A Nearly Flawless Game by Arnold Denker

     The year 1947 saw a world changing event when the first general purpose computer, ENIAC, was introduced, It weighted 60,000 pounds, contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,00.S. Army to calculate artillery firing tables. 

     On July 8, 1947, Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release stating that they had recovered what they called a flying disc, but they quickly retracted the statement and said the metallic and rubber debris was from a weather balloon and that was pretty much the end of the story. 

     Then in the late 1970s, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, Jesse Marcel, in an interview with an ufologist said he believed the debris he retrieved at Roswell was extraterrestrial and the Roswell Incident was born. 

     Ufologists began promoting a variety of increasingly elaborate conspiracy theories claiming that one or more alien spacecraft had crash-landed and that the extraterrestrial occupants had been recovered by the military which they then covered up. 

     In 1994, the U.S. Air Force published a report identifying the crashed object as a nuclear test surveillance balloon from Project Mogul. This only fueled the conspiracy theorists’ claims. 

     So, it turned out that the conspiracy theorists were right...the government had lied and there was a cover up! Project Mogul was an Air Force secret project to detect nuclear tests acoustically by using microphones mounted on high altitude balloons. When one of those balloons crashed in Roswell, the government covered it up by saying it was just a weather balloon. 

     Speaking of outer space, the first animals in space were fruit flies that were launched in a V-2 rocket by the United States; they were recovered alive. 

     The following game was played in the Manhattan Chess Club Championship. Arnold Denker claimed it showed the essential difference between a talented younger player and the “old guard.” Carl Pilnick was 24 years old; Denker, the seasoned veteran who represented the old guard, was only 36 himself. 

     Denker claimed the contrast in styles was evident. Pilnick played with no plan and his play lacked flexibility. On the other hand, Denker varied his methods to meet the requirements of the position and so, naturally, he won. However you describe the game, according to Stockfish Denker’s play was nearly flawless! 

[Event "Manhattan CC Champ, New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1947.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Arnold Denker"] [Black "Carl Pilnick"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1947.??.??"] {French Defense} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3 {This old move should give black little trouble in equalizing. Denker chose it because of the element of surprise hoping Pilnick would not be familiar with it.} c5 {[%mdl 32]} 5. exd5 exd5 (5... cxd4 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Qxd4 {is equally playable.} Nc6) 6. Nf3 c4 {Well played by Pilnick! It limits white's play.} 7. Be2 Be7 (7... Bb4 {was a more active option.} 8. Bd2 (8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 Bxc3 10. bxc3 h6 {is completely equal. Topi-Hulmi,T (2235)-Berezjuk,S (2371) Krakow 2014}) 8... O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 {equals. Zlatanovic,B (2318)-Gagic,M (2166) Pozarevac SRB 2022}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Nc6 11. Ne5 Qa5 {Denker didn't care for this move which is the one preferred by engines.} 12. Bf3 Be6 13. Re1 {The threat is Ng6, but it should hold no real danger for black.} Rfd8 (13... Rad8 {was somewhat more precise.} 14. Ng6 fxg6 15. Rxe6 g5 {and black is slightly better.}) 14. Ng6 Ba3 {An ingenious reply, but it's not quite sufficient.} (14... fxg6 15. Rxe6 g5 16. Bg3 Bb4 {gives black sufficient play.}) 15. Bxf6 (15. bxa3 {is not quite as good. After} Qxc3 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nf4 Nxd4 {black has enough compensation in the form of active play for his wrecked K-side Ps.}) 15... gxf6 {This is where Pilnick really goes wrong.} (15... Bxb2 {offers a tougher defense.} 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 { Now the best plan for white is continue with} 17. Rxe6 fxe6 18. Ne2 Bxa1 19. Qxa1 Nb4 20. Qe1 (20. h4 Qxa2 21. Qc3 Nxc2 {with complications that should eventually favor white...should.}) 20... Qxa2 21. Ne7+ Kf8 22. Ng6+ {White must take the draw.}) 16. Qd2 {The Q's entry into the attack spells the end.} Kh7 {Of course the b-Pawn is immune.} (16... Bxb2 17. Qxh6 fxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qxf6+ {and black gets mated in 9 moves.} Kg8 20. Qg5+ Kh8 21. Qh6+ Kg8 22. Rxe6 Rd6 23. Rae1 Rxe6 24. Rxe6 Ne5 25. Re7 Nf7 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qxf7 Qxc3 28. Qg7#) 17. bxa3 Kxg6 18. Rab1 Rd7 19. Rb5 Qd8 20. Ne2 {The N gets repositioned to join the attack.} a6 21. Rbb1 Kh7 22. Qf4 f5 23. c3 Qg5 {The Q's coming to the defense of the K is the wrong strategy, but black' sposition is not very stable in any case. His best try was probably 23...Ne7 and 24...Ng6} 24. h4 { The beginning of the last phase of establishing an overwhelming end-game. Black's Ps are all on the same color as his B; his N is purely a defensive piece and his K-side Ps are broken. For these reasons he should have avoided the exchange of Qs at all cost.} Qxf4 {This plays into white's hands. Avoiding the exchange of Qs with 24...Qd4 was his best chance to keeo fighting.} 25. Nxf4 Re7 {There was nothing that was really better.} 26. Nxd5 {Liquidating down to a won ending.} Bxd5 27. Bxd5 Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Kg6 29. Bxc4 Na5 30. Bd3 f6 31. Re7 {White threatens g4 and mate.} Rc8 32. g4 {Black resigned bcause it's mate in 3. Pilnick's play was actually not bad at all, but Denker's was nearly flawless.} (32. g4 Rc5 (32... Nc4 33. Bxf5#) 33. dxc5 h5 34. Bxf5+ Kh6 35. Rh7# ) 1-0

Mengarini Loses to Fine

     Last Friday was a dark and gloomy day; the sun was shining, but it was obscured by thick clouds and it drizzled rain off and on all day. It was a good day to visit The Week In Chess and download games to update my database, something that I have not done for two years. 

     For the first time I actually used Chessbase 16; in the past all I have done is tinker with it because Fritz 17 is my go-to program. I have to say that the speed and ease with which Chessbase 16 handled the task was impressive! Now my database has in excess of 3.5 million games up to April of this year. 

     You can get the program starting at about $125 (price slightly higher in Europe). The question is, do you need it? If you are a serious student who is bent on improving and you want to keep databases on, say, openings, middlegame themes, endings, etc. then this is the program. If, like me, to are a dabbler in the game then Fritz for around $90 will do the job very well. 

     By January 1942, German submarines had moved into American coastal waters and posed a serious threat to shipping. By that time U-boats had become bigger, faster and more deadly and their presence in American waters was not intended for show, but to help win World War II for Germany. 

     During the first three months of 1942, German U-boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. I read a story recently by a gentleman who lived on the coast of North Carolina during the war and he told how they often heard loud explosions and could see burning ships on the horizon. 

     The name U-boat comes from the German word unterseeboot, meaning submarine or undersea boat. However, they were not true submarines. They were warships that spent most of their time on the surface. They could submerge only for limited periods, mostly to attack or evade detection and to avoid bad weather. U-boats could only travel about sixty miles underwater before having to surface for fresh air. They often attacked ships while on the surface using deck-mounted guns. Typically, about 50 men operated a U-boat. The boats carried fifteen torpedoes which ranged up to twenty-two feet long and could travel thirty miles per hour. 

     Experts have described German U-boats as among the most effective and seaworthy warships ever designed. They paid a price though and a map of German U-boats lost off the east coast of the United States can be seen HERE.

     During World War Two, Reuben Fine’s job was to try and predict where the U-boats would show up and that’s why he was in Washington, D.C. and won the Washington Chess Divan’s annual title tournament in December, 1942. 

 

     It was a strong field, but the battle was really for the remaining prizes, not first place because Fine was just too strong. Ariel Mengarini, Oscar Shapiro and Martin Stark were tied for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. Shapiro had held the title of D. C. Champion. 

     Donald H. Mugridge and William E. Napier had entered the event but were forced to withdraw. Mugridge lost to Fine and drew with Ponce, but his health did not permit him to continue. 

     One time famous British player William Napier lost to Eaton and Rousseau and had an adjourned position against Fox. He then was involved in an accident and was unable to continue. Divan officials canceled their scores. 

     Napier had withdrawn from the international tournament arena in 1905 and became an American citizen in 1908. He began a career at an insurance company, becoming vice president of the Scranton (Pennsylvania) Insurance Company. He married Florence Gillespie who was Harry N. Pillsbury's niece. 

     Although Napier still participated in chess, he played in no more important international tournaments and when he died at the age of 71 in 1952, his chess career was nearly forgotten.

     At the time the Washington Chess Divan was one of the most active and progressive clubs in the country because many strong players, like Fine, were in Washington performing war duties.  

     One unusual game in this tournament was a titanic struggle between District Champion and noted problem composer Vincent L. Eaton and International Master Albert W. Fox which was won by Fox. The game went 161 moves and lasted 10 hours and 49 minutes.  

     Naturally, winners always have some like like Fine did in the following game. Mengarini was doing “fine” until a couple of quick errors cost him the game.

