An Entertaining Bobby Fischer Game

 

     During his heyday Bobby Fischer was generally acknowledged as the greatest player of all time. His play was brilliant, creative, daring, etc., etc. and few players could beat him. 

     In the Candidates’ matches leading up his defeating Boris Spasskyy by a score of 12.5-8.5 in the 1972 World Championship match, Fischer annihilated Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen with a perfect 6-0 score. Former World Champion Tigran Petrosian did a little better...Fisch crushed him with a 6.5-2.5 score. 

     In 1975, Fischer abdicated his throne to Anatoly Karpov. The prior year FIDE voted in favor of Fischer's 10-win proposal for World Championship matches, but rejected the 9–9 clause as well as the possibility of an unlimited match. In response, Fischer refused to defend his title. 

     This is just my opinion, but I think Fischer was afraid to face Karpov. I think that because during the 1984 Karpov-Kasparov match for the World Championship, in two interviews with a Philippine radio station, Fischer voiced the opinion that the games were prearranged with the aid of computers. To me this indicates that Fischer understood neither computers nor the games. 

     The chess programs of that era could not compete with Masters. In a match that took place in February of 1996, the monster computer Deep Blue became the first chess program to win a game against a world champion under regular time controls. Kasparov won three and drew two of the following five games, beating Deep Blue by 4–2 in the match. 

     At the time of the K-K match in 1984, the SciSys Explorer table top chess program was being sold for under $80 (under $250 today) and it was promised to play at a 1550 level at 40 moves in 2 hours or your money would be refunded.

     SARGON was introduced at the 1978 West Coast Computer Fair where it won the first computer chess tournament held strictly for microcomputers, with a score of 5–0. Former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik played a game against Sargon in 1983 at Hamburg; he won in 37 moves. 

     Correspondence GM Robin Smith published his Modern Chess Analysis in 2004 and at that time chess engines could still be beaten by Masters. 

     The point is, Fischer’s claim that the K-K match games, whether prearranges or not, most certainly did not involve any help from computers as Fischer claimed.

     In the first New York State Open held in Poughkeepsie over the Labor Day weekend inj 1963, Bnobby Fischer made a clean sweep. Arthur Bisguier, James Sherwin, Joseph Richman and Matthew Green finished behind Fischer in the 58-player field with 5.5-1.5 scores. 

     Here’s the Fischer-Bisguiser encounter. Fischer’s 26th move was praised as a beautiful winning move, but anybody (say, for instance, me) with a strong chess engine can see it was a lemon. 

 

[Event "New York State Open, Poughkeepsie"] [Site "Poughkeepsie, NY USA"] [Date "1963.09.02"] [Round "?"] [White "Robert Fischer"] [Black "Arthur Bisguier"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C59"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1963.??.??"] {C59: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 {All standard moves so far. Where should the N go? Most often it retreats to f3.} 9. Nh3 {This is an odd looking move that dates all the way back to Steinitz and it's odd that it's not a bad one!} Bc5 ( 9... Bxh3 {This gives white the two Bs and the semi-open g-file which he can, hopefully, use to generate a K-side attack. Therefore, black usually refrains from taking it, but he need not do so.} 10. gxh3 Qd4 (10... Bc5 {is better.} 11. O-O (11. Rg1 {turns out to be a mistake.} Ne4 12. Bf3 Bxf2+ {is winning for black.}) 11... O-O 12. Nc3 Nb7 13. Bf3 Nd6 {White should now play 14.d3 with equal chances; taking the offered P gives black the initiative.} 14. Bxc6 Rc8 15. Bg2 Nf5 16. d3 Nh4 {with an active position.}) 11. O-O Bd6 12. d3 Rd8 13. c3 Qh4 {Taborov,B (2450)-Shianovsky,V (2295) Kiev 2003. The chances are balanced.}) 10. O-O O-O 11. d3 Bxh3 {The temptation is too much; Bisguier was never afraid of complications. The safe positional option was repositioning the N with ...Nb7-d6} (11... Nd5 12. c4 Bxh3 13. cxd5 Bf5 14. Be3 Qxd5 { This interesting position occurred in Socko,M (2462)-Batsiashvili,N (2417) Plovdiv BUL 2014. Does black have sufficient compensation for the P? Practically speaking he probably does.}) 12. gxh3 Qd7 {Now, should white give back the extra P?} 13. Bf3 {A good diagonal for the B and certainly more active than defending the P.} (13. Kg2 Nd5 14. Nc3 Rad8 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. f4 f6 17. c3 Nc6 18. Qa4 {Socko,B (2643)-Pavasovic,D (2590) Austria 2009. White has an active position, but black's is quite solid.}) (13. Bg4 {is possible. After} Nxg4 14. hxg4 {He could also take with the Q.} f5 {Black has active play, but the position is technically even.}) 13... Qxh3 14. Nd2 Rad8 15. Bg2 Qf5 { Safer would have been 15...Qe6} 16. Qe1 (16. Qf3 {was an interesting alternative because after} Qxf3 17. Bxf3 {black is tied to the defense of his c-Pawn and white seizes the initiative.} Nd5 18. Rb1 Bd4 19. b4 Nb7 20. c4 Nc3 21. Rb3 Nxa2 22. Bb2 Bxb2 23. Rxb2 Nc3 24. Bxc6 {with a promising position.}) 16... Rfe8 {For his part white has some hope of generating an attack using his light squared B and the g-file, but for the moment his Q is uncomfortably positioned opposite black's R.} 17. Ne4 {This attacks the N on a5 and enables him to eliminate black's N on f6 lest it head for f4 via d5.} Bb6 (17... Nxe4 { loses a piece.} 18. dxe4 Qg4 19. Qxa5) 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Kh1 c5 {Black could recentralize his N with ...Nb7-d6, but instead Bisguier prefers to centralize it on the more active square d4. Actually, not a bad decision at all. The down side is that it blocks his B. Hiwever, the B may at some point get back into the game by relocating to c7 from where it attacks h2.} 20. Qc3 (20. Qe4 { is more active.} Rd4 21. Qf3 Qxf3 22. Bxf3 {with equal chances.}) 20... Nc6 21. f4 Nd4 {Bisguier has achieved an active position and has every reason to be satisfied with his game. His Rs are centralized and the threat is ...Ne2} 22. Qc4 Qg6 23. c3 {The N is just too well placed on d4 and so it has to go.} Nf5 { 23...Nc2 leads to tactical play that should favor black, but it would require precise play... something that would be very difficult to do OTB.} 24. fxe5 { Even though this opens up the e0file and allows black's R to reach the second rabk, it's a tremendous move by Fischer.} (24. Re1 {looks tempting, but after} Qh5 25. fxe5 Ng3+ 26. Kg1 Ne2+ {white comes under a crushing attack.} 27. Kh1 +++++Rxe5 28. Bf4 Nxf4 29. Qxf4 Bc7 30. Rxe5 Bxe5 31. Bf3 Qh3 32. Bg4 Bxf4 33. Bxh3 Rxd3 {and even with Bs of opposite colors black wins the ending. They were lengthy games, but black scored 5 out of 5 in Shootouts.}) 24... Rxe5 25. Bf4 Re2 {Things look grim for Fischer...Bisguier has a R on the 2nd rank and his Q and N look menacing.} 26. Be4 {This position is extremely critical...for both sides! The move Fischer played was praised as being innovative and as one that saves the game. Not true! It is, in fact, inferior to the correct 26.Bf3, but unfortunately for Bisguier he failed to find the right move and loses quickly.} (26. Bf3 {This is the correct move. Now after} Rxb2 27. Rae1 Qf6 {and only now} 28. Be5 Qe6 29. Qg4 g6 {Oddly enough there is no effective discovered attack on black's Q, so...} 30. c4 Rxa2 31. Bc3 Qd6 {and white should be content to repeat moves after 32.B35 because if, say...} 32. Bg2 Qxd3 33. Bf6 Rf8 34. Bd5 Kh7 35. Be4 Qd6 36. Qf4 Qxf6 37. Bxf5 Qxf5 38. Qxf5 gxf5 39. Rxf5 {Black is winning.}) 26... Rxb2 {[%mdl 8192] This move is quite natural, but it loses immediately.} (26... Re8 {This prevents the B from going to e5 and so now life is bright for black.} 27. Bf3 Ne3 28. Bxe3 R8xe3 29. Rg1 (29. Qg4 Qxg4 30. Bxg4 Rxb2 {with a won ending.}) 29... Rxh2+ 30. Kxh2 Bc7+ 31. Kh1 Qd6 32. Rg2 Rxf3 { A difficult position. Black only has B+P against a R, but his position is preferable, but in Shootouts white scores +0 -3 =2, so his position is not without some resources.}) 27. Be5 {White is clearly winning. The N and f7 are under attack,and there is nothing black can do.} Re8 (27... Qe6 {fails...} 28. Rxf5 Qxc4 29. dxc4 Rdd2 30. Bd5 Rf2 31. Rxf7 Rxf7 32. Rf1 Re2 33. Rxf7 Rxe5 34. Re7+) 28. Rxf5 (28. Bxf5 Qg2#) 28... Rxe5 29. Rxe5 {Black resigned.} (29. Rxe5 Rxh2+ (29... Qd6 30. Re8+ Qf8 31. Rxf8+ {wins}) 30. Kxh2 Qd6 31. d4 Bc7 32. Kg1 {White wins...for example} Qd7 33. Qd5 Qg4+ 34. Kf2 g6 35. Re8+ Kg7 36. Rg1 Qh4+ 37. Ke2 {WHite mates in 12.} Bg3 38. dxc5 Qg4+ 39. Kd3 h5 40. Rf1 Bf2 41. Qe5+ f6 42. Re7+ Kh6 43. Qxf6 Qg3+ 44. Kc4 Bd4 45. cxd4 Qg4 46. Bxg6 Qe6+ 47. Rxe6 h4 48. Qxh4+ Kg7 49. Qh7#) 1-0

A Chess Hors d'oeuvre by Slim Bouaziz

 

     The following miniature was served up by Tunsian GM Slim Bouaziz (born April 26, 1950) at the1970 Chess Olympiad in Siegen, at the time in West Germany.

