Hearst Hornswoggles Gilden

Eliot Hearst

     In 1961, Grigory Levenfish (1889-1961) died in Moscow at the age of 71 and Akiba Rubinstein (1880-1961), died in Antwerp, Belgium at the age of 80. 

     Mikhail Botvinnk decisively (+10 -5 =6) defeated Mikhail Tal to regain the world championship. 

     On the US chess scene, the year started off on January 3rd with Bobby Fischer clinching the US Championship for the 4th time with a score of +7 -0 =4. His win qualified him for the next Interzonal. He finished ahead of Willaim Lombardy and Raymond Weinstein. Three players tied for fourth (Bisguier, Reshevsky and Sherwin). 

     The long awaited match between Fischer and Reshevsky was arranged and ended with Reshevsky being declared the winner. The score was tied at 5.5 points apiece when Fischer forfeited game 12 over a scheduling dispute and after letting loose a string of filthy language directed at everybody involved he withdrew in protest. 

     In December, Lisa Lane, chess's media glamour girl, played four games in the Hastings Reserve tournament, then withdrew At the time here score was +0 -1 =2 with one adjourned game. She said she could not concentrate on chess because she was homesick and in love with her future second husband Neil Hickey. At least that was her story. A more likely explanation was that she wasn't living up to the hype and in one interview she stated she hated anybody who beat her. Within a few years she quit chess and even refused to talk about it. 

     The 1961 Eastern Open that was held in Washington, D.C. was probably the strongest weekend tournament ever in the United States up to that time; it was won by Dr. Eliot Hearst of Arlington, Virginia with a convincing score of 7-1. 

     In those days Masters were rare and even Experts (2000-2199) commanded great respect. This tournament had 13 Masters and 37 Experts. It also drew a record entry of 162 players. 

 

     In the following game Larry Gilden (born 1942) of Washington, D.C. resigned in a drawn position. Chess.com has some anecdotes on this colorful player HERE.

[Event "Eastern Open, Washington DC"] [Site "?"] [Date "1961.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Larry Gilden"] [Black "Eliot Hearst"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D22"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "56"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.03.31"] {Queen's Gambit Accepted} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {In my database this is the third most popular option and if fares on a par with both 2...c6 and 2...e6. Because black has surrendered the center white will try to seize space there and use it to launch an attack. Black hoped to weaken white's center Ps. Alao, accepting the gambit allow black to save time by allowing the freeing moves …e5 and …c5 to be played in one move.} 3. Nf3 {In my database white scores a tad better with the direct 3.e4 trying to establish a strong P-center. 3.e4 disappeared for a long time, but became popular again in the 1990s. With the text move white delays attempts to regain the P and prevents black from striking at the center with ...e5.} a6 {The most common reply is 3...Nf6, but thisd move was introduced by Alekhine.} (3... b5 {This attempt to hold the P fails.} 4. a4 c6 5. b3 {and black caonnot capture on either a4 or c3.} cxb3 ( 5... bxa4 6. bxc4 {and black's Q-side is wrecked.}) (5... e6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. e3 Be7 8. bxc4 bxc4 {and white is better.} 9. Bxc4) 6. axb5 cxb5 7. e3 e6 (7... a6 8. Bxb5+) 8. Bxb5+ {with the advantage.}) 4. e3 Bg4 5. Bxc4 e6 6. Qb3 {Very blunt.} Bxf3 7. gxf3 {Black is now faced with the problem of how to defend the attacked b-Pawn or if he even should.} Ra7 (7... b5 8. Be2 Qg5 9. a4 b4 10. Nd2 Qg2 11. Rf1 Nf6 {White is much better. Ivanov,I (2430)-Jauregui Andrade,C (2305) Montreal 1981}) (7... Nd7 8. Qxb7 Rb8 9. Qxa6 {and white is clearly better as his Q is in no danger and black is not prepared to launch any kind of an attack.}) 8. Bd2 Nf6 9. Nc3 Nc6 {Blocking the c-Pawn seems questionable.} (9... Nbd7 10. Be2 c5 11. d5 e5 12. a4 Bd6 13. O-O Qe7 14. Kh1 e4 {This sharp position favors white. Botvinnik,M-Flohr,S Moscow 1945}) 10. Ne4 {White is aiming to either pick up the b-Pawn or force black to yield the two Bs.} Be7 11. Nc5 O-O {It would have been better to eliminate the N.} (11... Bxc5 12. dxc5 Qe7 13. Bc3 {The c-Pawn is immune (Bd4 picks up the R on a2).} O-O 14. Rg1 {with about equal chances.}) 12. Nxb7 {Instead of playing it safe with 12.Ne4 and being content with a slight advantage Gliden opts for the risky text.} Qa8 13. Nc5 Bxc5 14. dxc5 Ne5 {A superb move! The Q is unmasked and the P on f3 is threatened.} 15. O-O-O {White counters with a superb move of his own.} Qxf3 16. Qc3 Qf5 {It would have been better to eliminate the B with 16...Nxc4} 17. Rhg1 (17. f4 {After this white would manage to equalize.} Nxc4 18. Qxc4 Rb7 19. Bc3 Rb5 20. Bd4 Rfb8 21. Rhg1) 17... Ne4 {Black's Ns are well centralized and as GM William Lombardy once described a similar situation, they are doing their droppings all over the two Bs.} 18. Qd4 g6 $1 19. Bc3 {Now owing to the threat on the long diagonal the B has to go.} Nxc3 20. Qxc3 Nxc4 {So does the other B and now black picks up the f-Pawn} 21. Qxc4 Qxf2 22. Qc3 Rb7 {Finally the R on a7 is going to make itself felt. Of course, black could also have captured the h-Pawn with impunity, but prefers to launch an attack.} 23. a3 {Missing a nice tactical stroke that would have offered him some chances. Nobody is going to blame him though because it's a surprising move and the consequences would be impossible to calculate over the board.} (23. Rgf1 Qxh2 24. Rxf7 Rxf7 25. Rd8+ Rf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. Qxe6+ Kg7 29. Qe7+ Kh6 30. Qf8+ Kg5 31. Qd8+ Kg4 32. Qc8+ Kf3 33. Qxb7+ Kxe3 {Technically black should win assuming he does not botch the Q+P ending!}) 23... Rfb8 {[%cal Rb7b2] Technically the immediate 23...Rxb2 would win, but black would have to play two Rs against tge Q.} (23... Rxb2 24. Rgf1 Qxf1 25. Rxf1 Rxh2 {etc.}) 24. b4 {Now black would be left with a routine but somewhat tedious win after capturing the h-Pawn.,} a5 25. Rg4 {[%mdl 8192] This loses.} (25. Rgf1 {equalizes!} Qxh2 {watch this...} 26. Rxf7 Kxf7 27. c6 Qh6 (27... Rb5 28. Rd7+ Kg8 29. Qg7#) 28. cxb7 Rxb7 29. Rd7+ Kg8 {And now white can actually play for a win! It's likely that only Stockfish would see it though!} 30. Kd2 Qf8 31. Ke2 axb4 32. Qc6 Rb6 33. Qh1 h5 34. Qe4 Qe8 35. Qd4 e5 36. Qd5+ Kf8 37. Rd8 {and wins}) 25... axb4 26. axb4 e5 27. Qxe5 Qa2 (27... Ra7 28. Qb2 Qxe3+ {would have been more precise.}) 28. Qc3 Ra8 {Here Gilden wrongly resigned!} (28... Qxh2 {This turns out to be less strong than it looks because after} 29. Rgd4 Re8 30. Rd8 Rb8 31. Qf6 {Despite his P minus white has equalized.}) (28... Qa8 {This odd looking move is the best. The idea is for the Q and R to trade places.} 29. Qb3 Ra7 30. Rgd4 Rf8 { Black should win, but because the ending is all heavy pieces white can continue playing.}) (28... Ra8 29. Rd7 {and black's advantage is minimal! For example...} Qxh2 30. Qf6 {Black's pieces are tied up defending his position.} Qh1+ 31. Rd1 {Any K move would lead to him getting mated.} Qh6 (31... Qh3 32. Rd8+ Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kg7 34. Qd4+ {draws}) 32. Rf4 Qg7 33. Qxg7+ Kxg7 34. Rd7 Rf8 35. c6 {with a likely draw.}) 0-1

A Sammy Simul Over A Hundred Years Ago

     August of 1920 was a newsworthy month in Great Britain. The first Congress of the Communist Party of Great Britain opened. There were Catholic riots in Belfast in protest of the continuing British Army presence. After two weeks the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act received Royal backing and the bill provided for Irish Republican Army activists to be tried by court-martial rather than by jury in criminal courts. Even so, on August 29th eleven died and forty were injured in street battles in Belfast. 

     The Labour Party said it would call for a general strike if the United Kingdom declared war on Russia. 

     But it wasn't all bad news. The Blind Persons Act passed. It was the world's first disability-specific legislation and it provided a pension allowance for blind persons aged between 50 and 70 years of age and it directed local authorities to make provision for the welfare of blind people and regulating charities. 

     Mid-August saw the first night bus services in London. And, excitement was generated when the first games in the new Football (soccer to some of us) League Third Division were played by the 22 clubs who were elected to the new division from the Southern League. 

     On September 1st, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that the talk of the day among Yorkshire chess players was the amazing skill of an eight-year-old Jewish boy from Poland named Szmul Rzeszewski. 

     On the previous night "Sammy" as he was called, who was was visiting Leeds and Harrogate which is up the road about 17 miles with his father, appeared at the Queens Hotel in Leeds where he engaged in 15 simultaneous games with the best local players; he won eleven, lost one and drew three. The game he lost was that against Mr. S. Leader who was considered one of the best players in Yorkshire. 

