An Exciting Draw

 

     Normally I don’t post draws, but the Tal-Aronin game that was played in the 1957 USSR Championship held in Moscow was quite interesting and also quite complicated. 

     At the time Tal was 20 years old and had just beginning his meteoric rise that ended with his winning the World Championship just over 3 years later. 

     In other chess news out of Russia, Vasily Smyslov defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become world champion. 

     That wasn’t the only exciting news that came out of the Soviet Union; they launched Sputnik, the first space satellite, starting the Space Race. I remember the excitement when ham (amateur) radio operators in the United States anxiously listened as the 184-pound Sputnik emitted a mechanical ...beep...beep...beep while passing over the eastern US. 

     The beeping was recorded and quickly broadcast all over the country. Americans in their living rooms heard Sputnik's transmission on their radios and televisions. It was awesome! 

     Not only was it exciting, but America's worst fears has become a reality... the Russians had technologically surpassed the United States and gained supremacy of outer space. 

     The USSR also demonstrated their chess superiority when the first European team chess championship was held in Vienna and the USSR team took first place. And, the first women's Olympiad was held in The Netherlands. The USSR took first in that one, too.

     Not all the exciting news was coming out of the Soviet Union. The US had an answer to Tal in Bobby Fischer. In May of 1957, he was a 2231 rated Master, the country’s youngest, after having gained over 500 rating points in one year. 

     The same year Fischer won the US Junior Championship in San Francisco. Then after some confusion over the winner of the US Open held in Cleveland, Ohio, Fischer was declared the winner on tiebreaks over Arthur Bisguier. 

     In shades of what was to come, in 1957, Alex Bernstein at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote a chess program for an IBM computer. The monster executed 42,000 instructions per second and it did a 4-ply (two moves) search in 8 minutes. It was predicted that that within 10 years a computer would be world champion. It didn’t happen; it wasn’t until 1997 that Deep Blue edged Garry Kasparov in a match 3.5-2.5. 

     We lost some players in 1957. Three time Czech Champion (1905, 1909 and 1911) GM Oldrich Duras (1888-1957) died in Prague. The 1942 Swedish Correspondence Champion, Correspondence GM Harald Malmgren (1904-1957) died in Uppsula, Sweden. 

     The 1955 US Women’s Champion Nancy Roos (1905-1957) died of cancer in Los Angeles. Hans Haberditz (1901-1957) died in Vienna; he was best known for his analysis of the French Defense. Finally, The strong US Master Max Pavey (1918-1957) died of leukemia in New York.  

    

     Back to Tal’s gane in the 1957 USSR Championship...his opponent was Lev Aronin (1920-1983) who was awarded the IM title in 1950 although in reality he was probably of GM strength. Chess metrics estimates his best ever rating to have been 2674 in 1952, ranking him #22 in the world. 

     During the 1940s he was a leading authority on the K-Indian and although he was a positional player by nature, when the occasion demanded it, he could also go toe-to-toe with the tacticians.

 

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"] [Site "Moscow URS"] [Date "1957.02.15"] [Round "?"] [White "Mikhail Tal"] [Black "Lev Aronin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D32"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "1957.??.??"] {D40: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch} 1. d4 {Already a surprise for Aronin who had prepared for the expected 1.e4. He decided on the opening at the board. The Semi-Tarrasch. It's not without risks, but it promisies active piece play.} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 {The theoretically preferred move is 4.cxd5 followed by developing his B at g2. That's modern theory, but Tarrasch himself considered 4.e3 to be the only correct move. The reson Tal choce the text is because it promises the possibility of his obtaining a K-side attack. At the same time, since the game was played near the end of the tournament Tal did not want to risk running into the complicated Hennig-Schara Gambit by playing 4.cxd5} (4. cxd5 cxd4 {The Hennig-Schara can be quite effective and in its early days it was used by players like Alekhine. Additionally, a large number of Soviet players experimented with it.} 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nc6 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Qd1 Bc5 10. e3 Qe7 {The chances are approximately equal. }) 4... Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 Bd6 {Nowadays maintaining the symmetry with 6... a6 is invariably played, but at the time it was thought to be favorable to white. Aronin's move invite the tempo gaining 7.dxc5 which Tal concluded not to be too desireable.} 7. dxc5 {In fact, this move is the recommended one.} Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 {White intends to develop his B at b2 and in the ensuing struggle to control e5 this B is best deployed on d6.} 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 { Aronin wrote that he didn't expect that this move was associated with white playing O-O-O, but rather that it was Tal's intention to strengthen the pressure on the d-file with Rd1.} Ne5 {This move was praised by Aronin because it puts pressure on the important square c4} (10... Qe7 {as played in Pilnick, C-Hearst,E New York 1954 is actually more precise.} 11. Be2 dxc4 12. O-O e5 { Black stands slightly better and eventually managed to score the win.}) (10... a5 {worked out to be in white's favor after} 11. b5 Ne5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 {with a slight plus. Wang,D (2219)-Ding,Y (2439) Jinan CHN 2014}) (10... Bd7 {is also possible.} 11. Rd1 Rc8 12. Ng5 Ne5 {equals. Appel,I-Seitz,J Lodz 1938}) 11. O-O-O {This is not as risky as it might look at first glance. It's to be expected that an attack is coming in which the players will be attacking on opposite sides.} (11. c5 {was not, as Tal thought, unfavorable because after} Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Be7 13. Bd3 {white can claim a small advantage.}) 11... Qe7 { Aronin incorrectly assessed 11...a5 as being bad whereas Tal correctly assessed it as best.} (11... a5 12. c5 axb4 13. axb4 Bc7 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 { Black can play 15...Bb8, 15...Bc7 or 15...Bxc3 all of which lead to sharp play. }) 12. Nb5 {White now has slightly the better position.} Ned7 {Both players rejected 12...Nxf3 as a possibility because after 13.gxf3 white might have play on the g-file. However, in the light of subsequent events that may have been black's best option because exactly how white will get any play on the g-file is not at all clear.} 13. Nxd6 Qxd6 14. Qc3 {With the exchange of the dark squared Bs white's presence on the a1-h8 diagonal takes on real significance. Black's immediate concern is to do something about the threat of g2-g4} Re8 {This frees up the f8 square and black hopes at some point get in .. .e5} 15. g4 {Typical aggressive play by Tal.} Qf8 16. Bd3 {Tal wants to play g4–g5, but first he must get e4 under control. However, the text allows Aronin the opportunity to launch a counterattack.} (16. c5 {was the move...it prevent ...Nb6.} a5 17. Bd3 e5 18. g5 {a sharp position with chances for both sides.}) 16... Nb6 {This is not the correct counterattack!} (16... dxc4 17. Qxc4 b5 {Here is is!} 18. Qf4 (18. Qxb5 a5 19. bxa5 Rb8 20. Qc4 Bb7 {Black is winning.}) 18... Bb7 19. g5 e5 20. Qg3 Ne4 {Black is doinf quite well for himself.}) 17. g5 Na4 18. Qc2 {After the game Tal admitted that he considered sacrificing his Q! How would it have worked out?!} (18. gxf6 Nxc3 19. Bxc3 e5 { And now the best play for both sides is} (19... gxf6 {Of course this clearly justifies the Q-sac.} 20. Rdg1+ Qg7 21. Rxg7+ Kxg7 22. Rg1+ Kf8 23. Bxf6 { with mate in 5.} Re7 24. Ne5 Rc7 25. c5 {Mate in 3 is unavoidable.} a5 26. Bxh7 Rxc5+ 27. bxc5 a4 28. Rg8#) 20. Nxe5 a5 21. f4 Qd6 22. cxd5 axb4 23. Bxb4 Qxf6 {Technically black is much better, but in OTB play it's complicated and there is plenty of roo for error. In any casem avoidung the Q-sac was clearly the wisest decision.}) 18... Nxb2 19. Kxb2 dxc4 {Black needed to play this because it lessens the double attack on h7.} 20. gxf6 {Correct was 20,Bxc4. Now Tal likely went for the complications arising from the text At this point Aronin notrd that both players were satisfied with their position, each thinking they had the advantage. In fact, the position is dead equal.} cxd3 21. Qxd3 e5 { Absolutely essential. Other moves lose.} (21... g6 22. Ne5 {The winner which 21...e5 prevented.} a5 23. b5 b6 24. Qd6 Bb7 25. Qxf8+ Rxf8 26. f3 Rac8 27. Rc1 {White's N dominates the position and as a result white is winning. Just a sample line...} h5 28. Rhd1 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Ba8 30. Rc7 Bd5 31. e4 Ba8 32. Nd7 Rd8 33. Kc3 {Note that black is running out of moves.} g5 34. Nxb6 g4 35. fxg4 hxg4 36. Nd7 Kh7 (36... Bxe4 37. b6 {wins}) 37. Kd4 Kg6 38. Ke5 Rh8 39. b6 Rxh2 40. b7 Bxb7 41. Rxb7 g3 42. Nf8+ Kh6 43. Rxf7 g2 44. Rh7+ Kg5 45. Rg7+ Kh6 46. Kxe6 {etc.}) 22. Ng5 g6 23. h4 {All white has to do now is play h4-h5 and black will be pretty much without any defense. However, Aronin has a move that puts Tal in a critical situation.} Bf5 {Excellent!} 24. e4 {This is not good at all. Now black gets the advantage.} (24. Qe2 {is correct.} e4 25. h5 Red8 26. hxg6 Bxg6 27. Nxh7 Bxh7 {falls into a mate in 7...} 28. Qh5 Rd2+ 29. Rxd2 Qg7 30. fxg7 Kxg7 31. Qxh7+ Kf6 32. Qh6+ {mates in two against any move.}) 24... Bg4 {Rendering the advance of the P to h5 useless, but Tal plays it anyway.} 25. h5 {This generates no attack therefore his best move was 25.Rc1 awaiting developments.} Rad8 {Aronin made this good looking move almost without thinking and in doing so he let Tal off the hook. How many times has it been said in the past...This is the wrong Rook! The reason it's the wrong R is soon clear...black's Q is unable to get into play.} (25... Red8 26. hxg6 Rxd3 27. gxh7+ Kh8 28. Rxd3 Qe8 {Black is winning.}) 26. hxg6 Rxd3 27. Rxd3 ( 27. gxh7+ Kh8 28. Rxd3 {leaves black with the better position.}) 27... hxg6 ( 27... fxg6 28. f7+ Kg7 29. fxe8=Q Qxe8 30. Rxh7+ Kf6 31. Nf3 {is unclear and the chances would be equal.}) 28. Rh7 {The threat is 29.f3. Note that black's Q is imprisoned.} Rc8 29. f3 Rc6 {Only this move saves the day!} (29... Bh5 30. Rd7 Rc6 31. Rhxf7) 30. Rxf7 {Wisely transposing into a R ending which he can draw.} (30. fxg4 {would lose.} Rxf6 31. Rdh3 Rf2+ 32. Kb3 Qd6 33. Rh8+ Kg7 34. R3h7+ Kf6 35. Rxf7+ Kxg5 36. Rxf2 Qd3+ 37. Ka2 Qc4+ {Black has a won ending.}) 30... Qxf7 31. Nxf7 Kxf7 32. fxg4 Kxf6 33. Rd7 Rb6 34. Kc3 Kg5 35. a4 a6 36. Kc4 Kxg4 {Draw agreed.} 1/2-1/2

