Pyotr Dubinin

    Pyotr Dubinin (1909 – 1983, 74 years old) was warded the IM title in 1950 and the Correspondence GM title in 1962. He was joint USSR Correspondence Champion in 1957. In the 3rd World Correspondence Chess Championship (1959-1962), he finished 2nd behind Alberic O'Kelly. 

    In 1952 he was awarded the Soviet Union's Honored Master of Sport. Introduced in 1934 by the Central Executive Committee, it was awarded by the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport to athletes, including chess players, for outstanding performance. 

    Recipients received a badge and certificate. It was conferred for life, but Alla Kushnir and Viktor Korchnoi had theirs revoked when they defected from the Soviet Union and Mark Taimanov's was revoked in 1971 following his crushing defeat at the hands of Bobby Fischer, but it was restored in 1991.   

    The Russian Civil War was fought from 1917 to 1922. It was a multi-party war in the former Russian Empire immediately after the two Russian Revolutions of 1917, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. 

    Life in Russia and, also, chess was in turmoil during that time and disease was rampant and food scarce. Vasily Panov recalled how one day during the hunger of 1918 and 1919 his mother brought home dog meat for dinner: it was selling for one third of the price of horse meat. 

    In Nizhny Novgorod, one of the largest Russian cities east of Moscow, Dubinin found himself, at age 14, having to feed his family after his father died of hunger and exhaustion in 1921. 

    It was a bad time in the Soviet Union and the 22-year old Dubinin found himself building a bridge across the Oka River in Gorky. From 1932 to 1990, it was known as Gorky after the writer Maxim Gorky, who was born there. Today it is known as Nizhny Novgorod. 

    In the evenings workers met at their club to read and play chess and there Dubinin was known as “our Botvinnik.” Dubinin, who had a second category rating, studied for hours studying theory and playing over master games. A second category rating was roughly equal to the USCF Class A (1800-2000 Elo) rating. \In 1932, Dubinin was drafted into the Army. 

    In 1938, he was to write in an article a load of political propaganda in which he stated “Our Army provides men with all the conditions for developing their abilities in every direction.” He added that he had the opportunity to participate in five major tournaments of Army players and improved to reached a First Category rating (USCF Expert, 200-2199 Elo). 

    During that time he carried a chess book in his backpack as he fought all over the Western front. Apparently, Dubinin was a good soldier. He earned decorations for personally capturing German soldiers and other valorous actions. He also suffered frostbite of both legs. 

    One of his successes came in 1934 when he finished second behind Belavenets in the Russian Federation Championship. The same year he participated in the USSR Championship in Leningrad, but did not do especially well, scoring only 7-12. The only highlights were his wins over Ragozin, Ilya Rabinovich and Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky. By 1938 he had achieved the Soviet Master title as a result of his success in the semi-finals of the USSR Championship. 

    Just as his battalion was about to seize the Baltic port of Koenigsberg in February, 1945, he received an invitation to play in the Soviet Championship semi-finals which he refused. In the fighting he suffered heavy shell shock (today known as post-traumatic stress disorder) and was finally demobilized with the rank of deputy battalion commander. 

    After the War he returned to Gorky where he popularized chess and worked on the theory of various openings. Dubinin was a big man who weighed up around 300 pounds and took part in weight lifting competitions. At one time in a Moscow railway station a thief stole his luggage which contained many of his chess notes and as a result, he developed a distrust of people and a virulent hatred of thieves.  

 

[Event "RSFSR 1st Category, Rostov-On-Don"] [Site ""] [Date "1936.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Pyotr Dubinin"] [Black "D. Petrov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C10"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] {C10: French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Ng3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Bd3 Qb6 (8... O-O 9. O-O Qc7 (9... b6 10. Qe2 Bb7 11. c3 Qc7 12. Bc2 {Black is a bit better. Mestrovic,Z (2466)-Kosic,D (2523) Budapest HUN 1999}) 10. Qe2 b6 11. a3 Bb7 12. b4 Be7 13. Bb2 a5 14. bxa5 bxa5 15. Rab1 { ½-½ Hartikainen,M (2255)-Kekki,J (2270) Finland Tch 1995}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 Re8 11. c3 Nf8 12. Ne5 Ng6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. h4 Qc7 15. h5 gxh5 {This move, opening up the K-side. vindicates white's strategy. Better was 15...Bd6} (15... Bd6 16. f4 Bd7 17. hxg6 fxg6 {Both Ks are exposed and the chances are equal.}) 16. Nxh5 Nh7 {[%mdl 8192] After this black is lost. He should have eliminated the dangerous N with 15...Nxh5} 17. Nxg7 {[%mdl 512]} Kxg7 18. Qh5 {Hoping for Bh6+.} Bf8 {Meeting the threat.} 19. Re1 {This prepates a R lift adding it to the attack. Black's position can not be defended.} (19. Bh6+ Kg8 20. Qg4+ Kh8 { Black can resist.}) 19... Kg8 20. Re3 {The first R lift.} Re7 {Now if black can play ...f6 he can defend himself, but Dubinin won't allow it.} 21. Rg3+ Bg7 {White now finishes up with another sacrifice.} (21... Kh8 {allows a forced mate.} 22. Bf4 Bg7 23. Rh3 Kg8 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Bh6 Re8 26. Bxg7+ Ke7 27. Qh4+ f6 28. Bxf6+ Kd6 29. Qd4#) 22. Rxg7+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Kxg7 23. Bh6+ Kh8 { Black couldstill defend himself if only he could get in ...f6, but there is no time.} 24. Rd1 Nf6 {White is not dome sacrificing.} (24... f6 25. Ng6+ Kg8 26. Nxe7+ Qxe7 27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Rd8+ Nf8 29. Bxf8 Qxd8 30. Qg7#) 25. Bg7+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxg7 26. Qg5+ Kh8 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Rd3 {Black resigned. This second R lift wraps it up. A complete rout of his opponent by Dubinin.} (28. Rd3 Qxe5 ( 28... Bd7 29. Rg3+ Kf8 30. Qh8#) 29. Rd8+ Re8 30. Rxe8+ Kh7 31. Rh8#) 1-0

A Crazy Game by Moshe Czerniak

    Moshe Czerniak was born in 1910 in Warsaw and died in Tel Aviv in 1984. He emigrated to Palestine in 1934, where he became national champion in 1936 and 1938. He represented the Palestinian League Mandate at the 1935 chess Olympics in Warsaw and in Buenos Aires in 1939. 

    When the Second World War broke out during the 1939 Olympics, Czerniak remained in Argentina until 1950 where he participated in numerous international tournaments. In 1950, he moved to the newly founded nation of Israel where he became the country’s top player and many time national champion. He wrote several chess books and newspaper chess columns. 

    His opponent in the following crazy game was Victor Winz who was born in Germany in 1901. He emigrated to Palestine (then under the British Mandate) in the early 1930s. Like Czeniak, Winz played for the Palestine team in the chess Olympics at Warsaw and Buenos Aires and when WWII broke out he also remained in Argentina and after the war he decided to stay permanently in Argentina. His last known tournament was the 1957 Berlin championship. After that he seems to have vanished.

 

