Abbazia 1912

    Abbazia is the old name for Opatija, a Croatian coastal town on the Adriatic Sea that is a fashionable resort. In 1912, the Austrian player Georg Marco conceived the idea for a tournament there in which the King’s Gambit was mandatory. As could be expected, the play was lively and the great tactical genius Rudolf Spielmann won it by a healthy margin. 

    Unfortunately, at the time the tournament was played only Spielmann, Oldrich Duras, Erich Cohn and Paul Leonhardt were regarded as masters so no tournament book was published and many of the games were lost to history. 

    Here is just one of the many exciting games played in the tournament. It’s riddled with errors, but it’s complicated so the players are not to be criticized. 

 

 

    Not much information is available on the Hungarian player Jeno Szekely (1886-1946, 60 years old, but in 1915 the German chess magazine Wiener Schachzeitung reported that he was severely wounded, being shot in both legs and remained for hours in the cold before he was found. As a result, one leg had to be amputated below the knee as well as one foot. Although not well known Szekely was a strong player. Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2646 in 1913, ranking him #14 in the world. 

    Gusraf Nyholm (1880-1957, 77 years old) was born in Stockholm. He was the Nordic Champion in 1917 and Swedish Champion in 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1923. Chess metrics assigns him a highest ever rating of 2510 in 1920, eanking him #20 in the world. 

 

