Brilliancy Prize by Boris Siff

    Boris Siff (1911-1998) passed away in San Jose, California at the age of 86; he was an interesting character whose main distinction was that he became a USCF Senior Master (over 2400) for the first time at the age of 72. 

    After a tournament in 1984, at the age of 72, Siff, suffering from leukemia, was having a meal with friends in a restaurant when he had to be taken to the hospital where the doctor advised him that he should remain hospitalized, but he refused and returned to the tournament the next day. It should also be mentioned that Siff had open heart surgery a few months earlier and his spleen had been removed shortly before this tournament. 

    At the tournament, aided by a couple of shots of cognac he defeated then Senior Master (later IM) Elliot Winslow to win the tournament. It was this event where he scored wins over two Experts (2000-2199), two National Masters (Fritzinger and Michael Tomey), Winslow and GM Peter Biyiasas that earned him the Senior Master rating. Unfortunately, his rating dropped to 2399 (one point below the SM title) before his rating was published. At the time of his death his rating stood at 2266. 

    The only child of Russian emigrant parents, Siff was originally from the Bronx, New York City. He received a four year scholarship to one of New York's finest private schools and joined the Empire City Chess Club in the Bronx. Arnold Denker wrote about Siff in My Best Chess Games 1929-1976 that Siff had a very enterprising style and was very original in his approach to the opening. Denker added that when it came to openings, Siff was "far ahead of the times.” 

    Denker wrote that, probably due to the demands of work, he completely disappeared from tournament play. Denker also believed that had Siff continued tournament play then in a few years he “would have contributed a great deal to the theory of the openings." 

    Siff, who retired as a machinist in 1976, faded into obscurity after his successes in winning the championships of Boston, New England and Florida in the 1950s. Before moving to California, Siff was the 1956 Massachusetts champion and in 1958 he tied for first with John Curdo and Orest Popovych. 

    At the end of his life Siff, who never married, was barely eking out an existence. One reason was that for many years he gambled on card games. At the insistence of a couple of friends he eventually gave up that vice and returned to his first vice, chess. 

    The following game won Siff the brilliancy prize. His opponent was Dennis Fritzinger, the 1970/71 California State Champion. Fritzinger played in several Lone Pine Tournaments in the 1970s and was a contributor, along with Jude Acers, to the book Grandmaster Chess: The Book of the Louis D. Statham Lone Pine Masters-Plus Tournament 1975 by Robert E. Burger. The game is interesting because after black's seemingly innocuous 18th move a flurry of tactics followed. 

 

[Event "Sunnyvale, California"] [Site ""] [Date "1983.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dennis Fritzinger"] [Black "Boris Siff"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B50"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "1983.??.??"] {B50: Sicilian} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. d4 {The main alternative is playing the Closed Sicilian with 5.d3} cxd4 6. Nxd4 {[%mdl 32]} Bg7 7. Ne2 (7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O Qb6 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. Rb1 Bg4 11. Qd3 {Galego,L (2488)-Ruiz Sanchez,O (2381) Havana 2010}) 7... h5 {The results from this move have been promising for black.} 8. h3 $1 {The position is equal.} Be6 (8... Bd7 9. O-O Nh6 10. Nbc3 Qc8 11. Kh2 h4 {After 12.ge white has a solid position. Landau,C (2030)-Prestel,O (2186) Bad Woerishofen 2000}) 9. O-O Qd7 10. Nf4 Bc4 11. Re1 e5 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nce7 14. h4 f5 15. c4 Rc8 16. Qb3 Nf6 17. Nc3 O-O {White has emerged from the opening with a slim advantage and he shpuld now complete his development with 18.Bg5. The great teacher C.J.S. Purdy observed that your development is not complete until yor Rooks atre connected.} 18. a4 {After this black gets a strong initiative on the K-side.} f4 $1 19. gxf4 Ng4 {This move is the beginning of a barrage of tactics.} 20. f3 {Obviously white wants to drive th e N back but has overlooked that the N need not retreat. 20.fxe5 and 21.Ne4 would have been much safer.} exf4 {This is the critical position.} 21. Bh3 $2 {After this white is busted; his best chance was to try and add the N to the Ks defense.} (21. fxg4 Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Qxg4 {is hope;essly lost for white.}) (21. Ne2 g5 {Shattering white's K-side and making room for the N.} 22. hxg5 Ng6 {leaves black with a strong attack.}) 21... Nf5 $1 22. fxg4 {There wasn’t much choice except to take the N.} Nxh4 {After this most of black’s advantage has disappeared.} (22... hxg4 {is winning.} 23. Bg2 Bd4+ 24. Kh1 Ng3+ {leads yo mate.} 25. Kh2 Qh7 26. Be3 Qxh4+ 27. Kg1 fxe3 28. Qb6 axb6 29. Re2 Rf2 {mates in 3 at most.}) 23. Re6 {This R plunge into the heart of black's position goves white some new life.} Nf3+ {White is now faced with a difficult choice of to where to put his K and there is only one move where it will be somewhat safe.} 24. Kh1 {And this isn't it!} (24. Kg2 Nd4 25. Qd1 f3+ 26. Kf1 Nxe6 27. g5 {Black is considerably better, but white can still put up a fight.}) 24... Qd8 {Adding the Q to the attack is decisive.} 25. Ne2 hxg4 26. Nxf4 Qh4 {A few more swift blows follow.} 27. Kg2 gxh3+ 28. Kxf3 h2 29. Be3 h1=Q+ 30. Rxh1 Qxh1+ 31. Kg4 Qb1 {Even stronger was 31...g5} 32. Nd3 Qf1 33. Bf4 Qg2+ 34. Bg3 Rf3 {White resigned. It's mate in 3} (34... Rf3 35. Rxg6 Qxg3+ 36. Kh5 Rf5+ 37. Rg5 Qxg5#) 0-1

Larry Evans Gets a Bad Shock

In the following game things were progressing at a fairly even pace until the 22-year old Bent Larsen caught Larry Evans off guard with a move that probably would have elevated the game to a brilliancy in the old days. According to Evans this game, specifically Larsen’s 27h move, demoralized him so badly that he only scored 3 points in the remaining 11 rounds. 

    The game was played in the international tournament in Dallas, Texas from November 30 to December 16, 1957. It was unfortunate that David Bronstein was invited, but the U.S. State Department denied his visa application in retaliation for restrictions placed on travel by Americans in the USSR. As a result he was replaced by Larry Evans. 

    In 1957, the 25-year old Evans was a two time (1951 and 1952) U.S. Champion and it was the year he was awarded the GM title. He was one of the top players in the country. Chessmetrics estimates his rating to have been 2616 after the tournament ranking him at #44v in the world. Larsen’s estimated rating wasn 2705 placing him at #13 in the world/ The top rated player was Vassily Smyslov at 2786. By the way, the 14-year old Bobby Fischer was ranked #47 at 2611. 

 

  