     By the way, today the Queens Hotel, one of the most spectacular in Leeds, is a four star hotel near the train station and features conference and meeting facilities and a wonderful restaurant, all accompanied by classic 1950s Art Deco-style bedrooms. 

     According to the paper everybody who saw the little fellow flitting from board to board and making moves that puzzled most of the players agreed that he was one of the marvels of the age. 

     The paper commented on the fact that the boy looked extraordinarily intelligent, adding that he was "old for his years." 

     Additionally, it's likely that young Sammy had a big head for his age. The paper reported that he took something over a size seven in hats. I am not sure, but hat sizes probably have not changed since then and a size 7 and 7.125 is considered medium, a 7.25 and 7.375 large and anything over that and you're getting into the XL and XXL category. 

     According to the paper Reshevsky had two brothers and three sisters, but I was unable to locate even a scrap of information on any of them. His obituary only referenced that he was survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. The paper's account of the visit only stated that the other siblings were "just ordinary children with none of Samuel's precocity." At the time he was being schooled by a tutor and the plan was to "withdraw" him from chess before it "had the effect of making him one-sided" and he would be trained for "one of the professions." 

     The exhibition lasted nearly four hours and at the finish he had to allow three games to be drawn even though he thought he could beat his opponents. You can read an interview with Reshevsky starting on page 8 in the November 1991 issue of Chess Life HERE. 

     The following game was played in the Leeds simul and Gerald Abrahams claimed Reshevsky regarded the game a "quite meritorious," but it was not included in his book of best games. However, Fred Reinfeld supposedly ghosted the book and that may explain its omission.

[Event "Simultaneous, Leeds, England"] [Site "Leeds ENG"] [Date "1920.08.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "G. W. Beaumont"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C34"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1920.??.??"] {King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Be6 {Black is taking no chances. Usual is 4...h6 or 4...g5} 5. Bxe6 fxe6 6. d4 g5 {Already a mistake that should have given white a nice advantage.} (6... e5 7. Nc3 Nd7 8. g3 fxg3 9. hxg3 c6 {is completely equal.}) 7. O-O {This allows black to seize the initiative.} (7. h4 {gives white an advantage.} Be7 (7... gxh4 {is better.} 8. Nc3 Bh6 9. Nxh4 {with only a modest advantage for white.}) 8. Nxg5 Bxg5 9. Qh5+ Kd7 10. hxg5 Ne7 11. Bxf4 {White is winning, technically at least. Gardner,R (2185)-Czebe,A (2340) Budapest II 1995}) 7... h6 (7... Bg7 {as in Georgiev,G (2155)-Hesselbarth,K (1952) Berlin 2005 was a good plan.} 8. Nc3 Nd7 9. g3 e5 {Better was 9...g5} 10. dxe5 dxe5 {with equal chances.}) (7... Nd7 { was played in Xuereb,J-Feger,D Manila 1992 which continued} 8. Nc3 a6 9. b3 Qe7 10. h3 O-O-O {with an excellent game.}) 8. Qe2 a6 {Rather pointless. 8...Bg7 was good.} (8... Bg7 9. Qb5+ {winning the b-Pawn is very bad. He should ignore it and play 9.c3} Nc6 10. Qxb7 Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 12. Kh1 e5 {This position is winning for black.}) 9. Ne1 {Better was the immediate undermining of black's Ps with 9.g3} Qe7 10. g3 e5 11. Nc3 Nf6 (11... exd4 {is a a serious error because after} 12. Nd5 Qg7 13. Bxf4 {A nasty surprise that leaves white with a near winning position. Note that the B cannot be taken.} gxf4 14. Qh5+ Kd7 15. Nd3 Nf6 16. Qf5+ Kc6 17. N3b4+ Kc5 18. Nxf6+ Kb6 (18... Kxb4 19. a3+ { mate next move}) 19. Ne8 Qg5 20. Nd5+ Ka7 21. Rxf4 {White is clearly winning.}) 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nd3 {[%cal Rg3f4]} Nc6 14. Nd5 Nxd5 {After this the evaluation is back to equal.} (14... Qg7 {leaves white at a loss for a really good continuation.} 15. b4 O-O-O 16. c4 (16. Bb2 Nxd5 17. exd5 Rxd5) 16... Nd4 {Black is winning.}) 15. exd5 Nd4 16. Qh5+ Kd8 17. Bd2 Qf6 {This looks harmless, but it actually a mistake. Correct was 17...e4} 18. Nxe5 {Flashy, but not the best.} (18. Rae1 Bd6 19. gxf4 gxf4 {and only now...} 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. Rxe5 Rg8+ 22. Kh1 Qg7 23. Qh4+ Kd7 24. Qh3+ Qg4 25. Qxg4+ Rxg4 26. c3 Nb5 27. Rxf4 {with good winning chances in the ending.}) 18... Rh7 {[%mdl 8192] This results in total collapse.} (18... Qxe5 19. Rae1 Ne2+ 20. Rxe2 Bc5+ 21. Kg2 Qxd5+ 22. Rf3 {with equal chances.} (22. Qf3 Qxf3+ 23. Rxf3 fxg3 {gives black slightly the better chances in the ending.}) 22... Kc8) 19. Rae1 { White is now clearly winning.} Bd6 20. gxf4 {[%cal Bg3f4,Bf4g5,Bg5h6,Bh6h7] [%mdl 32]} Bc5 21. Kh1 c6 22. fxg5 Qd6 23. Nf7+ Rxf7 24. Qxf7 {[%csl Gf7][%cal Re1e8]} Qxd5+ 25. Qxd5+ cxd5 26. gxh6 Kc7 27. h7 Rh8 28. Rf7+ Kb8 29. Bf4+ Ka7 30. Be5 {Black resigned.} 1-0

San Francisco International, 1986

Ramayrat defeats Frias

     We lost some players back in '86. Dr. Albrecht Buschke, chess book dealer, died in New York City. Gedeon Barcza died at the age of 74 in Budapest. Ludmila Rudenko, Women's World Champion in 1949-53 and Challenger in 1956 passed away. Heinrich Fraenke, also known as Assiac, the chess author died in London. Borislav Milic, a Grandmaster, died in Yugoslavia in May at the age of 60. 

     Then on August 27, 1986, GM Georgy Agzamov finished playing in a tournament in Sevastopol and decided to go swimming. He took shortcut and fell off a cliff and became trapped. 

     People heard him yelling for help, but he was too far down the steep cliff and a rescue crew had to be called. By the time they reached him he had died. He was only 31 years old. He was Uzbekistan's first GM and at one time he was ranked number 8 in the world. 

     Finally, on December 30, 1986, WIM Venka Asenova died in Bulgaria. She was made an Honorary WGM in 1986. 

     Besides Agzamov becoming Uzbekistan's first GM, there were other firsts that year. Susan Polgar became the first woman to qualify for the men's World Championship. 

     In 1986, Jeff Sarwer (born May 14, 1978) won the first boys world under-10 World Youth Championship in Puerto Rico. You can read an interview with with him by Jennifer Shahade HERE. 

     Also, in 1986, his sister, Julia, won the first girls world under-10 World Youth Championship. After that, I don't now what happened to her. 

     The same year donations from a local player named Nathan Sills and the American Chess Foundation along with Miz Brown's Country Kitchen Restaurant donating the playing site, a small international tournament in San Francisco was made possible. 

     IM Cris Ramayrat (born May 17, 1958) of the Philippines captured first place with an undefeated score and earned the princely sum of $1,000, or over $2,400 in today's dollars. For their 2nd and 3rd place finish Whitehead and Winslow earned a little money and their second of the required three IM norms. 

     Jay Whitehead (October 12, 1961 - October 4, 2011), who was awarded his IM title in 1986, passed away from cancer only a few days before his 50th birthday.

     Sometime before 1984 Whitehead had joined the Hare Krishna sect. Besides being an excellent chess talent, he was also an excellent backgammon player. At some point before his 30th birthday Whitehead gave up tournament play, but for the last 20 years of his life he was devoted to historical research on chess and collected games from prior to 1867 which were recorded in a database as part of his project on the Definitive Work on Chess History in Progress. 

     Elliot Winslow (born May 16, 1982) gained his IM title in 1986 and today is active and plays on Chess.com 

 

Final standings: 

1) Chris Ramayrat 7.0-2.0 

2) Jay Whitehead 6.5-2.5 

3) Elliot Winslow 6.0-3.0 

4) Victor Frias 5.0-4.0 

5-6) Peter Biyiasis and Paul Whitehead 4.0-5.0 

7-9) David Strauss, Avinash Awate and Richard Lobo 3.5-5.5 

10) Guillermo Rey 2.0-7.0 

 

     In the following game Ramayrat showed sharp, adventurous play in his defeat of the Chilean IM Victor Frias.

