Even Tal Couldn’t Top This

    William M. de Visser (November 5, 1855 0 December 4, 1922, 68 years old) was a charter member of the Manhattan Chess Club, an expert player and organizer. In 1899, he won the New York State Championship. 

    When he died at his country residence in Brentwood on Long Island, New York, chess circles in the New York area lost one of the outstanding figures who for 30 years had been President of the Metropolitan Chess League. 

    As an active member of the Brooklyn Chess Club he occasionally played on its teams. He was also elected an honorary member of the Manhattan Chess Club with which he had been identified in one way or another for nearly 40 years. 

     He captained the first Manhattan team in the first cable match ever played between the Manhattan and British chess clubs. Later, when the Brooklyn Chess Club perfected the system of conducting those matches, he was helpful in furthering the annual international matches between the Brooklyn Chess Club and the City of London Chess Club. 

    de Visser was born in New Orleans, but moved to New York in his youth. He was senior member of the importing and commission house of Thomas J. Owen & Co. in New York. A commission house was a company that executes orders to buy and sell listed securities or commodity future contracts. In that position he succeeded his father0in-law Charles A. Gilberg, a well known problem composer and chess book collector. 

    de Visser’s opponent in the following game was Walter Penn Shipley (1860-1942), a well known organizer and chess patron who was friendly with many famous players. He was the president) of the Franklin Chess Club in Philadelphia. Shipley was also a very strong amateur player. 

    This game ends with de Visser playing a long and entertaining double check, double Bishop mating combination that includes a sham queen sacrifice. I don’t think even Tal ever played such a brilliant game! 

 

[Event "Club Match"] [Site "New York, NY"] [Date "1900.05.30"] [Round "?"] [White "William de Visser (Manhattan)"] [Black "Walter Penn Shipley (Franklin)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B20"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1900.??.??"] [Source "Edward Winter, A"] {B20: Sicilian: Wung Gambit} 1. e4 c5 2. b4 {This takes the opponent out of the book and allows white to play d2-d4 and set up the classical P-center with Ps on e4 and d4. Additionally, white also gets quick development if black accepts the gambit. In my database wthe gambit enjoys a giid success rate... among amateurs, of course.} cxb4 (2... e6 3. bxc5 Bxc5 4. d4 Be7 (4... Bb6 { is probably not a good way to decline the gambit because black's B is not especially well placed on b6.}) 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. c3 {is unexplored. Black can play 6...e5 or 6...Nf6}) 3. a3 {This is the most often seen move, but white also has other reasonable options.} e5 (3... d5 {is probably the best way to decline the gambit.} 4. exd5 Qxd5 {Now white should play 5.Nf3 when black is only slightly better. But what he must NOT play is} 5. axb4 Qe5+ {0-1 Kamran Shirazi-John Peters, US Championship, 1984}) (3... bxa3 4. Nxa3 d6 5. Bb2 Nc6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Bd3 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O O-O {The position id about equal.}) 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. axb4 Bxb4 6. Bc4 (6. c3 Be7 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 d5 9. e5 Bg4 10. Be2 Qb6 11. Be3 {Black has only a slight dvantage, but in Tiarks,J (2231)-Jaskolka, T (2238) chess.com INT 2023 he nursed it to a win.}) 6... Nf6 7. Qe2 (7. c3 Be7 8. Qb3 (8. d4 O-O 9. d5 Na5 10. Rxa5 Qxa5 11. d6 Bd8 12. O-O {Black is considerably better. Nanu,C (2325)-Bernat,R (2140) Szeged 1998}) 8... O-O 9. Ng5 Qe8 10. O-O {favors black. Gorovykh,E (2447)-Yemelin,V (2571) St Petersburg RUS 2010}) 7... O-O 8. O-O d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nd4 11. Qd3 Nf4 (11... Bc5 {was a bit better. After} 12. c3 Nf4 13. Qe4 Qh4 14. Kh1 (14. d3 Bf5 {wins.} 15. Qxb7 Rab8 16. Qa6 (16. Qc7 Bb6) 16... Nh3+ 17. gxh3 Bxh3 18. cxd4 Bxd4 19. Qd6 Bxf1 20. Be3 Bxa1 21. Kxf1 Rxb1+) 14... Bf5 15. Qe3 Nc2 {and the complications are head whirling! Jist a sample of the possibilities...} 16. Qxc5 Nxa1 17. d3 Rac8 18. Qxa7 Nxg2 19. Bxf7+ Kh8 20. Ba3 Qf6 21. Bxf8 Qxe5 22. Bxg7+ Qxg7 23. Qxa1 Bxd3) 12. Qe4 Nfe2+ {[%mdl 8192] Correct was the solid 12.. .Be6} 13. Bxe2 Bf5 14. Qe3 Nxc2 {This is the point of black's 12th move, but he has completely misjudged the position; white has a decisive advantage!} 15. Qf4 Nxa1 16. Qxf5 {This is the right B to capture!} (16. Qxb4 {allows black to equalize after} Nc2 17. Qf4 (17. Qxb7 {is too risky.} Rb8 18. Qxa7 Qd5 19. Qc7 (19. Nf3 Rxb1) 19... Rxb1 20. Bc4 Rb7 21. Bxd5 Rxc7 {favors black, but it's still a very complicated position to play!}) 17... Nd4 18. Bc4 Be6 {an unbalanced position that offers about equal chances.}) 16... Qc7 {At first glance it may be hard to believe, but white is winning.} 17. Bb2 Nb3 18. Bd3 { It's rather amusing that both the Q and now the B have occupied this square in front of the d-Pawn which has not made the thematic advance to d4 and bever does.} g6 {Incredibly tjis allows a mate in 13!} (18... Rfe8 {avoids the mate, but still loses.} 19. Qxh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxg7 Kd8 22. Nxf7+ Kc8 23. Bf5+ Kb8 24. Be5 {White wins/} Rxe5 25. Qh8+ Bf8 26. Qxf8+ Re8 27. Qxe8+ Qc8 28. Qxc8#) 19. Ng4 (19. Qf6 {is a forced mate as follows...} Qc3 20. Bxc3 Bxc3 21. Nxc3 Nxd2 22. Ng4 h5 23. Nh6+ Kh7 24. Nxf7 Rg8 25. Ng5+ Kh6 26. Ne6 Nf3+ 27. gxf3 Kh7 28. Qe5 Kh6 29. Qg5+ Kh7 30. Qxh5#) 19... Bc3 {The only move to avoid immediate disaster...it prevents Nf6#} (19... gxf5 20. Nf6+) 20. Qf6 { [%mdl 512] A brilliant riposte.} Bxf6 21. Nxf6+ {[%mdl 32]} Kg7 (21... Kh8 22. Ne8+) 22. Ne8+ Kg8 23. Nxc7 Rad8 24. Be4 Nxd2 25. Nxd2 Rxd2 26. Bc3 Re2 27. Nd5 f5 28. Bd3 Ra2 29. Bc4 Ra4 30. Ne7# {A brilliant win by de Visser.} 1-0