[Event "Abbazia"] [Site ""] [Date "1912.01.15"] [Round "1"] [White "Jeno Szekely"] [Black "Gustaf Nyholm"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C33"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "1"] [EventDate "1912.01.15"] {C33: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. d4 (1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 {This is the main alternative to 3.Nf3} (3. Nf3 d5 {This is the Modern Defense, but it was originally known as the known as the Abbazia Defense. It is flexible and mat transpose into the Falkbeer Countergambit. Black's idea is to obtain piece play and fight for the initiative rather than keeping the extra Pawn.} 4. exd5 {This is the most common.} Nf6 5. Bc4 Nxd5 {etc.}) 3... d5 4. Bxd5 {Capturing with the e-Pawn has proven much less effective.} Qh4+ {The other option is 4...Nf6 which is more popular, but statiscticallt no better.} 5. Kf1 Bd6 6. d4 Ne7 7. Nc3 {White would be better advised to retreat the B to b3 or play 7.Nf3 first.} f6 {Evidently black wants to discourage white from playing e5, but securing the twi Bs was more thematic.} 8. Nf3 Qh5 9. Bc4 c6 {This inhibits Nb5.} (9... Nbc6 10. Nb5 g5 11. c3 Ng6 12. Qb3 g4 13. Nxd6+ cxd6 {A tense position with equal chances. Maahs,E (2360)-Nogly,C (2250) Hamburg 1991}) 10. Ne2 g5 {[%mdl 32] Black is building up a dangerous K-side attack and white's best option is now the counterintuitive 11.h4} 11. e5 (11. h4 Rf8 (11... g4 {Oddly. this logocal looking move is not nearly as good as it looks.} 12. Ne1 f3 13. gxf3 gxf3 14. Nf4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 {and black has no attack. The f-Pawns are weak and white controls the center.}) 12. Qd3 Ng6 13. Qb3 {A complicated position in which the chances are equal.}) 11... fxe5 12. dxe5 Bc7 13. e6 {This P appears to have a severe cramping effect on black's position, but it is black who can claim a clear advantage because white's pieces are poorly posted and lack mobility.} g4 14. Nfd4 Rf8 15. Qd3 f3 16. Nc3 Bg3 {[%mdl 8192] After this white could have gotten the advantage. Stockfish discovered sa clrever line that is even stronger because it gets the other R into play. It's not a line that a human is likely to consider though.} (16... Nd7 17. exd7+ Bxd7 18. Ne4 O-O-O 19. Bg5 Ng6 {Anazing! The R cannot be taken.} 20. g3 (20. Bxd8 fxg2+ 21. Kxg2 Nf4+) 20... Rde8 {and black is winning.}) 17. Be3 (17. Ne4 {Centralizes his pieces and after} fxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Be5 19. Bg5 {White's huge kead in development and the fact that black's K is precariously placed in the center translates to a winning position for white.}) 17... Nd5 {[%mdl 8192] This is a serious error. Driving white's pieces back with either 17...b5 or 17...f5 or even 17...fxg6+ followed by ...Be5 keeps things even.} 18. Nxd5 cxd5 19. Bb5+ Ke7 {Marginally better was interposing the N, either on c6 or d7.} (19... Nc6 {is a better chance.} 20. Nxc6 Bxe6 21. Ne5+ Ke7 22. Bc5+ Kd8 23. Bxf8 Bxe5) 20. Rd1 (20. Bg5+ {wraps up the game.} Kd6 (20... Qxg5 21. hxg3 h5 22. Qa3+ Kd8 23. Qd6+ {wins}) 21. Qa3+ Kc7 22. Qxf8 {and wins}) 20... a6 {Black is out of good moves.} 21. Ba4 (21. Bg5+ {was even stronger.} Qxg5 22. hxg3 axb5 23. Rxh7+ Kf6 24. Qc3 Kg6 25. e7 Re8 26. Nxf3 gxf3 27. Qg7+ Kf5 28. Rxd5+ {maye next move.}) 21... b5 22. Bb3 Bb7 23. Kg1 {There was no time for this...white must keep up the pressure on black's K.} (23. h4 {Threatening Bg5+} gxh3 24. Rxh3 fxg2+ 25. Kxg2 {Black has only one good way to meet the attack on h7 and that is by} Bh4 26. Kh1 {opening the file fot Rg1 and white is winning.}) 23... Bf4 {Prevents Bg5+.} (23... fxg2 {was even better.} 24. Kxg2 Be5 {Both Ks are exposed and so the chances are equal.}) 24. Bxf4 (24. g3 Be5 25. Qc3 {and white has a strong initiative.}) 24... Rxf4 25. Qd2 Qe5 {[%mdl 128]} 26. Qb4+ {[%mdl 8192] Another weak move.} (26. Qc3 Kf6 {Defending the Q and keeping the chances equal.}) 26... Ke8 {Black's K is safe here and now it is white's K that is in grave danger.} 27. Qc3 {Now all black has to do is defend his Q with 27...Nc6 and he should be able to win.} Ke7 {[%mdl 8192] This can only be described as awful! That said, the winning line for white is deeply hidden.} 28. a4 {This fails to take advantage of black's last move, but the winning line is almost impossible to visualize!} (28. Kf2 fxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qe4+ 30. Kg3 Qe5 31. Rhe1 Re4+ 32. Kg2 {and Stockfish informs us that white is winning after} Ke8 33. Qg3 Nc6 34. Qxe5 Nxe5 35. Nf5 Bc6 36. Nd6+ Ke7 37. Nxe4 dxe4 38. Bd5 Bxd5 39. Rxd5 Kxe6 {and white should win, but don't count on it!}) 28... Bc6 {[%mdl 8192] This generates another question mark from the engine. The chances are about equal after 28...Nc6} 29. Qc5+ Kf6 {White to play and win.} 30. Nxc6 {[%mdl 8192] This rates two question marks.} (30. g3 Re4 31. Kf2 Re2+ 32. Kf1 {Black has no good move.} (32. Nxe2 Qxe2+ {mate next move.}) 32... Kg6 33. Qe7 Qf6 34. Qxf6+ Kxf6 35. Nxe2 fxe2+ 36. Kxe2 Kxe6 37. axb5 axb5 38. h3 {White has a won ending.}) 30... Nxc6 31. Bxd5 Nd4 {Black has a mating attack.} 32. gxf3 Qe3+ 33. Kg2 gxf3+ 34. Kh3 f2+ {Black resigned. It's mate in two.}) 0-1

I’m back

    ...sort of. Returning home was nice, but the dreary drizzling rain and cool temperatures are not. I also returned home to a dead laptop. The old thing was held together with clamps and duct tape, so it’s understandable, I guess. 

    I am using a small laptop with a scant 57GB of storage and there is not enough space left on it to run any of my chess programs. Fortunately, I have everything backed up on a detached SSD that was salvaged from an old laptop. Programs won’t run off it, but it serves as a giant flash drive. 

    Actually, there is one exception. For reasons unknown to me Fritz 20 runs off the detached drive, so I do have a program that I can use. Nevertheless, I prefer to wait until I get a new laptop up and running before doing any more posts.

