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The Challenger, Fourth Quarter, 2024

The Challenger Magazine of the United States Blind Chess Association November, 2024

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

Website: https://usblindchess.org

Contents

Disclaimer

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

The Future Starts Today Not Tomorrow

By Rita Crawford

The ending of a year often brings on moments of reflection. Reflection of events, people, things you did and things you wished you had done. Reflection on major events that have happened to you, people you met and maybe loved ones you lost. The ending of a year has always made me reflective about what has happened to me, and I am always excited and hopeful about the new year to come. The president’s message captures all of these emotions: reflection about the past, and hope for the future.

The United States Blind Chess Association (USBCA) has weathered many storms this past year. I also believe the USBCA is poised to begin an exciting new chapter full of opportunities for self-improvement and lots of opportunities for fun with your fellow chess players.

Marilyn Bland has written about her trips to India and Ecuador. Her article, as usual, is descriptive and fun to read.

The newest members to join the USBCA are listed and come from all around the globe.

Glenn Crawford interviewed Chris Ross, one of the USBCA consultants and who is a Candidate Master. You will want to read Glenn’s article as it provides interesting details about Chris that you probably did not know.

One of our newest members, Daniel Hawkins is featured in the “Getting to Know” column.

USBCA’s gadget guy, Richard Turner, has written an article explaining how the Braille Screen Input on an iPhone works with the new Braille Command and entry Modes in iOS 18.

 Jim Hohme has provided some puzzles for you to work and enjoy.

This holiday edition of The Challenger includes contributions by both Tyson Mordue and Paul Benson. Tyson provides thoughtful and personal insight on three different Bobby Fischer games. Paul has contributed his annotated game. Set up a chessboard and follow along with him.

There is a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln that says, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” That is what the USBCA is doing, building on the past to create a new and exciting future.

Happy Holidays to all! May your New Year be bright!

The President’s Message

By Glenn Crawford

Your United States Blind Chess Association has gone through many changes and ups and downs since the summer of 2023. We have been put to the test and have risen to that challenge with success. As many of you remember, in 2023, our former tournament director left this organization abruptly in a most rude and immature manner. This was the first of the changes and challenges we faced.

We were left with dozens of game results not rated and tournaments to finish. Our webmaster, Jim Homme, rose to the occasion to become the TD, finishing out our divisional and ladder tournaments.

With the help of two members, we were able to begin the Norm Doerner Memorial tournament in honor of Norm who passed away that year. These members put up the prize money for this tournament which helped to stabilize our group.

Jim Thoune, our beloved president passed away this year which left us with another challenge. Jim was very positive about the future of the United States blind Chess Association and we have picked up the reigns that fell from his hands to continue the work that will make his dreams for our group come true.

Many changes have been made and many more are coming in the new year. You are all aware of them: “Hands on Chess,” “Chess Queens,” “Sunday Smiles,” and the revitalization of The Challenger. We are taking the USBCA in a new direction, making it possible to have more competitive tournaments and chess instruction by qualified instructors. These changes will prove to benefit us as the new year comes.

The reinstated membership dues make possible the tournaments and chess seminars. You, the membership, overwhelmingly approved membership dues, and we have responded positively to this.

Not only do membership dues afford us these new 2025 events but they put us on a track to be self-sufficient. Most organizations such as ours pay their own way and we are striving to do the same. Let’s make the USBCA a proud and responsible organization, able to take care of itself.

We are considering other exciting programs and activities for the group. It all depends on you.

The projects for 2025 include examining and rewriting our constitution and contacting organizations such as schools for the blind and visually impaired to offer a means for those budding chess players to express their talent over the chess board. We are continuing to update our organization and recruitment of new members.

With the help from all of you, we can continue to improve the USBCA, help it grow, and make it more attractive to potential members. Please do your best in continuing to make our group something to be proud of. The bottom line to our success is you.

Glenn Crawford President, USBCA

 ## India and Ecuador

By Marilyn Bland

Bangalore, India and Salinas, Ecuador could scarcely be more different from each other in population size, location, cultural and religious practices, and cuisine, yet they had something remarkable in common. Both cities recently hosted a chess tournament for blind and visually impaired players.

At 3 o’clock in the morning, the taxi crawled along on the 6-lane highway, horns blaring from all directions in near bumper to bumper traffic. It could very easily have been afternoon peak hour. What should have been a 25-minute drive lasted an hour and 35 minutes, but finally we pulled in at the Chancery Pavilion hotel. I was in India to participate in the 12th International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) World Women’s Championship for the blind and visually impaired. I was also attending as the official IBCA representative. The World Junior Championship would be held concurrently and there was a great deal of local interest in these tournaments which would run from 27 September to 7 October.

The first order of business that Saturday morning was the technical meeting, during which tournament rules and procedures were given. The format was Swiss-style in 9 rounds with a time control of 90 minutes per player plus a 30 second increment per move. One game would be played after lunch each day, except on Monday, when two games were scheduled to facilitate the excursion on Tuesday. The opening ceremony was grand, with several dignitaries, sponsors, and prominent personalities as guests.

Meals were buffet style, and while there were a plethora of spicy dishes, there were always a few offerings suitable for my sensitive taste buds. I particularly enjoyed the freshly cut pawpaw and pineapple each day. Having the playing hall in the hotel itself was very convenient. Participants chatted amiably while waiting for the pairings to be posted, but then the mood became serious as players set up their boards and clocks. We were disappointed to learn that visas for a number of players had been declined, but while the fields in both tournaments were small - 20 women and 13 juniors - the competition was tough. For the first time ever, there were two women from the USA, myself and Jessica Lauser. Go team USA!

