An Early Computer Battle

    In 1980 we could buy chess computers. For example, there was the Voice Chess Challenger, The First Thinking Chess Game That Speaks To You. It played 40 openings consisting of 1,200 moves. On some settings it it displayed the best move and it could play itself. You could also set up problems. It had 10 levels of play. The response time for levels 1-9 ranged from 5 seconds 50 11 minutes per move plus there was am Infinite level. The cost: $245.95 plus $3.00 for shipping and fondling...that’s the equivalent of almost $950 today. The average wage in 1980 was $12,513.46 a year, so the computer was not cheap. 

    One of the best machines was Belle. It was developed by Joe Condon (the hardware) and Ken Thompson (the software) at Bell Labs. In 1983, it was the first machine to achieve master-level play with a USCF rating of 2250. 

    Belle's final incarnation was the third generation that was completed in 1980. It consisted of further improvements to the speed of move generation and evaluation. Depending on the stage of the game, it examined 100,000 to 200,000 moves per second. 

    CHAOS (Chess Heuristics And Other Stuff) was one of the leading programs since it first appeared in 1973 until the mid-80s. It examines only about about 10,000 movrd per move. Its book contains about 10,000 lines. It was slow, but it evaluated positions accurately. Its weakness was that it missed deep tactics. 

    You will, no doubt, find the following site amusing: 7 Fun and Funky Vintage Chess Computers. I had one of the set listed...Boris which appeared in February 1978. The computer came housed in a very nice wooden box measuring 10” x 7” x 3-1/2” and had a small folding board and a travel size set. The cost was $350, that’s nearly $1,700 in today’s dollars. It wasn’t very strong and I eventually threw away the guts and kept the box which today sits on a dresser and holds loose change, watches, keys, etc. 

    In 1978, in San Jose, California, the First Microcomputer Chess Tournament, held in March. To be eligible to the computer shad to be small enough to attend, that is, no phone hookups were allowd, they had to have less than 32K of memory, and be based on 8-bit microprocessor chips. 

 

    In the event of crashes and games which promised to go on and on without any result the TYD could adjudicate the game. Some of the programs running in the old, simple BASIC programming language could not meet the 50 moves in 2 hour time limit and they were paired in a separate matches. Boris, Chess Challenger and Compu-Chess were off-the-shelf consumer products. Commodore Chessmate was a prototype of a consumer product that was expected to be available later tin the year.

 

 

[Event "1st Microcomputer Tmt, San Jose"] [Site "?"] [Date "1978.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Process Technology"] [Black "Sargon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1978.??.??"] {B00: Irregular Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. d4 Nc6 {Questionable. 2...exd4 is best.} 3. dxe5 {Humans have overwhelmingly played 3.Nf3 here although the text and 3. dxe5 are better.} Bb4+ {Best is the simple 3...Nxe5} (3... Qh4 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bd2 Nxe5 6. Nf3 Nxf3+ 7. Qxf3 d6 {White is considerably better and eventually won. Ulybin,M (2550)-Vlassov,N (2395) Berlin 1996}) 4. c3 Bc5 5. Nf3 Qe7 6. Bf4 Nh6 {Thus is one of those rare occasions where ...f6 is actually better.} (6... f6 7. exf6 Nxf6 (7... Qxe4+ 8. Be2 Nxf6 9. Bxc7 {favors white}) 8. Nbd2 (8. e5 d6 {Black is slightly better.}) 8... Nxe4 {is equal.}) 7. Bxh6 gxh6 {White has managed to come out of the opening whith a slight advantage assuming his next move is 8.Qd5 or 8.b4} 8. Bb5 Rg8 {Although 8...Nxe5 is perfectly acceptable the R has a great future here!} 9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. O-O {Castling into trouble. 10.g3 was correct.} Bh3 {It's somewhat surprising that the white program missed this move.} 11. Nbd2 {A major tactical error missing the fact that after this black has a mate in 5. The only chances was 11.g3 which turns out not to be as wretched as it looks!} (11. g3 h5 (11... Bxf1 12. Qxf1 {and white actually has sufficient compensation for the exchange!}) 12. Kh1 (12. Re1 h4 13. Nd4 O-O-O {White has kept the exchange and his f-Pawn is safe, bit at the cost of gicing black a very strong attack.}) 12... h4 13. Nbd2 O-O-O {and black has good prospects.}) 11... Rxg2+ {This wins, but Sargon has also missed the mate.} (11... Bxg2 12. Re1 Bxf3+ 13. Kf1 Rg1+ 14. Kxg1 Qg5+ 15. Kf1 Qg2#) 12. Kh1 Rg6 13. Re1 {White is lost, but this allows mate in 5 which could only be avoided by 13.Rg1} (13. Rg1 Bxf2 14. Rxg6 hxg6 {Black has what should amount to a winning advantage.}) 13... Bxf2 {Again missing the mate, not that it matters because the text still wins.} (13... Bg2+ 14. Kg1 Bxf3+ 15. Kf1 Rg1+ 16. Kxg1 Qg5+ 17. Kf1 Qg2# {just like before.}) 14. Rg1 Bxg1 15. Nc4 (15. Nxg1 Bg2#) 15... Rd8 (15... Bg2+ 16. Kxg1 Bxf3+ {picks up the Q}) 16. Nfd2 b5 { Again, Sargon misses a mate.} (16... Bg2+ 17. Kxg1 Qc5+ 18. Ne3 Qxe3#) 17. Na3 Qxe5 {Guess what? 17...Bg2 mates} (17... Bg2+ 18. Kxg1 Qc5#) 18. Qe2 Rg2 { [%csl Gg1,Gg2][%cal Re5h2] Thus forces mate, but it's not the shortest.} (18... Rxd2 19. Rxg1 Rxg1+ 20. Kxg1 Rxe2 {mate next move.}) (18... Bg2+ {Again!} 19. Kxg1 Qc5+ 20. Qf2 Bh3+ 21. Kh1 Qxf2 {mate next move.}) 19. Nf3 Qe6 {Missing a quicker mate.} (19... Rxe2 20. Rxg1 Rxh2+ 21. Nxh2 Qxe4+ 22. Nf3 Qxf3+ 23. Kh2 Rd2+ 24. Rg2 Qxg2#) 20. Qe1 Bc5 (20... Qg4 {is quicker} 21. Qf1 Rdd2 22. Qxg1 Rxg1+ 23. Rxg1 Qxf3+ 24. Rg2 Qxg2#) 21. b4 Rxa2 (21... Qg4 {is quicker.} 22. Qf1 Rf2 23. Qxf2 Bxf2 24. Nh4 Qxe4+ 25. Ng2 Bxg2#) 22. bxc5 Bg2+ (22... Rxa1 { is quicker.} 23. Qxa1 Qg4 24. Qf1 Rd1 25. Ng1 Qxe4+ 26. Nf3 Rxf1#) 23. Kg1 Bxf3 24. Rxa2 Qxa2 25. Qf2 Rd1+ {White resigned. Fritz' tactical analysis assigned the progams the following unimpressive ratings, but it was a start. Better programs werte to come. Accuracy: White = 7%, Black = 39%.} 0-1

Continuing Down Memory Lane

    Continuing the stroll down memory lane I came across my one surviving game from the 1967 Ohio Championship. That was a memorable year if only because I had survived my 4 years in the military and was discharged at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 

    American readers have probably seen the television commercials from law firms wanting to take on cases of people sickened by the contaminated water on the base. 

    Water on the base was contaminated from 1953 to 1987. The water was contaminated only at a couple of dependent housing areas mostly due to the disposal practices of an off base dry cleaner. I received letters from the Marine Corps for about two years. When the letters stopped the television ads by civilian law firms flooded television. Over a half a million claims have been filed, but only a very few have been settled. Lawyers get 20%. 

    1967 was a year of a lot of cultural change, political questioning and personal “liberation”. There was psychedelic rock music, young people in San Francisco were showing an interest in Eastern religions and communal living. 

    Racial unrest resulted in the "Long Hot Summer" and saw racial unrest in cities such as Detroit, Newark and Cincinnati. And, of course, there were protests against the Vietnam War. On a lighter note, Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas. 

    A leading German platyer of the 1930s, Ludwid Engels (1905-1967) died in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Former Irosh Champion James Creevey (1873-1967) died in Dublin at the age of 93. The 1956 French Champion French master Pierre Rolland (1926-1967) died in a car accident. IM Stefan Fazekas (1898-1967) died at the age of 69 in England; he was the British champion in 1957 at the age of 59. Sweden’s vteran GM Gideon Stahlberg (1908-1967) died of a liver ailment in Leningrad while there for a tournament. German IN and author Alfred Brinckmann (1891-1967) died in Kiel. Former Hungarian champ (1928) Arpad Vajda (1896-1967) died in Budapest of a gas leak from his oven. 

    Bobby Fischer took 1st place in the US Championship and at Monaco. Anatoly Karpov won the European Junior Championship in Groningen, Netherlands. 

    The 1967 Ohio Championship was held in Cincinnati. There were 56 players and Cleveland Master Tom Wozney scored 6.5 out of 7. He was followed by Experts om Mazuchowski of Toledo and Richard Noel of Cleveland. I have no idea what my score was, but I won the following rip snorter from a local player.

