A Game From the 1938 Utah Championship

     The state of Utah, a landlocked state in the Mountain West sub-region of the Western United States, has a colorful history. 

     It has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive when the explorer Francisco Vazquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cibola, a myth about seven cities of gold.

     Later came fur trappers, including the legendary Jim Bridger, a trapper, Army scout and wilderness guide who explored some regions of Utah in the early 19th century. 

     Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the US, becoming part of the Utah Territory. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the Federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896. 

     Much less well documented is Utah's chess history which seems to be practically non-existent except for recent years. The following game was played in the 1938 Utah State Championship which was held in Salt Lake City. 

 

 

     The game was annotated in a 1939 issue of Chess Review by the strong Master Sidney N. Bernstein (1911-1992) who was a participant in eight US Championships (1936, 1938, 1940, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1959 and 1961). 

     Bernstein described the game as, "One of the most remarkable games ever played by American amateurs!" True enough, it was remarkable and a real fist fight. White's sacrifice was unsound, but it resulted in complications galore and only a chess engine could successfully navigate through them.

[Event "Utah Champ, Salt Lake City"] [Site "?"] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dale L. Morgan"] [Black "Irvin W. Taylor"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.18"] {Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 {This used to pop up occasionally in Frank Marshall's games, but it's not particularly effective.} 3. Nc3 { White is intent on playing a regular QGD otherwise he would seize the chance to obtain a free hand in the center.} (3. cxd5 {as logical as this is it's seldom played. Statistically it highly favors white.} Nxd5 4. Nf3 {It turns out that this is even better than 4.e4} Bf5 5. Nbd2 {Obviously the threat is 6. e4 so a black piece has to retreat.} Nb6 6. e4 Bg6 7. h4 {with the initiative.} ) (3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {Black almost always replies with the inferior 5...e6} 6. Nge2 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bc5 8. Be3 {White has no more than his usual opening advantage.}) 3... e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 b6 {The solid Tartakower Variation except black has omitted ...h6} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxe7 Nxe7 {Safer was 7...Qe7 preventing white's subsequent Ng5} (7... Qxe7 8. Nxd5 (8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bb7 10. Qa4+ Bc6 11. Qc2 {equals. Valle Maytin,L (2285)-Garcia Martinez,J (2119) Girona ESP 2010}) 8... exd5 9. e3 Qb4+ 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 {equals. Vokac,M (2476)-Bores,M (2214) Prague 2005}) 8. e4 O-O 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. e5 { This cramps black and opens up the Bs diagonal. Clearly white is going for a K-side attack.} Nbc6 11. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 8192] When NM Sidney Bernstein annotated this game for Chess Review he based his annotations strictly on the game's outcome, a not an uncommon practice in those days. This sacrifice is, in fact, totally unsound. It's dangerous to black, but IF he finds the right reply he is left with won game...a big if! Either 11.O-O or 11.Be4 would have been correct. In either case the position would be completely equal.} Kxh7 12. Ng5+ {Black is now confronted with a choice of 4 moves, but there is only one that leaves him with a won position.} Kh6 {The best of the worst!} (12... Kh8 13. Qh5+ Kg8 14. Qh7#) (12... Kg8 13. Qh5 Re8 14. Qxf7+ Kh8 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Nce4 { [%emt 0:00:14] Mate in} Nf5 17. Nf6+ Qxf6 18. exf6 Nh6 19. Qg6 Re7 20. O-O-O Ba6 21. Rhe1 Be2 22. fxe7 Nxe7 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 24. Qe4 Nef5 25. Qxa8+ Ng8 26. Rxe2 g6 27. Qf8 Nd6 28. Re7 Nf7 29. Qxf7 Nxe7 30. Qh7#) (12... Kg6 {...and wins! This is looks like a scary place for the K, but it leaves white at a loss for a way to continue the attack.} 13. Qg4 Qxd4 14. Nge4+ (14. f4 Nxe5) ( 14. Qg3 Nf5 15. Nxe6+ Nxg3 16. Nxd4 Nxh1) 14... Kh7 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Ng5 Qxe5+ 17. Nce4 Qa5+ 18. Kf1 Qf5 {and h7 is covered.}) 13. Qd2 {[%mdl 8192] Threatening a discovered check, but it's a phantom threat.} (13. Qg4 {This would win.} Nxd4 14. O-O-O Ng6 15. Qh3+ Kxg5 16. Qe3+ Kh5 17. g4+ Kh4 18. f4 { with a decisive advantage.}) 13... Qxd4 {After this any discovered check is harmless.} 14. Qc1 Qxe5+ 15. Nce4 Kg6 (15... Qa5+ {is even better.} 16. Kf1 Nd4 17. Nxe6+ Kh7 18. Nxf8+ Kg8 19. Ng6 Ba6+ {wins} 20. Kg1 Ne2+ 21. Kf1 Nxc1+ 22. Kg1 Qe1#) 16. h4 Rh8 17. g4 {Black's K is safe and there is no effective way that white can continue the attack.} Rxh4 {Well played.} (17... Rad8 18. h5+ Rxh5 19. gxh5+ Kf5 20. Qe3 {and white is winning.}) 18. Rxh4 Nd4 {This move looks good because it centralizes the N, but it also lets any advantage black had slip away. The chances are back to being equal.} (18... Nb4 {Threatening a nasty fork on d3 was even more powerful.} 19. Kf1 Bxe4 20. Nh3 f6 21. Qd2 Qd6 { White's attack is over and so is the game...black has a winning advantage.}) 19. f4 Qa5+ 20. Kf2 Qb5 (20... f6 {was somewhat better as it would practically assure black of a draw. That said, calculating the correct sequence OTB would be nearly impossible.} 21. Qxc7 Qb5 22. Qxb7 fxg5 23. Qxa8 Qxb2+ 24. Kg3 gxh4+ 25. Kh3 Qa3+ 26. Kh2 Qb2+ {draws}) (20... Rd8 {was also playable.} 21. Qh1 Bxe4 22. Qxe4+ f5 23. gxf5+ Qxf5 {with equal chances.}) 21. Nc3 Qd3 (21... Qc5 { was a bit better.} 22. Qe3 Nd5 23. f5+ exf5 24. Nxd5 Qxd5 25. Rg1 f6 26. Ne6 Qf3+ 27. Qxf3 Nxf3 28. gxf5+ Kxf5 29. Nxg7+ Ke5 30. Rh5+ Ng5 {with complications, but engines evaluate the position as dead equal and Shootouts indicate that a draw would be a likely outcome.}) 22. Rh3 {[%mdl 1024] White has compensation.} Qc4 23. Qb1+ f5 24. Qg1 {[%mdl 2048] Black has has survived the attack and even lost his advantage, but he is still under a lot of pressure.} Qc5 (24... Nc2 {was more precise.} 25. gxf5+ Kxf5 26. Nge4 Qd4+ 27. Ke2 Qxg1 28. Rxg1 Kxf4 {The position is quite unclear. Shootouts indicate that a draw is likely.}) 25. b4 {An excellent move that drives the Q off the diagonal and so avoids the discovered check.} Qxb4 26. gxf5+ {Whits is now conducting a vigorous attack.} Nexf5 {A logical move because it gets the N into play, but white still has a very strong attack.} (26... Kf6 {is not much better.} 27. Rb1 Qc4 {White is better, but there is no way to get at black's K. } 28. Qc1 Bd5 (28... Ba6 29. fxe6 Nxe6 30. Qe3 Nxg5 31. fxg5+ Kg6 32. Qxe7) 29. Qe1 Ndxf5 30. Rb4 {Black can get in a couple of meaningless checks, but after} Qc5+ 31. Kf1 Bc4+ 32. Kg2 Bd5+ 33. Kh2 Kg6 34. Nxd5 Qxd5 35. Qe2 {Threatening Qh5+} Ng3 (35... c5 36. Qh5+ Kf6 37. Qf7#) 36. Kxg3 Nf5+ 37. Kf2 {and wins}) 27. Nxe6+ {Missing a golden opportunity,} (27. Rb1 Qe7 (27... Ne2 28. Kxe2 Qc4+ 29. Ke1 {and white is winning.}) 28. Qg4 Kf6 29. Nce4+ Bxe4 30. Nxe4+ Kf7 31. Qh5+ g6 (31... Kg8 32. Qh8+ {wins}) 32. Qh7+ Ke8 33. Qh8+ Qf8 34. Qxf8+ Kxf8 35. Rh8+ {Even though it's going to take some time and effort white has a won ending.}) 27... Kf7 {White must now prevent ...Qb2+.} 28. Rb1 Qd6 29. Ng5+ { Once again black is confronted with a decision of where to place his K and again he makes the wrong choice.} Kg8 (29... Kf8 {gives the K room to flee and black has nothing to worry about.} 30. Qc1 c5 {This position is completely equal.}) 30. Rh8+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxh8 31. Nf7+ Kg8 32. Nxd6 Nxd6 33. Qg6 Rf8 $16 34. Rg1 Rxf4+ 35. Ke3 Rf3+ {Nicely played!} (35... Rf7 36. Kxd4 {Black simply does not have enough compensation for his material deficit.}) 36. Kxd4 c5+ 37. Ke5 Nf7+ 38. Ke6 Re3+ 39. Ne4 {[%mdl 512] Very clever! White sacrifices a piece to avoid the checks.} (39. Kf5 Rf3+ 40. Ke6 (40. Kg4 Ne5+) 40... Re3+ { etc.}) 39... Rxe4+ 40. Kf5 Re5+ 41. Kf4 {[%csl Gg1][%cal Rg6g7]} Re4+ 42. Kg3 { Black is out of checks and Shootouts indicate that white has good winning chances (=2 -0 =3), but scoring the point won't be easy.} Nh6 {After this black should have lost.} (42... Re2 {makes life difficult for white.} 43. Kh3 Bc8+ 44. Kh4 Rh2+ 45. Kg3 Rh6) 43. Kf2 {With the obvious threat of Qxh6} Rf4+ 44. Ke3 Rf3+ 45. Ke2 Nf5 46. Rg5 {White falls into a perpetual check or elso allows black to establish material equality. Either way it's a draw.} (46. Kd2 {wins as black has no adequate defensive resources. But...that's not so easy to see.} Bd5 47. Qe8+ Kh7 48. Rg5 Rf2+ 49. Ke1 Rf4 50. Rh5+ Nh6 51. Rxd5 { White is winning, but it's not going to be as easy as thje engine evaluation of a 6 Pawn advantage suggests.}) 46... Ba6+ {Draw. A terrific game!} (46... Ba6+ 47. Kxf3 (47. Kd2 Rf2+ 48. Ke1 Re2+ 49. Kd1 Ne3+ 50. Kc1 Re1+ 51. Kb2 Nc4+ 52. Kb3 Re3+ 53. Kc2 (53. Ka4 b5#) 53... Re2+) 47... Nh4+ 48. Ke3 Nxg6 49. Rxg6 {This position is drawn.}) 1/2-1/2

