A Complicated Game

 

    I came across this game in Fref Reinfeld’s potboiler Attack and Counterattack in Chess. The book’s 12 chapters cover subjects such as seizing the initiative, utilizing superior development, exploiting weaknesses, etc. He gives some general advice on each subject and then examples from a games. I find it annoying that he did not give any information on who the players were, the event or date the game was played. 

    As you might expect from a hastily written potboiler (a book, painting, or recording produced merely to make the writer or artist a living by catering to popular taste) and written pre-engine, it’s riddled with analytical errors and in some cases errors in judgment as any patzer with an engine can attest. 

    Reinfeld used this game as an example of how white can fritter away his slight advantage of the first move by play the opening so poorly that his theoretical advantage disappeared. That was the reason I wanted to take a look at the game and a search of my database quickly discovered the players, event and date. 

    Stockfis quickly rendered most of Reinfeld’s notes meaningless and revealed that the moves of both players were not as simple and clear cut as Reinfeld presented them. In fact, I spent two days looking at the game with Stockfish and to be honest still am not sure my analysis is perfect! 

    The game is notable because it is one of the earliest games featuring the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian. Consequently, unlike today when the Najdorf Variation has been extensively analyzed, in those days there was very little theory on it. 

    As might be expected, neither side’s play was perfect. Rico’s play, while not bad, was passive and the result was that Najdorf did eventually seize the initiative. Once he did so white’s defense became difficult and he eventually collapsed. Still, his opening play was not as atrocious as Reinfeld said it was. The game is actually pretty complex and I recommend playing over it with a real set to get the feel of it. Or, better yet, download the game HERE and play through it with your chess program and engine! 

 

[Event "Radio Match"] [Site ""] [Date "1948.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Antonio Rico (Spain)"] [Black "Miguel Najdorf (Argentins)"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [Annotator "Stocjfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1948.??.??"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "ARG"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceQuality "1"] {B92: Sicilian Najdorf: Be2} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {This game is one of the earliest games featuring the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian. For that reason it's not fair to be be too critical of either side's play because the best lines had not yet been worked out.} 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. O-O Nbd7 {Today the preferred move is 8... Be7} 9. f4 {Although today white usually plays 9.Be3 the text actually yields better results.} Qc7 10. f5 {Rico's play is quite modern! Fred Reinfeld considered this move an error because it allows black to seize the initiative. Reinfeld claimed that the white Ps on the white squares reduced the scope of his white squared B. Additionally, the disadvantage of 10.f5 is that it releases pressure on the center thereby enabling black to eventually react with ...d5. Modern practice and engines favor the move. Stocjfish evaluates the position at 0.00, but in practice white actually scores quite well! Rico's problem is that his subsequent play was too passive and it allowed Najdorf to slowly gain a small edge which manages to turn to his advantage} Bc4 11. Bd3 {Probably played with the idea of pla.ing Qe2, but white is pretty much taking a passive stance. Two better options were 11.a4 restraing black on the Q-side or simply exchanging Bs with 11.Bxc4} (11. Be3 b5 12. a3 Be7 13. Nd2 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Nb6 15. Rad1 { is equal. Imeeva,A (2067) -Saranya,J (2094) Kocaeli TUR 2013}) (11. Bxc4 { is white's most active line.} Qxc4 12. Qf3 b5 13. a3 Be7 14. Be3 {followed by Ras1 and g4 with active play.}) 11... b5 12. Be3 {Better was 12.a3 as a precaution against the advance of black's b-Pawn.} Be7 {Najdorf's play is rather conservative. Both 12...d5 and 12...b4 were worth considering as they are more active.} 13. Qe2 (13. g4 {is met by} b4 14. Bxc4 bxc3 15. Bd3 cxb2 { Black is better.}) 13... Rc8 14. Rac1 {There is a point to this illogical looking move, but it's only apparent later in a note!} O-O (14... b4 {was better. After} 15. Nb1 O-O {white's Ns are not particularly useful.}) 15. Nd2 d5 {White's colorless opening has resulted in black's gaining the initiative with this move, Reinfeld rightly points out that Najdorf has permitted white to get rid of his useless B on d3 and at the same time eliminate black's pressure on the half-open c-file, but the result is that black opens up the d-file which is in his favor.} 16. Bxc4 (16. exd5 {would assure white of some play and even justify his seemingly illogical 14th move!} Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Ne4 Bc5 19. Bxc5 Nxc5 20. f6 Nxd3 21. cxd3 {challenges black on the c-file, but after21...Qb6 black would stand well.} Qxc1 {is seems unlikely this move would be preferred by a human!} 22. fxg7 (22. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 23. Kf2 Rfc8 24. Kg3 R8c2 {with a decisive advantage.} 25. Qh5 Rxg2+ 26. Kf3 gxf6) 22... Rfd8 23. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 24. Kf2 f5 25. Nc3 Nf4 26. Qf3 Nxd3+ {Black's advantage should prove decisive.}) 16... dxc4 17. a3 b4 18. axb4 Bxb4 19. g4 {Black is in no real danger from this attacking gesture, but it gives hite enough play to stay equal.} Bxc3 20. bxc3 Qc6 21. Qg2 Nc5 22. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 23. Kh1 Rfd8 {This is an extrenely difficult position. The engine puts black's advantage at only half a Pawn, In Shootouts after 24.g5 white scored +0 -4 =5, so that is clearly his best try.} 24. Qe2 {After this passive move white's position quickly deteriorates.} (24. g5 {This is the logical continuation, Even though white does not have enough pieces to conduct a seriously dangerous attack on black's K this is his best option.} Nh5 25. Nf3 g6 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. Ra1 Rd6 {Black is in no danger on the K-side. However, in this position with all the heavy pieces on the chances of a successful defense on white;s part are increased.}) 24... h6 {An unnecessary precautionary move, but practucally speaking it's quite reasonable.} (24... Nxg4 {is technically better, but things get complicated!} 25. Qxg4 Rxd2 26. Rg1 Qf8 27. Ra1 Rc6 28. Qg3 (28. Rg2 Rxg2 29. Kxg2 Rd6 {Black has a dominating position.}) 28... f6 29. Qe3 Rd7 (29... Rxc2 30. Qa7 {draws}) 30. h3 {Black is better, but white can put up a manly defende. }) 25. Ra1 Qd6 26. Rfd1 {Black's next move is a clever one.} Qc6 {Black threatens to sac thge exchange a capture the e-Pawn.} 27. Kg2 {This avoids the trap, but doesn;t help his defense.} (27. Ra2 {A pass to show the threat.} Rxd2 28. Rxd2 (28. Qxd2 Nxe4 29. Qd5 Nf2+ {wins}) 28... Nxe4 29. Kg1 (29. Rxa6 Nf2+ 30. Kg1 Nh3+ 31. Kf1 Qh1#) 29... Nxd2 30. Qxd2 Qb6+ 31. Kg2 Rd8 {with a won ending.}) (27. Re1 {defending the e-Pawn was correct. After} Rd6 28. Nf3 Re8 29. h3 {Black will find it difficult to make progress.}) 27... Rd6 (27... Rxd2 {no longer works.} 28. Rxd2 Nxe4 29. Rxa6 {Unlike in the previos note this works because there is no ,,,Nf2+ leading to mate.} Qxa6 30. Qxe4 {is equal.}) 28. h3 Rcd8 29. Kf3 Qd7 30. Ke3 {It looks like white has defended everything, so how does black add the last bit of pressure that topples his opponent?} Ne8 {Black's pin on the d-file leaves white helpless while the N makes a lengthy trip to b4.} 31. Ra5 Nc7 32. Rxe5 {Winning this P has no effect on the game!} Nb5 33. Rd5 (33. Qxc4 {runs into} Rc8 34. Rc5 Qa7 {another devastating pin.} 35. Nb3 Rxd1 {and wins.}) 33... Rxd5 34. exd5 {If only white now had time for Ne4....but he doesn;t.} Nxc3 35. Qf3 Nxd1+ {White resigned. White has no compensation for the loss of the Exchange. Having seized the initiative at an early stage, Najdorf, aided by his opponent;s somewhat passive play, made admirable use of it..} 0-1

Dangers of a Premature Attack

    On February 19, 1951, Jean Lee who was, among other things, a prostitute, went down in Australian history. She was born Marjorie Jean Maude Wright on December 10, 1919. In 1949, together with her lover and their accomplice they tortured and murdered a bookmaker from the Melbourne suburb of Carlton. The victim was bound to a chair and tortured in an attempt to get him to reveal where his money was hid. He was then strangled to death. All three were caught and convicted and on February 19, 1951 at the age of 31, Lee earned the distinction of being the last woman to be executed by hanging in Australia. 