Vacation Time!

   Hope to return soon... 

A Real Humdinger by Spassky

    Humdinger: an informal, colloquial American slang term used to describe a person, object, action or event that is remarkably excellent, extraordinary or stands out above the rest. This game was a humdinger. 

    Bobby Fischer called this game one of the ten greatest of all time. Czech GM LudekPachman called it a modern masterpiece. GM Andy Soitis ranks it number 32 on his top 100 list. A poll of readers by the Russian chess magazine Shakmatny Bulletin ranked it as one of the very best games of the 1960s. In his book on Spassky, Bernard Cafferty called it one of the finest games he had ever had the pleasure to review or to analyze. Everybody agrees that it is one of the most amazing games ever played and one of the more famous games of the modern era.

    The game is Spassky vs. Bronstein from the 1960 USSR Championship. It's the game that was featured in the classic James Bond movie "From Russia, With Love" as being played by Kronstein against McAdams. I never saw the movie because I am not James Bond fan and rarely watch movies. The game may not be perfect, but as Soltis pointed out, chess isn't always about finding perfect moves. (That is unless you're a modern correspondence player seeking perfection by using a n engine and a powerful computer). In OTB play chess is about making pragmatic choices. In this game Bronstein was short on time and the complications as a result of Spassky's sacrifice resulted in, as Botvinnik used to put it, head whirling complications. 

    If you haven't seen this game, you'll enjoy it. If you have seen it before, enjoy it again! If you want to play over the game on your own software you can download it HERE.

 

 

Gligoric Surprises Pomar

    According to reports Torremolinos, a resort town in southern Spain known for its sandy beaches, is an excellent place to live if you crave year-round sunshine and vibrant coastal living, And they have an active chess club. 

    Today’s game is taken from the first in what was to be a long series of international tournaments and during the 1960s and 1970s, Torremolinos hosted a prestigious and long-running series of international tournaments in which players from all over participated. 

    In the first tournament Yugoslav GM Svetozar Gligoric (1923-2012) and former child prodigy, Spanish GM, Arturo Pornar (1931-2016) tied for first and this game was the reason.

 

 

    Few players appreciate how strong Pomar was, but Chess metrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2655 in March 1962 which ranked him #34 in the world. He was known for an intuitive, natural, and highly positional style of play, and he possessed excellent endgame technique, However, in this game his intuition let him down and he committed a game-losing blunder. 

 

 

[Event "Torremolinos"] [Site ""] [Date "1961.02.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Svetozar Gligoric"] [Black "Arturo Pomar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B88"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1961.??.??"] {B88: Sicilian: Sozin Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 {The aggressive Sozin Attack was very popular when this game was played.} e6 {Black usually plays this in order to limi white's B, but White can eventually put pressure on the e6 Pawn by playing f4-f5.} 7. O-O Be7 8. Bb3 O-O 9. Be3 Nxd4 {This is rather drawish. 9...a6 is sharper.} 10. Bxd4 Bd7 11. Qe2 {The immediate 11.f4 is usual. Gligoric's move is safer.} (11. f4 Bc6 12. Qe2 b5 13. Nxb5 Bxb5 14. Qxb5 {This position is very sharp, but black has scored very well so it's understandable that Gligoric prefers a safer approach. }) 11... Bc6 12. Rad1 Qa5 13. f4 e5 {This is risky! 13...Rac8 was solid.} 14. fxe5 {This opens the f-file and exposed f7. White has to play aggressively otherwise black gets the initiative.} (14. Bf2 exf4 15. Nd5 Rae8 16. Be1 Qd8 17. Rxf4 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bf6 19. Bb3 {Black is slightly better. Kots, Y-Shamkovich,L Baku 1961}) 14... dxe5 15. Rf5 Bc5 16. Bf2 Rad8 17. Rf1 Rd6 18. Kh1 {[%mdl 2048] White would like to play 19.Bh4, but this moves also sets a wily trap.} Bxf2 19. Qxf2 {Black should now play 19...Bd7 with a solid position, Insteaf he takes the bait and makes a losing tactical blunder.} Bxe4 {[%mdl 8192]} 20. Nxe4 Nxe4 {Black has won a P, but f7 is attacked four times, but only defended twice. However, white has to move the attacked Q which give black a defense.} 21. Rxf7 {[%mdl 512] This nasty surprise forced Pomar to resign.} (21. Qf3 Nf6 {Shielding f7. White should now take on b6 with a slight advantage.} 22. g4 e4 {Aggressive play is black's best option.} (22... h6 23. g5 hxg5 24. Rxg5 {White is slightly better.}) 23. Qg3 (23. Qf4 Qd2) 23... Qd8 24. g5 Nd5 25. Qf2 e3 26. Qf3 e2 27. Qxe2 g6 28. R5f3 Rd7 {and black is managing to defend f7.}) (21. Rxf7 Nxf2+ 22. R7xf2+ Rf7 23. Rxf7 h6 {Black has successfully avoided getting mated, but after} 24. R7f6+ Kh7 25. Rxd6 {The lone Q has no chance against the two Rs and B.}) 1-0

