The book is interesting in that Coles wasn’t looking for brilliant, well played games by the greats of the chess world. He was looking for hard fought games that were simply enjoyable to play over.
The game between Olaf Ulvesatd and Fred Reinfeld from that tournament fits the bill. Both players were awarded a special prize for a game that was the “showpiece of the tournament and for the originality, resourcefulness and the will to dare” on both their parts.
Olaf Ulvestad (1912-2000) was an original player who Chess metrics estimated to have a high rating of 2533 in 1956. Fred Reinfeld (1910-1964) is estimated to have had a high rating of 2532 in 1942.
[Event "Ventnor City"]
[Site "Ventnor City, NJ USA"]
[Date "1939.07.14"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Olaf Ulvestad"]
[Black "Fred Reinfeld"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A13"]
[Annotator "Komodo Dragon 3"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1939.??.??"]
{A13: English Opening} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 e6 5. e3 Nc6 6. d4
cxd4 {Reinfeld execute some Pawn exchanges in order to leave white with
hanging Ps which could prove a weakness, but they also gives white attacking
potential.} 7. exd4 {The other alternative is the immediate 7...Bb4+} dxc4 8.
Bxc4 {A new move. White always plays bxd4 with hanfinf Ps.} Bb4+ {Now one
would expect white to play 9.Nc3 followed by castles.} 9. Ke2 {A real Ulvestad
move! Rather than interpose a piece which could result in simplification he
prefers to take a chance that his K won't get into trouble in the center...
risky business!} (9. Nc3 Ne4 10. Rc1 Qa5 11. Qd3 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 13. Qxc3
Qxc3+ 14. Rxc3 {This position might suit the staid Reinfeld, but not the
plucky Ulvestad.}) 9... Nd5 10. Qc1 {An odd place fpr the Q, but je wants to
bring the R to d1, Placing the Q on c2 would accomplish the same thing.} O-O
11. Rd1 Bd7 12. a3 Bd6 {...Rc8 is a strong threat.} 13. Nc3 {Ulvestaf quickly
gets into trouble after this. Safer was 13.Kf1} (13. Kf1 {Even gere black is
in good shape after} Rc8 14. Nbd2 b5 15. Bxb5 Na5 16. Bc4 Bb5 17. Qc2 Nb6 18.
Kg1 Nbxc4 19. bxc4 Nxc4 20. Nxc4 Bxc4 {Positionally nlack is better.}) 13...
Rc8 {Reinfeld has set a sly trap, but Ulvestad avoids it.} 14. Ne4 (14. Nxd5
exd5 15. Bxd5 Ne7 16. Bc4 b5 17. Kf1 (17. Bxf7+ Rxf7 18. Qd2 Bf4 19. Qd3 Bf5
20. Qxb5 Rc2+ {and black is winning.}) 17... bxc4 18. bxc4 {Black has pocked
up a B for two Ps}) 14... Bf4 15. Qb1 f5 {With this black's advantage
disappears.} (15... Na5 {keeps up the pressure. but calculating the
possibilities is not so easy!} 16. Nc5 Bc6 17. Bd3 b6 18. b4 bxc5 19. dxc5 Ba4
20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Bc2 Bb5+ 22. Ke1 Nc4 {with the advantage.}) 16. Nc5 Na5 {
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened after the
equally good 16...g5} 17. g3 Bd6 (17... Bc6 {Now white has to play 18.Kf1 with
about equal chances, but he must not play} 18. gxf4 Nxf4+ 19. Kf1 Nxc4 20. bxc4
Bxf3 {and black is winning.} 21. Bc1 (21. Rd2 Qg5 {wins}) 21... Be2+ 22. Ke1
Bxd1 23. Bxf4 Qxd4 {and wins.}) 18. Qd3 {Black should now play 18...Bc6 and be
satisfied with a slight advantage. Instead be makes a rash attempt to continue
the attack.} b5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Rac1 f4 {The idea is to open the f-file and
then pin the N with ...Bg4} 21. Nxd7 {Now the pin is not possible.} Qxd7 22.