[Event "Ohio Championship, Cincinnati"] [Site ""] [Date "1967.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A83"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1967.??.??"] {A83: Staunton Gambit} 1. d4 f5 2. e4 {Beiong a fan of Botvinnik I was fairly familiar with the Dutch, but knew nothing about the Staunton Gambit. The idea is to get quick development with the hopes of launching an attack against black's King. Although it was once a feared weapon theory has shown how to neutralize it.} fxe4 {Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defense, but accepting P is considered stronger.} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 g6 5. f3 exf3 (5... d5 6. fxe4 dxe4 7. Bc4 Nc6 8. Nge2 Na5 9. Bb3 Nxb3 10. axb3 Bg7 11. Qd2 O-O 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Ba6 14. Qe3 Qd7 {is equal. Straka,V (2341) -Krnan,T (2430) Tatranske Zruby 2016}) 6. Nxf3 d5 7. Bd3 {So far both players have fiollowed known lines, but black's logical looking next move turns out to be in white's favor because it results in the exchange of a B for a N amd white gets pressure on the f-fi;e.} Bg4 (7... Bg7 8. Qe2 Nc6 9. O-O-O O-O { is equal. Ramirez Alvarez,A (2547)-Stopa,J (2493) Dallas 2009}) (7... Nc6 8. O-O Bg7 9. Ne5 O-O {is also about equal. Teichmann,R-Tartakower,S Berlin 1921}) 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 c6 {Defending the d-Pawn was not really necessary.} (9... Bg7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nxd5 {regains the P, but after} Bh4+ 12. Ke2 Qd6 13. Rhf1 Nc6 {White's d-Pawn is attacked, but after} 14. c3 O-O-O 15. Ne3 {tjr chancesd are equal.}) 10. O-O-O Bg7 11. Rde1 {[%mdl 1024]} Nbd7 12. Rhf1 O-O 13. Qe3 Re8 14. Bh6 {Exchanging off black's B looks logical, but it allows black to seize the initiative with his next move. For that that reason 14.Qe6+ was correct. Then the cances would have been equal.} e5 {Very good!} 15. Bxg6 {This spur of the moment decision is completely unsound.} (15. Bxg7 {was worth a try.} Kxg7 16. dxe5 Rxe5 17. Qf2 {But here black is a solid P up.}) 15... hxg6 16. Qg5 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 {Now all black has to do is defend the h-Pawn with 17...Nf8. Instead...} e4 18. Qxg6+ Kf8 {Avoidung the draw and allowing white to gain the upper hand.} (18... Kh8 {is a draw by repitition.} 19. Qh6+ Nh7 {loses to} 20. Rf7) 19. g4 Re6 (19... Ke7 20. g5 Ng8 21. Rf7#) 20. g5 Ke7 21. gxf6+ Nxf6 22. Qg7+ Kd6 23. Qxb7 Qh8 {Going after the h-Pawn is a poor decision; it never gets captured. The Q was needed to defend the Q-side and so 23...Qb8 was called for.} 24. Na4 Rb8 25. Qxa7 {White's advantage is decisive.} Rb5 26. Nc5 Re7 27. Qa3 Kc7 28. Na6+ Kd7 29. Nc5+ Kc7 30. Nxe4 {Unablr to find a winning conrinuation, I played this which on;y resilts allowing black back in the game. } (30. Qg3+ Kb6 31. Qd6 {Attacking both the R and N wraps it up.} Rf7 32. Rxf6 Rxf6 33. Qxf6 Qg8 (33... Qxf6 34. Nd7+) 34. Qe7 Qc8 35. a4 Rb4 36. Re3 {etc.}) 30... Rxe4 31. Rxe4 Nd7 {[%mdl 8192] Black dis not realize he had been bluffed. } (31... Nxe4 32. Rf7+ Kc8 33. Qa8+ Rb8 34. Qxc6+ Kd8 35. Qd7#) (31... dxe4 { is a different story; it's still a fight.} 32. Qa7+ Kd6 33. a4 Rh5 34. Qf7 Qh6+ 35. Kb1 Nd7 {and the outcome is uncertain.}) 32. Qg3+ Kd8 33. Qh4+ Qxh4 34. Rxh4 {[%mdl 4096]} Kc7 35. Rf7 Rb8 36. Rhh7 Rd8 37. h4 Kc8 38. Rxd7 Rxd7 39. Rxd7 Kxd7 40. a4 {Black resigned. Accuracy: White = 59%, Black = 40%.} 1-0

Postal Nostalgia

    The other day I was going through some of my old games and some played in 1972 caught my attention. For readers who don’t remember 1972, girls were wearing maxi dresses (they reached to the floor, boo!), mini skirts (they reached mid-thigh, hooray!). 

    PONG became the first commercially successful video game. Digital watch made their debut and they were just as clunky as PONG. 

    The popular TV program Star Trek spawned Trekkies and the first Star Trek fan convention took place in New York City. HBO came to television making it possible to watch violence, nudity and obscenity right in the comfort of your own living room. 

    Players lost that year were Victor Soultanbeiff (1895-1972) the former Belgium champion. IM Georgy Lisitsin (1909-1972) died in Leningrad. Sir George Thomas (1881-1972) died in London at the age of 91. Kenneth Harkness (1896-1972) an organizer and creator of the Harkness rating system died on a train in Yugoslavia, on his way to Skopje to be an arbiter at the Chess Olympiad.

    Mikhail Tal won the Soviet Championship. Walter Browne won the National Open (on tiebreaks over Louis Levy) and the National Congress Premier Championship held in Chicago. Browne also won the US Open in Atlantic City. Anatoly Karpov, Tigran Petrosian and Lajos Portisch tied for first in Church’s Fried Chicken International in San Antonio. Finally, on September 2, 1972, Bobby Fischer became the World Champion when he defeated Boris Spassky. 

    It was also the year I played a correspondence game in the Finals of the U.S. Open Postal Championship against USCF Senior Master Arthur Feuerstein, a former (otb) U.S. Championship competitor, with a USCF rating of 2427 which ranked him #14 in the country. Fischer topped the list at 2825 and second place went to Lubomir Kavalek at 2573. I had some pretty good results and my rating was up around 2100. 

    I was primarily a correspondence player though and my postal rating with the USCF (which had absorbed the old Chess Review) was 1280. Feuerstein’s was 1514. The top rated player was a New York player named Reuben Klugman at 1846. 

    Sadly, Feuerstein (born in 1935) passed away on February 2, 2022. 

Feuerstein and I had previously met in 1970 in the semi-finals and I had black. I had a won game (4.75 Pawns to the good) according to Stockfish, but miscalculated a tactical sequence and lost! We met again in the finals and I was determined to do better. The following calamity was the result. 

[Event "U.S.Open Postal Champ Finals"] [Site ""] [Date "1972.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Arthur Feuerstein"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B99"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1972.??.??"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IND"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] {B99: Sicilian Najdorf} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 13. a3 Rb8 14. h4 b4 15. axb4 Rxb4 16. Bh3 Qc5 17. Nb3 Qb6 {There's not much to say about the opening. I was using The Sicilian Flank Game by Albrec O'Kelly that was published in 1969, sp the opening was pretty up to date. Remember there was no Internet in those days. That was 10 years in the future.} 18. f5 {Evidently we had reached the end of the book line. This move looked logical to me and it's certainly an aggressive one, but it actually favors black if only slightly.} (18. Na2 {This is the engine's top choice. I played it later, but it was too late to equalize!} Rc4 19. Nc3 O-O 20. Rhe1 {with a completely equal (0.00) position.}) (18. Rhf1 O-O 19. f5 {Just like in my game this slightly favors black. At least I am not alone in thinking it was a good idea. White should offer to trade Qs with 19.Qf2 with equality.} Ne5 20. Qg3 Rd8 {More accurate is 20...a5 at once.} 21. h5 a5 22. g6 {The chances are about even. Manik,M (2385)-Navara,D (2466) Czechia 2001}) (18. h5 {An interesting possibility.} Nc5 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Rhg1 a5 21. g6 fxg6 22. hxg6 h6 {with approximate equality. Oleksienko,M (2492)-Grekh,A (2294) Alushta 2005}) 18... Ne5 {This centralizes the N and gains a tempo by attacking the Q. After the Q moves off the f-file there's no attack along it after fxe6. If it goes to f4 then white has problems.} 19. Qg3 (19. Qf4 a5 20. Rhf1 a4 21. Nd2 Bd7 22. fxe6 fxe6 {White's attack has run out iof gas and black has a distinct advantage.}) 19... Bd7 20. Rhe1 {At this point I realized I did not have an attack and things were not going well, so the point of this move is to exchange Qs.} (20. Rhf1 a5 {White has no attack on the f-file so offering to trade Q was in order.} 21. Qg1 Qxg1 (21... a4 22. Qxb6 Rxb6 {and white is a little better.} 23. Nd4) (21... Qa6 22. Nd4 {with full equality.}) 22. Rxg1 g6 23. fxe6 fxe6 {and white has hopes of surviving.}) 20... a5 21. Na2 Rc4 22. Qe3 Qxe3+ 23. Rxe3 {Unfortunately the exchange of Qs has mot helped mu y position even a ltlle bit.} exf5 {After this total collapse is imminent.} 24. Bf1 (24. exf5 Rxh4 25. Rg3 Rxh3 26. Rxh3 Bxf5 {Material is about equal (R vs. B+2Ps, but in the long run black has a decisive advantage. A sample line...} 27. Rg3 Bg4 28. Rd5 Bxg5+ 29. Kb1 h5 30. Nc3 f5 31. Rg1 Nf3 32. Rh1 a4 33. Nxa4 Bf4 { and white cannot compete with black's active play on the K-side.}) 24... Rxe4 25. Rxe4 fxe4 26. Nc3 a4 27. Nd2 e3 28. Nde4 h6 29. Be2 hxg5 {White resigned. Fritz assigned white a accuracy rating of 29%. Feuerstein's accuracy rating? It was 92%. You can't compete with that!} 0-1

Odel-oh-ee-dee-diddly

Queen Sacrifice by van Steenis

    This is a game from the tournament mentioned in the previous post of October 28th about de Groot. It features a marvelios Queen sacrifice by van Steenis in his game against Koomen. 