[Event "Lasker Chess Club Champ, Tel Aviv"] [Site "Tel Aviv ISR"] [Date "1939.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Victor Winz"] [Black "Moshe Czerniak"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D70"] [Annotator "James Massie"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "1939.??.??"] {D70: Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. f4 Nc6 9. d5 Nb8 10. a4 e5 (10... a5 11. Nf3 Na6 12. Bxb6 cxb6 13. Bxa6 bxa6 {with full equality. Richter,M (2470)-Aabling-Thomsen, J (2365) Copenhagen 2014}) (10... c6 11. a5 N6d7 12. d6 Re8 13. Nf3 exd6 14. Qxd6 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Rxe4 {The position is equal. Gajewski,G (2594)-Bobras,P (2581) Lublin 2008}) 11. a5 (11. f5 {gains the initiative after} gxf5 12. a5 N6d7 13. exf5 e4 14. Nge2 {with an active position. Foisor,O (2420)-Stohl,I (2465) Leipzig 1986} Ne5 15. Ng3 Qh4 16. Be2 Bxf5 17. O-O Bg6 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Rxf5 Qe7 20. Ra4 Nbd7 21. Rxe4 Rae8 22. Bb5 a6 23. Bxd7 Qxd7 24. Qh5 Ng6) (11. fxe5 N6d7 12. Nf3 Nxe5 13. Be2 Nbd7 14. O-O Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 {is equal. Dziuba,M (2570)-Panocki,A (2338) Warsaw 2008}) 11... exf4 12. axb6 {Apparently white, like some commentators, was under the impression that this move which leads to what appears to be his clever looking next move was a good one. It's not!} (12. Bxf4 {stays on course.} N6d7 13. Nf3 {and white is a bit better.}) 12... fxe3 { This P is destined to be a bone in white's throat for the rest of the game.} 13. Rxa7 {At least one commentator thought this wins and gave Czerniak credit for not resigning. It does look like Czerniak is going to have lose a R, but there is a way out of his predicament. For all that, 13.Exa7 is the best move white has, both theoretically and practically.} Qh4+ {This avoids the disaster of 13...Rxa7, but misses the win after 13...Bg4. In other words, the chances are equal after the text.} (13... Rxa7 14. bxa7 Nc6 15. a8=Q {is obviously unsatisfactory.} Qh4+ 16. g3 Qf6 17. Nf3 Bg4 18. Qxb7 Bxf3 19. Qxc6 Qxc6 20. dxc6 Bxd1 21. Nxd1 {and white is a piece up, not a Q.}) (13... Bg4 {This is the refutation to white's last move.} 14. Nf3 (14. Qa1 {loses outright.} Qh4+ 15. g3 Qf6 16. Nge2 Qf2+ 17. Kd1 Na6 18. Rxa8 Rxa8 19. Qa3 Bf3) 14... Nd7 { The R is now defended.} 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. bxc7 Bxc3+ 17. bxc3 Qa3 {Black is a P ip and the c-Pawns are goners.} 18. Qc2 Rc8 {etc.}) 14. g3 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxe4 16. Nf3 Bg4 {Although unlike 13...Bg4 this does not win, but it is still a critical move that black must play.} 17. Rxa8 Bxf3 18. Qd3 Qe5 19. bxc7 { White is still enamored with his Q-side plans, but defensive measures were more appropriate.]} (19. Rg1 cxb6 20. Bg2 Bg4 {In this unbalanced material situation (R vs N+2Ps) the chances are about equal; 5 Shootouts from this position were drawn.}) 19... Qxc7 20. Rg1 Qb6 (20... Bxd5 {is harder to meet and contains a trap.} 21. Be2 (21. Qxd5 Qxc3+ 22. Kd1 Rc8 23. Ke2 Kg7 24. Qd1 Qb2+ 25. Kxe3 Qb6+ 26. Qd4+ Qxd4+ 27. Kxd4 Nc6+ {with a decisive advantage.}) 21... Bc6 22. Rf1 Re8 {with equal chances.}) 21. g4 {It;s understandable that white wants to free his R, but a better way would have been 21.Be2.} Rd8 22. Rg3 Rxd5 {[%mdl 128] The beginning of a relentless attack.} 23. Rxb8+ Kg7 24. Rxf3 (24. Qc2 {is a self mate.} Qb2 $1 {[%mdl 512]} 25. Rxf3 Qxc2 26. Bd3 Rxd3 27. Rxf7+ Kh6 28. g5+ Kxg5 29. Rf5+ Kh6 30. Rh5+ gxh5 31. Rxb7 Qf2#) 24... Rxd3 25. Bxd3 {Materially speaking white's 2Rs+B are roughly equal to black's Q+2Ps, but in this situation black has, as Czerniak adroitly demonstrates, has a decisive advantage.} Qc7 26. Re8 Qxc3+ 27. Kf1 Qxd3+ {[%mdl 4096]} 28. Kg2 Qd2+ 29. Kg3 e2 {It'd ilear that white should have eliminated this P way back on move 12!} 30. Rfe3 Qe1+ 31. Kh3 Qf1+ 32. Kg3 Qg1+ 33. Kh3 Qf2 {White can't capture the P because of ...Qf3+ so black's task now is to drive the R away from defending f3.} 34. R8e5 (34. Rxe2 Qf3+ 35. Kh4 g5+ 36. Kh5 (36. Kxg5 Qf6+ 37. Kh5 Qh6#) 36... Qf6 {mates}) 34... b5 {[%mdl 32]} 35. g5 h5 (35... b4 36. Rxe2 Qf3+ 37. Kh4 h6 38. R2e3 hxg5+ 39. Kxg5 f6+) 36. R5e4 b4 37. Rxe2 { The P is finally eliminated, but the b-Pawn has taken its place.} Qf3+ 38. Kh4 b3 39. R2e3 Qf2+ 40. Kh3 b2 41. Re8 {Very cunning!} Qxe3+ {White resigned} ( 41... b1=Q {would be a tragedy.} 42. Rg8+ Kxg8 43. Re8+ Kg7 44. Rg8+ Kxg8 { Stalenate!}) 0-1

A Brilliancy Prize for Euwe

 

    As often happened in the old days before engines games were annotated based on the result and every move of the winner was praised and every move of the loser was criticized. Also, there were very few Masters and we ordinary players never questioned them. Today with engines even we amateurs can do a credible job of analyzing even if we don’t always understand why an engine’s move is better. 

    When this game appeared in print the annotations left a lot to be desired, but the game is interesting. After playing the opening poorly (unusual for an opening expert like Euwe) and after some weak early middlegame play by Tartakower, Euwe turned in a wonderful performance in the form of a desperate counterattack against his opponent’s King. Euwe finished up in a fashion worthy of a composed study so the brilliancy prize was well deserved.

 

 

[Event "Venice"] [Site "Venice ITA"] [Date "1948.10.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Savielly Tartakower"] [Black "Max Euwe"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C53"] [Annotator "Stockfiah 18"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "1948.10.03"] {C53: Giuoco Piano} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Bb6 5. d4 Qe7 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Re1 O-O 9. Na3 {The usual move is 9.a4, but at the time this game was played Tartakower was experimenting with a new way of handle this position. Although 9.Na3 results in white having to waste time moving the B again so as to vacate c4 for the N there seems to be no way for black to take advantage of it.} Nd8 {Besides this time consuming maneuver black has also played 9...h6 which seems better.} (9... h6 10. d5 Nb8 11. Bf1 c6 12. Nc4 Bc7 13. a4 Nbd7 {White has more space and black has limited counterattacking resources.}) 10. Bf1 {White wanted to make c4 availavle to the N and thought retreating the B to any other square would hamper the activity of either the Q or R. That is not the case though because 10.Bd3, as used by Rossolimo, is perfectly logical and good.} (10. Bd3 c6 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. b3 b5 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Ba3 c5 15. Ne3 Ba5 16. Qc2 Bb7 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Bc7 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. f4 b4 21. Rxe5 Qd6 22. Bb2 bxc3 23. Bxc3 h6 24. Rf1 Nb7 {Rossolimo,N-Muhring,W Hastings 1948. White soon won.}) 10... Ne8 {The idea of this move is to keep the e-Pawn protected, but it's a serious mistake that has tacical consequences. } (10... exd4 $16 {might work better.} 11. Nxd4 Re8 12. Nc4 Bxd4 13. cxd4 d5 { and white has the advantage after either 14.e5 or 14.Bg5. Still, this is black's best choice.}) 11. Nc4 f6 12. a4 {White often plays this in the Giuoco Piano, but here is is even stronger than usual} c6 {Played to meet the threat of 13.a5.} 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Qb3+ Ne6 15. Qxb6 {As a result of his faulty plan initiated with his 10th move black has lost a P and his position is seriously compromised.} g5 {With his position strategically lost Euwe seeks counterplay on the K-side by bringing a N to f4 andm at the same time, maybe opening a file to get at white's K. Will it work?} 16. Bc4 {Not a bad move by any means, but it indicates that Tartakower is barking up the wrong tree as he is attempting to foil black's attack by direct means. All he succeeds in doiung is aiding black by opening up lines against his own K. A better plan was to make advances on the Q-side.} (16. Be3 Kh8 17. b4 Nf4 18. b5 Ng7 19. Nh2 cxb5 20. axb5 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 exd4 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Qxd4 {White is safe on the K-side and his central and Q-side superioity should prevail.}) 16... h6 17. h4 {White insists on opening files that weaken his K's position. A Q-side advance is still indicated.} Kh7 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. dxe5 dxe5 $14 20. Be3 {In spite of his play over the last few moves white hasn't ruined his position, but his advantage has been considerably reduced.} Rh8 21. g3 Kg6 {Clearing the file for the Q and R.} 22. Kg2 {It;s likely that Tartakower saw the coming sacrifice, but misjudged its effectiveness believing he could successfully challenge on the h-file.} (22. Bf1 {This brings the B to the defense of the K.} Nf4 {is now ineffective.} 23. Nh4+ Rxh4 24. gxh4 Bg4 25. Bg2 gxh4 26. f3 h3 27. Bxf4 exf4 28. Qf2 hxg2 29. Qxg2 {Technically white's R+P are superior to black's N+B and, in fact, white scored 5-0 in Shootouts.}) 22... Nf4+ {At this point the chances are equal, but only if white does not capture the N!} 23. gxf4 {[%mdl 8192] A move worthy of double question marks because it loses.} ( 23. Bxf4 {This nearly equalizes after} Bh3+ 24. Kg1 Nd6 (24... exf4 25. e5 f5 26. e6 Nf6 27. Rad1 {with a huge advantage.}) (24... gxf4 25. Rad1 {is equal.}) 25. Be2 gxf4 26. Qb4 {and black's advantage is minimal.}) 23... Bh3+ 24. Kg3 { There was nothing better.} (24. Kg1 gxf4 25. Bf1 Qe6 {wins}) 24... exf4+ 25. Bxf4 Qd7 {This is an important part of black's attack.} (25... Nd6 {allows white to turn the tables.} 26. Bd5 (26. Bxd6 Qxd6+ 27. e5 Qd7 28. Qd4 Qxd4 29. Nxd4 {and white has won material.}) 26... cxd5 27. Qxd6 Qxd6 28. Bxd6 dxe4 29. Rxe4 {White is uo a N and P.}) 26. Nh2 {White no longer has a viable defense.} gxf4+ 27. Kxf4 {There can be little doubt that white's exposed K will not survive long.} Rh4+ 28. Ke3 Bg2 {Attacking the e-Pawn.} 29. Nf3 {Euwe now ends the game with a brilliant sacrifice that initiates a successful King hunt.} Rxe4+ {[%mdl 512] Very nice.} 30. Kxe4 Nd6+ 31. Kd3 Qf5+ 32. Kd4 Qf4+ 33. Kd3 { Is the K getting away? It it does white is a R and P up.} Qxc4+ 34. Kc2 { Now if white could only play 35.Nd2 he would be safe.} Bxf3 35. b3 {[%emt 0:00: 03]} (35. Qd4 {is equally hopeless.} Qxd4 36. cxd4 Nf5 37. Kc3 Rh8 38. b4 Rh3 39. b5 Bd5+ 40. Kb4 Nxd4 {Black has a decisive endgame advantage.}) 35... Be4+ 36. Kb2 Qd3 {[%mdl 2048]} 37. Rg1+ Kf7 38. Rac1 Qd2+ 39. Ka3 Nc4+ $1 {[%mdl 512] Totally destroying white's defense.} 40. bxc4 {Black's last move was only the precursor to his next nive.} Rxa4+ {[%mdl 512] Without this move white would be winning.} 41. Kxa4 Qa2+ 42. Kb4 Qb2+ {White resigned.} 0-1

