 11. Qf2 Qxd4 12. Qxd4 Nxd4 {with a clear advantage.}) 8. Be2 {[%mdl 32]} Nxd2 (8... f6 {Challenging white in this was assures black of equality. For example...} 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nh4 Be6 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. O-O fxe5) 9. Qxd2 Be4 10. O-O (10. O-O-O {is somewhat stronger.} f6 11. a3 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 O-O 13. Rhe1 {White is slightly better.}) 10... O-O 11. Rad1 b6 {Black is wasting time with this pointless move. Once again, challenging white's cenbter with 11...f6 is correct.} 12. a3 Be7 13. Bb5 Bxf3 14. Bxc6 (14. gxf3 {would be bad.} Nxd4 15. Ba6 (15. Qxd4 Bc5) 15... c6 16. Kh1 Nf5 {Black is slightly better.}) 14... Bxd1 15. Qxd1 (15. Bxa8 {is a misstep.} Qxa8 16. Rxd1 c6 {with an even position.}) 15... Rb8 16. Nxd5 f6 17. Qg4 {White's position has reached the point where he can be considered to be winning.} f5 {Apparently Bigelow hoped the elimination of Rs would ease his defensive burden, but that is not the case.} (17... fxe5 {is technically speaking no better though because of} 18. Qe6+ Kh8 19. Qxe7 Qxe7 20. Nxe7 exd4 {However, practically speaking, this is probably black's best chance.}) 18. Rxf5 Rxf5 19. Qxf5 Bg5 20. c3 a5 21. g3 Kh8 22. h4 Bc1 23. e6 {Decisive.} Qd6 { Medinus now executes a nifty finish.} 24. e7 Qxg3+ (24... Bxb2 {was worth a try.} 25. Kg2 Bxa3 26. e8=Q+ Rxe8 27. Bxe8 Qd8 28. Bb5 Bd6 {White is winning, but he still has some work to do.}) 25. Kf1 Qd6 26. e8=Q+ Rxe8 27. Bxe8 Bxb2 28. Bh5 Bxa3 29. Qc8+ {Black resigned . A fine finale by Medinus.} (29. Qc8+ Qf8+ 30. Qxf8+ Bxf8 31. Nxc7 {is hopeless for black.}) 1-0

The First Ladies' International Tournament

    The first ladies’ international tournament was held in London from June 23 through July 3, 1897. The tournament was organized to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. The event attracted the best female players in the world. 

    The idea that women could play a decent game of chess was a fairly new concept. Many men believed women made up rules as the game progressed and they would do things like castle ou of check and ignore the touch-move rule. Of course, that was not the case and this tournament proved women really could play chess even if they were not on a par with the best men players. 

    Playing hours were from 1:00pm until 5:00pm and after a dinner break games were resumed from &:pm until 11:00pm Monday through Saturday. 

    English players were: Eschwege, Field, Fox, Gooding, Hooke, Rudge, Sidney, Thomas, Thorold and Watson. 

    Others were: Berry and Finn (Ireland), Forbes-Sharp (Scotland), Bonnefin (Belgium), de la Vingne (France), Fagan (Italy), Hertzsch and Muller-Hartung,S. Stevenson (Canada) and Worrall (Unitetd States). 

    Two of the ladies representing other countries actually lived in England. Madame Bonnefin lived in London and Mrs. Fagan was also living in England. Additionally, the US representative, Harriet Worral, who was living in Brooklyn, was of English origin. 

 

    Alice Hooke was a substitute for Eliza Campbell Foot of the United States who was expected to attend but failed to put in an appearance. Little is known of Mrs. Foot outside her chess related activities. She was born February 23, 1851. She was reported to have been a cousin to Wilhelm Steinitz. On December 6, 1914 near the Manhattan Chess Club during a stormy evening, she was carrying an umbrella which apparently blocked her view of an oncoming vehicle as it came around the corner. She was struck and killed instantly; the driver never stopped.

    Gertrue Field Anderson was British Women's Champion in 1909, 1912 and 1921. She later married player named Donald L. Anderson. Born in 1880, she passed away in 1924 after having been in ill health for some time. 

    Alice Elizabeth Hooke was the sister of noted British player George Archer Hooke (a857-1934). She never married and lived most of her life in London. where she was born in 1862. 

    For most of her life she worked as a Civil Servant clerk. As a very keen player, for forty years she was one of the leaders in the development of women's chess in England. 

    She shared first place in two British Ladies' Championships in her late 1860s. The following game is an interesting one. 

    The following game was pretty routine for a while. Field was on the attack and on move 25 she sacrificed a Bishop. The sacrifice was not bad, but against correct play it offered no more than equal chances. 

    On her 26th move Hooke retreated her Queen to the wrong square and should have lost, but Field didn’t find the refutation which left the chances still balanced.  Even so, Hooke’s position was difficult to defend. As often happens in such situations Hooke finally cracked and lost quickly. The complications were enormous and Stockfish quibbled with several moves, but that was just nitpicking.