Apologies to Nicholas MacLeod

     After publishing Nicholas MacLeod’s miserable loss to John W. Baird it only seems fair to publish one of his wins. 

     Even though MacLeod finished last in the 6eth American Congress in 1889 where he lost 30 (!) games, he did score 6 wins and 3 draws. 

     The Sixth American Congressnmmain event would be a double round robin tournament of twenty players. A world championship match would then follow based on the results. 

     Steinitz and Mikhail Chigorin had played their first world championship match in Havana from January 20th until February 24th 1889. The tournament in New York started a month after the match and Steinitz, who was scheduled to play, withdrew. 

     Play began at 1pm and continued until 5pm with a break for dinner and then resumed at 7pm with games adjourned at 11pm. Adjourned games were completed on rest days. A time limit of 15 moves per hour was set. 

     Draws counted as half a point in the first cycle of nineteen rounds, but had to be replayed once during the second cycle, with the second result standing. That ex[lains MacLeod’s playing 39 games. 

     He defeated Joseph Blackburne, Eugene Delmar, Dionisio Martinez and John Baide once each and George Gossip twice. His draws were against Blackburne, Delamr and Jean Taubenhaus.

 

     In the absence of a rating system in those days it’s impossible to say how good MacLeod really was, but Chess metrics estimates his best ever rating to have been 2396 in 1892. The site estimates his best ever world rank to have been #70 in 1890. MacLeod’s opponent in the previous game, John Baird, was #69.

     Here is MacLeod’s surprising win over Blackburne who was likely expecting an easy win against his much less skilled opponent. Blackburne did, indeed, succeed in getting a winning, or rather, crushing position, but then some lackadaisical play lead to a lost position in which he played on...and on...and on before finally giving up one move before mate.

 

[Event "6th American Congress, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1889.05.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Joseph H. Blackburne"] [Black "Nicholas MacLeod"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C21"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "1889.03.25"] {C21: Danish Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 {The Danish Gambit. White sacrifices a P or two for the sake of rapid development and the attack. However, with care, black can safely accept the offered Ps. The gambit was popularized in the Paris 1867 tournament and it remained popular with attacking players, of which Blackburne was one, but as more defensive lines for black were discovered and improved, it lost favor in the 1920s.} dxc3 { Results with this are at least as good as declining the gambit with 3...d5} 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2 Nf6 6. Nf3 {The alternative 6.e5 is virtually unexplored, but it appears to be innocuous as black has several good replies.} Bb4+ 7. Nbd2 (7. Kf1 {is unsatisfactory.} O-O 8. e5 d5 9. exf6 dxc4 10. Nc3 Qxd1+ 11. Rxd1 { All the exchanges have left white with a lost ending. Iljin,T (2299) -Klyashtorny,V (2403) chess.com INT 2022}) 7... d6 {This is a bit too passive. either 7...O-O or the aggressive, counterattacking 7...d5 would have been better.} 8. O-O {Blackburne fails to take advantage of the opportunity black's last move presented him.} (8. Qb3 Bxd2+ 9. Nxd2 O-O 10. O-O {Black's position is solid and white has few attacking prospects.}) (8. Bxf7+ {[%mdl 512] is necessary to keep the advantage.} Kxf7 9. Qb3+ d5 10. Ne5+ {The position of black's K is precarious.}) 8... Bg4 {[%mdl 8192] A poor move after which white gets much the superior position.} (8... Nc6 {defending the B keeps the pressure on.} 9. Qb3 O-O {White has little in the way of attacking chances plus black is a P up.}) 9. Qb3 d5 (9... Bxd2 {is strongly met by} 10. Bxf7+ Kf8 11. Nxd2) 10. exd5 Bxd2 {White now has what ampounts to a winning attack.} ( 10... Bd6 {was called for, but white is still considerably better after} 11. Bxf6 gxf6 (11... Qxf6 12. Rfe1+ Kf8 13. Qxb7) 12. Rfe1+ Kf8 13. Nd4) 11. Ba3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Ng8 {Better was 12...Ne4} (12... Ne4) 13. Rfe1+ {[%mdl 512] The loss of the exchange is immaterial as black has no pieces in play.} Bxe1 14. Rxe1+ Ne7 15. Bb5+ Nd7 {[%mdl 32] With the pins on black's Ns there must be a tactical shot available. There is, but Blackburne misses it and makes what amounts to a "pass."} 16. Kh1 {This unfortunate move allows black to equalize!} (16. Rxe7+ {looks too good to pass up, but after} Qxe7 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Qb4+ Kd8 19. d6 a6 20. dxc7+ Kxc7 {black has good chances of surviving.}) (16. Qc3 { is virtually impossible to meet in any satisfactory way.} a6 (16... O-O 17. Bxe7 {is decisive.}) 17. Qxg7 axb5 (17... Rf8 18. Qf6 Rg8+ 19. Kh1 Kf8 20. Bxe7+ Qxe7 21. Qxe7+ Kg7 22. Bxd7 h5 23. Bf5 Kh6 24. Qxf7 Raf8 25. Qe6+ Kg5 26. Rg1+ Kh4 27. Qe7+ Rf6 28. Qxf6+ Rg5 29. Qxg5#) 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Qxh8+ Nf8 20. Rxe7+ {wins}) 16... O-O {Black has miraculously survived and now the position offers equal chances.} {Blackburne has completely collapsed. After this MacLeod has a decisive advantage!} 17. Rxe7 {[%mdl 8192]} (17. Bxe7 {keeps thing even.} Qc8 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 {and the position is dea equal.}) 17... Nb6 18. Re5 Qf6 19. Qe3 Rfc8 {[%mdl 32]} 20. Bb2 {White's only real hope is that his weaker opponent will eventually blunder in the face of white's apparent threats.} Nxd5 {Nice!} 21. Qe4 (21. Re8+ Rxe8 22. Bxf6 Rxe3 23. fxe3 gxf6 { and black is a whole R up.}) 21... Qg6 22. Qd4 Rd8 23. Bd3 (23. Re8+ Rxe8 24. Bxe8 Rxe8 25. Qxd5 Re1#) 23... Nf4 {A slight inaccuracy. Either 23...c5 or 23.. .Qf6 would have been a wee bit better.} 24. Qxf4 (24. Bxg6 {was better, but still insufficient to salvage the game.} Rxd4 25. Bxf7+ Kxf7 26. Bxd4 {and black must apend time to demonstrate that he can win the ending.}) 24... Rxd3 25. Rg5 Rxf3 {[%mdl 512] Hoping to trade Qs with a simple win.} 26. Qe5 { Of course if white is to have any hope at all he must keep the Qs on.} f6 { This eliminates all threats to f7. The rest is a matter of technique Blackburne obviously intended to make MacLeod prove he has it.} 27. Qd5+ Qf7 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qxf3 {[%mdl 4096] MacLeod's play for the remainder of the game can neither be criticized nor improved upon!} Re8 30. h4 Qg6 31. Kh2 Re1 32. Qc3 Qg1+ 33. Kh3 {Now a K hunt begins.} Qh1+ 34. Kg3 Rg1+ 35. Kf4 Qxh4+ 36. Ke3 Qh3+ 37. f3 Qe6+ 38. Kd3 Qd5+ 39. Ke3 Qe5+ {Once the Qs disappear even a near beginner should be able to win this game. Blackburne's disdain for his opponent is insulting!} 40. Qxe5 Re1+ 41. Kf4 Rxe5 42. Bxe5 fxe5+ 43. Kxe5 { Impertinence!} Kf7 44. a4 b6 45. Kd5 h5 46. Kc6 h4 47. Kxc7 {K3P-KPP} h3 48. Kb7 h2 49. Kxa7 h1=Q 50. Kxb6 Qxf3 51. a5 Qa8 52. a6 Ke7 53. Ka5 Kd6 54. Kb6 Qb8+ 55. Ka5 Kc5 {Blackburne finally did the manly thing and resigned.} 0-1

John W. Baird

 

     John Washington Baird (February 22, 1852 – 1923). The exact date and place of his death are unknown. He was the brother of David Graham Baird (December 3, 1854 – October 8, 8, 1913, 58 years old). David was born in in New York City. By far the stronger of the two brothers, he won the Manhattan Chess Club Championship four times (1888, 1890, 1891 and 1895). He won the New York State championship in 1895. He passed away in Elizabeth, New Jersey. 