    Hendrik van Steenis (1908-1976, 56 yrats old) was a Dutch politician and administrator. From 1951 to 1965 he was a member of the central committee of FIDE. Willem Kppmen (1909-1989, 60 years old) was married to the Dutch lady champions Fenny Heemskerk.

 

 

 

 

[Event "Hoogovens, Beverwijk"] [Site "Beverwijk NED"] [Date "1946.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Hendrik van Steenis"] [Black "Willem Koomen"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1946.01.05"] {C58: Two Knights Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 {This remains the most common move in the Two Knights.} (5... b5 {was played in the famous Yakov Estrin-Hans Berliner ICCF 1965} 6. Bf1 Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 10. f3 e4 11. cxd4 Bd6 {White is better, but black went on to win.}) 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. Bd3 Be7 10. b3 {Excellent! In the game Rossolimo,N-Bogoljubow,E Dortmund 1951 white played 10.Nc3 which is OK, but the text move is the engine's forst choice, but of course in 1946 there was no such thing.} O-O 11. Ba3 {This is hardly bad, but 11.Bb2 seems more logical.} Bxa3 12. Nxa3 {White's N os out of play here.} h6 13. h4 { Aggressive play by van Steenis. Black could take the N, but if he does both sides must walk a tightrope!} Re8 (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 Nd5 {runs into} 15. Rh8+ Kxh8 16. Qh5+ Kg8 17. Qh7#) ({Black should try} 13... Nd5 $17 {White must now prevent ...f5.} 14. Bh7+ Kh8) (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 Ng4 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5+ Kg8 17. Qxg4 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 {White has a winning position.}) (13... hxg5 14. hxg5 e4 {This is the correct defense. White's best continuations is...} 15. gxf6 exf3 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Bg6+ {with a draw.}) 14. Ne4 Nxe4 {Keeping the Ns on and plauing 14...Nd5 was a bit better.} 15. Bxe4 (15. Qxe4 {was positionally better, but white is playing for the attack.} f5 16. Qb4 Be6 17. O-O Rad8 18. Rfe1 e4 19. Bf1 {White is supposed to be better, probably owing to his better P-formtion.}) 15... Be6 {This gives white's attack more impetus.} (15... f5 {This active move keeps the chances about equal after} 16. Bxf5 e4 17. Bxe4 Qe5 {Now white should castle on either side (it makes little difference) and after black take the B the chances would be about even.}) 16. b4 Nb7 17. b5 Na5 18. g4 {After having diverted black's attention to the Q-side white switches back to the K-side/ On his next move black would have done better with 18...Bd5, offering an exchange of Bs to eliminate an attacker. } Rab8 19. g5 hxg5 (19... cxb5 {was safer/} 20. gxh6 f5 {This counter equalizes.} 21. Bxf5 Bxf5 22. Qxf5 b4 {and black can defend his K plus he is in a position to counter white's Q-side advances.}) 20. hxg5 Kf8 {This move, preparing to flee, gives white just enough time to build up his attack. He needed to keep white busy by countering on the Q-side. In any case, black is in a difficult position.} (20... cxb5 {was called for.} 21. O-O-O {Getting his other R into play.} Red8 22. Rh7 Qd6 23. Nb1 Kf8 24. g6 Nc4 (24... f6 25. Rdh1 Bg8 26. Qh3 Bxh7 27. gxh7 {with a likely win.} Ke7) 25. gxf7 Qb4 26. Qb3 Qxb3 27. axb3 Nd6 28. Bg6 {White is clearly better.}) 21. Ke2 {Connecting his Rs/} cxb5 {White to play and win...there's only one move that does it!} 22. Qf6 { If the Q is taken then white's P on f6 cuts off the Ks escape route.} (22. Rh7 {Doubling Rs on the h-file looks like a sure-fire way to win, but black can save himslef.} Red8 23. Rah1 Qd7 {Attacking the d-Pawn and threatening ...Bg4} 24. Qe3 Qd4 25. Qxd4 exd4 {The attack is broken.}) 22... Bg4+ {There was nothing any better.} 23. f3 gxf6 24. gxf6 Kg8 {The K is trapped.} 25. Rag1 Qd7 {This position is not as clear as the engine evaluation of 3.5 Ps in white's favor would lead you to believe.} 26. Bh7+ {[%mdl 128] White has strong attack, but there is no knockout blow.} (26. Rxg4+ {This demonstrates the correctness of white's Q sacrifice.} Qxg4 {Forced to avoid mate.} 27. fxg4 Nc4 28. Nxc4 bxc4 {White is down the exchange, but he has sufficient compensation in the form of play on the K-side that he should be able to force the win.} 29. Rh7 Red8 30. Rg7+ Kf8 31. g5 Rb1 32. Bh7 Ke8 33. Bg8 Rd4 34. Bxf7+ Kd8 35. Rg8+ Kd7 36. Bxc4 {and now it's clear that white is winning.}) 26... Kf8 27. Rxg4 { Black is forced to return the Q to avoid mate.} Qxg4 28. fxg4 Rb6 29. g5 { [%mdl 1024]} a6 30. Be4 Kg8 31. Rh7 b4 32. Rg7+ Kf8 33. Bh7 {Black resigned. It's mate in 2.} 1-0

Happy Belated Birthday to Adrianus de Groot

    Adriaan de Groot (October 26, 1914 – August i4, 2006, 91 years old) was a psychology professro and a strong amateur player. He represented the Netherlands in three Olympiads (1936, 1937 and 1939). 

    He is most famous for his book Thought and Choice in Chess. The book, published in 1965, was a translation of his 1946 dissertation Het denken van de schaker (The thinking of the chess player), which examined how chessplayers think. 

    He conducted experiments in the 1940s and later in the 1960s which involve players from amateurs to Grandmasters. He investigate the cognitive requirements and the thought processes involved in selecting a move. The participants were asked to select a move and voice their thoughts as they decided on their move. 

    What de Groot found was that much of what is important in choosing a move occurs during the first few seconds after seeing the position.

 

Four stages in the task of choosing the next move were noted. 

    1) The orientation phase in which the subject assessed the situation and determined a very general idea of what to do. 

    2) The exploration phase where the subject looked at some branches of the game tree. 

    3) The investigation phase' where the subject chose a probable best move. 

    4) The proof phase where the subject confirmed to himself that the results were valid. 

 

    He agreed with Alfred Binet that visual memory and visual perception are important attributes and that problem-solving ability is of paramount importance. Memory is particularly important in that there are no new’ moves in chess, so those from personal experience (or from the experience of others) can be committed to memory. 

    Does playing over games and solving tactical problems in order to gain pattern recognition an important part of improving? The question is discussed in THIS Chessable article. 

    After Max Euwe became World Champion, the steelworkers at Hoogovens started a chess club which held their first event in 1938. After the War, activity was resumed in 1945, and this attempt had some minor problems when English players P.S. Milner-Barry declined for professional reasons and William Winter could not get a visa. And, Swiss master m and Henri Grob ran into travel difficulties. 

    As a result organizers were left with Gosta Stoltz from Sweden, whose plane arrived only hours before play began, and Belgian champion Albrec O'Kelly as the only foreign players. 

 

 

    De Groots opponent in this game was Albrec O’Kelly de Galway (1911-1980). He spoke French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, and Russian fluently, and some Italian. As an author, O’Kelly wrote many books and article, in various languages. 

    \ As a youth, he took lessons from the legendary Akiba Rubinstein, who was institutionalized in Belgium. O'Kelly won the Belgian championships thirteen times between 1937 and 1959. 