Attacking the Castled King

     In view of the example in the previous post it is not surprising that players take care to castle early as a matter of principle. But, as mentioned, as soon as castling takes place the King has a permanent residence and if its defenses are defective it's possible to destroy his home with a flashy tactical attack. 

     In the previous game black wasted time before castling and found himself in a difficult situation. Of course he could have defended himself, but doing so required more precise play than was practically possible. 

     In the following we see that it's just as dangerous to waste time after castling as it is before castling. Soviet GM Andre Lilienthal (May 5, 1911 - May 9, 2010, 99 years old) vividly proved the point in when he delivered a quick defeat that was made possible simply because he had more pieces in play than his opponent, GM Miguel Najdorf (April 15, 1910 - July 4, 1997, 87 years old). Lilienthal's accumulation of pieces allowed him to simply crush his opponent.

 

[Event "Saltsjobaden Interzonal"] [Site ""] [Date "1948.07.22"] [Round "?"] [White "Andre Lilienthal"] [Black "Miguel Najdorf"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1948.07.16"] {Nimzo-Indian: Saemisch Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 { Lilienthal adopts the most forthright way of meeting the Nimzo-Indian by putting an immediate end to the pin at once. The price is doubled c-Pawns. His next goal is to play e2-e4.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bd3 b6 8. Ne2 O-O 9. e4 Ne8 {Black's intention here is twofold. 1) he wants to prevent the N from being pinned by Bg5 and 2) he wants to make a timely strike at the center with ...f5. It's a good plan, but it requires careful execution.} (9... d6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 e5 {is an alternative.}) 10. O-O (10. f4 f5 11. Ng3 g6 12. Be3 d6 13. O-O Na5 14. d5 Ng7 15. Qc2 {Draw agreed. Miron,L (2498)-Berescu,A (2456) Calimanesti-Caciulata ROU 2014}) 10... d6 (10... Ba6 {attacking the c-Pawn is solid, but it does not produce much of anything after} 11. Qa4 (11. Qc2 Na5 12. dxc5 (12. Be3 Bxc4 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Bxc5 d6 15. Bb4 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Qc7 { Black's weak d-Pawn offsets white's weak c-Pawn.}) 12... bxc5 13. Be3 Rc8 14. e5 h6 15. Ng3 {unclear.}) 11... Na5 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Rb1 {with equal chances.} ) (10... Bb7 11. f4 f5 12. exf5 exf5 13. dxc5 bxc5 {with equal chances. Kuljasevic,D (2501)-Perunovic,M (2589) Kavala 2008}) 11. e5 (11. f4 {is interesting.} f5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Qf3 {with equal chances. Metge,J (2170) -Sutherland,J (2085) Auckland 1997}) 11... dxe5 12. dxe5 {[%mdl 32]} Bb7 (12... Nxe5 {loses because the N on e8 has interrupted the communication between black's Q and R on f8.} 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Qxd8) 13. Bf4 {The position is equal.} f5 {This may look suspect, but it's actually black's best move.} 14. exf6 {How should black recapture?} e5 {Najdorf is playing with fire.} (14... Nxf6 {This is OK.} 15. Qc2 e5 16. Bg5 h6 {with equal play.}) (14... Qxf6 { This is OK, too.} 15. Qc2 e5 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Bc1 Nd6 {with equal play.}) ( 14... gxf6 {This is not OK.} 15. Re1 Ng7 16. Ng3 f5 {Necessary to cut off the line of the B.} 17. Qd2 Qf6 18. Bg5 Qf7 19. Rad1 {White's position is superior. }) 15. fxg7 {The King's defenses are stripped away.} Rxf4 16. Nxf4 exf4 17. Bxh7+ {[%mdl 512] This unforeseen sacrifice wrecks black's defenses. Najdorf ends up with three pieces for a R, but it costs him him the game. White has a significant advantage, but with extremely careful play black can put up a stiff defense. In practical play the task was too daunting even for the mighty Najdorf!} (17. Qf3 {Perhaps Najdorf was expecting a move like this. If so, then after} Nf6 18. Qxf4 Qxd3 19. Qxf6 Qg6 20. Qxg6 hxg6 {the unbalanced material situation is quite unclear. In Shootouts white scored +3 -0 =2}) 17... Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kxg7 19. Rad1 {[%mdl 32] White needs to bring a R into play and this is the right one. Playing Rfd1 allows black to equalize!} (19. Rfd1 Qe7 20. Qg4+ Kf8 21. Rd7 Qf6 22. Rxb7 Ne5 23. Qh5 Nd6 {and white can make no headway...5 Shootouts ended in draws.}) 19... Qf6 (19... Qe7 20. Rfe1 {This move shows why the other R was the right one.} Qf7 21. Qg4+ Kf8 22. Rd7) 20. Rd7+ {The R on the 7th decides the game/} Kf8 21. Rxb7 Nd8 22. Rd7 Nf7 23. Qd5 {Nice! But not 23.Re1 at once. This grandmasterly move, centralizing the Q, was not flashy, but it's vital in order to keep the attack going.} (23. Re1 { Obviously white needs his remaining piece in play, but this allows black to play on.} Ned6 24. Qf3 Re8 {and black has practically equalized.}) 23... Rb8 ( 23... Rc8 {is a wee bit tougher.} 24. Re1 Nc7 25. Qd1 Rd8 26. h3 {A safety measure.} Rxd7 27. Qxd7 Qd8 28. Qg4 Qg5 {and white has the win, but he will have to work for it.}) 24. Re1 (24. Rxa7 {is too greedy. After} Ne5 25. Rd1 Nc6 26. Rd7 Ne5 {White is clearly better, but black is annoying him.}) 24... f3 25. Re3 {Black resigned} (25. Re3 Qg6 (25... Rd8 26. Rxd8 Qxd8 27. Rxf3 Qxd5 28. cxd5 {The ending is lost for black.}) 26. Rxf7+ Qxf7 27. Rxf3 (27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 28. Rxf3+ {is a very difficult ending to play and in fact, in Shootouts (which resulted in 80+ move long games) white only scored =0 -3 =2!!}) 27... Qxf3 28. Qxf3+ {is an obvious win.}) 1-0

King Hunts

     An article on the Military History Matters website listed nine deposed English kings, some of whom were gruesomely dethroned. 

     One example was the hot tempered William II (1087-1100) who filled his court with undeserving lackeys and spent too much time hunting. He was killed by a stray arrow in the New Forest and some suspected foul play. 

     His case was possibly and early example of what was known as "fragging" in the Vietnam War which was the deliberate killing of a military colleague. 

     There have been many documented instances throughout history of soldiers killing colleagues, however, the practice of fragging seems to have been relatively uncommon in the US military until the Vietnam War. An early estimate was that something over 1,000 fragging incidents may have taken place in Vietnam, causing 86 deaths and 714 injuries, the majority of whom were officers and non-commissioned officers. 

     The first known incidents of fragging in South Vietnam took place in 1966, but fragging incidents appear to have increased in 1968. After the Tet Offensive early that year, the Vietnam War became increasingly unpopular in the United States and among American soldiers in Vietnam, many of whom were draftees. Secondly, about that time racial tensions between white and black military personnel increased after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April, 1968. 

     With troops reluctant to risk their lives in what was perceived as a lost war being conducted by bumbling politicians, most notably President Lyndon Johnson, fragging was seen by some enlisted men as the most effective way of discouraging their superiors from showing enthusiasm for combat. 

     By 1971, a Marine Corps Colonel declared, "The morale, discipline and battle worthiness of the US Armed Forces are, with a few salient exceptions, lower and worse than at any time in this century and possibly in the history of the United States." 

     In another example involving English kings, there was Edward II (1307-1327) who was described as a weak-willed playboy who was ineffective and unpopular. With a preference for male lovers, he was estranged from his wife and was overthrown in a conspiracy led by the queen herself. He was imprisoned and killed by having a red-hot poker thrust up his rectum. 

     In chess, the most primitive way of winning and the one that appeals to some bloodthirsty types is the King hunt, an assault on the enemy King, preferably from the get-go before castling has taken place. 

     Experienced player take time to castle early, but even after the King has a permanent residence, if its defenses are defective it's possible for the opponent to immediately train his guns on the King. 

     Whichever way it happens, it's fun to watch as the following game demonstrates. 

