GM Walter Browne Memorial Friday Night Blitz - July 10

GM Walter Browne Memorial Friday Night Blitz

The Stress of Chess ... and its Infinite Finesse

GM Walter S. Browne Memorial

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Friday Night Blitz

                                                     GM Walter Brown  6x US Champion                                                                                                                         Photo: Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Fri, July 10

7:30pm – 11:00pm

40 Norris St, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA

          

boylstonchess@gmail.com

  

6SS G/5, d0; double-round swiss, single section

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Entry fee: $5, $10 (non-BCF members)

Prizes: 

$$200 GUARANTEED
(Prize fund anonymously contributed to the BCF.)

$100-$50; U2000 $30; U1600 $20

Registration  7:00 - 7:25 pm

Round 1 starts at 7:30 pm, rest ASAP

GM Larry Christiansen and  WCM Natasha Christiansen invite you to a blitz tournament to be held July 10, in memory of GM Walter Browne, who was a blitz aficionado.  Larry will play.  

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Report of GM Browne's sudden death:

GM Walter S. Browne 1949 – 2015

Posted 2 days ago on Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

by Janelle Losoff, Co-Organizer of the Las Vegas International Chess Festival and National Open Chess Championship

It’s with great sadness, we must pass along the tragic news that

Grandmaster Walter Shawn Browne has quietly and suddenly passed away in Las Vegas Nevada.

As we grieve, Alan and I extend our condolences to his wife, family, friends, and the fans of this towering giant.
    GM Browne had just finished playing in our 50th Anniversary National Open. He tied for 9th-15th. He played a 25 board simultaneous exhibition here at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. He also taught at our chess camp and gave a lecture series. After the Chess Festival, Browne stayed the night at the home of his life-long friend, Ron Gross, who reported to us that Walter died suddenly in his sleep. We are shocked and saddened by this sudden loss.

GM Walter Browne was a 6 time U.S. Champion and eleven time winner of the National Open. He won the American Open seven times, the World Open three times, and the U.S. Open Chess Championship twice. Please visit his United States Chess Federation profile to learn more about him. Many thanks to our friends and chess journalists who have linked to this page as the original source for this story.
  Walter is survived by his wife, Raquel, his sister Susan and his brothers, Stephen and Roger.
  Walter was a good man, a great friend, and a mentor to generations of players. He will be sorely missed, yet his games, his brilliance, his generosity, and his explorations of the game, as well as his presence will live on. Farewell Walter. We will remember you. Rest in Peace.
Born January 10, 1949 in Sydney, Australia Died June 24, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada from the obituary by Janelle Losoff

Read a great interview with GM Browne

From the Vault: Chess Life Interview with GM Browne 

"Walter Browne has won more open Swiss chess tournaments than any other American player. He is a living legend, often referred to by other Grandmasters as six-time, for his six U.S. Championship victories, a number topped only by Bobby Fischer and Sammy Reshevsky.

Walter is known for precise calculation skills. ...  He rattles off variations in analysis rooms with the energy of a teenager who just drank a gallon of coffee. 

 ...

Browne is both a fine blitz player and a time-trouble addict. He founded the World Blitz Chess Association, and the magazine Blitz Chess. Time after time, Browne's serious tournament games turn into blitz. ..."  

From USCF profile:       https://www.uschess.org/content/view/146/203

You can read  a summary of his chess life at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Browne

Here is a critical game annotated by Larry Christiansen:

Walter Shawn Browne - Larry M Christiansen [A10]
USA 24/124 ch, 1977

Going into the last round of the 1977 US Championship, Robert Byrne and Walter Browne shared the lead. Byrne could only draw his last round game, giving Browne the chance to win the title clear. 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 3.d5 Ba6 4.e4 exd5 5.exd5 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qe2+ [7.Bd3] 7...Be7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bd3 b5 [9...cxd5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.cxd5 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 0-0=] 10.cxb5 cxb5 11.Nge2 [11.Bxb5 Bxb5 12.Nxb5 Qa5+ 13.Nc3 Nxd5=] 11...b4 12.Ne4 Nxd5 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rd1 Qa5 15.N2g3‚ g6 [15...Rc8 16.Qe2 Bxd3 17.Rxd3 Nc6 18.Nf5‚] 16.Bh6 Re8 17.Qd2! A fine "creeping move" that begins a coordinated assualt on the dark squares. 17...Nf6? [17...Nc7 18.Qf4 Ne6 19.Nf6+ Bxf6 (19...Kh8 20.Qf3) 20.Qxf6] 18.Qf4± Qb6 [18...Nxe4 19.Bxe4 Nc6 20.Rxd7] 19.Bxa6 Nxa6 Now comes a series of hammer-blows. 20.Rd6!! Bxd6 21.Nxf6+ Kh8 22.Bg7+! Kxg7 23.Ngh5+! gxh5 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qh6 Bxh2+™ 26.Kh1! [26.Kxh2?? Qd6+ 27.Kg1 Qd3] 26...Qxf6 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.Qg5+ Kh8 31.Kxh2 Re6 32.Rd1 Rg8 33.Qf4 Reg6 34.g3 f6 35.Rxd7 Nc5 36.Rd6 h4 37.Qxh4 a5 38.Qd4 This win clinched the title of US Champion in the 1977 US Championship. 1-0