A Most Remarkable Game?

`In 1938, the U.S. faced economic difficulties with rising unemployment. President Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (known as the March of Dimes) to combat polio. As an elementary school student I remember filling collection cards with dimes. We would receive a card, collect dimes from family and friends and then return the filled card to the school and it could earn you a lapel pin. In those day the possibility of getting polio was a scary thing and the program helped fund the development of the successful Salk polio vaccine. 

    On June 24, 1938, a meteorite weighing over 990,000 pounds exploded about 12 miles above the earth near Chicora, Pennsylvania. It was felt for miles and injured a cow though it missed populated areas like Pittsburgh, averting a major catastrophe. The explosion's sound and light were described as a fireball, similar to thunder, and were initially mistaken for other events, like a powder magazine explosion. 

 The fact that the meteorite entered the atmosphere at a 30- degree angle which expended its energy. If it had entered the atmosphere at a nearly vertical trajectory, most of it would have survived the descent. The resultant impact would have caused major damage to Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. 

    In 1938, movies out of Hollywood offered with box office hits like Alexander's Ragtime Band (it generally traced the history of jazz music) and You Can't Take It With You (about a man from a family of rich snobs who becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured, but eccentric family.) 

    The year saw the invention of practical, synthetic fabrics and board games like Monopoly. Games like backyard games, card games, and board games were popular ways for people to entertain themselves during the Great Depression. 

    A game was played in the 1938 Utah State Championship that Chess Review describes as, “One of the most remarkable played by American amateurs!” Was it remarkable as in notably or conspicuously unusual? You be the judge. One thing that is was however, was an example of when NOT to play the Classic Bishop Sacrifice, Bxh7+ and Ng5+.

     The Utah Chess Association has long existed in various forms, bu records are not generally available. The 1938 Utah Champion is not documented in tournament records. Fortunately, the July 1938 issue of Chess Review listed the results. The championship was won a 20-year old University of Utah student named Richard Durham who scored 7.5-1.5.  Others scores: 

 

        2-3) D.L. Morgan (Salt Lake City champion) 7.0-2.0 

        2-3) W. Taylor (the only player to defeat Durham_ 

        4) C. H. Stewart (Idaho champion) 5.5-3.5 

        5-6) Dittman 4.5-4.5 

        5-6)) O.W. Manney (Arizona and New Mexico champion) 

        7) L. N. Page (defending champion) 4.0-5.0 

        8) G. J. Moore 3.0-6.0 

        9) H. Davis 1.5-4/5 

        10) R. Kooyman 0.5-8.5. 

 

