Simon Webb

    On March 14, 2005, British IM and Correspondence GM Simon Webb (born June 10, 1949) was stabbed to death in Sweden by his son after Webb had returned home after spending the day in Malmo playing in the finals of the Swedish chess league. He was 55 years old. 

    Born in London, he was joint British Under-18 Champion in 1966, and fourth in the European Junior Championship in 1969. 

    For a brief period of time in the late 1970s he was a professional player. At one tournament he was assigned a lady translator whom he ended up marrying. 

    Webb was famous for his humorous instructional book Chess for Tigers (1978) and his ability to sometimes save seemingly hopeless games. 

    In the 1980s, he moved to Sweden and all but gave up OTB play after he took up correspondence chess. He was awarded the Correspondence GM title in 1983. 

     His 25-year-old son, Dennis was described by friends as having an explosive temper and he had a long history of arrests for drug related offenses. At the time of the murder he had just finished serving a  four year prison sentence. After murdering his father Dennis tried to commit suicide by driving the family car into a bus shelter at 80-85 mph (about 130kph). He had to be cut from the wreckage by the fire department, but survived with only a broken nose. 

    The Swedish police reported that Webb had suffered more than 20 knife wounds to his stomach after being overcome by his son in the early morning hours. 

    Police had no idea what the motive was, but according to one report Mrs. Webb heard her husband screaming and came out into the hall to see he had been stabbed repeatedly. She told police that her son had admitted the killing to her before taking the keys to the family car and driving off. Another report stated that she had actually witnessed the attack. Webb’s wife, Anna, suffered from mental trauma and had to be treated in a Stockholm hospital. 

    Webb wrote about the following game against Reshevsky in his book Chess for Tigers and said that throughout the game he was being subjected to Reshevsky's cigarette smoke and his annoying behavior and knew he was losing.      

    In the mid-1960s I met the infamous Norman Whitaker at a tournament in North Carolina and when Reshevsky’s name cane up in a group conversation Whitaker said, “Reshevsky wouldn’t help anybody.” 

    I saw Reshevsky at play many tines and can attest to the fact that his behavior at the board was not always gentlemanly! Still, the $50 I paid him to play me in an “instructional” correspondence game which I drew was the highlight of my career. Or, maybe it was getting Max Euwe’s autograph, probably in 1957. 

 

    In this game Webb wrote that at move 30 he spotted a tactic that could only work if Reshevsky played his Queen to d7. He thought that if he quickly played his move, Reshevsky would become suspicious and find the trap, so Webb took a few minutes thinking and shaking his head, sighing and trying to give the impression that his game was hopeless. 

    Then when Webb hesitantly played his move Reshevsky looked at him and with a smug smile, fell for the trick and then Webb replied quickly for psychological effect. Reshevsky sat upright, looked at the position and realized what had just happened, played his move and then offered a draw which Webb quickly refused.

 

[Event "Guardian Royal Exchange, London"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1973.12.14"] [Round "?"] [White "Simon Webb"] [Black "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E69"] [WhiteElo "2445"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "153"] [EventDate "1973.??.??"] {E69: King's Indian: Fianchetto Variation} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. d4 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 c6 9. h3 Qb6 10. d5 Nc5 11. Re1 cxd5 12. cxd5 Bd7 13. Rb1 a5 {So far this has been pretty much all book, but now the game has reached a point where book lines are pretty this. Here, in addition to the move played, white has tried 14.Be3} 14. Bf1 Rfc8 15. Be3 Qd8 16. Nd2 a4 (16... Ne8 17. Kh2 f5 18. f3 f4 19. gxf4 Qh4 {with equal chances. Exler,V (2189)-Stockova,Z (2383) Tromso NOR 2014}) (16... b5 17. Bxc5 Rxc5 18. Nb3 Rcc8 19. Nxb5 a4 {The position is equal. Kekki,J (2255) -Lanzendoerfer,J (2210) Stockholm 1988}) 17. b4 axb3 18. axb3 Ne8 19. b4 Nd3 20. Bxd3 Rxc3 21. Nc4 Bb5 22. Nb2 {This is where Webb goes wrong. Black gets the upper hand owing to his control of the Q-side.} (22. Nxe5 {At first glance this appears to win a P, but it loses a piece after} Ba4 23. Nxf7 Kxf7 24. Qd2) (22. Rc1 { eliminating the black R keeps things equal.} Rxc1 23. Bxc1 Bxc4 24. Bxc4 { with complete equality.}) 22... Bxd3 23. Nxd3 Qd7 (23... Nf6 {attacking the e-Pawn was even better.} 24. Bc1 Qc8 {Controls the c-file and attacks the h-Pawn.} 25. Kh2 h5 26. Bb2 Rc4 {and bliack is clearly better.}) 24. Kh2 Nf6 25. Bg5 Nxe4 {[%mdl 512]} 26. Rxe4 Qf5 27. Re3 ({But not} 27. Qd2 $2 Rxd3 $1 { [%mdl 512]} 28. Qe2 (28. Qxd3 $2 {perishes.} Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Ra2 $19) 28... Rd4 29. Rxd4 exd4 $19) (27. Qg4 $142 Qxg4 28. hxg4 Rxd3 29. Rc4) 27... Qxg5 28. Ra1 Rac8 29. Ra7 {[%mdl 32]} Qf5 {Not really bad at all as black still has a winning position, but now Webb's theatrics began as he visably agonized over his next move.} (29... e4 {us actually nstringer plus it avoids Wenn's coming psychol;ogocal trap.} 30. Rxe4 (30. Nf4 Rc1 31. Qe2 R8c2 {with a easy win... the Q has nowhere to go.} 32. Qb5 Rxf2+ 33. Ng2 Qxe3) 30... Qf5) 30. Rf3 { In reality this move is actually white's best chance.} (30. Rxb7 {is easily met by} Rxd3 31. Rxd3 Qxf2+ 32. Kh1 Rc2 33. Rb8+ Bf8 34. Qxc2 Qxc2 35. Rf3 Qe4 36. Kg2 Qxd5 {and black will have no trouble scoring the point.}) 30... Qd7 { This saves the P, but yields the advantage.} (30... Qh5 {This maintains a winning position, but play gets a bit tricky.} 31. Rxb7 Bh6 (31... e4 {would be a serious mistake.} 32. Rfxf7 Bf8 33. Qxh5 gxh5 34. Nf4 {with a completely equal posirtion.}) 32. Rbxf7 e4 33. Qe1 Rxd3 34. Qxe4 Rxf3 35. Rxf3 Qe5 36. Qxe5 dxe5 37. b5 Rc2 38. d6 Rb2 39. d7 Bg5 40. Kg2 Rxb5 41. Rd3 Bd8 {Black has a won ending.}) (30... Qe4 {This is black's best reply.} 31. Rxb7 Bh6 32. Rbxf7 (32. Rfxf7 Rxd3 33. Qg4 Qxg4 34. hxg4 Rf8 35. Rxh7 Rxf2+ 36. Kh3 Bf8 37. g5 ( 37. b5 Rdd2 38. g5 Rh2+ 39. Kg4 Rxh7) 37... e4 {secures the win.}) 32... Rxd3 33. Qxd3 Qxd3 34. Rxd3 Kxf7 {wins the ending.}) 31. Nc5 {Black is not lost after this, but now it's white who has a significant advantage.} R8xc5 32. bxc5 Rxc5 {White has won the exchange and has a winning advantage, but there is still a lot of work to do before he scores the point. Webb's endgame play is impeccable though.} 33. Qb1 Qb5 34. Rxb7 Qxb1 35. Rxb1 {[%mdl 4096]} Rc8 36. Rb7 f5 37. Ra3 e4 38. Kg2 (38. Raa7 Be5 39. Kg2 Bd4 40. Ra6 Be5 41. Rc6 { has transposed into the game.}) 38... Bd4 39. Ra6 Be5 40. Rc6 {Of course the R cannot be taken.} Rf8 41. Rcc7 g5 {Reshevsky gives up a P in hopes of getting some active play. After 41...h5 white has what is technically a won game and in Shootouts scored 5-0, but it wasn't so easy. Check out how Stpckfish played the game after 41...h5 at 19 plies.} (41... h5 42. h4 Re8 43. Rd7 Ra8 44. Re7 Kf8 45. Rf7+ Kg8 46. Rfe7 Kf8 47. Rh7 Rc8 48. Rhf7+ Kg8 49. Rfe7 Kf8 50. Re6 Rc2 51. Kf1 Rc1+ 52. Ke2 Rc2+ 53. Kf1 Rc1+ 54. Ke2 Rc2+ 55. Ke3 Rc3+ 56. Kd2 Rd3+ 57. Ke2 Rxd5 58. Rxg6 Ra5 59. Rg5 Ra2+ 60. Kf1 f4 61. Rf5+ Kg8 62. gxf4 Bd4 63. Rg5+ Kf8 64. Rb4 Bxf2 65. Rxh5 Kf7 66. Rxe4 Bc5 67. f5 Ra1+ 68. Kg2 Ra2+ 69. Kf3 Ra3+ 70. Kf4 d5 71. Re6 Ra4+ 72. Kf3 Ra3+ 73. Kg4 Ra4+ 74. Kf3 Ra3+ 75. Ke2 Ra2+ 76. Kd1 Ra1+ 77. Kc2 Ra2+ 78. Kb1 Ra4 79. Rh7+ Kf8 80. Rc7 Rb4+ 81. Kc2 Bd4 82. Rc8+ Kg7 83. Rc7+ Kf8 84. h5 Rb8 85. h6 Kg8 86. f6 Rf8 87. f7+ Kh7 88. Re8 Rxf7 89. Rxf7+ Kg6 90. Rf3 Ba1 91. Rg8+ Kh7 92. Rg2 d4 93. Rf7+ Kh8 94. Kd3 Bc3 95. h7 Ba1 96. Rg8#) 42. Rxh7 $18 f4 43. gxf4 gxf4 44. f3 e3 45. Kf1 Ra8 46. Ra7 Rb8 47. Rhb7 Rc8 48. Ra2 Kh8 49. Ke2 Kg8 50. Kd3 Kh8 51. Ke4 Re8 52. Re2 Rf8 53. Rd7 Kg8 54. h4 {[%mdl 32]} Kh8 55. h5 Kg8 56. Rg2+ Kh8 57. Re7 Ra8 58. Kf5 Rf8+ 59. Ke4 Rb8 60. Rf7 Re8 61. Re2 Kg8 62. Rc7 Rf8 63. Rec2 Rf6 64. Kd3 (64. Rc8+ {was a bit more precise. After} Kg7 65. R2c7+ Rf7 ( 65... Kh6 66. Rh8+ Kg5 67. Rg7+) 66. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {with a routin win.}) 64... Rf5 65. Ke4 Rf6 (65... Rxh5 {was not really any better.} 66. Rd7 Bg7 67. Rg2 Rh7 68. Kd3 {and black is out of moves.}) 66. Rc8+ Kh7 {Black could have put up a stouter defense with 66...Kg7, but he still loses.} (66... Kg7 67. R2c7+ Rf7 68. h6+ Kg6 69. Rxf7 Kxf7) 67. R2c7+ $1 Kh6 {The beginning of a long trek!} 68. Rh8+ Kg5 69. Rg8+ Kh6 70. Rh8+ Kg5 71. Rg7+ Kh4 72. Rg4+ Kh3 73. Rc8 Rf7 74. Rc1 Kh2 75. Rc2+ Kh1 76. Rgg2 Bc3 $2 77. Rge2 {Black resigned. A well deserved win for Webb! In the auto-annotation Stockfish evaluated Reshevsky's play as precise, but Webb's as very precise!} 1-0

