1945 Canadian Championship Miniature

     Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and to me it looks to be in the middle of nowhere...it's lies over 450 miles north of the US border state of Montana. That said, surveys indicate that the city is a good place to live with high ratings in housing, safety and healthcare. 

     The only real problem with the city seems to be its winters which generally last from early November to mid-March. Temperatures usually remain below freezing at all times, even during the daytime. January and February are the coldest months with low temperatures often dropping below -22°F and high temperatures not rising above 14°F. 

     The city is well over 1,800 miles from Toronto and it's nearly 2,200 miles from Montreal. Nevertheless, in June of 1945, Saskatoon was the location for the 1945 Canadian Championship which was a tie between Abe Yanofsy and Frank Yerhoff.

     Today's game is a miniature between John H. Belson and Leonard Hall. Miniature games are not just entertainment...they can teach you a lot about chess and help you improve your own play. 

     Games between two equally strong players can belong, subtle and...boring. Just ask any of us who suffered through the first Karpov-Kasparov match! On February 15, 1985, the President of FIDE Florencio Campomanes terminated the match after 48 games. Here is a little secret...to this day I have never played over a single game of that match. 

     Miniatures, games lasting about 25 moves usually come to an end with a spectacular tactical shot or an admirable idea and that makes them profitable to study. Or, if you're not interested in studying they are just plain entertaining. Take the following game, for instance. It didn't take Belson long to reach an overwhelming position and then deliver mate to his hapless opponent. 

     John Harold Belson (February 23, 1906 - March 13, 1947, 41 years old), known as Harry Belson, was born in Finland (his Finnish last name was Belczinsky) and after moving to Canada circa 1926 he lived in Toronto. He was Canadian champion in 1934 and 1946 and he won the Toronto city championship 7 times. By profession he was an automotive finance expert. I was unable to locate any information on Leonard Hall other that he appears to have been a local player from Saskatoon. 

 

[Event "Canadian Championship, Saskatoon"] [Site ""] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "John H Belson"] [Black "Leonard Hall"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C13"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1945.06.05"] {French: Classical System} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 {White almost always plays the boring 6.Bxe7, but here Belosn plays the bold Alekhine–Chatard Attack offering to sacrifice a P to keep black's K in the center. As will soon be seen, things can get complicated after 6.h4} c5 {This move illustrates another point of white's 6.h4} (6... Bxg5 7. hxg5 Qxg5 {Experience has shown this is not a good way to test the soundness of white's 6th move.} 8. Nh3 Qe7 {Here white often plays 9.Nf4, but it does not appear to be the best.} 9. Qg4 g6 10. Ng5 {and whether black plays 10...h6 or 10...h5 white has a nice initiative.}) 7. Nb5 {However, with this move which white may have thought was just a transposition, fails to demonstrate the mentioned point!} (7. Bxe7 {and black is forced to displace his K with 7...Kxe7} Qxe7 {is not so good because of} 8. Nb5 {and the threat of Nxc7+ leaves black in a pickle.}) 7... f6 {This upsets the applecart.} 8. Bd3 (8. exf6 Nxf6 9. dxc5 O-O 10. Bd3 Nc6 {Black will follow up with ...e5 with an excellent position.}) 8... O-O {[%mdl 8192] This is castling into trouble!} (8... fxg5 {and the best white has seems to be a draw.} 9. Qh5+ Kf8 ( 9... g6 10. Bxg6+ hxg6 11. Qxh8+ Nf8 {is too dangerous for black to risk.}) 10. hxg5 cxd4 11. Qf3+ Ke8 12. Qh5+ {draws. Note that 12...g6 loses.} g6 13. Bxg6+ Kf8 (13... hxg6 14. Qxg6+ Kf8 15. Rxh8#) 14. Qh6+ Kg8 15. Bxh7+ Rxh7 16. Qxh7+ Kf8 17. Qh8+ Kf7 18. g6+ Kxg6 19. Qh7+ Kg5 20. Qh5+ Kf4 21. Ne2+ Ke4 22. Qf3+ Kxe5 23. Qf4#) (8... cxd4 {was played in Guimard,C-Stahlberg,G Mar del Plata 1942 and after} 9. Qh5+ Kf8 10. exf6 Nxf6 11. Qe2 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 Nc6 {White is slightly better, but in the game he could only draw.}) (8... Nc6 9. Qh5+ Kf8 { The game is equal after 10.exf6, but there followed a comedy of errors.} 10. Rh3 Nb4 (10... cxd4 {leaves him with a great position after} 11. exf6 Nxf6) 11. Bd2 Nxd3+ 12. cxd3 Qb6 {Chances are equal after 12...a6} 13. Rg3 Rg8 14. Qxh7 fxe5 15. Rf3+ Bf6 16. dxe5 {1Black resigned. Abreu Jean,C (2246)-Infante,M (2275) Santo Domingo 2015}) (8... a6 {This unlikely looking move (it seems to ignore white's threats) leaves black clearly better after...} 9. Qh5+ Kf8 { And, incredibly, white has no way of successfully continuing the attack. After 10 minutes the best line Stockfish came up with was} 10. Nd6 Bxd6 11. exd6 Nc6 12. Bd2 cxd4 13. f4 e5 14. Be2 Qe8 15. fxe5 Ndxe5 16. O-O-O Qxh5 17. Bxh5 { and black has a considerable advantage.}) 9. Qh5 f5 (9... fxg5 10. Qxh7+ Kf7 11. Bg6#) (9... h6 10. Bxh6 cxd4 11. Bxg7 Nxe5 12. Rh3 {and the end is not far off.}) 10. Nc7 {This turns out to be a rather lame continuation.} (10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Qg5 Qxg5 12. hxg5 Na6 {White stands well. Winning is another matter though.} 13. f4) 10... Qxc7 (10... Nxe5 {giving up the R but getting some play is a plausible try.} 11. Nxa8 cxd4 12. Qe2 Nec6 {After either 13.O-O-O or 13. f4 white's position is better.}) 11. Bxe7 Rf7 12. Bd6 {[%mdl 128] Black is in trouble.} Qd8 13. Nf3 {Strongly threatening Ng5.} g6 14. Qh6 Nf8 15. h5 { Black's K-side is about to be ripped apart.} Rg7 16. Ng5 Nc6 (16... gxh5 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 18. Rxh5 Qe7 19. O-O-O {and time is running out for black.}) 17. Bxf8 (17. hxg6 {is not nearly as good.} Rxg6 18. Qxf8+ Qxf8 19. Bxf8 Rxg5 20. Bxc5 Rxg2 21. c3 {Positionally white is better in spite of black's passed h-P; his pieces are much more active than black's.}) 17... Kxf8 18. Nxh7+ Kf7 19. Ng5+ Kg8 20. hxg6 Nxd4 (20... Kf8 21. Nh7+ Ke8 (21... Kg8 22. Nf6+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ Ke7 24. Qxg7#) 22. Nf6+ {and wins...black must surrender his Q to avoid a mate in 3.}) 21. Qh8# {Great play by Belson.} 1-0

An Unexpected Tribute to Oscar Chajes

     The First World War began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. Two days before the war ended, on Saturday, November 9th, the New York Masters tournament ended. 

     Although the war was nearly over, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported 40 Brooklynites who had been casualties. There was also a flu pandemic in 1918. In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was about 675,000 in the United States. 

     With the war ending on November 11th and Thanksgiving being on November 28th, even in the midst of the pandemic, the nation exuberantly celebrated the holiday. Unfortunately, the deprivations caused by the war and the pandemic made Thanksgiving food more expensive than ever and the price of turkey and all the embellishments was sky-high. 

     During the war the Federal Food Administration had taken measures designed to conserve food for the war effort. Americans were asked to reduce their consumption of wheat, meat, sugar and fats in particular. 

     For this Thanksgiving, for reasons known only to bureaucrats at the FFA, they had ruled that any turkey offered for sale had to weigh at least eight pounds, meaning that it would cost $2.80 for the smallest bird people were allowed to buy; that was nearly a dollar more than a year before. 

     In Russia a Civil War was taking place and in Odessa, Ossip Bernstein was arrested and imprisoned by the Bolshevik secret police for the crime of being a legal advisor to bankers. Without benefit of a trial a firing squad lined up Bernstein and other prisoners to be shot. A superior official arrived and looked at the list of prisoners and asked Bernstein if he was the famous master. Not satisfied with Bernstein's answer, the two played a game and when Bernstein quickly won he was released and soon escaped to France. 

     Everybody knows of German air raids against Britain during WWII and that Vera Menchik was killed in one of them. Not so many know that during WWI the Germans also conducted air raids and in July of 1918, a 76-year old J.H. Blackburne was injured in a London air raid and was rendered temporarily deaf. His wife was also injured. 

     In August, German master Eric Cohn (1884-1918), a field doctor for the Red Cross, was killed in France. Then on December 27, 1918, Carl Schlechter (1874-1918) died in Budapest at the age of 44. In poor health aggravated by the war, he was found in his room without money, heat or food. 

     In the year 1918, on October 23rd, Frank Marshall played his famous the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez against Capablanca in the first round in the strong New York tournament. Capablanca won that game, but the Marshall Attack proved a viable defense. 

