After that I somehow got sidetracked when I ran across a few games from the 1943 US Amateur Championship that was won by a 24-year old medical doctor named Ariel A. A. Mengarini when he scored 11 straight wins in the finals!
Sven Almgren and former champion Edward S. Jackson. Jr., both of New York, tied for 2nd and 3rd places with Almgren being declared the runner-up because he won his individual game against Jackson.
Almgren (May 14, 1900 - January 31, 1973) was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden. A strong amateur who participated in the US Championships of 1944 and 1948, he eventually settled in California.
Edward S. Jackson Jr. (June 15, 1897 - September 6, 1987) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won the first US Amateur Championship in 1942 and again in 1944. Mengarini didn't play in the 1944 event because he was serving in the military. Jackson remained an active tournament player until his death.
Oddly, Almgren almost didn't qualify from the preliminaries. He tied for 3rd place with August Otten just made it into the finals by virtue of having defeated Otten in their individual game.
Mengarini and Jackson were seeded into the finals while the other qualified from a field who competed in four preliminary sections.
Looking over the list of 44 entrants, most of whom were from New York City, there were a couple of recognizable names who didn't qualify: Arthur Bisguier, Gisela K. Gresser, Julius Partos, L. Walter Stephens and Richard Wayne.
The last named was the many time TD for the Ventnor City tournaments.
Stephens, the long time secretary of the Manhattan Chess Club, organized and financed many national tournaments. He is best remembered as the TD who mistakenly forfeited Arnold Denker after Samuel Reshevsky's flag had fallen during their game in the 1942 US Championship.
Stephens' blunder, which he stubbornly refused to correct, cost Isaac Kashdan the US Championship. Had Stephens corrected his error Kashdan would have won with a score of 12.5-2.5 and Reshevsky and Denker would have tied for second with 11.5-3.5. As it was, Kashdan and Reshevsky tied for first and Denker finished tied for third with Albert Pinkus. Reshevsky went on to defeat Kashdan in the playoff match +6 -2 =3.
Partos (1915-1968) is not so well known, but he won the NY City High School championship in 1933. For many years he was the champion of Queens and frequently played in tournaments in the NYC area. Known as a cheery individual with a knack for blitz chess, at the age of five Partos was playing chess against lady champion Mary Bain who lived in the same apartment. He was employed by the City of New York as Administrative Assistant and worked in the Comptroller's Office. Later, he was transferred to the Department of Social Services where he was administrator of a surplus food depot. In later years, due to the pressure of work and because he took to playing duplicate tournament Contract Bridge, he became inactive in chess.
There was plenty of excitement in
the Amateur as former champion Jackson and newcomer Mengarini racked up win after win all the while being closely followed by Almgren.
Jackson and Mengarini met in the tenth round. Jackson had an adjourned game with Almgren who was expected to win. Thus, Jackson was forced to go for broke and play for a win against Mengarini. Jackson had white and opened with the Ruy Lopez and got a good game with the Exchange Variation, but on his 15th move tried too hard to win and sacrificed a piece for a mating threat that Mengarini easily refuted. Thereafter, Jackson struggled valiantly, but in the end he had to resign.
Mengarini mowed down his three remaining opponents and clinched the title when Almgren defeated Jackson in their adjourned game which was played off before the last round.