An Offhand Voight - Judd Set To

    In the Fall of 1903, Max Judd, at the time a noted player from St. Louis, Missouri was in Philadelphia and took occasion to have a little set to with a local player, Herman G. Voigt. 

    Their first game, a Sicilian, was drawn. In the second, a Ruy Lopez, a remarkable position arose on move 26 and Judd took the wrong Knight and then resigned. 

    Max Judd (1858-1906) was born in Cracow, Poland and emigrated to the United States in 1862. He was a cloak manufacturer who President Grover Cleveland appointed consular general to Austria. 

    His opponent was the prominent Philadelphia player Hermann Voight ( 1857-1922). Voigt's father was born in Germany, but came to the United States and was duly naturalized. Later he returned to Germany and Voigt was born in Saxony, but when he was about 14 years old the family returned to the US. 

 

[Event "Philadelphia"] [Site "?"] [Date "1903.08.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Herman Voight"] [Black "Max Judd"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C60"] [Annotator "Strockfish 16"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1903.??.??"] {C60: Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 {At the time this was called the Paulsen Defense. Today it's known as the Smyslov, or Fianchetto, or Barnes, or Pillsbury Defense! It was briefly populat in the 1980s. It usually results in quiet positions.} 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nge7 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 d5 8. e5 O-O 9. Nc3 {The alternative is 9.h6, but the text is also perfectly acceptable.} Bg4 10. Be2 {White coud also play 10.Be3} Nf5 11. Be3 f6 {With this type of P-chain this move is generally effective. White mus play actively.} 12. Qb3 ( 12. exf6 {leads to full equality after} Nxe3 13. fxe3 Rxf6 14. Qb3) 12... Nxe3 (12... fxe5 {is a bit more precise.} 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe2 15. Nxe2 Bxe5 16. Bc5 Re8 {Black is slightly better.}) 13. fxe3 fxe5 14. dxe5 Be6 15. Qxb7 Nxe5 16. Nd4 {More accurate would have been 16.Nxe5 because the N on e5 will cause a problem for white.} Bf7 17. Qa6 Qe7 {Preventing Ne6} 18. Rae1 Rab8 19. Qxa7 Rxb2 20. Nd1 {At this point black has a considerable advantage owing to his centralized and active pieces.} Rb1 {An anonymous annotator in the Canadian magazine of the day, Checknate, made the odd comment, "Very good or very bad, according to the way you look at it." In fact, this is black's best move.} 21. Nb3 Rd8 22. Rf2 d4 {The annotator claimed this was excellent play and it was a better move than Judd suspected. It;s a good move, but not really spectacular.} 23. exd4 (23. Nxd4 {was the only move that offers any chance of survival. After} Bh6 24. Rff1 Ra1 {with a slight advantage.}) 23... Nd3 24. Rxf7 {This is a miscalculation. 24.Bxd3 offered better chances of defense.} ( 24. Bxd3 Qxe1+ 25. Rf1 Qe7 26. Bxb1 Bxb3 27. Qa6 (27. axb3 Bxd4+) 27... Bxd4+ { and black is clearly better.}) 24... Kxf7 25. Rf1+ Kg8 26. Bxd3 {A critical position. Obviously black has to take a N, but which one?} Rxd1 {[%mdl 8192] Wrong N! After the game they played several games after 26...Rxb3 and all were drawn. Shootout results with Stockfish were that white lost all 5 games.} ( 26... Rxb3 {This is the only move that wins.} 27. Bc4+ (27. axb3 Bxd4+) 27... Kh8 28. Kh1 Bxd4 29. Qa5 Rh3 {Of course the R cannot be taken and black should win after} 30. Nf2 Rc3 {The B cannot retreat to b3 because of 31...Qe2} 31. Qa6 Rf8 32. Nd1 Rc1 33. Rxf8+ Qxf8 34. Be2 c5 {with a winning advantage.}) 27. Rxd1 {Black resigned.} 1-0

Albert Weissman

  

    The 1953 U.S. Intercollegiate Individual Championship Tournament was held at Columbia University in New York City and the 36 contestants represented 22 colleges. The surprising first place finish by New York University’s 20-year old Albert Weissman was well deserved as he finished ahead of such well-known players as Arthur Bisguier and Hans Berliner. 

    It was surprising because it was Weissman's first college tournament although he had twice turned in creditable performances in the biennial team event. His score was equaled by Bisguier, Berliner and Karl Burger, but the tie-breaking system gave Weissman first. 

     When he passed away on July 13, 2013 at the age of 79 after a 20 year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Albert Weissman of Noank, Connecticut was a retired veteran of Pfizer’s Central Nervous System research team. 

    Weissman, who retired in 1995 from Pfizer in Groton, was for many years the manager of the neurobehavioral, biochemical and neurological testing groups during the development phases of several drugs, including Zoloft, Navane, Quantril, and Sinequan. He was also known for his many basic studies and scholarly reviews in the field of neuropsychopharmacology. His total number of scholarly publications exceeded 100. 

    In 1956 he was co-authors of two landmark scientific papers describing the mechanism of action of a couple of drugs. Both papers were among the most cited scientific research reports of all time. 

    Weissman was born on August 1, 1933, in the Bronx, New York. He attended New York City elementary schools and the Bronx High School of Science, from which he graduated in 1950. His undergraduate college education was at the New York Uniuversity where in 1954 he received his A.B. in physiological psychology. He received his Masters (1955) and PhD (1958) in physiological psychology from Columbia University. His entire professional career was with Pfizer. 

    Dr. Weissman was an accomplished player and in the mid-1960s, he was the third ranked correspondence player in the US. Besides chess he also maintained a life-long interest in music, especially opera, and he played the role of Tevya in the Pfizer Players’ 1972 production of Fiddler on the Roof.

    In the Fall 1953 USCF rating list Bisguier was ranked 8th with a rating of 2460. Hans Berline was a Master at 2413 as was Karl Burger at 2306. Ratings were a bit different at that time. Grandmasters were over 2700 and there was only one, Samuel Reshevsky. Senior Masters were rated between 2500 and 2699 and there were only 5 of them. Masters were rated 2300-2499 and Experts 2100-2299.

    Weissman’s name does not show up on the list because the Intercollegiate was not rated. That was not unusual; in those days not all tournaments were. 