     White was played by the Polish Master Antoni Wojciechowaki (June 6, 1905 - January 19, 1938, 32 years old), a well-known player in Poznan in the 1920s and 1930s. Almost nothing is known of the player of the black pieces, Hermann Weiss, except that he was Austrian. 

     The game was played in the 1936 Munich Olympiad which was the 3rd unofficial Olympia. It was held by German Chess Federation as a counterpart of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Given the times, oddly, many Jewish players took part in the event. The finals consisted of 21 teams and was won by Hungary ahead of Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. 

[Event "Munich Olympiad"] [Site ""] [Date "1936.08.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Antoni Wojciechowski"] [Black "Hermann Weiss"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C15"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1936.??.??"] {French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 {Here white is tempting Black to take a P and then defend it at the expense of time which he cannot afford. Statistically white does not do nearly as well with this move as he does with the normal 4.e5. Black's mistake in this game is trying to hold onto the P rather than return it in favore of development.} dxe4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 f5 {There was no harm in having taken the P, but this is the bad move which seriously weakens the position of the black K. Correct was 6...Nc6} (6... Nc6 7. Bb5 Nge7 {with full equality.}) 7. f3 {This is usually seen, but perhaps inducing a further weakening of black's K-side would also have been worth trying.} (7. Qh5+ g6 8. Qh3 Nc6 9. Bf4 Nf6 (9... Qxd4 10. Nb5 Qxb2 11. Nxc7+ Kd8 12. Rd1+ {and white is winning.}) 10. O-O-O Nd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qg3 { White is better.}) 7... exf3 8. Qxf3 Qh4+ {Another loss of time. After 8...Nf6 white has only a minimal positional advantage.} (8... Qxd4 {Too greedy!} 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Nb5 Qe4+ 11. Be2 Na6 12. Qxg7 Rf8 13. Bh6 Rf7 {White is winning. Shelk, A (2372)-Samarin,S (2137) Irkutsk RUS 2010}) 9. g3 Qxd4 {White is two Ps down, and black has no pieces in play except his Q on whose safety, moreover, he will have to spend even more time. As a result, white has a legitimate hope of scoring a quick win. There's a good chance that some of black's pieces will never even see any action whereas that is unlikely to be the case with white's pieces. All of that is practically speaking. Engines (Stockfish and Komodo) present a different picture. According to them white's advantage is nominal.} 10. Be3 (10. Nb5 {was also good.} Qe5+ 11. Be2 Na6 12. Nc3 Nf6 13. Bf4 { with a good game.}) 10... Qg4 11. Qg2 {White also has a promising positional wdvantage after the exchange of Qs.} Nf6 12. Be2 {[%mdl 1056]} Qg6 13. O-O-O { [%mdl 2048] This is an interesting situation. Both Stockfish amd Komodo evaluate this position as almost dead equal, but practically speaking who would want to defend black's position? One slip is apt to be fatal. In any case, white has the initiative.} Nc6 {Castling was the other option and no doubt the best one.} (13... O-O 14. Nb5 {This sally leads nowhere, but the truth is black is very near to gaining complete equality because white has been unable to launch a successful attack and black has slowly managed to get his pieces developed.} Na6 15. Rhe1 e5 16. Nxa7 e4 17. Nxc8 Raxc8 {Black is getting himself untangled.}) 14. Nb5 {Now this move cause black some consternation, but as long as he can defend the c-Pawn his position remains safe from immediate disaster.} Qf7 15. Bc5 {Castling is prevented and black's position looks gloomy. There is, however, and adequate defense.} a6 {[%mdl 8192] Black finally cracks and plays this, the losing move.} (15... e5 { This is it. Black's control of the center enable him to offer stout resistance. } 16. Bd6 Qa2 17. Nxc7+ Kf7 18. c3 {So as to defend the b-Pawn with Kc2 after . ..Qa1+} (18. Nxa8 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qxb2 {and suddenly black is in the game.}) 18... Bd7 19. Bd3 (19. Nxa8 {White lands in trouble after this!} Na5 20. Nc7 Ba4 { and it's black who is on the attack!}) 19... Na5 20. Bb1 Qc4 {and white probably has no better course than to repeat moves with 21.Bd3}) 16. Bf3 { The surprise crusher.} Nd8 (16... axb5 17. Bxc6+ bxc6 18. Qxc6+ {wins}) 17. Qd2 Nd5 18. Bxd5 axb5 (18... exd5 {is even worse.} 19. Rhe1+ Be6 20. Nd4 c6 (20... Qd7 21. Qf4 g6 22. Qe5 Rg8 23. Nxe6 Nf7 24. Qf6 {White has a mating attack.}) 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. Rxe6+ Qxe6 23. Re1) 19. Rhe1 {Two Rs on the center files are almost always too much for a K which is caught in the center.} Bd7 20. g4 Nc6 { keeping lines closed would have been a bit better.} 21. gxf5 Qxf5 {This allows a quick finish.} (21... O-O-O {This offered no hope either.} 22. fxe6 Bxe6 23. Bxe6+ Qxe6 24. Rxe6 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 {he's a R down.}) 22. Bxe6 {[%mdl 512]} Bxe6 (22... O-O-O 23. Qxd7+ Rxd7 24. Bxf5 Nb8 25. Re7 Rhd8 {and white is winning.}) 23. Qd7# {Aggressive play by Wojciechowski who kept the pressure on his opponent from the beginning.} 1-0

30 Moves in 30 Minutes

 

     Way back in Morphy's day some players in trying to play the best moves resorted to the excruciatingly slow rate of three or four moves per hour, but when they tried the same tactic against the legendary Morphy they usually lost anyway.

     It didn't matter because the illusion still persisted that a player's strength increased proportionately with the slowing down of the rate of play. When chess clocks came into use, the belief was that it was impossible to make more than 20 moves per hour in tournament play. As a result, everybody pretty much accepted the face that adjournments were necessary. 

     Of course, faster time limits make tournaments easier to organize because games can be finished in a single day. So, back in 1952 in a tournament held at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City what was called "a very remarkable test" was tried. 

     Dr. Ariel Mengarini played a three game match against James T. Sherwin with a time limit of 30 moves in 30 minutes and the match was completed in a single evening. Mengarini won 2-1 and Chess Review noted that the games were "well above the average quality of normal tournament games" and it was hoped that tournaments of from six to eight participants might be played in a single weekend. 

     Dr. Ariel Mengarini (October 19, 1919 - January 9, 1998) was born in Rome and his family emigrated to the New York City in 1927. Mengarini learned chess at the age of 6. He began his studies at Harvard in 1937 after winning a competitive scholarship. Due to focusing his attention on chess, Mengarini lost his scholarship and began attending George Washington University in Washington, DC. He was a psychiatrist and author of the book "Predicament in 2 Dimensions" In 1943 he won the US Amateur Championship with the score of 11-0. 

     James T. Sherwin (born October 25, 1933) was a corporate executive and International Master. He was born in New York City and after high school he graduated from the Coast Guard Academy Officer Candidate School in 1956 and later advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 

     As an attorney he was admitted to the New York and Supreme Court Bars. While serving as Chief Financial Officer of GAF Corporation, a manufacturer of roofing materials for residential and commercial buildings, in 1988, he was indicted by US Attorney Rudy Giuliani, who was to serve as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, for stock manipulation in connection with the 1986 sale of stock owned by GAF. 

     He was convicted after three trials, but the conviction was reversed on appeal and dismissed with prejudice meaning that that the ruling is the final judgment in the case. The dismissal prohibits the prosecutor from refiling the charges. 

     Sherwin finished third and tied for third in the US Championship twice and tied for fourth four times. He was Intercollegiate Champion and New York State Champion in 1951 and US Speed Champion in 1956–57 and 1959–60. He was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2021. Sherwin is mow living near Bath in the United Kingdom. 

[Event "30/30 Match, Marshall CC New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1952.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dr. A.A. Mengarini"] [Black "James T. Sherwin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C15"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1952.??.??"] {French Defense, Winawer} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {Named after Szymon Winawer this variation was pioneered by Nimzovich and especially Botvinnik who began playing it in the 1940s.} 4. Nge2 {White normally clarifies the situation in the center with 4.e5, gaining space and hoping to show that black's B on b4-bishop is misplaced. With the text white avoids the doubled c-Pawns, but in practice the move does not enjoy the same success rate as the usual 4.e5} (4. a3 {is an interesting sideline.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4 Nf6 7. Qxg7 Rg8 8. Qh6 {with interesting play.}) 4... dxe4 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 f5 { Risky.} (6... Nc6 {This simple developing move keeps the position equal.} 7. Bb5 Nge7 {and white has a wide choice of plausible moves.}) 7. Bc4 {Also sood was 7.Qh5+ immediately.} (7. Bf4 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O c6 10. f3 {White is better. Chernobai,A (2409)-Liasota,E (2241) Dimitrov 2007}) 7... Nf6 8. Bf4 Nd5 {This looks reasonable, but Mengarini demonstrates the flaw in it.} (8... a6 9. Qd2 Qe7 10. O-O-O b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Rhe1 Nc6 13. f3 {Both sides have active play. Bajer,R (1924)-Kaulich,P (1576) Tuebingen 2007}) (8... c6 {is also playable.} 9. g4 Nd5 10. Bxd5 exd5 11. gxf5 {Better was 11...g5} O-O {Black is better. Sanchez Gonzalez,S (2288)-Aziz Ortego,O (2080) Parla ESP 2010}) 9. Bxd5 {Well played. White is hoping the the Bs of opposite color will be good for his attack seeing that black is left with a bad B. White is clearly better.} exd5 10. Qh5+ {With this move white initiates an irrestible attack.} Kf8 (10... g6 {was worth a try.} 11. Qh6 Be6 12. f3 {Busting up black's K-side and leaving black with a gloomy position.} Qd7 13. fxe4 fxe4 14. O-O Nc6 {White is better, but with luck black may be able to put up a manly defense.}) 11. g4 c6 {There is no time for passive play like this.} (11... Nd7 12. Nxd5 Nf6 13. Nxf6 Qxf6 14. gxf5 Qxf5 {With the reduced material and Bs of opposite color black has chances of defending himself.}) 12. gxf5 Nd7 {But here this move is insufficient.} (12... Qf6 {This offers the stoutest resistance.} 13. f3 exf3 14. Rf1 h6 15. O-O-O Qxf5 16. Qxf3 {White's lead in development paus black's exposed K should prove decisive.}) 13. Bd6+ Kg8 14. Rg1 Nf6 15. Qg5 g6 { The only move.} (15... Qd7 16. Qxf6) 16. Be5 Kg7 17. h4 {[%mdl 32] The charge of the h-Pawn is decisive.} Rf8 18. h5 Qe7 19. h6+ Kh8 20. fxg6 hxg6 21. Qxg6 { Black resigned.} (21. Qxg6 Qf7 (21... Bd7 22. Qg7+ Qxg7 23. hxg7+ Kh7 24. gxf8=Q Rxf8 25. Bxf6 Rxf6) 22. Qg7+ Qxg7 23. hxg7+) 1-0