     According to a discussion on one web site when his name is translated his first name is probably “Salim” or “Saleem”. 

     He was awarded the IM title in 1975 and the GM title in 1993. He is also a FIDE Senior Trainer and an International Organizer. 

     He was Arab champion in 1986 and 1991. From 1966 to 2006, Bouaziz was on the Tunisian team at the Chess Olympiad 16 times. 

     He participated in five Interzonals. He finished last Sousse Interzonal in 1967, his single win coming against GM Robert Byrne. 

     At the Riga Interzonal in 1979, he tied with then IM Edmar Mednis for 14th (out of 18), but he held the winner, Mihail Tal to a draw. He also held 3rd place finisher, GM Andras Adorjan, to a draw. 

     At the Las Palmas Interzonal in 1982, he tied for 11th-13th (out of 14) with then IM Jaime Sunye Neto and then IMLars Karlsson. 

     He withdrew from the 1985 Tunis Interzonal after six rounds, having scored only a single draw. In the 1999 World Championship Knockout Tournament he lost in the first round to Vasilios Kotronias. 

     Bouaziz was one of the leading African players, winning the Arab Chess Championships in 1986 and 1991. 

     His opponent in the following game was Orestes Rodriguez Vargas (born July 4, 1943) a Peruvian GM (1978). He has won the Peruvian championship five times.

 

[Event "Siegen Olympiad qual-1"] [Site "Siegen FRG"] [Date "1970.09.09"] [Round "5"] [White "Slim Bouaziz"] [Black "Orestes Rodriguez Vargas"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "39"] [EventDate "1970.09.05"] [Source "Olimpbase"] {C88: Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {[%mdl 32]} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 9. c3 {The usual book line here is 9.d3. Although the text is rareit can hardly be cpnsidered bad.} d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 Bf6 13. Nc3 Nxc3 (13... Nce7 14. Bg5 Bxg5 15. Nxg5 h6 16. Nge4 Nxc3 17. bxc3 {is equal. Petukhov,D (2350)-Sawyer,B (2172) chess.com INT 2023}) 14. bxc3 b4 {Apparently yh idea of this move is to give whiye an isolated d-Pawn, but it turns out to be tactically faulty.} (14... Ne7 {was tried in Solovjov,S (2434)-Golovchenko,G (2320) St Petersburg RUS 2003} 15. a4 {Better was 15.Ne5!} Ng6 16. Ba3 Re8 {with an equal position.}) (14... Na5 {Is the best way for black to equalize.} 15. Bc2 Nc4 {Black has fully equalized}) 15. Bb2 Qd6 16. Qd3 (16. Qc2 {worked out well for white in the following game.} Na5 17. Ne5 Nxb3 18. Qxb3 a5 19. cxb4 axb4 20. a3 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qg6 22. f3 Rad8 23. Rad1 Qb6+ 24. Kh1 Qf2 25. axb4 Rd2 26. Rg1 Rxb2 27. Qd3 Bc8 28. Qd8 Bxh3 29. Qg5 h6 {Black resigbed, Mate in 10 is unavoidablw. Paley,A (2007)-Sargissyan,S (2119) Nizhny Novgorod RUS 2009}) 16... bxc3 17. Bxc3 Rad8 18. Rad1 (18. Bc2 { is ineffective at thispoint because after} g6 19. Rad1 {Black's K-side is solidly defended.}) 18... Nb4 {[%mdl 8192] It's a little surprising, but this seemingly forceful move ends up losing a piece.} (18... Ne7 {offers a tougher. defense.} 19. Bb2 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Nd5 21. Rc1 {White is better, but far from winning.}) 19. Bxb4 (19. Qd2 {This is probably what black expected after which he has at least equality after} c5 20. Ne5 (20. dxc5 Qxd2 21. Bxd2 (21. Rxd2 Bxc3) 21... Nd3 {equals.}) 20... Bxe5 21. Rxe5 cxd4 22. Bxd4 Nc6 23. Rd5 { and black should be able to hold his own after 23...Qg6}) 19... Qxb4 20. Bc2 { Black resigned. He loses a piece.} (20. Bc2 g6 {Forced.} 21. Rb1 {and the B on v7 ios lost.}) (20. Bc2 Rfe8 21. Qxh7+ Kf8 22. Qh8#) 1-0

Reshevsky Plays the Old Switcheroo

 

     Yugoslav GM Svetozar Gligoric started the year 1952 with a first place finish at Hastings. Then came tie for places 3-5 (with Erich Eliskases and Larry Evans behind Samuel Reshevsky and Miguel Najdorf at Havana. His next event was a first place finish in Hollywood ahead of Arturo Pomar. 

     After giving a ten board simul in Los Angeles it was time to return home and on the wat back he stopped in New York to play a match against Reshevsky. After the match it was on to the Olympiad in Helsinki and then he participated in the Interzonal in Stockholm. His final tournament that yer was the Yugoslav championship. 

     Played in New York from June 2-22, according to Chess metrics estimated rating Gligoric went into the match rated 2705 placing his at number 11 in the world. Reshevsky’s estimated rating was number 1 in the world with a 2777 rating. He was followed by Vassily Smyslov (2766) and Paul Keres (2758). 

     For his part, in 1952, Reshevsky had run over Miguel Najdorf in a, 18-game match that was unofficially called "The Match for the Championship of the Free World.” The games were played in New York, Mexico City and San Salvador. Reshevsky scored a crushing victory, winning 8, losing 4 and drawing 6. 

     The Gligoric-Reshevsky match was arranged rather suddenly in order to take advantage of the presence of Gligoric in New York after Reshevsky had returned from his match with Najdorf. 

     In his match against Najdorf, Reshevsky started off with a +6 -0 =2. Gligoric fared a little better...Reshevsky started off with a +2 -0 =4. 

     The first game in the match is an instructive example of switching the attack from one side of the board to the other. 

 

     The mark of great players is their flexibility and their readiness to switch objectives the moment opportunity presents itself. In Chess Fundamentals Capablanca wrote, “...at times the way to win consists in attacking first on one side, then, granted greater mobility of the pieces, to transfer the attack quickly from one side to the other, breaking through before your opponent has been able to bring up sufficient forces to withstand the attack.” 

     In this game Gligoric played the King’s Indian, a defense which is usually played with the idea of starting a counterattack. But, instead, in this game he abstained from aggressive play and only tried hold his own. His strategy proved to be safe, but his defense turned out to be overly cautious and when the position became partly open Reshevsky seized this opportunity to switch his forces to the King-side. He then obtained a strong attack which Gligoric was unable to defend against. 

     It's true, the game is not perfect because in the midst of the attack both players missed better opportunities. The game shows that defending is a lot harder than attacking and the consequences of a slip by the attacker are usually far less serious that a slip by the defender. 

