A Nearly Flawless Game by Arnold Denker

     The year 1947 saw a world changing event when the first general purpose computer, ENIAC, was introduced, It weighted 60,000 pounds, contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,00.S. Army to calculate artillery firing tables. 

     On July 8, 1947, Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release stating that they had recovered what they called a flying disc, but they quickly retracted the statement and said the metallic and rubber debris was from a weather balloon and that was pretty much the end of the story. 

     Then in the late 1970s, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, Jesse Marcel, in an interview with an ufologist said he believed the debris he retrieved at Roswell was extraterrestrial and the Roswell Incident was born. 

     Ufologists began promoting a variety of increasingly elaborate conspiracy theories claiming that one or more alien spacecraft had crash-landed and that the extraterrestrial occupants had been recovered by the military which they then covered up. 

     In 1994, the U.S. Air Force published a report identifying the crashed object as a nuclear test surveillance balloon from Project Mogul. This only fueled the conspiracy theorists’ claims. 

     So, it turned out that the conspiracy theorists were right...the government had lied and there was a cover up! Project Mogul was an Air Force secret project to detect nuclear tests acoustically by using microphones mounted on high altitude balloons. When one of those balloons crashed in Roswell, the government covered it up by saying it was just a weather balloon. 

     Speaking of outer space, the first animals in space were fruit flies that were launched in a V-2 rocket by the United States; they were recovered alive. 

     The following game was played in the Manhattan Chess Club Championship. Arnold Denker claimed it showed the essential difference between a talented younger player and the “old guard.” Carl Pilnick was 24 years old; Denker, the seasoned veteran who represented the old guard, was only 36 himself. 

     Denker claimed the contrast in styles was evident. Pilnick played with no plan and his play lacked flexibility. On the other hand, Denker varied his methods to meet the requirements of the position and so, naturally, he won. However you describe the game, according to Stockfish Denker’s play was nearly flawless! 

[Event "Manhattan CC Champ, New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Arnold Denker"] [Black "Carl Pilnick"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3 {This old move should give black little trouble in equalizing. Denker chose it because of the element of surprise hoping Pilnick would not be familiar with it.} c5 {[%mdl 32]} 5. exd5 exd5 (5... cxd4 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Qxd4 {is equally playable.} Nc6) 6. Nf3 c4 {Well played by Pilnick! It limits white's play.} 7. Be2 Be7 (7... Bb4 {was a more active option.} 8. Bd2 (8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 Bxc3 10. bxc3 h6 {is completely equal. Topi-Hulmi,T (2235)-Berezjuk,S (2371) Krakow 2014}) 8... O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 {equals. Zlatanovic,B (2318)-Gagic,M (2166) Pozarevac SRB 2022}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Nc6 11. Ne5 Qa5 {Denker didn't care for this move which is the one preferred by engines.} 12. Bf3 Be6 13. Re1 {The threat is Ng6, but it should hold no real danger for black.} Rfd8 (13... Rad8 {was somewhat more precise.} 14. Ng6 fxg6 15. Rxe6 g5 {and black is slightly better.}) 14. Ng6 Ba3 {An ingenious reply, but it's not quite sufficient.} (14... fxg6 15. Rxe6 g5 16. Bg3 Bb4 {gives black sufficient play.}) 15. Bxf6 (15. bxa3 {is not quite as good. After} Qxc3 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nf4 Nxd4 {black has enough compensation in the form of active play for his wrecked K-side Ps.}) 15... gxf6 {This is where Pilnick really goes wrong.} (15... Bxb2 {offers a tougher defense.} 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 { Now the best plan for white is continue with} 17. Rxe6 fxe6 18. Ne2 Bxa1 19. Qxa1 Nb4 20. Qe1 (20. h4 Qxa2 21. Qc3 Nxc2 {with complications that should eventually favor white...should.}) 20... Qxa2 21. Ne7+ Kf8 22. Ng6+ {White must take the draw.}) 16. Qd2 {The Q's entry into the attack spells the end.} Kh7 {Of course the b-Pawn is immune.} (16... Bxb2 17. Qxh6 fxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qxf6+ {and black gets mated in 9 moves.} Kg8 20. Qg5+ Kh8 21. Qh6+ Kg8 22. Rxe6 Rd6 23. Rae1 Rxe6 24. Rxe6 Ne5 25. Re7 Nf7 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qxf7 Qxc3 28. Qg7#) 17. bxa3 Kxg6 18. Rab1 Rd7 19. Rb5 Qd8 20. Ne2 {The N gets repositioned to join the attack.} a6 21. Rbb1 Kh7 22. Qf4 f5 23. c3 Qg5 {The Q's coming to the defense of the K is the wrong strategy, but black' sposition is not very stable in any case. His best try was probably 23...Ne7 and 24...Ng6} 24. h4 { The beginning of the last phase of establishing an overwhelming end-game. Black's Ps are all on the same color as his B; his N is purely a defensive piece and his K-side Ps are broken. For these reasons he should have avoided the exchange of Qs at all cost.} Qxf4 {This plays into white's hands. Avoiding the exchange of Qs with 24...Qd4 was his best chance to keeo fighting.} 25. Nxf4 Re7 {There was nothing that was really better.} 26. Nxd5 {Liquidating down to a won ending.} Bxd5 27. Bxd5 Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Kg6 29. Bxc4 Na5 30. Bd3 f6 31. Re7 {White threatens g4 and mate.} Rc8 32. g4 {Black resigned bcause it's mate in 3. Pilnick's play was actually not bad at all, but Denker's was nearly flawless.} (32. g4 Rc5 (32... Nc4 33. Bxf5#) 33. dxc5 h5 34. Bxf5+ Kh6 35. Rh7# ) 1-0