[Event "San Francisco International"] [Site "?"] [Date "1986.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Chris Ramayrat"] [Black "Victor Frias"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A58"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "48"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.03.28"] {Benko Gambit} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 g6 { Now white generally plays 7.Nf3, 7.e4 or less often 7.g3.Ramayrat's 7.f4 enjoyed a brief flurry of popularity in 1974-1975 and then virtually disappeared, but he had come prepared with a new way to supercharge it.} 7. f4 d6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. e4 Bxf1 10. Rxf1 O-O 11. e5 {Previously, white had always sought to get his K into safety by castling artificially with 11.Kb2 and 12. Kg1. Instead, Ramayrat attacks at once with this double-edged move.} dxe5 12. fxe5 {The only way that Frias can avoid getting the worst of it is if he can demonstrate that the white center is overextended. It's possible, but not the way he tried to do it.} Ng4 (12... Nfd7 {this invites white to make a sharp reply} 13. e6 {but it's the safest way for black to equalize.} fxe6 {and equality is assured.} 14. dxe6 (14. Ng5 {This is more complicated, but it also results in equal chances.} Rxf1+ $1 15. Kxf1 Qf8+ 16. Kg1 Bd4+ 17. Kh1 exd5 18. Nxd5 {Threatens to win with Nc7.} Nc6 {And now ...Qf5 would win.} 19. Be3) 14... Nb6 15. Qxd8 Rxd8 16. Ng5 $1 Nc6 {...Nd5 is the strong threat.} 17. Nf7 $1 Rd4 18. Nh6+ $1) (12... Nfd7 {[%cal Rd7e5]} 13. e6 Ne5 {[%mdl 8192] This was suggested, but it's a very poor suggestion!} (13... fxe6 {and Black is okay.} 14. dxe6 Nb6) 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Bh6 {and black either loses the exchange after 15...f6 or even worse, after} Bg7 16. exf7+ Rxf7 17. Rxf7 Kxf7 18. Qf3+ Kg8 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. O-O-O {black is left with a very poor game.}) 13. Qe2 $16 Qc7 {[%cal Rg4e5]} 14. d6 {[%cal Bd5d6,Bd6e7][%mdl 32]} (14. Bf4 { This looks inviting, but it's wrong because after} Nd7 15. O-O-O (15. d6 { [%mdl 8192] This move is simply awful!} exd6 16. e6 (16. exd6 {16.e6 -2.40} Bxc3+ 17. bxc3 Qa5 {and black has a winning attack.}) 16... Rfe8 17. Ng5 f5 18. h3 Nge5 {and black is much better.}) 15... Ngxe5 {black has equalized.}) 14... Qb7 {Under the circumstances this is the best move.} (14... exd6 15. Qe4 Nxh2 16. Nxh2 Nc6 17. Nd5 Qa5+ 18. Bd2 Qb5 19. Ng4 Nxe5 20. Ngf6+ Kh8 21. Rh1 Bxf6 22. Nxf6 Kg7 23. Bg5 Rh8 24. O-O-O Ra6 25. Rxd6 Rxd6 26. Qxe5 {Black resigned. Garcia Palermo,C (2550)-Herndl,H (2345) Vienna 1986}) 15. h3 Nh6 16. dxe7 Re8 ( 16... Qxe7 17. g4 {Better was 17.Qe4} Nc6 18. Bf4 Nb4 19. Kf2 Kh8 20. a3 Nc6 { White is better and went on to win. Schlemermeyer,W-Geisler,R Germany 1987}) 17. Bg5 Nf5 18. Qb5 Qc8 (18... Qxb5 {18...Qc8 2.95 is even worse.} 19. Nxb5 Na6 20. O-O-O Bh6 21. Bxh6 Nxh6 22. Rd7 {and with threats like Ng5 and Nd6 white has a won game.}) 19. Ne4 Nc6 {This position is quite complicated.} 20. g4 (20. Nxc5 {and the fortunes change after} h6 21. Bf6 Bxf6 22. exf6 {Black is winning. For example...} Ncxe7 23. fxe7 Rxe7+ 24. Kf2 Rb8 25. Qc4 Rxb2+ 26. Kg1 Rxg2+ 27. Kxg2 Ne3+) (20. Nd6 {This allows black to equalize.} Nxd6 21. exd6 Qe6+ 22. Kf2 Qxd6 23. Rac1 Nd4 24. Nxd4 Qxd4+) (20. Rc1 {This is even better than the move Ramayrat played.} Ra5 21. Qc4 Ncxe7 22. Bd2 Ra6 23. Nfg5 Rf8 24. Nxf7 {and now if} Rxf7 25. Ng5 {Both Rs are attacked.} h6 26. Nxf7 Qe6 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. g4 Nd4 (28... Kxf7 29. gxf5 Rxe5+ 30. Kd1 Nxf5 31. Bc3 {with a winning position.}) 29. Rxc5) 20... Nfxe7 21. Nd6 {This allows black to equalize.} (21. Nxc5 {This hasty move loses.} Ra5 22. Qc4 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Nd5 24. Rc1 Rxe5+ 25. Kf2 Rxg5 26. b4 Qc7 27. bxa5 Qh2+ 28. Ke1 Re5+ {and wins}) (21. Bf6 {keeps a slight advantage after} Rd8 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qxc5) 21... Qb8 22. Qc4 {White could also keep the chances equal by trading Qs, but the text move, which should result in no more than equality, also baits trap.} (22. Qxc5 { This is unplayable because after} Ra5 23. Qf2 Bxe5 24. Nxe8 Bg3 {White loses his Q.}) 22... Nxe5 23. Nxe5 {A truly amazing position! White is a piece up, so how does black establish material equality?} Qxd6 {[%mdl 8192] Not with this!} (23... Bxe5 {Not with this!} 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Bf6+ Bxf6 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. Qe6+ Kh8 28. Nf7+ Kg8 29. Ng5+ Kh8 30. Qf6+ Kg8 31. Qf7+ Kh8 32. Qxh7#) ( 23... Qxb2 {The answer is that black does not concern himself with regaining the piece, but counterattacks.} 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Bf6 Nf5 26. Bxg7+ (26. Rxf5 Qxa1+ 27. Kf2 Qxa2+ 28. Kg3 Qxf7 29. Nexf7+ Kg8 30. Nxe8 Rxe8 31. Nd6 Re6 32. Rxc5 Bxf6 33. Rc8+ Kg7 34. Rc7+ Be7 35. Kf3 Rxd6 36. Rxe7+ {drawn}) 26... Nxg7 27. Qf8+ Rxf8 28. Nef7+ Rxf7 29. Nxf7+ Kg8 30. Nh6+ Kh8 31. Nf7+ {etc.}) 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 {Black resigned.} (24... Kh8 {White wins gobs of material.} 25. Qxe8+ Rxe8 26. Nf7+ Kg8 27. Nxd6 Rb8 28. Bxe7) 1-0

Wolfgang Uhlmann...Underappreciated

 

     Younger readers are probably unfamiliar with the name Wolfgang Uhlmann (March 29, 1935 – August 24, 2020, age 85) who was East Germany's most successful player, reaching the 1971 Candidates Tournament and winner of the East German Championship 11 times. 

     Born in Dresden, his father, a baker, taught him the game at the age of six but, at age sixteen he contracted tuberculosis and spent 1 year and a half in a sanatorium where he seriously studied the game and emerged as a strong player. He won the German Youth Champion in 1951. He learned the trade of letterpress printing, but never practiced it, becoming a professional chess player instead.

     Uhlmann was acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts on the French Defense, which he used almost exclusively in answer to 1.e4, particularly the Winawer Variation. 

     In 1964, Uhlmann tied for first with Lev Polugaevsky in Sarajevo and with Vasily Smyslov in the Capablanca Memorial in Havana. He tied for first with Borislav Ivkov at Zagreb 1965, tied for first with Boris Spassky at Hastings 1965/66, tied for first with David Bronstein at Szombathely 1966 and tied for first with Bronstein at the Berlin Lasker Memorial in 1968. 

     At Raach in 1969, a zonal tournament, he finished two points ahead of the field and qualified for the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal in 1970. There he tied for 5th with Mark Taimanov and reached the Candidates Matches the following year. He lost his quarter-final match to Bent Larsen, 5.5-3.5.

     Chessmetrics retro-ratings give some idea of how good Uhlmann was in comparison to his contemporaries. He is assigned a high rating of 2686 on the site's December 1970 list and was ranked number 20 in the world. On the July 1971 list he is ranked number 17 in the world.

     He had been sick for much of his life from complications resulting from his childhood tuberculosis, but he died in Dresden, where he had lived his entire life, after entering a hospital following a fall. 

     In the following game his opponent, Dragoljub Velimirovic tried to set up a fork on black's K and Q on move 21, but missed Uhlmann's refutation. The game is a reminder that captures or recaptures are not mandatory in chess. 