By Monday evening, 4 rounds had been played and everyone was looking forward to the excursion the next day. The busses arrived after breakfast and soon we were on our way to the Hare Krishna Temple. Shoes and bags were left in a designated area before we set off - barefoot - along the meandering walkway to the sanctuary. Inside: cool marble underfoot, ornate sculptures, candles and incense, chimes and chants, gongs and meditation chairs - a whole other world. Immersed in the rituals, I felt at peace long after we left the shrine.

On the way back to the hotel it was time for a shopping spree. What a delight, but how difficult to choose! Carved sandalwood items, elephants and peacocks of every size and substance, decorated goblets, silks, and, and, and. Needless to say, I came away laden to the hilt.

On Wednesday the battles on the boards resumed. Initially, there was speculation as to which female player would pull ahead, but it soon became evident that the reigning champion would retain her title. It was not at all clear who would clinch silver and bronze. Sunday morning saw the final round, followed by lunch and the closing ceremony, another grand event with medals, certificates, bouquets, anthems, media coverage, and general merriment.

In the Juniors section, 16-year-old Julia Salamon from Poland won gold, and Ukrainian Women’s International Women’s Master Lubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko was once more victorious. I fared poorly and chalked up several losses, but Jessica did very well, claiming the number 5 spot. All too soon it was that time again, exchanging contact information, last-minute chess chatter, farewells, bag-packing, and checkout. The long journey home had begun.

This year, the Women’s Open and the Pan-American Championships were back to back. Arriving in Salinas, Ecuador 6 days after returning home from India was something of a shock. I had left a landlocked megacity of 14.8 million people and now found myself in a coastal city of less than 60 thousand. Touching down in Guayaquil at 10 at night, it had been an additional 2-hour car journey (with a midnight snack of cheese empanadas along the way) before arriving at the Caridi Chipipe hotel.

Getting to bed in the small hours and up again at 6 was not easy. Meals were set and served in a large courtyard. This same space was transformed for the ceremonies and also became the playing area after meals. Huge cutout chess pieces decorated a second recreational space and here players could enjoy refreshments while analyzing their games. Large umbrellas provided welcome shade in both areas.

Because of my late arrival, I had missed the technical meeting held on Sunday evening. There would be 7 rounds Swiss style, with a time control of 90 minutes and a 30 second increment per move. There would be 2 games each day Monday to Wednesday, with the final games on Thursday morning.

There was a great deal of pomp and ceremony at the opening on Monday morning, which lasted longer than anticipated because of a power outage. While the outages occurred daily and nightly, they did nothing to dampen our spirits. Neither did the fact that there were no elevators and we had to climb stairs to our various floors.

After dinner, those who felt up to it headed out to the beach, just a short walk away. Cool waves from the Pacific ocean south of the equator lapped at my feet as my toes sank into the damp sand. What a lovely way to end the day. The excursion planned for Tuesday evening after dinner was a bus ride along the coastal road. Traditional songs and music filled the air as the bus rolled along and eventually wound its way back to the hotel.

Tensions were beginning to build as the rounds progressed. In this tournament, players participated in two categories - B1 for blind and B2 for visually impaired players. In my B1 section there were 26, while Jessica Lauser, my team mate, was in B2 with 11 players. Declined visas also affected participation, but players from Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, USA, Argentina, and Guatemala made it.

On Thursday after the games had ended, the group from Nicaragua invited me to join them. We walked on the promenade and then had a boat ride along the coastline. The skipper had me sit on a seat right at the edge of the yacht and dangle my legs in the sea. This was so relaxing after the pressures of the week. Back at the hotel we freshened up just in time for the ultimate event of the tournament.

Winners and participants were celebrated with great fanfare. In B1, Edgar Rico Hernandez from Colombia took gold for men and Melany Ordonez from Guatemala for women. in B2, Jaider Enrique Perez Castillo received gold for men and Jessica Lauser for women. Jessica also took second place in the overall tournament. I came away with something from all the categories: losses, a bye, a draw, and a win. Every participant received a medal and a certificate, while winners were also presented with trophies.

On the flight home the next day I had plenty of time to reflect on the events of the past month. Both tournaments had been extremely well organized. Volunteers, officials, hotel staff - everyone - had taken special care to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. If there is one thing I wish for though, it is that I would be able to communicate with each person in their own language. Despite this deficiency on my part, I always come away from a tournament enriched by the total immersion in chess and the camaraderie among everyone there. It is what motivates me to keep trying to improve and not give up because I did not win all my games. It is what drives me to study my games, encourage others to participate, and what makes me eager to play in the next tournament, the one next year in.. . See you there!

 ## Let’s all welcome the newest members to join the USBCA:

Player Spotlight: Chris Ross, Candidate Master of Chess

By Glenn Crawford

Chris Ross, the Deputy Head of Student Services at the University of Derby, and FIDE Candidate Master, is a USBCA consultant. Chris was born in November, 1978 in Thornaby on Tees, a small town in England which was poverty stricken due to the closing of the coal mines. Chris said, “The whole area, there were like hundreds of thousands of jobs lost.” He continued, “So, I grew up in a very socio-economical poor family.”

With reference to his vision loss, “I was born with partial sight. I could see reasonably well.” His mother is blind. “And, I inherited some genetics from her.” He states, “My main condition whilst young was glaucoma. This led to the loss of sight in my right eye at about age five, since the illness was not correctly diagnosed or treated accurately with medical professionals.” A few years later, he lost the sight in his left eye. “I eventually lost my sight just when I was nine due to detached retinas.” For the first nine years of his life, “I couldn’t see long distance but I could see reasonably well. You know, I could walk around and I could read things okay.” and, “That’s proven to be a huge advantage throughout my career and also within chess because I know what color is. I know what writing is. I see internally. So, although I’m totally blind now, I live in a world where, you know, there’s pictures and colors in my mind. So, seeing the chess board, seeing the pieces move around, and things like that, for me, that’s a skill that comes extremely easily.”