    In other news, the High Court of Australia rules that a bill to ban the Communist Party of Australia, was unconstitutional. Draft notices were issued under the 1941 National Service Act that required 18-year-old males to undergo compulsory military training. Karlis Ozols won the Victoria Championship held in Melbourne by a point and a half ahead of the runner ip. It would have been more except for a single loss he suffered against an also ran. 

    The winner of the following game from that tournament was Stefan Lazare (1909-1991, 82 years old) who was born in Poland. He moved to France in 1927 where he studied mathematics at the university in  Besancon which is located in eastern France. He won he 1934 Paris City reserve championship. He was born Lazar Suchowolski, but changed his name to Stefan Lazare when he arrived in Melbourne in June 1939. 

    The loser was Charles Gilbert Marriott Watson (1878-1961) who started playing chess at the age of 10. He later joined the Melbourne Chess Club, and won the club championship eight times between 1898 and 1936. He was Australian champion in 1922 and 1931. 

 

 

    Watson competed in the 1922 London international tournament, where almost all of the world top players were participating. He tied for places 14-15 (out of 16) wuth a 4.5-10.5 score. He did defeat Tartakower though.

    In this game Watson’s downhill slide started with a rash advance on the K-side that was premature. His King was stick in the center and it was all over in a handful of moves. 

 It’s hard to say exactly how good some of the Australian and New Zealand players of that day were because they were so fatr from the world’s major chess centers, but Chess metrics estimates Watson’s rating to have been at its peak in the 1920s when it was in the mid-2400s. In these days of rating inflation that doesn’t seem so high, but in those days he was in the world’s top 50 or so players. 

    If a player of Watson’s ability can make such an error as launching an attack without sufficient preparation then all of us should to take heed.

 

[Event "Victoria Chp, Melbourne"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Stefan Lazare"] [Black "Charles Watson"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B72"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {B72: Sicilian Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. f4 h5 {The standard move here is 8...O-O. The move ...h5 is a valid only in special cases, for example where while plays the Yugoslav Attack.(f3 followed by the advance of the g- and h-Pawns). Here it is premature.} 9. h3 Bd7 (9... h4 {This continuation of the "attack" is unsatisfactory because after} 10. O-O Bd7 (10... Nh5 11. Bxh5 Rxh5 {is no better. Black has weakened his K-side and his R is misplaced.}) 11. f5 { Wecking black's K-side and leaving his K with no safe haven. White is better.}) 10. Qd2 Rc8 11. Nb3 Be6 12. O-O Qd7 13. Rf2 {It's not clear is this was intended as a safety precaution against a possible sacrifice on h3 or played in preparation of doubling Rs on the f-file. It;s a moot point thougjh because things aren't going to get that far.} (13. Rad1 {Let's see if a sacrifice on f3 would present white with any dangers.} Bxh3 14. gxh3 Qxh3 15. Rf3 Qg4+ 16. Kh1 h4 17. Rg1 Qd7 {There us no attack and black's two Ps are not enough compensation for the B.}) 13... h4 {Black's safest course would have been to castle and then play the standard strategy of seeking Q-side counterplay with . ..Rc8, ...a6 and ...g5. This demonstration on the K-side is a gesture that quickly lands him in difficulties from which there is no escape.} 14. Nd4 Nh5 { Black is practically lost after this. Eliminating white's weel placed N with 14...Nxd4 was his best chance to try holding on.} 15. f5 {This powerful move shreds black's position.} gxf5 16. exf5 Nxd4 {Black has some hope here...the position is quite complicated and maybe white will play the wrong recapture.} 17. Bxd4 {...but he doesn't.} (17. fxe6 {lets black off the hook. After} Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Qxe6 19. Qb5+ Qd7 20. Qd3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 {the chances would be equal.}) 17... Bc4 (17... Bxf5 {was no better, but practically speaking it offered better chances. White has a bewildering number of possibilities and most all of then are good.} 18. Raf1 {is simpler and so may be better.} (18. Bxh5 { This is technically best, but it must be followed up accurately.} Bxd4 { Here again white must choose the right move or black escapes.} 19. Bxf7+ (19. Qxd4 {allows black to equalize after} Rxh5 20. Nd5 Qb5 21. Raf1 Be6) 19... Kxf7 20. Qxd4 e6 21. Ne4 d5 22. Raf1 {White will continue with Nc5 with what should be a winning position.}) 18... e6 19. Bxg7 Nxg7 20. Bb5 Rc6 21. Qd4 Kf8 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Ne4 {White is winning. A practical continuation might be} d5 24. Qc5+ Qe7 25. Nd6 {and black has no reasonable move.}) 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. Qd4 Rg8 20. Bxc4 {Black could safely resign here.} Rxc4 21. Qxc4 Nxf5 22. Qb5 {[%mdl 32768] Simple. After the Qs conme off white is a R up. A very well played game by Lazare.} 1-0

Morphy Gets Leeched - Still Wins

    There’s no question that Paul Morphy (1837-1884) was a great tactical player, but he also played in a way that put an end to the devil-may-care style of play where the object was to play with reckless abandon and make sacrifices with the aim of producing a brilliant game, or at least one that looked brilliant on the surface. Of course, in those pre-Morphy days there was little organized chess so tournament standing and cash prizes were not a factor. 

    Morphy’s play was generally sound and his tactics were based on logic and not rashly played. It was also characterized by factors like rapid development and control of the center. Morphy was so successful that the players that came after him began to reflect his influence and the Age of Steinitz was ushered in. Although he also produced some brilliant games, Wilhelm Steinitz (1826-1900) was a strong advocate of positional play.

    While on a trip to Paris Morphy suffered from a bout of intestinal influenza, also known as stomach flu or viral gastroenteritis, which is still a common illness. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain, and while usually mild, it can lead to dehydration, especially in children and the elderly. 

    Treatment consists of drink plenty of fluids, especially electrolyte drinks. Also recommended is getting plenty of rest and a bland diet such as crackers, toast, broth, or gelatin. Over-the-counter medications can help with nausea and diarrhea. Of course, in severe cases a doctor should be seen. 

    In Morphy’s day the medical wisdom was that he be treated with leeches which resulted in his losing a significant amount of blood. As a result, he was too weak to stand up unaided. Known as leeching or leech therapy, it was popular due to the belief that it could restore balance to the body's humors, the four primary bodily fluids that were believed to determine a person's temperament. Those fluids were blood, phlegm (associated with a calm, sluggish, or apathetic temperament), yellow bile (associated with an easily angered, irritable, and ambitious temperament and black bile (associated with a sad, introverted temperament). 

     Leeches were applied directly over the area believed to be affected or to a vein. A leech can take out up to half an ounce of blood during feeding which can last between 30 and 90 minutes. The leech's saliva, which contain anticoagulants, can cause the bite to continue bleeding for 10 hours. 

     In spite of his condition, Morphy insisted on going ahead with a match against Adolf Anderssen, Europe's leading player. Despite his illness Morphy won easily. Anderssen claimed to be out of practice, but also admitted that Morphy was the stronger player. In the following short, sharp game Anderssen got crushed as a result of his lack of development. 

 

Morphy        0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1  7 

Anderssen   1 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0  2 

 