A Miniature by Karpinski

Karpinski

    The 1900 annual New York State Chess Association meeting in Clayton, New York commanded the attention of the chess public during the entire week ot was in session. Besides the usual bussiness there were three tournaments, including a Master event that was won by Frank Marshall who won the handsome sum of $40, or about $1,550 in today’s purchasing power. All the players were required to bring their own sets and boards. 

    The winner of this game was the strong amateur Louis C. Karpinski (1878-1956) who was born in Rochester, New York. His father was from Warsaw, Poland and his mother from France.[ 

    He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University in 1901 and his Ph.D. at the University of Strasbourg, a public research university located in Strasbourg, France. 

    At Columbia University, Karpinski became a fellow (a designated researcher, scholar, or student receiving funding and support for specialized work, typically lasting one to four years) and a university extension lecturer. He taught at Berea College and at the Normal School in Oswego, New York, now SUNY Oswego. He then accepted a position at the University of Michigan where he became a full professor of mathematics by 1919. He also authored several books on mathematics.

 

 

 

 

[Event "NY State Master Tmt, Clayton, NY"] [Site ""] [Date "1900.07.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Dunham W. Waller"] [Black "Louis C. Karpinski"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A80"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "1900.07.17"] [Source "(New York) Sun, "] {[%evp 9,39,45,45,31,29,33,44,16,70,39,35,-31,-24,-31,-17,-52,5,-53,28,-99, -113,-176,-116,-211,-206,-543,-518,-29997,-29998,-29998,-29999,-29999] A80: Dutch Defense} 1. d4 f5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. h3 e6 4. e3 b6 5. Nf3 Bb7 6. Bd3 Bd6 { This is unusual, but not bad because black's mass of center Ps offers adequate compensation for the doubled Ps. Usual is 6...Be7} 7. Bxd6 cxd6 8. Nbd2 Ne4 { This is premature. He should play either 8...O-O or 8....Nc6} 9. c3 O-O 10. Nc4 Qe7 11. O-O Nc6 12. Qc2 Nd8 13. Kh2 Rf6 {An imaginative R lift. The other option was 13...g4} 14. Qb3 {After this things get interesting as Karpinski starts turning his promising position into a strong attack. 14.Ncd2 jept things even.} Rh6 15. Rad1 {After this white gets destroyed. His only hope was eliminating the N on e4} (15. Bxe4 fxe4 16. Ng1 d5 17. Ne5 Ba6 18. Rfd1 Nc6 { White's position is difficult, but he is still in the game. In Shootouts white scored +0 -2 =3.}) 15... Nf7 {After this black still has an advantage, but he missed the best move.} (15... Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Bxf3 17. Rh1 {Black has rwo ways to win: 17...Qh4 or 17...Bxd1} (17. gxf3 Qh4 {mates in 3.} 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. Kg1 Qxh3 {mate next move.})) 16. Ne1 Nfg5 {...Nxh3 is the strong threat.} 17. f3 {This leads to an instant loss, but the better 17.Bxr5 would not have saved the game.} Nxh3 {[%mdl 512] Absolutrly crushing.} 18. gxh3 (18. fxe4 fxe4 19. Be2 Nf4+ 20. Kg1 Rh1+ 21. Kxh1 Qh4+ 22. Kg1 Nxe2#) 18... Qh4 19. fxe4 Qxh3+ 20. Kg1 Qh2# {A fine attacking game by Karpinski/} 0-1

Postal Chess in the 1950s

    Yesterday (Tue. 3-17) was an exciting day in this part of the country! Around 8am there was a loud window rattling boom that left people all a-twitter. It reminded me of the sonic booms I heard as a kid whenever fighters from a nearby military base broke the sound barrier. It turned out I was correct. 

    The American Meteor Society received more than 100 reports from several states including Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York and others. 

    According to NASA, a 6-foot diameter 7-ton asteroid was first spotted about 50 miles above Lake Erie moving at over 40,000 miles per hour. The meteor traveled about 34 miles through the atmosphere before fragmenting 30 miles high over Valley City, Ohio, a small community about 30 miles SW of Cleveland. NASA said the meteor unleashed an\\rhe energy of 250 tons of TNT when it fragmented, causing a boom that was loud enough to even shake houses. 

    Correspondence chess isn’t what it used to be. Before computers postal play involved post cards (you could buy them pre-printed), or if you were playing international chess, airmail sheets. The latter were ultra-lightweight blue paper sheets designed to keep international postage costs low by minimizing weight. They were folded to form their own envelope. 

    You also needed rubber diagram stamps, lots of postage stamps, a notebook, blank score sheets, postal recorder albums (known as Glichers), knowledge of the ICCF Numeric Notation Grid for international play, books and magazines for researching openings. 

    You often had positions jotted down on scraps of paper and stuck in your pocket so you could analyze when you had a few spare minutes. I remember finishing up 2 or 3 correspondence games while in boot camp by drawing diagrams in the notebook we were required to carry to take notes about “military stuff” we were taught in class. 

    After mailing your move you had to wait a week or two for an opponent’s reply or even longer if you were playing international CC. Most games took a year or more. That was correspondence chess at its best. Engines, databases and computer programs have destroyed a lot of the magic. 

    In the following game, played in 1955, white mishandled the opening and soon got a lost position. Black’s play was aggressive and impressive. The game appeared in print with superficial notes which were based more on the result of the game than on accurate analysis...a common fault in those days. Both players were what Chess Review called Class A postalites...about 1800-1999 Elo, or perhaps a bit higher. 