Smyslov Smashes Botvinnik

    Vasily Smyslov won the 1953 Candidates Tournament held at Zurich and became the challenger to Mikhain Botvinnik for the World Championship. Chess.com has a full account of yhos exciting match HERE. 

    Smyslov’s win in the following hame easd a turning point in the match. He had scored his first win in the 7th game, but in this game he land a solid blow in the first of three straight wins. It’s games like this that make you think Smyslov deseerved a longer reigh as World Champion.

 

 

[Event "World Championship Match, Moscow"] [Site ""] [Date "1954.04.03"] [Round "9"] [White "Vasily Smyslov"] [Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1954.03.16"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "24"] [EventCountry "URS"] [SourceTitle "MainBase"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceQuality "1"] {C18: French, Wimawer Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 {This was a Botvinnik favorite because he liked the unbalanced position that occurs and with it excellenct opportunities for counteratack. For his part, Smyslov liked the extra space and piece activity white gets. Occasionally he also tried Alekhine's sharp 4.a3} c5 5. a3 Ba5 {Botvinnik avoids the more frequent (and probably better) 4...Bxc3+ in what was probably an attempt to surprise his opponent.} 6. b4 cxd4 {Botvinnik avoids 6...cxb4 because it's too risky.} (6... cxb4 7. Nb5 b3+ 8. c3 Nc6 9. Qxb3 {with good play on the dark squares on the Q-side as black has to either allow Ne6+ ot play ...Bc7}) 7. Qg4 {A departure from games 1 and 3 in which S,yslov plated the more usual 7.Nb5} Ne7 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nd7 {A Botvinnik innovation, but not a very good one because looking far ahead strategically white has a potentially won ending because of the passed h-Pawn. In the meantine Botvinnik hopes to attack the e-Pawn and create tension in the centrer and, at the same time, get his Q-side developed. 10...Nbc6 was a better way of doing it though.} 11. Nf3 {A few times 11.f4 has been tried, but that restricts the activity of white's dark squared B.} Nf8 {So as to capture on a5, but it's not a very good move. Black should play 11...Qc7 to put pressure on the e-Pawn.} 12. Qd3 Qxa5 13. h4 { A Pawn with a future. Smyslov now continues to iprove his position not onlyl with this advance, but also by controlling the dark squares in the center.} Bd7 14. Bg5 {Smyslov’s plan is clear. He wants to keep Botvinnik’s King in the center. On g5 the B prevents black from castling and it can also go to f6 from where it defends the e-Pawn and controls the queening square h8.} Rc8 {Hoping to get his R into play.} (14... Nc6 {was tried a couple of years later in Tringov,G (2460)-Oren,M Moscow 1956. but after} 15. Bf6 Rg4 16. Be2 Re4 { black still ended up losing.}) 15. Nd4 Nf5 16. Rb1 {This both attacks the the b-Pawn and controls b5, thereby preventing black from exchanging Ns on d4 followed by playing ...Bb5 in order to reduce the pressure by exchanging pieces.} (16. Be2 {A pass to show black's plan at work.} Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Bb5 18. Bxb5+ Qxb5 19. Qb4 Qxb4 20. axb4 a6 {White still possess a considerable advantage, but black has eased the pressure on his position somewhat.}) 16... Rc4 {Consistent but tactically flawed. Smyslov correctly called it "a fatal idea."} (16... Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Qxa3 18. Rxb7 {with clearly the better of it.}) ( 16... b6 {is relatively best. After} 17. g4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Qxa3 19. Bd3 { |_hite's superioroty is obvious.}) 17. Nxf5 exf5 18. Rxb7 Re4+ {Botvinnik plan is completed, but je meets with a crushing refutation.} 19. Qxe4 {Stunning!} dxe4 20. Rb8+ {Botvinnik confessed that in playing his 18th move he simply "forgot about" this check he implication is that he saw 19.Qxe4, but did he really?} Bc8 {Black's K is caught in a mating net and can only escape at the cost of a lot of material.} 21. Bb5+ ({Worse is} 21. Rxc8+ Kd7 $17) 21... Qxb5 22. Rxb5 Ne6 23. Bf6 Rxg2 24. h5 Ba6 25. h6 {Black resigned.} 1-0