[Event "US Intercollegiate Chp, New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1953.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Albert Weissman"] [Black "Arthur Bisguier"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C11"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1953.??.??"] {C05: French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 {The Steinitz Variation. It prepares to bolster the P-centre with c2–c3 and f2–f4;} Nfd7 5. Nce2 {With this move white wants to support d4 with the c-Pawn, but 5.f4 is considerably more popular} c5 6. c3 Nc6 {This is the main line and it's the most popular by far. However, white scores quite well against it, winning almost half of the games. Black's best is 6...cxd4} 7. f4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 { Weissman goes his own way here. Theory recommends 8.cxd4 in order to maintain control of c5.} Nxd4 {Bisguier also plays his own game. 8...Nc5 is probably a little better.} (8... Ndxe5 {was tried in Klerides,P (2183)-Spice,A (2170) Heraklio 2007. but it's tota;;y unsound.} 9. fxe5 Qh4+ 10. g3 Qe4+ 11. Qe2 Qxe5 12. Qxe5 Nxe5 13. Bb5+ Bd7 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. Ke2 {and it didn't take black long to realize that he didn't have a chance.}) 9. cxd4 f6 {This attempt to undermine white's center head on does not turn out well. A better idea was 9... Qb6 and the black's best plan, even though it costs time, is to retreat the N to b8 so he can devlop his B with Bd7.} 10. Bd3 {The threat is Qh5+} Bb4+ 11. Kf1 (11. Bd2 {Eliminating his bad B was better. After} Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 fxe5 13. fxe5 Nb8 14. Nf3 Nc6 15. Bb5 Bd7 {the position is equal. Skibbe,D (2080)-Leib, B (2040) Rodewisch 2000}) 11... O-O {Black threatens ...fxe5 and ...Nxe5} 12. Qh5 f5 {As a result of this move, which weakens g4 and leaves the e-Pawn permanently vulnerable, white secures a slight advantage.} (12... g6 {keeps the balance.} 13. Bxg6 {Otherwise black gets slightly the better of it.} hxg6 14. Qxg6+ Kh8 {and wite draws.}) 13. Nf3 {aiming for Ng5.} g6 {This creates a further slight weakening of black's position. 13...Be7 was safer.} 14. Qh6 Re8 15. Ng5 {[%mdl 2048] White has the initiative, but with careful play black should be able to defend himself.} Qe7 16. h4 Qg7 17. Qxg7+ Kxg7 {The exchange of Qs has mot lessened white's in initiative.} 18. h5 Nf8 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Ke2 Bd7 21. Bd2 Be7 {Black wants to retain the possibility of ...Bxg5 and at the same time keeps white's bad B on the board.} 22. Rh3 a6 {Having done all he can to secure his K's position, Bisguier now tried for counterplay on the Q-side.} 23. Rah1 Bb5 {Hoping to obtain play on the a-file. However, Weissman continues with his K-side operations.} 24. Rh8 {This menaces 25.Nxe6+} Bxd3+ 25. Kxd3 Bxg5 26. fxg5 {This position is won for white.} a5 {This keeps white's B from entering the game via Bb4} 27. b4 {White forces an entry for his B anyway.} Kf7 {The K heads for the Q-side where Bisguier hopes it will be able to creat some threat.} 28. bxa5 Ke7 29. Bb4+ Kd7 30. Rg8 Kc6 31. Rhh8 Kb5 32. Rxf8 {Ending the game.} Rxf8 33. Rxf8 Rxf8 34. Bxf8 Kxa5 {White's K and B will easily hold off on the Q-side.} 35. Kc3 Ka4 36. Be7 b5 37. Bf8 {Black resigned. A fine positional effort by Weissman.} 1-0

Arianne Caoili, Beauty, Brains and Talent

    WIM Arianne Caoili was born in Manila on December 22, 1986 and she died at the age of 33 on March 30, 2020 of injuries from a car crash into a bridge pillar in Yerevan, Armenia. She married GM Levon Aronia in 2017. 

     She spoke English and Tagalog fluently, and had studied for a Ph.D. at a German university on Russian foreign policy, especially its economic and business relations with Armenia. She worked as a consultant for a global consultancy firm. From 2013 until her death she lived and worked in Armenia. 

    Caoili moved to Australia with her family in 1989. She began playing chess at six years old. In December of 2000, she won the Asian girls Under 16 Championship in Bagac, Philippines. The following year she was awarded the Woman International Master title; her peak rating of 2309. 

    In 2002, she won the Australian Masters International Tournament. In 2004 she transferred national federations to Australia. In 2009, she won the London Chess Classic Women's Invitational tournament and won the Oceania women's zonal, but she did not play in the 2010 women’s championship tournament. 

    Caoili played for the Philippines in the Women's Olympiad in 1998 and 2000. She represented Australia in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. 

    She was a celebrity dancer on the Australin version of Dancing with the Stars where she finished as the runner-up behind Anthony Koutoufides, a retired Australian football player. It looks exciting! 

    In an episode of the Australian TV show Deal or No Deal she won a car for the home competition entrant. She was also a singer. 

Louis Uedemann

    This morning finds me thankful that we survuved yesterday afternoon with no damage! At about 4:00pm it grew dark and we were hit with a severe thunderstorm with 65-90mph wind gust and a tornado. 

    Trees were swaying wildly and sheets of water swirled past our dining room window. We lost power for about a minute, but many are still without electric this morning and some streets are blocked with downed trees. Car upturned

    Again, I am thankful that we, our neighbors an our family members scattered around town survived with no damage as others were not so fortunate.

    Through 1938 the forerunner of the US Open tournament was organized by the Western Chess Association and, after 1938, the American Chess Federation. Since 1939 the US Open has been run by the USCF. 

    In the early years the number of entrants was small, and play was conducted as round robin with included preliminary rounds. Winners of the preliminary rounds advanced to the Championship Finals and Consolation Finals. Starting in 1947 the Swiss System has been used. Up until 1967 the US Open was a really long event…12-13 rounds played over two weeks. Starting in 2006 it became a nine round event. 

    What is considered to be the first US Open was played in 1900 in Excelsior, Minnesota and was won by Louis Uedemann. He also won the 1902 event, also held in Excelsior.

    Not much is known about Louis Uedemann (January 10, 1854 – November 22, 1912). He was born in Westphalia, Germany and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12. Uedemann was the chess editor for the Chicago Tribune. He developed a code that was later refined by D. A. Gringmuth, of St. Petersburg, a leading Russian problem composer, that adapted for use with telegraphs for cable matches. The Uedemann-Gringmuth code was first used in the telegraphic match between London and St Petersburg in November 1886.

    Uedemann usually finished well in local tournaments and was generally among the leaders. He played for the Chicago Chess Club and in 1904 and 1905 he participated in the club’s cable matches against the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) CC, Franklin CC of Pennsylvania, Brooklyn CC and Manhattan. 

    According to the Edo rating list, Uedemann maintained a rating of around 2425. While that may not be considered particularly high today, back in the day it was a pretty hefty rating. That said, remember that ratings measure how well one performs against the players in one’s rating pool, NOT absolute ability. Still, Uedemann was a solid master. 

    St. Louis was a busy place in 1904. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition (known informally as the 1904 World's Fair) was held there from April 30 to December 1, 1904. The Summer Olympic games were also held in St. Louis from July 1st to November 23rd, 1904. Although originally scheduled to be held in Chicago, a St. Louis group played hardball and threatened to hold their own international athletic competition unless the event was moved to St. Louis. Poorly run and with relatively few foreign athletes (only about a tenth of the competitors were from outside the US), the games were largely overshadowed by the fair itself. 

    With the fair and the Olympics as a backdrop, the 7th American Chess Congress was held at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis 11-26 October 1904.

    The MAC was founded just before the fair and the original building was lost to fire in 1914. Max Judd, who was head of the organizing committee, wanted to name the winner US champion, but Harry Nelson Pillsbury, both directly and by proxy through his friend Walter Penn Shipley, objected strenuously to the idea. This, along with his poor heath, was probably responsible for Pillsbury's absence from St. Louis. Despite Pillsbury's objections, Marshall was awarded a gold medal recognizing him as US "champion" for winning the tournament. 

    Draws were replayed with colors reversed, and if the second game was also drawn the result was scored as one draw. The sequence of rounds was determined by lot each day. Games were played 1-6 PM and 8-11 PM with time controls of 30 moves in 2 hours and 15 moves an hour thereafter. 

 

 

    There are two games missing. 1) Eisenberg-Shrader 1-0 from Round 9 was a forfeit. Helms wrote in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that Eisenberg added another point by default when Dr. Shrader received word that he had to return home. 2) Jaffe-Uedemann 1-0 from Round 8 is a bit murkier. The game collection sources I have consulted give either no game at all or present it as a forfeit in favor of Jaffe. 