[Event "Hoogovens, Beverwijk"] [Site ""] [Date "1946.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Adrian de Groot"] [Black "Alberic O'Kelly"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1946.01.05"] {Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 {The B is much more active on c5 than on e7, however, white can gain time by playing c3 and d4 focing black to lose time by moving the B again to a less active position. Statistically the move does not do well.} 5. Nxe5 {Although not played very often this is probably white's best reply. 5.c3 and 5.d3 are more frequently seen.} Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Bd3 d5 {This is black's best move.} 9. Qf3 Qh4 {The threat if …Bg4 is unpleasant.} 10. g3 {Better was 10.Bxe4 and whichever way black recaptures the position would be equal.} Ng5 (10... Bg4 { was better. AFter} 11. Qf4 g5 12. gxh4 gxf4 13. Bxf4 Rg8 {black has a good position.}) 11. Qd1 Nh3+ {O'Kelly has overestimated the strength of his attack. Or, perhaos it was a case of a stronger player takig liberties against a weaker one.} (11... Bxf2+ 12. Rxf2 (12. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 13. Ke1 Qxg3+ {and black is winning.}) 12... Nh3+ 13. Kg2 Nxf2 14. gxh4 Nxd1 15. Be2 Nxb2 16. Bxb2 { is unclear.}) (11... Qh6 {Best.} 12. h4 Nh3+ 13. Kg2 g5 {and white must play carefully.}) 12. Kg2 {Already white has a substantial advantage.} Qe7 13. f4 { Going for the kill.} h5 14. Nc3 {A lapse...white does not have time for this and must press on with his attack/} (14. f5 Ng5 15. Nc3 {Now this is OK because black can't develop his B to g4 nor can he try ...g5}) 14... g5 { Just a bit better would have been 14...Bg4} 15. f5 (15. fxg5 Nxg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. Nxd5 {Black has to try 17...h4 when white is only slightly better, but he must not play} cxd5 18. Bb5+ Kf8 19. Qxd5 {with a decisive attack.} Qe7 20. Rxf7+ Qxf7 21. Rf1 Qxf1+ 22. Bxf1 Be7 23. Bc4 Ke8 (23... Rh7) 24. Bd3 { Threatening Bg6+} Rh6 25. Qg8+ Kd7 26. Bb5+ Kc7 27. Qg7 Re6 28. Bc4) 15... g4 { de Groot's slight lapse last move has allowed O'Kelly to get decent play anf now de Groot has to be careful as his K is exposed.} 16. Qe2 Bd7 {It's logical to develop the B, but it allows his opponent to go back on the attack.} (16... f6 {opening the position keeps the attack and defense balanced. For example...} 17. Bf4 b5 18. Rae1 Nxf4+ 19. Rxf4 {and things are unclear after either 19... Kd8 or 19...fxe5}) 17. Na4 {Nice! After black's last move white's B finds a purpose on c3...with things at a standstill on the K-side de Groot turns his attention to the other side.} (17. e6 fxe6 18. f6 Qf7 19. Qe5 Bb6 {White's position lacks any real punch.}) 17... Bb6 18. b4 {Setting a trap.} (18. e6 { is a different story from last move.} fxe6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. Qe5 {and the Q-side Ps have become targets.}) 18... O-O-O {Avoiding the trap.} (18... Qxb4 19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. e6 {White is winning.} fxe6 21. fxe6 Bc8 22. Qe5 Rg8 23. Bg6+ ) (18... c5 $1 $14 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. bxc5 Bc6) 19. Nxb6+ {de Groot now conducts an attack on black's K.} axb6 20. a4 (20. e6 {would have been much harder to meet.} fxe6 21. Qe5 Rde8 (21... Rhf8 22. f6 {Switching the action back to the K-side. This demonstrates the great strength of white's position.} Qxb4 23. Bh6 Rf7 24. Qxh5 {The R is a goner.}) 22. f6 Qxb4 23. Rb1 Qa5 (23... Qxb1 {This gets the Q trapped.} 24. Bb2 Qxa2 25. Ra1) 24. f7 Ref8 25. Qd6 Qc5 26. Ba3 Qxd6 27. Bxd6 Ng5 28. Be5 {wins a R.}) 20... Rhe8 21. a5 bxa5 22. Bb2 { Another imprecise move.} (22. Rxa5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Rxe5 24. Bb2 Ree8 25. Bf6 { picks up the exchange.}) 22... d4 {To copy and paste the note from white's last move...Another imprecise move. The move has a point however!} (22... Qxb4 {and things get wild after} 23. Rfb1 c5 24. e6 d4 25. Bc1 Bc6+ 26. Kf1 Bf3 { with head whirling complications.}) 23. Rxa5 {After this things are back on track.} (23. Bxd4 {Falls for the trap black's last move set.} c5 24. Be4 (24. Bxc5 Bc6+ 25. Be4 Qxe5 26. Rfe1 Qxf5 {and white gets mated.} 27. Qf2 Rd2 28. Bxc6 Rxf2+ 29. Kh1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Rf1+ 31. Rxf1 Qxf1+ 32. Bg1 Qxg1#) 24... Ng5 25. Bd5 Bxf5 26. Bxc5 Qxe5 27. Qxe5 Rxe5 28. c4 axb4 29. Bxb4 Rdxd5 30. cxd5 Be4+ 31. Kf2 Nh3+ 32. Ke1 Bg2+ 33. Kd2 Bxf1 34. Rxf1 Rxd5+ {Black is better.}) 23... Qxb4 {There was really no better defense.} 24. Ra8+ {The rest is a mop up.} Kc7 25. Ba3 c5 26. Bxb4 Rxa8 27. e6 Bc6+ 28. Be4 cxb4 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Qe5+ {Black resigned. An incredibly complicated game that was for the most part well played by de Groot.} (30. Qe5+ Kb7 31. Rb1 Ra4 (31... Rab8 32. Rxb4+ Ka6 33. Ra4+ Kb7 34. Qxd4 Rbd8 35. Qb4+ Kc8 36. Ra8+ Kc7 37. Ra7+ Kc8 38. Qb7#) 32. Qxd4 {and Qd7+ will be a killer.}) 1-0

A Queen Sacrifice… a Brilliancy or Just Routine?

    Wilhelm Steinitz (May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a Bohemian-Austrian,and later American player whose theoretical teachings revolutionized chess and were the foundations modern chess. 

    From 1886 to 1894, he was the first World Champion as well as a highly influential writer and theoretician. Some regarded him as the man who destroyed brilliancy tactical chess. 

    Steinitz himself played some really brilliant games. Early in his career he was a disciple of attacking chess with its careless, flashy, but frequently unsound attacks. 

    Eventually he came to the conclusion that patient defense with the idea of refuting unsound attacks. He demonstrated that you could not just toss away Pawns, or even pieces for a helter-skelter attack. 

    The time of the following game was played at the beginning of the Age of Steinitz. Engines may not think black’s attack was especially brilliant and at move 19 they glibly proclaim 19...dxe3 is the best move, but in the days of old it was considered a brilliancy. It’s not clear in what event this game was played, only that it was in Dresden in 1880. 

    White was Carl Friedrich Schmid (1840-1897). Born in Mitau, Russian Empire which is today Jelgava, Latvia. William Wayte (1829-1898) is better known, but not well remembered. 

    Wayte was born in Calne, England and passed away in London. He was a Church of England cleric and a British master. He was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in English chess in the late 1800s. 

    Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2573 om 18078, and his best ever world rank to have been #9. It’s a little surprising, but Janes Mason was #1 at 2703. 

`In 1850, he became a Craven Scholar. John Craven, 1st Baron Craven of Ryton (1610-1648) was noted for benevolence and his will contained numerous charitable bequests. The most significant was the bequest of his manor of Cancerne, Sussex, for the endowment of four poor scholars, two at Oxford and two at Cambridge. The Craven scholarships still exist. In 1862, he rook the position of Select Preacher at the University of Cambridge. In 1876, Wayte became a professor of Greek at University College on London and while there he edited several Greek works. 

    As mentioned, Wayte was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in early Victorian Era English chess. Others included George MacDonnell, John Owen, Charles Ranken, Edmund Thorold and Arthur Skipworth. 

    Wayte played with success in a number of tournaments in Britain between 1861 and 1893. He also wrote for the British Chess Magazine.

 

Going Way, Way Back…to 1834

    If you lived in England in 1834, William IV was the King. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, six farm laborers, were sentenced to be transported to a penal colony for forming a trade union. HMS Tartarus, the Royal Navy's first steam-powered man-of-war, a paddle gun vessel, was launched. 

    In July of that year the Hanging-in-Chains Abolition Act went into effect’ it did just that...it abolished the practice of hanging in chains upon a gibbet after execution. 

    Hanging in chains, also known as gibbeting, was a common law punishment in England where the body of an executed criminal was displayed in chains after death. The practice was intended to deter others from committing similar crimes, and was often used for murderers, robbers, traitors, highwaymen, and pirates.

    The Murder Act of 1752 made gibbeting a legal punishment for murderers. The gibbets were often placed near public highways or waterways, such as crossroads and the body could remain on display for days, weeks, months, years, or even decades! Needless to say, some found the sight and smell disgusting. 

    In August slavery was abolished in most of the British Empire and the Poor Law Amendment Act states the able-bodied could not receive assistance unless they enter a workhouse/ It also declared that poor-law authorities should no longer attempt to identify the fathers of illegitimate children to recover support from them. 

    In the chess world the first match of any importance pitting La Bourdonnais against McDonnell was played. Bourdonnais won +16 -5 =4. In all he won a series of 6 matches against McDonnell. 

    The Frenchman Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais (1797-1840), considered the world’s strongest player, and the Irishman Alexander McDonnell (1798-1835), considered Great Britain’s strongest player,played their matches in London. There was no time limit, no seconds and very little stakes. With no time limit McDonnell sometimes took over an hour and a half to make a move. 

    Alexander McDonnell held the post of Secretary of the West India Committee of Merchants. In the 1830s he was the best player in England. He died September 14, 1835 of Bright's disease in London at the age of 37. 