[Event "Match (Game 1), New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1952.06.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "Svetozar Gligoric"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E95"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "1952.06.01"] {E95: King's Indian: Classical Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 {At this point white has a variety of ways to continue. With 7.dxe5 black gets an easy game. By 7.d5 closing the center, a positional, maneuvering game results where white will likely be attacking on the Q-side and black on the K-side. Reshevsky's 7.O-O is neutral, reserving all the options and leaving black to make the exchange if he wishes.} 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Re1 c6 9. Bf1 {How do you explain this retreat? White played 6.Be2 in order to get castled, but after 8.Re1 returning the B to f1 unmasks the R so it has effect on the e-file. Additionally, the B is not badly place on f1 from where it serves both for defense and for supporting the coming Q-side P advance.} Re8 {The threat is to play 10...exd4 with the hope of making use of the r file.} 10. d5 {After this push black can exchange Ps, but then white would be able to make good use of the c- file. Gligoric decides to close the center completely. It's then up to white to decide how he wants to break through.} c5 11. a3 Rf8 { A mysterious looking move, but this Rs return to f8 has a pirpose...it foreshadows K-side expansion by ...f5 after black plays ...Ne8. Note that the R served no purpose on e8 after white played 10.d5} 12. g3 (12. Rb1 {is also acceptable.} Ne8 13. b4 h6 14. g3 b6 15. Bd2 Qe7 16. Qc2 {with equal chances. Abdelnabbi,I (2452)-Haddouche,M (2329) Tripolis 2009}) 12... Ne8 (12... h6 { was played in Sosonko,G (2575)-Camara,H (2325) Sao Paulo 1978} 13. Qc2 Kh7 14. b4 b6 15. Rb1 Ng8 16. Bd3 Ne7 {The chances are about equal.}) 13. b4 Qe7 { Passive play, but there is little choice. Gligoric makes no attempt to get in . ..f5. If...f5 really was his intention he has apparently changed his mind.} ( 13... f5 {is met by} 14. Ng5 Nc7 15. Nb5 Nf6 (15... Nxb5 16. Ne6 Nc3 17. Qc2 Qf6 18. Qxc3 {is decisive.}) 16. exf5 gxf5 17. bxc5 dxc5 {and white has a favorable position.}) (13... b6 {This worked out well for black after} 14. Rb1 Kh8 15. Bd2 Qe7 16. Qc2 f5 {Jaracz,P (2395)-Urban,K (2470) Augustow 1996 and black has equal chances...the game was eventually drawn.}) 14. Ra2 {White is better.} Nc7 (14... f5 {Apparently Gligoric still deemed this too risky.} 15. exf5 gxf5 16. Nh4 e4 17. Ne2 Ne5 18. Nf4 Bf6 {Am unclear, complicated position has arisen, but white seems to have the advantage after} 19. bxc5 dxc5 20. d6 Qf7 21. Nd5 Bxh4 22. gxh4 Nf3+ 23. Kh1 Nf6 24. Ne7+) 15. Be3 b6 16. Nh4 Ne8 17. Qc1 Nc7 {It appears that Gligoric has decided that there is nothing positive he can accomplish and so he has decided to awaits developments. Shifting his N back and forth is not so bad in itself, but it gives Reshevsky time to build up his position.} (17... f5 {Is still a tad risky.} 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Bh3 Nb8 ( 19... Ndf6 20. Nxf5) 20. f4 Na6 (20... exf4 21. Bxf4 Qf6 22. Ne4 fxe4 23. Bxc8 {White's position is a winning ione.}) (20... e4 21. Nxe4 fxe4 22. Bxc8 { White's advantage will prove decisive.}) 21. fxe5 dxe5 22. Bg5 {Here, too, white's advantage should prove decisive.}) 18. Bg5 Bf6 19. Bh6 Bg7 20. Bh3 { Reshevsky's plan is to eliminated all 4 Bs, then open and occupy the b-file.} Re8 {Clearly Gligoric has no plans for the f-file.} 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qd2 { Black's options are becoming few.} Nf8 23. Bxc8 Rexc8 24. bxc5 {This exchange has to be played at a time when black can't relake with a N. Now after this exchange black won't be able to keep the b-file half-closed by recapturing with the d-Pawn., because of the repky d5-d6.} bxc5 $14 (24... dxc5 25. d6 { wins}) 25. Rb2 Nd7 26. Na4 Rcb8 27. Reb1 Qd8 (27... Rxb2 {is a reasonable try because he can then challenge white on the b-file.} 28. Rxb2 Ne8 29. Nc3 Nb6 ( 29... Rb8 30. Rxb8 Nxb8 {looks drawish.})) 28. Kg2 h6 {This move gas been wrongly criticized as being a superfluous precaution that ruins black's game, but that's an overstatement; black's game is perfectly OK. What Gligoric's problem is that he has been paying too passively. 28...Nb6 was also a good move.} 29. Qa5 Nb6 30. Nxb6 axb6 31. Qc3 {This position is equal, but Reshevsky is quietly preparing to switch operations to the K-side. With 31.Qc3 he defends the a-Pawn and takes advantage of the pin on the e-Pawn and threatens to launch a K-side attack with f2-f4.} Kg8 {Generally it's not a good idea to keep the K on the diagonal with white's Q.} (31... Ne8 32. f4 Kh7 33. fxe5 dxe5 34. Qxe5 Nd6 {is technically equal, but in practice black;s position is very passive and therefore difficult to defend.}) 32. Qd2 {Now Reshevsky's two-pronged attack has become serious, but even so, with careful play black can still hold his own.} (32. Rxb6 {would be a horrific mistake.} Rxb6 33. Rxb6 Nxd5 34. exd5 Qxb6 {and white has lost a R.}) 32... Rxa3 { After this Gligoric finds himself in serious difficulties. Now that the Q is off the long diagonal and the e-Pawn is no longer pinned the K can safely guard the h-Pawn.} (32... Kh7 {leaves his K-side safe and so there is nothing better for white than to go back to Q-side operations, but after, for example} 33. Qd3 (33. Rxb6 Rxb6 34. Rxb6 Rxa3 {the position is void of any damger for black.}) 33... Ne8 34. Rb3 Nf6 35. Nf3 {the position is dead equal.} (35. f4 exf4 36. gxf4 Nh5 {wins})) 33. Qxh6 {The appearance of white's Q on the K-side plus the N being poised to play a role in the attack means that black is now in serious danger.} Ne8 34. f4 {Reshevsky is now going all out for a mating attack, but black has good defensive resources after this.} (34. Nf3 {This quiet move, clearing the way for the advance of the h-Pawn, is very dangerous to black. For example...} Nf6 35. Ng5 Ra7 36. h4 Qf8 37. Qxf8+ Kxf8 38. Rxb6 Rxb6 39. Rxb6 Ke7 40. Rb8 Ng4 (40... Ra4 41. Rb7+ Kf8 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. Rxf6) 41. Rb2 Nf6 42. f3 {White is better, but the question is, does he have enough of an advantage to win? The answer is, yes. White won 5 out of 5 Shootouts. Here is the example at 17 plies.} Nh5 43. Kh3 f5 44. exf5 gxf5 45. Rb3 Kf6 46. Rb6 Ke7 47. Rb3 Kf6 48. Rb6 Ke7 49. Rb2 Nf6 50. Rb3 Nh5 51. Ne6 Kf6 52. Rb8 Ke7 53. g4 fxg4+ 54. Kxg4 Nf6+ 55. Kg5 e4 56. fxe4 Nd7 57. Rh8 Nf6 58. Kf5 Ra1 59. Nf4 Kf7 60. Rd8 Re1 61. Rxd6 Nxe4 62. Re6 Ng3+ 63. Kg4 Ne4 64. Nd3 Rg1+ 65. Kf5 Ng3+ 66. Ke5 Rd1 67. Nxc5 Kg7 68. d6 Nf1 69. Ne4 Ne3 70. Re7+ Kg6 71. c5 Rd5+ 72. Ke6 {with an easy win for white.}) 34... exf4 35. Rf2 $1 Qe7 (35... Qf6 { was a much better defense.} 36. Rxf4 Qg7 {White's attack is at an end and it's doubtful that he has enough of an advantage to win.}) 36. Qxf4 {This, too, is imprecise!.} (36. Rxf4 {is a different story.} Ra2+ 37. Kg1 g5 38. Nf5 Qf6 39. Rff1 Qxh6 40. Nxh6+ Kg7 41. Nxf7 {and it's doubtful that black will survive.}) 36... Ra4 {This attack on the b-Pawn is impotent.} (36... Rba8 37. Rbb2 Rc3 38. Nf3 Rxc4 39. Ng5 f6 40. Ne6 Qh7 41. Rxb6 Rb4 42. Rc6 {And the game is still in full progress with the outcome uncertain.}) 37. Rbf1 {Seven moves ago all white's heavy pieces were on the Q- side. Now they are well placed on the f-file while black's Rs are unable to be of much use in the defense.} Rb7 38. Nxg6 {This move was highly praised, but it's actually premature. Old annotators often praised moves based on the success of the winner and that's why you cannot trust a lot of analysis in old books and madazines. Of course they didm't have engines so they often missed a lot. Of this move it was written that it was "a superficially brilliant sacrifice which forces the final entry' and "it probably needed very little calculation." Another annotator gave it a "!!" and wrote, "A neat sacrifice which makes white's sudden attack irresistible." On the other hand, Stockfish slapped a "?" on it.} (38. Qg4 {is correct and it leaves black with no defense. For example...} Raa7 39. Rxf7 Qxf7 40. Rxf7 Rxf7 41. Qxg6+ Kf8 42. Nf5 Ra2+ 43. Kh3 Raa7 44. Qh6+ Kg8 45. Qe6 Kf8 46. Nh6 Rfb7 47. Qg8+ Ke7 48. Nf5+ Kd8 49. Nxd6 Rh7+ 50. Kg2 Rhe7 51. h4 {and white is clearly winning. Here is a possible continuation...} Rad7 52. e5 Rxe5 53. Nf7+ Rxf7 54. Qxf7 {etc.}) 38... fxg6 {The reality is that at this point white is only slightly better.} 39. Qh6 {[%mdl 128] White threatens Rf8+ but if black finds the right reply he equalizes and is right back in the game!} Qxe4+ {[%mdl 8192] Missing the equalizer.} (39... Ng7 40. Qxg6 Rxc4 41. e5 dxe5 42. d6 Qe8 43. Qxe8+ Nxe8 44. Rf8+ Kg7 45. Rxe8 Rc2+ { and the double R ending should be drawn...theoretically at least.}) 40. Kg1 ( 40. Kh3 Qf5+ 41. Rxf5 gxf5 42. Qe6+ Kh7 43. Rf4 Rxc4 44. Rxc4 Kg7 45. Qxe8 Kf6 46. Qe6+ Kg7 47. Rh4 c4 48. Qxf5 c3 49. Rg4+ Kh8 50. Qf6+ Kh7 51. Qh4#) 40... Qd4 41. Kg2 Qe4+ 42. Kh3 Qf5+ {Black resigned} 1-0

Richard J. Sutton

     FIDE Master Richard J. Sutton (September 23, 1938 - April 17, 2009) was born in London, England and was a New Zealand legal academic. 

     He earned degrees from Auckland University and Harvard Law School. He was employed by the University of Auckland Law School and in 1980 became a full professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Otago in Dunedin. At Otago he served on two occasions as dean of the faculty. He became an emeritus professor in 2005. 

     He was the New Zealand champion in 1962–63, 1970/71 and 1971–72. In the 1962/63 championship he held Ortvin Sarapu to a draw in the last round and so the two were declared co-champions. He won the other championships outright.

     He represented New Zealand at the 1966 Zonal tournament in Auckland and the 1972 Olympiad in Skopje, Yugoslavia. 

     Sutton was also a correspondence player of renown. He was the New Zealand Correspondence Champion in 1970 and in 1975 he lost to Jorn Sloth in the final of the world CC championship. 

     He was a foundation trustee of the Chess Friends of New Zealand Trust and the founder of the Otago Chess Club. In addition to holding the FM title with FIDE, Sutton also held the Master title in both New Zealand and the United States. Sutton lost his battle with cancer and passed away in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2009. 

     His scrappy attacking play is seen the following wild game that was played in the 1961/62 New Zealand Championship. 