[Event "Match, Paris"] [Site ""] [Date "1858.12.27"] [Round "9"] [White "Paul Morphy"] [Black "Adolf Anderssen"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B44"] [Annotator "Stockfisj 17.1"] [PlyCount "33"] [EventDate "1858.12.20"] [Source "(London) Field, "] {B32: Sicilian: Lowenthal and Kalashnikov Variations} 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nb5 {Rather unusual at this point (white usually plays 5. Nc3), but it's not bad. The threat of Nd6+ is not especially dangerous to black.} d6 (5... Nf6 {ignores the threat and attacks the e-Pawn.} 6. N1c3 (6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Nxe4 {simply wins a P.}) 6... Bb4 {White should now play 7. a3 Bxc3 8.Nxc3 with equal chances.} (6... d6 7. Bf4 e5 {id equal.}) 7. Nd6+ Ke7 {This surprising move equalizes. White can play either 8.Bf4 or 8.Nxf6 with equal chance.} (7... Bxd6 8. Qxd6 Qe7 9. Bf4 {favors white})) 6. Bf4 {This compels the advance of the e-Pawn and white hopes to take advantage of the backward d-Pawn, but black will have suffucuent compensation for it.} e5 7. Be3 f5 {This is a mistake that contains the seeds of defeat.} (7... a6 8. N5c3 Nf6 9. Bc4 b5 {Black has equal chances in the form of Q-side play.}) (7... Nf6 { This also a good alternative.} 8. Bg5 Be6 {equals}) 8. N1c3 {Black has no effective way of preventing Nd5.} f4 {There was nothing better.} (8... a6 9. Nd5 axb5 10. Bb6 Qh4 11. Nc7+ Ke7 12. Nxa8 Qxe4+ 13. Qe2 {White is much better/ Degraeve,J (2525)-Rodrigues,A (2310) Ubeda 1998}) 9. Nd5 fxe3 (9... a6 { is much worse.} 10. Nbc7+ Kf7 11. Bb6 Qh4 {White is a full R up.} 12. Nxa8) 10. Nbc7+ Kf7 {As miserable as black;s position is, he is not totally lost.} 11. Qf3+ {A mistake that lets black off the hook!} (11. Nxa8 {was simple and good.} exf2+ 12. Kxf2 Qh4+ 13. g3 Qxe4 14. Bg2 Qd4+ 15. Ke1 {Best...white wants to use the f-file for an attack.} Qxd1+ (15... Qxb2 16. Rb1 Qxa2 17. Rf1+ Nf6 18. Ra1 Qb2 19. Qh5+ {with a winning attack.}) 16. Rxd1 Nf6 17. Rf1 {with a R vs, B+P white is better.}) 11... Nf6 12. Bc4 {I';s interesting that one early annotator, basing his opinion on the game's result commented that white's attack is now irresistable. It's true that his position looks overwhelming, but black has a move that results in equality and he found it.} Nd4 {After this white has only one reply that avoids loss.} (12... Na5 13. Nxf6+ Nxc4 14. Nfd5+ Kg6 15. Nxa8 exf2+ 16. Qxf2 {and white's position is a winning one.}) 13. Nxf6+ {Once again black has but a single move that avoids defeat.} (13. Qd1 exf2+ 14. Kxf2 b5 15. Nxa8 bxc4 16. Rf1 Bg4 17. Qd2 Qxa8 {black is winning; he has three minor pieces for the R.}) 13... d5 {Active defense!} (13... Kg6 14. Qh5+ Kxf6 15. Ne8+ {and black has to surrender his Q because if} Ke7 16. Qf7#) 14. Bxd5+ Kg6 {[%mdl 8192] This loses.} (14... Ke7 {results in equality after} 15. Qh5 gxf6 16. Nxa8 Nxc2+ {A position with head whirling complications! Five Shootouts were drawn.}) 15. Qh5+ {Now Morphy is back on track and dinished cleanly.} Kxf6 {White still has an opportunity to blunder!} 16. fxe3 {By far the best,} (16. Ne8+ {This hasty move forces black to give up his Q, but after} Qxe8 $1 {[%mdl 512]} 17. Qxe8 Bb4+ 18. c3 Rxe8 $19 19. cxb4 Nc2+ 20. Ke2 Nxa1 21. Rxa1 {Black is up a R.}) (16. Nxa8 {Keeps the advantage, but allows black to play on with} Nxc2+ 17. Ke2 Nxa1 {is met forcefully with} 18. f4 {and black has toi give up material to avoid nate on g5 and if} exf4 19. e5+ Ke7 20. Qf7#) 16... Nxc2+ 17. Ke2 {Black resigned. He has no reasonable continuation.} (17. Ke2 Nxa1 18. Rf1+ Ke7 19. Qxe5+ Kd7 20. Be6+ Kc6 21. Rc1+ Nc2 22. Rxc2+ Bc5 23. Qxc5#) (17. Ke2 Qxc7 18. Raf1+ Ke7 19. Rf7+ {wins}) 1-0

An Unsound Sacrificial Attack Gets Refuted

 

    In 1952 there was an international tournament at the Capablanca Chess Club in Havana for the purpose of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Cuba. 

    Five U.S. players were invited: US Champion Larry Evans, former champions Samuel Reshevsky and Herman Steiner, former U.S Open Champion I.A. Horowitz and Dr. Edward Lasker. 

    At the time technically Rossolimo represented France, but he planned to make his home together with his wife and young son in the United States after the tournament. 

    A Chess Life article observed that his inability to speak English could hinder him for awhile in his search for an occupation outside of chess, but added a man of his talents should have little trouble attaining eventual success. As for his English, when I met him at his chess studio in the mid-1960s, it was excellent. A little-known skill of Rossolimo's was that he was an expert in ju-jitsu,a Japanese martial art focused on close-quarters combat. It utilizes techniques like throws, joint locks and chokes. 

    Originally there were 23 players, but early in the tournament General Manuel Soto Larrea (who played 6 games) and Captain Jose Joaquin Araiza Munoz (who played 5 games) were recalled by the Mexican government. According to one source it was because of a coup d'etat in Cuba when the president, Carlos Socorras, who sponsored the tournament, was disposed by Fulgencio Batista. The tournament took place in February and Batisya seized power on March 10, 1952, but there may have been political rumblings at the time of the tournament. 

    The most shocking evens during the tournament was when the Cuban player Roberto Quesada suffered a heart attack after round 16 (+5 -4 =7) in which he had drawn with Spanish GM Arturo Pomar. Born in 1905, he died at the age of 46 on March 14 and his funeral was attended by the participants and tournament directors. 

    At one point Rossolimo was in first place, but then mysteriously lost three games in a row to spoil his chances for a really high prize. First place was $2,500.00 and as Chess Life observed, “...even with the price of meat these days, you can buy a lot of bacon with $2,500.00.” That’s almost $30,000 today and in 1952 bacon was the equivalent of $6.50 a pound. One thing of which I am sure, Reshevsky did not buy any bacon with his share of the prize money. 

 

    The winner, Edward Lasker (1885-1981, 95 years old) was born in Psmen, German Empire, but now in Poland). Before World War I he moved to London, and after the outbreak of the war he moved to the United States. Quesada’s sacrificial attack was unsound, but it offered good practical chances as evidenced by Lasker’s subsequent play. It was only later that Quesada went astray and lost.

 

[Event "Havana"] [Site ""] [Date "1952.03.06"] [Round "?"] [White "Juan Quesada"] [Black "Edward Lasker"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C55"] [Annotator "Stockfiah 17.1"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "1952.??.??"] {C50: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 {Originally the move 4.Ng5 was harshly criticized by Tarrasch and Soviet theorist Vasily Panov called it primitive. Later, in the 1900s, it was the most popular reply and at the time od this game ir was considered best.} 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 d6 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Nc3 Ne5 9. Be2 Re8 {All this has been heavily analyzed, but at the time this was a novelty abd it;s probably black's best reply.} 10. b3 d5 { The idea of this move is to simplify the position and obtain easy equality.} 11. f4 {Quesada is having none of that easy equality, and decides on a very aggressive, but dangerous, course.} (11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. Nf5 Qxd1 14. Nxe7+ Rxe7 15. Rxd1 {would not ne any fun.}) 11... Bb4 {An excellent move that limits white's possibilities of taking any action in the center.} 12. Bb2 Bxc3 {Another good move that removes the e-Pawn's protection.} 13. Bxc3 Nxe4 14. Bb2 Ng6 {Another strong ove attacking the f-Pawn. It's obvious that white; s 11th move was quite a poor one, but rather thatn paying something like 15. Bf3 and trying to hold on as best he can, Quesada comes up with another plan, a bad one, but it eventually works.} 15. Bh5 {In this position black stands better and the text move envisions an unsound idea, but one that results in complications galore so in reality it;s not a bad idea at all.} Nxf4 $19 { Why not take another P? Black's advantage is already decisive so Quesada has nothing to lose by playing his next move.} 16. Bxf7+ {Tal once said there were good sacrifices and his...this is like his.} Kxf7 {Black has a decisive advantage, but he has to prove himself up to the task of winning a won game. Lasker wasn't up to the task and the fact that he won the game is only due to later mistakes by Quesada.} 17. Rf1 {The point. Black is in a dangerous looking pin and white will recover his piece.} Qf6 {A horrible move walking into a pin.} (17... g5 18. g3 Kg8 19. gxf4 c5 20. Nf3 Bh3 21. Re1 {Black is only a P uo, but is attack is very strong and he can look forward to scoring the point.} gxf4) 18. Ne2 Qxb2 (18... Qb6+ {is a bit better.} 19. Bd4 Qd6 20. Nxf4 Kg8 21. Nh5 Re7 22. Qf3 {Black is on the defensive, but he does have an extra P though at this point ot doesn't mean much.}) 19. Qxd5+ {It's possible that Lasjer overloojed this and was expecting 19.Rxf4+. After the exchange of Qs whits has achieved complete equality.} (19. Rxf4+ Kg8 20. Qxd5+ Be6 21. Qd4 (21. Qxe4 Qxa1+) 21... Qxd4+ 22. Nxd4) (19. Nxf4 Nf6 20. Nxd5 Be6 21. Nxc7 Rad8 22. Qc1 Qd4+ 23. Kh1 Re7 24. Nxe6 Rxe6 {Black is a piece up and white only has a P to show for it.}) 19... Kf8 {The difference between this position and that after 19.Rxf4 is that black is still in a pin on his N.} (19... Be6 20. Qxe4 Kg8 21. Nxf4 {with equal chances.}) 20. Nxf4 (20. Rxf4+ Nf6 21. Raf1 Qe5 { Black is a piece up.}) 20... Nf6 21. Qc5+ Kg8 {Black is still a piee up. but white is able to weasel his way out of his difficulties with some ingenious play.} 22. Nd3 {Black's Q is trapped.} b6 {The only move.} 23. Qc4+ Be6 24. Nxb2 Bxc4 {Amazing! White has beaten off the attack, recovered his piece and obtained complete equalty. And, he has sufficient resourses to meet black's R on the 2nd rank.} 25. Nxc4 Re2 {[%mdl 2048]} 26. Rf2 Rae8 27. Rd1 b5 28. Nb2 { This is an error thgat keaves the N badly placed and allows black to maintain a R on the 2nd rank.. He should have exchanged Rs anf then played the N to a3. In that case the position would be equal.} (28. Rxe2 $11 {remains equal.} Rxe2 29. Na3 b4 30. Kf1 Re6 31. Nc4) 28... Ng4 {Well played!} 29. Rxe2 Rxe2 { [%mdl 4096]} 30. h3 Ne3 {There is no need to grab the c-P right away because it's not going anywhere. Compare the activity of white's poorly placed pieces to black's well placed ones.} 31. Rd8+ Kf7 32. Rd7+ Kf6 33. Rxc7 Rxg2+ 34. Kh1 Rxc2 35. Rxc2 Nxc2 {The key to this ending is black's better placed K and N plus the K-side P-majority. Lasker's finishing technique is instructive.} 36. Kg2 Ke5 37. Nd3+ Kd4 38. Nf4 Kc3 39. Ne6 Kb2 40. Nxg7 Kxa2 41. Ne8 Kxb3 42. Nf6 h6 {White resigned.} 43. Ng4 a5 {White resigned} 0-1

