Louis Levy

    The following brilliant game was played in the 1941 Marshall Chess Club Championship. The winner was Louis Levy (1921-2011, 90 years old). He was a FIDE Master in chess and a Life Master in bridge. He is the only person known to have played Frank Marshall, Bobby Fischer and Gata Kamsky. Originally from New Jersey, he passed away in Los Angeles. 

    Anthony Santasiere (1904-1977) is better known. He was a Master and chess writer, who also wrote extensively on non-chess topics. Santasiere was a middle school math teacher by profession. He won the 1945 US Open Championship, four New York State championships and six Marshall Chess Club championships. 

    The Orangutan (1.b4) has never been popular at the top level, though a number of prominent players have employed it on occasion. In 1963, Alexey Sokolsky (1908–1969) wrote a monograph on it and so it’s sometimes called the Solkolsy Opening. 

    In the Tartakower vs. Maroczy game played in the New York 1924 tournament the players had visited the Bronx Zoo the previous day and Tartakower noted that the climbing movement of the Pawn to b5 reminded him of the orangutan. Alekhine said that the problem is that 1.b4 reveals white's intentions before he knows what black's intentions are. Santasiere modified the Orangutan by playing 1.Nf3 first and he, himself, named it Santasiere’s Folly. 

    Santasiere was an original thinker, but he was often dogmatic and exaggerated the value of novelties and sometimes insisted that it took bizarre moves in the opening in order to play “Romantic” chess. At one point, in the 1970s I believe it was, Santasiere got into a written feud with Larry Evans after Evans showed disdain for Santasiere's hypocrisy for “talking like a tiger and playing like a Tigran (Petrosian).” But, Evans did admit Santasiere had the heart of a Romantic even if he didn't have the games to back it up. 

    Writing in his Game of the Month column in the January 1942 issue of Chess Review, Reuben Fine presented the below game as a complete refutation of Santasiere’s Folly and, at the same time, poked fun at the opening. It’s quite possible it was sour grapes on Fine’s part owing to the fact that in the 1938 US Championship Samuel Reshevsky finished first with an undefeated 13.0 while Fine was second with 12.5 (their individual game was drawn). Fine lost one game to, guess who? That’s right...Santasiere, who finished tied with George Treysman for tenth (out of 17) with a score of 7.0. 

     Note regarding Levy’s 2...f6. In his notes in Chess Review, Fine attached two !! to the move. Later in Chess Marches On he upped it to three! Fine wrote that it's a "a natural reply which nobody seems to have thought of before.” Earlier in the tournament Harry Fajans had played 2...f6 with the same result. Even earlier Santasiere had lost a game in the NY State Championship against the move.

    Playing over this game using a board and pieces instead of just clicking through the moves on the computer screen gives a whole different perspective to the game. Seeing the game unfold as the players did gives a better appreciation for the complexities that Levy had to thread his way through!

 

[Event "Marshall CC Championship"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1941.12.14"] [Round "3"] [White "Anthony Santasiere"] [Black "Louis Levy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A06"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "1941.11.30"] [Source "Chess Review, Ja"] {A00: Irregular Openings} 1. Nf3 d5 2. b4 {Reuben Fine admitted that while Santasiere had a lot of success with this opening, it was, nevertheless, a waste of time. Fine wrote that while this move is useful in certain variations of the Reti Opening in most cases it amounts to nothing more than a loss of time, adding that at any rate, sometimes it does lead to unusual positions. Fine snidely commented Santasiere had applied for a copyright on the move. In his book on the opening Santasiere called it the Futuristic Chess Opening} f6 { Ordinarily the early advance of the f-Pawn is bad because it deprives the N of its best square, but here it is very much to the point because black can build a strong Pawn phalanx in the center. (Fine) Today 2... f6 is long forgotten and it;s very rarely played.} 3. d4 (3. e3 Nh6 4. c4 e6 5. Qb3 a5 6. b5 Nd7 { White is better. Zurek,M (2405)-Sikora-Lerch,J (2380) CSR 1991}) 3... e5 (3... a5 {While not exactly bad, this move does not challenge white's setup.} 4. b5 c6 5. e3 Bd7 6. a4 e6 {White is better. Elkin,A (2195)-Samborskiy,V (2052) Ulyanovsk RUS 2013}) 4. a3 {According to FIne this is a routine reply, after which black secures an overwhelming position. Black is better, but overwhelming is a bit of an exaggeration.} (4. dxe5 {This keeps things even.} fxe5 5. Nxe5 Bxb4+ 6. c3 {After the B retreats to safety ob any reasonable square it's an odd position. Does the weakness of black's K offset his basically sounder P formation?}) 4... e4 5. Nfd2 Bd6 (5... f5 6. c4 Nf6 7. c5 f4 8. Nb3 e3 9. fxe3 fxe3 {with equal chances. Chandler,P (2265) -Krenz,V (2287) Bad Vilbel GER 2010}) 6. e3 f5 {We now have, with colors reversed, a variation of the French Defense which is highly favorable to the attacker (here black) and which is particularly strong because white has made two wholly useless moves on the Q-side (b4 and a3). No more complete refutation of white's faulty opening strategy could be thought of. (Fine) Again. Fine exaggerates. Three different engines evaluate this position as equal.} 7. c4 c6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. Qb3 {According to Fine this move illustrates white's dilemma because castling K-side is too dangerous. Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration! White could also play 9.Be2 or 9.b5 with a satisfactory position.} Be6 10. cxd5 {Fine said this move, clarifying the situation in the center, only helps black, but white has no constructive plan. In that he is correct, but 10.b5 would have kept things about even. After the text black is slightly better.} cxd5 11. Be2 Nbd7 {Black has so strong an initiative that normal development creates a positional threat: the occupation of c5 by a N. White manages to prevent this, but at a terrific cost. (Fine)} 12. a4 Rc8 13. a5 {White's position is cramped, but it looks safe enough. A bomb explodes his serenity. Of course, while Black retains the better of it with the simple ...Qe7 and ...f4, the line chosen is far more forceful.} Bxh2 {This gets a ! from Fine with the comment, that it's obvious and strong. According to the engines castling was equally goo.} 14. g3 {This not quite as good as capturing the B, but neither continuation is quite satisfactory.} (14. Rxh2 Qc7 15. Rh1 Qxc3 16. Qxc3 Rxc3 {Black's control of the c-file gives him the advantage.}) 14... Bxg3 {Black gets three Ps for the B and a strong attack.} 15. fxg3 Qc7 16. Nd1 {Too passive, One of the first principles of defense is that one must be as active as possible, else the pieces become meaningless. Fine recommended 16.Bb2. Black's attack now keeps getting stronger.} (16. Bb2 {(Fine)} Qxg3+ 17. Kd1 O-O {Black has the advantage.} 18. a6 b5 {This sets a clever trap. White cannot afford to grab the P, but rather he must try and defend his K with} 19. Nf1 Qg2 20. Rh2 Qg1 21. Kd2 Ng4 22. Bxg4 fxg4 23. Ne2 Rf2 24. Rxf2 {and black's gob of Ps on the two files will prove decisive.} Qxf2 {In Shootouts white scored +0 -4 =1, but securing the point was a long and tedious process. Here is a sample continuation.} 25. Nfg3 Nb6 26. Rf1 Qg2 27. Rg1 Qf3 28. Bc1 Nc4+ 29. Kd1 Rf8 30. Qc3 Qf7 31. Qe1 Qe8 32. Rf1 Rf3 33. Ng1 Qc8 34. Nxf3 gxf3 35. Qf2 Bg4 36. Qh2 h5 37. Ke1 Ne5 38. dxe5 Qxc1+ 39. Kf2 Qd2+ 40. Kg1 Qxe3+ 41. Qf2 Qf4 42. Re1 Qxe5 43. Kh1 Kh7 44. Re3 Qe6 45. Re1 Qe7 46. Kg1 Qxb4 47. Nf1 Qe7 48. Ne3 Be6 49. Nc2 Qf6 50. Kh1 Bf7 51. Rb1 Qxa6 52. Ra1 Qf6 53. Rxa7 Be8 54. Ra2 Qf4 55. Qh2 Qc1+ 56. Qg1 Qd2 57. Qg3 b4 58. Ra7 Bg6 59. Ra6 Qc1+ 60. Ne1 Bf5 61. Ra7 Bg4 62. Rxg7+ Kxg7 63. Qe5+ Kf7 64. Qxd5+ Be6 65. Qxe4 f2 66. Qf3+ Ke8 67. Qxf2 b3 68. Qe2 Ke7 69. Qf2 b2 70. Qh4+ Kd7 71. Qd4+ Ke7 72. Qh4+ Kd7 73. Qd4+ Kc8 74. Qe4 b1=Q {and wins.}) 16... Qxg3+ 17. Nf2 Ng4 $1 18. Bxg4 fxg4 19. Ndxe4 {Justifiable suicide. (Fine) The truth is there was nothing better.} Qg2 {After this the thrust ...g3 is a killer no matter what white does. (Fine)} 20. Nd6+ Kd8 21. e4 {aiming for Bf4.} (21. Nxc8 {is met by} g3 22. Rf1 Rf8 23. Ra2 Bh3 24. Qd3 {Everything is defended, but after} Rxf2 25. Rfxf2 gxf2+ 26. Rxf2 Qg1+ 27. Ke2 Bg4+ {picks up the R} 28. Rf3 (28. Kd2 Qxf2+ 29. Kc3 Kxc8) 28... Kxc8 29. Qc2+ Kd8 30. b5 (30. Qxh7 Qg2+ 31. Kd1 Bxf3+) 30... Qg2+ 31. Kd3 Qxf3) (21. Nxb7+ {is met by} Kc7 22. Nc5 Nxc5 23. bxc5 g3 24. Ra2 Rhf8 25. Rf1 Bh3) 21... g3 22. Bg5+ $2 (22. Nxb7+ $2 Ke7 23. Rf1 (23. Bg5+ $2 Nf6 $19) 23... gxf2+ 24. Rxf2 Qh1+ 25. Kd2 Rhf8 $19) (22. Rf1 {was forced.} Rf8 23. Bg5+ Kc7 24. Nxc8 gxf2+ 25. Kd2 Qxg5+ 26. Qe3) 22... Nf6 23. Bxf6+ gxf6 24. Rf1 gxf2+ 25. Rxf2 Qh1+ {In view of the exposed white K the rest is simple. Levy repeats moves at several points, doubtless to gain time on his clock.} 26. Rf1 Qh4+ 27. Rf2 Qh1+ 28. Rf1 Qh4+ 29. Rf2 Rg8 30. Ke2 Bg4+ 31. Ke1 Be6 32. Ke2 Rg3 33. Qa4 Bg4+ 34. Kd2 Qh6+ {White resigned; it's mate in 2/} 0-1