     John played in a number of American and international tournaments between 1880 and 1906. His best international result came when he scored 8-4 and finished tied for 4th-5th place in the Minor Section of the Fifth American Chess Congress. His best domestic result was his 3rd place finish in the Eighth Manhattan Chess Club championship in 1883. 

     The Sixth American Congress in New York in 1889, a double round robin that was one of the longest tournaments in history, John finished next to last out of 20 players while his brother, David, finished 14th.

 

 

     The following game was played in the 6eth American Congress held in New York in 1889. Baird’s opponent didn’t play especially well, but the game is entertaining.

     Nicholas MacLepd (February 8, 1870 – September 27, 1965, 95 (!) years old) was born in Quebec in Canada, At the age of 16 he won the Canadian championship in 1886 and 1888 (after play-off). At the end of the century MacLeod moved to Minnesota where he won the state champion in 1899 and 1901.MacLeod married in 1902 and subsequently settled in Spokane, Washington, where he passed away in 1965.

 

[Event "6th American Congress, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1889.03.26"] [Round "?"] [White "John W. Baird"] [Black "Nicholas MacLeod"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C62"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1889.03.25"] {C66: Ruy Lopez: Old Steinitz Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 {Nowadays black usually plays 3...a6 first (the Modern Steinitz Defense) which keeps the possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5 and gives black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz Defense. In the Old teinitz white can practically force black to give up the stronghold at e5. In the Modern Steinitz black is able to maintain control of the centre, especially e5. In my database the Old Steinitz results in white scoring in half of the games with the remaining half being equally divided between black wins and draws.} 4. Bxc6+ {Although this has been played numerous times by some strong players like Nigel Short and Joel Benjamin it seems that 4.d4 offers white better chances of gaining the advantage.} bxc6 5. d4 Nf6 {[%mdl 32]} 6. O-O Nxe4 (6... exd4 7. Qxd4 Be7 8. e5 c5 9. Qd3 dxe5 (9... Nd7 10. exd6 cxd6 11. c4 O-O { is equal. Short,N (2707)-Huebner,R (2581) Potsdam 2012}) 10. Qxd8+ Bxd8 11. Nxe5 Be7 12. Re1 Be6 {is completely equal. Perlis, J-Forgacs,L St Petersburg 1909}) (6... Be7 7. Nc3 Nd7 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Qe2 O-O {equals. Capablanca, J-Janowski,D Havana 1913}) 7. dxe5 d5 8. Be3 h6 {Strictly speaking this is not really bad, but it turns out to be a stepping stone to a bad idea.} (8... c5 { is the way to maintain equality.} 9. Re1 Be7 10. c4 O-O 11. cxd5 Bb7) 9. Nbd2 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 g5 {[%mdl 8192] This creates a fatal weakness in his position. He ought to have played 10...c5 with a playable position.} 11. Qc3 {The threat is e6 and black has no good way to meet it.} Bb7 (11... Bg7 {prevents the thrat, but white can continue to build up his position.} 12. Bc5 Be6 13. Nd4 Rg8 14. Rae1 (14. Nxc6 {is also very effective...} Qd7 15. Bxa7) 14... Qd7 15. f4 {with a winning attack.}) 12. e6 {Already black is doomed.} f6 13. Qd3 Rg8 { Against Qg6+} 14. Qh7 {[%csl Ge6][%cal Rh7f7] White plays this remarkably well, and he now forces the game in a few moves.} Rg7 {Against Qf7+} 15. Qxh6 Qd6 {?} (15... Qe7 16. Nd4 Rg8 (16... O-O-O 17. Nf5) 17. Qh5+ Kd8 18. Nf5 Qxe6 19. Qh7 Bb4 20. c3 Ba5 21. Rfe1 Rf8 22. Bc5 {and black is done for.}) 16. Qxf6 Qe7 17. Qe5 Rg6 18. Bxg5 Qh7 19. e7 Bg7 (19... Bxe7 20. Qxc7 Rxg5 21. Qxb7 Rd8 22. Nxg5 {is hopeless for black.}) 20. Qxc7 Bf6 {Resigning was a good option.} 21. Qxb7 Qg7 22. Qxa8+ Kxe7 23. Qxa7+ (23. Rfe1+ {Not that it really matters, but this leads to a forced mate.} Kd7 24. Re8 Kd6 25. Qb8+ Kc5 26. Ne1 d4 27. Re6 Qb7 28. Qxb7 d3 29. Qxc6+ Kb4 30. Nxd3+ Ka5 31. b4#) 23... Kd6 24. Qxg7 {Black finally resigned. A horrible little game by black.} 1-0

England vs. Holland, 1912

  

     In February 1912 the Piltdown Man was the a paleoanthropological to date. Charles Dawson discovered the so called missing link between ape and man. He contacted Arthur Smith Woodward, Keeper of Geology at the Natural History Museum in London stating he had found a section of a human-like skull in gravel beds near Piltdown in East Sussex in England. 

     That summer the two purportedly discovered more bones and artifacts at the site and their finds included a jawbone, skull fragments and a set of teeth. The bone fragments were presented as the fossilized remains of a previously unknown early human. 

     Although there were doubts about its authenticity from the beginning, the discovery was widely accepted for many years. It was, of course, a hoax, but it wasn’t until 1953 that it was definitively proven. 

     It was found that the “evidence” consisted of an altered mandible of a and some teeth of an orangutan deliberately combined with the cranium of a fully developed, though small-brained, modern human. 

     In 1912, he first edition of Modern Chess Openings (which came to be known as “the chessplayer’s Bible,” was published. 

     Louis Uedemann (1854 – November 22, 1912) died in Chicago at the age of 58 of Bright’s disease, an archaic term for what is now referred to as nephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys/ It’s caused by toxins, infection or autoimmune conditions. He won the Western Chess Association championship (predecessor of the US Open) in 1900 and 1902. He was the chess editor for the Chicago Tribune and created a notation code for telegraphs for cable matches. 

     Charles Amedee de Maurian (1838 - December1912) died in Paris at the age of 74. From 1858 to 1860, he edited the chess column in the New Orleans Delta. From 1883 to 1890, he co-edited the chess column in the New Orleans Times-Democrat. He was Paul Morphy’s closest friend. 

     A match between England and Holland was played on Friday and Saturday, April 12, 1912. Play began at 5 p.m. Friday evening with the British players having white on all the boards.. Of eight games Great Britain won four and Holland two, one was drawn and one is not yet finished. 

     There was an unusual incident on board 3 where an unaccountable oversight by Hoilland’s Dr. Laussen blundered his Queen quite early in the game and resigned immediately. The English players later countered on board 7 when Sergeant made a blunder which lost him a piece with no compensation and he was compelled to resign. 

     The second round was contested on Saturday with the games beginning at 11 a.m. with Holland having white on all boards. Holland redeemed themselves and thoroughly trounced England thereby winning the match. 

 

     Today’s game was played in that match and it was won by Reginald P. Michell (1873-1938). His best performance was probably his first place finish in the Brighton Congress of 1904 where he finished ahead oo F.J. Lee, P.S. Leonhardt and George Thomas. 

     Mitchell was a civil servant and strictly an amateur who very rarely played abroad, but was a frequent competitor in London events and the British Championships. A steady player, he described his style as being sound, consistent and with no “fireworks.” 

     His opponent was Jan Willem te Kolste (1874-1936). He participated many times in unofficial and official Dutch championships and participated with moderate success in many events in Holland. The game was fairly even with chances going back and forth until te Kolste overlooked a neat tactical shot for his Michell and the game came to an abrupt end.