[Event "Utah State Championship"] [Site "?"] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "D.L. Morgan"] [Black "I.W. Taylor"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] {D53: Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 {This is not a particularly good wat\y to meet the Queen's Gambit.} 3. Nc3 {This trnsposesinto regulat lines, but he should seize the chance to obtain a good game with 3.cxd5} (3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nf6 5. Nc3 {Black has tried 5...e5 and 5...c6, both of whch have yielded poor results.}) 3... e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 {Usual is 5...O-O or 5.. .h6. The text is seen in the Tartakower Variation.} b6 {This is not to be confused with the aforementioned Tartakower Variation.} (5... h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 {transposes into the Tartakower; white has a wide number of options.}) 6. cxd5 Nxd5 {Capturing with the P is an acceptable alternative.} 7. Bxe7 Nxe7 { Recapturing with the Q was better.} 8. e4 O-O (8... Bb7 9. Bb5+ c6 10. Ba4 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 {Verzijden,M (1339)-Van Lenthe,G (1540) Hengelo 2005. The position is roughly equal, but nlack's is somewhat passive.}) 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. e5 Nbc6 { White should now castle. Instead he embarks on a completely unsound Classic Bishop Sacrifice.} 11. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 8192] For this, the Classic Bishop Sacrifice, to be successful white must have a P at e5, and the B on the diagonal c1-h6, a N on either d2 or c3 and a R on the open e-file. There may also be a R on f1, if the f-file is open. Here this conditions are almost, but not quite, met.} Kxh7 {Black must accept the sacrifice.} (11... Kh8 12. Be4 Ng8 13. h4 Nh6 14. Ng5 Qd7 {At the moment there is no chance of launching a successful attack on black's K, but white can switch to a Q-side diversion} 15. Qa4 Rab8 16. O-O-O Rfd8 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Qc2 Nf5 19. d5 exd5 20. g4 d4 21. Rh3 Rbc8 22. gxf5 {and now white does have a decsuve K=side attacj.}) 12. Ng5+ { This is a critical position. Black gas to decide where to retreat the K.} Kh6 { This us the wrong square!} (12... Kg8 13. Qh5 Re8 14. Qxf7+ Kh8 {White either wind the Q or delivers mate.} 15. Nxe6) (12... Kg6 {This is the correct square/ White's chances of success are inlikley because he does not have a R on e1 and the N on c3 is unable to render much assistance. And, he must do something about the attack on his d-Pawn (...Qxd4).} 13. Qg4 (13. Nf3 Nb4 14. O-O f5 15. exf6 Rxf6 16. Qb1+ Nf5 {White's attack has been beaten off anbd black's advantage shpuld prove enough to win.}) 13... Qxd4) 13. Qd2 {[%mdl 8192] The threat of a discovered checj looks dangerous, but black equalizes easily.} (13. Qg4 {Keeps white's winning chances alive.} Qxd4 14. Nce4 {Bringing up the reserves.} Qb4+ 15. Kf1 Ba6+ 16. Kg1 {and the threat of Qh4+ cannot be met in any satisfactory way.}) 13... Qxd4 14. Qc1 Qxe5+ 15. Nce4 {There is no effective discovered chesck.} Kg6 (15... Qa5+ {Technically this is stronger, but also more difficult to calculate.} 16. Kf1 Nd4 17. Nxe6+ Kh7 18. N4g5+ Kg6 19. Nxd4 Qxg5) 16. h4 {A note in Chess Review says this vigorously seizies the opportunity to resume the attack. It threatens to win with h5+. but white cannot successfully carry out the threat so his position remians a lost one.} Rh8 {16...Qa5+ was still a strong option.} 17. g4 Rxh4 {A brilliant refutation. ..but} 18. Rxh4 Nd4 {...the followup is weak.} (18... Nb4 {A difficult to spot move!} 19. Qc4 (19. f4 Nd3+) 19... Qxb2 20. Rd1 Ned5 {Black has a dexisive advantage.