    However, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Charles Jaffe of Brooklyn strengthened his position considerably by winning from Uedemann who was the Western champion. So, the game collections imply a forfeit, but the Eagle coverage implies a played game. In either senario, no game score seems to be available and all sources agree it was a win for Jaffe. 

    Uedemann finished second behind Mlotkowski in the "minor" tournament (Western Chess Championship) held just before the congress. As the highest-scoring eligible player (Uedemann was from Chicago), he was named Western Champion. 

    The biggest surprise of the tournament was the poor showing of Mlotkowski. In the "minor" tournament, he had finished clear first, by 2.5 points (+11 -0 =2).

    Kemeny, Schrader, Shrader and Uedemann also played in both the minor and major events, and why Mlotkowski did so well in the minor and so poorly in the major is a mystery. Playing two games per day for a week in the minor apparently took a lot out of him. 

    The coverage in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle speculated, “Fatigue, coupled with his fondness for the Evans and Greco counter gambits, which yielded poor results in this contest, no doubt are the factors responsible for his lack of success.” 

    There wasn't much of a race for first. Marshall easily ran through the field and only gave up a pair of draws (scored as one draw) to Mlotkowski in the last round. A draw in the crosstable indicates both the initial and the replay game were drawn. If only the initial game was drawn, the result from the replay game was used. 

     Max Judd lost an endgame to Uedemann in Round 2 which put him a point behind Marshall. When they met in Round 7, Judd completely collapsed and lost in less than 20 moves leaving Marshall in complete control with a 2-point lead. 

[Event "American Chess Congress, St. Louis"] [Site ""] [Date "1904.10.19"] [Round "?"] [White "Louis Uedemann"] [Black "Stasch Mlotkowski"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C63"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1904.??.??"] {C63: Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 {Sharp and tactical! This is the most aggressive response to the Ruy Lopez. Although it looks very risky and appears to violate opening principles, it's extremely tricky and if white does not play correctly, black often gets a winning position right out of the opening!} 4. d3 (4. exf5 {results in equality after} e4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nd4) ({is the main line.} 4. Nc3 fxe4 {Also to be considered is the sharp 4...Nf6} (4... Nf6 5. exf5 e4 6. Ng5 d5 {White is slightly better.}) 5. Nxe4 Nf6 6. Qe2 d5 7. Nxf6+ gxf6 {with equal chances.}) 4... fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. a3 Bg4 (8... O-O 9. Bc4+ Kh8 10. Ng5 Qe8 11. f4 exf4 12. Bxf4 {Svidler,P (2722)-Aronian,L (2801) Moscow RUS 2010 is about equal after 12...Ne5}) 9. Bc4 (9. Qd3 {was played in Shrader, E-Marshall,F in the same event which continued} Qd7 10. Bc4 Rf8 11. Ne1 Nh5 { White is slightly better, but he eventually lost.} 12. Nd5 {0-1 (48)}) 9... Nd4 10. Qd3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Qd7 12. Kg2 Nh5 13. Nd5 {This is an inviting post for the N, but it really doesn't accomplish anything here. It would have been better to eliminate black's well placed N with 13.Nb5} (13. Nb5 {was a better option because after} Nxb5 14. Bxb5 c6 15. Bc4 {equals.}) 13... Rf8 14. f4 { It's attack and defense on the K-side. Who's going to succeed?} c6 15. Nxe7 Qg4+ {This is inviting, but, as will soon be seen, black is barking up the wring tree and this move allows white to get a small, but promising edge.} ( 15... Nxf4+ {was a little better.} 16. Bxf4 Rxf4 17. Nf5 {Now white's best chance is to play aggressively with} d5 {with about equal chances.}) (15... Qxe7 {This allows white easy equality after} 16. c3 Ne6 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. f5) 16. Kh1 Nf3 {[%mdl 8192] Black has badly miscalculated...this is the losing move.} ({Better is} 16... Kxe7 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Rg1 Qf3+ {is equal.}) 17. Be6 {[%mdl 512] This surprising move refutes black's last move and it is the only move that avoids defeat!} (17. Nf5 {to save the N runs into} Rxf5 18. exf5 Nxf4 19. Bxf4 Qxf4 20. Kg2 Qg4+ 21. Kh1 Qh3 {and wins}) 17... Qxe6 18. Qxf3 g6 { White's N is trapped and so he decides to sell it for a P, but that turns out to have been a poor decision because after 19.Nxg6 black is back to equality.} 19. Nxg6 (19. Nf5 {is correct because it maintains white is winning position. If 19...gxf5 20.Qxh5, so...} exf4 {This is a bit more tricky and so for practical reasons is probably the best try.} (19... Nxf4 20. Ng7+) (19... O-O-O 20. fxe5 Qxe5 21. Bh6 Rfe8 22. Ng3 {White is a piece up.}) 20. Bxf4 Rf7 21. Rad1 gxf5 {Now not 22.Qxh5 which allows black to equalize.} 22. Rfe1 fxe4 {etc. } 23. Qxh5 {The clearest continuation.} (23. Rxe4 Nxf4 24. Rxe6+ Nxe6 {is good for white, but it's a tricky position to play.}) 23... d5 24. Rg1 {etc/}) 19... hxg6 20. f5 Qf7 {Black has recovered his piece and white can claim to be only slightly better.} 21. Bg5 Kd7 22. Rad1 gxf5 {Black has manages to survive thanks to his opponent's inaccurate [;ay.} 23. Qc3 Qg7 {[%mdl 8192] This is fatal and this time Uedeman doesn't miss the win.} (23... fxe4 24. f4 (24. Qb4 Qf3+ {wins}) 24... Qe6 25. fxe5 Rxf1+ 26. Rxf1 d5 {and the chances are completely equal.}) 24. Qb4 {Black completely missed this move attacking Ps on d6 and b7...there is nothing he can do to meet both threats.} Qg6 (24... Kc8 25. Qxd6 Re8 26. exf5 e4 27. Bd8 Nf4 28. Rg1 Qf7 29. Qxf4) 25. Qxb7+ Ke6 26. Qe7# 1-0

The Man Who Studied Pillsbury’s Brain

  

    When Harry Nelson Pillsbury (1872-1906), one of the strongest players in the world at the time who was also known for his blindfold play and mental feats of memorization, died at the age of 33 of syphilis which probably accounted for his mental illness, his brain was studied. 

    Dr. Elmer Ernest Southard (1876-1920). Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, had the distinction of being the man who performed the study and he found no difference between Pillsbury’s brain and that of anyone else. 

    When he died despite being under the care of three physicians at the Hotel Prince George in New York City on February 8, 1920, the American Chess Bulletin deemed it a notable loss. He passed away in the prime of life as a consequence of an attack of pneumonia which laid him low the day following a lecture he delivered before the Association of Mental Hygiene at the Academy of Medicine.

    Southard was born on South Boston, Massachusetts and as a child he preferred books and chess. After graduating from high school in 1893, he entered Harvard, where he received three degrees. In 1902 he studied in Germany. 

    Dr. Southard attained distinction in his chosen profession as a writer of books and assistant editor of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases. He was also remembered as the most brilliant player who ever represented Harvard in the matches against Columbia, Yale and Princeton/\. 

    One of the best players in Boston, in a number of occasions he was a reserve on the American team in cable matches. He is also given credit for originating the Danver Opening (1.e4 and 2.Qh5) during the period of 1906-9, when he was assistant physician and pathologist in the Danvers State Hospital for the Insane. The hospital has been the setting for a couple of movies and a video game.

    Besides his wife, Dr. Mabel Fletcher Austin, a lecturer on social hygiene at Wellesley he was also survived by two sons and a daughter. The oldest son, Austin, developed schizophrenia and committed suicide several years after his father's death. 

    Southard was a member of the St. Botolph and Boston Chess Clubs, and was considered one of the best amateur chess players in the country. 

    Later in life Southard experienced chronic headaches and minor seizures that were sometimes accompanied by partial vision loss for several hours, which he attributed to mental strain. I am not a doctor, but these are the most common symptoms of a brain tumor. 

 

    Here’s a game featuring the Danvers Opening (also known by various other names) which has occasionally been used by GM Hikaru Nakamura in Internet blitz games and, also, a couple of times in serious tournament games. A couple of GMs have voiced the opinion that it’s playable and it could be effective because of its shock value. Engine analysis suggests that there is no refutation.