Sicilian, Wing Gambit

    It was exactly 2two years ago that I took a look at the Wing Gambit against the Sicilian Defense and in that post it was concluded that it was worth a try. See the post HERE

    The Remote Chess Academy has a great video by GM Igor Smirnov on it HERE that’s worth checking out. He describes it as being tricky and having a lot of deadly traps for white, adding that in almost all the lines white has quick development and an early, powerful attack against the black’s King. Even somebody of mediocre talent and no book knowledge of the opening can play it like I did in the following game. 

 

[Event "Chess Hotel blitz game"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B20"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] {B20: Sicilian Defense, Wing Gambit} 1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. Bc4 {The standard book line is 3.a3 although 3.Nf3 has been tried. Engines evaluate them as leading to fairly equal positions. The text looks reasonable, but the engines frown on it giving black slightly over a one Pawn advantage. 3.d4 has also been played, but it, like the text is not is not quite satisfactory.} d6 { Of course this is not bad, but it's too routine.} (3... Nf6 {This already presents a problem for white...what to do about the e-Pawn? White would like to play d2-d4, but that's out if he defends the P with 3.d3 and 3.e5 is not entirely satisfactory.} 4. e5 d5 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Be2 {Bach,M (2303)-Ochsner,B (2165) Copenhagen DEN 2010. Now after 6...Ne4 black stands slightly better.}) 4. c3 bxc3 5. Nxc3 a6 6. Qb3 {This looked like a reasonable try to me. Black has to defend f7 and it hinders the development of his B on c8, or so I thought. 6.d4 is a better move though.} e6 $17 7. Nf3 Nc6 {This highlights the flaw in my 6th move...the threat of ...Na5 is unpleasant.} 8. Be2 {Black is better.} Nf6 9. d4 Bd7 {Routine development, but it's too passive. Best is 8... d5 when white has a choice of several moves, but black keeps a slight advantage in any case. Still, the text baits a noce trap!} 10. Bg5 (10. Qxb7 Rb8 11. Qxa6 Nb4 {followed by the fork ...Nc2+}) (10. d5 {This equalizes.} Na5 (10... exd5 11. exd5 Na5 12. Qb4 {is also equal.}) 11. Qb4 Be7 12. O-O Rc8) 10... Be7 11. O-O h6 12. Bf4 b5 {Somewhat better would have been 12...Na5 and 13...Rc8} 13. a3 {Missing the chance to equalize.} (13. e5 dxe5 14. dxe5 Nd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qxd5 Nb4 17. Qd2 {with equal chances.}) 13... O-O 14. Rfc1 { 13.e5 was still a good option.} Rc8 15. Qd1 {I was thinking about doubling Rs on the c-file and did not want the Q cut off after 15.Rc2. Pretty vague reasoning!} Na5 16. h3 {The was no real reason for this, but I had to make a move...it actually is OK according to the engine!} Bc6 17. Nd2 (17. d5 { turns out to be no better than the passive text.} exd5 18. exd5 Bb7 19. Bd2 { This miserable retreta is the best white has.} (19. Rc2 {doesn't wotk now. After} Rxc3 20. Rxc3 Nxd5 {black's advantage is decisive.}) 19... Nc4 {Black is clearly better.}) 17... Qb6 {Pointless, but also rather harmless. 17...d5 was a good alternative.} 18. Be3 Qd8 {White has gained a move, but the position still favors black by about a P.} 19. Bd3 Nh7 {This is too passive. 19...Qd7 would have stymied by Q-side counterplay.} 20. a4 {All early dreams of a K-side attack are gone and any advance in the center is not feasible so white has only this option, but it's good enough because now black's has no more than a slight advantage.} b4 {[%mdl 2048]} 21. Na2 b3 {This and my next move have no logical explanation! Black shoulf have played 21...d5} 22. Nc3 { [%mdl 8192] Of course taking the P fully equalizes. Instead I made a gross oversight.} b2 $18 {...and wins. But as a famous baseball player (Yogi Berra) once said, it ain't over 'til it's over. That's especially true in a Blitz game.} 23. Bxa6 Ra8 24. Bd3 Bg5 {Not bad...the fork is not going to disappear.} 25. f4 Be7 26. Qc2 bxc1=Q+ 27. Rxc1 Rc8 28. d5 {Of course he cannot play 28... exd5 because of the hidden attack on the N after 29.exd5} Ba8 29. e5 {[With time getting short this was simply an attempt to complicate. In reality black has a decisive advantage.} g6 30. dxe6 Qe8 {Black used precious seconds here trying to figure out all the cao\ptures. Actually, he could have played 30... fxe6 or 30...dxe5 (actually the best) and he would still have stood better.} 31. exf7+ Qxf7 32. Bxg6 Qg7 33. Be4 Rxc3 {[%mdl 8192] An hallucination?! Now it's white who is winning. Not only does white get the exchange the N on a5 is left hanging.} (33... Bxe4 34. Ndxe4 dxe5 {and being a R up he has an easy win. }) 34. Qxc3 Bxe4 35. Nxe4 d5 {Marginally better would have been 35...dxe5} ( 35... Nb7 36. Qb3+ {Picks up the N}) 36. Qxa5 dxe4 37. Qd5+ Qf7 38. Qxe4 { Materially white has 4Ps vs a N, and he also has a significant time advantage. In any case, the game is a technical win for white. In practice, assuming time was not a factor, things might not be easy!} Qb3 39. a5 Qa3 40. Rc7 Qxa5 (40... Rf7 41. Bb6 Nf8 42. Qc4 {with an easy win.}) 41. Qg6+ Kh8 42. Rxe7 {Black resigned.} 1-0

The Sad Story of Roy Ervin

    Roy Ervin (1951-2001) was an FM with orn IM norm when he passed away at the age of 50 in Red Bluff, California, the city where his mother lived. His story is heartbreaking. By all accounts of those who knew him, he was a kind and gentle soul who had a great talent for the game and who, if not for his unfortunate fate, might have been a Grand master. 

    Ervin learned to play from his sister at the age of 4, but took a real interest in it at age 7. He was born in Los Angeles and attended school in Van Nuys until he entered high xchool in Sherman Oaks. After graduation he enrolled in Occidental College in Los Angeles in a program for science and math that was associated with Cal Tech in Pasadena, but he left mid-term and moved to Santa Monica because there was more chess action and there he played for money on the beach. 

    He played in the famous Lone Pine tournaments in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978. In 1974, he represented the US in the World Student Team Olympiad. After the Student Olympiad he toured through France and Germany before ending up in Amsterdam. 

    While in Amsterdam he got involved in drugs and began suffering from schizophrenia, a chronic brain disorder that when it is active can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation. While there he was hospitalized for six months, then returned home to California. 

    Ervin refused treatment for his condition claiming that it made him "stupid". Schizophrenia is initially treated with drugs that work by blocking the effect of the chemical dopamine, or other chemicals inn the brain. 

    In spite of his schizophrenia he continued to play chess. At one of the Lone Pine tournaments after he lost to Yugoslav GM SvetozarGligoric, Ervin tried to commit suicide by slitting his wrists. Then in 1977, after a loss in the US Open in Columbus, Ohio, he again slit his wrists. At another time he tried to cut off his nose with a pair of scissors. 

    At one point he was homeless and lived on the beach in Santa Monica. Also, at one point he was briefly committed to a mental hospital in Chico, California. Ervin smoked 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day and died of lung cancer at the age of 50. 

    The 1971 US Open was held in Ventira, California and was won by Walter Browne. Ervin places 29-52 with a score of +7 4 =2; his opponent finished with a 65 score. There were 398 players. In the game Chism’s King is harassed, but safe until he grabs a Pawn a move too soon at move 24. The conclusion of Fritz’ analysis with Stockfish is that Ervin’s play was “flawless”. 