1951 Staunton Centenary

     If you lived in England in 1951 you would have seen the British Board of Film Censors introduce X rating for films that were suitable only for those aged 16 and over. 

     Ford introduced its hit car, the 4-cylinder Consul, which was manufactured from 1951 until 1962. A radio soap opera, The Archers, was launched on the BBC and it's still in production. 

     In May, the spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean left Britain and defected to the Soviet Union. Also, Kim Philby, a British intelligence officer and a double agent who had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II was forced to quit his position. John Cairncross, a civil servant who became an intelligence officer and spy during the Second World War suffered the same fate. As a Soviet double agent, he passed to the Soviet Union the decryptions that influenced the Battle of Kursk. 

     British boxer Randy Turpin whipped American Sugar Ray Robinson in a fight in London to become world middleweight champion. 

     1951 was also the year of the great Staunton Centenary Tournament celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first international tournament. First prize went to a 27-year old Yugoslav GM named Svetozar Gligoric (1923-2012, 89 years old). For decades he was one of the world's leading non-Soviet players. Even back in 1946 it had been written that it was evident from his play that he was a great master in the making. 

 

     Second, third and fourth prizes were shared between Pirc (Yugoslavia), Stahlberg (Sweden) and Trifunovic (Yugoslavia). Trifunovic was unlucky not to finished higher. His one loss, to Bogoljubow, was in a game that for the major part of its course seemed quite won for him. Even when he was lost most of the spectators were quite sure he was winning. 

     It was about that time that Petar Trifunovic (1910-1980) had a distinct change in his style of play. Before the war he was a dashing attacking player, but then his play became very safe and solid and he began playing almost all draws; that remained his style up to the end of his career. 

     In this tournament another Yugoslav player, Vasja Pirc (1907-1980), an older player, was the opposite. From a positional master he had turned into an adventurous player who went for complications and took hair-raising risks. He had the fewest draws among the prizewinners. 

     Stahlberg finished well, but his play was not up to its usual high standard and his showing was somewhat disappointing. 

     Tied for the remaining prizes were Alexander, Matanovic, Rossolimo and Unzicker. Alexander’s showing was a pleasant surprise for the British. He was in the lead for the first five rounds, but couldn't keep up the pace. 

     As a professional player whose only income was from prize money, Rossolimo had to play in about ten tournaments a year and the strain was trying, but he managed to almost always finish among the prize winners. 

     Ernst Klein (1910-1990) was born in Vienna and arrived in England in 1935. He was second among the British players, but he had little international practice in the past eleven years, so his result was quite an achievement. 

     The two veterans, Bogoljubow (1889-1952) and Tartakower (1887-1956), were both badly disappointed with their results, but in such a strong tournament their age was a handicap.

[Event "Staunton Memorial , England"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Aleksandar Matanovic"] [Black "Saviely Tartakower"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B09"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.07"] {Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 {At the time this defense was called the Yugoslav Defense and theory was still being formed. It was thought that black had good prospects if white did not take the opening seriously. The was enjoyim great popularity because at the time black had been obtaining excellent results and white's setup was in the experimental stage. Today white's move is the one that is most often seem.} c6 {Black eschews the then popular ...c5 thrust and tries a different P-formation. In this line, while it's tru that he does not suffer from the cramping effects of white's d5, black's prospects of achieving a forthright development are not bright. Nowadays black usually plays either 6... Na6 or 6...Nc6.} 7. O-O b5 {According to Euwe this move does not achieve anything of note, but black's position is already most difficult for him. If he tries 7...Nbd7 intending to play ...e5 then his B is blocked in for a long time. And if he tries 7...Bg4 then 8.h6 forces him to part with the two B. The question then arises why play a defense in which this positional drawback has to be incurred so quickly?} 8. a3 a6 (8... d5 9. e5 Ne8 10. h3 f5 11. exf6 exf6 12. f5 Bxf5 13. Bxf5 gxf5 {White is clearly better. Bagaturov,G (2474)-Cugini, W (2199) Bratto 2007}) 9. Kh1 {White has also played 9.Qe1 and 9.Qe2} Qc7 (9... c5 {striking at the center is a better defense.} 10. e5 Nfd7 11. Be4 {but even so white is still better.}) 10. e5 Nd5 11. Ng5 {White has a very fine attacking position and black can do little more than await the onslaught.} Nxc3 12. bxc3 h6 {Of course Tartakover knew that he will have to pay for this weakening of the K-side; but 12...Nd7 would be refuted rather easily.} (12... Nd7 13. e6 Nf6 14. f5 gxf5 15. Bxf5 Bxe6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Nxe6) 13. Nf3 dxe5 { Black opens the f- file for white's R as well as the diagonal for his dark squared B, but, if black avoids this exchange, then white plays Qe1-g3 and threatens f5 with an explosive force.} 14. fxe5 {[%mdl 32]} Be6 15. Qe1 Bd5 16. Qh4 h5 17. Bg5 Ra7 18. Rae1 c5 {Black strives desperately for counter-play, but white now gets in a powerful thrust.} 19. e6 {The main point of this move is that after 19...Bxe6 20 Bxg6 or even 20,Rxe6 black's K-side is destroyed.} f5 (19... Bxe6 20. Rxe6 fxe6 21. Bxg6 Nd7 22. Qxh5 Nf6 23. Qh3 Qd6 24. Bd2 { and the threat of Ng5 is decisive.}) (19... Bxe6 20. Bxg6 Bc4 21. Bd3 Bxd3 22. cxd3 f6 23. Be3 Qd7 24. Qxh5 {White is winning.}) 20. Bf4 Qc6 21. Qg3 {By threat of Bxb8, white wins the g-Pawn and the collapse of black's position soon follows.} Rb7 22. Qxg6 Rf6 23. Qg3 Bxf3 24. gxf3 {White wants to mate with Rg1. The rest of the game is just mopping up.} h4 25. Qg2 h3 26. Qg3 Rxe6 27. Rxe6 Qxe6 28. Rg1 Qf7 29. Bxb8 e6 30. dxc5 {[%mdl 32]} Qh5 31. Be5 Qh6 32. c6 {Black resigned} (32. c6 Rf7 33. c7 Rxc7 34. Bxc7 {It's mate in 11 moves} { Stockfish 15.1:} Kf7 35. Bd6 Qf6 36. Bc5 Bf8 37. Qg8+ Ke8 38. Rg6 Qxg6 39. Qxg6+ Kd8 40. Qxe6 Bxc5 41. Bxf5 Kc7 42. Qd7+ Kb6 43. Qd8+ Kb7 44. Be4+ Ka7 45. Qc7#) 1-0

Sucha-Florian Dog Fight

 

     The 1943 was jam packed with news. Down in Mexico a farmer named Dionisio Pulido had a volcano start forming in his cornfield about 200 miles west of Mexico City. It reached a height of almost 1,400 feet. In other news from Mexico, nachos were invented circa 1943 by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. 

     Closer to home, the Pentagon, considered to be the world’s largest office building, was completed. On August 13, 1943, that paranoid weirdo J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, received a letter alleging that the popularity of Frank Sinatra was being used to prepare the masses to accept a new Hitler. The FBI kept surveillance over Sinatra for the next 40 years. 

     I read articles claiming that the FBI had banned postal chess in the belief that the move notation could contain some kind of coded message, but I don't believe it because Al Horowitz' Chess Review was still publishing results of its postal tournaments and advertising entries for postal events that year. For example, you could enter a class tournament (4 players, 2 games with each opponent) for only $1.00 per section. 

     The US had formally entered the European Theater of World War II on December 11, 1941, only days after the events of Pearl Harbor, when Germany declared war on the United States. So, in 1943 the United States rationing of gasoline, canned food, meat, shoes, cheese, butter and cooking oils went into effect. 

     Beatrice Arthur (May 13, 1922 - April 25, 2009, 86 years old) was a actress and comedian who was born and raised in Brooklyn; she began her career on stage in 1947. During WW2 Arthur served in the US Marine Corps from 1943-1945 and was honorably discharged rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6). 

     The big hit record in 1943 was by the Mills Brothers, an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies. They were the first African-American artists to have their own show on national network radio (on CBS in 1930). You cam listen to their 1943 hit , Paper Doll, HERE. 