[Event "61-62 New Zealand Champ, Wellingtom"] [Site "Wellington NZL"] [Date "1962.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Richard Sutton"] [Black "Christopher A Evans"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C35"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1962.??.??"] {C35: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 {Boris Spassky beat Fischer with the King’s Gambit at Mar del Plata in 1960. That defeat caused Fischer to begin analyzing it and he calimed toi have discovered a bust. He even claimed that the King's Gambit loses by force.} exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 {Fischer advocated 3... d6 and wrote, "This is the key to a troublesome position, a high-class "waiting move. At Mar Del Plata, 1959, I played 3...g5 against Spassky, but this is inexact because it gives white drawing chances in the ensuing ending." Fischer went on to show analysis and concluded by saying, "Of course white can always play differently, in which case he merely loses differently."} 4. Bc4 Nf6 (4... Bh4+ {is frequently played, but it leads nowhere after} 5. Kf1 (5. g3 {is risky because after} fxg3 6. O-O (6. hxg3 {should be avoided.} Bxg3+ 7. Kf1 d5 8. exd5 Bg4 {White; position is no fun to play.}) 6... d5 7. exd5 Bh3 8. Re1+ Kf8 {black has an aggressive position.}) 5... d5 6. Bxd5 {and black's position is rather harmless because he has no forceful followup.}) 5. Nc3 { This routine move gives black a clear advantage.} (5. e5 Ng4 6. d4 d5 {with equal chances.}) 5... Nxe4 6. Ne5 (6. Nxe4 {favors black.} d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. d3 Bf5 9. Qe2 Nc6 10. Bxf4 O-O-O {with an active position.}) (6. O-O O-O 7. Nxe4 d5 8. Bd3 dxe4 9. Bxe4 {Black is slightly better. Sogaard,S (2270) -Pedersen,N (2295) Aarhus DEN 1995}) 6... Ng5 {This well played move gives black a promising position.} (6... Nd6 {is sold and it, too, leaves black with slightly the better of it, but Evans' move is more aggressive.} 7. Bb3 Nc6 8. d4 O-O 9. Bxf4 Na5 {Black's slight advantage didn't mean much in Honfi, K-Pogats,J Budapest 1955 though because white went on to win.}) 7. d4 d6 { [%mdl 32]} 8. Nd3 {Black is clearly better.} c6 9. Nxf4 d5 10. Bd3 Ne6 11. O-O O-O (11... Nxd4 {allows white too much play...} 12. Qh5 Qd6 13. Nfxd5 g6 14. Qh6 cxd5 15. Qg7 Rf8 16. Qxd4 {and white has at least succeeded in equalizing., }) 12. Nce2 Nd7 {The strange looking retreat 12...Nc7 was better because it would not have allowed black to get a backward e-Pawm.} 13. c3 (13. Nxe6 { keeps the balance.} fxe6 14. Nf4 {Black's e-Pawn has become a target and so white can be considered to have equalized.}) 13... Nf6 14. Ng3 Nxf4 15. Bxf4 Be6 16. Qc2 g6 {While this can hardly be considered bad, it contains a bad seed...a weakened K-side.} (16... c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5+ 18. Kh1 h6 {is a better line.} 19. Qd2 d4 20. Bxh6 {Tempting, but it's harmless.} dxc3 (20... gxh6 { loses of course.} 21. Qxh6 Ne4 22. Bxe4 f5 23. Qxe6+ Rf7 24. Nxf5) 21. Qxc3 { The best defense.} (21. Qg5 Ne8 22. Bh7+ Kxh7 23. Qxc5 Qd6 {Black is safe.} ( 23... gxh6 24. Qxf8)) 21... Qd4 22. Bg5 Ng4 {Surprisingly, black's position is far from overwhelming! AFter} 23. Ne4 Bb6 24. h3 Ne5 25. Bc2 {Black's attack has been beaten back.}) 17. Rae1 {Black's position has drifted from promising to no more than equal after, say, 17...Qd7, but white's last move contains a drop of poison that Evans is unaware of!} Ne8 {This is bad!} 18. Bxg6 {Luckily for black, so is this!} (18. Rxe6 {This is the correct sequence.} fxe6 { and now...} 19. Bxg6 Ng7 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Bd3 {and black's position is precarious at best.}) 18... hxg6 19. Rxe6 fxe6 {[%mdl 8192] Finally, black makes a fatal error.} (19... Qd7 {and black stays safe.} 20. Re3 Nd6 {Black's position holds and white has no forced win.}) (19... Ng7 {also proves sufficient.} 20. Re2 Bd6 {with equal chances.}) 20. Qxg6+ {Now black has no escape, but only if white's play is precise.} Ng7 21. Nh5 {And precise it is!} (21. Be5 {Threatening mate is really bad.} Rxf1+ 22. Nxf1 Qf8 {and white is a R down.}) 21... Rf7 22. Nxg7 Rxg7 23. Qxe6+ Kh7 {Does white have enough to finish off his opponent?} 24. Qh3+ {He does, but not with this mvoe!} (24. Qh6+ Kg8 25. Be5 Bf8 (25... Rh7 26. Qg6+ Rg7 27. Qxg7#) 26. Qe6+ Kh7 27. Rf3 { wraps it up.}) 24... Kg8 {[%mdl 8192] In his turn, black counter-blunders!} ( 24... Bh4 {and black is quite safe.} 25. Bg3 Qg5 26. Rf4 Re8 27. Rxh4+ Kg8 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rxe8 Kxe8 30. Qc8+ Qd8 {The result from this position could be anything.}) 25. Be5 {[%mdl 8192] White counters black's counter-blunder with yet another blunder!} (25. Qe6+ {was the only winning move.} Kh8 26. Be5 Bf8 27. Rf6 {Black has no move}) 25... Bf8 {[%mdl 8192] Will the blunders ever cease?!} (25... Qc8 {not only avoids disaster, but secures what should be (or should it be might be?) a winning position.} 26. Rf5 (26. Qxc8+ Rxc8 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 {with what amounts to a theoretical win.}) 26... Bf8 27. Bxg7 Bxg7 28. Qg4 Qc7 29. Rg5 Re8 {with a theoretical win.}) 26. Qe6+ {Finally! After this any more blunders are unlikely.} Kh7 27. Rf3 {Black resigned. Spirited, if inaccurate, play by both sides.} 1-0

No Respect

   

     He was an International Master and Chessmtrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2543 on their December 1951 rating list, placing him at number 103 in world. 

     He once held Soviet kingpin Yefim Geller to a draw and he scored wins against such stalwarts as I.A. Horowitz, Nicolas Rossolimo, Migual Najdorf, Arturo Pomar, Albrec O’Kelly, Ludek Pachman, Savielly Tartakower, J.H. Donner and Max Euwe.

     He was an FIDE arbiter, chess author, represented England nine times in the Chess Olympiads, was three times British chess champion (1947, 1949 and 1955), finished second in 1948, was the first British player to qualify for an Interzonal and was awarded that of Honorary Grandmaster in 1985. 

     Harry Golombek was born on March 1, 1911, in Lambeth, a district in South London, England; he passed away on January 7, 1995. 

     At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Golombek was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, competing in the Chess Olympiad. The British team immediately returned home and Golombek, Alexander and Milner-Barry were soon recruited to Bletchley Park where they were involved in code breaking. 

     He was appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1966, the first to be so honored for services to chess. OBE is an order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations and public service outside the civil service.

 

     In the following game Golombek defeats the former World Champion at the historic Paignton tournament in 1951. The Paignton Chess Congress started annually in 1951 in the prestigious Oldway Mansion as a celebration of the Devon County Chess Association's 50th year of existence.

 

[Event "Paignton"] [Site "Paignton ENG"] [Date "1951.09.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Harry Golombek"] [Black "Max Euwe"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E04"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {Catalan} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {In the Catalan white combines the Queen's Gambit with the Reti. The c4-Pawn my become vulnerable and white might have to sacrifice it. Black has two main approaches. In the Open Catalan seen in this game black plays ...dxc4 and can either try to hold on to the Pawn with ...b5 or give it back to gain time to free his game. In the Closed Catalan, black does not capture on c4 which leaves his position somewhat cramped, but very solid.} d5 {[%mdl 32] Of course black can avoid the Catalan with either 3... Bb4+ of 3...c5} 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Nf3 a6 6. a4 {White generally castles or plays 6.Ne5} c5 7. O-O (7. dxc5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Bxc5 {favors black.}) 7... Nc6 8. Nbd2 cxd4 9. Nxc4 Bc5 10. Nfe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 O-O 12. Qc2 Ba7 (12... Bd6 13. Nc4 Bc7 14. Rd1 e5 15. e3 Bg4 {Black is better. Lazarne Vajda,S (2294)-Bulmaga,I (2438) Petrovac MNE 2023}) 13. Rd1 Nd5 {White has sufficient play for his P minus.} 14. Qc4 {This turns out not to be an especially good square for the Q. Either 14.Nf3 or 14.Bd2 would have been better.} Qd6 15. Nf3 e5 {[%mdl 32] Black's control of the center and space advantage give him the advantage.} 16. Ng5 Be6 {But this move should have allowed white to regain equality by simply playing 17.Nxe6} (16... Rd8 {leaveds white in a difficult situation.} 17. Ne4 Qc6 18. Qxc6 bxc6 19. Bd2 f5 20. Ba5 Rd7 21. Nd2 e4 (21... c5 22. e4 {is much less effective.} Nf6 23. exf5) 22. Rac1 Rb7 23. Rxc6 Rxb2 24. Rdc1 Bb7 {with the advantage.}) 17. Qd3 f5 18. Bd2 e4 19. Qb3 h6 {[%mdl 2048]} 20. Nxe6 Qxe6 21. Rac1 (21. Qxb7 {is a losing blunder...} Rfb8 {traps the Q}) 21... Rf7 22. Kh1 Re8 23. a5 Qe5 {23...g5 would also have left white facing a strong attack.} 24. f3 Qe6 25. fxe4 fxe4 26. Rf1 {Black should now have consolidated his position by playing 26...Rfe7 or 27...Rd7. Instead, he allows the exchange of Qs which dissipates his advantage.} Nf6 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. Bh3 Re8 29. Bf5 {How should black neet the threat of 30.Bg6?} e3 {oOf all the moves available to black this is the least effective way of meeting white's threat.} (29... Rff8 30. Bb4 Rf7 31. Bg6) (29... Rd8 30. Be6) (29... Rfe7 {results in equal chances after} 30. Bb4 Re5 31. Bg6 Rd8 32. Rc4 {Black's P center is under attack.}) (29... d3 {gets tricky, but it results in equal chances after} 30. exd3 e3 (30... exd3 31. Bg6) 31. Be1 e2 32. Rf3) 30. Bb4 (30. Bg6 exd2 31. Bxf7+ Kxf7 32. Rcd1 Rxe2 {and black is winning.} 33. Rf3 Ke6 34. Rd3 (34. Rff1 Ng4 35. Rf3 d3 {There is no way to meet the threat of ...Rxf2#}) 34... Re1+) 30... Ne4 {[%mdl 8192] A simple tactical blunder. Euwe was susceptible to making these throughput his career.} (30... Nd5 31. Ba3 Rf6 32. Bd3 Kf7 33. Rxf6+ gxf6 34. Bf5 {with about equal chances. Black's extra P is countered by white's two Bs and R on the open file.}) 31. Bh7+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxh7 32. Rxf7 {The exchange up, Golombek has no trouble securing the win.} d3 {Euwe complicates the issue, but Golombek is up to the task of seeing his way through them/} 33. exd3 Nf2+ 34. Kg2 Nxd3 35. Bc3 {New York Yankee baseball catcher Yogi Berra once said "It's not over 'til it's over" and that is the case here!} (35. Rd1 {and black wins.} Nxb4 36. Rdd7 (36. Re1 e2 37. Kf3 Re3+ 38. Kg2 Nd3) 36... Kg6 37. Rxg7+ Kf6 38. Rdf7+ Ke6 39. Kf3 Nd3 40. Rc7 Rf8+ 41. Ke2 Ne5 42. Rge7+ Kd6 43. Rxb7 Rf2+ 44. Ke1 Nd3+ 45. Kd1 Rd2#) (35. Rxb7 {allows black to equalize.} Nxc1 36. Bc3 e2 {loses } (36... Bd4 37. Bxd4 Kg6 38. Rxg7+ Kf5 39. Kf3 e2 40. g4+ Ke6 41. Bf2 Kd5 42. Rh7 Re6 {and the game should resolve into a draw.}) 37. Rxa7 e1=Q 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39. Re7+ Kg8 40. Rxe1 Rxe1 41. Bxe1) 35... Kg6 36. Rcf1 {White is clearly winning now.} Nf2 37. Rxb7 Bc5 38. Rxg7+ Kf5 39. Rc7 Bd6 40. Rc6 Be5 41. Rc5 { Euwe resigned. A fine finish, especially beginning with Golombek's 35.Bc3!} ( 41. Rc5 Ke4 42. Rxf2 Bc7 (42... exf2 43. Rxe5+) 43. Rf7 Bd8 44. Rd7 e2 45. Rd4+ Ke3 46. Rcd5 {with the threat of Bd2#}) 1-0

