The Challenger, Second Quarter, 2024

The Challenger

Magazine of the United States Blind Chess Association

June 2024

The mission of the USBCA is to promote the game of chess among the blind community.

Website: https://usblindchess.org

Note: The views expressed in the Challenger do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the USBCA or those of the editor.

Editor’s Note

By Rita Crawford

The mission of the USBCA is to promote chess among the blind community. The USBCA board is constantly working very hard to fulfill this mission. This issue of the Challenger is dedicated to providing information to you regarding the variety of things that have been implemented, things that will be useful not only in the game of chess, but in other areas of your life as well.

Marilyn Bland has written a wonderful feature article about the chess camp at the 2023 US Blind Open Chess Championship. This year’s US Blind Open has $5000.00 in prize money. Her article is a fun read and helps give you an inside look at what it is like attending the chess camp that is available to you if you are participating in the US Blind Chess Open. Attending chess camp is obviously a great way to try to help improve your game. The 2024 US Blind Open Chess Championship is offering a chess camp again this year.

In Glenn Crawford’s Player Spotlight article we learn more about Viral Trivedi from India, a member of the USBCA and FIDE, who speaks about his chess experiences.

I asked USBCA consultant Tyson Mordue to answer two questions: What was the best piece of advice he ever received in regards to chess. Also, what is the best piece of advice he would give to those who are wanting to improve their chess game. Tyson has written a very good article with important insight into the game of chess that everyone who is wanting to improve their game should read.

If you use Windows, USBCA board member Jim Hohme has written an article detailing step by step a new feature on how you can use Windows to recognize chess diagrams! Jim has also provided a chess puzzle for you to study, just for fun of course.

Did you know the USBCA has a braille lending library? USBCA board member Evan Reese handles the library and has written an article detailing how it works. He has listed the titles of the braille books currently available and included a link to the library. We are hoping to eventually expand the library to include even more books.

We also have our usual features: USBCA Board member Michael Rodgerson is our ‘Getting to Know…’ featured player. He offers a few fun facts about himself. Jim Hohme has provided three puzzles for you to study. USBCA consultant Paul Benson has provided an annotated game for your review. Set up a chess board and play the game he has annotated. This is like receiving a free chess lesson from Paul, and that is something you do not want to miss!

I distribute the Sunday Smiles every week, which details the ongoing tournaments and upcoming events. Therefore, I am not going to list them in this magazine as well.

The current USBCA board is constantly working on different ways we can promote chess among the blind community. If we have not yet hit on something that interests you, just stay tuned in, I am sure one of the many things in the pipeline might just be what you are looking for!

Many Firsts

By Marilyn Bland

It is now June 1, a month away from July 1, which takes me back to July 2023. Not only was that July the hottest on record globally, it was a month filled with numerous firsts for me. During my travels, I had on occasion had to change planes in Chicago, but had never overnighted there. So, I was to have my first Chicago stay-over as I participated in the 2023 US Blind Open Chess Championship for the first time. It was also the first time this tournament had been held in that city.

I arrived in what some call the windy city on a warm Sunday afternoon, 4 days ahead of the start of the tournament. The reason? Well, I would be attending my first ever chess camp. I had heard much about chess camps, but in truth knew little about such events and was not sure of what to expect. What I had not anticipated was being one of over 200 chess enthusiasts of all ages and chess strengths. I get excited when playing on-line tournaments and get involved with analyzing my games, but now I was swept up in this total immersion. Even though I was the only blind person at the camp, I was riding high on this chess wave.

Each morning after breakfast we would gather in the playing rooms and find our assigned opponents for a game. We would play these games under tournament conditions, meaning play your game within the 1-hour per person time control and annotate your game. After your game you would go into the analysis rooms and there you would review your game, with or without your opponent, but always with one of the GMs in attendance. This whole set-up was, of course, a first for me.

After lunch, players would make their way to their variously assigned rooms for a session of group coaching and study with a Master, International Master, or Grand Master. During a second session, groups would rotate to different rooms, where the Masters would play through one of their own games, pausing from time to time to discuss position, tactics, and strategy.

Initially, I thought the afternoon sessions would not be of much use to me because the games were projected onto large screens, but soon I began looking forward to them. Sometimes a fellow player would look over and indicate which piece I needed to move. At other times the Master would ask if I were keeping up, or simply repeat the last 2 or three moves for me.

GM Nikola Mitkov was really helpful. Now and then he would walk over to me, move a particular piece on my board and ask “What now?” I would have to say what my next move would be and explain why. He did not seem to mind waiting as I explored the board before responding. He would also expect the rest of the group to be grappling with their own next moves and explanations. Only once we had all offered some possibilities, would he reveal what move he had made in his game.

By dinner time, I would be spent, but still there was more chess to come. Masters would play friendly games, players would play blitz and bughouse games, team games and even bullet games. Some would be doing puzzles, and a few (like me) would try to keep up with following the games and discussions. No one seemed to tire of playing chess, and would be ready to do it all over again the next morning.

The highlight of the camp came on that last afternoon: The GMs were going to play simuls. Not only would I be participating, I would be playing against a GM. Two more firsts!

The oblong tables lined the walls of the room. About 20 players sat facing the open center. Our GM, Nikola Mitkov, walked in this open space from player to player indicating colors - I was to play black. The rules were that you could only make your move once he stood at your board. He would then make his move and move to the next board. If, by the time he had done his round and was back at your board and you were unable to make a move, he would move on, you would lose your turn and would have to wait for him to return and only then you would get to make another move. I had no aspirations of winning this game. My goal was to survive 15 moves before being check mated. Feeling intimidated is not the best way to start a game, and before too long I felt trapped; no move I made was a good move. Replaying the game later I noticed that it was on move 14 that the first piece fell, and it was my queen that captured the GMs bishop. First capture, and that against the GM! If this was a trap, I couldn’t figure it out and stepped right into it. GM Aleksandr Lenderman took over while Master Nokola Mitkov took a short break. When Mitkov returned, it dawned on me that we had surpassed 15 moves. Though I had met my goal, things were not going too well on the board. No matter - I had a prize capture and not 1 but 2 GMs touching the pieces on my board. Blundering my rook signaled the downward spiral, but I was determined not to resign. What would I gain from that? My thought was to come up with the best possible moves in dire situations. I soldiered on, finally being mated on move 42. I count this as one of my most valuable games.

The next day was the start of the actual tournament. Now I met players with whom I had only exchanged emails and spoken to over the phone. Stiff competition, 3 days, and 6 rounds later it was all over. While I would have liked my performance to have been better, I remind myself of all the firsts of the entire event, and of the message on a shirt of a player who could not have been older than 8: “I never lose. I win or I learn.”

A mere 6 weeks ahead is the 2024 US Blind Open Chess Tournament and camp, 12-14 July, again in Chicago, with $5000 in prize money. Is the cash why I am headed there again? No! I want that total immersion in the game I love, want to soak up the knowledge so freely given, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow players and coaches. I want to be riding high on that chess wave again!

Player Spotlight

Viral Trivedi

By Glenn Crawford

Viral Trivedi is a forty-two-year-old Teacher of English who was born in Ahmedabad, India. He currently lives in the city of his birth with his wife and two children, an eleven-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son.

Viral has been a member of the United States Blind Chess Association (USBCA) for about five years and has a 1555 rating as a member of FIDE. He is the committee member of All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) and the secretary of the Gujarat Chess Association for the Visually Challenged (GCAVC).