 

[Event "Washington (DC) Chess Divan Champ"] [Site "?"] [Date "1942.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Reuben Fine"] [Black "Ariel A. Mengarini"] [Result "*"] [ECO "D45"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1942.??.??"] {QGD} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 {With this move white avoids the complexities of the main line 4.Nc3} e6 {[%mdl 32]} 5. Nf3 a6 6. c5 {This move designed to cramp black is seldom played, but it's results are nearly identical to the far more popular 6.b3. Black now plays for the freeing ...e5} Nbd7 {The less effective 6...b6 is a popular alternative.} 7. Na4 {White almost always plays 7.c4. With this rare move white eyes b6 as a potentional N outpost.} Qc7 (7... Ne4 8. Bd3 e5 9. Nd2 Nxd2 10. Bxd2 e4 {is equal. Botvinnik, M-Thomas,G Nottingham 1936}) (7... b5 8. cxb6 Nxb6 9. Bd2 Nxa4 10. Qxa4 Bd7 11. Qc2 Qb6 12. Rc1 Rb8 13. Bd3 Qxb2 14. O-O Bd6 15. Ne5 Qxc2 16. Rxc2 c5 {with equal chances. Nakamura,H (2769)-Aronian,L (2802) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) (7... e5 8. Bd2 Ne4 9. Be2 g6 10. O-O {Black stands well. Botvinnik, M-Rabinovich,I Moscow 1937}) 8. Bd3 e5 9. Bc2 {This allows black to gain the initiative thanks to his spatial advantage.} Be7 10. O-O e4 11. Nd2 Nf8 {Mengarini's chooses a passive defense and so instead allows white to seize the initiative by attacking his advanced center. A much better idea was 11...b6 assuring black od a slight advantage.} 12. f3 exf3 13. Qxf3 {Better was 13.Bxf3 because now black develops his B with a gain of time.} Bg4 14. Qf2 Bh5 15. h3 {He can't allow ...Ng4} Bg6 16. Bxg6 Nxg6 17. Nb6 Rd8 18. e4 dxe4 19. Nxe4 O-O 20. Nc3 Nh5 21. Be3 Ng3 22. d5 {This move looks much more danderous to black than it is and after 22.Nxf1 black would have stood quite well off. White should have simply moved the R out of harm's way with 21.Rfe1} Bh4 {[%mdl 8192] Here Mengarini gets too fancy! Taking the R would have left him with a slight edge.} (22... Nxf1 23. d6 Bxd6 24. cxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxf1 Rf6 {Black is slightly better.}) 23. d6 {Now this move IS very powerful.} Qb8 (23... Nxf1 {fails badly...} 24. dxc7 Bxf2+ 25. Bxf2 Rde8 26. Rxf1 {and black is lost.}) 24. Rfd1 Rde8 {The wrong R goes to e8} 25. Nd7 Ne4 26. Qc2 {Black resigned.} (26. Nxb8 {This may have been the move Mengarini expected, bur even then after} Nxf2 27. Bxf2 Bxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Rxb8 {White has a significant advantage.}) (26. Qc2 Qd8 27. Nxf8 Nxc3 28. Qxc3 Rxf8 {and black is a R down.}) *

A Great Game by Salo Landau

     Kemeri 1937 was held in the resort town of Ķemeri, Latvia, on the Gulf of Riga. It was the greatest tournament since Nottingham, 1936m and it had more than the usual number of upsets. 

     It was a notable performance by the American champion Samuel Reshevsky. He often started badly and finished strongly, but this time it was the other way around; he started off with a rush and had a big lead, but it gradually diminished. One would have expected him to beat players like Rellstab and Book, but he was upset by both and it cost him a clear first. 

     It was expected that Salo Flor would be among the leaders and true to form, he played his usual boring chess and scored a point here and a half-point there and was the only one to go through this grueling tournament undefeated. As an example of his play, he tried to bore Paul Keres to death by playing on for 104 moves in a barren position. 

     The excellent showing of the Latvian Vladimirs Petrov came as a great surprise and he might have done even better had he not blundered away a won game against Reshevsky in the very first round. Petrovs was one of the world's leading players in the late 1930s and was a victim of the Soviet oppression. He died in a Russian gulag in 1943 

     Alekhine recovered somewhat after his relatively poor showing at Margate 1937 where he finished 3rd with a 6-3 score behind Keres and Fine. Alekhine lost to both of them plus he was upset by the 9th place finisher Victor Berger, a minor British master. In one of his games Alekhine plated two moves in succession, but the TD, Hans Kmoch, was unable to invoke any penalty because the rules didn’t cover such a possibility. 

     Some people thought the young Keres’ play was disappointing and he should have finished higher. 

     Endre Steiner, the younger and less well-known brother of Lajos Steiner, scored the best performance of his career. He loved complications and avoided simplifications, but was always getting into time trouble and loses on time were a common occurrence. Steiner died at the age of 43 in a Nazi concentration camp near Budapest on December 29, 1944. 

     Tartakower’s play was a bit of a disappointment after his first place finish in the 1937 Polish Championship at Jurata where he went undefeated through the entire 21 rounds. 

     Reuben Fine’s showing was a great disappointment. One newspaper blamed it on the almost tropical heat. Normally July is the warmest month and the temperatures are pleasant with an average high of around 72 degrees. The hot spell proved particularly disastrous for Fine who was fatigued and stale from his many travels for tournaments and exhibitions during the year. 

 

 

     The following game between Salo Landau Movsa Feigin was, in the opinion of most of the players, one of the finest game played in the tournament and a likely candidate for the brilliancy prize. There is no record of whether or not it actually received the prize. 

[Event "Kemeri"] [Site ""] [Date "1937.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Salo Landau"] [Black "Movsa Feigin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [Annotator "()tockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1937.06.16"] {QGD, Semi-Slav} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Be7 { Black usually plays 6...dxc4. This move has a double purpose: it avoids the complications resulting from the Meran Defense (6,,,dxc4) and it is superior to the symmetrical line of play that occurs after 6...Bd6} 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 { Usually white plays either 8.b3 or 8.e4, but Fine follows a different course which, despite its harmless appearance, gives black some difficulty.} b6 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Rc8 (10... c5 {This is the usual move here, but despite appearances black does not have an easy game. Black would pretty much be limited to defensive play and at the same time white has attacking chances.} 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. Ne5 {with a good game. Note that black must avoid capturing the N.} Nxe5 13. dxe5 dxc4 (13... Qxe5 14. Nxd5 {wins}) 14. bxc4 Nd7 15. f4 a6 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Rad8 {White gets tactical with} 18. Nd5 exd5 19. Rf3 f5 20. Rh3 Nf6 {Watch! More tactics...} 21. Bxf5 dxc4 (21... gxf5 22. exf6 Bxf6 23. Rg3+ Kf7 24. Qxh7+ Ke8 25. Qxc7) 22. exf6 Rxd1+ 23. Kf2 Rd2+ 24. Ke1 Rf7 25. Bxg6 Rxg2 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7 27. Qxh7+ Ke8 28. f7+ Kd7 29. f8=Q) 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. Ne5 Nxe5 (12... Rfd8 13. f4 Bb4 14. f5 {with a strong attack.}) 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. f4 (14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nb5 Qb8 16. f4 Ba6 (16... g6 17. Bb1 Nc5 18. Qg4 Ba6 19. a4 Nxb3 20. f5 {White has a dangerous attack. Pinter,J (2526) -Rogic,D (2513) Baden 2019}) 17. a4 g6 18. Bc2 Rfd8 19. Qf2 Bxb5 20. axb5 f5 21. g4 { The chances are about equal. Jakovenko,D (2730)-Buhmann,R (2579) Saint Quentin FRA 2014}) 14... Rfd8 {Played in order to bring the N to f8 in the hope of avoiding the weakening advance of one of the Ps in front of his K.} 15. Rf3 { This works out well for white, but many years later an even stronger continuation was found.} (15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. f5 g6 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Qg4 Nf8 20. Qf4 Rd7 21. Qf7+ Kh8 22. Nd6 {White is winning. Galyas,M (2458) -Koczo,K (2221) Budapest 2011}) 15... Nf8 16. Rh3 {The threat is `7.Bxh7+} f5 ( 16... a6 {A pass to demonstrate the threat.} 17. Bxh7+ Nxh7 18. Qh5 Kf8 19. Qxh7 Ke8 20. Qg8+ Kd7 21. Qxf7 {and white is winning.}) (16... dxc4 {This is slightly better than 15...f5} 17. Bxh7+ Nxh7 18. Qh5 Rxd1+ 19. Nxd1 Kf8 20. Qxh7 Bb4 21. Qh8+ Ke7 22. Qxg7 Rf8 {Black will grab the d-file with his Q and he should then have enough counterplay to claim equality.}) 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Qc2 h6 {This avoid Bxh7+, but white has another way of continuing that is equally strong.} (19... g6 {It's been claimed by old annotators that this move was absolutely essential, but, in fact, it's absolutely worse!} 20. f5 (20. Nxd5 {This pretty nifty move works out very well also.} cxd5 21. Qxc7 Rxc7 22. Bxf6 Re8 23. Be5 Rf7 24. Bb1 {White's advantage should prove decisive.}) 20... Qg7 21. fxg6 hxg6 22. Rg3 Be5 23. Ne2 Bxb2 24. Bxg6 Be5 (24... Nxg6 25. Rxg6) 25. Nf4 Bxf4 26. exf4 Qf6 27. Re1 { Black has run out of moves.} Kh8 28. Qe2 Rd7 29. Qh5+ Rh7 (29... Nh7 30. Bxh7 Rg7 31. Bd3+ Kg8 32. Re8+ Rxe8 33. Qxe8+ Qf8 34. Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Qg6+ Kh8 36. Qh7#) 30. Bxh7 Nxh7 31. Rh3 Qg7 32. Re8+ Rxe8 33. Qxe8+ Qg8 34. Qe5+ Qg7 35. Qb8+ {and wins}) 20. Bf5 {This is the first move of a nicely calculated combination by Landau. Its point is to force the R on c8 to move, thus leaving the Q unprotected.} Ra8 21. Nxd5 Rxd5 22. Bxf6 {Black has a choice of captures, but none offer him any hope of saving the game.} Rxd1+ (22... gxf6 23. Rxd5 { is obviously bad.}) (22... Rxf5 23. Bxg7 Qxg7 24. Rg3) 23. Qxd1 Qf7 (23... gxf6 {is met by} 24. Rg3+ Kh8 25. Qh5 {and wins}) 24. Rxh6 {This far from obvious move is the real point of the combination. Neither of the pieces which are en prise can very well be taken.} (24. Bxg7 {White's position is so strong that this, too, works.} Qxf5 25. Bxh6 Ng6 26. Rh5 Qf7 27. Rg5 Bc8 28. Qh5 {and a slaughter follows...} Bf5 29. Rxf5 Qe8 30. e4) 24... Bc8 (24... gxh6 25. Qg4+ Ng6 26. Be6) (24... gxf6 25. Qg4+ Qg7 26. Be6+ Nxe6 27. Qxe6+ Qf7 28. Rg6+ Kf8 29. Rxf6) 25. Bxc8 gxh6 26. Qg4+ Kh7 27. Bd4 {A slight aesthetic flaw .} (27. Bf5+ Ng6 28. Be5 Re8 29. h4 {and the game is over.}) 27... Qg8 28. Bf5+ Ng6 29. h4 c5 30. Be5 {Black resigned as there is no way tp meet the coming h5.} 1-0