Using Let’s Check in Fritz

    Recently I did something I promised myself I would never do again...I entered a correspondence tournament. It has turned out to be more labor intensive than anticipated especially since two games are against ICCF Senior IMs. 

    The main reason for entering the tournament was my desire to test the new Swordfish engine, a Stockfish derivative that is supposed to be useful for analyzing sharp positions in which Stockfish could overlook some tactics. 

    The procedure was to use Swordfish and use the highly rated Reckless engine as a kibitzer. When the two engines agreed on a move it was played. If they did not agree, which was not often, then Stockfish broke the tie. The problem was that after 15 moves or so it began to feel like my positions were almost imperceptibly slipping into inferiority and so the decision was made to switch the main engine to Stock fish with Reckless as the kibitzer. 

    Although I have been using Fritz since the days of Ftitz 12 (2009) there is a feature I never bothered with until this tournament, the Let’s Check feature and I was curious to see if it was of any practical value, or was it just a bell, or maybe a whistle. 

    Let's Check has been around a long time and it is a cloud-based community analysis feature in ChessBase's software. It functions as a massive, continuously updated database of engine analysis. Reviewer Steve Lopez does an excellent job explaining it on THIS ancient YouTube video. 

    Take a look at the following position after 7...Nc5. 

 

  

    Below are the results of previously done analysis on this position.. Note that the top line is the output by Stockfish 18 that was running in my program. While all three engines agree that white should play 9.Qc6+, Stockfish’s analysis is much deeper and its evaluation is that the position is equal rather than white having a Pawn-plus advantage. 

 

 

    This feature could actually be quite helpful because it saves a great deal of analysis time. But…and this is a BIG but, how long was the time used for the analysis? If the analysis was done at only a few seconds per move, it’s really not that valuable. 

    My preference is to use infinite and to analyze using two of the four cores on my old laptop. In some critical positions I have left the engine running while I did something else. That is likely to be safer than trusting the analysis in Let’s Check.

Ex-GM Igos Kondytlev, Igors Rausis and Isa Kasimi

    The Latvian player Igors Rausis (1961-2024, 62 years old) was a rather unusual fellow. He was born Igors Kondylev, but changed his name after getting married to Olita Rause, a Latvian Woman Grand master. In 2003, there were allegations that he provided "occasional help" to her in her correspondence tournaments. In 2020 he changed his name again to Isa Kasimi after marrying his second wife Ajgul Kasimova. 

    An FIDE Trainer, he was the Latvian champion in 1995. He had been awarded the Grandmaster title in 1992, but it was revoked in 2019 after he was caught cheating.   

    In the early 2000s, when Rausis was in his 50s, his rating increased over 200 points to near 2700 which put him among the top players in the world. Was he using? You be the judge. 

    This was about the time Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) with programs like Pocket Fritz running the engine Hiarcs were released for Windows Mobile pocket PCs. By 2008, these pocket PCs were already strong enough to win human tournaments. 

    By November 2008, Smartphones were popular and the open source engine Stockfish was released and it was soon available for mobile operating systems. Then in 2009, dedicated mobile apps, such as the Hiarcs was available.

`In July 2019, he was accused of cheating by using a mobile phone in the bathroom during a game. He admitted his guilt and in December 2019, FIDE revoked his GM title and banned him from OTB play. 

