Kenneth Smith’s Incredibly Bad Luck

 

     The 1970 National Open in Sparks, Nevada was exceptionally strong and the outcome was in doubt until the last round was finished. When the dust settled Larry Evans and Arthur Bisguier both had 7-1 scored and shared top homors. 

     Evans played his usual steady, unspectacular chess and going into the last round had won six and drawn one, In the last round his opponent was National Master Bruch Pandolfini. Bisguier was playing National Master Walter Cunningham. Bisguier took a quick draw and after an exciting game, Evans and Pandolfini finally agreed to a draw. 

     Bisguier played his usual exciting and dangerous chess and had some incredible luck in the 7th round when he played Kenneth Smith. At move 13 Bisguier carelessly castled, normally a good thing, but at that moment it gave Smith the opportunity to win a piece for nothing. Even though he lost a piece Bisguier didn’t resign. He fought back, recklessly throwing everything he had at Smith even though it exposed his own King. Just when it looked like Smith had a mate the incredible happened...Smith managed to lose! Take a look...

[Event "National Open, Reno, Nevada"] [Site "?"] [Date "1970.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Kenneth Smith"] [Black "Arthur Bisguier"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1970.??.??"] {Scotch Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 {Smith was true to his convictions that you should play gambits and it took considerable fortitude to play this against Bisguier, himself a fearless attacking player.} dxc3 5. Nxc3 (5. Bc4 {Even though this results in sharp play with equal chances,it's a bit much even for Smith!} cxb2 6. Bxb2 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. O-O d6 9. Nd5 {equals}) 5... d6 6. Bc4 Be6 {A prudent move; it blunts white's B and exchanges lessen white's attacking possibilities.} (6... Nf6 {is the other way.} 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb5 c6 10. f4 cxb5 {with equal chances.}) 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 {This regains the P but puts the Q out of play. Also possible was the more conservative 9.O-O} Rb8 10. Qa6 Be7 11. O-O {White's position is not without promise.} Bf6 {Against e5} 12. Rd1 Nge7 13. Qe2 {White needs to defnd the b-Pawn so he can develop his B on c1.} O-O {This careless move looks logical, but it's not; white has a decisive advantage.} (13... Bxc3 14. bxc3 O-O 15. Ba3 e5 16. Qc4+ Kh8 17. Rab1 Rb6 {is equal. Noetzel,F (2090)-Oberhofer, A (2308) Berlin GER 2011}) (13... Ng6 14. Be3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 O-O {Draw agreed. Papaioannou,I (2470)-Nikolaidis,I (2565) Athens 1997}) 14. e5 {...winning a piece!} Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Qc8 (15... Bxe5 16. Qxe5 {White has won a piece.}) 16. Ng4 Bxc3 17. bxc3 {Kenneth Smith was a strong mater and there is no way he can lose this game even to a GM!} Nd5 18. Rd3 {The R is added to the attack.} h5 { Bisguier was not one to sit idly by and do nothing so he attacks even if it exposes his K.} (18... Ne7 $142 19. c4 e5) 19. Nh6+ {[%mdl 512] Destroying the King's house.} gxh6 (19... Kh8 {is just as bad.} 20. Qxh5 Nf6 21. Qh4) 20. Qxh5 {Threatening mate with Rg3+.} Rf6 21. Rg3+ (21. Bxh6 {packs an even harder punch.} Qe8 22. Rg3+ Kh7 23. Rg7+ Kh8 24. Qg5 {Of course white is winning.}) 21... Kh7 {[%mdl 32]} 22. Bxh6 {[%mdl 512] Threatening mate with Bd2+} Qe8 23. Rg7+ Kh8 24. Qh4 {This si a major slip. White's still better, but the sure win is gone.} (24. Qg5 {This is the winner...the intention is to play Rh7+! and mate with Qg7} Qf8 25. Re1 Ne7 26. Rg8+ {wins outright.}) 24... Rg6 25. Rxg6 Qxg6 {There's no good discovered check, but white is P up so he still has the advantage, but there is still a lot of work to be done.} 26. Re1 Rb1 {Just like that...white has to think about the safety of his own King! Even so he still has what should be a decisive advantage.} 27. Bc1+ Kg7 28. c4 {While not bad, this move leaves white's K compromised. Therefore it would have been prudent to create an escape square with 28.h3} Nf6 29. h3 (29. Qh6+ {might have been worth a try. Black can't trade Qs.} Kf7 (29... Qxh6 30. Bxh6+ Kxh6 31. Rxb1 {White is winning.}) 30. Qxg6+ Kxg6 31. Bd2 Rb2 32. Ba5 Rc2 33. Bxc7 d5 34. Bf4 Rxc4 {White still has his work cut out for him in order to score the point.}) 29... Kf7 30. Qf4 {At this point it's a whole new game because black has equalized and now it's a strong Master against a GM...the odds favor the GM!} (30. g4 {This would have kept his hopes alive.} e5 31. Kg2 Ra1 32. Qg3 Rxa2 33. Qb3 Qc2 34. Qf3 {with the slightly better prospects.}) 30... Qc2 31. g4 {[%mdl 32] And now g5 would win.} e5 32. Qe3 Qxc4 $11 33. g5 Ng8 34. f4 exf4 (34... Qxf4 35. Rf1) 35. Rf1 {[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder that loses immediately..} (35. Qe8+ {would draw.} Kg7 36. Qd7+ Kh8 37. g6 Qc5+ 38. Kh1 Qh5 39. Rg1 Rxc1 40. Rxc1 Qf3+ {and black should take the draw.}) 35... Qxf1+ { [%mdl 512] White resigned. Stockfish informs that there is a mate in 21!} ( 35... Qxf1+ 36. Kxf1 fxe3 37. Ke2 Rxc1 38. Kxe3 Rc3+ 39. Kd2 Ra3 40. Kc2 Rxa2+ 41. Kb3 Rh2 42. Kc4 Ne7 43. Kb3 Rxh3+ 44. Kb4 Kg6 45. Kc4 Kxg5 46. Kb4 Rh4+ 47. Kc3 c5 48. Kd3 a5 49. Ke2 a4 50. Kd2 Rb4 51. Ke2 a3 52. Kf3 a2 53. Ke2 a1=Q 54. Kf3 Rb3+ 55. Kg2 Qa2+ 56. Kh1 Rb1#) 0-1

Reshevsky Nips Seidman

     With the exception of Bobby Fischer, the 1968 U.S. Championship was composed of the twelve highest rated players in this country. 

     In such a short tournament a loss must certainly be avoided and wins against the players at the bottom are a must if one is to succeed in winning the tournament. Larry Evans and Robert Byrne pulled it off, Reshevsjy didn’t. 

     The crucial game for both Evans and Byrne was their game against William Lombardy; Evans won, Byrne drew. 

     Reshevsky fell short in two games that were crucial: he drew with his old rival from 1941 when they played a match for the US Championship, Al Horowitz. Both Evans and Byrne beat Horowitz. Reshevsy’s cause suffered a serious blow when he lost to Pal Benko while both of his rivals drew with Benko.

 

     As for Reshevsky;s opponent in the following game, Herbert Seidman, a veteran of many events, he hadn’t been playing a lot of chess since the 1962 US Championship (also won by Evans) where he finished tied for places 3-6 (out of 12) with a +5 -3 -3 score. As a result he was out of form due to lack of practice. 

     Even so, he scored an impressive victory against William Lombardy. When Reshevsky faced Seidman in the 8th round he was conscious of the fact that it was a must win game. At the same time he was fully aware that Seidman was a dangerous opponent especially if he got the kind of position he liked...sharp tactical ones! 

     Seidman was well prepared in the opening, rapidly playing his first 13 moves. An optimistic Reshevsky believed it was he who had a slight advantage in the middlegame, but in reality the position was equal. 

     Seidman defended stubbornly and was holding his own. Just when it looked like Reshevsky wasn’t making any real progress he was suddenly struck by an idea in the ending...he sacrificed a piece for a gob of passed Ps. Stopping them was theoretically possible, but in practical play the task proved too difficult and Seidman got nipped.