Chess and the Depression

     1933 was the worst year of the depression with unemployment peaking at one in 4 people unemployed. In the United States tens of thousands traveled the roads and rails looking for work and the US banking system, which was under great strain, was propped up by the US government. The Banking Act of 1933 tried to stop the panic of people withdrawing their money from the banks. 

     There was also the continuing drought in the Midwest that turned even more of the land into dust bowls. 

     The 1930s were in direct contrast to the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. Clothes were mended, not replaced. A lot of people who read could not afford books so they read in the library. 

     The great American national pastime, baseball, changed profoundly during the Great Depression. Major League rosters and players’ salaries were cut, many minor league teams were eliminated and in an effort to bolster attendance that had fallen by more than 40 percent by 1933, night games were introduced. 

     And, with the end of Prohibition in 1933, nightclubs became legitimate places not only to consume liquor but to socialize, dance, enjoy other forms of entertainment. 

     People indulged in inexpensive amusements like backyard games, puzzles, card games and board games such as Monopoly which was introduced in 1935.

     Chess survived, too. In 1933, Reuben Fine won the Marshall Chess Club championship and Marjorie Luce (aka Mrs. William Seaman) won the Marshall women's championship with a perfect 11-0 score. 

     It was the year that the Manhattan Chess Club moved to the Hotel Alamac and Robert Willman won the club championship. 

     Fred Reinfeld scored 8 wins and 3 draws to win the New York State Chess Championship that was held in Syracuse. Arnold Denker took second and Reuben Fine and Anthony Santasiere tied for third. 

     Three thousand miles away from New York City Herman Steiner became the chess editor of the Los Angeles Times and was hob-nobbing with the Hollywood crowd and so was instrumental in establishing the Hollywood Chess Club, the Yiddish Chess Club, the Los Angeles Chess and Checker Club, the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Caltech Chess Club in Pasadena. 

     In January 1933, Isaac Kashdan published the first edition of The Chess Review which later became just Chess Review under I.A. Horowitz and, also, one of the premier postal chess organizations in the country. In November 1969, it merged with Chess Life to become Chess Life & Review. 

     Also in 1933 after a two year layoff during which time Isaac Kashdan was the official titleholder, the Manhattan Chess Club resumed its annual championship tournament. Robert Willman and Abraham Kupchik tied for 1st place, I.A. Horowitz finished 3rd followed by Alabert S. Pinkus. In a playoff Kupchik defeated Willman with +2 -1 =2 to take the title. 

     At the Folkestone Olympiad only 15 teams participated. It was originally scheduled to be played in Chicago, but these plans were canceled due to financial problems. The USA team (Isaac Kashdan, Frank Marshall, Reuben Fine, Arthur Dake and Albert Simonson won with a 39-17 score. 

     The 34th Western Open (later the US Open) was held in Detroit and Reuben Fine won it with a +10 -1 =0 score. Samuel Reshevsky was 2nd, followed by Arthur Dake. Fine lost to Reshevsky in round 6, but won all his other games. Reshevsky drew to Arthur Dake, Samuel Factor, Albert Margolis and George Barnes. 

     Arthur Dake (1910-2000) had an extraordinary talent for chess even though he learned the game at the late age of 17. By the age of 21, he won gold with the US team at the Chess Olympiad in Prague 1931. 

     A merchant seaman, in the late summer of 1929 he arrived in New York with nothing more than a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and the determination to meet and beat the great masters of the city. 

     In New York he met Kenneth Grover, a checkers player, and the two set up a chess and checkers stand to play against all comers for a small fee. Things didn’t work out very well because of the depression so they tried organizing private poker games, but one day their poker room was robbed by gangsters and they got out of that business. 

     In any case, after he arrival in New York Dake quickly became one of the best players in the country. And, that was even though he lost a match held at the Marshall and Manhattan chess clubs to Reuben Fine who scored +4−2=3. In April of that year he also lost a match to I.A. Hozowitz who scored +4 -0 =4; it was supposed to be for 10 games, but the last two weren’t played. 

     Dake does a better job of strutting his stuff in the following game from the Folkestone Olympiad in which he overwhelmed one of England’s best players, C.H.O’D. Alexander. 

[Event "Folkestone Olympiad"] [Site ""] [Date "1933.06.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Arthur Dake (USA)"] [Black "C.H.O'D. Alexander (England)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1933.06.12"] {King's Indian Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. d5 Nc5 9. Nd2 a5 10. Qc2 Ne8 11. Nb3 b6 (11... f5 12. Nxc5 dxc5 13. exf5 gxf5 14. f4 e4 15. a4 Bd4+ 16. Kh1 Ra6 {Draw agreed. Bischoff,K (2505) -Kindermann,S (2560) Bern 1990}) 12. Nxc5 bxc5 13. Bd2 f5 14. exf5 (14. Bd3 f4 15. f3 h5 16. Rae1 g5 17. Kf2 {The K begins an amazing journey!} g4 18. Ke2 h4 19. Kd1 Nf6 20. Kc1 g3 21. hxg3 hxg3 22. Rh1 {Chances are equal, but in the game white managed to outplay his opponent. Sivuk,V (2517)-Bitensky,I (2384) Jerusalem ISR 2015}) (14. f3 fxe4 15. fxe4 Rxf1+ 16. Rxf1 Nf6 17. Nb5 Bd7 18. Bg5 {White enjoys a slim advantage. Sondermann,D (2116) -Sieberg,R (2004) Dortmund 2008}) 14... gxf5 15. f4 e4 16. Nb5 Bb7 17. Bc3 Nf6 18. a4 Qd7 {Preferred by Komodo 14, but Stockfish likes the anti-positional looking 18...Ne8 exchanging Bs.} 19. Qd2 e3 {The idea is to offer a P to give the N access to e4 and also to open up the e-file for his Rs. Actually, it's a bluff and there was no reason for white not to take the P.} ( 19... h6 20. Rfe1 Kh7 {and neither side can boast of having any advantage.}) 20. Qd3 (20. Qxe3 Ne4 21. Bf3 Nxc3 22. bxc3 Rae8 23. Qd3) 20... Bc8 {This seems to be a rather pointless move. Why not somply 20...Rae8?} 21. Rae1 Re8 ( 21... Ne4 {is the logical followup to his 19th move.} 22. Qxe3 Bxc3 23. Nxc3 Qg7 24. Nxe4 fxe4 25. b3 {White is better.} (25. Qxe4 Qxb2 {is also in white's favor.})) 22. Bf3 (22. Rf3 {was also good.} Ne4 23. Rxe3 Nxc3 24. bxc3 Rxe3 25. Qxe3 {White's advantage should prove decisive.}) 22... Ng4 {With the disappearance of dark squared Bs after this move black's position quickly collapses, but it's hard to suggest anything that is totally satisfactory. Perhaps a waiting move like 22...Ba6 is best.} 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 {After this move which leaves his K naked and exposed black is totally lost. He needed to recapture with the Q.} (23... Qxg7 24. Bxg4 fxg4 25. f5 Rf8 26. Rxe3 {But even here black's prospects are grim.}) 24. Re2 (24. Bxg4 {was also pretty good!} fxg4 25. f5 Rf8 26. Qxe3 Rxf5 27. Rxf5 Qxf5 28. Nxc7 Rb8 29. Ne8+ Kg6 30. Qe7 { and white is winning.}) 24... Rb8 {There's not much black can to except make pointless moves.} 25. Qc3+ Kg8 26. Rfe1 (26. Bxg4 {was an even harder blow. After} fxg4 27. f5 Rf8 28. f6 Ba6 29. Rxe3 Bxb5 30. Re7 {black is doomed.}) 26... Qg7 27. Qxg7+ Kxg7 28. Nxc7 {Grabbing an extra P can't hurt.} Re7 29. Nb5 Rb6 30. Bxg4 {Finally!} fxg4 31. Rxe3 {Black resigned. The ending is hopelessly lost.} 1-0

Is Correspondence Chess Dead?

