A First for Malic at Krynica

    In 1955, Dwight D. Eisenhower was President and the year ended with Rosa Parks getting arrested in Montgomery, Alabama on a disorderly conduct charge for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. She lost her case and was fined $14.00 (about $163 today), including court costs. Her attorney Fred Gray appealed, but lost on a technicality. Dr. Martin Luther organized a bus boycott by Black people. The year also ended with General Motors being the first American corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year. 

    The year 1956 started out with the Federal court stopping former Little League Commissioner Carl Stotz from forming a rival group. The FBI arrested 6 members of the Great Brink's Robbery gang 6 days before statute of limitations rans out, And, in January, RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million seller. 

    In January of 1956, an international chess tournament ended in Krynica, a small town in southeastern Poland near the Slovak border. Although today it is inhabited by only slightly over eleven thousand people, it is the biggest spa town in Poland and is often called the Pearl of Polish Spas. It’s a popular tourist and winter sports destination. 

    The tournament was won by Borislav Milic (October 20, 1925 – May 28, 1986, 60 years old) , who was a Yugoslav IM (awarded in 1952). He was made an Honorary GM title in 1977. He once served as General Secretary of the Yugoslav Chess Federation and was a prominent chess writer, organizer, promoter, and administrator. 

     Born in Belgrade, Milic was part of the group of strong Yugoslav players, along with Gligorić, Trifunovic, Pirc, Rabar, Fuderer, Karaklajic and Ivkov, who attained prominence immediately after the end of World War II. 

    Milic was active in tournament play from 1945 to 1967. Although he played in 14 Yugoslav Championships between 1945 and 1962, he was never able to win one. Haowever, it should be noted that during that time period the Yugoslav Championship tournaments were he second strongest in the world, behind only the Soviet Union. He retired from top level play in 1957. 

    Milic was one of the group of pioneering originators of the Chess Informant which systematized opening classifications, game information, and analysis. They produced high class volumes of annotated games from major events using symbols that we are all familiar with today. 

 

 

    His opponent in this game was Jozef Gromek (1931-1985, 53 years old)m an FM who was Polish Champion in 1955. He tied for first in 1959, but lost the playoff. He died from a heart attack while playing a game of blitz chess. 

[Event "Krynica, Poland"] [Site "Krynica POL"] [Date "1956.01.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Borislav Milic"] [Black "Jozef Gromek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B60"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1955.12.30"] {B60: Sicilian: Richter-Rauzer Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 g6 {This rare move has not worked out well for black in practice. Therefpre, the usual 6...e6 is better.} 7. Bxf6 exf6 8. Bc4 Bg7 $1 $14 9. Ndb5 O-O 10. Qxd6 f5 11. O-O-O Qxd6 {Simplification is the wrong approach in this position.} (11... Qa5 12. Qc7 fxe4 13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Bd5 Bg4 15. Rde1 Rad8 16. Rxe4 Bf5 17. Ra4 b6 18. Rd1 a6 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. Rb4 b5 { Black has nearly equalized owing to the awkward position of white's R, but that's not quite enough compensation for being a P down. Volokitin,A (2662) -Carlsen,M (2675) Biel 2006}) (11... Qb6 12. Nd5 Qxf2 13. Nf6+ Kh8 14. Nc7 Rb8 {Surprisingly, this position is evaluated as equal and the game Aroshidze,L (2568)-Vishnu,P (2435) Figueres ESP 2012 was drawn.}) (11... Qg5+ {This is black's least afvorable reply.} 12. f4 Qxg2 13. e5 Bh6 14. Rhf1 Qxh2 {White is better, but soon errer and lost. Solodovnichenko,Y (2521)-Edouard,R (2548) Cap d'Agde FRA 2022}) 12. Nxd6 $18 Bxc3 13. bxc3 fxe4 14. Nxe4 Rb8 {This is not as pointless as it might appear because he has to defend the b-Pawn anyway. Thanks to exchanging Qs, black hgas landed in a very difficult position.} ( 14... Na5 15. Bd5 {and he has to play ...Rb8 anyway.}) (14... Nd8 {A miserable move to have tom play, but it's the ebst he has.} 15. Rhe1 Kg7 (15... Bf5 16. Nd6) 16. Nd6 Bg4 17. Rd2 Be6 18. Bxe6 Nxe6 {and white is clearly better.}) 15. Rhe1 Na5 16. Bb3 b6 17. f3 Kg7 18. Nd6 Kf6 19. h4 {A little tactical finesse that threatening Ne8+.} Bb7 (19... a6 {This is a pass to show what happens if white is allowed to play Ne8+} 20. Ne8+ Kf5 {Black could avoid mate by surrentering his R with ...Rxe8, but he would still lose.} 21. Rd5+ Kf4 22. Rg5 Bf5 23. Bd5 Rbxe8 24. g3#) (19... Nxb3+ 20. axb3 Be6 {is a much better defense. White has what amounts to a decisive advantage, but he still has some work to do in prder to cash in.}) 20. Rd4 Bc6 21. Rf4+ Kg7 {The K looks fairly safe, but it's not.} 22. Re7 {The pressur eon f7 is simply too great; there is nothing black can do.} (22. Rxf7+ {is totally wrong because of} Rxf7 23. Bxf7 Rd8 24. Rd1 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Kxf7 {This is a situation, while theoretically equal, is one that Arthur Bisguier once claimed he could win from either side... assuming he was the stronger player.}) 22... Nxb3+ 23. cxb3 Rbd8 24. Rfxf7+ { White is clearly winning.} Rxf7 25. Nxf7 Rd7 26. Rxd7 Bxd7 27. Ne5 Be6 28. Kd2 Kf6 29. Nc6 {Black resigned. Players like Minic make chess look easy.} (29. Nc6 a6 30. Ke3 Bc8 31. Nb4 Bb7 32. a4 a5 33. Nd3 Bd5 34. c4 Bb7 35. Nf4 {Black is helpless against white's P-majority on both wings. Here is just a sample of what could happen...} Ke5 36. Nd5 Bxd5 37. cxd5 Kxd5 38. g4 Kc5 39. f4 Kd5 ( 39... Kb4 40. f5 gxf5 41. gxf5 {etc.}) 40. Kd3 {Taking the opposition and balck's K must give way.} h6 41. Ke3 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Kd3 Kd6 44. Ke4 Ke6 45. f5+ Kd6 46. Kd4 {The opposition again. White has an elementary win.}) 1-0

Harold Israel, a Virtual Unknown

    I came across some games on the BritBase site which is the British chess game archive. The result was the previous post on Frank Parr and today’s post on a really obscure player named Harold Israel (1909-1984) who lived in Willesden, an area of north-west London. 

    According to an English chess forum post in 2001, Israel, known as Harry, was described as a heavy smoker, lifelong member of London’s Hampstead Chess club. According to the poster who remembered him he was tall, but looked unhealthy, was well dressed. 

    Israel won the British Correspondence Championship after the World War II and he represented England on board 3 in the Olympiad. In the individual British Championship he tied for second in 1949/50, finished 5th in 1950/51 and 7th= in 1951/52. 

    The poster noted that Israel preferred to play in the evening and he was a London League regular weekend tournament player. The poster noted that Israel possibly never reached his full potential because in the 1952 British Championship (otb) he tied for second place with five other players with a 7-4 score. He was called “a very strong player”, but not a Masterm who probably chose a business career over chess. 

 

     The following amazing game was Israel’s only win in the 1970 Middlesex County Championship, but what a game it was! 