 Chris suffered a simultaneous double retinal detachment. When asked the cause of this, he said, “It was a gradual accumulation of various things, you know, falling, fights in the streets.” His double retinal detachment occurred while at school when he was nine years old. “The final moment where the world started getting really, really gray–and I remember this moment quite poignantly–I was in the playground of my primary school.” He continued. “I was nine years old, and I was outside playing with the other kids. And, the bell rang for, you know, to return to school. I was quite far out in the playground. All the other kids ran off. I could remember looking around and everything suddenly got really gray. I couldn’t see, you know, the way to get back into the building. I can remember wandering around. You know, it just got grayer and grayer over the next couple of hours.”

Chris has never attended special classes for his visual impairment. In his primary grades, “I went to mainstream school. And, it was quite clear at the time I was quite a bright child.” At age eleven, Chris entered secondary school continuing to attend mainstream classes. He said he did very well with his studies. “It was two things [that allowed him to excel]. The standard of education wasn’t very high but I obviously had a natural intelligence. I breezed through school.” And, “I was a well-behaved child as well. I could just get on with work, do the work much faster than anybody else.”

Chris attended Sheffield University. Before going to university, Chris studied French, Latin, and German with German providing him his career as an adult. “I’m fluent in German.” But, “French and Latin, I can get by in French. I can read and write French quite well. Latin, again, I haven’t used Latin for twenty years.” He continued, “I did like languages like Anglo Saxon, ancient German, and things like that. Because I was quite interested in things. I was really interested in how languages developed.” As part of his university education, Chris went to Germany for fourteen months and taught English to German students.

When asked how he was able to manage as a blind person to deal with living and working in a different country and different culture, he said, “Back in 1996, my school gave everybody the opportunity to get a pen friend in various countries. And, I happened just by chance to get a German pen friend. And, I got on very well with him, and we visited each other. He came to England; I went to his place. We developed a really strong relationship. So, when I went to Germany to teach, I actually went to his former school. And, obviously, I knew him. I knew the town where he lived.”

After graduating from Sheffield, Chris considered becoming a translator or interpreter but settled on teaching German to secondary school students in England which he did for ten years. Chris then became employed at the university level at the University of North Hampton where he became a disability advisor. With some changes of employment at different universities, he ended up at the University of Derby where he currently holds a senior position as Deputy Head of Student Services. “I head up the disability service teams, mental health teams, counseling teams, student money advice teams. So, I’ve got about eighty-seven people who report to me.” He continued, “I’m as it was top of that branch, so I have middle managers underneath me who do the day-to-day operational side of things. So, although I have oversight of the operations, I don’t see students. I do all the strategy, I sit on the Stephen Groups, and embed policies. You know, I do the direction of where the university should be going, you know, the endeavors it’s trying to strive for. So, one of my as it were big, big pushes is getting the university to be as inclusive as possible. That’s not just for disabilities. That’s for race, gender, all things inclusive.”

Chris learned to play chess from his older brother. “He taught me the moves when I was about six or seven.” At that time, “He [Chris’s brother] was playing in school competitions. He was playing in tournaments around the local area. So, I knew the moves. I knew the basics.” At age thirteen, Chris started playing chess more seriously. “It took me about two years for me, you know, to start getting really good. So, it was in 1993 which I played my first chess tournament.” He said, “It was in a place called Leeds but it was a tournament run by our UKBCA.” And, “I was in the lower section, the bottom section. You know, I won it [his division].” He said, “It took many years to actually start winning the tournament. I think I started winning the actual open in–well, I won the British championship in 1997.” He continued, “It was the British championship for the visually impaired.”

Chris said, “It was in the late 90s when I really started cutting my teeth with chess, I started representing England, the UKBCA. My first tournament was in 1998 in the Czech Republic. So, it’s really from 1998 until 2019.”

Chris attained his candidate master’s title in 2012. His highest FIDE rating was in 2013 at 2247. Chris believes he would have attained his FIDE master’s title if he could have competed more broadly. “In the 1990s and 2000s because I had to hold down a day-to-day job, I couldn’t go abroad many times to try and play FIDE rated games.” He continued, “I’m a candidate master. I believe I am FIDE master strength or I used to be.” He continued, “I’ve been recently looking back at some of my games from 2009 and 2010. As you see, I’ve been putting a couple of games up on the user group now. And, some of the games I played there, you know, it was just terrific, absolute wonderful stuff I used to play. But, you know, when you reach forty, they say that you plateau.”

When asked how active he is now in chess, Chris said, “I’m not so active. I played the Berlin tournament this year in August.” Chris said this is an international open tournament. And, “It’s a tournament I’ve played a number of times. My biggest success was in 2013 where I got seven and a half out of nine. Which that was alongside grand masters.”

Now, “I still play in local leagues. I play in quite a lot of local leagues. I play mainly in Sheffield.”

Chris has been faced with many challenges throughout his life but has met them head on and excelled in education, employment, and chess. The United States blind Chess Association is fortunate to have such a person as one of its consultants.

Getting to Know: Daniel Hawkins

Getting to Know USBCA member: Daniel Hawkins (Check out his website link listed at the end of the article!)

Hello, my name is Daniel Hawkins. I am a Deafblind individual rediscovering my passion for chess. I initially learned to play with my sister, who is also DeafBlind, but drifted away from the game after moving out on my own. After living as a blind individual for the past 11 years, I was inspired to return to chess thanks to Vincent Beaty, who introduced me to this wonderful group. Although I’m not highly skilled yet, I’m excited to learn and grow from the expertise of others here.

