Thursday, June 4, 2020

Bandersnatch and Jabberwocky

     Franklin K. Young (October 21, 1857 – December 19, 1931, 74 years old) was born in Boston and died in Winthrop, Massachusetts. He was an author who tried to apply military battlefield principles and terminology to the chessboard in a number of books that were filled with bandersnatch and jabberwocky and have been ridiculed from the day they were published. 

Examples: 
The normal formative processes of a Logistic Grand Battle consist, first, in Echeloning by RP to QR4 and then in Aligning the Left Major Front Refused en Potence by the development of QKtP to QKt5, followed by Doubly Aligning the Left Major Front Refused and Aligned by developing QRP to QR5. 

Or… 
A Grand Strategic Front is formed by the extension of a salient two points along that diagonal upon which the minor strategic front already is established. It may properly be aligned and reinforced by the minor crochet, the major crochet, the crochet aligned, or supplemented by the formations, echelon, enceinte and en potence. 

     Young was trying to reduce chess to a mathematically exact system formulated on the principles of military science. He did receive 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." 
     One of Young’s postal games against Sidney P. Johnston impressed fellow Bostonian John F. Barry enough that he thoroughly annotated it in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and in the process paid homage to Young’s theories. 
     Barry was a Boston lawyer and a strong amateur. His best result was a narrow loss to Harry Nelson Pillsbury in a match in 1893 (+4, -5, =1). Barry played in twelve of the thirteen Anglo-American cable matches, missing the 1908 match because his invitation was not delivered. He played on Boards 2-4 over the years, and scored +6 -3 =3, winning games against Henry Atkins, Joseph Blackburne and Horatio Caro, and drawing with James Mason. 
     Barry lost a US championship match to Jackson W. Showalter in 1896 (+2 -7 =4). He also played at Cambridge Springs 1904, and finished toward the bottom. 
     Young’s 19-move win over Johnston, a strong Chicago master and city champion, was viewed as a somewhat astonishing performance and it generated a lot of curiosity among correspondence players all over the country. The score of the game was withheld when the Daily Eagle reported on the match because Barry, an esteemed member of the American cable match team and the recognized champion of Boston, had agreed to annotate it at length. 
     When the game was published in the July 21, 1901 edition of the Daily Eagle, it was with the promise that readers “are today enabled to enjoy an exceptional treat in perusing a splendidly played game between players of the first rank with the popular Ruy Lopez opening, and scientifically annotated.” 
     The paper marvelled that a player of Johnston's ability, who had all the known analysis of the Ruy Lopez at his disposal, should have been so "out-generaled in the opening" that half of his pieces went undeveloped. Additionally, it was claimed that the game demonstrated the superiority of Young's "synthetic method of chess play" over the "old analytical method" which had been rendered useless. 
     Barry stated that the game "must clearly show the student the truth of Mr. Young's theory and convince the expert of (its) superiority." Barry called the game a fine illustration ot the synthetic method and stated that the lines of attack adopted by Young would not be found in any analytlcal treatise and the superiority of the attack over Johnston's defense could be directly traced to "the strict observance of the strategic principles of the first player and the entire disregard of these principles by his opponent." 
     Concerning the Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Opening as he called it), it was in Barry's opinion not only the most powerful of all the openings, but also the “only correct method of deployment possible for white.” 
     Barry wrote that as far back as the 15th century when this opening was introduced by the Archbishop of Syracuse, “vast labor had been expended to bring ts analysis to perfection.” At the same time, he didn’t know of any “analytical writer” (as opposed to synthetic method writer) whose work on the Ruy Lopez was reliable or “of any value whatever in actual play.” 
     Barry stated that as he understood it, the strength of the Ruy Lopez (or “this debut” as he called it) lies in the fact that it compels black to “deploy his men into an interior primary base.” Clearly, Barry had read Young’s work! I think he meant the Ruy Lopez forces black into a cramped position, but I can’t be sure.
     Anyway, this resulted in black having “an inferior strategic front.” Barry claimed this inferior strategic front is directly due to white’s third move which prevents the development of black’s B to c5. Actually, the Classical Defense or Cordel Defense, 3...Bc5, is possibly the oldest defense to the Ruy Lopez and was played occasionally by Boris Spassky and Boris Gulko. 
     Barry added that theoretically black should lose the game if he was compelled to develop his B at e7. Something he does all the time in the Morphy Defense. 
     In the days before ratings it’s hard to say how strong Barry was, but Chessmetrics gives his highest rating as 2555 in 1904 placing him in the top 25 in the world. Some better known players in that group were Julius Perlis, Curt von Bardeleben, Jean Taubenhaus and James Mason.