     The New York tournament was originally planned as an 8-player double round robin tournament, but Norman T. Whitaker began a game a day before Round 1, got sick and withdrew, leaving it as a 7-player field. 

     Capablanca won, but a somewhat surprising second was the Yugoslav player Boriskav Kostic who despite going undefeated in the tournament wasn't able to come close to Capablanca. 

     By the way, you might be wondering who that last place finisher was. It was John H. Morrison (1889-1975, 85 years old) from Toronto, Canada. He was Canadian Champion in 1910, 1913, 1922, 1924, 1926 and 1931. 

     Let's take a gander at a long forgotten game from that event. David Janowsky (1868-1927) is pretty well known, but his opponent, Oscar Chajes (1873-1928) is virtually a forgotten master. 

     Normally one would pay tribute to  player by presenting one of his wins, but in this case I had already played over and made notes to the game and it was only when I looked up Chajes' biography that I realized tomorrow is the anniversary of his passing. That's when I discovered that he was a much stronger player than I realized!

     Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2660 in 1920 which put him at number 10 in the world! The top 5 were Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasker, Marshall and Vidmar. 

     Prounounced HA-yes, he was Jewish and was born in Brody in the Austria-Hungary Empire in what is now the Ukraine. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna, near the home of his uncle, a Rabbi. 

     In 1904, Chajes immigrated to the United States from Hamburg, Germany and moved to Chicago before finally settling in New York City. He had been convalescing from an illness and on Monday, February 27, 1928, he was discovered unconscious in his apartment in Manhattan. He died the next day, Tuesday, February 28, 1928 at Bellevue Hospital in New York City without regaining consciousness. 

 

[Event "New York"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1918.10.30"] [Round "?"] [White "David Janowsky"] [Black "Oscar Chajes"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A46"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1918.10.23"] {London System} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 {This defense was a favorite with Chajes, who has employed it with considerable success in a match that he won earlier in the year against Janowsky.} 3. Bf4 {This is the London System which can be used against virtually any black defense. It's a solid opening, but offers little in the way of dynamic play.} Nbd7 4. h3 c6 5. Nbd2 (5. e3 Qc7 6. Be2 e5 7. Bh2 Be7 8. O-O {equals. Sergeev,V (2428)-Stocek, J (2592) CZE 2010}) (5. c3 g6 6. e3 Bg7 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O {equals. Rakhmangulov,A (2350) -Bikuzhin,M (2241) Kirov 2014}) 5... Qc7 6. e4 e5 7. Bh2 (7. dxe5 {is not bad, but it's less effective because it releases the pressure in the center.} Nxe5 8. Bxe5 dxe5 9. Bc4 Be7 10. O-O {Black has fully equalized. Cirjan,D (2051)-Sorbun,C (2083) Miercurea Ciuc 2002}) 7... exd4 8. Nxd4 g6 (8... Nc5 9. Qf3 Ne6 10. Nxe6 Bxe6 11. O-O-O Be7 12. Bc4 O-O (12... Bxc4 13. Nxc4 {would be too costly for black} Rd8 14. e5 dxe5 15. Bxe5 Qc8 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Bxd6 {White is winning.}) 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Qb3 {Here, too, black's position is difficult.}) 9. Bd3 (9. g4 {was a good alternative. For example...} Nb6 {Preventing Nc4} (9... Bg7 10. Nc4 O-O 11. Bxd6) 10. Bg2 Bg7 11. c3 O-O 12. O-O {and white has an aggressive position.}) 9... Ne5 10. Be2 Bg7 11. c3 O-O 12. O-O Re8 13. f4 Ned7 14. Bf3 Nc5 15. Qc2 Ne6 16. Rad1 d5 {Chajes has not been as successful with his defense as he had been in previous encounters with Janowsky and now he is now faced with a dangerous onset on the K-side, and his efforts to avert it break down completely.} (16... Qb6 17. Nc4 Qc5 (17... Nxd4 18. Rxd4 Qd8 19. e5 {wins}) 18. f5 {and black is still facing a dangerous attack.}) 17. e5 {The attack begins.. .are black's defensive resources going to be adequate?} Nxd4 18. cxd4 Bf5 19. Qc3 Ne4 $16 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. f5 Qb6 (22... gxf5 23. Rxf5 Qd7 24. Rg5 Re6 {and black actually has what looks to be good defenive chances.}) 23. e6 fxe6 {This move turns out to be a complete disaster.} (23... f6 {is tougher. } 24. g4 Rad8 {and while white clearly stands better, there is no immediate winning breakthrough.}) 24. f6 Bxf6 (24... Bh8 25. f7+ {is even worse.}) 25. Rxf6 {Black can now resign.} e5 {After this white has a mate in 11...not that it matter because there was nothing any better.} 26. Qc4+ Kh8 (26... Kg7 { holds out a bit longer.} 27. Rf7+ Kh8 28. Rf8+ Kg7 29. Qf7+ Kh6 30. Bf4+ exf4 31. Qxf4+ g5 32. Rf6+ Kg7 33. Rf7+ Kg8 34. Qf6 Qxd4+ 35. Rxd4 e3 36. Qg7#) 27. Rf8+ {[%mdl 512] A nifty finish. Black resigned.} (27. Rf8+ Rxf8 28. Bxe5+ Rf6 29. Bxf6#) 1-0

Annibale Dolci , Mystery Man

     The Italian player and problemist Annibale Dolci was born in 1873...the exact date is unknown. Nobody knows when he died. In fact, nobody knows much about him at all. 

     What is known is that between 1901 and 1904 and again between 1908 and 1913 he was staying in England before moving back to Genoa. 

     In 1916 he participated in the 1st Crespi Tournament in Milan. 

     The Crespi is named after Edoardo Crespi (1849-1910), an Italian player and patron of the arts. He bequeathed a substantial sum to the Braidense library to create a small chess section, funds to organize a club tournament annually as well as a national tournament every four years. 

     The club tournament was held in 1914 when the funds were finally released, whereas the national tournament was postponed because of World War I; it finally took place in 1916 and was won by Arturo Reggio. 

     Today the Crespi tournament, besides being one of the most important Italian events, has also became a major event on the international calendar thanks to the participation of many strong players from all over the world. 

     Dolci finished 3rd in that first Crespi tournament and as a result he was officially recognized as a Master. He then took part in the tournaments in Milan in 1919 and Genoa in 1920 and the last he was heard of he was in Genoa in May of 1924. After that he disappeared and nobody knows where he went or what happened to him. 

     It was not unusual for Dolci to be absent for long periods to go abroad, but he always returned to Italy. During his stays in England he had always sent news of himself to friends at his club and to the magazine L'Italia Scacchistica. However, at the age of 51 in 1924, he disappeared without a trace and was never heard from again. 

     Some have hypothesized that he left on a trip either for the summer holidays, or to return to England, or to go to Peru and during the trip he died; or that he died not long after his arrival. But, that is only a hypotheses. 

     Apparently he had no relatives in Italy; no mention was ever made of a wife or children. And, there is no record of him having ever owned any property. Besides that, after his return to Genoa there is little chess activity recorded for the city. 