     Bright's disease is described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine and was frequently accompanied by high blood pressure and heart disease. 

    There's no proven way to prevent it, but adopting a healthy lifestyle can help. Also, treating the underlying cause, such as infection, eating less protein and salt, cortisone and diuretic use, reducing blood pressure and kidney dialysis can help. Finally, if possible, a kidney transplant. 

    Bourdonnais was born on the French Island La Reunion in 1797 and died on December 13, 1840 in London. He learned chess in 1814 and took lessons from Deschapelles. 

    He came from a noble family and heir to an old estate, but lost his fortune in a building speculation and turned to chess to earn his living. 

    In November, 1840, he was diagnosed with dropsy which refers to swelling under the skin and is generally known today as edema. It’s a condition in which the area under the skin fills with fluid. The swelling varies in severity, but it is uncomfortable and can be extremely painful. 

    It is a symptom of a number of diseases. It is likely that some of those whose cause of death was recorded as dropsy were actually killed by the condition that caused the swelling, rather than the swelling itself. Today it’s treated with a diuretic, blood thinners and reducing salt intake. 

    The poor fellow also had a scrotal hernia, a bulge or lump that can appear in the groin or scrotum. They are caused by a weakness in the abdominal wall that allows part of the intestine or fat to protrude into the scrotum. Large or painful ones can be repaired surgically. He died at the age of 43 and was buried next to McDonnell.

 

[Event "4th Casual Matcj, London"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1834.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander McDonnell"] [Black "Louis De La Bourdonnais"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C20"] [Annotator "Dragon by Komodo"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "1834.04.04"] {C23: Bishop's Opening} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 {There is very little theory on this ancient opening.} Bc5 3. c3 Qe7 (3... Qh4 {Rather pointless.} 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Nf3 Qh5 {and Pavlicek,P (2036)-Matejovsky,O (2085) Ricany 2009 agreed to a draw in a few more moves.}) 4. Nf3 (4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a5 6. Ba3 Nf6 7. d3 d6 8. Nf3 {equals. Nehlert,P-Jendryssek,J Kehl 1989}) 4... d6 5. O-O Bb6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Na3 Bg4 8. Nc2 Nbd7 9. Qd3 d5 {This P sacrifice is of doubtful soundness, but it leads to interesting play. Both 9...exd4 or 9...O-O were solid replies.} 10. exd5 {There is little reason to allow his B to be exchanges by capturing 10. Bxd5} e4 11. Qd2 {Now black should probably play 11...O-O. Instead...} exf3 12. Re1 {White has a decisive advantage. However, as is sometimes the case, that does not mean he is going to win!} Ne4 13. Qf4 f5 14. gxf3 g5 {Forceful play typical of Bourdonnais, but white still has a decisive advantage, theoretically at least.} 15. Qe3 {Not bad, but both players have missed a clever, winning tactic at white's disposal. That's theoretically speaking. Practically white's move is reasonable.} (15. Qxg4 fxg4 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. fxe4 {White has a B+2Ps vs a R, but his positional superiority that engines consider decisive. White scored 5-0 in Shootous, but given the length (40-50 additional moves) and complexity of the game white's win is not a foregone conclusion.}) 15... Ne5 16. Bb5+ (16. fxg4 {has better winning chances.} Nxc4 17. Qe2 Qf7 18. Qxc4 {with the better gane.}) 16... c6 17. fxg4 {All of white's advantage has evaporated.} (17. Be2 cxd5 18. fxg4 f4 19. Qh3 O-O-O 20. f3 {with only a slight advantage.}) 17... Nxg4 (17... cxb5 {would have been a howler...} 18. gxf5 Nd6 19. Qh3 O-O-O 20. dxe5 Nc4 21. f6+ Qd7 22. Qxd7+ Rxd7 23. b3 Na5 24. e6 Rxd5 25. e7 Re8 26. f7) 18. Qe2 {It's quite natural to move the attacked Q.} (18. dxc6 {is a clever try though.} Nxe3 19. cxb7+ Kf7 20. bxa8=Q Rxa8 21. Nxe3 {with an interesting material imbalance. Shootouts resulted in 5 draws.}) 18... cxb5 19. f3 Ngf6 20. fxe4 Nxe4 21. Qxb5+ Qd7 22. Qxd7+ Kxd7 23. c4 {The exchange of Qs has increased the tension because the play with the passed Ps promises plenty of excitement. Technically black is a smidgen better; his pieces are actively placed.} Rae8 24. c5 Bd8 25. d6 f4 { [%mdl 1056]} 26. b4 Rhf8 27. Rf1 h5 (27... f3 {was even stronger.} 28. Ne3 g4 29. Nc4 Bf6 30. Be3 Nc3 31. Kh1 Re4 32. Rfe1 Rfe8 33. Bf2 Bxd4 {Black is winning.}) 28. Na3 {[%mdl 8192] Heading for e5, but keeping the N where it is and playing more directly with 28.b5 was a better plan.} Bf6 29. Bb2 g4 { With his Ps rilling black now has a decisive advantage for real. But, the blunders aren't over!} 30. Nc4 f3 31. Ne5+ {This only worsens white's position because it allows the removal of black's B which facilitates the advance of black's Ps/. More logical, but still insufficient, would have been b5 with a bit of counterplay.} Bxe5 32. dxe5 h4 {[%mdl 32]} 33. Rad1 f2+ 34. Kh1 h3 35. Rd3 Rg8 {This loses almost all of the advantage and puts the win in doubt.} ( 35... Rf4 {Potentially threatening the b-Pawn. White is completely ties up and black will slowly penetrate his defenses.} 36. Bc1 Rf7 37. Bb2 Rf5 38. a3 Ref8 {White has a bad B and he has no constructive moves.} 39. e6+ (39. Rdd1 Rf3 40. Rd4 (40. Rc1 Nd2) 40... g3 41. hxg3 Nxg3+ {wins}) 39... Kxe6 40. Re3 Kd5 41. Bg7 R8f7 42. Rd3+ Kc6 43. Bd4 Rd5 {Black is clearly winning.}) 36. b5 { Obviously McDonnell is hoping to use his Ps to create some play, in doing so he missed a chance to nearly equalize.} (36. Re3 g3 (36... Ng5 37. Re2 Rgf8 38. Rexf2 Rxf2 39. Rxf2 Nf3 {Black has his work cut out in order to score the point.}) 37. hxg3 Nxg3+ {The reason for jis 36th move.} 38. Rxg3 Rxg3 39. Rxf2 Reg8 40. Rf7+ Kc6 41. Rf1 {and white has a fighting chance.}) 36... g3 37. hxg3 {Unlike the position after 36.Re3 in the previous note it makes a huge difference that the N is not attacked.} Rxg3 38. Rd4 (38. c6+ {falls short...} bxc6 39. bxc6+ Kxc6 40. d7 Rd8 41. Rc1+ Kb7 42. Rdd1 Rg2 43. Rd3 Ng3+ 44. Rxg3 Rxg3 45. Rf1 Rxd7 46. Bc1 Rg1+ 47. Rxg1 fxg1=Q+ 48. Kxg1 Rd1+) 38... Reg8 { This is a major blunder throwing away the game, or should have!} (38... h2 { wraps it up.} 39. e6+ {delays the inevitable.} (39. Rxe4 Rg1+ {mates in 2})) 39. e6+ {The winning move.} Kd8 {[%mdl 8192] Where the K retreats doesn't matter; black loses.} 40. Rdd1 {White has totally mis judged this position.} ( 40. Rxe4 {was the only winning move.} Rg1+ 41. Kh2 Rxf1 42. Bf6+ Kc8 43. d7+ Kc7 44. Rf4 Rd1 45. Rxf2 Re1 46. Rd2 Rxe6 47. d8=Q+ Rxd8 48. Bxd8+ {with a won ending.}) 40... h2 {To quate a famous Englishman, "The rest is silence."} 41. e7+ Kd7 42. c6+ bxc6 43. bxc6+ Kxc6 44. e8=Q+ Rxe8 {[%mdl 32]} 45. Kxh2 Re6 46. Rc1+ Kb5 47. a4+ Kb4 48. Bc3+ Rxc3 49. Rxc3 Kxc3 50. d7 Rd6 51. Kg2 Rxd7 52. Rc1+ Kd3 53. Kf1 Ke3 {White resigned. It's mate in 7. A far from perfent game, yet an exciting one.} (53... Ke3 54. Ra1 Nd2+ 55. Kg2 f1=Q+ 56. Rxf1 Nxf1 57. a5 Rg7+ 58. Kh3 Kf4 59. a6 Rg1 60. Kh4 Rh1#) 0-1