} 21. a3 {A pass to show what white is facing.} Nc2+ 22. Kf1 Nde3+ 23. fxe3 Nxe3+) 19. f4 {The equalizer as ...Qa5+ has lost its devastating effect.} Qa5+ 20. Kf2 {At some point Qh1 may be possible.} Qb5 {Also good was 29...f6} 21. Nc3 (21. Qh1 {is not yet playable.} Qe2+ 22. Kg3 Qe3+ 23. Kh2 Qxf4+ 24. Kh3 f6 {Black is winning.}) 21... Qd3 22. Rh3 {[%mdl 1024] After his poor followup on move 18 black is in a difficult position.} Qc4 {Black should have taken the opportunity to trade Qs wirh 22...Qc2+ after which he would still be in the game.} 23. Qb1+ {A fine move that gets his Q into the attack.} f5 {White can now wrap it up with 24.Qd1! threatening gxf5+ and Qh5+ and there is no satisfactory way for black to meet the threat.} 24. Qg1 {This sub-optimal move should have allowed black to equalize.} Qc5 (24... Nc2 25. gxf5+ Kxf5 {Black's K is perfectly safe here and the chances are equal.} (25... Nxf5 {loses outright.} 26. Nf3+ Kf6 27. Qg5+ Kf7 28. Ne5+)) 25. b4 {White is better herem but the game is far from over!} Qxb4 26. gxf5+ {[%mdl 128]} Nexf5 {[%mdl 8192]} 27. Nxe6+ {This looks crushing, but it allows black to get away with equality/} (27. Rb1 Qa5 28. Nf3+ Kf7 29. Ne5+ {White has secured the win.} Kf8 30. Qg6 Nh6 31. Rxh6 gxh6 32. Qf7#) 27... Kf7 28. Re1 {[%mdl 8192] Another horrible move that should have lost at once.} (28. Ng5+ Ke7 29. Rb1 Qc4 30. Re1+ Kd7 {and the win is uo for grabs!}) 28... Qd6 {[%mdl 8192] Technically this is a colossal blunder that should have lost, but it turns out that things are not so simple.} (28... Nxe6 29. Qg4 (29. Rxe6 Qxf4+ 30. Ke1 Kxe6 {and black is plenty of material ahead.}) 29... Qxf4+ 30. Qxf4 Nxf4 31. Rh2 Nd3+ 32. Ke2 Nxe1 33. Kxe1 {Black wins}) 29. Ng5+ Kg8 30. Rh8+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxh8 31. Nf7+ Kg8 32. Nxd6 Nxd6 33. Qg6 {Materially speaking white has a significant material advantage, but black's pieces are extremely active and the cooperate well, so white faces considerable difficulty in securing the win.} Rf8 34. Rg1 {A bit more precise would have been 34.Re7, but from heree to the end of the game there is no point in quibbling over a few Centipawns.} Rxf4+ 35. Ke3 Rf3+ 36. Kxd4 c5+ 37. Ke5 Nf7+ 38. Ke6 {White has a strong Q and R battery on the g-file and he has gotten his K into action, but black;s three pieces coordinate in a way that is both annoying and frustrating to white!} Re3+ 39. Ne4 (39. Kf5 Rf3+ {White has to consent to a repetition with 40.Ke6 on account of ...Ne5+}) 39... Rxe4+ 40. Kf5 Re5+ 41. Kf4 Re4+ 42. Kg3 Nh6 {This should have lost.} (42... Re2 {is a better chance.} 43. Kh3 Bc8+ 44. Kh4 Rh2+ 45. Kg3 Rh6 {and black is still fighting.}) 43. Kf2 Rf4+ 44. Ke3 Rf3+ 45. Ke2 {He has finally escaped the annoying R checks.} Nf5 46. Rg5 {The final missed opportunity. Even so it's hard to call the move into question because the winning line is hard to fathom...see the final position!} (46. Kd2 {Black runs out of checks after} Rf2+ 47. Kc1 Bd5 48. Qe8+ Kh7 49. Qh5+ Kg8 50. Rd1 Nd4 51. Qxd5+ {The Q vs a N+3Ps is not going to be as easy to win after 51...Kf8 (51... Kh7 leads yo mate in 21 moves) as the engine;s evaluation ov 83 Pawns (!) would lead us to believe. For the record here it is...} Kf8 52. Re1 g6 53. Qd8+ Kg7 54. Qe7+ Rf7 55. Qe5+ Rf6 56. Qc7+ Rf7 57. Re7 Rxe7 58. Qxe7+ Kh6 59. Qxa7 Kg5 60. Qxb6 Kf5 61. Qxc5+ Ke4 62. Qc4 g5 63. Kd2 Ke5 64. a4 g4 65. a5 g3 66. Qc7+ Kd5 67. Qxg3) 46... Ba6+ {Draw Agreed. A see=saw affair. Accuracy: White = 47%, Black = 50%.} (46... Ba6+ 47. Kxf3 Nh4+ 48. Kf4 Nxg6+ 49. Rxg6 {This position is evaluated at 9.00, but that does not mean it's drawn. Humanly speaking, laying on anything could happen!}) 1/2-1/2