[Event "1st Crespi Memorial, Milan"] [Site "Milan ITA"] [Date "1916.11.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Luca Morelli"] [Black "Annibale Dolci"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "1916.??.??"] {Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch} 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 c5 {Unlike the regular Tarrasch (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5) black does not accept an isolated P. This is because he intends to recapture on d5 with the N after cxd5. In the Semi-Tarrasch black cedes a spatial advantage to white.} 5. Bf4 { Usual are either 5.cxd5 or 5.e3} (5. Bg5 {leads to an entirely different type of game after} cxd4 6. Nxd4 {Also playable is 6.Qxd4} e5 {and white can play either 7.Nf3 or 7.Nbd5}) 5... a6 (5... dxc4 {is better.} 6. e4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 a6 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 {Milos,G (2601)-Caldeira,A (2291) Sao Paulo 2004}) 6. Bxb8 {Obviously trading his developed B for the undeveloped N is not especially good.} (6. e3 Nc6 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O O-O {is equal. Ramirez,H-Zheng Ruorong Heraklio 2002}) (6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. cxd5 Qb6 8. e3 Qxb2 9. Rc1 O-O 10. Bc4 exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Bb4+ {a complicated position with equal chances. In Vitenberg,N (2203)-Sisatto,O (2276) Fagernes NOR 2019, black managed to win. }) 6... Rxb8 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 {Interesting, but 6.e3 was more solid.} Be7 9. e3 (9. cxd5 {initiating exchanges would have kept black's advantage at a minimum.} Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Qxd5 exd5) 9... O-O (9... dxc4 {was much stronger.} 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. O-O-O+ Ke8 13. Be2 Bxb4 {and black should be able to nurse his advantage to a win.}) 10. a3 Qc7 11. Qb3 Bd7 { [%mdl 32]} 12. Be2 {This is a tactical mistake!} (12. Rc1 dxc4 (12... Rbc8 13. c5 a5 {with the initiative.}) 13. Bxc4 Rbc8 14. Na2 Bc6 15. O-O {seems to hold. }) 12... dxc4 13. Qc2 (13. Bxc4 {loses a piece after} Rbc8 14. Nd2 b5) 13... b5 14. O-O Bc6 15. Nd4 e5 16. Nf5 {It's not possible to see now, but white will regret not having eliminated the B on the a8-h1 diagonal with 16.Ncc6} g6 17. Ng3 {It's not possible to see now, but white will regret not having eliminated the B on e7 with 17.Nxe7} Qb7 18. f3 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bd1 Bd8 {[%mdl 32] Very nice; the B is headed for a more active diagonal.} 21. Qc3 Bb6 {Hoping for ...f5.} 22. Kh1 f5 {The attack is building.} 23. Ra2 f4 24. exf4 Bd4 25. Qc2 Rxf4 26. Be2 Rbf8 27. a4 Qe7 28. axb5 Qh4 {This is hardly bad, but 28... axb5 first would have been even better.} 29. Ne4 (29. Bxc4 {allows an abrupt finish.} Qxh2+ 30. Kxh2 Rh4#) 29... Bxe4 30. Qxc4+ Kg7 {White is lost, but his next move only hastens the end.} 31. g3 {After this black must find the only move that keeps the advantage...which he does.} (31. bxa6 Ba8 32. b5 {and suddenly black has to stop and deal with white's Os.} Qf6 33. Rd2 Rh4 34. h3 Bb6 {Technically black has a won game, but there is no forced winning line and white's Ps have the potential to become dangerous should black get careless. This is why black should have taken the time to play ...axb5}) 31... Rxf3 { This is the only move.} (31... Bxf3+ 32. Rxf3 {Black loses material.}) 32. Bxf3 (32. gxh4 Rxf1#) 32... Rxf3 {[%mdl 512]} 33. Rg2 (33. Rxf3 Bxf3+ 34. Rg2 Qe4 { wins}) 33... Qf6 (33... Rxg3 {Stockfish points out that white gets mated in 17 moves.} 34. Rf7+ Kh6 35. Rxh7+ Kxh7 36. Qf7+ Kh6 37. Qf8+ Kg5 38. Qd8+ Kf5 39. Qc8+ Kf6 40. Qf8+ Ke6 41. Qe8+ Kd6 42. Qf8+ Kc7 43. Qf7+ Kb6 44. Qe6+ Kxb5 45. Qd7+ Bc6 46. Qxc6+ Kxc6 47. Rc2+ Kb7 48. Rg2 Rc3 49. Rxg6 Qe4+ 50. Rg2 Rc1#) 34. Rfg1 Rf2 {It's mate in 12} (34... axb5 35. Qc7+ Kh6 36. Qc8 Rf2 37. Qh3+ Kg7 38. Qd7+ Qf7 {and wins.}) 35. Qc7+ Kh6 36. Qc1+ g5 37. h4 Bxg2+ {White resigned.} (37... Bxg2+ 38. Rxg2 Rf1+ 39. Qxf1 Qxf1+ 40. Kh2 axb5 41. g4 gxh4 42. g5+ Kg6 43. Rg4 e4 44. Rg2 Be5+ 45. Kh3 Qf3+ 46. Kxh4 Qh5#) 0-1

1950 West Virginia Championship

     Today is Thursday. Wednesday was, to use a meteorological term, crappy; it started off with snow flurries in the wee hours of the morning and then switched over to a cold drizzle all day. 

     Things were nowhere near as bad as it was in West Virginia on November 24, 1950. Over 150 million Americans were enjoying (?) leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and more than 2 million of them (Americans, not leftover turkeys) were from West Virginia. 

     In the atmosphere far above the eastern US a storm was brewing. It was a storm that would last nearly a week and it would go down in history as one of the worst blizzards to ever strike the area. It was the Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950. 

     I lived through Ohio's blizzard of 1978 in which we suffered from wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, wind chills of 60 degrees below zero and snow drifts 25 feet deep. One truck driver near Mansfield was rescued after spending six days trapped in his truck which was buried under a mound of snow. Fifty-one Ohioans lost their lives. Trust me, blizzards are no fun! 

     The West Virginia blizzard was really bad. Twenty-two states were affected, but West Virginia bore the brunt of the storm and of the 353 people who died in it, nearly half were in West Virginia. 

     There's a small town of Pickens (current population 66) located in the central part of the state where the storm's official greatest snow was measured at 57 inches. Although not official, other locations measured 62-63 inches of snow.

 

    Yesterday while browsing the West Virginia Chess Bulletins from 1950 I came across the following game from the State Championship that year that was played in Beckley. The tournament was played over the Labor Day weekend in September, so the blizzard was a ways off. Here's a snappy little game from the event.

 

[Event "WV Championship, Beckley"] [Site "?"] [Date "1950.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ed Faust"] [Black "William Hartling"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {Catalan} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {The opening develops into the Catalan which is a sort of mix between the Queen’s Gambit and a Reti. It's safe and solid.} c6 4. Bg2 d5 {Black's P-formation gives him a playable, but difficult position.} 5. Qb3 {White has tried a plethora of different moves here, the most usual being 5.Nf3.} Nbd7 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Nf3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 {White is slightly better here owing to black's cramped position.} Nb6 {Black's best plan is to free his position with ...e5} (8... c5 9. Bf4 Nb6 10. Qb3 {and black has no good square to which he can move his Q.} c4 11. Bxc7 cxb3 12. axb3 Nbd5 13. Be5 {favors white.}) (8... e5 {fails to} 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Qxe5 11. Bxc6+) (8... Bd6 9. O-O O-O {followed by ...e5}) 9. Qd3 Bd7 {This is too passive. His intention is to castle Q-side, but that turns out badly.} (9... Bd6 {to play ...e5 is now too late to be effective as after} 10. e4 e5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Bf4 {with a plus for white.}) 10. O-O Bd6 11. e4 { [%mdl 32]} e5 {This is practically forcedm but as above, it is no longer effective.} 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Bf4 Qe6 15. Bd6 Nc4 {Naturally black wants to get the annoying B off d6, but this is tactically refuted. Even so there was nothing that was really better.} (15... O-O-O 16. Rac1 Nc4 17. Bf4 Rhe8 18. Qd4 b6 19. b3 Ne5 20. Nb5 Kb8 21. Qd6+ Qxd6 22. Nxd6 Nd3 23. Nxf7+ Nxf4 24. gxf4 Rc8 25. Nd6 {with a decisive advantage.}) 16. e5 Nxd6 17. exf6 { This is the right capture.} (17. exd6 O-O 18. Rfe1 Qf5 19. Qd4 Rfe8 {Black's defensive task has been eased.}) ({allowing the Qs to come off also allows black to equalize.} 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. exd6 O-O-O) 17... O-O-O 18. fxg7 Rhg8 19. Qxh7 {Piling up the pressure with 19.Rad1 was good, too.} Qf6 20. Rfd1 Rxg7 { This meets with a very nice tactical refutation.} (20... Qe5 21. Qh4 Rxg7 22. Qb4 Rg6 23. Rac1 {White is clearly better, but at least black can play on.}) 21. Rxd6 {[%mdl 512] Wins a piece!} Qxc3 {A nice try to save himself.} 22. Rxd7 {[%mdl 512] A nice shot that wins a piece.} (22. bxc3 Rxh7 {Black is still lost, but with two Rs on the board he at least has a forlorn hope of salvaging a draw.}) 22... Rxd7 {Even here white has only one move that secures the win.} (22... Rxh7 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. bxc3) 23. Qh8+ {Black resigned. Very well played by Faust.} (23. Qh8+ Rd8 24. Qh3+ Kb8 25. bxc3) 1-0

Ted Edison

     Headed by Anthony E. Santasiere, champion of the Marshall Chess Club, the College of the City of New York team succeeded in winning the 1922 (24th) annual Intercollegiate Chess League (formerly known as the Triangular College Chess League) Championship that was held at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City from December 26th through the 30th in 1922. It was the second time that the CCNY team had won the championship. The previous year's winner, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had to be content with 4th place. 

  

The team rosters were: 

City College- Anthony E. Santasiere, Erling Tholfsen, H. Grossman and M. Levine 

Pennsylvania- G.O. Petty, S. T. Kosovsky, J. F. Casciato, and H. E. Everding 

N.Y. University- H. Kabatsky, A. Adams, D. G Gladstone, W. Namenson and S. Alpern 

MIT- Weaver W. Adams, J. Brimberg, T. Shedlovsky, H. J. Stark and T. M. Edison 

Cornell- G. Neidich, W. J. Bryan, D. C. Haight, J. J. Singer, C. K. Thomas and L. Samuels      

 

     For MIT you will notice the name of T.M. Edison. According to an article in the American Chess Bulletin he joined the team in the third round and he was listed as "Thomas M. Edison", but that name is incorrect. He was actually Theodore Miller Edison (July 10, 1898 - November 24, 1992, 94 years old). 

     Edison only played two games. He started by administering a defeat to William Namenson of New York University, who up to then had a 2-0 score. On the following day Edison lost a hard game against Everding of the Pennsylvania team.

     Ted Edison was a businessman, inventor, and environmentalist. He was the fourth son and youngest child of inventor Thomas A. Edison. He was the third child of Edison with his second wife. He was his father's last surviving child and today there are no direct descendants of Thomas A. Edison carrying the family name.

     Ted Edison was born at Glenmont, the Edison home in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey. He ended his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from which he earned a physics degree in 1923 and remained there another year to pursue graduate studies. In 1925, he married Anna Maria (Ann) Osterhout, a graduate of Vassar College. 