 

[Event "Chess Review Postal Tmt."] [Site "?"] [Date "1955.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "G. Williams"] [Black "M.H. Cha"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D85"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1955.??.??"] {D85: Exchange Gruenfeld} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:07] While this move is not really a mistake it has not served white well. Either 7.Nf3 or 7.Bc4 are better.} Bg7 8. f4 { This is too weakening. 8.Bc4 was better.} Qa5 {Black gets the advantage after 8...Nc6, but black is determined to play aggressively.} 9. Kf2 {One would expect 9.Qd2 which offers equal chances, but, oddly, this move is also equal because there is no way for black to take advantage of the K's position.} Nd7 ( 9... Qxc3 {Black wisely avoids this Pawn grab.} 10. Rc1 Qb2+ 11. Rc2 Qb6 12. Nf3 O-O 13. d5 {White regains the P and has a space advantage and is better developed.}) 10. Qb3 O-O 11. h3 {This is way too passive.} (11. e5 {results in equal chances after} cxd4 12. cxd4 Nb6 13. Nf3) 11... g5 {Highly unusual, but not at all bad! Clearly black intends to attack at all costs.} 12. fxg5 { Risky play exposing his own K. Safer was 12.g3} e5 {Not as accurate as 12... dxc4 because the text allows black to close the center cutting down on blck's attacking chances.} 13. d5 f5 {Black continues his aggressive play, but a commentator of the day described this move which opens a file as being much stronger than it is. In fact, the position offers equal chances.} 14. d6+ Kh8 15. exf5 {White is on the road to losing after this move which opens up his K's position. Safer qa 15.Rd} Rxf5+ 16. Kg3 (16. Ke1 e4 17. Rc1 Nb6 18. Ne2 Nd5 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 16... e4 {The same commentator described this as a door opener for black's pieces. That's a good description.} 17. Ne2 { With his K exposed am.i his development lagging white has no adequate defense, but after 17.Kh2 he could have held out and hoped for a miracle.} Be5+ 18. Bf4 Rxf4 {[%mdl 512]} 19. Nxf4 Qd8 {The addition of the Q to the attack finishes off white.} 20. h4 Qf8 21. Kf2 Qxf4+ 22. Ke2 c4 {Making room for the N to join the attack.} 23. Qc2 Nc5 24. Kd1 Be6 25. Be2 Rd8 26. Rf1 Rxd6+ {Beginning a King hunt.} 27. Ke1 Qg3+ (27... Qxh4+ {forces mate.} 28. Rf2 e3 29. Bh5 Nd3+ 30. Kd1 exf2 31. Qe2 Ne1+ 32. Qd3 f1=Q 33. Qd4 Qxd4+ 34. cxd4 Qd3+ 35. Kxe1 Bg3#) 28. Rf2 e3 {[%mdl 64] Pin} 29. Bf1 Rd2 30. Qxd2 exd2+ 31. Ke2 Qd3+ 32. Kd1 Bg4+ 33. Be2 Ne4 {White resigned. It's mate in 4. Aggressive play by black. } (33... Ne4 34. Rf8+ Kg7 35. Rf7+ Kxf7 36. g6+ hxg6 {Mate next move.}) 0-1

A Lesson On the Initiative

Belavenets

    The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chermev is a collection of 50 great attacking games from the years 1925-1945 (in my 2nd edition there are 6 games additional games by Bronstein, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian, from 1951-60). 

    Most of the games are short sacrificial affairs and many are by lesser-known, or long forgotten, players of a bygone era. The real problem is that Chernev was not a Master and his motes are superficial at best. Another annoying habit, like his contemporary author Fred Reinfeld, is that the events and dates are not given. For example, in today’s game the event and location were not given, but I was able to locate that information. Unfortunately all of the games and the final standings are not available. 

    There is a diagram every few moves, so you can read it without a board. This means you could use the book for an unsystematic book on tactics, but the best thing is just playing over he games for enjoyment. 

    Although his analysis is frequently wrong, Chernev makes frequent comments so you aren't left in the dark about what's going on for long stretches of the game. Chernev tends to focus on threats more than anything else which helps in making it a good way to study tactics. 

     One review complained that the games are not of the same quality as those of better players, say Alekhine, Tal or Fischer. Maybe not, but that's the beauty of them! We see the mistakes, sometimes crude ones, that we will run into or make ourselves. 

    Here is one game I especially enjoyed. The winner, Sergey Belavenets (1910-942) was a Soviet master, theoretician, and chess journalist. He was born in Smolensk to a noble family. He and Mikhail Yudovich, known as the Smolensk twins, had been close friends since meeting in a school match in 1925. 

    Over the next few years they studied with Belavenets's uncle, Konstantin Vygodchikov, a master who enjoyed success in many very strong local Soviet tournaments. He was awarded the Soviet Master title in 1929 after tying with Botvinnik in the preliminary round of the USSR Championship. 

    Belavenets was in the Soviet Army and was killed in action while fighting at Staraya in 1942. His daughter Liudmila (born 1940) held the title of women's world correspondence champion from 1984 to 1992. 

    In this game white chose an opening line that allowed black to seize the initiative. Defining the initiative is sometimes a little slippery. It's usually defined as an advantage belonging to the player who can make threats that cannot be ignored.   

    Having the initiative puts the opponent in the position of having to use his moves to respond to threats rather than executing his own plans. The one who possesses the initiative can maneuver his pieces into more and more aggressive positions which will ultimately result in a strong attack. 

    Evgeny Zagoryansky (1910-1961) was born in Yerevan, Armenia. He frequently competed in the Moscow Championships. He authored The Story of Morphy, the life and fate of a chess genius. 

 

[Event "Trade Union Champ, Moscow"] [Site "?"] [Date "1936.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Evgeny Zagoryansky"] [Black "Sergey Belavenets"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D81"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] { D81: Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qb3 {At one time this move, known as the Accelerated Russian System, was very popular, but it has all but disappeared today. It's a solid, positional approach for aimed at challenging black’s center immediately. It often leads to complex, forcing lines.} c6 {At one time this was very popular, but it has all but disappeared today in favor of 4... dxc4} 5. Bg5 {This looks aggressive, but as will soon be seen, it allows black to get an advantage. Best ws 5.Nf3} dxc4 6. Qxc4 b5 {Well played! White now loses time with his Q.} 7. Qd3 Bf5 {Black has easily equalized. This develops with a gain of time by forcing white to move his Q again. White also has the option of playing 8.e4 which gives black an esy game.} 8. Qd1 {This is white's least favorable move. Black now gains even more time by attacking the N.} (8. e4 Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Qd5 10. f3 Bxe4 {This is the only good move black has.} 11. fxe4 Qxg5 12. h4 {with equal chances.}) 8... b4 9. Na4 {Retreating to b1 is no better.} Ne4 {Another good move.} 10. Nf3 {He can't afford to lose more time retreating to h} Bg7 { [%mdl 2048]} 11. Bd2 Qa5 (11... c5 $142 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. dxc5 Bxb2) (11... Bxd4 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Be3 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 {White has sufficient compensation because of black's backward c-Pawn.}) 12. e3 c5 {Another forceful move. It should be pointed out that white's position gas no real weaknesses and black's only advanbtage is in the form of the initiative. After this white's position rapidly deteriorates.} 13. a3 (13. Rc1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bd7 15. Qc2 Nxd2 16. Qxd2 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 O-O 18. Nc5 {and white has all but equalized.}) 13... Nxd2 14. Nxd2 cxd4 {As a result of his inferior 13th move whiye is now in difficulty and this is the critical position.} 15. Qf3 {After this white loses quickly. The attacl on black's R is immaterial. His best chance was 15.axb4} (15. exd4 Nc6 16. Nc4 Qc7 {Black picks up the d-Pawn.} 17. Bd3) (15. axb4 Qxb4 16. Qb3 Qxb3 17. Nxb3 dxe3 {Black maintains a promising position.}) 15... dxe3 { [%mdl 512]} (15... Qxa4 16. Qxa8 O-O 17. e4 d3 18. exf5 Nc6 19. Qb7 Rb8 20. Qc7 Be5 {and even after the best nove} 21. b3 Qb5 22. Qd7 Bxa1 {Black is winning.}) 16. Nc4 (16. Qxa8 exd2+ 17. Kxd2 O-O 18. Bc4 bxa3+ 19. Ke2 axb2 20. Nxb2 Qe5+ 21. Kf1 Qxb2 22. Qxa7 Qxa1+ 23. Qxa1 Bxa1 {Black will eventually win.}) 16... exf2+ 17. Kxf2 Bd4+ 18. Ke1 Qxa4 19. Qxa8 O-O 20. Qf3 bxa3 21. Rxa3 Qb4+ 22. Kd1 Rd8 23. Nd2 Bxb2 {White resigned. A good lesson on the advantage of the initiative.} 0-1

Shootouts and Endgame Tablebases in Fritz

    I received an e-mail asking about Shootouts that were mentioned in a recent post. Fritz 12 and later versions allow automated engine vs. engine games where the engines play against itself from any given position. This can be used to determine possible results from that position or to compare engines. 

    For those possessing Fritz this is accomplished by going to the Analysis Menu then selecting an engine to use and setting the parameters. You can configure the time to analyze (blitz with increments) or fixed depth (number of plies). The engine will then play a series of games and show the results. The default move limit off 999 move is recommended as is Permanent Brain (thinking on opponent's time). 

    When using Fritz it is essential that Engame Tablebases be installed because if they aren’t even Stockfish may nor find the win and the position will be declared drawn. I have seen Stockfish unable to win a K+R vs. K ending. 