Outside of chess, I have a deep interest in all things that are loud, fast, expensive, and prone to breaking down, whether that means working on vehicles or crafting new ideas. One of my favorite projects involved collaborating with a fabricator to design a custom attachment that connects two bicycles. This allows my wife of 14 years and me to ride together while still giving her the freedom to detach her bike for solo rides.

Professionally, I am exploring the field of digital accessibility testing, a journey that has given me the opportunity to learn about website development and inclusive design. As a computer instructor for the Blind, I love helping others navigate their devices using screen readers and adaptive technology.

In my personal life, my wife and I volunteer our time offering free Bible studies, teaching others how to draw close to God and find the joy in looking forward to inheriting God’s Kingdom, and find joy in His promises. When I’m not working or volunteering, I enjoy exploring the BBQ scene in southern Illinois, where I reside. I own two smokers and take great pleasure in crafting smoked masterpieces to share with family and friends.

I look forward to connecting with this community and improving my chess skills along the way! Feel free to visit and contact me at my website, and feel free to share with friends and family.

https://iabilityi.com/

 ## From the Gadget Guy

By Richard Turner

In this article, I will attempt to explain how the Braille Screen Input on an iPhone works with the new Braille Command and entry Modes in iOS 18. To keep things simple, from now on I will use BSI, the abbreviation for Braile Screen Input.

The iPhone has had BSI since iOS 8, in 2014. Now in iOS 18, they have brought a huge improvement! You can navigate on the iPhone or iPad screen the same way as if you had an external Braille keyboard connected.

There is also a new way to start and stop BSI. It used to require that you have it in the rotor. Now, you can still do that, or you can do a gesture to start it from anywhere.

To activate BSI, have one finger from each hand on the top and bottom of the screen and double tap with both fingers simultaneously.

When you are in an edit box, you can use BSI to write text, etc. But, if you also want to navigate the screen and take actions that could be done with a keyboard, you can switch to command mode. Once you have activated BSI, swipe with three fingers from left to right in landscape, or top to bottom in portrait mode.

I personally find using BSI on an iPhone in landscape, screen away mode the easiest. Though, if I am on an iPad, the tabletop mode works extremely well. Tabletop Mode is like writing with a Perkins Braille Writer. Screen Away Mode is like playing an accordion. You are holding the phone between your palms with the screen facing away and your fingers curled over the phone, with your right-hand doing dots 4, 5, and 6, and your left-hand doing dots 1, 2, and 3, just like on a Perkins Braille writer.

I hope that helps you get the concept, and if you would like a list of the gestures/commands, they are on my web site: https://www.turner42.com/

Here are direct links to two files, one for BSI Entry Mode and one for BSI Command Mode:

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions at richardr_turner@comcast.net Richard Turner

 ## Puzzles

By Jim Hohme

In these puzzles, find the best move. All puzzles taken from LiChess games.

White to Play

white pieces

king: g1, queen: g5, rook: g3, bishop: c5, pawns: b4, f4, c2, g2

black pieces

king: f7, ueen: e2, rooks: a8, d8, bishop: g7, pawns: g6, f5, d4, a3, c3

Solution

Qxg6 check

Black To Play

white pieces

king: g3, queen: c3, rook: a1, bishop: f4, pawns: a4, e4, d3, h3, b2, c2

black pieces

king: g7, queen: a8, knights: f6, e5, pawns: b7, f7, a6, d6, g6, c5

Solution

Nh5 Check

Impressions of Bobby Fischer

By Tyson Mordue

I first learned chess when I was given a chess and draughts set for my birthday in May 1972. While that small event may have passed the world by the next big thing was the Spassky vs Fischer World Championship Match in Reykjavik, Iceland.

It was the first time that an American had played for the World Championship in 24 years, and this at the height of the Cold War. But behind the political intrigue was Fischer’s drive to get chess recognised as a professional sport. Ultimately, he succeeded at this.

I have never been a professional player myself, although I did play over 150 serious games from April 2006 to March 2007, scoring over 75%. During that time, I could regard myself as perhaps semi-professional, and I had the result of my life by beating a Russian GM at Caerleon during a summer heatwave.

During the latter part of 2007 I finally forced my FIDE Elo rating over 2300, so I applied and received the title of FIDE Master (FM). Yet this was 35 years after I started playing chess. So how did I get there?

Back in 1972 there were frequent updates in our local newspaper about the World Championship Match which Fischer won in early September. I remember playing through some of the published games but back then it was description notation. UGH! However, soon there was a regular stream of chess books from the library and then a very particular book as a Christmas present: Fischer- Spassky Move by Move by Larry Evans and Ken Smith. It’s main features were a diagram and a comment after every single move!

Here I’m going to go through three of the games and explain the impressions that Bobby Fischer’s play made on me, an eleven-year-old just learning the game. These are not full annotations. There are plenty of sources for that. However, this is personal insight.

 ### Game 3: White: Spassky, Black: Fischer

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5

The signature moves of the Modern Benoni Defence, an opening which I didn’t know about at the time. It had been played by Mikhail Tal in the 1960 World Championship Match against Mikhail Botvinnik but in 1972 I was just getting acquainted with chess openings.

It’s a very sharp choice by Fischer but I wouldn’t recommend anyone adopting it without a lot of research. I did though and I later gave it up for the King’s Indian Defence, although some of my games transposed to the Moern Benoni and my previous experience held me in good stead.

4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Nd2 Nbd7 8. e4 Bg7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Qc2

This was all established theory at the time. Black’s moves are all standard in the Modern Benoni, while Spassky’s own moves are equally routine although there are other systems he could have chosen. It was Fischer’s next move that grabbed the chess world’s attention … and mine.

11...Nh5!?

Inviting White to break up the Black structure but conceding the Bishop pair. Fischer goes on to prove that he has piece activity for his weaknesses. However, modern theory regards this line as dubious For me but, at 2-0 down in the match, Bobby was willing to take risks.