Greatest Lasker Game Ever?!

 

    The following game appears in Lasker's Greatest Chess Games (1889-1914) by Fred Reinfeld and Reuben Fine that was published in 1965. These days Lasker is not greatly appreciated by the generall chessplaying public, but Alekhine wrote og him, "Lasker has been my teacher all my life. But for him I would not be what I am. His book on the Petersburg tournament of 1909 has been a sort of catechism for me all my life. I have studied again and again, every one of the ideas with me day and night. The very idea of chess as an art form would be unthinkable without Emanuel Lasker." 

    Lasker also got praise from a more recent player, Mikhail Tal, who wrote, "The greatest of the champions was, of course, Emanuel Lasker. At the chess board he accomplished the impossible......He was an amazing tactician, winning games that were apparently quite hopeless." 

    Another World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, wrote, "In my view, Lasker was a pioneer of modern chess...Lasker had a lot of games that modern chess players could have (played).” 

    Chess author and historian John Hilbert wrote that Lasker’s win over Napier at Cambridge Springs in 1904 “is still considered one of the finest games played in the early decades of this century…” 

    In their book, Fine and Reinfeld wrote, “Surely it is no exaggeration to say that this game is one of the most beautiful, most profound, most exciting and most difficult in the whole literature of chess!” 

    All that is pretty high praise, but what does Stockfish think? Analyzing at 20 seconds per move using Fritz 19 with Stockfish generated the following chart which indicates that the game was far from brilliant. 

 

    So, maybe it wasn't brilliant, but it is highly entertaining. As a note of curiosity, in this game, like Kotov in the game in the previous post, also plays Nf5 with a strong effect.  The game is filled with complications and it’s not really surprising that such strong players as Reuben Fine, Georg Marco and Fred Reinfeld did not catch all the mistakes. Of course the players themselves, also very strong, didn’t either, so we can’t be too critical. Stockfish, which sees everything, shows the game not to be a perfect positional or tactical masterpiece, but it is a masterpiece when it comes to excitement.

 

[Event "Cambridge Springs"] [Site ""] [Date "1904.04.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Emanuel Lasker"] [Black "William E. Napier"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B25"] [Annotator "Stockfisj 17.1"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1904.04.25"] {B72: Sicilian Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 {The modern form of the Dragon was developed around 1880 by Louis Paulsen. It was played more frequently by Henry Bird in the 1880s and gained wider acceptance around 1900. In mre modern times it had a surge of popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. While its popularity has declined, it remains solid...and danferous.} 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. g4 {There is nothing subtke about Lasker's last two moves; he is going all out for a K-side attack. Reuben Fine stated that objectively the last two moves bad because they are premature "and can therefore be repulsed." The evidence does not support that opinion because statistically white has a roughly even chance of success and the engine evaluation is dead equal at 0.00.} O-O {Napier plans to meet Lasker's K-side attack by countering in the center/} 9. g5 {Fine did not comment on this move, but it is the one that is premature and in practice black does a little better than white. Usual is 9.Bg2 although equally good is 9.Qd2} Ne8 {This looks a bit artificial, but it's not bad. However, he had better chances playing 9/// Nh5 even thogh 9...Nd7 is the most popular continuation.} 10. h4 Nc7 11. f4 e5 12. Nde2 {There is no time for this passive retreat. White should have continued aggressively.} (12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. fxe5 Bxe5 14. Qf3 Ne6 {but even here black has a perfectly satisfactory game.}) 12... d5 {Many commentators in bygone days have voiced opinins on the next few moves, but Napier;s move is not the best and Lasker's next move equalizes.} (12... f5 {This counter against white's center is not intuitive, but it's the one that keeps a small edge after} 13. h5 fxe4 14. Nxe4 d5 {and white has only one move that keeps his "attack" going...} 15. Nf6+ Bxf6 16. gxf6 Qxf6 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Qd2 exf4 19. Bxf4 Ne6 20. Bg3 Qxb2) 13. exd5 Nd4 {The old commentators passed pver this move in silence/ The labyrinth of complications are enormous, but black's game now becomes inferior.} (13... exf4 {After this black's pieces spring to life.} 14. Bxf4 Nb4 15. Bg2 Bg4 16. d6 Ne6 17. O-O Rc8 {with the initiative.}) 14. Nxd4 {White has two pieces under attack, the N and the B on e3 so he must lose on of them.} Nxd5 (14... exd4 15. Bxd4 Re8+ 16. Be2 Bg4 17. Bxg7 Bxe2 18. Nxe2 Kxg7 {and white is two Ps up.}) 15. Nf5 {This surprising move gives white the advantage, but one that os not evaluated at more than a Pawn.} Nxc3 {An equally surprising reply.} (15... gxf5 {loses to} 16. Qxd5) 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Ne7+ {Fine and Reinfeld noted that Napier deserves great credit for having calculated that he can still maintain the material balance. That is true, but in this position white stands better.} Kh8 {The best move. Years later the strong Austrian master Georg Marco (1863-1923) pointed out that we can appreciate the depth of Napier's play when we note that white now seems to be without a good move.} (17... Kf8 {runs into} 18. Bc5 {and white has a decisive advantahe. For example...} Ne4 19. Ba3 Be6 20. fxe5 b6 {Hoping to get in ... Nc5 blocking the B, but...} 21. Nc6+ Kg8 22. Bd3 Nc5 23. Nxd8 Rxd8 {White is up the exchange and a P.}) 18. h5 {Fine and Reinfeld give this a ! stating that it give the game a whole new turn because black is now threatened with a crushing attack on his King. To that end white could also have played the equally good 18.f5} (18. Nxc8 {is met by} exf4 19. Bxf4 Raxc8 20. Bd3 Na4 21. O-O Nxb2 {and black is better.}) 18... Re8 19. Bc5 (19. f5 {was stronger.} gxf5 20. Nxc8 Nd5 21. Nd6 Nxe3 22. Nxe8 Rxe8 {White has a small material advantage (R vs,N+P).}) 19... gxh5 {Marco: "Is it not queer that Napier avoids 19...exf4 which would remove the attack on his (g-Pawn), protect the N and increase the scope of his (R on e8) and (B on g7)? Fine and Reinfeld comment that hhis question deserves careful study.KPxP):} (19... exf4 {Marxo was correct as thcs keeps the balance.} 20. Bc4 b6 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. Kf1 Bf5 23. Nxf5 gxf5 24. g6 h6 25. bxc3 bxc5 {and Stockfish evaluates the position as perfectly equal. In Shootouts white scoared +0 -1 =4.}) 20. Bc4 {[%mdl 8192] No comment from Fine and Horowitz or Marco on this move, only Stockfish which gives it a question mark and evaluates the position as clearly beter for black (2.5 Pawns!).} (20. bxc3 {gets a "!" and it's white who has a bit over a one Pawn advantage; he has a N vs. one P so black has some small compensation.} Bf8 21. Bb5 Rxe7 22. Bxe7 Bxe7 23. Rxh5 {White is the exchange up.}) 20... exf4 {Again, the commentators are silent, but this is question mark worthy as white has the advantage.} (20... Ne4 {This move leaves black with a sizeable advantage.} 21. Bxf7 Bg4 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. Bb4 a5 24. Ba3 exf4 25. O-O f3 26. Nd5 Bd4+ 27. Kh2 Be5+ 28. Kg1 f2+ 29. Kg2 h4 {and black is winning. For example...} 30. Rh1 h3+ 31. Rxh3 Bxh3+ 32. Kxh3 Rg8 33. Be7 Nxg5+ 34. Bxg5 Rxg5 35. Rf1 Rg3+ 36. Kh4 Rg1 37. Ne3 Bf4 38. Rxf2 Bg3+) 21. Bxf7 Ne4 {This is the final error. White now has a decisive advantage.} (21... Bg4 {White is sbetter after this, but at least black is still in the game.} 22. bxc3 Bxc3+ 23. Kf2 Red8 24. Rab1 Rd2+ 25. Kg1 Rad8 26. Bxh5 Rd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Kg2 Rxh1 29. Bxg4 Rc1 {The position is complicated and white;s advantage leans more towards theoretical than practical.}) 22. Bxe8 Bxb2 {White has a significant maerial advantage which is decisive.} 23. Rb1 Bc3+ 24. Kf1 Bg4 25. Bxh5 Bxh5 26. Rxh5 Ng3+ 27. Kg2 Nxh5 28. Rxb7 a5 29. Rb3 Bg7 30. Rh3 Ng3 31. Kf3 Ra6 32. Kxf4 Ne2+ 33. Kf5 Nc3 34. a3 Na4 35. Be3 {Black resigned.} (35. Be3 h6 36. g6 Rf6+ 37. Kg4 Bf8 38. Rxh6+ Bxh6 39. Bxh6 Rxg6+ 40. Nxg6+) 1-0