Browsing An Old Reinfeld Potboiler - Again

    A couple of years ago I did a post about browsing an old Reinfeld potboiler and today’s game is another one taken from the book that you will enjoy. The finish makes a good tactical puzzle; it features a Q sacrifice, an underpromotion and a back rank mate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Event "Unknown"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anonymous"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B85"] [Annotator "Fred Reinfeld,Stockfish"] [PlyCount "47"] {B85: Sicilian Scheveningen} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 {Reinfeld comments that white has a well-centralized N and black cannot imitate it. Note also that white controls the important center square d5.On these two grounds it seems likely that white will dominate the center and will therefore enjoy superior mobility, he says.} Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e6 {Black has set up the Scheveningen Variation in which he [laces his e-Pawn on e6 where it guards d5 rather than play the space-gaining ...e5. The e-Pawn also prepares ...Be7 followed by ...O-O. White can often launch an attack by advancing his K-side Ps.6.Rg1.} 7. Be3 Be7 8. O-O O-O {Reinfeld asks, "How has the situation developed as regards mobility?" He explains: both qhite Bs have free diagonals while both of black' are hemmed in. His claim that "The outlook for black's game is very unpromising." does not ring true. Statistically black wins his share of games. White's job is to figure out how utilize his mobility. Advancing his K-side Ps is the usual answer.} 9. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Qc7 {This move is frequently played, but it does not give good results. A-side counterplay beginning with 9...a5 produces better results. 9///Bd7 is also a possibility/} 10. g4 {[%mdl 32] This rare move is rather rash, but not at all bad.} (10. Kh1 a6 11. a4 Re8 12. Bf3 {is the Main Line which has been played countless times with about equal chances.}) 10... a6 {After white's last move this is a bit too slow...more aggressive play is called for.} (10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 { This is also playable if white takes with the Q,} 12. Be3 exf4 13. Bxf4 Qc5+ { with equal chances.}) 11. g5 {It's pretty clear that black i going to be on the defensive and that he is going to have to be careful.} Ne8 {Much too passive! In Castrillon Gomez,M (2169)-Culma,R (2036) Ortega COL, 2014, black tried 11...Nxd4 but both players misplayed the subsequent moves. A better idea is 11...Nd7 and ...e5} 12. f5 Qd8 {Black has played 12...Bd7 and 12...Ne5 here. The idea of the text is to put pressure on white's advancing Ps. Whatever he does he is facing a strong attack.} 13. h4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 {Black's passive opening play has resulted in white getting a very promising position.} e5 { A very poor move. True, it drives away the Q, but at the cost of permanently losing d5. As Reinfeld observes, this vital center square now becomes a hole completely in white's control and black weak on the light squares.} (14... Rb8 {striving for play on the Q-side is the best chance.} 15. Rf2 b5 16. Rd1 Rb7 17. Bd3 Rc7 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Rdf1 Rxf2 20. Rxf2 Bb7 {White is better, but black is far from lost.}) 15. Qd2 Nc7 16. Bb6 {Nd5 would now be deadly.} Qd7 17. Rf2 Bd8 18. Raf1 {White menaces a decisive breakthrough with 19..f6 g6 20. h5} f6 {Black stops the threatened advance of white's f-Pawn, but his just further weakens his K-side and white breaks through in a different way. Unfortunately for black there wasn't anything that was really better because at this point white is winning.} 19. Bc4+ Kh8 20. g6 h6 21. Bf7 Qc6 22. Bxc7 { White could also win with 22.Be3, but it's a bit more complicated and the text is good enough.} Bxc7 23. Rg2 {White threatens Qxh6+! and mate.} d5 {After this it's white to nate in 4} (23... Rxf7 24. gxf7 Bd7 25. Rg6 Bb6+ 26. Kh1 { it's a mate in 6.} Bxf5 27. Rxf5 Kh7 28. Qg2 Qc7 29. Rxg7+ Kh8 30. Rg8+ Rxg8 31. fxg8=Q#) 24. Qxh6+ {[%mdl 576] Black resigned. A puzzle-like finish! Here's Fritz 19s breakdown: Mistakes: White=0 Black=7 Inaccurate: White=3 Black=0 OK moves: White=4 Black=3 Best moves: White=0 Black=1 Brilliant: White=1 Black=0} (24. Qxh6+ gxh6 25. g7+ Kh7 26. gxf8=N+ Kh8 27. Rg8#) 1-0

Bert Brice-Nash, Early Kansas Champion

    Bertram Brice-Nash, Sr. was born on January 15,1893, in New Braunfels, a small city near San Antonio, Texas. He got married around 1919. He moved around, living in various cities in Kansas. He died at the age of 68 on March 19, 1961, in Joplin, Missouri and was buried in Hutchinson, Kansas. 

    In 1945 he was living in Medora, Kansas, a very small town just north of Topeka and he had an unbroken string of victories in Chess Review’s postal tournaments, including their Golden Knight event. 

    Back in the 1960s and 1970s I played in many of those great Golden Knight tournaments. It was billed as the U.S. Postal Championship. I qualified for the third and final round several times and completes my schedule which earned me the emblem of the Golden Knight, a sterling silver, gold-plated and enameled lapel button. More importantly, I got to play a number of well-known players including one (over the board) US Championship competitor. 

    Brice-Nash learned to play chess when he was still a small boy, from his father. He turned to it seriously later, in the 1930s, played in several Kansas tournaments. He was the Kansas State Champion in 1949, 1953, 1955 and 1958. He was a businessman engaged in the grocery and oil business. 

    The following game by Brice-Nash was selected as Chess Review’s Game of the Month in the September, 1945, issue and features the plucky Budapest Gambit. It requires imaginative and aggressive play and Brice-Nash demonstrated both. What made this game interesting to analyze was the problem addressed in the previous post, Engine Evaluations. Using several different engines resulted different results. So...what’s the real verdict? The answer is beyond this old Duffer's skill level.

