Fine vs Horowitz Match 1934

     In January 1934, Reuben Fine (1914-1993) had been steadily climbing to new heights until at the age of nineteen he was recognized as one of the country's outstanding players. 

     He first achieved prominence by winning the Marshall Chess Club Championship several years earlier and then won the Western Championship (later known as the US Open) in 1932 and 1933. He had also made a splendid record for himself as a member of the US team at the Folkstone Olympiad in 1933. 

     In match play he had also performed well, defeating Arthur W. Dake and Herman Steiner who was a member of the victorious American team Olympiad team in 1931 in Prague. 

     Already the quality of Fine's play belied his youth. Never impetuous and always imaginative, he won by virtue of a thorough knowledge of positional principles and an ability to achieve and increase small, subtle advantages. 

     In 1934, after again winning the championship of the Marshall, he challenged I.A. Horowitz, one of the US's leading players to a 12-game match. The first two games were played in Philadelphia at the rooms of the Mercantile Library and at the Franklin Chess Club. Both games went to Fine. Play then moved back to New York where the third game, played at the Manhattan Chess Club, was drawn. The remaining games were played at the Marshall Chess Club, the Stuyvesant Chess Club and the Queens Chess Club.

Reshevsky on FIne during an interview

     Israel A. Horowitz (1907-1973) is most remembered for the books he wrote about chess and as the editor of the excellent magazine Chess Review. But, at one time Horowitz was among the top players in the world. Chessmetrics puts him among the world's top 25 players in the 1930s and on their 1943 list he is ranked tenth in the world behind Reshevsky, Alekhine, Botvinnik, Euwe, Keres, Smyslov, Stahlberg, Najdorf and Paul Schmidt. In 1989 he was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. 

     In the ninth game Horowitz, whose lone win came in game 7, declined a draw offer and went on to lose thereby effectively ending the match. Fine only had to draw the tenth game played at the Queens Chess Club in order to reach the 6.5 points required to take the 12 game match. He did just that, giving him a score of +4 -1 =5 making it unnecessary to play the last two games. 

     The first game of the match in which Fine delivered a good solid thumping to his opponent  illustrated Fine's resourcefulness and his style.

I.A. Horowitz - Reuben Fine

Result: 0-1

Site: Match, Game 1

Date: 1934.06

Dutch Defense

[...] 1.d4 f5 2.♘f3 ♘f6 3.g3 e6 4.♗g2 ♗e7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 d6 7.♘c3 This is the Classical Dutch. Black has some ideas of playing Qe8 and if c7 is attacked (by for example an eventual Nb5) then Bd8! That's the main purpose of putting the B on e7 in this line. 7...♕e8 8.♕c2 ♘c6 9.a3

9.e4 fxe4 10.♘xe4 e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.♘xf6+ ♗xf6 13.♗e3 Wiedermann,D (2099)-Danner,G (2411)/Vienna 2006. White was unable to take any advantage of black's isolated e-Pawn and the game fizzled our to a draw.

9.b3 This a good alternative. 9...♕h5 10.a3 e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.♘d5 ♗d8 13.♗b2 and white is only very slightly better. Bauer,B (2056)-Becker,N (2092)/Radebeul GER 2016

9...e5 10.d5 Best as taking on e5 leads nowhere. Now white has a slight space advantage. 10...♘d8

10...♘b8 11.b4 ♕h5 12.e3 g5 13.♘e1 a5 14.♖a2 axb4 15.axb4 ♖xa2 16.♘xa2 ♘g4 Heidenfeld,W-Rossolimo,N/Beverwijk 1953. Technically the position is equal, but white's position proved difficult to defend and he eventually lost.

11.b4 White could have compelled black to play his Q to d7 now that his last move prevented the retreat of the B on e7.

11.♘b5 ♕d7 12.b4 and black's K-side attacking chances with ...Qh5 have been stymied.

11...♗d7 12.♘d2 ♕h5 Here the engines will tell you the position is equal, but if you have ever played over any Dutch games, for example, those by Botvinnik, you will realize that blacks coming attack is quite difficult to meet. 13.f3 This move seems to be the beginning of white's troubles. Perhaps simply 13.Bb2 would have been better. 13...♘f7 14.e4 f4 The attack begins. In the meantime white is on the defensive and has no time to develop any semblance of counterplay. 15.g4 After this oversight white is lost.

15.♘b3 was best. Then after 15...fxg3 16.hxg3 ♘g5 17.♗e3 ♘h3+ 18.♗xh3 ♗xh3 19.♖f2 black will play 19...h6 followed by ...Nh7 and ...Ng4 with good prospects for a successful attack. But at least white has some hope of defending himself.

15...♕h4 It looks like white has succeeded in closing up the K-side, but Fine finds a way to bust it open. 16.♘b3 h5 17.gxh5

17.h3 ♘g5 18.♕f2 ♘xh3+ 19.♗xh3 ♕xh3 20.g5 ♘h7 21.♕h2 ♘xg5 is winning for black.

17...♕xh5 18.♖f2

18.♔f2 The K can't run... 18...♘g4+ 19.♔e2

19.fxg4 ♕xh2 20.♖h1 ♕g3+ 21.♔g1 ♘g5 and the threats of 22...f3 and 22..Nf3+ can't be met.

19...♘g5 20.♔d3 ♘xh2 21.♖h1 ♘gxf3 22.♕e2 ♕g4 23.♗xf3 ♕xf3+ 24.♕xf3 ♘xf3 is winning for black.

18.c5 It's too late for Q-side counterplay to be effective...black just ignores it. 18...♘g5 19.c6 bxc6 20.dxc6 ♗e6 21.♗d2 ♘h3+ with much the better position.

18...♘g5 19.♘d2 ♔f7 20.♘f1 ♖h8 21.♘e2 ♕h4 22.♕d2 ♘h5 23.♘c3 (23.♕e1 does not stop black. 23...♗h3 24.c5 ♗xg2 25.♔xg2 ♘h3) 23...♖h6 24.♖e2 ♖g6 25.♔h1 ♖h8

25...♘g3+ was even better. 26.♘xg3 fxg3 27.h3 ♗xh3 28.♖e3 (28.c5 ♗xg2+ 29.♔xg2 ♕h2+ mates next move.) 28...♗xg2+ 29.♔xg2 ♕h3+ 30.♔g1 ♖h8 31.♕g2 ♕xg2+ 32.♔xg2 ♖h2+ 33.♔f1 g2+ wins easily.

26.♖f2 Black to mate in 4. (26.♕e1 loses. 26...♘g3+ 27.♕xg3 fxg3) 26...♘g3+ 27.♔g1 ♘h3+ 28.♗xh3 ♘e2+ It's mate next move so Horowitz resigned. Forceful play by Fine.

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