A Kotov Brilliancy

Alexander Kotov

    The 1952 chess year started with Svetozar Gligoric winning Hastings 1951/52. Mikhail Botvinnik and Mark Taimanov tied for the USSR championship and Botvinnik won the play-off match. Twenty-year old Larry Evans crushed veteran Herman Steiner 10-4 in a US Championship match. Evans also won the US Open that year. 

     In other chess news, Hungarian master Geza Fuster (1910-1990) defected and sought asylum and eventually immigrated to Canada. Samuel Reshevsky defeated Miguel Najdorf 11-7 in a match that was billed as being for the Championship of the Free World. Svetozar Gligoric took first on tiebreak over Oscar Pomar in the Hollywood International. 

    The USSR team (Keres, Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Boleslavsky, and Kotov) won the Helsinki Olympiad. The US team (Reshevskym Evans, R. Byrne, Bisguier. Koltanowski and Berliner) finished fifth. 

    The following players were lost that year: Robert F, Combe (born 1912), former British champion, died in Aberdeen, Scotland. French problem composer Henri Rinck (born1870) died in Barcelona. Talented Czecg IM Jan Foltys died at the age of 43. Efim Bogoljubov died at the age of 63 in Triberg, Germany. British player William Napier (born in 1881) died in Washington DC at the age of 71. British chess author Philip W. Sergeant (born 1872) died in England at the age of 80. 

    In the following game played in the 1952 Stockholm Interzonal. Alexander Kotov’s victory over Gedeon Barcza, an eight time Hungarian champion, is remembered for his attacking play, particularly his Knight sacrifice on f5. His win was the culmination of his strong opening play against Barcza’s less than optimal handling of that phase of the game.

 

    This event was the highlight of Kotov’s career; he finished first with a dominant score of 16.5-3.5. He finished a full three points ahead of Taimanov and Petrosian. In the 1953 Candidates Tournament in Zurich, he was dar less successful posting a 14-14 score and tying with Taimanov for 8th place (out of 15). 

 

[Event "Stockholm Interzonal"] [Site ""] [Date "1952.10.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander Kotov"] [Black "Gedeon Barcza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E72"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1952.09.15"] {E72: King's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3 { Not often played, but it's a solid and flexible variation.} O-O 6. Bg2 e5 { Black has several good replies, but this is the most popular.} 7. Nge2 exd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Nc2 {White usually castles here, but the text and 9.Nxc6 are also good alternative.} (9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O Nd7 {gives black good play on the long diagona; and he will play ...Ne5 after which he is prepared to begin operations on the Q-side.}) 9... Be6 {The plan Baecza is following does not offer him very active play. A more active plan is ...Nd7-c5 pressuring the e-Pawn followed by preparing the advance of his Q-side Ps.} 10. b3 Qd7 { Barcza,s rather simplistic plan to to exchange light squared Bs, but it's not a very effective one because his chances are on the Q-side.} 11. O-O Bh3 12. f3 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 a6 {Barczas move intemds to commence play on the Q-side.} (13... Nh5 {This K-side demonstration as played by Yudovich against Botvinnik is solid and ended in a draw.} 14. Bb2 f5 15. exf5 Qxf5 16. Ne3 Qf7 17. Qd5 Rae8 18. Rae1 Nf6 19. Qd2 a6 20. f4 Ne7 21. Rf2 Nf5 22. Rfe2 Nxe3+ 23. Rxe3 Rxe3 24. Rxe3 Re8 {½-½ Botvinnik,M-Yudovich,M Leningrad 1939}) 14. Bb2 Na7 {This prepares the immediate advance ...b5, but it leaves the N artificially placed. There were better alternatives. 14...Rab8 preparing ...b5 and the 14...Nh5 idea is still feasible.} 15. Qd2 $16 b5 16. Ne3 c6 17. Rad1 Rad8 {Black has not played the opening very actively (14...Na7 being the culprit) the result has been a weakening of his position: the N is misplaced and his d-Pawn is weak. Kotov now carries out an instructive maneuver culminating in a briilliant tactic in which his B makes itself felt.} 18. Ne2 {[%mdl 32] A powerful move! The idea is to maneuver the N to f5, but there is also a very strong positional threat, namely Qa5 attacking the a-Pawn and Barcza's next move meets that threat. but not very well!} Qc7 (18... bxc4 {was the best try, but afterter} 19. bxc4 c5 {Prevents a potential c5 by white plus it makes room to get the N back into play.} 20. g4 Nc6 21. h4 {white has a strong attack in progress.}) 19. Bc3 Qe7 {There is no better choice than to return, If 19...Rd7 white has more than one way to skin the cat: 20.Qb2, 20.g4 ar 20.h4, all good moves.} 20. Nd4 {Preparing the crusher. Black is now quite lost.} Ne8 {This seemingly parries the threat of 21.Ndf5} 21. Ndf5 {This brillaint tactic is based on the power of white's B and after the elimination of black's B there is another surprising point which will be seen on move 24.} gxf5 22. Nxf5 Qc7 23. Nxg7 Nxg7 24. Bf6 {This quiet move is the point of Kotov's tactical display...the defense by advancing his f-Pawn is prevented and white threatens Qg5 threatening mate.} Kh8 25. Qg5 Rg8 26. h4 Rde8 {Black's only hope is to eliminate white's B even if it costs the exchange, but even that is grasping at straws.} 27. h5 Re5 (27... Re6 28. h6 Rxf6 29. Qxf6 Nc8 30. c5 Qd7 31. Rh1 Qe7 32. hxg7+ Rxg7 33. Qxe7 Nxe7 34. cxd6 {wins}) 28. Bxe5 dxe5 29. Qf6 Nc8 30. h6 Ne7 31. Rd2 {Black resigned. A great game that was nearly perfectly played by Kotov.} 1-0

Fiddling Around With Maia

    Several days ago I came across an online program names Maia that readers my find worth checking out. It’s an AI chess program that is different. Maia is a neural network engine developed by a research team at Carnegie Mellon University. It learned from millions of human games and so it plays with a more realistic human style. 