Petrosian Pounds Korchnoy

     In May and June of 1962 eight players met in Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles to determine the challenger to Mikhail Botvinnik. The field consisted of the top five from the Interzonal that was held in Stockholm. 

     There was a tie between Leonid Stein, Pal Benko and Svetozar Gligoric for sixth spot which was won by Stein in a playoff. Unfortunately for him, he was ineligible because there was an FIDE rule that limited the number of players from the same country to three. So Benko, who had finished second in the playoff, got the sixth spot. 

     The remaining two places were the seeded players Paul Keres and Mikhail Tal who had qualified by finishing first and second at the Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates in 1959. . 

     Korchnoy led after the first cycle, but then collapsed and scored only one win in the next 11 rounds. 

     Bobby Fischer, who had won the Stockholm Interzonal by 2.5 points, got off to a terrible start and after the first cycle his score was a miserable 2-5. Ex-world champion Tal withdrew due to kidney illness after the end of the third cycle. 

     Going into the last cycle, Keres was leading with Petrosian and Geller a half point behind. Geller lost only one game in thw tournament. It came in round 23 and it was to Fischer. 

     Also in round 23 Petrosian tied Keres by destroying Korchnoy in today’s featured game. The win gave Petrosian a half-point lead over Keres going into the last round. 

     In the last round Petrosian surprised everybody when he took a quick draw as white against the tail-ender, Dr. Miroslav Filip. Maybe it was not a surprise though because of claims that the Russians had fixed the results.

     Keres had a chance IF he beat Fischer. But. even though Keres got the advantage, he managed to let it slip and Fischer got the draw. One wonders if Keres was ordered not to win. 

     While all that was going on Benko was beating Geller in a Queen and Pawn ending, but lost on time. If you ever saw Benko playing that should not come as a surprise...the guy moved as slow as molasses. As a result Petrosian eked out a first place finish by just a half a point. He went on to become the World Champion from 1963 to 1969.

 

 

     In this tournament Petrosian, Keres,and Geller drew all twelve of their games against each other...the average length of the games was only 18 moves! As a result there was widespread speculation that the Russians had cheated. 

     Not long after the tournament there was an article by Fischer titled "The Russians Have Fixed World Chess” that appeared in Sports Illustrated and the German magazine Der Spiegel. He claimed that the Russians had agreed in advance to draw their games against each other. As a result, FIDE eliminated candidates tournaments and switched to a matches between the top qualifiers.

[Event "Candidates Tournament, Curacao"] [Site "Willemstad CUW"] [Date "1962.06.16"] [Round "23"] [White "Tigran Petrosian"] [Black "Viktor Korchnoi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A31"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1962.05.02"] {A31: Symmetrical English} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 {Its rather amusing that Alekhlne considered this move to be premature and recommended instead 3.Nf3} cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 d5 {If 5...Bg7 the game transposes into the Sicilian Maroczy Bind after 6.e4, something Korcjnoy prefers not to play against.} 6. Bg5 {At the time this was an innovation} dxc4 (6... Bg7 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. cxd5 Qb6 9. Nb3 a5 10. a4 Qb4 11. e3 Bd7 12. Nd4 Qxb2 13. Qc1 Qxc1+ 14. Rxc1 O-O { Draw agreed Sakaev,K (2580)-Khalifman,A (2650) St Petersburg 1997}) 7. e3 Qa5 { In view of white's simple development Korchnoi is tempted to play sharply, but this move has its disadvantages as will be seen. First, his Ps are weakened by white's next move, white gets the superior center, jis Ns become very active and in the long run blacks' Q proves to be poorly placed. Best was 7...Bg7} ( 7... Bg7 $14 8. Bxc4 O-O 9. O-O a6 {Korchnoi had reached this position at least twice before. At Moscow in 1952 he faced 10.Qb3 against Smyslov and in Leningrad in 1956 Simagin played 10.Qe2}) 8. Bxf6 exf6 {White already has a slight advantage. Against Petrosian black could aready be considered to be in serious trouble.} 9. Bxc4 Bb4 (9... Bg7 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qf3 Qc7 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nc5 {wuth the advantage.}) 10. Rc1 {Petrosian prefers this move because it keeps the c-file open.} (10. O-O {sacrifices a P, but that was not Petrosian's style. After} Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qxc3 12. Bb5+ Nd7 (12... Bd7 13. Rc1 Qa5 14. Rc8+) 13. Rc1 Qa5 14. Ne6 fxe6 15. Rxc8+ Rxc8 16. Qxd7+) (10. O-O Bxc3 11. bxc3 O-O {This is the correct move as after} 12. Qb3 {black's position is tolerable.}) 10... a6 {This move loses a tempo and it turns out to be a costly mistake.} (10... O-O {should have been played.} 11. O-O Bxc3 12. Rxc3 Nd7 { and white can claim only a small advantage.}) 11. O-O {[%mdl 2048]} Nd7 { An elementary mistake...leaving his K in the center one move too long.} (11... Bxc3 $16 12. Rxc3 O-O 13. Qf3 Nd7 14. Rfc1 {Black's position is difficult, but not without some hope of defending himself.}) 12. a3 {This move was highly praised, but engines don't like it because they think the tactical shot 12. Bxf7+ leads to a winning position.} (12. Bxf7+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxf7 13. Qb3+ Kg7 14. Nd5 Nc5 15. Qxb4 Qxb4 16. Nxb4 Ne6 17. Rxc8 Raxc8 18. Nxe6+ Kf7 19. Nd4 { Stockfish thinks white is clearly winning, but it's probable that Arthur Bisguier was right when he said that he believed he could win with either side if he was the stronger player.}) 12... Be7 {This loses quickly.} (12... Bxc3 13. Rxc3 O-O {is best, but white has a neat reply...} 14. Ne6 fxe6 15. Bxe6+ Kg7 16. Bxd7 Rd8 17. Qa4 {with the advantage.}) 13. b4 {The Q has no good square.} Qe5 (13... Qc7 14. Bxf7+ Kxf7 15. Qb3+ Ke8 16. Nd5 Qb8 (16... Qd8 17. Ne6) 17. Nc7+) (13... Qh5 14. Qxh5 gxh5 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. Bd3 O-O 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 18. Bf5 Nb6 19. Bxc8 Nxc8 {with a won ending.}) 14. f4 {The point or the p revious move. Black can't take the e-Pawn.} Qb8 (14... Qxe3+ 15. Kh1 Nb6 16. Rf3 {The Q has no retreat so...} Bg4 17. Rxe3 Bxd1 18. Nxd1 {and white has won a piece.}) 15. Bxf7+ {[%mdl 512] Initiating a strong (and winning) attack.} Kxf7 (15... Kf8 16. Ba2 Nb6 17. Qb3 Kg7 18. Qf7+ Kh6 19. Qxe7) 16. Qb3+ Ke8 { No other move is worth mentioning.} 17. Nd5 {[%mdl 32] The threat is 18.Nc7+ with mate or winning the Q.} Bd6 {Against Nc7+} 18. Ne6 b5 (18... Ra7 19. Rfd1 b6 20. Rc6 Kf7 21. Nxf6 Nxf6 22. Ng5+ Kg7 23. Rdxd6 Rf8 24. Rxf6 Rxf6 25. Qc3) 19. Ndc7+ Ke7 20. Nd4 {Intending Qe6+ and mate.} Kf8 21. Nxa8 {Black resigned.} (21. Nxa8 Qxa8 22. Qe6 Qb8 23. Rc6 {etc.}) 1-0

Players Ignore the Heat and Mosquitoes

    You have probably never heard of Charles Moehle (1859-1898). He was an American master and a strong on at that. Chess metrics estimates the 20-yer old Moehle’s rating in 1880 to have been 2592 which placed him at number 10 on the rating list. 