For me the realisation that activity could negate Pawn weaknesses was a real eye-opener. Nevertheless during my career I was very reluctant to damage my structure without good reason. I damaged plenty of other peoples’ though!

12. Bxh5 gxh5 13. Nc4 Ne5 14. Ne3 Qh4 15. Bd2 Ng4

So even World Champions can threaten dimple checkmates in one move!

16. Nxg4 hxg4

Pawn structure repaired and I like Black in this nicely open position. Closed positions didn’t appeal to me then, although I had people close the Queenside and centre and force me to attack them on the Kingside to their detriment! There were lots of books on attacks and tactics in Gateshead library.

17. Bf4 Qf6 18. g3?

Spassky should have played 18. Bg3 instead but he may have been concerned about the advance of Black’s h-Pawn

The reigning World Champion was rightly criticised for this move which weakens his light squares, particularly as he no longer has a light-squared Bishop. The key point is that his Pawn on e4 subsequently comes under heavy pressure and he can’t go f2-f3 to defend it. Black simply takes …gxf3 and now White wants to recapture with g2xf3 to maintain the Pawn chain, and he can’t.

18...Bd7 19. a4 b6!

For me this simple but necessary bit of technique was highlighted for the first time. I have always paid attention to this detail, and I’ve also seen plenty of players overlook it!

Fischer wants to expand on the Queenside, a typical strategy in the Modern Benoni, after all Black has a 3-2 majority there straight out of the opening. The simple way to do it is play …a7-a6 and then …b7-b5. However, here if 19…a6? White plays 20. a5! when a later …b7-b5 is answered by a5xb6 en passant ruining Black’s structure on that wing. Bobby circumvents this by playing …b7-b6 first and then, as in the game, …a7-a6 followed by …b6-b5. Of course, the immediate 20. a5 is answered by 20…b6-b5 because with the b-Pawn having moved to b6 and then b5 it avoids the en passant capture.

20. Rfe1 a6 21. Re2 b5
22. Rae1 Qg6

In the Modern Benoni the e5 square is very important. White will strive to push for e4-e5, and Black will do his utmost to prevent it.

23. b3 Re7

Now Fischer starts to lay siege to the artificially isolated e4-Pawn. Around here Spassky must have been regretting 18. g3 … and I was beginning to have the first inklings of positional chess!

24. Qd3 Rb8 25. axb5 axb5 26. b4 c4

My first introduction to a protected passed Pawn. Okay, it’s currently blockaded but this is a clear asset to Black and a constant menace in an endgame.

27. Qd2 Rbe8

A very impressive set-up. Doubled Rooks on both sides. I’d never seen this before. Now Black is attacking e4 three times and White defends it with the same number of pieces. However, a later…Bxc3 will upset the balance.

28. Re3 h5 29. R3e2 Kh7 30. Re3 Kg8

Fischer had played his King to h7 to prevent a later Bh6 by White. He now changes his mind and decides his King is better defending the f7-Pawn instead. He has the time because his opponent has nothing useful to do, hence the Rook shuffling.

It was another little lesson. One doesn’t have to rush into forced lines. Check to see if something else can be improved first.

31. R3e2 Bxc3

Fischer decides that his position can’t be improved so he starts the forced sequence that wins the White e4-Pawn.

32. Qxc3 Rxe4 33. Rxe4 Rxe4 34. Rxe4 Qxe4 35. Bh6

Another little gem. It is possible to create mating threats despite the reduced material on the board. Of course, this is a direct result of giving up the DSB with 31…Bxc3, so I also learned that in the Benoni and King’s Indian Defences you shouldn’t do that lightly. I’m sure Fischer didn’t but he had no other way of making progress and he was playing to win.

35...Qg6 36. Bc1 Qb1

A lot of the books from Gateshead library demonstrated how useful pins were.

37. Kf1 Bf5 38. Ke2 Qe4+ 39. Qe3

I also knew about opposite-coloured Bishop endings being drawish so I could understand why Fischer avoided swapping Queens. As Spassky demonstrated on move 35 there is attacking play possible in this position. Both Kings are exposed.

There is a misapprehension among some players that having opposite Bishops in the middlegame is also drawish. They aren’t! They actually favour the attacker. That I’d learnt in Gateshead when three Pawns down to a friend. My DSB cut nicely into his position and his LSB was hampered by his own Pawns.

39...Qc2+ 40. Qd2 Qb3 41. Qd4? Bd3+

The sealed move and strong enough to force a resignation. At the least the b4-Pawn goes with check and there are some nice mating nets.

0-1

Game 5: White: Spassky, Black: Fischer

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4

The Nimzo-Indian Defence. I used to play that as well before I gave it up for the King’s Indian. I was very impressed by a game between Botvinnik vs Reshevsky, World Championship Tournament 1948, where Reshevsky stifled White’s Kingside attack whilst laying seige to the doubled Pawns on the Queenside. Unfortunately, White has other ways of playing it that avoid said doubling.

4. Nf3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Bd3 Bxc3+

The Huebner variation, introduced into praxis by West German GM Robert Huebner in 1970 with good results.

7. bxc3 d6 8. e4 e5 9. d5 Ne7

I’d be quite happy with this. A closed position with two Knights that can jump about and annoy White. Not my usual style but the current game had also made a big impression – obviously!

Spassky tries to open the game up for his Bishops … and fails.

10. Nh4 h6 11. f4!? Ng6!

Dangerous is 11…g5 12. e5! Instead, Fischer damps down White’s play.

12. Nxg6 fxg6 13. fxe5?!

This is simply too early. Eventually it was established that White should keep the tension with 13. 0-0 and reserve the option of f4-f5.

