A BIG Fischer Upset

 

     In all likelihood during the preliminary matches at the 1960 Olympiad in Leipzig when United States Champion and super Grandmaster Bobby Fischer sat down to play a mere National Master, an amateur and a recently graduated engineer with limited international tournament experience and no international title named Cesar Munoz Vicuna (1929–2000) from Ecuador, there was little cause for concern. 

     No doubt Fischer, his teammates and the spectators were expecting and easy win for Fischer especially since he had the white pieces. That's not to imply that Munoz was a "weak" player! 

     According to Chessmetrics estimated ratings, Fischer's rating (a little over 2700) put him in the world's top ten. Munoz' estimated rating of about 2486 didn't even put him in the world's top 200 rated players. Still, a rating just shy of 2500 meant Munoz was a pretty good player, probably near IM strength. 

     It's possible that Munoz and his teammates were not so pessimistic about his chances as everybody else. Remember, in those days there weren't any databases or even Informators, the renown Yugoslav books with about 600 games that were published twice a year. So, there was no way for Fischer to have known of two interesting previously played games by Munoz in which he had beaten Bent Larsen and Fredrik Olafsson in the Student World Team Championship in Iceland in 1957, or the draw he achieved against William Lombardy in the same event. The Ecuadorian master did have some impressive scalps! 

Cesar Munoz

     During the game, Fischer had to work hard in a very complicated game that he ended up losing. They say that as the game progressed more and more spectators and players approached the table and the silence was heavy. Fischer was described as pale when he resigned and signed the scoresheet. 

     Fischer had never lost against a Dragon although he had yielded one draw. Besides that, in the 1959 Interzonal at Portoroz, Fischer defeated Bent Larsen in a Dragon that was good enough to make it into My 60 Memorable Games. 

     Cesar Munoz had a relatively short chess career; it lasted from 1951 to 1969 when he abandoned chess to dedicate himself to other activities, namely President of the National Sports Federation of Ecuador and the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee, where he developed an excellent program. 

     In the following game Munoz adopted the Dragon Variation which at the time was considered highly questionable because of the Yugoslav Attack. At move 16 he put his Queen in a precarious position and before Fischer realized that he must proceed with caution, Munoz had obtained a winning attack.

[Event "Leipzig Olympiad Qualifying B Group"] [Site "Leipzig GDR"] [Date "1960.10.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Robert Fischer"] [Black "Cesar Munoz"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B77"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "1960.??.??"] {Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {At the time this game was played the Dragon Variation had almost disappeared because no reliable defense had been found to counter the Yugoslav Attack. Fischer didn't have a very high opinion of the Dragon. In commenting on Fischer-Larsen, Portoroz 1958 in My 60 Memorable Games he gave his winning formula..."Pry open the h-file, sac, sac... mate!" In this game his formula didn't work!} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 a6 10. Bb3 Qa5 (10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. O-O-O Bd7 13. h4 a5 14. h5 a4 15. Bd5 Rc8 {White is much better. Klein,D (2366)-Mellema,A (2131) Amsterdam 2011}) (10... Na5 {is likely the best move here.} 11. Bh6 Bxh6 12. Qxh6 e5 13. Nde2 b5 14. Qd2 b4 15. Na4 Nxb3 16. axb3 a5 17. O-O-O Ra6 18. h4 Be6 19. h5 Qe7 20. g4 Nd7 {In this complicated position the chances are equal. Hou,Y (2603)-Nakamura,H (2769) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) 11. O-O-O Bd7 (11... Rd8 12. Kb1 Ne8 13. h4 h5 14. Rhg1 Nc7 15. g4 hxg4 16. fxg4 Nb5 17. Ndxb5 axb5 {White has a winning attack. Mazzoni, G-O'Hare,E Tel Aviv 1964}) 12. Kb1 Rac8 13. g4 {This is somewhat impatient. At the time the usual continuation was 13.Nxc6} (13. Nxc6 {and on either 13... Bxc6 or 13...Rxc6 then 14.Nd5 is very good for white.} bxc6 14. Nd5 Qxd2 (14... Qd8 15. Bb6 Qe8 16. Nc7 Rxc7 (16... Qd8 17. e5 dxe5 18. Nd5 Qe8 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Qxd7 {with what is a likely a winning advantage.}) 17. Bxc7 Qc8 18. Bb6 { White is clearly better.}) 15. Nxe7+ Kh8 16. Rxd2 {is good for white.}) 13... Ne5 14. Bh6 (14. Nd5 {would have been somewhat better. After} Qd8 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. h4 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. Ne2 a5 19. h5 {White has a strong attack.}) 14... Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Nb3 {This is an improvement over 16.Nd5 which was usual at the time.} (16. Nd5 Qxd2 (16... Qd8 {This not as good as it was in the previous variation because after} 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Nxf6 {black can't recapture with the B and must further weaken his position.} exf6 19. h4 { with what should prove to be a decisive advantage.}) 17. Nxe7+ Kh8 18. Bxg7+ Kxg7 19. Rxd2 Re8 20. Nd5 {and white has won a P.}) 16... Qe5 {This places the Q in a rather precarious position, but at the same time it can take part in the activities on the Q-side. No doubt Fischer would have preferred to have seen the tame retreat 16...Qe8} 17. h4 {At the moment the chance of making headway with the advance h5 is not possible. Also, there is no way of profitting by trapping black's Q, so white's best chance is to tend to the threats that are looming on the c-file.} (17. Bxg7 {was much better.} Kxg7 18. g5 Nh5 19. Nd5 e6 20. Ne3 Rc6 21. Na5 Rc7 22. Ng4 {White has the advantage on both flanks.}) (17. f4 {Does not trap the Q and after} Bxh6 18. fxe5 Bxd2 19. Nxd2 Rxc3 20. exf6 Rc7 21. fxe7 Re8 {white can claim no advantage.}) 17... Rfc8 {This pins the N and creates the possibility of ...Rxc2+, but Munoz misses a promising sacrifice of the exchange.} (17... Rxc3 18. bxc3 Bxg4 19. Bxg7 (19. fxg4 Nxe4 20. Qd4 Nxc3+ {with a won position for black.} 21. Ka1 Qxd4 22. Rxd4 Bxh6) 19... Kxg7 20. fxg4 Nxe4 21. Qd4 Nxc3+ 22. Kb2 Nxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Qxd4+ 24. Rxd4 {In this materially unbalanced position both sides would have chances.}) 18. Bf4 {Fischer is hoping to exchange h-Pawns, but once again he does not appreciate the danger of allowing black to keep his dark squared B!} (18. Bxg7 {keeps the advantage after} Kxg7 19. Rhe1 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Be6 21. f4 {and white is better.}) 18... Qe6 19. h5 {It would have been better to get rid of the B with 19.Bh6} b5 {[%mdl 32] Well played! Of course opening up the K-side with 19...gxh5 would be an awful choice. Now black's counterplay becomes significant.} 20. hxg6 fxg6 (20... hxg6 {is wrong.} 21. Bh6 Bh8 22. Qh2 { and black is in grave danger.} b4 23. Bg5 Bg7 24. Nd5 Rxc2 25. Nxf6+ exf6 26. Qh7+ Kf8 {with what should prove to be a winning advantage.} 27. Bf4) 21. Bh6 Bh8 22. e5 {[%mdl 8192] Fischer is playing fire by playing for a win, but doing so is very dangerous.} (22. Qh2 {This does not work with the file closed. } b4 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. Rxd5 Rxc2 {and white must abandon his attack and go on the defensive leaving black with the advantage. The best line being...} 25. Rd2 Rxd2 26. Bxd2 Qf7 27. Bxb4 Be6 28. Nc1 Rb8 {Black is much better.}) (22. Rc1 { adding extra protection to the c-Pawn was suggested by Hans Kmoch and the suggestion is confirmed by Stockfish.} Qf7 23. Ne2 {The extra protection allows this N to get into play.} Be6 (23... a5 {This is interesting!} 24. Qxa5 Ra4 25. Qd2 Be6 26. Ned4 Bc4 27. Nf5 b4 (27... gxf5 28. gxf5 Qe8 29. Rcg1+ Kf7 {with unclear complications.}) 28. Ne3 Rca8 29. Nxc4 Qxc4 30. Qd3 Qf7 31. c3 bxc3 32. Qxc3 Rxa2 {black is better.}) 24. Ned4 {equals.}) 22... b4 {Black is winning.} (22... dxe5 23. g5 b4 24. gxf6 bxc3 25. Qxd7 Qxd7 26. Rxd7 Bxf6 27. bxc3 Rxc3 {White has won a piece although the position is tricky.}) 23. exf6 ( 23. Ne2 Rxc2 24. Qxb4 Qxe5 {leaves white's pieces scattered and uncoordinated.} ) 23... bxc3 24. Qh2 {The dream of attacking on the h-file is just that...a dream. As Kmoch observed, there is no continuaion of any promise.} Qxf6 25. Bg5 Qf7 26. Qe2 cxb2 27. Qxe7 Qxe7 28. Bxe7 Rxc2 29. Rxd6 {Munoz demonstrates flawless technique in bringing home the win.} Ba4 {[%cal Oc2c1]} 30. Bg5 Rf2 31. Be3 Rxf3 32. Bd4 Bxb3 33. axb3 Bxd4 34. Rxd4 Rxb3 35. Rd2 Rcb8 36. Rd7 Ra3 {Fischer resigned.} 0-1

Fiddling Around

 

     The weather the last couple of weeks has generally been chilly, overcast and dripping rain with a few snow flurries thrown in or it's been warm and rainy. i.e. it's been unpleasant. And so, the yard projects I am getting antsy to get started on are on hold. There's little else to do except do some reading and fiddle around with chess stuff. 

     My chess programs (Chess Assistant 18, Chess Aquarium 2020, ChessOK Aquarium 2014, Fritz 12, Fritz 17 and ChessBase 16) were given another look to see if they had any hidden secrets that might be worth further exploration. The answer was no and Fritz 17 has replaced Fritz 12 (from back in 2009!!) as my go to program. 