[Event "Dallas"] [Site ""] [Date "1957.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Larry Evans"] [Black "Bent Larsen"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D32"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "1957.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "USA"] [Source ""] [SourceVersion ""] [SourceQuality "1"] {D32: QGD, Tarrasch Defense} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 {In this, the Tarrasc Defense, black hopes to wrest the Initiative. It was Evans' opinion that because white is "already better developed, so this is quite Impossible." Statistics don't bear that out because it performs about the same as other conyinuations by black. It has never been very fashionable thoiugh,} 4. e3 {Evans claimed this move is "very strong", but he was probably influenced by the fact that Soviet GMs Geller and Spassky played it. Its statistical results are almost identical to the usual 4.cxd5} Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 {Evans wrote, "This definitely leads to the Inferior game." Ths is incorrect..engines and statistics say otherwise. 6...Nxd5 is the alternative.} (6... Nxd5 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 cxd4 10. exd4 {The isolated d-Pawn is a position with its own unique characteristics.}) 7. Bb5 {This will result in white giving up the two Bs in exchange for rapid development.} a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O Bd6 10. dxc5 {The main option is 10.Qa4 which Evans thought might be better, but it's really a matter of choice.} (10. Qa4 Bd7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. e4 {with equal chances after 12...O-O, but nor} Nxe4 (12... dxe4 {just transposes.} 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4+) 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bg5 f6 15. Qxe4+ {and white is better.}) 10... Bxc5 11. e4 O-O (11... Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxd8+ Kxd8 14. Ng5 Ke7 15. Nxe4 Bd4 {is equal.}) 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Nd4 {This Is the only try for an advantage, b ut the position remains completely equal.} Qd6 {In a couple if games black tried 13...Bd7, but it, too, failed to gain any advantage.} 14. e5 Qxe5 15. Nxc6 Qxg5 16. Nxe7+ Kh8 17. Nxc8 Raxc8 18. Qd3 {Black could save the a-Pawn with 18...a5,ut Larsen prefers active play and relies on his d-Pawn to generate plenty of activity.} Rfd8 19. Qxa6 {This is a bot risky. The safe alternative was 19.Rac1} d4 {[%mdl 32] The action begins. Black's position makes up for his P minus and white's two connected passed Ps.} 20. Ne2 Rc2 {It's hard to argue with this, but more precise would have been 20...d3 and 21...Rb8. Now white could have obtained excellent drawing chances.} 21. Rad1 Qe5 {[%mdl 1024]} 22. Ng3 h5 {Applying the pressure on white and it's going to require careful play on white's part to avoid ending up at a disadvantage.} 23. Rfe1 Qd5 24. Re2 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Oddly, Evans mad no comment on this move which is the losing one. It was absolutely necessary to prevent the advamce of the d-Pawn so 24.Qd3 was correct.} (24. Qd3 {This costs the two Ps, but it's better than losing.} Rxb2 25. Nf5 Rxa2 26. Qxd4 {and white has the draw.}) 24... d3 {After this there is no way of saving the game.} 25. Re3 Rxf2 $3 {[%mdl 512] This came as no surprise to Evans.} 26. Ne4 {This wily move sets a trap into which Larsen falls} (26. Kxf2 {is met by} Ng4+ 27. Kg1 Nxe3 28. Rd2 Qc5 {Black has a mating attack. For example...} 29. Ne4 Qc1+ 30. Kf2 Ng4+ 31. Kf3 Qe1 32. Qb6 Re8 33. Re2 Qxe2+ 34. Kg3 Qe1+ 35. Kh3 Qxe4 36. g3 Qh1 37. Kh4 Qxh2+ 38. Kg5 Re5+ 39. Kf4 g5+ 40. Kf3 Qe2#) 26... Nxe4 $2 {This allows white back into the game...assuming he finds the right move. Several weeks after the game was played Larsen discovered the winning continuation.} (26... Ng4 27. Qxd3 (27. Rexd3 Qxe4 {White can only delay mate.}) 27... Nxe3 28. Qxe3 (28. Qxd5 Rxd5 29. Kxf2 Nxd1+) 28... Rxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qxd1 {Black has a sure won...at least it is for GMs!}) 27. Rexd3 $2 {[%mdl 8192] It's the age old story...wrong Rook!} (27. Rdxd3 Qg5 28. Rxd8+ Qxd8 29. Rxe4 Rxb2 30. Qc4 {with a dtaw.}) 27... Rf1+ $3 {[%mdl 512] Evans confessed that he overlooked this move and called it a bolt from the blue.} 28. Rxf1 (28. Kxf1 Qf5+ 29. Rf3 Rxd1+ 30. Ke2 Nc3+ 31. bxc3 (31. Rxc3 Qf1+ {wins the Q}) 31... Qc2+ 32. Ke3 Qd2+ 33. Ke4 Re1+ {mates}) 28... Qc5+ {White resigned.} (28... Qc5+ 29. Kh1 Nf2+ 30. Rxf2 Qc1+ {mates}) 0-1

Peeved With chessgames.com

    I suppose most of the games in this Blog can be found in my database, but for a long time I have downloaded them from chessgames.com. What I really like about the site is that very often you can view the crosstable of the event in which the game was played and there is almost always a brief biography of the players. 

    That’s a lot for free! For $39 a year you can get a whole lot more, but it’s stuff that holds no interest for me, so what the site offers for free is just fine. 

    Maintaining a massive game database, servers, forums, etc., etc. costs money and so I understand the reason for the pop up ads on the site. However, it seems that lately the ads have become more frequent. It’s a bit annoying, but I can live with it. 

     No doubt it has been “operator error” when I “mis-clicked” to close an ad and got sent to the ad’s site..annoying, but it was probably my fault. What has turned me off on the site though is that 2-3 times in the last week or two is that I have gotten that REALLY annoying SCAM message where a voice informs me that my computer is locked.

    This "computer locked" message claims my laptop is locked due to a virus or unusual activity. Of course it’s really a fake tech support scam, not a real message from Microsoft or the security software (in my case, Webroot). 

     If you call the listed number you will reach scammers who try to charge you fees, steal your personal data, or trick you into installing remote-access software. All really nasty stuff! 

    First, do not call the number! Instead, do the “three-finger salute”...press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on your keyboard and click Task Manager. Then select your web browser (like Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Firefox) and click End Task. Then restart your laptop and run your security software just to be safe. 

    To get rid of annoying ads on chessgames.com you have two main options. You can install third party ad blockers or you can pay for a membership. If you don’t want to do either, you can visit chess365. They also offer a ton of services from searching for games and players to improvement courses. A one year subscription is only $20.

    Without a membership you can't  download games. What you can do is highlight the moves then copy and paste them into your chess program. When you save the game you have to fill in the header yourself.

A Puzzle for You

    I recently reached this position in an online game and it’s pretty obvious that black, being the exchange up, should win, but it wasn’t until later when I looked at the game with Stockfish that I discovered black has an amazing continuation.. Can you find it? The solution is HERE

 

Tailenders Tussle

 

    No matter what the tournament some players’ games never get any attention. Unless they get pummeled by one of the leaders those who finish near the bottom never get any recognition. So, just out of curiosity here is a game from the 1957/58 championship that was played by a couple of the tailenders. In this game Attilio Di Camillo (1917-1962) lost to Abe Turner. 

    Di Camillo won the Pennsylvania State Champion in 1946, 1947, 1960 and 1961. He is probably best remembered for being the coach of the U.S. women’s champion and media darling Lisa Lane, 

    Abe Turner (1924-1962, 38 years old) was born in New York City and learned to play chess in 1943 at a naval hospital while recovering from shrapnel wounds he received during World War II. Turner was a strong coffeehouse player who liked to grab a Pawn and then trade down to the ending. For a brief time Fischer was a student of Turner. 

    Noted for his huge girth, Turner was found stabbed to death and stuffed in a safe in the basement of Al Horowitz’ Chess Review magazine offices where he had been working as a clerk. The New York Times reported that in addition to having been stabbed his head had also been battered by a heavy object, probably a claw hammer.

    The building’s superintendent discovered the body while searching the building after Turner’s co-workers began wondering where he was after he had gone down to the basement to dump some trash and didn’t return. 

    Theodore W. Smith, a clerk-typist employed by Chess Review, was arrested while entering his room in the YMCA and readily admitted that he had killed Turn and then dragged his body along a corridor and stuffed it in the safe. Smith claimed that Secret Service agents had told him to kill Turner. 

 