[Event "US Championship, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1968.07.25"] [Round "8"] [White "Samuel Reshevsky"] [Black "Herbert Seidman"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D92"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "1968.??.??"] {D92: Gruenfeld Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 {This somewhat unusual move was a favorite of Reshevsky. More often seen are 6.Qb3 and, less often, 6.cxd5 and 6.e3} 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 {The generally held belief that Reshevsky never studied openings is a myth. He did. Pal Benko was once hired by Reshevsly as a second and one of the things they worked on was openings. Benko explained his exasperation when they studied opening in the morning and after a break for lunch Reshevsky had forgotten everything!. At least in this game Reshevsky was aware that this setup was popularized by the gifted Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch, who had scored numerous victories with it. At best, however, white has no more than his usual opening edge.} c5 7. dxc5 Be6 8. e3 Qa5 9. Nd4 Nc6 10. Nxe6 {Reshevsky felt (probably correctly) that this was the only way to procure a semblance of an opening advantage. However, as will be seen, the doubling of blacl's Ps does not yield any particular advantage.} (10. Qb3 {was an interesting alternative.} Qxc5 11. Nxe6 {It turns out that wgite has to play this move anyway.} (11. Qxb7 {is a mistake because after} Nxd4 12. exd4 Qxd4 13. Bg3 Ne4 {black has a clear advantage.}) 11... fxe6 12. Qxb7 {This is white's best move, but it will require precise play to keep the position equal.} a6 {Safest, but it's probably not the move Seidman would have played.} (12... Ne4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qb5 {An unusual position in that blacks' tripled Ps perform an important function in that they control the center squares and as a result, the position is about equal.}) 13. Na4 Qa5+ 14. Nc3 Rfc8 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Bc4 {Black is slightly better.}) 10... fxe6 11. Qa4 {According to Reshevsky other moves were inadequate. gain, he was probably correct because 11.Qb3 leads to complications that offer black good prospects.} Qxc5 12. Qb5 Qxb5 $11 13. cxb5 Nb8 {Uo to here Seidman had been playing his mvoes quckly. Here he wants to reposition his N to b6 via d7. Another equally acceptable move was 13...Na5} (13... Na5 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O Nc4 16. Na4 Nd7 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. Rxc4 dxc4 19. Rc1 {and the game Roiz,M (2595)-Zakhartsov,V (2453) Dresden 2015 lead to a draw,}) 14. Bd3 {Reshevsky thought this was superior to 14.Be2, but there doesn't seem to be much difference.} (14. Be2 Nbd7 15. O-O Rac8 16. Rfd1 e5 17. Bg5 e6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Na4 {Theoretically the position ids equal, but in Miralles,G (2445)-Kouatly,B (2485) Montpellier 1991 black managed to squeeze out a win, so perhaps Reshevsky's assessment was correct after all.}) 14... Nbd7 15. Ke2 {AN instructive move. In view of the ensuing endgame Reshevsky keeps his K in the center.} e5 {A well played advance. Seidman prefers to take aggressive action rather than to play defensively and make a waiting mov. Also, the move crosses Reshevsky's intended plan of playing 16.Bb1 followed by Rc2 and doubling Rs on the c-file.} 16. Bg3 e4 17. Bb1 {Not 17.Bc2 blocking the R.} Rac8 18. Na4 (18. a4 {was discarded by Reshevsky because black could easily defend the d-Pawn by ...e6 and then try to occupy the strategic square d3. This seems a rather an abstract concept, but it's an interesting insight into Reshevsky's thinking.} e6 19. Bd6 Rfe8 20. f3 {and there is no way for black to occupy d3 and the chances are equal.}) 18... Ng4 19. Rhd1 e6 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. f3 (21. Bxe4 { was not to Reshevsky's liking.} Rc4 (21... dxe4 22. Rxd7 {highly favors white.} ) 22. Nc3 Rb4 23. Nxd5 Rxb2+ 24. Rd2 Rxd2+ 25. Kxd2 exd5 26. Bxd5+ Kf8 27. Bxb7 {with an unclear position. Five Shootouts from this position were drawn, but playing the enbding OTB would be just too difficult.}) 21... exf3+ 22. gxf3 { Now retreating the N to f6 hindering white's next move would have been the safest course.} Nge5 23. e4 {Now the purpose of white's 20th move becomes apparent. By forcing the following exchange of Ps white is able to activate his R and the B on g3. Black is not at any disadvantage here, but white has the initiative and so black's defense must be precise.} dxe4 24. Bxe4 b6 25. Rd6 {The R is activated and the B's diagonal has been opened.} (25. f4 { It was annoying to Reshevsky that this move was insufficient to gain any advantage.} Nf6 26. Bh1 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Rxd2+ 28. Kxd2 Ned7 {with equal chances.}) 25... Nf8 {Reshevsky was totally mistaken when he called this move the best; he was hoping for the natural 25...Kf7 because he though he would hve gotten slightly the better of it. The text move is not the best, in fact, it's a mistake that allows white to get an active position.} (25... Kf7 {This keeps the position equal.} 26. f4 {This is the correct move, but it does not, as Reshevsky thought, confer any special advantage on white.} Rc4 27. Nc3 Nc5 28. fxe5 Nxe4 29. Rd7+ Kf8 30. Rxa7 Nxg3+ 31. hxg3 Rb4 {and the position is comletely equal.}) 26. b3 g5 {Suddenly black's position has become critical, but it is far from obvious. A casual glnce would suggest that he has nothing to worry about. That said, Seidman's aggressive defense is his best course of action.} 27. Nxb6 {A bolt from the blue! After this (sound) sacrifice, black's game is, for all practical purposes, untenable. White has only procured two P for the piece, but the passed Ps along with the help of the Rs and two Bs are mot likely to be stopped.} axb6 28. Rxb6 h5 {[%mdl 32]} 29. Ra6 {More precise was 29.Rb7 threatening Rxg7+ and Bxe5+} h4 $11 30. Bf2 Neg6 {After Reshevsky's small slip on move 29 Seidman conducts a manly defense.} 31. Ra8 (31. Rc6 { Reshevsky thought this was much stronger, but it's not because black has good defensive possibilities after, for example...} Rd8 32. b6 Be5 33. b7 Nf4+ { An amazing position. White has only one move that does not lose.} 34. Ke1 (34. Kf1 Rd1+ 35. Be1 Nd7 {White's pinned B will cost him te game.} 36. Rc8+ Kf7 37. Kf2 Bb8 38. a4 h3 39. a5 Ba7+ 40. Kf1 Ng2 41. Ke2 Rxe1+ 42. Kd3 g4 43. Kd2 (43. fxg4 Nf4+ 44. Kd2 Rxe4) 43... g3 44. hxg3 h2 45. Rh8 h1=Q 46. Rxh1 Rxh1) 34... Ng2+ {and black draws.}) 31... Rxa8 {Technically this is OK, but practically 31. ..Nf4 would have made it more difficult for white to win.} (31... Nf4+ 32. Kd2 Bc3+ 33. Kc2 Rxa8 34. Bxa8 Ba5 {and with correct play black should be able to stop the Ps.}) 32. Bxa8 Be5 33. Bg1 Nf4+ 34. Kf1 {A very fine move! In the auto-annotation Stocfish attached a ! to this move. The reason is that white needs to keep his K near the K-side and not go wandering off the the Q-side to try and support the Ps.} (34. Ke3 Nh3 35. Ke4 Nd7 36. Bc6 Nxg1 37. Bxd7 Bxh2 38. Bxe6+ {I spent a consideable amount of time trying to win this position for white, but it can't be done! In fact,in Shootouts white scored +0 -3 =2, so had white not played 34.Kf1 ge likely would have lost. I suspect $eshevsky instinctively knew this!}) 34... Nd7 35. a4 {[%mdl 32]} Bc7 {Obviously played in order to stop the advance of the Ps, but this turns out to be a serious mistake after which saving the game will prove nearly impossible.} (35... Bc3 36. Bc6 Ne5 37. Be4 Kf7 38. b6 Nd5 39. Bxd5 exd5 40. b7 Nc6 {The Ps are stymied and bringing up the K doesn't help.} 41. Ke2 h3 {The K can go no further.} 42. Be3 (42. Kd3 Be5 {wins}) 42... Kf6 43. f4 g4 44. Bb6 Kf5 45. Kd3 Bb4 46. Bc7 g3 {and wins}) 36. Bc6 Nb8 37. Be4 {A very fine move because now white is ready to advance his Ps and black is compelled to parry this threat.} Nd5 {Black seems to have solved the problem of stopping the onrushing Ps. This might have been true had his B been behind the Ps (35...Bc3) and not in front of them (35...Bc7).} (37... Ba5 {is the only move that gives him a fighting chance.} 38. Bc5 Nd7 39. Be7 Nd5 40. Bxd5 {This is the correct move.} (40. Bxg5 h3 {is unclear and a very difficult position to play.}) 40... exd5 41. b4 Bc7 42. h3 Kf7 43. Bxg5 {Five Shootouts from this position all ended in white wins. }) 38. Bxd5 exd5 39. b4 {[%mdl 32] The winning move. Give it two exclamation marks!} (39. b6 {Looks good, but it;s a loser...or rather a drawer!} Bd6 40. h3 Kf7 41. Be3 Kf6 42. a5 Bb4 {The Ps are stopped and black draws.} 43. f4 (43. Ke2 {White cannot bring up the K.} Bxa5 44. Kd3 Nc6 45. Bc5 Bb4 46. Bxb4 Nxb4+ 47. Kd4 Ke6 48. Kc5 Nd3+ 49. Kc6 Ne5+ 50. Kc7 Nd7 51. b4 d4 {wins}) 43... Bxa5 44. fxg5+ Kf5 {There is no chance of white winning.}) 39... Kf7 $2 {Black's K is just a bit too far from the Q-side to be of any help.} 40. a5 Nd7 41. b6 Bd8 (41... Nxb6 {fails.} 42. Bxb6 Bxh2 43. a6 Bb8 44. Bc7 Bxc7 45. a7 h3 46. a8=Q) 42. b7 Nb8 43. Ba7 Bc7 44. b5 Nd7 45. a6 Bxh2 46. b8=Q {Black resigned. An extremely well played game by Reshevsky especially given that Seidman's play, with the exception of his slip at move 37, was also quite precise..} (46. b8=Q Nxb8 47. Bxb8 Bxb8 48. b6 {wraps it up.}) 1-0

Lady Brutally Beaten By Reuben Fine

     In 1941 the war was raging in Europe and later in the year, on December 7th, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. 

     A lot of players were lost that year: Polish maters, Isaak Appel, Jakub Kolski, Leo Kremer, Ignatz von Popiel and Izaak Towbin died. Polish/French master Joseph Cukierman committed suicide. Latvian master Fricis Apsenieks died of tuberculosis in Riga. Charles Jaffe died in New York. Former Estonian Champion Ilmar Raud died in Buenos. 

     Alexander Ilyin-Genevsky died during the siege of Leningrad by the Germans. Former Cuban Champion Juan Corzo y Principe died in Havana. Czech master Karel Treybal was executed in Prague when he was charged with illegal possession of a firearm. British chess functionary Frederick Hamilton-Russell died in England.

     Viktor Korchnoi's father was killed in battle east of Leningrad. The strong mster Vsevolod Rauzer also died in Leningrad as did mathematician and master Boris Koyalovich. 

     Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) died of a kidney uremic poisoning. Uremia is a buildup of toxins in the blood that occurs when the kidneys stop filtering toxins out through the urine. Uremia is often a sign of end-stage kidney disease. Treatments today include medication, dialysis and kidney transplants. 

     It was during March of 1941, that six anti-Semitic articles written by Alekhine were published in which he claimed that Jews played cowardly and for money whereas Aryans played aggressively and bravely. 

     In US chess news, in 1941, Louis Persinger (1887-1966), a pianist, professor of violin and strong amateur player won the first USCF Open postal championship. Mona Karff defeated Adele Rivero to win the US Women's Championship. Samuel Reshevsky defeated I.A. Horowitz to retain his US Championship. 

     In July, 1941, Reuben Fine successfully defended his championship title in the Annual Open Tournament of the United States Chess Federation, held St. Louis, Missouri.

     The tournament was again a one man show as Fine stood head and shoulders above the competitors as he barely exerted himself as hr costed to first. In the finals Fine quickly dispatched Adams and Steiner, his main rivals, then coasted home while yielding two draws, but they had effect on the final outcome. 

     The runner up, Herman Steiner, did well. He played his usual tricky, trappy chess and took some unnecessary chances against weaker opponents. 

     Weaver Adams, at the time advocating the Bishop’s Opening as the way to play and win, did better than might have been expected based one his recent performances. Adams played three games with the Bishop’s Opening and won all three! As black, he used his favorite Albin Counter Gambit with success against Marchand. 