    Unlike other self-learning Neural Network engines, Maia does not search for the best move. Instead it, like human players, makes mistakes which makes it feel like you're playing a real person. But, that real person does not mean a Grand master. You can select the level at which it plays from 1100 to 1900 Elo. Supposedly, this also helps when analyzing because it better helps you understand the play of those at that level. Whether that’s a valid claim is, I think, open to question. Who would you most benefit analyzing with, a 1200 or a Master? 

    I think Maia is a great sparring partner because it does seem to play like a human and it's free. Visit the site HERE. 

    Note that this is an online program only and in order to use it you will have to click on “Play” and do a one time download that is 90mb in size. It’s a bit disconcerting that I have been unable to locate where or how this download is stored on my laptop. 

    Here is a 10-minute game I played against it at the 1500 level. The program played a very solid game until move 26 when it blundered and lost its Queen. How close its play was to the 1500 level I can’t say. What I can say is that for practice at the 1100-1900 level Maia does seem like a pretty interesting sparring partner. 

 

[Event "G/10"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Maia 1500"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stockfiah 17.1"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] {Blackmar Gambit} 1. e4 d5 {A move variously known as the Scandinavian Defense, Center Counter Defense or Center Counter Game.moves:} 2. d4 {Transposing into to the Blackmar Gambit in which white intends to play f3 and get rapid development and active piece play. It;s aggressive, but its soundness is open to debate. Most experts consider it unsound and probably rightly so.} {If black does not want to accept the challenge of proving the gambit unsound he can play 2...e6, 2...c5 or 2...Nc6} dxe4 {If black does not want to risk facing the Blackmar and accept the challenge of proving the gambit unsound he can play 2...e6, 2...c6 or 2...Nc6} 3. f3 {Or, 3.Nc3 first.} exf3 {Black can play 3...Nf6 if he does not want to accept the challenge of proving the gambit unsound.} 4. Nxf3 {I have seen 4.Qxf3 played, but that seems unreasonable,} Nc6 {The most frequently seen moves are 4...Bg4 and 4...Nf6} (4... Bg4 5. Bc4 e6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 {Deiller,P (2091)-Jeannerot,L (1950) Val Thorens 2009. Black is a solid P up.}) (4... Nf6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Nc3 c6 {Ivanov, O-Panamski,S Sofia 2008. Black;s position is a bit passive, so white has compensation for the P.}) 5. d5 {Gaining space and time.} Nb4 6. c4 {The threat is Qa4+ winning the N.} e6 {A good move...it attacks the white center Ps and prevebts Qa4+} 7. a3 {An equally good alternative was 7.Nc6, but I wanted to force the N to a6 where I felt it would be poorly placed and I hoped to be able to play Bxa6 which I felt would leave black with a serious handicap in the form of a wealkened Q-side.} Na6 8. Nc3 (8. dxe6 {is inferior. After} Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxe6 10. b4 O-O-O+ 11. Kc2 {Black is better.}) 8... exd5 { At least as good was 8...Nf6} 9. cxd5 {I thought I had a pretty good positional advantage here, but Stockfish evaluates it as perfectly equal... black does have an extra P.} Bg4 {[%mdl 8192] This looks reasonable, but it gets a question mark and suddenly the evaluation puts white at a winning 3 Pawn plus advantahge! Either 9...Bd6 or 9...Nf6 keeps things equal. Now it's white to play and win!} 10. Bxa6 {According to plan . I did not even consider other moves. White's advantage is now only minimal.} (10. Bb5+ {Black has two defensive tries.} Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. Ne5 Qe7 13. O-O Nf6 14. Qa4+ Kd8 15. Bf4 {Black is helpless.}) (10. Bb5+ c6 11. Qe2+ Qe7 (11... Be7 12. dxc6) 12. dxc6 {is winning for white.}) 10... bxa6 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nf6 13. Bg5 Be7 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Rhe1 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 {This position is dead equal, but the engine suiggested a plan of doubling Rs on the f-file. I was still hoping to take advantage of the weak Q-side Ps.} 17. Qd3 Qd6 {Threatens ...Qf4+.} 18. Rd2 Rab8 19. Rde2 {Overlooking the threat! Correct was 19.Qf3} Qf4+ $17 20. Qd2 Qxh4 21. Rxe7 Rxe7 22. Rxe7 {Fortunately no real damage was done by over; ooking the threat, but now my d-Pawn is a target. I thought the R on the 7th gave me an advantage, bit Stockfish evaluates the position as a P in black's favor.} Qc4 23. Qe2 Qf4+ 24. Kb1 Qf5+ 25. Ka1 Nxd5 {[%mdl 8192] Winning the d-Pawn is a tactical error. Simply 25...Qf4 keeps his small advantage.} (25... Qf4 26. Qd3 Qc1+ 27. Qb1 Qd2 (27... Qxb1+ 28. Kxb1 {would draw.}) 28. Re2 Qd4 { with some pressure.}) 26. g4 {It's important to play this before Re8+} (26. Re8+ Rxe8 27. Qxe8+ Kh7 28. Nxd5 Qxd5 29. g3 Qd1+ 30. Ka2 {Theoretically at least black has a won Q+P ending,}) 26... Nxc3 {This saves the N, but loses a lot more.} (26... Qg5 27. Re8+ Rxe8 28. Qxe8+ Kh7 29. Qe4+ {picjs up the N.}) 27. Re8+ Rxe8 {No surprise here, but 27...Kh7 would have been better!} (27... Kh7 28. gxf5 Nxe2 29. Rxb8 g5 30. fxg6+ fxg6 {Black is still quite lost, but he could have played on especially since this was a 10 minute game.}) 28. Qxe8+ Kh7 29. gxf5 {Here I took the liberty of resigning for my opponent. Accuracy: White = 69%, Black = 64%.} 1-0

Reverend Benjamin Neill

 

    The year this game was played, 1874, was significant and we are still reaping the benefits of a key development in indoor plumbing. It was the establishment of the Venting Theory, which addressed the problem of sewer gas odors and pressure buildup in plumbing systems. 

    This theory, still used in modern plumbing, involves connecting a vent pipe to drain lines to balance air pressure and allow sewer gases to escape, preventing them from entering homes. In 1874 Boston, public toilets were not widely available. While some hotels had rudimentary facilities, municipally owned public toilets were rare. In public spaces, men might use any convenient alley while ladies would seek out communal spaces or dark corners. 

    Today’s featured player is the virtually unknown Reverend Benjamin Neill (1853-1922, 68 years old). He was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and beginning in 1878, he was recognized as one of Philadelphia's most brilliant players, as well as an exceptionally talented problem composer. His earlier compositions were done while he was a teenager and in 1873 one of his problems was pronounced as one of the very finest three-movers of that day. 

    Neill was a pastor at several churches, but served as corresponding secretary in Philadelphia for the last 16 years of his life. He died of pneumonia in the Howard Hospital in Philadelphia. 

    Neill participated in only a few tournaments because he didn't want chess to interfere with his ministerial duties. Also, as long as he was active in his ministry he published his problems under the name Benjamin Milnes. 

     In 1874, while living in Boston, he won the New England Championship by beating Preston Ware in a match with the score of 7-3. He traveled to New York in 1874, beating Eugene Delmar in a short match. After returning to Philadelphia in 1875, he won the Philadelphia Chess Club Tournament. Neill represented the US in two cable matches against England defeating Henry Bird in 1876 and narrowly losing to to Harry Davidson in 1880. 

 

    Here is a problem by Neill. White mates in two.

 

 You can try solutions HERE   

     

 In this game Neill’s opponent was Preston Ware (1821-1890, 68 years old), a leading Boston player of the late 1800s. He was the President of the Boston Chess Club from 1868 to 1873, and was elected President of the American Chess Foundation in 1872. 

    His few tournament appearances were not successful, due in part to an offbeat opening repertoire. For example, he was known to play 1.a4 as white and 1...a5 as black. Ware played in one international tournament, Vienna, 1882, where he finished 16th out of 18 with an 11-23 score, but he did defeat Steinitz, the tournament winner, in a 113 move marathon. 

