Obscurity!

     If you have ever heard of Szczawno-Zdroj, a spa town in southwestern Poland, you get 50 rating points. 

     If you knew that in 1957, a Cobalt bomb donated by the Polish Canadian Council was given to the Institute of Oncology you get 200 rating points. 

     The cobalt bomb, as it was called at the time, was the most modern equipment for the treatment of deep seated tumors. 

     Coming out of the depths of Stalinist influence, Poland's music of the 1950s featured state-backed songs that emphasized communist messages about work, but there also existed rebellious jazz that was played in venues hidden from the prying eyes of government officials who had banned that type of music. 

     Here's a sample of the approved music; it's from from the song Budujemy Nowy Dom (Building a New Home):

 

We are building a new home 

Yet another brand new home 

For the better days to come 

O Warsaw!

 ... 

From the basement to the top 

Let the buildings rise with luck 

For the dreams of all of us 

O Warsaw! 

 

     The following game was played in Szczawno-Zdroj, a tournament that was destined to be consigned to oblivion. The loser was Victor Ciocaltea (1932-1983), an 8-time Romanian champion who was awarded the IM title in 1957 and the GM title in 1979. His opponent was the Dutch player Constant Orbaan (1918-1990) who became in International Arbiter. 

 

     The game is rather amusing as the advantage went back and forth and in the end Orbaan did have a decisive advantage, but his last move was an error that allowed Ciocaltea to equalize. Unfortunately for Ciocaltea, he didn't recognize the fact and resigned, or a more likely scenario is that in what appears to have been mutual time pressure, he overstepped the time limit. 

[Event "Przepiorka Memorial, Szczawno-Zdroj"] [Site "Szczawno-Zdroj POL"] [Date "1957.08.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Victor Ciocaltea"] [Black "Constant Orbaan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E75"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "1957.07.27"] {King's Indian: Averbakh Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 {The Averbakh Variation. It prevents the immediate 6...e5} c5 { This is the old main line which keeps the long diagonal open. Sometime black plays 6...h6 forcing the B to move plus he also has the option of a later ... g5. Other moves are 6...Nbd7 and Judit Polgar's 6...Na6.} (6... e5 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nd5 {wins the exchange.}) 7. d5 e6 8. g4 {An experiment that has not been repeated.} (8. f3 {remains equal.} exd5 9. cxd5 a6 10. a4 Qa5 11. Ra3 h5 12. Qd2 {Labollita,M (2429)-Lemos,D (2371) Buenos Aires 2006}) (8. dxe6 Bxe6 (8... fxe6 9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 Rxd8 {is messy, but equal. Kummer,H (2321) -Mahdi,K (2332) Vienna 1999}) 9. Qd2 Qb6 10. Nf3 Nc6 11. O-O Ng4 12. Nd5 { is equal. Estrada Degrandi,W-Najdorf,M Montevideo 1954}) 8... exd5 9. exd5 Re8 {White would have a difficult choice to make about what to do with his B after 9...h6 and none of them are totally satisfactory.} 10. Kf1 {White is already facing difficulties in completing his development.} h6 11. Bd2 Rxe2 {This clever sacrifice of the exchange assures black of a lasting initiative.} 12. Ngxe2 Bxg4 (12... Nxg4 {Is more precise because the threat of ...Qh4 would win. } 13. h4 Ne5 14. h5 g5 15. f4 Nxc4 16. fxg5 Nd7 17. gxh6 Qf6+ 18. Kg2 Nxd2 19. Qxd2 Bxh6 {and black is well off.}) 13. Kg2 Nbd7 {[%mdl 1024] Black has compensation for the exchange, but not more.} 14. f3 Bf5 {Better was 14...Bh5} (14... Bh5 15. Ng3 Ne5 {is fully equal.}) 15. Bf4 {[%mdl 8192] Missing his chance to gain the advantage and at the same time yielding a significant advantage to black.} (15. Ng3 Bd3 16. b3 {This also leaves black in a difficult situation.} (16. Bxh6 Bxh6 17. Qxd3 {nets a P}) 16... Nh5 (16... b5 17. Nxb5 Nxd5 18. Rc1 {Black has no really good reply.}) 17. Nxh5 gxh5 18. Rg1 Bg6 19. Kh1 {and white is better.}) 15... Nh5 {[%mdl 2048] Now black is back in control.} 16. Bg3 Ne5 17. b3 Qd7 18. h3 Nd3 19. Qd2 Re8 20. Raf1 {[%mdl 32]} Qe7 21. Kh2 Bxc3 (21... Nxg3 {was better.} 22. Kxg3 Nf4 23. Nxf4 (23. Qxf4 Be5) 23... Qg5+ 24. Kf2 Bd4+ {wins}) 22. Nxc3 Nxg3 23. Kxg3 Qe5+ 24. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Qd4 25. Rf3 g5 {After this black loses all of his advantage and the position is back to equal.} (25... Ne1 {This move, admittedly difficult to see, would have kept black in charge.} 26. Rxe1 (26. Qxd4 cxd4 27. Rxe1 Rxe1) 26... Qxd2 27. Rxe8+ Kg7 28. Re2 Qc1 {Black has what should amount to a winning advantage. ..theoretically at least.}) 26. fxg5 Bg6 27. gxh6 {The remainder of the game is not playe especially well by either side. Was time pressure a factor?} Kh7 { Centralizing the N with 27...Ne5 was better.} 28. Rhf1 (28. Nb5 {attacking the d-Pawn is inviting, but it loses...} Qe5+ 29. Kh4 (29. Kg2 Be4) 29... Qh5+ 30. Kg3 Be4) 28... Ne5 29. R3f2 {Now Nb5 is a strong threat.} (29. Qxd4 cxd4 30. Nb5 Nxf3 31. Rxf3 d3 32. Rf2 {with about equal chances.} (32. Nxa7 d2 33. Rf1 Re1 {and black wins.})) 29... Bd3 (29... Nxc4 {is a better defense as it leads to a difficult material imbalance.} 30. bxc4 Re3+ 31. Kg2 Qxd2 (31... Qxc3 32. Qxc3 Rxc3) 32. Rxd2 Rxc3 33. Rf6 Rxc4 34. Rxd6 {White should be able to force the win.}) 30. Qf4 {[%mdl 8192] his gross blunder loses the game.} (30. Ne2 Bxe2 31. Qxe2 {Taking the Q leaves black with an annoying passed P. In this position white should be able to squeeze out a win.}) 30... Rg8+ {Of course he could also have won with 30...Qxc3} (30... Qxc3 31. Rc1 Rg8+ 32. Kh2 Qd4 33. Qxd4 cxd4 34. Rg1 Rxg1 35. Kxg1 Kxh6 36. Rf6+ Kg5 37. Rxd6 Bf5 38. c5 Kf4 39. h4 d3 40. Kf2 Ng4+ 41. Ke1 Ke3 {and black wins}) 31. Kh2 Bxf1 {[%mdl 32768] This position is actually very complicated, but after this move the game is back to equal. There is no explanation as to why white lost here. It's possible that he misjudged to position, but that he lost on time isalso a pausible explanation.} (31... Qxf4+ {is not playable.} 32. Rxf4 Bxf1 33. Rxf1 Rg6 34. Ne4 Rxh6 35. Rf5 {and white is winning. For example...} Kg7 36. Nxd6 Rxd6 37. Rxe5 {with a won ending.}) (31... Bxf1 32. Ne4 (32. Rxf1 Qxc3 { leaves black winning.}) 32... Bd3 33. Nf6+ Kh8 34. Nxg8 Qxf4+ 35. Rxf4 Kxg8 36. Rf6 Kf8 37. Kg3 (37. Rxd6 Ke7 {The R has only one way out.} 38. h7 Bxh7 39. Rh6 Bg8 {with a likely draw.})) (31... Qxc3 {leads to victory.} 32. Qe3 f5 33. Rd1 Qd4 34. Qxd4 cxd4 35. Rg2 Rf8 {and black should be able to win.}) 0-1

The Not So Great 1969 Reti Memorial

 

     Thursday saw miserable weather, but at least we did not have the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that occurred in the South. Friday we are under a Winter Weather Advisory until after midnight: windy and 2 to 9 inches of Lake effect snow. It's a good day to wander around in the old chess world to see what turns up.

     Back on December 31, 2022, I posted about happenings in 1969, and in today's post we will be returning to that year. It was the year that Chess Review (sadly) ceased to exist when it merged with the USCF's Chess Life magazine. 

     On another sad note, Alexander Tolush (1910-1969), Alexey Sokolsky (1908-1969) and Kurt Richter (1900-1969) all passed away. 

     In the U.S., John Watson won the first High School championship. Andy Soltis won the Intercollegiate championship. Kimbal Nedved won the Amateur Championship. Ken Rogoff won the Junior Closed Championship and Lawrence Day won the Junior Open. 

     Pal Benko, Milan Vukcevich and Arthur Bisguier tied for first in the U.S. Open, Samuel Reshevsky won the U.S. Championship and Gisela Gresser won the U.S. Women's Championship. 

     Simon and Schuster published Fischer's work of genius, My 60 Memorable Games. 

     Boris Spassky became the new World Champion when he defeated Tigran Petrosian by the score of 12.5 to 10.5. Nona Gaprindashvili maintained her world's women championship.

     Today we' will be taking a look at a game from a small 4-player tournament held in Bladel, a town with a population of about 20,000 that's located in southern Netherlands, that went virtually unnoticed. 

     The truth is, it was what you might call a "novelty" tournament. What was unusual about it was that the four players, all old timers, had once played against the great Richard Reti to whose memory the tournament was dedicated. 

     It really wasn't much of a tournament though. Only six games were played and five of them were drawn. The only win was by Max Euwe who defeated Hans Muller. In that game Muller resigned after 35 moves in a position, that while is was lost, I think most players would have played on a bit. 