 

[Event "US Open, Ventura, California"] [Site "Ventura, CA USA"] [Date "1971.08.11"] [Round "?"] [White "Olin Chism"] [Black "Roy Ervin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C04"] [Annotator "Stocjfish 16"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "1971.??.??"] {C04: French Defense, Tarrasch Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 { This move became popular during the 1970s and early 80s when Anatoly Karpov begab successfully using it. Although it is not especially aggressive, it is quite safe.} 4. Ngf3 Nf6 {Black hopes to close the center by enticing white to play 5.e5} 5. e5 (5. Bd3 {While hardly bad, this allws black easy equality after} Nb4 6. O-O (6. Bb5+ c6 {and the B must return to d3} 7. Bd3 Nxd3+ 8. cxd3 b6 {equals})) 5... Nd7 6. c3 f6 {He must challenge white in the center. Anything else favors white.} 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. Bd3 Bd6 $1 9. O-O O-O 10. h3 (10. Re1 e5 11. dxe5 Ndxe5 12. Qb3 Be6 13. Be2 g5 14. h3 h5 {Black is winning. Kochiev,I (2053)-Duda,J (2724) chess.com INT 2023}) 10... Kh8 11. Be2 e5 { White has a very passive position and as a result, black is in the process of developing a string initiative.} 12. dxe5 Ndxe5 13. Nxe5 (13. Nh2 {is not much better.} Bf5 14. Nb3 Ne7 {Better was 14...Rae8 with the advantage.} 15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Ng4 Bxg4 17. Bxg4 N7g6 18. Ne6 {is about equal. Bakalarz,L (2137) -Strzemiecki,Z (2333) Krakow POL 2009}) 13... Qxe5 14. f4 Rxf4 15. Nf3 Rxf3 { This is really the only good move, but with careful play whiter should be able to offer an adequate defense.} 16. Rxf3 Qh2+ {[%mdl 128]} 17. Kf2 Ne5 18. Bf4 { Returning the exchange is the best course of action.} (18. Re3 Be6 19. Qg1 Rf8+ 20. Bf3 Nxf3 21. Qxh2 Nxh2+ 22. Ke2 Bd7 {Black should eventually be victorious. }) 18... Bc5+ 19. Be3 (19. Ke1 Nxf3+ 20. Bxf3 Qxf4 {and black has won a piece.} ) 19... Nxf3 20. Bxc5 Nh4 (20... Ne5 {was just a bit better. After} 21. Qg1 Qf4+ 22. Ke1 Bf5 23. Qf2 Qe4 {Black is only very slightly better as white has no real attacking prospects.}) 21. Qxd5 {Thanks to black's last somewhat passive move thanks to his centralized Q and two Bs white has now achieved equality. Ervin's mext move is the best way of keeping his attack goind although white should be able to defend himself.} Bxh3 {[%mdl 32]} 22. Bf3 Nxf3 23. Qxf3 Be6 24. Qxb7 {[%mdl 8192] A fatal mistake. Black now activates his R the the threat of ...Bd5 attacking the Q and g-Oawn prove fatal.} (24. Re1 Bxa2 25. Qxb7 Rd8 26. Re4 Rd2+ (26... Bd5 {is met by} 27. Qxd5 {and black has lost a piece and with it the game.}) 27. Ke1 {Black is threatened with mate, so...} Rd8 28. Kf2 a5 29. Rd4 Rg8 {with complete equality.}) 24... Rd8 25. Bd4 (25. Rf1 Bd5 26. Qb5 Qxg2+ 27. Ke1 Bc4 28. Rf8+ Rxf8 29. Qxc4 Re8+ 30. Kd1 Qxb2 31. Bd4 Qb1+ 32. Kd2 Qe1+ 33. Kc2 Qe2+ {wins}) 25... Bd5 {The attack on g2 ends the game.} 26. Qxa7 Qxg2+ {It's mate in 5} 27. Ke3 Re8+ 28. Kf4 Re4+ {It's mate next move. Ervin's play was evaluated as "flawless" by the engines.} 0-1

Boris Baczynskyj

    Boris Baczynskyj (October 14, 1945 – January 16, 2008, 62 years old) was an FIDE Master, popular local chess instructor and journalist who was also once the editor of Chess Life magazine who died suddenly on Wednesday, January 16, 2008. 

    Baczynskyj was born in Vienna, Austria and was a long time resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his youth, Baczynskyj was a member of the Ukrainian Scouting Organization, Plast, and was a member of its Burlaky fraternity. He was active in Ukrainian-American chess life, belonging to the USCAK Chess Club and participated in Ukrainian-American tournaments, winning championships several times. 

    After graduating from high school he earn a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. After graduation from Yale he served with the Peace Corps in Thailand and later remained in Cambodia where he worked as a freelance journalist for UPI, Far Eastern Economic Review and other publications. 

    After Cambodia was overrun by the Khmer Rouge in April of 1975, Baczynskyj returned to the US and became a chess professional and popular instructor. 

    At one time he was the third ranked chess player in the US. He also served as an advisor for Fidelity International. the world's largest manufacturer of computer chess products. He co-authored Computer Chess II, a book describing advances in computer chess programming techniques with over one 150 games. He also wrote theoretical and instructional articles on chess and computer chess. 

    As a chess instructor, he taught especially young children in private and public schools. He also gave many simultaneous chess exhibitions in schools, shopping malls and public fairs. 

    During the early years of Ukrainian independence (starting in 1991) Baczynskyj worked as a journalist for a few years in Kyiv, Ukraine and his articles were published there. 

    After returning to to Philadelphia he continued teaching, writing, lecturing and promoting chess and was a member of the Franklin Mercantile Chess Club.

    Baczynskyj had a life-long desire to promote civil rights. During his college days, he participated in several protests supporting racial integration and was once even caught up in a mass arrest during a protest march in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

    He promoted the concept of equal rights for all by translating the song We Shall Overcome into Ukrainian and it became the theme song at the Scout's East Chatham Plast camp that summer. 

    His anti-Vietnam war convictions led him to organize a march on the American Embassy in Thailand to protest President Richard Nixon's secret bombing of Cambodia. 

    In the following game he scored a powerful win over Weinberger in the 1976 Lone Pine tournament. Tibor Weinberger was born in Hungary in 1932 and in the mid-1950s he played in five Hungarian championships. He came to the US in 1957 and eventually settled in California; he is a USCF Senior Mater. 

    The 7 round Swiss 1976 Lone Pine event (the 6th) had 57 players and was won by Tigran Petrosian with 5.5 points. There was a massive tie foe second a half point behind: Larry Christiansen, Vasily Smyslov, Oscar Panno, Miguel Najdorf, Miguel Quinteros, Anthony Miles, Kenneth Rogoff, Walter Browne and Gyozo Forintos. 

    Baczynskyj tied for places 42-47 with a +2 -4 =1 score. Weinberger finished tied for places 52-54 with +0 -4 =2. Neither player had a good result due to the fact that the rating requirements for this tournament had been lowered to a USCF rating of 2300 and so both players were among the lower rated.

 

[Event "Lone Pine"] [Site "Lone Pine, CA USA"] [Date "1976.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "Tibor Weinberger"] [Black "Boris Baczynskyj"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B30"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] {B30: Sicilian} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {This is the Rossolimo Variation which can also be played against 2...d6. Here white looks to take the N and double black's c-Pawns and then solidify his P-chain with d3 and then continue his development. It's a good alternative to the usual 3.d4} Nf6 4. Nc3 (4. Bxc6 {is the thematic move. After} dxc6 5. d3 (5. e5 Nd5) (5. d4 Nxe4) 5... Bg4 6. Nbd2 {with equal chances, but the pin is annoying.}) {White has tried both 5. d3 and 5.e5, but mostly the game is now in uncharted waters.} 4... Nd4 { This is rarely seen. Usual is either 4.Qc7 or 4...g6} 5. Bc4 (5. Nxd4 {favors black after} cxd4 6. Ne2 a6 7. Bc4 Nxe4 8. Nxd4 d5) 5... e6 6. e5 {A more solid move was 6.d3. After the text black gets an active position.} d5 7. exd6 Bxd6 8. d3 a6 9. a4 Bd7 10. Bg5 {This is a reasonable looking move, but it turns out poorly} (10. Nxd4 {eliminates the well placed N and it is quite satisfactory.} cxd4 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. dxe4 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 Qa5 {is eual and the game Padurariu,I (2188)-Levushkina,E (2327) Dresden 2007 was eventually drawn.} ) 10... Bc6 11. Ne4 Be7 12. Bxf6 (12. Nxd4 {is a better defense.} Qxd4 13. c3 Qd7 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Be3 {and black is only very slightly better}) 12... gxf6 {[%mdl 32] Well played! He avoids the simplification that takes place after 13. ..Bxf6} 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. c3 Qe5 15. O-O {There was really nothing better. White's position is very passive and now Baczynskyj launces a strong attack. Weinberger defends stoutly, but his position is probablt already strategically lost.} f5 16. Qh5 Qg7 17. Ng3 f4 18. Ne4 Rg8 {[%mdl 128] The attack is building up and there is not much white can do except wait and hope his defense will hold.} 19. g3 O-O-O {[%mdl 32]} 20. Rfe1 Kb8 21. b4 {It's understandable that white wants to try and counterattack, but this feeble attempt falls way short. Instead a defensive move like 12.Kf1 preparing to f; lee would have offered better chances of survival.} cxb4 22. Rab1 f5 23. Bxe6 fxe4 24. Bxg8 {Winning the exchange is meaningless because black's pieces are so well coordinated, but there was nothing better.} Rxg8 25. cxb4 e3 {Tearing the K's position apart.} 26. fxe3 fxg3 27. h3 Qc3 28. b5 axb5 29. axb5 Rg5 30. Qxh7 {This allows a mate in 9} (30. Qf7 Qc2 $1 31. Qf4+ Kc8 32. bxc6 Qh2+ 33. Kf1 g2+ 34. Ke2 g1=Q+ 35. Qxh2 Qxh2+ {wins}) (30. Qe2 $19 {is his best defense. } Bxb5 31. Red1 Qe5 32. Kg2 Qe6 33. e4 Bd7 34. Rh1 Rf5 35. Rbf1 Ra5 {White is strategically lost. Black scored 5 -0 in Shootouts. Here is an example of the play...} 36. Rc1 Bd6 37. Rc2 Ra3 38. Qe3 h6 39. h4 Be5 40. Rf1 Rc3 41. Rb2 Qh3+ 42. Kg1 Bd6 43. Rfb1 Bc6 44. Qd2 g2 45. Qxg2 Bc5+ 46. Rf2 Qxd3 47. Re1 Rc2 48. Ref1 Qxe4 49. Qxe4 Bxe4 50. Kh2 Bxf2 {with an easy win.}) 30... Qc2 $1 31. Qh8+ Kc7 32. Rb2 {32.b6 would have held out a couple of moves longer.} Qh2+ { [%mdl 512] White resigned} (32... Qh2+ 33. Rxh2 gxh2+ 34. Kf1 (34. Kxh2 Bd6+ 35. Qe5 Bxe5#) 34... h1=Q+ 35. Ke2 Rg2+ 36. Kd1 Bf3+ 37. Kc1 Qxe1#) 0-1

The Fish vs. the Dragon

    There is a lot of debate on engine use when it comes to studying and I am only offering these resources in case some readers are not aware of what’s available.