[Event "Middlesex County Championship"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1970.05.15"] [Round "4"] [White "Harold Israel"] [Black "David J Mabbs"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B22"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1970.03.10"] [Source "John Saunders"] {C02: French: Advance Variation} 1. e4 c5 {It's going to transpose.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 f5 4. e5 d5 5. d4 e6 6. Bd3 Qb6 {The idea is to increase the pressure on d4 and eventually undermine the white center. The Q also attacks b2 so white's dark-square B cannot easily defend the d4-Pawn without losing the b2-pawn.} 7. O-O Bd7 (7... cxd4 {and black cannot take the d-Pawn.} 8. cxd4 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Bb5+) 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 (9. b4 {is a good alternative.} Be7 (9... Bf8 10. Na3 a6 11. c4 Nxb4 12. cxd5 Nxd5 {White has enough play for his P. Annaberdiev,M (2498)-Alper,M (1996) Mersin TUR}) 10. a4 Qc7 11. Re1 Nh6 12. Na3 Nf7 13. Bxf5 exf5 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Rxe6 {White is slightly better. Maggiolo,E (2101)-Burijovich,L (2204) Villa Martelli 2006}) 9... Nh6 {His intention is to put pressure on the e-Pawn.} 10. Nb3 {10.b4 was still an option.} Nf7 { Preserving the B with 10...Be7 was a better option.} 11. Nxc5 (11. Bxf5 { is sharper and leads to lively play, but it's not necessarily better.} Be7 { This conservative move is black's best reply.} (11... exf5 12. Qxd5 {Black's best continuation is} (12. e6 {favors black.} Bxe6 13. Nxc5 Qxc5 14. Re1) 12... Bxf2+ 13. Rxf2 Ne7 14. Qd4 {White has a dixtinct, probably decisive, advantage. }) 12. Bc2 O-O-O (12... Nfxe5 {is met by} 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Be3 Qc7 15. f4 Ng6 16. f5 {with a strong attack..}) 13. Re1 {White is better.}) 11... Qxc5 12. Be3 Qe7 13. Bd4 g5 {Sharp. It's interesting to note that considering white's bad dark-squared B and the aggressive looing appearance of black's position that the engines are suggesting that white is very slightly better.} 14. Re1 Rg8 { Black over preapres the ...g4 which he should have played at once.} (14... g4 15. Nd2 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Ng5 {with equal chances.}) 15. Nd2 {For the last couple of moves white could have played b4 and Bc5} g4 16. Nb3 (16. b4 {was still playable, but things could get very crazy.} Nxd4 17. cxd4 Qxb4 18. Rb1 Qxd4 19. Nb3 Qf4 20. Nc5 Nxe5 21. Rxb7 Nf3+ 22. Kf1 Nxh2+ 23. Ke2 Qe5+ 24. Kd2 Qf4+ 25. Ke2 g3 26. Qc1 Qxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8 28. f3 e5) 16... Qh4 17. g3 {[%mdl 2048]} Qh5 18. h4 {He wants to prevent ...Ng5.} f4 {Black has a promising attack going, but white's defensive resources are sufficient.} 19. Qe2 (19. gxf4 {would be really bad.} Qxh4 20. Qd2 g3 21. f3 g2 22. Nc5 O-O-O {and white is fighting a losing battle. Just one sample line...} 23. Ba6 bxa6 24. Qd3 Nb8 25. Nxa6 Qh1+ 26. Kf2 Qh2 27. Rg1 Qxf4 28. Nxb8 Kxb8 29. Qa6 Qd2+ 30. Qe2 Qxe2+ 31. Kxe2 Bb5+ 32. Ke3 {and black is clearly winning.}) 19... O-O-O {This move gets slapped with a question mark. In the pevious variation castling Q-side was the right devision, but here it's not because his K is too exposed on the Q-side.} (19... Rc8 20. Rac1 h6 21. c4 Ng5 22. cxd5 (22. hxg5 {leads to disaster after} f3 23. Qd2 hxg5 {with a decisive advantage.}) 22... Nf3+ 23. Kf1 Nh2+ {and white can repeat moves or he can go for a really wild situation with} 24. Kg2 f3+ 25. Kxh2 fxe2 26. dxc6 Bxc6 27. Bxa7 {White is just short of having enough compensation for his Q, but the position is still very complicated.}) (19... h6 {This is best as black's K is safer in the center than on the Q-side.} 20. Nc5 Ng5 {Black has a strong initiative and ...Nf3+ will leave him with a strong attack. White clearly cannot take the N because after} 21. hxg5 f3 22. Qf1 hxg5 {he has no hope of saving the game.}) 20. Nc5 {After this black's K comes under attack.} Rg5 {[%mdl 8192] Unfortunately for black, in this position this is a losing move.} (20... Rdf8 {This edges his K a little closer to safety. The best line is now} 21. Nxd7 Kxd7 {Both sides will have to navigate through enormous complications!} 22. Bb5 Nfd8 23. Bc5 Rf5 24. c4 d4 25. Bxd4 Kc8 26. Rad1 fxg3 27. fxg3 Rf3 28. Kg2 Nxd4 29. Rxd4 Rgf8 30. Rd2 Qf7 {Both sides have their chances.} 31. Red1) 21. Ba6 {[%mdl 544] Alertly played, this wins the game.} Ncxe5 (21... bxa6 22. Qxa6+ {mates next move.}) 22. Bxb7+ {Pressing home the attack.} (22. hxg5 {loses.} Nf3+ 23. Qxf3 gxf3 24. Nxb7 fxg3 25. fxg3 Qh3 26. Nxd8+ Kxd8 27. Bf6+ Kc7 28. Kf2 Qg2+ 29. Ke3 e5 {and white can only wait for the end.}) 22... Kb8 23. Qa6 {Intending Rxe5 and mate.} ({Wrong is} 23. hxg5 $2 Nf3+ 24. Qxf3 gxf3 25. Nxd7+ Rxd7 $19) (23. Nxd7+ Rxd7 24. Ba6 (24. hxg5 $2 Nf3+ 25. Qxf3 gxf3 $19) 24... Nf3+ 25. Kf1 Nh2+ 26. Kg1 Nf3+ 27. Kf1 Nh2+ 28. Kg1 Nf3+ $11) 23... Nf3+ 24. Kh1 Nxd4 25. cxd4 {Threatening mate with Bxd5!} Rg6 {He defends against that threat.} 26. Re5 {[%mdl 512] Renewing the threat.} (26. Bxd5 Qxd5+ 27. Kh2 Bc6 {and black wins.}) 26... Qh6 27. Bxd5 { [%mdl 512] White mates in 7.} Bc8 28. Qb5+ Kc7 29. Qc6+ Kb8 30. Qa8+ Kc7 31. Qxa7+ Kd6 32. Ne4# {A very pleasing game!} 1-0

A Miniature by Frank Parr

    Frank Parr (17 December 1918 – 28 December 2003) was an English player who was British Boys (Under 18) champion in 1935. Parr won the Hastings Premier in 1939/1940 with an undefeated 6-1 score. At the time he had been drafted and was serving in the Army. This event turned out to be his only Hastings Premier appearance although he played in many Challengers' sections up to 2002.

    Parr tied with Gabriel Wood the British correspondence championship in 1948 and in 1949 he again tied for first with Harold Israel. He won the championship outright in 1950 and 1956. 

    Altogether Parr played in 25 British Chess Championships from 1936 to 1991. In his first appearance in 1936, he finished fifth place with 6-5 score which included a win over Sir George Thomas. His best result was in 1956 when, after draws in the first two rounds, he won eight consecutive games before drawing with Leonard Barden in the last round to finish with a 8-3 score. Although it was an excellent score that would have won most championships, C.H.O’D. Alexander tool first despite having lost their individual game! 

    Before retirement he worked as a messenger at the London Stock Exchange. He had three sons and one daughter. Aside from chess, his main hobby was gardening, but he was also a supporter of Fulham Football Club and a patron of Surrey County Cricket Club. 

    After a long illness Parr died in Epsom, a small town about 14 miles south of central London, on December 28. 2003. In 2005, the British Federation for Correspondence Chess introduced a Frank Parr Memorial Tournament. 

    Parr was known for his aggressive style and alertness to tactical possibilities. In the following game played in the 1949 British Championship held at Felixstowe, a port town in eastern England, Parr scores a snappy win against the Kondon player Douglas Riley who finished 26th to 30th (out of 32) with a 4-7 score. Parr tied for places 15-17 with an even score. The Championship was won by Harry Golombek. 

[Event "British Championship, Felixstowe"] [Site ""] [Date "1949.08.15"] [Round "7"] [White "Douglas Riley"] [Black "Frank Parr"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E61"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "1949.08.08"] {E62: King's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 {White plays a method of development that is on completely different than other variations (4.e4 and 4.Nf3). After 4.g3 black's normal plan of attack can hardly succeed, because white's K-side is more solidly defended than in other variations.} O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. e4 Nc6 {the Main Line is 6...e5} 7. Nge2 (7. d5 {is never played because after} Na5 8. b3 c5 9. Nge2 a6 10. a4 b5 {Black has fully equalized. If } 11. axb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 {White has won a P, but after} Bd7 13. Nbc3 Rb8 14. Rb1 Rb7 {and ...Qb8 black gets the P back.}) 7... e5 8. O-O exd4 9. Nxd4 Nxe4 $1 10. Nxc6 (10. Nxe4 {looks sharper, but black still has full equality after} Nxd4 11. Bg5 f6 12. Be3 Nc6) 10... Nxc3 11. bxc3 {This leaves white with weak Ps, but apparently Riley wanted to avoid simplification.} (11. Nxd8 {was preferable.} Nxd1 12. Nxb7 Bxb7 13. Bxb7 Rab8 14. Rxd1 Rxb7 {Here a draw would be a reasonable outcome.}) 11... bxc6 12. Bxc6 Bh3 13. Re1 (13. Bxa8 Qxa8 14. Qd5 Bxf1 15. Kxf1 Bxc3 {Black is better, but it's doubtful that his advantage would be enough to win.}) 13... Bxc3 14. Bh6 {An interesting situation! Both of black's Rs are being attacked by white's Bs while both of white's Rs are under attack by only one black B. It's black who has a significant advantage!} (14. Bd2 {was safer.} Bxd2 15. Qxd2 Rb8 16. Qc3 {and black's extra P will be hard to exploit.}) 14... Qf6 {A great move!} (14... Bxe1 {This leads to a curious mirror-like position that ends up favoring white.} 15. Qd4 Bc3 16. Qxc3 f6 17. Qf3 (17. Bxa8 Qxa8 18. f3 Rf7 19. g4 f5)) (14... Bxa1 {This also loses/} 15. Qxa1 f6 {Which R should white take?} 16. Bd5+ {Neither! At least not yet.} (16. Bxa8 Qxa8 17. f3 Qxf3 18. Qb2 {Black wins.} Rd8) (16. Bxf8 Qxf8 17. g4 ( 17. Bxa8 Qxa8 18. f3 Qxf3 19. Qb2 {A critical situation that with correct play offers about equal chances.}) 17... Rb8 18. g5 Kg7 19. Qc3 Bf5 20. gxf6+ Qxf6 ( 20... Kh6 21. h4 g5 22. Re7 {and white is winnign.}) 21. Re7+) 16... Kh8 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 18. Bxa8 Qxa8 19. Qxf6+ Kg8 20. f3 Qf8 21. Qxf8+ Kxf8 22. g4) 15. Bxa8 {It's hard to believe, but 58 years later this same position was reached!} (15. Rc1 Bxe1 16. Qxe1 Rab8 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. Qe3 {In Vink,W (2084)-Battiston, C Arco di Trento 2007, even though black has a considerable advantage the players agreed to a draw.}) (15. Bxf8 {This is the best move, but black is better after} Rxf8 16. Rb1 Bxe1 17. Qxe1 h5 {However, it's seems unlikely that he would be able to squeeze out a win.}) 15... Bxe1 16. Bf3 Re8 17. Rb1 (17. Qxe1 {White's position is very difficult, but technically this hopeless movr is the best that he has.} Rxe1+ 18. Rxe1 Be6 19. Rb1 Qd8 20. Rb7 Bxc4 21. Rxa7 d5) 17... Ba5 {[%mdl 128] This is a natural looking move (it threatens ...Re1+), but it really throws away most of black's advantage.} (17... g5 {keeps a huge advantage.} 18. Qe2 {Greta! The Q can't be taken because of Rb8+, but...} Bd7 19. Be4 Ba5 {Now is the time for this and white loses his B on h6.}) 18. Bc6 Rd8 {The R cannot leave the last rank because white would have Rb8 with mate to follow.} 19. Rb5 {While this attacks the B the R has moved a couple of squares too far.} (19. Rb3 {pretty much equalizes.} g5 {Trapping the B.} 20. g4 {Also trapping the B.} Qxh6 21. Qf3 Kg7 22. Bd5 Bxg4 23. Qxg4 {Black is a couple of Ps up, but the heavy pieces combined with Bs of opposite colr will make pulling out a win very difficult.}) 19... Bb6 20. Qe1 {A mistake that loses instantly.} (20. Bf4 {and white can continue making a fight of it.} h6 21. Qc1 g5 22. Be3 {White can put up a manly defense, but in the long run black should prevail.}) 20... Bxf2+ {[%mdl 512] 0-1 This alert shot mates in 9 so white resigned.} (20... Bxf2+ 21. Kh1 (21. Qxf2 Qa1+ 22. Rb1 Qxb1+ 23. Bc1 Qxc1+ {mate next move.}) 21... d5 {Taking the Q also mates...in 19 moves.} 22. Qd1 Qxc6 23. Rxd5 Re8 24. Be3 Bxe3 25. Qb1 Bf2 26. a4 Qxc4 27. Rd8 Qc6+ 28. Rd5 Qxd5+ 29. Qe4 Qxe4#) 0-1

Can We All Think Like Grandmasters?

