The country’s top players, Samuel Reshevsky and Reuben Fine, did mot participate. Reshevsky demanded financial stipulations which the tournament committee simply could not meet. Negotiations with Fine met a similar fate. Another top player, Arnold Denker, was participating in Mar del Plata in Argentina, That event was won by Erich Elisjases while Denker finished tied for places 16-17 out of 18 with a +2 -7 =8 score. Also missing were Albert Pinkus and I.A. Horowirz.
With the exception of Isaac Kashdan and Olaf Ulvestad who were seeded as last minute replacements, the players had to qualify from preliminary events held throughout the country. In the finals Herman Steiner took first a half point ahead og Kashdan.
The following game was played at the Marshall Chess Club in what was the qualifier fpr what was termed Area 7. The top 7 finishers qualified, They were Anthony Sanatasiere, George Shainswit, Larry Evans, Irving Heitner, George Kramer, Dr. Joseph Platz and L. Walter Stephens.
George Kramer (1929-2024, 94 years old) won the 1945 New York State Championship, the 1951-52 Manhattan Chess Club Championship and the 1964, 1967 and 1969 New Jersey State Championships.
Not a lot is known of New York Master Jack Soudakoff. His obituary states that he passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on November 19, 2005 and that he was a WWII veteran and a long time N.Y. Subway systems analyst.
What makes the game interesting and difficult is the unusual material imbalance. A Queens can dominate against multiple pieces, especially in open positions. It is usually superior to a Rook and minor piece, but two Rooks or three well coordinated minor pieces can hold their own or sometimes even out perform the Queen. In this game white’s pieces beat the Queen. Plus. there are some passed Pawns thrown in just to complicate things.
[Event "US-ch Preliminary, New York City"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1948.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "George Kramer"]
[Black "Jack Soudakoff"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 18"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
[Source "Chess Life, 20 M"]
{C88: Closed Ruy Lopez: Anti-Marshall Systems} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d4 {White usually plays 8.c3. The
text is designed to prevent the Marshall Attack. For many years, 8.a4 was the
most common owing to Garry Kasparov's victory over Nigel Short in the 1993
World Chess Championship. Recently, however, the viability of 8... b4 in
response to 8. a4 has led to increased use of 8. h3 insted.} (8. c3 d5 {
is the once feared Marsahll Attack which today results in a lot of draws.})
8... exd4 9. e5 Ne8 10. Bd5 Rb8 11. Nxd4 {White does better with 11.Bxc6 or he
can try the interesting P gambit 11.c3} Nxd4 12. Qxd4 {Not bad, but he loses
time with his Q so 12.Bf4 was slightly better.} d6 13. Nc3 dxe5 14. Qxe5 Bd6 (
14... Bf6 {It's difficult for humans to evaluate, but this is more precise
according to engines.} 15. Qe2 b4 16. Rd1 bxc3 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Rxd8 Bxd8 {
White has a Q+P vs. R+B+N}) 15. Bg5 Qd7 16. Qe4 {[%mdl 2048]} Qf5 {Here the
safest move fpr white is 17.Qxf5. Instead, he takes the plunge into
complications.} 17. Qxe8 {Qe3 is the strong threat.} Qxg5 (17... Rxe8 18. Rxe8+
Bf8 19. Be7 g6 20. Bxf8 Be6 21. Rxb8 h6 22. Bc5+ Kg7 23. Bd4+ f6 24. Re8 Bxd5
25. Nxd5 Qxd5 26. Re7+ Kf8 27. Rae1 Qd6 28. R7e6 {wins}) 18. Bxf7+ Kh8 19. Ne4
Qg4 (19... Qe5 {results in head whirling complications...} 20. Qxe5 Bxe5 21. c3
(21. Bb3 Bxb2 22. Rad1 Bf5 23. Nc5 {is equal}) 21... Rxf7 {with equal chances.}
) 20. Nxd6 Bb7 {Threatening 21...Qxg2#} 21. Qxf8+ Rxf8 22. Nxb7 {White has a
R+B+N vs, a Q. Who is better and by how much? Wngines favor white. Stockfish
(2.18), Reckless (1.39), PlentyChess (1.20) and Fritz 20 (1.91). Even the more
human-like Lc0 prefers white by a score of 1.41.} Qd7 {Stronger was 22...Qf5
eyeing white's f-Pawn.} 23. Be6 (23. Bh5 {was much more powerful.} Qd4 24. Bf3
Qxb2 25. Nc5 Qxc2 26. Nd7 Rg8 27. h4 c5 28. Bd5 Rd8 29. Re7 Qd2 30. Rae1 Qxd5
31. Re8+ Rxe8 32. Rxe8+ Qg8 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 {but calculating this line is
beyond human capability.}) 23... Qc6 24. Na5 Qxc2 25. b4 Qxf2+ {Doubling
pieces on the 2nd rank with 25...Rxf2 was a smidgen better.} 26. Kh1 c5 27. a3
c4 28. Nb7 {White s plan is to go after the Q-side Ps.} h6 {This goves his K a
flight square, but to that end a dark square with 28...g6 would have been a
bit better.} 29. Bd7 ({White should try} 29. Nc5) 29... Qd2 30. Nc5 a5 (30...