    For more information and to download Endgame Tablebases you should visit THIS site. There are also a few other downloads that you might find helpful. For instructions on installing the tablebases check out Steve Lopez’ excellent video on You Tube.

A Real Thriller

    As promised in the previous post here is what was probably the most exciting game from the 1943 U.S. Speed Championship. The Fine vs. Kupchik game was a real thriller. 

    Kupchik conceived an ingenious sacrificial attack. His brilliant conception wasn’t good enough for a win though and later in a flurry of Queen checks by both sides he went astray and lost. 

    In his great book The Bobby Fischer I Knew (published in 1995) Arnold Denker described Kupchik as a "timid, tiny whisper of a man with the saddest eyes and the most disproportionately large nose on a small face that I have ever seen." 

    In this game Kupcjik’s play belies his personality. He is almost unknown, but Chessmetrics estimate his highest ever rating to have been a hefty 2641 in 1926 which placed him at #14 on the rating list. 

 

 

 

[Event "U.S. Speed Chamo. New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Abraham Kupchik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C06"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {C06: French Tarrasch} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 {[%mdl 32]} 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O h6 10. a3 {[%mdl 32]} c4 {It's worth noting that in this position black invariably plays 10...a5, but Kupchik's move gets the approval of Stockfish.} (10... a5 11. Rb1 a4 12. Be3 c4 13. Bc2 Qb5 14. Nd2 Nb6 15. f4 g6 16. g4 Bd7 {White's position is the more promising. Naiditsch,A (2678)-Cao,S (2491) Hungary 2008}) 11. Bc2 Na5 12. Rb1 Nb3 {Even though black's N is well entrenched on b3 white still has a much more promising position because he has more space and there is really nothing constructive that black can undertake.} 13. Be3 a5 14. a4 Nb8 15. Nd2 Nxd2 16. Qxd2 Bd7 17. f4 g6 18. g4 h5 19. f5 gxf5 20. gxf5 Nc6 21. Nf4 O-O-O 22. b3 { Strongly threatening bxc4.} cxb3 23. Rxb3 Qc7 24. Rfb1 Rdg8+ 25. Kh1 Nd8 26. f6 {This P has a future!} Bf8 27. R3b2 Bc6 28. h3 Bh6 29. Kh2 h4 30. Bd1 Rg3 { An ingenious idea; he is planning to sacrifice the exchange for a K-side attack. White's defensesd are more than adequate. but Kupchik's plam is a good practical choice.} 31. Bf2 {Slightly better would have been 31.Ng2. The text exposes his c-Pawn.} Rhg8 (31... Bxf4 {would minimize white's advantage.} 32. Qxf4 Rxc3 33. Ra1 Bd7 {White still enjoys a slight advantage.}) 32. Bxg3 Rxg3 33. Bg4 {It's here that Fine's play weakens. Getting the Q out of the pin with 33.Qf2 was much better.} (33. Qf2 Rxc3 34. Qxh4 Bf8 35. Ne2 {and black is in trouble.}) 33... Bd7 {Both players miss a tactical shot that this mvoe allows. Better was either 33...Kb8 or 33...Qd7} 34. Rc1 {Fine reacts to the threat to his c-Pawn and the tripling of heavy pieces on the c-file and as a result all of his advantage is gone.} (34. Nxe6 Bxe6 (34... Bxd2 35. Nxc7 Bxc3 36. Bxd7+ Kxc7 37. Bg4 Bxd4 38. Re2 Bc5 39. Rc1 Kc6 {White is up the exchange.} 40. Rd2 Ra3 41. Rcd1 Ne6 42. Rxd5 Ng5 43. R5d3 Ra2+ 44. R1d2 Ra1 45. Bd7+ Kb6 {[%eval 266,22]}) 35. Qxh6 Rxc3 36. Qxh4 Rc4 37. Rg1 {Black cannot take either P.} Rxd4 38. Bxe6+ Nxe6 39. Rg8+ Kd7 40. Qh5 {wins.}) 34... Nc6 35. Rg1 {[%mdl 8192] This is another tactical mistake that both players missed. But, it must be remembered that they are playing ay 10 seconds per move. Safer was, as earlier 36/Qf2} Rxg1 (35... Nxe5 {takes advantage of the pin on the N.} 36. dxe5 Rxg1 37. Kxg1 Qxe5 38. Qd4 Bxf4 {Black inly has a B+P for the R, but he is winning!} 39. Qxe5 Bxe5 {and white has three Ps threatened.} 40. Bd1 Bxf6 41. Rf2 Bxc3 42. Rxf7 {Technically at least black's B+3Ps outweigh whte's R. In Shootouts white scored +0 -3 =2.}) 36. Kxg1 Nxe5 {This time this doesn't win because white has an antodote.} 37. dxe5 {Another tactical error.} (37. Nxe6 {The same as in the note 34.Nxe6, but the positions are not exactly the same. There white has a R on b1 and black a R on g3 and black's N was on d8.} Bxd2 38. Nxc7 Nc4 {is completely equal.} 39. Rxd2 (39. Bxd7+ Kxc7 40. Rxd2 Nxd2 41. Be6 Ne4 42. Bxd5 Nxf6 43. Bxf7 Ne4 {with equal chances.}) 39... Nxd2 40. Nxd5 Kd8 41. Bxd7 Kxd7 42. Kf2 Nc4 43. Nf4 Nb6 44. Ke3 Nxa4 {with equal chances.}) 37... Qxe5 38. Qd4 {Black should now take the N (either way) after which he would have had excellent winning chances.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qg3+ 40. Kf1 {\} Bxf4 41. Qc5+ (41. Rg2 {This is the fly in the ointment to black's move sequence.} Be3 42. Rxg3 Bxd4 43. Rf3 {with equal chances.}) 41... Bc6 {[%mdl 8192] Much better would have been 41,,,Kb8} (41... Kb8 42. Qf8+ Bc8 43. Qxf7 Bd6 44. Qg7 Bc5 45. f7 Qg1+ 46. Ke2 Qf2+ 47. Kd3 Qxb2 48. f8=Q Bxf8 49. Qxf8 {Black's extra Ps shpuld sin.}) 42. Qf8+ Kc7 43. Qxf7+ Kb8 {Now some fancy footwok by Fine scores the point.} 44. Qf8+ Kc7 45. Qe7+ Bd7 46. Qc5+ Bc6 47. f7 {The P cannot be stopped.} Qd3+ 48. Re2 Qd1+ 49. Re1 Qd3+ 50. Re2 Qd1+ 51. Kg2 d4+ 52. Qxc6+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Kxc6 53. f8=Q Be3 54. Rxe3 {Black resigned} 1-0

Fine Bests Reshevsky in Speed Chess

    When Samuel Reshevsky was once asked why Reuben Fine never won the U.S. Championship he said, “Because I was [laying.” That wasn’t the case in the 1943 U.S. Speed Championship (10 seconds per move). That wasn’t the case in 1943 when Fine retained his U.S. Speed Title, romping through the field with a perfect score/ 

    There were some surprises in the four preliminary qualifying tournaments. Arnold Denker lost to Jack Soudakoff, at the time a Sergeant in the Army, in the last round and failed to make the championship group. As a result, he withdrew from the event. 

    Another strong player, Albert Pinkus, also failed to qualify. The strong amateur Edward S. Jackson also failed when in the last round he was barely outpointed by Irving Heitner of Philadelphia and so it was Heitner who went into the finals. 

    The following game between Reshevsky and Fine is, to be honest, a bit boring, but Reshevsky’s Rook handling is peculiar in that they are doubled on a rank other that the 7th and not a file. Both players missed a black win at move 30. After that it was nip and tuck before Fine finally managed to squeeze out the win. The next post will feature what was probably the most exciting of the tournament.