[Event "1957/58 US Champ, New York957/58"] [Site ""] [Date "1958.??.??"] [Round "10"] [White "Attilio Di Camillo"] [Black "Abe Turner"] [Result "*"] [ECO "C98"] [WhiteElo "2367"] [BlackElo "2394"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1957.12.17"] [SourceVersionDate "2026.10.27"] {C98: Closed Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Na5 9. Bc2 c5 10. d4 Qc7 11. h3 O-O 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Nf1 Bd6 15. Bg5 {This has all been played many times. Black's two main choices are 15...Nd7 and 15...Nd8} Nd7 (15... Ne8 16. a4 Rb8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Ne3 f6 19. Nd5 Qf7 {equal. Smyslov,V (2620)-Bolbochan,J Moscow 1956}) 16. Ne3 Nb6 17. Nd5 {A better plam was play on the Q-side with 17.a4} Nxd5 {This is probrbly not a food idea because it gives white's light squared B a clear diagonal to black's K. 17...Na5 immediately was better.} 18. exd5 Na5 19. Nh4 {White's pieces look menacing, but black's position is inherently sound so he should be able to successfully defend his K.} f5 {This is a bit loosening, but 19...f6 leads to unclear play.} (19... f6 20. Qb1 {This leads to some sharp tactical play after} fxg5 21. Bxh7+ $3 {Otherwise white is just a piece down.} Kh8 22. Ng6+ Kxh7 23. Nxf8+ Kg8 24. Nh7 {White has a R+P vs two Bs and the position is unclear.}) 20. g4 $1 fxg4 21. hxg4 (21. Qd3 {was an equally good alternative. The best line is} g6 22. Bh6 Rf7 23. hxg4 Bxg4 24. Qg3 Qd7 25. Re4 Bh5 26. Rae1 {The problem for white here is that there seems to be no way of persuing the attack.}) 21... g6 22. Be4 {This is too passive. The aggressive continuation 22.Bh6 and 23.f4 was more promising.} ({White should try} 22. Bh6 $16) 22... Qf7 23. f3 {Di Camillo has shifted gears ans gone from aggressive play to taking a passive stance.} Bd7 24. b3 Nb7 25. Qd2 {Holding up black's coming Q-side play with 25.c4! would have been considerably better.} a5 {At last black has time to start his counterplay.} 26. a3 Rfc8 {26...a4 was more forceful.} 27. Kg2 {Hoping to build up an attack on the h-file.} c4 28. b4 Ra6 $1 29. Rh1 {And now Nxg6! would win so black has to make tghe defensive move 29...Bf8. Hiwever, both sides are oblivious to the possibility.} Rca8 $2 30. Rac1 $2 (30. Nxg6 hxg6 31. Rh4 {White is going to double Rs on the h-file.} Bf8 32. Rah1 Bg7 33. Kg3 {Intending Qh2 and the tripled heavy pieces on the h-file spell disaster for black.}) 30... Be8 {[%mdl 8192] Again ...Bf8 was necessary.} 31. Kg3 {Again missing Nxg6} axb4 32. axb4 Bf8 {Finally!} 33. Rh2 {Obviously played with the intent pf doub;ing Rs, but by now this idea takes too much time.} (33. Nxg6 {This idea still works, but it 's no longer deadly.} Rxg6 34. Bxg6 Qxg6 35. Bh6 Nd6 36. Bxf8 Kxf8 37. Qh6+ Qxh6 38. Rxh6 Bg6 {White has a R+P vs B+N and the game's outcome is uncertain.}) 33... Nd6 34. Rch1 Bg7 35. Rc1 {More passive play on white's part and this time it gets him into serious difficulties.} (35. Ng2 Ra2 36. Qe3 h5 37. gxh5 Nf5+ 38. Bxf5 gxf5 39. f4 {with unclear complications in which both sides have chances.}) 35... Ra3 36. Ng2 Bd7 37. Ne3 {Trapping his own B, but there was nothing that was really better.} (37. Rch1 {has lost its punch.} h5 38. gxh5 Nf5+ 39. Bxf5 gxf5 40. h6 f4+ 41. Kf2 Ra2 {wins}) 37... h6 38. Rxh6 Bxh6 39. Bxh6 Ra2 40. Nc2 {[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder, but it's possible that Di Ca,illo was in time pressure otherwise he could still have made Turner work for the point by retreating the b.} (40. Bc2 Qh7 41. Ng2 {Bkack is better having a R vs. B+P and an active position,, but he also has some clever, but hard to see, tactics available.} Bxg4 42. fxg4 Rxc2 43. Qxc2 Qxh6 {Material is reduced and equal, but black is still attacking.} 44. Re1 Qg5 45. Nh4 Kg7 46. Qxg6+ Qxg6 47. Nxg6 Kxg6 48. Rxe5 Rf8 {Technically black is winning, but in practice the putcome would not be clear.}) 40... Nxe4+ {Black is winning.} 41. fxe4 R8a6 {Intending 41...Rf6} 42. Bg5 {Preventing ...Rf6, but black has...} Rb2 43. Qh2 {In this hopeless position white exceeded the time limit.} (43. Qh2 {A possible continuation is} Raa2 44. Be3 Qf6 45. Rh1 Qg7 46. Rc1 g5 {Now black has defended afaonst an invasion by white's Q and his own Q can now enter the action on the f-file or h-file.} 47. Qg2 Qf6 48. Qh2 Rb3 49. Qe2 Qh6 50. Qd2 Qh4+ 51. Kg2 Qxg4+ {and black is winning.}) *

An Early Fischer Game

    The leading candidate for the 1957/58 U.S. Championship was Samuel Reshevsky and Larry Evans was the dark horse. Robert Byrne would have been in the running, but he had declined his invitation at the last minute. It came as a surprise when Bobby Fischer won his first Championship which concluded on January 7, 1958. 

     The 14-year old Fischer had been playing a lot, giving simultaneous exhibitions and generally attracting attention plus he had won the 1957 U.S. Open and he had lost a two game match against former World Champion Max Euwe. Even so, winning the U.S. Championship looked impossible. 

    His opponent in this game was James T. Sherwin (born 1933) who was having one of his best tournaments ever. Sherwion was awarded the IM title in 1958. An attorney by profession, he was serving as an executive with the GAF Corporation, North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, when in 1988 he was indicted for stock manipulation by a sleazy District Attorney, later politician, who hounded Sherwin until finally, on the third try, he managed to get a conviction.

    However, on appeal the conviction was overturned and the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit was permanently closed and Sherwin cannot be tried for the same case again. Sherwin has lived in England since at least the 2010s.

 

 

[Event "1957/58 U.S. Champ, New York"] [Site "+"] [Date "1957.12.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Robert Fischer"] [Black "James Sherwin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B87"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1957.12.17"] {Sicilian, Sozin Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O {This line was a Fischer favorite.} b5 8. Bb3 b4 {Sherwin probably suspected Fischer had some prepared analysis in the event he played the usual 8...Be2. In any case, it would have been safer that the text which is somewhat weakening and therefore quite risky.} 9. Nb1 Bd7 {Taking the P is technocally safe, but with only his N developed and precariously sitting in the center, Sherwin elects not to risk it.} 10. Be3 {Again, offering the P.} Nc6 {Again, Sherwin declines.} 11. f3 {Because it's clear his opponent isn't going to take the P Fischer decides to protect it and move on to another plan...Q-side play.} Be7 12. c3 bxc3 13. Nxc6 {Tempting Sherwin to play 13...cxb2 which would lose.} Bxc6 14. Nxc3 O-O 15. Rc1 Qb8 16. Nd5 exd5 17. Rxc6 dxe4 18. fxe4 Qb5 {This time taking the e-Pawn would lose, but instead of the text move black could have maintained equality with 18...Qb7!} 19. Rb6 Qe5 20. Bd4 Qg5 21. Qf3 Nd7 22. Rb7 Ne5 23. Qe2 Bf6 24. Kh1 a5 {This P is a serious weakness and it soon falls, but in the process Fischer missed a better continuation.} 25. Bd5 Rac8 26. Bc3 a4 {Here Fischer should have played 27.h3, not to prevent black's next move (which is a poor one), but to eliminate any danger of ending up with a first rank weakness which cpuld show up in some variations.} 27. Ra7 Ng4 {This should have lost outright!} 28. Rxa4 {An interesting position! A cursory glance at the position might give the impression that white is winning, but, in fact, black gets fully equal chances. One annotator who was present at the game noted that it took Fischer less than a minute to capture the P and he wasted no time in rejecting 28.Bxf6. Alas, both Fischer ant the annotator were wrong because after either 28.Bxf6 or 28.Rxa4 black can equalize.} (28. Bxf6 Nxf6 29. Rxa4 Rc1 {and black has equalized.}) (28. Bd2 {This mild mannered retreat is actually white's best reply as it allows white to bring the B into a dominating position after} Qg6 29. h3 Ne5 30. Bf4 {and now white is ready to capture the a-Pawn with impunity.}) 28... Bxc3 {Things are about to get tactical.} 29. bxc3 Rxc3 30. Rxf7 {This is not nearly so devsatating as it looks.} Rc1+ {A clever tactical trap, but Fischer is alert.} (30... h5 $3 {While not at all flashy or tricky, this move keeps the chances even.} 31. Rc4 Rxc4 32. Rxf8+ Kxf8 33. Qxc4 {White has every advantahe. An outside passed P and a B vs. N, yet with carful play squeezong out a win will be difficult, if not impossible. (engine evluation 0.00).}) 31. Qf1 (31. Rf1+ $4 {A tactical blunder that loses outright after.} Kh8 32. Ra8 Rxa8 33. Bxa8 Qf4 34. g3 Rxf1+ 35. Kg2 Rf2+) 31... h5 32. Qxc1 Qh4 (32... Qxc1+ 33. Rf1+ Kh8 34. Rxc1 {leaves white a R to the good.}) 33. Rxf8+ Kh7 34. h3 Qg3 35. hxg4 h4 36. Be6 {Black resigned. A real fighting game.} 1-0

Who Were Fritz Woog and Leonhard Westphal?