     Books...I've been looking through some old books. The improvement ship sailed long ago, so they're all just taking up space. One book that I gave some attention to was the 1941 edition of Rubinstein's Chess Masterpieces by Barnie Winkleman and annotated by Hans Kmoch. For some reason his games just don't appeal to me. 

     Although the biography is interesting, My Life and Games by Pal Benko is not going to make my list of favorites. Never liked his games, they are too boring. I saw Benko play on many occasions and it was like watching paint dry...that is until he got into time trouble and had to scramble to make all his moves.  

     I especially liked his final round game against Reshevsky in the 1975 US Championship. When Benko got into time trouble Reshevsky kept his finger on the clock button making it difficult for Benko to press it after making his move. Benko never said anything...he just glared at Reshevsky and hammered his clock button with his fist! 

     A few years back I posted about 175 Chess Brilliancies by the Scottish player Francis P. Wenman (May 6, 1891 – March 19, 1972). It has 95 complete games and 80 endings (or composed positions) that are little known and quite interesting. I like it, but the one that finally grabbed my attention was Lesser Known Chess Masterpieces 1906-1915 by Fred Wilson and published by Dover back in 1976. You can listen to a most interesting interview with Fred Wilson on Perpetual Chess HERE.

     During those years there was a little known series of books titled The Year-Book of Chess by several different British players. They were a summary of all the important events of the previous year. Besides literary reviews, articles and problems, they contained a well annotated selection of games from all the great tournaments of the period. 

     As Wenman noted, there were books by leading players of that era (Lasker, Marshall, Tarrasch, Rubinsein, Nimzovich, Capablanca and Alekhine), but games by other prominent masters of the period (Schlechter, Teichmann, Maroczy, Spielmann, Mieses, Duras, Janowsky, Reti and Tartakower) were not readily available. Tartakower did eventually publish a two volume collection of his best games; buy them if you find them. 

     It was the games of those largely ignored masters and a few by the leading players that didn't make it into their collections that Wenman included in the book. 

     Carl Schlechter was known as The Drawing Master, but in his day he was, like Petrosian decades later, almost impossible to defeat. However, when the conditions were right he produced some pretty flashy games. 

     Richard Teichmann, blind in one eye, was accused of being lazy, but he won the great Carlsbad tournament in 1911. Then there was the master tactician David Janowsky who is best known as a punching bag for greater masters, but he did produce some stunning games. 

     And, Rudolf Spielmann who was probably the greatest gambit player of all time, played some really fantastic games. The virtually unknown Czech Oldrich Duras had a poor knowledge of openings, but he could conjure up some fantastic complications in the middlegame. Jacques Miesis is another under appreciated player, but he was a 19th century Romantic who showed little aptitude for positional chess. 

     These are the players whose games are featured in the book and that makes it well worth browsing through.

     Vienna 1907 was the first Trebitsch Memorial name after Leopold Trebitsch, a wealthy Austrian silk manufacturer who had been vice-president of the club until his death on Dec. 12, 1906, a month before the tournament. The Memorials were a series of twenty tournaments being played in Vienna between 1907 and 1938.

     The 1907 tournament included a strong field including such international figures as Oldrich Duras, Jacques Mieses, Geza Maroczy, Milan Vidmar and Savielly Tartakower plus Austrian masters Carl Schlechter and Dr. Julius Perlis.

     According to the yearbook, "The result was a triumph for players who favor brilliancy in preference to ultra-modern tendencies, Mieses and Duras admittedly producing some of the most effective examples of contemporary chess from the spectacular point of view." What more could you ask for? 

     In the following game Wolf sacrifices a couple of Pawns, but doesn't get any compensation. He also set a cunning tactical trap at move 32, but Duras wasn't fooled and easily secured the win.

[Event "1st Trebitsch Memorial, Vienna"] [Site "Vienna AUH"] [Date "1907.01.15"] [Round "?"] [White "Oldrich Duras"] [Black "Heinrich Wolf"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1 (8s)"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1907.01.10"] {Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Be3 { Even though there is nothing wrong with this old continuation that was advocated by Dr. A. Kaufmann of Vienna it has disappeared today in favor of 5. c3, 5.Bxc6 or 5.O-O.} Bxe3 {At the time it was believed that this exchange was forced, but 11...Nd4 or even 11...Qe7 are satisfactory.} 6. fxe3 O-O (6... Ne7 7. Bc4 (7. Nc3 c6 8. Ba4 Ng6 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Bb3 {equals. Firman,N (2495) -McShane,L (2614)/Warsaw 2006}) 7... d6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Be6 10. Bb3 Bxb3 11. axb3 {is equal. Duras, O-Leonhardt,P Nuremberg 1906}) 7. O-O (7. Bxc6 {Does not win a P.} bxc6 8. Nxe5 Qe7 9. Nf3 (9. Nc4 {9.Nf3 -0.16 This recommendation of Marco is quite bad. After} d5 {black has a considerable advantage.}) 9... Qb4+ {with equal chances.}) 7... d5 8. Nc3 (8. exd5 {was preferrable.} Ne7 ( 8... Nxd5 9. Qe1 Qd6 10. Nc3 Nce7 11. Bc4 Qc5 {White is better. Ashwin,J (2454) -Tran,N (2218)/Chotowa POL 2010}) 9. Qd2 {The position is equal.} (9. Nxe5 { would lose.} Qxd5 {forking the B and N})) 8... d4 9. Bxc6 (9. exd4 {results in equality after} Nxd4 10. h3 Nxf3+ 11. Rxf3 c6) 9... bxc6 {Not the best. White now has the better position. The position remains equal after 9...dxc3} (9... dxc3 10. Ba4 cxb2 11. Rb1 Qd6) 10. exd4 exd4 11. Ne2 Ng4 {...Ne3 turns out not to be as strong a threat as it looks, but the other main alternative, 11...c5, is not much better.} 12. Qd2 Qd6 {This move loses the game for Black. 12...c5, or even 12...Ne3, were better.} 13. h3 (13. Nexd4 {would be a mistake.} Nxh2 14. Rf2 (14. Nxh2 Qxd4+ 15. Qf2 Qxb2 {is good for black.}) 14... Ng4 15. Re2 Ne5 {and white can only claim to be slightly better.}) 13... Ne3 14. Rf2 { [%cal Bf1f2,Bf2f3,Bf3g3] Excellent!} (14. Rfe1 {14.Rf2 3. 14 allows black to equalize and it also is a good example of why you cannot trust old annotations! After this move Schlechter commented that black wins a Pawn as follows.} c5 {[%cal Oc8h3] This is the correct move after which the position is equal.} (14... Bxh3 {This is Schlechter's suggestion, but white gains the edge after} 15. e5 Qh6 16. Nexd4 (16. Nfxd4 f5 {and black is better.}) 16... Nxg2 17. Qxh6 gxh6 18. Re4) 15. b4 {The only move to equalize. aiming for bxc5. } Qg6 {[%csl Ge3][%cal Rg6g2]} 16. Nf4 {with a fully equal position.}) 14... c5 15. c3 {[%cal Bc2c3,Bc3d4,Bd4c5] White wins a P.} f5 16. cxd4 fxe4 (16... cxd4 17. Nfxd4 f4 18. Rc1 {with a clear advantage.}) 17. Qxe3 {Also good was 17.dxe4 } exf3 18. dxc5 Qc6 19. Rxf3 {Black's best chance would be to exchange Rs and hope for the best in the ending, but in avoiding the exchange things only get worse for him.} Bb7 (19... Rxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Bxh3 {and white has the better chances in the ending.}) 20. Rg3 Rae8 21. Qd4 {[%csl Gg3][%cal Rd4g7]} Qh6 22. Nc3 Rd8 23. Qb4 Bc6 24. Ne4 Rf4 25. Re1 Rdf8 26. Kh2 Qh4 27. Qb3+ Kh8 28. Ng5 (28. Qe6 {would have been even better. After} Bxe4 29. dxe4 h6 30. e5 { white has a routine win.}) 28... R4f5 (28... Bxg2 {While insufficient to save the game this would have put up stouter resistance.} 29. Nf7+ Kg8 30. Kxg2 R4xf7) 29. Ne6 {[%csl Bc7,Bf8,Bg7]} Rg8 {White has a won position, but according to the tournament book (and analysis by the English Master Leopold Hoffer) this move sets a little trap. That is not correct because his analysis was faulty.} 30. Qc3 (30. Nxg7 {This might be tempting because according to Hoffer the N cannot be taken. Even if it is not taken white still wins as follows...} Qxg3+ (30... Rxg7 {white has a mate after...} 31. Qb8+) 31. Kxg3 { [%cal Ob3g8]} Rxg7+ 32. Kh4 (32. Kh2 {This gross blunder loses as black has a forced mate.} Rxg2+ 33. Kh1 Re2+ 34. Kg1 Rxe1+ 35. Kh2 Re2+ 36. Kg3 Rg2+ 37. Kh4 Rf4+ 38. Kh5 Bf3+ {mate next move.}) 32... Rxg2 33. Qc3+ Kg8 34. Qd4 { Stops ...Rf4+.} Rg6 35. Re6 Rxe6 36. Qg4+ Kf7 37. Qxf5+ {and wins.}) 30... Rf6 31. Ng5 Rgf8 32. Rg4 Rf2 {[%cal Oh7h5] This is a real, and quite cunning, trap because if the Q is taken then black draws.} 33. Ne4 (33. Rxh4 {33.Ne4} Rxg2+ 34. Kh1 Rxg5+ 35. Rhe4 Rf3 {[%cal Rf3h3]} 36. Kh2 {[%cal Oe4e8] Threatening mate with Re8} Rf2+ 37. Kh1 Rf3 {forces a repetition.} 38. Re8+ {doesn't work because of the discovered check.} Rf8+ 39. R8e4 Rf3 {is a threefold repitition. }) 33... Qh6 34. Nxf2 Rxf2 35. Re6 {A pretty finish.} Rf6 36. Rxc6 Rxc6 37. Qd4 {[%cal Rd4d8]} Qf6 38. Rf4 Qe7 39. Qd7 {Very precise play by Duras in a complicated game. Wolf resigned.} 1-0

Rook Bombs, Part 2

     Here is another game in which both Rooks are sacrificed. The game was played in 1955 in Budapest as part of a Hungary vs. USSR team match. 