    I remember several years ago an interesting and sometimes heated discussion arose on a chess forums about how good GM’s are compared to the rest of us. You’d think there would have been no debate, but there was. 

    There is a whole generation of players who have been raised on Internet chess and Blitz chess in particular who have never played in a tournament nor have they ever seen a GM in action up close and personal. 

    Also, it’s somewhat surprising to learn that so few players are familiar with chess history or who have actually studied more than just a few GM games. 

    This was in the early days of Internet chess and there were a lot of sites which are no longer around and I particularly remember one site where a player who was verified by the site owners as being a real GM was allowed to start at an inflated rating. The brouhaha it created was incredible. A host of players thought he should start at a 1200 rating like everybody else and prove that he really deserved his rating! 

 Grandmasters are unbelievably strong. Take the area of tactics for example. A point a lot of people miss when they are doing tactical puzzles, even those who get very good at solving them, is that when we see those positions that has a tactical solution, that represents only half the problem. The GM probably had the line worked out in his head many moves before the given position. 

    To achieve Grandmaster status it requires a great deal of commitment, determination, and a certain affinity for the subject, not to mention enormous amounts of experience. That’s assuming one is not a prodigy, of course. 

    Most Grandmasters have average cognitive skills and average memories for matters outside of chess. This suggests that expertise in chess has less to do with analytical skills (the ability to project and weigh the relative merits of hundreds of options) and more to do with long-term memory and pattern recognition. 

    They have experienced and stored thousands of game situations in their memory and have the ability to select the best answer from those stored memories. Of course it will also take uncountable hours and passion for the subject to accumulate enough knowledge to reach GM level. 

    In the 1920s, a group of Russian scientists set out to quantify the intellectual advantages of eight of the world's best chess players by giving them a battery of basic cognitive and perceptual tests. To their surprise, the researchers found that the GM’s didn't perform significantly better than average on any of their tests. 

    In the 1940s, a Dutch psychologist named Adriaan de Groot asked what seemed like a simple question: What separates an average player from world class GM’s? 

    de Groot selected a few positions where there was one correct, but not obvious, move to be made. He then presented those positions to a group of masters and average players and asked them to think aloud while they selected their move. 

    What de Groot uncovered was that for the most part the experts didn't look more moves ahead, at least not at first. They didn't even consider more possible moves. They tended to see the right moves and they tended to see them almost right away. When de Groot listened to their verbal reports, he noticed that they described their thoughts in different language than less experienced players. 

    They talked about configurations of pieces like Pawn structures and immediately noticed things that were not quite right, like exposed pieces. They weren't seeing the board as thirty-two pieces. They were seeing it as chunks of pieces, systems of tension and lines of force. 

    Grandmasters literally see a different board. Studies of their eye movements have found that they look at the edges of squares more than inexperienced players. According to the experts, this suggests they are absorbing information from multiple squares at once. 

    Their eyes also search across greater distances and linger for less time at any one place. They focus on fewer different spots on the board and those spots are more likely to be relevant to figuring out the right move. 

    But, the most striking finding of all from these early studies was their memories. The Grandmasters could memorize the board after only a brief glance and they could reconstruct old games from memory. Later studies confirmed that the ability to memorize board positions is one of the best overall indicators of how good a player somebody is. GM’s can remember positions from games for weeks, even years, afterward. 

    Oddly, when Grandmasters were shown random arrangements of pieces their memory for the board was only slightly better than those of average players.

    Those experiments revealed something about memory and about expertise in general: we don't remember isolated facts; we remember things in context. A board of randomly pieces has no context. Such positions could be described as “white noise.” Graddnasters use the library of patterns that they've cached away in long-term memory to chunk the board. 

    Contrary to the belief that chess is based on analysis, many of the Grandmaster’s decisions about which move to make happens almost as soon as he looks at the board. 

    It’s something like the time I was watching a television program where an expert was hunting rattlesnakes. He had been doing it for years and could spot them instantly. The show’s host never saw them. Another example is the way a major league baseball outfielder knows where to position himself to catch a fly ball almost as soon as it leaves the bat. 

    Researchers have found that highly rated players use a section of their brain that suggests they are recalling information from long-term memory. Lower-ranked players are more likely to use a different part of the brain where they are encoding new information. The experts are interpreting the board in terms of their knowledge of past positions. Lower-ranked players are seeing the board as something new. 

    While they may not be smarter than the rest of us, Grandmasters are way better at chess than we are and, unfortunately, history seems to suggest that if you aren’t a Grandmaster by your early 20’s, you never will be. In fact, if you are not a master by then, you probably never will be. And that seems to be what upsets some people (who for some reason seem to be in the 20-30 age bracket)….they don’t like being told they have no hope of reaching the Grandmaster level. But then again, most of us think we are the exception that will beat the odds. 

    If you are interested in reading de Groot’s book, you can read it online on Google books HERE.

Coffeehouse Champion

    George N. Treysman (1881-1959) was an exceptionally strong coffeehouse player from New York City who is little known today. Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2650 in 1936. When the first official chess rating list published in 1950 Treystman had a 2521 rating. He died of throat cancer in Florida in February of 1959. 

    Not much is known of his life and because he was primarily a coffeehouse hustler and most of his games have not survived. 

    For the 1936 championship there were a series of preliminary qualifying events and the top scores were seeded into the finals. Treysman nearly tied Reshevsky for first, but he had a catastrophic last round loss to Albert Simonson. Instead he finished tied with Rueben Fine for third place. 

 

 

    Treysman earned his living as a hustler in the seedier chess clubs of New York City. He was willing to gamble on anything…chess, horses, cards…anything. Norman Lessing and Dr. Anthony Saidy in their book, The World of Chess, wrote that Treysman, “never opened a chess book or, I suspect, many books of whatever description.” 

    Arnold Denker called Treysman the best odds-giver at chess in the United States. Among his victims were such stalwarts as Kashdan, Dake, Kevitz, Steiner and Denker himself. 

     Treysman qualified for the finals at the 1937 US Open in Chicago, where he tied 3rd-4th with a 6-4 score and in 1938 he again played in the US Championship and scored 7-9 and tied for places10-11th place. 

    Here is a sample game in which he defeated Weaver W. Adams. The game can best be described as “messy.” That refers to the position, not the play, as both players threaded their way through the complications quite well. 

    It was played in the 1936 US Championship which was the first USCF tournament for the US championship after Frank James Marshall retired. It marked the transition from match play to tournament play. 

 

[Event "US Championship, New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1936.04.25"] [Round "1"] [White "George Treysman"] [Black "Weaver Adams"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D09"] [Annotator "Stocjfish 16"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1936.04.25"] {D09: Albin Counter Gambit} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 {Adams was an advocate of this uncommon response. In exchange for the sacrificed P black gets a central P wedge at d4 and some attacking chances. White usually returns the P in order to gain a positional advantage.} 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. g3 {The main line is 5. Nbd2. Treysman's response is super solid.} Be6 6. Nbd2 Bb4 7. Qc2 Nge7 8. a3 (8. Bg2 Ng6 9. O-O Qd7 10. Nb3 Bf5 11. Qd1 d3 12. e3 {White slightly better. Ulibin,M (2515)-Pettersson,A (2258) Norrkoping SWE 2004}) 8... Bxd2+ (8... Bf5 {is equally good.} 9. Qa4 Bxd2+ 10. Bxd2 O-O {equals. Kazhgaleyev,M (2596) -Sagalchik,G (2487) playchess.com INT 2004}) 9. Bxd2 Ng6 10. Bf4 (10. Bg2 O-O { Correct was 10...Ncxe5} 11. Ng5 d3 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Qxd3 Qxd3 14. exd3 Ngxe5 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Ke2 {with an excellent ending. Wojtaszek,R (2219)-Jeremejev, A Artek 2000}) 10... Qe7 (10... f6 {This odd looking move is one that only an engine would favor!} 11. exf6 Qxf6 12. Bg2 Nxf4 13. gxf4 Qxf4 {Black is slightly better.}) 11. Bg2 Qc5 {11...O-O-O was worth considering} 12. Rc1 a5 { Prevents b4.} 13. O-O O-O 14. Ng5 Rad8 15. Be4 (15. Nxe6 {seems preferable.} fxe6 16. Bg5 Rd7 17. Qb3 Ncxe5 18. Bd2 {He cannot leave the B hanging.} c6 19. Bh3 d3 20. Bxe6+ Kh8 {Now after 21.Be3 white would stand well, but he must not play...} 21. Bxd7 dxe2 22. Be3 (22. Rfe1 Qxf2+ 23. Kh1 Nf3 {ans wins}) 22... Nf3+ 23. Kg2 Qe7 24. Bg4 Qe4 {and black is winning. For example...} 25. Bxf3 Qxf3+ 26. Kg1 Nf4 27. gxf4 Rxf4 28. Bxf4 exf1=Q+ 29. Rxf1 Qxb3) 15... Rfe8 16. h4 Ncxe5 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Qxb4 19. Bd2 Qc5 {This sets a little trap.} 20. h5 (20. Bxb7 {This leads to all kinds of crazy pooibilities, none of which are good for white.} Bg4 21. e3 d3 22. Qa4 h6 23. Ne4 Nf3+ 24. Kg2 Qf5 25. Rh1 Rxe4 26. Bxe4 Ngxh4+ 27. Rxh4 Nxh4+ 28. gxh4 Qxe4+ 29. Kh2 Bf3 {leads to mate.}) 20... Nf8 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 22. Bf4 {This messy situation is actually slightly better for black.} Ng4 {Adams prefers attacking rather than capturing the c-Pawn with 22...Nxc4. Either move is satisfactory.} 23. Be4 f6 24. Nf3 Bg8 25. Bg6 Bh7 26. Kg2 {[%mdl 8192] This is a serious miscalculation that should have turned the game over to white. The obvious idea is that after black captures on g6 white can attack on the h-file, but Adams must play the right movr...but, it's not easy to figure is all out OTB with the clock ticking.} Re7 (26... Bxg6 27. hxg6 d3 28. Rh1+ Kg8 29. exd3 Qc6 30. Rh4 f5 31. Rh5 Nxg6 32. Rxf5 { with equal chances.}) (26... Nxg6 {This is the right move.} 27. hxg6 d3 28. exd3 Bxg6 29. Rh1+ Kg8 30. Rcd1 (30. Rh4 Bxd3 31. Qb2 Re2 {wins}) 30... Qc6 { and white is in serious trouble.}) 27. Qd3 (27. Bxh7 Nxh7 28. Rcd1 Qc6 29. Qg6 Ne5 30. Bxe5 Nf8 {White can retreat his Q to g4 with about equal chances or he can get fancy and play} 31. Bxc7 Nxg6 32. Bxd8 Re8 33. hxg6 Rxd8 34. Rh1+ { and white is actually better...but ptoving it is difficult even for an engine!} ) 27... Ne5 {A tactical error that proves fatal.} (27... Qc6 {keeps the balance.} 28. Rh1 Ne5 29. Bxe5 fxe5 30. e4 {ad it;s anybody's game.}) 28. Nxe5 fxe5 29. Bg5 {[%mdl 32]} e4 30. Bxe7 exd3 (30... Qxe7 {was worth a try.} 31. Qb3 Nxg6 32. hxg6 Bxg6 33. Rh1+ Kg8 34. Rh4 {but here, too, white has the advantage.}) 31. Bxc5 dxe2 32. Rfe1 d3 33. Be7 Ra8 34. Bxd3 Bxd3 35. Bxf8 Rxf8 {[%mdl 4096] The last few moves have clarified the situation and white is left with a won ending.} 36. Rc3 Rd8 37. Kf3 b5 38. cxb5 Bxb5 39. Rxc7 Rd3+ 40. Kf4 Rd1 41. Rc1 Ba4 42. Rc8+ Kh7 43. Rxe2 {0-1 Black resigned, All in all nit a badly played game given the messy piece position!} 1-0