Sven Almgren - Dr. A.A. Mengarini
Result: 0-1
Site: US Amateur, New York City
Date: 1943
Queen's Gambit
[...] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.♘c3 ♘f6 4.e3 e6 5.♗d3 dxc4 6.♗xc4 b5 7.♗d3 a6 8.♘f3 c5 9.O-O ♘c6 Black gets better results with either 9...Bb7 or 9...Nbd7. 10.b3 While this is certainly not bad 10.a4 was more to the point
10.♘e4 is innocuous. 10...cxd4 11.exd4 ♘b4 12.♘xf6+ gxf6 13.♗e4 0-1 Muselimyan,M (2035)-Udovichenko,N (2202)/Maykop RUS 2008
10.a4 b4 11.♘e4 and white stands quite well. Note that the d-Pawn is immune from capture. 11...cxd4 12.exd4 ♘xd4 13.♘xd4 ♕xd4 14.♗b5+
10...♗b7 11.♗b2 cxd4 12.exd4 ♘b4 Often in isolated d-Pawn positions white has a R on c1 and so he can retreat Bb1 then set up a B+Q battery aimed at h7. Here, of course, that isn't such a good idea as the B would shut in the R, so the B should retreat to e2. 13.♘e5 ♗e7 Giving white another opportunity to retreat the B to e2. 14.♖e1 ... which he ignores. 14...♘xd3 15.♕xd3 O-O 16.♖e3 Instead of a routine move like 16.Rac1 white plays this interesting R lift...can black survive the coming attack? 16...♘d5 17.♖h3 Black must decide how to defend against the threat to h7. 17...f5, 17...h6 and 17... g6 all come to mind 17...f5 The disadvantage to this is that it leaves his e-Pawn weak.
17...h6 is technically the best and with careful play black should end up slightly better. 18.♕g3 ♗g5 19.♘xd5 ♕xd5 Black has a the better position.
18.♘e2 ♖c8 19.♖e1 ♘b4 This allows his R to reach the second rank which is very appealing. However, white's pieces are going to flock around black's K and the absence of his N on the K-side might make itself felt. A reasonable move is 19...Bd6. 20.♕g3 ♖c2 After this good looking move black loses his advantage and is subjected to a dangerous looking attack. Better was simply 20...Nd5 maintaining a slight advantage. 21.♘f4 ♗d5 22.♗c1
22.♗a3 could have been trappy. 22...♖xa2 Black could keep things equal by playing 22...a5. 23.♗xb4 ♗xb4 24.♕g6 hxg6 25.♘fxg6 and mate follows.
22...♘xa2 23.♖xh7
23.♕g6 fails to 23...hxg6 24.♘fxg6 ♗h4 25.g3 ♕a5 and black wins.
23.♘xd5 This was white's best and after 23...♖xc1 24.♖xc1 ♘xc1 25.♘xe7+ ♕xe7 black's advantage is minimal.
23...♔xh7 24.♗a3 Hoping black takes the B. 24...b4 (24...♗xa3 is diastrous... 25.♕h3+ ♔g8 26.♘fg6 and mates.) 25.♕h3+ ♗h4 26.♘fg6 ♗xg2 A practical decision. Being a R up black decides to return some material to ease his defense.
26...bxa3 is perfectly fine as after 27.♘xh4 ♕g5 28.♘hg6+ ♕h6 29.♘xf8+ ♔g8 black is perfectly safe.
27.♘xf8+ ♔g8
27...♕xf8 28.♕xh4+ ♔g8 29.♘g6 ♕f6 30.♕h8+ ♔f7 31.♘e5+ ♔e7 32.♔xg2 and white wins.
28.♕xg2 ♗xf2+ 29.♔f1 ♔xf8 30.♕g6
30.♗xb4+ would have offered stiffer resistance. 30...♘xb4 31.♕b7 ♖c7 32.♕xb4+ ♔g8 33.♖d1 ♖c2 34.♕b7 but here, too, black would still be winning.
30...♕e8 31.♕g2 Signifying the end of his attack. 31...bxa3 32.♖e2 ♖xe2 33.♔xe2 ♗xd4 34.♘g6+ ♔g8 35.♘f4 ♕b5+ 36.♔d2 Almgren resigned without awaiting black's move.
36.♔d2 Black has a mate in 10. 36...♕b4+ Or 36. ..Qa5+ 37.♔d1 ♕xb3+ 38.♔e1 ♕b1+ 39.♔d2 ♕b2+ 40.♔e1 ♘c3 41.♕a8+ ♔h7 and white cannot avoid mate.
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