Rosenwald determined that it was in that the boy’s best interest to tale a break fro chess and get his education and enjoy “a normal boyhood.”
Consequently, between the years 1924-1931 Reshevsky played only occasionally during school breaks. He entered Northern High School in Detroit, from which he graduated with honors.
He then entered the University of Chicago and in 1934 earned his accounting degree from the university's School of Commerce after which he revived his chess career.
The year before he graduated from college he returned to Detroit to compete for the Western Open title. Reshevsky was asked if he expected to win the tournament and even though Reuben Fine was playing, Reshevsky’s reply was "Who is there to beat me?" He was right in one respect, nobody did beat him and he even defeated Fine, but he did not win the tournament...Fine did!
In the last round Fine, as expected, defeated local master Leon Stoltzenberg. Reshevsky was expected to defeat Chicago master Albert Margolis. Instead, Reshevsky narrowly escaped defeat and was lucky to draw. The result was Fine finished first with 12 points and Reshevsky finished second with 11. Arthur Dake was a distant third with 9.5.
In the following game Reshevsky defeats Egil Opsakl (1902-1984), a Norwegian born electrical engineer. He arrived in the US in 1927 and settled in Detroit. Opsal enlisted in the US Navy and served from 1942 to 1945. His older brother, Haakon Opsahl (1905-2001, 95 years old) was a master player who ended up in Canada.
The closed nature of the game made it very difficult to analyze even with the powerful Stockfish engine and in many cases the positions were unclear.
The Fritz program has a Shootout Mode in which the engine plays a series of games against itself. When setting up these Shootouts there are a some variable that you can adjust (blitz and long time controls and fixed depth where you can adjust the number of plies). I prefer the latter method and with the minimum plies set at 7 and the maximum at 15 the result is 5 games are played at lightening speed...engines rip through plies extremely fast. Of course, the results may or may not be what would happen if humans were playing!
Analyzing this game with Stockfish was extremely difficult; it suggested moves that were only a fraction of a Pawn better at almost every move! Also, some variations, while the engine evaluated them as clearly superior, I think in practical play things would not gave been at all that clear! See what you think.
Samuel Reshevsky–Egil Opsahl1–0A46Western Championship, Detroit8Detroit, MI USA28.09.1933Stockfish 16
Stonewall Attack 1.d4 f6 2.f3 e6 3.e3 b6 4.d3 b7 5.0-0 d5 6.e5 bd7 7.f4 The Stonewall P-formation (Ps on c3, d4, e3 and f4) give white a
good N outpost on e5 and may provide him with ab opportunity launch a
primitive K-side attack. On the other hand, its a rather inflexible
P-structure, long-term light square weaknesses and the bad dark squared B can
tell against him. a6 An aimless move. 7...e7 8.d2 0-0 9.f3 e4 10.h3 xe5 11.fxe5 f5 12.exf6 xf6 favors black. Mamedyarov,S (2767)
-Warmerdam,M (2599) chess.com INT 2021 8.f3 By placing the Q here
Reshevsky hopes to use it for attacking purposes. The strategy is successful,
but only because of black's cooperation. 8.d2 e4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.c4 g6 11.g4 is equal. Fernandez Hernandez,A (2303)-Janssen,R (2524) Havana CUB
2010 8.g4 might look inviting, but after e4 9.d2 xe5 10.dxe5 c5
white has no real prospects pf a K-side attack. In fact, it's black who does. 11.e2 f6 12.exf6 xf6 Black will play ...O-O-O and then try to take
advantage of white's weakened K-side limited in scope pieces. 8...g6
The fianchetto seems to be a good defensive plan against both the Stonewall
and the Colle. 9.d2 c5 10.c3 c7 11.h3 g7 12.df3 Neither side
can boast of any advabtage here, but Opsahl's next move is an harbinger of
trouble. Why he neglects castling is hard to understand. h6 12...0-0 13.g5 d6 14.f3 h6 15.gxf7 xf7 16.xf7 xf7 17.g4 e4 White has no effective
way to continue. Five Shootouts from this position resulted in white scoring
+1 -3 =1, but the games were very long and arduous. 13.d2 13.xg6
was certainly a possibility. fxg6 14.xe6+ d8 15.f7+ c8 16.xh8 xh8
with a highly unbalanced material situation...a R+2Ps vs. B+N. In Shootouts
white scored +1 -0 =4 13.xf7 was the correct sacrifice. After xf7 14.e5+ e8 15.xg6+ d8 16.f7+ 16.xe6 f8 17.h3 c8 Black has a nearly