 

[Event "Team Match, held at Boston"] [Site "?"] [Date "1905.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dr. Elmer Southard (Boston"] [Black "H.B. Hll (New England)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C20"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1905.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.08.05"] {C20: Danvers Opening} 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Qf6 {Besides this the top engine recommendation is 3...g6} 4. Nc3 (4. d3 g6 5. Qd1 Na5 6. Nd2 Bc5 7. Ngf3 d6 8. h3 Nxc4 9. Nxc4 {is completely equal. Skurikhin,D (2399)-Lunev,A (2519) Tula RUS 2003}) 4... Bc5 5. Nf3 Nge7 6. d3 Qg6 {Not bad ny any means, but 6... d6 seems better.} 7. Qxg6 Nxg6 8. h4 h5 9. Nd5 Bb6 10. Be3 {White's opening has not lead to anything, but on the other hand, black has not managed to show any defect in 2.Qh5 either! Now black has the correct idea...challenge the N on d5. The problem is he challenges with the wrong N!} Nge7 {[%mdl 8192] It's hard to believe, but this move loses.} ({Black should try} 10... Nce7 11. Bxb6 Nxd5 12. Bd4 {Equally good is 12.Bc5, but this is kind of cute!} (12. exd5 axb6 13. d6 {is equal.}) 12... Nb4 13. Bxe5 Nxc2+ 14. Kd2 {Here black should avoid taking the R and play} Nxe5 15. Nxe5 {and now} Nxa1 16. Bxf7+ Ke7 17. Ng6+ Kxf7 18. Nxh8+ Kf6 19. Rh3 (19. Rxa1 {Oddly enough, this is inferior. After} d6 20. f4 Bg4 21. Rc1 c6 {and the N on h8 is lost.}) 19... d5 20. Rf3+ Ke6 21. Ng6 dxe4 22. dxe4 {with equal chances.} Bd7) 11. Bxb6 {[%mdl 32] The only difference between this position and the one after 11.Bxb6 in ht e bote is that black has a N on c6 instead of g6.} Nxd5 {Here is the difference...wgure can play 12.exd5 which in this line attacks the N.} 12. exd5 Nb4 13. Bxc7 Nxc2+ 14. Kd2 Nxa1 15. Bxe5 {The N on a8 is not going anywhere.} O-O 16. Rxa1 a6 17. Re1 {Wgite has a B=N=P vs a R which is, along with his active pieces, sufficient compensation to give him a winning advantage.} b5 18. Bb3 Re8 19. d6 {Clamping down on black's position even further.} Bb7 20. Ng5 Rf8 21. Bd4 a5 22. Re7 {Black has no reasonable moves.} a4 23. Bxf7+ Rxf7 24. Rxf7 {White has a forced mate.} Bd5 25. Rxg7+ Kf8 26. Nh7+ Ke8 27. Nf6+ {Black resigned. Flawless play by Southhard.} (27. Nf6+ Kd8 28. Bb6+ Kc8 29. Rxd7 Ra5 30. Rc7+ Kb8 31. d7 Be6 32. d8=R+ Bc8 33. Rdxc8#) 1-0

Should You Play the Ponziani?

    Ponziani, the Man: 

    Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani (1719 – 1796) was an Italian law professor, priest, chess player, composer and theoretician. He was born in Modena and in 1742 he graduated with a law degree from the University of San Carlo and was admitted to the College of Advocates in 1745. He was Professor of Civil Law at the University of Modena from 1742 to 1772 when he retired taking a pension and receiving the title of Honorary Professor. 

    In 1764 Ponziani took orders as a priest un the Catholic Church and quickly began receiving promotions. Ponziani died in Modena and is buried in the Modena Cathedra.

    Ponziani was friend with tqo local chess players and writers and the trio is known as the Modenese Masters. In 1769 Ponziani published the first edition of Il giuoco incomparabile degli scacchi (The Incomparable Game of Chess). The second edition in 1782 was a much improved version and laid out the principles of the Italian school of chess.

    His work was the best practical available and like writings by pther leading Italian players, Ponziani dealt only with opening and endgame and nothing on the middlegame. Ponziani espoused the Ponziani Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3), although he did not originate it as it was published by Lucena around 1497.

 

    The Opening: 

    The answer to, “Should you play the Ponziani” is, “Probably not.” At least not if you are a Master, but for the rest of us it’s probably as playable as anything. After all, most of us are not as good as Howard Staunton who was considered to be the world’s strongest player from 1834 to 1853 and he advocated the opening.

    Although the opening was advocated by Staunton, today it is considered inferior and it’s rarely seen even in non-Master play. In my database a ChessBase opening report shows that white scores below average with a +306 (34%), -276 (30%) and =331 (36%). It is also mentioned that endgames are often reached. 

 

    Moves and Plans 

    a) 3...d6 

         Black scores well (59%). 

         White should play 4.d4 

    b) 3...d5 

        Black scores well (53%). 

        White’s best reply is 4.Qa4 

    c) 3...Nge7 

        Black scores well (56%). 

        White should play 4.Bb5 

    d) 3...Nf6 

        Black scores average (46%). 

        White’s best reply is 4.d4

    e) 3...f5 

         Black scores average (44%). 

          White should play4.d4 

     f) 3...Be7 

         Black scores badly (29%). 

         White should play 4.d4 

     

In the following game GM Dragoljub Velimirovic (1942-2014), a wild attacker, used the Ponziani to defeat another sharp attacker GM Milan Matulovic (1935-2013). 

 

[Event "Yugoslav Cup, Ulcinj"] [Site "Ulcinj"] [Date "1997.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dragoljub Velimirovic"] [Black "Milam Matulovic"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C44"] [WhiteElo "2485"] [BlackElo "2440"] [Annotator "Stockfih 16"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] {C44: Ponziani Opening} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 {[%mdl 32] Black does better with either 3...d5 or 4...Nge7} 4. d4 d6 (4... Nxe4 {results in full equality after} 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Bc5 8. O-O O-O) 5. h3 g6 (5... Be7 6. Be3 O-O 7. d5 Nb8 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. c4 {is equal. Velimirovic,D (2515)-Tal, M (2615) Teslic 1979} Nc5 {0-1 (44)}) (5... Nxe4) 6. d5 (6. Be3 Bg7 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Nxd8 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nxe5 {White has a slight advantage. Velimirovic,D (2515)-Harandi,K (2410) Rio de Janeiro 1979}) 6... Ne7 7. Bd3 Bg7 8. c4 Nd7 9. Nc3 Nc5 10. Bc2 a5 11. Be3 O-O 12. g4 f5 {This opens up the K-side and results in black having difficulties. The routine 12...Bd7 was safe. } 13. Rg1 {Slightly more accurate would have been 13.gxf5 first.} Nxe4 14. Nxe4 fxe4 $14 15. Bxe4 Kh8 16. Qe2 c6 17. O-O-O cxd5 18. cxd5 b6 19. Kb1 $18 Ng8 20. Ng5 Nf6 21. Bc2 a4 22. Qb5 {While this is hardly a mistake, he misses the much better 22.Ne6! Of course ut takes an engine to see that.} (22. Ne6 { Sacrificing a P for a strong attack n black's K.} Bxe6 23. dxe6 Qe7 24. h4 Qxe6 25. h5 gxh5 26. gxh5 Rf7 27. h6 Bf8 28. f4 {Another fime move by Stockfish!} exf4 29. Qf3 fxe3 30. Qxa8 {and white has a decisive advantgae...so says Stockfish.}) 22... Qe7 {Slightly better was 22...Rxa5 then after 23.Qxb6 he could ecchange Qs easing his defensive burden.} 23. Qb4 {This allows black to equalize. Both 23.Qxb6, 23.Bxb6 or 23.Bxa4 were god.} (23. Ne6 {As before, this is best.} Bxe6 24. dxe6 Qxe6 25. Bxa4 {and white is better.}) 23... Bb7 { [%mdl 2048]} 24. Be4 a3 (24... Nxe4 {is unsatisfactory.} 25. Nxe4 Ra5 26. Qxd6 Qxd6 27. Nxd6 Ba8 28. Nc4 Rxd5 29. Nxb6 Rxd1+ 30. Rxd1 {White's better P-formation gives him the advantage.}) 25. b3 Rac8 {Although this move looks quite reasonbable it should not have work out well.} (25... Ra5 {attacking the d-Pawn assures black of equality.} 26. Qxb6 Rxd5 27. Bxd5 Bxd5 28. Qb5 Bg8 { Black only has a B+P for the R, but his preponderance in the center is sufficient compensation. Shootout games were very tricky and white scored +1 -2 =2 so the evaluation should probably be "unclear."}) 26. f3 $16 Bh6 27. h4 { [%mdl 32]} Nxe4 28. fxe4 Qd7 29. Rc1 {The trade of Rs dissapates most of white's advantage. Correct was the aforementioned Qxb6, but the P should not have been taken with the B.} (29. Bxb6 Bxg5 30. hxg5 Rf4 {Here at least black has some play.}) (29. Qxb6 Qc7 30. Qxc7 Rxc7 31. Bc1 Bxg5 32. hxg5 Ra8 33. Bd2 {and after 34.Bb4 black is under great pressure.}) 29... Rxc1+ 30. Bxc1 { [%mdl 32] The threat is 31.Ne6 so...} Bxg5 31. hxg5 Ba6 32. Bxa3 Bd3+ 33. Ka1 Rf4 {Although it's probably too late to save the game 33...Rd8 was a better defense.} 34. Qxb6 {Taking on d6 was also good, but this gives him two connected passed Ps.} Rxe4 35. Qb8+ {White mates.} Kg7 36. Bxd6 {All that's left is for white to mop up.} h5 37. Qf8+ Kh7 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qxg6+ Qg7 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Qxh5+ Kg8 42. Qe8+ 1-0

Instructive Play by the Ladies

    In the 1955 Women’s Candidate tournament in Moscow several times Woman's Champion of the USSR Olga Rubtsova scored15-4 to to take first by a half point.