     At the Philadelphia Naval Yard a Navy ship, the USS Eldridge, was docked when it reportedly disappeared for a few minutes in a transporter experiment, after which members of the crew reportedly suffered from sporadic invisibility, madness and spontaneous combustion. Read more... You can read the Navy's explanation of the event HERE. 

     In chess, in the US, Ariel Mengarini won the Amateur championship and Herman Steiner won the California Open State Championship with the score of 17-0! Al Horowitz won the 44th US Open, held in Syracuse, New York. 

     A large number of players died that year: Polish master Henryk Pogoriely was murdered by the Nazis in Pawiak prison, Warsaw. Abram Rabinovich starved to death in Moscow. Lithuanian-Russian master Alexander Romanovsky died in Russia. 

     Romanian-born Belgian master Emmanuel Sapira died. Hungarian-Serbian master Mirko Broeder died at the hands of the Nazis. Vasily O. Smyslov, father of the future World Champion, died. 

     Mikhail Barulin, executive secretary of the Central Composition Committee and the first Soviet Master of Sport of Chess Composition, was arrested, refused to sign a confession or denounce other chess problemists and, as a result, he died in a Russian prison. 

     Australian master Gunnar Gundersen died in Melbourne, Australia. Polish master Abram Szprio died at Auschwitz. He was a Polish chess master. Belarusian-French master Leon Monosson, the 1935 champion of Paris, also died at Auschwitz. Latvian master and study composer Karlis Betins died in Riga. 

     Walter Frere, a top New York City amateur player died in the city at the age of 69. His father had helped organize the First American Chess Congress of 1857 that was won by Paul Morphy. Mexican-British master Adrian Garcia Conde died in London. 

     US master Stasch Mlotkowski died in Gloucester City, New Jersey at the age of 62. Swedish master Karl Berndtsson died in Gothenburg. Czech master, chess publisher and problem composer Jan Kotrc died in Vlachovo Brezi, Czechoslovakia. Austrian master Heinrich Wolf died at the age of 68. 

     Polish master Eduard Gerstenfeld was shot to death by the Nazis in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. And, Vladimir Petrov died at Kotlas, Russia at the age of 34. He was sentenced to 10 years for treason, but died of pneumonia shortly after arriving at a labor camp. AT least that's the official version. When somebody asked Edmar Mednis, who was born in Lativa, whatever happened to Petrov, Mednis replied simply, "The Russians shot him." 

     On the other side of the coin, on March 3, 1943, Robert James Fischer (1943-2008) was born in Chicago.

     Alekhine was invited to a tournament in Madrid, but he arrived too late to take part. A Nazi broadcast claimed that Alekhine was confined to a sanitarium shortly after his arrival and there were reports that he had been showing signs of a mental disorder. He did, however, playAlekhine did play in the International Speed Game Tournament that was held in Madrid on October 22. 

     There was also a report in the English magazine CHESS Alekhine had taken part in two tournaments at Prague in 1943. In one of the events he tied with Karl Junge for first. In the other tournament Alekhine made a much better showing, out pointing Paul Keres and the others by a wide margin. 

 

     CHESS also reported that Alekhine was supposed to have taken part in the tournament at Madrid and his absence may have been explained by a recent Axis broadcast which reported that shortly after arriving in Madrid, Alekhine had been showing signs of mental a disorder. 

     The article also added that in 1942, Alekhine had been taken to a hospital in Prague in a dying condition, but no further news was ever received, nor was the incident ever again referred to. 

     The following game is one by lesser known players. Ruzena Sucha (October 19, 1907 - October 7, 1989), also known as Ruzena Sucha–Dobiasova, was a Czech female player. She received WIM title in 1954. 

     From the end of the 1930s to the early 1960s, Sucha was one of the leading Czechoslovakian women's players. She was the 1938, 1951 and 1954 Czech Women's Champion. Besides her three victories, she finished second in 1949, 1952, 1953 and third in 1940, 1943, 1944, 1955, 1956, 1960 and 1961. In 1943, she was the only woman who participated in Prague tournament where she finished last with 3 draws out of 19 games. 

Ruzena Sucha

     In 1954, she shared 1st-2nd place in Women's World Championship Zonal Tournament in Leipzig. In 1955, she participated at Women's World Championship Candidates Tournament in Moscow when ranked 19th place. Sucha was also known as chess organizer and in 1974, she was one of the founders of the chess club in Smichov. After her death memorial tournaments were regularly held at this club. 

     The winner of the following dog fight was Jaromir Florian (August 13, 1911 - September 9, 1984) who was from Brno in the Czech Republic. He was one of the most famous and most charismatic players in Czechoslovakia even though he never possessed an international title. 

     Originally from Bilovec, Czechoslovakia, in 1919 his family moved to Brno where in 1935 he completed his law studies. Beginning in 1948 Florian was a judge of the state court in Brno and in March 1949, he investigated atrocities committed during the war. His enemies devised a case in which he was alleged to have taken bribes. As a result, he went on trial and was found guilty and was sentenced to a four-year imprisonment (1950-1954) where he worked in a quarry. After serving his sentence he owned a chess shop in Brno. 

[Event "Prague"] [Site "?"] [Date "1943.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Ruzena Sucha"] [Black "Jaromir Florian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C40"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1943.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.05"] {Elephant Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 {Considered unsound, the Elephant Gamnit allows white to capture either P. With one of his center Ps missing black is left with a passive position.} 3. exd5 e4 (3... Bd6 4. d4 e4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Bc4 {According to GM Nicj de Firmian, white enjoys a distinct superiority, but no immediate attack.}) (3... Qxd5 {This regains the P, but leaves white with a lead in development. However, it seems to be black's best reply.} 4. Nc3 Qa5 {An alternative is 4...Qe6} 5. d4 {Another good move is 5. Bc4} exd4 6. Nxd4 Nf6 {and white's advantage is minimal.}) 4. Ne5 {After this the position is equal.} (4. Qe2 {appears to be more precise.} Nf6 5. d3 Qxd5 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. dxe4 Qe6 8. Qc4 {White is slightly better.}) 4... Qxd5 5. d4 exd3 $1 6. Nxd3 Nc6 (6... Nf6 7. Nc3 Qf5 8. Bf4 c6 9. Qd2 Be6 10. Ne5 Nh5 11. Nd3 Nxf4 12. Nxf4 Be7 13. h4 O-O {A draw was agreed in Aydincelebi,K (2263) -Gadimbayli,A (2447) Lvov 2019}) 7. Nc3 Qf5 (7... Qe6+ 8. Be2 Bd7 9. Nb5 O-O-O 10. Bf4 Nb4 11. Nxa7+ Kb8 12. Nxb4 Bxb4+ 13. c3 Be7 14. Be3 c5 15. Qb3 Kxa7 16. Qa3+ Kb8 17. O-O-O Qe5 18. Rxd7 Rxd7 19. Qa4 Qc7 {0-1 (19) Chen,F (2385)-Lin,W (2469) Suzhou, Jiangsu CHN 2001}) 8. a3 {Better would have been 8.Bf4} Bd7 { Black has comne out of the opening with an active position and so has every reason to be satisfied.} 9. Be2 Nf6 10. O-O O-O-O 11. Be3 h5 12. f3 Bd6 13. b4 Ne5 14. f4 (14. Bxa7 Nxd3 15. Qxd3 Be5 16. Rad1 {would have been somewhat better.}) 14... Neg4 15. Bd2 Rde8 (15... Nd5 {threatening ...Nge3 was an alternative.} 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Nf2 Qe6 18. Bd3 (18. Bxg4 {turns out badly after} hxg4 19. c4 Qf5 20. c5 Be7 21. Rc1 Qh7 22. Nxg4 f5 23. Ne3 Qxh2+ 24. Kf2 Bh4+ {[%emt 0:00:04] mates in}) 18... Ne3 19. Bxe3 Qxe3 {with the better game.} ) 16. Rf3 Bc6 17. Rg3 g5 {White's hopes of defending her position are slim.} 18. h3 Rxe2 {[%mdl 8192] But this slip warrants a couple of question marks because now white could have grabbed the advantage with 19.Qe2!} (18... gxf4 { gives black an irresistible attack. That said, the ensuing complications would be very difficult to calculate OTB, so it's hard to be critical of either player here!} 19. hxg4 Qg5 (19... hxg4 20. Bxg4 Nxg4 21. Qxg4 {White has equalized.}) 20. Qf1 hxg4 21. Re1 Rxe2 22. Qxe2 Qh4 23. Bxf4 Bxf4 24. Nxf4 Qxg3 25. Qd2 Qh2+ 26. Kf1 Rd8 27. Qe3 Re8 28. Qd2 Qh1+ 29. Kf2 g3+) 19. hxg4 { [%mdl 8192] Two question marks for this move also!} (19. Qxe2 {is the narrow road to the win.} gxf4 (19... a5 {this is the engine line.} 20. Rf1 Re8 21. Qd1 Qh7 22. b5 Bd7 {and white is better.}) 20. Bxf4 Bxf4 21. Rf1 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 23. Rxf4 {with a decisive advantage.}) 19... hxg4 {At least one question mark for this which allows white to equalize.} (19... Rxg2+ {forces the win.} 20. Rxg2 hxg4 21. Qf1 Qh7 22. Nf2 g3 {Black is clearly winning.}) 20. Nxe2 { [%mdl 8192] And, a question mark, perhaps two, for this move which fails to equalize and leaves black with a clear advantage.} (20. Qxe2 Qh7 21. Kf2 { and it's a whole new game...both sides have chances.}) 20... Qh7 {Things are back on track now. Black has a decisive advantage.} 21. Nf2 {She could have held out a bit longer with, say, 21.Nc3. The text hems in the K.} Qh2+ (21... gxf4 {also works.} 22. Bxf4 Bxf4 23. Nxf4 Qh2+ 24. Kf1 Bb5+ 25. Ne2 Qxg3) 22. Kf1 gxf4 23. Bxf4 Bxf4 24. Qd3 Bxg3 25. Qxg3 Bb5 (25... Qh1+ {This is a move that only an engine would choose. It also works, but it involves temporarily giving up the Q and so would be unappealing to humans!} 26. Nxh1 Rxh1+ 27. Ng1 Bb5+ 28. Qd3 (28. Ke1 Rxg1+ 29. Kd2 Ne4+ 30. Ke3 Nxg3 31. Rxg1) 28... Bxd3+ 29. cxd3 Nd5 {with a won ending.}) 26. Qxh2 Rxh2 27. Re1 (27. Kg1 {was the only chance.} Rh5 28. Nc3 {and white cam play on; black has no forced win.}) 27... g3 28. Nd3 Bc6 {More precise was 28...Rh1+ because after the text white has some practical chances of defending herself.} 29. Nef4 Ne4 30. Kg1 f5 {After this white could get back in the game with 31.Re3} (30... Rh8 31. Re3 Re8 32. Nh5 Nd6 33. Rxe8+ Bxe8 34. Nxg3) 31. Re2 {Even after this the game is hardly lost.} Rh4 32. Re1 {[%mdl 8192] A final and fatal blunder...it's a shame!} (32. Re3 {makes things tough for black! The best line now is} Rg4 33. Ne2 Ba4 34. c4 Bd1 35. Nef4 {Black is better, but could he win? Most likely; in 5 Shootouts Stockfish had one draw and 4 wins for black.}) 32... Nf2 {After this white was forced to resign.} (32... Nf2 33. Kf1 (33. Nxf2 gxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rxf4+) 33... Nxd3 34. Nxd3 Rh1+ 35. Ke2 Bxg2 {wins easily}) 0-1