     After graduation, he worked for his father's company, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., starting as a lab assistant. He later founded his own company, Calibron Industries, Inc. and built his own smaller laboratory in West Orange. He earned over 80 patents in his career. 

     In later years he became an ardent environmentalist and helped preserve Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in southwest Florida. He was also an opponent of the Vietnam War and advocate of Zero Population Growth. He lived in West Orange, New Jersey and died from Parkinson's disease on November 24, 1992.

     Here is is only known game, at least as far as I know. Nothing is known of his opponent, but according to one poster in chessgames.com he was the son of a lawyer who was involved in The Tungsten Light Bulb Scandal of 1908.  

     While I am not sure exactly what it means even after reading the Chessbase article on Weighted Error Value HERE, the auto-analysis assigned a WEV of 0.33 to white's play which apparently is pretty good. Black's value was 0.68 which appears to be not bad. In any case, Edison seems to have been a pretty decent player. 

[Event "Intercollegiate Chess League"] [Site "Marshall CC, New York"] [Date "1922.12.29"] [Round "?"] [White "H.E. Everding (Penn)"] [Black "Theodore M. Edison (MIT)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [Annotator "Stockfiah 15.1"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "1922.??.??"] [Source "American Chess B"] {Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bf5 3. c4 {This is t unusual Baltic Defense. Because black has difficulties developing his B on c8 he takes this radical approach to the problem by bringing out the B immediately. It's never been popular, but Paul Keres and Alexei Shirov have used it on rare occasions. There is virtually no thgeory on it although back in 1993 Chess Digest published a small book on it.} Nf6 {The most popular line has black playing ...e6 and ...c6, but in practice the text has performed better.} 4. Nc3 (4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nbd2 Nb6 6. e4 Bg6 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 N8d7 9. a4 a5 10. h5 Bh7 11. O-O {and white has a significant space advantage and is much better developed.}) 4... e6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Qb3 {This immediate attempt at taking advantage of the unguarded b-Pawn doesn't accomplish anything so it should be delayed a bit.} (6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Qb3 {Attacking two Ps.} Nc6 {Forcing white to tend to the defense of his d-Pawn.} 9. e3 {Mira,H (2148) -Schwaninger,U (2045) Oberpullendorf 2002. Black can't defend both Ps so he is advised to let the b-Pawn go and play 9...Ne7}) 6... b6 (6... dxc4 {is correct and then after} 7. Qxb7 Nbd7 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. e3 {The chances are equal.}) (6... dxc4 7. Qxc4 Nbd7 8. e3 h6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Be2 {is also equal.}) 7. Bxf6 { Well played.} Bxf6 8. cxd5 O-O (8... exd5 9. Qxd5 Qxd5 10. Nxd5 Bd8 11. e3 { White is clearly better.}) 9. e4 {[%mdl 32]} Bg4 10. e5 {Thanks to black's faulty 6th move whiote has a huge advantage.} Bxf3 {This leaves white with a confusing choice of captures. Which is best? 11.gxf3 or 11.exf6. Or...does he have another move?} 11. dxe6 {This yields the advantage to black!} (11. exf6 { is good for black after} Bxd5 12. Bc4 Bxc4 13. Qxc4 Qxf6 {Black is a sild P ahead.}) (11. exf6 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. fxg7 Re8+ 14. Be2 {is not very good for white either.}) (11. d6 {is tricky, but black is OK after} Bxe5 12. dxe5 Bc6 {Better that ...Bb7 because is prevents white from playing Nb5. In this position black can claim a slight advantage.}) (11. gxf3 {This is the correct move after which white can claim a significant advantage.} Bh4 12. Rd1 exd5 13. Nxd5 {White's advantage is nerly decisive.}) 11... Qxd4 {This results in some tricky play where both side have chances.} (11... Nc6 12. exf6 Nxd4 13. e7 Qd6 14. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 15. Qa4 Qe5+ 16. Kd2 Rd8 17. Re1 Qf4+ 18. Re3 Bc6 {is winning for black.} 19. Qd1 Qxf2+ 20. Kc1 Qxe3+) (11... Nc6 12. exf7+ Kh8 13. gxf3 Nxd4 14. Qd1 Bxe5 15. Qd3 Qf6 16. O-O-O Nxf3 {Black is much better.}) 12. exf7+ Kh8 {There was no reason to fear the pin after taking with the R.} (12... Rxf7 13. exf6 Qe5+ 14. Ne2 Bxe2 15. Bxe2 Nc6 16. f4 (16. fxg7 Nd4 {wins after} 17. Qd3 Re8) 16... Qa5+ 17. Qc3 Qxc3+ 18. bxc3 {In this unbalanced position the chances would be about equal.}) 13. exf6 Bh5 14. fxg7+ Kxg7 15. Ne2 Qd6 (15... Bxe2 {would be very bad. After} 16. Bxe2 Rxf7 17. O-O {White has what should prove to be a decisive advantage.}) 16. Qg3+ Kxf7 {Black would have had better defensive chances by exchanging Qs.} 17. Qxd6 cxd6 18. O-O-O Ke7 19. f3 Bg6 20. Nc3 Rc8 21. Bb5 a6 22. Rhe1+ Kf8 23. Bd3 b5 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Kb1 Rc6 26. Re6 d5 27. Rxc6 Nxc6 28. Rxd5 {[%mdl 4096] There is little doubt that it's only matter of time before black makes the decision to resign. As Hamlet said, "The rest is silence."} Re8 29. Rd6 Nb4 30. a3 Re1+ 31. Rd1 Rxd1+ 32. Nxd1 {KN-KN} Nd3 33. Ne3 Ne1 34. Ka2 a5 35. Kb3 Nd3 36. Kc3 Nc5 37. Kd4 Na4 38. Nd1 Ke7 39. b3 {[%cal Bb2b3,Bb3b4][%mdl 32]} Nb6 40. Kc5 {[%csl LRb5,LRb6]} Nd7+ 41. Kxb5 Kd6 42. Kxa5 Kc6 43. b4 g5 44. Ne3 Kb7 45. Nf5 Ka7 46. Nd6 Nb6 47. Ne4 Nc4+ 48. Ka4 Ne3 49. g4 Nc4 50. Nxg5 Nb6+ 51. Kb3 Nd7 52. h4 Kb7 53. h5 Ka7 54. h6 Ne5 55. h7 Ng6 56. Nf7 Ne7 57. h8=Q Nc6 58. Qg7 Nb8 59. Nd8+ {Facing mate in 2 Edison finally resigned.} 1-0

A Game With Head Whirling Complications

     A world changing event took place on September 9, 1956: Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Sullivan Show and 8 out of 10 of American households were watching. 

     On July 1st, 1956, Elvis had appeared on the Steve Allen Show, which aired opposite The Ed Sullivan Show. Due to the backlash from Elvis’s second (and last) performance on The Milton Berle Show, Allen dressed Elvis in a tuxedo and had him sing “Hound Dog” to a basset hound. Elvis personally hated it, but his teen fans loved it. 

     The Steve Allen Show crushed Sullivan in that week’s ratings, but following the show Sullivan sent Allen a telegram saying, in effect, that Elvis stunk. Eventually Sullivan caved in and booked Elvis. Later, Sullivan endorsed Elvis and publicly stated that after having met Elvis, he found him to be a very nice guy and that really launched Elvis' career. You can watch Elvis performing on that first Ed Sullivan show HERE 

     While Americans were all aghast over Elvis' hip gyrations. a book titled Peyton Place stirred up controversy. too. It dealt with the then unspeakable subjects of rape, murder, incest, abortion, promiscuity, and adultery. Readers, while publicly shocked, were secretly titillated by the subjects. 

     In other titillating news, Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) reputedly coined the phrase, “I cried all the way to the bank.” 

     Known as just "Liberace", he was a child prodigy born in Wisconsin and was a pianist, singer and actor with a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures and endorsements. 

     In 1956 in the UK, an article in the Daily Mirror strongly suggested that Liberace was homosexual. He sued the newspaper for libel and won the equivalent of $208,200 in today's dollars which led him to tell reporters: "I cried all the way to the bank!" 

     He settled a similar case in the US, but in n 1982, his former chauffeur and alleged live-in lover sued him for $113 million in palimony after Liberace fired him. The case was settled out of court in 1986 with the driver receiving $75,000 in cash plus three cars and three pet dogs. 

     In a 2011 interview, legendary actress and close friend Betty White (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) confirmed that Liberace was indeed gay and that she was often used by his managers to counter public rumors of his homosexuality. At the age of 67 Liberace died of AIDS the morning of February 4, 1987 at his retreat home in Palm Springs, California. 

     The year 1956 saw the chess world lose a number of players. Edith Price (1872-1956), five-time British Ladies Champion (1922, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1948)died in England. Veniamin Sozin (1896-2956) master, author and theoretician died in Leningrad.

     Savielly Tartakower (1887-1956) died in Paris. Julius du Mont (1881-1956), journalist, editor and writer died in Hastings. Czech champion Karel Hromadka (1887-1956) died in Prague. Dr. Walter Romaine Lovegrove (1869-1956) died in San Francisco. He was one of the strongest players in California in the 19th and early 20th century and won the first California championship in 1891. Hungarian champion Lajos Asztalos (1889-1956) died in Budapest. 