 

[Event "Englad-Holland Match, London"] [Site "London"] [Date "1912.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Reginald Michell"] [Black "Jan Te Kolste"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E91"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1912.04.12"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [Source "John Saunders"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeamCountry "GBR"] [BlackTeamCountry "NED"] {E91: King's Indian: Classical} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7 {Much more usual is 6...e5, but the text is quite playable.} 7. h3 e5 8. Be3 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 (9... Nc5 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Bf3 Qe7 12. O-O Ncxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Nb5 c6 {Black has a comfortable game. Agababean,N (2353) -Socko,M (2354) Bled SLO 2002}) 10. f3 Nh5 11. O-O f5 {[%mdl 32]} 12. Qd2 (12. Bf2 Nf4 13. Nd5 Nxe2+ 14. Qxe2 fxe4 15. fxe4 c6 16. Nc3 {Even with the isolated P the position is equal. Schmidt,H-Kurevic,R Germany 1995}) 12... f4 13. Bf2 Ne5 {Black has managed to obtain a very active position.} 14. Nd5 Rf8 15. Rfd1 a6 {Guarding against Nb5} 16. Rac1 g5 {This is a mistake because it cuts off the Qs access to the K-side from where it would strengthen the attack. Now white succeeds in getting the upper hand. Instead of the text black should have taken a moment to drive the N on d5 back and then play ...Qh4 completely tying white up.} (16... c6 17. Nc3 Ng3 {followed by ,,,Qg4 with a dangerous attack, White must avoid taking the N...} 18. Bxg3 fxg3 19. Na4 Qh4 20. Bf1 c5 21. Ne2 Bxh3 {and wins for if} 22. Qxd6 (22. gxh3 Nxf3+) 22... Bd7 23. Nxg3 Qxg3 24. Qd5+ Kh8 25. Rc3 Bxa4) 17. c5 {Initiating a strong counterattack.} dxc5 18. Rxc5 c6 19. Nb4 {It's hard to believe that this is the best square for this N...there is a sacrifice on c6 looming!} Qe7 {Black is oblivious to the danger he is in.} (19... Ng3 {is the best response. White's advantage would then be minimal..} 20. Nd3 Ng6 {Black needs to avoid simplification and keep as many pieces on the board as he can.} 21. Nb3 Be6 22. Qc2 Qe7 23. Nd4 { with only a slight advantage.}) 20. Rcc1 {White should play 20.Ndxc6 immediately.} (20. Ndxc6 bxc6 21. Nxc6 Nxc6 22. Rxc6 Be6 23. Bc4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Rad8 25. Qc2 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Rd8 27. Qb3 Kh8 28. Qc2 {With black's N out of play white has more than enough compensation.}) 20... Rd8 {[%mdl 8192] Black, still oblivious to the sacrifice, walks right into a losing position.} (20... g4 {renews his K-side threats and white;s sacrifice on c6 lacks the same vigor. } 21. Ndxc6 bxc6 22. Nxc6 Nxc6 23. Rxc6 Be6 24. Bc5 Qe8 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Bxa6 gxh3 27. Bxf8 Bxf8 28. gxh3 Bc5+ 29. Kh1 {This outcome of this wild position is not at all clear, but 5 Stockfish Shootouts all ended in draws.}) 21. Ndxc6 {[%mdl 512] Whereas earlier this only resulted in white getting the better of it, at this point it wins.} Rxd2 22. Nxe7+ Kf7 23. Rxd2 Kxe7 24. Rc7+ Ke6 25. Rd8 {Black resigned. A sudden end.} (25. Rd8 Nd7 26. Bc4+ Ke7 27. Rdxc8 Rxc8 28. Rxc8 {White is a R up.}) 1-0

An Exciting Game by Arnold Denker

     First, thanks to all reader who have helped make this Blog successful. According to Blogger’s official counter, yesterday was the day that the number of visitors exceed two million. 

     In January 1946, less than one week after Hastings ended, the newspaper Sunday Chronicle sponsored a Victory Tournament in London to celebrate the end of the war. The event was divided into A and B sections, each with 12 players. 

     It was hoped that Mikhail Botvinnik would play, but he was, for whatever reasons, unavailable. And, because of his Nazi sympathies World Champion Alexander Alekhine’s participation was protested by Max Euwe and the Dutch Chess Federation and by Arnold Denker and the USCF. As a result Alekhine’s invitation was withdrawn. 

     The players were divided into two equally strong groups, A and B. The A group order of finish was: 1) Herman Steiner, 2) Bernstein, 3) Tartakower, 4) Opocensky, 5) Golombek, 6-7) Prins and Pomar, 8-9) List and Broadbent 10) Fairhurst 11) Stone and 12) Friedmann. 

 

 

     Today’s game was played in the B event which consisted of former World Champion Max Euwe, US Champion Arnold Denker, Swiss Champions Martin Christoffel. former British champion Sir George Thomas, strong British amateur and author Gerald Abrahams, Imre Konig, a strong Yugoslav professional player and UK immigrant, Spanish Champion Antonio Medina, the strong Portuguese player Francisco Lupi, the Belgian champion Paul Devos, former British Champion William Winter, London City Champion Gabriel Wood and the British Army Champions Richard Newman. 

     Arnold Denker (1914-2005) had tied for third place at the recently concluded Hastings tournament. He was born in New York and in his youth he took to boxing, but his true love was chess. 

     A New York businessman, Denker won the Manhattan Chess Club championship six times (1940, 1944, 1950, 1950-51, 1954, 1969-70) and was the US Champion in 1944-46. In 2004 the US Chess Federation bestowed upon him the title of "Dean of American Chess". 

     His opponent was Gabriel Wood (1902-1903) who won the British Correspondence Champion in 1946 and 1948 (jointly) and was London Champion in 1945. He also competed in the 1st World Correspondence Championship (1950-1953) and finished in 8th place. 

     After a long bookish opening both players miss ed the fact that Denker’s 21st move was a bad mistake. But then on his 24th move Wood’s plausible move turns out to be one that give black the initiative and it just keeps growing. The game ends thanks to Denker’s precise play over the course of the rest of the game. 

[Event "London B"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1946.01.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Gabriel Wood"] [Black "Arnold Denker"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D49"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1946.01.14"] {Semi-Slav: Meran System} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 { [%mdl 32]} Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 {[%mdl 32]} 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 Qb6 13. fxg7 Bxg7 14. Qe2 b4 15. O-O Bb7 16. Bf4 O-O {All book so far!} 17. Rfe1 (17. Ng5 h6 18. Ne4 e5 19. Bd2 f5 20. Ng3 e4 21. Bc4+ Kh7 22. Qh5 f4 {Black is winning, but failed to score the point and ended up drawing in the endinf in Hassan,A (2352)-Zozek,S (2225) Amman 2008}) ( 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Qc6 19. f3 Ra5 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Qf2 Qd6 22. Qh4 h6 23. Rad1 {and in this completely equal position Bobula,M (2359)-Cyborowski,L (2580) Opole 2007 agreed to a draw.}) 17... Ra5 {This prevents Ne5.} 18. a3 bxa3 19. Rxa3 Rfa8 20. Rea1 Rxa3 21. bxa3 {Black has to reasonable moves here: 21...h6 and 21...Qc6. Instead, both players made a curious oversight.} Ba6 {This is an oversight that should have cost him the game!} 22. Bxa6 (22. Qe4 {There is no satisfactory way to meet this.} Rc8 (22... Bxd3 23. Qxa8+ {wins}) 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Bxa6 Qxa6 25. Bh6 Bxh6 26. Qxh6+ Ke8 27. Nxd4 {with a decisive advantage.}) 22... Qxa6 23. Qxa6 Rxa6 {The ending is equal and a draw would not be a surprising outcome.} 24. Kf1 {Bringing the K towards the center is a perfectly logical move, but here it gives black excellent chances.} (24. Rc1 Rxa3 25. Rc8+ Nf8 26. h4 {This gives the K an escape square and intends the further advance of the h-Pawn and black's N is precariously pinned.} Ra5 27. Bd2 Rd5 28. g4 h6 29. Bb4 f5 30. g5 hxg5 31. Nxg5 d3 32. Bd2 e5 33. h5 Rd6 {The position is equal because blac's extra P on d3 should pose no real threat. Just a sample line...} 34. Kg2 e4 35. Rc5 Nh7 36. Rc8+ Nf8 (36... Bf8 37. Nxh7 Kxh7 38. Rxf8) 37. Rc5 {draws}) 24... e5 {Now black's center Ps become more and more dangerous.} 25. Bd2 e4 26. Ng5 e3 {The e-Pawn won't stop...it just keeps going!} 27. Bb4 e2+ 28. Ke1 d3 29. Rc1 {White's position is highly critical and defending it is a great strain and precise play is required.} Bb2 $1 30. Rc8+ Kg7 31. Rd8 {This loses instantly.} (31. Kd2 {holds up the Ps and at least puts up a fight.} Ne5 32. f4 Bxa3 33. Bc3 Bc1+ 34. Kxc1 Ra1+ 35. Kb2 e1=Q 36. Bxe1 Rxe1 37. Ne4 Re2+ 38. Kc1 Ng4 39. Rc4 Nxh2 {Clearly black is better, but is his advantage sufficient to win? In all likelihood yes, In Shootouts white salvaged one draw out of 5 games. However, the games were long (at least another 40 moves) and the endings were tricky.}) 31... Rxa3 {Very nice., The B cannot be taken because black's B must guard the a5-e1 diagonal.} 32. Nf3 (32. Bxa3 Bc3#) 32... Ra1+ {Wood now plays a few more moves out of momentum.} 33. Kd2 Rd1+ 34. Ke3 Bc1+ 35. Ke4 d2 36. Kf5 (36. Bc3+ Kh6 37. Rxd7 e1=Q+ 38. Nxe1 dxe1=Q+ 39. Bxe1 Rxd7) 36... e1=Q 37. Nxe1 dxe1=Q 38. Bxe1 Rd5+ {White resigned. In the auto-analysis Stockfish described Denker's play as precise. It's worth noting that Wood's play was hardly bad as his Weighted Error Value was only twice Denker's. In other words, Wood's play was good, but Denker's was better.} (38... Rd5+ 39. Kg4 Nf6+ {wins the R}) 0-1

A Win by Carroll Capps

     The big news in 1951 was Mikhail Botvinnik's draw with David Bronstein in Moscow to retain his world championship. 