Viral has played chess since he was a child. “I’ve played chess since 1996 when I was in seventh grade.” When asked how he got interested in the game, he said, “I was initially interested in Cricket. But, because of my body structure [being very slim], I was not picked in the school team. So, I decided to take up an indoor game." And, “That’s how I got into chess.”

When Viral was nine years old he was faced with a challenge, “which complicated my entire world. All of a sudden, I lost my vision.” He was diagnosed with retinal detachment and underwent major surgery, “But, it wasn’t successful. And, that’s when I knew that I had to accept my new reality.” He is totally blind. But, he says with a smile in his voice, “I can see the darkness very clearly.”

After losing his vision, Viral was enrolled in school for the blind. He was told he would need to start in first grade unless he learned Braille within six months and passed all the necessary exams. If he could achieve this, he would start in fourth grade. He accomplished this and did it in less than six months, crediting his mother for his success with the challenges put forth by the school for the blind.

“She took a month to learn and then two months to teach me Braille.”

In three months, he was admitted to the school. He says, “Right from the fourth grade to my post-graduation in English literature, it was my mother who taught me everything from learning Braille to recording audio notes, from helping me choose the right subjects to accompany me in my study sessions. She made it her life mission to see me succeed at life.” As he so sincerely says, “A blackout vision doesn’t mean a blackout future. You’re still allowed to dream and achieve your goals.”

Viral Studied English Honors Literature at Gujarat University where he earned his master’s degree. He said he has been teaching English to children for seventeen years. He has taught “In villages, towns, and in my own city. Over the years, I’ve taught English to more than four thousand ‘normal’ students. I am happy with teaching. It is my passion."

Viral has played in international competition. He entered the French National Championship in 2019 and finished first in the under 1400 category. In 2024, he participated in the Goa Purple International Chess Championship held in India where he did not do well, scoring only three points out of seven.

In India, In 2022, Viral won the state championship for the blind and visually impaired held in Gujarat, India. “The tournament was a very tough one. A hundred and forty-one players participated.” There were nine rounds. Viral won six and drew three, finishing in first with seven and a half points.

When asked what is his favorite way to play chess, he said, “One cannot replace the joy of over-the-board games. But Skype is enjoyable because you can have favorite time, your comfortable time, and you’re playing in your comfort zone with your AC on, with a mug of coffee, and so on and so forth.”

Chess Advice

By Tyson Mordue

Could you tell me the best piece of advice you ever received in regards to chess?

This is easy for me because it came from a GM. It actually validated my approach to chess anyway because I’d played in that style for a while beforehand, but after that it became even more of a policy. Anyway, I was explaining to GM Keith Arkell what had happened in a game of mine at Paignton and I said to him: “To save that game it seemed that in a bad position I either had to hang on to material at the cost of a passive position, or give up a Pawn to get some activity. Which would you have done?” He immediately replied “Activity every time.”

From then on, I’ve been more focused on breaking out of bad positions by shedding material rather than trying to hold on. There’s a mental shift in the opponent’s attitude when they realize that you’re coming for them and sometimes they don’t react well and mess up. Witness one bewildered opponent who immediately after losing said “Did I win that Exchange or did you sacrifice it?” Somewhere in between.

What would be your best piece of advice to the current USBCA chess players?

One answer could be to follow the advice above, but that bit is actually for more advanced and experienced players than one finds in the USBCA. My actual reply is rather banal. Study openings. A lot of games in internal USBCA games rarely get to even move six without some departure from established opening theory. Theory, despite the hypothetical sounding nature of the word, is actually the synthesis of many practical games played at many levels which establishes whether opening lines are good, bad or plain indifferent. Put simply many players in the USBCA don’t know this, but it’s a basic for competitive play!

One particular recent passage of play in a USBCA game echoes in my mind. The game began 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nf3 Ne4. White then played 5. Qd3 placing his Queen in the firing-line of the f5-Bishop although it is masked by the e4-Knight. After 5 … Ng3 defending said Bishop and discovering an attack Black wins the h1-Rook. The first four moves may be theory, but who plays a move like 5. Qd3 which is positively inviting trouble? Answer; someone who needs to study opening theory a bit more.

The second-best piece of advice to give the current USBCA chess players is in fact what you mentioned. Study annotated games. That comes with a caveat. If something crops up that they don’t understand then they should ask. Writers can make mistakes and oversights. Even I’ve had to correct Chris Ross and Paul Benson about something they’ve posted. I even had to e-mail Chris’s editor and say “I think he’s written this note with a Bishop on the wrong square!” I was probably right and an editorial correction did go in.

It is rare for someone out of the general membership to make a suggestion or give constructive feedback on games posted on the user group, but it does happen. In my game against Dobrov someone, I can’t remember who but it may have been Evan Reese, asked a specific question about a Black move that could have been played but wasn’t. The net result was another two paragraphs of interesting notes including a few checkmates, and a well done/thank you to whoever it was that pointed it out.

Chess Accessibility Breakthrough

By Jim Homme

Ask anyone who is blind or visually impaired, and they will tell you that the biggest barrier to chess accessibility with reading chess material is inaccessible chess diagrams. Yes, there is a lot of chess reading material online, and some of that material is accessible. But few chess books are accessible. Now, more chess books are accessible thanks to a happy coincidence. What am I talking about? Enough teasing. Let’s get down to it. If you use Windows, you now have a way to recognize images of chess diagrams. I wish I could say the same for iPhone, Android, and Mac, but not yet. I’m just in the beginning stages of playing with the technology. It’s not fool proof. You will need to check the diagrams if you are reading a book or looking at a site by putting pieces on your board, but when you’re following an article or book, you’d do that anyway. Here’s how to set the whole thing up and give it a try using the Internet.

Prerequisites

You must be a Bookshare member at https://bookshare.org. In the United States, you may be able to become a free member by contacting your local branch of the National Library Service. You also need to install a copy of Be My AI. You probably know about the iPhone or Android app called Be My Eyes. Be My AI is the Windows version. Get it and install it. You can get it by clicking this link: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9msw46ltdwgf?rtc=1&hl=en-us&gl=US

Once you have Be My AI installed, it’s time to go hunting for chess diagrams to recognize. I tried several books, the first chapters, anyway, by going to my Bookshare account and clicking Read Now. Here’s the procedure.

Let’s Do This

• Set your screen reader to read all images, not just labeled ones.
• Open Be My AI.
• Open your browser and go to Bookshare.
• Find a book you’re interested in reading.
• Click “Read Now.
• Read until you find a diagram.
• Your screen reader will tell you it’s an unlabeled image or speak the file name.
• Put your cursor on the graphic and press SHIFT+F10.
• Press ALT+CONTROL+L.
• If you luck out, Be My AI will appear on your screen and tell you the position of the pieces.

Now that you know how to do this, you can also crawl over the web and check out articles and see if you can recognize more chess diagrams. Not all images work. some Bookshare books have their images removed. This isn’t a perfect solution, but it is a pretty big step forward in chess accessibility.

Your Turn###

Now, permit me to ask you to help me add to the chess resources page of our site at: https://usblindchess.org/resources/ Here’s what I’m asking you to do. If you find a Bookshare book where you can recognize images, email the link to the book to me at jhomme1028@gmail.com and I’ll add it to the resources. Do the same if you find a website where you can recognize chess images.

Let’s work together to compile a list of chess material we all can use to make the greatest game ever easier to learn and play. Are you in?