     Euwe (age 68) won with 2.0 points. He was followed by Salo Flohr (age 60) and Karel Opocensky (age 77) each with 1.5 and Hans Muller (age 72) with 1.0.

     Reti's widow, who was living in Moscow, appeared at every round and watched most of the games. Most of the games appear to have been formalities, perhaps due to the player's ages. 

     In the following game the players agreed to a draw which, despite the material imbalance, was a technically correct decision.

 

[Event "Reti Memorial, Bladel, NED"] [Site ""] [Date "1969.07.03"] [Round "1"] [White "Max Euwe"] [Black "Karel Opocensky"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A56"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "1969.??.??"] {Benoni Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 {This defense creates dynamic, imbalanced positions where each side will have a chance to play for a win.} 3. d5 { White’s most popular response.} g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. Nge2 e6 8. O-O exd5 9. exd5 {Equally playable was 9.cxd5} Nbd7 10. f4 {This prevents .. .Ne5, but it appears that it is not really necessary. At the same time it eyes the future possibility of the further advance of the f-Pawn.} (10. Ng3 Ne8 11. Bd2 Ne5 12. Be2 f5 13. Qc1 {is completely even. Aleksandrov,A (2635)-Zhou Jianchao (2473) Dubai 2005}) (10. Bf4 Ne8 11. Qd2 Ne5 12. Bg5 Qc7 13. f4 { The chances are equal. Sarandos,V (2245)-Vandenbussche,T (2418) Stockholm 2014} ) 10... a6 11. a4 b6 {White's last move prevented ...b5 leaving black with no Q-side prospects. Instead of this rather passive approach black probably should have taken a different course of development.} (11... Ne8 12. h3 f5 13. Be3 b6 14. Qd2 Nc7 {The position offers little to either side. Peng,Z (2411) -Zwirs,N (2201) The Netherlands 2012}) (11... Re8 12. Ng3 Rb8 13. Bd2 b6 14. h3 Nf8 15. Qc2 {white enjoys a space advantage. Hadzikasimovic,Z (2117)-Sprecic,M (2280) Neum 2008}) 12. Ng3 Ne8 {Again, black takes a passive approach.} (12... h5 {leads to interesting play after} 13. f5 h4 14. Nge4 Ne5 {and white has two interesting possibilities: 15.fxg6 and 15.Bg5}) 13. Nce4 {Hardly bad, but it's not very promising.} Ndf6 14. f5 {With the N on e4 this has now lost some of its punch.} Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Bd7 16. Qc2 {After this the position is dead equal.} (16. Ra3 {This R lift is designed to reinforce white's play on the f-file. It at least would have give him a more active position.} b5 17. Raf3 bxc4 18. Bd2 Rb8 (18... Bxb2 {would not be good. After} 19. fxg6 hxg6 20. Bxg6 {white is near winning.}) 19. Bc3 Bxc3 20. bxc3 {White has an active position.}) 16... b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Bg5 Qxg5 $17 19. Rxa8 Bd4+ 20. Kh1 Nf6 21. Rxf8+ Kxf8 22. fxg6 hxg6 {The preceeding exchanges and the block position has fizzled out to a draw.} 23. Bf3 Be5 {The threat is 24...Qh4} 24. Ne4 Qh6 25. g3 bxc4 {This is safest as it avoids the complications resulting from 25...Bf5} (25... Bf5 { Threatens ...Bxg3} 26. Qe2 {keeps things equal.} Bxe4 {Safe and solid.} (26... bxc4 {This leads to some tricky play.} 27. Nxf6 Bxf6 28. Be4 Bh3 29. Bg2 (29. Rxf6 {This would lose.} Qc1+ 30. Rf1 Bxf1 {and black wins} 31. Qf2 Bd3+ 32. Kg2 Bxe4+) 29... Bxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qg5 31. Qxc4 Bxb2 {Black should be able to draw even though he is the exchange down.}) 27. Bxe4 Nxe4 28. Qxe4 bxc4 29. Kg2 { The threat was ...Bxg3} Qg5 (29... Bxb2 {leads to complications that theoretically at least favor white.} 30. Qe6 Qd2+ 31. Kh1 f5 32. Qxd6+) 30. Qxc4 Bxb2 {Here, too, even though he is the exchange down black should be able to hold the draw.}) 26. Nxf6 Bxf6 27. Bg4 Bxg4 28. Rxf6 Qg5 29. Rf4 {Euwe avoids a trap and so a draw was agreed.} (29. Rxd6 Qe5 {The mate threat on e1 leaves white in a dire predicament.} 30. Kg2 (30. Rd8+ Ke7 31. Rb8 Bf3+ 32. Kg1 Qe1#) 30... Qxd6 31. Qxc4 Bd7 {and with precise play black should be able to win this.}) 1/2-1/2

Williams Wallops Wyvill At London 1851

     In May 1851, London staged the Great Exhibition to showcase British technology and the metropolis' chess community felt obliged to do something similar and so Britain's leading player, Howard Staunton, took the lead in organizing the first international tournament. It was to be the first time the best players in Europe would meet in a single event. There was also held a "London Provincial Tournament" for British players who were not strong enough to be invited to play in the International Tournament. 

     In addition to the tournament, Staunton and other players wanted to meet to standardize rules, notation and set time limits. This last was a major problem because some players were notorious for just out-sitting their opponents.

     Staunton also suggested publishing an opening book with the moves in the form of a table. Before the tournament a couple of columnists proposed that the winner should be regarded as the World Champion, but there was never any indication that crowning a world champion was an official objective. 

     The tournament was a knock-out event with sixteen of Europe's best players. Unfortunately many of the invitees were unable to play. Some of the better players absent were Johann Lowenthal, Pierre Saint-Amant, Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, Alexander Petrov and Carl Jaenisch. 

     Saint-Amant was in far away California. He had been sent there by the French government as a diplomat following the state's independence from Mexico during the California Gold Rush. Also missing was Thomas Buckle who was considered to be second only to Staunton among British players. 

     A number of other British players were missing as a result of a dispute with the London Chess Club, most notably Daniel Harrwitz and George Walker. Also, Adolf Anderssen was reluctant to accept his invitation because of the travel expenses, but Staunton offered to pay Anderssen's travel expenses out of his own pocket if necessary, should Anderssen fail to win any prize money. Anderssen accepted Syaunton's offer. 

     The first round pairings were made by lot and the eight losers in the first round which consisted of a best-of-three games, draws not counting were eliminated. Subsequent rounds were best-of-seven, and losers played consolation matches. 

     Immediately after the tournament Staunton challenged Anderssen to a twenty-one-game match for a 100 pound stake. Anderssen agreed to the match, but could not play right away as he had been away from his job as a school teacher for over two months. In addition Staunton was having physical problems. As a result, the match was never played. 

     His win left Anderssen being recognized as Europe's best player and Staunton bitter; he blamed his failure to win the strain of organizing the event and a weak heart. Staunton also condemned chess as a profession even though the bulk of his income was derived from chess. 

     It should be mentioned that the famous Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, the famous Immortal Game, was an offhand game played at the venue, but it was not played in the tournament. 

     In one of the lesser known games from the event Elijah Williams (1809-1854) defeats Marmaduke Wyvill (1815-1896) in a pretty game. At London, Williams defeated Lowenthal and Staunton before losing to Wyvill. Wyvill, a Member of Parliament, finished 2nd in the tournament. 

[Event "London"] [Site ""] [Date "1851.06.??"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Elijah Williams"] [Black "Marmaduke Wyvill"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B21"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1851.??.??"] {Sicilian Defense} 1. e4 c5 2. f4 {Originally known as the McDonnell Attack which comes from the McDonnell vs. de La Bourdonnais match played in London in 1834, today it's known as the Grand Prix Attack. The usual way of reaching it today is to first play 2.Nc3.} e6 3. Nf3 g6 4. e5 (4. d4 Bg7 {Better was either 4...d5 or 4...cxd4} 5. Nc3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Ne7 7. Be3 Bxd4 8. Qxd4 O-O 9. O-O-O f5 10. e5 Nbc6 11. Qd2 Qa5 12. Kb1 a6 13. Bc4 b5 14. Bb3 Kh8 15. Qf2 Rb8 16. Rd6 Qc7 17. Rhd1 a5 18. a4 b4 19. Nb5 {Black resigned. Bisguier,A (2237) -Merlin,A Parsipanny 2009}) 4... Nh6 5. b3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Ne7 7. Nc3 a6 {A tactical oversight. Correct was 7...Bg7, but white's position is preferable thanks to his spatial advantage.} 8. Ne4 {White is better. There is no really satisfactory way for black to meet this move.} Bg7 9. Nd6+ Kf8 10. Be2 Nhf5 11. Ne4 {This is better than trading Ns. As it is, at some point black's N will have to vacate f5 with a loss of time and in the meantime, white's N remains well placed.} b6 {Black underestimates the strength of white's next move or else he would have played 11...h5 trying to maintain the N on f5.} (11... h5 12. Nxc5 {OK, so black givens up a P, but he gains some measure of freedom.} d6 13. Ne4 b5 {and black is getting developed and white can only claim to be slightly better.}) 12. d3 {Too passive...the position calls for aggressive play.} (12. g4 {drives the N away and after} Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bb7 14. Bf3 cxd4 15. Ba3 Kg8 16. h4 Nd5 17. Nd6 {white has a very nice position. There's no clear forced win, but black's carmped position would require careful defense.}) 12... d5 {[%mdl 32] Driving the N back and gaining control of the important square d6.} 13. Nf2 (13. exd6 Nd5 14. Ne5 Nfe3 {and it's now black's Ns that dominate. } 15. Bxe3 Nxe3 16. Qd2 Nxg2+ {and the N can safely get back by ...Nh4-f5}) 13... d4 {A sudden turn of events has left white cramped.} 14. g4 {Safer would have been 14.O-O then just trying to hang on, but instead Williams chooses to play aggressively and it pays off.} Nh6 {The N is misplaced here and white seizes the initiative.} (14... Ne3 {Wyvill may have avoided this thinking the P on e3 would he vulnerable.} 15. Bxe3 dxe3 16. Ne4 {However, after} Nd5 { white can't defend the f-Pawn.} 17. Qc1 Nxf4 18. Rg1 (18. Qxe3 Ng2+) 18... Nd5 {with a vastly superior position.}) 15. Ng5 Nd5 16. Nfe4 f6 {This only weakens his Ks position. The ugly retreat 16...Ng8 was best.} 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. O-O Kg7 19. Nxf6 Qxf6 20. Bf3 {In spite of everything, black's position, while inferior, is still defensible. However, his next move placing the B on an undefended square is illadvised. Moving the R from potential attack with 20... Ra7 would have been a wee bit better.} Bb7 21. Qe1 Rae8 22. Bd2 Rhf8 23. Qh4 Rh8 24. Rae1 Ng8 {It's hard to see how, but this move turns out to be the losing move.} (24... Nf7 {is tougher, but even then black has no way to equalize! One possibility is} 25. Qh3 Nxf4 {Winning the P does not help.} ( 25... Kg8 26. Qg3 Ba8 27. h4 h6 28. Ne4 {and black is facing insurmountable difficulties.}) 26. Bxf4 Qxf4 27. Nxf7 Qxf7 28. Bc6 Qe7 29. Bxe8 {with a decisive advantage.}) 25. Qg3 h6 26. Ne4 Qd8 27. f5 {Cracking open the Ks position.} exf5 28. gxf5 g5 29. Nxg5 {[%mdl 512]} hxg5 30. Bxg5 Rh3 {Well played! It hardly saves the game, but it was worth a shot.} 31. Bf6+ {[%mdl 512] A problem-like finish.} (31. Qxh3 Qxg5+ 32. Qg3 Qxg3+ 33. hxg3 Rf8 34. g4 {White ahs a R+2Ps vs 2Ns and should win with little difficulty, but at least black has some hope however forlorn it might be.}) 31... Kxf6 32. Qg6# *