     On the US chess scene, Milton Hanauer won the Marshall Chess Club championship, Arnold Denker won the Manhattan Chess Club championship, Samuel Reshevsky won the Wertheim Memorial, Larry Evans won the US Championship and US Open. Mary Bain won the US Women's Championship. 

     The top 10 US players were Samuel Reshevsky, Arthur Dake, Arnold Denker, Larry Evans, Reuben Fine, I.A. Horowitz, Max Pavey, Arthur Bisguer, Donald Byrne and Robert Byrne. 

     California player Carroll Capps (November 27, 1917 – January 15, 1971) was a science fiction author who wrote under the pseudonym of C. C. MacApp. He was also a USCF Expert (Elo 2000-2199) and a long time benefactor of San Francisco chess. 

     Capps was raised in Oakland, California. He was 16 years old when he started playing chess while in high school. Before World War II chess in Northern California had no weekend tournaments, there were no ratings and very few opening books. 

     Most chess was played at local clubs where competition was friendly. There were inter-club round robins, league matches between clubs and an occasional simultaneous by a visiting master. 

     After graduating from high school Capps attended UC Berkeley and earned a degree in chemistry. While at Berkeley he joined Oakland's Castle Chess Club and began to play in the Northern California Chess League. His first mention in California chess was in 1933 when he played on board 18 for his college team in a club match. While there he once defeated Arthur Dake in a simul. 

     Among the hundreds of local events played around the country in 1951 was the 1st Pacific Invitational held in San Francisco. 

  

     

     The USCF was critical of organizer and director George Koltanowski because of the “incredibly poor publicity” he gave the event except aboard; the USCF found out about the event through the pages of the British Chess Magazine. 

     In the tournament, Capps tied for 4th-5th with Henry Gross, but he defeated Vladimir Pafnutieff, a strong California player known for his sharp attacking play and his good eye for a combination that gained him the scalps of a number of GM’s. He authored one book, How to Create Combinations, published in the 1990’s. His mother was said to be a concert pianist, but I could find nothing on her. Pafnutieff himself was supposedly a gifted singer. Unfortunately, there seems to be little information on him. 

     At the time of this tournament both players were rated as Experts, Capps at 2160) and Pafnutieff at 2079. 

[Event "Pacific Invitational, San Francisco"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Carroll Capps"] [Black "Vladimir Pafnutieff"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C08"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.08.01"] {C08: French Defense, Tarrasch Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {The Tarrasch Variation became popular during the 1970s and early 1980s when Anatoly Karpov used it. It's not as aggressive as 3.Nc3 but is is a safe alternative. The Tarrasch differs from 3.Nc3 in that it does not block the c-Pawn so at some point white can play c3 to support the d-Pawn. It also avoids the Winawer (...Bb4). On the other hand, 3.Nd2 develops the knight to a less active square which means that white will have to spend an extra tempo moving the N so he can develop the B.} c5 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. Bb5+ {A rare sideline. White usually plays 5.exd5 or 5.e5} Nc6 6. exd5 exd5 7. O-O Bd6 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nb3 Bb6 {More solid is 9.Be7} (9... Qb6 {was played in Alekhine,A-Cortlever,N Munich 1941m but it is not so good for black after} 10. Qe2+ Ne4 11. c4 Be6 12. cxd5 Bxd5 13. Bd3 f5 14. Ng5 {White stands well.}) 10. Re1+ Be6 11. Nfd4 (11. Bg5 O-O 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Ne5 Qc7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nf3 {is equal and Sek,K (2469)-Golubov,S (2478) St Petersburg RUS 2019 agreed to a draw in a few more moved.}) 11... O-O 12. Bg5 (12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxc6 {is disastrous for white.} Ng4 14. Bxa8 Qh4 {and black is winning. One example...} 15. Be3 Qxh2+ 16. Kf1 d4 17. Nxd4 Bc4+ {and white has to surrender the Q to put off being mated.}) 12... h6 13. Bh4 {[%mdl 32]} g5 {A typical attacking move by Pafnutieff.} 14. Bg3 Bg4 (14... Nxd4 {is an interesting try.} 15. Nxd4 Ne4 16. c3 Qf6 17. Qh5 Bxd4 18. cxd4 Rac8 {with equal chances.}) 15. f3 {A very strong defensive move. } Bh5 16. Bf2 Ne4 17. Be3 Nd6 {A mistake that quickly lands black in serious trouble.} (17... Nxd4 {This assures black of equality.} 18. Nxd4 Nd6 19. a4 Bg6 20. Bd3 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 Re8 {equals}) 18. Bxc6 bxc6 (18... Bxd4 19. Nxd4 bxc6 20. Nxc6 Qd7 21. Nb4 {followed by Nxd4 and white is winning.}) 19. Nxc6 {[%mdl 32] This N is going to do a lot of damage which is why it should have been taken on move 17.} Bxe3+ (19... Nf5 {was called for.} 20. Nxd8 Nxe3 21. Rxe3 Bxe3+ 22. Kf1 Raxd8) 20. Rxe3 Qb6 (20... Qf6 {was no salvation either.} 21. Ne7+ Kh7 22. Nxd5) 21. Ne7+ Kh7 22. Nxd5 {White has a won ending.} Qc6 23. Rc3 Qa6 24. Nc5 Qb5 25. Nf6+ {Black resigned. It's surprising how quickly his game collapsed after 17...Nd6} (25. Nf6+ Kh8 26. Qxd6 Qxb2 27. Nxh5 Qxa1+ 28. Kf2 Qxc3 29. Qxh6+ Kg8 30. Nf6+ Qxf6 31. Qxf6 Rfd8 32. Qxg5+ Kf8 33. Ne4 {Black's position is hopeless.}) 1-0

A Download Warning!

     Last night while watching a movie on TV I was visiting the SCID chess program website and saw a download for an interesting looking database of games from a site called Caissabase. 

     I visited the site and downloaded the database. Short version: the DB did not seem to be downloading, but 6-8 partial download files appeared on my laptop and after 20-30 minutes I had to cancel the downloads when quitting the browser. I then deleted the partially downloaded files. 

     Today when I opened Firefox the downloads started again and could not be stopped except by closing the browser. A scan with my anti-virus software did not reveal anything, but every time I opened and then closed Firefox I was informed that a download was in progress and the same 6-8 partial files showed up in the Downloads section. 

     Not being technically savvy I could not figure out how to stop the downloads from taking place every time I opened Firefox. The only solution I came up with was to reinstall Firefox. Fortunately I was able to recover all of my bookmarks which were stored on my laptop in an “Old Firefox Data” folder. 

     So, the warning is DO NOT DOWNLOAD the CAISSABASE DATABASE FOUND ON THE SCID WEBSITE!

Checkmates Are Fun!

     I have a dew old chess book that I like to dip into occasionally. One is 175 Chess Brilliancies published in 1947 by Sir Isaac Pitman & Son, Ltd. The book’s author was Francis Percival Wenman 1781-1972), the Scottish Champion 1920. 

     Wenman was not a highly regarded author, but he authored or edited some 21 chess books including a number of them on chess problems. A problem composer himself, he was accused of plagiarism in his problem books. 

     In the book’s introduction Wenman wrote that the book contained games by most of the leading players of the world, but it was unlikely that the average player would have seen most of them. He added, “Many very brilliant games and endings from both ancient and modern records are presented to the reader, and it is hoped they will satisfy the desire of even the most ardent admirer of gambits and enterprising play.” 

     Not al of the games were by famous players and the “Unknowns” are well represented. For example, today’s game was played in Leipzig in 1906 in am unspecified event. Also, the players na,es are give only as Lepge ans Saalbad. No matter. The game ends in checkmate and it’s an enjoyable one to play over. 