A Wild Ride, Head Whirling Complications

`After Frank Marshall retired in 1936, the US Championship had consisted of biennial championship tournments even through the years of WW2. The USCF eventually developed a “master plan” for the Championship because the 1948 tournament had shown that the idea of holding qualifying tournaments had resulted in a drastic reduction in the level of play. 

    The USCF's solution was a three-year cycle of elimination events that would begin with regional preliminaries (as in the past) and then the next year there would be a “Candidates Tournament” made up of the regional qualifiers plus seeded players. 

    The trouble was that there was a lack of organization and the the whole plan fell apart. As a result the 1954 championship was missing some big names. Samuel Reshevsky, Robert Byrne, George Kramer, Donald Byrne and Arnold Denker, the country’s top five rated [;ayers accepted their invitations. 

    Not only that, the USCF didn't have the money to hold the championship. Fortunately tournament was salvaged when the Marshall Chess Club which offered its facilities to hold the 14-player event. 

 

 

    Arthur Bisguier was attended college classes during the day and ended up sleeping at night in one of the Marshall's upstairs apartments.  He was eighth on the new USCF rating list. Larry Evans, the defending champion, was only tenth. Still, the French emigre Nicolas Rossolimo, the veteran Max Pavey and up-coming junior star, James T. Sherwin all lent some strength to the event. 

    Sherwin, 20 years old and only ranked 24th took the early lead after five rounds but Evans and Bisguier fought back to tie Sherwin by the 8th round with 6-2 scores. 

    Then disaster stuck when Evans lost to Marshall Chess Club junior Eliot Hearst. Sherwin drew his game so Bisguier took the lead. The leaders were scheduled to meet each other in the next three rounds so an exciting finished was assured.

    Evans vs. Bisguier saw Evans finesse his way out of a lost position and draw. In the next round Evans won from Sherwin thus pretty much ruined the latter’s chances. Bisguier could only draw with Hans Berliner. 

    The next important game was Bisguier vs. Sherwin (featured here) which turned out to be an exciting affair with ups and downs for both players and it ended with Sherwin losing on time. 

    The result was Bisguier entered the final round with a half point lead ahead of Evans who had white against Herbert Seidman while Bisguier had black against Ariel Mengarini. Mengarini refused Bisguier’s draw offer and tried desperately to win a drawish endgame. He blundered on the 47th move and lost while the Evans-Seidman game was drawn and the result was Bisguier won the US Championship without a loss and pocketed $254.35. 

    It’s also interesting to note that this tournament was witnessed by the visiting delegation of Soviet players who were to stomp the U.S. by a 20-12 score in a match a few weeks later. 

    Here is the Bisguier-Sherwin game that had the spectators buzzing. Curiously, as in the previous game, it’s another Veresov Opening. 

    The opponents castled on opposite sides and P-stormed the enemy Kings. Mate threats were everywhere when Sherwin, very short of time, tried to force a draw by repetition, but Bisguier didn’t want a draw; he wanted the championship.

    Bisguier hoped his defensive resources could withstand the attack and he went for the win. In the process he overlooked a stunning R sacrifice by Sherwin that Bisguier said, “shook me to my socks,” but his luck held and he managed to win, but only after Sherwin, in desperate time pressure, threw away his advantage.

    Had Sherwin found the win, Bisguier and Evans would have tied for first and Sherwin would have moved up to sole possession of 3rd place instead of a tie for 4th-5th

 

[Event "US Championship, New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1954.06.12"] [Round "12"] [White "Arthur Bisguier"] [Black "James T Sherwin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "1954.??.??"] {D01: Veresov Opening} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 {See the previous game for comments on this opening.} Bf5 4. f3 c6 5. Qd2 Nbd7 6. O-O-O h6 7. Bh4 e6 8. e3 Be7 9. Kb1 {Black is slightly better.} (9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 b5 11. Kb1 Qa5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. e4 {White has fw prospects. Caselas Cabanas,J (2428) -Narciso Dublan,M (2530) Tossa de Mar ESP 2010}) 9... b5 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. cxd3 O-O 12. f4 a5 13. Nf3 a4 14. Rc1 b4 15. Ne2 {The opening has not been kind to Bisguier. ..ot's clear that black has all the attacking chances.} c5 (15... Rc8 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Rhg1 c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 {with the initiative.}) 16. Bxf6 {Well-played. Black must recapture with the P to avoid the loss of a P after 16.dxc5} gxf6 17. g4 {Thanks to black's small slip on move 15 white has peospects on the g-file and so he has equalized.} Qa5 (17... c4 {offering a P was much more promising.} 18. dxc4 dxc4 19. g5 (19. Rxc4 Nb6 20. Rcc1 Qd5 21. Rcf1 b3 22. Nc3 (22. axb3 axb3 {wins.}) 22... bxa2+ 23. Ka1 Qb3 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 19... c3 20. bxc3 b3 21. c4 Ba3 {In this sharp position black has the better prospects.}) 18. dxc5 {Also playable was 18.g5, but Bisguier has gone on the defensive in an uncharacteristic fashion.} Nxc5 19. Ned4 {Played to discourage ...Nb3} Qa6 {This inhibits Nc6 and attacks the d-Pawn.} (19... Nb3 {doesn't quite work.} 20. axb3 axb3 21. Nxb3 Qa2+ 22. Kc2 Rfc8+ 23. Kd1 Qxb3+ 24. Ke2 {and the K has slipped to safety.}) 20. Rcd1 Rfc8 21. h4 { This is a very delicately balanced position in which demands precise play by both sides.} (21. Qxb4 {is just too risky.} a3 22. b3 Ne4 23. Qxe7 Nc3+ 24. Kc1 Ra7 25. Qxf6 Ne4+ {and black is winning.}) (21. g5 {This immediate counter was his best bet.} Kh7 {Safest.} 22. h4 Nb3 23. Qe2 (23. axb3 axb3 {mates in 3} 24. g6+ Kg7 25. Nf5+ exf5 {mate next move.}) 23... Nxd4 24. Nxd4 a3 25. b3 Rg8 { with equal chances.}) 21... Rc7 {White now gets the initiative.} (21... Nb3 { Had to be plated.} 22. Qg2 Kh8 23. g5 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Bc5 25. g6 Rg8 26. h5 a3 27. b3 {with equal chances.}) 22. Qe2 {Equally good was 22.g5} Rac8 {He could still have gotten away with 22...Nb3, but the text is also quite good.} 23. g5 h5 {There was no time for this defensive move!} (23... Nb3 {This is now necessary if black wants to have any chance of gaining the upper hand.} 24. Rhg1 Kh8 25. gxf6 Bxf6 26. Ne5 Nxd4 27. exd4 Kh7 28. Qh5 a3 {with a winning attack. White's best chance would be to try and complicate the issue with} 29. Rg6 Bg7 (29... fxg6 30. Qxg6+ Kh8 31. Qxf6+ Rg7 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. Ng6 b3 34. Qh8+ Kf7 35. Ne5+ Kf6 36. Qh6+ {draws}) 30. Rxg7+ Kxg7 31. Rg1+ Kf8 32. b3 Qb6 33. Qxh6+ Ke7 34. Qg7 Kd6 {Black's K has slipped away and he can now proceed to collect the point.}) 24. Ne1 (24. Rhg1 {offered a better chance...} Kf8 25. f5 Ke8 26. fxe6 {White is much better.} Nxe6 27. g6 fxg6 28. Rxg6 b3 29. a3 Rc2 30. Qf1 R8c5 31. Rg8+ Kd7 {White's position remains the more promising.}) 24... Nb3 {Finally!} 25. Nec2 (25. axb3 axb3 26. Nxb3 Ra8 27. Nc2 Qa2+ 28. Kc1 Qxb3 { wins}) 25... e5 {[%mdl 8192] This is a tactical error as Bisguier immediately demonstrates.} (25... Nxd4 26. Nxd4 a3 27. b3 f5 28. Qxh5 Bc5 29. Nc2 Qc6 30. g6 f6 {and there is no white attack and black is better.}) 26. Qxh5 {White holds the advantage here, but this move allows Sherwin right back in the game} (26. gxf6 {first was the correct continuation.} Bxf6 27. Qxh5 Bg7 28. fxe5 Nxd4 29. Nxd4 Qh6 30. Qg4 {and white has a decisive advantage.}) 26... exd4 27. Rdg1 $1 Nd2+ (27... Rxc2 {gets hom mated...} 28. gxf6+ Rg2 29. Rxg2+ Kf8 30. Qh8#) 28. Ka1 {White threatens gxf6+ and mate.} Nb3+ 29. Kb1 Nd2+ 30. Ka1 Nb3+ 31. axb3 {[%mdl 8192] The repetitions probably gained time on the clock, but nbiw Bisguier makes a horrible decision to continue playing...and he walks into a mate in 11} axb3+ 32. Na3 Rc1+ {[%mdl 512] Brilliantly played.} 33. Rxc1 bxa3 { This gives excellent winning chances, but Sherwin has missed the mate.} (33... Rxc1+ {mates} 34. Rxc1 bxa3 35. Qxf7+ Kxf7 36. Rc7 axb2+ 37. Kxb2 Qa2+ 38. Kc1 b2+ 39. Kd1 b1=Q+ 40. Rc1 Qac2+ 41. Ke1 Qbxc1#) 34. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {[%mdl 4096] Black has a decisive advantage even though he is the exchange down.} 35. Qd1 { There is no way to continue an "attack" against black's K and so white is forced to turn his attention to the defense of his own K.} (35. exd4 {leads to mate.} axb2+ 36. Kxb2 Qc2+ 37. Ka1 Qa2#) 35... axb2+ 36. Kxb2 Qc3+ 37. Kb1 Ba3 {this move loses all the advantage. It's probably that Sherwin was still in time pressure.} (37... dxe3 {give white another passed P to think about and it leaves him with no defense.} 38. Qc1 Qxd3+ {...and now there are 3 passed Ps... too many for white to deal with.}) 38. Rh2 dxe3 39. gxf6 {Hoping for Qg1+.} Kf8 40. Rg2 {The R is guarding the 2nd rank and now the advance of his h-Pawn is something black must think about.} Ke8 (40... Bd6 {was an interesting defense. After} 41. Qe2 b2 42. Qxb2 Qxd3+ 43. Qc2 Qf1+ 44. Kb2 Qa6 {white cannot escape the combined action of the Q and B and will have to settle for a draw.}) 41. d4 (41. Rg8+ {was worth a try.} Bf8 42. h5 d4 43. h6 {Things look grim for black, but he has a saving resource.} Qd2 44. Qxb3 (44. Qxd2 exd2 45. Rg1 Bxh6 46. Kb2 Bxf4 47. Kxb3 Be3 48. Rg8+ Kd7 49. Kc2 Ke6 50. Kd1 Kxf6 51. Ke2 Ke5 52. Rf8 f5 53. Re8+ Kf4 54. Rg8 {and black cannot win because he can't escape checks from the R.}) 44... Qe1+ 45. Kb2 Qd2+ {draws}) 41... Kd8 {[%mdl 8192]} (41... Kd7 { Had to be played.} 42. h5 Bf8 43. Rb2 Qb4 44. Qe2 (44. Rxb3 e2 {wins!}) 44... Qc3 45. Qb5+ Ke6 46. Rxb3 Qe1+ 47. Kb2 Qd2+ {draws}) 42. h5 {[%mdl 32]} Kc8 43. h6 {Black's next move was a time pressure blunder, but he was lost in any case. Nevertheless, had he played the best move the resulting position gets complicated and so, who knows what would have g\happened?} b2 {This is a gross blunder.} (43... e2 44. Rxe2 Qh3 45. Rd2 Kd8 46. Rd3 Qxh6 47. Qxb3 Bd6 48. Qxd5 Qxf6 49. Re3 Qxf4 50. Qa8+ Bb8 51. Rf3 Qc7 52. Rb3 Kc8 53. Qa6+ Kd8 54. Qf6+ Kd7 55. Qxf7+ {and wins.}) 44. Rc2 {1-0 Black lost on time, but he gets mated in 8.} (44. Rc2 Qc4 45. Rxc4+ dxc4 46. h7 Kb7 47. h8=Q e2 48. Qxe2 Bf8 49. Qxf8 Kb6 50. Qxc4 Ka7 51. Qcc5+ Kb7 52. Qfc8#) 1-0