USBCA Library

By Evan Reese

The USBCA has a Braille library. The below list includes all the books in the library. Those books that are out on loan are noted. Just send me an email at mentat1@dslextreme.com and I will get your address and send you the book you wish to read. Braille books can be sent Free Matter within the continental U.S. There’s no real time limit on the loan, but for the benefit of other members, you should return the book when you are done with it.

(Direct Link: https://usblindchess.org/resources/)

• First Steps in Chess by Francis Merrick; 1v.
• The ABC of Chess by H. H. Cohn; 1v.
• Braille Chess Code and Layout: compiled by the B.A.U.K. chess committee; 1v.
• The Pocket Guide to the Chess Openings by Griffith and Golombek; 2v.
• The Middle Game in Chess by Ruben Fine; 5v.
• Modern Chess Endings by Barnie Winkelman; 2v.
• Practical Chess Endings by Paul Keres; 5v or 7v.
• Chess for Match Players by William Winter; 4v. (Out on Loan)
• Notes on Two-Move Chess Problems and How to Solve Them by Philip Williams; 1v.
• More Chess Questions Answered by Bonham and Wormald; 2v.
• 200 Miniature Games of Chess by J. DuMont; 3v.
• Chess: More Miniature Games by J. DuMont; 3v.
• Every Game Checkmate by Watts and Hereford; 1v.
• 50 Games of Modern Chess by H. Golombek; 2v.
• Modern Master Play by Yates and Winter; 1v.
• The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev; 5v.
• Chess Strategy and Tactics by Reinfeld and Chernev; 1v.
• The Bright Side of Chess by Irving Chernev; 2v.
• My System by Aron Nimzowitsch; 5v. (Out on Loan)
• The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chernev; 2v.
• 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures by P. H. Clarke; 3v.
• MCO11: Modern Chess Openings (11th edition) by Walter Korn; 7v. (Out on Loan)
• How to Be a Complete Tournament Player by Edmar Mednis; 2v.

Getting to know - Michael Rodgerson

My name is Michael. I am going to college for psychology and have just finished my first year.

I LOVE listening to music, and you will catch me doing that most of the time I enjoy playing games on the computer; right now a game I am REALLY enjoying is Erion. I have been playing guitar for the past 16 years, and back in April I performed at a poetry event at my college. I have a good sense of humor, and make friends easily.

Puzzles

Contributed by Jim Hohme

Our theme this issue is puzzles from various phases of a chess game. All puzzles taken from lichess.org. For each puzzle, find the best move for White.

Rook and Pawn Ending

White pieces

king: h1, rooks: d5, e3, pawns: a3, h3, g2

Black pieces

king: g8, rooks: a8, f8, pawns: f7, a6, e6, h5, c4

Solution:

29. Rg3+, Kh7
30. Rxh5+

Middlegame Tactic

White pieces

king: g1, queen: f3, rooks: a1, e1, bishop: c1, pawns: a2, b2, f2, g2, h2

Black pieces

king: g8, queen: c8, rooks: a8, f8, bishop: d4, pawns: a7, b7, c7, g7, h7, g6

Solution:

17 Qd5+, Kh8 18. Qxd4

Opening Tactic

White pieces

king: e1, queen: d1, rooks: a1, h1, bishops: c1, f1, knights: c3, f3, pawns: a2, b2, c2, d2, f2, g2, h2

Black pieces

king: e8, queen: c6, rooks: a8, h8, bishops: c8, f8, knights: b8, g8, pawns: a7, b7, e7, f7, g7, h7, c5

Solution:

5. Bb5, Bd7
6. Bxc6

Ex-Champing at The Bit

By Paul Benson

This article was initially published in the August 2023 UK BCA Gazette.

Perhaps we should start with some thoughts to drive you Wilde? It has been said that: “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” There is only one thing in life worse than being quoted, and that is being misquoted. To be tempted to sacrifice a piece may be regarded as a misfortune. To be tempted to sacrifice again looks like carelessness. So, to just how many “Temptations” can anyone succumb in a game of chess?

G. Serper (2575) - I. Nikolaidis (2440), St. Petersburg 1993.

1. c4 g6
2. e4 Bg7
3. d4 d6
4. Nc3 Nf6

| After a little move-order jockeying the game settles into a King’s Indian Defence. ||

5. Nge2

| Welcome to the Kramer Variation. This knight is heading for the g3 square to over-support the white e4 pawn. Is it better than those lines where the g1 knight immediately trots onto the f3 square? Wrong question. It demands black understands how to respond to a perfectly respectable but less usual system. In turn, white must also understand the subtleties involved, home work required. The unagreed mutual non-interaction pact continues for a few more moves.

5. ... Nbd7
6. Ng3 c6
7. Be2 a6
8. Be3 h5
9. f3 b5

| At last, some action demanding calculation by the opponent. ||

10. c5 dxc5
11. dxc5

| By mutual consent the queenside is temporarily devoid of action. Only white has the option to re-open the debate over there, pawn a4 being the initiator. ||

11. ... Qc7
12. O-O h4

| A doubler. Firstly, white must now spend a couple of tempi to get the g3 knight back into play. Secondly, when a unit moves it vacates a square for someone else, the h5 square is available for the f6 knight. All very good, but thinking of the long term, where is the black king to find safety? ||

13. Nh1 Nh5
14. Qd2 e5

| Fighting for control of the f4 square, fine, but severely limiting the scope of the g7 bishop, usually a powerful influence on the h8 - a1 diagonal. ||

15. Nf2 Nf8

| Unleashing the c8 bishop for action, though where it will be better placed, d7 or e6, is not yet clear. ||

16. a4

| White forces matter on the queenside. Pay careful attention to the pair of opposing rooks on the a-file, even if there are a couple of pawns between them. ||

16. ... b4

| Wisely keeping the queenside closed. Now white must do something about the attacked c3 knight, but what? ||

17. Nd5

| Forcing black to choose between a couple of unenviable options. Firstly, grab the material giving white a couple of central connected passed pawns, not easy to assess. Secondly, decline capturing, allowing the knight to manoeuvre Nb6 - Nc4 - Nd6 where it will be thoroughly annoying. ||

17. ... cxd5

| Taking the bait in the hope the white passed pawns can be restrained. ||

18. exd5 f5

| Seeking kingside activity. Black dare not just sit there doing nothing, white would just put rooks behind those passed pawns and push, push, push. And please note black is now threatening pawn f4 trapping the highly restricted white e3 bishop. ||

19. d6 Qc6

| Looks quite natural, fine, but Annotator 20-20 hindsight suggests 19. … Qb7 with Bd7 then Bc6 might have been more circumspect. White to play, a piece for a pawn down, needs more dynamism in the position. ||

20. Bb5

| Skewering the black royalty, realistically speaking, black must accept this bishop and suffer the consequences. ||

20. ... axb5
21. axb5

| Those a-file rooks previously glaring at each other over a pair of pawns are now face-to-face. Black is now a couple of pieces up but white has a phalanx of passed pawns ready to roll and roll. Who is better? Wrong question. Fritz and friends would coolly calculate all the complexities. Humans must at some point accept their limitations of analysis and resort to good old-fashioned gut-feeling. ||

21. ... Qxb5

| Yes, black is well aware the a8 rook has just been left undefended. This is a pragmatic decision, designed to give some material back in order to avoid something worse. Instead, 21. … Qb7 22. c6 Qb8 23. b6, and there are just too many pleasant ideas for white to find and probably nothing enjoyable for black to discover. ||