Franklin K. Young (Boston) - Sydney Johnston (Chicago)
Result: 1-0

Site: Postal
Date: 1901

Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗b5 ♘f6 Barry pointed out that 3...a6 was invariably played by Morphy and that was a fact that should be noted by students the game, adding that 3...a6 is an essential element of the defense in many variations particularly when white plays 4.d4 instead of 4.O-O. Of course nowadays it's known that the Berlin Defense is a perfectly good defense although it fell out of favor as being too passive around the time of Steinitz. 4.d4 Today white occasionally plays 4.Nc3 or 4.d3 but 4.O-O is almost always played. Barry called 4.O-O weak and the other moves even worse. The reason why was because Morphy played 4.d4 with brill- lant success and the reason why analytical players failed was because Morphy knew and followed the synthetic method and they did not. I think Morphy's success was more likely due to his being a far better player than his contemporaries, not because he followed the synthetic method. 4...♘xe4 Barry comments that the correct move is 4...exd4 while 4...Nxe4 is only less inaccurate than 4...Nxd4 which is suicidal. He's basically correct. 5.d5 Barry says that with this move white seizes the topographical key and gains such advantageous position that it is doubtful (with best plny on both sides) that Black can save the game. Nobody agrees with him and in my opening database 5...O-O is favored over 5.d5 by over 1000 to 1. Also, Stockfish agrees that 5...O-O is the best move here. 5...♘b8 Barry correctly states that this is probably as bad a move as could be found because it "abandons the salient offensive to the control of white and results in a loss of time to black which stratigically is equivalent to the tactical loss represented by the elimination (as it turns out) of three pieces from his game." Right! I think.
5...♘e7 6.♘xe5 ♘g6 7.♘xg6 hxg6 8.♕e2 ♕e7 9.O-O a6 and white is slightly better as in Czebe,A (2325)-Sinkovics,P (2405) /Balatonbereny open 1996
5...♘d6 is correct after which white has tried 6. Nc3 and 6.Ba4 6.♘c3 a6 The right move was first 6...Nxb5 and then 7...a6 7.♗d3 ♘b4 8.♗e2 a5 9.♘xe5 ♗e7 10.O-O O-O and white is a little better. Corrales Jimenez,F (2586)-Djuric,S (2461)/Bergamo 2009.
6.♕e2 The position is no more than equal, but according to Barry this the only correct move as white gains the initiative. i.e. the power to dictate the opponent's moves, and he continues to dominate the processes of black either strategically or tactically until the end of the game.
6.♘xe5 ♕e7 7.♕d4
7.♕e2 is also playable but after 7...♕xe5 8.f3 c6 9.♗d3 ♕xd5 10.fxe4 ♕e5 and black is slightly better.
7...♕b4 8.♕xb4 ♗xb4 9.c3 is equal.
6...♘d6 According to Barry this is bad and evidently played in obedience to the "analytical books" and that the N should have retreated to f6, "the only correct post for this N in the opening." He is correct that 6...Nf6 was best because the move played keeps black's Q-side piece out of play. Barry adds that white "now properly plays to crush black's K before the Q-side pieces can be released." Actually, while white does have much better chances, black's defensive resources should be adequate. 7.♘xe5 Forcing the exchange of Qs with 7.Qxe5+ would also have been satisfactory, but note that the threat is to win the Q with 8.Nc6+ 7...♗e7 (7...♕e7 8.♗d3 f6 9.♘f3 ♕xe2 10.♗xe2 leaves white a little better.) 8.♗d3 Barry says this piece which was useless and menaced retires to its proper post and white now properly establishes the major front on the right. Blah, blah, blah. Where else is it going to go?! 8...O-O Stockfish wants to play moves like O-O, Bf4 and Re1 which would leave white better. As it is, Barry's belief notwithstanding, the position is only equal after 9.f4. 9.f4 f6 Here is where black really goes astray by creating a near fatal weakness in his K-side.