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "?"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "G.L. Morrison"] [Black "Bert Brice-Nash"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A52"] [Annotator "Various engines"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "1945.??.??"] {A52: Budapest Gambit} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 {The Budapest Gambit made its debut in 1896, but it received little attention until 1918 when Milan Vidmar used it to defeat Akiba Rubinstein. In the 1920s the gambit was popular, but today it's rarely played and with good reason. Statistically white scores more than twice as many wins as black. I once gave it a try and my results confirmed those stats! French IM Nicolas Giffard is of the opinion that black gets a good P-structure and possibilities of attack on the K-side. His problems generally come from white's pressure on the d-file and black's lack of space. Israeli GM oris Avrukh called it almost respectable and doubts there is a refutation.} 3. dxe5 {There is no good reason not to accept the P.} Ng4 { The Fajarowicz Variation (3...Ne5) is rightfully considered dubious. It's best met by 4.a3! which avoids the annoying ...Bb4+ and prepares Qc2 to undermine black's N.} 4. e4 {White can also defend the P with 4.Nf3 or 4.Bf4. The text is the Alekhine Variation which gives white a spatial advantage and a strong P-center.} Nxe5 5. f4 Nec6 6. Nf3 Bc5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. a3 (8. f5 d6 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bf4 Re8 11. Qd5+ Kh8 12. O-O-O {Bacrot,E (2594)-Shirov,A (2751) Sarajevo 2000. White has a space advantage and black is somewhat cramped. In the game white was unable to overcome the rating difference and eventuallu lost.}) 8... a5 { Guards against b4} 9. Bd3 {White has also tried 9.Be3, 9.h3 and 9.Qd3 here.} d6 {The position is about equal according to the engines, but is it? Komodo 10 Human, Stockfish 17, lc0 v0.220, Fritz 19 and Fritz 14 evaluate this position as about equal. Komodo Dragon gives white a slight advantage while Deep Fritz 14 prefer black by half a P!! I would give white the edge because he has 1) a lead in development, 2) more space and 3) black has no pieces defending his K.} 10. Qe2 Bg4 {An interesting position! The tactical analysis with Fritz using Stockfish 17 says this threatens ...Nd4.} 11. Be3 {The same analysis makes the comment that this prevents ,,,Nd4.} Nd4 {But this is the engine recommended move. So much for Fritz' comments! In any case, Spielmann played this move against Yates at Carlsbad in 1923 which was the game the players were following.} 12. Qf2 (12. Bxd4 {is not quite satisfactory. After} Bxd4 13. Nb5 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bf6 {White does not have enough for the P. His best move is} 16. c5 d5 (16... dxc5 {is not a good idea because after} 17. e5 Be7 18. Rd1 Qc8 19. O-O c6 20. Nc3 Qe6 21. Qe2 {Preparing a R-lift R-f3 and white has reached an excellent position.}) 17. e5 Be7 {Black is slightly better.}) 12... Nb3 {Brice-Nash thought he had found an improvement over what Spielmann played. This move gains time by the attack on the R. Which move is better? Mostly it depends on the engine you are using and how long you allow it to give it to analyze.} (12... Bxf3 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Qxd4 Nc6 15. Qf2 Bh5 {White has a solid position and eventually scored the point. Yates-Spielmann Carlsbad 1923}) 13. Rd1 Nc6 14. Bc2 {White would have dome better by playing 14.O-O first because he is going to get into trouble as a result of leaving his K in the center.} Bxf3 15. gxf3 (15. Qxf3 Ncd4 16. Bxd4 Nxd4 17. Qd3 c6 {Black is slightly better. Note that} 18. e5 {is not a threat at all because after} Qh4+ 19. g3 Qh5 {White is in serious trouble.} 20. Kd2 ( 20. exd6 Nf3+ 21. Ke2 Ne5+) 20... dxe5 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 15... Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Qh4+ $1 17. Ke2 Nc5 18. Rdg1 {White's plan is directed at the K-side. After 18.Nd5 what should black play? 18...Rac8 (Stockfish) or 18... Rab8 (Komodo Dragon)?} (18. Nd5 Rab8 {An interesting idea.} 19. Nxc7 Ne6 20. Nd5 (20. Nxe6 fxe6 {attacking the f-Pawn with equal chances.}) 20... b5 21. f5 bxc4 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. Nc3 Rxb2 24. Rd2 Ne5 {Attacking f3} 25. Rf1 Qxh2+ 26. Kd1 Qh3 27. Rdf2 {An interesting position with unbalances material. White has a B vs. 3 Ps, but black's position is preferable. Shootouts were not really conclusive. White scored +0 -1 =4}) 18... Ne6 19. f5 Ned4+ (19... Nf4+ { leads to some iteresting complications.} 20. Kd1 Ne5 21. Nd5 Nh3 22. Rg3 c6 23. f4 Ng4 24. Nf6+ gxf6 25. Ke2 (25. Rxh3 Nxe3+) 25... Kh8 26. Rxh3 Nxe3 27. Rxh4 Nxc4 {with equal chances.}) 20. Kd1 Nxc2 21. Kxc2 Ne5 {So far white's play has been commendable, but his next move defending the c-Pawn is too passive.} 22. b3 (22. f4 {What a really swell move!} Ng4 (22... Nxc4 {is met by} 23. Qd4 { and the N is lost.}) 23. Qe2 Nf6 24. Qf3 {followed by Rf3 and white has a clear advantage because black's K is in danger on the g- and h-files/}) 22... c6 {This keeps the N out of d5, but he has missed a good counterattacking move. At the moment there is nothing to ve don on the K-side so he can look for opportunities elsewhere.} (22... a4 {Taking advantage of white's last move and undermining the c-Pawn.} 23. b4 Nxc4 24. Qd4 Ne5 {and black retains a slight advantage.}) 23. Rg3 (23. f4 {is stronger.} Ng4 24. Qg3 (24. Qd4 Qf2+ 25. Kd3 Qxd4+ 26. Kxd4 Nf2) 24... Qxg3 25. Rxg3 Nf6 26. e5 {White is slightly better.}) 23... a4 {[%mdl 32] Back on track. White is seeking his fortune on the K-side, black on the Q-side.} 24. Rhg1 {This looks quite reasonable, but it's the losing move. Black now breaks through on the Q-side.} (24. Nxa4 Nxc4 25. Qd4 g6 26. Qxc4 b5 27. Qd4 bxa4 28. b4 c5 29. Qd5 {jeeos things equal.} (29. Qxd6 { is a bad mistake.} Rfd8 30. Qc7 Qf6 {Switching the Q to the other side is decisive.} 31. b5 Qd4 {White cannot save the game.})) 24... axb3+ (24... Qxh2+ {might be tempting, but it throws away the advantage.} 25. R3g2 axb3+ 26. Kxb3 {White gas a simultaneous attack on the Q abd g7, but there is a way out for black!} Rxa3+ 27. Kc2 (27. Kxa3 Qxg2 28. Rxg2 Nxc4+ {would be winning for black.}) 27... Qh5 28. Rxg7+ Kh8 {and neither side has a way of gaining any advantage.}) 25. Kb1 {He cannot take the P} (25. Kxb3 Rxa3+ 26. Kb2 b5 27. Rxg7+ Kh8 {White's best shot is} 28. Rg8+ Rxg8 29. Rxg8+ Kxg8 30. Qg1+ Kf8 31. Kxa3 Nxc4+ {but the ending is lost.}) 25... g6 26. Qd4 Rxa3 27. Qxd6 Nxc4 28. Qd4 Qxh2 29. R3g2 Rfa8 {[%mdl 512]} 30. Qxc4 (30. Rxh2 Ra1#) 30... Ra1+ { [%mdl 128]} 31. Kb2 R8a2+ (31... R1a2+ {[%mdl 512]} 32. Nxa2 Rxa2+ 33. Kxb3 { also wins.} Rxg2) 32. Nxa2 Rxa2+ 33. Kxb3 Rxg2 {[%mdl 4096] The ending is a routine win for black.} 34. Rd1 Qe5 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Rd4 (36. Rd7 {attacking f7 loses quickly.} Qb2+ 37. Ka4 b5+) 36... c5 37. Rd7 Qb2+ 38. Ka4 b5+ 39. Qxb5 Qa2# {A fascinating game.} 0-1

Engine Evaluations

    When analyzing games for this Blog it is not uncommon to run into engine evaluations that I simply do not understand. In many cases running a Shootout (the engine plays blitz games against itself) will help confirm the evaluation. However, and this is an important however, some of those games can last 80, 90 or 100 or more moves! For a game between humans this is meaningless. Stockfih, and a lot of other engines for that matter, are so good that most humans do not know why their evaluations are what they are. But, are they always correct? 

    One comment I read seems about right: “...stop worrying whether (an engine) likes a position or not (because) it is far more important to have a position you are comfortable with rather than one where you have no clue how (to play).” 

    This problem is addressed by Kostya Kavutskiy, an IM from the United States with a 2300+ rating, in the following informative video. Just for fun you might like to set up the position he shows at 4:20 in the video just to see how you equipment performs. On my laptop after 20 minutes Stockfish 17 running on three cores gives the best move as 1.Bxb5 with a 5.49 score. When I played 1.Bxh7+ (which was not in its top 3 choices) it evaluated the move at 5.33 almost immediately. 

Chess in 1865

    The year was 1865,a pivotal year in American history. With the end of the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination and the beginning of Reconstruction, politics were forever changed. 

    Chess was a fairly popular pastime in the 1860s. In April the Richmond (Virginia) chess club, which was once visited by Paul Morphy as well as several confederate Generals, burned down. 

    Speaking of Morphy, the Richmond Dispatch reported that he was living in Illinois and was busying himself collecting claims in the Federal and State courts.

    An article in the February 9, 1865, Brooklyn Eagle reported that. “Paul Morphu, when the rebellion broke out, joined the Confederate army at New Orleans, but subsequently retired and went to Paris, has lately changed his mind m and having taken the oath of allegiance, has commenced business in a town in Southern Illinois as Government Claim Agent. He has almost given up chess.” 

    Judge Alexander B. Meek (1814-1866, 51 years old), a noted plater and president of the1st American Chess Congress that was held in 1857, died on October 30th in Columbus, Mississippi. 

    Abraham Lincoln was a chess enthusiast who had a reputation as a defensive player unless aggressive play seemed justified. One of his chess sets is on display in the Smithsonian. 

    In spite of the tumult of the year people were still playing chess. The predominant playing style from the late 18th century to the 1880s was Romantic chess that emphasized quick, tactical maneuvers over long-term strategic planning. 

    One of the most interesting players in 1865 had to be Captain George Mackenzie (187-1891), a 1992 inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.

    Mackenzie was born in North Kessock, Scotland. In 1861, he resigned his army commission in the British King's Royal Rifle Corps to become a professional chessplayer. 

    In 1863, he emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the Union Army. After 15 weeks as a Private, he earned the rank of Captain and was placed in charge of a Black regiment. During the Civil War the Union Army had many regiments made up of Black soldiers known as the United States Colored Troops. Many of these soldiers served in the infantry and artillery, but racial practices often resulted in their being assigned to non-combat roles such cooking, laborers and teamsters. 

    Mackenzie later deserted and was separates from the Union Army. However, in 1864, he rejoined the Army and fought with distinction in three battles. Nevertheless, he was arrested on the previous desertion charges and imprisoned. He was released in May, 1865 and moved to New York where he resumed chess competition. 

    In 1865, a leading player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named Gustave Reichhelm (1839-1905) defeated Mackenzie, who at the time was the strongest player in the country by a score of +4 -1 =1 in informal games. In years to come though Reichhelm was decisively beaten by Mackenzie in two formal matches.

    Reichhelm, who in his early years was a piano tuner, was a chess editor, analyst, problem composer and player. He was chess editor of three Philadelphia newdpapers and was the Games Editor of Brentano's Chess Monthly (1881-1882). From 1895 to 1905, he was Secretary of the Franklin Chess Club in Philadelphia.

    For many years, he was chess champion of Philadelphia. In 1886, he took 2nd place in the world championship problem solving tournament.