Inexperienced and weak players often swap Pawns at the first opportunity. This may be either right or wrong but doing some analysis first might establish which. However, the thought process usually goes “I don’t want to be calculating Pawn takes Pawn for both sides each move, so I’ll swap now so I don’t have to work it out!” Then again the same thoughts could go through the opponent’s head!

Don’t be afraid to keep Pawn tension. Eventually you might find a really inconvenient moment to your opponent to swap Pawns. Pawn tension creates options, and the more options you have then the better the position should be.

13...dxe5 14. Be3

Spassky clearly thought this move would gain a tempo by attacking the loose Pawn, but it forces Black to play a move that he wants to play.

It’s actually questionable whether the Bishop wants to be on e3 anyway. As Chris Ross has written many times “Don’t develop pieces just for the sake of it. Each development should be part of a particular plan.”

14...b6 15. O-O O-O 16. a4?

This would have been very tempting at the time, particularly as it seems to fit with 14. Be3 which has forced …b7-b6. The point is that White intends to play a4-a5 when Black is left with three bad options:

  1. play …b6xa5 leaving his Pawns horribly shattered and vulnerable.
  2. leave the Pawn, let White take on b6 and recapture there with …a7xb6. This leaves a vulnerable Pawn on b6 which White can target by putting his major pieces on the b-file.
  3. leave the Pawn, let White take on b6 and recapture there with a piece. That’s even worse than option 2. White can line up his major pieces down the a-file to target the isolated a-Pawn, but the c5-Pawn is also an isolated vulnerable unit.

As written in the book “This all sounds great for White, but there is one big flaw. Black can stop the advance a4-a5 by playing …a7-a5 himself. Although this leaves the b6-Pawn backward on an open file ironically the Pawn on a4 is an even weaker target.” Quite right, and the game proved it.

Once again an eye-opener, but it makes positional sense. White can only attack the b6-Pawn with major pieces down the b-file, so defend it with one minor piece and theoretically White can’t capture there without losing material.

16...a5! 17. Rb1?!

Spassky actually intends doubling Rooks on the open f-file. He could save a tempo with 17. Ra2 and then Raf2.

17...Bd7 18. Rb2 Rb8 19. Rbf2 Qe7?!

Likewise 19…Qe8 saves a tempo for the forthcoming transfer to g6. Then again Spassky is short of constructive moves so maybe this was more cat and mouse play. His next move relieves the Queen of the defence of the exposed a4-Pawn.

20. Bc2 g5 21. Bd2 Qe8

Emphasising the weakness of the a4-Pawn and showing that White’s 16th was a clear error. I was very impressed, particularly so because there’s nothing counterattacking b6.

22. Be1

What sort of square is this for a Bishop? It merely reinforces the fact that White has no constructive plan. Even if this Bishop gets to g3 to attack the e5-Pawn Black will be playing …Nh5-f4 to block it.

22...Qg6

Now e4 is coming under fire. I must play this opening! Sadly chess is not always this simple.

23. Qd3 Nh5

Hang on! Why are you allowing the swap of all the Rooks? Answer: Because it reduces the prospect of White counterplay and indeed his defences chances as well.

Another lesson. Reducing material even when its level doesn’t necessarily reduce your winning chances. Indeed, it may enhance them!

24. Rxf8+ Rxf8 25. Rxf8+ Kxf8 26. Bd1

Now both Bishops are on the back rank. Is this where a reigning World Champion really wants them to be? The answer is obviously no but under pressure people make strange moves, as Spassky promptly shows us.

26...Nf4 27. Qc2??

It had to be 27. Qb1 when the book discussed a plan such as putting the Black King on c7 to defend b6, the Knight on d6 to attack c4 and e4 whilst keeping the White Queen out of b5, then arranging the Black Queen and Bishop on h7 and g6 respectively. This should cause e4 to fall. Imaginative stuff.

What I remember most is that I’d got to move 26 in the book and it was the bottom of the page. The impression that it was a strange game was uppermost in my mind and I thought this is going to be very long. Then I turned the page to see 27. Qc2 and the double question mark and I thought how can that be an error?

27...Bxa4!

After 28. Qxa4 Qxe4 White is threatened with mate on g2 and e1. The only defence is 29. Kf2 when the most amusing line is 29…Nd3+ 30. Kg3 Qh4+ 31. Kf3 Qf4+ 32. Ke2 Nc1 mate. The two inert Bishops take up White’s flight squares and for the first time I learned how good Queen and Knight were as an attacking force.

Instead after 28. Qb1 Bxd1 29. Qxd1 Qxe4 White is two Pawns down and c4 probably drops as well. Spassky didn’t want to find out and resigned.

0-1

Game Score

[Event “Spassky - Fischer World Championship Match”] [Site “Reykjavik ISL”] [Date “1972.07.23”] [Round “6”] [Result “1-0”] [White “Robert James Fischer”] [Black “Boris Spassky”] [ECO “D59”]

  1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Rc1 Be6 12. Qa4 c5 13. Qa3 Rc8 14. Bb5!? a6 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. O-O Ra7?! 17. Be2 Nd7? 18. Nd4! Qf8 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. e4! d4? 21. f4 Qe7 22. e5! Rb8 23. Bc4 Kh8 24. Qh3 Nf8 25. b3 a5 26. f5 exf5 27. Rxf5 Nh7 28. Rcf1 Qd8 29. Qg3 Re7 30. h4 Rbb7 31. e6 Rbc7 32. Qe5 Qe8 33. a4 Qd8 34. R1f2 Qe8 35. R2f3 Qd8 36. Bd3 Qe8 37. Qe4 (with a threat) 37…Nf6 38. Rxf6! gxf6 39. Rxf6 Kg8 40. Bc4 Kh8 41. Qf4

Champing At The Bit 12

By Paul Benson

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

As the memoirs of Simone Signoret tell us: “Nostalgia Isn’t What It Used To Be”. Another trip down memory lane for your Annotator. My first real consistent opening choice for white started in my second year of competitive chess. A much stronger player at my club kept beating me up in friendly blitz games with a really strange system. I was so impressed that at the next opportunity with white in a club match I blasted it out at my unsuspecting opponent. Yes, it produced a victory, a 5-year addiction to this fascinating beast had begun.

