Monday, July 29, 2024

Vergilio Fenoglio

    
The major news stories in 1943 were Churchill and Roosevelt held the Casablanca Conference in January. They pledged that the war would end only with the unconditional surrender of the Axis countries. And, following the Allied invasion of Sicily in July Italian dictator Mussolini was deposed and put under arrest; Italy then signed an armistice of with the Allies in September. Mussolini was summarily executed on April 28, 1945.
    In the U.S. President Roosevelt froze prices, salaries and wages to prevent inflation. Withholding tax on wages was introduced. Construction of the Pentagon was completed making it the largest office building in the world. The Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882 and 1902 were repealed permitting immigration and naturalization of Chinese. 
    Of course chess was still being played and today’s game was played in the 1943 Mar del Plata tournament. I’m guessing that most readers never heard of the 12th place finisher, Vergilio Fenoglio (February 20, 1902 - March 15, 1990, 88 years old). In his day he was one of the most solid masters in Argentine chess and the winner of 37 tournaments. 
    He was a journalist by profession ad worked for the newspaper “Critica” and along with Juan Iliesco he edited the magazine “Jaque Mate.” For ten years he contributed to the magazine “Ajedrez” on ending and fantasy chess. He was an internationally known problem composer who also published his own problems. In his last years he served as president of “Pena del Mate de Ayuda”. 
    He played in the Argentine Championship 13 times in the period 1928–1959. He died in Buenos Aires. 

    His opponent was the 13th place finisher, Arturo Liebstein (sometimes listed as Isaac Liebstei, a virtually unknown Uruguayan master who won the Uruguayan Championship in 1940, 1942 and 1943. 
    After the 8th Chess Olympiad at Buenos Aires in1939, many participants decided to stay in Argentina due to outbreak of World War II. As a result the 1943 Mar del Plata tournament included eleven refugees from Europe and two from Palestine.

  A game that I liked (Fritz 17)

[Event "Mar del Plata"] [Site "Mar del Plata ARG"] [Date "1943.03.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Arturo Liebstein"] [Black "Virgilio Fenoglio"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B18"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {B18: Classical Caro-Kann} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 {This has been long considered to represent best play. 4...Nd7 is the main alternative, White can then play 5.Ng5, 5.Nf3 or 5.Bc4} 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Bd6 9. b3 Ngf6 10. c4 Qc7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Nh4 Rfe8 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Rc1 ( 14. Qc2 Rad8 15. Rad1 b6 16. c5 Bf4 17. cxb6 Nxb6 18. Rfe1 {is equal. Polgar,J (2630)-Rogers,I (2595) Biel 1993}) 14... e5 15. c5 Bf8 16. dxe5 Nxe5 {[%mdl 32] } 17. b4 Nd5 18. Qd4 Rad8 19. f4 {This is a bit too weakening. Something like 19.a3 awaiting developments would have been safer.} Nf6 20. Qc3 Neg4 {White the NB on g4 does not look especially menacing white would now have done better to reduce the number of pieces black has available for attack by playing 21.Bxg4. However, sometimes one is reluctant to exchange a B for a N} 21. Bc4 {On the surface this attack on f7 looks like it may have some potential, but Fenoglio quickly demonstrates that not to be the case.} Ne3 22. Rf3 Nfd5 23. Qb3 Nxc4 24. Rxc4 (24. Qxc4 b5 25. cxb6 axb6 26. a3 Bd6 {and it's still black who stands better,}) 24... Re1+ 25. Kf2 Ree8 (25... Rde8 26. Be5 { Cuts off the R on e1} R8xe5 27. fxe5 Qxe5 28. Qd3 {and it will prove difficult for black to make any real progrss.}) 26. Be5 Qd7 27. Ne4 f6 28. Bd6 f5 (28... Bxd6 {This would not be sucj a good idea.} 29. Nxd6 {and the well placed N assures white of equality.} Re7 30. f5 {and white has his share of the play.}) (28... Qe6 {would cause white the most problems. For example...} 29. Kg1 (29. Bxf8 f5 30. Bd6 (30. Nd6 Qe1#) 30... fxe4 31. Rg3 e3+ 32. Ke2 Qf6 33. Be5 Rxe5 34. fxe5 Qf2+ 35. Kd3 Qd2+ 36. Ke4 e2 {wins}) 29... f5 30. Ng3 Bxd6 31. cxd6 Qxd6 {Blacs what should amount to a decisive advantage, but scoring the point might prove tedious.}) 29. Ng5 {Rh3 is the strong threat.} Bxd6 30. Rh3 { White threatens Rh8+! and mate.} Kf8 {[%mdl 32]} (30... Bxf4 31. Rh8+ Kxh8 32. Qh3+ Kg8 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxg7# {Proving the point that even when you are winning yo must be alert to tactical threats!}) 31. Rc2 {[%mdl 8192] This loses quickly.} (31. Rh8+ {would liekly draw.} Ke7 32. Qb2 Rxh8 33. Qxg7+ Ke8 34. Qxg6+ Kf8 35. cxd6 {Now black is in difficulty...there is only one move that does not lose.} Re8 {Now it's white's turn to find the only move.} 36. Rd4 Rxh2 37. Rxd5 {This secures the draw. White could, if he desired, play on with the equalizing 37.a3} cxd5 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Qg6+ Kf8 (39... Kh8 40. Nf7+ Qxf7 41. Qxf7 {followed by d7 and white wins.}) 40. Qf6+ {etc.}) 31... Bxf4 32. Rh8+ {This now longer works because white's N, a vital piece, is threatened with elimination.} Ke7 {Watch black's King walk!} 33. Re2+ (33. Qb2 {Unlike in the previous variation, this does not work...} Bxg5 34. Qxg7+ Ke6 35. Qxg6+ Nf6 36. Rxe8+ (36. Qxg5 Ne4+ 37. Kf3 Qd1+ 38. Re2 Rd3+ 39. Kf4 Qf1+ 40. Rf2 Qxf2#) 36... Rxe8 37. Re2+ {A winning King walk is in progress.} Kd5 38. Qxg5 Ng4+ 39. Ke1 Rxe2+ 40. Kxe2 Ke4 {Black is winning.}) 33... Kf6 34. Qb2+ Kxg5 35. h4+ Kg4 36. Qb3 Rxe2+ 37. Kxe2 Qe6+ 38. Kf1 Ne3+ {Facing mate in 6 white resigned.} (38... Ne3+ 39. Ke2 Nc4+ 40. Kf1 Nd2+ 41. Kf2 Nxb3 42. g3 Rd2+ 43. Kf1 Qe2+ 44. Kg1 Qe1#) 0-1

No comments:

Post a Comment