 

[Event "Philadelphia Chess Club, Casual game"] [Site "Philadelphia,PA USA"] [Date "1864.09.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Gustave Reichhelm"] [Black "George H. Mackenzie"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C51"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1864.??.??"] {[%evp 16,59,30,-9,-4,-57,-51,-87,14,-13,-13,-28,114,116,143,140,134,101,247, 260,250,269,490,338,320,329,320,287,273,264,291,123,132,116,100,112,485,492, 492,479,712,714,800,781,895,877] C51: Evans Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 {By playing the Evans Gambit is white offers a Pawn to divert the B on c5. At the time it was fairly new having first been played om the game Evans–McDonnell, London 1827 and analysis piblished in 1832.} Bxb4 { Accepting the gambit allows white to play c3 and d4 gaoining space in the center and, at the same tine, it opens the diagonals to play Ba3 or Qb3 putting pressure on f7 as wells as hoping to prevent black from castling. Statistically black gets slightly better results by decling the gambit with 4.. .Bb6} 5. c3 Bc5 {Nowadays 5...Na5 is much more common, byt there is little difference in the results.} 6. O-O d6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Bb2 (9. Qb3 { is met by} Na5 {when} 10. Bxf7+ Kf8 {forces white to play} 11. Bxg8 Nxb3 12. Bxb3 {and the two Ns are not enough compensation for the Q.}) 9... Nf6 { Reichhelm believed that 9...Nge7 was better, but the text is actually preferable.} 10. Qc2 {According to Reichhelm this move is, “One of the best forms of attack in the Evans Gambit, bit the move has long disappeared in favor of 10.d5, 10.Nbd2 and some have tried the questionable 10.e5. As for the text, it appears to be satisfactory, but offers white no particular advantage.} O-O 11. e5 {The othe roption was 11.d5. In either case black has at least equality.} (11. d5 Na5 12. Bd3 Bg4 13. Nbd2) 11... Ne8 {Instead of this timid retreat black would have done better with 10...Nh5} (11... Nh5 12. exd6 cxd6 13. d5 Na5 14. Bd3 {Black's two Ns on the edge of the board look suspect, but white is unable to take advantage of it. After} Bg4 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Qg5+ 18. Kh1 Nc4 19. Qxc4 Qxf5 {it's black who has the advantage.}) 12. Nbd2 {[%mdl 1056]} d5 13. Bd3 h6 {13...g6 was safer.} 14. Ba3 {[%mdl 2048] Threatens to win with Bh7+.} Ne7 (14... a6 {A pass to demonstrate white's threat.} 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bxf8 g6 17. Bxg6 fxg6 18. Qxg6 {White is winning.}) 15. Nb3 {An important move to keep up the pressure.} c6 16. Nh4 Nc7 (16... g5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Ng7 (19... Nxf5 20. Qxf5 Rg8 21. Qxf7) 20. Bd3 {White stands well.}) 17. f4 {[%mdl 32] The start of a winning attack.} Ne6 18. Qf2 Qc7 {After this black is left with a lost position. His best chance was 18...f6 although white still has a dangerous attack.} 19. f5 {This is not as dangerous as it looks and it actually gives black good chances of defnding himself.} (19. Bd6 {Plying this first makles a huge difference!} Qd8 20. f5 { The difference between this position and the game continuation is that black cannot capture ...Qxe5} Ng5 21. f6 {and white is winning.}) 19... Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Qxe5 21. Nhf3 Qf6 22. Rae1 Re8 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 $16 24. Rxe7 Qxe7 25. Re1 { All of white's pieces are in play and actively placed, but even so, black can probably survive with careful defense.} Qf6 {[%mdl 8192] ,,,but not after this blunder! Defending the back rank with 25...Qd8 was a must.} 26. Re8+ {White is clearly winning after this.} Kh7 27. Bc2 Bd8 {Played to drive the R away by ... Bd7} 28. Ne5 {[%mdl 32] Closing in on the K.} Bc7 29. Ng6 {[%mdl 512]} Bxf5 30. Nf8+ {Black resigned. the R on a8 is lost.} 1-0

Alexei, the Other Alekhine

    Alexei Alexandrovich Alekhine (1888-1939) was Alexander’s older brother and a strong amateur player. He served as the Secretary of the Ukrainian Chess Federation and the editor of the first Soviet chess annual, published in 1927. 

    His father was a wealthy landowner, a Marshal of the Nobility and a member of the State Duma and his mother was an heiress to an industrial fortune. Both he brothers were taught chess by their mother. According to Alexander (the World Champion) for a long time the three played a lot of chess together on a regular basis. 

    Alexei was good enough that he was able to draw with Harry Nelson Pillsbury when the American gave a simultaneous blindfold display in Moscow in 1902.

    After the October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, took place in Russia on October 24–25 in 1917, he had a number of successes in local tournaments. He was considered a First Category player which, I believe, is in the 2000-2199 Elo range. 

    In an article written by Hans Kmoch entitled “Alexander Alekhine” he stated that Alexei, whom he had met in Moscow during the 1925 tournament, was murdered shortly afterwards in connection with a love affair, according to newspaper reports outside Russia. That was wrong. He died in Kharkov in August of 1939. 

    In the following game he defeats Andreas Duhm (1883-1975, 92 yers old). He was born in Gottingen, Germany. He was Swiss champion in 1900, 1901 (jointly with his brother Hans Duhm) and 1913. He passed away in Heidelberg in 1975.

 

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "Correspondence"] [Date "1909.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexei Alekhine"] [Black "Andreas Duhm"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1909.??.??"] {D00: Stonewall} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. Nd2 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 { The Stonewall Attack was briefly popular. Between the 1880s and the 1920s it was used by players with an attacking style, but wjen black discovered equalizing lines the opening fell into disuse. At least it’s flexible and can be reached by several different move orders.} cxd4 7. exd4 {Capturing with the c-Pawn is equal while with his next move white is forced to defend the f-Pawn with either 8.g3 or 8.Nh3, beither of which offer gim a very promising game.} Bd6 8. Nh3 (8. g3 Bd7 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. Ngf3 {with equal chances. Aleksandrova,A (1687)-Volodarsky,M (1400) Ashdod ISR 2022}) 8... O-O (8... g6 9. O-O Bd7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Nf3 {The chances are about equal. Zilahi,G (2059) -Ferenczi,J (2015) Budapest 2006}) (8... Ne7 {rather passive, but not really bad.} 9. Qe2 O-O 10. O-O Ng6 11. Nf3 h6 12. Ne5 {Black doesn't want to allow Nxg6 so he should retreat 13...Ne7} Bxe5 13. fxe5 Nh7 {Better was 13...Ne4. After the text black loses quickly.} 14. Qh5 Qe8 15. Bxh6 f5 16. exf6 Rxf6 17. Nf4 Nhf8 18. Nxg6 {1-0 Tasic,Z (2236)-Radovanovic,Z (2074) Belgrade 2005}) ( 8... Qc7 {This is OK.} 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 Ne8 11. Nf3 Be7 12. Bd2 Nd6 13. Rae1 a5 14. a4 b6 15. Ne5 Nb8 {This loses. 15...f5 keeps the chances about evem.} 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. fxg5 g6 18. Ng4 Nd7 19. Bf4 Qc6 20. Be5 Nc4 21. Nh6# {1-0 Appel,H-Schmithuesen,B Bern 1991}) 9. O-O {[%mdl 32]} Bd7 10. Qe2 a6 11. Nf3 b5 12. Ne5 g6 {This vreatres a weakness on the dark squares arounf his K. 12... Ne7 was better.} 13. Ng5 Qe7 14. Rf3 Be8 15. Rh3 {This R-lift is a common tactic in these types of positions. White gradually builds up his attack and black's defensive task becomes more difficult with each move.} Kg7 16. Bd2 Nd8 17. Rf1 {[%mdl 32]} Rh8 18. f5 exf5 {Black's position looks solid enough, but.. .} 19. Bxf5 gxf5 {[%mdl 8192] Black is much too obliging, but other moves would (theoretically) not really have helped.} (19... h6 20. Qf2 Ra7 (20... gxf5 21. Qxf5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Ng8 23. Rg3 {ends ir...} hxg5 24. Bxg5 Qe6 25. Bh6+ Kxh6 26. Qg5+ Kh7 27. Qg7#) 21. Re1 {even with two pieces under attack white has a decisive advantage. Neither piece can be taken.} Qf8 (21... hxg5 22. Rxh8 Kxh8 23. Bxg5 gxf5 24. Qh4+ Kg8 25. Bxf6 {wins}) (21... gxf5 22. Rg3 Ng4 23. Qxf5 Bd7 24. Ne6+ Bxe6 25. Rxg4+ Kf8 26. Ng6+ Ke8 27. Nxe7 Bxf5 28. Nxf5+ Kd7 29. Rh4 h5 30. Bf4 Bf8 (30... Bxf4 31. Re7+) 31. Be5 Rh7 32. g4 {White will win the ending wothout much trouble.}) 22. Ngf3 Nc6 23. Qh4 Ng8 24. Rf1 Qe7 25. Qg3 {Black's position lools solid, but Stockfish give white a decisive advantage. That's the theoretical evaluation and after giving Stockfish a long look reaching to move 48 it still dud not reach a position that was obviously decisive. So, from the human perspective things are not at all that clear.}) 20. Rg3 Kf8 21. Rxf5 h6 22. Qe3 {A nifty finish! White threatens Nh7+ and mate. } Qc7 23. Rxf6 (23. Nh7+ {and black likely survives.} Rxh7 24. Rxf6 Bxe5 25. dxe5 {and while white is better, there is no clear win in sight.}) 23... Ke7 { There is nowhere to run.} 24. Rf5 f6 25. Ng4+ {Black resigned. A very well played game by Alekhine.} (25. Ng4+ Kd7 26. Nxf6+ Kc8 27. Nxd5 Qc6 28. Ne4 Bd7 29. Nxd6+ Qxd6 30. Rg6 Be6 (30... Qxg6 31. Ne7+) 31. Qe4 Bxf5 32. Qxf5+ Ne6 33. Rxe6 Rf8 34. Rf6+ Kb8 35. Bf4 Kb7 36. Qh7+ Rf7 37. Qxf7+ Kc8 38. Qe8+ Kb7 39. Rf7+ Qc7 40. Rxc7#) 1-0