     Unfortunately not much is known of Charles Adolphus Moehle, the eldest son of Adolph Moehle who acted as Zukertort's umpire and second during the New York portion of the Steinitz - Zukertort World Championship Match in1886.

     Charles operated one of the touring Ajeeb automatons of the 1880s, most famously at the Cincinnati Centennial of 1888. 

     He was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on November 26, 1859 and began to play chess at the age of 16. He soon became master and distinguished himself in a number of tournaments. 

     Considered the best blindfold player in this country, in 1888 he played at the St. Paul (Minnesota) Chess, Checker and Whist Club ten games simultaneous blindfold games, winning eight and losing two. On occasion he played a game of chess, a game of checkers and a game of cards simultaneously. 

     He finished 3rd in the American Chess Congress at New York in 1880 and shared second in the American Chess Association Tournament at Cincinnati in 1888. Moehle played several matches. 

     In 1879 he won two matches. He defeated David G. Baird by a score of 6.5–4.5 and Nicolai Gedalia by a score of 5-1. 

     The virtually unknown Nicolai Gedalia of Denmark was a tragic figure. On the morning of November 13, 1880, his brother heard a gunshot and rushed to find him dead. 

     It was believed that he had not committed suicide because he had purchased a pistol for protection against burglars. It was claimed that he was planning on taking the gun to a gunsmith that day and he was possibly examine it when he accidentally shot himself. 

     David G. Baird (1854-1913) was an American master whose brother, John W. Baird, was also a master. 

     Then in 1890, Moehle lost a match to William H.K. Pollock by a score of 6-7, the single draw not counting. He passed away in Cincinnati, Ohio at the age of 38 on March 27, 1890 shortly after his match with Pollock.

     William H. K. Pollock (1859-1896, 37 years old), the Irish Champion in 1885. He died of what in those days was called consumption, now known as tuberculosis. 

     The match was played in Cincinnati, Ohio, in June of 1890. The winner was the first to win 7 games and draws not counting and the games were “to be played at the rate of not less than two games a day.” 

 

     Cincinnati is at the southern limit of the humid continental climate zone , bordering the humid subtropical climate zone. Summers are hot and humid with significant rainfall in the summer and highs reaching 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) or above on 21 days per year, often with high humidity. 

     It was hot in Cincinnati during the match..some days the temperature was 100 degrees and the room over Katntnaron's saloon was not air conditioned...it wasn't until 1914 that the first residential air conditioner was installed. This groundbreaking unit was an enormous 20 feet long and 7 feet high. It cost half a million dollars in today's money. In 1931, a comparatively more affordable option was introduced in the form of a window unit. 

     Besides being hot, mosquitoes were a problem. Players had to remove their coats and vests and they were provided with ice water and melons. Under the circumstances let’s not be too critical of their moves! 

[Event "Match, Cincinnati"] [Site "?"] [Date "1890.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "William H.K. Pollock"] [Black "Charles Moehle"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "1890.??.??"] {C59: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 {This remains the most common move in the Two Knights.} (5... b5 {was played in the famous Yakov Estrin-Hans Berliner ICCF 1965} 6. Bf1 Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 10. f3 e4 11. cxd4 Bd6 {White is better, but black went on to win.}) 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nh3 Bxh3 (9... Be7 10. d3 O-O 11. Nc3 Rb8 {is equal. Sermek,D (2590)-Romanishin,O (2562) Solin/Spilt 2002}) 10. gxh3 Qd5 {The Q is not well placed here.} (10... Bc5 {is more precise.} 11. d3 O-O {Black has also tried 11...Rb8 and 11...Qb6} 12. O-O Qc7 {with equal chances. Krupa,M (2219)-Galojan,L (2326) Ohrid MKD 2009}) 11. Bf3 e4 {Much better would have been 11...Qe6} 12. Bg2 (12. Nc3 {secures a significant advantage after} Qe6 13. O-O Qxh3 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 {Black's psoition has too many weaknesses.}) 12... Qe5 13. Qe2 Bd6 14. Nc3 O-O 15. b3 ({Weaker is} 15. Bxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Qxe4+ 17. Nxe4 Rae8 {with a decisive advantage.}) (15. d3 $1 {remains equal.} Rfe8 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. dxe4) 15... Nd5 {[%mdl 3072]} 16. Bb2 Nf4 17. Qf1 f5 18. O-O-O Qe7 19. Rg1 Ba3 20. Qa6 Qc5 (20... Qb4 {was better.} 21. Kb1 Bxb2 22. Kxb2 Rab8 23. a3 Qc5 24. Ka2 Rb6 25. b4 Rxa6 26. bxc5 Nc4 {and black is clearly better.}) 21. Bf1 (21. Na4 {was the only way to keep the balance.} Bxb2+ 22. Kxb2 Qe5+ 23. Kb1 {with equal chances.}) 21... Rfb8 22. Na4 Qe5 {Better was 22...Bxb2+} 23. c3 (23. d4 {was a healthy choice..} Bxb2+ 24. Kxb2 Qc7 25. Nc5 {with a satisfactory position.}) 23... Bxb2+ 24. Kxb2 Qd5 25. c4 {[%mdl 8192] This move leaves his K wide open.} (25. b4 {was correct.} Nd3+ 26. Bxd3 exd3 27. Ka1 Nc4 {with equal chances. Oddly, there is no way for black to take advantage of the seemingly precarious position of white's Q.}) 25... Qe5+ 26. Ka3 (26. Kb1 {runs into a pretty attack...} Nxb3 27. axb3 Rxb3+ 28. Ka2 Rab8 29. Nc3 Rb2+ 30. Ka1 {and now...} Rxd2 31. Rc1 Qc5 32. Qa4 Rxf2 { Black is mopping up.}) 26... Ne6 27. c5 {This position is not quite so clear cut as it may look...black has only one move that keeps the advantage.} Nd4 { The threat os ...Nc2#} (27... Nxc5 {loses outright after} 28. Qxa5 Nd7 29. Qxe5 Nxe5) 28. Rc1 Nb5+ $1 29. Bxb5 Rxb5 30. b4 Qd4 31. Qxa5 {Resigns was more precise.} Rxa5 32. bxa5 Rb8 33. Rb1 Rb5 34. a6 Ra5 35. Rb4 Qxd2 36. Rb8+ Kh7 { Black resigned. A strong finish by Miehle.} 0-1

Nothing New Under the Sun

  

     Pre-arranged results are nothing new. The fifth American Chess Congress (a double round event) was held in New York on January 6–26, 1880, and won by George H, Mackenzie after he beat James Grundy in a tiebreak match, 2–0. 

     The fight for first place turned out to be a close race and in the final round James Grundy was paired against Preston Ware. According to Ware he was walking down the street with Grundy who remarked to Ware that he was poor and really needed the second place prize money ($300, or over $9,000 in today’s currency). 

     Grundy added that when Ware beat him in their first game it had knocked him out of the running for first place ($550, or a little over $15,000 today). He also added that both Charles Mohle and Max Judd were well off. So, if Ware were to take it easy on Grundy it would assure him second prize and earn Ware $20 in bribe money...a little over $500 today). 

     The two agreed to play very slowly and to move back and forth to prolong the game until the other games were finished. The game was adjourned and was to be resumed later that evening after a meal break. At the meal Grundy told him that he (Grundy, who had plenty of time on his clock) would arrive late and Ware should go ahead and start his clock. 

     Then, instead of arriving late, Grundy arrived on time and when they began playing, Ware started shifting piece as per their agreement, but then he realized that Grundy was making a desperate effort to win, which he finally did and as a result he managed to tie for first. 

     The tournament book summed up the case by stating that Ware’s allegation, which implicated himself as an accomplice in the crime “in the undignified transaction” were opposed by a firm denial on Grundy’s part. The tournament book concluded that the case became a question of veracity between two individuals, one of whom freely admitted his guilt while the other pronounced the story as a complete fabrication. In the absence of any corroborative testimony the tournament committee could not impose any penalty upon either player. My guess is that Ware didn’t get his $20 either. 

 

     In any case, even though the game was riddled with mistakes it was quire interesting. Take a look... 

