Not that writing a chess column qualifies as hazardous journalism, however typically making an attempt to maintain up with the information from the broad world of chess will be like making an attempt to drink from the proverbial firehose. Just the present version of Mark Crowther’s indispensable on-line “The Week In Chess” comprises for perusal some 7,838 video games from the U.S., Argentina, Iraq, Poland and India, amongst different venues. There are some 3,443 video games simply from the weekly Tuesday Titled Blitz Tournament hosted on Chess.com.
And each Monday, there will likely be 1000’s extra.
At such occasions, it may be soothing to retreat to the corporate of previous mates within the old-school chess library, enjoying over a favourite sport or discovering a brand new favourite from the bookshelf with out feeling that the loading dock is taking in one other hefty load of stock to wrangle.
One previous favourite of mine — and the supply for a lot of a previous column — is slightly quantity picked up at a bookstore in Moscow 20 years in the past, with the charming title (in English) on the quilt: “Antology of Chess Beauty.” With a brief introduction by then-world champion Garry Kasparov, who praises its “very democratic” number of grandmaster and beginner prize-winning video games, the 1,640 video games, introduced chronologically and annotated within the globally-spoken Informant-style code, contains some surprising gems that don’t all the time make it into the extra well-known anthologies (or “antologies.”)
Surprisingly, three of the primary 14 video games within the assortment had been received by the now-obscure English-American nineteenth century grasp William H.Okay. Pollock. A surgeon by commerce, Pollock had a so-so match file, together with an eleventh place end out of 20 within the well-known 1889 American Chess Congress in New York to choose a challenger to titleholder Wilhelm Steinitz. But Pollock claimed the occasion’s brilliancy prize in an upset of Austrian star Max Weiss, who would tie for first within the occasion.
This quieter therapy of the Morphy Ruy Lopez with 5. d3 has turn out to be trendy once more within the 2020s, however Weiss will get himself into bother with a misguided early pawn seize: 11. Nxe5?!? (this results in complications when 11. Ng5! g6 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. 0-0 supplied White a pleasing and enduring positional plus) Nxe5 12. Qxe5 Nb4! (oops! — now 13. cxb4 [Qxc5?? Nxd3+] Bxb4+ 14. Kd1 [Nc3 Bxb3 15. axb3 Re8] Qxd3+ 15. Nd2 Bxb3+ 16. axb3 Rfe8 17. Qg3 Qe2+ 18. Kc2 Rad8 arms Black a raging assault) 13. 0-0 Nxd3, successful again the pawn with a greater place.
The pyrotechnics present, nevertheless, is simply starting: 16. Nd2 (higher was 16. Be3, however Black continues to be on high after 16…Bxe3 17. fxe3 g6 18. Qe2 Qd5 19. Na3 Rad8 20. Rad1 Qe4, dominating the middle) Qe7 17. b4 Bxf2+! 18. Kh1 (and never 18. Rxf2? Nxf2 19. Kxf2 Qe3+ 20. Kf1 Qe1 mate) Qe1 19. h3 Nxc1!! — a mix extremely praised by Steinitz himself. Black finally ends up with a rook and bishop for the queen, however White’s king is also left completely uncovered to the indignant Black forces buzzing round.
White will get no respite within the largely compelled play that follows: 20. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21. Kh2 Bg1+ 23. Kg3 (Kh1 Be3+ 23. Kh2 Bxd2 offers Black an amazing materials edge) Re3+ 23. Kg4 (and right here 23. Nf3 is properly refuted by 23…Ne2+ 24. Kh4 Re4+ 25. Kg5 Be3+ 26. Kf5 Ng3 mate) Ne2 24. Nf1 g6 25. Qd5 h5+ 26. Kg5, and now, with each Black rooks hanging, a easy king transfer delivers the quietus.
On 26…Kg7! (Re6 does the job as properly, however Pollock’s transfer is aesthetically superior, breaking the f-pawn pin and threatening issues like 27…f6+ 28. Kh4 Bf2+ 29. g3 Kh6 30. Rxa6 Re4+! 31. Qxe4 g5 mate), it’s over after 27. Nxe3 f6+ 28. Kh4 Bf2+ 29. g3 Bxg3 mate.