22. Rxa8 Qc6
23. Rfa1 f4

| And as previously hinted at, black snares the white e3 bishop. There must be a riposte planned, but what? ||

24. R1a7

| Hardly the dynamic destructor anticipated when a piece is left hanging. White is simply increasing the pressure around the black king. With a pair of rooks, a pair of connected passed pawns, and a skulking queen ready to jump in, something somewhere must be about to happen. ||

24. ... Nd7

| Desperately trying to strengthen the queenside while preparing castling out of the dangers. Appropriate Fischerism: “Tactics flow from a positionally superior game.” White to play and offer strong proof the quote is fundamentally correct. ||

25. Rxc8+

| A tripler, but in order to feel confident about playing this sacrifice, the correct follow-up needed to be in mind. Firstly, a defender of the black d7 knight is eliminated. Secondly, deflecting the black queen dismantles the blockade of the white c5 pawn. Thirdly, the black queen is dragged onto the back rank, dangers of a royal skewering against the e8 king are in the air. All these gains are definitely valuable from the perspective of the attack, but the fate of the e3 bishop also needed consideration. ||

25. ... Qxc8
26. Qd5

| Another tripler. Firstly, the black king cannot castle out of the danger, placing him on g8 would walk into check. Secondly, white threatens Ra8 skewering the black royalty. Thirdly, the white queen has the option of a Qe6+ invasion with strong threats on the black 2nd rank to be neutralised. ||

26. ... fxe3

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 4, not that anyone is actually counting them. Black might as well grab the booty, attempts at defending seem to offer little joy, some ideas run: (A). 26. … Nxc5 27. Qf7+ Kd8 28. Qe7+ mate, the benefit of a 7th rank rook is revealed. (B). 26. … Qb8 27. Qe6+ Kd8 28. Qxd7+ mate. (C). 26. … Qb8 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Rxd7 and white has a massive positional advantage in the centre, passed pawns ready to run through. (D). 26. … Bf8 27. c6 Ndf6 28. d7+ Nxd7 29. cxd7+ Qxd7 30. Qxd7+ mate. (E). 26. … Nhf6 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Ne4, and the variation-tree expands dramatically, white has much pressure on black but nothing concrete seems immediately forthcoming. ||

27. Qe6+ Kf8
28. Rxd7 exf2+

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 5, if this trend continues white might be ultimately forced to deliver checkmate with a bare king! ||

29. Kf1

| Playing safe. Instead 29. Kxf2 Qxc5+ gives black thoughts of delivering perpetual check on the exposed white king. Leaving the black f2 pawn on the board should not cause white any problems, it should be rounded up in the fullness of time. ||

29. ... Qe8

| Preventing the threatened Qf7+ mate and surely pushing the white queen out of the scene of action? Of course, white might trade queens and be just a couple of pieces down. If so, then those white passed pawns still need restraining, but black might get away with only giving up a single piece. Could it be the white sacrificial rampage is about to come to a sad end? ||

30. Rf7+

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 6, hey ho, just the queen left wondering when she will be led to the altar. Instead, 30. Re7 Qb5+ 31. Kxf2 Qxc5+ and the black queen would be planning a perpetual check again. So now black is a complete kingside battalion to the good. Fine, but at the moment they are not contributing to the real battle. White to play is relying on those passed pawns to save the day and maybe even find a win? ||

30. ... Qxf7
31. Qc8+ Qe8
32. d7

| As the maxim goes: “Passed pawns must be pushed.” Way back with 18. exd5 this pawn became passed. Much of the action from then to now has been aimed at clearing the black defenders out of the way to permit advance. White is now either guaranteed a new queen or eliminate the black queen with the d-pawn, it is for black to choose which. ||

32. ... Kf7
33. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8

| Material imbalance still slightly favours black. Fine, but white has a massive trump-card in the shape of the passed c5 pawn ready to race through. It seems black cannot coordinate to either win the pawn or prevent promotion. Everything suggests that pawn will somehow cost black the rook. ||

34. Qb7+ Re7
35. c6

| A nice touch, getting the c-pawn as close as possible to promotion is the main priority. Instead after 35. Qxb4 e4 36. fxe4 Be5 black has stopped the white c-pawn. White would then have connected queenside passed pawns but black would have time to get the h5 knight back into the centre. Everything still points to white being favourite but converting to a win would take considerable time. ||

35. ... e4

| Setting white a test when perhaps both players are short of time. Instead 35. … Rxb7 36. cxb7 white promotes next move. ||

36. c7 e3

| All of a sudden black has a serious threat of 37. … e2+ 38. Kxf2 e1=Q+ mate. White is in no mood to sacrifice the king like this. ||

37. Qd5+ Kf6

| Retreating to the back rank allows white to promote on c8 with check. ||

38. Qd6+ Kf7
39. Qd5+ Kf6
40. Qd6+ Kf7

| Repeating moves is not indicating the game is heading for a draw.

White is almost certainly making the time-control before thinking again. ||

41. Qxe7+

| Yes, white “Sacrifice Count” = 7, though this time it is to prevent immediate disaster. ||

41. ... Kxe7
42. c8=Q

| So, 7 piece sacrifices plus 2 queenly reincarnations and it is only 42 moves played. Chances of further fireworks from either side are extremely limited now. White must use the power of the queen hitting in 8 directions at once to skewer/fork something. Black must try to construct a fortress or even possibly dream of getting something with those connected passed pawns, both unlikely. ||

42. ... Bh6

| Almost certainly ensuring the advanced pawns will be secure in the short term. Attempted queenside activity lets the passed pawns fall. Instead 42. … Bxb2 43. Qc7+ Kf8 44. Qb8+ Kg7 45. Qa7+ Kf8 46. Qxe3 and the f2 pawn goes next move. After such a line there would still be more work ahead for white, start by bringing the king and queen toward the black king on the light squares and think again. ||

43. Qc5+ Ke8
44. Qb5+ Kd8

| For some reason black has run the king out of the kingside. However had the black king shuffled on the g-file then white Qxb4 creates a passed pawn which will cost black a piece, after which the white kingside pawns come into play. ||

45. Qb6+ Kd7
46. Qxg6

| And the black kingside falls apart. Surely black must have envisaged this when dancing the king over to the queenside? Absolutely, so there must be a trick, right? ||

46. ... e2+

| Hoping for a blunder in reply. ||

47. Kxf2

| Avoiding 47. Kxe2 Nf4+ 48. Kxf2 Nxg6 when black wins. ||

47. ... Be3+
48. Ke1

1-0

| Again avoiding the pitfalls. Instead 48. Kxe2 Nf4+ 49. Kxe3 Nxg6 50. Kd4 and white can grab the black b4 pawn, sufficient to draw but probably nothing more. Similarly 48. Kxe3 e1=Q+ looks drawish. Finally after 48. Ke1 Nf4 49. Qh7+ Kc6 50. g3 hxg3 51. hxg3 pushes the black knight back after which the e2 pawn falls and the white kingside pawns rush through. ||

Contact

If you have questions, comments, or feedback, please send them to USBCA Secretary, Marilyn Bland, at tinkerbelltx@hotmail.com.

The Challenger

Magazine of the United States Blind Chess Association

June 2024

The mission of the USBCA is to promote the game of chess among the blind community.

