The Amazing Donald MacMurray

    Donald MacMurray was born on November 14, 1914. His father was an alcoholic who drowned after falling off a pier. His mother was a cleaning lady who lived in the slums of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. Despite the odds of such a background MacMurray possessed the highest IQ ever recorded up to the early 1930s, earned a BA degree from the University of Chicago in eight and a half months, and a law degree from Columbia University in one year. He was also a strong chess master.

    “Meckele” as he was generally known in New York chess circles was also an expert in languages and learned to speak Yiddish so he could frequent the Yiddish Theater. In 1935 to 1936 MacMurray completed his degrees and returned to New York and was married to his childhood girlfriend. 

    During the mid-1930s he played in several Manhattan chess club championships, always scoring well. Among his victims were Isaac Kashdan and Arnold Denker. Before leaving for Chicago to participate in the 1932 Western Chess Association tournament Denker and MacMurray played a short warm-up match that was drawn. Other well-known master who went down in defeat against MacMurray were Weaver Adams and I.A. Horowitz. 

    In the US Open Championship of 1937 he shared third place with George Treysman and then in 1938 he scored a remarkable 10.5 out of 11 in the Consolation Master’s section of the US Open after having narrowly missed qualifying for the finals. 

    In late summer in 1938, MacMurray was playing in the New York State Championship in Cazenovia when he began experiencing a worsening of nausea and stomach pains that were especially noticeable when he was laughing. At one point MacMurray was having dinner with Arnold Denker and the pain was so bad he had to leave the table and at Denker’s request. Another tournament participant, long time master Dr. Joseph Platz, examined MacMurray and discovered a cancer in his stomach that was the size of q grapefruit. Just three months later on December 2, 1938, MacMurray died at age 24. 

    In this game MacMurray easily defeats veteran master Harold Morton of Providence, Rhode Island. Morton was born on January 19, 1906 and won the championship of New England many times. He won the Massachusetts Championship in 1933, 1934, and 1935 and played in the 1936 US Championship. On February 17, 1940, he was killed in a car accident in Iowa when he hit a truck. His passenger, I.A. Horowitz, survived. The two were giving simultaneous exhibitions throughout the country. 

 

[Event "Chicago"] [Site ""] [Date "1937.09.04"] [Round ""] [White "Donald MacMurray"] [Black "Harold Morton"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C49"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "35"] [EventDate "1937.??.??"] {C49: Four Knights Game} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 {The Rubinstein Variation 4...Nd4 is an attempt to unbalance the position, but it also fizzles out to boring equality.} 5. O-O O-O 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 Re8 8. d4 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Nxe4 10. Re1 Nd6 {This looks rather awkward, but it is best and there is no way for whi.e to take advantage of it} (10... d5 {is more common.} 11. f3 Nxc3 12. Qd2 Nb5 13. Nxc6 Rxe1+ 14. Qxe1 Qd7 {looks drawish.}) 11. Qg4 Qf6 12. Ba3 {[%mdl 2048]} Rd8 {The idea is apparently to guard the d-Pawn so the B can be developed. It does not speak well for black’s position to have to waste time using his R to guard the P.} (12... Re6 13. c4 Ba6 {and black has full equality.}) 13. Re3 {This R-lift is a handy idea worth remembering.} Nf5 {Walking into a pin can’t be good, but black wants to free his game with ...d5.} 14. Rf3 d5 {This defends the c-Pawn and exposes white's Q to a discovered attack, but now white gets a strong attack Black's best chance was to sactifice a P in order to dislodge white's N.} (14... d6 15. Nxc6 Re8 16. d5 Bd7 {and black has finally gotten developed and his position is organically sound/}) 15. Qh5 {Excellent, Black is threatened with 16.g4 and is at a loss for a decent move.} g6 {This results in a fatal weakening of the K's position ans MacMurry forcfully demonstrates.} (15... Qe6 {removes the Q fron danger and after} 16. g4 Nd6 17. Re3 Re8 18. Rae1 Qf6 19. Nxc6 Rxe3 20. Rxe3 Be6 { White is clearly better, but black ha avoided immediate disaster.}) 16. Ng4 Qh8 {It’s hard to believe this loses immediately! Other moves would not have saved the game though.} (16... Qe6 17. Qg5 Re8 18. Nf6+ {wins}) (16... gxh5 17. Nxf6+ Kg7 18. Nxh5+ Kh8 19. Re1 {White is winning.}) ({This is black's best try.} 16... Kh8 17. Nxf6 gxh5 18. Re1 h4 19. Re5 {Material is equal, but black's position is lost. He will sacrifice a R for two pieces leaving him with great piece activity while black's position remains very passive.}) 17. Qg5 Be6 18. Rxf5 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned. Why?!} (18. Rxf5 Bxf5 19. Nh6+ Kg7 20. Be7 {Technically this is not as strong as the immediate 20.Nf5+, but it is the most practical. The threat is Bf6+} (20. Nxf5+ Kg8 21. Ne7+ Kg7 22. Qe5+ f6 (22... Kh6 23. Bc1+ g5 24. Qxg5#) 23. Qxc7 {and all that remains is for white to bring his R into play with Re12 and black is helpless.}) 20... Rd6 21. Nxf5+ Kg8 22. Bxd6 cxd6 23. Re1 {White is a piece up.}) 1-0

A Trap That Backfired

    Games that are filled with traps, ambushes and swindles seem to be rare in these days of sophisticated chess, but while they may not always be correct games containing traps, ambushes and swindles are always fun to play over. 

    In the following game played in the 1920 championship of Scotland, black succeeds in trapping and winning his opponent's Queen, but the price was too high. The winner was William Gibson (1873-1932, 58 years old). Gibson won the Scottish Champion nine times between 1907 and 1931. He was a solicitor in Glasgow and joined the Glasgow CC in 1901. 

    Apart from his successes in Scottish chess, Gibson also played in several other tournaments and British Championships and was always a dangerous opponent. He was also an organizer and administrator, having held at one time or another almost every position in the Glasgow CC and the Scottish Chess Association, as well as being a member of the Council of the British Chess Federation. 

    His wife Margaret was the successful owner of Miss Buick's Tea Room in Glasgow. She would later open a second tea room and they were used by Glasgow chessplayers and clubs over the years. 

    Francis P. Wenman (1891-1972, 80 years old) was born in Croydon, England and was Scottish Champion in 1920 and passed away in Cardiff, Wales. He was associated with chess in Scotland after arriving from London in 1911 and joining the Glasgow Chess Club. 

    During his time there he played several matches against leading club players, including his opponent in this game whom hr defeated by a score of +7 -5 =5. Later, he would also be associated with the Edinburgh and Dundee Clubs, winning the championship of the latter in 1916. 

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

    I have one of his books, 175 Chess Brilliancies, which was published in 1947. In the introduction he wrote that the book had examples of most of the leading players of the world, but it was unlikely that the average player would have seen most of them. 

     Wenman wrote, “Many very brilliant games and endings from both ancient and modern records are presented to the reader, and it is hoped they will satisfy the desire of even the most ardent admirer of gambits and enterprising play.” One such game was his loss to Gibson; he won Gibson's Queen, but lost the game. 

 

Tolush and Konstantinopolsky Slug It Out

    Alexander Konstantinopolsky (1910-1990) was a Soviet player and David Bronstein’s traimer from a young age. He was awarded the IM title in 1950. He won the first Soviet Correspondence Championship in 1951, earned the Correspondence IM title in 1966, and was awarded the Russian title ofHonorary Grandmaster in 1983. 

    Konstantinopolsky was nearly 20 when he learned chess and at the beginning of his career hewon the Kiev championships five consecutive times from 1932 to 1936. 

    During the late 1930s, Konstantinopolsky trained young players and amateurs in Kiev, at the Palace of Young Pioneers. He was widely regarded as a friendly and kindly man. During the 1930s he, along with Bronstein and Isaac Boleslavsky, were the Ukrainian pioneers who developed the King's Indian Defense. He was also an early advocate of the Yugoslav Attack against the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense, a line which would become very popular about 20 years.