Playing Like A Sea Lion

    Tartakover told the story about the time some of the participants in the 1922 London tournament visited the zoo and and as they watched the sea lions that were drowsed in the sun. Then when the keepers came to feed them and threw herrings into the cage the animals jumped up with extraordinary agility and snapped up the herrings in mid-air. 

    Bogoljubow told him, “That is just the way you play chess. You maneuver and stall endlessly, until your opponent finally comes along with a herring (i.e. a mistake). Then you leap like lightning on your miserable victim and gobble him up.” 

    The following game is an example. It was played in the 1923 Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia tournament. Twenty-two masters were invited, but only seventeen were able to accept. Friedrich Saemisch was brought in to create an even number of players.

 

 

    Alekhine dominated for much of the tournament until the penultimate round, where his loss to Rudolf Spielmann allowed Geza Maroczy to catch up. Ewfim Bogoljubow also managed to tie when in the final round he defeated Karel Treybal. 

    Dr. Savielly Tartalower (1887-1956) was born in Russia and moved to Vienna at age 17. He became a doctor of law in 1909, but he never practiced it. 

    During World War I, he served in the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1918, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, he became a Polish citizen (although he did not speak Polish). During World War II, he served in the Free French Army under General Charles de Gaulle. His French colleagues found his name too difficult to pronounce, so he changed it to Lieutenant Dr. Georges Cartier. He became a French citizen after World War II.

    British IM and chess author once called Tartakower the “hero of a hundred tournaments.” In addition to chess books, he also wrote a screenplay and a collection of poems. He worked for more than 30 chess magazines in multiple countries and his newspaper correspondence appeared in 11 languages.

    His opponent, Sir George Thomas (188101972), was born near Istanbul, Turkey. He learned chess from his mother, Lady Edith Thomas, who won one of the first women's tournaments, held in Hastings in 1895. 

    Thomas was the City of London Chess Club champion in 1911 and played in his first British chess championship in 1920, taking second place. He won the title in 1923. Thomas' greatest achievement was his tie for first place at Hastings, 1934/35 with Max Euwe and Salo Flohr, finishing ahead of and defeating both Jose Raul Capablanca and Mikhail Botvinnik. He retired from competitive chess in 1950. 

    In the following game things were pretty even, let’s say boring, until Thomas slipped up at move 27 then Tartakower mercilessly gobbled up the point in a unique ending. Tartakower had a R+B+P vs. R+4Ps that eventually ended up with a R vs. 3Ps. 