[Event "Leipzif"] [Site "?"] [Date "1906.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Lepge"] [Black "Saalbad"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C33"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] {C33: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 g5 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. d4 Ne7 7. Nf3 {Not bad, but even when this game was played it was known that 7.g3 was the best move.} (7. g3 fxg3 8. Kg2 d6 9. hxg3 Qg4 10. Qxg4 Bxg4 11. Bxg5 Nbc6 12. Nb5 O-O-O 13. Rf1 {The game was soon drawn. Capablanca, J-Allies Philadelphia 1910}) 7... Qh5 8. h4 {White is playing aggressively.} h6 {[%mdl 32]} 9. Kg1 (9. Be2 {is interesting,} Qg6 10. Ne5 Bxe5 11. dxe5 Qg7 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 d6 (13... Qxe5 {must not be played because after} 14. Bd2 Qxd5 15. Qe1 {white gas a decisive attack.}) 14. exd6 cxd6 15. Bb5+ {The position is equal.}) 9... Qg6 (9... g4 {This aggressive move would give black the initiative. For example...} 10. Nh2 f3 11. Be3 (11. gxf3 {This is not a good idea.} gxf3 12. Qxf3 (12. Nxf3 d6 13. Kf2 Bg4 {favors black.}) 12... Bxd4+ {Black is better.}) 11... f5) 10. hxg5 hxg5 11. Rxh8+ Bxh8 12. e5 Nbc6 13. Nb5 Kd8 $17 14. Bxf7 Qxf7 15. Nxg5 {Where to retreat the Q is a critical decision.. .the difference between winning and losing!} Qf5 {[%mdl 8192] This advance is the worst possible retreat.} (15... Qf8 {Falls way short.} 16. Qh5 d6 17. exd6 cxd6 18. Nf7+ Kd7 19. Qg4+ Nf5 (19... Ke8 20. Nbxd6#) 20. Qxf5+ Ke7 21. Qxf4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Qxf7 {White has a won ending.}) (15... Qg6 {and black has a decisive advantage.} 16. Qg4 a6 17. Qxf4 Nf5 (17... axb5 18. Qf8+ Qe8 19. Nf7#) 18. Nc3 d6 19. g4 dxe5 (19... Nfxd4 20. Nf7+ Ke8 21. Nxh8 Qxg4+ {favors black, but only slightly.}) 20. dxe5 Bxe5 21. gxf5 Bxf5 22. Qf3 Kd7 {The R coming into play decides the game.}) 16. Qh5 {The King hunt begins.} Ng6 {Black seems to have guarded everything and materially he has a B vs. P. Even so, if white plays a routine developing move like 17.Bd2 he would have the advantage because of his lead in development and piece activity coupled with the insecure position of black's K. But, white has an even better move than 17.Bd2} 17. Bxf4 {[%mdl 512] Adding another piece to the attack and more importantly the R has access to the open file.} a6 {The B is immune.} (17... Qxf4 18. Rf1 Bxe5 (18... Qh4 19. Qxg6 {Rf8# can't be stopped.}) 19. Rxf4 Nxf4 20. Qf7 Ne6 21. dxe5 {White is winning.}) (17... Nxf4 18. Nf7+ Ke7 19. Qxf5 {wins}) 18. Rf1 {Black has no defense against Nf7+} axb5 (18... d6 19. Nf7+ Qxf7 20. Bg5+ Bf6 21. Rxf6 {is winning for white.}) 19. Nf7+ {Technically either 19,Be3 ot 19. Bg3 would have been a little stronger, but it's not necessary to nitpick.} Qxf7 20. Bg5+ Qe7 {This allows mate in 2 but he was lost anyway.} (20... Ke8 { is hopeless.} 21. Rxf7 Kxf7 22. Qh7+ Bg7 23. Bf6 Nce7 24. Qxg7+ Ke6 25. Bxe7 Nxe7 26. Qf6+ Kd5 27. Qxe7) 21. Qxh8+ {[%mdl 512]} (21. Bxe7+ {would also mate. } Ncxe7 22. Qxh8+ Ng8 23. Qxg8+ Ke7 24. Rf7+ Ke6 25. Rf8+ Ke7 26. Re8#) 21... Nxh8 22. Rf8# 1-0

Kenneth Smith’s Incredibly Bad Luck

 

     The 1970 National Open in Sparks, Nevada was exceptionally strong and the outcome was in doubt until the last round was finished. When the dust settled Larry Evans and Arthur Bisguier both had 7-1 scored and shared top homors. 

     Evans played his usual steady, unspectacular chess and going into the last round had won six and drawn one, In the last round his opponent was National Master Bruch Pandolfini. Bisguier was playing National Master Walter Cunningham. Bisguier took a quick draw and after an exciting game, Evans and Pandolfini finally agreed to a draw. 

     Bisguier played his usual exciting and dangerous chess and had some incredible luck in the 7th round when he played Kenneth Smith. At move 13 Bisguier carelessly castled, normally a good thing, but at that moment it gave Smith the opportunity to win a piece for nothing. Even though he lost a piece Bisguier didn’t resign. He fought back, recklessly throwing everything he had at Smith even though it exposed his own King. Just when it looked like Smith had a mate the incredible happened...Smith managed to lose! Take a look...

[Event "National Open, Reno, Nevada"] [Site "?"] [Date "1970.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Kenneth Smith"] [Black "Arthur Bisguier"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1970.??.??"] {Scotch Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 {Smith was true to his convictions that you should play gambits and it took considerable fortitude to play this against Bisguier, himself a fearless attacking player.} dxc3 5. Nxc3 (5. Bc4 {Even though this results in sharp play with equal chances,it's a bit much even for Smith!} cxb2 6. Bxb2 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. O-O d6 9. Nd5 {equals}) 5... d6 6. Bc4 Be6 {A prudent move; it blunts white's B and exchanges lessen white's attacking possibilities.} (6... Nf6 {is the other way.} 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb5 c6 10. f4 cxb5 {with equal chances.}) 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 {This regains the P but puts the Q out of play. Also possible was the more conservative 9.O-O} Rb8 10. Qa6 Be7 11. O-O {White's position is not without promise.} Bf6 {Against e5} 12. Rd1 Nge7 13. Qe2 {White needs to defnd the b-Pawn so he can develop his B on c1.} O-O {This careless move looks logical, but it's not; white has a decisive advantage.} (13... Bxc3 14. bxc3 O-O 15. Ba3 e5 16. Qc4+ Kh8 17. Rab1 Rb6 {is equal. Noetzel,F (2090)-Oberhofer, A (2308) Berlin GER 2011}) (13... Ng6 14. Be3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 O-O {Draw agreed. Papaioannou,I (2470)-Nikolaidis,I (2565) Athens 1997}) 14. e5 {...winning a piece!} Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Qc8 (15... Bxe5 16. Qxe5 {White has won a piece.}) 16. Ng4 Bxc3 17. bxc3 {Kenneth Smith was a strong mater and there is no way he can lose this game even to a GM!} Nd5 18. Rd3 {The R is added to the attack.} h5 { Bisguier was not one to sit idly by and do nothing so he attacks even if it exposes his K.} (18... Ne7 $142 19. c4 e5) 19. Nh6+ {[%mdl 512] Destroying the King's house.} gxh6 (19... Kh8 {is just as bad.} 20. Qxh5 Nf6 21. Qh4) 20. Qxh5 {Threatening mate with Rg3+.} Rf6 21. Rg3+ (21. Bxh6 {packs an even harder punch.} Qe8 22. Rg3+ Kh7 23. Rg7+ Kh8 24. Qg5 {Of course white is winning.}) 21... Kh7 {[%mdl 32]} 22. Bxh6 {[%mdl 512] Threatening mate with Bd2+} Qe8 23. Rg7+ Kh8 24. Qh4 {This si a major slip. White's still better, but the sure win is gone.} (24. Qg5 {This is the winner...the intention is to play Rh7+! and mate with Qg7} Qf8 25. Re1 Ne7 26. Rg8+ {wins outright.}) 24... Rg6 25. Rxg6 Qxg6 {There's no good discovered check, but white is P up so he still has the advantage, but there is still a lot of work to be done.} 26. Re1 Rb1 {Just like that...white has to think about the safety of his own King! Even so he still has what should be a decisive advantage.} 27. Bc1+ Kg7 28. c4 {While not bad, this move leaves white's K compromised. Therefore it would have been prudent to create an escape square with 28.h3} Nf6 29. h3 (29. Qh6+ {might have been worth a try. Black can't trade Qs.} Kf7 (29... Qxh6 30. Bxh6+ Kxh6 31. Rxb1 {White is winning.}) 30. Qxg6+ Kxg6 31. Bd2 Rb2 32. Ba5 Rc2 33. Bxc7 d5 34. Bf4 Rxc4 {White still has his work cut out for him in order to score the point.}) 29... Kf7 30. Qf4 {At this point it's a whole new game because black has equalized and now it's a strong Master against a GM...the odds favor the GM!} (30. g4 {This would have kept his hopes alive.} e5 31. Kg2 Ra1 32. Qg3 Rxa2 33. Qb3 Qc2 34. Qf3 {with the slightly better prospects.}) 30... Qc2 31. g4 {[%mdl 32] And now g5 would win.} e5 32. Qe3 Qxc4 $11 33. g5 Ng8 34. f4 exf4 (34... Qxf4 35. Rf1) 35. Rf1 {[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder that loses immediately..} (35. Qe8+ {would draw.} Kg7 36. Qd7+ Kh8 37. g6 Qc5+ 38. Kh1 Qh5 39. Rg1 Rxc1 40. Rxc1 Qf3+ {and black should take the draw.}) 35... Qxf1+ { [%mdl 512] White resigned. Stockfish informs that there is a mate in 21!} ( 35... Qxf1+ 36. Kxf1 fxe3 37. Ke2 Rxc1 38. Kxe3 Rc3+ 39. Kd2 Ra3 40. Kc2 Rxa2+ 41. Kb3 Rh2 42. Kc4 Ne7 43. Kb3 Rxh3+ 44. Kb4 Kg6 45. Kc4 Kxg5 46. Kb4 Rh4+ 47. Kc3 c5 48. Kd3 a5 49. Ke2 a4 50. Kd2 Rb4 51. Ke2 a3 52. Kf3 a2 53. Ke2 a1=Q 54. Kf3 Rb3+ 55. Kg2 Qa2+ 56. Kh1 Rb1#) 0-1

Reshevsky Nips Seidman

     With the exception of Bobby Fischer, the 1968 U.S. Championship was composed of the twelve highest rated players in this country. 