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Among the gems of the “Antology” are some behind-the-Iron-Curtain obscurities from nations (Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and East Germany) that now not exist. Today’s second sport, received by the unjustly uncared for Ukrainian star Isaac Lipnitsky (a buddy and rival of his nice compatriot David Bronstein) suits the invoice, performed in Dzintari, Latvia in 1950 when the Baltic state was nonetheless part of the Soviet Union.
As in our first sport, Russian grasp Mikhail Beilin as White additionally will get in bother early on this Queen’s Gambit with a untimely knight hop to e5: 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. Ne5?! (White’s not prepared for this along with his forces nonetheless to be developed; easy and good was 8. e3) Bd7! (already setting a entice — 9. Nxd7? Qxd4! 10. Qc2 Qxc4! 11. e3 Qg4, and the White knight has no route again to security) 9. Nxc6 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Bxc6 11. Qb3 dxc4 12. dxc4 12. Qxc4 0-0, and Black has re-established materials equality, has a transparent lead in improvement and his bishop on c6 makes White’s kingside improvement an issue. White is already scrambling simply to remain within the sport.
Brilliancies don’t occur with out a minimum of slightly assist from the shedding facet, and White obliges right here with 15. d5?! (Beilin ought to seize the final likelihood to play 15. e4, when Black has only a small benefit after 15…a6) Bd7 15. Qxc7? (and this pawn seize will show disastrous given the undeveloped state of half of White’s military) e4! 16. Rc1 (see diagram; 16. Qxd7 Qxc3+ 17. Kf2 e3+ 18. Kg3 Qxa1 is simply successful for Black) Rac8!!, the beginning of a gorgeous collection of maneuvers to punish White for his ill-timed greed.
There adopted 17. Qxd7 (Qa5 exf3 18. gxf3 Qh4+ 19. Kd2 Rc4 20. Rg1 Rfc8 21. Qa3 R8c5, and Black’s domination is complete) e3!! 18. Qa4 (g3 Qd4) Rxc3 19. Rd1 Rfc8 — White continues to be a pawn up, however his imprisoned king’s bishop and rook would possibly as properly not be on the board.
Black avoids one nasty shoal earlier than bringing the purpose into port: 22. Kf1 Rxd1+! (and never 22…Qd2??, and Black would even lose after 23. Bxc8! Rxd1+ 24. Kg2 Qxe2+ 25. Kh3 Rxh1 26. Qe8+ Kh7 27. Bf5+ and wins) 23. Qxd1 Qd2 24. Kg2 (shedding directly, however even the pc’s ingenious 24. Qxd2 exd2 25. Kf2! Rc1 26. Ke3! Rxh1 27. Kxd2 Kf8 28. Bc8 b6 29. d6 Ke8 30. f4 Rxh2 is a reasonably fundamental endgame win for Black) Rc1!, and White resigned forward of 25. Qxc1 (Qxd2 exd2 26. Bd7 Rxh1 27. Ba4 d1=Q 28. Bxd1 Rxd1 29. e4 Kf8 and wins) Qxe2+ 26. Kg1 Qf2 mate.
(Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the chessboard.)
Weiss-Pollock, sixth American Chess Congress, New York, March 1889
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Qe4 Be6 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Qxe5 Nb4 13. O-O Nxd3 14. Qh5 Bxb3 15. axb3 Re8 16. Nd2 Qe7 17. b4 Bxf2+ 18. Kh1 Qe1 19. h3 Nxc1 20. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21. Kh2 Bg1+ 22. Kg3 Re3+ 23. Kg4 Ne2 24. Nf1 g6 25. Qd5 h5+ 26. Kg5 Kg7 27. Nxe3 f6+ 28. Kh4 Bf2+ 29. g3 Bxg3 mate.
Beilin-Lipnitsky, Dzintari, Latvia, USSR, 1950
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. Ne5 Bd7 9. Nxc6 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Bxc6 11. Qb3 dxc4 12. Qxc4 O-O 13. f3 e5 14. d5 Bd7 15. Qxc7 e4 16. Rc1 Rac8 17. Qxd7 e3 18. Qa4 Rxc3 19. Rd1 Rfc8 20. g3 Rc1 21. Bh3 Qc3+ 22. Kf1 Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 Qd2 24. Kg2 Rc1 White resigns.
• David R. Sands will be reached at 202/636-3178 or by electronic mail at [email protected].