 

[Event "Boston"] [Site ""] [Date "1874.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Benjamin Neill"] [Black "Preston Ware"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C38"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1874.??.??"] {C38: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 (5... g4 {is risky.} 6. Ng5 Nh6 7. d4 d5 {White captures the P (either way leaving him with the more active position.}) 6. hxg5 {This line favors black. Best was 6.d4} hxg5 7. Rxh8 Bxh8 8. d4 {Black is better because white has no way to recover the P nor does he have any way to get to f7.} ({This odd looking move is designed to get the Q into play, but it turned out not to be bery successful.} 8. Kf2 g4 9. Qh1 Qf6 {Bkacj is much better. Trapl,J-Hajek,M Brno 1964. Jindrich Trapl was a Czech IM.}) 8... Qf6 (8... d6 {is better. Whiye has tried several different moves here, but best is} 9. g3 g4 10. Bxf4 gxf3 11. Qxf3 {White's excellent development doesn't quite make up for his N and the fact that black has suffucuent defensive resources.} Qe7) 9. Nc3 { [%mdl 32]} (9. e5 Qh6 10. Nc3 d6 {is good for black.}) 9... c6 {Witht white's N is on c3 this is a poor move. Nir would have 0...d6 hace worked because of the reply 10.Nd5. Therefore, defending both d5 and e4 with 9...Ne7 was correct. } 10. e5 Qg6 11. Bd3 {Black's next move fatally weakens the position f his K, but his position is already badly compromised by is lack of development.} f5 12. exf6 Qxf6 13. Ne4 Qh6 14. Nexg5 {How would you describe black's position? Awful, appalling, atrocious, depressing, dire come to mind.} Bxd4 15. Qe2+ Ne7 16. Bxf4 {Black's once dangerous looking P duo have disappeared. Neill now begins an assault on the naked black K.} Bxb2 17. Rb1 Bc3+ 18. Kf2 d5 19. Rh1 { The point of his last move, but the sacrifice is not necessary and forfeits much of his advantage.} (19. Qe3 d4 (19... Nd7 20. Ne6 Qf6 21. Nc7+ {is crushing.}) 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 {Nlack has no useful moves.} Nd7 22. Re1 Qf6 23. Qd6 {The Q cannot be taken because of the pin on the N.}) 19... Qxh1 20. Bd6 {This is a major error. Black could now have gotten the upper hand, but it required a prollem-like move, so it's hard to fault the players for not having seen it.} (20. Bg6+ {keeps a winning advantage.} Kd8 21. Nf7+ Kd7 22. N3e5+ Ke6 23. Qg4+ Kf6 24. Qg5+ Ke6 25. Bf5+ Nxf5 26. Nd8+ Kd6 27. Nd3+ Be5 28. Bxe5+ Kd7 29. Qxf5+ Ke7 30. Qf7+ Kxd8 31. Bf6#) 20... Bf6 (20... Be1+ {An amazing reply!} 21. Nxe1 Qh4+ 22. Kg1 Qxg5 23. Nf3 Qf6 {and white has lost a whole R with nothing to show for it.}) (20... Be1+ 21. Ke3 {Best} Qh6 22. Bxe7 Kxe7 23. Qxe1 Qf6 {and white has lost the exchange with nothing to show for it.}) 21. Bg6+ { [%mdl 128] As bad as black's position looks he has equal chances. However, he is also walking a tightrope and a single slip will be fatal.} Kd8 22. Nf7+ Kd7 {[%mdl 8192] And here it is.} (22... Ke8 {Astonishing! He steps into a discovered check, but any check proves harmless.} 23. N7g5+ Kd8 24. Bxe7+ Bxe7 25. Nf7+ Ke8 {and black is quite safe.}) 23. N3e5+ Bxe5 {This results in a sudden collapse, but there was no hope left for him no matter what he played.} (23... Ke8 {Practically speaking this is best because it requires fome fancy N maneubering to demonstrate a clear win.} 24. Ng5+ Kd8 25. Nef7+ Ke8 26. Nh6+ Kd8 27. Bxe7+ Bxe7 28. Nhf7+ Ke8 29. Nd6+ Kd7 30. Qe6+ Kc7 31. Qxe7+ Kb6 32. Nxc8+ {etc.}) 24. Qg4+ {White now has a forced mate.} Ke8 25. Nxe5+ Kf8 26. Qxc8+ {Good enough.} (26. Qf4+ Bf5 27. Qxf5+ Kg7 28. Qf7+ Kh6 29. Qf8+ Kg5 30. Bxe7#) 26... Kg7 27. Bxe7 {Black resigned. There is no answer to the threat of 28.Qf8#} 1-0

Kashdan Grinds Out a Win

    Fidel Castro's forces entered Havana and officially took control of Cuba on January 8, 1959. Five years later I was with Weapons Platoon, G Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines and we were sitting on the flight deck of the USS Boxer just off the coast of Cuba. 

    We had been issued ammunition and the helicopters were running as we waited for Castro to invade the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay as part of his fifth anniversary. Of course, the invasion never came. 

    In 1940, things were different. Cuba adopted a new constitution and Fulgencio Batista, a military figure, won the presidential election that year. Cuba also entered World War II on the side of the Allies. US-Cuba relations were generally good and the US provided military aid to Cuba, and both nations worked together on economic and financial matters.

    At the end of January, 1940, a small and long forgotten tournament was held in Havana, but it aroused great enthusiasm among Cuban chessplayers. It was held in one of the most beautiful buildings in Havana, the Centro Asturiano, a mutual aid society and cultural institution. The only American entry was Isaac Kashdan as George Koltanowski didn’t immigrate to the United States until 1944. 

 

    The winner of this game, Isaac Kashdan (1905-1985) was known as “der Kleine Capablanca” in Europe because of his ability to extract victories from seemingly even positions. Alekhine named him as one of the most likely players to succeed him as World Champion. Unfortunately, Kashdan was never able to he heavily involved in chess for financial reasons as his peak chess years coincided with the Great Depression. 

    Style-wise, although he was a strong tactician he preferred positional play and his real strength was in the endgame. He was particularly noted for his fondness for and his ability in handling the two Bishops. 

    Kashdan annotated one of his games from Havana, his win over Paz, and it was a boring game in which he milked a win out of the ending . The following game is more interesting. Jis opponent comes out of the opening with a passive position and Kashdan puts the squeeze on him and never lets up. His opponent hangs on grimly until move 31 when a miscalculation costs him a piece. 

 

[Event "Havana International"] [Site ""] [Date "1940.01.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Isaac Kashdan"] [Black "Jose R. Florido"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1940.??.??"] [Source "Laude's Kashdan "] {[%evp 9,67,11,21,14,203,200,200,178,195,172,197,188,218,155,243,144,299,272, 316,291,326,248,272,182,231,216,216,218,201,152,226,179,193,164,182,153,165, 145,202,202,202,80,114,72,102,106,154,110,102,52,192,192,166,176,385,376,441, 422,755,759] B44: Sicilian Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. c4 {For several decades the Maroczy Bind was considered extremely dangerous to black. Today, while black does get a passive position, his defenses are adequate and so the Bond has become just another variation available to white.} c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bc5 6. Nb3 Nf6 {With this move black has already misplayed the opening. Correct is 6...Bb4 with equality.} 7. Nxc5 {No doubt having the two Bs so early pleased Kashdan.} Qa5+ {Black recovers the piece, but he loses a lot of time with his Q.} 8. Nc3 Qxc5 9. Be3 Qa5 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Be2 a6 {Black could have tried to free his position with 11...d5, but that would not have worked out too well either.} (11... d5 12. cxd5 exd5 13. exd5 Rd8 14. Bg5 Be6 15. O-O Bxd5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qh6 {White is clearly better.}) 12. O-O Re8 {This mysterious move seems to have little point. 12...b5 was correct.} 13. a3 Qc7 14. b4 b6 15. f4 d6 16. Bf3 Bb7 17. Rfd1 {Putting pressure on the d-Pawn; black is going to counter with pressure on the c-Pawn. The position is rife with tactical possibilities.} Ne7 18. Rac1 {This fine move indirectly defends the P.} Rad8 (18... Qxc4 19. Qb2 (19. Nd5 exd5 20. Rxc4 dxc4 {Black almost, but not quite, has enough compensation for the Q.}) (19. Qa2 Qxa2 20. Nxa2 Bxe4 21. Be2 b5 {To free up the R on a8.} 22. Rxd6 {is a trap that loses after} Nf5 23. Rdd1 Nxe3 24. Rd4 Nxg2 {and wins.}) 19... d5 20. Bd4 Nd7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Nxd5+ {wins the Q}) 19. Qc2 Nc8 20. Qe2 Qb8 {Indirectly defending the b-Pawn.} 21. Bf2 Bc6 22. Rd2 Ne7 23. Rcd1 Ng6 {A He would have gotten more activity with 23...b5, but the initiative would still be in white's hands.} 24. Qe3 b5 25. cxb5 axb5 26. Qb6 {Typical Kashdan,,,he enters the ending in possession of the two Bs.} Qxb6 27. Bxb6 Rc8 28. g3 Bd7 29. Rd3 Rc6 30. Bf2 Rc4 31. Be1 { Black's best idea is to double Rs on the c-file. Instead he makes a move that quickly leads to a lost position.} Bc6 {Black's idea is to exchange his weak d-Pawn for white's e-Pawn, but he has overlooked something. He can cintinue his dogged defense with 3...Rec8} (31... Rec8 32. Re3 e5 33. f5 Ne7 34. Rxd6 { The d-Pawn finally disappears and white is left with a significant advantage, but black is abel to play on.}) 32. Rxd6 Bxe4 {Black may have expected multiple exchanges on e4 with a likely draw, but he still would have been lost because of the weak b-Pawn. Kashdan's next move wins material.} 33. Be2 { Chasing one of the Bs defender away.} (33. Nxe4 Nxe4 34. Bxe4 Rxe4 35. Bf2 { Now Rb6 picks uo the P.} Ne7 36. Rd8 (36. Rb6 Nc8 37. Rxb5 {is also sufficient. }) 36... Kf8 37. R1d7 f5 38. Bc5 Rxd8 39. Rxd8+ Kf7 40. Rd7 {wins}) 33... Rc6 ( 33... Bd5 34. Nxd5 exd5 35. Bxc4 dxc4 36. Rd8 Kf8 37. a4 {and white is winning. }) 34. Nxe4 {Black resigned.} (34. Nxe4 Rxd6 35. Nxd6 Ra8 36. Nxb5 {with an easy win.}) 1-0