Lev Blonarovych

     On January 27, 1989, Lev Blonarovych passed away at the age of 61 in Richmond, Virginia after losing his battle against a long and serious illness. 

     An engineer by profession, Blonarovych was a well-known New Jersey master and many-time champion in Ukrainian tournaments sponsored by the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.S. and Canada. He was New Jersey Champion in 1956 and 1963. 

     During WW2 he was a soldier in the Galicia Division, a Ukrainian military formation within the German armed forces. He was born in Radymno, western Ukraine and emigrated to the U.S. and after WW2 and he served time as a parachutist in the U.S. Army.

     Outside of chess, he was an activist in the Ukrainian community. He was employed by the Veterans Administration in the engineering department and after a brief transfer to the West Coast, he ended up in Richmond, Virginia where he retired as chief in the engineering service. It was through his initiative that an active Ukrainian community was formed in Richmond. 

     In the following game he defeated California Master Gilbert Ramirez who eventually quit chess and became a professional bridge player. 

[Event "1957 US Open, Cleveland Ohio"] [Site ""] [Date "1957.08.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Lev Blonarovych"] [Black "Gilbert Ramirez"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1957.08.05"] {A08: King's Indian Attack} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 { The K-Indian Attack is sometimes presented as a system where white can play the same moves against any black setup and thereby eliminate the memorization of opening lines. However, as with all these so cal;led system openings, the proper strategy and therefore moves should be determined by what black plays because you simply cannot use the same strategy no matter what moves black plays.} d5 6. Nbd2 c5 7. e4 e6 8. Nh4 {There is nothing subtle about white's play; he's going for a K-side attack.} (8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Ne4 b6 10. Nfd2 Nc6 11. Nc4 Ba6 12. c3 {is about equal. Haddouche,M (2515)-Sarwat,W (2313) Monastir TUN 2014}) (8. Qe2 Nc6 9. c3 b6 10. Rd1 Ba6 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Ne4 {Black has the more active position. Britton,R (2238)-Andersen,M (2474) London ENG 2006}) 8... Nc6 9. f4 Qb6 (9... Qc7 10. e5 Nd7 11. c3 b5 12. g4 Bb7 {with equal chances. Ortmann,D-Solinski,M (2220) Berlin 1996}) 10. c3 Qa6 {The Q is not especially well placed here, so 10...c4+ was more exact.} (10... c4+ 11. d4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 e5) 11. e5 Ne8 {After this passive retreat white gets active play.} (11... Nd7 {was better.} 12. Ndf3 b5 {with equal play.}) 12. Re1 f6 13. Ndf3 fxe5 {Opening up the position on the K-side is a nad decision. It would have been better to improve the position of his Q with 13...Qb6} 14. fxe5 {Now comes a series of moves where both sides are jockeying for position. Blonarovych skillfully neutralizes black's play on the Q-side and at the same time builds up dangerous threats on the K-side.} Bd7 15. Bg5 Rc8 16. Qd2 Rf7 17. Bf4 Ne7 18. Ng5 Rf8 19. Nh3 Bb5 20. Nf2 Rc7 21. Nf3 Kh8 22. h4 Ng8 23. Bh3 Rcf7 24. a4 Bd7 25. b3 h6 26. d4 cxd4 27. cxd4 {Black's pieces are huddled around the K, but that's not where the danger lies! The decisive action will take place on the Q-side.} Qb6 28. Nd3 Qxb3 {Trapping his own Q. In reality about all black can do is make harmless waitling moves like 28...Ne7} 29. Reb1 Qc4 {The Q has no escape.} 30. Nc5 g5 (30... b6 31. Bf1 bxc5 32. Bxc4) 31. Bf1 gxf4 32. Bxc4 dxc4 33. Nxd7 Rxd7 34. g4 Ne7 35. Rb4 Nc6 36. Rxc4 {White is clearly winning.} Nxe5 37. Nxe5 Bxe5 38. Re1 Nd6 (38... Bg7 {and white simplifies to a won ending.} 39. Rxe6 Nc7 40. Rxc7 Rxc7 41. d5 Rd8 42. d6 Rcd7 43. Qd3 Bf8 44. Qf5 Bxd6 45. Rxh6+ Kg8 46. Rg6+ Rg7 47. Qe6+ Kh8 48. Rh6+ Rh7 49. Qf6+ Kg8 50. Rg6+ Rg7 51. Qxg7#) 39. dxe5 {Black resigned. An impressive performance by Blonarovych.} 1-0

An Unusual Position

 

     The first air conditioners appeared in 1902 by an inventor named Willis Carrier, but it was not for homes. Carrier's air conditioner was designed to keep paper from wrinkling in the heat and humidity at the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company in Brooklyn, New York. 

     It wasn't long after that industrial buildings and hospitals began adopting the technology, but the first person to air condition his home was Charles Gates, son of an industrialist and gambler named John Gates when he air conditioned his house in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1914. 

     By the 1920s, air conditioners were smaller and safer; the old versions used a toxic coolant. During the Depression, few places could afford to install the expensive systems, but movie theaters were an exception because they could be sure to see a return on their investment as people flocked to them. 

     However, it wasn't until after WWII that air conditioning started showing up in American homes, especially in the South. And, the fact that the venue of the 1956 U.S. Open in Oklahoma City, the Civic Room of the Oklahoma Biltmore, was air conditioned would have been w a welcome draw; in fact, it was even mentioned in the tournament announcement. The entry fee was $12 ($132.72 in today's dollars). 

     The Open was won by the U.S. Champion Arthur Bisguier. He suffered a surprising third round defeat by Donald Fischheimer of Chicago and as a result had to come from behind in an exciting finish to win the Championship with a 9.5-2.5 score. He was actually tied with James Sherwin, but won on tiebreaks. Robert Steinmeyer, who led the field for a time, placed third with 9-3. Tied at 8.5-3.5 for fourth to eight place were 13-tear old Bobby Fischer, Anthony Saidy, Edmar Mednis, Stephan Popel and Anthony DiCamillo. 

     The Women's Open Champion was Sonya Graf-Stevenson of Los Angeles, the defending champion, with 6.5-5.5 score. She was followed by the unheralded Mary Selensky a point behind. 

     Arthur Bisguier (1929-2017) needs no introduction, but his opponent, Dr. Orest Popovych is less known. Popovych was born January 18, 1933, in the Ukraine; he passed away at the age of 90 on March 14, 2023 at his home in Howell, New Jersey. 

     He immigrated to the U.S. in 1949 and settled in Newark, New Jersey. After finishing high school in 1951, he enrolled at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he majored in chemistry. In the fall of 1955, he entered the PH.D. Program in Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, first as a teaching assistant and then as an Allied Chemical and Dye Fellow. In January 1959, he was awarded his PhD in analytical chemistry. 

     After graduation he then embarked on a corporate career and in 1963 he began teaching in Brooklyn College of the City University of New York where he became a full professor in the Department of Chemistry. 

     Popovych was a USCF Senior Master and an FIDE FM. He won the New Jersey championship in 1959, 1961, 1985 and in 2001. In 2001 he authored a chess book featuring games by former champions of the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the USA and Canada. He was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Federation Hall of Fame in 2016. 

     In the following game, the position of Bisguier's Bs on e7 and e8 at move 15 is quite unusual. He held the advantage for most of the game, but made a slip at move 30. Popovych failed to take advantage of it, but he still managed to create a mate threat. However, in doing so he allowed Bisguier a nice finish. Not that it mattered because black was lost anyway. 