    An Internet search for these German masters won't turn up much. According to Edo Historical Ratings Fritz Woog's first rating was 2247 in 1920 and his last rating was 2130 in 1929...all based on a scant 83 games. In group 4 of the 1920 German Championship he finished second behind Carl Ahues with a score of +4 -1 =2, 

    His one loss being to Ahues. Chessgames.com has only three of Woog's games and five by Westphal. The only information on Westphal is that he was born August 16, 1895 and died at the age of 61 on March 6, 1957. 

    The below game between these two is both entertaining and instructive. It’s a good example of short range planning plus it features a Classic Bishop Sacrifice that does not lead to an immediate forced win. Also, Woog's methodical buildup of his attack is instructive to witness. Analysis by Fritz/Stockfish evaluates Woog’s play as “very precise.” 

 

[Event "Berlin Open"] [Site ""] [Date "1920.??.??"] [Round ""] [White "Fritz Woog"] [Black "Leonhard Westphal"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C83"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1920.??.??"] {C83: Open Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 {White will argue that black loosens his position with this active defense while black hopes to deprive white of a center P. Black's K will be temporarily vulnerable, but can reach safety while white is busy regaining his P.} 6. d4 {Other moves are not worth considering.} b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 {At this point white has tried many different moves with varying degrees of success, but the text is by far the most often seen.} 9. c3 Be7 10. Be3 O-O 11. Nbd2 Nc5 {The main line 11...Qd7 is much better. The move played has not yielded good results for black.} 12. Bc2 Bg4 {Another poor choice. 12...Qd7 is still the move.} 13. h3 Bh5 (13... Bxf3 {also favors white.} 14. Nxf3 Re8 15. b4 Ne4 16. Qb1 Qd7 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qxe4 {White is better.}) 14. Bxh7+ {After this black should simply acquiesce to the loss of a P and play 14...Kh8. Instead, he accepts the B and loses.} Kxh7 (14... Kh8 15. g4 Bxg4 $2 {Now is the to play 15...Kxh7} 16. hxg4 Kxh7 17. Bxc5 Bxc5 18. Nb3 Bb6 {White is winning. Miletic,D-Ursic,M (2078) Nova Gorica 2002}) 15. Ng5+ {[%mdl 512] In the classic Bishop sacrifice it is essential for white to be able to play this move.} Bxg5 16. Qxh5+ Bh6 17. Bxc5 Re8 18. f4 ({Less strong is} 18. Qxf7 Nxe5 19. Qf5+ g6 {White is better, but his attack is at a standstill.}) 18... g6 19. Qf3 Qd7 20. Rad1 Nd8 21. Nb3 {The N is headed for the outpost on d4. Note that this type of "plan" is only two moves and there is no particular target, but it is the type of short plan that is often seen in master practice. If you can't think of anything to do, find a poorly positioned piece and think of a way to improve its position. 21...c6 22.♘d4 ♘b7 23.♘b3 This retreat is less effective than simply playing 23.Bb6. From d4 the N could think about going on a further journey of c2, e3 and g4 from where it eyes f6. 23...a5 24.♗d4 ♕f5 It's hard to suggest a really viable plan for black, but this move simply loses time as white plays g4 with a gain of time. 25.g4 ♕c8 26.♘c5 While this doesn't really harm white's position, an immediate attack with 26.f5 would have been more forceful.} c6 22. Nd4 {Threatens to win with f5.} Nb7 23. Nb3 a5 {Eliminating the B with 23...Nxc5 was just a bit better.} 24. Bd4 Qf5 25. g4 Qc8 26. Nc5 Nd8 {Hoping to exchange some attackers with 26...Nxc5 would not be of much help.} 27. Qg3 Bg7 28. f5 {[%mdl 32]} g5 29. h4 {Woog concludes the attack with great verve.} gxh4 30. Qxh4+ Kg8 31. f6 Bh8 32. Rf5 Ne6 33. Nxe6 fxe6 34. f7+ {Black resigned. Forceful and precise play by Woog.} 1-0

How Is This Position Legal?

    When I saw this position in a post on Tim Krabbe’s old online site it just had to be checked out. How can this position possibly be legal?! You can read about it HERE; it’s post #373.

    Tim Krabbe was born on April 13, 1943, in Amsterdam and is a renowned author and cyclist who is best known in the chess world for his long running online site Chess Curiosities, which explores endgame studies and historical chess curiosities of every kind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Event ""] [Site ""] [Date "???.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Puzzle"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [Annotator ""] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1898.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2026.10.22"] 1. d3 h6 2. Bxh6 f5 3. Qd2 f4 4. Qxf4 a5 5. Qxc7 Kf7 {The K is headed for a1.} 6. g3 Kg6 7. Bg2 Kh5 8. Bxb7 Kg4 9. Nf3 Kh3 10. Bxc8 e5 11. Bxg7 e4 12. Kd2 e3+ 13. Kxe3 Kg2 14. Ng1 Kf1 15. Kf3 Ke1 16. Qxa5+ Bb4 17. Nc3+ Kd2 18. Rf1 Rh3 19. Bxd7 Nh6 20. Nd1 Kc1 21. Bxh6+ Kb1 {The white pieces gragually begin heading home.} 22. Bc1 Na6 23. Kg2 Rc8 24. Bxh3 Rc3 25. Nxc3+ Ka1 26. Nb1 Nc5 27. Rd1 Be1 28. Qxe1 Ne4 29. Kf1 Nd2+ 30. Rxd2 Qd5 31. Qd1 Qg2+ 32. Ke1 Qf1+ 33. Bxf1 {It's mate in 3.} (33. Bxf1 Kxb1 34. c4 Ka1 (34... Kxa2 35. b3+ Ka1 36. Ba3#) 35. b4 Kb1 36. Ba3#) (33. Bxf1 Kxa2 34. b4 Kxb1 (34... Ka1 35. c4 Kxb1 36. Ba3#) 35. c4 Ka1 36. Ba3#) *

A Strong Knight in the Center

    Knights make excellent in blockaders, but because their range is limited they are best used in this capacity in or near the center. A Knight occupying such an outpost often gives rise to interesting and instructive play. 

    In the following game Boleslavsky sacrifices a Pawn in order to maneuver his Knight into a blockading position that is so strong it leads to winning the game. 

    Isaac Boleslavsky (191901977) learned to play chess at the age of nine, but it was not until after World War II that he first made a name for himself and in the 1950s he was one of the leading Soviet players. He died in Minsk at age 57 after a fall on an icy sidewalk. He suffered a fractured hip and could not overcome an infection acquired during his hospitalization. Georgy Lisitsin (1909-1972) was was Leningrad Champion in 1933-34 (jointly), 1939 and 1947 (jointly) and was awarded the IM title at its inception in 1950. 

 