Website: usblindchess.org

Note: The views expressed in the Challenger do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the USBCA or those of the editor.

Contents

Note for screen reader Users: Search for three asterisks together, to navigate to articles.

Editor’s Notep2 By Rita Crawford Feature Article Many Firstsp4 By Marilyn Bland Player Spotlight: Viral Trivedip6 By Glenn Crawford Chess Advicep7 By Tyson Mordue Chess Accessibility Breakthroughp8 By Jim Hohme USBCA Braille Lending Libraryp10 By Evan Reese Getting to Know: Michael Rodgersonp12 Puzzlesp12 By Jim Hohme Ex-Champing at The Bitp14 By Paul Benson

Editor’s Note

By Rita Crawford

‘The mission of the USBCA is to promote chess among the blind community’

The USBCA board is constantly working very hard to fulfill this mission. This issue of the Challenger is dedicated to providing information to you regarding the variety of things that have been implemented, things that will be useful not only in the game of chess, but in other areas of your life as well. Marilyn Bland has written a wonderful feature article about the chess camp at the 2023 US Blind Open Chess Championship. This year’s US Blind Open has $5000.00 in prize money. Her article is a fun read and helps give you an inside look at what it is like attending the chess camp that is available to you if you are participating in the US Blind Chess Open. Attending chess camp is obviously a great way to try to help improve your game. The 2024 US Blind Open Chess Championship is offering a chess camp again this year. In Glenn Crawford’s Player Spotlight article we learn more about Viral Trivedi from India, a member of the USBCA and FIDE, who speaks about his chess experiences. I asked USBCA consultant Tyson Mordue to answer two questions: What was the best piece of advice he ever received in regards to chess. Also, what is the best piece of advice he would give to those who are wanting to improve their chess game. Tyson has written a very good article with important insight into the game of chess that everyone who is wanting to improve their game should read. If you use Windows, USBCA board member Jim Hohme has written an article detailing step by step a new feature on how you can use Windows to recognize chess diagrams! Jim has also provided a chess puzzle for you to study, just for fun of course. Did you know the USBCA has a braille lending library? USBCA board member Evan Reese handles the library and has written an article detailing how it works. He has listed the titles of the braille books currently available and included a link to the library. We are hoping to eventually expand the library to include even more books. We also have our usual features: USBCA Board member Michael Rodgerson is our ‘Getting to Know…’ featured player. He offers a few fun facts about himself. Jim Hohme has provided three puzzles for you to study. USBCA consultant Paul Benson has provided an annotated game for your review. Set up a chess board and play the game he has annotated. This is like receiving a free chess lesson from Paul, and that is something you do not want to miss! I distribute the Sunday Smiles every week, which details the ongoing tournaments and upcoming events. Therefore, I am not going to list them in this magazine as well. The current USBCA board is constantly working on different ways we can promote chess among the blind community. If we have not yet hit on something that interests you, just stay tuned in, I am sure one of the many things in the pipeline might just be what you are looking for!

Many Firsts

By Marilyn Bland

It is now June 1, a month away from July 1, which takes me back to July 2023. Not only was that July the hottest on record globally, it was a month filled with numerous firsts for me. During my travels, I had on occasion had to change planes in Chicago, but had never overnighted there. So, I was to have my first Chicago stay-over as I participated in the 2023 US Blind Open Chess Championship for the first time. It was also the first time this tournament had been held in that city. I arrived in what some call the windy city on a warm Sunday afternoon, 4 days ahead of the start of the tournament. The reason? Well, I would be attending my first ever chess camp. I had heard much about chess camps, but in truth knew little about such events and was not sure of what to expect. What I had not anticipated was being one of over 200 chess enthusiasts of all ages and chess strengths. I get excited when playing on-line tournaments and get involved with analyzing my games, but now I was swept up in this total immersion. Even though I was the only blind person at the camp, I was riding high on this chess wave. Each morning after breakfast we would gather in the playing rooms and find our assigned opponents for a game. We would play these games under tournament conditions, meaning play your game within the 1-hour per person time control and annotate your game. After your game you would go into the analysis rooms and there you would review your game, with or without your opponent, but always with one of the GMs in attendance. This whole set-up was, of course, a first for me. After lunch, players would make their way to their variously assigned rooms for a session of group coaching and study with a Master, International Master, or Grand Master. During a second session, groups would rotate to different rooms, where the Masters would play through one of their own games, pausing from time to time to discuss position, tactics, and strategy. Initially, I thought the afternoon sessions would not be of much use to me because the games were projected onto large screens, but soon I began looking forward to them. Sometimes a fellow player would look over and indicate which piece I needed to move. At other times the Master would ask if I were keeping up, or simply repeat the last 2 or three moves for me. GM Nikola Mitkov was really helpful. Now and then he would walk over to me, move a particular piece on my board and ask “What now?” I would have to say what my next move would be and explain why. He did not seem to mind waiting as I explored the board before responding. He would also expect the rest of the group to be grappling with their own next moves and explanations. Only once we had all offered some possibilities, would he reveal what move he had made in his game. By dinner time, I would be spent, but still there was more chess to come. Masters would play friendly games, players would play blitz and bughouse games, team games and even bullet games. Some would be doing puzzles, and a few (like me) would try to keep up with following the games and discussions. No one seemed to tire of playing chess, and would be ready to do it all over again the next morning. The highlight of the camp came on that last afternoon: The GMs were going to play simuls. Not only would I be participating, I would be playing against a GM. Two more firsts! The oblong tables lined the walls of the room. About 20 players sat facing the open center. Our GM, Nikola Mitkov, walked in this open space from player to player indicating colors - I was to play black. The rules were that you could only make your move once he stood at your board. He would then make his move and move to the next board. If, by the time he had done his round and was back at your board and you were unable to make a move, he would move on, you would lose your turn and would have to wait for him to return and only then you would get to make another move. I had no aspirations of winning this game. My goal was to survive 15 moves before being check mated. Feeling intimidated is not the best way to start a game, and before too long I felt trapped; no move I made was a good move. Replaying the game later I noticed that it was on move 14 that the first piece fell, and it was my queen that captured the GMs bishop. First capture, and that against the GM! If this was a trap, I couldn’t figure it out and stepped right into it. GM Aleksandr Lenderman took over while Master Nokola Mitkov took a short break. When Mitkov returned, it dawned on me that we had surpassed 15 moves. Though I had met my goal, things were not going too well on the board. No matter - I had a prize capture and not 1 but 2 GMs touching the pieces on my board. Blundering my rook signaled the downward spiral, but I was determined not to resign. What would I gain from that? My thought was to come up with the best possible moves in dire situations. I soldiered on, finally being mated on move 42. I count this as one of my most valuable games. The next day was the start of the actual tournament. Now I met players with whom I had only exchanged emails and spoken to over the phone. Stiff competition, 3 days, and 6 rounds later it was all over. While I would have liked my performance to have been better, I remind myself of all the firsts of the entire event, and of the message on a shirt of a player who could not have been older than 8: “I never lose. I win or I learn.” A mere 6 weeks ahead is the 2024 US Blind Open Chess Tournament and camp, 12-14 July, again in Chicago, with $5000 in prize money. Is the cash why I am headed there again? No! I want that total immersion in the game I love, want to soak up the knowledge so freely given, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow players and coaches. I want to be riding high on that chess wave again!