     In the following game from the preliminaries, Fine administers a brutal defeat to the unknown lady player Dorothy Williams. The only information on her that I could locate was that she played in the 1960 US Open which was also held in St. Louis. There she scored 4-8 and tied for places 152-159 out of 176 players. Her USCF rating was 1800 (Class A). She was listed as being from Webster Groves, Missouri which is a suburb of St. Louis. 

 

[Event "US Open (Prelim) St. Louis"] [Site "St. Louis, MO USA"] [Date "1941.07.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Dorothy Williams"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D50"] [Annotator "Massie,Jasmes"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1941.??.??"] {D07: Queen's Gambit: Chigorin Defense} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nc6 {Normally one expects to see 4...Ne7 or 4...Nbd7 here. Instead, black transposes into an old favorite of mine, the chancy, unorthodox Chigorinf Defense which is better than it reputation.} 5. Nf3 h5 {Clearly this is pointless. Back has tried 5...h6 and 5...Be7 here, but the thematic move is 5.. .dxc4} (5... dxc4 6. e4 {Or the equally good 6.e3} Bb4 7. Bxc4 {White is slightly better.}) 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 Bd7 {Black has developed her pieces solidly, but they have no scope and her K-side has been weakened by ...h5, none of which bi=odes well, especially against one of the world's best players! } (7... Nb4 $16 {is the best move available. Then after...} 8. Be2 c5 {black at least has some play, but that P on h5 and the weakened K-side are a concern. }) 8. Bxf6 {White is clearly better.} Bxf6 9. cxd5 Nb4 10. dxe6 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 Bxe6 12. O-O {To the eye of an amateur it looks like Fine's exchanges have left black with two Bs vs. two Ns and a halfway decent position because it looks like white has no way of whipping up a serious attack. However, that's wrong! Black's K-side is seriously weakened and white's P-center will soon mobilize with devastating consequences. Stockfish 16 thinks white is better by 1.5 Ps. Komodo is a bit more conservative putting white's advantage at just over a P. In either case, it's more than enough for Fine (or any GM, for that matter) to beat an amateur. Also, we can expect black (or any amateur, for that matter) to make tactical mistakes.} c6 {This guards against Qb5} (12... O-O 13. e4 g6 14. e5 Bg7 15. Qe3 Qe7 16. Ng5 Bc4 17. Rfe1 {Danger is looming on the horizon for black owing to the weakened K-side.}) 13. e4 {[%mdl 32] The expansion begins.} h4 {Kudos to black for trying to attack! Unfortunately, there just isn't anything there owing to white's mobile P-center.} 14. d5 { The slaughter begins.} Bxc3 (14... cxd5 15. exd5 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxd5 17. Rfd1 Qh5 18. Qxg7 {with a clear advantage.}) 15. Qxc3 cxd5 16. Qxg7 Rf8 17. Rad1 h3 {As good as anything.} 18. exd5 {Black's K is in a hopeless situation.} hxg2 { There was nothing better. There's a mate in 19!} 19. Rfe1 Qe7 20. dxe6 f6 ( 20... fxe6 {Holds out for a while.} 21. Qg6+ Rf7 22. Rxe6 Kf8 23. Ne5 Qxe6 24. Qxe6 Re7 25. Ng6+ {mates in 4} Kg7 26. Nxe7 Kf8 27. Rd7 Kg7 28. Qg6+ Kh8 29. Qh6#) 21. Qg6+ {Black resigned. She never had a chances against Fine's precise play.} 1-0

Pierce Gambit Fails, f-Pawn Delivers Mate

     Englishman William T. Pierce (March 30, 1839 – May, 1922, 83 years old) was the younger brother of James Pierce, the weekly chess column editor of the Brighton Guardian and English Mechanic. The Pierce Gambit in the Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4) is named for him. 

     The following game was played at the Manhattan Chess Club way back in 1897 between Louis Schmidt and E.A. Orchard and it features a failed Pierce Gambit and a masterful attack by black that ends with an unusual mate delivered by his f-Pawn.

     When I first played through it, things looked pretty straightforward. White played the discredited Pierce Gambit, got nothing for it and black annihilated him. As ypou will see, things weren’t quite so simple. 

[Event "Manhattan Chess Club"] [Site "?"] [Date "1897.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Louis Schmidt"] [Black "E.A. Orchard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C25"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "1897.??.??"] {Vienna Game: Pierce Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 {The original idea was to play a delayed King's Gambit, but in modern play white often plays more quietly. At on time Weaver W. Adams claimed that the Vienna led to a forced win, but it actually leads to no more than equality.} Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. Nf3 {Steinitz once declared that in all gambits (with the exception of his own, i.e. 4.d4) that 4. Nc3 is decidedly in favor of black.} (4. d4 {The Steinitz Gambit was a favorite of Wilhelm Steinitz. Black is allowed to misplace white's K with 4... Qh4+ 5.Ke2 with the hope of proving that white's P-center and the exposed position of black's Q are more significant factors. Unlike Steinitz, few modern players are willing to expose their K in this fashion.} Qh4+ 5. Ke2 b6 6. Nb5 {with an interesting position where black can try a number of moves, but 6. ..Ba6 or even 6...Kd8 are the most promising.}) 4... g5 {[%mdl 32]} 5. d4 {At the time this game was played the English player William Pierce had published analysis on this move demonstrating that white has good attacking chances and so it came to be known as the Pierce Gambit. While practically speaking that may be the case, engine chalk it up as just losing a P.} g4 { The unambitious 5...d6 only results in equality and so justifies white's play.} 6. Bc4 {The logical followup.} (6. Ne5 {is not quite as good because after} Qh4+ 7. Ke2 d6 8. Nxc6 g3 {black has a strong attack. White is forced to move his K again to avoid ...Bg5+ and so blocks his other B.} 9. Kd2 bxc6 {White's prospects are looking quite grim.}) 6... gxf3 7. O-O {After this white is practically lost.7.Qxf3 was a little better.} (7. Qxf3 Qh4+ 8. g3 Nxd4 9. Qf2 Qf6 10. Bxf4 {White's position has little promise.} Bb4) 7... d5 {At the time this is considered black's best move, but is actually allows white to equalize. } (7... Bg7 {This leaves white virtually helpless.} 8. Qxf3 Bxd4+ 9. Kh1 Ne5 10. Qxf4 Qf6 11. Nd5 Qxf4 12. Bxf4 Nxc4 13. Nxc7+ Kd8 14. Nxa8 Be5 {Black has a decisive advantage and in Tomazini,Z (2038)-Crepan,M (2317) Porec 2008 he went on to win.}) (7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 {A blunder that loses immediately. Best was 8.Bxf4, but black would still be better.} Qg5 {The threats are ...Qxg2# and ...Bc5 so in the game H.G. Voigt-Charles Devide, Philadelphia, 1897 white resigned. His best line would have been} 9. Rf2 Bc5 10. Bxf4 Qxg2+ 11. Rxg2 Bxd4+ 12. Rf2 {but it's quite hopeless.}) 8. exd5 {Thanks to black's slip white has now equalized.} Bg4 9. Re1+ (9. Qd2 {is only equal, but it worked out well for white in this game...} Na5 10. Bb5+ c6 11. Qxf4 Qd7 {Correct was 11...cxb5 with equal chances.} 12. Qe5+ Ne7 {A huge mistake! 12...Be7 would have at least kept him in the game.} 13. Ne4 {After this there is no way for black to sacve the game.} O-O-O 14. Bf4 {Black resigned. David,A (2380)-Pinter, J (2580) France 1993}) 9... Nce7 10. gxf3 {This lets his opponent regain the advantage.} (10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qxf3 Bxb5 12. Nxb5 a6 13. Nxc7+ Qxc7 14. Bxf4 { AT this point black's advantage is minimal.}) 10... Bd7 (10... Bh3 {is a bit more precise.} 11. Bxf4 Nf6 12. Bb5+ Bd7) 11. Bxf4 Bh6 {The position noiw enters a phase of huge complications!} 12. Bg3 {More precise would have been 12.Be5 first because it would have forced black to play 12...f6 depriving his pieces of f6.} Nf6 {Also good would have been 12...Kf8 so as to play ...Nf5} 13. d6 {Aggressive play, but countering with 13.Qe2 would have been more efficient.} (13. Qe2 Rg8 14. Qe5 Rg6 15. Bd3 Kf8 16. Bxg6 Nxg6 17. Qxc7 Qxc7 18. Bxc7 {In this unbalanced materiual situation (R+3Ps vs B+N) theoretically black is better, but practical play is a different matter.}) 13... cxd6 14. Bxd6 Rg8+ {It's difficult to pass up this juicy check,m but it does no more than equalize!} (14... Be6 {This wimpy looking retreat maintains a clear advantage because it leaves white with no followup.} 15. Bc5 {Best.} O-O (15... Bxc4 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 {A sad necessity!} (16... Qd7 17. Bxf6+ Kf8 18. Bxh8 { and white wins.}) 17. Rxe7+ Kxe7 {Theoretically this position favors white, but practically it's unclear.})) 15. Kf2 {[%mdl 8192] Of course white does not to place his K in the corner on h1, but that is precisely where it belongs in order to be safe!} (15. Kh1 {and White stays safe.} Bh3 16. Bxe7 (16. Rxe7+ Qxe7 17. Bb5+ Nd7 {There is a cunning trap here!} 18. Bg3 (18. Bxe7 Bg2+ 19. Kg1 Be3#) 18... Kf8 {Black has a decisive advantage...he's a R up.}) 16... Bg2+ 17. Kg1 Bh3+ 18. Kh1 Bg2+ 19. Kg1 Bh3+ 20. Kh1 Bg2+ {Draw by 3–fold repetition.}) 15... Bh3 {There are complications galore!} 16. Bg3 (16. Rxe7+ Qxe7 17. Bb5+ (17. Bxe7 Rg2+ 18. Ke1 Rg1+ 19. Kf2 Rg2+ 20. Ke1 Rg1+ 21. Kf2 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Kxe7 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 17... Nd7 18. Bxe7 Rg2+ 19. Ke1 Rg1+ 20. Kf2 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Kxe7 22. Re1+ Kd6 23. Ne4+ Kc7) (16. Bxe7 { leads to mate.} Rg2+ 17. Kf1 Rd2+ 18. Kg1 Qxd4+ 19. Re3 Qxe3+ 20. Kh1 Bg2#) ( 16. Bb5+ {This is his best practical chance.} Kf8 17. Bxe7+ Qxe7 18. Rxe7 Rg2+ 19. Ke1 Rg1+ 20. Kf2 Rxd1 21. Rxf7+ Kxf7 22. Bc4+ Kf8 23. Rxd1 {Black is better, but the game is far from over.}) 16... Rc8 17. Qd3 a6 {This prevents Nb5, but it's an unnecessary precaution that does no harm to black's position.} 18. Rad1 Kf8 19. Bb3 Bf4 {[%mdl 512] A master stroke as will be seen.} 20. Bxf4 {Very risky, but black already has gained a winning position.} (20. Rg1 { turns out to be equally hopeless.} Bf5 21. Qe2 Nfd5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Nxd5 Bxg3+ 24. hxg3 Rxc2 25. Rd2 Rxd2 26. Qxd2 Qxd5) 20... Rg2+ {The K has nowhere to hide.} 21. Ke3 (21. Kf1 Rg4+ 22. Ke2 Rxf4) 21... Rxc3 {[%mdl 512] Black wants d4 for his N.} 22. bxc3 {This allowd a forced mate, but taking with the Q would only delay the end.} (22. Qxc3 Nfd5+ 23. Bxd5 Nxd5+) 22... Nfd5+ { [%emt 0:00:04] Black mates in} 23. Bxd5 Nxd5+ 24. Ke4 Bf5+ {[%mdl 512]} (24... Qe8+ {is a move quicker.} 25. Be5 f5+ 26. Kxd5 Qc6#) 25. Kxf5 Qf6+ 26. Ke4 Qe6+ 27. Be5 f5# {n amazing game.} 0-1