     I came across this interesting article on Linkedin the other day and thought I’d share it. 

     Once upon a time I was an avid postal player and later online, but when engines hit the Master level, as only an Expert I could no longer compete. Personally, I disagree with the author and correspondence chess no longer holds any interest for me.

     When it comes to chess, those who can, play; those who can’t, coach; those who can do neither blog.

Crushed by Herbert Seidman

     The year 1939 started off with Laszlo Szabo winning the 1938/39 Hastings Chess Congress. And, in the Spring Paul Keres won at Margate ahead of Jose Capablanca and Salo Flohr. Mikhail Botvinnik won the USSR Championship that was held in Leningrad.

     In the United States Gary Cooper was offered a part in the movie Gone with the Wind, but rejected it saying, "Gone With the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I'm glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his nose, not me.” 

     He was wrong. The movie sold an estimated 200 million tickets and the US Population in 1939 was only 131 Million. Adjusted for inflation Gone with the Wind is the highest-grossing movie of all time, at about $3.5 billion. 

     In another wrong prediction that year, the New York Times predicted that the television would fail because the average American family would not have enough time to sit around watching it. 

     The year was also the debut of Betty White (1922-1921, 99 years old), who in 2014 was awarded the Guiness World Record for the Longest TV Career for a Female Entertainer. 

     Speaking of movies, asbestos was used as fake snow in early Hollywood in films such as, The Wizard of Oz. 

     During the Summer of 1939, the American Chess Federation championship (US Open) was held in New York. Reuben Fine finished ahead of Samuel Reshevsky and I.A. Horowitz. 

     The Chess Olympiad (known at the time as the Hamilton-Russell Cup) took place in August and September in Buenos Aires and after Germany invaded Poland on September 1st starting the outbreak of WW2, Great Britain dropped out and its players returned to England. Also, many players remained in Argentina and the demographics of the chess world were drastically changed. 

     In December the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation formed the United States Chess Federation. 

     In a long forgotten domestic event the annual tournament for the 1939 Marshall Chess Club championship ended in a tie between Sidney Bernstein and Milton Hanauer, both of whom at the time were recognized as being among the country's leading players. They intended to play a match to determine the champion, but it never came off. 

 

     Frank J. Marshall, the club titleholder in 1937 and 1938, was troubled with ill-health during the tournament and could not do better than share in a five way tie for fourth place. 

     One of those sharing fourth with Marshall was a college student whom it was felt was a player of great promise, Herbert Seidman. He was the sensation of the tournament, defeating Anthony Santasiere and Marshall in well played games.

     Herbert Seidman (October 17, 1920 – August 30, 1995) was a Senior Master born in New York City and he played in several US Championships and was a frequent competitor in open tournaments in the New York City area He was known for his swashbuckling-style, risky sacrificial attacks and offbeat openings. Other than that it seems not much is known of him. 

     His opponent in this game, Anthony Santasiere (1904-1977) was better known. A middle school mathematics teacher by profession, he was chess writer and also wrote extensively on non-chess topics. Santasiere won the 1945 US Open Champion, won four New York State championships and six Marshall Chess Club championships. He also competed in four US Championships. 

[Event "Marshall CC Championship, New York"] [Site ""] [Date "1939.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Herbert Seidman"] [Black "Anthony Santasiere"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B29"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1939.??.??"] {Sicilian, Nimzovich Variation} 1. e4 {[%mdl 32]} c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Black's strategy here is somewhat similar to Alekhine's Defense im which white is encouraged to chase the N and build up a center which black can then attack.} 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5. dxc3 b6 {This was Nimzovich's original idea, but it loses!} (5... e6 {meets the threat, ut whute gains the advantage after} 6. Bf4 b6 7. Bd3 h6 8. Qe2 Bb7 9. O-O-O {Gonzalez,Y (2482)-Fernandez Romero,E (2449) Havana 2005}) 6. Bc4 (6. e6 {refutes black's last move.} dxe6 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Ne5 Ke8 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Bf4 {The threat is the very strong O-O-O. } a6 (11... e5 12. O-O-O {wins}) 12. Bc6 Rc8 13. Bb7 {wins the exchange.}) (6. Bd3 {is not quite as good as 6.e6.} Bb7 7. Bf4 Qc7 8. Bg3 e6 9. O-O {Michell, R-Nimzovich,A Marienbad 1925}) 6... e6 7. Bf4 Qc7 8. O-O Bb7 9. Qe2 a6 { This is a waste of time becasuse white's next move prevents ...b5 and, more importantly, black's a-Pawn becomes a target.} (9... Nc6 {keeps white's advantahe at a minimum. Play might run...} 10. Rad1 h6 11. Bg3 O-O-O {and all white can claim is a spatial advantage.}) 10. a4 Nc6 11. Rad1 Be7 {Naturally black is in a hurry to castle, but note that white's P on e5 is cutting off black's pieces from reaching the aid of the K.} (11... Na5 12. Bd3 f5 13. Nh4 g6 {is an unattractive setup for black, but at least his defense is holding.}) 12. Rd2 O-O {He still needed to try 12...Na5. Now his lightly defended K is in danger.} 13. Rfd1 {[%mdl 2048]} Rfd8 {This defends the d-Pawn, but deprives f7 of a defender. Black's position is already approaching the critical stage.} ( 13... Rad8 {doesn't work because of} 14. Bxa6 Bxa6 15. Qxa6) 14. Ng5 h6 { All this does is force white to play what he already intended plus is further weakens the Ks position...and it loses the game.} (14... Bxg5 {Eliminating the threatening N was a must play. Even so, after} 15. Bxg5 {Black's R and d-Pawn are both attacked so his best try is} Nxe5 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 17. Bxa6 Bxa6 18. Qxa6 d5 {and try to hold on and make white work for the point.}) 15. Nxf7 {[%mdl 512] Obvious and winning.} Kxf7 {There was no choice.} (15... Rf8 16. Nxh6+ gxh6 17. Rxd7 {Black has no move that offers any hope of defending himself.}) 16. Rxd7 {[%mdl 512] Perhaps this, an absolute crusher, came as a surprise to Santasiere.} (16. Qg4 {allows black some play after} Nxe5 17. Qf5+ Bf6 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Rxd7+ Rxd7 20. Rxd7+ Ke8 21. Qxe5 Bxe5 22. Rxb7 Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Bxb8 { and although white should win, Bs of opposite color do give black some hope.}) 16... Qxd7 (16... Rxd7 {is no better.} 17. Bxe6+ Kxe6 18. Qc4+ Kf5 19. Qf7+ Bf6 20. Rxd7 {and white is winning here, too.}) 17. Rxd7 Rxd7 18. Qh5+ g6 {It looks like Santasiere has defended well because after the Q retreats, say wiht 19.Qg4, black can still put up a stout defense. But, Seidman is not done with the sacrifices.} 19. Bxe6+ {[%mdl 512]} Kxe6 {Count up the material. White has a Q+3Ps vs 2Rs+N+B which should favor black, but black's K is fatally exposed.} 20. Qxg6+ Bf6 (20... Kd5 21. Qf7+ Ke4 22. f3#) 21. Qxf6+ Kd5 22. Qf5 {White threatens e6+ and mate.} Re7 23. e6+ Kc4 (23... Ne5 24. Qxe5+ {mates next move. }) 24. Qd3# 1-0

Fooling Paul Keres

     The 1964 Chess Olympiad was the first ever to be held in Asia and it also attracted a record number of participants when fifty countries entered. There were 294 players, more than 70 of them titled. 

     The teams were divided into six groups of 7, and one group of 8. Only two top teams of each group were qualified into the main final. There were four final sections, three comprised of 14 teams and the bottom one with just 8 teams. 

     The Soviet Union was the only team to have six GMs and the American team was weakened because Bobby Fischer, William Lombardy and Larry Evans were missing. 