[Event "USSR Champ, Leningrad"] [Site ""] [Date "1956.02.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Isaac Boleslavsky"] [Black "Georgy Lisitsin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [ECO "B76"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "59"] [GameId "2367641511301139"] [EventDate "1956.??.??"] {B76: Sicilian Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O Nxd4 {With this move black enters a line that has not enjoyed much success. Better wpuld have been 9...d5} (9... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 e5 {But even here although the position is technically equal, in practical play white has enjoyed considerable success.}) 10. Bxd4 Qa5 {A poor choice. Much better would have been 10...Be6} 11. Kb1 (11. Bc4 {is the thematic move, but it can safely be met by} Be6 {Capturing the B only strengthems black's center, so...} 12. Bb3 b5 {with good play.}) 11... e5 (11... Be6 {is often met with the incorrect 12.g4 which allows black to get good play. Much better for white is} 12. Nd5 Qd8 (12... Qxd2 13. Nxe7+ {and white is practically winning}) 13. h4 h6 14. g4 {White has a very dangerous attack brewing.}) 12. Be3 Be6 {Inhibits Bc4.} 13. a3 ({Stronger than} 13. Qxd6 Bxa2+ 14. Nxa2 Rfd8 {forcing} 15. Qxd8+ Rxd8 16. Bc4 {and white only has a R+B for his Q.}) 13... Rfd8 {Black's plan is to prepare the advance ...d5.} (13... a6 {Black apparently thought he was setting a trap in Matsuura,E (2460)-Assumpcao,R (2305) Sao Paulo 2006 when he played this, but...} 14. Qxd6 {and white found the refutation.} Rfd8 15. Bb6 Rxd6 16. Bxa5 Rc6 {White has won the P cleanly and eventually won the game.}) 14. Nb5 {A clever retort. Black can't afford to trade Qs and there is no really good square to which the Q can retreat.} Qa4 {After the previous error 14 . , Q x Q; 15 Rx Q is no longer sufficient, since both 16 Rtx QP and 16 Kt—B7 are threatened.} (14... Qxd2 15. Rxd2 d5 16. Nc7 Rac8 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Bxa7 dxe4 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. fxe4 Nxe4 21. Be2 {The ending is greatly in white's favor.}) 15. c4 {This surprising P sacrifice allows white to force the exchange of both the black pieces that cover the important strategic square d5. It's interesting strategy that was praised by GM Ludek Pachman in one of his otherwise excellent book, but it misses the crusher.} (15. Nc7 {Attacking the R and threatening Bb5.} Qc6 16. Nxa8 d5 17. Bb5 Qxb5 18. Nc7 Qc6 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. exd5 Rxd5 21. Qe2 {1-0 Alonso,S (2500)-Campeon,M (2020) Villa Tehuelches CHI 2019}) 15... Bxc4 {[If black declines the P offer he will still end up with a vastly inferior position.} (15... Rac8 16. Qc2 Qxc2+ 17. Kxc2 Bxc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4+ 19. Kb3 Rc6 20. Nxa7 Ra6 (20... Rc7 21. Bb6) 21. Nb5 d5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Rd3 {White's position is vastly superior.}) 16. Nc3 Qb3 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. Bg5 Qe6 19. Bxf6 {gaining complete control of d5.} Qxf6 20. Nd5 Qh4 {The result of white's 15.c4 is that he is left with a strong N in the center and black has a bad B. Black's extra P on d6 is actually a disadvantage, because it hinders black's pieces. White's next plan is to prepare the opening of files on the K-side for an attack on black's K.} 21. Qe2 {[%mdl 1024] White has strong compensation.} Bf8 {Were it not for the pawn at (23, the Bishop could come into play this way!} 22. Qf1 $1 (22. g3 {at once would be wrong because after} Qh3 {the advance of the white Ps is held up.}) 22... Rac8 23. g3 {[%mdl 32]} Qg5 24. h4 Qh6 {Capturing the g-Pawn loses the Q.} (24... Qxg3 25. Rh3 (25. Rd2 {Curiously, in Modern Chess Tactics Pachman claimed this move wins the Q after ...Rg2, it does not. Still, after} Bh6 26. Rg2 $4 (26. Rd1 $1 {wins after 27.Rh3}) 26... Rc1+ {black has equalized.}) 25... Qxh3 26. Qxh3) 25. g4 {Threatening the winning advance of the g- and h-Pawns.} g5 26. hxg5 Qxg5 27. Rh5 Qg6 28. g5 {The decisive move. Black has no defense.} h6 29. Rxh6 $1 {[%mdl 512]} Qxg5 (29... Bxh6 30. Ne7+) 30. Rh5 $3 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned. Except for the tactical hiccup on move 15 this game is an excellent example of strategic play.} (30. Rh5 Qxh5 31. Nf6+ Kh8 32. Nxh5) 1-0

A Classic Stonewall Attack

    As I wrote in a post a few years ago, I am tempted to say winning with the Stonewall Attack can’t be done, but that’s because I tried it a few times and it never worked out like a couple of my books on it said it was supposed to. Indeed, the opening does not enjoy a good reputation today, but it might still be worth a try; it’s just not for me. 

    What it is supposed to do is build a wall of Pawns on the dark squares and white will then use his Queen, King’s Bishop anf Knight to launch an attack. The following game is a classic example of the Stonewall in action. White’s attack is simply brilliant.

    The winner, Dr. Richard Kujoth (1931-2011, 80 years old), was Wisconsin Champion in 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, and 1958. His opponent, Dt. Charles Crittenden (1933-2023, 90 years old) was a National Master who won the championship of North Carolina in 1948, 1952, 1953, 1956 and 1959. 

 

 

[Event "Milwaukee"] [Site ""] [Date "1949.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Richard Kujoth"] [Black "Charles C Crittenden"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1949.??.??"] {D00: Stonewall Attack} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 (2... Bf5 {The idea of this move is to trade off the light squared Bs. GM Andy Soltis explains that the move is weak because it weakens the b7 square and white often get favorable tactical opportunities on the a4-e7 diagonal} 3. Nf3 {White does well to abandon the Stonewall here.} Nf6 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 {White is just slightly better.}) (2... Bf5 3. Bd3 {This attempt to use the ensuing gob of Ps in the center leads to no more than equality.} Bxd3 4. cxd3 Nf6 5. Qb3 b6 6. Nf3 e6 7. Nc3 c5 {with full equalit5y.}) 3. Bd3 e6 {Routine. 3...g6 and 4...Bg7 is probably his best plan. This, together with ...c5, effectively nullifies the pressure of white's B on d3.} 4. f4 (4. Nd2 {Preventing black from playing ...ne5 would have been more accurate.} c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 {etc.}) 4... Nbd7 (4... Ne4 {The thematic move.} 5. Nf3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nbd2 f5 {is completely equal. It's pretty clear any hopes white had of generating a K-side attack have been stymied.}) 5. Nd2 c5 (5... b6 6. Ngf3 Bb7 7. O-O Ne4 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. fxe5 Qd7 {White's position is the more active. Petricevic,P (2019)-Dobrovic,A (2091) Sibenik CRO 2012}) 6. c3 {So that in the event of ...c4 he can jeep the B on the diagonal with Bc2.} cxd4 $146 {Relieving the center tension is a poot choice. 6...Bd6 and castling was the correct way to go.} (6... c4 7. Bc2 b5 8. a3 a5 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. Ngf3 b4 11. axb4 axb4 12. Rxa8 Qxa8 {is equal. Ivanov,D (2071)-Slavov,V Sofia 2007}) 7. exd4 Be7 8. Ngf3 {Here white is only slightly better, but black's problem is that the smallest slip will allow white a winning attack.} b6 {Castling was better.} 9. Ne5 {Here again black should castle. Instead, he plays a move that allows white to begin a strong attack.} Nxe5 {This eliminates white's well placed N, but it has the disadvantage of opening thr f-file and allowing white's B on c1 into the game. his best option was to castle and then play ...a5 and ...Ba6 hoping white will allow the exchange of Bs.} 10. fxe5 Nd7 11. O-O a5 (11... O-O {is no better. White has no direct mating attack, but black's position would still be very poor.} 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qe2 Bg5 14. Nf3 Bxc1 15. Raxc1 Qe7 16. Rce1 Bb7 {Black's pieces are all very ineffective whereas white can now launch a promising attack beginning with 17.h4!}) (11... f5 {is met by} 12. g4 {Black has no good answer to this, If} O-O 13. gxf5 exf5 14. Bxf5 Nb8 {An attempt to easee the defense by trading pieces.} 15. Bd3 {White needs to preserve this B.} Na6 16. Rxf8+ Qxf8 17. Qf3 Qxf3 18. Nxf3 {and white has a distinct endgame advantage.}) 12. Qg4 g6 13. Bc2 {[%mdl 128] This avoids the exchange of this valuable B which otherwise would happen after ...Ba6.} Bg5 $2 {The idea is to trade some pieces, but it allows white a nice little tactical response.} (13... f5 {keeps fighting.} 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Ba4+ {The weakness on the a4-e8 diagonal that Solti mentioned.} Kf7 16. Qh4 {After white adds his N to the attack with Nf3 black will face serious difficulties.}) 14. Nc4 $1 {[%mdl 512]} dxc4 {He can't allow the N to reach d6.} (14... Bxc1 {14...Be7 4.24 gets him mated.} 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. Qxe6 {[%csl Gd6,Gf1][%cal Re6f7]} Be3+ 17. Kh1 {[%csl Gd6,Gf1][%cal Re6f7]} Nxe5 18. Rxf7+ Kg8 19. Rd7+ Kf8 20. Rf1+ Bf2 21. Rxf2+ Nf7 22. Qxf7#) 15. Bxg5 Qc7 {White now has a crushing finish, bit there was no way to save the game/} 16. Rxf7 $3 {[%mdl 512] Brilliant.} Kxf7 17. Rf1+ {White has a mating attack.} Kg7 18. Bh6+ $1 {[%mdl 512] Another brilliant move!} Kxh6 19. Rf7 Qd8 20. Rxh7+ $3 {[%mdl 512] Yet another brilliant move.} Kxh7 (20... Rxh7 21. Qxg6#) 21. Qxg6# {No wonder this is a classic example of the Stonewall Attack in action.} 1-0

Pecise Attacking Play With the Saemisch

    Flavio de Carvalho Jr. (916-1990) who was theBrazilian chess champion in 1952 is no to be confused with the famous 20th-century Brazilian architect and modernist artist with the same name. From the end to 1940s to the early 1960s the chess playing Carvalho was one of the leading Brazilian players. He participated in many Brazilian championships. 