 

 

 

[Event "Skopje"] [Site "Skopje YUG"] [Date "1976.02.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Dragoljub Velimirovic"] [Black "Wolfgang Uhlmann"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] {French: Exchange Variation} 1. e4 e6 {Uhlmann was a life long expert on the French Defense and so Velimirovic, a dangerous tactician, transposes the game into the Exchange Variation, normally a toothless drawing variation in which the position becomes simple and clearcut and white makes no attempt at using his first move advantage. However, white can create winning chances by playing c2–c4 at some stage to put pressure on the Pawn on d5. Black can give white an isolated d-Pawn by capturing on c4, but this gives white's pieces greater freedom, which may lead to attacking chances.} 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 {Uhlmann wrote: In no circumstances should lack exchange on c4 too early since after the gain of tempo Bxc4 the pressure from the attack against the f7-square would give white the advantage.} 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Be3 c6 (7... dxc4 {According to Uhlmann this move is too soon.} 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 9. h3 Nb6 10. Bb3 Nbd5 11. O-O c6 {Castaldo,F (2283)-Rogers,I (2529) Saint Vincent 2001 and white has a good position.}) (7... Nc6 {An unusual move that gives black equality, but nothing more.} 8. Be2 Be6 9. Ng5 Bf5 10. O-O h6 11. Nf3 Be6 12. b3 Re8 {is equal. Meijers,V (2496)-Rodriguez Gonzalez,J (2280) San Sebastian 2008}) 8. Bd3 {White has also tried 8.h3} dxc4 {Uhlmann: The exchange comes at the right moment. The light squared B has to move twice and black can close off the a2-g8 diagonal with the moves ...Nbd7-b6 followed by ...Nd5} 9. Bxc4 Nbd7 {[%cal Bb8d7,Bd7b6,Bb6d5][%mdl 32]} 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 Nbd5 {Black has a solid position and now concentrates on completing his development.} 12. Ne5 Be6 13. Bg5 {Uhlmann was critical of this move, stating, "With this move white reveals that he has no real plan. The second move with this B is already a plus for black." However, he did not offer an alternative. Perhaps 13.Re1. White might also try to set up a B and Q battery on the b1-h7 diagonal.} Re8 14. Re1 Qa5 {According to Uhlmann, with this move black gets the initiative because he is the first to create threats and, in addition, the square d8 is vacated for the R. According to Stockfish the position is evaluated at 0.00 meaning both sides have chances.} 15. Qf3 Rad8 16. Rad1 (16. Bxf6 {According to Uhlmann this is unsatisfactory, but after} Bxf6 17. Ne4 Be7 18. Rad1 { there is absolutely nothing wrong with white's position.}) 16... Bb4 {"A surprising redeployment of the B. This move is based on a tactical joke, which white does not take seriously enough." Uhlmann. Either 16...h6 or 16...Nc7 result in equality.} 17. Nxd5 {Wrong capture.} (17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. Qg3 {and white has good attacking chances after} Re6 19. f4) 17... Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Bxf6 {[%mdl 8192] Velimirovic played this under the impression that it was a refutation of black's plan, but in reality it's the losing move!} gxf6 { Velimirovic saw this, but he missed black's 20th move.} (19... Qxf3 {This is inferior to the text.} 20. Nxf3 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 gxf6 (21... Bxe1 22. Bxd8 { White is a piece up.}) 22. Rd1 {White has just a slightly better endgame.}) 20. Qxf6 {Forced.} (20. Qxd5 Rxd5 21. Ng4 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Bxe1 23. Nxf6+ Kg7 24. Nxd5 cxd5 {and white has lost a piece.}) (20. Qg4+ {is met by} Kf8 {and white has two pieces under attack.}) 20... Rd6 (20... Bxe1 {would be wrong because after} 21. Qg5+ Kf8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 {white draws.} (22... Ke7 {loses to} 23. Rxe1) ) 21. Nd7 Bxe1 {Forcing immediate resignation.} (21... Rxf6 { [%mdl 8192] It's still not too late to lose!} 22. Rxe8+ Kg7 23. Rg8+ Kh6 24. Nxf6 {This position is evaluated as a clear win for white.} Qb5 25. Ng4+ Kh5 26. Ne3 f5 27. d5 cxd5 28. Nxf5 {[%emt 0:00:06] is mate in} Qe2 29. Ng3+ Kh6 30. Nxe2 Bf8 31. Rxd5 Bg7 32. Nf4 Be5 33. Rxe5 a6 34. Rh5#) (21... Bxe1 22. Rd3 Rxf6 23. Nxf6+ Kf8 24. Nxd5 cxd5 {Black is a piece up.}) 0-1

A Pleasing Finish by Goerlich

Robert Goerlich

     A few years ago I did a humorous post that included a picture of a newspaper, the Pigeon Forge (Tennessee) Daily, and a mostly illegible view of an "article" by Walter Wacko titled Trump Allocates One Billion Dollars to Chess via Facebook GoFundMe. Neither the paper, Walter Wacko, nor the "article" were real.

     In quoting the "article" I mentioned that it stated Garry Kasparov, who once said President Trump knows as little about chess as he does everything else, had changed his mind and that, “President Trump ranks right up there with George Washington and Honest Abe Lincoln.” The "article" also stated that the USCF would administer the funds, but they had to promise not to squander the money.

     I assumed it was obvious that the post was nothing more than a little humor...I was wrong. The other day I was flabbergasted when I ran across an old political post on Twitter that was made by a rabid anti-Trumpite who was ranting against the two of them and referenced the "article" in the belief that it was real! 

 

Confirmation bias

 

Moving on...I was not able to locate much information on the Chess by Mail Correspondence Bureau, but the March 1915 issue of the American Chess Bulletin carried a request by Dr. W. C. Browne, of Burnside, Pennsylvania, director of the CMCB, who hoped to promote interest in and make more popular the playing of correspondence chess. 

     All players that were interested in correspondence play were asked write him stating what their preference was regarding the arrangements for holding correspondence tournaments, considering especially amount of entry fee, number of players in each section or one-round tournament, time limit for each move, time limit for finishing games, at the expiration of which unfinished games would be adjudicated, limitation of games to certain openings, such as gambits, etc. In addition, any suggestions that would benefit the game and promote interest in correspondence would be gladly received. 

     At the time the Bureau is conducting a number of one round tournaments with an entry fee of fifty cents. There were four players with a prize for the winner and special prizes for the most brilliant games played in each event as well as a prize for the player who won the greatest number of games each year. 

     The Bureau had already sent out letters to members and they had indicated the desire for larger tournaments with larger entrance fees and larger, more valuable prizes. As a result the Bureau was considering special one-round tournaments with either two or five dollar entry fees. 

     One of the Bureau's most active players was Robert S. Goerlich (? - 1937), of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He began play with the organization in 1911 and won several of the regular tri-monthly tournaments; he also finished first in his section in the club's first annual championship tournament. 

     Goerlich believed that it was possible to play a considerable number of games at the same time and give each one the required attention. He proved the point by winning the Kimbal prize which went to the member winning the greatest number of games in a year which he three times. 

     Goerlich began playing correspondence chess in April, 1909, when he responded to a request for opponents by Junior Parrish of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas that appeared in the American Chess Bulletin. 

     The following game against Fred A. Glick, of Staten Island, New York was played in the first annual championship tournament of the Chess By Mail Correspondence Bureau in 1911. It's a good example of how even strong amateurs play far from perfect chess. Both players repeatedly missed white's Nf5+, but the finish is pleasing.

[Event "Chess By Mail Corres. Bureau"] [Site "?"] [Date "1911.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Fred Glick"] [Black "Robert Goerlich"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C96"] [Annotator "Owner"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1911.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.03.22"] {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 {In his notes Goerlich wrote that this move was played in a game Erich Cohn-Edward Lasker that was published in the January 1911 issue of the AMerican Chess Bulletin. The game was actually from their match that took place in Berlin in 1909 and it appeared in the 1910 issue, not 1911.} 11. h3 ( 11. Bg5 Nc6 {Black should have played either 11...h6 or 11...O-O} 12. h3 Bb7 13. Nbd2 O-O 14. Nf1 Ne8 15. d5 {White is better. Erich Cohn-Edward Lasker, Match, Berlin 1909}) 11... Nc6 12. Be3 (12. dxc5 dxc5 13. Nbd2 Be6 14. Nh4 g6 15. Nf1 Nd7 16. Nf3 Rd8 17. N3h2 c4 18. Ne3 {With about equal chances. Mecking, H (2540)-Pilnik,H (2420) Mar del Plata 1971}) (12. d5 Nd8 {Better is 12...Na5} 13. a4 bxa4 14. Bxa4+ Nd7 15. Nbd2 O-O 16. Nc4 {White is considerably better. Ernst,T (2409)-Barkhagen,J (2449) Stockholm 2001}) 12... O-O 13. Nbd2 {Black has plenty of options here.} Bb7 (13... Rd8 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. Nf1 b4 16. d5 Na7 17. c4 Nc8 18. g4 Nb6 19. b3 a5 20. Ng3 g6 21. Kh2 a4 22. Rg1 axb3 23. axb3 Bf8 {White is better. Capablanca, J-Kupchik,A New York 1915 1-0 (45)}) (13... Ne8 14. a4 Rb8 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf1 Nd8 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 f6 19. Nf3 Be6 { White is better. Levenfish,G-Salwe,G Karlsbad 1911}) (13... Nd8 14. Nf1 Kh8 15. Ng3 g6 16. Qd2 Ne6 17. Rad1 Bb7 {White s slightly better. Steiner,L-Johner,P Dresden 1926}) 14. Nf1 {A better plan was to close the center with 14.d5} Nd8 ( 14... cxd4 {and Black stays safe.} 15. cxd4 {Black's winning of a P is only temporary.} Nb4 16. Bb1 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Nxe4 18. a3 Nc6 19. Rc1 Qb7 20. Qc2 Nd8 21. dxe5) 15. Ng3 g6 16. Qd2 Ne8 17. d5 f6 18. Kh2 {Not bad, but a good plan, as it almost always is in the Ruy Lopez is for white to try and open the a-file with 18.a4} Ng7 19. h4 {[%cal Oh4h5]} f5 20. Bh6 {[%mdl 8192] This should have turned out poorly. A better plan was 20.exf5 eliminating the possibility of black playing ...f4} f4 {Suddenly it is black who has seized the initiative and is conducting a K-side attack.} 21. Ne2 Nf7 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. g3 fxg3+ 24. Nxg3 {This only makes matters worse.} (24. fxg3 {was somewhat better.} Nh6 25. Rf1 Ng4+ 26. Kg2 Bc8 {and white is on the defensive.}) 24... h6 {Too slow as it allows white back in the game because now the N can't join in the attack.} (24... Nh6 25. Bd1 Rf4 {and white is pretty much helpless.}) 25. Rg1 {All of a sudden it's a whole new game.} Bc8 26. Rg2 Bg4 27. Qe3 { [%mdl 8192] And now it's no longer equal!} (27. Nf5+ {A great move!} gxf5 28. exf5 h5 29. f6+ Bxf6 30. Qd3 Rg8 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Qxf6 Qe7 {and it's likely going to be a draw.}) 27... Bxf3 {Yet another miscue!} (27... Qd8 28. Nf5+ gxf5 29. exf5 h5 30. f6+ Bxf6 31. Qe4 Rh8 {and wins because the B is defended by the Q} 32. Qg6+ Kf8) 28. Qxf3 {To repeat...Correct is 28.Nxf5+} Bxh4 {Black returns the favor.} (28... Ng5 {is hard to answer. After} 29. Qe3 Nf3+ 30. Kh1 Nxh4 {in order to stay in the game white has to find} 31. Nf5+ {Again!} Rxf5 { Best} 32. exf5 Nxg2 33. Kxg2 gxf5 34. Bxf5 Rf8 {and black can only claim the better ending.}) 29. Nf5+ {White finally finds the move and it wins...or should have.} Kh7 30. Nxh4 Ng5 31. Qg3 Rf4 32. Rf1 {[%mdl 8192] An outright blunder that loses immediately.} (32. Kh1 Raf8 33. Rh2 {White is building up a very strong position, but he will still have his work cut out trying to nurse it to victory.} Qe7 34. Rg1 Kg7 35. Bd1 Qf6 36. f3 {Black has succeeded in defending against the threats to his K and white's attack is at a standstill. He must now try to fond a way to win which Stockfish was able to do in five Shootouts. However, it must be pointed out that it took the engine another 40 moves or so.}) 32... Rxh4+ {[%mdl 512] This pretty move forces white's resignation. In his notes to the game Goerlich incorrectly stated that black's R and N mate against the Q and two Rs, but there is no forced mate.} ( 32... Rxh4+ 33. Kg1 (33. Qxh4 {also leads to a lost position.} Nf3+ 34. Kg3 Nxh4 35. Kxh4 {and black wins.}) 33... Rf8 34. Rh2 Rxh2 35. Kxh2 Rf3 36. Qg4 Qe7 37. Kg2 h5 38. Rh1 Qf6 39. Qh4 Rf4 40. Qg3 Nxe4 41. Bxe4 Rxe4 {with a won ending.}) 0-1