 

     

     In the first round of the Olympiad Dr. Anthony Saidy defeated Poland’s Jacek Bednarski (1939 – 2008), an International Master and a politician who won the Polish Championship in 1963. 

     Anthony Saidy (born in1937) is an International Master, a retired physician and author. He competed eight times in the U.S. Championship. He authored several chess books and a book of "what if" political fiction. 

     The game was published several times in Europe and it was presumed to be a brilliamcy. However, Saidy said of it, “To the average player, or even master, the piece sacrifice looks convincing, for did not the opponent collapse within eight moves?" He then made the observation that there is a pitfall in all tactical games...the first evaluation barely glimpses the ramifications and “...in the heat of the arena (the players) have no full grasp of the complexities.” 

     When the mighty Paul Keres annotated the game in the British Chess Magazine he lauded Saidy’s play and complimented him for a “nicely played game” which, coming from the likes of Paul Keres, was a huge compliment. But, in his analysis Saidy concluded that the game was “flawed.” Was it? Let’s see what Stockfish’s opinion is. 

[Event "Olympiad, Tel Aviv, Qual D"] [Site ""] [Date "1964.11.03"] [Round "?"] [White "Anthony Saidy (USA)"] [Black "Jacek Bednarski (Poland)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E80"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1964.??.??"] {K-Indian: Saemisch} 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. e4 d6 {The Saemisch always gave Bobby Fischer trouble so that he eventually avoided the K-Indian if he believed he would face it. However, when he faced the Saemisch against Spassky in their 1992 rematch, Fischer scored +2 -1 =2} 5. f3 c6 {A rare sideline that has never brought black much success. He usually castles here.} 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 b5 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O bxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Bb3 a5 {[%mdl 32]} 13. Na4 Ba6 14. Rfc1 Nfd7 {This is black's best move. He has complete equality.} (14... Bb5 15. Nxb6 Qxb6 16. Nc3 a4 17. Bd1 Rfc8 (17... Rfb8 18. b4 a3 19. Rab1 Nd7 20. Nxb5 Qxb5 {Lehikoinen,P (2229)-Seeman,T (2441) Helsinki 2002. White is better.}) (17... Nd7 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 19. Be2 Qb7 20. Rab1 Rfc8 21. Bc4 d5 {Mishra,N (2363)-Suvrajit,S (2335) Nagpur 1999 is fully equal.} ) 18. Rab1 Qa6 19. Nxb5 Qxb5 20. b4 axb3 21. Bxb3 Qa6 {The chances are about even. Adler,J (2274)-Ballmann,M (2375) Switzerland 2014}) 15. Rc2 {Black has achieved complete equality. His c-Pawn is backward, but white would gain nothing by capturing it.} (15. Rxc6 Bb5 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Rcc1 a4 {with full compensation for the P.}) 15... c5 {Writing in the British Chess Magazine the legendary Paul Keres questioned this move, but Saidy disagreed commenting that the move was "impeccable." Stockfish agrees with Saidy.} 16. Nxc5 {[%mdl 8192] As Saidy put it, "... appalled by the disjointed position of my own pieces and the fact that black had so swiftly freed his position" he spent 50 minutes to come up with this move. In his notes Keres awarded this sacrifice a "!" stating, "The combination is original and easily overlooked.". Saidy's reply was, "Perhaps it should have been!" Once again, Saidy is correct...Stockfish says so! It even gives black a decisive advantage.} (16. Nxb6 Nxb6 {and white has the option of keeping thing equal after either 17.Nc3 or 17.dxc5}) 16... dxc5 17. dxc5 a4 {Another fine move. It's better than Keres' suggestion of 17.. .Nc8} (17... Nc8 18. Rd1 Bxe2 19. Qxe2 Qc7 20. Ba4 Ne5 21. c6 Na7 22. f4 Nexc6 23. e5 g5 24. g3 {and white has ample compensation for the N.}) 18. Bxf7+ { This weakening Black's King position is the only PRACTICAL chance white has. By the way, Saidy now had less than a half hour left for 23 moves!} (18. cxb6 axb3 19. axb3 {is Stockfish's coldblooded suggestion, but it leaves white with zero practical chances.}) 18... Rxf7 19. cxb6 Bxe2 {[%mdl 8192] Here Keres wrote, "Certainly black's best practical chance", but, again, Saidy correctly disagreed. The fact is this move costs Bednarski the game.} (19... Ne5 { is correct and after} 20. Qxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rac1 Nd3 22. Rd2 Rff8 23. Rb1 Ne5 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 {Black's advantage is decisive.}) 20. Qxe2 {Remember Saisy was in terrible time pressure and so he played this automatically so as not to waste precious time on the obvious, but after the text black has a slight edge.} (20. b7 {is decisive.} Rb8 21. Rac1 Bxb2 22. Rc8 Bxc1 23. Qxc1 {etc.}) 20... Nxb6 ( 20... a3 {This is plable, but it doesn't lead anywhere after} 21. Rd1 axb2 22. a4 Rxa4 23. Rxb2 Bxb2 24. Qxb2 e5 25. b7 Qa5 26. b8=Q+ Nxb8 27. Qxb8+ Kg7 { and black won't be able to make any progress}) 21. Rd1 Qb8 {The decisive error and the one that was responsible for the acclaimed brilliancy.} (21... Nd7 { This is another story.} 22. Rcd2 e6 23. Qb5 Qb8 24. Qxb8+ Nxb8 25. Rd8+ Rf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Rd8+ Kf7 {In Shootouts from thids position 5 games were drawn}) 22. Qb5 {[%mdl 1024]} Nc8 {This represents complete collapse.} (22... Rf6 { was tougher, but in the long run there is no doubt about the outcome.} 23. Rc6 Rxc6 24. Qxc6 Qc8 25. Qxb6 Rb8 26. Qa7 Bf6 27. Rc1 Qb7 28. Qxa4 Qxb2 {White has a decisive advantage.}) 23. Rd8+ Rf8 24. Qd5+ {Black resigned. Maybe the game was not a brilliancy, but it was exciting plus it was not often that anybody could out-analyzed Paul Keres as Saidy did in this game!} (24. Qd5+ Kh8 25. Rxf8+ Bxf8 26. Bd4+ e5 (26... Bg7 27. Qd8#) 27. Bxe5+) 1-0

It’s Complicated

     The biggest non-news of 1951 came on January 17th when 7-year-old Bobby Fischer played a game against Senior Master and U.S. Speed Champion Max Pavey in a simultaneous against 13 players in Brooklyn. 

     The unknown kid lost his Queen in 15 minutes and burst out bawling. It’s a fact almost lost to history, but there was another kid playing Pavey that day, too. It was 14-year-old Edmar Mednis who went on to become a Grandmaster. 

     Mednis was a junior member of the Marshall Chess Club and along with Sylvan Katske they did better than Fischer; they both held Pavey to a draw. Fischer later declared that his loss to Pavey was what motivated him to improve, which he did.

     Among the spectators was Carmine Nigro, president of the Brooklyn Chess and Checkers Club and after the game he approached Mrs. Fischer and Bobby and invited Bobby to join the club for free. 

     Nigro was trying to teach his uninterested-in-chess son William how to play and offered to coach Bobby as well. As you know, Fischer was more enthusiastic than William and took Nigro up on his offer. History was also made because Fischer was the first child permitted to join the Brooklyn Chess Club which also had no female members. 

     The following game was played in the preliminaries in the 1951 Manhattan Chess Club Championship and, according to Al Horowitz writing in Chess Review, there was so much action in it that that it was difficult to keep track of its tactical accuracy. He added that only a minute inspection of the game MIGHT have changed hands on move 16 if white had played 16.Kf1 instead of 16.Kf2. 

     To be sure of which move was better Horowitz noted that an electronic computer would be needed. Of course, they didn’t have one in 1951, but today we have a glut of chess programs with strong engines, so let’s take a look and see if Horowitz was correct. 

     Herbert Avram (1913-2006, 92 years old) won the Virginia State Championship in 1952, 1953, and 1954. He was the Maryland State champion in 1955 and 1979. In 1969, he won the Capital City Open. His wife, Henriette Avram, was one of the first computer programmers and was a key figure in the computerization of library catalogs. There is s nice article on Boris Siff (1911-1998, 86 years old) HERE.

