Chess, Strikes, Baseball, WW2 and a Long Forgotten Game

     On July 2, 1943, the war was in full swing, but that didn't matter to employees at the Packard Motor Car Company plant in Detroit where Rolls Royce aircraft and marine engines were being built. They walked out in an unauthorized strike that was opposed by the company, the union, the military and government authorities. The reason? Three black workers had been promoted and even though a union representative said they were qualified for their new positions it didn't matter...they were black. 

     Other people took their responsibilities to the war effort more seriously. In Brooklyn bands played as members of the Women's Army Corps, WAVES (female navy personnel), Women's Coast Guard Reserves, Women Fliers of America, American Women's League, the Salvation Army, City Patrol Corps, Boy and Girl Scout troops, police and fire department units, air raid wardens, auxiliary firemen and other groups gathered to hear civic authorities give speeches and stress the need for Brooklyn men and women to volunteer their services for civilian defense work. 

     Emphasized was the fact that the danger of enemy action against the east coast of the United States had not yet passed. Axis powers were on the defensive, but they might at any moment strike "like cornered rats" and if they did the people of Brooklyn and many other communities would be woefully undermanned to meet the emergency. 

     The speeches were highlighted by a plane spotting demonstration in which spotters were perched on the roof of Brooklyn City Hall and communicated with other members of their units below, who in turn transmitted reports to the Army information center by telephone. All the while, loudspeakers kept the spectators informed of what was going on. 

     During the war Reuben Fine was was part of a group that tried to guess where on the east coast enemy submarines might pop up. By January 1942, German submarines had moved into American coastal waters and posed a serious threat to US and Allied shipping. 

     During the first three months of 1942, German U-boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. But, exactly how enemy planes would be able to fly over New York City since the German Navy lacked aircraft carriers is difficult to imagine. 

     Sports, and chess, were still being played. In January of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt sent a letter to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, encouraging Major League Baseball to continue playing despite American entry into World War II. See an article on baseball payers and WWII HERE  

     Here's a game won by Sol Rubinow, the 1943 intercollegiate champion, over L. Schneider of West Side that was played in the Met League match. 