Player Spotlight

Viral Trivedi

By Glenn Crawford

Viral Trivedi is a forty-two-year-old Teacher of English who was born in Ahmedabad, India. He currently lives in the city of his birth with his wife and two children, an eleven-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son. Viral has been a member of the United States Blind Chess Association (USBCA) for about five years and has a 1555 rating as a member of FIDE. He is the committee member of All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) and the secretary of the Gujarat Chess Association for the Visually Challenged (GCAVC). Viral has played chess since he was a child. “I’ve played chess since 1996 when I was in seventh grade.” When asked how he got interested in the game, he said, “I was initially interested in Cricket. But, because of my body structure [being very slim], I was not picked in the school team. So, I decided to take up an indoor game." And, “That’s how I got into chess.” When Viral was nine years old he was faced with a challenge, “which complicated my entire world. All of a sudden, I lost my vision.” He was diagnosed with retinal detachment and underwent major surgery, “But, it wasn’t successful. And, that’s when I knew that I had to accept my new reality.” He is totally blind. But, he says with a smile in his voice, “I can see the darkness very clearly.” After losing his vision, Viral was enrolled in school for the blind. He was told he would need to start in first grade unless he learned Braille within six months and passed all the necessary exams. If he could achieve this, he would start in fourth grade. He accomplished this and did it in less than six months, crediting his mother for his success with the challenges put forth by the school for the blind. “She took a month to learn and then two months to teach me Braille.” In three months, he was admitted to the school. He says, “Right from the fourth grade to my post-graduation in English literature, it was my mother who taught me everything from learning Braille to recording audio notes, from helping me choose the right subjects to accompany me in my study sessions. She made it her life mission to see me succeed at life.” As he so sincerely says, “A blackout vision doesn’t mean a blackout future. You’re still allowed to dream and achieve your goals.” Viral Studied English Honors Literature at Gujarat University where he earned his master’s degree. He said he has been teaching English to children for seventeen years. He has taught “In villages, towns, and in my own city. Over the years, I’ve taught English to more than four thousand ‘normal’ students. I am happy with teaching. It is my passion." Viral has played in international competition. He entered the French National Championship in 2019 and finished first in the under 1400 category. In 2024, he participated in the Goa Purple International Chess Championship held in India where he did not do well, scoring only three points out of seven. In India, In 2022, Viral won the state championship for the blind and visually impaired held in Gujarat, India. “The tournament was a very tough one. A hundred and forty-one players participated.” There were nine rounds. Viral won six and drew three, finishing in first with seven and a half points. When asked what is his favorite way to play chess, he said, “One cannot replace the joy of over-the-board games. But Skype is enjoyable because you can have favorite time, your comfortable time, and you’re playing in your comfort zone with your AC on, with a mug of coffee, and so on and so forth.”

Chess Advice

By Tyson Mordue

Could you tell me the best piece of advice you ever received in regards to chess?

This is easy for me because it came from a GM. It actually validated my approach to chess anyway because I’d played in that style for a while beforehand, but after that it became even more of a policy. Anyway, I was explaining to GM Keith Arkell what had happened in a game of mine at Paignton and I said to him: “To save that game it seemed that in a bad position I either had to hang on to material at the cost of a passive position, or give up a Pawn to get some activity. Which would you have done?” He immediately replied “Activity every time.” From then on, I’ve been more focused on breaking out of bad positions by shedding material rather than trying to hold on. There’s a mental shift in the opponent’s attitude when they realize that you’re coming for them and sometimes they don’t react well and mess up. Witness one bewildered opponent who immediately after losing said “Did I win that Exchange or did you sacrifice it?” Somewhere in between.

What would be your best piece of advice to the current USBCA chess players?

One answer could be to follow the advice above, but that bit is actually for more advanced and experienced players than one finds in the USBCA. My actual reply is rather banal. Study openings. A lot of games in internal USBCA games rarely get to even move six without some departure from established opening theory. Theory, despite the hypothetical sounding nature of the word, is actually the synthesis of many practical games played at many levels which establishes whether opening lines are good, bad or plain indifferent. Put simply many players in the USBCA don’t know this, but it’s a basic for competitive play! One particular recent passage of play in a USBCA game echoes in my mind. The game began 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nf3 Ne4. White then played 5. Qd3 placing his Queen in the firing-line of the f5-Bishop although it is masked by the e4-Knight. After 5 … Ng3 defending said Bishop and discovering an attack Black wins the h1-Rook. The first four moves may be theory, but who plays a move like 5. Qd3 which is positively inviting trouble? Answer; someone who needs to study opening theory a bit more. The second-best piece of advice to give the current USBCA chess players is in fact what you mentioned. Study annotated games. That comes with a caveat. If something crops up that they don’t understand then they should ask. Writers can make mistakes and oversights. Even I’ve had to correct Chris Ross and Paul Benson about something they’ve posted. I even had to e-mail Chris’s editor and say “I think he’s written this note with a Bishop on the wrong square!” I was probably right and an editorial correction did go in. It is rare for someone out of the general membership to make a suggestion or give constructive feedback on games posted on the user group, but it does happen. In my game against Dobrov someone, I can’t remember who but it may have been Evan Reese, asked a specific question about a Black move that could have been played but wasn’t. The net result was another two paragraphs of interesting notes including a few checkmates, and a well done/thank you to whoever it was that pointed it out.

Chess Accessibility Breakthrough

By Jim Homme

Ask anyone who is blind or visually impaired, and they will tell you that the biggest barrier to chess accessibility with reading chess material is inaccessible chess diagrams. Yes, there is a lot of chess reading material online, and some of that material is accessible. But few chess books are accessible. Now, more chess books are accessible thanks to a happy coincidence. What am I talking about? Enough teasing. Let’s get down to it. If you use Windows, you now have a way to recognize images of chess diagrams. I wish I could say the same for iPhone, Android, and Mac, but not yet. I’m just in the beginning stages of playing with the technology. It’s not fool proof. You will need to check the diagrams if you are reading a book or looking at a site by putting pieces on your board, but when you’re following an article or book, you’d do that anyway. Here’s how to set the whole thing up and give it a try using the Internet.

Prerequisites

You must be a Bookshare member at https://bookshare.org. In the United States, you may be able to become a free member by contacting your local branch of the National Library Service. You also need to install a copy of Be My AI. You probably know about the iPhone or Android app called Be My Eyes. Be My AI is the Windows version. Get it and install it. You can get it by clicking this link: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9msw46ltdwgf?rtc=1&hl=en-us&gl=US Once you have Be My AI installed, it’s time to go hunting for chess diagrams to recognize. I tried several books, the first chapters, anyway, by going to my Bookshare account and clicking Read Now. Here’s the procedure.

Let’s Do This

• Set your screen reader to read all images, not just labeled ones.
• Open Be My AI.
• Open your browser and go to Bookshare.
• Find a book you’re interested in reading.
• Click “Read Now.
• Read until you find a diagram.
• Your screen reader will tell you it’s an unlabeled image or speak the file name.
• Put your cursor on the graphic and press SHIFT+F10.
• Press *ALT+CONTROL+L.
• If you luck out, Be My AI will appear on your screen and tell you the position of the pieces.

Now that you know how to do this, you can also crawl over the web and check out articles and see if you can recognize more chess diagrams. Not all images work. some Bookshare books have their images removed. This isn’t a perfect solution, but it is a pretty big step forward in chess accessibility.