c3 {would give white payse for thought and so was a better defense.} 31. Rad1
Qa2 32. Ra1 Qd2 {White can take the draw by repeating moves or go for the win
with 33.Be6} 33. Be6 Re8 34. Rad1 Qb2 35. Nd3 Qxa3 36. Ra1 Qxa1 37. Rxa1 Rxe6
38. Rc1 Rc6 {Theoretically white is winning, but it's going to take time.}) 31.
Rad1 Qc3 32. Ne6 Rf2 33. Bc6 (33. Bxb5 {would be wrong.} Rd2 34. Rc1 Rc2 35.
Rb1 Rb2 {and white can make no progress.}) (33. bxa5 $18 {Black must now
prevent a6.} Qxa5 34. Bc6) 33... Rd2 34. bxa5 Qe5 {Of course white is not
going to fall for 35,Re5 so black should have ca[tured on a5. Now black's
position is no lomger bad, it's lost.} 35. Nd8 {Make that should have been
lost! After this the chances are equal.} (35. a6 {leaves black helpless.} Rxd1
36. Rxd1 Qxe6 37. a7 Qxc6 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. a8=Q) 35... Kh7 (35... Rxd1 {
keeps things equal.} 36. Rxd1 Qe7 37. Bxb5 c3 38. Ba4 Qe4 39. Bb3 Qe2 {and
with careful play white should draw.}) 36. a6 (36. Rxe5 Rxd1+ 37. Re1 Rxe1#)
36... c3 {[%mdl 8192] Black has over estimated the strength of this P and
underestimated the strength of white's a-Pawn.} (36... Qe3 {holds up the
a-Pawn's advance.} 37. Ra1 Ra2 38. Rab1 Rb2 {White has to take the draw.}) 37.
Rc1 (37. Rxe5 {gets mated.} Rxd1+ 38. Re1 Rxe1#) (37. a7 {does not work.} c2
38. Rc1 Qxe1+ 39. Rxe1 Rd1 40. Be4+ g6 41. g3 Rxe1+ 42. Kg2 c1=Q 43. a8=Q {
with a likely draw.}) 37... Qc5 38. Be4+ g6 39. Nc6 Qxa3 40. a7 b4 {White's
problem now is how to get the ( to a8.} 41. Na5 {[%mdl 512]} Rd8 42. Ra1 Qb2
43. a8=Q Rxa8 44. Bxa8 c2 {An amazing position, but Kramer has everything
under control.} 45. Nc4 Qd4 46. Ne3 b3 47. Nxc2 bxc2 48. Be4 Qd2 49. Bxc2 {
Of course the B cannot be taken because black would get mated.} h5 {A
picturesque position. White now executes a problem-like finish.} 50. Rac1 Kh6
51. Red1 Qe3 52. Bb1 h4 53. Rc6 h3 {The last hope: ...hxg2+} 54. Rxg6+ {
Black resigned. Kidos to both platers for an exciting game.} (54. Rxg6+ Kh7 55.
Rd7+ Kh8 56. Rd8+ Kh7 57. Rg3+) 1-0
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