    His opponent in this wild tactical game was the attacking genius Alexander Tolush (1910-1969) who was born in St. Petersburg. He was warded the IM title at its inception in 1950, the GM title in 1953 and the Correspondence IM title in 1965.

 

 

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"] [Site ""] [Date "1950.11.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander Konstantinopolsky"] [Black "Alexander Tolush"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A15"] [Annotator "Swordfish"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {A13: English Opening} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. b3 {A slow start, but the fireworks come later.} Be7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. e3 c5 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O d5 8. d4 cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Nbd2 Ba6 {A novel idea apparently to put pressure on c4. To be expected was 10...Bb7} (10... Bb7 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. Bd3 Re8 {with equal chances. Grigoryan,K (2617)-Sarana,A (2662) Santiago de Compostela 2022}) 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. Re1 Na5 {Pressuring c4,} 13. Bd3 Bb4 (13... dxc4 14. bxc4 {White has Hanging Pawns which requires a strategy unto itself.} Nxc4) 14. Re3 {Evidently the plan is to play Ne5 and shift the R into position on the 3rd rank to attack black's K.} Qe7 {He could drive the R back with 14...Ng4, but then his N would have to retreat, so there was nothing to be gained. Still, that was probably the safest course.} 15. Ne5 Ba3 {Eliminating the dark squared B is a far reaching strategy because it's hard to see the long diagonal being opened, but it will be.} 16. Bxa3 Qxa3 17. Rh3 {White's attack is looking dangerous.} h6 18. g4 Rfd8 {Tolush has underestimated the force of white's attack. He should have played 18...Nc6 to eliminate the N on e5.} 19. Rc2 {White does not have time for this rather pointless move, Pressing on with the attack with 19. g5 was much better. Now the advantage shifts to black.} Nc6 {[%mdl 2080] Watch this N. White should eliminate it with 20.Nxc6 and then play 21.Rg3 when he can hope to get some counterplay.} 20. f4 {White has overestimated the force of his attack!} Nxd4 21. g5 {White offers the exchange, but Tolush isn't going to take ther bait. Instead, he opens up the position.} dxc4 {White has no good move!} (21... Nxc2 22. gxf6 Qc5+ 23. Kh1 {and black is at a loss for a game saving move. The best line is} Bb7 24. Qh5 dxc4+ 25. Be4 g6 26. Rg3 Rc7 27. Bxb7 Rxb7 28. Qxh6 {and white has a winning attack.}) 22. Rxc4 (22. gxf6 cxd3 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Qh5 Qc1+ 25. Nf1 Rc7 26. fxg7 d2 27. Qxh6 Qxf1#) (22. gxh6 Qc5 23. Kg2 g6 24. Bxc4 Bb7+ 25. Kf1 Nxc2 26. Qxc2 Qd4 27. Ndf3 Bxf3 28. Rxf3 b5 {Black is winning.}) 22... Bxc4 23. bxc4 {Black still can't afford to get careless!} Qc5 (23... Qxa2 24. gxf6 Nf5 (24... gxf6 25. Qh5 {and white wins.}) 25. fxg7 {and it's now white who has a significant advantage.}) 24. gxf6 { Black now delivers the finishing blow.} Ne2+ 25. Kh1 Nxf4 26. Qg4 g5 27. Ndf3 { Black has an array of plausible captures but chooses the right one.} Rxd3 28. Nxd3 Nxd3 29. Qh5 {White has a mate, but there is no time to execute it.} Qf2 { White resigned} (29... Qf2 30. Ng1 (30. Qxh6 Qf1+ 31. Ng1 Nf2#) 30... Nf4 { Threatening mate on g2, so} 31. Qg4 Nxh3 32. Nxh3 Qf1+ 33. Ng1 Qxf6 {with an easy win.}) 0-1

Max Ujtelky

    Maximilian Samuel Rudolf Ujtelky (1915-1979), aka Max Ujtelky, was a Czech IM (awarded in 1961) and theoretician of Hungarian origin. Ujtelky is pronounced OO-tell-key. He was a direct descendant of famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. 

    He shared 1st with Fichtl in the Czechoslovakia Championship in1960, but lost the playoff match for the title. He was a member of Czechoslovakia's Olympic team in 1954, 1960 and 1966. 

    His opponent, Stuart Wagman (1919-2007, 88 years old) was an FM and an American player who died in in Livorno, Italy where he had lived for the past half-century.  In the 1940s he had been a member of the Washington Chess Divan in Washington DC. 

    Wagman was inactive for many years but started to play again regularly after his retirement and earned the FM title when in his 60s and was a strong player even in his last years. At the age of 87 he scored 6-5 in the 2006 World Senior Championship. Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2444 in 1971.

 

[Event "Reggio Emilia"] [Site ""] [Date "1966.01.04"] [Round "9"] [White "Stuart Wagman"] [Black "Max Ujtelky"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "1965.12.27"] {B06: Modern Defense} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 a6 5. a4 e6 6. Nf3 Ne7 7. Be2 b6 8. O-O Bb7 {This flexible system was a favorite of Ujtelky.} 9. Qe1 Nd7 (9... c5 10. Be3 Nbc6 11. Rd1 Qc7 {is equal. Murphy,H (2168)-Barton,R (2012) London ENG 2015}) 10. Ra3 {Harmless. The R is destined to sit here until the end of the game.} (10. f5 {sacrificing a P keeps things equal.} gxf5 11. Bd3 (11. exf5 Nxf5 12. d5 Qf6 (12... exd5 {is a blunder.} 13. Bxa6+ Qe7 14. Bxb7 {White has won a piece.}) 13. Bc4 Nc5 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 O-O {Black is a silid P up.}) 11... Nc6 (11... fxe4 12. Nxe4 {White is supposed to have sufficient play for the P.}) 12. Qg3 {and the chances are equal.}) 10... d5 { This is a bit premature. Castling first was more precise.} 11. exd5 exd5 { He should have taken with the N, Now white's next move is very strong.} 12. f5 O-O 13. Bg5 f6 14. fxg6 {This natural move is disastrous!. 15.Bf4 was correct.} fxg5 15. gxh7+ Kh8 16. Nxg5 {It's quire possible that Wagman calculated this far and saw that he threatened Ne6, but it is black who us winning.} Qe8 17. Rxf8+ Nxf8 (17... Qxf8 {was even stringer.} 18. Ne6 (18. Qf2 Qxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Bxd4+ {is winning for black.}) 18... Qf6 19. Bg4 Nf8 20. Nxg7 Qxd4+ 21. Qf2 Qxg7 {leaves white with only two Ps for the N, so black should win.}) 18. Qf2 Neg6 {[%mdl 2048] At this point it's an unclear situation as white has three Ps for the N and black is fighting for the advantage.} 19. Nce4 $15 Bc8 $1 ({ Don't go for} 19... dxe4 $2 20. Nf7+ Qxf7 21. Qxf7 $18) 20. g4 {[%mdl 8192] This loses the game.} (20. Nf7+ {forces black's K into a precarious position.} Kxh7 21. Neg5+ Kg8 22. Re3 {At last the dormant R sees some action.} Qxa4 23. c3 Bd7 24. Ne5 {with equal chances.}) 20... Be6 21. Nf6 Qe7 22. Rf3 { Unfortunately for white at thos point the R's entry into the action comes too late to be of any value. Although after black's next move he retains the advantage he missed the tactical refutation of white s move.} Nd7 (22... Bxg4 { forces the removal of the guard of the N on f7.} 23. Nf7+ (23. Re3 Qxf6) 23... Qxf7 24. Nxg4 Qe6 {and white still only has two Ps for the N.}) 23. Nxd7 { The final error.} (23. Nxe6 {was necessary.} Qxe6 24. g5 Rf8 25. Bd3 {and white is still in the game.}) 23... Qxg5 24. Ne5 Nxe5 {White resigned. Was his resignation a bit premature? You be the judge.} (24... Nxe5 25. dxe5 Qxe5 { The material situation has not changed; white still has only two Ps, this time for a B. Here is the engine's best line...} 26. Re3 Qd6 27. Bd3 Bxg4 {Now white has only one P for the piece. It shpuld be noted that white's P on h7 will not fall any time soon black's win will never be in doubt.} 28. Rg3 Rf8 29. Qe3 Qd7 30. b4 Bf5 31. Kg2 Bxd3 32. Qxd3 a5 33. b5 Qf5 34. h4 Qe4+ 35. Qxe4 dxe4 36. Rg4 Re8 37. Kf1 Bf8 38. Ke2 Bc5 39. Rf4 Re7 40. Rf5 Rd7 41. Re5 e3 42. Re8+ Kxh7 {and the win is obvious.}) 0-1

Irina Perevertkina, Ladies Correspondence Champion

`Top level correspondence players claim that humans still have something to contribute to the output of their engines and it’s more than just a question of who has more computing power. They claim that opening preparation has a lot to do with it. They try to find a line that looks good on shallow computer analysis, but where deeper analysis yields a different opinion. Today's game seems to confirm that claim.