[Event "Met League Match, New York City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Sol Rubinow (CCNY)"] [Black "L.Schneider (West End CC)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {Giuoco Piano, Hungarian Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 {The Hungarian Defense was recommended for beginners by CJS Purdy because it is safe, solid and requires little book knowledge. While it avoids the complexities of the Giuoco Piano proper, the Evans Gambit and the Two Knights Defense, white has an advantage in space and freer development and black must be prepared to defend a cramped position.} 4. d4 {This is white's best response. If black plays 4...exd4 the opening transposes into the Scotch Game.} d6 {With this move black tries to hold the center. White has a choice of plans: 1) he can simplify to a slightly better Queenless middlegame with 5.dxe5. Or he can 2) close the center with 5. d5 followed by expansion on the Q-sidewith positions resembling those of the Old Indian Defense. Finally, 3) play 5.Nc3 keeping tension in the center and obtaining active piece play.} 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. h3 exd4 (6... Nxe4 7. Nxe4 d5 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Nxe5 Qd6 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxe4 Ba6 13. Bd2 f6 14. Nxc6 Rfe8 15. O-O-O Bf8 16. Qf3 Be2 17. Qb3+ Kh8 18. d5 Bxd1 19. Rxd1 Qd7 20. Be3 a6 21. Qd3 {Sikula,V (2501)-Bergen,P (2223) Latschach 2006 1-0 (36)}) (6... a6 7. a3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Ne5 9. Ba2 c5 10. Nf3 Ng6 11. O-O b5 12. Re1 O-O 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Rb8 15. Be3 Kh8 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rad1 h6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Bxh6 Rxf3 20. gxf3 Nh4 21. Qe3 {Padilla Socorro, J-Aguilera Suarez,A (1810) Las Palmas 2009 1-0}) 7. Nxd4 Ne5 8. Bb3 Bd7 (8... c5 {This is equally good.} 9. Nde2 a6 10. a4 Bd7 11. Bg5 Bc6 12. Ng3 O-O { Equal. Bergstraesser,A (1964)-Tornier,S (1602) Pinneberg 2007}) (8... a6 { A rather pointless waste of time.} 9. Qe2 c6 10. Be3 Qa5 11. O-O O-O {White's lead in development gives him a considerable advantage. Teupe,H-Hahn,W Manderscheid 1989}) (8... c6 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 Ng6 11. Qe1 Qc7 12. Kh1 a6 13. a3 c5 14. Nf3 c4 {Equals. Raad,B-Reyes,O Cartagena}) 9. f4 Nc6 10. Be3 O-O 11. O-O h6 {This is too passive and allows white to seize the initiative.} (11... Nxd4 {remains equal.} 12. Bxd4 c5 13. Be3 b5 14. e5 c4 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Bd4 { etc.}) 12. e5 {Forceful. Black is soon driven back.} dxe5 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. fxe5 Qxd1 {Even after this exchange of Qs black will find himself facing relentless pressure.} 15. Raxd1 Nh7 {Retreating to d7 was only marginally better.} 16. Rf5 {The f7 square is the focal point of white's attack in all variations. However, after this black could have put up a stiff defense.} (16. Nd5 {was much stronger.} Bd8 (16... Bg5 17. Bc5 Rfc8 18. Ne7+ Bxe7 19. Bxf7+ { is crushing.}) 17. Nf4 Bb5 18. Ng6 {White is clearly winning.}) 16... b6 (16... Ng5 {This is the only satisfactory defense.} 17. Nd5 Bd8 {White's pieces are better placed, but while black has managed to defend all his weak points his position remains quite passive. White can claim only a slight advantage.}) 17. Rdf1 Be8 18. Nd5 Bd8 19. Nf4 {[%mdl 2048] Strongly threatening Ng6. White is really pushing.} Bg5 (19... Bd7 {Attacking the R runs into} 20. e6 fxe6 21. Nxe6 {This move demonstrates the need to be careful even when attacking from a superior position.} (21. Bxe6+ Bxe6 22. Nxe6 Re8 {Black has equalized.}) 21... Rxf5 22. Rxf5 Bxe6 23. Bxe6+ {After the multiple exchanges black is not facing a winning attack, but now he has an extremely difficult position to defend thanks to white's two Bs and active R.} Kh8 24. Rf7 {White is much better.}) 20. h4 {Aggressive play.} Bxf4 (20... Bd7 {Was a manly defense that would have left white with a very difficult task.} 21. Rxf7 Rxf7 22. hxg5 Nxg5 23. e6 Nxe6 24. Nxe6 Rxf1+ 25. Kxf1 Bxe6 26. Bxe6+ Kh7 27. Bf5+ g6 28. Bd3 {Any engine will tell you white is better, but for non-GMs proving it might be a difficult task!}) 21. R5xf4 (21. Bxf4 {would be a mistake after which almost all of white's advantage would disappear.} g6 $14 22. e6 gxf5 23. e7 Bc6 24. exf8=Q+ Nxf8 25. Bxh6) 21... Bb5 22. R1f2 c5 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 24. e6 Be8 25. g4 Bxf7 26. exf7 {Capturing with the R was also satisfactory. For the rest of the game black can only offer token resistance.} Nf6 27. Bd2 Rad8 28. g5 Nh5 29. R4f3 hxg5 30. hxg5 {g6 is the strong threat.} g6 31. c4 Kh7 32. Bc3 Rd7 33. Be5 Rd1+ 34. Rf1 Rd7 35. Kg2 Ng7 36. Rf6 Nh5 37. Rh1 Rd2+ 38. Kf3 Rd3+ 39. Ke2 Rd7 40. Rxh5+ {[%mdl 512] Crushing. Black resigned.} (40. Rxh5+ gxh5 41. Rh6#) (40. Rxh5+ Kg7 41. Rf1#) 1-0