     This match was somewhat different that the usual team matches in that it was what Chess Review magazine called a Virginia reel match, so named after a dance that was most popular in America from 1830 to about 1890. 

     In a Virginia reel match, rather than being paired against just one player, each player meets every member of the opposite team one time. As in regular matches, substitutions are allowed. 

  

     The match was played between teams of four with one reserve. The USSR's 20-12 win confirmed what everybody already knew...the Russians were the world's best players. 

 

     In this game it was Keres who pulled off the double Rook sacrifice. In a very sharp variation of the SIcilian, on his 9th move, Szabo played a routine move often seen in the Sicilian, but in that particular position it wasn't correct and Keres pounced. 

     Keres got a strong attack going and on move 18 sac'd a R for positional considerations and then on move 21 he delivered the knockout blow by sacrificing the other Rook.

[Event "USSR-Hungary Team Match, Budapest"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "1955.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul Keres"] [Black "Laszlo Szabo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "Sicilain, Richter-Rauzer Attack"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1955.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O O-O 9. f4 a6 { Although this is a popular move in many variations, in this particular position it has disappeared. Keres' reply is the reason.} (9... Nxd4 {Was the correct move.} 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 Bd7) 10. e5 {Sharp and forceful, this move creates a dark squared weakness in black's position.} (10. Nf3 {is a routine move that fails to take advantage of black's last move.} Qa5 11. Kb1 Rd8 12. Bd3 b5 13. Qe1 b4 14. Ne2 Qb6 15. e5 dxe5 16. Nxe5 g6 17. Qh4 Nd5 18. Nxc6 Bxg5 19. Qxg5 {White has a significant advantage. Kupper, J-Kelly,T Amsterdam 1954}) 10... dxe5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. fxe5 (12. Qxd8 {allows black to avoid more serious difficulties.} Bxd8 (12... Rxd8 13. fxe5 {does not win the B.} Rxd1+ 14. Nxd1 Nd5 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 {But here white's P-formation and better B gives him the advantage.}) 13. fxe5 h6 14. Bh4 Nd7 15. Bxd8 Rxd8 16. Be2 {White is better.}) 12... Nd7 (12... Nd5 {It looks like this is a good outpost for the N, but after} 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Ne4 {White's N finds a good square for his N on d6 while black's N on d4 is window dressing.}) 13. h4 {Typical of Keres. Rather than exchanging Bs and having a positional advantage, he prefers to attack.} Rb8 {The plan of ...Qb6 attacking b2 is not going to come to fruition. } (13... h6 {is met by} 14. Bxh6 {and if} gxh6 {White has a winning attack. Just one line...} 15. Qxh6 Qc7 16. Bd3 f5 17. Rh3 Qxe5 18. Re3 Qg7 19. Qxe6+ Rf7 20. Qxc6 Rb8 21. Bc4 {White is clearly winning.}) 14. Qe3 {Countering the planned ...Qb6} Re8 {The B has to be defended before he can continue his Q-side counterplay.} (14... Bxg5 {doesn't work.} 15. hxg5 Qb6 16. Qxb6 Rxb6 17. Bd3 g6 18. Ne4 {and white is left with active play and what amounts to a winning positional advantage.}) 15. Rh3 {This R lift gets it into action.} Qa5 (15... Qb6 {The exchange of Qs does not help black because after} 16. Qxb6 Rxb6 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Re3 {white maneuvers his N to d6 with a decisive positional advantage.}) 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 17. Rg3 {White does not have to worry about his e-Pawn.} Re8 {With this move Szabo defends against the back rank mate and now he does threaten the e-Pawn. Hopefully, Keres will defend it with 18.Re1} ( 17... Nxe5 18. Qxe5 Qxe5 19. Rd8+ Re8 20. Rxe8#) 18. Rxd7 {Stockfish prefers defending the P and does not especially care for this move which does not generate any deadly threats. However, what it does is 1) eliminate all threats to his e-Pawn and 2) free his pieces to attack black's K. That's reason enough for Keres. Plus, it eventually leads to a pleasing finish to the game!} Bxd7 19. Bd3 {[%mdl 128] White intends Qg5 and h5 with a strong attack. Of course, Stockfish ferreted out a good defense, but Keres was not playing Stockfish!} h6 {[%mdl 8192] This prevents 20.Qg5, but costs black the game.} (19... Qb4 { would eventually lead to a loss. For example...} 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qg5 g6 22. h5 Qxb2+ 23. Kd2 Rg8 24. Rh3 Rg7 25. hxg6+ Kg8 26. Qh5 Kf8 27. Qh8+ Rg8 28. Qh6+ Rg7 29. Rf3 Be8 30. Qh8+ Ke7 31. Qxg7) (19... Rb4 {This leads to black getting equality.} 20. Qg5 (20. Rxg7+ {likely draws.} Kxg7 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Qf6+ Kg8 23. Qg5+ {is an immediate draw.} (23. Qh6 {and black can wriggle out of danger with careful play.} Rxh4 24. Bxh7+ Kh8 25. Qxh4 Kg7 26. Qf6+ Kxh7 27. Qxf7+ Kh6 28. Qxd7) 23... Kf8 24. Qh6+ Ke7 25. Qg5+) 20... g6 21. h5 { Continuing the attack in this way is answered by} Qd8 22. Qe3 Rh4 {and all danger on the K-side is past.}) 20. Qf4 (20. Qxh6 {is tempting but very wrong.} Qxe5 {White's attack is over and it's black who is winning.} 21. Qg5 Qxg5+ 22. Rxg5 f6 {with a material advantage.}) 20... Kf8 21. Rxg7 {[%mdl 576] Decisive.} Kxg7 22. Qf6+ Kf8 23. Bg6 {Szabo resigned. A nearly perfect attacking game by Keres.} (23. Bg6 Kg8 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Qh7#) 1-0

Rook Bombs, Part 1

     A lot of famous and very strong tournaments have been played at Monte Carlo, 1901 through 1904 and 1967 through 1969. 

     The event in 1968 was organized by the French chess magazine Europe Echecs. In addition to the main event there were also Masters, Open and Junior events. For the 1968 main tournament a dozen strong GM's were invited, but British master and writer Harry Golombek groused that the inclusion of the two French players (Sylvain Zinzer and Rene Letzelter) was absurd and a waste of valuable places. 

     The Great Dane, Bent Larsen won his fifth successive first place; the others were: Havana (1967), Winnipeg (1967), Sousse Interzonal (1967) and Palma de Mallorca (1967). 

     Fischer, who had finished first at Monte Carlo the previous year, was a noticeable absence...because of his absurd demands tournament officials refused to even consider inviting him. Besides, the previous year when his trophy was presented to him by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, being the execrable snot face that he was, Fischer refused to pose for a photograph with them. It's understandable why the tournament officials didn't want to deal with him. 

     The Masters tournament was won by Karoly Honfi ahead of Predrag Ostojic. The Open tournament was won by George Kuprejanov and the junior event was won by Georg Eppinger. 

     In the Major event, the star-studded field of eleven other Grandmasters were unable to stop Larsen.  From the very start he was never out of the lead although Botvinnik, Smyslov and Byrne kept the pace for a while.

 

     Larsen's play kept his opponents off guard. He sacrificed a Pawn for positional considerations against Gheorghiu, but against Botvinnik he played eccentric Nimzovichean strategy and got into trouble, but sharp tactics salvaged the draw.

     In round 12 he surprised everybody by making a practical decision and accepting a draw in a superior position against Smyslov. The draw assured him of a tie for first place even if he lost in the last round and Botvinnik won. 

     Botvinnik played steady, solid chess and might have achieved a tie for first had he continued his last round game against Damjanovic because he had good chances. Smyslov and Hort shared third place and along with Botvinnik were the only undefeated players. 

     Smyslov's play in the tournament was a bit casual and lacked sharpness. Hort played his usual tough chess while Byrne's play was erratic, sometimes he took early draws in positions that were slightly favorable (against Smyslov and Forintos), but at other times he sought out complex, difficult position where the outcome was going to be unclear. For example, against Bptvinnik, after 25 moves the position was so dangerous they decided to repeat moves. 

     The other American player, Pal Benko complained of fatigue resulting from his recent first place finish in the National Open that was held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Against Botvinnik he had a positional advantage then made an unsound piece sacrifice and lost. 

     Romanian star Florin Gheorghiu threw away three or four games through carelessness play and shoddy technique. The powerful Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch player had an upcoming match against Larsen and seemed distracted; he was the only GM to be upset by the French players when he losy to Letzelter. 

     In the following game Botvinnik's opening strategy was based on his fianchettoed Bishop and when Portisch made a minor mistake, his Q-side came under pressure. Seeking to relieve the pressure he undertook to regroup his pieces and then WHAMO! Botvinnik launched a K-side attack that involved sacrificing one Rook and then offering up the other one. 