Sokolsky - Strugatsch, White Russia 1958.

1. b4

| Welcome to a respectable off-beat opening with no less than 3 names. The Orang-utan - Named by S. Tartakower after a visit to the Bronx Zoo where an orang-utan named Susan somehow indicated to him to play 1. b4 in his next game. The Polish - In honour of the above-mentioned Tartakower, a citizen of Poland, who often played the opening. The Sokolsky - After A. P. Sokolsky who contributed much to theory followed by publishing a monograph on the system. There are many sensible responses and depending on how black handles matters white can often offer a gambit pawn. Alekhine however felt white was revealing intentions too soon permitting black to respond without having made any commitments. It seems you can’t please all the people all the time. ||

1. ... e5

| Attempting to list the various defence options here is not appropriate. However suffice it to say this attempt to block the a1 - h8 diagonal is rather challenging. Positional players tend to choose pawn d5 intending postponement of direct aggression to the middlegame. ||

2. Bb2 f6

| And this is positively throwing down the gauntlet. Tactical options are now available for white, assuming the necessary homework has been carried out. ||

3. e4

| Releasing the white d1 queen and f1 bishop for action, fine, but is not the b4 pawn now en prise? ||

3. ... Bxb4

| Entering into the murky complications of the Tartakower Gambit. Is the sacrifice of the pawn sound? Wrong question. There is going to be plenty of action for the pawn, black must calculate carefully, all the fun lines are available only to white. But some players will grab all goodies on offer, in the belief they can tough it through the activity and enter the endgame material up. Let the philosophical fight of “Materialism Versus Activity” begin! ||

4. Bc4

| Taking control of the light square a2 - g8 diagonal, in particular the f7 square is a centre of attention. Black is strongly advised to neutralise this c4 bishop as quickly as possible, fine, but how? ||

4. ... Nc6

| Planning Na5 forcing white to decide what to do with the c4 bishop. ||

5. f4 exf4

| The apparent granite blockage of the a1 - h8 diagonal has been softened, the white bishops are beginning to look threatening. ||

6. Nh3 Nge7

| Wisely avoiding the temptation of holding onto the extra pawn. Instead 6. … g5 runs into tactics with 7. Nxg5 when 7. … fxg5 8. Bxh8 black drops the exchange for a pawn. Black can decline capturing that g5 knight but then the weak doubled f-pawns on a semi-open file would surely soon be rounded up. ||

7. Nxf4 Na5

| Black is trying to either force the white c4 bishop off the a2 - g8 diagonal or trade it off. Either way the strength of the white bishops will disappear, right? White to play takes a considerable gulp from “The Coffee Cup Of Inspiration”. ||

8. Bxf6

| Appropriate Fischerism: “Tactics flow from a positionally superior game.” No argument about that philosophy here, but was white actually superior when this bishop was back skulking on the b2 square? Each player has 3 minor pieces in play. Fine, but both white bishops were pointing into the black kingside and the f4 knight was hovering in that same area. On the other hand a couple of black minor pieces, b4 bishop and a5 knight, are away from the potential scene of action. Add in the possibility of the white queen jumping in with Qh5+ and thoughts of a dynamic option should be rapidly coming to mind. So white is actually positionally superior but is all this enough to justify a tactical assault? Also don’t forget, the white c4 bishop is still en prize, so black now has the luxury of grabbing either of the opposing bishops.

Now back to the theme of this article, nostalgia. So has this sharp variation ever appeared for me in a competitive game? Yes, my moves were rattled out virtually immediately to achieve this precise position. The “Shell-Shocked” opponent haplessly wandered into a side-line given in the notes to the next black reply, white soon won! ||

8. ... Rf8

| Sensibly declining entering into complications, some tactical ideas run: (A). 8. … gxf6 9. Qh5+ Kf8 10. Qf7+ mate is just fantasy. (B). 8. … gxf6 9. Qh5+ Ng6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Qxh8+ Ke7 12. Qxd8+ Kxd8 13. Be2 white is an exchange up. (C). 8. … gxf6 9. Qh5+ Ng6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Qxh8+ Bf8 12. Be2 white is an exchange up. (D). 8. … gxf6 9. Qh5+ Ng6 10. Nxg6 Nxc4 11. Nxh8+ Kf8 12. Qf7+ mate. (E). 8. … gxf6 9. Qh5+ Ng6 10. Nxg6 Nxc4 11. Nxh8+ Ke7 12. Qf7+ Kd6 13. Qxc4 Qxh8 14. Qxb4+ white emerges a rook up. (F). 8. … Nxc4 9. Bxg7 Rg8 10. Qh5+ Ng6 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Qxg6+ Ke7 13. O-O when white is a piece for pawn down but has queen, rook, bishop on the attack, black should not survive this. (G). 8. … Nxc4 9. Bxg7 Rg8 10. Qh5+ Ng6 11. Nxg6 Rxg7 12. Ne5+ Kf8 13. O-O+ Kg8 14. Nxc4 when white has won a pawn. Fine, but black has a bishop pair versus a knight pair with all heavy pieces present, interesting middlegame struggle ahead. So white with both unprotected bishops attacked, desperately needs a massive gulp from “The Coffee Cup Of Inspiration”. ||

9. Nh5

| Amazing! Only 9 moves played and white is threatening Nxg7+ mate, and even more remarkable is that a queen is not involved. Of course black can easily disrupt the mating pattern, but sifting out the best option is far from easy. ||