    Instead of her playing a match against the defending champion Elisabeth Bykova, FIDE decided that the championship would be decided between the top three female players in tournament play. 

    The championship tournament was held in Moscow in 1956. The three players each played 8-game mini-matches and the final finish was 1) Olga Rubtsova (10 pts.), 2) Elisabeta Bykova (9.5 pts.) and 3) Lyudmila Rudenko (4.5 pts.).

    In winning the Candidates’ tournament Rubtsova lost games to Edith Keller-Herrmann of Germany and Larissa Volpert of the USSR. She drew with Fennie Heemskerk of Holland, Vera Jovanovic-Nedeljkovic of Yugoslavia, Olga Ignatieva and Valentina Belova of the USSR. 

    Second place finisher Volpert had been tied for the lead, but drew her last round game with Celia de Moschini of Argentina and so was overtaken by Rubtsova. 

    Of the three U. S. representatives Gisela Kahn Gresser and Sonja Graf-Stevenson finished with even scores. Mona May Karff, the third US representative, never overcoming a bad start. 

    Today’s games features a tough battle between the tailender. Berna Carrasco Araya (December 19, 1914 – July 7, 2013) was a Chilean WIM (awarded in 1954). Although she had a bad result here at the 1939 Women's World Championship in Buenos Aires, she finished in third place behind Vera Menchik and Sonja Graf.

    Ruzena Sucha (October 19,1907 – October 7, 1989), also known as Ruzena Sucha–Dobiasova, was a Czech WIM 9awarded in 1954) Sh won the Czechoslovak Women's Championship in 1938, 1951, and 1954.

    From the end of the 1930s to the early 1960s, Sucha was one of the leading Czechoslovakian women's players. In 1943, she was the only woman who participated in Prague international tournament that was won by Alekhine ahead of Keres. There she finished last with 3 draws out of 19 games. In 1954, she shared 1st-2nd place in the Women's World Championship Zonal in Leipzig. 

    She was also known as chess organizer. In 1974, she was one of the founders of the chess club in Smichov, a district of Prague. After her death, the club regularly held a memorial tournament in her honor.

 

    

    Please don’t be put off by the length of this game or the fact that it looks boring! The game itself is actually pretty well played by both sides and the ending is quite instructive.

 

[Event "Women's Candidate Tmt, Moscow"] [Site "Moscow URS"] [Date "1955.10.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Ruzena Sucha"] [Black "Berna Carrasco"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A04"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "1955.10.02"] [Source "Perpetual Check"] {A30: Symmetrical English} 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 Nf6 4. d3 g6 5. Bg2 d5 6. Na3 Bg7 7. Nc2 {White's opening play is not very precise. She should have castled here.} dxc4 8. dxc4 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Ng4 10. Ke1 O-O (10... Bf5 {This is a bit more precise because the N does not have an effective square to go to.} 11. Na3 (11. Ne3 Nxe3 12. Bxe3 Bxb2 {is practically decisive.}) 11... Nb4 12. Nh4 Be6 13. Bxb7 Rb8 14. Bg2 Ne5 {White's pieces are uncoordinated and she will have difficulty completing her development.}) 11. h3 Nge5 12. Ne3 Rb8 13. Rb1 b5 (13... Nxf3+ {was better, After} 14. Bxf3 Nd4 {white has problems completing her development whereas black's pieces are actively positioned.}) 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 {[%mdl 32]} 15. cxb5 Rxb5 16. f4 Nd7 17. Kf2 Bd4 18. Rd1 Nf6 19. Kg1 {In this ending keeping the K in the center was the correct procedure. Therefore, a better move would have been 19.Ke1. Now black's actively placed pieces give her a small, but distinct advantage.} Bf5 20. Ra1 Bxb2 21. Bxb2 Rxb2 22. Nxf5 gxf5 23. Bf3 Rc8 24. Rdc1 c4 25. Rc3 Ne4 {This is a mistake that allows white to equalize. Correct was 25...Ne8! and 26...Nd6 when the N is well placed while white's B and Rs are quite passively positioned.} 26. Bxe4 fxe4 {[%mdl 4096] The old saying that all double R enfgames are drawn seems to hold true in this case.} 27. Kf2 f5 28. a3 Rb3 29. Rac1 Rxc3 30. Rxc3 h5 { It would have been better to start heading for the center with 30...Kf7} (30... Kf7 {It's quite possible that black rejected this thinkig that 31.g4 was a threat. Actually now 31.Ke3 keeps things equal.} 31. g4 {is is actually a decisive error.} Ke6 32. gxf5+ Kd5 {This is even better than taking the f-Pawn. } (32... Kxf5 33. Ke3 e5 34. fxe5 Kxe5 35. Kd2 Kf4 36. a4 h5 37. h4 a5 { and there is no way white can hold the position.}) 33. e3 Rb8 34. Rc1 Rb2+ 35. Ke1 Kc5 36. Kd1 {White is running out of moves.} Rh2) 31. Ke3 Kf7 32. Kd4 Ke6 33. Rxc4 {Now that white has managed to get her K to the center and win the one dangerous c-Pawn she has equalized...IF black keeps Rs on with 33...Rg8 or 33...Rd8+. Black needs the R in order to have active play.} Rxc4+ {[%mdl 8192]} 34. Kxc4 {Black has completely misjudged the ending. White's better placed K is enough to ensure the win. From here on Sucha's play is precise and instructive.} Kd6 {Taking the opposition. After a few P moves black's K will have to give way.} 35. Kd4 e6 36. e3 a6 37. h4 a5 38. a4 Kc6 39. Ke5 Kc5 (39... Kd7 40. Kf6 Kd6 41. Kg5 {White's h-Pawn queens in 6 moves; it talkes black's a-Pawn 8 mpves,. so it's hopeless for black.}) 40. Kxe6 Kc4 41. Kxf5 Kd3 { Counting move before the Ps queen is 5 moves, but what is the result when both sides hace a Q on the board?!} 42. Kg5 Kxe3 43. f5 Kd3 44. f6 e3 45. f7 e2 46. f8=Q e1=Q {Stockfish and Dragon by Komodo confidently announce that white is clearly winning. The Konodo Human engine also gives white a decisive advantage, but its numerical evaluation is not nearly so great as the other two.} 47. Qf5+ Kc4 48. Kxh5 Kb3 49. Qf4 Qb4 {Once again, after the excahnge of Qs simple counting shows that both sides will have Qs on move 54, but white will have a decisive two extra Ps. Therefore, even though she would still be lost black's best hope would have been to keep the Qds on and play 49...Qe8+ and try to keep checking.} 50. Qxb4+ axb4 {KP-KP} 51. a5 Kc3 52. a6 b3 53. a7 b2 54. a8=Q b1=Q {Against Qe4. KQ-KQ} 55. Qf3+ Kd4 56. Qf4+ Kd5 57. Kg4 Qb2 58. h5 { [%mdl 32]} Ke6 59. Qf5+ Ke7 60. h6 Qe2+ 61. Kh3 Qe3 62. h7 Qh6+ {The game ended here, Black either lost on time or possibly the gamne was adjourned and she resigned without resuming play.} (62... Qh6+ 63. Kg4 Qg7+ 64. Qg5+ Kf7 65. Qxg7+ Kxg7 66. Kg5 Kxh7 67. Kf6 Kh8 68. Kg6 Kg8 69. g4 Kh8 70. Kh6 Kg8 71. g5 Kf7 72. g6+ Kg8 73. g7 Kf7 74. Kh7) 1-0

Meir Romm’s Evergreen Game

Meir Romm at play

    The winner of the following game, Israeli Master Meir Romm (1939-1998) is virtually unknown, but his opponent the Italian IM Stefano Tatai (1938-2017) is at least somewhat familiar; he was the Italian Champion 12 times. When they met in the international tournament in Netanya in 1973 the result was fireworks and the game has been called Romm’s “Evergreen Game.” 

    Romm worked in the Office of the State Comptroller. He was the Israeli Army Champion in 1959 and played for Israel in the World Student Olympiads in 1964 and 1965. Romm participated in the Israeli championships between1965 and 1990, his best result was in1976 when he tied for 2nd–3rd. 

    The site Tripadvisor, says of Netanya, Israel (population 173,00 plus) which lies on the Mediterranean coast, “It is currently recommended to avoid all non-essential travel to some parts of this area.” The British government currently advises against all but essential travel there.” 

