William N. Woodbury

  

    The past few days here have been atrocious weather-wise. It’s been windy, cold and snowy with whiteout conditions making driving even on city streets hazardous. 

    Today is such a day and I could not believe the phone call we got from our nephew who us a senior in high school. School was canceled today owing to the nasty weather, but he needs a ride because his basketball coach wants the players to come to school for practice! How does he expect 15-17- year olds, most of whom ride a school bus, to get to practice?! There is something wrong with the man! I’m done with the rant. 

    As a teenager I played in the Correspondence Chess League of America and remember seeing the name William N. Woodbury (February14-1886 – April 11,1979, 93 years old) in the Chess Correspondent. 

    In the early 1900’s he was president and champion of the National Correspondence Chess Association. 

    Woodbury was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and learned to play chess from his father, with whom he progressed gradually from accepting the odds of a Queen to giving his father Rook odds. 

    He only took up chess seriously when he entered Yale in 1904 and he was chess team’s captain in 1905 and 1906. Woodbury gave credit for much of his improvement during that time to Rev. Edward B. Adams (1878-1972) who had been once been the Yale chess champion before ending up in San Diego, California. 

    Adams was born in Westport, Connecticut died in Pasadena, California. He was a member of the Marshall Chess Club in the 1920s and 1930s. He was the President of the Brooklyn Institute Chess Club in the 1930s. Adams frequently competed in the New York State Championship. 

    Woodbury had considerable success as a correspondence player. His first experience in was with the Pillsbury National Correspondence Chess Association and he won their 11th tournament shortly before that organization ceased to exist. After that he played in several other correspondence tournaments sponsored by other organizations. 

 

    Woodbury never played a very large number of correspondence games simultaneously and never aspired to match the achievements of some of the dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts who played 60 or 70 games at a time! 

[Event "Correspindence Tournament"] [Site "?"] [Date "1915.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "W.R. Pratt"] [Black "William Woodbury"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C59"] [Annotator "Stockfisj 17"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1915.??.??"] {C59: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 (5... b5 {was played in the famous game Yakov Estrin-Hans Berliner, ICCF, 1965} 6. Bf1 Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 10. f3 e4 11. cxd4 Bd6 12. Bxb5+ Kd8 {hite is better, but Berliner went on to win a sensational game.}) 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. d4 O-O {After the game Woodbury wrote that 11...Qc7 was stronger because it leaves white uncertain as to how to continue. However, both the text and 11...exd3 are equally good.} 12. c3 (12. O-O {is usual.} Qc7 13. Bd2 Be6 14. Na3 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Qxe5 {White is better. Nguyen Anh Dung (2496)-Yu Shaoteng (2535) Budapest 2000}) 12... Qc7 {A critical position. Woodbury was expecting 13.b4} (12... c5 {is an equally good alternative.} 13. O-O Be6 14. Qa4 Qc7 {equals. Sigfusson,S (2284)-Sipos,I (2254) Budapest 2001}) 13. f4 {[%mdl 8192] This is a serious mistake because it allows black develop a crushing attack against whit's K which finds itself stuck in the center.} (13. b4 {This was the move Woodbury was expecting; it results in equality after} Nb7 14. Nc4 Re8 15. Nxd6 Nxd6 16. O-O) (13. O-O {is, of course, quite safe.} c5 14. Na3 a6 {equals.} 15. Bf4) 13... exf3 14. Nxf3 Bg4 (14... Ng4 {is considerably more potent.} 15. Kf1 (15. h3 Bg3+ 16. Kf1 Nf2) (15. O-O Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Bg3 {is just awful for white.}) 15... Re8 16. b4 Nb7 {and white is facing a serious problem on account of the attack on h2.}) 15. Nbd2 {[%mdl 8192] Woodbury commented that from here on black's attack looks very string, but white defends so well that it requires "great delicacy" to win. Actually, this move is a losing one. Now that black's N can't go to g4 the attack on h2 is not as formidable and so white's best defense is to castle.} (15. O-O {This is the only chance.} Rfe8 16. h3 Bh5 17. Nbd2 c5 18. Bb5 Re6 19. Re1 {Black's attack is at a standstill and so white has managed to equalize.}) 15... Rae8 16. Nf1 Re7 17. Kf2 c5 18. Ne3 Rd8 19. Qa4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Bf4 {Black could win a P with ...Bxf3 and ...Bxh2. Instead Woodbury hits upom this clever move.} 21. Re1 {There is no satisfactory answer to black's last move.} (21. Nxg4 Nxg4+ 22. Kf1 Bxc1 {B;ack is winning,}) (21. Bb5 {runs into} Rb8 22. Re1 (22. Ne5 Bxe5 (22... Rxe5 23. dxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxa5 Bxe3+ 25. Bxe3 Qxb2+ 26. Kg3 Qe5+ 27. Kf2 Ne4+ 28. Kg1 Qxa1+ {wins}) 23. dxe5 Qxe5 {attacking two pieces.}) 22... Bxf3 23. Kxf3 Bg5 24. Nd5 Nxd5 25. Bxg5 hxg5 {Whote has lost a piece.}) 21... Rxe3 {[%mdl 512]} 22. Bxe3 Ne4+ 23. Kf1 Bxe3 24. Bd3 Nd2+ (24... Qg3 {Offers the Q and looks like a clever sacrifice, but it would be a serious mistake because whiye does not have to take the Q.} 25. Re2 {Now black's  really is threatened and there is no effective followup so white has equalized.} (25. hxg3 $2 Nxg3#) 25... Qf4 26. Bxe4 Qxe4 27. Qxa5 Bxf3 28. Qxd8+ Kh7 29. Rxe3 Qxe3 30. gxf3 Qxf3+ {and the outcome is uncertain!}) 25. Ke2 Qf4 {Threatening ...Bxf3} 26. Kd1 Nac4 {[%mdl 512] This adds a N to the attack; not that it matters, but black had a forced mate with 26...Nxf3} (26... Nxf3 27. gxf3 Qxf3+ 28. Re2 Qh1+ 29. Kc2 Rc8+ 30. Qc4 Rxc4+ 31. Bxc4 Qc6 32. b3 Bxe2 33. d5 Qg6+ 34. Kc3 Qf6+ 35. Kc2 Qxa1 36. Bxe2 Qc1+ 37. Kd3 f5 38. Bf3 Qd2#) 27. Kc2 Rc8 28. Qa6 {Woodbury finishes the game with a nice problem-like move.} Nxb2+ {[%mdl 512]} 29. Kxb2 Bxd4+ {White resigned. it's mate in 3} (29... Bxd4+ 30. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 31. Ka3 Rc3+ 32. Kb2 Qb4#) 0-1