A Snarling Colle by Kolty

     Well, that old bugaboo, miserable weather is back! This time it's rain, thunderstorms, freezing rain and snow. It started Tuesday night and is not supposed to clear out until Monday! This system stretches over 1,300 miles from Iowa to New York and 1,600 miles from Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada, south into the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, my yard project is on hold and blog posts for future use will start piling up.

     Today let's talk about George Koltanowski (September 17, 1902 - February 5, 2000, 96 years old). Everybody has heard of him, but aside from his promoting chess, simultaneous and blindfold exhibitions, does anybody know anything about his chess prowess? 

     He was awarded the International Master title in 1950 when the title was first officially established by FIDE and he was awarded an honorary Grandmaster title in 1988. He was also an International Arbiter. 

     His tournament record was not especially distinguished and Chessmetrics has him listed on their retro-rating list from June of 1924 (2477 ranking him number 65 in the world) to June of 1954 (2503, number 153 in the world). His highest estimated rating was 2628 on the March 1936 list, placing him at number 19 in the world. Based upon his results during the period 1932–37, Professor Arpad Elo gave Koltanowski a rating of 2450 in his book, The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present. 

     Born into a Polish Jewish family in Antwerp in 1903, he learned chess by watching his father and brother play and began serious play at the age of 14 and when Edgar Colle died in 1932, Koltanowski became Belgium's top player. 

     He got his first big break in 1924 at the age of 21 when he visited an international tournament in Meran and was planning to play in one of the reserve sections. The organizers asked him to play in the Grandmaster section to replace a no show. Koltanowski accepted and finished near the bottom, but drew with Tarrasch. He won the Belgian Championship in 1923, 1927, 1930 and 1936. 

     Many of Koltanowski's relatives perished in the Holocaust, but he survived because he happened to be on a chess tour of South America and was in Guatemala when the war broke out. In 1940, the United States Consul in Cuba saw him giving an exhibition in Havana and decided to grant him a US visa.

     Koltanowski settled in New York City where he met his wife in 1944. In 1947 they moved to California where he became the chess columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, a job he held until his death.

     In 1963, he conducted a correspondence game which pitted himself and his readers against Paul Keres. He had hoped to play against World Champion Botvinnik, but was turned down. Keres was his second choice. Readers would vote on moves and send them to Koltanowski who would then select the move and award points and prizes to his readers for their selections. After 41 moves Keres stopped playing and declared that he had won. Although Koltanowski felt his position was still playable, he accepted Keres' decision. 

 

Letters:  

Publicity letter

Keres to Koltanowski 

Keres to Koltanowski 2nd letter

The game  

Play through the game

 

     Koltanowski had his own organization, the Chess Friends of Northern California, which resisted the USCF rating system and dominated Northern California Chess through the mid-1960s. He eventually gave in and won election as President of the USCF in 1974. 

      Koltanowski wrote many books, including one on the Colle System which he claimed would enable even lower rated players to get out of the opening with a playable game. It's interesting that he never played the opening himself against strong opponents. His books were often poorly written and, like a lot of authors contained statements and anecdotes which were factually incorrect. But, like Larry Evans once said of his published gaffes, they made a good story.

     Koltanowski died of congestive heart failure in San Francisco in 2000 at the age of 96. 

     The following game was played in the 1936 Belgian Championship that was held in Ghent. The game looks like it could have been played in one of his simultaneous exhibitions, but Koltanowski's double Bishop sacrifice was flawless.

     His opponent was Marcel DeFosse which was the pseudonym of Denis Marion (1906 - 2000), a literary person who had a passion for chess. He co-authored with Frits van Seters a book titled Le Jeu d’Echecs. Manuel du Débutant (The Game of Chess: Guide for Beginners) published in 1945. He played for Belgium in the 1937 Olympiad.

[Event "Belgian Championship, Ghent"] [Site "Ghent BEL"] [Date "1936.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Georges Koltanowski"] [Black "Marcel Defosse"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D05"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] {Colle System} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 (3... g6 {It's my opinion that if one suspects white is going to open with the Colle then the fianchetto is the best idea because it eliminates all danger of facing a potentially wicked K-side attack.} 4. c4 {Another advantage of the fianchetto is that white is practically forced to abandon the Colle and play this.} (4. Bd3 {is rather pointless now.} Bg7 5. c3 O-O {is equal.}) 4... c6 5. Nc3 Bg7 {etc.}) (3... Bf5 {Sometimes called the Anti-Colle, this move has also been played.} 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Be7 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Bb5+ Nc6 12. O-O O-O {is equal. Karjakin,S (2754)-Giri,A (2776) Bucharest 2019}) 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 {The Colle System is not a fixed order of moves, but a system for white where he sets up Ps on c3 and e3, a B ond d3, Ns on f3 and d2 and usually a R on e1. After achieving this setup white usually plays e4.} (5. b3 { This sets up the Colle–Zukertort System which is characterized by developing the B on b2} Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. c4 {with equal chances. Carlsen,M (2853)-Karjakin,S (2772) New York 2016}) 5... Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. O-O {A typical Colle setup. GM John Nunn and others. regard the Colle as innocuous, but it is slow and solid. It is, however, a good opening for players looking for a simple opening. That said, it can turn violent if black gets careless.} O-O 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. e4 {The classic Colle break.} Qc7 10. Qe2 Bd6 (10... h6 11. Bc2 Bb6 12. a4 a6 13. g3 Bd7 14. Kg2 Rad8 15. h3 e5 16. exd5 Nxd5 {Black is slightly better. Mamedyarov,S (2660) -Volokitin,A (2652) Mallorca 2004}) 11. Re1 Ng4 12. h3 Nge5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. exd5 exd5 15. Nf3 {[%cal Rf3e5] Black should now eliminate the B with 15...Nxd3 } Nxf3+ (15... Re8 16. Nxe5 Rxe5 17. Be3 Bc5 18. Qd2 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 Bd7 20. Rxe5 Qxe5 {White has the better endgame, but in Root,D (2460)-Rachels,S (2485) Los Angeles Open 1991, it was insufficient to win.}) 16. Qxf3 Be6 17. Be3 {[%cal Bc1e3,Be3d4,Bd4e5][%mdl 32]} Rad8 (17... a6 18. Bd4 Bc5 19. Be5 Bd6 20. Bxh7+ { This only draws. White maintains a slight advantage after 20.Bxd6 and 20.Rad1 with pressure on black's isolated d-Pawn.} Kxh7 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qg5+ {Draw. Weisker,M (1800)-Medunova,V (2209) Passau 2000}) 18. Bc2 b5 (18... Bh2+ 19. Kh1 Be5 {covering the dark squares on the K-side was a safer plan.}) 19. Bd4 Bc5 {White must now prevent ...Bxd4.} 20. Rad1 b4 {Black is completely oblivious to the danger or he would have played 20...Bxd4. He may have felt complacent becaus ewhite does not have a N to assist in the K-side attack which is usually the case.} 21. Be5 {[%mdl 128] White wants a kill.} Bd6 { And his opponent obliges.} (21... Qb6 {is his best chance because then the sacrifice does not work.} 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qg5+ Kh7 {and because of the B on c5 white cannot bring a R into play via d4 and so must accept the draw by repeating moves.}) 22. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxh7 { Declining the sacrifice is not an option.} (22... Kh8 23. Qh5 Rfe8 24. Bf5+ Kg8 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. Bxg7+ Ke7 27. Rxe6+ {and wins. Taking the R allows a mate in 3...} fxe6 28. Be5+ Kf8 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qg7#) 23. Qh5+ Kg8 {White has only one winning continuation.} 24. Bxg7 {[%mdl 512]} (24. Rd4 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 Rfe8 26. Rh4 Kf8 {and white does not have enough compensation for the piece.}) 24... Kxg7 25. Qg5+ Kh7 26. Rd4 {[%cal Rd4h4] Black can offer only token resistance.} Bh2+ 27. Kh1 {[%cal Rd4h4]} Qf4 28. Rxf4 Bxf4 29. Qxf4 Rg8 30. Re5 {Black resigned. According to Fritz 17's auto-analysis Koltanowski's play was "flawless."} (30. Re5 Rg6 31. Qh4+ Rh6 32. Qxd8 bxc3 33. bxc3 Kg7 34. Rg5+ Rg6 35. Rh5 Rh6 36. Qg5+ Rg6 37. Qe5+ Kf8 38. Qb8+ Ke7 39. Qc7+ Bd7 40. Rxd5 Rb6 41. Rxd7+ Ke6 42. Qd8 Rb1+ 43. Kh2 Ke5 44. Rd6 Ke4 45. Qg5 Rh1+ 46. Kxh1 f6 47. Rd4# {[%eval 32734,70]}) 1-0