Fischer Mops Up at the 1963 Western Open

     The 1963 Western Open Championship held in Bay City, Michigan was US Champion Bobby Fischer’s first weekend Swiss since 1957. It was no surprise when he scored 7.5-0.5 in the two rounds per day event. 

     Robert Byrne of Indianapolis, Indiana (then an IM). the winner of previous year's event. and Dr. Stephen Popel of Fargo, North Dakota, shared second and third with scores of 7.0-1.0. 

     Playing with great speed, Fischer had no trouble and some of his games were finished while those of the lesser lights were still in the opening. 

     Fischer yielded a draw to USCF Master Dr. Paul Poschel of Ann Arbor, Michigan in the fourth round and defeated James Fuller, Allen Reinhard, Norbert Leopoldi, Ronald Finegold, Donald Byrne and Arthur Bisguier. Going into the last round Fischer and Hans Berliner were tied for first and Fischer also defeated Berliner. 

     During the entire event Fischer was in a gregarious mood and signed autographs, played five-minute games and offered advice to players conducting post-mortems. At the awards banquet he even expressed approval of the playing conditions. 

     The top women’s prize went to Adele Goddard. Top Junior was won by Thomas Alice. 

     Fischer wrote that he had some second thoughts about the two rounds per day schedule, but knew he wouldn't mind it because, “A tournament is not a test of strength, only a match demonstrates this, but its more like a horse race where the order of finish is not always according to form.” 

     He also admitted that he was expecting to crush his opponents in twenty moveers, but it didn't happen. His opponents were strong enough that he considered 5 or 6 of his games to be superior to any of the games that were played in recently completed super-GM Piatigorsky Cup in Los Angeles (Keres, Petrosian, Najdorf, Olafsson, Reshevsky, Gligoric, Benko and Panno)!! 

 

     In the following game, Fischer defeats Chicago Expert Allen Reinhard in a game in which Fischer’s better theoretical opening knowledge determined the outcome. Reinhard finished in 58th place with +4 -3 =1. I remember meeting Reinhard once in the late 1960s. I had lost a game to a well-known Expert and was sitting at the table playing through it when Reinhart, who I noticed had been watching the game, came over and very graciously point out where I had blown a promising position! 

[Event "Western Open, Bay City, MI"] [Site "Bay City, MI USA"] [Date "1963.07.04"] [Round "2"] [White "Allen Reinhard"] [Black "Robert Fischer"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A07"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "1963.??.??"] {King's Indian Attack} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d6 { Here Fischer made the outlandish claim that black is better. His reasoning was that whatever white does, black will vary and get an asymmetrical position. This will result in black having the superior position due to his better P-structure. To prove his point he quoted a similar game he had played against Filip the previous year, but I suspect Fischer got the better position more because he was by far the stronger player rather than owing to any theoretical superiority.} 6. e4 c5 7. Nc3 {Highly unusual, but by no means bad. 7.Nbd2 is more usual.} Nc6 8. h3 Rb8 9. Be3 (9. d4 {Fischer pointed out that playing this with the idea of gaining a tempo by attacking black's a-Pawn is unsatisfactory because after} cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxe4 (10... Nxd4 {Not this expected move which resukts in equality after} 11. Qxd4 b6 12. a4) 11. Nxc6 Nxc3 12. Nxd8 Nxd1 13. Nxf7 Bxb2 14. Bxb2 Nxb2 15. Ng5 {Black is better.}) 9... b5 {[%mdl 32]} 10. e5 {Fischer wrote that 9 out of 10 GMs (including such luminaries as Petrosian, Botvinnik, but it loses by force. He was apparently making a dig at the Russians and his claim that the move loses by force seems a bit over the top. It is. however, not the best move, but black can claim to be only slightly better. Curiously, he did not suggest a better move.} (10. a3 {leads to a very slight advantage for black according to Stockfish and Komodo} a5 11. Qd2 e5 12. a4 b4 13. Nb5 Ne8 14. c3 Nc7 15. Nxc7 Qxc7 16. Rac1) 10... dxe5 {With a weak and doubled e-Panes and a weakened Q-side, it may appear that the position favors white, but black is actually slightly better, not winning as Fischer claimed. The position is very similar to the Mednis-Fischer game in the 1958-59 U.S. Championship. Fischer won that game, foo, but, again, it probably had more to do with the strength of the players than the positiom.} 11. Bxc5 b4 {In a very insightful comment Fischer explained his plan: force white's N off of c3 thereby allowing himself to gain control control of d5 for his own N after which white's B on c5 will be left stranded.} 12. Ne4 {Less effective is 12.Na4 as played in the Mednis game.} Nxe4 13. dxe4 Qa5 14. Be3 ( 14. Qd5 {loses outright...} Rb5 15. Bxb4 (15. Qxc6 Rxc5 16. Qa8 Be6 17. Qb7 Rc7 {and the Q is trapped.}) 15... Qb6 16. Qd2 Rxb4 {Black is winning.}) 14... Ba6 15. Re1 Rfd8 {[%mdl 2048]} 16. Qc1 {It's natural to move the Q away from the R, but after this black's is ti\otally in charge.} (16. Nd2 {It's unnatural to walk into a pin, but this move, not mentioned by Fischer, keeps the chances equal. It's not surprising that this move went unnoticed because the complications are enormous!} Qc7 17. a3 Rd6 18. axb4 Nxb4 19. c4 Bxc4 {Black is forced to relese the pin and play...} 20. Rc1 Rc6 21. Rxc4 Rxc4 22. Nxc4 Qxc4 23. Qa4 {with full equality.}) 16... Nd4 17. Kh2 {Here was white's last chance to stay in the game. After this the game is over.} (17. Nxd4 {Fischer's suggestion, but is is less good than Stockfish's.} exd4 18. Bd2 {With the intention of playing 19.a3. Fischer's suggested 18...Qb6 would win, but 18... d3 is even stronger.} Qb6 (18... d3 19. a3 dxc2 20. e5 Qa4 21. axb4 Qxa1 22. Qxa1 Rxd2 {is winning for black, but this line is more complicated, so Fischer's 18...Qb6 is a much more practical solution.}) 19. e5 (19. a3 b3 { Black has a decisive advantage.}) 19... Rbc8 20. Qd1 d3 21. c3 bxc3 22. bxc3 Qc5 {Black is better.}) 17... Rdc8 {Some databases have black playing 17... Rbc8, but that is incorrect. Fischer actually played 17...Rdc8. In any case, there is no way white can defend his c-Pawn he has to eliminate the N which not only undoubles black's e-Pawns.} 18. Nxd4 {After this black unleashes a ferocious attack.} (18. Bxd4 {While insufficient, this was considerably better. } exd4 19. Qd2 Qc5 20. e5 Bb7 21. Qe2 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 e6 23. Rac1 Rb5 {The e-Pawn is doomed and black is clearly better.}) 18... exd4 19. Bg5 d3 20. a3 Rxc2 21. axb4 {Black has a number of ways to win.} Qb6 (21... Rxc1 {would also win.} 22. bxa5 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Rxb2) (21... Qxb4 22. Qf4 h6 23. Bxe7 Qxb2 24. Ba3 Qe5 25. Bd6 Qxf4 26. gxf4 Bxa1) 22. Qe3 Bd4 23. Qf3 Rxf2 24. Qg4 d2 {White resigned} (24... d2 25. Red1 Be2 26. Qd7 Be3 27. Bxe3 Qxe3 {is hopeless for white.} 28. Rxd2 Rxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qf3+ 30. Kg1 Qxg3+ 31. Kh1 Bf3+ 32. Rg2 Qxg2#) 0-1

Laszlo Szabo, a Dedicated Communist

  

     Laszlo Szabo (March 19, 1917 – August 8, 1998) was a Hungarian Grandmaster who is not well known by players of today, but he was one of Hungary’s top players and in the post-WW2 era he was also one of the best players in the world. The Chess metrics site estimates his highest rating to have been 2726 in 1946 and in 1946 and 1947 he was ranked #6 in the world. 

     Szabo was primarily noted for his aggressive style of and startled everyone when he won the 1935 Hungarian Championship at the age of 18, which at that time was considered a remarkable feat; he would go one to win it a total of 9 times. Szabo also finished first at the 1938/39 Hastings tournament. 

     In his non-chess life he was a banker and during World War II at the outbreak of war captured by Russian troops who held him as a Prisoner of War. 

     After the war, he returned to chess and played in many major international events. In 1948 at the Saltsjobaden Interzonal he finished 2nd behind Bronstein and after scoring strong finishes in several major tournaments he was awarded a place in the Amsterdam Candidates tournament in 1956. His finish there was a tie for third with Bronstein, Geller, Petrosian and Spassky behind Smyslov and Keres. Pretty good company! 

     In the 1960s and 1970s, he continued to excel in international competition, scoring a number of firsts. In the early to mid-1960’s he was finally overtaken by Lajos Portisch as Hungary’s best player and it’s a pity his games are not better known. 