[Event "5th American Congress, New York"] [Site "Manhattan, New York USA"] [Date "1880.01.26"] [Round "?"] [White "Preston Ware"] [Black "James Grundy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "128"] [EventDate "1880.01.06"] {QP Opening} 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 Nc6 3. e3 a6 4. h3 Nf6 5. Nc3 {The opening is similar to an irregular Torre Attack} Bf5 6. Bd3 Bg6 7. a3 Qd7 8. Nf3 Ne4 9. Bf4 (9. Bxe4 Bxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nd2 f5 {White has not accomplished much owing to the exchange of minor pieces.}) 9... f6 {This is a bist risky. Simply 9...Nxc3 was good.} 10. Bxe4 dxe4 {Taking with the B was better.} 11. Nd2 f5 { Unlike in the previous note this is now quite bad because white has sufficient minor pieces to actually work uip an attack against black's weakened K-side.} ( 11... e6 12. Ndxe4 O-O-O 13. Qe2 e5 {Black is a P down, but at least he has some play.}) 12. d5 Nd8 13. Nc4 Nf7 14. Qe2 h6 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Bf7 17. Rd1 c6 18. dxc6 (18. f3 {This attacks the weakened P-chain and keeps the advantage.} cxd5 19. fxe4 fxe4 20. O-O e6 21. Nxe4 {with an excellent position. }) 18... Qxc6 19. O-O {Oddly enough, as bad as black's position looks he actually has sufficient play that the position can be considered equal.} Rg8 ( 19... Bc4 {leads to interesting play after} 20. Qh5+ g6 21. Qh4 Bxf1 (21... Rg8 22. Rfe1 g5 23. Qh5+ Bf7 24. Qe2 Rc8) 22. Bxh8 Bc4) 20. Qd2 {Now come maneuvering to kill time as per their agreement.} e6 21. Qe2 Qc5 22. Qd2 Qc6 23. Qe2 Be7 24. Rd2 Qc5 25. Bg3 g5 26. Rfd1 {White's position is the more promising. Black should bow offer to exchange Rs with 26...Rd8} e5 {This is too loosening especially with his K in the center.} 27. Nd5 f4 {Grundy clearly has some ideas about attacking...the correct decision because white stands very well.} 28. b4 {Not the best; it loses most of his advantage.} (28. exf4 exf4 29. Qxe4 Bxd5 (29... fxg3 {results in disater.} 30. Nf6+ Kf8 31. Nd7+) 30. Rxd5 Qc6 31. Bh2 Qg6 32. Qe2 Kf8 33. Rd7 {White is much better.}) 28... Qc6 $16 29. Bh2 Rd8 30. c4 Bg6 31. c5 (31. exf4 {is not as good because complications arise and black gets good play after} gxf4 32. c5 e3 33. fxe3 Be4 34. Nxe7 Rxd2 35. Qh5+ Kxe7 36. Rxd2 Rg5) 31... h5 {This results in white gaining what should have been a decisive advantage.} (31... Bf7 {keeps white's advantage to a level had is far from decisive.} 32. Nxe7 Kxe7 33. Rd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qe8 35. Rxh6 Qd7 36. Rd6 Qf5) 32. Nxe7 Kxe7 33. Rd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qc8 35. Qb2 Qf5 36. Qd2 {A passive move that allows black to equalize.} (36. b5 {keeps up the pressure.} axb5 37. Qxb5 Qc8 38. Qb3 Bf7 39. Qc3 {leaves black struggling.}) 36... Be8 (36... Bf7 {was much better. For example...} 37. Rb6 Qd7 (37... Rb8 38. Qd6+) 38. Qxd7+ Kxd7 39. Rxb7+) 37. Qc3 (37. Qd5 {was the winner.} Kf8 38. Qxb7 g4 39. Qxa6 {The threat is obviously Rg6+ Black has no good move.}) 37... Bc6 38. Qd2 g4 39. exf4 {[%mdl 8192] White's passive play has allowed black to equalize, but this move, opening up hus K's position, is a serious mistake. 39. b6 was good.} gxh3 {Black counters his opponent's last move by missing the winning line.} (39... e3 40. Qd1 (40. fxe3 gxh3 41. g3 Qb1+ 42. Qd1 Qe4 43. Kf2 Qg2+ 44. Ke1 Qxh2 {and wins.}) 40... gxh3 41. Bg3 Qg4 42. Rd3 Qxd1+ 43. Rxd1 exf4 44. Bh4+ Kf7 45. g3 exf2+ 46. Kxf2 h2 {wins}) 40. Bg3 exf4 41. Bh4+ Kf7 { [%mdl 8192]} (41... Kf8 {and black has nothing to worry.} 42. Qd4 (42. Rf6+ { would be a serious mistake!} Qxf6 43. Bxf6 Rxg2+ 44. Kh1 e3 45. Qd8+ Kf7 46. Qc7+ Kg6 47. f3 Bxf3 48. Qxf4 Bc6 49. Qb8 Rd2+ 50. Kg1 h2+ 51. Qxh2 Rd1#) 42... Rxg2+ 43. Kh1 e3 44. Rf6+ Qxf6 45. Qxf6+ {The position of white's Q and B make all the difference. Compare this position to the one after white wins the Q in the sub-variation (43.Bxf6).} Kg8 46. Qe6+ {draws} (46. Qd8+ Kh7 47. Qd3+ Kh6 48. Qd6+ Rg6+) 46... Kh7 47. Qf5+ Kg8 (47... Rg6+ 48. Kh2 {white wins}) 48. Qe6+ {etc.}) 42. g3 {[%mdl 8192] This is a horrible move!} (42. Qa2+ {was the only winning move.} Kf8 43. Rd8+ Be8 44. Rxe8+ Kxe8 45. Qxg8+ Kd7 46. Qd8+ Ke6 47. gxh3 Qg6+ 48. Kh2 {White has a won ending.}) 42... e3 {This looks good, but it misses the win.} (42... fxg3 43. fxg3 Rg6 44. Rxg6 Qxg6 45. Qf2+ Kg7 { with a won ending.}) 43. Qa2+ Kg7 44. fxe3 {[%mdl 8192] A gross blunder.} (44. Bf6+ {forces black to surrender his Q, but he gets sufficient compensation for it.} Qxf6 (44... Kf8 45. Rd8+ Be8 46. Rxe8+ Kxe8 47. Qxg8+ Kd7 48. Qd8+ { wins...just one example...} Kc6 49. Qb6+ Kd5 (49... Kd7 50. Qd6+ {mste next move.}) 50. Qd6+ Kc4 51. fxe3 Qb1+ (51... fxe3 52. Qf4+) 52. Kh2 fxg3+ 53. Kxh3 Qf1+ 54. Kxg3 {and wins.}) 45. Rxf6 Kxf6 46. Qxg8 exf2+ 47. Kxf2) 44... fxg3 45. Bxg3 Kh7 (45... h4 {was even better.} 46. Bf4 Kh7+) 46. Rh6+ Kg7 47. Qe6 Qxe6 48. Rxe6 Kf7 49. Rxc6 bxc6 {[%mdl 4096] The ending is won for black and he plays the remainder of the game in a decent fashion.} 50. Kh2 Kg6 51. e4 Kg5 52. Kxh3 Rf8 53. a4 Rf3 54. Kg2 Kg4 55. Bd6 Rb3 56. b5 axb5 57. axb5 Rxb5 58. e5 Rb2+ 59. Kh1 Re2 60. Kg1 h4 61. Kf1 Kf3 62. Kg1 h3 63. Kh1 Kg4 64. Kg1 h2+ { Ware resigned} (64... h2+ 65. Kf1 Rb2 {mate next move.}) 0-1

Attacking the Fianchettoed King

     Friday afternoon was warm and sunny. However, during the hour and a half drive to see my favorite high school lose their championship football game in the closing minutes it clouded up. Add to that the fact that we sat through the game in a chilly, misty rain and it was not really a fun trip. We have not seen the sun since Friday afternnon although I am sure it’s shining...it’s just obscured by thick dark clouds that have drizzled rain off and on for the last three days. A good day to blag! 

     Today we’ll be taking a look at a typicle attack against a fianchettoed King’s position. In the game C.H.O’D. Alexander (1909-1974) launches an instructive attack against Ludek Pachman’s fianchettoed King. 

     The Irish born Alexander was famous for having been a cryptanalyst at Bletchley Park during World War II and after the war he was the head of the cryptanalysis division at the Government Communications Headquarters for 25 years. An IM of GM strength, Alexander won the British Championship twice: in 1938 and 1956. He played for England n the Chess Olympiad six times: 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1954 and 1958. 

     He was also awarded the Correspondence IM title in 1970. He was a chess author and columnist for The Sunday Times in the 1960s and 1970s. 

     Alexander’s opportunities to play outside of England after the war were limited because he was not allowed to play in the Soviet bloc because of his secret work in cryptography. 

     Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been in 1955 when his estimated rating was 2610 placing him at number 53 in the world. 

     Czech, later West German, GM Ludek Pachman (1924-2003) was a chess writer and author who became a political activist. 

     In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany where he remained for the rest of his like. Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2695 in 1959 placing him number 15 in the world. 

 

 

     When the King is castled behind a fianchettoed formation it has both good and bad points. On the good side there is the ability to resist an attack along the b1-hg7 (or the b8-h2) diagonal, plus the squares f6 and h6 (or (f3 and h3) are guarded by the B. Additionally, the Bishop is not exposed to attack and it can also perform a function on the long diagonal. Also, if the h-file is open the Bishop guards against a possible mate on h8 (or h1). 

     On the other hand, the presence of the g-Pawn on g6 (or g3) makes it easier for the attacker to open the h-file by the advance of his h-Pawn. Also, as Alexander shows here, if the fianchettoed Bishop gets eliminated the entire castled position is seriously weakened. 