     On December 15, 1956, Adolf Fink (1890-1956) died in San Francisco at the age of 66. He was California State Champion in 1922, 1928 and 1929 and co-champion, with Herman Steiner, in 1945.

     The Candidate tournaments of old were some truly great events. As a result of his draw against Botvinnik in the 1954 World Championship match Smyslov was seeded directly into the 1956 Candidates while the others qualified from the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal. Smyslov's only loss was to an upcoming Boris Spassky. 

 

     In the following instructive Spassky vs. Geller game we see a characteristic feature of the play against an Isolated d-Pawn: defense and active counterplay. Pachman used this game as an example in his book Modern Chess Strategy, but while his presentation was very instructive, lacking Stockfish for his analysis he missed some things. 

     The game actually featured complications galore. Also, it's important to note that as baseball's legendary Yogi Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) once observed, "It ain't over 'til it's over." On move 28 the wrong move by Geller would have tossed away his decisive advantage. You must be alert until your opponent resigns. 

[Event "Amsterdam Candidates"] [Site ""] [Date "1956.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Boris Spassky"] [Black "Efim Geller"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D32"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "1956.03.27"] {D40: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with e3} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. O-O a6 11. Bg5 (11. Ba2 {was recommended by Pachman with the continuation} b5 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Bb7 {resulting in equality, but such a tame continuation would not be to Spassky's liking.}) 11... b5 12. Ba2 Bb7 13. Rc1 ( 13. Qd3 b4 14. Na4 Qa5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Bb3 Qh5 17. Rfc1 Qg6 18. Qxg6+ hxg6 19. Nc5 bxa3 20. Rxa3 Rfc8 21. Bc4 Nxd4 22. Nxb7 Bxa3 23. bxa3 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Rc7 25. Nd6 Rd8 26. Nxf7 Rd4 27. Ne5 Kg7 {Mortensen,E (2450)-Berg,K (2420) Kerteminde 1991 0-1 (93)}) 13... b4 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Bb1 {As a result of his clever maneuvering on the Q-side Geller has gained control of d5 leaving white's d-Pawn a liability. On the other hand Spassky has more space on the K-side and where his actively placed pieces have the potential for a dangerous K-side attack. Clearly, a sharp fight is looming.} (15. Bxf6 {is not good because after} Bxf6) 15... Qa5 (15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxd4 17. Rfd1 Qe5 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qe2 Rfd8 {Being a P up black has a promising position. Privara,I (2271)-Ruckschloss,K (2176) Bratislava SVK 2014}) (15... h6 {is less ambitious. } 16. Bf4 Nbd5 17. Be5 Re8 {but black has a solid position. Pinheiro,J (2255) -Frois,A (2350) Lisbon 1997}) 16. Ne5 Rac8 17. Re1 Nbd5 {Both sides have positioned their pieces in a manner typical of the isolated d-Pawn position. White now commences a danerous attack on his opponent's K.} 18. Qd3 g6 19. Qh3 {The advance of the h-Pawn may appear to be a more robust way of continuing the attack, but it does not lead to anything positive.} (19. h4 Nh5 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 21. Qe3 Nd5 22. Qd2 Qd8 23. g3 f6 24. Nxd5 fxe5 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. Nb4 Qxd4 27. Qxd4 exd4 28. Nc6 {The position is equal.}) 19... Qb4 {This adds extra protection to his B on e7 and at the same time it puts pressure on the d-Pawn.} (19... Ra8 {This is a "pass" in order to show just how dangerous white's attack could become.} 20. Bh6 Rfc8 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. Qxe6+ Ke8 23. Ba2 Qb6 24. Bxd5 Qxe6 25. Bxe6 {White has a winning position.}) 20. Bh6 Rfd8 {This turns out to be a serious mistake. Black had two reasonable continuations.} (20... Qxd4 {remains equal.} 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 23. Bd3 Bb4 24. Bc4 Qd6 { and black has adequate compensation for the exchange.} 25. Re2) (20... Qxb2 { Looks risky, but it also gives black adequate defensive resources after} 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. Nc4 Qb4 {and the advance of the a-Pawn can become a threat requiring white's attention.}) 21. Ba2 {After the game an exhaustive analysis lead to the conclusion that black could withstand the storm after 21.Nxf2. In those days the players did not have the same resources that we do today, so naturally, analysis with Stockfish is a must!} (21. Nxf7 {This turns out to be unclear.} Kxf7 22. Qxe6+ Ke8 23. Bg5 Qd6 {Stockfish assigns white a slight advantage here, but couldn't prove it in Shootouts...white scored +1 -1 =3}) 21... Rd6 {An important defensive move that prevents the now very real threat of a N sacrifice on f7!} (21... Qxd4 22. Nxf7 Re8 (22... Kxf7 {[%emt 0:00:07] After this white has a mate in} 23. Qxe6+ Ke8 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Bxd5 Qe3 26. Qf7+ Kd7 27. Be6+ Qxe6 28. Qxe6+ Ke8 29. Qxe7#) 23. Ne5 {and white has an excellent position.}) (21... Qxb2 {This is plausible as white cannot play 22, Nxf7, but he still comes out with the better game.} 22. Nxd5 (22. Nxf7 Rxc3 ( 22... Kxf7 23. Qxe6+ {leads to mate}) 23. Rxc3 Qxc3 {only results in equality.} ) 22... Bxd5 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 {And now white can safely snatch the f-Pawn. Of course the N cannot be taken.} 25. Nxf7 Qb6 {Defending the e-Pawn.} (25... Kxf7 26. Qxe6+ Ke8 27. Qxc8+ {white has a mate in 9. Stockfish 15.1:} Kf7 28. Qe6+ Ke8 29. Qc6+ Kd8 30. Qxd5+ Kc8 31. Qc6+ Kd8 32. Bf4 Qc3 33. Qxc3 Ke8 34. Qc7 Kf7 35. Rxe7+ Kf8 36. Qd8#) 26. Ne5 {White's advantage is minimal.} ) 22. Bg5 {This threatens to win with Bxd5.} Qxd4 23. Rcd1 (23. Bxf6 {leads to unclear complications.} Bxf6 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Bxd5 Bxe5 27. Qc3 Qxc3 28. bxc3 Bxc3 29. Rc1 exd5 30. Rxc3 Be6 {After white captures the a-Pawn Shootouts resulted in long, difficult endings where white scored +2 -0 =3.}) 23... Nf4 24. Bxf4 Qxf4 {The position has reached a critical stage!} 25. Rxd6 { After this black gets the initiative.} (25. Nxf7 {This is not only playable again, it's the only move that allows white to keep the chances equal.} Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Bc5 27. Bxe6 Qxf2+ 28. Kh1 Rc7 29. Ng5+ Kg7 {It's a messy position, but the chances would be equal.}) 25... Bxd6 26. Nxf7 {Now this move is unsatisfactory! Spassky has overlooked Geller's fine tactical resource.} (26. Bxe6 {This surprising offer comes up a bit short, too.} Rc7 (26... fxe6 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Qxd6 {is, of course, quite ba for black.}) 27. Nxf7 {It would actually be somewaht better to play 27.g3 first.} Rxf7 28. Rd1 Qe5 29. Bxf7+ Kxf7 {Black is better, but could he win? Some very arduous endings took place, but black scored 4 wins and a draw.}) 26... Rxc3 {[%mdl 128] Very nice! This gives black control over the important square e4} 27. Nh6+ (27. bxc3 {is the only way for White.} Ne4 28. Nh6+ Kg7 29. Ng4) 27... Kg7 28. bxc3 Bc5 {After this black has a decisive advantage.} (28... Qxh6 {This only results in equality and so it's inferior to the text.} 29. Qxh6+ Kxh6 30. Rxe6) 29. Qg3 ( 29. Rf1 {was a better defense.} Ne4 30. Ng4 h5 {and the attack on f2 is decisive.} 31. Ne3 Nxf2 32. Qxe6 Qxe3 33. Qxe3 Bxe3 34. Rxf2 a5 (34... Bxf2+ { would be a horrible mistake allowing white to equalize.} 35. Kxf2 {draws.}) 35. Kf1 Bxf2 36. Kxf2 a4 37. g3 Kf6 38. Ke3 Ke5 {Black's distant passed P and superior K position translates to a winning position.}) 29... Qxg3 30. hxg3 Kxh6 31. Bxe6 {While black has a won ending it will still require some technique.} Ne4 32. Re2 Nxc3 33. Rb2 Bc6 34. Kh2 Bb5 35. f3 Kg7 36. Rb3 Bd4 37. Bc8 a5 {[%mdl 32]} 38. Ra3 a4 39. g4 g5 40. g3 Kf6 41. f4 Bc6 42. Bf5 h6 { White resigned. The ending is hopelessly lost as the following analysis shows.} (42... h6 43. Kh3 Ke7 44. Bc2 Kd6 45. Ra1 Kc5 46. Kh2 Kb4 47. Bxa4 Bxa4 48. Re1 Nd5 49. Rc1 Bb3 50. Kh3 Bc4 51. Kg2 Nc3 52. Kh2 Bd5 53. fxg5 hxg5 54. Rf1 Kc4 55. Re1 Kd3 56. Re8 Be3 57. Rf8 Ke2 58. Rc8 Bd4 59. Rf8 Bf3 60. Rf5 Be3 61. Ra5 Kf2 62. Ra6 Ne4 63. Ra2+ Nd2 64. Rc2 Bd5 65. Kh3 Bg2+ 66. Kh2 Kf3 67. Rc1 Nf1+ 68. Rxf1+ Bxf1 69. Kh1 Kxg4 70. Kh2 Bd4 71. Kh1 Kh3 72. g4 Bg2#) 0-1

Thrown Out Of the Chicago Chess Club

     A few years back, 1964 I think it was, I was attending a military service school at Great Lakes, Illinois. When on liberty one Saturday I visited the Chicago Chess Club located at 64 East Van Buren Street in downtown Chicago. 