    Revoking his GM title seems unfair because he had been a GM before engines were at that level. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and started taking medications and began chemotherapy in 2018. He died on March 28, 2024, at the age of 62. 

[Event "Gausdal Int"] [Site ""] [Date "1989.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Henrik Sorensen"] [Black "Igors Rausis"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2245"] [BlackElo "2560"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "1989.??.??"] {D06: Queen's GambitDeclined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5 {Highly unusual. Rausis was a versatile player with a solid, positional style, but he was also known ti have a brilliant tactical side.. He was known to frequently employ closed or strategic openings like the Caro-Kann and the Slav Defense. In the other hand, he also had a strong penchant for eccentric play. Hence, 2...Bf5 is not really a surprise.} 3. Qb3 {White usually ignores the fact that he can pock up the b-Pawn and instead opts to spmply develop with 3.Nf3} e5 4. Qxb7 Nd7 5. Nc3 { Slightly better was 5.cxd5} exd4 (5... Rb8 {yields black a slight advantage after} 6. Qxa7 Nb6 7. Nb5 Bb4+) 6. Nxd5 Bd6 7. e4 {This looks logical, vut developing with 7.Nf3 was better.} (7. Nf3 Rb8 8. Qc6 {A horrible mistake. He had to play 8/Qxa7} Ne7 9. Nxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd4 Be4 11. Qa4 Bb4+ 12. Kd1 Qd6 13. e3 c5 {and black is winning. Horacek,M (2004)-Asparuhov,P (2125) Sunny Beach BUL 2009}) 7... Nc5 {This should have resulted in no more than equality, but black sets a trap into which white fa;;s. The P on c7 must be ignored!} (7... dxe3 $1 8. Bxe3 Rb8 9. Qxa7 Ngf6 {White has two Ps, but black has a lead in development that should prove to outweigh the material he is missing.}) 8. Nxc7+ Bxc7 9. Qc6+ Nd7 10. exf5 {White is still two Ps uo and his position looks pretty solid, but black has a strong attack with} Ba5+ 11. Kd1 { Interposing the B was no better.} Ne7 12. Qf3 O-O {[%mdl 1024] Black has strong compensation for the two Ps because white has wasted a lot of time with his Q an his K is still in the center. Tausis now whips up a strong attack.} 13. Bf4 Qb6 {He has no interest in regaining a P with 13...Nxf5} (13... d3 { is a possibility. It also sets a trap.} 14. Qxd3 (14. Bxd3 Nc5 15. Kc2 Nc6 16. Ne2 Nb4+ 17. Kb1 Nbxd3 {wins}) 14... Qb6 15. Qc2 Nc6 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. Be3 Nb4 { Black has a winning attack.}) 14. Rb1 Nc6 ({Not} 14... Nxf5 15. Qd5 $11) ({ Less strong is} 14... Qb4 15. a3 $15) 15. a3 Bc3 {This is a clever way od preventing 17.b4, but he missed an even better move.} (15... d3 16. b4 Nc5 { The N cannot be taken because of ...Qxb1+} 17. Be3 Bxb4 18. axb4 Nxb4 19. Bxd3 Rad8 {There are pins all over the place and this is what makes 15...d3 impossible to calculate in practical play. White's best is} 20. Ke2 Qa6 21. g4 Ncxd3 22. Kf1 Qa2 23. Rd1 Qxc4 {and there can be no doubt that black is winning.}) 16. Bd3 Bxb2 17. Kc2 {[%mdl 8192] This loses outright.} (17. Qe2 { would enable white to offer stout resistance.} Qb3+ 18. Qc2 Qxc2+ 19. Bxc2 Bxa3 20. Be4 Rac8 21. Nf3 {with good odds of surviving.}) 17... Rab8 18. Bxb8 Rxb8 19. Ne2 Nce5 20. Qg3 Nxd3 21. Nc1 Nxc1 22. Rhxc1 d3+ {White resigned.} (22... d3+ 23. Qxd3 Qxf2+ 24. Qd2 Qxf5+ 25. Qd3 Qf2+ 26. Qd2 Qxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Bxc1+ 28. Rxc1 f6 {with an easily won ending.}) 0-1

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