     Pal Benko, in his autobiography, makes mention of Szabo in an unflattering manner. He wrote, “Though Laszlo was good player, not many people liked him. He was a tough communist at that time, a real party guy, and he took full advantage of it. He once told me (when I was 24 years old) that if I didn't behave and do what he told me to do, he would make sure I was drafted into the army a second time! Can you belive that guy? I had already done my army nightmare stint when I was sixteen, so I certainly had no desire to be introduced to that kind of thing again!” 

     In 1952, Benko attempt to defect from Hungary resulted in him getting arrested. He explained... “Back in Hungary, I was accused of being an American spy. An almost non-stop, three-week interrogation began that was designed to break me down mentally... I was dragged out of my cell and taken to a concentration camp — once they got the information they wanted (which in my case was nothing), they would just lock you up and forget about you completely...

     Benko continued, "The one person who did know that I was locked away was Grandmaster Szabo. He was the political editor of the top Hungarian chess magazine. The first page had nothing about chess on it at all, just political ravings about the wonders of communism. This mean-spirited person had no interest in helping me out; in fact, he was happy about my being arrested! ...one moment a national chess hero, the next a broken creature relegated to an existence of perpetual night ... I had been living like a diseased troll for a year and a half when a miracle occurred: Stalin died.”

 

     Enjoy the following game from the 1950 Hungarian Championship. Szabo scored +12 -1 =6 to take first a point and a half ahead of Gideon Barcza. Pal Benko finished 3rd. Szabo’s opponent was Karoly Honfi (October 25, 1930 - August 14, 1996). An IM, Honfi was born in Budapest and was posthumously awarded the title of Honorary Grandmaster. 

 

[Event "Hunfarian Championship, Budapest"] [Site ""] [Date "1950.10.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Laszlo Szabo"] [Black "Karoly Honfi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1950.??.??"] {Semi-Slav} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Nf6 {The Semi-Slav may readily be reached by a number of different move orders. Black's P-formation is a mixture of the Orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined, ...e6, and the Slav Defense, . ..c6} 5. Bd3 Nbd7 {Black's main alternative is 5...dxc4} 6. O-O Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. e4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Bg5 Qe7 11. Re1 Nb6 {The main line is 11...Rd8} 12. Bb3 (12. Nxe5 {This does not offer white any advantage.} Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 {with complete equality.}) (12. Be2 Re8 {Instead of this black should ply 12...exd4} 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Qc1 h6 15. Bh4 g5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Bg3 Qe7 18. e5 {and white scores a quick knockout in Graf,A (2585)-Handoko,E (2495) Singapore 1995}) 12... Bg4 13. h3 (13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 {did not offer much to white in Martinovic,S (2537)-Mrdja,M (2394) Velika Gorica 2014}) 13... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 exd4 {Up until thispoint the play has been pretty routine and has withstood the test of time, but this move allows white to gain the advantage.} (14... Nbd7 15. d5 h6 16. dxc6 bxc6 17. Be3 Nc5 {This is better than 17...Bc5 that was played in Pinter,J (2590)-Schwalfenberg,J (2370) GER 1998} 18. Bc4 Rab8 19. b3 Kh8 {with about equal chances although in Smagin,S (2505)-Flear,G (2495) Zenica 1987, white manages a quick win so black must play accurately.}) (14... h6 {This black's best move then after} 15. Bh4 a5 { white can play either 16.Rad1 or 16.d5. In either case he has the initiative.}) 15. e5 {Honfi likely expect the mild retreat 15.Be2, but this sharp thrust gains the advantage.} Bxe5 16. Ne4 {Putting pressure on the pinned N.} Qd8 { This does nothing to help black's predicament.} (16... h6 {loses without a fight after} 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. Re7) (16... Rfe8 { This is the best black has, but after} 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Bh6 Kh8 19. Rad1 { his position is not so great.}) 17. Qf5 {Obviously the B cannot withdraw, so it must be defended, but there is no good way to do it.} Nbd7 (17... Bc7 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Bxf6 {wins the Q or mates}) (17... Re8 18. f4 {even better that taking on f6.} Qd7 19. Qxd7 Nbxd7 20. fxe5 Rxe5 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nd6 {White has won a piece.}) 18. f4 {Has Szabo blundered away his Q?} g6 {The Q is trapped.} 19. Qxe5 {[%mdl 512]} Nxe5 20. Nxf6+ Kh8 21. fxe5 {White not only has enough material for the Q, but he also has a winning attack.} Qc7 22. Re4 h5 (22... Rae8 23. Nxe8 Rxe8 24. Rf1 Kg7 25. Bf6+ Kg8 26. e6 fxe6 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Bxe6+ Kf8 29. Bd8+) 23. Rae1 Kg7 24. e6 {White is clearly winning.} ({ Weaker is} 24. Rxd4 Qb6 25. Be3 Qa5 $16) 24... fxe6 25. Rxe6 {Threatening mate with Re7+.} Rf7 26. Ne8+ {Black resigned. Stockfish assess Szabo's play as "flawless."} 1-0

An Overlooked and Unappreciated Champion

     Very few, if any, players know that shortly after Morphy retired another player was standing by to replace him, a player who was also known for his brilliant and aggressive play. 

     In Paris, in 1859, he beat Daniel Harrwitz, the resident master of the Cafe de la Regence, by a score of 2-0. A short time later he was in England where he absolutely crushed Thomas Barnes, 12-1. 

     He only played in tournaments infrequently, but in the international tournament held at Cambridge, England in 1860 he finished first. 

     The Cambridge tournament was an eight-player, three-round knockout event. He swept away the opposition which included the former US Champion Charles Stanley in the finals, 3-0. 

     The following year he lost a match to Adolf Anderssen, who was generally considered to be Morphy’s successor, by the closest of margins, 4-5. Also, in 1861, he drew a match with Louis Paulsen. And, he won the great Paris tournament of 1867, defeating Wilhelm Steinitz in the process. He also defeated Bernhard Horwitz, 3-1 and drew John Owen, 4-4. 

     In1861, he played a rematch against Anderssen, but this time Anderssen won 5-4. In the Bristol Congress of 1861, Paulsen eliminated him in the first round by a 2-1 score. 

     In 1863, a retired Paul Morphy returned to Europe to ten to a family matter and a challenge to a match was issuedm but Morphy turned it down. 

     The following year, 1864, Samuel Rosenthal got crushed in a match by a score of 7-1. The virtually unknown Philip Hirschfeld fared better; he drew a match 4-4.

     In 1867, Paris held a strong tournament as host of the World Fair. It was a 13 player, double round event. Our subject won it, scoring +18 -2 =2. 

     That was the end of Ignatz Kolisch’s playing career as he retired from active competition and went into banking. By 1880 he had become a millionaire. 

     Even though no longer competing, he became a chess patron and organized and funded some famous tournaments such as the 1867 and 1870 Baden-Baden tournaments and the Vienna events of 1873 and 1882. 

     Baron Ignatz von Kolisch (April 6, 1837 - April 30, 1889) was born into a Jewish family in Pressburg (known today as Bratislava). In his early years he moved to Vienna, and later had souhourns in Italy, Paris and London. In 1881 he received the title of Baron from Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He died of kidney failure in 1889. 

     Chessmetrics estimates Kolisch’s highest rating to have been 2755 on the August 1867 rating list, placing him at #1 in world. 

     With so many brilliant games to choose from it was hard to make a selection, but the following game with its dashing attack is typical of Kolisch’s play. 

 

[Event "Match, London"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1861.10.02"] [Round "2"] [White "Ignatz von Kolisch"] [Black "Louis Paulsen"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C50"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1861.09.30"] {C51: Evans Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O (4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Be7 {This is Lasker's Defense...one of the safest ways to meet the Evans.}) 4... Nf6 5. b4 {The first analysis of the Evans Gambit was published in 1832 and it became very popular. It fell our of favor after Emanuel Lasker discovered a defense to it.} Bxb4 6. c3 Be7 {As per Lasker.} 7. d4 exd4 {Best. Less satisfactory are 7...Nxe4 and 7...d6} 8. cxd4 (8. e5 {was worth considering.} Ne4 (8... dxc3 {would lose.} 9. exf6 Bxf6 10. Re1+ Ne7 11. Bg5 Bxg5 12. Nxg5 O-O 13. Qh5 h6 14. Nxf7 Rxf7 15. Qxf7+ Kh8 16. Rxe7 {1-0 Moeller,J (1809) -Stulken,D (1266) Frankfurt 2008}) 9. cxd4 d5 10. exd6 Nxd6 11. Bb3 Bf5 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Be3 Kh8 14. Rc1 Na5 15. Nd5 {Black is better, but thye players agreed to a draw in Lupi,P (2067)-Plazaola,S Buenos Aires 2002}) 8... Nxe4 9. d5 Na5 10. Bd3 Nc5 11. Ba3 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 {In reality white has no compensation for his two Ps minus.} O-O {Not bad, but it would have been better to have first prevented white's next move with 12...d6} 13. d6 cxd6 {This is the best way to capture.} (13... Bxd6 14. Bxd6 cxd6 {Here white should develop his N on b1, but he must not play...} 15. Qxd6 b6 16. Nc3 Bb7 17. Rad1 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nb7 19. Qxd7 Qxd7 20. Rxd7 Nc5 {and black is clearly better.}) 14. Nc3 b6 15. Nd5 { Kolisch correctly keeps as many pieces on the board as possible because exchanges favor black. See the note to move 13.} Nb7 {The idea is to reposition the N to the K-side, but 15...Nc6 would have been better.} 16. Bb2 { Logical since the B aims at black;s K, but there was a better move.} (16. Rae1 Bf6 17. Qe4 {White well centralized pieces and black's lack of maneuvering space confers a nice advantage on white.}) 16... Nc5 17. Qe3 Ne6 {Mission accomplished. Black now has adequate defensive resources plus 3 Ps. Even so, his position remains cramped while white's pieces have plenty of activity and so the chances must be considered about equal.} 18. Nd4 Bf6 {Again, this is not really an error, but it allows white to increase the activity of his pieces even more. A better move would have been 18...Bg5} {This nice tactical shot very nearly equalizes for whiet.} 19. Nc6 dxc6 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 {[%mdl 8192] Black does not realize the danger he is in and this move fatally weakening his K-side and loses almost at once. Black is a N + 3Ps up, but that is a meaningless factor!} (20... Kh8 {keeps a slim advantage.} 21. Qe4 {White must press on with his attack or he will certainly face defeat.} Ng5 22. Qxc6 Ba6 23. Rfd1 Rc8 {holds on.} (23... gxf6 24. Rxd6 {is at least equal.})) 21. Qh6 { White is now in complete control of the game.} d5 {Hoping to play 22...d4 shutting out white's B.} 22. Bxf6 {The game is over!} Qd6 23. f4 {The idea is to make a R lift abd quickly finish off his opponent. If he plays 23...Qc5+ Stockfish informs us there is a mate in 10.} Re8 {This allows a mate in 8, but saving the game was hardly possible.} 24. Rf3 {Black surrendered} (24. Rf3 Qc5+ 25. Kh1 Qc2 26. f5 {Black can only delay mate for a couple of moves.} Qxg2+ 27. Kxg2 Nf4+ 28. Rxf4 Re2+ 29. Kh1 Re1+ 30. Rxe1 {and mate next move.}) 1-0

A Brilliancy By S.S. Cohen

     In 1937, television publicly debuted in America at the New York World’s Fair and it was also the year that the photocopier was invented. 