    Most correspondence games are drawn. For example, when Jon Edwards won the 2020-2022 World Championship she scored +2 0 =14. When Irina Perevertkina won the 2020-2023 Women’s World Correspondence Championship she scored ++2 -0 =8. 

    Irina Perevertkina is a prominent Russian correspondence player, holding the ICCF title of Lady Grand master which she was awarded in 1998. She was also awarded the International Master title in 2014. 

    She is best known as a two-time Women's World Correspondence Champion, having won the 9th edition (2011–2014) and successfully defending her title in the 10th edition (2014–2017). She was the last USSR Women’s Correspondence Champion 

    Beyond her correspondence achievements, Perevertkina has a background in over the board play. She competed in the final of the Moscow Championship in 1989 and participated in international open tournaments in 1990. 

    Perevertkina, nee Chepurnaya, was born in Moscow in 1967. She learned to play chess during preschool age from her father and grandfather. She then began training with professional coaches. 

    She graduated from Moscow State Technical University in 1991, earning a degree in engineering with a specialization in robotics. Although qualified as an engineer she did not pursue a professional career and worked in administrative roles in sports. 

    In 2010, Perevertkina obtained her Master's degree at the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism. This degree supported her long term involvement in coaching and organizational leadership within athletic institutions. 

 

Chess at 10 Seconds per Move

    In 1943, in the U.S. the war heavily influenced the daily news, but Hollywood dominated the entertainment world with morale-boosting films and swing music and jazz kept the home front dancing. 

    Frank Sinatra (the Voice) launched his solo career in 1943, complete with screaming teenage fans, known as bobby soxers. Many movie stars did not serve in World War II, but many did. For those who didn’t, the primary reasons were age, physical and mental health disqualifications, studio contracts, and government assignments that kept them in Hollywood. 

    As for the studio contracts, the major studios held strict contracts on actors and sometimes “heavily lobbied” draft boards to prevent them from bring drafted. For example, John Wayne was deferred due to his age, family dependency and a knee problem. The draft age was 18-45 and Wayne was only 36 years old in 1943 and his studio (Republic Pictures) fiercely fought to keep him in Hollywood. 

    Many stars “wanted” to serve but failed military physicals. Errol Flynn attempted to enlist but was rejected due to chronic health issues, including tuberculosis, recurring malaria, and an enlarged heart. Frank Sinatra was rejected in December 1943 because of a perforated eardrum and Army psychiatric files noted he displayed "emotional instability" and was considered unacceptable. He was manic-depressive, a condition characterized by extreme mood swings and emotional extremes. 

    The government itself discouraged some major celebrities from entering combat, arguing that they could best serve the country by remaining in Hollywood to make morale-boosting movies or by traveling on USO tours to entertain the troops. 

    Even so, many prominent actors saw active combat roles. Jimmy Stewart flew dozens of bombing missions over Nazi-occupied Europe, Henry Fonda served as a naval intelligence officer and Clark Gable served as a gunner on combat missions.

    In 1943, chess activity was limired by the war with international play largely suspended, but domestic and there was some tournaments in occupied territories. World Champion Alexander Alekhine lived primarily in Europe, playing in tournaments organized by the Axis powers in Prague and Salzburg and eventually made his way to Spain and Portugal. 

    The Soviet Union heavily prioritized chess as a cultural tool and held events in Sverdlovsk (won by Botvinnik), Kuibyshev (won by Konstantinopolsky) and the ongoing Moscow Championship. It was also the year Bobby Fischer was born. 

    The following game was played in the 1943, Y.S. Lightening Championship in New York City. Playing at the rate of ten seconds per move, 47 players competed. The winner, Reuben Fine, scored +20 -0 =2. The runner-up, U.S. Champion Samuel Reshevsky, lost only one game in the finals. The following game shows how quick the sight of the board world class players have. 

 

Crazy Defense, Fun Game

    Yesterday after a morning of yard work it was time to relax with a few online games. After facing a few opponents who played early Rook Pawn moves and premature attacks on f7, I met a very strong player. He was moving instantly and blundered a piece late in the opening. Then he wasted our time making me mate him in a Q+K vs. lone K ending. A few moves before mate I got a profanity laced note explaining he lost because I was playing so badly he got careless. 

    The one game that made the session worthwhile was the following one. Fritz’ Tactical Analysis lists the opening as the Scandinavian Defense, but the line was one I play quite often in these games and I like to call it the Danish Gambit Reversed. 

    The Danish Gambit is an aggressive, tactical opening for white that begins 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3. White sacrifices a Pawn or two for rapid development, especially his Bishops, in the hopes of a strong early attach. 

    It was surprising to see that my opening book shows that after 3...dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 white wins 38% and black 37%. These stats are probably skewed because a lot of the games were likely played way back in the Romantic period when defensive technique was as refined as it is today. Also, I suspect a lot of the games were played by non-Masters. 

    My “Danish Gambit Reversed” is much less effective: White scores +6 -1 =4 in my database.. It is obviously unsound, but but it’s still fun to play, especially in Blitz games.Here is the "Blunder Category" chart from Fritz 19's analysis:

 

 

 