    Stockfish (currently version 16.1) is the world’s strongest engine. On the CCLR rating list an experimental version (Stockfish 20230613 64-bit 4CPU) is ranked first and Dragon by Komodo 3.3 64-bit 4CPU is third. 

    The current version of Dragon can be downloaded for $74.98, but you can download free older versions of Komodo and Dragon from the site HERE. 

    Late in 2020, Komodo Chess released Dragon, which was derived from Komoso and it featured the use of neural networks in its evaluation function. My limited understanding is that a neural network is a method that teaches computers to process data in a way that is inspired by the human brain. The claim is that Dragon plays in a more human-like style because it relies on learning what actually works in games rather than just on pre-assigned values for eval terms. Read more 

    The Komodo site also offers a free download of Komodo 14. Besides the “regular” version it has different “personalities": Active, Aggressive, Beginner, Defensive, Endgame, Human, Monte Carlo, and Positional. 

    I ran a 4 minute + 2 seconds per move match and Stockfish 16.1 defeated the free Dragon by Komodo by a score of +3 -0 =9. Using the same time limit Stockfish scored +3 -0 =0 in s short match agsinst the Human version of Komodo 14.

 

Pearsall Paralyzes Schlotz

    Chula Vista, which is located just south of San Diego in southern California, looks like a nice place to live. The weather forecast for this week is sunny and warm with highs in the low 80s. 

     It was home to Allen G. Pearsall (October 17, 1880 – January 1, 1948) who, at the time of his death in an automobile accident, was one of the oldest members of the Correspondence Chess League of America and the San Diego Chess Club. 

    The accident occurred at 9:00pm on New Year's day as he was returning home from an evening at the San Diego Chess Club. The cheerful and well liked Peasrsall had been the best player in the San Diego area for more than 15 years and he was nationally known as one of the leading correspondence players in the country. 

    He was known to have played a large number of games at one time; a report in a 1916 issue of the American Chess Bulletin reported that at the time he had, "only the small number of sixty-five in the various correspondence clubs with which he is connected." 

    Pearsall started playing chess at the age of ten and first stated correspondence play in 1910 in a tournament in which he finished second. At the time of the ACB article he had finished 175 games and won about 131 of them. 

    The article noted that he had recently issued a challenge to other players on the Pacific coast to play correspondence games, but nobody would accept the challenge. 

    His opponent in the following game was Dr. Moses Scholtz (1875-1942) who was born in Russia. He was the 1932 Los Angeles. According to chess historian Graham Clayton, Scholtz graduated from Moscow University in 1900. He was a clinical instructor in dermatology syphilogy at the University of Cincinnati. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Los Angeles Dermatological Society. The game ends with Schlotz completely out of useful moves.

 

[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "USA"] [Date "1936.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Allen G. Pearsall"] [Black "Moses Scholtz"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C45"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] [Source "American Chess B"] {C45: Scotch Game} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {By 1900 the Scotch had lost its popularity because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow black to equalize without difficulty. In modern times Garry Kasparov and Jan Timman used it as a surprise weapon. It's a solid and strategic opeing that might be a good choice for player who prefers slow-paced games.} exd4 { The books claim this is is the only reasonable move because the passive 3...d6 allows white to establish control of the center and gain a lot of space.} (3... d6 {Looking at some continuations with Stockfish and Komodo Dragen seem to indicate that blacks position is solid and white gets only a minimal advantage. For players below the GM level black's position is probably quite playable.} 4. d5 (4. Bb5 {is often played, but it does not lead to any advantage.} Bd7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 {is the main line, but black has a solid position and the results have been abour even between wins loses and draws.}) 4... Nce7 5. c4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 {White is slightly better and most players would probably play something like 7.Bd3, but both Stockfish and Komodo Dragon give white's best move as} 7. c5 Nf6 (7... dxc5 8. Be3 b6 9. h4 {followed by h5 with a promising position.}) 8. Bb5+ Nd7 9. cxd6 cxd6 10. Be3 {White is slightly better.}) 4. Nxd4 {Interesting is 4 Bc4!?, the Scotch Gambit in which white refrains from recapturing the P and even allows his opponent to protect it, in the interest of rapid development} Bc5 {The Classical Variation in which black develops a piece and prepares to castle. White's main choices are 5.Be3 and 5. Nxc6/} 5. Be3 (5. Nxc6 {is best met by} Qf6 {and white must either block his B with 6.Qd2 or play 6.Qf3 when black can, if he wishes, exchange Qs, but usually he doesnot and plays 6...bxc6}) 5... Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 {This is unusual. The B usually stops a square sooner and lands on c4.} Nxd4 {Black usually plays 7...O-O here although 7...Bb6 has often been played first, Black's move is also quite playable.} 8. cxd4 {This is preferable to playing 8. Bxd4 and exchanging Bs which only eases black's defense.} Bb6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Ba4 {Apparently the idea of this move is to prevent 10...d5. Also good was 10.Bc4} d6 {If black plays 10...d5 he ends up a P down with an isolated c-Pawn vs white's isolated d-Pawn. Theoretically the position would be equal, but practically it's a situation black wanted to avoid.} 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. O-O-O h6 { Black's position has no rea; weaknesses, but his somewhat passive play has resulted in white getting more play.} 13. e5 Qg6 14. g4 (14. exd6 {is quite strong.} Qxd6 {Somewhat better would bre 14...Nd5} 15. Bf4 Qg6 16. Rhe1 Be6 17. d5 {with a strong attack.}) 14... O-O-O (14... Bxg4 {Black can play this and survive, but he must play precisely so his avoidance of it was probably a good idea.} 15. Rdg1 Qh5 16. exd6 Nf5 17. Bf4 O-O-O {with complications that should favor black.}) 15. h3 d5 {This looks reasonable, but it allows white too much play.} (15... dxe5 {This, on the other hand, looks risky, bur white has onlt one good option!} 16. Bc2 {The only good move.} (16. dxe5 {loses.} Bxg4 17. Qc2 Bxe3+ 18. fxe3 Bxd1 19. Nxd1 Nd5 {Black is winning.}) 16... f5 {with head whirling complications.}) 16. Bc2 $18 Qe6 17. Na4 f5 (17... c5 {was a stronger defense.} 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Qc3 Kb8 20. Qxc5 Ka8 {White is better, but black can hope to defend himself.}) 18. Rhg1 {Here Pearson missed the strongest continuation.} (18. exf6 Qxf6 19. Nxb6+ axb6 20. Bf4 Ng6 21. Bg3 Rhf8 22. Bxg6 Qxg6 23. Qb4 {Black is in serious trouble.}) 18... g5 19. Qb4 f4 (19... c5 { is risky, but it was worth a try.} 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Qxc5+ Kb8 {with good defensive possibilities.}) 20. Bd2 Kc7 {He still should have tried 20...c5, but in any case his defense is difficult.} 21. Bc3 (21. Qd6+ {When on the attack one does not usually consider moves that allow the exchange of Qs, but here black can hardly make the trade} Kc8 (21... Qxd6 22. exd6+ Kxd6 23. Bb4+ { leaves white with a won game.} Ke6 (23... Kc7 24. Bxe7) 24. Rge1+ Kf6 25. Bxe7+ ) 22. Nxb6+ axb6 23. Qa3 Kb8 24. Bb4 {Black has no good continuation.}) 21... Nc8 {While white has no forced win, it's clear that black is being pushed back and he will soon run out of decent moves.} 22. Nc5 Qe7 (22... Bxc5 23. dxc5 Ne7 24. Bd4 Kb8 {What else"} 25. Rd3 Be8 26. Rb3 Rd7 27. Bd3 Bg6 28. Ba6 Nc8 29. a4 {Sooner or later black's defense will crack.}) 23. e6 Be8 24. a4 {[%mdl 32]} Kb8 25. a5 {White is clearly winning.} Bxc5 26. dxc5 Rf8 27. a6 b6 28. Rge1 b5 29. Qa5 {Facing a heavy material loss, black resigned.} (29. Qa5 Ka8 30. Be5 Qxc5 31. Qc7 Qb6 32. Qg7 {wins a piece.} Bg6 33. Bxg6 Rg8 34. Qh7 Qxa6 35. Bf6 {is hopeless for black.}) 1-0

Pushing the f-Pawn

    In 1957 I was learning to play chess, but there were more important things going on. President Dwight Eisenhower was sworn in for a second term. 

     That year the US slipped into a recession and inflation was rampant, but it had no effect on our family because my father held onto his job as a section foreman with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 

    Under executive orders from President Eisenhower, troops from the 101st Airborne Division were deployed to ensure that black children (the Little Rock Nine) were allowed to attend classes at the previously segregated Little Rock (Arkansas) Central High School. 

    In a war that was to affect me many years later, US Army Special Forces Captain Harry Cramer became America's first combat death in Vietnam. Between 1955 and 1975, there were 211,454 US casualties in Vietnam. All of then were in vain because on March 29, 1973, the last US military unit fled Vietnam in what was a complete debacle. 