Your Turn

Now, permit me to ask you to help me add to the chess resources page of our site at: https://usblindchess.org/resources/ Here’s what I’m asking you to do. If you find a Bookshare book where you can recognize images, email the link to the book to me at jhomme1028@gmail.com and I’ll add it to the resources. Do the same if you find a website where you can recognize chess images. Let’s work together to compile a list of chess material we all can use to make the greatest game ever easier to learn and play. Are you in?

USBCA Library

By Evan Reese

The USBCA has a Braille library. The below list includes all the books in the library. Those books that are out on loan are noted. Just send me an email at mentat1@dslextreme.com and I will get your address and send you the book you wish to read. Braille books can be sent Free Matter within the continental U.S. There’s no real time limit on the loan, but for the benefit of other members, you should return the book when you are done with it.

(Direct Link: https://usblindchess.org/resources/)

First Steps in Chess by Francis Merrick; 1v. The ABC of Chess by H. H. Cohn; 1v. Braille Chess Code and Layout: compiled by the B.A.U.K. chess committee; 1v. The Pocket Guide to the Chess Openings by Griffith and Golombek; 2v. The Middle Game in Chess by Ruben Fine; 5v. Modern Chess Endings by Barnie Winkelman; 2v. Practical Chess Endings by Paul Keres; 5v or 7v. Chess for Match Players by William Winter; 4v. (Out on Loan) Notes on Two-Move Chess Problems and How to Solve Them by Philip Williams; 1v. More Chess Questions Answered by Bonham and Wormald; 2v. 200 Miniature Games of Chess by J. DuMont; 3v. Chess: More Miniature Games by J. DuMont; 3v. Every Game Checkmate by Watts and Hereford; 1v. 50 Games of Modern Chess by H. Golombek; 2v. Modern Master Play by Yates and Winter; 1v. The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev; 5v. Chess Strategy and Tactics by Reinfeld and Chernev; 1v. The Bright Side of Chess by Irving Chernev; 2v. My System by Aron Nimzowitsch; 5v. (Out on Loan) The Russians Play Chess by Irving Chernev; 2v. 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures by P. H. Clarke; 3v. MCO11: Modern Chess Openings (11th edition) by Walter Korn; 7v. (Out on Loan) How to Be a Complete Tournament Player by Edmar Mednis; 2v.

Getting to know - Michael Rodgerson

My name is Michael. I am going to college for psychology and have just finished my first year.

I LOVE listening to music, and you will catch me doing that most of the time I enjoy playing games on the computer; right now a game I am REALLY enjoying is Erion. I have been playing guitar for the past 16 years, and back in April I performed at a poetry event at my college. I have a good sense of humor, and make friends easily.

Puzzles

Contributed by Jim Hohme

Our theme this issue is puzzles from various phases of a chess game. All puzzles taken from lichess.org. For each puzzle, find the best move for White.

Rook and Pawn Ending

White pieces king: h1, rooks: d5, e3, pawns: a3, h3, g2

Black pieces king: g8, rooks: a8, f8, pawns: f7, a6, e6, h5, c4

Solution:

29. Rg3+, Kh7
30. Rxh5+ Middlegame Tactic

White pieces king: g1, queen: f3, rooks: a1, e1, bishop: c1, pawns: a2, b2, f2, g2, h2

Black pieces king: g8, queen: c8, rooks: a8, f8, bishop: d4, pawns: a7, b7, c7, g7, h7, g6

Solution:

17 Qd5+, Kh8 18. Qxd4

Opening Tactic

White pieces king: e1, queen: d1, rooks: a1, h1, bishops: c1, f1, knights: c3, f3, pawns: a2, b2, c2, d2, f2, g2, h2

Black pieces king: e8, queen: c6, rooks: a8, h8, bishops: c8, f8, knights: b8, g8, pawns: a7, b7, e7, f7, g7, h7, c5

Solution:

5. Bb5, Bd7
6. Bxc6

Ex-Champing at The Bit

By Paul Benson

This article was initially published in the August 2023 UK BCA Gazette.

Perhaps we should start with some thoughts to drive you Wilde? It has been said that: “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” There is only one thing in life worse than being quoted, and that is being misquoted. To be tempted to sacrifice a piece may be regarded as a misfortune. To be tempted to sacrifice again looks like carelessness. So, to just how many “Temptations” can anyone succumb in a game of chess?

G. Serper (2575) - I. Nikolaidis (2440), St. Petersburg 1993.

1. c4 g6
2. e4 Bg7
3. d4 d6
4. Nc3 Nf6

| After a little move-order jockeying the game settles into a King’s Indian Defence. ||

5. Nge2

| Welcome to the Kramer Variation. This knight is heading for the g3 square to over-support the white e4 pawn. Is it better than those lines where the g1 knight immediately trots onto the f3 square? Wrong question. It demands black understands how to respond to a perfectly respectable but less usual system. In turn, white must also understand the subtleties involved, home work required. The unagreed mutual non-interaction pact continues for a few more moves.

5. … Nbd7
6. Ng3 c6
7. Be2 a6
8. Be3 h5
9. f3 b5

| At last, some action demanding calculation by the opponent. ||

10. c5 dxc5
11. dxc5

| By mutual consent the queenside is temporarily devoid of action. Only white has the option to re-open the debate over there, pawn a4 being the initiator. ||

11. … Qc7
12. O-O h4

| A doubler. Firstly, white must now spend a couple of tempi to get the g3 knight back into play. Secondly, when a unit moves it vacates a square for someone else, the h5 square is available for the f6 knight. All very good, but thinking of the long term, where is the black king to find safety? ||

13. Nh1 Nh5
14. Qd2 e5

| Fighting for control of the f4 square, fine, but severely limiting the scope of the g7 bishop, usually a powerful influence on the h8 - a1 diagonal. ||

15. Nf2 Nf8

| Unleashing the c8 bishop for action, though where it will be better placed, d7 or e6, is not yet clear. ||

16. a4

| White forces matter on the queenside. Pay careful attention to the pair of opposing rooks on the a-file, even if there are a couple of pawns between them. ||

16. … b4

| Wisely keeping the queenside closed. Now white must do something about the attacked c3 knight, but what? ||

17. Nd5

| Forcing black to choose between a couple of unenviable options. Firstly, grab the material giving white a couple of central connected passed pawns, not easy to assess. Secondly, decline capturing, allowing the knight to manoeuvre Nb6 - Nc4 - Nd6 where it will be thoroughly annoying. ||

17. … cxd5

| Taking the bait in the hope the white passed pawns can be restrained. ||

18. exd5 f5

| Seeking kingside activity. Black dare not just sit there doing nothing, white would just put rooks behind those passed pawns and push, push, push. And please note black is now threatening pawn f4 trapping the highly restricted white e3 bishop. ||

19. d6 Qc6

| Looks quite natural, fine, but Annotator 20-20 hindsight suggests 19. … Qb7 with Bd7 then Bc6 might have been more circumspect. White to play, a piece for a pawn down, needs more dynamism in the position. ||

20. Bb5

| Skewering the black royalty, realistically speaking, black must accept this bishop and suffer the consequences. ||

20. … axb5
21. axb5

| Those a-file rooks previously glaring at each other over a pair of pawns are now face-to-face. Black is now a couple of pieces up but white has a phalanx of passed pawns ready to roll and roll. Who is better? Wrong question. Fritz and friends would coolly calculate all the complexities. Humans must at some point accept their limitations of analysis and resort to good old-fashioned gut-feeling. ||