    The reason is that in October of 2023 there was a large-scale terrorist attack by Hamas in southern Israel and the threat of terrorist attacks remains. The British government advises that, “There are continued exchanges of rocket, drone and small arms fire over Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and a potential increase in rocket attacks and other incidents of violence across Israel…” 

    That wasn’t the case in 1973. Perhaps the biggest story of the event was the return of Czech GM Ludek Pachman (1924-2003) after a lapse of five years during which time he has been in prison. 

    Pachman had always been politically active, first as a Communist and later as a staunch anti-Communist. In December of 1968, he won a tournament in Athens. And, when he got back home to Prague, he was arrested, imprisoned and tortured. 

    He attempted suicide and on Christmas Eve of1969, doctors called his wife and told her that he probably would not survive the night. He did survive though and finally, in 1972, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany where he became known as a strongly anti-Communist political activist. At Netanya he told of how his chess books were banned in Prague and he could hardly get tournament invitations. 

    Romm’s Queen sacrifice and the N sacrifice that followed it were brilliant and his win was well deserved even if the followup play was somewhat flawed.

[Event "Netanya"] [Site "Netanya ISR"] [Date "1973.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Meir Romm"] [Black "Stefano Tatai"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [Annotator "Stockfidh 16"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1973.??.??"] {C19: French Defense, Winawer Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ {A risky alternative is 5...Ba5} (5... Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 {White has two good continuations: 7.Qg4 or 7.Nb5, both of which have given good results.} (6... cxb4 {is a mistake.} 7. Nb5 Nc6 8. Bd2 bxa3 9. Rxa3 Bxd2+ {White has good compensation for the P.} 10. Qxd2)) 6. bxc3 {How is this position to be evaluated? White has a space advan and the B pair. In particular his dark squared N can often be actively developed on a3. However, black gas good counterchances. He has the potential for a strong attack down the c-flie when white's P on c2 can become very weak if black manages to exchange light-squared Bs. An alternative plan for black is to establish a blockade by . ..c5-c4 when either his light squared B or Q can be posted on a4. If white tries to prevent this by playing a3-a4 then the P can be captured after ...Qa5 and ...Bd7. The result would be very complicayed play.} Qc7 {The main line is 6...Ne7. With the text black wants to answer 7.Qg4 with 7...f5} (6... Qa5 { is sometimes played, but it should be avoided!} 7. Bd2 {and black will bave to lose time moving his Q to a square where it will not be especially well placed. }) 7. Nf3 {White decides to avoid the double-edged play arising from 7.Qg4 which in theory should give him good chances.} (7. Qg4 f5 {He could also play the bery sharp 7...Ne7} 8. Qg3 {It is also possible to play 8.Qh5+} Ne7 9. Qxg7 Rg8 {This position favors white; in practice black has had poor results.}) 7... Ne7 8. a4 b6 {Black plans to exchange the white-squared Bs by ...Ba6.} 9. Bb5+ {If 9.Bd3 then 9...Ba6} Bd7 10. Bd3 Nbc6 11. O-O h6 {Black must delay castling which would be answered by the standard sacrifice Bxh7+. It shoulf be noted that the play after this sacrifice gets quite complicated. The best line is as follows, but there are many side lines!} (11... O-O 12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kg6 14. h4 Rh8 15. Qg4 f5 16. Qg3 f4 17. Qxf4 Nf5 18. g4 Rxh4 19. gxf5+ {White has regained the piece and black is lost, but there is mo forced win. The best lines is...} Kh5 20. Qf3+ Rg4+ 21. Kh1 cxd4 22. Nxe6 Qxe5 23. Nf4+ Kg5 24. Ng6+ Kf6 25. Qxg4 Qxf5 26. Qxf5+ Bxf5 27. Nf4 {White has what should be a won ending.}) 12. h4 {An alternative (but not better) plan was to defend the e-Pawn with 12.Re1 and play Ba3 putting pressure on the P on c5.} O-O 13. Bf4 { An interesting, but not to say better, alternative was 13.Nh2 intending Ng4.} c4 {This move is a strategic error because it blocking the Q-side and allows white a free hand to proceed with his K-side attack.} (13... cxd4 {was the proper move. The result is equal play after} 14. cxd4 Nb4 15. Qd2 Nxd3 16. cxd3 (16. Bxh6 {is met by} Nb2 (16... gxh6 17. Qxh6 Qxc2 18. Ng5 Nf4 {and there is no white attac so black is winning.}) 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Qg5+ Ng6 {with a clear advantage.})) 14. Be2 f5 15. h5 Kh7 16. Qd2 Rg8 {As will be soon seem, black wants to obtain play on the K-side. It's a faulty plan because in only helps white.} (16... Be8 17. Nh4 a5 {And white's position is only slightly favorable because there is no effective way for him to continue his K-side attack and black can get a little counterplay with ...b5.}) 17. g3 Be8 18. Nh4 Qc8 19. Kg2 Bxh5 {This is in accordance with his fatal idea of play on the k-side, but all it does is open up lines for white's pieces.} (19... a6 20. Rh1 b5 {was his best bet. White is better, but there is no immediate win.}) 20. Bxh5 g5 { Agter this it appears at first glace that black's idea was not a bad one!} 21. Rh1 $1 {The threat is Bxg5 opening up the h-file.} gxf4 22. Qxf4 Rg7 {No doubt played with the intention of doubling on the g-file, but it runs into an outright refutation which he could have prevented with 22...Qf8, but he would still have been lost. Thankfully for us, Tatai missed the answer to this move.} 23. Qxh6+ {[%mdl 512] A beautiful sacrifice which cannot be refused.} Kxh6 { Here white has only one move that will win.} (23... Kg8 {This allows a mate in 9} 24. Ng6 Rh7 25. Nxe7+ Nxe7 26. Bf7+ Kxf7 27. Qf6+ Ke8 28. Rxh7 Qb7 29. Qf7+ Kd8 30. Qf8+ Kc7 31. Qxe7+ Kc6 32. Qxb7#) 24. Nxf5+ {[%mdl 512] Anything else would lose!} (24. Nf3 Rg8 25. Bf7+ Kg7 26. Bxg8 Qxg8 {with a clear win.}) 24... Kg5 {All other moves lead to mate.} (24... Nxf5 25. Bf7+ Nh4+ 26. Rxh4+ Kg5 27. Rh5+ Kg4 28. f3#) (24... exf5 25. Bf7+ Kg5 26. Rh5+ Kg4 27. f3#) 25. Nd6 (25. Nxg7 {was considerably better.} Kh6 26. Nxe6 Qxe6 27. Bf7+ Kg7 28. Bxe6 { leaves white with an easy win.}) 25... Ng6 {Once again white must find the only move that wins.} 26. Nxc8 (26. Bxg6 {leaves black with only one move that does not leave him at a severe disadvantage.} Kxg6 27. Nxc8 Rxc8 {In this position black is better...technically at least.}) 26... Rxc8 27. f4+ Nxf4+ ( 27... Kf5 {is not as good. After...} 28. Kf3 {Threatening Bg4#} Ngxe5+ 29. dxe5 Nxe5+ (29... Rcg8 30. g4+ Rxg4 31. Bxg4+ Rxg4 32. Rh5+ Kg6 33. Kxg4) 30. fxe5 Kxe5 31. g4 {White is winning. Here is a sample line...} Kd6 32. Kg3 a6 33. Rhf1 Rh8 34. Kh4 Kc5 35. Rf6 Re7 36. Re1 e5 37. Rb1 Rb8 38. g5 e4 39. g6 e3 40. Bf3 b5 41. axb5 axb5 42. Rf5 Rd8 43. Rd1 e2 44. Re1 Rd6 45. Kg5 Rg7 46. Rf6 Rxf6 47. Kxf6 Rxg6+ 48. Kxg6 b4 49. cxb4+ Kxb4 50. Rxe2 d4 51. Kf5 Kc3 52. Ke4 d3 53. cxd3 cxd3 54. Re3) 28. gxf4+ Kxf4+ 29. Kf2 Rcg8 {Even though material is even, black's K is too exposed for him to hold out for long.} 30. Bf3 { An unfortunate slip that reduces white's advantage to a minimum...if black finds the best reply.} (30. Rh4+ $18 {and the rest is easy.} Kf5 31. Bf3 (31. Rf1 Nxe5 32. dxe5 Rg2+ 33. Ke3+ Kxe5 $16)) 30... Nd8 {[%mdl 8192] ...which he does not! Here it was black's turn to sacrifice.} (30... Nxe5 31. dxe5 Kxe5 32. Rh5+ Kd6 {and black can make a fight of it. In fact, 5 Shootout games were long and arduous with white winning one and 4 draws.}) 31. Rh6 {Things are back on track; the threat is Rg6+} Rg6 32. Rah1 {Another inaccuracy that leaves white with only a slight advantage.} (32. Rh4+ {was much better.} Kf5 33. Rf1 Rg3 34. Rh5+ Kf4 35. Ke2 {Black has no satisfactory move.} a6 36. Bxd5+ Kg4 37. Rfh1 Rxc3 38. R1h4+ Kg3 39. Rh3+ Kg4 40. Bf3+ Rxf3 41. R5h4+ Kg5 42. Kxf3 Rf8+ 43. Kg3 Kg6 44. Rg4+ Kf7 45. Rh7+ {and wins.}) 32... Rxh6 33. Rxh6 { There is now no mate if black defends correctly, but white has excellent winning chances in the ending because his R can penetrate into black's position. In any case, black's defense will be difficult.} Rf8 (33... Kg5 34. Rh7 a6 35. Ke3 b5 {and black can at least make white work for the win.}) 34. Rg6 {Threatens to win with Rg4+.} Kf5 (34... Rh8 {was a better defense.} 35. Rg4+ Kf5 36. Kg3 a6 {White is better, but he still may not be able to find the route to the win.}) 35. Rg7 a5 {Overlooking mate in 2} (35... Nf7 {would make white work for the win. In view of the length of the winn one wonders if, in practice, white could win at all.} 36. Kg3 Nd8 37. Bg2 Nc6 38. Kf3 Nxe5+ 39. dxe5 Kxe5+ 40. Ke3 Kd6 41. Rxa7 Rf5 42. Bf3 Re5+ 43. Kf2 Rf5 44. Rb7 Kc5 45. Rh7 Rf8 46. Ke3 Rg8 47. Rh6 Kd6 48. Kd2 Rg1 49. Bh5 Rh1 50. Rh7 Rh2+ 51. Kc1 Rh3 52. Kb2 e5 53. Bg6 Rf3 54. Rb7 Kc5 55. Rf7 Rg3 56. Rf6 d4 57. cxd4+ exd4 58. Be8 d3 59. cxd3 cxd3 60. Kc3 d2+ 61. Kxd2 Rg8 62. Bb5 Rg2+ 63. Kd3 Rg3+ 64. Ke4 Rg4+ 65. Kf5 Rg8 66. Rc6+ Kb4 67. Rxb6 {The win is still a ways off!} Ka5 68. Ra6+ Kb4 69. Rd6 Rg1 70. Ke6 Kc5 71. Rc6+ Kb4 72. Kd7 Rg7+ 73. Kd6 Rf7 74. Rb6 Rg7 75. Kc6 Rg6+ 76. Kc7 Rg7+ 77. Bd7+ Kc5 78. a5 Rg1 79. Rc6+ Kd4 80. Rd6+ Ke3 81. a6 Ra1 82. Bb5 Rxa6 83. Rxa6) 36. Ke3 {It's mate after 37.Bg4#, so black resigned.} 1-0