[Event "Online G10"] [Site "?"] [Date "2026.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Guest"] [Black "Tartajubow"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {B01: Scandinavian Defense} 1. e4 d5 {Historically this was known as the Center Counter Defense. I am not sure when the name changed.} 2. exd5 c6 { A favorite Blitz weapon.} 3. dxc6 e5 {The sane move is 3...Nxc6} 4. Qe2 { Not very good because it hinders his development.} (4. cxb7 Bxb7 5. d4 exd4 6. c3 Bc5 7. Nf3 Qe7+ 8. Qe2 dxc3 9. Nxc3 Nc6 {White is better. Gallinnis, N-Trzaska,P Bundesliga 8788 Germany 1987}) (4. Nc3 Bc5 5. Nf3 Nxc6 6. Bb5 Bg4 7. Qe2 Nge7 8. Qxe5 Qb6 9. d4 {White is better, but 9.Nd5! was much stringer. Nejanky,M-Lujan,M Wch U14 Girls Oropesa del Mar 1999}) (4. Bb5 {I see this move a lot.} Nxc6 {White should now probably jus continue his development with 5.Nc3, but he often plays} 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 {but white's advantage is minimal.}) 4... Nxc6 5. c3 {White plays the opening very passively...nit a good idea.} (5. Nf3 Be6 {Baits a trap. White should play 6.d3 and avoid} 6. Nxe5 Nd4 7. Qd3 { Awkward, bit best.} (7. Qd1 Qc7 {wins material.}) 7... Rc8 {and black has equalized after, 8.c3, but white must not play the seemingly plausible} 8. Nc3 Bf5 9. Qg3 f6 {and black is bery mear to winning.}) 5... Bd6 {[%mdl 1024]} 6. d3 Nf6 7. h3 {One passive move too many. Black now has the advantahe in the form of a stong initiative. Better was either 7.Nd2 or 7.Nf3} Bf5 8. Bg5 O-O { I wanted to get castled and put a R n e8 thinking that there might be some potential for.e4} 9. Nd2 Re8 10. Ne4 {Probably it's best to retreat 10...Be7 to reinforce f6.} Bg6 {White's position is passive, but solid and black has no immediate threats so white should now continue with 11.Bxf6 afyer which he would have a slight advantage. Instead he makes another passive move that weakens his position.} 11. f3 {Now engines suggest 11...Be7 with a -/+ advantage for black/} (11. Bxf6 {keeps the upper hand.} gxf6 12. g4 Nd4 { It's not likely I would have seen this!} 13. Qd2 (13. cxd4 {is very bad.} Bxe4 14. dxe4 Bb4+ 15. Kd1 Qxd4+ 16. Kc1 Rac8+ 17. Kb1 Ba3 18. bxa3 (18. b3 Rc1#) 18... Qc3 19. Qd1 Re6 20. Bb5 Rd6 21. Bd3 Rxd3 22. Ne2 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Qc2# { What an attack!}) 13... Ne6 14. Ne2 $14) 11... Nxe4 {Played on a whim. The evaluation is now "=".} {Played instantly; I am sure white thought my move was a gross blunder, but in any case capturing the Q was the only good move.} 12. Bxd8 Ng3 13. Qe3 {Another instant move. Saving the Q is certainly plausible, but withdrawing the B to h4 would have keep the chances equal.} Raxd8 {Taking the R would have allowed him to save the B. Black only has a B and N for the Q, but his piece activity is practically winning.} (13... Nxh1 14. Bh4 {Saves the B and the N on h1 will be lost.}) 14. O-O-O {This is probaly better than trying to save the exchange!} (14. Rh2 e4 15. dxe4 Nxe4 16. fxe4 Rxe4 17. Qxe4 Bxe4 18. Rh1 Bg3+ {White is the exchange up, but black has more than enough compensation.}) 14... Nxh1 15. Ne2 e4 {This rates a ">" as now the chances are back to equal.} (15... Be7 {According to Stockfish this wins, but how?! Watch.. .} 16. g3 Bg5 17. Qxg5 Nf2 18. Rd2 Nxd3+ 19. Kc2 e4 20. fxe4 h6 21. Qb5 Rxe4 { White has a Q vs, R+B, but black's pieces are swarming all ove white's K.}) 16. fxe4 {He should have taken with the other P and hoped to ease his defense by trading Rs on the open file. Now white is weak on the dark squares.} f5 { Played without thought; it allows white to equalize, but only if he finds the refutation which he did not.} 17. Qg1 {This way too passive move loses.} (17. Nf4 Bf7 18. Be2 {Things are really messy, Materially white has a Q+2Ps vs. R+N+B which is about equal. Here black must continue aggressively with} g5 19. Nh5 Bxh5 20. Qxg5+ Bg6 21. Rxh1 {and anything can happen!}) 17... Ng3 18. Nxg3 Bxg3 19. Qe3 Bc7 20. Qc5 {This is a serious error that allows black to rip open the center. After 20.e5 the win would have been up for grabs.} fxe4 21. dxe4 {This only makes matters worse because it further opens up the center. After 21.d4 black's advantage is not nearly as great as it is after the text.} (21. d4 Bf4+ 22. Kb1 e3+ 23. Ka1 {and black has a winning advantage, but the point is still a long way off and blacl cannot be expected to play like Stockfish.}) 21... Bf4+ {Patzer sees a check, Patzer gives a check. Never miss a check, it might be a mate. As luck would have it thought this is the best move.} 22. Kc2 Bxe4+ {This pair of Bs and the two Rs are muderous.} 23. Bd3 Rxd3 {This move, threatening a discovered check, is far better that giving a check with the B.} (23... Bxd3+ 24. Rxd3 Rxd3 25. Kxd3 {and the chances are equal.}) 24. Rxd3 Ne5 {[%mdl 64] White resigned. He is lost, but resignation is a but premature because the win could prove to be tricky and black would have to be careful not to blunder away a piece to the Q.} (24... Bxd3+ 25. Kxd3 Be5 26. Qc4+ Kf8 {Black is better according to Stockfish, but the result would be in doubt/}) (24... Ne5 25. Qxa7 Bxd3+ 26. Kd1 Bg6 27. Qd4 Nd3 28. Kc2 Ne1+ 29. Kb3 Bc2+ 30. Kc4 Re4) 0-1

Miguel Najdorf, Tactician

    As far as I l know Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997) didn’t publish a book of his best games, but in 2005 Batsford published Najdorf: Life and Games by Beliavsky, Mikhalchischin and Lissowski. 

    The flamboyant Argentine Grandmaster has been described as a poet of the chessboard. His heyday was from the early 1940s to early 1950s and Chessmetrice estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2797 in 1948 (Botvinnik was first at 2829) and between July 1946 and June of 1949 he ranked #2 in the world on 33 different months! 

    How do you pick one of his best games? Chessgames.com lists 1,794 of them of which there are 861 wins to choose from. The following game was chosen at random and as Hans Kmoch wrote tactics “blossom in his games like buds in a fertile garden.”

    His opponent was Julio Bolbochan (1920-1996)/ He was born in Buenos Aires and was Argentine Champion in 1946 and 1948. He was awarded the IM and was awarded the an Honorary GM title in 1977.

 

[Event "Buenos Aires/La Plata"] [Site "La Plata ARG"] [Date "1948.05.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Miguel Najdorf"] [Black "Julio Bolbochan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E26"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1948.??.??"] {E26: Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Bd3 b6 {Black's idea was to transpose into a Botvinnik-Reshevsky game (won by Reshevsky) that had been played in the recently complete World Championship match-tournament, but Najdorf declines the invitation..} 8. Nf3 (8. Ne2 O-O 9. e4 Ne8 10. Be3 d6 11. O-O Na5 12. Ng3 Ba6 13. Qe2 Qd7 14. f4 f5 {with equal chances. Botvinnik,M-Reshevsky,S Haag/ Moscow 1948}) 8... O-O {This move is frequently plated and is hardly bad, but 8...d6 in order to answer 9.e4 with ...e5 is a bit better.} 9. e4 {The threat is 10,e5 establishing a winning position.} e5 $146 {This aimed at active counterplay, but the change in P=structure favors white.} (9... d5 {This is the correct reply which maintains about equal chances.} 10. e5 Ne4 11. Qc2 { Now either 11...cxd4 or 11...Ba6 equalize.} f5 12. exf6 Qxf6 13. O-O cxd4 14. cxd4 Bb7 {White's position is superior. Otero,D (2400)-Hernandez,H (2446) Santa Clara 2005}) 10. Nxe5 {More effective than closing the position with 10. d5} cxd4 11. cxd4 (11. Nxc6 {is less effective because after} dxc6 12. e5 Re8 { the position is about equal.} 13. cxd4 c5) 11... Nxd4 12. Bb2 Ne6 13. O-O d6 { Threatening to eliminate one of white's Bs fails.} (13... Nf4 14. Ng4 Nxg4 ( 14... Nxd3 15. Nxf6+ {wins for white.}) 15. Qxg4 Ng6 16. f4 {and white stands very well.}) (13... Bb7 {Preventing white's next move was a far better defense. } 14. Re1 Re8 15. Ng4 Nxg4 16. Qxg4 Qg5 {with full equality.}) 14. Nc6 { [%mdl 2048] Black has missed a couple of opportunities to stay about equal and after this his game is very difficult. 14.Nb6 preserves the two Bs and at the same time assures him of an active postion.} Qc7 15. Nb4 {Well played. Black faces the threat of The threat is16.Bxf6 and 17.Nd5} a5 (15... Qe7 {was his only good defense.} 16. Re1 Nc5 17. Bc2 Bb7 {White is better, but black can still put up a manly defense.}) 16. Bxf6 {This begins a series of tactics that wins a P. Ut's a clever plan, but, as will be seen, in the long run black will be able to equalize.} (16. Nd5 {This positional approach is technically the best, but that was not Najdorf's style.} Nxd5 17. cxd5 Nf4 18. Re1 {There is no reason to try and keep the now "bad" B.} Nxd3 19. Qxd3 f6 20. Rac1 {White stands very well.}) 16... axb4 {Clearly he couldn't take the B.} (16... gxf6 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Qh5 Kg7 19. e5 {White has a winning attack.}) 17. axb4 { This attacks the R on a8.} Ba6 {Here is where black really gets into trouble. While this move threatens both 17...gxf6 and 17...Bxc4 and presents white wuth the problem of how can he keep the extra P it allows white a powerful reply.} ( 17... Rxa1 {would at least keep black in the game.} 18. Bxa1 Nf4 19. Re1 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Be6 {Black recovers his P and there is no reason he shoulf lose.}) 18. e5 {Excellent! The B is immune.} Bxc4 {Threatens to win with ...Rxa1.} (18... gxf6 19. Qg4+ Ng5 (19... Kh8 20. Qf5 Ng5 21. Qxf6+ {leads to mate.}) 20. exf6 Kh8 21. Qxg5 Rg8 22. Qh6 {wins}) 19. exd6 Qc6 20. Rc1 b5 21. Be5 {Alert play.} (21. Be7 {At first glance this looks stringer, but it loses!} Nf4 {White has no satisfactory reply to the mate threat!} 22. Qg4 (22. f3 Nxd3 23. Qd2 Rfd8 24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Rcd1 Qxd6 {Black is winning/}) (22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Qg4 Qe4 24. Kh1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 f5 26. Qg3 Rf7 {Black is winning/}) 22... Nxd3 23. Rc2 Rfd8 24. Rd1 Rxd6 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 {Black is winning/}) 21... Qd5 22. Bxc4 Qxe5 23. Re1 Qb2 24. Rb1 Qf6 25. Bxe6 {He cannot win a second P.} (25. Bxb5 Nd4 26. Bc4 Rad8 27. b5 Rxd6) 25... fxe6 26. Qe2 e5 27. Rbd1 Rad8 28. Qxe5 Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Qf4 {intending ...Qxe5.} 30. Qc5 Rf5 {Bolbochan os putting up a good fight keeping his opponent busy, but his position is lost and Najdorf methodically presses home the win.} 31. Qc7 Rff8 32. Qc5 Rf5 33. Qc6 Qc4 34. Re8+ Rf8 35. Rxd8 Rxd8 (35... Qxc6 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. d7 {wins}) 36. Qb6 Rf8 (36... Rd7 { blocking the P is no better.} 37. Qe3 Kf8 38. h3 {A safety precaution.} Qf7 ( 38... Qxb4 39. Rf1+ {mates}) 39. Qe2 Qe8 40. Qxb5 {wins}) 37. d7 Rf1+ {Crafty play on Bolbochan's part! Unfortunately for him Najdorf has a problem-like refutation.} 38. Qg1 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned. The P will Queen.} 1-0