    Leroy Burner, the US Surgeon General, issued a report on the evils of smoking that linked cigarettes and lung cancer. It was the year the words Asian flu, clip art, computerize, disco, doggie bag, fanny pack, happy camper, kooky, launchpad, loungewear, mainframe, opioid, RAM, refried beans, sin tax, Sputnik, and townhome all appeared in print for the first time. 

    Trolley service in both New York City and Kansas City ended. The Soviet Union inaugurated the Space Age by launching Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite. 

    In the year 1957, bubble wrap, Purina dog chow, Dream Whip, Formula 409 cleaner, Sweet’n Low, Tang (an orange drink mix), styrofoam coolers and Burger King’s Whopper all appeared on the market for the first time. 

    In the chess world on April 27, 1957, Vasily Smyslov defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become the world champion. 

     Correspondence GrandmasterHarald Malmgren (1904-1957) died in Uppsula, Sweden at the age of 52. Analyst Hans Haberditz (1901-1957) died in Vienna at the age of 56. Max Pavey (1918-1957) died of leukemia in New York at the age of 39. 

    At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology a chess program fo an IBM computer eass writtem It could execute 42,000 instructions per second. It did a 4-ply (2 moves) search in 8 minutes. 

    Nobel Prize winner in economics and leader in AI and cognitive psychologist Herbert Simon said that within 10 years a computer would be the world champion. It took 40 years (1997) before a computer (Deep Blue) could defeat a world champion (Kasparov).      

    Samuel Reshevsky played Donald Byrne in a match in New York. The match struck a snag in the first game. Reshevsky, who had failed to notice that Byrne’s flag had fallen, offered a draw which Byrne accepted and the result stood. In the second game Byrne’s flag fell again and guess what? Reshevsky did not notice it. Then Reshevsky's flag fell, but Byrne failed to notice it! 

    Reshvsky’s wife was sitting in the audience claimed the win for her husband! Byrne pointed out that only the player on the move could claim a time forfeit. Since it was now Byrne’s move, he claimed the win on time even though his flag was also down. 

    An appeals committee was organized to settle the dispute, but Byrne objected. The committee declared that the game was drawn and Byrne then walked out. He later returned and lost decisively by a score of 7-3. 

    Bobby Fischer played two games against former world champion Max Euwe at the Manhattan Chess Club in New York, drawing one and losing one. Euwe was paid $65 (a little over $600 today) and Fischer was paid $35 (not quite $400 today). 

    The 14-year old Fischer tied for 1st-2nd (scoring 10-12) with Arthur Bisguier at the 58th US Open in Cleveland, Ohio. He won on tie-break, making him the youngest US Open Champion ever. 

    The World Junior championship was held in Toronto and William Lombardy took 1st place with a perfect score. Finally, the first women's chess Olympiad was held in Emmen, Netherlands. It was no surprise that the USSR took first place.

 

 

    Ludek Pacjman won the Czech Championship and the theme of the following game for both sides is the advance of the f-Pawn. After the partial blockade of the Q-side it was clear that the K-side was going to be the main theater of battle. Both sides were striving for the advance of their f-Pawn, a tactical motif often seen in the K-Indian. 

[Event "Czech Championship, Prague"] [Site "?"] [Date "1957.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ludek Pachman"] [Black "Jiri Kopriva"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1957.??.??"] {E94: King's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O c6 8. Re1 {Black's main choices are now 8...Na6 and 8...Nbd7} Qe7 9. Bf1 {An odd looking move, but white anticipates the possibility of playing d4-d5 and ...cxd5 after which he will recapture cxd5 and black can then play ...Nc5 attacking the e-Pawn. So, white chooses to overprotect his e-Pawn now.} Bg4 10. d5 c5 {Not the best. Closing the center allows white to exploit the position of black's B on g4. 10...Nbd7 was good.} 11. h3 Bd7 12. a3 (12. g3 Ne8 13. a3 Na6 14. Ra2 Kh8 15. b3 f5 16. Bg2 Nac7 17. a4 {is equal. Nikolaidis,K (2354)-Banikas,H (2531) Patras 2001}) 12... a5 13. Bd2 Na6 14. Rb1 b6 15. g3 {After the partial blockade of the Q-side it's clear that the K-side will become the main theater of battle. Here both sides must strive to advance their f-Pawn. However, for black it is very difficult to force its advance.} h6 {Part of black's plan to play ..f5} 16. Nh4 Kh7 17. Kh2 Ng8 {Black has cleared to way for his f-Pawn, but as will be seen, he cannot yet play it. For his part, Pachman thought for him 18.f4 would be premature.} 18. Bd3 (18. f4 exf4 19. Bxf4 Be5 20. Nf3 f6 {White is better, but black's position is quite solid.} ) 18... f6 {With this move black makes it considerably easier for white to carry out the advance f4. Black's best try was to hunker down and play the N maneuver ...Nc7-e8-f3 and hope to defend.} (18... f5 {is tactically faulty.} 19. Nxg6 Kxg6 20. exf5+ Bxf5 21. Qg4+ Kh7 22. Bxf5+ Kh8 23. Qg6 {and white is winning.}) 19. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Qd8 {Played in order to avoid losing the exchange after 21.Ng6} 20. f5 g5 21. Ng6 Rf7 {Black is counting on being able to capture the N after ...Be8 and then moving the R, but in the meantime white opens up the h-file and gets a strong attack.} 22. h4 Be8 23. Rh1 Rb7 24. Kg2 ( 24. Qh5 {is playable, but it's not quite as effective. It also results in some complicated play where it might be easy to go wrongs.} Ne7 25. hxg5 Nxg6 26. Kg1 Nf4 27. g6+ Nxg6 28. fxg6+ Bxg6 29. Qh4 Qe7 30. Bxh6 Kg8 {Technically white is winning, but there is no forced win.}) 24... Bxg6 25. fxg6+ Kxg6 26. hxg5 fxg5 27. Be2 {[%mdl 32] A surprising move that blocks the Q's path to h5. The idea is that after the continuation in the game white's B comes into play and the position of the black K will become untenable in spite of the extra Pawn.} (27. Qh5+ {Pachman thought this was not playable, but it actually is slightly better that his 27.Be2...and a bit more complicated.} Kh7 28. Be2 { This has to be played anyway.} Bf6 29. Rbf1 Qe8 30. Qh3 Qg6 31. Bh5 Qg7 { White should win this, but he is going to have to bring the N into play with Nd1-e3 etc. and figure out a way to break through.}) 27... Kh7 28. Bg4 Nc7 { Now the other N rushes to the defense of the K, but thanks to the excellent coordination of all his pieces white has no difficulty in building up his attack on the open h-file.} 29. Bf5+ {Vindicating his 27th move.} Kh8 30. Qh5 Ne8 31. Rh2 (31. Bxg5 Nef6 32. Qh4 Qe7 33. Rbf1 Rf8 {Black has successfully defended his K and now white has to switch gears and find another way to win.}) 31... Bf6 32. Qg6 Rg7 33. Rxh6+ Nxh6 34. Qxh6+ Kg8 35. Be6+ {Just a reminder... white's 27th move was a good one!} Kf8 36. Rf1 {The pin decides matters immediately.} Raa7 (36... Ke7 {This attempt to flee runs into} 37. Rxf6 Qd7 38. Bxg5 Kd8 39. Bxd7 Kxd7 40. Rf8 Rd8 41. Rxe8 Rxe8 42. Qxg7+ Re7 43. Qxe7+ Kc8 44. Qa7 a4 45. Qxb6 Kd7 46. Qd8#) 37. Bxg5 Raf7 38. Nb5 {It would have been pointless to take the exchange because now black does not have a single reasonable move at his disposal.} (38. Bxf7 Kxf7 39. Bxf6 Nxf6 40. Nb5 { This has to be played anyway.} Rg6 41. Qh7+ Rg7 42. Qf5 Rg6 43. Qe6+ Kg7 44. Nxd6 Qc7 (44... Qd7 45. Qxd7+ Nxd7 46. Rf7+) 45. Rxf6 Rxf6 46. Ne8+) 38... Ke7 39. Rxf6 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned. Nearly flawless play by Pachman.} (39. Rxf6 Nxf6 40. Bxf6+ Rxf6 41. Qxg7+ Ke8 42. Nc7+) 1-0

Sherwin Slaughters Kramer

    The 1954-55 Lessing J. Rosenwald Tournament was the first of a series of strong year-end invitational tournaments sponsored in part by Lessing J. Rosenwald of Sears Roebuck Company. 

     One goal was to provide young US masters strong competition at home with the long-term aim of improving US performance in international events. The initial plan was to have the Rosenwald Trophy rotate each year until a player had won it three times. 

    The fourth Rosenwald tournament doubled as the US championship and ot was Bobby Fischer’s first entry into a US championship and also his first of his eight US championships. 

    In the 1954-55 event Reuben Fine was originally invited, but declined. Robert Byrne was also invited, but decided against playing because of his graduate studies. James Sherwin was selected as Byrne's replacement. 

 

    Samuel Reshevsky had dominated US championship tournaments from its inception in 1936 until Fischer took over in 1957. Reshevsky won every championship he entered with the exception of the 1951 event, which was won by Larry Evans.

    Evans won the Marshall Chess Club championship at age 15, played in his first US championship at age 16 and his first Olympiad at 18. 

    Arthur Bisguier won the US Championship in 1954. Donald Byrne won the 1953 US Open and would lose to Fischer in the Game of the Century in the third Rosenwald tournament in 1956. 

    James T. Sherwin was the New York State Champion in 1951 and won the US Speed Championship several times. He would go on to play in a number of US Championships. 

    George Kramer played in a number of US Championships and was a reserve for the US team at the 1950 Olympiad, winning an individual bronze medal. 