[Event "Hilversum Zonal"] [Site "Hilversum NED"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "C.H.O'D. Alexander"] [Black "Ludek Pachman"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C97"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {C98: Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {[%mdl 32]} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 Bb7 13. d5 Bc8 14. Nf1 Re8 {All book so far.} 15. Kh2 (15. a4 Bd7 16. Ne3 c4 17. g4 g6 18. Nf1 Bf8 19. Ra3 Nb7 20. Bg5 Bg7 {equals. Bulski,K (2389)-Gumula,D (2341) Barlinek 2006}) (15. g4 Kh8 16. Ng3 Nb7 17. Kh1 Bf8 18. Rg1 {White has a strong attack in the mkaing. Averbakh,Y-Zagoriansky,E Moscow 1949}) 15... g6 16. Ne3 Bf8 17. g4 {Aggressive play...typical of Alexander's style.} Bg7 18. Rg1 Kh8 {Safety first. Another plan was 18...c4 then maneuver the N via b7 to c5.} 19. Ng5 Rf8 {This overprotects the f-Pawn, but a more aggressive defense was 19...Bh6} (19... Bh6 20. h4 Nc4 (20... Bxg5 21. hxg5 Ng8 22. Rh1 {and black is in danger on the h-file.}) 21. Nxc4 bxc4 22. Qe2 Qe7 { White is better, but blacks defensive chances have improved.}) 20. h4 Ng8 { Black's K's position is quite congested after this so he still should have tried 20...Nc4} 21. Qe2 Bd7 {It wasn't too late for ...Nc4 either here or on his next move.} 22. Bd2 Ne7 {The position is now ripe for white's final assault.} 23. Nf5 {A typical sacrifice in these types of positions. On f5 the N attacks g7 and h6 and, at the same time, threatens to eliminating the fianchettoed B. If black doesn't accept the sacrifice white gets a very strong attack.} gxf5 {[%mdl 8192] A horrible, and surprising, decision by Pachman who even at the age of 22 was certainly strong enough to have known that this leads to a lost position.} (23... f6 {offers a much tougher defense.} 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 {forces the N to retreat and now after} 25. Nh3 h6 26. b3 {This in-between move prevents black for getting counterplay with the previously mentioned ...Nc4} g5 {The idea is to clog up the K0side and if the h-file becomes opened black can oppose Rs on it. White is better here, but he is a long way from winning.}) 24. gxf5 {...and wins might be added here.} f6 { There was nothing better.} 25. Nxh7 {[%mdl 512] A necessary followup.} (25. Ne6 Bxe6 26. fxe6 Nc4 {White's advantage is only marginally better.}) 25... Be8 { The only defense as the Q must not be allowed to reach h5.} (25... Kxh7 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Rxg7+ Kxg7 28. Rg1+ Ng6 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 30. Qh6#) 26. Rxg7 {[%mdl 512] The fianchettoed B is removed. He could probably win bt takiung the R, but it would be much less clear.} Kxg7 (26... Rg8 {is no better.} 27. Nxf6 Rxg7 28. Nxe8 Rxe8 29. Qh5+ Rh7 30. Qxe8+ Ng8 31. Bg5 {Black's position is hopeless. }) 27. Nxf8 Kxf8 28. Bh6+ {White's position is overwhelming and black can offer only tokes resistance.} Kf7 29. Qh5+ Ng6 30. fxg6+ Kg8 31. Qf5 {White wants to mate with Qe6+.} Qe7 32. Rg1 Nc4 {It's way too late for this to be effective!} 33. Bc1 Bd7 34. Qf3 Rf8 35. b3 Nb6 36. h5 f5 37. Bg5 fxe4 38. Qe2 ( 38. Qxe4 {wins but offers black some spite checks, but it's easier for white if he just avoids them.} Rxf2+ 39. Kg3 Qxg5+ 40. Kxf2 Qd2+ 41. Kf3) 38... Qe8 39. Bxe4 Bf5 40. Bh6 Rf6 {This move may have been played at the end of the time control. It loses a piece...not that it matters.} (40... Nd7 41. Bxf8 Qxf8 42. g7 Qf6 43. Bxf5 Qxf5 44. Qg4 {wins easily.}) 41. Qf3 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.33/Black=0.76} (41. Qf3 Nd7 (41... Bxe4 42. Qxf6 Qe7 43. Qxe7 {mate next move.}) 42. Bxf5 {Whire has won a piece.}) 1-0

And, the Winner Is...Joel Fridlizius

     Do people still buy chess books and play through the games using a board and pieces? Or, do they do everything electronically? It’s been years since I have actually fondled chess pieces...in fact, I no longer own a chess set. 

     My old laptop has the ancient Master Chess 8000 on it. The program was distributed by Chess4Less which is owned and operated by an old friend, Paul Azzurro. Also on my laptop are ChessOK Aquarium 2014, Aquarium 2020, Chess Assistant, ChessBase 16, Fritz 12 and my “go to” program Fritz 17. 

     Most of my chess books were either given away or destroyed when our house flooded. One book that remains is Al Horowitz’ Golden Treasury of Chess that was first published in 1943. I no longer have the original edition, but the one that was reprinted in 1971. It has 322 games in descriptive notation up to 1966. The games themselves have a brief and glowing introduction describing how delightful the games is. A lot of the games won’t be found elsewhere...many of them are long forgotten gems that are just fun to play over. 

     The book has an interesting history that was given by chess historian Edward Winter in an article titled The Horowitz-Wellmuth Affair. 

     Let’s take a look at a game chosen more or less at random...Joel Fridlizius vs. Alexander Alekhine (the loser!) from the tournament Stockholm 1912; the game won the brilliancy prize. Stockholm 1912 was Alekhine's first victory in an international tournament. 

 

 

     Joel Fridlizius (December 3, 1869 – January 6, 1963) was a Swedish master and a correspondence player. He won the first correspondence tournament in Sweden that was played from1897 to 1900. He then won the 1st Nordic correspondence tournament (1900-1902). 

     Fridlizius' best OTB resulte was second place at the 3rd Nordic Championship in Gothenburg 1901. Fridlizius was editor of the chess column in the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfarts-Tidning. In later years he lived in Skara, Sweden, a town of about 18,500 inhabitants that is located about 220 miles west of Stockholm. He won the club championship there in 1954 at the age of 85.

 

[Event "Stockholm"] [Site "Stockholm SWE"] [Date "1912.06.27"] [Round "3"] [White "Joel Fridlizius"] [Black "Alexander Alekhine"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C77"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1912.05.26"] {C77: Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. d3 Bg4 9. Be3 {This is the standard move, but engines prefer 9.h3} (9. h3 Be6 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Ne2 {Draw agreed. Mamedov,N (2405)-Mamedyarov,S (2503) Oropesa del Mar ESP 2001}) (9. Bg5 Nd4 10. Nd5 c6 11. Ne3 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 {Black is better. Klundt,K (2325)-Gergel,V (2202) Katerini GRE 2014}) 9... Nd4 $11 10. Bxd4 Bxd4 11. h3 {Black should now play 11...Bx3 or first 11...Bxc3 or even 11...Bh5 is OK. Instead, Alekhine bluffs his opponent with an unsound B offer.} h5 12. Qe2 (12. hxg4 {wins as blacj really has no good way of following up the sacrifice.} hxg4 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Ne2 Nd7 {to open a line for the Q.} 15. Ng3 Qh4 16. Re1 Ne5 17. c3 dxc3 18. bxc3 O-O-O 19. d4 Ng6 20. Qd2 {Black has no attack.}) 12... Nd7 {Strange...now if the B is taken white has no advantage anbd the chances would be equal!} 13. Nd1 (13. hxg4 hxg4 14. Nxd4 Qh4 {mates as follows...} 15. Bxf7+ Kxf7 16. f4 g3 17. fxe5+ Kg8 18. Rf8+ Rxf8 19. Qh5 Qxh5 {20.any Qh1$}) (13. a4 {is quite satisfactory because after} Rb8 14. axb5 axb5 15. hxg4 {Also good is 15.Nd5} hxg4 16. g3 {He can't allow ...Qh4} Bxc3 17. bxc3 gxf3 18. Qxf3 {the game is completely even.}) 13... Nf8 (13... Qf6 {After this white should avoid taking the B.} 14. hxg4 (14. c3 Bb6 15. Bd5 Rb8 16. Bc6 {with equak chances}) 14... hxg4 15. Re1 gxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 {Black is better,}) 14. c3 (14. hxg4 { leads to more than equality after} hxg4 15. g3 gxf3 16. Qxf3) 14... Ba7 15. Ne3 {This is better than taking the B which was possible, but it would lead to no more thanb equal chances. After the text white gains the advantage.} (15. hxg4 $6 hxg4 16. g3 gxf3 17. Qxf3) 15... Bd7 {the either had to reteat of capture on f3.} 16. d4 {Fridlizius' restraint in not taking the B has lead to his gaining the initiative thanks to Alekhine's loss of time with his Bs having been driven back.} Ng6 17. Qd2 (17. Rad1 {was a bit more precise.} exd4 18. Nxd4 Kf8 (18... Qg5 19. Nd5 Rc8 20. e5 {and white should win.}) 19. Kh1 Bxd4 20. cxd4 Nf4 21. Qf3 Qh4 22. e5 Rd8 23. Rc1 {with a clear advantage.}) 17... Bc6 18. Nd5 Rc8 19. Rad1 O-O 20. Kh2 (20. dxe5 {was even better.} Nxe5 21. Qf4 Nxf3+ 22. gxf3 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 {with a dangerous attack.}) 20... Bb7 21. Rg1 { The indicates the point of white's last move...he wants to play g4, but the plan is not feasible.} (21. dxe5 {offered better chances. Even then, black can still defend quite strongly.} dxe5 22. Qc1 c5 23. c4 (23. Nf4 Qb6 24. Nd5 Qd8) 23... Bb8 24. g3) 21... c6 22. Ne3 {[%mdl 32]} Qf6 23. Nf5 d5 {At this point, thanks to a few not quite precise moves by Fridlizius, Alekhine has managed to achieve equality.} 24. Ng3 h4 25. Nh5 Qd6 26. Qg5 exd4+ 27. e5 Qe6 {But this moves allows white the opportunity to set up a very strong attack.} (27... Qd8 {offering the exchange of Qs blunts the force of white;s attack and keeps the chances equal.} 28. Qxd8 Rfxd8 29. cxd4 c5 {is equal.}) (27... Qd8 28. Qf5 { Avoiding the exchange if Qs also allows black to solidify his position as follows...} d3 29. Qxd3 Qc7 30. Bc2 Rce8 {and black;s defense will hold.}) 28. cxd4 c5 {Again, offering to trade Qs (28...Qe7) would have been a little better.} 29. Nxh4 cxd4 (29... Qe7 {runs into} 30. Nf6+ gxf6 31. exf6 Qd6+ 32. g3 Rc6 33. Nxg6 {and wins because black cannot play} fxg6 34. Qxg6+ Kh8 35. Qg7#) 30. Rge1 Bb8 (30... Qe7 {loses to} 31. Nf6+ {Again.} gxf6 32. exf6 { as in the previous note...}) 31. f4 Qe7 {Guess what's coming.} 32. Nf6+ { [%mdl 512] Not unpredictable, but still beautiful.} gxf6 33. exf6 Bxf4+ 34. Qxf4 Qxe1 $2 35. Nxg6 Qe4 36. Ne7+ {White mates in 8 moves at most.} Kh8 37. Rxd4 Qh7 (37... Qxf4+ {leads to a pretty mate.} 38. Rxf4 Rc4 39. Bxc4 dxc4 40. Rh4#) 38. Qh4 Rc4 39. Bxc4 dxc4 40. Qxh7+ Kxh7 41. Rh4# {A memorable performance by Ffidlizius!} 1-0