[Event "Carlsbad"] [Site "Carlsbad CSR"] [Date "1923.05.09"] [Round "9"] [White "Savielly Tartakower"] [Black "George Thomas"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A45"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "1923.04.28"] {D01: Veresov Opening} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 {This rarely played opening, the invention of Julius Breyer, wa favorite with a few adventurous spirits of the day...besides Tartakover, JacquesMieses sometimes played it.} d5 3. Bg5 { The opening is sometimes ca;;ed the Richter-Veresov Attack after the named after the German Kurt Richter and later the Soviet master Gavriil Veresov, who played it frequently and developed its theory. Gowever, in the early days Tartakower played it regularly in the 1920s. The way he played it generally led to a closed, maoeuvring game.} Nbd7 {Rather tame' 3...Bf5 is commonly played.} 4. f3 {The idea is to build up a P-center with e4. The alternative is 4.Nf3.} (4. Nf3 e6 5. e4 h6 6. Bxf6 Nxf6 7. e5 Nd7 {with a fully equal position.}) 4... c6 {A solid move. Black prepares a counterattack with ...Qa5} 5. e4 dxe4 6. fxe4 Qa5 (6... Qb6 {can be safely met by} 7. e5 Nd5 8. Nf3 { wutg a good position. Note that black should avoid...} Qxb2 9. Nxd5 cxd5 10. Rb1 Qa3 (10... Qxa2 {Black's Q is in grave danger.} 11. Bd3 e6 12. O-O Be7 13. Bxe7 Kxe7 14. Qd2 {The black Q is trapped.}) 11. Bd3 e6 12. O-O {White's development and black's camped position are well worth the P he has givem up.}) 7. Qd2 (7. e5 {is met by} Ne4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 g6 {with a satisfactory game. }) 7... e5 {White's center is under strong pressure.} 8. Nf3 (8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. Nf3 Be6 11. Nd1 Bb4 12. c3 Be7 {Black has the more active position. Chernyshov,K (2536)-Rogic,D (2457) Ohrid 2001}) (8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Bd3 Ng4 11. Nge2 Bc5 12. Nd1 Qb6 {Un spite of the situation of his Ps on the K-side black has excellent prospects here. Ekdyshman,M (2351)-Nemeth,M (2492) Zalakaros HUN 2014}) 8... Be7 (8... exd4 9. Nxd4 Bb4 10. Bd3 O-O { with equality. Shkurikhin,I (2371)-Bragin,A (2281) Tomsk 2007}) 9. Bc4 exd4 10. Qxd4 Qb6 (10... Bc5 {was suggest by Reinfeld as leading to interesting complications which sounds about right. For example...} 11. Qd2 Bb4 12. O-O-O h6 13. e5) 11. Qd2 Qc5 {The capture of theb- Pawn would not be to black's advantage.} (11... Qxb2 12. Rb1 Qa3 13. e5 Nb6 14. Bxf7+ Kxf7 15. exf6 gxf6 16. O-O {with a danferous attack. Black cannot play...} fxg5 17. Nxg5+ Kg8 (17... Ke8 18. Rbe1 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Rf8 {White has a snappy finish...} 20. Rxe7+ Qxe7 21. Re1 {White is winning.}) 18. Nf7) 12. Bb3 Ne5 13. Be3 Nc4 14. Bxc5 Nxd2 15. Bxe7 Nxb3 16. axb3 Kxe7 {The simplifications indicate that Thomas would be content with a draw and it appears that Tartakower does not have any chance of winning especially in view of his weak e-Pawn. However, in 1923, Tartakower was one of the best players in the world in a group of players behine Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasjer and Rubinstein, Holding a draw agsainst him is going to be very difficult. It should be noted that when this game was played Thomas was pretty good himself...Chessmetrics puts him in the world's top 25 best players.} 17. e5 Ng4 18. O-O Bf5 (18... f6 {looks plausible, but it favors white after} 19. Rae1 f5 (19... Nxe5 20. Nxe5 fxe5 21. Rxe5+) 20. h3 Nh6 21. e6 {and white is better.}) 19. Nd4 Bg6 {It's a small thing, but an important point in Tartakower's hands, that black's minor pieces are nit well placed.} 20. Rae1 Rhd8 21. Rf4 h5 22. h3 {[%mdl 32]} Nh6 23. g4 {Tartakower makes a small slip hwith this move.} (23. Na4 {brings the N to a strong position.} Rac8 24. Nc5 b6 25. Nb7 {followed by Nd6}) 23... hxg4 24. hxg4 c5 25. Nf5+ Bxf5 26. gxf5 {Thomas has eliminated one of his poorly placed pieces.} Rd2 {Black hopes for further simplification by exchanging Rs after 27.Re2} 27. f6+ {Tricky! Exchanging Ps looks uninviting, but that's exactly what black should do.} Ke6 {[%mdl 8192] This loses...a surprising lapse by Thomas! The sea lion now comes wide awake.} (27... gxf6 $11 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 28. exf6+ Kd7 29. Re7+ Kc6 {and there is no way for white to make any headway.}) 28. fxg7 Ke7 (28... Ng8 29. Ne4 Rxc2 30. Ng5+ Ke7 31. Rxf7+ { and wins.}) 29. Ne4 {Gaining valuable time.} Rxc2 30. Rh4 {Tartakover thought this was more forceful than 30.Nf6} Rg8 {Black has hope that as white's Ps disappear his chances of saving the gamne increase, but, in fact, white has a decisive advantage.} (30... Ng8 31. Rh8 Ke6 32. Nf6 Rxb2 33. Nxg8 Rxb3 34. Nf6 Rg3+ 35. Kf2 {and black is lost after} Rxg7 36. Rxa8 Rg6 37. Re8+ Kf5 38. Rf1 Kf4 39. Ke2+ Kg5 40. Ke3 a6 41. Rh8 Rh6 42. Ne4+ Kg6 43. Rf6+ Kg7 44. Rfxh6 c4 45. Nf6 c3 46. Ne8#) 31. Rxh6 Rxg7+ 32. Kh1 Rxb2 33. Nd6 Rg6 (33... Rgg2 { makes it more difficult for white. The win is there...theoretically at least!} 34. Nxb7 Rgf2 35. Ra1 Ra2 36. Rxa2 Rxa2 37. Rc6 c4 38. Rxc4 f6 39. exf6+ Kxf6 40. Nc5 Ke5 41. Kg1 (41. Ra4 Rxa4 42. Nxa4 Kd5 {is a draw...} 43. Kg2 Kc6 44. Nc3 Kc5 45. Na2 Kd4 46. Kf3 Kd3 47. Nc1+ Kc3 48. Ke4 Kb2 49. Kd5 Kxc1 50. b4 Kb2 51. Kc4 Ka3 52. Kc5 Kb3 53. Kb5 a6+ 54. Kxa6 Kxb4) 41... Kd6 42. Ne4+ Ke5 43. Kf1 Rh2 44. Ke1 Rb2 45. Nc5 Kd5 46. Rc3 Rb1+ (46... Rh2 47. Na4 Rg2 48. Kd1 Rh2 49. Kc1 Rg2 50. Rc2 {and the K escapes the first rank.}) 47. Ke2 Kc6 48. Nd3+ Kb5 49. Kd2 Kb6 50. Rc8 Rh1 51. Kc3 Rh5 52. Rf8 Kb5 53. Rf4 a5 54. Re4 Rh3 55. Re5+ Kb6 56. Rf5 Re3 57. Rd5 Re2 58. Re5 Rg2 59. Rf5 Rh2 60. Nc5 Kb5 61. Na4+ Ka6 62. Rf6+ Kb7 63. Nc5+ Kb8 64. Kc4 Kc7 65. Kb5 Ra2 66. Re6 Ra1 67. Rc6+ Kd8 68. Ra6 Ke7 69. Rxa5 {etc.}) 34. Rxg6 fxg6 {[%mdl 4096] The ending is most difficult, but being one of the world;s top players, Tartakower is up to the task.} 35. e6 {[%mdl 32]} Rxb3 36. Nc8+ Ke8 37. e7 {Rememebr back in the opening when the e-Pawn was looking rather sickly? Now it has been transformed. White threatens Nd6+ and mate.} Rd3 38. Rf1 Rh3+ (38... Re3 39. Rf8+ Kd7 40. Rd8+ Kc7 41. e8=Q) 39. Kg2 Rh8 40. Rd1 {Intending Rd8+ and mate.} Kf7 41. Kf3 { The idea is to bring the K to the Q-side.} (41. Rd8 {also wins.} Re8 42. Kf3 c4 43. Ke4 {Black is lost here. Just as an example...} b5 44. Ke5 c3 45. Rxe8 Kxe8 46. Ke6 {mate enxt move}) 41... Rxc8 42. Rd8 Kxe7 43. Rxc8 {The Ps are no match for the R...at least not in Grandmaster's hands.} Kd6 44. Ke4 {The ending is easily won for white because the Ps are not sufficiently advanced to give him any difficulty. Tartakower's play is very instructive though.} b6 45. Rg8 Kc6 46. Rxg6+ Kb5 47. Kd3 Kb4 48. Rg1 b5 49. Ra1 c4+ 50. Kd4 Kb3 51. Rb1+ Ka4 52. Kc3 Ka5 53. Rh1 Kb6 54. Rh6+ {Black resigned} (54. Rh6+ {Stockfish is announcing mate in 24.} Kc5 55. Rh5+ Kb6 56. Kd4 Kc6 57. Rh6+ Kb7 58. Kc5 c3 59. Kxb5 c2 60. Rh1 Kc7 61. Kc5 Kd7 62. Rc1 Ke6 63. Kd4 Kf5 64. Rxc2 a6 65. Ra2 a5 66. Ra4 {This mates one move quicker than taking the P.} Kg4 67. Ke4 Kg5 68. Ke5 Kg6 69. Rxa5 Kg5 70. Ra4 Kg6 71. Ke6 Kg5 72. Rb4 Kg6 73. Rg4+ Kh5 74. Kf5 Kh6 75. Kf6 Kh7 76. Rh4+ Kg8 77. Rh3 Kf8 78. Rh8#) 1-0

A Chess Book I Didn't Like

 

    There was a tournament in 1929 that was won by Capablanca who finished with a superb +13 -0 =1 which put him 1.5 points ahead of Tartakower who was also undefeated. Colle was a half point behind Tartakower and the rest of the field, which consisted of minor masters, weren’t even close. 

    While he was there Capablanca gave a simultaneous and one of the games made its way into a book titled The Fine Art of Chess that was published in 2019 by Lyudmil Tsvetkov. The book is a BIG one! There is a total of 40 games and 812 pages! The Kindle edition is only $1.99 which, I think, is $1.98 more than the book is worth 

    It got 4.5 stars on reviews, but one reviewer (with whom I agree) rated it “really quite bad” and “a bunch of drivel.” I don’t know that I would agree with the reviewer that reading this book would make you a worse player, but in one game, Goglidze-Botvinnik, Moscow, 1935, after 1.d4 Tsvetkov give Botvinnik’s 1...Nf6 a “?!” and said it’s “reasonable” and “frequently chosen,” but it’s “very slightly sub-optimal” because “it neglects a sound opening principle, namely that minor pieces should not block (it’s) own Pawns on their home ranks, if possible to do so.” 

    In the game presented in this post, after 1.d4 Nf6 he says of Ribera’s 2.Nf3, “2.c4 was markedly better. Again, it is axiomatic that, in the very early opening, central pawn moves are preferable to piece-developing ones.” 

    He was critical of Capablanca’s 2...e6, saying, “Sails toward Indian structures. Doesn't fix the center and relies on unobstructed figure activity.” What?! 

    In this game, at move 4, he speaks of black’s development of his two Bs in terms like “bringing out both sweepers” and advises the reader to “See how agile and vigorous the newly-positioned raker is, not to mention that it also has placed its sights on the hostile f3-horse and h1-cannon.” 

    Also, I found the author’s attempt at humorous annotations anything but. When Ribera castled on move 10 the comment was, “God bless, the lofty royal personality has gotten to a safe place!” I could go on, but I won’t. There are a few minor glitches in the English, but that’s not really a problem. 

    Of course, not everyone agrees that the book is bad and that’s OK. IM Gerard Welling, who is a far better player than I, thinks the average club player will benefit from the book because it teaches how to play with “a bit more understanding.” Welling also observed that a “stronger player will accept large parts and probably debate others, but will surely be triggered to think about certain aspects of chess, which can help him to improve or vary his game." 

    Who is the author, Lyudmil Tsvetkov? He is a political scientist, former career diplomat, Bulgarian Candidate Master (US Expert, 2000-2199) since 1998 and one of the main Stockfish contributors. 

    His bio adds that “the rise of computer chess with the appearance of top-level programs like Stockfish and Komodo soon captivated him entirely, and in late 2013 he decided to quit his full-time job to be able to concentrate completely on playing and analyzing chess.” 

    Here is a game from the book that Capa won in a simul. Like a lot of Capa’s games, it’s deceptively simple, but instructive. Tsvetkov lists the themes as demonstrating advanced pieces (N outpost), Bishop pair, Rook on the 2nd rank, doubled Pawns, isolated Pawns. 