Vergilio Fenoglio

    The major news stories in 1943 were Churchill and Roosevelt held the Casablanca Conference in January. They pledged that the war would end only with the unconditional surrender of the Axis countries. And, following the Allied invasion of Sicily in July Italian dictator Mussolini was deposed and put under arrest; Italy then signed an armistice of with the Allies in September. Mussolini was summarily executed on April 28, 1945.

    In the U.S. President Roosevelt froze prices, salaries and wages to prevent inflation. Withholding tax on wages was introduced. Construction of the Pentagon was completed making it the largest office building in the world. The Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882 and 1902 were repealed permitting immigration and naturalization of Chinese. 

    Of course chess was still being played and today’s game was played in the 1943 Mar del Plata tournament. I’m guessing that most readers never heard of the 12th place finisher, Vergilio Fenoglio (February 20, 1902 - March 15, 1990, 88 years old). In his day he was one of the most solid masters in Argentine chess and the winner of 37 tournaments. 

    He was a journalist by profession ad worked for the newspaper “Critica” and along with Juan Iliesco he edited the magazine “Jaque Mate.” For ten years he contributed to the magazine “Ajedrez” on ending and fantasy chess. He was an internationally known problem composer who also published his own problems. In his last years he served as president of “Pena del Mate de Ayuda”. 

    He played in the Argentine Championship 13 times in the period 1928–1959. He died in Buenos Aires. 

    His opponent was the 13th place finisher, Arturo Liebstein (sometimes listed as Isaac Liebstei, a virtually unknown Uruguayan master who won the Uruguayan Championship in 1940, 1942 and 1943. 

    After the 8th Chess Olympiad at Buenos Aires in1939, many participants decided to stay in Argentina due to outbreak of World War II. As a result the 1943 Mar del Plata tournament included eleven refugees from Europe and two from Palestine.

 

[Event "Mar del Plata"] [Site "Mar del Plata ARG"] [Date "1943.03.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Arturo Liebstein"] [Black "Virgilio Fenoglio"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {B18: Classical Caro-Kann} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 {This has been long considered to represent best play. 4...Nd7 is the main alternative, White can then play 5.Ng5, 5.Nf3 or 5.Bc4} 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Bd6 9. b3 Ngf6 10. c4 Qc7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Nh4 Rfe8 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Rc1 ( 14. Qc2 Rad8 15. Rad1 b6 16. c5 Bf4 17. cxb6 Nxb6 18. Rfe1 {is equal. Polgar,J (2630)-Rogers,I (2595) Biel 1993}) 14... e5 15. c5 Bf8 16. dxe5 Nxe5 {[%mdl 32] } 17. b4 Nd5 18. Qd4 Rad8 19. f4 {This is a bit too weakening. Something like 19.a3 awaiting developments would have been safer.} Nf6 20. Qc3 Neg4 {White the NB on g4 does not look especially menacing white would now have done better to reduce the number of pieces black has available for attack by playing 21.Bxg4. However, sometimes one is reluctant to exchange a B for a N} 21. Bc4 {On the surface this attack on f7 looks like it may have some potential, but Fenoglio quickly demonstrates that not to be the case.} Ne3 22. Rf3 Nfd5 23. Qb3 Nxc4 24. Rxc4 (24. Qxc4 b5 25. cxb6 axb6 26. a3 Bd6 {and it's still black who stands better,}) 24... Re1+ 25. Kf2 Ree8 (25... Rde8 26. Be5 { Cuts off the R on e1} R8xe5 27. fxe5 Qxe5 28. Qd3 {and it will prove difficult for black to make any real progrss.}) 26. Be5 Qd7 27. Ne4 f6 28. Bd6 f5 (28... Bxd6 {This would not be sucj a good idea.} 29. Nxd6 {and the well placed N assures white of equality.} Re7 30. f5 {and white has his share of the play.}) (28... Qe6 {would cause white the most problems. For example...} 29. Kg1 (29. Bxf8 f5 30. Bd6 (30. Nd6 Qe1#) 30... fxe4 31. Rg3 e3+ 32. Ke2 Qf6 33. Be5 Rxe5 34. fxe5 Qf2+ 35. Kd3 Qd2+ 36. Ke4 e2 {wins}) 29... f5 30. Ng3 Bxd6 31. cxd6 Qxd6 {Blacs what should amount to a decisive advantage, but scoring the point might prove tedious.}) 29. Ng5 {Rh3 is the strong threat.} Bxd6 30. Rh3 { White threatens Rh8+! and mate.} Kf8 {[%mdl 32]} (30... Bxf4 31. Rh8+ Kxh8 32. Qh3+ Kg8 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxg7# {Proving the point that even when you are winning yo must be alert to tactical threats!}) 31. Rc2 {[%mdl 8192] This loses quickly.} (31. Rh8+ {would liekly draw.} Ke7 32. Qb2 Rxh8 33. Qxg7+ Ke8 34. Qxg6+ Kf8 35. cxd6 {Now black is in difficulty...there is only one move that does not lose.} Re8 {Now it's white's turn to find the only move.} 36. Rd4 Rxh2 37. Rxd5 {This secures the draw. White could, if he desired, play on with the equalizing 37.a3} cxd5 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Qg6+ Kf8 (39... Kh8 40. Nf7+ Qxf7 41. Qxf7 {followed by d7 and white wins.}) 40. Qf6+ {etc.}) 31... Bxf4 32. Rh8+ {This now longer works because white's N, a vital piece, is threatened with elimination.} Ke7 {Watch black's King walk!} 33. Re2+ (33. Qb2 {Unlike in the previous variation, this does not work...} Bxg5 34. Qxg7+ Ke6 35. Qxg6+ Nf6 36. Rxe8+ (36. Qxg5 Ne4+ 37. Kf3 Qd1+ 38. Re2 Rd3+ 39. Kf4 Qf1+ 40. Rf2 Qxf2#) 36... Rxe8 37. Re2+ {A winning King walk is in progress.} Kd5 38. Qxg5 Ng4+ 39. Ke1 Rxe2+ 40. Kxe2 Ke4 {Black is winning.}) 33... Kf6 34. Qb2+ Kxg5 35. h4+ Kg4 36. Qb3 Rxe2+ 37. Kxe2 Qe6+ 38. Kf1 Ne3+ {Facing mate in 6 white resigned.} (38... Ne3+ 39. Ke2 Nc4+ 40. Kf1 Nd2+ 41. Kf2 Nxb3 42. g3 Rd2+ 43. Kf1 Qe2+ 44. Kg1 Qe1#) 0-1