CONSIDER THE CHESS POSITION BELOW:
[presentation of this position and the subsequent
discussion was presented by Mark Neale during
a break in the action of the BCC $15 Open last
Saturday. Interestingly enough, Zubin Baglia
was also present during the discussion, as he
was also playing in the $15 Open (U1800 Section).]
Zubin Mohandas Baliga v Mark Robert Neale,
Sturbridge, MA Continental Open 2016 Round 5
Black to move: 1. . . . Qh3?? intending . . . Qg2#.
White noticed, (simply) that by moving to h3,
Black lost control of f6. And Mark demonstrated
this point by playing: 2. Qf6+ Rg7; 3. Re8#.
Now, psychologically, one might ask: was Black
"unhappy" or "uncomfortable" being down a piece?
Let's say, Black played more circumspectly:
1. . . . c6; 2.Qf7 a5; 3.f4 Qg7; 4.Qg7 Kg7; 5.d5 Kf7;
6.dc6 bc6 7.Ba7 Rh8; 8.Bc2 Rh4; 9.Bb3 Kf8;
10.Re6 Rf4; 11.Rd6 a4; 12.Bd1 Rf1; 13.Kh2 Rf2;
14.Kg3 Rb2; 15.Ba4 Ra2; 16.Bc6 Ke7;
and though White is up a bishop, this piece
cannot actually force a checkmate for white, given
the fact that both players still had rooks on the board,
so: draw!
A CONNECTION:
CHESS HISTORY AND MEDICINE
Dr. Armando Acevedo, MD v Ernesto Che Guevara, MD
May 26, 1964, casual game, (background: Raul Solorzano) Havana.
Dr. Acevedo is a Fide Master with a FIDE rating of 2235.
Dr. Guevara, has an Elo rating of 1950, which in USCF
terms makes him a chess expert.
[Edward Winter states that Dr. Guevara played a 25 board simul in
Camagüey, Cuba, 29 May 1964, given by Dr. Acevedo,
with the following result: (C68 Ruy Lopez)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bd6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4
f6 8.Nc3 c5 9.Qe3 Nh6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qe4 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.Be3
Qe7 14.Nd5 Bxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Qxe4 16.Nxc7+ Kf7 17.Nxa8 b6 18.Nxb6
Bb7 0-1
Dr. Acevedo watches as Dr. Guevara plays his move during
the 25 board simul in Camaguey, Cuba, 1964.
Dr. Guevara watches Silvino Garcia Martinez,
playing in the Havana Olympiad of 1966.
Chessmetrics has Garcia's peak rating at 2759.
He received a FIDE Grandmaster title in 1975,
the first Cuban to receive this coveted title.
Spassky vs Fischer, Siegen, ol, 1970, Round 15.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3
Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Qc7 11. Rc1 Rd8
12. h3 b6 13. f4 e6 14. Qe1 Na5 15. Bd3 f5 16. g4 fxe4
17. Bxe4 Bb7 18. Ng3 Nc4 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Bf2 Qc6 21. Qe2
cxd4 22. cxd4 b5 23. Ne4 Bxd4 24. Ng5 Bxf2+ 25. Rxf2 Rd6
26. Re1 Qb6 27. Ne4 Rd4 28. Nf6+ Kh8 29. Qxe6 Rd6 30. Qe4 Rf8
31. g5 Rd2 32. Rf1 Qc7 33. Rxd2 Nxd2 34. Qd4 Rd8 35. Nd5+ Kg8
36. Rf2 Nc4 37. Re2 Rd6 38. Re8+ Kf7 39. Rf8+ 1-0
If you consult:
Mueller suggests Bobby had a draw,
pressed too hard for a win, and
subsequently lost the game.
Can you imagine the "chutzpadik"
of Fischer to challenge the reigning
FIDE World Chess Champion to expect
Spassky to be "intimidated" by the "Kid"
to lose a drawn position with
the white pieces?
Well, that's why Bobby Fischer is one
of the greatest chess players of all times.
Now here is a game from the Preliminaries
of the Siegen Olympiad, 1970:
Dr. Armando Acevedo {Milan} vs Robert J. Fischer
Preliminary Round 4: Kings Indian: A46
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 g6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Bg7
7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Re1 d5 9. Ne5 Nc6 10. Ndf3 Rc8 11. Nxc6 Bxc6
12. Bh3 Bd7 13. Bf1 Bc6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. a4 Ne4 16. f3 Nd6
17. e3 Qc7 18. a5 f6 19. axb6 axb6 20. Nd3 e5 21. Nf2 e4
22. f4 Ra8 23. Bd2 Rxa1 24. Qxa1 Ra8 25. Qb1 Qc6 26. b3 Ba6
27. Qb2 Bxf1 28. Rxf1 c4 29. b4 Qa4 30. Rb1 Bf8 31. Kf1 Nb5
32. Ke2 f5 33. Nd1 Kf7 34. Nf2 Qa2 35. Nd1 Ke6 36. Qxa2 Rxa2
37. Rb2 Ra1 38. Be1 Kd7 39. Bd2 Kc6 40. Be1 Na3 41. Kd2 Kb5
42. Bf2 Ka4 43. Be1 Be7 44. Bf2 Nb5 45. Kc2 Ka3 46. Rb1 Ra2+
47. Rb2 Nxc3 48. Kxc3 Ra1 0-1
NOW CRANK IT UP TO THE 21ST CENTURY
Hilda Acevedo vs Andrey Froem, The Pit, Harvard
Square, Cambridge, MA USA, August 31, 2016.
Hilda, daughter of Dr. Armando Acevedo, is a
FIDE Women's Candidate Master (WCM) with
a FIDE rating of 2070. Andrey Froem is Harvard
Square's Resident Chess Master.
Hilda is visiting her sister who is an MD
doing research at Harvard Medical School.
Hilda resides in Mexico City and has visited
her doctor sister often, throughout the years,
in the summer times, never failing to stop by to
play some chess in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Hilda you are always welcome in Cambridge, MA!
PHOTOS/TEXT
STEVE STEPAK
