A Real Thriller

    As promised in the previous post here is what was probably the most exciting game from the 1943 U.S. Speed Championship. The Fine vs. Kupchik game was a real thriller. 

    Kupchik conceived an ingenious sacrificial attack. His brilliant conception wasn’t good enough for a win though and later in a flurry of Queen checks by both sides he went astray and lost. 

    In his great book The Bobby Fischer I Knew (published in 1995) Arnold Denker described Kupchik as a "timid, tiny whisper of a man with the saddest eyes and the most disproportionately large nose on a small face that I have ever seen." 

    In this game Kupcjik’s play belies his personality. He is almost unknown, but Chessmetrics estimate his highest ever rating to have been a hefty 2641 in 1926 which placed him at #14 on the rating list. 

 

 

 

[Event "U.S. Speed Chamo. New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Abraham Kupchik"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C06"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] {C06: French Tarrasch} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 {[%mdl 32]} 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O h6 10. a3 {[%mdl 32]} c4 {It's worth noting that in this position black invariably plays 10...a5, but Kupchik's move gets the approval of Stockfish.} (10... a5 11. Rb1 a4 12. Be3 c4 13. Bc2 Qb5 14. Nd2 Nb6 15. f4 g6 16. g4 Bd7 {White's position is the more promising. Naiditsch,A (2678)-Cao,S (2491) Hungary 2008}) 11. Bc2 Na5 12. Rb1 Nb3 {Even though black's N is well entrenched on b3 white still has a much more promising position because he has more space and there is really nothing constructive that black can undertake.} 13. Be3 a5 14. a4 Nb8 15. Nd2 Nxd2 16. Qxd2 Bd7 17. f4 g6 18. g4 h5 19. f5 gxf5 20. gxf5 Nc6 21. Nf4 O-O-O 22. b3 { Strongly threatening bxc4.} cxb3 23. Rxb3 Qc7 24. Rfb1 Rdg8+ 25. Kh1 Nd8 26. f6 {This P has a future!} Bf8 27. R3b2 Bc6 28. h3 Bh6 29. Kh2 h4 30. Bd1 Rg3 { An ingenious idea; he is planning to sacrifice the exchange for a K-side attack. White's defensesd are more than adequate. but Kupchik's plam is a good practical choice.} 31. Bf2 {Slightly better would have been 31.Ng2. The text exposes his c-Pawn.} Rhg8 (31... Bxf4 {would minimize white's advantage.} 32. Qxf4 Rxc3 33. Ra1 Bd7 {White still enjoys a slight advantage.}) 32. Bxg3 Rxg3 33. Bg4 {It's here that Fine's play weakens. Getting the Q out of the pin with 33.Qf2 was much better.} (33. Qf2 Rxc3 34. Qxh4 Bf8 35. Ne2 {and black is in trouble.}) 33... Bd7 {Both players miss a tactical shot that this mvoe allows. Better was either 33...Kb8 or 33...Qd7} 34. Rc1 {Fine reacts to the threat to his c-Pawn and the tripling of heavy pieces on the c-file and as a result all of his advantage is gone.} (34. Nxe6 Bxe6 (34... Bxd2 35. Nxc7 Bxc3 36. Bxd7+ Kxc7 37. Bg4 Bxd4 38. Re2 Bc5 39. Rc1 Kc6 {White is up the exchange.} 40. Rd2 Ra3 41. Rcd1 Ne6 42. Rxd5 Ng5 43. R5d3 Ra2+ 44. R1d2 Ra1 45. Bd7+ Kb6 {[%eval 266,22]}) 35. Qxh6 Rxc3 36. Qxh4 Rc4 37. Rg1 {Black cannot take either P.} Rxd4 38. Bxe6+ Nxe6 39. Rg8+ Kd7 40. Qh5 {wins.}) 34... Nc6 35. Rg1 {[%mdl 8192] This is another tactical mistake that both players missed. But, it must be remembered that they are playing ay 10 seconds per move. Safer was, as earlier 36/Qf2} Rxg1 (35... Nxe5 {takes advantage of the pin on the N.} 36. dxe5 Rxg1 37. Kxg1 Qxe5 38. Qd4 Bxf4 {Black inly has a B+P for the R, but he is winning!} 39. Qxe5 Bxe5 {and white has three Ps threatened.} 40. Bd1 Bxf6 41. Rf2 Bxc3 42. Rxf7 {Technically at least black's B+3Ps outweigh whte's R. In Shootouts white scored +0 -3 =2.}) 36. Kxg1 Nxe5 {This time this doesn't win because white has an antodote.} 37. dxe5 {Another tactical error.} (37. Nxe6 {The same as in the note 34.Nxe6, but the positions are not exactly the same. There white has a R on b1 and black a R on g3 and black's N was on d8.} Bxd2 38. Nxc7 Nc4 {is completely equal.} 39. Rxd2 (39. Bxd7+ Kxc7 40. Rxd2 Nxd2 41. Be6 Ne4 42. Bxd5 Nxf6 43. Bxf7 Ne4 {with equal chances.}) 39... Nxd2 40. Nxd5 Kd8 41. Bxd7 Kxd7 42. Kf2 Nc4 43. Nf4 Nb6 44. Ke3 Nxa4 {with equal chances.}) 37... Qxe5 38. Qd4 {Black should now take the N (either way) after which he would have had excellent winning chances.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qg3+ 40. Kf1 {\} Bxf4 41. Qc5+ (41. Rg2 {This is the fly in the ointment to black's move sequence.} Be3 42. Rxg3 Bxd4 43. Rf3 {with equal chances.}) 41... Bc6 {[%mdl 8192] Much better would have been 41,,,Kb8} (41... Kb8 42. Qf8+ Bc8 43. Qxf7 Bd6 44. Qg7 Bc5 45. f7 Qg1+ 46. Ke2 Qf2+ 47. Kd3 Qxb2 48. f8=Q Bxf8 49. Qxf8 {Black's extra Ps shpuld sin.}) 42. Qf8+ Kc7 43. Qxf7+ Kb8 {Now some fancy footwok by Fine scores the point.} 44. Qf8+ Kc7 45. Qe7+ Bd7 46. Qc5+ Bc6 47. f7 {The P cannot be stopped.} Qd3+ 48. Re2 Qd1+ 49. Re1 Qd3+ 50. Re2 Qd1+ 51. Kg2 d4+ 52. Qxc6+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Kxc6 53. f8=Q Be3 54. Rxe3 {Black resigned} 1-0