97 Pound Weaklings Pumping Pawns

     Comic books used to run Charles Atlas body building ads aimed at young boys offering courses that would turn a 97 pound weakling into a real he-man. Chess book authors have adapted a similar spiel...they promise to turn weak chess players into masters. 

     In 1975, Gerald Ford was the President and the 1973–1975 economic stagnation was coming to an end, but we didn't know that. This period was different from many previous recessions because high unemployment and high inflation existed simultaneously. 

     Technically the recession ended in March of 1975. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 2.3 million jobs were lost during the recession; at the time which was a post-war record. 

     In those days I had been working as a timekeeper in a foundry and until the recession business had been booming. I remember working 10-12 hours a day with one Saturday a month off. Then, during the recession we went down to 3 days a week and eventually the place folded. All that remains today is the old office building, a garage, a parking lot overgrown with weeds and three vacant lots where the foundry buildings used to be. 

     1975 was the year of the “Thrilla in Manila," the heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the Philippines. At the movies the box office hit Jaws set records and McDonalds was driving everybody nuts with the slogan, “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” Their burgers did not taste any better then than they do today. 

     Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger on TV for 169 episodes and two feature films in the 1950s, was sued by the Wrather Corporation. Wrather owned the Lone Ranger character by copyright and Moore was making appearances as The Lone Ranger without their approval. The company won the suit and Moore had to make appearances wearing wrap-around sunglasses instead of the Lone Ranger's iconic mask. Boos to the Wrather Corporation. 

     It was also the year that Union Teamster Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. He disappeared on July 30, 1975 and is generally believed to have been murdered by the Mafia. He wasn't declared legally dead until 1982. 

     Under the Freedom of Information Act you can access the FBI's Record Vault and view their documents on Hoffa HERE. 

     In late 2021, the FBI searched land next to a former landfill under the Pulaski Skyway in Jersey City, New Jersey, for Hoffa's remains, but found nothing. But...were they really looking? Read a story about the "search" HERE. 

 

      

 

     It was also the year of mood rings, Six Million Dollar Man action figures and Pet Rocks. Mood rings are still around, but when they were introduced it was claimed that when the stone changed color it indicated the wearer's mood. For example, if it turned black they were upset. Of course, all it really registered was the temperature of the wearer's finger. 

     Really, really stupid was the fad involving pet rocks. They were small rocks that came in custom cardboard boxes lined with straw and breathing holes for the rock. 

     The rock also came with a 32-page training manual (The Care and Training of Your Pet Rock) that had instructions on how to properly raise and care for the rock. The manual contained gags, puns and jokes and listed several commands that could be taught to the rock. Stupid as it was, the developer sold over a million of them at $4.00 each...that's about $22 each in today's dollars. 

     There were two big tournaments I got to witness that year: the international tournament in Cleveland, Ohio (won by Istvan Csom of Hungary) and the US Championship in Oberlin, Ohio (won by Walter Browne). 

     The following game is one of my few OTB game scores that have survived and I am surprised at how well both of us 97 pound chess weaklings played! 

 

[Event "Cleveland, Ohio"] [Site ""] [Date "1976.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C19"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1976.??.??"] {French Defense, Winawer} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 (2. c4 {This is my other favorite reply to the French because after the usual} d5 {Black could also play 2...c5 with a Maroczy Bind.} 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 {the game has transposed into a position where white is likely to end up with an isolated d-Pawn which I don't mind playing with.}) 2... d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {As a Botvinnik fan I was quite familiar with the Winawer. Apparently, so was my opponent because we followed the book for quite a few moves.} 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 {This is by far the most frequently played move.} 7. a4 {This anti-thematic move has brought little success. White almost always plays 7.Qg4 after which black has three options: 1) sacrifice a couple of Ps with 7...Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 and then play ...cxd4 destroying white's center. 2) play 7...O-O which places his K in a potentially dangerous location because the K-side is where white is planning to attack. 3) He can play 7...Kf8 which is actually better than it looks because of the locked P-center and if white's K-side attack begins looking dangerous the K can flee.} Qa5 8. Qd2 {The plan is to develop the B on a3 where it will be more active than on d2.} Nbc6 9. Nf3 c4 {A poor move because it severely limits black's counterplay on both the center and the Q-side. The simple 9.Bd2 was best.} 10. Be2 Bd7 11. O-O {[%mdl 32]} O-O-O { No matter which side he castles on black will face some difficulties.} (11... O-O 12. Ba3 f6 13. Rab1 Qc7 (13... Qxa4 {is really bad. After} 14. Ra1 { black is in grave danger.} f5 (14... fxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe7) 15. Bd6 Qb5 16. Rfb1 {wins the Q}) 14. Bd6 {with the better game.}) 12. Ba3 f6 (12... h6 13. Rfb1 Rde8 14. Bc5 b6 15. Ba3 {and white's position is to be preferred. Grund,H (2415)-Wadsworth,M (2135) Daventry ENG 2014}) 13. Rfb1 h5 (13... Nf5 14. g4 Nfe7 15. Bd6 Ng6 {Now after 16.Rb5 white would be better. Perez Ponsa, F-Iermito,S Esperanza 2003}) 14. Bd6 Rdg8 15. Rb5 Qa6 16. Rab1 {This induces the obvious 16...b6 which is a mistake!} b6 (16... Nf5 {was called for, but black rejected it because of the obvious} 17. Rxb7 {but after} Nxd6 {Black has eliminated the well placed B and then after} 18. exd6 Qxb7 {This surprising move is the only way! Other moves would lose.} (18... Qxa4 19. Rc7+ Kd8 20. Ne5 Bc8 (20... fxe5 21. Rb8+ {mates in 3}) 21. Nxc6+) 19. Rxb7 Kxb7 {and black has nearly enough compensation for the Q and he can make a real fight of it. Of course, neither of us saw all this.}) 17. Qc1 {Over preparation!} (17. a5 { would have pretty much wrapped it up according to the engines. White gets a B+N vs R+P and a winning advantage. However, after} Nxa5 18. Rxa5 {This is the move I missed.} Qxa5 19. Bxe7 {I'm still not seeing it so I ran some Shootouts and white scored 5-0. Here's the result at 17 plies. I should add that neither of the two players would have played at the same level of Stockfish though so the Shootouts are no indication of what the actual results might have been.} f5 20. h4 Kb7 21. Qc1 Ka8 22. Ra1 Qb5 23. Ng5 Qc6 24. Qa3 a5 25. Nf7 Ka7 26. Nxh8 Rxh8 27. Qc1 g6 28. Qg5 Be8 29. Kf1 Ka6 30. Ba3 Rh7 31. Ke1 Qc8 32. Kd2 Qc7 33. Qf6 Qd7 34. Rg1 Qc8 35. f3 Kb5 36. g4 fxg4 37. fxg4 Rf7 38. Qg5 hxg4 39. Qxg4 Qd7 40. Qxg6 Rf1 41. Qg8 Rxg1 42. Qxg1 Qh7 43. Qg5 Bg6 44. Bd1 Be4 45. Bf8 Ka6 46. h5 Kb5 47. Qf6 Qg8 48. Qg7 Qxg7 49. Bxg7 Kc6 50. Bf8 Kd7 51. h6 Ke8 52. Bd6 Kf7 53. Bh5+ Kg8 54. Bg4 Kh7 55. Bxe6 Kxh6 56. Bd7 b5 57. e6 {etc. Anybody could win from here.}) 17... Qxa4 {This is too dangerous.} (17... Nf5 {would have at least equalized.} 18. Ba3 Qxa4 19. Bc5 Kd8 20. Qb2 Qa6 21. Bxb6+ axb6 22. Rxb6 Qa8 {Both Stockfish and Komodo think black is slightly better, so it must be true.}) 18. Qb2 Qa6 19. Ra1 Qb7 20. Qa3 {[%mdl 8192] In the auto-annotation Fritz slapped a question mark on this move and reassigned the one P advantage to black!} (20. Bc5 {[%mdl 512] We saw this in the note to the last move.} Nd8 21. Rb3 (21. Rxb6 axb6 22. Bxe7 {favors white.}) 21... cxb3 22. Ba6 bxc5 23. Bxb7+ Nxb7 24. cxb3 {and white, like in the previous note, is better.}) 20... Nf5 21. Bc5 {I finally saw it, but now it's too late to have any effect.} (21. Rb2 {is the engine suggestion, but after} Nxd6 22. Qxd6 Qc7 { white's advantage has evaporated.}) 21... Nxe5 {[%mdl 512] This merits an exclamation mark!} 22. Rbb1 (22. dxe5 Bxb5 23. Bd4 {Black is better...much better.}) 22... Nxf3+ {Retreating to c6 was also a good option.} 23. Bxf3 { And just like that black is calling the shots because white's attack prospects against the K have sputtered to a halt.} Qc7 {Getting the Q off the Rs line of fire looks quite logical, but now Stockfish drops the evaluation from one P on black's favor to 0.00 meaning it's anybody's game.} (23... Re8 {This obscure looking move is the move.} 24. Bb4 Kb8 25. Bd6+ Nxd6 26. Qxd6+ Kc8 {and white is at a loss for a good continuation.}) 24. Qa6+ (24. Qxa7 {Why not this? There was no reason not to play it, but after the exchange of Qs white doesn't have anything. For example...} Qxa7 25. Rxa7 bxc5 26. Rbb7 Bc6 (26... Be8 27. Rc7+ Kb8 {draws.}) 27. Rb6 (27. Rc7+ Kb8 {White is apiece down.}) 27... cxd4 28. Rxc6+ Kb8 29. Rca6 {and white can draw.}) 24... Qb7 25. Qa3 {Still hoping to win.} (25. Qxa7 Qxa7 26. Rxa7 bxc5 27. Rbb7 Bc6 28. Rb6 Bd7 29. Rbb7 {draws. }) 25... Bc6 26. Bb4 {The best option was to take the draw with 26.Qxa7} Kc7 ( 26... Kb8 {Defending the a-Pawn keeps more of the advantage, but black probably disliked the idea of having his Q and K on the same file as the R.} 27. Bd6+ Nxd6 28. Qxd6+ Qc7 (28... Ka8 {loses to} 29. Rxa7+ Qxa7 30. Qxc6+ Qb7 31. Ra1+ Kb8 32. Qd6+ Qc7 33. Qxe6 Rd8 34. Bxd5 Rxd5 35. Qxd5 Qb7 36. Qxc4) 29. Qxc7+ Kxc7 30. Rxa7+ Bb7) 27. Qxa7 {Finally admitting there is nothing better.} Ra8 28. Qxb7+ Bxb7 29. g4 {This is an attempt to get the B into action or else trade it for the N. Black makes a ill advised decision to cooperate.} (29. Rxa8 {is what white should have played.} Bxa8 30. Re1 {Black's advantage is minimal. }) 29... hxg4 {Instead of this which allows white to get rid of his useless B black shouldvhave tried 29...Nh4} (29... Nh4 30. Bd1 hxg4 31. Bxg4 f5 32. Bd1) 30. Bxg4 Rh4 31. Bxf5 exf5 32. Rxa8 Bxa8 {[%mdl 4096] The resulting endgame is equal.} 33. f3 f4 34. Re1 Rh7 35. Re7+ Kd8 36. Ra7 Bc6 37. Be7+ {White's next move is going to be Bxf6, but does it make a difference which way black moves his K?} Ke8 {Yes. and this is the wrong way!} (37... Kc8 38. Bxf6 Bb7 {Cutting off the line of action of white's R...that's why going to c8 made such a big difference.} 39. Be5 (39. Bg5 g6 40. Bxf4 Rf7 41. Bg5 Rxf3) 39... Rh6 40. Bxf4 Rf6 41. Bg5 Rxf3 {is a draw.}) 38. Bxf6 {[%mdl 512]} Bd7 39. Be5 {This is the wrong square! Immediately after making the move I realized 39...g5 defends the P and there is nothing left, so I offered a draw which was accepted.} (39. Bg5 {keeps the winning chances alive.} Bh3 40. Bxf4 Kf8 41. Rb7 Rh5 42. Kf2 (42. Rxb6 Rf5 {equals}) 42... g5 43. Bd6+ Kg8 44. Rxb6 {Even though white is 2 Ps up, the opposite colored Bs and doubled Ps make the win extremely difficult. In Shootouts white only scored +1 -0 =4.}) 1/2-1/2