equal position. 16...c8 17.xh8 xh8 18.xh6 White's position is very
promising. In 5 very messy and very long Shootout games white scored +4 -0 =1 13...e4 There is no reason not to castle. Black undefended f7 is a sore
point. 13...f8 14.e1 0-0-0 15.g3 e4 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xd7 xd7 18.e5 leaves black rather breezy on the Q-side. It's going to take white some
time though to get his B and Q into play, but in the long run black's position
looks tenuous. 13...0-0 looks perfectly safe as although white has the
initiative an attempt by white to dig out the K does not seem to work. 14.g4 e4 15.e1 xe5 16.xe5 cxd4 17.cxd4 e7 18.h4 e8 19.xe4 dxe4 20.c4 c6 14.a4 14.xg6 is interesting, but inconclusive. xd2 15.xh8 xf3+ 16.xf3 xh8 17.xh6 0-0-0 18.g4 Stockfish give white s slight edge here,
but very messy Shootouts resulted in white scoring + 3 -1 =1 14...df6 15.e1 e7 15...0-0-0 16.dxc5 xc5 17.e2 ce4 is about equal/ 15...0-0
also seems satisfactory. 16.g4 a5 and black has sufficient resources to
defend the K-side. 16.h1 16.xf7 is still playable. xf7 16...xf7 17.e5 g8 17...e7 18.xg6 h7 19.f5 with a strong initiative. 17.e5+ g8 18.xg6 e8 19.xh8 xh8 but white's advantage is minimal. 16...g5 Opening up the K-side is the wrong strategy. 16...c4 closing the Q-side
followed by Q-side castling would have been a much safe course. 17.g1 0-0-0 ...c4 here or on the next move would have left his K a bit safer. 18.f3
Even though his K has left the area it is disadvantageous for black to open up
the K-side, OTB that would be hard to judge. Engines give white a two P
advantage after 18...g5 h5 19.fxg5 xg5 20.f4 fe4 21.xe4 21.xf7
is bo longer feasible. hf8 22.xd8 xf4 23.exf4 xd8 24.fxg5 xg5
Technically the position offers equal chances, but nobody likes parting with
their Q without seeing a clear advantage. 21.h4 was the correct move. f6 with a clear advantage. 22.g6 21...xe5 22.xe5 22.dxe5 Taking with
the Q loses most of his advantage, but taking with the P leaves white with a
clearly better position. xe4 23.h4 f6 23...f8 24.xd8 xd8 25.xf7 24.exf6 f7 25.f3 df8 26.e5 c7 27.g6 22...xe4 23.f4 f6 24.g3 xg3+ The vigorous 23...e5 appears to be a worthwhilw try. 24...e5 25.f5+ b8 26.h4 df8 27.dxe5 xe5 and black should have no difficulties. 25.xg3 dg8 26.h4 g6 27.f2 d7 Now that white has been neutralized white
on the K-side, Opsahl turns his attention to getting play on the Q-side, but
the correct course would have been to keep the Q0side closed with 27...a5 28.a5 It;s white who strikes on the Q-side! b5 29.dxc5 hg8 With white having
gained the advantage on the Q-side black turns his attention back to the
K-side...tripling pieces on the g-file 30.e2 Too slow! 30.xh5 g7 31.f3 c7 32.e2 d4 33.e4 f5 and we are back to equal chances! 30...g4
Suddenly Reshevsky is facing problems on g2! 31.h3 d4 32.f4 32.xd4
Paradoxically this is better! xg2+ 33.xg2 xg2 34.d1 c7 35.b4 d7
Of course the Q cannot be taken. 36.xe6 xe6 37.xe6+ c8 38.f4 and
white has a fighting chance. 32...xc5 Black misses a golden opportunity! 32...e5 33.d3 c7 Allowing the R to move. 34.e4 xe4 35.e1 xc5
and the attack on g2 leaves white in serious trouble. 33.cxd4 is the
wrong way to capture. 33.exd4 f5 34.xh5 xh5 35.xh5 xg2 36.xf6+ d8 37.xg2 xg2 38.h4 f2+ 39.g1 xf6 The situation is, again, black shpould
win...theoretically any way! 33.d1 Nxh5 Nxf6+ c7-+ Nxg8 33...c6 It's quite logical
to increase the pressure on g2, but oddly enough this move leaves white with a
decisive advantage! 33...f5 keeps the chances even after 34.e4 xe4 35.d5 xd5 36.xd5 xd5 37.e3 xg2 37...d4 relieves the pressure on g2 and
it;s a whole new game after 38.h3 g5 39.af1 e5 38.a7+ and as bad as
things look for white, black's K cannot escape the Q checks. 34.d1 34.xh5 xg2+ 34...xg2 35.xf6+ d6 36.d5 wins. 35.xg2 xg2+ 36.xg2 xg2 37.xf6+ d6 38.xg8 xg8 is also decisive for white. Much less
strong is 34.xh5?! c8+- 34.d5 exd5 35.xh5
35.xh5 c8± 35...f5 36.xf5 34...xf4 34...c8 is a better chance. 35.f3 4g5 36.d5 exd5 37.fd2 d4 38.xc6+ xc6 39.c2 b7 40.xd4 In spite of appearances black is still in
serious trouble after f5 41.d6 e4 42.b6+ a7 43.d2 5g7 44.h3 h7 45.e6 b7 46.dd6 xg2+ 47.h2 xb6 48.axb6+ b7 49.c5+ c8 50.d7 g6 51.b4 f3 51...g8 52.c7+ d8 52...b8 53.d7+ a8 54.a7# 53.e6+ e8 54.c8+ ans wins 52.b7+ b8 53.d8+ 35.exf4 c4 36.f5 a4 37.fxe6+ White is clearly winning. e7 38.xh5 g7 39.d5 Black resigned.
An abrupt end to a massively complicated game. 1–0
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