     In such a short tournament a loss must certainly be avoided and wins against the players at the bottom are a must if one is to succeed in winning the tournament. Larry Evans and Robert Byrne pulled it off, Reshevsjy didn’t. 

     The crucial game for both Evans and Byrne was their game against William Lombardy; Evans won, Byrne drew. 

     Reshevsky fell short in two games that were crucial: he drew with his old rival from 1941 when they played a match for the US Championship, Al Horowitz. Both Evans and Byrne beat Horowitz. Reshevsy’s cause suffered a serious blow when he lost to Pal Benko while both of his rivals drew with Benko.

 

     As for Reshevsky;s opponent in the following game, Herbert Seidman, a veteran of many events, he hadn’t been playing a lot of chess since the 1962 US Championship (also won by Evans) where he finished tied for places 3-6 (out of 12) with a +5 -3 -3 score. As a result he was out of form due to lack of practice. 

     Even so, he scored an impressive victory against William Lombardy. When Reshevsky faced Seidman in the 8th round he was conscious of the fact that it was a must win game. At the same time he was fully aware that Seidman was a dangerous opponent especially if he got the kind of position he liked...sharp tactical ones! 

     Seidman was well prepared in the opening, rapidly playing his first 13 moves. An optimistic Reshevsky believed it was he who had a slight advantage in the middlegame, but in reality the position was equal. 

     Seidman defended stubbornly and was holding his own. Just when it looked like Reshevsky wasn’t making any real progress he was suddenly struck by an idea in the ending...he sacrificed a piece for a gob of passed Ps. Stopping them was theoretically possible, but in practical play the task proved too difficult and Seidman got nipped.

[Event "US Championship, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1968.07.25"] [Round "8"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "Herbert Seidman"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D92"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "1968.??.??"] {D92: Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 {This somewhat unusual move was a favorite of Reshevsky. More often seen are 6.Qb3 and, less often, 6.cxd5 and 6.e3} 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 {The generally held belief that Reshevsky never studied openings is a myth. He did. Pal Benko was once hired by Reshevsly as a second and one of the things they worked on was openings. Benko explained his exasperation when they studied opening in the morning and after a break for lunch Reshevsky had forgotten everything!. At least in this game Reshevsky was aware that this setup was popularized by the gifted Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch, who had scored numerous victories with it. At best, however, white has no more than his usual opening edge.} c5 7. dxc5 Be6 8. e3 Qa5 9. Nd4 Nc6 10. Nxe6 {Reshevsky felt (probably correctly) that this was the only way to procure a semblance of an opening advantage. However, as will be seen, the doubling of blacl's Ps does not yield any particular advantage.} (10. Qb3 {was an interesting alternative.} Qxc5 11. Nxe6 {It turns out that wgite has to play this move anyway.} (11. Qxb7 {is a mistake because after} Nxd4 12. exd4 Qxd4 13. Bg3 Ne4 {black has a clear advantage.}) 11... fxe6 12. Qxb7 {This is white's best move, but it will require precise play to keep the position equal.} a6 {Safest, but it's probably not the move Seidman would have played.} (12... Ne4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qb5 {An unusual position in that blacks' tripled Ps perform an important function in that they control the center squares and as a result, the position is about equal.}) 13. Na4 Qa5+ 14. Nc3 Rfc8 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Bc4 {Black is slightly better.}) 10... fxe6 11. Qa4 {According to Reshevsky other moves were inadequate. gain, he was probably correct because 11.Qb3 leads to complications that offer black good prospects.} Qxc5 12. Qb5 Qxb5 $11 13. cxb5 Nb8 {Uo to here Seidman had been playing his mvoes quckly. Here he wants to reposition his N to b6 via d7. Another equally acceptable move was 13...Na5} (13... Na5 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O Nc4 16. Na4 Nd7 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. Rxc4 dxc4 19. Rc1 {and the game Roiz,M (2595)-Zakhartsov,V (2453) Dresden 2015 lead to a draw,}) 14. Bd3 {Reshevsky thought this was superior to 14.Be2, but there doesn't seem to be much difference.} (14. Be2 Nbd7 15. O-O Rac8 16. Rfd1 e5 17. Bg5 e6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Na4 {Theoretically the position ids equal, but in Miralles,G (2445)-Kouatly,B (2485) Montpellier 1991 black managed to squeeze out a win, so perhaps Reshevsky's assessment was correct after all.}) 14... Nbd7 15. Ke2 {AN instructive move. In view of the ensuing endgame Reshevsky keeps his K in the center.} e5 {A well played advance. Seidman prefers to take aggressive action rather than to play defensively and make a waiting mov. Also, the move crosses Reshevsky's intended plan of playing 16.Bb1 followed by Rc2 and doubling Rs on the c-file.} 16. Bg3 e4 17. Bb1 {Not 17.Bc2 blocking the R.} Rac8 18. Na4 (18. a4 {was discarded by Reshevsky because black could easily defend the d-Pawn by ...e6 and then try to occupy the strategic square d3. This seems a rather an abstract concept, but it's an interesting insight into Reshevsky's thinking.} e6 19. Bd6 Rfe8 20. f3 {and there is no way for black to occupy d3 and the chances are equal.}) 18... Ng4 19. Rhd1 e6 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. f3 (21. Bxe4 { was not to Reshevsky's liking.} Rc4 (21... dxe4 22. Rxd7 {highly favors white.} ) 22. Nc3 Rb4 23. Nxd5 Rxb2+ 24. Rd2 Rxd2+ 25. Kxd2 exd5 26. Bxd5+ Kf8 27. Bxb7 {with an unclear position. Five Shootouts from this position were drawn, but playing the enbding OTB would be just too difficult.}) 21... exf3+ 22. gxf3 { Now retreating the N to f6 hindering white's next move would have been the safest course.} Nge5 23. e4 {Now the purpose of white's 20th move becomes apparent. By forcing the following exchange of Ps white is able to activate his R and the B on g3. Black is not at any disadvantage here, but white has the initiative and so black's defense must be precise.} dxe4 24. Bxe4 b6 25. Rd6 {The R is activated and the B's diagonal has been opened.} (25. f4 { It was annoying to Reshevsky that this move was insufficient to gain any advantage.} Nf6 26. Bh1 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Rxd2+ 28. Kxd2 Ned7 {with equal chances.}) 25... Nf8 {Reshevsky was totally mistaken when he called this move the best; he was hoping for the natural 25...Kf7 because he though he would hve gotten slightly the better of it. The text move is not the best, in fact, it's a mistake that allows white to get an active position.} (25... Kf7 {This keeps the position equal.} 26. f4 {This is the correct move, but it does not, as Reshevsky thought, confer any special advantage on white.} Rc4 27. Nc3 Nc5 28. fxe5 Nxe4 29. Rd7+ Kf8 30. Rxa7 Nxg3+ 31. hxg3 Rb4 {and the position is comletely equal.}) 26. b3 g5 {Suddenly black's position has become critical, but it is far from obvious. A casual glnce would suggest that he has nothing to worry about. That said, Seidman's aggressive defense is his best course of action.} 27. Nxb6 {A bolt from the blue! After this (sound) sacrifice, black's game is, for all practical purposes, untenable. White has only procured two P for the piece, but the passed Ps along with the help of the Rs and two Bs are mot likely to be stopped.} axb6 28. Rxb6 h5 {[%mdl 32]} 29. Ra6 {More precise was 29.Rb7 threatening Rxg7+ and Bxe5+} h4 $11 30. Bf2 Neg6 {After Reshevsky's small slip on move 29 Seidman conducts a manly defense.} 31. Ra8 (31. Rc6 { Reshevsky thought this was much stronger, but it's not because black has good defensive possibilities after, for example...} Rd8 32. b6 Be5 33. b7 Nf4+ { An amazing position. White has only one move that does not lose.} 34. Ke1 (34. Kf1 Rd1+ 35. Be1 Nd7 {White's pinned B will cost him te game.} 36. Rc8+ Kf7 37. Kf2 Bb8 38. a4 h3 39. a5 Ba7+ 40. Kf1 Ng2 41. Ke2 Rxe1+ 42. Kd3 g4 43. Kd2 (43. fxg4 Nf4+ 44. Kd2 Rxe4) 43... g3 44. hxg3 h2 45. Rh8 h1=Q 46. Rxh1 Rxh1) 34... Ng2+ {and black draws.}) 31... Rxa8 {Technically this is OK, but practically 31. ..Nf4 would have made it more difficult for white to win.} (31... Nf4+ 32. Kd2 Bc3+ 33. Kc2 Rxa8 34. Bxa8 Ba5 {and with correct play black should be able to stop the Ps.}) 32. Bxa8 Be5 33. Bg1 Nf4+ 34. Kf1 {A very fine move! In the auto-annotation Stocfish attached a ! to this move. The reason is that white needs to keep his K near the K-side and not go wandering off the the Q-side to try and support the Ps.} (34. Ke3 Nh3 35. Ke4 Nd7 36. Bc6 Nxg1 37. Bxd7 Bxh2 38. Bxe6+ {I spent a consideable amount of time trying to win this position for white, but it can't be done! In fact,in Shootouts white scored +0 -3 =2, so had white not played 34.Kf1 ge likely would have lost. I suspect $eshevsky instinctively knew this!}) 34... Nd7 35. a4 {[%mdl 32]} Bc7 {Obviously played in order to stop the advance of the Ps, but this turns out to be a serious mistake after which saving the game will prove nearly impossible.} (35... Bc3 36. Bc6 Ne5 37. Be4 Kf7 38. b6 Nd5 39. Bxd5 exd5 40. b7 Nc6 {The Ps are stymied and bringing up the K doesn't help.} 41. Ke2 h3 {The K can go no further.} 42. Be3 (42. Kd3 Be5 {wins}) 42... Kf6 43. f4 g4 44. Bb6 Kf5 45. Kd3 Bb4 46. Bc7 g3 {and wins}) 36. Bc6 Nb8 37. Be4 {A very fine move because now white is ready to advance his Ps and black is compelled to parry this threat.} Nd5 {Black seems to have solved the problem of stopping the onrushing Ps. This might have been true had his B been behind the Ps (35...Bc3) and not in front of them (35...Bc7).} (37... Ba5 {is the only move that gives him a fighting chance.} 38. Bc5 Nd7 39. Be7 Nd5 40. Bxd5 {This is the correct move.} (40. Bxg5 h3 {is unclear and a very difficult position to play.}) 40... exd5 41. b4 Bc7 42. h3 Kf7 43. Bxg5 {Five Shootouts from this position all ended in white wins. }) 38. Bxd5 exd5 39. b4 {[%mdl 32] The winning move. Give it two exclamation marks!} (39. b6 {Looks good, but it;s a loser...or rather a drawer!} Bd6 40. h3 Kf7 41. Be3 Kf6 42. a5 Bb4 {The Ps are stopped and black draws.} 43. f4 (43. Ke2 {White cannot bring up the K.} Bxa5 44. Kd3 Nc6 45. Bc5 Bb4 46. Bxb4 Nxb4+ 47. Kd4 Ke6 48. Kc5 Nd3+ 49. Kc6 Ne5+ 50. Kc7 Nd7 51. b4 d4 {wins}) 43... Bxa5 44. fxg5+ Kf5 {There is no chance of white winning.}) 39... Kf7 $2 {Black's K is just a bit too far from the Q-side to be of any help.} 40. a5 Nd7 41. b6 Bd8 (41... Nxb6 {fails.} 42. Bxb6 Bxh2 43. a6 Bb8 44. Bc7 Bxc7 45. a7 h3 46. a8=Q) 42. b7 Nb8 43. Ba7 Bc7 44. b5 Nd7 45. a6 Bxh2 46. b8=Q {Black resigned. An extremely well played game by Reshevsky especially given that Seidman's play, with the exception of his slip at move 37, was also quite precise..} (46. b8=Q Nxb8 47. Bxb8 Bxb8 48. b6 {wraps it up.}) 1-0