San Diego Open 1955

     Once upon a time (the summer of 1955) in a far away land (California) the San Diego Chess Club sponsored an open tournament which they expected would draw most of the country's leading players. After all, they were offering a total of $1,950 ($20,643.51 in today's dollars) in cash prizes. 

     With that kind of money they were surprised that the tournament did not draw better talent than it did. Perhaps, they thought, it was because it was too soon after the two week long US Open that was held in nearby (107 miles away) Long Beach. As it turned out 53 players entered for the two tournaments, directed by Imre Konig of San Francisco, one of four rounds and one of eight rounds. 

     The four rounder was won by 23-year old Larry Evans of New York City with Victor Pupols of Tacoma, Washington finishing second. Sven Almgren, Don Robey and Robert Brieger tied for third. 

     In the Major (8-round tournament) William Lombardy was in the lead at the end of seven rounds, but in the last round he drew with Anthony Saidy which allowed James T. Sherwin, who defeated Albert Sandrin and, Abe Turner, who defeated Vladimir Pafnutieff, to tie him. 

     It was lamented that the leading players elected to draw their games among themselves in very few moves, evidently because they were reluctant to take any unnecessary chances which would spoil their bid for the big $l000 ($10,586.42 today) first place money. As a result the games of the leading players were of little interest. 

     There were 53 players in the top section and the leading scores were: 

     Here is James T. Sherwin's sixth round win over Vladimir Pafnutieff. Sherwin is pretty well known, but his opponent is not. Vladimir Pafnutieff (September 4, 1912 - May 12, 1999, 86 years old) was one of the strongest players in Northern California from the 1930s until the 1970s. He was a sharp attacking player with good tactical skills and had a number of GM scalps on his resume. It wasn't very evident in the following game though.

[Event "San Diego Major Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "1955.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "James T. Sherwin"] [Black "Vladimir Pafnutieff"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E87"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "43"] {King's Indian: Saemisch} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 { The Saemisch is a subtle blockading system and a critical challenge to the King's Indian and it continues to be one of the fiercely contested openings. White's play is based around an extremely solid center and possibility of launching a direct attack against black's King. But it's also flexible because if he chooses white can instead try to squeeze black with his space advantage.} O-O 6. Be3 e5 {The classical reply. It locks in black's B on g7, however, if the B later gets unlocked it may become very powerful. White has the choice between closing the center or maintaining the central tension.} 7. d5 { Maintaining the tension with 7.Nge2 is considered less promising. According to the theory closing the center with this move gives white good chances for an opening advantage. White's typical plan is to castle Q-side then launch an attack on the K-side with moves like g4 and/or h4. Main lines include 1) an immediate break with 7...c6 by lack, or2) preparing the ...f5 break with 7... Nh5 or 7...Ne8 or 3) closing up the c-file with 7...c5 and eventually play for breaks with ...b5 or ...f5} c5 {This does not turn out well as will soon be seen. He should have played either 7...c6 or 7...Nh5} 8. Qd2 Re8 (8... h5 { didn't lead anywhere in Chu,W (2329)-Lin,Y (2093) Shenzhen CHN 2016} 9. Bd3 Nh7 10. Nge2 a6 11. h4 Nd7 12. O-O-O Ndf6 {with equality.}) 9. g4 a6 10. a4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 {Black would like to get some Q-side counterplay, but getting in ...b5 is proving problematic. It would appear that his strategy of obtaining Q-dise counterplay has gone wrong. Probably 7...c5 was the culprit.} Nf8 {Part of his plan to enforce ...b5} 12. Nge2 Bd7 13. Ng3 Qa5 14. Ra2 {The immediate 14.h4 was a possibility.} Reb8 15. h4 {[%cal Bh2h4,Bh4h5][%mdl 32]} Qb4 {It would have been better to take a move to prevent the further advance of white's h-Pawn.} (15... h5 16. gxh5 Nxh5 17. Nce2 (17. Nxh5 gxh5 18. Bh6 Ng6 {is roughly equal.}) 17... Qxd2+ 18. Kxd2 Nxg3 19. Nxg3 {and white's advantage is minimal.}) 16. a5 {Stifling black's -side play. Also good was 16.h5} b6 17. axb6 Qxb6 18. h5 a5 19. Bh6 Ne8 {[%mdl 8192]} (19... Bxh6 {is more resistant.} 20. Qxh6 Qd8 {Black's demonstration on the Q-side has to be put on hold and he must instead tend to the defense of his K-side.} 21. g5 Ne8 22. hxg6 fxg6 { and black's defense holds.}) 20. Bxg7 Nxg7 21. Qh6 (21. hxg6 {gives better winning chances. Here is just one of many possibilities.} fxg6 22. Nf5 gxf5 { Best because the N is just too strong.} (22... Qb3 {Black persists in his Q-side counterplay.} 23. Nh6+ Kh8 24. f4 a4 25. O-O a3 26. fxe5 axb2 27. Rxb2 Qxb2 28. Rxf8+) 23. exf5 {This is the correct recapture because white needs the g-Pawn to continue his attack.} Qd8 24. Qh6 Ne8 25. g5 {with a winning attack. For example...} Qe7 26. f6 Qf7 27. g6 Nxg6 28. Rg1 e4 29. Nxe4 Ng7 ( 29... Bf5 30. Ng5 {wins}) 30. fxg7 {wins easily.}) 21... Rb7 {Still dreaming of Q-side play, but now retreating the Q and hoping to defend his K would prove insufficient.} 22. Nf5 {[%mdl 512] A nice finishing touch after which Pafnitieff decided to resign.} (22. Nf5 gxf5 23. exf5 {The gob of K-side Ps will prove deadly.}) 1-0

A Woodpusher Pushes Wood

 

     Old time readers of Chess Life, Chess Review, Canadian Chess Chat, the English magazine Chess the Dutch Schaak-Mat and American Chess Quarterly will, no doubt, remember the humorous articles that were full of wry observations titled The Old Woodpusher and Tales of a Woodpusher, by Fred Wren (April 29, 1900 - August 30, 1978). 

     Born in Sherman, Maine and a resident of Perry, Maine, Wren graduated from Sherman High School and joined the US Army in 1917 at the age of sixteen and served from April 1917 until May 1919. 

     After World War I he attended the University of Maine for two years after which he taught French and coached high school basketball. Wren also coached the Royal Canadian Engineers intermediate basketball team in Halifax and in his first year led them to the city title. He also coached numerous YMCA teams and won the city title four times. For four years during World War II, he served as president of the Nova Scotia Basketball Association and was a member of the YMCA Board and chaired their Physical Committee. 

     During summer vacations he worked as a cruiser and scaler for a lumber company. For those who are unfamiliar with the timber industry, timber cruising “is the process of measuring forest stands to determine stand characteristics, such as average tree sizes, volume, and quality. The primary purpose of cruising is to obtain a volume estimation to appraise and prepare timber sales.” 

     A log scaler measures the cut trees to determine the scale (volume) and quality (grade) of the wood to be used for manufacturing. When logs are sold, in order to determine the basis for a sale price in a standard way, the logs are scaled which means they are measured, identified as to species, and deductions for defects assigned to produce a net volume of merchantable wood. 

     In August 1924, Wren began his career with the U S Government as a patrol inspector with the Immigration Service in which one of his responsibilities was dealing with rum runners, a person or ship engaged in bringing prohibited liquor ashore or across the border. Originally stationed at a number of ports in Maine, in 1927 he was transferred to Ellis Island, New York. Subsequently, Wren worked for the Immigration Service as a technical advisor in the American consulates in Rotterdam and Antwerp. 

Fred Wren

     In 1935 he was appointed Officer in Charge of US Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He later became Vice Consul in the Visa Section of the American Consulate and ended up working in Halifax, Montreal and Switzerland. 

     In addition to writing his entertaining and humorous chess articles, he served as editor of Chess Life from 1958 to 1960. Wren was Canadian Maritime Champion in 1941 and again in 1945. He was instrumental in organizing chess in Halifax Public Schools. 