21. … Qxb5

| Yes, black is well aware the a8 rook has just been left undefended. This is a pragmatic decision, designed to give some material back in order to avoid something worse. Instead, 21. … Qb7 22. c6 Qb8 23. b6, and there are just too many pleasant ideas for white to find and probably nothing enjoyable for black to discover. ||

22. Rxa8 Qc6
23. Rfa1 f4

| And as previously hinted at, black snares the white e3 bishop. There must be a riposte planned, but what? ||

24. R1a7

| Hardly the dynamic destructor anticipated when a piece is left hanging. White is simply increasing the pressure around the black king. With a pair of rooks, a pair of connected passed pawns, and a skulking queen ready to jump in, something somewhere must be about to happen. ||

24. … Nd7

| Desperately trying to strengthen the queenside while preparing castling out of the dangers. Appropriate Fischerism: “Tactics flow from a positionally superior game.” White to play and offer strong proof the quote is fundamentally correct. ||

25. Rxc8+

| A tripler, but in order to feel confident about playing this sacrifice, the correct follow-up needed to be in mind. Firstly, a defender of the black d7 knight is eliminated. Secondly, deflecting the black queen dismantles the blockade of the white c5 pawn. Thirdly, the black queen is dragged onto the back rank, dangers of a royal skewering against the e8 king are in the air. All these gains are definitely valuable from the perspective of the attack, but the fate of the e3 bishop also needed consideration. ||

25. … Qxc8
26. Qd5

| Another tripler. Firstly, the black king cannot castle out of the danger, placing him on g8 would walk into check. Secondly, white threatens Ra8 skewering the black royalty. Thirdly, the white queen has the option of a Qe6+ invasion with strong threats on the black 2nd rank to be neutralised. ||

26. … fxe3

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 4, not that anyone is actually counting them. Black might as well grab the booty, attempts at defending seem to offer little joy, some ideas run: (A). 26. … Nxc5 27. Qf7+ Kd8 28. Qe7+ mate, the benefit of a 7th rank rook is revealed. (B). 26. … Qb8 27. Qe6+ Kd8 28. Qxd7+ mate. (C). 26. … Qb8 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Rxd7 and white has a massive positional advantage in the centre, passed pawns ready to run through. (D). 26. … Bf8 27. c6 Ndf6 28. d7+ Nxd7 29. cxd7+ Qxd7 30. Qxd7+ mate. (E). 26. … Nhf6 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Ne4, and the variation-tree expands dramatically, white has much pressure on black but nothing concrete seems immediately forthcoming. ||

27. Qe6+ Kf8
28. Rxd7 exf2+

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 5, if this trend continues white might be ultimately forced to deliver checkmate with a bare king! ||

29. Kf1

| Playing safe. Instead 29. Kxf2 Qxc5+ gives black thoughts of delivering perpetual check on the exposed white king. Leaving the black f2 pawn on the board should not cause white any problems, it should be rounded up in the fullness of time. ||

29. … Qe8

| Preventing the threatened Qf7+ mate and surely pushing the white queen out of the scene of action? Of course, white might trade queens and be just a couple of pieces down. If so, then those white passed pawns still need restraining, but black might get away with only giving up a single piece. Could it be the white sacrificial rampage is about to come to a sad end? ||

30. Rf7+

| White “Sacrifice Count” = 6, hey ho, just the queen left wondering when she will be led to the altar. Instead, 30. Re7 Qb5+ 31. Kxf2 Qxc5+ and the black queen would be planning a perpetual check again. So now black is a complete kingside battalion to the good. Fine, but at the moment they are not contributing to the real battle. White to play is relying on those passed pawns to save the day and maybe even find a win? ||

30. … Qxf7
31. Qc8+ Qe8
32. d7

| As the maxim goes: “Passed pawns must be pushed.” Way back with 18. exd5 this pawn became passed. Much of the action from then to now has been aimed at clearing the black defenders out of the way to permit advance. White is now either guaranteed a new queen or eliminate the black queen with the d-pawn, it is for black to choose which. ||

32. … Kf7
33. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8

| Material imbalance still slightly favours black. Fine, but white has a massive trump-card in the shape of the passed c5 pawn ready to race through. It seems black cannot coordinate to either win the pawn or prevent promotion. Everything suggests that pawn will somehow cost black the rook. ||

34. Qb7+ Re7
35. c6

| A nice touch, getting the c-pawn as close as possible to promotion is the main priority. Instead after 35. Qxb4 e4 36. fxe4 Be5 black has stopped the white c-pawn. White would then have connected queenside passed pawns but black would have time to get the h5 knight back into the centre. Everything still points to white being favourite but converting to a win would take considerable time. ||

35. … e4

| Setting white a test when perhaps both players are short of time. Instead 35. … Rxb7 36. cxb7 white promotes next move. ||

36. c7 e3

| All of a sudden black has a serious threat of 37. … e2+ 38. Kxf2 e1=Q+ mate. White is in no mood to sacrifice the king like this. ||

37. Qd5+ Kf6

| Retreating to the back rank allows white to promote on c8 with check. ||

38. Qd6+ Kf7
39. Qd5+ Kf6
40. Qd6+ Kf7

| Repeating moves is not indicating the game is heading for a draw.

White is almost certainly making the time-control before thinking again. ||

41. Qxe7+

| Yes, white “Sacrifice Count” = 7, though this time it is to prevent immediate disaster. ||

41. … Kxe7
42. c8=Q

| So, 7 piece sacrifices plus 2 queenly reincarnations and it is only 42 moves played. Chances of further fireworks from either side are extremely limited now. White must use the power of the queen hitting in 8 directions at once to skewer/fork something. Black must try to construct a fortress or even possibly dream of getting something with those connected passed pawns, both unlikely. ||

42. … Bh6

| Almost certainly ensuring the advanced pawns will be secure in the short term. Attempted queenside activity lets the passed pawns fall. Instead 42. … Bxb2 43. Qc7+ Kf8 44. Qb8+ Kg7 45. Qa7+ Kf8 46. Qxe3 and the f2 pawn goes next move. After such a line there would still be more work ahead for white, start by bringing the king and queen toward the black king on the light squares and think again. ||

43. Qc5+ Ke8
44. Qb5+ Kd8

| For some reason black has run the king out of the kingside. However had the black king shuffled on the g-file then white Qxb4 creates a passed pawn which will cost black a piece, after which the white kingside pawns come into play. ||

45. Qb6+ Kd7
46. Qxg6

| And the black kingside falls apart. Surely black must have envisaged this when dancing the king over to the queenside? Absolutely, so there must be a trick, right? ||

46. … e2+

| Hoping for a blunder in reply. ||

47. Kxf2

| Avoiding 47. Kxe2 Nf4+ 48. Kxf2 Nxg6 when black wins. ||

47. … Be3+
48. Ke1

1-0

| Again avoiding the pitfalls. Instead 48. Kxe2 Nf4+ 49. Kxe3 Nxg6 50. Kd4 and white can grab the black b4 pawn, sufficient to draw but probably nothing more. Similarly 48. Kxe3 e1=Q+ looks drawish. Finally after 48. Ke1 Nf4 49. Qh7+ Kc6 50. g3 hxg3 51. hxg3 pushes the black knight back after which the e2 pawn falls and the white kingside pawns rush through. ||

If you have questions, comments, or feedback, please send them to USBCA Secretary, Marilyn Bland, at tinkerbelltx@hotmail.com.