 

 

[Event "US Speed Champ, New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "Reuben Fine"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D28"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {D28: Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Main Line} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 cxd4 8. Rd1 {This opening is pretty boring, but that's the way the greats played the openings in those days. I remember reading an artice by Anthomy Santasierre on the 1941 Reshevsky-Horowitz U.S. Championship match in which he complained bitterly about their boring opening play. Years later Larry Evans, in an in print dispute with Santasiere, wanted to know where were the games that qualified Santasiere as the spokesman for Romantic chess?} b5 {Interesting! By far the most usual move here is 8...Nf6, but Fine plays this rarely used move which also happens to be the engine's top choice.} 9. Bb3 {After Fine's last move the opening tree has been pruned to one move, 9...Bb7. Stockfish makes no distinction between that move and Fine's.} Be7 (9... Bb7 10. Nxd4 Nbd7 11. e4 { Now if black had played 11...Qc7 the chances would have been equal. Vernay, C (2440)-Sarthou,G (2386) Guingamp FRA 2010}) 10. a4 (10. Rxd4 Qc7 11. Rd1 O-O 12. Bd2 {White has lost time with his R, but it doesn't matter because the position cpuldm't be more equal. The same thing could be said of capturing on d4 with wither the N or P.}) 10... bxa4 11. Rxd4 Qc7 12. Bxa4+ Bd7 13. Nc3 Bxa4 {Here, too, it makes no difference how white recaptures...the position could not be moere equal.} 14. Raxa4 O-O 15. e4 Nc6 16. Rdc4 {This is an odd position in that the Rs operate on the rank (other than the 7th) and not a file. This comfiguration is not going to be able to accomplish much and Reshevsky soon repositions them. The fact that he has the time to do so without damaging his position speaks to the equality of the position.} Rfd8 17. e5 {Completing his development with 17.Bg5 was a good alternative.} Nd5 18. Nxd5 Rxd5 19. h3 {With not much going on and the Q required to guard against .. .Re1# this is a good safety precaution.} Qd7 20. Bf4 a5 21. Ra1 {It’s obvious he needs to reconfigure his Rs} Nb4 22. Kh2 Rd8 {\} 23. Bg5 h6 24. Bxe7 Qxe7 25. Rac1 Nd3 26. R1c3 Qb7 27. b3 Qb8 {[%cal Rd3e5]} 28. Rc7 Qb4 29. g3 { Better was 29.Rc8. Now Fine gets the better of it and keeps up the pressure.} Qb6 {Fine puts his finger on the weak point in white's position, f2.} 30. Kg2 { This is a tactical mistake, but Fine missed it, too. Correct was 30.Qe3} Qb5 { After this white is back in the game and now neither side can claim any advantage. However, the position is quite sharp and bothe sides must choose their move carefully.} (30... Nc5 {This cuts off the R on c7.} 31. R7xc5 (31. Re7 Kf8) 31... Rxc5 {and black has won the exchange.}) 31. Qe4 Nxe5 32. Qf4 ( 32. Nxe5 Rxe5 33. Qc4 {is equal even though black has an extra P because it is on the 4 to 3 majority on the K-side which makes it meaningless plus black's pieces are not well coordinated.}) 32... f5 (32... Rd1 {threatening ...Qf1+ leading to mate was the only way to keep up the pressure. After} 33. R3c4 Nd7 ( 33... Nxc4 34. Qxf7+) 34. Ra7 Qb6 35. Qc7 {The chances are equal and an eventual draw seems a likely outcome. In Shootouts black drew 4 and scored one win.}) 33. Nxe5 Rxe5 34. Re7 Qd5+ 35. Kh2 Re1 {[%mdl 128] White needs to defend precisely.} 36. Rf3 {[%mdl 8192] ...which he fails to do. This is the wrong piece to put on g3. He had to play 36.Qf3 which blocks the long diagonal and guards d1.} (36. Qf3 Qxf3 37. Rxf3 Rdd1 38. Rc3 {and the double R ending should be drawn.}) 36... Qd1 {Now the gane is over.} 37. Rxg7+ Kxg7 38. g4 Qd6 {White resigned. A nice game by Fine who kept up the pressure and with a little help from his opponent scored a forceful win.} 0-1

Boredom Turns Into Excitement

    The Great Depression in the United States began in August 1929, when the country’s economy first went into a recession that culminated with the Wall Street Crash in October 1929. It was the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth. The economy hit bottom in the winter of 1932–33, but things picked up a little with four years of growth until the Recession of 1937 brought back high levels of unemployment. 

    May 6, 1937 saw the Hindenburg disaster when the German airship burst into flame when mooring in Lakehurst, New Jersey. On May 27 the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened to pedestrian traffic. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, D.C. and opened the bridge up for vehicle traffic. Then, as bad as things were, there was a labor strike at US Steel in Chicago. 

    May was also the month the Marshall Chess Club held its championship which was won by Marshall himself. Additionally, the club's women's champion was Adele Rivero followed by Mary Bain while Mrs. B.W. McCready and Mrs. William Slater tied for 3rd and 4th. 

    The Marshall, in Greenwich Village in New York City, was formed in 1915 by a group of players led by Frank Marshall. Over the years the club had as members many of the country's best players: Arthur Dake, Larry Evans, Reuben Fine, Bobby Fischer and Fred Reinfeld, to name a few from a bygone era. 

    It has also had artist Marcel Duchamp and film director, screenwriter and producer Stanley Kubrick as members. In more recent times "shock jock" Howard Stern, a radio and television personality gas been a member. 

    The '37 club championship had Dr. Harold Sussman (1911-2004) playing.  He was from Brooklyn and had the distinction of being Bobby Fischer's dentist. Sussman said Fischer originally had a great set of teeth, but in the early 1980s they were full of fillings which he had removed because the KGB could bug them or use the metal to send damaging rays into his brain. 

    Was Fischer crazy? Can you really hear radio broadcasts in your fillings? Yes, it is scientifically possible to hear radio broadcasts through metal dental fillings, though it is rare. Metallic fillings (especially older amalgams) can act as a rudimentary crystal radio receiver, picking up strong AM radio signals which then vibrate the jawbone to produce sound. Actress Lucille Ball reportedly heard radio music and Morse code through her dental work. Read more... 

    Another interesting participant in the championship was Kenneth O. Mott-Smith (1902 – 1960) who was a writer and cryptographer. There is a trophy bearing his name that is awarded at the American Contract Bridge League’s Championship. Mott-Smith was on the Laws Commission, editor of their Bulletin and a contributor to The Bridge World magazine. 

    During World War II he was chief instructor for the OSS in the training of cryptographers and analysts. He wrote or co-wrote more than 29 books on games and served as games consultant for the Association of American Playing Card Manufacturers. The following game was an important result in determining the standings. 

 

 

     In this game Fred Reinfeld, who was one of the strongest players in the country from the early 1930s to the early 1940s, went down in defeat to Milton Hanauer. In the 1930s Reinfeld was the only American player who posted a plus score against Reshevsky with a score of +2 -0 =3. 

 

[Event "Marshall CC Championship"] [Site "New York, NY"] [Date "1937.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Fred Reinfeld"] [Black "Milton Hanauer"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A22"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "1937.??.??"] {A29: English Opening: Four Knights Variation with 4 g3} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 {Typical of Reinfeld's rock solid Hypermodern opening play. He was known for squeezing out wins with precise positional play.} d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. d3 Be6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Ne4 Nd5 {More ambitious was 10...f5, but such a move was not in keeping with Hanauer's style which was characterized by in classical principles with am emphasis on clear, logical, and technically sound moves.} 11. Bc5 {A fine move; on e3 the B was blocking his position.} h6 12. Rc1 Bd6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. Ba3 Nde7 (14... Qd7 15. e4 Nc7 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Nb5 {is about as equal as it can get. In Abasov,N (2210)-Meneses Gonzalez,K Herceg Novi 2005 white squeezed out a win in a long game.}) 15. e4 f5 16. exf5 {This does not turn out too good for white as black gets the initiative. Continued boring play with 16.b3 was better.} Nxf5 17. Nd2 Rf7 {Hanauer wisely avoids snatcjing the a-Pawn. This defends the b-Pawn.} (17... Bxa2 18. b3 Qa5 19. Bb2 d5 20. Ra1 {and black is in trouble.}) 18. Nc4 Ncd4 19. f4 {The advance of the f-Pawn was good for black, but it's not good for white. Again, 19.b3 was better.} Bxc4 (19... Rc8 { was even better. After} 20. b3 Rfc7 {followed by ...b5}) 20. dxc4 {White has straightened his Ps out but...} Ne3 {Now what?} 21. Qh5 {Setting a trap that backfires. Now things get tactical.} (21. Qd3 Nxf1 22. Bd5 Nd2 23. Qxd2 Kh8 { White can't take the R} 24. Kg2 (24. Bxf7 {wins the Q} Nf3+) 24... Rc7 25. Rf1 {Black is up the exchange, but white's position is going to be tough to crack.} ) 21... Rf5 {A nasty surprise for Reinfeld,} 22. Qg6 Rf6 {[%mdl 2048]} 23. Qe4 Nxf1 24. Rxf1 Nc6 {Unlike in the note to move 21.Qd3 while white is the exchange down here, too, he is losing. A major factor is the position of white's Q which turns out to be exposed allowing black time to build up his attack.} 25. Rd1 (25. Qd5+ {was worth a try.} Kh8 26. b3 Qc7 {White's position is solid, but then black still has the exchange.} 27. Bb2) 25... exf4 26. gxf4 Qa5 27. Rxd6 Rxd6 28. Bxd6 Qd2 {A hiccup that allows white to equalize. Whereas a while back capturing the a-Pawn would have been bad, now it would have been good.} (28... Qxa2 29. b4 Rd8 30. c5 a6 {and white's b-Pawn is a serious weakness.}) 29. Qe6+ (29. Qd5+ {forcing the exchange of Qs was the only way to keep the balance.} Qxd5 30. Bxd5+ Kh8 31. b4 {Black is still the exchange up but here white's Bs are in a strong position plus white has a P majority on the Q-side.}) 29... Kh8 30. Bxc6 bxc6 {[%mdl 4096]} 31. Be5 { The situation has really changed since 28...Qd2. Black may be up the exchange, but white's Q and B are well placed in the center, so black is facing extreme difficulty making progress if that's even possible.} Qe1+ 32. Kg2 {Black is facing a mate threat with Qxh6+.} Qe4+ 33. Kh3 {The pendulum has swung back to black's favor after this! Much better would have been 33.Kf2. In that case black might even have considered repeating moves.} Kh7 {Eliminationg the immediate mate threat and, at the same time, hoping to uystilize his slight material advantage.} 34. f5 {Threatening ate again with 35.Qg6+. Can black escape?} Qe3+ 35. Kg2 Qg5+ {So, g6 is covered, but cab blck make any progress?} 36. Kf3 Qh5+ 37. Ke4 Re8 {Now it's natural for white to want to keeo Qs on because he can ise hus to generate threat against black's cornered K. However, it's a mistake. Reinfeld would have been able to prolong the game even though he would be the exchange down.} 38. Qd6 $2 (38. Qg6+ Qxg6 39. fxg6+ Kxg6 40. b4 {Black has some technical difficulties to overcome, but he should eventually win.}) 38... Qe2+ 39. Kd4 {Note that Qg6+ and mate is still a threat!} Qxb2+ { Grabbing an extra P, but it wasn;t necessary.} 40. Ke4 Qe2+ 41. Kd4 Rd8 $1 { [%mdl 512] White resigned. His Q is skewered.} (41... Rd8 42. Qxd8 Qd2+ 43. Ke4 Qxd8) 0-1