Swordfish Engine

    Swordfish is a Stockfish derivative that is reported to have achieved good results in test suites.  Supposedly it can be useful for analyzing sharp positions where regular Stockfish can overlook some tactics.

    Swordfish is based on Stockfish, but is designed to be more aggressive and tactical. It balances calculation strength with a highly active, fighting style that often finds sharp, complex tactical lines in positions where Stockfish might settle for a less aggressive move. 

    Unlike Stockfish, which is optimized for absolute perfection, Swordfish leans heavily towards proactive attacks and sharp, forcing lines. This trait can make it a useful tool in some situations and it might be worth downloading which you can do HERE.

    I have not found any online rating for Swordfish, but on my laptop five game (4 minute plus 2 seconds per move) against Stockfish were drawn. Analysis was done with the Reckless engine and both engines scored a 100% accuracy rating. Therefore, I played another match against the weakest engine on my laptop, Lc0, and Swordfish scored 5-0. 

    In all five games Lc0 held its own until committing a catastrophic blunder that lost instantly. The following game was the most interesting because at the critical moment it took both Stockfish and Swordfish some time to realize that capturing the P on move 29 was a mistake. 

    As can be seen on the CCLR site, Stockfish is still the top rated engine, but only by a whisker and for most analysis purposes any of the top engines will do an adequate job. 

 

[Event "Blitz 4.0min+2.0sec"] [Site "PC"] [Date "2026.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Lc0"] [Black "Swordfish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A09"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18/et al"] [PlyCount "66"] {A09: Reti Opening} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c5 4. O-O e6 5. c4 d4 6. d3 Nc6 7. e3 Bd6 8. exd4 cxd4 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. a3 a5 12. Nbd2 {[%mdl 32]} Qe7 13. Ne4 Bc7 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 f5 17. Nc5 O-O {In human games both 17...O-O and 17...Nxb4 have been played. Both moves are equally as goog as Swordfish's.} 18. Re1 Nxb4 19. Nxe6 {All the engines immediately saw this moves. Retreating the N would lose.} Nc2 20. Nxf8 Qxe1+ $1 21. Qxe1 Nxe1 22. Nxe1 Kxf8 {[%mdl 4096] The tactics are over and the evaluation is 0.00.} 23. Nc2 Bb6 24. Na1 Bc5 25. Nb3 b6 26. f4 g5 27. Kf2 Bd6 28. Kf3 Bd7 {The critical position.} 29. Nxd4 {This is the losing move. All the engines were evaluating the position at 0.00 and assigned the loss to 30. Nc2. It took Stockfish and Swordfish severak minutes to realize that capturing the P was an error and that 29.Bf1 keeps things equal.} (29. Bf1 Bc6+ 30. Ke2 gxf4 31. gxf4 Bxf4 32. Nxd4 Bd7 {would lead to a draw.}) 29... Bc5 {This is the position where all the engines show white losing after this move and suggesting 30.Ke3 would maintain equality.} 30. Nc2 {[%mdl 8192]} (30. Ke3 { It takes some lengthy analysis, but the win is there.} g4 31. Bd5 Kg7 32. Bg2 Kf6 33. Bd5 h5 34. Bg2 h4 35. Bd5 hxg3 36. hxg3 Be8 37. Bg2 Ke7 38. Bd5 Kd6 39. Bg2 Bf7 40. Bb7 Be6 41. Bg2 b5 42. cxb5 Bd5 43. Bf1 Bf3 44. b6 Bxb6 {White is in Zugzwang.}) 30... Bc6+ {Black is winning.} 31. Ke2 Bxg2 32. d4 Bd6 33. fxg5 Be4 {White resigned, Accuracy: White = 80%, Black = 100%.} 0-1

Najdord Turns the Table

    In this game Najdorf got lucky. He nearly suffered the same fate as Capablanca at Carlsbad in 1929. The day Capa's wife joined him at the tournament he blundered against Saemisch, lost a piece and had to resign. 

    On the day this game was played Najdorf’s wife arrive at the tournament and he played the opening badly and found himself with a lost position. Fortunately for him though, Rellstab failed to press home his attack and instead opted to regain his sacrificed piece. Najdorf then found a stunning refutation that turned the table. 

    The game was played in the 1959 Bled tournament a major international event held in Bled, Yugoslavia. The tournament was a prestigious international event and helped launch the international careers of several emerging stars such as 16-year-old Borislav Ivkov who made his international debut. Also playing were veterans Saviely Tartakower and Milan Vidmar.

 

 

    Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997) 8s well known, but Ludwig Rellstab (1904-1983) is not. Born in Berlin, he was awarded the IM title at its inception in 1950 and the International Arbiter title in 1951. He was the German Champion in 1942.