The Hammerschlag Opening By Any Other Name...

 

...would be as bad. 

     1948 was the year Mill Ends Park was dedicated in Portland, Oregon. The park, consisting of one tree is located in a median strip in downtown Portland, Oregon and is a small circle 2 feet across. 

     Here's another fun fact; in 1948, Highway Gothic, a standard set of fonts specifically designed to maximize legibility at a distance and high speed, was put into use. 

     Highway Gothic is a sans-serif typeface developed by the United States Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and used for road signage in the Americas, including the US, Canada and Latin American countries, as well as many Asian, South American and European countries. 

     It was the year Cheetos were first created. Some people find them addicting and there is a scientific reason for it. According an Oxford study, the brain associates the crunching sound with freshness, so it convinces eaters that they're eating something that is more appetizing than it really is. 

     The bar codes we see everyday were invented by Bernard Silver and Norman Woodland; they are based on the Morse code. 

     Not surprisingly, conspiracy theorists considered bar codes to be an intrusive surveillance technology and from fanatical Christians, pioneered by a 1982 book The New Money System 666 by Mary Stewart Relfe, thought the codes hid the number 666, representing the Number of the Beast mentioned in Revelation and they are the stamp of the Antichrist. Television host Phil Donahue described bar codes as a "corporate plot against consumers." More on the conspiracy HERE 

     Call it what you will, 1.f3, the Barnes Opening, the Fried Fox Attack, the Wandering King Opening, the Hammerschlag, the Tumbleweed, the Bongcloud, the Pork Chop Opening or the Half Bird, it's still, according to the late GM Edmar Mednis, the worst opening move possible, and GM Ben Finegold lists it on his "Never Play" list. 

     The opening is named after Thomas Wilson Barnes (1825–1874), an English player who had eight wins over Paul Morphy, including one game where Barnes answered 1.e4 with 1...f6, known as the Barnes Defense. The opening 1.f3 is sometimes followed up with the nonsensical 2.Kf2, the Hammerschlag. 

     Here's a fun Hammerschlag that was played in the Northwestern Intercollegiate Championship that was held in Austin, Texas. 

[Event "SW Intercollegiate Chp, Austin"] [Site "?"] [Date "1948.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "J. Gilbert"] [Black "G. Dickie"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "109"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.01.09"] {Hammerschlag} 1. f3 {Obviously there is no clear refutation of this move so all black can do is follow general opening principles. Engines give black's advantage at less than a Pawn.} d5 2. Kf2 {the "book" line, if there is such a thing and the recommended engine move is 2.f4} (2. f4 c5 3. e3 {with a Bird Opening where white has forfeited his opening mvoe advantage and handed it over to black.}) 2... e5 (2... c5 3. e3 e5 4. Bb5+ Nc6 5. Ne2 f5 6. Re1 Nf6 7. Kg1 Bd6 8. d3 O-O {Black is better. Sochacki,W (2264)-Krouzel,J (2159) Pardubice CZE 2013}) 3. c3 Nf6 4. Qc2 Bc5+ 5. e3 e4 6. d4 Bd6 7. Ne2 exf3 { Black would have been somewhat better off avoiding this and playing 7...c5} 8. gxf3 {Black is clearly better.} Nh5 9. e4 {Better was 9.Ng3} Qh4+ {After this white finds himself in a very difficult situation. the best move, 10.kg1, leaves his R hemmed in and useless.} 10. Ke3 {This leaves his K far too exposed and black can already be considered to have a winning position.} O-O 11. Nd2 Re8 12. Bg2 dxe4 13. fxe4 Nc6 (13... Qg5+ {would be weaker because all it does is drive white's K to a somewhat safer position.} 14. Kf2 Nc6 15. Nc4 Qh4+ 16. Ng3 f5 {with a strong attack.}) 14. Nf3 Bf4+ {At first glance this is a logical developing move, but, in fact, it loses all of black's advantage.} ( 14... Qg4 15. Kf2 Rxe4 16. Ng5 {White's "attack" is destined to fizzle out.} Re8 17. Qxh7+ Kf8 18. Bf3 Qh4+ 19. Kf1 Bh3+ 20. Nxh3 Ng3+ {is decisive.}) 15. Nxf4 Qxf4+ 16. Kf2 {Now white's K is quite safe and it's an entirely new game!} Qxe4 {It would have been more promising to keep the Qs on with, say. 16...Qg4} 17. Qxe4 Rxe4 18. Ne5 {Trapping the R.} Rxe5 (18... Rh4 19. Bg5 Nxe5 20. Bxh4 Nd3+ 21. Ke3 Nxb2 22. Bf3 Nf6 23. Bxf6 gxf6 {favors white.}) 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Rd1 {[%mdl 128] Black is in trouble.} Bg4 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Rd5 f6 23. Ba6 Be6 24. Rc5 c6 25. b3 g5 26. Be2 Ng7 27. Bxg5 {[%mdl 512] Winning a P. Being the exchange down, materially black is not so badly off, but his position will prove untenable because white's pieces are more active and his K is better positioned.} Nd7 28. Bf4 Nxc5 29. Bxb8 Ne4+ 30. Ke3 Nxc3 31. Bxa7 Nb5 32. Bxb5 cxb5 {[%mdl 4096] White's engame play is impeccable.} 33. Rc1 Nf5+ 34. Kf4 Ne7 35. Rc5 Bd7 36. Bb8 Kf7 37. Bd6 Ng6+ 38. Ke4 Ke6 39. Bg3 Ne7 40. Rh5 f5+ 41. Kd3 Nd5 42. Rh6+ Kf7 43. Rxh7+ Ke6 44. Rh6+ Ke7 45. Kd4 f4 46. Bh4+ Ke8 47. Kxd5 f3 48. Kd6 Bf5 49. Rf6 Be4 50. Ke6 b4 51. Rh6 Kf8 52. Bf6 Bd5+ 53. Kxd5 f2 54. Ke6 f1=Q 55. Rh8# {What's interesting about this game is that the auto-analysis using Fritz and Stockfish was that white's Weighted Error Value is given as 0.18 while black's was 0.50. As near as I can tell the Weighted Eroor Value is a pretty useless number, but 0.18 is defined as "very precise." Based on that, 0.50 does not seem too bad.} 1-0

An Impressive Performance by Cobo-Arteaga

     Back in 1958 payola had became a household word. Record companies realized that popular disc jockeys could influence sales. The disc jockeys realized it, too, and they established deals with labels and record distributors. 