9...♘e8 The idea of this move is to repostion the to f6 and also make some room to get his Q-side pieces out. There can be little doubt that black's cramped position and lack of counterplay makes defense very difficult.
10.♕h5 f5 Forced because 10...h6 leaves a nastly hole on g6 and 10...g6 invites the winning sacrifice 11.Nxg6. 11.♘c3 ♗f6 It would have been better to offer a trade of Qs with 11...Qe8 12.O-O g6 13.♕h3 ♘e8 Oddly, in his notes Barry makes no comment on this move which is really where black lands in serious trouble.
13...♘a6 14.♗xa6 bxa6 15.♗e3 ♗b7 followed by ...Q-e7-g7 would leave white better, but black would have reasonable chances of defending himself.
14.d6 Interesting. This gets a ? from Stockfish and its evaluation changes from slightly in white's favor to 0.00. Barry praises the move and explains the purpose of this sacrifice is to maintain the congested state of black's general position. He states that in this position d6 is the "topographical key." By the Ps sacrifice for a time at least, and as it turns out, permanently, white prevents the deployment of black Q-side pieces. Barry then adds that while this concept is simple and would occur to any player, "the fact that it involves the sacrifice of material would deter from the hazard anyone not possessed of understanding and confidence in the theory of the game. Moreover, the analysis of the move is difficult and for that reason is not the assurance of its validity." Whatever that means.
14.♗e3 is the Stockfish way. 14...b6 15.a3 ♗a6 16.♗d4 ♗xd3 17.♕xd3 d6 18.♘f3 ♘d7 19.♖ae1 with a slight advantage.
14...♘xd6 15.♘d5 c6 No argument with Barry when he called this "about the worst move on the board."
15...♗g7 16.♗d2 c6 17.♗a5 b6 18.♗b4 cxd5 19.♗xd6 ♖f6 And black has beaten back white's pieces and at the same time managed to defend his K. Now all that remains is to get his Q-side pieces developed and he should be OK.
16.♘xf6 Barry now gave some faulty analysis as to the result of 16...Rf6 17.g4. Barry's 17.g4 is OK, but not the best. White should fianchetto his B after which he is winning. He wrote of 16.. .Rxf6 that after this "unscientific" move black's position is "so bad that his defeat is readily forecasted." 16...♕xf6
16...♖xf6 17.b3
17.g4 ♘a6 18.♗e3 ♘b4 19.gxf5 ♘xf5 20.♗xf5 ♖xf5 21.♘g4 and black is holding hsi own.
17...♘a6 18.♗b2 ♘c5 19.♘f3 with a winning attack.
17.♗d2 ♘e8 Barry observed one third of black's moves have been made by this "mismanaged piece, whose unscientific waddlings have stopped the development of all black's Queen's wing. There seems to be nothing better at this point." That there is nothing better is correct. 18.♗c3 d6 18...d5 seems to be the only move here worthy of notice. Black is unable to save the exchange and this, together with his very inferior position, makes his game lost by its nature." Barry. He is correct. 19.♘xc6 Barry notes that white plays to annihilate the black army and does not bother to win the exchange with 19.Nd7. Johnston resigned.
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