    In this event Reshevsky jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first half of the tournament with with a point and a half lead over Evans and Sherwin who were tied for second. Despite losing to Bisguier in round 8, Reshevsky was able to hold his lead and win the tournament as Evans was only able to gain a half point on him. Sherwin lost every game in the second half! Bisguier was able to finish third on the strength of an impressive +4 -0 =1 in the second half. 

    One of the more interesting games was Sherwin’s defeat of Kramer in the second round when Kramer played a variation with which he had scored many successes even though he knew that by the time this game was played it had been refuted. The wild game followed Kramer’s analysis up until move 14 when Sherwin punched a hole in the analysis and followed it up with a series of hard hitting blows. Time pressure resulted in some inaccurate play, but that only added to the excitement.

 

[Event "1954/55 Rosenwald, New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1954.12.20"] [Round "?"] [White "James T Sherwin"] [Black "George Kramer"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1954.12.19"] {D28: Queen's Gambit Accepted} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 9. Nc3 Qc7 {The main line is 9...Nbd7} 10. Rd1 Nc6 {Kramer is playing a variation which he had successfully used for many years, but which had been refuted when this game was played. Kramer was well aware of that and in this game he was attempting to rehabilitate the line. Kramer is playing a variation which he had successfully used for many years, but which had been refuted when this game was played. Kramer was well aware of that and in this gane he was attempting to rehabilitate the line.} 11. d5 { This sharp move leaves white with an advantage. Note that after 19....Nbd7 it would not have been possible.} exd5 12. e4 {Another sharp move. This one is the real key that refutes black's setup...his K is exposed.} d4 {Black is pretty much committed to playing this as 12...dxe4 is bad news.} (12... dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4+ Qe7 15. Qf4 {White's advantage is decisive.}) (12... O-O-O {is also dangerous because after is also dangerous vecause after} 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Nb4 15. Bf4 {white stands well.}) 13. Nd5 {Another excellent move.} (13. e5 {us inferior. It was played in Xiong,J (2672)-Zierk,S (2510) chess.com INT 2019 and black is now equal and in the game scored a quicj win.} O-O-O 14. exf6 dxc3 15. Bg5 c4 16. Bc2 cxb2 17. Rxd8+ Nxd8 18. Rd1 {White's advantage is decisive.}) 13... Qd8 14. Bf4 {The obvious threat is Nc7+ } Rc8 {So far this was Kramer's analysis and he thought the position was favorable for black. It's actually favors white as Sherwin demonstrates with several deft blows.} 15. a4 {Another fine move that weakens black's position on the Q-side and center.} bxa4 {This is black's best move. It's surprising that this position was to be reached many years later.} (15... c4 {was played in Drozdovskij,Y (2624)-Ivanov,J (2422) Balaguer ESP 2010 which continued...} 16. axb5 d3 17. bxc6 dxe2 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. cxb7 exd1=Q+ 20. Rxd1 Qc6 21. Ba4 {Black resigned. He is facing mate in 9 moves:} Ke7 22. Bxc6 Rb8 23. Bxb8 Kf6 24. Be5+ Kg6 25. b8=Q h5 26. Nh4+ Kh7 27. Qe8 Bc5 28. Qxf7 Bxf2+ 29. Kf1 Bxh4 30. Qxg7#) 16. Rxa4 Be7 17. Ng5 {[%mdl 2048] White is coming at his opponent from every which way!} O-O {With his next move Sherwin demonstrates the whole point of his tactics. With his next move Sherwin demonstrates the whole point of his tactics.} (17... Nxd5 {was no better than the text.} 18. exd5 Nb4 19. d6 {and white is clearly winning.}) 18. Nxf6+ {After this white has a decisive advantage, but time presssure results in some inaccurate play by both sides.} Bxf6 19. Nxh7 {Threatens to win with Qh5.} (19. Qh5 {allows black to save himself.} Bxg5 20. Qxg5 Nb4 {and it's actually black who now stands a bit better.}) 19... g6 {Prevents Qh5.} (19... Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Rd3 {This R-luft gives white a winning attack.}) 20. Nxf8 Qxf8 21. Qg4 Ne7 22. Bd6 Rc6 23. e5 Qc8 24. Qg3 {White is still winning after this, but he missed the knockout punch.} (24. Qxc8+ Rxc8 25. exf6 Nf5 26. Bf4 {White is a R up with an easy win; without Qs on black has no play.}) 24... c4 25. exf6 Nf5 26. Qh3 { After his excellent play to this point SHerwin makes a slip that should have allowed Kramer to equalize.} (26. Qf4 {had to be played. Then after} cxb3 ( 26... Nxd6 27. Bxc4 Nxc4 28. b3 {White has a decisive advantage.}) 27. Be5 Rc2 28. Raxd4 (28. Bxd4 Qc6 29. f3 Qxa4 30. Qb8+ Rc8 31. Qxb7 {Black wins}) 28... Nxd4 29. Bxd4 Qc6 30. f3 {White's advantage should prove decisive.}) 26... cxb3 {Missing the opportunity to equalize.} (26... Nxd6 27. Qxc8+ Bxc8 28. Rc1 Be6 { with complete equality.}) 27. Bf4 Rc2 28. Ra5 {Not the strongest, but not the worst either!} (28. Qxb3 {loses to} Qc6 29. f3 Rxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Ne3+ 31. Bxe3 Qxf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg2#) (28. Rb4 {keeps the win in hand.} Rxb2 29. Re1 Qe6 { a nifty trap.} 30. Kf1 (30. Rxe6 Rb1+ 31. Bc1 Rxc1+ 32. Re1 Rxe1#) 30... Ne3+ 31. Bxe3 Qxh3 32. gxh3 dxe3 33. Rxb7 {In spite of the P situation white's extra R should win.}) 28... Qe6 {[%mdl 8192]} (28... Re2 {was much better. Then after} 29. Qxb3 Qc6 30. Qh3 (30. f3 Rxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Ne3+ 32. Kg1 Qxf3 33. Rg5 Qh1+ 34. Kf2 Qf3+ {draws.}) 30... Qxf6 {White's advantage is not nearly so great as before.}) 29. Re5 Qc8 30. Rde1 Bc6 {Inhibits Re8+.} 31. Qxb3 Bb5 32. Qh3 d3 33. Rd5 {Again missing the strongest move, but in time pressure the winning line would be impossible to calculate.} (33. g4 {drives the defending N away and after} Nd6 34. Qh6 Qf8 35. Qxf8+ Kxf8 36. Rxb5 {This is a hard move to see abd calculate.} Nxb5 37. Bh6+ Kg8 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. Bg7 {black cannot prevent Rh8#}) 33... Rxb2 (33... Re2 {offered much stouter resistance.} 34. Rf1 (34. Rd1 Qe8 {and the chances are equal.}) 34... Bc4 35. Re5 Rxe5 36. Bxe5 d2 { and white has but ine move that keeps the advantage and at the same time avoids defeat!} 37. Qc3 Nh4 38. Qxd2 (38. Rd1 Qg4 {wins}) 38... Bxf1 39. Kxf1 Qc4+ 40. Qe2 Qc1+ 41. Qe1 Qc4+ 42. Kg1 {and at least black can olay in.}) 34. g4 {[%mdl 32] Now things are back on track for white.} Bc4 35. Rde5 Bb5 { Prevents Re8+.} 36. gxf5 d2 37. Bxd2 {White has a mate in 7 at the most.} Rxd2 38. Qh6 Qf8 39. Qxd2 {Black resigned. A wild game!} 1-0

Warner Whips Fischer

    The 1955 U. S. Junior Championship in Lin co l n, Nebraska drew 25 players and was won by Charles Kalme with a 9-1 score. Second was Larry Remlinger and Henry Gross, who handed Kalme his only defeat, finished third. Tied for places 11-21 and finishing in 20th place on tiebreaks was Robert Fischer who scored +2 -2 =6. 

    Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) was bom in Chicago and learned the chess moves early in 1949 from his sister, Joan, who was 11-years old. She often bought different games at a local candy store to keep Bobby amused. For the next year or so he occasionally played against the boys in the neighborhood whom he had taught the game. 

    By 1950, the family was living in Brooklyn, New York and in November his mother sent a postcard to the chess columnist of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Hermann Helms, asking if he knew any boys Bobby's age that he could play chess with. Helms suggested Bobby go to a chess exhibition held on January 17, 1951, where he played in a simultaneous exhibition given by Max Pavey. 

    Bobby lost quickly, but Carmine Nigro, President of the Brooklyn Chess Club was watching and invited him to join the club. The rest is history. 

    Although Fischer started his tournament career in 1953, his earliest known games games only date back to the summer of 1955 when he played in the U.S. Junior Open in Lincoln. Few games from that event are extant and it seems that Chess Review gave it no coverage while the coverage in Chess Life was more about the local organizers than the players. 

    In the following game, Fischer got defeated by Kenneth Warner, who also finished with a 5-5 score and took 12th place on tiebreaks. The 17-year old Warner has slipped through the cracks of chess history. All that is known of him is that he was the Bakersfield, California High School champion in 1954 and 1955. He tied for 36th-38th place in the 1954 U.S. Junior championship in Long Beach, California. And, he won the Fresno, California Junior Championship in 1955.

    During the event some of the players, including Fischer, were staying at the homce of one of the organizers, Alexander Liepnieks and Fischer was on the receiving end of taunts by a couple of the other players. You can read an excellent account in the Nebraska State Chess Archives HERE. The article also has some rare photos

.