[Event "Bled"] [Site ""] [Date "1950.09.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Ludwig Rellstab"] [Black "Miguel Najdorf"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E94"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {E94: King's Indian: Classical} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 {At the time this game was played the K-Indian was in the experimental stage and black's best lines had not yet been established. It is now known that this move is premature and 6...Nbd7 is preferrable.} 7. O-O exd4 {The purpose of this move is to oobtain an open diagonal for his B. On the minus side white gets considerable activity for his pieces. The main option is 7...c6} 8. Nxd4 Re8 9. f3 Nbd7 {Black aims to continue with. . P- QB3 which leads, however. to a very cramped position . He is comparatively better off with 9 ... N - B3. although this concedes White the possibility of N-Q5.} 10. Bg5 c6 {On the alternative 10...h6 white retreats the B to e3 and black has weakened his K-side ever so slightly.} 11. Qd2 Qb6 12. Be3 Qc7 13. Rac1 (13. Rad1 {is also good.} a6 14. Nb3 Bf8 15. Bf4 {White stands well Ulibin,M (2514) -Tyukhanov,A (2083) Biel 2007}) 13... Nb6 14. Rfd1 Nfd7 {It's hard to suggest a really good plan for black, but this move allows white to launch a strong attack.He should have plated 14...Qe7} 15. Ndb5 {A nasty surprise. One magazine report stated that after this move Najdord got so excited that for nearly the next hour he was pullig his hair!} cxb5 (15... Qb8 {is even worse.} 16. Nxd6 Rd8 17. c5 {and white is winning.}) 16. Nxb5 Qd8 17. Nxd6 {White has two Ps for the piece and an extremely strong position. He threatens both Nxe8, and Nxc8 followed by c5. He also can stregthen his position even further with b3 and f4.} Ne5 {The only chance. Saving the exchange is worse.} (17... Rf8 { is met by} 18. c5 Na4 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Qxd7 Qxd7 21. Rxd7 Bxb2 22. Rc2 Bg7 23. Rxb7 Nc3 24. Kf2 {White is up two Ps and is winning.}) 18. c5 (18. Nxe8 { is not quite as strong. e.g.} Qxe8 19. f4 Nc6 20. b4 {Even here white is clearly better. Black's best try is 20...Be6. Capturing on e4 can leads to wild complications.} Qxe4 21. b5 Na5 22. Bc5 Be6 23. Bd3 Bd4+ 24. Kh1 {The Q is trapped. After} Qxd3 25. Qxd3 Bxc5 {Black has 2Ns+2Bs vs Q+R+P which is not quite enough compensation, but it might have been worth a try.}) 18... Nbd7 19. c6 {This regains the piece...a plausible course, but it's the wrong course because it lets black is now back in the game.} (19. f4 {is best as the N has no move and after} Re7 20. b4 {White's attack does not yield immediate results, but it should prove irresistible.}) 19... Nxc6 20. Nxc8 {A miscalculation that hands over the advantage.} (20. Nxe8 Qxe8 21. b4 a6 22. a4 {with a material imbalance where white has R+P vs, 2Ns and the chances are equal. In Shootouts (Stockfish playing itself) 5 games were drawn.}) 20... Rxc8 21. Qxd7 {White has regained the piece and is a P up, but Najdorf has a stunning refutation.} ( 21. Rxc6 {was his best try, but black is better after} bxc6 (21... Rxc6 22. Bb5 ) 22. Qxd7 Bxb2 23. Bc4 Qf6 24. Rb1 Red8) 21... Bd4 {This problem-like move ends the game. White has no good reply.} 22. Rxd4 Nxd4 23. Bb5 (23. Qxd8 { was only a bit better.} Nxe2+ 24. Kf2 Rexd8 25. Kxe2 Rxc1 26. Bxc1 Rc8 { with a won ending.}) 23... Rxc1+ 24. Bxc1 Qxd7 25. Bxd7 Rd8 {White resigned. He must lose one of his Bs.} 0-1

Chantal Chaude de Silans

    Chantal Chaude de Silans (1919-2001, 82 years old) was a French player and a pioneer of women's chess. She was awarded the Woman’s IM title at its creation in 1950 and later the honorary Woman’s GM title. Like many people life events interfered with her promising chess career. In her case it was World War Two and raising a family. 

    She learned to play chess when she was nine along with her brother the Baron de Silans, who later became a strong amateur. She quickly demonstrated a talent for the game. 

    In 1932, at age 13, she entered her first women's French Championship and she finished fourth. She also finished fourth the following year and commentators predicted that she had a great future. 

    Unable to participate in 1934 and 1935, she won her only title in 1936 at the age of 17. After that she no longer participated in the in the French Women's Championship, except when she returned 57 years later to play in the 1993 Women's Championship. 

    In 1936, she was invited to participate in the French Men's Championship where she finished 8th out of 9, but the experience of playing against the best French players aided her progress. She went on to compete in will many other French men's championships. Her best result was in 1951 when she finished 3rd out of 14.

    She was married in1939, just a few days before the war broke out. After the war she played the Women's World Championship Candidate Tournament three times with less brilliant results. Life outside of chess was the reason; she had four children. 

    The first post-war women's world championship that was held in Moscow from December1949 to January 1950 was the turning point of her career. By that time the Soviet female players had established dominance. 

    To everyone's surprise she jumped to the lead which she held until the 12th round. Unfortunately by then the stress, the cold weather and fatigue caused her to fade. It also didn't help that she was one fo the few players that didn't have a second. The French Federation couldn’t afford one and was so poor it even had to resort to seeking donations in order to send her to the tournament. She lost in the 13th and 14th rounds and ended up tying for 5th place behind the four Soviet players. 

    In 1950, she was the first woman to participate in the men's Olympiads as part of the French team. She played a few matches against men: she lost to Swiss champion Henry Grob in 1951, but defeated the Paris champion Stephan Popel in 1957. Popel eventually ended up a college professor in Fargo, North Dakota. 

    She also participated again in the Women's World Championships in 1952, 1955 and 1961, always finishing in the lower half. In 1970, she became the President of the Paris Caissa chess club which she managed for more than thirty years. 

 

[Event "Women’s World Chp 1949/50 Moscow"] [Site ""] [Date "1950.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Chantal Chaude de Silans"] [Black "Ingrid Larsen"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1949.12.20"] {B19: Caro-Kann} 1. e4 c6 {A solid alternative!} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 e6 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Nf6 10. Be3 Bd6 11. Ne2 ( 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nd7 13. O-O-O Nf6 14. Qd3 {dates all the way back to Schlechter,C-Cohn,W London 1899.}) 11... Qc7 12. O-O {Castling on the other side seems a bit more promising.} O-O 13. c4 Qe7 14. Nc3 Nbd7 15. Rae1 Rfe8 16. Bc1 Qf8 17. c5 {This is not bad because the is backward d-Pawn on the open file is temporary. Either 17.Ne5 or 17.Re2 to double Rs on the e-file are plausible options.} Bc7 18. Ne5 Bxe5 (18... Nxe5 {keeping the B was better.} 19. dxe5 Red8 {Black's position is a bit better.}) 19. dxe5 Nxc5 {A miscalculation...after 19...Nd5 the position is equal. Now things get hectic.} 20. Qg3 {[%mdl 2048] There is no way for black to meet the threat of Bxh6.} Nd5 21. Bxh6 Nxc3 22. bxc3 Rad8 23. Re3 {Otherwise black's R invades on d3.} Kh7 { Panic!} (23... Rd5 {is a much better defense.} 24. Bg5 b5 {Stops b4.} 25. Rfe1 a5 {and black can put up a stubborn fight.}) 24. Bf4 Rd7 {Black's defense is too passive. 24...Rd5 was better.} 25. Qg4 Rd3 26. Bg5 {After a series of, let's say rather boring play, this move elevates the whole game. It's poit soon becomes clear..} Rc8 27. Rxd3 Nxd3 28. Qe4+ Kg8 29. Qxd3 Qe8 30. Rd1 f6 31. exf6 {lack resigned. She saw the handwriting on the wall...white's B controls the dark squares leaving black helpless.} (31. exf6 {Now guarding gr with either the R or Q leaves black lost and ere is how Stoxkfish destroyed black's position after} gxf6 32. Bxf6 Qf7 33. Qg3+ Kf8 34. Qf4 Ke8 35. Qd6 Qxf6 36. Qd7+ Kf8 37. Qxc8+ Kf7 38. Rd7+ Kg6 39. Qe8+ Kf5 40. Qh5+ Kf4 41. f3 Qf5 42. Rd4+ Ke5 43. Qh8+ Qf6 44. f4+ Kf5 45. Qh5+ {Mate next move.}) 1-0

Captain William Evans

    Captain William Davies Evans (1790-1872) served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars from 1804 to 1815. He joined at the age of 14, serving through the end of the war, after which he transferred to the postal department, later becoming a captain of a sailing packet in 1819. 

    Life in the Royal Navy when Evans served were the days of wooden ships and iron men. Life was a harsh, crowded a and highly disciplined existence. Sailors endured long, monotonous blockade duties, strict discipline often enforced with a whip. 