     A typical deal was $50 (over $500 in today's dollars) a week, per record, to ensure a minimum amount of plays. The more influential DJs commanded percentages of grosses for local concerts, lavish trips, free records by the box full and some even opened their own record stores. 

     One of the most famous DJs that got caught up in the scandal, Alam Freed, was the man who coined the term "Rock and Roll" and it ended his career. Cleveland, Ohio DJ Joe Finan later described the decade: “It was a blur of booze, broads and bribes.” 

     In other shocking news Jerry Lee Lewis, rock 'n' roll's first great wild man, married his 13-year-old 2nd cousin Myra Gale Brown. It was his third marriage. Lewis, who was 22 years old at the time, claimed she was actually 15. The publicity caused an uproar and his Engliah tour was canceled after only three concerts. 

     Walt Disney Studios killed scores of lemmings for the ‘suicide scene’ in the 1958 movie White Wilderness. Producers pushed and threw them off a cliff while shooting footage and presented it as a natural occurrence for the audience.

     Lemmimgs are interesting creatures. In the 17th century, naturalists were perplexed by Norway lemmings when they suddenly appeared in large numbers, seemingly out of nowhere. They came to the conclusion that they were being spontaneously generated in the sky and then falling to earth like rain. Some people even thought that lemmings explode if they become sufficiently angry. 

     But the biggest lemming myth is that they commit mass suicide by jumping off seaside cliffs. Instinct, it is said, drives them to kill themselves whenever their population becomes unsustainably large. 

     Lemmings do not commit suicide, but the myth (helped out by Disney's movie scene) is based on the fact that they have large population boom every three or four years. When that happens and the population gets too high a large group will set out in search of a new home. Lemmings can swim, so if they reach water such as a river or lake, they may try to cross it. Naturally, a few don't make it and drown. But it’s hardly suicide. 

     In other news, actress Lana Turner’s 14-year old daughter, Cheryl, saw her mother being beaten by her boyfriend Johnny Stompanato and killed him with a kitchen knife. Some people think that Lana actually did the killing in self defense. Cheryl was not charged and Stompanato's death was deemed a justifiable homicide. 

     Cheryl Christina Crane (born July 25, 1943). Lana Turner's only child, is a retired real estate broker, author and former model. Her father was Turner's second husband. 

     Stompanato was was an ex-Marine who became a bodyguard and enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen and his crime family. Stompanato was known to have been abusive, extremely jealous of Turner and on a movie set in England he pointed a gun at actor Sean Connery. Connery took the gun from him, beat him up and forced him off the movie set after which Scotland Yard had Stompanato deported. 

     In other grisly news, between December 1957 and January 1958, in Nebraska and Wyoming 20-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 13-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate murdered 11 people over an eight-day period. Starkweather was sentenced to death and fried in the electric chair while Fugate served time in prison and was released in 1976. 

     On January 8, 14-year old Bobby Fischer won the 1957/58 US Championship and Zonal finishing a point ahead of Reshevsky. Raymond Weinstein won the US Junior championship in Homestead, Florida. 

     The winner of the 1958 US Open that was held in Rochester, Minnesota was the little known and untitled Cuban, Eldis Cobo-Arteaga (1929-1991). He won the Cuban championship in 1950 was awarded the IM title in 1967. 

     Cobo Arteaga started off inconspicuously with a second round loss to Allen Kaufmann, but ended up scoring +9 -1 =2 to finish a half point ahead of Larry Evans, Robert Steinmeyer and Donald Byrne (9.5 points) and Arthur Bisguier and Kaufmann (9.0 points). 

     There was also another surprising top place finisher in this tournament. Finishing in places 7-11 with 8.5 points were Robert Byrne, Stephan Popel, Attilio Di Camillo, Edmar Mednis and the almost unknown Francisco Ballbe Anglada of Spain. 

     In the following game Cobo-Arteaga demonstrated what John Collins described as precision and rare composure in a manner reminiscent of his illustrious predecessor Capablanca. That's not quite correct. Collins superficially annotated the game based on the outcome, but that was not uncommon in pre-engine days. Nevertheless, it was still an impressive performance by Cobo-Arteaga! 

[Event "US Open, Rochester, Minnesota"] [Site "?"] [Date "1958.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Herbert Avram"] [Black "Eldis Cobo-Arteaga"] [Result "*"] [ECO "E87"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate ""] {King's Indian, Saemisch Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 f5 9. exf5 gxf5 10. O-O-O Qe7 (10... c5 11. dxc6 Nxc6 12. Qxd6 Qa5 {Favors white. Franco Raymundo,E-Papapostolou,C Varna 1962}) 11. Bd3 a6 {A versatile move. Black has already obtained chances on the K-side and in the center and now he seeks play on the Q-side.} 12. Nge2 b5 { Offering a P.} 13. Bg5 {Safe.} (13. cxb5 axb5 14. Bxb5 {and black has some vague hope of establishing Q-side counterplay on the open files somewhat like he does in the Benko Gambit.}) 13... Qf7 14. Rdf1 (14. g4 {White chooses a rather passive line.} fxg4 15. fxg4 Nf4 16. Nxf4 exf4 17. Rhf1 Be5 18. Bh6 { and white is quite well off.}) 14... bxc4 15. Bxc4 Nd7 16. h3 {Much too passive. 16.g4 is still the move.} f4 17. Ne4 Nb6 18. Bb3 a5 19. a4 Ba6 20. Qc2 Kh8 {Black begins a phase of regrouping and feeling out his opponent.} 21. Rd1 Rab8 22. Rhe1 Rb7 23. Rd2 Qg6 24. Qc6 Rfb8 25. N2c3 Qf7 26. Ba2 Ra7 27. Bh4 Bc8 {Threatening to win the Q with ...Bd7} 28. Ng5 Qg8 {Now the threat is to win a piece with ...Bf6} 29. Bf2 h6 30. Nge4 Qf7 {As an example of so many annotations in the old days the annotator claimed that with this move the wily Cobo-Arteaga entices Avram into an unsound tactical continuation. In fact, this move is, itself, unsound!} (30... Ng3 {with complications seems to be his best line.} 31. Kb1 {The most solid continuation.} (31. Nb5 {This leads to a messy position.} Bd7 32. Qc2 Rab7) 31... Nxe4 32. fxe4 Rab7 {with equal chances.}) 31. Bxb6 (31. Nxd6 {this refutes black's idea!} cxd6 32. Bxb6 Rab7 33. Bxa5 {and white has the better of it.}) 31... Rxb6 32. Nxd6 Qf8 {Snapping the trap shut says the annotator who noted that white must lose his N on d6 or surrender his Q for a R+B+P. It's not at all true, but it's still a very fine move. In fact, it's the only move that keeps the chances equal.} 33. Nxc8 { After this white has a lost position.} (33. Qe8 {This move was missed by the annotator and both players, but not the engines which evaluate the position as almost dead equal...meaning both sides have chances.} cxd6 (33... Qxe8 {would leave white with a vastly superior position after.} 34. Nxe8 Ng3 35. Nxg7 Kxg7 36. Rxe5) 34. Qxh5 Rc7 {equals}) 33... Rxc6 34. Nxa7 Rxc3+ {This unexpected counter-blow is the only move to keep the advantage. White's K is now fatally exposed.} 35. bxc3 Qa3+ 36. Kb1 Qxc3 37. Ree2 e4 {Threatening to win the B with ...Qa1+} 38. Rb2 Qd3+ {There is a bit of controversy in the game's actual finish.} 39. Rec2 {This is the finish as given in the tournament book and the annotated game's republication in Chess Life.} (39. Rbc2 {This is the move that appeared in the unannotated game as given in an earlier copy of Chess Life.} Qd1+ {and white, facing mate in 5, resigned.} 40. Rc1 Qxe2 41. Rc2 Qd1+ 42. Rc1 Qd4 43. Rc3 Qxc3 {mate next move.}) 39... Qf1+ {White resigned.} (39... Qf1+ 40. Rc1 Qd3+ 41. Rbc2 (41. Rcc2 Bxb2 42. Kxb2 Qd4+ 43. Kb1 Qxa7 {Black is clearly winning.}) 41... Qd4 42. Rc3 Qxa7 {Black is winning.}) *

1945 West Virginia Championship

     The Labor Day holiday that fell on Monday, September 3, 1945, was a memorable one...the Japanese surrendered aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. 

     The beginning of the three-day weekend on September 1st had some really big news on the home front...the Agriculture Department removed the wartime ban on sale of whipping cream, the sale of which had been prohibited since 1943, and released 20 million pounds of butter to civilians and announced the public share of the 1945 canned salmon would more than double. 