     In the following game we see how woodpushers push wood when the Old Woodpusher takes out Boris Garfinkel (November 18, 1904 - March 29, 1999). You can read Garfinkel's biography in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society: 

Part 1   Part 2

[Event "Buffalo, New York"] [Site "Buffalo"] [Date "1933.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Boris Garfinkel"] [Black "Fred Wren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C37"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "1933.??.??"] {Muzio Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 g5 4. Nf3 g4 5. O-O {You have to love this...the Muzio Gambit in which white sacrifices a N for a large lead in development and attacking chances.Its popularity reached its peak popularity in the mid-19th century, the Romantic Era, when sacrifices and early attacks were considered the pinnacle of chess art. Its popularity declined with the improvements in defensive technique.} gxf3 {Did anybody ever NOT take the N? If Black plays 5...d5 white supposedly obtains a strong attack beginning either 6.exd5 or 6.Bxd5. My database has four GM games from the early 1900s and in three Marco (black) defeated Marshall, Mieses and Schlechter. In the other game Leonhardt (black) lost to Spielmann. Engines give black the advantage after 5...d5} 6. Qxf3 Qf6 (6... Bh6 {trying to keep the P didn't work out too well in Nakamura,H (2741)-Andreikin,D (2683) Moscow 2010} 7. d4 Qh4 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Nd5 Kd8 10. c3 {White is slightly better and black's position is going to require careful defense.}) 7. e5 {This is very risky. Best is 7.d3} (7. c3 {was a bust in Arribas Lopez,A (2559)-Aguera Naredo,J (2358) Linares 2015} d6 8. d4 Bh6 9. Na3 Ne7 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Qg6 {with a significant advantage.}) 7... Qf5 (7... Qxe5 {Leaves black with the better game. With can play the solid 8.d3, but more in the spirit of the opening was Marshall's continuation.} 8. Bxf7+ (8. d3 Bh6 9. Bxf4 Bxf4 10. Qxf4 Qxf4 11. Rxf4 {After 11...f5 black is better. Tartakower,S-Leonhardt,P Vienna 1908}) 8... Kd8 9. d4 Qxd4+ 10. Kh1 Bh6 11. Bd2 Qg7 12. Bb3 Nc6 13. Bc3 Ne5 14. Qd5 d6 15. Rd1 {Marshall,F-Moreau,C Monte Carlo 1903. Black is winning, but in the game he managed to lose.}) (7... Qb6+ {This is a promising alternative if black follows it up correctly.} 8. Kh1 Bh6 {Which he did not. 8...d5 equalizes. } 9. d3 Ne7 10. Bxf4 Rf8 11. Nc3 {White is practically winning. Wan,Y (2462) -Bai,J (2151) Kuala Lumpur 2011}) 8. d4 {[%cal Bd2d4,Bd4e5][%mdl 32]} Nc6 { Black simply must play ...d5 if he wants to have any chances.} 9. c3 {This is too passive. Attacking the Q gains time and keeps things equal.} (9. Bd3 Nxd4 10. Qd5 Ne2+ 11. Bxe2 Ne7 12. Qf3 {equals.}) 9... b6 {Once again. black should have played ...d5} (9... d5 {[%cal Rd5c4] stays on course.} 10. Bxd5 Nge7 11. Be4 Qg4 12. Bxf4 Qxf3 13. Bxf3 Be6 {with the advantage.}) 10. g4 {[%mdl 8192] This blooper loses. Going after the f-Pawn was correct.} (10. Qe2 Bh6 11. Bxf4 Bxf4 12. g3 Qg6 13. Rxf4 {and white is in good shape.}) (10. Bxf4 {This obviou move allows black to equalize after} h5 11. Qe3 Nd8 12. Bd3 Qg4 13. h3 Qg7 14. Nd2 Ne6) 10... Nxe5 {[%mdl 8192] Two question marks for this totally unsound move.} (10... Qg6 11. Nd2 Bb7 12. Bd3 Qg7 13. Ne4 f5 {Stunning!} 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qxf4 Qxf4 17. Bxf4 {is winning for black.}) 11. dxe5 (11. gxf5 {is much less precise.} Nxf3+ 12. Rxf3 Bb7 13. Rf2 Bd6 14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. Rxf4 {Black's position is the more active.}) (11. Qxa8 {White must avoid this because it allows black complete equality after} Qxg4+ 12. Kf2 (12. Kh1 Ne7 13. Rxf4 Qd1+ {draws after} 14. Rf1 Qg4 15. Rf4 {etc.}) 12... Qh4+ 13. Ke2 Qg4+ 14. Ke1 Nxc4 15. Qxc8+ Ke7 16. Qxc7 Qe6+ 17. Kd1 Qg4+ {draws because if} 18. Kc2 Qe2+ 19. Kb3 Qxf1 20. Qxc4 Qd1+ 21. Ka3 Kd8+ 22. b4 Qxc1+ {wins}) 11... Qxg4+ { Giving up the Q was a good practical decision even though he gets nowhere near enough compensation for it.} (11... Bc5+ 12. Kh1 Qg6 13. Qxa8 {is winning for white because, unlike in the previous line (11.Qxa8) black cannot immediately get to white's K.}) 12. Qxg4 {[%cal Oc4f7] Strongly threatening Bxf7+} Bc5+ 13. Kh1 Bb7+ 14. Rf3 Nh6 {[%cal Bg8h6,Bh6g4,Bg4f2][%mdl 32]} 15. Qxf4 {[%cal Rc4f7] } O-O-O 16. Nd2 Rhg8 {[%cal Bh8g8,Bg8g1,Bg1h1][%mdl 32]} 17. h4 (17. h3 { taking g4 away from the N was an absolute must.} Rg1+ 18. Kh2 Rdg8 19. Bf1 { and black is busted.}) 17... Rg1+ 18. Kh2 Ng4+ 19. Kh3 Rg8 {White is totally oblivious to the lurking danger. After 20.Nf1 or 20.Bxf7 or 20.Ne4 the position is equal and would probably be drawn.} 20. Qxf7 {[%mdl 8192] With this move white has just fallen into a mate in 3.} (20. Bxf7 Rh1+ (20... Nf2+ { fails to} 21. Rxf2 Rh1+ 22. Qh2 Rxh2+ 23. Rxh2 {and wins because of all the extra material.}) 21. Kg2 Rg1+ {draws}) 20... Nf2+ {[%mdl 512] White resigned.} (20... Nf2+ 21. Rxf2 (21. Kh2 Rh1#) 21... Rh1+ 22. Rh2 Bg2#) 0-1

Take a break...

 

 Buddy Greene is, in my opinion, the world's greatest harmonica player.

A Dream That Came True

      At the Olympiad that was held in Munich in 1958 the USA team (Samuel Reshevsky, William Lombardy, Arthur Bisguier, Larry Evans and Nicolas Rossolimo) finished fourth behind the USSR (Botvinnik, Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Tal and Petrosian), Yugoslavia and Argentina. As a sidelight, the total expenses for the US team to attend in Munich was $6,600 which amounts to slightly less that $65,000 today. 

     The West Germans chose Munich as the setting because it was the eight-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city. A total of 36 countries entered. 

     The Interzonal Tournament at Portoroz had finished just a few days before and Tal went straight on to the Olympiad, but Fischer and Benko were unable to participate for the US. Also, the US team only had one reserve player because for whatever reason Isaac Kashdan never showed up. 

     Reshevsky only managed to win two games and because he was a strict Orthodox Jew he could not play on the Sabbath and so missed some crucial matches. His final score was a disappointing +2 -1 =5. Arthur Bisguier (+3 -4 =3) and Larry Evans (+2 -1 =4) were also in disappointing form. Reserve Nicolas Rossoimo did well, scoring +3 -1 =6. 

     On second board World Junior Champion William Lombardy, then an International Master, scored only +2 -1 =6, but one of his draws was against World Champion Botvinnik. 

     Reshevsky could not play from sundown Friday until after sundown on Saturday. The games started at 4pm, but he could not play on Fridays because sundown was at 7pm. Saturday games would have to be postponed until 7pm. As a result, the session would last until midnight. In case of adjournment they would have to meet Sunday from 10am to noon then be ready to play the regular round at 4 pm. Team captains were unwilling to allow their first board to play under those conditions. 

     When William Lombardy started playing chess in 1951, Capablanca and Nimzovich were his favorite players, but then he began playing over the games in Botvinnik's 100 Selected Games and from the 1948 World Championship. After he saw those games, Botvinnik became his favorite player and he dreamed of the time he would get to play him. 

     Against the Russians, Lombardy initially expected to meet Smyslov on second board, a great player to be sure, but he was not Lombardy's hero. As luck would have it, in the first round of the Finals the US played the USSR and the match took place on Saturday. Reshevsky could not play, so Lombardy was on board 1 where he met Botvinnik, a dream come true, and played him to a draw. 

     At adjournment Lombardy wanted to play on because the believed he had the advantage, but team captain Jerry Spann insisted Lombardy offer draw because it gave the US team a tie match. Botvinnik, who was under some pressure in the position, immediately accepted the offer.