Ne5 Bxe5 {He wants to be able to play ...Qg4+, but 22...Rce8 serves the same
purpose and strengthens the attack.} 23. dxe5 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 fxg3 25. hxg3 {
The multiple exchanges have left black in a position where he has to defend
his d-Pawn with the passive 25...Qf7. Instead he mistakenly tries to attack.}
Qg4+ 26. f3 Qxg3 $16 27. Qxd5+ Kh8 28. Qf7 {This threatens mate and Ulvestad
must hve been very optomistic because Reinfeld had 13 only a matter of seconds
to reach the time xontrol at move 40!} Qg2+ (28... Rxf7 29. Rc8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8#)
29. Ke3 {Playing for a win, white must bring his K out in the onen.} Qg5+ 30.
Kf2 {[%mdl 8192] This should have lost, but in his time scramble Reinfeld
missed the win.} (30. Ke2 {would draw after} Qg2+ 31. Ke3 Qg5+ 32. Ke2 (32. Ke4
Qd8 33. Qd5 Qh4+ 34. Ke3 Qf4+ 35. Kd3 Nxb3 {and black wins.} 36. Qxb3 Qxf3+ 37.
Kc2 Qe4+ 38. Qd3 Rf2+ 39. Kc3 Rf3) 32... Qg2+ {Threefold repitition.}) 30...
Qd2+ (30... Qd8 {Hard to see in terrible time pressure! Black is winning. For
example...} 31. Qh5 (31. e6 Rxf7 32. exf7 Qf8) 31... Qd2+ 32. Kg3 Qxb2) 31. Kg3
Qg5+ 32. Kh3 {There is no perpetual, but the fraw is still there.} Qd8 {
Found it!} 33. Rd1 Qc8+ 34. Qd7 Rxf3+ 35. Kg4 Qf8 {Black has managed to obtain
enough counterplay for a draw.} 36. Qd8 Rf4+ 37. Kh5 Rf5+ 38. Kg4 Rf4+ 39. Kh5
Rf5+ 40. Kg4 h5+ {After having reached the time control, instead of taking the
draw Reinfeldm being a P ahead, decided to play on. Even so, his game is
difficult because his N is unfer attack and white's passed e-Pawn needs
watching.} 41. Kh4 {There is no longer a perpetual check and Reinfeld still
has some problems to solve.} Kg8 {This moveholds everything. The threat
against black's N turns out to be no threat at all.} (41... Rf4+ {is a dead
end.} 42. Kxh5 Rf5+ (42... Kg8 {This must be played anyway and a draw is stil
probably.}) 43. Kg6 {and white wins.}) 42. e6 (42. Qxa5 {loses.} Rf4+ 43. Kh3
Qf5+ 44. Kh2 Rh4+ 45. Kg3 Rg4+ 46. Kh3 Qf3+ 47. Kh2 Qg2#) 42... Nc6 {With the
centralization of black's N and K and this move which prevents the advance of
the e-Pawn white can make no progress.} (42... Nxb3 {would lose.} 43. e7 Nc5
44. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 45. Qe7 Rf4+ 46. Kxh5 g6+ 47. Kh6 Rh4+ 48. Qxh4 Ne6 49. Qf6 {
mate in 2.}) 43. Qxf8+ Kxf8 44. Rd7 Ke8 45. Rxg7 Nd8 46. Rxa7 Nxe6 {Draw
agreed.} (46... Nxe6 {Here is Komodo Dragon 3's continuation.} 47. Bc3 Nf4 48.
Bb4 Ng6+ 49. Kg3 Ne5 50. Rh7 Nd3 51. Bc3 Nc5 52. Kh4 Nxb3 53. Rxh5 Rxh5+ 54.
Kxh5 Kd7 55. Kg6 Kd6 56. Kf5 Kd5 57. Bf6 Nd4+ 58. Bxd4 Kxd4 59. Ke6 Kc3 60. Kd5
Kb3 61. Kc5 Kxa3 62. Kxb5) 1/2-1/2
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