     In New York City a mayoral candidate named Newbold Morris came out against sin of all kinds...things like burlesque shows, smutty shows and amusements, bingo and other forms of gambling.

     In other news that weekend, Colonel James Stewart, the former movie star Jimmy Stewart, who traded making movies in Hollywood for the Army, had returned home and wanted to get his old job back and return to movies. 

     Stewart came from a long line of military man and at the outbreak of the war he enlisted in the Army much to the dismay of MGM movie studios. He entered the Army as a private and at the end of WWII he was a colonel in the Army Air Corps and had been decorated as the result of the 20 combat missions he flew over Germany as leader of a squadron of B-24’s. Stewart continued his military career after WWII by serving in the Air Force Reserves and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. 

     Stewart said he wanted to make any movies but war films; he said, "People have had enough of that sort of stuff. They're in the mood for some good comedies." 

  

     Over the Labor Day weekend that year in Morgantown, West Virginia, Harold W. Liggett of South Charleston bagged the State Championship with a 5.5 out of 6 score. His only draw came in the first round against Frank Wisinski; among his victims were the two former state champions, Dr. Siegfried Werthammer and William Harting. 

     It's interesting to note that two players, Dr. Victor Lemke and William Schaeffer, were playing in their first tournament and they tied for third. 

 

     The following is one of Schaeffer's wins. He should not have won it, but the game proves the point that playing the middlegame and endgame well is more important than playing the opening well. At least that's the case in non-master games which often go only a half dozen or so moves deep into the book lines. 

[Event "W. Virginia Champ, Morgantown"] [Site "?"] [Date "1945.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "William Schaeffer"] [Black "Dr. Claude Spiker"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C02"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1 (10s)"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "1945.??.??"] {French Defense, Advance Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {Rarely played, but not at all bad.} c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Ne7 {Preferable is the immediate 5... Nc6 followed by ...f6 attacking white's P center.} 6. Be2 Nf5 (6... Nec6 7. a3 Nd7 8. b4 cxd4 9. cxd4 a6 10. Be3 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nc3 f6 {is the thematic continuation. Lang,T (2055)-Simon,H/Bad Duerkheim 1993}) 7. O-O Nc6 8. Bd3 cxd4 9. Bxf5 exf5 10. cxd4 Be6 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Na4 Qb5 13. Nc5 {This loses a P. 13. Nc3 was solid.} Bxc5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Ng5 Nxe5 {This is not especially good as will soon become clear and it justifies white's 13th move. 15...O-O would have kept a slight advantage.} 16. Re1 {This gives black new life.} (16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qe2 {picks up the e-Pawn with check because} Qd6 18. Bf4 {wins a piece.}) 16... Qd6 {This is bad because it subjects black to a strong pin.} ( 16... Ng4 {is the move. White barely maintains equality after} 17. Qf3 Qe7 18. Qf4 O-O 19. h3 Nf6 20. Qxf5 Rfe8) 17. Bf4 {Overlooking a tactic that would have won the N.} (17. Nxe6 Qxe6 (17... fxe6 18. Bf4 {wins the N}) 18. f4 f6 19. fxe5 fxe5) 17... f6 18. Nxe6 {Another imprecise move.} (18. Qd4 O-O 19. Bxe5 fxe5 20. Rxe5 Rfe8 {with equal chances.}) 18... Qxe6 {Now that the N is supported by the P all danger for black has passed.} 19. Qa4+ (19. Qd4 O-O 20. Bxe5 Rc4 21. Bxf6 Rxd4 22. Rxe6 gxf6 {with a double R ending that should probably be drawn.}) 19... Kf7 20. Qxa7 Rc7 21. b3 Rhc8 22. Qe3 Re7 {It's interesting that black's doubled Rs on the open c-file have no future, so he switches to the e-file.} 23. Re2 {This is a serious error that should lose. He should have played 23.Rad1 when black's advantage is minimal.} g5 (23... d4 { was even more potent.} 24. Qh3 (24. Qxd4 Nf3+ 25. gxf3 Qxe2) 24... Nf3+ { also wins the exchange.}) 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Qxe5 Rxe5 {Even better was 25... fxe5 which would have left white pretty much helpless.} 26. Kf1 {White is following the wrong strategy in exchanging Rs. Attacking the isolated d-Pawn with 26.Rd6 would have made black's task much harder.} Rce8 {This, too, is an elementary error as he should not have allowed white to keep both Rs on the board. Thus 26...Rxe2 was correct.} (26... Rxe2 27. Kxe2 Rc2+ 28. Kf1 f4 { and white is completely tied up.}) 27. Rae1 {Much, much better was activating the R with 27.Rc2 then trying to play his one trump card...setting his Q-side Ps in motion.} Rxe2 {Advancing the d-Pawn would have caused white grievous problems. However, calculating the ramifications OTB would have been impossible, so black correctly chooses the safe way.} (27... d4 28. a4 d3 29. Re3 f4 30. Rxe5 fxe5 31. Rd1 e4 32. b4 Rd8 33. a5 Ke6 34. b5 Rd5 35. Rb1 Rc5 36. Ke1 (36. a6 bxa6 37. bxa6 Ra5) 36... Rc2 37. a6 bxa6 38. b6 d2+ 39. Kd1 Rc1+ 40. Rxc1 dxc1=Q+ 41. Kxc1 Kd6 {and the P is stopped.}) 28. Rxe2 Rxe2 { Black should have avoided this move because even though he has an extra P, in the ensuing K+P ending white has a distant two to one P advantage on the Q-side plus white's K can stop black's d-Pawn.} (28... Rc8 {keeps the advantage, but would it have been enough to win? The answer is yes; in Shootouts black won 5 and drew 1. Here is a likely continuation...} 29. Ke1 Rc1+ 30. Kd2 Rh1 31. h3 h5 32. Re1 Rh2 33. Ke3 g4 34. hxg4 fxg4 35. Rg1 h4 36. Kf4 f5 37. Kxf5 h3 38. gxh3 gxh3 39. Ke5 Rxf2 40. Rh1 h2 41. a4 Rd2 42. a5 Kg6 43. b4 Kg5 44. b5 Kg4 45. b6 Kg3 46. a6 bxa6 47. Rb1 Rb2 48. Rxb2 h1=Q 49. Rb3+ Kf2 50. b7 Qe4+ 51. Kf6 Qf4+ 52. Ke7 Qb8 53. Kd7 d4 54. Kc6 a5 55. Ra3 Qd8 { and black wins.}) 29. Kxe2 {This position is drawn, but black's next move loses the game because it allows white to get an outside passed P and black's K is too far away} b5 (29... Ke6 {Centralization.} 30. Kd3 {Likewise.} f4 31. a4 Kd7 32. Kd4 Kc6 33. b4 Kd6 34. a5 {loses.} (34. Kc3 Kc6 (34... Ke5 {puts his K out of play.} 35. a5 Kd6 36. b5 Kc5 37. a6 bxa6 38. bxa6 Kb6 39. Kd4 { White's K gobbles up the K-side Ps.}) 35. Kd4 {All either side can do is keep shifting their ks.}) 34... Kc6 35. f3 Kb5 36. Kxd5 Kxb4 37. Ke6 Kxa5 38. Kxf6 b5 39. Kxg5 b4 40. Kxf4 b3 {wins}) 30. a4 bxa4 31. bxa4 Ke7 32. Kd3 Kd7 33. Kd4 Kc6 34. a5 Kb5 35. a6 Kxa6 36. Kxd5 {There was no reasoin for black to waste time by playing on. Clearly his K is too far away so it is futile to even think about saving the game. It is possible that he was playing on to reach the time control.} Kb5 37. Ke6 f4 38. f3 h5 39. Kxf6 g4 40. Kf5 gxf3 41. gxf3 Kc4 42. Kxf4 Kd5 43. Kg5 Ke5 44. h4 Ke6 45. Kxh5 Kf7 46. Kg5 Kg7 47. h5 Kh7 48. f4 Kg7 49. f5 Kh7 50. Kf6 Kg8 51. Ke7 {Black resigned.} (51. Ke7 Kg7 52. f6+ Kh6 53. f7 Kxh5 54. f8=Q {etc.}) 1-0

No Money, No Motivation

     Germany entered into World War I on August 1, 1914, when it declared war on Russia. In accordance with its war plan, it ignored Russia and moved first against France, declaring war on August 3 and sending its main armies through Belgium to capture Paris. 

     But, in the US, a few months before the war began, on February 4th, Frederick Lorz (1884-1914), an American bricklayer and long-distance runner, died of pneumonia. The infamous Lorz was a cheater. 

     In the marathon at the 1904 Olympic Games, Lorz stopped running because of exhaustion after nine miles. His manager gave him a lift in his car and drove the next eleven miles, after which, Lorz continued on foot back to the Olympic stadium, where he broke the finishing line tape and was greeted as the winner of the race. 

     Spectators knew what happened and Lorz admitted his deception and despite his claims he was joking, the AAU responded by banning him for life, but he was reinstated after a year when it was determined that he had not intended to defraud...if you can believe it. 

     The winner, Thomas Hicks, walked part of the route, was carried by his trainers and was administered strychnine. Today the substance is primarily used to kill rats, but in those days it was used in small doses to strengthen muscle contractions, such as a heart and bowel stimulant and performance-enhancing drug. The race (or was it the rat poison?) almost killed him and he retired the next day. 

     In Germany, the Spielmann - Teichmann match was played in the Cafe Kaiserhof from February 19th to the 27th. Teichmann scored a crushing victory, but according to Emanuel Lasker, the reigning world champion, while the games were of a high order, the result was deceptive even though in previous encounters Teichmann had won six games and Spielmann only two. 

 

     According to Lasker, in a couple of games Teichmann reproduced the form he displayed when he won the 1911 Carlsbad tournament and in those games Spielmann only lasted a scant 20 moves or so. 