[Event "Final A Olympid, Munich"] [Site "Munich FRG"] [Date "1958.??.??"] [Round "1"] [White "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Black "William Lombardy"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A42"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "1958.??.??"] 1. c4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Nc3 e5 5. dxe5 {This move came as a surprise to Lombardy because he was entertaining the idea of struggling in a complicated middlegame. Hence, the thought of entering an immediate ending never occurred to him. He added that this strategy is often employed by veterans against young opposition.} dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Bg5+ f6 8. O-O-O+ Nd7 9. Be3 { Lombardy wrote that Botvinnik must have considered thls position and weighed its possibilities before exchanging Queens. In exchange for superior development and a more aggressive position white gets a slight black square weakness, but the game is approximately equal.} c6 {An automatic move but not the best. Correct was B-R3 exchanging white's valuable defender of the black squares.} (9... Bh6 10. Nd5 Bxe3+ 11. Nxe3 {and now} c6 {but here, too, the position is completely equal.}) 10. g3 {Preparing f4 and at the same time ... Bh6 will not force white to part with his dark squared B.} Kc7 11. f4 Nh6 12. h3 Nf7 13. Nf3 Bh6 {Black begins an attack on the center where white's Pawns are particularly vulnerable because he has a hanging Pawn formation. Black would like to obtain the square e5 for his pieces, but is unable to do so.} 14. Re1 Re8 (14... exf4 {Lombardy rejected this because of some incorrect analysis that gave white the advantage. After} 15. gxf4 Nf8 16. Nd4 Ne6 17. Nxe6+ Bxe6 { the position is equal.}) 15. Rh2 Nf8 16. Rf2 exf4 17. gxf4 Ne6 18. Nh2 f5 { Forcing a decision in the center.} 19. e5 Ng7 {Clearing the way for the development of his pieces. Black now intends to apply pressure against the f-Pawn.} 20. Nf3 Nh5 21. Nd4 Be6 22. Kc2 Nd8 23. Be2 Ng3 24. Bd3 Bf7 25. Rg1 Nh5 {The threat is 26...Rxe5} 26. Bd2 (26. Kb1 {This is a pass to demonstrate the threat.} Rxe5 27. Rf3 (27. fxe5 Bxe3 {and wins.}) 27... Re8 {and black has not only swiped a P, he has a strategically won position.}) 26... Bf8 27. Be3 Bh6 28. Rf3 Bf8 {Botvinnik was in slight time difficulty and is just trying to gain time on his clock. Lombardy realized what Botvinnik was doing and was anticipating white's next move.} 29. Nce2 (29. Be2 {forcing black to move his N was Lombardy's suggestion, but the position remains even after} Ng7 30. Rd1 Nde6 31. Nd5+ cxd5 32. Nb5+ Kb8 33. cxd5 Nc5 34. d6 Ne4) 29... b5 {With things at a standstill on the Q-side and in the center Lombardy switches his attention to the Q-side with this move which gains spaces there. Even so, white has sufficient defensive resources.} 30. cxb5 {Lombardy gave this move a harsh two question marks incorrectly stating that white must lose at least two pieces for R. Actually, the chances remain about equal.} c5 31. b6+ {This move is incorrect and should have resulted in black getting an advantage.} (31. Nxf5 {This surprising reply was overlooked by Lombardy...a forgivable mistake!} Bd5 32. Nh4 c4 (32... Bxf3 33. Nxf3 {would be winning for white.}) 33. Bxg6 hxg6 34. Rf2 Be4+ 35. Kc3 Ne6 36. Nxg6 Bh6 {with a wild and unclear position. Five Shootouts from this position were drawn.}) 31... axb6 {This recapture is a simple reflex that misses the chance to gain the advantage.} (31... Kb7 { Lombardy discovered this, the correct move, after the game.} 32. Nb5 Nc6 33. bxa7 c4 {The B is trapped.} 34. Bxf5 gxf5 {and black with a B for 3Ps, won the Shootouts.}) 32. Nb5+ Kb7 33. Nec3 Nc6 {Here white can keep things dead even with either 34.Kb1 or 34. Bf1. Instead, his next move resulted in black getting a very slight advantage.} 34. a3 Red8 35. Bc1 Ng7 36. Kb1 {With his next move Lombardy lets his small edge slip.} Ne6 (36... Bb3 {This leaves white groping for a reasonable move. For example, after} 37. h4 Rd7 38. Rh3 Rad8 39. Be2 Nd4 40. Nxd4 cxd4 41. Bf3+ Ka6 {Stockfish gives black a slight advantage here but couldn't prove it in five Shootouts all of which were drawn. }) 37. Bf1 Ned4 38. Rf2 Rac8 39. h4 Na5 40. Rg3 Nab3 {Lombardy stated that black stll stands slightly better (only a half a Pawn according to Stockfish and Komodo), but the team wanted to Insure a 2-2 match with Russla so team Captain Jerry Spann asked him to offer a draw. Lombardy added that with this drawn match the US team "began with a great success but finished a flop."} 1/2-1/2

Botvinnik vs. Smyslov

     A few highlights from 1954 were the Russians defeated the USA in a team match that was held in Manhattan by a score of 20-12. An 11-year old named Bobby Fischer attended all four rounds and kept score of all the games. The USSR team also decisively won the Amsterdam Olympiad. Arthur Bisguier won the US championship.

     In 1955, Samuel Reshevsky won the Rosenwald tournament (later the Rosenwald became the US Championship) in New York. Bobby Fischer played in his first tournament, the US Amateur, and scored 2.5-3.5. His provisional rating was 1826 (Class A). 

     In 1956, Fischer took first place in the US Junior Championship that was held in July. In October he defeated Donald Byrne in the Game of the Century in the Rosenwald. This year the Olympiad was held in Moscow and the USSR again comfortably took first place. 

     In 1957, William Lombardy won the World Junior championship with a perfect score. Fischer tied with Bisguier for the US Open championship. Reshevsky defeated Bisguier in a match, but the title of US champion was not at stake and Bisguier remained the title holder. 

     In 1958, Raymond Weinstein became the US Junior champion. Fischer, age 14, won the 1957/58 US Championship which was also a Zonal tournament. 

     During the period from 1954 to 1958 the World Championship was a fight between Vasily Smyslov and Mikhail Botvinnik. They met in 1954 and Botvinnik retained his title when the match was tied at 7 wins apiece with 10 draws. They met again in 1957 and Smyslov prevailed +6 -3 =13. Taking advantage of the rematch clause, they met again in 1958 and Botvinnik scored +7 -5 =11 to regain his title. If you're counting, Smyslov actually had the better score: +18 -17 =34.

     Here's an exciting near-miniature that was the 9th game of their 1954 match.

[Event "World Championship, Moscow"] [Site "Moscow URS"] [Date "1954.04.03"] [Round "9"] [White "Vasily Smyslov"] [Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C18"] [Annotator "Owner"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1954.??.??"] {French: Winawer} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 {Usually 5... Bxc3+ which leads to a very complicated position is played here, but Botvinnik often chose this move which gives white the opportunity to immediately force favorable tactical complications.} 6. b4 cxd4 (6... cxb4 {is to white's advantage after} 7. Nb5 bxa3+ 8. c3 {and the threat of Nd6+ gives white the advantage.}) 7. Qg4 {This sharp move was first played (I think) in Nezhmetdinov-Aramanovich, Tibilisi, 1948.These days you are more likely to see 7.Nb5 which yields better results.} Ne7 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 { Botvinnik had reached this position in a game back in 1951, but his opponent didn't find the best line.} Nd7 11. Nf3 {White is clearly better.} Nf8 { This turns out to be a very poor maneuver. Better was 11...Qc7} (11... Qc7 12. Qh5 Nc5 13. Bg5 Bd7 14. Bxe7 Kxe7 15. Qh4+ {White is better, but black is better off than after the text.}) 12. Qd3 $18 Qxa5 13. h4 {aiming for Rb1.} Bd7 14. Bg5 {Smyslov's plan is to keep black's K in the center.} Rc8 (14... Nc6 { was tried in Tringov,G (2460)-Oren,M Moscow 1956.} 15. Bf6 {was considerably better.} Rg4 16. Be2 Re4 {Now instead of having a nice advantage after castling Tringov played 17.Ng5 which should have allowed black to equalize. Black failed to take advantage of the opportunity and ended up losing.}) 15. Nd4 Nf5 16. Rb1 (16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Rd1 Ne6 18. Qxd5 {is good, but the Rs invasion on the 7th rank is even more powerful.}) 16... Rc4 {Allowing the R to reach the 7th rank was a bad decision. He could have put up tougher resistance with 16...b6} 17. Nxf5 exf5 18. Rxb7 {Decisive. Threatened with Rb8+ black's position is desperate.} Re4+ {This meets with a brilliant refutation, but there was no saving the game.} (18... Rxg5 19. hxg5 Qxa3 20. Rb8+ Ke7 21. Qxd5 Re4+ 22. Be2 Ng6 23. Qd6+ Qxd6 24. exd6+ Kxd6 25. f3 Rd4 26. Rb3 {White has a winning position.}) 19. Qxe4 {[%mdl 512] The aforementioned brilliant refutation.} dxe4 (19... fxe4 20. Rb8+ Bc8 21. Bb5+ {regains the Q and leaves white with an easily won position.}) 20. Rb8+ Bc8 21. Bb5+ {This is the only correct followup.} (21. Rxc8+ Kd7 22. Rd8+ Kc7 {Black has escaped and the materially unbalanced position offers both sides chances.}) 21... Qxb5 22. Rxb5 Ne6 23. Bf6 Rxg2 24. h5 {[%cal Bh4h5,Bh5h6][%mdl 32]} Ba6 25. h6 {[%mdl 512] Very precise play by Smyslov.} (25. h6 e3 (25... Bxb5 26. h7 e3 27. Bh4 { and the P queens.}) 26. h7 exf2+ 27. Kf1 Rg1+ 28. Rxg1 fxg1=Q+ 29. Kxg1 Bxb5 30. h8=Q+) 1-0