 

[Event "Manhattan CC Champ Preliminary"] [Site "?"] [Date "1951.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Boris Siff"] [Black "Herbert Avram"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D48"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1 (10s)"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1951.??.??"] {QGS Semi-Slav: Meran System} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. e3 e6 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 Ng4 {At the time this was a comparatively new idea against all the multifarious variations of the Slav. The idea is to put pressure on white's P on e5, the mainstay of his game. Nowadays black plays 10...cxd4} 11. Bf4 {Even at the cost of a P white intends to maintain his P on e5. The result of this move though is that it enters a maze of complications.} (11. Be4 {This is the most solid continuation.} Ra7 12. Be3 Nxe3 13. fxe3 g6 14. O-O Bh6 15. Qe2 O-O 16. Kh1 Rc7 17. Rad1 c4 18. a3 Nb6 19. g4 f5 20. exf6 {1/2-1/2 Atalik,S (2585)-Ivanisevic,I (2664)/Kallithea 2008 }) 11... Bb7 {This is not the most accurate.} (11... cxd4 12. Ne4 Bb4+ { Also playable is 12...Qa5+} 13. Kf1 Bb7 14. h3 Nh6 15. Bxh6 gxh6 {The position is equal. Kruger-Florian, Hungarian Chp 1950}) 12. Ng5 cxd4 13. Qxg4 dxc3 14. Nxe6 {Safer was 14.O-O which places the K in safety and still maintains attacking chances. The text invites complications and gives black plenty of counterplay. It's speculation, but Siff probably played 14.Nxe6 on intuition.} cxb2 (14... fxe6 {is really bad.} 15. Bg6+ hxg6 16. Qxg6+ Ke7 17. Bg5+ Nf6 18. exf6+ gxf6 19. Bxf6+ {and white is winning.}) 15. Rd1 Bb4+ {What should white play? Horowitz felt that since white is committed to attacking the right move was 16.Ke2 because it allows the R on h1 to join the game whereas after 16.Kf1 the R is shut out of the game. Stockfish indicates that there is about a whole P difference between the two and Horowitz was correct. At the same time Stockfish is absolutely certain that black has a significant advantage.} 16. Kf1 (16. Ke2 fxe6 17. Bg5 Qc8 18. Qxb4 (18. Qxe6+ {is slightly less good.} Kf8 19. Qf5+ {Now if 19...Kg8 white can repeat moves with 20.Qe6+} Nf6 20. exf6 Qxf5 21. Bxf5 Re8+ 22. Be3 gxf6) 18... Nc5 19. Bc2 {Black is better.}) 16... fxe6 17. Qxg7 Rf8 18. Bxh7 Nxe5 {Horrible! Black goes from winning to losing in a single move. Was Avram under the impression that he has sufficient xcounterplay against white's exposed K?} (18... Qc7 19. Qg6+ Kd8 20. Bg5+ Kc8 21. Qxe6 Bc6 22. Be7 Re8 23. Rd6 Bxd6 24. exd6 Qa5 25. Qb3 Rh8 26. Bd3 Qa4 27. Qxa4 bxa4 {Black is winning. Just a sample...} 28. Ke1 Bxg2 29. Rg1 Bd5 30. Kd2 a3 31. h4 Kb7 32. Rg5 Kc6 33. Rf5 Rhg8 34. Rf4 Bxa2) 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Qxe5 Bd5 (20... Rd1+ 21. Ke2 Rxh1 22. Bg6+ Rf7 23. Qb8+ Bc8 24. Qxc8+ Ke7 25. Qc7+ Ke8 26. Qxf7+ Kd8 27. Qc7#) 21. Bg6+ Rf7 (21... Ke7 22. Qg7+ Rf7 23. Qxf7#) 22. Ke2 Bc4+ 23. Kf3 Ke7 24. Bxf7 Rd3+ 25. Kg4 Kxf7 26. Qxb2 {The rest is technique as they say.} Bc3 27. Qb1 e5 28. Be3 e4 29. Rd1 b4 {Superficially it looks like black has a lot more play than he really does.} 30. Kf5 Rd5+ 31. Rxd5 Bxd5 32. Qd1 Be6+ 33. Kxe4 Bxa2 34. Qd7+ Kg8 35. Bd4 Bb1+ 36. Ke3 { Black resigned.} (36. Ke3) 1-0

Tolush Bashes Budo

     While checking what was happening in 1938 I made the shocking discovery that Time Magazine’s Man of the Year was Adolf Hitler in its February 1st, 1938 edition. But then over the years Time had given such recognition to other controversial figures such as Joseph Stalin, Osama Bin Laden, Ayatollah Khomeini and Donald Trump. 

     Just stating a fact can be misleading. Recipients of Time’s “award” are chosen by analyzing how much coverage they had in the media over a given year. Time’s criteria for the selection is “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill.” Winners are people with the biggest impact on the news and that is not always an honor. 

     In fact, Time’s1939 issue described Hitler as "the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today." It said Hitler's actions "left civilized men and women aghast" and called Hitler "the man most responsible for this world tragedy is a moody, brooding, unprepossessing, 49-year old Austrian-born ascetic with a Charlie Chaplin mustache." 

     I remember my parents laughingly telling me about Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds that was broadcast live over the CBS radio network at 8 pm (Eastern time) on October 30, 1938 and how it caused panic in the eastern United States. 

     Some listeners tuning in late believed that a Martian invasion was actually taking place. The size of the panic hasd been disputed though simply because the program had relatively few listeners. Still, like on today’s social media accounts, thousands of listeners shared the false reports with others. A few newspapers even jumped on it and reported people fleeing their homes proved the existence of a mass panic...it sold papers. Some preferred to call CBS, newspapers or the police with questions about the reality of the reports. 

     Future Tonight Show host Jack Paar was working as an announcer for WGAR radio station in Cleveland, Ohio and when panicked listeners started calling the station, he attempted to calm them down by saying, "The world is not coming to an end. Trust me. When have I ever lied to you?" Not surprisingly, some accused Parr of lying and covering up the truth. 

     Let’s move on to the chess stuff. As far as I know there has only been one book printed containing the best games of Alexander Tolush (1910-1969) and it was published in Russia back in 1983.

     That’s too bad because in the middle of the 20th century he was one of the best of the Soviet players. Although he was an outstanding imaginative attacking player his play was never quite sound enough to reach the very highest honors He worked as a chess journalist and was a noted trainer whose pupils included Keres and Spassky. For whatever reason Tolush was rarely allowed to play abroad. 

     His opponent in the following game from the 1938 Trade Unions Championship that was played Leningrad was Soviet Master Alexander S. Budo (1909-1982) from Russia. From Leningrad, he held high posts in management of the city’s buildings. 

 

 

     I like the game because for a few moves it looks like Budo is launching a promising attack against Tolush’s King which has castled Q-side. But, appearances can’t always be trusted. Tolush beat off the attack and was left with a lot of extra plastic so Budo resigned. 

[Event "Trade Unions Champ, Leningrad"] [Site ""] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander V Tolush"] [Black "Alexander S Budo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E30"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1938.??.??"] {Nimzo-Indian: Leningrad Variation} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 { This is known as the Leningrad Variation because its theory was developed extensively by players from there and in more modern times especially by Boris Spassky.} Qe7 {This move has disappeared from practice. Today black plays either 4...h6 or the immediate 4...c5.} 5. Qc2 O-O 6. e3 Bxc3+ {There was no reason to play this until provoked by white playing a3. Simply 6...h6 was adequate.} 7. Qxc3 d6 8. Bd3 e5 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. O-O-O {This sharp move, eschewing 10,d5, is typical of Tolush.} (10. d5 Nb8 11. e4 h6 12. Bd2 a5 13. Ng3 Nbd7 14. O-O Nc5 {This closed position would not be to Tolush's liking.}) 10... Re8 11. Qb3 h6 12. Bh4 a5 {[%mdl 2048]} 13. Nc3 (13. a4 {stopping the advance of the a-Pawn favors black.} g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Rhe1 (15. Qxb7 { is a trap white must avoid.} Nb4 {is winning for black.}) 15... Ra6 16. h3 Rb6 17. Qa3 Bxe2 18. Rxe2 e4 19. Bb1 Nb4 {and black is better.}) 13... a4 (13... exd4 {would be a really bad mistake.} 14. Nd5 (14. exd4 Nxd4 {favors black.}) 14... Qd8 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Bb1 {followed by Qd3 and white's position is much better.}) 14. Qa3 g5 (14... exd4 {is still bad.} 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Bc2 Ne5 18. exd4 Ng6 19. Qg3) 15. Bg3 exd4 {How this is safe to play because the 3rd rank is blocked to white's Q.} 16. exd4 (16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Ne5 { and now it's black who is better.}) 16... Nxd4 {Black has won a P, but at the cost of weakening his K-side, so white has compensation.} 17. f4 Qe3+ {From here the Q will get attacked costing black time he cannot afford.} (17... Bf5 { was a better alternative,} 18. Rhe1 Qd7 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. fxg5 hxg5 21. Qxa4 Qxa4 22. Nxa4 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Ne2+ 24. Kd2 Nxg3 25. hxg3 Ne4+ {Black has active piece play.}) 18. Rd2 Ne6 {Better was the developing move 18. ..Bf5} 19. Re1 Qc5 20. b4 (20. Qxc5 {only results in equality after} Nxc5 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Bc2 Be6) 20... axb3 {A miscalculation. Black does not get nearly enough compensation for the R. Even so, practically speaking the move does give him some dangerous play because white must defend carefully.} (20... Qc6 21. Rde2 Bd7 22. fxg5 {clearly favors white, but it's the best line black has.}) 21. Qxa8 Bd7 22. Qxb7 Qa3+ 23. Kb1 Nc5 24. Rxe8+ Bxe8 25. Qf3 {This move was likely overlooked by Budo. It guards e4} (25. Qxc7 {This is probably what he expected...it's an obvious capture.} Nxd3 {Drawing the R away from the defense of a2.} 26. Rxd3 bxa2+ 27. Ka1 Qc1+ 28. Kxa2 Qc2+ 29. Ka3 Qxd3 {Here things get interesting. White needs to defend the N, but how?} 30. Be1 {A must play.} (30. Kb3 {loses to} Ne4 31. Be1 Qe3 {attacking the B.}) 30... gxf4 31. Qe7 Qd4 32. Kb3 Bc6 {Black's advantage is minimal.}) 25... g4 26. Qe2 bxa2+ {The final mistake.} (26... Qb4 {was worth a try because white would still have his work cut out for him to score the point.} 27. a3 Qxc3 (27... Qxa3 28. Bh4 b2 29. Na2 Ncd7 30. Rxb2 {is winning for white.}) 28. Be1 b2 29. Rd1 Qxa3 30. Qxb2 Qxb2+ 31. Kxb2 {Using Stockfish white scored 5-0, but the wins took 80 to over 100 moves!}) 27. Nxa2 Qb3+ 28. Ka1 Qa3 29. Bc2 Bc6 30. Bf2 Nfe4 31. Bxc5 {Black resigned.} (31. Bxc5 Nxc5 32. Qxg4+ Kf8 33. f5 {Hoping to play f6} Qe3 34. Re2 Qg5 35. Qd4 Qg7 36. Qxg7+ Kxg7 37. Nb4 Ba8 38. Nd5 Bxd5 39. cxd5 {Black is hoplessly lost.}) 1-0