[Event "US Open, Oklahoma City"] [Site "Oklahoma City, OK USA"] [Date "1956.07.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Arthur Bisguier"] [Black "Orest Popovych"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E70"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1956.??.??"] {King's Indian} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5 c5 6. d5 O-O 7. Qd2 Qa5 {this is somewhat risky because the Q may end being misplaced. Either 7...e6 or 7...a6 are better.} 8. Bd3 Re8 (8... a6 9. Rc1 b5 10. b3 e6 11. Nge2 exd5 12. exd5 Nbd7 {equals. Milov,V (2668)-Kempinski,R (2624) Geneve 2005}) 9. Nge2 Na6 (9... a6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. f4 b5 12. cxb5 {Much better was 12.b3} axb5 13. Ng3 c4 {Black is much better. Amerkeshev,M (2228)-Omori,M (2191) chess.com INT 2013}) (9... e6 10. O-O a6 11. a4 exd5 12. cxd5 Nbd7 13. f4 c4 {is equal. Blosze,E-Djurhuus,R (2405) Gausdal 1992}) 10. O-O Nc7 {Risky in that it cuts off the Q's retreat. Better would have been 10...Nb4} 11. a3 {The threat is 12. b4} Na6 (11... Kh8 {A pass to demonstrate the threat.} 12. b4 cxb4 13. axb4 Qxb4 14. Rfb1 Qc5 15. Be3 {The Q is trapped.}) 12. f4 Ng4 13. Bc2 f5 {After this black's position is all but lost.} (13... e6 {This counterattack in the center does not work out well because after} 14. Ba4 Rf8 15. Be7 {he has a very poor position.}) (13... Qd8 {This was Bisguier's recommendation because it protects the e-Pawn and removes the Q from danger, but after} 14. Ba4 Bd7 15. Bxd7 Qxd7 16. h3 f6 17. Bh4 Nh6 {white's position is quite promising.}) 14. Ba4 Rf8 15. Bxe7 Rf7 16. Bxd6 {Already white has a decisive advantage.} fxe4 17. Be8 Rf6 18. Be7 {A unusual position!} e3 19. Qc1 Bf5 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Bb5 Bd4 22. b4 Qd8 {Interesting...the Q is transferring to the the R file with the hope of creating threats against white's K. Nevertheless, white remains in com plete control.} 23. Rf3 Qh4 24. h3 Nf2 25. bxc5 Bxc5 26. Qe1 {Safe and solid.} (26. Na4 {leads to some tricky tactical play.} Bg4 27. Nxc5 Bxf3 28. Qxe3 Nxc5 29. Qxf3 {and white is clearly better.}) (26. Bxa6 {is best met by} Bg4 27. Rg3 bxa6 28. Rxg4 Nxg4 29. Ne4 {White has a significant advantage.}) 26... Bg4 27. Rg3 Bh5 (27... Bxe2 {was not any better.} 28. Nxe2 Nc7 29. Ba4 Rf8 30. Rf3 { white remains with the superior position.}) 28. Kh2 Kh8 {[%mdl 8192]} 29. Bd7 Rf8 30. Na4 {[%mdl 32] This slip should have allowed Popovych to nearly equalize.} (30. Rg5 Bxe2 31. Nxe2 Rxf4 32. Qc3+ Rd4 33. Qxe3 Bd6+ 34. g3 Rd3 35. Qc1 Nd1 36. Rg4 Qe7 37. Be6 {Here black can continue to put up a manly defense.}) 30... Ne4 {[%mdl 8192] Played against Qc3+, but after this black is clearly lost.} (30... Bxe2 {is tougher.} 31. Qxe2 Bd4 32. Rf3 (32. Rb1 Qxf4 { and it's black who is winning!}) 32... Bxa1 33. Qxe3 Nd3 34. Qxd3 Rxf4 { and black has equalized.}) 31. Nxc5 {Simplifying} Nxg3 32. Ne6 (32. Nxg3 { would be a serious mistake.} Nxc5 33. Nxh5 Qxe1 34. Rxe1 gxh5 35. Be6 Rxf4 36. Rxe3 Rxc4 {and black is right back in the game.}) (32. Qxg3 {is also not quite so good because after} Qxg3+ 33. Kxg3 Nxc5 34. Bg4 Bxg4 35. hxg4 Re8 {black is still fighting.}) 32... Bxe2 33. Nxf8 Nf1+ 34. Kg1 Qxf4 {Of course this threatens mate, but at the same time it allows a nice finish. Of course any other move would have lost, too.} (34... Qxe1 35. Rxe1 Bxc4 36. d6 e2 37. Be6 Bb5 38. Rxe2 Kg7 39. Rb2 {wins} Kxf8 40. Rxb5 Ng3 41. Bg4 Nf5 42. Bxf5 gxf5 43. Rxb7 {wins.}) 35. Qc3+ Kg8 36. Qg7+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxg7 37. Ne6+ {Black resigned. To continue on would have been pointless because the ending is won for white.} (37. Ne6+ Kf6 38. Nxf4 Bxc4 39. Rxf1 Bxf1 40. Kxf1 Ke5 41. Ne6 Kxd5 42. Ke2 Nb8 43. Bc8 b5 44. Nc7+ Kc4 45. Kxe3 a5 46. Be6+ Kc5 47. Ba2 b4 48. a4 Nc6 49. Ne6+ Kd6 50. Ke4 {The Ps on the Q-side are stopped and white's extra piece must prevail.}) 1-0

Fiasco At Liverpool, 1952

     Back in 1951, it was decided to run an International Union of Students’ Chess Tournament in conjunction with the National Union of Students’ Arts Festival at Liverpool, England over Easter week in 1952. 

     Eight teams with three players each were expected to meet from April 4th to April 10th, but when the start date arrived there was only a British team and a Finnish team present. There was also one player each from Belgium, Denmark and India. There was supposed to be some players from Russia, too, but none of them showed up. 

     As a result, the three individual players that were in Liverpool were grouped into an "International" team and a short team tournament was held in which Finland defeated both Britain and the International team 2-1. Britain then defeated the International team 3-0 and so tied Finland. 

     It's not clear why, but when the Russians did arrive there were only two of them. In any case, a tournament was hastily arranged with the fast time limit of 40 moves in two hours because they had to play two games a day.

     The two Russians were David Bronstein and Mark Taimanov plus an "interpreter" who could not speak a word of English.

      It was no surprise that the Russians won all their games, although Nyren had a drawn position against Bronstein, but he was outplayed in the ending. 

     The Russians drew against each other, but it wasn't a peaceful one; it was a bitterly contested game. Bronstein avoided a draw by repetition on the fifteenth move and obtained a superior position, but as the time limit approached he found himself in time trouble and Taimanov sacrificed a piece for an attack which gained him a draw by perpetual check, Bronstein having missed a winning line.

 

     How did David Bronstein and Mark Taimanov, who were hardly students, end up playing in what was essentially an amateur students' competition? According to Taimanov's memoirs, Stalin had an interest in chess and the opportunity to bring glory to Russia could not be passed up, so chess authorities chose Grandmaster Bronstein, who had never attended college, and Taimanov who at the at the time was an IM and had already graduated from the Conservatory of Music to play in the tournament and they were ordered to win it. 

     The following see-saw game from the tournament was a thriller. Little is known of either player. Erkki Rutanen (July 12, 1932 - January 2, 20123, 82 years old) of Helsinki was a psychologist and psychotherapist who was one of the influential figures in Finnish clinical psychology. Nothing is known of his opponent, but according to British player/writer Gerald Abrahams, the Indian player, Katragadda, "knew as much about chess as Sultan Khan didn't." That seems a but harsh.