 

[Event "Monte Carlo"] [Site "Monte Carlo MNC"] [Date "1968.04.10"] [Round "?"] [White "Mikhail Botvinnik"] [Black "Lajos Portisch"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A22"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1968.04.03"] {English Opening: Four Knights Variation} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 {[%cal Bg8f6, Bf6d5,Bd5b6][%mdl 32]} 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Be6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Nb6 { A reversed Sicilian Dragon has been reached with white having an extra move. It should be noted that as is often the case, the extra move is of no great value because black's position is quite sound. Play will be centered around white's fianchettoed B which black would like, if possible, to exchange, but that will prove difficult.} 8. d3 Be7 9. a3 a5 {This move has disappeared from practice in favor of 9...O-O. Portish's prevents the advance of white's b-Pawn, but has the disavantage of weakening his Q-side..the a-Pawn is weak and b5 is available to white.} 10. Be3 O-O 11. Na4 {Exchanging the N on b6 leaves the b-Pawn vulnerable to attack along the b-file.} Nxa4 {Willingly falling in with white's intentions is a questionable decision.necause his Q-side Ps quickly become the focus of white's attention.} (11... Nd5 {as played in Gheorghiu-Mariotti, Manila, 1976 was a better option. After} 12. Bc5 b6 13. Bxe7 Ndxe7 {black was in good shape and white has lost time with 11.Na4}) 12. Qxa4 Bd5 {Because an exchange sacrifice (Rxc6) weakening black's Ps is a potential possibility Portisch takes measures to prevent it.} (12... Qd7 13. Rfc1 Rfd8 14. Bc5 {Forintos-Sapi, Hungarian Championship, 1968, is equal after 14...Bf6, but black erred with} Bd5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qxd7 Rxd7 17. Bxd5 { and black has won a P.}) 13. Rfc1 {[%cal Bf1c1,Bc1c2,Bc2c7,Bc7f7][%mdl 32]} ( 13. Rac1 Rb8 14. Qb5 Nd4 15. Nxd4 c6 16. Qa4 exd4 17. Bxd5 dxe3 18. Bf3 exf2+ 19. Kxf2 Qb6+ {is equal. Vedmediuc,S (2430)-Vavric,P (2235) Plancoet FRA 2014}) 13... Re8 {Another defensive move. This one is designed to guard against the possibility of white playing Qb5 (a consequence of black's 9th move!) which gives him threats against the P on b7 and, also, tactical threats against black's e-Pawn. Portisch will also move the N and play ...c6. But, before he can do that, he has to defend the e-Pawn and this and the B retreat next move accomplish that purpose.} 14. Rc2 Bf8 15. Rac1 {A crucial position! White has a clear advantage owing to his pressure on the c-file. Portisch continues with his plan of regrouping his pieces because after his next move he was under the impression that for tacticla Botvinnik couldn't take the c-Pawn...he was seriously wrong!} Nb8 {[%mdl 8192] ...and loses.} (15... h6 {was a much better option.} 16. Bc5 e4 17. dxe4 Bxe4 18. Rd2 Qf6 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 {White is better and went on to win, but it's the best choice black has. Lombaers,P (2255) -Kenney,D (2000) Caleta ENG 2014}) (15... Ne7 {is also a resonable choice, but it's tricky and here, too, white retains the advantage after} 16. Rxc7 Bc6 17. R7xc6 (17. R1xc6 {Against the proper defense this only results in approximate equality.} bxc6 (17... Nxc6 18. Rxf7 {as in the game.}) 18. Rb7 Nd5 {equals}) 17... Nxc6 18. h4 h6 {White is ony slightly better.}) 16. Rxc7 Bc6 {The point.. .the Q is attacked and the R is trapped.} 17. R1xc6 {The first bombshell... black's light squared B is eliminated while white's now has no opposition.} bxc6 {He runs into the same reply after 17...Nc6} 18. Rxf7 {The second bombshell. If black captures this R then white struts his stuff on the light squares.} h6 (18... Kxf7 19. Qc4+ Kg6 (19... Ke7 20. Nxe5 Qc7 21. Bg5+ Kd6 22. Qd4+ Ke6 23. Bh3#) 20. Qg4+ Kf7 21. Ng5+ Kg8 22. Qc4+ {wins}) 19. Rb7 {The R quielty slips away leaving in its wake a completely destroyed balack K-side.} Qc8 20. Qc4+ Kh8 (20... Qe6 {is of no avail. White snags another P.} 21. Nxe5) 21. Nh4 {[%cal Bf3h4,Bh4g6,Bg6e5][%mdl 32] White can now win as he chooses.} Qxb7 {He finally takes the second R, but white uses the light squate weakness to finish the game.} 22. Ng6+ Kh7 23. Be4 Bd6 24. Nxe5+ g6 25. Bxg6+ Kg7 26. Bxh6+ {[%mdl 512] A nice finishing touch to what Fritz 17's auto-annotstion evaluates as a flawless game by Botvinnik. Portisch resigned.} (26. Bxh6+ Kxh6 27. Qh4+ Kg7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Qxb7) 1-0

Marshall CC vs. Manhattan CC, Met League, 1933

     Today we will be stepping back in time eighty-nine years to 1933 and looking at a game from another Manhattan Chess Club match. 

     To begin with, on January 5th former President (from 1923 tp 1929) Calvin Coolidge suddenly died in his home from coronary thrombosis at 12:45 p.m., January 5; he was only 60 years old. 

  In January of 1933, Herman Steiner formed the International Chess Club which was later called the Hollywood Chess Group. In March E. Richard Schayer became the new president of the Hollywood Chess Club...he was a screenwriter who wrote over 100 films between 1916 and 1956. A few had chess scenes in the scripts. 

     Also in January, Isaac Kashdan published the first edition of Chess Review magazine. Al Horowitz, who soon took over the magazine, was the Associate Editor. The magazine also had a section on Contract Bridge which was discontinued after only three issues.

     Skipping ahead to the Chicago World's Fair, Sally Rand (1904-1979), a burlesque dancer most well-known for her performances of the bubble dance and the fan dance created a sensation when she performed the fan dance at the fair. Her performances got her arrested numerous times, including four times in one day and was, not surprisingly, the most popular draw at the entire fair and her drawing power was one of the reasons it quickly made a profit. 

     Her performances were not without controversy even in the libertine period preceding the Second World War and they left the moral crusaders outraged. But, when a Chicago judge ruled that the dance could not be deemed anything other than art, the critics were silenced.

     In June the National Chess Federation organized a chess program for the Fair and World champion Alexander Alekhine played a blindfold simultaneous exhibition on 32 boards that lasted over 12 hours. He scored +19 -4 =9 which was a new world record for blindfold play. A masters tournament had been planned, but was called off due to lack of funds. 

     Reuben Fine won the Marshall Chess Club championship and Marjorie Luce (aka Mrs. William Seaman) won club's women's championship with an 11-0 score. The strong, but little known master Robert Willman and Abraham Kupchik tied for first place in the Manhattan Chess Club championship. Kupchik defeated Willman in the playoff. 

     In Syracuse, Fred Reinfeld took the New York State championship with an undefeated 9.5 -1.5 score. Arnold Denker finished second with Reuben Fine and Anthony Santasiere finishing tied for 3rd . 

     In May a tournament was held to select players to join Frank Marshall and Isaac Kashdan on the US team for the Olympiad in England. Reuben Fine, Arthur Dake and Albert C. Simonson qualified by beating out Denker, Horowitz, Willman, Levenstein, Reinfeld, Bechkardt, Schwartz, and Hassialia. 

     At the Folkestone Olympiad (at the time called the International Team Tournament for the Hamilton-Russell Cup) the US team (Kashdan, Marshall, Fine, Dake, Simonson) took first place. The Women's World Championship was held in conjunction and Vera Menchik retained her title. 

     In August, Reuben Fine defeated Arthur Dake in a match in New York when he scored +4 -2 =3. In Detroit in late September and early October Reuben Fine won the Western Open. Samuel Reshevsky was 2nd and Arthur Dake 3rd. 

     Beginning in January the Metropolitan Chess League of New York started the season with 12 teams: West Side YMCA, Queens CC, Manhattan CC, Columbia University, Hungarian Workers, Scandinavians, Marshall CC, New York University, Empire City CC, International CC, City College of New York, and Caissa CC. 

     The poor Columbia team got shut out; they lost all 11 matches. The Marshall club (Reuben Fine, Frank Marshall, Arthur Dake, Erling Tholfsen, Fren Reinfeld, Anthony Santasiere, Franklin S. Howard, and Nat Grossman), on the other hand, won all 11 of their matches. It was the third title in row for the Marshall Chess Club and each time they met and defeated the Manhattan Chess Club in the final round. The pairings: 

 