Focal Points

     Generally speaking, a focal point can be defined as a weak square in the defender's territory and it is a potentially strong for the attacker. 

     In addition to the focal-points, other squares in the vicinity of the castled King can also be significant such as weak squares on which the attacker can safely post his pieces. 

     Text books point out that there are two types of focal points. If the attacker threatens mate or actually delivers mate on a square then it is a mating focal-point, but if he only harasses the King or uses the square as a point from which the launches an attack against the King then it is a strategic or auxiliary focal-point. 

     There can be more than one mating focal-point which are then referred to as compound focal-points. If there are many focal-points on squares of the same color, iy’s called a weak square complex. 

     The f7 square is often referred to as an auxiliary focal-point because of its vulnerability before casting. It can also be the focal point of an attack after castling. That said, d7 is rarely a true focal point because after castling mate is rarely delivered on that square. However, it is very often an auxiliary focal-point which is attacked in order to drive the King away or, by means of a sacrifice, to draw the King on to the mating square. 

     So much for all the technical mumbo-jumbo. In the following game the cautious Amos Burn sacrifices a N on f7. His mean spirited contemporaries said it was the only sacrifice he ever risked in his whole chess career, but even then it wasn't correct. Actually, the sacrifice WAS sound, PLUS there was also another sacrifice that was equally good. We know this thanks to...Stockfish! 

 

 

     The game was played in the 1912 Congress of the German Chess Federation that was held in Breslau.

 

[Event "18th DSB Kongress"] [Site "Breslau GER"] [Date "1912.07.31"] [Round "?"] [White "Amos Burn"] [Black "Erich Cohn"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D60"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1912.07.15"] {Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bd3 dxc4 {Now is the correct time to play this...after white's B has moved so that he must lose a tempo to recapture.} 8. Bxc4 {[%mdl 32]} a6 9. O-O c5 10. Qe2 {It's preferable to play 10.a4 hindering black's next move.} b5 11. Bb3 {Better than 11.Bd3. White has the potential to set up a bettery with the B on c2 and the Q on d3 attacking h7.} Bb7 12. Rad1 (12. Rfd1 Qb6 13. Ne5 Rfe8 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. Qh5 cxd4 17. Rxd4 {with equal chances and Corsi Ferrari,N (2269)-Lobato,C Mar del Plata 2006 was eventually drawn.}) 12... Qa5 (12... Qc7 13. Bc2 Rfd8 14. Bf4 Qb6 15. Ne5 Rac8 {Black's position is slightly better. Marshall,F-Maroczy, G Ostende 1905}) 13. Ne5 {Black must now guard against Nxd7.} Rfe8 (13... Nxe5 {loses a piece after} 14. dxe5) 14. f4 {Not at all bad; white is playing for a K-side attack.} (14. Nxd7 {was another option that takes a different path...a center attack, but it fizzles out.} Nxd7 15. d5 exd5 (15... Bxg5 16. dxe6 {favors white.}) 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 17. Bxd5 Nf6 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Qf3 {with equality.}) 14... c4 {Cohn was probably hopingh to push on with Q-side play (perhaps with ...b4), but this move drives the B to where it ants to ga and black end sup being force on the defenside.} ( 14... Qc7 15. Nxd7 (15. Bc2 cxd4 16. exd4 h6 17. Bh4 Nd5 18. Qd3 Bxh4 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxg7 {is favorable to black.}) 15... Nxd7 16. d5 c4 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Bc2 Rad8 19. Qg4 Nf8 {black has put up a successful defense and the chances are about equal.}) 15. Bc2 Nf8 {The purpose of this move is seen on move 17, but it was not too late to play 15...Qc7} (15... Qc7 16. f5 { is not now playable.} Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qc5 19. fxe6 fxe6 {Black has won a P and he now stands better.}) 16. f5 Qc7 (16... exf5 17. Rxf5 Qc7 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rxf6 gxf6 20. Ng4 Qe7 21. Rf1 {White stands quite well.}) 17. fxe6 Nxe6 18. Nxf7 {[%mdl 512] Pre-engine analysis aside, this move is quite correct, so kudos to cautious old Amos Burn!} (18. Bxf6 {is also quite interesting.} Bxf6 19. Rxf6 gxf6 20. Ng4 Kh8 21. Bxh7 Kxh7 22. Qf2 Rh8 23. d5 { The only move that keeps the attack going.} Qe7 24. Ne4 (24. dxe6 Rad8 25. Nxf6+ Kg7 26. Nh5+ Kh6 {and the chances are equal.}) 24... Kg7 25. d6 Qd8 26. Nexf6 {with complications, but white is a bit better.}) 18... Kxf7 {By accepting the sacrifice black exposes himself to withering attack. Instead, he sould have looked around for counterplay.} (18... Nxg5 19. Nxg5 Bd6 {A fascinating position! White has two plausible continuations that leave him with a slight advantage.} 20. d5 (20. Nxh7 Nxh7 21. Nd5 Bxh2+ 22. Kh1 Bxd5 23. Bxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qh5+ Kg8 25. Qxd5+ Kh8 26. Rf3 Bg3 {White can take a draw with 27.Qh5+ and 28.Qd5+ or he can go for more with 27.Qg5 followed by the capture of the .} 27. Qg5 Re6 28. Rxg3 {with the better game.}) 20... Rad8 21. Bf5 Bc8 22. Be6+ Bxe6 23. Nxe6 Qe7 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. g3 {White is better.}) (18... b4 19. Na4 (19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qh5 Nf8 21. Rxf6 gxf6 22. Nh6+ Kh8 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 Ng6 {with an unclear position.}) 19... Kxf7 20. Qh5+ (20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qh5+ Ke7 {The K is slipping away to safety.}) 20... Kf8 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. d5 Nd8 23. d6 Qf7 24. Qxh7 Bc6 {While black is not out of the woods, he has avoided to worst.}) 19. Qh5+ Kg8 {This allows white to gain a tempo which is decisive, but even the better 19...Kf8 was not likely to save him.} (19... Kf8 20. Bxh7 Nxg5 21. Qxg5 Rad8 22. e4 {White has a decisive attack because the threat of e5 cannot be met.}) 20. Bxf6 {White is clearly winning.} Bxf6 21. Qxh7+ Kf8 22. d5 Qe5 (22... Ng5 23. Rxf6+) 23. dxe6 Qxe3+ 24. Kh1 Qxe6 25. Bg6 {Black resigned because the threat of Rxf6+ is too much.} (25. Bg6 Red8 26. Rde1 Qg8 (26... Qd7 27. Qh8#) 27. Rxf6+ gxf6 28. Qe7#) 1-0

Karpov vs. Fischer

     I recently received an email from the Dutch player Wijnand Engelkes describing an interesting project he has been working on called Hidden Games.    

     Fischer - Karpov 1975 would possibly have been one of the greatest World Championship matches of all time, but it never took place. What would have happened if those two had played each other? That’s something the projects speculates upon. 

     He has selected 25 of top players in history, made databases of their games and then combined the games of players who never played each other to see what might have happened had they actually met. For an example, compare Karpov vs Bellon (Madrid, 1983) where Karpov copied the moves of Saidy vs Fischer (New York, 1968). 