[Event "US Junior Open, Lincoln, Nebraska"] [Site "Lincoln, NE USA"] [Date "1955.07.15"] [Round "1"] [White "Robert Fischer"] [Black "Kenneth Warner"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B58"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "1955.??.??"] {B76: Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. f3 O-O 9. Qd2 a6 {The best way for black to equalize here is with the sharp 9...d5} 10. O-O-O Qa5 (10... d5 {is still the best move.} 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Qc7 { Here, too, white is better, but Korchagina,V (2176)-Solovjov,S (2419) St Petersburg 2008 ended in a draw.}) 11. Kb1 {This safety precaution covering the a-Pawn is better than the immediate 11/g4} Rd8 12. g4 (12. Bc4 {was a good option. Then after} Nxd4 13. Bxd4 b5 14. Qe3 {Threatening Bb6} Rb8 15. Bb3 { white stands slightly better.}) 12... Nxd4 {A good nove. Black wants to place his B on the more active square e6.} 13. Bxd4 Be6 $1 14. Qe3 Nd7 {This prevents 15.Bb6, but a better way of neutralizing the threat.} (14... Rdc8 { This sets a trap.} 15. Bb6 Rxc3 {Watch this...} 16. bxc3 Nxg4 {Threatening ... Qxa2#} 17. Bxa5 Nxe3 18. Rde1 Rc8 {with the advantage.}) (14... Rdc8 15. g5 { This is the best reply. Now after} Nh5 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rc5 {The chances are equal.}) 15. f4 {[%mdl 32] White's chances on the K-side are more promising than black’s on the Q-side.} Bxd4 {15....Rdc8 was still a promising alternative.} 16. Qxd4 {aiming for f5.} Nf6 {This move is a poor one that should have resulted in Fischer gsaing a decisive advantage.} (16... f6 {This unlikely looking move had to be played, but white still comes out on top.} 17. Bc4 {Much stringer than 17.f5} (17. f5 Bf7 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 { White is clearly better.}) 17... Bf7 18. Bxf7+ Kxf7 19. h4 Rdc8 20. h5 { and white should win.}) 17. f5 Bd7 18. h4 {White is still better after this, but 18.g5 was even better.} (18. g5 Ne8 19. Nd5 {and there is no way to defend e7.}) 18... Bb5 19. Bf3 {It was still preferable to play 19.g5} Rac8 20. Nxb5 { The following moves involve some imprecise play by both sides, but it must be remembered that at the time both players were non-Masters so it's hard to be too critical. Also, some of the moves required a Stockfish level of abilty to go deep into the position to find the best moves.} axb5 {Black is unaware of any danger and plays to open the a-file for an attack, but a better plan would have been 20...Qxb5 and then ...Qc5 hoping to exchange Qs} 21. h5 {This is the wrong P push and it allows black right back into the game. However, after Stockfish's top choice of 21.g5 which lead to an eventual win, the position gets very complicated and precise play would be required.} Rc4 22. Qe3 Ra8 23. a3 {Black should now play 23...b4 and the chances would then be equal. Instead, his next move gives Fischer a chance to regain the advantage.} Qa4 24. c3 (24. Qc1 {Fischer could hardly be faulted for not seeing this unlikely retreat!} gxf5 25. exf5 h6 26. Rhg1 {and black's position is quite precarious.}) 24... Nxe4 {[%mdl 8192] Obvious...and bad.} (24... Qb3 {keeps the upper hand.} 25. Rd4 Rxa3 26. Rxc4 bxc4 27. hxg6 Qa2+ 28. Kc2 Qb3+ 29. Kb1 Ra2 30. Qe2 Qa4 31. Kc1 {with a slight advantage.}) 25. Bxe4 {He should have played 25.Rc1 when the threat of hxg6 would lead to a winnning position.} Rxe4 26. Qh6 (26. Qd2 { stays on course, but that's hard to see!} Rxg4 27. hxg6 Qe4+ 28. Ka1 Qxf5 29. gxh7+ Kh8 30. Rhf1 Qg5 31. Rxf7 {is equal.}) 26... Re2 27. Rd2 {[%mdl 8192] This was no doubt played to prevent ...Qc2+, but it's a losing blunder.} (27. Qc1 {is the only good defense.} Qe4+ 28. Ka1 b4 {and white can hang on with} 29. hxg6 bxa3 30. gxf7+ Kxf7 31. b4 {Black has a slight advantage, but probably not enough to win.}) 27... Rxd2 28. Qxd2 Qe4+ {White resigned because the R is lost.} 0-1

The Goldsmith Defense, an Opening Secret

    Many lower rated players concentrate their study on openings, but the late National Master James Schroeder advised against studying openings until you are at least an Expert (2000-2199). 

    He also advised not to use opening encyclopedias; they are nothing more than selective data. These days databases have taken over books, but the idea is the same. 

    According to Schroeder, only after you become completely knowledgeable of how to checkmate and thoroughly understand the endgame and have played through at least a thousand master games are you are ready to study the openings. 

    Openings based on cheap traps are appealing, but you are wasting your time because if you cannot refute a bad move over the board you will never be a good player, said Schroeder. 

    The late Senior Master Kenneth Smith gave the same advice. He emphasized tactics, making the point that tactics will overcome a bad opening, a poor middlegame and lack of endgame knowledge. Smith's advice was similar to Schroeder's: only when you reach Expert can you stop devouring everything on tactics. 

     The following Blitz game is proof of their advice. I played the horrible 1...h5 and won against a player that appears to have been of at least average (say 1600) strength. It just emphasizes the point that for we non-Masters openings don't matter. 

    The Goldsmith Defense (1...h4) is a weak response to whatever first move white plays. It’s a rather useless move that does nothing to control the center and it does not aid in development. It also seriously weakens the K-side. Also. bringing the R into play via h6 is pointless and weakening. 

 

[Event "Chess Hotel"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Guest"] [Black "Tartajubow"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] {Goldsmith Defense} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} h5 {This is the dubious Golsmith Defense. } 2. Bc4 Rh6 {Let's call this the Tartajubow Variation.} (2... d6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. O-O {White has no more than hig usual opening advantahe here.} g5 7. d3 Nd7 8. Qg3 Bh6 9. f4 h4 10. Qf2 Rh7 11. fxg5 Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Qxg5 13. Nc3 a6 14. d4 Rg7 15. Ne2 Ne7 16. Nf4 Ng6 {Now, after 17.Nxg6 the game would be even. Instead white makes an unsound sacrifice.} 17. Nxe6 {Black has a decisive advantage. Horina,M-Srebro,M Bjelovar 2008}) 3. d4 Rf6 {Giving up a P, but there is more to come.} 4. Qxh5 Rxf2 {This is a losing move, but it sometimes gains psychological and time advantages, especially in blitz games where white often uses extra time looking for an immediate win.} 5. Kxf2 e6 6. e5 {My first thought was that this is a waste of time and he should have played a developing move. But...surprise! It's Stockfish's top choice.} d5 7. Bb5+ {[%mdl 32] Better was 7.Bd3} c6 8. Ba4 {Not really bad, but d3 was still a better square for the B.} b5 9. Bb3 a5 10. c3 c5 {Hoping to open up a file on the Q-side.} 11. Bg5 {A better plan might have been Nh3-g5, but after this white still has what should amount to a winning advantage.} Qb6 12. Nf3 Nc6 13. Rd1 {White has successfully defended the attack on d4 and there is little that black can do now, but a move must be made, so...} Bb7 14. Qh8 {After this white is still winning,m but the engine found a clever continuation.} ({ A surprising move.} 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. e6 {The K will escape the clutches of white's pieces, but black will still be a R down with nothing to show for it.} Nh6 16. Bxh6 O-O-O (16... gxh6 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Qd7#) 17. Bf4 fxe6) 14... cxd4 15. cxd4 (15. Qxg8 {also works.} dxc3+ 16. Be3 Qxe3+ 17. Kxe3 cxb2 18. Nc3 bxa1=Q 19. Rxa1 {White is a Q ahead.}) 15... Nge7 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Nc3 a4 18. Bc2 a3 19. b3 Rc8 {White can ignore this attack on his N and win in a couyple of ways, but with little time to think he played a natural move defending the attacked N and B. That said, inbly an engine can calculate the alternatives quickly and accurately, so white is not to be faulted for playing 20.Rd3} 20. Rd3 (20. Ng5 Rxc3 21. Bh7 Qd8 22. h4 Nc6 23. Bg8 Ke7 24. Kg1 Qb6 25. Qh5 Nd8 26. Bxf7 Kd7 27. Qh8 Bb4 28. Qe8+ Kc7 29. Nxe6+ Nxe6 30. Bxe6) (20. Bh7 Rxc3 21. Ng5 Qd8 22. h4 Nc6 23. Bg8 Kd7 24. Bxf7 Be7 25. Bxe6+ Kc7 26. Qxd8+ Nxd8 27. Bf5 Kb6 28. Rac1 b4 29. Nf3 Nc6 30. g4 Ka5 31. h5 Bf8 32. e6 {White is winning.}) 20... b4 {Black regains a piece.} 21. Na4 {This move puts the N out of play and must be considered a blunder because now black equalizes. 21.Rad1 keeps the advantage.} Rxc2+ 22. Ke3 {[%mdl 8192] White probably thought the K was safe here plus on e3 it defends the d-Pawn, but now it's white who is lost. Correct was 22.Kg1 after which the chances would have been equal.} Nf5+ 23. Kf4 {Suddenly white's K has become fatally exposed.} Qb5 24. Rad1 Rxa2 {This is mot nearly as good as 24...Rxg2, but only an engine can thread its way through the complications. White now started using precious time trying to get out of his jam.} 25. Nc5 Rxg2 26. Qh3 Rb2 27. Nxb7 Qxb7 28. Qf1 g6 {Brings the B into play.} 29. Rb1 Bh6+ 30. Ng5 Bxg5+ 31. Kxg5 Qe7+ 32. Kf4 Qh4+ 33. Kf3 {White resigned before black could play 33...Qe4#} 0-1

Q Sac by Falkbeer

    Ernst K. Falkbeer (June 27, 1819 – December 14, 1885) was an Austrian master and journalist. He was born in Brunn in the Austrian Empire; today known as Brno and it’s in the in the Czech Republic. He moved to Vienna to study law, but ended up becoming a journalist. During the European Revolutions of 1848, he fled Vienna for Germany. 