     In other firsts the cartoon character Daffy Duck was introduced and the world’s first shopping cart was used at Humpty Dumpty supermarket in Oklahoma City. 

     The most famous person in the country was probably Shirley Temple (1928-2014), an actress, singer, dancer and later in life, a diplomat. She was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was named United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

     The year ended with the 1937-38 Manhattan Chess Club Championship. It did not require a great prophet to foretell the victory of one of America's premier players, Isaac Kashdan who retained the title he had won the year before. 

     The three candidates for the honor, Robert Willman, S. S. Cohen and Dr. Jose[h Platz, entered the last round tied, but Willman won, Cohen drew and Platz lost thereby avoiding any ties. 

 

 

     The following game was played in the championship and Cohen's tactical victory over Platz earned him the brilliancy prize. S. S. Cohen was a strong New York player in the 1930s and 1940s. He was managing editor of Chess Review magazine. 

     Dr. Joseph Platz (1905-1981), a medical doctor, was born in Germany and by the age of sixteen he was considered one of the strongest players in Cologne. After Hitler took power in 1933, Platz emigrated to the United States, where he studied under Emanuel Lasker and remained active in local tournaments in New York and Connecticut for many years. He wrote the book that was published in 1979 titled Chess Memoirs: The Chess Career of a Physician and Lasker Pupil.

 

[Event "Manhattan CC Champ, New Yorl"] [Site "?"] [Date "1937.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "S.S. Cohen"] [Black "Dr. Joseph Platz"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C08"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "1937.??.??"] {French Defense, Tarrasch Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {Cutting edge stuff at the time as it was a great favorite of the Soviet masters. It differs from 3.Nc3 in that it does not block white's c-Pawn from advancing, which means he can play c3 at some point to support his d4-Pawn. The move also avoids the Winawer Variation (3...Bb4). On the other hand, white's N is on a less active square and on d2 it obstructs his dark-square B and so he will have to spend an extra tempo moving the N before developing the B.} c5 4. exd5 exd5 (4... Qxd5 {Black has three ways of recapturing. 4...Qxd5 is an important alternative, the idea of which is to trade his c- and d-Pawns leaving him with an extra center P. In return white gains time for development by harassing the Q.} 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O {Theoretically the position is equal, but practically the statistics greatly favor white.}) (4... cxd4 {is unacceptable because after} 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. dxe6 {white lready has a considerable advantage.} ) 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Nb3 Bb6 7. Nf3 Nf6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 {Somewhat better is 8...Nc6} 9. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 (9... Qxd7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nbd4 Nc6 12. c3 Rfe8 {is equal. Berke,A (2097)-Golubenko,V (2270) Zagreb 2014}) 10. O-O O-O 11. Bf4 Re8 12. Qd2 (12. Qd3 Re4 13. Bg3 Qe7 14. Rad1 {Ostrauskas,A-Sokolsky,A Minsk 1957. The players quickly agreed to a draw.}) (12. a4 a6 13. a5 Ba7 14. Qd2 Qc8 15. Bg3 { is equal. Zapata,K (2197)-Pacheco,M (2362) Lima 2007}) 12... Nc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Rad1 Qb6 {The open lines for black's pieces are ample compensation for any weakness of his isolated d-Pawn.} 15. c3 Ne4 16. Qc2 Rad8 17. Nd4 Qa6 18. Qb3 Rd7 19. Rfe1 Qf6 20. Be3 Red8 {The doubled Rs on the d-file are not accomplishing anything and this dawdling is almost imperceptibly turning the position to white's advantage.} (20... h6 21. Nf3 Qc6 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Re3 Ree7 24. Rde1 {is perfectly even.}) 21. Re2 h6 22. f3 Ng5 23. Rde1 {Excellent strategy! The open e-file will prove a much greater asset tham any pressure he can put on black's d-Pawn. That said, the position is still equal, but it is black who is on the defensive and so it is he who much watch his step.} Qg6 { The threat is ...Bxd4 and ...Nxf3+} 24. Kf1 Qh5 {Although the text move can hardly be called faulty, it might have proven worthwhile to eliminate white's well placed N with 24...Bxd4} 25. Bxg5 Qxg5 26. Qb5 {Repositioning the Q with a gain of time.} Bb6 {Again, taking the N was a viable alternative.} 27. Qd3 g6 28. g3 h5 {Black is playing for an unjustified K-side attack... unjustified because white controls the only open file (the e-file). Nevertheless, the position is still equal, but very shortly black's plan results in a costly error/} (28... Qf6 {makes is almost impossible for white to make any real progress. For example...} 29. Qe3 Kh7 30. Kg2 Bxd4 31. Qxd4 Qxd4 32. cxd4 { with a drawn position.}) 29. Re5 Qf6 30. Kg2 Bc7 {The benign moves 30...Kg7 or 30...Rc8 would have kept the balance. While hardly a mistake, it indicates that black is barking up the wrong tree in planning a K-side attack.} 31. R5e2 {The move he is going to hit black with in a few moves (Re6) was playable immediately.} (31. Re6 fxe6 32. Rxe6 Qf7 33. Rxg6+ Kh8 34. Ne6 {Now in order to stay in the game black would have to find the clever rejoinder} d4 35. Ng5 ( 35. Nxd8 Rxd8 36. Rg5 {Best} Rd6 37. Qb5 dxc3 38. Rxh5+ Kg8 39. Rg5+ {with a draw.}) 35... Qf8 36. f4 {with unclear complications. In Shootouts white scored +1 -0 =4}) 31... h4 32. f4 {[%mdl 2048] This move blocks black's B and show the uselessness of his K-side operation. White has the initiative, but still can't claim a significant advantage.} a6 {This pointless move costs black time he cannot afford. The safety first move of 32...Kg7 offers him chances at defense.} 33. Qf3 (33. f5 {This shot is very powerful. For example.. .} Rf8 34. Rf1 g5 {Making sure the f-fule stays closed, but...} 35. gxh4 g4 36. h3 {and black's K is going to be badly exposed.}) 33... Kg7 {[%mdl 8192] It's now too late for this to be effective and white now gets a winning attack.} ( 33... Bb6 {and black has nothing to worry about.} 34. Ne6 (34. Qg4 {as in the game is met by} Bxd4 35. cxd4 Rc7 {and black has fully equalized.}) 34... Re8 ( 34... fxe6 35. Rxe6 Qf7 36. Rxb6 {with a decisive advantage.}) 35. Ng5 Rxe2+ 36. Qxe2 Kg7 37. Qe8 Qd8 {and white cannot make any headway.}) 34. Qg4 { Black is now lost.} hxg3 35. hxg3 Bd6 {Played hoping to play ...Re7 challenging white's control of the e-file, but white has a surprise in store. Note that black's Q does not have any moves...an indicator that there may be a tactical shot.} 36. Re6 {[%mdl 512] A brilliant end to the game.} fxe6 37. Rxe6 Qf7 38. f5 {[%mdl 32] Black really has no good defense to the threat of Rxg6+ and his R's and B are now nothing more than idle bystanders.} Kf8 39. fxg6 Qg7 {With this move black's flag fell and so he oversteppet the time limit. After the game Cohen demonstrated the win.} (39... Qg7 40. Nf5 Qh8 41. Rxd6 Qe5 42. g7+ Rxg7 43. Rxd8+ Kf7 44. Rd7+ Kf8 45. Qxg7+ Qxg7 46. Nxg7 {mates in 6} a5 47. g4 a4 48. g5 a3 49. g6 axb2 50. Nh5 b1=Q 51. g7+ Ke8 52. Nf6#) 1-0

Smyslov Becomes A Master

     Vasily Smyslov (March 24, 1921 – March 27, 2010, 89 years old), has always been an unappreciated World Champion, perhaps because he was only World Champion for two years, but he had it all: an opening theoretician, master strategist, sharp tactician and endgame virtuoso. What more could you ask for?

     Chessmetrics estimates his highest ever rating to have been 2800 in 1956 and to have been #1 between January 1952 and September 1958. Very impressive!

     Smyslov was born in Moscow. A talented opera singer, he narrowly missed joining the Bolshoi Opera. 

     He was awarded the Soviet Grandmaster title in 1941. The 1953 Candidates Tournament, held at Zurich, was a marathon 15 player double round robin that was won by Smyslov. In 1954, his world title match against Botvinnik ended in a 12-123 tie. 

     At the 1956 Amsterdam Candidates Tournament, a ten player double round robin, Smyslov again emerged victorious. In 1957, he crushed Botvinnik in their world title match, winning by a four point margin. Botvinnik regained the title, winning by 2 points in their 1958 return match. 

     The following game is indicative of the skill Smyslov possessed when he won the finals of a Class A Championship Tournament in Moscow in 1938 and thereby was awarded the Soviet Master title. 

     His opponent was Vladimir Zak (February 11, 1913 - November 25, 1994), a Soviet player, writer and well known trainer in the chess section of the Pioneers Palace in Leningrad. His students included Boris Spassky Viktor Korchnoi and, among many others, GM Yermolinsky. In his book The Road to Chess Improvement, Yermolinsky did not have a very high opinion of Zak’s antiquated training method and credited his students' success to their talent, not to Zak’s methods.