     In today's game Isaac Kashdan defeated Reuben Fine in Manhattan's only win.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "1933.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "I. Kashdan (Manhattan), R. Fine (Marshall)"] [Black "Met League Match. New York"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "1933.??.??"] {QGD, Slav Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 {This prevents ...b5} (5. e3 {is playable, but rarely seen.} b5 6. a4 b4 (6... a6 { is very bad on account of} 7. axb5 cxb5 8. Nxb5) 7. Nb1 Ba6 8. Be2 e6 9. O-O { with equal chances.}) 5... Bf5 6. e3 {ALso good are 6.Nh4 and 6.Ne5} e6 { Nowadays this is universally played, but at the time 6...Na6 was sometimes seen.} (6... Na6 7. Bxc4 Nb4 8. O-O {and Fine observed that in spite of appearances, the N on b4 is not well placed because it's too far from the K-side which will be the scene of action.}) 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qb3 { With this move white gets some pressure on the Q-side, but a better plan is 9. Qe2 with the idea of playing e3-e4.} Qe7 (9... Bxc3 {This is not a good idea because white would then get the good square a3 for his B.} 10. bxc3 Qb6 (10... c5 {is also possible, but in that case} 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. f3 { followed by e4 which leaves white clearly better.}) 11. Ba3) 10. Bd2 Nbd7 ( 10... c5 {was a good move.} 11. d5 {Better than Fine's suggestion of 11.dxc5} exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Nc6 {This is an excellent move because capturing the N leaves black with control of key central squares as compensation for the doubled Ps.}) 11. Rfe1 {Preparing the advance of the e-Pawn which he could have played at once.} (11. Rfd1 {Although this move lead to equality in Tolstikh,N (2312)-Baraeva,M (2179) Sochi 2017, strategically white is barking up the wrong tree.} a5 12. Na2 Bd6 13. Bf1 c5 14. Nc3) (11. e4 Bxc3 12. exf5 Bxd2 13. Nxd2 exf5 14. Qxb7 {with equal chances.}) 11... h6 {After this white gets the advantage.} (11... a5 {This is the equalizer.} 12. e4 Bg6 13. e5 Nd5 14. Bg5 Qe8 15. Nh4 N7b6 {Safarian,A (2058)-Hamilton,D (2264) Penrith 2003}) ( 11... Nb6 {This is to white's advantage after} 12. Bf1 a5 {and now white should have played 13.e4. Izsak,G (2330)-Mokcsay,R (2295) Gyor 1992} 13. e4 { [%eval 101,27] [%wdl 318,680,2] [%emt 0:00:58]} Bg6 {[%eval 80,12] [%wdl 213, 783,4] [%emt 0:00:00]} 14. Bg5 {[%eval 98,16] [%wdl 306,692,2] [%emt 0:00:00]}) (11... Bg4 {has also been tried.} 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxb4 c5 {Klaver,C (2098) -Dole,A (2113) Cape Town 2011 and now white is slightly better after 14.Nd2}) 12. e4 {[%cal Be3e4,Be4e5][%mdl 32]} Bh7 13. e5 {With this move white gains a significant edge.} Ne8 14. a5 Nc7 15. Ne4 {Fine did not like this move which he claimed relieves black's game. Instead he preferred 15.Ra4 with an excalmation mark. Stockfish disagrees and give the ! to 15.Ne4} (15. Ra4 Bxc3 { According to Stockfish, Fine's 15...c5 stinks.} 16. bxc3 b5 17. axb6 axb6 { with equality.}) 15... Bxd2 16. Nfxd2 Rab8 17. Re3 (17. Nd6 {Another fine move Fine did not like, but Stockfish does.} Rfd8 18. Nxb7 {and white is better. There is no way black can take advantage of the pinned N.} (18. Rac1 {is perhaps safer.} Ne8 19. Nxb7 Nxe5 20. a6 Nxc4 21. Nxc4 Rxd4 {White is better here, too.}) 18... Nc5 19. dxc5 Rxd2 20. a6 {favors white}) 17... c5 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. dxc5 Qxc5 20. Qa3 {White has the better P-formation, but black has active play and so Kashdan wants to exchange Qs, but in doing so he allows black to gain a slight advantage.} (20. Bf1 {is an odd looking retreat, but it gets the B out of the way of the Rs and in some lines makes c4 available to the N. After} Nd5 21. Ree1 b5 22. axb6 Nxb6 23. Qc3 (23. Rxa7 Nc4 {attacking the R and N}) 23... Qxc3 24. bxc3 Rfc8 25. Rxa7 Rxc3 {with a likely draw.}) 20... Qd4 21. Qc3 Rfd8 22. Nf3 (22. Qxd4 Rxd4 {wins a piece.}) 22... Qxc3 23. Rxc3 Be4 24. Be2 Bc6 25. Rac1 Rd5 {The wrong piece lands on d5} (25... Nd5 26. Rb3 Nf4 27. Bf1 Bd5 28. Rbc3 Ng6 {and black has the initiative.}) 26. a6 { Black must now prevent axb7 and so white has equalized.} Ne8 27. axb7 {White willnow initiate an attack on the a-Pawn.} Bxb7 28. Ra3 a5 29. h3 Kf8 30. b3 Ke7 31. Rca1 Nc7 (31... Rc5 {was also quite good.} 32. Rxa5 Rxa5 33. Rxa5 Bxf3 34. Bxf3 Rxb3 {with a draw.}) 32. Bc4 Rd7 33. Rxa5 Bd5 {Fine didn't think doubling white's Ps with 33...Bxf3 would help and so he decided to keep the B on the board. At the same time he admitted that white's extra P should now start to make itself felt. Stockish disagrees.} (33... Bxf3 34. gxf3 Nd5 35. Ra7 Rbb7 36. Rxb7 Rxb7 {with an equal position. In five Shootouts all the games were drawn as white was unable to advance his b-Pawn}) 34. Ra7 Nb5 { This was black's last chance to keep the chances even. From this point on he facess an uphill struggle against a player who excelled in the endgame.} (34... Bxf3 35. gxf3 Nd5 36. Rxd7+ Kxd7 {would pretty much assure the draw.}) 35. Rxd7+ Kxd7 36. Ra5 Nc7 37. Bxd5 Nxd5 {[%mdl 4096]} 38. Ra7+ Nc7 39. Nd2 Rb6 40. Kf1 Rb8 41. Ke2 Rb5 42. f4 g5 {Fine was concerned that against passive defense white would advance his b-Pawn which he felt should lead to a win. For that reason he creates a diversion on the K-side.} 43. g3 {[%mdl 32]} h5 {This move is a miscalculation thst results in a weakening of black's Ps and he ends up having to allow a passed P which makes white's task easier.} (43... gxf4 { was the correct move.} 44. gxf4 Kc6 {with a probable draw. It looks like white's K can go after the h-Pawn, but in the end it's a dead end. For example. ..} 45. Kf3 h5 46. Kg3 Rd5 47. Nc4 Rd3+ 48. Kh4 Rf3 49. Na5+ Kb6 50. Rb7+ Kxa5 51. b4+ Ka6 52. Rxc7 Rxf4+ 53. Kxh5 Kb5 54. h4 Kxb4 55. Kg5 Rf5+ 56. Kh6 Rxe5 57. Rxf7 {draw}) 44. Kf3 h4 {This is the losing move. It may have been due to time pressure.} (44... gxf4 {Black may still be lost after this, but at least he has a fighting chance.} 45. Kxf4 f6 46. exf6 Rf5+ 47. Ke4 Rxf6 48. Nf3 { with good winning chances.}) 45. gxh4 gxf4 46. Kxf4 {Compare this position to the position after 45.Kf4 in the previous note. There white's Ps are on c3 and h3 and black has a P on h5.} Rb4+ (46... f6 {as in the previous note no longer works.} 47. exf6 Rf5+ 48. Kg4 {With a black P on h5 this move is not possible.} Rxf6 49. h5 {and white wins.}) 47. Kg3 Rb5 48. Nf3 Rxb3 49. h5 {Black has to lose a R for this P because there is no way the N can stop it.} Kc6 50. h6 Rb8 51. Ng5 Rg8 52. Kh4 {[%cal Oa7c7]} Kb6 53. Rxc7 {[%mdl 512]} Kxc7 54. Nxf7 { Black resigned.} 1-0

Manhattan CC vs. Brooklyn CC Way Back in 1907

     On the down side of 1907, life expectancy was very short...45.6 years for males and 49.9 years for females. The leading causes of death were pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrhea and enteritis, which, together with diphtheria, caused one third of all deaths. When my mother was six years old in 1913, her four year old sister died of diphtheria, a serious infection that can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, and even death. 

     One of the biggest typhoid fever epidemics of all time broke out between 1906 and 1907 in New York when Mary Mallon, often referred to as Typhoid Mary, spread the bacterial infection to about 122 New Yorkers during her time as a cook on an estate and in a hospital unit. 

     On the plus side, the Scott Paper Company introduced paper towels in 1907 for public bathroom use; their kitchen use didn't arrive until 1931. And, the Kellogg cereal company promoted their cornflakes with something called the Wink Day campaign. Women we’re encouraged to “wink at your grocer and see what you get” and what they got was a free box of cereal.  

     Factoids: Starting in 1907 and lasting until 1922, women who were US citizens lost their citizenship if they married a foreigner. Speaking of marriage, over in England prior to 1907 it it had been illegal to marry your dead wife’s sister. 

     If you were an American chess aficionado there was bad news, too. On February 23, Britain defeated the US in the 9th cable match by a score of +3 =2 =5. Then in April, Emanuel Lasker retained his world championship crown by defeating Frank Marshall 11.5 to 3.5.

     On the plus side, in 1907 a whole gaggle of masters were born: American master Ted Dunst (1907-1985), English barrister, political theorist, philosopher and strong amateur player Gerald Abrahams (1907-1980), Ludwig Roedl (1907-1970) a German IM, Erno Gereben, aka Ernst Gruenfeld, (1907-1988), Louis D. Statham (1907-1983) a wealthy engineer and inventor who sponsored the series of Lone Pine International tournaments from 1971-1981, Danish IM Hens Evald Enevoldson-Eising (1907-1980), Latvian champion Vladimir Petrov (1907-1943), Gregory (Garry) Koshnitsky (1907-1999) an Australian champion and correspondence IM, Argentine champion Isaias Pleci (1907-1979) was born, Israel Albert “Al” Horowitz (1907-1973), a leading player in the US during the 1930's and an IM and, finally, Yugoslav champion GM Vasja Pirc (1907-1980).

     Even more important, 1907 was the year my parents were born and because of that you are reading this blog! 

     In a long forgotten event, one of the largest gatherings of chess players ever seen in the vicinity of New York City for a long time took place in the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club in Carnegie Hall on November 5 when the teams of the Manhattan and Brooklyn chess clubs, twenty-five strong, met in the first team match held between these clubs in several years. 

     The match was held on election day and in Brooklyn voting turn out was poor and there was very little interest; the Brooklyn Daily Eagle mentioned that it was a fine day for playing golf. The paper didn't even mention the chess match. 

     There was, however, an interesting article on the front page about how in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cash was scarce and the city was making payments by checks. People were making purchases using script payable only through the Pittsburgh Clearing House. The public was warned not to purchase script from scalpers and fearing an epidemic of crime, police warned people not to horde money in their homes. 

     Up in Montreal a conductor on a Rutland Railway train was positive that Raymond Hitchcock was on one of his cars. Raymond Hitchcock (1865-1929) was an American silent film actor, stage actor and stage producer, who appeared in, or produced 30 plays on Broadway from 1898 to 1928, and who appeared in the silent films of the 1920s. 