The Immortal Losing Game

 

    Bogdan Sliwa (1922-2003) of Poland was awarded the International Master title in 1953, and the Honorary Grandmaster title in 1987. He won the championship of Poland six times. In 1946, he won the first Polish Chess Championship after World War II. He also won it in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1960. His last name is pronounced Shlee- (rhymes with plea), vah (rhymes with spa). 

    In the following game Sliwa defeated David Bronstein, who at the time was (along with Smyslov, Keres and Botvinnik) one of the best players in the world. At the time of the game Sliwa was way, way down the list...not even in the top 150 according to Chessmetrics. 

    The game came to be known as The Immortal Losing Game. It likely got that moniker because of the rating difference and not because Bronstein even came close to getting a better position let alone winning. Instead, Bronstein found himself in a hopeless position, but managed to lay some elementary traps, but the alert Sliwas avoided them and emerged victorious. 

 

[Event "Gotha"] [Site ""] [Date "1957.09.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Bogdan Sliwa"] [Black "David Bronstein"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A81"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1957.??.??"] {A81: Dutch Defense} 1. d4 f5 2. g3 g6 {The Leningrad Variation. From g7 thr B will not only be a good defender of the K, but also pt wil;l be active on the an long diagonal.} 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Nc6 6. Qd2 d6 7. h4 {Because white plans to castle Q-side, this immediate attack on the K-side is not a damgerous wealening.} e6 (7... h6 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nf3 e6 10. O-O-O d5 {White is just a bit better. Karl,H (2251)-De Laubadere,P (2003) Hockenheim 2007}) 8. O-O-O {White is better.} h6 9. Bf4 Bd7 10. e4 fxe4 {With this capture black opens the f-file, which is one of the ideas behind the Dutch.} 11. Nxe4 Nd5 { While this can hardly be called bad black should probably finish his development by11…Qe7 and ...O-O-O.} 12. Ne2 Qe7 13. c4 Nb6 {It would have been better to plat 13...Nxf4 because the B strenthens white's attack.} (13... Nxf4 $142 14. Nxf4 Qf7 15. h5 {with the initiative.}) 14. c5 {This sharp tactical blow was apparently overlooked by Bronstein,} dxc5 15. Bxc7 O-O { Was Bronstein aware of the lurking danger and knew he was castling into a winning attack or did he believe castling was simply his best option?} (15... Nxd4 16. Nd6+ Kf8 17. Nf4 {is better, but white still has a considewrable advantage.}) 16. Bd6 Qf7 17. Bxf8 Rxf8 18. dxc5 {White has a material advantage amd a won game, but the wily Bronsteien manages to lay a few traps.} Nd5 19. f4 Rd8 20. N2c3 Ndb4 21. Nd6 {[%mdl 32]} Qf8 22. Nxb7 {Sacrificing the second R gives b;acl the opportunity to set a few elementary traps. They are certainly not very deep or profound, but you never know...} Nd4 {Black is the exchange down with zero compensation so his position is lost. Thus he has nothing to lose by sacrificing another R for a few traps.} 23. Nxd8 Bb5 24. Nxe6 Bd3 {Daring Sliwa to grab the Q.} 25. Bd5 (25. Nxf8 Nxa2+ 26. Nxa2 Nb3#) 25... Qf5 26. Nxd4+ Qxd5 {Offering the Q again.} 27. Nc2 (27. Nxd5 Nxa2#) 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 {[%mdl 32]} Qxa2 {His last hope.} 29. cxb4 {Black resigned.} (29. Nxb4 Qb1#) 1-0

1954 Prague / Marianske Lazne Zonal

 

    You probably would not want to have been living in Prague in 1954. It was at the peak of Stalinist repression and a highly controlled, nightmarish atmosphere following the Communist takeover in 1948. The early 1950s saw the largest show trials in Eastern Europe. Notable among these was the Slansky trial, which ended just prior in late 1952, but its atmosphere of fear and purges against class enemies, Catholics, and Jews continued through 1954. 

    The city’s cultural life was strictly dictated by the state, with art and media required to follow Socialist Realist guidelines. People faced scarcity and poor living conditions and there was deep resentment that the regime had to keep suppressed.

    That was the backdrop for the 1954 Zonal tournament, but the participants were probably unaware of what was really happening because upon arrival the participants were accommodated in the comfortable and quiet Palace Hotel where the Czech Music Week and the Glass Industry Exhibition were going on. 

    The tournament hall was the beautifully decorated located within about 15 minutes walking distance from the hotel. About mid-tournament the event moved to a newly renovated large auditorium in a beautiful hotel in Marianske Lazne. As expected, the event turned out to be a race between Laszlo Szabo and Ludek Pachman. 

 

    The winner of this game was Guomundur Palmason (1928-2004) of Iceland. Beyond that little is known about him. Chess metrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2530 in 1959. Likewise, his Egyptian opponent, Saad Zaglul Basjuni (1920-????) is unknown except that he was part of the generation that represented Egypt on the international scene following the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. Chess metrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2475 in 1951. 

 

[Event "Prague/Marianske Lazne Zonal"] [Site ""] [Date "1954.05.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Gudmundur Palmason"] [Black "Sad Zaglul Basjuni"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D13"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1954.05.29"] {D13: Slav Defense} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 e6 7. e3 Bb4 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Nh5 10. Rc1 (10. Bg5 Be7 {is usual.} 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Rc1 f5 13. Bb5 {White is better. Claus,J-Kienel,N Dresden 2001}) 10... Nxf4 11. exf4 g6 12. g3 Be7 13. Qd2 Bd7 14. Bb1 Na5 15. Rfe1 Nc4 16. Qe2 Bf6 17. b3 Na5 18. Ne5 Nc6 19. Qe3 Kg7 20. Na4 Be8 {Up to here the game has been uninteresting, but after this rather poor move things get interesting.} (20... Nxe5 {remains equal.} 21. fxe5 Be7 22. Nc5 b6 {Now white has no reason to exchange his N for black's bad B.} 23. Nd3 {equals.}) 21. Nc5 Na5 {Pointless; the N is stuck here for the rest of the game.} (21... b6 {Unlike previously this is tactically faulty.} 22. Nxe6+ fxe6 23. Nxc6 Qd6 24. Ne5 {White has won a P and has a distinct positiona; advantage.}) 22. Bd3 b6 {Because his N is covering c6 white cannot capture on e6.} 23. Na6 {Unlike black's N on the a-file white's N is actually accomplishing something; it eyes c7.} Be7 24. h4 Ba3 25. Rc2 {Excellent!} (25. Rc7 {is less good because it allows black to return his B with a gain of time.} Bd6 26. Rc2 Rc8 27. Rxc8 Qxc8 28. Rc1 { White is only slightly better.}) 25... Rc8 {Wild play starts! White to play and win.} 26. Rxc8 {Not bad, but 26.b4 was a winning tactical shot.} (26. b4 { Exposing the B on a3 to a discovered attack.} Nc4 27. Bxc4 dxc4 28. Qxa3 { White has won a piece.}) 26... Qxc8 27. h5 gxh5 {This only plays into white's hands, Black shouls play 27...f6 driving back the well placed N.} 28. f5 { The advance of the f-Pawn was discussed in the post of Februry 26th.} f6 29. Nf3 exf5 30. Nh4 Bg6 31. Qf4 Rf7 32. Nxf5+ {After this poor mover all of ehite's advantage has disappeared.} (32. b4 Nc4 33. Re2 Bb2 34. a4 Bxd4 35. Qxd4 Qxa6 36. Qxd5 b5 37. Nxf5+ Bxf5 38. Qxf5 Kf8 39. Qxh5 {is winning for white.}) 32... Bxf5 33. Bxf5 Qxa6 34. Qh4 Qb7 35. Qxh5 {Now begins a series of move where there is only one move that avoids loss.} Kh8 36. Bxh7 {[%mdl 640] This sacrifice does not win. In fact, the position remains dead equal, but not all equal positions are the same. In this one both sides are walking a tightrope.} Rxh7 37. Re8+ {In this position white only has one move that doesn't lose and this is it. Now we have a curious situation where it's black that only has one move that doesn't lose,} Bf8 {[%mdl 8192] And this certainly is not it! It's quite possible that black's flag was hanging otherwise this move is hard to explain.} (37... Kg7 {Guess what? Again, white only has one move that does not lose,} 38. Qg4+ {This one.} Kh6 {and white has to take the draw by repitition.}) 38. Rxf8+ Kg7 39. Qe8 {Black resigned.} (39. Qe8 Rh8 40. Rxh8 Qf7 41. Rh7+) 1-0