    In 1960 he represented Brazil in World Championship South America Zonal and he participated in several major international tournaments which took place in South America. In 1955-1956 he together with Marcio Elisio Freitas published the chess magazine Xadrez (Chess Chessmetrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2424 in 1956. 

     His opponent in the following game was Washington De Oliveira (1916-1976), the champion of Rio de Janeiro in 1944, 1946, 1949, 1955, 1960, 1968 and 1969. He served as Vice president of the Brazil Chess Federation, and as its president in 1976. He was also the chief organizer of the 1973 Petropolis Interzonal. The game is a good example of precision play byCarvalho using the Saemisch Attack against the King’s Indian. 

 

[Event "Brazilian Championship, Porto Alegre"] [Site "Porto Alegre BRA"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Flavio de Carvalho Jr"] [Black "Washingt Oliveira"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E81"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {E81: King's Indian: Saemisch Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 {The Saemisch was developed in the 1920s. It often leads to very sharp play with the players castling on opposite wings and attacking each other's Kings. Black has a variety of Pawn breaks, such as ...e5, ...c5, and after preparation ...b5.} O-O 6. Be3 h6 {All this does is create a target. After 6...h6 black does not get the slightest hint of counterplay. Better choices were 6...e5, 6...c5 or 6...Nc6} 7. Qd2 Kh7 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. g4 Ng8 {White is already poised to begin his attack and this move is just too slow because black has no time to waste.} (9... c5 10. Ng3 cxd4 11. Bxd4 Ne5 12. Be2 Bd7 {Here, too, white's position is the more promising. Pasero,P-Gnecco,H Argentina 1936}) 10. Ng3 e5 (10... a5 {was tried in another Pasero,P-Gnecco,H Argentina 1936 game and white also had the advantage.} 11. h4 e6 12. f4 b6 13. f5 Bb7 14. Bg2 c5 15. d5 {White went on to win.}) 11. d5 b6 {A better plan was 11...a5 and 12...Nc5.} 12. h4 a5 13. Bd3 Nc5 14. Bc2 Bd7 15. O-O-O a4 {Just a glance at the position should make it obvious that the only real attacking chances belong to white.} 16. Rdg1 Qe8 17. Rh2 Qe7 18. Qe2 Rfb8 19. Nf5 Qe8 {Black seems to be sitting on his hands waiting for the end, but taking the N would not have been much better.} (19... gxf5 20. exf5 f6 21. Rhg2 Be8 22. Qd2 Qf8 23. g5 {White's attack should prove decisive. Black can hardly afford to take the P;} hxg5 (23... fxg5 24. f6+) 24. hxg5 fxg5 (24... a3 25. Rh2+) 25. f6+ Bg6 26. Rxg5 Nxf6 27. Rxg6 e4 28. Qh2+ Kg8 29. Qh6 {wins}) 20. Nxg7 Kxg7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4 Qe7 23. Be3 Rf8 24. Bd4+ {White is clearly winning.} Kh7 25. g5 h5 {This allows a brilliant finish, but there was no way to save the game.} 26. Qxh5+ $3 {[%mdl 512]} gxh5 27. e5+ $1 {[%mdl 32]} Kh8 28. exd6+ Qf6 29. gxf6 (29. Bxf6+ {also wins, but it is not quite as effective.} Nxf6 30. gxf6 Bg4 31. dxc7 Rfe8 32. d6 {and white will wrap it up with Rd2.}) 29... Bg4 30. dxc7 Nd7 {Black plays on out of inertia,} 31. Bxa4 Nh6 32. Bc6 Rac8 33. Bxd7 Bxd7 34. Bxb6 Ng4 35. Re2 Nxf6 36. Bd4 {Black resigned...something he could have done severa; moves back.} 1-0

Real or Fake?

    One of my favorite books is an old one: The Golden Treasury of Chess by Al Horowitz. The book has a controversial history. The man behind the original book was Francis J. Wellmuth (1866-1943), an American chess compiler best known for putting the book together. It was originally published in 1943 and in later editions Horowitz removed Wellmuth’s name from the book. Chess historian Edward Winter discusses the topic on his site HERE. 

    One of the games that caught my eye was a casual game played in Boston in 1892 between the eccentric US Master Franklin K. Young and the mysterious L. Dore. Young occupies a unique niche in the chess world because of his serious effort to reduce chess to a mathematically exact system formulated on the principles of military science. 

    He received some recognition around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s from world champion Emanuel Lasker, who referred to one of his books as "replete with logic and common sense." Today Young's work is treated with ridicule and scorn. 

    L. Dore was probably a member of the club in Boston that included Young and well know players like John F. Barry, C. F. Burille and Preston Ware. The group was the foundation of what would become the Deschapelles Chess Club in Boston. 

    Regarding today’s game...the exact same game was played between Henry Atkins and Herbert L. Jacobs in London in 1915. Edward Winter discussed this controversy in post number 7096 HERE. 

    British player, author and columnist Leonard Barden, posting in an English chess forum, suggested that the Atkins v. Jacobs game was almost certainly fictitious and possibly so is the Young vs. Dore game! 

    Young played the Danish Gambit, an opening in which white sacrifices a Pawn or two for the sake of rapid development and the hope of getting an attack. However, with care black can accept one or both Pawns safely or simply decline the gambit and get good chances. 

     The Danish was popular with old masters like Alekhine, Blackburne and Mieses, but as good defensive lines were discovered for black in the 1920s it disappeared. Marshall used to play it, too, especially in simultaneous exhibitions. He wrote that his opponents eventually got booked up on it so he had to quit playing it. 

    For those not familiar with the gambit, it is highly aggressive and, as one author put it, “quite expensive” in the terms of Pawns. However, it can give rise to hard fought games in which the result is never a foregone conclusion. 

    In this game white's attack was hardly sound and black missed several wins, but it's fun to play over.

 

[Event "Casual Game, Boston Press Club"] [Site ""] [Date "1892.11.08"] [Round ""] [White "Franklin K. Young"] [Black "L. Dore"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C21"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "1892.??.??"] {C21: Danish Gambit} 1. e4 e5 {[%mdl 32]} 2. d4 exd4 {There is really no satisfactory way of declining white's offer. The solid looking 2...d6 has, for whatever reason, given white good results.} 3. c3 {My database has 782 games in which this move was played and the results are about evenly divided between white and black wins with only about a quarter of them drawn. That said, among the more recent (1977 to 2018) games with both players rated over 2400 white hasa disnal result.} dxc3 {If black wants to decline the Pawn he can play 4...d5. Either way he scores well.} 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. Nf3 {While this develops a piece, it's not white's best choice.} (5. e5 {This is not so good either.} d5 6. exf6 dxc4 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Nxc3 gxf6 9. Bf4 {White has nothing to show for his material deficietr. Porobija,A (2002)-Bosiocic,M, Split 2013}) (5. Nxc3 {Leads to sharp positions where white has reasonable chances of success.} Nc6 6. Nf3 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb5 {Black is only slightly better.}) 5... Nxe4 (5... cxb2 {With car ful play this should prove safe for black.} 6. Bxb2 Nxe4 $2 {runs into} 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ Ke8 9. O-O $1 (9. Qxe4+ Qe7 {is to black's advantage.}) 9... Nf6 10. Re1+ Be7 11. Bxf6 {is winning for white.}) 6. O-O {The threat is 7,Bxf7+} Nd6 {Horrible defense...black blocks his own B and prevents the advance of his own d-Pawn.} (6... Nf6 {is safe. White should mow play 7.Nxc3 with equal chances, but he must not play} 7. Nxc3 (7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Ng5+ Kg8 {The K is safer here than on e8. In either case white has no effective way of conducting an attack.} 9. Nxc3 d5 {and black is up a B and a P.}) 7... Be7 8. Re1 O-O {equals.}) 7. Nxc3 $2 {White is much too optimistic! 7.Bb3 would leave him with an excellent position thanks to black's last move.} Nxc4 8. Re1+ Be7 9. Nd5 Nc6 10. Bg5 f6 $1 (10... Nxb2 {would be a fatal mistake.} 11. Nxe7 Nxd1 12. Nxc6+ Kf8 13. Nxd8 Nc3 14. Be7+ Kg8 15. Bb4 {wins}) 11. Rc1 {Black has two equally good moves here, both of which maintains a huge advantage.} b5 $2 (11... fxg5 12. Rxc4 O-O 13. Rce4 Bf6 14. Qb3 Kh8 {White has a clever trap here!} 15. Nxc7 $3 Qxc7 $4 (15... Be7 $3 {keeps a significant advantage after} 16. Nxa8 d5 17. Rxe7 Nxe7 {White cannot extricate his N.}) 16. Qf7 h6 17. Re8 {ans white wins.}) (11... O-O 12. Rxc4 fxg5 13. Rce4 Bf6 {has transposed into the above position.}) (11... Nxb2 {favors white after} 12. Qb3 Nd3 13. Qxd3 O-O 14. Bf4) 12. Rxc4 $2 (12. Bxf6 {is much better.} gxf6 13. Nh4 O-O {This position is extraordinarily complicated and white has only one move that equalizes} 14. Rxc4 $3 (14. Qg4+ {isn't good enough.} Kh8 15. Ng6+ hxg6 16. Qxg6 N4e5 17. Qh6+ Kg8 {White's lone Q can't accomplish anything.}) 14... f5 15. Nxf5 Rxf5 16. Rg4+ Kf7 17. Qc2 d6 18. Qxc6 Bd7 {An amazing position. White is a piece down, but with all of his pieces in play against black's exposed K the chances are equal!}) 12... bxc4 {White could now capture on f6 with either piece, but neither would not gain him any advantage so he tries another way which should prove equally unsuccessful.} 13. Ne5 {Black has an array of captures, but they all lose. Getting his K to sagety with 13...O-O assures him of a winning advantage.} fxg5 $4 {[%mdl 8192] [This allows a fatal check on h5.} (13... O-O 14. Nxc6 dxc6 15. Nxe7+ Kh8 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Nxc6 Rf8 {Black is the exchange and a P up.}) 14. Qh5+ {There is no answer to this.} g6 15. Nf6+ {[%mdl 512]} Bxf6 16. Nxg6+ Qe7 17. Rxe7+ Bxe7 {This allows a mate in 4, but there was no saving the game.} 18. Ne5+ {[%mdl 32] He mates a move quicker with 18.Nxh8+} Kd8 19. Nf7+ Ke8 20. Nd6+ {[%mdl 64]} Kd8 21. Qe8+ {[%mdl 512]} Rxe8 22. Nf7# 1-0