     As bad as his result in this match was was, in his next tournament (Baden-bei-Wien in 1914) which took pace in April, Spielmann won ahead of a number of strong players including Tartakower, Schlechter and Reti. 

     Because of that, it was Lasker's opinion that Teichmann's overwhelming victory gave an inaccurate idea of the relative strength of the two players. He wrote, "Whatever one may think of Teichmann, he cannot beat Spielmann in this fashion unless Spielmann is out of form, because nobody is able to do that." 

     What accounted for Spielmann's bad result? Lasker said it was the bad match arrangements. The players got an honorarium, but hardly any prize money was given to the winner. According to Lasker, a prize was a necessary element in the feeling of responsibility which animates the players. And, as the world was at the time, honor and glory did not seem sufficient to stimulate the players to their greatest exertions. 

     At the time of the match Spielmann was one of the new generation of players who had emerged in the first decade of the twentieth century. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was not a Hyper-modern. Instead, he was an aggressive tactician. 

     As for Teichmann, in 1911, Vidmar wrote that Teichmann "...was never a dry player. He draws a lot, but when he actually plays there was always fire." In 1914 Capablanca listed himself, Lasker, Rubinstein, Schlechter, and Teichmann as the strongest players in the world. Capablanca also made the observation that "...(Teichmann) cannot extend himself to his best effort unless his whiskey and soda are at close call, and is clever at all games of cards and billiards. Work is no virtue with him despite his massive bulk. As soon as his money is gone, he sets about to play chess." 

[Event "Match, Leipzig"] [Site ""] [Date "1914.02.22"] [Round "3"] [White "Richard Teichmann"] [Black "Rudolf Spielmann"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B46"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "1914.02.??"] {Sicilian: Taimanov} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nge2 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 { The opening has morphed into the Taimanov vVariation in shich black keeps options open regarding the placement of his pieces. One of the ideas of this system is to develop the B to b4 or c5.} 6. Nxc6 {Another alternative is 6.Be2} bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 {So far very modern. Nowadays white prefers 9.Re1} 9. Bf4 Bb4 (9... Be7 10. Re1 {In Mason,J-Maroczy,G London 1899, white played 10. Qe2 whicj is also good.} (10. Qf3 Bb7 11. Rad1 g6 12. Rfe1 O-O {is equal. Doluhanova,E (2244)-Mischuk,D (2337) Lvov 2015}) 10... O-O {as in Kasimdzhanov, R (2673)-Movsesian,S (2618) Sochi 2006 is another good choice.} 11. Qf3 g6 12. Na4 Nd7 13. c4 Bb7 {equals.}) (9... Bb7 {is yet another option.} 10. Re1 Qa5 11. a3 Be7 12. b4 Qd8 13. e5 Nd7 {Here white can claim a small advantage. Mortensen,E (2500)-Hellsten,J (2420) Copenhagen 1995}) 10. e5 Nd7 11. Qg4 { A commonly seen move in the Taimanoiv. White could also play aggressively with 11.Na4 and 12.c4} g6 12. Rfe1 c5 {A routine move that allows white to gain the initiative.} (12... h5 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 13. Qh3 (13. Qe2 { is equally good.} Bb7 14. Rab1) 13... g5 14. Bd2 Bb7 {with completely equal chances.}) 13. a3 Ba5 {After this white has a substantial advantage which he quickly exploits.} (13... Bxc3 {was a must play.} 14. bxc3 c4 15. Bf1 h5 { White's pieces are driven back and black can offer a stout defense.}) 14. Bg5 { [%mdl 2048]} Qb6 {The Q turns out to be misplaced and exposed here therefore 14...Qc7 would have been much better.} 15. b4 cxb4 16. Nxd5 {[%mdl 512] He could also have played this last move.} exd5 17. e6 {This is th ecruaher. The routine recapture 17.axb6 would have worked out to black's advantage.} f5 { Opening up his K's position results in a quick demise, but even the 17...O-O was not a lot better.} (17... O-O 18. exd7 h5 19. Qh3 Bb7 20. axb4 Bxb4 21. Rab1 {wins}) 18. exd7+ Kxd7 {Now comes a nice finish...} 19. Bxf5+ {[%mdl 512] Black resigned.} (19. Bxf5+ gxf5 20. Qxf5+ Kc7 (20... Kc6 21. Qf6+ Kb7 22. Re7+ {wins easily.}) 21. Bf4+ Kb7 22. Qf7+ Kc6 23. Qf6+ Kb7 24. Re7+ {with an easy win.}) 1-0

Taking a Chess Break Today

I don't know how relaxing listening to bagpipes is, but it's entertaining. Years ago I used to take a shortcut to work and drive through the Metroparks. Almost every morning at 7:30am there was a guy parked in a picnic area practicing on his bagpipes. 

Barbara Kaczorowska plus Miscellaneous

     Before getting to the subject matter of this post, I discovered a "secret" in auto-annotating a game with Fritz 17 and ChessBase 16. Both programs insert what are, to me, annoying and superfluous medals, colored marks that are given to games which have some extraordinary aspect: best game, tournament decider, model game, novelty, repertoire, strategy, tactics, etc. 

     How to get rid of them?! Load the game then access the medals dialog by double clicking on the medal. You can then use the mouse to uncheck the boxes which have been ticked in order to remove those medals from the notation. Unfortunately, this possibility is only available in the ChessBase program, not Fritz. Now on to the post...

     1996...the year President Bill Clinton (aka"Slick Willie") was re-elected to a second term, beating out Kansas Senator Bob Dole and billionaire, politician and philanthropist Ross Perot. 

     Unabomber Theodore John Kaczynski, who had terrorized the nation for nearly 20 years, was arrested by the FBI. Gasoline cost $1.23 a gallon, but what about bacon? 

     If you lived in 1940, bacon cost 23 cents a pound (adjusted for inflation that would be $3.91 today) and throughout the 1940s and 1950s, it never cost more than 67 cents a pound. 

     The 1960s saw bacon inching upward in price and for the first time in 1973, bacon prices exceeded a dollar a pound and throughout the 1980s, prices climbed towards $2. 

     In 1996, bacon was $3.20 a pound...that's $6.07 in today's dollars, so the $3.99 sale price for the pound of bacon I cooked for breakfast this morning was was great deal! 

     In 1996, probably the most talked about chess event came in Philadelphia on February 1st when Garry Kasparov beat IBM's Deep Blue by a score of 4-2. When it won the first game Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a world champion under tournament conditions. 

     Deep Blue's calculating wasn't much by today's standards: 50 billion positions every 3 minutes using 200 processors. 

     You could buy a Master-rated table top chess program, the Novag Zircon II, for $134. It had a 2 inch King and 1 inch squares and ran on six AA batteries (or an optional adapter). 

     Barbara Kaczorowska (born 21 October 1960), nee Szumiło, won the Polish Women's Championship in 1993 and holds the FIDE Woman IM which she received in 1989. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s she was one of the leading Polish women players. She won the Polish Junior Championship in 1978 and 1979 in the Under 20 category. From 1975 to 1996 she played 14 times in the Polish Women's Championship finals and in 1989 represented Poland at the Women's World Championship zonal tournament in Brno. 

 

 

     In the following game Kaczorowska scores a nice tactical win in the 1996 Polish Women's Championship 