    In 1853, Falkbeer was allowed to return to Vienna. Two years later, in January 1855, he started the first Austrian chess magazine, Wiener Schachzeitung, which lasted only a few months. 

    He went to London where he played two matches against Henry Bird. Falkbeer lost the 1856 match (+1 −2), but won the 1856/7 match (+5 −4 =4). At the Birmingham 1858 knockout tournament he beat Saint-Amant in round two, but lost in the round four final to Johann Lowenthal to finish second. Falkbeer edited a chess column for The Sunday Times from April 1857 to November 1859. He resided in England for about 34 years before returning to Vienna in 1864, later writing a chess column in Neue Illustrierte Zeitung from 1877 to 1885. 

    He died in Vienna on December 14, 1885. Falkbeer is more famous for his contributions to chess theory than for his play. He introduced the Falkbeer Countergambit in the King's Gambit Declined. Siegbert Tarrasch believed that it refuted the King's Gambit. 

    Falkbeer played very rapidly and had an original daring and imaginative. He could play sound chess when he liked, but he delighted in fireworks and liked the admiration of spectators. Here’s a Falkbeer game featuring a nice finish with a Queen sacrifice. It was played in the London 1855 knockout tournament.

[Event "London"] [Site "London"] [Date "1855.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ernst Falkbeer"] [Black "Robert Brien"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1855.??.??"] {C01: French: Exchange Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 {With this exchange the position becomes simpler. If white wants to create winning chances he will often play c2–c4 at some stage. Black can give white an isolated d-Pawn, but in doing so he gives white attacking chances and in exchange black gets the better endgame prospects.} exd5 4. Be3 Bd6 5. c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. h3 c6 9. Nf3 Nbd7 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 Nfd5 12. Ne4 f5 {Black will soon regret having played this weakening move. Instead 12...Re8 keeps things even.} 13. Nxd6 Qxd6 14. Re1 Bd7 15. Ne5 f4 16. Bd2 Kh8 {The advance of the f-Pawn has not lead to anything and black is already finding it difficult to come up with a reasonable plan.} 17. Qh5 {Hoping for Nf7+.} Be8 18. Qf3 Qd8 19. Re4 Qh4 20. g4 g5 21. Kg2 Kg7 22. Rae1 {Instead of black, it's white who is attacking on the K-side and with this move he has set a nifty trap.} Nf6 {Instead of this black should have played 22...a5 although even then he still has a miverable position. The text is suppoded to drives back the R.} 23. Bb4 {But it doesn't drive it back; instead activates white;s B.} Rh8 (23... Nxe4 24. Bxf8+ Kxf8 25. Qxe4 {leaves black quite lost.} Qh6 26. Nd7+ Kg7 27. Qe5+ {mate next move.}) (23... Nbd5 24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Bxf8+ Kxf8 26. Qa3+ Kg8 27. Nf3 {and white is winning.}) 24. Nd3 Nxe4 {There was nothing better.} 25. Qxe4 Bg6 26. Qe7+ Kh6 27. Nxf4 {[%mdl 512]} Rae8 {White now has a pretty finish.} 28. Nxg6 hxg6 (28... Rxe7 $18 29. Nxh8 Kg7 (29... Rxe1 30. Bf8# ) 30. Rxe7+ Kxh8 31. Re8+ Kg7 32. Bf8+ Kg6 (32... Kf6 33. Be7+ Kg6 34. Rg8+ Kh6 35. Bf8#) 33. Be7 Qh6 34. Rg8+ Qg7 35. Rxg7+ Kxg7 {and white wins.}) 29. Qxe8 { This wins in a grandiose fashion, but there was a forced mate.} (29. Qf7 Nd5 30. Bxd5 Reg8 31. Re6 c5 32. Be4 Qh5 33. gxh5 Kxh5 34. Bxg6+ Rxg6 35. Qxg6+ Kh4 36. Re4+ g4 37. Qxg4#) 29... Rxe8 30. Rxe8 Kh7 31. Bd6 {Black resigned. Stockfish is indicating a mate in 29 moves.} (31. Bd6 Qh6 (31... Nd5 32. Bxd5 cxd5 33. Be5 {mates with Rh8}) 32. Be5 Qg7 33. Bxg7 {etc.}) 1-0

Sylvan Beach 1904

    The chances are that you’ve never heard of Sylvan Beach, New York. It’s a very small village in the central part of the state. In the 2010 census, the population was 897. 

    The village is home to a mile long beach, a bandstand, a wide variety of restaurants and shops, a casino, hotel-style villas for rent, an amusement park, camping facilities and marinas that are all situated on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake. 

    The village attracts many boaters and fishing enthusiasts. The summer is best time for visitors with many different events going on and many places to eat. 

    The village also hosted a chess tournament in 1904 in which the the star participant was Frank Marshall. 

    The other participants are pretty much unknown. Kenneth S. Howard (1882 – 1972, 90 years old) was a chess problem composer who wrote several books about chess composition. 

    Otto Roething (1865 – 1915, 49 years old) was born in Germany and died in New York. He was the 1903 New York State champion and 1909 Manhattan Chess Club champion. And, that’s about all that is known about him. 

    No information seems to be available on the tailender Rudolph J. Guckemus (1874 – 1935, 60 years old) except that he was from Utica, New York. 

    In the late 1800s and early 1900s the New York State Chess Association held two major tournaments, the State Championship and a summer Congress at some resort city. In August of 1904, Sylvan Beach was the site of summer Congress. There were two main events, a general tournament and a major event for the Rice Trophy, sponsored by chess benefactor Professor Isaac L. Rice. 

 

[Event "Sylvan Beach, New York"] [Site "Sylvan Beach, NY USA"] [Date "1904.??.??"] [Round "5"] [White "Kenneth S. Howard"] [Black "Frank Marshall"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1904.08.16"] {[%evp 9,58,-100,-98,-92,-92,-95,-91,-114,-98,-140,-136,-200,-197,-198,-194, -194,-195,-293,-296,-276,-288,-291,-291,-297,-291,-321,-323,-322,-317,-395, -400,-394,-384,-441,-422,-467,-398,-413,-414,-512,-507,-833,-794,-813,-827, -29998,-567,-615,-550,-29994,-29995] Uruson Gambit} 1. e4 ({Here is a Marshall miniature to enjoy.} 1. e3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. b3 d4 5. Bb2 Nc6 6. d3 e5 7. Na3 f5 8. Qc2 Nf6 9. Rd1 e4 10. Ng1 a6 11. Ne2 Nb4 12. Qb1 Nxd3+ 13. Rxd3 exd3 14. Qxd3 Ne4 15. exd4 cxd4 {Rudolph J, Guckemus-Frank Marshall Sylvan Beach, NY 1904. White resigned because if...} 16. Qxd4 Bb4+ 17. Kd1 Nxf2+) 1... e5 {The Bishop's Opening is one of the oldest openings to be analyzed. In the 1950s Weaver Adams in his White to Play and Win claimed that it wins. When he couldn’t prove it he abandoned it in favor of the Vienna Game. In recent times Bent Larson was one of the few GMs to play it often, after first using it at the 1964 Interzonal. It’s also been used on occasion by Kasparov and Leko.} 2. Bc4 Nf6 {The Berlin Defense; it is probably black's best reply. This is the Urusov Gambit} 3. d4 {The main lines are either 3.d3 or 3.Nc3. The text transposes into the Urusov Gambit, a great way to get a strongt attacking position and it's easy for black to go wrong. However, it was probably the wrong choice to play against a tactical genius like Marshall.} exd4 4. e5 { Mote the best. 4.Nf3 is the main line.} d5 5. Qxd4 dxc4 6. Qxd8+ {This may have been the reason white chose this line thinking that the exchange of Qs keeps the position simpler. However, black ends up with a significant advantage.} Kxd8 7. exf6 gxf6 {[%mdl 32] Black is a P to the good and white doesn't have anything to show for it except he has weakened black's K-sidem but the weakness is pretty much insignificant.} 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Be3 {Why not 8. Bf4 which at least keeps an eye on c7?} Bf5 10. c3 Ne5 11. Nxe5 {This straightend out black's Ps, but there really was nothing better. White's position is already very difficult.} (11. Nd4 Be4 12. f3 Nd3+ {with an excellent position.}) 11... fxe5 12. Nd2 Bd3 13. Bg5+ Kd7 14. O-O-O Bd6 15. g3 Rhg8 16. Be3 Rae8 17. f3 f5 {There's a bit of a discrepancy here. Ome dtatbases give black's move as 17...f6, but it does not have any effect on the further course game as the remaining moves are identical. I give this move because it is the engine's top choice.} 18. Rde1 b5 {[%mdl 32]} 19. Nb1 (19. Bxa7 {opens the a-file which black can use ti further his attack.} Ra8 20. Be3 Rxa2 21. Nb1 Ra1 22. Kd2 Rga8) 19... a5 20. Rhg1 {White is completely helpless and can only aimlessly shift pieces.} b4 21. Bd2 Rb8 22. Rg2 c5 23. Rf2 a4 24. Rg2 a3 25. Rf2 (25. bxa3 bxa3 26. Nxa3 {is met by} Ra8 27. Nb1 Rxa2 28. Kd1 Rb8 {and white loses his N.}) 25... axb2+ 26. Kxb2 bxc3+ 27. Kxc3 Bxb1 28. Bc1 Bd3 29. Bb2 Bc7 {White resigned.} (29... Bc7 30. Ba3 Ba5+ 31. Bb4 Rxb4 32. Kd2 Rb1+ 33. Ke3 Rxe1+ 34. Re2 Rxe2#) 0-1