50 Years Back

    Major world events of 1976 included the Mars Landing that sent back the first color photographs of the Martian surface. The supersonic Concorde launched its first scheduled commercial passenger flights and Apple Computer was founded. 

     In the United States 1976 was defined by the Bicentennial celebrations. Sylvester Stallone burst into superstardom in the smash-hit sports drama Rocky. Hit television shows were Charlie’s Angels, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Bionic Woman and Welcome Back, Kotter. American figure skater Dorothy Hamill won Olympic gold.

    Few people were aware of it, but Americans Robert Byrne, Lubomir Kavale, Larry Evans, James Tarjan, William Lombardy and Kim Commons also won gold. They won it at the 22nd Chess Olympiad in Haifa, Israel. This Olympiad was marred by a massive boycott by teams from the Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc and Arab nations because it was held in Israel. 

    Chess was dominated by World Champion Anatoly Karpov who had one of the most boring styles ever. A U.S. player won the World Junior Championship in 1976. He was Mark Diesen (1957-2008), whose father Carl Diesen was a well known tournament/correspondence player, earned the iM title for his accomplishment. During his broef career he won the Louisiana State Champion in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He grew up in Potomac, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C.), where he become a student of GM Lubosh Kavalek, who was one of the strongest players in the world at that time. 

    Even though Kavalek was noted for his tactical style, Diesen developed a positional style that made him a difficult opponent and he scored victories over GMs like Larry Evans, Borislav Ivkov, John Nunn and Eugenio Torre. Diesen played in only one U.S. Championship (in 1980), but had to withdraw after three rounds after injuring himself in a fall. 

    He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in chemical engineering and except for some local coaching abandoned chess and began a career as a reservoir engineer for Shell Oil, Pennzoil and Noble Energy. He died in Conroe, Texas of unspecified causes on December 9, 2008; he was 51 years old.

    Here is a good example of his precise positional play. The tournament was a 12-round Swiss with 54 players. Diesen finished first with 10 points. He was followed by Lubomir Ftacnik (9.5) and Nir Grinberg (9.0). 

 

[Event "World Junior Champ., Groningen"] [Site ""] [Date "1976.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Mark Diesen"] [Black "Peter Van Egmond"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C91"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1976.12.21"] {C91: Closed Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {[%mdl 32]} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d4 {Diesen expected that Van Edmond would play his favorite Marshall Counterattack and although he knew some good lines against it he chooses to avoid it,} (8. c3 {is the most common here an the Marshall is} d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 {This is the main line and is most likely to leaf to a draw with best play.}) 8... d6 9. c3 Bg4 10. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13. Nbd2 cxd4 14. Bxd4 Nc6 15. Be3 d5 {This is the main line and the chances are equal.} 16. h3 Bh5 17. g4 (17. Rc1 {is the main alternative.} Nb4 18. Bb1 dxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxd1 20. Rcxd1 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Nbd5 22. Nxf6+ Nxf6 23. f4 {and Pridorozhni,A (2533)-Bykov,E (2419) Moscow 2022 is completely equal and was eventually drawn.}) 17... dxe4 {The simplest way of equalizing.} (17... d4 {is also equal, but a bit more complicated.} 18. Bg5 d3 19. Bb3 Bg6 20. Rc1 Nd4 {with an active position.}) 18. gxh5 exf3 19. Qxf3 Nb4 {While this is not bad 19,,,Nd4 was more precise because it would have gained the two Bs.} 20. Bb3 {The B is now on an active diagonal.} Nbd5 {More active would have been 20...a5 and 21...Nd3} 21. Bg5 {Worth considering was 21.Nf1 and if 21...Nxe3 22.Nxe3 the N has a potential outpost on f5.} h6 22. Bh4 Re8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This innocent looking move is tactically faulty.} (22... Ra7 23. Rad1 {The point of the last move, Black is now equal.} Rd7) 23. Rad1 {White has completed his development and black is completely tied up.} Ra7 {Too late!} 24. Ne4 {[%mdl 32] Headed for f5} Rd7 25. Ng3 Nc7 26. Nf5 {White's pieces are poised for the kill. and apparently Van Egmond doesn't suscpect a thing. Of course even if he pays another move that 26...Bb4 he is still lost.} Bb4 {White to play and win.} 27. Nxh6+ $1 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned.} (27. Nxh6+ {White gets a won position in all variations.} Kf8 (27... gxh6 28. Bxf6) 28. Rxe8+ Kxe8 (28... Qxe8 29. Rxd7 Qxd7 30. Nxf7) 29. Rxd7 Qxd7 (29... gxh6) (29... Kxd7 30. Nxf7 Qf8 31. h6 gxh6 32. Qf5+ Kc6 33. Bxf6) 30. Nf5 Nfd5 31. Nxg7+ Kf8 32. Nf5 {White is winning.}) 1-0

Reshevsky at Leeds

 

    Today’s game was played by the eight year old prodigy Samual Reshevsky in his historic appearance at Leeds, England on August 31, 1920. Before moving to the U.S. later that year, Reshevsky toured major European cities, including Paris (where he scored 20-0) and London, giving simultaneous exhibitions. 