    The food was poor. They subsisted on a monotonous, high calorie diet designed for long term storage, primarily consisting of hardtack biscuits, salt-preserved beef or pork, oatmeal, dried peas and rum (aka grog). They also dined on food boiled in large cauldrons that producing staples like peas pudding and lob scouse, a stew of meat, biscuits and onions. On the plus side their pat was usually better thanthe Army’s. 

    This game was played in 1845, and it illustrates the style of the day which was characterized by the Romantic style, emphasizing quick, tactical, and attacking play rather than long term strategy. 

    Major highlights of the year 1845 included the first US chess championship match, the emergence of early American chess media, and publication of European chess analysis, including Howard Staunton’s The Chess Player's Chronicle. 

    Evans, best known today for the Evans Gambit, was born in Wales and learned to play chess in 1818 from a naval officer who first gave him Rook odds, but soon they were on equal terms. 

    Besides chess, Evans invented the tri-colored lighting on naval vessels to prevent collisions at night. For this invention, the British government awarded him financially and gave him a gold chronometer The Czar of Russia also awarded him financially. 

    His opponent in the following game was Pierre de Saint-Amamt (1800-1872) who was a regular player at the Cafe de la Regence and who had studied under Alexandre Deschapelles and Wilhelm Schlumberger. He served as editor of the editor of the chess periodical Le Palamede.

 

[Event "Casual game, London"] [Site ""] [Date "1843.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Captain William D. Evans"] [Black "Pierre Saint Amant"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B22"] [Annotator "Reckless"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1843.??.??"] {B22: Sicilian} 1. e4 e5 2. c3 c5 {This transposes into what later became known as the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.c3) that is named after the Russian player Semyon Alapin (1856-1923) who introduced it at the end of the 19th century. It was a sideline, but was revived in the late 1960s by Evgeny Sveshnikov and Evgeny Vasiukov. The transposition, however, (1.e4 c5 2.c3 e5?!) is one that is rarely seen in the Alapin and it is of questionable worth.} 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Ng5 (6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Nxe4 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 {is equal. Manukian,A (2196)-Gatterer,F (2167) Titled Tue 2nd Aug Late chess.com INT 2022 (5)}) 6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxf7 { [%mdl 64] Played in the true Romantic style. There are a number of games in the database, but games with this move is not one of them. It is, however, an engine favorite!} (8. Qb3 Be6 9. Nxe6 fxe6 10. Qxb7 {Black is equal afyer 10... Rc8. In Scerbin,D (2356)-Tersinsev,A (2011) Nalchik RUS, IPCA Ch 2014 he got an inferior position and lost quickly after} Qc8 11. Ba6 Nde7 12. Qxc8+ Rxc8 13. Bxc8 Nxc8 14. Nd2 {and white is up the exchange.}) 8... Kxf7 9. Qf3+ { Now on any move except the one played white regains the piece so Saint Amant defends the N with his K.} Ke6 {Well played! The K is safe here and the chances are quite equal.} 10. O-O {It would have been a bit better to make an escape for the B with either 7,a4 or 7.a3} Na5 {Black is now slightly better, but Evans has a clever retort.} 11. Bg5 {[%mdl 64] An attempt to divert the Q from defending the N.} Qd6 (11... Qxg5 $2 {loses.} 12. Qxd5+ Ke7 13. Qxa5 Kf6 ( 13... Bd7 14. Re1 Kf6 15. Qd5 Qf5 (15... Rb8 16. Qf7#) (15... Bc6 16. Qe6#) 16. Qf7+ Kg5 {White is clearly better here, too.}) 14. h4 Qxh4 15. Qd5 Qf4 16. Nd2 Qf5 17. f4 {White is winning.}) (11... Qd7 $15 12. Bd3 Kd6 13. cxd4 Qe8) 12. g4 {[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder! The threat of 13.Qf5 is easily met.} Qd7 {But this is not the best way to do it.} (12... Qc6 {is much stronger.} 13. Bd3 Nf6 {Black is up a piece and his K is in no danger.}) 13. Bd3 Qf7 14. Bf5+ Kd6 15. cxd4 Bxf5 (15... exd4 {This careless move would lose...} 16. Qg3+ Kc6 17. Rc1+ Bc5 (17... Kb6 18. Bd8+ Ka6 19. Bd3+ b5 20. Bxb5+ Kxb5 (20... Kb7) 21. Qd3+ Kb4 22. Qa3+ Kb5 23. Qxa5#) 18. Be4 b6 19. b4 {wins}) 16. dxe5+ (16. gxf5 {was oly a bit better.} Nc6 17. dxe5+ Nxe5 {Black is a oiece up and with careful play his K can elude all danger. Foe example...} 18. Bf4 Qxf5 19. Rd1 Ke7 20. Qxd5 Qxf4 21. Re1 Kf6) 16... Kxe5 {[%mdl 8192] A fatal error that leaves his K exposed. He should have used the e-Pawn as a shield for his K and played 16...Ke6. In that case he would have had a winning advantage.} 17. gxf5 {Evans has a clear win and finishes up with a relentless assault on black's exposed K.} Nc6 {[%cal Oc6d4]} 18. Re1+ {[%mdl 32]} Kd6 {[%mdl 32]} 19. Re6+ Kc5 {Defending the B, but keeping the extra piece offers no salvation either.} (19... Kc7 20. Qxd5 Qd7 21. Nc3 Qxd5 22. Nxd5+ Kd7 23. Rd1 {White is winning. The threat is Nb6+} Re8 24. Ne7+ Kc7 25. Bf4+ Kb6 26. Nd5+ {wins the R.}) 20. Be3+ Nxe3 21. Qxe3+ Kb5 22. Qd3+ Kb6 23. Qb3+ Kc7 {Black's Q is hanging.} 24. Rxc6+ {[%mdl 576] Black resigned} 1-0

An Immortal Game?

    A hundred years after Howard Staunton organized the first international tournament in London it was commemorated by the Staunton Centenary International Tournament. The event opened in Cheltenham then moved to Leamington and finifhed up in Birmingham. 

    Winner Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia got off to a bad start that involved a draw in the first round and a loss to Alexander in the second. Alexander and Matanovic led the field up to the halfway point. At that point Alexander began to fade while Matanovic lost in the eighth round against Bogoljubow who was just beginning to amass a few points. 

    It wasn’t until the eighth round that Gligoric succeeded in catching up with the leaders. After that he retained the lead until the end and was finally helped by Bogoljubow who smashed Trifunovic in the penultimate round.

 

 

    The following game, played between Yugoslav (Serbian) GM Aleksandar Matanovic and then French GM Nicolas Rossolimo made a great impression on Dr. Max Euwe who called it an Immortal Game. 

    The name Nicolas Rossolimo (1910-1975) is probably familiar, but his opponent probably is not. Aleksandar Matanovic (1930-2023) was junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1948 and Yugoslav national champion in 1962 (joint), 1969. 

    He is probably most famous for being the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Chess Informant which was first published in 1966. The Informants contained, among sections on openings, tactics and endings, several hundred games, most of which were annotated with the then new system of codes for the classification of openings and its system of symbols such as = and +/=, etc. 

    Concerning the following game, Euwe asked, "How close is the bond between practical chess and problem chess?" and "Can I improve my game by devoting myself systematically to problem solving?" 

    In answer, Euwe pointed out that while a problem uses the same sort of material as in OTB play, the goal is not quite the same. In problems the objective is to force mate in a specified number of moves. 

    Still, in problems and OTB, they have one thing in common...they call for the deployment of the pieces at their maximum power. For this reason there are times in practical play when there is a close resemblance to problems and such was the case in this game. 

    Euwe wrote, "Rarely have I seen such a succession of problem moves not restricted to one side (as in problems) with one side having all the chances against a powerless adversary." He described the game as a sharp duel with each player "striving ingeniously to compose a problem of unique freshness and subtlety." 

    I'm not so sure you can actually call this game an "Immortal", but it had it's brilliant moments, even on the loser's part. As author R.N. Coles put it, “Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this thrilling struggle was Rossolimo's wizardry in maneuvering his Knights.” 