 

[Event "Ladies' First Int’l Tmt., London"] [Site "?"] [Date "1897.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Gertrude Field"] [Black "Alice E. Hoole"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C51"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "75"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.01.11"] {C51: Evans Gambit: Declined} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 { n My System Nimzovich claimed that 4...Bb6 does not lost a tempo because 4.b4 is unproductive because it does nothing for white's developemnt. Although far less popular than accepting the gambit, declining it is probably safer. I} 5. c3 a6 (5... Nf6 6. d3 d6 7. a4 {and now either 7...a6 or 7...a5}) 6. Qb3 Qf6 ( 6... Qe7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 d6 {is equal. Da Castro,J-Williams,A Abuja 2003}) 7. d3 h6 8. O-O d6 9. Be3 Nge7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bxb6 cxb6 12. h3 { White should have played 12.a4 as a measure against 12...b5! (if not here, then on the next few moves) which would have been to black's advantage.} Qg6 13. Nh4 Qf6 14. Nhf3 Bd7 15. Qd1 Rac8 16. Nh2 Kh8 17. Ng4 Qg6 18. f4 {White is mistakenly playing for a K-side attack when her real prospects are on the Q-side and so 18.a4 was the proper course.} h5 {[%mdl 8192]} (18... exf4 { is advantageous for black.} 19. Rxf4 {Actually 19.d4 is better, but this is likely what white intended.} Ne5 20. Nxe5 dxe5 21. Rf2 b5 22. Bb3 Bxh3 { and black has the advantage.}) 19. f5 {After this white has a strong attack.} Qh7 20. Ne3 Qh6 21. Rf3 b5 22. Bd5 Ng8 23. Rg3 (23. g4 {packed more punch.} g6 24. Rg3 f6 25. fxg6 h4 26. Rf3 {is excellent prospecys. Black should now play 28...Nge7, but not...} Qxg6 27. Qe1 Qg5 28. Rf1 {Vacating fe for the N.} Nce7 29. Nf3 Qh6 30. Nxh4 Nxd5 31. Nxd5 {with a strong attack.}) 23... Nf6 24. Qe1 g6 25. Bxf7 Rxf7 26. Rxg6 Qh7 {[%mdl 8192] This retreat loses rather quickly.} (26... Qf8 {and Black is OK.} 27. Qh4 Ne7 {Now white has to find 28.Rf1 to avoid getting an inferior position.} 28. Rf1 {Things are getting tactical nad both sides have plenty of room for errors tht lead to a loss!} Be8 (28... Nxg6 {loses to} 29. fxg6 Re7 30. Rxf6) 29. Nf3 Nh7 (29... Nxg6 30. fxg6 Re7 31. Nd4 exd4 32. Rxf6 Qg8 33. Nf5 {is winning for white.}) 30. Qxh5 Rg7 31. Nh4 Qg8 32. Qh6 Nxg6 33. fxg6 Rxg6 34. Nxg6+ Bxg6 35. Rf6 Be8 {Wgite's advantage is minimal.}) 27. Qh4 (27. Nf3 {at once was necessary.} Ne7 (27... Re7 28. Rxf6 { wins}) 28. Ng5 {and black must surrender her Q.}) 27... Rcf8 28. Nf3 {[%mdl 2048] One move to late to do any damage, but black's position is still precarious and she must find the right move every move.} Rg7 {[%mdl 8192] Which she does not.} (28... Ne7 29. Ng5 Nxg6 {and now it's black who is winning no matter if white plays 30.Nxf7+ or 30.fxg6} 30. Nxf7+ Rxf7 31. fxg6 Qxg6 {with a piece up.}) (28... Ne7 29. Rg3 {Black now equalizes as follows...} Rg7 30. Rxg7 Qxg7) 29. Rxf6 {Game over.} Rxf6 30. Qxf6 Qg8 31. Qxd6 Qe8 32. Nh4 Rg3 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. Ng6 {Intending Qh8+ and mate follows.} Qd8 {34... Bxf5avoids the immediate mate, but itt's equally hopelless.} (34... a5 { A pass to demonstrate the mate threat.} 35. Qh8+ Kf7 36. Qh7+ Kf6 37. Nd5+ Kg5 38. h4+ Kg4 39. Nf6#) 35. Qh8+ {White mates in this line, too.} Kf7 36. Qh7+ Kf6 37. Nd5+ Kg5 38. Nh8 {1-0 Missing the mate, but black's position is so bad that she resigned anyway.} (38. h4+ Kg4 39. Qh6 Rf3 (39... a5 40. Nxe5+ Nxe5 41. Qf4#) 40. Kh2 (40. gxf3+ Kg3 41. Qe3 Kh3 42. f4+ Kg4 43. Qe2+ Kh3 44. Qg2#) 40... a5 41. gxf3+ Kxf3 42. Qe3+ Kg4 43. Qe2#) 1-0