     The building used to be known as Steinway Hall, an 11-story office building with a ground-floor theater (later it became a cinema). In the early 1900s the building held the offices of a group of famous Chicago architects that included a young Frank Lloyd Wright. Steinway Hall was torn down in 1970 and replaced with a modern 600 foot tall building. 

     The Saturday I popped into the chess club there was a tournament taking place and as I began walking around looking at some of the games in progress a seedy looking character, either the club manager or the tournament director I presumed, walked up and tried to shake me down for a "spectator fee." 

     At first I thought he was joking, but he wasn't and when I told him I was not going to pay a fee I was told I had to go, which I did. I have purchased tickets to US Championships and international tournaments, but a weekend Swiss? That's absurd! 

     Chicago is one of the country's largest cities, so it's no surprise that it has always had a fair share of strong players and the Chicago Chess Club wasn't the only one in the city. There was Chess Unlimited on North Harlem and the Gompers Park Chess Club on West Forster. Nearby Oak Park and Calumet City also had clubs. 

     In the early 1900s, as an inkling of the strength of the Chicago Chess and Checker Club, they had defeated Brooklyn and Boston in telegraph matches and in 1904 the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota were overwhelmed and, later, the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia lost a match to the club. 

 

     The following game is from the match against the Twin Cities. I could find no information on the Chicago player Carl Medinus (August 4, 1873 - December 6, 1941, 68 years old). His opponent was not the well known Horace R. Bigelow (1898-1980), a prominent member of the Manhattan Chess Club and one of organizers of the New York 1924 tournament. He was Horace Erastus Bigelow (1867-1942) and he was H.R.'s father.

[Event "Telegraph Match"] [Site "?"] [Date "1904.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Carl Medinus (Chicago)"] [Black "H.E. Bigelow (Twin Cities)"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1904.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.02.17"] {Vienna Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 {White offers a P to gain control over the center.} d5 {This move, striking back at the center, is the best way to meet white's last move.} (3... exf4 {White usually plays 4.Bc4 or much less often 4.Nf3, but the engines like} 4. e5 Ng8 5. Nf3 d6 6. d4 {and white is better.}) 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 {The other option is 5.Qf3} Nc6 {The usual move is the rock solid 5...Be7} 6. d4 (6. Bb5 {is more exact.} Bg4 7. d3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. O-O {with a completely equal position.}) 6... Bb4 7. Bd2 {This is bit slow. 7.Qd3 would have been a bit better.} Bf5 {Stopping a square short. White would have been more uncomfortable facing 7... Bg4 which would have pretty much forced him to play the passive 8.Be2 owing to the pin on his N.} (7... Nxd2 8. Qxd2 O-O 9. Bd3 Bg4 10. O-O Kh8 11. h3 Bh5 12. a3 Ba5 13. b4 Bb6 14. Ne2 Bxf3 15. Rxf3 Nxd4 16. Kh1 Nxf3 17. gxf3 Qh4 18. Nf4 g5 { 0-1 (18) Ramirez Carrizo,V (2144)-Rohl Montes,J (2411) ICC INT 2009}) (7... Bxc3 {There is no reason to play this unforced move and the doubled Ps are no disadvantage for white.} 8. bxc3 O-O 9. Bd3 Bg4 10. O-O f6 11. exf6 Qxf6 12. Qc1 {equals. De Tarso,S-Segal,A (2309) Sao Paulo 2001}) 8. Be2 {[%mdl 32]} Nxd2 9. Qxd2 Be4 10. O-O {Castling Q-side was a good option.} O-O 11. Rad1 b6 (11... f6 {Counterattacking white's center was more appropriate. After} 12. exf6 Rxf6 13. a3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Qd6 {black has completely equalized.}) 12. a3 Be7 13. Bb5 Bxf3 14. Bxc6 (14. gxf3 {is met by} Nxd4 {with good play.}) (14. Rxf3 Nxd4 15. Rg3 {Black is also well off after 15...Kh8, but not...} Nxb5 16. Qh6 g6 17. Rh3 Bh4 18. Nxd5 {and white is winning.}) 14... Bxd1 15. Qxd1 (15. Bxa8 {is much worse.} Qxa8 16. Nxd1 f6 {equals}) 15... Rb8 16. Nxd5 {Clearly white has the upper hand and the way Medinus conducts the rest of the game is instructive.} f6 17. Qg4 f5 (17... fxe5 {Practically speaking this was a better decision. In Shootouts white scored 5-0, but in one of the games the ending reached a B+N vs a lone K; an easy with for the engine, but not for a human.} 18. Qe6+ Kh8 19. Qxe7 Qxe7 20. Nxe7 Rxf1+ 21. Kxf1 Rf8+ 22. Ke2 exd4 23. Kd3 {The ending favors black.}) 18. Rxf5 Rxf5 19. Qxf5 Bg5 {Black's problem is that white's pieces dominate the board.} 20. c3 a5 21. g3 Kh8 22. h4 Bc1 23. e6 Qd6 24. e7 Qxg3+ (24... Qxc6 {gets him mated.} 25. Qf8+ Rxf8 26. exf8=R#) 25. Kf1 Qd6 26. e8=Q+ Rxe8 27. Bxe8 Bxb2 28. Bh5 (28. Qc8 Qf8+ 29. Ke2 Bxa3 30. Nxc7 {would also win}) 28... Bxa3 29. Qc8+ {The ending is hopeless, so black resigned. For the most part precise play by the winner.} 1-0

I won! I won!

     Last week started out sunny and warm, but come Wednesday we experienced wind that would blow the fur off a dog. Thursday the weather was supposed to be abominable; we were predicted to get showers in the morning then possibly severe thunderstorms in the afternoon continuing into the evening before changing to freezing rain, sleet and snow showers after midnight. Instead, all we got was some light drizzle as the heart of the storm passed to our south and east. 

     Even so, it got cold and dark outside; it was a good day to play online. I lost a couple of poorly played games and won one, also poorly played, when my opponent resigned in a drawn position. 

     Because it's been a while since readers have been treated to one of my games, here is my most delightful win. I thought the opening wasn't very well played by my opponent, but a post-game analysis shows that he actually didn't play too badly! 

     I played a bunch of sacrifices with little or no calculation only because it was a G/5 and I had a slight time advantage while my opponent was using too much time. Going over the game afterwards revealed that it was filled with wild complications! 