     Also in the news was the story of a Brooklynite, 18-year Rudolph Gross, who had been admitted to the hospital. He was not insane and appeared healthy, but the hospital staff was flummoxed by his inability to speak; he communicated in writing. He was seized by the condition when he entered a restaurant, but then suddenly lost his ability to speak. Restaurant employees left him seated about an hour then kicked him out and he then sat on the front steps where he remained over night. In the morning the police took him to the police station and when he would not talk, he was taken to the hospital. 

     Sounds like he had aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to communicate through speech as well as the way a person writes and understands both spoken and written language. It typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury, but can also come on gradually from a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes progressive, permanent damage. 

     Though neither team was at full strength, Manhattan won by the score of 15 points to 10, scoring +10 -6 =8. At the conclusion, the two teams cheered each other and one of the most successful events of the season was over. The results:

 

[Event "Team Match, New York City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1907.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "J.S. Jones (Manhattan)"] [Black "A.C. Cass (Brooklyn)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1907.??.??"] {QGD Tarrasch Defense} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 {An early example of the Tarrasch Defense, an aggressive bid for central space. After white plays cxd5 and dxc5, black will be left with an isolated P on d5 which may be weak, but it gives black a foothold in the center and his Bs will have unobstructed lines. Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch contended that the increased mobility black enjoys is well worth the inherent weakness of the isolated d-Pawn. Steinitz rejected the defense out of hand because of the P weakness, but for his part Tarrasch rejected other variations to the point of putting question marks on routine moves in all variations except the Tarrasch(which he awarded an exclamation mark in his book Die Moderne Schachpartie. Today the defense is considered sound.} 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Be6 {Popular at the time, this old move has long since disappeared from master practice in favor of 5...Nc6} 6. e3 (6. e4 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nc6 8. Be3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 {is equal. Lasker,E-Janowski,D Berlin 1910}) (6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 c4 8. O-O Bb4 9. Qa4+ Nc6 10. Ne5 {White is sightly better. Loncar,R (2374)-Fucak,E (2276) Rijeka CRO 2015}) 6... Nf6 $14 7. Bb5+ Nbd7 {[%mdl 32]} 8. O-O {[%cal Oe3e4]} Bd6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Nd4 {Fianchettoing the B with 10.b3 was a good alternative.} O-O 11. Nb3 Bd6 12. f4 {This is a positional mistake.} (12. Nd4 a6 13. Bd3 {is completely equal.}) 12... Nc5 13. Nd4 Nfe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bd3 Re8 16. b3 Rc8 17. Bb2 Qh4 {It would have been better to preserve his B by retreating it to d7 in which case he would have had a slight advantage.} 18. Nf3 (18. Bxe4 {was a reasonable try but after} dxe4 19. Nxe6 Rxe6 20. Rc1 Rxc1 {the position is equal.} 21. Qxc1) 18... Qh6 { Returning to d8 would have been better because the Q is out of play here and black loses a P.} 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Qxd6 exf3 21. Rxf3 Red8 22. Qb4 {[%mdl 2048]} Rd5 {[%mdl 8192] Black wants to add the R to his K-side attack, but this is a tactical error which white also was unaware of.} (22... Qh5 {keeps white's advantage at a minimum.} 23. h3 (23. Rg3 {fails to} Rd1+) 23... Qc5 24. Qxc5 Rxc5) 23. Rg3 (23. e4 a5 (23... Rh5 24. Rg3 g6 25. Qd4 {wins}) 24. Qxb7 Rd2 25. Bc3 Rc2 26. Rd1 {leaves black in dire straits.}) 23... f6 (23... g6 { was a must play, but after} 24. Qe7 Qh5 {Threatening ...Rd8+} 25. Bd4 Qe2 26. Qxb7 {white still has a decisive advantage.}) 24. Qe7 {White is winning.} Bf5 ( 24... Bf7 {This is no better.} 25. Bxf6 Re8 26. Bxg7 Rxe7 27. Bxh6+) 25. Bxf6 { [%cal Rg3g7]} Rd7 26. Qe5 {This is sufficient, but 26.Bxg7 as above still works.} g6 27. e4 Qh5 {The old ...Rd1+ threat again.} 28. Rf3 Bg4 29. Rc3 Rf8 30. Qxh5 Bxh5 31. Bg5 Kg7 32. e5 Bg4 33. Rac1 Kf7 34. Rc7 Ke6 35. h3 Bf5 36. Rxd7 Kxd7 37. Rd1+ Ke8 38. Rd6 Kf7 39. g4 {Black resigned...something he could have done several moves back.} 1-0

Andrzej Pytlakowski, A Polish Master

    Polish master Andrzej Pytlakowski (July 2, 1919 - November 15, 2010) was a student Stefan Batory Gymnasium and Lyceum in Warsaw. Starting in 1937 he studied at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology. 

     In 1938 Pytlakowski joined Bratnia Pomoc (Brotherly Help), a popular Polish students’ mutual aid organization. Starting in the 1930s, most branches were dominated by the nationalist Academic Union All Polish Youth. During the Second World War, under the Nazi German occupation, Bratniak branches functioned at the illegal, underground Polish universities. 

     Bratnia Pomoc existed until the early 1950s when it was first politicized and subsequently dissolved and replaced by the communist Zrzeszenie Studentow Polskich (Association of Polish Students). Bratnia Pomoc in its traditional, non-communist form was recreated after 1989. 

     In September of 1939 Pytlakowski managed to get to Lviv where he briefly studied at the Polytechnic before going to work in a radio plant. In 1942 he returned to Warsaw and worked at the State Radio and Telecommunication Works.

     In 1943, with the war in full swing and Germany occupying Poland, he became a partisan Gwardia Ludowa (People's Guard) and used the pseudonym "Adam". Gwardia Ludowa was a communist underground armed organization created by the communist Polish Workers' Party in German occupied Poland, with sponsorship from the Soviet Union. 

     Formed in early 1942, it quickly became the largest clandestine fighting force in Poland which refused to join the Polish Underground State loyal to the London-based government-in-exile. In January of 1944 the organization was incorporated into the communist Armia Ludowa (People's Army). 

     Gwardia Ludowa was connected to the NKVD intelligence services of the Soviet Union with NKVD colonels commanding. It was tasked with fighting against Germany by means of partisan warfare, sabotage, and reprisal actions. In August 1944, Pytlakowski left Warsaw and worked as a teacher in the village of Polany, a small village in southern Poland. 

     At the beginning of 1945 Pytlakowski became Civil service officer of the Ministry of Public Security in Poland where he was the head of the section in Municipal Office of Public Security in Radom, a city in east-central Poland. Later be was appointed deputy head of Faculty IV of Department I Ministry of Public Security; he left the service at his own request in October 1945 as a captain.

     After the war Pytlakowski continued his studies in Lodz and after graduating, in 1947 he joined the Polish People's Army. The communist-led Polish armed forces were permitted and aided by Joseph Stalin. In the following years he worked as a chess journalist and in for Institute of Mathematical Machines, a research institute in Warsaw. 

     Pytlakowski started playing in tournaments before World War II, including starting in 1938 in the championship of the Warsaw Society of Chess Game Supporters. 

     In late 1943 and early 1944 he won the underground championship in Warsaw. In 1946 he finished second in the city of Lodz championship. Between 1946 and 1956 he participated in the Polish Championship finals six times. His best result was in 1955 when he finished third. 

     After the communist authorities liquidated sports associations, including the Polish Chess Federation, in 1951 Pytlakowski became vice president of the Chess Section Main Committee of Physical Culture for training. 

     In the 1950s he competed in international tournaments and in 1952 he was a member of the Polish team in the Olympiad in Helsinki. The Polish team consisted of Tarnowski, Pytlakowski, Plater, Sliwa, Litmanowicz and Gruenfeld. 

     For political reasons Pytlakowski was chosen to play on second board, a position well above his real strength, and as a result he scored a miserable +0 -6 =1. 

     In 1955, in Lodz, he played in a match against USSR and scored 1-1 against Semyon Furman. In the years 1951–1957 he won the Polish Armed Forces Championship five times. 

     Pytlakowski also worked as chess journalism with columns in the Polish chess magazine Szachy as well as other other magazines. 

     Besides chess, for over 50 years Pytlakowski was a mountaineer and participated in many expeditions in Himalayas and Hindu Kush. For his achievements in that area he was awarded an Honorary Membership in the Capital Tatra Club in Warsaw. 

     He died at the age of 91 on November 15, 2010 and was buried in Powazki Cemetery in Warsaw. 

     The following game, played in the 1951 Marianske Lazne-Praha, 1951 Zonal has a very pretty problem-lke finish. 

     The tournament was won by Ludek Pachman with the impressive undefeated score of 13-3. Together with Szabo, Barcza and Stoltz he qualified for the following year's Interzonal at Stockholm. 

     Jan Foltys and Pal Benko were tied for the final qualification spot at Stockholm. Foltys had the better tie breaks, but there was a possibility of a play-off match taking place. However, it appears that the idea was discarded and Foltys was awarded the spot. Unfortunately, he died of leukemia on March 11, 1952 before the Interzonal started. 

      Benko was next in line, but he could not play because he was otherwise occupied; he was in prison for trying to defect to the West. 

     Gideon Stahlberg ended up getting the place vacated by first Foltys then Benko. Pytlakowski's opponent was the enigmatic Romanian IM Ion Balanel. He was born in Bucharest on June 7, 1926 and was Romanian Champion in 1950, 1953, 1955 and 1958. He twice qualified for the Zonal tournaments: 1951 in MarianskeLazne and Prague, 1954. 

     For unknown reason he was In 1958 he was excommunicated from his club, Dinamo, and committed to a lunatic asylum by the Communist regime in 1958 and virtually disappeared.

     A Romanian site I visited stated that he retired prematurely because of health reasons and died under unexplained conditions, but no date was given. The same site had a pencil sketch of WIM Rodica Reicher that was claimed to have been drawn by Balanel in 1961.