    During his stop in Yorkshire, he visited the Leeds Chess Club. It’s interesting that as an adult he regarded his play in those old simultaneous displays as quite meritorious. Edward Winter has an interesting post on Reshevsky as a prodigy HERE. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Event "15 bd Simul, Leeds. Eng"] [Site ""] [Date "1920.08.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "George W. Beaumont"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C34"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1920.??.??"] {C34: King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Be6 5. Bxe6 fxe6 6. d4 g5 {This is questionable. Black's best move is 6...Qf6} (6... Qf6 7. O-O e5 8. Nc3 c6 {with equality.}) 7. O-O {It would be more advantageous to white to play 7.h4!} h6 8. Qe2 {This is too passive. For white to have any hope of gaining an advantage he has to play 8.g3} (8. g3 fxg3 9. hxg3 {and now either 10.Nc3 or 10.d5 would be about equal.} Bg7) 8... a6 {This is a waste of time. Simply 8...Bg7 was correct.} (8... Bg7 9. g3 Qd7 10. gxf4 g4 11. Nh4 Bxd4+ {followed by 12...Nc6 leaves black with an excellent position/}) 9. Ne1 {Likewise, Reshevsky wastes time, but his plan of breaking up black's K-side Ps remains.} Qe7 10. g3 e5 11. Nc3 Nf6 (11... exd4 {is a bad tactical error.} 12. Nd5 Qd7 13. Bxf4 gxf4 14. Rxf4 Be7 15. Qh5+ Kd8 16. Qg6 {and the R invades on f7 with decisive results.}) 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nd3 Nc6 14. Nd5 {This innocent looking move has set up a critival position that black fails to appreciate.} Nxd5 {This is an error that lets his advantage slip. He should have delayed this capture a move and played 14...Qg7} (14... Qg7 {Black intends to castle Q-side and will remain a solid P up and have K-side attacking potential} 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qh5+ Qf7 17. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {Black is much better.}) 15. exd5 Nd4 16. Qh5+ Kd8 {White has now achieved equality.} (16... Qf7 17. Qxf7+ Kxf7 18. Nxe5+ {White has equalized.}) 17. Bd2 {Black must now continue aggressively with ...e4 and ...Bg7} Qf6 {Now Reshevsky could secure a solid positional advantahe with 18.Rae1 and 19.Bc3. Instead he plays an unsound tactical move.} 18. Nxe5 {Strictly speaking this is not a blunder nor is it really unsound, but it loses the advantage and results in equality. Fortunately for Reshevsky, his opponent falls for the bluff, but he can hardly be blamed because the way to equalizing is quite difficult to see!} Rh7 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This loses quickly.} (18... Qxe5 19. Rae1 {The game saver is the problem-like...} Ne2+ $3 20. Rxe2 Bc5+ 21. Kg2 Qxd5+ 22. Rf3 {with fully equal chances.}) 19. Rae1 {White has brought his last piece into play and is now ready to launch a decisive attack.} Bd6 (19... Bc5 {presents no danger to white.} 20. Kh1 Re7 21. gxf4 {with an easy win.}) {]} 20. gxf4 {[%mdl 32]} (20. Nc6+ {Threatening 21.Qe8# was a cute little trap. Black can avoid it with} Kd7 21. gxf4 gxf4 (21... bxc6 22. fxg5 Qg7 23. Qg4+ {is decisive.}) 22. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 23. Kh1 Rf8 24. Bc3 Qc5 25. Bf6 {Material is equal, vut black's poeces are too disorganized to offer any serious resistance.}) 20... Bc5 21. Kh1 c6 22. fxg5 {White quickly wins a lot of material.} Qd6 23. Nf7+ Rxf7 24. Qxf7 Qxd5+ 25. Qxd5+ cxd5 26. gxh6 Kc7 27. h7 Rh8 28. Rf7+ Kb8 29. Bf4+ Ka7 30. Be5 {Black resigned. All in all not a bad performance by an 8-year old playing a simul and having only a few seconds per move.} 1-0

Lasker’s Greatest Game?!

    Bobby Fischer held a very low opinion of Emanuel Lasker dismissing him as a "weak player" who lacked a deep understanding of modern openings and positional play. On the other hand, Garry Kasparov (who I think was a much better player than Fischer) viewed Emanuel Lasker as a towering genius who relied heavily on a practical, flexible, and deeply psychological approach. 

    In any case, is there something we amateutr can e learned from playing over Lasker’s games? He famously tailored his moves to exploit opponent's psychological weaknesses. He was willinn to enter objectively inferior, but complicated, positions if he thought his opponent would struggle more to navigate them than he would. And, he was is legendary for turning lost or passive positions around by finding hidden defensive resources. All moot points for amateurs!  

 

    Nevertheless, his games are enjoyable to play over and he considered the following game to be one of one of his best and he wasn’t alone. So did Amos Burn and Frank Marshall. They were all wrong! Check out the Fritz/Stockfish 19 Blunder Category Chart: 

 

[Event "St. Petersburg Quadrangular 1895/96"] [Site ""] [Date "1896.01.04"] [Round "?"] [White "Harry N. Pillsbury"] [Black "Emanuel Lasker"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D50"] [Annotator "Stockfish 19"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "1895.12.13"] {D50: Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. Bg5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Qh4 {This is not the best continuation. 7.Bxf6 as Pillsbury, himself, concluded after thoroughly analyzing the position.} (7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Qh4 dxc4 {and both 9.Rd1 and 9.e3 result in an equal position.}) 7... Be7 8. O-O-O {While this is sound, it is not totally without risks.} Qa5 9. e3 Bd7 10. Kb1 h6 $1 {Clever; the Q is stuck on h4 until the B is exchanged.} 11. cxd5 (11. Bd3 {would be a mistake.} Rc8 12. e4 d4 13. Ne2 e5 14. Bd2 Qa6 {and black is much better.}) 11... exd5 12. Nd4 O-O 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qh5 {Pillsbury's K-side attack is, in reality, nothing more than a gesture, but there isn't a really good plam available.} Nxd4 15. exd4 $17 Be6 {The calm before the storm.} 16. f4 {Played with the intention of initiating a P-storm on the K-side, but while Lasker's next move looks innocent enough, it turns out to be extremely crafty.} Rac8 17. f5 {No doubt Pillsbury was expecting 17...Bd7} Rxc3 {An unexpected surprise. Contemporary player Amos Byrn called it, "One of the finest (combinations) ever made." That's an exaggeration because in reality the move is neither better nor worse than the prosaic 17...Bd7} 18. fxe6 (18. bxc3 {is out of the question.} Rc8 19. Rc1 Bd7 {and white's exposed K is doomed. For example...} 20. Qf3 Bxd4 21. cxd4 Bxf5+ 22. Bd3 Qb4+ 23. Ka1 Qxd4+ 24. Kb1 Bxd3+) 18... Ra3 $1 {White's position is bad, but not lost if he finds the right defense.} 19. exf7+ $2 {[%mdl 8192] Whicj he does not and now his position is completely lost/} (19. bxa3 $3 {As far as I know none of the old time commentators even considered this unlikely looking defense because it just lookd bad! Engines play it instantly and now black's advantage os far from a winning one.} Qb6+ (19... Qxa3 $4 {loses} 20. exf7+ Rxf7 21. Qxd5 {White is a R up.}) 20. Bb5 Qxb5+ 21. Ka1 fxe6 22. Qh3 Qe2 23. Kb1 Qe4+ 24. Qd3 Qxg2 {White has a R vs, B+2Ps and black's advantage is not so great.}) 19... Rxf7 20. bxa3 Qb6+ 21. Bb5 {This is pretty much forced} Qxb5+ 22. Ka1 {White is dead lost, but as far as I know nobody has ever recognized black’s next movre as a blunder that should have tossed away the win.} Rc7 $2 (22... Qc5 23. Qg4 Re7 24. Rd3 Re4 25. Qd1 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 {An amazing position! Capturing the R lets white escape.} Qb6 $3 (26... Bxd4+ 27. Kb1 Qc3 28. Qc1 Qa1+ {Draw!}) 27. Qb3 Qxd4+ 28. Kb1 Qa1+ {wins the R.}) 23. Rd2 {A draw would be the proper outcome of this position.} Rc4 {[%mdl 128] White needs to defend precisely and that means playing only 24.Re1} 24. Rhd1 $4 {[%mdl 8192]} (24. Re1 Qa5 25. Re8+ Kh7 26. Qf5+ g6 27. Re7+ Bg7 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qe5+ Kh7 30. Qe7+ {Draw}) 24... Rc3 $2 (24... Qc6 {The only winning move, but it requires intricate play. Practically speaking a draw would not be a surprising outcome} 25. Kb1 Bg5 26. Re2 (26. Qe2 Bxd2 27. Qxd2 Qg6+ 28. Kb2 Qb6+ 29. Ka1 Qc7 30. Rf1 Rc2 31. Qd3 {Black is winning.}) 26... Rc1+ {Mate next move.}) 25. Qf5 {White is the exchange up. but making any real progress wi;; be difficult.} Qc4 26. Kb2 $4 {The annotator has now run ouit of question marks! It's now black to play and win!} (26. Kb1 $1 {keeps the advantage. After} Qc6 27. Rc2 {White has defended against any mate threats and is the exchange up.}) 26... Rxa3 $3 {[%mdl 512] Nice!} 27. Qe6+ (27. Kxa3 {gets mated.} Qc3+ 28. Ka4 b5+ 29. Kxb5 Qc4+ 30. Ka5 Bd8#) 27... Kh7 28. Kxa3 Qc3+ 29. Ka4 b5+ 30. Kxb5 Qc4+ {White resigned.} 0-1