[Event "30 Board Simul, Barcelona"] [Site "?"] [Date "1929.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Angel Ribera"] [Black "Jose Capablanca"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E12"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "68"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.05.03"] {E12: Queen's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5 Be7 {Normally black plays 5...Bb4, but he has also tried 5...h6 first.} 6. e3 { The alternative is the equally good 6.Qc2} Ne4 {One of several reasonable moves. 6...Bb4 and 6...h6 are also quite playable.} 7. Bxe7 {It's odd...this move is hardly bad, but in practical play it fares far worse than 7.Nxe4} (7. Nxe4 Bxe4 8. Bf4 {is completely equal.}) 7... Qxe7 8. Nxe4 {Tsvetkov's comment on this move is, "Very natural, avoiding the aforementioned jeopardy of twinning a pedestrian at c3."} (8. Bd3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 {White's doubled Ps are hardly a serious liability.} d6 10. O-O Nd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. e4 {is equal.}) 8... Bxe4 9. Bd3 Bb7 (9... Qb4+ 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Bxd3 12. Kxd3 {and Kogan,A (2530)-Epishin,V (2643) Port Erin 2002 soon agreed to a draw.}) (9... Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Qb4+ 11. Qc3 Qxc3+ 12. bxc3 {fizzled out to a draw in Navarro,T (2215)-Valle,A (2307) Brasilia BRA 2011}) 10. O-O d6 {The main alternative is 10...O-O and 11...c5} 11. Re1 (11. d5 e5 12. Qc2 Nd7 13. Bf5 g6 14. Bxd7+ Qxd7 15. e4 O-O 16. Qd2 {This whole line doesn't offer either side much scope for imaginativer play. Philippe,G-Venkatraman,T Moscow 1956 was eventually drawn.}) 11... Nd7 {[%mdl 32]} (11... Nc6 {would not be the best place for the N. After} 12. d5 exd5 (12... Nb4 13. Qa4+) 13. cxd5 Ne5 14. Bb5+ Kf8 15. Rc1 {white is clearly better.}) 12. e4 O-O {Also good was 12.e5 with a fully even position.} 13. e5 (13. a3 e5 14. Bc2 Nf6 15. Qd3 {is equal. Neither side has much play.}) 13... Rad8 {[%mdl 32]} (13... dxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Rad8 16. Qc2 g6 17. Rad1 {is fully equal.}) 14. Qe2 {This is not a serious mistake, but he should have taken the opportunity to get rid of the light squared Bs. Now Capa has a tiny advantage, but that's all he needs!} (14. exd6 Qxd6 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Rxe4 {is equal.}) 14... dxe5 {Watch what happens on this file!} 15. dxe5 (15. Nxe5 { is inaccurate because after} c5 16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Nxe5 18. dxe5 (18. Qxe5 { Blunder!} Rxd4 19. Qe2 Qd6 20. Rad1 Rd8 21. Rxd4 Qxd4 22. b3 Qd2 23. Kf1 Qxe2+ 24. Rxe2 Rd1+ 25. Re1 Rd4 {and in the long run black will wecure the win.}) 18... Rd2 {black has the more active (not winning!) position.}) 15... Nc5 16. Bc2 Bxf3 {This allows the R to invade on d2. It's not fatal, but it will make life difficult for white.} 17. Qxf3 Rd2 {[%mdl 2048] White is going to have to walk a tightrope to avoid disaster on the d-file and second rank.} 18. Qc3 Rfd8 19. Rad1 {It's natural to want to clear the d-file, byt this is the place where white begins losing the game!} (19. g3 {gives the K an escape and it's hard to believe, but there is absolutley no way black can capitalize the d-file!} f5 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Qxf6 gxf6 22. Rad1 R8d7 23. Rxd2 Rxd2 24. b4 Rxc2 25. bxc5 Rxc4 26. cxb6 axb6 27. Rxe6 Kf7 {and this position is drawn.}) 19... Ne4 {If white doesn't take the N then from here it exerts tremendous pressure.} 20. Qe3 (20. Rxe4 Rxd1+ 21. Bxd1 Rxd1+ 22. Re1 Qd7 23. g3 Rd3 24. Qc2 h6 { Black is better, but us it enough to win?! Yes...in Shootouts black scored 4 wins and a drfaw. However, the games were long, one going 124 moves!}) 20... Rxc2 21. Qxe4 Rxb2 22. a3 Rdd2 23. Rxd2 Rxd2 {[%mdl 4096] Black's control of the d-file assures the win. Watch how Capa uses it to invade white's position.} 24. h3 c5 {Excellent! it controls d4 and white's Q is limited.} (24... Qxa3 { is tempting. Black still wins but white has some annoying play.} 25. Qa8+ Qf8 26. Qxa7 Qd8 27. c5 Rd1 28. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 29. Kh2 Qd8 30. c6 {and black will have a long way to go to squeeze out a win.}) 25. Re3 (25. Qa8+ {leads to delicate play, but black would prevail after} Rd8 26. Qe4 g6 27. Qe2 Qd7 28. Qe4 Qd2 29. Kf1 Rd4 30. Qb7 Rf4 31. Re2 Qc1+ 32. Re1 Qxc4+ 33. Kg1 Qd4 34. Rf1 (34. Qxa7 Qxf2+) 34... c4 35. Qxa7 c3 {and wins.}) 25... Rd4 26. Qa8+ Rd8 27. Qf3 Qd7 { Simple. The threat is to exchange Qs with 28...Qd1+ which would leave black with a routine win in the R ending.} 28. Kh2 {Ribera correctly wants to keep his Q on the board.} Qd4 {Unfortunately for white his Ps are too weak and cannot be defended.} 29. Re4 Qd3 30. Qg4 h6 {this is really an unnecessary safety precaution, but it doesn't hurt anything.} 31. Re3 {Everything is defended, but white is still lost.} Qd4 32. Qe2 Qd1 33. Qb2 Qd2 {Unfortunately for white he must now exchange Qs or give up a P. He decides to keep the Qs on, but then after Capa's next moive he realized the futility of continuing.} 34. Qc3 (34. Qxd2 Rxd2 35. Kg1 Rd1+ 36. Kh2 g5 {White's R has few moves and his K is shut out of play and his Ps are weak...all point to a loss.}) 34... Qxf2 { White resigned. What's interesting is that in the Fritz program white was assigned a very good Weighted Erroe Value of 0.28. The problem was that Capablanca's was about a quarter of that...a very precise 0.10 which means he nearly matched Stockfish's level of play.} (34... Qxf2 35. Rf3 Qd4 36. a4 Qe4 37. Qe3 Rd4 38. Qxe4 Rxe4 39. Rc3 g5 40. Kg3 Rxe5 41. h4 Re4 42. h5 Kg7 43. Kf3 Rd4 44. a5 bxa5 45. Ra3 Rf4+ 46. Ke3 Rxc4 47. Rxa5 Rh4 48. Rxc5 Rxh5 49. Ra5 Rh4 50. Rxa7 {with an easy win.}) 0-1

A Real Sacrifice by Spielmann

    Rudolf Spielmann (1882-1942, 55 years old), The Last Romantic, was born in Vienna, Austria. He was the Nordic Champion in 1919 and the German Champion in 1927. His chess was exactly the opposite of his friendly and pleasant personality; it was Romantic...complex and tactics predominated. 

    Being Jewish, he fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and went to Sweden. There are two versions of his demise. One is that he locked himself in his room and was later found starved to death. The other version is that he suffered from a Parkinson's disease which rapidly worsened and he died after being admitted to a hospital. 

    Parkinson’s is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement and often including tremors. It often starts with a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms are slow movement, stiffness, and loss of balance. These days medications can help control the symptoms. 

    His opponent in the following game was Georg F. W. Schories (1874-1934, 60 years old). He was born in Berlin,Germany, but spent a few years of his life in Sheffield, England. However, during the First World War, being German, he was internment in an English prison camp. After the war he returned home to Germany. 

    The game was played in Scheveningen in 1905. Most of the world’s top players didn’t play, Frank Marshall being the only exception. Marshall lost badly to Dirk Bleijkmans in the first round, but recovered and proceeded to reel off ten consecutive wins! 

 

    The surprise of the tournament was the virtually unknown, but brilliant, Dutch player Benjamin Leussen (1876-1924). Supposedly not long after this tournament he lost interest in chess and gave it up. There is an interesting article on him HERE, but it’s in Dutch. If you have the "must have" browser addon Copyfish (free OCR software) installed on your computer you can copy the article and use Google translate. You can (and should!) download Copyfish...just do a Google search to locate the program. 

    Spielmann’s classic book, The Art of Sacrifice, is still worth reading. In the book he gives the following game as an example of a “real” sacrifice which is, as he so eloquently described it, is “turning matter into energy." That is, the sacrifice of material for the sake of dynamic advantages. 

    “Real" sacrifices are those which are characterized by the element of risk and the benefits of such a sacrifice cannot be assumed with a certain degree of probability. The likelihood of their success is not necessarily based on the position. They can even be based upon a psychological motive such as an opponent's individual failings. Or, one can speculate on his time trouble, etc. Or, they are simply made with the desire to take a sporting chance. A simplest example of a real sacrifice is in the opening where material is given up for the sake of development.

 

[Event "Scheveningen"] [Site "Scheveningen NED"] [Date "1905.08.05"] [Round "8"] [White "Georg Schories"] [Black "Rudolf Spielmann"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C82"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1905.07.31"] {C82: Open Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 { In thid, the seldom seen Open Variation of the Morphy Defense (4...a6), black tries to make use of the time white will take to regain the P to gain a foothold in the centrer.} 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 {Spielmann was fond of this defense because of its aggressive character.} 9. c3 Bc5 10. a4 b4 11. Qe2 {Best.} (11. a5 O-O 12. Ba4 Ne7 13. Nd4 Rb8 14. Be3 {Black is slightly better. Polgar,J (2630)-Piket,J (2605) Monaco blindfold 1994}) 11... O-O 12. Bc2 {Spielmann explains: Black is threatened with the loss of a P because his N on e4 is attacked twice. It can be supported by 12...Bf5 when no further attack on the N will succeed. See the variation. It is clear that black can easily defend his position, but according to Spielmann the situation seems to call for a Pawn sacrifice. The reason is that if white can capture twice in e4 he gives up his best attacking piece (the light-squared B), exposes his Q on e4 and leaves black with the two Bs. Another observation is that at the moment black is a tempo ahead although this is momentarily offset by white's superior P-formation. If it were white's move he could play as in the note. Note that today 12.Bc2 is considered the correct move and it is confirmed by Stockfish.} f5 {Interesting! Spielmann explains: Now white is faced with a difficult problem. He must either concede the consolidation of black's position at e4 and thus admit his move 12.Bc2 was defective; or else he must go on with the P-winning expedition, whereby he neglects his development and substantially promotes that of his opponent. Such is the reasoning of a truly great play. Stockfish's clodblooded evaluation is that the position is dead equal.} (12... bxc3 13. Nxc3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Qd7 15. a5 Bf5 16. Ra4 Rfe8 {equals. Souhardo,B (2301)-Aagam,A (1715) Ahmedabad IND 2019}) (12... Bf5 13. Nbd2 {This loses. Correct is 13.Be3} Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bxc2 15. cxb4 Nxb4 {Though only a P up, black is much better.}) (12... Rb8 {A pass to demonstrate the possibility if it were white's move and he wanted to snatch a P.} 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Bd5 15. Qe2 Bxf3 {Now if white wishes to keep his extra P he must break up his K-side with 16.gxf3} 16. gxf3 (16. Qxf3 Nxe5 17. Qe2 Re8 18. Be3 Qh4 {with an excellent position. Note that the B cannot be captured.} 19. Bxc5 Ng4 {threatening mate so...} 20. Qxe8+ Rxe8 21. h3 Nh2 22. Kxh2 Qc4 23. Kg1 Qxc5 {and black whould win.}) 16... Qd5 17. Bf4 Rfe8 {with a good position.}) 13. exf6 {White correctly decides to accept the offer.} (13. Be3 {This tranquil continuation favors black after} Be7 14. a5 Kh8 15. Rd1 Qc8 {with all the paly.}) 13... Qxf6 {Black is splendidly developed and must obtain a strong at tack no matter how play proceeds - Spielmann} 14. Bxe4 {White might just as well accept the sacrifice, as a quiet continuation (14.Be3 Bd6) leaves black with the advantage and no risk involved - Spielmann} dxe4 15. Qxe4 Bb3 {A multipurpose move. The black N remains protected, \white's Q is prevented from reaching c2 and it also preventing the possible Qc4+ at a later stage. As Spielmann observed, black has secured a very promising and menacing game which, however, he has yet to win. True enough...the engine evaluation is that the position is dead equal..} 16. c4 {Bit, this is not good! Just as the battle between the numerically superior side and the better developed side was shaping up white makes a mistake which tips the scales clearly in the black's (the attacker) favor. Here Spiel;mann makes the observation that this game is a good illustration because of the mistake because it is the kind that happens far more frequently (and the consequences are greater) when one is defending rather that attacking! In this game white (the defender) has the ptoblem that not only is he behinf in development., but he would also like to maintai n his material plus as compensation. Obviously white would like to to expedite his development by giving back the P, but in that case black would still have his two Bs.Bishop.} (16. Be3 {keeps the balance.} Rfe8 17. Qd3 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Bf7 19. e4 Ne5 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. cxb4 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 Rxe4 23. b5 Re2 {is completely equal.}) 16... Qd6 {An excellent move that parries the threats of 17.Qd5+ winng the B and at the same time prepares an attack on the c-Pawn.} 17. Nbd2 { [%mdl 8192] Oddly, Spielmann made no comment on this move which is a losing blunder!} (17. Be3 {is the only move, but it keeps black's advantage at a minimum.} Rae8 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. Qd5+ Qxd5 20. cxd5 Bxd5 {and blacj is only slightly better.}) 17... Rae8 18. Qb1 {This is a horrible retreat, but white's position was very bad in any case. Now black's light squared B is firmly trapped; but white failed to realize that he will never have an opportunity to capture it!} (18. Qg4 Bc2 19. b3 Bf5 20. Qg3 Qxg3 21. hxg3 Bd3 22. Rd1 Re2 { and white is in serious trouble...losing in fact.}) 18... Nd4 {Beginning the final assault. White has multiple possibilities, but none that are at all promising!} 19. Ne4 (19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Nxb3 {As note earlier, white is unable to capture this B.} Qxf2+ 21. Rxf2 Re1#) (19. Nxb3 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Rxf3 21. Nxc5 Rh3 22. f4 Qxc5+ 23. Be3 Rexe3 24. Rf2 Rhg3+ 25. hxg3 Rxg3+ 26. Kf1 Qxc4+ 27. Re2 Qxf4+ 28. Rf2 Qg4 29. Ke1 Rg1+ 30. Kd2 Qd4+ 31. Ke2 Qe5+ 32. Kd2 Qd4+ 33. Ke2 Rxb1 34. Rxb1 Qe4+ {wins}) 19... Nxf3+ (19... Qg6 {Ig this was whar white was expecting black still wins. For example...} 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 21. Ng3 Rxf2 22. Be3 Bxe3 23. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qb6+ 25. Kf3 {Black mates in 16!} (25. Kf1 Bxc4+ 26. Ne2 Rxe2 {mates in 2}) 25... Qe3+ 26. Kg4 Bxc4 27. Qf5 Be6 28. Rf1 g6 29. Qxe6+ Qxe6+ 30. Kg5 h6+ 31. Kxh6 Qg4 32. Rf6 Qh4+ 33. Kxg6 Qg4+ 34. Kh6 Qg7+ 35. Kh5 Qxf6 36. Kg4 Kh7 37. Nf5 Re4+ 38. Kg3 Qg5+ 39. Kf2 Qf4+ 40. Kg1 Re1#) 20. gxf3 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 Rxf3 22. Re1 Rxf2 23. Bg5 Qh5 24. Nf6+ gxf6 25. Rxe8+ Kf7 {Ut's mate in 5} (25... Kf7 26. Qxh7+ Qxh7 27. Bf4 Qh3 28. Re7+ Bxe7 29. Rg1 Qf3+ 30. Rg2 Qxg2#) 0-1