 

[Event "Class A Championship, Moscow"] [Site "?"] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Vasily Smyslov"] [Black "Vladimir Zak"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] {Pirc Defense} 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. g3 {What to call this opening? With 1... c5 starts oyut as a Benoni, but when white refrains from playing c4 it's classified by Fitz auto-analysis as the Pirc.} d6 4. Bg2 g6 {At the time the popular line was 4...e5. Instead, black reverts to the old idea of fianchettoing the B. Soviet Master Yudovich questioned this strategy because it allows white to obtain a mobile P-center. It must be remembered that at the time this game was played all this hypermodern stuff was not well established in theory.} 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. e4 O-O 7. Nge2 Na6 8. O-O Rb8 9. a4 Nc7 10. h3 b6 11. Be3 (11. g4 a6 12. Rb1 b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 {is equal. Najer,E (2663) -Kokarev,D (2635) Sochi RUS 2015}) 11... a6 (11... e6 12. dxe6 Bxe6 13. Bf4 Nfe8 14. Qd2 Qd7 {White has the more active position. Hort,V (2545)-Polgar,Z (2430) Dortmund 1985}) 12. Rb1 {With this move Smyslov, himself, prepares Q-side play.} b5 13. axb5 Nxb5 (13... axb5 {is less precise because after} 14. b4 {White has the initiative.} cxb4 15. Nd4 Bd7 (15... bxc3 16. Nc6 {favors white.}) 16. Na2 Na6 17. Nxb4 Nxb4 18. Rxb4 {with the more active position.}) 14. Qd2 Bd7 15. Bh6 {While this exchanges dark squared Bs it actually doesn't accomplish anything because white has no realistic prospects of taking advantage of it. The alternative, 15.Nxb5, also does not gain anything special and so the chances must be considered equal.} Nxc3 (15... Bxh6 {was just a bit more precise. After} 16. Qxh6 Nd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Ne2 Bb5 {Black has active play and the chances are equal.}) 16. Nxc3 Qc7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rfe1 Rb5 { [%mdl 8192] This rates a big question mark. Zak does not appreciate the brewing trouble on the K-side and tries to attack on the Q-side. Instead, he had to first try to neutralize white's advance in the center.} (18... h5 19. f4 a5 20. e5 Nh7 21. b3 Bf5 {White;s advantage is nominal.}) 19. f4 {There was no reason not to take the R!} (19. Nxb5 axb5 20. Qf4 h5 21. e5 Ng8 22. Ra1 { White has complete control of the game.}) 19... Qb6 {[%mdl 8192] He should simply have moved the R.} (19... Rb4 20. e5 Ne8 {White is better, but far from winning!}) 20. e5 {Of course, the was nothing wrong with 20,Nxb5} Ne8 21. exd6 {An interesting idea. Snyslov trades his strong P-chain for the seemingly valueless e-file, but he knows what he is doing! Of course, taking the R is still quite playable.} exd6 22. Re7 {As it turns out this move works out well, but it should not have! Once again capturing the R would have left white with a significant advantage.} Nf6 {[%mdl 8192]} (22... Qd8 {Saves the day. Now white is pretty much forced to take the R, but the result is only equality.} 23. Nxb5 Qxe7 24. Qc3+ Qf6 25. Qxf6+ Kxf6 {The only move that equalizes!} ( 25... Nxf6 26. Nxd6 {with a won ending.}) 26. Nc3 {The position id completely equal.}) 23. g4 {White now has a very strong attack, but, yet again, taking the R was much stronger.} Qd8 24. Rbe1 {I hate to repeat myself, but he must take the R if he wants a winning advantage.} (24. Nxb5 Qxe7 25. Re1 Qd8 26. Nxd6 {White id clearly much better.}) 24... Re8 {[%mdl 8192] This vindicates white's strategy. The white R on e7 prevents the entyr of the white N via Ne2 or Ne4 into the game and so black should not have made this exchange.} (24... Rxb2 {equalizes.} 25. f5 Re8 26. g5 {White's attack turns out to have more bark than bite.} Rxe7 27. gxf6+ Kxf6 28. Rxe7 Kxe7 (28... Bxf5 {is also playable.} 29. Re1 Kg7 30. Ne4 Bxe4 31. Bxe4 {This is also an unbalanced position where the chances are equal.}) 29. f6+ Ke8 30. Qe3+ Be6 {In this unbalanced position the chances are equal.}) 25. Rxe8 Bxe8 26. f5 {This move is satisfactory, but guess what move is even better? 26.Nxb5 of course.} Bd7 ( 26... Rxb2 {is no better.} 27. g5 Nd7 28. Ne4 Ne5 29. Qc3 Rb8 30. Nxd6 Qxd6 31. f6+ Kg8 32. Qxe5 Qxe5 33. Rxe5 h6 34. h4 {This ending is won for white thanks to his more active pieces. Just one example...} hxg5 35. hxg5 Rb1+ 36. Kf2 Bd7 37. Be4 Rb8 38. Re7 {The R on the 7th and advanced passed P assures the win...} Rd8 39. Kf3 a5 40. Kf4 a4 41. d6 a3 42. Bd5 Be8 43. Ke5 Kf8 44. Ra7 {and the Q-side Ps will fall.}) 27. g5 Nh5 28. f6+ Kg8 29. Re7 Rxb2 30. Ne4 {[%mdl 32]} Ba4 31. Qe2 Bb5 (31... Rxc2 32. Qxa6 Be8 33. Qxd6 {wins for if} Qxd6 34. Nxd6 Ba4 35. Rc7 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 {Black must lose material.} Re1 37. Rc8+ Be8 38. Nxe8) 32. Qe3 Rxc2 33. Bf1 {Brilliant! The object of this move is to remove black's B from the diagonal from where it controls e8. Prevents Re2.} Qa5 (33... Bxf1 34. Kxf1 h6 35. Nf2 Qb6 36. Re8+ Kh7 37. Rh8+ Kxh8 38. Qe8+ Kh7 39. Qxf7+ Kh8 40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Qxh6+ Kg8 42. Qxg6+ {eventually wins.} Kf8 43. Qh6+ Kg8 44. f7+ Kxf7 45. Qxh5+ Ke7 46. Qh7+ Kd8 47. Qxc2) 34. Nf2 {Threatening mate with Re8+!} Ng7 {This N offer contains a nasty trap, but it was not the best defense! Against Re8+} 35. Ng4 (35. fxg7 {This allows black to equalize!} Qa1 36. Nd3 Qd4 37. Qxd4 cxd4 38. Re4 (38. Nf4 {This actually loses!} Rc1 39. Kg2 Rxf1 40. Re4 d3 41. Re8+ (41. Rd4 d2 42. Rxd2 Rxf4) 41... Kxg7 42. Nxd3 Bxd3) 38... Kxg7 39. Ne1 Rc3 40. Rxd4 Bxf1 41. Kxf1 Rxh3 {with a likely draw.}) 35... Qd2 36. Nh6+ {Black resigned} (36. Nh6+ Kh8 37. Nxf7+ Kg8 38. Nh6+ Kf8 39. fxg7#) 1-0

The du Chattel System

     There doesn’t seem to be too much information available on the Dutch Master Philippe du Chattel (born August 29, 1945) who played in the finals of the 1975 Dutch championship. He seems to have given up chess for a career in the computer business. His last FIDE rating was 2260. 

     I recently ran across a e-book (in Italian) that was published in 2019 titled Du Chattel Defence: A Universal System. The “system” is a Pirc/Modern Defense with an early ...Nh6 by black. 

     One fan of the defense claims it’s a good defense for amateurs because it avoids known theory. With moves like ...Nh6, ...f5 and ...Nf7 black is clearly weakening his K-side, but at the amateur level such considerations are often unimportant and just about any opening is playable. 

 

 

     Here is a sample of the defense that was played in the 1975 Dutch Championship. After the closing banquet GM Jan Timman was arrested by the Dutch military police for ignoring a summons to report for military service. He reportedly spent a week and a half in jail before being released and apparently spent no time in the military. 

 