[Event "Chess Hotel G/5"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.02.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "Stocjfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] {Blackmar Gambit} 1. e4 d5 2. d4 {This, the Blackmar Gambit, is an aggressive opening that has some amateur enthusiasts. It's dismissed as unsound by GMs, but it's not likely I'll be meeting any on Chess Hotel.} dxe4 {If black wants to play it safe he can play 2...c6 or even 2...e6} 3. f3 exf3 4. Nxf3 {White can offer a second P with 4.Qxf3, the Ryder Gambit, but that's going too far even in a 5-minute game!} e6 {The Euwe Defense. Other options are 4...Bf5, 4... Bg4, 5...g6 and 5...c6. Take your pick.} 5. Bd3 {After the game I found out that 5.Bg5 is the usual continuation, but there seems nothing wrong with the text.} g6 {Not really bad, but somehow it just looks wrong.} (5... Nf6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bg5 Nbd7 {is equal. Pelekh,O-Chumagina,Y Illichevsk 2006}) 6. Bg5 { [%mdl 1024] White actually has compensation for the P!} f6 {Ugly as it looks, this is Stockfish's first choice and...surprise...it evaluates the position as dead equal.} (6... Ne7 {is bad.} 7. Bf6 Rg8 {and white has an excellent position.}) (6... Be7 7. h4 Nf6 (7... Bxg5 8. Nxg5 {is also a wee bit in white's favor.}) 8. Nc3 {favors white slightly.}) 7. Bf4 Ne7 8. Nc3 {White has sufficient compensation for the P, but not more.} Bg7 9. Qd2 c6 {Clearly, black intends a Q-side demonstration, but after this white is better.} (9... Nbc6 10. a3 Nd5 {and black keeps the balance.}) 10. O-O-O b5 11. Kb1 {Played quickly to get a little thinking time. I had no idea how to best continue!} ( 11. h4 {is the engine's move with the following continuation.} h5 12. Ne4 Nd7 13. Rdf1 O-O {and now white launches a strong attack with} 14. g4) 11... a5 12. Ne4 {The threat is Nd6+ displacing black's K.} O-O {There wasn't anything better. Now that black has castled I hit on the idea of advancing the h-Pawn.} 13. h4 {And now h5 would win.} Bb7 {Black has underestimated the strength of the obvious 14.h5} (13... h5 {This is what I was worried that he would play and I was not sure of how I would continue. It stops the advance of the h-Pawn, but it turns out his K-side gets ripped apart after...} 14. g4 {Let's pretend that I would have seen this.} hxg4 15. h5 f5 (15... gxf3 16. h6 Bh8 17. h7+ Kf7 18. Nd6+ {Black has to surrender his Q because} Kg7 19. Bh6+ {mates in 3.}) 16. h6 Bf6 17. h7+ Kh8 18. Nxf6 Rxf6 19. Ne5 Nd7 (19... Qf8 20. Bh6 {wins}) 20. Bg5 {white is winning.}) (13... Nd5 {This is the best defense and black does not come off too badly after} 14. Bd6 f5 15. Bxf8 Qxf8 16. Nc3 Nf6) 14. h5 Nd7 ( 14... g5 {was probably the best practical chance because, let's be honest, it would have confused me and cost me some time. Actually, white should win no matter what he plays, but the best line is} 15. h6 (15. Nfxg5 {This would also work!} fxg5 16. Nxg5 Nd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Nxe6) 15... gxf4 16. hxg7 Rf7 17. Nxf6+ Rxf6 18. Rxh7 {followed by doubling Rs on the h-file.}) 15. hxg6 Nxg6 16. Bh6 (16. Nd6 {is evaluated a little higher by the engine.} Qe7 (16... Bc8 17. Rxh7 Kxh7 18. Rh1+ Kg8 19. Bxg6 {wins}) 17. Nxb7 Nb6 18. Nc5) 16... Ra7 { All black can really do is make pointless moves.} (16... Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Qe7 18. Neg5 fxg5 19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. Qh8+ Kf7 21. Rh7+ Ke8 22. Rxe7+ Kxe7 23. Qh7+ Rf7 24. Qxg6 {etc.}) 17. Bxg7 Rf7 (17... Kxg7 18. Qh6+ Kf7 19. Qxh7+ Ke8 20. Nd6#) 18. Bh6 c5 {The engine likes 19.Nd6, but my move is also good.} 19. Neg5 { [%mdl 512] All I saw was that this opens up the diagonal for the B.} fxg5 20. Nxg5 c4 (20... Re7 {This is what I expected. The engine sees that 21.Nxh7 wins easily; I didn't.} 21. Bxg6 {My intended move which is good enough, but...} hxg6 {The material is equal here and white's advantage is put at nearly 8 Pawns which is winning easily. However, I have no idea how I would have continued here and no idea how to win!} 22. Qd3 (22. dxc5 {Best, but only by a bit.} Bd5 23. Qd3 Qe8 24. Qd4 Be4 25. Nxe4 e5 26. Qe3 {and wins}) 22... Qe8 23. Qh3 Nf6 24. Bf8 Nh5 25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Nxe6 Bd5 27. Nf4 {and white is winning.}) 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. Bxg6+ hxg6 23. Rdf1+ Kg8 24. Qe3 {Adding the Q to the attack and threatening Qxe6+ with mate in 9, but there was a mate in 8.} (24. Bg7 Bf3 25. Rxf3 Nf6 26. Bxf6 Kf7 27. Qg5 Qg8 28. Qc5 Ke8 29. Qxa7 Qf8 30. Rh8 e5 31. Qe7#) 24... Bd5 25. Qg3 (25. Bg7 {This still leads to mate.} Nf6 26. Bxf6 Qf8 27. Rh8+ Kf7 28. Be5+ Ke7 29. Rhxf8 Bf3 30. Qxf3 Kd7 31. Qe4 Ke7 32. R1f7#) 25... Be4 26. Qh4 {In the auto-analysis the engine slapped a ? on this move because it missed the mate and white's advantage dropped to "only" 4 Ps.} (26. Bg5 {mates} Bf5 27. Bxd8 Nf8 28. Bf6 {[%eval 32752,53] [%wdl 1000,0,0] [%emt 0: 00:09]} Kf7 29. Qe5 {[%eval 32754,55] [%wdl 1000,0,0] [%emt 0:00:07]} Rd7 30. Bg5 Ra7 31. Qf6+ Ke8 32. Qd8+ Kf7 33. Rh8 e5 34. d5 Kg7 35. Qxf8#) 26... Bf5 { A final blunder.} (26... Qxh4 27. Rxh4 Bd5 28. Rhf4 Rb7 (28... Bxg2 29. R1f2 Bd5 30. Rf7 {sould win without much trouble.}) 29. Rf7 Nc5 30. Rxb7 Nxb7 { Again, white should win, but it was a 5 minute game and time was running short, so the outcome would by no means be certain!}) 27. Bg5 {Missing the obvious 27. Qxd8+, but black resigned anyway.} (27. Bg5 {There is a forced mate after this. } Nf8 28. Qh8+ Kf7 29. Bxd8 Ke8 30. Qe5 Kxd8 31. Qb8+ Ke7 32. Rh8 Ra8 33. Qxa8 Bxc2+ 34. Kxc2 Kd6 35. Qxf8+ Kc6 36. Qc5+ Kb7 37. Rf7+ Ka6 38. Ra8#) 1-0

House of Commons vs. House of Representatives

     In June of 1897, a unique encounter took place when chessers from the United States House of Representatives dueled in a cable match against chessers from the British House of Commons. 

     Ladislaus Hengelmuller von Hengervar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Austria-Hungary was in Washington and was chosen as referee. The umpires were Sir Julian Pauncefote, British Ambassador in Washington, for the British team and John Hay, a representative of the United States who was in London. 

     For the US team Richmond Pearson, a 45-year old lawyer from Asheville, North Carolina was on board 1 because he was thought to be the strongest player in Congress. 

     At board 2 was 43-year old lawyer John F. Shafroth of Denver, Colorado, who at one time served as president of the Denver Chess Club and was once city champion. However, he had not played chess for a dozen years before this match. In physical appearance he was said to have resembled the famous Kentucky player Jackson W. Showalter. 

     Manning board 3 was the oldest player on the team, Robert N. Bodine of Paris, Mississippi. Although he was well versed in the openings, his play was deemed to be rather superficial. 

     Holding down board 4 was T.S. Plowman, a 54-year old who for many years had been a bank president in Talladega, Alabama. Described as short, slim and active, he gave the appearance of being a nervous player, but he had done well in the practice games and defeated C. R. Shannon, the captain of the American team 

     At last board was Irving Handy of Newark, Delaware. At age 36 he was the youngest man on the team. He was a lecturer, writer and journalist who had a reputation as a good player. 

     Britain's board 1 player, Horace Plunkett, was described as a small man with a gentle voice and manner. He was the brother of Lord Dunsany, an Irish writer and dramatist. Plunkett started an Irish farmers' association and wrote for a British magazine. He had also spent a long time in the US in the state of Wyoming where had land interests. 

     The best known British player was John Parnell whose more famous brother was Charles Stewart Parnell, an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament. The brothers were born into a powerful Anglo-Irish Protestant landowning family and Charles was a land reform agitator. Before the start of the game Parnell complained of not feeling well, but took his time and played carefully to score the win. 

     A. Strauss at 3rd board was a partner in a leading firm of tin merchants and a speculator on the British Metal Exchange. 

     Llywelyn Atherley-Jones was the son of Ernest Jones, a colorful character who was was a political agitator and once spent two years in jail. Ernest was a writer, lecturer, poet and a chartist, a trader who employs technical analysis in their trading and research by examining price charts and graphs. 

     At 5th board was F. W. Wilson who came from a long line of tenant farmers and was described as half a country squire and half a journalist because he was a pioneer in daily the journal business. 