Lady Brutally Beaten By Reuben Fine

     In 1941 the war was raging in Europe and later in the year, on December 7th, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. 

     A lot of players were lost that year: Polish maters, Isaak Appel, Jakub Kolski, Leo Kremer, Ignatz von Popiel and Izaak Towbin died. Polish/French master Joseph Cukierman committed suicide. Latvian master Fricis Apsenieks died of tuberculosis in Riga. Charles Jaffe died in New York. Former Estonian Champion Ilmar Raud died in Buenos. 

     Alexander Ilyin-Genevsky died during the siege of Leningrad by the Germans. Former Cuban Champion Juan Corzo y Principe died in Havana. Czech master Karel Treybal was executed in Prague when he was charged with illegal possession of a firearm. British chess functionary Frederick Hamilton-Russell died in England.

     Viktor Korchnoi's father was killed in battle east of Leningrad. The strong mster Vsevolod Rauzer also died in Leningrad as did mathematician and master Boris Koyalovich. 

     Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) died of a kidney uremic poisoning. Uremia is a buildup of toxins in the blood that occurs when the kidneys stop filtering toxins out through the urine. Uremia is often a sign of end-stage kidney disease. Treatments today include medication, dialysis and kidney transplants. 

     It was during March of 1941, that six anti-Semitic articles written by Alekhine were published in which he claimed that Jews played cowardly and for money whereas Aryans played aggressively and bravely. 

     In US chess news, in 1941, Louis Persinger (1887-1966), a pianist, professor of violin and strong amateur player won the first USCF Open postal championship. Mona Karff defeated Adele Rivero to win the US Women's Championship. Samuel Reshevsky defeated I.A. Horowitz to retain his US Championship. 

     In July, 1941, Reuben Fine successfully defended his championship title in the Annual Open Tournament of the United States Chess Federation, held St. Louis, Missouri.

     The tournament was again a one man show as Fine stood head and shoulders above the competitors as he barely exerted himself as hr costed to first. In the finals Fine quickly dispatched Adams and Steiner, his main rivals, then coasted home while yielding two draws, but they had effect on the final outcome. 

     The runner up, Herman Steiner, did well. He played his usual tricky, trappy chess and took some unnecessary chances against weaker opponents. 

     Weaver Adams, at the time advocating the Bishop’s Opening as the way to play and win, did better than might have been expected based one his recent performances. Adams played three games with the Bishop’s Opening and won all three! As black, he used his favorite Albin Counter Gambit with success against Marchand. 

     In the following game from the preliminaries, Fine administers a brutal defeat to the unknown lady player Dorothy Williams. The only information on her that I could locate was that she played in the 1960 US Open which was also held in St. Louis. There she scored 4-8 and tied for places 152-159 out of 176 players. Her USCF rating was 1800 (Class A). She was listed as being from Webster Groves, Missouri which is a suburb of St. Louis. 

 

[Event "US Open (Prelim) St. Louis"] [Site "St. Louis, MO USA"] [Date "1941.07.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Dorothy Williams"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D50"] [Annotator "Massie,Jasmes"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1941.??.??"] {D07: Queen's Gambit: Chigorin Defense} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nc6 {Normally one expects to see 4...Ne7 or 4...Nbd7 here. Instead, black transposes into an old favorite of mine, the chancy, unorthodox Chigorinf Defense which is better than it reputation.} 5. Nf3 h5 {Clearly this is pointless. Back has tried 5...h6 and 5...Be7 here, but the thematic move is 5.. .dxc4} (5... dxc4 6. e4 {Or the equally good 6.e3} Bb4 7. Bxc4 {White is slightly better.}) 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 Bd7 {Black has developed her pieces solidly, but they have no scope and her K-side has been weakened by ...h5, none of which bi=odes well, especially against one of the world's best players! } (7... Nb4 $16 {is the best move available. Then after...} 8. Be2 c5 {black at least has some play, but that P on h5 and the weakened K-side are a concern. }) 8. Bxf6 {White is clearly better.} Bxf6 9. cxd5 Nb4 10. dxe6 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 Bxe6 12. O-O {To the eye of an amateur it looks like Fine's exchanges have left black with two Bs vs. two Ns and a halfway decent position because it looks like white has no way of whipping up a serious attack. However, that's wrong! Black's K-side is seriously weakened and white's P-center will soon mobilize with devastating consequences. Stockfish 16 thinks white is better by 1.5 Ps. Komodo is a bit more conservative putting white's advantage at just over a P. In either case, it's more than enough for Fine (or any GM, for that matter) to beat an amateur. Also, we can expect black (or any amateur, for that matter) to make tactical mistakes.} c6 {This guards against Qb5} (12... O-O 13. e4 g6 14. e5 Bg7 15. Qe3 Qe7 16. Ng5 Bc4 17. Rfe1 {Danger is looming on the horizon for black owing to the weakened K-side.}) 13. e4 {[%mdl 32] The expansion begins.} h4 {Kudos to black for trying to attack! Unfortunately, there just isn't anything there owing to white's mobile P-center.} 14. d5 { The slaughter begins.} Bxc3 (14... cxd5 15. exd5 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxd5 17. Rfd1 Qh5 18. Qxg7 {with a clear advantage.}) 15. Qxc3 cxd5 16. Qxg7 Rf8 17. Rad1 h3 {As good as anything.} 18. exd5 {Black's K is in a hopeless situation.} hxg2 { There was nothing better. There's a mate in 19!} 19. Rfe1 Qe7 20. dxe6 f6 ( 20... fxe6 {Holds out for a while.} 21. Qg6+ Rf7 22. Rxe6 Kf8 23. Ne5 Qxe6 24. Qxe6 Re7 25. Ng6+ {mates in 4} Kg7 26. Nxe7 Kf8 27. Rd7 Kg7 28. Qg6+ Kh8 29. Qh6#) 21. Qg6+ {Black resigned. She never had a chances against Fine's precise play.} 1-0