[Event "Marianske Lazne / Prague Zonal"] [Site "Marianske Lazne CSR"] [Date "1951.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ion Balanel"] [Black "Andrzej Pytlakowski"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E32"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {Nimzo-Indian} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e3 c5 6. dxc5 (6. a3 {is the alternative.} Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 b6 8. Nf3 Ba6 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. e4 { Mamedjarova,T (2267)-Safarli,E (2680) Sharjah UAE 2017}) 6... Na6 7. Nge2 Nxc5 (7... Bxc5 8. a3 b6 9. b4 Be7 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Rd1 Rc8 12. Nf4 {Maghsoodloo,P (2584)-Ganguly,S (2668) Doha QAT 2016}) 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Nxc3 {b4 is the strong threat.} d5 (9... a5 {preventing b4 is a viable alternative.} 10. e4 d5 11. exd5 exd5 {with a fully equal position.}) 10. b4 Ncd7 {[%cal Bc5d7,Bd7b6,Bb6c4] [%mdl 32]} 11. cxd5 exd5 {[%cal Od5d4]} 12. Bb2 Nb6 13. Rd1 Qe7 14. Be2 Be6 15. O-O Rac8 16. Qb1 Nc4 17. Nb5 a6 18. Nd4 b5 19. Nb3 {White has little play against the isolated d-Pawn whereas black has some prospects of a successful K-side attack.} Ne4 {Intending ...Qg5.} 20. Qa1 {Threats against g7 are not going to amount to much and this move gives black excellent prospects on the K-side.} (20. f3 {Either eliminating or driving back the N would maintain equality.} Qg5 (20... Ned6 21. Bxc4 Nxc4 {with equal chances.}) 21. fxe4 Qxe3+ 22. Rf2 Qxb3 23. exd5 Qxb2 24. dxe6 Qxb1 25. exf7+ Rxf7 26. Rxb1 Rxf2 27. Kxf2 Nxa3 28. Ra1 Nc2 29. Rxa6 {with a draw.}) 20... Qg5 {[%mdl 2048] Black is more active. And, this move sets up an incredible finish.} 21. Bd4 {[%mdl 8192] A fatal error.} (21. Kh1 {was absolutely essential. Black would still be better, but there is no forced win.} Rfe8 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Nd2 Bf5 {Black is better.}) 21... Bh3 {[%csl Gh3][%cal Rg5g2] There is no satisfactory answer to this.} 22. Bf3 {[%cal Od4g7]} (22. g3 h5 {Even better than taking the R.} 23. Nc5 (23. Rfe1 h4 24. Bf3 Qf5 25. Bxe4 Qxe4 26. f3 Qc2 {wraps it up.}) 23... h4 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Rfe1 hxg3 26. hxg3 Rc6 {followed by ...Rg6 with a winning attack.}) 22... Rc6 {The R joins in on the attack.} 23. Kh1 Rg6 {[%cal Rh3g2]} 24. gxh3 { This allows black a really nice finish.} (24. g3 Qf5 25. Bxe4 dxe4 26. f4 exf3 27. Rf2 Bg2+ 28. Rxg2 (28. Kg1 Qh3 {wins}) 28... fxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qc2+ 30. Kh1 Rh6 31. h4 Qf5 32. Kg2 Qg4 33. Rf1 Rxh4 {Black is clearly winning.}) 24... Qg1+ {[%mdl 512] Surprise! White resigned. A nearly flawless game by Pytlakowski.} ( 24... Qg1+ 25. Rxg1 Nxf2#) 0-1

The Elusive Mr. Ellenby

     Milton Q. Ellenby was born on October 18, 1923 and passed away at the age of 86 in Slokie, Illinois on Thursday, September 16, 2010. His obituary appeared in the September 19, 2010 issue of the Chicago Tribune: 

 

Milton Q. Ellenby, age 86; loving husband and best friend for over 53 years of Helaine, nee Miller; devoted father of Alan (Susan), Martin (Barbara Rosinsky) and Miles (Robyn Tenenbaum); proud grandfather of Marissa, Jennifer, Jacob, Hannah, Benjamin, Samuel and Aliza; dear brother of Herman (Joclyn), Jay (Carol Turner), and the late Julius (the late Anita); cherished brother in law of Joel (Jill) Miller; loving uncle, cousin and friend of many. Funeral service Sunday, 11a.m. at Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation A.G. Beth Israel, 7117 Crawford, Lincolnwood, IL 60712. Interment Westlawn. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation A.G. Beth Israel would be appreciated. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals 

 

     An actuary by profession, he was what is considered an “expert witness” as well as an author on the profession. An expert witness is a person who is permitted to testify at a trial because of special knowledge or proficiency in a particular field that is relevant to the case. 

     Besides playing chess, Ellenby was an accomplished contract bridge player. The December 6, 1955 issue of the New York Times reported that Ellenby of Chicago and Private Emanuel Hochfeld of Fort Dix, New Jersey captured the Blue Ribbon Open Pairs Championship in the twenty-ninth annual winter National Contract Bridge tournament. 

     It appears that Ellenby may have given up chess in favor of bridge. That's what another very strong master and former Ohio State Champion, Robert H. Burns, Jr., did in the late 1980s. Burns was rated over 2300 for most of his career and he won Chess Review's 1969 Golden Knights Correspondence Championship.

     Burns was born in Morgantown, West Virginia on May 19. 1948. He ended up in Mentor, Ohio and graduated from high school there. He moved to Euclid, Ohio (both suburbs of Cleveland) in the early 1970s. A self-employed computer programmer, he passed away at the age of 57.

     I am not a bridge player, but I understand that besides being a fun and exciting card game, it is also educational, reinforcing both mathematical concepts and spatial reasoning and it fosters critical thinking and problem solving at the highest level. And that is probably why some chess players find it appealing. According to an article I read in a New Zealand paper, a recent study revealed that playing bridge keeps people smarter, happier and more social into old age.

     Ellenby was originally from Chicago. In the mid- to late-1940s he is known to have played postal chess with Al Horowitz' Chess Review. Over the board he was the 1944 Illinois Junior Champion. The following year found him living in Dayton, Ohio and he won the first Ohio Chess Association title with a score of 6-1. 

     Ellenby was a frequent participant in Ohio and West Virginia tournaments during the war years and he won the first Tri-State (West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania) Championship in 1945. 

     A search for Ellenby's game only turned up a few, but while looking through some old West Virginia Chess Bulletins I discovered a couple of interesting articles. 

     In March of 1945, a prominent West Virginia player named Eddie Foy, then a Navy Storekeeper First Class, reported that another well known West Virginia player, Reid Holt of Charleston, had been missing in action since December 16, 1944. An Army infantryman, Holt had been at the Battle of the Bulge. 

     At the same time Foy reported that his brother, Anthony, had been struck in the chest by a piece of shrapnel while training in Louisiana, also in December, but he was recovering nicely. 

     In the April, 1945, West Virginia Chess Bulletin it was reported that Holt's wife had received a post card dated January 9, 1945, that he was not wounded and was being treated fairly well in a German prison camp near the Czech border in Muhlberg, Germany. 

     That previously mention first Tri-State Championship that Ellenby won was held at the Downtown YMCA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 10-11, 1945.