[Event "Liverpool Students Int'l"] [Site "?"] [Date "1952.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Erkki Rutanen"] [Black "G. Katragadda"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C36"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "69"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.03.31"] {King's Gambit Accepted} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Bg4 5. Bb5+ (5. Be2 Bxf3 6. Bxf3 Qh4+ {This shoulkd not lead anywhere.} 7. Kf1 Bd6 8. d4 Nd7 9. c4 b6 10. Nc3 Ne7 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Ne4 {White has managed to fritter away his advantage.} Nf5 13. Nxd6 {This is disastrous} Ng3+ 14. Kg1 Nxh1 15. Nf5 { A final blunder; it's mate after 15...Qe1 so white resigned. Sever,T (1764) -Guler,E (1532) Antalya 2008}) 5... Nd7 (5... Bd7 6. Qe2+ Qe7 7. Ne5 f6 8. Nxd7 Qxe2+ 9. Bxe2 Nxd7 10. d4 O-O-O {White is better. Lanzani,M (2419)-Manzoni,A (2115) Bratto 2000}) 6. O-O a6 7. Ba4 (7. Qe1+ Be7 8. Bxd7+ Bxd7 9. c4 Bf5 10. Qe5 {White is better. Eliassen,E (1507)-Soreng,E (1351) Lysaker 2002}) 7... Bd6 8. c4 Ngf6 9. Re1+ Be7 10. d4 O-O 11. Bxf4 Bd6 (11... b5 {is more active and would have allowed black to keep the position equal.} 12. cxb5 Nxd5 13. Bg3 Bb4 {with an active position.}) 12. Bg5 {Giving black a weak P with 12.Bxd6 would have given him a slight advantage.} h6 {He still should have played 12...b4!} 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bf2 Kg7 {After this black finds himself subjected to a vigorous attack.} (14... b5 {was still the move!} 15. Bc2 bxc4 16. h3 Bh5 17. g4 { Now black's best practical try is} Nxg4 18. hxg4 Bxg4 19. Nbd2 Qf6 {and hope for the best.}) 15. Qd3 (15. c5 {packs a wallop!} Bf4 16. Nc3 b5 17. Bb3 b4 18. Ne2 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nh5 20. Ng3 {White's advantage should prove decisive. He will play Qd3 and Bc2.}) 15... Bxf3 {Have I mentioned that black needs to play ...b5?} 16. gxf3 {This is the wrong way to recapture; taking with the Q was correct.} c6 {[%mdl 8192] At the risk of repeating myself, 16...b5 would have kept black in the game.} (16... b5 {and Black is okay.} 17. Bc2 (17. cxb5 Nb6 18. Bc2 axb5 19. Nc3 Qd7 20. Qxb5 Qh3 {and black has equalized.}) 17... bxc4 18. Qf5 Nb6 19. Nc3 Qd7 {and it's actually black that stands slightly better.}) 17. c5 {With this white gains a decisive advantage.} Bf4 18. d6 Nd5 19. Qf5 N7f6 20. Qh3 {This passive move loses much of his advantage. Completing development with 20.Nc3 was better.} Qd7 {This offer to exchange Qs should lose quickly.} (20... Qa5 21. Bb3 Be3 22. Nc3 Bxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Rae8 {keeps black in the game.}) 21. Qg2 {White can't afford another passive move. Now the position is back to complete equality!} (21. Qxd7 Nxd7 22. Nc3 N7f6 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. Bb3 Nf6 25. Re7 {and white is in complete control.}) 21... Kh8 { Black plans on opening up the g-file for an attack, but his prospects of successfully getting at white's K are pretty slim.} 22. Na3 {Wrong square. 22. Nc3 is the right one.} g4 23. Bh4 {[%mdl 8192] This should have lost the game. Getting the K off the file with the Q with 23.Kh1 would have left him in good shape.} (23. Kh1 Rg8 24. Nc4 Qf5 25. Ne5 Qh5 26. fxg4 Nxg4 27. Bd1 Nxf2+ (27... Bxe5 28. Rxe5) 28. Qxf2 {and the game is essentially over.}) 23... gxf3 { [%mdl 8192] Missing his chance, but it's hard to criticize his move. Play after the correct 23...Rg8 would be impossible to calculate OTB!} (23... Rg8 { and now the threat of ...gxf3 forces...} 24. Kh1 Nh5 (24... gxf3 25. Qxf3 { and white is out of danger.}) 25. Nc4 (25. Rg1 g3 26. hxg3 Rxg3 27. Bxg3 Nxg3+ 28. Kh2 Ne4+ 29. Kh1 Nf2+ {wins}) 25... g3 26. h3 b5 {THAT move again!} 27. Nb6 Nxb6 28. Re7 bxa4 {Brilliant!! Black get more than enough compensation for the Q.} 29. Rxd7 Nxd7 30. Rg1 (30. Re1 Rae8 31. Re4 Rxe4 32. fxe4 Be3 33. d5 Nf4 34. Qf3 g2+ 35. Kh2 g1=Q#) 30... Nf8 31. Be7 Ng6 32. Re1 Rae8 33. Re4 Nxe7 34. dxe7 Rg7 {White has no constructive moves.} 35. Kg1 f5 36. Re2 Rgxe7 37. Rxe7 Rxe7 38. Kf1 Nf6 39. h4 Nd5 40. Qg1 Rg7 41. Ke2 g2 42. b3 axb3 43. axb3 Be3 44. Qa1 g1=Q) 24. Qxf3 Rg8+ 25. Kh1 {This is the right square!} (25. Kf1 {would lose!} Ng4 26. Re2 Nge3+ 27. Ke1 Rg1+ {and black wins.}) 25... Rg4 (25... Qg4 { was somewhat better.} 26. Qxg4 Rxg4 27. Bxf6+ Nxf6 28. Re2 Rh4 29. Rae1 { White is better, but black can fight on.}) 26. Re7 {[%mdl 8192] This rates two question marks.} (26. Bxf6+ {keeps a significant advantage. For example...} Nxf6 27. Nc4 Rh4 28. Re2 Rg8 29. Ne5 {Black can do no damage on the K-side and white is in full control.}) 26... Rxh4 {And wins...you would think. Black gets way more than enough for the Q.} 27. Rxd7 (27. Re2 Ng4 {All white can di is delay mate (in 11 moves), not avoid it.} 28. Bxc6 bxc6 29. Qg2 Nxh2 30. Kg1 Be3+ 31. Rxe3 Nxe3 32. Qg3 Rg8 33. Qxg8+ Kxg8 34. Kf2 Qf5+ 35. Kxe3 Qf3+ 36. Kd2 Rxd4+ 37. Kc2 Qd3+ 38. Kc1 Qd1#) 27... Rxh2+ {Black has a mate in 11 moves. } 28. Kg1 Rg8+ 29. Kf1 Be3 {This move misses the mate and throws away almost all of black's advantage.} (29... Ne3+ {mates} 30. Qxe3 Bxe3 31. Rd8 Rxd8 32. d7 Nh5 33. Ke1 Nf4 34. Bb5 cxb5 35. Kd1 Rd2+ 36. Ke1 Nd3+ 37. Kf1 Rg8 38. d8=Q Rf2#) 30. Rd8 Ne8 {[%mdl 8192] This move simply cannot be explained except that black was probably thinking of playing ...Rg8#, but he has apparently suffered an hallucination.} (30... Rxd8 31. Nc2 Bg5 32. Re1 Rh4 33. Ke2 Rf4 34. Qg2 Rg8 {and black stands very well. He has more than enough compensation for the Q.}) 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Re1 Rg8 33. Rxe3 {Perhaps in his calculations black missed the fact that the B is missing and he can't play ...Rg8} Nxe3+ 34. Qxe3 Rh1+ 35. Ke2 {Black resigned.} 1-0

Just a Barnes Opening

     Whatever you call it, 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 and even if the late GM Edmar Mednis called it the worst opening move possible and GM Ben Finegold lists it on his Never Play list. I say never say never play 1.f3. 

     It's 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. 

     It's considered bad because it does not take control of the center, it takes away the f3 square for the N, it doesn’t allow development of any pieces and it seriously weakens safety of white’s King. 

     I play it occasionally in online blitz games and sometimes it works out quite well because my opponents, not realizing that there is no immediate, crushing refutation, have ignored commonsense rules of development and control of the center. Black can secure a comfortable advantage by advancing central Pawns and rapidly developing pieces to assert control over the center, but there is no forced way to confute the opening. 

     It's a waste of time for amateurs to go too deeply into memorizing opening lines. The thing about any opening is that at some point both players are going to start playing at their skill level and that is what is going to decide the game. And, that's why 1.f3 works, but only if you are playing opponents who are at, or below, your skill level. An example... 

[Event "Chess Hotel G/5+3"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Tartajubow"] [Black "Guest"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] {Barnes Opening} 1. f3 b6 2. Kf2 Bb7 3. c3 e6 {Black has played an odd setup to be sure.} 4. Qc2 Qh4+ {Rather pointless because the Q simply has to retreat. Either 4...c5 or 4...d5 would have been more precise.} 5. g3 Qf6 6. Bg2 Bc5+ { I wanted to be critical of this move which appears to only result in another loss of time, but according to the engines the position is quite equal. Stockfish suggests that both 6...g5 and 6...Nc6 would have left black with a smidgen of an advantage.} 7. d4 Bd6 {Retreating to e7 deprives the N of its best square. Black probably played this with the intention of playing ...e5} 8. e4 Bf8 {Clearly black's development has gone completely wrong! He should have continued with the planned ...e5} (8... e5 {was best...it leads to some real complications.} 9. f4 {Again threatening a P fork on e5.} exf4 10. e5 fxg3+ 11. Kxg3 Bxe5+ 12. dxe5 Qxe5+ 13. Bf4 Qe1+ {Stockfish puts white's advantage at a P, but that means nothing. This game is being played by two amateurs at blitz speed and anything could happen!}) 9. Nh3 h6 10. Nd2 d6 (10... e5 {would still work.} 11. dxe5 Qxe5 12. Nb3 Nc6 13. Be3 O-O-O {with about equal chances.}) ( 10... Nc6 {is also plausible.} 11. Re1 O-O-O {but white is better because black still has some development problems.}) (10... d5 {is another possibility. } 11. b4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Qd8 13. f4 {but here, too, black will find completing his development difficult.}) 11. f4 c6 {Pointless. 11...Nc6 and ...O-O-O was better.} 12. Nc4 Nd7 13. Re1 O-O-O 14. Bd2 {My development is complete, but the N on h3 is rather poorly placed. Black still has to finish developing his pieces and the Ps in front of his K are loose. As a result, white is better, but not by much...just about a Ps worth.} d5 15. e5 Qe7 {This innocent looking retreat turns out to be a serious mistake.} (15... Qg6 {is the right move because white has nothing better than exchanging Qs which lessens his attacking possibilities and makes the defense easier.} 16. Qxg6 (16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Qxg6 fxg6 18. exd6 Nf8 {and black has nearly equalized, but he still needs to complete his development plus the e-Pawn is backward and his position is badly cramped. White's difficulty is that his pieces don't have a lot of scope. }) 16... fxg6 17. Ne3 c5 {White is better, but it's hard to suggest a reasonable plan of operation and it looks like it's going to be a long game.}) 16. Nd6+ {This is a bone in black's throat and it shows why having the Q on e7 is a huge disadvantage.} Kb8 17. a4 a6 18. b4 {[%mdl 32]} f6 19. b5 {This move, breaking up the position around black's K requires no calculation...it just has to be good.} fxe5 20. fxe5 g5 21. Nxb7 Kxb7 22. bxc6+ Kxc6 23. c4 {[%mdl 32] More digging is required to get at black's K.} Kb7 24. cxd5 Qf7+ 25. Nf4 { [%mdl 512] White wants to mate with d6+.} (25. Kg1 {Wins, but it takes longer.} exd5 26. e6 Qf6 27. Bxd5+ Kb8 28. Qc6) 25... gxf4 {Black lost on time.} (25... gxf4 26. d6+ Kb8 27. Qc7#) 1-0