     Mr.Engelkes is looking for other people to help him to find more of these games and if you are interested in helping out you may contact him direct;. His email address is: engelkes@xs4all.nl

[Event "HDT1073"] [Site "P046"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anatoly Karpov"] [Black "Robert Fischer"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A00"] [PlyCount "97"] {[%evp 0,1,16,-34] The hidden game ends with 23. Kh7. There are some transpositions.} {Karpov-Bellon Lopez Madrid International Madrid 1/2-1/2} 1. c4 {[%eval 704,0]} ({Saidy-Fischer USA-chT New York 1969.??.?? 0-1} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 f5 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. e3 Bc5 6. d3 f4 7. exf4 O-O 8. Nge2 Qe8 9. O-O d6 10. Na4 Bd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. h3 h5 13. a3 a5 14. b3 Qg6 15. Nb2 Bf5 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. Re1 Nc5 18. Bf1 Ra6 19. Bd2 Rb6 20. Bxa5 Rxb3 21. Bd2 Ra8 22. a4 Ra6 23. a5 Kh7 24. Red1 b6 25. Be1 bxa5 26. Na4 Rxd3 27. Bxd3 Bxd3 28. Qa2 Nb4 29. Qa3 Nc2 30. Qb2 Nxa1 31. Rxa1 Nxa4 32. Rxa4 Qe4 33. Bxa5 Rxa5 34. Rxa5 Qe1+ 35. Kh2 Qxa5 36. Qxd4) 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 f5 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. e3 f4 7. exf4 O-O 8. Nge2 d6 9. O-O Qe8 10. Na4 Bd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. a3 a5 13. b3 Bf5 14. Nb2 Qg6 15. Qc2 Nd7 16. Re1 Nc5 17. Bf1 Ra6 18. Bd2 Rb6 19. Bxa5 Rxb3 20. Bd2 Ra8 21. a4 h5 22. h3 Ra6 23. a5 Nb4 24. Bxb4 Rxb4 25. Ra3 b6 26. Rea1 Qe6 27. axb6 Raxb6 28. Ra8+ Kh7 29. Qd1 g6 30. Na4 Nxa4 31. R8xa4 Rxa4 32. Rxa4 Bxh3 33. Ra7 Bxf1 34. Rxc7+ Kh6 35. Qxf1 h4 36. Kg2 Rb2 37. Kf3 d5 38. gxh4 Rb3 39. cxd5 Qxd5+ 40. Kg3 Qf5 41. f3 Rxd3 42. Rc6 Rc3 43. Rd6 Kh5 44. Kg2 Rc2+ 45. Kg3 Rc3 46. Kg2 Qxf4 47. Rd5+ Kh6 48. Qe2 Qc1 49. Rh5+ 1/2-1/2

Going From Winning To Losing

     World Champion Dr. Max Euwe once pointed out that generally speaking tactics (or as we used to call them, combinations) are either hard to see or hard to calculate. Nevertheless, we can improve our ability to see tactics by learning common tactical devices. 

     In the following game Rubinstein places his R on the seventh rank, a strategy that he often used, and got a favorable position. But, then we see how things can go horribly wrong in tactical situations even for a great player like Rubinstein.

     Rudolf Spielmann (May 5, 1883 - August 20, 1942) was an Austrian player of the Romantic School who had a complete mastery of tactics and they often showed up in his games in unexpected and beautiful ways. 

     Spielmann was a newspaper editor in Vienna and in spite of his attacking nature on the board Reuben Fine wrote, "In appearance and personal habits Spielmann was the mildest-mannered individual alive. Beer and chess were the great passions of his life; in his later years, at least, he cared for little else. Perhaps his chess became so vigorous as compensation for an otherwise uneventful life." 

     Known as The Master of Attack and The Last Knight of the King's Gambit, his daredevil play was full of sacrifices, brilliancies and beautiful ideas. 

     In 1934, Spielmann, who was Jewish, fled Vienna due to pro-Nazi sympathies and moved to the Netherlands. In 1938, he went to Prague to be with his brother, but the German army occupied Czechoslovakia only a few months later. Leopold Spielmann was arrested and died in a concentration camp a few years later. One of their sisters also perished in a camp, the other survived the war, but never recovered mentally from the ordeal of it and ended up committing suicide.

     Spielmann was more fortunate. He managed to flee to Sweden with the help of a friend and from there he hoped to eventually reach England or the United States. In order to earn money for the voyage he played exhibition matches, wrote chess columns and a book (Memories of a Chess Master). With the war in full swing and some members of the Swedish Chess Federation being Nazi sympathies who disliked Spielmann, his book was repeatedly delayed and never published.

     As a result, Spielmann became withdrawn and depressed and one day in August 1942, he locked himself in his Stockholm apartment and did not emerge for a week. On August 20, neighbors summoned police to check on him. They entered the apartment and found him dead. The official cause of death was coronary artery disease, aka hardening of the arteries. Others claimed that he intentionally starved himself. 

     Akiba Rubinstein (December 1, 1880 - March 14, 1961) was also a tragic figure. Born in Poland to a Jewish family, he learned to play chess at the age of 14. In 1903 he abandoned his rabbinical studies and devoted himself entirely to chess. 

     Between 1907 and 1912, Rubinstein established himself as one of the strongest players in the world. After 1932 he withdrew from tournament play as his anthropophobia (fear of people) showed traces of schizophrenia (a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.). It is not clear how he survived World War II in Nazi-occupied Belgium, but it's possible that it was due to the fact that he was confined in a sanatorium. He spent the last 29 years of his life living at home with his family and in a sanatorium because of his severe mental illness. 

      Rubinstein's playing style was primarily positional and his endgame technique was legendary. His knowledge and understanding of Rook endings was far ahead of his time.

[Event "Stockholm"] [Site "?"] [Date "1919.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Akiba Rubinstein"] [Black "Rudolf Spielmann"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A44"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"] [PlyCount "58"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.04.20"] {Semi-Benoni} 1. d4 c5 2. d5 e5 3. e4 d6 4. Bd3 Ne7 5. c4 (5. Ne2 Qc7 6. Nd2 Ng6 7. a4 Be7 8. Nc4 b6 9. O-O {Black's position is very passive. Kool, G-Kieninger,G Amsterdam 1963}) (5. f4 exf4 6. Bxf4 Ng6 7. Bg3 Be7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 {Equals. Kozma,J-Stoeckl,E Munich 1958}) 5... Ng6 6. g3 Be7 7. h4 h6 8. Nc3 {White clearly has the better prospects thanks to black's passive position.} Nd7 9. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 10. Nh2 {Black's position is so passive that Rubinstein has plenty of time to undertake a lengthy N maneuver.} Bd7 11. Nf1 Nf8 12. Ne3 {From here the N eyes f5 and also supports the advance of the g-Pawn} g6 13. Be2 h5 14. Bd2 Qc8 15. f3 Ng8 16. Qc2 Nh6 17. O-O-O Qc7 18. g4 { A near decisive breakthrough.} O-O-O (18... hxg4 19. fxg4 O-O-O 20. g5 Ng8 21. Nb5 {White has the advantage on both sides and his position is strategically won. Black cannot afford to play} Bxb5 22. cxb5 Nd7 23. a4 Rf8 24. a5 b6 25. Nc4 {and white is winning.}) 19. Rdg1 Kb8 20. gxh5 {Also good was 20.g5 keeping black in a serious bind.} gxh5 21. Nf5 Nxf5 22. exf5 Nh7 23. Rg7 { [%mdl 32] The R is going Pawn hunting on the 7th rank. There's nothing wrong with the move and white can claim a slight advantage. But...it will all go horribly wrong. Over his career Rubinstein won many games, especially endings, by establishing a R on the 7th (or 2nd) rank.} ({was another way to grab a P.} 23. f4 e4 24. Bxh5 Rdf8 25. Qxe4 {Here, too, white has slightly the better of it.}) 23... Bf6 24. Rxf7 Bxf5 {With both his Q and R attacked white has no choice except to exchange Qs.} 25. Rxc7 Bxc2 26. Nb5 {This is where white goes astray. The R has no way out so white must give it up for as much as possible.} (26. Kxc2 Kxc7 {leaves white down the exchange.}) (26. Rf7 Bg6 27. Rxf6 Nxf6 { Here, too, white is down the exchange and black is slightly better.}) (26. Rxc5 dxc5 27. Kxc2 {and at least white has some compensation for the exchange in the form of a protected passed Pawn in the center..}) 26... Bf5 {There is no way out for the R.} 27. Bg5 {[%mdl 8192] This move leads to a complete collapse of white's game.} (27. Rf7 Bg6 {wins the exchange.}) (27. Ba5 { save the day!} b6 28. Bxb6 axb6 29. Rc6 {and the best for both sides is to accept the draw.} Kb7 30. Rc7+ Kb8 31. Rc6 {etc.}) 27... Nxg5 {Because white is now without any threats black can go on the attack and wrap things up. A very sudden collapse of white's position!} 28. hxg5 Bxg5+ 29. Kd1 Bd7 {White resigned. It would be hopeless to play on the exchange down for nothing.} ( 29... a6 {would also work.} 30. Rf7 Bh7 31. Nc7 Bg6 32. Rg7 Rdg8 33. Rxg8+ Rxg8 34. Ne6) (29... Bd7 {This forces} 30. Rxd7 Rxd7) (29... Bd7 30. Rxb7+ Kxb7 31. Nxd6+ Kc7 32. Nf7 Bf4 33. Nxd8 Kxd8 {Black is a piece up.}) 0-1