Winning With the Elephant Gambit

  

    After the previous post showcasing an Elephant Gambit debacle, it only seems fair that a game where black is successful be featured. In April 1943, Prague hosted a major tournament that was won by Alekhine and today’s Elephant Gambit game was played in that event. 

    Playing white was Ruzena Sucha (1907-1989), a Czech female player who received the Woman International Master title in 1954 and who won the Czech Women's Championship in 1938, 1951 and 1954. From the end of the 1930s to the early 1960s, she was one of the leading Czechoslovakian women's players. 

 The winner was Jaromir Florian (1911-1984), also of Czechoslovakia, who was known for his charismatic playing style even though he didn't hold an international title. Unlike the previous game the winner's play was far from perfect and both sides missed chances, but the game is a real dogfight that could have gone either way. 

 

 

[Event "Prague"] [Site ""] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ruzena Sucha"] [Black "Jaromir Florian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C40"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "21"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "HCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceQuality "1"] {C40: Elephant Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 e4 {This is the recommended move and the one that give black the best chance in practice.} 4. Ne5 {While this is hardly bad, white has a better chance of winning with the more precise 4.Qe2 after which black finds himself in a difficult situation.} (4. Qe2 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 (5... Bf5 {Defends the P again, but black runs into trouble after} 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Qxe4+ {and black cannot recover the sacrificed P.}) (5... Nxd5 6. Qxe4+ Be6 7. Bc4 c6 8. Nd4 {followed by Nxe6 with the advantage.}) 6. Nxe4 Nxd5 7. c4 Nb4 8. d4 {Here, too, black has no compensation for his P.}) 4... Qxd5 5. d4 exd3 6. Nxd3 Nc6 7. Nc3 Qf5 {A rather odd place for the Q. Usual is either 7...Qa5 (defending the c-Pawn) or 7...Qee+} {This prevents ...Bb4, but more to the point would have been 8.Bf4} 8. a3 {This prevents ...Bb4, but it's rather pointless.} (8. Bf4 {and the attack on the c-Pawn gives white a slight advantage.} Bb4 9. Qd2 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 Nf6 {White cannot take the c-Pawn because of the forl ...Nd5} 11. O-O-O { with a good position.}) 8... Bd7 9. Be2 Nf6 10. O-O O-O-O 11. Be3 {White has failed to take advantage of whatever small opportunities black has given her and as a result black has somewhat better chances because he is in a posiition to initiate a K-side attack.} h5 {Florian is true to his aggressive style.} 12. f3 {Apparently played to keep black's N off of e4 or g4, but it weakens the K's position too much. There is not a lot white can do, but 12.Qd2 followed by placing the Rs on d1 and e1 was about the best course if action available.} Bd6 {White's situation on the K-side is already starting to look suspect.} 13. b4 { This is nothing more than a gesture, but 13.Qd2 wasm't a whole lot better.} Ne5 {Aggressive. He's not worried about the a-Pawn.} 14. f4 (14. Bxa7 Nxd3 (14... b6 {Black should avoid trying to trap the B.} 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Ba6#) 15. Qxd3 Be5 16. Qe3 (16. Qxf5 Bxf5 {wins}) 16... Rhe8 17. Bd3 Qe6 {with the more promising position.}) 14... Neg4 15. Bd2 Rde8 16. Rf3 Bc6 17. Rg3 {White has managed to land herself in a terrible mess mostly owing to her inaccurate handling of the opening startinh at move 8. Still. things are not all that clear when seen through human eyes!} g5 {[%mdl 512] Beginning a winnig attack.} 18. h3 {Now, according to engines, comes a double blunder. First, Florian plays a completely unsound exchange sacrifice, but Sucha errs badly in delaying taking it for a move. Perhaps both 18...Rxe2 and 19.hxg4 are worthy of the double question marks the Tactical Analysis assigned them, but play after black;s correct continuation of 18...gxf4 is not so clear as Stockfish makes it seem.} Rxe2 {[%mdl 8192]} (18... gxf4 {os the strongest move, but the win is not so clear, at least for humans.} 19. hxg4 Qg5 20. Nf2 Rhg8 21. Rd3 hxg4 {with an overwhelming attacking position. Here is the best line...} 22. Rxd6 cxd6 23. Qf1 Rh8 24. Re1 Kb8 25. b5 Qh6 26. Nh3 gxh3 27. bxc6 hxg2 28. Qxf4 Qxf4 29. Bxf4 Rh1+ 30. Kxg2 Rxe1 31. Bxd6+ Kc8 32. cxb7+ Kxb7 33. Bf3+ Kc8 34. Nb5 Rg8+ 35. Kf2 Re6 36. Nxa7+ Kd7 37. Bf4 {and according ti the engine : black is clearly winning."}) 19. hxg4 {[%mdl 8192] This should have been a fatal error, but the mistakes are not over.} (19. Qxe2 {completely urns the tables! There is absolutely no way for black to continue his attack.} gxf4 20. Bxf4 Bxf4 21. Rf1 Re8 22. Rxf4 Qd7 23. Qd2 {Black is the exchange down!}) 19... hxg4 {Give this a question mark because it allows white to equalize.} (19... Rxg2+ {This wins. For example...} 20. Rxg2 hxg4 21. Qf1 Qh7 22. Nf2 g3 {wins} 23. Qd3 gxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qh4+ 25. Qg3 Qxg3+ 26. Kxg3 gxf4+) 20. Nxe2 {The next to last serious mistake.} (20. Qxe2 Qh7 21. Kf2 {and white has escaped. It;s a complicated position with a material imbalance that offers equal chances. In Shootouts white only scored +0 -4 =1, but the games were quite long.}) 20... Qh7 21. Nf2 Qh2+ 22. Kf1 gxf4 23. Bxf4 Bxf4 24. Qd3 Bxg3 25. Qxg3 Bb5 {Much simpler would have been 25...Qxg3} (25... Qh1+ {A cute little move only an engine would suggets.} 26. Nxh1 Rxh1+ 27. Ng1 Bb5+ 28. Qd3 (28. Ke1 Rxg1+ 29. Kd2 Ne4+) 28... Bxd3+ 29. cxd3 Nd5 {with a won ending.}) 26. Qxh2 Rxh2 27. Re1 (27. Kg1 {was the only real chance.} Rh5 28. Nd4 Bc4 {with a P up and two Bs vs. 2 Ns black has good winning chances.}) 27... g3 28. Nd3 Bc6 29. Nef4 Ne4 { Black is clearly better, but the win is not guaranteed.} 30. Kg1 f5 31. Re2 Rh4 32. Re1 {[%mdl 8192] This move truly does deserve two question marks because it loses a piece.} (32. Re3 {and white can puts up serious resistance,.} Ba4 33. c4 b6 34. Ne6 Kb7 35. Rf3 {and it's still a real fight. In Shootouts white lost +0 -4 =1, but the winning procedure for black proved quite lengthy, so in practical play the outcome would not be as certain,}) 32... Nf2 {[%mdl 512] White resigned.} (32... Nf2 33. Nxf2 gxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rxf4+) 0-1