[Event "Polish Women's Champ, Brzeg Dolny"] [Site "Brzeg Dolny POL"] [Date "1996.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Barbara Kaczorowska"] [Black "Sylwia Romaszko"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1996.??.??"] {Modern Defense} 1. d4 g6 {In the Modern Defense black allows white to occupy the center with Ps on d4 and e4, then attempts to attack and undermine the ideal center without attempting to occupy it.} 2. e4 Bg7 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 f5 ( 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 {Predke,A (2690)-Nikolaev,M (1925) Moscow 2020 (by transposition) was the accepted treatment of this line; black's move is too risky in that it leads to a loosening of the K-side.}) 5. exf5 gxf5 { Horrible! At least taking with the B develops a piece.} 6. Qh5+ {Of course!} Kf8 7. Nf3 {This move, shutting off the Qs retreat, is not the best. The Q has accomplished its mission and so returning to d1 was best...the loss of time was worth displacing black's K. White could also have considered 7.Nh3} Nf6 8. Qh4 h6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. O-O Bd7 11. a3 Qe8 {Better was 11...e6} 12. Qf4 (12. d5 { would have taken advantage of black's lapse last move.} Ne5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Qb4 {with an excellent position.}) 12... e5 {Further opening up the position cannot be good. Building up her defense with moves like ...Qf7, ...Re8 and ... e6 would have been a safer path.} 13. dxe5 $16 dxe5 14. Qc4 Be6 (14... Qf7 15. Qc5+ Qe7 16. Qxe7+ Kxe7 {was better.}) 15. Qb5 {Attacking the b-Pawn looks OK, but the Q has moved one square too far.} (15. Qc5+ Qe7 16. Qb5 e4 { Counterattacking.} (16... Rb8 {is no better.} 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Qxe5 Nd5 19. Qe2 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Bxc3 21. Rb1 b6 22. Bf4 {white is better.}) 17. Qxb7 Qe8 18. Nh4 Rb8 19. Qxc7 {Here, too, white stands very well.}) 15... Bc8 {This is too passive of a defense!} (15... a6 {This baits a nifty little trap and if white falls for it, she would lose the game.} 16. Qc5+ (16. Qxb7 Ra7 {and the Q is trapped.}) 16... Qe7 {and black has equalized. The difference between this position and the position after 15.Qc5+ is that here white has no threats on the b-Pawn or on the long white diagonal.}) 16. Be3 {16.Re1 packed more punch.} Kg8 17. Rad1 Kh7 18. Rfe1 a6 19. Qc5 Qe6 (19... Qe7 20. Qxe7 Nxe7 21. Nxe5 { wins}) 20. Bg5 Bf8 21. Qe3 Ng4 22. Qc1 Bc5 {White's small slip on move 15 has allowed black to equalize. However, the pressure is on black because one slip is likely to prove disastrous.} 23. Rd2 Rg8 {Rather pointless. Black needs to play aggressively and so 23...e4 was called for.} (23... e4 24. Bf4 Qf7 25. Nh4 Be7 26. Nd5 Bxh4 27. gxh4 Nge5 {with a satisfactory game.}) 24. Bh4 {Missing a good opportunity.} (24. h3 Nxf2 25. Rxf2 hxg5 26. Nxg5+ Rxg5 27. Qxg5 Bxf2+ 28. Kxf2 {and white stands well.}) 24... e4 {Equalizing.} 25. h3 Nge5 {This proves fatal. 25... Nf6 preventing white next move was required.} (25... Nf6 {Things get messy, but black stays safe.} 26. b4 (26. Bxf6 {Intending to play Nd5 anyway.} Qxf6 27. Nd5 Qf7 28. b4 (28. Nh2 {The N cannot move.} Rxg3) 28... exf3 29. bxc5 fxg2 {Black is better.}) 26... Bd6 27. Rdd1 Bd7 28. Nd2 Raf8 {Here comes the tactics!} 29. Ncxe4 fxe4 30. Nxe4 Nxe4 31. Bxe4+ Rg6 32. Bxc6 (32. Bxg6+ Qxg6 {is unclear.}) 32... Qf5 33. Be4 Qxf2+ 34. Kh1 Bc6 35. Bxc6 bxc6 36. Rd3 {with equal chances.}) 26. Nxe5 Nxe5 27. Nd5 {This is OK, but she missed a neat tactic.} (27. Nxe4 fxe4 28. Bxe4+ Kg7 29. b4 Bd6 30. f4 Ng6 31. f5 { and wins}) 27... Rg7 28. Nf6+ (28. Rxe4 {Flashy, but no better than the text.} fxe4 29. Nf6+ Kg6 30. Bxe4+ Kf7 31. Bd5 Nf3+ 32. Bxf3 (32. Kg2 Nxh4+ {and black is better!}) 32... Rxg3+ 33. Bxg3 Qxf6 34. Qd1 {and white is winning.}) 28... Kg6 29. Qd1 Rf7 30. Nh5 Kh7 31. Nf4 Qc6 32. Qh5 (32. Rd5 {was stronger.} Ng6 33. Nxg6 Kxg6 34. Rxe4 fxe4 35. Qh5+ Kg7 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37. Rd8+ Bf8 (37... Rf8 38. Bxe4 {also wins}) 38. Bxe4 {with a winning attack.}) 32... Bd7 33. Bxe4 {This imprecise move loses a great deal of white's advantage. 33.Rd5 would have been crushing.} (33. Rd5 {is a crusher although in all fairness accurately calculating the results was beyond the range of all but an engine.} Bxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Qb6+ 35. Re3 Ng6 36. Bg5 Nh8 37. Be7 Be8 38. Bc5 Qxb2 39. Bd4 Qxc2+ 40. Re2 Qc6 41. Rxf5 Rd7 42. Bxe4) 33... fxe4 34. Qxe5 Re8 35. Qd5 { This allows black to equalize!} (35. Qh5 {is a different outcome.} Ref8 36. Rd5 {That move again!} Rf5 37. Rxd7+ Qxd7 38. Qg6+ Kh8 39. Qxh6+ Kg8 40. Rxe4 { and black is doomed.}) 35... Qxd5 36. Nxd5 (36. Rxd5 {is equal.} Ba7) 36... Re5 {[%mdl 8192] The fatal blunder.} (36... e3 37. fxe3 Bc6 {with equal chances.}) 37. Nf6+ {White is clearly winning after this.} Rxf6 38. Bxf6 Rf5 39. Rxd7+ Kg6 40. Bd4 {Black resigned.} 1-0

Lengyel Romps Over Rosino

     The year 1969 was a landmark year in history. The first humans landed on the moon under the Apollo space program. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first astronauts to set foot on the moon while Michael Collins stayed in lunar orbit in the command and service module. Some people still believe the landing was a fake. In fact, I met one just last week. 

     Then there was the incident at Chappaquiddick, an island in Massachusetts, in which Ted Kennedy escaped the clutches of the law after accidentally driving his car off a bridge and Mry Jo Kopechne, his 28-year-old passenger, was trapped inside and drowned. 

     The accident happened some time between about 11:30pm Friday and 1am Saturday and Kennedy left the scene without reporting it. Shortly after after 8am Saturday morning a man and boy, who were going fishing, saw Kennedy's submerged car and notified the residents of a nearby cottage and they called the police. 

     Not long after the police arrived a diver discovered Kopechne's body in the back seat and it was discovered that it was Kennedy's car. Kennedy did not report the accident to police until after 10am Saturday. 

     In 1970 at an inquest it was concluded that Kennedy was not taking Kopechne back to the ferry as he claimed, but intentionally turned toward the bridge and was operating his car negligently, if not recklessly, at too high a speed. 

     Ultimately a judge recommended no charges be filed against Kennedy and a grand jury returned no indictments. Kennedy did get driver's license suspended for sixteen months though. 

     Chess saw Boris Spassky defeat Tigran Petrosian by the score of 12.5 to 10.5 to become new world champion. Nona Gaprindashvili, retained her world title and Anatoly Karpov won the World Junior Championship. 

     Major international tournaments included: Hastings 1969-70 (Portisch), Amsterdam (Portisch), Beverwijk (Botvinnik and Geller), Ljubljana (Planinc),Palma de Mallorca (Larsen), Malaga (Benko and Ivkov), Monaco (Smyslov and Portisch), Netanya (Reshevsky), San Juan (Spassky), Skopje (Hort and Matulovic) and Tallinn (Stein). 

     Also, in 1969, over in Venice, Vlastimil Hort, a 25-year-old Czech GM, romped through the tournament undefeated. Hort started out with four straight wins and had 7 points after 8 rounds and then coasted into first place. 

    

      There was a mammoth tie for places two through seven. One of those in the group was the untitled US player Anthony Saidy. Venice was an important event for him because he got enough points to earn the IM title. At the same time, in the last round Saidy dashed the hopes of the Italian Stefano Tatai by handing him a defeat that meant Tatai missed obtaining the 10.5 points he needed for the GM title. Tatai never did get the GM title although he probably should have. 

     Soviet GM Mark Taimanov was unbeatable, but drew too many games. One of the world's foremost players in the mid-1950s, by the time of this tournament his style had become more positional than ever. In 1971, Taimanov was famously skunked by Bobby Fischer 6-0 in the Candidates Quarterfinal match. 

     The following sharp game from the tournament was played between the Italian FM Antonio Rosino, who is also an FIDE Trainer, and Levente Lengyel (1933-2014), a Hungarian GM. 

[Event "Venice"] [Site ""] [Date "1969.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Antonio Rosino"] [Black "Levente Lengyel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B61"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "1969.03.05"] {Sicilian: Richter-Rauzer Attack} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 {The Richter–Rauzer Attack. It threatens to double black's Ps with Bxf6 and forestalls the Dragon.} Bd7 7. Qd2 Rc8 8. Be2 a6 9. f4 e6 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Nf3 (11. Bf3 Qc7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qxd6 Qxd6 15. Rxd6 Bxc3 16. bxc3 {fizzled out to a draw in Kavalek,L (2550)-Kunsztowicz,U (2460) Germany 1981}) (11. Kb1 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Bc6 13. Bf3 Qc7 14. Rhe1 {offered equal chances in Muratoglu,S (2114)-Arkhangelsky,B (2300) Rogaska Slatina 2009} ) 11... b5 {[%mdl 32]} (11... Qa5 {was another option.} 12. Kb1 b5 13. Bd3 O-O 14. e5 b4 {with equal chances. Izumikawa,B (2395)-Margulis,I (2270) San Francisco 1997}) 12. e5 {Also playable was 12.Bxf6} b4 13. Na4 {After this black seizes the initiative.} (13. exd6 bxc3 14. Qxc3 Bf8 15. Bxa6 {with unclear complications. In Shootouts 5 games were drawn.}) 13... Ne4 14. Bxe7 Qa5 (14... Nxe7 {was more accurate.} 15. Qxb4 d5 16. Bd3 Nf2 {with a slight advantage.}) 15. Qe3 {With this move white equalizes.} Nxe7 16. Nb6 {This is the purpose behind white's last move, but he should have delayed it for a move. After the text black can force an abrupt end.} (16. exd6 {and black's advantage would be minimal after} Nxd6 17. Nb6 Nef5 18. Qg1 {Not an attractive move, but a necessary one to avoid the pin one the B} (18. Qf2 {allows black a decisive attack with} b3 19. a3 (19. axb3 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Ne4+) 19... Rxc2+) 18... b3 19. axb3 {with the Q on g1 this is playable.} Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Ne4+ 21. Ke1 Qa5+ 22. c3 Nxc3 23. bxc3 Rxc3 24. Nxd7 Rxf3+ 25. b4 Qxb4+ 26. Rd2 Re3 {With a lot of luck white may be able to survive.}) 16... b3 {Decisive!} 17. Qxb3 (17. Qxe4 bxa2 {and the P queens.}) (17. axb3 Qa1#) 17... Nc5 {[%mdl 32]} 18. Qa3 (18. Qc3 Qxb6 {wins}) 18... Qxb6 19. Rxd6 Qc7 20. Nd4 O-O {Black is up a piece and white has no compensation so he could safely resign.} 21. b4 {Not that it matters but 21.Bf3 would have been better.} Ne4 22. Rxa6 Rfd8 23. Qb3 Be8 24. Rd1 Nc3 {White resigned.} (24... Nc3 25. Rd2 {is met by} Rxd4 26. Rxd4 Nxe2+ { followed by 27...Nxd4}) 0-1