    The sad thing is that when Rossolimo once tried to publsh a book of his best games publishers weren’t interested, telling him nobody would be interested in his games.

 

[Event "Staunton centenary, England"] [Site ""] [Date "1951.06.22"] [Round "15"] [White "Aleksandar Matanovic"] [Black "Nicolas Rossolimo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C84"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "138"] [EventDate "1951.05.28"] [Source "BCM, August 1951"] {C90: Closed Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Bg4 {This move, which is made with the idea of exerting indirect pressure on the center, is frowned upon by theory. White can counter it by avoiding d4 and playing Nd2 which leaves black's B rather ineffectual and usually it has to retreat to either d7 or g6.} 9. h3 {The most theoretical way to counter black's last move is 9.d3 followed by Nd2-f1 eventually forcing a decision on the black B after black has castled. The disadvantage of the text is that it requires white to play g4 which slightly weakens his K-side which invites black to attack.} Bh5 {Taking the N has worked very poorly for black in practice. My database shows white winning half the games while black wins only one out of ten.} 10. d3 h6 {Rossolime intends to exploit white's 9th move by advancing his g- and h-Pawns, but Matanovic defends accurately} (10... O-O 11. Nbd2 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 {is the main line.}) 11. g4 {Euwe wrote that this move is more or less forced as black was threatening the advance ...g5-g4 thereby exploiting the weakening 9.h3. Euwe's evaluation is nowhere near correct because 11.g4 is hardly forved.} (11. Nbd2 g5 12. Nf1 g4 13. hxg4 Bxg4 14. Ne3 {White is better and soon won in Onischuk,V (2349)-Kornilov,P (2079) Minsk 2005}) 11... Bg6 12. Nh4 Qd7 13. Qf3 Na5 14. Bc2 Nh7 {Preparing his attack.} 15. Nf5 {A strong square for the N. Capturing the B would only open the f-file to blacl's benefit.} Bf6 16. Nd2 h5 {Well timed becaise white cannot keep the K-side closed ny playing g5/} 17. Nf1 hxg4 18. Qxg4 { Surprising but good strategy. White cannot tolerate black's occupying g5 and the text gives white a much more active game than if he plays 18.hxg4} Nc6 19. N1g3 Nf8 {Change in plans. The N is heading for e6 now that occupying the square g5 is not feasible.} 20. a4 Rb8 21. axb5 axb5 {White has succeeded neutralizing black's K-side attack and now the opening of the a-file assures him of at least equality.} 22. Ra6 {The R on the pen a-file plays an important role in positions ;pke tjos/} Ne6 23. b4 Kf8 24. Bb3 Ncd8 25. d4 {With his pieces actively positioned white sacrifices a couple of Ps in order to exploit their superior mobility. At this point the chances are equal.} exd4 26. f4 dxc3 27. e5 (27. Bxe6 {looks good at first glance, but after} Qxe6 28. e5 Bxf5 29. Nxf5 g6 {White's attack has been beaten off and black is simply two Ps up.}) 27... dxe5 {It would have been safer to eliminate the N with 27...Bxf5} 28. fxe5 Be7 29. Rd1 Qe8 30. Rf1 {Black's position is cramped and so is difficult to play.} Rb6 {In their annotations neither Euwe nor Coles commented on this move, but it is a serious error.} (30... Kg8 31. h4 Bxf5 32. Nxf5 Bf8 {The reason for the last move.} 33. h5 Rb6 34. Ra2 Rh7 {Black is a P up and he has covered the squares critical to the defense of his K, but he remains badly cramped and so it is white who has all the chances.}) 31. Rxb6 {White returns the favor. Pinning the N woth 31.Ra8 makes black's position even more difficult.} Bxf5 32. Nxf5 cxb6 {The situation on the Q-side is irrelevant, all the action is on the other side.} 33. Rf3 {This is wrong. Correct was 33.Be3 after which black has no really useful moves and about all he can do is shuffle his pieces back and forth.} (33. Be3 Kg8 34. h4 Bf8 35. Nd6 Bxd6 36. exd6 {and the position is completely equal!}) 33... Qc6 34. Rg3 g6 35. Nxe7 Kxe7 36. Bg5+ Ke8 37. Bf6 Rh5 38. Qd1 Rf5 39. Rd3 Qc7 40. Qc1 {[%mdl 8192] It's quite possible that the time control was approaching and that white was in time pressure. This move is a losing blunder because it gives black an opportunity to obtain a measure of freedom in his rather constricted position. And, while it's true that the text threatens Qh6, black can easily parry the threat. 40.Qc2 was correct because black must give up the exchange with either 40...Rxe5 or 40...Rxf6. After 40...Rxe5 a draw is likely. Capturing 40...Rxf6 still leaves black in a difficult position.} (40. Qc2 Rxe5 41. Bxe5 Qxe5 42. Bxe6 Qe1+ 43. Kh2 Nxe6 44. Qxc3 Qf2+ 45. Kh1 Qf1+ {draws.}) 40... Nf4 { Rossolimo immediately shows what was wrong with white's last move.} 41. Re3 Nde6 42. Bc2 Nd4 {Black's Ns are starting to swarm. The threat is ...Nfe2+ and his Q and R would be on hand to cooperate in the attack} 43. Qa1 {Euwe gave a magnificent drawing ling starting with 43.Qa3, but his analysis was dad;y f; awd.} Nfe2+ (43... Nxc2 {would be a serious mistake.} 44. Qa8+ Kd7 45. Rd3+ Nxd3 46. Qd5+ Kc8 47. Qa8+ {repeats noves and draws as does} Qb8 48. Qc6+ Qc7 49. Qa8+) 44. Kg2 Qb7+ {Rossolimo sidesteps a trap by covering a8 and what follows is shear brilliance of the type Rossolimo was famous for.} ({Less strong is} 44... Nf4+ 45. Kh2 $15) 45. Be4 Nc2 46. Bxb7 {Now if you are expecting him to regain the Q you would be wrong because then white would stand a bit better.} Nxe3+ {Astonishing!} (46... Nxa1 {loses} 47. Bc6+ Kf8 48. Rxe2 c2 49. e6 Rxf6 50. e7+ Kg7 51. Rxc2 Nxc2 (51... Re6 52. Ra2 Nb3 53. e8=Q) 52. e8=Q) 47. Kh1 Rf1+ 48. Qxf1 Nxf1 {[%mdl 4096] ->lthough it will be a bit time consuming, the ending is won for black.} 49. Bc6+ Kf8 50. Bxb5 c2 { The remainder of the game is comparatively easy for a GM.} 51. Bg5 Nfg3+ 52. Kg2 Ne4 53. Bh6+ Ke7 {The threat is ...g5 blocking the B.} 54. Bd3 c1=Q 55. Bxc1 Nxc1 56. Bxe4 {The material is equal and white has a B vs N, but it's deceptive because white's Ps are isolated and weak.} Na2 {This, however, is a serious lapse that should have allowed white back in the game. Correct was centralizing his K woth 56...Ke3} 57. b5 Nc3 58. Bc6 {[%mdl 8192] After this white's B is inactive and he is back in a lost position.} (58. Bd3 Ke6 59. Bc4+ Nd5 60. Kf3 Kxe5 61. h4 f6 62. Ba2 {and in this case the mobile B will be able to hold the draw agaimst the N.}) 58... Ke6 59. Kf3 Kxe5 60. Be8 Ke6 {A curious situation...in order to make progress black's K has to retreat while white centralizes his.} 61. Kf4 Nd5+ 62. Kg5 Nc7 63. Bc6 Ke5 64. h4 Ne6+ 65. Kg4 Nd4 66. Be8 Ke6 {The B is trapped.} 67. Kf4 Ke7 {The B is traooed... remember white's 58th move.} 68. Ke4 (68. Bc6 Nxc6 69. bxc6 Kd6 {wins easily.}) 68... Kxe8 69. Kxd4 f6 {White resigned. His K will give way. Somehow it seems that Matanovic's play deserved more than a zero. Rossolimo once suggested a scoring system using a panel of judges in which points were assigned based on who played the most beautiful moves. He added in such a system it might be possible for the loser to receive more points than the winner if he played the most beautiful moves!!} 0-1