Russia vs. Rest of the World 1970

    There were three major USSR/ vs. Rest of the World matches. These matches featuring the best players from the Soviet Union against an elite team representing the rest of the world. They were: 

 

1970 (Belgrade): The Soviets won 20.5-19.5. 

1984 (London): The Soviets won 21-19. 

2002 (Moscow): The Soviets won 52-48. This one was a Rapid format. 

 

    The first match in Belgrade was billed as The Match of the Century and Dr. Max Euwe was the captain of the Rest of the World team.  He was responsible for determining the team’s board order which sounded simple enough...players would be assigned in order of their ratings. But, there was a snag. 

    Fischer, ranked number one, had been in seclusion for two years, but it was possible to get in contact with him and his answer was, “No.” He was then offered an all expense paid trip to Belgrade as an observer and that changed his mind about playing...provided his laundry list of 23 demands ranging from lighting to money were met. 

    Bent Larsen was then informed he’d have to play second board behind Fischer. That put Larsen in a snit, but since nobody actually believed Fischer would show up it was a moot point. 

    Then, when it looked more and more like Fischer would play, Larsen changed his mind and refused to play if Fischer was on first board. An organizer managed to chase him down by phone and Larsen agreed to play, but a few days later changed his mind again; he would not play second board. 

    Organizers then invited Larsen and his wife to visit the match, all expenses paid of course. Once the Larsens arrived in Belgrade organizers tried to persuade him to take second board, but Fischer’s arrival only hardened his resolve not to play. After all, he had won more important tournaments in the last 2-3 years than Fischer had won in his whole career. 

    When asked about the interests of the team, Larsen insisted there wasn’t any team; it was just ten matches of four games. A reporter asked him if that was the case, what difference did it make which board he played on? He didn’t answer. Even the Russians tried to convince him to play, but he still refused to play on board two. 

    Fischer had hinted before he left for Belgrade that he would let Larsen have board one...for a substantial fee. But, then he dropped a bombshell. Larsen could play on board one for nothing! But, there was fly in the ointment. Several weeks before the match the board order had been agreed to so that players would know who their opponent was and get prepared. 

    Euwe’s list had Fischer on board one and now the Rest of the World was purposing a last minute change. When informed of the change the day before the start of the match the Russians disappeared for an hour to discuss it then returned and agreed to the change.    

    Meanwhile, Yugoslav GM Milan Matulovic announced he wasn’t going to play because he was on board 8 behind East German GM Wolfgang Uhlmann. After all, he had better recent results than Uhlmann and had even beaten him in a match. Nobody seemed to care about his threat, so he agreed to play anyway.

 

    The line up of the Russian team wasn’t based on ratings, but on recent results and juggled to insure they were matched against opponents against whom they had good records. 

    For example, Botvinnik was way down on board 8 because his opponent, Matulovic, had a “Botvinnik complex” and had a poor record against him. Likewise, Taimanov on board 7 had a huge plus against Uhlmann. The second round brought gasps, cheers and hand clapping when Larsen went down I flames in the following game.  

[Event "Rest of World vs USSRm Belgrade"] [Site ""] [Date "1970.03.31"] [Round "2"] [White "Bent Larsen"] [Black "Boris Spassky"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "34"] [EventDate "1970.03.29"] {A01: Larsen Opening} 1. b3 {Inspired by another great Danish player, Nimzovich, who often played 1.Nf3 and 2.b3, white prepares to fianchetto his B where it will help control the central squares. Fischer played it five times in 1970, winning all five games.} e5 {The most common response, making a grab for the center and limiting the scope of white's B.} 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. c4 {This isn't played very often, but its results are on a par with the much more common 3.e3.} Nf6 4. Nf3 {Real hypermodern stuff, luring the e-Pawn forward.} e4 {Black does best to accept the challenge as either 4...Bc5 or 4...d6 allow white easy equality.} 5. Nd4 Bc5 6. Nxc6 {White's idea here is to get rid of the N and gain control over d4 and e5.} (6. Nf5 O-O 7. e3 d6 8. Ng3 Re8 9. Nc3 {is equal. Aravindh,C (2607)-Zhigalko,S (2572) chess.com INT 2023}) 6... dxc6 { By capturing away from the center Spassky opens up the diagonal for his B. 6... bxc6 would be less effective.} 7. e3 Bf5 8. Qc2 {Black is already better.} Qe7 9. Be2 O-O-O {White is experiencing difficulties. Black has more space and white is unable to play d4. For white, castling K-side would be very risky. Clearly Larsen has not come out of the opening well.} 10. f4 {This is the losing move.} (10. O-O Ng4 11. Bxg4 Bxg4 12. Nc3 f5 13. a3 Qg5 {White's position is lost. For example...} 14. f4 exf3 15. Rf2 f4 16. Ne4 Qg6 {and white has no reasonable moves.}) (10. a3 {at leasty keeps him in the game.} Kb8 {Unlike in the game black has no crushing reply and so must continue in a positional manner.} 11. b4 Bd6 12. c5 Be5 13. Bxe5 Qxe5 14. Nc3 {Black is better and has the initiative after 14...h4}) 10... Ng4 {After this black can win in any number of ways, including a sacrifice on d2 followed by ...Nxe3 which gives him a winning attack. White has absolutely no move that offers any kind of resistance!} 11. g3 {[his further weakens the position if his K, but he really does nit have a good move. Black has at least a half dozen moves that win, but Spassky plays the best one.} h5 {The idea of this is to rip white's guts out with ...h4. Also vicious is 11...Rxd2} (11... Rxd2 12. Qxd2 Nxe3 13. Ba3 Bxa3 14. Nxa3 Ng2+ 15. Kf1 Bh3 16. Nc2 Rd8 17. Qc3 Nxf4+ 18. Kf2 Nd3+ 19. Bxd3 Rxd3 20. Qxg7 e3+ 21. Kf3 e2+ 22. Kf2 Qe4 {and it's pretty obvious white is donr for.}) 12. h3 {There's nothing for white to do but await his fate. He can't even try to run to the Q-side with his K.} (12. Qc3 Nxe3 13. dxe3 Bb4) (12. Kd1 Nxe3+ {wins the Q}) 12... h4 13. hxg4 hxg3 14. Rg1 {Now black could win with the coldblooded 14...Bxe3, but Spassky has a more flashy finish.} Rh1 $3 {[%mdl 512] The crowd of spectators roared and applauded after this move.} (14... Bxe3 15. Nc3 Bf2+ 16. Kd1 Bxg1) 15. Rxh1 {This deflects the R back to h1 and so gains a tempo. |^t also caused the spectators to erupt with cheering and applause.} g2 16. Rf1 Qh4+ 17. Kd1 gxf1=Q+ {White resigned. It's mate in three. What a humiliating debacle for the world team's top board. Accuracy: White = 23%, Black = 94%.} (17... gxf1=Q+ 18. Bxf1 Bxg4+ 19. Kc1 Qe1+ 20. Qd1 Qxd1#) 0-1