[Event "First Tri-State Champ, Pittsburgh"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Milton Q. Ellenby"] [Black "Dr. Siegfried Werthammer"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D71"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {Gruenfeld Defense} 1. c4 {From the thimble full of Ellenby games I uncovered he appears to have preferred positional openings.} Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. d4 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. e3 O-O 9. Ne2 Nd7 10. O-O Qc7 (10... Rb8 11. e4 e5 {Also playable is 11...cxd4} 12. Be3 b6 13. d5 Ba6 14. Re1 { Korchnoi,V (2625)-Mikhalevski,V (2380) Beer Sheba ISR 1993}) 11. Ba3 {This looks plausible; it places the B outside the P-chain and it gets some activity that is annoying to black.} (11. a4 {Same idea.} Rb8 12. Ba3 b6 13. Nf4 Nf6 { Now white's best move is 14.e4 reaching a completely equal position. Reeh, O-Deutschmann,M Germany 1983}) 11... Rb8 12. Nf4 Re8 13. Nd3 {Black, having the more active pieces, can be considered to be slightly better here.} c4 { Not at all bad, but maintaining the tension with 13...b6 was somewhat better.} 14. Nf4 {The N springs into action.} b5 15. Nd5 {Ellenby has seized the initiative and his N and Bs control the action on the Q-side.} Qd8 16. Nb4 Qa5 17. Qc1 Bb7 18. Bc6 {A bit of a slip here though.} (18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Nc6 Qa6 20. Nxe7+ Kh8 21. Nd5 {and white has an active position, but it might be difficult to make progress.}) 18... Qc7 {Black misses a great opportunity, but it's hard to fault him because it involves the sacrifice of the exchange.} ( 18... Nb6 19. Bxe8 Rxe8 {For the price of the exchange black was able to generate sufficient counterplay with ...e5 to put white on the defensive and secure a draw in Shootouts.}) 19. Bxb5 Bf3 20. Ba4 (20. Na6 {This wins the exchange, but the price is too high...the game!} Qc8 21. Nxb8 Nxb8 {and there is no way to meet ...Qh3 except to give up the Q with 22.Qd1}) 20... Bb7 { This prevents Na6, but it the withdrawal of the B gives white the upper hand. A better way was 20...Rb6} 21. f3 {Too passive...he should have played 21.e4} e5 {[%cal Be7e5,Be5e4][%mdl 32]} 22. d5 {[%mdl 2048]} e4 23. Nc6 {Better were either 23.f4 or even 23.d6?!} Bxc6 $17 24. Bxc6 Re5 {[%mdl 8192]} (24... exf3 { stays on course. White must now prevent ...Bh6.} 25. Qd2 (25. Rxf3 Ne5) 25... Rbd8 {and now it's black who has the initiative.}) 25. f4 {Gumming up the K-side and leaving black with weak Ps.} Rh5 26. Rf2 {Too passive.} (26. Rb1 Nb6 (26... Rxb1 27. Qxb1 Nf6 28. Rd1 {and white has all the action and should win.} ) 27. Rd1 Rd8 28. Rb5 a6 29. Ra5 {and white has a commanding position.}) 26... Nf6 {The N heads in the wrong direction because it has no future on the K-side. Correct was 26.,..Nb6} 27. Rb1 Rxb1 {Much better would have been 27...Rd8 introducing complications in which either side could easily go wrong. Take a look at Stockfish's analysis!} (27... Rd8 28. Rb7 Qc8 29. Be7 (29. Rxa7 Nxd5 30. Ra8 Qc7 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Rd2 Qa5 33. g4 Nxf4 34. exf4 Rh3 35. Bb4 { White is winning.}) 29... Rhxd5 30. Bxd5 Nxd5 31. Bxd8 Qxb7 {White is better.}) 28. Qxb1 Nxd5 29. Bxd5 {This miscue allows black to equalize.} (29. Rd2 { This is the best move.} Bf8 30. Bxd5 Bxa3 31. Qxe4 Be7 {White should br in no hurry to grab the c-Pawn!} 32. g4 {This keeps the R out of play.} Rh4 33. g5 { and white is much better.}) 29... Rxd5 30. Qxe4 {Threatening Qe8+ and mate.} Rd1+ 31. Kg2 {The mate threat is still there.} Qc8 32. Bb4 Rd3 33. Rc2 { After this the action has fizzled out and a draw would not be out of place.} ( 33. f5 {might have been worth considering.} Bh6 34. Qe7 Rxe3 35. Qxa7 gxf5 36. Qc5 Qxc5 37. Bxc5 Rxc3 38. a4 Rd3 39. Ra2 c3 {Black is slightly better, but a draw still seems a reasonable conclusion.}) 33... f5 34. Qe7 Qc6+ 35. Kh3 h5 { So, black has finally gotten some long sought after play on the K-side, but is it enough?} 36. Qxa7 Qh1 37. Qc5 Qf1+ {[%mdl 1024] Black seems to have enough play that he will be able to save the game.} 38. Rg2 Rd2 39. Qc8+ Kh7 40. Qa8 h4 (40... Re2 {picks up a P, but it's probably not enough to win.} 41. Qb7 { Setting a trap.} Rxa2 (41... Rxe3 42. Bf8 {wins!}) 42. Qc6 {and neither side can make progress.}) 41. gxh4 Rf2 42. Kg3 {Prevents Rf3+. Now either 42...Qe2 or 42...Rxg2+ would pretty much secure the draw. Instead black shoots himself in the foot.} Qd1 {[%mdl 8192] Blundering a R and there is no perpetual check. One suspects black was in serious time pressure here.} 43. Kxf2 Qd2+ 44. Kg3 Qd1 45. Kh3 Bf6 46. Qb7+ Kg8 47. Rxg6+ Kh8 48. Rh6+ {Black resigned. A tough loss for Dr. Werthammer.} 1-0

A Battle Between Interesting Characters

     With World War Two winding down chess activity began increasing, but there were still casualties among chess players. 

     Bill Wall's prodigious chess site informs us that in January, Austrian master Wolfgang Weil (1912-1945) died in combat in Croatia and Dutch master Arnold van der Hoek (1921-1945) was killed in an Allied bombardment on a labor camp at Watenstedt, a suburb of Brunswick, Germany. Also in January, Hungarian master Kornel Havasi (1892-1945) died in Austria where he was working as a forced laborer for the Nazis. 

     In April, Hungarian master Zoltan von Balla (1883-1945) died in Budapest in a traffic accident with a Soviet tank. The same month the promising German master and fervent Nazi, Lieutenant Klaus Junge, was killed when he refused to surrender in a shootout with Allied troops on April 17th in the battle for Hamburg, just three weeks before the war ended. 

     In May, German master Heinz Nowarra was (1897-1945) was possibly killed in an Allied bombardment in Berlin. 

     For the United States, the war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945, and on September 2, 1945, the Japanese signed formal surrender documents. 

     The 1944-45 Marshall Chess Club Championship concluded during the early part of March. Because of the war a number of contenders were missing: Corporal Milton Hanauer, Lieutenant Carl Pilnick, Corporal Louis Levy, Private Solomon Weinstock and Lieutenant Harold Sussman. Civilians Reuben Fine and Samuel Reshevsky were absent because they were living outside of New York City. 

     The championship resulted in an undefeated victory for Army Private First Class Herbert Seidman. It was the second year in a row he was the club champ. Second place went to a young Irving Rivise who was to later become a prominent California master. Four-time title holder Anthony E. Santasiere finished third. Seidman drew with both of his nearest rivals, Rivise and Santasiere. 

     The Santasiere-Seidman game was adjourned and between them a total of twenty-six hours was spent analyzing the adjourned position. On resumption of play, they agreed to a draw after one minute.

 

     In the following game the interesting character Walter Goldwater gets outplayed by an equally interesting character, Anthony Santasiere. It is noteworthy how white's position disintegrates, not by any outright mistakes, but by sight technical inaccuracies that have a disastrous cumulative effect. 

     Another notable thing about the game is that when it was annotated by Fritz 17 using Stockfish, the program's Weighted Error Value for Santasiere was 0.09 which is considered flawless. Goldwater's was 0.61 which is not bad! It means his moves were, on average, only a little over a half a P inferior to the best engine move.

[Event "Marshall CC Champ (1944-45)"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1945.01.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Walter Goldwater"] [Black "Anthony Santasiere"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B12"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "1944.11.19"] [Source "Chess Review, Ma"] {Caro-Kann: Advance Variation} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {An old Tal favorite. The Advance Variation has gained popularity after having been been widely regarded as inferior for many years.} Bf5 4. Bd3 {The Bayonet Attack (4. g4) is always interesting! This move exchanging off his good B is suspect. Usual is 4.Nf3 and then develop the B on e2.} (4. g4 Bd7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be3 Ne7 7. Qd2 h5 8. g5 g6 9. Bd3 Na6 10. a3 Nc7 11. Nge2 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2732)-Anand,V (2786) Leuven BEL 2017. The position is equal.}) 4... Bxd3 5. Qxd3 e6 6. Nf3 { This is strategically incorrect because the N belongs on e3 where it does not obstruct the advance of his f-Pawn which is necessary in this formation.} Qa5+ 7. Bd2 {Better was 7.c3. With the B on d2 black has no good square by which to get the N into play.} Qa6 {This forces the trade of Qs because it white doesn't he will experience difficulty in castling.} 8. Qxa6 Nxa6 {[%cal Bb8a6, Ba6c5,Bc5d7][%mdl 32]} 9. Nc3 Ne7 {With Qs off the board the chances of an attack against black's K are greatly reduced and his endgame prospects are brighter. His P-formation is sounder and he can force open the c-file to his advantage. Note that white's advantage in space is meaningless unless he can build up with f4, g4, f5 etc.} (9... Nc7 10. O-O-O O-O-O 11. Ne2 Be7 12. Bg5 Bxg5+ 13. Nxg5 Nh6 {White has the uooer hand, but the game ended uo being drawn in Moiseev,V (2425)-Tishin,P (2425) Bogoroditsk RUS 2013}) 10. Nd1 { Castling was better.} c5 11. dxc5 {This is wrong because white wilfully removes the support of his e-Pawn. It was imperative that he play 11.c3.} Nxc5 12. Nd4 {This explains white's last move...he has made d4 available and cleared the way for the advance of his f-Pawn.} Nc6 {Compelling white to make another exchange because his e-Pawn is attacked.} 13. Nxc6 {Goldwater was under the misapprehension that exchanges offered him drawing chances. But with each exchange, he improves black's position. Here, he fortífies black's center and has left himself weak on the b-file.} bxc6 14. Bb4 {Consistent with his exchange policy, but inconsistent with the requirements of the position.} ( 14. f4 {was called for, but after} f5 15. Nf2 Ne4 {and black is better.}) 14... a5 15. Ba3 Rb8 16. Ke2 (16. O-O {was worth a try.} Nd7 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. Re1 Ke7 19. b3 c5 {Black is clearly better thanks to his more active position.}) 16... Nd7 17. Bxf8 Rxf8 18. f4 f6 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Rf1 Rb4 {Black's pieces are very active while white's are sorely undeveloped.} 21. g3 e5 {[%cal Re5f4]} 22. f5 {Forced.} (22. fxe5 Re4+ 23. Ne3 Rxf1 24. Rxf1 d4 {wins a piece.}) 22... g6 23. fxg6 {This is very bad.} (23. c3 {was his best try, Then after} Rb8 24. b3 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 gxf5 26. Ne3 Nf6 27. Nxf5 {Black still has the better game, but at least white has managed to his pieces into play.}) 23... Re4+ {The point...black wins a piece and whiye can resign.} 24. Ne3 d4 {He does not need to recapture as he can stop the adverse Pawn in his good time.} 25. Rxf6 (25. gxh7 Rxe3+ 26. Kd2 Rh6 {with an easy win.}) 25... Rxe3+ 26. Kd2 Nxf6 27. gxh7 Nxh7 {[%mdl 4096] With only one P for the piece, white may safely resign. He was no doubt encouraged by having two passed Ps, but Santasiere makes a quick end to the game.} 28. c3 Ng5 29. cxd4 exd4 {[%cal Be5d4,Bd4d3,Bd3d2][%mdl 32]} 30. Rd1 {White is just going through the motions.} Nf3+ 31. Kc2 d3+ {The threatened N fork facilitates matters.} 32. Kc3 d2+ 33. Kc2 Re1 {Now all black must do is exhaust white's P moves and white will be in Zugzwang.} 34. h4 Kf7 35. g4 Kg6 36. a3 a4 {Goldwater resigned.} (36... a4 37. Rxd2 (37. g5 Kh5) 37... Nxd2 38. Kxd2 Rg1 39. g5 Rg4) 0-1