[Event "Commons vs, Representative Match"] [Site "?"] [Date "1897.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "A. Strauss (GB)"] [Black "R. Bodine (US)"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C67"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "1897.??.??"] {Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {This defense was first analyzed in the 19th century. Considered defensive and drawish it was rarely used, except by Arthur Bisguier who often employed it, until the 2000 World Championship when Kramnik successfully used it against Kasparov.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {The main line is 5.d4, nut the text is also seen and is quite satisfactory.} (5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 {While not forced, this line has been used many times by GMs who want to pretend like they have played a legitimate game, but really only want a draw.}) 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 { Seldom played, but it has the advantage of not being as drawish as 6.Nxe5} dxc6 7. Nxe5 Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. c3 Be6 (9... Re8 10. Nd2 Bf8 11. Nf1 f6 12. Nd3 Rxe1 13. Nxe1 {and the players soon agreed to a draw. Bach, M (2276)-Buhmann,R (2563) Bad Wiessee 2010}) (9... Bf5 10. Nd2 Re8 11. Ndf3 Bf8 12. Bf4 f6 13. Nd3 Rxe1+ 14. Ndxe1 {with equality. Paredes Bustamante,P (2156)-Hoare,A (2088) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2015}) 10. Qe2 {In recent games white has played 10.Nd2. Here 10.Qe2 is not an especially good choice because, as will be seen, the Q is exposed on the open file.} Re8 11. Be3 f6 {Black can claim to be slightly better here as he begins to gain time.} 12. Nd3 Nc4 13. Nd2 (13. Bf4 {Trying to keep the B is met by} Bf7 14. Nd2 Bd6 {and black is slightly better.}) 13... Nxe3 14. fxe3 Bd6 15. e4 Bf5 16. Qf3 Bg6 17. Nf4 Bf7 18. Nf1 c5 19. d5 { [%mdl 32]} f5 {It was worth considering playing 19...c4 to make room for the B at c5} 20. Ne6 {This is certainly not bad, but he might have also played 20. exf5} (20. exf5 Bxf4 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. Qxf4 Bxd5 23. Ne3 Bc6 24. Rf1 {with equal chances if black offers a trade of Qs with 24...Qe4 otherwise white has slightly the better of if after he plays f5-f6.}) 20... Bxe6 (20... fxe4 21. Rxe4 Qd7 22. Rae1 c6 {also results in equality, but white's pieces are more actively positioned.}) 21. dxe6 fxe4 {This is somewhat inferior to 21...f4, but black's position cam hardly be considered anywhere near losing.} (21... f4 22. e5 Bf8 23. Qxf4 Qe7 24. Nd2 Qxe6 {is equal.} 25. Nf3) 22. Rxe4 Rf8 (22... Qg5 {getting his Q ito play would have been a more active defense. For example. ..} 23. Rae1 Rf8 24. Qe2 Rae8) 23. Qg4 (23. Qe2 {leaves white better. For example...} Qe7 24. Ne3 Rae8 25. Rd1 {followed by Nc4 with considerable pressure.}) 23... Qf6 {White enjoys a very slight advantage here, ut he is oblivious to the lurking danger.} 24. Rae1 {[%mdl 8192] Strauss falls into a mate in 3!} (24. Qe2 {eliminates all danger and after} Rae8 25. Ne3 Qh6 26. g3 Qg6 27. Nc4 {White is only slightly better. After 27...Rf6} Bxg3 {This is tempting.} 28. hxg3 Qxg3+ 29. Qg2 Qxg2+ 30. Kxg2 {In 5 Shootouts in long (140+ moves!) and difficult endings white scored +2 -0 =3 with the draws coming at the higher plies.}) 24... Qf2+ 25. Kh1 Qxf1+ {White resigned. Except for white's unfortunate lapse on move 23 this was a well played game and Bodine's play was especially precise.} 0-1

Ruth Herstein, Mystery Lady

 

     Ruth Herstein (April 12, 1932 - September 13, 1999, age 67) was born in Heerlen, The Netherlands and was was one of the leading female chess players in the United States in the 1970s. Even so, you won't find much about her. 

     She never had a minus score in the US Women's Championships and her best results were in 1975 and 1976, when she tied for 2nd-3rd. 

     She also played in the Women's Olympiads in 1974, 1976, and 1978: Second board in 1974 in Medellín (+7 -2 =2), third board in 1976 in Haifa (+3 -2 =3) and third board in 1978 in Buenos Aires (+4 -6 =0). 

     A high school science teacher by profession, she was married to US Master Kenneth Fitzgerald from 1969 to 1973. She passed away in Santa Monica, California. 

     In the 1975 US Women's Championship she finished in a tie for second place with Ruth Haring Orton of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The prize money was split equally, but because the championship was a FIDE Zonal from which only the first and second finishers could advance, a playoff was held later to determine who would accompany Diane Savereide; Orton won the playoff. 

     The following topsy-turvy game was played in the first round of the 1975 Women's Championship and was the only game Savereide lost when she became too intent on her own plan of giving mate and ended up falling to a mate by Herstein even though a draw was available. 

 

[Event "US Womens Champ, Milwaukee"] [Site "Milwaukee, WI USA"] [Date "1975.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ruth Herstein"] [Black "Diane Savereide"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E62"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1975.??.??"] {King's Indian} 1. Nf3 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 d6 4. d4 Nf6 5. c4 O-O 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. e3 {This move is needlessly tame. 8.d5 followed by 9.e4 would have allowed white to press for an advantage.} Nd7 (8... Bf5 {is good option.} 9. b3 exd4 10. exd4 Ne4 {equals. Gagunashvili,M (2591)-Livshits,G (2406) Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006}) 9. a3 (9. Nd5 Nb6 10. Nxb6 axb6 11. d5 Ne7 12. Bd2 h6 13. a4 { is completely even. Glud,J (2456)-Pina Vega,S (2279) Havana 2008}) (9. b3 { is a slow option that does not lead to much.} f5 10. dxe5 {in Roca Rojas,A (2242)-Amaro Alfonso,R (2021) Havana 2015 black continued with 10...Ndxe5 and got a poor game. Instead 10...dxe5 is equal.}) 9... a5 10. b3 f5 {As a result of white's passive play Savereide has had no trouble getting an active, but not necessarily better, position.} 11. Nd5 Ne7 {Quite good was 11...e5 and 12.. .Nf6} 12. Ng5 {One annotator called this move rather pointless, but the fact is that it's not at all bad.} (12. dxe5 {was equally good.} dxe5 13. e4 c6 { White can either retreat the N to c3 or capture on e7; either move is equally good.}) 12... Nf6 13. Nxe7+ (13. dxe5 {is more precise. After} dxe5 14. Bb2 h6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Nf3 {chances are even.}) 13... Qxe7 14. Bb2 e4 15. d5 Ng4 ( 15... h6 {was also quite good as after} 16. Ne6 Bxe6 17. dxe6 Qxe6 {black is a solid P up.}) 16. Bxg7 Qxg7 17. b4 Qc3 {Black chooses to ignore the stranded N tand exercises the option of seeking active play on the Q-side.} (17... Qf6 18. Nh3 g5 19. c5 h6 {with a solid positional advantage.}) (17... h6 18. Ne6 Bxe6 19. dxe6 Qe5 20. bxa5 Qxe6 21. Rb1 Rfb8 {black is slightly better.}) 18. Qc1 ( 18. Qd4 {would have also forced the trade of Qs but it would have made her defense easier because it leads to a more active P-formation.} Qxd4 19. exd4) 18... axb4 19. Qxc3 {This is the wrong capture because it leaves the a-Pawn weak. 19.axb4 Qxc1 20.Rfc1 was correct. Black's advantage would then be minimal.} bxc3 20. Rfc1 Ra4 21. Rxc3 Ne5 {Technically black has the advantage after this move, but it leads to obscure complications. It would have been better to fix white's c-Pawn with 21...b6!} 22. c5 h6 23. Nh3 (23. Ne6 Bxe6 24. dxe6 d5 {leaves black clearly better.}) 23... Ra5 24. cxd6 cxd6 25. Nf4 Bd7 ( 25... Rc5 {gets tricky, but it's the only way to try and keep the advantage.} 26. Rxc5 (26. Rcc1 g5 27. Ne2 Rxd5 28. Nd4 Rc5) 26... dxc5 27. Rb1 Rd8) 26. Rc7 {This active R on the 7th means white has managed to equalize.} Rfa8 {With this move Savereide tosses away all of her advantage and allows Herstein to gain the clearly better position.} (26... Rf7 {and Black stays safe.} 27. Rxb7 g5 28. Ne6 Bxe6 29. Rb8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. dxe6 Ke7 {with equal chances.}) 27. Rxb7 {A logical followup to her last move, but she has missed a promising tactical shot!} (27. Nxg6 {[%mdl 512]} Nxg6 28. Rxd7 Rxd5 29. Rxb7 {with the better chances.}) 27... Rxa3 28. Rxa3 Rxa3 29. Bf1 (29. Nxg6 {Things get tricky after this, but now it only leads to equality.} Ra1+ 30. Bf1 f4 31. Nxf4 (31. Nxe5 Bh3 32. Rb8+ Kg7 33. Rb7+ Kf6 34. Ng4+ Kf5 35. Rf7+ Kxg4 {and wins}) 31... Nf3+ 32. Kg2 Ne1+ 33. Kh1 Bg4 {equal.}) 29... g5 30. Nh5 Kf7 31. Bb5 Ra1+ 32. Kg2 {With best play by both sides this position is probably drawn, but only IF black finds the right 32nd move!} Nf3 {Which she does!} (32... Ke7 33. Bxd7 Nxd7 34. Ng7 f4 35. gxf4 gxf4 36. exf4 {and the ending is favorable to white.}) 33. Rxd7+ (33. Bxd7 {would not be so good...} Rg1+ 34. Kh3 g4#) 33... Kg6 {[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder. Retreating to the 8th rank was the only feasible defense.} (33... Kf8 34. Rd8+ (34. Rxd6 {is a self mate.} Rg1+ 35. Kh3 g4#) 34... Kf7 35. Be8+ {She can never play Rxd6 because the mate is still there.} Ke7 36. Rd7+ Kxe8 37. Nf6+ Kf8 38. Nh7+ Kg8 39. Nf6+ Kf8 40. Nh7+ Kg8 41. Nf6+ Kf8 42. Nh7+ {Draw by threefold repetition.}) (33... Kg8 34. Nf6+ Kf8 {Noiw white can take the d-Pawn, but it does no good.} 35. Rxd6 Rg1+ 36. Kh3 Rh1 (36... g4+ {and white escapes by} 37. Nxg4 fxg4+ 38. Kxg4) 37. Ng4 { and wins.}) 34. Rg7+ {Black resigned.} (34. Rg7+ Kxh5 35. Be8+ Kg4 36. h3#) 1-0