9. ... Nxc4

| A doubler. Firstly, the white control of the f7 square is eliminated, the black king has just received some vital breathing space. Secondly, having grabbed a piece, black now has options of offering material back in future tradings in an attempt to reduce the white pressure. A couple of different captures needed consideration, they run: (A). 9. … gxf6 10. Ng7+ mate is delightfully picturesque but never going to happen. (B). 9. … Rxf6 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 11. Qh5+ Kf8 12. Qf7+ mate is easily avoided. (C). 9. … Rxf6 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 11. Qh5+ Ng6 12. Bg8 Kf8 13. Bxh7 Ne5 14. O-O Kg7 15. Bf5 Qh8 16. Qe2 with nominal material equality but all the short-term attacking possibilities are with white. ||

10. Nxg7+ Kf7
11. O-O Kg8

| Castling by hand, black king safety achieved, right? Fine if so, but the lack of pawn cover suggests black should quickly shuffles some minor pieces kingside to challenge the white activity. ||

12. Qh5

| With the idea of Qh6 - Ne6 - Qg7+ mate. This is easy for black to prevent with just a little willingness to be unmaterialistic. ||

12. ... Rxf6

| A tripler. Firstly, a potentially dangerous attacking white unit is eliminated at the relatively cheap cost of an exchange. Secondly, the black e7 knight is no longer pinned, both it and thus the lounging d8 queen are now free to strengthen the defences. Thirdly, the white g7 knight is no longer defended and so vulnerable to capture by the black king. As hinted at previously, because black earlier snatched the white c4 bishop it is sensible here to return some material to relieve pressure on the g8 king. ||

13. Rxf6

| Black to play must bear in mind this appropriate Fischerism: “Obvious therefore dubious!” ||

13. ... Ng6

| Another tripler from black. Firstly, an unleashing of the skulking black d8 queen hits the unprotected white f6 rook. Secondly, white still has the problem of how to save the unprotected g7 knight. Thirdly, if need be, the black b4 bishop now has options of retreating to either e7 or f8 to assist the defence. And before moving on, that “Obvious therefore dubious!” Fischerism needs explaining. If (unlucky) 13. … Kxg7 14. Rf7+ and either 14. … Kg8 or Kh8 then 15. Qxh7+ mate satisfactorily punishes auto-greed. White to play is yet again called upon to quaff from “The Coffee Cup Of Inspiration”. ||

14. Rxg6

| White initiated tactics with 8. Bxf6, it is almost certain that this precise position was not envisaged as the bishop charged in. With a couple of units en prise and no single move capable of saving both white searches for a move which causes the most confusion for the least cost. ||

14. ... hxg6
15. Qxg6

| Skirmishing over, a discussion of the clarified position might assist. Black has emerged a piece up with white having a couple of kingside connected passed pawns in return. All the immediate defenders of the black king have been eliminated with white having queen plus knight still on the attack. Who stands better in this very rare type of imbalance? A good question which is not easy to answer. White has the immediate threat of Ne6+ picking off the black d8 queen. Though further examination tells us that Ne6+ is a mating net of 2 moves. Black can stop this immediate white 2-mover threat in several ways. However avoiding the immediate white threat does not automatically imply complete king safety. In essence, despite the simplification black is still in danger and must play accurately. ||

15. ... Kh8

| Stepping out of the power of the dangerous x-ray attack. Fine, but matters are far trickier than might appear. Did black have anything better? Yes, but it requires a little tactical awareness to find the correct idea, some lines run: (A). 15. … Ne5 16. Qh6 Bf8 pinning and winning the white g7 knight, black would be 2 pieces up for just 2 pawns. (B). 15. … Ne5 16. Ne6+ Nxg6 17. Nxd8 Be7 wins the trapped white d8 knight. (C). 15. … Ne5 16. Qg3 Kh7 17. Qxe5 d6 18. Qd4 Bc5 pins the white d4 queen to her king. (D). 15. … Ne5 16. Qg3 Kh7 17. Qxe5 d6 18. Qg3 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Bd4 forks the white g7 knight and the a1 rook, the g7 knight must fall, the 2 white pawns are surely not enough compensation. (E). 15. … Ne5 16. Qg3 Kh7 17. Nf5 d6 18. Qg7+ mate will never happen. (F). 15. … Ne5 16. Nf5 Qf6 17. d4 Nc6 18. c3 Bf8 when black has a piece for 2 pawns and should eventually win but could be a long struggle. (G). 15. … Ne5 16. Qg3 Kh7 17. c3 Bd6 black again keeps the extra piece, long game ahead. In the game white to play, with only a queen and knight on the attack, has an opportunity to close in for a quick kill. ||

16. Ne8

| A doubler. Firstly, when a unit moves it vacates a square for someone else, 17. Qg7+ mate is the threat. Secondly, the black queen is prevented from drifting kingside, e.g. Qg8 challenging the white queen while also giving vital defensive support to the shivering h8 king is denied. ||

16. ... Qe7

| Preventing the immediate mate on the g7 square. Fine, but white can now demonstrate why the claim that queen and knight work well together is true. ||

17. Nf6 1-0

| White has twin threats of mate on the h7 and g8 squares, black has only a single sensible move to prevent both, a couple of conclusions run: (A). 17. … Qg7 18. Qh5+ Qh7 19. Qxh7+ mate. (B). 17. … Qg7 18. Qh5+ Qh6 19. Qxh6+ mate. Note that a diagonal-mirror move for white fails 17. … Qg7 18. Qe8+ Bf8 and the mating attack is halted. White reaped the reward for bold play, albeit with a little help from the opponent when it became critical. Players under pressure can make unforced errors, it then just takes the required technique to push for the full point.

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