[Event "Dutch Championship"] [Site "Leeuwarden NED"] [Date "1975.04.14"] [Round "?"] [White "Franciscus W M Borm"] [Black "Philip Du Chattel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "1975.04.07"] {Modern Defense, du Chattel System} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 c6 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 (4. f4 Nh6 5. Nf3 f5 6. e5 Nf7 {is another example of how the system can be played although here it should be cler that white has the more active position.}) 4... Nh6 {du Chattel's signature move.} 5. f3 (5. h3 f6 6. Qd2 Nf7 7. f4 Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. g4 e6 10. f5 {White has a promising position. Georghiou,P (2218)-Van de Berkmortel,T (2262) Sutton 1999}) (5. Qd2 Ng4 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. h3 Nf6 {is a more normal looking position where white is ahead in development.}) 5... f5 { This move is what can be called Part 2 of the du Chattel System} 6. Qd2 Nf7 { Another signature move of the system.} (6... e5 {is an interesting alternative. } 7. Bxh6 {This hasty grab gives black a slight advantage after} Qh4+ 8. g3 Qxh6) 7. a4 {Just about nay reasonable move is playable here: 7:O-O. 7.h4, 7. Bc4, 7.exf5 etc. The fact that white has so many possible good replies is an indication that black's position is less than ideal. That may be the case in GM play, but below that level, especially ay the below Master level the system is obviously playable.} Bg7 8. Bc4 {White is better.} e6 9. Nge2 {Starting an immediate attack with 9.h4 was another option.} (9. h4 O-O 10. h5 g5 11. exf5 d5 (11... exf5 {givesw hite a decisive positional advantage.} 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. Bxg5 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. O-O-O) 12. fxe6 Bxe6 13. h6 Bf6 14. Bb3 { White has a very promising position.}) 9... O-O 10. O-O {It was still possible to play 10.h4, but after the text white is still better.} d5 11. Bb3 g5 { Beginning a risky and dangerous attack which white should be able to withstand, but he must play aggressively. Instead, he takes a passive posture and the tables are turned.} 12. Kh1 (12. f4 {Is the way to go. Black's best line is then} g4 13. e5 {and with the position closed on the K-side white must undertake positional maneuvering on the Q-side in order to try an utilize his space advantage.}) 12... f4 13. Bg1 Nh8 {Repositioning the N to a more useful square.} 14. Rae1 Ng6 15. Nc1 Nd7 16. Nd3 Nf6 17. Nc5 {White's slow maneuvering has resulted in the dissipation of almost all of his advantage.} ( 17. e5 {keeps a slight plus after} Nh5 18. Ne2 {and black is hel up on the K-side. White will continur with c3 and Bc2 and commence Q-side operations.}) 17... Nh5 18. Bf2 b6 19. Nd3 Kh8 {White should now play 20.a5. Instead, he makes a tactical mistake.} 20. Ne5 Ba6 {...which black fails to take advantage of.} (20... Bxe5 21. dxe5 Ba6 22. Rg1 g4 23. fxg4 Ng3+ {with a very strong attack after 24.Bxg3, but not...} 24. hxg3 Qg5 25. Rgf1 (25. gxf4 Qh6+ 26. Bh4 Qxh4#) 25... Qxg4 26. Qd1 (26. gxf4 Nxf4 27. Bg1 Bxf1 {winning.}) 26... f3 27. exd5 fxg2+ 28. Kxg2 Nf4+ 29. Kg1 Qh3 30. Qf3 Qxf1+ 31. Rxf1 Nh3+ 32. Kh2 Rxf3 33. Re1 (33. Kxh3 Bxf1+ 34. Kh2 Rxf2+) 33... Rxf2+ 34. Kxh3 exd5 {with a won ending.}) 21. Rg1 {[%mdl 8192] Another tactical mistake.} (21. Nxc6 {and White has nothing to worry.} Qd7 22. exd5 Bxf1 23. dxe6 Bxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Qxc6 25. d5 { Black has a R vs white's P's on d5 which pretty much balances out and black's pieces should be able to hold the Ps at bay.}) 21... Nxe5 22. dxe5 d4 {Again, black fails to take advantage of his opportunity.} (22... g4 {is crushing...} 23. fxg4 Ng3+ 24. Bxg3 (24. hxg3 Qg5 25. Rgf1 Bxf1 26. Rxf1 Qh6+ 27. Kg1 fxg3 28. Qxh6 gxf2+ 29. Rxf2 Bxh6 {with a won ending.}) 24... fxg3 25. h3 Rf2 26. Re2 Qh4 27. Rxf2 gxf2 28. Rf1 Bxf1) 23. Qxd4 {We are back to equal chances.} Ng3+ {This is far less effective than in previous variations. The best black had was maintaining equality by exchanging Qsd.} 24. hxg3 {Strongly threatening Qxd8.} Qe8 {Obviously threatening 25...Qh5+ which white prevents.} 25. g4 {White now stands better.} Rd8 26. Qb4 {[%mdl 8192]} (26. Nd5 {A clever tactical shot that keeps the advantage.} exd5 27. exd5 cxd5 28. Kh2 {White is a P up. This clever move is made to neutralize any black threats on the h-file. } Qe6 29. Rh1 Bc4 30. Kg1 {and white is better.}) 26... c5 (26... h5 {packed more punch...} 27. Kh2 Bxe5 28. Rh1 hxg4 29. Kg1+ Kg7 {with a promising position.}) 27. Qa3 {Missing another tactical shot!} (27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Qxc5 Qg6 29. Rgf1 Bxf1 30. Rxf1 {This unbalanced position offers chances to both sides.}) 27... h5 {[%mdl 128] Now black has the upper hand and goes for the kill.} 28. Rd1 {A reasonable looking move, but it's a fatal error.} ({pffers white a fighting chance.} 28. Nb5 Bxe5 29. Rd1 Qg6 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. c3 hxg4 32. Rd1 {Black's advantager should prove decisive.}) 28... hxg4 29. fxg4 Qg6 30. Rge1 Bxe5 {Black mates.} 31. Rxd8 Qh6+ 32. Kg1 Rxd8 33. Ne2 Bxe2 (33... Rd2 {is less effective...} 34. Bxe6 Qxe6 35. Qh3+ Kg7 36. Nc3 Rxc2 {but here, too, black is still winning.}) 34. Rxe2 f3 {White resigned. Black missed a mate, but it doesn't matter because white is lost in any case.} (34... Rd1+ 35. Re1 f3 36. gxf3 Qh3 37. Qxc5 Bh2+ 38. Kh1 bxc5 39. Rxd1 Bg3+ 40. Kg1 Qh2+ 41. Kf1 Qxf2#) 0-1

Walker Walks All Over Fox

 

     Though never one of the country’s greatest chess centers, the Washington D.C. area has nevertheless been home to many notable chess events and players dating back to 1850, when Charles Stanley and John Turner met in a match to unofficially decide who was the best player in the country. 

     Charles Stanley (1819-1901, 82 years old) was born in Middlesex, England. In 1841, he played Howard Staunton, receiving odds of Pawn and two moves. Of the known games Stanley scored +3 -2 =1. 

     Stanley emigrated to New York in 1842 and eventually worked at the British Consulate. He was regarded as the best player in New York from 1842 to 1857, defeating several of the country’s top players in matches. I the 1850 match in Washington, DC. he defeated John Turner of Louisville, Kentucky by a score of 11-5. In 1860 he returned to England. By 1868, he was back in the US and being an alcoholic he spent his last 20 years institutionalized on Ward's Island and in the Bronx. 

     Prominent Washington, DC area players include Theophilus Thompson (1855-1940?), the first African-American tournament player and a noted chess problemist who spent his life near the greater Washington area in Frederick, Maryland. 

    Another Washington player, Oscar Shapiro (1909-2002, 92 years old), was the oldest American to earn the Master for the first time at the age of 74. He was the 1939 champion of Massachusetts the Washington, DC Champion in 1946, 1948 and 1994. 

     Veteran Washington D.C. player Frank B. Walker (1857-1935) tipped his King to the Grim Reaper on Saturday evening, November 30. 1935. 

     Born in New York in 1857 he moved with his parents to Cleveland, Ohio, at an early age. In Cleveland he learned the the trade of printing. 

     It was in Cleveland that he won his early chess spurs when at the age of 14 he defeated Scottish-born U.S. Champion George H. Mackenzie in a simultaneous exhibition. About ten years later, in about1882, he moved to Washington, D. C., entering the employ of the U. S. Government and soon established himself as one of the city’s premier players. 

     Walker won the District of Columbia Championship from 1896 to 1900 and repeated a quarter of a century later for a similar stretch of years from 1927 to 1931. He was prominent in the affairs of the Capital City Chess Club of which he was President in 1921 and 1922, edited the column “In Chess Circles” for the Washington Star. He invariably played on the top boards in team matches against Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and other cities.     

     Active to the last, he competed in the International Cable Matches in 1928 and 1930 and had just finished competing in the 1935 Capital City C. C. Championship. 

     The post of July 12eth featured a stunning win by Albert Fox...today’s game feature a stunning defeat at the hands of Walker. 

[Event "Casual game"] [Site "Washington, D.C. USA"] [Date "1901.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Frank Walker"] [Black "Albert W. Fox"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B35"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1901.??.??"] [Source "Brooklyn Daily E"] {B35: Sicilian: Accelerated Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 { The Accelerated Dragon features an early ...g6. There is an important difference between this and the Dragon proper in that in the accelerated version black avoids playing ...d7–d6 so that, if possible, ...d7–d5 can be played later in one move. The Acclerated version is also avoids the Yugoslav Attack, but white can, if he wishes, play the Maroczy Bind (5.c4). Although it's not the case in this game, the Accelerated Dragon generally features a more positional type of game than in many other lines of the Sicilian.} 5. Be3 Bg7 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Nc3 d6 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 Bd7 10. h3 Rc8 11. Bb3 Qa5 12. Qf3 Ne8 {Unusual, but not bad. Black has also tried 12...Qh5, 12... Rfd8, 12...e6 and 12...Nxd4} 13. Rad1 $14 a6 (13... Nc7 {did not work out so well for black in Sosiuk,E-Chtcherbine,A (2198) Villa Ballester 2004} 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. f5 {with a strong attack.}) {Intending a P-storm, but 14.Nd5 poses more problems for black.} 14. g4 (14. Nd5 {The threat is 15.Nxc6 and 16.Nxe7+ forking tje K and R.} Qd8 15. f5 {and white is better/}) 14... e6 {A safer course would have been a double exchange on d4 starting with 14...Bxd4 thereby reducing the nymber of white attacking units.} 15. Qg3 {The immediate 15.f5 was stronger.} Kh8 {A pointless and time wasting move after which black gets into trouble.} (15... Nxd4 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 16. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17. Rxd4 {and black is equal after either 17...Qc5 or 17...Bc6}) 16. Nf3 {[%cal Oe4e5] A very fine move! The N will eventually find a much better use than occupying d4.} Qd8 (16... Bxc3 {woud be unwise.} 17. bxc3 Qxc3 18. Qf2 Qg7 19. Qh4 f6 {If 19..f5 20. Ng5} 20. e5 d5 21. c4 d4 {Black does not want to open up the position.} 22. Bc1 Kg8 23. Ba3 Rf7 24. exf6 Qxf6 25. Ng5 {with a strong attack.}) 17. f5 gxf5 {Opening up the position is the wrong approach. 17...Ne5 was his best option.} 18. exf5 Na5 {The desire to eliminate white's well placed B is understandable, but after this move white gets a crushing attack. Even after the slightly better 18...Ne5 white would still have a winnign attack.} 19. fxe6 {Destroying blavk's K-side.} fxe6 20. Ng5 {The gama is all but over and Walker finishes it up with precision.} Qe7 21. Rxf8+ Bxf8 22. Rf1 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 23. Qh4 h6 {White now has a flashy finish.} 24. Nf7+ {[%mdl 512] Pretty!} Qxf7 25. Rxf6 Qh7 26. Bxe6 Bxe6 27. Rxe6 Nc4 28. Bxh6 Ne5 { Hoping for ...Nf3+} 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. Nd5 {[%mdl 32]} Qxh6 {One last hope... that white trades Qs} 31. Ne7+ {Far and away the best move.} (31. Qxh6 Bxh6 32. Rxe5 (32. Rxh6 Rxc2 {and black has equalized.}) 32... Rxc2 (32... dxe5 33. Ne7+ {is winning for white}) 33. Re8+ Bf8 34. Nf4 Rxb2 35. g5 Kf7 36. Rc8 Rxa2 37. Rc7+ Be7 38. g6+ Kf6 39. g7 Kxg7 40. Rxe7+ Kh6 41. Rxb7 Kg5 42. Ng2 Kf5 43. h4 {Stockfish says white has a decisive advantage, but could Walker play like Stockfish in this position?}) 31... Kh7 32. Qxh6+ Bxh6 33. Nxc8 {Black resigned. Walker inflicted a crushing defeat on his opponent.} 1-0