An Early Fischer Game

    The 75-player 1955 US Amateur Championship was won by Clinton L. Parmelee of Newark, New Jersey. The venue was the Mohegan Country Club in Lake Mohegan, New York which is located about 50 niles north of downtown Manhattan. Parmelee’s prize was a silver cup. The women’s champion was Kathryn Slater whi finished ahead of six other women; her prize was an engraved cup. 

    Carmine Nigro, President of the Brooklyn Chess Club, had persuaded the 12-year-old Bobby Fischer to play in the tournament. There doesn’t seem to be any record of the crosstable and as far as I know the following game is the only one of two Fischer’s that have survived from the event. The other was an 11 move draw with Sanford Greene (1936-2023) whom I remember as a strong correspondence player. 

    Fischer’s opponent was Albert B. Humphrey (1811-1997). He was born in Hempstead, New York. He was the second of three children born to a builder and carpenter James D. Humphrey (1879-1963) from Canada and Ethel Brown (1891-1969) from New York, who married in 1908. 

    After high school Humphrey went to college and law school at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville). While there he won the college chess champion in Virginia. He graduated there in 1935, established his own law office in Hempstead in 1937 and was the town solicitor. 

    He got married around 1939 to a stenographer and bookkeeper named Edith L. Willock (1906-1983) who was from Queens, New York. They had a son, James. While keeping an office in New York, in 1949, the family moved to Egremont, Massachusetts, where, in 1950, Humphrey was admitted to the Bar and joined a local law firm. 

    Humphrey was stricken with polio at the age of four and drove specially built cars with the pedals replaced with hand levers. 

    In this game, Fischer had a winning advantage in the final position, but it’s not known why he agreed to a draw. However, after allowing Stockfish to analyze the position for 10-15 minutes it became clear that winning the game was probably beyond his skill level at the time. 

    Both players were probably in the 1700-1800 range at the time… or were they?! After the auto-analysis with Stockfish, the Fritz program assigns white a Weighted Error Value of 0.37 while Fischer’s WEV is a “very precise” 0.14! That’s a VERY good score for amateurs. 

 What exactly is WEV? It measure how closely the moves played in the game compare to the engine’s choice. If the moves matched the engine exactly the WEV would be 0.00. In any case, the lower the WEV score, the better.

 

[Event "US Amateur. Lake Mohegan, NY"] [Site "Lake Mohegan, NY USA"] [Date "1955.05.22"] [Round "6"] [White "Albert B.Humphrey"] [Black "Robert Fcher"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E61"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1955.??.??"] {E90: King's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. h3 Nbd7 7. Be3 e5 8. d5 a5 9. Be2 (9. g4 {was played in Bjelobrk,I (2329) -Vajda,L (2632) Sydney AUS 2013 which continued} Nc5 10. Bxc5 dxc5 11. Qd2 Ne8 12. Qe3 b6 13. Bd3 {with slightly better chances.}) 9... b6 {This is too passive. The thematic 9...Nc5 is the recommended move.} (9... Nh5 10. g3 Bf6 11. Nh2 Ng7 12. Qd2 Be7 13. g4 Nc5 {White;s position is the more promising. Dickenson,N (2300)-Bisby,D (2311) Hinckley ENG 2014}) 10. O-O {Other moves that have been played here are 10.Nd2, 10.Qc2 and 10.Bg5} Ne8 11. Qc2 Nc5 12. Nh2 {A better plan was 12.a3 to be followed by b4} f5 {[%mdl 32]} 13. f3 f4 { Black has achieved a promising position with prospects of a K-side attack whereas white's prospects on the Q-side are clearly limited.} 14. Bf2 Qg5 { A promising idea was ...Bf6 and Bh4 eliminating white's dark square defender.} 15. Kh1 {Very good! It's a handy defensive move.} Bd7 16. Rg1 Nf6 {[%mdl 160]} 17. g4 {It's difficult to suggest anything other than passive defensive moves (17.b3 or 17.Nf1) for white, but this move results in what should have been a serious weakening of his K's position.} fxg3 18. Rxg3 Qh6 19. Nd1 Nh5 (19... Bxh3 {This is not as risky as it appears as there is no way white can take advantage of the position of black's Q.} 20. Rg1 Nh5 21. Bf1 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Nf4 {with what should amount to a decisive advantage.}) 20. Rg1 Bxh3 21. Be3 Nf4 22. Nf2 Bf6 {[%mdl 32]} 23. Rg3 {Because the N on f5 is pinned white threatens 24.Rxh3} Bd7 24. Nfg4 Bxg4 25. Rxg4 Qg7 26. Rag1 {It appears all is well for white as he has survived black's operations on the K-side, but Stockfish is indication a decisive advantage for black.} Be7 {Necessary in the event white plays Bxf4} 27. Qd2 Rf7 28. R1g3 (28. Bxf4 Rxf4 29. Rxf4 exf4 30. Qxf4 { leaves white even worse off after} Qxb2 31. Ng4 Qxe2 (31... Rf8 32. Qe3 Bf6 33. Nxf6+ Rxf6 34. f4 Qxa2 35. e5 Rf8 36. e6 {and white has more play than he deserves.}) 32. Nh6+ Kh8 (32... Kg7 33. Nf5+ {draws} (33. Qf7+ Kxh6 34. Qxe7 Qxf3+)) 33. Nf7+ Kg7 34. Qh6+ Kg8 {and white has no followup.}) 28... Raf8 29. Bxf4 Rxf4 30. Rh3 Qf7 31. Rgg3 {It appears that with hsi f-Pawn solidly defended black can make no headway, but Stockfish is indicating slightly over a 3 Pawn advantage for black and a decisive advantage. Because its evaluations tend to run on the high side I also ran Komodo 14's "Human" engine here and it shows black to be "clearly better" with a two Pawn advantage.} Bh4 32. Rg4 Bf2 33. Bd1 {[%mdl 32768] Draw agreed.} (33. Bf1 {Stockfish's lengthy analysis runs as follows:} Bd4 34. Rg2 Nxe4 35. fxe4 Rxf1+ 36. Nxf1 Qxf1+ 37. Kh2 Bg1+ 38. Rxg1 Rf2+ 39. Qxf2 Qxf2+ 40. Rg2 Qf4+ 41. Rgg3 Qxe4 42. b3 Qe2+ 43. Rg2 Qf1 44. Rgg3 a4 45. Rg4 Kg7 46. Rg2 e4 47. Rhg3 Qf5 48. Kg1 Qf4 49. Rg4 Qf3 50. R4g3 Qd1+ 51. Kh2 axb3 52. axb3 Qf1 53. Re3 Qf4+ 54. Rgg3 Kf6 {[%eval -380,25]} 55. Kg1 h5 56. Rh3 h4 57. b4 Ke5 58. Ra3 g5 59. c5 Qc1+ 60. Kh2 Qd2+ 61. Kg1 dxc5 62. bxc5 bxc5 63. Kf1 Kd4 64. Ra4+ c4 65. Raa3 g4 66. Rxh4 {[%eval -620, 29]} Qc1+ 67. Kg2 Qxa3 68. Rh2 g3 69. Kh3 gxh2+ 70. Kxh2 Qf3 71. d6 Ke3 72. Kg1 Qg4+ 73. Kf1 cxd6 74. Ke1 Qe2#) 1/2-1/2